ModelArt No. 848 July 2012 monthly update features modeling tools and supplies. As always, the format is close to 7x10 inches in size, and the printing and reproduction quality are excellent. Model Art’s text is almost entirely in the Japanese language, and most feature photos are in color. The usual sections follow and are listed by their topic:

1. Cover Feature: Pages 5-39 are divided into four sections, each showing commercially available tools and supplies. Unfortunately, this is where being in Japanese does not help identifying the various tools and supplies. But the pictures and SKU numbers can aid one to identify a desired tool or supply when searching hobby shops or online.
   1. Section 1: Cutting tools – a veritable panoply of all sorts of cutting tools. Knives, snips, scissors, motorized saws. At least the model numbers are identifiable. If one really wants a certain tool, it can be searched for and found somewhere.
   2. Section 2: Polishing – a cornucopia of sanding papers, sanding sticks, polishing pastes, finishing liquids, along with how-to pictures.
   3. Section 3: Detail Work – a smorgasbord of tweezers and pin vises (hand drills).
   4. Section 4: Painting – an ultrasonic cleaner, surface primers, two pages of white paints all applied to the backs of white plastic spoons so you can see the exact shade, and two pages of metallic colors (sorry, no silver paints – that was a previous Model Art).
2. Major Feature: UH/SH60 Helicopters in Japanese service. Hasegawa 1/72 scale new kits of Rescue Hawk UH-60J (SP), Sea Hawk SH-60J, and Black Hawk UH-60JA are featured for 21 pages. Photos of the real helicopters are combined with kit build reviews of each model.
3. Waterline No.407: 1/700 Japanese company S-Model 1880s cruiser (injection-molded).
4. Ads (pages 64-71, 75-77).
5. Modeling JASDFNo.201: T33A Shooting Star 1/72 Jet Trainer (pages 72-74).
6. IJA/N Airplane Illustrated (pages 78-79) this time looking at WW2 carrier torpedo bomber (Jill) engine starter details.
7. New Kit Reviews: latest kits built (pages 80-99)
   1. Hong Kong (HK) Models 1/32 B-25J Mitchell Glass Nose (nose art is different on the finished model than on the box art).
   2. Fujimi 1/24 Hatsune Miku Goodsmile BMW Super GT GT300 Class Champion Race Car – a gaudily decaled Japanese race car.
   3. Zvezda 1/35 T-90 Russian Main Battle Tank.
   4. Aoshima Ironclad Series 1 1/350 IJN Takao Heavy Cruiser 1942 “Retake” – with photoetch detail parts from Ironclad.
8. Profile: Mogi Daiske’s build of the 1/700 Soya Japanese Antarctic Research Vessel with photos of the actual ship (pages 100-103).
9. S. Kitazawa’s Neo-Historic Garage showing a 1/24 1988 Subaru 4WD van with scuba gear from a Japanese kit (pages 104-107).
10. Reader’s Club – a Japanese-language forum for events, information and blogs (pages 148-153).
11. Even more ads (pages 154-164).

This issue is recommended if you want to see the latest & greatest new tools and supplies to help you build. UH/SH-60 helicopter aficionados would benefit from this issue too. Of course, as always, new kits and modeling information are shown to keep one up-to-date, and satisfy armor, auto, plane, ship buffs.

My thanks to Dragon Models USA for the review copy and IPMS/USA for the review space.

Figures:

• Figure 1: Front Cover of Model Art No. 848, July 2012.
• Figure 2: Example of presentation of modeling tools & supplies – surfacing materials.
• Figure 3: Composite of 1/72 scale Hasegawa SH/UH-60 helicopters in Japanese service – Seahawk, Rescuehawk, Blackhawk.
• Figure 4: HK Models new 1/32 sale B-25J Mitchell Glass Nose model.
• Figure 5: Fujimi’s 1/24 scale BMW Champion Racer in Goodsmile livery.