1/72 Hasegawa Ki-45 Nick

When I decided to go to the 2018 Nationals, I wanted to compete and not make a fool of myself. I figured the only way I could safely bring a model with me was as a carry-on. That meant something small that could be protected in a small box; something that could easily fit into […]

Modeling Radial Engines

I believe one of the more interesting parts of World War 2 airplanes is the engine. In terms of visual impact, the kit engine is one part of a model where it is worth the time to improve – especially if it is a radial engine. It is also one of the easiest ways of “improving” model […]

Stall Warning

The dreaded shelf queen. I’ve written about what to do with models that end up half built on a shelf. I’m now thinking about what causes the stall. I have some thoughts about that. But let’s start with my biggest stall yet: The HK B-17G. It started out great – the model was big and […]

1/48 Fine Molds Ki-15 Kamikaze (Babs)

I have always liked the look of golden age aircraft. The more streamlined the better. Something about polished metal, wheel pants and big engine cowlings. Aviation technology was changing so rapidly between the wars and it seemed as though every new model broke some sort of record. First flying in May of 1936, the […]

1/48 Tamiya G4M1 Betty – A Rescue Build

Ever take over a model and rescue it? I bought this one started from a friend who lost track of how he acquired it. My guess is that it was part of a collection of models he picked up as an IPMS club president. I generally shy away from these projects because there is usually […]

The Quick and Dirty Guide to Modeling the Corsair in US service

Should I begin by saying the most awesome airplane that ever was is the Corsair? Sure there are those who would quickly disagree with me and cite all sorts of hard data and common knowledge – but those people are wrong. This is a very quick and dirty guide to modeling one or more of […]

1/48 Hasegawa AH-64D Apache Build

An Apache?!? This one has been a long time coming because I have always been inspired to build an Apache. The inspiration came from my days of “flying” it in Gunship – a Microprose Flight Simulator. This was my first taste of a flight sim and I played the hell out of it. No, it was […]

1/48 Hobby Boss F4U-4 Corsair (early version) Build

Do we finally have a Corsair -4 worth building? In the wonderful world of 1/48 models – when it comes to Corsairs there are two alternatives: Tamiya and Hasegawa. These two seem to have split the variants simply. Tamiya has all the early war Corsairs while Hasegawa has the late war and post war variants. […]

1/48 Hasegawa A6M2 Zero Build

Small, sleek, nimble and for a while during the first half of the Pacific War the Zero was deadly. While the Japanese Army Air Force seemed to constantly be looking for new models for a variety of tasks, the Navy stuck to this airframe and squeezed every ounce of performance out of it. By the […]

Tamiya 1/32 F4U-1D Corsair Build Review

The Chance Vought F4U-1D Corsair is a fighter-bomber developed from the earlier F4U-1 Corsair. Some have said that the -1D was the high point of the Corsair’s development as a true fighter bomber. It certainly perfected the Corsair design as it was used in World War 2. It enjoyed a storied career in the US […]