This wonderfully documented book covers the history of one of Germany's largest paratrooper regiments – the Fallschirmjager Regiment 6, FJ.Rgt.6. Originally published in German in 2007, the book has been translated into English by Mara Taylor and released in the United States by Casemate Publishing in 2011.

Following a short Preface, Chapter 1, The Initial Organization, begins with the unit's formation on February 13, 1943 under the command of Major Egon Liebach, an experienced paratrooper and troop leader. The focus of Major Liebach's training was field exercises and close combat. In addition, advanced training was provided in combat parachute and glider deployment. As it turned out, they acted more as ground troops than as a parachute assault unit. In fact, their nickname, The Lions of Carentan, came about as a result of the strong defense they put up around Carentan during the Normandy invasion.

This delightful kit enhancement part come on a crisply cast frame in neutral tan-gray resin. The part replaces the nose pitot on any F-14 kit. Three tubes are included, allowing you to dress up three models, unless you operate like I do and retain spares for post-construction damage. The parts are all well supported with nice extensions. These extensions will allow you to drill out the nose and slide the new tube in, making a much stronger join with the model. The parts have sharp definition and no bubbles or sinks were found. The resin was just soft and flexible enough to allow easy trimming and sanding. The parts appear to be in scale, although I was unable to confirm this.

These parts will certainly dress up any F-14. I recommend them.

Thank you to David Lajer of Aires and the IPMS Reviewer Corps for the opportunity to review this gem! Your generosity is much appreciated.

The Subject

The Batmobile is the car of the fictional comic book superhero Batman, an iconic American character. The character of Batman first appeared in DC Comics’ Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). By 1940, Batman proved popular enough to spin off into his own dedicated comic, Batman. In the years since, there have been other comics, books, radio shows, television shows, and films featuring Batman and his related characters and equipment. The car used by Batman, called the Batmobile, appeared in the very first stories in 1939 and has evolved over the years. Perhaps the best known version is the vehicle that appeared in the 1960’s hit TV series Batman, which is the subject of this kit. Designed specifically for the TV show by famous customizer George Barris, the car was a heavily modified former Ford Corporation concept car called the Lincoln Futura.