Paul Bradley
Reviews By Author
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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/… 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 |
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Challenger 1 - Britain’s Orphan TankPublished:
The Challenger I was a British main battle tank (MBT) used by the British Army from 1983 to 2001 and was succeeded by the Challenger II. It saw action during the Gulf War and in the former Yugoslavia. Author Richard King is a former British Army tanker and is well versed in the subject. He outlines the rather sketchy and draw-out development process for the tank, its tortured introduction into service and its eventual excellent service and combat record. The vicissitudes of British armed forces procurement are painstakingly detailed, and the average soldier’s distain for bureaucracy, officialdom and rank are evident in his humourous tales. Indeed, the British sense of humour in adversity is oft-displayed and is a memorable part of the story. Keep an eye open for characters such… more |
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Spotlight ON #28: Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX, Vol.1Published:
The latest in MMP’s Spotlight On series, this, the 28th volume, features the Spitfire IX. Author and artist Robert Grudzien opens the book with a quick summary of the type, then it’s straight into the meat of the book, full colour profiles of 40 examples of the Spitfire IX. These have been created especially for the book and are extremely well executed, exhibiting great detail, and they are split about evenly between port and starboard side views. Examples of the plates include the first Mk.IX, some early service specimens, and some one offs, such as the Spitfire IX floatplane that was developed for use in the Mediterranean, but was (thankfully!) too late for production and service. There are numerous illustrations of Polish-piloted Mk.IXs and other nationalities shown… more |
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A Sword for Peace and Liberty, Volume 1: Force de Frappe - The French Nuclear Strike Force and the First Cold War 1945-1990Published:
In 1954, France took the decision to become an independent nuclear power, both to try to regain some lost international prestige following WWII, but also to challenge the French industrial base after the ruin of WWII. They succeeded in testing their first bomb, codename Gerboise Bleue in 1960, becoming the fourth nuclear power after the US, USSR, and the UK. This catchily-subtitled tome by the noted authority on French nuclear programmes, Philippe Wodka-Gallien, is a 94-page soft-bound book containing 108 colour & 58 b/w photos, 20 colour profiles, and 3 colour & 1 b/w maps; It is the latest in Helion’s Europe@War series that examines conflict in Europe from the early twentieth century up to the present day beyond the scope of the two world wars, often lesser-… more |