Allan Murrell
Reviews By Author
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Images of War - Allied Armies in Sicily and Italy 1943 - 1945Published:
The book is another in the great Casemate Images of War series. This book covers images from the invasion of Sicily through the invasion and progress up Italy until the wars end. The images in the book are excellent and inspire ideas for dioramas for modelers. The book is full of amazing photos of the Italian campaign, it is very much an overview as the subject is very large. It does tend to focus on the US forces. I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in WWII. Thanks go to Casemate Publishing for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them |
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JUST PAINT - How To Paint Your Military ModelPublished:
This is a book that provides you details of how to finish and weather military ground vehicle models. It has detailed chapters on 10 different and varied model kits. The detailed chapters are very well illustrated with very well-presented photographs. The methods and materials used are very well shown and will help move your knowledge and work to a new level. I found this book very helpful and used some of the ideas already on my latest build of an early Tiger 1. The methods depicted and described are great and will lead to better finishes. The only criticism I have is that it could have been improved with more written descriptions with each photo shown. I recommend this book to everyone whatever level of modeling you are at. Thanks go to MMP Books for… more |
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The Dark Age of Tanks – Britain’s Lost Armour 1945-1970Published:
When I heard of this book, I really wanted to get it as so little is available on this post war period of British tank development. The title is a little misleading as it really refers to the fact that there is very little remaining documentation or prototypes remaining from this period. As the author points out much of the development during this period has been lost as documents and other records have been lost, destroyed or stowed away out of sight. I have always been intrigued by the time in British tank development as so little can be found . This book opens up a lot of this hidden history for us to read and enjoy. This is a fascinating read and I learnt a lot of from it. The book covers Heavy armor, Light armor, Infantry armor and Rockets attached to armor. The… more |
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Q-Men JF-20 Mighty Dragon Q-Plane Series 01Published:
Q-Men (part of Kitty Hawk) has released an Egg plane type kit with a Lego Style figure Pilot. This of the latest Chinese 5th Gen fighter the JF-20 Mighty Dragon. The kit can be built in one of two schemes. In the box is
The sprues are well molded with no flash and great surface detail. The 3D printed pilot head is a great addition to the Lego style figure included. ConstructionThis is a very simple and straightforward build. First is the construction of the fuselage and tail. The cockpit is minimal with just decals to add details. There was no color… more |
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Enrico Toti Class SubmarinePublished:
OKB Grigorov has provided yet another very submarine in this case it’s the Italian Navy’s in the Enrico Toti Class Submarine. These were built in the 1960’s and were the first submarines designed and built in Italy since the second world war. They were designed as hunter killers and powered by a diesel-electric engine. They were very similar to the famous German type 205’s. They saw service from 1965 to 1993. Inside the box are two resin parts and one Photo Etch Sheet The detail quality is great; The parts are very delicate and need careful removal from the resin bases. There was no instruction sheet provided, this was not a problem as it was a simple build. The Assembly is quick and easy. The photoetch stand is an awesome addition to the kit. The final part is… more |
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Designing the T-34, Genesis of the Revolutionary Soviet TankPublished:
This book sets out to explain how the Soviets came to develop what has become arguably World War two’s most revolutionary tank design. I have always been intrigued by the history and development of the T-34 as it helped greatly in changing the fate of Russia on the Second World War. This book goes in to incredible details and reasons behind its design and history. There is so much information included that I had not seen before. The pictures are also a great resource and will be invaluable when researching the T-34. There also a few Profile pictures are a particular favorite and great source for modeling. 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… more |
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S.W.A.T Team FiguresPublished:
ICM has released a set of the four S.W.A.T. fighters that were previously released separately. In the box is:
While you get 8 sprues, you also get plenty of unused (spare) parts as four are the same which is for the weapons and accessories for each figure. All the sprues are extremely well molded with no little flash and great detail. ConstructionThe four figures have separate instruction sheets, and each has several options such as helmets, weapons etc. The construction of each is very easy and they assemble very well. You do need to do a little filling on some of the arm joints but its minimal. You also must remember if you… more |
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Through Adversity The British and the Commonwealth War in the Air 1939-45Published:
Through Adversity is a detailed account of the British and commonwealth air war during the Second World War. The book covers every aspect from the RAF foundations to the Far east. It is written in a very engrossing way by providing all the facts interweaved with personal accounts. The chapters cover the following:
The book is full of extremely good and rare photos that were another highlight for me. I read this book over three nights as it pulled me in and was very informative. This book impressed me from the moment I flicked through the pages when I got it. I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in WWII and the Air War. Thanks go to… more |
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Hal Moore - A Life in PicturesPublished:
The book is the second on Hal Moore by Historian Mike Guardia his first being as co-author with Hal Moore on “Hal Moore on Leadership”. This is a great photographic biography of Harold G Moore. It spans his childhood in rural Kentucky, West point during the latter part of World War II and military career, in occupied Japan then the Korean conflict. This is followed by his time in the Vietnam War including his epic command at the Battle of Ia Drang. Which is the story used in the movie We were soldiers once where Hal Moore was played by Mel Gibson. Followed by his peacetime supervising military training. Mixed in with the whole story is the thread of his loving family which includes his wife and five children. The book has over 300 color and black &… more |
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Infantry Small Arms of the 21st CenturyPublished:
This book is a comprehensive work covering the range of modern small arms used in today’s world armed forces. The chapters cover the main weapons in use as follows
Each chapter goes in to great details of each weapons in the category and provides a lot of reference work for anyone interested in modern… more |