Air Modeller 061 2015-08-09

AIR 61 cover_Layout 1 08/07/2015 14:24 Page 1
61
AUGUST/SEPT 2015 • £6.50 UK $15.99
www.mengafvmodeller.com
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2015
MENG AIR MODELLER
FRESH
Focke Wulf
F-8
WE BUILD REVELL’S NEW 190
AIR 61 Aug- Sept 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 08/07/2015 17:22 Page 222
CONTENTS
2 Lancaster
Revell’s 1:72 Lancaster modelled by Grega Krizman.
10 IRIAF Mig-29
Periklis Salessiotis builds the 1:48 Eduard kit in Iranian markings.
18 “Fresh Werke” Focke Wulf

The Editor builds the new Revell 1:32 Fw-190 F-8.
30 Fouga Magister CM. 170 R

The Wingman Super-kit modelled by Olivier Soulleys.
38 Unluckey Thirteen
Luc Janssen crash lands Eduard’s 1:32 Bf 109 E-7.
46 Air Born
New releases.
56 Super Scooter
Daniel Zamarbide describes how he built the veteran 1:32 Hasegawa Skyhawk
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1
Lancaster
Grega Krizman builds the 1:72 Revell kit
2
T
he Avro Lancaster is definitely the most
famous RAF heavy bomber of World
War Two. Born out of the failed
Manchester design, it became the most
successful night bomber of WW2. A total of
7.377 Lancaster were built, sadly, almost half of
them were lost in combat, but we all know the
history of this great plane, so let’s move on.
I’m not the only modeller who has a problem

with lack of display storage for my built kits, so
quarter scale Lancaster was out of the
question. Then I found the 1:72 scale Revell kit
at a local show for a great price, and I couldn’t
resist the urge to build Lancaster anymore.
The kit itself is really nice, but as with any other
kits on the market, it has its flaws. The most
prominent is the lack of wing dihedral and the
really strange-looking radiator intakes. Other
than that, the kit looked promising. A lot of
aftermarket goodies are normally used for my
projects, but this time I decided to use as little
as possible. Quickboost browning barrels and
air intakes and Brassin wheels were thrown in
the box, but do yourself a favour and get some
Eduard masks as well!
3
Interior
The interior looks really nice and pretty well detailed
already, but some lead wiring and styrene was added to
make it look busier. I didn’t bother too much with detailing
as not much is visible once the fuselage is glued together.
The cockpit was sprayed with Gunze Tire Black and WEM
RAF Interior Light Green; dry brushed and weathered using
raw umber oil wash and pastels. To complete it some
knobs and switches were picked out with Vallejo colours
and seatbelts made from masking tape were added. With
the interior completed, the fuselage halves were glued
together. Seams were filled with mix of superglue and
baking powder and sanded smooth. Superglue sets hard
and doesn’t shrink, and the added baking powder makes
sanding easier so that you will never see that fuselage
seam again.
Operation wings
As mentioned already, one of the biggest flaws of this kit is
nonexistent wing dihedral. Fortunately this can be corrected
easily. All You need is a saw, some 0.5 mm styrene sheet,
4 filler and of course, a good set of plans. After some careful
cutting and sanding, the task was completed. Encouraged

with the success of that fix, I decided to make flaps as well
from thin 0.2mm styrene sheet and 0.8mm rod. It took me a
couple of evenings to complete them, but they look better
than PE parts to me and they add some interesting detail to
the completed model. Wheel bays also received some
detailing, Oil tanks, wiring and some hydraulic lines were
scratch built. The other problem that has to be fixed is really
odd looking engine radiator intakes. They are much too
square-shaped, and since there is no aftermarket available
to fix this, the only way was to make a master and cast them
in resin. A piece of fine mesh from Aber was also added to
the grilles to make them more realistic. Some panel lines on
the wings, which were incorrect, were filled with Mr. Surfacer
500 and sanded smooth.
5
Turrets and transparencies

Kit clear parts are really nice and transparent, but they were
dipped in Future anyway and left to dry overnight. Masking
with Eduard masks was piece of cake, and I can’t really
think about the pain it would cause me if I had to do this the
old fashioned way. When test fitting turret assemblies I was
disappointed with lack of detail, as the turrets are made out
of 2 parts only. I’ve tried to replicate some internal details
with styrene and lead wires to make them look busier.
Quickboost barrels were painted black, weathered with MIG
metallic pigment and left to be attached at the end of the
build.
Engraving and riveting

Don’t really know what got into me, but before mating the wings to the fuselage, the
decision had been made to rivet and rescribe this beast. Before riveting, I always
apply a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000 over the plastic. It makes riveting somehow easier,
because the plastic is a bit softer and it is much easier to see the rivet lines (and
mistakes as well). With trusty RB Riveter, roll of 3M vinyl masking tape and plenty of
patience, a good week later, the rivets were done. Engraving was done with a CMK
saw. The surface was then worked over with micromesh polishing cloths in order to
reduce the ridges of the rivets before another coat of surfacer was sprayed.
6
Painting
With all the major components corrected and primed, it was time
for my favourite part of model making. Gunze paints were used
thoroughly, thinned with Mr. Color Levelling thinner. For the upper
surfaces, H73 Dark Green and H72 Dark earth were used. First, I
airbrushed each one straight from the jar, but the second stage was
mixing really diluted base colours with a light shade of grey and
airbrushed through 0.15 mm nozzle really lightly over each center of
the rivet lines to create faded effect (and I hoped some illusion of
stressed metal as well). As for the lower camouflage, night black
was suggested, but I opted for Gunze H66 Tire black as a base
colour. This time two lighter shades were mixed (use light grey, not
7
white) used again in the same manner as on the upper camouflage.
Decals and markings

Gunze paints dry with a really nice satin finish so there is no need to conformed to the surface with a little help of Microset without any
gloss coat a model prior to decaling. Having a really soft spot for problems. Unfortunately Kits World decals don’t come with roundels
ladies on the planes, the choice of markings was really difficult, as or stencils, so I used some from a Techmod set, and I had to paint
many Lancaster bombers were decorated with some beautiful nose the upper wing roundels (I guessed the correct paint tone mixtures).
art. In the end, I decided to dress up my Lanc with great looking 424 Decaling done, the model received a couple of thin coats of Mr.
(Tiger) Squadron 'Victorious Virgin' markings, printed by Kits World Color 181 semi gloss clear coat. And finally, wings were glued to the
decals. Decals are super thin, perfectly printed and they fuselage.
Weathering
Weathering began with filters. Filters break the
uniformity of paint, add depth and soften the
transition between camouflage colours. I mixed my
own filters (dark green and brown) using enamel
paint and thinner (1:10 ratio – anything more and you
will end up with wash). After the filters were dry,
Washes followed. I tried AMMO weathering set (7416)
for the first time, and I was blown away with how easy
and effective those washes are. Especially stone grey
wash for black did a great job on the black
undersurfaces. The key to successful effect is to
dampen the area with turpentine (mild one) before
applying the wash and then about 10 minutes later,
remove the excess with soft brush moistened with
clean turpentine. Exhaust streaks were done using
really thinned black brown, buff and light grey. Finally
walkways were stained with black grey oil paints
applied with scuffed sponge. Then everything was
sealed with a coat of Mr. Color Semi gloss clear coat.
8
Final assembly and base

All that was left to do was the assembly of the
small parts; gear legs, gear bay covers, propellers,
antennas and turrets, which were all painted
separately. At the last moment I decided to load
the bomb bay, and that’s where Airfix Bomber Re-
supply Set came in handy. SBC containers and MC
Bombs were painted, weathered and placed into
the bomb bay. Cookie bomb and trolley was also
built to be placed on the base, which was a
straightforward job, a piece of MDF board painted
black, on top of which the superbly printed airfield
base from NOY miniatures was glued on.
Honestly, I thought that this would be an easy build,

and as many times before, I was wrong. But I
enjoyed every moment building this iconic plane. It
builds great out of the box, but if you decide to go
that extra mile, it will build into a gem.
9
IRIAF Mig-29
Periklis Salessiotis builds the 1:48 Eduard kit
The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF)

came into existence in the early 1980’s when the
previous Imperial Iranian Air Force was renamed.
The Mig-29 or Fulcrum as it is called in the West
entered service with the Iranian air force in the
late 80s after the end of the Iran–Iraq War in an
attempt to partially rebuild the IRIAF through
limited purchases of ex-Soviet Union aircraft.
These aircrafts flew alongside American F-4s and
F-14s as it was not the intension to replace them
during the rebuild.
The MiG-29 developed during the 1970s by the
Mikoyan design bureau is a fourth-generation jet
fighter aircraft designed to counter new American
fighters such as the F-15s and F-16s. It entered
service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983-84.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the
Warsaw Pact nations, many MiG-29s became the
frontline fighter of the new Russian States.
10
11
Original thoughts
The plan was to do a straight out of the plus a single tree of clear parts for the
box built focusing more on the external canopy and windscreen. Detailing is finely
appearance of the plane rather than scribed and there is no sign of flash or
adding much detail. The Mig-29 has been other molding problems in this release.
released a number of times by Academy The kit comes with a number of resin parts
and up until the introduction of the new for the cockpit and seat and two frets of
Great Wall Hobby MiG-29 it was the best photoetch with one coloured for the
kit in 1:48 scale. Saying that, the kit has a cockpit details and one for external and
number of issues that many hard core canopy details.
Mig-29 lovers can point out but the only Having seen a number of builds on the
alternative was Monogram's 1:48 MiG-29 internet I was aware of all the problems
which had even more issues! with the (ex-Academy) kit comes with and
Now Eduard have come along and taken decided to deviate from the instructions
the Academy MiG-29A and added their sequence. One extra item I added was the
unique twist providing a more interesting superb Quick Boost replacement nose,
new option. The kit is moulded in light grey and its on with the build.
styrene and presented on six parts trees
Office Landing Gear & intake

As always construction began with the used which after the usual washes and There was no major reconstruction for the
cockpit area and Eduard have provided a light dry brushing was close enough to the landing gear and the wheels. The kit allows
replacement cockpit tub in resin with PE colours of the pre-painted photoetch. the modeller to add as much detail as
detail parts. Amazingly the resin parts are All cockpit area parts were painted and wanted but as this was intended to be as
a straight drop in fit and they do not weathered separately and glued together supplied, no further detail was added to
require any sanding at all. A new set of afterwards as it makes the painting them. All parts were cleared of seem lines
rudder pedals is built up from resin and session easier. with the use of the knife by scraping them
PE, and a replacement instrument panel The ejection seat comes in resin with out and mounted on a piece of wood ready
laminated from the pre-painted PE parts is coloured photoetch belts. It was painted to be painted. All the gear parts received
provided. Using a pair of tweezers the black and received a wash of light grey oil two coats of Gunze H308 followed by two
numerous folds of the instrument panel in order to enhance all the detail. Once layers of varnish and after drying were
and radar cover were achieved. White glue again white glue was used to glue all the washed with thinned Black and Brown oil
was used for all the PE parts as it allows belts, which receive a wash of black and paint. The tyres were painted Tamiya NATO
you more time to adjust and move around brown oil in order to tone done the bright Black followed by light dry brush using light
the pieces. The electronics turtle deck colours. grey and the hubs Green.
comes in resin and replaces the kit part A final coat of matt varnish was applied on The intakes were glued in place with only
that lacks detail. Using a small modelling all cockpit pieces. The cockpit tub was minimum requirement for filler at the aft
saw the kit part was removed and plastic secured in the fuselage with the use of end of the intakes. In order to minimise the
card was glued to cover the whole and to super glue and pieces of square plastic gap between the intakes and the fuselage
provide extra gluing surface. Not being sections for extra support and the ejection thin spacer strips of plastic were glued
familiar with Russian fighter cockpit colours seat was installed in the later stages of the along the top of the intakes.
the paint codes provided by Eduard were build.
12
Fuselage Wing loads

