Allan Murrell
Reviews By Author
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B-26B MarauderPublished:
ICM has provided this great new release for review, in 1/48 scale model of the B-26B Marauder. This is based on the original release from a few months earlier this is the D-Day Anniversary version with addition ground and flight crew included.
The detail quality is excellent in every way with this kit, crisp and detailed molding has become the norm for ICM. The assembly is quick and easy. The assembly starts on the left-hand side of the main fuselage. The few ejector pin marks should be filled/cleaned up on both halves of the… more |
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BMW R75 German Motorcycle Spoke WheelsPublished:
These are a set of two Aftermarket BMW R75 Motorcycle spoked wheels. The R75 was a very popular motorcycle with eth German Army in WWII. These wheels can be used with most of the currently available model of the R75 on the market currently. I have a Master Box kit and used that as a comparison for the kit wheels and used in the final build using the UMM wheels. The wheels look great and are far superior to the kit standard parts, although the kit did come with optional photo etch parts which would be a lot of work to use. The second picture shows the Kit standard wheels with the UMM parts. The final assembly is with the UMM parts. I do highly recommend these aftermarket wheels as they are far better than the standard kit parts and I am sure better than the photo… more |
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Civil Aviation Acrylic Paints SetPublished:
This is a paint set primarily meant for Civil Aviation on the 1930-50’s. I decided to use a 1/450 scala Heller DC-10 paint mule I had on my bench to use the paints on. Then I used each paint to see its finish and application. All the painting I did was with the Airbrush. These paints would also need to be thinned if brush painting. The paints are best thinned with the ICM thinner, which I did not have, so I tried the following –
Contents
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IJN Bombers, Transports, Flying Boats & Miscellaneous Types 1943 - 1944Published:
The book is a series of books covering all of the Pacific in World War Two used aircraft. It goes into great detail of the types squadrons, service & variants, I found this book very informative and was full of facts and details of very little-known aircraft. The articles on the variants that were explored during the development, were especially interesting. The book is full of extremely interesting photos of the aircraft and markings. The many profile pictures are great when deciding on decals for model builds. The inclusion of the chapter on Greater Japan Airways is something I did not expect and is great addition. I was amazed at the amount of information and history found in the pages of this extremely enjoyable book. The profiles alone are worth… more |
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Vickers Viking, Valetta & Varsity in Military ServicesPublished:
The book goes into great detail of the development, service, variants, and full history of a classic British World War Two and post-war aircraft manufactured by Vickers under the names Viking, Valetta, and the Varsity. These were aircraft developed in response to the British review of the post-war Civil transportation needs. Later to be known as the Brabazon Committee. I found this book so informative and full of facts and details of very little-known aircraft. The articles on the variants that were explored during the development were especially interesting. The book is full of extremely interesting photos of the aircraft in development, manufacturing, in service, etc. These would be great as references for aircraft enthusiasts. Another nice touch is the… more |
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Italian Soft-Skinned Vehicles of the Second World WarPublished:
The book was written by Ralph Ricco, Mario Pier and Danielle Guglielmi and is the first volume in a series on an area not covered very well before. This volume covers military vehicles from 1920’s until the end of WW2 within the types of Motorcycles, Cars, and Light Trucks. The book has so many great pictures and technical drawings. The details covered are very in-depth even including tire types and treads. Every vehicle is covered as to its development and service history, technical description, and full specifications. There are also a few color profile pictures in the center of the book. There are so many vehicles that I was not aware of and gives a lot of ideas for kits for the future. I must admit I was amazed at the content of the photos. I highly… more |
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Ki-21-Ib "Sally" Japanese Heavy BomberPublished:
ICM has provided this great new release for review, in 1/48 scale model of the Ki-21-Ib Sally Japanese Heavy Bomber from the early years of WWII. The Sally first flew in late 1936 and went into production in 1938 with both Mitsubishi who designed it and Nakajima. This version is the second production version and was widely used over China and for bomber crew training in Japan.
The detail quality is excellent in every way with this kit. The assembly is quick and easy. The assembly starts with left hand side of the main fuselage. There are few ejector pin marks that should be filled/cleaned up on both halves of the fuselage. … more |
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Kagero Monographs #87: Eurofighter TyphoonPublished:
This is the 87th book in the Kagero Monographs series covering aircraft in details photos and diagrams. This book covers the Eurofighter Typhoon. The book provides great detail drawings of the Typhoon, mainly from the Spanish Air Force with some coverage of the aircraft in sue with the Royal Air Force and the German Airforce. I found the drawings in this book to be fascinating and very detailed, ideal for any modeler as reference materials. The photographs are extremely good and many I have never seen and provide great details for super detailing any scale model of the aircraft. The very details Spanish Air force chapter is extremely interesting. I would like to have seen more coverage of RAF use of the aircraft and squadron’s. Along with the many photos there are… more |
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Tank Craft – Panther German Army Medium Tank Italian Front 1944-1945Published:
This is no 38 in the Tank Craft series which details tanks and also covers model kits and accessories to build the tanks covered in the book. This book covers the Panther German Army Tank on the Italian Front 1944 to 1945. The Panzerkampfwagen V Panther was a great tank and was better that most allied. It was very successful on most fronts except Italy where the terrain was a hindrance to the performance of this tank. I found this book contains so much detailed information and pictures of the Panther and its variants. The Profile pictures are a particular favorite and has given me a few great ideas of the color schemes for when I build my many Kits. The chapter on the different model builds and kits are of great interest and will provide a good resource when modeling… more |
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Soviet-Era AirlinersPublished:
This is the 1st volume of a new Key Book Historic Commercial Aircraft Series – Soviet-Era Airliners, The Final Three Decades. This book covers the history of the demise of the great soviet airliner fleet from 1991 to today. The Soviet designed and manufactured Airlines have always been fascinating with me as I watch the changes and downfall happen during this period while working in the airline industry. The chapters are fascination and give way more details that I expected in such an apparently small book. The chapters most aspects of the decline and changes in the Soviet Airlines and its way through the historic changes happening in the Soviet world. This book does excellent work showing the main airlines world-wide using these aircraft. It goes on to explain the aircraft… more |