Steve Zajac
Reviews By Author
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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 |
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U-47 in Scapa Flow The Sinking of HMS Royal Oak 1939Published:
Osprey Publishing’s latest edition in their Raid series looks at sinking of the HMS Royal Oak by German U-boat U-47 in 1939. From the website: "At the outset of World War II, Scapa Flow was supposed to be the safe home base of the British Navy - nothing could penetrate the defences of this bastion. So how, in the dead of night, was Gunther Prien's U-47 able to slip through the line of protective warships to sink the mighty Royal Oak? This book provides the answer with an account of one of the most daring naval raids in history. Drawing on the latest underwater archaeological research, this study explains how Prien and his crew navigated the North Sea and Kirk Sound to land a devastating blow to the British." The author Angus Konstam provides detailed research, both past and… more |
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Leyte 1944 Return to the PhillipinesPublished:
Osprey Publishing’s latest campaign monograph focuses on the battle waged by the US to regain the Philippine Islands held by the Japanese since 1942. This from the website: "The loss of the Philippines in 1942 was the worst defeat in American military history. General Douglas MacArthur, the 'Lion of Luzon', was evacuated by order of the President just before the fall, but he vowed to return, and in August 1944 he kept his word when he led what, at the time, was the largest amphibious assault of the Pacific War on the island of Leyte. This is the full story of that fateful battle, one of the most ferocious campaigns of World War II and one of huge strategic and symbolic significance. In the face of stubborn Japanese resistance, including the first systematic use of Kamikaze attacks, the… more |
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Armies of the Greek-Turkish War 1919-22Published:
Osprey Publishing’s latest Men-at-Arms monograph focuses on the fighting men, weapons and equipment used during the war between the Greeks and Turks, in the aftermath of World War I. This from the website: "This is a comprehensive guide to the armies that fought a devastating and decisive conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean between the two World Wars of the 20th century. From the initial Greek invasion, designed to "liberate" the 100,000 ethnic Greeks that lived in Western Turkey and had done for centuries, to Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's incredibly efficient formation of a national government and a regular army, this was a war that shaped the geopolitical landscape of the Mediterranean to this day. It gave birth to the modern Turkish state, displacing millions and creating bitter… more |
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King TIger Tank (Henschel Turret) Sd.Kfz.182Published:
This kit is a re-boxing of an earlier kit, with a photo etch fret, vinyl tracks, and decals. According to the website: "Cyber-Hobby is well known for its fantastic Orange Box tank and figure set combos in 1/35 scale. These special sets provide updated Dragon kits that have not been available for some time and at competitive prices." Detail is excellent for this scale, and goes together without any glitches. You get decals for 3 tanks dated 1944-1945 located in Andler, the Eastern Front, and Germany. 2 tanks are three tone camo, one is two tone. The kit went together without a glitch, there's only 8 total steps:
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SnapTite Build & Play 2015 Ford Mustang GTPublished:
Revell has released the brand new 2015 Ford Mustang GT in its SnapTite line, coinciding with the fall introduction of the actual car to auto dealers nationwide. The kit is a fast build with 10 pieces, and comes well packed in plastic sleeves with no sprues whatsoever. All parts are wrapped in plastic, are crisply molded and look to be very accurate. This was a 15-20 minute build by my nephew, age 11, who also took the attached pictures. The comments that follow are his own. Overall, he gave the kit 4 out of 5 stars. It was a fast build and easy. The body seemed accurate, and the yellow color was cool. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The interior (consisting of fully appointed black interior with steering wheel) was realistic. It didn't matter that there was no… more |
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USS Zumwalt DDG-1000Published:
The US Navy’s pending new guided-missile destroyer class looks like something entirely out of a science fiction movie. Known as the Zumwalt class (Admiral Elmo Zumwalt was the youngest officer ever to serve as Chief of Naval Operations, and he led the USN during the time of the Vietnam War), it features a wave-piercing hull and sleek form to reduce its radar cross-section. The first-of-class USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) was launched in October 2013 and she’s expected to reach initial operating capability in 2016 at a cost of about $1.4 billion. Only three 14,654-ton Zumwalt-class destroyers will be built by General Dynamics. With a crew of 142, USS Zumwalt will reach speeds of 30.3 knots. Her armament includes 20 MK 57 VLS missile modules, two 155mm guns and two Mk 46 30mm cannons, plus she… more |
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F-5F/N Defenders of the Conch RepublicPublished:
US Navy squadron VFC-111, stationed at Key West, Florida, is the only F-5 Adversary Squadron on the East Coast. In the 2012–13 timeframe, a new tail scheme was approved for all of the squadron aircraft. Twobobs last provided a decal sheet for VFC-111 in 2007 (48-143). At that time, the only kit in town was the venerable Revell/Monogram version. Happily, Twobobs has updated the sheet with the Sun Downers’ latest F-5N/F schemes, and you can try them out on the newer AFV Club kit. The color diagrams of seven aircraft are superbly laid out in four perspectives: top, bottom, left and right:
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JGSDF Type 10 MBT Prototype w/DozerPublished:
I enjoy 72nd scale armor kits; they're usually easy to build without a zillion parts. Also, I've built mainly aircraft and cars over the last 15 years, so a fresh subject helps to get the modeling juices flowing again. This kit fits the bill. It's well cast with crisp moldings and excellent details for the scale, and the finished model certainly looks like the real-life subject (though I'm not counting the rivets). The kit goes together well, but there are a few issues the modeler will have to contend with. Steps 1-10 deal with the tracks and wheels. You need to decide whether to use the optional street pads (I did not). The tracks are injection-molded, so assembly to the wheels was fairly easy. When you add the side skirts in step 12, however, much of the running gear will not… more |