Meng Model MMTS-009

French WWII Tank Commander Lovely rendition of French tank commander (sculpted by Norbert Abraham) will bring extra life to new Tamiya Somua S35 French tank, but of course the use is not limited to this model. The resin figure comes with distinctive French helmet and sports a short leather coat and loose trousers. The figure is cast in four parts as the head, left arm and right hand are supplied individually. (designed to be used with Bronco Models, ICM, Meng Model and Tamiya kits)[Panhard 178 Char B1 French Hotchkiss H38/39 French Renault FT-17 Char 2C]

More

HOTCHKISS H35 & H39. THROUGH A GERMAN LENS Authors Alan Ranger Format A4, 72 pages This new photo-album in the ""Camera On"" series contains over 90 photographs of the French cavalry tank developed prior to WWII. The Hotchkiss H35 or Char leger modele 1935 H was a slow but well-armoured light infantry support tank but was rejected by the infantry and instead adopted by the cavalry. From 1938 an improved version was produced with a stronger engine, the Char leger modele 1935 H modifie 39, which from 1940 was also fitted with more powerful 37 mm gun. Over 500 Hotchkiss tanks were captured and used by the Germans as Panzerkampfwagen 35H 734(f) or Panzerkampfwagen 39H 735(f), most of them for occupation and assigned to police units or second line logistic support troops.

More

Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thunderflash. Fraught with engine and aerodynamic teething problems that resulted in its missing the Korean War for which it was intended, the F-84F Thunderstreak, initially seen as languishing in the shadow of the more well-known and proven F-86 Sabre, matured to become a formidable fighter-bomber that served not only with the USAF's Tactical and Strategic Air Commands, but also with numerous European air forces for many of which it also offered the first experience in swept wing jet fighter operation. It provided a much-needed deterrent during the critical early years of the Cold War and the 1960s, especially with NATO air forces, where it normally replaced its straight-wing predecessor, the F-84 Thunderjet. No fewer than 2,711 examples of the Thunderstreak were built, so that for a time it was the fighter most in widespread use in Europe, becoming the backbone of the Alliance's combat element. In contrast, its service with the USAF was rather short-lived when newer fighters such as the F-100 Super Sabre and F-4 Phantom with superior and supersonic performance supplanted it in service. However, with the outbreak of the Vietnam War, when these modern fighters and the USAF's other more valuable combat aircraft were deployed to Southeast Asia, the USAF recalled the Thunderstreak for another spell of frontline service in defence of mainland United States. It was only the French who used it in anger when it carried out strikes on Egyptian targets during the Suez Crisis of 1956. Sharing the Thunderstreak's main characteristics including its vices and virtues, its offshoot, the RF-84F Thunderflash, was considered to be the best photo-reconnaissance fighter of its time, capable of carrying six cameras in its abundant nose in 15 different combinations. The Thunderflash, too, was exported to most of NATO's air forces, as well as to the Republic of China Air Force where it carried out routine overflights over mainland Communist China in a hostile environment. The French, too, used it in a firing war, again in Suez, while the Turkish Air Force similarly employed it during its brief war with Greece in 1974. Again, the advent of such types as the RF-101 recce Voodoo and the RF-4C Phantom replaced it in USAF service, while the F-104 was the type that most replaced it in NATO air arms. But both the Thunderstreak and Thunderflash remained in service for a long period in some of the European air forces, the last Thunderflash being retired from the Greek Air Force in 1991. This latest Warpaint title gives an account of these two types' service, with detailed lists of serials, squadron service, production and variants in 80 pages of text accompanied by no fewer than 190 colour and B&W photos, eight pages of colour artwork by and foldout scale drawings, describing the development and operational career of these remarkable aircraft. This book is written by Charles Stafrace and is superbly illustrated by Richard J.Caruana.

More