Scott retired from the commercial nuclear industry with over thirty years of experience in Maintenance, Engineering, and Training. Prior to that he served on two aircraft carriers during his time in the U.S. Navy. He has been building models for over 50 years with his first kit being purchased with money from his grandparents for his sixth birthday. With a stash that consists of more aircraft than anything else, Scott still enjoys building a little bit of everything (including but not limited to tanks, cars, show cars, military vehicles (aside from tanks), ships, figures, real space, and some science fiction), which keeps his stash growing. Scott and his wife Fern reside in southwest lower Michigan, not far from South Bend, Indiana, and have three adult children and currently three grandchildren as well as a small dog and a large cat.
Scott Hollingshead
Reviews By Author
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FJ-1 Photo Etched PartsPublished:
If you are looking to improve the appearance of your 1/72 scale FJ-1 Fury, I would direct your attention to this photo-etched set from Resin Improvements. Although recommended for the VALOM kit, I was able to use the set effectively with the release from SIGA with only some minor plastic and metal removal. Most of the cockpit parts are pre-painted, which makes them both quick and easy to use right out of the package. A modeler with some experience using photo-etched parts should not have any issues with utilizing this set. One of the newer companies that the IPMS/USA has picked up for Review Corps items is Resin Improvements from the Czech Republic. Although I had not previously heard of the company, their web site shows a 2011 date on it. I also noted when the set arrived that… more |
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F3H Demon NosePublished:
If you are looking to improve the appearance of the nose on your 1/72 scale EMHAR F-3H Demon, I would direct your attention to this new release from Pavla Models. Recommended for the EMHAR kit released in 1991, this replacement nose is a clear advancement over the old plastic nose provided in the kit. Modelers with some experience in using resin parts should have no issues with utilizing this part. As I stated in another recent review, from my perspective, Pavla Models continues to quietly add new items to their product lines in order to add detail to existing kits; many of these lines are intended for aircraft modelers, but there are some AFV items as well. Pavla Models provides replacement canopies that are vacuum-formed as well as cockpit sets, ejection seats, and general… more |
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Imperial Japanese Navy Submarine I-15/I-46Published:
If you are looking for something to build quickly, which I find relaxing after a particularly challenging build, you may want to consider this recent release from Fujimi. Late last year, Fujimi re-released this combination kit of the I-15 and I-46 submarines, so I jumped on the opportunity to build these two boats once again, but with roughly twenty years of advancement in my modeling skills. The fits are good overall, making this a fun kit for both beginners and more experienced modelers with an interest in 1/700 scale WWII subjects. I-15 was the first of twenty submarines to be built as part of the B-1 class, and was designed to carry a single Yokosuka E14Y1 (code named Glen) observation floatplane. I-15 was completed at the Kure Navy Yard on 30 September 1940, and… more |
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F-16CJ Block 50 WheelsPublished:
One of the latest releases from Eduard in their Brassin line are a set of wheels meant to replace the kit provided ones in the Tamiya 1/72 scale F-16CJ Fighting Falcon. Consisting of three resin parts and a set of masks to aid in airbrushing the wheels and tires, the set can be used to dress up the appearance of the Tamiya kit. The F-16CJ Block 50 release by Tamiya follows their impressive renditions first rolled out in 1/32 scale, and later in 1/48. The set consists of two main wheels and the front wheel, which are cast in a grey resin, along with a set of painting masks. The resin parts provide an improved level of detail as compared to the ones supplied by Tamiya. As one can see in my comparison photos, the Tamiya wheels do have separate brake inserts for… more |
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AIM-9M/L SidewinderPublished:
