Following the Allied advance into eastern France and Belgium in August and September 1944, logistical support for the advancing armies was compromised by the need to rely on the Mulberry Harbour built off the Normandy beaches in the days following D-Day. Invasion planners had counted on being able to use one of the larger Normandy ports, such as Cherbourg, to alleviate the supply chain issues, but the Germans had done such a thorough job of demolishing that port that it wasn’t brought into productive use until late 1944 and in any case was even further from the Front. The top Allied commanders therefore put some emphasis on trying to capture ports further east. Their focus fell on Le Havre and Boulogne, two large pre-War ports. However, both were declared to be “Festung” (Fortresses) by Hitler, who demanded they be defended to the last man. Their capture is one of the forgotten stories of the Normandy Campaign.

Publishers’ Description

From the publisher’s notes, you’ll quickly grasp the basic facts surrounding the siege of Leningrad:

The siege of Leningrad (1941-1944) was the longest and deadliest in modern history, with over one million deaths from cold, disease, starvation, and bombardment.

Instant Glue from Green Stuff World is a single component cyanoacrylate glue that is advertised to set in 5–10 seconds. In my use, I found the glue to set almost instantaneously. The glue is best used with dissimilar materials including plastic, photoetch, rubber, metal, wood, and ceramics. When dispensed, the adhesive quickly reacts with the moisture in the air, so drying time is affected by humidity. In drier climates, the glue will take longer to set. The glue sets so quickly that I found it best to hold the parts together in the correct position and then apply the glue. Applying glue to the parts and then placing them does not allow any time for positioning. The CA glue seems strong as I did not have any problems with photoetch parts coming loose after the glue set.

Finding the center of a project can be frustrating, to say the least. You could eyeball it, but let’s face it, I’ve never had great luck at it. Enter this cool tool from 3D Peco and UMM-USA.

This tool is easy to use. Simply slide the item onto the apex of the tool. Make a line. Rotate the part or the tool and make another line. Repeat as necessary. Where they all meet is the exact center. Then just drill your hole. Simple and easy to do.

This is another tool which I didn’t realize I needed until I got it. There are various sizes available. If you scratch build, this is an essential tool. You won’t figure out how you lived without it once you use it.

Highly recommended

Thanks to UMM-USA and IPMS/USA for the review copy. You can obtain yours directly from UMM-USA. Let them know you saw it on the IPMS/USA website.

ICM has an expansive line of these acrylic sets and I was anxious to try them out. To see how they apply and what sheen they have as they dry, I pulled out a Saber-Tooth Tiger to paint for my son’s D&D games. Getting started I applied a dab of paint to a strip of white Styrene to determine how the colors would dry. Everything matched the color swatch on the box except the light flesh. It was definitely lighter than the swatch. For the tiger, I darkened it up with the deep brown for several layers. I also struggled to create pink. Originally given the pig on the box, I thought this would be possible. However, I couldn’t get this color with the orange. I intended to use it for the inside of the tiger’s jaws. Doing a figure gave me the opportunity to try a few different styles of paint application. Straight out of the bottle the paint fills the brush and applies smoothly. I didn't have any issues with the paint drying too quickly or globbing up along the edge of the brush strokes.