Go deep on your Phantom variants. The demand is absolutely there. A week ago, I got my hands on the new Tamiya F-4B Phantom. A few people scoffed when I called it the best kit ever produced. Or thought I was exaggerating when I said it was even better than the amazing P-38. Then I…
Category: 1/48
Tamiya F-4B Test-Fit Review
When I got back into modeling in 2010, Tamiya already had a fearsome reputation for engineering and fit. At the time they were in the middle of their 1/32 Spitfire run, and those kits were something. Over the last decade, it’s been amazing to watch them find higher and higher gears. The Mustang. The Corsair….
Tamiya’s New 1/48 Bf 109G-6 – Quick Thoughts
Every time a Shizouka Hobby Show or All-Japan Model & Hobby Show roll around, the modeling community gets all pins and needles in anticipation of the latest Tamiya release. There are other manufacturers, too, but for the most part their new stuff blows cover well before it’s shown publicly. Tamiya seems to be one of…
The Academy Curse
There are plenty of modelers out there who will start a project and, no matter how shitty or dispiriting it proves to be, will see it through to the bitter end. I have a healthy respect for those who do…but it’s not something I particularly excel at. For me, modeling is a hobby. And while…
WIP – 1/48 Academy F-4C Phantom II, Pt 1
It’s weird how ideas can snowball. That’s exactly what happened when Jimmy D proposed an informal F-4 buddy build over in SMCG. What started as “huh” quickly gathered steam, and suddenly the start date for this informal affair was bumped up to July 4th. I was just coming off Bandai’s A-Wing and a rather epic bench…
Review: 1/48 Kitty Hawk Su-17M3/M4 Fitter
You know that old saying “you attract more flies with honey”?
It’s false.
If the conversation that’s swirled around this build review is anything to go by, you attract more flies with a steaming pile of garbage.
Once More Unto the Breach
I think there must be some kind of modeling corollary to Murphy’s Law that says “over the course of a build, something will go wrong”. Looking back, I feel like there’s been something with every kit I’ve built. Sometimes it’s been butterfingers – the time I spilled CA on the AccuMini Dauntless or sloshed neat…
Building Kinetic’s 1/48 F-5B Freedom Fighter
It’s been a while since I’ve done any kind of build log on here, so I decided it might be worth revisiting a few past builds to walk through the process and various encounters along the way. In 2015, I was asked to build Kinetic’s F-5B Freedom Fighter for Model Aircraft magazine. I know Kinetic…
Trumpeter 1/48 Su-9 Fishpot Quick Review
With the 1/48 Sukhoi Su-9 Fishpot, Trumpeter adds to the growing list of new-tool Soviet aircraft that have been ignored for too long. The Su-9 was a heavy, all-weather interceptor designed to counter U.S. and NATO bombers. The Fishpot bears a strong resemblance to the MiG-21 Fishbed, but the two should not be confused –…
2014 – The Year in Review
2014 is just about in the books, and so it’s time for that annual tradition – the “Year in Review” post. Looking back at 2013, it’s striking how far I’ve come in a year. Life remains hectic, but in a far more settled manner. No layoff. No shattering of routines to make way for a…
Doogs Models 