Helion is a prolific publisher of military history based in the United Kingdom. This two-volume set provides an overview of the formations, equipment, and actions of German light divisions from 1938 through the end of the Polish campaign. As with all Helion offerings, they are paperback but professionally produced. Each volume is full of beautifully reproduced black and white photographs, campaign maps, drawings of tables of equipment and organization, as well as several color profiles of German vehicles in this time. The first volume covers the formation, armament, and pre-war deployment. The second volume is devoted to the Polish campaign with additional information on camouflage, markings, and the continued evolution and ultimate dissolution of the light divisions.
Details the StuG from its inception in December 1943 to the end of WWII on the Eastern Front. Officially, the Sturmgeschütz IV (StuG IV, Sd.Kfz. 167) was a German assault gun variant of the Panzer IV based on the identical in role and concept to the highly successful StuG III assault gun variant of the Panzer III. In the last two years of the war, both StuG models were given a tank destroyer role in German formations and tactical planning, greatly augmenting the capability of the dwindling tank force available to the German military. After all, what could be better than a StuG III? A plus one to StuG IV!
From the talented author, Dennis Oliver,
AOA Decals has a good reputation for quality decals, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review one of their newest releases, the US Modern Letters & Numbers Decals (35-014).
The decals come in two sheets of the same page, so there are plenty of numbers, codes and colors available for 1/35 modern subjects. As it is a generic set, there are no instructions provided.
From the AOA website
This sheet offers number and letter variations as seen on US "modern" vehicles - both in black and green for most styles.
A full alphabet is provided for one of the most common US stenciled styles, including multiple "M" variations.
Other styles are primarily numbers for USMC/USN vehicles (M-ATV, JLTV, MTVR, M1 Abrams, LAV-25, etc.). Also includes USMC vehicle plate decals.
Box Art / Packaging
The Avenger is presented in a rigid top opening box with glossy finish, the box art depicts the Avenger air defense system deployed in the field.
This 100% newly tooled kit is a brand new 2026 release from AFV Club.
The box contains a normal instruction booklet with clear construction steps, instructions were easy to follow and no glaring omissions were noticed.
Also included is a glossy poster of the box art for those who like to save these, no need to save the box lid! The manual also includes paint schemes for 6 different variants.
Vehicle Background
The AN/TWQ-1 Avenger Air Defense System is an American self-propelled surface-to-air missile system that provides mobile, short-range air defense protection for ground units against cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, low-flying fixed-wing aircraft, and helicopters.
From AOA Decal Manufacturer’s Notes
14 options for JLTVs in US service:
- 2x Army Reserve (Fort McCoy)
- 12x USMC - Additional decals are also included without the tape/exercise markings that cover some various unit markings. Decals for an M1102 trailer are also included for one JLTV option.
- Includes full JLTV stencil data set (enough for two vehicles) with variations.
- For Rye Field Model (RFM) 1/35 JLTV.
Background and Historical Notes
As one of the military’s most important decisions, it put out a bid announcement for a replacement for its basic utility vehicle, what was to be called the ‘Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.’
WW2 Vehicles – Through the Lens Volume 7 by Tom Cockle is a forthcoming photographic reference book focused on Second World War era military vehicles, part of the WW2 Vehicles – Through the Lens series. It’s designed primarily for military history enthusiasts, scale modelers, and researchers who want authentic period photography and detail on armored vehicles and related transport.
The volume is a photo-centric reference book with minimal narrative — it emphasizes large, high-quality black & white images accompanied by concise captions that identify vehicles, locations, and sometimes field conditions. Each section groups photos around a specific vehicle type or theme.
Featured subjects include:
Neverland Hobby has provided this beautiful new tool release of the German armored version of the classic G Wagen, in this 1/35 scale.
- Ten Tan Sprues
- One Clear Sprue
- One Photo Etch set
- One Mask set
- One Decal sheet
- Six rubber tires
- Six rubber bushes
- One Metal foil decal sheet
- Set of four 3D printed resin parts
- One Instruction guide
The detail quality is excellent in every way with this kit; crisp and detailed molding, as I have seen on other Neverland Hobby kits.
The Assembly is quick and easy.
You must select which version you are going to build before you start, I chose version -B based on a vehicle on Kabul service in 2009.
Reviewer’s Comments:
TankCraft 46, Panther Medium Tank, German Army, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units, Eastern Front, 1944 details the Panther tank, officially the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (Pz. Kpfw. V, Sd. Kfz. (Sonderkraftfahrzeug) 171, during the largely defensive battles on the Eastern Front during 1944. As the author states in the Introduction,
“At the beginning of 1944, the German armies in the East had lost much of the territory that they had overrun in the spectacular advances of 1941 and 1942. In the north, Leningrad was still surrounded but was being resupplied, and the city was no longer under any serious threat. Most of modern-day Ukraine east of the Dnipro River was now in Soviet hands and in the south the Red Army had occupied the Perekop Isthmus, cutting off Generaloberst Erwin Janecke’s 17. Armee in Crimea.
War in Ukraine, Volume 9: Soviet-Designed Artillery Systems, 2014–2024 by Wen Jian Chung is a highly focused and informative entry in the Europe @ War series, offering a detailed look at one of the most important elements of the ongoing conflict, Artillery Systems. Chung does an excellent job breaking down the development, deployment, and battlefield use of Soviet-designed systems still in operation today. The text strikes a solid balance between technical detail and operational context, making it accessible without losing depth. It’s particularly valuable for readers interested in how legacy systems have been adapted and employed in a modern, high-intensity conflict.
This rather imposing triple kit package of the G7117, Studebaker US6-U3, and Studebaker US6-U5 trucks, comes in an average sized box with a nice artist rendering of the three trucks on the outside, with several pictures and a detailed description of what you get inside. Inside there are three stuffed plastic bags containing the individual, and the three instruction manuals that correspond to them. The sprues at first glance look well packaged with cushioning tape wrapped around the delicate parts, no etched fret, but a well rendered Decal Sheet for multiple marking options.
