Phil Peterson
Reviews By Author
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Douglas Dakota Mk.IVPublished:
The cargo plane probably best known for its use during the Normandy Invasion is one of the best known aircraft in the world. Used by the Allies, including the Soviets and even by the Japanese, these planes continued service as passenger aircraft and cargo lifters throughout the world and some are still flying today. Recently Airfix replaced its old mold of this kit with a new, state of the art version. The first one came with D-Day markings and a ski equipped version. This kit is the second version and covers a couple civilian aircraft, one serving with the British Overseas Airways Corporation during the war and one with Dan Air Services Ltd. out of England during the mid 50’s. They have also released a 3rd version with British SEAC markings that comes with their new Jeep kit… more |
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The Marmo Method Modelbuilding Guide #4: How To Make Your Own DecalsPublished:
First off I am not a big fan of ebooks. Sorry but I am old school and prefer the feel of the paper itself. However, I am a big fan of info on the internet and do have a few ebooks on my Kindle so there is always a chance for me. That said, Mr. Marmo’s book on making your own decals really interested me as I have a bunch of decals I need to make for certain projects and even though I shelled out for a nice laser color printer and picked up some decal paper I really didn’t know where to start so let’s take a look at what Richard says. This ebook is 65 pages long (a little too much for me to print it out, remember, I love paper) and covers the subject in pretty good detail. The chapters cover the equipment needed (scanners, cameras, printers, etc.), decal paper, fixatives… more |
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Battlestar Galactica Colonial OnePublished:
Back in 1978 I was one of many in the TV room in Langford Hall at Montana State University waiting for a new TV series that was trying to capitalize on a surprisingly successful Space Opera that had opened the previous year. That TV show was Battlestar Galactica and while it only lasted one season it gave us new ships which Monogram released as models. Fast forward to 2003 (skipping that thing in 1980) and we got a new, gritty miniseries with a new take on the old show. This one was a hit and lead to a regular series running from 2004 through 2009. Moebius Models picked up the license for this new series and had been releasing kits of the ships including the newest, Colonial One. This ship was a smaller passenger ship operating under the call sign Colonial Heavy 798. It… more |
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F-105 Thunderchief Control LeverPublished:
This item from Quickboost is a direct replacement for the control stick for Trumpeter F-105 kits and should be compatible for their D and G models. They should also be useable on the Hasagawa or Monogram/Revell kits. Three new sticks are provided in the package. The detail is a bit finer than the Trumpeter version but they are a bit fragile. As you can see in the pics, I broke off one of the grips just while handling it for the pictures. So use some care when you are removing the sticks from the runner and the flash from the stick itself. No instructions are provided as they are a direct replacement for the kit part. So, just be a little careful and you will have a nicely detailed stick for the pit. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |
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Bf 109E Control LeverPublished:
This new item from Quickboost is a direct replacement for the control stick for Bf 109E models. They recommend it as a replacement for the new Airfix kits but I am sure it would work in any 72nd scale Emil. One nice aspect is they give you 3 new sticks and as I have two of the Airfix kits and a Tamiya one, I am sure all 3 will get used. The detail is a bit finer than the Airfix version and it includes the boot at the bottom of the stick. No instructions are provided as all you need to do is cut them off the runner and use as a direct replacement for the kit part. Another simple and quick update for your modeling pleasure. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |
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The British Army in Afghanistan 2006-14 / Task Force HelmandPublished:
Operation Herrick is what the British Army labeled their deployments to Afghanistan in support of the US and other NATO nations. This 64 page soft cover book takes a look at the deployments to the Helmand Province which is the largest of the 34 provinces that make up Afghanistan. It is also one of the more dangerous areas with a lot of action taking place in the Green Zone, an agricultural area along the Helmand River. The book follows along chronologically through the years indicating which units were deployed for each Operation Herrick, their equipment and some of the battles that were waged. The photographs illustrate the uniforms and vehicles but are small and hard to make out details. Luckily there are three pages of illustrations that describe the uniforms in more… more |
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Space Pirate Battleship Arcadia Second Ship (Phantom Death Shadow conversion)Published:
I really like how Hasagawa keeps releasing quality models of Japanese Anime vehicles. This one is one of the Arcadia ships (think there were 2, possibly 3 different versions) used by Space Pirate Captain Harlock. I found an English dubbed version on YouTube which, of course, featured the green ship instead of this one but still interesting to watch. I also found a fun site about the lack of continuity in the Harlock Universe that is worth a read if you like this kind of stuff. So, what’s inside the box? There are 149 parts molded in two different shades of blue, brown, black, white and clear yellow plus 4 polly caps (of which only 2 are used). The parts are cleanly molded with no visible ejector marks or sink marks. There is some beautiful scrollwork on the hull and the pirate… more |
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P-40B Warhawk Radio EquipmentPublished:
The P-40B kit from Airfix has been pretty popular because of good detail, accurate interior and a great price. But for those of you who want to add that bit of extra something, this set is for you. You get eight pieces of nicely cast resin just as we have come to expect from Aires. The pieces fit inside the fuselage behind the cockpit area and are not replacement parts for any kit parts. Construction looks fairly simple once you cut off the casting blocks. Removing the radio door molded on the left fuselage shouldn’t be too hard, drill a hole and then use files to clean up the corners. The only other modification to the kit is to remove one of the kit alignment tabs on the right fuselage. Then it is simply a matter of adding the interior piece and the radio… more |
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A-4B Skyhawk Control SurfacesPublished:
The new Airfix A-4B is a great little kit for a great price but can always use a little extra detail. The Aires set supplies new stabilizers with separate control surfaces which are a direct replacement for the kit parts. You get four pieces of perfectly cast resin. Because this is a simple replacement, no instructions are included. Just remove the parts from the casting blocks and install. The parts display great detail and they look a little better than the kit parts. Not much else to say about this one but I did do an online search and it looks like most Skyhawks had the controls inline with the stabilizer. I did find a few with a slight angle to them so this kit will make that option much easier than modifying the kit parts. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for… more |
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IL-2 Shturmovik Control SurfacesPublished:
The Tamiya kit of this famous tank buster is top of the line but why not add a bit more detail. The Aires set supplies new stabilizers with separate control surfaces which are a direct replacement for the kit parts. You get four pieces of perfectly cast resin. No instructions are included as these are direct replacements for the kit parts. Just remove the parts from the casting blocks and install. The parts display great detail and they look better than the kit parts. Online photos show Shturmoviks with their control surfaces down so this will make that simple modification that much easier. Thanks to Aires and IPMS/USA for the review kit. |