Phil Peterson
Reviews By Author
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Swordfish Mk.1 ExhaustPublished:
Quickboost continues to release replacement parts for new kits as they come out, this time it is updated exhausts for the new Airfix Swordfish. A quick comparison between the kit part and the resin parts show the new items have more of an oval exhaust point where the kit piece looks more round. You get 2 exhausts in the set which can be helpful if you have one of the older Matchbox/Revell versions as those kits only come with the later exhaust. Or you can save the other one for the new floatplane version Airfix is releasing shortly. Overall a nice, quick update to help make a good looking kit that much better. Many thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the review item |
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RCAF Sunderlands Decals - Canadians in Coastal Command #2Published:
The Sunderland is one of my favorite flying boats. There is something about the Flying Porcupine that just makes me go cool. I even got a chance to see one at Fantasy of Flight during the Nationals even though it had been converted to a passenger version. This new sheet by Aviaeology covers markings for 3 of the Mk.III versions as operated by the RCAF in Coastal Command. All 3 aircraft scored U-boat kills. They all wear similar schemes of white fuselage sides and undersides and either Dark Slate Grey and Extra Dark Sea Grey upper camos or the later version with just Extra Dark Sea Grey. The instruction sheet is in black and white and gives profiles and upper views of all 3 aircraft. The decals consist off fuselage codes and serials for all 3 aircraft but only 1 set of… more |
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Bofors Anti-Aircraft Gun CrewPublished:
Since I had picked up Bronco’s lovely little 40mm Bofors gun, I jumped at the chance to review the separate Gun Crew set. Unfortunately for me, they are dressed in more European Theatre uniforms (and possibly early war) while I plan to make my gun one based on Malta, so hopefully Bronco will do a Middle Eastern uniformed crew set in the near future. That said, let’s take a look in the box and see what we got. There are 6 figures in the kit, which seems a pretty standard crew for the gun, but it could go up to 8 men. The figures come in 8-11 parts including helmets and gas mask bags. While I have seen a few pictures of crews wearing the gas mask bags, most of the shots I have seen show the crews without these. This wouldn’t be an issue except the straps for the bags are… more |
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Aircraft of the AURI DecalsPublished:
This new sheet from Dutch Decal highlights several US- and English-built aircraft used by the Indonesians during the ‘50s. The included history talks about Opeartion “Haik,” which centered on clandestine US operations in Indonesia in 1958. Decals are provided for a very interesting set of aircraft: B-25 Mitchell, P-51D/K, C-47B, Piper L-4, Auster, Catalina, and B-26B Invader, with the standouts in my opinion being a couple of sharkmouthed Mustangs and a lovely Invader in not only a sharkmouth but also a sharktail. Full color profiles show each scheme in detail with wing placements for the Mustangs and Mitchells. Also included are a few small pictures displaying a few of the aircraft in real life. Dutch Decal has a great reputation for their decals and this looks… more |
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F3D Skyknight In ActionPublished:
While it’s not the sleekest, fastest, or prettiest of jets, I love the Skyknight. Part of the reason is I love nightfighters (and not just because the paint scheme is easy), and this was one of the last birds to fit that title. Part of it is it flew during the Korean and Vietnam wars, two eras of history that interest me. And part of it is that it is the only US jet to fly in both conflicts. Squadron Signal continues the In Action format with a brief history of the Skyknight’s different versions. The width of the plane was to accommodate the radar system, which used vacuum tubes (you younger kids can ask your Dads about those). The placement of the engines with a slight downward angle of exhaust caused issues with carrier operations and that, combined with some design flaws,… more |
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Green LanternPublished:
Moebius has been making a name for itself with repops of some old Aurora figure kits mixed in with new kits in the same style. Green Lantern is one of the latter. This 18 piece kit represents him in flying mode, holding down a robot using the power of his ring. The pose is very dynamic. For those of you who don’t follow Green Lantern (got to admit I am one of these), this version represents Hal Jordan, a test pilot who gets selected by the Guardians of the Universe to be the first human Green Lantern. The rest of the data you can read on the instruction sheet or the internet. Hal is 1/12th scale and made up of 12 pieces, 2 each for each hand, boots, head, and body. The parts are molded in green plastic. The breakdown makes it easy to paint the gloves, boots, and head separately… more |
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P-38J/L Lightning DecalsPublished:
While the P-38 gained its notoriety over the waters of the Pacific, I have always preferred it in D-Day stripes. This sheet by Iliad Design caters to both theaters of operations. There are 3 natural metal finish birds from the Pacific:
These are balanced by 4 birds flown over the European continent:
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Sci-Fi & Fantasy Modeller, Volume 24Published:
This is the 3rd issue of this magazine I have had the privilege to review and it is undoubtedly my favorite one to date. Why, you ask? Well, not only did I like almost every subject in this issue, but mainly because of 3 very awesome dioramas. But, more on those later. First off, a pet peeve of mine is articles that continue through 2 or more issues. Problem is, you may miss an issue with the conclusion or even start of a project or, as in this instance, an article may not continue in the next issue. This is spelled out in the editorial that two of the articles I covered part I of in Issue 23 were held up for production issues but should appear in issue 25. I did appreciate that Mike took the time to spell this out, as I was a little lost on my first glance through. Oh well,… more |
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F-111 Aardvark Pitot TubePublished:
Out of Poland comes a series of add ons. This one is a turned brass replacement for the pitot tube on a F-111. It looks fantastic and the instructions indicate that it replaces the kit part. The one thing missing is that they don't recommend which kit to use. According to their website it will work on any 72nd scale kit. I don't have an Aardvark in my stash to check but it sure looks like it will improve any kit. The brass part is well-made and very petite. It requires no further clean up (as opposed to what the kit parts will need) and won’t break during handling while finishing your model. Highly recommended. Thanks to Master Model Poland for the sample and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it. |
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F-101B Voodoo Pitot TubePublished:
A nice replacement part from Poland, this is a turned brass pitot tube for the F-101B. This one is listed to work on any 72nd F-101B kit. The instructions show to cut the kit part at the tip of the nose, drill a .8mm hole, and then glue in the replacement part. I have the old Matchbox kit of the Voodoo and it looks like I will need to glue on the kit pitot tube and then cut it to match the contours of the replacement part and drill the hole at that point. The brass parts do not require any other clean up and look to be an outstanding replacement for the kit parts and will not break during handling. Highly recommended. |