Roger Carrano
Reviews By Author
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B-25H/J WheelsPublished:
I feel I have to start this review by saying that Eduard, as always, has come out with a fine product and once again has set the bar. I cannot remember any product from Eduard that I reviewed that had nothing but the best to say about it. Minute flaws, yes, but overall always highly recommended. However, I did have to say that HK did their homework, also. With Eduard, the details are flawless, fit perfectly, and are well-engineered, but, so are HK’s. The detail on both sets are so close that it makes it impossible to say if this upgrade is really worth doing. I’m not talking about the cost. With Eduard one always gets his money’s worth by way of fit and quality. I’m talking about how close these parts are to one another with respect to detail and accuracy. Even the tire… more |
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U.S. Victory PostersPublished:
Once again, Archer Fine Transfers is out with another awesome product which will be helpful to the diorama builders. This particular sample is the U.S. Victory Posters set. It consists of twenty Victory Posters of the WWII era which include posters like the “I Want You” poster to the “Victory Garden” poster, and even some posters that the younger crowd has probably never seen. Some are serious and some have a mild comedic effect about them. They definitely reflect the mood of the times. These posters can even be used in the interiors of models as pin-ups. The set is in 1/35 scale and is made with waterproof inks. This becomes very important because the major difference between this product and the usual transfers that need to be burnished is that these posters will have to be… more |
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Modern U.S. National InsigniaPublished:
Archer Fine Transfers has and always had the best and largest variety of transfers than any other company. I would venture to say over 90% of us in the scale modeling hobby have used an Archer product in one way or another. Some modelers I have met only use transfers and will use decals only when it is absolutely necessary. Archer’s transfers are always of the highest quality and detail, and so simple to apply. However, there should be a high degree of concentration when applying them to the model because any movement while burnishing the transfer will ruin it. Whenever possible, I always cut out the particular transfer that I am going to apply from the sheet because it is very possible that another transfer, too close to the one that is being applied, can accidently adhere… more |
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Cockpit Detail PartsPublished:
Airscale is relatively new to scale modeling and has come out with decals in popular scales to aid in detailing instrument panels, and which can also be used for dashboards along with placards, which is another added touch to instrument panels and dashboards. I’m sure that anyone who has bought these products has used them some way in every model that they have built since purchasing them. Now, Airscale has come out with another fine product to aid all of us in more precisely detailing our cockpits. It’s a fret full of etched brass cockpit parts. For their first run of this product, their set includes cockpit components for WWII aircraft in 1/32 and 1/24 scale. The set includes switches, dial knobs, levers, circuit breakers, and electronic components. They also include radio… more |
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Cockpit Instrument BezelsPublished:
Airscale. You might know this company for their really fine instrument dial decals and cockpit placard decals. I have used these decals on every model I have built that included an instrument panel or dashboard since these products came out. Now, Airscale has included another great product which also works in conjunction with their own decals, as well as decals supplied with kits. This newly introduced product is the Cockpit Instrument Bezels. Each bezel is finely made and detailed in 1/32 scale. The sets contains one large brass photo etch fret with different diameter bezels that contain various versions from WWI to WWII, and also some modern jets. There are single, double, and triple mounted bezels included with a large colored card picturing the bezels and showing the row… more |
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German Machine Gun MG-15 (7.92 mm)Published:
Master Model sells all different kinds of products which are designed and produced in Poland. These are fine quality likenesses of different weapons, both Allied and Axis, from machine gun barrels to pitot tubes to gun barrels to attack probes, and they even make gun barrels for ships. They are all beautiful works of art and will enhance any model because of their almost perfect likeness and detail to scale. All major scales are represented and all fit perfectly. In this case, Master Model has included in this set two machine gun barrels, two etched sights, and a small photo etched sprue containing more sights and collars. The parts are small, especially in this scale, so care must be taken in handling; a steady hand sure comes in handy. Some experience in gluing photo etch… more |
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USAAF Fighter PilotPublished:
Master Details sells all different kinds of products which are manufactured in the USA. These guys have just about everything for our hobby. Some of their products are figures, diorama supplies, paints, glue and tools, but this review is about their 1/32 U.S. Army Air Force Fighter Pilot figure from mid- to late-World War Two, dressed in cold weather gear. Master Details has designed the pilot figure for a P-38, P-40, P-47, and U.S. Spitfires which flew with the USAAF service. I feel that this pilot can be used in any aircraft of the U.S. as long as the diorama is not depicted in a hot climate. The kit consists of seven quality dark grey resin parts that are realistically detailed with no flaws that I can find. There is one torso, two legs, and two of each arm to pose them any… more |
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B-25J Mitchell No. 16 & 18 NEI Squadrons DecalsPublished:
Dutch Decal has been producing decals of all aircraft from the Dutch Air Forces. The company started in 1986 and the decals that were produced caught on mainly for their quality and uniqueness and, according to Dutch Decal, their “sheets are silk screen printed with English instructions often in colour and if possible with photographs alongside the illustrations”. This particular decal sheet was designed for Wingscale’s B-25, but due to lots of political mayhem (which I won’t get into), a new company called HK Models produced the B-25J kit. The decals will still work with this kit due to the fact that the dimensions have not changed. Included in the package are the decal sheet and a two-page booklet (front & back) containing not only the placement of the decals but… more |
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Lancaster Bomber Walk AroundPublished:
The Avro Lancaster was probably best known for the bombing of the Ruhr Dams by the 617 Squadron of the RAF which was known as Operation Chastise. This squadron was to become known as the Dam Busters. However, the Avro Lancaster was to become one of the main heavy bombers of the RAF, which first saw service in 1942. It became primarily a night bomber but among its other attributes it was an excellent daylight precision bomber. It served between 1942 and 1945 and flew over 156,000 sorties. As with many other Walk Around books which Squadron Signal Publications publishes, this one also gets into the body and soul of this awesome aircraft. The 80 pages contained in this soft covered book are illustrated with 200 photographs, plus color profiles and detailed line drawings. It… more |
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Soviet 52-R.353M LimberPublished:
Since 2003, when MiniArt released their first kit, they have become quite a diverse company, with kits ranging from figures to tanks, with most of their emphasis on designing kits either to enhance dioramas or stand alone. This review is about the Soviet Limber circa WWII. I thought this was going to be an easy one when I first saw it on their website. It seemed that it was going to be as simple as gluing a square box together with a pole on it which attaches to a vehicle or a horse, paint it, and that would be it. Upon receiving the kit I opened the box which revealed 112 parts, all of which were finely detailed and some very tiny. These parts are contained on five sprues, although four of them have no more than ten parts each. I must say that I underestimated the quality, then… more |