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

For those who are familiar with Model Art Modeling Magazine, it never disappoints and the June 2012 issue is not an exception. The quality of the images and the wide range of subject matter covered is a hallmark for this magazine. Keep in mind that the publication is printed in Japanese but, as we all know, “a single picture is worth one thousand words” regardless of the language.

This issue begins with a stunning diorama entitled, “Mogami’s Broken Beak”. Using a Tamiya Mikuma, a Pitroad Akashi (Repair Ship), a Fujimi kit of a Japanese naval special auxiliary tanker, and a Hasegawa Japanese sub, this diorama shows a very busy day in the life of the repair crews and their vessels as they struggled to repair the damaged Mogami. This diorama is absolutely fantastic!

History

The Lockheed T-33A has been around for over 60 years and was a development of the USAAF’s first operational jet fighter, the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star. Some P-80s were built and delivered before the end of World War II but none was used in combat. Although preceded by the Bell P-59A Aircomet, the P-80 was really the first useful jet fighter we had. Redesignation in 1947 turned it into the F-80, and that is how it is known today. The first two-seater, called TF-80C, was a conversion of a P-80B, 48-356, which, incidentally, was rebuilt later on to become the prototype for the two seat all-weather F-94A fighter. But that is another story. By the way, although the box art calls the T-33A a “Shooting Star,” I’ve never heard anyone refer to the T-33A by that name. It was always the “T-Bird” or just “T-33.” The fighter was the “Shooting Star.”

History

The Curtiss SOC Seagull was one of the classic biplanes of World War II. The early models entered service as the Navy’s ship- and shore-based scouting-observation airplane in 1935, replacing the Vought O3U Corsair biplanes during the late thirties. Although the prototype SOC, designated XO3C-1, was an amphibian, all subsequent models were either floatplanes or landplanes, and the type was used everywhere the Navy operated before and during the war. A total of slightly over 300 were built, including Curtiss-built SOCs and Navy-built SONs. The book outlines the history of the type’s design and service, even to the point of identifying its competitors and why they failed to make the grade. Another significant fact is that the author explains some of the aerodynamic qualities of the wing which had slots and flaps, improving slow flying characteristics.

This is a revised and updated reprint of a title by the same author, published in 1999 by Hikoki. A quick internet search revealed that copy to have only 99 pages, as compared to the 192 in this edition, so this is quite an update!

The production quality on this book is first rate. Thick, matte-finished pages are enclosed in even stiffer color covers.

The first 15 or so pages describe the background and possible rationale for the proliferation of unit emblems in the Luftwaffe. After this, the next 175+ pages are devoted to lists of each and every unit that used some form of an emblem on its aircraft. Sections are broken down by aircraft type, such as fighter units, bomber units, etc.