Casemate Publishing is distributing the 51 installment of the “Europe At War” series. This book is devoted to the P-40 aircraft in the Soviet Far North (Murmansk to Kirkenes area) while in service with the Soviet Navy Aviation.

Finding details of western aircraft while in service with the Soviets is hard to come by. This book - together with the rest of the series devoted to the Kittyhawks in Soviet service- fills in a gap in historical documentation.

The author utilizes both Soviet sources and German sources and combine them to provide a comprehensive and well-balanced narrative of the events during 1944 in northern Scandinavia. By that year, the Kittyhawks in Soviet Service were being used in a fighter-bomber role rather than air-to-air, as covered in Volume 1.

The kit is a typical top opening box with 11 gray sprues, 1 clear parts sprue, 1 photo-etched (PE) sheet, and 1 die-cut masking sheet for the clear parts. Academy takes advantage of slide-molding to add more detail in raised rivet and recessed panel lines and the results are impressive. Also of note, sprue B & D comes from the AH-1Z Viper kit (Kit No: 12127) since in real life both helicopters use the same parts. For a list of unused parts, see page 14 in the bottom right of the instructions.

The box art is beautiful. For modelers who are wavering on owning this kit, it will help push them over the edge to build this Venom or add it to the collection.

The ATR was a joint venture by French (Aerospatiale) and Italian (Aeritalia) to design a short-to-medium haul feeder airliner. The “42” designated that it had 42 seats. It has been a successful and reliable airliner in many countries around the world.

X-Scale Models, from Ukraine, has now released its latest model kit in 1/144 scale with an American Eagle ATR-42-300 that served out of Chicago’s O’Hare airport. X-Scale also included a date of 1996. The subject aircraft in this box, currently flies for Fed Ex.

The following is taken directly from the publication:

The REFERENCES series books are a compilation of photographs, illustrations and drawings already published in other KAGERO PUBLISHING series as well as content that have not been released there yet due to lack of space. The REFERENCES will also feature previously unedited material.

An 8.5 x 11.5 soft-bound book.

A small set of decals for Bf 110 C-1, L1 + IH in 1/72 and 1/48 scale.

The book has a glossy heavy card-stock cover enclosing 26 pages of heavyweight paper. All photos are black and white. Text/captions are in the original Polish with English translations underneath.

The first 12 pages contain 13 photos of Bf 110 C variants C-1, C-2, C-4, and C-7.

A series of books from Kagero that is new to me is the TOP COLOR Series. This issue focuses on the Bf-109 in Combat.

The book comes in a protective sleeve to keep the package safe. This is important because this 8 x 11 book contains 11 full color profiles of various versions of the Messerschmitt. Many of the profiles have four view profiles, but even those that aren’t are quite colorful. There are nine Emils, one Dora and one Friedrich. So, this book focuses on the early versions of the 109. It’s interesting to see the evolution of the markings and camouflage from the Spanish Civil War to the Battle of Britain. My two favorite ones are the desert camouflaged one with different color wings and a Jabo.

Each aircraft is captioned in English and Polish. There is a lot of cool information in there.

The following is taken directly from the publication.

The REFERENCES series books are a compilation of photographs, illustrations and drawings already published in other KAGERO PUBLISHING series as well as content that have not been released there yet due to lack of space. The REFERENCES will also feature previously unedited material.

An 8.5 x 11.5 soft-bound book.

A small set of decals for Ju-87D-1 T6+BC in 1/72 and 1/48 scale.

The book has a heavy glossy card-stock cover enclosing 30 pages of heavyweight paper. All photos are black and white. Text/captions are in the original Polish with English translations underneath.

This is one of the rare Pacific Profiles books not written by Michael John Claringbould, although it is illustrated by him. Author Kevin Gogler is a son of a WWII Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Beaufort pilot, and this book is obviously a testament to his father and his fellow RAAF personnel who flew, and were associated, with the Beauforts and Beaufighters in the Pacific War.

From the Introduction:

“Amidst the enormous numbers of American aircraft that fought in the Pacific War, it is often forgotten that two British-designed types served operationally with the RAAF in large numbers. A combined total of some 1,280 Beauforts and Beaufighters were delivered to the RAAF and served with fifteen wartime squadrons plus a variety of training and support units.

On August 3, 1914, Germany declared war on France, intending to use an early form of blitzkreig to force a surrender within roughly 40 days. Moving their forces through then-neutral Belgium, the Schlieffen Plan was to sweep down from the north and quickly take Paris, enveloping the French forces as well.

Things, as they say, did not go as planned. Germany’s violation of Belgian neutrality quickly brought Britain into the war. The combined French and British forces, after retreating some 160 miles, regrouped in the Marne River Valley, some 25 miles from the outskirts of Paris. By then, the Germans were stretched thin, exhausted after the month-long campaign with severe shortages caused by outrunning their own supply lines.

The latest journal of Cross & Cockade International — Winter 2019, features photographs of Sopwith Pups on the front cover, rear cover, and rear inside cover. These pictures all support the John Grech article on 2nd Lt. Patrick Alva O’Brien. The front cover photograph is of POW Lt. S.S. Hume behind a downed Sopwith Pup, A7340, of 66 Squadron that was lost in action on May 27, 1917.

Cross & Cockade International is a non-profit UK-based group known as the First World War Aviation Historical Society that publishes their journal four times a year. They also provide a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI-themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front.

John Walter is among the world's most prolific writers on small arms, and the author of 70 books, translated into more than a dozen languages, and authoritative articles in Guns Digest, Shooter's Bible, and The Armourer. This is John’s first book for Osprey. His next Osprey book in the Weapon series is scheduled for 2020. He lives in East Sussex, UK.

