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Contents
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Model Airplane International. The Granary, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, England

VOL.17 ISS.201 APRIL 2022

VOLUME 17. ISSUE 201. APRIL 2022 Editorial:
Editor: Brett Green
Publisher: Alan Harman
Administration: Gordon Angus
Advertising Manager: Alan Harman
REGULARS P.20 RIDE A BLACK PONY alan@doolittlemedia.com
ICM 1:48 OV-10A Bronco by Spencer Pollard
P04 - NEWSLINE Art:
P06 - COMMENT P.32 WRONG PLACE, WRONG TIME, Editorial Design: Peter Hutchinson
P65 - NEXT ISSUE WRONG WAR Advertising Design: Peter Hutchinson
P66 - FINAL THOUGHTS… ICM 1:32 Polikarpov I-153 by Huw Morgan Advertisement and circulation:
REVIEWS Model Airplane International, The Granary, Doolittle Lane,
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P.8 TRANSFER LIST Alan Price builds Wingsy Kits’ 1:48 German WWII Tel: 01525 222573
Fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109 E-1 “Emil” E-mail: alan@doolittlemedia.com
Choices, choices - what decals will you chose to
build something different? Distribution:
P.48 TORA TORA TORA! PT. 2 Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue,
P.12 IN PRINT Brett Green paints and completes Eduard’s 1:48 London, EC1A 9PT.
What books will inspire you this month? Tora Tora Tora! Limited Edition Dual Combo kit Tel: 020 7429 4000

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Model Airplane International is published monthly by Doolittle Media, The Granary, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Beds, LU6 1QX. Entire Contents © 2022 Doolittle Media, Reproduction in part or whole of any
text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the content of Model Airplane International is accurate, the publishers
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Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 3

This month’s round-up of all that’s new in the world of aircraft modelling...

DORA WINGS’
XXX

DORA WINGS’ 1:48 VULTEE VENGEANCE

ora ings has sent so e hotos of the first uild of their forthco ing scale
ultee engeance
e will have ore details closer to release
hanks to ora ings for the i ages and infor ation

HUSSAR PRODUCTIONS
htt s hussar roductions co
LAVOCHKIN FIGHTERS IN COLOR
ussar roductions has released two new ach ook includes decals for aircraft
ooks with decals
O avochkin ighters in olor ol
in
fro
scale hese ooks are availa le now
ussar roductions we site htt s
O avochkin ighters in olor ol hussar roductions co

4 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 ‘Europe’s Number One Model Shops’
www.hannants.co.uk

AIRBRUSH COMPANY’S
www.airbrushes.com

LIFECOLOR PAINTING GUIDE VOL.1

The Airbrush Company is excited to announce LifeColor’s First Painting Guide produced in close collaboration
with LifeColor Acrylic Paints by Astromodel S.A.S from Italy. This unique book includes painting and general
modelling techniques covering a wide variety of scale models.
n this ook you ll find essential infor ation for ainting, weathering and finishing your favourite scale
models to the highest level while getting the best of LifeColor paints and products. Each theme has a full list of
the LifeColor paint chips that were used for the painting and weathering processes.
or ore details or ordering, visit the ir rush o any s we site www air rushes co

ICM ICM32024 1:32 .....................£47.80

Fiat CR.42CN, WWII Italian Night Fighter

ICM ICM32037 1:32 .....................£41.80

de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth with WWII RAF cadets

ICM ICM32044 1:32 .....................£47.80

Gloster J-8 Gladiator, WWII Swedish Fighter

ICM ICM32060 1:32 .....................£52.60

Bell AH-1G Cobra (early production
ICM ICM72178 1:72 £25.80
Mikoyan MiG-25PU, Soviet 2 seat Training
Aircraft

ICM ICMDS4802 1:48 £25.80

WWII RAF Airfield Diorama (Spitfire Mk.IX,
Spitfire Mk.VII, RAF Pilots and Ground
Personnel (7 figures)

H.G.Hannant Ltd,
Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 3LZ, England.
Open from 09.00 to 17.30 Monday to Saturday.
Phone: 00 44 (0)1502 517444 (8 lines) 0845 130 72 48 local rate
from UK phones only (NOT mobiles)
Fax: 00 44 (0)1502 500521 E-Mail: sales@hannants.co.uk
 s I write these words it is an almost
A springlike day in Somerset. The
garden is alive with the chatter of
bird song and the cold dark days
of winter see to e finally giving
way to the blue skies of warmer times to come.
And yet on the other side of Europe the world
awoke to the news it had feared - that Russia
had invaded its neighbour Ukraine. As the
news comes in of terrible destruction and loss
of life, I can’t put out of my mind the match
report the late great Peter Jones gave on the
day of the Hillsborough tragedy in 1989, when
96 Liverpool supporters lost their lives in a
fatal crush. As Peter recounted the terrible
events of that day with a sad resignation to
what he had witness, he ended his iconic
report with the haunting words “and the sun
shines now.”
Obviously the pages of this magazine are
not the place to discuss the politics therein
on what has brought us to this place, and nor
would I wish to, but as someone who grew
up in the Cold War of the 1980s, and who
remembers the shock and disbelief of the
BBC’s famous docu-drama ‘Threads’ which
detailed the scenario of a war in Europe and
the consequences of a nuclear attack on
ritain, find yself reliving anxieties thought
6 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
had long been put to rest. Additionally it comes
as we mark nearly two years since the start of
the first ande ic lockdowns, and ironically
just as the UK is set to lift the last of its
coronavirus restrictions in an attempt to regain
normality and “live with Covid”.
kraine is also the first uro ean con ict
to be fought in the Instagram age of instant
information and communications, meaning that
the realities of war don’t just get reported, they
are shared in real time by ordinary people.
And while it may seem to glib to talk about
the impact it will have on our hobby, there is
no getting away from the fact that so many
of the most dynamic and productive model
manufacturers right now are based in Ukraine:
ini rt, , ikro ir, aster ox, ora
Wings, ModelSvit, Clear Prop and Wingsy, to
name but a few.
These are manufacturers who, until a few
weeks ago, were sharing their plans for the
year with so e exciting new releases in the
pipeline. Now they are having to shut up shop
not knowing if their business, homes, family
or friends will be here this time tomorrow.
To see some of the messages coming from
these kit companies detailing their fears and
uncertainties has been both shocking and
heartbreaking. To say that for many they
have become ‘friends’ is perhaps no great
exaggeration, these co anies have gras ed
the advantages of social media with great
enthusiasm and their regular updates on new
releases and projects is always uplifting. Now
they no idea if their usinesses will e the next
target of a missile or bomb strike, intended
or otherwise. It brings home the horror and
cost of warfare to the outside world in a way
erha s generations have never ex erienced
before, coupled with the dark irony that for
many of these companies, warfare is part of
their usiness, al eit con icts fro decades
gone.
From my own perspective it has virtually
wiped out any enthusiasm that I have for
models sitting in the workbench at the
moment. How can I derive entertainment from
building weapons of war while people are
eeing the actual horrors of con ict t has
been brought home to me with even more
pertinence by the fact that of the two projects
I have on the workbench at the moment, one
is s af y artillery truck, the
other is ini rt s ex uisite e
three wheel civilian vehicle, both obviously
manufacturers from Ukraine. As much as
my workshop tries to be a buffer to the
outside world, here the realities are only too
clearly present, and I can’t help but think
of the people who worked on these kits for
these companies and what they must be
experiencing right now.
And this in turn has brought me to wider
issues of what we build and why. I’ve
always maintained that I don’t build models
to ‘glorify’ warfare, but I’m also minded of
the fact that there are certain things I won’t
build because I would not want to personally
dignify the subject matter with my time
spent or a presence on my shelves, hence
I’d never make anything to do with the SS.
Of course there is an inherent contradiction
bordering on hypocrisy in the fact that I do
have models of Nazi aircraft in my collection
and I’ll confess that I’ve thought long and
hard about removing them from the shelves.
The idea of making anything even remotely
connected to the hardware being used in
Ukraine is a total no-go right now - other
modellers will differ, I can only control what
crosses my workbench and my conscience.
A few days prior to writing this I’d met up
with Spencer Pollard - former editor of MAI
- and Drewe Manton on a visit to Jadlam
Racing’s new retail store in Glastonbury. It
was the first ti e we d et u for nearly two
years, almost to the day and over lunch the
conversation covered a variety of topics,
but not least how much Ukrainian model
companies had become a large part of our
modelling diet. Both Spencer and Drewe
had recently finished the
Bronco and had nothing but praise for it,
while was eulogising a out the af y
rewe had virtually ought shares
in ModelSvit having hoovered up almost
every boxing of their recent Mirage kits while
I’m unapologetic about my enthusiasm for
MiniArt and their imaginative releases that
have set them apart from almost any other
kit company out there. As I said, they’re
almost more than model companies to us,
they’re friends who deliver us exquisite kits,
such is the attachment that has grown down
the years. One can but hope that common
sense will prevail and that international
ressure will ring the con ict to a swift halt
with Ukraine’s economy and infrastructure
left intact and - more importantly - lives
having been saved.
Meanwhile, the stories coming from
Ukraine are unrelenting in their horror and
tragedy.
And the sun shines now. ■
 TRANSFER LIST
Written by Alan Firbank.

FURBALL AERO DESIGN

www.furballaero-design.com

The US Navy’s display team, the Blue Angels celebrated their 75th Anniversary last year. In 2020 the team received their Super Hornets and in 2021 were using their F/A-18E and F models for a full display
season. There has been decals sheets for the team’s earlier Hornets but all to fit their F/A-18C and D models and Hasegawa, for one, released Hornet kits of the Blue Angels’ last aircraft. It is probably only a
matter of time before Hasegawa add Blue Angels Super Hornet kits to their range in 1:72 and 1:48. In the meantime we are seeing decals sets for the new, much larger Blue Angels Hornets in 1:72, 1:48 and
1:32. Those with a Super Hornet kit in their stash that fancy doing a current Blue Angels team model now have the decals to do the job. This month we review this set of 1:48 decals from Furball.

US NAVY FLIGHT DEMONSTRATION TEAM 2021. 1:48 SCALE ITEM NO. FBD48079
This set of decals includes two ‘what-if’ schemes in the form of
an overall White F/A-18F ‘Casper’ and a similar overall Yellow
two seat Hornet ‘Beetle Bomb’. The inspiration for these two
Hornets is an overall White TA-4J that flew with the team in
1986 and an overall Yellow F8F Bearcat flown in the early days
of the Blue Angels.
Yellow decals for both single seat F/A-18E and two seat
F/A-18F Hornets are included and Blue ones for the ‘what-if’
two seaters. Many decals are common to E and F aircraft so
you must choose a single or two seat Hornet to build using this
sheet. The team’s two seat ‘spare’ Hornet carries the number
7 on its tail fins and numbers 1 to 6 (and pilot’s names) are
provided for the single seat jets. Apart from the numbers, the
main difference between the decals for single or two seat jets is
the yellow stripe that runs along the top of the fuselage because
of the different cockpit canopy lengths.
As can be seen from the accompanying illustrations, the
Blue Angels’ aircraft are mainly Dark Blue (FS 15050) but there
is some Chrome Yellow (FS 13538) trim on the tips of the tail
fins, tailerons and wing tips with missile rails. These areas
need to be painted Yellow on the standard team jets and Blue
on the ‘what-if’ two seaters. Xtracolor list the two Blue Angels
colours in their range. The decals come on one roughly A4 sized
sheet. The instructions come on two A4 sheets and will do the
required job.
The super glossy decals are very well produced, printed by
Cartograph so should be very user-friendly. If you are looking
for Blue Angels decal sheets, you will find them on Hannants’
website.

TOMCAT DECALS
www.furballaero-design.com

Following the release of Tamiya’s superb 1:48 Tomcats we have seen some equally superb sets of decals, the latest from Furball is reviewed below. Furball and Fightertown have both issued comprehensive sets.
There is however a snag with these. Several of these sets are selling for upwards of £20 each. While being good value for money when looking at the contents of each set we ask how many modellers, no matter
how much they love the F-14, will be building ten models? Others such as MilSpec and CAM go to the other extreme and release decal sets with only one or two sets of markings. These are still between £10
and £15 each so not such good value per scheme and generally lack comprehensive sets of stencilling.
So, ‘you pays your money and takes your choice’. A good compromise is if two or three Tomcat modellers at your model club pool resources and buy a good set and then maybe draw straws or arm-wrestle
for who gets first dibs at the schemes on the sheet. It’s good to share.

