Bill O'Malley
Reviews By Author
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U.S. Cougar 6x6 MRAP VehiclePublished:
This is a very nice kit with lots of parts - the engineering and fit is excellent. It’s a tedious build, but the instructions are very clear and the parts fit great. From Meng’s WebsiteThe U.S. Cougar 6×6 MRAP vehicle, developed by the U.S. company Force Protection Inc., is an armored vehicle which can withstand roadside bombs, attacks, and ambushes. It is powered by a 330hp Caterpillar C-7 diesel engine on a 6x6 chassis. It can carry 10 people at a maximum speed up to 105km/h. The vehicle can withstand the detonation of 13.6kg TNT charge under front and rear axles, and 6.8kg TNT charge under the middle of the vehicle. Both the hull and bulletproof windows can withstand 7.62mm bullets. An M2 MG, M240 GPMG or MK19 grenade launcher can be mounted on the roof. In 2004,… more |
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Da Vinci Arch BridgePublished:
This bridge kit is part of Academy’s nine kit series of models of Leonardo Da Vinci’s inventions. These kits are simple assembly with a limited number of parts, but are good instructional models exploring Da Vinci’s inventions. The kit does not require any painting or cements for construction. The arch bridge designed by Leonardo Da Vinci uses a self-supporting arch concept to distribute weight through the full curve of the arch. The plastic parts are molded in brown plastic and include three plastic sprues plus 2 base pieces. The kit includes 24 plastic parts, instructions, and a lightweight cardboard box to store the parts. The kit has two levels of assembly, Elementary and Advanced depending upon the span length of the bridge. The instructions include some… more |
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Stone, Woods & Cook ’41 WillysPublished:
Cleanup on aisle six. That's what I kept thinking as I peeled away layer after layer of flash and mold seams from this kit. Michelangelo once said something like every block of stone has a masterpiece inside. It’s up to the sculptor to discover it. That's the way it is with this kit. Somewhere buried beneath all that flash is a nice kit. This is a great Revell kit that once was a classic model that every car modeler needs to build. Dates on the sprues suggest this kit was first issued in 1982, and there have been several re-releases since then. The years have not been nice though, as the flash and worn moldings continue to grow, requiring lots of cleanup. The kit includes 155 parts molded in white plastic plus chrome plated sprue, four vinyl tiles, and decal sheet. They… more |
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US Army DriverPublished:
This figure is part of L. Z. Models 1/35 D7 Bulldozer and Tractor Crew series. Other figures in the series include US Army Mechanic tuning engine, and US Army Mechanic cleaning track. L.Z. states that another civilian mechanic and a British driver figure will also be released. These figures are intended for use with the new dozers from L.Z. Models, Trumpeter, Commander Models, and the new series of MiniArt dozers. I recently built PlusModel’s US Grader, but he doesn’t fit without major surgery to his legs (see photo). The driver’s legs are too short for the Grader seat. I fit him into MiniArt’s dozer seat and he fits much better. The figure comes in four parts - torso, two arms, and head/neck, all with nice crisp detail. The figure appears to be wearing a field jacket with… more |
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U.S. Motor Grader - Part 2Published:
This is a great kit, and will build a beautiful model of a unique WWII vehicle. Building this model is a challenge however, and will require lots of resin experience and careful fitting of many delicate parts. Originally introduced as the "Caterpillar Diesel No. 12 Auto Patrol" in 1938, the grader was renamed as a ‘Motor Grader’ one year later. The U.S. Army used the Cat 12 Grader during WWII in all theaters for airfield and road work. This is an iconic vehicle that has long deserved a quality kit and Plus Model has delivered a beauty. The Grader follows Plus Models other excellent full resin dozer kits. An Out-of-the Box review is located here U.S. Motor Grader - Part 1. There are 236 parts cast in a medium gray resin with nice detail.… more |
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High Mobility - A Visual HistoryPublished:
This is another of Ampersand Group’s Visual History Series using high-quality photography to show subjects in detail and in action. These books are excellent resources for modelers looking for formation and details on specific vehicles. This book, by the prolific author David Doyle, covers the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) popularly known as the Humvee. The two-page Introduction discusses the history of development of the Humvee, and then briefly describes some of the 40 models in its development. Several models of predecessors in early variations are included. The Humvee has evolved from its original function as a soft skin utility vehicle to serve many other functions, including an armored combat vehicle. The book focuses on and includes a chapter… more |
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The Pacific WarPublished:
This is an excellent book that briefly summarizes many of the major campaigns of the Pacific War, and provides detailed descriptions of the significant sea and land battles. The book is 264 pages, plus 56 pages of black-and-white photographs, and eight pages of colored maps of several of the military operations. Each of the chapters are written by different authors and have previously been published as separate titles. The Forward by Captain Dale Dye, USMC (retired) prefaces the book, describing the war in the Pacific as a dollar job on a dime budget. When the rest of the country was worrying about Europe and Hitler, the fighting men in the Pacific had a perverse pride fighting an obsessive enemy without the publicity that attended allied advances in Europe. … more |
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B-17F/G EnginesPublished:
This kit includes resin and photoetch parts to replace the base kit engines on the Revell Monogram B-17F/G kits. The Brassin engines have extremely fine detail, go together well, but require experience with resin and photoetch pieces. The engines add fantastic detail to the base kits and are a challenging but rewarding build. This kit is the iconic Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, and widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. These kit engines are replacements for the parts supplied with the Revell Monogram B-17F/G aircraft kits. The kit includes parts molded in light and dark gray resin, five photoetch frets, a small sheet of details, and two pages of instructions. There is also a half-size errata sheet of… more |
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‘Buffalo’ 6x6 MPCV w/Slat Armor & Spaced ArmorPublished:
This is the third version of the Buffalo 6x6 MPCV to be issued by Bronco Models. This release includes a different armor configuration than the previous two releases, with slat armor and spaced armor. This is an excellent kit that will be a challenging build for even more advanced modelers. The kit has lots of small parts, finicky assembly of the slat armor, but will result in a highly detailed and rewarding model. The previous releases were reviewed here:
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Show Rod Model Kits PreviewPublished:
This excellent book is a showcase of show rod model kits from the perspective of a collector rather than a model builder. The book is an excellent read and includes hundreds of photos of classic show rod kits. The first chapter is An illustrated History of Show Rod Modeling. The section describes how in the 1960s scale hot rod models begin to replace factory cars and older classic cars in popularity. Several examples of early show cars included the Lincoln Futura, Leva Car, and Outlaw as examples of early show rods. The chapter has 50 pages listing some of the most popular and most collectible show rod kids. Chapter 2, The Corporate Sprue, describes the formation of the early model car companies and again includes some early kits as examples. … more |