Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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US WASP (1943 - 1945)Published:
The Women’s Airforce Service Pilots organization was a unit during World War 2 in which women became trained pilots in order to test or ferry aircraft to war zones, the whole intent being to free more male pilots for combat roles. Formed from the Women’s Flying Training Detachment and the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron, the WASPs merged these two into a single unit in 1942 and carried out their various duties until 1944. Despite their service, WASPs were accorded no military standing and did not receive any of the benefits accorded male members of the Army Air Corps. Thirty-eight members of the unit died while transporting military aircraft or cargo, towing targets for live anti-aircraft training, or performing any of a number of other high-risk training missions in the service of… more |
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Gloster Sea Gladiator Mk.IIPublished:
The siege of Malta – a small island in the Mediterranean Sea – held by the British from 1940 to 1942 against the combined might of the German and Italian air and sea forces is one of the more memorable stories from World War 2. Directly on the route from Europe to North Africa, it was a thorn in the side of the Axis supply line to their forces duking it out for control of Libya and Algeria. They decided to reduce the island and its garrison as a threat, and Malta became the most bombed area of land in the entire war. Only a few fighters were on the island during the early months of the siege, and they were the already-obsolete Sea Gladiators of the Royal Navy. Totaling six in all, three of them became famous in military lore as “Faith, Hope and Charity”, fighting off incessant bombing… more |
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Moskvitch 401-420A Soviet Passenger CarPublished:
You have to give the former Soviet Union credit – they didn’t waste time coming up with something new IF something available would do the trick. They did it with the U.S. B-29 bomber (Tupelov Tu-4) and they didn’t with this series of post-war sedans – making a carbon copy of Germany’s Opel Kadett from 1946 on. ICM has previously made a closed-top four-door sedan version of this lovely little vehicle, and now offer the somewhat rarer convertible version. The kit offers a couple of options – open or closed convertible top and free spare tire or encased spare tire. It comes with a detailed engine and drive train and a truly exceptional level of detail in the interior. It also comes with all the parts to make the standard sedan if you desperately want to go in that direction. Being… more |
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UNEF: The Yugoslav ContingentPublished:
Some time after the end of World War 2 and the establishment of the U.N., one of the first opportunities for the fledgling organization to flex its peacekeeper muscles was on the heel of the 1956 Arab-Israeli war. This serious flare-up between Israel and its neighbors – the first really serious conflict of many to come – was seen by the world as a definite threat to the stability of the entire region. A multinational force of British, French and numerous other participants was hastily assembled and dispatched to try and create a safe zone between the hostile forces. Tito of Yugoslavia, who was even then trying to establish international recognition and legitimacy for his communist government, looked on this multinational effort as an excellent prospect for increasing his… more |
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At the Forward Edge of Battle: A History of the Pakistan Armored Corps 1938-2016 Volume 1Published:
Some decades before Pakistan became a separate nation, India had its own armored corps serving as a colonial force. Realistically, it was more of an armored unit in name than in fact, as early on their British overlords put them right at the bottom of the list in terms of supplies, even as World War Two swept the globe. Unspoken (for the most part) at the time was the belief that Indian “natives” were, perhaps, a wee bit too unsophisticated to manage large mechanical devices like armored vehicles – colonial thinking at its best. Nonetheless, these Indians did what they could with lorries and a few outdated armored cars, fighting with some distinction on the desert front in Africa, first in Iraq and then Syria, coming up against the dreaded Afrika Korps at Gazala, by this… more |
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Type AG 1910 London TaxiPublished:
In 1905, Renault produced a relatively inexpensive two-cylinder vehicle which in the next few years was so popular that it became the primary taxi vehicle in both France and England. The French taxis, of course, would go on to achieve historical prominence during World War One transporting French troops rapidly to the front lines in what would become known as the “Miracle of the Marne.” ICM’s Type AG 1910 London Taxi is a variant of this same vehicle, with modifications that would be typical for a British market. It shares most of the same molds as ICM’s earlier French Taxi but includes a separate sprue for the alterations, for a total of 6 sprues plus vinyl tires. Like the French version, this kit features a very nice representation of the miniscule two-cylinder engine as well… more |
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VMFA-323 Death Rattlers / USMC F4-B Phantoms in the Vietnam WarPublished:
Commissioned in 1943, this particular squadron got its nickname from some pilots who killed a rattlesnake at their first deployment at Cherry Point and then hung the skin in the ready room. VMFA-323 was first deployed to Da Nang Air Base in 1965, losing the only Phantom ever to a surface-to-air missile shortly thereafter. The squadron remained in Viet Nam until 1969, flying from both Da Nang and Chu Lai during that time. AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience. This set of colorful markings features no less than three aircraft from their stay at Da Nang during 1967 and 1968–… more |
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VMFA-232 Red Devils / USMC F4-J Phantoms in the Vietnam WarPublished:
Tracing its lineage back to 1925, VMFA-232 Phantoms began sorties over Vietnam from Da Nang Air Base in late 1967. Flying close air support for the Marines on the ground, the Red Devils flew nearly 6,000 sorties and delivered some 6,00 tons of ordinance during their time in the ‘Nam, being one of the few units capable of delivering 2,000 lb. bombs at the time. They redeployed during Operation Linebacker and lost three Phantoms during that time (one to enemy air action), becoming the last Marine Phantom unit to leave Vietnam in 1973. They finally surrendered their final remaining Phantom in 1988. AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really… more |
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VMFA-212 Lancers / USMC F4-J Phantom in the Vietnam WarPublished:
VMFA-212 Lancers was the first Marine jet squadron to be deployed aboard an aircraft carrier in combat, serving on the USS Oriskany in May of 1965. They conducted more than 12,000 combat sorties and dumped nearly 10,000 tons of ordinance during that time, chalking up an admirable safety record until their return to Hawaii in December of the same year. AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience. This set of colorful markings features one aircraft from this squadron – number 3813 (6) and includes the extremely complete stencil decals created by AOA Decals specifically for their… more |
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Phantom Airframe Data (Stencil Type) F-4B & F-4J Panels and MarkingsPublished:
AOA Decals is making a name for themselves with some of the very best decals found on the market. Whisper-thin, spot-on register, easy to apply, and with excellent opacity, they really make for an extremely pleasant modeling experience. I was offered a chance to check some of these out and started with their stencil set for Vietnam-era Marine or Navy Phantoms. This set comes on one full sheet with a separate sheet for the national markings features, literally hundreds of individual stencils covering the entire airframe including weapons pylons. Registration is perfect and the film is extraordinarily thin. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they lay down with no obvious silvering. Frankly, I couldn’t find a thing to complain about, except perhaps for the time it’s going to… more |