Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Reviews By Author
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Cruisers of the III Reich. Vol. 2.Published: December 15, 2022 The author, Wikold Koszela, has written 25+ books on warships – mostly British, United States and German battleships/cruisers, and modern Polish and Soviet Navy warships. Twelve of his publications are in the Kagero Top Drawing series. For this and other books, Witold also supplied the line and color drawings, and they are top quality and very helpful for modelers. I could not find additional… more |
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Nuclear India, From Reluctance to Triad - Asia @ War Series No.25Published: December 9, 2022 Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! If you are of a certain age and remember duck and cover under your school desk for nuclear attack drills, under a poster saying “one nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day,” this book will cause stress – rightly so. India is the setting of this Asia@War Series book, describing the oft-ignored entry and burgeoning status of… more |
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The Japanese Destroyer Suzutsuki. TopDrawings No. 128Published: November 3, 2022 Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! Kagero Publishing, from Poland, in TopDrawings No. 128, details the appearance of the apex of WW2 Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers, the Akizuki class Suzutsuki (Calm Moon) in 1945. The TopDrawings series is designed for modelers to have an accurate reference for detailed appearances of individual ships and aircraft.… more |
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Danger Forward. The Forgotten Wars of General Paul F. GormanPublished: November 3, 2022 Danger Forward is the title, but you will read how the book could have been titled Danger 360. The stuff of which good movies should be made. This hard-to-put-down book reads fast and easy with a you-were-there feel that covers key US military efforts from WW2 to the mid 1980s, when General Gorman retired. He is still alive at 94 years in Virginia. The author, Mike Guardia, came out with the… more |
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The Development of Crude Oil Tankers. A Historical MiscellanyPublished: September 7, 2022 Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! Casemate Publishers presents The Development of Crude Oil Tankers. A Historical Miscellany by Dr. Ray Solly. This book is a large hardbound with glossy pages chock full of photographs, detailed line drawings, and explanations of how tanker design progressed to the present day. Our current lifestyles and national security… more |
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Mar Verde - The Portuguese Amphibious Assault on Conakry, 1970 - Africa @ War Series No. 55Published: September 6, 2022 Headlines: Cold War Intrigue. Secret MilOps. Prison Camp Raid! Merry Band of Mercs & Rebels Overthrowing a Corrupt Regime. Freedom Fighters vs. Commies. Sean-Connery-James-Bond Style / Peter Graves Style Mission Impossible Skullduggery. Government Disavowal of Actions. Records Expunged. Postmortem Analysis From Forgotten Document. Guinea is the setting of this Africa@War Series… more |
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The British Battleship HMS VanguardPublished: August 20, 2022 Kagero Publishing, from Poland, in TopDrawings No. 123, exhibits the largest, fastest and last British battleship, HMS Vanguard, in all its glory as the world’s largest yacht for royalty. Also, the last battleship ever launched. The TopDrawings series is designed for modelers to have a reference for detailed appearances of individual ships and aircraft. TopDrawings consist of color covers with… more |
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The French Battleship Jean BartPublished: August 20, 2022 Kagero Publishing, from Poland, in TopDrawings No. 125, illustrates the last commissioned battleship of the French Marine Nationale – Jean Bart, in his final fit in 1956. The TopDrawings series is designed for modelers to have a reference for detailed appearances of individual ships and aircraft. TopDrawings consist of color covers with black & white (B&W) line drawings of the ship,… more |
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WWII USN Crane Barges II YD98Published: August 17, 2022 Thanks to DragonUSA for supplying the resin/PE set for review and IPMSUSA staff for handling the request and publishing this review. Special thanks to Dave Morrissette who forwarded this kit to me after I and everyone else refused to review it in 2014. I said it would take me a while to get to it, but better late than never! Apologies to DragonUSA for the delay. YD98 is still available! … more |
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The Battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. Vol. IIPublished: July 5, 2022 Bottom LineVolume 2 of the WW2 German Kriegsmarine battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau focuses on the career and appearance of DKM Gneisenau. Volume I gives more info on Gneisenau than anything previous – an extensive narrative history along with many B&W photos, a section of high-quality, large-scale photographs, stunning 3D graphic “visualizations” of her various fits, two… more |