Model Art is a well known Japanese model magazine. It is famous for high quality builds and photographs that fully live up to the publication’s name. This issue covers Japanese WWII navy ships but also covers subjects as varied as aircraft, armor and trucks.

The first 48 pages give extensive photographic coverage to 1/700 scale ships of the Japanese navy circa WWII. Coverage includes 1^st class transport vessel, heavy cruiser Aoba, battleship Yamato, carrier Soryu, battleship Nagato, heavy cruiser Tone, destroyer Hatsu-Kazuyoshi and two navy auxiliary vessels. Each is well documented photographically.

The US Navy had a winner in the SH-3 Sea King. But like all good things, the Sea King became obsolete, and the Navy had to find a replacement. The answer was that the US Army was looking for a replacement for their UH-1 Iroquois (Huey). Robert McNamara would have been so proud, as the Army and Navy chose the same basic helicopter, Sikorski’s S-70, which became the Army’s UH-60 Blackhawk and, because the Navy’s just, well, different, the SH-60, HH-60 and MH-60 for the elder service.

The Navy version has the tail wheel moved forward, and doubled. This allows the tail on the ship-based helos to be folded, saving deck space. Navy missions include surface warfare, undersea warfare, anti-submarine warfare, SEAL insertion, replenishment, troop landings, search & rescue and Medevac.

I have to admit that I am a paint addict. Part of it might be that I build every type of model and part of it is looking for that perfect paint. As I was reading another modeling publication, there was a nice ad for Reaper Miniatures and their line of paints and figures. For those who are unaware, Reaper Miniatures produces metal figures for use in RPG or role playing games and sells all the associated things needed such as paint. When Ed Pugh and Reaper offered to let IPMS review their paints, I was chomping at the bit to put these through trials on figures.