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Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$29.98

The M706 Commando was used in Vietnam mainly for convoy protection. They had a bit more protection than the makeshift gun trucks the troops had been converting with 2 .30 caliber machine guns in a turret. They sometimes had other guns mounted on them to supplement their firepower.

TRUMPETER has released several different versions of the Commando in 72nd scale and Hobby Boss has done several in 1/35th scale. In fact, the box art for this kit is actually a build-up of the Hobby Boss kit and shows more details than what comes in the box. But let’s take a look at what is inside.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$75.99

The Patriot missile system came into the limelight when it was deployed to allied bases during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. I remember a lot of footage of it being fired at incoming SCUD missiles, where it had some success. I have always wanted a Patriot system in my preferred scale, and Trumpeter has released the system with its prime hauler, the M983 HEMTT.

You get over 150 parts molded onto 7 sprues of gray plastic, a sprue of clear parts for the cab, a few extra parts, 14 rubber tires, a die-cut masking set for the windows, and decals. The instruction booklet leads you through the 16 steps of construction, and there is a separate Painting & Marking guide in full color with color call-outs for several brands of paints. Unfortunately, there are no detailed painting instructions for the engine, inside the cab, etc., so I used references from the internet for my build.

Book Author(s)
Ian Baxter
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$28.95

Ever since the German war machine occupied the Crimea in 1942, Hitler had been obsessed with the peninsula. In his eyes, the Crimea was the gateway to the Black Sea and the Romanian oilfields, on which his armies depended, and which were within distance of Crimean airbases. Hitler often referred to the Crimea as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier,” and for that reason, he said it was imperative to hold on to the peninsula at all costs

The Crimean Campaign was fought by German and Romanian forces as a part of Operation Barbarossa in late September 1941. While most Soviet forces were defeated, the Siege of Sevastopol lasted until early July 1942. The German 17th Army garrisoned Crimea with assistance from Romanian troops until the 4th Ukrainian Front recaptured Crimea beginning in November 1943 and ending in May 1944.

Book Author(s)
Daniel Kowalczuk
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
Company
Guideline Publications
MSRP
$23.00

The Warpaint series should be remarkably familiar to most modelers. This is #147 in the series and covers the Nakajima Ki-43. The book covers the development of and the service history of the type. The most numerous and famous of the Japanese Army Air Force aircraft, it was comparable to the Japanese Navy’s A6M Zero. One of the interesting facts is that to Japanese people, the Ki-43 is more famous and revered than its counterpart, the Zero! So much so that it is often the aircraft of choice for anime producers.

The book is filled with many wartime and immediate postwar photographs. One of the best features is the substantial number of color profiles covering Japanese, Republic of China, Manchuko, US captured examples, Royal Thai, French, Communist China, and Indonesian examples. Nice color photos of the4 surviving examples are also included.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
N/A
MSRP
$25.00

ICM continues to be prolific with both kits and paint sets. The Acrylic Paint Set for Special Forces is no exception and consists of six 12ml paint bottles that are surprisingly not dropper-top style but are rather wide-mouthed. These paints are designed to be used with the following ICM kits (16101 – S.W.A.T. Team Leader; 16102 – IDF K-9 Unitz “OKETZ”; and 16103 – Delta Force Fighter, Mogadishu, 1993). The colors include:

  • Black (No. 1002)
  • Buff (No. 1032)
  • Green Ochre (No. 1059)
  • Camouflage Green (No. 1071)
  • Tan Earth (No. 1058)
  • Dark Blue (No. 1077)

Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating

Book Author(s)
Martin Derry, Neil Robinson
Review Author
Paul Bradley
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$34.95

The period between 1920 and 1939 saw a rapid evolution in flight technology, not least in the field of fighter aircraft. The RAF ended WWI with a mix of fighters but by 1920 had standardized on the two-gun rotary-engine Sopwith Snipe, one of the most advanced fighters of the War. In the Twenties, aircraft development hardly evolved – mainly due to Government parsimony, the period ending with the Hawker Woodcock and Gloster Gamecock, which were still two-gun, fabric-covered biplanes with top speeds barely in advance of the Snipe. In the Thirties, the purse strings opened as the realization that another war could be on the horizon, and the development of the Hawker Fury – still a biplane, but with many advanced features – opened the door for even more advanced types, and to the monoplane Hurricane and Spitfire that began to equip the RAF in the late Thirties.

Book Author(s)
Antonio Luis Sapienza
Review Author
Orlando Reyes
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

This book deals with what may be one of the most iconic figures of the 1960's, Ernesto "Che" Guevara, who is considered by many as the ultimate hero of the struggle for "liberation" from the oppression of the Olicarguias of Latin America. He was a man of strong belief that communism was the answer to the solution of the Latin American problems, and as such he was willing to give his life for his ideals. Although his methods may have been wrong, nevertheless, you have to respect the man for his commitment to those ideals. The book deals with the last episode of his life.

Book Author(s)
Massimiliano Afiero
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$28.95

This book does a lot to dispel some of the myths of the “easy” German invasion of Poland. While it does so, it is also not the focus of the book, but rather the nascent Waffen-SS evolving into a military arm of the Nazi war machine. Author Massimiliano Afiero writes,

In September 1939, the Waffen-SS was effectively only three regiments plus several hodgepodge units. Poland would be its baptism of fire: during the campaign, SS combat units participated in operations attached to formations of the Heer. Still considered more parade troops than frontline soldiers, they did not prove a decisive factor in the fighting, but the campaign was important for their transformation into real fighting units.

Review Author
Jason Boggans
Published on
Company
Trumpeter
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$28.99

Box Art and Packaging

Trumpeter presents a 100% new-tooled German Schwerer Zugkraftwagen in 1/72 scale in their typical rigid, top opening box. The contents are well-packed and protected with additional foam wrapped over sprues which contain delicate parts. The condition of the contents as delivered was excellent with no parts broken from the sprues, no broken parts, and nothing warped due to inadequate packing.

The kit depicts the Schwerer Zugkraftwagen, which was commonly used between 1934 and 1945, and was built by numerous manufacturers, including Daimler Benz, Krauss-Maffei, Krupp, and Skoda. Over 4000 were built in different variants. It was powered by a Maybach HL 85 TUKRM producing up to 185 HP and could travel upwards of 100 kph.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$90.00

The UH 60 Blackhawk line has become a staple of military forces around the world. It’s hard to think of a mission this helicopter doesn’t perform including troop carrier, rescue, special ops, electronic warfare, maritime patrol and anti-submarine duties. This release from ICM covers the first version of the Blackhawk the UH 60A troop carrier which entered service with the United States Army in 1979. Having built several ICM kits, this one lives up to the standard that they’ve established with finely molded details, excellent fit and reasonably good references in the instruction sheet and on the box. Decals are provided for three versions, a Blackhawk serving with US Army in Afghanistan in 2005, another serving with the Kentucky National Guard in 2009 and the subject of this build that served with the Montana National Guard 2013. The instructions are typical of ICM kits, very thorough with a parts diagram showing all the runners, including the parts that are not used.