Tabla de contenidos para February 2021 en FineScale Modeler

In January 1991, I made a driving tour of Civil War battlefields that took me through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi (with an extended side trip at the end to visit the CAF museum which at that time was in Harlingen, Texas). On the evening of January 16, I found myself in a Jackson, Tennessee, mall shopping for music and killing time. If I know me, I probably hit the K-B Toys to look at models and die-cast metal airplanes. Thinking about finding some dinner, I became aware of hushed voices and a crowd gathered outside a store with TVs in front. News organizations were reporting the early moments of Desert Storm, mostly talking heads and spotty audio from CNN correspondents in Baghdad. I was back in my motel room when…

Gulf War provides plenty of modeling choices In August 1990, Iraq stunned the world when it invaded and annexed neighboring Kuwait. After months of preparations, the world responded on Jan. 17, 1991, when aircraft gathered from numerous countries attacked military targets in Iraq and occupied Kuwait. At the end of February and following a series of feints and raids by the coalition, and an abortive incursion into Saudi Arabia by Iraqi forces, coalition ground troops entered Iraq and Kuwait. Within 100 hours, a ceasefire was declared, Kuwait was liberated, and coalition troops pursued Iraqi forces deep into Iraq. The multinational character of the coalition and the associated variety of equipment make rich fodder for modelers. Tomcats, Hornets, Intruders, and Corsair IIs crowded U.S. carrier decks. Airfields across the region played…

While much of the action of Desert Storm took place in the air, ultimately a 100-hour ground campaign liberated Kuwait. Troops from the U.S.-led coalition crossed the Saudi border into Kuwait and southern Iraq and quickly overwhelmed Iraqi defenses and destroyed hundreds of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other vehicles. Some of the largest tank battles in American military history occurred during this campaign. We set out to build a typical scene from the ground campaign with an American Bradley rolling past a recently knocked out T-72. Chuck built Tamiya’s 1/35 scale M2A2 with a few improvements and Aaron “destroyed” Hobbycraft’s re-boxed Trumpeter 1/35 scale T-72 and built the base.…

One of the units deployed to the Persian Gulf for Desert Storm was the 174th Tactical Fighter Wing based in Syracuse, N.Y., my childhood home. I had friends whose fathers went to war, and you could sense the worry, even as they tried to act as if it was no big deal. Thankfully, everyone made it back with no casualties. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of Desert Storm, I built a Hasegawa 1/48 scale F-16A in the markings of the 174th commander’s fighter, Spirit of Syracuse, as it appeared during the war. While an older kit, the Hasegawa offering can make a beautiful replica. I did add a couple aftermarket items, but for the most part, what was in the box sufficed. The ordnance loadout was based on what the…

Royal Air Force Tornado GR1s specialized in taking out Iraqi airfields during the opening days of Desert Storm, known to the British as Operation Granby. Upon deployment to the Persian Gulf, the aircraft were painted with pinkish-tan desert camouflage and dressed with unique … um … charismatic nose art. Gathering parts To build one of these hardworking combatants, I grabbed Eduard’s 1/48 scale Desert Babe (remember the charismatic comment) kit, a limited-edition rebox of Revell’s Tornado GR1. In addition to Revell’s gray plastic, the kit features resin seats and wheels, along with photo-etched metal (PE) details, including pre-colored cockpit panels and seat belts. The decal sheet offers eight options for Operation Granby Tornados, but the only ordnance in the box is a pair of inaccurately molded Sidewinder missiles, which makes…

One day, while shopping at a local hobby shop, I saw the AMT/Ertl 1/25 scale reissue of Daisy Duke’s Jeep CJ. The shop owner jokingly said, “You could do a conversion and build George’s Jeep.” So you know, George is a member of our local modeling club. A colorful man, he owns an equally colorful Jeep that can be picked out from miles away, by either sight or sound, even in a sea of other cars. The shop owners suggestion stuck with me, nagged at me: Why not build George’s Jeep? I returned a few days later and picked up the kit. From the beginning, I knew this build would require a ton of scratchbuilding and weathering — there isn’t a “George’s Jeep” conversion kit and paint set! I decided…

AIRCRAFT 1/32 SCALE 1/48 SCALE 1/72 SCALE ARMOR 1/35 SCALE 1/72 SCALE AAVP-7A1 with enhanced applique armor kit (Desert Yellow) No. 63019, $37.99; AAVP-7A1 with enhanced applique armor kit (camouflage) No. 63073, $37.99, both prefinished models from Dragon. FIGURES 1/35 SCALE U.S. Soldiers at Rest from MiniArt, No. 35318, $TBA MISCELLANEOUS 1/35 SCALE Wooden barrels from MiniArt, No. 35632, $TBA. B-type London Omnibus 1919 from MiniArt, No. 38031, $TBA. AIRCRAFT DECALS 1/144 SCALE North Central DC-9-51 Republic Scheme from Draw Decal, No. 44-DC9-58A, $12. Also available in 1/200 No. 20-DC9-58A, $8. Lao Airlines A320 from Draw Decal, No. 44-A3N-96, $12. Also available in 1/200 No. 20-A3N-96, $8 and 1/125 No. 25-A3N-96, $16. Delta Airlines DC-9-50 from Draw Decal, No. 44-DC9-60, $10. Also available in 1/200 No. 20-DC9-60, $8. Houstonian P-51C…

During Desert Storm, the American-led coalition began its ground campaign against Russian- and Chinese-made armored vehicles in Iraqi service. One such vehicle was the YW-531C, an export version of the Type 63 armored personnel carrier (APC). Entering service in the late 1960s and put to many purposes, from ambulances to troop carriers, this lightweight steel vehicle was no match for coalition ground and air power. I was inspired for this build by a YW-531C destroyed by air attack on Route 801 north of Kuwait City. The kit BRONCO FIRST INTRODUCED its 1/35 scale kit of the YW-531C (No. CB35082) in 2010, and it still stands as the only option in injection-molded plastic with a total of six variants. The kit contains beautifully detailed parts, many small and delicate, and extra…

Movies often create icons that remain part of popular culture long after the films themselves become lost or forgotten. The living skull makeup devised and worn by Lon Chaney for the title role in the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera is a great example. For my money, Chaney’s is still the best realization of the villain yet to appear in the movies. GeoMetric released a ¼ scale bust of the Phantom in 1997. The sculpt is a painter’s dream that comes to life with a few simple painting techniques.…