Since April of 2013 when Kodakawa games released their free browser game Kantai Collection (aka Kancolle), featuring cute anime girls each of which represent ships from the Second World War IJN, there has been an increased interest in ship modeling in Japan. Tamiya, Hasegawa and Aoshima, have long worked in harmony releasing a sizable number of 1/700 warships represented by the waterline series of kits. These three companies as well as Fujimi are capitalizing on the popularity of the game and anime series by re-releasing many of these kits, as well as creating new kits, with extra decals of the girls as well as game specific box art.

Admittedly, because of the game as well as the anime series, I too have become a bit more interested in ship modeling. When I saw the Model Art issue covering up for grabs I knew that I wanted to give it a good look. Based on other Model Art magazine reviews and the few that I already own it I knew I would not be disappointed.

History Brief

The English Electric Lightning was designed and developed during the 1950s at the height of the Cold War era. The Lightning was the only all-British Mach 2 supersonic fighter aircraft, and it was the RAF's primary interceptor for more than two decades. The F1 version of the Lightning entered service in 1959, with the improved F1A in 1961.

The Lightning’s uniquely stacked powerful engines provided the Lightning an incredible rate of climb, superb service ceiling, and top speed placing it well ahead of rival contemporaries. It was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force, then finally retired in the late 1980s.

Authored by Robert Peczkowski, with color profiles by Zbigniew Kolacha, this book, is a comprehensive text and photographic/image guide to the Republic P-47B-D.

The book thoroughly covers the “B”, “C”, and “D” versions of this famous World War II aircraft. This story is told in excellent text, accompanied by period B&W photographs, excellent color images of surviving airframes, extracts from official manuals, and a superb collection of color profiles by Zbigniew Kolacha.

Of particular interest to the hobbyist is the excellent color artwork which depicts many of the camouflage schemes and markings found on the P-47.

Of particular interest in the list of chapters are those which feature “Detail Photos” of the fuselage, wing, engine, canopy, cockpit, tail, undercarriage, guns, and stores. The modeler will find these images rich in detail.

This set is made specifically for Hasegawa’s F/A-18 E/F kits and as Hasegawa’s EF/A-18 G Growler is the F/A-18F kit with extra sprues for the Growler add-ons, it can also be used on the Growler too.

The set consists of 6 resin parts, three for each exhaust. The parts are the actual nozzle, the exhaust can and the rear face of the engine. The parts are extremely well cast, as expected from Aires and in comparing the parts to photographs of the real nozzles, Aires is spot on, capturing the details perfectly.

Short History

The Panzerkampfwagen 35(t), commonly shortened to Panzer 35(t) or abbreviated as Pz.Kpfw. 35(t), was a Czechoslovak-designed light tank used mainly by Nazi Germany during World War II. The letter (t) stood for tschechisch (German: "Czech"). In Czechoslovak service, it had the formal designation Lehký tank vzor 35 (Light Tank Model 35), but was commonly referred to as the LT vz. 35 or LT-35. Four hundred and thirty-four were built; of these, the Germans seized two hundred and forty-four when they occupied Bohemia-Moravia in March 1939 and the Slovaks acquired fifty-two when they declared independence from Czechoslovakia at the same time. Others were exported to Bulgaria and Romania.