Another new tool release announced by Airfix for 2026 is a Junkers Ju52/3mg4e in 1/72 scale.

The newly designed kit (A08022) faithfully replicates the corrugated surface texture on all external surfaces and includes fully detailed interior and engines, oil drum cargo load, wheel chocks for diorama models, options for machine gun armament and undercarriage with or without spats, slide molded canopy to ensure clear definition of window frames and multiple doors and hatches that can be posed open or closed to add life to the model. Decals include livery options for three aircraft.

The new kit is currently slated for release sometime this summer. Click below to check out newly released renders.

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A 1941 Commonwealth Rearwin 180 Skyranger has been spotted for sale. The listing states:

This vintage 1941 Commonwealth Rearwin 180 Skyranger has been in a private hangar for many years and comes with complete log books. It was last inspected in 2015. See the log book pages in the photos. The hangar is on the grounds of the Arlington Municipal Airport in Washington. A classic American “taildragger” aircraft, popular for personal transport and training in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Light, high-wing monoplane, single-engine, a two-seater. Has a Continental engine. N34827

The aircraft is currently available for US $9,900 although offers are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.

Coming soon from Air World and author R J Gorman is Defeating the Japanese Zeros: Lieutenant Commander John S. ‘Jimmie’ Thach: One U.S. Navy Pilot and his Part in the Victory in the Pacific , detailing how a brilliant U.S. aerial tactic overcame Japan’s deadly Zero fighter, turning Midway into a decisive Pacific victory.

Lieutenant Commander John S. “Jimmie” Thach of the U.S. Navy recognized the threat posed by the Zero and devised a tactic to counter it. With the Japanese preparing to attack Midway Atoll, Thach trained his pilots in the “Thach Weave,” a revolutionary formation designed to offset the Zero’s superior performance. This tactic proved highly effective in air combat and allowed Thach’s squadron to neutralize the Japanese advantage. The battle at Midway became a turning point in the Pacific War. The U.S. Navy’s victory, aided by Thach’s tactical innovation, crippled Japan’s offensive capabilities. After Midway, the Japanese would never win another major battle, while the Americans would never lose one, marking a decisive shift in the war’s outcome.

The 240 page, hardcover book is currently available for pre-order with release slated for January 30.

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As part of their 2026 range, Airfix will be releasing a new tool McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 model kit in 1/48 scale.

The kit (A12015) will boast over 270 parts, including slide molded jet intakes to capture detail on all sides; a comprehensive weapons fit with Skyflash missiles, RN 2-inch rocket pods, Sidewinder missiles, 1000lb bombs as well as external fuel tanks; an extended nose undercarriage leg option and a detailed cockpit / ejector seats. Additional features include modeler aids such as molded paint marks for undercarriage apertures and integral flat tabs on fuselage parts for clamp location to enhance the build experience. Three marking options are also included representing the Royal Navy dark blue scheme of the period.

The kit is currently slated for release sometime this summer. Click below to check out newly released renders.

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A 1971 Grumman AA-1A has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

1971 Grumman AA-1A N9464L, S/N AA1A-0264, TTAF 2292.23. SMOH 569.33 Lycoming O-320-B2B S/N L-6873-39 160HP STC with Gross Weight Increase 1560 lbs. SPOH 185.83 Sensenich 74DM-6062 S/N A43982. Useful load 437 pounds. Annual due 12/2026. IFR 91.411/91.413 Check Due 01/2028. ELT Due 12/2026. NO Damage History. NO Liens. Logbooks missing prior to 1994…. Recent annual included new vacuum pump, ELT batteries, ADS-B, and a new Concorde RG35AXC. This airplane is turn key and ready to go. 135 knots on 9gph. These make for amazing trainers, or jump in and go almost as fast as an RV for a fraction of the price in a certified airplane. Also comes with the rear child’s bench seat.

The aircraft is located Bardstown, KY in and is currently available for $49,995 although bids are also being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.

Recently released by Osprey Publishing and author Robert Forsyth is Defenders of the Reich: The Luftwaffe’s War Against America’s Bombers, which tells the story of the Luftwaffe fighter arm’s desperate defense of the Third Reich from the growing Allied bomber offensive in WW2.

The Reichsverteidigung (Defence of the Reich) was a do or die campaign that saw the very best fighter pilots in the Luftwaffe attempt to defend German skies from increasingly large formations of RAF and USAAF medium and heavy bombers. Flying both piston-engined and, eventually, the first jet-engined fighters to see operational service, the Jagdflieger employed a wide range of weapons and tactics in an effort to blunt the Allied air offensive across Nazi Germany and Occupied Europe.

