Alpha Precision Abrasives is a manufacturer of industrial abrasives. It also has selection of abrasive tools for the hobbyist. Master Detail is packaging a selection of Alpha Precision Abrasives products into an introductory package. The package includes

• 1/8-inch Sanding Files (100/180; 120/240 and 240/320 grit)
• 3 Plastic Sanding Needles (150, 240 and 320 grit)
• Micro Finish Cloth Abrasive Sheet (3200, 3600, 4000, 6000, 8000 and 12,000)
• Abrasive Cleaning Disk

The sanding files are really nice. They bend enough as to follow curved parts without damaging or deforming them, while still have enough ‘hardness’ as to get the sanding job done. You can clean them and re-use them several times (see below). They are color coded in each side for a different grid, however the 100/180 are both white, making difficult to know which grit is the one being used.

Any student of the Pacific War will be familiar with Japan’s use of thousands of conventional aircraft – fighters, bombers, trainers and nearly every other type flown by her Army and Naval Air Forces – into “Special Attack” weapons: the Kamikazes. What is less understood is Japan’s development and use of purposely designed suicide weapons. Author Steven Zaloga is well known for his extensive writing on the subject of military fighting vehicles. In this Osprey New Vanguard edition, he as done a superb job of highlighting all the various types of air, sea and land weapons used by the Japanese Army and Navy “Tokko” (special attack) units.

Eduard has recently come out with a new product which will enhance the realism of some dioramas through photoetch. Eduard has come up with a small wired sheet with what looks like tiny pieces of confetti colored brown, red-brown, and tan for their autumn sheet. It is approximately 5 ½ by 9 inches which is attached to a border around the perimeter. This must be cut off and then the sheet can be folded, rolled, crushed, torn, twisted, poked, bent, and cut to any size with a scissor or modeling knife. It does conform to the shape of the object but still not as well as a piece of cloth. Reshaping and bending too much can cause the color to peel but I would guess that touching it up wouldn’t be a great task. The colors do need to be toned down a bit as they are kind of shiny but again no great task.

Model Art Modeling Magazine is one of the finest periodicals on the market. Each issue covers subjects across the modeling spectrum. Regardless of your area of interest you will, sooner rather than later, find something of significance to you. The quality of the images within each issue is stunning, and that is important since the magazine is published in Japanese. There are always “work in progress” images and the tools and materials being used by the builder are always featured prominently in the images. It is not difficult, therefore, for the reader to use these “work in progress” articles as guides. While some details are certainly lost in translation, or the lack thereof, the general process followed in the “work in progress” is easy enough to follow.

Forward

There is a trend developing with me relevant to Osprey Books. As with the last Osprey book, once I started reading it I could not put it down. The book arrived on a Friday and I started it Saturday afternoon. On Sunday afternoon I was finished.

Description

This is a 7 3/4 by 10 inch hard-cover book with 384 pages. Befitting the number of pages, the paper quality is good. This book contains many illustrations, diagrams and the photos come from public, private, commercial and museum sources. The font is not large but is very readable. Each weapon described is accompanied by several illustrations, photos and in some cases personal anecdotes about the weapon. Information “boxes” further describe the weapon’s characteristics and specifications. With all the photos, illustrations and drawings the book was a faster read than anticipated.