The Kit

This one took me by surprise as it was listed as three British trucks. Since it was in 1/35, I assumed that meant it was a kit of a British truck with three configurations to choose from. Imagine my surprise when a rather larger box containing three complete 1/35 British truck kits arrived! They are a 6X6 W.O.T. 8, a W.O.T. 6 and a Leyland Retriever. The parts count is, respectively, 267, 235 and 257. All have GS type bodies, two with the exposed frames for a canvas top and one with the actual top and all have very detailed chassis and engines. The parts are very nicely molded with no flash nor sink or injection pin marks, but there are the usual mold seams to deal with.

Medal of Honor Volume 3 Marine Aviators of WW2, Part 1 tells the story of six Marine aviators who earned their countries highest award for valor, the Medal of Honor, in World War 2. Every aircraft in which the medal was won is shown in color profiles, together with profiles of some of their Japanese opponents. The story of these Marine aviators is told in detailed text, 245 photos (58 color), 33 aircraft in color profile, 23 color graphics, and 14 black & white graphics in its 164 pages.

This book from the Images of War series, consists of 239 pages of mixed text, maps and black & white photos of the campaign to recapture the Philippines during WW II. There are seven chapters and an epilogue that cover the background to US involvement in the islands, the Japanese conquest of the islands, the terrain involved , the weapons used, brief bios of the principle commanders, the invasions of Leyte and Luzon and the recapture of Manila and the mopping up invasions in the remaining islands. While the historical text is relatively brief, it is only intended to provide context for the pictures. The photographic coverage of the campaign is extensive with over 250 photos of personnel, weapons and vehicles (which usually include a brief description), and pictures during and after the battle. The book is valuable in that many of the photos are rarely, if ever, seen and it covers a campaign that has a tendency to be either only briefly covered or overlooked entirely.