Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Reviews By Author
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Tirpitz Photoetch SetPublished:
Bottom LineEduard has produced a single fret of finely detailed, finely scaled brass photoetch parts specific to the 1/700 scale Revell 05099 DKM Tirpitz injection-molded, polystyrene model. Highly recommended for this kit. What You GetA single, medium-sized, brass photoetch fret of railings, C30 20mm single guns, some masts and spars, multipart cable reels, catapult, aircraft props, radars, searchlight covers, ladders, ladder rails, pulleys, cranes, funnel grate, air intake grates and other parts to super-detail Revell’s 1/700 Tirpitz. Separate detail parts are numbered, with 116 different parts numbered on the fret, and 147 overall counting duplicates. Metal is intermediate in thickness and strength compared to other photoetch companies, which I prefer… more |
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Heavy Duty Cruiser Aoba Class Aircraft RailsPublished:
Bottom LineVery specific and highly detailed photoetch set to equip one of only two Imperial Japanese Navy WW2 warships: heavy cruisers Aoba and Kinugasa. What You GetThis limited scope, steel photoetch set is strictly for two IJN warships: Aoba (Hasegawa 054, 43305, 43347 retool) and Kinugasa (Hasegawa 064, 43307, 43348 retool). Photoetch parts for the aircraft handling deck, deck rails, aircraft cradles and 2- & 3-blade propellers only are provided to equip one ship. Hasegawa has decided to market separate photoetch sets for specific areas of IJN Furutaka and Aoba class heavy cruisers, since these half-sister classes (Furutaka and Kako were earlier half-sisters) had different… more |
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WWII IJN Ship Windows & Sealed Cap for PortholesPublished:
Lion Roar has produced an ideal product for superdetailers: a value-priced set of 1/700 scale (late-war) porthole covers and “eyebrows” for portholes (hull and superstructure) for Imperial Japanese Navy warships. What You GetLion Roar photoetch set R7038, 1/700 WWII Imperial Japanese Navy Ship Windows & Sealed Cap for Portholes, does not actually contain any windows or portholes. The title for this set was obviously mangled in translation into English. This set has three sizes of “eyebrows” that are meant to be placed over portholes of various sizes and caps used to cover portholes later in WWII. Eyebrows are called rigols or rims in naval parlance, and they are an arc-shaped trough that goes around the upper third or half of a porthole (round scuttle) or window… more |
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WWII 1/700 IJN Catapults PhotoetchPublished:
Bottom Line: Very accurate and finely detailed WW2 IJN catapults for cruisers and capital ships with cradles and trolleys. Four catapults per set. As good as or better than other photoetch IJN catapult sets, but has some assembly issues. WW2 Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) Aircraft CatapultsCatapults were added to all IJN cruisers, including heavy, light and training classes, before and during WW2. IJN catapult nomenclature was place of manufacture, type and model. Ten catapult types were used on IJN warships. They ranged in length from 17.0 – 44.0 meters long, but most were 19.4 meters long. The German engineer Ernst Heinkel designed the initial catapults for the IJN, and by 1930, the IJN was using compressed air catapults (named Kure Type No. 1 Model… more |
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USS Maryland 1941Published:
Finally, a long-awaited need is met! – an injection-molded 1/700 styrene plastic kit of the USS Maryland at Pearl Harbor (December 1941), in correct appearance. A good value, an easy build, and a fine-looking model with some photo etch. USS Maryland BB46The USS Maryland (nicknamed Fighting Mary or Old Mary by her crew) was the second ship of the three-ship Colorado class, one of the Big 5 (including the very similar Tennessee and California, the last US battleship classes built before naval treaties expired before World War II). She was laid down in 1917, launched in 1920, and commissioned in 1921. When built, they were regarded among the most powerful warships in the world, mounting eight 16-… more |
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Battlecruiser – Fast Battleship Haruna – Super Drawings in 3DPublished:
Bottom LineAn ultimate and highly detailed modeler’s guide to building IJN Haruna in late 1944 fit. Targeted to 1/350 scale, but suitable for all other scales. Kagero has produced over a dozen books on WW2 warships that use computer graphics in 3D to provide superb detail. This latest book on the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) battlecruiser/fast battleship Haruna is once again an ultimate resource for knowing what the ship looked like in late 1944. Other time periods are not depicted. This book is an ideal companion to 1/350 kits of the Haruna (Fujimi), but is also an ultimate guide to other scales. I do not know exactly how or where the authors found their reference material, but in my experience, their rendition looks perfectly accurate. Judging from their… more |
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Italian 381mm/50 (15”) Model 1934 Gun BarrelsPublished:
Bottom LinePerfect to-scale 15” (381mm) barrels for Littorio WW2 Italian warship class The Italian 381mm/50 (15”) gun barrels, 1934 Model, were the largest produced in Italy, with 40 being manufactured. They were designed by Ansaldo in 1934 for the Littorio battleships, but most were made by OTO. They were mounted in triple turrets, three turrets per ship. These guns were considered as excellent as, and had better penetrating power than, similar guns from other countries. Rate of fire was 45 seconds and muzzle velocity was 850 m/s. Range was over 42,000 meters. Dispersion of shot was a chronic problem for the Italian Navy, and was due more to faulty ammunition than to gun performance. The PartsEach set comes in a small plastic bag… more |
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Italian 152mm/55 (6”) Model 1936 Gun BarrelsPublished:
Bottom Line: Perfect to-scale 6” (152mm) barrels for Littorio and Garibaldi WW2 Italian warship classes The latest secondary, or anti-torpedo boat, armament for new construction (Littorio battleship and Garibaldi light cruiser classes) was the 1936 model 152mm/55 caliber gun. This new gun was derived from the earlier 1926 and 1929 versions in use on then-current Regia Marina light cruisers. Two different versions were made – a monobloc construction by the original designer, Ansaldo, and heat-forced tubular element construction from OTO (used only in Vittorio Veneto and Roma battleships). Twin and triple turrets with independent cradles for each gun were made. Rate of fire was one round every 14 seconds. The guns were… more |
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Italian 90mm/50 Model 1 AA Gun BarrelsPublished:
History In the mid-1930s, Italy began design studies for a new naval antiaircraft gun to replace the 100mm/40 mounts, which was too slow to elevate and track modern aircraft. After calibres from 6-127 mm were evaluated, Regia Marina opted for a compromise between firepower, rate of fire, and system weight. Ansaldo did the initial design work and developed the 90mm/50 Ansaldo 1938, OTO 1939 model heavy antiaircraft gun and stabilized mount. Performance was similar to the famed German 88mm, and these guns remained in service for many years after WW2. These guns were installed in the Littori class battleships and the reconstructed battleships Andrea Dorea and Duilio. Plans for fitting out other ships were never carried out. Although the… more |
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Model Art Modeling Magazine, #44, Summer 2012Published:
Model Art No. 44 is devoted to Super Dreadnoughts – battleships from the beginning (HMS Dreadnought in 1907) to the US Navy’s Iowa class (the last operational dreadnought). As usual, in this issue there is extensive historical information along with kit builds of examples. The magazine itself is A4 size – somewhat longer and less wide than standard US 8.5 x 11 inches. There is a centerfold with the full-sized cover art of the Yamato firing a full broadside and Tamiya’s 1/350 Yamato model. The coverage starts with a 14-page pictorial on Zvezda’s 1/350 HMS Dreadnought, the battleship that lended its name to describe the world’s most powerful weapon at that time. A beautiful kit, with pages of how to build the kit. Next up is the ultimate Super Dreadnought – Tamiya’s 1/350… more |