Windsock Worldwide, which has taken on the name of Windsock World War Centenary, continues to produce one of the finest resources for all who are interested in modeling WWI aircraft. With the centennial of World War One upon us, there has been an uptick in scale modeling of Great War subjects, both in armor and especially in aircraft. As someone who has focused the majority of my modeling career on World War One biplanes, it is heartening to see the revival that is going on in this field of model building. A lot of this has to do with the emergence and success of Wingnut Wings. This has not been lost on the Windsock publications, as they give ample coverage to all news related to Wingnut Wings, and reviews of their latest kitsets.

The Spring 2014 issue, Volume 30, Number 1, begins with an impressive cover advertising a review of WNW’s AMC DH9. The inside cover and first page is wall-to-wall Windsock news items (a dozen in all), along with a table of contents for the issue. This is followed by the customary Reader’s Gallery, which offers photos and a short description of three models sent in by subscribers. Another regular feature is the Logbook Entry, which offers reviews of the latest books and journals covering WWI aviation.

A recently installed feature – 100 Great Warplanes continues (concludes) the first plane profiled, The Rumpler C.III. This series should prove very popular and the photos and scale drawing (in 1:48 scale) are informative and helpful.

Articles that continue to provide valuable research and resource for modelers are a strength of Windsock publications, and this issue provided two really good ones. Alan Toelle and Lance Krieg offer an amazing article on the French Five-Color camouflage in model form. Both authors contribute their personal insights and experiences, and provide plenty of photos. A chart of “Pigments required to produce camouflage colors” completes their very helpful information.

A second main feature article in this issue is entitled “Great War Paint” (No. 12) and focuses upon the Sopwith Tabloid. The article is a short one but offers some great photos and a full two page spread on Tabloid profiles.

As stated earlier, one of the strengths of the Windsock World War Centenary are the Reviews section. Referred to as “round-ups”, the first covers new kits in 1:72 scale. The kits reviewed are Encore’s Albatros D.III as flown by Marian C. Cooper and HR Model’s Phonix C.1. Next comes the 1:48 scale round-up, with reviews of Special Hobby’s Morane Saulnier MoS 30E.1, and two on Copper State Models – a Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin and a really unique Salmson-Moineau S.M.1. The Salmson 2A2, released by GasPatch models also receives a thorough review, complete with great photos. The review of the Salmson provides an effective transition into the 1:32 scale round-up and a review of Wingnut Wings’ Salmson 2A2 (USAS). This is a full two and half page review complete with numerous photos, and is then followed by the cover review of WNW’s AMC DH.9. This review is a full three pages long and with the helpful photos will provide an indispensable resource for anyone building this plane.

The issue rounds out with the regular “Accessories” section at the end of the journal, providing further helpful information of numerous after-market items available. “Lines of Supply” advertising ads (quarter page and half page) close out this issue on page 32 and the inside of the back cover.

Windsock World War Centenary packs in a lot of information in their commitment to provide as much detail as possible in a relatively short magazine/journal. They succeed at that point. It is wall-to-wall reading and photos, with virtually no wasted space. It demonstrates an economy of words in a field of modeling that is expanding rapidly. It is hard for all of us to keep up, so we should be glad that Windsock is doing that for us.

Thanks to Albatros Productions for providing the review copy and to IPMS/USA for the opportunity to provide this review.