I grew up in Poland and immigrated to the US 35 years ago when I was in my twenties. Ironically, I majored in English here, but I have fond memories related to my interest in aviation. What spiked my interest in reviewing items were the books on some familiar subjects. For example, I received a glider pilot license in Poland and one of the books Pablo Bouleo mentioned in the 'stash' is from MMP (PZL-104 Wilga 35A, Single No. 46). In my glider training, the plane towing us was the PZL-104 Wilga! So, anything around Polish subjects like PZL Combat Fighters, etc., would land you a quick and thorough review just because I had an exposure to some of the topics. Not to mention an uncle who flew a total of over 4000 hours in Mig-21s. Therefore, I want to thank you both for giving me the opportunity to join this review. group.
Published: Book Author(s): Janos Besenyo
Andras Istvan Turke, Endre Szenasi Company: Helion & Company
From the publisher’s website:
In the early 2010s, the Wagner Group, a notorious private military company under the control of Yevgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, began to emerge onto the world stage. This organization first showed its hand in Crimea, eastern Ukraine and the civil war in Syria. It quickly became apparent that it had the blessing of the very highest levels of Putin’s government in Russia to act as an armed extension of the country’s foreign policy before a spectacular fall from grace following the mutiny in the summer of 2023.
The role of mercenary is as old as recorded human history and stretches back to the earliest days of civilization. For those states unable to afford a standing army, the mercenary offered professional services… more
Published: Book Author(s): Martin Derry and Neil Robinson Company: Pen and Sword Books Ltd
From the Pen and Sword Books website:
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was arguably the Luftwaffe’s most outstanding piston-engine fighter of the Second World War, virtually dominating the skies over Europe for more than a year after its initial introduction into service in the summer of 1941. Continual developments and improvements then kept it at the forefront of operations in the theaters of Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Eastern Front for the remainder of the war, while maintaining a competitive edge over many other types as well as gaining and retaining the grudging respect of those Allied pilots who faced it in combat.
Despite being designed as a fighter, the BMW 801-powered Fw 190 subtyped performed practically every role possible for a single-engine,… more
The 2 cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft gun began entering service with the Wehrmacht in the second half of 1940. With its reliable design and high rate of fire (up to 480 rounds per minute), it was an effective means of close-range air defense in the Wehrmacht, and its production continued until the end of World War II. In addition to targeting aircraft, the gun could also be used against lightly armored targets. To increase mobility, anti-aircraft guns were often mounted on various vehicles, both wheeled and semi-tracked. One such vehicle was the semi-tracked version of the widely used Wehrmacht truck, the V3000S, which was designated as Sd.Kfz.3b (also known as the V3000S/SSM). The anti-aircraft guns were mounted in the vehicle’s bed and could be placed either on… more
The ICM WWI German Aviation acrylic paint set contains six bottles, 12 ml each. The paints are water-based. The box contains the following:
White (1001)
Black (1002)
Blood Red (1046)
Light Earth (1056)
US Dark Green (1072)
Deep Sky Blue (1076)
The ICM website states that this set is best to be used with #72111 and #72121. These are WWI kits from ICM in 1/72 scale: Fokker E.IV and Pfalz E.IV fighters.
Application And Experience
The following instructions on how to use the paints can be found on the side of the box:
Shake well before using
Paint is prepared for a brush, for the airbrush dilute with water or thinner 40-60%.
The Soviet I-153 biplane fighter, also known as “Chaika,” was created in 1938 by the Polikarpov Design Bureau. It was an advancement of the I-15 fighter line, featuring retractable landing gear (unlike the fixed gear of the I-15), and was considered one of the most advanced biplane fighters of its time. A total of 3,437 of these aircraft were produced. The I-153 was first used in combat against Japanese aviation in the skies over Mongolia in the summer of 1939. However, by the time the war between Germany and the Soviet Union began, this fighter was already considered obsolete—its low speed made it unable to catch up with even some bomber… more
In 1934, the 20 mm anti-aircraft gun Flak 30, developed by the German company Rheinmetall, was adopted by the Luftwaffe. Based on the combat experience with the gun in Spain, Mauser upgraded it, and the new model was named the 2 cm Flak 38. The upgraded gun used the same ammunition as the Flak 30, with changes primarily aimed at increasing the rate of fire, which rose from 245 to 480 rounds per minute. The cost of one 2 cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft unit was 6,500 Reichsmarks. The new gun began entering service in the second half of 1940 and soon became a common close-range air defense tool in the Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe. Besides combating aircraft, the gun could also be used to engage lightly armored targets. A company equipped with twelve 2 cm Flak 38 guns was part of the anti… more
These installations were used by the Wehrmacht to defend troops on the march from air attacks and to support the advancing infantry. They were originally installed on the special trailer “IF5” and Stoewer, BMW cars (type Kfz 1) in the initial period of the war, also later in the bodies of trucks and as fixed firing points.
Reviewer’s Comments:
ICM’s Zwillingssockel 36 kit consists of a color box cover with a reinforced inner white cardboard box underneath it. There is a single sprue with 30 parts provided inside and one sheet of instructions. There is no background or history of the gun provided. However, there is a brief description of this machine gun mount on… more
The development of the L-410 started in Czechoslovakia in the 1960s. The first prototype, called L-410 Turbolet, flew on April 16, 1969. New versions followed, including the L-410UVP, which had an improved performance in take-off and landing, and the L-410UVP-E, the most common variant of the plane, which had an increased maximum take-off weight. The first flight of the L-410UVP-E took place in 1984. The production of this variant started two years later. The seating capacity for the different versions ranged from 15 to 19 passengers.
The Kit
The Kovozavody Prostejov (KP) kit of the L-410 Turbolet in 1/72 scale comes in a side-opening box with the front box art on top and four, color painting schemes on the back of the box. The kit includes three sprues… more
Published: Book Author(s): Ian Baxter Company: Casemate Publishers
The book “The East Pomeranian Offensive, 1945: Destruction of German Forces in Pomerania and West Prussia” is a fully illustrated account of the offensive that took place before the Soviets pushed toward Berlin in 1945. Before that final drive toward the Nazi capital, the Russians wanted to clear the areas in the northern part of occupied Poland and reach the Baltic Sea to ensure the northern flank of the Red Army was secured during their advance toward Berlin. The Soviet advance created a series of German encirclement's that had to be dealt with. Many of the encircled areas were heavily fortified, although the fast Russian drive forced the German to build some of these fortifications in haste, making them less effective. There were some key cities like Danzig and Kolberg (today’s… more