Defenders of the Reich focusses on the story of the pilot, his aircraft, his weaponry, his draining, dangerous missions and Luftwaffe tactics against the USAAF and the RAF bombers from the summer of 1942 through to VE Day. They fought until they were all but obliterated as USAAF and RAF fighters decimated their ranks in the air and targeted their airfields in devastating strafing attacks.

Leading Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth uses German and Allied archival documents coupled with interviews with former Jagdwaffe pilots, to tell the history of this last-ditch aerial campaign from the perspective of the Luftwaffe.

The 466 page book is available in hardcover, Kindle and audiobook editions.

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DBMK has completed the CAD model for their 1/32 Spitfire Mk.21, which is now ready for tooling.

As previously reported, the SF.21 was uniquely advanced due to its new laminar flow wing, which was much stiffer than those of earlier Spitfires and allowed for higher speeds and improved handling at all altitudes. Its standardized armament of four 20mm Hispano cannons gave it unprecedented firepower for the Spitfire series, and revised undercarriage geometry enhanced ground stability. As a late / post-war fighter, the F.21 was the pinnacle of piston-engine Spitfire development and bridged the transition to the next generation of British fighters.

The new kit will reportedly be high pressure injection molded plastic primarily with integral 3DP parts and photoetch. DBMK is aiming for release later this year. Click below to check out additional renders.

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A 2012 Renegade Falcon has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):

This 2012 Renegade Falcon is a factory-manufactured SLSA (Special Light Sport Aircraft) that represents a top-tier blend of performance, efficiency, and advanced construction. Built with complete carbon fiber and Kevlar construction and stressed to +6/-3 Gs, this Falcon is powered by a Lycoming IO-233-B2A fuel-injected engine with electronic ignition, a Vetterman crossover exhaust, and a two-blade Prince carbon fiber propeller, producing 124 horsepower. Performance is outstanding with a 1700 fpm solo climb rate, 1500 fpm with a passenger, and a 120-knot cruise, all while burning just 7 GPH in climb and 4–5 GPH in cruise, making it extremely economical to operate. The aircraft has 328 total hours, has always been hangared, and the annual inspection has just been completed at a cost of $1,450. Avionics include a new Dynon 10.56” SkyView HDX, Dynon autopilot panel, Dynon intercom, Garmin SL40 comm, fan-cooled iPad mount, and full backup gauges for altitude, airspeed, and climb rate. The 46-inch-wide cabin—wider than a Cessna 172—features a center console with throttle and mixture controls and a full bubble canopy offering exceptional visibility. Additional highlights include removable wings and horizontal stabilizer for transport and a proven airframe originally produced by Corvus Aviation in Hungary (known in Europe as the Corvus Phantom) and completed in the U.S. by Renegade Light Sport Aviation. A refined, high-performance Light Sport Aircraft with excellent handling, efficiency, and pedigree.

The aircraft is located in Bloomington, Indiana and offers are currently being accepted. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos.

In his recently released book Fighting Fifteen: The Navy’s Top Ace and the Deadliest Hellcat Squadron of the Pacific War, author Stephen L. Moore shares the inspiring, action-packed tale of VF-15, the elite group of U.S. Navy “top gun” pilots that destroyed more enemy planes than any other Pacific War squadron.

David McCampbell ended his tour of duty as the navy’s “ace of aces,” with thirty-four confirmed enemy planes shot down, and received the Medal of Honor. His “Fighting Fifteen” played a major part in bringing an end to the Pacific War. But when the squadron was commissioned in 1943, most of its men—some barely out of their teenage years—were completely new to aerial combat. A string of deadly crashes during training in their rugged new F6F-3 Hellcats led the men to be booted off their first carrier. With their commander fired and McCampbell installed in his place, the group’s future looked bleak.

But McCampbell transformed this ragged group of talented but disparate individuals into a selfless team of well-trained aviators, and by the time they formally entered the Pacific War with a series of daring island strikes, they were ready. Nicknamed “Satan’s Playmates,” during six critical months of combat the squadron destroyed a record-setting 660 enemy planes across air and ground. Twenty-six of the men would eventually become aces, ascending to an elite fraternity and immortalizing the “Fabled Fifteen.” Now, using previously unknown accounts from the aviators themselves, military historian Stephen L. Moore places readers in the heart of the action as McCampbell and his flying band of brothers battle the Japanese navy and its formidable Zero fighters to the death.

The 432 page book is currently available in hardcover, Kindle and audiobook formats.

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