Mikro Mir has releases a series of submarine models from the first submarines through the Cold War. Most of these are in 1/350 and are subjects not seen on plastic or at all. When the IPMS review list came out I wanted to try one, but it was overwhelming and a hard choice of which subject to pick. Fascinated with warships of the turn of the 20th Century I opted for the first British submarine – the American designed Holland Class developed by Mr. John Holland and his company Electric Boat. For such a small submarine, Mikro Mir chose 1/144 scale, which turned out to be a good size.

A versatile twin-engine medium bomber, the B-25 was to find its first fame on April 18th, 1942, as the Bomb Group led by Jimmy Doolittle flew them off the carrier USS Hornet and made the first attack on Tokyo. Mitchells were flown by many of the United States’ Allies, were used throughout WWII, and were in service up into the 1960s.

The new Airfix B- 25C/D was sorely needed in 1/72 scale. The kit comes in a sturdy box with nice box art and is cast in gray plastic with finely molded recessed panel lines. Although each sprue was individually wrapped in clear plastic bags, one half of my sample’s fuselage was warped, and this ended up being a challenge throughout the build. The kit comes with an option of an open or closed bomb bay, and if you decide to open it, 500-pound bombs are provided.

Introduction

This impressive volume is a beautifully bound book over an inch and a half thick, with 127 beautiful map illustrations and descriptive narratives. The maps are based on Osprey’s Campaign Series of books and describe the Allied European Campaign in 1944 and 1945. The maps focus almost entirely on land campaigns rather than air or naval campaigns. Osprey has also produced a separate volume, the Atlas of Eastern Front, 1941 to 1945, that covers the war between Germany and the Soviet Union.