Sami 2020-06

UNDER NEW ALL THE LATEST
OWNERSHIP!
NEWS & REVIEWS
HELLDIVER!
Cyber-Hobby’s Curtiss SB2C4
QUICKBUILD
PROP PROVOST
Miniwing 1/144
Percival Provost
T.1 / T.53
FIRST LOOKS
• Eduard 1/32 Messerschmitt
Bf-1O8B Taifun
• Zvezda 1/48 Mil Mi-24V/VP
• ICM 1/48 Heinkel He111Z-1
DEVASTATING ALSO INSIDE!
DOTTIE
TOMCATTERS SUPER CAT –
AMK’S 1/48 F-14D
ON SILVER WINGS – ICM’S 1/32
GLOSTER GLADIATOR MK.1
Vol 26 Issue 6 £4.95
JUNE 2020
Printed in UK
OVERTREE 109 LATIN AMERICAN MIRAGE

Eduards 1/72 Bf 109G-10 Italeri’s 1/32 Delta
MISSION
MODELS
PREMIUM HOBBY PAINTS, PRIMERS & ADDITIVES
CHANGE
THE
WAY
YOU
PAINT
WATER BASED ACRYLIC, ODORLESS, NON-TOXIC
WWW.MISSIONMODELSUS.COM
Please visit our website above for dealer locations
Model by David Parker
WELCOME
Welcome to...
Scale Aviation Modeller International
June 2020 Volume 26 Issue 6
HAPPY RETURNS
S
trange days indeed! As we continue to books and magazines for references on the two
pick our way through this pandemic, aircraft, in the knowledge that ‘somewhere’ I had
amongst the many, many selfless acts seen an article on the particular Harrier shown
of kindness and support given by so in the kit, and I also knew I had something on the
few to so many over these past weeks, it good Spitfire….but where? We are fortunate enough
to see the modelling community has also being today to be able to pull together information
ANDY EVANS, doing its bit to raise spirits and to keep modellers, literally and the touch of a key, or by referring
MANAGING EDITOR new and old both entertained and inspired. As to any of the myriad of books and magazines
andy@modelaircraftmag.com
my colleague David Francis alluded to in last available for that vital reference or photograph.
months magazine, plastic modelling has seen Here at MA Publications look to provide you with
a resurgence as a pastime with many returning some of the best information around to enhance
to the hobby or discovering it for the first time! your modelling experience, with our magazines
I can relate to the former, having spent a few and book series, and in SAMI you will find the
‘wilderness years’ in my late teens and early latest information on new kits, accessories and
twenties when ‘other interests’ began to outweigh decals, along with full build reviews, first looks
that of the lure of plastic! I did however, in that and modelling features, all in one place. If you
time retain an avid interest in aircraft, and also are currently unable to get your copy of SAMI
a fascination for spaceflight, which was at the from newsstands, then it is available, by mail
time at its height. But as the years moved on the order from the MA Publications website www.
allure of the model kit again took over, in fact modelaircraftmag.com or in digital form from
I can recall being in local a toy shop with my Pocketmags www.pocketmags.com. Also, if you
youngest daughter, and literally being transfixed don’t want to miss a copy then we have a range of
by a stand packed with Airfix models. Some were subscriptions available, so you get your magazine
new to me, but others were repackaged delights straight to your door every month! As well, many
of kits I had previously built, and the joys I had of our out of print books are now also available
experienced making them came flooding back. in digital form from the Pocketmags website too,
So much so that we left the shop with not only so why not have look at what’s on offer. So, on
the latest Barbie set for my daughter, but an behalf of David, Tim and myself, remember to
Airfix Spitfire and Harrier tucked under my arm! stay safe, stay calm and carry on building models!
Andy Evans
It was then a matter of rediscovering the skills
of, as Airfix used to say, ‘locate and cement’! I
can also recall trawling through my collection of
SUBSCRIBE – SEE PAGE 38

SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 3
CONTENTS
40
68
46
54
FEATURES
40 Prop Provost 54 Latin American 68 Tomcatters
Huw Morgan’s quickbuild of the 1/144
Miniwing Percival Provost T.1 / T.53
Mirage Super Cat!
Francisco Gutierrez converts the 1/32 Italeri Dawid Branski looks at the stunning 1/48
Mirage III to a Chilean Mirage 50C AMK F-14D
42 On Silver Wings…
Before Darker Times 58 A Counterfactual 72 Overtree 109
Andrew Root builds the 1/32 ICM Gloster Floyd S Werner Jr builds the Eduard Bf
Gladiator Mk.I in pre-War colours
Captured Dora 109G-10 with the Werner’s Wings Photo-
Snorre Sandviken builds a 1/48 Soviet Fw
Recon set
190D-13 using the Eduard kit
46 Helldiver!
Garth Nicholson takes on the highs and
lows of the 1/72 Dragon/Cyber Hobby
62 Devastating Dottie
Ben Smith builds the 1/48 Airfix P-51D
Curtiss SB2C-4
Mustang
4 SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

CONTENTS
REGULARS
LATEST NEWS
NEWS CENTRE
...ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS ...ALL THE
FIRST LOOKS
FIRST LOOKS – PAGE 14
LATEST NEWS – PAGE 8
All the latest news from around the world 1/48 Zvezda Mil Mi-24V/VP
1/48 ICM Heinkel He111Z-1
1/32 Eduard Messerschmitt
Bf-1O8B Taifun
KIT REVIEWS
3 FIRST
LOOKS
ACCESSORIES
NEW KITS PREVIEWED!
KIT REVIEWS – PAGE 20
1/350 AMG Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess

1/144 Trumpeter Avro Vulcan B.2
1/72 Airfix Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
1/72 Airfix Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C
DECALS
1/72 RS Models Bucker 133 A/B ‘2-in-1’ kit
BOOK REVIEWS
KITS
REVIEWED!
ACCESSORIES – PAGE 30
All the latest accessories news DECALS – PAGE 34 BOOK REVIEWS – PAGE 36
All the latest decals news
42 7 BOOKS
REVIEWED
8 Latest News
All the latest news from
around the world
14 First Looks
A preview of
upcoming and new
releases
20 Kit Reviews
The SAMI review team
72
build and assess a
variety of models
30 Accessories
An assortment of
new accessories from
various companies
34 Decals
The latest decal releases
from around the world
62 36 Book Reviews
SAMI’s monthly look at
new books
78 IPMS (UK)
Presented by Chris
Ayre on behalf of The
International Plastic
Modellers’ Society (UK)
82 Back Page
Diary of upcoming
shows and find out
what’s coming next
month?
58
SUBSCRIBE NOW!
SEE PAGE 38

PRE
-OR
BUILDING THE
DER
Spitfire
NOW
!
Model Aircraft ‘Extra Special’ #6 MODEL
AIRCRAFT
The Supermarine Spitfire

EXTRA
No.6
he iconic Supermarine Spitfire, the most strategically important
T British single-seat fighter of World War II. The Spitfire, renowned

for winning victory laurels in the Battle of Britain along with the
Hawker Hurricane, served in every theatre of the War and was produced
in more variants than any other British aircraft. The Spitfire was designed
by Reginald Mitchell of Supermarine Ltd., in response to a 1934 Air Ministry
specification calling for a high-performance fighter with an armament of
eight wing-mounted 0.303-inch machine guns. The airplane was a direct
descendant of a series of floatplanes designed by Mitchell to compete for
the coveted Schneider Trophy in the 1920s. One of these racers, the S.6,
set a world speed record of 357 miles per hour in 1929. Designed around
a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine
(later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb
performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational
Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938. A
more radical design than the Hurricane, the Spitfire had a stressed-skin
aluminum structure and a graceful elliptical wing with a thin airfoil that,
in combination with the Merlin’s efficient two-stage supercharger, gave it
exceptional performance at high altitudes. The version of the Spitfire that
fought in the Battle of Britain was powered by a Merlin engine. Faster than
its formidable German opponent the Bf 109 at altitudes above 15,000 feet
and just as manoeuvrable, Spitfires were sent by preference to engage
German fighters while the slower Hurricanes went for the bombers. More
Hurricanes than Spitfires served in the Battle of Britain, and they were
credited with more ‘kills,’ but it can be argued that the Spitfire’s superior
high-altitude performance provided the margin of victory. Meanwhile,
Supermarine was developing more-capable versions of the Spitfire driven BUILDING THE
by progressively more-powerful Merlin’s. The eight 0.303-inch machine
Spitfire
guns gave way to four 0.8-inch automatic cannons, and by war’s end the
Spitfire had been produced in more than 20 fighter versions alone,
powered by Merlin’s of up to 1,760 horsepower. Though outperformed
by the German Fw 190 on that aircraft’s introduction in 1941, the MAE6
Spitfire restored parity the following year and eventually regained
the advantage. It remained a first-line air-to-air fighter throughout
Spitfire Compiled by Andy Evans
the war. Spitfires were used in the defence of Malta, in North

Africa and Italy, and, fitted with tail hooks and strengthened tail
sections, as Seafires from Royal Navy aircraft carriers from June
£17.99
+P&P rendered it all but immune from interception, and the
1942. Spitfires helped to provide air superiority over the Sicily, Italy, fuel tanks that replaced wing-mounted machine guns and
and Normandy beachheads and served in the Far East from the spring ammunition bays gave it sufficient range to probe western
of 1943. Fighter-bomber versions could carry a 250 or 500lb bomb Germany from British bases. n late 1943 Spitfires powered by Rolls-
beneath the fuselage and a 250-pound bomb under each win One of the Royce Griffon engines developing as much as 2,050 horsepower began
Spitfire’s most important contributions to Allied victory was as a photo- entering service. Capable of top speeds of 440 miles per hour and ceilings
reconnaissance aircraft from early 1941. Superior high-altitude performance of 40,000 feet, these were used to shoot down V-1 ‘buzz bombs.’ During
World War II, Spitfires were exported in small numbers to Portugal, Turkey,
and the Soviet Union, and they were flown by the U.S. Army Air Forces in
Europe. When production ceased in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had
been produced, 2,053 of them Griffon-powered versions. Fighter versions
of the Spitfire were withdrawn from RAF service during the early 1950s,
while photo-reconnaissance Spitfires continued in service until 1954. In
Model Aircraft ‘Extra Special’
#6, the biggest book of this
series some 22`Spitfire build
projects will be included,
in a ‘how-to’ format, and
continue this fantastic series
modelling guides from MA
Publications, the new name
MA PUBLICATIONS LTD in scale modelling.
PO Box 1592 | Bedford | MK40 9FD | UK

T: +44 (0) 1234 331431 E: info@modelaircraftmag.com
www.modelaircraftmag.com
LATEST NEWS
NEWS CENTRE
...ALL THE LATEST NEWS & REVIEWS ...ALL THE
FIRST LOOKS
FIRST LOOKS – PAGE 14
LATEST NEWS – PAGE 8
All the latest news from around the world 1/48 Zvezda Mil Mi-24V/VP
1/48 ICM Heinkel He111Z-1
1/32 Eduard Messerschmitt
Bf-1O8B Taifun
KIT REVIEWS
3 FIRST
LOOKS
ACCESSORIES
NEW KITS PREVIEWED!
KIT REVIEWS – PAGE 20
1/350 AMG Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess

1/144 Trumpeter Avro Vulcan B.2
1/72 Airfix Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
1/72 Airfix Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C
DECALS
1/72 RS Models Bucker 133 A/B ‘2-in-1’ kit
5
BOOK REVIEWS
KITS
REVIEWED!
ACCESSORIES – PAGE 30
All the latest accessories news DECALS – PAGE 34 BOOK REVIEWS – PAGE 36
All the latest decals news
7 BOOKS
REVIEWED

LATEST NEWS
..NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD... NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD... NEWS FROM AR
NEWSJUNE 2020
COMPILED BY TIM UPSON-SMITH
AND DAVID FRANCIS
A
s you can imagine News has been quite hard to
find this month as many manufacturers and
importers from around the world are closed or
operating with minimal staffing during the worldwide
pandemict. This is likely to delay new kits and projects
currently in design for an unknown period of time.
VALOM
AZ MODELS
V
alom have
S
re-released omething a little
their 2017 different from
kit of the 1/72 AZ Models this
scale Grumman month in 1/72 scale.
J2F-3 Duck, with We are familiar with
new decals, the F-82 Twin Mustang,
including a rather attractive ‘Admiral’s barge’ blue but AZ has applied this
and silver scheme. In principle to the Bf109 and
other 1/72 scale news come up with the twin
Valom have released Bf109Z. Markings will include
the box art for their German and Italian night
forthcoming Blackburn fighter schemes. I am sure the
Firebrand TF.V, which fans of ‘what if’ models will
really does look a
‘beast’ of an aircraft.
have fun with this release.

Other models we can look
RS MODELS forward to, include reissues

in 1/72 scale of the Curtiss
Hawk, Fieseler Storch
I
t has been a
while since and DHC-1 Chipmunk.
we have had There will be several
any news from boxing’s of each type with
RS, especially in markings covering a large
1/48 scale. To end number of attractive
this lull, RS has marking options.
announced a single
and two seat version of
the Manshu Ki-79 A and B
trainer both of which are
based on the Nakajima
Ki-27 fighter. This is a
type I had not previously
heard of, but I am sure
fans of Second World
War Japanese aircraft will

welcome this release.
Both versions have
markings options for
the post-war Indonesian
Peoples Security Force as
well as Japanese options.

LATEST NEWS
ROUND THE WORLD... NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD... NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
BRENGUN EDUARD
f you like tiny French fter last months
I A
FIRST LOOKS
helicopters then Brengun bumper crop
have the new release for of news from
you! I must admit to not having scale with a photo-etch tail Eduard, where we
heard of the SO-1221 Djinn, but boom to fold, resin engine and looked at the potential
it certainly looks like it will cockpit details topped off with releases for the rest of
be a challenging build in 1/72 a vac form bubble canopy! the year, this month we
will concentrate on the
releases for this month.
As per usual Eduard have
KIT REVIEWS
some treats in store.
First up in 1/72 scale
Eduard are releasing two
Limited Edition kits the
B-26 Marauder under the
title ‘Wine Women and
Song’, this kit uses the
Hasegawa plastic as a
base with the addition
ACCESSORIES
of 9 ‘pin-up’ markings
options as well as lots
of Eduard goodies! The
other Limited Edition
will have a more ‘limited’
AMUSING HOBBIES appeal, as Eduard are
precursor to releasing the VBŠ
A the V-22 Osprey Kuňkadlo, which
DECALS
the Weserflug I am sure regular
P.1003 was designed readers will know I
in the late 1930s am rather fond of!
as a two man test
bed for a rotor wing
VTOL aircraft for the
Luftwaffe. The concept
was far ahead of its time Hobbies from producing a
and was never built but that 1/48 scale model based on
BOOK REVIEWS
has not stopped Amusing the prototype drawings.
ICONICAIR
f you want to
AIRFIX I produce an
RAF World War
Two diorama it is
he original worth taking a look
T release of the
1/48 scale Airfix
Gnat sold out quickly
at the Iconic air
website as they are
about to release a
so it is well deserving resin David Brown
of a reissue. And six Tugmaster tractor used to perfect accompaniment to
years after the first haul the bomb trollies out the Iconicair range of bomb
two boxing’s, which to the aircraft for arming. trollies as well as being a
covered the types, This tractor will be a nice model in its own right.
use by the Royal Air Force the Yellow Jacks, the example
and unsurprisingly the covered by the new decals has
Red Arrows, we now have a black tail which was only
a third boxing with three carried for a very short time. I
new marking options. do wish that Airfix could have
As well as two more made room for an extra set of
attractive trainer schemes we serials to produce one of the
also have an example from teams other aircraft with the
the Red Arrows predecessors teams overall yellow finish.

LATEST NEWS
SPECIAL HOBBY
ew from Special
N Hobby is a 1/48 scale

Grunau Baby IIB/Nord
1300, strangely this is the
same version as announced
by KP and the same version
previously released by Fly!
Don’t get me wrong I
rather like gliders, but some
variation would be nice!
Also, in 1/48 scale is a
Spitfire Mk.XII and V-1 Flying
Bomb duel kit which is almost
ready for release. All that
needs to be completed is the
display stand for both models.
KOVOZÁVODY PROSTĔJOV
A kit which a lot of people (KP MODELS)
will have been eagerly
waiting for, is the 1/72 scale here is some very
Sunderland Mk.III, coming as
it does on the heels of the
previously released Mk.V. to start producing
T ‘HOT’ news this month
from KP, in the form
of a 1/32 scale Aero L29
In future news Special test shots of their 1/32 Delfin. This all new injection
Hobby are almost ready Westland Whirlwind. moulded kit is being prepared
in cooperation with HpH, who
produced an excellent resin
Delfin in this scale. The HpH box, a Black Flight box and a
kit has been out of production Russian service boxing. Also
for quite some time, so an in 1/72 scale we can look
injection moulded kit will be forward to a family of new tool
very welcome and one I am Dewoitine D.500s, including
certainly looking forward too! the D.500, D.501 and the D.510.
In other news from KP In 1/48 scale we can look
we have the imminent the forward to a Profi-Pack
release of a 1/48 scale Granau release of the Fw 190A-
Baby IIb, and in 1/72 scale the 6 and a Weekend Edition
release of three boxings of of the popular Hawker
a Sopwith Triplane, an Aces Tempest Mk.V Series 1.
REVELL
ike many Mk.IX. This kit upgrades
L manufacturers
Revell are expecting
delays to their release
the basic Spitfire kit with
realistic lighting plus a
synchronized motor and
program thanks to the sound chip to supply
COVID19 Pandemic. But one that distinctive Merlin
kit that is on schedule is sound. This kit should
the new Techniks boxing be available from all
of the recent 1/32 scale Revell stockists about
Supermarine Spitfire the time you read this.

