Jim Pearsall
Reviews By Author
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Demyansk 1942-43 The Frozen FortressPublished:
Well, it’s another of those books about a little known battle of World War II, but as I read this book, I became convinced that it was important for several reasons. Demyansk is a small town in Russia which sits about halfway between Moscow and Leningrad. This position makes the battle important. The Wehrmacht had punched through the Soviet armies in the western Soviet Union, and made fast advances toward both Leningrad and Moscow. Because the terrain west of Demyansk is mostly swamps and marshes, the advance in the areas between Moscow and Leningrad were slower. Also, there weren’t as many troops provided for this less important push. The OKW was certain they’d have both of the major cities shortly, so why bother with the farmland and villages between? The answer to that… more |
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Italeri Acrylic PaintsPublished:
When Steve Collins asked for volunteers to try Italeri’s new acrylic paints, I jumped right in there. I was doing a Monogram battleship as the USS Wisconsin, and I needed something to use as Deck Tan and Battleship Gray.
The paints come in 20milliliter bottles with a snap-open cap which allows you to take a small amount of paint from the top, which is great for doing fine work. You can also unscrew the lid and get a big dollop for painting a large area. The snap cap makes it very difficult to spill the paint, a plus when working with several colors at once. I… more |
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Mirage 2000 “My First Kit”Published:
This kit is one of a series which Italeri recently released. The idea is a great one, getting young people and adults interested in modeling by supplying everything you need in one box, including a DVD with video instructions. The kits in the series are:
The kit is the same mold as used by Revell for their Tiger Meet Mirage 2000. That being said, it’s a good choice for this type of model, as it is not a snap-kit, but it isn’t incredibly difficult either. I started by putting the DVD in my DVD Player. It wouldn’t read the DVD. The problem is that there are 6 zones for DVD… more |
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Lockheed Martin F-16A ADFPublished:
The AircraftI worked for the Air Guard at Peoria, Illinois, from 1987 to 1996. During that period (1992), the 182nd TASGp, with OA-37Bs, became the 182nd Fighter Group, equipped with the F-16A ADF. In October 1995, the F-16s were replaced by C-130Es, and the outfit is now the 182nd Airlift Wing. So when Steve announced the availability of Hasegawa’s F-16A ADF, I had to build it. But being in the Air Support Operations Center, I didn’t know what to look for when telling the F-16A ADF from any of the other F-16s. Fortunately, I was able to email Norris Graser, who sent me several beautiful photos of the ADF birds, as well as a cockpit photo of Steve Konie, who has been known to build a model or two in the last 30 years or so. The big differences between the ADF and the… more |
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Knight’s Move – The Hunt for Marshal Tito, 1944Published:
In 1944 the Soviets were starting to take the offensive. The Wehrmacht was still in Byelorussia and the Ukraine, but after Kursk the Russians had taken back almost half of the territory the Germans had won in 1941-42. The Americans and British had invaded Italy, making things even more difficult for the Axis side. Another pain in the Germans’ side was the continuing partisan activity in Yugoslavia. And someone at Headquarters decided that the way to neutralize this particular threat was to remove its leader, Josip Broz, known as Marshal Tito. This book is about the special operation, undertaken by the 500th SS Parachute Batallion, which descended on Drvar in northwestern Bosnia, using glider-borne soldiers and paratroops. While much of the book covers the actual landings… more |
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Plane Spotters GuidePublished:
Review copy courtesy of Osprey Publishing. When Steve Collins announced that this book was available, I asked for it to review, because at one time I worked in AF Intel, and got intimately involved with aircraft identification. Especially when a Breguet Alize taxied right past my office window and parked a few hundred meters away. Made my week. I expected this book to be a comprehensive listing of a lot of aircraft which a lucky person might encounter on a good day somewhere like Oshkosh Airventure or Farnborough International Airshow, or a military base. I also expected some 3-view drawings and a rather truncated description of the aircraft’s origin, subtypes, and identifying features. OK, I didn’t get what I expected. Instead I got a well-written… more |
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Boeing 777-300 JALPublished:
The KitThis is another of Hasegawa’s 1/200 series. This is their third 777-300, the other ones being done in ANA markings and a different JAL scheme. There are also two 777-200s in the series, both JAL. This is my first 1/200 scale kit. The fuselage comes in white plastic, while the wings, horizontal stabilizers, landing gear, wheels, and doors all come in gray. There is no cockpit interior, but there is a clear windscreen. Early on in the instructions, Hasegawa provides a wonderful feature, a nose weight. It’s a large screw, about 3/8 diameter, and about 1 inch long. It goes through a bulkhead which is glued into the fuselage. It’s plenty heavy, and there’s no danger of this model becoming a tail sitter. I took a photo of this feature, but I’ve had… more |
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MiG-21SMT Photo Etch UpgradePublished:
Eduard has released a photoetch exterior and interior upgrade for their new 1/144 MiG-21SMT. I’ve reviewed the kit separately. The KitInside the envelope, you get a 2 ½ by 3 inch PE fret, cockpit and canopy detail decals, and the instruction sheet. There are enough parts on the PE to do one of the two MiGs in the kit, and some “extras” which could be used on the second aircraft, such as the two different sets of chocks or the tailpipe interior which doesn’t need to be installed if you’re using the exhaust cover. ConstructionAs usual with just about any aircraft kit, the cockpit interior is done first. Because of the small scale, it presents some difficulty, but everything fits beautifully. The PE set includes additional side consoles… more |
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MiG-21SMT Dual ComboPublished:
This is the third of three reviews of the new Eduard 1/144 MiG-21s. The aircraft here is the MiG-21SMT, the “home grown” MiG. Other versions were for export, but the SMT was the one the Soviets kept for themselves. The MiG-21 in its various forms has been around for a really long time, entering service in 1959, and it’s still in service. The early versions are considered second generation fighters, but the newer versions, such as the MF, SMT and bis are third generation. That big added hump on the fuselage and upgraded avionics/electronics bring the MiG-21 into the third generation. The SMT has the biggest hump of the three. The KitYou get two of every part, with an extra canopy for each one. You also get a pair of Eduard masks for the kit(s).… more |
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Supermarine Seafire Mk XVIIPublished:
I really like the Spitfire. I’ve built almost as many of them as I have F-4 Phantom IIs. So, when the opportunity came to build a Seafire for a review, I volunteered. Does begging and pleading count as volunteering? Anyway, I got the new Sword Seafire Mk XVII, and Brian Baker got the Seafire III. The Aircraft The Seafire was a much desired aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm dearly wanted a high-performance fighter for their carriers. Because production of RAF Spitfires was a much higher priority, they got Blackburn Rocs (which were insufficient), Wildcats (Martlets), and Hellcats. The first Seafires were modified Spitfire Mk Vs. As Spitfires evolved, the Seafires changed, too. The Mk XV Seafire had the Griffon engine, but had some problems which were… more |