"Scale Aircraft Modelling", or SAM as it is affectionately known, is well known to aircraft modelers around the world. I had not seen a copy since our local Barnes and Noble closed. The magazine has really done well under Gary Hatcher’s leadership. This issue is packed full of useful information and interesting articles. Aside from the usual sections of new kits, accessories and books coming out, the reader is presented with then articles.

One article that stood out to me is about Jon Tabinour’s AMX in a commemorative WWII Italian scheme. This aircraft has a truly intricate paint scheme and his technique for replicating it, while exhaustively time consuming, has yielded outstanding results! To replicate the intricate and dense squiggle pattern, he used Winsor Newton ‘Promarker’ brush pens to individually lay down each squiggle!

The other articles in this issue cover Italeri’s Tornado IDS - converted to a GR.I, a 1/72Bugatti 100 race plane, 1/72 SM.75 that flew from Italy to Japan in WWII, a duel-build of the 1/72 Hasegawa J7W Shinden and the Anigrand 1/72 resin XP-67 Moonbat, the venerable 1/48 Italeri S-3A/B Viking, 1/32 Wingnut LVG C.VII, 1/72 Arma P-51B, 1/72 SH A-20 and a Planet 1/72 HESA Shahed 136/Geran-2 attack drone.

In addition, there is an excellent article on the Macchi M.C. 202 with 24 color profiles. Part one of the “Color Conundrum” section covers Duck Egg Blue FAA fighters. There is also an article on the F-16 MLU. Lastly, there is an article celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of IPMS, the reason we have an IPMS/USA and are all here on this website.

This is a good magazine for aircraft modelers and worth picking up monthly at your local shop/bookstore or via subscription.

Our thanks Phoenix Scale Publications for providing the review copy at the nationals and my thanks to IPMS/USA for the review opportunity.