Andy Taylor
Reviews By Author
|
Allied Victory Over Japan 1945Published:
The book’s title, Allied Victory Over Japan 1945, is a little misleading as the first, very detailed chapter delves into the strategic overview of the Pacific and Asian War with the Japanese blitzkrieg beginning in December 1941 through 1942. The Japanese victories in China, the Dutch East Indies, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaya, New Guinea, the Solomon, Mariana and Marshall Islands and the Philippines set the stage for this book on a long forgotten and neglected theater of World War II. The author does an amazing job simplifying the complex conditions, multi-national components, and the incredible distances encountered. The more one studies the Pacific War, the deeper the rabbit holes; the author’s strength is making it understandable and relatable. The first two maps alone are worth the… more |
|
Czechoslovak Arms Exports to the Middle East Volume 4 - Iran, Iraq, Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen 1948-1989Published:
This is the fourth book in Martin Smisek’s Czechoslovak Arms Exports to the Middle East series. The previous three volumes were previously competently and eloquently reviewed by Paul R. Brown of the IPMS/USA Review Corps: |
|
Weapons of the Battle of the Bulge From the Photographic Archives of the US Army Signal CorpsPublished:
Author Darren Neely in his book’s Introduction,
|
|
"Quietly came, quietly went…" - Special Operations Forces of UkrainePublished:
From the ICM website -
|
|
Acrylic Paint Set for Armed Forces of UkrainePublished:
ICM continues to announce new models despite the ongoing Russian initiated war in Ukraine. While most subjects released by ICM are welcome, the current conflict subjects are even more relevant and timely. The Acrylic Paint Set for Armed Forces of Ukraine (Camouflage Uniform) is designed to be used with ICM figure sets No. 35752 (“Quietly came, quietly went…” Special Operations Forces of Ukraine) and No. 35754 (“Always the first” Air Assault Troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine). This paint set is designed for the Multicam, not the Ukrainian pixel, camouflage. The Acrylic Paint Set for Armed Forces of Ukraine consists of six 12ml paint bottles, that are surprisingly not dropper top, but rather are wide mouthed. The colors include:
|
|
British Tank Destroyer FV4005 Stage IIPublished:
According to Tank Encylopedia’s ‘The Online Tank Museum’ -
|
|
WWII German Tank Tools PEPublished:
Manufactured by Jan Sobotka, this 2022 new tool package comes with one PE fret (measuring 1 ¼” x 1 1/16 ”) containing two pry bars, three wire cutters, four wrenches, eight axes (four with closed tool clamps), eight hammers (four with closed tool clamps), two each of two sets of German towing hooks, seven shovels (two with closed tool clamps), two (what I believe to be) track tensioners, and four MG 34/42 MGs). This outstanding set is incredibly detailed for its miniscule size. This PE set will bring your German vehicle to the next level. Tools are ubiquitous on military vehicles in the field. To say these are tiny is an understatement, but they are very well detailed and will make micro panzers pop (if you can see them). As you can see from the photos, the PE fret is… more |
|
Fiat G.50 (Mark I Kit) Detail SetPublished:
For anyone hardy enough to tackle a WWII Fiat G.50 fighter plane in 1/144 scale, this PE set is for you. Measuring in at 1 ¼”x 1 9/16”, there are extra PE details for the cockpit (including the seat), engine and landing gear; there is also a small piece of film to be used on the interior of the cockpit door. This PE set is made for the Italian G.50, specifically the Mark I Models kits (of which there are three). As this PE set is for an Italian fighter plane, it could also be described as “piccino”, “minuscolo”, or “minuto”, no matter how it is described, it is tiny and the whole fret could be lost in a deep shag carpet. To really appreciate the detail, take a look at the completed PE in the model on the Brengun webpage (… more |
|
Unimog S 404 German Military Radio TruckPublished:
This is the third of four of ICM’s Unimog 404, Kit No, 35137 Military Radio Truck. Other variants in the series include the German Military Truck (Kit No. 35135 is the standard cargo version), the “Koffer” (Kit No. 35136) and Military Ambulance “Krankenwagen” (Kit No.35138). As I previously reviewed the standard, first kit, I was eager to review this third kit as a later version of this ubiquitous Unimog 404. The Unimog 404, also called the Unimog S and Unimog 404S, was developed by Mercedes Benz from 1955 to 1980. Unimog (taken from UNIversal Motor Gerät, or universal power unit) is a… more |
|
Polish Land Forces K2GFPublished:
The South Korean K2 Black Panther MBT (Main Battle Tank), produced by Hyundai Rotem, was designed to meet the Republic of Korea’s Army requirement for a three-dimensional, high speed maneuver, based on network-centric warfare. The first tanks were available in 2014. While this at first looks like a shrunken down M1 Abrams, it is a new tank design unto itself. This state-of-the-art tank features an autoloader with a sophisticated 120mm main gun system (to include smart top-attack munitions), Automatic Target Detection and Tracking System (ATDTS), network-centric warfare capabilities and operability, and both active and passive protection systems. What makes the tank unique is South Korea’s ability to rapidly produce the K2 for domestic and export use. Turkey was the first nation… more |