About the Author

David Doyle is a familiar name and a prolific author of military history books. His published works have appeared in periodicals aimed at the hobby of historic military vehicle restoration. By 1999, this included regular features in leading hobby publications, appearing regularly in US, British and Polish magazines. Since 2003, over 200 of his books have been published.

Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy!

Kagero Publishing, from Poland, in TopDrawings No. 128, details the appearance of the apex of WW2 Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers, the Akizuki class Suzutsuki (Calm Moon) in 1945. The TopDrawings series is designed for modelers to have an accurate reference for detailed appearances of individual ships and aircraft. TopDrawings consist of glossy color covers with matte black & white (B&W) line drawings of the ship, particular features, and equipment, especially armament. But the main attraction is the separate, large foldout of B&W scale drawings – 1/200 in this book. Suzutsuki looks huge (over two feet long) in the foldout, supplying plenty of tiny details I have not seen before. This book is the benchtop companion to the SuperDrawings in 3D book on Suzutsuki, also by Mariusz.

This book is the latest in a new reference series for aircraft modelers called "Spotlight On" and presents detailed illustrations of the famous American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service in 1940 with the US Navy.

The Wildcat was the only effective fighter available to the US Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific Theatre during the early part of the Second World War.

The book contains 42 specially commissioned color profile views of the colors, camouflage and markings of the Grumman F4F Wildcat and the General Motors built Wildcat including the Martlet.

The AMMO range of acrylic paints for figures has recently been expanded to include another new set of paints specifically designed for the US Marines in the Pacific Theater, the subject of this review.

Opening the box reveals a set of six industry-standard 17ml. ‘eyedropper’ style bottles of high-quality acrylic paint from their Ammo-Mig line, each containing a ‘stirring ball’ (a BB-sized steel ball to help mix the paint when shaking). The assumption is that the paint set would serve as a one-stop shop for producing the USMC uniform that bears its name, a favorite for military figure painters and armor modelers alike.

(From the Manufacturer’s Website)

(US Marines WWII Figures Set) Includes the colors used to represent the distinctive greenish tones of the jacket and trousers used during the war. These colors have been selected through rigorous research to ensure accuracy when creating highlights, adding volume, and define details.

Includes the colors:

The AH-1G Cobra was the first helicopter specifically designed for air to ground attack missions. They first saw action in Vietnam. The type went on to serve several nations, including Spain and Israel (the subject of this model).

I picked the model up at the Review Corp get together at the IPMS National Convention in Omaha. Phil had gotten it straight from Special Hobby.

The kit was presented in Special Hobby’s standard strong, top opening cardboard box with an attractive painting of the helicopter on the cover. Inside, ten sprues were contained within one clear plastic bag. The clear parts were protected inside their own bag. A decal sheet and glossy, color instruction sheet was found in the bottom of the box.

The instruction manual showed a parts sprue layout, and each step was presented in a legible and easily followed manner. Colors were highlighted where needed.