Rob Benson
Reviews By Author
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Intruders from the SeaPublished:
Thank you to AOA Decals for sending these excellent decals for review, and 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. AOA Decals is a new company providing thoroughly researched decals emphasizing USN and USMC subjects, particularly of the Vietnam era. I looked at this decal set from the perspective of 1) someone who has deep interest in USN carrier aircraft but no direct experience, and 2) how effectively and efficiently could a historically accurate model be built using the decal markings. AOA Decals has gone well beyond their superbly researched and printed decals by including abundant references and building suggestions specific to the target kit. Nine double-sided… more |
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Angle of Attack Decals, The Intruders' SandboxPublished:
Thank you to AOA Decals for sending these excellent decals for review, and 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. AOA Decals is a new company providing thoroughly researched decals emphasizing USN and USMC subjects, particularly of the Vietnam era. I looked at this decal set from the perspective of 1) someone who has deep interest in USN carrier aircraft but no direct experience, and 2) how effectively and efficiently could a historically accurate model be built using the decal markings. AOA Decals has gone well beyond their superbly researched and printed decals by including abundant references and building suggestions specific to the target kit. Four double-sided… more |
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Ginter Books Naval Fighter #101 Grumman Tracker - Part 1Published:
Thank you to Ginter Books for providing a review copy of their new release, Naval Fighters Number 10, the first of a three volume set covering the Grumman S2F/S-2 Tracker and the WF-2/E - 1 B Tracer. I also appreciate all of those in the IPMS Reviewer Corps, who do the heavy lifting to get the reviews done, from start to finish. OverviewThe Tracker holds a special interest for me beyond my personal enthusiasm for USN aviation, an interest honed after hearing two Navy veterans argue about how effective the aircraft was. Naturally, one was a submarine officer, and the other an S2F aviator. This volume is the first of three projected volumes covering the Tracker, with development, testing, variants and foreign users described. Content CoverageThe… more |
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Weathering Environment EffectsPublished:
I am very appreciative of Acrylicos Vallejo (AV) for sending new products for review, and I am equally appreciative of all the Review Corps crew members who take care of all of the legwork to get materials to reviewers and the completed reviews published for the modeling community. It is a privilege to be part of this manufacturer-modeler group effort. DescriptionI am pleased to see more specialized weathering and detail treatments from Acrylicos Vallejo. Each of these relatively transparent stains, coupled with thicker snow and grass, is designed to effectively simulate outdoor operating conditions. Using these stains will bring a vehicle out of the showroom and elevate it to a realistic operating appearance in the snow and grass, looking thoroughly traveled.… more |
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Spitfire Mk.IXb FloatplanePublished:
Thank you to the great folks at Hauler-Brengun for bringing a welcome and unique variant of the iconic Spitfire to the scale model world. Thank you also to the IPMS Reviewer Corps staff members who do the hard work in getting us kits to review. I normally do not provide much historical background when reviewing a model kit. After all, the kit is the being reviewed, not the represented subject. But in this case the apparent contrast of a fighter to float variant is of interest. Both Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane float plane versions of the respective fighters were considered for forward-deployment in Norwegian fjords early in WWII. The rapid pace of the German invasion negated the need for the float-fitted fighters. Later the Spitfire floatplanes were suggested for deployment to… more |
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Vallejo Engine Effects StainsPublished:
I am very appreciative of Acrylicos Vallejo (AV) for sending new products for review, and I am equally appreciative of all the Review Corps crew members who take care of all of the legwork to get materials to reviewers and the completed reviews published for the modeling community. It is a privilege to be part of this manufacturer-modeler group effort. DescriptionI am pleased to see more specialized weathering and detail treatments from Acrylicos Vallejo. Each of these relatively transparent stains is designed to effectively cover an engine with sloppy fueling stains, overfill spills, grime and other interesting maintenance or hurry-up oversights. Using these stains will bring an engine from the factory floor to a realistic operating appearance, looking thoroughly… more |
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AFV Painting System: US Vietnam Olive Drab, set #412Published:
I am very appreciative of Acrylicos Vallejo for sending new products for review, and I am equally appreciative of all the Review Corps crew members who take care of all of the legwork to get materials to reviewers and the completed reviews published for the modeling community. It is a privilege to be part of this manufacturer-modeler group effort. DescriptionI am pleased to see more specialized paint sets in the AFV series from Acrylicos Vallejo. Each of these sets is designed to effectively create one of a number of different, accurately-toned paint schemes. The AFV system reviewed here is for US Vietnam–era, olive-drab vehicles, but could easily be adapted to other similar color requirements. Six 8-ml eyedropper bottles of related acrylic, non-toxic colors are… more |
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Martin Mariner & Marlin, Warpaint 108Published:
This new Warpaint volume covers some of the last large seaplanes used in the world. Thank you to Guideline Publications for publishing an excellent work on these planes, and providing a copy for review. I am also very appreciative of the IPMS Reviewer Corps support, whose efforts make this review program so good. Author Darling and Illustrator Caruana’s treatment of the Martin Mariner and descendent Marlin aircraft strikes an excellent balance of book size and detail. The content is laid out in a three-column text format, with two to three photos, data tables, or drawings per page. The color profiles show a beautiful variety of the marking schemes used by all operators of the aircraft with three aircraft per page. I found no historical inaccuracies, at least… more |
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Color and Markings US Navy Tomcats, Part 2Published:
Thank you to Furball Aero-Design for extending this decal series. I am certain that F-14 fans will be thrilled with this set! 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. The one word that captures this decal set is “stunning.” Furball in collaboration with Detail & Scale (D&S) has produced a treatment of F-14A and B markings that spans eight years of historical aircraft from 1990 through 1998. Tomcats from VF-14, aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, VF-11 and VF-31 from the USS Forrestal, VF-33 aboard the USS America, VF-103 from the USS Saratoga, and lastly, VF-84 and VF-101 of NAS Oceana are very well represented in low-visibility colors. All examples are as… more |
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USS California BB-44Published:
Thank you to David Doyle of David Doyle Books for choosing the IPMS Reviewer Corps to examine and report on one of his new titles, all of which may be viewed on the website listed above. I am very appreciative of the IPMS Reviewer Corps support, whose efforts make this review program so good. Author Doyle’s treatment of the USS California strikes an excellent balance of book size and detail. The content is laid out in a picture-rich minimum-text format from keel-laying to cutting-torch life stages of the ship. Design concepts, politics, renaming, and many other facets of the California’s history are covered, in addition to her thoroughly-documented long and distinguished career, punctuated by survival and salvage at Pearl Harbor. The image-rich format is a wealth of… more |