Developed jointly by the US Air Force and US Navy starting in 1971, the AIM-9L was a vastly improved Sidewinder that was based on the H-model. The missile used All-Aspect Capability against maneuvering targets, as well as high-speed targets. The forward canards were longer in span, and of a double-delta design. Production began in 1978 with over 16,000 missiles being built by Philco-Ford, Raytheon, BGT (Germany), and Mitsubishi. The AIM-9M replaced the L-model and featured a motor that produced less smoke, an improved guidance section that worked better against countermeasures, and improved reliability. Production began in 1982, and over 7000 of these missiles were built by Raytheon, and during Operation Desert Storm 13 aerial victories are credited to the AIM-9M… more |
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AIM-9D SidewinderPublished:
Developed as a follow up to the B and C models of the Sidewinder, the AIM-9D featured a Nitrogen cooled Infrared (IR) seeker and utilized the Hercules MK 36 solid-fuel rocket motor. Philco-Ford and Raytheon produced about 1000 of the missiles between 1965 and 1969. The missile was 9 feet, 5 inches long; 24.8 inches across the rear fins, and had a diameter of 5 inches. Weighing in at 195 pounds (25 pounds belonging to the warhead), the missile could travel at over Mach 2.5 with a range of 9.7 nautical miles. The AIM-9D is credited with aerial victories over twenty-two aircraft during the Vietnam War (8 MiG-21 and 14 MiG-17’s) being launched from F-8E/C/H Crusaders and F-4B and J Phantom II’s of the US Navy. This set consists of four missiles and optional nose covers that are… more |
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F-16CJ Block 50 Ejection SeatPublished:
One of the latest releases from Eduard in their Brassin line is this ejection seat meant to replace the kit part in the Tamiya 1/72 scale F-16CJ Fighting Falcon. The Eduard set consists of one resin part and a photoetch fret with eight items that can be used to dress up the appearance of the cockpit of the Tamiya kit. The F-16CJ Block 50 release by Tamiya follows their impressive renditions first rolled out in 1/32 scale, and later in 1/48. The set consists of an ejection seat that is cast in grey resin, and a photoetch fret that holds the seatbelts and canopy breakers (the seatbelts are provided pre-painted). The resin seat provides an improved level of detail as compared to the one supplied by Tamiya. As one can see in my comparison photos, the Tamiya seat is relatively plain… more |
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F-16CJ Block 50 Exhaust NozzlePublished:
One of the latest releases from Eduard in their Brassin line is an exhaust nozzle meant to replace the kit provided one in the Tamiya 1/72 scale F-16CJ Fighting Falcon. The set consists of two resin parts and a photoetch fret that can be used to dress up the appearance of the Tamiya kit. The F-16CJ Block 50 release by Tamiya follows their impressive renditions first rolled out in 1/32 scale, and later in 1/48. The set consists of an exhaust nozzle and engine exhaust, which are cast in a grey resin, and a photoetch fret that holds three exhaust rings for the engine exhaust. The resin parts provide an improved level of detail as compared to the ones supplied by Tamiya. As one can see in my comparison photos, the Tamiya exhaust nozzle is cast in smooth plastic, where the Eduard… more |
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F-14 Remove Before Flight Super FabricPublished:
In case you missed the IPMS/USA Nationals this past summer, Eduard released a 1/48 scale F-14A Tomcat as part of a special Danger Zone boxing that included a slew of photoetch and resin detail parts along with the plane. I mention this as some of the detail items, such as this set, are now being released to further spruce up the limited edition release. I have never seen anything like this fabric set, so I would consider this a warning shot across the bow of other detail part manufacturers. Although made “specifically” for the Eduard 1/48 scale F-14, the remove before flight tags in this set will look good and will be appropriate on any kit in this scale. In the case of this review, I decided to add tags to the pitot tubes of the F-35C that I recently completed. The set… more |
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F-14A Seatbelts FABRICPublished:
In case you missed the IPMS/USA Nationals this past summer, Eduard released a 1/48 scale F-14A Tomcat as part of a special “Danger Zone” packaging that includes a slew of photo etch and resin detail parts along with the plane. I mention this as some of the detail items, such as this set are now being released to further spruce up the Limited Edition release. This set includes fabric seatbelt pieces as well as the photoetch parts for all of the connectors, buckles, etc. This new detail set does not have a recommended 1/48 scale F-14A kit mentioned, so I put my Hasegawa release to use, and built up the included GRU-7A ejection seats in order to conduct this review. The set consists of two pieces of paper for the seatbelts themselves, and a single photoetch fret for the remaining… more |