As quoted from Squadron/Signal Publications " In Action books, despite the title of the genre, are books that trace the development of a single type of aircraft, armored vehicle, or ship from prototype to the final production variant. Experimental or "one-off" variants can also be included. Our first In Action book was printed in 1971".

The M-1 Abrams was designed to fight multiple Communist manned tanks in the forests of Europe. Even though the "Abrams" has been in combat, it has been limited to desert warfare. The M-1 was designed to be technologically superior and to provide the crew the best protection possible. During the M-1's career it has gone through many upgrades and modifications, both in technology, armor and armaments.

This is the third book in the new Combat series from Osprey which looks at soldiers who faced each other in battle. The Zulu War of 1879 has long been a subject that captured the imagination of military historians and modelers. Numerous books on the subject have been written, including several by Ian Knight, the author of this book and one of the leading authorities in the world on the Zulu War.

This series follows a similar format in all the books, looking at subjects such as training, morale, weapons, and leadership. The book compares the fighting styles and tactics of the British and Zulus in three very different battles – Nyezane (22 January 1879), iSandlwana (22 January 1879), and Khambula (29 March 1879). Accounts from combatants on both sides are included.

Osprey hits another home run with this 2nd volume on Japanese destroyers. Picking up where the 1st volume left off, this book covers several classes, principally the Asashio, Kagero, and Yugumo. It also details the history, weapons, and tactics of the Japanese destroyers. The author further weighs in on the design and construction, armament, service modifications, and wartime service of each class. The book also covers an interesting experimental destroyer, the Shimakaze, with a top speed of almost 40 knots and 15 torpedo tubes. I found the book’s contents to be well thought out, with a very coherent outline. And it’s written with easy to understand explanations. It has beautiful color paintings and artwork including cutaway illustrations. It offers a wide range of vintage b&w photographs that are pretty decent and would be helpful to the ship modeler. The book has a softcover with a corded gum binding and it’s printed very well.

The November issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling is another excellent piece of scale art. There are the usual two Feature Articles, an Aviation in Profile piece, industry news, and a series of Compact Build Reviews.

The two feature articles for this issue are a 1/32nd scale build of the HobbyBoss P-61 Black Widow and a 1/72nd scale build of Airfix's Lancaster B.III Dambuster. The HobbyBoss P-61 build by James Ashton goes into some detail of the build and adds True Details Wheels and Kits-World Decals. Where this article really shines is in the description of weathering and painting. The articles details paint chipping using the AK interactive chipping system, and also the post-shading and using the oils to weather. The effects are superb and the article is lavishly illustrated.

This is Model Art Magazine’s special quarterly issue that focuses on naval subjects. As with the regular Model Art Magazine, this is printed in Japanese with some English subtitles. This special ship model edition focuses on the "Chitose Japanese Navy seaplane carrier type".

This issue starts off with detail drawings of the IJN seaplane carrier Mizuho. They cover such items as the anchor, vents, cleats, portholes and the trim over them, armament, linoleum decks and how they were secured, and armament – very valuable information for modelers. Next is a one-page article on new items that are coming out.