Ron Bell
Reviews By Author
U.S. Navy TankerPublished: July 13, 2021 The KitRound 2 Model Company purchased the rights to the entire Lindberg line and they have been releasing selected kits gradually. In the past, “real modelers” disparaged the Lindberg Line as being inaccurate and simplistic, but these kits were never designed to be the be all and end all of accuracy, even at the time long ago when they were released. They were designed to generally… more |
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Combustion EnginePublished: January 23, 2021 The KitThis is one of the kits in the Airfix Engineer line and is designed to teach, so it’s not really a model of a real combustion engine. Rather, it is a representation, and as such is much simplified. That being said, the kit consists of 92 parts, excluding screws. No glue is required for assembly with everything either being pressure fitted or screwed into place. In addition,… more |
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Blenheim Mk I Detail SetPublished: August 12, 2015 The AircraftThe Bristol Blenheim was a fast day bomber designed for the RAF in the early to mid thirties. In its day, it was a fast, excellent aircraft. Unfortunately, its day was past when WWIl broke out. It was hopelessly outclassed by most modern fighters and was shot down in droves when un-escorted. It was quickly relegated to night intruder and naval strike missions and usage… more |
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Lindberg Tabletop Navy - Two pack All American WWII Ships (U.S.S. Intrepid & U.S.S. North Carolina)Published: June 16, 2015 The ShipsU.S.S. IntrepidAlso known as The Fighting "I", the U.S.S. Intrepid is one of 24 Essex class aircraft carriers built during World War II. She participated in several campaigns in the Pacific, including The Battle of Leyte Gulf and participated in the Vietnam War. Modernized in the early 1950s, she became an antisubmarine carrier and served as the recovery ship for… more |
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M42 "Duster"Published: February 3, 2020 The VehicleDeveloped from the M-41 Light Tank with which it shared many parts and features, the M42 40 mm Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Gun, or "Duster," was an armored light air-defense gun built for the U.S. Army by the tank division of the General Motors Corp. from 1952 until 1959. The vehicle had a crew of six, weighed 25 tons fully loaded, and was armed with two fully… more |
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Vanguard SatellitePublished: April 30, 2015 The SatellitePlanning started for the Vanguard program in 1955. Both the launch vehicle and the satellite were to be named Vanguard, the only time that has happened in the U.S. space program. There were several "marks" of the satellite varying in size from 20 inches down to 6 inches in diameter with varying instrumentation on board and the first was slated to go up during the… more |
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The British Army Since 2000Published: October 23, 2014 This is a brief, yet very complete, book on the 21st Century evolution and current status of the organization of the British Army. Through five chapters and an introduction the author deals with the changing demands on the British Army and it's evolving structure to meet those demands as well as the changes in the traditional British regimental system. One chapter deals with actual operations… more |
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USS CarronadePublished: May 8, 2021 The ShipThe USS Carronade was commissioned in 1955 and was designed to provide close in fire support for amphibious landings. Her 5" gun was the same weapon mounted on US destroyers and had proved itself in close in support over and over during WW II and its eight 5.5" automatic rocket launchers could fire 30 rockets a minute, meaning 240 rockets could be on their way to some… more |
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Maudslay's Paddle Engine 1827Published: August 28, 2014 The EngineAfter Robert Fulton proved the viability of using steam to power a nautical vessel with his steamboat Clermont (also known as the North River) in 1807, steam power began to sweep wind-powered vessels from the seas. Constant improvements to his engine were made and Maudslay's Paddle Engine patented in 1827 was one such improvement. It was a style of engine… more |
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HMS RobertsPublished: August 1, 2014 The ShipHeavily armed, shallow draft ships are known as monitors, named after the USS Monitor from the American Civil War. The USS Monitor carried two large guns in a rotating turret and had a flat hull with low freeboard. A later series of US ships that were designed for coast and harbor defense had a similar design and were generically called monitors. The term came to be applied… more |