COLOURS AND MARKINGS OF US NAVY TOMCAT – PART XII. 1:48 SCALE ITEM NO. F/D&S-4825
This superb set consists of a large decal sheet and two more Cartograph and look excellent on the sheet. Here are the ten 02 F-14A, 161855 ‘100’ with VF-14 Tophatters on USS
about one third size, one printed black and the other in colour. options: Eisenhower, 1994. The three-colour gray scheme celebrates
Instructions arrive on four two-sided colour-printed roughly the Tophatters’ 75th Anniversary with colourful tail markings
A4 sheets. Markings are supplied for ten grey F-14A Tomcats. 01 F-14A, 162604 ‘200’ with VF-2 Bounty Hunters on USS on a toned-down gray aircraft.
We had not realised how many combinations of grey schemes Ranger, 1991. This is a full-colour scheme on an overall Light 03 F-14A, 162705 ‘201’ with VF-33 Starfighters on USS
were applied to the F-14A. Again, the decals are produced by Gull Gray aircraft. America, 1991. This Tomcat is painted Dark Ghost Gray on

8 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 the upper surfaces with Light Ghost Gray undersides.
04 F-14A, 160381 ‘200’ with VF-33 Starfighters on USS America, 1991. Full colour
markings and Black tails were applied over an overall Light Gull Gray aircraft.
05 F-14A, 161160 ‘101’ with VF-41 Black Aces on USS John F Kennedy, 1997. This
Tomcat was finished in the two Ghost Grays.
06 F-14A, 162602 ‘100’ with VF-51 Screaming Eagles on USS Kitty Hawk, 1991.
The markings are hi-viz with Black tails on a Light Gull Gray Tomcat.
07 F-14A, 162610 ‘101’ with VF-51 Screaming Eagles on USS Kitty Hawk. This
Tomcat was a little less colourful on a Light Gull Gray airframe.
08 F-14A, 160897 ‘102’ with VF-74 Be-Devilers on USS Saratoga, 1985. This
Tomcat was in a low-viz three-colour Gray scheme.
09 F-14A, 161605 ‘000’ with VF-101 Grim Reapers at NAS Oceana, 1988. The
markings are in full colour on a Light Gull Gray aircraft.
10 F-14A, 162599 ‘101’ with VF-213 Black Lions on USS Kitty Hawk, 1995. The
three colour Gray scheme has a large two-tailed Black Lion painted on the tail fins.

The instructions are very good and provide clear stencil placement details as
applying to the different Gray schemes

XTRADECAL
www.hannants.co.uk

BRISTOL BEAUFORT MK.I/IA COLLECTION PT.1.

1:48 SCALE ITEM NO. X48219
Somehow, Xtradecal has managed to
squeeze 9 sets of markings onto this sheet.
It comes ahead of the much-anticipated ICM
1:48 Beaufort kits. There is a wide range of
schemes from which to choose. No doubt
some will be tempted to buy a second kit on
the strength of what is on offer here.
01 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA DW891 ‘Q’ with
No. 217 Squadron RAF, based in Ceylon
in April 1944. The scheme is overall Dark
Green on the upper surfaces with Sky Grey
undersides with SE Asia roundels.
02 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA LR906 ‘42’ with
No. 2 Torpedo Training Unit at RAF Castle
Kennedy in Scotland in 1943. This Beaufort
is in the attractive Coastal Command
scheme of White with the upper fuselage,
wings and tail planes painted Extra Dark
Sea Grey.
03 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA DD959 ‘Q’ with
No. 217 Squadron at RAF Luqa, Malta in
1942. The scheme is a pattern of Extra
Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey on the
upper surfaces with Azure Blue undersides.
04 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA EK979 ‘35’ with
the Middle East Check and Conversion
Unit based in Egypt in 1944. The standard
tropical paintwork was a pattern of Middle
Stone and Dark Earth appears on the upper
surfaces with Azure Blue undersides.
05 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA N1011 ‘R’ with
No. 16 Squadron South African Air Force
when operating in Madagascar in October
1942. The scheme was a pattern of
Dark Earth and Dark Green on the upper
surfaces with Sky undersides.
06 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA LR901 Y9P with
the Station Flight at RNAS Yeovilton in the
Spring of 1945. The scheme is a pattern of
Extra Dark Sea Grey and Dark Slate Grey on
the upper surfaces with Sky undersides.
07 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA DX157 whilst
on a delivery flight to India in the Spring of
1944. The scheme was a pattern of Middle
Stone and Dark Earth on the upper surfaces
with Sky undersides and SE Asia Command
roundels.
08 Bristol Beaufort Mk.I L4449 OA-H at RAF
Thorney Island in early 1940. A pattern of
Dark Earth and Dark Green was applied to
the upper surfaces with Sky undersides.
09 Bristol Beaufort Mk.IA L9965 ‘T’ with an
unknown unit in the Mediterranean Theatre
in 1942. A pattern of Dark Mediterranean
Blue and Light Mediterranean Blue was
applied to the upper surfaces with Azure
Blue undersides.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 9

 TRANSFER LIST
XTRADECAL
www.hannants.co.uk
DE HAVILLAND CHIPMUNK IN CIVIL HANDS
1:48 SCALE ITEM NO. X48226
Following the retirement from military service
it was inevitable that many Chippies would
be bought by civilian pilots. The limiting factor
was that the Chipmunk could only carry the
pilot and one passenger but they are great fun,
fully aerobatic and cheap to run. We will often
see examples at air shows whether performers
or visitors. Good that Xtradecal is providing
half a dozen examples as an alternative to
their military schemes.
01 Chipmunk 22, G-BCPU seen at
Turweston in March 2012. The scheme on
this Chipmunk is a tribute to British Airways
with tail and wing tip markings similar to
those on BA aircraft. Most of the aircraft
is finished in Gloss White with the lower
fuselage in Royal Blue and Royal Blue and
Red on the top of the tail and wing tips.
02 Chipmunk T.10, G-BXGL seen at
Bournemouth Airport in June 2012. Most of
the airframe is painted Gloss Silver with a
Gloss White upper fuselage and attractive
Dark Blue tail markings and a cheat line
between the Dark Blue and Gloss White.
The old BA Speedbird logo appears on
CARACAL MODELS
hannants.co.uk
10 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
the tail.
03 Chipmunk T.10, G-AOTR when seen at
Compton Abbas Airfield in August 2016.
Most of this Chipmunk is painted Gloss
Silver with the rear upper fuselage aft of
the cockpit painted Gloss Crimson Red and
a Crimson eagle painted on the tail fin.
04 Chipmunk 22(Mod), G-BBNB at Schiphol
Airport in August 1976. Much of the
airframe is in polished bare metal with
Gloss Red on most of the wings, tail planes,
rudder and front of the engine.
05 Chipmunk 22, D-ELLY as seen at
Schoenefeld, Berlin in May 2006. The
scheme was overall Gloss Silver with
Yellow training bands on the wings and
around the fuselage and some Lufthansa-
style markings on the tail fin.
06 Chipmunk 22, D-ELLY, at this time,
thirteen years later in 2019 in QUAX
Historical Flight markings at Flugplatz
Bienenfarm in Germany. This German
registered Chipmunk was still in the same
colour scheme as above but with the
Lufthansa-style markings removed and the
QUAX logo on both sides of the fuselage.
LOCKHEED SR-71 BLACKBIRD – PART 2
1:48 SCALE ITEM NO. CD48101
As can be seen from the heading, this set for review here is half of a double issue. Part 1 covers Blackbirds
in the earlier years of service and this sheet provides later schemes. About half a dozen airframes appear on
sets 1 and 2 but with different markings, applied at different times. It is a shame we are not given dates with
the schemes on the instructions.

This set of sixteen markings arrives on two A5-sized sheets and one small sheet carrying some white
markings. Both sets 1 and 2 are reissues, originally designed to fit the aged Testors kit. We don’t see any
reason why, with maybe the odd small adjustment, these will not apply equally well to the recent Revell kit.
Having compared the tail fins, not yet added to the progressing kit build, the NASA insignia fit properly and
if the long red NO STEP demarcation lines that run along the upper fuselage needs adjusting there are some
spare red lines supplied on the decal sheet. One sheet is covered with stencilling items as is one third of the
main sheet. Pages 2 and 3 of the 8pp instructions book shows where all the stencilling items are placed and
as the variable markings apply mainly to the tail fins, the following pages mainly show only tails. Here are
the Blackbirds provided in Part 2:

01 SR-71A, 61-17958 with the White Habu snake on the tail.

02 SR-71A, 61-17960 with a White Shark in outline on the tails.
03 SR-71A, 61-17962 with the skull and crossbones on the tails.
04 SR-71A, 61-17967 with the Beale Air Base, BB and the aircraft’s numbers on the tails.
05 SR-71A, 61-17968 with dbx characters on the tails.
06 SR-71A, 61-17971 again with BB and the bureau number on the tails.
07 SR-71A, 61-17968 with a Red Figure 1 with a snake coiled around it on the tails.
08 SR-71A, 61-17972 with the familiar skunkworks badge on the tails with the aircraft’s number and Air
Combat Command badge.
09 SR-71A, 61-17973 with just the aircraft’s number on the tails.
10 SR-71A, 61-17974 with a White cartoon character holding a figure 1 on the tails.
11 SR-71A, 61-17979 with a superb Night Hawk line illustration on the tails.
12 SR-71A, 61-17980 with a badge showing a Blackbird flying over a dart board on the tails.
13 SR-71A, 61-17971 with a small NASA logo on the tail fins.
14 SR-71B ‘831’ with a larger NASA logo on a White band on the tails.
15 SR-71A ‘832’ with the same NASA logo as No. 14 on the tails.
16 SR-71A ‘844’ with the older style of NASA logo on the tails.

The above decal sets were sourced from Hannants of Lowestoft. See their website: hannants.co.uk for
details and ordering.

Alan Firbank
February 2022

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 11

IN PRINT
VALIANT WINGS
The Hawker Typhoon
A Complete Guide To The RAF’s Classic Ground Attack Fighter (Airframe & Miniature No. 2)
bookworldws.co.uk
■ By Richard A. Franks
■ Published by Valiant Wings Publishing Ltd
■ Guide Price £22.95
■ ISBN 978-1-912932-24-5
■ 176pp softback, 297 x 210mm
his is a very welcome return of a
T popular title with the third edition of
the second in the Airframe & Minia-
ture series on the Hawker Typhoon.
This new book is an Updated and
Expanded reprint of the old book. We have
seen several amended reprints of Valiant
Wings’ books recently. Although much of the
historic information in these books will not
change, it is inevitable that the lists of kits,
decals, etc. at the back of each book will need
updating almost as soon as these new books
land. Valiant Wings have managed to keep the
pagination the same while making the neces-
sary amendments.
he first ages of this y hoon re rint
looks at the history and development of the
Typhoon and its predecessor, the Hawker
Tornado. Two names that would reappear
on RAF aircraft many years later. Each
chapter is illustrated using line diagrams and
contemporary photos. Following is the familiar
12 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
a ou age arkings cha ter s well as
the interesting background text, we see lots of
hotos that descri e the ca ou age colours
and RAF markings used during the war.
Chapter 6 is headed Survivor and reports
on the sad fact that of the 3,317 Typhoons
built only one original example survives. This
Typhoon’s travels around RAF units and its
post war travels are listed. One photo shows
this Typhoon, MN235 on display in the Battle
of Britain Memorial Flight’s hangars at RAF
onings y in he final age of this
section tells us where Typhoon replicas and
parts survive. There follow several pages of
ichard aruana s excellent colour rofiles
showing Typhoon versions in their squadron
arkings and ca ou age sche es or
so ething different, the final rofile shows
a captured car-door Typhoon in Luftwaffe
markings.
fter the first ages in the ook, we
then move on to information on models and
modelling Hawker Typhoons. Manufacturers of
kits, decals, accessories have been relatively
kind to the Typhoon as a subject. The highlight
of these kits was the announcement of the
su er irfix kit that ca e as a huge
surprise when the new kit was introduced at
Telford in 2012. We waited in great anticipation
until the kit appeared in June 2014. We would
not be disappointed.
Chapter 7 takes a closer look at the popular
Typhoon kits that are generally available. At
this ti e, we have yet to see a y hoon
kit so the list of kit reviews egins with the
cade y kit and continues to the
honest appraisals of the quality and build-
a ility he final erdict also infor s on how
irfix
kit. Each kit synopsis looks at the contents of
the box, the decal options, etc and gives us
the kit compares to the others available in that
scale or exa le, the asegawa kits
are udged to e the est in des ite their
age.
Chapter 8 is the really useful Building
a Selection reviews. Kits selected for this
chapter change as reprints take place. Kits
that were relevant in , in the y hoon first
edition are now history and readers are eager
to see up to date reviews. We see reviews in
a good range of scales, , , and
o e reviews are of straight forward kits
and others take a look at the more complex
such as the co lex ulti edia
kit. Each review is very similar to those we
would find in an aircraft odelling aga ine
 SAMPLES FOR REVIEW
Please send all items for review to the following address: Model Airplane
International, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX,
United Kingdom. Companies in the European Union should also add our VAT
number, which is GB 789 7020 84

