Reviews of products for scale miscellaneous models.

Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
MSRP
$12.95

This is a new tool that was added to UMM-USA’s line of modeling tools this fall. The tool consists of a thin double-edged saw blade and black plastic handle. It is intended to be used with resin parts and thin styrene.

The tool is used similar to a full-sized keyhole saw. While it can be used like a standard saw, cutting from the edge in, its principal use is to cut a hole inside a part. I experimented by drawing out a rectangular panel on scrap styrene, drilling pilot holes at each corner and then using the saw to cut from hole to hole, creating a rectangular opening. The corners were then cut out using a sharp Xacto knife.

Book Author(s)
Ian Baxter
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$26.95

Ian Baxter is a prolific author and has an impressive collection of photographs, many unpublished previously. The book follows the familiar Images of War format with brief introductions for each chapter followed by a lot of photographs to tell the story. At first, I was hesitant to review this book as a lot has been written about this period of well-documented evil that was the Nazi era. However, I wanted to read and see Ian Baxter’s perspective on Heinrich Himmler, the Architect of the Holocaust.

Ian Baxter did not disappoint, and his opening paragraph sums up the book,

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$17.61

AMMO by Mig has released a new line of acrylic paints for railroad modellers called the Rail Center. There are 41 railroad specific colors in the series, with twelve box sets:

  • Ammo.R-1000 Spanish Renfe Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1001 Dutch Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1002 British Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1003 German DB Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1004 German DR Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1005 Germany DRG-DB Steam Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1006 Via Rail Canada Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1007 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 1
  • Ammo.R-1008 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 2
  • Ammo.R-1009 British Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1010 American Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1011 German Freight Cars

The paints depart from the familiar Ammo by Mig 17ml eye drop containers and are packaged in 15ml cylinders with stirring balls.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$17.59

AMMO by Mig has released a new line of acrylic paints for railroad modelers called the Rail Center. There are 41 railroad specific colors in the series, with twelve box sets:

  • Ammo.R-1000 Spanish Renfe Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1001 Dutch Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1002 British Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1003 German DB Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1004 German DR Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1005 Germany DRG-DB Steam Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1006 Via Rail Canada Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1007 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 1
  • Ammo.R-1008 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 2
  • Ammo.R-1009 British Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1010 American Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1011 German Freight Cars

The paints depart from the familiar Ammo by Mig 17ml eye drop containers and are packaged in 15ml cylinders with stirring balls.

Book Author(s)
David Francois
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Helion is a UK based company that produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through to the present day. Helion was established in 1996, and since then they have published almost 1,200 books, with 100 or more new titles coming out every year, for readers around the world.

David Francois, from France, earned his PhD in Contemporary History at the University of Burgundy and specialized in studying militant communism, its military history and relationship between politics and violence in contemporary history. In 2009, he co-authored the Guide des archives de l’Internationale communiste published by the French National Archives and the Maison des sciences de l’Homme in Dijon. He is regularly contributing articles for various French military history magazines and regular contributor to the French history website L’autre côté de la colline.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
Scale
n/a
MSRP
$6.95

UMM-USA is known for many things and one of them is tools. Tools specifically found or designed by owner John Vojtech. If you look at just the web page for the chisels, there are 26 different varieties or sets. You can find them here:

http://umm-usa.com/onlinestore/index.php?cPath=21_224

The two we are reviewing here are the 2.0mm elliptical chisel (Umm 38) and 3.5mm flat double beveled chisel (UMM16). They both have great handles which provide a very sturdy grip.

Book Author(s)
Sanjay Badri-Maharaj
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Armed Forces of the English-Speaking Caribbean: The Bahamas, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago is authored by Dr. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj, who received his MA and PhD from the Department of War Studies, Kings College London (his thesis was on India’s nuclear weapons program). Dr. Sanjay Badri-Maharaj has written two books - The Armageddon Factor: Nuclear Weapons in the India-Pakistan Context (2000) and Indian Nuclear Strategy: Confronting the Potential Nuclear Threat from both Pakistan and China (2018). What makes him qualified to write a book of this title? He also served as a consultant to the Trinidad Ministry of National Security.

Book Author(s)
Albert Grandolini
Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

A Brief Introduction of this Book

This book contains 86 pages, including 130 black & white photographs, 34 color pages of colored profile drawings and eight maps. The color drawings illustrate several vehicles (primarily those of the PVAN (People’s Army of Vietnam) with a few US tanks and aircraft). Almost all of the photographs serve to illustrate the futility of the war in Southeast Asia.

Book Author(s)
Albert Grandolini
Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

A Brief Introduction of the Book

This book contains 80 pages, including many great (144) black & white photographs, nine color pages of colored profile drawings and three colored maps. The color drawings illustrate a few vehicles (both ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and PAVN (People’s Army of Vietnam), several uniforms and aircraft from this lengthy conflict.

Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
MSRP
$12.95

This is a new scribing tool that was added to UMM-USA’s line of modeling tools this fall. The fine chisel point allows the tool to be used either to clean out or sharpen existing panel lines or create new ones. The hook point has a nice sharp triangular point that easily cuts through plastic and allows you to adjust the depth and cutting angle by moving your hand.

The textured handle helps you keep a good grip on the scriber and find the position that is most comfortable for you.

I used the scriber to re-scribe the panel lines on an old Airfix Vulcan (the original kit, not the new one) as sanding and filling the joints on the upper and lower wing had pretty much obliterated the original raised panel lines. Using the scriber and a small plastic ruler I had no trouble creating new panel lines on the flat body of the Vulcan and using a thin flexible metal straight-edge I was able to scribe new panel lines over the curved spine and nose of my Vulcan.