Archives: Kit Reviews
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Horizon Models Mercury-Atlas
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/72 scale plastic model booster kit. Following logically from Horizon’s Mercury capsule set, the Atlas booster kit comes with the same Mercury capsule sprue (just one this time) plus all the parts for the booster and a simple stand. Also included on the sprues are three different warheads – whaaaat? Yep,…
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Rye Field Tiger I Tank 321
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/35 scale plastic model armor tank kit. Newcomer Rye Field Model has produced the best kit yet of a Tiger I with interior. The model represents an early Russian Front vehicle from s.Pz.Abt. 503, specifically tank 321, in 1943. Tigers from this unit sported a field-built storage bin on the turret.…
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Tamiya SU-76M
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/35 scale plastic model armor tank kit. The SU-76 married the excellent 76mm ZiS-3Sh gun and mechanical components of the T-70 light tank. The 10-ton self-propelled gun was built in huge numbers during World War II, making it second only to the T-34 as the Soviet Union’s most-produced armored vehicle. Used…
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Tamiya IJN Kagero
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/350 scale plastic model ship kit. Tamiya’s 1/350 scale kit represents the Kagero, the lead ship of its class, in its 1939 fit. Similar in design to previous classes, the Kagero class was considered the pinnacle of Japanese destroyers, with a streamlined bridge structure, 35.5-knot speed, 5,000-mile range, and balanced weapons…
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Revell Germany BAe Hawk T1
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/72 scale plastic model aircraft kit. Revell Germany’s Hawk trainer offers markings for the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force’s aerobatic team, in the current eye-catching red-and-white scheme. Molded in slightly soft red plastic, the parts feature excellent recessed surface detail. Several smaller pieces have flash and seam lines on them.…
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Meng Convair F-106A Delta Dart
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/72 scale plastic model aircraft kit. It’s only natural that modelers want better, more-accurate kits with more detail. Meng’s new kit of the U.S. Air Force’s ultimate interceptor, the F-106A, is certainly better, more accurate, and more detailed than the 45-year-old Hasegawa kit. And if it isn’t detailed enough for you,…
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Rye Field M1A2 Abrams
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/35 scale plastic model armor kit. Rye Field Models keeps raising the bar. Its new Abrams provides parts to build one of three versions — an M1A2 TUSK II, an M1A2 TUSK, and the one I built, an M1A1 TUSK — as well as optional parts for coolers, ammunition boxes, and…
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Tarangus Saab J32B/E Lansen
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/72 scale plastic model aircraft kit. As Sweden’s first multirole fighter, the Saab J32 Lansen was a ground-attack platform, all-weather fighter, reconnaissance bird, electronic countermeasures aircraft, and air sampler, from the 1950s until at least as recently as 2010.
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Italeri ATR 42-500
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/144 scale plastic model aircraft kit. Airliner modelers greeted the prospect of a mainstream ATR 42 with enthusiasm when Italeri announced it several years ago. Features include: a cockpit (unusual in 1/144 scale); open cabin windows to be filled with clear inserts; optional parts to display the gear up or down;…
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Trumpeter USS Tennessee BB-43
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/700 scale plastic model ship kit. Despite being damaged at Pearl Harbor and subsequently rebuilt and designated an OBB (battleship, old) by naval planners, USS Tennessee earned 10 Battle Stars in World War II. During the island-hopping march on Japan, the ship supported assault landings, sometimes firing on targets as close…