Reviewers take the reader through the build
with a copy description and build stage photos.
At the end of the review, the reviewer gives
a verdict on the contents of the box and how
it goes together he final reviews cover the
two irfix y hoon kits and runs to
pages, giving a very useful guide to putting
the massive and complex kits together. One
reviewer describes the result as his ‘star’
uild, the est aircraft kit release y irfix to
date. The other reviewer appears to have
really enjoyed the experience but was mighty
pleased to achieve the end result.
he next ages is the uilding a
Collection chapter where drawings and
descriptive notes show the progressive
changes made to the Tornado/Typhoon from
eginning to end n the eginning is the
Tornado prototype that bares only a passing
rese lance to the final y hoon versions in
early when y hoon or hed into the
Tempest. Any modeller wishing to transform
a standard kit into another version will find
inspiration amongst these pages.
Of special interest to modellers, especially
when oving on to the larger scales is the final
main chapter on Typhoon Detail. There are
a out ages of excellent reference aterial
in the form of notes, photos and technical
drawings showing every part of the Typhoon
from one end to the other, inside and out.
Photos and diagrams of the cockpit interior
and the engine will be especially useful when
uilding the ig irfix kits he final art of the
text is the familiar appendix lists of kits, decals,
accessories, books, etc. The list of Typhoon
kits is surprisingly long.
Inside the back cover is an 8pp fold-out set
of lans n one side of the sheet are
bubble canopy plans and on the reverse, plans
for the ‘car door’ version of the Typhoon.
Congratulations to the Valliant Wings team
for re rinting another excellent rofile, a
welcome return for the out of print Typhoon
book. Thanks again to Valiant Wings for
supplying their latest title for review. See the
aliant ings we site valiant wings co uk for
ordering and availability or visit your favourite
specialist book traders such as Avid Reader/
ookworld holesale ookworldws co uk
Hannants also stock Valiant Wings titles.

CRECY

French Secret Projects 3

(French and European Spaceplane Designs 1964-1994)
crecy.co.uk

■ y ar onel It is interesting to see how French scientists

■ Published by Crécy Publishing Ltd and engineers were exploring many different
■ uide rice methods of launching vehicles into the upper
■ atmosphere and space. At times, the projects
■ hard ack, x were joint efforts with the USA, UK and then
with other European nations as part of the
n interesting mention in the European Space Agency. One stand-out

A biography of the author states that

he began to learn English from
reading the instruction with the irfix
kits that he built as a boy. Older
readers will empathise with that statement as
we learned the names of aircraft parts as we
built the same kits.
There is no doubting the capabilities of
French aviation engineering when we see
such very capable aircraft such as the Mirage
and Rafale family of military aircraft. Also,
France was in the process of designing their
own su ersonic airliner when the ritish
Aircraft Corporation unveiled their remarkably
similar design that would become Concorde.
So closely similar were the two designs that
industrial es ionage accusations ew in oth
directions before peace was declared and both
nations jointly developed the superb airliner,
Concorde.
This fascinating book brings together for the
first ti e an overall look at rench ro ects that
were destined for travel beyond the earth’s
atmosphere. From the end of WWII when
France was beginning to look to restarting their
aircraft industry, it would not be long before
the desire to go faster and higher would begin.
As well as ambitions to go into space, France
would produce some very effective rocketry,
launched from aircraft. Exocet, the French
anti-ship missile would be used to devastating
effect y the rgentines during the fight for the
alkland slands in
This book is richly illustrated with photos,
diagrams, plans and artwork to go with the
text, making what could be a very ‘dry’ subject
into a very interesting and informative book.
product of this work is the Ariane rocket that is
used as a popular choice for placing satellites
into orbit. The most recent example was the
very successful launch of the a es e
telescope. When an item that cost millions to
produce, all the years of work gone and years
operation that follow is all reliant on the vehicle
that carries the satellite into orbit. Ariane has
proved to be a very reliable and worthy choice.
Ariane performed so perfectly when launching
the telescope that post launch mid-course
corrections were not necessary.
As well as rockets such as Ariane, the
French explored many other types of launcher.
Vehicles similar to the Space Shuttle can be
sent on their way on top of a standard rocket.
A similar vehicle can be carried to height
on top of an aircraft and then launched into
orbit. All of the means of reaching space
explored by French industry is described in
this book. Many of the vehicles look fantastic
in diagrams, artwork and models. As well
as the engineering hurdles to be cleared, of
course there are finance and olitical issues
The author looks to how all things are taken
into account in order to progress French space
travel ambitions.
his ook is the third and final volu e
taking a close look at French Secret Projects
over the years. Thanks to Crécy Publishing for
supplying their three recent books for review
this month. See crecy.co.uk for details and
availability. These books can be ordered direct
from Crécy direct or from the usual modelling
and aviation specialist book suppliers or can
be ordered from high street book shops.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 13

IN PRINT
Red Kite/Wingleader
Gloster Gladiator
In RAF and Overseas Service. Wingleader Photo Archive Number 12
wingleader.co.uk
■ By Andrew Thomas
■ Published by Red Kite/Wingleader
■ Guide Price £19.95
■ ISBN: 978-1-908757-22-7
■ 80pp softback, 210 x 297mm
T
he Gloster Gladiator was the RAF’s
last i lane fighter, develo ed as a
rivate ro ect y the loster ircraft
o any at rockworth ust outside
Gloucester in the early 1930s. It was
the first fighter to rovide the ilot with
the comfort of an enclosed cockpit. While
being, on the face of it, good news, there
were issues with fumes accumulated inside
the closed cano y oday, dis lay ilots ying
the ladiator always y with the cano y o en
and all the air-to-air photos in this book shows
pilots with the canopy hood rolled back.
his twelfth in the excellent hoto rchive
follows the fa iliar attern his ook gives
an outline history of the ty e while roviding
modellers with many Gladiator photos. Each
page carries anything up to four photos per
age with excellent colour artwork rofiles
scattered throughout the book.
For a long time, kit manufacturers
overlooked the ladiator with only one or two
14 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
kits availa le ow things have changed
with a selection of recent kits from1:144 to
readily availa le hose with one of those
kits in ind will find uch ins iration within
this book. There is a good choice of Gladiators
in ight and on the ground that rovide good
references for a build or a diorama. One in
particular shows a Gladiator perched on the
back of a lorry, undercarriage in the cargo part
and rear fuselage rotruding over the ca
The Gladiator is not a wreck, so this makes an
ideal diora a su ect
n the early days of service, ladiators
were finished in overall alu iniu aint and
often carried colourful squadron insignia on
fuselage sides and wing tops. At the beginning
of this book, we see such schemes and then it
goes on to descri e the ca ou age sche es
that were applied as WWII broke out and
in so e overseas territories ust efore the
war here are very few hotos in colour ut
the colour illustrations show several of these
schemes. Photos show Gladiators during
so e of their overseas de loy ents section
describes the Sea Gladiator and tells the
story of the fa ous aith, o e and harity,
the three Sea Gladiators that took part in the
defence of Malta in June 1940.
he final ages of the ook looks at
the Gladiators operated by foreign air forces.
We often see Gladiators carrying the blue
swastikas of the Finnish Air Force but Finland’s
neigh ours, orway and weden also ew the
ty e o e were ca tured and own y the
Russians. Ireland, Belgium and Australia also
appear on the list at the back of the book of
nations who ew ladiators ust under
were produced and it is great to see that a
cou le are still in ya le condition in the
This book is another great addition to the
increasing nu er of aircraft covered y the
ingleader hoto rchive series ny odeller
will find so e great references for a uild
Photos showing the look of the inter-wing
bracing wires will be particularly helpful. As
well as the hotos, the infor ative ca tions
rovide ust enough infor ation on the service
life of this iconic aircraft.
his ook is availa le direct fro
wingleader.co.uk or from specialist modelling/
aviation ook outlets
Alan Firbank
February 2022
REFERENCE – OV-10 BRONCO
OV-10 BRONCO
CLOSE-UP
SPENCER POLLARD TAKES A WALK AROUND A COLOURFUL BAVARIAN OV-10 BRONCO
he North American Rockwell
T OV-10 Bronco is an American
twin-turboprop light attack and
observation aircraft.
It was developed in the 1960s
as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency
(COIN) combat, and one of its primary
missions was as a forward air control (FAC)
aircraft. It can carry up to 3,200 lb of external
munitions, internal loads such as paratroopers
or stretchers, and loiter for three or more
hours.
16 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
The original concept was for a rugged, piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted
simple, close air support aircraft integrated
with forward ground operations. At the time,
the U.S. Army was still experimenting with
armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was
not interested in close air support.
The concept aircraft was to operate from
expedient forward air bases using roads as
on the centreline to get efficient unranged
ai ing he inventors favoured strafing
wea ons such as self loading recoilless ri es,
which could deliver aimed explosive shells
with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-
round weight than rockets. The airframe was
to be designed to avoid the back blast.
runways. Speed was to be from very slow
to medium subsonic, with much longer loiter Design
ti es than a ure et fficient tur o ro The OV-10 has a central nacelle containing
engines would give better performance than pilots and cargo, and twin booms containing

twin turboprop engines. The visually distinctive
feature of the aircraft is the combination of the
twin booms, with the horizontal stabilizer that
connects them.
The aircraft's design supported effective
operations from forward bases. The OV-10 can
perform short take-offs and landings, including
on aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious
assault ships without using catapults or
arresting wires. Further, the OV-10 was
designed to take off and land on unimproved
sites. Repairs could be made with ordinary
tools. No ground equipment was required to
start the engines. If necessary, the engines
could operate on high-octane automobile fuel
with only a slight loss of power.
The aircraft had responsive handling and
could y for hours with external fuel
tanks he cock it had extre ely good visi ility
for a tandem pilot and co-pilot, provided by
a wrap-around greenhouse that was wider
than the fuselage. North American Rockwell
custom ejection seats were standard, with
Issue 201 -www.modelairplaneinternational.com 17
)8//6,=(
many successful ejections during service. With
the second seat re oved, it can carry ,
ounds of cargo, five aratroo ers, or two litter
patients and an attendant. Empty weight was
6,969 pounds. Normal operating fuelled weight
with two crew was , ounds axi u
take-off weight was 14,446 pounds.
The bottom of the fuselage bore sponsons
or stu wings that i roved ight
performance by decreasing aerodynamic drag
underneath the fuselage. The sponsons were
mounted horizontally on the prototype. Testing
caused them to be redesigned for production
aircraft; the downward angle of the sponsons
on production models ensured that stores
carried on the sponsons jettisoned cleanly.
or ally, four achine
guns were carried on the sponsons with the
s accessed through a large forward
opening hatch on the top of each sponson.
The sponsons also had four racks to carry
bombs, pods, or fuel. The wings outboard of
the engines contain two additional racks, one
REFERENCE – OV-10 BRONCO
per side.
Racked armament in the Vietnam War was
usually seven-shot 2.75 in rocket pods with
white phosphorus marker rounds or high-
explosive rockets, or 5 in four-shot Zuni rocket
pods. Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-
dropped unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6
attlefield illu ination ares, and other stores
18 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
were also carried.
Operational experience showed some
weaknesses in the OV-10’s design. It was
significantly under owered, which contri uted
to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain
because the pilots could not climb fast enough.
hile s ecifications state that the aircraft could
reach 26,000 feet, in Vietnam the aircraft could
 )8//6,=(

reach only 18,000 feet. Also, no OV-10 pilot
survived ditching the aircraft.
Operational History
The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force, U.S.
Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, as well as in the
service of a number of other countries.
A total of 81 OV-10 Broncos were ultimately
lost to all causes during the course of the
Vietnam War, with the Air Force losing 64, the
Navy 7, and the Marines 10.
* Body text courtesy of Wikipedia https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_
Rockwell_OV-10_Bronco ■

