Operation Amherst: The Last Airborne Operation of WWII
Coming soon from Pen and Sword Military and authors Joël Stoppels and Harold de Jong is Operation Amherst: The Last Airborne Operation of WWII, which covers the final airborne operation of WWII, detailing French paratroopers’ landings, rapid combat in Drenthe and Friesland, and subsequent liberation efforts in Groningen and beyond.
In preparation for the liberation of the northern part of the Netherlands, Operation Amherst was launched on the night of 7 to 8 April 1945. This last airborne operation of the Second World War was carried out by 702 French (SAS) paratroopers. The fighting developed quickly after the landings in the province of Drenthe and a part of southeast Friesland. Canadian and British forces would then engage in the liberation of Groningen and the Westerbork concentration camp, and the elimination of the Delfzijl Pocket.
The 224 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for October 30.
Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Hobby Boss to Release New F4U-5N Corsair [Late] Night Fighter Model Kit
Hobby Boss is reportedly preparing to release a new F4U-5N Corsair [Late] Night Fighter model kit in 1/48 scale.
The F4U-5N Corsair [Late] is a radar-equipped night-fighter version of the ultimate piston-engine Corsair, the F4U-5, featuring a longer nose, all-metal wings, a raised cockpit, and a 2,450 hp Pratt & Whitney R-2800-32W engine that made it the fastest carrier-based piston fighter (about 462 mph). Carrying an AN/APS-19 radar pod on the right wing, flame-dampened exhausts, and four 20 mm cannons, it traded a bit of performance for night operations but retained a heavy bomb and rocket load for night intruder and close-support missions. In the Korean War, F4U-5Ns with VMF(N)-513 and Navy detachments hunted “Bedcheck Charlie” Po-2s, attacked supply convoys and trains, and even produced the conflict’s only Navy ace, Guy Bordelon, who scored all five of his kills at night in an F4U-5N.
As of this writing, details on the new kit (80391) are nonexistent, although release is planned for some time in September.
(via AeroScale and Scalemates)
1946 Aeronca Chief 11AC For Sale: “2023 Best in Class Winner”
A 1946 Aeronca Chief 11AC has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
Airframe logs start Jan. 1970 at an estimated Airframe TT: 376 Hrs. Current AFTT: 980. Total restoration in 1998. EAA Oshkosh Best in Class 1999. Sensenich prop TT: 224.7. Continental A-65-8, 65HP. Total Time: 932.9, Since Major Overhaul: 93.9 By Lycon with Millenium Cylinder/Piston kits. At April Annual Inspection compressions were #1 79/80 #2 80/80 #3 80/80 #4 79/80. No electrical system, so you are the engine starter by hand propping. Includes Icom handheld radio with mount and external antenna, ELT and Dynon GPS attitude, heading, altitude and airspeed indicator, all battery powered. Continuously hangered since restoration. Fabric, wood, metal and paint in very good condition. New Maule 8″ certified tailwheel installed at last Annual in April. Won Best In Class at 2023 WAAM Hood River Fly-In, Hood River OR. Nearby regional delivery possible.
The aircraft is located in Richland, WA and is currently available for bidding. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Bird Men: The B-29 Superfortress and WW2 American Airpower
Coming soon from Mariner Books and bestselling author A.J. Baime is Bird Men: The Rise of American Airpower and the Machine That Ended World War II – A WWII History of American Airpower and the Superfortress That Changed the Course of the War.
Of all the feats of American ingenuity in World War II, perhaps none was as impressive in scale or vital to the Allied victory as the creation of American airpower. Just a few years before the start of World War II, the American military was stuck in the dark ages of aviation, with the U.S. Army’s Air Corps mainly focused, not on combat, but on mail delivery. Fast forward to end of the war, and America had launched the most impressive flying machine the world had ever seen: the B-29 Superfortress, a weapon so essential to ending the war that its research and development process cost more than the Manhattan Project. Continue reading Bird Men: The B-29 Superfortress and WW2 American Airpower
Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
First Look: Test Build of Arma Hobby’s New Tool Curtiss Hawk 81-A2
Arma Hobby has released the first test build photos (and additional sprue shots) for their upcoming, new tool Curtiss Hawk 81-A2 model kit in 1/72 scale.
As previously reported, the upcoming release (70094) is the first in Arma’s new family of 1/72 Curtiss Hawk 81, Tomahawk II and P-40B/C kits. It represents the export version of the Hawk 81-A2 operated by the AVG in China during 1941–1942. These aircraft wore a distinctive camouflage scheme based on British specifications and applied using American-made DuPont paints. Three Flying Tigers marking options will be included.
