Category: WW2 Era (1939-45)

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New IBG Kit Recreates Spitfire Prototype’s Full History For Type’s 90th Anniversary

To celebrate the Spitfire’s 90th anniversary, IBG Models has collaborated with MRM Studio to create a new limited edition model.

The body of the model is based on the IBG plastic kit, but in practice this means a completely new design. Each element has been re-designed to faithfully reflect all the differences between the early prototype and the later production machines. In order to show the evolution of this design as accurately as possible, we have prepared four variants of the aircraft’s nose, two types of fuselage, and two variants of wings – both in the original unarmed configuration and the later armed configuration used during testing. This allows modelers to reproduce the different stages of the machine’s development.

The 1/72 kit employs high-quality 3D printing technology and a vacu-type cockpit canopy with an innovative snap-vac system that uses printed frames that are applied to the transparent part without the need for traditional masking during painting. Additional features include a 3D-printed test pilot figure, Techmod decals and mask designs for painted markings.

The entire edition includes two different sets, which together allow you to recreate the full history of this unique aircraft – from its first flight to its crash on the second day of the war.

The first set (A72001), which depicts the aircraft in its configuration in the first test flight, will be limited to 400 pieces and is slated for release in April. Click below to check out additional images.

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Major Four Part Study Opens With Examination of Soviet Air Power in the Baltic, 1940–41

Coming soon from Helion and Company and author Mikhail Timin is Air Battles over the Baltic 1941 Volume 1: Soviet Air Power in the Baltic 1940–41, the opening volume of a major four-part study that examines the Soviet Air Forces stationed in the Baltic region in the months before the German invasion of June 1941.

Using Soviet and German archival sources, acclaimed aviation historian Mikhail Timin provides the most detailed account yet of how these forces were organised, trained and equipped, and the extent to which they were prepared for the challenge to come… Richly supported by colour profiles, photographs, maps and tables, this volume offers a comprehensive analysis of the Baltic air alignment in 1940. It sets the essential foundation for understanding the disastrous air battles that followed on 22 June 1941, when the Luftwaffe struck and the Red Air Force struggled to respond.

The 104 page paperback publication is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 31.

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Modelsvit Releases Renders, Sprue Shots for Upcoming Martin AM-1 Mauler

Modelsvit has announced the development of a new tool Martin AM-1 Mauler model kit in 1/48 scale.

The Mauler was a bulky, single-seat, carrier-based attack aircraft developed by the Glenn L. Martin Company for the U.S. Navy during World War II, intended to haul very heavy ordnance loads from fleet carriers but entering service only in 1948 due to development delays and technical troubles, and serving in small numbers until the early 1950s before being eclipsed by the more successful Douglas AD Skyraider.

The company has released a series of 3D renderings and photos of the first test spruces which can be seen after the break. The model is slated for release later this year.

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Flying Colours: Historic Aircraft Color Profiles By Richard J. Caruana

Coming soon from MMPBooks and Richard J. Caruana is Flying Colours of Richard J. Caruana, which focuses on illustrations of historic aircraft produced over his 50 year career.

During the last decade or so a considerable number of requests were received, especially from the younger generation, for me to put together a cross-section of my work into a book. Truly an impossible task considering the thousands of illustrations produced over these fifty years. It was therefore with this in mind that I’m embarking on this voyage of memories that will hopefully be met with approval by both those who remember the drawings in now-defunct or difficult to find publications and also those too young to have had the opportunity of enjoying them. It also gave me the chance to update older illustrations to today’s standards.

This release will be the latest in a series of publications focusing on his aircraft profiles. It will include the Fokker D.VII, FIAT CR.32, Fleet Air Arm Corsairs, Boulton Paul Defiant, Last of the Spitfires, USAF Starblazers, SEPECAT Jaguar and Guido Pongiluppi.

The 48 page, paperback publication is currently available for pre-order with release set for March 15.

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Italeri Releases Spitfire Mk IX Focused on RAF Aces

Italeri has released a new edition of their 1/48 Spitfire Mk. IX focused on ace liveries.

