Ben Morton
Reviews By Author
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Vietnam EarthPublished:
Vietnam Earth texture from Ammo is a newish edition to their line of Vignettes Acrylics. This product is designed for small and medium sized dioramas or vignettes and comes ready to use in a 100ml tub. This particular product has a coarser texture than some of the other textural products ( I.E. concrete) in AMMO/MiG's catalog. Borrowing from Ammo's own description: The application method is remarkably simple. You can use any kind of tool at hand and the Vietnam Earth Texture can be mixed with other weathering materials such as pigments or acrylic paints to create a full range of authentic earthen effects. It can be used for any scale ranging from 1/16 to 1/72. Using this product, you can obtain a perfect finish in your scenes, virtually mimicking real soil. The new… more |
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U.S. Vietnam Ammo Bunker, Type IIIPublished:
Ammo bunkers were used in Vietnam at Fire Support Bases-FSB (artillery emplacements) for the storage of ammo, powder, and fuses. Built with any available material including 105mm wooden ammo crates, metal culverts, PSP, or wooden planks these ammunition bunkers were everywhere a FSB was located. Some of these structures were also used as personnel shelters. Tiger Werke has done the modeling community a service by providing not one but three different style of ammo bunkers that are suitable for any 1/35 scale Vietnam-era fire base diorama or vignette This particular review revolves around TW-35217, the Type III Ammo Bunker. This style shows a section of culvert stacked with sandbags protecting a small bunker that was constructed from empty, wooden ammunition crates. This… more |
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US Vietnam Ammo Bunker, Type IPublished:
During the Vietnam War the U.S. Army established fire bases in various locales to support the far flung forward operating /patrol bases set up to...well...patrol the country side. The fire bases were locations where emplaced artillery, either towed or self-propelled, could rain artillery fire down on unsuspecting enemy combatants and the occasional, errant water buffalo. These fire bases were more often than not semi-permanent operating bases. With the passing of time the personnel at these areas would embellish and improve their living and work environments. Improving that work environment often took the form of some creative DIY projects. One such improvement was the stowage of ammunition for the 'Tube'. [ Technical Note: 'Tube' is cool artillery talk for the actual artillery… more |
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US Vietnam Ammo Bunker Type IIPublished:
Tiger Werke is adding to its line of resin diorama accessories with a U.S. Vietnam Ammo Bunker. The company has two other types of ammo bunkers available but this missive is only concerned only with the Type II version. These ammo bunkers were ubiquitous in Vietnam during the U.S. participation in that war. Used at fire support bases (semi-permanent artillery emplacements) as a means of protecting ammunition for the artillery pieces. They were somewhat of a DIY project as most of these structures were constructed using the empty wooden ammo crates and loads of sandbag reinforcement for the roof. Often the ammo bunkers would be incorporated into the sandbag or earthen parapet surrounding each gun emplacement. These ammo bunkers were also used as personnel shelters (in the event… more |
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Arid Dry Ground (Mud)Published:
Arid Dry Ground (or Mud) texture from Ammo/MiG is a newer edition to their line of Vignettes Acrylics. This product is designed for small and medium sized dioramas or vignettes and comes ready to use in a 100ml tub. This particular product has a coarser texture than some of the other textural products ( I.E. concrete) in AMMO/MiG's catalog. Borrowing from Ammo's own description: The application method is remarkably simple. You can use any kind of tool at hand and the Arid Dry Ground Texture can be mixed with other weathering materials such as pigments or acrylic paints to create a full range of authentic earthen effects. It can be used for any scale ranging from 1/16 to 1/72. Using this product, you can obtain a perfect finish in your scenes, virtually mimicking real soil. The… more |
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Concrete TexturePublished:
Concrete Texture from Ammo is a relatively new product from their Vignettes Acrylic line. This product is designed for small and medium sized dioramas or vignettes and comes ready to use in a 100ml tub. Borrowing from Ammo's own description: The application method is remarkably simple. You can use any kind of tool at hand and the CONCRETE TEXTURE can be mixed with other weathering materials such as pigments or acrylic paints to create a full range of authentic concrete effects. It can be used for any scale ranging from 1/16 to 1/72. The dried surface mimics the look and texture of concrete beautifully. This particular texture can be sanded, after a through drying, to a smoother finish should you so desire. The acrylic base of Concrete Textures allows for easy clean-up and… more |
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ICM BM-13-16 on G7107 BasePublished:
I found this interesting and decided to share... From Wikipedia: “The Katyusha multiple rocket launcher is a type of rocket artillery first built and fielded by the Soviet Union in WWII. Multiple rocket launchers such as these deliver explosives to a target area more intensively than conventional artillery, but with lower accuracy and requiring a longer time to reload. They are fragile compared to artillery guns, but are cheap, easy to produce, and usable on any chassis[ A Chevrolet 7107 truck, for instance]. The Katyushas of World War II, the first self-propelled artillery mass-produced by the Soviet Union,were usually mounted on ordinary trucks. This mobility gave the Katyusha, and other self-propelled artillery, another advantage: being able to deliver a large blow… more |
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Le.Gi.Einheits-Pkw Kfz.1 / 2 / 4Published:
From Wikipedia: “Einheits-PKW der Wehrmacht-literally:standardized military (passenger) cars was the Nazi German plan for a new, multi-purpose fleet of four-wheel drive, off-road capable and light trucks, based on just three uniform chassis, specifically designed and built for the Wehrmacht, formulated in 1934, and built from 1936 to 1943. The new, standardized military vehicles were intended to replace the diverse fleet of two-wheel drive, militarized civilian vehicles, previously procured by the Reichswehr, predecessor of the Wehrmacht – with new cross-country mobile vehicles up to military requirements, that should simplify logistics, maintenance and training, by the use of standardized components. The three main classes: Leichter Einheits-PKW, Mittlerer Einheits-PKW… more |
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Messerschmitt Me-309 V-1/V-2Published:
The Messerschmitt Me-309 was envisioned as a replacement for the Me-109 in late 1940. The aircraft was to feature a pressurized cockpit, a fully retractable, tricycle undercarriage and a variable geometry radiator. The Me-309 was never to become much of a priority for the powers that be owing to the success of adapting the Me-109 to larger engines and heavier armament and the Focke Wolf 190 coming into service. Four prototypes (V1-V4) were constructed with flight testing continuing into the last quarter of 1943. Brengun has released a 1/144th scale kit of the Me-309 with alternate parts to construct either the V-1 (GE/CU) or V-2 (GE/CV) prototypes. The primary, exterior difference between the two prototypes was a different tailplane configuration and shortened wing. [… more |
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Wargames Terrain and Buildings: WWI Trench SystemsPublished:
Wargames Terrain and Buildings: WWI Trench Systems is one of Casemate Publishers latest offerings. Douglas Hardy, an avid war gamer, has delivered a wonderful soft cover tome on all things related to WWI trenches. After a brief introduction Mister Hardy discusses the trench system employed by Britain, France, and Germany during the Great War. After some introduction the author goes on to discuss, in some detail, the ins and outs of designing and building your own table top trench warfare gaming area. The focus of this volume is on war gaming but the techniques he discusses are just as applicable to any diorama or vignette builder. [Fun Fact: British philosophy toward trench warfare was to use them as an offense starting point whereas the German focus viewed trenches… more |