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Friday, 20 November -
1820 – An 80-ton sperm whale attacks the
Essex (a whaling ship from Nantucket,
Massachusetts) 2,000 miles from the western coast of South America (Herman
Melville's 1851 novel Moby-Dick is in
part inspired by this story).
KIT REVIEW:
I needed an easy build that would turn out well and found it with the
Hobby Boss 1/700 Akula Class Submarine.
MM COLUMN: It has
been a while since I did an update on this so here is the next
installment of In the
Groove.
KIT PREVIEW:
This is another rather old kit and again, something that fits in with
the group build, the
Matchbox 1/72
Leopard 2A4.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW:
An expected set for the new 1/72 Airfix kit is
Pavla C
72087: Canberra PR.9 Pilot and
Navigator Cockpits
BOOK
REVIEW:
The best reference I have yet seen on the subject is
Nuts and Bolts #24: Pz.Kpfw II ausf D/E and
variants.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
From 2006, which I guess really isn't that long ago, is
Joel Hamm's
Twelve Squared 1/72 Bell XP-77.
MM FEATURE:
Once again, Stefan Buysse brings us photos, this time
page 1 from IPMS
Ghent
INDUSTRY NEWS: Dragon
USA has their weekly update of new items. For those who may have trouble
with this page, the same information is at
www.dragonmodelsusa.com.
MM CONTEST:
Still plenty of time to get in your entries to the
Propliners
contest. More nice ones today.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Thursday, 19 November -
1863 – American Civil War: U.S. President Abraham Lincoln delivers the
Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the
military cemetery ceremony at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.
KIT REVIEW:
It is always nice to see when a builder has a go at a kit that is both
fun and interesting. So it is with Lee Fogel and his
build of the Maquette/ICM
1/48 Yak-7V.
KIT PREVIEW:
What if you are a company that does a nice line of 1/32 WWI fighters and
wants to capitalize on that? Well you simply make available kits of the
engines of these planes and so we have the
Roden 1/32 Wolseley
Viper.
BOOK
REVIEW:
Another superb title from their 'Elite' series is
Osprey's World War II
US Armored Infantry Tactics.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
A true 'whiffer' that never got past the mockup stage is represented by the
Anigrand 1/72 Republic XP-69.
KIT PREVIEW:
This is, I believe, the first kit produced by this German company, the
Huma 1/72 Messerschmitt
M-35
.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Freightdog Models
announces new decals and kits.
MM CONTEST:
Still plenty of time to get in your entries to the
Propliners
contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near. Thanks to Peter Kwong,
we are that much closer.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Wednesday, 18 November -
1883 – American and Canadian railroads institute five standard continental
time
zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times
KIT REVIEW:
Tom Cleaver gives a go at a famous aircraft from the
Vietnam War, the
HobbyBoss 1/48 MiG-17F.
KIT PREVIEW:
A nice addition to their 'quarter scale' line of military kits is the
Tamiya
1/35 Citroën 11 CV.
BOOK
REVIEW:
A great read about a famous squadron and its most famous mission is
Osprey's 617
'Dambuster' Squadron,
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
An ancient kit that is really only for those willing to do some work is the
Aoshima 1/72 P-63A Kingcobra.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Great
Models
has their weekly update of new and restocked items. Must have
been a busy time as this was just updated yesterday afternoon vice their usual
Saturday. Kits At War announces
two new decal sheets.
MM CONTEST:
Still plenty of time to get in your entries to the
Propliners
contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Tuesday, 17 November -
1953 – The remaining human inhabitants of the
Blasket Islands, Kerry, Ireland are evacuated to
the mainland.
KIT REVIEW:
Joe Lyons has today's feature article as he tackles the
Hobby Boss 1/48 FM-2 Wildcat.
MM COLUMN: Brian
Baker does his first column for Modeling Madness. Here is the initial
offering of NitPickin'.
KIT PREVIEW:
Adding to their growing catalog of aerobatic types is the
Amodel 1/72
Yak-55.
BOOK
REVIEW:
Another fine addition to their large catalogue of books is
Squadron/Signal's US Army
Aviation in Vietnam.
MM FEATURE:
Here are the
last images from Rob Coenen's
input from the recent IPMS Netherlands show.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Today's offering is
from just a few years back, the
Anigrand 1/72
XP-58 Chain Lightning.
