Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
ICM
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$49.99

ICM has continued its series of MiG-25 “Foxbat” kits with probably the ugliest variant of all, the two-seat trainer. Unlike the other trainers built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau where the trainer version was created by extending the cockpit aft to make room for an instructor’s seat and controls, for the MiG-25 trainer an entire new nose section was added in front of the existing cockpit along with a separate canopy for the instructor pilot.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$17.00

The United States Marine Corps were a major operator of the F-4 Phantom during the Vietnam war flying both the B and J versions.

AoA’s very comprehensive set covers six Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons with more than 15 possible schemes. There is also a full set of stencils included for one aircraft.

The squadrons are:

  • VMFA-115 Silver Eagles which include some neat looking metallic eagles
  • VMFA-212 Lancers
  • VMFA-232 Red Devils with their distinctive squadron markings
  • VMFA-314 Black Knights
  • VMFA-323 Death Rattlers which also includes helmet decals
  • VMFA-334 Falcons

There are left side profiles and top views for all aircraft and multiple pages for the stencils which cover all sides of the aircraft. There is also a small sheet that covers details for each airframe including paint specifics and instructions if certain decals need to be applied before others.

Review Author
Phil Peterson
Published on
Company
AOA Decals
Scale
1/48
MSRP
$22.50

The United States Marine Corps were a major operator of the F-4 Phantom during the Vietnam war flying both the B and J versions.

AoA’s very comprehensive set covers six Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons with more than 15 possible schemes. There is also a full set of stencils included for one aircraft.

The squadrons are:

  • VMFA-115 Silver Eagles which include some neat looking metallic eagles
  • VMFA-212 Lancers
  • VMFA-232 Red Devils with their distinctive squadron markings
  • VMFA-314 Black Knights
  • VMFA-323 Death Rattlers which also includes helmet decals
  • VMFA-334 Falcons

There are left side profiles and top views for all aircraft and multiple pages for the stencils which cover all sides of the aircraft. There is also a small sheet that covers details for each airframe including paint specifics and instructions if certain decals need to be applied before others.

Book Author(s)
Ian Baxter
Review Author
Andrew Manriquez
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$22.95

With every major conflict or war there are new developments on how fighting gets executed. The German use of the Panzergrenadiers is one such development that came along to support their novel Blitzkreig tactics of the Second World War. If a charge was to be ‘lightning’ fast, it could not be done with the traditional walking pace of infantry following fast moving armor. By motorizing troop movements via armored carrier and piggybacking personnel on tanks, German troops could move quickly to take advantage of the rapid changes in the battlefield.

Book Author(s)
Chris Goss
Review Author
Ron Bell
Published on
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

This book covers only the Blackburn Buccaneer and the Avro Vulcan. The author was intimately involved with the Buccaneer as a pilot and instructor, so most of the volume concerns this aircraft. In fact, he states that he spent most of his career avoiding the Vulcan so is not really the man to write about that aircraft. It is not really a reference book as no background, historical or technical information is supplied in the text, and the only text besides that on the five pages of the Foreward, Introduction and Appendix consists of the captions of the numerous photos, which are the real heart of this short work. Many of the Buccaneer photos are from the author’s collection and it is obvious that this volume is an homage to that aircraft, with the Vulcan taking rather a back seat. The photos, and there are many, many of them, are of value to the modeler for the different markings shown rather than detail shots of landing gear, ejector seats and such which some may be looking for.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
Company
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Scale
1/144
MSRP
$13.95

With the success of its A320/321 Airbus has proven a worthy competitor to the Boeing 737. This set replaces the gear parts in the Revell A321 New Engine Option (NEO) kit. Six parts are provided and the casting is directly from the kit parts including runners with kit part numbers on them. No doubt, there are advantages to metal parts supporting a model of this size but there are some issues. Removing the parts from the sprues was difficult to do without distorting the parts. The metal used is very pliable so they can be straightened out. In this scale, I don't know how precise the parts prep would have to be but the sample had some offsets in casting that needed a lot of material removal to make level joints. Once the struts are glued to the main gear, it makes a pretty stout assembly. I did not have the kit to compare too but photos references do match the parts fairly well.

Book Author(s)
Didier Andres
Review Author
Tim Hortman
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$37.95

The latest title in Casemate’s Illustrated Special series is U.S. Army Signal Corps Vehicles 1941-45 by Didier Andres.

Chapters

  1. Introduction
  2. Evolution of the Model K
  3. Radar Trucks
  4. Radio Trucks
  5. Multi-Purpose Vehicles
  6. Specialized Vehicles
  7. Specialized Trailers
  8. Telephony
  9. Special Cases
  10. Sources

This hardbound book was of great interest to me, as my Great Uncle was with Co C, 4th Signal BN in WWII. This book follows a few others by this author on similar subjects which are also of interest to the modeler.

Book Author(s)
Richard A. Franks
Review Author
Andrew Manriquez
Published on
Company
Valiant Wings Publishing
MSRP
$32.67

The Airframe and Miniature series by Valiant Publications gives the modeler and the enthusiast the most information and details you will find about a given subject.

When you first open the book, you will see the table of contents, then the preface. The preface goes over a brief history of P-51s from the B model up to the K model. There are also lists of USAAF and RAF squadrons that operated P-51s during and after WWII. The preface concludes with a run-down of which countries used the aircraft, how they were acquired and, their operational life.

Chapter one is the evolution of the P-51 from the XP-51D to the P-51K-20-NT. Each version of the P-51 has about a paragraph of information on the differences between models and a side profile.

Chapter two is about the evolution of the Photoreconnaissance, trainers, and projected production versions. With the same layout of chapter one.

Review Author
Bob LaBouy
Published on
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$5.99

The constant ingenuity of our modeling industry never ceases to amaze me—such is the case of colored model glue. This is novel approach which will provide a solution to an issue that many of us did not know existed.

Ammo by Mig’s statement provides the following information:

“Hold the parts together, apply the cement to the joint and allow it draw itself into the gap by capillary action. Its red [or blue] colour stands out against the plastic surface, clearly showing where it is being applied. This also allows you to be sure the entire joint is covered and will facilitate the sanding process. Completely dries in 10 minutes.”

Book Author(s)
Dr. David Nicolle & Air Vice Marshal Gabr Ali Gabr
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Historical Background

This book is part of a series explaining the historical developments of military and civil aviation in the Arab World. This includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Libya, Egypt, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Iran. After the end of World War I, these regions were in the process of moving from European colonial rule to independence, with Britain and France in decline, while Germany and Italy were attempting to increase their influence. At the same time, aviation was slowly improving, and the Middle Eastern areas were developing more sophisticated aviation facilities. The British were probably the most involved in colonial developments, while France and Spain were in decline.