Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Reviews By Author
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Treaty Cruisers. The First International Warship Building CompetitionPublished:
Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! This book is also available in a hardback version (302 pages) priced at $55.00. Casemate Publishers has reprinted a definitive review of the so-called “Treaty Cruisers” by Leo Marriot. The author has a long list of military books to his credit, focusing on WW2 ground actions and WW2 to modern naval subjects, including this title. He is known for an excellent book on the Titanic and The Universe, with illustrated views from the Hubble Space Telescope. You get a 9.25 X 6 inches size paperback book with three Parts, 14 Chapters and four Appendices. Although the covers have a red tint, the book is completely B&W (no color) inside. The small print text is interspersed with B&W photos of ships,… more |
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The Cruiser Moskva - Top DrawingsPublished:
Thanks to Casemate Publishing and IPMSUSA for the review copy! The Moskvawas specifically designed to be a US Polaris submarine hunter/killer in the Arctic Ocean, along with her* sister ship Leningradin 1962, and operational in 1967. Their primary weapon was helicopter-launched torpedoes and depth charges assisted with sonobuoys, although the ships themselves carried missiles and torpedoes. Their reason for being evaporated when the US switched to longer range Poseidon ICBMs, meaning the boomers did not need to be in the Arctic Sea anymore. Since survival of the Moskvain open waters was problematic, as was finding boomers in time before launches, these two ships were transferred to the Black Sea fleet. Moskvaspent her remaining time shuttling to and from the Atlantic,… more |
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Tsushima 1905 - Death of a Russian FleetPublished:
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy and IPMSUSA staff for delivering the book and publishing the review. Mark Lardas is a real “rocket scientist” who has worked on Space Shuttle analytics and navigation. He is also an accomplished author with at least twelve books on naval topics, and a model maker as well. See his website for more details (www.marklardas.com). He has the gift of dissecting complex subjects (military campaigns) and finding the key fulcrums of change that led to the historical outcomes. He takes a fresh approach to re-analyze with additional information, with an objective, less-jaundiced eye for what really happened. The result is refreshing, especially for something like Tsushima 1905, something naval buffs… more |
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IJN 14cm Barrels With Or Without Blast Bags SetsPublished:
Bottom Line: Brass barrels in 1/700 scale for all WW2 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) warships mounting 14cm (5.5in)/50cal guns, for mountings without (-058) or with (-059) blast bags.
What You Get A 2 ¾ by 5 1/8 inch 2-piece cardboard card wrapped in clear plastic containing a small Ziploc bag with Instructions and another card with a small plastic bag holding 20 barrels taped to the card (Figure 1). For no blast bag mounts (-058), each barrel is 7mm long with a 1mm tab at the end. For mounts with blast bags, each barrel is 4.5mm long with a 1mm tab at the end (… more |
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The Japanese Destroyer Fubuki 16061. Super Drawings in 3DPublished:
Thanks to Casemate Books and IPMS USA for the review copy! Kagero Publishing has produced a large number of WW2 single-warship books from their Super Drawings in 3D series. These are reference works of the highest quality, detail, and interest for modelers. Each book has roughly 82-92 pages (92 for Fubuki), beginning with a short biography of the ship followed by a wealth of CG (computer-generated), three-dimensional, full-color drawings of appearance and fittings from a myriad of perspectives. For the Fubuki, a large, separate foldout of 1:200 scale B&W line drawings of side/top views in her 1941 fit, and details of fittings and close-ups in various scales on the obverse side are also included. All sorts of views, and close-ups of ship sections, and fittings (… more |
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British Destroyer vs German Destroyer Narvik 1940. Duel 88Published:
Thanks to Osprey Publishing for the review copy and IPMSUSA for the opportunity to review! This book is a revisit to the naval battles at Narvik, Norway, relatively early in WW2, after the “Phony War” during the winter of 1939-1940. Unlike other Osprey books, this issue is 80 pages (not counting the front/back covers) and packed with expert interpretation and technical facts. The two Battles of Narvik had greater strategic importance than first glance would suggest, but also was the largest scale of destroyer vs. destroyer action in the European theatre. This book has eleven sections:
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Naval Archives Volume 9. Radetzky-class – Forgotten Battleships of the Forgotten NavyPublished:
Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! Kagero Publishing’s latest installment of its Naval Archives – Volume 9 – is a softbound European A4 size with only one page of ads – for Kagero Publishing books. You get five feature articles with detailed text and photographs plus drawings, and sprinkled in between, two-page color layouts of specific ships. The last 10 pages live up to Kagero3D’s name with 3D CG drawings of the WW2 Kriegsmarine destroyer Z37 in its early fit (before its 1945 “Barbara” antiaircraft gun enhancement), and a red/green plastic eyeglass is included to visualize the 3D effect. The main features start with the front cover title - a well-researched article on the design, building and appearance of the Radetzky class of… more |
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IJN 14cm Barrels Without or With Blast Bags SetsPublished:
What You GetA 2 ¾ by 5 1/8 inch 2-piece cardboard card wrapped in clear plastic containing a small Ziploc bag with Instructions and another card with a small plastic bag holding 20 barrels taped to the card (Figure 1). For no blast bag mounts (-058), each barrel is 7mm long with a 1mm tab at the end. For mounts with blast bags, each barrel is 4.5mm long with a 1mm tab at the end (Figure 2). The tip has a fine hole that is difficult to see, but it’s there. These barrels are intended for Ise and Nagato battleship classes (secondary armament), Hosho aircraft carrier, Tenryu, Kuma, Nagara, Sendai, Yubari, and Katori light cruiser classes, and tenders Nisshin, Itsukushima, Okinoshima, and Jingei (Figure 3). Other auxiliaries and armed merchant cruisers carried this… more |
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USS North Carolina (BB-55) From WWII Combat to Museum ShipPublished:
David Doyle has written over 100 books, mostly on military subjects, including a Squadron At Sea book about the North Carolina from 2011. This book is one of the Legends of Warfare – Naval series for Schiffer Publishing, a well-researched history and photo album of America’s first “modern” battleship – USS North Carolina, BB-55. Since the North Carolina is a museum ship anchored off Wilmington, North Carolina, most of the book is a color photo tour of the ship inside and out. This book is an excellent resource for modelers of the North Carolina and of WWII US Navy common fittings. You get a 9x9 inch hardbound book consisting of Acknowledgements, Introduction and five Chapters (Construction, Commissioning, To War, Layup and Disposal, and Preservation). The pages are thick, semi-… more |
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The Japanese Cruiser Maya 16058Published:
Thanks to Casemate Books for the review copy! Kagero Publishing has produced a large number of WW2 warship books from their Super Drawings in 3D series, focusing on a single ship at a particular point in time (appearance). 16058 illustrates the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Maya in its final 1944 so-called Anti-Aircraft (AA) fit. Maya was one of the four Takao class heavy cruisers important to IJN naval efforts in WW2. Damage from a bomb hit from US carrier planes while at Rabaul in 1943 led to Maya becoming the first AA conversion of IJN five-turret heavy cruisers. The C turret (closest to the bridge) was replaced by two of the ubiquitous 127mm/40 Type 89 twin open antiaircraft mounts, along with additional 25mm mounts (triple and single) throughout the ship. Maya shipped six… more |