Overall, this is a nice little kit that built up quickly. Over one evening and the better portion of the next day, I was able to complete the model, sans-paint. There is almost no flash (more on this in a second), and seam lines are mostly in good places. The instructions were clear, with a few exceptions noted below, and the kit, despite being fairly simplistic in its part count, doesn’t look half bad at the end. [Read the review]
Sometimes the smallest elements are what really make a diorama scene. New technologies have brought a great many new options to choose from, especially in resin. But I had the pleasure of reviewing a kit that wouldn’t have been possible (or at least affordable) even a few years ago. Plus Models 429 Guard Stand is a kit made entirely of laser-cut wood. This set recreates a German sentry box (aka guard shack). Laser-cut from wood, this is a simple, yet elegant approach to recreating the sentry box. [Read the review on Armorama]
Friul tracks are great… the metal weight shows just the right amount of sag, the details are super realistic, and the way you can naturally “rust” the metal makes them fantastic. But assembly can be … tedious and often troublesome. I wrote a long how-to article about this topic a while back. But one of the things I’ve struggled with is cutting the pins that bind each track link together. Each type of track is much different in design. A modern track link is much different than a German WWII Sd Kfz 9 is much different than a German Sd Kfz 11. Because of that, I’ve found that a strong brass wire can be better than a softer spooled wire like Friul included with the tracks. But either way, there’s a challenge to assembling the tracks: how do you cut a bunch of precise length pins? Some people put a longer [...]
A few years back, I ordered the Alliance Modelworks FAMO mit Flak 88 conversion kit. It's been sitting on my workbench since then, calling my name so sweetly. Well, I finally listened and busted it out. This conversion kit takes the Tamiya FAMO (#35329) and the Dragon's 8.8cm Flak37 (#6287) and reworks with resin and photoetch. At $150 USD, it's a pricey kit for a big vehicle. I have mixed feelings about this kit. At first glance, the instructions are clear, the resin parts have crisp details, and the photoetch was nicely done. And the subject was an interesting one, so I was excited looking at the parts and instructions to get started. Like so many conversion kits, however, it's the details that matter. While the instructions are some of the best for conversion kits I've seen, they are still lacking in a number of ways, in a number of places. [...]
Armorama has posted another one of my reviews, this time around on Reality in Scale's German 88mm ammo boxes. Here's the headline: amazing product. Check out the full review for the rest of the info! --- Update: Check out this review of the 75mm version of this product.
I love stories from "the other side"... stories you don't often hear. We've seen Band of Brothers and The Pacific, great works of art that show the US solider's experience through WWII. But the German side, at least for American audiences, goes largely untapped. To truly understand a conflict like WWII, it's crucial to understand, even if you don't support, all sides involved. I recently read (although devoured is probably the better word), a book called Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier, 1936-1949. This book followed a German soldier through his graduation from high school, enlistment in the military, service throughout the war, defense of Berlin, capture, and eventual placement in and release from a Soviet prison camp. This book is an amazing read. I couldn't recommend it highly enough.
Check out my review over on Armorama of the Realistic Wood Effects book. Short version? Fantastic book whose awesomeness was squashed by horrible, horrible editing and translation. Horrible.
When I first got back into modeling, I knew I'd need an airbrush sooner than later. I started out with that old standby, the red handled, single-action Paasche H. But the more I read, the more I wanted a dual-action model. I searched quite a bit and landed on the Badger Krome. Overall, I was happy with it, but never excited about it. The trigger wasn't really that easy to use, and keeping it from gunking up while I sprayed acrylics was tough. Plus, I could never seem to get the paint thinning/air pressure ratios quite right. So when I decided that for safety's sake I'd invest in a second airbrush, one for acrylics and one for enamels, I started researching again. I posted on Armorama.com and got some great feedback. Namely, that the Iwata Eclipse HP-CS was a great tool. I'd read that in countless other articles too, so I [...]