By the turn of the Twentieth Century, Great Britain was at the height of its industrial and colonial power, with the largest ironclad navy in the world. By 1904, Britain ruled the seas with 45 “pre-dreadnaught” battleships. Each of these carried a main armament usually consisting of four 12- or 13-inch main guns in two twin turrets (one forward and one aft) along with a number of lesser caliber weapons (6”, 12-pounder and 3-pounder) for close in defense. Other navies, primarily Germany, the United States, and after 1905 Japan followed on Great Britain’s heels. The stage was set for an abrupt alteration in the status quo, as industry, technology and the critical thinking of one man combined to change the face of naval power in the decades to come.
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No one can argue that being a war correspondent is anything but dangerous work. Journalists who choose this branch of their profession face death, kidnapping, torture and more on a regular basis, as well as dealing with the repercussions this activity can have on their family lives back home. All of this is especially true in this age, where the “Press” label affords far less protection than it has in the past.
ICM is no stranger to controversial or challenging subjects, and this package offers a selection of figures that can be utilized in a wide variety of contemporary settings, not just the Ukrainian conflict. This set includes a camerawoman, a video cameraman, an interviewer with microphone and a standing Ukrainian soldier. I believe the journalists are supposed to represent international correspondents (rather than Ukrainian) as the PRESS markings are in English on both their helmets and vests.
AOA has provided us modelers with some great Vietnam markings for aircraft of all types. This latest sheet covers the OV-10A as used by the USAF in Vietnam.
Included in the 8.5 x 11 ziplock baggie are instructions and decals for 19 USAF aircraft. They are pretty much the same style of paint scheme as used by Air Force FACs in Vietnam, white on top of the wings with grey used on the rest of the airframe.
One unique airplane is the inclusion of a Pave Nail modified OV-10A. It is the beginning of guided munitions deliver. For more info on this system, check out: https://www.loran-history.info/Operation_Tight_Reign/PAVE%20NAIL.pdf
We’ve had the Testors O-2A Skymaster for many years but with the release of the ICM O-2A we get a modern tooled version of this aircraft.
Inside of an 8.5 x 11 ziplock baggie are three pages of double-sided, high quality paper instructions printed in full color. The instructions are full of useful information including loadouts and color callouts. There are 11 USAF/VNAF O-2As and three O-2Bs. The colors range from all black, to grey and white to camouflaged O-2Bs. Included in the decals and instructions are markings for three O-2B aircraft, straight off the shelf Cessnas fitted with loudspeakers and leaflets. True there isn’t a kit or conversion yet but there are decals for those so inclined. I thought that was a nice touch plus they are colorful. That will be my next one.
This book is part of The Images of War Series published by Pen & Sword Publishers and distributed by Casemate Publishers. The book is divided into an Introduction, Four Chapters and six Appendixes. Most of the book is dedicated to photos taken from wartime archives. The introduction gives us a short synopsis of the unit. The unit operated mostly behind the lines and is responsible for many atrocities to the civilian population. This is the unit that is responsible for the elimination of the Warsaw Ghetto. Of the 30,000 men of this unit only 300 reached the German lines after their defeat in Budapest.