Images of War: Tanks and Armour at Leningrad 1941–1944 is a photographic military history by Ian Baxter, published by Pen & Sword Books⁠ as part of its long-running Images of War series. The book is a 144-page paperback containing roughly 150–200 black-and-white photographs, many of them rare or previously unpublished.

The book focuses on the armored warfare surrounding the Siege of Leningrad, beginning with the opening of Operation Barbarossa in June 1941 and ending with the German retreat in early 1944. It concentrates primarily on the German side of the campaign, especially the armored units of Army Group North and their advance toward Leningrad.

Among the formations discussed are:

Images of War: Tanks and Armour at Kursk 1943 is a forthcoming entry in the long -running Images of War photographic-history series from Pen and Sword Military. It focuses on the German armored formations that participated in the Battle of Kursk during Operation Citadel in July 1943, widely regarded as the largest tank battle in history.

The book is written by Ian Baxter, a prolific historian specializing in German military history of the Second World War. Baxter has produced numerous illustrated campaign studies emphasizing archival photography, unit organization, and battlefield conditions.

What the Book Covers

The emphasis is on:

AOA Decals has a good reputation for quality decals, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review another one of their newest releases, the M-ATV (1) M1240/M1277 US Air Force, Marines, Army, and National Guard (35-010). The decals come in two sheets, one consisting of stencils, and the other with markings for nine vehicles. The second decal sheet in the M-ATV series, M-ATV (2) M1240/M1277 US Army (MFO), Poland, Croatia, and Ukraine (35-011), was previously reviewed.

Two Bobs Aviation Graphics has provided the IPMS/USA Reviewer Corps with a wonderful waterslide decal set commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the very first Suppression of Enemy Air Defense (SEAD) mission, which was flown during the Vietnam War in 1965. This project was code named “Wild Weasel.” This decal set captures the unique paint scheme applied to F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 20th Fighter Wing out of Shaw AFB in South Carolina.

The two F-16C Fighting Falcons markings are for:

The Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning CTOL represents the “Conventional Takeoff & Landing” version of this versatile aircraft. “Beast Mode” hangs six pylons under the wings, transforming the aircraft into a devastating strike platform.

Italeri promotes this as a new mold kit and compared to images of their previous F-35C released several years ago, it appears to have far better detail in certain areas like the bomb bays and wheel wells. Sprue “K” (Two included) remained the same with most of the weapons, pylons and bomb bay door hinges.

The model was presented in Italeri’s standard lid and tray box. Two dark grey sprues were bagged together in each of three bags, as was the decal sheet. The two clear sprues were separated within one bag which was thoughtful. An instruction manual, photo etch fret and painting/masking guide completed the box contents.

ICM has provided this beautiful new release from the Black Hawk Range for review, in this 1/48 scale model of the UH-60A which was released earlier but this one comes with a three-man crew set. The crew set is also available as a separate kit (kt number 48130).

• 15 x grey sprues
• 1 clear sprue
• One decal sheet
• One instruction guide for the UN-60A
• One instruction sheet for the crew

The detail quality is excellent in every way with this kit; crisp and detailed molding has become the norm for the ICM kits.

I repainted all the interior parts before commencing the build.

The Dornier Do217 K-2 was developed from the K-1 model designed to carry the Fritz-X gliding bomb. Its wingspan was extended by 25 meters or 82 feet to carry the extra load of the Fritz-X bombs which weighed 1570 kg or 3461 lbs each. They also added an additional 1160 liter/306 gal. in the bomb bay. There were special bomb racks on the inner wings, between the nacelle and fuselage, designed to carry the massive bombs. The most famous use of the Fritz-X was the sinking of the Italian battleship Roma on September 9, 1943 by Major Bernhard Jope of III./KG100

Included in the kit is:

• Ten grey sprues

Three clear sprues

• One set of decals
• One instruction booklet

The instructions are pretty straight forward and the kit seems well detailed with fine panel lines and other fuselage detail.

Air Power and the Arab World, 1909–1955 Volume 12: Palestine War, 12 July - 14 October 1948 (Middle East @ War #67) continues the story of the men and machines of the first half-century of military aviation in the Arab world, focusing this time on the critical period between 12 July and 14 October 1948 — from the final days of the ‘Ten Days’ fighting through the Second UN Truce. While part of an ongoing series, this volume also stands alone as a history of the period covered.

The origin of Pen & Sword Books is closely linked with its sister company, the Barnsley Chronicle; one of the UK's oldest provincial newspapers, established in 1858, and one of the few weeklies still in private ownership. The first books published by the company were in response to public demand following of a series of articles published in the newspaper: Dark Peak Aircraft Wrecks told the story of crash sites in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park, and a further weekly feature on the history of two Kitchener battalions, known as the Barnsley Pals, aroused a thirst for more information. Following on from the success of those books, a number of local history paperbacks were produced along with a series of battlefield guidebooks. Battleground Europe proved immediately successful, and the company made the decision to launch a book publishing arm of the group.

AOA Decals has a good reputation for quality decals, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review one of their newest releases, the M-ATV (2) M1240/M1277 US Army (MFO), Poland, Croatia, & Ukraine (35-011). The decals come in two sheets, one of stencils and the other of markings for nine options.

The Oshkosh M-ATV is a Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle developed by the Oshkosh Corporation for the MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle (M-ATV) program, to replace M1114 HMMWVs (Humvee). It is designed to provide the same levels of protection as the larger and heavier previous MRAPs, but with improved mobility. With nearly 10,000 M-ATVs in service since their introduction in 2009, there are a lot of options for modelers to build. Fortunately for modelers, AOA Decals has provided two decal sheets for the M-ATV.

