Bill O'Malley
Reviews By Author
|
Fiat 806 Grand Prix, Part 2Published:
This is a difficult kit to assemble with some significant fit issues with many of the parts. An old diecast version of this car was previously issued by Protar, and it looks like Italeri worked directly from the diecast kit. The Italeri plastic parts are identical to the Protar diecast parts, including ejection pins and sink marks. It looks like Italeri used the Protar parts to make their molds. This helps to explain some of the rough spots, lack of crisp decal on the parts, and all the nut & bolt fasteners. BackgroundFrom Italeri’s website: The Fiat 806 Grand Prix adopted significant innovations for its time. The Fiat 806 was, in fact, the “progenitor” of the modern Formula One racing cars. Developed and produced by FIAT, the Italian automobile… more |
|
251 Half-Track: A Visual History of the German Army’s Sd.Kfz. 251 Armored Half-tracksPublished:
This is another great book in Ampersand’s Visual History Series by prolific author David Doyle. The hard cover book is almost entirely photographs, with a brief introduction and text captions on the photos. The book’s introduction describes the development history of the Sd.Kfz. 251 half-track starting with the Sd. Kfz 11, which would form the basis for the later half-tracks. Production of the Sd.Kfz. 251 started in 1939 as the Ausf. A, followed by the Ausf. B in September 1939, and the Ausf. C in January 1940. A new body style was developed December 1942, designated the Ausf. D, that would become the most numerous of the variants. Manny variations of the Sd. Kfz 251 were developed as modifications of the basic Sd. Kfz 251 vehicle. These variations are included in the… more |
|
Gun Trucks - A Visual History of the U.S. Army’s Vietnam-Era Wheeled Escort PlatformsPublished:
Ampersand’s website:
The first section describes military transport vehicles from the 1/4 ton M151, 2 1/2 ton 6 x 6, the 5 ton 6 x 6, and the M37. Each of the vehicle types is described in two or three pages with overall views… more |
|
Fiat 806 Grand Prix, Part 1Published:
BackgroundFrom Italeri’s website: The Fiat 806 Grand Prix adopted significant innovations for its time. The Fiat 806 was, in fact, the “progenitor” of the modern Formula One racing cars. Developed and produced by FIAT, the Italian automobile manufacturer in 1927, it could be considered the first Grand Prix car ever built. Thanks to its 180 HP 12 cylinder engine, the Fiat 806 was able to reach and even exceed the speed of 240 Km/h. However, the most important innovations were made in the development of the chassis, mechanics and bodywork. The engine and gearbox unit was, in fact, located between the two chassis bars in order to optimize the performance and the drivability. The KitWhile researching the car, I came across a diecast kit made by Protar… more |
|
Japanese AFV DatabasePublished:
ModelArt is a high quality Japanese language modeling magazine. This edition is a Japanese AFV Database plastic model guide for Japanese military vehicle kits in 1/35, 1/48, and 1/72-76 scales. The guide shows kits of Japanese vehicles, including AFVs, softskins, and figures. The kits are illustrated as built models or an Out-of-the Box view of the kit parts. The text is in Japanese, but there are many high quality photographs that illustrate the kits. The kits have English titles that give the name of the vehicle, kit manufacturer, scale, and name of the modeler. The sections of the guide are organized by vehicle type. The start of each section includes a few in-action photos of the real vehicles, and at the end of each section is some modeling tips or a sampling of completed… more |
|
GAZ-05-194 AmbulancePublished:
This is an excellent kit, with extremely fine detail, great fit of the parts, and makes a highly realistic model. It’s not easy getting there however. Be prepared for small, delicate parts, microscopic locating pins, unclear instructions on some part locations, and many separate tiny parts where one would suffice without loss of detail. With a little patience an experienced modeler will enjoy a challenging build resulting in a great model. BackgroundGorkovskiy Avtomobilnij Zavod (GAZ) automobile company was a joint venture with the Ford Motor Company prior to WWII. The GAZ-05-194 Ambulance is one of several Soviet Army vehicles based on the Ford Model A truck, with an additional axle for a 2 ton truck. Captured vehicles were also used by Germany’s Wehrmacht. … more |
|
German Railway Gun K5(E) "Leopold" w/ FiguresPublished:
Background from Hasegawa’s WebsiteHitler's fascination with massive armaments is epitomized by Germany's heavy investment in railway guns. "Leopold", one of 25 K5 railway guns made by Krupp for World War II, was a behemoth of a gun. It weighed 240 short tons, fired 560 lb/eleven inch shells, and had to be moved and aimed on specially designed railroad tracks. Once emplaced, the Leopold could fire shells up to forty miles. This limited edition kit features three sets of decals and figures. KitThis is a rebox of a kit originally issued in the 1970’s, issued again with figures added. Despite being that old, it’s in relatively good shape and makes an impressive model. The kit comes on five light gray sprues plus 2 sprues for the figures. The sprues have very… more |
|
David Kimble's CutawaysPublished:
This is a beautiful book with very nice illustrations of David Kimble’s cutaways, step-by-step descriptions on how the cutaways are made, and descriptions of the engineering of the vehicles. David Kimble is in engineer turned illustrator who grew up in Southern California racing, and eventually became known for his cutaway automotive illustrations. In the introduction Kimble states that the purpose of this book is to answer the question “how do you do it”, to which he usually responds “a little at a time”. This book for the first time describes his approach to illustration and the techniques on how his work is done, plus some of the stories behind the illustrations. Chapter 1, It All Starts With A Drawing, shows how Kimble uses a pencil and pen drawing as the base for… more |
|
Maschinen Krieger 44 Type Mk44 Ammoknights (Smartgun Equipment Type)Published:
This is another excellent kit in the Hasegawa Machinen Krieger series. The kit is not too difficult to assemble, so beginners can enjoy the modeling experience. More advanced modelers will enjoy building another unique machine in this series, and the creativity allowed in finishing and weathering the machine. BackgroundThe Maschinen Krieger Story (excerpted from Wikipedia) A nuclear World War IV in 2807 kills most of Earth's population and renders the planet uninhabitable. Fifty-two years after the war, an interstellar union called the Galactic Federation repopulates the planet and sends colonists to the surface. Fearing civil unrest and the colonists forming their own government, the Federation gives the Strahl Democratic Republic (SDR) the right to… more |
|
Victory 1945: Western Allied Troops in Northwest EuropePublished:
This book is a description of the changes in equipment, uniforms, and tactics of the allied troops from the landing at Normandy to VE day on May 8, 1945. Experience, technological improvements, and the seasoning of troops in battle brought about these changes. The book is mostly in text with supporting photos and color plates of soldiers’ uniforms and equipment. The book primarily focuses on infantry, but there are also sections on armor and field artillery. The book emphasizes tactics and use of equipment. The book has sections on the US infantry, Free French Forces, the British/Canadian Army Group and the British 79th Armored Division. Contents
|