Reviewed by: Luke R. Bucci, PhD
Company: Lion Roar

Thanks to DragonUSA for supplying the resin/PE set for review and IPMSUSA staff for handling the request and publishing this review. Special thanks to Dave Morrissette who forwarded this kit to me after I and everyone else refused to review it in 2014. I said it would take me a while to get to it, but better late than never! Apologies to DragonUSA for the delay. YD98 is still available!

Reviewed by: Paul Bradley
Company: Brengun

The new Airfix 1/72 Tempest V kit is very nice but, in some areas there's a slight lack of detail and sharpness. These two new releases from Brengun/Hauler in the Czech Republic can fix one of those areas of weakness.

Cast in Brengun's standard medium grey resin, there are two different items - what they term Early and Late Wheels. What this means is reality is that early Tempests had Typhoon main wheel hubs with 5 spokes. Sometime in the JN-series, this changed to a new 4-spoke design, but the exact cut off is not known. What is known is that the first 50 Tempest Vs (JN729 to JN773 and JN792-796) were built using the centre-sections from a cancelled Typhoon contract, so it would make sense that they, at least, had the 5-spoke wheels.

Reviewed by: Samuel Manriquez
Company: Brengun

Brengun is very well known for their wide range of photoetch and resin sets for aircraft. They also produce 1/72nd and 1/144th scale model kits.

This photoetch set for the Roden Gotha G. IV and G.V includes replacement parts for the yoke, guns, instrument panel, and radiator. Additional parts include propeller details, bomb racks, skids and gun swivel ring. I was building the G.V and I was surprised to see that the bomb racks and skids for behind the landing gear were not used.

The photoetch bends well on the fold lines and is not too thick to look out of scale. Painting is tricky on the mesh fins mounted near the rear gunner as the holes will plug easily.

Reviewed by: Paul Bradley
Company: Key Publishing Ltd

Subtitled 'Air-to-Air Images,' this book by Key Publishing is a photographic collection of such images of the RAF during the Seventies and Eighties, a period marked by tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Pact in which the RAF was a major player in the defense of Western Europe through its forces in the UK and West Germany.

Author Tony Paxton was a frontline RAF fighter pilot and was seemingly never without his camera, as all the 200 or so photos in this book are all by his hand. Most are of excellent quality, given the limitations of film types of the period, and many are produced full page and in full colour.

Reviewed by: Paul Bradley
Company: Key Publishing Ltd

The Battle of Britain was, it can be reasonably argued, the battle that saved Western Civilization over 80 years ago during World War II, and so is rightly lauded even at this time. There have been many books written about the battle, so what does this new book from Key Publishing bring to the table?

Reviewed by: Paul Bradley
Company: Key Publishing Ltd

The latest in Key Publishing's 'Historic Military Aircraft Series', this slim volume looks at the McDonnel Douglas Phantom and English Electric Lightning in RAF service during the '70s and '80s when they were the mainstays of Britain's air defence commitment.

As explained in the introduction, author Chris Goss inherited the photo collection of noted aviation author and artist David Howley, who many will recall for his colour profile paintings for many modelling and aviation magazines. This book features 180 of Howley's photos, mainly in colour and mostly of good quality. Most are taken at airshows but there are also some 'in service' shots dating from his time as an RAF Warrant Officer.