This softbound book contains 264 pages of high quality photos taken by German occupiers printed on high quality paper. What I did not know was that pre-war Polish security concerns prohibited photos from being taken from 1937 until the war. That is why there are, according to the authors, only around 25 photos of pre-war Polish aircraft. Then after the invasion anyone seen taking photos was suspected of spying and detained, plenty of reason that there are so few photos. The German photos became the only source of knowledge and markings from the Polish Air Force. The quality of photos is very high even though most of the aircraft are in states of disrepair.

This review is a little different for me, only because I have taken over this task from John Yager, the original reviewer who started the initial work, but was unable to complete the build. However, I was still able to complete enough of this model to bring to you an honest and fair review. When I received the kit, Steps 1 thru 4 were underway, but needed to be cleaned up. Only the cockpit was complete and it was a job well done. The credit for the building should be shared with John Yager due to the hard & good work he put into what he had done.

ABOUT THE AIRCRAFT

(PLAAF) J-10A VIGOROUS DRAGON

“So many Spitfires…so little time…” or at least that’s the way seems to die-hard modeling fans of Supermarine’s legendary fighter. Of all of the kits offered in 1/48^th scale, Tamiya’s varied offerings of the Mk V are among the most popular with competitive and serious modelers. Excellent accuracy, detail, and general engineering of the kit put it in an elite class of quarter-scale Spitfires.

If Tamiya’s outstanding kit weren’t enough, those folks from Aires just had to take things a step further with their recent release of a cockpit set for Tamiya’s Mk V’s. Boy, do they deliver! Eight crisply-cast chunks of resin, a fret of top-notch photoetch, and a small sheet of acetate with instrument faces and gunsight glass to raise a high bar even higher.