Paul Mahoney
Reviews By Author
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The Junkers Ju88, Part 2: Ju88C to Ju88TPublished:
Valiant Wings has just released the 24th volume in it’s Airframe and Miniature series, dedicated to the Junkers Ju88C through T models. This follows on the heels of volume 23 which covered the Ju88A through B series. The book consists of 256 pages, including over 200 photos (of operational as well as museum aircraft), scale line drawings, color profiles, several model builds, a set of 1/48 plans and more. The contents are printed on high-quality, semi-gloss pages, with heavier stock covers. This book follows a similar format to others in the series. The first 25 or so pages, titled “preface” (one of the more in-depth prefaces I have seen!) pick up where the previous volume ended, and dive into an historical overview starting with the Ju88C. This overview… more |
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Reggiane Re 2001, Re 2005 and BeyondPublished:
MMP Books continues to produce high-quality references that are specifically aimed at the modeler. The latest in their “Orange” Series is this volume on the Reggiane 2001 and 2005 (as well as some further developments in the series). This book consists of 176 pages, including black and white period photos, scale line drawings, color profiles, original manual pages and more. Almost the entire first half of the book is dedicated to the Reggiane Re 2001. The text describes the initial development of the fighter, its subsequent production, and each of the sub-types. Nice, large and (mostly) clear photos accompany the text. This is followed by a description of the combat operations of the aircraft in Italian hands (both pre- and post-surrender), as well as Luftwaffe operational… more |
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Chevron and Cross: Camouflage Paints and Camouflage Schemes of the Royal Hungarian Air ForcePublished:
KLP Publishing is based in Australia producing digital guidebooks aimed specifically at the modeler. This is #4 in the “Modellers Monograph Series” and covers the camouflage painting/schemes of the Royal Hungarian Air Force from inception (post WW1) to 1945. The e-book consists of 417 pages, with a color “cover” and loads of photos of aircraft, source documents and aircraft relics. In addition to the 200+ photos, there are 46 color profiles with very detailed explanations of the individual paint schemes.The author,Károly Magó, served with the Helicopter Defense Forces in Hungary and currently works at the Szolnok Aviation Museum doing restoration and research.He is also involved in search and recovery of aircraft wrecks within Hungary. Finally, it is worth noting that he is a… more |
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Detail & Scale P-38 Lightning Part 2Published:
Detail & Scale produced some incredible references back in the 1980s/90s, and I recall the research within several of them helping to advance my building skills as a young modeler. Recently, the company revitalized itself and has been issuing new (or fully updated) publications with even more comprehensive coverage of aviation subjects. These are now available in digital format as well as traditional printed volumes. As before, there is a brief but detailed history of the subject aircraft, followed by loads of photos of both museum and contemporary aircraft, and a modelers’ section. The P-38 Lightning Part 2: P-38J through P-38M Variants (also covers the F-5B, F-5E, F-5F & F-5G Photo Reconnaissance Variants) is the first of this newer round of publications I have had the… more |
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Pacific Profiles Volume 12- Allied Fighters: P-51 & F-6 Mustang series. New Guinea and the Philippines 1944-1945Published:
This is the latest addition to the ever-expanding list of volumes in the Pacific Profiles
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de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide & DominiePublished:
This series has been around for many years, and they still continue to come out with new volumes, sometimes of little-covered subjects such as this one. This is a softcover publication, with 44 pages in a nice, high-quality semi-gloss finish and a stiff outer cover. Publishing quality is first-rate, as is the content itself. The first part of the text covers the development and use of the Dragon Rapide (Dominie being the militarized RAF version of essentially the same aircraft). This concludes with RAF operations before and during WW2, and covers British use up until the 1980s! Black and white photos accompany the text in sync with the discussion, and there are several color photos as the discussion turns to more recent times. Following this is a breakdown by country of… more |
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Allied Fighters: Bell P-39 & P-400 Airacobra SouthPublished:
I first discovered this publisher and series at an IPMS Nats a few years ago. As the title says, they specialize in WW2 Pacific aircraft, and do an excellent job covering some lesser-known subjects. This is a softcover publication, with 120 pages in a nice, high-quality semi-gloss finish and a stiff outer cover. Publishing quality is first-rate, as is the content itself. The introduction to the book describes the author’s intent, which is primarily to detail and clarify the various markings of Airacobras in the South and Southwest Pacific theater. This contains a brief explanation of the deployment of the type, and some explanations as to the differences between the various models of the P-39, as well as the P-400. The author is very concise and clear in spelling this… more |
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Douglas DB-7 A20G HavocPublished:
I have been familiar with the various book series that Kagero has produced over the years – all aimed at the modeler - but this was a new line to me. “Douglas DB-7 A20G Havoc” is Number 2 in the “Club 1/48” series. Number 1 covers the Junkers Ju 88A-4 and is by the same author. This is a softcover publication, with 45 pages in a nice, high-quality semi-gloss finish and a stiff outer cover. Text is in Polish and English. Printed on the cover is “free masking foil”, which I usually take to mean a masking set for the canopy in Kagero publications. This turns out to be a 1/48 decal. The website says this book includes a decal, so this is as planned. Probably just a translation issue. I appreciate the little ‘extras’ Kagero often includes in their publications and am probably more… more |
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How to Make Vignettes – Basic GuidePublished:
Ammo by Mig is a well-known provider of all sorts of modeling supplies, from paints to weathering powders to tools. They also publish a fairly extensive library of ‘how-to’ type of books, such as this example. Printed on good quality, glossy paper and bound between stiff, glossy boards, the publication values of this book, as with others I have seen from Mig, are quite high. This particular book is written by Artur Miniszewski, an established figure painter and diorama builder. He also has a company, Mantis Miniatures, which produces resin figures and accessories. As can be expected, both Mantis and Ammo products feature prominently in this guide. The author uses six vignettes that he created throughout the book. There are six chapters, not including the ‘… more |
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Single No. 28 Avia S-199Published:
This volume in MMP’s “Single” series covers the Avia S-199, and with the impending release of Eduard’s 1/48 kit (announced, but I have no idea of when), the timing of this publication is perfect. The idea behind this series of books (more like booklets) seems to be to get right to the point and show scale plan views, photos, profiles, etc. Upon opening the narrow, softcover book, one is immediately presented with several pages of scale plans (in 1/72 and 1/48). No introductory history or anything like that, just right into the plans. This is followed by about 15 pages of photos that are a mix of snapshots from operational use and modern photos of a restored museum aircraft. While there is no body of text, each photo does have a generous caption. The operational photos show… more |