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From the publisher’s website:
The Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) first appeared in Ukraine’s Donbas region during the initial Russian intervention in the spring of 2014. Its fighters—lacking national insignia, Russian flags, or unit designations and always concealing their faces in public—presented an unorthodox and ambiguous presence. However, their use of Russian-made arms, equipment, and uniforms left little doubt about Moscow’s involvement, reinforcing Wagner’s role as a deniable yet effective force in place of poorly trained local militias. Over the following years, Wagner served Moscow’s strategic interests by maintaining both ambiguity and control over various local proxies.
Mike Guardia is an internationally recognized author and military historian. A veteran of the United States Army, he served six years on active duty as an Armor Officer. He is the author of the widely acclaimed HAL MOORE: A SOLDIER ONCE...AND ALWAYS, the first-ever biography chronicling the life of LTG Harold G. Moore, whose battlefield leadership was popularized by the film WE WERE SOLDIERS, starring Mel Gibson. He has twice been nominated for the Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Book Award and was named Author of the Year in 2021 by the Military Writers Society of America. As a speaker, he hosts the lecture series HAL MOORE: LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP, which is available for presentation at schools, businesses, and civic organizations worldwide. In 2022, he appeared in Season 1 of the History Channel series, I WAS THERE, as a featured historian in the episodes on the Johnstown Flood of 1889; the Chernobyl Disaster; the Battle of Stalingrad; and the Oklahoma City Bombing.
ICM continues to be prolific with their production of both model kits and paint sets. This Acrylic Paint Set for WWII US Naval Aviation continues their trend, and it consists of six 12ml, wide-mouthed, paint bottles. The packaging includes a picture of a Douglas SBD (Scout Bomber Douglas) Dauntless in an early war scheme of pale blue over light gray two-tone scheme on the front. The back shows both the SBD Dauntless and a Grumman TBF-1C Avenger in Measure 22 (light gray over white, primarily used in the Atlantic Theater during 1943-1944), with the color call-outs noted. These paints are designed to be used on early World War II US Naval aircraft. The paint colors include the following:
- Camouflage Green (No. 1071)
- Pale Blue (No. 1074)
- Sky Grey (No. 1033)
- Neutral Grey (No. 1036)
- White Grey (No. 1029)
- Olive Green (No. 1068)
Painting instructions are on the side of the packaging, stating as follows:
It’s really unique to open these up and see the dark blue and white background to the decal sheet. It sets the individual decals off and honestly, I think it makes the numbers easier to read. When you look at the individual decals, what caught my eye right off the bat was how well the placards look. The lettering and lines have a bright silver metallic look to them that I don’t see in other decals. Printing on the smaller warning decals is crisp and readable at what looks like size 2 font. The registration on all the colors on my sheet looks perfect, no issues. The decals overall are very, very thin. You can hardly feel them on the sheet. When applying them be careful not to let them curl over on themselves. Apply right off the sheet to the aircraft, if possible. Another thing that stands out is how bold the red and the blue are. They really have good solid colors on the decal. The back page of the instructions has actual photographic references for locating the gear markings.