Tim Wilding
Reviews By Author
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Panzer IV vs Sherman, France 1944Published:
OverviewOsprey describes this newest Duel series book this way: “As the Allies attempted to break out of Normandy, it quickly became apparent that there would be no easy victory over the Germans, and that every scrap of territory on the way to Berlin would have to be earned through hard fighting. This study concentrates on, the ferocious battles between the German Panzer IV and US Sherman that were at the heart of this decisive phase of World War II. The two types were among the most-produced tanks in US and German service and were old enemies, having clashed repeatedly in the Mediterranean theater. Throughout their long service careers, both had seen a succession of technical developments and modifications, as well as an evolution in their intended roles - but both remained… more |
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German 2cm L/65 Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38 gun barrels (4pcs)Published:
Kit Made for: Academy, Tamiya or Dragon Wirbelwind or any Flak 38 using the L/65 four barrel set up. The Flak 38 was 2cm anti-aircraft guns used by various German forces throughout World War II. It was by far the most numerously produced German anti-aircraft artillery piece throughout the war. It was produced in a variety of models, notably the Flakvierling 38 which combined four Flak 38 auto cannons onto a single carriage which the German Heer put into their Wirbelwinds anti-aircraft AFV. Master’s set comes with four complete barrels including turned brass barrels and flash suppressors as separate parts, so eight parts in total. From what I have read, these are the 15th set of aftermarket barrels for the Flak 38. There are at least three kits of Wirbelwinds (Academy,… more |
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Razor Wire (P.E.)Published:
Add On Parts brings us a photo-etched sheet of modern style razor wire. It resembles concertina wire used the US Military. The wire is one continuous strand zigzagging on the sheet with thin strands of metal connecting the rows. There are about 30 rows of wire. The razor barbs are very finely etched and are really sharp. I cut a section of wire that was five rows long and soaked it in AK Interactive photo-etched burnishing fluid. This wire turns a nice metallic black look. I thought I would have problems with it breaking as I wound it around the hedgehog, but it hold up really well. I was able to reposition it with no breakage problems. Even thought this is a modern razor wire, I believe you could easily use it in any time frame. It gives the impression of barbed wire… more |
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U.S Blood Bank MarmitePublished:
The M1941 Marmite was a 7 gallon insulated container used to transport bottles of blood packed in ice. Plus Model gives us an unusual diorama accessory of 8 marmites with a photo-etched sheet and a decal sheet. The marmites and photo-etched sheet come wrapped in a bubble wrap envelope inside a very colorful box. The marmites are nicely case in resin with a plug on the bottom that needs to be cut off. I did have two that had one of the side carrying handles broken off. These resin parts are very finely crafted with no bubble marks or defects. One of the photo-etched brackets was bent, but I was able to straighten it out. There are only enough photo-etched parts to complete four marmites. There are eight top brackets per sheet, but only four of the side latches sets since… more |
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Old Metal Wall SupportsPublished:
This resin set consist of ten parts. These wall supports are what you see on older brick buildings that holds the internal framing to the outside walls. They will also work of stucco exterior buildings. These parts come separated and with very minimal clean up needed. I had to clean off some flash on a couple supports, maybe 5 minutes of work. There were air bubbles blemishes on three of the parts. Two has an air bubble on the end of the bolt and the “S” bracket had two bubbles on the S part of the support. I was able to fill these with a little super glue and sanded it smooth. The two in the bolt heads I left along, since they are hard to see. I was really impressed with the detail on the star and the “H” u-channel support. I used a little blue tack to secure them to a… more |
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Valve Hand WheelsPublished:
Hauler gives us one photo-etched sheet containing 66 wheels of four different sizes. Each size comes with a six spoke and a five spoke design. You get a set of three of each spoke design. Most have a round indentation in the center that can be drilled out to use a mounting point. It is recommended to use a new blade to cut these off the sheet, since cleaning up the attachment point is very hard. These are so small and thin, I bent a few trying to cut of clean them up. I also found that gluing to a toothpick before cutting, helped to not damage them. I left these glued to the toothpick and used photo-etched burnishing fluid to darken them. These would work great in an open top artillery or self-propelled gun to replace some of the cranks on the guns laying drives… more |
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German Elite InfantryPublished:
This kit contains two grey sprues with 63 overall parts to build 5 full figures of SS infantry troops on the Eastern Front. Three of the soldiers are carrying food, so it seems that they just raided a farm and are happily on their way to make dinner. One soldier is carrying two chickens, while another has eggs or potatoes in his helmet. A third is carrying a watermelon on the box top, but it really is a cabbage. Most are smiling and have happy expressions on their faces. There also is a sprue with 112 parts of German weapons and personal equipment included. Only five weapons are needed, so lots for the spares box. Each figure is divided into a head, torso, two arms and two legs. The overall detail is very good, but some of the seam marks will need cleaning up. There is a lot of… more |
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Prinz Eugen: The story of the 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebrigs-Division 1942-1945Published:
“The 7th SS Volunteer Mountain Division Prinz Eugen was a German mountain infantry division of the Waffen-SS, the armed wing of the German Nazi Party that served alongside but was never formally part of the Wehrmacht during World War II. Formed in 1941 from Volksdeutsche (ethnic German) volunteers and conscripts from the Banat, Independent State of Croatia (NDH), Hungary and Romania, it fought a counter-insurgency campaign against communist-led Yugoslav Partisan resistance forces in the Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia, NDH and Montenegro. It was given the title Prinz Eugen after Prince Eugene of Savoy, an outstanding military leader of the Habsburg Empire who liberated the Banat and Belgrade from the Ottoman Empire in the Austro-Turkish War of 1716 1718. It was initially… more |
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Kursk 1943Published:
In July 1943, Germany launched Operation Citadel to cut off the Kursk salient. Kursk 1943: The Northern Front deals with the Northern Front of this offensive; little attention is usually given to this front of the offensive. Most of the Kursk histories deal with the Southern German push with its huge tank battles, but in the north, the Russians had been preparing for this offensive for months and had constructed three strong lines of defenses. This resulted in a small German penetration and more mine and defensive warfare. The book is laid out in the following sections:
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Junkers JU87R-2 Stuka Limited EditionPublished:
The Stuka - one of the most notorious aircraft for World War II. Hasegawa gives us a kit of the R-2 version used in Libya during the North African campaign in mid-1941. The R version was an extended range B model that increased the planes range from 600km (372 miles) to 1530km (950miles) with the added fuel tanks on the wings. There are 118 of light gray plastic and seven clear plastic parts on six sprues in this “Limited Edition” kit. We get a large decal sheet with markings for two aircraft used in North Africa. The instruction sheet is logically laid out on four sheets with two addition sheets being the black and white color / decal schemes. An interesting note is that on the box top and instruction sheet, the swastika is shown as a diamond on the tail, I guess they don’t… more |