Brian R. Baker
Reviews By Author
|
Ilyushin Il-2 SturmovikPublished:
HistoryThe Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik has the distinction of being produced in the largest numbers of any combat aircraft anywhere in the world, and its developmental history is well known to most modelers and historians. Conceived in 1938 as an armored, close support and anti-tank aircraft, its designers wanted the plane to be a two-seater with a rearward firing machine gun for defense. Politicians changed the design, however, replacing the rear gunner with an additional fuel tank and more protective armor. Although the center section of the aircraft was essentially an armored shell, the wings, rear fuselage, and tail unit were made of wood. When the Germans invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, large numbers were in service, but the single-seat version was particularly… more |
|
Kawasaki Ki-45 Kai Hei Toryu (Nick)Published:
HistoryThe Kawasaki Ki-45 was the first attempt by Japanese manufacturers to provide the JAAF with a modern twin-engine fighter. The original specification was issued to Nakajima, Mitsubishi, and Kawasaki in 1937, but the first two soon withdrew from the project, Kawasaki continued into 1939 with the completion of the Ki-45 prototype. This proved to be inadequate in many respects, so in 1940 the aircraft was completely redesigned, with some existing Ki-45 prototypes being converted to Ki-45 Kai (Modified), with different wings, tail surfaces, and engines. Thus modified, the new aircraft was accepted for production by the IJAAF, entering service in 1942. The aircraft served throughout the Pacific War in China, New Guinea, Indo-China, Manchuria, the Philippines, and finally in… more |
|
Brewster F2A-1 BuffaloPublished:
HistoryThe Brewster F2A Buffalo series of single-engine fighters has long been maligned by aviation writers and historians, although its combat career varied widely because of the meager performance, training levels of its pilots, and the quality of the opposition. In the hands of the Finns, the airplane was highly successful, managing to score against Spitfires, Hurricanes, and other types operated by the Russians. In British and Dutch service, it fared poorly against the nimble Japanese fighters, although the war in Southeast Asia was by no means one-sided. At the Battle of Midway, a few USMC F2A-3’s suffered heavy losses against Japanese A6M2 Zero fighters, mainly because of the inexperience of the Americans facing Japanese pilots with much more combat skill. … more |
|
Messerschmitt Bf-110E Gun BarrelsPublished:
Quickboost has produced a set of resin gun barrels to replace the nose armament for the Eduard Bf-110E kit. The only real differences between the kit and replacement parts are that the resin part is one piece, whereas the kit parts need to be glued together, and the gun barrels are drilled out, allowing for more realism. Once installed, the gun barrels are barely visible, although the drilled out muzzles do stand out, and the parts are so small that drilling them out could be a bit tedious at best. This is a nice little addition to what is already an excellent kit. Recommended. My thanks to Quickboost and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review these items. |
|
Junkers JU-87D-3 StukaPublished:
HistoryWhen Ernst Udet brought back two Curtiss Hawk biplanes to Germany in the middle thirties after witnessing dive bombing demonstrations by US Navy pilots, he started a trend that resulted in the development of dive bombing aircraft for the Luftwaffe that eventually resulted in the development of the Junkers JU-87. Capable of nearly vertical dives retarded by very effective dive brakes, bombing accuracy improved dramatically, and during World War II, the Germans, along with the Americans and Japanese, developed dive bombing to a fine art. The Ju-87 was an early attempt at a specialized dive bomber, and although progressively developed during the war, could never keep pace with or coexist in an environment with enemy fighters unless a strong friendly fighter escort was… more |
|
Messerschmitt Bf-110E Landing GearPublished:
This is a set of white metal landing gear struts for the Eduard 1/72nd scale Bf-110E kit. The unit consists of two main gear legs, which are identical to those in the kit, two different sized tail wheels, and two sets of bracing struts. I think the smaller tail wheel would fit a Bf-109 quite nicely. No instructions were provided. There were attachment tabs on the main gear, but none for the struts, which need to be secured with superglue. In this case, I felt that the kit units were adequate, so I didn’t use these, although they might prove useful on that old Monogram kit I have been eyeing on my shelf. The larger tail wheel, however, is quite nice, and has better tire tread detail than the one in the kit. I used it on my Eduard review kit. Recommended. My thanks to Scale… more |
|
Messerschmitt Bf-110E Exhaust StacksPublished:
This is a set of resin exhaust stacks for the new Eduard Bf-110E kit. The advantage in using these units is that they are drilled out, whereas the kit parts are not. They fit perfectly, and were a welcome addition to my model. They are to be installed after painting the basic structure, allowing for such detailing and weathering as you desire. These are worth getting to upgrade your model. Recommended. My thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this item. |
|
Ilyushin IL-2 Type 3MPublished:
The Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik is perhaps one of the most famous aircraft of World War II, especially since more IL-2’s were produced, 36,163, than any other military combat aircraft of this era. Appearing in numerous versions, including single and two seaters, the IL-2 was probably the best close support and anti-tank aircraft used during the war. Any serious modeler should be aware of this plane’s history, so I won’t repeat it here. The model presents a rather unusual variant, the one with 37 mm. NS-37 cannons mounted in streamlined fairings underneath each wing. Flying characteristics suffered, caused by the CG shift rearward because of the cannon installations, but the aircraft was available in adequate numbers for the Kursk Battles, resulting in the destruction of many German tanks… more |
|
Fokker D.XXI Aces of World War 2Published:
The Fokker D.XXI single seat fighter was developed in the late thirties to replace the Fokker biplane fighters serving with the Dutch Army Aviation Branch. Although used in relatively small numbers by the Dutch, and quickly overwhelmed by the Luftwaffe during the German invasion, the type was also adopted by the Danes, but its major operational use was with the Finnish Air Force in the Winter War and afterwards . Faced with shortages of Bristol Mercury engines, the Finns also produced a variant powered by American Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior engines. These aircraft had some additional modifications, and were operated on both wheels and skis, quite successfully against the Russians, who didn’t fare too well against the highly trained and experienced Finnish pilots. Later… more |
|
Macchi C.200 SaettaPublished:
HistoryThe Macchi C.200 had its origins in a series of Schneider Cup seaplane racers designed by Mario Castoldi during the early thirties. The prototype C.200 first flew in 1937, and was an all-metal, low wing, radial powered monoplane possessing extremely clean lines. Its main drawbacks were its low powered 870 hp. Fiat A.74 engine and its meager armament, two fuselage mounted 12.7 mm. machine guns. Nevertheless, its flying characteristics were excellent, and it was selected for mass production, and a total of about 1,200 were completed by Macchi, and also Breda between 1939 and 1943, when it was replaced on the production lines by the C.202. The C.200 was used in all areas where the Regia Aeronautica was active, including mainland Italy, Malta, North Africa… more |