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 the prototype to the final production variant. Experimental or "one-off" variants can also be included. Our first In Action book was printed in 1971.”

Author David Doyle has come through with another wonderfully written book. This time he takes on the Consolidated PBY "Catalina." This aircraft was not always known as the "Catalina," in fact it started off as Consolidated Model 28 in 1932. It wasn't until 1940 when the British received the PBY-5 that the name “Catalina” came about.

The Me-410 was a German heavy fighter/bomber used by the Luftwaffe during WWII. It was one of the very few bombers that could outrun Allied interceptors and bomb Britain. it was also utilized as an interceptor due to it's speed.

To start things off, Meng has done a superb job concerning detail and quality of this kit.

The kit is comprised of 289 pieces. Each sprue is individually wrapped, as are the photo-etched and clear parts. The big surprise to me was that there is zero "flash" on any of the parts. Well done Meng!

The build went smoothly, and the fit of all parts was relatively precise. I used almost no filler during the build, which I'm very pleased with!

Caracal Models has created an excellent decal set featuring numerous colorful US Navy schemes for Trumpeter's HU-16A Albatoss kit. This decal set also address the biggest deficiency in the Trumpeter kit, the absence of walkway decals. The three decal sheets included in the set are printed by Cartograf, and are accompanied by a color glossy eight-page placement and painting guide. Suggested paints are given in FS numbers. The decal colors are opaque and appear to match the FS equivalents accurately when compared to fan deck chips. The decals are just thick enough, going on easily without tearing and hugging down to the surface quite nicely using Microscale setting solutions. All marking were in perfect registration.

Review

Hobbyboss has released the main production variant of the Me-262: the A-1a version. The kit comes in 13 sprues, a clear sprue for the canopy and a metal nose wheel well to prevent having a ‘tail sitter’. The sprues are cleanly molded, free of flash and with well-defined recessed panel lines.

The model has a full interior, consisting of a nose gun bay, fully detailed cockpit and main landing gear bay plus a nicely detailed back fuselage (with a radio set and a compass set). However the detail in the back fuselage is pretty much impossible to see once the model is finished. There is only one service panel and it is not large enough as to allow viewing all that detail.

The U.S. Navy started converting SH-3A and SH-3D Sea King Helicopters into the Utility version designated SH-3G, eventually converting 105 early airframes into this version. The conversion included removing all of the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) gear and provisions to install 175 gallon external fuel tanks on the lower sponson supports. The G model was also outfitted with an improved refueling system that would allow it to Hover In-flight. Using this system it could hover over a ship and using the rescue hoist cable, bring the refueling hose aboard and fuel. The Navy also strengthened the load area of the floor to handle heavier loads. All SH-3G models were fitted with smaller non-ASW sponsons since it was no longer being used in the ASW role. Some of the earlier conversions were fitted with a gun mount for an M60 machine gun or the 7.62 mm minigun. The main job of this helicopter was ferrying equipment and personnel from ship to shore and back.