Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Men-At-Arms Series: French Naval & Colonial Troops 1872-1914Published:
The world’s perceptions concerning nationalistic colonialism have virtually reversed over the course of the last century, and the impact of such behavior and its aftermath by mostly European nations on less-developed areas of the world is still being debated today. That being said, for the figure modeler this era in human history is a goldmine of really interesting military uniforms, not least because so many of them combine European and local costumes in truly unique ways. As far as global colonial powers during the 19th century go, France was certainly in the top three, having footholds throughout most of northern Africa as well as IndoChina and elsewhere. They incorporated large numbers of natives to help keep order in these regions, and in the process created… more |
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Spitfires Part 1Published:
If you’re as big a fan of Spitfires as I am, you’re going to REALLY love this product by Fündekals. Labeled “Spitfire Part 1” this product is actually two and a half sheets of decals, packed with markings. Frankly, I’ve never encountered a more useful decal sheet for Spitfires than this one. Twelve different sets are included in this package (as well as numerous extras) covering everything from Spitfire Mk. 1s from the Battle of Britain to late-war Mk. XVIes. Not only British Spitfires are offered in the mix, but American Eagle Squadron aircraft are included as well. It does NOT, however, include walkways and stenciling, although it does include the gun patches associated with each aircraft. The details have been meticulously researched, and the 27-page instruction… more |
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The Etruscans 9th - 2nd Centuries BCPublished:
The Etruscans are sometimes regarded as the fore-runners of the later Roman civilization, and they certainly appear to have had enormous influence over the development of that empire, and yet despite this, relatively little is really know today about them. Their language has only ever been partially translated and very little written documentation survives except later tomes by Romans and Greeks which are debatably accurate, to say the least. What is generally believed is that the Etruscans were something of an amalgam culture, having some seafaring antecedents as well as people from the Asian subcontinent and other places (which seems to suggest they were very much a merchant culture with extensive trade routes). However, there are other later writers who claimed they were native to… more |
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I.A.R. 81 BoPi "Dive Bomber"Published:
The IAR-80 is the best-known production fighter to come out of the Romanian plant during WW2 and has always had a certain fascination for me. Developed in the 1930s as the Rumanian Air Force was working valiantly to get into the arms race then taking place in Europe, the IAR-80 featured a license-built Gnome-Rhone 14K engine and some various bits and pieces purchased from other countries, including the machine gun armament. Despite the comparative lack of experience in such design work, the IAR-80 proved to be a relatively modern and well-thought-out design, although some fixes needed to be included during its design life, including external bracing for the rear fuselage, which had a tendency to twist during high-speed turns. The IAR-81 was a fairly modest design change to… more |
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Laurie "Lightning Bolt" BarnesPublished:
For some time Master Box has been exploring an up-to-now largely ignored area in the mainstream modeling fraternity - science fiction figures - through their "Spaceport - At the Edge of the Universe - Strange Company’s Adventures" series. Up until now, the action centered mainly around a rogue’s gallery of characters in a sleazy cantina somewhere on the fringes of the law and known space. Laurie adds an interesting potential element of additional trouble as she is one of two new figures who are clearly intent on raiding the cantina, although I do find myself wondering who her target might be. As with most of the figures in this range, she comes on a single gray sprue with a limited number of parts. Assembly is quite straight-forward with only a little filling needed around the… more |
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Sd. Kfz. 182 King Tiger (Porsche Turret) Interior SetPublished:
My, but when it rains it really pours, doesn’t it? After years of comparatively limited (and sometimes pretty iffy) kits of the impressive King Tiger, we now have numerous companies falling all over themselves to provide THE definitive version of this classic monster. Meng, a relative newcomer to the modeling community, has chimed in with their own contribution – one which offers a lovely Porche-turreted vehicle in classic 1/35th scale, but also a separate kit of the full interior as well as a decal set for the zimmerit. Because of the nature of the build, the interior kit and the basic kit are unavoidably interlinked, as you will have to bounce back and forth between the two a fair bit during construction. As I intend to write separate reviews for these two items,… more |
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Sd.Kfz.182 King Tiger (Porsche Turret) Zimmerit Decal SheetPublished:
Meng has done something comparatively new to accompany their outstanding Porsche-turreted King Tiger model in 1/35th scale, offering a separately-available decal sheet for the zimmerit coating found on so many of these monsters at this stage of the Second World War. The decal sheet is certainly comprehensive – providing 3-dimensionally printed decals for literally every surface that might have had this coating on the real beast. All parts show a remarkable fidelity to the surface they’re supposed to cover and have virtually no film to interfere with the edges. On complicated areas, such as the rear of the hull and turret, multiple decals simplify getting around surface detail. All tool attachment points and other such extrusions are also left free of film to… more |
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King Tiger (Porsche Turret)Published:
My, but when it rains it really pours, doesn’t it? After years of comparatively limited (and sometimes pretty iffy) kits of the impressive King Tiger, we now have numerous companies falling all over themselves to provide THE definitive version of this classic monster. Meng, a relative newcomer to the modeling community, has chimed in with their own contribution – one which offers a lovely Porche-turreted vehicle in classic 1/35th scale, but also a separate kit of the full interior as well as a decal set for the zimmerit. As a limited edition, this offering not only includes a metal barrel, photoetch parts, and various other non-styrene bits but a military map from the Battle of Caen, drawn in 1944. The latter might make a nice poster for your modeling area wall if… more |
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German 30mm Autocannon Mk 103Published:
I’m not sure I need to discuss the utility of having a really good rendition of the German Mk 103 cannon available in this scale. It was used on a number of aircraft - slung under the wings of tank-destroying Fw190s and Hs129s, mounted in the Do335 and the Horton Flying Wing, and even used in a fair number of ground mounts. This 30mm weapon was not to be trifled with. It is, however, a fairly difficult shape to successfully mold using the standard styrene molding processes. Master from Poland has come to the rescue with a lovely little kit from their Air Master series. The kit supplies two complete barrel assemblies, including the barrels and adapters in brass and two variants of the complex gun muzzles in resin. As can be seen, assembly is very straight-forward and the… more |
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A6M5c Zero Type 52 Gun BarrelsPublished:
I love a quick fix. Lord knows there are plenty of labor-intensive so-called “fixes” out there in the modeling market (some photoetch sets spring immediately to mind). Quickboost, at least in this lovely little detail set, does all the heavy lifting for the modeler. If you have the old Hasegawa 1/32nd scale Zero, the limitations of the molding process definitely shortchange the weapon systems of this classic craft – no fault of the manufacturer. Quickboost offers this simple, beautifully crafted set to bring this older model into the 21st Century. It also offers a similar set (QB 32 153) for the newer Tamiya offering. Comprising five gun barrels – three machine gun caliber Type 3 and two 20mm Type 99-II cannon – this set is a direct replacement for the kit… more |