Author Andrey Latkin writes,

Introduced through the Allied Lend-Lease program, the Kittyhawk entered Soviet service in the Artic in 1942. This volume explores the logistical hurdles of maintaining and operating these American-built aircraft in extreme northern conditions, and details their early missions supporting convoy protection, intercepting German bombers, and later, transitioning into reconnaissance and fighter-bomber roles.

This 76-page book is a part of Helion & Company’s @War Series. Curtiss Kittyhawks in the Soviet Far North 1941-45: Volume 1 -Origins and Early Combat Operations, 1942–May 1944 (Helion No. HEL2004) is outlined in the familiar @War format and is a little light in black and white photographs (not surprising given how little is known, or covered, in this theater of operations), color profiles, supporting text, detailed captions, and, perhaps most importantly, maps. The book is composed of the following sections:

During World War II, Allied military engineering units used special metal plates called Marston Mat (aka PSP, or Pierced Steel Planking) to rapidly construct temporary field airfields. These steel plates could withstand heavy loads and enabled the quick installation of stable, durable airfield surfaces for various aircraft on soft or unstable ground. Their perforated design allowed water to drain easily from the surface without compromising the covering’s quality. The Marston Mat, named after its first testing location near Marston, NC, in November 1941, became widely used in combat operations across the Pacific theater, North Africa, and Europe. Allied engineering units could construct airfields of various sizes in just days using these plates. After the war, the plates found new life in peaceful applications, particularly in building temporary roads and platforms and numerous uses on farms. In addition to its use by the USAAF and USN, the Marston Mat was also used by the RAF.

This is the second volume on the Brazil’s Araguaia War. The author, Antonio Luis Sapienza wrote,

In Volume 1, the military regimes that ruled Brazil during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s were examined. This included an overview of the various guerilla groups operating within Brazil, as well as an analysis of the military strength of the Brazilian armed forces. This current volume focuses on the operational aspects of the conflict, detailing the guerilla actions and the military operations that ultimately dismantled these groups. The efforts targeted not only the guerillas in the Amazon region but also the urban factions. The military government’s directive was explicitly to ‘wipe them off the map’ at any cost, or, as they phrased it, to ‘root out the communist cancer’ – a mission that was ruthlessly executed.

ICM continues to manufacturer interesting subjects, and this plane fits that mold. Per Scalemates, this Ju 88 kit is the newest iteration with the first ICM Ju 88 kit appearing in 2015. It was followed by two releases in 2016 with new parts, five Ju 88 kits released in 2018, one in 2019, two in 2022 and 2023 and finally two in 2025.

The standard ICM box lid depicts beautiful artwork of the USAAF version flying over a deep blue sea and islands. Inside the box is a large plastic bag containing seven gray sprues and a separate bag with clear parts. The assembly manual, decals and an ICM painting chart is also provided. The manual has clearly labeled parts and color callouts. There are several mislabeled parts (discussed later). Also, the sprue diagrams only depict two parts which are not used. In reality, there are many more parts that are not used in this kit build due to them being optional. The last page has two full-color painting diagrams of each version (USAAF and RAF).

ICM continues their run of “dioramas in a box,” this time by kitting their recently released Bristol Beaufort Mk1A with tropical air filters (Kit 48311) with their RAF bomber and torpedo pilots (Kit 48090).

Background

The Bristol Beaufort torpedo bomber entered service with RAF Coastal Command in late 1939. In the spring of 1942 all of Coastal Commands Beauforts were sent to the Mediterranean for use in attacking German convoys that were resupplying the Afrika Korp in North Africa. The high temperatures encountered in this region of the world required the carburetor air intakes to be modified to allow greater air intake.

The Beauforts were initially stationed in Malta, but would later be moved to Egypt and the Pacific and Far East.