MD
OUT
THE LOCKHEED F-104
F3
6
STARFIGHTER
NOW
A COMPREH ENSIVE GUIDE
by Andy Evans
MDF 36
he missile shaped Lockheed Modellers Datafile • 36
studied several aircraftSTARFIGHTER
T F-104 Starfighter was a single-
engine, high-performance,
supersonic interceptor originally developed
THE LOCKHEED F-104
STARFIGHTER
designs, ranging
from small designs
at 8,000lb, to fairly
A C O MP R E H E N S I V E G U I D E
£24.99
+ P&P
for the US Air Force by Lockheed as one of by Andy Evans large ones at 50,000lb.
the Century Series of aircraft. It was also In order to achieve the desired
operated by the air forces of more than a performance, Lockheed chose a minimalist approach
dozen nations from 1958 to 2004. The F-104 - a design that would achieve high performance by
served with the USAF from 1958 until 1969 wrapping the lightest, most aerodynamically efficient
and continued with Air National Guard units airframe possible around a single powerful engine.
until 1975. The National Aeronautics and Space The engine chosen was the new General Electric J79,
Administration (NASA) flew a small mixed fleet an engine of dramatically improved performance
of F-104 types in supersonic flight tests and compared to contemporary designs. Lockheed was
spaceflight programs until 1994. USAF F-104Cs granted a development contract in March 1953 for
saw service during the Vietnam War, and F-104A two prototypes, these were given the designation XF-
aircraft were deployed by Pakistan briefly during 104. Work progressed quickly, with a mock-up ready
the Indo-Pakistani wars. Republic of China Air for inspection at the end of April, and work
M DF
Force (Taiwan) F-104s also engaged the People’s 36
STARFIGHTER starting on two prototypes late in May,
Liberation Army Air Force (China) over the and in November 1955 the prototype
Cover for illustrative purposes only
disputed island of Quemoy. The operational
service of the Starfighter ended with its retirement by the Italian Air
Force in May 2004. A total of 2,578 Starfighters were
eventually produced, mostly by NATO members.
A set of modifications produced the F-104G model,
which won a NATO competition for a new fighter-bomber. Several two-
seat trainer versions were also produced, the most numerous being the was accepted by the USAF. Based on the XF-104 testing and evaluations, the
TF-104G. The ultimate production version of the basic fighter model F-104 next variant, the YF-104A, was lengthened and fitted with a General Electric
was the F-104S all-weather interceptor designed by Aeritalia for the Italian J79 engine, modified landing gear and modified air intakes. The first YF-104A
Air Force and equipped with radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. flew on 17 February 1956 and other trials aircraft were soon carrying out
Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson, the chief engineer at Lockheed’s Skunk Works, and equipment evaluation and tests. Modifications were made to the aircraft
visited Korea in December 1951 and spoke with fighter pilots about including airframe strengthening and a ventral fin was added. Problems
what sort of aircraft they wanted. At the time, the pilots were confronting were encountered with the J79 afterburner and delays were caused by
the MiG-15 with North American F-86 Sabres, and many of the American the need to add Sidewinder missiles, but by January 1958 the first USAF
pilots felt that the MiGs were superior to the larger and more complex operational squadron was formed, and the Starfighter began its journey into
American design. The pilots requested a small and simple aircraft with aviation history! This latest volume in the ever popular Datafile series guides
excellent performance, and armed with this new-found information, you through the variants and users of the Starfighter and will be a valuable
Johnson immediately started the design of such an aircraft, following resource for modellers and enthusiasts alike and features builds of the recent
his return to the United States. In March, his team was assembled; they Kinetic Starfighter kits.
M DF
36
ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1234 331431
STARFIGHTER ORDER ONLINE: www.modelaircraftmag.com
LATEST NEWS
NEW RELEASES
2020 & BEYOND
arlier this year I tried to HASEGAWA De Haviland Heron Mk.II R Lockheed F-104J/DJ Duo ND
E compile a comprehensive
list using information
from Nuremberg plus more
NAMC YS-11 ND
HOBBYBOSS
Antonov AN-12 NT
Douglas A-4 Top Gun Jesters ND
Grumman F-14A Top Gun Mavericks ND
Handly Page Jetstream R
Hawker Siddeley Dominie T.1 R
Lockheed P-2H Neptune JMSDF ND
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird Ichiban ND
Lockheed Martin F-35B JASDF ND
McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Kai ND
information supplied by SAC KJ-500 AEW NT
Henschel Hs-123A-1 R McDonnell Douglas RF-4EJ Kai ND
manufacturers not at the show SAC Y-9 NT
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I ND McDonnell Douglas F-15J ND
or their European importers. MINICRAFT McDonnell Douglas F-18 Hornet ND Mikoyan Mig-25RBT RB ICM
The list covers kits that will Lockheed C-130J Hercules ND Northrop F-5E Top Gun The Mig ND Mil-24 Hind UAV MT
be released over the next 3 Boeing RC-135W MT Northrop P-61 Black Widow R Mitsubishi Ki-46-III ND
years, But in fact I know that one Boeing B-50A MT North American P-51D Top Mitsubishi F-2A Duo ND
Boeing KB-29P MT Gun Mavericks ND Nakajima G8N-1 Renzan ND
item on this list has featured
Boeing RB-29 MT Savoia Marchetti SM.79 R Nakajima Ki-49-II MT
for at least the past 10 years
Boeing KC-135E MT Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc NT Shinmeiwa PS-1 ND
and never seems to get any
Boeing B-52D ND ARMOUR Sukhoi Su-33 UAV MT
closer to production so please
Boeing B-52G MT Grumman Wildcat FM-2 NT
do not shoot the messenger. HELLER
MINIWINGS Grumman Wildcat Mk.VI NT Lockheed L-1049G Super
The worldwide Pandemic has
Vultee MK.II Vengeance NT AZUR Constellation R
delayed and cancelled a number
Vultee A-35 Vengeance NT Martin B-10 NT Lockheed Warning Star R
of projects. So this list shows
PM MODEL BLACKBIRD MODEL HOBBYBOSS
information as of April 2020.
Boeing 737-400 RB Minicraft Vickers Viking RB Montex Dewotine D.510 NT
RODEN Douglas A-4M Skyhawk RT
DORA WINGS
Boeing 307 Stratoliner NT Grumman Bearcat Family NT
KEY Bellanca CH-400 NT
Convair C-131B Samaritan MT IBG
MT = Modified Tooling Fairy Delta FD.2 NT
Douglas C-133B Cargomaster NT Miles M.9 Master NT PZL 37A Bis ND
NT = New Tool
Focke Wulf Fw-200 Condor NT Percival Procter Mk.IV NT PZL 37B.II Romanian ND
ND = New Decals
Heinkel He-111H-6 NT Percival Procter Mk.V NT PZL P.IIb MT
R = Reissue PZL P.IIc MT
TRUMPETER Savoia Marchetti S.55A NT
RB = Reboxing PZL P.IIf MT
Avro Vulcan B.2 NT Westland Lysander Mk.III
Mikoyan Mig-21 MT Westland Lysander Mk.III (SD) ICM
Shenyan F-7EB R Westland Wallace NT Mikoyan Mig-25 RU RT
1/144 SCALE Shenyan F-7EB R Westland Wapati NT Polikarpov U-2.Po-2VS NT
ACADEMY Shenyan F-8II R EDUARD ISRADECAL
Boeing F-22 Raptor NT Sukhoi Su-47 Berkut NT Aero L-29 Delfin RB AMK Beechcraft T-6A/B /C Texan R
Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning 2 NT ZVEZDA Fokker D.VI MT
Eurofighter Typhoon. NT
ITALERI
Airbus A-320NEO MT Martin B-26 Maurader RB Hasegawa Agusta Westland HH-101 Caesar RT
SAAB JAS-39 Grippen NT Beriev BE-200 NT Mig-21MF MT GD F-111A RB Esci/AMT
Boeing B-52G NT Irkut MC-21 NT Mig-21PF MT Grumman F-14A Tomcat ND
ARMORY Tupolev Tu-134UBL Crusty MT VBS Kunkadlo ‘Croaker’ NT Henschel Hs-129B ND
Lippisch P.13A with Kettangkrad NT HASEGAWA Mcdonnell Douglas T-45 Goshawk ND
North American XB-70 Valkyrie. NT 1/72 SCALE Avro Lancaster Mk.I (Special) Tall Boy Republic P-47D ND
Sukhoi Su-24M Fencer NT ACADEMY Boeing F/A-18E Horner ND Savioia-Machetti SM-79 ND
AIRFIX Boeing B-17G R BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 Duo ND Sikorsky CH-53E Stallion ND
BAC Concorde Prototype (B.O.A.C) R Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina ND De Havilland Mosquito Mk.IV R Messerschmitt Me-262A-1 ND
Grumman F-14A ND Focke Wulf TA-154V-3 ND Mil-24P/-35P MT
BLACKBIRD MODELS
KAI KF-16C MT General Dynamics F-111G RAAF ND North American P-51D ND
Consolidated PB4Y2 Privateer NT
KAI T-50 ND Grumman S2F-1 Tracker JMDSF ND
EDUARD KITTYHAWK
Lockheed Martin F-16CG/CJ MT Kawanshi H6K5 with torpedo MT
Mikoyan Mig-21MF MT Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning NT
AIRFIX Kawanshi Ki-45KAI ND Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning NT
North American P-51D ND
Avro Lancaster B.II R Kawanshi H8K1 Type 2 ND Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning NT
FLY MODELS Avro Vulcan B.2 NT Kugsho P1Y2 Ginga ND
Douglas DC-9-10 ND PLUS MODEL
BAe Hawk 100 ND Lockheed P-3C Orion Update II R
Douglas DC-9-20 ND Ryan Firebee BQ-34 NT
Blackburn Buccaneer S.Mk.2 RAF Mitsubishi G4M1 Betty ND
Douglas DC-9-30 ND Ryan Firebee KDA-1
Bristol Bulldog R Mitsubishi Ki-46-II dINAH ND
Douglas DC-9-40 ND Bristol Beaufighter TF.X ND Mitsubishi Ki-67 Type 4 MT REVELL
GREAT WALL HOBBY Bristol Beaufort Mk.I NT North American B-25H Mitchell R BAe Hawk T.1 RB Italeri
Messerschmitt Me-323E-2 MT Curtis P-40B Warhawk MT North American F-86D Sabre ND Dassault Mirage F-1 RB Special Hobby
Fairchild Republic A-10C RB Italeri

LATEST NEWS
GD EF-111 Raven RB Monogram Pervcival Procter Mk.III ND ITALERI Dewoitine D.501 NT
Junkers F.13 ND Percival Procter Mk. IV MT Aermacchi MB.339A P.A.N RB Esci Dewoitine D.510 NT
Junkers Ju-88A-1 MT Percival Procter Mk. V MT Bell AH-1Z Cobra MT EDUARD
Junkers Ju-52 Civil RB Italeri Republic P-43 Lancer Bell AB-212 ASW R Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun NT
FIRST LOOKS
Lockheed Martin F-16 MLU ND EDUARD Dassault Mitrage 2000 ND
FLY
Lockheed F-35A RB Italeri Avia CS.199 Mule`(Jumo 109) Eurofighter Typhoon ND
SAAB J-29B Tunnan NT
North American B-25D Mitchell Hawker Tempest Mk.II Lockheed F-104G Starfighter ND
RB Accurate Miniatures SAAB J-29F Tunnan NT
RB Special Hobby Mikoyan Mig-23MF/BN ND
Sikorsky UH-60 RB Italeri North American P-51D-10 Mustang MT HPH
Piascki H-21C Gunship R
SPECIAL HOBBY North American F-51D Mustang MT Douglas A-20 Boston NT
Reginna RE.2000 ND
AW Meteor NF.11 MT North American F-6D Mustang MT Sikorsky H-34 R IBG
AW Meteor NF.14 MT Messerschmitt Bf-109K-4 MT Supermarine Spifire Mk.I NT PZL P.IIC NT
CAC Boomerang MT Mig-19 in Czech Service RB Trumpeter Vought A-7E Corsair RB Esci PZL P.IIC Romanian NT
Douglas A-20G Havoc R Sopwith Camel NT
ICM
KIT REVIEWS
KINETIC MODELS
Fairy Albacore NT Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I NT
IA-58 Pucara NT Fiat Cr.32 Falco NT
Heinkel He-162 NT Supermarinr Spitfire Mk.II NT
Gloster Gladiator Mk.11 MT
Piaggio P.108B MT Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V NT KITTYHAWK
Gloster Sea Gladiator Mk.II MT
Potez 25 TOE RB Azur Panavia Tornado GR.1 McDonnell Douglas F2H-
3/4 Banshee NT Stearman PT-17 Kaydet
SAAB B-5 Desert Babe RB Revell
Zlin Z-37 Cmelak (Bumble Bee) NT North American FJ-2 Fury NT ITALERI
Siai Machetti SF.260 R
North American FJ-3 Fury NT Lockheed F-104A/C R
Supermarine Sea Otter RB Azur HASEGAWA
CAIC Z-10 NT Panavia Tornado GR.4 NT
ZVEZDA BAe Harrier GR.5 ND
MINICRAFT NATO Ground Crew and Pilots NT
Lockheed C-130H NT Bell P-39Q/N Airacobra R
Beech T-34A Mentor ND KINETIC
ACCESSORIES
Junkers Ju-87 with Skis RB Italeri Douglas A-4F Blue Angels Skyhawk ND
Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk ND REVELL Dassault Mirage IIIE/O NT
Mil Mi-8 Hip Rescue MT
Douglas SBD-3 Dauntless ND Albatross D.III RB Eduard IAI Kfir C.2 NT
Sukhoi SU-24M Fencer
Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc ND Boeing B-39 Superfortess KITTYHAWK
RB Monogram
1/48 SCALE Kyushu J7W2-S Night Fighter MT
Bristol Beaufighter IF MT
Dasault Mirage 2000C NT
ACADEMY Hughes OH6D ND Dassault Mirage 2000D/N NT
Kawasaki T-4 ND Eurofighter Typhoon Baron Spirit ND
Boeing F/A-18F VFA-103 RB Italeri REVELL
Kawasaki T-4 Blue Impulse 2019 ND Junkers Ju188A-1 Racher RB Dragon
Douglas SBD-1 Dauntless RB Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet MT
Accurate Miniatures Learjet C-21 ANG ND Panavia Tornado ASSTA 3.1 MT
Panavia Tornado Gr.4 Farewell ND Hawker Tempest Tempest
Grumman F3F-2 RB Messerschmitt Bf-109E-1 ND Mk.V RB Special Hobby
DECALS
Accurate Miniatures Sikorsky CG-53 GSG MT
McDonnell Douglas F-4B/N Phantom Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX
Lockheed P-38J Nose Art Pt 1 ND McDonnell Douglas F/A- SBS Technik Light and Sound MT
AMMO 18D Night Hornet ND Caudron C.450 NT SILVER WINGS
Lockheed F-104G RB Kinetic North American F-86F-30 R
S&M MODELS De Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth NT
North American F-86F-40 R
AVANT GARDE Westland Wasp HAS.1 NT Gloster Gauntlet NT
Mistubushi A6M1 12 Shi Zero MT
Aero L-39C Albatross MT SPECIAL HOBBY SPECIAL HOBBY
Mitsubushi F-1 R
ARMORY Nakijima C6N1-S Night Fighter R Blackburn Roc Mk.I R Westland Whirlwind F.I Fighter NT
Fairy Flycatcher (Late) MT Nakijima B5N2 Kate R Breda Ba65A-60 R Hawker Typhoon Car Door NT
Fairy Flycatcher Metal Floats MT Nakajima B6N2 Type 12 Grunan Baby IIB/ Nord 1300 R TAMIYA
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Fairy Flycatcher Wooden Floats MT with wing fold R Hawker Tempest Mk.II NT North American F-51D Mustang MT
AIRFIX Nakijima E8N1 Dave ND Heinkel He115B R
WINGNUT WINGS
Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.1 ND McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Kai ND Heinkel He-177A-3 R
The future of Wingnut Wings is
Bristol Blenheim Mk.1 ND SAAN J-35S/RF-35 Draken ND Reggiane RE2000-5 Family NT in doubt so these new kits may
Canadair Sabre F.4 NT Vought F-8E (FN) ND Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XII with V-1 not appear or may be released
by another manufacturer at
DeHavilland DH.82a Tiger Moth NT HOBBYBOSS TAMIYA some point in the future.
DeHavilland Sea Vixen FAW.2 R Boeing Ch-47 Chinook Family NT Messerschmitt Bf109E-3 Swiss ND Avro Lancaster B.I/III NT
Folland Gnat T.1 ND Boeing MV-22 Osprey NT Avro Lancaster Mk.III (SD) Dambuster
TRUMPETER
Gloster Javelin R Boeing F/A-18 E NT Fokker F.1 Triplane NT
Chengdu j-20 Mighty Dragon NT
Hawker Hurricane ND Boeing F/A-18 F NT Fokker DR.1 Triplane NT
Sikorsky H-34 RB Gallery
Junkers Ju-87 ND Boeing EF-18 G NT Handley Page 0/100 NT
ZVEZDA
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I ND Lavotchkin LA-11 (Fang) MT Handley Page 0/400 NT
Ryan Air
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.VB ND Sukhoi Su-33D Flanker Hansa Brandenberg D.1
Sukhoi Su-57 Frazor NT Star-Strutter NT
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV Racer ND Vought Corsair Family MT
Ilyushin Il-2 Stormovik NT
CLEAR PROP HYPERSONIC MODELS
1/24 SCALE
Douglas A2D Skyshark Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird 1/32 SCALE AIRFIX
DORA WINGS ICM ACADEMY Hawker Hurricane Mk.I R
Caudron Simoun C.630 Cessna 0-2A Skymaster NT Lockheed Martin F-16F UAE MT Messerschmitt Bf-109E R
Gee Bee Super Spotster R-1 (Early) MT Dornier Do217J1/2 MT Lockheed Martin F-16C ND Supermarine Spitfire Mk.1 R
Belanca CH-400 Skyrocket Douglas A-26B Invader MT AEROTECH
Lockheed Vega 5C NT Douglas A-26C-15 Invader MT Macchi M.97 NT SCALE 1/16
Lockheed Vega 5B NT Douglas B-26C-50 Invader MT Messerscmitt Me-209 NT HASEGAWA
Marcel Bloch MB.155C1 NT Heinkel He-111H-3 Romanian ND Savoia Macrchetti S.65 NT Sopwith Camel F.1
Seversky A8VI NT Heinkel He-111Z-1 Zwilling MT
DORA WINGS ITALERI
Seversky P-35 NT Messerschmitt Bf-109f with Crew MT
Dewoitine D.500 NT Lockheed F-104G Instrument Panel
Seversky 2PA/86 NT

FIRST LOOKS
MESSERSCHMITT BF-1O8B TAIFUN

First look at Eduard 1/32 Messerschmitt Bf-1O8B Taifun
ust before we went to press, I
J received a sample of the new

1/32 scale Eduard BF-108B.
This was not originally an Eduard kit
but designed as a premier release of a
new company that had a change of heart.
Eduard took over the project and have
added etched brass and resin to produce
a package the offers very good value for
money and plenty of modelling enjoyment.
The plastic is what just a few years
ago would have been considered state of
the art with finely engraved panel lines
and a reasonable level of moulded detail.
The clear parts supply a complete closed
canopy or open, which looks very unusual
as the rear section splits in half and opens
forward alongside the engine cowling.
The engine is very complete including
the exhausts and engine bearers but panel and other small details which are
sadly most of this will be invisible on just not possible to reproduce in plastic.
the completed model without some A set of masks are supplied for the clear
surgery to open the cowling. areas and the wheel hubs though if you
Only one of the five marking options are posing the doors open, I would invest
uses the metal propeller supplied by the in the optional two face masks that supply
plastic parts while for the other four options interior masks as well as external masks.
you use the two piece resin example.
The pre-coloured etched brass fret
supplies lots of small details as well as seat
belts and a very nice two-piece instrument

LATEST NEWS
FIRST LOOKS
KIT REVIEWS
ACCESSORIES
DECALS
The decal sheet is one of the new ones being
printed in house by Eduard, and I actually
think the printing of the instrument dials for
use on the plastic panel is better than the
ones on the etched instrument panel! You
are supplied with five marking options with
five very different camouflage schemes.
DECALS
• Messerschmitt Bf-108B, KG+EM,
Sonderkommando Blaich, Triopli, Libyia,
1942. Desert sand with green splotches
• Messerschmitt Bf-108B,BK+ZS,
Hungary, 1942, RLM 74/75/76 fighter
colours complete with mottle on
a communication aircraft?
• Messerschmitt Bf-108B, NF+MS, RLM
65/70/71 with 02 Yellow underside
outer wing panels with the upper
BOOK REVIEWS
surfaces covered in whitewash.
• Messerschmitt Bf-108B, 4E+RM, 4.(H)/
Aufkl.GR.13, Romania, 1940. RLM
65/70/71 with RLM 02 nose, tail surfaces
and underhwing outer panels and a In the UK this sheet comes with CONCLUSION
large squadron badge on the nose. swastikas for the tail, but these may
The Bf108 is a very attractive aircraft and
be removed on countries were this
• Messerschmitt Bf-108B, I./JG 54, has carried a wide range of colour schemes
symbol is politically sensitive.
PJ+NG, France, June/July 1940, from twenty air forces as well as some very
overall RLM 02 grey green. attractive civil schemes with many still
flying today. We have been advised that a
weekend edition will be released later this
year and already we have a wide range
of resin and etched brass sets including
wheels and a very nice three-dimensional
instrument panel in the Löök range.

FIRST LOOKS
MIL MI-24V/VP
First look at Zvezda 1/48 Mil Mi-24V/VP
few years ago, I was asked by
A Zvezda at Scale Modelworld, what

Russian aircraft needed a new
state of the art kit? I did not hesitate and
instantly said the Mil-24 in 1/48 scale.
It still amazes me that the only 1/48 scale
kit of this important aircraft widely available
is the Monogram kit first released in 1987
and has been released periodically in both
Monogram and Revell boxings ever since. This
is despite the types use in nearly all major
conflicts since Afghanistan in the 1970’s
and has seen service with over sixty nations
around the world. Now Zvezda have released
what in my opinion is their best aircraft kit
to date and will no doubt be considered
one of the best model kits of 2020.
THE KIT
On opening the tough box with its
attractive artwork, you will find seven
large grey runners and one clear all
held within protective bags. This is quite On closer inspection, this kit just keeps
handy as on our sample two part had impressing the troop compartment and
broken free and were in the bags. cockpit are more than adequately detailed
The first thing I noticed was that the main for the scale and includes two multi piece
rotor blades are moulded with a realistic crew. The pilot and gunner are well moulded
droop, something which is very noticeable but they are also posed differently which
on the real thing when parked on the ground. adds a lot to their realism. The cockpit is
The second was how the kit has been broken predominantly black with areas in the unique can display your model! As you would
down to enable it to produce a whole range turquoise blue used in Russian cockpits while expect the troop compartment and cockpit
of future boxings. The rear and mid-fuselage the rear troop compartment is in light grey doors can both be posed open and close.
are moulded as one piece with the cockpit though I have seen this area in a dark grey or But you can also choose to display the
and nose section as separate parts. This a light blue. Once painted you can add the 12 covers open on both engines and the
means that just by changing the nose decals that supply the instruments and dials gearbox bay. The details in both these
sections they can produce every version and actually looks quite effective, unlike many areas is quite good but some extra wiring
of the Mi-24 from the glasshouse nosed A decal representations of instrument panels. would really make these stand out.
model to the current production Mil-35M. Then we have the various ways you Finally, with the model almost complete

LATEST NEWS
FIRST LOOKS
KIT REVIEWS
you have a number of further choices
ACCESSORIES
to make. Option one is an early MIL-24V
in Afghanistan in 1988. This aircraft
has large heat diffusers fitted over the
engine exhausts, a streamlined chaff DECALS AND MARKINGS
flare dispenser on the fuselage sides Four marking options are supplied with
(correctly shown on the box art but not in paint matches for a Russian paint brand and
the instructions) and a more streamlined Tamiya. I must say that the colour matches CONCLUSION
hub on the tail rotor. Other options include are not 100% accurate so some research This kit really has it all, there are a few
two types of engine air intake and two may be needed especially for the first option. minor errors in the instructions and the
DECALS
types of exhausts the extended ones Though the box artwork appears to be in more colour guides are not 100% accurate but
are fitted to VP and later variants. accurate colours than the colour profile. the quality of the kit itself far outweigh
You also have multiple armament these relatively minor issues. It has been
options including both the traditional 12.7MM • Mil-24V, Yellow 5, 262nd Separate a long time since I have received a kit
Gatling gun fitted to most Hinds or the Helicopter Squadron, Bagram that just makes me want to drop all my
two-barrel cannon fitted to the twenty-four Air Base, Afghanistan, 1988. other projects and start work straight
Mil-24VP’s operated by the Russian Navy. • Mil-24V, 7360, 221st Helicopter Squadron, away and with over 67 operators all over
Under the stub wings you have the Czech Air Force, Roundice and Labem, 2012. the world there are plenty of attractive
wing tip Spiral Anti-tank missile system, • Mil-24VP, Red 33, 125th Separate alternative marking options available to
BOOK REVIEWS
for the other 4 stations you can pick and Helicopter Squadron, Russian Navy you if none of the four kits options appeal.
Baltic Fleet, Chkalovsk,2015.
choose from fuel tanks, rocket pods Our thank to Zvezda and their UK
or the GSHL -23L twin cannon pods. • Mil-24VP, Red 37, 125th Separate distributor the Hobby Company for
Helicopter Squadron, Russian Navy
supplying the sample for review and a
Baltic Fleet, Chkalovsk,2019.
full build will feature in a future issue.

