All new from the elves at Alclad II, a new line of finishes (this time, enamels with a mineral spirits base) primarily for automobiles, and trust me when I say, you need to try these for yourself. First up, a bright silver base has been created that may be sprayed DIRECTLY on to the plastic, without primer. I must admit that I was somewhat skeptical until I tried it, and it is, without a doubt, exactly as advertised. Images show not only the various colors as painted on a series of 34 Ford Coupes, but also an effort of my own on an old “Snaptite” Monogram Corvette, further referred to as the “Candy Dish Corvette.”

From time to time, one gets the opportunity to review a finely crafted and indispensable item such as an airbrush. Badger recently provided a copy of the “Renegade Krome,” along with an assortment of Badger acrylic paint to IPMS/USA, and it, indeed, is an excellent airbrush.

First, there is a treasure trove of information on the Badger website about the Krome, including an informative and excellent video. To view this video, please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JBaqBK1kU4&feature=youtu.be

This is a monthly publication from Japan that covers all manner of modeling subjects, ranging from finished models to kit reviews and model building tips, and includes many advertisements. Finding it on the shelves of bookstore in the US is a bit of a challenge, but it can be found online at a number of sites. It is printed on glossy paper, measures 7 1/8” by 10 1/8”, and contains 172 pages. The photo quality (a mixture of full color and black and white) is excellent. Unfortunately, for those who don’t read Japanese, it serves as a great picture book, because (with the exception of some headings and subheadings) the text is entirely in Japanese.

There has been quite a bit of focus on WWII in the Pacific theater of late, driven in large part by HBO’s mini-series The Pacific, which was based on memoirs of some of the US Marines who fought and bled on small islands as the military pushed towards the Japanese homeland. I’ve always had an interest in this era, and have read many of the well-known books written by the guys who were there, such as Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie, and With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge.

Those books give an individual perspective on the fighting on these Pacific islands, but Dick Camp’s book Last Man Standing provides a much broader perspective. It begins with the history of the Peleliu islands, how they originally were German territories that were given to Japan as war prizes after the First World War. Japan settled the island and exploited it for minerals and coconut oil.

For me at least, an important and particularly enjoyable aspect of every aircraft modeling project is the research into the details of both the machine and the man (or men) who flew it. Consequently, as a Spitfire aficionado, I was most pleased when I received ‘Johnnie’ Johnson’s autobiography, which recounts the personal story of the top scoring Allied fighter pilot of the Second World War. First published in 1956 (this edition was published in 2010), Johnson provides a gripping, first person account of his path through the war, distinctively told in terms of individual epochs rather than linear time. As such, it does not read like a chronological documentary, instead providing the modern reader a uniquely individual perspective of major historical events as they appeared to the eyes of a participant for whom the future outcome was anything but certain.