The Airframe and Miniature series by Valiant Publications gives the modeler and the enthusiast the most information and details you will find about a given subject.

When you first open the book, you will see the table of contents, then the preface. The preface goes over a brief history of P-51s from the B model up to the K model. There are also lists of USAAF and RAF squadrons that operated P-51s during and after WWII. The preface concludes with a run-down of which countries used the aircraft, how they were acquired and, their operational life.

Chapter one is the evolution of the P-51 from the XP-51D to the P-51K-20-NT. Each version of the P-51 has about a paragraph of information on the differences between models and a side profile.

Chapter two is about the evolution of the Photoreconnaissance, trainers, and projected production versions. With the same layout of chapter one.

With the success of its A320/321 Airbus has proven a worthy competitor to the Boeing 737. This set replaces the gear parts in the Revell A321 New Engine Option (NEO) kit. Six parts are provided and the casting is directly from the kit parts including runners with kit part numbers on them. No doubt, there are advantages to metal parts supporting a model of this size but there are some issues. Removing the parts from the sprues was difficult to do without distorting the parts. The metal used is very pliable so they can be straightened out. In this scale, I don't know how precise the parts prep would have to be but the sample had some offsets in casting that needed a lot of material removal to make level joints. Once the struts are glued to the main gear, it makes a pretty stout assembly. I did not have the kit to compare too but photos references do match the parts fairly well.

With every major conflict or war there are new developments on how fighting gets executed. The German use of the Panzergrenadiers is one such development that came along to support their novel Blitzkreig tactics of the Second World War. If a charge was to be ‘lightning’ fast, it could not be done with the traditional walking pace of infantry following fast moving armor. By motorizing troop movements via armored carrier and piggybacking personnel on tanks, German troops could move quickly to take advantage of the rapid changes in the battlefield.

The United States Marine Corps were a major operator of the F-4 Phantom during the Vietnam war flying both the B and J versions.

AoA’s very comprehensive set covers six Marine Fighter Attack Squadrons with more than 15 possible schemes. There is also a full set of stencils included for one aircraft.

The squadrons are:

• VMFA-115 Silver Eagles which include some neat looking metallic eagles
• VMFA-212 Lancers
• VMFA-232 Red Devils with their distinctive squadron markings
• VMFA-314 Black Knights
• VMFA-323 Death Rattlers which also includes helmet decals
• VMFA-334 Falcons

There are left side profiles and top views for all aircraft and multiple pages for the stencils which cover all sides of the aircraft. There is also a small sheet that covers details for each airframe including paint specifics and instructions if certain decals need to be applied before others.

This set provides replacements for the ventral fins for the F-14 Tomcat in 1/72 scale. As the ventral fins remained the same throughout the Tomcat’s production run, they can be used on the F-14A, the F-14A+/B and the F-14D. The set is generic in that it is not designed to be used just on one particular manufacturer’s kit.

To simplify production and especially maintenance and supply requirements, the left and right ventral fins on the F-14 Tomcat were identical, so the same part could be used on either side. Taking advantage of this fact, Brengun/Hauler’s set provides two identical castings of the ventral fin. Rather than make different versions of the ventral fin to fit different model kits, Brengun/Hauler elected to mimic Grumman’s decision and the set includes two identical parts.