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Book Author(s)
Dick Camp
Review Author
Mike Hanson
Published on
Company
Zenith Press
MSRP
$18.99

There has been quite a bit of focus on WWII in the Pacific theater of late, driven in large part by HBO’s mini-series The Pacific, which was based on memoirs of some of the US Marines who fought and bled on small islands as the military pushed towards the Japanese homeland. I’ve always had an interest in this era, and have read many of the well-known books written by the guys who were there, such as Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie, and With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge.

Those books give an individual perspective on the fighting on these Pacific islands, but Dick Camp’s book Last Man Standing provides a much broader perspective. It begins with the history of the Peleliu islands, how they originally were German territories that were given to Japan as war prizes after the First World War. Japan settled the island and exploited it for minerals and coconut oil.

Review Author
Roger Rasor
Published on
Company
Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$8.49

Airscale Model Aircraft Enhancements’s line of cockpit details now includes a 1/32 scale set of decals that provides an assortment of instrument dials found in early Soviet jets (MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-7 and early Yaks). These decals are remarkably detailed and provide a quick solution to adding much to those blank circles that are molded on many kit instrument panels. The decals can be either placed behind the respective positions molded on clear kit instrument panel, over opaque molded instrument panels or placed inside the instrument openings found on some kits. Application of a decal setting solution is recommended by the manufacturer. Sixty-two individual dials are provided (2 each of 31 different ones) in this set for 1/32 scale models. The instructions packaged with the decals provide a full description of each of the instruments on the sheet. Also included is a small clear sheet of acetate that a modeler may punch out and place over the decal dial face.

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.

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.

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.