Raymond Giuliani covers a fairly rare subject, of the use of the Sherman tank in the Pacific. This book begins in 1943 as the Sherman began replacing the M3 Stuarts in the Pacific as the US island hopped towards Japan. The good news is that neither had to face any steel Tigers. Raymond Giuliani traces the trek across the Pacific island by island and also depicts the evolution of the flamethrower tank. The book includes over 350 photos, 25 color tank profiles, and 23 maps. There are spelling errors and interesting grammar choices due to the translation from French, but nothing that will hinder your understanding.

Permit me to open this review with a personal story.

My childhood home town of Iowa City had a tiny little airport – the kind that sees maybe six Cessna's visiting in a week. However, even this tiny airport managed to have a gate guard, in this case an F-86D Sabre Dog donated from the Iowa Air National Guard, mounted on posts.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the best of shape. At some point in the past it had lost its canopy, which had been replaced by some artlessly shaped acrylic sheet. Even so, it seemed to a kid like a proud giant, reaching endlessly for a sky it would never touch again. Honestly, I loved that gate guardian.

If you have been involved in modeling for the past ten years there is a good chance that you are familiar with the name Mig Jimenez. If you are not familiar with Mig, he is a Spanish modeler that has really came to the forefront of modeling techniques. Along with the techniques MIg has created a system of washes, filters, pigments and now paints. He also has several great modeling books out as well.

UK Aircraft colors from the 50's to present: This set is comprised of four 17ml bottles with dropper top. The four colors included in this set are as follows FS 36118 Medium Gunship Gray, FS 26173 (BS 638), FS 34079 (BS 641) and FS 36314 (BS 626). I used a single action siphon feed airbrush to apply them to an unprimed plastic card stock. I thinned the paint using the MIG Acrylic thinner at a ratio of about two parts paint to one thinner. Had no issues spraying through the airbrush and it sprayed out in a nice light coat. Took a few layers to build up a solid color.

Welcome back! Last time we had just completed the internal framework, engine, lower front end and cockpit of the big 1/24^th Scale Airfix Mk.Ib Typhoon. This second installment will bring the wings, fuselage, nose and wheel-wells together, leaving the final assembly and finish for the last segment of this three-part review. To recall: I chose to expose only the starboard wing’s gun bay and starboard engine detail, and to cover up the lower front end encompassing the oil cooler/air intake.

Work is going along very smoothly, with a single exception being the front end of the aircraft. Whether the problems I encountered were self-inflicted or due to some flaw in the kit remains to be determined. More on that later – for now, let’s get back to work!

History

The “turret fighter” concept dates back to the early thirties, and contrary to some histories, the first Turret Fighter used by the Royal Air Force was actually the Hawker Turret Demon biplane, which was tested and operated by No. 23 Squadron from 1934. A hydraulically operated power turret was fitted to a standard Demon fighter, itself a development of the Hawker Hart light bomber, and a considerable number was produced by Hawker and Boulton Paul. The turret itself was a Frazer-Nash creation, and all of the Boulton-Paul produced Demons had them, and some were retrofitted to the Hawker produced models. By 1938, the Turret Demon was being operated by No. 23 and No.64 Squadrons, but the type was out of first line service by 1939, being replaced by Blenheim Mk. 1F’s.

Overview

Osprey describes this newest Duel series book this way: “As the Allies attempted to break out of Normandy, it quickly became apparent that there would be no easy victory over the Germans, and that every scrap of territory on the way to Berlin would have to be earned through hard fighting. This study concentrates on, the ferocious battles between the German Panzer IV and US Sherman that were at the heart of this decisive phase of World War II. The two types were among the most-produced tanks in US and German service and were old enemies, having clashed repeatedly in the Mediterranean theater. Throughout their long service careers, both had seen a succession of technical developments and modifications, as well as an evolution in their intended roles - but both remained at the forefront of the fighting on the Western Front.

While this jig is sold by Vertigo-Miniatures on the web, the review item was supplied by Unique Model Miniatures, so a big shout-out to Jon of UMM!

Some Assembly Required

This Vertigo-Miniatures jig requires assembly, and that is just a bit ironic since it will be of considerable help to the hobbyist during the assembly process of one’s latest modeling project. Assembly is straight-forward requiring a little super glue and about 10 minutes of one’s time.

The instructions provide a parts list and a couple of diagrams which identify parts and illustrate how they are attached. Just follow the instructions and it’s a very simple process.

There are a few points about assembly that one should note.

This is the first aircraft kit from Bronco Models kit and it’s a Luft 46 subject and it’s a strange but great subject of a design that never made it of the drawing board. The BV 178 is the usual Blohm and Voss asymmetrical design with one Jumo 004B under one wing. I personally love this type of aircraft configuration and makes for a great looking display model.

• 5 sprues molded in grey styrene
• 1 clear sprue
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 instruction booklet

Construction

The kit makes a great quick build and has a lot of great detail in its design and manufacture.

There are few options given in the build such as landing gear in raised or lowered positions, and cockpit open or closed.

Thanks to Eduard/Brassin for providing more of their excellent aftermarket parts for IPMS USA to review, and to IPMS leadership for sending it my way.

Not much to say on this one; a pair of early Spitfire Mk 1 “kidney”-shaped merlin exhausts with the straight tube exhaust port at the ends of them already hollow-cast. The pour stub is at the base of the exhausts, so these become convenient handles for painting and handling.

Designed for the Airfix new-mold Spitfire Mk 1, these are simple to use (as usual). Primer then paint while on the pour stub, carefully remove with a sharp knife, install with superglue. The kit items are acceptable, but these Eduard items are a real timesaver.

A fantastic-looking upgrade… Thanks to Eduard/Brassin for this set!

Cross & Cockade, International (CCI) is best known for its excellent assortment of books and publications covering “The Great War” in the air. The artwork in these publications is of the highest caliber and the writing is superb.

CCI also provides calendars and IPMS has just received the 2016 version of this annual calendar. Each page features artwork by a list of artists who produce inspiring views of a moment in time. Certainly, the artists should be identified, and WWI aficionados will most certainly recognize their names.

In alphabetical order:

Windsock World War Centenary Summer 2015 is the second edition of Volume 31. This edition’s cove story features the Sopwith Pup. The main feature is a detailed build log for the Wingnut Wings Sopwith Pup. Rob Partridge is the builder and his article provides detailed descriptions and images of how to go about assembling the WNW kit. If you’ve never built a WNW kit then the Pup is an excellent starting point, and this issue will come in very handy. Later in the publication one will find a page featuring three color illustrations of some Pups. Interesting markings, to say the least. A few pages following, a Pup Portfolio is presented containing a number of images of N6205, a Pup flown by Flt Com J.S.T. Fall, No. 3 Naval RNAS. The images were taken by James Fahey of this airworthy Pup.

Background

Developed from a prototype first flown in 1947, the Beriev Be-6, NATO code name “Madge”, was an amphibious, twin-engine, maritime patrol-aircraft. Its most prominent feature was the graceful gull wing design. Powered by two Shvetsov radials rated at 2,300 hp each, the Be-6 was capable of carrying a variety of weapons such as mines, depth charges, and torpedoes, in addition to its 5X23mm cannon armament in the tail, topside turret, and nose positions. The early version had a retractable radar pod behind the rear step. Later versions replaced the stinger guns with a magnetic anomaly detector (MAD) boom. The Be-6 served with both the Soviet and Chinese navies. A few soldiered on into the 1970s before the type was finally retired from service.

Eduard has released a series of WWII-era seatbelts in the “Superfabric” series. This review covers the following item:

• Seatbelts Luftwaffe WWII bombers SUPERFABRIC, Catalogue No: 49085, MSRP: $7.95

The Superfabric seatbelts are made of some sort of “rubber-like” material. They have volume -i.e, they are not flat like decals- and they have a little bit of texture like if it they were made of ‘fabric’ (pun intended).

From what I read in the Eduard website you can either apply the seatbelts “dry” directly on the painted seatbelt or “wet” if the seatbelt has been coated in Future.

I almost always like to coat my cockpits with Future (in preparation for a wash), however, in this review I choose to apply the seatbealts over a “flat surface” (i.e, just over enamel paint).

