Michael Novosad
Reviews By Author
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Sd. Kfz. 7/2 3.7 cm Flak 36 Smart KitPublished:
History and PerformanceThe Encyclopedia of German Tanks of World War Two, by Chamberlain, Doyle and Jentz, show that 319 Sd. Kfz. 7/1 fitted with quad 2 cm FV38 were produced until October 1944, and 123 Sd. Kfz. 7/2 fitted with 3.7 cm FlaK 36 were produced until February 1945. This review addresses the latter vehicle. These vehicles were issued to FlaK units of the Luftwaffe. I scoured many of the personal library references and found very few images of these vehicles. Nonetheless, this looks like a very interesting build. Kit Review
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An Aeronautical Engineer's View….The Vought F4U Corsair and its ContemporariesPublished:
Editor: This review updated 24 July 2011 with book author's e-mail address corrected This is the 6th edition of this publication, published in 2010 and printed in May 2011. I reviewed the 5th Edition, published in January 2009. For those of you who may have missed the previous review I will include some of the original comments in this updated review. When the previous An Aeronautical Engineer’s View….The Vought F4U Corsair and its Contemporaries first arrived for my review I scanned through the pages and the only picture I found was that of the author. I need reference pictures, lots of pictures, of the Corsair, wheel wells, the cockpit, details, markings and so on. I thrive on line drawings. Nonetheless I had an obligation… more |
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AFV Modeller, #57 March/April 2011Published:
FormatThe cover for this issue has a stunning image of Jose‘ Dusquesne‘s Pz. Kpfw. 38 (t). The publication is printed on medium-weight glossy paper, with color images on every page. In some article there are several images numbered and keyed to the text. This issue contain 64 pages. ContentsThe first article is by James Bond, and features The ICM kit of the Russian B-35, “Land Battleship”. The author put a great deal of effort into this model, and several in-progress images are included. The Fruil tracks used in this build were 24” long, and when wound about the suspension should be a model over 10” long. A land battleship for sure. Informative building techniques offered to the reader. The second article is authored by Zack Sex, and includes two… more |
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Desert Prelude "Operation Compass"Published:
FormatThis paperback publication contains 196 8.25” x 11.75” pages, and includes more than 120 black and white photos, scale plans, maps and several color profiles. This is the second volume in this series that addresses the war in North Africa from December 9, 1940 - February 7, 1941 before the Germans became involved to save their Italian allies. I personally have always been interested in the North African combat theater, especially the Afrika Korps, but this publications offer some insight into the battles before the DAK became involved. ContentsThere are numerous photographs of aircraft, mostly Italian, and the pilots, again mostly Italian. There are several color profiles of Italian aircraft and two maps of the area at the back of the publication.… more |
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VK.45.02(P)HPublished:
History and PerformanceThe references I used for this review include Panzer Tracts No 20-1, Paper Panzers, and Germany’s Tiger Tanks VK 45.02 to Tiger II. The production contract to build these vehicles had been awarded in February 1942. The subject vehicle for this review never made it to full production. Several turrets and hulls were completed, but because of significant problems with the Porsche designed and built engines and suspension the contracts for the production series were terminated in November 1942. The fifty turrets manufactured for this vehicle eventually were used on the first 50 Tiger II tanks, and were known as the “Porsche“turrets... The basis for this vehicle was the requirement to mount the 8.8 cm Kw.K L/71 gun starting with the 101st… more |
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7.5cm PaK 40/4 RSOPublished:
History and PerformanceIn the summer of 1943 a proposal was offered by Steyr Werke to the Ordnance Department for the mounting of a PaK 40/4 on a RSO chassis as a small self-propelled anti-tank weapon. 60 machines we converted for testing. Combat trials on the East Front began in early January 1944. The KitThe kit is packaged in Dragon current sturdy box, with a color image on the front and a montage of features on the box bottom and sides. The box top shows that over 460 Parts are included. There are eleven sprues, molded in the familiar grey plastic with crisp detail. The hull and chassis front are molded separately. Instructions - The instructions are typical Dragon, with eight fold-out pages. There are a total of 21 construction… more |
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Pz. Kpfw. III Ausf E France 1940Published:
HISTORY AND PERFORMANCEThe Pz. Kpfw. III Ausf. E was the first in the series to go into extended production. 96 vehicles were manufactured from December 1938 until October 1939. Additional armor was included, along with the standardization of six road wheels per side, while the main armament consisted of the 37 mm KwK L/46.5, along with two 7.92 mm MG34 mounted in the turret, plus a single 7.92 mm MG34 mounted in the front of the hull. This tank saw service in Poland, France, and Greece. THE KITThe kit is molded in the familiar grey, Dragon plastic. There are 23 grey plastic sprues, three clear sprues, the hull bottom and turret, a small photo etch fret, decals and two “metal parts“. The metal parts are packaged separately, and that is nice as these tend to… more |
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British Infantry Tank Mk III Valentine Mk II with CrewPublished:
History and PerformanceThe history and performance of this vehicle has been addressed in an earlier review, and therefore I will have nothing more or new to offer. The KitThis is the first MiniArt plastic kit that I have seen. The kit is packages in a sturdy cardboard box, with all of the sprues, decals and instruction sheets bound in a securely taped plastic bag. The box top indicates that there are 657 Parts in the kit.
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Panzerfahre Fahrendeck mit Gepanzerter Landwasserschlepper (Prototype Nr. 11.)Published:
(Editor's note: This kit is from Dragon's "Smart Kit" line) History and PerformanceDuring their early offensive operation during WWII the Germans were faced with several river crossings. Taking bridges intact was always a goal, and when that was not available bridging units were brought to the front. The Wehrmacht did not have any true means of amphibious crossings on hand during the war. The Landwasserschlepper was the initial solution to the river crossed challenge. The Landwasserschlepper was a large amphibious vehicle that carried troops or cargo internally. Several experiments were made with a barge that connected two of these vehicles together. The concept was eventually discarded mid-war as something that was no longer affordable. The vehicle… more |
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IJN Aircraft Carrier DeckPublished:
First ImpressionsThis review product arrived in the mail wrapped in cardboard and amply reinforced duct tape. Upon opening the mailing package I found a heavy-duty, injection-molded black plastic, 11 ¾” by 15 5/8” long, enclosed in a clear plastic bag wrapper. A small sprue of clear plastic parts was also enclosed. The aircraft carrier deck is molded as an inverted tray, and is quite sturdy. The engraving for the deck planks and elevator were clean and crisp, but might be considered too pronounced for an airplane model. For the bean counters, there are 190 tie downs. The welded seams are almost too finely rendered, with only a small portion that appears to have “faded”. There are four rectangular depressions that I assume receive the clear parts. On the underside of… more |