Issue 201 -www.modelairplaneinternational.com 19

KIT BUILD
WRITTEN AND BUILT BY SPENCER POLLARD

20 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION:
ICM 1:48 OV-10A Bronco
Kit No: 48300
Materials: IM
Available From: All Good Model Shops

RIDE A
Price Guide: £24.50 — £27.99

BEFORE STARTING:
Tamiya Extra Thin Cement
Gunze Sangyo Mr. Cement S
Tamiya Masking Tape
Xuron Cutters
Tweezers
Swann Morton No.10 Scalpel & 10A Blades
Plasti-Zap Cyanoacrylate Glue –– thin and medium

BLACK
viscosity
Gunze Sangyo Mr Filler Primer

PAINTS USED:
Tamiya Acrylics
OX-18 Semi-Gloss Black
OXF-1 Flat Black
OXF-2 Flat White
OXF-7 Flat Red
OXF-53 Neutral Grey

PONY
OX-22 Clear
OXF-85 Rubber Black
OX-19 Smoke
OXF-82 Ocean Grey 2
Tamiya Lacquer Paint
OLP-34 Light Grey
Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color
OGX Clear Flat
Games Workshop Acrylics - colours for detailing and matt
varnish
Winsor & Newton Oil colours
Spencer Pollard takes a detailed OPayne’s Grey
look at this recently released ORaw Umber
OBlack
kit, and some of the aftermarket
accessories that you can use to
improve its image…

D
espite being a well-loved aircraft
in military service around the
world, the Bronco spent an
awfully long time in the modelling
weeds, with only a handful of
kits to excite the enthusiast until recently.
This was perhaps most noticed by those
modellers that work in 1:48 scale, with
only the Hawk/Testors/Italeri kit to work
with, a kit that shows its age by being
simple, poorly detailed and less than easy
to build! Having waited so long to see a
re lace ent, first in the for of the l ha
variant seen here and within the last few
weeks a Delta bird that offers the chance
to replicate a Desert Storm aircraft, it is
pleasing to announce that ICM have made
that more than worthwhile! The resulting
model, as can be seen here, is one to
savour and perhaps build more than once!
In the Box
This is a typical ICM kit, that is to say:
well-detailed, beautifully moulded, cleverly
broken down and topped off with plenty of
decal choices to set the uices owing he
box is packed as well, and given the very
low retail price, that creates a package that
is not only attractive in its own right, but
incredible value for money as well. Indeed,
I can seen very few kits on sale today
that offer better value for money which
is certainly welcome given the economic
shocks that many of us are facing as 2022
moves through its gears.
he first thing to strike you a out this
kit is the complexity of the surface detail.
Very much taking a leaf from the Eduard

“This is a typical ICM kit, that is to say: well-

detailed, beautifully moulded, cleverly broken down
and topped off with plenty of decal choices to set
the juices flowing.”

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 21

KIT BUILD

The wing is a full-span affair onto which drops the nose and the twin booms. Construction is very The kit features a full collection of separate control surfaces, though oddly, no option to have any
simple and fit, almost perfect. Surface detail is simply sensational! of them deflected. It would be simple to do that, but as most images showed them in their neutral
position, they were left well alone.

The fuselage sides and lower belly panel. Space within the nose is very limited thanks to the depth Sidewall detail is neat and comprehensive. The interior of the Bronco is a complex mass of features,
of the cockpit, so weight, when needed, is very difficult to house! so detail can happily be added. This though, is enough to be getting on with.

playbook, the detail mixes incised multipart ejection seats; a comprehensive

panel lines and rivets, with some
The cockpit very welcome raised rivets that
interior is a decorate the sides of the lower
complex, multipart nose and tail booms. I’ve often
affair, that offers
plenty of detail argued that these machines really
from the box. do suffer at times from being too
smooth, so seeing this one bedecked
in a panoply of surface features, is
certainly something to celebrate.
Moving on from the surface detail, you will
also be struck by the features that ICM
have wedged into the over owing
box. There’s a full suite
of separate control
surfaces; full-depth
gear bays; highly
detailed
cockpit
Seats in this shot still need cushions and straps with
— the latter courtesy of Eduard.
collection of ordnance (available as a separate
kit of stores within the ICM range); superbly
clear canopy parts and then a decal sheet that
offers a choice of no less than five different
machines, in a variety of different colours and
markings.
Breakdown of the model is as sensible as
I’ve seen, with nothing that seems to warrant
further consideration. Of course the Bronco
is a complex aircraft, with plenty of glazing,
so the fact that you can build this model with
very little in the way of clean u or filling the
latter only apparent around the two joints that
ow fro the ack of the cano y sides to the
wing root leading edge) is as pleasing as it
is welcome. But there is more to it than that.
he design of the kit and its i ressive fit,
mean that you can happily construct a number
of large subassemblies that can be brought
together as final asse ly roceeds ou will
see how this was brought into play during this
build and how that allowed me to cut down
immeasurably on the amount of masking
that would e needed as the final finish was
applied. It also helps get paint around the

22 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48
The interior of the cockpit has been
Major construction around this model was carried out painted, detailed and weathered.
using nothing more sophisticated than a scalpel and
Tamiya’s wonderful, ‘white cap’ Cement.

In order to simplify the construction and clean-up of

the booms. This upper panel was removed from the left
and right upper wings and then glued directly into the
upper edges of each boom. That allows them to be more
accurately aligned than was considered possible with
them in place (a suggestion made by my good friend,
Drewe Manton).

Though the instructions suggest a light grey for the

interior, mine looks to be slightly beige thanks to
model. The gaps between the inside of the
the washes that I applied, a feature made all the
more noticeable against the very pale, blue/grey booms and the outside of the rear fuselage
finish that was subsequently applied! are narrow at best, so access is rather limited.
I therefore found it best to spray both of these
areas, as well as the lower wing panels that
link them together, before everything was
oined for the final ti e f course that eant
there would be some touching up to do, but
this was easier to complete than trying to paint
those two zones with the airframe complete.
Perhaps the one aspect of this kit that will
need some thought, is the balancing of the
model on all three wheels. The fuselage id
designed in such a way as to replicate a full-
depth cockpit and then open gear bay, both
of which take up every available millimetre of
space with the nose. This means that there is
absolutely no space whatsoever forward of the
cockpit, or indeed below it to add any weight.
You could of course add some to the back wall
of the cockpit –– which I indeed, considered
–– but the main gear is so fragile that I was
concerned that adding weight over each leg,
would add undue strain and would perhaps

The cockpit walls were sprayed with Tamiya Sky Grey and then washed with a thin Raw Umber In order to simplify masking, all outer surfaces around the openings for the cockpit and wheel bays
wash, thinned with Odourless Thinners. Details were picked out with enamels, before spraying the were sprayed with camouflage paint as seen here. As it turned out, this shade wasn’t correct for the
gear bay in Flat White, washed again with Raw Umber. final finish, but the step remains the same, so I’ve left in it this sequence despite the errant colour!

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 23

KIT BUILD
The fully assembled booms,
ready for installation. Note
once again the outer paint is
already in place.
result in them collapsing, Bambi-fashion. As
the odel needs around five gra es of
weight to balance it out, I chose a rather less
elegant fix he odel was co leted and
then with it on its wheels, fixed s all fishing
weights into the nose-gear bay, under the
instrument coaming and around the back of
the pilot’s rudder pedals, until it balanced on all
three wheels. Like I say, not entirely pleasing,
ut invisi le to all ut those keen to ti the
model upside down and who quite frankly,
other than me, is going to do that?!
With the cockpit being so detailed (only
i roved here, with so e lead wire ca ling
and a set of Eduard seat straps) it is pleasing
to reveal that the gla ing is not only incredi ly
A close-up of those Eduard straps and the soon to be
completed, ejection seats. Seat Cushions have yet to be
fixed in place.
24 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
The gear bays are supplied as flat-packed elements that
assemble easily and feature neat detail. As with the nose
bay, these were sprayed in Flat White and then washed to
bring out the detail.
Another mistake! Here are the undercarriage legs,
assembled and painted ready for use…or so I thought!
The nose leg has actually been assembled back to front,
a mistake that I only noticed when I tried to glue it in
place and it wouldn’t fit! Live and learn…
clear, it is a a ingly thin as well n order
to ca ture the co lex, lown sha e of the
ronco s gla ed anels, the kit offers the
windscreen, roof and side panels as separate
arts that need to e very carefully glued
together to co lete the icture he delicacy
of each piece is such that you need to take
your time here, align each part as accurately
as ossi le and only then a ly your adhesive
of choice, in this case, a iya xtra hin
Cement. As hard as it is to do that with the
cock it doors closed, it is nerve shatteringly Eduard seat straps were used to decorate the cockpit,
tricky to do it with them open! I wanted to add a cheap and easy improvement that’s well-within a
beginner’s reach.
another level of detail, so figured that s litting
the left hand anel and then having the doors
open would look really pleasing. It does, but
I’m not sure that the additional stress that I
suffered trying to glue those thin panels of
glass to the equally thin framing that decorates
the roof was worth it — in fact, I can say with
so e conviction that it wasn t ext ti e, will
take the easier route and glue it all together
with the doors shut!
In order to allow the gear bays to be fixed in place
after the booms had been painted, the undersides of
the nacelles were not glued together, the parts being
snapped in place and then the joints permanently closed
up with Extra Thin Cement.
“With your model assembled,
you are faced with a choice
of colours and markings with
which to decorate it.”
Booms and main wing, ready to be joined. This is as
simple procedure, the tolerance between the parts being
exceptionally tight.
1:48
As with the booms and those gear bays, the fuselage
halves can be glued together, joints cleaned up and then
the cockpit, slotted in place from below.

Booms and wings joined, we now have

one large subassembly that only needs the The fit of the parts can
nose to complete the picture. All control be easily seen in this
surfaces are still separate at this point. shot. Other than a little
Mr. Surfacer behind the
cockpit, this kit needed
absolutely no filler.

The airframe is complete

and all outer surfaces
have been sprayed with an
Aircraft Gray Shade.

This was mixed from Tamiya LP-34 Light Grey darkened with a
few drops of XF-82 Ocean Grey 2.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 25

KIT BUILD
All decals in place
and then sealed with
a layer of Mr. Color
GX Clear Flat.

Though the kit decals are very nice and offer some
interesting schemes, I chose to use Caracals’s decals for
the reasons outlined in the text.

Here is the kit’s depiction of the aircraft that I modelled,

along with ICM’s comprehensive decal sheet.

Though the model looked really

Decisions Decisions nice as seen in these shots, I
With your model assembled, you are faced wanted a more war-weary aircraft,
with a choice of colours and markings with so it was now time to add some
which to decorate it. The choices are as considerable weathering!
follows:

OOV-10A 155471, Light Attack Squadron 4

(VAL-4) "Black Ponies", Binh Thuy, 1971.
O , arine servation
uadron , uang ri,
O , th actical ir
u ort uadron, a ang,
O arine servation
uadron , a ang,
O , arine servation
uadron , a ang,

As you can see from the list, all of the

aircraft served during the ietna con ict, so
that narrows your field of vision slightly hat

Ammo by Mig Jimenez Decal Fix was used to apply the decals. I was really impressed by how well The cockpit and nose are now together, painted and ready for completion. Note how that ‘beige’
It worked in practice, so will certainly be using it again as part of future projects. interior, rather contrasts with the grey/blue exterior finish!

