Phil Peterson
Reviews By Author
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Air National Guard C-47sPublished:
Iliad Design’s latest 72nd decal sheet covers 4 Dakotas that flew with the Air National Guard The Puerto Rican Air Guard is represented by the attractive white over aluminum scheme. This one includes the stars and bars on the fuselage as well as the National Guard badge on the tail. This scheme is from post 1961. The other three aircraft are all in natural metal finish and date from 1947-1948. We have Virginia, Nebraska and New Mexico National Guards. The Virginia bird has the legend “The Old Dominion” above the fuselage windows while both the Nebraskan and New Mexican ones have State markings instead of fuselage stars. All the main markings including Stars and Bars are included. The Albuquerque club usually has an award for the best… more |
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Stars in the Sky 3Published:
Iliad Design is a Canadian company that not only makes decals but also offers aircraft colour charts and books. As the name of this sheet implies, this is the third in the Stars in the Sky series. While the names might not be as recognizable as the first two sheets, the choices for the marking are very diverse. We have two WWII bombers, a Korean War fighter and a fast jet. So who is up in this latest offering? First up is a British Lancaster II flown by Robert Clothier, a Canadian actor. This would be a lovely option for that very nice Airfix kit. Second is an AU-1 Corsair flown by Baseball player Jerry Coleman. Jerry flew this bird in Korea while serving with the US Marines. Our third offering is a F-4C flown by Pop Singer Dean Paul Martin.… more |
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F-16C Baby Got Fullback Aggressors DecalsPublished:
The F-16 has been around a long time and there are so many different schemes you can build one in. This new sheet by Two Bobs covers 3 aircraft in a couple of Aggressor schemes with the 57th Wing, 64th Aggressor Squadron. The first is in the “Shark” scheme and includes some vinyl masks for the false dielectic EW panels to mimic what is on the SU-34. This thoughtful inclusion will make masking those very easy. The other two aircraft both wear the attractive “Splinter” scheme. There are a couple of minor differences in the markings between the two aircraft and these are spelled out nicely in the full color instructions. Two Bobs website recommends either the Academy or Tamiya F-16C kits but does say they are sized for the Tamiya kit. The decals are well… more |
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Drain and Manhole CoversPublished:
Hauler has been making photoetched sets in multiple scales including my favorite, 1/72nd. This set is about as easy of a PE set as you can get. It contains 6 grills (4 of one style and 2 of another) and 15 manhole covers (5 each of 3 styles one of these is square). They literally are just cut from the fret and add to your diorama. As such no instructions are needed but there actually was a set included with mine. Turns out it is for one of their Typhoon sets. Whoops. I have been unable to track down what countries the manhole covers are from but pretty sure they are from Europe and should look good in a WWII setting. If anyone can find a location that fits please post the info. All in all, a nice and easy to use accessory that will liven up that… more |
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AFV ToolsPublished:
Another nice PE set from Hauler which will find many uses for the Braille Scale modeler, especially when working with armor and dioramas. The set includes wrenches, axes, shovels, picks and even a couple machetes. I am guessing for those jungle jobs. There are also a couple of different design tool boxes that you will have to fold. The first thing I thought when I heard PE tools is how is that going to work with types, they will just look flat, right? Hauler has thought of this and the sledges and a mallet come with an couple extra pieces of PE to thicken the head. A couple of the picks and shovels are designed to be used with some plastic or metal rod to give a more 3-dimensional look. Instructions are provided for the tool boxes and those tools that use more… more |
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The Douglas A-1 SkyraiderPublished:
My first introduction to the Spad was a film strip (yes, I am that old) about an air rescue operation in Vietnam. Besides the Jolly Green Giants and the support Hercules there were these large, single engine prop planes loaded with munitions buzzing in to keep the enemy’s heads down. They used the call sign Sandy and from that point on I was hooked. The Douglas A-1 Skyraider, as it was officially called, started out as a proposed replacement for the Dauntless and Helldiver during WWII. Envisioned as a dive-bomber, the initial prototype was a completely different looking plane to what would become known as the A-1. It had twin turrets, an inverted gull wing, and tricycle landing gear. The prototype XSB2D-1 first flew on April 8th, 1943 and did not have the greatest performance.… more |
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SB2C-4E Helldiver "Operation Iceberg"Published:
The Curtis SB2C Helldiver was produced to replace the “Slow But Deadly” Dauntless with a larger, faster aircraft. Unfortunately, the plane suffered from many handling issues and a shorter range leading to the nickname “The Beast” being applied by its crews. The Helldiver served aboard carriers for the last 2 years of the war including participating in Operation Iceberg, the Battle for Okinawa. Academy’s latest Special Edition version includes markings for three aircraft that participated in this operation. A tri-colored plane from VB-3 off the USS Yorktown and two gloss blue aircraft, one from VB-16 off the USS Randolph and the other from VB-84 operating from the USS Bunker Hill. The kit contains 84 grey parts molded on two sprues, 6 clear parts and 28 photo etched… more |
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F4F-4 Wildcat ExhaustPublished:
Another quick upgrade for the Airfix Wildcat are these two exhausts. They are direct replacements for the kit parts and have very thin walls. While you can paint the insides black I think for the best effect you would still want to drill out the exhaust hole from the engine. Just be careful on how you hold them, the resin is that thin. No instructions are provided as they are a direct replacement for the kit part. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |
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F4F-4 Wildcat EnginePublished:
The engine on the Airfix 72nd Wildcat is very detailed with push rods and wiring visible on the front. Quickboost offers a replacement engine which does give better details on the front cover but you will have to add the push rods and wiring if you want to go that direction. One thing I noticed is the cylinders have a bit of resin connecting them to the rear. While these are not visible through the closed cowling they would be if you want to display an engine change or just have the cowling removed. They look a little awkward to remove but anyone with experience working with resin replacement parts should have no trouble. One nice addition is the rear of the engine is included with this set. That will add additional detail when looking in the landing gear well area. … more |
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F4F-4 Wildcat Undercarriage CoversPublished:
The new Airfix Wildcat kits look great right out of the box. But can we make them better. Well there is always some aftermarket. This set from Quickboost is a direct replacement for the landing gear doors. They may also be usable on other 72nd scale kits. The parts are finely molded and very thin, but the best advantage I can see is not having to fill the ejector pin marks on the inside of each kit door. No instructions are provided as they are a direct replacement for the kit part. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |