Walt Fink
Reviews By Author
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1950 Oldsmobile Club CoupePublished:
Rockets Away! Revell’s new kit of what was essentially the first factory muscle car is a welcome nod to us “longer-lived” modeler-folks who can recall the marriage of GM’s first OHV V-8 and Oldsmobile’s clean styling as being either our first cars or someone in our family’s. The phrase “Not your Father’s Oldsmobile” comes to mind and no…this one wasn’t…exactly…but my Dad did have a ’51 Eighty-Eight which – even as a ten-year old – I recognized would go like the proverbial scalded ape. Construction is typical Revell with no surprises, but there are a couple ways to make it easier. The first is not installing the engine into the frame until Step 2, because the steering box is difficult to put in place while getting one’s hands – or tweezers – around it. The socket for the… more |
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F6F Hellcat Correct Radome – Part OnePublished:
Quickboost advertises this product as a correct radome for the Eduard 1/72 Hellcat kit. What they mean is that it has recessed panel lines to match the rest of the kit, unlike the kit’s radome which has raised ones. The one-piece casting also means no seam to worry about as is not the case with the kit part, which is formed by upper and lower halves. The resin is smooth with no pinholes, and the engraved panel lines are nice and sharp. The Quickboost radome is marginally smaller than the kit part, but the dimensions of both parts are so close that I personally feel it wouldn’t make much difference to the naked eye which one was used on a build. For what it’s worth, here’s what I measured: … more |
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Warplane No. 01 – Martin MarinerPublished:
This Dutch publication from Violaero by authors Nico Braas and Srecko Bradic is chock-full of photos and detail drawings of Martin’s PBM in all its variants. They managed to pack a lot of good information into its 48 pages, with several photos which were new to me – and I’m a real Mariner fan. Covering U.S. Navy and Coast Guard aircraft in both WW2 and later operations, the book also features photos of Dutch, RAF, Argentinean, and other foreign operators of the aircraft. The authors have been very good in pointing out differences in all the variants, a boon to us detail-oriented modelers. There are sufficient close-up views in all the photographs to show other items such as open hatches, antennae, and markings – including the Pan American logo on one Mariner for the Pan Am… more |
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L2D Type Zero Transport & C-47 SkytrainPublished:
This Special Edition dual kit is a re-release of Hasegawa’s DC-3/C-47 kit with decals included to build two variants of the L2D “Tabby,” the Japanese copy of the C-47, and one USAAF C-47. The parts are typical Hasegawa – molded in gray and with super detail. On my sample, something apparently happened to the C-47 during packaging because it had what looked like tank tracks across the left vertical fin, and the antenna and pitot masts were bent horizontal. It all turned out OK with some putty and re-scribing. The kit could use the addition of some details – there are no exhaust stacks, for instance. The L2D kit has the World’s Smallest Resin Part included for the antenna cover atop the forward fuselage – and that pretty well typifies the main issue I had with these kits: size.… more |
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Folland Gnat T.1Published:
Folland’s Gnat is aptly named – it’s about the smallest airframe they could wrap around a tandem-seat cockpit, jet engine, and assorted systems to achieve an effective training aircraft. The aircraft was, in fact, selected by the British Aerobatic Team the Red Arrows, who flew it for several years before they adopted the BaE Hawk for their mounts. The Gnat is the outgrowth of Folland’s single-seat Midge (also aptly named) whose final derivative – the HAL Ajeet, flown by the Indian Air Force – became known as a “Sabre-killer” for its success against Pakistani AF F-86s. It was hard to see, fast, nimble, and possessed a potent offensive armament package. Airfix’s current release is a new tooling and follows their other recent releases in quality of moldings and beautifully… more |
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RAF Hendon – The Birthplace of Aerial PowerPublished:
Having spent some pleasurable visits to both the RAF Hendon and RAF Cosford museums, my curiosity was piqued by the title of this book and I was anxious to review it. When I received it and saw “Royal Air Force Museum” on the soft cover as the official “sponsor,” I anticipated coverage of the first, if not both museums. Nope. In fact, the author states in the second paragraph of his introduction that there’s not enough space in the publication to cover the museum in depth---instead, the book is a concise history of RAF Hendon’s founding, rise, and utilization. The airfield started as the launching point for a balloon on 20 August, 1862, carrying the pilot and four passengers. One of them, John Glashier, had previously flown with the balloon’s pilot, Henry Coxwell, many… more |
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'56 Chevy Nomad Wagon 2'n1Published:
1955 was a milestone year for Chevrolet, with the introduction of an OHV V-8 and all-new styling, and a new wagon in the line – the Nomad 2-door hardtop. The follow-on 1956 Nomad had styling and trim more closely allied with the other cars in the Chevy line and had more pizzazz than the ’55, too. Revell has re-issued the 1997 Monogram kit in its 2’n1 series, featuring additional customizing parts – wheels, chrome valve covers, alternator, low-profile tires, larger disc brakes, and chassis/suspension parts for the custom build, along with a nice decal sheet with lots of trim and flames. I’m old school, so decided to build the kit pretty much showroom-stock. The instructions are really slanted toward the custom version, with sidebars listing optional “stock” parts, though… more |
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1959 Chevy Impala Convertible 2'n1Published:
The final creation of the legendary designer Harley Earl, the ’59 Chevrolet caused a big “Wow!” reaction when it was introduced – the total redesign sported a long, low hood, and tail fins about as appropriate for an aircraft as a car. Automobile enthusiasts were impressed with this total metamorphosis, particularly since the predecessor ’58 Chevy had all softly-rounded corners and a jellybean look. Revell’s kit is a re-issue of the 1993 Monogram offering, but the “2 ‘n 1” boxing means it now includes customizing parts such as lake pipes, a tubular grille, spinner hubcaps, fender spotlights, and decals. The continental kit and fender skirts are still included and can be used on either the custom or the stock version. When I first opened the kit box, my initial… more |
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Fw-190D-9Published:
Platz kits are noted for their delicacy and true-to-scale thickness of parts, and their Focke-Wulf 190D-9 is no exception. Engraved surface detail and excellent fit make the build easy with little need for putty; the gear legs are scale thickness and even the pitot tube is molded pretty much to scale. The offering is typical Platz – two complete kits in the box, with decals and optional parts supplied for three different Reich birds. The interior is basic, with a seat and an otherwise bare cockpit space. Two canopies are provided, the low-profile one and the blown type, along with the appropriate interior headrest structure for each. The small main gear drag braces are handed, with really small pins which fit into the aft sides of the wheel wells – it’d be easy… more |
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'69 Chevrolet Nova COPOPublished:
In the heyday of muscle cars, if the buyer knew what boxes to check on the order form, they could get a rocket right from the factory, in effect doing the much same thing as having Yenko or Baldwin-Motion “improve it” after driving it from the dealer’s lot. This dealer option was abbreviated COPO---Central Office Production Order. Revell’s re-released their ’69 Nova SS kit in a less-glitzy COPO version, with additional parts for the 427-cubic-inch L-72 V8, and applicable chrome parts as well---the SS chrome parts are still included in the kit. Novas came in several colors---the box art shows Gloss Green Metallic, but planning the build, I more or less put myself in a buyer’s place and asked what color I’d want this rod if I were ordering it, so opted for Hugger Orange. I… more |