IPMS/USA Reviews

This book impresses from the moment you see it, it's a beautifully bound and printed on very high quality paper! The book is a series of very well detailed maps of the German Blitzkrieg campaigns of the early part of World War two.

The book is split up by each battle front and has detailed maps showing forces locations and make up on all sides. The maps are awesome and the best quality I have seen in a long time. They are not too complicated but give all the information you need to see what the situation was at each point during the campaigns.

The descriptions of the campaigns and each chapter provide a great overview.

The book chapters are:

One of my planned retirement builds is a Resolution Island, Labrador winter diorama scene. My father, a retired career pilot and Colonel in the USAF, passes along a magazine he receives each month as a member of the Air Force Association. Several years ago, an article in one issue titled "Life on the Pine Tree Line" captivated me. The article details daily activities at a remote DEW-line radar site on Resolution Island in far North Newfoundland back in the 50s and 60s. In particular, photos of an H-21 Shawnee or "Flying Banana" as it is more commonly referred to in Artic Red conspicuity markings, caught my eye. Other aircraft and vehicles documented in the photos included a C-123, a TWA "Connie", various cargo trucks and vehicles, and a small WWII utility vehicle known as a "Weasel". Visions of a winter diorama scene began to take shape.

Fast forward several years, and after researching availability of the necessary vehicles in each scale, I acquired the both the Italeri and Special Hobby 1/48 H-21 kits, along with a couple of 1/48 Weasels from CMK to go with a Tamiya 1/48 US 2-1/2 Ton 6X6 Cargo Truck.

Sooner or later, every aircraft modeler builds the iconic WWII Luftwaffe Bf-109. You can find them in every scale from 1/144 to 1/24, and in every version from prototype to A, to K-14, and sub-variants from post-WWII. It is probably one of the top five most popular aircraft modeling subjects ever kitted.

To that point, there were 31 examples of the Bf-109 entered in 1/48 Single Engine Prop, at this summer's 2019 'Nooga Nats! Obviously, they garnered their own subcategory split. I felt a bit sorry for, but also somewhat envious of Rich Van Zandt's judging team as they laboriously examined all 31 examples. They were all outstanding ... some were just slightly better than others. They checked that distinct splayed gear stance for consistent alignment. They checked wing and stabilizer alignments. They checked canopies and interiors. They checked finishes. They counted rivets ... just kidding. In the end, they chose the best three. 10% of the total number entered of the type!

Product provided by: Motorbooks International

In the early to mid-1960s, the British Invasion forever changed music in America. In the late 1960s, the Japanese Invasion forever changed the cars that roamed the highways and byways in America. The cars were becoming smaller and more fuel-efficient, somewhat easier to maintain and, for the most part, more reliable. Since the 1950s, American automobiles had become larger and more garish in style, focusing primarily on luxury and high performance. Between the increasing insurance premiums and growing gasoline prices, that kind of car was becoming more expensive and more cumbersome to own. During this time, a new kind of American car came into being, the Subcompact. Marc Cranswick, the author, has been a car enthusiast for most of his life and has been involved with numerous car clubs and writing books on the history of a variety of cars. In this volume, he takes us through the formative years of Ford Motor Company's first line of subcompact cars.

The American Civil War is a study in contrasts and similarities. Historians make a living comparing and contrasting both sides from every angle conceivable. Commanders, battlefields, tactics, and weapons are the usual subjects and this book focuses on the Sharpshooting arena. Published by our friends at Osprey Publishers, Union Sharpshooter VS Confederate Sharpshooters is authored by Gary Yee. Period photos, drawings, and maps convey a study in comparison and contrast in three battles where sharpshooters played an important role. A brief introduction opens the book, followed by chapters that cover the opposing sides, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Battery Wagner, an analysis, and the aftermath. A select bibliography and index complete the narrative. The book is printed on heavy stock paper and tells its story on 80 pages.