All jokes aside, the Handley Page V/1500 was proof that in some situations size does matter. At the time when military aviation was still somewhat in its adolescence, the controversial idea of dropping a significant bomb load on an enemy target 500 miles away (and flying over a substantial body of water in the process) meant finding an appropriately large and powerful aerial vehicle to carry out the mission. The Germans had used huge zeppelins to bomb London, but some in Britain believed it a better strategy to use an aeroplane to return the favor. Thus was born a scheme to build a ‘Super’ bomber…actually a ‘Super’ Handley Page bomber, capable of carrying up to 30 250-lb. bombs.

MMP’s latest volume in their “Orange Series” covers the Henschel Hs 123. The book is published on high quality smooth paper, in-between glossy stiff stock covers. On first inspection this appears to be of the same high production quality I have found in all other MMP productions. Lots of clear photos and nicely-done color plates appear throughout the book.

In a similar manner to other titles in this series, this book starts with several chapters covering the design and development of the Hs 123 (about 30 pages in ll). Throughout each of the chapters in this section there are numerous 1/72^nd scale drawings depicting either the entire aircraft, or a particular feature thereof. This is followed by a chapter titled “Technical Description.” Here, as one might expect, the technical specifics of the design are laid out (ie, single-seat sesquiplane of metal construction….), and the text is accompanied by drawings from the actual Technical Manual of the aircraft.

When the fledgling United States Air Force sought a jet-powered interceptor to replace the piston-powered P-61 Black Widow and P-82 Twin Mustang, they selected the Curtiss-Wright XF-82 Blackhawk. When the prototype didn't live up to expectations, the USAF turned to the one company that had an effective jet-powered fighter in service - Lockheed. As with the piston-powered interceptors, the new turbine-powered machines would have to have a two-man crew… one to fly the aircraft, the other to operate the intercept radar. Having developed the successful T-33A, a two-seat trainer variant of the F-80 Shooting Star, Lockheed was given the green light to create an interceptor out of the T-33A in an accelerated development program.

Thanks very much to Revell for providing IPMS/USA this re-release… This is a timely addition to their catalog for D-Day interest (Was it really 70 years ago?) or just those of us wanting to build a C-47! We appreciate your support; I also provide the usual thanks to IPMS/USA leadership for allowing me to review this item.

This is the venerable C-47 originally released by Monogram in 1978, now molded in China and carried by Revell. The original Monogram copyright on the lower exterior wing now says “China 1978”, and a stamp with that information was also used on the inside of the kit in white ink… Molded in Dark olive green and clear, this kit has survived the test of time, to include releases of a DC-3 version, and later an AC-47 gunship with later minigun fit. No flash, and fit (with the exception of that noted later) is great.

The Kit

Many 1/72nd modelers have been chomping at the bit for Eduard to release its new tooled 1/72nd MiG-15 after the initial MiG-15 tooling was severely damaged. Now, we finally have the definitive 1/72nd MiG-15 and MiG-15bis! This review is for the MiG-15 Profipack. The sturdy, top-opening box includes three sprues of grey plastic, one clear sprue, a small photo-etch fret, canopy masks, and decals for five early MiG-15s. The parts are crisply molded with recessed panel lines, and the clear parts are very clear and fairly thin, with only a little distortion on the main canopy.

Upon initial inspection, it may seem like you can build any mainline MiG-15 variant, ie early MiG-15 and MiG-15bis. However, there are some key differences between the MiG-15 and MiG-15bis. Here are a list of parts that cover both variants (MiG-15/MiG-15bis):