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Book Author(s)
Nikolay Yakubovich (translated by Kevin Bridge)
Review Author
Phil Pignataro
Published on
Company
Guideline Publications
MSRP
$25.00

I have long been a fan of the Warpaint Series books from Guideline Publications and have several in my collection. They are excellent references for the aircraft they cover. Typically, they follow a standard format of history and development, service and deployment histories, and finally, technical information and detail photos. This particular volume, however, is slightly different from the others I’ve read since it is translated from Russian sources. Consequently, some of the sentence structure is stilted and you will have to take your time and read these passages carefully to absorb the content.

In the opening pages, the author discusses in detail why the designers chose the swept wing for the Mig-15 - speed. Then the narrative follows themes shown in the “sections” listed below.

Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Master Box Ltd
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$19.99

Master Box Ltd, out of the Ukraine, has been a leader in 1/35 figures for a while. They expanded into 1/24 female and fantasy figures in 2016, starting with their first series of six female figures representing the World War II era. This current series, Truckers, is ideal for modern Class-8 truck vignettes and dioramas. Sandy and George “Skip” is the ninth release in this series with more on their way.

Review Author
Mike Lamm
Published on
Company
Platz
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$24.00

The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom, and West Germany.

There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS fighter-bomber, the Tornado ECR (electronic combat/reconnaissance) and the Tornado ADV (air defense variant) interceptor aircraft. First flying in 1974, the aircraft was introduced into service in 1979–1980. Due to its multi-role design, it replaced several different fleets of aircraft in the adopting air forces of the three original partner nations. The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) became the only export operator of the Tornado following a somewhat controversial trade deal.

Book Author(s)
Oleg Pomoshnikov, Jan Radziemski
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Kagero Publishing
MSRP
$36.95

Casemate Publishers, distributors for Kagero Publications, has added another title to their ongoing series of Super Drawings in 3D. This time they turn their attention to the Russian Destroyer Spravedlivvy. Built in 1956, the ship was part of a class of Soviet destroyers that are not well known in the west. By no means an iconic ship, given that Kagero is based in Poland, this ship was turned over to the Polish navy in 1970 where it took the name Warszawa (Warsaw). When it went into service with the Polish navy, the ship had been modified to carry missiles. The book looks at its original configuration, as the ship was commissioned, rather than in its modified form.

Book Author(s)
Francois Cochet
Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Pen and Sword Books Ltd

This is a pictorial book that uses photos to illustrate the history of the Fallschirmjäger during the pre-war and early war years. Each chapter includes brief text that chronicles the history of the Fallschirmjäger campaigns, but the story is mostly told in photos and their captions. Black & white photos illustrate the exploits of the paratroopers, and the publisher says many of the photos are rare or not previously published. The photos are low contrast and not too sharp, consistent with wartime photos. Illustrations are provided to illustrate events that don’t have photos.

German Fallschirmjäger (paratroopers) were considered elite troops and regularly engaged in front line combat during the Second World War. Their campaigns such as the fighting in Scandinavia, the taking of the Belgian fortress Eden-Emal in May 1940, and the Battle for Crete just a year later, proved them to be determined, courageous, and loyal soldiers.