Rick Taylor
Reviews By Author
WW1/WW2 Italian Cannone da 149/35Published:
In WW1, the Italians found themselves short of heavy artillery and were forced to rely upon some very old weapons. The Cannone da 149/35 was already obsolete when it was introduced in 1900. It lacked a recoil system and instead relied upon wooden ramps and a heavy box under the trail to handle the recoil. This forced the gun to be re-laid after each round making it very manpower intense and giving it a painfully slow rate of fire. However inadequate and obsolete, it was better than nothing. Shockingly, this weapon was still in use by the Italian army in WW2. ReviewVargas Scale Models in California specializes in interesting and unique subjects from World War One and the Interwar periods in 1:35th scale. All are CAD designed and 3D printed in resin. Sales are direct to… more |
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Razor Saw Profi SetPublished:
The growing number of 3D printed kits is a boon to the hobby. We are now getting 3D printed kits of subjects that are not economically viable in styrene and for subjects long ignored by the big manufactures. But, new technologies bring new problems. Removing the 3D printed parts from the support structures and rafts can be a bit of work and as I have discovered the resin will quickly dull your expensive sprue cutter! CMK from the Czech Republic comes to the rescue with a new razor saw handle with a triangular blade that is perfect for dealing with these supports. ReviewThe H1010 Razor Saw Profi Set includes a nice one-piece molded handle with a triangular and a rectangular razor saw blade. The molded handle is well shaped and comfortable in the hand. It securely… more |
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Austro-Hungarian Burstyn Motorgeschütz 1912Published:
IntroductionAn Austro-Hungarian engineer, Günther Burstyn, designed a "land-ship" vehicle in 1911, which was tailored to cross trenches, provide infantry support and crush barbed wire entanglements. This was the Burstyn Motorgeschütz. It was relatively small, with a revolving turret and potentially armed with a light 37 or 47 mm gun, and a crew of two. The unique aspect of this experimental design was the articulated arms that could be deployed to assist in trench crossing, and "push down" barbed wire. These arms were lowered to help cross trenches, angled to push down wire entanglements, and up for normal terrain . Burstyn received a patent and built models and a wooden mock-up; but the design went no further. He proved to be a visionary. His design anticipated trench… more |
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WW1 US Pioneer Skeleton TankPublished:
IntroductionLate in WW1 the US determined that there was a problem with current tanks. The British designed rhomboid tanks were good at crossing the enemy trenches but were so heavy that most got stuck or broke down in no-mans-land. The French FT17 light tank usually made it across no-mans-land but couldn't always cross the enemy trenches. The US looked for a tank that could do both. |
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US WW2 StowagePublished:
There are certain things that seem to define some nation’s armor in WW2. The Soviets had their political slogans painted on vehicles, and the Americans had lots of personal equipment stacked and hung on the vehicle. If you are modeling the US Army in WW2, you have wall-to-wall Olive Drab in your display case. Value Gear provides the modeler with a wide selection of low-cost stowage to break-up that OD. Value Gear from the USA specializes in stowage sets for military vehicles. Many are generic tarps and boxes that will work for any county and almost any period. Others are specific to an Army, era, or vehicle. In this review, I will be covering three sets for USA vehicles in WW2
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Bombarda Maggiora ad Acetilene da 320Published:
IntroductionNecessity is the mother of invention. Once the combatants in the Great War settled into the trenches, the Italians faced a desperate shortage of heavy artillery. To help fill this need, Demetrio Maggiora invented a short range 320mm (12.6 inch) mortar powered by acetylene gas. The acetylene was generated in canisters like a miner’s lamp. The gas was transferred into a spherical combustion chamber where it was ignited to launch the projectile. The mortar was muzzle loading and had a very short range – just enough to reach the enemy trenches. It was first used in the Second Battle of the Isonzo in 1915 and was only in service for a short time until more capable weapons became available. ReviewVargas Scale Models from California USA specializes in… more |