JohnnyBros718

Alas, can't think of any kits off-hand in 1/72, but Shapeways has a lot of choices... You just have to survive their terrible search engine! Yeah, the Bandai U-Wing kit has two of the Rogue One Imperial tanks in 1/144. And to Misrule's point, there is one or two sets from the Bandai 1/144 UC Hardgraph series that feature their M65A1 Semovente tank... The other has the cool hover trucks. Again, wrong scale, I know. Wonder if any of the Thunderbirds tracked vehicles were ever kitted in 1/72...? Good luck, Sarduakar! With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Thanks for the tip, Julien --- truly never would have thought of masking the canopy windows before assembling 'em: brilliant, dude! And great to hear that that the kit appears very buildable and that the late model Cobra is flying in your direction... Looking forward to reading that one, and seeing you delve into the initial Cobra release... Thanks again, Julien! With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B. PS AM re-reading an old book on the technical and service (military and civilian) history of the Loach --- maybe ICM will give us a "pink team" with a new OH-6A to add to our Cobra...?

Thanks, for the review, Julien! Have been looking forward to a new AH-1G Cobra kit for a looooong time now. Will be waiting to purchase the late model, with the Vulcan 20mm and ammo panniers on the sides above the skids. I do wonder how the multi-piece canopy will go together and hold up under the pressure of applying masking...? Wish they would have included a single piece canopy as an alternate --- likely we'll see one of the aftermarket companies produce one... A minor quibble --- the kit looks great! Thanks again for the in-box review, Julien... With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Thanks, Neil! I will have to check that out!!! I've built --- but not painted the Star Wars Legion Escape Pod, and the detail is quite good. Will have ta check into those Rebel turrets. Thanks amigo! With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Of course, Bandai, followed by Fine Molds, win the prize for the highest-level of detail, and Bandai especially for kit engineering and fit... And yet, there is one category where Round 2 will likely beat them both: whatever plastic Round 2 molds their kits it, it is highly unlikely that the kit plastic will be as sensitive to washes and thinners as both Bandai and Fine Molds kits notoriously are... The fair-to-middling Round 2 SW kits will likely not have the propensity to crack and break up under washes, so that's one potential plus point for R2. I, too, think that price will be an important factor and affordable pricing for these kits will be critical for inticing anyone who has already built Fine Molds and Bandai kits, to buy any of the Round 2 Star Wars kits. Same goes for pulling beginning or young modelers into the hobby with these kits --- they have to be affordable for the target market(s). My hope is that the re-pops are just an initial offering to help finance releases of new kits, like a Sandcrawler, 1/48 Y-Wing, a Blockade Runner, even a 1/24 Luke's Landspeeder, et al, would be great to see... Heck, despite having a few in the stash, I'd buy a Snowspeeder repop or two, but ONLY if they included good sculpts of pilot and gunner figures! Dreaming, but wouldn't it be great to see a Rebel laser turret in scale with the Snowspeeder as well? Time will tell... With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Wow! A blast from the past: Enterprise Incidents magazine!! Had most of them and it was a great publication with lots of cool articles and pictures (mostly black and white)!! Have lost them over the years, but Neil, I had that same issue which showed the image of the Revell harvester kit and man, was I excited about its release at the time. The big, bug-like spice harvester of my favorite designs from the Lynch Dune film (did not like the Atreides 'thopter). It was truly a bummer when the kit was never released... 600-plus Euros is a lot of spice, and too rich for my blood --- perhaps one day, someone will release a smaller, more affordable version of the vehicle. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Neil. Would love to see pictures of the big harvester kit built up if anybody purchases it. Curious to see what the designs for the harvester and other vehicles will look like in the forthcoming DV "Dune"... With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Cool news out of Wonderfest a couple of weeks ago --- Round 2 Models just announced a 1/48 Hawk kit, which I guess they had on display... Have always loved this "sinister Eagle" design and look forward to this release, which hopefully will not be as big as a coffee table, like the 22" Eagle appears to be --- yes, "space" is the final frontier for so many of us... With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Thanks for this, 81-er!!! Have been a massive fan of Martin Bower's work since growing up on Alien and Space 1999, Outland, and more!!! Was lucky enough to see the restored Nostromo miniature (an understatement, it was huge!) in the Prop Store (was it Prop Shop) a couple of years ago, and it was a magnificent site to behold... The Nostromo and the Outland Refinery are amongst my most favorite of his miniatures, up there with the Millennium Falcon and the STTMP re-fit Enterprise. This was a treat --- thanks again! With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.

Great work on a classic old kit!! Have built and enjoyed the Tamiya SAS jeep multiple times over my modeling life! Always a fun build... I know that the older generation of Tamiya figures are often maligned, but I have always loved the sculpts of the beards, uniforms, and head gear of these figures. Lots of character... Thanks for posting and keep up the awesome work!! Can't wait ta see 'er painted and on a cool base. You are also inspiring me to hunt through the stash to see if I still have one floating around...of course, I've got umpteen dozen other unfinished builds to keep at before I start something "new" so I'd better behave myself and show some restraint. Thanks again! With Regards and Aloha, Johnny B.