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Review Author
Jarrod Booth
Published on
Company
UMM-USA
MSRP
$16.95

I was lucky enough to pick this tool up from Phil at the IPMS National Convention in Omaha during the Reviewer Corp get together.

The text below was taken directly from the UMM web page and explains the Micro Mitre Box details better than I could:

MICRO MITRE BOX - MN048 XL (45° 90° 60°) cutting slots.

High Quality - MMB box with adjustable stop 110MM x 20MM x 14MM

  • This aluminum micro mitre box is just 110mm long making it ideal for miniature work.
  • Each unit has one 45 ° degree, one 90 °degree and 60 °degree angle cutting slots.
  • For use with original JLC/CMK/HAULER razor saws (JLC001, JLC002 and JLC004 - thickness saw 0.12mm).
  • It is used to cut square ends, perfect splices and mitered corners.
  • The miter box has an adjustable stop.

We highly recommend this tool to all modelers who owns mini saw blades.

Review Author
Kurt Hollenbach
Published on
Company
Arma Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$24.79

What is in the Box

  • 2 gray injection molded plastic sprues
  • 1 clear sprue
  • 1 photo etched brass fret
  • 1 set of pre-cut masks
  • 1 decal sheet with 6 markings options
  • 1 instruction book

Construction

Construction of this kit starts with the cockpit. The cockpit features a separate cockpit floor, rudder pedals, throttle, and two control sticks. The control sticks are inserted through the bottom of the cockpit floor. The seat is attached to a seat mount, which is then glued to the cockpit floor. Decals are provided for the instrument panel and for the photo etched brass seatbelts.

Book Author(s)
Ron Mak
Review Author
Jarrod Booth
Published on
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

The Boeing 707 was the first widely used commercial jet. It brought the US into the “jet age” in the late 1950’s. The 707 remained in production until late 1978, by which time other more economical and larger designs were needed due to increased passenger amounts over longer routes. This book is a tribute to a wide range of 707 variants, and airline liveries.

The soft cover book is a rather compact size containing 180 pictures over 96 pages. Most pictures are a little muted and dark, but still show to good effect, the individual aircraft in its full paint scheme and colors.

As a child, I was fortunate to have flown on a number of the airlines in these pages and brought back memories of being able to visit the cockpit, helping to develop my love of aviation. I still have my BOAC Junior Jet Club wings and logbook given to me on a flight. I have a Boeing 707 trip logged in it, signed by the captain, as well as an entry flying on a VC-10. Exciting times!

Book Author(s)
Les Brown
Review Author
Ron Bell
Published on
Company
Pen and Sword Books Ltd
MSRP
$28.95

This is not really a full history of these ships. Rather it is a brief overview of their design and development. It starts with sections giving brief descriptions of the various classes, then moves into a section on all the products, kit and aftermarket, available to construct models of these ships. After that are twelve pages of some excellent models of the ships in varying scales. The next section deals with camouflage patterns and has four pages of line drawings of assorted patterns then three pages of photos. Then comes several pages on the different modifications made to the ships, listing each ship and what was done to it, and winding up with seven pages of line drawings of sample ships from each class.

Book Author(s)
Barry Lloyd
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$24.95

This is the 3rd volume of the Key Aero Historic Commercial Airliner series on the Avro 748 British production airliner. The book covers the complete 30-year history of this groundbreaking aircraft which as a project started in January 1959. The aircraft was never glamorous but was a remarkably successful. The total production was 381 aircraft. These aircraft were operated in over 100 Countries by 80 operators.

I personally worked on the Queens Flight 748 VIP version interior monuments a few times in the 80’s. So, this book is a great addition to my library. All the photographs in this book to be great and cover nearly all the operaters and versions of the aircraft over the 30 years.

I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in Commercial Aircraft and for modelers. After reading this book I look forward to adding more of this series to my library.

Review Author
Eric Christianson
Published on
Company
Vargas Scale Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$84.50

Up here in Seattle we have a large IPMS club. Over the past two years or so, one of our members, Rick Taylor, has been busy building a large variety of very unusual resin, 3-D printed, limited-run armor models from a small company called Vargas Models. Owner Luis Vargas specializes in 1/35th (and more recently 1/72nd) scale models that, for the most part, cannot be found elsewhere. His prolific output, along with Rick’s building expertise, has created quite a stir up here in Seattle. Rick drove most of his Vargas builds out to the recent Omaha Nationals and had them on display at the vendor booth, eventually picking up several awards in the show. I was lucky enough to be provided with one of the latest kits myself for review; the L118/M119 105mm Light Towed Howitzer.

Book Author(s)
Jozef Mols
Review Author
Allan Murrell
Published on
Company
Casemate Publishers
MSRP
$24.95

This is the 1st volume of a new Key Aero Airlines Series covering Garuda Indonesia the flag carrier Airline of Indonesia. The book covers the complete history of the airline from the creation as a KLM subsidiary in 1928 to present day global airline. The actual airline began under the name Garuda Indonesia Airways in 1949. The book covers the routs and fleet development over the years and also the different subsidiary airlines form by Garuda. The chapters are fascination and give way more details that I expected in such a apparently small book.

During my Airline interior career, I work on the interiors for several aircraft flown by Garuda such as the A300, ATP, B737 and A330 and this book adds to my library relevant to me personally

All the photographs and write up in this book really help to show how the airline grow and also main issues and troubles it has had during its history.

Book Author(s)
Michael John Claringbould
Review Author
Brian R. Baker
Published on
Company
Avonmore Books
MSRP
$42.95

Historical Background

This book is part of a series of volumes on World War II in the Pacific, the author having published numerous titles dealing with American, Australian, New Zealand, and Japanese aviation activities during the war. He is Australian, and has lived in the areas under discussion, and is also a pilot, so has the background to treat the subject accurately.

This particular volume discusses the Allied effort to provide air transportation in the South Pacific, identifying the units of the American, Australian, and New Zealand units. Of course, the Douglas DC-3 and C-47 variants were active in all areas where the Allies operated, and as well, the type had also been produced in Japan, with the type being operated in small numbers by the Japanese. These operations are not mentioned in the book, but the C-47’s were aided by Lockheed lodestars and other transport types. The detailed reporting only covers the role of the C-47 in these combat areas.

Book Author(s)
Kenton White
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Casemate publishing continues its ongoing series of post-World War Two conflicts in Europe with an interesting volume that concentrates on Britain’s contributions to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), in the last phase of the Cold War. This is an unusual volume in that the text is derived from the author’s Ph.D dissertation on the same topic. The volume is richly illustrated with color photographs, which, I imagine, would be well received by the modeling community. As with other publications in this series, it includes maps and 22 color profiles of vehicles, aircraft, and uniforms from this era.

Book Author(s)
Adrian M. Balch
Review Author
Frank Landrus
Published on
Company
Guideline Publications
MSRP
$34.00

Guideline Publications Guideline Publications is the UK's leading publisher of modelling and hobby-related magazines. With a world-class portfolio of titles and an international Social Media presence, Guideline Publications has a dedicated readership that is constantly expanding into new areas.

Adrian M. Balchis an aviation author and photo-journalist based in Swindon, England. He served in the Royal Air Force as an air traffic controller for over 22 years, from June 1971 to June 1993. He has been published since December 1966 in aviation periodicals and has authored books published through Airlife Publishing, The History Press, and Guideline Publications. You can find some of his photographs at https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/photographer/Adrian%20M.%20Balch.