Reviews of products for scale miscellaneous models.

Book Author(s)
Peter Macfarlane
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$20.00

Lieutenant Colonel Peter Macfarlane served with the Royal Dragoon Guards. The Colonel of the Regiment commissioned this history to make it accessible to the public. Histories cover the facts, but there has to be a lot of research and digging to get the information which is presented here.

Contents

  • Foreword
  • Introduction
  • Regimental Life
  • Keeping the Peace
  • Small Wars
  • Major Wars of the 17th Century
  • Major Wars of the 18th Century
  • Major Wars of the 19th Century
  • The First World War 1914-18
  • The Second World War 1939-45
  • The Cold War
  • 21st Century Operations
  • Appendices
  • Bibliography
  • Index

An explanation. Dragoons were originally organized as infantry but were mounted to give them mobility. As things advanced, they were used as heavy cavalry, armed with swords and pistols.

Book Author(s)
David Greent
Review Author
Jim Pearsall
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$24.00

This book covers a short but brutal campaign near the end of World War II where the Soviets took northern Finland from the Germans, pushing them back into Norway. Finland had capitulated in September of 1944, and the Germans were seriously considering leaving when the Soviet Army (and Navy) attacked in early October. The battles lasted from October 7 to November 5.

Contents

  • Origins of the campaign
  • Chronology
  • Opposing commanders
  • Opposing armies
  • Orders of battle
  • Opposing plans
  • The campaign
  • Aftermath
  • The battlefields today
  • Further reading
  • Index

The area in question was somewhat political, but there also was a port at Kirkenes, which is in Norway, and Petsamo has iron and nickel deposits and mines which the Russians wanted to deny to the Germans.

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Mission Models
MSRP
$5.75

Mission Models Paints Pearl Colors

Mission Model Paints has released some beautiful new Pearl colors to their excellent line of acrylic paints. The Pearl colors have a translucent pearl-like depth and luster. MMP has also issued iridescent color paints that seem to change color when seen from different angles.

The Pearl paints are like Mission Models other water-based acrylics that are odorless, fast drying, don’t clog airbrush tips, and produce a smooth, durable finish. Information on Mission Model Paints is available on their website. Click here for a full IPMS review of Mission Model Paints.

Book Author(s)
David Greentree
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$10.56

The book is set up to introduce the groups involved- British Light Infantry versus French Light Infantry (Skirmishers). Each group has the specifics from recruitment, formation of the group and morale discussed along with very well detailed drawings of each soldier showing their weapons, dress and equipment. One thing detailed early on was the use of muskets versus rifles. The British used Baker riffles with smaller rounds, rifled barrels and an increased range. He French used a Charleville Dragoon Musket with larger caliber rounds and no rifling. There are specific sections on the training of each group, its weapons and their command and control strategy.

The table of contents looks like this:

Review Author
Dave Koukol
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$2.50

Background

For the 10-15 years, modelers have been enjoying the “golden age of weathering products.” Be it in the form of pre-mixed washes, filters, effects such as mud, dust, grime, streaking, etc., or pigments in all shades, it’s never been so convenient or easy to come up with convincing weathering effects on our models. One of the leading innovators in this field has been Mig Jimenez, who has brought us many of these off-the-shelf, ready-to-use products. Ammo by Mig Shaders are the latest addition to this growing product line.

The Product

Mig’s website touts Shaders as “acrylic based paint specially formulated to apply shadows with the airbrush,” which are packaged in handy little 10mL dropper bottles. This review looks at the following Shader colors:

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Mission Models
MSRP
$5.75

Mission Model Paints Iridescent Colors

Mission Model Paints has added some beautiful iridescent colors to their excellent line of acrylic paints. These luminous paints seem to change color when seen from different angles. The iridescent paints have a silver base and produce a display of lustrous, prismatic, rainbow-like colors. MMP has also issued Pearl paint colors. The Pearl colors have a translucent pearl-like depth, either in color or luster.

Book Author(s)
Leigh Neville
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$42.95

This book is a comprehensive work covering the range of modern small arms used in today’s world armed forces.

The chapters cover the main weapons in use as follows

  • Chapter One - Combat Pistols
  • Chapter Two - Sub Machine Guns and Personal Defense Weapons
  • Chapter Three - Assault Rifles and Carbines
  • Chapter Four - Battle and Designated Marksman Rifles
  • Chapter Five - Combat Shotguns
  • Chapter Six - Sniper and Anti-Materiel Rifles
  • Chapter Seven - Light Machine Gun, Light Support Weapons and Squad Automatic Weapons
  • Chapter Eight - Support Weapons

Each chapter goes in to great details of each weapons in the category and provides a lot of reference work for anyone interested in modern weapons. It is also a treasure trove of information and photos for modelers of modern troops and weapons.

Book Author(s)
Leroy Thompson
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$22.00

Osprey Publishing has been providing books for enthusiasts since 1968 and since then it has grown, evolved and taken on new challenges until it stands today as one of the most successful examples of niche publishing around.

Leroy Thompson trained and advised military and police special operations units around the world, focusing especially on the tactical use of firearms. He has had over 50 books published and more recent titles include The Hostage Rescue Manual, The Counterinsurgency Manual and Secret Techniques of the Elite Forces. He has also had various firearms books published including Great Combat Handguns, and appeared as a weapons expert on documentaries for Discovery, National Geographic and the BBC. He lives in Missouri, USA.

Review Author
Michael A. Turco
Published on
Company
Flex-I-File
MSRP
$19.99

The Flex-I-File “Touch-N-Flow” (Photo 1) is the ultimate capillary action gluing system. Nothing else I know can get cement into hard to reach spots with such accuracy. It enables a modeler to put solvent cement exactly where needed, with very little chance of missing the target and marring an outside surface.

The #7000 system is composed of three components (Photo 2): A bottle of thin Plast-I-Weld solvent cement, a squeeze bottle, the Touch-N-Flow applicator, along with an instruction sheet. The Touch-N-Flow is a thin glass tube with a very fine needle applicator at one end. The squeeze bottle is used to pull the thin solvent cement up into the tube. Once the cement is in the applicator, a touch of the end of the needle releases cement.

Book Author(s)
Robert Forczyk
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$27.00

Osprey Publishing has recently released a book by Robert Forczyk covering the Invasion of Poland. He is a well-known author and superb researcher of military topics. Certainly, this book is not an exception to his well-earned reputation.

The book is broken down in the following sections

  • Poland is not lost
  • Poland prepares for the next round
  • The Threat Emerges
  • Countdown to War
  • Opening Moves
  • Total War
  • Apotheosis
  • Occupation
  • Epilogue

Plus several appendices covering military ranks, glossary, etc.

I would argue that this book is two sub-books in one single binding. The first sub-book covers the political history of Poland during the 1920s and 1930’s (the first 3 chapters) while the second sub-book covers military history of the actual invasion of Poland in 1939.