Marc K. Blackburn
Reviews By Author
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The German Heavy Cruiser Prinz Eugen (Top Drawings No. 86)Published:
Kagero, the prolific Polish publishing company, has released the newest addition to their series, Top Drawings. This is number 86, the German heavy cruiser, Prinz Eugen. Distributed by Casemate Publications, this 28 page paper book provides drawings and a color profile of the famous German cruiser. I imagine most of you know the ship’s history. It accompanied the Bismarck on its first and only voyage, accompanied the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in their famous channel dash, and ended her career in the Baltic. For those of you unfamiliar with this series, the book provides a series of profile drawings of famous warships, warplanes, and armored fighting vehicles. Other ships in the series include the Japanese battleship Nagato in 1944, a whole host of Soviet warships, HMS Royal Oak… more |
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Boeing Fortress Mk.IIIPublished:
The KitIn 2016, Airfix released to wide acclaim, a B-17 G. Rather than giving a summary of the bomber, I will just say this – Airfix chose to create a variant used in the RAF. The kit is based on that new mold and is a variant of the B-17 G. The British adapted 85 B-17 G’s to be used for weather monitoring and electronic warfare. The kit has markings and profiles for two RAF aircraft plus stencils common to both aircraft. The biggest difference is that this variant is missing the ball and chin turrets. The G model’s distinctive chin turret was replaced by a radome. Ten sprues are in typical Airfix light blue plastic and packed together in one bag. Instructions are in a booklet of new type with CAD drawings. Colors listed as Humbrol line. It is easy enough to find equivalents… more |
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Soviet Partisan versus German Security Soldier, Eastern Front, 1941-11 (Combat Series)Published:
This is one of the new additions to Osprey Publishing ongoing Combat series (or as I call it, their ‘versus’ series). Each volume takes a look a particular slice of a campaign or war to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the two combatants and how they fared in a campaign or set of skirmishes. This particular volume takes a close look at how Soviet Partisans fought against German security forces in the region around Leningrad from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa through 1943. As with most Osprey publications, this work is illustrated with original artwork by Johnny Shumate, historical photographs, and detailed maps of the battleground. It is generally accepted that the eastern front was brutal, both on the front lines and in the rear areas. With their tried and true… more |
The Armed Forces of the Gulf States – Oman 1921-2012Published:
Casemate Publications has brought a series by Helion and Company that provides a broad overview of the armed forces and conflicts of the Middle East to the attention of Hobbyists. This particular book is part two of a series that focuses on the history and modern composition of the armed forces of Oman. This is number twenty-two of this series. It is a paperback publication with maps, contemporary black and white photographs as well as a smaller collection of color photographs. You will also find a series of color plates highlighting color schemes of modern and vintage vehicles. The plates and color photographs are helpful, but some of the plates are far too dark. The text is dense, and for my old eyes, a wee bit too small. Regardless, if you are interested in a broad overview of one… more |
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Sherman M4A2Published:
For a long time, Airfix has continued the tradition of reboxing their older kits from their 1/76 scale line. Since this is a reissue, despite the newer box with red highlights, this Sherman M4A2 comes from a mold that is pushing 60 years old (and it shows). The kit includes rubber band tracks and a couple of sprues. Given the age of the mold, the parts are in okay conditions, though there is flash. Certainly, the parts are not as crisp as in a new kit, but they are adequate. When you compare this Sherman with newer kits, the details are soft. I can only assume that the vehicles depicted through the decals are new to this reissue. There’s not much to the kit. The suspension has the most pieces and is rather fiddly to assemble. Given the age of the mold, the detail of the road… more |
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The Battleship HMS Rodney, 1942Published:
Casemate Publishers, distributors for Kagero Publications, has added another title to their ongoing series of Super Drawings in 3D. This time they turn their attention to the classic British Battleship, HMS Rodney. If you are familiar with these titles, a ship is rendered in full color, 3D illustrations. Each of these super drawing books provide a short overview of the ship in question specifications and a summary of its operational history before plunging into the illustrations. Kagero also provides a black and white fold out plan of the HMS Rodney. If you are not familiar with these publications, the illustrations cover the features of a ship from stem to stern. They focus on the bits and pieces that are normally found scattered on the deck of a warship. As in previous titles… more |
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The Russian Destroyer Spravedlivvy, 1956Published:
Casemate Publishers, distributors for Kagero Publications, has added another title to their ongoing series of Super Drawings in 3D. This time they turn their attention to the Russian Destroyer Spravedlivvy. Built in 1956, the ship was part of a class of Soviet destroyers that are not well known in the west. By no means an iconic ship, given that Kagero is based in Poland, this ship was turned over to the Polish navy in 1970 where it took the name Warszawa (Warsaw). When it went into service with the Polish navy, the ship had been modified to carry missiles. The book looks at its original configuration, as the ship was commissioned, rather than in its modified form. As with other titles in this series, the book begins with a short overview of the ship’s history and design. The… more |
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Magach 6B Gal Batash, Israeli Main Battle TankPublished:
Meng exploded on the scene several years ago and continue to produce very high-quality kits of a variety of subjects. This kit focuses on the Israeli modified M-60 Battle Tank known as the Magach 6B. M-60s began service with the Israeli Army with the 1973 Yom Kippur War and most of the armored force was equipped with M-60 A1 and later models. The Israelis continued to upgrade their fleet to meet the changing threats on the battlefield. These vehicles have the low profile commander’s cupola, an upgraded engine, and armor package as well as an upgraded fire control system. Academy has provided kits of the Magach 6B and 7C, so it will be interesting to see which direction Meng takes with this kit. The KitThe kit has 813 parts cast in light brown plastic. There are four… more |
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Otto Skorzeny: The Devil’s DisciplePublished:
Osprey Publications, the prolific publisher of books related to nearly every aspect of military history imaginable, has in recent years been branching out into more traditional history works. This work is a critical biography of Otto Skorzeny, the man who rescued Mussolini from captivity. The author, Stuart Smith, is a trained historian with a career in business. Using original records and a variety of sources, Stuart has put together a fascinating portrait of a man whose entire career was largely built on one exploit – rescuing Mussolini from captivity in 1943. As his actions in the post-war would indicate, he was also an unrepentant Nazi. Stuart paints an unfaltering portrait of Skorzeny. He was a superb opportunist and self-promoter who happened to be at the right place at… more |
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French Foreign Légionnaire vs Viet Minh InsurgentPublished:
Like a fireball in the night, the story of the Vietnam War dominates our historical consciousness. This new addition to Osprey’s Combat series, focuses on the French Foreign Legion versus the Viet Minh from 1948 to 1952. The book concentrates on a four year period, marking the height of the French occupation and counter-insurgency against the Viet Minh. Combat is one of the newer series of Osprey Publishing and it follows a formulaic format. Each book is illustrated with original art work, depicting some of the combat scenes described in the book as well as historical photographs contemporary to the conflict. The first part of each book provides context for the combat, focusing on the issues related to the larger war and the composition of the armed forces involved in each battle… more |