Don Norton
Reviews By Author
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Napoleon’s Red LancerPublished:
This is the first of a series of 1/32nd Napoleonic figures from Master Box, who has always given us unusual or creative modeling subjects. Upon opening this box, the modeler will find one sprue of gray plastic with 45 parts. Detail is good, with the kit representing a mounted French Red Lancer as he marches through Holland on his way to Russia, a local girl has provided a drink for him and his mount. Napoleon formed a unit made of Polish volunteers, which became the 1st Regiment of Lancers of the Imperial Guard. In 1810, following the annexation of the Kingdom of Holland by France, a second Lancer Regiment of the Imperial Guard was formed of Dutch volunteers, the Dutch Lancers, but due to their bright red uniforms they were more commonly called the Red… more |
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Soviet Infantry, Winter 1941Published:
When Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June of 1941, Hitler expected the whole country to fold quickly after the magnificent show of force of the German War Machine. But it was the Russian winter that slowed the German advance and forced them to go on the defensive. Unable to capture key cities like Mosow and Leningrad, and clad in their summer uniforms, the Germans faltered as the Soviets took the offensive, and served up Hitler’s first major defeat. The four figures in this kit represent the lowly Soviet groundpounders who helped stop the enemy advance that winter of 1941, all appropriately clad in winter clothing in natural poses. There is an officer in a warm sheepskin coat and officer’s grade fur cap. He rams home a fresh magazine into his Tokarev pistol. The three… more |
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British Infantryman vs. Zulu WarriorPublished:
This is the third book in the new Combat series from Osprey which looks at soldiers who faced each other in battle. The Zulu War of 1879 has long been a subject that captured the imagination of military historians and modelers. Numerous books on the subject have been written, including several by Ian Knight, the author of this book and one of the leading authorities in the world on the Zulu War. This series follows a similar format in all the books, looking at subjects such as training, morale, weapons, and leadership. The book compares the fighting styles and tactics of the British and Zulus in three very different battles – Nyezane (22 January 1879), iSandlwana (22 January 1879), and Khambula (29 March 1879). Accounts from combatants on both sides are included. … more |
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Roman GladiatorPublished:
The latest release in MiniArt’s 1/16th historical figure series is this Roman Gladiator around the time of the 1st Century AD. There were many different classes and types of gladiator, each with specific weapons and armor, and this figure is a Mirmillo, a type of gladiator who was armed with a short sword called a Gladius and a large Imperial army-style shield called a Scutum. The Mirmillo gets his name from a type of fish – his helmet has a large crest like a fish’s dorsal fin. Supposedly, he was pitted against the Retarius, the “fisherman”, the guy with the net and trident. But it is believed he was more often up against other types of gladiators armed with short swords and heavy armor. The box contains 42 gray plastic parts, a decal for the… more |
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Roman Legionary AD 69-161Published:
I am a big fan of Osprey books and I have quite a few in my collection and find they usually provide all the information needed to research a model. This book by Ross Cowan is no exception, and it is a follow-up book to his work Roman Legionary, 58 BC – AD69, which was published in 2003 by Osprey. The Roman Legionary in the prime of the Empire was a fine tuned fighting machine. Kept in shape by constant labor, such as building forts and roads, their universal training meant that Legions from opposite ends of the empire could fight alongside each other seamlessly. Each man knew his place and function in the battle lines. This is not to mean that the Romans were unbeatable. There are several cases of Legions (Approximately 5000 men at full strength) being… more |
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Livestock Set, Vol. 2Published:
A relative newcomer to the model world, Riich Models has given us some little jewels in armor, ships, and aircraft. Their latest effort, Livestock Set, Vol. 2, will provide some useful animal figures to liven up dioramas of all periods. Included are a grazing horse, two cows, and two birds which look like pigeons. All armies of World War II used horses to varying degrees, and civilians commonly used horses everywhere. The cows would most likely be found in rural scenes; I’m guessing many modelers will use these in a Normandy diorama. The pigeons can be used anywhere, perched in a tree or on a telephone wire. Don’t forget that pigeons were used for carrying messages, even by U.S. troops (who often carried the birds in captured German gas mask canisters). This model consists of… more |
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Imperial Guard French Grenadier, Napoleonic WarsPublished:
MiniArt has released several figure kits in 1/16th, giving us a wide range of ancients, medievals, and Napoleonic figures for our building pleasure. This figure represents one of Napoleon’s own Grenadier Guards, his Old Guard, which were his bodyguards both on and off the battlefield. Napoleon took a personal interest in these men, ensuring they were better paid and equipped than the average French soldier. It was not simple to get into the Old Guard – there were height requirements, the men had to be able to read and write, and they had to be veterans with combat experience. The figure is in the Full Dress Uniform, which includes white leggings and gloves, and tall red plume on the bearskin cap, so it had to be finished clean, with no “battle wear”. I had a great reference in the… more |
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Friendly Boxing MatchPublished:
With this kit, Master Box has come up with a creative and animated set of figures. The box contains two sprues with 62 parts in sand yellow plastic. Included are nine figures of US and British soldiers and a small dog. The box art by A. Karaschuk depicts American and British paras in a boxing match in the days leading up to June 6th (the C-47’s in the background all have their invasion stripes). The art is spot-on, and it would have been nice had Master Box given us exactly what was depicted on the box art, but they didn’t, so some detail work to accurize the model is necessary. This is not to imply the figures are not well done. The expressive facial and uniform detail is excellent. All the figures require clean-up of mold seams with a file or a sanding stick. I usually use… more |
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German Elite Infantry, Russia 1941-43Published:
This kit from Dragon features four German Waffen SS infantrymen as they would appear in the early years on the Russian Front. The term “elite infantry” is used as a euphemism for the SS, and while some of the SS divisions could fit into the elite category, some could not, such as the 4th SS Polizei Division, represented by one of the figures on the box art. These figures do not have to be painted as SS soldiers; you could do them in markings of army troops, and the sniper could be painted as a member of the Luftwaffe’s Hermann Goering Division, which used SS camouflage clothing. The figures include a sniper in camouflage smock, an NCO with MP 40 machine pistol in winter dress, a machine gunner with MG 34 from the 4th SS Division, and an infantryman loading his rifle. The… more |
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British Infantry Weapons WW II EraPublished:
This kit from Master Box features an assortment of weapons used by Commonwealth troops during the Second World War. This is a welcome addition to the 1/35th arsenal, since some of these weapons are rarely, if ever, offered in this scale. The box contains one sprue of 40 gray plastic parts wrapped in a really large plastic bag. 15 weapons and 6 helmets are included. The weapons consist of 2 Enfield Mk. III rifles (1 w/bayonet), 2 Enfield No.4 rifles (1 w/bayonet), and 5 Sten submachine guns of various types. Also, there are one each of an Enfield Mk. 2 revolver, Boys anti-tank rifle, Bren gun, Vickers Mk.1 machine gun, Lewis gun, and PIAT anti-tank weapon. Assembly is quick and simple; a couple of the weapons need bipods added. The standout piece is the Vickers mounted… more |