Neat modeling instruction site

Go here.  Great 72nd scale modeling advice.

Magazine review: Small Air Forces Observer Vol. 37 #4 (148)

The usual praise for this publication from previous reviews still applies.

This issue contains part 10 of a continuing series on the North Korean People’s Air Force. (NKPAF).  Also in this issue is an article on the Chinese MiG-21 (F-7) in Iranian service.  Apparently the F-7 wasn’t really a success for the Iranians.

I was not aware that Peru and Ecuador fought a border war in 1941.  Aircraft were, of course, involved to a limited extent.  The article in this issue describes the aircraft and the action.

As always, I recommend that you become a member of SAFCH.

More V-2

It has been Futured.

Decals next.

V-2 Futured.

V-2

Here is the repainted V-2 awaiting gloss and decals.

V-2

Book Review: On Spartan Wings, The royal Hellenic Air Force in World War 2

Cover photos

Book Review: On Spartan Wings, The royal Hellenic Air Force in World War 2
By John Carr
176 pgs
8 pgs of B&W photos
ISBN: 978-1-84884-798-9

The story of Greece’s heroic resistance against an Italian invasion in 1940 and 1941 and its tragic fall to invading German forces is one of the bittersweet stories of World War II.  Those events provide the beginning of the story told by On Spartan Wings, which tells the story of the Greek Air Force in World War II.  This is a sadly under-told story and this book helps fill a gap.

The book starts with the founding of aviation in Greece before World War I.  The political instability that plagued Greece in the years after World War I forms the backdrop for the development of the Greek Air Force.  As the political situation swings between the political left and right, the air force is left to founder as neither political party sees it as a priority.  Additionally, officers perceived as supporting one or the other political party were promoted when their party was in power.  This led to factionalism within the air force that was to have terrible consequences as the Greeks fought as part of the Royal Air Force after the fall of Greece.

After the introduction describing the events above, the book launches into the meat of the story.  The rag-tag Greek Air Force resisting and then driving back the invading Italians using a motley collection of aircraft purchased from France, Britain, Poland and Germany. Once the Germans invade, the Greeks are simply overwhelmed and ultimately the air force is destroyed as a fighting force, except for 13 Mira (Squadron) which escaped intact with 5 Avro Ansons.  A number of Greek airmen escaped Greece, first to Crete and then to Egypt.  These men, along with 13 Mira were to form the nucleus of the Greek Air Force in exile.  These airmen were go on to form 335 and 336 squadrons of the Royal Air Force.  They fought in Egypt, Libya and Italy before finally returning to Greece in December of 1944.  While fighting as part of the RAF, the Greeks suffered from factionalism and low morale which lead at one point to an open mutiny, which was downplayed/covered up by Greek politicians and some of the higher ranking Greek officers in an attempt to avoid the RAF disbanding the Greek-manned formations.

The story told in this book is compelling.  The author does a good job, though some of the stories told in the book seem to border on the apocryphal, rather than a straight reporting of events.  I suspect that many of these stories developed at the time that the Greeks were resisting overwhelming odds and thus the stories of heroism served to bolster morale.  Much of the latter part of the book deals as much with the political factionalism that plagued the Greek Air Force in exile leading to a sometimes less than stellar operational record.

The text is accompanied by 8 pages of interesting black and white photos.  As a modeler, I would have liked to see more photos and would also have liked some color profiles or illustrations of some of the Greek aircraft.  The book may be of limited interest to modelers due to a lack of this type of information.  However, the book is of general historical interest and may provide the modeler with inspiration toward further research and subsequent modeling of a Greek aircraft from World War II.

Oh, Canada

This is my favorite Canadian story since the Great Canadian Syrup heist of a year or two ago.

Cool diorama idea

This would look cool as a diorama.

This would make a great diorama

Resin engines and stuff

I am not sure I’ve ever seen this company’s stuff.  Looks good on the website.

As air travel becomes cheaper and more common

This seems to happen more and more.

MiG-29

Here is an interesting story from the Ukraine.  What I find interesting is the third photo down of the Ukrainian MiG-29 Fulcrum-Cs