Michael Reeves
Reviews By Author
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IDF Sho’t Kal Gimel Type II - Operation Peace for Galilee 1982Published:
They say first impressions really do define a relationship- and when I first received this kit and opened it up to see the vast amount of plastic inside, I knew this would be a long term commitment. One thing to note is the mix of gates from the older Centurion kit, mixed along with newer gates with the newer features of this specific Sho’t Kal kit like the explosive reactive armor (ERA). This led to some challenges during the build as the older Centurion parts trees had their labels raised in very small letters along the sides of the gates.- although the location varied. Sometimes it was on the edge and other times it was towards the middle. The newer trees had their labels as newer kits do - outside with a dedicated square label that is very easy to read. In the end, I used some… more |
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Guerrilla Nightmare: Luftwaffe Stukas at War Against Tito’s Partisans in Yugoslavia, 1941-1945Published:
In most World War II publications, there is very little mention of the events surrounding the war activities occurring in the area in and around Yugoslavia. While the Luftwaffe did not have a dedicated permanent base, they were effective against the partisans that comprised the Communist-led resistance in occupied Yugoslavia led by Marshal Josip Broz Tito. For five long years, the Stuka units in Yugoslavia battled the partisans, considered by many to be Europe’s most effective anti-Axis resistance movement in the war. The book is arranged into twelve chapters which chronologically covers the various operations during the war. Coverage starts during the initial stages of the battles with Operation Marita in April of 1941. German, Italian, and Hungarian air forces banded together… more |
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Tru-Color Weathering Paint SetPublished:
Tru-Color Paint was formed in 2008 by Rick Galazzo and Scott Cohen, both of whom come from extensive backgrounds in formulating paint on the commercial scale. They set out on their own to develop this paint line of solvent based paint by reformulating the old Accupaint formulation to flow better and give a more glossy appearance after drying. They currently offer over 600 colors offered with more to follow. Sets and single bottles are available and include lines for railroad, automotive, and military aircraft and armament lines. The specific set I tested was specifically for weathering and include a sample of their masking frisket papers as well as the following colors in 1 oz. bottles:
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Armored: Olive Drab: 1939-1956 Paint SetPublished:
Tru-Color Paint was formed in 2008 by Rick Galazzo and Scott Cohen, both of whom come from extensive backgrounds in formulating paint on the commercial scale. They set out on their own to develop this paint line of solvent based paint by reformulating the old Accupaint formulation to flow better and give a more glossy appearance after drying. They currently offer over 600 colors offered with more to follow. Sets and single bottles are available and include lines for railroad, automotive, and military aircraft and armament lines. The specific set I tested was specifically for armored subjects painted olive drab from the years 1939-1956 and include the following colors in 1 oz. bottles:
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Republic P-47D Thunderbolt "Bubbletop"Published:
Christmas came early this year for me when I received the email that this beastie was available for review. I am incredibly thankful to Kinetic Models for providing this kit for review and to the review corps higher-ups for trusting someone brand new to the group for having faith in me to not only build this thing, but in a timely manner to boot. It is a re-kitting of the Vintage Fighter Series kit released in 2008. I won’t say the ride was completely smooth…but it was a fun ride regardless. The kit consists of eight sprues with 258 parts in gray plastic, twelve parts in clear plastic, two vinyl tires for the main gear wheels, and a gorgeous decal sheet representing two schemes. I would love to say the instructions are equal to the task, but there are some rough spots. To begin… more |
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Focke-Wulf TA 183 "Huckebein"Published:
Kurt Tank’s design team late in the war was striving to design aircraft to rival rumored Allied jet fighters, like the Gloster Meteor. Unfortunately for the Reich, fuel shortages and the end of the war prevented most of the fighters designed after the Me-262 from ever seeing combat. One of these was the TA 183 “Huckebein”. The Americans captured data and plans for the fighter from the Messerschmitt plants- and these evolved into designs of the swept-wing FJ-2/3/4 Fury and the Air Force version- the F-86 Sabre. The Soviet spoils of design plans led to their MiG-15. This Academy kit is a reboxing of the AMtech kit #484601 originally released in 2001. This re-release includes photo-etched seat belts, canopy and gear wheel masks, and a set of different hypothetical Luft ’46 decal… more |