Mike Lamm
Reviews By Author
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WWII Luftwaffe Fighter Pilot with LifejacketPublished:
Aires Hobby Models provides a variety of high quality resin products to upgrade, or correct, a variety of models in the most popular scales. They also have a line of crew and pilot figures in 1/72nd, 1/48th and 1/32nd scale. These figures are relatively inexpensive, and make a nice addition to an aircraft diorama, or to add a better since of scale to a finished model. Aerobonus continues their series of pilot figures. This release is a 1/72nd version of their Luftwaffe pilot wearing a life jacket. They’ve released this figure in 1/32nd and 1/48th, so we knew a 1/72nd version wasn’t far behind. The figure is posed standing wearing his flight gear, including headgear and life jacket. The packaging also provides a map and booklet that… more |
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B-17 Propellers with ToolPublished:
Quickboost is known for producing high quality, resin replacement parts for many model kits from most manufacturers. One of their newer offerings is a set of resin replacement propellers for Revell’s B-17 Flying Fortress. Revell’s kit propellers are typical of what you’ll normally find, four three-blade propellers molded in plastic. They look alright, but lack that extra level of detail resin molding can produce. Not to mention, the kit parts have a thin piece of flash running around the length of each blade, which will require some delicate clean up prior to assembly and painting. Quickboost;s replacements pieces include four spinner hubs, and a dozen new propeller blades, as well as a small jig to ensure proper fit. There is a simple drawing to show how to prepare the… more |
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Battles of Smolensk & Roslavl - 1941Published:
This kit features three figures depicting Wehrmacht soldiers fighting in the battles around Smolensk and Roslavl in 1941. From the start of Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union, the German forces army had enjoyed many quick successes and had advanced over 300 miles in less than 3 weeks. However, when they encountered the Soviets in the region around Smolensk, the Germans ran into heavier than expected resistance and were delayed for three months from July to September 1941. Although, the Soviet counterattack failed, and resulted in huge losses, including three Soviet armies, this defensive battle slowed the German advance and showed that a Blitzkrieg to capture Moscow was not going to be as easy as expected. The three figures and their equipment are molded in… more |
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T-34/76 Panzerkampfwagen 747(r)Published:
Academy’s 1/35 T-34/76 747(r) is the third installment in Academy’s latest T-34 series. The first two offerings were both T-34/85s, the newest version is a T-34/76 in German service. During the first few years of the Eastern Campaign, Operation Barbarossa, Germany’s early successes resulted in a large number of captured Soviet equipment, including hundreds of T-34 tanks. The Germans eagerly pressed these captured vehicles into service with various units and re-designated them Panzerkampfwagen 747(r). Captured T-34s were often sent back to German factories and modified to German standards to include the addition of new commander’s cupola, armor skirts, new lights, storage boxes, tools, and radio equipment. A number of non-standard field modifications were also made by the new… more |
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Dragon's Teeth Tank TrapsPublished:
Hauler produces photo-etched and resin upgrade sets for armored fighting vehicles (AFVs), airplanes, cars, railway vehicles, and dioramas. They also produce a few resin kits. Their products are in most of the common scale sizes, 1/72, 1/48, and 1/35, but they also produce a number of other items in common railroad hobbyist scales. The kit for this review is a set of sharply cast resin Dragon’s Teeth. Dragon’s Teeth are those square concrete pyramids, most often associated with the Siegfried Line in Germany during World War II. However, these types of fortifications were used in many countries, other than Germany in World War II, and continued to be used today around the world. The idea behind these formations was to create an obstacle to slow the advance of enemy AFVs, or to… more |
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Yakovlev YAK-1, 1941Published:
Brengun, based in the Czech Republic, is known for producing a range of photo-etched and resin accessories for airplane models. They also produce a small number of 1/72nd and 1/144th aircraft model sets. One of their latest airplane kits is the Yakovlev Yak-1, Year 1941. The Yak-1 was a maneuverable, fast and well-armed fighter developed by the Soviet air force in 1940. At the start of the Operation Barbarossa, the Soviets had about 500 Yak-1’s built, but just less than 100 were combat operational. TheYak-1 had a steel frame with wooden wings and composite fuselage, it was easy to maintain and fairly reliable and proved to be an excellent base for further developments. At altitudes, below 4,000 feet, was where the Yak-1 performed the best and was strong competition, and in some… more |
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Skandinavisk Aero Industri (SAI), SAI KZ IIPublished:
S.B.S. Models is a Hungarian model company best known for producing resin and photo-etch upgrade kits for planes, AFVs, and other military vehicles. They also produce a handful of full resin plane kits in 1/72nd scale. The SAI KZ-II kit is one of their latest resin kit offerings. Unless you grew up in Denmark in the late 40s to mid-50s, you might not have heard of the Skandinavisk Aero Industri (SAI), or their single-engine, two-seat sport aircraft the SAI KZ II. The KZ II was the second plane built by the Danish company in the mid-1930s, following the appropriately named, KZ I. The first flight of the KZ II took place near the end of 1937, and about a dozen planes were built the following year. This turned out to be unfortunate timing, because upon invading Denmark, Germany… more |
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Hawker Siddeley AV-8A HarrierPublished:
Following its successful introduction into service with the Royal Airforce, the Harrier generated considerable interest for export orders to other countries. The largest demand for the vertical take-off and landing aircraft came from the United States Marine Corps, who saw the excellent potential to provide close air support while operating from the decks of the smaller amphibious landing ships supporting the Marines. Starting in the early 1970s, the Harrier entered service with the USMC. The AV-8A Harrier was used by the Marines until 1979, when it was replaced by the AV-8C, and today the USMC flies the AV-8B Harrier II. Airfix’s 1/72 Hawker Siddeley AV-8A Harrier is the third boxing of Airfix’s new tooling of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. This time, it includes new parts to… more |
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F-104 Starfighter Special CamouflagesPublished:
The latest title in the “Spot On” series published by Mushroom Model Publications focuses on a variety of special camouflage schemes featured on F-104 Starfighters from around the world. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a single-engine, supersonic jet interceptor developed for the U.S. Air Force in the late 1950s. The plane was remarkable for its speed and set a number of word records; however, it was more notable for its controversial safety record and the Lockheed bribery scandal. Despite these misgivings, the F-104 family of planes was flown by U.S. pilots into the mid-70s, and with more than a dozen countries around the world until 2004, when Italy retired the last of their F-104S planes. This book details the special camouflage patterns, and special paint schemes of 20… more |
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MaxxPro MRAP - A Visual History of the Maxxpro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected VehiclesPublished:
The International MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle was developed in direct response to the unacceptable losses U.S. troops were experiencing in Iraq and Afghanistan from improvised explosive devices, and rocket propelled grenades. The MaxxPro (shorthand for Maximum Protection) was built with a V-shaped hull, and the option to add supplemental side armor for increased crew protection and vehicle survivability. This book provides an excellent visual history of the MRAP from development to deployment in the field. In the first few pages, the authors provide a nice, concise history and informational introduction to the vehicle, including why the vehicles were needed, how the final design was selected, and a nice chart showing the various model designs for the… more |