Spitfire: The Iconic Fighter in Unique Photographs

Published: January 9, 2026
Book Author(s): Dilip Sarkar
Company: Pen & Sword

With 64 books to his credit, Dilip Sarkar is probably the most qualified individual in the world to write a book about the Battle of Britain as well as England’s premier fighter plane, the Supermarine Spitfire. He was honored in 2003 with England’s MBE (Member British Empire) for his “service to aviation history.” He has done extensive work researching and recording the history of the Battle of Britain. In 2006, he was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS), and in 2024 he was made a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society (FRAeS).

By my count of those 64 books written, no less than 12 have Spitfire in the title, and many more pertain to the historical combat actions and deployments of the Spitfire and the pilots who flew her. A book such as this is… more

Hs 123 A-1 (Late)

Published: December 30, 2025
Company: ICM

ICM have released several versions of this biplane, and the box art depicts a plane in snow-white camo in 1942 on the German eastern front. These rugged aircraft served in ground support and training roles throughout the war, even after being supplanted by the more modern Ju 87. They were only taken out of service in 1944 due to a lack of spare parts.

I was excited to be asked to do a build review of this kit, as ICM have a reputation for common sense engineering, interesting subjects and excellent fit. This kit is no exception.

ICM also provided a paint set (Item 3095 Luftwaffe Assault Aviation) along with the kit and I tried to use these paints in my build whenever possible. Other IPMS reviewers have commented on the quality of these paints, and I agree they work well… more

MQM-74A Chukar Target Drone

Published: August 29, 2025
Company: Special Hobby

History

The Chukar target drone was developed and produced by Northrup Ventura in 1968. It can be launched from land based or ship based zero length launchers. JATO rockets were used to accelerate it to stable flight speed and a Williams J-400-WR-400 turbojet provided 121 pounds of thrust for propulsion. It could travel at speeds up to 400 knots and had a ceiling of 40,000 feet. It was ingeniously designed to include passive or active radar, wingtip infrared flares and a smoke system for visual tracking. It can be rigged with flotation equipment for recovery over water. After a training mission a parachute is deployed and telemetry information on defensive missile performance can be downloaded. The drone is named for the Chukar Partridge, a game bird that thrives from the… more