This first volume of a multi-volume set is going to excite a lot of people. In addition to the photos and color plates of these aircraft, historic documents such as flight rosters, vintage newspaper clippings, hand-drawn sketches and flight line photos are included in this highly visual presentation of German WWI aircraft markings.

When the A-4B Skyhawk was designed, provisions were made for it to use RATO rockets to give it a short deck-run launch (if carrier’s catapults were unavailable for any reason). One RATO bottle could be mounted on each speed brake giving an additional 9,000 lbs. of thrust for five seconds. The bottles were fired electrically and upon burnout were jettisoned hydraulically from the cockpit. While this capability was never used by the US Navy, in Vietnam, the Marines took advantage of this capability when launching A-4s from short airfields.

The LAU-131 is a seven shot rocket pod commonly used on USAF fighter, attack and rotary wing aircraft. A variety of rockets can be caried in this pod including the Hydra 70 rocket. This set is for the original LAU-131A which is shorter than the extended version LAU-131A/A that can carry APKWS II.

Packaged in a sturdy plastic box, resin is protected by bubble wrap with all parts flash free and cast in light gray resin. A nice touch is the pour block on the pod is on the underside opposite the side on where it connects to the pylon. This makes it easy to remove that portion and sand contour without damaging features.

PJ Productions from Belgium continues with their simple conversions allows the Airfix F.6 to become a GA.11 single-seat training version for the Royal Navy. Looking around the Internet, there were 40 GA.11 airframes converted by adding an arrester hook, adding a Harley light to the nose and eliminating the guns. The starting kit is the Airfix Hunter F.6. I am sure the Academy F.6 could also possibly work.

One of the latest conversions from PJ Productions in Belgium is the set to convert the Airfix 1/48th Hawker Hunter F.6 to a F.58 which is the export version for Switzerland. A total of 88 were built and 12 converted for an even 100 airframes. Changes addressed by this conversion include a new nose to the aircraft, under wing rocket option, Side blister under the cockpit, change to tail fairing, fuel tanks and various antennas. All this comes from 34 resin parts which are very well cast. There are no decals for the markings and those will need supplied elsewhere.