Yet another magazine new to me arrived in the post. This one festooned with stamps from the UK. Upon opening the package, I was pleasantly surprised to see some of the offerings from Mushroom Models Publications. This is the first time I have seen this magazine so here is the rundown. 

First of all, it is in the A4 format that is common outside North America. It is printed on high quality paper and is 24 pages. The cover sheets are in full color and the rest of the magazine is in black and white. Now I have often heard publishers say that it is color or die, but for an enthusiast publication that is not always the case. There are several benefits to not doing color, the biggest one being cost. By using color sparingly, the cost per issue is kept to a reasonable level.

I can also hear you saying that 24 pages sure doesn't seem like much. However, I do need to point out that the magazine is NOT inundated with commercial advertisements as are other magazines, so the useful content is about the same! Also, by not being full of ads, article continuity does not suffer from the usual 'continued on page xxx'.

So, what is inside?

• The first article is part 2 of a look at the Gloster Gladiator. This one is on the Mark II and the Sea Gladiator. There is a decent history and camouflage section that includes two and a half pages of profiles. There is also a short model build up section where the author uses a Matchbox 1/72 Gladiator to do a Sea Gladiator.

• Next article is on the sole DH Mosquito to be used by the Soviets during WWII. There are a number of photos of the plane in question as well as a section on modeling this aircraft.

• Three pages of factory drawings of sections of the Fairey Battle are next.

• A perfectly delightful article on the Polikarpov Po-2 (U-2) is the final feature article. This is accompanied by a number of photographs of both flying and museum aircraft. A section on modeling the Po-2 is also given.

• The rest of the magazine is devoted to kit and book reviews. The kit reviews include both peeks in the box and build-up reviews. 

• The inside front and the back cover have color photos of both built-up models and actual aircraft that are discussed in the magazine.

Overall, a very nice magazine. As you can probably tell, the magazine takes more of a historical bent than one of just reviewing models. Personally, this is the type of format that I really enjoy. Mushroom Model Magazine has been around for a few years so is relatively well established. Were I to have any suggestions, it would be to include images of the kit or completed model in the reviews section. Of the 13 kits reviewed, only one had such a photo. Perhaps it is a space thing, which I can understand. While it doesn't detract from the overall quality of the magazine, it is something that should be considered.

I give the magazine a thumbs up and my recommendation as something you should look into picking up the next time you see it.

Please visit Mushroom Models Publications at their website listed below if you cannot find them locally.

Many thanks to Mushroom Model Publications for providing the review copy. Your support is appreciated.

If you would like your product reviewed fairly and quickly by a site that averages over 2,400 visits a day, please contact me or see other details in the Note to Contributors.