Mike Hinderliter
Reviews By Author
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War & Conquest - Epic Battles in the Ancient and Medieval WorldPublished:
I started war gaming when I was in high school because I was always interested in military history. I’ve also wondered about the “what if” scenarios of different battles. My interest in the subject just stayed with me through college and even into the Navy. I remember while I was at the anti-submarine warfare base in San Diego, California, my barracks room mates and I used to push our bunks out of the way and play General Quarters, metal warships and all. So when they wanted someone to review the War and Conquest rules book, I just had to jump at the chance to do it. First off, this is a really beautifully made book. It is hardbound and very sturdy. These pages aren’t going to fall out on you with a lot of game play. The book has 176 pages with lots of glossy pictures of nicely… more |
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IJN Submarine I-20Published:
The I-20 was a Type C-1 Class submarine, which was based on the Junsen-type, developed from the Type KD6. The C-1 Class was designed to carry the Ko-Hoteki midget submarine or Kaiten suicide torpedo. All 5 of the boats in this class took part in the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. All of them launched midget submarines near the harbor entrance and they were never expected to return to the mother ship. The kit was released for the 70th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. There are examples of the midget submarines at the Naval Submarine School, Groton, Connecticut. While I was in Submarine School I was able to walk around them and take some pictures. In the end, the I-29 was finally The kit comes with a really… more |
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USS Los Angeles Class Flight I (688) Attack SubmarinePublished:
I was a sonar technician on the USS Tecumseh, an SSBN, for 3 years while it was being overhauled at the Newport News, VA, shipyard. We were tied up at a pier during the refit, and the 688 class attack subs were docked at the next pier. As a result, I was able to walk all over LA class subs, visit them, and got pretty familiar with them. Most of the attack boats were being upgraded from Flight I to Flight II at this yard, adding the Tomahawk vertical launch tubes. So I jumped at the chance to build Riich’s 688 class, Flight I model. I’m not a big fan of the 3-piece hull provided, but the option of making this boat as a waterline model is COOL. I stopped and took photos before I put the upper hull and lower hull together, just to show this. I had to use a good amount of… more |
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Stealth Fighter – A Year in the Life of an F-117 PilotPublished:
Zenith Press has just put out a book on the F-117 stealth fighter. It is written by Lt. Col. William B. O’Connor and is about a year in the life of an F-117 pilot. It starts out with the author’s flying career and then gets into the development of the F-117 and eventually the air war over Kosovo. I really enjoyed reading this book because I like the first person, I-was-there type of book. The author does a great job of explaining how stealth technology came about and how it works, in a language that is easy for a non-pilot to understand. You almost feel like you are flying on a mission with him. I also liked how he talked about the flying community and their rituals when they finally get qualified in a particular aircraft. You also get a little taste of the politics on how… more |
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MARSOC: U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations CommandPublished:
Fred Pushies has written a book on MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command), which was formed in 2006 when the United States committed to build up the special forces after 911. It was made from Marine Force Recon companies and designed to take the war to al-Qaeda and the Taliban to stop terrorism. The book is divided into 8 chapters:
This book delves into Marine Corps special forces from their history to the formation of MARSOC. It is packed with plenty of glossy color photos that show… more |
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F-104G Starfighter Graffiti DecalsPublished:
I received the Dutch Decal sheet for the F-104G Starfighter ‘Graffiti’ KLu/RNethAF and found that it was a supplemental sheet. It only came with the graffiti and code for # D-8337 and a second aircraft that isn’t covered by as much graffiti, D-8063. The instructions state that this sheet is a supplement to sheet #72069, or you can do like I did and piece the rest out from other decal sheets. All of those extra decal sheets just come in handy sometimes. The instruction sheet is very good and shows a 4-view drawing of the aircraft with decal placement. I went to the web site to check out sheet # 72069 because this sheet has a second option that has a small graffiti on the tail with a small tail number but no large D # up front. After checking out the other sheet I noticed that… more |
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U.S. Navy SEALSPublished:
Hans Halbertstadt has updated his 2006 book titled U.S. Navy SEALS. It has all the great information of the original book, and now includes the operations in Afghanistan, the Osama bin Laden mission, SEALs at war, counter-piracy ops, and weapons and equipment. The book is divided into 10 chapters:
The OBL raid is covered from the writer’s… more |
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B-17 Flying Fortress Oxygen CylindersPublished:
Once again, Quickboost comes out with another addition to its resin aircraft accessories in 1/72nd scale. This time it is the oxygen cylinders for the B-17 Flying Fortress. I tried to compare it to some of the different B-17 kits that I have and none of them came with that much interior detail. This also included the new Revell tooling that is very good. I did see some on the see-through kits and I was able to compare them with actual photos. The parts are up to the usual Quickboost standards. They are molded in a grey resin, smooth, seamless, and bubble free. It doesn’t take too much effort to get them off of the resin block. Just a quick slice with a razor saw or a #11 blade will do the trick. If you are looking to add just that much more detail to a B-17, then this… more |
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Austro-Hungarian Submarines in WWIPublished:
This is the 3rd book in MMP’s Maritime Series (# 3103), entitled Austro-Hungarian Submarines in WWI. It is published in an A4 format (8.25 x 11.75) soft cover book; containing 152 pages packed with black and white photographs, submarine line drawings and tables of technical data. This is a much needed book on the subject of WWI. Whenever I hear of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, I’m reminded of their biplanes, which are represented better in scale modeling. Submarine warfare at that time was largely the domain of Germany, with Austria having more of a supportive role. This book covers their submarines from their beginnings to the collapse of the monarchy and the relationship they had with the German navy. This book is well written and is actually a reprint of a Czech… more |
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Dassault Mirage 2000 Pitot TubePublished:
This is the second time that I’ve used one of the turned brass aftermarket pieces from Master Models Poland. The piece that I’m reviewing is the pitot tube for the Dassault Mirage 2000. As luck would have it, I’ve been working on a Heller Mirage 2000 and was really happy to receive this part. The first thing I would like to point out is how good the packaging and instruction sheet is. The packaging consists of a zip-lock type bag while the part is in a smaller bag, keeping it from moving all over. The instruction sheet is very clear and easy to understand, only needing 3 steps. Cut off original part. Drill a hole (0.8 mm). Glue in the new metal part. Just be careful drilling the hole, especially in 1/72. When compared to the kit part, there is no comparison. The kit pitot… more |