A Storm of Spears - Understanding the Greek Hoplite at War

Published: January 7, 2013
Book Author(s): Christopher Matthew
Company: Casemate Publishers

Have you ever struggled over a problem or edited your own writing, only to have someone look at it and see the thing that you couldn’t find or solve in seconds? That’s how I felt reading this book. The Greeks dominated the fourth and fifth century BC battlefields with the Phalanx form of warfare, which combined the use of specially armed and armored soldiers (or Hoplites) in specialized… more

E-2C Hawkeye - VAW 126 Seahawks

Published: November 17, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

Overview

Since its entry into Navy service in January of 1969, the Hawkeye has been the carrier-borne “eye in the sky” of the fleet. First flown October 21, 1969, the E-2 series has participated in every US combat action since Vietnam. After a rough start due to some teething problems with the electronics on board, the E-2 series is ready to serve into the foreseeable… more

P-40 E/K Warhawk “Flying Tigers”

Published: October 18, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

Overview

Since as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by the stories of the WWII fighter aces. One of the earliest images I can recall is the famous picture of Robert L. Scott sitting in his P-40 cockpit giving the A-OK sign in front of his kill marks painted under the windscreen. That picture personified the daring fighter pilots of WWII for me. The Flying… more

Pirate Ship "Black Swan" Part Three

Published: September 10, 2012
Company: Zvezda

Well, the Black Swan has set sail! In the process, I’ve developed a new appreciation for all those shipwrights out there, especially those who build from scratch! But I digress; in this final installment ,we’ll cover steps 37 to 61.

The Masts

First up, the masts, of which there are three: the main or largest mast, the fore mast, and the mizzen or rear-most mast. The mast… more

Lighting F Mk. 6 Combo

Published: August 3, 2012
Company: Hasegawa

Overview

The British Electric Lighting served 34 years from its first flight on August 30, 1954 to its retirement from service on April 30, 1988. One of the more spectacular fighters of the cold war era, the Lighting is remembered for its amazing take offs that pitched up to the vertical soon after lift off. This was not a feat common to aircraft of the period. The Mk 6… more

Pirate Ship "Black Swan" Part Two

Published: July 17, 2012
Company: Zvezda

Hull Assembly

We left off last time with a big box of parts just waiting for the magic of modeling to happen to them. I’m happy to report that things are moving along. In this installment, we get to step 36 of 61 in the instructions. It seemed like a good place to report, since the masts and rigging begin in earnest after that, so you won’t have as open a view of the deck. Before any… more

Pirate Ship "Black Swan" Part One

Published: July 17, 2012
Company: Zvezda

Ahoy, Mates! Welcome to the first installment of Zvezda’s 1/72 Pirate Ship “Black Swan.” One of the things I love about review team duty is the chance to try subjects I wouldn’t normally build. This is one of them. In fact, this is my first attempt at building a sailing ship. I think I’ve avoided it because, like biplanes, there’s usually a lot of rigging. Just can’t imagine building models… more

Hawker Tempest Exhausts

Published: May 10, 2012
Company: Quickboost

Just like the company name implies, this a quick boost for the exhausts on the old Eduard 1/48 Hawker Tempest kit.

Like the other products I’ve reviewed from this company, they are very well done and easy to remove from the casting blocks. I must admit, I requested these because, during the sanding phase of this project, I broke some of the stock exhaust stubs off. The kit parts and… more

Lavochkin La-5FN Detail Sets

Published: June 13, 2021
Company: Eduard

Introduction

While it’s primarily remembered for the massive clash of armor on the ground, the battle of Kursk was also the debut a new Soviet fighter that would eventually help wrest control of the sky from the Luftwaffe’s Fw190 and Me109. That was the Lavochkin La-5/7 series of fighters. An offspring of the earlier LaGG-3 fighter, the La-5 was born when the inline engine of its… more

2010 Ford Shelby GT 500

Published: July 4, 2020
Company: Revell, Inc.

Introduction

If this subject looks familiar to you, it should. This is the smaller brother of Revell’s 1/12 scale monster I reviewed a few months ago. If you want to know my history with the Mustang, please see that review. In short, I’ve been a Mustang fan since I was a kid, especially Shelby Mustangs. Yes, this is the car that, when it was introduced as a 1964½, started the “pony… more