Reviews of products for scale miscellaneous models.

Book Author(s)
Bruno Mugnai
Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$59.95

Bruno Mugnai is a prolific author and illustrator who has specialized in history of eastern Europe in the 16th-18th centuries, ancient Italian states and South America after Spanish conquest. He has previously published titles for the Italian Army and Helion & Company (UK), including five volumes on Wars and Soldiers in the early Reign of Louis XIV, and the Cretan War (1645-1671). He also an illustrator for his books.

This book is No 55 of the Century of the Soldier 1618-1721 series by Helion, and is an update in English of the original title published in Italian in 1997. This time period saw warfare escalate into serious national business, fostering a steady stream of advances, changing rulers, nations and history. Pike to musket era. This book focuses on the Ottoman Empire armies that occupied much of Eastern Europe.

Book Author(s)
Sanjay Badri-Maharaj
Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Sanjay Badri-Maharaj is the author of this book but also was there when it happened. As such, he has a personal stake in getting this book a wide audience. Sanjay is a native TTer (TT stands forTrinidad & Tobago, as they say on the islands), an Indo-Trinidadian. He studied at Kings College London, and received a PhD from the Department of War Studies, focusing on India’s nuclear capabilities. He has authored other books on modern-day military topics from the Caribbean and India, including an upcoming review of English-speaking Caribbean militaries. Sanjay was a visiting International Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. Sanjay has also served as a Consultant to the Ministry of National Security in Trinidad, a key player in this particular book. Thus, when Sanjay explains how things are really done in Trinidad, it is not speculation, but eye-witness observation and experience, with the keen eye of a practicing lawyer.

Book Author(s)
Adrien Fontanellaz
Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

The book is volume 17 of Helion & Company’s Asia@War series and, as noted in the title, is the third volume of its coverage of the civil war in Sri Lanka. The book includes over 50 black and white photographs, both of government and LTTE forces, 7 pages of color profiles depicting the aircraft, ships and vehicles of the security forces as well as the uniforms of both military and LTTE participants. There are also several maps of some of the more significant operations and a color map of Sri Lanka.

Review Author
Will Kuhrt
Published on
Company
Mission Models
MSRP
$5.75

This review looks at four new releases from the Mission Models product line. They are:

  • MMP-139 RAL 7017 Dunkelbraun
  • MMP-140 RAL 7016 Anthrazitgrau
  • MMP-132 US Navy Flight Deck Blue 21
  • MMP-169 Transparent Green

Mission Models paints are a non-solvent acrylic-based paint, which are ‘airbrush ready’ and produce a flat finish. The product line consists of a wide array of colors, thinners, finishing coats & supplies. Since prior reviews have covered how to use Mission Models paints, I will forego repeating that.

Some features I have come to really like about Mission Models paints are: bottle contains a “rattle ball” which ensures good paint mixture; some of the bottles have a flip cap which is great for counting/measuring drops of paint you add to your pan; the website contains a very good FAQ, which offers plenty of tips for using their products.

Book Author(s)
Charles Trang
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Heimdal
MSRP
$95.00

This is a big book! At 591 pages and weighing in at five pounds, in this corner we have volume two of Leibstandarte, the SS Division that was formed from Hitler’s SS body guards. I have not seen the first volume, but the set is a re-release of a previously published book. One of the challenges of this book, is that it comes from a French publishing house, so the text, captions, etc. are all in French. I have a rudimentary reading knowledge of French, so I can get the gist of the text, but probably not full comprehension.

Book Author(s)
Alexander Merrow, Agostino von Hassell, Gregory Starace
Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Frontline Books
MSRP
$34.95

Thanks to Casemate Books (an imprint of Pen & Sword Books) & Casemate Publishers for the review copy!

Alexander Morrow received a PhD in European history from Georgetown University, and has taught history at Georgetown, Franklin & Marshall University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Alexander is a prolific writer of military history and fiction.

Agostino von Hassell graduated from Columbia Journalism School and has taught at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He too is a prolific writer of military history, but also of food history.

Book Author(s)
Antonio Luis Sapienza & Jose Luis Martinez Pelaez
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

From the perspective of the United States, the interwar period, the interval between the First and Second World Wars, our story was insular – the hedonism of the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the road to war. From the US perspective, it was a time of peace. Far to the south of us, there was a bloody struggle between Bolivia and Paraguay over a region known as Chaco. In the newest edition of Helion & Company’s ongoing series on warfare in Latin America (number 20 in their series) it tackles the Chaco War. Like many publishing companies, Helion uses a formula of a concise narrative, photographs contemporary to the time period, color profiles of vehicles, planes and ships, and a small selection of uniforms. I believe that there is a separate volume in this same series that covers the air war. The Chaco War was the first aerial war over South America, so it is really not covered in this volume.

Book Author(s)
John H. Gill
Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Greenhill Books
MSRP
$45.00

Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy!

John H. Gill is currently a Professor at the National Defense University, and an Associate Professor at the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, D.C. Jack is a retired Colonel with over 27 years of service, including the Liaison Officer to the Pakistani Army, and has worked on South Asia affairs such as the Kargill Crisis in 1999, Military Advisor to Ambassador James Dobbins, and US Envoy to Afghan Opposition forces. He has held positions with the US Joint Staff, US Pacific Command and more. Pertinent to this book, Jack is an acknowledged military historian and expert on the Napoleonic Era.

Book Author(s)
Mig Jiminez- Editor
Review Author
Phillip Cavender
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$14.99

The company website states:

“The latest issue of your favorite magazine concentrates on an important aspect of any build: accessories. The details and optional accessories that bring realism into your modelling projects, add narrative, or complete a diorama. These accessories present interesting painting and weathering opportunities. For example, few WWII German projects are complete without “German Jerry Cans”, stowage and sandbags are a popular subject with armour modeler’s, tank ammunition and ammo crates including the different metallic areas and textured woods. Mig Jimenez, explains the processes behind painting and weathering a large fabric gun mantlet: adding interest and texture to the material. Each technique and effect explained in this latest issue can be applied to a range of subjects: whether a beginner or experienced modeler this issue will leave you inspired for your next project”