FIRST LOOKS
HEINKEL HE111Z-1
First look at ICM 1/48 Heinkel He111Z-1
have had a long love affair with the
I Heinkel He-111 which started when I

saw the film Battle of Britain on its
release in 1969. I was only seven at the
time, but I remember pestering my Dad
for an Airfix He111 for my birthday.
So, when ICM started producing a
whole family of He-111 there were two
versions I really wanted the He111H-20
with an underwing mounted V-1 flying
Bomb (We have an H-20 but not the
V-1 carrier) and the He111Z Zwilling.
One of the most unusual aircraft
produced during the Second World war the
He-111Z Zwilling (Twins) was designed as tow
aircraft for the enormous Messerschmitt
Me-321 glider or two Gotha Go-242 medium
gliders. By the time the type was ready to
enter service the need for a heavy glider
tow aircraft had almost disappeared as
Germany’s fortunes changed. The 12 aircraft
produced were mainly used as heavy what Heinkel did by supplying two of
transports with only occasional towing their previously released Heinkel He- the type carrying forward facing weapons
operations with Gotha gliders. The Zwilling 111H-6 kits and adding two extra runners in the under-fuselage gondolas. But the
was an easy target for roaming fighters and of parts specific to the He-111Z. asymmetric nose armament of a 20 mm
8 of the 12 produced were lost on operations These supply the centre wing joining MG FF cannon in the starboard fuselage
during 1944 and none survived after the war. sections with the fifth engine and two and a 7.62mm MG15 in the port fuselage
The new ICM Zwilling does exactly truncate inner wing sections. The original kit nose is accurate for at least one aircraft.
had two bulkheads with wing spars but the Markings are supplied for two aircraft
Zwilling runners supply bulkheads with longer and include full stencils as well as dials
wing spars to help support the extra centre for the instrument panels and radios
section. Four large fuel tanks are also supplied but sadly no swastikas are supplied
to be fitted on the racks under the fuselage. for the tail fins and will have to be
The instructions are again sourced to complete either scheme.
based on the ones for the He-111
but a few errors have crept in. • He-111Z-1, TH+ZI, Eastern Front, Spring
On the real aircraft, only the port fuselage 1943, Splinter camouflage RLM70/71
had a full set of controls and radio equipment over RLM65. RLM 02 yellow tail band
and under outer wing markings.
the instructions would have you fit out both
fuselages the same which is not correct. • He-111Z-1, DG+DY, Eastern Front, Winter
1942-43, This aircraft has the upper
The easy answer is to leave out most of
surfaces splinter camouflage overpainted
these details from the starboard side, but in a whitewash finish, though this is
you are on your own for producing the shown immaculate on the instructions
simplified instrument panel fitted ion that the box art shows a more weathered
side as I could not find an illustration of it. finish. This option still has the yellow
Another minor error is the armament, under wing theatre markings.
ICM shows the same weaponry fit as the
H-6 but this is not correct. No machine gun CONCLUSION
was fitted on the inner fuselage stations Though I have yet to build an ICM Heinkel
and I could not find any photographs of 111 those that have said it is a fairly trouble-
free build though you can leave most of the
engine parts out unless you are planning
on leaving the cowling panels off. This will
be a very large model when completed
and you will need plenty of storage space
or in my case careful measuring of the
loft hatch into my workshop to make sure
I can get it out once it is completed.
Our thanks to ICM and a full build
will follow in a future issue once I have
cleared a lot of space on the workbench.

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KIT REVIEWS
AIRFIX BOEING B-17G FLYING FORTRESS

Ade Bailey builds the 1/72 Airfix B-17 G in the markings of ‘Tondalayo’
once the fuselage is together. What I did do can be assembled prior to painting – the
however, was to add some Eduard etched exceptions being the nose and tail glazing
seat harnesses throughout as I always which need the .50 cal guns added from
think this does pay-off if you do peer into the inside as a final piece of assembly.
the recesses of the cockpit. Alclad enamel
US Interior Green was used throughout PAINTING
the interior with the odd instrument panel It was at this point I had to decide
being picked out in black with a brush. exactly which of the two
As the fuselage goes together, you’ll schemes I was going to opt
BOEING B-17G FLYING FORTRESS note the abundance of glazing across for, but really neither of them
MANUFACTURER: Airfix the airframe and with that in mind, I had seemed particularly inspiring.
SCALE: 1:72 ordered an Eduard mask set to make this So, I turned to the internet for
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded plastic a very simple process. The first decision a little research and a look
KIT NUMBER: A08017 that needs to be made with the build is at what aftermarket
to display or not display the open bomb decals were available.
I
t goes without saying that the B-17 Flying bay and payload and, as I really wanted to It was during
Fortress has always been one of those speed up the model, I opted to close it up. this search I
iconic aircraft from World War II, with a The fuselage construction is probably
myriad of nose-art to its immortalisation the most time-consuming aspect of the kit
on the screen as ‘Memphis Belle’, there as once I had it all together, along with the
can be few people who haven’t heard of very clever central-spar arrangement for
this magnificent piece of engineering. the wings, things rattled along at a fair old
pace. The engine nacelles and wheel wells
THE KIT are a very straight forward job and I soon
The new tool B-17 from Airfix has been had the radial engines popped on along
around for a couple of years now and is with the tail. Pretty much the whole aircraft
of the excellent standard offerings that
the company are producing these days. I
managed to pick one up from, of all places,
my village newsagent’s shop, so as someone
always keen to support local businesses
this was an added bonus! The plastic is of
the normal light grey Airfix standard and
has a slight softness to it, which means a
little more care is needed removing the
parts from the sprue. Two decal options are
included for natural metal finish aircraft that
would have been seen carrying out daylight
raids over Germany late into the War.
THE BUILD
I won’t go into in-depth description of the
build process as, no doubt, this kit has been
reviewed and constructed many times since
it’s release. Suffice to say, the interior is fairly
basic as you would expect for this small
scale and not an awful lot will be visible

LATEST NEWS
Start as
FIRST LOOKS
you mean
to finish
KIT REVIEWS
Humbrol Enamels.. the modeller’s
standard for decades.
ACCESSORIES
stumbled across ‘Tondalayo’ in the Kits
World range. Wow! Who knew that there
were all-black B-17s used on special ops to
drop propaganda leaflets? This scheme
just screamed build me! Along with
the unusual back story of ‘Tondalayo’
falling victim to friendly-fire, this
was just the left-field project that
DECALS
appealed to me. The big challenge
was how to make this huge Puzzling indeed. A quick email
aircraft look interesting with an to Kits World and their top-notch
all-black paint job. Firstly, I primed customer service had an errata sheet
the model with Mr Surfacer 1500 Black with the missing decals dropping through
Discover everything you need for all of
Primer through my airbrush. my door in under a week – thanks guys!
your hobby projects with the Humbrol
This dries to a perfectly Once the decals were on and sealed, I set
Spray range.
smooth and satisfactory about highlighting the panel lines. I used an
finish and would serve oil wash of Payne’s Grey lightened with a
BOOK REVIEWS
as the blank canvass for little white, thinly run into the recesses and
various methods of tonal variety. Next, I did a wiped off with thinner and a paper towel.
little centre-panel post shading using Hataka The effect was not too stark and gave just
Orange Line NATO Black which is black with enough definition once the matt varnish
a very dark green tint to it. This began to was applied across the build to finish.
break-up the monotone base coat. I then
thinned Orange Line Jet Black 70:30 with FINAL STEPS
thinners and lightly coated over the whole All that was needed to finish the model
model, subtly blending in the post-shade. was the turrets assembled and dropped
Adding grime, dust, rust and
A coat of Orange Line Gloss Varnish in, the wheels added, and all the canopy
weathered effects to your models is
sealed the paint ready for the decals. masks removed. I also added an HF made simple with Humbrol Washes.
It was at this point I noticed a glaring antenna with EZ line. I left the props
problem. The tail fin decal should loose and removable as the kit was going
have been a white triangle with to ultimately be shipped overseas.
the airframe identifier ‘G’ in Visit www.humbrol.com where you’ll
find help and advice as well as hints, tips
the centre however, there CONCLUSION
and product demonstration videos to get
were no letters on Once complete, ‘Tondalayo’ looked
the best out of the wide variety of
the decal sheet. really striking – the excellent lines of Humbrol products available!
the Airfix kit under all that menacing
black camouflage make it a properly
unique build. I would encourage you
to firstly give this great Airfix kit a go
and secondly, maybe take a little time
to check out what other aftermarket /humbrol @humbrol /humbrol
decal delights there are out there!

KIT REVIEWS
V-FORCE VULCAN B.2

Ade Bailey Reviews the 1/144 Trumpeter Avro Vulcan
AVRO VULCAN B.2

MANUFACTURER: Trumpeter
SCALE: 1/144
KIT TYPE: Plastic injection moulded
KIT NUMBER: 03931
THE KIT
t’s hard to argue that the Avro Vulcan is
I right up there as one of the most iconic

British aircraft of any era. Indeed, there can
be few people with even a passing interest in
aviation who don’t recognise its unique lines
and place in the history of the RAF. Having said
this, in modelling circles it has, along with its
two V Force cousins, been a sadly neglected
subject. I’m guessing this is because of its
large airframe – making even a 1/72 scale
kit a major undertaking both in construction, THE BUILD the openings are the perfect size to take
painting and find a suitable place to display it! I’ve not tackled a 1/144 kit for many years, a sanding stick inside and I used steadily
Anything above this scale can be pretty much and I’d forgotten how little was involved decreasing grades of Ammo by MIG sanders
ruled out by the average home modeller. So, in getting them together, this being no to get a nice seamless join. The upper and
it is in 1/144 scale that the Vulcan has found exception. The cockpit interior consists of lower fuselage/wing parts come together
its natural home with a few releases over the a floor, two seat and an instrument panel with the intakes sandwiched between (having
years. However, these have been few and far but realistically, absolutely nothing of this popped in a little bit of nose-weight and
between, additionally suffering from major will be visible after construction unless you then require a little more sanding to get that
flaws in fit and accuracy, providing major shine a torch into the tiny windows. A coat horizontal join blended in. The two-part tail
challenges for even the most skilled modeller. of black primer sufficed for these parts and fin went on last and within only a couple of
Step forward Trumpeter and this brand-new the cockpit tub was inserted into the one- hours, I had the main assembly complete.
release. The box contains around sixty parts, piece upper fuselage. The major part of the
manageable by anyone’s standards, and crisply construction involved getting the air intakes THE CANOPY
moulded in grey plastic and with excellent together, by no means a difficult task but The canopy comes as one clear part that
surface detail, which looks deep enough to one requiring a fair amount of care when sits on top of the fuselage and requires a
take panel line enhancement but not too over sanding to try and get the joins as smooth bit of thought-out masking (there currently
the top to look overscale. A good start indeed. as possible. Happily, even at this small scale, being no commercial masks available). My
recommendation is as follows - the front
windows have just enough recess in the
plastic to get Tamiya tape on, edged around
with a toothpick and then very carefully
cut-out with a new scalpel blade. The oval
side windows, however, don’t have any recess
at all and are very small indeed. After some
head-scratching, I opted for using Micro
Mask liquid masking fluid, applied with the
tip of a toothpick to the tiny windows.
ARMAMENT
The kit offers two options for the bomb
bay construction, with a nice depiction of a
Blue Steel missile to sling underneath if you

LATEST NEWS
are building the anti-flash white aircraft. I
opted for a closed bomb bay and a more
generic grey/green camouflaged aircraft. As
previously stated, the main build was done
very quickly, with only the undercarriage and
FIRST LOOKS
refuelling probe left off until after painting.
PAINTING
I’d already decided to use a mixture of
techniques on the paint scheme to give the
large surface area some ‘character’ and
began by priming the entire model with
Mr Surfacer 1500 Black. Next, I pre-shaded
the centre areas of the panels with white
KIT REVIEWS
marbling effect using Hataka Insignia
White, then added a little yellow marbling
around the panel lines. I then gradually built
up layers of the main coat, Medium Sea
Grey (also Hataka) until a subtle, weather-
worn effect was achieved. Next up was
a mammoth mask up of the camouflage
demarcation lines using White Tac sausages
– don’t underestimate this process, it really
ACCESSORIES
was massively time consuming! The Hataka
Dark Green from their Cold War RAF set
was used for the next part of the scheme.
I was hoping here that at least some of the
shading effect from the grey would show
through but this wasn’t the case. Because
of this, I then post-shaded the green areas
with a lightened tone and went across
panel lines with a slightly darkened shade.
DECALS
Once the masking was removed, the Vulcan
looked something like it should. I then
masked around the differently coloured
avionics panels on the tail-spine, and these tail are ever so slightly out of register, FINAL CONSTRUCTION
were then sprayed white and I brush painted but in this scale, you’d have to be super The undercarriage construction was
matt black on the tail radar covering. observant to notice. Once the decals were surprisingly quick and easy, taking care
on, the aircraft really came to life. I then not to lose any of the minute wheels.,
DECALS sealed everything in Hataka Orange Line I sprayed the completed leg sections
I had opted for the iconic ‘Spirit of Great gloss varnish and applied a very thin oil black, brush painted the silver hubs and
BOOK REVIEWS
Britain’ livery, and the decals went on wash of Burnt Umber, making the panel then just slotted them into the wheel-
flawlessly across the entire kit. A minor lines pop, then completing with a matt well holes. I wasn’t looking forward to
criticism would be the Union flags on the coat to bring everything together. this part as it looked full of potential
for breakage, fiddly-fit issues and lack
of strength but all these concerns were
totally unfounded – well done Trumpeter!
The gear-doors, various external
antenna and the from probe were tacked
on and the model was complete.
CONCLUSION
This was a kit that caught my eye as
soon as it was announced, and I wasn’t
disappointed. The quality of the moulding,
the fit and overall ‘look’ of the model
truly captures the Vulcan in all its glory.
I’ve built this kit not only as a modelling
enthusiast but also as a tribute to my
late Uncle, Sqn Ldr Mick Ward who was
a Vulcan pilot back in the day and who
inspired me as a very young boy to have a
passion for aircraft. Highly recommended.
Many thanks to Pocketbond for
supplying the review sample.

KIT REVIEWS
BLACKBURN BUCCANEER S.2C

Alex Santos Ataide review the 1/72 Airfix Blackburn Buccaneer S.2C
PAINTING
I began with a coat of Mr Surfacer 1500
Black mixed 50/50 with Mr Color Levelling
Thinners. Once dry I added a base coat of
Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey, because later when
I added washes, this would become much
darker and nearer to the colour the Royal
Navy used at the time. I then added some off
BLACKBURN BUCCANEER S.2C white mixed with XF-24 as a marbling coat
MANUFACTURER: Airfix to lighten some of the panels a touch. Then
SCALE: 1/72 to unify all the paint work I added a mist coat
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded plastic
KIT NUMBER: A06021
THE KIT
always loved Classic British jets and this
I beautiful bird is one of them. I began the

build with the cockpit and here the crew
seats fitted perfectly however the seat belts
were moulded on, so I sanded then off and
scratch built my own. I then proceeded
to fill the nose with some Deluxe
Materials ‘Liquid Gravity’ and fixed
this with some CA glue. I found that
the nose needed at least 15gms
of weight in order for it not to be
a ‘tail sitter’. I then primed the cockpit with
Dark Sea Grey Dark placing the decals on the
instrument panel and side panels followed by
a Matt coat. I the added some rivet detail to
the fuselage using an RB Productions Tools
riveter. Next I painted the interior intakes
of the jet and then proceeded to close both
halves of the fuselage. I must say that way
this kit is engineered is very good, the fit and
the options of folded or unfolded wings was
amazing, but I went for the unfolded version.

LATEST NEWS
FIRST LOOKS
KIT REVIEWS
04921 BAe Hawk T.1 ‘Red Arrows’, 1:72
ACCESSORIES
03943 Bristol Beaufighter TF.X, 1:48
using more diluted XF-24. I then applied a wash to pick out the panel lines and rivet
DECALS
clear coat of Mr Color GX Clear and started detail, and once that had dried I applied a
to apply the decals. A hint here – make coat of Satin to bring everything together.
sure you apply the underwing roundels and
serial numbers before you fix the pylons CONCLUSION 04981 Westland Lynx Mk 8, 1:32
in place! Once the decals were dry I added It was a pleasure to build this kit,
another Gloss coat and left the model to and well done Airfix for bringing
dry overnight. The next day I applied a dark this ‘Sky Pirate’ to 1/72 scale!
03876 MH-47E / HC Mk 3 Chinook, 1:72 BOOK REVIEWS
05661 HMS Revenge (Easy-Click), 1:350
Available from all good model

stockists and online from
hobbycraft.co.uk/brand/revell

KIT REVIEWS
SAUNDERS-ROE SR.45 PRINCESS

Robert Podkoński reviews the 1/350 AMG Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess
SAUNDERS-ROE SR.45 PRINCESS

MANUFACTURER: Arsenal Model Group (AMG)
SCALE: 1/350
KIT TYPE: Short run injection
moulded with etch
KIT NUMBER: 350-302
THE KIT
he Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess boasts
T the distinction of being the largest

all-metal passenger flying boat ever
produced (it seems unbelievable, but the
greatest plane that took to the air ever, i.e.
Hughes H-4 Hercules, was made of wood six launch tubes for anti-shipping missiles register. We are provided with the decals for
mainly!). At the same time the Princess counts mounted dorsally and also Russian Zubr-type all the windows, but one can just paint them
among these beautiful and sophisticated military hovercraft. Thanks to the scale these black instead. More on the decals later.
British post-War planes that all fell victim should not take too much shelf space when
to the advent of the jet-engined aircraft assembled, taking into account which the BUILDING IN 1/350
era – I mean Martin-Baker MB5 fighter and wingspan of the Princess in this scale is still Since there is no interior, the construction
Bristol Brabazon airliner of course. Ukrainian almost 20cm. The top-opening cardboard box, starts with the fuselage, that consists of two
manufacturer AMG (short of Arsenal Model adorned on top with a colourful drawing of sides and the separate half of the vertical
Group) provided us with the kit of the Princess the Princess flying above the English coastline empennage unit. Interestingly enough,
in the ship models’ scale 1/350. The scale includes two dark grey polystyrene runners the locating pins and holes are on the
is probably dictated by the plans of this with parts, the separate stand base, two decal mating surfaces here, and can be removed
manufacturer, revealed on the sides of the sheets, an etched fret and an instruction incidentally. It is worth noting here also
box, to produce the whole series of great leaflet. Parts are moulded cleanly, panel lines that, quite thoughtfully, all control surfaces
flying boats, including the above-mentioned are very thin, yet consistent and well defined. are moulded integrally on the halves of the
Hughes H-4 Hercules, German Blohm & Voss Decals are thin, but white-backed decorative respective flying surfaces – in effect all the
BV 238, quite exotic-looking, yet attractive, cheat lines are a bit stiff and prone to break. trailing edges are moulded sharp. Despite
Soviet Project 903 Lun Ekranoplan that had Red lines in the Union Jack are a bit out of that all the remaining halves of the flying
surfaces need to be thinned a bit with a
sandpaper. Notwithstanding that, the fit of
the parts is so good that I did not use putty
at all while assembling this kit. Since this is a
model of the flying boat, the dedicated stand
is a very thoughtful and welcome addition.
Nevertheless, the modeller has to determine
by himself/herself the placement of the
supports and drill the openings in the base
for these. There is an option of installing the
outrigger floats retracted of deployed. I have
chosen the ‘clean’ layout and some careful
fitting and sanding was needed here too.
PAINTING
Assembling the main airframe parts took me
no time, and the model was soon ready for
priming, painting and decaling. First I sprayed
the whole model white, and next I masked
off the areas that were to remain white and
painted the rest with the White Aluminium

LATEST NEWS
FIRST LOOKS
KIT REVIEWS
Metallizer from the AK Extreme Metal
ACCESSORIES
range. When all was dry I gave the model
a coat of gloss lacquer. In the meantime
I assembled the propellers. In fact, it was
the most difficult part of this build. The
-etched propellers are very delicate and
care is needed when releasing them from
the sheet, since it is easy to cut the blades
off (do not ask me how I know that…).
Also, the spinners are tiny and need some
DECALS
cleaning. I drilled shallow holes in these
spinners as centrally as I could while these
were still attached to the sprue. Next I glued
pieces of stiff 0.8mm wire into the spinners.
The wire let me to release and clean the
spinners quite easily, and served as the
axles for the propellers, eventually. When
all six propeller units were ready I primed is that the decorative cheat lines overlap Tamiya Smoke and attached the propellers.
them black and painted Gloss Aluminium. in the cockpit area, and therefore should I decided to substitute the polystyrene
BOOK REVIEWS
be placed before the cockpit windows, or parts representing exhaust pipes with the
FINISHING carefully trimmed while setting. I have 0.8mm brass tube cut to adequate length
As I have already said, the decals are trimmed them, but the choice is yours, and painted Light Gunmetal. Also, I painted
of acceptable quality, react quickly and and there are spare decals representing some exhaust stains with Tamiya Smoke.
conform to the surface with a drop of cockpit windows provided on the decals’ The last step were the tiny etched aerials.
solvent fluid. The cockpit windows are sheet, just in case. After all was dry I sealed After attaching the front one I decided
provided as decals too, which seems the decals with the light coat of gloss to take an easy way and substitute the
reasonable taking into account the scale of transparent lacquer. Next I created some second one with a piece of thin wire. The
the model. What is most important here shadows in the engine intakes with diluted placement of these must be estimated,
however, on the basis of the painting
scheme one finds in the instructions leaflet.
CONCLUSION
This is quite simple, yet well-engineered
kit, and can be assembled in no time. The
only serious difficulty are the propeller
units, mainly due to their dimensions
and complexity, but with some attention
and good magnifying glass even an
average-skilled modeller should manage
to put them together. Now I wait for the
other announced kits from the series –
the Lun especially. Thanks to Arsenal
Model Group for the review sample.

