Phil Pignataro
Reviews By Author
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X-29 Photo Etched PartsPublished:
The Hasegawa X-29 in 1/72 scale has been around since the mid1980's and, as far as I know, is the only injection-molded kit of this interesting aircraft. Though accurate in outline, it is a very basic kit lacking detail in the wheel wells and cockpit. As was the norm with Hasegawa kits of that era, cockpit detail only consists of decals for the instrument and side panels, and a simplified ejection seat. However, RES-IM fills this void with their beautiful, full color, photo-etched set. If this set has a familiar look to you, that’s because Eduard produces it. Their logo is prominently displayed on the bottom of the fret. Most of the pieces are for the cockpit - instrument panels, floor, and ejection seat. Those for the ejection seat really add to its realism. While I used CA… more |
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Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Published:
I find it hard to believe the MiG-21 design is almost as old as I am and is still serving as a front-line fighter in several air forces around the world. I’m still pretty active, but no longer a “front-line fighter” by any stretch of the imagination. Since the end of WWII, in almost any conflict involving Western air forces, the adversary has been a Mikoyan-Gurevich designed aircraft: in many instances, the MiG-21 Fishbed. In Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, Alexander Mladenov thoroughly covers the MiG-21 from its early development to its role in several conflicts around the world. His descriptions are often technical, but very readable nonetheless. The chapter titles give a good idea what is discussed:
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U.S. Marines AV-8A Harrier DecalsPublished:
When I purchased the new Airfix Harrier GR.1 kit in 1/72 scale, I did so with the intention of building it as the USMC AV-8A Harrier. I planned to cobble together suitable decals from my collection of spares, but didn’t have to when Caracal Models released a sheet just for this very purpose. The decal sheet is silk-screen printed by Cartograf of Italy, so you know the quality is excellent. All markings are on register and the colors are vibrant. Caracal provides an eight page booklet, printed in full color, which depicts profiles for twelve aircraft plus generic drawings with painting instructions and stencil placement. Colors are listed in FS numbers. All the aircraft choices have the same basic camouflage scheme of Dark Green, Dark Sea Gray over Light Gray. The two exceptions… more |
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RAF Middle & Near East 1945 - 1979Published:
This book is the latest release from AIRfile Publications and covers Royal Air Force operations in the Middle and Near East from right after WW II up to 1979. I had forgotten how involved the British have been in the Middle East in times past. They have had a long history there and played a significant part in the development of several nations. The turmoil and hostility in this region we read about every day is not new. The British have dealt with the violence in this part of the world almost since their arrival. In the first couple of pages, the authors give a brief history of the area and trace the presence of the RAF from WW II to the late ‘70s. Then the book is divided into four chapters, broken down by the years of British involvement:
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Saab JAS-39 Gripen Pitot Tubes and AOA ProbesPublished:
If you want to build a Saab Gripen in 1/72 scale, you currently have only one choice - the Italeri kits that include single-seat or two-seat versions. These kits have been around a little while, but are good representations of the early versions. One area of these kits that needs improvement is the sensor probes, both the pitot tubes and Angle-of-Attack (AOA) sensors. They are over scale and not the correct shape. Luckily for us modelers, this product from Master Model of Poland corrects the deficiency. Their package contains two AOA sensors, a nose mounted pitot tube, a tail mounted pitot tube, and a brass fret for the nose vortex generators. Since they are to scale, all of these pieces are extremely delicate. The two AOA sensors, mounted on the sides of the forward fuselage are "… more |
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Hawker-Siddeley/British Aerospace First Generation Harrier In Worldwide Service, Volume 1: 1960 - 2000Published:
The Harrier is one of the most easily recognized modern jet fighters and has been so since its introduction into the RAF in 1969. It certainly is one of the noisiest, particularly when in VTOL mode. This excellent book is another of the ongoing AIRfile publications covering British aircraft. As in their other books, this volume is full of relevant information and color profiles, this time focusing on early versions of the Harrier. The chapter titles speak for themselves:
The author traces the development of the initial aircraft, the P.1127, through… more |
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RAF Trainers Volume 2: 1945-2012Published:
I don't know if it's my preference for 1/72 scale models, but I have a lot of RAF subjects in my kit collection. When I look closer, many of these kits are trainers. When I saw this title, then, it immediately grabbed my attention. This particular AIRfile book is the second volume in a series covering RAF training aircraft and starts with the post-war period of 1945, continuing through 2012. I initially expected information on the standard training machines – Provost, Gnat, Hunter T.7,and Hawk – but was pleasantly surprised to find much more. The author begins with a short history of RAF aircrew training during periods of draw-downs and reduced budgets. He also gives a thorough explanation of the evolution of the colors for these training aircraft. What follows is the meat of… more |
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Spitfire F.Mk.22 ExhaustPublished:
The newly released Spitfire F.Mk.22 by Airfix in 1/72 scale is an excellent kit right out of the box. Of course, there is always room for improvement. Quickboost has already given us replacement cannons, correcting the only real deficiency in the kit. Here they offer resin, drop-in replacements for the exhaust stacks. What's the advantage of these? These resin exhausts closely mimic the shape of the kit parts, which look accurate to me. However, the Quickboost replacement parts have the holes already in them, saving the modeler the task of trying to place a dozen symmetrical holes in very small rods. The thickness of the exhaust stack walls appears to be in scale. Also, there are no seam lines to deal with in the resin parts, but they are present on the kit parts. Basically, the… more |
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Spitfire F.Mk.22 Cannon BarrelsPublished:
One of the criticisms I've read about the 1/72 scale Airfix Spitfire Mk.22 is the cannons are not quite the right shape or length. Apart from this deficiency, the Airfix Spitfire is an excellent kit and a great value for your money. If you want to improve this model's looks and accuracy, however, Quickboost has a remedy. Their replacement resin cannons are drop-ins for the original kit pieces. Based on photos I saw, they capture the shape and size of the real thing. The kit's outboard cannons are too short, both barrels seem too bulbous, and both have an out of scale extension on the tip. Also, the resin replacements have no seam lines to eliminate – a definite plus, since the kit parts have large sprue gates. Smoothing out these sprue attachment points presents the possibility… more |
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B-18 Bolo Canopy MasksPublished:
The idea behind these pre-cut masks is to save you time and frustration when painting your model and also to protect the clear areas under the masks. I think the B-18 could be a “poster child” for using pre-cut masks on a model. As a typical pre-war bomber, it sports lots of clear areas with lots of framework. I counted 74 individual clear window panels on the model. In addition to the large number, the panels on the windscreen have rounded edges which present problems when using tape or foil, since very careful trimming is called for. Do not despair, fellow modelers, Eduard has come to the rescue. This particular set, matched specifically to the Special Hobby B-18, has all the masks necessary to cover all those 74 “panes,” as well as masks for the wheel hubs. I’ve used Eduard’… more |