Author Archives: atcDave

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About atcDave

I'm 5o-something years old and live in Ypsilanti, Michigan. I'm happily married to Jodie. I was an air traffic controller for 33 years and recently retired; grew up in the Chicago area, and am still a fanatic for pizza and the Chicago Bears. My main interest is military history, and my related hobbies include scale model building and strategy games.

Panzer VI Tiger

Germany’s famous, and very heavy Tiger tank entered production Summer of 1942. Time for a quick look at one of the very first to see combat.

Posted in Armor, Germany | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Grumman F3F-2

The US Navy pushed through a last generation of “modern” biplane fighters when most other air arms were switching to monoplanes. Let’s take a look at the ultimate expression of a passing era.

Posted in Fighter, Trainer, USA | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Lockheed P-38F Lightning

Lockheed’s big Lightning first came to prominence late in the North Africa campaign. Let’s look at a primary operator of the type.

Posted in Fighter, USA | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

M4A1 Sherman

The Sherman Tank served almost every place the US Army did in World War II. Let’s take another look at the ubiquitous Sherman.

Posted in Armor, USA | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Opel Blitz Fuel Truck

I’ve built another one. I feel like I have a pretty good assortment of fuel trucks at this point! What can we say about this Luftwaffe service vehicle?

Posted in Germany, Vehicle | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7 trop

Werner Shroer One of the more successful fighter pilots against the Western Allies. Let’s take a look at Werner Shroer who rose from enlisted ranks to high Luftwaffe Command during the War years.

Posted in Fighter, Germany | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Kawasaki Ki-45 Nick

This twin was Japan’s attempt at a twin engine “heavy fighter”. Serving from 1942 to the end of the War, the Ki-45 can be regarded a reasonable entry to the genre.

Posted in Fighter, Japan | Tagged , , | 13 Comments

Isuzu TX40

Once again, I fearlessly embrace utilitarian over anything actually interesting! So let’s take a (hopefully) brief look at something necessary.

Posted in Japan, Vehicle | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Theme Build 1 – Complete

Light Aircraft (Liaison/Support/Training) That was fun, and took a little longer than I expected. I don’t think I’ll revisit this theme, but I still have another Stearman and Bf 108 that will show up some other way at a later … Continue reading

Posted in Theme Build | 8 Comments

Polikarpov U-2

Looking like a relic from the previous War, this trainer found widespread use in the Soviet air force from before to after World War II. Let’s look at a type that seemed lost in time yet provided valuable service.

Posted in Soviet Union, Trainer | Tagged , , | 12 Comments