26 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48

The kit includes a whole host of munitions to hang under the fuselage and wings of this model. In The kit instructions suggest painting the propellers red and the hubs in black, both of which is
the end I went for a representative load of 2 LAU-69A rocket pods, 2 LAU-68 rocket pods and a incorrect. The way that they have been painted here, with metal blades, red hubs and red/white tips,
single 150 Gallon fuel tank. Stencil decals, found on the kit sheets, add a neat layer of additional is accurate, as seen in video footage of this aircraft in action. Incidentally, the kit supplies decals for
detail, as does the application of subtle weathering over all of the stores. the tips, but they were painted instead — a long, but ultimately satisfying process!

As discussed in the text, the canopy is very tricky to assemble and paint, a process made all the more nerve-racking The seats are now complete,
when you split it as I have done here. This was carried out using a very fine razor saw and fine sanding sticks. The kit their straps being carefully
includes templates to create your own canopy masks, which in the past have worked really well. In this case though I glued in place.
used a set of Eduard T-Face masks to speed up the process, inside and outside of this delicate sub-assembly.

Though the finish on this model looks to be complex, it really was a very simple aircraft to weather. A very thin wash was mixed from Raw Umber, Titanium
White and Black oil paints, thinned with around 90% Odourless Thinner. This was then flowed around panel lines, details and rivets and then very carefully
blended-away with a soft cotton cloth and cotton buds, both moistened with thinners. Panels were then masked off and sprayed with Tamiya Smoke as well
as a few with lighter shades of grey. All surface detail was then cry brushed with very pale grey and white, this being particularly useful over the surface of
the rivets, especially under the nose.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 27

KIT BUILD

It’s always great to complete the cockpit, ready for the

glazing to be fixed in place. Though I’m happy with
the kit’s cockpit, I’m definitely keen to see what the
aftermarket throw at this kit and the levels of detail that
could be added with a little work…

A view of the undersides, shows

the undercarriage legs and
weapons now in place. The stores
are incredibly frustrating to glue
in place, each having absolutely
no clear fixing points, only their
delicate brackets and sway braces
holding each in place. Prototypical,
but hardly sensible for a delicate
miniature such as this!

28 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48

A close-up of those
weapons, most of which
are held in place with less
than sturdy joints…

Mentioned in the text, this model needs

around five grammes of weight to balance it
on all three wheels. Here was the solution
I came up with, hardly the most pleasing
of solutions, but enough to pass muster
unless you turn the model upside down!
Note in this shot that the undercarriage leg
has now been corrected!

On its wheels at last! With

the canopy fixed in place
and some delicate aerials
added, this model will be
complete.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 29

KIT BUILD

30 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48

said, the aircraft are all interesting in their
own right and the different schemes certainly
allow for a degree of personalisation from
overall pale grey, through green and grey and
combinations of both. Decals are well-printed,
thin and in my case, perfectly in register. That
said, I had already bought a set of Caracal
decals, so decided to use those instead of the
kits decals, because I was happier with their
accuracy and colour, than the markings in the
kit. I can’t vouch for the other schemes, but
was certainly happier with the way Caracal
had interpreted the ‘Black Ponies’ motif, as
was I their shade of red. ■

FINAL VERDICT
We’ve waited a long time for a new 1:48 Bronco, so I’m pleased to say that is kit was more than worth the time it has
taken to get here! Simply opening the box reveals the lengths that ICM have gone to, to create as detailed a model as
possible, with levels of accuracy and ease of assembly that match the very best.
It is of course not entirely perfect, this weapons brackets being a drain to deal with, but as a project to encore
and a model to admire, the package is up there with some of the best kits that I’ve completed and at the price that
this kit retails for (I grabbed mine from Jadlam) it’s an absolute steal.
I really enjoyed this one and will certainly have a go at building another. Give it a go: I think that you will enjoy
it as well!

Issue 201
144 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 31
KIT BUILD
BUILT AND WRITTEN BY HUW MORGAN

BIPLANE SWA
Huw Morgan builds ICM’s Polikarpov I-153 and completes it in Finnish markings
 1:
SKILL LEVEL:
BEGINNER / INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION:
ICM Polikarpov I-153
Kit No: 32011
Materials: IM,
Status: New Boxing
Availability: Online and model shops
Price Guide: £ 41.50

ANSONG BEFORE STARTING:

OTamiya OF2 side cutters
O#3 and #4 scalpels with #11,#23, and#25 blades
ODeluxe Perfect Plastic filler
OAK Interactive filler
OTamiya Extra Thin cement

L
ike other emerging powers in the
1930s, Russia became embroiled
in a number of short, tactical wars
that served to accelerate the
development of modern weapons,
including aircraft. At this time of rapid change
in aircraft development, the widely differing
performance of competing designs made for
confusion over the best development path,
and led to a few false starts and dead ends.
Arguably, the Polikarpov I-153 was one such
dead end.
Developed from the conventional biplane
I-15 of the early 1930s which fought in
OLoctite cyanoacrylate glue
OAlbion Alloys and Flory Models sanding boards
OAbralon 600, 1000 and 3000 grit foam abrasive
OMicromesh polishing cloths
OTamiya masking tape
OPacer Formula 560 canopy glue
OBare Metal Foil Chrome
OArtists’ grey green, black and brown tone pastel chalks

ADDITIONAL PARTS USED:

OEduard Zoom PE set I-153 #33198 Chaika
OEduard I-153 Chaika Seatbelts Steel #33199
OAIMS I-153 Bracing Wires #32PE008

PAINTS USED:
Tamiya:
OXF-1 Black
OX-2 White
OXF-7 Red
OXF-63 German Grey
OXF-64 Red Brown
OXF-86 Burnt Iron

Mr Hobby Aqueous:
OH67 Light Blue (RLM 65)
OH77 Tire Black
OH78 Olive Drab #2
OH320 Dark Green
OH324 Light Grey
OH416 Grey (RLM66)
OH417 Blue (RLM78)
OGX 110 Gloss
OGX 113 Flat

Vallejo Acrylic Metal Color:

O77.701 Aluminium
OExhaust manifold
ODark aluminium
OSteel

Citadel Air:
OFlash Gitz Yellow

Halfords:
OGrey Primer

Windsor and Newton oils:

OBurnt Umber
OLamp Black
OTitanium White

The model was set off with the addition of a pilot figure from
Aerobonus (albeit a Russian!) and was placed on a simple
snowy base to which was added some clutter.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 33


ICM’S box top.
The Finnish marking option.
Rib detail on the wings is nicely done and suitably
restrained
Moulding is pretty sharp throughout, as an example,
seen here in the engine cylinder finning
This issue of the kit includes an additional sprue for the
ski undercarriage, although the conventional wheeled
option is still present
KIT BUILD
the Spanish Civil War, through the I-15bis
(or I-152) with a new straight wing, the I-153
was conceived as a result of the mismatched
performance in Spain of the (for the day) fast,
advanced I-16 monoplane of the Republicans
and the predominant Heinkel 51 and Fiat Cr.32
biplanes of the Fascist Nationalist forces;
the latter being relatively slow but highly
anoeuvra le and excellent dogfighters t
a ti e when forward firing guns was all there
were, the I-16 hotrods couldn't easily get to
grips with these elusive targets, and in 1937,
a detailed study by the Polikarpov bureau
led the Russians to evolve a doctrine of a
As in the real aircraft, the interior shows off the tubular steel structure, on which are hung the instrument panel and subsidiary
controls, many of which are replaced by the Eduard parts.
Two Eduard PE sets were available; the 33 198 Zoom set
for the interior, and the 33 199 steel seatbelts. Detail is
everything we've come to expect from Eduard
Polikarpov biplanes had characteristic flat-section double
rigging wires, represented nicely in the larger scale by the
AIMS PE set.
two s eed fighter force fast ono lanes
for interception, and nimble biplanes to get
in close. Polikarpov was directed to develop
a state-of-the-art biplane to complement the
I-16.
he new fighter designated ter y
the design bureau and I-153 by the Soviet
ir orce was ased closely on the
design of the I-15bis, with a stronger structure,
ut was fitted with a anually retracta le
undercarriage to reduce drag and reverted to
the gull upper wing of the original I-15 with the
improved aerofoil section of the I-15bis. The
four guns of the is were
 1:

The separate interior framework follows the construction basis of the original aircraft. The tubular framework sits on a cockpit floor.

This carries the seat, stick and rudder pedals. The completed framework is pleasantly busy.

replaced by ShKAS (Shpitalny-Komaritski kit is resented in arts very cleanly

Aviatsionny Skorostrelny, Shpitalny-Komaritski I-153 in Finland oulded in grey lastic, the different ski
ra id fire for aircraft versions, which while still uring the inter ar with ussia ove er undercarriage arts eing rovided on a new
ri e cali re wea ons, had a far higher cyclic to arch inland ca tured eight additional s rue and a s all clear fra e
rate, giving a uch greater weight of fire after forced landings, renu ering the has navigation lights, o servation windows
he aircraft was of ixed etal and wood and to fter a rief and the odest windscreen and a decal sheet
construction, with the fuselage structure lull in hostilities, the ussians triggered the offering o tions for ussian and innish
eing ased on hro e oly steel tu ing ontinuation ar in une y o ing airfra es
with duralu in skinning on the forward urku although during the first few weeks they
fuselage, and fa ric covering on the fuselage lost another three ca tured to the inns O , ed , ed r y ir orce
aft of the cock it he aircraft s wings were who further increased their inventory y uying overall silver
ade of fa ric covered wood, while the tail nine ore haika fro er any during O , innish ir orce,
surfaces were of fa ric covered duralu in nitially these aircraft had a ixture of ussian green light lue
he anually retracted ain wheels folded and er an ight rey aintwork although y O , , hite , innish ir orce
rearwards, innovatively rotating through id any wore three colour ca ou age, reen lack light lue yellow
degrees to lie at in the wing roots retaining the ussian ight lue undersides
he aircraft ade its aiden ight in ugust with green and lack u er ca ou age ty ical n addition to the ase kit had a s all
owered y a h engine, of innish aircraft of the ti e any airfra es nu er of after arket add ons in duard
since the intended h wasn t ready carried ellow identification ands on the nose, oo hoto etched etal for the cock it
ven with the engine, erfor ance far fuselage and wing ti s nu er of innish and seat elts and ore in the for of
exceeded that of the is, early s aircraft were fitted with se i retracta le ski rigging wires which in this scale etter
achieving k h h and a ceiling of undercarriage to facilitate winter o erations re resent the aerofoil section e ers used
, , ft he availa ility of the with artial lanking off of the wheel wells than round elastic thread could
engine in uly was no fairy tale however,
with a disa ointing increase in s eed of only ICM's kit Build
h and an i roved ceiling of , his odel is the second issue of s aithful to the original design conce t, the
ft n service the uickly ado ted the excellent scale , the first eing a uild of s kit egins with the asse ly
nickna e haika ull and was the last of the wheeled version and this a s ecific winter of the oor and seat, followed uickly y the
olikar ov i lane fighters to e uilt in any o tion with skis although all the arts for internal tu ular cock it structure uilt fro
nu ers the wheeled version are still resent he individual arts, to which are added various