MM CONTEST:
Still plenty of time to get in your entries to the
Propliners
contest. More nice ones today.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near. Thanks to Richard Schrum
for his assistance.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Friday, 13 November -
Did you know that the Soviet
Yakovlev Yak-140 fighter was denied permission to
begin flight tests by the Ministry of Aviation Industry, which favored competing
designs from Sukhoi and Mikoyan-Gurevich?
KIT REVIEW:
As part of the MM group build on the Forum, your editor chose
the Matchbox 1/72
Wessex HU.5. It turned out quite well, I think.*
KIT PREVIEW:
Really, one can NEVER have enough Phantom kits so here is the latest limited
reissue, the
Hasegawa
1/48 F-4N Phantom II "Ark Royal".
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW: The
perfect addition to your next 1/48 Warthog is the
True Details 1/48 A-10 Wheel Set.
MM FEATURE: Thanks to Rob Coenen,
we have photos from a recent show. Here is
Page 2.
KIT PREVIEW II:
Now here is something both old and topical, the
Matchbox
1/32 Aston Martin Ulster.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
From way back when this kit first came out, here is the
Accurate
Miniatures 1/48 P-51 Mustang.
INDUSTRY NEWS: Dragon
USA has their weekly update of new items. For those who may have trouble
with this page, the same information is at
www.dragonmodelsusa.com.
MM CONTEST:
Still plenty of time to get in your entries to the
Propliners
contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
Please welcome
Black Robin Resinz
to the list of MM Advertisers and check out their products. For those in
the Chicago area, IPMS Butch O'Hare is having their
annual contest tomorrow. Directions at IPMS/USA web site.
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Thursday, 12 November -
Did you know, that according to the 2008 public tax records,
Johan H. Andresen Jr. is Norway's richest man? (You
need to click on the link to see what he said to Bill Gates. It is a hoot. Ed)
KIT REVIEW:
Thanks to a problem sending images, Tom Cleaver's input
was delayed. Here is his build of the
AFV Club 1/350 Type VIIb U-boat.
KIT PREVIEW:
A neat kit for the Soviet armor diorama fan is
Miniart 1/35 Soviet
152mm Ammunition.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW: Nothing
sets off a model like a great looking base. One that fits into that category is
the
Custom Dioramics 1/32 Marsden Mat Base.
MM FEATURE: Thanks to Rob Coenen,
we have photos from a recent show. Here is
Page 1. For those wondering about the size of the images,
they are as they were sent in.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
Another nice build and a kit that I know you will enjoy as well was the
Hasegawa 1/72 P-47D
Razorback.
INDUSTRY NEWS: Casemate
Publishing offers a free 2010 catalogue.
MM CONTEST:
More nicely done entries into the
Propliners
contest.
The results for the What If
contest have been posted.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Wednesday, 11 November -
1940 – World War II:
Battle of Taranto – The Royal Navy launches the
first aircraft carrier strike in history, on the Italian fleet at Taranto.
KIT REVIEW:
Scott Lyle is back and this time does
an aircraft of a famous ace with his
Hasegawa 1/48 Spitfire IX.
KIT PREVIEW: Here
is yet another superb armor kit and part of their Smart Kit lineup, the
Dragon
1/35Jagdpanzer IV L/70(v) .
BOOK REVIEW: Want to know
the meaning of those cryptic terms you see in movies or hear from
friends? It is all here in
FUBAR: Soldier Slang in WWII.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW: For
those of you who have the big Lindberg sub and need some figures, here is the
Warriors 1/72
IJN Submarine Crew Set 1.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Though not the
easiest kit in the world, the results were worth the
effort; the
AMtech 1/48 P-40F/L Warhawk.
INDUSTRY NEWS: CMR
announces their first three Swiss Venom kits now available.
MM CONTEST:
More nicely done entries into the
Propliners
contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
I know today is Armistice/Veterans Day so save the
e-mails.
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Monday, 9 November - 1979
– Nuclear false alarm: the NORAD computers and the Alternate National Military
Command Center in Fort Ritchie, Maryland detected purported massive Soviet
nuclear strike. After reviewing the raw data from satellites and checking the
early warning radars, the alert is cancelled.
KIT REVIEW: Once
again, Carmel J. Attard starts our week and this time
with a favorite of mine, the
Formaplane 1/72
Hastings C.2.
KIT PREVIEW: Submarine
kit fans will appreciate the new ICM 1/72
Uboat Type XXVIIB Seehund (early).