This is the part where I deviated from the The plane was loaded with all the air-to-air
instructions. Instead of following the missiles and fuel tank that come with the
instructions and gluing the top and bottom kit. The fuel tank was detailed with the
half of the forward fuselage together and addition of the APU at the bottom made
then with the aft half, the two top fuselage out of thin metal sheet and a couple of
parts were glued together first. This way a wires that run along it. Some missing
perfect fit was achieved on the top which access panels were also scribed the same
is the first area anyone will see. The key for time. All the missiles were painted white
a successful joint is to dry fit as many and received a couple of coats of gloss
times as possible. Additionally any gaps coat in preparation for the stencil decals.
(which were minor) were restricted to the Eduard’s decals and stencils are superb
underside areas and easily covered with and the minimum amount of decal fluids
plastic strips and super glue. All lost detail was used to make them conform to the
was re-scribed using Tamiya scribers and surfaces.
templates. At the same time a number of
soft panel lines were enhanced with the
scriber. To correct the kit nose the
excellent Quick Boost replacement was
used. It only required a minimum amount
of sanding to align with the kit fuselage.
13
Exhausts
The plan was to present heavily worn and was applied in light coats. The masking
used exhausts. Before painting began was then reversed and the remaining
small amount detail was added on the petals were dusted with light coats of clear
outer sides of the exhaust petals in the yellow. Excessive chipping with Mithril
form of thin plastic strips. The first painting Silver from the Games Workshop range
step was to apply a coat of gloss black on was applied with a fine brush. Finally after
both exhausts followed by a coat of steel a couple of days the exhaust received an
from the Gunze Mr Metal Color range for oil paint wash of brown and black to tone
the petals and aluminium for the forward down the chipping effect and bring all the
rings. After the exhausts were dry half of colours together.
the petals were masked and clear blue
14
Painting the Iranian camouflage!

After all the major assemblies are glued used:
together the aircraft was ready for painting, H-53 Blue Grey
but not before a dash of filler and a light H-27 Tan
sanding. The model received two light The first colour to be applied was the Blue
coats of Tamiya XF-19 and any mistakes Grey which was applied in two thin coats
were corrected at this stage. (70-30 thinners-paint ratio) so as not to
The motto is: “The more dry fit at the early lose the pre-shading effect. After the paint
stages the less filler and sanding at the was dry white was added into the base
end”. colours and a 90-10 (thinners-paint) ratio
The plane was pre-shaded with Tamiya mixture was applied focusing in the centre
black in order to give a bit of depth to the of the panels.
panel lines. For the Iranian camouflage, Finally the Tan was applied the same way
which is a simple blue-grey and tan colour as the grey, free hand and followed by post
scheme the following Gunze colors were shading with a lighter tone again.
15
IRIAF Mig-29
16
The following day two coats of Johnson’s

Klear were airbrushed over the model in
preparation for decals and weathering. The
IRIAF markings come with the Eduard kit
and with decaling complete another coat
of Klear was applied to protect the existing
surface from the impending washes. The
model received a thinned wash of Black
and Brown oil mixed together, and finally,
two coats of Satin varnish.
A highly recommended kit which with the

addition of a correct nose and a bit of TLC
can become a jewel in everybody’s
cabinet.
17
“f r e s h w e r k e”
Focke Wulf 1:32

Revell’s new Fw190 F-8 modelled by David Parker
performed, making for something of a of HGW’s excellent seat belts and a set of
I
am by nature not a very adventurous
modeller and I prefer to stick with my ‘fresh’ approach or ‘fresh werke’ if you will! their revolutionary Wet Transfer generic Fw
favourite tried and tested materials 190 markings which dispense with any
rather than experimenting with new I had for a long time wanted to try the decal film.
products. The release of Revell’s brand HGW Wet Transfer rivet system and the
new Fw190 however seemed like the smooth Revell Focke looked like a good Having picked an unusual bare metal
perfect opportunity for me not only to test candidate. I selected the HGW set 321017 scheme I decided to use the new AK
drive the kit but also to add some new which is designed for the Hasegawa Interactive Xtreme Metal Aluminium paint
products into the project to see how they Fw 190A/F-8 and which comes with a set and teamed this with Mr. Paint acrylic
18
Luftwaffe colours. These are another very favourable with its excellent
new paint brand from Slovakia that I surface detail, well detailed cockpit
was keen to try. I was a little and optional canopies and underwing
apprehensive at trying out so many stores. All the control surfaces are
fresh products ‘publicly’ but this only separate but they have pegs that lock
served to add some excitement to a into place so some adjustment or
fairly straight forward build. bending of the pegs will be needed to
get any movement in them. The
Revell’s F-8 exception is the flaps which have a
This is a completely new tooling choice of raised or lowered versions.
release and my in the box review was
19
Kicking off with the cockpit

Construction begins with the cockpit which
really is very good and although I could
have reworked the moulded on throttle
lever and thinned down the lip of the
bucket seat in the end I just went with what
was provided. I replaced the kit instrument
dial decals with some more detailed MDC
versions but with the instrument panel
tucked so far back in the coving the detail
is hardly visible. I assembled the HGW seat
belts which are pre-coloured and laser cut
fabric straps with photoetched buckles.
They look great as they come but I dulled
the rather reflective photoetched parts with
Mr Metalcolor Chrome Silver and applied
some oil paint washes to the fabric straps
to give a more worn appearance. I had to
check my references to see exactly where
the belt straps were tethered and they
were glued in place.
Time to install the cockpit and I hit a few

problems here. The kit instructions have
the cockpit coving glued into place and the

cockpit tub is then to be fitted up from below
into the assembled fuselage. Before doing this
I test fitted the parts and found that I had a
substantial gap between the coving and the
fuselage. I could not determine what was
causing the problem but by opening out the
coving as much as I could and gluing the
fuselage and cockpit working from the tail
towards the nose I was able to get a
reasonable if not perfect fit.
The well detailed wheel bays fit snugly

and the complete lower wing is easily
installed. The kit has been designed to
allow the engine to be exposed but my
intention was to have all the cowlings
closed. The engine mount and nose
MG mounts still have to be installed
even if everything is closed up.
20
The BMW radial engine is extremely well

detailed just from the box and unless you
plan to open the cowlings it demands
nothing more. The exhaust pipes are also
well designed with recessed outlets and I
found them pleasingly easy to install and
align. Given that the propeller fan blades
hide most of the engine I simply gave it an
overall coat of Alclad Semi Matt Aluminium.
Later it was given a dark oil wash to pick
out the details.
1 2 3
Cowling construction glue the engine on its mounts and fit the upper cowling, checking
There are 9 pieces that make up the cowlings and getting them to that the exhausts are aligned with their outlets and that the upper
align correctly does as I feared take some effort. My attempt to do cowlings blend with the rest of the fuselage. Some play in the
so following the kits assembly sequences were unsuccessful so location of the engine is helpful in this. 3 Glue together the two
here is the approach that I used. 1 glue the pair of bulged side lower cowlings and check them against the cowling ring. Now fit
sections to the fuselage, checking the width of the open ends by the cowling ring. 4 Test fit the lower cowlings, some very slight
offering up the cowling ring to them. These parts have only a trimming / clean up of the rear edges was needed to get a good
small contact area with the rest of the fuselage so careful push fit which was then sealed with Mr Cement S. 5 Test fit the
alignment is critical. 2 Assemble the three upper cowling pieces upper gun cover. I found that I needed to add a plastic brace
(parts 40, 42 & 43) using the cowling ring again to check that the across the fuselage to spread the side walls for a better alignment
radius of them matches that of the cowling ring. When dry loosely with the cover
4 5
The twin MG 131 barrels need some cleaning

