Hey all you rotor heads out there, do you remember the Revell 1/48 H-19 Rescue Helicopter or maybe the Revell 1/48 S-55 Whirlwind? Bet you have at least one in your stash! Have you ever wished there was some help for that horribly inaccurate interior or something you could do for those thick, Coke bottle glass clear parts? I started to play with one of those kits and had these same thoughts so I did something about it. Follow this link to see my limited run replacement complete clear parts set and interior for the 1/48 H-19/S-55 Detail Sets. 8/18/2011

Swanny’s Models is at it again with another addition to the Advanced Modeling Skills series of DVDs. In volume 4 “Salt Chipping & Water Dioramas”. Watch as Swanny shows every intimate detail of using conventional table salt to create realistic chipping of painted surfaces plus you no longer need to worry about modeling water or creating extreme wear effects on your model, Swanny reveals all right here for your benefit. Advanced Modeling Skills; Salt Chipping & Water Dioramas. 10/30/2010

Did you miss out on the first issue of Swanny's Models Instructional Videos and are trying to catch-up? Here is your chance to pick up both DVDs and save a few bucks. This link will take you to the package deal location where you can get both Volume #1 "Basic Model Building Skills" and volume #2 "Advanced Modeling Skills"Two Volume Set.
8/27/07

Who am I:

       I am 50+-year-old Industrial Engineer/Manager responsible for the development and implementation of chemical coating-removal systems aimed primarily at the automotive, medical and military industries. I am married with three children, two cats and live in Sandusky Ohio, the Roller Coaster Capitol of the World.

What this site is about:

       I remember the first model that I built. My father gave me a Revell submarine kit for my birthday in 1969. I clearly recall the two of us sitting at the dining room table with one of those orange tubes of Testors cement putting that thing together. It was an excellent bathtub toy for many years. Prior to that my older brother had entertained my sister and myself with aerial operas involving a 1/48 scale Monogram SBD Dauntless and a Monogram Corsair - I still have those two planes, dusty and worn but laden with memories that can never be replaced.
       Many times while shopping e-bay I've wondered what a particular kit consisted of or how good the detail of casting was or even if a particular kit had raised or recessed panel lines but could not answer these questions until I actually opened the box. While surfing various forums I would see common questions asked many times by modelers just beginning the polystyrene adventure, looking for clues to decaling, weathering and detailing. This site is dedicated to answering some of those questions. While I do not consider myself to be an exceptionally skilled modeler, I have picked up a few tricks over the last thirty years of modeling and will share them with you. Included here are full build reviews, in box kit reviews, construction tips and gallery photos of kits I have built. Most of these are 1/48th scale World War 2 aircraft. Also included here are a variety of links to on-line modeling forums, review sites, internet hobby shops, aviation art sites and real aircraft reference sites.

       This site is a work in progress. I hope that you find it as enjoyable as I have.

       Last updated 1/17/2012.

Contact Information:
Questions or comments about this page and the material covered here can be sent to Webmaster@SwannysModels.com

And now, for the good stuff,

Wayne Enterprises Applied Science Division designed a prototype bridging vehicle designated "Tumbler" for the U.S. military. The project never went beyond the first operational prototype. An escape pod was incorporated into the vehicle should it suffer catastrophic damage or be required to self-destruct. A very innovative design with many unusual characteristics, here is Moebius Models 1/25 kit from "The Dark Knight" of the Batpod escape module. 1/17/2012

In 1949 Republic gave its F-84 a new swept wing and tail and fitted it with a J35-A-25 engine in hopes of bringing its performance up to that of the F-86 Sabre. The F-84 designation was retained because it was thought that the F-84F would be a low cost improvement of the F-84 with around 55% parts commonality. Here Adam Longenecker takes a look inside the box of the 1/48 Italeri F-84F Thunderstreak. 1/09/2012


Harley Davidson, now there is a name that just screams classic American Iron. Prior to the U.S. entry into the European Conflict the U.S. Army had contracted Harley Davidson to manufacture motorcycles to be used as couriers, police escorts and scout machines. From MiniArt we have a very nice 1/35 example of this early war bike with an excellent level of detail. Don't miss on this beautiful Harley Davidson WLA. 9/5/2011


The Air Force called it the Thunderchief but the crews called her “Thud” because that was the sound she made when she crashed. We've looked at this aircraft before in large scale, recently Trumpeter's little brother, Hobby Boss, released the kit in a downsized version. Based on the same drawings here is the smaller and slightly simplified 1/48 scale Hobby Boss F-105D Thunderchief. 2/5/2011 Construction update 9/5/2011

The Avenger was one of the most famous aircraft of WWII in Navy service and rapidly displaced the obsolete Devastator aboard US carriers. Originally designed as a carrier-based torpedo bomber by Grumman Aircraft, the Avenger found use as a close-support bomber and patrol aircraft. Here we take a look at the Hobby Boss version of this iconic kit and how it compares to the real thing. Check out this 1/48 TBF-1C Avenger. 10/14/2010

The Romulan High Command commissioned the development of a small yet powerful raider type of spacecraft centered around two impressive technologies; an effective cloaking device and a nearly irresistible plasma cannon and was designated “Bird of Prey”. In the early 1970s AMT began to market Star Trek plastic model kits and issued a single production run of the Romulan BoP in the early 1970's which is now highly collectible, hard to find, seriously over priced and fairly inaccurate. AW Studios now has made available a large, accurate vacuform kit which I take a look at here, the 1/350 Romulan Bird of Prey. 9/13/09 Construction update 11/27/09

Parasite aircraft is a concept that has intrigued most countries at least once in the past. Most forays into the application of linking and unlinking aircraft in mid-air never leave the drawing board. The most comprehensive of these projects happened in 1930's Russia, under the direction of Vladimir Vakhmistrov designated 'Zveno'. Mike Glinski is here to take us through the construction of this esoteric subject using a combination of 1/72 ICM kits, the Zveno 7. 6/8/08 Construction Update 04/04/2010