History Brief

During the early summer of 1935 the Imperial Japanese Army issued requests to Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and Nakajima to competitively build advanced fighter aircraft prototypes to replace the Kawasaki Ki-10 fighter biplane. Before the end of 1935 Nakajima responded with the Ki-27, a single-seat monoplane fighter derived from the company's ‘Type P.E.’ aircraft.

Of the three contenders Nakajima’s nimble Ki-27 was by far more maneuverable than the other two but was not as fast and had a slower climb rate than the Kawasaki. Finally, after further testing in late 1937 the Nakajima was ordered into production as the Army’s Type 97 Fighter Model A or Ki-27A. Later production aircraft introduced further refinements, including an improved cockpit canopy, these carried the designation Ki-27B.

This kit is a collaboration of Tamiya and Italeri. Most of the vehicle is a reissue of an Italeri kit, with new parts supplied by Tamiya. The kit goes together nicely, with good detail, and is a fun model to build. The kit includes 3 figures and many diorama accessories.

Background

The German Horch Kfz.15, a 4WD transport vehicle that was equipped with a liquid-cooled 8-cylinder engine capable of producing 85hp. Production of the vehicle began in 1937, and it saw action with the German military in a wide range of combat zones from Russia to North Africa. This particular kit has marking options for two dark yellow North Africa versions and one German gray version used in Russia.

P-47 Thunderbolt in Action is the third ‘In Action’ book about the P-47 published by Squadron MMD. The first one (number 18) was printed in the early 1970s and the second one (#1208) was printed in 2007. The latest, authored by David Doyle, adds considerably to the material provided in the first two. It presents, in word and pictures, the full story of the legendary Thunderbolt from inception to production and wartime service. I happen to know David personally and have come to expect anything he authors to be thoroughly researched and well written…and the latest P-47 Thunderbolt in Action is no exception.

The Me-262 requires little if any introduction, however reference material for it is always sought after. This book is intended to cover all the marks and variants of the single seat “A” series, including some obscure prototypes.

The book is very logically broken down in a section that describes the technical characteristics of the airplane, the production blocks, and several tables with details covering prototypes from Werk Numbers, to Me-262 aces.

The next section has period B&W pictures and 1/72nd scale drawings of all the different variants of the A series, including details on their armament, if applicable.

After that there are no less than 58 color profiles, including a few top/bottom views of the Me-262 in the fighter and bomber configuration, plus color profiles of captured examples and post-war examples in Czech service.

This is a large, beautiful coffee table style photo-essay book. As the son of a D-Day veteran I was most anxious to read this book. 450 of the photos included are from the combat in Northern France. Some will seem familiar to the reader but many have never before been published. I especially like how in many cases the author has shown the original WWII photo and then beside or below that he has placed a modern photo of the same place taken at the same spot.

The book is divided into eight chapters! The are: The Buildup, From the Air, From the Sea, On the Beached, Point du Hoc, La Fiere, Graignes and Aftermath. Each is filled with photos that show everything from the men, equipment and geography to the carnage of battle.