Book Author(s)
Winton Ramsey, Editor
Review Author
Marc K. Blackburn
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$89.95

After the Battle (ATB) publications is a long lived publishing company that was recently acquired by Pen and Sword. For many years ATB published the quarterly magazine called, After the Battle. It recently was discontinued, but their many books use the same format of comparing photographs contemporary to the Second World War with modern views, hence the then and now moniker. They consistently publish articles and books of a very high quality. The images are superb, both contemporary and modern. They will be missed.

Review Author
Walt Fink
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
Starfighter Decals
Scale
1/24
MSRP
$12.00

Starfighter’s latest release is their sixth Ford GT decal sheet and features the four Ford GT-40 Mk. II factory entries from the 1966 12 Hours of Sebring. The sheet’s instructions state that the decals will fit on any 1/24 or 1/25 scale plastic or resin Ford GT Mk. II kit, and include PPG catalog number color callouts, plus some individual information to model each of the four cars.

I opted to use the Revell (ex-Fujimi) kit of the #98 GT-40 whose features included the “Gurney bubble” in the right door upper panel which allowed the 6’4” Gurney headroom in the car. Without a little plastic surgery to remove the bubble, that limited my choice of decals to the #2 Shelby American car or the #4 Holman-Moody one. I opted for #4.

All four Ford GT entries were painted in standard Ford factory colors….red, blue, white, and this one, painted Sauterne Gold (PPG43433), and all had black anti-glare noses. I used Tamiya X-31 Titanium Gold to approximate the Sauterne Gold.

Review Author
John Noack
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
Italeri
Scale
1/72
MSRP
$47.99

The V-22 has had a long and difficult developmental period – hard to believe the design dates from the early 90’s – but with improvements in design and operational techniques, has taken its place as a workhorse in multiple services.

I have a personal connection to this aircraft – in fact, the version I chose to model probably has my fingerprints her and there on the empennage. I was the leader of the Technology organization in an aerospace composites manufacturing facility early in my career, and we built the first 9 ship sets of V-22 empennage assemblies under contract to Bell-Boeing. So, when this kit came up for review, I was pleased to get the opportunity.

Book Author(s)
Ali Altobchi
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

The history of Iraq is largely a history of civilization and Iraq today largely corresponds with the territory of ancient Mesopotamia. Skipping ahead several millennia and modern-day Iraq largely corresponds with the Ottoman Wilayets (administrative divisions of the Ottoman Empire) of the Mosul, Baghdad, and Basra Provinces. The British influence dates after World War I and held sway, particularly with weapons and doctrine through the Tammuz Revolution of 1958. The Ba’ath Party came to power in 1969 with Saddam Hussein as the Vice-Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council, second only to Major General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr.

Book Author(s)
Dr Stephen Rookes
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

The area known as the Congo was first discovered by Prince Henry the Navigator around 1482 as he sailed along the western coast of Africa. Continuing the discovery was Portuguese Navigator Diego Cão who is credited as the first European to see the mouth of the Congo River. Had he sailed up the Congo, he would have seen a diverse and extraordinary landscape described by Author Stephen Rookes,

“Ranging from snow-topped mountains and volcanoes such as the Blue Mountains in the northeast of the Congo, the Eastern Rift Mountains in the Great Lakes region to luxuriant savannas, mosquito-infested swamps and dense rainforests that covered much of the land, Cão would have also discovered up to 15 cultural regions and over 250 different ethnic groups living side-by-side.”

Review Author
Chris Martin
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
Academy Models
Scale
1/35
MSRP
$69.00

Summary

The kit builds up into a nice replica of the Jagdpanther Ausf G1.  And while it has some odd points the overall look is spot on.  The model is well detailed, but one must watch for option call-outs for the different vehicles.  The parts layout and build sequence is simple and straight forward.

Background

The Jagdpanther G-1 was a dedicated tank destroyer based on the chassis of the Panther Ausf A.  Armed with the formidable 88mm Pak 43 anti-tank gun, it first entered service in early 1944.  Serving on both the Western and Eastern fronts, the Jagdpanther was capable of disabling any tank of the period, up to and including the heavily armed and armored Soviet IS-2.  However, like many German innovations, it was too little, too late.  With only 415 Jagdpanthers produced by the end of the war it appeared in too few numbers to make a difference in the course of the war.

Book Author(s)
Robert Pied and Nicolas Deboeck
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 11, 2023
Company
HMH Publications
MSRP
$41.00

Duke Hawkins is a series of aerospace books (plus the Occupation of Brussels) with amazing photographic detail in a walk-around format. HMH Publications describes the Duke Hawkins series,

“So, there I was, looking for a book that could show me the Jaguar in every detail. I didn’t find it. I found a couple of photos online, but I wasn’t really extatic (sic) about that… That’s when I decided to make a book for myself. I showed it to a friend and he said: “We should publish it! And make other books too!” And here we are.”

Book Author(s)
Santiago Rivas
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 7, 2023
Company
Key Publishing Ltd
MSRP
$24.95

The Columbian Ministerio de Defensa Nacional (Ministry of Defence) oversees the Fuerzas Militares de Columbia (Military Forces of Colombia) air forces among the most powerful in Latin America, comprising of four branches: the Fuerza Aérea Colombiana (FAC -Colombian Air Force), Armada Nacional de la República de Colombia (ARC - Colombian National Navy), Ejército Nacional de Colombia (EJC - Colombian National Army) and Policía Nacional de Colombia (PNC - National Police of Colombia). Combined, the air divisions are all very powerful, and contribute to the biggest combined aviation force in the world. Columbian air power traces its roots back over a century. Air Forces of Latin America – Columbia is the fifth volume in this series and does a great job highlighting this impressive air power.

Book Author(s)
Ken Conboy
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 7, 2023
Company
Helion & Company
MSRP
$29.95

Tibet covers the size of the American Southwest, with an average elevation of 14,000ft (4,380m), surrounded by some of the highest mountain ranges in the world with the Himalayas to the south, the Karakoram to the west, and the Kunlun to the north. The terrain of north and western Tibet is barren mountain desert, the northeast province of Amdo resembles the Mongolian steppes, the southeast province of Kham drops slightly in altitude and the topography, according to the author,

“devolves into exaggerated slopes, impossibly narrow valleys, and gnarled conifers normally associated with Chinese watercolors. It is the central plateau, however, that has become synonymous with Tibet…it is a harsh, rocky land of hypnotic beauty where, because of the altitude, light seems to intensify colour and detail.”

Book Author(s)
Alexey Tarasov
Review Author
Andy Taylor
Published on
February 7, 2023
Company
Pen & Sword
MSRP
$22.95

Red Army Auxiliary Armored Vehicles 1930-1945 is a very well researched and written book on a relatively unknown subject. With less fanfare than the armored combat vehicles that did the actual fighting, these are the Russian vehicles in support and auxiliary service that made a lot of the fighting possible. This book is a departure from the usual Images of War format. Rather than a brief summary of the chapter to come with a dizzying number of great photographs, the first 61 pages of this 152-page book is all text with detailed footnotes. The photographic sections are broken into 1930-1940 and 1941-1945.