Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Leyland Retriever General ServicePublished:
The Leyland Retriever was a 6x4 general utility lorry manufactured by Leyland Motors between 1939 and 1945. Roughly 6,500 were produced for the British Army during that period, and they served on all fronts and in a number of guises, one being General Montgomery’s caravan and also a fully armored version. Personally, I’ve always liked this beast, as it has a distinct WW1 feel to it and couldn’t be more basic – the cabin seats, for example, being nothing more than wooden tool boxes. ICM’s version is, of course, highly detailed with a number of options. Assembly begins with the chassis, and one of the first options appears here. You can either have fixed front wheel steering or posable steering. Please note that this is NOT fully steerable, as it must be glued into whatever… more |
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Hungarian Armored Forces of the Second World War (Les Forces Blindées Hongrises Durant La Seconde Guerre Mondiale )Published:
Like many avid modelers of WW2 armor, I have to admit that until recently I had a major blind spot regarding Hungary’s contribution to the Axis cause. Amazingly for such a relatively small economy, Hungary possessed even then a robust arms industry. They did purchase armor from other sources, the most notable being Germany and Italy, but even so their home-grown products were comparable to some of the best equipment in the world at the time. I really have no idea how they’ve slipped under the modeling radar until recently. Mr. Martinez’s book is absolutely stuffed with never-before-seen pictures of Hungarian armor, both indigenous and otherwise, and although printed completely in French, it still provides an excellent overview of this poorly documented subject. I spent some… more |
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Napolean’s Imperial Guard: Organization, Uniforms and WeaponsPublished:
When Napoleon Bonaparte first began his rise to power in France in 1799, there already existed a private armed force dedicated to protecting the person of the King of France. After the French Revolution, this force became known as the Consular Guard, intended to protect French politicians – sort of a personal secret service or bodyguard force on steroids. Private armies of this nature were not at all uncommon in the 1800s, as most aristocratic rulers feared their own subjects more than hostile outside forces. In 1804, with the creation of the French Empire under Napolean’s direct rule, this private army expanded enormously, gleaning only the “best of the best” from the various armed forces of France and its allies and loyal solely to Napolean himself, rather than the nation of France.… more |
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CR. 42 Falco with Italian Pilots in Tropical UniformPublished:
The CR. 42 Falco was one of the last operational biplanes of World War II, as well as being (at least in my view) one of the most elegant aircraft of the period. In the Libyan and Malta campaigns, it battled against the equally obsolete Gloster Gladiator until more modern aircraft made the scene on both sides. It soldiered on for some time thereafter as both an ad-hoc night fighter and intruder for both the Italian and German air forces. The last of the breed served as trainers for the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. Rugged and reliable, it was a remarkably agile aircraft, which gave it the vital edge in more than one aerial encounter. ICM’s fourth incarnation of the craft comes in yet another combo set, which includes their freshly-minted Italian Pilots in Tropical Uniform.… more |
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CR.42 CN WWII Italian Night FighterPublished:
Fiat’s CR.42 Falco was one of the last biplanes to serve in an air force at the beginning of World War 2, and as such was essentially obsolete from the moment of its activation. Nonetheless, it served with some distinction in the early air battles both during the Battle of Britain and in the Libyan desert campaign before being relegated to second tier operations. In this instance, serving as both a night fighter and intruder kept this elegant fighter flying long after it would otherwise have been scrapped. Both the Italians and Germans used it in these roles, and ICM’s latest version of this aircraft presents the Italian make. Two different muffler system extensions are offered, as well as a couple of unusual underwing search lights, angled to shine sideways (presumably so as not to… more |
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Chernobyl #5: EvacuationPublished:
ICM continues with its fascinating series of Chernobyl “instant dioramas” with the latest being a scene depicting the evacuation of civilians from the threatened region around the power plant disaster. In this case, five figures are provided, along with an apartment balcony, a small pot and a printed background to bring it all together. The figures include one older gentleman, a young man and woman, and a somewhat matronly mother with young daughter. All are excellently sculpted and show lots of individual character along with natural poses. If there is any objection to the sculpting, it’s that none of the figures display the level of abject terror that I, personally, would be undergoing if such a thing were happening to me. In fact, all of the poses appear to be relatively… more |
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WW1 Belgian InfantryPublished:
ICM has finally filled a big gap in their ongoing World War 1 Infantry series by releasing a set of early-war Belgian Infantry. Unlike most of the previous sets which displayed figures advancing toward an unseen enemy, this set displays Belgian infantry in what must be the most iconic fashion for the period depicted – fighting from a defensive position. The set includes three infantry figures in the traditional shakos, all crouching or kneeling, two actively firing their rifles and one cocking or reloading his weapon. It also includes an officer figure armed with sword and pistol. The set includes two sprues of equipment suitable for Belgian infantry from 1914 all the way to 1918, when they wore khaki uniforms with helmets. Speaking of equipment, the average modeler… more |
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Factory GatePublished:
With the loss of the famous Verlinden line of diorama accessories, other small manufacturers have been stepping in to fill the void. Danger Close Dioramics is one such company, with a line of nineteen products as of the time of this writing. Their “factory gate” accessory is one such product, consisting of six dark grey, non-porous resin pieces which, when assembled, make a diorama backdrop piece about ten inches in length. Like another item from this company that I’ve examined, this one is also entirely composed of open-face mold castings, meaning that the backside of each piece varies quite a bit in quality – everything from slight underfills (with resin cupping along the edges) to some overfill issues, which necessitate quite a bit of grinding down. I found a Dremel with a… more |
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Budda TemplePublished:
Danger Close Dioramics is a relative newcomer to the area of diorama accessories, but they seem to be expanding their offerings at a good pace. The subject of this review in their Buddha Temple in 1/53th, which features a statue, base with steps, background wall and 1 side wall. DCD also includes several strips of bamboo-like plastic that can be used to enhance the scene if one wishes. All resin parts are molded in a fairly dark gray ono-porous material which, although not bubble-free, is still relatively clean. All items in this set were clearly cast from open-face molds, so that back sides are not particularly pristine, with some overfill as well as some underfill with a certain amount of resin “cupping” along the edges. This does mean, however, that there are no casting… more |
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WWII RAF CadetsPublished:
ICM continues with its growing tradition of providing suitable pilots for its newest 1/32nd releases, in this case the Tiger Moth training aircraft. Like most ICM figure sets, this one is comprised of four figures – three RAF cadets and an officer/trainer. One cadet is trying on a parachute harness while his classmates look on. This is a very simple set of figures to assemble, as there is only one piece of equipment between the four of them – the parachute harness. As is typical of ICM, there are some subtle differences between the box art and the included figures. The only one that actually surprised me was that the officer on the box art is depicted holding a pipe, whereas the figure enclosed is not. His arm is in the same position, but no pipe, which makes for a slightly… more |