The model represents an Austin 30cwt truck in common use with U.K. forces during WWII. I assume that Airfix couldn’t get a license to use the “Austin” name on the box-top. The kit comes in a big, sturdy, and colorful box. Included inside are two parts trees of tan plastic, a piece for the hood, a tree of clear parts, a small fret of photo-etch, decals, and instructions. The trees are bagged to prevent loss of parts. The clear parts and decals are separately bagged to prevent damage. The hood (maybe I should call it a ‘bonnet’ since it is a British truck?) does not come attached to a parts tree, so make sure that you find it before throwing the bags away.

Pen and Sword books is a prolific publisher of military history base in the United Kingdom and distributed by Casemate Publications here in the United States. This is a partner volume to NATO and Warsaw Pact Tanks, published in 2022. As with most books that come from Pen and Sword, the book’s binding, printing, and photograph quality is outstanding. The pages are printed on glossy paper and the photographs (color and black and white) are crystal clear. Given the varying quality of published photographs concerning military history topics for hobbyists, it is nice to see that they are investing in quality products.

The Ukrainian kit manufacturer ICM has recently expanded their catalogue to include a range of acrylic paints and varnishes. In this review, I try out ICM’s paint set intended for WWII Royal Navy aircraft.

The set comes in a small rectangular box with examples of the included colors printed on the front and a painting guide for a Royal Navy Sea Gladiator on the back. The set includes five 12ml bottles of paint and one 12ml bottle of satin varnish. The bottles are open-topped (no dropper-tips).The undersides of the lids have a raised ridge that does a pretty good job of keeping the paint from getting on the threads of the lids.

The included bottles are:

This review covers the Don (Big Daddy) Garlits’ Swamp Rat XXX Top Fuel Dragster 1:25 Scale Atlantis H7152. Saved from oblivion Atlantis has reissued this model. It’s made in the USA and soon to hit model retailers everywhere.

In the drag racing world, they don’t come any bigger than “Big Daddy”. He helped make changes for safer racing and his designs live on in the modern era. He’s a legend to his fans and his numerous championships, speed records and innovations made drag racing what it is today.

Originally issued in 1987, I don’t think it’s been seen in decades. This brand new re-release from Atlantis Models has 77 pieces, molded in white, chrome and clear with vinyl drag racing tires and nice-looking waterslide decals. Included is a replica figure of Don Garlits.

A big “thanks” to the distributors Casemate Publishing for providing IPMS USA this compact encyclopedia of the first fully-supersonic fighter in Europe with the United States Air Force. We fully appreciate your support!

This book is not to be overlooked by anyone who has even a fleeting interest in “Hun” operations in Europe. It is a definitive work in that the time period addressed was one of Cold war operations before USAFE congealed into the large force on the continent and UK most of those associate with the 1970-90 time period. Libya was a major training location for F-100 operations, and as the aircraft were phased out to be replaced with more modern tools of aerial warfare, so too were the continually changing political fields of potential conflict.