The five volume set of books covering IJA armor are a must for any fan of Japanese armor, modeler or historian. I am both and find them indispensable for building and modifying model kits as well as increasing my knowledge of the Pacific war and Asian war.
There have been good sources of information on Japanese armor out there for years but most of it is in Japanese. So they are only good for unidentifiable photos;somewhat useful but frustrating. The AJ Press books have english translations of the text as well as wonderful line drawings and a ton of useful photos. To me they are the definitive work on Japanese armor. Perhaps something better may be published in English some day. But until then the books are the final word.
Copies of these books don't come a long all the time and they are not cheap when they do. I only needed volume four. But it was worth it to buy the extra volume three just to complete my set. For some reason I have been unable to find a good quality copy. Now my set is complete and I am a happy camper.
ICM 35110 German Command Armoured Vehicle Sd.Kfz. 247 Ausf.B 1/35
May 26, 2021
A surprisingly quality kit
I ordered the ICM kit of the SdKfz 247 Command vehicle for it's unusual subject. As far as I know no one else ha ever done a kit of this armored vehicle and I decided I needed to build one. I have built ICM kits in the past and was expecting only so so quality and a complicated build.
After receiving the kit and building it in one weekend I was pleasantly surprised. The parts were cleanly molded with almost no flash. Building was logical and the detailed instruction book extremely clear. The kit went together very nicely and looks great completed. It was not cheap but not outrageously expensive either. The only reservation here is that it had to come from eastern Europe and shipping took over three weeks. I don't know if they are common in local hobby shops.
Negatives to the kit were few. The plastic used was quite soft. Molding on some of the parts like seat frames were quite fine. Added to the soft plastic it meant that several thin parts broke on me and needed to be glued carefully back in place. Some of the parts were attached to the sprues in rather unusual ways as well. A part that might normally need only two or three attachments sometimes ended up with five or six. Couple this with the soft plastic meant careful handling was called for with many pieces.
Overall, I am very happy with this new ICM kit. It is not a beginners kit but not overly complex either. It looks great sitting completed on my shelf. Now I just need to add some after market stowage and equipment and add a bit of weathering for it to look perfect. Well worth the time and money.
NEW MERCURY DIME DANSCO ALBUM #7123 - 1916 to 1945 - NO COINS
Aug 06, 2019
Worth the Price
These Dansco coin albums are the best. High quality with clear plastic protectors that cover the slots and let you view your coins front and back. I upgraded all my coin collections to Dansco brand albums.