ICM first issued a Gloster Gladiator in 2019 and a Sea Gladiator in 2020. For 2024 the Sea Gladiator has been issued again with a set of three Royal Navy figures included. Except for the figures and the box art, this new kit is the same as the 2020 Sea Gladiator kit. The kit includes six trees of grey plastic parts, one tree of clear parts, decals, and instructions.
What's New
This is a reissue of the Brengun Extra 300L with new markings and sporting a four-bladed prop. Introduced in 1988, Walter Extras' creation is a mainstay in the aerobatic training and competition world. Regular readers of this site will recognize this subject had been done before by me a few years ago (see Extra 300L/330LC published May 3, 2022). This time around I was provided the base kit. Brengun does make a PE set, vacuform canopy, and canopy masks for this kit. There are separate reviews for each on this site.
Detail & Scale has already published two books on the P-38, back in the 1990’s. These books have been long out of print but this is not just a re-issue but rather a revision and update to the original books, including pictures never seen before of the restored P-38F “Glacier Girl” and the scale model section includes details and recommendations for the more modern P-38 kits that became available since the publication of the original edition.
The P-38 traces its lineage to Clarence “Kelly” Johnson and it was a revolutionary aircraft from its time, given its size, speed, and climb rate.
For each mark indicated below, there is a brief chapter explaining the details from previous marks, period pictures (some in color, most in B&W) and excellent line drawings.
Hope you understand if this review contains some insight into the After The Battle standard presentations. These books, of which there are now over 86 issues (and this number does not count the WWI, Military, Aviation, Maritime or Ancient History books), take a photographic trip through the battles or campaigns named (e.g. Arnhem, Bastogne, Omaha Beach). These publications take great pains to compare the war time photographs to modern day images of the same location, which in most cases still stand today. Most of the titles are available as eBooks, Audiobooks, DVDs, and the original magazines.
Packaging and Product
The sample review I received came in nicely packed black box with labeling and full instructions. It was also well packed in foam to prevent damage. There are five (5) 3D printed parts in assembly cages, six [6] 3D printed parts of the wheel hubs and three (3) resin poured wheels, and a bag containing a metal rod and tube. The printed resolution of the landing gear is tight and very detailed! There are a few tiny details throughout the entire 3D print and some careful painting and contrast weathering will make them come to life!
These F/A-18E/F/ [F 414] Exhaust Nozzles (for the Meng Kit primarily) are a recent release by the Chinese manufacturer Fab Scale. Fab Scale’s online presence is hard to find with the provided QR codes stating that the site can’t be reached. The same is for the supplier, Warspite Model Company. These are nice drop-fit replacements for the exhaust on the Meng kit and I suspect it would also fit the Hasegawa kit.
The sturdy box protects the three pieces, each in their own protective Ziplock pouch. There are no instructions included but since this is a rather simple assembly, it is not detrimental. The box art [line drawings] shows the arrangement of the three parts. I removed the 3D supports with a hobby knife, which was easy, and after a quick clean up the parts were ready for painting.
MMP was founded in 1996 by Roger Wallsgrove, to publish "Mushroom Model Magazine". This quarterly modelling magazine was developed from "Mushroom Monthly”, a club newsletter which ran from 1985 to 1995, achieving a world-wide reputation for quality articles, fearless and honest reviews, and a great sense of humor.From 1997 the magazine was produced in collaboration with Robert Peczkowski and Artur Juszczak (Stratus), which meant a big leap in print quality and design. MMP expanded into book publication in 1999, and since then we have built up a list of books on aircraft and aviation, naval, military vehicles, and military history.
“The History of Science Fiction and Its Toy Figurines” by author Luigi Toiati is a substantial and weighty hardback of 528 glossy pages with 470 pictures (See Photo 1). Although it may feel like one, the author claims in the Forward that it is not an encyclopedia or boring treatise or catalogue, but instead the reader should “consider it a promenade through sci-fi and the toy figurines linked to the subject.” And while the author doesn’t necessarily agree with those science fiction (SF) authorities he cites who trace the origins of the genre back to the ancient times of the Bible, Hinduism, Plato, or Lucian of Samosata (a 2nd-century Syrian satirist and rhetorician), his review of the aforesaid genealogy is extensive and at times tedious.
Helion is a UK-based company that produces books on many aspects of Military History from the Late Medieval period through to the present day. Helion was established in 1996, and since then they have published over 1,200 books with 100 or more new titles coming out every year.
Author, Dr. Stephen Rookes, works for the French Air Force as a researcher and lecturer at the Centre de Recherche de l’Armée de l’air et de l’espace (CREA) in Salon-de-Provence, France. Originally from Devon in the UK, he is now a French national. Stephen Rookes is the author of four books published by Helion, and the author of peer-reviewed articles in English and in French. He specializes in the history of Cuban exiles and takes a particular interest in the CIA's covert operations in Central America and in Africa.
To quickly build temporary runways, US engineering services built various options for the airfield. Aerodrome steel plates were M8A1 used in the Vietnam War in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s and were installed by engineering units of the US Army.Plates were connected to each other either staggered or in a row and allowed to build either separate small sites or airfields of impressive size. Most often, such coatings were used in army aviation. Various aircraft could be based on the sites created in this way, for example, combat helicopters AN-1Q Cobra, light attack aircraft, and observation aircraft OV-10A Bronco or O-2 Skymaster. Also on such sites were operated well-known B-26K Counter Invader.