Phil Peterson
Reviews By Author
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The SEPECAT JaguarPublished:
The SEPECAT Jaguar was an Anglo-French design for a ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1968. The French and English versions had their differences but both performed well and received a new lease on life when they were able to demonstrate their capabilities during Desert Strom giving them a new lease on life which has just recently come to pass. SAM Publications Modellers Datafile series gives a good overall history of the aircraft they present plus profiles, walkarounds and some model builds and this issue continues that trend. There are 200 pages in this softcover book and you get pretty much everything you want to know about the design, first flights, modifications, combat use and some good info for us modelers who want to create one or more of these in kit form. The… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, December 2017 Volume 39, Issue 10Published:
You may remember I was a bit confused by the extra 8 pages in the middle of the last issue I reviewed. This month my habit of reading everything in a magazine paid off. In the Editorial Gary indicated that the extra 8 pages are for subscribers as a extra thank you for fronting up for a year’s sub. This month the extra pages cover the Sub-Cutaneous which is not the name of the 8 pages but an article on Colour. A build of a couple of 1/144th scale Vampires. A page of aircraft model pics from the US Nationals in Omaha (I would have liked these to be part of the regular magazine, but I might be a bit biased). The last 3 extra pages cover a nice build of the Hasagawa 32nd scale A6M5c Zero. So what is in the rest of the magazine? Quite a bit as usual. It begins with a build… more |
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HU-60 "Black Hawk" CrewPublished:
PJ Production does an interesting selection of items in resin including aircraft related figures in the more popular scales. This set includes 4 figures designed to fit a Black Hawk of choice, though I am sure you could use them with any modern US chopper. You get a pilot, copilot and two air crew. They are molded as one-piece items in a light tan resin, except the pilot which has a separate arm to help position on the controls. There were no air bubbles on the figures but there was a bit of flash and some mold marks that needed attention. The pilots have the regular bone dome while the aircrew get the added facial mask which makes painting them a breeze if you aren’t into painting flesh tones. They also have molded-on seat belts which doesn’t extend to their back… more |
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Martin B-57B BomberPublished:
The British developed the Canberra as a replacement for the Mosquito. The plane was so successful that the US purchased the license to build it to fit their needs. After some cockpit modifications along with a few others, the B-57B was born. I have a personal relationship with this plane in that my Dad worked on the Electronic Countermeasures version at both Westover AFB and Malmstrom AFB so I got to see a lot of these flying around and have loved the plane ever since. Italeri first released this kit back in 1985 and it is still one of the more accurate versions of the plane available in 72ndscale. While according to some there are some scale issues, it does look every bit like a Canberra when completed. The kit has been released several times over the years by both… more |
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Scale Aircraft Modelling, November 2017 Volume 39, Issue 09Published:
I have read Scale Aircraft Modelling (SAM) on and off for many years which is possible because this is the 39th year it has been in production. It is an English publication and, as the name implies, covers aircraft modeling. Normally I purchase my copy at a local bookstore but this issue came directly from the publisher so let’s take a look and see what is in store. There are 88 pages counting the inside and outside of the front and rear covers. Not sure what those are counted but have noticed this in other magazines. There is also 8 pages numbered separately in the middle of the magazine with no explanation. One of the first things I noticed is the cover, duh, which has a nice painting of a Bachem Natter in flight. There are also a few pictures of some of the articles… more |
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Bristol Beaufighter Porcupine ExhaustsPublished:
The porcupine exhaust on the Beaufighter are distinctive and not the easiest thing to injection mold in a kit. So Quickboost has made some resin replacements for the new Airfix kits and they are beauties. The kit exhaust is made up of two parts where the Quickboost item is just one part. My only concern is the replacement is noticeably bigger than the kit parts. But when compared to the 72nd drawings that I have the replacement part looks dead on. So, another quick replacement that really will add to your next Beaufighter build. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |
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Bristol Beaufighter Air Intakes and Fuel Drain (A)Published:
The Beaufighter had two different types of air intakes on top of the engines, a short one and a long one. This set from Quickboost covers the short version. The resin parts are cast perfectly and should be easy to remove from the block. The short intakes in the new Airfix kits are made up of two halves so there will be a seam to take care of. The resin replacements are single parts with very thin edges and will be that much easier to use. The other parts in the set are direct replacements for the kit parts and add a lot of detail with the thinness of the castings. One thing I noticed is out of the 4 versions offered between the TF.X and the TF.10 kits, only one in the later kit uses the short intakes. That said, there are numerous aftermarket decal sets that will need… more |
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Beaufighter 3 inch RocketsPublished:
In Plusmodel’s Aero Line is this nice set of rockets for the Beaufighter. Included are 8 resin 3-inch rockets, 8 launch rails and 2 launcher mounting plates. All are beautifully cast with no flaws. The rockets have extremely thin tail fins and this caused me all kinds of trouble. In fact, it took three tries before I could get a rocket off the sprue without breaking at least one fin off. Those of you with more resin experience than myself should have no trouble but be warned. Once you have them cut off they are truly great looking with very nice detail and a direct replacement for the Airfix items. Thanks to Plusmodel and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |
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Bristol Beaufighter Antennas and Position LightsPublished:
This set for the new Airfix Beaufighter is a bit different. It includes a replacement antenna and pitot tube which are direct replacements for the kit parts. They are, as usual, nicely cast with no air bubbles. The other 3 bits are position lights molded in clear red, blue, and amber resin. The unusual bit about these is there are no instructions telling you where they belong on the model. The kit doesn’t include position lights and there is nowhere in the kit instructions on where they could be. In fact, looking around the web there is a complete lack of info on Beaufighter position lights. So, what is a modeler to do? I grabbed my copy of Airfix Model World magazine issue 86 from July 2016 which has a nice Supplement on the Beau and guess what? Nothing about position… more |
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Vietnam Ace Capt. Steve Ritchie and FriendsPublished:
Werner’s Wings have been known for resin aftermarket and decals for helicopters. It is nice to see some fixed wing offerings coming out. The first such centers around Vietnam air ace Steve Ritchie and covers aircraft he flew during his MiG kills as well as planes flown by a few other noted pilots from this conflict. The sheet is also available in 1/48th scale and was previously reviewed and since this sheet covers the exact same aircraft with the same instructions there really isn’t anything more for me to add. What, you want more? OK. … more |