The Mitsubishi T-2 was a supersonic trainer for the Japanese Air Self Defense Force (JASDF). Like the T-38 and F-5 in the US, it was used as an aggressor aircraft and demonstration team mount as well as the original trainer mission. The T-2 used the same engine as the SEPECAT Jaguar, the Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour, built in Japan by Ishikawajima – Harima Heavy Industries. The Jaguar T.2 and the Mitsubishi T-2 look similar, but they’re definitely not the same aircraft. It’s a case of engineers with the same problem coming up with similar solutions.

Dragon advertises that they squeeze 1/35th detail into 1/72nd scale – and I can testify that they do indeed! The Pz IV F2 was the first of the series to mount a long 75mm gun. Originally designed to carry the short 75mm in an infantry support role, the gun versus armor race in early WWII found the Germans up-gunning the Pz IV to meet the threat posed by heavier Allied tanks. The first Pz IV F2’s, called Mark IV Specials by the British, appeared in March 1942.

I just received the new “Steel Navy”, Vintage US Navy Warships: 1860s – 1900s from Ray Bean. Ray has produced a ton of photo CDs that has helped any number of fellow ship modelers over the years. As a professional photographer, he has a very detailed eye for any photograph that goes out with his name attached. That eye for detail and photographic quality continues with this new photo CD.

The CD comes in a very sturdy envelope along with a full color jewel case insert and contains more than 300 high quality, high resolution images. It will take you at least two or three sittings to go through all of these images. Due to the time frame of the CD, all images are halftone which I expected. In fact, if any of them were “colorized”, I would have been very disappointed.