KIT REVIEWS
BUCKER 133 A/B

Thomas Tirtaine reviews the 1/72 RS Models Bucker 133 A/B ‘2-in-1’ kit
BUCKER 133 A/B ‘2-IN-1’ KIT

MANUFACTURER: RS Models
SCALE: 1/72
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded plastic
KIT NUMBER: 92220
THE KIT
n this ‘2-in-1’ boxing, RS Models has
I delivered two kits that enable you to

replicate both the radial and the in-line
engined versions of the Bücker Jungmeister. I
choose to employ as many parts as possible
and therefore opted for the Bü-133B and
the Bü-133A. Each step in the build is well
described with black and white diagrams and
the low parts count gives you a quick and the fuselage and the tail plane. Then I glued PAINTING AND FINISHING
easy build. All the cockpit parts were fixed in the front cowling of the Bü-133A and set the Painting the white fuselage of the Bü-133B
the fuselage one by one, however, the colours cowling of the radial engine aside to ease version was made using Tamiya XF-1. The
required do not give any brand references. the process of gluing the engine inside. The front cowling was then painted with a mix
So, due to its German origins, I painted it RLM radial engine is really well moulded and of Alclad ALC-101 with few drops of Tamiya
02, and the same for the seat. Etched parts the front exhaust pipes are sandwiched XF-20 Grey, as my goal was to replicate
reproduce the seat belts but I found them between etched for a realistic look. The the dull aspect of a worn material. For the
really hard to use, so I chose to replace them next step was to build the undercarriage second scheme, I opted for the Tamiya XF-
with masking tape with etched buckles. The before painting it. The struts and the wheels 65, which I mixed with small drops of X-28.
front panel is an acetate sheet placed behind were painted separately in black and the Then I covered the vertical fin in white and
an etched part and proved to be sufficient. propeller in dark green and aluminium. the two aircraft with a layer of Aqua Gloss
THE BUILD
The only difficulty in gluing the fuselage
halves was the lack of guidance, something
usual on short-run kits. Be careful here to
choose the right part for either the radial or
the in-line engine version. The next step is
to add the etched stitching in the bottom of

LATEST NEWS
Washes
FIRST LOOKS
Take your models to the
next level of realism
KIT REVIEWS
ACCESSORIES
Before
ready for the decals. The decals were well CONCLUSION
DECALS
printed with good registration and density. The final result gives a good representation
I still had to fix the upper wing onto the of the aircraft and its shape is well
fuselage so, I firstly glued the central rendered as are the wings and fuselage.
struts around the cockpit and checked I My opinion is that this not for the beginner,
had them correctly aligned. The final task more for an experienced modeller. Thanks
was to add all of the smaller items such as to RS Models for the review sample.
After
the undercarriage and wheels, propeller
and exhaust pipe and apply the rigging.
BOOK REVIEWS
• Perfect for creating grime, dust and

rust effects
• Apply to locomotives, wagons,
buildings and many more
Visit www.humbrol.com where you’ll

find help and advice as well as hints, tips
and product demonstration videos to get
the best out of the wide variety of
Humbrol products available!
/humbrol @humbrol /humbrol

ACCESSORIES
SCALE AIRCRAFT CONVERSIONS

his month Scale Aircraft Conversions
T has produced legs for two Soviet

bombers. In 1/48 scale we have legs
for the recent Bobcat IL-28 Beagle while in
1/72 SCALE
TUPOLEV TU-22 LANDING GEAR
Product No: 72175
1/72scale we have legs for the impressively Designed for: Trumpeter
large Trumpeter TU-22 Blinder bomber. Also SAAB VIGGEN LANDING GEAR
in 1/72 scale the SAAB Viggen released by Product No: 72176
both Tarrangus and Special Hobby also get Designed for: Tarrangus/Special Hobby
a leg upgrade, which thanks to the originals
unconventional design will be a worthwhile CONCLUSION
investment for anyone purchasing this kit. As always, these samples have been
provided by Scale Aircraft Conversions
1/48 SCALE and will be available to purchase in the
ILYUSHIN IL-28 BEAGLE LANDING GEAR UK from Hannants and directly from
Product No: 48378 the manufacturers own website at
Designed for: Bobcat Models www.scaleaircraftconversions.com.
Our thanks to
Ross McMillan
for supplying the
review samples.
BRENGUN
f you are interested in modelling
I the Post-War Fleet Air Arm in 1/48

scale you have been treated to a
number of new kits over the last few
years. Well now Brengun have produced
two items that will be essential for
anyone building a flight deck diorama.
Introduced at the end of the Second
World War the Clarcat Type B was a
tractor designed for moving Seafires,
Fulmar and Barracudas around the
flight deck and remained in service
into the mid 50s when Navy aircraft
became to heavy for it to move easily.
One of its replacement was the
first Tugmaster tractor, these saw Clarcat Type B, HMS Victorious,

service well into the late 1960 tugging 1944, Overall Royal Blue.
Buccaneer’s and Sea Vixen’s. Clarcut Type B, HMS Triumph, 1948,
Overall Orange Yellow
1/48 SCALE
BRS48013 ROYAL NAVY CONCLUSION
TUGMASTER DECK TRACTOR
These sets are beautifully cast and
The Tugmaster comes with
markings for one example.
are nice models in their own right all
Tugmaster, 07RN83, HMS Victorious, 1964 we need now is some RN style tow
bars to attach them to your models
BRS48014 CLARCAT TYPE B ROYAL
NAVY DECK TRACTOR You can order both tractors from www.
The Clarcut comes with decals for two tractors. brengun.cz and we tyhan Jan Sobatka for
supplying us with the review samples.

LATEST NEWS
BARRACUDACAST
his month Barracudacast has
T supplied us with two new sets

for kits produced by Airfix. The
FIRST LOOKS
first set is Barracudacast’s eighth
for the 1/48 scale Airfix Sea Fury so
they obviously have a bit of a thing
for this kit. The latest set supplies
a fully detailed replacement main
undercarriage bay, which looks far
better than the kit parts. This set
is designed to be fitted with only
a minimal amount of thinning to
HALBERD MODELS
KIT REVIEWS
the kit parts. This process is fully he latest release from Halberd
illustrated on the small instruction
leaflet, which use both colour
photographs and clear text.
T supplies replacement wheels for
the 1/32 scale Revell Tornado and
either of the new 1/48 scale F-14D Tomcat.
The second set this month 1/24 scale Vought F-4U Corsair Halberd combines well detailed resin hubs
supplies a replacement set of if anyone ever produces one. with soft rubber like tyres that have very
wheels with a nice representation well moulded tread and sidewall detail in
of the cross treaded tyres for the 1/24 SCALE a nice shade of black grey. I really like the
1/24 scale Airfix Hellcat. As the BR 24413 F6F HELLCAT CROSS appearance of the resin parts once painted
TREAD MAINWHEELS
ACCESSORIES
instructions say this set would also and awash applied the level of detail really
Designed for: Airfix
be suitable for anyone building a pops out. The soft rubber tyres are not to
every ones taste but they are very nicely done
1/48 SCALE and with a little weathering looks the part.
BR 48348 HAWKER SEA FURY
UNDERCARRIAGE BAY
1/32 SCALE
Designed for: Revell
3230 PANAVIA TORNADO WHEEL SET
Designed for: Revell
CONCLUSION
DECALS
Two very nice sets and at some 1/48 SCALE
point I must add a few of these 4809 F-14D TOMCAT WHEEL SET
sets to my Airfix Sea Fury that is Designed for: Avant Garde/ Tamiya
patiently awaiting it’s turn on the
workbench. The full Barracudacast CONCLUSION
range can be seen and purchased More details of this range can be found on
from www.barracudacast.com . Halberd’s Facebook page https://www.facebook.
We thank Roy Sutherland of com/Halberd-models-538296593300015/ were
Barracuda Studios for supplying you can also contact them using messenger
BOOK REVIEWS
us with the review samples. or the supplied telephone number to purchase
and I have noticed that their products are now
becoming available from several sellers on eBay.
Our thanks to Halberd models
for the samples and I hope to see
future releases in due course.
RESKIT
ew from Reskit
N this month is
a set of resin
exhaust nozzles for
the 1/48 scale SU-35 kit
from Great Wall Hobby.
These nozzles are
particularly important if
you are portraying your model on the CONCLUSION
ground, as the exhausts on the SU-35 The detail in this set is really crisp and
turn inwards when its parked up. is complimented with a small fret of
photo-etched brass details. The set
1/48 SCALE offers complete drop in replacement
RSU48-0055 SU-35 PARKING parts for the kit’s parts so no
POSITION EXHAUST NOZZLES
cutting of the kit will be required.
(Great Wall Hobby kit)
My thanks to Reskit for
supplying these sets for
review www.reskit.com.ua

ACCESSORIES
EDUARD BRASSIN
his month we are looking
T at some of the more

general sets released
by Eduard, including a lot of
ordnance, ejection seats and a
couple of very nice 1/72 scale
engines. The engines comprise
a Mercedes D.III and BMW IIIa for
the Eduard 1/72 scale Fokker
D.VII, OAW and F respectively.
648525 F-104 C2
These engines are stunning
ejection seat (for
and it would be a shame to hide Kinetic kit)
them away inside the nose of 648526 F-104
your model. Eduard supply the MB.7 ejection seat
(for Kinetic kit)
forward fuselage framework
648531 P-51D 110gal
of the Fokker D.VII in etched fuel tank (for Eduard kit)
brass so, if you want to remove 648532 P-51D 165gal
the nose panels you can, fuel tank (for Eduard kit)
although I think I will display the 648535 F-14D ejection
seats (for AMK kit)
engine next to the completed
model on a suitable trestle. 1/32 SCALE
The ordnance sets are as 632141 AIM-9M/L
Sidewinder
ever much more detailed than
632142 AIM-7M Sparrow
their kit plastic counterparts
and most of the sets come CONCLUSION
with photo-etch detail, as This month Eduard have
appropriate, and decals for the given us some accessories
stencils. Likewise, the ejection which will keep most
seats are miniature works of modellers happy across the
art which with careful painting scales and time periods. I
will really lift your model as the thought that we had seen
cockpit is often the focal point. every accessory possible
for the new 1/48 scale
1/72 SCALE Mustang from Eduard, but
672222 AGM-65 Maverick we now have some very detailed
672223 Fokker D.VII (OAW) engine,
drop tanks and we can look
Mercedes D.III (for Eduard kit)
672224 Fokker D.VIIF engine,
forward to a Packard Merlin too.
BMW IIIa (for Eduard kit) If you have any of the kits that
672232 MiG-21PF/PFM exhaust these sets are designed for, or have
nozzle (for Eduard kit) suitable jets to hang the ordnance
under then these sets come highly
1/48 SCALE recommended. They are like little
648491 AN/ALQ-71(V)-2 ECM pod model kits in their own right with
648492 AN/ALQ-71(V)-3 ECM pod
some having photo-etch detail
648493 AN/ALQ-87 ECM pod
and decals where appropriate.
648518 Paveway II Mk.13/18
As ever my thanks to Eduard
for supplying these sets for
review www.eduard.com

LATEST NEWS
FIRST LOOKS
KIT REVIEWS
KAZAN MODEL DYNAMICS MASTER MODELS
hese new sets from Kazan The tyres have nicely moulded and ast month we reviewed the 1/24 Barrel
T Model Dynamics are called

‘Hybrid Cast’ and feature
stainless steel parts to represent
readable sidewall detail, Michelin Air
on the front and Goodyears on the
rear! The instructions feature the
L sets aimed at the new Airfix Hellcat
now they have released pair of barrels
in its own right. As well as scaling up the
the compression part of the oleo usual assembly diagrams, which in Alpha Jet set to 1/48 scale. As always they
struts. This is the third set we have this set are complimented by some are beautifully produced and are straight
looked at from this company as we rather fun written instructions, which replacements for the kit parts and will look
ACCESSORIES
have previously featured sets for describe parts 3 and 4 as ‘a moody far better than anything produced in plastic.
the Eduard Mustang and 109G-5) little buggers’. A description I have
and it is by far the most complex never come across before for a part, 1/24 SCALE
of the sets, as it is for the 1/48 but I am sure we have all thought it, AM-24-017 BROWNING M2 AIRCRAFT .50
CALIBRE (1,2,7MM) BARRELS (2 PIECES)
scale Tamiya F-14 Tomcat A/B/D. or something along similar lines!
Designed for: N/A
This is a very well detailed
1/48 SCALE and comprehensive set of
KLG4802TAM HYBRID CAST replacement undercarriage legs 1/48 SCALE
LANDING GEAR SET FOR THE
and wheels which are certainly AM-48-159 DASSAULT-DORNIER ALPHA
F-14A/B/D (FOR TAMIYA KIT) JET A PITOT TUBE & AOA PROBES
DECALS
different from other resin sets
Designed for: Kinetic
CONCLUSION and I look forward to seeing what
This set offers a superbly detailed they look like on a model.
multipart landing gear legs with My thanks to Kazan Model CONCLUSION
moulded in metal oleos, separate Dynamics for supplying Our thanks to Master Models for the
torque links, moulded brake lines these sets for review www. samples, which can be purchased
and separate hubs for the wheels. kazanmodeldynamics.com from Hannants in the UK and Sprue
Brothers in the USA. The full range can
be seen at www.master-model.pl
BOOK REVIEWS
1/72 SCALE
BIG SKY VICKERS VALIANT TOW BAR
his month we have the last of Designed for: Airfix Valiant
T the three V Bomber tow bars

by Big Sky this time for the 1/72
scale Airfix Valiant. In terms of 3D
CONCLUSION
Outstanding print quality and once
printing this must be one of the most painted will look amazing this tow
challenging to print as you have a small bar is highly recommended and I
lattice girder with a hydraulic piston am really looking forward to seeing
inside. Add to that mono wheel at the what Blue Sky’s next big project is.
halfway point and you have a part that If you are interested in this
I honestly do not think we would have item Blue Sky can be contacted by
had prior to 3D printing and certainly not Emailing Diaerama@btinternet.
in one piece. There are a few attachment com but as these are a limited run
points that will need cleaning up but product it is best not too wait to long
the main problem will be trying to before ordering and we thank them
find an Airfix Valiant to display it on. for supplying the review sample.

DECALS
BULLSEYE DECALS
ullseye Decals launched 1/48 SCALE
B a couple of years ago and

have concentrated on
modern jet aircraft with some
48-009 YOXFORD BOYS 1
P-51D-5, Glamorous Glenn II,
44- 13897, 363rd FS, 357th
FG RAF Leiston, July 1944.
beautiful sheets for modern P-51D-5, Glamorous Glenn II,
USAF and US Navy aircraft. Now 44-13897, 363rd FS, 357 FG
RAF Leiston, October 1944.
they have produced four sheets
P-51D-5, Daddy Rabbit, 44-13897,
covering 37 Mustangs assigned Capt. Charles Peters, 363rd FS/357th
to the 363rd Fighter Squadron FG RAF Leiston, July 1944.
normally called the Yoxford Boys. P-51D-5, Willy’s Bitch, 44-13522
Most of the Mustangs have a Capt. William O’Brien, 363rd FS,
357th FG RAF Leiston, July 1944.
camouflage scheme of RAF Dark
P-51D-5 Horses Itch, 44-413518,
Green over RAF Medium Sea Grey Major Edin Hird, 363rd FS CO
though a few natural metal aircraft RAF Leiston, September 1944.
also feature. The one constant is P-51D-10, Master Mike, 44-14798 Maj.
Joseph Broadhead, 357th FG.Ops. P-51D-10, Nooky Booky III, 44-14896
the Red, Yellow. Red banded spinner Officer RAF Leiston, January 1945. Major Leonard Carson, 362nd FS, 357th
the period for the year after D Day,
and the Red/Yellow checkerboard P-51D-5, Mildred, 44-13316 362nd FG RAF Leiston, September 1944. we also have a mix of full black
around the nose. Each aircraft FS/357yj FH RAF Leiston, June 1944. P-51D-5, Bite Me!,` 44-13334 Capt. and white striped undersides
Alva Murphy, 362nd FS, 357th
also has its own individual name P-51D-5, Booky Nooky II, 44-13316 which are progressively removed
Capt. Leonard Carson, 362nd FS, FG RAF Leiston, October 1944.
and some have nose art as well as 357th FG RAF Leiston, July 1944. P-51D-5, BK’s Battle Buggy, 44-13318
as the year went on or as new
a selection of kill markings. This P-51D-5, Hurry Home Honey, 44- Lt. Byron Brayley, 364th FS, 357th aircraft were delivered.
squadron has the highest number 13586 Maj. Richard Peterson, 364th FG RAF Leiston, November 1944. I have always fancied building
FS/357th FS RAF Leiston, July 1944. P-51D-5, Little Joe, 44-13887 Lt.
of aces in the 8th Air Force with a whole squadron of Mustangs
P-51D-10, Floogie II, 44-14245 Lt. Joe Cannon, 363rd FS, 357th FG
5 Triple Aces and 4 double aces. Otto Jenkins, 352nd FS,357th FG RAF Leiston, December 1944. from the same unit and with so
The instructions guide you RAF Leiston, December 1944. P-51D-5 44-13735 Capt. John many attractive markings and
through each aircrafts history, 48-010 YOXFORD BOYS 2
England, 362nd FS, 357th FG even subtle changes between
RAF Leiston, August 1944.
though strangely do not name P-51D-5, Bobby Jeanne/ Ah Fung aircraft these sheets would be
the pilot of the first option on Goo II, 44-13408, Major Irwin CONCLUSION a good place to start. These two
Dwegne, Operations Officer 357th
sheet 1, though they describe FG, RAF Leiston, July 1944. These decals are well printed with sheets will get you started with
how the aircraft which was P-51D-5, Sweet Felon II, 44-13558 informative instructions, what you the first 19 Mustangs and next
previously called ‘Daddy Rabbit’ Capt. Harvey Mace, 362nd FS, 357th will notice is that some aircraft month we will feature parts 3 & 4.
FG RAF Leiston, August 1944.
was renamed as ‘Glamorous are reproduced a number of times Bulldog Decals are available
P-51D-5, Wee Willy II, 44-13334
Glen II’, a major clue to the pilot’s Capt. Calvert Williams, 362nd FS, but with different markings as exclusively by visiting www.
name as ‘Glamorous Glennis’ 357th FG RAF Leiston, July 1943. they were passed on to new pilots. spruebrothers.com and we
was also carried by the aircraft P-51D-5, The Shillelagh, 44-13548 Also, the same name appears on thank Bulldog for sending
Major John Storch, 364th FS, 357th
that a few years after the war FG, RAF Leiston, September 1944. different aircraft, as older aircraft us the review samples.
would make him world famous. were replaced. As this sheet covers
EURO DECALS hideous to try and interpret, CONCLUSION

ay back in the late and worse it only gave the FS I want to build this scheme
W 1970s, I graduated
from kit decals to
buying my first aftermarket
number paint matches to model
paints that I could not purchase
in those pre-internet days
especially as in 1/32 scale as
it is far easier on my eyesight
than building a 1/72 scale
decal sheet. The subject was This modern sheet, on the model though taking up a lot
an F-4C Phantom that had other hand has very clear more room. The only thing
taken part took part in the full colour instructions and a stopping me is that the only
William Tell Competition of comprehensive listing of all kit I can use to do it is the
1976 the US bicentennial year. the paints needed to complete Tamiya F-4 C/D, though this is
This aircraft carried a special the model keyed to four major a good kit it is over 25 years
scheme of a black and white brands as well as the Federal old and hardly state of the art.
checkerboard applied to the tail Standard code number. So, I will be hoarding this
surfaces plus the bicentennial sheet until someone sees the
badge on the intake sides. 1/32 SCALE light and gives us the state-of-
Fast forward 40 years and ED-32125 MCDONNELL DOUGLAS the-art F-4 Phantom kit that
F-4C WILLIAM TELL 1976
the latest 1/32 scale from The big difference between these decals really deserve.
McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom
Euro Decals covers the very this kit and my original decals, 63-666 of 57th Fighter Interceptor
Our thanks to Fantasy
same attractive scheme, and which used black and white Squadron, Iceland Air Defence Printshop for supplying this
it looks just as stunning as drawings with shading to Force, United States, Air Force, sheet for review which can be
based at Naval Air Station Keflavik,
my original 1/72 scale decal denote specific colours. As a Iceland, during “William Tell”, 1976. purchased from their website at
sheet all those years ago. young modeller I found this www.fantasyprintshop.co.uk.

