Lockheed was awarded the contract for development of the S-3 Viking in August, 1969. The S-3 started being delivered to squadrons in 1974 as a replacement for the S-2G. The phase-out of the Viking began in late 2003, with the last Viking squadron VS-22 disestablished in January, 2009.

Squadron/MMD printed their first In Action series book in 1971. This one follows in the long line of its predecessors. The book covers the S-3 Viking from development through the disestablishment of the last Viking squadron. There is a great mix of color and black and white photos, along with plenty of good captions. In addition, included are pages of colored drawings.

I highly recommend this to fans of ASW or Naval aircraft. Squadron again has done a great job with printing of this book and presenting this information to aircraft fans.

I would like to thank Squadron, Squadron Signal Publications, and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this fine book.

The Nov/Dec 2012 issue of Windsock Worldwide concludes Volume 28 and serves as further proof that Albatross Productions continues to publish the best WW I aircraft modeling magazine available anywhere. This issue of the bi-monthly publication provides a number of exclusives for WW I aircraft model builders and historians. The cover photos provide a look at two of them: Wingnut Wings’ new Fokker D.VII kits, and TVAL’s third full-size replica, an Albatros D.Va.

Inside, the first regular column; the READER’S GALLERY, presents six featured models in 1/48 and 1/32 scale…with one, a Roland D.II cleverly constructed from LEGO pieces. Then, LOGBOOK ENTRIES reviews a new book titled Nachtflugzeug! German N-Types of WW I, and the latest issue of Cross and Cockade International (Vol.43, No.3). Following that, photo coverage is provided of one of the subjects on the cover, TVAL’s replica Albatros D.Va.

The book Ferdinand/Elefant: Detail In Action by David Doyle is a nice addition to the library of any German armor modeler. It is packed with 80 pages of drawings, photos, and information on the Ferdinand and Elefant tank destroyers. This book also contains a small part in the front covering the Porsche Tiger, which was the predecessor of the Ferdinand/Elefant. In fact, Ferdinand Porsche designed the suspension of these three behemoths.

My favorite part of these In Action books is always looking at the pictures of the actual vehicles during the war. From these photos you can get a sense of how used these tanks were, and how the paint schemes look as compared to the museum specimens. I enjoyed looking at the photos of these giant monsters. An interesting comparison is the photos of the damaged Ferdinand #501 as seen during its capture and, later, in modern times at the museum.

This book looks at the RAF and Britain’s air defense, post-World War II. More specifically, it looks at the defense of Britain from nuclear strikes.

This book is broken down into ten chapters, beginning at the end of WWII when the British defenses were set up to protect her from massive raids by piston-engined bomber aircraft and the post-war realization that the advent of the V-1 and V-2 missiles and the jet engine had rendered all of this obsolete. Add the atomic bomb to this, and the RAF was scrambling to devise new defenses.

The author does a good job of discussing the Soviet threat, as well as all of the various programs that were being devised to deal with it. Those that made it to reality, as well as those that never made it off paper, are all covered. All of the aircraft projects, as well as those involving missile defense, are discussed, with coverage even given to dealing with hijacked airliners.

This book in the Orange Series from MMP describes the Italian WWII Macchi C.202 Folgore, or MC.202. This is the expanded second edition of this title, and contains some new information not in the first printing.

The MC.202 is probably the most famous and recognizable Italian fighter of WWII. The aircraft was used in combat from its introduction in 1941 through the end of hostilities. It served with the Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) and also with the German Luftwaffe, as well as a few other countries. This book mainly deals with the fighter in Italian service but does include a small section on the aircraft’s use with other countries.