These FOD covers are a straightforward and simple addition to Eduard’s nice Mirage III. They come without instructions, but none are really needed beyond the one picture provided. Nicely cast in pinhole-free gray resin, they just need to be removed from the mold base, washed and painted. Detail is nice and pops out with a dark wash. Based on my references and internet photos I’ve found, these covers were usually painted yellow, although I did find a few in red. I painted one in each color to see how they would look. I used Tamiya white spray-can primer, followed by Vallejo medium yellow and red RLM 23 Model Air paints. After the paint dried, MiG Dark Wash was applied. (The wash is a bit heavy to make the detail more visible in the photos.) I dry-fitted the two FOD covers in place on my Mirage III CJ in Israeli markings to show how they look in place.

I have to admit that I don’t have a copy of two earlier monographs on the Saab 105: Saab 105 by Sven Stridsberg and Emil Lindberg (2013), and Team 60 by the Swedish Aviation Historical Society. Both of these are fantastic books, but both are in Swedish. This is the first English language monograph on the Saab 105 that I am aware of. This full-size square back soft cover book [A4: 11.5” by 8.3] comes in at 296 pages. The front cover features a color photograph of an Austrian Saab 105OE in Tiger Meet livery. This is s/n 105426 [c/n 2025] coded RF-26 and was the third Austrian 105OE painted to celebrate 40-years of service with the Austrian Air Force from 1970 to 2010. She was delivered to the Austrian Air Force on January 21, 1972, and last flew on August 16, 2018. She is preserved by the Heeresgeschichtliche Museum in Zeltweg, Styria, Austria, but has reportedly been loaned out to Gloggnitz, Niederösterreich, Austria.

The book is a fascinating and remarkable insight into the brief, intense, and crucial Netherlands East Indies (NEI) campaign from the Japanese invasion in December 1941 through capitulation of the NEI. This often overlooked campaign, particularly among Americans who were primarily concerned with the Philippines campaign. Pacific Profiles Volume 17 focuses on the allied air forces in the Netherlands East Indies campaign, including Netherlands East Indies (composing of the ML-KNIL - Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force) and the MLD – Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (Netherlands Naval Aviation Service)), Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), US Army Air Corps (USAAC) and US Navy (USN).

This is an 8.5 x 11.5, soft-bound book with a glossy heavy card stock cover enclosing 112 pages of glossy heavy weight paper. Along with the test, there are 161 black and white photos and 22 color photos, including 4 color photos on the front and back covers and front panel. Also included are five tables covering technical specifications, Helldiver squadrons, aircraft production numbers, and foreign operators, plus a chart of tail and wing markings used between January 27 and July 27, 1945. This coincides with the period of highest use of the Helldiver.

The first chapter is a detailed history of Curtiss Aircraft from its beginnings through 1951. It goes into some depth of the troubles the company had with corruption and poor quality during the pre-war and war years.

Kagero’s newest books are designed around the modeler. These small booklets are really nice. The cover is thick cardstock and contains 26 pages of information.

The pages have one or two large photos per page on high-gloss heavyweight paper. In addition to the thirteen great pages of photos, there are two full-color profiles inside and one on the back cover. There are six pages of line drawings starting with the G-3, G-5, and G-6 variants. The drawings are in 1/72^nd and 1/48^th scale.

In addition to the great photos, profiles, and line drawings is a decal sheet that features the Bf-109G-6 on the cover, which is also one of the four-view color profiles inside. The decals are in both 1/72^nd and 1/48^th scale.

Quality large photos, full color profiles, and line drawings, along with the decal sheet make this another great offering from Kagero. If you have a small budget, these are a good value for the money.