Mark Aldrich
Reviews By Author
|
IDF M109A2 RochevPublished:
The U.S. Army accepted their first M109 in 1963. The M109 sported the short barrel (23 Caliber) 155mm M126 gun. Since 1963 the M109 has gone through a series of changes and upgrades. Most notable is the change to the longer barreled (39 Caliber) M185 gun on the M109A1 and the removal of the external floatation kit and addition of the external ammunition storage box on the M109A2. The Israelis received their first 60 M109s in 1967. After years of boycotts, refusals, and subterfuge, the United States agreed to openly sell Israel much needed modern armored fighting vehicles. The only changes the IDF did to the original M109s were to add some hull mounted crew rails on the side and the conversion of some muzzle brakes to the Soltam version (probably for testing purposes). … more |
|
T-34 Wheels Variations 1 & 2Published:
The T34 series is as synonymous to armored combat as the Sherman. There are still T-34 series hulls being used in Russian and it’s satellite countries to this day. Most of these are in the recovery or construction vehicle role, but the fact that they are still being used is a testament to it’s ease of use and mechanical longevity. The T-34 series of vehicles have been kitted in every armor scale by almost every manufacturer in the business. There are also a plethora of aftermarket items available in every scale as well. RES-IM or Resin Improvement manufactures Resin, PE and masks in every scale. They cover tanks and aircraft. No automotive or warships yet. Their armor selection is limited to three T-34 upgrade sets, fuel tank sets (Russian) and a set of resin wooden boxes.… more |
|
M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS)Published:
The M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) was first delivered to troops in 1983 and has since been delivered to many NATO countries with over 1,300 being built. The last M270 was manufactured in 2003, when a last batch was delivered to the Egyptian Army. DML first produced a MLRS kit in 1992. The kit was no. 3522 followed soon after by no. 3523. The major difference was the inclusion of 2 separate M26 rocket pods. Jump to 2015 and Dragon has released a “new” version of this incredible artillery piece. In 1992, the kit suffered from several issues such as the link length track, poorly rendered road wheels, and attached support arms and shocks. This new release has not rectified any of the issues. The only difference between this kit and no. 3523 is the inclusion of… more |
|
Loyd Carrier No. 2 Mk.IIPublished:
The Loyd Carrier was built upon the mechanicals (engine, gearbox and transmission) of a 15 cwt 4x2 Fordson 7V truck with light steel frame to which armor plate was bolted to the front and sides for minor protection. The engine was at the rear of the Carrier with the radiator places behind it. The transmission took the drive forward to the axle at the very front where it drove the tracks. Both the front drive sprockets and idlers (which were also notched) at the rear of the tracks were fitted with brakes, actuated by a pair of levers by the driver. To turn the vehicle to the left, the brakes were applied on that side and the Carrier would slew round the stopped track. The upper hull covered the front and sides but was open to the rear and above; as the Carrier was not expected… more |
|
Wooden Barrels and Milk CansPublished:
Another neat set from Hauler comes this wooden barrel and milk can set. Do not be fooled by the box photo. You do not get two large barrels. You get one large, medium, small wooden barrel, 2 large and 2 small milk cans. You also get a small PE set for the milk can handles. The only thing that would make this set better would have been to include tops for the large milk cans and wire for the handles. The small milk cans have lids attached and maybe the large ones should have been designed that way as well. Being made of resin, there are several steps I always take just to be on the safe side. It is best to give the parts a good warm water and soap brush cleansing to ensure all mold release agents are removed. Then there is the required removal of the pour lug and sanding to… more |
|
Small StovePublished:
Hauler has been around for a few years now. I mostly thought they produced resin items in the 1/48 scale arena. I was surprised to see this 1/35 item offered in the review area and since I had requested the Bronco Loyd Carrier and I figured I could knock this nifty looking item out as well. The items come packed in a cellophane bag with a hard paper backing. Included are a small instruction sheet and three resin parts. The resin parts are the stove, the stove pipe and a small pile of wood. The parts are beautiful castings. The only thing I would have changed is the pipe attachment. The kit has you gluing the pipe to the stove. I think the stove should have had a depression that the stove pipe actually fit into. This would have provided a far more secure join. I am… more |
|
M61 Vulcan 20mm Rotary CannonPublished:
At the end of WWII, The United States Army began to consider new directions for future Military Aircraft guns. The higher speeds of jet powered aircraft meant that achieving an effective number of hits would be extremely difficult without a much higher volume of fire. While captured German designs (principally the Mauser MG 213C) showed the potential of the single-barrel revolver cannon, the practical rate of fire of such a design was still limited by ammunition feed and barrel wear concerns. The Army wanted something better, combining extremely high rate of fire with exceptional reliability. In response to this requirement, the Armament Division of General Electric resurrected an old idea: the multi-barrel Gatling gun. The original Gatling gun had fallen out of favor because… more |
|
Couplings and ConnectorsPublished:
Over the years of my modeling enjoyment one of the questions I am often asked by fellow modelers is, why did you buy that”? Usually these questions are in reference to a specialty tool (pinvise, punch and die, or hex punch) or specialty item (metal barrel, decals, or resin sets). My standard response has always been the same. This is a hobby and by its nature is supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable. Any item that I see as a way to make it more so is usually worth the price. This new release from True Details definitely fits that bill perfectly. You get four sets of 16 different styled connectors. For the Ultra detailer, this is the cat’s meow in saving time. Depending on your use and ability, you can drill these out to handle one or several cables. Some of the larger… more |
|
Nuts and BoltsPublished:
Run 1/16 in the search bar on eBay and you end up with like 122,221 returns. Click on the Toys and Hobbies sub-category and there are 29, 317 results. I actually used this feature to see how many armor kits were available for use with the 1/16 scale Nuts and Bolts set from True Details. As this is a resin aftermarket set, it has more applications than just for the armor model builder, including the many die-cast farm equipment items, as well as older large-scale automotive models. Many of the die-cast items were listed as collectibles and carried a hefty price tag. Almost all of the listed items could definitely be improved with some or all of the items included in this new release. You get 80 items in the set. This seems like a lot, but you have to keep in mind that there are… more |
|
ZU-23-2 "Sergey" AmmunitionPublished:
Master Model has produced a nice ammunition set to go along with their beautiful ZU-23-2 barrels. This set consists of 20 empty casings, 10 OFZ (HEI) rounds and 10 BZT (API-T) rounds. The items are made from turned brass and ultra-tiny. The only issue I have with these great items is that they can only be used as a diorama accessory. Without the disintegrating links that hold the rounds together, they can only be used as individual pieces unless the builder is a REALLY good scratch builder. The OFZ round is a High Explosive Incendiary round. As shown in the picture, it has an aluminum casing, black warhead, and aluminum tip. There is a possibility that the tip is covered with the red incendiary marking (as in NATO ammunition) but this is pure speculation on my part. The BZT… more |