Michael Reeves
Reviews By Author
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G7117 with WWII Soviet DriversPublished:
ICM is one of many model companies based in the Ukraine that have been affected by the recent war with Russia. Based in Kyiv, the company has been active as of late in creating and releasing new products and defying the challenges they face. This kit is a rebox with new parts for the kit released back in 2021. Let’s take a look… What’s Inside the BoxThe kit comes as the standard ICM kit does—with a colorful box top that slides off of an enclosed brown cardboard box. Parts were packaged well and details were crisp with no flash to speak of.
ConstructionThe first 27 steps cover construction of the… more |
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StuG III Early & Mid ColorsPublished:
The AMMO by Mig company is prolific in the endless useful and specific sets of paints, washes, and pigments they release. Their range of acrylic paints are designed to make painting a breeze thanks to the ease of application, with the 17mL dropper bottles. All colors in the range can be mixed with each other and with the full range of AMMO by Mig Jimenez acrylic colors. Each color is suitable for both brush and airbrush application. These acrylics are water-soluble and formulated to be safe and non-toxic. If airbrushing, I would suggest thinning first as the paints are thick out of the bottle which make them great for brush painting. This set includes 6 bottles which allow you to paint the initial StuG models armed with the short-barrel gun and the up-gunned versions introduced… more |
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Weapons of the Great War Automatic Weapons of the Russian ArmyPublished:
From the publisher’s website: This book describes the machine guns, automatic rifles, handguns and revolvers, including both the official weapons in service in the Russian Army in 1914-1917 and other weapons not officially approved but nevertheless used by the troops such as obsolete Russian and non-Russian arms both supplied by the allies or captured from the enemies. A special highlight of this book is the section describing experimental automatic weapons, without which the reader would hardly get the big picture of the state of the Russian defence engineering developments in the early 20th century. For each weapon described in the book, there is a brief history of how it was designed and started to be used as an approved army weapon and a description of the key… more |
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Universal Modern Gear Set #24Published:
Value Gear resin stowage products have long been among the best resin additions for modelers looking to detail their builds in nearly any scale. Spanning stowage from WWII through more modern and even sci-fi settings, these pieces really pop with detail and add immensely to the scenes they’re placed in. In this case, we are looking at set #11-- another stowage set for your StuG in 1/35 scale. While many of the sets are geared towards certain manufacturers’ kits, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t place them nearly anywhere, as you’ll see below. This set contains 25 original pieces unique to this set and is made up of crates, packs, sacks, and tarps in various configurations. The set provides various arrangements that can fit practically any modern or futuristic piece… more |
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Sandbag Walls (Checkpoint #3)Published:
Value Gear resin stowage products have long been among the best resin additions for modelers looking to detail their builds in nearly any scale. Spanning stowage from WWII through more modern and even sci-fi settings, these pieces really pop with detail and add immensely to the scenes they’re placed in. In this case, we are looking at set #11-- another stowage set for your StuG in 1/35 scale. While many of the sets are geared towards certain manufacturers’ kits, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t place them nearly anywhere, as you’ll see below. This set contains 8 pieces and represents varying arrangements of sandbag emplacements that can be used in gun pits, checkpoints, roadblocks, bunkers, or really anywhere you might want some protection. There are a couple corner… more |
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StuG Stowage Set #11Published:
Value Gear resin stowage products have long been among the best resin additions for modelers looking to detail their builds in nearly any scale. Spanning stowage from WWII through more modern and even sci-fi settings, these pieces really pop with detail and add immensely to the scenes they’re placed in. In this case, we are looking at set #11-- another stowage set for your StuG in 1/35 scale. While many of the sets are geared towards certain manufacturers’ kits, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t place them nearly anywhere, as you’ll see below. The set comes with 24 different pieces, and looking at the listing on the website, these are a variety of the smaller bits from sets 1-9. While there isn’t a larger block here representing a pile of stowage for the engine deck,… more |
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StuG Stowage Set #10Published:
Value Gear resin stowage products have long been go-to resin additions to modelers looking to detail their builds in nearly any scale. Spanning stowage from WWII through more modern and even sci-fi settings, these pieces really pop with detail and add immensely to the scenes they’re placed in. In this case, we are looking at set #10-- stowage for your StuG in 1/35 scale. While many of the sets are geared towards certain manufacturers’ kits, there is absolutely no reason why you can’t place them nearly anywhere, as you’ll see below. The set comes with 20 different pieces, and looking at the listing on the website, these are a variety of the smaller bits from sets 1-9. While there isn’t a larger block here representing a pile of stowage for the engine deck, one could easily add… more |
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The Weathering Magazine Issue 33: "Burned Out"Published:
The AMMO by Mig Jimenez series of The Weathering Magazine issues address all modeling genres and focus on painting and weathering techniques for scale models and figures centered on their products. Including great photos accompanied by thorough step-by-step processes in each article, they give builders of any skill level the chance to recreate these effects and build their skills in doing so. Each issue focuses on a specific theme and this time around we look at the effects of fire and explosive forces on the pieces. After an introduction by editor Sergiusz Pęczek , the articles open with "Ukrainian Rebel" by Kreangkrai Paoiinda. He takes the Trumpeter 1/72 T-72B Mod 1990 MBT and with some aftermarket parts and AMMO´s products recreates anti-tank explosive side hull damage. The… more |
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The Red Baron, A Photographic Album of The First World War's Greatest AcePublished:
There is probably no more well-known figure from the Great War, or more written about or discussed, than the infamous Red Baron- Manfred von Richthofen. The original ringmaster of the Flying Circus, his record stands for itself and no plane from that war stands out more from historians down to watchers of Snoopy and his antics in his Sopwith doghouse. This thin book at 157 pages is filled with excellent clear photographs of von Richthofen from his childhood up through his career to his bitter end over enemy lines. More on that later. Going from the table of contents, it doesn't seem like there is much inside with only two chapters and then some appendices, but these two chapters take up the first 127 pages of the book. After a brief introduction, the author details the events… more |
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How to Paint 4BO Green VehiclesPublished:
AMMO by Mig Jimenez have been creating helpful products that can be used in any genre of modeling to recreate weathering and finishing effects that can take one’s model to the next level. In this case, you get a Solution Book that gives you guidance in how to paint 4BO schemes for your Soviet tanks or vehicles. A separately sold Solution Box contains this book as well as the featured products referenced within. The book text is in 4 languages making it accessible to just about anyone- English, Spanish, French, and German. It is easy to follow, no matter what your skill level and the products are quite easy to use. The book opens with a section that features the description and instructions for use of all of the featured products- primers, acrylic colors, washes, streaking… more |