Publications

History

Windsock Datafiles has produced a number of excellent reference works on various aircraft of the World War I era, and they are certainly to be commended for publishing another this subject.  For those who are tired of Spads, Camels, and Fokkers, this one will be a breath of fresh air as few people have ever heard of this aircraft, let alone its interesting history.

One of the newest titles in Squadron’s Walk Around series is the Heinkel He-111.  As with other titles in this series, this softcover book is in a “landscape” format and features loads of detail photos of all aspects of the He-111.

Similar to other books in this series, there is a one-page introduction covering a brief history of the aircraft, and a short discussion of the few remaining airframes.  This is followed by about 88 pages of detail photos and accompanying descriptive text.  All the photos are very crisp and clear, covering about ¼ of a page each.  Most of these are photos of museum aircraft, but there are several WW2-era photos that show some clear details.

The bulk of museum aircraft photos are of a He-111P-2 in the Gardermoen Museum in Oslo, which has been fully restored to its original configuration.  Photos of almost any possible detail area (both inside and out) a modeler would want are provided.

FineScale Modeler and Kalmbach are well known for their excellent collection of publications covering a wide variety of hobby-related subjects. This publication continues that tradition of excellence.

Modeling airliners requires a set of modeling skills that, while not unique to airliners, are critical to the completion of the project at a high level of quality. Thus, Scale Modeler’s How-to-Guide spotlights those skills and provides the modeler with suggestions on mastery of those skills.

Organized into 7 chapters, this publication covers:

1. Basic construction
2. Painting
3. Applying decals
4. Conversions
5. Detailing and improving kits
6. Weathering
7. Airliner Gallery

Keep in mind that this publication is a “How-To-Guide”. The author describes and demonstrates various skills and techniques through the use of full color images, descriptions of tools and supplies, and well-ordered “step-by-step” instructions.

This is another quality issue from Model Art Modeling Magazine. The text is in Japanese, with very little English. The pictures are top notch, so it does make it easy to follow along.

In the October issue, they do a series of questions and answers to what appears to be some common modeling questions. They use a series of new model releases to accomplish this. These include the 1/72nd Tamiya A6M5 Zero, 1/48th Hasegawa Ki-44 Tojo prototype, the 1/32nd Zoukei-Mura P-51D, Sankei 1/144th Alert Hanger (this appears to be in a pre-cut heavy cardstock), 1/48th Trumpeter Supermarine Spiteful, and the 1/48th Tamiya Sturmovik.

There is an article about each of the above models, and each one has a Q&A section. Topics range from different aftermarket seatbelts, how to reproduce rivets with straight pins, marking lights, panel line washes, and aerial antennas using EZ line.

The Greens have written a detailed, very readable account of the Panther tank (Panzerkampfwagen V, Ausfuhrüng D).  Michael Green has first-hand knowledge of the Panther, as he was a member of the team that restored a Panther A, now part of the late Jacques Littlefield's collection in Portola Valley, CA.  I'm not an armor buff myself but found the book easy to read and understand.  The book is well written, and both armor buffs and modelers can each take away all the detail or general info they desire.  The book provides color photos of restored tanks' interior and exteriors, and WWII black & white photos of operating and knocked-out tanks.  Best of all, the Greens provide first-hand accounts of the Panther's effectiveness in battle from official British and US reports, as well as eyewitness accounts of the Panther in battle.

Background:

As a Battle of Britain aficionado and avid reader of stories of the exploits of Allied pilots flying Hawker Hurricanes (and Spitfires of course!) on the Western Front and in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, it was with keen interest that I delved into this story of the Hurricane on the Eastern Front ― a story with which I was totally unfamiliar. Thus, it was much to my surprise that I learned that the Hurricane was the most numerous Western Allied fighter aircraft serving in the Soviet Union’s army and naval air force units on the expansive Soviet-German front in 1942. Having suffered significant attrition of fighter aircraft during the start of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, Soviet Premier Josef Stalin appealed to British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill for replacement aircraft. The British responded in late 1941 by beginning delivery of Hurricanes under the Lend-Lease agreement, and these aircraft were quickly put into action in early 1942 in Soviet fighter regiments in the northern sector of the Soviet-German front.

When it comes to writing books, Steve Zaloga is one prolific dude. Not only are his books many, but they are informative and make for interesting reading. This latest title, US Amphibious Tanks of World War II, is no exception.

The book’s 48 pages are arranged in 9 main chapters:

Early American Amphibious Tanks

1. Operation Torch
2. Operation Husky
3. Operation Overlord
4. Operation Dragoon
5. Pacific Theater of Operations
6. The Ritchie Project
7. The T6 Device at Okinawa
8. River Crossing Tanks

In addition, there is an index.

This special issue of Model Art Modeling Magazine has two features that cover the genealogy of Japanese submarine depot ships and the history of Japanese escort vessels. There are two other smaller articles included. One is titled “Lets make the Special naval review of the Imperial Japanese Navy on Japanese Imperial reign 2600 ceremony,” and an article titled “Revell Archives.”

In the first feature, “Genealogy of Japanese Submarine Depot Ships,” there are several articles that cover the available model kits of these vessels. Also included are period photos and line drawings of these ships with what seems to be a description or history (here’s where the lack on my part of being able to read Japanese to know exactly what this section deals with). The last part of the feature is a conversion of Hasegawa’s 1/350 Hikawa-Maru to the Auxiliary Submarine Depot Ship Heian-Maru. This section finishes out with a poster of what appears to the Submarine Depot Ship Taigei.

For the past several years, Zenith Press has been producing “owner’s manuals” of famous planes, tanks, automobiles, and I suppose space ships (there is one on the space shuttle). With the familiar Haynes logo in the upper right-hand corner, they appear to be genuine owner’s manuals. It’s a great marketing technique and I am sure many hobbyists and fans find it appealing. The volume reviewed here is on the Boeing 747, the iconic jumbo jet that has been flying for over forty years.

The book is beautifully illustrated with color photographs of the various makes of the 747, though the book mostly concentrates on the 400 series. The book starts with a brief overview of the 747 model from its inception to the latest incarnation, the 747-8 series. From history, the book delves into the various aspects of the anatomy of the 747, concentrating on construction, the wings, landing gear, exterior doors and hatches, and windows. You get the idea.

After receiving this review sample, I have to say I have yet another favorite publisher.  I have a particular interest in the Pacific theater of WWII, and this book succinctly discusses the history of the air war between the start of the conflict at Pearl Harbor through the battle of Coral Sea.  It also discusses many of the battles in between.  The book includes not just the US and Japanese forces, but also sections dedicated to Allied forces from Russia, England, the Netherlands, and the AVG in China.

There are ten sections to the book: