Bombshell Decals came on the decal scene with …well, a bang. Their latest release is based on the Monogram A-26B Invader. The glass nose version was used in Korea and was quite colorful with its overall gloss black paint scheme. The subjects of this sheet are two aircraft which sported Esquire girl nose art.

The decals are printed by Cartograf, so you know they are in perfect register and will respond well with setting solutions. In my opinion, Cartograf decals are the best in the world. The decals are on a single sheet of 5.5” x 8”. You can see the quality in the decals by looking over the Esquire girls. They are perfectly rendered and are some of the best looking pin-ups available in decal form. They have perfect shading and blending to make them exactly like the real thing. Beautiful work by Bombshell and Cartograf. This is the new standard for nose art.

As a little something different, I am going to begin this review with a story relating to my introduction to the USS Independence LCS-2. Over Thanksgiving week in 2010, my family and I were traveling to Virginia Beach to spend the holiday with my in-laws (no jokes here, they really are great people). When we first arrived in the Hampton Roads area, we stopped at my favorite hobby shop in the country, at least of all the ones that I have been in. There on the end of an aisle was a brand new release from Trumpeter of the USS Independence (kit 04548), a new littoral combat ship with a trimaran hull. Although I am a former carrier sailor, I had to have this kit in my stash, as it was incredibly state of the art in its appearance. While talking to the owner of the store when I was checking out, he mentioned that the ship was moored in Norfolk that week, and this set my mind to work.

Yet another in the long established series of military vehicle monographs from Squadron Signal Publications under their “Walk Around” range, this particular title covers the Jagdpanzer 38 Hetzer. The book is in softback (card cover) format, 80 pages in length, with the glossy paper pages measuring 11 x 8 inches. The same title is also available in a hardback format, should you wish to spend the additional money.

Those familiar with this series of books will not be disappointed, as it follows the tried and true Walk Around format: the reader is given a brief written history of the Hetzer range of vehicles, a late war armored, tracked tank destroyer based on the Panzer 38(t) chassis. The Hetzer became the most widely used tank destroyer employed by German forces in WW2.