Phil Peterson
Reviews By Author
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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. |
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F-100D/F Super Sabre Pitot TubePublished:
Another turned brass replacement part from Poland, this one is for any 1/72nd scale F-100. According to the instructions, you need to cut the kit pitot off at the mounting base, drill a .5mm hole in the mounting base, and glue the replacement part. Then you mount the pitot on the airframe, simple. The pictures show it compared to the Revell of Germany kit part. The brass part needs no clean up and would be much more resistant to breakage during handling of the model. Definitely an improvement. These parts are highly recommended. Thanks to Master Model Poland for the pitot and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review it. |
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Sci-Fi & Fantasy Modeller, Volume 23Published:
This is the second volume of this magazine I have read since they changed to a quarterly format and I do like the amount of detail crammed into it. This issue is made up of 13 articles focusing on kit builds, scratchbuilds, and other fun stuff, so let’s get to it. The first two builds are Bat-related kits by Polar Lights. These are the 1/25th scale Batboat from the old TV series and the 1/32nd scale Batmobile from the same show. These are basic, no frills builds resulting in two smart-looking vehicles. Next up is a new kit from Pegasus of Uncle Martin and his Spaceship. For those of you too young to remember, this is based on the My Favorite Martian TV show. This starts with some history regarding the kit development and behind the scenes info from the show. This is… more |
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B-17 Flying Fortress In ActionPublished:
I have been a fan of the B-17 Flying Fortress for as long as I can remember. Seeing the punishment many of these planes took and still brought back their crews is nothing short of amazing. The Fortress has also been a popular subject for the In Action series. I purchased #1012 back in 1973 and #1063 came out in 1984 and now we have a 3rd volume. However, this time you can get it in the normal soft cover or in hardback (which is my example). So what do we get with this new version? Once again we get a brief history of each version of the plane from the original Model 299 through the B-17G, including a few pages on the XB-38 and YB-40. Line drawings and pictures show the differences in each model and will help the modeler get these right. I did notice the line drawings… more |