History

The Fiat G.50 was Italy’s first single-seat, all-metal monoplane with an enclosed cockpit and retractable landing gear. The prototype of the G.50 was first flown in 1937 and introduced into service in 1938. The G.50 served Italy in the Regia Aeronautica (Italian Air force) in the Battle of Britain, in Africa, and in the Aegean theatre, and helped to defend against the invasion of Sicily. They also served in the Aviazione Legionaria (Italian Expeditionary Force) in Spain. 35 were flown to Finland and served in the two Finnish wars against the Soviets. Although fairly quick (max speed was 292mph) and maneuverable, it was lightly armed with just two 12.7mm Breda-SAFAT machine guns in the cowl.

Superscale Decals is now owned by the excellent people at Squadron Products, and their latest release is this sheet containing four different sets of walkways for 1/48th scale Phantoms. Both the wing and top of fuselage walkways are included. The set is printed by Cartograf and is beautifully in register and glossy.

The sets included are:

1. Black outlines with the walkway language
2. FS36231 Gull Gray with black outline and stenciling
3. FS36231 Gull Gray with no outline and with stenciling
4. FS36118 Gunship Gray with no outline and with stenciling

The instructions are well done, in color, and show the needed location of the decals.

This set is highly recommended and will go really well with older Phantom kits or the newer Academy kit. My thanks to Gary Newman and Squadron Products for the chance to review these great decals, and to IPMS USA for the opportunity to do so.

This is the third book in the new Combat series from Osprey which looks at soldiers who faced each other in battle. The Zulu War of 1879 has long been a subject that captured the imagination of military historians and modelers. Numerous books on the subject have been written, including several by Ian Knight, the author of this book and one of the leading authorities in the world on the Zulu War.

This series follows a similar format in all the books, looking at subjects such as training, morale, weapons, and leadership. The book compares the fighting styles and tactics of the British and Zulus in three very different battles – Nyezane (22 January 1879), iSandlwana (22 January 1879), and Khambula (29 March 1879). Accounts from combatants on both sides are included.