Paul Bradley
Reviews By Author
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Montgomery’s Staff Figures SetPublished:
Here’s a new figure set from ICM, this time featuring the British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and his staff. According to the box top, the four figures represent Field Marshal Mongomery, a Lieutenant General, a Major and a radio operator or soldier. Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery was one of the most prominent and successful British commanders of World War II. In December 1943, Montgomery was appointed as the commander of the 21st Army Group and the overall commander of Allied ground forces in Europe, also participating in the planning of Operation Overlord. In the autumn of 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. A controversial figure for many reasons, he was nevertheless one of the greatest of Allied Generals during the War, guiding the largely conscript… more |
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JASDF F-15J Eagle Aggressor #903 Tactical Fighter Training SquadronPublished:
The F-15C has been license built for and used by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force as the Mitsubishi F-15J since 1981 and is still a mainstay of that force. One unit, currently known as the Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, was formed in 1981 to act as an aggressor squadron and has been equipped with the F-15J for some years. This model is based on one of their F-15Js, airframe 903, with markings from the time when it was based at Nyutabaru Air Base in Miyazaki Prefecture from 2014 to 2016. The Platz 1/72 F-15J has been around for some years now, first being released in 2015, and subsequently released in a bewildering variety of boxings – Scalemates lists 36! - the vast majority of which are unchanged except for special decal options. Such a ubiquitous kit would seem to… more |
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AV-8A/S (Stencel SEU-3/A) Ejection SeatPublished:
The Stencel SEU-3/A ejection seat was used in the US Marine Corps’ AV-8A, later -S, as a cheaper and less capable replacement for the standard Martin-Baker MB.9 seat used by everyone else who operated first-generation Harriers. This new product by Aires of the Czech Republic, will replace the IM seat from the Kinetic or Monogram AV-8A kits, or for anyone wishing to convert their Airfix Harrier GR.3 into an AV-8A (good luck with that). The product has 6 parts moulded in mid-grey resin, two in soft black resin, a small PE fret for belt buckles and other greeblies, plus a short length of very fine copper wire. The PE fret is tiny, but has 16 parts, some of which are barely over 1mm square! Be sure to get your maximum-strength optical visors out! Detail on the parts is… more |
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Tornado GR.1 AntennasPublished:
The PANAVIA Tornado was the RAF’s standard attack bomber from the early eighties until just a few years ago, serving across the World and in combat and proving itself to be one of the finest of Cold War military aircraft. Many kits have been issued of the type, including three 1/32 kits. The initial Revell kit was released in 1985 and was very basic for a kit of its size. This was replaced by an all-new and far better detailed tooling in 1996, one that has been re-released at least 8 times since, including a Revell-Monogram boxing in the US. This has been supplemented since 2020 by a new-tool kit of the GR.4 from Italeri. The Tornado GR.1 was a sophisticated aircraft and as such was festooned by a large variety of antennas and aerials for its multitude of electronic gizmos. The… more |
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WWII Royal Navy Acrylic Paint SetPublished:
Another in ICM’s range of paint sets, which is intended for use with any kit of a WWII Royal Navy ship. The set contains the following six 12ml paint pots; I have listed their likely intended uses:
The back of the box has a drawing showing where to use each color on a generic ship. Unfortunately, ICM doesn’t provide any sort of clue as to what actual RN colors they are supposed to represent,… more |
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Tank Plans No. 2 Challenger 1 Main Battle TankPublished:
New from MMP’s Tank Plans series is this set of scale plans for the British Main Battle Tank, the Challenger I. To 1/35, 1/48 and 1/72 scale, these cover both the standard Challenger I Mk.3 and the modified Desert Version as used in the Gulf War. Each vehicle is covered in four views – each side, top and front. The plans are drawn by Dariusz Karnas and are spread across fold-out pages, some 24 in total. This is the ideal companion volume to the recent MMP book about the Challenger I, which was reviewed here although that book does contain the basic 1/35 plans inside. This booklet will be very useful for those who have any of the many 1/35 or 1/72 kits of the type or the Tamiya… more |
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Tornado GR.1 AntennasPublished:
The PANAVIA Tornado was the RAF’s standard attack bomber from the early eighties until just a few years ago, serving across the World and in combat and proving itself to be one of the finest of Cold War military aircraft. Many kits have been issued of the type, including three 1/32 kits. The initial Revell kit was released in 1985 and was very basic for a kit of its size. This was replaced by an all-new and far better detailed tooling in 1996, one that has been re-released at least 8 times since, including a Revell-Monogram boxing in the US. This has been supplemented since 2020 by a new-tool kit of the GR.4 from Italeri. The Tornado GR.1 was a sophisticated aircraft and as such was festooned by a large variety of antennas and aerials for its multitude of electronic gizmos. The… more |
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British Light Cruisers Volume 2 - Town, Colony and Later ClassesPublished:
This latest title in the excellent ShipCraft series of ship modelling books focuses on the British WWII Town, and Colony Classes and post-War Tiger-class cruisers. Authored by well-respected British naval historian and modeler, Les Brown, this 64-page monograph features 60 b&w period photos, many color photos mainly of model, some very nice color profiles illustrating WWII camouflage schemes, and some plans. The book follows on from Brown’s earlier volume on British 6-in cruisers from the 1930s onwards and concentrates on the later wartime classes with triple-gun turrets of the Town-, Colony-. and Tiger-class, the latter of which were laid down in wartime but not completed until well afterwards and which take the story of British big-gun cruisers to it’s end in the 1970’s.… more |
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Air Power And The Arab World 1909-1955, Volume 10; The First Arab-Israeli War Begins 15-31 May 1948Published:
The catchily-titled Air Power and the Arab World, 1909–1955 Volume 10 THE FIRST ARAB-ISRAELI WAR BEGINS 15-31 MAY 1948 continues the story of the men and machines of the first half-century of military aviation in the Arab world. This volume tells the story of the first two weeks of the first of the Arab-Israeli Wars in May 1948. While part of an ongoing series, this volume also stands alone as a history of the period covered. The book focuses on day-to-day events on the ground, in the air and at sea during this hard-fought phase, belying its title, but it is all the more useful for that, as it puts Arab air power, such as it was, into the context of the overall war. In doing so, the authors have accessed previously unpublished Arab official military documents supplemented by… more |
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WWII British Infantry Paint SetPublished:
Another in ICM’s range of paint sets for use with their figures is this set for British WWII Infantry, indicated for use with their figure sets - #35616 ‘You are important to God’; #35617 ‘Montgomery’s Staff (Figures)’; and #35646 ‘British Vickers MG Crew’, although they can of course be used for any British WWII infantry figures. The set contains the following 12ml paint pots; I have listed their intended uses:
The back of the box has a couple of drawings showing where to use each… more |