For several years now, Academy Plastic Model Company has been producing a series of kid-friendly kits based on the designs of Leonardo Da Vinci. I love these little kits. I have the armored car in my office as a conversation piece. These are, perhaps, more toys than traditional model kits but are a perfect kind of kit to introduce kids to modeling. This particular kit is modeled after Leonardo’s air screw. According to da-vinci-inventions.com, Da Vinci sketched out his air screw in the 15^th century. The screw was manufactured from linen, wire, and reeds and was to be rotated by a crew of four men. It was never constructed and would have been an impractical flying machine to say the least. Nevertheless, it is testament to Da Vinci’s genius.

Eduard has been issuing the world’s best photoetch for a long time now and I have watched many of my modeling friends use all sorts of things to add CA glue to the parts - toothpicks, dental tools, sprue parts and many more. The issue is how to apply the minimum amount of glue needed. Eduard has issued a nifty little tool to help apply the glue.

The parts come on a photoetch fret with 20 droppers. The droppers have a etched lower part and come to a tip with two small forks. Use is simple- cut the dropper free and make sure not to damage the tip. It is designed to fit into a #11 knife handle. Place it into the handle like a knife blade and tighten it up.

One of the lessons that I’ve learned over my years of modeling is that it is wise to use the tool best suited for the job at hand. I have a number of high quality tools and many of them have the label, “Xuron” on the handle.

My latest acquisition is the Xuron Tk 3600 Photo Etch Took Kit. The Xuron webpage featuring the TK 3600 states that this kit was designed for scale model builders working with delicate photo-etch. Is there any other kind of PE? The kit contains three tools for cutting, bending and holding PE parts.

Model 9180ET Professional Photo-Etch Scissor cuts the PE, Model 450 TweezerNose™ Plier holds the PE, and the Model 575 Micro Bending Plier bends it.

Walk into any modeler’s hobby room and you will find a library. Scan through the publications and titles on the shelves and you will find a book or publication on “airbrushing”. Airbrushing is an essential skill for almost all modelers and those modelers need to develop a high level of competency to use and master this basic tool.

Kalmbach has released a new publication by Aaron Skinner entitled, “Airbrushing for Scale Modelers” that provides a comprehensive guide to airbrushing from “basic” to “advanced”.

You probably recognize Aaron’s name as he is the senior editor for FineScale Modeler and also a very well-known modeler. In this publication Aaron guides the reader through airbrushing basics and then uses “project models” to demonstrate airbrushing techniques.

This book is a description of the changes in equipment, uniforms, and tactics of the allied troops from the landing at Normandy to VE day on May 8, 1945. Experience, technological improvements, and the seasoning of troops in battle brought about these changes. The book is mostly in text with supporting photos and color plates of soldiers’ uniforms and equipment. The book primarily focuses on infantry, but there are also sections on armor and field artillery. The book emphasizes tactics and use of equipment.

The book has sections on the US infantry, Free French Forces, the British/Canadian Army Group and the British 79th Armored Division.