The book is volume 46 of Helion & Company’s Middle East @ War series and, as noted in the title, is the third volume of its coverage of Czechoslovak Arms Exports to the Middle East focusing on arms exports to Egypt between 1948 and 1989.

Starting in the mid-1950’s and continuing on and off up to the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in 1989, the Czech arms industry exported a wide variety of weapons to Egypt, including ammunition, small arms, artillery, tanks and aircraft. It was also heavily involved in training many pilots, ground personnel and technicians, conducting courses both in Egypt and Czechoslovakia.

This set is designed for use with Modelsvit’s Su-17, Su-20 and Su-22 kits and fits both the 2017 and 2014 kits.

The set provides replacement parts for both the nose landing gear and both main landing gear and is comprised of thirteen parts, five for the nose gear assembly and four for each main landing assembly. The nose gear parts include the nose wheel, but the main gear parts do not. The cast parts are designed to be drop-in replacements for the kit parts.

So, we have a 1/144 Mustang out there from Platz/Eduard, and an interior detail set from Eduard as well, available on in their own release. The canopy on the basic kit is closed, and within the limits of thickness which can be successfully injected. It fits and looks nice (and the Eduard kit has a masking set to go with it.

Insane? Yep. But an open cockpit requires an open canopy. HEAVY insanity. I had to try it. Tweezers: yep. Magnifier for vision: Mandatory Ham hands: Standard.

Here is where Brengun excels! They provide a set of four canopies in a clear plastic envelope which allows (with careful, NEW scalpel or #11 blade work) an open canopy!

The Yak-9 was a development of the successful Yak-7, which was itself a development of an advanced trainer in use by the Soviet Air Force. Fast and robust, it came into fighter regiments on the Eastern Front in late 1942 and directly challenged the best the Luftwaffe was able to throw at them, although it suffered at first due to poor training.

The Bristol Blenheim was one of the most popular British aircraft at the beginning of World War II. It was a very versatile and modifiable machine, and therefore typical bomber, reconnaissance, and fighter (including night) versions were created.

From Dennis Oliver’s Introduction,

"The American-build M4 Medium Tank, christened Sherman by the British, served in every theater of war from North Africa, Sicily and Italy to north-western Europe and finally in the Far East. From late 1942 it was arguably the most important armoured vehicle in Britain’s arsenal, with the possible exception of the Churchill. Field Marshal Montgomery, the overall commander of the British and Commonwealth units fighting in the Mediterranean and later in Normandy, considered the Sherman to be a universal tank, capable of both close infantry support and mobile warfare."

Last summer Squadron Hobbies released three sets of decals for the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet family. Set 72001 provides decals for three legacy F/A-18C’s in high-visibility schemes, the CAG (the carrier air wing commander) aircraft from VFA-97 Warhawks, VFA-37 Ragin Bulls and VFA-15 Valions (2001).

The instructions include a full color profile view of the left side of each aircraft, the right side of the nose of each jet and full color overhead view along with a color key listing the FS numbers for each color. There is also a small detail drawing of the drop tank markings for each squadron.

Last summer Squadron Hobbies released three sets of decals for the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet family. Set 72003 provides decals for three legacy F/A-18C’s - two in high-visibility schemes, the CAG (the carrier air wing commander) aircraft from VFA-192 Golden Dragons (2009) and VFA-34 Blue Blasters (2018) and a standard low visibility scheme from VMFA-122 Werewolves (2009).

Mortons Media Group was established in the 19th century and has been producing book-length publications since the early 2000s. The company established a dedicated books division in 2019 and Mortons Books has already earned a reputation for publishing high-quality titles by authors who are true experts in their field. For the best reads on rail, aviation, nostalgia and history, look no further. This book is part of their imprint: Tempest Books addresses all aspects of aviation history are covered in authoritative detail. The aviators and aircraft of the Second World War are profiled by our titles alongside more modern fighters, bombers, reconnaissance aircraft and transports. 'Secret projects' and experimental designs are also an important part of the Tempest Books portfolio.

Henri-Paul Enjames started collecting uniforms and equipment of the American soldier in Europe during the 19 43–1945 period. He was fascinated by the power of the United States Army and how it supplied soldiers with the most modern equipment and uniforms. His collection includes items in the best possible condition, many with readable markings providing information about manufacture dates and models. He used a 1943 Quartermaster Corps supply catalog to organize and show his collection. His intention with this book is to gather as much information as possible on the uniforms and equipment of the American soldier in Europe to illustrate authentic items.

Enjames’ Collection is shown in high-quality color photographs of the actual items with captions of the articles name, number, and years of use. Additional text provides background on the equipment illustrated.

The chapters are organized similar to the 1943 QMC Supply Catalog:

AN-26 History From Wikipedia

While the An-24T tactical transport had proved successful in supporting Soviet troops in austere locations, its ventral loading hatch restricted the handling of cargo. As a result, a version (An-26) with a retractable cargo ramp was designed that allowed the cargo deck to be sealed and pressurized in flight.

The An-26 includes military equipment, such as tip-up paratroop canvas seats, an overhead traveling hoist, bulged observation windows and parachute static line attachment cables. It can be configured in 20-30 minutes from the troop transport or freight mission to the medical evacuation role with up to 24 stretchers fitted.

The Decals

Continuing FOXBOT’S tradition of excellence from Ukraine, these decals are excellent in both registry and color. The carrier film has both minimal margins and thickness making the very pliable for contour and feature coverage.

Report 2: Midway through Construction

This second report covers the build from Steps 26 through 48 of 64. It is essentially the assembly of the upper decks prior to attachment of the stacks and their associated appurtenances.

Through this point in the build, most of the parts fit exceptionally well, to the extent that some can be press fit together. When you encounter one that doesn’t fit as well, like the life raft stacks, it makes you wonder if you are doing something incorrectly. The life rafts did not stack up evenly when placed one on top of another, so I used more glue than usual and clamped them in place after assuring they were parallel. Although good overall, one drawback of the tight fit is that a mere paint layer could interfere with making a tight joint or may require a pinhole to be reamed out before being able to attach a part.

Arma Hobby continues to build on their 1/72 scale inventory with the release of this Cactus Air Force Deluxe set. I have previously had the pleasure of reviewing their F4F-4 Wildcat Expert Set (kit 70047) as well as their P-39Q Airacobra (kit 70055) and this release essentially combines the two kits albeit with a different version of the Airacobra. With the addition of 3D printed parts for both aircraft, the already great level of detail is improved for some key areas. I highly recommend this kit to modelers experienced in handling small parts looking to represent the Cactus Air Force planes between August 1942 and February 1943.