up and the muzzles were drilled out before they
were installed. I had considered some
aftermarket replacements but with just their
tips showing the kit parts were more than
adequate. The gun cover was then glued in
place, followed by the windscreen to complete
the main construction stage. On now to
applying the HGW rivets.
21
In preparation for the HGW rivets the model was primed with an The HGW rivet system divides the rivets into manageable panels
airbrushed coat of Mr Finishing Surfacer 1500. This was then which are treated like a conventional decal but with a clear cover
polished with sanding sponges and a soft cloth to have a smooth film. The film is used to position the rivets and I applied so Mr Mark
surface for the natural metal finish. softer to help them adhere.
I used a cotton bud as a squeegee to push any liquid out from After two hours the clear film is peeled away leaving the tiny silver
under the clear film and the area was then left for two hours to dry. rivets in place on the wing. Any glue mark residue can be cleaned
The Clear film adheres to the model like a decal when dry away with water leaving a perfect finish.
Considering that the HGW set was not designed

for the Revell kit everything fitted remarkably well.
There were some small overlaps, the worst being
around the underwing access panels above. I
used a scalpel to carefully remove any stray
rivets. The HGW set helpfully supplies plenty of
spare lines of rivets and duplicates for the rivets
for the circumference of the small oval inspection
covers for example, making it easy to repair any
mistakes. HGW provide a guide diagram showing
the location of all the numbered decal segments.
This is such a fantastic system - easy to use and
gives without doubt the best scale rivet
22 appearance.
Above A sponge was used to get an random

application of paint on top of the aluminium to
start to dull down the finish.
Getting Shiny
I used the AK Interactive Xtreme Metal Aluminium straight
from the bottle having first given it a good shake. It
sprayed easily and covered very well. It behaved like a
denser Alclad and dried quickly like Alclad too but gave
me much better coverage. As you can see the finish is
certainly very shiny! I wanted a more worn oxidised finish
so I began applying a series of pale grey acrylic and oil
paint washes over the exposed bare metal areas.
Masking fluid was applied to the wing roots using a sponge.
23
Mr. Paint Camouflage

Mr. Paint says that it designed to airbrush and it does just what it says
on the bottle! What a delight this paint was to work with. It sprayed
perfectly with no blockages or spattering and it allowed me to freehand
spray the wavy demarcation along the leading edge of the wing. I
deliberately allowed some thinner areas where the underlying
aluminium partly showed through around the wing roots for example.
The paint has quite a strong cellulose content judging by the smell so I
think a good primer is recommended. It dries quickly with a fantastic
satin sheen that suited the subject perfectly. As well as the RLM 74/75
camouflage I painted the flaps, ailerons and centreline bomb rack in
RLM 65 Hellblau, indicative of pre-painted parts from different
manufacturers.
Removing the masking fluid from the wing roots gives a very harsh
contrast that will need more work. I used fine Micromesh cloth to rub down
the surrounding paint and give a more blended appearance. The cloth was
also used to wipe the tops of the rivets to expose them.
Further small scratches and scuffs were added

with a sharpened cocktail stick concentrating on
areas of high maintenance like the cowlings and
gun covers. I especially like the way the rivets are
showing through the paint and its an effect that is
24 entirely controllable.
Wet Transfer Markings

The HGW set comes with their unique Wet Transfer markings,
providing all the generic national markings and assorted
stencilling, walkways and the like. It did not provide the late
pattern Balenkreuz for under the wings so I used the Revell decal
for this. Like the rivets these are soaked in water to release the
clear carrier film which is then applied to the model and handled
in the same way as the rivets were. After two hours drying the film
is peeled away leaving the markings which are free of any carrier
film or problems with silvering. I did not varnish or prepare the
surface before applying them. You can just make out the adhesive
residue in the second picture but again wiping it over with a wet
brush will clean this away. Its a stunningly simple and effective
system. I had to make my own numbers for the fuselage by
cutting masks with the rather ragged ‘3’ touched in with a brush.
25
Somewhere along the way I

managed to snap off the antenna
post on top of the tail so I had to
fashion a new one from plastic card.
With all the markings in position I was able to move

on with weathering the airframe. The panel lines
were pin washed in dark grey brown colours and on
the camouflaged areas the panel lines were
oversprayed with very diluted black to provide
some subtle shading. Oil washes were applied to
the upper wings and I added some muddy tones to
the wing root area.
26
The undercarriage was assembled from

the box but I could not let myself off by
ignoring the brake lines that run down
the front edge of the undercarriage
doors. I used 0.4mm lead wire for the
thicker top and bottom sections with
connectors made from sections of Albion
Alloys aluminium tube. Copper wire was
used to make the thinner connecting
section. The placards on the
undercarriage legs are generic dry rub
placards from the Archer Fine Transfers
range and would have been so much
easier to apply if I had not already fitted
the door covers to the legs!
Exhaust stains were tackled next and I

applied these using Com Art acrylic
colours which can be reworked once
applied. I studied the staining on the real
aircraft which appeared to be quite
restrained so I did the same. I worked
over these areas to add some scuffs and
clean areas on inspection covers, using
a cocktail stick to remove the paint. The
weapons were painted with Gunze Mr
Metal color Dark Iron and I brush painted
the red locking lines on the cowling
clasps.
27
Revell
www.revell.de/en
HGW Rivet and Wet Transfer Sets

http://hgwmodels.cz
AK Interactive Xtreme Metal paint

www.ak-interactive.com
Mr. Paint
www.mrpaint.sk
28
Revell obviously have plans for further Fw 190

