Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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WWII USN Crane Barge II YD98Published: June 14, 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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From Bessarabia to Belgrade. An Illustrated Study of the Soviet Conquest of Southeast Europe. March – October 1944Published: June 13, 2022 Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMS/USA for the review copy! The rapid Russian army takeover of Southeast Europe in 1944 is a seldom-covered topic, but its importance loomed huge for the Cold War and the fates of those countries to this very day. Kamen Nevenkin presents viewpoints of the events from German, Russian and the countries involved perspectives. This book shows the… more |
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The War in Northern Oman 1954-1962Published: March 3, 2022 Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! Oman is a country with a rich history of trading, and an ancient crossroads commanding the Straits of Hormuz. Over millennia, tensions between rival sects of Islam led to internal strife in Oman and surrounding areas, disrupting trade. To ensure their own financial benefits, different European countries set up the… more |
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The Japanese Light Cruiser Oyodo. Super Drawings in 3DPublished: February 13, 2022 Casemate Publishers just released the latest Kagero Publishing Super Drawings in 3D – The Japanese Light Cruiser Oyodo – in her 1944 fit (not her 1943 as-built appearance with the long catapult). This is a single-ship class of an odd hybrid ship that did not turn out to be a success (although she survived until the war-end harbor bombings at anchor). As always, the 3D book is jammed full of CG… more |
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Clemenceau Top DrawingsPublished: February 5, 2022 Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy! Kagero Publishing, from Poland, extends their Top Drawings Series with No. 116, the French Marine Nationale aircraft carrier Clemenceau (le Clem). She was placed into service in 1961, incorporating the latest advances in aircraft carrier technology. She and her sister ship, Foch, were active for more than 40 years,… more |
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Fighting Ships of the U.S. Navy 1883-2019, Aircraft Carriers, Escort Carriers, Volume One Part TwoPublished: February 1, 2022 Venner Milewski, Jr., a longtime naval sailor and shipbuilder, decided to catalog all the ships used by the US Navy since 1883. This ambitious program has borne fruit in his first Volume of aircraft carriers. This review looks into the 2nd Part of Volume One – Escort Carriers. If you ever wanted a comprehensive who’s who of US Escort Carriers, with loads of photographs… more |