Archives: Kit Reviews
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Kitty Hawk 1/48 scale F-101A Voodoo
Finally! An F-101A to go with the Monogram F-101B from the early 1980s. Kitty Hawk’s 1/48 scale plastic model kit comes molded in medium dark blue gray plastic that’s a bit brittle, especially when it comes to the more delicate parts. The kit supplies one Genie missile and four Falcon missiles, but there’s no place…
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Kinetic 1/24 scale P-47D Thunderbolt
The most numerous of P-47 variants, the P-47D, is the subject of Kinetic’s sizable 1/24 scale Thunderbolt (20″ wingspan) plastic model kit. In the box are eight sprues of light gray plastic and a decal sheet with two sets of markings: one for the 405th Fighter Group based at Saint-Dizier, France, 1944; the other for…
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Special Hobby 1/72 scale AH-1G Cobra
FineScale Modeler reviews Special Hobby’s 1/72 scale Bell AH-1G Cobra helicopter plastic scale model kit. This appears to be a significant step up in quality for the Czech manufacturer, noted for its variety of short-run offerings. The parts are crisply molded with fine recessed details and flash-free tiny details.
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Freedom Model Kits 1/48 scale X-47B UCAS
FineScale Modeler reviews Freedom Model Kits’ 1/48 scale X-47B UCAS drone plastic model kit. Despite there being only two of them, the X-47B, like other drones, has been getting attention from kit makers. Platz released a 1/72 scale kit in 2012. Now, newcomer Freedom Model Kits hits the market with an ambitious 1/48 scale offering.
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HobbyBoss 1/35 scale Renault R35
FineScale Modeler reviews HobbyBoss’ 1/35 scale Renault R35 plastic model tank. HobbyBoss has released its kit of this important French tank with link-and-length tracks, posable hatches for the driver, commander, and engine compartment that reveal interiors featuring the engine plus driver and commander stations.
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Dragon MBT70/KPz 70
The MBT70 was a joint project between the U.S. and West Germany. Development started in the early 1960s, but, by the end of the decade, cost overruns and philosophical differences cancelled the project. Nevertheless, many of the vehicle’s features would be seen in later designs, such as the M1 Abrams and the Leopard 2. Three…
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Tamiya 1/700 scale USS Saratoga (CV-3)
FineScale Modeler reviews the Tamiya 1/700 scale USS Saratoga (CV-3) plastic model kit. The kit comprises a two-piece slide-mold, waterlined asymmetrical hull; five medium-gray styrene sprues; one slab of ballast metal; and a sheet of deck decals. The molding has fine detail throughout with no flash or sink marks. The parts count is less daunting…
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Meng 1/35 scale T-90 tank dozer
FineScale Modeler reviews the Meng 1/35 scale T-90 tank dozer plastic model kit. Believe me when I say Meng’s T-90 lives up to the hype. The box is jammed with beautifully molded plastic parts free of flash and ejector-pin marks. This release includes the option to fit the TBS-86 ’dozer blade to the bow.
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Airfix 1/24 scale Typhoon Mk.Ib
FineScale Modeler reviews the Airfix 1/24 scale Typhoon Mk.Ib plastic model airplane kit. A big British brute in real life, the Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib has been released by Airfix in what seems to be a nearly full-scale replica, even though it’s 1/24 scale. The kit is a study in contrasts. The box is packed with…
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Trumpeter 1/48 scale F-106 Delta Dart
FineScale Modeler reviews Trumpeter’s 1/48 scale F-106 Delta Dart plastic model kit. This is only the second injection-molded kit of the F-106 in 1/48 scale; the first was the Monogram kit of the early 1980s. At the time, it was the state of the art. Trumpeter’s kit comes with nicely engraved panel lines in medium…