Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
January 23, 2023
Company
Vargas Scale Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$84.50

Vargas Models, a prolific maker of extraordinary resin, 3-D printed, limited-run armor models is back with another unusual subject; the Fiat 2000 Carro Armata or ‘heavy tank’. The Fiat 2000 was Italy’s first tank ever developed, with the first prototype displayed in mid-1917, and the final production prototype unveiled the following year.

The FIAT 2000 was a substantial vehicle, of comparable dimensions to the British Mark V tanks, and weighing 40 tons as compared to the Mark V's 28 tons, making it ‘technically’ the heaviest tank of World War I, although it never saw combat.

Review Author
Chris Smith
Published on
January 23, 2023
Company
Arma Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$28.00

I know what you’re thinking, does the world need another P-51 Mustang model? In the case of the ARMA P-51B kit the answer is YES! If you love the Mustang like I do, you must build one of these kits. ARMA has created detail fidelity in this scale that I’ve not seen in scales much larger. The cockpit is a model in itself and includes decals for all the placards. Capping it are standard canopy and Malcom hoods that allow open or closed positions and the rails for Malcolm hood are included, a feature no P-51B model I'm aware of has ever done.

Decals options are provided for four aircraft including “Old Crow” one of Clarence “Bud” Andersons early Mustangs. One additional scheme is provided in the instructions for Captain John Pugh's “Geronimo”, with a checked nose that was later removed. Two frames of grey plastic hold all the parts of the kit.

Book Author(s)
Poitre Butowski
Review Author
Mr. Greg Kittinger
Published on
January 23, 2023
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$29.95

The movie-going public got its first look at Russia’s newest multi-role combat aircraft with the release of Top Gun: Maverick, as the CGI generated adversaries of Mav and Rooster at climax of the movie. The Su-57 is claimed to have entered service with Russian in December of 2020, though reading between the lines of this book there seems to be a lot of teething problems yet to solve before it could be considered truly ready for prime time.

The author lays out very nicely the protracted development of the Su-57, starting with the MiG MFI program, through the PAK FA competition, concept development programs, and includes content on the MiG 1.44, the Su-47 Berkut, and short discussions of the upgraded Su-57M and the Su-70 unmanned aircraft.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 23, 2023
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$17.59

AMMO by Mig has released a new line of acrylic paints for railroad modelers called the Rail Center. There are 41 railroad specific colors in the series, with twelve box sets:

  • Ammo.R-1000 Spanish Renfe Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1001 Dutch Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1002 British Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1003 German DB Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1004 German DR Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1005 Germany DRG-DB Steam Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1006 Via Rail Canada Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1007 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 1
  • Ammo.R-1008 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 2
  • Ammo.R-1009 British Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1010 American Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1011 German Freight Cars

The paints depart from the familiar Ammo by Mig 17ml eye drop containers and are packaged in 15ml cylinders with stirring balls.

Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 23, 2023
Company
AMMO by Mig Jimenez
MSRP
$17.61

AMMO by Mig has released a new line of acrylic paints for railroad modellers called the Rail Center. There are 41 railroad specific colors in the series, with twelve box sets:

  • Ammo.R-1000 Spanish Renfe Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1001 Dutch Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1002 British Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1003 German DB Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1004 German DR Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1005 Germany DRG-DB Steam Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1006 Via Rail Canada Locomotives
  • Ammo.R-1007 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 1
  • Ammo.R-1008 Classic American Railroad Companies – Locomotives Vol. 2
  • Ammo.R-1009 British Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1010 American Freight Cars
  • Ammo.R-1011 German Freight Cars

The paints depart from the familiar Ammo by Mig 17ml eye drop containers and are packaged in 15ml cylinders with stirring balls.

Review Author
Michael A. Turco
Published on
January 23, 2023
Company
Red Fox Studio
MSRP
$13.25

My modeling experience detailing aircraft cockpits includes:

  • Laboring over kit-supplied embossed instrument panels that need to be painted by hand and/or dry brushed;
  • Giving in to using instrument decals, either the kit-supplied panels or individual gauge decals; or
  • Using photo-etched panels backed by film pieces with gauge faces that need to be back painted white and sandwiched behind the metal fronts.

While the latter is the most realistic of the aforementioned methods, none provide the realism of the 3D printed panels that are now coming to market.

Being unfamiliar with these aftermarket products, I was anxious to get a close look at one. The one I was fortunate enough to evaluate is produced by Red Fox Studios, a company in Hungary, for the new Hasegawa 1/48-scale F-22 Raptor kit. (See Photo 1).

The panels are composed of acrylic plastic with both raised and recessed details and are printed in color.

Book Author(s)
Marco Tomassoni, Claudio Col, Mauro Cini
Review Author
Pablo Bauleo
Published on
January 24, 2023
Company
Aviation Collectibles
MSRP
$24.95

The MB-339 is a trainer/light-attack aircraft designed for the Italian Air Force by Aermacchi. The reliability, simplicity and capabilities of the airframe meant that it was successfully exported to 8 other countries.

The author of the book (a pilot himself) clearly tells the history and characteristics of this airplane, with the detail and insights that only someone that has flown the aircraft could tell. The relationship between author and machine runs deep and it shows in his writing.

Through the book, the author describes the evolution of the aircraft in its main versions (A/PAN, CD, MLU). The first version was a basically an analog trainer, later the CD version was a digital electronics trainer where Tornado crews got their first lessons and finally the MLU (Mid-Life-Upgrade) which was an overhaul of the A version to extend its life into the 2000s, when it became capable of carrying anti-ship and ground-attack missiles.

Book Author(s)
Ian Baxter
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
January 24, 2023
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$26.95

Ian Baxter is a prolific author and has an impressive collection of photographs, many unpublished previously. The book follows the familiar Images of War format with brief introductions for each chapter followed by a lot of photographs to tell the story. At first, I was hesitant to review this book as a lot has been written about this period of well-documented evil that was the Nazi era. However, I wanted to read and see Ian Baxter’s perspective on Heinrich Himmler, the Architect of the Holocaust.

Ian Baxter did not disappoint, and his opening paragraph sums up the book,

Book Author(s)
Jozef Mols
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
January 24, 2023
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

This is the 5th volume of a new Key Aero Airlines Series covering FINNAIR a Century of Nordic Aviation. The book covers the complete history of the airline from the creation of Aeronaut in Estonia in 1918, then the move to Finland as Aero Oy in 1923 to its current global position in the industry. The book covers the routes and fleet development over the years including all the ups and downs that the Airline industry always has. The chapters are fascination and give way more details that I expected in such an apparently small book.

All the photographs and write up in this book really help to show how the airline grow and also main issues and troubles it has had during its history.

I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in Commercial Aircraft and or Airlines. Also great for commercial aircraft modelers. After reading this book I look forward to adding more of this series to my library.

Book Author(s)
Frédéric Lert
Review Author
Michael Novosad
Published on
January 24, 2023
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

Introduction

The Dassault Super Étendard, which became the Super Étendard Modernisé in due course, had a remarkable career. It was a humble aircraft that was often faced with thankless and difficult tasks. There was no excessive power in this aircraft, but simply a remarkable versatility that made it the backbone of French carrier aviation for 40 years. Solid, reliable, well-designed, and adaptable, the Super Étendard was an aircraft that France regularly upgraded, enabling it to maintain its rank with increasingly sophisticated equipment and armaments. It gained notoriety for its role in anti-ship missions flown by Argentinian pilots, but paradoxically, France never used it in combat in this role. On the other hand, the aircraft was extensively used as a bomber in numerous wars, in a variety of places, including Lebanon, Syria, Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan. With over 160 images, this book looks at the history of the Super Étendard and the impact it had on aviation.