Roger Rasor
Reviews By Author
|
MiG-15 & MiG-15bis Gun Barrels Set, Antenna Base & Pitot TubePublished:
Master Model is an aftermarket supplier that offers modelers the opportunity to add exceptional turned metal parts to their models. Generally, the sets are available for builders in 1:72, 1:48 and 1:32 scale. Therefore, the recent release of MiG-15 gun barrels and details for 1:72 and 1:48 scale kits suggested that a 1:32 scale version for Trumpeter and Hobbycraft kits might be inevitable. The expectation was realized with the release of set #MAS AM-32-068. This set includes turned brass pieces that make up 37mm and 23mm gun barrels for a 1/32 scale MiG-15 and MiG-15bis and a turned aluminum antenna base and pitot tube to replace the kit parts. The photos below from Master Models’ website show the seven parts that make up these details and how the three-part barrel for the 37mm… more |
|
Pre-War HurricanesPublished:
In 2003, Iliad Design’s first decal offering was a 1/48 scale set for pre-War Hurricanes. Flash ahead 11 years and Iliad has added a 1:72 scale version of that set to their ever-growing line of decals. But this set is more than a scaled down version of the four subjects found on the original 1:48 scale set. Iliad’s 1/72 scale set provides markings for seven Hurricanes in RAF service during 1938 and 1939. Six of the seven aircraft featured in this set sport upper surface camouflage of Dark Green and Dark Earth (in both A & B schemes, which are clearly illustrated) with a variety of underside colors that were employed during the pre-war period. But, the scheme for the seventh aircraft offers a striking contrast. The seven subjects included are:
|
|
MiG-3 Late Gun Barrels and Pitot TubePublished:
Quickboost now offers model builders a set of gun barrels and pitot tube to replace those in Trumpeter’s 1:48 scale MiG-3 (Late) kit. The MiG-3 was armed with three machine guns: one 12.7 mm UBS heavy machine gun and two 7.62 mm mm ShKAS machine guns. The Quickboost gun barrels are impressive. They have hollow openings, the detail is very crisp and there are no injection molding seam lines for the modeler to eliminate. The pitot tube also is impressive. It is thinner than the kit part and correctly detailed for the under wing installation of the late type MiG-3. The parts are cast in Quickboost’s familiar gray resin on a single mold block. Because of the delicate nature of all of the parts, the casting block has raised bars on each end to protect the parts from damage… more |
|
Zero Model 32 Photo-etch DetailsPublished:
Among recent offerings from Brengun is a set photo-etch details designed to enhance the 1/72 Tamiya A6M3 Type 32 Zero kit. Set BRL 72071 provides about 70 parts on a single photo-etch fret and two on a printed acetated sheet that will combine to enhance the cockpit and exterior details of the a/c. The photos below show the fret and the instruction sheet that guide where the details are to be installed. The small photo-etched parts on the fret are very impressive, but look strangely familiar to me. Familiar, because they are exactly the same as the parts on Brengun’s set BRL 72074 for the Zero type 22…yes, exactly the same. Not surprising though, because the detail parts they provide were the same on the original aircraft (with the possible exception of a small dial face on the… more |
|
Curtiss P-6E "Hawk" Decals (Part 2)Published:
Yellow Wings Decals has added two new sets to their line for 1/48 scale Curtis P-6E Hawks. Set number 48-085, or Part 2, provides colorful markings for two Langley Field based USAAC aircraft of the 8th Pursuit Group:
The instructions show that in 1933, 8th Pursuit Group P-6Es sported Gloss Olive Drab #22 painted fuselages with Orange-Yellow #4 wings and tail surfaces and by 1936 fuselages were finished in Blue #23 with Orange-Yellow #4 wings and tail surfaces. Markings are provided for all national insignia, rudder stripes, aircraft numbers, fuselage bands and squadron markings as shown in the photo below of the decal sheet. An instruction sheet is included that also… more |
|
Zero Model 22 Photo/etch DetailsPublished:
Brengun offers 1/72 model builders a way to add to the detail of the already highly detailed Tamiya A6M2 Type 22 Zero kit. Set BRL 72074 provides about 70 parts on a single photo-etch fret and two on a printed acetated sheet that will combine to enhance the cockpit and exterior details of the a/c. The photo below of the instruction sheet shows where the details are to be installed. Each of the small photo-etched parts is impressive. The detail is very crisp and well etched on nickel-plated metal. The parts are packaged in a clear pouch stapled to a card to protect the fret. A folded instruction sheet, printed on one side, is attached behind the bagged fret. The instructions are easy to understand but are quite involved. Model builders familiar with using photo-etched detail… more |
|
Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski – Austria-Hungary’s Ace of AcesPublished:
The name Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski may not immediately register with model builders, but those who build WWI aircraft models probably have given his bright red Albatros a second look when considering a vivid scheme while building a model of that aircraft. Like Germany’s ‘Red Baron’, Austria-Hungary’s ‘Ace of Aces’ flew a red painted fighter. But, ironically he had much more in common with his world famous contemporary, Manfred von Richthofen than the color of their aircraft. Brumowski's career followed a course that was quite similar to that of the more widely known 'Red Baron'. Born into a military family, he was educated at cadet school and commissioned into the artillery while Richthofen was still in the cavalry. His early adult life was spent in the army, much of it… more |
|
MiG-3 Decals (Pt. 3)Published:
HAD Models is a Hungarian company that manufactures decals and distributes aftermarket detail parts. A visit to their website shows that their decal sets fill some voids and provide model builders with a variety of well-documented markings (particularly Hungarian, Russian and German a/c). HAD Models’ decals are on a par with major brands: They are printed on thin decal film in vivid opaque colors. The graphics are crisp and accurately registered. Many (but not all) sets include stencil data. Set 48131 is devoted to Soviet MiG-3s that defended the homeland in 1941 and 1942. The set provides national insignia and specific markings for seven aircraft:
|
|
Hong Kong 1941–45: First Strike in the Pacific WarPublished:
Most of us who have a little knowledge of US history know something about what happened on December 7, 1941. Those who know a bit more, might also know that within 24 hours of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese Imperial Army simultaneously invaded the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia and attacked the British colony of Hong Kong. Hong Kong 1941–45: First Strike in the Pacific War by Benjamin Lai, book number 263 in Osprey’s Campaign series, tells the story of Japan’s action against Hong Kong, the British surrender, the years of Japanese occupation, and the eventual reestablishment of British control over the colony when the war ended in 1945. It provides a very compelling look at how the defenders—and later prisoners—faired at the hands of the Imperial Japanese Army.… more |
|
Cross & Cockade International Summer 2014 Vol. 45/2Published:
Cross & Cockade International is the quarterly publication of a non-profit UK based organization known as The First World War Aviation Historical Society. This organization has been publishing these journals since 1970 with the objective of furthering the study of First World War Aviation History. The second journal of 2014; Volume 45/2 (Summer 2014) continues the organization’s mission by providing a wealth of information on varied WWI aviation subjects. The cover of this journal features a painting by Allan Forbes of a pair of 64 Squadron de Havilland DH5s attacking ground targets. It serves as a precursor to an interesting eight-page feature article about the 64 Squadron and the DH5s they flew. Following an Editorial page, the contents includes:
|