Brian R. Baker
Reviews By Author
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Vital Storm - Early Hurricanes Collection Part 1 and Mosquitos - Special Edition - Canadians in Coastal CommandPublished:
Editor's note: This review combines two (2) decal sheet products from the manufacturer and this explains the double title. The sets are listed as:Stock #: AOD72007.1 (Hurricanes) and AOD72011 (Mosquitos) and priced at $11.89 and $8.89 respectively. Canadian dollars and US dollars are at approximately par value at this writing. This is a relatively new company, a Canadian firm that is beginning a line of very high quality decals for various RAF and RCAF subjects. The decals are thin, in perfect register, and very complete, with numerous maintenance and “no step” markings, such as are usually found on Luftwaffe decal sets. Markings are provided for no less than seven different Hurricanes from the Battle of Britain period and shortly after, although roundels and markings… more |
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U-BOAT WAR 1939-45Published:
During World War II, one of the most publicized branches of the German armed forces was the U-Boat Command. At the beginning of the war, the submarine service was unprepared for the conflict to come, and as the war began, a rapid expansion took place, with U-boat construction and crew training assuming a rapid pace. The Germans never had enough U-boats, and as the war progressed, the Allies were able to develop countermeasures, such as long range aircraft, convoy escorts, and the decoding of German Enigma traffic, which slowed down and eventually overcame the effectiveness of the U-boats against Allied shipping. Although over 1,100 U-boats were built, over 800 were unsuccessful or never saw action, but nevertheless, only 30 U-boat commanders accounted for about 800 of the total of… more |
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P-40N RNEIAAF Part 2 'Back to the Dutch Indies' 1945-'50Published:
IntroductionMost aviation enthusiasts assume that the Curtiss P-40N, like General Douglas MacArthur’s “Old Soldier”, just faded away after the end of World War II. This was most certainly not the case as far as the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force was concerned. As the Japanese began leaving their former Dutch conquests in 1945, they left behind a motley collection of combat aircraft, some of which were appropriated and flown by the Indonesian insurgents, who were determined to get the Dutch out of their islands so they could become an independent country, in accordance with the postwar trend of ending European colonialism in that part of the world. The Dutch, predictably, fought to maintain what had been their colony for over 100 years, and the resulting… more |
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Spitfire Mk. I & Messerschmitt BF-109E-4 'Battle of Britain' (Double kit Issue)Published:
INTRODUCTION The Spitfire Mk. I and Messerschmitt Bf-109E-4 need no introduction to modelers of any age, so I’ll dispense with the historical background. It is only necessary to comment that these aircraft could have been adversaries, as they were both used during the Battle of Britain in 1940. I would assume that these kits were reissued for limited experience modelers, as most of us have built these kits for years. Spitfire Mk. I This kit is a reissue of a kit that has been around for many years, first appearing in the late 1970’s. I have one on my display shelf dated 1978. I have an early issue kit for comparison, JS-099/A15, and it has no dates on either the box or the instructions, although it might be in some of the… more |
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Late Gotha Bombers, Windsock Datafile 143Published:
Although most World War I enthusiasts are familiar with the Gotha bombers, and for a time, the name Gotha was the generic term for any large biplane bomber with black crosses on its wings, little information has been published about the airplanes that Gotha designed to replace its standard long range bombers. Although too late for service in the Great War, these planes represented a step forward in bomber design, featuring better streamlining and higher performance using smaller airframes. Several prototypes were ordered, including the G.VII, GL.VII, G.VIII. and G.IX. There were many variations of the basic design, and some were envisioned as reconnaissance aircraft with specialized camera installations, and even as armored ground attack types. Only a few early models appear to have… more |
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Supermarine S-6 and S-6a/BPublished:
The line of Supermarine racers, designed to attack and eventually acquire the Schneider Trophy for Seaplanes, actually began with the S.4, a mid-wing cantilever monoplane with amazing aerodynamic form for its time, 1925. This floatplane racer was sent to the United States for the eighth Schneider Cup races at Baltimore, where it suffered a number of mishaps before it finally was wrecked when the pilot lost control, fortunately with no injuries. The race was won by Lt. Jimmy Doolittle, with the backup Gloster III placing second. The FAI eventually decided to run the even every two years to allow for the development time of new airplanes, and next began preparations for the 1927 event at Lido, Venice, Italy. The Royal Air Force had established the High Speed Flight at Felixstowe… more |
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The FW-200 Condor, A Complete HistoryPublished:
The Focke-Wulf FW-200 first achieved fame as one of the world’s first modern, four-engine airliners, although its early career with Lufthansa and Danish Air Lines was relatively brief. Two were exported to Brazil, where they lasted longer than any others, finally being scrapped in 1950. Its airline career was cut short by the outbreak of war, when most FW-200’s were impressed into the Luftwaffe, and most subsequent production aircraft were intended for long range maritime reconnaissance and bombing missions rather than their original transport role. The story of the Focke-Wulf FW-200 is intermeshed with the conflict between the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe, essentially a political power struggle between the Navy General Staff and Hermann Goring, who was determined that his… more |
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Brewster F2A Exhaust StacksPublished:
These accessories are produced by Quickboost, a resin-manufacturing firm that provides corrected components for discriminating modelers who want to get it right. Quickboost produces a large variety of corrected parts for aircraft kits in 1/72, 1/48, and 1/32 scale, and their website is very interesting to browse through. In this case, Hasegawa has taken a shortcut in their production process, not the first time this has happened. It reminds me of the old Lindberg kits many years ago that had standard propellers which were supposed to fit on many different kinds of airplanes. It didn’t work then, and still doesn’t today. Hasegawa’s two issues of the Brewster F2A-1 and F2A-2 Buffalo, and this would include their kit of the Finnish Brewster 239, which is almost identical to the F2A… more |
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Camouflage Decals for Caudron CR.714, Morane MS.406, & Curtiss H75APublished:
This is a British product, the first of a series, providing a very nice set of 1/32 scale decals and an accompanying booklet, featuring three aircraft flown by Polish pilots flying with the French Armee de l’Aire during the Battle of France in 1940. Two versions of this issue exist, one in 1/32 scale and one in 1/48. The decal sheet and booklet are provided in one unit, and cannot be purchased separately. The booklet, a rather large publication of 16 pages plus cover, measures 13 by 9 ¼ inches, and consists of detailed information on the colors and markings of each aircraft. A short history of the pilot and his operational career is included, and these make interesting reading. The booklet is filled with excellently reproduced photos, mostly from German sources, as many of the… more |
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Windsock Datafile 141: AMC DH9A 'Ninak', Volume TwoPublished:
This is the second of two volumes dealing with the history of the DeHavilland DH-9A, and continues the story of the postwar development and service of this most versatile biplane. The first volume generated a lot of feedback, so a number of points are clarified, and more details are included, although the main thrust of this issue is the postwar service and development, as well as the Russian copies that were produced as the R-1 after the Bolshevik Revolution. Since there are a couple of kits available of this aircraft, at least in 1/72 scale, the book will be of special interest for those of us who model World War I and “Tween the Wars” airplanes. There are a number of features in this book that make it a worthwhile addition to the library of anyone interested in aviation of… more |