Model Art No. 41 Autumn 2011 is devoted to several classes of more obscure Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) warships in WW2. Specifically, Katori class light/training cruisers, Hatsuharu class destroyers, and Fuso class battleships. For each class, you get to see builds of the most recent kits, drawings, figures and photos showing intimate details of each class/kit, and background history with photos (in Japanese of course). Scales are mostly 1/700 since 1/350 kits are not available for Katori and Hatsuharu classes yet. Battleships kits are mostly 1/350 scale model kits. Coverage is comprehensive, with emphasis on historical accuracy of appearance. This edition is perfect for those modeling these ship classes.

If you’ve ever spent time at Hurlburt Field, Florida, near Mary Esther, and mostly surrounded by Eglin AFB, you probably know something about Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). The first time I was there, they had AC-130s, HH-3s, and MC-130s. Each time I went back they had something new and more esoteric. I haven’t been back since they got the Ospreys, but I’ve seen one fly, and they are a hoot.

This book is aimed at the modeler and aviation enthusiast interested in the less-traveled and publicized areas of the modern Air Force. Each chapter contains a few pages of text, with photographs which illustrate and flesh out the subject of the text. Then come side color profiles of the aircraft, and finally a walk-around showing all those things we’re interested in and those details we can’t find photos of.

The contents are, by chapter:

The Story

This book represents a novel approach to aviation history, and instead of the usual treatment of aircraft types, famous pilots, or even significant designers, the author identifies what he considers to be the significant aircraft producers of the World War I era, and goes through the development of the companies and the actions of their founders and CEO’s, explaining how their aircraft were developed and used. After producing a list of 92 significant producers, the authors selected 27 to discuss in detail, and he does an excellent job of presenting the startup of the firms, the personnel involved, and the airplanes, both successful and unsuccessful. He alludes to the postwar period a number of times, as many of these aircraft, such as the DH-4, Curtiss JN-4, and other types were used long after the end of hostilities, in both military and civilian roles.

Osprey Publishing, in cooperation with The Tank Museum, has published a guide of “the 40 most iconic tanks of the 20^thcentury.” Each of the tanks covered in the guide receives three pages that include a one page history, an extensive list of specifications, two full color drawings and detailed descriptions of each drawing.

Much of the histories will already be known to students of armor, but I did find bits about the covered vehicles that are new to me. The full color drawings are exceptional and show the tanks in a used condition with many covered in crew gear and other equipment. The majority are side profiles, however there are many views from the front or rear quarter. The lists of specifications are fairly extensive for the size of the book and are useful for comparing the different vehicles. Finally, the picture narratives provide additional details on the particular tanks in the drawings.

One of the newer series of Osprey Publishing is the “Duel” series. As the name suggests, it provides an in-depth look at two pieces of equipment and compares and contrasts their capabilities in the context of a particular battle. To date, there are forty separate titles. Many of these concentrate on armor. Osprey has packaged five of these titles into one book: