While Kagero has an established reputation for quality books that modelers appreciate and use on their reference shelves, they have recently upped their game with the new introduction of the inCombat series. Number 08 in the series is History of the 40/43M ZrÍnyi Assault Howitzer. As a fan of obscure armored vehicles, this book had a timely arrival, especially as I am in the process of painting Bronco Models’ Hungarian 44.M ‘Zrinyi’ I 75mm Assault Gun (the differences between the variants are clearly spelled out in this detailed book).

Kagero Publishing is a well-known Polish company that provides detailed photographs and color profiles of its subject matter. While I can’t speak to what makes its inCombat series different from its others, I am thoroughly impressed. While the major armored variants have been covered extensively, lesser-known vehicles have their details hidden in grainy black and white photos, if they can be found.

Background

During the last part of the nineteen thirties, the U.S. Navy was in the process of replacing its biplanes with higher performing monoplanes. The Curtiss SBC “Helldiver” dive bomber was being replaced by the Vought Sikorsky SB2U “Vindicator”, and the Martin T4M’s were being replaced by the Douglas TBD-1 “Devastator” monoplanes. Grumman’s last biplane, the F3F-2, was just entering service when the decision was made to equip Navy fighter squadrons with monoplanes. The first monoplane, the Brewster F2A-1, later known as the Buffalo, was entering service when Grumman’s biplane competitor, the F4F-1, was redesigned, becoming the XF4F-2 Wildcat monoplane. The F4F-2 proved to be a much better airplane, and the production model, the F4F-3, was produced in quantity, with the F2A-1 taking a back seat, although quite a few were issued to Marine Corps units.

Tamiya’s Description

This model kit recreates the Grumman F-14A Tomcat. The F-14A Tomcat U.S. Navy Fighter is famous for being the first mass-production and the most-produced model among the F-14 series. This kit realistically depicts the F-14A Tomcat (Late Model) - in service from the late 1980s to the early 2000s- with wings featuring separate flaps and slats. The kit includes one crew figure and paper flight deck sheet for use on a super realistic diorama set.