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Cover

German Armored Cars In Action
Book Author(s)
David Doyle
Review Author
Jim Stratton
Published on
Company
Squadron Signal Publications
MSRP
$18.95

The Squadron Signal “In Action” series has been around for many years and is well liked by modelers and vehicle historians alike. This newest volume concentrates on the German heavy armored cars used throughout World War II. The title may be a little deceiving as it only addresses the heavies and not the smaller light armored cars. This volume does, however, look at all the heavy armored cars from the early war Sd.Kfz. 231 6-wheeled vehicle to the late war Sd.Kfz. 234 series of 8-wheeled vehicles. There is minimal text, which mostly serves to introduce the different variants. There are no technical drawings in this issue but there is an abundance of “in action” photographs, each of which has a descriptive caption. Several of the images are closeup shots that show plenty of details of the vehicles featured. This volume has 80 pages and over 200 B & W photographs. The only color illustrations are on the front and back covers.

Cover

B-24 Liberator vs. Ki-43 Oscar
Book Author(s)
Edward M. Young
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$17.95

History

The book relates the part of the air war in Southeast Asia between the U.S. Army Air Forces and the Japanese fighter-interceptor squadrons. The author begins with an account of bomber development, with the emphasis on unescorted heavy bombers relying on heavy defensive armament and concentrated in close tactical formations. When the war began, it was discovered that this didn’t work too well against Luftwaffe fighters, and only slightly better against more lightly armed Japanese fighters. The Japanese Army, on the other hand, developed fighters whose prime attributes involved light weight and extreme maneuverability. This meant inadequate armament, and no protection for the pilot or vital aircraft systems. At least the Ki-43 had two .50 cal. guns, as opposed to the pair of .30 cal. guns on the earlier Ki-27.

Parts Packaging

B-17 Flying Fortress Oxygen Cylinders
Review Author
Mike Hinderliter
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.95

Once again, Quickboost comes out with another addition to its resin aircraft accessories in 1/72nd scale. This time it is the oxygen cylinders for the B-17 Flying Fortress. I tried to compare it to some of the different B-17 kits that I have and none of them came with that much interior detail. This also included the new Revell tooling that is very good. I did see some on the see-through kits and I was able to compare them with actual photos.

The parts are up to the usual Quickboost standards. They are molded in a grey resin, smooth, seamless, and bubble free. It doesn’t take too much effort to get them off of the resin block. Just a quick slice with a razor saw or a #11 blade will do the trick.

If you are looking to add just that much more detail to a B-17, then this set is for you. I recommend them just for the amount of detail alone. Thanks to Quickboost and IPMS/USA for the chance to review these accessories.

Cover

Air Modeller #41, April/May 2012
Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Air Modeller
MSRP
$14.95

As previous reviews have indicated, this bimonthly magazine continues to achieve its claim of “Showcasing the very best in scale aircraft modeling.” Actually, I think it might better be said that each issue “showcases the very best photography of scale aircraft models.” Whatever the claim, this publication provides eye candy for those in the hobby who can afford the price of admission. At $14.95 a copy, it should be a cut above the rest of the crowd…and, by most measures, it is. The photography is nothing short of spectacular, the layout is professionally handled, and, in contrast to previous issues, #41 is printed on a slightly thinner, glossy paper that greatly enhances the sharpness of the 185 photos used to illustrate the six model building features (and the remainder of photos that illustrate the product reviews). In common with previous issues, #41 offers a variety of subjects that should satisfy the tastes of many model builders. In this issue, articles cover building:

Parts

Me-509 Landing Gear
Review Author
Dick Montgomery
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$14.95

The Parts

This product contains 9 pieces cast in white metal which replace the struts and gear for the Bronco kit. Please note that I did not use the Bronco kit for this review. I used, instead, the Hobby Boss Me-509 kit, # 02849. The Bronco kit was not “in my stash” but the Hobby Boss kit was readily available.

The molding is clean, with no “step” along mold release points. One of the support arms had a small amount of “flash” on it. This small piece of metal was removed with an Xacto and sanded very gently with a nail file.

Assembly

Even though the Bronco kit is the recommended “mate” for this SAC product, I found that the parts would also fit into the Hobby Boss kit without any problems. Some caution is wise when handling the retracting struts….the change in diameter between extending rod and the main strut reveals a potential weak point on this part.