Bob LaBouy
Reviews By Author
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IDF M60A1 Magach 6BPublished:
History and this KitThe Magach tank was produced and based on both the M48, and with the Magach 6B on M60 tank hulls. I took this review assignment because of my interest in the M60 Patton tanks. Having built several over the last few years and AFV’s M60A1 kit #35060 and Takom’s M60A1 with the Explosive Reactive Armor, I was equally up for the challenge of the Magach 6B. This latest version of the Magach 6B has mostly aspects that we modelers can’t see: the British 105mm gun and 750hp diesel engine. As the M60 tanks were modified into the Magach 6 series the most noticeable difference is the explosive reactive armor panels surrounding the turret and the frontal hull area, and the addition of a M2 50 cal. and two 30 cal. machine guns on the turret. The Build… more |
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Operation Linebacker II 1972Published:
In his organization of this book, Mr. Michel provides a logical approach to this ‘air campaign.’ The Table of Contents provides for the basic outline:
During his introduction, I was surprised to read the author’s comments about an earlier book I had read and prior to this point considered to be the basic groundwork for this air war over Vietnam; Linebacker II: A View From the Rock. He calls this early recounting of the Linebacker II operations “an inaccurate and self-aggrandizing memoir.” In this book, the author… more |
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F-102A & F-106 DecalsPublished:
Fündekals provided these five sample sheets for my review. Each sheet provides numerous decals. The F-102A sheets each provide either five or six sets of individual markings. In the case of the Stencil sheet at least one complete set of markings (many of which I used in completion of my F-102A model, and in the Stars and Bars sheets, numerous national insignia. Sheets Reviewed
The BuildI decided to build a Monogram F-102A in order to at least try these decals. I have long come to the personal conclusion that review comments not… more |
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Chance Vought F4U CorsairPublished:
This is a very handy reference publication for modelers. In this booklet by Maciej Noszczak, there are 20 pages of beautiful line drawings, side view color plates and photos of the XF4U-1 prototype. There is little in the way of text, aside from a long paragraph detailing the basic developmental stages for the Corsair family of aircraft. The line drawings are highly detailed (including one full page inserted and removable page). The line drawings are prepared in 1/48th scale while the color plates are done in a larger unspecified scale. However, these color plates provide a number of valuable color references in both two-tone grey over white, solid dark grey, and the ever popular intermediate blue and dark blue over white schemes. Though far from an expert on… more |
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P-40N with CMK Add-On PartsPublished:
The AircraftThe P-40N was in several respects the final and some would say the definitive P-40 Warhawk or the Kittyhawk Mk. IV. The most distinguishing feature was the extended canopy, which provided the pilot with a much better view from within the canopy. While it can’t be seen from the exterior, this model of the P-40N was powered by the Allison V-1710-87 engine. The KitThis kit was a pleasure to build and estimated to take only 20 hours to complete, appears to match the published dimensions in all respects, and provides an attractive addition to the Warhawk or Kittyhawk family of kits (not counting the CMK after-market items noted below). The BuildThe basic kit has a pretty low level of difficulty and would be pretty straight-forward… more |
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Charlie Company’s Journey Home: The Forgotten Impact on the Wives of Vietnam VeteransPublished:
I found this book to be a compelling read on several levels. It is written about the lives of women who were involved with and or married to the men who served with Charlie Company, 4thof the 47thInfantry, 9thInfantry Division, stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas. It is certainly a book full of statistics, averages and other data to provide the reader with a great deal of insight into what life was like for the very few wives already married when their husbands were preparing to go into combat in Vietnam in early 1967. As a nation, we seemed to overlook the terrible toll—mentally and physically, that the women who stay home pay. There was a great deal of irony in this book for me personally: I graduated from the University of Washington in early 1967 and planned for several… more |
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USN F-4J VF-84 "Jolly Rogers"Published:
When initially opening the kit you are greeted with this note: ‘This product can be assembled without having to glue but usage of proper glue is recommended for detailed parts.’ I find these instructions intended to entice younger modelers bit comical—as this Phantom model clearly requires the aid of glues of several types. With that caveat, it is a very easy-to-assemble kit and enjoyable kit to build. In keeping with these basic instructions, I have assembled this kit using almost no filler, aside from a very small amount of Perfect Plastic Putty (applying it using a very fine tooth pick to apply the filler). There are 18 individual sprue sections for this model kit. Academy continues to use of three basic colors in the moulded kit parts (gray, black and white), including… more |
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T-72M Early TurretPublished:
HistoryThis is a review of the SBS T-72 M early turret, for the Tamiya T-72 M1 kit. As such, the model requires the Tamiya kit for almost all parts needed in this build (aside from the basic turret itself). KitThis box contains 11 resin cast parts, a sheet of decals, 55 separate photo-etched parts, as well as a printed outline of where all the P-E should go’ Though I have a limited amount of experience with PE and resin, I volunteered to undertake this review because I have acquired a ‘taste’ for the Soviet bloc armor and thought this would help expand my modeling knowledge and enjoyment. On second thought, my ambitions may have exceeded my grasp of the undertaking at hand. Builders NotesThe overall quality of the casting and PE… more |
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M1A2 SEP V2 AbramsPublished:
HistoryThe M1 Abrams tank is one of the world’s best know, easily recognized and most lethal main battle tanks, and has seen combat throughout both the Iraqi and Afghanistan wars. One of the latest versions is the M1A2 SEP V2. ‘SEP V2’ stands for System Enhanced Program and ‘V2’ denotes Version 2. There are numerous URLs & sites dedicated to both the SEP V2, a great deal of public information and photographs available to assist the scale modeler in construction and finishing of this tank. KitThis is a great kit, providing not only the basis for the updated versions of the Abrams, of which over 5100 examples have been built since the M1’s were first produced in 1978. Not to be outdone by either their earlier issues of the M1 kits nor… more |
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F-16CJ Block 50 Fighting FalconPublished:
The AircraftThis is the second release of the 1/72 scale F-16CJ [Block 50] Fighting Falcon now with parts depicting underside equipment used on the aircraft! The versatile F-16 Fighting Falcon's adaptability to both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions makes it one of the cornerstones of the U.S. Air Force today. With over 4,500 F-16’s completed since it’s introduction in 1976, there have been numerous models of this aircraft in most model scales to date. Block 50 evolutions of the aircraft were deployed from 1991, F-16CJ fighters being fitted with radar countermeasures. The aircraft's capabilities have also been extended to include night fighter functionality. Equipment (depicted using new parts)
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