Number 54 in Helion’s Asia @ War Series is the 4th Volume on the Sri Lankan War, from 1995-2002. Also called the Eelam War III, this Volume covers the Northern Theatre of the war to its conclusion. The author is a Swiss military researcher and has published 20 books on military topics. For this larger than normal Volume, he has done a brilliant and evocative job on bringing this civil war to light.

Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon) is a large island off the southern tip of India, and has a tumultuous history of internecine warfare. This volume is strictly about the military events, and does not cover the political situations, atrocities or human rights violations in detail - these have been manifested in the first three volumes, by Amnesty International and other NGOs.

Thanks to War Dog Modeling (WDM) for the Ship Stand to review, and the IPMS staff for their courageous work! WDM stands are available on their website, also reachable via Facebook.

There are 4 stands available:

1. Model Airplane Stand ($35.00)
2. Model Armor Stand ($38.00)
3. Model Car Stand ($30.00)
4. Model Ship Stand ($35.00)

I have never used jigs or stands for building 1/700 scale ships models, but after one look at War Dog Model Ship Stand, I had a Where-Have-You-Been-All-My-Life moment. I'm not letting this one go anywhere! Here's why...

The stand arrived in a small box with all the parts mixed together. No instructions, which is not a problem. The contents make one stand with a light gray color. Looking at the finished stands on War Dog' online page made assembly easy.

Thanks to War Dog Modeling (WDM) for the Ship Stand to review, and the IPMS staff for their courageous work! WDM stands are available on their website, also reachable via Facebook. There are 4 stands available:

1) Model Airplane Stand ($35.00)

2) Model Armor Stand ($38.00)

3) Model Car Stand ($30.00)

4) Model Ship Stand ($35.00)

I have never used jigs or stands for building 1/700 scale ships models, but after one look at War Dog Model Ship Stand, I had a Where-Have-You-Been-All-My-Life moment. I'm not letting this one go anywhere! Here's why...

One of the newest releases from venerable Tamiya is this wide-wheel version of the Schwimmwagen Type 166, which incorporates parts from their previous release (kit 224) back in 1998. The new release includes new sprues C and V which include the wide-wheel parts, new figures, and new weapons. As with any Tamiya kit, the engineering is perfect, which makes this kit ideal for modelers of nearly any skill level, and it is therefore highly recommended.

History

The Model T was produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927 and regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile having sold over 15 million. The iconic name for the Model T, “Tin Lizzy,” originates from a 1922 race where the driver had affectionately named his Model T, “Old Liz”, and the spectators renamed it to Tin Lizzy due to its tin can appearance. It came equipped with a 2.9L 4-cylinder in-line 20 hp engine having a top speed of 42 mph. Henry Ford often said “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black”.

History:

The Model T was produced by the Ford Motor Company from 1908 to 1927 and regarded as the first mass-affordable automobile having sold over 15 million. The iconic name for the Model T, “Tin Lizzy,” originates from a 1922 race where the driver had affectionately named his Model T, “Old Liz”, and the spectators renamed it to Tin Lizzy due to its tin can appearance. It came equipped with a 2.9L 4-cylinder in-line 20 hp engine having a top speed of 42 mph. Henry Ford often said “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it is black”.

In researching the company and these products, I found that the Kaleido ColorWorks primers and matte varnish from Gaahleri, which entered the global hobby market around 2023, represent a modern and user-friendly approach to water-based modeling paints. As part of Gaahleri’s ecosystem—a coordinated line of products designed to work together for consistent results—they are formulated to complement the company’s airbrush systems and simplify the overall painting process. On their website, they offer paints, airbrushes, and a range of airbrush accessories and replacement components. Built around RapidAir Technology, which enhances atomization and leveling so acrylics spray more like lacquers, these products provide smooth application with reduced tip dry.

I’ve built several jet fighter kits in this scale in the past year. They don’t seem to get much love and turn up in model club swap nights, usually for free. Granted, the size of these models can challenge the eyesight of us mature folks. However, I’ve found that if you’re careful with assembly, these 1/44 kits can build up into nice mini representations of the real thing.

Long-time supporter Ross and his team at SAC Supports IPMS/USA yet again with one of his gear sets to use and review!

This set provides a sound basis for replacing the more delicate parts of the Spindly (in real life and modeling world) Fairey Gannet AEW-3 landing gear. Designed for the newly-released SWORD kit, it definitely addresses the question on whether plastic or metal is better for this task. The metal gear, once carefully installed (it is NOT an easy Geometric construction) is definitely “go metal”.

Made up of eleven finely-cast metal parts, these bits are scale in size and flexible enough for initial installation, while work-hardening if required for additional stiffness. The truss angles and installation are a difficult design to address, and the idea the kit plastic would last was first in my mind. It’s a large aircraft, and unique in design and appearance.

The non-profit UK based group known as the Great War Aviation Society publishes A new magazine, Contact!, is now available in both print and digital download. The first two issues of Contact! Are available for a free digital download on their website. Their journal, Cross & Cockade International, is also published four times a year. Issues are available in English as printed [Softbound, A4 (8.27” x 11.69”), 72 pages [Including Covers] as well as digital copies (or both). The Society also provides a free newsletter (sign up on their website) and occasionally publish WWI themed books like the Sopwith Dolphin monograph I reviewed earlier for IPMS USA. This Journal is the sister of the US Journal, Over The Front. The Great War Aviation Society also hosts a lecture series available through Zoom.