The late Dr Leopold Scholtz was a senior journalist, political commentator and a highly regarded military expert. He was deputy editor of Die Burger until 2007 and was the European correspondent for Media24's Afrikaans dailies. Scholtz obtained his doctor's degree from the University of Leiden and was a research fellow at the University of Stellenbosch. He wrote several books and over 40 academic articles, most of which are about military history. He was a captain in the Reserve Force of the South African Army. His books include "The SADF in the Border War 1966-1989" [2013], "General Christiaan de Wet as Veldheer" [1978] and "Terror and liberation: The ANC/SACP, Communism and Violence (1961–1990)" [2022]. Scholtz died of leukemia in 2022 in Delft, the Netherlands, and is survived by his wife Ingrid, also a historian.

Detail & Scale’s Color & Markings first series was launched in 1984 with Volume 1 focusing on the Convair’s F-106 Delta Dart. Authored by Bert Kinzey and published by Tab Books [ISBN-13 978-0816845255], the first volume was largely in black and white with 16 pages of color. Thirty-six years later, this new publication, Colors & Markings of the A-7 Corsair II significantly revises and expands the original coverage of the original volumes, Colors & Markings Volume 15 of The A-7E Corsair II: Pacific Coast Squadrons [1990]. Authored and illustrated by Colonel Richard S. “Rock” Roszak and Mike Heideman, Volume of 10 of the new series of Colors & Markings is all in color and double the size: 64 pages vs. 127 pages. This English edition was released on June 26, 2026, and is available in soft square bound format [8.5” x 11.0”] or in digital format. The ISBN-13 is 979- 8-344014579. The print edition is a Print-On-Demand format with glossy cardstock front and back covers.

Bottom Line Up Front

Building a Gunpla is for sure out of my lane. For those that don’t know, Gunpla is the kit, and Gundam refers to one of many TV shows. In other words, Gundam is animated Gunpla. This is the second Gunpla I have built. The first was a simple small kit for an in house model contest for my local club. Gundam Barbatos is a much more complex build. Having said that, assembly was straight forward as long as the instructions are followed closely. It turns into a nice kit, if you make a mistake, like I did, it is easy to recover from since no glue is involved. It is a fun build that doesn’t really take that much time to finish. Highly recommended for Gunpla modelers or for those modelers looking to try something different. For those looking for an enjoyable build, this is a good option. Highly recommended.