As 1941 dawned, the British were mopping up the last Italian strongholds in Libya after seven months of fighting. The outnumbered British Western Desert force of 30,000 men had effectively defeated an Italian force of 250,000. The British had captured hundreds of thousands of Italian soldiers, plus hundreds of tanks and artillery pieces, and several thousand valuable trucks, and pushed the Italians out of Egypt and then across the coastline of Libya until they controlled only a small section of western Libya.

This is part of a series of books by FlightCraft on aircraft and I have a few of these and are truly indispensable when building a model of the subject matter.

This book goes into great detail on the F-35 fifth Generation fighter. There are a few versions of this aircraft all covered in this book.

The contents of the book are as follows:

• Introduction
• Design and Development
• Key Technical Systems
• Power Systems
• In Service
• Camouflage and Markings
• Modeling the F-35 Lightning
• Showcase Products

I found the Key Technical Systems section most interesting section to me and learned a lot about the aircraft systems.

The modeling sections were also very informative. There are a few builds highlighted including the Tamiya, Academy, Italeri, and Trumpeter Kits.

Reviewer’s Comments:

TankCraft 46, Panther Medium Tank, German Army, Waffen-SS and Luftwaffe Units, Eastern Front, 1944 details the Panther tank, officially the Panzerkampfwagen V Panther (Pz. Kpfw. V, Sd. Kfz. (Sonderkraftfahrzeug) 171, during the largely defensive battles on the Eastern Front during 1944. As the author states in the Introduction,

“At the beginning of 1944, the German armies in the East had lost much of the territory that they had overrun in the spectacular advances of 1941 and 1942. In the north, Leningrad was still surrounded but was being resupplied, and the city was no longer under any serious threat. Most of modern-day Ukraine east of the Dnipro River was now in Soviet hands and in the south the Red Army had occupied the Perekop Isthmus, cutting off Generaloberst Erwin Janecke’s 17. Armee in Crimea.

The Yugoslav Air Force in the Battles for Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina 1991–1992, Volume 2 by Aleksandar Radić is an excellent addition to any aviation or modern military history collection, especially for those with an interest in the Balkan conflicts of the early 1990s. Radić does a strong job of combining operational history with detailed insight into the aircraft, units, and missions that defined this complex period. The narrative is clear and well-structured, giving enough political and military context without overwhelming the reader, while still maintaining a strong focus on aviation.

One of the standout features of the book is high-quality photography throughout. The images are sharp, well-reproduced, and thoughtfully selected, offering a valuable visual record of the aircraft and conditions during the conflict. These aren’t just filler; they genuinely enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject.

After previously reviewing a 1:700 Ship model from ICM (Kaiser’s Steel Fist) I have decided to return to something that better fits my skill set, and have chosen the ICM Do 217M-1, which I will do in a “Night Bomber” scheme.

Unboxing

This kit includes 11 highly detailed sprues of parts. 9 of them are molded in their usual light grey and there are 2 clear canopy sprues. All of them are very highly detailed, which has become the expected norm for ICM kits for me. I am always impressed by how clean the sprues are and how highly detailed the parts are. There is 1 decal sheet and the instruction book. Once again, I have to point out how clear and precise the instructions are. This particular instruction book also includes masking templates for the canopies which will be EXTREMELY helpful as the masking will be a LOT!! This also gives 4 different color schemes to use, all in full color.