Hacks - Utility Planes of the Mighty Eighth

Published: August 8, 2021
Book Author(s): Jacek Jackiewicz
Company: Atelier Kecay

Mention “hack” in today’s society and most people think of something to do with computers. Mention the same word to aircraft modelers and we think of utility aircraft such as Norsemans, Bobcats, Piper Cubs, etc.

”Hacks” is the story of those aircraft used by the Bases and Groups of the Eight Air Force in England during WWII. The book has a soft cover with the complete text in English and consists of 132 pages, 267 photos and 195 color profiles. Besides the more common utility type of aircraft, hacks included War Weary Thunderbolts and Mustangs, Bostons and Forts and many other types. These are details with at least one picture, a profile and a little bit of data.

The book starts out with a numerical listing of the USAAF stations in the United Kingdom between 1942 and 1945.… more

British Motor Gun Boat 1939-45

Published: October 12, 2010
Book Author(s): Angus Konstam
Company: Osprey Publishing

Most of you have heard of PT Boats, E-Boats, and MTBs. There have been movies, books, and some good models of these boats. But a class that doesn’t get that much attention is the British Motor Gun Boats or MGBs. This 48 page soft-cover book starts with the development of these craft. The Motor Torpedo Boats did not have the firepower to take on their German cousins, so the initial thought was to remove the torpedo tubes and add heavier weapons. Later, boats made specifically as MGBs were created and finally, some of these were rearmed with torpedos by the end of the war, making a full circle.

The book does a fair job describing the types of boats used up to the Fairmile Type D, which was a much more capable, seaworthy vessel, able to hold its own against the E-boats. One of the… more