releases judging by the way the kit has been
designed and aside from some frustrations in
assembling the cowlings the kit has an awful lot
going for it, not least its great price. For me the
HGW rivets really brought the model to life and I
really hope HGW will expand their range of these
sets. The new paints that I used performed brilliantly
and I fully intend to use both on future projects.
29
Fouga
Magister
Olivier Soulleys describes his build of
the Wingman Super-Kit
In the Wingman box we find the entire Kinetic kit (two full kits are
included) and the following ingredients:
- A set of about twenty resin parts including a complete cockpit, a
set of wheels with weighted tires, air intakes and wing tips for the
deletion of tip tanks.
- A photoetched fret adding to the original elements, including
instruments panel for both sides of the front and rear cockpit.
(Note that the resin parts and photoetched supplement detail only
one model, the other can be built as the standard Kinetic kit).
- A beautiful mask set for the canopy and painting sheme
template for the revised decals. The "Kabuki" paper is good, both
the sharpness of the cut and the adhesive power.
Wingman impressed me with a set of decals from Cartograf,
beautifully printed, giving you a choice of twenty attractive
schemes of which there are fifteen German aircraft, natural metal
finish or camouflage and five other Irish options. A complete
stencil sheet confirms some serious research work done by the
staff of Wingman.
The Wingman instruction sheet is provided for the additional parts
and is actually cleaner and more accurate than the Kinetic one,
including the proper positioning of small parts like the air scoop on
the fuselage and the angle of landing gear doors.
Finally, Wingman offer a small detail ‘photo file’ of real aircraft over
four colour A4 sheets. This model from the "Superkit Series" is a
limited edition of 500 kits.
30
31
Busy cockpit
Overview of almost all the

elements of the cockpit after
painting. The basic colour is a
matt black lightened with
brown, the sharp edges of
instrument panels were rubbed
with SNJ aluminum powder.
Work inside the cockpit starts by detailing realistic. The radio block and its support with the supplied decals. I dropped a small
the front and back instruments on the left are made with a combination of resin parts bead of white PVA glue on each of them to
side. Along with the photoetched parts, I and photoetch from the kit on which I suggest the glass. The connections from
added some small details with Evergreen added electrical connections. the rear instrument board are glued from
(rods and strips) and 0.23mm wire, I The seats are a very basic shape, their the back. These wires are fixed with
copied these from the photo leaflet padded backrest was painted dark brown cyanoacrylate in a fine drilled hole then
included in the kit. The throttles were also and harness in medium blue. Both oxygen painted grey with small touches of colour,
redone working from the photos. The main hose are painted light green and washed they add an incredible amount of realism
instrument panels received photoetched with black to enhance the detail. The two and interest to the cockpit.
features by copying the layout on the resin oxygen bottles are detailed with wire, With the rear instrument panel in place,
part which I decided not to use in favour of photoetched taps and other small details you must bend the cables down, they pass
my own scratchbuilt facias. accented with bright colours. Not much over the oxygen regulator and disappear
Both oxygen hoses were made with a unfortunately remains visible once installed behind the front seat.
section of guitar string, not easy to bend, under the rear dashboard however!
but the appearance is very fine and The two dashboards have simulated dials
32
Slender airframe
After the usual dry-testing the fuselage The right angle of the"V" tail is obtained by The radio is installed inside the rear glass,
halves were assembled with extra thin an insert in the rear of the fuselage. A beware glue stains... The exemplary clarity
cement gradually starting from the top of small quantity of glue on top between the of the transparent parts allows the viewer
the fuselage to the rear end then up below inserts set everything in an accurate to appreciate the details inside but can
the nose. The remaining free space position. easily be spoilt with visible adhesive.
between the floor and the fuselage is filled
with small weights attached with white glue It’s nice to have separated rudders in 1/48, The canopies were fixed with xtra thin
to avoid a "tail sitter". first, it allows a realistic stance with thinner cement which can be used sparingly
You can have legitimate worries about the trailing edges because the part is moulded preventing any accidents. I found that
double curve joint between the wing and in one piece, and on the other hand, it there is an important filling job on the nose
the fuselage, but in fact it's accuraate, a assists the different painting steps and the junction of the air inlet to the
simple streak of extra thin cement along especially in this case. engine and fuselage. For that, I used the
the length with some tight pressure gives a De LUXE brand Perfect Plastic Putty. This
perfect result without a gap to fill. product is ideal for fine finishing work.
33
Bare (metal) essentials
"Kabuki" tape masks are surgically precise and identical to More masking in preparation The base of faded day-glo is made with
the kit parts. Their arrangement on the sheet is a good for the day-glo orange. A white mixed with light sand and
example of logic, no chance of using the wrong piece. I solid coat of flat white was progressively tinted with orange. This
systematically painted the canopy frames applying the applied as a base coat. produces a perfect faded base effect as
interior colour from the outside and a subsequent layer of seen in the reference photos.
matt black prevents light from showing through.
I applied a random mottling on the areas The underside of the aircraft was not as exposed to light, the
most exposed to daylight with an airbrush. reference photos showing a much stronger day-glo colour
The day- glo red is Prince August AIR 83 replicated by a heavier coverage of the red.
thinned in order to manage the right
density of the colour and applying fine
transparent coats.
With the day-glo masked it's time to apply a first coat of Tamiya
TS30 from the spray can. Let the can stand in a bowl of hot water
for several minutes, this helps the flow of the paint resulting in a
smoother finish. This shade is applied in several thin layers. After a
few retouched areas there were still visible some sanding marks,
and total of three attempts were made before getting a near
perfect surface.
Several thin coats of Alclad Polished Aluminium were sprayed next
and polished to a high gloss.
34
My choice of decals came from a Max Decals sheet, this is a Finnish aircraft Some wear to the red paint at the mouth of the air
coded "FM-77". Aircraft assigned in this unit stationed in Kauhava (mid ‘60s) intake was achieved by a ‘dabbing’ action with a
had the distinctive blue and white roundels without black border. FM-77 later small piece of packing foam and aluminium paint.
received a badge on top of the front nose cover showing three silhouettes of This gives a random chipped and flaking effect.
birds on a blue background.
When it comes to building an aircraft with shines more it shows blemishes. Inevitably those layers have dried, a uniform polishing
a natural metal finish we step into a a multitude of polishing sessions and touch with a soft cloth (such as spectacle
particular area of modelling... All our ups are needed to obtain the required cleaning cloth) provides a beautiful shine.
knowledge accumulated since starting the result. Subtle aluminium framework effects are
hobby comes into play. These finishes will For the polishing of surfaces, there is a obtained by rubbing the head of a cotton
show any tiny flaws in your preparation. whole arsenal of very fine flexible files swab on some panels of the fuselage and
Not being a fan of the glossy black under similar to ‘Micro Mesh’ cloth that achieve a the flow of air on the wing.
coat I like to work directly on a polished smooth and shiny before painting. The surfaces are then protected by a thin
plastic. This requires a particular and This is when the surfaces received a basic spayed coat of pure "Future" from Johnson.
careful sanding and polishing routine, Tamiya TS30 coat, which, once polished, This productis perfect to preserve Alclad
which can reveal defects once the reveals the areas to be retouched. This paints and moreover, this lacquered and
aluminum paint is applied. This same method of successive retouching is used smooth finish is perfect for decal
defects would be invisible under ‘military until the surfaces reveal no defects. At that application where we want the decal
matt’ colours but is amplified by the time the kit receives several layers of carrier film to disappear.
brilliance of your aluminum, the more it Polished Aluminium from Alclad II. Once
Here the result after glossing

