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SMAKR - Scale Model Aircraft Kit Reviews!!

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Email:   smakr1@optusnet.com.au  

This page is updated every time SMAKR is - telling you exactly what has been added to or altered on the site.  A running total of reviews is shown in brackets after the first one in an update. At the end of the month the previous month's updates are summarised into a paragraph and archived to the What's New Archives page as a chronological record of site updates. 

 

IMPORTANT:  Please check out the SMAKR "Information Requests" page BEFORE sending me an email (I may not reply to your email if the answer is on that page)  
 For example some common answers below to very common questions asked-

 

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

*  PLEASE NOTE - YOURS TRULY HAS BOUGHT A NEW COMPUTER!!

This means that a lot of files need to be transferred over to the new baby
This is as good a time as any to do a very very major EMAIL and FILE purge!
I have decided to effectively delete many many files and information I really don't need to hold onto
so apologies but many email addresses and older review files will go as a result of this

From 5 July - SMAKR WILL BE OFF AIR for approximately 3-4 weeks 
The site will remain on the Internet, but it will not be updated during this time
During this time I may NOT respond to emails or publish reviews until I get myself all sorted out
Please therefore bear with me and the apparent non updating of the site during this time

 

5 July 2008

Everyone,
This is the last update for a while.  Please note that while there may be no updates over the next few weeks, this is because of a new computer upgrade and nothing to do with SMAKR itself.  SMAKR will remain accessible in its current format in the meantime!  I anticipate with the changeover and all the other commitments I have, updates will start occurring again late July/early August.  Please hold off emails until late July and of course I will be giving priority to any review submissions on my return.

KIT REVIEWS (932) - Dragon 1/72 Lockheed P-38J Lightning - Myself - a pretty challenging kit with a few vices but still a highly enjoyable project.  Not everyone's cup of tea but if you are looking for a reasonably good depiction of the earlier P-38J with some reasonable amount of detail for this scale, then this kit might be for you - I hope you enjoy my favourite little stories on the type set out in the history section.

INBOX REVIEWS (574+) - Tamiya 1/48 BAe Harrier GR.1 - John Lacey - moving onto quarterscale reviews of the hoverjet, John has penned together a fine look inside this fairly aged kit now from Tamiya that seems to still press all the right buttons.  Maybe better ones on the market now but there wouldn't be too much wrong with this one, particularly putting it together!

- Tamiya 1/48 BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 - John Lacey - we've certainly been blessed by a Harrier hit over the last few updates and this article continues the great insightful trend John has provided us.  Also an older Tamiya offering, with raised panel lines, but likely still to be a solid build.  Might need to do a bit of a search for a Falklands War type!

3 July 2008

KIT REVIEWS (931) - Hasegawa 1/72 Grumman OV-1B Mohawk - Myself - a pretty challenging kit as it turned out, and one from the Jurassic Hasegawa period.  Maybe not one of its best offerings it was however an enjoyable project and a unique find of an oft overlooked subject.  Make sure you have plenty of references available when you are tackling this kit too.

INBOX REVIEWS (572+) - Esci 1/72 McD.D AV-8A Matador - John Lacey - got your AV-8 fix yet :-)  The beauty is that there is more to come.  John follows this inbox review up from a previous one and this time makes the comparison with the Hasegawa offering.  Its well worth reading the comments on which might be the better option!

- Matchbox 1/72 Dassault Mystere IVA - myself - after looking inside the Revell boxing I picked this Matchbox kit up - one of two matchbox versions going around I believe - and thought I would also provide a snapshot of what is inside the Matchbox box boxing.  With some comparisons against the Revell kit, have a read to see if there is much difference between the two!

1 July 2008

KIT REVIEWS (930) - Special Hobby 1/72 Piaggio P.108B - Paul Wherran - a pretty challenging but apparently rewarding experience of this unique Italian bomber from WW2.  Great to see this manufacturer with some interesting subjects and this one is certainly one for the esoteric builders.

INBOX REVIEW (571) - Italeri 1/72 McD.D/BAe AV-8B/GR.5 Harrier II - John Lacey - while the Esci kit reviewed in the last update had a few state of the art shortcomings, it probably doesn't suffer some of the accuracy issues that this Italeri kit seems to.  While it looks great in the box, John advises its a kit for the prototype or what if modelers, as the different air force's versions differ slightly.

June updates have been archived, and the A-4M Skyhawk review link has been fixed below. 

29 June 2008

KIT REVIEWS (929) - Italeri 1/72 BAe Hawk T.1A/51/66 - myself - in many ways this is a gem of a little kit but in others I found a bit over-engineered and complicated.  I started this kit in 2004 before I moved to the country and could never really get back into it due to a bit of effort needed, but given the right mood I was able to knock it over at long last.  Not one of my better finishes but in the model cabinet, looks great and who would know the difference!