LATEST NEWS
FOXBOT DECALS ILIAD DESIGN
or those having his month Iliad
F a sense of
déjà vu, yes, T have supplied us
with two recent
FIRST LOOKS
we have covered releases, we start with
Ukrainian Su-25UB the second sheet Iliad
Frogfoots before! have released covering
But this time Foxbot the P-51 Mustangs
have combined two used post war by the
of their large 1/48 or Air National Guard.
1/32 scale sheets into Natural Metal Mustangs
one 1/72 scale sheet. from Oklahoma, Texas,
The Ukrainian Washington and
KIT REVIEWS
two seat Frogfoots Minnesota the latter
have been finished being particularly
in three camouflage colourful with yellow
schemes they and blue trim on nose,
first appeared in a wings and rudder.
three-tone splinter The second sheet
scheme over light Su-25UB 299th tactical features F-104
blur camouflage. In the mid aviation brigade, Kulbakino Starfighters that have seen Vietnam, a role for which they
airfield, Nikolaev, 2007. were not particularly well suited.
2000s this was replaced combat and I was surprised
Lockheed F-104C, 56803, 60883
ACCESSORIES
Su-25UBM1 299th tactical
by an overall green colour aviation brigade, Kulbakino by the selection of nations shot down by a Mig-21 on 20th
with dark green blotches airfield, Nikolaev, 2016. that actually saw combat September 1965, its pilot Capt
Su-25UB 299th tactical Phil Smith was captured and
which is still in use today. with the type. These include was not released till 1972.
aviation brigade, Kulbakino
Over the last five years airfield, Nikolaev, 2010. Starfighters from the United Lockheed F-104A, 56-803, Pakistan
a trendy digital pattern Su-25UB 299th tactical States Airforce that served in Air Force. During the 1971 war,
has started to be applied, aviation brigade, Kulbakino Vietnam as well as Nationalist Wing Commander Arif Iqbal
airfield, Nikolaev, 2015. shot down an Indian Breguet
certainly very attractive but China, Pakistan, and Turkey. Alize with this aircraft, while
Su-25UBM1K 299th tactical attacking the harbour of Okha.
a bit of a nightmare to paint aviation brigade, Kulbakino
in this scale. Fortunately, airfield, Nikolaev, 2016. 1/48 SCALE F-104G, 22313, 141th Filo, Turkish
Air Force. On 21 July 1974, during
DECALS
Foxbat have also released 48020A STARFIGHTERS the Turkish/Green Cyprus War,
IN COMBAT this Starfighter successfully
masks to produce both of CONCLUSION
Lockheed F-104A, transferred to attacked a convoy west of Paphos
the two later schemes. Two-seater aircraft are the Pakistan Air Force from Jordan harbour damaging two destroyers
rarely covered by kit or during the 1971 war with India. one was damaged and one was
1/72 SCALE decal manufacturers but The aircraft was shot down by an sunk, unfortunately they were
Indian MiG-21 on 17 December 1971. also ships of the Turkish Navy.
72-015 UKRAINIAN as Ukrainian two seaters
ROOKS: SU-25UB Lockheed F-104G of the 427th TFS, 48036 MORE ANG MUSTANGS
have seen operational use 3rd TFW. Republic of China Air
Su-25UB 299th tactical Force. On 13 January 1967, Capt. P-51D of the 125th Fighter
aviation brigade, Kulbakino
against Russia in their Squadron, Oklahoma
Shin-Lin Hu (in 4344) and Capt.
airfield, Nikolaev, 2008. ongoing conflict maybe the Bei-Puo Shi (in 4348) surprised a National Guard, at Tulsa,
BOOK REVIEWS
Su-25UB 299th tactical UB version of the Frogfoot group of Chinese J-6s (MiG-19s) 1947. Note: this aircraft has
aviation brigade, Kulbakino and shot down one of each. the Dallas-style canopy.
should be the exception.
airfield, Nikolaev, 2010. Lockheed F-104C, Debbie Sue, F-51D, serving with the
Su-25UBM1 299th tactical
Our thank to Foxbot 70927, Udorn RTAFB, 1966/67. Minnesota Air National Guard,
aviation brigade, Kulbakino for supplying the review Lockheed F-104C, Pink Panther,
1953. This aircraft has the
airfield, Nikolaev, 2015. Dallas-style canopy.0
sample which along with the 60910, UdornRTAFB,1966/67.
Su-25UBM1K tactical P-51D of the 111th FIS, Texas
associated mask sets are Two F-104Cs of the 8th TFW National Guard, Ellington Field.
aviation brigade, Kulbakino were initially used in escort
airfield, Nikolaev, 2016. available from Hannants. missions for F-105s flying into P-51D of the 116th Fighter
North Vietnam. Later they were Squadron, Washington Air
used for ground attack against National Guard, 1948.
targets in both Laos and South
CONCLUSION
I am always amazed by Iliad’s
eclectic choice of subjects
and these sheets are typical
of the range with clear colour
instructions and beautifully
printed decals. In the UK
this range is stocked by
Hannants and you can see the
full range by visiting www.
illiad -design.co.uk and we
thank them for supplying us
with the review samples.

BOOK REVIEWS
Gloster Meteor on P 53, a photo illustrating the P-47 is clearly a stock

photo of an aircraft from earlier in the War; surely a
in British Service more period-appropriate example could have been
T
he authors admit in the preface to this found? Although I hasten to add there are more
book that they had a bit of a problem: how appropriate P-47 photographs supplied in this title.
to fit into 96 pages a good selection of The captions are comprehensive and informative,
relevant photographs and information concerning although again, one or two caused a double-take: eg
an aeroplane with a production run of nearly 4,000 P29, where what is captioned as a Typhoon appears
examples. They need not be concerned: they to your scribe to be a Fairey Battle; or an Allison
have certainly achieved three aim in producing Mustang said to be a merlin engined Mk III on P 52.
what is a very readable and useful volume. But such minor niggles do not detract from
AUTHORS:
The history of the type is covered first, starting with the overall quality of the book. It belongs on the
Martin Derry and
Neil Robinson development, and then covering all the major variants shelf of anyone with an interest in the Normandy
YEAR: and conversions. The photographs are well chosen, campaign and contains much to inspire modellers
2017
and a few are familiar to your reviewer, but the majority of aircraft, armour, figures, and dioramas.
PUBLISHER:
are not. The text is (as to be expected from these Thanks to Pen & Sword Books
Pen & Sword
Aviation authors) is concise, well written and engaging. This Ltd for the review copy.
ISBN: section finishes with a selection of photos: two pages of MJC
978-1-52670- unusual Meteors, such as aircraft used in trials with two
266-1
pages devoted to the Meteor NF11s and NF14s of the
FORMAT:
96pp Softback French Centre d’Essais en Vol (CEV). Why the latter in
a book about British Meteors? The authors do explain! Hunters Over
The history is followed up by a description
of camouflage and markings, illustrated by the Arabia
customary colour profiles. Finally, there is a section Hawker Hunter Operations in the
on modelling the aircraft. The discussion of kits is Middle East
limited, again for space reasons, to kits of significant
I
modelling interest and those the authors understand n the years following World War I until the
to be available at the time of publication. Finally, 1960s, Britain’s presence and influence in
a series of appendices tabulates various key data, the Middle East was supported, and where
AUTHOR:
including listings of operational and second-line necessary defended, by the Royal Air Force. In
Ray Deacon
units, serial allocations, and vital statistics. YEAR: the late 1950s the principal fighter in the region
The authors recommend a couple of books 2019 was the Venom FB4, which was rapidly becoming
for further reading; but for many people, PUBLISHER: obsolescent. Three aircraft were evaluated as
Pen & Sword
particularly those who have a model or several possible replacements: the single-seat Gnat; an armed
Aviation
to complete, it will prove a valuable “one-stop ISBN: Jet Provost; and a version of the Hunter specially
shop” resource. Highly recommended. 978-1-52672- optimised for the ground attack role in hot climates.
Thanks to Pen & Sword Books 150-1 The successful candidate became the Hunter FGA
FORMAT:
Ltd for the review copy. Mk 9, and this was also developed into the FR10. This
380 pp Hardback
MJC book tells the story of the Hunters of RAF Middle
East Command (MEC), from when they replaced the
Venom until British withdrawal from the region.
Images of War The author who served in the RAF and worked on one
of the Hunter squadrons described, first sets the scene
The Normandy with a historical background to the region, particularly
Aden. He goes on to describe MEC and its airfields, the
Air War 1944 wings and squadrons of the command, their organisation
T
his photo-essay in Pen & Sword’s and various re-organisations. Then, after detailing the
“Images of War” series covers air power trials and the replacement of the Venoms, the bulk of
in the D-Day campaign, starting with the book is devoted to relating the various operations
background, scene-setting and preparation, and carried out by the Hunter units. These are told in the
AUTHOR:
continuing from the invasion itself until about August context of the historical background. After reading
Anthony
Tucker-Jones 1944 and the fighting around the Falaise Pocket. the book your reviewer finished with considerably
YEAR: As usual, the book is divided into chapters, each more knowledge about this part of the world, and a
2019
with a short (although not as short as some books in compelling urge to pull out a Hunter from the stash.
PUBLISHER:
the series) text and a selection of photographs. The Illustrations are in the form of photographs, both
Pen & Sword
Military latter are stated to be from three sources – the US black and white and colour, and maps. Particularly
ISBN: National Archives, the National Museum of the US interesting is the map showing the airfields of MEC,
978-1-52673- Air Force, and Photosnormandie – and thus major from Bahrain/Muharraq in the North to Eastleigh
005-3
on US aircraft. However, other allied aircraft are not (Kenya) in the South, some 2,500 miles. Many of
FORMAT:
132 pp Paperback neglected, neither are the Luftwaffe. And aircraft the photos will be of interest to the modeller, not
are not the only subjects: there are plenty of others, least those who are into weathering and want to
ranging from gun-camera shots taken on strafing do a sun-faded and sand-blasted Hunter. There
runs, to portraits of senior commanders. The images are also photos a-plenty of other significant types
are generally well-chosen, although this reviewer did in MEC, such as the Beverly or Twin Pioneer.
wonder why one or two had been picked. For example, Three appendices cover accidents and incidents;

LATEST NEWS
a complete listing of allocated aircraft by unit; either the tri-colour camouflage or overall glossy
and the South Arabian Air Force. Finally, there sea blue, it is the coverage of some of the non-
is a glossary, a bibliography, and an index. standard schemes, like the Hellcats converted to
This is a valuable source of knowledge drones that inspired me to revisit this subject.
and inspiration to the modeller of post-war Finally, we come to the modellers section, this
FIRST LOOKS
RAF types, and will also interest those with an covers most of the kits that have been released
interest in history. Highly recommended. from a 1/205 scale kit by Elvin (Who!) to the 1/24
Thanks to Pen & Sword Books scale, Airfix F6F-3 released last year. The merits
Ltd for the review copy. and flaws of each kit is discussed and there
MJC are a few handy hints and tips to aid you in the
construction of your chosen Hellcat Model.
As with all of their recent titles you can either
Military Series embrace modern technology with the digital edition

available from Apple ITunes or Kindle from Amazon.
USN-USMC
KIT REVIEWS
Or, if you prefer a traditional book, Detail and Scale
Collection No.11 have responded with a print version, available

exclusively from Amazon. The print version has
O
f the 151 images on this compact disc 102 pages and 270 photographs 192 in colour. The
PUBLISHER: the majority are A4s of various sub- digital version is larger with 283 pages with over
Aero Research types, many of which wear aggressor or 315 photographs of which in 208 are in colour.
Co.
commemorative schemes. But, this disc has more Whichever version you choose this title will
CAT NO.:
1075 than just A4s, there are images dating to the 1930s, be invaluable in producing an accurate Hellcat
WEB: 40s and 50s as well as the more ‘modern’ 1960s and is highly recommended. I really hope their old
ACCESSORIES
www.Aero onwards. I had to look twice at one of image of an F4U Corsair title will get the same treatment at
ResearchCDs.
com F14 Tomcat wearing a Soviet Aggressor scheme, for some point in the near future as my print copy is
a moment I thought a Russian type had crept in! falling apart after 20 years of frequent use.
digital Other types featured on the disc include the F-4s, Our thank as always to Rock Roszak for
MEDIA F-5s, EA-6Bs, F-14s and F-16s amongst so many supplying us with the digital version for review.
other types! As ever the vast majority of the images DF
on this disc have never been seen before and will
provide lots of inspiration for builds and dioramas.
For ordering details and to see the full catalogue Single No.13
DECALS
visit www.AeroResearchCDs.com . My thanks to
Aero Research for supplying this disc for review. Lockheed P-38L-
TMU-S
5-LO Lightning
AUTHORS:
Detail and Scale Series Volume 10 Dariusz Karnas & Single No.18
Artur Juszczak
Grumman F6F PUBLISHER:
MMP Books
Lockheed P-38G-
Hellcat 15-LO Lightning
BOOK REVIEWS
ISBN:
978-83-
T T
his is the third time that Detail & Scale 65958-75-4 his new series from MMP, as the title
have released a book on the Grumman FORMAT: suggests, focuses on a single subject. In
Hellcat, the first was in 1988 followed 22pp Softback this review, I will take a look at the two
by a comprehensive update in 1996. Now they ‘Singles’ which have been released on the P-38.
AUTHORS:
have released what surely must be the ultimate The books open with some very nice scale
Bert Kinsey &
Chris Sakui modellers reference for this iconic aircraft. drawings in both 1/72 and 1/48 scales. These
ART: If you have a formula that works stick with it, and are followed by several pages of black and
Rock Roszak
that is certainly something that Detail and Scale have white photos covering various aspects of the
YEAR:
always done. We start with a comprehensive history of individual aircraft in detail. The photos are a
2020
PUBLISHER: the development of the type and bearing in mind unlike mix of Second World War images and restored
Detail & Scale many other famous aircraft there were just two major airframes. Each book also has a couple of
Aviation variants I was surprised this took 5 chapters and over pages in colour photos more details of the
Publication
100 pages. I found these sections engrossing especially restored examples. The books are rounded
ISBN:
978-0- the chapter devoted to an interview with Capt David off with some colour profiles and plan views.
9991959-6-3 McCampbell, an ace with thirty-four confirmed victories. This series of books from MMP is ideal
FORMAT: AUTHORS:
We now move onto what for most modellers is if you just want the basic information for your
eBook Dariusz Karnas &
the meat of the book starting with the comprehensive Artur Juszczak next build, and it’s certainly worth it for the scale
look at every part of the Hellcats airframe using both PUBLISHER: plans. If you have a new Tamiya P-38 or any of
digital MMP Books
MEDIA colour photographs and period black and white. This is the many available kits these could be just that
ISBN:
one area where I prefer having the digital version as by little bit of extra information you are looking for.
978-83-
using the familiar pinch and expand gestures you can 65958-92-1 My thanks to MMP for supplying
blow up the picture to see even the smallest detail. FORMAT: these copies for review.
This is followed by the chapter covering the colours 24pp Softback TMU-S
and markings, though most aircraft were finished in

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1/144 PERCIVAL PROVOST T.1 / T.53
QUICKBUILD
by Huw Morgan
PROP KIT DETAILS
PROVOST he Hunting Percival Provost
T emerged in response to an Air

Staff Operational Requirement
(OR.257) issued in 1948 for a new
basic trainer with side-by-side seating, it
was anticipated at the time that the aircraft
PERCIVAL PROVOST
T.1 / T.53
MANUFACTURER: Miniwing
Plastic
would be used worldwide, so a rugged design
SCALE: 1/144
capable of enduring all weathers was key
STOCK CODE: MINI331
and vice-free handling and excellent visibility
were essential. Requirement OR.257 was NO OF PARTS: 24 grey and 1
clear (each model)
refined into Specification T.16/48 and was
hotly contested, with 15 tender responses DECAL OPTIONS: 4
being received from large and small THE KIT
manufacturers although many proposals Miniwing’s have continued their series of
fell by the wayside, and Percival, who had tiny aircraft with several boxings of the masking since several of what appear to
already been working on a private venture, Percival Provost, to complement their earlier be frames but are in fact internal bracing,
emerged as the preferred contractor. The Jet Provost offering. In the box reviewed without external definition and are thus
first production machine was completed here, there are two complete models, each potentially confusing to guide the scalpel
at the end of January 1953, and following made up of 24 soft grey plastic parts and when cutting masks. Alternative boxings
trials, deliveries began to No 6 Flying Training a one-piece clear canopy; the moulding is offer Omani and a selection of RAF schemes.
School. Many Provosts went overseas, with what one would expect from a shortish-
orders received from Burma, Eire, Iraq, run model with some detail a bit fuzzy in THE BUILD
Malaysia, Oman, Rhodesia and Sudan, places, and the engraved panel lines rather Although this was supposed to be a First
some subsequently equipped to carry ground- heavy and a bit inconsistent in depth and Look, the low parts count made a build
attack rockets. The Alvis Leonidas-powered width. Four schemes are offered, all based rather tempting, and around 4 leisurely
Provost went on to be developed into the on silver airframes but with colourful hours were spent getting the two models
Jet Provost using Armstrong-Siddeley Viper markings for RAF, Sudanese, Irish and Iraqi to the stage of external painting, assembly
power as the RAF’s first jet trainer, as well Air Forces. The canopy is nice and clear being trouble free, and only minor fettling
as the Strikemaster light attack aircraft. albeit rather thick and will need careful being needed at the fuselage-to-wing joint.

QUICKBUILD
The fit of the canopies was excellent and and a mix of the kit’s RAF markings and 1950’s trainer which offers the possibility of
the caution about internal framing above some from the spares box were used for building a colourful fleet. It’s a small model
notwithstanding, masking wasn’t difficult the Empire Test Pilots school version. (75 mm span) even by 1/144 scale standards,
using Tamiya tape and a new blade. This isn’t the most sophisticated model kit but nevertheless offers a potentially
Since both airframes planned (!) but is a tidy representation of an important straightforward introduction to the scale.
were essentially High Speed
Silver/Aluminium, they were
primed, polished with 3000 grit
abrasive, sprayed Halfords gloss black
from a rattle can and polished again before
a base coat of Mr Hobby Metal Color 218
was applied. This paint can be fragile if not
allowed to cure, but has the advantage of
responding to polishing with a cotton bud
to develop different tones and textures.
The aluminium was sealed with a light
spray of Mr Hobby Super Clear from a can
before masking for a silver/dayglo orange
scheme seen on Empire Test Pilots School
airframe XF 685 as something different,
the orange sprayed using Mr Paint MRP
232 before the decals were applied. The
kit’s Iraqi markings went on without drama

1/32 GLOSTER GLADIATOR
Andrew Root
builds the 1/32
ICM Gloster
Gladiator Mk.I
in pre-War
colours
ON SILVER WINGS
...BEFORE DARKER TIMES
KIT DETAILS BACKGROUND THE COCKPIT
t’s hard to believe, that on the eve of the This build features the 1/32 ICM Gladiator Mk.1,
I Second World War, this biplane built by

the Gloster company, was still in fighter
squadron service. Having seen combat
in Belgium and Norway in the early stages of
the War, a hand full of squadrons were still
and upon opening the box, I was very pleasantly
surprised, as the mouldings looked very well
detailed with no flash and some very good
fabric effects. The build began with the interior,
and with the cockpit having a metal skin, the
equipped with the Gladiator during the infamous inside was painted with the usual Zinc Chromate
Battle of Britain, these being No.239 and No.247 primer, with a standard black instrument
Squadrons and No.804 Naval Air Squadron. The panel. Not too much detail is provided on the
GLOSTER GLADIATOR exploits of the Gladiator during the early stages insides, but just enough to look good, and the
have largely been overshadowed by more fuselage sides were painted Cockpit Green. The
MANUFACTURER: ICM
modern types of the day. However, the Gladiator fuselage could then be joined pretty quickly,
SCALE: 1/32 will always be remembered on one battlefield, with the lower wings also being installed.
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded this being the air defence of the island of
plastic Malta, where a hand full of the type performed PAINTING
KIT NUMBER: 32040 amicably against a mostly Italian enemy. As with most biplane builds, some forethought
is needed when painting, as it is not possible

ON SILVER WINGS
AS WITH MOST BIPLANE BUILDS, SOME
FORETHOUGHT IS NEEDED WHEN PAINTING

1/32 GLOSTER GLADIATOR
to complete model and paint it at the end section of the Gladiator fuselage was of a RIGGING
of the project, as the top wing and struts metal construction, with the rear section Many modellers are put off building biplanes,
would be in the way. So, with lower wing and wings being doped fabric. The paint this is due to the dreading rigging, and on
attached, painting began. First. I painted finish on these two types of material was smaller scales such as 1/72, you can get
all of the components with Tamiya Fine therefore slightly different, so a coat of away with not this, however, in 1/32 you
Grey Primer, and then I added two coats AK Interactive Xtreme Metal Aluminium really do need to rig the model for it to look
of Tamiya TS- 76 Mica Silver. The forward was applied to the metal skin sections. right. This process begins by drilling small

ON SILVER WINGS
holes in the lower wings, and here I use I EZ Line, COLOUR OPTIONS
cut to slightly longer lengths than needed, then The engine and cowling are a really nice piece of
I superglued one end into each hole. I then glued design, with the engine being made of multiple
small brass eyelets into the underside of the pieces, it’s very easy to paint the various
upper wing, then with the upper wing fitted and parts. A distinctive part of the Gladiator was
the rigging already hanging from the lower wing, the cowling cooling jacket, and for this I used
this was threaded into each eyelet in turn and Alclad Titanium. The kit provides with four
pulled to a slight tension, then glued in place. colour scheme options, three with camouflage,
and this rather beautiful silver scheme, which
is synonymous with interwar biplanes. The
aircraft here wears the markings of No.72
Squadron based in the UK during 1938.
CONCLUSION
This kit was a very pleasant surprise! The moulding
was really nice, with great detail and zero
imperfections. The forerunner in biplane kits are
definitely Wingnut Wings, and although, this ICM
Gladiator is not quite as polished and detailed as
there New Zealand rivals, it is very close, and I would
recommend this kit for anybody, from experienced
builders or those who want to dip there toe into
biplane building. A real winner from ICM, so much
so that I’ve already ordered the Mk.II Gladiator!

