Ned Ricks
Reviews By Author
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B-25J Mitchell 'Shark Teeth' Limited EditionPublished:
The short version -- I liked the kit. Hasegawa has engineered this kit well. Now, the details. HistoryThe final and most built series of the Mitchell, the B-25J looked less like earlier series, apart from the well-glazed bombardier's nose of nearly-identical appearance to the earliest B-25 subtypes. It had the forward dorsal turret and other armament and airframe advancements. Also produced was a strafer nose first shipped to air depots as kits, then introduced on the production line in alternating blocks with the bombardier nose. The solid-metal "strafer" nose housed eight centerline Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns. All J models included four .50 in (12.7 mm) light-barrel Browning AN/M2 guns in a pair of "fuselage packages"; conformal… more |
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"Dog Fight Doubles" Bristol Beaufighter TF.X and Focke Wulf FW 190 A-8Published:
The short version - I liked the kits. The new molds that the current Airfix products have shown are on display here. These were pleasing to build. Now, the details. HistoryThe pairing in the set is based upon an air battle that took place on the 9th of February 1945. A force of thirty one Bristol Beaufighter long range fighter bombers took off from their bases in Scotland to attack the German Narvik-class Destroyer Z33 at anchor in a Norwegian fjord. The attacking force and its escorts of Mustang fighters was also intercepted by twelve Fw-190s of Jg5. Over 50 aircraft were involved making it the largest air battle over Norwegian skies during the Second World War. This is a Doubles Set, which means that the modeler gets two… more |
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Taranto 1940 The Fleet Air Arm’s Precursor to Pearl HarborPublished:
Many modelers have a general knowledge of the Royal Navy’s air attack on the Italian base at Taranto and its outcome but are sketchy on the finer points. So, you have bought one of the new, marvelously detailed kits of the Fairey Swordfish “String bag” and all the aftermarket goodies for it, but the last particulars are not clear in your head. This full-of-specifics history will tell you not only the scope and swoop of the Mediterranean naval campaign of the early WWII years, but exactly who flew which aircraft, its unit and letter/number designator and the weapons load. Did you know that the planes flew off with only two crewmen each rather than the usual three? And why? This book will tell you. But, I get ahead of myself. BackgroundIn 1940, Britain was fighting… more |
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UH-1 Huey Gunship CrewPublished:
HistoryThe Vietnam War was a helicopter war. Many of the most lasting images are of fleets of helicopters, mostly the ubiquitous UH-1 “Huey,” filling the sky. What would newsreel footage of that war be without a sound track of the “whup-whup-whup” of chopper blades? Among the many uses the UH-1 was put to was as an early version of the gunship, the ancestor of today’s Apache. Those Huey guns took a crew of four: a commissioned or warrant officer pilot (left seat) and copilot, and two enlisted door gunner/crew chief in back. This four figure kit represents the aviators of those gunships employed in that conflict. Opening the BoxThe packaging is a poly bag stapled to cardboard display backing. Inside, you will find four torsos, at least one… more |
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Vietnam Helicopter Crew MemberPublished:
HistoryIn the early 1960s, the US Army’s Howze Board recommended testing new forms of mobility to make the soldier “free from the tyranny of terrain.” The result was the 11th Air Assault Division, to be rechristened the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and sent to Vietnam in 1965. Rather than moving to combat by truck or by foot march, as in wars past, the Cav rode in helicopters, lots of helicopters. Those many choppers, from OH-13s and OH-6s to CH-47s and UH-1s needed crew members and door gunners. This figure represents one of those aviators. Opening the BoxWell, there actually is no box. The heavy duty poly bag was stapled to display cardboard backing. An inner bag contains the figure cast in cream resin with raised hand pointing / resting on a… more |
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Vietnam Cavalry TrooperPublished:
HistoryIn the early 1960s, the US Army’s Howze Board recommended testing new forms of mobility to make the soldier “free from the tyranny of terrain.” The result was the 11th Air Assault Division, to be rechristened the First Cavalry Division (Airmobile) and sent to Vietnam in 1965. One of the elements of the airmobile division was the Air Cav -- 1st Squadron (Air), 9th Cavalry, whose personnel paid tribute to their heritage by wearing black Stetson cavalry hats. Instead of horses or half tracks, the squadron used helicopters to scout for and fight the enemy. This figure represents one of those aviators. Opening the BoxThere was no box, but a poly bag stapled to cardboard display backing. The value is in the contents: nicely cast cream colored resin. The… more |
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Lewes and Evesham 1264-65Published:
At the crescendo of the Second Barons' War were the battles of Lewes and Evesham. It was an era of high drama and intrigue, as tensions between crown and aristocracy had boiled over and a civil war erupted that would shape the future of English government. In this detailed study, Richard Brooks unravels the remarkable events at the battles of Lewes and Evesham, revealing the unusually tactical nature of the fighting, in sharp contrast to most medieval conflicts which were habitually settled by burning and ravaging. At Lewes, Simon de Montfort, the powerful renegade leader of the Baronial faction, won a vital victory, smashing the Royalist forces and capturing Henry III and Prince Edward. Edward escaped, however, to lead the Royalist armies to a crushing victory just a year later at… more |
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Bristol Blenheim Mk IPublished:
When the Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk I showed up on the kits available for review, I quickly put my name in the hat for it. I had seen the results of a 1/48 scale kit and was eager to try my hand and add to my RAF Battle of Britain collection. A few paragraphs of history: The Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter. It was one of the first British aircraft to have all-metal stressed-skin construction, to utilize retractable landing gear, flaps, a powered gun turret and variable pitch propellers. A Canadian-built variant named the… more |
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US Heavy Cruisers 1941-45 - Pre-war ClassesPublished:
Highlights from Osprey’s website: “Designed and produced under the regulations of the Washington Naval Treaty, the heavy cruisers of the Pensacola, Northampton, Portland, New Orleans and Wichita classes were exercises in compromise. While they possessed very heavy armament – the Pensacolas, for example, carrying a main battery of ten 8” guns – this came at the cost of protection – armor was the same thickness as a gun cruiser, and incapable of protecting the vessels from enemy 8” fire. As the classes evolved, these flaws began to be corrected, with the main battery being reduced, and increased protection being added to the vital areas of the ship. Despite these drawbacks, the pre-war heavy cruiser classes served with distinction throughout World War II.” This volume does a good… more |
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S-61A Sea King “Antarctica Observation”Published:
Previously, Cyber-Hobby released a 1/72 scale plastic kit of the American-designed Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King helicopter. At first, this twin-engine SH-3 Sea King was used primarily for anti-submarine warfare (ASW) by the US Navy. Many other nations adopted the Sea King design, including Japan, where it was license-produced by Mitsubishi. The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) widely used the Sea King as an ASW platform. Some 18 S-61A Sea Kings were used in search-and-rescue (SAR) roles too. Sometimes these were deployed to Antarctica aboard naval icebreakers. Japan maintains stations in Antarctica, and the JMSDF is responsible for Japan's Antarctica Observation activities. Cyber-Hobby is providing a kit of an S-61A in Antarctica Observation service with the JMSDF. With the… more |