Book Author(s)
Robert Peczkowski
Review Author
Hub Plott
Published on
November 1, 2018
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$35.00

This is volume one in the Yellow Series from MMP. The DB-605A engine powered the majority of Bf-109G variants from the dash 1 through the dash 8 and including the dash 14 and two seat trainer variant converted from earlier G models, the dash 12. Many modifications were made over the G series production after its introduction in 1942. The Bf-109G served in Romania, Finland, Italy, Bulgaria, Switzerland and Hungary besides Germany during WWII.

The book is laid out into 19 sections with coverage for each main production variants, tropical conversions, factory and filed modifications, reconnaissance versions and those assembled in Romania. A brief three page technical description and flight performance follows the main text body. The G models maximum speed at altitude varied from 347MPH to 405MPH. These speeds are compared with other fighters showing the 109G to be faster than theYak-3, A6M and Spitfire MK.IX and slower than the P-71 and P-47.

Book Author(s)
Alan Ranger
Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
Mushroom Model Publications - MMP Books
MSRP
$25.00

Prolific military author Alan Ranger introduces his Camera On series with a book on the German 5-ton Sd.Kfz.6 Mittlerer Zugkraftwagen (“Medium Tractor”) utility halftrack. The Camera On series can best be described as photographic compilations, filled mostly with images recently made available from private collections.

The attractive, slightly oversized volume contains a short introduction of this relatively rare German halftrack, and then quickly moves into a chronological expose of the vehicle as it was employed throughout the war by the Wehrmacht. In terms of towing capacity, the Sd.Kfz.6 was sandwiched between the (slightly smaller) Sd.Kfz. 11 and (larger, ubiquitous) Sd.Kfz.7, resulting is very short manufacturing run. The type’s real only claim to fame is that it was the first German halftrack to sport interleaved wheels – a standard that would be used throughout the remaining halftrack marks.

Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
November 3, 2018
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$36.95

This is a Photo etch set for Tamiya Centurion Mk III 1.35 Model kit to replace the side skirts.

The set contains the following sets:

  • 2 x photoetch sheet
  • 1 instruction sheet

This photoetch set replaces plastic molded side skirts provided with the Tamiya kit which improves the finish kit a lot.

The parts are very easy to attach and form with no issues encountered during the complete build.

Summary

This is a great set for adding additional details for the side skirts to the very old kit from Tamiya. I would recommend this set to everyone who has this kit.

Thanks go to Eduard for providing this set to review and IPMS USA for allowing me to review it for them.

Review Author
Phil Pignataro
Published on
November 3, 2018
Company
Amigo Models
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$10.99

Amigo Models from Russia is producing some wonderful after-market resin products for 1/72 and 1/48 aircraft. This particular set is for the Mig-21bis and Mig-21-93 which both use the R25-300 engine. The box contains five resin pieces secured in bubble wrap. These pieces make up the afterburner/exhaust sections of the engine and exhibit excellent detail both inside and out.

Book Author(s)
Marc Lohnstein; Illustrator: Adam Hook
Review Author
Bill Kluge
Published on
November 3, 2018
Company
Osprey Publishing
MSRP
$18.00

The long held Dutch colony of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) encompassed a huge swath of maritime territory across the southwest Pacific ocean, from the eastern end of the island of Sumatra to the western half of New Guinea, including the major islands of Java, Timor, most of southern Borneo, the octopus-like Celebes, and hundreds of smaller islands in between. For most of its history, the Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) was tasked with internal security, assisting the colonial police services in maintaining order when and wherever necessary. Defense from external threats was the primary responsibility of the Dutch Navy, supporting the far-flung KNIL battalions assigned to strategic areas throughout the colony. By 1936, in the face of growing Japanese expansion in the western Pacific, the KNIL began a five year modernization program that was just beginning to take shape by the time of the Japanese invasion in early 1942.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
November 4, 2018
Company
HK Models Co.
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$169.00

HK Models has released a 1/32nd scale D0-335 A and B single seat versions of the Pfeil and continues their 1/32nd scale DO-335 releases with this variant, the B-6 Night Fighter. The B-6 was a two-seat version and included radar for use in night fighting American bombers. This was a proposed variant and never built. HK has taken their initial kit and added a second cockpit and the needed radar antennas along with all the existing detail.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
November 12, 2020
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$34.95

The Eduard Bf-109F/G series of models are really nice kits. It is nice that Eduard provides a variety of cost options should you want to build one on a budget. The Weekend releases are a bargain, especially if you build it out of the box. Each release has two marking options.

Their latest release is the Weekend Edition Bf-109F-2. It comes with decal for two aircraft, one from JG-2 and from JG-54. Both are quite colorful and choosing which to build will be the difficult part. I elected for the JG-2 machine.

The model comes in a sturdy cardboard box with a colorful top opening cover with profiles of the subject aircraft. The box is about half as deep as the ProfiPack boxing. Inside the box are an instruction booklet with the appropriate parts breakdown. You also get two decal sheets one with the markings and the other is a stencil sheet. These are printed by Eduard and are in perfect register as well as being suitably thin.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
November 12, 2020
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$19.95

Eduard has a variety of options to build their aircraft. There is the Royal Class, ProfiPack, Weekend, and Overtree options, so depending on your budget or what you like to add there is something for everyone.

The Overtree and Weekend releases do not have photoetch parts added. Many, myself included, think that the pre-painted instrument panels are worth the extra cost of these Weekend/Zoom sets.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
February 3, 2020
Company
Eduard
Scale
1/32
MSRP
$9.95

Per Wikipedia, the AN/AAQ-28(V) LITENING targeting pod is an advanced precision targeting pod system currently operational with a wide variety of aircraft worldwide. The targeting pod contains a high-resolution, forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor that displays an infrared image of the target to the aircrew. It has a wide field of view search capability and a narrow field of view acquisition/targeting capability of battlefield-sized targets. The pod also contains a CCD camera used to obtain target imagery in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectrum capability. They are currently in use in over 20 countries in the world.

Review Author
Floyd S. Werner Jr.
Published on
November 5, 2018
Company
New Ware
MSRP
$9.00

The Tamiya Bf-109G-6 is a great model kit. It comes with its own masks but they are not pre-cut nor do they stick to the compound curves very well. Kabuki tape masks work so much better and if they are pre-cut they are the answer to the shortcomings.

New Ware Masks are the answer to those issues. This set is pre-cut on Kabuki tape and provides nearly everything that you’d want to mask off on the kit. More items are included than what is included in the kit. The masks are printed on a 39,5x111 mm sheet of Kabuki tape.

As you’d expect, masks for the canopy are provided as is the normal but unlike the kit masks, this set includes masks for the inside AND outside canopy framing. But this set doesn’t stop there. There are masks included for the spiral, the wheels, the radiator faces and all the other clear parts. The one thing not provided is masks for the wingtip lights.