Rob Benson
Reviews By Author
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PV-1 Closed Bomb Bay DoorsPublished:
Thank you, Lone Star Models, for providing a very timely improvement to an excellent recent kit release. Thank you, IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps, for once again allowing me to evaluate a cool new product! If you wish to build the Revell PV-1 with a closed bomb bay, this conversion part is well worth the time and money. The part is cast in tan resin with minor flash and a couple of insignificant casting marks. It is a single part replacing the accordion folding bomb bay doors included with the kit. The kit doors are excellent, if you choose to build the model with the bay open. However, if you attempt to glue the kit parts in the closed position, you may discover some interesting fit issues. Using the Lone Star closed bomb bay part reduces the fit problems significantly. The part… more |
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PV-1 VenturaPublished:
Many, many thanks to Danielle Rogers of Revell and to the IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps for allowing me to share my experiences in building a new kit release. It is an honor and privilege! First ImpressionThe PV-1 comes tightly shrink-wrapped in a large light-gauge cardboard box (17 x 11 x 3.5 inches) with excellent color artwork. Inside the box, loosely packed bags of sprue, black-and-white instructions, and a decal sheet with a loose protective cover were found. No loose parts were observed on the sprue trees, and the clear parts were unscratched in the bag. The sprue attachment points are nicely engineered mostly to be in places that are hidden after construction, or are easily fixed. In my opinion, the molding is much better that some of the classic Revell kits, with… more |
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Replacement Propellers for Revell PV-1Published:
Thank you to Gary Newman of Squadron Products, for providing a very timely improvement to an excellent recent kit release. Thank you to the IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps for once again allowing me to evaluate a cool new product! This replacement propeller set addresses the incorrectly shaped kit parts that come with the new Revell PV-1 Ventura. The Revell kit is otherwise excellent, but appears to have incorrect propellers. The replacement parts are molded in gray resin requiring a little cleanup and prep on the blade tips and blade roots. The materials arrived well packaged in a small plastic bag containing three loose prop blades, 2 loose prop hubs and a casting plug with three blades attached. Two of the blades on the pour plug were warped, one badly. I was unable to completely… more |
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Replacement Propellers for Revell PV-1Published:
Thank you Lone Star Models for providing a very timely improvement to an excellent recent kit release. Thank you IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps for once again allowing me to evaluate a cool new product! This replacement propeller set addresses the incorrectly shaped kit parts that come with the new Revell PV-1 Ventura. The Revell kit is otherwise excellent, but appears to have incorrect propellers. The replacement parts are molded in tan resin requiring little cleanup and prep, and arrived in a small plastic bag with a sheet of instructions. The detail on the replacement parts is more finely done than the kit parts and the blades have the correct paddle shape I observed in USN photos of the PV-1. The blades are very thin and sharp on the trailing edges. This sharpness is an… more |
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Mosquito Pathfinder, A Navigator's 90 WWII Bomber OperationsPublished:
Thank you to Marie Ray of Specialty Press, Crécy Publishing Ltd, and the IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps for allowing me to read and share my thoughts on this book. Mosquito Pathfinder is a detailed and engaging journal of a young English man enlisting in the RAF and surviving 90 missions in Wellington and Mosquito bombers over Germany and North Africa during World War II. While it is tempting to recount and summarize the many experiences contained within the book, I will not put any spoilers here. After reading the 23 chapters and associated materials of Mosquito Pathfinder, I found myself with a much deeper appreciation of the human element of the history we recreate and model. This book will not provide you with technical details and reference photos for the next… more |
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Model Art Auto Modeling, #835, December 2011Published:
This magazine is a very, very nice binding of 136 glossy color pages in A4 size, analogous to what a National Geographic feels like, only larger and a little more hefty. Nearly all of the text is in Japanese, but I gained a great deal of information about Formula 1 car kits, despite my inability to read Japanese. There is just enough English throughout to understand the material and navigate the text. Of course, seeing words like “Ferrari” and “Pirelli” on the colorful variety of subjects doesn’t hurt either. The main focus of the publication is twelve 1/20 and 1/12 scale representations of Formula 1 race cars produced by Honda, Lotus, BMW and others. Powerplants range from V6 turbos to straight 4 turbos, from the 1980’s and ‘90’s. The color schemes and advertising… more |
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Boeing 737 At The GatePublished:
Thanks to Gary Newman of Squadron/Signal Publications and to IPMS/USA for giving me the opportunity to review this delightful overview of one of the standard airliners flying today. The book is written by Robert W. Tidwell and is lavishly illustrated with wonderful examples of 737s around the world. Each page has one or more color photos, superb Don Greer renderings, line drawings by Melinda Turnage, or aircraft version specs. I reviewed the softcover edition. The photography is excellent throughout and they are all color. The “At the Gate” series concentrates on commercial or private aircraft and is similar to the “Walk Around” series, also by Squadron/Signal.
An… more |
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F-16 Pitot TubePublished:
This delightful kit enhancement part come on a crisply cast frame in neutral tan-gray resin. The part replaces the nose pitot on any F-16 kit. Three tubes are included, allowing you to dress up three models, unless you operate like I do and retain spares for post-construction damage. The parts are all well supported with nice extensions. These extensions will allow you to drill out the nose and slide the new tube in, making a much stronger join with the model. The parts have sharp definition and no bubbles or sinks were found. The resin was just soft and flexible enough to allow easy trimming and sanding. The parts appear to be in scale, although I was unable to confirm this. These parts will certainly dress up any F-16. I recommend them. Thank you to David Lajer of Aires… more |
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F-14 Pitot TubePublished:
This delightful kit enhancement part come on a crisply cast frame in neutral tan-gray resin. The part replaces the nose pitot on any F-14 kit. Three tubes are included, allowing you to dress up three models, unless you operate like I do and retain spares for post-construction damage. The parts are all well supported with nice extensions. These extensions will allow you to drill out the nose and slide the new tube in, making a much stronger join with the model. The parts have sharp definition and no bubbles or sinks were found. The resin was just soft and flexible enough to allow easy trimming and sanding. The parts appear to be in scale, although I was unable to confirm this. These parts will certainly dress up any F-14. I recommend them. Thank you to David Lajer of Aires… more |
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A-7D Antennas and SensorsPublished:
These delightful kit enhancement parts come on a crisply-cast frame in neutral gray resin. The parts replace and complement details on the recommended Hobby Boss A-7D kit, and it appears that the Quickboost parts will work equally well on the Hasegawa A-7D version. Two pairs of blade sensors/antennas and a pair of pitot tubes will allow you to dress up one model. The 6 parts are all well supported and protected on the pour frame, with nicely done recesses to allow removal. The attachment points to the pour frame match the attachment points for the model. You should be able to get at least a base paint coat on while the part are on the frame before removing and attaching them to the model. Exceptions to this are the pitot tubes, where the attachment to the frame is on the… more |