The Bf 110 was envisioned by Hermann Goering as a heavily armed fighter-destroyer escort for the Luftwaffe’s bombers. With its four machine gun and two cannon armament it was a deadly opponent as long one could position the aircraft to take advantage of it. Problem was, as so many other countries found out, the idea of a heavy twin engine fighter competing against smaller single engine fighters of equal or greater horsepower just didn’t pan out. Physics simply did not allow it. Early successes against inferior aircraft were soon reversed when the Bf 110s met their match in the Battle of Britain. In spite of being what many could argue was an obsolete design, the Bf 110 soldered on in various versions until the end of the war. It proved especially effective in the night fighter role which capitalized on its multi crew seating and ability to carry a lot of firepower. The Bf 110 D-3 in this kit was designed for long range escort/patrol.

Since the 70^th anniversary of the Battle of Britain is upon us, many companies of interest to the modeling community will be coming out with all sorts of items. The company that this review will encompass is the Kagero Publishing Company. Among their many products are books, magazines, calendars and paintings.

This review is of the new series, “Battle of Britain Part 1”, which covers the Luftwaffe aircraft involved in the Battle. In the beginning of the book is a generalized three page article of the Battle of Britain and information on the Luftwaffe color schemes and how to translate what the color bars painted on the aircraft designate. This is in English text with captions next to each aircraft in English and Polish, explaining the details of each aircraft.

Crusader III (Naval Fighters # 87) is a paperback book measuring 8-1/2” X 11” and consists of 92 pages. The cover and pages are printed on polished paper. The book is full of sharp black and white photographs only with accompanying text. Also included are 3-view drawings, comparison tables, line drawings and performance charts.

The author begins by setting the stage for one of the closest aircraft selection competitions the Navy ever experienced. It began in 1953 when Vought’s F8U-1 Crusader beat out McDonnell’s entry for a high-performance day fighter. When the Navy went looking for an all-weather (night) fighter, the competition began.

Thompson states, “The Navy also preferred to deploy two different carrier-based fighters with complementary attributes…” In addition, having different fighters with different engines in a carrier group ensured a degree of safety in case one engine or aircraft type had a problem.

This book is not so much a “what-if”, but more of a "what might have been" story. Everything is based on surviving tech orders, ads, and other papers that show what the RAF wanted to use the TSR.2 for, as well as the schemes it would have worn and weapons that would have been carried. Like its Canadian cousin the Avro Arrow, it has become the stuff of myth and legend.

The book is profusely illustrated with artwork, showing various markings and paint jobs that will give the modeler looking for something other than the prototype’s white paint scheme a lot to ponder. Like wise, the various weapons load outs will spark the modeler’s imagination.

I found this to be a well-researched and laid out book. The author has done his best to cover all possibilities of the what, where, and how of aircraft assignments. Also included are operations had the TSR.2 entered service.

• QB48 333 AU-23A Nose $3.49
• QB48 334 AU-23A Propeller with tool $6.29
• QB48 335 AU-23A Exhaust $4.61

Roden’s AU-23A kit was a welcome addition for those who like Counterinsurgency (COIN) aircraft, and Roden has established itself with a fine line of kits. However, being a short run kit, there are areas that can be improved with the addition of resin details. Quickboost comes to the rescue, with a series of items to help overcome some of the minor shortcomings of the Roden AU-23A kit.

QB48 333 AU-23A Nose

First in line is a single piece part to replace the nose on the kit. The resin part has a nicely molded front with deep air inlet. There is also some crisp panel lines scribed in, and at first glance this looks like a winner.