Frank Landrus
Reviews By Author
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Vergeltungswaffen: The Third Reich’s V-MissilesPublished:
The origin of Pen & Sword Books is closely linked with its sister company, the Barnsley Chronicle; one of the UK's oldest provincial newspapers, established in 1858, and one of the few weeklies still in private ownership. The first books published by the company were in response to public demand following of a series of articles published in the newspaper: Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks told the story of crash sites in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, and a further weekly feature on the history of two Kitchener battalions, known as the Barnsley Pals, aroused a thirst for more information. Following on from the success of those books, a number of local history paperbacks were produced along with a series of battlefield guidebooks. Battleground Europe proved… more |
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P-51 Mustang in Detail & Scale, Part 1: The Allison-Engined VariantsPublished:
Detail & Scale published its first two books on North American’s P-51 Mustang in 1996. Thirty years later, a new set of three publications, P-51 Mustang in Detail & Scale, significantly revises and expands the original coverage of this iconic fighter. This latest series of Detail & Scale started with Volume 1 in 2018 with the F3H Demon. Bert Kinzey graduated from Virginia Tech in 1968 with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army and was sent to the Army’s Air Defense School at Fort Bliss, Texas. During his eight years as an officer, Bert commanded a Hawk guided missile battery just south of the DMZ in Korea. Later he originated, wrote, and taught classes on the air threat, military air power, and… more |
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Luftwaffe Search Lights and Range Finding Equipment, Vol. 2Published:
MMP was founded in 1996 by Roger Wallsgrove, to publish "Mushroom Model Magazine". This quarterly modelling magazine was developed from "Mushroom Monthly”, a club newsletter which ran from 1985 to 1995, achieving a world-wide reputation for quality articles, fearless and honest reviews, and a great sense of humor. From 1997 the magazine was produced in collaboration with Robert Peczkowski and Artur Juszczak (Stratus), which meant a big leap in print quality and design. MMP expanded into book publication in 1999 with Stratus, and since then they have built up a list of hard cover and soft cover titles on aircraft and aviation, naval, military vehicles, and military history. Stratus / MMPBooks are distributed in North America by Casemate Publications. One can find additional information… more |
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Grumman A-6 Intruder & EA-6B ProwlerPublished:
Guideline Publications Guideline Publications is the UK's leading publisher of modeling and hobby-related magazines. With a world-class portfolio of titles and an international Social Media presence, Guideline Publications has a dedicated readership that is constantly expanding into new areas. This English language book, Grumman A-6 Intruder & EA-6B Prowler, is authored by Andy Evans with scale drawings by Sam Pearson. The latest in Guideline’s Warpaint series, 146, was published in January 2025. A digital edition will soon be available. The latest on Guideline’s publications can be found on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/guidelinepub/ Warpaint's latest is their standard portrait A4 [8.25” x 11.75”] format… more |
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First Manned Rocket LaunchPublished:
The origin of Pen & Sword Books is closely linked with its sister company, the Barnsley Chronicle; one of the UK's oldest provincial newspapers, established in 1858, and one of the few weeklies still in private ownership. The first books published by the company were in response to public demand following a series of articles published in the newspaper: Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks told the story of crash sites in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, and a further weekly feature on the history of two Kitchener battalions, known as the "Barnsley Pals", aroused a thirst for more information. Following on from the success of those books, several local history paperbacks were produced along with a series of battlefield guidebooks. Battleground Europe proved immediately… more |
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American Experimental Fighters of WWII: The Pursuit of ExcellencePublished:
Tony Buttler was born in 1956 and joined High Duty Alloys in Redditch in 1974 as a metallurgist. For nearly 20 years he was closely involved in the testing of aluminum and titanium airframe and engine components for many of the world’s most important airplanes. It was during this timeframe that his interest in military aircraft grew into a passion. Since 1995, Tony has been a freelance aviation historian, with this book being his 44th major release. This includes hard cover books on British Secret Projects, American Secret Projects, Secret Soviet Projects, and X-Planes of Europe. He has also written many titles for the Warpaint series of monographs as well as many articles for most of the popular historical aviation magazines. This tome includes 24 chapters covering U.… more |
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Cross & Cockade International Winter 2024Published:
The non-profit UK based group known as the Great War Aviation Society publishes their journal, Cross & Cockade International, four times a year. Issues are available in English as printed [Softbound, A4 (8.27” x 11.69), 80 pages plus centerfold] as well as digital copies (or both). A new magazine, Contact!, is now available in both print and digital download. The Society also provides a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front. The Great War Aviation Society also hosts a lecture series available through Zoom. If interested, you will need to register early as the call is limited in… more |
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P-47 Thunderbolt in Detail & ScalePublished:
Detail & Scale published its first book on Republic’s P-47 Thunderbolt in 1998. Twenty-five years later, this new publication, P-47 Thunderbolt in Detail & Scale, significantly revises and expands our original coverage of the big, radial-engine fighter that endeared itself to many pilots as the rugged and survivable aircraft that would bring them home. Bert Kinzey graduated from Virginia Tech in 1968 with a degree in Business Administration. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U. S. Army and was sent to the Army’s Air Defense School at Fort Bliss, Texas. During his eight years as an officer, Bert commanded a Hawk-guided missile battery just south of the DMZ in Korea. Later he originated, wrote, and taught classes on the air threat, military air… more |
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M26 FlaresPublished:
Hauler/Brengun was founded in 1999 and produces scale plastic kits, resin kits, resin accessories, and photo-etched detail sets. This detail set of the M26 Flare is offered in 1/48 and 1/72 scales. You can find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HaulerBrengun/ M26 parachute flares provided illumination for night bombardment, to blind anti-aircraft defenses, or night photography / observation missions. A mechanical time fuze in the nose ignited the flare.The tail end is closed with a shipping cover that is sealed by a strip of tape. As this shipping cover is pulled out by the hang wire, a cord pulls… more |
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Colors & Markings of the F-106 Delta DartPublished:
Detail & Scale’s Color & Markings first series was launched in 1984 with Volume 1 focusing on the Convair’s F-106 Delta Dart. Authored by Bert Kinzey and published by Tab Books [ISBN-13 978-0816845255], the first volume was largely in black and white with 16 pages of color. Forty years later, this new publication, Colors & Markings of the F-106 Delta Dart, significantly revises and expands the original coverage of the “Ultimate Interceptor” and the “World’s Fastest Single-Engine Jet Aircraft”. Authored and illustrated byColonel Richard S. “Rock” Roszak, Volume of 8 of the new series of Colors & Markings is all in color and double the size:64 pages vs. 128 pages. This English edition was released on November 14, 2024, and is available in soft square bound format [8.5” x… more |