Bill O'Malley
Reviews By Author
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USA Air CompressorPublished:
The kit is a 1/35 model of a USA Kellogg Air Compressor used during and after WWII. The kit makes a nicely detailed little accessory for dioramas or vehicles. This kit is from Mirror Models, Ltd. Of Ireland, who produce plastic model kits and accessories. The compressor kit contains two full models in the package, and comes on two sprues of taupe or a gray/tan plastic. The plastic seems a little soft. Many of the parts are quite small and have very fine detail, such as the pulleys and drive belt, part K15. Some of the parts have fairly large sprue connections that require care removing them from the sprue and need some extra cleanup. The sprue connectors seem large but the actual connection points are fairly thin. In the first step, take care cleaning the sprue… more |
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Allied-Axis, The Photo Journal of The Second World War, Issue 30Published:
Allied-Axis is a quarterly publication from Ampersand Publishing Group that provides photos on both Allied and Axis armor and other military vehicles. Each issue focuses on three or four different vehicle types and provides brief background information but primarily focuses on photographs of the vehicles. There are no ads, stories, or other distractions. Just lots of photos. Photographs are all in black-and-white and include production photos and in-action wartime photos. Many of the photos are from proving grounds demonstrating the capabilities and various versions of the vehicles. Each photo has a very descriptive caption describing the setting, configuration of the equipment, crewmembers in their uniforms, etc. This Issue #30 features three different vehicles: a Sherman… more |
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World War II From Above – An Aerial View of the Global ConflictPublished:
This fascinating book tells how the Allies and Axis powers developed aerial reconnaissance systems to gather accurate aerial intelligence, primarily during World War II. The book combines history with photography and provides a unique and different perspective of World War II – from above! The photographs are excellent, with descriptive captions for each photo. The text provides good descriptions of the aircraft used for reconnaissance, and the maps & diagrams illustrate many of the actions. The book is divided into five sections:
The book also includes a Bibliography/Further Reading, Index of Topics, and Photo Credits, all of… more |
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Fall Gelb 1940 (1): Panzer Breakthrough in the WestPublished:
Fall Gelb 1940 was a detailed German deployment order designed to launch the initial phase of Hitler's military campaign to eliminate the Western democracies from the European conflict. Osprey Publishing covers this deployment order in the new book Fall Gelb 1940 (1): Panzer Breakthrough in the West. The objective of the Fall Gelb was to defeat the largest possible forces of the Anglo-French army by an attack through Belgium and Luxembourg territory, thereby paving the way for the destruction of the military strength of the enemy. Chief architect of the Fall Gelb plan was OKH Chief of Staff, General Franz Halder. Halder’s plan included four parallel branches:
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Harley Davidson FLSTFB Fat Boy Lo - Part 1Published:
Review Part 1 – Background and Kit ContentsBackgroundThe Harley Davidson Fat Boy is the latest in Tamiya’s series of 1/6 scale motorcycle kits. This is a large, multimedia kit with plastic, metal, rubber, diecast, and photoetch parts. From Tamiya’s website:
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German Horch Kfz.15 “North African Campaign”Published:
This kit is a collaboration of Tamiya and Italeri. Most of the vehicle is a reissue of an Italeri kit, with new parts supplied by Tamiya. The kit goes together nicely, with good detail, and is a fun model to build. The kit includes 3 figures and many diorama accessories. BackgroundThe German Horch Kfz.15, a 4WD transport vehicle that was equipped with a liquid-cooled 8-cylinder engine capable of producing 85hp. Production of the vehicle began in 1937, and it saw action with the German military in a wide range of combat zones from Russia to North Africa. This particular kit has marking options for two dark yellow North Africa versions and one German gray version used in Russia. Kit ContentsVehicle parts on sprues A & B are from Italeri’s earlier… more |
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Soviet GAZ-67B Military VehiclesPublished:
Trumpeter’s GAZ 67-B is an updated model of the vehicle, but is not an easy build. Less experienced modelers might get frustrated with a lot of cleanup and loose fit of the parts. BackgroundThe GAZ-67 and the subsequent GAZ-67B were general purpose four-wheel drive Soviet military vehicles built by GAZ starting in 1943. By the end of the war, it was the Soviet equivalent of the Willys Jeep. The GAZ-67 was a further development of the earlier GAZ-64. The GAZ-67B had a strengthened chassis frame, enlarged fuel tank, a wider track of 1446 mm, and other improvements. It was powered by a slightly more powerful 54 hp version of GAZ M1 4-cylinder 3280 cc gasoline motor, and had a top speed of 90 km/h. Production of the GAZ-67 started on 23 September 1943, and in… more |
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Sd.Kfz.234/3 mit 7.5cm KwKPublished:
Dragon’s Sd.Kfz.234/3 is an excellent kit with crisp molding, full interior detail and while complicated, it goes together very well. This new Premium Edition is a reissue of Dragon’s 2007 kit #6257 including new fenders with photoetch storage bin covers & locks, and movable suspension that allows the wheels to be angled for turns. Vehicle BackgroundThe SdKfz 234/3 was the third in a series of heavy armored reconnaissance vehicles produced by Germany during WWII. It had an open-topped superstructure in which a short-barreled 7.5cm L/24 gun was installed. This gun, surplus from the upgrade of older Panzer IV tanks, was intended for use against "soft" targets. Eighty-eight of the 234/3s were produced by Buessing-Nag between June & December of 1944. The… more |
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Renault FT-17 TSFPublished:
Renault FT-17 TSF BackgroundThis Hauler conversion kit for MENG's 1/35 scale French FT-17 Light Tank (Cast Turret) kit, #TS-008, modifies it into a Renault FT-17 TSF Command Radio version. The Renault Char signal, or TSF (télégraphie sans fil - wireless, in English), is a command tank with a radio. The FT-17 turret was replaced by a box-like superstructure, giving room for a crew of three: driver, radio operator and observer. The vehicle was equipped with a code-only wireless radio, and featured a wire antenna hung between a mast mounted on the superstructure and the vehicle’s tail. They were unarmed, used for coordinating assaults, and keeping contact with high command while deep behind enemy lines. During WWI, 188 TSFs were produced. Kit Contents… more |
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Von Franco’s Stoned Hoods & CrooksPublished:
BackgroundThis is the second Moebius Models kit based on the monster art of Von Franco, a self-taught American artist associated with the Lowbrow art movement and Kustom Kulture. Von Franco’s skill at drawing hot rod and monster art follows in the art style of Ed “Big Daddy” Roth and Von Dutch. The inspiration for this kit is Von Franco’s caricature monster painting Stoned Hoods & Crooks. The challenge of this kit is not in the build, but in painting the model in the cartoonish style of the box art. If you ever wanted to paint a fluorescent orange model piloted by a lime green monster driver with bloodshot eyes, then this is your kit! Kit ContentsThis kit was released in 2013, and follows a previous Moebius Models artwork-turned-kit version of… more |