1/72 CURTISS SB2C-4 HELLDIVER
Garth Nicholson takes on the

highs and lows of the 1/72 Dragon/
Cyber Hobby Curtiss SB2C-4
HELLDIVER!
BACKGROUND
ntroduced into service in 1942 after a
radar. One variant, the land-based A-24A
Shrike, was produced specifically for the
illustrations of the aircraft, scheme options
and some CAD renderings of the model. At
I series of development issues, the Curtiss

SB2C Helldiver was a carrier-based dive
bomber intended to replace the Douglas
SBD Dauntless. It was a relatively large
single engine aircraft crewed by a pilot and
USAAF. All but the earliest Shrikes omitted
the folding wing mechanism and had
non-perforated dive brakes. The Helldiver
saw extensive action in World War II
with the US Navy, other operators being
first glance, the instructions looked clear,
with nice full colour plates for the various
marking options. References for Mr Hobby
and Model Master paints are included,
although not all appeared to be designated
rear gunner. The wings were equipped with Britain’s Fleet Air Arm, the French Navy to a particular area. A supplementary sheet
perforated speed brakes and could be folded and the Australian and Greek Air Forces. features some options that are presumably
hydraulically for carrier operations. Bombs in addition to the original boxing such as the
could be carried in an internal bomb-bay THE KIT Shrike version. The main and supplementary
and on wing hard points, other armament The Cyber Hobby Helldiver was originally decal sheets are carefully packaged in plastic
including options for rockets, fixed forward introduced as a new-tool model in 2012. bags. The decals looked nice, although
facing machine guns and manually aimed The boxing featured in this review was pretty basic, with no stencil data provided.
rear guns. Several versions of the Helldiver released in 2019, with supplementary parts So, with happy memories of building the old
were produced, designated depending for alternative versions. The kit arrived Matchbox Helldiver in the 1970’s, the prospect
upon engine specification, armament and in a sturdy top-opening box, featuring of building a state-of-the-art version was too

HELLDIVER!
KIT DETAILS
CURTISS SB2C-4
HELLDIVER
MANUFACTURER: Dragon/
Cyber Hobby
The corrected cockpit opening
SCALE: 1/72
KIT NUMBER: 5103
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded
plastic with etched parts
many 1/72 models without much reference

to instructions at all, but this certainly
didn’t apply to a kit of this complexity.
ENGINE
I like to model mechanical detail, so I began
with the engine. The two-cylinder bank parts
are very nicely moulded with fine cooling
fin and cylinder head detail. They also fit
together very well, but unfortunately in
the wrong orientation. The rear cylinders
should be offset such that the rear cylinders
are directly behind the gaps in the front
Drilling out the cylinders. The kit’s location spigot offsets
dive brakes them by half a cylinder, making the assembly
look wrong. This is easily fixed by removing
the location spigot. The reduction gear
casing at the front of the engine includes
a couple of lumps, possibly magnetos,
which I could find no sign of in reference
I FITTED THE CANOPIES WITH images. I painted the cylinders with Vallejo
Air 71.057 Black and 71.072 Gunmetal
DOTS OF PVA AND ADDED SOME and added Tamiya Dark Brown and Grey
NOTIONAL RAILS FROM LEAD WIRE Panel Line Accent washes to enhance the
moulded details. The cylinder and gearbox
ONTO THE COCKPIT SIDES casings were then painted Vallejo 70.964
Field Blue, and similarly treated to a dark
wash. I also added a generic data plate
from a set of Mike Grant CKP 072 decals, in
much to resist, so I immediately made a start.
Things got off to a poor start after checking
the box contents against the instructions
and finding that the perforated speed-brakes
had been omitted. I had two sets of the plain
surface versions, I believe intended for the
Shrike variant of the kit, and I obtained the
correct items direct from the importer. I Here is the
used the delay to study the components original fit of
the canopy
and instructions in more detail, and quickly
realised that my first impressions of the
instructions were wrong - they are in fact
ambiguous and unclear. No colour callouts
are included for individual components, and
the parts required for the various versions
are not at all clearly indicated. Being an
experienced modeller, I could probably build

accordance with my references. After adding armour-plated bulkhead, standing proud

the separate rear exhaust ring, and some of the actual cockpit bulkhead. Something
ignition wires from lead wire, the engine was wrong though – if fitted with the gap,
really looked the part, despite my doubts there wouldn’t be enough room for the
about its accuracy. In the final analysis, it pilot to squeeze into his seat. Once again,
was all academic because the engine is all I looked at online references and found
but invisible behind the cowling and spinner. that the bulkhead should indeed fit to the
fuselage with no gap. Further investigation
PROPELLER AND SPINNER also showed the instrument panel position
The propeller is well moulded and the to be too far forward. I concluded that the
blade roots nicely detailed. I painted the entire front cockpit and its associated parts
hub Vallejo Air 71.065 Steel and applied a were about 2mm out of place. I resorted to Painting the
dark wash. The blades were sprayed black, a razor saw and plasticard strips to correct bombs in my
drill chuck
and the tips masked and sprayed yellow. the errors. I also sawed off the rudder
Decals for the manufacturer’s logo are pedals and fitted them to the floor, with the
included for the blades. The propeller spinner instrument panel fitted to the fuselage. There life raft to the prominent, but empty storage
was painted Topsides Blue and Vallejo Air is another seemingly superfluous box on the cylinder on the rear bulkhead; yellow painted
71.062 Aluminium, as per the colour plates. rear of the port canopy rail, but I opted to folded paper sufficed for this. The interior
The spinner backing plate doesn’t locate leave it in place. No gunsight is included in was painted with Vallejo Air 71.137 US Light
particularly well on the hub, but after the kit, yet there is a gap in the instrument Green, which was a decent match for Curtiss
fixing with PVA and adding the spinner panel cover for one, thankfully my ‘spares- Interior Green, but needed many coats to
itself, I eventually got everything aligned box’ provided a simple representation. give a consistent finish. Next time, I think
concentrically enough while the glue set. All this was pretty tedious work, but in I’ll look for an alternative. The instrument
the end the pilot’s cockpit area looked a panels and equipment boxes were painted
COCKPITS lot more ‘right’ than it did originally. black. I added individual generic instrument
My attention then turned to the interior. The The rear gunner’s cockpit was relatively decals from the aforementioned Mike Grant
cockpit floor incorporates extensive bomb straightforward in comparison, with a lack sheet to the main panel, and a few on the
bay detail on its underside. Again, the parts of positive location for the side panels being radio equipment boxes in the rear cockpit to
are very nicely moulded, and there are the only real issue. The gunner’s seat/cupola add a bit more realism. I used a dark wash
plenty enough of them to make an excellent is a sub-assembly, and I opted to drill out and lightly brushed Tamiya Gunmetal and
impression of complexity without resorting its perforated gun mounting ring for more Oil Stain weathering powders on the raised
to aftermarket resin. Unfortunately, though, realism. I couldn’t help wondering why this details to enhance the moulded-in detail. The
my enthusiasm was short lived! Step 4 of the small detail wasn’t included in the etched etched seat belts included in the kit looked
instructions appears to show the instrument fret, since it would have been an easy win in very nice once painted and set in place.
panel being attached directly to the cockpit terms of scale fidelity and ease of assembly.
floor by its moulded-in rudder pedals. Yet The twin rear gun assembly was fiddly to CANOPIES
step 5 (and the box CAD renderings) clearly build but looked good on completion. It There are two options for the partially
show it fitted to the fuselage, with the pedals didn’t appear to have any obvious method of glazed, retractable rear fuselage section
hanging down. Furthermore, after dry-fitting mounting to its ring, so I ended up inserting
the cockpit assembly to the fuselage several some brass wire into its mounting pillar,
times, I couldn’t understand why there was and drilling out the central web on the
a gap between the pilot’s seat bulkhead cupola ring – not particularly easy to do, and
and the forward fuselage. I assumed it was I’m not convinced the result is technically
correct, possibly representing an additional correct, but there we go. I added a stowed
Parts ready
for assembly

HELLDIVER!
behind the gunner’s position. Raised and
lowered. I went for the lowered option, since
I didn’t want to hide all the work I’d done in
the rear cockpit. It was at this point that I
realised that despite all the interior detail
provided, there was no option to pose the
canopies open as they sat far too high on
the fuselage spine. With heavy heart, but
a refusal to accept the increasing number
of shortcomings of the kit, I set about the
rather soul-destroying task of thinning the
canopies. I used my 3D printer to make a
polishing jig, profiled to match the fuselage,
onto which I glued some fine glass paper.
Using this as a roughing tool, I subsequently
used sanding pads and Tamiya polishing
compounds until the canopies fitted as Washes being
closely as possible over the fuselage in their applied to the
aircraft
open positions. I actually cracked the front
canopy because it became so thin and had
little option but to buy a replacement from
the importer. As previously mentioned, acceptably thin fins. However, the location the bomb bay. I overcame this by orientating
the canopies exhibit moulding lines on of the bombs is vague, and the placement the bombs, so their box fins were parallel
some panels, which I removed by initially of the cradle mechanism didn’t appear to each other rather than edge-to-edge. I
scraping with a scalpel, and then polishing to be mechanically feasible in terms of think this is inaccurate, but at least they’d
with Tamiya profiled cotton buds. It’s pretty allowing the bombs to pivot through the have a clear path to freedom. To secure the
much impossible to avoid damaging the gaps therein. Once again, reference to online bombs, in the absence of any meaningful
framing when doing this, but once painted, images appeared to confirm this. I modified location points, I generously blobbed PVA
they don’t look too bad. The windscreen the cradle mechanism by removing the where I thought they’d touch the bomb
and fixed rear glazing was attached to the four small stub spigots and bending it to bay roof and hoped for the best. A pair of
fuselage with Formula 560 Canopy PVA. Fit fit more ‘above’ the bombs. Furthermore, I nicely detailed bomb doors are provided,
was perfect with no modifications required. couldn’t get the bombs themselves to fit as along with four separate hydraulic actuator/
per the instructions such that they would, spring units. These are very delicate, and I
BOMB BAY in theory, drop without hitting the edges of managed to snap most of them on removal
The bomb bay was nicely detailed, with
moulded hydraulic lines and wires, and
a separate double bomb release cradle.
The bombs are also nicely rendered, with

from their sprues. The bomb bay itself was

THE WINGS WERE EQUIPPED WITH PERFORATED
painted and weathered in the same way as
the cockpits. The bombs were painted with SPEED BRAKES AND COULD BE FOLDED
a mixture of Olive Drab and Dark Green, the
yellow bands being applied with a brush
HYDRAULICALLY FOR CARRIER OPERATIONS
while spinning the bombs in a drill chuck.
moulded onto the undercarriage legs. So WINGS AND TAIL PLANES
FUSELAGE far so good, but when I sat back and looked The wings comprise upper and lower halves,
The fuselage is nicely moulded, and exhibits at the model, it somehow didn’t look right. split around mid-span for the wing-fold
fine raised and recessed surface detail, and Closer inspection showed a significant breaks. Wheel well detail is very nice,
overall fit was good. The instructions would mismatch between the covers and wheel with extensive stiffening and pipe work
have you fit the arrester hook between well outlines such that there would be no represented. There is the option to have the
the halves on assembly, but the chances way that the doors could cover the wells wings folded, and well detailed inserts are
of it surviving the remaining build steps when retracted – they were much too far provided for the break surfaces. For this
would be remote. I therefore opted to forward, and the geometry wouldn’t work. build I decided to show the wings un-folded.
leave it off until final assembly, attaching Again, my references confirmed the error Once again, the instructions are unclear, since
it directly into its slot with PVA. The engine in the kit, and revealed that in addition, the they seem to indicate a butt-joint, somehow
cowling (moulded with open cooling gills) lateral position of the doors was wrong. The incorporating the break surface inserts.
attaches to the fuselage bulkhead by main covers should be hinged pretty much However, a pair of replacement spigot
very small upper and lower tabs, which to the wing, whereas the kit had a large gap. I inserts are provided, which considerably aid
on the face of it would be very fragile. ended up removing the doors and completely in aligning and locating the wing sections in
Fortunately, the cowling is a close fit over re-jigging them to fit more realistically. The their extended positions. It’s pretty obvious
the engine, and applying PVA blobs to the irony is that if this had been done correctly by what they’re for, but the instructions didn’t
cylinder heads significantly added to the the manufacturer, the door locations could show them as far as I could see. The wings
robustness of the assembly, once set. have significantly contributed to stiffening went together well, with little filler required.
the poorly designed undercarriage. The However, the false trailing edges in front of
UNDERCARRIAGE undercarriage legs were finished in Interior the dive brake recesses were completely
All the undercarriage components are crisply Green, with a dark wash. I again added open. Since I wanted to show the dive
moulded and have good detail. Once again some generic data plates from the Mike brakes deployed, this posed two problems.
though, location is poor, with the triangular Grant sheet. The compressed sliders were Firstly, there would be nothing for the brake
braces having no obvious attachment painted with Vallejo 71.064 Chrome, and I actuators to fit to, and secondly, having the
points to either the legs or the wheel wells. attached some lead wire with thinned PVA to rear of the wing open would look wrong. So
Again, the instructions are pretty much represent brake lines. The wheel hubs were once again I resorted to reference images
useless in terms of clarifying things. The painted Steel, masked, and the tyres (flatted and ended up making a pair of cover strips
legs themselves have rectangular pegs slightly, to give an impression of the weight) from thin plastic card. I added some rivet
which fit into corresponding holes in small, finished with Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black. detail with an RB Productions riveting tool
thin protrusions into the wheel wells in the A dark wash then added some definition. - a simple fix, but another annoying issue
lower wings. The depth of location in these to overcome. The separate ailerons located
holes is, however, very shallow, and the
location issues with the drag braces result
in a very flexible assembly. The components
of the undercarriage that are well located
and easy to assemble are the wheel well
covers. These comprise two parts per side
and locate by means of spigots and holes.
The cover sub-assemblies then fit onto rods

HELLDIVER!
perfectly in their housings, as did the inserts
for the rocket attachment points, and the
nicely represented bomb racks. Some details
on the latter are so fine that extreme care
is required not to damage them during
assembly. A pair of machine guns and muzzle
bulges are provided, which locate snugly in
recesses under the leading edges. Under-wing
antennae are included and these are finely
moulded, but the instructions don’t appear
to define their mounting stalks. I assumed
some random rods (parts D19) on one of
the sprues were the ones, so used them, but
I’ve no idea whether they’re the intended
items for the job. Another finely rendered
detail is the cranked pitot head which fits
snugly into a hole on the port wingtip.
So, on to one of the main visual features
of the Helldiver - the complex, wing-
mounted, split dive brakes. Again, in terms of
interpreting the instructions, I found figuring
out which parts went where was hopeless,
so I used trial and error. The etched outer
surfaces were great, with their impressive
array of perforations nicely represented. layers of holes. I believe the end result of all the fuselage upper surface demarcations
Frustratingly, the sub-structures which this was worth it, but what a hassle! After with rolls of Blue-Tac. Vallejo 70.904 Dark
attach to the undersides of the etched outers priming everything with Tamiya Grey Fine Blue Grey, pre-shaded with NATO Black, was
are solid plastic, embossed with dimples to Surface Primer, the dive brake inners were then applied overall. This was repeated for
represent holes. I therefore reached for my painted Vallejo 70.957 Red, and pre-shaded the upper surfaces of the fuselage and wings,
magnifying glass and began the laborious with Vallejo Air 71.251 NATO black. The five but with Vallejo 70.898 Dark Sea Blue. I
task of drilling and countersinking each of actuators per side were then PVA fitted into almost forgot to paint the wing root walkway
the several hundred sub-structure holes their original recesses in the sub-structures, panels black (they aren’t mentioned in the
with various diameters of micro drill, with and directly onto the scratch-built false scheme diagrams), but these were a simple
files for finishing the rectangular slots. I then trailing edges. The nice thing about PVA for masking job. The entire airframe was then
sandwiched short 0.5mm brass rod lengths attaching non-structural parts is that it can sealed with a couple of coats of Johnson’s
between the outers and sub-structures to easily be thinned with water and wicked ‘Klear’ in preparation for the decals. The
give a small gap, such that light could more into place. The wing assemblies were a decals themselves were good, and responded
easily pass through the slightly misaligned very good fit to the fuselage, requiring only well to Micro Set and Micro Sol. The aircraft
a smear of filler. Likewise, the tail planes, identification numbers were provided as
which feature poseable elevators, were separate pieces, which required careful
attached to the fuselage with no issues. alignment ton the fuselage and tail. A set of
smaller numbers were also provided, which
PAINTING, DECALS AND I think should fit on the inner wing leading
WEATHERING edges, although no reference is made to
I began the finishing process by masking these in the colour plates. For weathering, I
the bomb bay, wheel wells and cockpit used Tamiya Dark Brown and Grey washes,
openings with a combination of mixed 50:50 and applied to the entire model.
Blu-Tac, Tamiya masking tape and I dotted some thicker wash around the back
Microscale Micro Mask. To save a of the cowling and streaked it rearwards
bit of time, I used Eduard’s pre-cut with a soft brush to represent oil staining. I
canopy mask set, which worked very then applied a coat or two of thinned Tamiya
well. Painting began by airbrushing X-19 Smoke, which toned down the rather
some decanted Tamiya White harsh bright white of the decals, to better
Fine Surface Primer on the match the weathered airframe. I didn’t go
undersides, and on the tail over the top with this – the pigment builds
and starboard wing flash. up deceptively quickly and you can easily end
The latter is provided as a up with a low contrast, dirty looking mess
decal, but I was worried that rather than a subtly integrated finish. Once
the decal wouldn’t be opaque. everything had set overnight, I applied a
Since it was a simple shape, masking couple of overall coats of Winsor & Newton’s
was a trivial task. I pre-shaded all panel lines Galleria Matt Varnish, which, as always, gave
with medium grey, then applied thin coats a very consistent flat finish. I represented
of Vallejo 70.820 Off White until the shading the wingtip lights by over-painting Vallejo
just showed through. I soft masked the outer 71.064 Chrome with Tamiya X-27 and X-25
wing panel break lines with Tamiya tape, and Clear Red and Clear Green in the appropriate

places. The signalling lamps under the

starboard wing were finished similarly, with
the addition of Tamiya X-26 Clear Orange for
the third colour. Final touches for weathering
were a few streaks of Tamiya Weathering
Powder ‘Oil Stain’ and ‘Mud’. These very
lightly streaked behind random inspection
panels and around the wheel wells and
their covers with a fine brush. Some minor
paint chipping was then applied by lightly
scribbling and dotting a sharpened light
metallic grey pencil over the walkways,
cockpit sides and the propeller blades.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
This is my favourite part of a build: adding
all the minor pre-finished details that bring
the model to life. I fitted the canopies with
dots of PVA and added some notional rails
from lead wire onto the cockpit sides. These
had the effect of neatly demarcating the
outer camouflage colour and the cockpit CONCLUSION a kit is always welcome, but only if it’s used
green. The instructions indicated that the There is no doubt that I like the look of the effectively. What’s the point of providing
rear gunner’s cupola rested precariously finished model and am pleased with the finely perforated speed brake panels, only
on the top of the rear cockpit sides, there outcome, especially with its inherent detail to have the view through them blocked by
being no positive location provided. I thought and beautifully moulded, intricate parts. solid plastic backings? I’m no rivet counter,
this looked wrong, and sure enough, a bit Equally there can be no doubt that this is but immediately spotted obvious errors
of research showed it to be so – it should a significantly flawed kit. A complex kit with the cockpit, engine, undercarriage
fit between the sides. By this time, I’d had too, for which a good set of instructions is doors and rear gun cupola, easily confirmed
enough of corrections, so moved on. The essential. Unfortunately, that was not the by reference to online images. Correcting
arrestor hook (which I’d pre-painted with case, with the instructions being unclear and these errors was sometimes fairly simple,
red and white stripes) was fitted into its contradictory in places. Errors are manifold, sometimes not possible at all without
slot, and the bomb racks and antennae such as the retractable rear deck assembly fairly major surgery. Either way, it’s not
were added to the wing undersides. The being shown in two positions on the same really acceptable given that this is not an
final things to add were the aerial wire view, the instrument panel being shown inexpensive kit. I think the best way I can
and its fuselage lead (both made form fitted two different ways in two subsequent sum this review up is by saying I was glad
EZ-Line). The main aerial insulators were steps, and the illustrations of the speed when the model was complete, and that it
represented by hemp-painted blobs of PVA. brake actuators looking nothing like the didn’t end up in the bin - although it came
actual parts. The addition of etched parts in very, very close on several occasions!

