Kagero's latest in their Monographs Special Edition in 3D series is the Rogožarski IK-3. This edition is in their standard 8.5" x 11.875" format hardbound publication that is 184 pages (excluding covers). This volume starts with 72 pages of historical text followed by 28 pages of black and white line drawings in 1/72 and 1/48. Up next are 72 pages of color 3D illustrations describing every part of the aircraft, from cockpit to engine. There is also a double sided insert sheet full of line drawings (~16.4" x 23.0") that starts with profiles at 1/32 scale and includes scrap details. I counted 89 color 3D illustrations, 22 color profiles, along with 21 tables. There are 125 period black and white photographs dedicated to the 80th anniversary of this obscure fighter's first flight.

This is Nenad Miklušev's second book on the IK-3 with the predecessor being a 45-page paperback published in Dutch. This book is Djordje Nikolić's second contribution to the Kagero Monographs Special Edition in 3D with his previous effort published in 2017 on the Dornier Do 22 (Volume 96010).

The Rogožarski IK-3 was designed by Ljubomir Ilić, Kosta Sivčev and Slobodan Zrnić, two French trained engineers who desired to develop an aviation industry in the home country of Yugoslavia. A successor to the high wing, strut supported monoplane, the Rogožarski IK-2, the IK-3 was a contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Indecision by the Royal Yugoslav Air Force delayed the design, but the first prototype had its first flight at the end of May in 1938. Unfortunately, no Ik-3 aircraft survived World War II. All but two aircraft were destroyed in the German invasion and those two that were captured by the Germans were scrapped in 1942. A post-war development of the IK-3, the S-49, is addressed that served ably as a transition to the jet age in Yugoslavia. One S-49A did manage to survive and is awaiting restoration. A single S-49C survived and is on display at the Belgrade Air Museum. The Chapters include:

• Introduction
• Rogožarski A.D. History
• IK-3 Predecessors
• IK-3 Prototype
• From Prototype To Production
• Abwehr Plot
• Entry Into Service
• Second Series
• April War [Page 32]
• Post War Developments
• Camouflage and Markings
• IK-3 Technical Information
  • Cockpit
  • Engine
  • Fuel System
  • Ignition System
  • Lubrication System
  • Coolant System
  • Hydraulics System
  • Compressed Air System
  • Fuselage [Page 60]
  • Wings
  • Ailerons
  • Flaps
  • Horizontal Stabilizer
  • Elevator
  • Vertical Stabilizer
  • Rudder
  • Landing Gear
  • Fire Suppression System
  • Oxygen System
  • Electrical System
  • Lighting System
  • Flight Monitoring Instruments
  • Radio
  • Weapons
• Appendices
  • Appendix 1: Pilot's Flight Operating Instructions
  • Appendix 2: Abbreviations
  • Appendix 3: Air Force Rank Comparison
  • Appendix 4: VVKJ Unit Structure
  • Appendix 5: 51 VG: Structure on 6 April 1941
  • Appendix 6: 51 VG: 161, and 162 E Provisional Claims
  • Appendix 7: Rogožarski IK-3 Individual Airplane History from Delivery to Last Flight
  • Appendix 8: Rogožarski IK-3 Technical Data
  • Appendix 9: Technical Data Comparison of the Three Most Modern Royal Yugoslav Air Force Fighters
  • Appendix 10: Technical Data Comparison Between the Three Most Advanced Engines in the Royal Yugoslav Air Force
  • Appendix 11: Post War S-49A and C Technical Data
  • Appendix 12: Technical Data Comparison Between the S-49A and S-49C Engines
  • Appendix 13: S-49A and C On Charge as of 20 December 1955
  • Appendix 14: Materials Used in IK-3 Prototype Construction
• Endnotes
• Rogožarski IK-3 Drawings
  • 1/32 (Separate Folded Sheet) [Fold Out]
  • 1/48 [Sheet 5]
  • 1/72
• 3D Visualization by Branislav Mirkov [Page 112, 128, 160]
• Color Profiles by Nenad M. Miklusev [Page 182]

Model-wise you have a several choices. Aeropoxy has a resin kit in 1/32 that was updated in December of 2014 and is still available. Going down one level to 1/48 scale, again Aeropoxy delivers a resin kit in 1/48 as has Classic Resin Airframes. Small scale modelers can find a 1/72 Aeropoxy resin kit, a Czech Master Resin kit, and a L&M Resin kit. Injected plastic kits from Aviation USK (Xotic-72), Azur-Frrom, Admiral, and AZ Model. Masochistically, Formaplane has a vacuform 1-72 kit. Aeropoxy is at again in 1/144 with a boxing featuring two complete kits.

I really enjoyed reading the design development and operational service text by Nenad Miklušev and Djordje Nikolić, especially their inclusion of many first person accounts. That is on top of the description on the IK-3's post-war successor, the S-49. I consider the Kagero Monographs Special Edition in 3D an essential reference for model building. The period photographs are crisp and clear. You get angles you cannot really see in other references and they are in full color. This being the eleventh volume, they have managed to cover several aircraft. If you have any of their previous books in the Monographs Special Edition in 3D series, you know how great a value this book is. Highly Recommended!

My thanks to Casemate, Kagero, and IPMS/USA for the chance to review this great book.

Highly recommended!