The Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback is the latest publication from Duke Hawkins Books and is the twenty-ninth volume of a series of books that they have recently published highlighting modern aircraft. This series got its start with The Sepecat Jaguar in July 2017 and has been quite successful. There is also a special limited edition on the Belgian Air Force F-16 and on the Juan Carlos I Aircraft Carrier. This series of publications fall under the name of Duke Hawkins, but it is not clear exactly who Duke Hawkins is. If you check out other retail sites on this series, you can find Robert Pied and Nicolas Deboeck listed as authors, but there is not much additional information on them. One of the bylines goes like this:

Regulars

Pages 6-7 The Newsstand. Here this publications previews new model kits and accessories. The paragraphs are short and are accompanied with color images of the subject matter.

Pages 8-10 Czech News. New releases from Airmastr and Planet Models/Special Hobby are featured with the primary focus on the latter's 1/72 and /48 scale kits of the HESA Shahid 136/Geran suicide drones. Color images included. AZ Model, Valom, Eduard and Kovozavody Prostejov (KP) offerings are also featured.

Pages 12-13 In The Box. The Infinity Models 1/32 Aichi D3A1 Val is featured with a two page spread including some images of the kit contents plus information on Infinity aftermarket accessories for the kit.

Intro

WOW, I’ve always loved the Platz kits and was I surprised to find 2 kits in the box! Initially, I was thinking about what a hard choice it would be to decide on wheels up or down. Not with this kit :D So, I love the box art for the 40th Anniversary livery and decided that had to be the in-flight version and the low-vis aircraft would be parked.

The Kit

Two things stand out, the way parts are designed to fit together and the detail. Engraved panel lines were clear everywhere except the nose of both aircraft. Some sanding and a fine scriber will clear this up. Parts are practically a snap fit I noted. A unique element in a kit this small is that both retracted and extended gear doors. No cutting and trimming to get a set to fit. And the ordnance! Wait till you check out the detail on those little sidewinders.

Overview

In this highly-illustrated second volume of his history of US Naval Aviation, Leo Marriott takes the reader through the extraordinary developments in design and capability that transformed American aircraft and aircraft carriers after the Second World War. He describes the succession of conflicts in which they were deployed. Increasingly advanced jets replaced propeller-driven aircraft, and nuclear-powered carriers allowed the US Navy to project American military power across the world. As the many remarkable photographs in this book show, wherever naval aviation was involved, it played a crucial role, especially in the Korea and Vietnam wars.

This sheet from Twobobs provides markings for three F-16s. The first two depict special markings applied for the 70th and 75th anniversaries of supersonic flight. The third subject is the colorful Blue, White, and Orange NF-16D Vista.

The decal sheet is printed by Cartograf and packaged in Twobob’s typical 6x9 inch bag. The primary sheet has the main markings and stencils. The second smaller sheet has walkway lines and IFR receptacle decals sized for the Kinetic kit. There are enough walkway lines for one model.

The main sheet includes markings for and stencils for all three subjects. The colors and artwork look dead-on accurate compared to the reference photos I found of these aircraft.

The instruction sheet provides four views for each subject, a paint diagram, and notes on the specifics of each airframe.