On the heels of their recently announced Focke-Wulf 190D-9 (Mimetall) Basic Kit, MiniArt has revealed in their 2026 catalog that an advanced version is also on the way.
The 1/48 scale kit (48048) will reportedly include PE parts and three marking options, although additional details, including release date, are currently unknown. Thankfully, a few renderings have been released to give us a glimpse of the model, additional examples of which can be seen after the break.
A Fouga Magister has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.
As is where is. You can hire me to disassemble if you want and transport it on my custom built fouga moving trailer for an additional cost, or come spend a day or two of work, and fly it out. This is a complete jet I flew it about 18 months ago. It’s mechanically pretty good but cosmetically needs a lot of love, radios work but are old… This is a gift price for someone to get into their first classic jet. Located in Ridgeland South Carolina. Hell of a Price…
The aircraft is currently available for US $19,999. Click here to check out the eBay listing, which includes additional photos and details.
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Newly released from author Steve Bond and Grub Street Publishing is RAF Boys in the Far East: True Tales of the RAF in India, South East Asia and Hong Kong.
For 82 years the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), which in 1918 became the Royal Air Force (RAF), maintained a permanent military aviation presence in the Far East. Throughout that time a huge variety of squadrons, flying many different aircraft types, together with all the necessary operational, technical and administrative support, took on all that was asked of them. The first RFC units arrived in India in 1915. RAF India grew substantially in the interwar period and throughout World War Two. Various changes in the command structure finally saw the creation of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) in June 1949, covering South East Asia and Hong Kong. In the 1960s the UK government decided to withdraw all forces East of Suez and on 31 October 1971 the FEAF disbanded and most UK forces withdrew from Singapore at this time. The last RAF unit to leave the region was 28 Squadron flying. They had been operating Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters in Hong Kong until the territory was handed back to China in 1997. RAF Boys in the Far East illustrates what it was like for those air and ground crew who were there by telling their stories in their own words, supported by explanation of the situations at the time and photographs primarily drawn from veterans’ own collections. The stories are as varied as the locations, the units and the personnel; everyday operations, exercises, triumph and tragedy, off duty time, and of course, the humour for which the RAF is renowned. Chapters focus on differing aircraft roles and their operations, including emphasis on the war years in India and Burma, and the Singapore era with actions such as Operation Firedog and the Indonesian Confrontation. Today those veterans who look back on their time served in the FEAF do so with a great deal of pride, and rightly so. This is their story.
The 256 page book is available in hardcover, Kindle and audiobook editions.
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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.
A 1941 Commonwealth Rearwin 180 Skyranger has been spotted for sale. The listing states:
Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.
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.
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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.
A 1971 Grumman AA-1A has been spotted for sale. The listing states (in part):
Please Note: This is an archived post. The information presented here may not be current and the associated listing may no longer be active.
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.
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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.
