Allan Murrell
Reviews By Author
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Clarcat Typ B Royal Navy deck TractorPublished:
Brengun has released a great accessory to add to a WWII Royal Navy Aircraft carrier diorama. This a tractor used in the later part of WWII on aircraft carrier to move aircraft around the deck. In the box is;
The resin is well molded with very little flash and great detail. The only issue I found was the two larger parts have large resin parts to be removed which has to be done very carefully. Also, the review kit had one of the two part 5’s missing which I made a scratch one up. ConstructionFirst is the construction is the main body and the control parts, steering wheel, levers and pedals. Be careful installing the pedals as they are tightly spaced… more |
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US 300 Gallon Fuel TankPublished:
This is Brengun has released 1/72 US 300gal Fuel Tank mainly used on US Navy aircraft. These were commonly used on A-6 Intruders, AV-8B Harriers, A-7 Corsairs, A-1 Akyraider and S-3 Vikings to name a few. In the box is:
In the review copy the resin mounting parts were missing and I have two Photo etch sheets rather than one. The kits still build nicely without the mounting parts. The resin is well molded with very little flash and are well detailed. The resin parts are to allow you to make the four versions of the fuel tank used on the… more |
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Top Drawing 85 Jagdpanzer IV L/48 and L/70Published:
The book provides great detail drawings of the Jagdpanzer IV which was German WWII tank destroyer based on the Pz.Kpfw. IV as a replacement for the successful StuG III. It was produced in two versions the L/48 with a 7.5cm PaK 39 gun produced from Jan to Nov 1944 at the Vomag plant. The second was the L/70 produced in two factories Vomag and Alkett plants. It used the Pak 42 gun and produced from Nov 1944 to April 1945. I found the drawings in this book to be fascinating and very detailed. Along with the many outline drawings (in 1/35, 1/48 & 1/72 scales) there is also very nice profile drawings. The final few pages have so great details of components of the tank. I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in the armour and a must for… more |
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7th SS Mountain Division Prinz Eugen At War 1941-1943Published:
The book is another in the great Casemate Images of War series. It is history of the 7th SS Mountain Division Prinz Eugen. This division was formed soon after the Germans invaded Yugoslavia. It was formed in late 1941 to combat the brutal guerrilla warfare that had broken out. The division was drawn from foreign volunteers for campaigns in Serbia and Montenegro. Its name was from Prince Eugene of Savoy and outstanding military leader who liberated areas of Croatia from the ottoman empire. In 1942 they added the Mountain Division title to their name. The images in the book are excellent and inspire ideas for dioramas to me, The book is full of amazing photos of the division through its history. I recommend this book to everyone with an… more |
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Napoleon’s Waterloo Army - Uniforms and EquipmentPublished:
When Napoleon returned from Exile on Elba he wanted to rule France in peace but that was not to be. In the following weeks Napoleon gathered an army of 128,000 soldiers. This book gives all the details of the troops of the French Army under Napoleon at the battles of Ligny, Quatre-Bras, and Waterloo. I was surprised at how much content this book held when it arrived for review, it is one heavy book (in weight)! The book's chapters are based on all the different divisions and corps within the army. The details within each of the chapters are incredible and shows how much research the author did to put this book together. I was amazed at the pictures of original equipment and uniforms. They make this book a great reference source. I must say that the book is very in-depth… more |
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Land Craft - Bren Gun Carrier - Britain’s Universal War MachinePublished:
This is a book in the Land Craft series which details vehicles and covers model kits and accessories to build the featured vehicle covered in the book. This book covers the Bren Gun Carrier by the Allies during World war two. I found this book a fountain of information on this important little support vehicle. The Profile pictures are a particular favorite and great source for modelling. The chapters on the different model builds and kits are of great interest and will provide a good resource when modelling this subject. I was impressed at the amount of information and history found in the pages of this extremely enjoyable book. The pictures along are worth the cost of the book. I will find this book indispensible in my library of reference books. I… more |
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Retribution - The Soviet reconquest of Western Ukraine 1943-44Published:
This is book is a follow up to Prit Buttar’s On the Knife’s edge and begins after the battle of Kursk that turned the tide of the Eastern front in favor of the Russian forces. Retributions goes in to detail of the massive Russian offensive that forced a now desperate and shaken German forces out of Western Ukraine. The author gives accounts of the many little-known battles that were constant throughout the Russian offensive. The this comes from the first-hand accounts are from the German and Russian soldiers that bring this to life. I learnt so much from this book that I was not aware of and the information and writing really draws you in. The book is 480 pages and there are only a few illustrations, and these are battle maps. It took me a week or so to read and… more |
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USS Skipjack Class SubmarinesPublished:
OKB Grigorov has provided a super USS Skipjack submarine which represent this classic class of American Submarine. The Skipjack class first entered service in 1974. Included is:
The detail quality is great; The parts are very delicate parts that need careful removal from the resin bases. There was no instruction sheet in the box I received to review, this was not a problem as it was a simple build. The assembly is quick and easy. The resin stand is an awesome addition to the kit. I would like to have seen some small decals. The final part is painting. Thanks go to OKB for providing this kit to review… more |
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German Submarine Type 201Published:
OKB Grigorov has provided very nice and unusual submarine in this German Type 201. This was the first post war German submarine. They only built three type 201’s U-1, U-2 and U-3 and they first entered service in 1961. The had issues with the Amagnitic steel material which lead to cracks in the structure, so all were scrapped. Included is:
The detail quality is great; The parts are very delicate parts that need careful removal from the resin bases. There was no instruction sheet in the box I received to review, this was not a problem as it was a simple build although there was not much reference materials online due to this being a very short lived program… more |
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de Havilland (Canada) DHC-1 ChipmunkPublished:
This is a thin book with only 48 pages, but they are very high quality pictures. The book is an addition to the Warpaint series of books, this time about the Chipmunk, which is one of the most well-known post-war piston engine basic training aircraft. It was designed to replace the Tiger moth by de Havilland Canada and first flew mid-May 1946, the same year it entered service. The Chipmunk was used mainly by the RCAF and RAF. The detailed color profiles are great for any modelers reference and the photos cover all types of the aircraft. I found this book fascinating and will be building a couple of the featured aircraft and this will be a fantastic reference for me to use. I recommend this book to everyone who likes and or builds Phantom’s Thanks go to Guideline… more |