Andy Taylor
Reviews By Author
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Acrylic Paint Set for WWII RAF Coastal Command AircraftPublished:
ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for WWII RAF Coastal Command aircraft continues this trend and consists of six 12ml wide mouthed paint bottles. The front packaging includes a presentation of a Bristol Beaufort Mk.1A WWII British torpedo bomber. The back shows three left-profile views of Bristol Beauforts, including Mk.1.A DX 135 in Temperate Scheme (1940-44) of German Field Grey (Green) and Dark Grey over Sky (Kit No. 48315), Mk.1A LR906 Late Coastal Command (1944-45) Coastal White with Off White with Dark Grey on top of fuselage and wings (Kit No. 48315) in, and Mk.1 L4516 OA-W Temperate Land Scheme of Leather Brown and Extra Dark Green over Black (Kit No. 48310) with color callouts. The colors include:
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Morane Saulnier MS.A.I. "Over France"Published:
From the Kovozávody Prostějov instructions,
I have long respected WWI era plane modelers. I respect 1/72 WWI era plane modelers even more. And now, I question my sanity after tackling this one. This is… more |
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Ansaldo S.V.A.10 "Italian Services"Published:
I have long respected WWI era plane modelers. I respect 1/72 WWI era plane modelers even more. And now, I question my sanity after tackling this one. This is not a kit for a novice or even an uninterested intermediate modeler. With the right skill set and some other kits under your belt, and you want an Ansaldo S.V.A. 10, then this is your kit. The Italian Ansaldo S.V.A. (Savoia-Verduzio-Ansaldo) was an interesting late WWI aircraft. Originally designed as a fighter, the S.V.A. 5 was determined to be inadequate for the role. However, its impressive speed, range and operational ceiling made it an excellent reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber. The S.V.A. 9 and 10 were essentially the same aircraft, with the former primarily an unarmed training aircraft, with its cockpit… more |
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Pacific Profiles, Volume 18 - Allied Bombers: RAAF Beauforts and Beaufighters 1942-1945Published:
This is one of the rare Pacific Profiles books not written by Michael John Claringbould, although it is illustrated by him. Author Kevin Gogler is a son of a WWII Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Beaufort pilot, and this book is obviously a testament to his father and his fellow RAAF personnel who flew, and were associated, with the Beauforts and Beaufighters in the Pacific War. From the Introduction:
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Hybrid Threats - Concept and Recognition GuidePublished:
This is not an easy to digest book and doesn’t offer a modeler a lot of references, resources, or inspiration for modeling. Having said that, author Michael Fredholm von Essen, did an admirable job of defining a nebulous threat that is hard to recognize, much less counter. From his introduction,
The end of the Cold War was marked by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. A period of… more |
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Pacific Profiles Volume 17 - Allied Air Power: Netherlands East Indies 1940-1942Published:
The book is a fascinating and remarkable insight into the brief, intense, and crucial Netherlands East Indies (NEI) campaign from the Japanese invasion in December 1941 through capitulation of the NEI. This often overlooked campaign, particularly among Americans who were primarily concerned with the Philippines campaign. Pacific Profiles Volume 17 focuses on the allied air forces in the Netherlands East Indies campaign, including Netherlands East Indies (composing of the ML-KNIL - Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force) and the MLD – Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (Netherlands Naval Aviation Service)), Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), US Army Air Corps (USAAC) and US Navy (USN). … more |
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MiG-29 of Ukrainian Air Forces with JDAM-ER bombsPublished:
From the ICM website,
Upon opening the cover, there is a reinforced white inner box that does a good job of protecting the kit’s seven gray… more |
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Macchi MC.202 Seat - Early VersionPublished:
The 1/32 Italeri Macchi M.C. 202 Folgore (Kit No. 2518) has garnered great attention for the large scale of an important yet often overlooked WWII Italian aircraft. This Aires aftermarket accessory provides everything for an early version seat for the pilot. The resin and PE are well executed and defined, along with easy-to-follow instructions for construction. The Aires aftermarket seat is designed to integrate into the Italeri kit, using pieces of the seat frame, namely the tubular stand and pilot headrest. The construction of the seat was straight forward, and the use of PE straps gave a lifelike look to the seat, and thus the cockpit. It took a little over an hour to assemble, with most of the time being the removal of the resin pour block without damaging the four… more |
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The Armed Forces of North Korea Volume 1, Part 1: Korean People's Army Ground Forces Organisation, Strategy and InfantryPublished:
From the Preface,
We are fortunate the authors are interested in North Korea’s armed forces under its many confusing names and guises. This book is the first volume in a series that is bound to be interesting and fill in large voids in the current knowledge… more |
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China's Fighter for the World Volume 1, The F-7/FT-7 Family: Origins, Evolution and VariantsPublished:
I thought the Chinese Chengdu J-7 was a copy of the Soviet MiG-21 (even the NATO names are similar with Fishcan and Fishbed, respectively). This was but the first of many misconceptions put to rest by author Holger Müller. As stated in the Introduction,
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