BOOK REVIEW: For those
building the big Revell or smaller Hobbycraft kits, an excellent
reference is
Squadron/Signal's F-89 Scorpion -
Walk Around
.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW: For
the armor builder, here is the very nice
Lion Roar
LB3526: 122mm D-25T
barrel.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
From 1996 and the last time I built one of these in 1/48, here is
the
Hasegawa 1/48 P-38F/G/H
Lightning.
MM CONTEST:
More nicely done entries into the
Propliners
contest.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Great
Models
has their weekly update of new and restocked items.
Nostalgic Plastic has an update
and is carrying AZ Models.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Friday, 6 November - 1865
– Months after the Battle of Appomattox Courthouse effectively ended the
American Civil War, the
CSS Shenandoah
became the last Confederate combat unit to surrender after circumnavigating the
globe on a cruise on which it sank or captured 38 vessels.
KIT REVIEW: Richard
F finds the
Hobby Boss 1/72 SH-60F Ocean Hawk to be a very nice kit.
MM COLUMN: Thanks to some
miscommunication and computer ails, I'm late with George
Paterson's next
Slipping the Bonds
KIT PREVIEW: Here
is something that will unleash nostalgia in many of us, the
Hasegawa 1/24 1963 VW Type 2 Microbus (with surfboards).
BOOK REVIEW:
Probably the most comprehensive look at the subject yet written is
Courage Alone: the
Italian Air Force 1940-43.
KIT PREVIEW II: A
very nice new figure is the
Warriors 1/32 F-80C
Pilot (Korean War).
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
Here is another old time build and another from our favorite Canadian kit maker,
the
Hobbycraft 1/48
P-36 Hawk
.
MM CONTEST:
More nicely done entries into the
Propliners
contest.
INDUSTRY NEWS: Scale
Model Kits.com has a number of new and interesting arrivals. Check them
out. Dragon
USA has their weekly update of new items. For those who may have trouble
with this page, the same information is at
www.dragonmodelsusa.com. Our
friends at MasterDetails
have another nice figure for us. Just in time for winter.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near. My thanks to Greg Bale
for being so kind as to help out.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages. Updated this
weekend.
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Wednesday, 4 November - 1962
– In a test of the
Nike-Hercules air defense missile, Shot
Dominic-Tightrope is successfully detonated 69,000 feet above Johnston Island.
It would also be the last atmospheric nuclear test conducted by the United
States.
KIT REVIEW:
Welcome Patrick Grué as he shares
with us his build of the
Eduard 1/48 Yak-3.
KIT PREVIEW: More
very nicely done figures are Dragon
1/35 Gebirgsjaeger Defenders: Gustav Line 1944.
BOOK REVIEW: Another fine title in
Osprey's Elite series is this one on
American Civil War Railroad Tactics. It is far more interesting
than you might think.
MM FEATURE:
More neat images from Belgium with
page 14.
KIT PREVIEW II: If
you like old cars and big models then you'll like the
Minicraft 1/16 1931 Ford Model A
Delivery Van.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
Many years back,
Matt Swan
built the
Testors 1/48 Ohka
.
INDUSTRY NEWS: Casemate
Publishing is starting to carry MMP and Warlord.
MM CONTEST:
You may start sending in entries for the
Propliners
contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages. Updated
this weekend.
Sorry for any delays in replying to e-mails and the short
update. AT&T has been having major problems delivering Internet service to
me so hopefully it will all be cleared up soon.
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Monday, 2 November - 1957
– The
Levelland UFO Case in Levelland,
Texas, generates national publicity, and remains one of the most impressive UFO
cases in American history.
KIT REVIEW:
Carmel J. Attard has another neat build,
this time the very challenging and impressive
Red Wings 1/72 Tu-16 Badger.
KIT PREVIEW: Gotta
love all these neat 1/144 scale kits. Here is another, the Dragon
1/144 MH-60S Knighthawk.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW:
More metal goodies with the
Scale Aircraft
Conversions 48054: F-8E/J Landing Gear.
MM FEATURE:
More neat images from Belgium with
page 12.
BLAST FROM THE PAST:
What was probably his only article for us, here is Mike Moore's
2003 build of the
Eduard 1/48
Nieuport 17.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Great
Models
has their weekly update of new and restocked items.
Nostalgic Plastic/Anigrand USA
has an update of new kits for you.
MM CONTEST:
Today you may start sending in entries for the
Propliners
contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages. Updated
this weekend.
