B-17G Flying Fortress Propellers

Published: September 27, 2021
Company: Quickboost

The HK B-17s are really good kits. They could use some details added here and there. One of those places is the props. They are slightly misshaped. They are wider than they should be at least to my eye and to obviously Quickboost as well. Judge for yourself with the photos.

There are four prop hubs and 12 prop blades. They are all packaged in the resealable packaging that Quickboost uses with a card stock backing to protect the parts. There are 16 flawlessly cast light grey resin pieces included, four hubs and 12 blades. The blades are keyed to the hubs so there is no need for an alignment tool. The detail on the hubs is flawlessly executed and the blades are suitably thin and correctly shaped.

The only real work is to drill out the back of the hub and insert your own… more

Mi-24DV, Scale Plans No. 67

Published: July 13, 2021
Book Author(s): Dariusz Karnas
Company: Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books

With the release of the Zvezda Mi-24V/VP and P there was a need for a reference that could cover the rivet patterns. Enter MMP Books Scale Plans series. In particular, this book which is No.67 in the series highlights the Mi-24D/V Hind.

The book is a softbound A4 sized book and includes, as the title suggests, scale plans. It is designed specifically for 1/48^th scale so all the pages are fold out with cross sectional views. It is interesting to see the offset twist of the fuselage. It would be difficult to see on the real helicopter. The Hind D, E and P are in this book. There are twenty pages, which is ten foldout pages with drawings of the airframe and weapons systems. There are four-view drawings of the airframe. The real seller of this book is the rivet patterns… more

Foxbat Tales - The MiG-25 in Combat

Published: November 23, 2021
Book Author(s): Mike Guardia
Company: Magnum Books

The MiG-25 conjures up, at least for me, huge engines and wicked speed. I remember when the Russian pilot defected to Japan in one. It was impressive looking. That was at a time when the Russian military was very secretive. I’ve always had a love of the bad guys, and in my early military days there was none badder than the MiG-25.

This paperbound book contains 122 pages of information that is easy to read. Once I sat down with the book, I did not want to put it down. There are close to 50 black and white photos, some show unique markings. This book is unique in its ability to follow the combat career of this fighter type. Starting in the first chapter we are taken through the development of the aircraft.

This is followed up by the defection in 1976 by Viktor Belenko. As… more

Boeing B-17: The Fifteen Ton Flying Fortress

Published: February 28, 2021
Book Author(s): Graham M. Simons & Dr. Harry Friedman
Company: Pen & Sword

I did not know what to expect when I started reading this book. I thought everything that could be written about the B-17 had been written. I was wrong.

This paperback book is written in an easy-to-read style. It does get technical at points, but it is easily understandable. The 256 pages are 9.25 x 6 of high-quality paper. It does contain almost 480 photos: many I’ve never seen before. So, with the preliminary information, let’s see what is inside of the book.

Developmental history starts well before the B-17, or Model 299, went to the drawing board. The stories that accompany the development are gold. The problems, drawbacks, and trials of developing an aircraft that was operating in the stratosphere at extremely low temperatures are each talked about. And the ways… more

Wings of Iraq-Volume 1: The Iraqi Air Force, 1931-1970

Published: February 7, 2022
Book Author(s): Milos Sipos & Tom Cooper
Company: Helion & Company

This is my first exposure to the Middle East at War series. This paperback book contains the history of the Iraqi Air Force from its inception up to the Arab/Israeli Wars of the 1970s. It contains over 130 photos, maps, 21 color profiles, and various other illustrations.

The book starts out by providing the history of Iraq, even before the genesis of the air force. This historical background is appreciated since the history of the region has an effect on the formation of the military, especially the air force. The start of air power in the region was shown by the British during WWI And immediately afterwards. Training of Iraqi pilots began in 1930 by the British and with that the beginning of the Iraqi Air Force took hold.

The book follows variety of British aircraft… more

Spitfire Mk.Ia Decals

Published: February 27, 2021
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

Eagle Editions has produced some of the most accurate decals on the market. Normally known for their Luftwaffe subjects, they have quite a collection of other aircraft as well, including the Spitfire. With new 1/48th subjects from Airfix, Eduard, and Tamiya these decals are perfectly timed.

There are decals for three aircraft that represent the evolution of the Temperate Land Scheme and the under-surface colors. One aircraft has the black and white belly, the next has the sky color and the following one has the Sky-Blue belly. The first one is flown by P/O Al Deere with the Kiwi emblem in front of the cockpit. The next is flown by Sgt. Bernard Jennings from No.19 Squadron and is typical of the Battle of Britain period. The final option has an American flavor, with a red spinner… more

FW-190A Decals

Published: February 27, 2021
Company: Eagle Editions Ltd.

Eagle Editions has become synonymous with quality research in their parts and decals. This sheet is no exception. With the release of the Eduard and Hasegawa early model 190s there is a need to add some marking options. Packaged in a resealable ziplock baggie are two decal sheets for four aircraft and the instructions.

The decals themselves are printed by Cartograf, so you know they are the highest quality in the world. They are in perfect register, thin and look great. The first sheet is the big sheet with all the aircraft individual markings and enough stencils for one aircraft. The smaller sheet includes enough markings for all four aircraft upper wing crosses.

The instructions are printed on 11 x 27 sheet printed in full color and folded in half and then half again… more

Against All Odds

Published: January 28, 2022
Book Author(s): Air Commodore Kaiser Tufail
Company: Casemate UK

Smaller wars are often overlooked as was the case in the India-Pakistan War of 1971, especially the air war portion. This little-known air war placed two air force with a variety of different aircraft pitted against each other. The author has spent over three decades in the Pakistani Air Force. He has attempted to be objective in his analysis and for the most part I feel he has succeeded in presenting an balanced accounting of the air war.

This book is not my normal book I would read but this one had a difference to me. I am friends with a Pakistani family in our town. While attending a Mehndi party prior to her wedding she introduced me to her father and uncle. The father was Pakistani, and the uncle was Indian. Just a coincidence of where borders were established. She said we… more

The Medieval Longsword

Published: December 19, 2020
Book Author(s): Neil Grant
Company: Osprey Publishing

I recently started to learn how to do German Longsword training, so this book was perfectly timed for me.

In common with the Osprey Weapons series of books, this paperback book consists of 80 pages with colorful illustrations throughout.

Swords have always fascinated me, whether it was Excalibur or Light Sabers, the thrill of sword play has spanned the history of modern man. The Longsword came into fashion in the 1300s until the 1500s as weapons and until the 1700s as sporting weapons. The study of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) has really taken off in the last few decades. This book is a great introduction of the longsword both as a weapon and a tactical, economic, and social artifact.

The book is broken down into introduction, development, use, impact, and… more

Bf-109F-4 Single, No.20

Published: December 14, 2020
Book Author(s): Dariusz Karnas & Karolina Holda
Company: Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books

These little single books by MMP Books are quite interesting. They focus on a single subject that is covered very well. The only text is the captions which are written in English. They do an adequate job.

These books are designed with the modeler in mind. As such they have scale drawings in 1/72^nd and 1/48^th scale. I couldn’t find fault with these. They look very accurate to me. After the drawings there are some historical photos and pictures from the parts manual of the aircraft. Intertwined with those photos are plenty of detail photos that should satisfy most modelers. The detail photos are of the F-4 in the Canadian Museum. There are four color pages and one aircraft of Hermann Graf is presented in a three view profile.

Overall these books are… more