Gino Dykstra
Reviews By Author
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British Reflector Gunsights WW2Published: December 14, 2019 I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t used a lot of Brengun products over the years. This has nothing to do with their quality – more like modeling inertia. Often by the time I see a need for additional detail on an aircraft kit, I’ve reached the point of impatience where I simply want to get the thing done. This has not always worked in my favor. An area where 1/32nd… more |
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Soviet T-55 Main Battle TankPublished: August 21, 2019 The Russian T-54 and T-55 are without doubt the single most ubiquitous tank designs ever produced, having served in literally every theater of war since their initial design work back in the 1950’s. As such, they deserve a special place in any modern armor enthusiast’s collection. This book helps iron out some of the details for the detail conscious. I must admit I was somewhat… more |
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Les Artilleries Françaises de la Révolution et du Premier EmpirePublished: August 21, 2019 If you’re a serious figure modeler and have a thing for the incredibly colorful and resplendent uniforms of the Napoleonic Wars, this book from the series should get your attention. One of a range of large-format books by this publisher, it’s a virtual cornucopia of detail and information regarding the artillery arm of the French Army from 1786 through 1815, when Napoleon met his own “Waterloo… more |
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Arado Ar 234B-2/S3Published: January 8, 2022 I’ve built a number of models from this fledgling company, and must state one basic observation: they provide some fascinating subjects. I probably don’t need to go into a lot of historical background regarding the revolutionary Arado Ar234, except to say that it was the world’s first jet bomber and a truly amazing aircraft in many ways. I became fascinated with it during my teens when I built… more |
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F-5E Tiger II Landing Gear (KH)Published: June 16, 2019 Scale Aircraft Conversions has been providing replacement gear for a wide range of aircraft models for some time now, and the quality of their products is, by now, unquestioned. This new product for the Kitty Hawk Range of F-5E Tiger II models in 1/32nd scale is no exception. Comprised of ten pieces in cleanly-molded white metal, this kit is designed to directly replace most… more |
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RF-5E TigereyePublished: June 9, 2019 There’s something about this relatively small, compact and sleek fighter that can grip the imagination. I’ve been enamored with it, that when Hasegawa released their 1/32nd scale version many moons ago, I made no less than five over a single week, just to show it in some of its endless liveries. With the release of this version of this famous aircraft, Kittyhawk has not only… more |
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Men-At-Arms Series: French Naval & Colonial Troops 1872-1914Published: February 2, 2019 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… more |
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Spitfires Part 1Published: September 6, 2021 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… more |
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The Etruscans 9th - 2nd Centuries BCPublished: January 27, 2019 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… more |
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I.A.R. 81 BoPi "Dive Bomber"Published: January 8, 2019 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,… more |