Soviet JS-4 Heavy Tank

Published: September 21, 2014
Company: Trumpeter

To say that the appearance of this kit was a surprise to me, is an understatement! Lately, it seems that all we ever get on the ‘new’ kit front is another Panther-this or Tiger-that. A JS-4? Wow! I mean, the JS-4 was a pretty obscure piece of Soviet armor. Originally developed in competition with the IS-3, the JS-4 (or IS-4, but we’ll stick to the kit name) referred to as Object 245, was… more

US M1 57mm & 6 PR 7 CWT(BR) Ammunition Set

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Riich Models

Hot on the heels of their release of the British 6 Pdr Mk. IV Anti-Tank Gun (kit #RV35018) and their soon to be released kit of the U.S. M1 57mm Anti-Tank Gun (kit #RV35020), Riich Models has offered up this nice ammunition set: US M1 57mm & 6 PR 7 CWT (BR) as a companion set for their two artillery kits.

The Box

The kit comes packed in a sturdy 6-3/8” x 10-1/4” x 1-3/8”… more

City House

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: MiniArt

Being fresh off of the review of the 1:72 scale MiniArt “Building w/Garage”, kit #72031, we now have the “City House” kit, #72030. This is a model of a typical European multi-family dwelling. Like the previous kit, this kit represents a complete, undamaged building and not a ruin. It is also all injection molded styrene with none of the vacuum-formed parts found in some of their 1:35 scale… more

Opel Blitzbus Ludewig “Aero” - WWII Service

Published: January 22, 2014
Company: Roden

According to the blurb on the side of the kit box, the Opel Blitzbus Ludewig “Aero” was built during the mid 1930’s. The vehicle was made on the chassis of the Opel Blitz 3-ton truck in the workshop of the Ludewig brothers. The actual vehicle’s swoopy futuristic exterior lines were paired to a luxury interior and was not only used for transportation purposes but as a propaganda tool as well… more

Tarp Rolls and Crates Set #1

Published: January 20, 2014
Company: Value Gear

If you’re into small-scale armor like me, then you know that accessories like tarps, boxes and such have been hard to come by. Additionally, you usually had to order from overseas e-shops and pay an arm and a leg for the stuff, the quality of which sometimes was not that great. Well, thanks to our friends at Value Gear, that situation just got a bit better.

Packaging

The “… more

Italian Soldier in North Africa 1941-43

Published: January 17, 2014
Book Author(s): Piero Crociani & Pier Paolo Battistelli
Company: Osprey Publishing

The history of the Italian Army in World War 2 is an often misunderstood one, colored by many unflattering rumors, generalizations and misconceptions. This latest issue in Osprey’s Warrior Series, “Italian Soldier in North Africa 1941-43”, tries to set the record straight and in doing so, paints a harrowing and desperate account of the hell experienced by the Italian soldier during the North… more

Building with Garage

Published: January 16, 2014
Company: MiniArt

MiniArt continues to dazzle and amaze us with another in their series of building and ruin kits. This time, in 1:72 scale, we have “Building w/Garage”, kit #72031. This a typical mid-century European automotive service garage building with the residence located up on the top floor. The kit represents a complete, undamaged building and not a ruin. It is also all… more

Churchill Mk.IV NA 75

Published: December 13, 2013
Company: Dragon Models

The Churchill Mk.IV NA 75 was a variant of the Churchill Mk.IV British tank, its main difference being that it mounted a 75mm main gun from the Sherman family of tanks rather than the Churchill’s six-pounder. Besides the main gun, the Besa coaxial and bow guns were replaced with Browning .30 caliber weapons. Some minor changes to the roof of the ‘standard’ Mk.IV turret were made to… more

A-4 Skyhawk Walk Around

Published: March 25, 2013
Book Author(s): Lou Drendel
Company: Squadron Signal Publications

Squadron Signal’s latest Walk Around title deals with the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The book is presented in its typical 80-page softcover landscape format. You can also get the book in hardcover format for an additional $10. It is chock full of clear and well presented color and black & white photos which provide not only overall long-shots, but the typical Walk Around up-close detail… more

Star Trek – U.S.S. Enterprise – NCC-1701

Published: November 17, 2021
Company: Polar Lights

“Space, the final frontier…” The thrill that my friends and I felt that evening in September of 1966 for the premier of Star Trek on NBC (we were all of 11 or 12 years old) is still resonant in my mind. How cool was that new spaceship named Enterprise with its saucer-shaped main hull and cylindrical appendages – like nothing that we had ever seen before. To this day, I am still blown… more