Allan Murrell
Reviews By Author
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Tank Craft – Challenger 2 - British Main Battle Tank of the Gulf WarPublished:
This is the 23rd 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 Main Battle tank of the Gulf War – Challenger 2. I found this book a fountain of information and rare pictures of the tanks. The Profile pictures are a favorite and awesome source for modelling. Of particular interest was the in action and variants chapters which gave me a lot of information that I had not seen before. The chapters on the different model builds and kits are of great interest and will provide a good resource when modelling these two tanks. There is a lot of suggestions of kit improvements and helpful details of a few great full builds I was impressed at the… more |
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Tank Warfare 1939 - 1945Published:
The book covers the Tanks that played a key role in the battlefields of World War II and how they were used and utilized. The book goes into great detail of the tank’s role in all the major campaigns of the war, how the tank was used, the way its role evolved over the war, the different locations it was used in. It goes into great details on unit use and tactics which help you understand how it was used. The unit strengths and makeup are very interesting. This book increased my own knowledge of tank warfare a lot and helped me understand more its role in battle and tactics of all sides in the conflict. The information shows the speed of progress made with tank design and use during this important war. The images in the book are excellent and inspire diorama ideas for… more |
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SH-60B SeaHawkPublished:
KittyHawk at long last produces a SeaHawk version of the BlackHawk kit that they produce. This is the SH-60B version with other SeaHawk variations also being released at the same time. The box is noticeably big and stuffed full of plastic sprues and includes most of the parts that are for the other variants, so you have a lot for you spares box remaining when the kit is completed. In the box is:
While you get 11 runners, you also get plenty of unused (spare) parts that are for the other variants of this helicopter. All the runners are extremely well molded with very little flash and fine detail. Although I… more |
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Panzer I & II – Visual Modelers Guide Steel Series Vol. 4Published:
This is a book from a series called Steel Series that covers armor subjects for modelers. This book covers Panzer I and II. The book’s aim is to provide all the distinctive details of iconic tanks. The book has 74 pages and over 190 high quality images. The book is in English, Spanish, and French. The Panzer I and II were the mainstay of the German army at the beginning of World War II. All the images in the book are an awesome collection that will help any modeler in building a better representation of the tanks. The book will also be a great addition for historians, and anyone interested in these iconic tanks. Each variant is covered in great detail with extremely high-quality photos. The Profile drawings are a great bonus at the back of the book. The detailed… more |
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Knox Class Frigate Detail-up VersionPublished:
AFV Club has provided very nice detail-up version of the Knox Class Frigate. It’s the standard kit plus a resin upper hull, a large PE sheet and resin diorama base.
The basic kit is very rudimentary, so the addition of the PE and Resin parts make this a very interesting kit to build. A couple of the areas where you need to remove details that will be replaced by PE parts will need filling, for example on part 20. The PE instruction sheet is very well presented and detailed. I also suggest you heat treat the PE parts before starting… more |
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C-130 Hercules, Lockheed's Military Transport and its VariantsPublished:
This book provides detail photographs of the C-130 cargo workhorse and its variants. The C-130 was the product of the US Air forces 1951 requirement for a tactical airlift aircraft capable of carrying 25,000 pounds of cargo for 1,100 miles. The winning proposal was that of Lockheed Martin that built the prototype YC-130A to start the long and impressive career of the Hercules! I found the photos and information in this book to be fascinating and many of the photos are ones not available anywhere else. All major variations are covered in the photos and you see a lot of in-action shots. These photos can be indispensable for any modeler building iconic aircraft. Each photo has a great description of what is in the picture, where, and when. I recommend this… more |
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4-Wheeled Armoured Cars in Germany WW2Published:
This is a thin book but very large format, and the images are of a very high quality of the various 4 Wheeled German armoured cars of WWII. The book covers the Kfz.13, Kfz. 14, Sd.Kfz. 221, 222, 223, 247, 260 and 261. The most widely used 221, 223 and 223 take up most of the book. The photos and descriptions are great and very detailed. I found this book fascinating and will be using some of the Photos as inspiration for a few kits in my stash. This this a fantastic reference for all armour modelers. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to MMP Books and Casemate Publishers for providing this book for review and to IPMS USA for allowing me to review it. |
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The 3rd SS Panzer Regiment by Pierre TiquetPublished:
This book covers the complete history of the 3rd SS Panzer Regiment – part of the Totenkopt Division. The subject is approached from the men’s stories, profiles, battles and weapons used. The “first person” accounts are the highlight of this book. It is written in such a way that it draws you in and you are there experiencing what they did. I must admit I enjoyed this so much and learnt a lot about the feeling, day to day routines as well as the battles. The soldier’s profiles are another great way to help you understand who these people were. The regiment was formed in late 1942 in France but was transferred to the Eastern front and was involved in many major campaigns and battles in this part of the war. The chapters are broken down well and each covers… more |
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British FV510 Warrior TES(H) AIFVPublished:
MENG has released a new tool kit of this great British AFV, which I have always wanted to have in my collection. I jumped at the opportunity to review this kit for two reasons, firstly I love the look of this vehicle and it’s a British AFV with no other offerings in this scale on the market. In the box is:
The kit consists of a very well details and molded sprues. A couple of great… more |
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Tank Attack at Monte Cassino - The Cavendish Road operation 1944Published:
This book covers a little-known major operation within the campaign at Monte Cassino which was a success in its own right. The operation was to build a road and assault German positions north of Monte Cassino with tanks of the New Zealanders, Indians and Americans forces. The plan was audacious and daring by building a road able to carry the tanks on a narrow mountain track. The operation would help in breaking through the infamous Gustav Line. I have long been interested in the Monte Cassino operation as my Father was involved in this campaign, but I had never read anything on this operation and found the book fascination and illuminating. The work and effort put into this action was enormous. The pictures and maps help the read to outstand the events and actions. The picture… more |