Bill O'Malley
Reviews By Author
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Husky Mk. IIIPublished:
Background (Wikipedia)The Husky VMMD (vehicle-mounted mine detection) family of vehicles are blast-survivable, mission-configurable, wheeled platforms employed by specialized route clearance teams operating in high-explosive threat areas. The Mk. III is the modern single-occupant Husky model. The platform is integrated with pulse induction metal detector panels and overpass tires that enable operators to regulate tire air pressure in order to reduce the risk of detonating. As with all Husky platforms, the Mk. III has been engineered in a unique modular, frangible configuration. In the event of a mine or improvised explosive device detonation, vehicle components break apart in a predictable fashion, reducing damage to the platform and occupants, as well as facilitating fast… more |
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"Pave Hawk" HH-60G, Part 2 ExteriorPublished:
"Pave Hawk" HH-60GThis the second part of the review of Kitty Hawk’s 1/35 "Pave Hawk" HH-60G. This review covers the engines, exterior, and armament of the Pave Hawk kit. Background on the Pave Hawk, description of the kit, contents, and interior assembly of the kit is reviewed separately: "Pave Hawk" HH-60G, Part 1 Interior BackgroundThe HH-60G Pave Hawk's core mission is recovery of personnel under hostile conditions, including combat search and rescue. Sikorsky HH-60G Pave Hawk 26227 of the 305th Rescue Squadron based… more |
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MH-60L Black Hawk Landing Gear (KH)Published:
This landing gear set by Scale Aircraft Conversions (SAC) is for the Kitty Hawk MH-60L Black Hawk kit, although it can be used on the Kitty Hawk HH-60G Pave Hawk as well. For this review I used the gear on the Pave Hawk version kit. Kit ContentsThe landing gear comes in SAC’s typical blister pack with some of the parts loose and some attached to a metal casting sprue. The kit includes 10 parts, six for the front and rear landing gear, and four for the weapons sponson supports that mount above the main gear on the Black Hawk. I did not use the supports for the Pave Hawk version. PartsThe parts are cast in soft white metal that leaves mold seems on most of the parts. The mold seems can be easily cleaned up with an X-Acto blade, sanding sticks, or… more |
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Medium Tank M3 Lee I TopdrawingsPublished:
IntroductionM3 General Lee is an American medium tank from World War II era, also used by the British Army and known as Lee in the US, and in the United Kingdom as Grant. The M3 tank was created as a result of the need to replace the obsolete M2 tank, which did not match the WWII battlefield. The serial production began in August 1941. The M3 tank had many components from the M2 light tank, including chassis, Wright R975 EC2 star engine, and the shape of the combat compartment. Kagero TopdrawingsKagero Topdrawings series are a great resource for all modelers who want correct proportions and details of the vehicle. High quality line drawings are presented along with colored profiles and camouflage schemes. Plans are in popular scales including 1/48 and 1/35… more |
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Metallic Paints by Mission ModelsPublished:
Mission Models Paint (MMP) has released some new metallic colors to add to their acrylic paint range. The colors reviewed with this release include. MMP paints include the following:
Mission Models also provided Gloss White Base MMGWB-002, Grey Primer MMS-003, and MMS-007 Clear Primer. The Gloss White Base can be used as an alternative to Gloss Black Base under metallic colors to provide a lighter shade of the finish paint. Mission Models Clear is an interesting primer that can be tinted to match finish paints for a more uniform color coat. Blaine Singleton has provided a… more |
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War PhotographerPublished:
This book is PeKo Publishing’s second in the series of photo albums introducing rare wartime photos from battles, operations, vehicles, or complete photo albums from soldiers who fought in WWII. This volume 1.1 illustrates photos from an unidentified German Sturmartillerist of the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung (Assault Gun Battalion) 191. The first volume in the series, 1.0, illustrated photos from Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 189. Abteilung 191 was dispatched in December 1940 from Jüterbog to Romania, and traveled through Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary. The book contains photographs from fighting at the Greek border where the Abteilung supported the German infantry on the Metaxas line. Photographs during marches through the country showing destruction and enemy vehicles, and in… more |
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"Pave Hawk" HH-60G, Part 1 InteriorPublished:
BackgroundMissionThe primary mission of the HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter is to conduct day or night personnel recovery operations into hostile environments to recover isolated personnel during war. The HH-60G is also tasked to perform military operations other than war, including civil search and rescue, medical evacuation, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, security cooperation/aviation advisory, NASA space flight support, and rescue command and control. FeaturesThe Pave Hawk is a highly modified version of the Army Black Hawk helicopter which features an upgraded communications and navigation suite that includes integrated inertial navigation/global positioning/Doppler navigation systems, satellite communications, secure voice, and… more |
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The Second World War Illustrated - The First YearPublished:
This series by Pen & Sword features photographs from each year of the Second World War. This first volume includes photographs and illustrations of the first year, 1939 to 1940, and covers the contributing factors that led to the outbreak of hostilities. The book includes 750 images and photographs in a picture strip or collage style. It’s a quick, convenient, visual history of the first year of World War II. The text is in sidebars or captions for the photos and is easy to read. The text and photos are in chronological order as events unfolded The book is packed with photos on each page like a collage, and includes captions describing the events and people in the photographs. Maps and illustrations of military movements, reproductions of posters, newspapers, and other… more |
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Sherman Tank, Vol. 2Published:
Sherman Tank, Vol. 2, is the second book in David Doyle’s Legends of Warfare series on the Sherman Tank. The first volume of the series covered the Sherman M4A1 Tank in several variations. This Volume 2 covers the Sherman M4 medium tank, which is a welded hull, radial engine-equipped tank. The M4 was the predominant US tank in WWII until late summer 1944 when it was replaced by the M4A3. The M4 was used by both the US and British forces in Africa, Europe, and the Pacific. The M4 went through three major hull designs, multiple turret designs, and was armed with 75mm or 105mm guns. The book is organized in chapters on each of the major variations of the M4 tank and includes a chapter with photos of the tanks in action during WWII. Each of the chapters includes a… more |
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HMEE-1 (High Mobility Engineer Excavator)Published:
DescriptionThe HMEE-1 is an armored backhoe loader designed for high speeds in order to self-deploy with military convoys, and capable of towing heavy loads with good off-road mobility. It is based on technology from the JCB Fastrac tractors. The maximum speed of the HMEE is 60 mph on improved roads and 25 mph on secondary roads. Wikipedia Panda’s kit is the -1 version of the HMEE with armored cab, front clamshell bucket/dozer blade, and rear backhoe. The kit includes an engine, but no transmission transfer case. The kit’s hydraulic cylinders will move, the front clamshell is openable, and the bucket arms raise and lower. The rear backhoe folds open/close and rotates and the rear outriggers are movable up or down. It might be possible to install the wheels so they… more |