Book Reviews
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
 JG 1Histoire de la Jagdgeschwader 1 "Oesau" Avions Collection Histoire de l'Aviation series #3 By: Eric Mombeek Publisher: Lela Presse, 1997 I've owned Mombeek's excellent 'Defending the Reich: The History of Jagdgeschwader 1 "Oesau"' (JAC Publications) since it was published in 1992. About a year ago I started to hear that Mombeek had written a "new" French-language book on JG 1, but I was hesitant to order it sight-unseen because I didn't know how many of its photos were redundant with those in 'Defending the Reich.' Last week I finally took the plunge, and the answer turns out to be "roughly two-thirds." However, please keep reading ...
Also new are five pages of color profile paintings and several helpful detail photos -- for example, a particularly nice shot of a Bf 109E's cowl cooling slots, through which we can see the engine block (p. 19). I purchased my copy from Articles of War for US$67.50 plus postage.
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 Douglas A-20 Havoc/BostonMonografie No 41 Publisher: A/J press ISBN: 83-86209-83-X Pages: 109 14 pages of drawings One in 1/36 scale the rest in 1/72 6 pages of color drawings. The excellent Monografie series continues with this latest addition, all on the Douglas DB-7/A-20 family. Here is a book that will show you all the A-20 s in very nice 1/72 scale drawings from the Model –7 to the –G. The book also has some very interesting pictures of the aircraft. The best ones are the Russian aircraft. How would you like to see an A-20 with a torpedo on the side of the A/C. and have a drawing to go along with it? It's in here. This book will also expand your horizons and make you a more worldy person, as all the text is in Polish. Pictures do say a thousand words, though, so even if you don't want to learn Polish, you can get a lot of information from this book. So go pick up a couple more AMT A-20s from the local closeout shops, grab this book, and crank out some interesting A-20s. Will Riepl |
 German Knights of the Air 1914-1918The Holders of the Orden Pour le Merite Author: Terry C. Treadwell & Alan C. Wood Publisher: Barnes & Noble, 1998 ISBN: 0-7607-0790-1 Pages: 208 Books on World War One aviation are not as common as other eras, which is why it was good to see this title at the local Barnes and Noble bookstore. The pictures included are very well done, and are large enough to glean enough data to model some of them. Everything from balloons to Albatri to Fokker Dr.Is and D.VIIIs are presented, all in the markings of some of the most famous and notorious German aviators of World War One. If you have a large library of WWI books, this one might be somewhat redundant, but if you are just starting to collect WWI references, this book is well worth the price. Chris Banyai-Riepl |
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MODELER'S WEAPONS SHOP GUIDES Two very handy modeler's guides are available from The Modeler's Weapons Shop. Both are written by INTERNET MODELER's very own Richard Marmo, who isn't about to toot his own horn about these in "ScaleWorld," but they are definitely worth checking out. Whether you have gotten so advanced yourself that you're ready to start creating your own cast resin aftermarket pieces for that kit that just cries out for a bit more detail, or whether you'd just like to know what goes into those beauties from KMC, Meteor, True Details and the other resin manufacturers, The Modeler's Weapons Shop Guide to Resin Construction, Part 1 & Part 2 are very worthwhile reading. Part 1 deals with vbasic concepts and the history of resin and RTV, along with tools, adhesives and paint as they relate to resin kits. You may never make your own stuff, but after you read this, you will be far better equipped to work with the cast resin kits you buy. Part 2 is not yet out, but will deal with specific construction techniques in detail. The booklet is xeroxed, and retails for US$4.95> The Modeler's Weapons Shop Guide to Model Math and Scale Jumping is exactly what it says. Got drawings for that bit you need to scratchbuild, but you flunked junior high math and it was twenty years ago anyway, maybe more? Forget trying to remember what you never learned anyway, going nuts with enlarging grids and trying to calculate percentages for enlarging or reducing drawings in the copier. Use this simple guide and feel like the genius you always knew was lurking around there somewhere. This guide sells for US$3.95. I wasn't that sure I needed either of these guides when they arrived in the mail, but I have already improved my work in resin on a project sitting on the workbench, and the drawings I needed to correct a part were easy with the math guide. Recommended. Reviewed by: Buyers should note that when ordering Guides only, U.S. customers should add US$1.50 per Guide, while foreign purchasers should add US$3.50 for postage and packing. Payment is by money order or check. Foreign orders in U.S. funds by American Express Traveller's Check or American Express Money Order please. To order on the net: https://www.tricky.com/modeler/ |