The model seen in the new photos was built straight from the latest pre-production test parts and was quickly assembled and left completely unpainted for a more detailed look at the plastic itself. The company states that these are still pre-production parts, and final evaluation is underway.
Shipping is currently planned for the second half of August. Check out additional photos below.
Continue reading First Look: Test Build of Arma Hobby’s New Tool Curtiss Hawk 81-A2
1946 Aeronca Champ For Sale: “Turn Key With O-235 Upgrade”
A 1946 Aeronca Champ 7AC has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
1946 Aeronca 7AC Champ with many mods. Originally a 7AC, but converted to a 7EC with full electrical system, and then the airplane received an O-235-C1B upgrade with a full IFR instrument panel and wing fuel tanks. It’s basically a Citabria now inside of a Champ skeleton. Airplane is turn key and ready to go. Airborne in a little under 200 feet with average weight, climb at 1000fpm and cruise at 125mph TRUE on 6.5gph. No damage history, no liens, and complete logs all the way back to new.
The aircraft is located in Louisville, KY and is currently available for bidding. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
ICM to Release 1/48 Lockheed Hudson Mk.III Kit: “100% New Molds”
In August ICM will release a “100% new molds” Lockheed Hudson Mk.III model kit in 1/48 scale (48331).
The Hudson Mk.III was a light bomber and maritime reconnaissance aircraft derived from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra airliner and built for the RAF just before World War II. This variant featured upgraded 1,200 hp Wright R-1820 Cyclone engines and a Boulton Paul dorsal turret with twin .303-inch machine guns, and was used extensively by the RAF, RAAF, and RNZAF for coastal patrol, anti-submarine work, and general reconnaissance from 1941 onward.
Additional details have not yet been announced. Check out kit renderings below.
Continue reading ICM to Release 1/48 Lockheed Hudson Mk.III Kit: “100% New Molds”
Spotted: 1954 Lockheed C-130A Hercules For Sale
An “unregistered, privately owned” 1954 Lockheed C-130A Hercules has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
Rare early-production C-130A. Delivered USAF 1954. Converted to be the first RC-130A for photo-recon, later returned to C-130A config by Hayes International. Low hours, flawless safety record. Stored in Arizona desert mothball condition to USAF standards. Would be the centerpiece of any museum.
The aircraft is located in Tucson, Arizona and is currently available for bidding. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Trace the Harrier’s Transformation From Prototype to Revolutionary Combat Aircraft
Coming soon from Fonthill Media and author Tim Brandt is The Royal Air Force Germany Harrier Force: Volume 1: Development and Deployment 1970-1973. This new account traces the Harrier aircraft’s transformation from prototype to complex war machine through the RAF Germany Harrier Force’s early years, detailing field operations, development, and the people who mastered vertical flight.
Royal Air Force Germany was the chief operator of the RAF’s Harriers during the Cold War. Its Harrier Force remains the only unit to have routinely taken large numbers of fast-jet aircraft into unprepared fields and woods, operating them in constant readiness for combat.
This book, the first of three volumes on the RAF Germany Harrier Force, describes how the aircraft was developed from a simple proof-of-concept prototype into a much more complex war machine, overcoming the extraordinary demands of vertical flight. It tells of the forming of the Harrier Wing at RAF Wildenrath in 1970, and how its people learned the hard way to fly and operate the ‘jump jet’ on base and in the field during those accident-laden early years. Volume I concludes at the end of 1973 when, having proven its capabilities, the Harrier Wing became the Harrier Force.
The 256 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for November 30.
Please Note: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Dora Wings Releases P-66 Vanguard Kit With PE Parts, Multiple Liveries
Dora Wings recently released a new Vultee P-66 Vanguard boxing in 1/48 scale.
The Vanguard was an American single-seat, single-engine fighter designed in the late 1930s, originally intended for export to Sweden but later taken into U.S. service and then sent in larger numbers to China. It was a fairly conventional prewar radial-engine fighter with respectable speed and climb, but it was generally considered underwhelming in combat compared with better-known wartime fighters, so it ended up with a mixed reputation despite seeing real service.
The kit (48053) is touted as offering superb surface textures with crisp, recessed panel lines and fantastic overall accuracy. It includes PE parts, die cut canopy masks, new premium decals with marking options for multiple aircraft, including examples in including USAAF and Chinese Air Force service.
Check out the product page and box contents below.
Continue reading Dora Wings Releases P-66 Vanguard Kit With PE Parts, Multiple Liveries
Please Note: This post contains an eBay affiliate link. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
