UGears is a Ukrainian company that opened in 2015, and UB LLC is their distributor in the US. Their kits are built from laser-cut plywood and cover a vast range of interesting topics. Everything from cars to bikes, trains and even a horse. Their kits are all given a difficulty rating that corresponds to the number of included parts and the estimated assembly time. This Grand Prix car is my first UGears kit and it listed as an advanced kit with an estimated assembly time of 6 to 7 hours.

You have to give the former Soviet Union credit – they didn’t waste time coming up with something new IF something available would do the trick. They did it with the U.S. B-29 bomber (Tupelov Tu-4) and they didn’t with this series of post-war sedans – making a carbon copy of Germany’s Opel Kadett from 1946 on.

ICM has previously made a closed-top four-door sedan version of this lovely little vehicle, and now offer the somewhat rarer convertible version. The kit offers a couple of options – open or closed convertible top and free spare tire or encased spare tire. It comes with a detailed engine and drive train and a truly exceptional level of detail in the interior. It also comes with all the parts to make the standard sedan if you desperately want to go in that direction. Being the kind of modeler I am, I chose to do mine with the open top so I could show off all the lovely inside workings.

In 1905, Renault produced a relatively inexpensive two-cylinder vehicle which in the next few years was so popular that it became the primary taxi vehicle in both France and England. The French taxis, of course, would go on to achieve historical prominence during World War One transporting French troops rapidly to the front lines in what would become known as the “Miracle of the Marne.”

ICM’s Type AG 1910 London Taxi is a variant of this same vehicle, with modifications that would be typical for a British market. It shares most of the same molds as ICM’s earlier French Taxi but includes a separate sprue for the alterations, for a total of 6 sprues plus vinyl tires. Like the French version, this kit features a very nice representation of the miniscule two-cylinder engine as well as nicely detailed chassis and landaulet body.

The origin of Pen and Sword Books is closely linked with its sister company, the Barnsley Chronicle; one of the UK's oldest provincial newspapers – established in 1858 – and one of the few weeklies still in private ownership. The first books published by the company were in response to public demand following of a series of articles published in the newspaper:- Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks told the story of crash sites in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, and a further weekly feature on the history of two Kitchener battalions, known as the Barnsley Pals, aroused a thirst for more information. Following on from the success of Dark Peak Wrecks and Barnsley Pals books, a number of local history paperbacks were produced along with a series of battlefield guide books. Battleground Europe proved immediately successful and as more and more titles were produced the company made the decision to launch a book publishing arm of the group.

This is a review of the Veloce Buick Riviera 1963 to 1973

I haven’t written a book review in over 50 years, so bear with me.

The Veloce book is packed with information about the first three generations of the stylish, luxurious, and performance-oriented Buick Riviera. Tons of pictures accompany performance data, available option equipment for each year, changes and upgrades by year. I didn’t realize Buick started using the Riviera name in 1949 as a trim package and would later be changed/upgraded to compete with the Ford Thunderbird.

Also included are pictures of Riviera’s that have been customized with paint, wheels/tires, and body modifications.

The Veloce Buick Riviera is a fantastic addition to your hobby area reference materials.

Thank you to IPMS for allowing me to review this kit.