A Visitors Guide The First Day of the Somme Gommecourt to Maricourt

Published: October 31, 2016
Book Author(s): Jon Cooksey and Jerry Murland
Company: Casemate Publishers

Perhaps no other battle of World War I holds the stature of the Battle of the Somme. Contested from 1 July and 18 November 1916 by eleven divisions of the British 4^th Army, and six divisions of the French 6^th army against the German 2^nd Army commanded by General Fritz von Below. The Somme was bitterly fought with over 1 million casualties on both sides making it one of the bloodiest battles in history. Technology was again rapidity advancing at a war time pace and saw the first appearance of tanks on the battlefield to break the stalemate of trench warfare. It was war in all its ugliest. Today, 100 years to the day the scars of battle are still visible. The draw to relatives, those interested in history, or tourists to this ground.

As the book’s… more

Porsche 914/6

Published: February 3, 2020
Company: Revell

Created as a joint project between corporate partners Porsche and Volkswagen, the 914-6 hit the US market badged as a Porsche. It could have been called a Volkswagen, and in Europe, it was!!!! Produced in two mid-engine versions; a woefully underpowered four cylinder (-4) and six cylinder (-6). Each manufacturer had reservations about both versions. Designed to replace the entry level 912, it became the leading seller in the Porsche stable, the -6 version costing nearly as much as the 911!! The 914 was highly visible both on the road and on the track. I chose to build my sample as the stock version.

Molded in White Plastic, with one sprue of chrome plated parts, some clear parts and four vinyl tires the kit consists of 70 parts. Parts for both the street stock and racing… more

Hand Pallet Truck

Published: August 11, 2016
Company: Hauler

One piece of equipment you’ll almost always need any place where freight is handled is a way to quickly move palletized goods from one place to another. Whether a moving a short distance, or in tight quarters a hand pallet truck, or as they’re more commonly called here in the States, a pallet “Jack” or “Mule”, is an indispensable piece of equipment.

Hauler, from the Czech Republic has introduced in 1/48 scale a pallet jack made from resin and photo etched parts. Cast in medium gray resin the kit consists of 7 resin parts and three photo etched parts. No decals are suppled or needed. A one-page sheet of directions is included.

I started construction by carefully removing the pour gates from the resin pieces. I cut the parts carefully using a fine razor saw, and the back… more

Jawbreaker Dragster

Published: October 12, 2015
Company: Round 2 Models

The Jawbreaker Dragster is a Round 2 Models reissue of the old MPC kit. Round2models has recently purchased the rights to a number of old favorite models from the past. Names like MPC, AMT, Hawk, Lindburg, and Polar Lights all live again under this banner. All are friendly reminders of days past, and all share in a certain level of nostalgia. How many times have I said “Gee, I’d love to build that kit again.” Thanks to Round2Models, it’s now possible to build some of these classic kits once again.

The Jawbreaker Dragster is one of those kits. Originally produced by powerhouse MPC back in the day, this kit is a front engine slingshot dragster with a coupe body on the rear. A wing mounted on the roll bar and body work covering the front frame comes from a time when breaking the… more

Latrine

Published: March 21, 2015
Company: Hauler

Manufactured in the Czech Republic, this kit contains seven pieces of light gray resin, and an instruction sheet. All parts are nicely cast, and have a pour gate attached. The parts are contained within a small zip lock type bag.

The parts list shows a base, two sides, a back, roof, door and seat. The first order of business is removing the pour gates from the parts. A few passes with a razor saw made swift work of removing them. My sample had some flash in the seat opening and heart on the door, and a quick removal was accomplished with a #11 Exacto blade. The parts are nicely cast and no other work was needed to prepare for assembly and paint.

I washed all the parts in warm water and a small amount of mild hand soap to remove any release agent present. After drying a… more

Professional Photo-Etch Scissors

Published: November 7, 2014
Company: Xuron Corporation

Most likely, if you build models, you’re familiar with the Xuron Corporations line of products. Designed by modelers for modelers, Xuron supplies some of the finest cutting tools on the market today. From sprue cutters to these photo-etched cutters the name Xuron is synonymous with high quality.

This product, model # 9180ET is no exception. Engineered to close tolerances these scissors cut photo-etched parts closely and cleanly from the metal tree with minimal clean up. By cutting across the part and sprue attachment point, the modeler is able to remove the part with virtually no distortion which is often a concern if using other means for removal. A few passes with a file will render any piece of photo-etch ready to attach and looking good. It should be noted here that these… more

OV-10 A/B Bronco Exhaust

Published: April 18, 2014
Company: Quickboost

Produced by Aries Quickboost, whose products can be obtained directly through their website https://www.modelchoice.net/catalogue the two exhausts are a direct resin replacement for the kit supplied exhaust parts for the Testors 1/48 scale OV-10A kit. Cast in a light gray resin the two exhausts are well cast and offer details not found on the kit parts.

The two kit parts are molded as a solid unit, devoid of any open area. I modeled this kit a number of years ago; the kit is after all well over 30 years old (!!) and had to carve out the solid end on both parts to replicate the open look of the actual aircraft parts. It wasn’t a difficult job and really enhanced the look if the model. The Aries Quickboost parts not only have… more

Paddy Wagon with Figures

Published: February 10, 2020
Company: Revell

The Revell/Monogram offering of the Tom Daniel Paddy Wagon is a recent release of nostalgia. Originally released in 1968, the Paddy Wagon is one of many collaborations between noted show car designed Tom Daniel and Monogram. Others in the series include The Red Baron, Rommel’s Rod , The Beer Wagon, and The Garbage truck to name but a few. Anyone of a certain age will have fond memories of these kits, and if you’re like me, very happy to see them again on store shelves.

The kit contains 88 parts, and is molded in dark blue plastic, and has one sprue of gold plated parts. Four tires, a clear windscreen and two headlight covers round out the parts list. Then there are the two cop figures, more on these later. The instruction sheet contains nine steps, all of which contain multiple… more

The Munsters House at 1313 Mockingbird Lane

Published: July 31, 2013
Company: Moebius Models

I remember when The Munsters were first introduced to us. Just your typical all-American family, who came from Transylvania, and who also just happened to be Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein! The rest of the family had Count Dracula as the slightly off-kilter Grandpa; a prepubescent wolf boy named Eddie who slept in a cupboard; and one out-of-place niece, the beautiful Marilyn. The house they lived in was an amazing place of dungeons, secret passages, and cob webs galore. The architecture was mostly Gothic, with hints of Victorian included, and a little Haunted House thrown in for good measure!

The TV house, which is really only a steel-framed front, was originally built for the movie So Goes My Love in 1946 by Universal Studios. It had been moved a few times… more

Vampyre Lord Bust

Published: December 18, 2021
Company: Morland Studios

I was intrigued in seeing a 54mm bust available for review. I had painted a few larger scale busts, and have also painted a number of 54mm figures, but never a bust in such a small scale. I asked to review it and subsequently received the Morland Studios 54mm offering of a – or would it be The – Vampyre Lord? I finally settled on The Vampyre Lord because I couldn’t find anything relating him to a gaming scenario or a story line, so I see him as a standalone character. Not personally knowing any vampyre lords, it’s always so hard to figure how they would like to be addressed!!!

Produced in white metal, the kit contains 4 pieces. The head and upper torso are cast as one piece. The right arm is separate, as is the hand, holding a scepter. A pedestal base completes the… more