Marc K. Blackburn
Reviews By Author
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World War Two US Cavalry Groups – European TheaterPublished:
Osprey Publishing is without a doubt one of the most prolific publishers of military history on the face of the planet. Whether you build models, teach history, or are an armchair historian, Osprey has something for you. This new release is part of their Elite series which tend to focus on particular units or armies. This title has a tight focus – the US Cavalry Groups that fought in the European Theater of Operations during World War Two. The author makes it clear at the beginning of the book that this title provides a focus on the thirteen cavalry groups that fought in the ETO. The coverage does not include the two that served in Italy or Southern France or remained in the states. What is a Cavalry Group? These are not the organic reconnaissance units that were included in… more |
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Russian ChTZ S-65 TractorPublished:
Trumpeter has continued to add to its growing line of Soviet prime movers. The recently released ChTZ S-65 tractor is just that, a tractor. The vehicle’s history from the side of the box: “The STALINETZ S-65 (or Starlinze-65) was basically an improved design based on the S-60 and succeeding it on the production line from June 20 1937, it has a 65-75 hp M17 diesel engine. As of 1941 the STALINETZ S-65 was the most numerous type of full-tracked artillery tractor with in the Soviet Army. The exact figure how many of the 37,626.” The kit includes eight sprues of approximately 200 parts and thirteen sprues of track; approximately 234 parts. There’s a small sheet of PE, clear headlight lenses, and decals for the instrument cluster. AssemblyThe kit is relatively… more |
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Acrylic Paint – Russian GreenPublished:
As many modelers know, Italeri has recently released their own line of model paints. These are not formulated by another company and packaged under the Italeri label. Since I was working on a review with the Trumpeter Russian ChTZ S-65 Tractor kit, it seemed like a nice fit. The paint comes in plastic bottles that hold 20 ml of paint. The paint is very thick, almost like craft paint, so it brushes on well, but I was interested in how it would airbrush. I thinned it down with water to about the consistency of milk and, for the most part, it seemed to airbrush well and evenly, but each person will have to use their best judgment on how thin the paint should be. In terms of the color, there are differences. I took three Russian vehicle models that I have assembled and… more |
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M26 Dragon Wagon Walk AroundPublished:
Squadron Signal has produced another of their walk around publications that features a detailed look at a piece of military equipment, in this case the M26 Dragon Wagon. Recently, Squadron has begun to produce a softback and hardback edition of these works; this happens to be the softback version. A review of the hardback version can also be found on this website. The book features two vehicles, an M26 paired with the M15 tank recovery trailer and the M26A1 paired with the M15A2 trailer. As the photographs illustrate, the chief difference between the two versions is the cab. As battlefield recovery appeared to be less likely, the massive armored cab was replaced with a sheet metal version during the production run. The cover, featuring an illustration by Don Greer of a M26… more |
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IJN Heavy Cruiser Tone in 3D DrawingsPublished:
Fans of the Imperial Japanese Navy have something new to put on their wish lists – a new, beautifully illustrated reference book! Kagero, based in Lublin, Poland, has published a new addition to their illustrated 3D series of historic warships. They have previously published 3D books on the Heavy Cruisers Takao and Aoba. Using computerized graphics, the authors have created detailed 3-D illustrations of the Tone’s exterior from stem to stern from nearly every possible angle, in what appears to be her appearance after her last refit in the summer of 1944. It also comes with a bonus foldout that provides a profile of the ship rendered in black and white and some additional illustrations. The book provides a brief historical overview of the cruiser, in what appears to be… more |
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BTR-50PK Armored Personnel CarrierPublished:
Short History From the side of the box, Trumpeter provides the following history of the BTR: “The Russian BTR-50 is a Soviet amphibious armoured personnel carrier based on the PT-76 amphibious light tank chassis. The BTR-50 was tracked, unlike most members of the BTR series, which were wheeled. Like the PT-76, the BTR-50 has a flat, boat-shaped hull. Unlike the PT-76 it has a new superstructure added to the front of the vehicle. The engine used in the BTR-50 is the V-6 6-cylinder water-cooled diesel engine developing 240 hp (179 kW) at 1800 rpm gives it a road speed of 44 km/h with a cruising range of 400 km. BTR-50PK is armed with a pintle-mounted 7.62 mm SGMB machine gun. This variant has an NBC production system.” What’s in the box?… more |
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The Siege of Sevastopol and the Crimea Campaign, 1941-42Published:
Concord Publishing has continued its series of illustrated campaign histories. This volume focuses on the siege of Sevastopol from 1941-42. Dimitry Zgonnik has four full color illustrations that highlight the uniforms of German soldiers during this campaign. Beginning in the fall of 1941, the 11th Army, under the command of Erich von Manstein, was given the objective of capturing the Crimean Peninsula, which, by default, meant neutralizing the Soviet fortress of Sevastopol. After several attempts in the fall of 1941, the Germans failed to capture Sevastopol. In the spring of 1942, Manstein was able to eject the Soviets from the Crimea and besiege Sevastopol. Many buffs remember the Crimean campaign because of the Germans use of the Super gun Gustav which was used to reduce the… more |
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AFV Modeller, #59 July/August 2011Published:
The summer issue of AFV Modeler lives up to its pedigree as a world-class modeling magazine. The cover article is a riff on Luftwaffe ’46. Using what I believe is the Dragon Panther II kit, Miguel Jimenez (MIG products founder) describes his flight of fancy – the Americans and Germans unite at the end of the war to battle the Communist menace using German equipment. The bulk of the article is devoted to giving the tank its marvelous finish. Using color modulation and the hairspray technique, the author gets a fantastic result using advanced finishing techniques. The next article features Denes Benedick’s diorama. Set in the last days of the 1940 French campaign, the Bronco A13 Mk. II and Adler Kfz. armored car builds a very nice diorama depicting the British First Armored… more |
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Battle Ground - The Greatest Tank Duels in HistoryPublished:
One of the newer series of Osprey Publishing is the “Duel” series. As the name suggests, it provides an in-depth look at two pieces of equipment and compares and contrasts their capabilities in the context of a particular battle. To date, there are forty separate titles. Many of these concentrate on armor. Osprey has packaged five of these titles into one book:
Each title reviews the developmental history, capabilities, technical details, crew, and a particular campaign that they participated in. Each volume is illustrated with black and white/color… more |
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King Tiger vs IS-2, Operation Solstice 1945Published:
Osprey’s series “Duel” is adding another title - King Tiger vs. IS-2. As with previous publications, the book focuses on the design, development, and capabilities of these two well-known vehicles that debuted in the last eighteen months of the war in Europe. While the book does not offer much in terms of reference material for building the penultimate King Tiger or IS-2, it provides the necessary context for understanding the origins and development of these vehicles and how they performed on the field of battle. Without going into great detail, the author provides a concise summary of the origins of these tanks and their subsequent development. Both vehicles came into production and service in the last 18 months of the war, meeting a need for a heavy tank. As with other… more |