Frank Landrus
Reviews By Author
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German Submarine 10.5 cm GunPublished:
BackgroundThe 10.5cm SK C/32 (SK - Schnelladekanone (quick loading cannon) C - Construktionsjahr (year of design) was a German naval gun used in World War II. This was the standard unshielded low-angle deck gun mounted forward of the conning tower in Type I, Type IX and Type X U-boats. The guns were also used in shielded high-angle mountings aboard type 35 and type 43 minesweepers, Elbing class torpedo boats, cruiser Emden, and old battleships Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein. The LC/32 mounting used in Type I and early Type IX U-boats weighed about 5 tons and could be elevated from -10° to +35°. Later Type IX and Type XB U-boats used the LC/36 mounting reducing weight by 10 percent by restricting elevation from -10° to +30°. During the early war years, these guns were used… more |
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Wooden Barrels and BucketsPublished:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Brengun wooden barrels and buckets set. Brengun provides three resin wooden buckets, three large wooden barrels and three small wooden barrels. The package is non re-sealable packaging so once the parts are out of the bag, don’t lose them – escpecially the smaller barrels. There are no instructions provided for color, but a quick internet search will provide a wide spectrum of painting options. Brengun has molded the parts in light grey resin with no bubbles that I was able to find. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw. Although most paints will adhere to resin alone, I would recommend that you wash the parts to remove any remaining mold… more |
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The Russian Aviation Colours 1909-1922: Camouflage and Markings, Vol. 1 Early YearsPublished:
On the heels of Finnish Fighter Colours 1939-1945, Romanian Fighter Colours 1941-1945, Hungarian Fighter Colours 1930-1945, and Swedish Fighter Colours 1925-1954, comes MMP’s latest tome. This book, focused on the ‘Early Years’ is planned to be followed by at least four additional volumes on the ‘Great War’ (Volume 2), ‘Red Stars’ (Volume 3), and ‘Against Soviets’ (Volume 4). The authors leaned heavily on Russian private archives, as well as archives, libraries, and museums. The book is a nice hardbound volume, with a nice glossy cover, and 176 pages on high-quality stock with a matt finish. Mainly black and white period photos are supplemented with modern day color photos, color period posters and postcards, colour side and top views, and colour unit emblems and personal… more |
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HMS Roberts ArmamentPublished:
This Master Model set provides10 barrels: Two machined aluminum 15”/42 Mark I barrels, eight machined brass 4”/45 Mark XVI barrels, and a single page instruction sheet. You will need to cut the styrene barrel off and drill a hole in the plastic breach. The directions call out a 1.5 mm bit (~#53) for the 15”/42 Mark I barrels and a 0.5mm bit (~#76) for the 4”/45 Mark XVI barrels. Be careful to center the drill bit on both x-axis and y-axis. Be sure to use your favorite CA (super glue) or epoxy, as the normal plastic glues or solvents will not react with the aluminum or brass. Be careful painting the barrels, especially the brass ones since paint can easily foul the hollowed out muzzles. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Master Model uses making the parts easy… more |
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Tiger! - The DH82 Tiger MothPublished:
Stuart McKay has updated his out-of-print seminal 1999 edition on the Tiger Moth, Midland Publishing’s 272 page tome, “Tiger Moth, De Havilland’s Legendary Trainer”. If you ask, just who Stuart McKay is, I would have to answer that he is Mr. Tiger Moth. Stuart McKay has been fond of Tiger Moths since his teenage years and is the founding Secretary of the de Havilland Moth Club (Since 1975) and is the editor of the de Havilland Moth Club. Tiger! details the de Havilland Tiger Moth’s long and distinguished career from 1931 to 2014 from RAF trainer to bomber. Filled with over 500 photos both in black and white and color, Stuart McKay presents an intriguing story, complete with political intrigue and numerous highlights from the Tiger Moth’s operational service. Richard Caruana… more |
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The Sopwith Dolphin in RFC, RNAS, RAF and Polish ServicePublished:
This is Cross & Cockade International’s fourth book in their series of WW1 aircraft. The first was Nieuports in RNAS, RFC and RAF Service (2007). The second was the Royal Aircraft Factory Fe2b/d and Variants (2009). Somehow the third (Although still yet to be published) will cover the Airco DH 2. This tome was developed in cooperation with the Royal Air Force Museum and it shows. Many of the some 300 plus B&W photos and details were pulled from the archives of the museum where they are nicely reproduced on the slick paper of this monograph. The front and back covers, as well as the inside covers feature six color paintings of Dolphins in action. The final chapter on the RAF Museum’s restoration of a composite Dolphin (now C3988 at Hendon) alone has nearly fifty color… more |
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Tupolev G-5 Mod. XIII Torpedo BoatPublished:
BackgroundThe G-5 was a Soviet motor torpedo boat built before and during World War II. Approximately 300 were built, of which 73 were lost during the war. Four were exported to the Spanish Republican Navy during the Spanish Civil War. Three were captured by the Finns during the ‘Winter War’, with two being used operationally against their former owners. Others were transferred to North Korea after the war. Tupolev’s first twin engined motor boat was the GANT-3 Pervenets (first born) which was completed in March 1927. Utilizing two 600 hp aviation engines, the duraluminum speed boat achieved a maximum speed of 50 knots. The GANT-3 led to a production version later in 1927 called the ANT-4. Fifty-nine were manufactured between 1927 and 1931, officially entering… more |
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Polish Wings 18: Breguet 19, Farman F68, Amiot 123 Goliath Book ReviewPublished:
Bartlomiej Belcarz authors the latest in the series of aircraft used in the Polish Air Force. This volume’s primary focus is the Breguet 19 (p3-53), but also provides 13 pages on the Farman F.68 Goliath and 6 pages on the Amiot 123. The Breguet section features 28 full page length color profiles along with 8 top and bottom color profiles where appropriate. The color profiles are accompanied by photos of the actual aircraft in the profiles. The Farman F.68 Goliath section features 6 full page length color profiles along with a top and bottom color profile and a scrap color detail of typical rudder markings. The Amiot 123 section on the only two aircraft procured, features 2 full page length color profiles along with a top and bottom color profile. The Table of Contents focuses… more |
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U.S.A.F. Fighter Pilot, Pressure Suit, 1960-1975Published:
A perfect addition to your diorama or display base is this Aires Aerobonus figure. This figure is designed to be ascending a ladder to a 1960-1975 USAF Fighter. Aires Aerobonus provides you with a resin figure with separate arms on one pour stub with side bars to protect the figure. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. The supplied instructions provide color drawings for painting. Aires Aerobonus has molded the figure in light grey resin with no bubbles that I could find. There are no mold seams to sand off and the resin plug is easily removed from the bottom with a razor saw or Dremel. Clean up was quite easy and the arms attached with superglue. I added a just a bit of… more |
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Dornier Do 217 Exhaust stubsPublished:
Quickboost provides one set of Dornier Do 217 exhaust stubs. Of note is the re-sealable packaging that Quickboost uses that makes the parts easy to review and then stuff back into the package securely. There are no supplied instructions; you simply swap out the kit provided plastic parts with the new Quickboost replacements. These Quickboost parts are specific replacements for the kit parts found in the Monogram Pro Modeler’s Do 217E-5 (85-5954), Revell’s Do 217E-4 kit (85-5526), and Revell’s Do 217E-5 (04557) Quickboost has molded the exhaust stubs perfectly in light grey resin with no apparent bubbles. The Quickboost exhaust stubs have no mold seams to sand off along with the superior detail for the exhausts. Be very careful removing the parts from the resin block. I used a… more |