IPMS Number
39182
Chris Smith
Reviews By Author
|
B.M.W. 320 Group 5Published: November 29, 2023 Italeri offers us a reissue of a kit first released in 1977 by ESCI. The B.M.W. 320 ran in a new group 5 class introduced in 1976. Regarded by driving enthusiasts as one of the best cars ever made, the three series was a natural for conversion to racing. Group five rules allowed wider body width which in turn allowed wider tires. This car ran a two-liter turbo charged engine making 300… more |
|
Recreational Vehicles, A World History 1872-1939Published: November 28, 2023 A good book takes you to places you’ve never been and opens your perspective in ways you might never have considered. This book does just that with an object so ubiquitous that we don’t really notice them, the recreational vehicle or RV. Andrew Woodmansey has written a book that takes us on a worldwide historical journey tracing the origin and development of these vehicles. A… more |
|
Copper Wings, British South Africa Police Reserve Air Wing, Volume 2Published: November 12, 2023 In volume one we followed the exploits of the Police Reserve Air Wings (PRAW) operating in Rhodesia from 1967 to the last 1970s. These units supported the Rhodesian police by providing air support in countering resistance units that were attempting to force independence from British control. Although that goal was achieved in 1980, PRAW operated until the early 2000s. This volume covers PRAW… more |
|
Copper Wings, British South Africa Police Reserve Air Wing, Volume 1Published: November 12, 2023 I was attracted to this volume because I'm a private pilot and have flown several of the aircraft types in this book. The story is set in Colonial South Africa, Rhodesia (now Botswana), to be exact. Like many of the British Colonial territories after WWII, the native populations began to demand independence from the Commonwealth. The methods employed to achieve this goal created conflict that… more |
|
OV-10A BroncoPublished: October 14, 2023 Originating from a USMC requirement for a close support aircraft, The OV10-A, a North American Aviation design, won a production contract in 1964. Performance highlights included short takeoff using a high-lift wing configuration and trailing beam landing gear to allow rough field operations. The central boom could hold paratroopers while sponsons carried 4 machine guns and hard points for… more |
|
Soviet Military Airfield 1980sPublished: May 13, 2023 It's not hard (at least not for me), to remember when anything related to Soviet military equipment and operations was a mystery in the west. Not until the cold war Soviet Union fell apart in the 1980s did, we get a good look at what the Soviets had been up to. This set from ICM give us the basics needed to portray what we might have seen behind the “Iron Curtain”. This kit includes two ZiL-… more |
|
US GP 100lb AN-M30A1 Bombs (10pcs)Published: March 25, 2023 This set from Brengun provides parts to build ten 100lb bombs. Each bomb consists of a resin main body and four photoetched parts to represent the fins and the fuse arming prop on the nose. Separating the bombs from the pour gates is quickly done as they have a pouring extension on the front and are attached to a runner of five at the back. Attaching the fin assemblies requires removing three… more |
|
US WWII 110 Gallon Fuel TankPublished: March 7, 2023 As the US Army Air Forces P-51 escorts ventured farther over Japan they required more fuel. Enter the 110 gallon drop tank. Similar in design to the 96-gallon tanks formed from stamped aluminum halves pinch joined at the seams, these larger tanks now held 660 lbs. of fuel. The sway braces used on the standard pylons were not up to the task. Fixing this problem took the form of plywood braces… more |
|
Vickers 1911-77Published: March 4, 2023 Anyone familiar with the Vickers name knows how critical their contribution to British industry has been. Starting in 1828 as a steel producer, the company diversified into arms, ships, railroad stock and aircraft. The aviation arm of the company got its start by building rigid airships and blimps. This experience not only gave them experience in building these types of structure, it also… more |
|
P-51B MustangPublished: January 23, 2023 I know what you’re thinking, does the world need another P-51 Mustang model? In the case of the ARMA P-51B kit the answer is YES! If you love the Mustang like I do, you must build one of these kits. ARMA has created detail fidelity in this scale that I’ve not seen in scales much larger. The cockpit is a model in itself and includes decals for all the placards. Capping it are standard canopy… more |