Chris McNab is an author and editor specializing in military history and military technology. To date he has published more than 40 books, including The Illustrated History of the Vietnam War (2000), Twentieth-Century Small Arms (2001), Twentieth-Century Small Arms (2001), The Encyclopedia of Combat Techniques (2002), The Personal Security Handbook (2003), Reformation, Exploration and Empire (2005), Mythical Monsters : The Scariest Creatures from Legends, Books, and Movies (2006), Tools of Violence (2008), Deadly Force (2009), A History of the World in 100 Weapons (2011), The Roman Army (2012), SAS and Special Forces Mental Toughness Training, and Abandoned Wrecks (2017). Chris has also written extensively for major encyclopedia series, magazines and newspapers. He is an experienced specialist in survival techniques and provides instruction on wilderness hunting techniques. He currently lives in Neath, Wales, UK.

Czech Master's out of Czechoslovakia continues to add to its list of quality aftermarket and modeling supply products; this time with packages of linked brass chain. Reviewed here are two sizes: 2.8mm (Coarse) and 1.8mm (Medium), suitable for 1/35thscale. The brass chain accepts blackening agent, such as A-West’s ‘Blacken It’, turning the chain from a bright, brass color to a darker color, depending on how long the chain is left in the liquid. Once dry, pigments can be added to flesh out the effect desired. The two sizes are perfect for filling in detail on armor models and/or diorama layouts, and measure 30 cm, or just under 12 inches in length.

I recommend this Czech Master's product for any modeler who wants to add a nice little bit of detail to their work.

I would like to thank the Czech Master's for providing the chain for review, and to IPMS USAfor giving me the opportunity to work with it.

If you build models you are probably very familiar with Micro-Mark. Not only do they carry a wide range of modeling tools but also offer several kits in different media.

When starting a model getting the parts off the sprue cleanly helps lower the amount of clean up you need to do so finding a good sprue cutter is a great start. This product is manufactured by Fujiya out of Japan.

I tried it out on a kit I am working on for a review and it did a great job. The 25-degree angle gives good control to get up next to the part no matter the placement on the sprue. The cut was clean, but you need to make sure you are even with the part edge or you will live a bit of the connection.

This title is from Osprey’s well received Men-at-Arms of books. It is number 512 in the series.

From the Cover

Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (1)

Piedmont and the Two Sicilies

The creation of the modern nation of Italy was a complex and bloody process involving not only three wars between Italian and Austrian armies, but also bitter clashes between Italian regional forces and insurgents. This first of two books describes the two largest Italian armies, which at first briefly fought in alliance against Austria, but later confronted one another. It explains the evolving organization, uniforms and weapons of the armies of Piedmont (the Kingdom of Sardinia) and Naples (the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies) and is illustrated with contemporary prints and new full-color uniform plates.

Review

These books are great reference materials for figure modelers! This book consists of:

This publication is another edition to Osprey’s “Men-at-Arms” series, and follows author Jowett previous Osprey books, Men-at-Arms 306: Chinese Civil War Armies 1911-49; and his three-part sequence, “The Italian Army 1940-45 (Men-at-Arms 340, 349 and 353)”.

This book is illustrated by Stephen Walsh. Walsh has worked as a professional illustrator since 1988. His projects for Osprey include such diverse subjects as the battle of Otterburn, the Chinese army from 1937 to 1949, and the US Home Front in World War II.

The author lays out the primary goal of this publication as being, “to introduce the reader to the armies and wars of Mexico, Central America, and South America in this period.” He easily achieves that goal and much more. Mr. Walsh also provides an in-depth look at the root causes of these conflicts such as military influence, the power of oligarchies, and weak or divisive governments.