Allan Murrell
Reviews By Author
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M551 Sheridan U.S. Airborne Tank (Vietnam War)Published:
Tamiya has produced a new tooled M551 Sheridan which is a welcome offering of this small but interesting US armor subject. The kit was supplied for review with the two aftermarket items Tamiya released for detail this kit. Detail up parts series 12687 PE with metal Barrel as well as the 12685 U.S MCI Cartons (Vietnam War). In the box is:
Detail up parts are available separately:
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Tank Craft - Cromwell and Centaur TanksPublished:
This is the 5th book 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 British tanks – Cromwell and Centaur which were Cruiser type tanks. The Cromwell being one of the most successful Cruiser tanks used by the Allies during World War II. I found this book to be a fountain of information and rare pictures of both tanks. The profile pictures are a particular favorite and awesome source for modelling. The chapters on the different model builds and kits are of great interest and will provide a good resource when modelling these two tanks. I was impressed at the amount of information and history found in the pages of this extremely enjoyable book. The… more |
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Riders in the Sky 1945 Limited EditionPublished:
Eduard has released a limited edition version of the B-24 Liberator GR Mk VI and GR MK.VIII in the RAF Coastal Command service. The kit is based on the Hasegawa kit plus two additional Eduard sprues, Decals, etc. In the box is:
The kit options and decals allow building 13 different aircraft, all the choices are great. I opted for the M version, an RCAF aircraft operated in Canada July 1945. The kit looks awesome in the box and all the additional items make this a great addition to any stash.… more |
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Karabiner 98KPublished:
This is a Brassin resin set to make 8 German WWII Karabiner 98k rifles in 1/35 scale. This was the most common rifle used by the Germans in WWII. The set contains the following sets:
The resin parts are very clean and no flash. The resin base part is easy to remove. The photoetch parts form the straps for the rifles and come in three parts each. There is also a mix of dark and light-colored straps for variation. The parts assemble very easily and give a very realistic rifle when complete. They are idea for adding to figures, as stowed equipment or for dioramas. SummaryI would recommend this great set… more |
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Spitfire Mk IX Early Löök (Cockpit) SetPublished:
This is a Löök set for the Tamiya 1/32 Spitfire. In the Löök set is the following items:
Construction
SummaryThis is a fantastic set for adding a great look to the cockpit when finished. The Tamiya parts are good but the Eduard parts very make… more |
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The Vickers Viscount – The World’s First Turboprop AirlinerPublished:
The book goes into great detail of the development, service, variants and full history of a classic British Turboprop Airliner the Vickers Viscount. This aircraft has a special place in my heart as its one of the first aircraft I did interior design work on in the early 1980’s, so I jumped at the opportunity to review this. Also it is written by a very professional and knowledgeable author of lots of articles I have read and enjoyed before. I found this book fascinating and made me aware of a lot of information I have never read before. This aircraft was a very successful aircraft and produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft of this type. The chapters on the genesis and development of the aircraft I found very fascinating as it told of the other… more |
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L-39 Evolution Albatros Limited EditionPublished:
Eduard has released a limited edition version of the L-39 release before. The main kit is the Special Hobby L-39 with the addition of resin, photoetch, masks and limited edition decals for two special version markings. In the box is:
The kit consists of 3 main sprues; the sprues are very typical of Special Hobby product and are made from a soft plastic. The decals allow you to finish the aircraft in two different versions, L-39C RA1039K Aero Jet Club (Civilian version from Russia 2005… more |
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Centurion Mk. III Photoetch Detail SetPublished:
This is a photoetch set for Tamiya Centurion Mk III 1.35 Model kit. The set contains the following sets;
This photoetch set replaces a lot of the simple molded on details and improve the kit immensely. The parts are very easy to attach and form with only a few issues and points to be aware of being encountered during the complete build. The first one was you need to use Kit part A13 to form the photo etch replacement Item 28. I would also suggest that when attaching the item 109 handles that you pre-drill holes for them sit in. I added a pick axe head as one is not included to replace the one you remove during the build. Remember to fill the holes not required, most are… more |
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Centurion Mk III Side Skirts Photo-etch ReplacementsPublished:
This is a Photo etch set for Tamiya Centurion Mk III 1.35 Model kit to replace the side skirts. The set contains the following sets:
This photoetch set replaces plastic molded side skirts provided with the Tamiya kit which improves the finish kit a lot. The parts are very easy to attach and form with no issues encountered during the complete build. SummaryThis is a great set for adding additional details for the side skirts to the very old kit from Tamiya. I would recommend this set to everyone who has this kit. Thanks go to Eduard for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them. |
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Junkers Ju 87B Top Drawings SeriesPublished:
The book is a top drawings series from Kagero and is a Visual study of the Junkers Ju 87B Dive Bomber of the Luftwaffe in World War II. I found this book full of fascinating scale drawings and profiles of all the variants of the Ju 87B. There are 7 sheets of 1/48 scale drawings and 8 sheets of 1/72 scale drawings. There are also 10 color profiles of aircraft. These drawings are very useful for any modeler and are a great additional to any reference library. Included in the book are a set of canopy masks in both 1/72 and 1/48 scale for Ju 87B models and are a great bonus to the book. I recommend this book to everyone with any interest Ju 87B especially Modelers. Thanks go to Casemate Publishing for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing… more |