1/32 MIRAGE IIIC
LATIN AMERICAN
MIRAGE
Francisco Gutierrez converts the 1/32
Italeri Mirage III to a Chilean Mirage 50C
KIT DETAILS BACKGROUND another upgrade program resulted in the unique

he Mirage III became an icon of world Mirage M50CN Pantera, similar to the Israeli Kfir.
T aviation for its performance and

service with many nations around the
world, having multiple improvements
and upgrades that resulted in different versions
such as Mirage IIIC, Mirage IIIE, Mirage 5/5F,
THE BUILD
For this project, I used the excellent 1/32 Italeri
Mirage IIIE, which faithfully represents the
lines of this aircraft including different types
Mirage Dagger and its final version called the of wing tanks, weapons, panels for attack
Mirage 50. This fighter was used by the Chilean and reconnaissance versions and decal for
MIRAGE IIIE/R and Venezuelan Air Forces, was characterised by several countries. The fit is good in some areas,
using the most powerful SNECMA ATAR 9k-50
MANUFACTURER: Italeri
engine and the use of the French Agave radar.
SCALE: 1/32 Because of this, the Mirage 50 used a longer and
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded more stylised nose for the extra room needed
plastic by the radar, and this set it aside for the rest
KIT NUMBER: 2510 of the Mirage III family. The Chilean Air Force
acquired the Mirage 50C in the early 1980s to
complement its Mirage 5F fleet (which in Chile,
after a complete rework was recalled Mirage
50FC), and served for almost a decade until yet
The detailed engine

LATIN AMERICAN MIRAGE
The CAD
designed and
3D printed nose
section
The primer
coat added
whilst others require patience, putty and of the nose, with help from the excellent
some corrections to fit the parts onto the ‘Mirages del Armee de l’Air en la Fuerza
fuselage and air intakes. For the necessary Aerea de Chile’, which includes the complete
modifications to represent the Mirage history of the aircraft, colour profiles and
50C as flown by the Chilean Air Force, I guides to more of these Latin Mirages.
made a complete 3D CAD digital design Once this piece was designed, it was 3D
printed and incorporated into the model
along with some extra antennas and the
Adding some drift extension that this version used.
pre-shading
PAINTING
Painting began with a modulated pre-shading
on each panel, a technique that allowed me
to work on the effects quite well, managing
to give more volume to the aircraft by
breaking the monotony of the base shades.
So, for this, I started with a base of Ammo by
MIG One Shot Grey Primer and then added
some Tamiya XF-85 Rubber Black and Ammo

by MIG White. For the base colour, I decided
to use the excellent Hataka FS36375 Light
Compass Gray and FS35164 Intermediate
Blue on the upper surfaces, and FS36495
Light Gray on the undersides, a shade quite

1/32 MIRAGE IIIC
I used Hataka shades

for the camouflage
A Gloss coat
prepared the model
for the decals
details, the rivets and panels. Then I used Mirage IIIE inside the model, this allowed me
the Ammo by MIG Sky Blue Oilbrusher to add to present the engine on a dolly next to the
some extra blue tones as seen in the darker aircraft. A final detail added for this Chilean
camouflage colour. Finally, I applied a little version of the Mirage were some Shafrir II
post-shading by airbrushing highly diluted missiles, which were made using the body of
similar to those used by the Mirage 2000. Matt Black onto some areas and selected an AIM-9P and fins made of ABS plasticard.
All the camouflage was painted using masks panels. I avoided overdoing this
made with Blu-Tac, which allowed me to as these aircraft were kept fairly
create semi-hard edges very easily. For clean and only served for around
the decals, I used a mix of those in the kit, ten years before been upgraded
and some home printed made markings. to the Pantera configuration. For
some extra detail I wanted to present
WEATHERING the SNECMA ATAR 9 engine that the kit
For the weathering process I started by provides next to the plane, so for this I
applying a wash using Ammo by MIG Deep used the excellent Reskit nozzle for the
Brown Panel Line Wash to highlight all the

LATIN AMERICAN MIRAGE
CONCLUSION
This was a project that required a lot of
study and the help of some friends who saw
the real aircraft and who helped me with the
documentation and reference photographs it out, but also because of the CAD design of
for the build. Undoubtedly, this project 3D printed pieces that were indispensable
was a challenge, not only because of the to make this Latin Mirage, as there are no
documentation and study necessary to carry aftermarket available sets for this version.
THE CHILEAN AIR FORCE ACQUIRED THE

MIRAGE 50C IN THE EARLY 1980S TO
COMPLEMENT ITS MIRAGE 5F FLEET

1/48 FW 190D-13
A COUNTERFACTUAL CAPTURED
DORAKIT DETAILS A LITTLE HISTORY

any consider the Focke-Wulf Fw
Snorre Sandviken builds
a 1/48 Soviet Fw 190D-13
using the Eduard kit
year, with JG 54 becoming the first Luftwaffe

group to convert to the Dora. Its first mission was
M 190 to be the best Luftwaffe fighter

plane of the Second World War
and was rightly one of the most
famous and feared aircraft of the conflict. The
Fw 190 was designed just as War was about to
providing cover for new jet fighters during their
vulnerable take-off. During the Soviet advance in
the last months of the War their forces captured
a lot of German aircraft all over Europe This
included a couple of Focke-Wulf Fw190D-9s
break out and would go on to become a vital that were completely intact at a Focke-Wulf
part of the Luftwaffe. During 1943, it became facility near Marienburg in East Prussia. At least
apparent that Germany faced a problem with one of those two were shipped back to Soviet
FW 190D-13 high-altitude Allied bombers. Most current and extensively tested by the Research and
fighters weren’t up to the task of reaching and Development Division of the Soviet Air force.
MANUFACTURER: Eduard
destroying these aircraft. In response, Focke-
SCALE: 1:48 Wulf developed a new version of the Fw 190D, DECIDING ON A DORA
KIT TYPE: Plastic Injection known as the ‘Dora’. This long-nosed version I have always liked the Fw 190, as it’s such a
Moulded was the first Fw 190 to feature a liquid-cooled beautiful aircraft, especially the Dora it’s long
KIT NUMBER: 84106 rather than an air-cooled engine. The Dora was nose and slender body. I initially planned a
an excellent interceptor that could match the ‘straight-from-the-box’ version, but my interest
Spitfire Mk.XIV and reach heights well beyond shifted to something Russian, and searching the
the limits of the Fw 190A. The Fw 190D went into net I found images of Soviet captured Doras.
production in the summer of 1944 and the first Unfortunately, there were no D13s, but I found
models reached fighting units in August that a couple of D9s I based my paint job on, so,

CAPTURED DORA
THIS BEING A
WEEKEND EDITION
KIT IT DIDN’T
HAVE ANY OF THAT
FANCY ETCH
even if it´s not historically accurate - it could

have been - had the War lasted longer! This
particular Eduard kit is the ‘Weekend Edition’
and sadly not the easiest to build, in the
way that it reminds a lot of the early Italeri
kits, with some fit issues, and requiring a
lot of work on the sub-assemblies to get it
to look anything like the instructions. So,
plenty of cutting, sanding and polishing.

1/48 FW 190D-13
COCKPIT AND CONSTRUCTION

The cockpit was relatively simple, with the
usual raised details on the consoles and
the decals for instruments. This being a
Weekend Edition kit it didn’t have any of that
fancy etch! The engine on the other hand is a
complicated affair, that begs to be displayed.
However, I wanted mine to be buttoned up,
so I just assembled it, and didn’t even paint
it before encapsulating it in the fuselage
together with the cockpit tub. The wings also
have plenty of internal structure and details
that obviously are meant to be shown off!
Again I just went with an undetailed option,
which led to another problem in that the
gun-bay covers on the wings look beautiful
and fit when the gun bay is open, but are
way too big when the gun bays are closed, so
they had to be trimmed to the correct shape,

CAPTURED DORA
SO, HERE YOU HAVE A
‘COUNTERFACTUAL CAPTURED DORA,
OR ‘WHAT IF’ IF YOU PREFER!
and a little RLM-81 on the sides and top,

but as it was to be a Soviet aircraft, I also
added Russian Green Khaki on the top
surfaces, before giving it a Gloss coat. The
decals came from my ‘spares-box’. I didn´t
before being glued in place. This also went have any with a white border around the
for the gun bay on the nose. The ailerons can star, so I just went with a black bordered
be placed in the position you want, I found star instead. After the decals were dry,
they looked best in the neutral position. I added another Gloss coat and followed
this with a panel line wash, before adding
CAMOUFLAGE AND some staining around the forward fusealge
CONCLUSION and exhaust-pipes. The model was then
As I said I wanted this to be a captured Fw Matt coated before the aerial wire was
190, so I started off with a regular German attached. So, here you have a ‘Counterfactual
scheme, including the RLM-76 Underside, Captured Dora, or ‘what if’ if you prefer!

1/48 NORTH AMERICAN P-51D MUSTANG
Ben Smith builds

the 1/48 Airfix
P-51D Mustang
DEVASTATING
DOTTIE
KIT DETAILS
THE KIT will appeal to those who like to paint these NORTH AMERICAN
aving recently built the 1/48 Eduard areas, and for those who don’t, Airfix provide a P-51D MUSTANG
H P-51D, I was interested to see how

the Airfix offering went together.
Opening the box, which is adorned
with another great artwork, the parts and
details looked excellent, however, I did notice
decal. The cockpit floor also makes up the part
of the radiator housing and rear wheel well.
Both of these areas are up to the usual Airfix
standard with some really nice detail, however,
when it came to attach the rear wheel well side
MANUFACTURER: Airfix
SCALE: 1/48
plastic
some flash on some of the bigger pieces in my walls which also include the undercarriage KIT NUMBER: A01531
kit. Nothing that can’t be easily sorted and of doors, I noticed that whilst these have really
course it could be just my kit as I haven’t heard nice thin detail on the edges, there is a sprue
of others having the problem. The build began gate right on the thinnest edge. It’s not the end
with the cockpit. The multipart seat has some of the world but it does require careful clean
nice detail on the moulded seatbelts and seat up so not to lose the detail. At this point the
back cushion and following the Humbrol colour tail wheel strut is fitted and unlike the Eduard
callouts the cockpit sub-assembly looks the P-51, Airfix have done this part a lot better
part once complete, with its moulded fuel tank, in terms of how it fits and is secured into its
separate radio and battery. The control panel housing. The Eduard wheel strut is put in at the
was the last part to be added. The panel itself end and is rather vague as to where it goes.
is has some lovely moulded-on detailing, which

‘DEVASTATING DOTTIE’
COCKPIT
Next the instructions take you on to the
separate cockpit walls, and again these
have some neat moulded-on details with
separate controls, which aid painting and
decals for the warning stencils. These
were then glued onto the inside of the
fuselage halves. The vertical tail inserts
were fitted at this point and this is where
I had my first fit issue. It was difficult to
line the several different edges up to
get a good fit, so I went with the best fit I
could and then sanded and filled. Next, the
cockpit is inserted in the left fuselage half
and both halves are then brought together.
The fit was very good, with just a couple
of small gaps to fill along the fuselage
join, but the tail inserts came back to
haunt me here. In lining the fuselage join,
it threw the fin out on both pieces. So, to
sort this I had to glue and clamp my way
up the tail over two days to get it straight!

1/48 NORTH AMERICAN P-51D MUSTANG
FOR THIS BUILD I CHOSE ‘DEVASTATING

DOTTIE’ WITH ITS STRIKING YELLOW CHEQUERED
TAIL IDENTIFICATION MARKING OF THE 325TH
FIGHTER GROUP BASED IN ITALY 1944
WINGS
Construction moved onto the wings next
and really there isn’t much to say here that
hasn’t been said about the rest of the kit.
The detail of the undercarriage bay is great
as is the fit of the entire unit. Although Airfix
provide inserts for the wing guns, mine
didn’t fit properly and required me trying
to prise them open to match the angle of
the leading edge, and even then, I still didn’t
manage to get it perfect. At this point there
are some options for how you want to pose construction complete it was time to paint. of the 325th Fighter Group based in Italy 1944.
your model. You can select either flaps up Airfix also provides closed wheel well covers I used Alclad metallic colours here, over a
or dropped and the ailerons are posable which is extremely helpful for masking gloss black base. Any imperfections were
too. The wings were then slipped into the the large wheel bay and this just clicked cleaned up and I began painting with a coat of
fuselage under the radiator housing and in place allowing it to be removed after. Alclad Aluminium. This can be quite tricky to
this basically clicks into place with a near spray as it requires a low PSI of around 15-20
perfect fit all round Next all the various PAINTING AND MARKINGS and has to be built up in several thin
intake surrounds and cooling flaps were For the markings, I went for a set I had left layers, but it’s worth the effort as
fitted, and this went without any problems. over from Eduard’s new P-51D-5. The scheme the metal finish is perfect when
The horizontal tail planes are added next, and I chose represented Captain John Simmons done correctly. After allowing it
whilst the fit from the top is fine there was a Jr’s P-51 ‘Devastating Dottie’ with its striking to dry for twenty-four hours, I
big gap on the underside. Whether this was yellow chequered tail identification marking came back to check it over, and it
attributed to the bad fit of the vertical tail I’m
unsure, but nothing an application of some
Perfect Plastic Putty filler won’t fix. All the
moveable tail surfaces were added at this
point too, and like the main wings they are all
poseable, with Airfix providing recommended
degrees of incline and decline. With the main

‘DEVASTATING DOTTIE’
the top of the engine cowling I used MRP-234
Olive Drab, mixing in some white after the
initial coat to spray patches of a lighter shade
for some weathering. This concluded the
was at this point I regretted the metal finish paint stage, and after an application of Alclad
choice! My pre-Alclad check hadn’t been as Klear Kote Gloss it was on with the decals.
good as I thought, and several imperfections As you would expect from Eduard decals,
were showing through. Again, these were most went on without a hitch and all reacted
dealt with by masking the offending panels perfectly with Micro Set and Sol. However,
off, sanding and repainting the panel. A when it came to the black chequer board
nice side effect to this was that I ended up decals, I found that they didn’t fit properly
with a metal finish that looks like I had used with overhang in some places and short in amount that fills the lines. With the matt
several different shades - but I only used the others. Obviously, this could be because they coat dry, the exhaust and gun stains were
Aluminium! The nose, tail and wings were are designed to work with the Eduard kit, but applied with my own colour mix, and it
masked of next in preparation to receive a you would have thought the tail plane on both was time for final construction. The aerials
Tamiya XF-2 White base layer before the kits of the same aircraft and scale would be were added as was the undercarriage. The
Tamiya XF-7 Red was sprayed onto the nose, the same measurements but who knows! undercarriage was nicely detailed, and the
with Tamiya XF-3 Yellow being used for the construction of the components was nice,
tail. For the Olive Drab anti-glare strip along WASHES however, when it comes to fitting the struts
After the decals had dried for a good twenty- into the wings the angle of which they sit is
four hours, the setting solution residue very vague with nothing to really guide you.
was removed with a damp cotton bud and
another gloss coat applied. At this point I CONCLUSION
applied a Flory Wash all over the kit. This With the final pieces attached the model
is only the second time I’ve used the stuff was complete. Airfix have made a really nice
and I love the results you get and its ease of job of this kit. The detail is great as is the fit
use. My only thought here is that I found the for the most part other than the tail inserts
Airfix panel lines a little too deep, as after which as previously mentioned required
the excess wash was removed and some some fettling to get a good fit. Having built
matt varnish had been applied, I thought the Eduard kit as well the only thing between
they looked slightly over exaggerated due them, in that Eduard uses a smother
to the nature of the larger lines filling with plastic, which helps with the metal finish,
the wash. Just a small observation, but I but overall the Airfix P-51 is a fantastic
think I’ll use a pin- wash instead on future kit and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Airfix builds as it’s easier to control the

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1/32 scale WWI British RFC Pilot & Lewis Gunner
KINGKIT
THE ORIGINAL KIT DEALER (Est. 1983)
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• New tool plastic kit

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1/48 F-14D SUPER TOMCAT
Dawid Branski looks

at the stunning 1/48
AMK F-14D
TOMCATTERS
SUPER CAT!
KIT DETAILS THE KIT
ere we have the absolutely stunning
fuselage together, but unfortunately there was a
quite large step between these two parts where
H AMK 1/48 F-14D Super Tomcat, and

I have to admit that this model
surprised from the first step! Usually
I like to buy aftermarket ejection seats or
enhance them with a bit of scratch building, but
they join together. I fixed this with some Milliput
two-part epoxy putty and sanded it down with
Tamiya 400 and later 2000 sanding sponges.
PAINTING
here, the detail is incredible and the number of I primed the model with Mr Surfacer Black
pieces to assembly just one Martin-Baker bang- and added some pre-shading on a few panels
seat is no fewer than seventeen, including four with a light grey shade. Next I started painting
etched parts! After building and painting cockpit the model using the ‘marbling technique’.
F-14D SUPER TOMCAT section I began assembling the engines, the Some I did freehand and for some I used Uschi
wheel wells and the main fuselage section. In van der Rosten Airbrush Stencils. With the
MANUFACTURER: AMK
this part you have to make decision about wing marbling complete, I applied began to apply
SCALE: 1/48 sweep angle and chose the one of three supplied the camouflage colours in light coats so the
KIT TYPE: Injection moulded parts that will hold them in your chosen marbling as just visible. The three colours I
plastic with etched parts position. You also need to think about which used here were Hataka C046 Medium Grey,
KIT NUMBER: 88007 wing are you going to use! After assembling C035 Dark Ghost Grey and C037 Light Ghost
these parts it was time to fix nose and main Grey. I then post-shaded some of the panel

TOMCATTERS SUPER CAT!
I used Hataka paint for
the camouflage
The completed
cockpit section
The decals settled

very well

1/48 F-14D SUPER TOMCAT
I used Modellers
World washes oil to
pick out the details
lines with C031 Gunship Grey. Next I painted

all the inner surfaces of flaps slats and
spoilers with Hataka C219 Insignia Red, but
just before that I primed these surfaces with
white, as this way you don’t have to apply
a many coats of red to achieve the same them. More washes were used to create dirt
effect. At this stage I also painted white on and paint fading effects and these were
the insides of engine nozzles, while nozzles applied with small brush and spread
themselves were painted with AK Interactive to look a little like stains. I then blew
Xtreme Metal Steel, and same colour was some hot air from heat gun for
also applied to the leading edge of the wings. a quicker drying time. A Black
Brown wash was then used on
DECALS AND WEATHERING the upper part of the fuselage,
I then used Hataka XP09 Gloss before and White Winter was used in
applying decals, which settled well using random places while a little Mouldy Green
Micro Sol and Micro Set. Once dry I sealed was used around the front and top fuselage FINISHING TOUCHES
them in with another Gloss coat. Most of sections to create a faded effect. The rear With the weathering process complete
the weathering was done using Modellers undersides were weathered the same way I added a coat of Hataka XP07 Matt and
World oil washes. These guys are new to but a little heavier using Old Rust, Orange assembled all the smaller pieces such as
the market and you might not of heard of Dirt and Fresh Rust washes to create the the weapons, wheels and undercarriage
them, so keep your eyes open because oil dirt and grime visible on real aircraft. I also I doors. The only aftermarket pieces I used
washes are certainly way to go with not only also added a little more fading using Ammo to enhance this model further were Master
aircraft but armour weathering too. I started by Grey MIG Oilbrushers. Then the same AOA probes and a nose pitot. The front of
by pin-washing all the panel lines with their Oilbrusher and an AK Interactive Strong the windscreen was painted using a highly
Black Brown wash. At this point I should Ochre weathering pencil was used to add diluted mix of Tamiya X-23 Clear Blue and
also mention that I finished assembling more weathering on the external fuel tanks. X-25 Clear Green and finished model by
all the weapons and used same wash on

TOMCATTERS SUPER CAT!
MOST OF THE
WEATHERING WAS
DONE USING
MODELLERS WORLD
painting navigation lights and fixing the canopy with
OIL WASHES Revell Contacta Clear. I know that the actual way I have
set the flaps, slats spoilers may not be totally accurate
but I really wanted to show off this aspect of the kit!
CONCLUSION
This is just a stunning model, and the attention
to detail is sublime! I would like to thank AMK
for the build sample of this wonderful kit!

1/48 BF 109G-10 OVERTREE
Floyd S Werner Jr builds

the Eduard Bf 109G-10
with the Werner’s Wings
Photo-Recon set
OVERTREE
109
canopy and gunsights, most of which you
won’t use. The subtle differences between
G-10 variants are taken into account. For that
I applaud Eduard for going the extra mile.
Well what if you like the other items,
like etch, masks and decals? Well there are
options from Eduard. You can purchase the
items separately as you see fit. I love the
pre-painted etch fret and the masks, so I
had to review them anyhow, so I used them
on this kit. I’ve always wanted to build the
Bf 109G-10/R3 that was photographed in
THE KIT no decals. But for the cost you get a first- colour at Furth. But I didn’t like the photo-
ith the release of the Avia class kit which as long as you have decals for recon conversion on the market. So, what
W S-99/C-10, Eduard has tooled

up their Bf 109G-10 built by
Diana and WNF. They are
essentially the same and as such Eduard
released the ‘Overtree’ variant of the WNF
is awesome. You’d be hard pressed to find
a better bargain. This box contained sprues
H, I, V, W, X and Y. That is the two common
sprues along with three sprues that are
unique to the G-10. You get a new fuselage
is a modeller to do? Well if you own an
aftermarket company you do it yourself.
I reached out to Frank Crenshaw and
had him design the housing based off of
images of Bf 109 fairings. So, since I had it
G-10. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it in that is unique to this manufacturer. This has made up, I wanted to use the new Werner’s
this guise again. ‘Overtree’ kits are bare never been done before and new wings with Wings Bf-109F/G Photo-Recon Housing.
bones models, just plastic, grey and clear, the large bulges on top and a new lower wing You can download the ProfiPACK
and nothing else. No instructions (can be with the FuG-16 antenna mount in clear, also instructions from the Eduard website, and
downloaded online), no etch, no masks, and never done before. There is a clear sprue of utilising the Avia S-99/C-10 instructions I

OVERTREES 109
‘OVERTREE’ KITS ARE BARE BONES KIT DETAILS
MODELS, JUST PLASTIC, BOTH GREY BF 109G-10 OVERTREE
AND CLEAR, AND NOTHING ELSE MANUFACTURER: Eduard
SCALE: 1/48
plastic
KIT NUMBER: 82161X
started in the cockpit. The cockpit is a

thing of beauty. Out of the box the only
obvious missing item are the seatbelts and
shoulder harness. They are included on
the pre-painted fret, as is the instrument
panel which is also really nice addition.
You could make the belts out of tape if you
wanted to. I build up my cockpit without
the etched parts and then painted it in

Tamiya German Grey. I add a wash of Lamp

Black thinned with Turpenoid to add shadows
to the recesses. Then a light grey artist oil
and Model Master Metallizer Magnesium
was dry brushed over the interior to impart
wear. The details were then picked out with
acrylic colours. The cockpit is different than
the previous releases in that you need to
use the 30mm cannon cover, so don’t just
assume you know what you are doing if you
have built other Eduard 109s. Some other
things that are different are the sidewalls
to take into effect the larger bulges. Don’t
forget to add the photo-recon control panel
below the instrument panel. I wish I had
thinned mine more, but it fit fine either way.
FUSELAGE AND WINGS

The fuselage halves fit very well. I always
have issues with the panel in front of the not as good as the rest of the kit. The fit was used the Brassin set of Bronze Gear, as they
canopy and this kit was no different. Some okay but not great. This was compounded by are the later heavy style and because this
minor filling with superglue and accelerator the fact that the seam was not on a natural model would not have the lower gear covers
was all it took. Eduard must be aware of this panel line. Eduard made a ‘V’ that will need installed. Then it was time to get ready for
problem because they provide an etched to be filled. Another small issue was the some paint. Before I could do that, I had to
scribing template in some of their kits, fastener detail was soft and, in some places, mask the inside of the canopy because I was
including the extra etched fret that I used. nonexistent. Some beading tool took care using the TMasks. Once they were added,
The forward cowling fitted perfectly, and I of that prior to sanding. There is also one the canopy was sprayed Tamiya German
left off the supercharger intake until later panel line on the lower wing that needs to Grey. After removing the interior masking,
as it would make working around that area be extended to first fuselage panel line. It’s the front canopy was added after installing
easier. The tail surfaces also fitted perfectly. a simple straight line, but it offset slightly, the gunsight. The rest of the cockpit opening
Building up the wings was easy enough. One and is an issue on all Eduard Bf-109F/G kits. was masked off with Tamiya tape. Then the
thing I like to do is to add the upper inboard The flight controls were added as were canopy exterior was then painted Tamiya
flaps prior to assembling the wings because the oil coolers. I add the flap to the oil cooler German Grey, and I added the Werner’s Wings
I can get to the upper wings. This allows you fairing prior to adding them to the model. Bf-109F/G Photo-Recon Conversion #48-20
to clamp them in place which sets the proper This allows them to sit perfectly. I also drilled to the exterior of the model. The camera and
angle. Offering up the wings to the fuselage a hole in each cooler fairing to insert a rod the housing were joined and then added to
showed up the first issue. The fit of the wing to replicate the stiffeners. The rods were the belly of the model. The aircraft was then
to the fuselage along the aft portion was held in place with superglue and sanded primed with Alclad Grey Primer and the few
flush. Because I added the flaps, I needed areas were touched up. The model was then
to add the landing gear to protect them. I re-primed, and it was off to the paint shop.

