Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
August 15, 2014
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$5.00

I recently have started to build jet aircraft and I’ve noticed something, pitot tubes typically stick out of the nose a significant amount. This causes an issue with bending or breakage. The other thing that I have had an issue is removing the part from sprue. It is a pain in the butt to get rid of the excess plastic and retain the round cross section. That doesn’t include the mold lines on the part. How do you deal with all that? Easy, turned metal barrels.

Master Model turns out some of the finest turned metal barrels out there. I’ve used them before and they fit and look amazing. This release designed for the newest Kfir kits by Kinetics, AMK or Wingmaster.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
November 13, 2020
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$24.95

Eduard has perfected the art of the pre-painted instrument panels. I can’t even paint the instruments as good as they pre-paint. If you haven’t used them you really should try them.

The newest addition is designed for the new Academy 1/48th scale F-4C. The single sheet fret is a nickel plated sheet with all the instrument panels and side consoles for both the front and back seats. These parts are self adhesive and designed to be added directly to the kit parts. You will have to sand off the molded on detail but that is simple enough to do with a sanding stick.

The self adhesive is definitely sticky but I still use super glue to hold the parts together and Future in the bezels to add the sticking and to replicate the glass. The set is simple to add and the visual impact is amazing.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
February 10, 2020
Company
Master Model
Scale
1/72

With Tamiya release of the MiG-15 and the Trumpeter release of the MiG-15 family the weakest parts of the kit are the guns and the fragile pitot tube. If you are like me and you have a hard time keeping these items round when cleaning off the mold lines then this is for you. There are six exquisitely machined brass pieces included in the set. There is no clean up. Simply drill holes where the parts go, prime and paint.

The best part is a two piece 37mm cannon barrel. The two part barrel is a work of art. Simply insert the one piece into the other. The fit is phenomenal. It gives you the look of the real thing. Something the plastic kit parts can only hint at.

The other two gun barrels are simple and effective. They are the perfectly sized.

The antenna base is unique in this set. It is simply inserted into a drilled hole.

The other piece is the pitot tube. It is beautifully machined and will add the strength and durability that I need on a jet.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
November 13, 2020
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.95

Trumpeter has been releasing first class kits of Soviet Bloc aircraft for some years now. They have recently been taking on the MiG-23 Flogger and its variants.

The prominent point of any jet is the cockpit and the exhaust. With the limitations of plastic molding we, as model builders, are lucky to have resin parts. If you were going to do anything to spruce up a kit I concentrate on those two areas.

Perfectly molded in light grey resin the Brassin parts are everything that I’ve come to expect from Eduard. The detail on these seven resin parts is impressive to say the least. Of course none of the parts have any blemishes or imperfections that I could find other than my exhaust nozzle was slightly warped. A quick dip in warm water restored the roundness.

Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
August 16, 2014
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$59.99

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.

Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
August 17, 2014
Company
Moebius Models
Scale
1/4105
MSRP
$84.99

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.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
August 17, 2014
Company
Aires Hobby Models
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$32.00

The Messerschmitt Bf-109- has any other aircraft ever evoked more passion in the model building community? Maybe its nemesis the Spitfire but I doubt it. The modeling community has been blessed with new state of the art models in every scale. The best of these is the new Revell-Germany 1/32nd Bf-109G-10 and to a lesser extent the G-6. Revell-Germany released the Erla built Bf-109G-10, the first time this variant had been available in kit form in any scale.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$21.00

Mini-Art continues to expand its 1/35 line of figures this time with a 5-figure set of “British Officers”. One of the figures wears a kilt and the rest of the figures have gear for somewhat cold weather (coats, scarfs, etc).

You get two sprues for a total of 52 parts, plus a small printed out page with a parts map. There is no flash in the sprues and the mold lines are extremely faint.

Assembly and color instructions are in the back of the box. The kilt is likely to be the most challenging part to paint. I know it is beyond my painting skills and I would have like to have a decal provided for it.

The figures are broken down in a typical fashion of torso (at times two or three parts), legs, arms and head. When applicable, hats are molded as an independent part. Two of the figures seem to have maps or books on their hands.

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
December 22, 2021
Company
Master Box Ltd
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$15.99

Master Box from Ukraine specializes in 1/35 scale figures, mainly from WWII era. They have released this 5-figure set “German Tankmen”.

In the box you get one single sprue with parts for 5 figures, plus a 200 liter tank, a hand pump and a hose. All figures have the typical breakdown (torso, arms, legs, head). When appropriate the head part has the hat molded on.

All the figures are molded in fatigues, but neither in combat position nor combat clothing. Two of them are cigarettes in their hands and two others are filling up an oil/gas tank, by using the hand pump.

The sprue is molded in light grey and it has no flash. Even the mold lines are extremely faint. Cleaning of the parts would be a breeze. The sprue has no part numbers, but a sprue map is provided with the box, as well as assembly and painting instructions (Vallejo and Lifecolor paints).

Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
MiniArt
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$21.00

Mini-Art continues to expand its 1/35 line of figures this time with a “French Civilian” set, with a total of 53 parts for 5-figures. One of the figures is a priest, another one a middle-aged business person, a French policeman, one young man carrying some bread in a basket (or is it a member of the resistance?) and an old man, with a raised arm, like if it were to be celebrating the liberation.

You get two sprues, plus a small sprue map in the box. Color instructions are called on the back of the box. There is no flash in the figures, but some line molding removal will be needed.

Most figures are multipieces, with several having two or more parts for the torso and in most cases the hats are molded separately from the head.