Archives: Kit Reviews
-
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.
-
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;…
-
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…
-
Valom F-101C Voodoo
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/72 scale plastic model aircraft kit. Valom’s new F-101C is the first 1/72 scale kit of the single-seat fighter-bomber version of McDonnell’s big jet. Before now, the Voodoo that you’d do would have been the ancient Hasegawa RF-101C recon aircraft or the newer Revell two-seat F-101B interceptor. The all-new kit captures…
-
Takom Mk.A Whippet
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/35 scale plastic model armor kit. Looking to complement the heavy and slow Mark IV and exploit openings in the lines, the British army ordered the faster Whippet; it could make 8 mph versus the Mark IV’s 4 mph! Armed with machine guns, the Whippet entered combat in March 1918. The…
-
Zvezda’s Petlyakov Pe-2
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/48 scale plastic model aircraft kit. The moment I opened the box, I fell in love with Zvezda’s 1/48 scale Pe-2. It was also obvious it was going to be a project, not because Zvezda’s kit is bad but because it has 435 parts. The major parts show amazing surface detail,…
-
Takom Chieftain Mk.5/5P
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/35 scale plastic model armor kit. When the Chieftain entered British service in 1967, it was the most powerful tank in NATO’s arsenal. The primary versions of the main battle tank were the Mk.3 and Mk.5, the latter being the final production version. Later marks designated major upgrades or rebuilds of…
-
Trumpeter Su-24MR “Fencer-E”
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/72 scale plastic model aircraft kit. Trumpeter’s “Fencer-E” features an astounding amount of plastic: 370 parts on 28 sprues. Everything is packed separately in a partitioned box, with the clear sprue in its own padded polybag. The parts have outstanding recessed detail except, curiously, the external fuel tanks, which show raised…
-
Meng T-10M Heavy Tank
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/35 scale plastic model armor kit. The Cold War-era T-10M, the ultimate Soviet heavy tank, traces its lineage through the IS tanks of late World War II to the KV tank designed in the late 1930s. The vehicles were built at two factories, and there are substantial differences in appearance as…
-
Merit International Fokker Dr.1 with WIP images
FineScale Modeler reviews the 1/24 scale plastic model aircraft kit. Famous as Snoopy’s nemesis, the Fokker triplane gets much more press than its importance should warrant. Designed in response to Sopwith’s three-winged fighter, the Dr.1 was not produced in large numbers. But it’s notorious as the mount of the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen.