Yefim Gordon was born in 1950 in Vilnius, Lithuania (then part of the Soviet Union) and graduated from the Kaunas Polytechnic Institute in 1972. He has been researching Soviet and Russian aviation history for more than 40 years. A professional photographer, Yefim Gordon has published hundreds of features and photographs in Russian and foreign aviation magazines. He has authored and co-authored more than 120 books on Soviet and Russian aviation.

Dmitriy Komissarov was born in 1968 in Moscow and graduated from the Moscow State Linguistics University in 1992. He has worked as a translator ever since, with the most of his work associated with his interest in aviation. Dmitriy Komissarov has authored two books and translated or co-authored more than 50 others. He has also written numerous magazine features in two languages on Soviet and Russian aviation.

The L-29 Delfin was a jet-powered trainer airplane that was designed by the Aero Company of Czechoslovakia. An excellent kit of the Delfin has recently been released in 1/72 scale by AMK. Although this kit, in my opinion, is very good, our friends at Aires/Quickboost have found some areas where the accuracy of various parts can be improved.

This set from Quickboost provides wing mounted pylons. The AMK kit provides combination pylon and fuel tanks. These look good but there are cases where the modeler may want to build a model without the wing tanks. The modeler may want to include some wing mounted munitions or they may simply want a model with only the pylon. Many photos of the L-29 on display etc. show the plane with only the pylons.

In recent months, we have seen a plethora of King Tiger kits hit the market. Most notable have been the Takom releases of the Sd.Kfz. 182 with full interiors…and it seems these have so far been a hit with armor modelers around the world. ICM and Meng have also released similar models of this iconic tank so it should not be a surprise that Dragon has also entered the fray with yet another release of this “king” of the WWII battlefield. One can point out numerous Dragon releases of this tank in past years but this time around they have upped their game to stay competitive. The question is, will these extras be enough to keep this newest Konigstiger on the Forward Edge of the Battlefield?

The book, Vietnam War US & Allied Combat Equipment by Osprey Publishing, goes into details of the combat equipment used by both the US and Allied forces. The very-well written and the illustrations really make this a great reference and history book for any library. The book will come in handy when modelling any US or Allied soldiers in the Vietnam War and can assist in painting and adding additional details.

The pictures and drawings of the equipment are very good and some I had never seen before.

I whole heartily recommend this book to everyone with an interest in US and Allied soldiers in the Vietnam conflict. It is very well written and very informative.

Thanks go to Osprey Publishing for providing this book to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Tamiya has made available a group of 4 texture paints and this review highlights one of those products, namely Tamiya’s “Soil Effect” texture paint.These paints are water-based and come in powder snow, snow, and “soil effect-dark earth”. Several other colors have been discontinued.

An appropriate description of this paint, describing the texture would be, “ gritty toothpaste”, or “damp salt”. Straight from the bottle, the paint does not look like paint at all, but rather a paste consisting of fine grit.

I chose to apply some of this paint to a diorama base for a dinosaur. The base was already covered with “ground”, “rocks” and “vegetation” but there were areas in which the material had worn off a bit, creating a perfect test bed.

Introduction

The Nagmachon was developed from the Nagmashot which was based upon the British Centurion hull. Initially this APC was used as a counter-insurgency platform and for urban warfare. The Nagmachon is a heavily armed fighting vehicle fielded by the IDF. It contains three armoured shields on the roof containing vision blocks of armoured glass to protect the soldiers firing 7.62 mm machine guns. Additionally, the Nagmachon carries heavily armored belly protection as well as being equipped with ER armour. The Nagmachon weighs in at 52 tons and carries a crew of up to 10 including driver and commander.

This kit by Tiger Model is a release of the early version of the Nagmachon following the release of their “Doghouse” Late APC version in 2015. The “Doghouse” version, kit number 4616, has the distinctive raised superstructure intended to protect the soldiers. The model measures 225mm (8.9”) long x 115mm (4.5”) wide x 100mm (3.9”) high when completed.

Quickboost has produced a replacement prop for the Trumpeter and ICM 1/48 scale Mig-3 kits. The resin replacement is a simple drop-in for the kit’s plastic parts. The supplied items include a separately cast spinner, post and blades with a cast resin assembly tool for inserting the blades at a consistent pitch. There is no modification required to the kit to use this prop assembly.

A side by side evaluation (see photos) and shots of my completed Trumpeter Mig-3 “Early” indicates a replacement of superior detail that will provide a more accurate and “crisp” blade representation of a Mig-3 propeller. The kit parts have the brown spinner cap, and the Quickboost prop assembly spinner is gray. Note, however that using the tool will cause the prop blades to be installed at the incorrect rotation pitch. My web research found that Mig-3 props rotated clockwise (when viewed from the front of the aircraft), as depicted in the kit’s propeller assembly.

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions

adaption of the Mirage F.1 landing gear in white metal for the 1/72 Special Hobby kit. The set contains two main landing gear legs, a nose gear leg and two additional struts. Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear, ability to adjust the white metal to where you need it, and added detail. This is a great addition to the Special Hobby kit. I would like to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for another great offering in metal landing gear and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review this item.

MiniArt has been moving full steam ahead on providing diorama modelers with the kind of details that simply weren’t available some years ago without resorting to expensive resin short runs. This set of household crockery and glass is an excellent example.

What you get in the box is a tiny clump of REALLY small sprues, which sort of niggled me at first until I actually started working on it. These tiny sprues offer a LOT of final product.

Prepping these items was much easier than their small size would lead you to believe. First off, there’s very little painting required. Even the opaque items are cast in a while plastic that looks remarkably like ceramic.

Recently I was given the opportunity by IPMS USA to review Scale Aircraft Conversions adaption of the Roland C.II landing gear in white metal for the 1/32 Wingnut Wings kit. The set contains left and right landing gear legs, a center axle and airfoil section, plus a replacement tail skid. These are direct replacements for the ones found supplied with the kit with just a little more detail. Overall this is highly recommended for stronger landing gear with added detail and is a great addition to the Wingnut Wings kit.

I would like to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions for another great offering in metal landing gear and IPMS USA for the opportunity to review this item.

Following Hannibal's crushing victory at the battle of the Trebbia, the reeling Roman Republic sent a new army under the over-confident consul Caius Flaminius to destroy the Carthaginian invaders. Hannibal, however, was ready and waiting for Flaminius, having set a masterful ambush in the early morning mist. The tumultuous clash at Lake Trasimene firmly established Hannibal as one of the Ancient World's greatest commanders thanks to his use of innovative tactics, including the first recorded use of a turning movement. The Romans would not send another major army to confront him until the battle of Cannae in 216 BC. This new study, based on recent archaeological work on the battlefield itself, tells the full story of one of Hannibal's greatest victories with the help of maps, illustrations, and stunning colour artwork.

The Triple Ejector Rack (TER) allows aircraft to carry three weapons on a single pylon, thus increasing the weapons load that an aircraft can carry instead of a single weapon per pylon as was common in World War II and Korea. The TER attaches directly to the weapons pylon and allows the carriage of up to three of the same weapon, primarily bombs, on that weapons station.

The United States has used TERS since the Vietnam War and they still a common sight on US aircraft along with many NATO air forces. The bombs are attached to the TER by mounting lugs and are stabilized by adjustable sway braces on the TER.

During the 1920 and 1930’s most Latin American countries started developing air routes and air services; at the same time that their own armed forces started developing their air arms.That fledgling market brought intense competition from industrial countries, including Germany and Italy, which landed significant contracts for both military and civilian aircraft.

This book is organized into 16 chapters, basically one chapter per country, plus a handful of special chapters like “Visitors” (i.e aircraft not operated by Latin American countries but that made special visits to Latin America), Axis Airline Services, Survivors, etc. In this section is where the only Japanese aircraft in Latin America is found.

Martin Pegler graduated from University College (London) with a Medieval and Modern History BA and a Museum Studies MA. Martin spent twenty years as the Senior Curator of Firearms at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. He is an aficionado of historic firearms and thoroughly enjoys shooting them. In his spare time he runs motorcycle tours out of the Somme Historical Center of the battlefield. He has authored many books on military firearms and has been prolific in contributing to magazines and television shows. His books include: The Military Sniper Since 1914 (2001), Firearms in the American West 1700-1900 (2002), Out of Nowhere: A History of the Military Sniper (2004), The Lee-Enfield Rifle (2012), The Vickers-Maxim Machine Gun (2013), Winchester Lever-Action Rifles (2015) He and his wife ran a bed and breakfast in the Somme (France) until January 1, 2017.

Last year Eduard released a Weekend edition of their very nice La-7 kit in 1/72^nd scale. This new set from Aires/Quickboost provides a replacement for the kit propeller parts. The kit spinner is assembled from two parts, the front spinner and a back plate, the blades are individual blades that are inserted into the assembled spinner and aligned visually.

This third sheet by AOA Decals for the A-4 Skyhawk includes markings for twelve Vietnam era aircraft. This sheet is mostly Navy aircraft but there are two Marine aircraft.

The instructions are typical of AOA Decals being stored in a large ziplock bag with four double-sided 8.5x11 pages. Each aircraft is described in detail. The specific updates to the models are included on the first page. This addresses the correct antennas and the things needed to do the model properly. All the aircraft are Light Gull Grey over White but that is the only thing plain about them. They display full color markings from the front to the rear of each aircraft. The last page of the instructions covers the stencil location for both types.

Belgium’s PJ Production specializes in resin aftermarket accessories for aircraft, as well as, a few resin aircraft and vehicle kits, and a variety of figures for a variety of aircraft. Their series of pilot and crew figures range from WWI through modern pilots, and include seated and standing pilots for both civilian and military aircraft. They also have a number of crew figures to complete a diorama.

The review set provided included 2 RAF seated pilot figures from WWII. The pilots are seated with one looking to his right, and the other looking straight ahead. Both figures have their hands and feet in position to be in control of the aircraft and are wearing oxygen masks and the common yellow life vest over a leather flight jacket.

The F-4 Phantom is an iconic aircraft. The new Academy kits do the aircraft justice, but if you have the Hasegawa kits these stabilators will work there as well. There are some things that can always be improved by the application of resin and photoetch.

There are three ways to use this set. You must decide which way you want to add these parts. The first way is to just replace the kit parts with the new resin ones. That is the least amount of work. The second option is to replace the kit stabilators and replace the molded-on cover plates with the PE parts from the set. And finally the third way is to use the resin and PE and set your angle of choice. You’ll have to decide which way to go. I recommend that you read through the instructions thoroughly and make sure you are using the Academy instructions when using the set on that model and vise versa.

I am not going to spend a lot of time going into the history of the King Tiger. This vehicle has long been an extremely popular tank in the armor modeling community. It was the one of the most famous vehicles fielded by the German army in the late days of WWII. It weighed in at an impressive 70 tonnes and was armed with the venerable long barreled 8.8 cm KwK 43 L/71 anti-tank cannon. This particular new boxing from Dragon represents a late model King Tiger with the Henschel Turret and Zimmerit.

One thing that 1/48th scale helicopter modelers have been without for so long is the lack of armament. Hueys and Loach crewmembers normally carried the M-60 machine gun as protection for the aircraft and crew. Up until now there has been no available machine gun to hang in the door.

Packaged with a card stock backing, this set features four air M-60Ds. The guns feature the front mounted bipod mount molded on. Everything is there except the front gun sight, which in this scale would be almost unnoticeable. The detail on the machine guns is impressive. You may want to add the front sights, but depending on your configuration the guns may not have it. Along with the M-60s you get two small belts of ammunition. They will be fragile in this scale but they are a nice touch. I would have liked more ammo, but I am a gunship pilot and more ammo is always good.

The North American P-51D requires little if any introduction, however reference material for it is always sought after. This book is intended to cover all bubbletop variants: -D, -K, CAC production and Cavalier production.

The book is broken down in a logical way, having a 2-page introduction to the type (as I said, it does not need much introduction). Then it goes into the production series, with the –D and –K series as the main versions covered while the CAC (Australian) and Cavalier production are also covered, but not as in depth as the previous versions. You get many 1/72^nd scale drawings of all the different production series.

A really interesting section is a comparison of performance with other fighters of the same time: Bf-109G, Mc.202, Fw-190, P-47 and Spitfire. Let’s be clear, this is not a “how will win a dogfight”, but rather a comparison on climb rates, weight, speed, ceiling and such.

The Apache is an impressive helicopter (when it works, sorry former Cobra pilot said a bad thing). What makes it really impressive is the Hellfire missile system. Also carried by the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and many drones the Hellfire has allowed anti-tank and anti-personnel capabilities unheard of before. The ability to reach out and torch things 10Ks away is always good for the crewmembers and bad for bad guys.

Packaged in a typical Brassin box with foam cushioning. Inside the foam are three small ziplock bags containing the resin parts in light and dark grey resin. There are two clear resin blocks with the missile warheads. I could not find any flaws or blemishes on any of the parts. There are 50 resin parts. The resin covers two eight missile launchers. This is a typical loadout for the Apache. The Kiowa Warrior would have a single launcher with two missiles per side.

Often forgotten about Naval Aviation in Vietnam is the diminutive A-4 Skyhawk. Despite its small size, this nimble little aircraft could carry an amazing amount of bombs. Flown by the Marines and the Navy, this aircraft carried out some of the most dangerous missions in Vietnam.

AOA Decals continues to release Vietnam era subjects and I for one love their choice of subjects. This set is designed for the Hasegawa kits of the A-4C and A-4E.

The instructions are packaged in a 9 x 12 inch Ziploc bag and are printed in full color on four double-sided pages. The instructions are little works of art displaying the side profile for 13 aircraft. The initial page gives you information to make the Hasegawa kit more accurate. Each aircraft is described in detail to let you figure out what to include from the kit and decals. There is a page for each type of Skyhawk airframe with data and stencils.

The Cook is the lead-off figure in Gecco’s second series and follows the three figures in series one in their Tales From the Apocalypse that I believe are sculpted by Shojiro Kasai. This second series creates Scene 2: Day 1, 1:27 pm at the Diner, and goes with two other figures: a waitress named Cindy who is the sister of the heroine in the first series, and a nameless biker. This figure, the Cook, was attempting to rescue his daughter from a horde of zombies only to find out Cindy had already been infected. In his shock and horror, Cindy ripped into his neck infecting her father. At full zombified rage, the Cook, now wields his heavy frying pan against all comers.

If you are looking to dress up your 1/72 scale Eduard Fokker Dr. 1, a new Zoom set has been released that makes short work of this task. Consisting of a single fret with some items pre-painted, the 32 items provided will dress up the cockpit, guns, engine, and control surfaces. Modelers with some experience using small photo-etch parts should find it easy to add this set to their plane.

I was afforded the opportunity to review this PE set when I picked the recently released Weekend Edition of the Fokker Dr. 1 (kit 7438) for assessment. During the build, I used the following items: