"Panzergrenadiers to the Front" plus Companion Map Book

Published: February 3, 2020
Book Author(s): A.Stephan Hamilton
Company: Casemate Publishers

The book goes into details of the formation, deployment and combat actions of the Panzergrenadier Division “Brandenburg” on the eastern front on the last few months of World War Two. The hardback book comes with a companion book of all the campaign maps with corresponding references to the book pages and chapters.

This is the first book to take a deep look at the famous Panzergrenadier-Division 'Brandenburg' from its formation and its five-month campaign in the Eastern Front at the end of the Second World War.

'Brandenburg' was created in December 1944 from several burnt-out commando regiments and the remnants of a few conventional units supplied by the Ersatzheer.

The unit fought in some of the most dramatic and relatively unknown late war battles in Poland,… more

Ventura MkII Seatbelt Steel Set

Published: April 4, 2017
Company: Eduard

This is a photoetch steel seatbelt set to for the Revell Ventura MkII which has mold seatbelts and really needs them. This set is colored and also made of steel which means they are better for forming. They are very realistic and accurate and really make the cockpit stand out.

In the packet is:

• 1 colored photoetch steel sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

Summary

This is a fantastic set for the set for a kit that needs them. I do find the steel seatbelt the best to form but be careful as the painted surface can peel if you’re not careful.

Thanks go to Eduard for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Bf 109G-2 (ProfiPack)

Published: March 23, 2017
Company: Eduard

Eduard has released a new mold of the Bf-109G-2, with markings for versions including in the kit.

In the box is:

• 5 x light grey sprues
• 1 clear sprue
• 2 x decal sheet
• 1 mask sheet
• 1 photoetch detail set
• 1 instruction booklet

While you get 5 sprues, you also get plenty of unused (spare) parts, like 3 different propellers, different wheels, some weapons, different rudders, air intakes, oil coolers and even extra canopies, so you should be able to get some “extras” for other 109s in your collection.

All the sprues are extremely well molded with very little flash and great detail; the decals allow you to finish the aircraft in 5 different versions.

Construction

First is the… more

Maschinen Krieger MK 44 Ausf.B Hammerknight

Published: March 9, 2017
Company: Hasegawa

For a long time now I have loved the look of this range of kits and have wanted to build one, so I jumped at the opportunity to build this kit. It is an excellent kit in the Hasegawa Machinen Krieger series. The kit is very easy to build as long as you watch the instruction details carefully.

In the Box

• 11 x red sprues
• 1 beige sprue
• 1 clear sprue
• 1 dark grey vinyl sprue of polycaps
• 1 vinyl/rubber sprue
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 painting guide / collectors card
• 1 instruction booklet
• 1 small correction sheet for the instructions

All the sprues are extremely well molded with no flash and great detail. The decals allow you to finish the Mk 44 in many different ways. The painting… more

Paint Retarder 40ml Bottle

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Tamiya

Tamiya acrylics can go down grainy in the right conditions (dry atmosphere, high pressure, big distance) & this retarder helps prevent this, it can also help with airbrush dry tip issues.

You mix it in with the paint or you can mix it with the thinner before thinning the paint. It can be used up to a 1:10 ratio with Tamiya Acrylic Paints.

You must remember that like most other retarders, adding too much retarder causes the paint to not dry.

Also, it is ideal for painting glossy finish surfaces and what I found very useful is using it when brushing Tamiya acrylics. As when brushing the paint starts to cure between brush strokes and using a good mix of paint, Tamiya X-20A thinner and Tamiya's Paint this can help prevent the quick drying that normally occurs.… more

Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipment

Published: February 3, 2020
Book Author(s): Gordon L. Rottman
Company: Osprey Publishing

The book, Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipment by Osprey Publishing, goes into details of the combat equipment used by both the US and Allied forces. The very-well written and the illustrations really make this a great reference and history book for any library. The book will come in handy when modelling any US or Allied soldiers in the Vietnam War and can assist in painting and adding additional details.

The pictures and drawings of the equipment are very good and some I had never seen before.

I whole heartily recommend this book to everyone with an interest in US and Allied soldiers in the Vietnam conflict. It is very well written and very informative.

Thanks go to Osprey Publishing for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to… more

Ventura MkII Exterior Set

Published: February 17, 2017
Company: Eduard

This is a photoetch exterior upgrade set to for the Revell Ventura MkII. The set adds some great additional details to the kit.

In the packet is

• 1 large photoetch steel sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

Summary

This is a fantastic set and adds some really nice additional details and parts to the kit. The set includes machine gun details, light surrounds, engine wiring, lots of access panels, Main door, and many may more parts. The set does require some hard work when it comes to adding all the engine wiring but it’s well worth the effort. The only issues I found were A- the items 48 and 49 were a little too big and may have been better installed at stage 10 of the build. B- The parts 24 and 25 were a little short. If you have the… more

Ventura Mk II Undercarriage Set

Published: February 15, 2017
Company: Eduard

This is a photoetch undercarriage upgrade set to for the Revell Ventura Mk II. The set adds a great deal of detail to the kit.

In the packet is:

• 2 x large photoetch steel sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

Summary

This is a fantastic set and the kit really needs this as it’s a major improvement to the land gear and the landing gear bays. The set does require some work removing the simple molded details on the kit parts. The set was simple and easy to install, the only issue I had was one part had some damage due to the photo etch process but this is the first time I have ever seen this. If you have the Revell kit you have to get this set!

Ventura Mk. II Interior Set

Published: February 11, 2017
Company: Eduard

This is a photoetch interior set for the Revell Ventura Mk. II. This set includes two photoetch sheets. One is colored and adds a lot of needed detail to the cockpit. The photoetch really make the cockpit stand out.

In the packet is:

• 1 colored photoetch sheet
• 1 photoetch sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

Summary

This is a fantastic set for a kit that needs it. The cockpit parts really add some detail. I did find some of the small parts were very tricky to add. Also, I would recommend installing the assembled parts 34 and 14 into part 7 before you fully form it. The set also adds details such as magazine boxes, navigators table, turret gun control panels, grab handles, and additional seat details.

Thanks go to Eduard… more

Ventura Mk. II Interior Set

Published: February 10, 2017
Company: Eduard

This is a photoetch Interior set to for the Revell Ventura MkII. This set is colored and adds a lot of needed detail to the cockpit and other areas. They really make the cockpit stand out.

In the packet is:

• 1 colored photoetch sheet
• 1 instruction sheet

Summary

This is a fantastic set for the set for a kit that needs them. I do find some of the small parts were very tricky to add. Also I would recommend install the assembled parts 34 and 14 into part 7 before you fully form it.

Thanks go to Eduard for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.