Centenary Datafile 168 is the first in a set of Datafiles that cover the Hannover CI.II/CI.IV/CI.IIIA series of aircraft. The history of the “Hawa” is presented in this issue, supplemented with 50+ period photos and six pages of technical drawings in 1/72nd and 1/48th by Mick Davis.

Included within is a discussion on the very unique and interesting geometry of the “Hawa” as well as some historical documentation in the form of the Aeronautical Engineering report on 13199/18 including notes and sketches. Modelers will find the entire publication filled with excellent detail resources, but the AE report includes some awesome sketches and drawing which can assist the modeler in adding detail to a model.

Some excellent full color artwork by Ronny Bar are presented on the back cover, both inside and out, and on the inside front cover.

The Japanese Agano-class of light cruisers had a total of 4 ships on its class: Agano, Noshiro, Yahagi and Sakaw. These ships were lightly armored command vessels that operated for destroyer and submarine squadrons.

Hasegawa has released a detail set for its Agano Class in 1/350. This set includes

• Type-41 twin 15 cm guns (x2)
• Type-41 twin 15 cm guns with rangefinder (x2)
• Type-98 twin 8cm hi-angle turret

The Agano class boxing includes the standard Type-41 and Type-98, what is added is the rangefinder and some details parts for the standard turrets to model the Yahagi and Sakawa.

The overall surface detail is excellent –as you expect from Hasegawa- and the molds are completely free of flash. The cannon holes need to be drilled, but that is to be expected of plastic parts.

This detail set is a welcome addition as it allows the base Agano kit to be converted to other ships of the same class.

Iliad Design has released a new decal sheet in its 72nd scale line devoted to early P-40s and Tomahawks. This sheet provides you with 6 airframes, 3 in American markings and 3 in British markings.

The American options include a natural metal finish, an Olive Drab over Neutral Grey and a Olive Drab/Dark Earth over Neutral Grey. All of them sport red and white stripes in the rudder.

The British options include two Olive Drab/Dark Earth over Neutral Grey, and my personal favorite, Dark Earth/Middle Stone over Azure Blue in North African campaign markings.

The decal sheet instructions do not specify for which kit they are meant to fit (Academy, Airfix, AML, Hasegawa or HobbyBoss). That shouldn’t be an issue for most of the decals, with the exception of the red and white stripes for the rudder which might need to be trimmed to fit depending on which kit you are using.

The T-35 heavy tank is perhaps the ultimate expression of the land battleship concept originally explored by the British in their Vickers A1E1 “Independent” prototype. Designed to work in conjunction with the T-28, another multi-turreted vehicle, the T-35 was intended to serve as a breakthrough tank, pushing through enemy fortifications while suppressing return fire with its antitank and antipersonnel turrets. Of course, history has proven this concept obsolete at best, and virtually all of the operational versions of this massive vehicle were crippled by their poor transmissions long before encountering any opponents on the battlefield. In total, 61 of these behemoths were manufactured, only the final six in the configuration displayed in this kit. Most of these were lost during the defense of Moscow. Only one example still exists in a museum.

The B-47 has long been one of my favorite aircraft. I remember the first aircraft history book I got as a kid had a picture of the B-47 taking off with RATO packs in full thrust. A very impressive picture indeed.

DeLorean DMC-12

The DeLorean DMC-12 (commonly referred to simply as "the DeLorean", as it was the only model ever produced by the DeLorean company) is a sports car manufactured by John DeLorean's DeLorean Motor Company for the American market from 1981–83. The car features gull-wing doors and an innovative fiberglass chassis and underbody structure, along with a brushed stainless steel body. The car became widely known and iconic for its appearance, modified as a time machine, in the Back to the Future film trilogy.

Kit Contents

The kit has 2 dark-gray and 1 black sprues, a body, a chassis, one clear parts tree, a chrome-finished tree for the 4 wheels, 4 soft plastic tires, and a grease tube for the wheel mechanism that transforms the Time Machine from a regular car to a flying car in the movie.