Sorry for any delays in replying to e-mails and the
short update. AT&T has been having major problems delivering DSL
Internet service to me so hopefully it will all be cleared up
soon.
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Wednesday, 28 October - 1971
– Britain launches its first (and as of 2007, only) satellite,
Prospero, into low Earth orbit atop a
Black Arrow carrier rocket.
KIT REVIEW:
Gordon Zammitt comes back to share with
us his build of the
Hobbyboss 1/72Mil Mi-24V Hind E.
KIT PREVIEW: Many
modelers, me included, like 1/144 scale. To add to a growing selection, here is
the Platz
1/144 A-4E/F Skyhawk.
DECAL REVIEW:
Those who enjoy building big helos will like
Natural Born Modelers JD36: JASDF MH-53E.
Markings for two aircraft.
BOOK
REVIEW:
A new book series full of super period photos is
Combat Camera 1: Cromwell and Centaur.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW:
Another super set of metal gear is Scale Aircraft
Conversions 48051: F-117A (late) Landing Gear.
KIT PREVIEW II: One
of the many variants of this kit produced by this company is the Hobby Boss 1/48 F3F-3 Wildcat (late).
MM FEATURE:
More neat images from Belgium with
page 9.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: There
is rarely a kit that is unbuildable, but some of them are more of a challenge
than others. In that category, here is, from 2000, the
Hi-Tech 1/48 Dassault Mystere IVA.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Casemate Publishing
announces another new book.
MM CONTEST:
Voting is still open for the What If contest. Last day to vote is Friday.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Wednesday, 21 October -
Did you know that in 1999, an Air Botswana pilot committed suicide
by crashing an ATR 42 into, and destroying, the
airline's fleet at Gaborone's airport?
KIT REVIEW:
Tom Cleaver continues on his ship binge
with the third in a row, this time the
Dragon 1/350 USS Laffey.
KIT PREVIEW: A
sort of reboxing is the
Special Hobby 1/72
Ju-87A "Legion Condor".
DECAL REVIEW:
Andy Abshier has a look at the last of new
markings for the big Trumpeter kit,
Xtradecal
X32012 EE Lightning
F.3.
BOOK
REVIEW:
Armies
of the East India Company 1750-1850 is the latest title in Osprey's
Men-at-Arms series.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW:
More metal gear for you, this time it is Scale Aircraft
Conversions 48048: B-17 Landing Gear.
MM FEATURE:
Thanks to Stefan Buysee, we have images from IPMS Belgium's
show. Here is page 4.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: Here
is another one photo oldie from 1998, and one that fits in with the current
Matchbox Group Build, the
Matchbox/Aeroclub 1/72 Meteor FR.9.
MM CONTEST:
Voting is still open for the What If contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near. Last donation 14 October. In the
last month $60 has been donated.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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Monday, 19 October - 1781
– At Yorktown, Virginia, representatives of British commander Lord Cornwallis
handed over Cornwallis' sword and formally surrendered in person to George
Washington and the comte de Rochambeau, ending the
American Revolutionary War.
KIT REVIEW:
Lee Fogel starts off our week with the
venerable
Monogram 1/48 SBD Dauntless.
KIT PREVIEW: A
kit that can be difficult to build, but looks really great when it is done is
the
Hasegawa 1/48 F-14D "Black Tomcat".
DECAL REVIEW:
Andy Abshier has a look at another nice big
scale sheet,
Xtradecal X32010 EE Lightning
F.3.
BOOK REVIEW:
Another fine book on fortresses covers the Finnish
defenses of the Winter War in
Osprey's The
Mannerheim Line 1920-39.
DETAIL SET/ACCESSORY REVIEW:
Here is something you might consider for holding up
your Tamiya kit, the
Scale Aircraft
Conversions 48043: Lancaster Landing Gear.
KIT REVIEW II: Here
is something that will take some of us back to the fifties, the
Revell
1/118 PBM-5 Mariner.
MM FEATURE:
Thanks to Stefan Buysee, we have images from IPMS Belgium's
show. Here is page 2.
BLAST FROM THE PAST: A
real oldie from 1997 is this article on the
Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi C.202.
INDUSTRY NEWS:
Great
Models
has their weekly update of new and restocked items.
MM CONTEST:
Voting is now open for the What If contest.
MM Fund Drive. Please help to keep
MM going through 2009. The goal is so near.
When you get the chance, check out the
MM Sales Pages.
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