Andy Keyes

Contributor at FineScale Modeler

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Articles

Eduard Profipack 1/48 scale P-51B/C Mustang with dorsal fin plastic model kit review

1 month ago | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

North American Aviation responded to the British Purchasing Commission’s request for license-built P-40s by creating an entirely new aircraft. One quite different from the bubble canopied P-51D that comes to mind when someone says Mustang. Between NAA’s original Allison-engined, low-level wonder and the superior, six-gunned escort, the P-51B/C was the first Merlin-powered production Mustang.
White House Pauses Federal Funding Under Inflation Reduction Act and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Acts | JD Supra

2 months ago | jdsupra.com | Michael Charlebois |David Evans |Andy Keyes

Overview On January 20, 2025, the White House issued an Executive Order titled Unleashing American Energy.1 Citing the detrimental effect of “ideologically motivated regulations,” the Order broadly establishes a new executive energy policy2, revokes and rescinds various prior executive orders deemed noncompliant with the new policy, and requires immediate review of all agency action to ensure adherence to the new policy.3 The Order enacts an immediate pause and review of disbursements of...
HobbyBoss 1/48 scale U.S. B-24J Liberator plastic model kit review

Jan 14, 2025 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

Growing up, I shared a bedroom with my older brother. He had a Monogram 1/48 scale B-24J hanging from the ceiling. He took his model with him when he got his own room, so I built the same kit to replace it. Made with tube glue and corresponding fingerprints, that model is long gone. Forty-five years later, we have a newly-tooled kit of one of my favorite airplanes from HobbyBoss, a 1/48 scale B-24J Liberator plastic model kit.
AK Interactive Real Colors Markers acrylic paint markers review

Sep 9, 2024 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

A self-avowed “gear geek,” I love the latest and greatest in tools, whether it's woodworking, percussion instruments, or scale models. When I saw the new AK Interactive Real Colors Markers at the IPMS/USA National Convention, I had to buy a set. I normally airbrush small parts while they are on the sprue and then retouch them after removing the sprue gates and mold seams. I hoped the markers would be easier and cleaner than brush painting or running the airbrush a second time.
ICM 1/48 scale Martin B-26B Marauder plastic model kit review

Jul 17, 2024 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

To my knowledge, the all-new ICM 1/48 scale Martin B-26B Marauder plastic model kit is the fourth Marauder in 1/48 scale, after Aurora, AMT, and Monogram (with its ill-fitting tail and cowls). The sturdy box contains 348 plastic parts, a 24-page instruction book with ICM paint references, and beautifully printed decals for three aircraft, one olive drab over neutral gray and two in natural metal; all three sport invasion stripes. The parts show no flash and minor mold seams.
Magic Factory 1/48 scale F4U-1A/2 Corsair Dual Combo plastic model kit review

Jan 29, 2024 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

Vought redesigned the Corsair’s seat support structure and switched from the heavily framed “birdcage canopy” to a blown hood, allowing the pilot to sit taller in the saddle. The Navy referred to the result as the “raised cabin” Corsair. Modelers, historians, and authors have dubbed it the F4U-1a. The Corsair went aboard the carriers as the F4U-2 night fighter. I strongly recommend Dana Bell’s three volumes on the F4U for more information.
Arma Hobby 1/48 Hurricane Mk.IIC plastic model kit review

Nov 20, 2023 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

I tend to think of the Hurricane as the “British P-40.” That is not a criticism, just a comparison. Both were based on mid-1930s technologies and were on the edge of obsolescence by 1942. They fought in the shadows of newer, more glamorous fighters and served valiantly in nearly every theatre of war on the front lines to the end of World War II.
Dora Wings 1/48 scale Republic P-47B Thunderbolt plastic model kit review

Nov 6, 2023 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

For the past few years, Dora Wings has been exploring lesser-known subjects, giving us kits of civilian aircraft, trainers, and types sent overseas under Lend-Lease. The next step on their journey brings us closer to the mainstream with the Dora Wings 1/48 scale Republic P-47B Thunderbolt plastic model kit. The P-47B, or RP-47B (R for restricted use), was the first production variant of the famous Thunderbolt.
Dora Wings 1/48 scale Vultee Vanguard Mk.I/J10 plastic model kit review

Jul 31, 2023 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

Dora Wings has carved out a niche by focusing on lesser-known aircraft like the P-43 Lancer and SNC Falcon. Their latest kit, the 1/48 scale Vultee Vanguard Mk.I/J10, takes another step into the obscure. Unfamiliar with the Vanguard, I fired up the old search engine. According to Wikipedia and InternationalaviationHQ.com, Vultee used the same wings, aft fuselage, and tail for a series of four aircraft: basic, advanced, and combat trainers, along with a single-seat fighter.
Airfix 1/48 scale Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C/D plastic model kit review

May 3, 2023 | finescale.com | Andy Keyes

If there is only one thing you remember from this review, it should be, “Do not glue anything to the underside of the wing until after painting and decaling.” But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Blackburn Aircraft designed the Buccaneer in the 1950s to serve aboard British Royal Navy aircraft carriers. Capable of delivering nuclear payloads, the aircraft entered service in the 1960s, was later adopted by the Royal Air Force, and was retired in 1994 after seeing combat in the first Gulf War.