This is one of four P-51 decal sheets produced by a new decal maker, A.M.D.G. Decals. A.M.D.G. seems to be one of those companies “by and for” modelers. If you have a look at the company website, you will find their philosophy on the “About Us” page. They seem to have a very enthusiastic and passionate approach to this, and this decal sheet does a great job of demonstrating it!

This sheet has complete markings (including four sets of national insignia and propeller data stencils) for all of the aircraft depicted. There are three UK-based subjects and one based in China. The amount of research done for these four schemes is readily apparent after reading the instructions.

Markings provided are for the following Mustangs:

This is the fourth in a quartet of 1/48 scale P-51 decal sets recently released by A.M.D.G. Decals. As I noted in my review of their first set of P-51 decals, A.M.D.G. Decals is a new company from Poland that markets these sets under the title YANKEE MERLIN ROARS!!! (Parts I – IV), and they provide everything needed in each set to finish four different aircraft. The decal sheet included in each set is packed with about as many individual decals as anyone could hope for (as shown in the photo below).

This set (Part IV - #A48-004) of YANKEE MERLIN ROARS!!! provides markings for the following:

Written by Donald Nijboer and illustrated by Jim Laurier and Gareth Hector, Spitfire V vs C.202 Folgore: Malta 1942 from Osprey Publishing covers what is generally considered to be the best fighters for their respective air forces: the Spitfire Mk. V and the C.202 Folgore. This 60^th book in the Duel series provides extensive accounts of the clash between these two classic World War II aircraft in the skies above Malta in 1942

Tracing the lineage of both aircraft back to the Schneider Trophy S 6B and MC 72, the book lays out the technical issues that went on to make the Spitfire Mk V and the C.202 such outstanding fighter aircraft. Moving forward to the war years, the author sets the stage for the massive dual that saw these two aircraft meet over Malta. To quote the author, “The history of these two fighters will forever be linked with the savage air battles that took place over the skies of Malta in 1942.”

This is another of the marvelous Eduard 1/144 kits. Previously I’ve done the Spitfire IX, both c and e wings, the MiG-21s (all three) and the Ju-52 military. All have been nicely crafted, with good fit and interesting markings. This one is no exception.

The Aircraft

By early 1943 the Luftwaffe no longer held air superiority over the Soviet Union, at least not sufficient superiority to prevent Russian fighters from interfering with dive-bomber operations. The Stuka Geschwaders lost eight of their Knight’s Cross Holders during the battles around Kursk. The Stukas were generally replaced by FW-190s and Bf-109s in the ground attack role.

The RLM (German Air Ministry) was also worried about the vast numbers of enemy tanks on the Eastern Front, and wanted an effective way to stop armored offensives. The Henschel Hs-129 was a potent anti-tank weapon, but its twin-engine design and large fuel tanks reduced its’ ability to survive ground fire.

Windsock Worldwide, which has taken on the name of Windsock World War Centenary, continues to produce one of the finest resources for all who are interested in modeling WWI aircraft. With the centennial of World War One upon us, there has been an uptick in scale modeling of Great War subjects, both in armor and especially in aircraft. As someone who has focused the majority of my modeling career on World War One biplanes, it is heartening to see the revival that is going on in this field of model building. A lot of this has to do with the emergence and success of Wingnut Wings. This has not been lost on the Windsock publications, as they give ample coverage to all news related to Wingnut Wings, and reviews of their latest kitsets.