Review: Revell 1/72 A4/V2 Rocket

Next up: one of Hitlers Vergeltungswaffen, the V-2 Rocket. Also known as Aggregat 4 (which was its official designation) it was the second of his Retribution weapons, the first being the the Fieseler Fi 103, also known as the V-1 or 'Doodlebug'. Designed by Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team at the Peenemünde research …

Review: Revell 1/144 Northrop F-5E Tiger II

The F-5E Tiger II is effectively the FN FAL of the Western Air Forces. Developed as a cheaper to buy and operate alternative to the F-4 Phantom it saw service in a whole range of nations. A number of variants were developed, the A, B, E and F variants for example, but also Trainer, Reconnaissance …

News: Amusing Hobby Focke-Wulf Triebflügel

Ever since Il-2 1946 I've been a fan of the Focke-Wulf Triebflügel (literally Thrust Wing in English). This outlandish looking aircraft looked like it was the illegitimate son of a Me-262 jet and a Flettner Fi 282 helicopter. I've literally searched for a kit of this aircraft for years, and while one or two companies …

Review: Airfix Four Stroke Engine

Time for something entirely different. I've had my eyes on some of these engine kits out there, but they are either not available or too expensive for my budget. But then this kit popped up in my local hobby store at a 60% discount. I honestly went into the shop with the idea of buying …

Review: Tamiya 1/72 Aichi M6A1 Seiran

The Japanese Aichi M6A1 Seiran was a floatplane used by the Imperial Japanese Navy serving on the large I-400 class submarines. Yes, Submarines. Now if you're imagining a submarine crew sharing bunk beds with aircraft parts you would be wrong. The I-400 class submarines were designed and built with a dedicated hangar in front of the conning tower that held up to three Seirans.

Review: Revell 1/72 PzKpfw II Ausf. L Luchs

Revell recently released this lovely Luchs (Lynx in German), a small PzKpfw II based light reconnaissance tank used by the German Wehrmacht during World War II. Armed with a 20 mm autocannon and 7.92 mm machine gun and fitted with FuG 12 and FuG Spr radios. The Luchs was also known as the Sd.Kfz. 123 …

Review: Modelcollect 1/72 E-75 Ausf. Vierfüßler Rheintochter 1

If you are thinking "I didn't know this Ausführung existed" you are right: It didn't. It's one of those fantasy panzers that take Paper Panzers to the next level. Think Maschinen Krieger but based on a E-75 hull. But if the Germans struggled to make the Panther and (King) Tigers reliable, how on earth would …

News: Revell 1/72 Haunebu pulled from stores

I was quite happy when Revell.de announced their version of the Haunebu from Wave. But when I tried to buy one today I was unpleasantly surprised. My local shop had sold all of their Haunebu's, and every store that had it in stock also seemed to have sold out. So I did a little more …

Review: ARMA: Cold War Assault

ARMA: Cold War Assault has had a rocky past, initially released by publisher Codemasters and developed by Bohemia Interactive under the name of Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis the two companies had a falling out and each went on their separate ways by the time Operation Flashpoint 2 was being developed. Codemasters went ahead and …

Review: TeKaMo 1/72 Luchtwachttoren

  So now for something completely different. And about as Dutch as wooden shoes, windmills and cheese if not a little less well-known even in the Netherlands. Luchtwachttoren is Dutch for Air Watch Tower, and these towers were part of the Korps Luchtwacht Dienst (KLD) or Air Watch Corps in English. The KLD had built …