From the publisher’s website:

REFERENCES – a new series of A-4 size volumes. Each consists of 16–24 pages and includes selected archive photos, color painting schemes or 3D renders. Some books would contain scale drawings, too. One can find high-quality decal sheets in 1/48th and 1/72nd scales of one specific painting scheme. If the illustration differs in details from the decal, we will present photos which were used to develop sheets. Series for modelers as a supplement to other publications or compilation of already published materials.

Helion produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through to the present day. Helion was established in 1996, and since then they have published almost 1,200 books, with 100 or more new titles coming out every year. The 'Africa@War' series covers African military history since 1945.

Krzysztof Dabrowski from Poland has a lifelong interest in the subject of military aviation, and has written dozens of articles on a variety of related subjects for printed magazines and the ACIG.org/ACIG.info, AeroHisto and The Boresight websites. His particular area of interest is the air warfare during the Cold War, the aircraft involved, and the experiences of their crews. This is his first instalment for Helion and he is working on a second title (Dropping the Big Ones: Live Testing of Soviet Nuclear Bombs, 1949-1962) for release in 2021.

The Ford Model T, nicknamed the Tin Lizzie, was produced from 1908 to 1927. Over 15,000,000 vehicles were produced in many configurations, including a sedan, roadster, light delivery vehicle, pick-ups, fire trucks, etc. The Tin Lizzie's were known for their affordability, reliability, and durability.

Ukrainian-based ICM has produced several variations of the model T, including a 1913 speedster, a 1913 roadster, a 1917 ambulance, a 1914 firetruck, a 1912 light delivery car, a 1911 touring car, a 1912 commercial roadster, a 1917 LCP WW1 Australian army car and a 1917 utility Australian armor army car, a 1917 model T, a 1917 LCP with Vickers MG, and a RNAS armored car. Many of these kits were subsequently issued with passengers or crew.

First off, my apologies to Jon Vojtech, the generous genius behind the UMM product line. Jon graciously provided the Reviewers Corps with a nice selection of new products at the National Convention in Hampton VA, this year, and I am very late in submitting my review.

If you need to make extremely fine cuts in a part – plastic, soft metal, 3D resin, or cast resin material – this tool will do the trick. The blade itself is razor thin (sorry…), coming in at 0.1mm or about 0.004”. Using a blade this thin means applying gentle pressure, letting the very fine teeth do the work – push too hard and you’re likely to bend or snap the blade.

The handle is 3D printed filament, and incorporates a recess for the included Allen wrench that’s used to change blades. And speaking of that, the handle will accommodate a number of blades including the UBT12 Medium Rough Razor Saw.

Nice things often come in simple packages. The Squadron Tool Decal Positioner is an example of this, measuring in at 10 cm (slightly less than 4 inches). A small contoured rod with a rubbery tip used to position decals is the simple solution to this old modeler’s “fat finger” problem.

I came back into the hobby after a long hiatus. I was used to thick decals that I could slide around with my fingers. I quickly learned that the current aftermarket decals were much thinner, and folded in on themselves or tore very easily. To solve this dilemma, I then started using a pencil, toothpicks, and other items to try and slide the decals into position. Sometimes it worked, other times it did not.

For that reason, I jumped at the chance to review the Squadron Tool Decal Positioner.

First off, my apologies to Jon Vojtech, the generous genius behind the UMM product line. Jon graciously provided the Reviewers Corps with a nice selection of new products at the National Convention in Hampton VA, this year, and I am very late in submitting my review.

If you need to make extremely fine cuts in a part – plastic, soft metal, 3D resin, or cast resin material – this tool will do the trick. The blade itself is razor thin (sorry…), coming in at 0.1mm or about 0.004”. Using a blade this thin means applying gentle pressure, letting the very fine teeth do the work – push too hard and you’re likely to bend or snap the blade.

The handle is resin, and incorporates a recess for the included Allen wrench that’s used to change blades. And speaking of that, the handle will accommodate a number of blades including the UBT12 Medium Rough Razor Saw.

Nice things often come in simple packages. The Squadron Tool Decal Positioner is an example of this, measuring in at 10 cm (slightly less than 4 inches). A small contoured rod with a rubbery tip used to position decals is the simple solution to this old modeler’s “fat finger” problem.

I came back into the hobby after a long hiatus. I was used to thick decals that I could slide around with my fingers. I quickly learned that the current aftermarket decals were much thinner, and folded in on themselves or tore very easily. To solve this dilemma, I then started using a pencil, toothpicks, and other items to try and slide the decals into position. Sometimes it worked, other times it did not.

For that reason, I jumped at the chance to review the Squadron Tool Decal Positioner.

The Revell Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2 Cabriolet is a beautiful model kit issued in 2024 by Revell Germany.

Contained in the box is a bag containing a small sample of Revell model glue and the following Revell colors: 02, 04, 99, 302, 331 and 378. Also sealed in bags are one clear sprue, white sprues B, MD, Q, F, and P, along with silver sprues A and J. The parts are mostly free from flash. There is one set of very nicely molded rubber tiresand a full-mold upper body (N).

Following the lead of the German Navy in WWI, several countries, including Britain, France, the United States, Italy and the Soviet Union all pursued development of aircraft capable of submarine transport, as well as the submarines capable of carrying them. But no country more so than Japan carried the development of these aircraft and naval vessels to the logical conclusion. During the 1920s, Japan purchased aircraft technology from Germany and submarines from France and Great Britain, and using them as a starting point, developed the most successful submarine launched aircraft and aircraft carrying submarines of any navy before and during WWII.