Perry Downen
Reviews By Author
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Vampire FB. Mk.9 Pitot TubesPublished:
A Thank You goes to Aires for this item to review and to IMPS/USA for allowing me to do the review. Nicknamed the Flying Wheelbarrow by some, the de Havilland DH.100 Vampire was designed and developed during World War II. It entered service with the RAF in 1945, a little later than the Gloster Meteor. The Vampire was in front line service until 1953 and was finally retired in 1966. During that time it served with the RAF, the Royal Navy and numerous other countries around the world. In total, almost 3,300 Vampires were built. A couple of years ago Trumpeter released a 1/48 FB Mk.9 version of the Vampire. See Pablo Bauleo’s excellent review of this kit. As Pablo mentions there is no pitot tube supplied with this kit. Recently Aires Hobby… more |
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SB2C Helldiver Landing Gear (CH/Aca)Published:
My thanks to Scale Aircraft Conversions for offering this item for review and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it. Designed by the Curtiss Aircraft Manufacturing Company, the SB2C was a huge disappointment initially and for months to follow. It was structurally weak, exhibited poor handling characteristics, and was unstable in a number of flight conditions. But, the Navy and Curtiss stayed with the aircraft and made a number of design changes. The changes added nearly 3,000 lbs. to the aircraft and resulted in one of its not so endearing names - the Big-Tailed Beast. Finally the Navy had the plane they wanted. It became the Navy’s primary attack/bombing aircraft and was responsible for more Japanese targets destroyed than any other aircraft. Scale Aircraft… more |
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SBC2C-4 Helldiver ExhaustPublished:
Thank you, Quickboost, for furnishing this review sample and thank you, IMPS/USA, for allowing me to do the review. The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver was born in response to a 1938 U.S. Navy specification to replace the SBC, a bi-plane. It was designed around the large Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14-cylinder engine under development at the time. The Helldiver’s development was terribly slow. This was due in part to design problems, but also in part due to demanding requirements set forth by both the U.S. Marines and United States Army Air Forces with their A-25 Shrike program. These were typical of the problems associated with the development of any "multi-role" aircraft. The Helldiver was a large aircraft capable of carrying a 1000 pound bomb in an internal bomb bay. It also had a higher… more |
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Gloster Gladiator GunsPublished:
First things first, I want to thank Aires for supplying this Quickboost item for review and IPMS/USA for allowing me to write this review. The last biplane fighter to enter service with the Royal Air Force was the Gloster Gladiator. Even though it was not a first-line fighter almost from the beginning, it was used in nearly all theaters during World War II. It epitomized the best of the biplane era with an enclosed cockpit, top speed of 257 mph and four .303 Browning machine guns. Two of the guns, with 600 rounds each, were located in the forward fuselage with the barrels protruding between the cylinders of the radial engine. The other two guns, with 400 rounds each, were located just forward of the cockpit, over the wing root leading edges, and they fired between the cylinders… more |
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Boeing 727-200 Wheels and AntennaPublished:
Thanks to Hauler-Brengun for providing this item for review and thanks to IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it. What started out as an airliner with a market forecast of 250 units ended up being one of the best-selling and most popular airliners in the world. The Boeing 727 entered service in 1964 and the last 727 was completed in 1984. During that time 1,832 727s were built. It was very popular with both domestic and foreign airlines alike because of its range, short runway capabilities, and versatility. It could carry up to 189 passenger. One of its passengers made the 727 an unforgettable piece of American history. A man dubbed “D. B. Cooper” jumped from a Northwestern 727 with $200,000 in ransom, and into the history books as well as oblivion. Hauler-Brengun has… more |
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Fw190 Landing Gear (AX)Published:
First off I’d like to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for making this detail set available for review and thank IMPS/USA for allowing me to do the review. Most of us are familiar with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. But, for the one or two who are wondering what an Fw190 is, the following synopsis is provided. During World War II the Fw 190 was a German single-seat fighter aircraft powered by a single radial engine. It and its sister aircraft, the Bf109, made up the majority of the Luftwaffe’s fighter aircraft. The Fw190 is arguably the best fighter Germany had in its inventory. It was used in a variety of rolls including day fighter, night fighter, fighter-bomber, and ground-attack aircraft. It was very popular with the Luftwaffe pilots. And so it is with today’s modelers. At any show… more |
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Saab 37 Viggen Walk AroundPublished:
The Saab 37 Viggen was designed to a Swedish air force requirement for an integrated weapon system with high performance, great versatility, and STOL capability. It was intended to replace the Saab 32 Lansen attack plane and the Saab 35 Draken fighter. To meet the requirements of a multi-roll aircraft, Saab came up with a radical configuration for the day. The design used a conventional low-set delta wing extending from mid-fuselage to tail pipe, with small clipped canard wings mounted forward of the main wings and above the intakes. This single-seat aircraft was powered by a single license-built version of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine equipped with a thrust-reverser. This innovative design package created a plane capable of Mach 2 at high altitude and Mach 1 at low altitude… more |
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He 111 Kampfgeschwader on the Russian FrontPublished:
Although the He-111 was designed supposedly as a civil transport prototype capable of carrying 10 passengers and mail, its main purpose was of a military nature. It first flew in 1935. Several modifications were made to improve performance. A major change was replacing the two 660-hp BMW engines with the 1,000 hp Daimler Benz DB 600A engines, which significantly improved performance. The He-111 cut its fighting teeth in the Spanish Civil War, serving with the Condor Legion where it was very successful. That success continued in the early days of World War II. Germany overran several countries with its Blitzkrieg tactics, staring the Ju-87 and the He-111. Its success faded with the onset of the Battle of Britain when the lightly armed He 111 encountered the fast Spitfires and Hurricanes… more |
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Pe-2 Guards Units of World War 2Published:
I’d like to thank Osprey Publishing for offering this book to be reviewed, and I’d like to thank IPMS/USA for allowing me to review it. The Petlyakov Pe-2 was an interesting and formidable aircraft widely used by the Soviets against the Germany army during WW II. Originally designed as a high-altitude fighter by Vladimir M. Petlyakov while he was in prison, the Pe-2 became the standard tactical bomber of the Soviet air force. The twin-engined aircraft was used as a light bomber, a dive-bomber, a heavy fighter, a ground attack aircraft, a night fighter, and a reconnaissance aircraft. It was fast, maneuverable, and rugged. These attributes, along with its versatility, made it the most produced twin-engine combat aircraft ever. When production ended in 1945 over 11,400 Pe-2's had… more |
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Warships of the Ancient World 3000-500BCPublished:
First off, I’d like to thank Osprey Publishing for offering this book up for review and to IPMS/USA for allowing me to do the review. Many, many books have been written about the great warships of the two World Wars. The library shelves are full of stories about the great sailing ships as they traded and fought their way across the world’s oceans. However, not much has been written about the warships of the ancient world. That's simply because there's not much remaining in the way of artifacts to tell the story and very little remains of the written word of those times. Adrian K. Wood, in his newly released book Warships of the Ancient World, tries to shed some light on this subject. He acknowledges the scarcity of verifiable resources and the confusion caused by… more |