Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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Star Trek Galileo ShuttlecraftPublished:
As a hard-core Star Trek aficionado as well as modeler, this is a model I’ve been waiting literally decades to see. The classic Enterprise’s Galileo shuttle appeared in a number of episodes, and was always a fan favorite simply because it brought starship technology down to a human level. Round 2 has seen fit to finally release their long awaited Star Trek shuttle, and it’s been more than a little interesting examining and building it. AMT released a Galileo shuttle many decades back, and despite its numerous inaccuracies, I’ve built at least six of them over the years, trying to render something reasonably approaching the screen version but with little luck. With the arrival of this new version, I was able to compare the two to each other, and the differences go far beyond… more |
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American Civil War Confederate InfantryPublished:
Wow. Just when you’ve given up on seeing something, it suddenly becomes a big hit in the modeling industry. Long, long ago, Dragon released a set of Union Civil War figures in 1/32nd scale, which I was totally thrilled to see. I bought an entire case of them, and then waited for baited breath for the follow-up Confederate Infantry to come out. And waited . . . and waited . . . Obviously, it was never released. However, recently two Ukrainian companies have suddenly released figures from that era – Masterbox and now ICM. I couldn’t be happier. This particular set of Confederate infantry provides three soldiers in a variety of uniforms, one firing his weapon, one reloading, and one standing ready. It also includes an officer with both pistol and sword. Detail… more |
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Roman ShieldsPublished:
Silly me. When I saw the title of this book, I thought it was simply going to be a compilation of various shield motifs I could use in my figure modeling. Instead, this publication opened a world of fascinating information on the development, manufacture and use of this most Roman of military items – the scutum or shield. Use of the large, rectangular shield had a large part in dictating Roman tactics, as it permitted the Legionnaire to move in tight formations, well-protected by his fellow soldiers and his own shield – something few other ancient armies were capable of. How this definitive device came to be is an intriguing story in its own right – centuries of development and trial and experimentation (presumably) along with the development and use of other forms of shields… more |
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Standard B "Liberty" with WW1 US DrPublished:
ICM continues to crank out some lovely combo kits these days, especially around World War 1 subjects. This kit, which includes both their previously released Type B Cargo Truck, as well as US drivers, is an example of this. The Standard Type B Liberty Truck was the first standardized vehicle ever produced by the U.S. armed forces and was essentially an attempt to reduce the enormous inventory parts problems then associated with logistical support as well as come up with something that had all the best features of trucks of the time. It was produced by some fifteen firms to rigid specifications and served overseas starting around fall of 1918, so they were in service for little over a month before the end of the war. A large number of these were sold off to private companies and… more |
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Model T RNAS Armoured CarPublished:
ICM has certainly put its Ford Model T molds to good use, making no less than four different variants of this ubiquitous little vehicle previously, all variants which served with distinction in World War One. Now a fifth variant has been added – a little-known armored version used by the Royal Naval Air Service along the Russian Front. Really more of a weapons carrier than an armored car, only nine of these were ever made. I rather suspect that it was seriously underpowered for the additional weight of the armor, which would have made this a strictly hard-surface weapon of war. Like the vehicle itself, the kit is a relatively simple build. It also comes with a separate sprue containing the parts for their newly released Vickers Machine Gun, which is a fine little kit in and of… more |
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Russian Flora Uniforms, Figure SetPublished:
As an avid figure modeler, I was given the opportunity to examine this new paint set by Ammo, which replicates the rather fiddly camouflage pattern often seen on modern Russian infantry. As an avowed enamel/oil paint aficionado, I thought it would be interesting to examine this acrylic set from my own jaundiced perspective. To try out these paints, I elected to use a rather crude figure from my collection, the argument being it’s easy to make a good figure look good, but somewhat more challenging to get the same results from a poor figure. The uniform is not exactly right, but I was more interested in giving these paints a good test than in creating something to add to my collection. To give the overlay paints some “tooth” I airbrushed a coat of light grey lacquer… more |
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Roman Soldier versus Parthian WarriorPublished:
Roman imperial expansion over the entire Mediterranean basin was going full tilt in the first century BC. Nobody had been able to stop them and their inexorable legions, which were bound together by a discipline and unit cohesion seldom found anywhere else in the ancient world. They had rolled over the Punics, the Celts, the Macedonians and everyone else standing in their quest for global (as seen then) dominance. However, there was another people expanding out of the east who would finally confront the Romans in a way they had never encountered before. The difference, of course, lay in the diametrically opposed military tactics of the combatants. The Romans – heavily armed and armored – were trained for tight, rigidly disciplined fighting in close quarters. The Parthians,… more |
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Chernobyl #2Published:
Once again ICM is modeling one of the worst man-made disasters of the 20th century – the catastrophic explosion and meltdown of the Number 4 nuclear reactor at Chernobyl in 1986 – an event that would impact most of the world in one fashion or another. That ICM has the boldness to create such a fascinating look at recent history in model form says a lot about this company’s choices of subject. The fact that they are continuing with this series says even more. In the Chernobyl #1 set, we explored the sealing of the area and the first radiation checks by local authorities. In this set, we confront the conflagration itself, with firefighters taking the first steps to control the resultant fires caused by the explosion of the reactor. This set combines a large fire engine… more |
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WWII British Ground Personnel (1939-1945)Published:
It wasn’t so long ago that 1/32nd aircraft modelers were pretty hard pressed to find pilot or ground crew figures for dioramas they wished to make. ICM has rather single-handedly addressed this issue, and has been busy churning out wonderful sets to complement your 1/32nd scale aircraft collection. One of the latest of these is their WWII British Ground Personnel set. This simple set consists of three ground crew figures, who seem to be specifically tailored to their excellent Gloster Gladiator aircraft kits. One is ostensibly removing the tail locks and testing the rudder, another is working on the engine and a third is preparing to prep the propeller. All three are useful additions to a good diorama, although obviously not all at once. The figures couldn’t be simpler… more |
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Spotlight on Ilyushin Il-2Published:
The Ilyushin Il-2, commonly known as the “Sturmovik,” was a ground attack aircraft used by the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War (World War 2) in great numbers. In fact, it was the most produced aircraft of all back then, with almost 37,000 being made during the course of the war. Simple, sturdy and heavily armored, it played a crucial role on the Eastern Front fighting against the Axis, destroying innumerable vehicles and tanks and greatly blunting the force of Hitler’s attacks on the homeland. This new volume by MMP Books in their “Spotlight On” series is a wonderful reference for modelers. It begins with a quick overview of the camouflage specifications for aircraft of the Soviet Union, and then follows with page after page of profiles. In fact, the book is almost… more |