Bob LaBouy
Reviews By Author
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Land Rover – Military Versions of the British 4X4Published:
Publishers Notes“After the Second World War many American military vehicles become surplus stock and soon found their way into the hands of farmers and land owners across Great Britain. The subsequent heavy use and the real possibility of difficulties obtaining spares led Maurice Wilks, the Rover Car Company Chief Engineer, to design and build a replacement.” Table of Contents
Introduction“Since its introduction in 1945 when the Land Rover was quickly adopted by the… more |
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Desert Storm – Volume 2 - Operation Desert Storm and the Coalition Liberation of Kuwait 1991Published:
From the publisher’s notes on this book: “Early in the morning of 2 August 1990, aircraft of the Iraqi Air Force bombed Kuwaiti air bases, and then the Iraqi Republican Guards stormed into the country. Thus, began what would be called the ‘Gulf War’ – or the ‘II Gulf War’ or ‘II Persian Gulf War’ – fought between January and March 1991. Although encountering some problems, the Iraqi forces occupied Kuwait in a matter of a few days. However, when President Saddam Hussein of Iraq unleashed his military upon Kuwait, little did he know what kind of reaction he would provoke from the Western superpowers, and what kind of devastation his country would suffer in return. Concerned about the possibility of Iraq continuing its advance into Saudi Arabia, the USA – in… more |
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3cm Flakvierling 103/38Published:
This KitThe kit’s guns are described as “The Mk 103/38 was a late-war, four-gun installation of the Mk 103 3cm gun from Rheinmetall Borsig. The Mk 103 was an electrically fired, recoil and gas-operated automatic cannon designed to be used as a dual-purpose weapon against air and ground targets. The Mk 103 had a rate of fire of 280 rounds per minute using high explosive (HE) rounds, and 420 rounds per minute when firing Armor Piercing rounds. The experimental Mk 103/38 four-gun installation proved troublesome dur to (the) fact that the mount was originally designed for the smaller 2cm Flak 38, and heavy vibration took its toll on both the equipment and the crew aiming the weapon.” This kit provides a gun mount which can be… more |
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MaxxPro Dash with SPARK II Mine RollerPublished:
This is a reissue of the earlier MaxxPro kit issued two years ago, with the addition of Spark II mine roller parts. The ‘User Manual’ is twenty pages containing a map of the kit’s parts outlining 22 steps, a color four-view for one vehicle and no color suggestions or paint chart, though the four-view indicates that Gunze Sanyo Mr. Color were used in constructing the model. This kit contains approximately 522 molded parts on 12 sprue trees, a sheet of 41 photo etched parts, four tires and a decal sheet. An example is that there are 3 sprue trees each marked a “B” indicator and each is a separate group of individual items—confusing to say the least. From the earliest ‘details’ I found the various drawings to be lacking several key ingredients. When illustrating the… more |
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Dio Drybrush Paints, Light Grey & Panzer GreyPublished:
PaintingI asked for the opportunity to try this new product from the imaginative modeling studios of Mig Jimenez. As many modelers realize, Mr. Jimenez has a vast collection of modeling paints and primers. However, with these new Dio Drybrush paints, he has unleashed a great new line of special effects into the world of dry brushing. This new line comes in a variety of 27 paint products which will allow most modelers the opportunity to further our dry brushing skills. Two colors were initially sent to me to preview: Light Grey, A.MIG-0601 and Panzer Grey, A.MIG-0604. I quickly set up a model with three different base colors to see my initial impressions and what results I could get using DIO DRYBRUSH paints. I should also admit being reasonably new to the… more |
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ROC TIFV CM-34 "Clouded Leopard"Published:
HistoryThe name ‘clouded leopard’ is taken from a beautiful medium-sized wild cat that is found throughout much of Southeastern Asia and pictured below to satisfy your animal interest for this beautiful cat. This kit is a Taiwan Infantry Fighting Vehicle (TIFV) and appears to closely resemble the Stryker vehicles I have seen at Ft. Lewis. That’s where the apparent similarity ends, as the basic CM-32 vehicle series is new design built in Taiwan, the Republic of China. This Taiwanese vehicle is an 8 wheeled armored vehicle with the four front wheels able to articulate together, allowing for approximately a 33-foot turning radius. The CM-32 series is currently at roughly 600 units and is estimated to include almost 1,400 in total operational service. The CM-34 (… more |
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F-104G CockpitPublished:
This KitThis is not a new kit and was previously reviewed by Mark Andrews in February 2020 and followed up with an after-market seat belt set review by Chris Smith. I strongly recommend you read both of these reviews and I hope I have avoided repeating those reviewers’ contents. After it’s initial issue by ESCI, way back in 1983, this kit is clearly showing its age especially in terms of the industry’s newer molding technology. While I rate the fit of most parts is passible and the overall accuracy of the kit as good, you should be prepared for a 1983 ESCI kit effort (reboxed in 2001 and now 2020). I also have one of the earlier kits and cannot find any differences in the 37 years between these two kits. The BuildThe kit is a reasonably easy build… more |
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M3 Lee GrantPublished:
From the publisher’s notes on this book: “This volume is the most detailed study yet presented of the M3 Lee/Grant tanks, illustrating and describing the development, production, and use of these iconic vehicles by US, Commonwealth, and Russian forces during WWII. The tanks, their power plants, and production techniques used by each manufacturer are shown from assembly line to front line through this profusely illustrated book, including numerous never before published vintage photos.” The Table of Contents provides this basic outline:
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F-100 Super Sabre In Detail & ScalePublished:
In this review, I began by comparing Bert’s initial F-100 book, published way back in 1989 which was 72 pages in length (D&S Vol.33) priced at $9.95. With the newest Detail & Scale Series Volume 11, you’ll get 104 pages (at approximately twice the price) and you will see a dramatically increased amount of color images and increased amount of details about the F-100. If this earlier print version can be located, I recommend to pick up a copy, since there are a good number of differences of the photos offered. I was especially impressed with two of the narratives provided in the book’s ‘Super Sabre Pilot’s Report’ and ‘The Super Sabre In Southeast Asia’ both of which well documented with numerous photographs. The Table of Contents provides for this basic outline… more |
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Tiger Battalion 507Published:
Tiger Battalion 507The Table of Contents provides this basic outline:
As a preface to this very interesting book, the author, Mr. Schneider provides a snapshot of himself, aged 19, Schneider volunteered for the Panzer Arm in March 1941. He was one of the… more |