by spraying unthinned
Johnson Future
Everything can then be handled with no

fear of fingerprints or damage to the
delicate finish of the Alclad.
35
This view shows how low this aircraft really

sits. Note the natural appearance of the
turning front wheel.
The yellow and black FOD are typical of the Finnish Air
Force in the 1960s and 70s. Note the rocket pods.
The wide angle of the open canopies allows a

good view of the cockpit details. The speed
brakes are displayed in an open / testing
position. The stencil decals provided are very
comprehensive and detailed.
These Wingman ‘Super Kits’ make for a very

enjoyable project. With all of the resin, photoetch
and reference provided they are a true out-of-
the-box project for the serious modeller.
36 Magister
37
Eduard’s Bf 109E-7 takes

a dive in the desert
Modelled and described by Luc Janssen

figures by François Laloux
After buying this magnificent kit from Eduard, I checked my

books, magazines and the internet to look for ideas on how
to display the model. On the internet site “Falcon's
Messerschmitt Bf 109 Hanger” I found some interesting
pictures of crashed Bf-109's and the decision to build a
belly-landed Bf-109 E7 was quickly made!
The idea was to represent the fighter crashed in the desert
after being hit in the port radiator by ground fire. Two
aircraft mechanics are preparing the recovery of the ‘109.
38
39
Weekend 109
The Bf 109E-7 Weekend Edition from difficult (I completely forgot to take landing, was simulated on the leading
Eduard is a superb kit with fine riveting and photos!). I started by cutting a square of 2 edges of the wings. I heated these parts
detailed parts which assembled with by 2 cm out of the port wing just above the of the wings with a hair dryer and pushed
almost no filler. I started with the cockpit, cooling radiator. Then I inserted a piece of some dents in the heated plastic with a
although I had the intention to install an aluminium (gently bent following the wing screwdriver.
aftermarket set from Aires, I only kept their profile) in this opening and reinforced the The portal crane was made from sprue. I
instrument panel. To complete the cockpit, edges with strips of plastic card firmly added the small ground plates to the 3
I used the excellent parts of the kit, adding glued in place on the inside and the legs and on one leg I added the necessary
the necessary switches, handles and outside with cyanoacrylate glue. Once the steps. The pulleys and the upper part were
wiring. glue was thoroughly hardened, I sanded made from scratch and the chains came
the upper surface of the wing and the from my spares box.
The engine was detailed as well. I aluminium panel to obtain a seamless wing
reworked the supports for the engine, finish. Hereafter the panel lines and riveting For the figures I used the “Africa Korps”
added some piping, wiring, hoisting points were restored, not touching the aluminium German Tank Crew from MiniArt. I
and changed the existing ignition cables because no details would be visible after changed the postures and the heads were
for finer details. Simulating the battle the damage would be created! replaced by heads of a German DAK
damage from ground fire was a little Some damage resulting from the belly Panzer Crew Set from Alpine Miniatures.
40
Paint and Markings

Painting the BF-109 E7 in German The final coat, after the decals had
Desert camouflage is rather easy. I been applied and the whole model
started by spraying all the under was thoroughly cleaned with
sides with RLM 78 HELLBLAU and lukewarm water with a drop of dish
the upper sides with RLM 79 detergent, was applied with a
SANDGELB following the many mixture of varnish (5 parts matt +
pictures and profiles in books and 1.5 parts gloss). All paints came
magazines. For the SANDGELB no from Model Master.
tone work was applied as the
effect would be neutralised by the In a magazine I found a profile of a
mottling. The mottled RLM 80 Bf-109 E7 in desert colours
OLIVGRUN was a bit more difficult bearing the number 13. I used
to accomplish, I sprayed these mostly decals from the box
little dots of paint carefully and with supplemented by decals of my
very limited air pressure. spares box and applied them with
The painted model was covered the proven MicroSol & MicroSet
with a coat of gloss varnish. I know system. When correctly and
that a lot of modellers use ‘Future’ patiently applied, the result is
to prepare the surfaces for the extremely convincing!
decals, but I still prefer varnish.
41
Desert Dust and Damage

As always, my weathering was done with brush and the surplus of pastel powder leading edges of the wings, the propeller
pastels and colour pencils. First I went over simply wiped away. blades and the propeller hub were treated
the panel lines with a very sharp colour With this step finished, I applied small oil with a small sponge and aluminium paint.
pencil, grey for the HELLBLAU under sides, and dirt patches on the wings and the Small corrections and adjustments were
brown for the upper sides and Light Green engine where the aircraft is usually made with a fine brush and the same
for the mottled OLIVGRUN. serviced. This was done with a small brush paint.
Then, with a No1 brush, I accentuated the and a sponge using diluted paint in From the underside (I did not install the
panel lines with pastel powder in the same different colours. port radiator) I punctured the aluminium
colours as the pencils for the different Now airflow streaks were simulated, again plate in the wing, creating the battle
surfaces. Sometimes this operation had to with a small brush and pastel powders. damage from ground fire. As the edges
be repeated to obtain the desired effect light brown, burnt umber, grey and black bent upwards, the aluminium becomes
which always has to be subtle. The panel were used. visible and some paint chipping is
lines were then brushed with a broader The last step was the paint chipping. The automatically created!
42
Figures
The figures were skilfully painted by
François Laloux and he took colour
pictures of a German Africa fighter crew as
reference. He checked the figures and,
with some putty, he improved their finish.
The base coat is from a spray can from
Citadel.
For the skin he used the set ‘Flesh’ from
Lifecolor. He likes to work with Lifecolor
paints as they dry super matt and remain
workable to blend the different nuances in
the paint.
The rest of the figures were painted with
Vallejo paints. He used these paints for the
base colours, the highlighting and the
shadows.
On rocky ground
The terrain was made with all-purpose filler used to fill small gaps
and openings in masonry, wood, plaster, etc. On a glass plate I
fixed a cardboard frame of approx 3 mm thickness creating an
edge. Then I poured the water-thinned all-purpose filler on the
glass plate and spread out the liquid filler to obtain a more or less
flat surface. On top of the wet surface I scattered very fine yellow
coloured sand and some cat litter, crushed into smaller pieces. As
the all-purpose filler hardened, the sand and the cat litter became
glued to the surface. Before entirely dry, I created the grooves and
marks caused by the ‘109 during its belly landing.
The ground work needed very little paintwork as the basic colours
are very realistic. The grooves and scars were painted in a slightly
darker brown to accentuate them. finially I dry brushed the whole
base high lighting the edges of the grooves and scars and the
stones spread over the dessert sand.
The last step was finishing the details (the canopy, the broken
antenna, the forgotten leather flying helmet, the balance of the
ailerons, the pitot tube, etc) and bringing everything together on
the base. The portal crane was put on together with some cases
and jerry cans. The two superbly painted figures were positioned
next to the engine, et voilà, the job was done!
43
new releases
Wingman 1:48 IAI Nesher, Dagger and Finger