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 35

KIT BUILD
controls and instrument panels. This phase
needed coordination with Eduard's instructions
for their Zoom photo-etch which replaced or
enhanced several parts. With multi-media
su asse lies like these it s always difficult
to work out the painting sequence, in this
case I assembled the framework and primed
and painted it Light Grey (Mr Hobby H324)
before adding the PE, some of which then
needed touching-up to blend it together. The
instructions suggest ainting the oor and
seat Olive Green, for which I used H78 and
some chipping was applied to the seat using a
s onge di ed in alle o teel he oor was
probably wood, so would be weathered at the
end of assembly. The inner fuselage halves
are pretty devoid of detail, most being mounted
on the cockpit framework, the only item of note
being what appears to be a cartridge rack for
the are gun which in the duard instructions
asks you to bend up a complex multi-tube
asse ly fro a at iece y ending skills
having proven inadequate, I ended up making
the rack fro the duard ase, fitted out with
1mm diameter aluminium tubes; as it happens,
this item is virtually invisible in the built
odel he ainted seat was fitted out with
The fuselage sits very neatly onto the lower wing assembly. ICM have done a great job of profiling
the joint
Curiously, the rear spine is moulded flat, without the step to the fin fillet. The joint was re-scribed heavily
to compensate
36 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
the Steel seatbelts from the separate Eduard
set which were excellent, and with care could
be draped reasonably convincingly. The seat
and oor were given several thin washes
of Burnt Umber oil paint to add dirt to the
crevices, given a gentle dry brush with a pale The Eduard steel seatbelts are well detailed, but
grey oil paint mix and some pastel chalk used inevitably are a little stiff to pose, an dark oil wash gives
a slightly dirtied look.
to add some dusty browns to the foot well.
The completed cockpit was added to the lower
wing to await the fuselage.
Joining the fuselage halves is pretty
straightforward, - there was some warping
on ine ut they re so exi le that there s no
issue in gluing the joint in stages to make sure
everything lines up. Joint lines are very short
as a result of the stubby nature of the design
so clean up is easy. One curious point is that
ICM have moulded the saddle joint between
the fin and rear fuselage as at, where in real
life there's a distinct step and panel line at this
point. Not wanting to get into trying to build up
the fin saddle, or sand away the fuselage with
the attendant loss of texture, I opted to simply
scribe in the joint line rather heavily, to give the
impression of a step. The fuselage sides carry very little interior detail, mainly
The fuselage sits on the lower wing with on the starboard side where the rack for the flare
a terrific fit, having done a great o of cartridges needs some extra work.
The root joint needs very little attention; Tamiya Extra Thin and some security filler
The Squadron Signal reference #157 was particularly useful for the type’s history in Finnish service
 1:

The AIMS rigging set includes add-on wing plates with better The engine is well detailed, made up of 5 main parts (the The eight exhaust stubs (one pair of cylinders is siamesed) need
detail than the original kit plastic cylinders are split front/rear) The unpainted disc is the careful alignment to fit in the cowling ports, the setting tool is a
alignment template for the exhaust stubs thoughtful addition.

Here’s the completed engine, ideally one would add the ignition harness, but very little will be visible Having painted the underside light Blue, the first stage in applying the main colours is the base
through the cowl cooling slots anyway. green

rofiling the oint, with a iya xtra hin run grey efore a lying are etal hro e foil to Colouring In
into the ating faces and a security s ear of re resent the sliding oleo section t a ears that ainting i lanes can e tricky in ter s of
eluxe lastic utty eing all that was needed the ski o tion uses the sa e ain leg as the getting the se uencing right, articularly if
or not, actually ori ontal sta ilisers, ailerons wheeled undercarriage, so would e ex ected there s significant rigging involved t s often
for the u er wing and rudder are all offered to have the rake lines in lace, lanked off at easier to aint the underside of the u er wing,
as two halves and which fit well, allowing the the otto , these were added using lead wire and the u er side of the lower wing efore
to e osed slightly de ected to add so e and self adhesive lu ers ta e oining the , in order to e a le to get the est
dyna is
he engine is nicely roduced, with front
and rear cylinder halves fitting together with
only faint oint lines, which weren t cleaned u
given that they would e retty invisi le, and
a se arate ushrod array, intake anifold and
exhaust stu s he engineering is excellent
with clean, shar locators and a useful setting
late to align the individual exhaust stu s
whose location needs to e recise in order
to fit into the cowling orts he design also
allows the shutter over the cooling slots to e
left unglued, so it can e oved fro closed to
o en after asse ly
ith the engine uilt it can e fitted to the
cowling nose which was re ainted yellow
to si lify later asking of the cooling slots
he three iece cowling could then e uilt
u around the engine, taking care to ake
sure the chord wise oints were aligned he
engine cowling asse ly fits directly to the
front of the fuselage with a cou le of s all
ta s to get the orientation right here s so e
wiggle roo , so getting the key align ent of
the intake trunking isn t too difficult n fact the The lower surface colours
cowling was left off at this stage to allow so e
re aratory ainting
n antici ation of the finishing straight, the
ski undercarriage was asse led and ainted
Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 37
KIT BUILD
Masking for the second colour was done with the ubiquitous rolled BluTac worms and tape
The decals were thin enough that the white backgrounds
to the Finnish Hakaristi were semi-translucent, revealing
the coulour change beneath
Some last-minute masking and spraying white.
This gave a much better base for the decals
38 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
The “black” second colour was in fact H77 Tire black highlighted with H416 grey sprayed freehand
and through an Artool mottle mask
access, es ecially if ca ou age is involved or
the green lack over light lue innish sche e
the first ste is ost sensi ly ainting the yellow
wing ti s and fuselage recognition and, so as
to ini ise asking ans so these areas were
first given a thin coat of white ri er fro a
rattle can or the yellow, was te ted to use
so e itadel ir lash it ellow as use
their rushing aints routinely for detail ainting
since they have a very high ig ent content
and cover really well sing the aint directly
fro the ar however showed that it was a it
too thick to s ray cleanly through y arder
and teen eck air rush ad ittedly with the
needle and various atte ts at thinning
the aint with a iya , so ro yl lcohol
or that universal stand y r o y evelling
hinner roved to e in vain, the aint resisting
a s ooth ix he only solvent could get to
work was rather aggressive ellulose hinner,
ore research needed
ith the yellow dried and asked, the ight
lue undersides were ainted with r o y
and su se uently highlighted
with the lue lightened with around white
and the ri s e hasised with the slightly
greyer o e texture was
added y s raying a light grey through an
rtool ottle ask
he lue could now e asked and the
ri ary u er surface colour of reen
a lied atchily over the u er surfaces of the
wings and the fuselage, note that at this oint,
the u er wing and cowling haven t een
attached, in order to e a le to s ray the lack
ca ou age on the lower wing, and to get
ehind the cowling gills
gain, the the ain colour was highlighted
with a tone lightened with white s rayed in the
anel centres and the ri s and other corners
shadowed with thin ark reen, and
the ca ou age de arcations asked with
lu ac sausages rolled to a s all dia eter to
kee the feathering tight traight lack tends
to look too harsh in contrasting situations like
this, so as a ase used ire lack and
once again a lied the rtool ottle ask to
a ly rando sha es of ure lack a iya
rey and very thin
ed rown f course one doesn t
need to use such a range of aints to get a
credi le result, lack with white or red added in
different uantities would work too e oving
the asking showed only inor touching u
was necessary
t this stage the airfra e is still a collection
of a or arts which need ringing together,
first u though was a local gloss coat courtesy
of r o y so the relatively few
decals could e a lied efore the ore
delicate rigging and undercarriage he decals
ehaved the selves well and in ter s of
a lication were trou le free aside fro the
understanda le fiddly need to add each
se arate leg to the innish hakaristi national
arkings hey were however extre ely
thin, so uch so that the large white circles
for the hakaristi were rather translucent and
showed the ca o colour change underneath
ot uch could e done a out the codes and
d ut the decals on the underside efore
realising the ro le , did however cut circle
asks fro artists asking fil and s rayed
so e white ases to ack the others
ecaling done, the arts could e treated
to so e gentle distressing using a grit
foa sanding ad, to knock the shine off and
to e hasise the raised ri and stringer lines
n overall thin coat of gloss re ared the
surface for su se uent weathering sse ly
involved fitting the u er wing and here the
one draw ack of leaving it until last eca e
o vious in the sha e of a ga in the intake
duct etween the wing section and the cowling
which needed significant cla ing to close u ,
and so e udicious touching u itting the
etched rigging was sur risingly easy,
he aterial they re ade fro stainless
steel eing very stiff, so with careful ending
of the last few illi etres, the wires could
e glued to the wing end of their fixings, and
carefully fed through re drilled holes in the
fuselage, there to e left unglued to oat and
acco odate any differential ex ansion or
 1:

contraction between plastic and metal.
Finals
The undercarriage is pretty straightforward, the
main legs being the same as for the wheeled
version, with the addition of new axle fittings
and swivels for the metal skis. The legs were
painted light grey and bare metal foil chrome
applied to the sliding oleo sections. Given the
likely field conversion of the undercarriage
from wheel to ski, the brake lines usually in
place were replicated with lead wire, and
blanked off at the lower leg.
Weathering
The service life of the I-153 In the Finnish
Air Force was relatively short, and much
of it would have been undertaken in cold,
wet conditions rather than dusty ones, so
weathering would need to represent general
dirt accumulation rather than gross wear and
tear. I sprayed exhaust and dirt stains using a
thin mix of Tamiya XF-64 red Brown and XF-1
Black. ■

FINAL VERDICT
This was my first 1:32 scale kit ever, and I really enjoyed the change from my usual 1:144 and 1:72! - ICM’s kit was
straightforward to build and held enough detail to be interesting, - it would make a great introduction to larger
scale for the less experienced modeller, although there’s no doubt that the added finesse of the Eduard and AIMS PE is
worthwhile. Perhaps I’ll start looking at those other ICM 1:32 biplanes like the Cr42 and the Gladiator....

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 39

KIT BUILD
WRITTEN AND BUILT BY ALAN PRICE

40 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION:
Wingsy Kits German WWII Fighter Messerschmitt Bf 109
E-1 “Emil”
Scale: 1:48
Kit No: D5-07
Materials: IM/PE
Available From: Direct from Wingsy Kits:
www.wingsykits.com/
Price Guide: £39.00

BEFORE STARTING:
OHumbrol Liquid Poly
OTamiya Masking Tape
OSprue Cutters
OTweezers
OScalpel
OPlasti-Zap Cyanoacrylate Glue
OGunze Sangyo Mr Cement S
OGunze Sangyo Mr Surfacer 500
OMicroscale Micro Set and Sol Decal Solution
OMicroscale Micro Kristal Klear

PAINT USED
OMicroscale Micro Gloss
OMicroscale Micro Flat
OMRP Super Clear Semimatt Varnish MRP-26
Tamiya Color Acrylics
OX- 27 Clear Red
OX-25 Clear Green
OXF-1 Flat Black
OXF-64 Red Brown
OXF-69 NATO Black
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Aqueous Colour:
OH064 RLM71 Dark Green
OH065 RLM70 Black Green
OH067 RLM65 Light Blue
OH070 RLM02 Gray
OH414 RLM23 Red
Humbrol:
O33 Matt Black
O34 Matt White
O11 Silver
O56 Aluminium

EMIL
O29 Dark Earth
OFlory Washes Dark Dirt
OAirbrush Used : Iwata HP-B Plus & HB-BH

REVISITED
BATTLE OF BRITA IN 8 0 A N N IV E R S A R Y
SERIES PART 5
Alan Price tweaks the new Wingsy 1/48 scale
Messerschmott Bf 109 E-1 kit.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 41