This is the British Heavy Tank Conqueror Mark 2, heavy tank design featuring a 120mm main gun. Developed specifically as a response to the Soviet IS-3 tank, it was envisaged as a partner for the British Army’s mainstream and contemporary Centurion (armed with a smaller 20-pdr gun) tank so it could give a long-range anti-tank reach. A total of 20 Conqueror Mk.I and 165 Conqueror Mk.II tanks were produced from 1955-59, and they were allocated to tank regiments stationed in Germany.

• 6 sprues molded in tan styrene
• 1 separate lower hull
• 1 separate upper hull
• 1 slide molded turret
• 1 Clear sprue
• 1 rubber gun mantlet cover
• 4 rubber track sections
• 2 tow cables
• 1 decal sheet
• 1 instruction booklet.

Construction

The kit is not too complex and assembles in 19 stages which are not too complex.

Matt Greenburg was at the Columbus IPMS Nationals with a new product. They were selling like hotcakes, and after seeing the demonstration, I bought one. As a Convention Special, Matt threw in a pair of extra blades.

The knife is special because the blade rotates to follow the movement of your hand as it changes direction while cutting. This allows very good control of the curves and angles of the cut. The business card below was cut by Matt with one sweep of the Gyro-Cut.

The trick is that you start the cut and move your hand along the line to be cut, and the blade follows. Because it is angled, the tip drags the blade into cutting position, even if the line cut is not straight. So it is possible to cut a curved or wavy line just by drawing the knife along the line, just like using a pencil to draw. Acute angles (less than 90 degrees) require a little finesse, but the knife can do it. You just stop at the angle and let the blade swivel before you go very far.

History Brief

The Hurricane ranks with the most important aircraft designs in military aviation history. Developed by Sydney Camm, Hawker's Chief Designer in the late 1930s, the Hurricane was the first British monoplane fighter and the first British fighter to exceed 300 miles per hour in level flight. It was a single seat fighter with an enclosed cockpit. It featured a stressed skin aluminum wing with fabric covered aluminum control surfaces. The fuselage was a mix of steel tube, aircraft spruce forms, and fabric.

1700 Hurricanes fought in the Battle of Britain. That’s more than all other British fighters combined and those historic fights were seen as the Hurricane's finest hour. It fought over southern England and the English Channel during the summer of 1940 and fixed a place in history accounting for 60% of the RAF's air victories in the battle. After the Battle of Britain ended the Hurricanes were used across the world until the end of World War II.

History Brief

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I fixed its place in history during the Battle of Britain. The RAF pilots known as 'The Few' proved the Spitfire’s ability. Fighting alongside the Hurricane they overcame the struggles of the Battle of Britain over southern England and the English Channel during the summer of 1940. Powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin V12, the Supermarine Spitfire was capable of speeds of over 360mph. Noted for remarkable maneuverability that allowed it to turn inside an opponent, the spitfire made it an excellent dog-fighter and it was the interceptor of choice for Fighter Command. Accordingly, RJ Mitchell's design is a time-tested aviation masterpiece, famous and beautiful too, first flying in 1936 and by 1940 it had become the envy of the world's air arms.

With the release of the Revell-Germany Bf-109G-6 and G-10 Erla it is just natural to want to put markings on them that aren’t included in the box.

Delta One has been providing some unique looking 109s on their decal sheets and this one is no different. The Croatians had a staffel similar to the Spanish staffel in JG-52. They were proud and carried the This decal sheet provides markings for seven aircraft, six G-6s and one G-5. Most of the aircraft sported the “Flying or Winged chessboard” on both sides of the fuselage.

I hate masking canopies. It always takes so long and it is not as much fun as the rest of the build. That is the primary reason to buy canopy masks.

The latest offering from Eduard is for the Kitty Hawk AH-1Z. Accurately cut from Kabuki tape, which I think is the best masking material out there, this set provides outlining for the side canopy sections. Each individual panel is constructed from two pieces of masking material which are then filled in with masking fluid. The overhead panels are actually single piece masks which is nice. The other parts that you are provided are for the turret clear parts.

These will fit and make the whole process of canopy masking a non-event. They will save you time and give you accurate crisp outlines with minimal work.

Highly recommended