Rob Booth
Reviews By Author
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UH-60 or AH-64 SkisPublished:
Werner’s Wings is a Baltimore, MD based firm that offers decals and resin detail parts for scale modelers. Founder Floyd Werner has been around scale modeling for many years and is one of the hobby’s leading authorities on US Army rotary wing aircraft (not just through modeling, but from years of very personal experience!), and WWII Luftwaffe fighters. A quick search of the IPMS Review or other modeling-related sites will yield plenty of background on his considerable modeling skills and knowledge. Floyd’s passion for modeling modern rotary aircraft subjects is evident in this release of resin skis designed to replicate the Landes Airglas skis used on Sikorsky’s UH-60 Blackhawk Series and Boeing’s AH-64 Apache series in both 48 and 35th scales. The subjects of these… more |
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Beechcraft 18s DecalsPublished:
Iliad Design is an Ottawa, Canada based firm that offers decals and color chart references for scale modelers. The subjects of this set are post-WWII era Beechcraft Model 18s in military markings. Markings are included for three aircraft as follows:
The sheet is printed in perfect register with very little carrier film border. Colors are bold, and the ink is solidly dense, reducing or eliminating opaque tendencies of the lighter colors. The letter-sized instruction sheet calls out paint colors and particulars for each aircraft. Also noted are the nacelle and leading edge modifications necessary to… more |
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UH-1D ARC-102 Antenna MountsPublished:
Werner’s Wings is a Baltimore, MD based firm that offers decals and resin detail parts for scale modelers. Founder Floyd Werner has been around scale modeling for many years, and is one of the hobby’s leading authorities on US Army rotary wing aircraft (not just through modeling, but from years of very personal experience!), and WWII Luftwaffe fighters. A quick search of the IPMS Review or other modeling-related sites will yield plenty of background on his considerable modeling skills and knowledge. Floyd’s passion for detail in modeling modern rotary aircraft subjects is evident in this release of resin antenna mounts to replicate the stand-off mounts used for the wire antenna array on Bell’s UH-1D in 48th scale. The subjects of these sets continue Werner’s Wings commitment to… more |
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Macchi C205 Veltro White Metal Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced replacement gear for the Hasegawa/Italeri 1/48 scale Macchi C205 Veltro kits. The white metal replacements are a clean drop-in for the kit plastic parts. I have reviewed several of these replacement gear packages, and purchased many more on my own. I have always found them to be at least equal, and usually superior to the kit parts in detailing, with the added benefit of superior strength. The supplied items in this issue include the two main gear strut and actuator assemblies, and two tail gear struts with the tail wheel molded in place (check your reference photos). Some other SAC packages include replacement main gear wheels, as well, but not the case here. You will need to use the kit wheels or other replacements for your build.… more |
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H-21 Big Ed SetPublished:
My father, a retired career pilot and Colonel in the USAF, passes along a magazine he receives each month as a member of the Air Force Association. Several years ago, an article in one issue titled “Life on the Pine Tree Line” captivated me. The article details daily activities at a remote DEW-line radar site on Resolution Island, in far North Newfoundland, back in the 50s and 60s. In particular, photos of an H-21 Shawnee or “Flying Banana” as it is more commonly referred to in Artic Red conspicuity markings, caught my eye. Other aircraft and vehicles documented in the photos included a C-123, a TWA “Connie”, various cargo trucks and vehicles, and a small WWII utility vehicle known as a “Weasel”. Visions of a winter diorama scene began to take shape. Fast forward several years… more |
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Hellcat Mk I Weekend EditionPublished:
I already have Eduard’s excellent F6F-3 Hellcat in US Navy markings in my growing stash waiting for my skills to catch up to the beauty of the kit. I am no expert on the Hellcat, so when Eduard announced their Royal Navy markings “Weekend” version of an already well received 1/48 version of this aircraft, I jumped at the chance to do a review build as a warm-up. The Hellcat’s history is well known and extensively documented, so let’s get on with impressions of this 1/48 scale plastic version. This kit issue (#8435) is the identical mold tooling as Eduard’s previous issue in other markings. The difference being the inclusion of the plastic sprues only, without the photo-etch, masks and/or resin included in their higher priced, more detailed offerings (which are now… more |
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US Air Force (Insignia) Display BasePublished:
Coastalkits from the UK has produced a line of model display bases in various national insignia designs. This particular design is a replica of a USAAF insignia (white star on blue background) circular cutout. The diameter is 200 mm (about 7&3/4 inches) and is suitable for small to medium sized 1/72 scale aircraft. Other insignia designs include Royal AF, Royal Australian AF, Hellenic AF, French AF, Soviet AF, and Canadian AF, along with some scaled airfield designs. The resolution of the printing is excellent, and provides an eye-catching background setting as an added presentation touch for your latest masterpiece at contests, or in your display case at home. The artboard core of the base makes for a lightweight addition to your contest take-along accessories that will… more |
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Large Circular Airfield Display BasePublished:
Coastalkits from the UK has produced a line of model display bases in various designs, shapes and scales from grass airfields to modern hardscapes. This particular design is a replica of the join line between an asphalt and concrete light line and taxiway in a circular cutout. The diameter is 300 mm (about 11&3/4 inches) and is suitable for small to medium sized 1/72 scale aircraft. The resolution of the printing is excellent, and provides a realistic setting as an added presentation touch for your latest masterpiece at contests, or in your display case at home. The artboard core of the base makes for a lightweight addition to your contest take-along accessories that will make your model stand out from those that are simply placed on top of the standard entry paperwork.… more |
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H-21C Shawnee Landing Gear (Ita)Published:
Scale Aircraft Conversions has produced white metal replacement landing gear for the recently issued Italeri H-21 “Flying Banana” kit. I have reviewed several of these sets, and purchased a few more on my own, because in all cases they have been superior to the kit items. The white metal gear typically provides a much greater weight tolerance than kit-supplied plastic parts. These white metal replacements are a clean drop-in for the kits’ plastic parts. The set includes main gear and nose gear struts and supporting hardware. Detailing has been improved over the kit parts (mold lines removed, etc.). The supplied items also include all main and nose gear braces, the nose gear oleo scissor assembly, landing lights and a pitot replacement. A side by side evaluation (see… more |
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LRF 4 Rocket Launchers with PylonsPublished:
PJ Productions is a Belgian firm that specializes in the creation and production of resin scale models and accessories aimed at modelers of military aircraft kits and aviation-related dioramas in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scale. Their lines include fine and accurately detailed cast resin replacement and supplemental parts for model kits in the most commonly produced scales. PJ Productions has produced a resin set of two (2) LRF 4 rocket launchers for use with aircraft armed with such types. An out-of-box evaluation (see photos) indicates two reproductions of the French-manufactured weapons and options for either CES 3 or ADP 2 pylons that provide a realistic scale-detailed assembly for mounting to your kit. The panel detailing is extremely fine, with fore and end caps cast… more |