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Reviews (3)
28 Feb, 2022
Excellent work
Mr. Zaloga does a great job laying out the history of the development of the M4 Sherman and then tracks its history and that of a number of related weapons and armor through WWII and beyond. He discusses its positives and its negatives with equal candor and shows its end effect on the Allied war effort as well as addressing the Sherman's current somewhat negative reputation with respect conditions and needs of the period. It's well written and is a great reference. The book also has numerous photos of different variants, with many being quite good, but, being in black and white, the one negative is that some aren't very clear and some are almost grainy. Still, this book should find a well-deserved spot on the shelf of most WW2 buffs and armor enthusiasts of all periods.
23 May, 2014
Good model, but too many opportunities lost for ready display
I collect classic Colonial Viper models and am comparing the Mattel Hot Wheels 35th Anniversary Edition Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper to several others in my collection. The Viper is part of the 2013 RETRO Assortment, so Ebay compiles them together; if you're looking for a review of one of the cars, sorry, this review isn't for you.
Pros:
In general, this Viper's physical shape is very good, much better, in fact, than the slightly smaller Titanium version of a few years ago. It's very close in size to the Konami version from some years ago, and most of the major body lines are present in fairly good form...
So-sos:
...but that's where the good comparison stops. The paint is too white (maybe it's brand new out of the Galactica's replacement stores?), with no weathering. The paint is also too thick, which obscures some of the details, and too simple, leaving off the forward intake bands and leaving the laser cannons white. The cockpit uses dark green paint to represent the canopy and hide the fact that the little Colonial Warrior pilot probably wasn't included (as he or she was in the Konami model). None of this is too surprising on a model of this size. Finally, my Viper has a small paint mark on the right side engine, and what appears to be a little scrape on the right side of the nose, probably from packaging, which is a bit disappointing. Still, I didn't dock any stars for these items since they should be readily visible through the package and you shouldn't expect anything more as a result, assuming, of course, that you see the package prior to purchase.
Cons:
The Hot Wheels 35th Anniversary Colonial Viper has two major issues that led me to deduct stars. First, the engine cooling intakes and the nosecone sensor array were barely recessed, significantly detracting from the Viper's appearance in comparison to the Konami model. The Titanium model was similar, but overcame the issue by use of black paint to represent the recess. Second, other display Vipers in recent years "for the adult collector" (as this one claims to be) have had had a small stand to simulate the Viper in flight. Unfortunately, this model has no stand, but rather, uses three, very stubby plastic landing gears fixed in the down position. When placed on the shelf for display, this allows the lower wings to clear the shelf by about 2 millimeters, making the model look very much out of place next to models by other makers. Both of these issues lead me to deduct a star.
In summary, the Mattel Hot Wheels 35th Anniversary Edition Battlestar Galactica Colonial Viper is a decent model and will look pretty good as a stand-alone item. However, its painting and intake issues combined with the lack of a stand make it almost unsuitable for display next to models of other makers. If you don't mind doing some minor touch-up painting, adding some weathering, and building your own stand, it can be a great addition to your Colonial Fleet.
28 Feb, 2022
Good for new or novice modelers
Using a combination of several photos of knight/warrior models under construction or being painted with a relatively short descriptive caption for each on each page, Mr. Davidson did a nice job laying out the basic steps and offering useful information without getting overly descriptive or wordy. The book is relatively thin but it has nice, full-color photos and gives a few finished shots at the end of the four primary projects covered at the end.
This book was published in 1999 so it's a bit dated but still has some great information for modelers new to the hobby but not so much for more experienced modelers. In addition, much of the information is now available in online videos, though probably not in as handy a reference form. Newer modelers might find an inexpensive copy to be well worth the cost.