Model Art Profile is published in Japan and is printed in Japanese. Some of the image captions and text have been translated into English, and while the translation is well done, the amount of text in English is minimal.

But as the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and the hundreds of images contained in this publication will serve as a excellent and comprehensive reference guide for the modeler.

Profile 13 is the most recent installment in a series of Profiles, and the good news is that most of these publications are still available. To view a list of these publications and to see the aircraft that are covered by these Profiles, follow this link: http://www.modelart.jp/english.special.mp.list.001.html

On September 15, 1944, the U.S. 1st Marine Division began the assault on the island of Peleliu in the Palau Islands. What was expected to be a four-day battle turned into a two-month slug-fest as marines tried to root out the dug-in Japanese troops. This battle would prove to be, proportionally, the bloodiest battle the Marines would fight in WW II, made even worse by the fact the island had little strategic value. Eight marines would receive the Medal of Honor for actions on Peleliu, five of them posthumously.

This Dragon release depicts four marines from that battle, although they could represent marines from any of the late war fighting. There is a wounded marine being tended by a U.S. Navy corpsman, a kneeling officer, and a running figure with a Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR).

Modelers of German WW II vehicles and figures will find this latest effort from Plus Model of interest. Packed nicely in the new, sturdy plastic packaging are nine resin pieces of German rucksacks, packs, and field gear.

German troops were originally issued a back pack (Tornister) with a flap made of unshaven calf-skin. There were loops on the sides and top for straps to attach the great coat. Plus model has included one of these packs with a rolled up great coat in this set.

The tornister was not sufficient for mountain troops, who were required to carry more gear, so rucksacks based on civilian designs were issued. During the course of the war, these came in a variety of designs, with two or three outside pockets, with or without integral shoulder straps, and in a number of colors.

History

Ford introduced the “F” series pickup in 1948, beginning with the F-1; it became the best selling line of pickups of all time. The second generation of the “F” series was introduced in 1953 as the F-100, it ran through 1956.

The 1956 Ford F-100 is very popular among street rodders and was the vehicle of choice for famed pin striper, cartoonist, and custom car builder Ed “Big Daddy” Roth. Ed Roth created outrageous characters such as Rat Fink and Mr. Gasser, as well as vehicles like the Beatnik Bandit, Orbitron, and the Outlaw, among others. These were wild one-off creations that set the bar for custom hot rod show cars. The Revell model company turned several of Roth’s custom vehicles into model kits. Ed “Big Daddy” Roth was a notable figure in the custom car world and an inspiration to his contemporaries and future generations of custom car builders.

I have always been very interested in the odd subject, the one-offs, the participants in some historically significant or merely strange event, and the Seafire FR 46 fits in there somewhere. The Seafire 46 was a modification of the Spitfire F 22, with the bubble canopy and contra-rotating props. Combined with the larger vertical stabilizer of the Seafang, the Mk 46 fixed the problem of the sudden swing to starboard when power was added, as on takeoff.

There was an order placed for 200 FR 46s, but only 24 were built. It wasn’t a very good carrier aircraft as there was no provision for folding the wing. The follow-on Seafire 47 had a folding wing, and the 46 was relegated to shore-based training units.

Yep, I was destined to build this kit.