The Mk. IX was an interim upgrade to counter the German Fw 190, entering service in 1942 with over 5,600 units produced, making it the second most numerous Spitfire variant. Powered by a more powerful Rolls-Royce Merlin 60-series engine with a two-stage supercharger, it offered superior high-altitude performance, speed up to around 408 mph, exceptional climb rate, and improved structural reinforcements compared to the earlier Mk. V, while retaining excellent maneuverability. Typically armed with two 20mm Hispano cannons and four .303 Browning machine guns (or variations), it served extensively in escort roles, intercepting bombers, and air superiority missions across Europe, significantly restoring Allied dominance during WW2.

The release (2843) includes new decals representing five aircraft flown by RAF aces: F/Lt Pierre Clostermann of 602 Squadron, W/Cdr James E. Johnson of 402 Squadron, F/Lt Jan Falkowski of 402 Squadron, S/Ldr Russell Foskett of 94 Squadron and F/Lt George Beurling of 412 Squadron.

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Coming Soon: Illustrated Study of America’s Failed First Pacific Air Campaign

Coming soon from Osprey Publishing and author Mark Lardas is Philippines 1941–42: America’s disastrous start to the Pacific War, a fully illustrated study of the Pacific War’s little-known first major air campaign.

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese not only attacked Pearl Harbor, but also struck at US and allied bases throughout the Pacific, including the USA’s biggest overseas territory, the Philippines. However, that was an air battle the US was expecting. The USAAF had beefed up its assets in the Philippines, sending nearly a quarter of its available B-17s to the Far Eastern Air Force (FEAF).It could also call on the Philippine Army Air Corps (PAAC).

Aviation historian Mark Lardas explains how despite that, in a campaign that lasted barely a month, Japan’s air forces routed both the FEAF and the PAAC, gaining air superiority and permitting Imperial Army troops undisturbed access to the Philippine coast. Within a week Japan ruled the skies over Luzon. Two weeks later it had air superiority over all the Philippines. After a month, its control was so complete the Imperial Army felt confident to move its 5th Air Group back out of the Philippines. While desultory air combat would continue off and on for the next three months, the issue was decided by 5 January 1942.

Packed with original artwork, 3D diagrams, maps and photos, this is the history of how the first air campaign of the Pacific War turned into a humiliating defeat for the United States.

The 96 page publication is currently available for pre-order in paperback and Kindle editions with release scheduled for July 28.

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WW2 Rocket Interceptors Detailed With Immaculate Tech Drawings, Full Performance Specs

Coming soon from Fonthill Media and author Justo Miranda is Rocket Interceptors 1941–1947:

During its short life, the rocket interceptor, a concept that reached maturity towards the end of the Second World War, attracted the attention of top scientists, designers and aeronautical engineers in Germany, the USSR, the United States and Japan. It was universally agreed that an interceptor capable of flying 300 mph faster than any other aircraft would give the wielding power untouchable aerial superiority. However, this new technology was unable to adapt to the realities of war.

The complexity of the propulsion system and the need to develop new aerodynamic concepts were challenges too great for the aeronautical industries of the major powers at the time, which specialized in the mass construction of piston fighters. Nor were fighter pilots able to adapt to the high-G combat conditions that came with achieving speeds of nearly 900 mph; it was simply not possible for them to aim and fire.

In 280 immaculate technical drawings, each set within its historical context and with full performance specifications, Rocket Interceptors 1941–1947 presents 125 project, prototype and combat rocket-powered aircraft developed by Germany, the United States, the USSR and Japan in the 1940s, though initial development for some can be traced as far back as the 1920s. This is the last word on a technology that, had it been properly harnessed, might have changed the course of the Second World War.

The 288 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release set for May 30.

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FineMolds to Release New A6M Zero Kits Representing Prototype and Model 32

FineMolds has announced the upcoming release of two new Mitsubishi Zero kits in 1/72 scale. The offerings include the Mitsubishi A6M Zero prototype (FR03) and Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero Model 32 (FR04).

