Reviews of books or magazines relating to scale modeling.

Book Author(s)
Michael Claringbould and Peter Ingman
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
March 13, 2024
Company
Avonmore Books
MSRP
$48.95

Avonmore Books is an Australian publisher specializing in military and aviation history, with a particular interest on the early period of the Pacific War. Avonmore prides itself in being the only mainstream Australian military history publisher producing full colour, illustrated books. While expensive to produce, we strive to produce titles that are a pleasure to own and read, and which incorporate first-class profiles, illustrations, and maps. To date, Avonmore Books has published 25 aviation books.

Book Author(s)
Robert Forsyth and Eddie J. Creek
Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
March 9, 2024
Company
Classic Publications
MSRP
$57.95

The He-162 Volksjaeger has long been a popular model subject with great kits in all popular scales from Tamiya to Revell to Trimaster. It is an interesting plane and now we have an excellent book documenting the development to deployment to the end of the small jet fighter. Written by Robert Forsyth and Eddie J. Creek, this is a wonderful book with great profiles, pictures and information on the He-162.

The chapter breakdown is as follows:

Book Author(s)
Michael E. Weaver
Review Author
Damon Blair
Published on
March 9, 2024
Company
Texas Tech University Press
MSRP
$49.95

Air War in Vietnam is not your typical “chronological order” book. It is more of an in-depth study of the Vietnam Air War, which makes for some very interesting reading. Rather than have a chronological timeline of events (as is typically the case with historical books), the author has arranged his book based on studies of various individual aspects of the air war.

This book has 612 total pages, of which 413 are the main text of the book. There are relatively few illustrations and maps in relation to the text, with a total of 36 illustrations sprinkled throughout the book. Footnotes comprise 155 pages, and the extensive index is 24 pages.

Book Author(s)
Ralph Riccio, Mario Pieri, Daniele
Guglielmi
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
March 3, 2024
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$59.95

Casemate Publishing is distributing a Helion & Company published book on the topic of Italian Soft-Skinned Vehicles of the Second War World. The publication has two volumes. This review covers Volume 2.

The book is broken down in the following sections

  • Medium and Heavy Trucks
  • Artillery Tractors
  • Special Purpose Vehicles
  • Trailers

Plus three appendices:

  • Camouflage and Markings
  • Italian Vehicles Manufacturers
  • Vehicles produced in Italy while under German Control (1943-45)

While information on the Italian Navy, Italian Air Force and Italian Armored Units is not that difficult to come by, information on their soft-skinned/support/ancillary vehicles is harder to find. But this publication fills that gap well.

Book Author(s)
Tom Cooper
Review Author
Mr. Greg Kittinger
Published on
March 3, 2024
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

The David vs. Goliath nature of the inception and survival of Israel in the Middle East provides an element of fascination to those interested in military history, especially the air war component. Israel came into existence at a time when technology was taking giant leaps forward, but due to mixed support of the birth of the small nation, restrictions and embargoes played heavily into the Israeli Defense Force’s ability to build up its air arm. In this alone it battled great odds to piece together a hodge-podge of aircraft in their early years, but understanding the value that air warfare brought to them in their tenuous geographic and political situation, they continued to spend significant resources to develop a competent air force.

Book Author(s)
John Rodgaard
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
February 24, 2024
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Helion is a UK-based company that produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through to the present day. Helion was established in 1996, and since then they have published over 1,200 books, with 100 or more new titles coming out every year, for readers around the world.

Book Author(s)
Wen Jiang Chung
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 23, 2024
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

This is the fourth book in the War in Ukraine series (currently at five volumes). The first two volumes were reviewed by Orlando Reyes of the IPMS/USA Review Corps:

Book Author(s)
Michał A. Piegzik
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 20, 2024
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

“In far Alaska’s icy spray, I stand beside my binnacle
And scan the waters through the fog for fear some rocky pinnacle
Projecting from unfathomed depths may break my hull asunder
And place my name upon the list of those who made a blunder
Volcanic peaks beneath the waves are likely any morning
To smash my ships to tiny bits without the slightest warning
I dread the toll from reef and shoal that rip off keel and rudder
And send our bones to Davey Jones – the prospect
makes me shudder
The Bering Sea is not for me nor my fleet headquarters
In mortal dread I look ahead in wild Aleutian waters
Where hidden reefs and williwaws and terrifying critters
Unnerve me quite with woeful fright and give me fits and jitters.”

Book Author(s)
Richard A. Franks
Illustrators: Richard J. Caruana, Wojciech Sankowski, and Jerry Boucher
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
February 17, 2024
Company
Valiant Wings Publishing
MSRP
$60.00

Valiant Wings Publishing was founded in 2010 under the guidance of Richard A. Franks and Mark Peacock. Valiant Wings has released several series of primarily airplane monographs [Airframe & Miniature, Airframe Album and Airframe Detail series] with the first Airframe Album dedicated to the Heinkel He 219 ‘Uhu’ released in 2012.