Andy Taylor
Reviews By Author
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WWII German 5 Litre Oil Cans (6pcs)Published:
POL (Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricant) containers are ubiquitous on military vehicles in the field. Now braille scale German WW II ground vehicle models can have 5 liter oil cans in their scale. This is a new release by Hauler that joins their 1/35 and 1/48 scale brethren. These are tiny but very well-detailed. Manufactured by Jan Sobotka, this package comes with one pour block (1” long), this outstanding set comes with six oil cans beautifully cast in resin and six decals, one for each can. This oil can set will bring your German vehicle to the next level. As you can see from the photos, the accessory set is well-detailed and should take very little cleanup to prepare the parts for your model. There is a simple instruction sheet included, that notes the color of the can… more |
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P-47D Thunderbolt Series Southwest Pacific 1943-1945Published:
This is a quote from 248th Sentai commander, Major Muraoka Shinichi after aerial combat when eight Ki-43-II Hayabusa fought against 16 P-47Ds from the 36th Fighter Squadron on 26 December 1943; two P-47Ds were shot down with no loss to the Japanese. Author Michael Claringbould writes an… more |
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Polish Vickers E – Single Vehicle No. 07Published:
This is the seventh book in the MMP Books Single Vehicle Series (as it is a Polish company, it isn’t surprising that three books are dedicated to Polish vehicles, 7TP single and twin-turret and Vickers E), two vehicles operated by Polish forces (SU-76M and T-72M1), and Type 5 Ha- Gō). The Single Vehicle series are short books, between 24 and 28 pages, and focus on that vehicle. This is not a book for someone wanting to read about the operational history, employment, etc. as the writing is limited to well detailed captions. Poland was one country that purchased the Vickers 6-ton tank, also known as the Vickers Mark E, British light tank. While the tank was not adopted by the British army, it found use in a handful of countries in the interwar and early WWII period. In the Polish… more |
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NOTEK Lamp for German AFVPublished:
Notek lights were blackout drive lights used by German military vehicles in WWII. They were named after the Munich-based company that produced them, Nova-Technik GmbH. The unit consisted of a 35-watt bulb under the hooded housing that shined backward against a mirror. The reflected light illuminated the ground ahead of the vehicle from under the helmet-like hood. The Notek light illuminated the road to about 100 to 130 feet ahead of the vehicle in a roughly 80-foot swath and had three settings: dim (invisible from the air above 2,000ft), medium, and full (invisible from the air above 6,400ft). Thanks to Hauler, modelers now have a beautifully detailed aftermarket resin casting for their braille scale German WWII vehicles. This outstanding set comes with four lamps,… more |
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World Dust Liquid Pigments SetPublished:
Green Stuff World is a Spanish company that supplies paints, weathering products, and scenery effects. They are among the newest hobby companies to provide IPMS/USA review samples. As such, I was eager to use and review this new product. According to the Green Stuff World website, the liquid pigment sets (Earth, Rust and Dust) were “especially designed to create weathering effects similar to those achieved through powdered pigments, but have the benefit of not needing a pigment fixer to bind them.” Instructions to use the liquid pigments are on their webpage and YouTube. These pigments can be used both by brush and airbrush, are fast drying in a matt finish, are advertised as non-toxic water-… more |
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Rotational Paint ShakerPublished:
Green Stuff World is a Spanish company that supplies paints, weathering products, and scenery effects. They are among the newest hobby companies to provide IPMS/USA review samples. As I recently visited their webpage and looked at a few items, including their rotational paint shaker that I placed in my shopping cart, when the opportunity came along to review it, I jumped on it and the wonderful Bill O’Malley had it in the mail quickly. According to Green Stuff World’s website,
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Terror and Response - The India-Pakistan Proxy War 2008-2019Published:
“To call the relationship between India and Pakistan of the early 21st Century “fraught” would be an understatement. Much of this was attributed to religious differences – India being 78-80 percent Hindu and Pakistan being well over 95 percent Muslim – and to differences over the ‘ownership’ of the Kashmir region. However, this was not only simplistic: it was almost entirely wrong; indeed, insulting to the huge Indian-Muslim population, which has been steadfastly loyal to the Indian Republic and its secular Constitution (despite occasional concerns over the attitude of ruling political parties), and thus, an integral part of India’s society.” The author continues, “The issue of Kashmir was always more complex. It was certainly the purported cause as espoused by the… more |
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Hunting the Viet Cong, Volume 2: The Fall of Diem and the Collapse of the Strategic Hamlets 1961-1964Published:
This is the second of a two-book series on the American counterinsurgency against the Viet Cong. Here is the review for Hunting the Viet Cong - The Counterinsurgency Campaign in South Vietnam, 1961-1963, Vol 1-The Strategic Hamlet Programme. The second volume examines why the strategy ultimately failed when the Strategic Hamlet Program “seriously hurt and ‘cut up’ the VC”. Dr Darren Poole teaches military… more |
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2 cm Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38Published:
Alan Ranger is a former British Royal Engineer, collector of World War II militaria and original period photographs, and prolific author. Alan started his publishing days with Model Art of Japan, this is his 29th book in the Camera On series (he already has another three in production), typically focusing on weapon systems and vehicles. The beauty of this book is the photos were taken by German soldiers during their wartime service, not typically posed and polished propaganda shots. Camera On Number 29 focuses on the World War II German 2cm Flak (short for Flugzeugabwehrkanone) Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38. The Flak 38 20mm anti-aircraft (AA) gun was an improvement on the Flak 28 and 30 (… more |
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The Armour of Hitler's Allies in Action, 1943–1945Published:
Ian Baxter is a prolific author and has an impressive collection of photographs, many previously unpublished. The book follows the familiar Images of War format with brief introductions for each chapter followed by a lot of photographs to tell the story. While a plethora of books have been written about German armor, Ian’s latest book focuses on Germany’s allies Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, their armor, and German armor in their formations. The Armour of Hitler's Allies in Action, 1943–1945, is composed of an introduction, four chapters and two appendixes:
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