MMP was founded in 1996 by Roger Wallsgrove, to publish "Mushroom Model Magazine". This quarterly modelling magazine was developed from "Mushroom Monthly”, a club newsletter which ran from 1985 to 1995, achieving a world-wide reputation for quality articles, fearless and honest reviews, and a great sense of humor. From 1997 the magazine was produced in collaboration with Robert Peczkowski and Artur Juszczak (Stratus), which meant a big leap in print quality and design. MMP expanded into book publication in 1999, and since then we have built up a list of books on aircraft and aviation, naval, military vehicles, and military history.
What's New
Based in Central Europe Kagero Publishing House is the biggest publisher and exporter of English-written publications about military history, release nearly 60 titles every year. Kagero was founded in 1995, and began by delivering military titles in Polish. Their success led Kagero to start releasing books in English in 1998. Authors from Poland, Canada, USA, Australia and Great Britain, who were invited to cooperation, gave a beginning to a new range of products, which have put them on a position of one of the most recognized publishers on the market. Kagero has released more than 550 publications. Kagero is managed by Damian Majsak and his wife Joanna.
Quote from “Gladiator”, the movie, “Are you not entertained?”
ICM has released this Gladiator kit in 1/16th scale, and just a note that may be interest, ICM also offers a kit of “Roman Centurion, 1st Century, Kit # 16302 and also in 1/16th scale.
The kit includes 44 parts. There is no information to accompany this kit that indicates that this model is modeled after a particular historic figure. There is no mention of such a person and no historical or biographical information is provided. That being the case, you are free to paint the figure as you wish without a concern for precise accuracy.
If, on the other hand, you wish to model a more accurate figure then there are some references that could be useful.
Brengun, from the Czech Republic, has released a nice set of resin wheels to help dress up any 1/32nd scale Hayabusa Ki.-43 Oscar. The wheels are beautifully molded in a dark gray resin and are clean and defect free. The product packet includes two wheels with a nicely detailed spoked wheel, as well as two choices of wheel covers. One flat cover features four bolt heads. The second cover has a centerline seam and six bolt heads. There is also a clearly printed instruction sheet.
I built the old Hasegawa Ki-43 and found that when applying the wheels that the molded hole on the resin wheel fit nicely to the axle with only minor sanding. I chose to use the spoked version as I thought them more interesting. In fact, the Brengun wheels were the highlight of this build and much more detailed than the kit wheels.
Highly recommended for any 1/32 Ki-43 Oscar.
Brengun from Czech Republic specializes on aftermarket details; for the most part releasing drop-in resin or photoetch replacement parts.
This set is intended to replace the kit wheels of the 1/48 Ki-43. Most likely the main recipient is likely to be the Hasegawa kit, but it could certainly work with the Arii or Fine Molds rendition of the airplane, with perhaps some minor modifications.
The parts are molded in grey resin, free of bubbles or imperfections and with great surface detail. The attachment points of the wheels to the casting blocks are miniscule and removal and clean up should be an easy task.
In addition to the resin parts, a small photoetch fret is included. Depending on which version of the Ki-43 Oscar you are modeling, some had open hubs with spokes and others had covered hubs.
Highly recommended to modelers of all skills, except perhaps the most novice.
I would like to thank Brengun and IPMS/USA for the review sample.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never heard of HMH Publications or Duke Hawkins before I had the opportunity of reviewing this book. After having had the chance of reviewing the book I am very glad to have been introduced to them. This book exudes quality.
The quality evident, both in the content that is covered (i.e level of detail) and the quality of the printing. The paper quality is super, with a satin finish. All pictures are in color, with proper exposure and very sharp focus, so all details are crisp.
The pictorial book is split in the following sections: Action, Cockpit, Fuselage, Weapons, Maintenance. As you can imagine, the pictures have very descriptive and relevant captions, helping you understand what detail is being highlighted in each image. Not only are you getting all the walk-around images you need for your build, you are also learning details of the aircraft as you read along.
“With these colours and effects, you will be able to simulate different types of dirt accumulations on the tracks and wheels of any vehicle, from dust accumulations to clumps of sticky mud, even rust and polished metal. Included in the package is a Quick Tip guide with step-by-step colour photographs showing how to apply all of the authentic effects mentioned above.
The S class cars from Mercedes have always been the luxury flagships of the company's line and the 600S is the king among them. Although not particularly appealing, at least to my eye, these cars feature state of the art technology including self-driving capability and absolute luxury in every interior detail. Near as I can tell this model represents the 2000 model year but Mercedes have released a completely revised 600S for 2021. Oh, and don’t be fooled by the mundane appearance, these cars have very respectable performance with powerplants ranging up to a twin turbo V-8. In an age taken over by SUVs, the Mercedes S series reputation as the luxury sedan standard will maintain a steady customer base for the foreseeable future.
The Israeli Air Force has developed a reputation that is legendary and for good reason. Against overwhelming odds they created an air force that would dominate their adversaries. In a two volume series, of which this is volume one, it covers the origins of the Israeli Air Force in 1948 to the end of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Published by the Helion Company, number 28 in a series that covers the armed forces and conflicts of the Middle East, the book follows an established format. The text is chronological and packed with black and white photographs. The center of the book features color profiles of aircraft across the time line covered in the book as well as a small selection of color photographs. The photographs are well clear and well produced, something that I appreciate in publications such as this.
From the perspective of the United States, the interwar period, the interval between the First and Second World Wars, our story was insular – the hedonism of the 1920s, the Great Depression, and the road to war. From the US perspective, it was a time of peace. Far to the south of us, there was a bloody struggle between Bolivia and Paraguay over a region known as Chaco. In the newest edition of Helion & Company’s ongoing series on warfare in Latin America (number 20 in their series) it tackles the Chaco War. Like many publishing companies, Helion uses a formula of a concise narrative, photographs contemporary to the time period, color profiles of vehicles, planes and ships, and a small selection of uniforms. I believe that there is a separate volume in this same series that covers the air war. The Chaco War was the first aerial war over South America, so it is really not covered in this volume.
