Paul Bradley
Reviews By Author
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Hawker Typhoon, The RAF's Ground-Breaking Fighter-BomberPublished:
Although designed as a fighter to replace the Hawker Hurricane, the Typhoon found fame as a ground attack aircraft and as a rocket-firing tank buster. In this small, mainly photographic volume, acclaimed British author Tony Buttler concisely outlines the development and career of this charismatic aircraft from its inception at the start of World War II to its service demise in 1946. A short span for sure, but the impact of the Typhoon was, as Buttler explains, outstanding. Many of the photos have been seen before, but the author is also able to draw on the archives of Aeroplane magazine, now owned by Key Publishing, to add some depth with photos that perhaps have not been published since the war. The quality of the images is mostly very good, and reproduction is excellent. Most… more |
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Dambusters and the Lancaster, Warpaint Special #6Published:
Operation Chastise, the Dambusters Raid, hardly needs an introduction to anyone remotely interested in military aviation history. In this 80th anniversary year, there are several new books about the raid. This slim new volume from Guideline explores different aspects of the operation, its build-up, and aftermath in a general and abbreviated manner. Author Des Brennan will be familiar to modeling magazine readers, and he approaches the subject with a number of short chapters outlining topics including:
It’s an… more |
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Eagles of Destiny, Volume 2: Growth and Wars of the Pakistan Air Force 1958-1971Published:
Part of the Asia@War series, Eagles of Destiny Volume 2 is a detailed account of the transformation of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) with the help of the first US MDAP, and how its leadership utilized this opportunity to create a modern air force. It provides detailed coverage of the PAF's participation in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War, based on official documentation and material from private collections that were previously not available to the public. The story of the Pakistan Air Force during this period is concluded by the coverage of the first build-up with the Chinese support, against the backdrop of US sanctions, highlighting and discussing the challenges and response. Finally, the book provides detailed coverage of PAF operations during the 1971 War with India, including… more |
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Boeing B-1B Lancer in USAF ServicePublished:
The Rockwell (I have a hard time pretending it is a ‘Boeing’ aircraft…!) B-1B has been an integral part of the USAF’s bomber force since the 1980s and is still a highly capable aircraft, though the arrival of the B-21 in the near future will end its sterling service. This latest book in the ‘Duke Hawkins’ series brings a complete portrait of the B-1B, covering the type in great detail, both inside and out in over 400 colour photos. There isn’t a detail that is overlooked in this 180-page book; every part of the fuselage, wings, landing gear, vertical and horizontal tails are mixed with spectacular action photographs from aircraft based at Dyess Air Force Base or Ellsworth Air Force Base. A large chapter in this book is dedicated to the cockpit of the B-1B, showing… more |
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OV-10A USMC Light Attack AircraftPublished:
The OV-10A Bronco was a light attack/recon/COIN aircraft designed in the 1960s for use by three US services, the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and amazingly enough was eventually bought and used by all three. First entering service in 1969 in time to serve in Vietnam, the type exited service in 1995, shortly after seeing service in the Iraq War. Some are still flying with civilian operators and as a warbird. To the delight of modellers everywhere, ICM are still turning out quality product despite being in a war zone. Their OV-10A first appeared in 2022 in US Navy guise; it is now the turn of the Marines. Jarrod Booth has effectively reviewed the kit on this website, but I will add my impressions. The kit comes in ICM’s standard white box with colour artwork on a… more |
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Bristol Blenheim, Top Drawings #130Published:
The Bristol Blenheim was one of the most popular British aircraft at the beginning of World War II. It was a very versatile and modifiable machine, and therefore typical bomber, reconnaissance, and fighter (including night) versions were created. Kagero’s Top Drawings series has covered many of the World’s leading combat aircraft and now it’s the turn of the Blenheim to receive the treatment. The book is card-covered and has 20 pages. Typical of the series, there is a solitary page of introductory text; the rest of the book is taken up with pages of plans and colour profiles. The plans in the book are to 1/72 scale, while 1/48 scale plans are included as separate fold-out sheets. The 1/72 plans include all-aspect views of the Mks.I, IV, and V, including Finnish variants. The… more |
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Airspeed Oxford and Consul, Warpaint #136Published:
The Airspeed Company was set up by future novelist Neville Shute Norway in Portsmouth, Britain, in the mid-Thirties, building small passenger aircraft. During WWII, the RAF relied on the twin-engined Airspeed Oxford as a multi-purpose trainer for a wide variety of roles, including pilot and aircrew training, aerial photography, navigation, and even gunnery training when fitted with an Armstrong Whitworth turret. Derived from the earlier Airspeed Envoy, an early executive aircraft, the Oxford was, post-war, also developed into an effective small airliner, the Consul. Over 8,900 Oxfords and Consuls were built, a testimony to its effectiveness in all roles. The Oxford and Consul have now been made a subject of the long-running Warpaint series from Guideline Publications in Britain. … more |
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F/A-18C Quick Set 3D Acrylic Instrument PanelPublished:
Red Fox Studios are a new company to me. Based in Hungary, they are a producer of resin upgrades and decals, including a range of 3D instrument panel decals, of which this review item is one. Designed for the Kinetic 1/48 F/A-18C Hornet kit, this product has a plastic, non-flat surface with a 3D effect. It is best glued with cyanoacrylate, but PVA or other glues can also be used. The product can be washed with both oil-based and acrylic paints. It can also be minimally bent or sanded. Having started the kit, I first painted and decaled the pilot’s cockpit using the kit-provided decals. I used setting solution to help these settle over the kit’s nicely-moulded in detail. These looked OK and would have been perfectly suitable under a closed canopy. After removing… more |
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TOS Galileo Shuttle and Voyager Crew FiguresPublished:
Fans of the original Star Trek series will recall such classic episodes as The Galileo Seven, where one of the Enterprise’s shuttlecraft, the Galileo, and her (7) crew members are trapped on an alien planet and are being attacked by mysterious hairy beasts with weak pole-throwing abilities…. Anyways, while we have had model kits of the Galileo in the past in 1/35, this is the first time I recall seeing one in 1/72 scale. Cozmic Models are a small company in Britain producing science fiction-related items from some of your favourite shows and this kit is one of their range of Star Trek models in various scales. 3D printed resin is the media of choice and the hull is cast/drawn(?) in one hollow piece, with a total of 19 parts including two clear ‘Bussards’. Also in the solid… more |
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Beaufort Mk. IPublished:
The Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber was developed for the RAF in 1938 using the experience gained from the Blenheim light bomber. Seeing service from 1940 with RAF Coastal Command, the type saw action across the World’s oceans, but most notably in the Channel and Mediterranean, as a torpedo bomber, conventional bomber and mine layer, until replaced in frontline service by the derivative Beaufighter from 1942. At least 1,180 were built in the UK and Australia. This is the first time a conventional IM kit of the Beaufort has been produced in 1/48 and that it comes from the remarkably resilient Ukrainian ICM firm is especially noteworthy – that they can produce and distribute new kits when their country is under threat of destruction is quite amazing! The kit is contained… more |