Frank Landrus
Reviews By Author
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Cross & Cockade International Summer 2018 Volume 49/2Published:
The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International - Summer 2018, features a front cover photograph of a 2F1 Camel taking off from the Firth of Forth. The inside and outside rear cover features a series of four photographs depicting the launching of a 2F1 Camel from a turret platform (Probably the HMS Barham). 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 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… more |
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Spotlight On: Grumman F-14 TomcatPublished:
Marcelo Riberiro’s biography is displayed on the rear cover below. He is a 41 year old Brazilian journalist who specializes in digital and content marketing. Marcelo began creating aircraft profiles as a hobby in 2003 and has continued to this day where it is now his ‘second’ job. His favorite subjects are Cold War era aircraft from the Vietnam War to Desert Storm. The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is an American supersonic, twin-engine, two-seat, twin-tail, variable-sweep wing fighter aircraft that first flew on December 21, 1970. The Tomcat requirement came after the collapse of the General Dynamics F-111B for the United States Navy. Designed to incorporate the air combat experience against MiG fighters during the Vietnam War, 712 F-14s were produced with the primary users being the US… more |
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Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19P & PM MiG-21F-13Published:
Lechosław Musiałkowski has written two additional books for MMP: Polish Wings 19: Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-17 & Polish Versions (2015) along with Bomber Aircraft of 305 Squadron(2014). In addition, he has authored numerous monographs in Polish (Wydawnictwo Ministerstwa Obrony Narodowej series), covering the B-25 Mitchell, Catalina, C-47, Boston (Havoc), etc. A native of Krakow Poland, Janusz Swiatlon is an aviation history enthusiast and military modeler. He has retired from the Polish military after serving with the 6th Airborne Brigade. He has a long history of being published as an illustrator and author for many magazines and books from publishing houses as Osprey, Kagero, AF Editores, Chevron, and Mushroom Model Publications. This latest… more |
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L-29 Ejection SeatsPublished:
The Czechoslovakian Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin (NATO code Maya) became the standard jet trainer for the Warsaw Pact Air Forces. First flight was on April 5, 1959. Two-thirds of the over 3,000 aircraft manufactured have served with the Soviet Air Force as its standard basic, intermediate, and weapons platform trainer. The L-29 has seen combat in several wars, notably the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the Nigerian Civil War in the sixties. Many have been sold to the private sector with some performing in airshows and air races. This set is specifically designed for the AMK 1/48 L-29 kit. Of course it will work in the Eduard kit as well since Eduard used the AMK molds for Eduard’s enhanced release. I don’t have the earlier Planet Models resin kit, but I’m sure these seats will dress it… more |
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USS Kamehameha (SSBN-642)Published:
The Ben Franklin class was composed of twelve submarines, SSBN-640 to SSBN-645 and SSBN-654-659. The class was an evolutionary development from the earlier Lafayette-class of fleet ballistic missile submarines. This class can easily be identified by the fairwater planes' location halfway up the sail; the Lafayettes and James Madisons had the fairwater planes in the upper front portion of the sail. In 1993, Kamehameha was converted to a Dry Deck Shelter/swimmer delivery platform, reclassified as an attack submarine, and given hull number SSN-642; her ballistic missile capability was removed and thereafter she carried only torpedoes as armament. Following conversion, she was transferred to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, for the remainder of her operational career. She holds the record for the… more |
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Polish Legions 1914–19Published:
Dr. Nigel Thomas graduated from Tiffin Boy’s School, Kingston-Upon-Thames in 1964 and proceeded to attend Manchester University, earning a BA in Modern Languages. He attended Durham University and Newcastle University where he obtained his MA in German History and Literature. He was awarded a PhD on the Eastern enlargement of NATO. Nigel is an accomplished linguist and military historian and formerly a Principal Lecturer in French and German Languages and Politics at Northumbria University, He is now a freelance military author, translator and military uniform consultant. His interests are 20th century military and civil uniformed organizations, with a special interest in Germany, Central, and Eastern Europe. He has written more than 20 books on military history and uniforms, many of… more |
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Armstrong Whitworth AlbemarlePublished:
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, and is well known for his Secret Projects series of hardbound books with Crecy Publishing. 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. Mark Rolfe is a freelance military and automotive technical artist, author and photographer. Mark studied graphic design at the Salisbury… more |
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Parabellum LMG 14/17 WWI Aircraft Machine GunPublished:
Quickboost has released two Parabellum WWI aircraft gun resin details sets, 48 813 (LMG-14) and 48 814 (LMG-14/17). The Parabellum 7.9mm caliber LMG 14/17 was an upgrade of the LMG-14, which itself was a redesign of the MG 08 (The MG 08 was an adaptation of the Maxim machine gun). The LMG 14 was used primarily in German bombers (i.e.: Gotha G.IV), reconnaissance aircraft (i.e.: Halberstadt CL.II), and zeppelins, although it did see some limited use early on with the Fokker Eindecker E.I prototypes. The LMG-14/17 featured a thinner air-cooling jacket, redesigned controls, and an added mounting rail for a telescopic sight. I have included a photograph comparison below of the LMG 14 vs the LMG 14/17 out of the Wingnut Wings 1/32 Junkers J.I kit for reference. The parts are… more |
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Vought SB2U VindicatorPublished:
Author Steve Ginter is a noted military historian who publishes the Naval Fighter series that was founded in 1980. After graduating from California State University-Northridge, Ginter became a US Navy pilot, serving from 1966 to 1972. Upon leaving the US Navy, Ginter held a series of management positions within the Thrifty Drug chain for the next twenty-one years. In 1996 he became the CEO of Sentai Distributors where he directed company operations until 2011. The Air Force Legends series was initiated in 1998 with the publication of ‘The Martin XB-51’. Co-Author Joe Weathers, Jr. attended a military college prep school, New Orleans Academy, before attending Louisiana State – Baton Rouge for mechanical engineering. Joe was accepted into the USN NAVCAD program and reported to… more |
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British 500lb Bombs SetPublished:
This set is the latest in Eduard’s “Brassin” line. The set comes in a resealable clamshell package with a cardboard insert to separate the decals, etched parts, and instructions from the sixteen resin parts. The instructions comprise one sheet representing the cover sheet with the decal application guide along with painting instructions. The inner spread provides the assembly guide, with the back sheet showing the parts list and the color codes for Gunze paint (Aqueous and MrColor). I will note that the resin parts on my set had lots of room in the blister to move and as a consequence, I had the rear fins broken off (R33) on two of the four bombs. This set will need to be installed with your favorite CA (super glue) or epoxy, as the normal plastic glues or solvents will not react with… more |