Ben Morton
Reviews By Author
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APA-50M (ZiL-131)Published:
This is a great kit! If you typically model in 1/72nd scale this will make a fine addition to a diorama or vignette involving any mid 1950's to current scenes. Assembly is straight forward with minimal effort, paints up nice and more than looks the part of an airfield mobile electric truck. You may wish to buy several copies.... This release from ICM Holding of an airfield mobile electric truck, the APA-50M, is a welcome addition to their 1/72nd line of soft skinned vehicles. Detail has not been sacrificed but it has been simplified. (No complete engine, for instance.) The engine (lower portion only), air tanks, power take-off, drive shafts, suspension and axles are all individual parts. Which is where assembly begins. In addition to those aforementioned parts are some… more |
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BRDM-2 Soviet Armored CarPublished:
From Military-Today.com: The BRDM-2 scout car was developed as a replacement for the previous BRDM-1. It was officially adopted by the Soviet army in 1962 with production commencing in 1963. Production ceased in 1989. Around 10 000 units including variants were built. Currently this amphibious scout car it is in service with Russian army and over 50 countries worldwide. Armor of the BRDM-2 provides all-round protection against 7.62 mm ball rounds and small caliber artillery fragments. The BRDM-2 turret is armed with a 14.5 mm heavy machine gun and coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun. The heavy machine gun penetrates 32 mm of steel armor at a range of 500 m. The BRDM-2 is powered by a GAZ-41 petrol engine, developing 140 horsepower. This scout car has an uncommon feature for… more |
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Terraform Thin ConcretePublished:
AMMO's Terraform Premium Textures series includes a number of different shades of texturing material for your next project. Or if you are just in the mood for a new landscaping adventure. The subject for today's missive is their Thin Concrete. This product comes in a 100ml tub and as is the case with all of AMMO's texturing products, is water soluble. A fact that came in handy as my sample was a tad dry. I added a little distilled water which returned the texturing material to a more malleable state. These products can also be mixed with any acrylic based paint or other textures. It should be noted that the dried material does make convincing street or building rubble. I applied a thin layer of Thin Concrete to a piece of cork and allowed that to dry. AMMO's website notes… more |
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Terraform Premium Textures ConcretePublished:
With a new acrylic formulation and from natural minerals, AMMO's new acrylic formulation of texturing product, Terra Form Premium Concrete, enables you to recreate 'real' concrete. The light grey tone with a variable texture also grants you the ability to create realistic groundwork for your small scenes and dioramas. The texturing product is recommended for scales 1/48th to 1/16th but don't let that be a limiting factor as you move forward with your plans. The Terra Form concrete comes in a 100ml tub and may be thinned with water and may be combined with other AMMO texture products for custom tints. Clean-up is a breeze as that can be done with the aforementioned water. This along with all of AMMO's texturing products dries completely within 24 hours and may be sanded should… more |
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Terraform Premium Textures ConcretePublished:
With a new acrylic formulation and from natural minerals, AMMO's new acrylic formulation of texturing product, Terra Form Premium Concrete, enables you to recreate 'real' concrete. The light grey tone with a variable texture also grants you the ability to create realistic groundwork for your small scenes and dioramas. The texturing product is recommended for scales 1/48th to 1/16th but don't let that be a limiting factor as you move forward with your plans. The Terra Form concrete comes in a 100ml tub and may be thinned with water and may be combined with other AMMO texture products for custom tints. Clean-up is a breeze as that can be done with the aforementioned water. This along with all of AMMO's texturing products dries completely within 24 hours and may be sanded should… more |
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M1A1 Abrams with Mine Plough (Dragon kit)Published:
Hauler continues their excellent detail sets for various small scale model kits. Such is the case with this photo etched set for Revell's M1A1 with mine plow (kit# 7213). While this is PE set is for an older kit (released in 2009) from Revell, this exterior detail set provides just the just the right amount of exterior detail to enhance that kit. Included with this photo etched set are:
You really do need to credit Hauler with including parts that you wouldn't otherwise think needed to be… more |
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Terraform Premium Textures: Road SandPublished:
“Communication Chief Lizbeth informed me that we were receiving an automated distress signal from a terra forming station on the planetoid LV-426. While not exactly on our current flight path we were the closet ship available to investigate....” AMMO by Mig Jimenez offers a plethora of finishing and diorama accessories for just about any modeling need: paints, static grass, scenic plants, and pliable terrain among others. One such item is from their Terra Form Premium Textures line of acrylic base ground textures. Case in point is item 2178: Road Sand. For those that are not that familiar, AMMO's line of products has previously produced a series of ground textures (mud, concrete, etc.) that trend toward a somewhat course texture. The products in the Premium Textures… more |
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WWII US Tank ToolsPublished:
For modelers, in the one true scale (1/144), Brengun has added an especially useful photo-etched set of WWII armor tools to their catalog. Associated with the U.S., that label shouldn't prohibit anyone for using them in any setting where appropriate. The small, metal sprue contains four examples each of the following:
Quite the variety. The choice by Brengun to 'etch' the pick as two parts is a bit curious. Maybe a test of ones skill level? Then again, spares were sometimes stowed separately. Owing to the diminutive size of these tools, removing the parts from their attachment points… more |
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F-111 Fort Worth SwingerPublished:
F-111 Fort Worth Swinger by Bob Archer (not to be confused with the underground sex club, Fort Worth Swingers) is a new publication from Key Publishing of England. This ninety-six page tome is a first rate collection of color images of each mark of the F-111 with concise and complete descriptions of those variants and the role that each type played within the U.S, Air Force. Mister Archer doesn't neglect the foreign operators of the F-111 either. This 7”x10” soft cover book contains 180 images of the F-111 in all its guises. The book focuses on the operational history as well as the deployment of each type. Divided into ten chapters F-111 Fort Worth Swinger details each of the 'Aardvarks' iterations from the prototypes ( Air Force /Navy) to export versions. The book… more |
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German A7V TankPublished:
From Wikipedia: The A7V was a heavy tank introduced by Germany in 1918 during World War I. One hundred chassis were ordered in early 1917, ten to be finished as fighting vehicles with armored bodies, and the remainder as Überlandwagen cargo carriers. The number to be armored was later increased to 20. They were used in action from March to October 1918, and were the only tanks produced by Germany in World War I to be used in combat. Following the appearance of the first British tanks on the Western Front, in September 1916, the German War Ministry formed a committee, under the auspices of its Allgemeines Kriegsdepartement, Abteilung 7 Verkehrswesen ("General War Department, Section 7, Transportation"), to investigate tank development. The project to design and build the… more |