MiniArt has released several figure kits in 1/16th, giving us a wide range of ancients, medievals, and Napoleonic figures for our building pleasure. This figure represents one of Napoleon’s own Grenadier Guards, his Old Guard, which were his bodyguards both on and off the battlefield. Napoleon took a personal interest in these men, ensuring they were better paid and equipped than the average French soldier. It was not simple to get into the Old Guard – there were height requirements, the men had to be able to read and write, and they had to be veterans with combat experience. The figure is in the Full Dress Uniform, which includes white leggings and gloves, and tall red plume on the bearskin cap, so it had to be finished clean, with no “battle wear”. I had a great reference in the Osprey Men-At-Arms book, Napoleon’s Guard Infantry (1), by Philip Haythornthwaite.

Once again, sincere to thanks Akiko at MRC for providing IPMS USA and this fortunate reviewer the opportunity to build and comment on a new kit… This was “a most excellent effort” and we appreciate it. (And thanks to Steve and Dick for sending the kit my way…hope I did it justice)

This was a kit that I did not expect to do a review on; I was going to spend the cash and just chill on the build until I could collect all the requisite PE sets and all that nonsense, and then have an AMS fit for about a month. “We can’t have no’ut that!” cried the elves…and when I threw my hat in the ring to review the kit, I was surprised. My criteria: if nobody else volunteered to do it, I would. Now, I know ships take a lot more time than a snap kit. But the USS Indy? Whoa! A famous cruiser worthy of the effort.

History

The Pfalz D.XII was a German World War I fighter aircraft built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke. Designed by Rudolph Gehringer as a successor to the Pfalz D.III, the D.XII entered service near the end of the First World War. It was the last aircraft by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke to see widespread service. Though the D.XII was an effective fighter aircraft during the war, it was overshadowed by the highly successful Fokker D.VII.

The D.XII began reaching the Jagdstaffeln in July, 1918. Most units operated the D.XII alongside other fighter types, but units in the quiet front area were completely equipped with the D.XII. While the D.XII was a marked improvement over the obsolescent Albatros D.Va and Pfalz D.IIIa, it nevertheless found little favor with German pilots, who strongly preferred the Fokker D.VII.

History

The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-capable subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk. The A-7 was one of the first combat aircraft to feature a head-up display (HUD), an inertial navigation system (INS), and a turbofan engine.

In 1917, the Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte issued an official requirement for a high performance, two-seat fighter needed primarily for low-level tactical support of ground troops, and that also would be capable of serving as a two-seat escort fighter for reconnaissance aircraft. Hannoversche Waggonfabrik AG responded with a novel design for a lightweight multi-purpose aircraft that eventually became known as the CL.II. The company was a respected manufacturer of railway wagons that had secured licenses after the war began to build aircraft for Aviatik, Halberstadt, and Rumpler. The CL.II was their first indigenous design and one that had a distinctive appearance when compared to its contemporaries. It proved to be a success in multiple rolls, not the least of which was outmaneuvering and besting some RFC fighters that it battled.