History

This is an unusual book in that it covers a relatively unknown but significant event in postwar aviation history. This was a series of air displays held at the Prague-Ruzyne Airport immediately following the end of World War II, during that precious time period when the Czechs enjoyed a brief era of freedom before the Communist regime takeover in 1948 drove them back to the Dark Ages where they would languish until democracy regained control when the Soviet Union disintegrated around 1990.

Osprey Publishing’s 90th book in the Osprey Combat Aircraft series is about the AV-8B Harrier II. It is the first in a 3-part set on USMC Harrier IIs in combat. This book is about the units of Operation Desert Storm and Desert Shield. The next 2 volumes will be Operations in Iraq and then Afghanistan.

This is a small book but it is jam-packed with color photographs. A couple of things that I really liked were the 8 pages of color plates of the various units that served in these 2 operations, and the firsthand accounts from the personnel. Particularly interesting to me was the section about VMA-311 from Yuma, Arizona. I’m very interested in the various units that have been based in my home state and I’m trying to build as many kits from them as I can.

Bottom Line

Very esoteric 1/700 scale warship photoetch set with limited utility. For experienced super-detailers. NOTE: this is not typical deck railings!

Eduard from the Czech Republic has been producing superior photoetch sets for years. They have ventured into 1/700 and 1/350 scale ship railings now with eleven new sets released in 2011. Four are in 1/700 scale and all are angled railings, something unique. You have a choice of long or short spaces between stanchions (vertical supports), and 2-bar or 3-bar railings, but all are 45-degrees, meaning the vertical stanchions are angled at 45 degrees to the horizontal chains.

Aires has presented us with another beauty here. I’ve wanted to build an EA-6B for quite some time (I have a bit of a background in electronic countermeasures). The only kit in my chosen scale of 1/72 is the Hasegawa kit. This kit is typical Hasegawa of its era, with finely engraved panel lines, minimal necessary external accessories for the version being done, and not much in the cockpit area. This set takes care of the last part completely.

As usual, the set is flawlessly cast in a medium grey resin, with incredible detail just begging to be painted and highlighted. Also included is a photoetch sheet with instrument panels, seatbelts, and other cockpit accoutrements, and a clear acetate sheet with the backing for the instrument panels.

Made specifically for the Tamiya 1/48 scale P-47 Bubbletop, this comprehensive aftermarket set comes in Aires’ usual blister package. Separately ensconced in a secondary bubble are photo etch and film parts, along with the usual blue instructions.

In fact, the instructions alone come in for any criticism that may be reasonably leveled at this set. They are composed entirely of minimalist exploded drawings spread over two sides of a single folded sheet of paper, with only number callouts and small notations in both English and Czech. There is no history or background text, and the modeler is left to his own devices concerning colors and, in many cases, actual part placement. However, none of this is really a detriment, and any halfway competent modeler with a reference book or two in his library will overcome nicely.