KIT BUILD
The cockpit builds up from a the floor and has two sidewalls to enclose it rather than have these
moulded into the fuselage.
The wing has separate control surfaces, ailerons, flaps and slats, which are attached after fixing
the wing to the fuselage.
fter quite a long break in the
A series, I'm back with a double
header of articles, starting
with the new Wingsy Kits
Messerschmitt 109 E-1. For the
75th anniversary I had used the Eduard 109
E for two builds and this was, as we saw at
the time, a very good kit.
However, time marches on and whilst good,
the Eduard kit has now been challenged by
a new kit y the relatively new fir of ingsy
Kits.
The kit arrived in the early summer of 2020
and I placed an order with Wingsy Kits on their
website after seeing how good a few of the
first uilds has looked online
The Build
Eduard's 109 series is well known to modellers
but the 109 E is one of the earlier offerings in
the range, while this is a very good kit, these
days its showing its age compared to the
other 109s in Eduard's range and I wouldn't
be surprised if this is to be subject to one of
Eduard's update programmes soon, Wingsy's
arrival is thus well timed. On opening the box
we find a set of eautifully oulded runners,
42 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
The fuselage and cockpit interior are built up as separate units, here the completed cockpit is ready
to fit.
The upper wing root to fuselage join is perfect and required no work at all.
in a mid-grey plastic. A small photo etch set
is supplied and a single clear runner carries
the canopy mouldings. Instructions consist
of a clearly printed booklet and a colour
painting guide. Vinyl canopy masks and a set
of decals for four early war aircraft complete
the contents, these are marked as Wingsy’s
own roduct ouldings are first class, with
excellent surface detail and if I had been
told these were by Eduard, I would have not
been surprised as they are of a comparable
standard. Taken all together, this appears to be
an excellent kit seen in the box – but how does
it build?
Construction begins with the fuselage and
cockpit. The cockpit itself is built up into a unit
and slipped in place from the wing opening into
the completed fuselage, this a clever solution
and works well in practice. I started by building
up the cockpit parts and painting these with
Mr. Hobby H70 RLM02 Grey The cockpit has a
number of photo etch parts to add extra detail
but the instrument panel is plastic and decals
are provided for this. Instrument panels in
early 109s were either RLM02 or RLM 66 grey
(this becoming the norm as time went on). I
used RLM 66 in this case. Once assembled
and painted the cockpit received a thin black
wash and a mat varnish.
The fuselage was assembled next. This
goes together easily however care needs to be
taken around the nose. I noticed that Wingsy
had some 'hints and tips' for assembly on their
Facebook page after I had built mine in which
they suggested it was best to align the nose
sections first then fit the ro eller ounting
rather than fit this first as suggested in the
instructions. I think this would be a good idea, I
followed the instructions and was left with a bit
of a step to deal with in the panels under the
nose. Other than this the fuselage assembles
without issue. Don't forget to scribe a line
along the top and bottom seams aft of the
cockpit, the 109 fuselage was built up from two
halves then riveted together, leaving a seam
along the top and bottom. With the fuselage
co leted could now fit the cock it, this slid
into place without fuss, with a touch of liquid
ce ent fixing it in lace he kit seat harness
was ainted and then fitted he harness is
unusual in that it fastens on the rear deck of
the cockpit, Wingsy say this is correct having
researched this thoroughly and after consulted
my references I would have to agree with
 1:48
the , this kind of fitting does indeed a ear on
early s
sse ly of the wings is rather duard
like with a ulti art undercarriage ay that
is asse led into the lower wing nce in
lace the u er wing surfaces are attached
and then the co lete wing is glued to the
fuselage it here is excellent, this is a weak
area on the duard kit ut here ingsy have
triu hed, the rear wing oin is along a anel
line and fit at the sides is so good that ust a
very light sand with icro esh re oved
traces of the sea did use a touch of filler
at the rear sea ut this was uild u the
fuselage slightly where the lastic looked like
it had a touch of shrinkage he u er wing
root oin re uired no work at all ttaching the
radiators needed a little work and this a ears
in the ingsy uilding ti s now too , the wing
has a it of a ste on the in oard side of the
radiator o ening which needs cutting away
efore the radiator sides can e fitted also
re laced the radiator a s with lastic card,
the hoto etched ones once folded u see ed Here the lower wing joins can be seen, at the front fit is pretty much perfect, at the rear a touch of filler was used to deal with a bit of
too wide for the o enings also re laced a low spot on the fuselage.

The flaps and ailerons were attached but the slats were left off as this would make painting easier. Replacement radiator shutters and the exhaust shields were all made from thin plastic card. The kit
The rear wings fit over a short spar but take care with alignment as this is a little loose in fit. photo etch radiator shutter can be seen on the oil cooler, this fitted fine.

The tail control surfaces are almost devoid of detail except for a bit of sculpting of the shape of the The transparencies are very well done, being thin and clear. The kit photo etch seatbelt can be seen
cloth over the framing. Wingsy says that this is prototypical and photographs seem to confirm this. here with its securing points on the top of the rear deck.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 43

KIT BUILD
the exhaust shields with plastic card, the
photo-etched ones seemed like a nightmare
to fit and could only see the reaking off
at every o ortunity through the uild fter
co leting the ain wing, then attached the
tail surfaces ere the fa ric detail is extre ely
su tle, there are no ri ta es visi le and again,
ingsy says this is as er the real aircraft
replaced the photo-etched control horns and
actuators with scra s of lastic card and so e
elastic line, far less likely to e da aged than
the hoto etched arts ith the a s and
ailerons attached, the odel was al ost ready
to aint he last o was to fit the front and
rear sections of the cano y hese were oth
di ed in lear first then once in lace the kit
asks were a lied, the cano y fra ing was
then given a coat of
he last its to e done asse ling the
undercarriage and cleaning u the arts for
“The cockpit has a number of photo etch parts to add extra detail but the instrument
panel is plastic and decals are provided for this.”
44 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
the ro he undercarriage had rake hoses
added using lead wire here had een
so e discussion online a out the ro , with
any odellers feeling the lades were too
road ingsy s res onse had een that this,
again, was taken fro a real early war so
was accurate aving co ared the ro to a
lot of hotogra hs in y references do feel
this is indeed accurate, ay e we have ust
got used to seeing thin chord, ointy lades on
odels ith these last arts done
then ri ed the odel using y usual aerosol
can of r urfacer and it was ti e to
a ly the aint
Colours
wanted to aint this odel in the classic early I made my own control horns and cables for the rudder,
attle of ritain colours for a with the the kit photo etch part seemed too flimsy to attach before
high de arcation light lue ainted painting and adding it after would present a different
fuselage had a few sets of decals availa le range of problems.
Ready to paint. Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted that I broke the radio attachment stub
on the rudder, here the white tip shows where it has been repaired.
 1:48

Primed and pre-shaded, the model is ready for its camouflage. With most of the model being painted RLM65 blue its quite a quick job to paint a 109 like this. The
splinter camouflage was all applied freehand.

After masking the wing walkways and trim tabs, these were painted RLM23 Red. At this point the basic paintwork is done, there is more work to be done after the decals have been
applied.

After a gloss coat I applied the decals, these were a mix of Xtradecals and the kit’s own decals. After sealing the decals with another gloss coat was applied to bring out the surface detail. Note
the slats have now been fitted.

The prop and undercarriage were both fitted before applying the final finish. Here the lead wire Attaching the undercarriage is a little tricky as the fit is a bit loose, I checked the angles against my
brake lines can be seen on the painted undercarriage legs. plans as the glue dried to ensure the angles were correct.
KIT BUILD

An Artool mask was used to apply different shades of brown and grey to help blend the decals in. Underneath I used some artists oils to apply some oil stains, this was done lightly as these would
Don’t forget that the flat coat will reduce the contrast so the effects need to be a little more visible have been regularly cleaned off on service.
than might seem right at this point. Exhaust stains were also applied at this time.

but in the end decided to go with one of the kit
colour schemes. This was for Oberstleutnant
Fritz Losigkeit's aircraft, Red 16 of 2/JG26.
osigkeit was the co anding officer of
Staffel through the Battle of Britain and his
aircraft carried the distinctive 2./JG26 Devils
Head emblem painted in a large size beneath
the cockpit. This has often been represented
in rofiles and decal sheets as eing ainted
in red, however photographs now show us
that this was in fact grey. Black and white ones
show the tone is distinctly different to the red
of the fuselage numbers and a colour photo
in Wingleader's book 'Messerschmitt Bf109 E
nits in the attle of ritain art ne confir s
this as being grey.
The photographs of Losigkeit's aircraft also
show us interesting details of how the framing

With the flat coat applied, just a few details are

needed now to complete the model.

46 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48

of the cockpit was painted, the lower rails of
the opening section being painted RLM65
along with the lower rails of the front part of
the canopy. There were several versions of
s linter ca ou age used on these early s the
and since these had een re ainted in the field
its difficult deter ine exact details nough
hotos of the aircraft exist to e a le to identify
the pattern to a reasonable accuracy but its
unclear exactly how the wings were ainted
I agreed with Wingsy's interpretation and
painted the splinter pattern as per their colour
guide eing field a lied the de arcation
etween the rey and ark
reen is soft and not asked and this can
e confir ed in the hotogra hs he order
between the upper and lower colours appears
to be a very tightly sprayed demarcation, in
this scale I was happy to mask this. Luftwaffe
aircraft of this period were very well maintained
and even exhaust staining was cleaned off
regularly, don't be fooled by the condition of
crashed aircraft into thinking you should do
a heavily weathered finish unless you are
building a crashed aircraft of course!).
Whilst the photographs of this aircraft
show it in early , was involved
with fighting with ritish and rench forces in
elgiu and rance and was in action
at unkirk and so is a conte orary of the
itfire fro the last art of the series
On With the Colours
Painting began with a pre-shade of all the
anel and rivet lines ollowing this a lied
ight lue using r o y
The demarcation was then masked along
the fuselage and wing roots before spraying
rey sections of the s linter
ca ou age using ark reen
was then air rushed on freehand to
co lete the ca ou age earing in ind
that the aircraft shouldn't be too weathered I
then used an Artool stencil to apply various
lighter and darker shades of the main colours
over the upper surfaces and sides of the
model. This helped apply a bit of variation
to the paintwork. Wing walkways and trim
tabs were then masked and airbrushed with
ed his co leted the asic
paintwork so the model was then given a coat
of gloss varnish in readiness for the decals.
I had intended to use the kit decals for all
the markings however I wasn't keen on the
kit's national markings, there was a bit of bleed
from the white at the edges so I replaced these
with Xtradecals of which I had plenty courtesy
of their excellent attle of ritain decal sets
The rest of the markings came from the kit
decals and these all performed very well
indeed with just the use of Microscale setting
solutions. Once the decals had dried out I
gave the model another coat of gloss to seal
everything ready for the wash to be applied.
used y usual lory odels ash for this,
using ark irt further coat of gloss sealed
the wash and then I applied staining over the
upper surfaces using shades of brown and
grey with the Artool mask. This was applied
over the markings which helped to blend those
in with the look of the rest of the paintwork.
he undercarriage was next glued into
lace, this isn t a very ositive fit so care needs
to be taken to get the correct angles before the
glue goes off. The prop was then also attached
and the odel was ready for its final finish to
e a lied or this used u er lear
e i att followed y a light coat of
icroscale lat fter this had een allowed to
dry the masking was removed and the open
cano y attached, this was a tight fit and had
to relieve the ends of the framing slightly to
allow it to fit he aerial lead was attached
using fine elastic line and the last o was to
paint the wing tip navigation lights.
Conclusion
How does it compare? This is the question I
have been asked many times already since
posting pictures online!
I'd have to say very favourably.
This kit is superbly detailed and easy to
asse le the duard is ro a ly as
well detailed but there are a few tricky areas
with the build, notably the underside rear of the
wing to fuselage oin he ingsy does
have quite a bit of photo etch which seemed
unnecessary and I'm sure many will replace
parts as I did with thin plastic card instead. ■

FINAL VERDICT
Wingsy Kit’s Bf 109 E-1 is a delightful kit, however it may be a little over complicated in parts with the photo
etch provided and we have the issue of the cutting re uired to fit the radiators and this is why I rated this as an
‘intermediate’ build rather than being suitable for beginners. The hints and tips Wingsy has provided online should
help modellers with the trickier elements of the build, in particular fitting the radiators. These don’t detract from
what is a simply superbly detailed model with mostly excellent fit. I liked it so much I have already bought a second
one, I think that says it all really.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 47

KIT BUILD
WRITTEN AND BUILT BY BRETT GREEN

TORA TORA
P A R T TW O - P A IN T IN G A N D WE A T H E R IN
Brett Green adds restrained
le
weathering to his Eduard 1:48 sca
Pearl Harbor Zero

48 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
BEGINNER / INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION:
Eduard 1:48 Tora Tora Tora! Limited Edition Dual Combo.
Kit No. 11155

TOOLS AND MODELLING

PRODUCTS USED:

A TORA!
O Tamiya Extra Thin Cement
O Revell Contacta Cement
O Gator’s Grip Acrylic Glue
O Selley’s Super Glue
O Tamiya Surfacer
O Zip Kicker (super glue accelerator)
O Tamiya Masking Tape (Yellow Kabuki tape)

NG
O Tamiya White 2mm Masking Tape for Curves
O Iwata HP C Plus airbrush

PAINTS AND FINISHING

PRODUCTS USED:
O Tamiya (acrylic): X-18 Semi-Gloss Black; X-23 Clear
Blue; X-25 Clear Green; XF-1 Flat Black; XF-2 Flat White;
XF-64 Red Brown; XF-76 Grey Green (IJN); XF-88 Dark
Yellow (2).
O Tamiya Spray Can –Grey Primer; AS-12 Bare Metal
Silver.
O Gunze Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Colour: H81 Khaki;
O Gunze Mr Colour lacquers: 57 Metallic Blue-Green; 71
Midnight Blue.
O Gunze Mr Metal Colour: 217 Gold.
O AK Interactive Xtreme Metal: AK479 Aluminium.
O Mr Hobby Mr Color Leveling Thinner 400.
O Vallejo Model Color (acrylic): 70865 Oily Steel; 919
Foundation White; 70953 Flat Yellow; 70957 Flat Red.
O Vallejo Panzer Aces (acrylic): 301 Light Rust; 337
Highlight Ger. (Black)
O Winsor & Newton Galeria Flat Varnish
O Prismacolor Silver Pencil
O Tamiya Weathering Pastels Sets A and B
O Future Floor Polish

Thanks to Eduard for the sample.

