Reviews of products for scale miscellaneous models.

Book Author(s)
David Campbell
Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$22.00

In his organization of this book, Mr. Campbell provides a logical approach to this ground combat at Verdun. The Table of Contents provides for the basic outline:

  • Introduction
  • The opposing sides
  • Bois des Caures
  • Mort-Homme
  • Fort Vaux
  • Analysis
  • Aftermath
  • Unit Organizations
  • Bibliography
  • Index

The publishers’ notes include this summary of Campbell’s book:

Book Author(s)
Maarten Otte
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$22.95

The book in hand shows that it was published in January 2020 by Pen & Sword with an ISBN # 1526734958. Not being found on the Pen & Sword website, the Casemate website contained a page for this book with an ISBN # of 9781526734952.

Overview (as found on the website)

The St Mihiel Offensive, which took place between the 12th and 16th September 1918, was the first full scale attack that was under the direct command of the Americans, in the person of General J. Pershing. He combined his command of the First (at the time the only) American Army with that of Commander in Chief of the AEF, a tremendous burden.

Review Author
Michael A. Turco
Published on
Company
Flex-I-File
MSRP
$20.00

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, and 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.

Review Author
Blaine Singleton
Published on
Company
Masterpiece Models
MSRP
$9.99

Mottling on model paint schemes is becoming more and more popular. The item for this review makes the project much easier than trying to do it freehand.

All models require different levels of paint layers to get that realistic look. Mottling has become one of the layers of a lighter color of the basecoat to get the color variance and depth. The stencils help paint in the weathered look. People have used various freehand airbrush techniques to break up the basecoat, whether it is shading within a panel’s lines or indiscriminate lines throughout the basecoat to get color depth.

Book Author(s)
Ian Baxter
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$22.95

Overview as found on the website: By March 1945, the Red Army had closed in on Berlin. Marshal Zhukov, with almost a million soldiers and 20,000 tanks and guns at his disposal, launched his assault of the Seelow Heights. While costly with 30,000 Russians killed, it brought the Russian Army to the gates of the capital.

On 20 April, Hitler's 56th birthday, Soviet artillery began a massive bombardment of the doomed city. The Fuhrer ordered every soldier, Hitlerjugend and Volksstrum to fight to the death. The house-to-house fighting that followed was brutal and savage with heavy casualties for both military and civilians.

Using superb Russian and German imagery this fine Images of War Series book describes the Russian assault and Nazi last-ditch defense of Hitler's capital during the final days of the Third Reich.

Book Author(s)
Alexander Hill
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$22.00

This is one of the new additions to Osprey Publishing ongoing Combat series (or as I call it, their ‘versus’ series). Each volume takes a look a particular slice of a campaign or war to examine the strengths and weaknesses of the two combatants and how they fared in a campaign or set of skirmishes. This particular volume takes a close look at how Soviet Partisans fought against German security forces in the region around Leningrad from the beginning of Operation Barbarossa through 1943. As with most Osprey publications, this work is illustrated with original artwork by Johnny Shumate, historical photographs, and detailed maps of the battleground.

Book Author(s)
Cliff Lord
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Casemate Publications has brought a series by Helion and Company that provides a broad overview of the armed forces and conflicts of the Middle East to the attention of Hobbyists. This particular book is part two of a series that focuses on the history and modern composition of the armed forces of Oman. This is number twenty-two of this series. It is a paperback publication with maps, contemporary black and white photographs as well as a smaller collection of color photographs. You will also find a series of color plates highlighting color schemes of modern and vintage vehicles. The plates and color photographs are helpful, but some of the plates are far too dark. The text is dense, and for my old eyes, a wee bit too small. Regardless, if you are interested in a broad overview of one of the Gulf States, this is a nice overview.

Book Author(s)
David Francois Illustrators: David Bocquelet; Tom Cooper; Anderson Subtil
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

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

Mission Models Paint (MMP) has released some new metallic colors to add to their acrylic paint range. The colors reviewed with this release include.

MMP paints include the following:

  • Gun Metal MMM-010
  • Brass MMC-002
  • Gold MMC-003

Mission Models also provided Gloss White Base MMGWB-002, Grey Primer MMS-003, and MMS-007 Clear Primer. The Gloss White Base can be used as an alternative to Gloss Black Base under metallic colors to provide a lighter shade of the finish paint. Mission Models Clear is an interesting primer that can be tinted to match finish paints for a more uniform color coat. Blaine Singleton has provided a nice review of MMP’s clear primer.

Book Author(s)
Vyacheslav Kozitsyn
Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Peko Publishing
MSRP
$27.95

This book is PeKo Publishing’s second in the series of photo albums introducing rare wartime photos from battles, operations, vehicles, or complete photo albums from soldiers who fought in WWII. This volume 1.1 illustrates photos from an unidentified German Sturmartillerist of the Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung (Assault Gun Battalion) 191. The first volume in the series, 1.0, illustrated photos from Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 189.

Abteilung 191 was dispatched in December 1940 from Jüterbog to Romania, and traveled through Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Hungary. The book contains photographs from fighting at the Greek border where the Abteilung supported the German infantry on the Metaxas line. Photographs during marches through the country showing destruction and enemy vehicles, and in Greece after the capitulation are included as well.