Tim Hortman
Reviews By Author
|
Nakajima Ki-84 Hayate Decals, Part 2Published:
Lifelike Decals has long been known for their high quality, limited edition decal releases. The decals come in the customary clear plastic zip bag, and inside you will find two full color, single sided pages with color callouts, decal placement guides, references, and a ton of historical information on each aircraft covered. Not to mention the decals themselves. This release contains one standard size decal sheet with markings for five WWII Imperial Japanese Army Ki-84 Hayate “Frank” fighters. Decals are perfectly printed, clear, and in register. **Just a note to the buyer – when you’re doing a search to purchase these, you may see some decals labeled for the “Japanese Edition” and some for the “English Edition”. The difference here is the language of the instructions. If you… more |
|
F-18C Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) VFA-122, VFC-12 DecalsPublished:
Two Bobs Aviation Graphics continues to release decals to celebrate the special paint schemes that the US Navy is using to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Flight (Centennial of Naval Aviation, or CONA). Each decal sheet contains markings for these special aircraft and a 3” sticker with the CONA official logo. Two Bobs actually has an official licensing agreement with the Navy to bring these decals to us in the hobby world! As always, this Two Bobs release features decals which are thin, crisp, and in perfect register. This decal sheet covers two F/A-18C Hornets seen in February, 2011. Packaging is the usual clear zipper bag we see decals in, and inside is a one-page, double sided, full color sheet containing color information, decal placement directions, and some images of… more |
|
F-18C/E Centennial of Naval Aviation (CONA) VFA-106 DecalsPublished:
Two Bobs Aviation Graphics continues to release decals to celebrate the special paint schemes that the US Navy is using to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Flight (Centennial of Naval Aviation or CONA). Each decal sheet contains markings for these special aircraft, and a 3” sticker with the CONA official logo. Two Bobs actually has an official licensing agreement with the Navy to bring these decals to us in the hobby world! As always, this Two Bobs release features decals which are thin, crisp, and in perfect register. This decal sheet covers two VFA-106 Gladiators Hornets from NAS Oceana seen in December 2010. Packaging is the usual clear zipper bag we see decals in, and inside is a one-page, full color sheet which contains color information, the decal placement… more |
|
N1K1 Shiden Gun BarrelsPublished:
The fine folks at Aires and Quickboost continue to add to their line of aircraft detail parts. For this review I will be looking at their set of gun barrels for the Hasegawa 1/48 WWII Japanese Navy N1K1 Shiden fighter. The Shiden (George) was a late war fighter, considered by many to be one of the best the Japanese used during the war. Hasegawa has several different boxings of this kit on the market today, and this detail set will work with them all. As shown in the photos, this offering contains a small resin set of four cannon and one pitot tube. The detail on these parts is very good, and clearly a step above what is supplied in the kit. This set allows you to simply paint these parts and glue them in place – far easier than working with the kit parts, and much cheaper… more |
|
Ki-61 / Ki-100 Tony StabilizersPublished:
Here is another detail set from the folks at Aires/Quickboost: stabilizers for the WWII Japanese Army Fighters Ki-61 or Ki-100 Tony. This detail set will work with ANY of the 1/48 Hasegawa Ki-61 Hein “Tony” or Ki-100 kits on the market today. All of these aircraft shared the same basic airframe, and this detail set is compatible with them all. As shown in the photos, this Quickboost detail set has four resin parts for the horizontal stabilizers on these fighters. The builder must cut the parts from the resin and remove a little flash before gluing the flaps in place. This is a very quick, easy, and inexpensive way to give your model that little extra detail. The detail of these parts is on par with what you get in the kit. I recommend this detail set if you want an easy… more |
|
A6M5 Zero ExhaustPublished:
Here’s another resin detail set in the fine line of Quickboost products. This time we’ll be looking at the resin exhaust detail set for the 1/48 Hasegawa A6M5 Zero Fighter. As most of you know, the Reisen or Zero was the most famous Japanese Fighter of WWII. The A6M5 was the most produced variant of that aircraft. The Reisen saw combat in all theaters of the war, and there are several surviving examples in museums today. This fine resin detail set is designed to fit exactly with ANY of the 1/48 Hasegawa A6M5 kits on the market today (and there are many different ones out there to buy!). As shown in the photos, this detail set includes parts that are of much higher quality than the ones included in the kit. Each individual exhaust port is open at the end, and the tubes… more |
|
Nakajima G8N1 Renzan ExhaustPublished:
The folks at Quickboost continue to add superb detail sets to their growing catalog of items. For this review I will be looking at the exhaust detail set for the 1/72 Hasegawa G8N1 Renzan. The Hasegawa 1/72 G8N1 Renzan has been on the market for many years, in several different boxings. The molds for each issue of the kit are the same, so this exhaust upgrade set will work with any of the G8N1 kits you may have in your collection. The Japanese WWII G8N1 Renzan Bomber was a late war Japanese WWII found-engine Bomber project. The initial prototype was completed late in 1944, and several test flights were made before the war ended. Perhaps the most recognized image of a Renzan is the photo in orange paint scheme in captured US Markings. The Quickboost exhaust stacks… more |
|
Japanese Type 99 20mm Mark 2 Cannon BarrelsPublished:
Master Model was a new name for me. I had not heard of them before nor had I seen any of their product lines. After this review sample arrived I can safely say I am more than impressed with the quality of their work! This new group from Poland has quite a line of brass detail parts on the market. Here I will be looking at one of their new sets: 1/72 WWII Japanese Type 99 20mm Mark 2 Cannon Barrels (set of 4). Packaged in a small plastic bag, with a cardboard backing & header were four of the nicest brass parts I have seen. Master Model’s brass parts are very finely turned brass parts that look like the real thing – only much, much smaller! All I can say when I looked at these parts was “WOW – How did they do that?!?” As you can see from the photo, the detail on these… more |
|
Kawasaki Ki-61 I Undercarriage CoversPublished:
The folks at Quickboost continue to add superb detail sets to their growing catalog of items. For this review I will be looking at the Undercarriage Covers detail set for the 1/48 Hasegawa Ki-61 family of kits.
|
|
Nakajima Ki-43-II Late Exhaust Stacks, Type A & Type BPublished:
The folks at Quickboost continue to add superb detail sets to their growing catalog of items. For this review I will be looking at two sets for the 1/48 Hasegawa Ki-43-II Hayabusa “Oscar” Japanese WWII Fighter.
|