Historical Background

The North American AT-6 Texan was originally developed during the middle thirties as an advanced training monoplane. Earlier versions, designated BT-9through BT-9D, numbered slightly less than 300, were used as basic trainers. They had fixed landing gear 400 hp. Wright R-975’s, and many survived until the end of World War II. The earliest versions were designated BC-1, for “Basic Combat”, and nearly 300 were built before being reclassifies as AT-6, for “Advanced Trainer”. These had 600 hp. Pratt and Whitney R-1340’s, and engine which remained with the airplane for almost its entire life. Navy versions were called SNJ, and they were built until the end of the war, going up to SNJ-6. The Army Air Force AT-6 was built until the end of the war, slightly more than 10,000 being built. These went from AT-6 through AT-6F, with postwar variants designated T- 6G , with Navy versions going as high as SNJ-8.

Brengun/Hauler provides the modeling community with items considered perfect for limited run production. In this case, who would have thought the much-vaunted but not really that effective unguided rocket weapon, affectionately called “Tiny Tim”, would end up as an available add-on?

A logical development of 5” unguided rockets employed by Navy and Marine aircraft in the later portion of the Pacific war, Tiny Tim was essentially a standoff-penetration weapon attached to a rocket tube, designed to be used against bunkers or ships. (Supposedly the rocket body was manufactured by tubing used in oil field work, if you believe wiki). The weapon was aimed, dropped like a bomb, and a lanyard fired the rocket motor when it cleared the aircraft. Accuracy was, as expected, questionable, but must have been very testosterone-inducing for the pilot when the weapon was fired.

Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy!

Casemate Publishers presents The Development of Crude Oil Tankers. A Historical Miscellany by Dr. Ray Solly. This book is a large hardbound with glossy pages chock full of photographs, detailed line drawings, and explanations of how tanker design progressed to the present day. Our current lifestyles and national security depend on these ships, so learning more about them is a joy. Learn why supertankers are the safest and most regulated form of transportation in the world.

The author, Dr. Ray Solly, started as a Navigation Officer in the Merchant Marine, including supertankers. His hobby was coasters, smaller tankers dispersing oil and petroleum goods to smaller markets. Dr. Solly was a schoolmaster for twenty years, and lately is a marine author of non-fiction books and many articles.

Headlines: Cold War Intrigue. Secret MilOps. Prison Camp Raid! Merry Band of Mercs & Rebels Overthrowing a Corrupt Regime. Freedom Fighters vs. Commies. Sean-Connery-James-Bond Style / Peter Graves Style Mission Impossible Skullduggery. Government Disavowal of Actions. Records Expunged. Postmortem Analysis From Forgotten Document.

Guinea is the setting of this Africa@War Series book, describing the little-known commando assault by Portuguese and Guinean ex-pats to overthrow the current government and rescue Portuguese prisoners to thwart the Guinea guerilla tactics trying to overthrow and absorb neighboring Portuguese Guinea (now Guinea-Bissau).

Scale Aircraft Conversions now has over thirty years of experience supplying resin and white metal parts to model builders, and their product listing continues to expand. This is the twelfth landing gear set from SAC that I have reviewed, and once again, they have provided an excellent metal option for kit-supplied landing gear. This set is intended for the 1/32 scale F4F-4 released by Revell and I happen to have kit 85-6876 that was released in 2004 in my stash. The purpose of this replacement set is to provide stronger landing gear that is adjustable, if necessary, to obtain the proper angles. Even with no previous experience in using white metal parts, this set will provide an upgrade that most modelers will have no issue installing.