Bill Kluge
Reviews By Author
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M50 Ontos and M56 Scorpion 1956-1970Published:
The Cold War produced a number of unusual weapons systems, and few were more unusual than the M50 Ontos (a Greek word meaning “entity” or “thing”). In the aftermath of the Korean War, The M50 Ontos and its cousin, the M56 Scorpion, were developed to fulfill the role of Tank Destroyers, a service corps left to languish following the end of World War 2. Both the Army and the Marine Corps had been disappointed by their difficulty in stopping Russian made armor in Korea, and the prospect of thousands of Soviet tanks flooding across the plains of central Europe gave rise to the re-establishment of the dedicated tank destroyer concept. In this New Vanguard edition, author Kenneth Estes describes in considerable length and detail the design evolution of these two vehicles. Neither the… more |
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Zvezda Pe-2: Air Intakes, Exhausts and Bomb FuzesPublished:
Zvezda’s outstanding new Pe-2 kit leaves little room for improvement, but as is often the case, Aires has still found a way to add just a bit more detail here and there with a few new parts from Quickboost.
The kit’s four air intakes are molded in halves, requiring seam clean up of these small parts. The four Quickboost replacements are smooth, curved single-unit open-ended pipes. The kit’s sixteen engine exhausts pipes are even smaller pieces, all with flush ends. The Quickboost replacements mimic the larger intakes’ smooth surface and convincing open ends. The walls of these openings are so thin that care will be needed when handling them so as not to crush them,… more |
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U.S Army Helicopter Pilot - Vietnam War 1960-1975Published:
Aerobonus continues its line of 1/48 Vietnam flight crew figures with this generic Army helicopter pilot in flight suit and gloves. He holds what must be cigarettes in his right hand (something no good 1960s era pilot would be without out on the flight line, right?), considering that one is minutely sticking up out of the pack. The arms are cast separately, as are the two different heads, one helmeted and one wearing a “cowboy” style hat (and both with a cigarette between their lips). This figure is noticeably shorter than other figures that I have - about half a head hight difference. The face (the same for both options) is also unlike others that I’ve seen. The resin is hard but not brittle, and the parts can be quickly cut from the casting block. There’s a small amount of… more |
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US Navy Light Cruisers 1941 - 1945Published:
The latest New Vanguard naval edition from Osprey covers one of the least well-known class of modern US Navy vessels, the light cruiser. The operational lifetime of the Navy’s light cruisers spanned 50 years, from the commissioning of the USS Omaha in 1923 to the scrapping of the USS Roanoke in 1973. Their heyday occurred between 1941 and 1945. By 1947, most of those that had survived the World War II had been decommissioned. A few soldiered on either as gun platforms during the Korean War, or were adapted to missile platforms during the Cold War. The first chapters detail the origin of the light cruiser, the influence of the London and Washington Naval Treaty restrictions, the evolution of their standardized 6”-gun armament, and advent of radar and its spectacular effect on… more |
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Camouflage & Decals #4 Finnish Fighters WWIIPublished:
This 16-page booklet continues the series that contains 1/72 and 1/48 decals, profile images, and descriptive camouflage information covering a number of different fighter aircraft in Finnish service during WWII. The text, photos and graphics come from the excellent “Finnish Fighter Colors” books, also published by MMP. This volume cover six aircraft in detail:
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Commonwealth Cruisers 1939-1945Published:
From the very beginning of the Second World War, Great Britain was aided in her naval war against the Axis Powers by officers and sailors of her former colonies, or Dominions, as they were formally known. In this Osprey New Vanguard edition, naval historian Angus Konstam begins by describing the somewhat complicated arrangement of how Britain’s former possessions were differentiated as colonies, protectorates and Dominions. Dominions, known as Commonwealth Nations after 1926, were described as “autonomous communities within the British Empire”, and were to varying degrees, responsible for their own defense, yet were expected to contribute to the overall defense of the empire as a whole. Prior to the First World War, the governments of Canada, Australia and New Zealand… more |
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Japanese Battleship IJN Kongo RetakePublished:
The ShipThe Kongo class of battlecruisers was Japan’s attempt to acquire or build their first super-dreadnaughts. Designed by the British, the Kongo herself was launched from the Vickers shipyard in 1912, the last major vessel of the Japanese Navy built in a foreign yard. She underwent major reconstructions from 1929-1931 and again from 1935-1938, the last time so much so that she was reclassified as a fast battleship. During the Pacific War, she participated in early South Seas operations off Malaya and the Philippines. Her class’s high speed made them ideal carrier escorts, and Kongo served that function during the IJN’s Indian Ocean carrier sweep, the Midway operation and the action off Santa Cruz. Detached to the Solomons with her sister Haruna, Kongo earned the… more |
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1937 Chevy Coupe StoveboltPublished:
It’s hard to believe that after more than fifty years of modeling, I’ve never built a car before now. But somewhere between “you’re never too old to learn” and “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks”, I found myself with my first car model. I’ve always liked the aesthetics of the 1930s, particularly where technology was applied. Vehicle designers were just starting to appreciate the value of aerodynamics, and automobiles of the mid-to-late 30s were showing that influence, with teardrop shapes replacing flat surfaces and hard angles. Compared to cars of just half a generation earlier, especially two-seater coupes, cars of the late 30s looked fast just sitting still. The ‘37 Chevy was a prime example. Round 2 Models has been re-releasing classic AMT kits for a number of years,… more |
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USS Intrepid - Part 4Published:
The ShipLaunched in April 1943 and commissioned four months later, USS Intrepid (CV-11) participated in numerous actions in the central and western Pacific from early 1944 until the end of the Pacific War, including Leyte Gulf and Okinawa. She was hit twice by kamikazes but was still on station at the end of hostilities. Intrepid underwent modernization twice during the 1950s, which enclosed her bow and gave her an angled flight deck. Reclassified as an Anti-submarine Carrier (CVS-11), Intrepid was the lead ship for the NASA’s Mercury Aurora 7 and the Gemini 3 splashdown recovery. From April 1966 to February 1969, she made three deployments to the waters off Vietnam. She ended her active career back in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, being decommissioned in 1974 with over 30… more |
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A-3 Skywarrior Units of the Vietnam WarPublished:
Developed in the years following World War 2 to fulfill Naval Aviation’s “Heavy Attack” capability, the Douglas Aircraft design team under the legendary Ed Heinemann created the jet powered, swept winged A-3 (originally designated A3D-1) Skywarrior to carry nuclear destruction to the Soviet Union from the decks of the Navy’s new Midway class carriers. Replacing the little loved North American AJ Savage, what started out as a single purpose “heavy” bomber soon became one of the Navy’s most “multi-purpose” aircraft in its inventory. When its nuclear delivery mission was taken over by the A-5 Vigilante, the A-3 found itself with a new mission list that eventually included, “iron” bombing, aerial refueling, photo reconnaissance, electronic jamming and counter-measurers, electronic… more |