The A6M1 prototypes of 1939 were lightweight, long-range, carrier-based fighters with a low-wing monoplane layout, retractable landing gear, and a 580 kW Zuisei 13 engine driving an initially two-blade, later three-blade propeller, emphasizing extreme maneuverability and range at the expense of protection. The later A6M3 Model 32, first flown in 1941, introduced the more powerful Nakajima Sakae 21 engine with a two-speed supercharger, a shortened, squared-off wing without folding tips, enlarged wing fuel tanks, and upgraded Type 99 Mark 2 20 mm cannon, trading some of the earlier model’s turning ability and range for better roll rate, higher diving speed, and improved short-range combat performance.

The kits are currently set for release in April. Click below to check out additional photos, kit contents and livery options.

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IBG Releases Limited Edition Spitfire Mk Vb Kit Bursting With Features

IBG has released their new Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb (North West Europe 1941-44) Black Box Limited Edition model kit in 1/72 scale.

As previously reported, the offering (72591) boasts two full model kits with two comprehensive sets of 3D printed upgrade parts as well as 18 unique, thoroughly researched marking options. The box will also include four fuselages and four sets of wing upper halves allowing builders to represent any two options of the Mk Vb they choose from the box.

Full list of Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb – North West Europe 1941-44 – Black Box Limited Edition contents:
2x Complete Spitfire Mk Vb plastic model kits (each of them including two different fuselage versions and two different wing upper halves variants)
1x Huge decal sheet with 18(!) marking options (containing 42 roundels and 20 fin flashes to cater for the huge variety included in the box!)
2x 3D-printed cockpit structure insert (with/without additional armour and headrest)
2x Sets of 3D-printed wheels
2x Sets of 3D-printed exhausts (each of them in 4 different variants!)
2x 3D-printed seamless carburetor air intakes
10x 3D-printed rear view mirrors (5 variants, each in 2 copies)
6x 3D-printed gunsights (3 variants, each in 2 copies)
2x Photo-etched frames with some of the smaller details
2x Sets of the most thoroughly researched stencils ever prepared for a Spitfire Mk Vb model in any scale (with separate subsets for Supermarine, CBAF and Westland-produced machines)
2x Sets of painting masks
1x Special bonus

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After the Bombs: The Doolittle Raiders’ Suspenseful, Moving Fight to Survive

Soon to be released from Air World is The Doolittle Raiders’ Battle for Survival: The Men Who Bombed Tokyo and their Harrowing Story of Escape and Capture in China. This is author Geert Rottiers’ extraordinary account of courage, survival, and sacrifice in the aftermath of one of the Second World War’s most daring missions. While the Doolittle Raid on Japan is often celebrated for its audacity and strategic importance, this book focuses on the tortuous journey of the Raiders once their mission was complete, as they descended – quite literally – into the unknown.

After striking targets in Japan on 18 April 1942, the Raiders, flying their North American B-25 bombers, faced an impossible challenge: reaching safety with dwindling fuel reserves. While one crew landed in the Soviet Union, the remaining fifteen crash-landed or baled out over Japanese-occupied China, initiating a desperate struggle for survival. Spread across rugged terrain, the Raiders battled severe weather, injuries, starvation, and the constant threat of capture or death at the hand of the Japanese forces.

This book delves deeply into the human stories of the Doolittle Raiders during their escape through hostile territory. It highlights the critical role played by Chinese villagers and resistance fighters who risked – and often lost – their lives to protect the stranded Americans. Through their heroic efforts, many Raiders made it to safety, but not without significant losses. The Japanese retaliated mercilessly against the Chinese in one of the largest manhunts the Japanese ever mounted, killing tens of thousands in the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Campaign, underscoring the devastating costs of the mission.

With its rich blend of action, human drama, and historical depth, and drawing on declassified military records, personal diaries, and interviews with descendants of the Raiders and their Chinese allies, The Doolittle Raiders’ Battle of Survival vividly reconstructs the Raiders’ perilous journey to safety – or not. From parachute landings into dense forests and dangerous mountain crossings to encounters with guerrilla fighters and near-capture by Japanese troops, the narrative is both suspenseful and deeply moving.

The 256 page hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for May 30.

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