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.
This is the second PJ Production figure that I have had the pleasure of reviewing, and like the first, assembly was easy, with minimal part clean-up being required. The detail is reasonable for this scale, and the figure can be used with most early 1950’s U.S. Navy aircraft of this scale, as the pilot is outfitted in khaki clothing alone, and not wearing a G-suit that was to come. The only modeling skill required involves painting a figure; otherwise, I would recommend this as an item manageable by modelers of nearly any skill level.
There are a mere six parts for this particular figure, consisting of the body, arms, two optional heads, and a piece of tube for the oxygen mask. I appreciated the way that the molding was set up as you can see that I was able to leave the figure… more
This is the fourth landing gear set that I have reviewed from the folks at Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC), and once again, they have provided an excellent metal option for kit-supplied landing gear. This set is for the first 1/48 scale aircraft released by Zoukei-Mura in the Super Wing Series, the J7W1 Shin Den (kit Super Wing Series 1/48 1). The purpose of this replacement set is to provide stronger landing gear that is adjustable if necessary to obtain proper angles. Even with no previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no issue installing.
The J7W1 Shin Den (Magnificent Lightning) was a pusher-propeller and canard wing design built by Kyushu Hikoki for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Only two of the aircraft… more
This is the tenth item that I have reviewed from Master Model, a Polish company that specializes in brass detail parts, typically in the form of gun barrels, antennas, and pitot tubes. This new 72nd scale release is designed for the Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) Kfir (lion cub), and replaces the kit supplied Pitot tube as well as providing an angle of attack (AOA) probe missing from the kit. No kit is mentioned for installing these parts onto, so for comparison purposes, I have put the Testors/Italeri release (kit 630) to use. As with the other releases from Master Model, these parts will dramatically improve the appearance of your plane.
The IAI Kfir was developed as an all-weather, multi-purpose aircraft based in part on the French Dassault Mirage. The same… more
After building the Aoshima rendering of the Imperial Japanese Navy Cruiser Submarine I-16 a couple of years ago, I was interested in reviewing this release of the I-365 Transport Submarine. I took one photo for this review showing the two submarines side by side to show a size comparison of the two. Like the I-16 kit, the I-365 went together well, for the most part, and should not present too many challenges for modelers with some experience in dealing with small parts. The level of detail on the deck is good, but if I were building this for a competition, I would likely invest in a wood laminate deck and possibly photoetched rails.
The Imperial Japanese Navy Submarine I-365 was a Type D1, or “Tei-gata”, transport submarine that was constructed at the Yokosuka Navy Yard, and… more
This is the third Cyber-Hobby ship model that I have been privileged to build for a review (the others being the USS Chicago and the USS Virginia), and I will say that this was the most challenging of the three. There were a couple of complications due to my choice of building the full hull version, and there were some challenges obtaining a few of the necessary small parts. Still, the kit builds up into a very nice representation of the USS Long Beach (CGN-9), and I would recommend it to those wanting to add this fine ship to their collection.
The USS Long Beach (CGN-9) was a ship of firsts and lasts for the US Navy. She was the first nuclear-powered surface warship in the world, the first cruiser since the end of WWII designed and built new from the keel up, and was the… more
If you are looking for a unique addition for your next 1/35 scale US Army Airborne diorama, please allow me to direct your attention to the Plusmodel offering of a Cushman 53 scooter. The kit comes with decals for a single scooter that was used by the 101st Airborne. This kit was more challenging to build than the 1/48 scale scooters I have previously reviewed, and this kit will also require you have some experience with small photo-etch items. I would highly recommend this kit to anyone wanting something unique to sit next to their 1/35 scale figures or vehicles.
Unlike the two 1/48 scale Plusmodel scooters I have reviewed, the photoetch fret in this kit mentions that the vehicle is in fact, a Cushman 53. Research for this particular scooter started with my book … more
If you are looking for another unique addition for your next 1/48 scale aircraft diorama, please allow me to direct your attention to the Plusmodel offering of a scooter and crew. The kit comes with decals for a US Air Force scooter as well as one labeled “Flight Operations”. The kit is simple and builds up with relative ease as long as you have some experience with small photo-etch items. As an added bonus to this particular release, a male pilot and female driver for the scooter are included. I would highly recommend this kit to anyone wanting something unique to sit next to their 1/48 scale aircraft.
I am going to start this part of my review a little different from usual as I am dedicating this appraisal to my Dad, who passed away on January 14. My Dad served in the USAF… more
One of the latest releases from Eduard in their still relatively new Brassin line are a pair of wheels meant to replace the kit provided ones in the Tamiya 1/32 scale F4U-1 Corsair. Consisting of six 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, especially for modelers that do not like using rubber tires on their kits.
This set consists of resin tires with center sections molded in that have inner sections added to the landing gear side, and covers added to the outer side. The Tamiya kit provides outer covers that have hollow reliefs, while the Eduard covers have filled reliefs, but looking at the backside, these could easily be filed and/or sanded to become hollow.
I have… more
If you are looking for a unique addition for your next 1/48 scale aircraft diorama, please allow me to direct your attention to the plusmodel offering of a scooter and sidecar. The kit comes with decals for a US Army scooter, US Navy scooter, as well as an airfield service scooter. The kit is simple and builds up with relative ease as long as you have some experience with small photo-etch items. I would highly recommend this kit to anyone wanting something unique to sit next to their 1/48 scale aircraft.
Although no manufacturer is mentioned for this kit, it appears to be a Cushman scooter manufactured during WWII, as these small vehicles could be used in place of larger ones, and manufactured much cheaper. This particular offering includes a sidecar, which was capable of… more
This is not your father’s Me-163 Komet! This first release by Meng Models in their 1/32 scale Quetzalcoatlus Series may be a long waited for item for those who enjoy this scale. Although the venerable Hasegawa kit can still be found, the level of detail in the Meng release is truly in line with what can be accomplished with modern technology. The kit built up well with few issues being encountered during construction, and the model looks great once assembled. Covers may be left off to display ammunition trays, the guns themselves, and fuel lines above the rocket motor. This was my second experience with a kit by the newcomer, Meng, and I will have no hesitation in purchasing more of their kits in the future.
Following the successful flight in 1936 of a tailless Delta IVc (RLM… more
