MQ-9 Return of the Reaper

Published: April 30, 2015
Company: Caracal Models

Thanks to Caracal Models for sending these excellent decals for review. Thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review them! I am very appreciative of the chance to contribute back to the scale-modeling community.

This review covers a new release of decals for the MQ-9 UAV, including the NASA Ikhana version from the long-since sold out inaugural 1:48 scale sheet produced by Caracal. My target kit was the Revell MQ-9 and I chose to model the Ikhana markings. Eight versions representing NASA, USAF, RAF, French and Italian Air Force aircraft between 2013 and 2013 are included with the exception of the Ikhana in 2008. Stenciling is minimal, as it is on the actual Reaper. The decals are crisp and well-registered, printed by Cartograf. The decals responded well to… more

UH-34D Seahorse Operation Deep Freeze

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Gallery Models

Thank you to MRC and Gallery Models for providing another example of an iconic USN helicopter, this time in the distinctive Operation Deep Freeze color scheme. The kit was a very pleasant and enjoyable build. Thank you also to the IPMS Reviewer Corps staff members who do the hard work behind the scenes, getting us kits to review and publishing our work.

This kit is the latest in a series of H-34 variants by Gallery. Excellent reviews of the H-34 Choctaw (by William Nichols), the H-34 U. S. Navy Rescue version (by Rod Lees), and the HH-34J (by Dave Morrissette) may be found on the IPMS site. I suggest consulting these reviews as there are many great ideas and suggestions that are pertinent to the UH-34D reviewed here. All three of these reviewers found items I would’ve missed.… more

Late US Navy Paint Set

Published: April 5, 2015
Company: Hataka Hobby

Thanks to Hataka Hobby and Steven International for sending samples of this new line of acrylic model paint. Thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review them! I am very appreciative of the chance to contribute back to the scale-modeling community.

Hataka Hobby of Poland produces model paints exclusively. Hataka has conveniently bundled related paint colors into 4 to 6 bottle sets at the time of this review, with larger sets expected in the future. Four paint bottles are included in the set reviewed here, and they arrived in a 4 x 3 x 1 inch colorful cardboard hanging box, with standard USN late war colors of semi-gloss sea blue, intermediate blue, dark gull gray and insignia white. Each bottle is 17 ml, with dropper tips and a ball bearing-like metal agitator… more

Chairs with Armrests

Published: February 25, 2015
Company: Plusmodel

Thanks to Plus Model for sending these elegant chairs from the Easy Line product series for review and thank you IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review them! I am very appreciative of the chance to contribute back to the scale-modeling community.

Parts for 2 chairs are crisply molded in gray resin with pour stubs conveniently located for holding during painting and nearly-effortless subsequent removal. Some of the 6 parts had flash or seepage, but the excess material was very thin and was removed without any trouble at all. There are no instructions because none are needed. There is not a great deal to say about the minimal assembly in any great detail, other than there was very little preparation to do on the parts before painting. The very light flash peeled off very… more

Bofors 40mm air-cooled gun barrels

Published: February 22, 2015
Company: Master Model

Thank you to Iwona and Piotr Czerkasow of Master Model and all those at the IPMS Reviewer Corps for providing me an opportunity to examine apply some superb parts for improving ship model kits. Master Model’s recent addition to their Sea Master Series is very welcome. The aftermarket world is greatly enhanced with the products Master Model offers.

Twenty elegant turned-brass replacement barrels are provided in a small zip-lock package. The barrel dimensions are as close to scale as I could measure with my calipers. A mounting pin is included for solid attachment on the receiver end and the distinctive flared muzzle looks perfectly to scale. The details on each barrel are astonishingly small and crisp. A nice touch included in the packaging is the re-sealable cellophane wrapper… more

Easy Line Old-Style Movie Camera

Published: February 19, 2015
Company: Plusmodel

Thanks to Plus Model for sending this excellent and very unique diorama accessory from the Easy Line product series for review and thank you IPMS Reviewer Corps for letting me review it! I am very appreciative of the chance to contribute back to the scale-modeling community. I had a great time building a very well done “micro” kit that was nothing short of pure fun.

Parts for the old-style movie camera are crisply molded in gray resin with pour stubs conveniently located for holding during painting if desired and nearly-effortless subsequent removal. Some of the 10 parts had minor flash or seepage, but the excess material was very thin and was removed without any trouble at all. The instruction sheet shows basic assembly, but not much instruction is really needed. There is not… more

Metal Landing Gear for the HK Gloster Meteor

Published: January 29, 2015
Company: Scale Aircraft Conversions

Many thanks to Mr. Ross MacMillan of Scale Aircraft Conversions and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to try this neat conversion and replacement set for the Hong Kong Models Gloster Meteor. I am delighted to report on another sweet add-on and upgrade.

The 9 white-metal parts arrived in a blister pack, backed by the distinctive SAC company logo. The heft of the parts is very noticeable. All parts are free of sprues with the exception of the main mount retractors. The parts require very little buffing, cleanup and polishing. The SAC gear struts directly replace the Meteor kit parts. The main mount parts and nose strut parts attached to the kit fuselage with no difficulty, even as a refit or upgrade to an existing kit. Kit parts that are replaced by SAC parts are C1, C2, C8… more

Vought F4U-1A Corsair

Published: January 28, 2015
Company: Tamiya

Thank you to Tamiya, Inc. for providing this wonderful kit for review and to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me to document my build experiences. The sharing of this review with the scale modeling community would not be possible without the exceptional support of the IPMS Reviewer Corps. Thank you everyone!

Summary

The F4U Corsair needs no introduction as one of the iconic naval fighter-bomber aircraft of World War II and Korea, primarily operated by the U. S. Navy and Marine Corps. A list of publications I found useful during this build may be found following this review. The kit is very well-researched, with numerous subtle part choices to allow one of three variants to be completed with either folded or extended wings.

This kit is an excellent value… more

Aircraft Pictorial #7 F4U-1 Corsair Vol. 1

Published: February 10, 2020
Book Author(s): Dana Bell
Company: Classic Warships Publishing

Thank you to Classic Warships Publishing for providing another exciting volume in the excellent Aircraft Pictorial series. I am also very appreciative of the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me the chance to examine this volume and report my opinions.

Overview

This volume is the seventh in the Aircraft Pictorial series, adding a definitive research work describing an iconic U. S. Navy aircraft. Author Dana Bell initially hoped to address some areas of disagreement in previously published works through more research on the Corsair. Much new material was recently made available at the National Archives, material that not only allowed him to address these areas of disagreement, but to conduct additional new research. He discovered that there was enough new material that… more

A-7A Corsair II

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Revell

Thank you to Revell, Inc., for providing this kit for review. I had fun building the kit and trying new techniques while polishing older skills. Thank you to the IPMS Reviewer Corps for allowing me the opportunity to review this reissued classic.

The A-7A Corsair II is a distinctive former workhorse of many flying services. Two aircraft are represented by this kit, with markings options for a USN A-7A from VA-22, or a commemorative aircraft from the Portuguese Air Force, celebrating 64,000 operational hours.

Presentation

The kit was packaged in a shrink-wrapped 13 x 9 x 2 inch box, topped with a colorful artist’s rendition of an A-7 on a mission. The 47 parts are molded in gray, with clear parts on a separate sprue. Clear part clarity is good. All parts were… more