The dust jacket says it all in this case. This is an in - depth history of the small arms made at the Sterling Company between 1940 and 1989. And I do mean in - depth - it is clear the author’s passion for this subject and attention to detail shows through. In looking at the book, it is 352 pages and lavishly illustrated with 352 black and white pictures and 32 color.

The table of contents is below and shows the history

The Panther is an iconic German World War II tank and this book is a very detailed manual of how to model it using the various Takom kits currently on the market.

The chapters are written by some of the best modelers in the world and they guide you through the process of building, painting and weathering the Takom kits. The book gives comprehensive cover of all the stages of construction and finishing.

The book also has a short but concise history of the Panther which includes some awesome photos, and a great chapter three which is a photo gallery of some museum Panthers.

Aircraft and History

The Stearman PT-13 (Boeing model 75) “Kaydet” was a primary trainer used by the US Army Air force and the US Navy before and during WWII. The Stearman’s is a fabric covered, open cockpit biplane, powered by a radial engine and extremely rugged design which is ideal for a training aircraft. Introduced in 1934, the Stearman served as a trainer through the end of WWII. After the war, many surplus Stearman’s were sold on the civilian market and served in many roles like crop dusting and air shows. The PT-13 and PT-17 airframes are basically the same except for the engine where the PT-13 has a Lycoming R-680 radial (9 cylinder) and the PT-17 has a Continental R-670 radial (7 cylinder) engine. There are still a few Stearman aircraft flying today which you will see at local fly ins and air shows. Many of the aircraft owners will offer rides in their aircraft so if you get a chance, do not turn it down.