L
ast time we
built Eduard’s Eduard kits are available online from their website
www.eduard.com
new 1:48 scale
A6M2 Zero.
This time, we
describe painting and
markings.

“Once upon a time, I used to think that the most

challenging camouflage involved mottling and
multiple colours. More recently, however, I have
come to find that overall single-shade paint
jobs can often be the most difficult to obtain a
restrained and realistic finish.”

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 49

KIT BUILD

PAINTING
nce u on a ti e, used to think that the
ost challenging ca ou age involved
ottling

s can
find that overall single shade aint o
and multiple colours.
ore recently, however, have co e to nish
ined and realistic fi
often e the ost difficult to o tain a restra
Eduard supplies self-adhesive die-cut masks in the box.
Fit is perfect. This saves a lot of time and effort.

The masked canopy sections were first sprayed black.

Cowl guns and the wing tip navigation

lights were masked off too.

The windscreen and rear canopy parts were glued onto

the upper fuselage. The cockpit opening was masked off
with Tamiya tape, cut to size and shape.

The main and tail wheel

wells were stuffed with
slightly damp tissue
paper.

The model was

prepared with a coat of
Tamiya’s Grey Primer
decanted from the
spray can and applied
by airbrush. A few tiny
spots of filler were
sanded back…

…before a further
primer coat, this time
Tamiya’s Fine White
Primer.

50 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 The base colour was Tamiya’s
acrylic XF-76 Grey Green (IJN). I
1:48
like this interpretation.

The engine cowl was

sprayed with a mix of Black
and Dark Blue.

Panel lines and structural features

were sprayed with a thin mix of
Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown and
XF-1 Flat Black.

Lower surfaces received the

same treatment.

The only downside of the Tamiya acrylic XF-76

Grey Green (IJN) is that it is somewhat chalky
and easily damaged. A couple of coats of
Future Floor Polish solved this problem and
also prepared the plastic for decals.

MARKINGS
Kit decals were used for all the markings,
including stencils.

Eduard provides two decals sheet. The first

is a large and busy sheet with meatballs,
fuselage and tail stripes, instrument dials
and some stencils.
The remainder of the stencils plus propeller stripes, wing walk markings and more are
suppled on the second sheet.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 51

KIT BUILD

MARKINGS CONT...
The decals feature a slightly faded and
painted-on appearance. Eduard’s
decals
performed
perfectly.

Panel lines were now treated

to lines of Tamiya’s Panel Line
Access Colour (Dark Brown)
applied with the brush inside
the cap.
The finish of the
black-blue engine
cowling was
visibly grainy. I
tried polishing and
applying a couple
of extra coats of
Future Floor Polish
but to no avail. I
eventually stripped
and repainted the
cowling.

“Oh Eduard, you've done it again!”

Exhaust and oil streaks were sprayed onto the bottom of the fuselage using a slightly heavier mix of Dangly bits awaiting installation.
Tamiya XF-64 Red Brown and XF-1 Flat Black.

52 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48
The undercarriage legs were temporarily
held with Blu-Tack as the glue set to ensure
the correct rake and splay.

The completed
paint on the lower
surfaces.

The kit’s beautifully fine

recessed panel lines may be
appreciated here.

The panel lines

take a wash very
well.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 53

KIT BUILD

The propeller assembly was painted Tamiya’s AS-12 Bare Metal Silver,
decanted and applied with my Iwata HP-C Plus airbrush.

CONCLUSION
duard s scale ero y e aintains the high standards of this rolifi
textures are second to none, and the
c ech co any
inclu sion of the cowling
The cockpit is comprehensive, surface ation
s continuou s innov
asse ly ig is further evidence of duard
is a fairly uick uild too
ith its relatively odest arts count, it
Oh Eduard, you’ve done it again! ■

54 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 55

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GALLERY - SUPERLATIVE
TAMIYA 1:48 F-4B PHANTOM II. KIT NO. 61121
SAM DWYER STEPS OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE TO BUILD TAMIYA’S SUPERB NEW 1:48 SCALE MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-4B PHANTOM
Superlative
/suːˈpəːlətɪv/ adjective
of the highest quality or degree.
arning: this article may
W contain an excessive
number of superlatives when
describing Tamiya’s amazing
(there’s one) McDonnell
Douglas F-4B Phantom.
“Building a Phantom from Tamiya was always
going to be a no-brainer.”
Okay, so I build armour almost exclusively,
yet there are some aircraft that I’ve been
always drawn to – the F-4 Phantom being
amongst my absolute favourite aircraft.
Building a Phantom from Tamiya was always
going to be a no-brainer.
In the Box
Moulded in their now standard mid-grey
plastic, the kit is supplied in customary
stunning Tamiya box art, with three marking
options and all weapon stores set up for air
to air combat. The kit comes with full canopy
masks, a choice of open or closed canopies,
and eautiful fold out full colour rofiles for
each aircraft, as well as one that calls out
stencil locations on the airframe. As with all kits
these days, it pays to have a good pre-read
of the kit instructions, to make oneself familiar
with which option you’re building, as there are
certain things called out within the instructions
that are s ecific to o tions , or
 1:48

E SUNDOWNER Tamiya’s striking box art.

The breakdown of the fuselage assembly suggests

that we will see different variants of the Phantom in
the future.

Two well-detailed crew figures are included.

Slotted stabilisers.

Lots of ordnance is included.

Check out the detail that will be visible through the

open main undercarriage doors.
 Closed canopy option.
The big decal sheet offers three colourful options.
The crew figures are decked out in their custom Sundowners helmets and flight suits
in Tiger Stripe camouflage.
There is ample opportunity to apply subtly different metallic shades on the exhaust
and rear fuselage areas.
Lower surfaces were painted AK Real Colour white.
60 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
Construction
Construction starts with the assembly of the fuselage halves (the mouldings of which point
to future releases of other versions) then onto the comprehensively detailed cockpit. Yes,
you could add the Quinta 3D cockpit decals to this, but the detail included is really fantastic
straight out of the box. I built and painted mine as per the kit instructions and used the
kit su lied crew figures he only deviation was to aint their ight suits in iger tri e
ca ou age rather than light olive dra
s with all aircraft kits you ll need to reak out the aints efore you finish construction
he exhaust trunking and air intakes need ainting efore fitting to the fuselage, these fit to
the fuselage with recision, leaving a cris anel line s do all the other anels fitted during
construction, even the large spine panel. With a coat of paint, you wouldn’t know which
areas contained a se arate anel he landing gear, gear doors, s eed rakes and external
stores can all e ainted and weathered then added to the odel last, the fit of arts is so
fine that you can deviate fro the instructions this way and have it all still go together with
erfection he kit co es with air to air wea ons, na ely idewinders and arrows hese
are mini kits in themselves with multiple parts and a pile of tiny markings each.
Sidewinder missiles ready for air to air combat.
SMS lacquers were used for the Light Gull Grey upper fuselage.
The bottom of the fuselage bristles with detail.
 1:48

…and the busy lower surfaces.

A view from the top…

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 61

Camouflage Colours
I painted my kit up with a mix of AK Real Colour, Gunze Mr Colour and SMS lacquers for the Light Gull Grey upper fuselage, and AK Real Colour
white for the lower. No, I didn’t mix AK, Mr Colour and SMS together, rather I used the different shades of each manufacturers paint to add variation
to the base colour (AK Real). The anti-corrosion teams on board carriers would repaint sections of fuselage, often leaving the aircraft with a
patchwork look. I weathered the model once the decals had been applied using acrylics and post shading with the airbrush.
Tamiya has once again raised the bar with the release of their Phantom kit. Building painting and weathering it was a total thrill. I’ll be building
another, but with a ton of bombs instead of air to air weapons in the near future. Judging by the way Tamiya have moulded their fuselage and wings,
I would bet will see other variants of F4 Phantoms released in the future. Fingers crossed for an E (to do an Aussie one, of course)! ■

Kit decals were used.

62 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022

 1:48

The model was weathered after the decals had been applied using acrylics and post Building painting and weathering this model was a total thrill.
shading with the airbrush.

“Tamiya has once again raised the bar with the release of their Phantom kit.”

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 63

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PLANES WITH PANTS BATTLE OF BRITAIN 80TH

PART ONE ANNIVERSARY SERIES PART 6
Brett Green builds the new Clear Prop! 1:48 H75N Hawk. THE HEINKEL HE 111
ICM’S 1:48 Heinkel He 111 H-3 by Alan Price.

PREMIUM HELLCAT
Paolo Portuesi tackles Eduard’s 1:48 scaleF6F Hellcat Profipack.

Issue 201 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 65

FINAL THOUGHTS
UK CONTRIBUTION TO NATO UPLIFT
BOLSTERS DEFENCES IN EASTERN EUROPE
K’s substantial contribution to
U NATO’s uplift in Eastern Europe
is strengthening the Alliance’s
defences on land, sea and air, amid
ongoing tensions with Russia.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace is in
Brussels today and tomorrow to discuss the
UK offer and the situation in Ukraine with
NATO Allies.
The UK is doubling the number of
personnel in Estonia and sending additional
equipment, including tanks and armoured
fighting vehicles hese troo s and e ui ent
will egin to ove to stonia today
The Royal Welsh battlegroup, which
includes ar oured vehicles and ersonnel,
will leave ennelager in er any and ases
in the and egin to arrive in stonia during
the coming week. Apache helicopters will soon
be making their way to conduct exercises with
our Allies and partners in Eastern Europe.
our additional y hoon ets have also
landed in Cyprus and will shortly begin to
patrol the skies with NATO Allies in Eastern
66 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - April 2022
Europe.
HMS Trent – a UK Warship – has already
begun conducting patrols in the Eastern
Mediterranean Sea alongside NATO Allies
from Canada, Italy, Spain and Turkey.
HMS Diamond is preparing to set sail in the
coming days for the Eastern Mediterranean
and will join up with NATO allies.
The majority of the 350 Royal Marines of 45
o ando co itted to oland have already
arrived e have also ut , ore ritish
personnel at readiness in the UK to support a
humanitarian response, if needed.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
“Alongside our NATO Allies, we are
deploying troops and assets on land, sea and
air to bolster European defences in response
to the build-up of Russian military forces on
the border of Ukraine.
and our allies have een clear that
an invasion of kraine will e et with severe
consequences.
“De-escalation and diplomacy remain the
only path out of this situation.”
While in Brussels, the Defence Secretary
held meetings with a number of NATO
counterparts including the Quad, Turkey,
Canada and Italy. Ministers discussed the
ongoing Russian military build-up on the
border with Ukraine and the international
community’s response.
The Defence Secretary impressed with his
counterparts that Russia needed to match its
actions to its words, and truly deescalate.
The UK is playing a leading role within
NATO and shaping the international
community’s response to Russia.
The UK supplied Ukraine with light, anti-
ar our, defensive wea on syste s as well
as an additional defensive ackage of ody
armour, helmets and combat boots.
The UK is Europe’s largest contributor to
e have de loyed ore troo s to
NATO’s Enhanced Forward Presence than any
other Ally, and HMS Prince of Wales leads the
Alliance’s Maritime High Readiness Force.
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