Tim Hortman
Reviews By Author
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Mitsubishi A6M ZeroPublished:
There is no question that the Mitsubishi A6M Zero is one of the most famous and recognizable aircraft of the Second World War. From its early days of domination over the skies, to the end of the conflict where the once seemingly invincible aircraft was relegated to Kamikaze missions; the Reisen saw service throughout the war in Japanese Naval Air Force service. Author James D’Angina tells the story of the Mitsubishi A6M Zero in Osprey Publishing’s Air Vanguard #19. Chapters are broken down as follows:
What you get here is a small book that really is packed with… more |
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2013 Camaro ZL1Published:
General Motors brought back the Camaro in 2010, and in 2012 came out with the ZL1 version. The ZL1 features a more powerful 6.2L 580hp LSA V-8 engine and for many, is the flagship Camaro on the market today. The kit itself comes with a pre-finished body, and 48 parts. It’s listed as a “skill level 3” kit and comes in an attractive box that shows the color of the car. My review sample was red, but I have seen black versions as well. Parts are packaged very well with the pre-finished body held in place with a plastic strip, and the chrome wheels packaged in their own container. The clear sprue and the red tail light sprue are packed in their own bags, as are the side mirrors and tires. The kit’s clear parts come attached the body, so there is little chance they… more |
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Kawanishi N1K1-JB Shiden (George) Type II Otsu "Genzan Flying Group"Published:
Hasegawa continues to add to their excellent WWII Japanese line with a re-boxing of the Mid-Wing “George”. This limited edition kit (#07378) of the Kawanishi N1K1-Jb Shiden Type 11 Otsu “GENZAN Flying Group” is only the second boxing of the George which allows the builder to do the later variant (Jb) of the aircraft with twin cannons housed in each wing. Earlier Ja versions had the second cannon housed in an underwing tub slung under each wing. The Shiden started out life as the Kyofu. Kawanishi built a very successful float plane fighter – the N1K Kyofu “Rex”. Designers developed this aircraft into a highly successful land based fighter by removing the floats and adding landing gear. This design became the Shiden N1K1-J (with the “J” meaning a land version of the floatplane).… more |
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JASDF F-4EJ Kai 301st SQ 40th AnniversaryPublished:
DXM, or Double Excellent Model, is from Taiwan and is offering a growing line of decals for the aircraft modeler. Take a few minutes and check out their website as they offer a wide range of modern aircraft schemes and different markings, including many other JASDF schemes. Today’s review is on their excellent 1/48 scale JASDF F-4EJ Kai 301st SQ 40th Anniversary decal set. The decal sheet comes in a sealed plastic sleeve and includes a single large decal sheet and full-color direction flyer. Markings are included for a single aircraft: 77-8398, F-4EJ Kai Super Phantom II, JASDF 301st Squadron’s 40th Anniversary Scheme. A bit of internet searching tells me that this airframe was painted in this scheme in October 2013. The 301st Squadron has been flying… more |
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USN F-14B Tomcat VF-103 Jolly RogersPublished:
DXM, or Double Excellent Model, is relatively new to the world of decals. The company is from Taiwan and is offering a growing line of decals for the aircraft modeler. Take a few minutes and check out their website as they offer a wide range of modern aircraft schemes and different markings, including many JASDF schemes. Today’s review covers their excellent 1/48 scale F-14B Tomcat sheet for VF-103 Jolly Rogers. The decal sheet comes in a sealed plastic sleeve and includes a large decal sheet, along with a smaller one for the US star-and-bars roundels, and a second smaller sheet for formation lights. The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf and are of their usual excellent quality. All decals are in excellent register, and there is no extra film to trim. … more |
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Battlestar Galactica Upgrade SetPublished:
Moebius Models continues to add to their excellent line of Battlestar Galactica kits. This time with a detail set for the Galactica. This set is designed to be used with the Moebius Models kit #915 1/4105 Battlestar Galactica Included in this set are three sprues of detailed rail guns, two photo-etched museum windows, and an enhanced decal sheet. Because there is some minor surgery required to make these parts work, Moebius recommends this set for the more experienced modeler. However, I don’t think this set will be difficult to use for anyone with a little modeling skill. The set comes with a heavy cardboard backing which doubles as the directions for the upgrade set. This backing folds down to reveal detailed directions on painting and applying decals. Note… more |
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Battlestar GalacticaPublished:
Moebius Models continues to add to their growing line of Battlestar Galactica kits, including issuing some prefinished built up display kits. Having grown up watching the original Battlestar Galactica, I was thrilled with the modern television series of the past decade. It is great to be a plastic modeler and have kits available from the series – thanks to Moebius Models! Reviewed here is the Battlestar Galactica 1/4105 Painted and Assembled Display Model. The kit comes in a sturdy outer sleeve with some nice artwork of the Galactica. The inner box shows the Galactica with a star background and the kit in a plastic cradle. My review sample arrived with one of the main engines separated from the kit, but it was a quick and painless repair. … more |
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Battlestar Galactica Viper Mk VIIPublished:
Moebius Models continues to add to their growing line of Battlestar Galactica kits, this time issuing some prefinished built up display kits. Having grown up watching the original Battlestar Galactica, I was thrilled with the modern television series of the past decade. It is great to be a plastic modeler and have kits available from the series – thanks to Moebius Models! Reviewed here is the Battlestar Galactica Viper Mark VII 1/32 painted and assembled display model. The model comes in a triangle shaped box, which is easy to damage. After opening the outer box, you get a nice inner box which represents the kit in a Galactica launch tube. Certainly one could leave their kit in this inner box and put on display as-is if they so choose. … more |
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Imperial Japanese Army Artillery Type 41 Mountain Gun "Infantry Regiment"Published:
Fine Molds has recently released two new-tool versions of the WWII Japanese Army Type 41 75mm Artillery. This boxing differ only slightly, and this review represents the slightly modified gun with a smaller shield and a crew of 4 figures in poses transporting (pulling) the weapon kit # FM39 Imperial Japanese Army Artillery Type 41 Mountain Gun “Infantry Regiment”. The smaller shield meant a lighter and more easily transported weapon – for the more mountainous terrain. This is an all new effort by the folks at Fine Molds and is not the old tooling of the gun, which was done is white metal. The kit contains four total sprues molded in tan plastic: two for the gun, one containing the crew figures, and the final sprue contains the personal gear and weapons of the… more |
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N1K1-J Shiden ExhaustPublished:
Here is another great addition to the growing Quickboost line of detailed exhaust parts. Here we see a set for the 1/48 Hasegawa N1K1-J “George” WWII Japanese Naval Fighter The exhaust set comes in the typical Quickboost plastic sleeve packaging, and contains a single resin part attached to a ‘base plug’ which is easily removed. The Quickboost set is a direct replacement part for those with the kit, so there is no major surgery needed to use these parts. With some very minor clean-up, they are able to be painted and glued into place. Since these are resin parts, you will have to use your favorite brand of super-glue. One of the best details, and what makes this set a ‘must have’ for me, is that the exhaust stacks are finely hollowed – something which is rather… more |