Will Kuhrt
Reviews By Author
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F-4B Phantom II Ram Air Turbine 1/48 (RAT AC Generator)Published:
BackgroundA Ram Air Turbine (RAT) is commonly found on modern aircraft – both military and civilian -- and is used only in emergency situations. In the event of the loss of primary and auxiliary power sources, the RAT will be deployed to power vital systems of the aircraft such as flight controls, hydraulics, and instrumentation. The AIRES Ram Air Turbine featured in this review is designed for the 1/48 Tamiya F-4B Phantom II. For review purposes, I used a spare fuselage of this kit. In terms of the practicality of using this accessory with your Tamiya F-4B Phantom II build, you would want to use it if your intention is to pose the plane in maintenance mode. This is due to the fact that the RAT would only be opened up for maintenance purposes while the plane… more |
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Luftschutz Helmet (2pcs)Published:
Thank you Bill & Phil for all you do for the Reviewers! The set is part of a new line of 3D printed 1/35 scale accessories. The Luftschutz helmet set contains two 3D printed helmets, one decal sheet and photo etch straps. The helmets are exceedingly well detailed and show no evidence of being 3D printed, i.e., print lines, support fingers, etc. The helmet surface is smooth as glass and requires no sanding. The decal sheet provides markings for four variations: German Luftschutz, Prague Uprising 1945—two versions, and the Warsaw Uprising 1944. Assembly was very easy. To begin, I primed the surface with Tamiya Fine Surface Primer. Next, I painted a base coat of Mission Models anthracite paint. When dry, I clear coated the helmets. I painted the… more |
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155mm Gun M1 “Long Tom” and 8-inch Howitzer in WWII and KoreaPublished:
About the AuthorDavid Doyle is a familiar name and a prolific author of military history books. His published works have appeared in periodicals aimed at the hobby of historic military vehicle restoration. By 1999, this included regular features in leading hobby publications, appearing regularly in US, British and Polish magazines. Since 2003, over 200 of his books have been published. Table of Contents
SummaryThis is excellent book as part of the Legends of Warfare series, which currently consists of 51 titles. Chapter One discusses the development of the 155mm gun M1 ‘Long Tom’ starting with its… more |
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Display Bases by Bill: 10th SS Panzer Division "Frundsberg" Armor Display BasePublished:
About the CreatorsBases by Bill, LLC is one of those rare companies that began from love of the model building hobby, a good idea and true family involvement. They specialize in hand-finished hardwood display bases and cases and other presentation items for scale models. I had the great pleasure of meeting them at the 2022 IPMS National Convention in Omaha, Nebraska. The company is operated by Bill & his son Weston and receives marketing and website support from his nephew Christian. It truly is a family company. Bill is an aircraft modeler while Weston tends toward armor. One day, Bill, using his other passion of woodworking, glued up some pieces of wood into a Balken Kreuz and took it to one of his local chapter meetings (IPMS Mad City Modelers). His… more |
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Building 1/8 Scale Unholy Demon, The Marmo MethodPublished:
Thank you Bill & Phil for all you do for the Reviewers! About the AuthorRichard Marmo is a free-lance writer, professional model builder and founding member of the International Plastic Modelers Society USA (IPMS/USA #2). He has also spent decades researching his family’s genealogy. He has written three print books, several hundred articles & kit review columns, a growing list of ebooks and created several CD-ROM photo galleries with more in the works. Along the way, he has produced well over 1,000 models for clients ranging from Aerospace companies to private collectors. A self-described aircraft/science fiction nut...ahem, enthusiast...he will and has built just about anything you care to name, depending on his client’s requirements. A native… more |
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IL-28 Beagle Landing GearPublished:
Scale Aircraft Conversions provides is an excellent company that produces detailed, fine-quality white metal and resin parts, which are mostly drop-in replacements for scale aircraft kit landing gear parts. The Bobcat Hobby Scale Models 1/48 Ilyushin IL-28 Beagle was released in 2019 with new tooling. It’s landing gear are pretty simple units with no additional assembly other than attaching the upper/lower torsion arms piece to the nose landing gear piece. CA glue works well for this. Overall, this is a nice replacement set and will add nice strength and stability to the Bob 1/48 IL-28 Beagle kit. Thank you to Scale Aircraft Conversions for supplying this sample, and thank you for IPMS for the privilege to review it. Thank you Bill & Phil for all you… more |
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Cold War Berlin: An Island City Volume 1: The Birth of the Cold War and the Berlin Airlift 1945 - 1950Published:
About the AuthorAndrew Long, from Great Britain, is a military history researcher and author. His fascination with the Cold War began with a trip to West Berlin in 1986, travelling through Checkpoint Charlie to visit the East. Andrew’s writing comes from a desire to make sense of an extremely complex period in modern history, weaving together inter-relating stories involving politics, ideologies, personalities, technological advances, and geography. There is still much to be told on this fascinating subject. After a successful career in marketing, Andrew relocated to Cornwall and took up writing full time. He is also the author of Cold War Berlin: An Island City Volume 2 1950 – 1961. Table of Contents
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RS-132 Ammunition BoxesPublished:
The RS-132The RS-132 is an unguided Russian rocket which officially entered service in 1938. It was not known for its accuracy and in one test had no hits in 134 firings. During WWII, its performance was poor since it was usually fired from great distances. It required a direct hit to disable light and medium German armor. Near misses caused no damage at all. It was mostly effective when fired in salvos against large groups of ground troops. The KitThe box contains four identical gray sprues containing a total of 104 parts which build up to create four ammunition boxes each holding four shells. The parts are crisply details and flash free. A double-sided instruction guide is provided. The seven assembly steps are very well illustrated. The color… more |
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Semovente M42 da 75/18Published:
The SemoventeThe Royal Italian Army began to deploy self-propelled artillery guns at the end of the 1930s. Their purpose was to provide support for tanks and infantry units. The “Semovente” 75 /18 was developed on the back of the “M” series medium tank hull, and it soon became the most feared Italian armored vehicle. The 75mm howitzer was a highly effective anti-tank weapon and was capable of destroying the most heavily armored British and American tanks. The “Semovente” was also valued for its low profile, which made it difficult to locate. First ImpressionThis 2020 Italeri release of the Semovente M42 da 75/18 is a rebox with new parts and new molds. The box contains four sprues of dark-yellow molded plastic, one PE, one decal sheet, and one set of… more |
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The Luftwaffe’s Secret WWII MissionsPublished:
About the AuthorsDmitry Degtev is one of the leading Russian researches of the history of the Second World War. Widely known to readers for his publications on military aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s, he has been studying the air battles of the Second World War and the history of the Luftwaffe for more than twenty years. As a result, he has assembled a huge amount of exclusive material on events and battles previously little known to the wider audience. He also has more than twelve years of experience teaching Russian and world history and currently lectures at Nizhny Novgorod State Technical University. He lives in the Russian Federation. Dmitry Zubov is the author of twenty-two books on military history. In his works he prefers to analyze the psychological causes… more |