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Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Squadron Signal Publications
MSRP
$28.95

I have been a fan of the B-17 Flying Fortress for as long as I can remember. Seeing the punishment many of these planes took and still brought back their crews is nothing short of amazing.

The Fortress has also been a popular subject for the In Action series. I purchased #1012 back in 1973 and #1063 came out in 1984 and now we have a 3rd volume. However, this time you can get it in the normal soft cover or in hardback (which is my example). So what do we get with this new version?

Once again we get a brief history of each version of the plane from the original Model 299 through the B-17G, including a few pages on the XB-38 and YB-40. Line drawings and pictures show the differences in each model and will help the modeler get these right. I did notice the line drawings showing the development of the airframe appear to be smaller versions of those from the previous volume. However, I did not notice any repeated photos from either of the earlier books.

Review Author
Gary Telecsan
Published on
Company
Bronco Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$69.99

If you enjoy building armor, you must get this kit.

Upon opening the box, one finds 15 sprues comprising 501 plastic parts, 1 photo-etched sheet, 216 individual track links (you will need 202 for the main tracks), and decals for four versions covering vehicles used in both the North African and Italian campaigns. There are 29 parts not included in the instructions, and several for options that are either/or. Molding is very fine with no flash that I could find. The instructions are in booklet form, with a parts sprue layout which you will need during construction. Ejector pin marks are not a problem with this kit. At several points during assembly, the plans call for adding bolt heads which can be found on several of the sprues and which will need careful lifting off – but there are plenty of extras for your next project.

Review Author
Keith Pruitt
Published on
Company
Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$9.89

Almost every scale aircraft modeler will eventually want to move up from just box stock builds into more advanced, more detailed models. Aircraft instrument panels are a key element in upgrading a cockpit in any scale, especially if the canopy is attached in the open position.

Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements produces a line of instrument dial decals, including its Early Allied Jets set. The 1/48 set includes decals for the instruments that can be found in US and British jet aircraft, such as the F-84, F-86, F-100, F-104, F9F, Meteor, Vampire, and Hunter. Included are airspeed indicator, artificial horizon, gyro magnetic compass, altimeter, and many more.

Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$4.50

The Grumman Tigercat was the epitome of WWII US-designed, twin-engined fighters, and was an exceedingly heavily armed aircraft for its size, either for the fighter or strike role. As a night fighter, it shared similar attributes with its Air Force cousin, the P-61 Black Widow, not the least of which was a reduction of its built-in armament as it evolved. As with the Widow, the Tigercat eventually dispensed with its four original 50 caliber machine guns, keeping its remaining four 20mm cannon (necessitated by the installation of its nose-mounted radar, thus displacing the nose-mounted 50s). The 20mm barrels are represented by these Quickboost replacements.

Book Author(s)
Chris "Toadman" Hughes
Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
Squadron Signal Publications
MSRP
$18.95

The M41 Walker Bulldog was a light tank developed after World War II, going into service in 1955. While the US never took it into battle, a few of the countries it was exported to did, notably South Vietnam, where it was the main tank until they got M-48s.

This softcover book covers the subject in many full color detail photos and several drawings. If you are modeling one of these and want to know what the final drive adapter drain plug or the turret ammo storage area looks like, there are a picture or two included.

This book is ideal for all you super-detailers out there, and pretty much every square inch of the vehicle is covered. The pictures are all of several preserved/restored examples, so are pretty much in very clean condition.