There's certainly something exciting about unboxing these instructions showing very particular features for specific aircraft
Wingman 'Superkits', we have of course looked at some previous including the 'Mara' upgraded ex-Peruvian aircraft. Wingman really
releases but to re-cap, the format is as follows: Kinetic kits (some do your homework for you allowing even a novice of the subject
releases contain two full kits, this only one) are boxed with a range the parts and information to build a very accurate replica. With
of resin and photoetch upgrade parts, Cartograf provide a huge seven Israeli options and fourteen Argentinian one of the hardest
selection of markings, Master provide turned metal parts, Kabuki processes of the project will be picking which one to model! The
supply the pre-cut masks and some very clear, detailed and Cartograf decals are stunning, as you'd expect, and the colour
comprehensive instructions and reference are thrown in for good profiles very detailed. We're big fans of the 'Superkit' concept,
measure, what's not to like? The original Kinetic kit is very nice aimed directly at the serious hobbyist Wingman know what you
showing some nice surface detail, in reality much of the kit is want and talk your language leaving nothing to chance. A highly
superseded by the superb resin parts which includes a full recommended range of kits for the connoisseur, check out
cockpit, exhaust, fuel tanks, landing gear, missiles and optional www.wingmanmodels.com or order at www.shopofphantoms.com
46
noses depending on the version you're building with some very in- (available also in the UK from Hannants)
depth research which appears as call-outs throughout the
HK Models 1:32 De Havilland Mosquito B Mk.IV Series II

Here is a welcome arrival and a reminder of my boyhood building also cleverly handled with an internal glazing framework onto
Revell’s large scale Mosquito. Well HK Models have brought all which the multiple clear parts sit. The clear parts themselves look
the latest moulding technology to bear on this kit, a fact that is to be of an exceptionally high quality. The tailwheel comes with all
immediately apparent when you open the box and see the the internal mechanism and the main undercarriage is similarly
massive single piece wing and tubular fuselage parts. The wing is well detailed. The wighted tires don’t appear to suffer from the
a staggering part with the traditional upper and lower half tread fade that HK’s B-17 suffered from. A pair of detailed Merlin
approach replaced with this incredible ‘folded’ piece of plastic. engines are supplied with separate cowlings should you want to
The trailing edge is open to allow the flight controls to be fitted have them exposed. The oil cooler intakes are beautiful hollow
and cut out sections for the nacelles and fuselage. The two piece mouldings with photoetched mesh grilles and as you might
fuselage has been designed so that the assembled cockpit can expect the bomb bay is also fully detailed and is provided with a
be loaded in from the back and with the rear section attached to choice of bomb loads. The kit also provides the choice of the
locate over the wing just like the real aircraft. The cockpit is well bulged bomb bay doors. Another pleasing feature of the kit is the
handled with some convincing looking textured seat padding, provision of a choice of three paint schemes on the superb
photoetched seatbelts, and even the circular reinforcing points on Cartograf decal sheet. Without doubt this is an impressive kit with
the cockpit sidewalls are replicated. It is a little strange to have a some of the most ultra-crisp mouldings to be found on any kit and
solid fuselage after a lifetime of kits that are split down the the differentiation between the wooden and metal elements like
centreline but the way the cockpit has been designed is the inspection covers has been beautifully handled. Its another 47
undeniably clever and effective and the lack of joint seams down HK stunner and a great addition the HK Models range.
the smooth fuselage can only be welcomed. The canopy parts are www.hk-models.com
Italeri 1:32 Sopwith Camel

Another re-box from Italeri of the Academy 'Camel. This kit appears what we're accustomed to these days would take a lot of work. The
unchanged and it's never had the best reputation with some basic decal sheet offers two R.N.A.S. markings, one Italian and one
detail in places and very pronounced wing ribs with a scattering of captured German version. The sheet is sharply printed but I do feel
ejector pin marks to fill, overall the kit struggles to capture the some of the text lacks a hand-rendered appearance of the period.
delicate nature of these early flying machines. Like the N.17, this As with the Nieport, another budget buy if you can't wait for the
could be treated as a laid-back quick build to practice some new future release from Wingnuts.
paint techniques, to bring the levels of detail and accuracy up to
Peregrine Publications
Photo CDs
We've received a selection from a range
of reference CDs aimed at modellers by
the author and photographer of the
discs, Steve Muth. Presented in 'Word'
and JPEG format the contents are easily
accessible if somewhat very plain in
appearance. Each aircraft has historical
text, markings and paintwork detail
explanations and a set of captions
referring to the images. Image quality is
good generally and of high resolution to
allow zooming in on particular details.
The majority of shots are of museum
examples with a 'walk-around' style
approach focussing on all of the areas
modellers look to improve upon namely
wheel wells, landing gear, cockpits etc.
The author has had the cooperation of
the exhibit staff where necessary to gain
access to get some good close-up
detail. Unfortunately Peregrine don't have
a web page (a Facebook page would be
a good idea) to see the full range but
can be contacted direct by email:
sgmuth@optonline.net with orders taken
by bank card, Pay Pal or U.S. bank with
a very reasonable price.
48
Heinkel He 219 Uhu Vol.1

