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Book Author(s)
Kev Darling; Illustrator: Sam Pearson
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.

Kev Darling is an aviation historian, writer, and publisher based in South Wales. He served in the Royal Air Force as an aircraft engineer for nearly 30 years, from June 1973 to March 2003. He has written at least 30 books since 1987, working in the RAF Illustrated series, Crowood Aviation series, Crowood Combat Legend series, Specialty Press' WarbirdTech series, as well as Guideline's Warpaint series.

Review Author
Dave Morrissette
Published on
Company
Phoenix Scale Publications
MSRP
$12.99

Phoenix Scale Publications came to be at Scale Model World in 2021and was formed by a veteran group of aviation and scale modeling talents. They have come out with a series of books on specific planes and also what is being reviewed here, a wonderful monthly magazine, Phoenix Aviation Modelling, which is available as individual choices from their web site, or even better a subscription. The magazines are also currently available at 250 Barnes & Noble stores for $12.99.

Inside the magazine are 10 feature articles with specific builds, coverage of newsstand (publications), Czech News (covering new releases from the Czech Republic), new kit releases, along with coverage of new aftermarket and decals. There is also a nice comment from IPMS/UK.

The builds in the July 2022 issue include:

Review Author
Bill O'Malley
Published on
Company
Phoenix Scale Publications
MSRP
$12.99

Phoenix Scale Modelling, April 2022, is the third issue of a new modeling magazine printed in the UK. Phoenix also publishes Scale Aviation Modelling, which focuses on aircraft models, and several series of books on aircraft, including modelers guides. Scale Modeller is also available in a digital format. The magazines are currently available at 250 Barnes & Noble stores for $12.99 with Issue 1 currently on the shelf.

I would describe Scale Modelling as a general interest modeling magazine as it includes six different categories of models.

Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$3.05

As you would expect from Quickboost, the exhausts are very finely cast, and feature hollowed out ends for each exhaust stack which will greatly improve the look of the exhausts on your model.

To get an idea of how the parts would look in use, I painted them Testor’s Metalizer non-buffing steel and then dusted them with a reddish-orange pastel powder. All that is left is to dust them with a little black or dark grey paint at the tips and to find a Arma Hobby Yak-1B kit to install them in.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to Aires/Quickboost for the review sample.

Review Author
Paul R. Brown
Published on
Company
Quickboost
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$3.05

This set supplies drop-in replacements for the kit exhausts for Zvezda’s Pe-2 kit. The set includes two sets of exhausts, left and right for each engine, and the coversheet lists the original kit part numbers that are being replaced by the new exhausts.

As you would expect from Quickboost, the exhausts are very finely cast, and feature hollowed out ends for each exhaust stack which will greatly improve the look of the exhausts on your model.

To get an idea of how the parts would look in use, I painted them Testor’s Metalizer non-buffing steel and then dusted them with a reddish-orange pastel powder. All that is left is to dust them with a little black or dark grey paint at the tips.

Highly recommended.

Thank you to Aires/Quickboost for the review sample.

Review Author
James Kelley
Published on
Company
Arma Hobby
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$25.63

The P-51 Mustang was an excellent fighter, but it also proved to be a universal photo-reconnaissance plane. Its performance: speed, ceiling, armament, and great range meant that it could efficiently reach a distant target, photograph it and safely return to the base. To become a long-range aerial spy, the Mustang, unlike, for example, the Spitfire, required only the installation of photographic equipment.

Book Author(s)
Dennis Oliver
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$24.95

The Panzerkampfwagen V (abbreviated PzKpfw V), also referred as the Sd.Kfz. 171, was better known as the Panther. TankCraft 34, Panther Medium Tank, German Army and Waffen-SS Normandy Campaign, Summer 1943, although the fifth book on the Panther in the TankCraft series, introduces the famed tank with its combat debut in Operation Citadel in July 1943. The Panther tank was developed to counter the Russian T-34 and KV series tanks encountered during the invasion of Russia in 1941.

The Table of Contents (see accompanying photo) lays out the book in a logical manner with a truncated introduction of the Panther, then its combat baptism of fire during the Battle of Kursk, Panther units, camouflage and markings, and in a trend in this series, the Model Showcase and Products (pp27-48) break up the book before delving back into technical details and modifications, unit tables of organization and an extensive bibliography.

Book Author(s)
Craig Allen
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

As a former paratrooper and combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, I was eager to read and review The Paras in Iraq, Operation Telic 1 by Craig Allen. The title of the book is self-explanatory and replete with fantastic photos of first and third battalions of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment in action; first in staging areas in Kuwait, then their move into Basrah and further operations in Baghdad. Knowing a rudimentary history of the British Paras and UK forces in Iraq, I was ready to jump (pun intended) into the book. I was not disappointed.

Review Author
Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Published on
Company
Lion Roar
Scale
1/700
MSRP
$27.00

Thanks to DragonUSA for supplying the resin/PE set for review and IPMSUSA staff for handling the request and publishing this review. Special thanks to Dave Morrissette who forwarded this kit to me after I and everyone else refused to review it in 2014. I said it would take me a while to get to it, but better late than never! Apologies to DragonUSA for the delay. YD98 is still available!

Review Author
Paul Bradley
Published on
Company
Brengun
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$8.95

The new Airfix 1/72 Tempest V kit is very nice but, in some areas there’s a slight lack of detail and sharpness. These two new releases from Brengun/Hauler in the Czech Republic can fix one of those areas of weakness.

Cast in Brengun’s standard medium grey resin, there are two different items - what they term Early and Late Wheels. What this means is reality is that early Tempests had Typhoon main wheel hubs with 5 spokes. Sometime in the JN-series, this changed to a new 4-spoke design, but the exact cut off is not known. What is known is that the first 50 Tempest Vs (JN729 to JN773 and JN792-796) were built using the centre-sections from a cancelled Typhoon contract, so it would make sense that they, at least, had the 5-spoke wheels.

I was able to obtain a copy of the Airfix kit and so could make a direct comparison of the kit and resin wheels. As the photo shows, the resin parts are much more refined and have much sharper detail.