INBOX REVIEW (570) - Esci 1/72 McD.D/BAe AV-8B Harrier II - John Lacey - there's clearly some better products on the market nowadays, but for a solid reputation one can't go past Esci, and John takes a good look inside the kit he has managed to nab off a UK friend.

23 June 2008

KIT REVIEWS (928) - Matchbox 1/72 Douglas A-4M Skyhawk - Carlos Giani - almost double its last two digits in terms of years to its maiden flight to the actual day!  The skyhawk is one of those special little planes and Carlos has again provided a great review with plenty of interesting photos of what's in the box plus the final result.

INBOX REVIEW (569) - Revell 1/72 Fokker E.III - Richard Stracey - Dick finishes up on reviewing a whole lot of Revell WW1 reissues with this look inside one of the famous eindecker aircraft.  Still showing traits of its 1965 heritage but the kit looks quite promising as did the other reissues.  Great to see Revell putting these out again.

21 June 2008

KIT REVIEWS (927) - Tamiya 1/72 Aichi M6A1-K Nanzan [Seirankai] - Carlos Giani - a little different for Carlos in putting together a seemingly flawless kit from Tamiya, like buttering bread I often think. The lovely kit provides some superb detail and Carlos has supplied images of the parts and sprues, as well as his finished work in this nice article.

INBOX REVIEW (568) - Revell 1/72 Sopwith Triplane - Richard Stracey - the famous revell kit has been reissued recently and Dick has had another good look at this kit inside the box with an image of the parts, to expand on Dave's inbox review of the older release some time ago..

14 June 2008

KIT REVIEWS (926) - Revell (Matchbox) 1/72 Heinkel He-70G-1 "Blitz" - Robin Hine - a massive welcome to a new reviewer to SMAKR ranks.  Robin has been out of modelling for quite some time but I am sure you will agree that his finished work doesn't indicate this as he has built out the box a lovely Heinkel He-70.  This kit is of course a rebox of the Matchbox kit, without the tri-coloured plastic and builds up nicely as Robin points out in his review. 

Robin has also supplied boxart for the Mathbox G-91Y review which has been added thereto.

INBOX REVIEW (567) - Kitech 1/72 Vertol H-21C Workhorse - Richard Stracey - picked up in the country where the kit is produced Dick reviews a basic kit at a basic price that seems to share lots with the Hobbycraft kit (there has been some talk in the past that Kitech are not a rip off but actually license the HC molds?) Anyway that aside, this is that great subject of the 50's - the flying banana and doesn't look too bad in the box..

8 June 2008

KIT REVIEWS (924) - Hasegawa 1/72 Brewster B-239 Buffalo 'Finnish Air Force' - Jon Hudak - another great and comprehensive build account from Jon on a fun little project, that provides a bit of a different subject possibility than the normal run of the mill USAAF types.  Jon has also included some finished photos of his excellent work, and the article is worth well a read!

INBOX REVIEW (566) - Trumpeter 1/72 Hawker Sea Fury FB.11 - Richard Stracey - another very nice article from Dick on a kit that will no doubt find its way into many modellers stashes.  This certainly sounds like a nice little number in the box and Dick has also supplied some interesting shots of the colour guide from the kit.

2 June 2008

Second day of winter for us down here and hopefully a bit of rain is on its way soon as not much has fallen over the past six months - less than a dose of medicine or more than a sip!!  Work, business, study and other personal commitments have seen updates pretty sporadic lately but with the next couple of weeks around the place should get back to a little normality but this will be the only update for a week or so.  Hope everyone out there is still enjoying the hobby as much as me!  Its been good to knock over a few kits myself this year and a couple more reviews are on their way soon!

KIT REVIEWS (923+) - Trumpeter 1/72 Hongdu JL-8/PAC K-8 Karakorum - Johan De Wolf - what do you get when you cross a venture between China & Pakistan involving design that looks a bit like a veltro or aero albatros.... hmm... better read and have a look at this review to find out.  Johan has supplied images of his finished project and sounds like a very interesting and unique subject that goes together nicely.  This one is certainly on my wish list now!

- Airfix 1/72 Republic F-105G Thunderchief "Wild Weasel" - Carlos Giani - a big brute of a kit and one of the few injection molded possibilities in this scale for this particular variant.  Perhaps not state of the art to today's standards but still a nice build and Carlos has also supplied some finished photos of his great model.  

INBOX REVIEW (565) - Hobby Boss 1/72 Sikorsky UH-34A Choctaw - Richard Stracey - as Dick has seen in his review this kit certainly looks like a nice number and a very nice alternative to the Italeri kit, with options of other air forces such as French etc included.  No doubt will sky rocket up many chopper modeler wish lists!

April and May updates have been archived.

 

SMAKR Home  |  What's New ARCHIVES  |  Submissions  | Information Requests |  News  |  Links  |  Reference Corner  |  Site Info 
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