I would like to thank Casemate for my advance copy of this book, and to the IPMS Reviewer Corps to be able to provide this review.

Foreword / Introduction

The book covers battleship development with emphasis on US battleships and their operations in World War (WW) II. Only one chapter deals specifically to the WWII period 1939-45 listed in the title, but the stage is set for US battleships in WWII. Each successive US battleship class contributes to the awesome battleship armada the US put to war 1939-45. The book also follows US battleships following WWII (the cold war). Each successive class battleship is described in terms of: gun armament, armor, protection, displacement, propulsion and significant operational history.

Chapter 1: Pre-dreadnought Era

These were considered ‘pre-dreadnought’ since they generally had a mix of larger gun sizes.

For example:

The CH-54 Tarhe helicopter was developed by Sikorsky Aircraft, a company founded by the prominent Ukrainian aircraft designer Igor Sikorski. The first flight of the helicopter, originally named S-64, took place on May 9^th, 1962. Specialized Universal Military Pods were created to expand the carrying capabilities of the Tarhe. A total of 22 of these pods were built.

Dave Morrissette of the IPMS Review Corp had already built and reviewed the initial version of this kit with just the helicopter. He offered me some excellent advice on getting the best possible result. He was not wrong when he said this model was huge and the box it arrived in was no different. It needed to be big to hold all the parts needed to build the kit!

This set is intended to be a quick upgrade to the gunner compartment of Special Hobby’s Ju 87D or Academy’s Ju 87G Stuka.The parts are 3D printed and as expected the detail is exquisite. As there are only three parts to the set, for most people this will be an easy upgrade. Unfortunately, my experience went the other way, but to be honest, with one exception, that was all my fault.

Courtesy of Peter Ventri at Atlantis Models, a number of new product releases were provided to us at the Madison National Convention. This review covers both the "plain base" and the "cobblestone base" versions of these display cases, the only difference being the street surface under the model.

Both cases are molded in clear acrylic, measuring 9 1/8” L x 3 7/8” H x 3 5/8”. The extra height allows for open hoods and trunks as well as for (obviously) taller vehicles to be displayed. Each case is nicely packaged not only in a secure box but a clear plastic wrap that eliminates scratches and scuffs from shipping damage. An added bonus is that the cases can be stacked (see images). Also supplied is several lengths of thin craft wire with instructions on how to secure a model to the base for more secure handling and transport.

Quickboost is known for its resin upgrade accessories for 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale aircraft. The resin reproduces details often not available in plastic model kits. This exhaust stack does a great job of replacing the kit’s plastic equivalent and literally just falls into place with some sanding.

With the release of Arma’s new 1/48 P-39 aircraft series, this accessory (designed for the Hasegawa P-39s) makes the exhaust stack pop even more with its detail. While researching exhausts on P-39 aircraft, different model numbers had different exhausts (most Airacobras had six per side, the P-39F and P-400 had twelve per side), so be sure to research the particular aircraft being modeled as Quickboost also makes other P-39 exhausts for the P-39, P-39Q/N, and P-400 Airacobras (along with other detail sets, including engines, flaps, gun barrels, etc).