Vietnam was called “The Helicopter War,” which suited me just fine, having served as a UH-1H “Huey” doorgunner. But as a modeler, a Long Islander (home to Grumman and Republic), and an armchair historian, I have to concede that quite a number of other aircraft types served heroically, if not stoically, and are owed much, much more appreciation for the extraordinary tasks they accomplished under some of the most suicidal “rules of engagement” ever self inflicted upon a combatant. The Grumman A-6 Intruder has starred in a couple of books and movies, with her pilots among the authors. Indeed, the author of this book, Rick Morgan,”is a retired Navy Lieutenant Commander with more than 2300 hours of flight time… principally in EA-6B Prowler, A-4 Skyhawk and A-3 Skywarrior type aircraft.” Though too young to have served in Vietnam, Morgan flew combat in Desert Storm.

Modelers’ Guide to the P-38 Lightning is the third in a series of books published by Aero Research to aid modelers who want to build accurate models of specific aircraft. According to the first sentence in the book’s introduction: “This book is a guide to building any military variant of the P-38 Lightning, using existing kits.” That is not an understatement. The book will be a very useful reference for anyone planning to build any P-38. All variants, from prototype to the M model (and all photo-recon versions) are included. Author Jay Sherlock has done a thorough job of researching and organizing pertinent information that modelers usually find they need sometime during a project. As a matter of fact, the book will come in handy before starting the project – when deciding which kit to purchase. The first chapter describes in detail all kits currently available in 1/44, 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scales, and each description includes a small color photo of the box top.

History

The Polikarpov U-2 biplane was designed and built during 1928 as a primary trainer for the fledgling Soviet Air Force, and it seemed to possess all of the characteristics desired by that service, including rugged all-wood construction, a low-powered but reliable power plant, and excellent flying characteristics. It was produced in massive numbers, approximately 40,000 of them eventually being manufactured in the Soviet Union and foreign countries. The type was adaptable to many uses, including training, air ambulance, night bombing, crop dusting, and a few were even used as floatplanes. During the war, the plane was re-designated Po-2 in honor of the designer, Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov. A few were even used by the North Koreans during the Korean War for night harassment, as, having all-wood construction, they had a very low radar profile. There are still a few flying today, especially in Europe.

New from Floyd Werner and Werner’s Wings are decals and history for the Night Stalkers, the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR). This set of decals covers the history of the group from its conception in 1981 through Operation Gothic Serpent in 1993.

The aircraft covered here are H-60's and H-6’s in 1/72 scale. The decals are also offered in 1/35th and 1/48th scales. The decals cover eight markings for the H-6 and 9 markings for the H-60. Each scheme has a specific color guide and also notations about specifics of that particular helicopter. There are notes about antennae locations, markings, and history of all airframes.

Master Model is a company that makes turned brass aftermarket parts, specifically pitot tubes, refueling probes, and antennas.

The first thing I would like to point out is how good the packaging and instruction sheet is. The packaging consists of a zip-lock type bag, while the part is in a smaller bag, keeping it from moving all over. The instruction sheet is very clear and easy to understand, only needing 3 steps. Cut off original part, drill a hole (0.8 mm), glue in the new metal part – complete. Just be careful drilling the hole, especially in 1/72.

When compared to the kit part – there is no comparison. The kit pitot tube looks like a little blob of plastic, while the Master Model part is a complete work of art. Once you use a couple of these pieces you will be completely spoiled and never want to use the kit pitot tubes again.