Thanks to Casemate Publishing & IPMSUSA for the review copy!

Piotr Olender is a Polish naval historian who lives in Gdansk, Poland. He has authored a series of books via MMP Books and Casemate that delve into the little-known, predominantly naval wars around the world in the last half of the 1800s and early 1900s.

This particular offering gives an operational history of the so-called Saltpeter War, or The War of the Pacific, that ultimately defined the geographic borders of three western countries of South American – Bolivia, Chile and Peru. This book is one of the Maritime Series published by Stratus s.j. in Sandomierz, Poland.

OKB Grigorov produces resin kits and accessories. The kits are 1/700 submarines and 1/72 armor. The accessories are for 1/35 and 1/72 armor. I’ve built a couple of the kits, and some of the resin upgrade pieces, and they provide incredible detail.

This kit is an upgrade turret for any 1/72 Panzer IV kit, and I doubt you’ll find a better 1/72nd turret out there. The kit comes packed in a tiny box, but don’t let its size fool you, inside it packed with 36 highly detailed resin and photo-etch metal parts, as well as a metal barrel. There are 14 resin parts, and 22 metal pieces and each one is finely detailed.

Bruno Mugnai is a prolific author and illustrator who has specialized in history of eastern Europe in the 16th-18th centuries, ancient Italian states and South America after Spanish conquest. He has previously published titles for the Italian Army and Helion & Company (UK), including five volumes on Wars and Soldiers in the early Reign of Louis XIV, and the Cretan War (1645-1671). He also an illustrator for his books.

This book is No 55 of the Century of the Soldier 1618-1721 series by Helion, and is an update in English of the original title published in Italian in 1997. This time period saw warfare escalate into serious national business, fostering a steady stream of advances, changing rulers, nations and history. Pike to musket era. This book focuses on the Ottoman Empire armies that occupied much of Eastern Europe.

Sanjay Badri-Maharaj is the author of this book but also was there when it happened. As such, he has a personal stake in getting this book a wide audience. Sanjay is a native TTer (TT stands forTrinidad & Tobago, as they say on the islands), an Indo-Trinidadian. He studied at Kings College London, and received a PhD from the Department of War Studies, focusing on India’s nuclear capabilities. He has authored other books on modern-day military topics from the Caribbean and India, including an upcoming review of English-speaking Caribbean militaries. Sanjay was a visiting International Fellow at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi. Sanjay has also served as a Consultant to the Ministry of National Security in Trinidad, a key player in this particular book. Thus, when Sanjay explains how things are really done in Trinidad, it is not speculation, but eye-witness observation and experience, with the keen eye of a practicing lawyer.

The SAC replacement gear seems to be an exact replica of the parts from the Hobby Boss A-26 Invader kit. The metal is soft but easy to clean and file. The set consists of main gear, nose gear, and nose wheel well. I decided to use the nose gear and its well to help balance the model since I have never tolerated tail sitters.

The nose gear well needs a little filing to fit. Even after adding more weight, the airplane barely stood on its nose, so I am glad I used it. I don’t believe you could get enough weight in the nose without it. The SAC set claims it weighs 42 grams and the kit recommends 150 grams, so the builder has to make up the 108 gram difference.

After finishing the model, because of its weight I might’ve been better off using the metal main gear also.

I want to thank Scale Aircraft Conversions and IPMS/USA for the opportunity to review this accessory.