Reviews

Book Author(s)
Marek Rys & Krzysztof Wolowski
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Casemate UK
MSRP
$11.99

The Book

This book is intended as a reference for anyone building a 1/72 or 1/48 scale model of a production Messerschmitt ME-163B. It contains entirely visual references, and does not tell the developmental or operational history of the type, but this information is covered in so many other references, so that is not so important. The modeling information, however, is extremely well done. The scale drawings are very useful, and whoever made the photographs did a very good job of accessing the aircraft and picturing the details, especially the interior. There are several ME-163’s on display in museums, so with some cooperation with the curators, good photos are certainly obtainable. There are some period photos included, some showing the equipment used by the crews during operations. The cockpit interior views are especially good, and I think with these, a pilot could get in one of these and fly it, if he was that suicidal.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
OKB Grigorov
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$17.00

OKB Grigorov has provided very nice Israeli Dolphin submarine which represent a diesel-electric submarine developed and constructed in Germany for the Israeli Navy. They were based on the export only German 209 class submarines. The Dolphin class entered service in May 1999 and are still active today.

  • seven small resin parts
  • two photoetch sheets
  • one resin submarine

The detail quality is great; The parts are very delicate parts that need careful removal from the resin bases.

There was no instruction sheet provided, this was not a problem as it was a simple build.

The assembly is quick and easy.

The resin stand is an awesome addition to the kit.

The final part is painting.

This is my forth one of these great kits and I really enjoy building these and they make a wonderful display all lined up.

Book Author(s)
Victor Povinsky
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Casemate UK
MSRP
$11.99

The Book

This is a short publication that provides very accurate 4-view drawings of the Soviet two seat IL-2 Shturmovik armored attack bomber of World War II fame. The drawings are done in 1/72 and 1/48 scale, and provide information on several modifications of the aircraft, mainly armament upgrades, but there is no color or interior information. There is an excellent photograph of a pristine IL-2 on the cover, and the book would be ideal for you if you were going to super-detail an IL-2 in either of those scales. There are enough kits available of the aircraft to make getting the book worthwhile if you are working with kits of this aircraft.

Recommendation

This book contains excellent drawings of the aircraft in two scales. Recommended.

Review Author
Gino Dykstra
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$25.99

Zouaves were a branch of light infantry serving in the French Army from 1830 to 1962. Their flamboyant costumes were patterned after indigenous Algerian Berber troops, and were so popular that variations on this costume were adopted by countries worldwide, several zouave units serving with distinction in the American Civil War. The French units served in these outfits for a brief time at the beginning of World War One, changing out to a khaki uniform in 1915.

ICM continues with its distinctive line of World War One infantry units with this new package of four zouaves, including three zouaves and an officer. All come in the distinctive Berber-style uniform. The kit also includes the comprehensive French equipment set released some time ago, so you’ll have a LOT of spare parts to play with.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Hauler Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$22.00

Brengun brings a very welcome addition to the model aircraft market with this Extra 300L / 330 CL aerobatic plane. I have always wanted to build one and this release is most welcome.

In the box is:

  • 2 x light grey sprues
  • 1 clear canopy
  • 1 decal sheet
  • 1 instruction booklet

The sprue is well molded with very little flash and very good detail. The only issue is the plastic is very soft.

Construction

First is the construction stages A & B assemble parts of the cockpit. In Stage A where the seats and instrument panel are built, the PE set adds improved instrument panel and also seat belts. These are welcome additions to this very simple layout.

In stage B builds parts to the cockpit floor. The part numbers are missing from two parts which are in fact parts 21 and 23. At this stage the PE set replaces the pedals.

Review Author
Michael Reeves
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$33.50

I had heard that ICM vehicle kits were a bit of trouble and that care was needed in building them. I can honestly say though that they did pretty well with this kit, which went together smoothly with very little fuss. It makes an interesting looking addition to my WWI model collection.

The Four Wheel Drive Auto Company (FWD) was one of the first American companies to develop and produce all-wheel drive vehicles. The U.S. Army ordered 15,000 FWD Model B three ton trucks, known as Truck, 3 Ton, Model 1917, during WWI with over 14,000 delivered. Additional orders came from the United Kingdom and Russia.

What’s Inside the Box

The kit comes as the standard ICM kit does - with a colorful box top that slides off of an enclosed brown cardboard box. Parts were packaged well and details were crisp with no flash to speak of.

Book Author(s)
Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$22.95

The coverage of WWII in print has been profound covering many aspects or the Untied States, Britain and Germany in the European theater. What hasn’t been covered as well is the remainder of the Axis powers and their contributions and participation in the conflict. Writer Eduardo Manuel Gil Martínez aims to correct part of that with this book covering Hungarian Armor in WWII. The book covers from prewar to the end of WWII with superb period black and white photos and an explanation of the people, battles, and equipment involved.

The table of contents looks like this:

Book Author(s)
Haagen Klaus and Bert Kinzey
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Detail & Scale, Inc.
MSRP
$19.99

Detail and Scale is an iconic brand in the aircraft modeling world. Bert Kinzey and friends have been putting out top quality aircraft books for decades and this latest release covering the F/A-18E & F/A-18F Super Hornet and the EA-18G Growler is no exception. Also, this is version two as the original was released back in the early 2000’s. The book is available in two formats- traditional book and electronic e-book. This review covers the paperback version. Let’s dive in and see why these books are meant for both aircraft enthusiasts and modelers.

Let’s start with the table of contents:

Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
Meng Model
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$83.50

Background

‘The new German tanks were the headache of ordinary Sherman tanks. The mass production of the M26 Pershing was still some time away. The M4A3E2, a special Sherman variant nicknamed “Jumbo” was thus born. It received much thicker chassis and turret armor on the basis of M4A3. It could withstand the shot of large caliber German tank guns and anti-tank guns. Later, it was refitted the 76mm main gun and had better anti-armor capability. In the end of December 1944, a “Jumbo” tank of the 4th Armored Division under the command of Patton led a unit of U.S. soldiers to break the German Siege of Bastogne and joined forces with the 101st Airborne Division. This operation reversed the situation of the Battle of the Bulge.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Hauler Brengun
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$17.00

Brengun has released a great accessory to add to a WWII Royal Navy Aircraft carrier diorama. This a tractor used in the later part of WWII on aircraft carrier to move aircraft around the deck.

In the box is;

  • 15 x light grey resin parts
  • 1 decal sheet
  • 1 instruction sheet

The resin is well molded with very little flash and great detail. The only issue I found was the two larger parts have large resin parts to be removed which has to be done very carefully. Also, the review kit had one of the two part 5’s missing which I made a scratch one up.

Construction

First is the construction is the main body and the control parts, steering wheel, levers and pedals. Be careful installing the pedals as they are tightly spaced. I also drilled out the holes for the parts to be installed easier.