Photos from the net (F4U-1)

This photo came to me via Joe Turpen, I believe.  What I find interesting is the obvious repair and paint on the tail of the F4U in the foreground.

F4U

Model collection idea

Build one aircraft from each of the fleet CAGs that carried these markings.

Carrier Air Group markings

Current Russian Air Force Markings

I think this photo came from the website English Russia.  It shows the tails of MiG-31 and Su-27s with the current Russian star marking.  Note the red border and the blue inner border.

Russian star

Photos on the net (Mil-14)

I don’t know where this photo comes from, so I can’t credit it (Let me know if you know and I’ll update the post)  What I want to know is, does someone make decals for this?

Polish Mil-14

Book review: German Jets of World War II by Dominique Breffort

German Jets cover

Book review: German Jets of World War II by Dominique Breffort
Planes and Pilots #17 Published by Histoire & Collections
90 pgs
ISBN:978-2-35250-224-1
Retail Price $22.95

One area I’ve always found interesting is the technologically advanced weapons developed by the Germans at the end of WWII.  This book is designed to appeal to just that area of interest. I have actually been (slowly) working on a collection of models of these weapons.  The level of technology they demonstrate is just really interesting.

I have several books from this publisher. This book is typical of this publisher. It is a  softcover book printed on high quality paper.  The photographs reproduced in the book are of high quality.  One of the main attractions of the series is the very nice camouflage and markings illustrations that these books contain.  The aircraft covered by this book are the Me-262, the Ar-234, the Me-163 and the He-162.  Each section focuses on a particular aircraft, starting with a brief history of its development followed by a brief history of the aircraft’s operational career in the closing year or two of the war.  After the text in each section are multiple pages of color sideview illustrations of the subject aircraft.  For the Me-262 this color sideview section runs 24 pages and covers aircraft form the early prototypes to the final combat aircraft.  For the He-162, which saw almost no operational service, there are 10 pages of illustrations. The illustrations are generally left side views and are very attractively done. Each section contains some illustrations of aircraft markings and camouflage that I have never seen before.  Also, each section also has a couple of illustrations of the aircraft in Allied markings after the war.  In addition for each aircraft there are one or two illustrations of a typical top view camouflage carried by these particular aircraft.  For a modeler looking for inspiration, the illustrations in this book should provide plenty.

The publisher of the book is French and I suspect that the author’s first language is French and the text appears to have been translated from French.  It is a good translation, with only a few syntax errors making the reader aware of the language translation.  The author/publisher does make a few mistakes/typos.  These are things like citing the wrong year (1945 instead of 1944) or translating Jagdgeschwader as fighter squadron rather than fighter wing. However, these few errors, while sometimes jarring to read, don’t really provide much of an impediment to enjoying the book.  My one issue with this book, as well as a lot of books and magazines lately, is the price.  The retail price of this book is almost $23, which frankly is just part of the trend of higher and higher book prices. Given the advances in publishing and printing technology, I’d have thought that we’d have seen prices drop.  However, that hasn’t seemed to be the case.  In any event, I was able to pick the book up new off Amazon.com for $16.  For that price, the book is worth it.  If this is in your area of interest, you should pick it up.

Way cool tech

I’ve been thinking a service like this would be coming along soon.  I just wonder what they will charge.

Tar and Feathers

I’ve written about this story before.  It is a shame that it takes a story in the Washington Post before some government official calls for a review of idiocy like this.

I really want one!

Story here.

This could get ugly

Things between China and Japan just keep getting more and more tense.  Story here.

Technology news

The Navy can takeoff and land a UAV from a carrier.

The Russians are having a little more trouble with their technology lately.