The L-4500 German Heavy Truck was a design caused by the shortage of metals during 1943. To reduce the amount of metal used in fabrication, the following design changes were made: the front fenders were made of sheet metal, the cabin was made of plywood on a wooden frame, and the front and rear bumpers were eliminated. These modifications stayed in production through the end of the war.

Step 1- 6. These steps direct the building of the engine. Even if you do not plan to open the hood to show the engine, you will need to at least include the main body along with parts C41 and C27 (lower pan), as it and the drive shaft that attaches to it are visible from the side. If you intend to use the mechanic figure as part of a diorama and show the hood open, you will need to do surgery to open the hood and finish the engine.

Lifelike Decals has long been known for their high quality, limited edition decal releases. The decals come in the customary clear plastic zip bag, and inside you will find two full color, single sided pages with color callouts, decal placement guides, references, and a ton of historical information on each aircraft covered. Not to mention the decals themselves. This release contains one standard size decal sheet with markings for five WWII Imperial Japanese Army Ki-84 Hayate “Frank” fighters. Decals are perfectly printed, clear, and in register.

**Just a note to the buyer – when you’re doing a search to purchase these, you may see some decals labeled for the “Japanese Edition” and some for the “English Edition”. The difference here is the language of the instructions. If you don’t read Japanese and are interested in getting the wealth of historical data written about each aircraft, be sure to look for the English one!

This special Summer edition from Model Art Modeling Magazine is primarily dedicated to the IJN Myoko-class Heavy Cruiser. Fully 99 pages of the total 136 are devoted to photos, history, and kit reviews. Included is a magnificent set of 1/350th scale plans for the Myoko, and builds in 1/350th are reviewed for Myoko, Haguro and Nachi illustrating not only differences in sisters in the same class, but changes and upgrade through the years. A 1/700th review of a build of 4 cruisers is included with photo coverage and a number of pages devoted to the aircraft carried by this class from pre-war through to the end. There is also pull-out art work, and wartime photos to match kits reviewed.

The new kit section reviews CVE-73, a Japanese carrier, and the Revell SS Oriana in some detail.