Roger Rasor
Reviews By Author
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Windsock Worldwide, Vol. 26, No. 5 - September/October 2010Published:
Volume 26, No.5 of Windsock Worldwide is further proof that Albatross Productions churns out some of the best WW I publications to be found anywhere. This issue of Windsock’s bi-monthly magazine delivers a substantial amount of exclusives for WW I aircraft model builders and historians. The cover photos provide a look of two of them: A full size flying replica of a Fokker Dr .1 and the framework of an incredibly detailed 1/16 scale Sopwith Camel. On the pages inside, the replica Dr.1, built by Swedish pilot Mikael Carlsen, is featured in an article with 16 full-color photos that illustrate the project from fabrication to flight. The Sopwith Camel is just one of many models that are featured in Land Krieg’s ongoing ‘Modelling Master Class’ series…this one focused on airframe… more |
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Aircraft of the Imperial Japanese Navy, Land-Based Aviation, 1929-1945 Volume IPublished:
This 104-page soft cover book is the fourth title in Casemate’s AIR COLLECTION series about Japanese military aircraft. Like its predecessors, it is an English translation of a Spanish title originally published in Spain in 2008. The book includes 170 full-color aircraft profiles, beginning with a twin-seat 1913 Nieuport NG and continuing up to such naval aircraft in service at the end of the war as the Yokosuka D4Y2 Judy and Model 11 Koo Nakajima J1N1-Sa Gekko. It is obvious the author/illustrator has a great knowledge of the subject and the artistic talent to present it visually. Sixty-nine different aircraft types are represented and the nicely rendered illustrations display the variety of color schemes and national markings that were used by the Imperial Japanese Navy during the… more |
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Nakajima Ki 44 ExhaustsPublished:
Quickboost now offers 1/32 scale builders a set of resin exhaust pipes for Hasegtawa’s Ki 44 Tojo kits. They are accurately sized, cast in Quickboost’s typical gray resin and feature remarkably thin sidewalls that capture the appearance of the Prototype’s exhausts quite nicely. Unlike the kit parts that require modelers to glue together two halves to end up with a single hollow pipe, the Quickboost exhausts are already hollow and ready to use without any assembly. They are cast so they may be painted while still on the casting block. After removing them from the casting block, they will fit in place with absolutely no modification required. Just remember, because they are resin, they will need to be attached with super glue or an epoxy adhesive. This set is recommended… more |
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Mosquito FendersPublished:
The folks at Quickboost now offer builders a set of cast resin fenders to enhance the landing gear details of any 1/48 Tamiya B IV or FB IV Mosquito kit. The fenders are cast in the same grey resin used for all other Quickboost aftermarket parts and come on a single casting block. Also typical of other Quickboost resin detail parts, they are crisply molded with no flash to remove and are free of pinholes. They offer better detail than the kit parts (the photo below shows the Quickboost part on the left and the kit part on the right). They are easy to install. After removing them from the casting block and dressing up the edge with a couple of swipes with a sanding stick, they literally drop in place with no modification required. Because they are resin, they must be… more |
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Windsock Datafile 140: Fokker C.1Published:
The subject of this Datafile may seem somewhat eclectic to model builders who don’t have access to a mainstream kit that matches the subject. But this publication fills a significant void in aviation research and documents the history of an aircraft that has been generally ignored by most model companies (although one limited run 1/72 resin kit is currently available from Omega. Datafile 140 will be of value to anyone willing to tackle a most interesting conversion of one of the many mainstream Fokker D VII kits however, as the C.1 was actually a stretched D VII. Datafile 140 covers Anthony Fokker’s effort to produce a two-seat observation/reconnaissance aircraft for the Luftstreitkräfteand what transpired after it was not accepted for service by the Germans. Within this… more |
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Curtiss P-40 Warhawk Wheel BaysPublished:
Anyone who knows me will tell you my favorite airplane is the Curtiss P-40 and I have a closet full of kits to prove it. One of them is a 1/72 scale Academy kit that I had allotted to the maybe-someday-stack because of conspicuous problems with the way Academy molded the P-40’s fuselage quarter windows. Well, now Aires has (or ‘have’, if you are reading this review in Canada or the UK) added a set of accurate P-40 well bays to their line of resin detail parts, and they’ve brought to my attention another problem area that needs addressing. The kit’s wheel bays are just as inaccurate as the shape of the quarter windows. Fortunately, Aires has done a nice job of solving that problem for me and has led me to move the kit to a higher position in the stack. This recent offering from… more |
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Windsock Worldwide, Vol. 26, No. 3 - May/June 2010Published:
Every two months, Albatros Productions publishes Windsock Worldwide, a bi-monthly softcover, 8.25” x 11.75", 32 pages full-color publication that provides sustenance for the growing number of modelers interested in WW I aircraft. Each issue includes a featured subject (usually accompanied by accurate 3-view drawings), along with a variety of well-researched information on other aircraft. You'll also find news and reviews of the latest kits, aftermarket details, decals and publications. In the latest issue, Editor Ray Rimell continues to do what he has been doing for more than 26 years…provide WW I modelers with an almost endless wealth of detailed information about the flying machines of the Great War. The May/June issue includes special Austro-Hungarian aircraft features: The… more |
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Sopwith Pup RFC - Part 1Published:
Part IWingnut Wings has released two 1/32 scale Sopwith Pup kits, one containing parts and multiple markings for the Royal Navy version and one containing parts and markings for the Royal Flying Corps version. The subject of this review is the RFC version. If you build plastic model airplanes and have not heard of this kit manufacturer before, you must have been spending a year or so under a rock somewhere. Wingnut Wings is a New Zealand-based company with a passion for World War I subjects in general and aircraft in particular. This new company made a big splash in the hobby last year when they released their first four World War I kits and created an even bigger wave this year when they released four more. Everything is 1/32 scale and produced at a level that… more |