Bill O'Malley
Reviews By Author
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The 101st Airborne in Normandy, June 1944Published:
SummaryThis book is a photo essay of the 101st Airborne in Normandy from D-Day through early July 1944. The first of Casemate’s Illustrated series, the book has many black-and-white and color photographs, colored vehicle profiles, color photos of key participants, and colored maps. Written descriptions of the 101st units and movements accompany the many photos. The text is fairly brief, and is not meant to be a complete written description of the activities of the 101st. Most of the information is contained in photographs, captions, and more detailed “In profile” articles. The Book’s Chapters:
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Jeannin Stahltaube Landing Gear & Wire Supts. (WNW)Published:
Scale Aircraft Conversions produces white metal replacement parts for kit details such as landing gear. This set provides metal landing gear, plow brake, upper & lower cable support struts, and outside wing cable supports for the WingNut Wings 1/32 Jeannin Stahltube plastic kit. These detail parts come in a 2 1/2”x 3 1/2”x 1” blister pack containing eight sprues with 12 parts. Parts include the main landing gear, plow brake, and the upper and lower struts and turnbuckles for the wing rigging cables. Some of the parts were slightly bent coming out of the package, but one of the advantages of metal castings is their ability to be bent back into shape. The detail on the metal parts slightly softer than the comparable kit plastic parts, although still good. There is some… more |
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Osprey Early US Armor - Armored Cars 1915-40Published:
This informative and well-illustrated book covers early US armor from steam-powered units in the late 1800s, early armored cars used in pursuit of Pancho Villa, and armored cars in action during the Great War. Armored cars were abandoned prior to World War II in favor of more lightly armored scout cars and half-track cars that would see extensive use in World War II. Prolific author Steven J. Zaloga has worked as an analyst in the aerospace industry for over three decades, covering missile systems and the international arms trade, and has served with the Institute for Defense Analyses. He is the author of numerous books on military technology and military history, with an accent on the US Army in World War II as well as Russia and the former Soviet Union. Illustrator Felipe… more |
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Sd.Kfz. 2 Kleines Kettenkraftrad Typ HK 101Published:
Background on the vehicle is provided in English, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Russian. Colors are called out in Italeri acrylic paint numbers and some in RAL numbers. Detail color references are included in the various assembly steps. Diagrams of each of the sprues are included, which is important as the parts are not numbered on the sprues themselves. The sprue letter is only called out on the diagram, not the actual sprue. Identifying the correct part will require referring to the sprue diagrams to see the number and where it’s located on which sprue. I made copies of the sprue diagrams to tape up in front of my workbench for quick reference. I also added tape tabs to the sprues with the sprue number to make it easier to find the right sprue. Hull Assembly… more |
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Operation Dynamo Colouring BookPublished:
This is the second adult coloring book published by MMP following their Classic Fighters book. The Operation Dynamo adult coloring book focuses on the airplanes and military vehicles used at the time of Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940. The book is 8 1/4“ x 11 1/2“ and includes 32 pages with 15 vehicles on two-page spreads. Each vehicle or aircraft includes a black-and-white photo, technical specifications, and a brief description. The image to be colored is a simple line drawing without a lot of detail, which makes coloring easier. Aircraft & Vehicles Included:
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Real Colors of WWII bookPublished:
AK’s Real Colors of WWII is a beautiful publication packed with historical information and photos documenting actual colors and camouflage patterns used on WWII military vehicles. AK describes the book as a detailed study of documents and original vehicle material from each respective army, plus the synthesis of other publications which are recognized as benchmarks in vehicle color. The intention of the book is to share all this information and provide a guide to the colors that can be used to produce an accurate camouflaged vehicle in a specific theater of operations. The goal to provide a standard guide of colors is a noble one, and will surely generate lots of discussions. Using the study of preserved military equipment, and scientific analysis, AK has developed the… more |
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Real Colors Acrylic Lacquer PaintsPublished:
Real Colors are AK-Interactive’s excellent new line of acrylic lacquer paints. These paints are new technically in the paint formula and new artistically with the statement on paint colors. These paint colors have been determined through scientific analysis of actual WWII paint samples to produce colors as accurate as possible. In addition to the paints, AK has published a book, Real Colors of WWII, that documents the historical research and analysis that went into determining the paint colors. The Real Colors paints and Real Colors of WWII book provide a historical benchmark of paint colors that will be a valuable resource for modelers to reproduce accurate vehicle colors. I anticipate lots of discussion about the colors presented. The PaintsReal Color paints are… more |
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Scammell Pioneer SV2S Heavy Breakdown TractorPublished:
IBG is the first of several manufacturers to issue new versions of the iconic British WWII truck, the Scammell Pioneer. Their first release is the Pioneer SV2S Heavy Breakdown Tractor. IBG has also announced two additional versions of the Scammell, the Pioneer R100 Artillery Tractor and the Pioneer Tank Transporter with TRMU30 Trailer. Background on the Scammell Pioneer from IBG’s website: The Scammell Pioneer was a British 6x4 tractor used in the Second World War as recovery vehicle, artillery tractor, and tank transporter. All Pioneers in British Army were equipped with a 102 HP Gardner 6-cylinder diesel engine, rear-wheels drive, and a power winch. Introduced in 1935, the version R100 heavy artillery tractor was used in World War II to tow medium and… more |
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Scammell Pioneer SV2S PhotoetchPublished:
Eduard has issued this nice photoetch set for IBG Model’s newly released Scammell Pioneer SV2S Heavy Breakdown Tractor. IBG’s kit has very good detail, and Eduard provides many additional details to improve the quality of the model. The photoetch is up to Eduard’s high quality standard, but there are many very small parts to deal with. I could assemble all the photoetch using super glue, and did not find soldering to be necessary. The photoetch seems to be very thin, and several pieces broke when I tried to bend them. Experience working with photoetch is highly recommended for this set. The use of a bending device tool is also very helpful for this set. To add PE to a model, I go through the kit instructions and mark those parts that are modified by the photoetch so it… more |
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Export Vipers DecalsPublished:
This sheet features markings for some of the more unique and colorful F-16s in use around the world. These decals are sized for the Tamiya series of F-16 kits. There are enough stencils to model two complete F-16s in 1/48. The package includes one 8 ¼ in. x 10 ¼ in. decal sheet, stencil guide, and walkway marking layout. The decal sheet is packed full of decals, some extremely small, but even the smallest are crisp and clear. Paint & marking guides are provided for the following aircraft:
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