John and UMM-USA have been a godsend for those that like to scratch build by supplying tools and parts to make life easier for all of us as well as giving us access in the US to suppliers not as easily found. This selection is three styles of soft lead wiring perfect for ignition harnesses, wiring jets or anything that might need some kind of wiring or plumbing. The sets come in three types- round 0.4mm, half round and flat at 0.4mm.

Each set comes with about 20 pieces by 140mm for these sizes. Many different sizes are also available. I love the size consistency as the size being reviewed is about the right size for 1/48^th scale ignition wires on a radial engine. I grabbed an old one and installed a couple wires and they look great. I also made a quick (and sloppy) trial for a wiring harness using the flat stock as the wraps and it looks good for a couple minutes work.

Highly recommended for all builders looking for that little upgrade or scratch building.

ICM has been releasing quality kits, figure sets, and recently paints to support their vast library of releases. This one is a mouthful - the G917T Truppenluftschutzwagen, a 3-ton truck with a 2cm Flak 38 in the bed. This was an effective weapon for closeup air defense but could also target lightly armored ground threats as well.

What’s Inside the Box

You get essentially two kits in one with six light gray and one clear sprue for the truck and 5 light gray sprues for the flak 38. The truck sprues should look familiar as they share a lineage with kit # 35413 from 2013. Details are pretty crisp, although there are ejector sink marks on the bottom surface of the truck bed and inside some of the cab details. There are two decal sheets - one for the flak 38 and one for the two schemes for the truck.

This book, covering the SBD Douglas Dauntless, is #13 (of 19 published to date) of a reference series devoted to famous WWII aircraft. It is published by Kagero Publishing (Poland). The book begins with excellent WWII era black and white cockpit pictures of the pilot's cockpit, though there are no pictures of the gunner's area. Next comes 4 pages of color paintings of a US Navy SBD-3 (USS Yorktown, Battle of Midway 1942), a USAAF A-24B, two late 1940's French navy SBD-5s, a US Navy SBD-5 (USS Lexington, 1945), a Mexican AF SBD-5 (1944), and finally a yellow wings US Marine SBD-1(1940).

Special Hobby has provided the 1/72^nd scale DeHavilland 98 Mosquito NF Mk. XXX “Night Predator” for review. The Mk. XXX was the first night fighter Mosquito variant with Merlin two-stage compressor engines.

Looking at Scalemates.com, this is a brand-new mold for 2025. The decal sheet represents six markings for the following:

The following excerpt is taken from ICM’s product website.

The unregulated growth and oversaturation of the United States [stock] market led to the Great Depression, beginning with the October 1929 stock market crash. This economic crisis fueled a rise in banditry, with bank robberies becoming particularly notorious. These crimes were made more effective by gangsters’ use of automobiles. As one analyst observed in the 1920s: “Cars and good roads have dramatically increased certain types of crime. We now see a new kind of automobile bandit who relies entirely on a car—whether robbing banks, breaking into homes, or mugging pedestrians.” The criminals’ success was further enhanced by Thompson submachine guns, which boasted rapid-fire capability, and earned the nickname “Tommy gun.” Notably, these weapons cost around 200 dollars – “about half the price of a Ford Model A automobile.”