Like many modelers, my knowledge of history is never as complete as I want it to be, and when MMP issued The Sino-French Naval War, I found a great opportunity to learn more about the conflict that occurred in 1884-1885.

For those of you unfamiliar with these actions, during this time colonization was the policy that many countries pursued to expand growth, secure mineral and trade rights, and protect their people and interests. In this case, the French wanted Vietnam also to protect their Catholic Missions.

This bimonthly magazine is a must for modelers (and aviation enthusiasts) interested in World War One aircraft. The magazine is published by Albatros Productions Ltd. in the UK, who also publish the great line of Windsock Datafiles and Specials.

The headline article in this issue covers an overview of various reproductions of actual World War One Aircraft. These include the OEF D.III, built in Austria, and the RAF RE8, the Albatros D.Va, the Fokker E.V, the RAF FE2b, and the Sopwith Pup, all built in New Zealand. Lots of great color photos of the aircraft are shown, including some valuable detail shots.

The next major article covers the scratchbuild of a 1/72 scale model of the Dornier RS.III Giant Flying Boat. This is a big, complex model with lots of rigging and struts, but the article does a great job of explaining how everything was done.

Fred Pushies has written a book on MARSOC (Marine Special Operations Command), which was formed in 2006 when the United States committed to build up the special forces after 911. It was made from Marine Force Recon companies and designed to take the war to al-Qaeda and the Taliban to stop terrorism.

The book is divided into 8 chapters:

SAM, or more precisely Scale Aircraft Modeling, is an excellent monthly publication focusing on modeling scale aircraft. No surprise there. And if you are a long-time fan of SAM, then it is also no surprise that I state that SAM is one of the best modeling magazines focused on aircraft that money can buy.

Averaging just under 100 pages, SAM is filled with “build” articles featuring some of the newer kits on the market, as well as projects based on old favorites. In the Sept issue (Vol 34, Issue 07), a number of featured articles spans subject matter from World War I to modern jets, both military and civil.

Starting with a WWI subject, Lukasz Kedzierski builds up the Roden 1/32nd scale Nieuport Ni.24bis. Lukasz finished the kit in Polish markings. This kit is labeled as an intermediate-level build. The images show a fully detailed cockpit and a stunning metal cowling.

Tracing its origins back to a set of 1950 requirements for a replacement for the M38 family of vehicles of World War II “Jeep” descent, the M151 Military Utility Tactical Truck (MUTT) became the primary ¼-ton tactical vehicle of the United States Armed Forces until the advent of the HUMMWV in the mid-1980’s.

In the course of 80 pages packed with 220 photos – mostly color – and a handful of line drawings, author David Doyle captures the genesis and service life of this legendary military vehicle. Although “In Action” in name, plenty of detail photos and narrative are provided of the vehicle in various phases of development, assembly and maintenance – a modeler’s treasure chest!

Operational photographs and narrative capture the MUTT’s service in numerous configurations, conflicts, and theaters of operation, including Vietnam, NATO and PACOM exercises, Beirut, Grenada, and others.