Frank Landrus
Reviews By Author
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Rogožarski IK-3Published:
Kagero's latest in their Monographs Special Edition in 3D series is the Rogožarski IK-3. This edition is in their standard 8.5" x 11.875" format hardbound publication that is 184 pages (excluding covers). This volume starts with 72 pages of historical text followed by 28 pages of black and white line drawings in 1/72 and 1/48. Up next are 72 pages of color 3D illustrations describing every part of the aircraft, from cockpit to engine. There is also a double sided insert sheet full of line drawings (~16.4" x 23.0") that starts with profiles at 1/32 scale and includes scrap details. I counted 89 color 3D illustrations, 22 color profiles, along with 21 tables. There are 125 period black and white photographs dedicated to the 80th anniversary of this obscure fighter's first flight… more |
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CN7: The Inside Story of Donald Campbell’s Last Land Speed Record CarPublished:
This is a reprint of the original edition first published in 2010 in Veloce’s Classic Reprint Series. The author’s biography is available on the Veloce website above and is as follows: “Donald Stevens was born in the East End of London, but grew up in Haywards Heath, the Sussex market town to which he was evacuated in 1939. In his early teenage years he became fascinated by aeroplanes and other machines, and on leaving school began training as a mechanical engineer. At 19, he joined the newly-formed design consultancy Norris Brothers Ltd as its first employee and became a member of the design team for Donald Campbell’s Bluebird hydroplane (K7). Following National Service in the RAF, Donald became project coordinator for the design and construction of the Bluebird car. This is his first… more |
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The Complete History of U.S. Cruise MissilesPublished:
Bill Yenne has written more than three-dozen books on historical topics, as well as several novels. He has contributed to encyclopedias of both world wars, and has been featured in documentaries on the History Channel, the National Geographic Channel, the Smithsonian Channel, and ARD German Television. The Wall Street Journal notes that Yenne writes "with a cinematic vividness," and Gen. Wesley Clark, former Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, called Yenne's recent biography of Alexander the Great, the "best yet." Yenne's books have been included in Amazon's "100 Best Books of the Year." Specialty Press was founded in the 1980s as an aviation book publisher. In addition to publishing, over the years it has been the US distributor for many US and UK publishers such as AIRTime,… more |
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Kitty (Princess) JamesPublished:
Master Box Ltd, out of the the Ukraine, has been a leader in 1/35 figures for a while. They expanded into 1/24 female and fantasy figures in 2016, starting with their first series of six female figures representing the World War II era. This current series, Truckers, is ideal for modern Class 8 truck vignettes and dioramas. Kitty (Princess) James is part of six kits in this series. The kit comes in a standard end opening box. Pulling out the parts, you will first see that the box is probably three times too large, but in return you get a nice painting on the cover by V. Petelin, and instructions on the back with color callouts in Vallejo, Lifecolor, and Mr Color. I will note that the plastic figure sculpted by A. Gagarin is not identical to the cover paining, but it is close.… more |
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The LugerPublished:
Neil Grant studied archaeology at Reading University, graduating in 1990. He worked as an auditor at the UK National Audit Office until 1996 when he joined Key Equipment Finance as an accountant. 2004 say Neil working at NSK Europe as an accountant until 2009 when he left to join English Heritage where he currently is the Head of Corporate Finance and Performance. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2018 for the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. His interests in firearms, medieval edged weapons, and classical and medieval horsemanship has led him to author at least seven titles, including: The Bren Gun (2013), The Lewis Gun (2014), Mauser Military Rifles (2015), and Rhodesian Light Infantryman 1961-80 (2015), SAR80 Assault Rifles (2016), … more |
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International Autumn 2018 Volume 49/3Published:
The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International - Autumn 2018, features a front cover photograph of Jean Chaput in front of his Nieuport 11, N940. This color 1916 photograph was based on the Autochrome technology developed by the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière. The inside rear cover features color illustrations by Juanita Franzl of Lt. Dawson’s and Lt N. E. Williams’ Ship’s Camels. The outside rear cover features color illustrations by David Méchin of Jean Chaput’s aircraft. If you check out the web site link above, you can get additional sample pics of the current issue. Cross & Cockade International is a non-profit UK based group known as the First World War Aviation Historical Society that publishes their journal four times a year. They also provide a free… more |
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The Type XXI U-BoatPublished:
Dmitry Mironov has authored several books for Kagero, including The Japanese Battleship Fuso (2017) and The Japanese Battleship Fuso (2017) in the Super Drawings in 3D series. Dmitry Mironov also authored Sd.Kfz. 171 Panzer V “Panther” Ausf. A/D/G in Kagero’s Top Drawings series. You can find more of his artwork online. Kagero’s The Type XXI U-boat is the latest in their Super Drawings in 3D series. This edition is in their standard 8.25” x 11.75” format softbound publication that is 60 pages (excluding covers). This volume starts off with six pages of historical text followed by 54 pages of color 3D illustrations. I counted 76 color 3D illustrations along with one table. There are no current nor period photographs. … more |
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British Secret Projects 2: Jet Bombers Since 1949Published:
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 twenty-sixth major release. 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. The cover painting by Daniel Uhr depicts the Armstrong Whitworth AW.56 flying high. The rear cover features a color photograph of an RAF Harrier with a full weapons load; an… more |
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The FN Mag Machine Gun - M240, L7, and Other VariantsPublished:
Chris McNab is an author and editor specializing in military history and military technology. To date he has published more than 40 books, including The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War (2000), Twentieth-Century Small Arms (2001), Twentieth-Century Small Arms (2001), The Encyclopedia of Combat Techniques (2002), The Personal Security Handbook (2003), Reformation, Exploration and Empire (2005), Mythical Monsters : The Scariest Creatures from Legends, Books, and Movies (2006), Tools of Violence (2008), Deadly Force (2009), A History of the World in 100 Weapons (2011), The Roman Army (2012), SAS and Special Forces Mental Toughness Training, and Abandoned Wrecks (2017). Chris has also written extensively for major encyclopedia series, magazines and newspapers. He is an experienced… more |
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Soviet Cruise Missile Submarines of the Cold WarPublished:
Edward Hampshire graduated from the University of Oxford in 1998 with a BA in History. He completed his Masters in War Studies / Naval History at King’s College in London in 2002 with a dissertation on the British Naval intervention in the Baltic, 1918-1920. Edward completed his Ph.D. in War Studies/ Naval History in 2009., with a thesis on British naval equipment of the 1960s. His focus is Cold War era navies and British defence policy since WWII. Dr. Hampshire has taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and has worked at the National Archives. He has been featured on television and radio, including the BBC, ITV, ABC, and NBC. Dr. Hampshire's previous book was published in 2013, East of Suez to the Eastern Atlantic, British Naval Policy 1964-70. He also co-… more |