Steve Zajac
Reviews By Author
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Atom Metallic Colors Paint Set and Acrylic ThinnerPublished:
A new release from Ammo, the Atom metallic paint set contains 12 bottles (see list below) consisting of nine well-known metallic colors used in virtually all military and civilian scale model subjects, as well as red, green and blue metallic colors. The paints are water-based acrylics, non-toxic and odorless, and can be air brushed or brush painted. Each 20ml plastic bottle has a snap lid and contains a mixing ball. Of note, there are eight different Atom sets on the Ammo website. The Ammo acrylic thinner comes in a 60 ml snap lid plastic bottle. I started y using the steel, aluminum, and gun metal colors on the Monogram 1941 Lincoln Continental car chassis. The chassis had been previously primed with black enamel spray paint. I brush painted the Atom colors using approx. three… more |
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F-117 NIght Hawk Skunk WorksPublished:
The kit, a… more |
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U.S. Howitzer Motor Carriage M8Published:
I've previously built two of the 48th scale Tamiya tanks: the M-10 Tank Destroyer and the M1A2 Abrams, and they are great for a non-armor buff like me, both in size (not too big for the display cabinet) and part count (low to moderate, can be built in a week or two). The M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage was a variation of the Stuart M5 light tank, powered by twin Cadillac V-8s with a 75mm M3 howitzer. Production yielded 1788 units from early 1942 to January 1944, and M8s served in Italy, Western Europe and the Pacific theater. You get decals for two tanks: 106th Cavalry Reconnaissance Group, operating in Germany February 1945, and 758th Tank Battalion, Fifth Army operating in Italy, April 1945. The kit includes a full body standing tank commander, a thick piece of… more |
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The Warsaw Uprisings 1943-1944 Images of War SeriesPublished:
The Warsaw Uprisings 1943-1944 is a photographic essay by Ian Baxter, consisting of hundreds of black and white photos and accompanying text. This is not merely a military book, but an indictment of the Nazi regime and its military that carried out large scale, institutionalized genocide between 1939 and 1945. The searing and horrific images tell the story of two uprisings against the Nazis in Warsaw, Poland: the first is the 1943 Jewish ghetto uprising, the ghetto's destruction by the Nazis and the liquidation of the remaining community (60,000). The second is the story of the 1944 Polish Home Army uprising which resulted in the 200,000 civilian deaths and the wholesale demolition of Warsaw, as the Soviet Army viewed the carnage across the Vistula river. The photos were… more |
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1941 Packard Clipper (U.S. Army)Published:
Background from the website: "In 1941, Packard introduced a new model of car - the Packard Clipper. It was created by the talented designer Howard Darrin, who had previously collaborated with this company and significantly influenced the appearance of all Packards in the second half of the 1930s. The new car had a powerful 125 hp engine with a displacement of 4.7 liters, was wider than its predecessors, and had an extremely elegant design. By the end of the year, Packard had produced 16,000 such cars, but the US entry into World War II completely changed subsequent plans. The military high command issued extraordinary production orders for its requirements, and many purely civilian manufacturers, including Packard, were repurposed to produce military equipment. Packard won a… more |
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The Glorious First of June 1794Published:
By 1765 Britain had achieved hegemony in Europe, North America, India, Africa and the West Indies over archrival France with its decisive victory in the Seven Years War (1756-1763) fought on 5 continents and the sea (Quiberon Bay). However, the overthrow of the Bourbon monarchy in 1791, and the emergence of revolutionary France was an entirely new phenomenon, and by 1793 virtually all of the major European nations, all headed by monarchs, had declared war on the new French Republic. As a result, France in 1794 was threatened by famine and risked all by organizing a massive North America to France food convoy against the Royal Navy and harsh North Atlantic seas. "Illustrated throughout with stunning full-colour artwork, this is the full story of the only fleet action during the… more |
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USMC F-4J "VMFA-232 Red Devils"Published:
The F-4 Phantom needs no introduction, and has been a modeling staple for decades. The F-4J version used by the USN (and USMC) featured upgraded AWG-10 radar, J79-GE-10 engines, slatted tail surfaces and drooped ailerons. It saw combat in Vietnam and continued to remain in the USN/USMC line up for years. Like the F-4B, the F-4J saw combat over Vietnam and would continue in service for quite a few years. After later upgrades the F-4J was then re-designated as the F-4S. Academy has reissued their 1/72nd scale F-4J Phantom II kit with markings for VMFA-232 'Red Devils' stationed out of MCAS Iwakuni (Japan) 1974, and features great box art. It was originally issued as a snap kit that featured multi-colored plastic requiring no painting. This kit is molded in gray styrene with eight… more |
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1964 Ford Fairlane Thunderbolt 2 'n 1Published:
Revell has re-released the ever popular 1964 Ford Fairlane, originally issued in 1990. It is a 2 'n 1 kit so you can build the street version or the classic Super Stock Thunderbolt drag version with a 427 c. i. engine, featuring Dick Brannan's (head of Ford's Drag Racing division) Romy Hammes car. Only 100 for the race version were built. The kit features three wheel style choices, two hood style choices, 4-speed or automatic transmission, and stock and drag tires (8 total). I built the race car version, of course. This 130 piece kit is molded in white, chrome and clear styrene, with flexible vinyl tires and decals for both versions. The kit instructions are standard Revell and easy to follow, though if you want the name of each part, you need to refer back to pages 3-4. I used… more |
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Savannah 1779 The British Turn South Campaign 311Published:
Osprey Publishing’s latest edition in their American Revolutionary War series concentrates on the British invasion of the southern states in 1778, the first move in their "southern strategy". The June 1778 battle of Monmouth Courthouse, where the Continental Army fought the British to a standstill in New Jersey, was the last large scale battle in the northern states. Withdrawing to New York City, the British strategy then shifted to the southern states, summarized in General Henry Clinton's orders to Lt. Colonel Archibald Campbell in Nov 1778: "Sir, You will be pleased to proceed with the Troops embarked under your Command, and by rapid Movement endeavor to take possession of Savannah in the Province of Georgia....which, if successful, may possibly open the Way for the Re-… more |
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1965 Plymouth Belvedere IPublished:
Moebius has followed up on their previous release of the 1965 Plymouth Satellite earlier this year with the Belvedere I, the economy priced B- Body. Referred to as a B-Pillar (“post”) vs. the B-Pillarless Satellite (“hardtop”), the low end Belvedere I was the basis of many a drag race car in the 1960’s, either in the super stock or altered wheel base classes. The kit is not a factory stock car as purchased off the dealer lot, nor the extremely rare A-990 super stock cars. As Moebius Kit Designer / Project Manager Dave Metzner said, the kit is meant “to represent the kind of Belvedere Sedan you'd see at a cruise night these days”. (For those awaiting a super stock drag car, stay tuned for the next version with a Hemi 426 engine.) This kit includes a very nice replica of the dual carb… more |