OVERTREES 109
PAINTING AND DECALS
Because this was an Overtree kit, I could
BECAUSE THIS WAS AN OVERTREE KIT, I WENT
paint it anyway I wanted, so I went for the
Bf-109G-10/R2 that landed at Furth and is FOR THE BF-109G-10/R2 THAT LANDED AT FURTH
documented in colour photographs. I had
some Owl decals and some old Fujimi decals
AND IS DOCUMENTED IN COLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS
to use, and plenty of 109 markings and
stencils in my stash to cover this model. To RLM 76 variations are in the Mr Paint line. I unique RLM 77 on the spine, so here I used
start off with the entire model was pre- wanted the Werner’s Wings Photo-Recon Light Ghost Grey, which was a pretty good
shaded with Tamiya German Grey, except housing to stand out, so I masked it off and match for the colour. RLM 75 was then added
the metal portion of the wings. These areas painted it RLM 76, since it was probably to the wings and engine cowling. RLM 83
were given complete coverage in preparation fitted after the fuselage was painted. Dark Green was added to the camouflage
for the Alclad finish. While that was drying, The areas that were painted yellow scheme, and the tail was painted in Brown
I sprayed RLM 04 Yellow on the fuselage were masked off and it was time to do the Violet with Dark Green mottling added there.
band, nose and tail. I did mask off the tail camouflage. WNF/Diana aircraft have a After the main colours were in place it was
number area so that I could add the number time to add the various mottling. I played
later. I then masked off this area and painted with this until I was happy, and it matched
the wings Alclad Duralumin. Then it was a the images of this airplane. The model was
matter of figuring out which panels needed then coated with Tamiya Clear, thinned
to be painted Mr Paint RLM 76. I masked off with Mr Levelling Thinner. The decals
the metallic areas and sprayed the RLM 76 were sourced from the kit, Owl and
on the engine cowling, wings and tail. The Fujimi. I did not like the shape or size of
fabric surfaces were masked and sprayed the ‘5F’ decals from either of the offerings
with a lightened RLM 76. A couple of drops but chose the smaller one. They were all
of white in the paint cup does this nicely. This sealed with another coat of Tamiya Clear
was then masked off and the Sky version and then oversprayed with Alclad Flat. Once
of RLM 76 was added to the fuselage. The dry it was time to do the weathering. This
lower cowling was masked off and painted aircraft surrendered in a very well used
in the bluer version of RLM 76. All of the and dirty state, so that is how I depicted it.

WEATHERING
First up was a panel wash with Burnt Umber
artist oils thinned with Turpenoid. Over that
I applied some dots of oil paint, namely
Titanium Buff and Titanium White on the
upper surfaces. This was then blended in and
streaked front to back on the wings and top
to bottom on the fuselage. Next came the
exhaust staining. German fuel at this stage
burned terribly and left a sooty residue even
after a short period of time. So here I used
Mig Productions and AK Interactive
products and set the exhaust
staining with a very soft
makeup brush. I started
out with Russian Earth
and streaked it back all
the way to the tail. Then
I refined some darker
area with Smoke pigments.
I used also some other colours here and
there to add volume and interest. Once I was
happy, I needed to add some mud splatter
as seen on the photographs. Here I used Mig
Mud Splatter and a very small brush with a
toothpick and flicked it where I wanted it to sure they sit flat as the Barracudacast ones they had done the wing to fuselage join on
go. I was not too neat with it, so the pattern have a flat spot Now it was just a matter the bottom better but if that is all I have
was nicely random. Some pencil was added of adding the little details to finish up the to deal with I’m happy. The Barracudacast
chipping here and there to give some ‘sparkle’ model such as the mass weights, the canopy, wheels were perfect and they add to the
to fresh worn areas. Once happy, a coat of and antennas. Something unique about this look of the finished model, especially on
Flat was sprayed on to seal it all in there. airplane was that the FuG-16 antenna on the metal Brassin struts without the lower
the wing was not fitted but the panel was, cover in place. The Werner’s Wings Photo-
FINISHING so I used the Brassin set for this without Recon conversion is the only accurate
Now it was time to finish this off. I was going using the antenna, and with that I finally Bf 109 version of the housing available.
to add the wheels now, but I realised that the had a late-War photo-recon airplane. Everybody else’s is based on the Fw 190
new Eduard G-10 wheels don’t have holes for variant. Sorry selling point. Free advertising!
the landing gear strut to fit into. That is very CONCLUSION I’ll be building more of these Eduard 109s
strange. If you use the kit wheels, you’ll have Eduard continues to put out some excellent in the very near future, so bring on the G-10
to drill a hole to get them to fit onto the axles. kits of every variant of the 109, which for Erla, K-4 and the Avia S-199s, and hopefully
So, since I was going to have to drill a hole a 109 freak like me is perfect. Sure, I wish they will do the Buchon variants as well!
anyhow, I elected to use the Barracudacast
wheels which were excellent and drilled the
holes as necessary. The wheels
were painted up with Lifecolor
Tire Black, then the hubs were
masked off. One hub was unpainted
metal and the other was painted typical
black. These were weathered with mud
and attached with five-minute epoxy. Make

OUT
BUILDING THE
NOW
Harrier
!
Model Aircraft Extra #5 MODEL
AIRCRAFT
Building the Harrier

EXTRA
No.5
he iconic Hawker Siddeley Harrier was the first of the so-
T called Harrier ‘Jump Jet’ series. It was developed in the 1960s as

the first operational close-support and reconnaissance fighter
aircraft with vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) capabilities, and
the only truly successful V/STOL design of the many that arose in that
era, and at its heart was the innovative Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine with
its thrust vectoring nozzles. The Harrier was developed directly from
the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel prototype aircraft, following the cancellation
of a more advanced supersonic Hawker Siddeley P.1154. Originally said
to be ‘unable to carry more than a matchbox over a football field’ the
Harrier matured into one of the most potent warplanes of its generation.
The RAF ordered the Harrier GR.1 and GR.3 variants in the late 1960s,
as well as T.4 trainers versions, and it was also exported to the United
States as the AV-8A and TAV-8A, for use by the US Marine Corps as
well as the Spanish Navy in the 1970s. Spain sold seven single-seat and
two twin-seat Harriers to Thailand in 1998. The Sea Harrier FRS.1, which
shot to fame during the Falklands War, was designed to fill the strike,
reconnaissance and fighter roles for the Royal Navy, and the innovative
use of a ‘ski jump’ allowed the aircraft to take-off from a short flight deck
with a heavier loadout than otherwise possible. After the Falklands War,
the Sea Harrier was upgraded to the F/A2 standard and featured the Blue
Vixen radar and carried the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. The Indian Navy
was the only other user of the Sea Harrier aboard their aircraft carriers
INS Vikrant and INS Viraat. The BAe/McDonnell Douglas Harrier II was
a second-generation of V/STOL aircraft designed for use by the US
Marne Corps, RAF and the Royal Navy and continues in service with the BUILDING THE
USMC as the AV-8B and TA-V8B trainer and is also in service with the
Harrier
Spanish and Italian Navies. For the RAF, initial deliveries of the Harrier II
were designated as Harrier GR.5 and subsequent upgraded airframes
were redesignated accordingly as GR.7 and GR.9. The RAF Harriers
saw action over Bosnia and Afghanistan before being retired in 2011.
Most of the original US Marine Corps AV-8B ‘day attack’ aircraft were Compiled by Andy Evans
upgraded to either the FLIR equipped ‘Night Attack Harrier’ or the more
capable radar equipped ‘Harrier II Plus’ and have participated in support
of Operation ‘Southern Watch’, Operation ‘Allied Force’. USMC AV-8Bs
also took part in Operation ‘Enduring Freedom’ in Afghanistan from
MAE5
2001, and the aircraft also participated in the Iraq War in 2003, acting Harrier
primarily in support of USMC ground units, and in 2011, they flew in
support of Operation ‘Odyssey Dawn’, enforcing the UN no-fly zone over
Libya. This fourth book in the MA Extra Series contains fourteen model
builds, colour profiles and scale plans, and will be a must for the Harrier
£14.99
+P&P
aficionado!
MA PUBLICATIONS LTD

THE IPMS (UK) COLUMN
THE IPMS (UK)

COLUMN
BY MODELLERS, FOR MODELLERS
Presented by Chris Ayre on behalf of The
International Plastic Modellers’ Society (UK)
shows have all but disappeared from the stalled ones. It turns out that you can order
calendar - at least for some time to come. beer via the internet too, Dave. Who knew?
Although there has been an understandable Although quite a few model retailers
reluctance, show organisers have gradually have long traded online, others have needed
bowed to the inevitable and there will not to adapt. It seems to me that, for those of
be the usual ‘Showtime’ listing attached to us practicing a fairly solitary hobby, things
this column. The IPMS (UK) Annual General have never been easier. I have discovered a
Meeting - a very important event in the few suppliers offering excellent prices and
Society’s year - has, through necessity, fast delivery. There is also a certain level of
been postponed with no real idea of when it excitement involved in the anticipation of
will be able to be held. All physical Branch/ the courier’s arrival, isn’t there? I do wonder
club meetings have, of course, ceased. if, ultimately, there may be a price to pay
However, the crisis has perhaps not been for this and, with online sales becoming the
as disruptive to modellers as it has to some norm, how different this aspect of the hobby
other sections of the population… It is that will be in the future. When the model show
physical distancing that has been so difficult circuit is re-established, will we all still be
to adapt to for so many but, as several keen to physically ‘browse and buy’ with
Issue 2/2020 of the IPMS (UK) Magazine, written sources have pointed out, modellers are the traders? I’m hopeful that this will be the
by modellers for modellers. actually pretty well equipped to deal with case - the retail therapy at various events
the isolation side of things. We generally has always been a major draw for me.
ISOLATION AND INSPIRATION tend to model in isolation, after all. I do have Having touched upon the online world,
elcome to the latest IPMS a friend who is constantly asking when the cyberspace is very much the place to be at
W (UK) Column… there has been

some disruption to normal
life recently (you may have
noticed) so it took me a while to work out
which issue of the magazine this would
pubs will open again but, on the whole, we
modellers have adapted well. In fact, many
have discovered that being stuck at home
with time on their hands has provided a bit
of a boost to their hobby. I know of quite
the moment and I guess this is where the
‘social’ side of the hobby is alive and well.
Business is being conducted via the various
messaging apps and I know that, as with
other organisations, the Executive Committee
appear in! I mention this because there has a few modelling chums that have made [EC] of IPMS (UK) has been holding meetings
been a slight ‘pause’ since I submitted the inroads into their ‘stash’ and, as many are ‘virtually’ with some success. The EC is, of
previous column. Unfortunately, perhaps, already well used to ordering kits and course, monitoring the pandemic situation
and rather ironically, I wrote last time materials online, they have been able to and following government advice - as you
about the social aspect of our hobby and start new projects - or pick up previously might imagine, the two biggest issues to
the positive benefits, in that regard, that
IPMS Membership can provide. I mentioned If this doesn’t inspire your modelling, I’m not sure what
the Branch meetings, the friendships will. This 1/48th Spitfire Mk.XIc won Gold in Class 16 in
the 2019 Scale ModelWorld National Competition for
formed, the shared interests and of all the
Dmitris Bitsiaras. © Chris Ayre
model shows that we had to look forward
to… and then everything changed!
Obviously, I can’t predict exactly what the
situation will be by the time you read these
words, but it is fair to say that the COVID-19
crisis has well and truly wiped the slate
clean. We have very quickly become familiar
with social-distancing and self-isolation,
terms unheard of just a few weeks ago. The
new reality has had a huge impact on many
aspects of our lives and the modelling world
has certainly seen some changes. Model

THE IPMS (UK) COLUMN
What could be better than a Dassault Mirage? How about two in (very) The Royal Navy’s finest! I’m a great fan of the Fleet Air Arm and enjoy the
close formation? I have a number of kits in the stash and I’m now Yeovilton Air Day each year. This pair - Wildcat HMA.2 and Merlin HC.4 - were
planning to build a couple of these 2000D variants. © Chris Ayre photographed at the 2019 event. © Chris Ayre
be considered are the aforementioned

AGM and Scale ModelWorld 2020 (SMW).
Whilst so many model shows have now
been cancelled, the fact that SMW is
held late in the year has meant that, as
things stand, planning and preparation
continue, in the hope that the event may
still go ahead. Clearly, circumstances
will dictate the final decision but the EC
believes that it is currently sensible to keep
all options open. But here’s hoping…
Lots of clubs, including IPMS Branches,
have also resorted to online meetings and A ‘Boredom Buster’ challenge theme was the F-18 Hornet, which prompted me to find this shot of a CF-
these appear to work well for many. My 188 departing Fairford in 2018. My interest in all things Canadian has now been revived! © Chris Ayre
own Branch is one of those to have recently
tried out the idea and I hear positive ‘vibes’ long promoted the idea that visits to both are available! The IPMS (UK) website itself
from those that took part. I’m not all that model shows and aviation events are a great can be found at ipmsuk.org and this should
comfortable with the idea of broadcasting way to get the modelling juices flowing, ideally be your first port of call for the latest
myself ‘live’ so I haven’t taken part, but I thought I’d include here a few images news about the Society, particularly if you
I’m really pleased that it works for others. - from both camps - that have inspired don’t ‘do’ Facebook, as I know is the case
Elsewhere there are Facebook groups galore, me to look at new modelling projects. for many of you. Non-members interested
of course, and I have become involved in a On the subject of Facebook, the Society in joining our illustrious band will find full
‘Boredom Buster’ challenge with an aviation has a couple of groups that I’d like to point details of how to proceed on the website and
group to which I belong. In this case, a new you towards; IPMS (UK) Society Business, there is so much more besides - including
‘theme’ is set every couple of days and as the name suggests, is for the more lots of pictures of SMW-winning models.
the idea is to post one’s own photographs ‘official’ side of things and Members will I would finally like to make mention of
of aircraft that fit the theme. I have found find news, announcements, important the IPMS (UK) Magazine. This continues to
that trawling through my (vast) archive of information and such like here. IPMS (UK) be published on a bi-monthly basis and is
images, and sharing them with the group, – ‘The Workbench’ is much less formal and perhaps currently a particularly important
has been both fun and inspiring. I have has the aim of promoting the Society more benefit to Members. It provides a reliable
also found it fascinating to see the array widely. It’s here that you will find posts means of communication throughout the
of pictures that others have had tucked on all things modelling-related. Members Society (as all Members receive a copy) and
away, sometimes for decades. I know that discuss a wide range of topics, exchange tips a tangible link between Members. As well as
similar challenges have proved popular in and ideas, show off their latest work, etc. imparting important information, it is (as it
various modelling groups too and, as I have Incidentally, other Facebook modelling pages says on the cover) written by modellers for
modellers, being filled with great articles
I’ve aways been a bit of a What-Iffer (is there from fellow Members, some of whom are
such a word) and found Jamie Haggo’s Shark Tribe real experts in their chosen areas of interest.
Strafer fun and inspirational. It won Gold in Class 32
Wishing you all well, in the
(Hypothetical Aircraft) at SMW 2018. © Chris Ayre
hope that things have improved
by the time you read this.
Try to continue to enjoy your modelling.
Chris
The IPMS (UK) website address is: ipmsuk.org
Membership enquiries: John Hebditch, 45
Havisham Drive, Swindon , Wiltshire SN25 1SL
Email: memberAdmin@ipmsuk.co.uk or visit:
ipmsuk.org/membership/ to join online.

OUT NOW!
Bookstore Prices exclude postage and packing
N
INT IO
PR DIT
Modellers Datafile • 34
RE ED E
IT
LIM
THE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS
THE DOUGLAS A-1 THE VOUGHT F-8
HORNET
A C O MPR E H E N SIV E GUIDE SKYRAIDER CRUSADER
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE A CO M PR E HE NS I V E G U I D E
F/A-18A/B/C/D
and International Versions by Andy Evans by Andy Evans
by Andy Evans with Andy Renshaw
M DF M DF M DF
34 33 32
HORNET SKYRAIDER F-8 CRUSADER
MDF 36 The Lockheed MDF 35 The Grumman MDF 34 The McDonnell MDF 33 The Douglas MDF 32 The Vought
F-104 Starfighter £24.99 F-14 Tomcat £24.99 Douglas Hornet £24.99 A-4 Skyraider £24.99 F-8 Crusader £24.99
MODEL
PRE-ORDER MODEL
OUT NOW! MODEL MODEL MODEL
AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT AIRCRAFT
EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA EXTRA
No.6 No.5 No.4 No.3 No.2
BUILDING THE BUILDING THE

BUILDING THE BUILDING THE BUILDING THE
Spitfire
Compiled by Andy Evans
Harrier
P-51 MustangCompiled by Andy Evans
F-4 Phantom
Messerschmitt Bf 109 Compiled by Andy Evans
MAE 06 Building the MAE 05 Building the MAE 04 Building the MAE 03 Building the MAE 02 Building the
Spitfire £17.99 Harrier £14.99 P-51 Mustang £14.99 F-4 Phantom £14.99 Messerschmitt Bf 109
£14.99
MODEL
AIRCRAFT
EXTRA
No.1 THE DASSAULT

THE FAIRCHILD REPUBLIC
A-10 ‘WARTHOG’ By Andy Evans

MIRAGE
2000B/C/D/N and International Versions
By Andy Evans
BUILDING THE
Focke Wulf Fw 190

M DF
9
SCALED DOWN
M DF
8
SCALED DOWN
MAE 01 Building the MDFSD 11 The Grumman MDFSD 10 Eurofighter MDFSD 09 The Fairchild MDFSD 08 The Dassault
Focke Wulf Fw 190 A-6 Intruder £14.99 Typhoon £14.99 Republic A-10 ‘Warthog’ Mirage £14.99
£14.99 £14.99

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BACK PAGE
SHOW DIARY
Normally we feature a packed
IN THE NEXT ISSUE...
schedule of events but at the time of
writing all the shows in the next few
For the July Issue of SAMI, here’s just
months have been canceled in the
UK. We are still planning on attending
a little of what we have planned……
the following International shows
later in the year if we can. I have
included an abridged version of the Malaysian Maverick – David Rainer builds the
announcements from the organisers 1/72 Zvezda Su-30SM and an Su-30MKM
of the three shows.
Henschel Hammer – David Francis builds the
29th July-1st August 1/32 Zoukei-Mura Hs 129
IPMS (USA) NATIONAL
CONVENTION, SAN MARCOS, Iraqi Lightning - Grant Dalzell builds the 1/48
TEXAS, USA
On the 26th April the organisers AFV Club F-5 derived HESA Saeqeh-80
of this years Nationals released Kestrel’s CAG Superbug - Alex Santos Ataide
this announcement. The IPMS/USA
Executive Board and the 2020 National builds the 1/48 Italeri F/A-18E
Convention Planning Committee are
still moving forward with planning Enter the Dragon - Snorre Sandviken builds
and on-time execution of the 2020
convention. We are well aware of the
the 1/48 Hasegawa Saab J35F/J
plethora of challenges ahead of us Draken
in the next 90 days. There are many
more unknowns than “knowns” at the ‘Chaika’ - Ade Bailey builds the 1/48
moment. However, with the facts on-
hand we feel the convention can still be ICM Polikarpov I-153
held. The #1 consideration in planning
is the health and well-being of all of our
Vichy Patrol - Huw Morgan builds
members. Some of you have reached the colourful 1/48 Dora
out to me stating that since you are
in a high-risk age or health group you Wings Bloch MB151 C1
are not willing to risk being exposed
to COVID-19. We fully understand this
and agree that if you are in a high-risk
category, we feel that you are probably
better off not coming even if all
restrictions are lifted by late July.
26th September
E DAY, LYSA NAD LABEM,
CZECH REPUBLIC
As of the 1st May planning is still going
on to hold E-Day on the 26th September
but at the present time there is no sign
of the Czech Republic lifting boarder
restrictions so this may be a less
International event than normal.
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UNDER NEW ALL THE LATEST

DEVASTATING ALSO INSIDE!

OVERTREE 109 LATIN AMERICAN MIRAGE

WATER BASED ACRYLIC, ODORLESS, NON-TOXIC

SUBSCRIBE – SEE PAGE 38

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KIT REVIEWS – PAGE 20

1/350 AMG Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess

SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 7

SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 5

The Supermarine Spitfire

T British single-seat fighter of World War II. The Spitfire, renowned

the war. Spitfires were used in the defence of Malta, in North

PO Box 1592 | Bedford | MK40 9FD | UK

KIT REVIEWS – PAGE 20

1/350 AMG Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess

SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 7

have fun with this release.

RS MODELS forward to, include reissues

War Japanese aircraft will

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AMUSING HOBBIES appeal, as Eduard are

precursor to releasing the VBŠ

A the V-22 Osprey Kuňkadlo, which

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N Hobby is a 1/48 scale

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MESSERSCHMITT BF-1O8B TAIFUN

ust before we went to press, I

J received a sample of the new

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few years ago, I was asked by

A Zvezda at Scale Modelworld, what

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have had a long love affair with the

I Heinkel He-111 which started when I

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AIRFIX BOEING B-17G FLYING FORTRESS

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decal delights there are out there!

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V-FORCE VULCAN B.2

AVRO VULCAN B.2

I right up there as one of the most iconic

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BLACKBURN BUCCANEER S.2C

I beautiful bird is one of them. I began the

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03876 MH-47E / HC Mk 3 Chinook, 1:72 BOOK REVIEWS

05661 HMS Revenge (Easy-Click), 1:350

Available from all good model

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SAUNDERS-ROE SR.45 PRINCESS

SAUNDERS-ROE SR.45 PRINCESS

T the distinction of being the largest

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BUCKER 133 A/B