Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
January 24, 2024
Company
Green Stuff World
MSRP
$6.85

Green Stuff World (GSW) is a company based out of Spain. It is specialized in the design and production of tools, paints, and other types of resources for modeling, crafts, and wargames. GSW has provided IPMS?USA with a sample bottle of Maxx Darth Blackest Black acrylic paint for review. The website product description states it has a light absorption rate of 98.9%. For this review six (6) other brands of black paint will be compared to Maxx Darth Blackest Black.

In the Bottle

The paint comes in a 17ml bottle and is a nontoxic water-based acrylic. Inside the bottle is an agitator ball to help mix when shaking which is great, since the paint has a thick consistency.

Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
January 21, 2024
Company
ICM
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$63.25

History

Over the years, much interest has been generated in the conflict between the Japanese, Chinese, and Russians begun by Japanese aggression in the area of northeastern China. By 1939, Japanese and Chinese air forces were actively engaged in a struggle for aerial superiority. While the Chinese had no aircraft industry to speak of, the Japanese were producing airplanes that compared favorably with those of the Americans and Europeans. The Japanese Army, for example, were producing airplanes which were extremely maneuverable, mainly because they were lightly constructed, had minimal armament, and had no armor protection. An example of this design philosophy was the Nakajima Ki-27, code named “Nate” by the Allies, which had a 780 HP Nakajima He-1b radial engine, and two light .30 cal machine guns mounted in the fuselage. The prototype first flew in 1936, and production models were operational by 1938.

Review Author
Pat Villarreal
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Green Stuff World
MSRP
$3.95

Green Stuff World (GSW) is a company based out of Spain. It specializes in the design and production of tools, paints, and other types of resources for modeling, crafts, and wargames. GSW has provided IPMS-USA one (1) 30 ml bottle of textured acrylic paint for review.

In the Bottle

The textured paint is packaged in a 30 ml bottle and comes in a dark red-brown color to represent Middle Earth tones. Inside the paint has a consistency of thick paste with fine granules mixed in to give it texture. It is water-based and can be thinned if needed.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$14.00

This set of decals was released by Iliad Designs in 2021 and includes the following markings for some unusual DHC-6 Twin Otters.

Markings for the De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter and the DHC-6-300 Twin Otter in these liveries

  • Ecuadorian Air Force
  • Transport Canada
  • Alaska Army National Guard
  • Guatemalan Air Force
  • International Committee of the Red Cross
  • French Air Force

The decals are in excellent register and show very accurate color for these unusual aircraft. Iliad Designs has always been a leader in the aftermarket decal sphere and this great set won’t disappoint.

Thanks go to Iliad Designs for providing this set and to IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Iliad Design
Scale
1:72
MSRP
$14.00

Iliad Designs has released a new sheet for the DHC-6 Twin Otter, which is their second. The subject aircraft has seen extensive service with various nations.

There are six sets of markings. The first is a short-nosed aircraft with United Nations insignia. The second is a USAF Academy plane with period WWII markings. The third livery is of the Ethiopian Army. Next is the Panamanian Navy. The fifth is a Chilean SAR unit and the decals are of the black separation bands. Lastly, there’s a Peruvian DHC-6 float plane

The decals are in excellent register and show very accurate color for these unusual aircraft. Iliad Designs has always been a leader in the aftermarket decal sphere and this great set won’t disappoint.

An instruction sheet is included. showing upper and lower paint details, and other sheets with photos and diagrams to precisely model your subject.

Book Author(s)
Simon Forty
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$28.95

Having just reviewed the previous book in the Casemate Illustrated Series (No. 37 – The German Infantryman on the Eastern Front), I expected this book to follow the same format. While the outline of the book and its chapters are the same, the content differs vastly, and in a good way, especially for modelers. This book has a lot more focus on the Soviet Infantryman through re-enactor photographs focusing on uniforms and weapons, and more personal Soviet infantrymen accounts.

From the book’s conclusion,

The Western view of the Soviet infantryman and Red Army is colored by the Cold War. As the Soviet Union moved from valued ally to likely adversary, the Eastern Front battles were dissected by the German generals who had fought them. They pushed their own agendas and tended to undervalue their opponents, blaming the German defeat on hordes, poor strategy from the top, and almost anything other than the prowess of the Red Army.

Book Author(s)
Simon Forty and Richard Charlton Taylor
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$28.94

From the book’s conclusion,

In 1939-1942 German infantrymen were the best trained and most efficient soldiers in the Western world. Their victories in Europe optimized the use of new technology and old skillsets to overpower their enemies in a series of lightning thrusts. Spearheaded by airborne special forces and amor, fully supported by a rampant air arm, quite simply they blew away the opposition and made fools of the Allies who had defeated an older generation of Germans so comprehensively in 1918.

Book Author(s)
David Grummitt
Review Author
Joe Terry
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$29.95

In the thirteenth volume of Pen & Sword Books Land Craft series, Dr. David Grummitt provides an informative and detailed look US Self-Propelled Artillery from the post Korean War era to present. Having previously authored six other books for Pen & Sword, covering armored fighting vehicles and tanks, Dr. Grummitt now turns his attention to self-propelled artillery in his latest book: Kings of Battle, US Self-Propelled Artillery, 1963-2023. A professional Historian by trade, Dr. Grummitt is also an avid modeler and serves as the editor of Military Modelcraft International, which unique background combines to present a work that is both historically interesting and relevant to the scale modeler.

In this book the history of US Self-Propelled Artillery since 1963 is covered over sixty-four pages divided into twelve chapters outlined as follows

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Brengun
Scale
1:144
MSRP
$10.92

The Item

If you want to bring your Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper aircraft kit to the next level, this excellent detail set is just the thing for you. This extensive PE sheet set has most of the appliqués that can be added to the kit to provide a fully detailed rendering of the Piper L4 Cub aircraft. In addition, acetate window sections and resin cockpit and wheel sets are also included

PE parts generally require certain tools to bend/and manipulate the parts for a good fit. You’ll find those at online and local hobby shops. Adhesion can be done in a variety of ways including thin cements, paint, or even floor polish, depending on the part’s requirements. This set comes with instructions and the parts are correspondingly numbered on the fret tree. Resin parts require cleanup and C/A or epoxy adhesives.

All-in-all this set will definitely enhance the appearance of your Mark I Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper kit.

Review Author
Doug Cole
Published on
January 20, 2024
Company
Brengun
Scale
1:144
MSRP
$5.73

The Item

If you want to bring your Mark I Hawker Tempest Mk.V aircraft kit to the next level, this excellent canopy set is just the thing for you. This crystal clear vacu-formed canopy provides an excellent viewing piece for the cockpit area

Adhesion can be done in a variety of ways including thin cements, paint, or even floor polish, depending on the part’s requirements.

All-in-all this set will definitely enhance the appearance of your Mark I Piper L4 Cub Grasshopper kit.

The Subject

The Hawker Tempest Mk.V was a British fighter aircraft that was primarily used by the Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Second World War.

It was developed from the Hawker Typhoon, and intended to address the Typhoon’s unexpected deterioration in performance at high altitude by replacing its wing with a thinner laminar flow design.