Howie Belkin
Reviews By Author
|
French Infantry Sedan 1940Published:
In less than two months, France lost 290,000 men killed or wounded and 1,900,000 taken prisoner in its massive defeat that heavily relied upon a strategy based on solid defensive fortifications. Germany’s leaders were not going to fight the First World War again, in spite of all appearances. After their successful Blitzkrieg through Poland in September 1939, they seemed to have run out of steam, settling down to wage a “Sitzkrieg” or “Phoney War” (dôle de guerre). While the world waited through that first bitter, particularly severe winter of World War II, France began calling up reservists. Confident that their investment in the Maginot Line stopped the Germans in their tracks, and in their superior quantity and quality of French armor, French generals became overconfident while… more |
|
Mark IV vs. A7V Villers-Bretonneux 1918Published:
This volume of the Osprey Duel series follows the series format, comparing two combatant tanks against each other, and in this case focusing on the occasion of the first tank vs. tank battle in history that occurred on April 24, 1918. True to the format, rather than simply describe that historic battle, the author describes and compares both vehicles and the events that both led up to and followed the battle. In drawing perspective, Mr. Higgins reminds us that the Industrial Revolution had already altered warfare into an unimagined horror only writers of a new, ever popular genre, Science Fiction, dared dream. The Gatling gun already had decades of warfare by the time the Great War began in 1914, and had become obsolete then by the improvements of several other manufacturers… more |
|
Diamond T 4-Ton Truck Walk AroundPublished:
At first glance, the Diamond T 4-ton Truck looks like the “Deuce and a Half” (2½ CCKW GMC series) on steroids. The U.S. Quartermaster Corps and Corps of Engineers needed a truck that could do everything the “Deuce and a Half” could do – and much, much more. The Diamond T 4-ton truck filled the bill, serving throughout WWII in all theatres. But the Diamond T had one major problem: it cost as much as twice that of the CCKW! So it was bought in smaller quantities and served the U.S. Military just over 10 years. It was the basis upon which the post-war M-34/M-35 2½ trucks and M-41/M54 5-ton series were based. David Doyle, the book’s prolific author, dives right into the Squadron/Signal Publications Walk Around format, delivering five period photos, two color… more |
|
A-6 Intruder Units of the Vietnam WarPublished:
Vietnam was called “The Helicopter War,” which suited me just fine, having served as a UH-1H “Huey” doorgunner. But as a modeler, a Long Islander (home to Grumman and Republic), and an armchair historian, I have to concede that quite a number of other aircraft types served heroically, if not stoically, and are owed much, much more appreciation for the extraordinary tasks they accomplished under some of the most suicidal “rules of engagement” ever self inflicted upon a combatant. The Grumman A-6 Intruder has starred in a couple of books and movies, with her pilots among the authors. Indeed, the author of this book, Rick Morgan,”is a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander with more than 2300 hours of flight time… principally in EA-6B Prowler, A-4 Skyhawk and A-3 Skywarrior type aircraft.”… more |
|
P-40B/C Replacement PartsPublished:
These are simple but clean sets of precisely cast resin replacement parts that quickly and easily improve already good 1/72 scale early P-40 kits. Each set consists of one gray resin block with easily removed molded parts. The hollowed-out exhausts, scale thin damper cooler flaps, machine gun barrels with oblong cooling vents, and detailed undercarriage covers (landing gear doors) are intended for Airfix’s new-tool 1/72 Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2 (P-40B/C) kit, but can fit other kits as well. QB 72 374 has two rows of six round exhaust pipes attached to the resin block by a narrow feed that can be easily sawed free, as… more |
|
Vietnam War Helicopter Art: U.S. Army Rotor AircraftPublished:
Most modelers prefer that the camouflage and markings on their models be historically accurate, but we rely on someone else to do the grunt research work. Before I went to Vietnam, I was already a modeler and IPMS member. I had a WWII modeler friend and mentor, Joe Lynch, who advised me to take lots of photos of anything I might want to build a model of when I came home. He said there was no way I’d remember serial numbers and exact colors and so on, and he was right. Luckily, just before coming home, I remembered, bought a camera, and took photos from every angle of the helicopter I flew in the most. I didn’t get to take many other photos, as I got the camera too late into my tour. I don’t think it mattered as I didn’t really have many photo ops since my eye was supposed to be looking… more |
|
U.S. Army Helicopter Names in VietnamPublished:
The most visited site in Washington DC continues to be the Vietnam Wall, listing the almost 59,000 young American men and women who died as a result of serving there. The interest in that War continues unabated for many reasons. For modelers, the many aircraft, military vehicles and ships that served offer many interesting subjects to model. The abundance of excellent 35mm cameras and color film made that war’s camouflage and markings the best documented to that time. The predominance of helicopters earned it the moniker “The Helicopter War,” and indeed, it revolutionized warfare. Author and veteran John Brennan, (former SP5, 114 AHC, 1970-71, Vinh Long AAF, Mekong Delta), was impressed during his tour by the many personal names painted on helicopters. From the earliest days of… more |
|
Seversky P-35 Decals, 1937-38Published:
Major Alexander de Seversky, a Russian ace with 13 kills during WWI, defected to the U.S. in 1918, founding the Seversky Aviation Corp. in 1931 on Long Island, NY. Alexander Kartveli emigrated in 1928, joining Seversky as his Chief Engineer. The Seversky/Kartveli team would become the Republic Aviation Corp. which would gain fame with the P-47 Thunderbolt whose lineage was directly traced back to the P-35 as both a combat pursuit fighter and a racer, setting speed records and participating in the Bendix and Thompson Trophy races. If your model collection strives to include landmark or significant historical aircraft, then I would state that it is incomplete without a P-35. Without the powerful P-35 impressing the military and sustaining the Seversky Aviation Corp. through the turbulent… more |
|
SB2C-4 HelldiverPublished:
First, I owe an apology to you and to Dragon for my delay in building and reviewing the “…best dive bomber the Navy ever flew but also the last.” That final assessment came after a difficult start in replacing the Dauntless, “one of the most popular aircraft ever to fly.” In fact, when the first squadrons conducted trials aboard the Essex CV-9, “…the ship departed for the war zone with SBD Dauntlesses instead.” In trials aboard the second assigned carrier, the second Yorktown CV-10, “…the results were so disastrous that the ship’s Commanding Officer, Captain J.J. ‘Jocko’ Clark, stated that the aircraft’s only value was as an anchor.” Though the Helldiver could carry a heavier payload and was faster than the Dauntless, and ongoing improvements ironed out its shortcomings, it became a… more |
|
British 25-Pdr. Field Gun Mk.II w/Limber & CrewPublished:
First, I owe an apology to you and to Dragon for my delay in building and reviewing this long-overdue British 25-Pdr. QF Field Gun Mk.II w/Limber & Crew - Smart Kit. Long overdue in that this fine kit finally replaces the venerable 35+ year old Tamiya 25-Pdr. Tamiya’s kit is comparatively toy-like and its figures scale rather short, 5’2” scale troops. Its big advantage was that either separately or as a package, Tamiya also provided a Quad Gun Tractor. In just over 210 gray injection-molded parts, Dragon provides only the 25-Pdr, limber, and crew. And DML sets the bar high as this is one of the best, easiest to build artillery models I’ve had the pleasure of building. The BEF fought in France with 18/25-Pdr hybrids, as the first Mk II’s weren’t issued to the 8h Army Field… more |