Osprey is a publishing house in the United Kingdom that should be a household name to the swarms of us. Osprey continues to expand their Fortress series with the 109th book in this installment. The Fortress Series examine the fortifications and defense structures of opposing forces. In this case the Atlantic wall which at the time was the most fortified defense in Europe. This “wall” proved successful in forcing the allied forces to find an alternate route after several scuffles forced them back.

For the Fortress series, the chapters are organized as follows:

Background

A variant of the M60 main battle tank featuring a low-profile turret, a 152mm main gun capable of firing conventional rounds, and the MGM-51 Shillelagh anti-tank missile system, the M60A2 was queued up as an interim solution while the MBT-70 was under development. Despite its advanced technology, the “Starship” did not live up to expectations and was eventually phased out of active duty units by 1981.

This book is a description of the changes in equipment, uniforms, and tactics of the allied troops from the landing at Normandy to VE day on May 8, 1945. Experience, technological improvements, and the seasoning of troops in battle brought about these changes. The book is mostly in text with supporting photos and color plates of soldiers’ uniforms and equipment. The book primarily focuses on infantry, but there are also sections on armor and field artillery. The book emphasizes tactics and use of equipment.

The book has sections on the US infantry, Free French Forces, the British/Canadian Army Group and the British 79th Armored Division.

Simple but brilliant, Eduard’s pre-cut canopy masks now include a set for Academy’s 1/72 F-4J Phantom II kit.

In this case, simplicity of application was demonstrated by 9 year-old Camden as he built his Academy F-4J Showtime 100 for a related IPMS/USA review. In a matter of minutes, the pre-cut masks were transferred to the model canopy and scraps for left-over mask material were used to fill in the holes. Fit of all pieces was spot-on.

The masks adhered well throughout the construction and finishing process, spanning about 3 weeks’ time. At the end of the build, they peeled off with only one slight trace of residual adhesive, which was quickly lifted by the adhesive side of a piece of low-tack masking tape.

While this is the 4th volume in MMP’s “Spotlight On” series, it is the first one I have had the pleasure of seeing in person. This book (and I imagine the others in the series) consists primarily of large, full-page color profiles of the subject matter.

Upon opening the book, one is immediately presented with an introductory page briefly discussing the P-51D’s development (not the P-51 in general, just the “D” model, so the author assumes some general knowledge of the aircraft type). This is immediately followed by over 40 pages of color profiles. At the end of the book is a page showing the general finish of the P-51, and a 2-page section listing P-51 Aces.