Wings & Wheels Publications are well known for fabulous walk around and detail photos of a particular subject. They publish books for enthusiast of both ground weapons and aircraft. This particular volume is on the Opel Blitz softskin trucks. The team of František Kořán, Jan Moštěk, and Alois Veselý has done an exceptional job of providing updating the first book of the Red Special Museum Line which was first published in 1996.

While their first book covered only four subjects held in private Czech collections, this one visits five variants including the previous four and two more from museums in the Czech Republic and Belgium. Also, some of the information from their book, Wireless for the Wehrmacht is included. Sadly missing from this edition are the scale plans by Jan Martinec (I wonder if he is a transplanted Spaniard or Portuguese man with a surname originally as Martinez or Martines?). With the exception of the airport fire engine, all the photos are new.

In their normal landscape softcover format, we will find 409 photos, most in color, of the vehicle and accessories. The pages are a high quality semi-matte finish and the hard paper covers have a thin coating. I still suggest care when handling.

After viewing three photos on the outer covers and title page, a history of the truck is provided along with five photographs of the subjects used as a table of contents. This is followed by a section covering details common to all trucks before going into each variant.

• Walk Around pp. 6-11
  To start off, we are presented with thirty one photographs of details from several different vehicles. However, these are details which are common to each variant and notes in the text do inform the reader if a detail is peculiar to the 4x2 or 4x4 version.
• Accessories Holders p. 12
  Half a dozen photos will help when detailing or replacing kit parts.
• Canister Holders p. 13
  Four shots of the fuel can holders are seen here.
• Walk Around (reviewer’s note – again) p. 14
  For some reason, these five photos were separated from their main group but I am glad they made it in the book.
• Chassis Details p. 15
  Only four chassis details here as the rest will be detailed later according to variant.
• Driver’s Cabin Interior pp. 16-20
  The driver’s area is provided with ten photos to illustrate. Even the cabin roof is not forgotten.
• Instrument Panel Details p. 21
  The instrument panel receives four tight close ups.
• Cabin Floor Details pp. 22-23
  Seven photos of the cabin floor showing nice scuffing is included.
• Engine Details pp. 24-29
  The engine is showcased in fifteen photographs from all angles making sure everything seen from its mount is visible on your kit.
• Engine Reconstruction pp. 30-32
  There are a dozen photos of the engine under restoration in this section.
• Gearbox Details p. 33
  The gearbox is not forgotten with four photos.
• Chassis Details pp. 34-43
  The chassis details section is divided with thirteen photos of the 4x2 variant and a dozen of the 4x4. By flipping back and forth, one can appreciate all the differences between the two which includes gearboxes.
• Opel Blitz 4x4 Cargo pp. 44-47
  The first version specific section only has five photos.
• Opel Blitz 4x4 Fire Engine (reviewer’s note: pumper) pp. 48-61
  All the photos in this section were published in the first book with one difference, they are now all in color. Twenty one walk around photos lead to thirty six detail photos of the exterior. I immediately recognized the German Sheppard from the first book.
• Opel Blitz Airport Crash Tender pp.65-75
  This is the same vehicle as seen in the first volume but many of the photos are new. Starting with a nineteen page walkaround with exterior details (some replicated from the first volume), a half dozen photos of the roof and forty three of the interior will make for a nice scratch building project. There was a set of plans for this version in the first book which would have been very helpful here.
• Opel Blitz 4x4 A-Type LC/Koffer pp. 76-86
  Another old friend from the first issue, we new photos mixed in with the old ones providing for a nine photo walk around, twenty one of exterior details, and thirteen of the interior.
• Kfz. 305/18 p. 87
  Five period photos, including a contemporary one of the radio set can be found here.
• Kfz. 305/22 pp. 88-90
  There are eleven period photos of this radio van highlighting the interior.
• Wireless Details pp. 91-95
  Here we find contemporary photos of various radio sets such as half a dozen of the Lw.E.a marked as an E440 Bs, ten of the Fu 1, thirteen photos of microphones and wall mounted accessories, providing enough reference for a detailed interior.
• Opel Blitz 4x2 Luftwaffe Radio Van pp. 96-107
  Nine walk around photos of the example in the Belgian Army Museum start this section with half a dozen of the special antenna, another eight photos of the various stowage areas on the body, seventeen photos of other external details and sixteen of the interior.

This book is indispensable to anyone building the Italeri kits to create a stunner. It is a major improvement but I am still glad to have the original for the scale plans. Plus Models does offer a body as well as a 4x4 conversion which I can recommend as matching the photos in the book very well.

More images can be found on Wings & Wheels web site. The book is available from the North American exclusive distributor; 4+ Publications North America.

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