One of Osprey’s relatively new series is Combat. Each volume looks at a specific battle in a larger campaign and breaks down the relative strengths and weaknesses of the combatants (the key word in each title is ‘versus’). This particular volume takes a look at the Waffen SS formation, Hitlerjugend (a division made up primarily of Hitler Youth) and Canadian soldiers from a variety of units. The first chapters look at the relative strengths and weaknesses of each force and then devotes the balance of the volume to a set of battles in a larger campaign. The legacy of the prowess of the Germans continues to linger seventy-five years on. Similarly, the citizen soldiers of the Canada seem to pale in comparison to their German adversaries. On the surface it a clash between the classic definition of citizen soldiers and what at the time was perceived as an elite unit.

When you hear the name Eduard in modeling circles you immediately think of their superb photo etch parts, or maybe their mask sets or even their top of the line plastic kits. But you don’t usually think of Art. Oh sure, they have some great looking box tops but actual art?

Yep, some of those box tops are actually available as large size posters such as this one.

The overall size of the poster is 23 3/8” long by 16 ½” wide while the image itself is 21 5/8” x 11 ½”. A nice size to put up on your model room wall and would look good in a nice matt and frame.

Print quality is first rate with the colors looking like the box art. One thing I was interested to see is the swastika as it is missing from the box top but is on the poster.

If you like to collect aircraft art you would do well to take a look at Eduard’s growing line of posters.

Thanks to Eduard and IPMS/USA for the review kit.

Osprey’s New Vanguard series is a well-established line of books featuring full color artworks, exploded and cutaway diagrams, and black and white photographs and diagrams. They can be a good resource for model makers, wargamers, or military history enthusiasts. I actually find that when I read them, they tend to inspire me to want to build a model of one or more of the subjects, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about your current stash level.

The SR-71/YF-12 Blackbird needs no introduction and has been produced by a number of manufacturers over the years in both 1/72 and 1/48. Testors produced both a YF-12 kit and an SR-71 kit in 1/72 scale a number of years ago, which was also released under the Italeri label. Earlier this year Scale Aircraft Conversions released a replacement set for kit landing gear for the 1/72 scale kits. The set is comprised of five parts: two main landing gear struts, two main gear retraction actuators, and the nose gear strut.

MMP’s “Spotlight On” series seems designed primarily around color profiles with a relatively narrow focus on a specific subject. Most of the series covers aircraft, but I have seen at least one armor title in the group. The Ju 88A book, like most in the series, consists primarily of large, full-page color profiles of the subject matter.

Upon opening the narrow, hardcover book, one is immediately presented with an introductory page briefly discussing the Ju 88’s development and a synopsis of the different subtypes within the “A” models. This is immediately followed by over 40 pages of color profiles. The last page of the book has publishing information and shows the covers of several other titles in the series.