Marek J. Murawski, Marek Ry
Published by Kagero
Softback format, 96 pages
ISBN 9788 362878 413
www.casematepublishing.co.uk
Number 49 in the Monographs series is a new revised and shots are also included in the Design and Development section
updated study of the sleek He 219. As the Editor has built both along with period images of test (and crashed!) Uhus. More for the
the Revell and Zoukei Mura kits in 1:32 we can vouch for the fact modeller is a full section of walk-around images of the preserved
that these aircraft make beautiful display pieces and have some (albeit wingless) museum example in the U.S.A. and some lovely
interesting features for Luftwaffe fans with their unique ejector colour profiles backed up with some very detailed scale drawings
seats and tricycle landing gear. Being one of their '3D' editions in 1:72 and 1:48, some of which are on a pull-out A2 sized print.
over twenty pages are dedicated to photo-realistic digital Another excellent quality one-stop reference for modellers and
renderings providing superb reference of areas which would be very reasonably priced, great value even if you have the original
difficult to study in period photographs. Some excellent factory release.
Italeri 1:48 Fw 190 A-8
No points for guessing this is another re-box from Italeri, originally cockpit, from the Dragon edition. Even if you have the original
a kit from Trimaster which was then produced and marketed by boxing of this kit the decals may be looking worse for ware, this
Dragon in the early 1990s I'd imagine this is difficult to find now. release is worth picking up as there's a full set of six marking
The tooling is looking a little tired in places with some tidying options on offer from the Cartograf produced sheet which is of the
required but no big deal, the kit is renowned as building well but highest quality. Competition is fierce for the 190 in 1:48 with both
some old-school filling and sanding is required. The surface detail Eduard and Tamiya having their own kits on the market, pay your
across the airframe looks a little crude in places and yet delicate money and take your choice as they say. I'd expect this release to
49
with some nice finesse in others. Italeri have included the couple be the more budget-minded choice, decent kit but the tooling is
of small photo etched frets which mainly concentrate on the showing it's age.
Revell 1:48 Mil Mi-24D 'Hind-D'

Another release of the venerable Revell Hind-D, dating back to the workbench if you want to bring the standards up to date with
mid 1980s originally don't expect to be staggered by the detail sanding, re-scibing and riveting not to mention the cockpit, interior
and moulding finesse. This is and older tooling so raised panel and rotor head requiring some upgrading. As this kit has been
lines and 'one piece' cockpits are the order of the day for these around for sometime now thankfully there's aftermarket parts out
basic kits, it makes me feel old to think this kit was released there and to my knowledge it's still the only offering in 1:48.
almost thirty years ago! Although some soft detail is on show, the Markings offered are Polish and two German (no Russian
moulding is pretty clean but be prepared for some hours at the markings surprisingly) and the decal quality is excellent.
Supermarine Spitfire Mk VI to IX
and Mk XVI, Vol.2
Phil Listemann, Bill Dady
Published by Histoire and
Collections
Softback format, 97 pages
ISBN 9782 35250
www.casematepublishing.co.uk
The ever popular Spitfire returns in volume two of the H&C 'Planes something a little out of the ordinary such as Dutch, Irish, Egyptian
and Pilots' series which are essentially collections of colour profiles or Israeli markings to name a few. The profile illustrations are of
with detailed captions of which there are literally dozens upon high quality but only a side profile is shown of each except in the
dozens to whet the appetite for that next project. Along with the section on generic RAF markings. Some nice period images have
50 collection of profiles there is some historical text and handy unit also been collated including some original colour photographs. A
reference for each marque of aircraft and their service Worldwide nicely presented book which should please Spitfire fans, especially
with some great looking schemes on offer should you fancy those keen on the later versions.
Italeri 1:32 Nieuport 17

Contain your excitement if you're a Great War modeller, this is a even a captured German marked trainer. The Cartograf printed
new release from Italeri but unfortunately the tooling is from sheets are beautifully presented and when you consider the
Academy and over a decade old. The N.17 is a handsome aircraft purchase price of the kit make it excellent value. It's unfair to draw
and if you must have one in 1:32 the kit provides a basis for comparisons with Wingnut Wings kits which are the undeniable
detailing, it's basic at best but what detail there is is still cleanly benchmark for WWI large scale modellers, this kit comes nowhere
moulded and this would make a nice weekend build out of the close, but if you're on a budget around a quarter of the cost and
box. Star of the show is without doubt the decal sheets, no less this aircraft isn't part of the Wingnut Wings range.
than five aircraft options with Russian, French, R.F.C., Italian and
D-704
48285 48286
Uschi Van Der Rosten

Cockpit Woodgrain & Leather decals
Scale Aircraft Conversions Producers of some very innovative and high quality products,
A big chunk of resin here to fuel your large scale Navy aircraft Uschi van der Rosten, have a couple of new additions to their
with a 1:32 ‘Buddy Pod’ refueling tank from SAC in resin with a catalogue of specialist decals. 1021 is a set of two sheets of
white metal prop (presumably so it can be polished to the leather colours and textures giving twelve to choose from. The
desired finish?) and a set of detailed decals. The resin is cleanly very detailed prints would be very difficult indeed to replicate in
cast with minimal clean-up where the mould is joined, the paint and will come in very useful to modellers of vintage aircraft
weight for such a large solid piece is surprisingly light. for cockpit seating and accessories. Still with WWII and earlier
Two more sets of upgraded landing gear to add to the massive subjects, 1022 is a selection of four wood grains to suit larger
catalogue, both in 1:48. 48285 is for the Tamiya F4F Wildcat scales measuring 100x60mm you'd have sufficient to clad a 1:32
and 48286 designed for Trumpeter’s Su-9 ‘Fishpot’. WWI cockpit for example. www.uschivdr.com has more details
The place to check the full range is and some fantastic examples of their products in action, 51
www.scaleaircraftconversions.com where you can also find available in the UK from Albion Hobbies www.albionhobbies.com
stockists in your part of the World.
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E-mail: keith@mengafvmodeller.com Tel: +44 (0)1670 823648 www.mengafvmodeller.com

DANIEL ZAMARBIDE GUIDES US THROUGH HIS

B U I L D O F T H E H A S E G AWA 1 : 3 2 A 4 E S K Y H AW K
The Douglas A- 4 Skyhawk is one of those classics of aviation My starting point was years ago, I got hold of an A - 4E / F from
which is still in service in countries like Argentina, Brazil and New Hasegawa in 1:32, this tooling was over thirty years old with
Zealand. Created in the 1950s for the United States Navy, the raised panel lines and generally quite poor details such as the
request for a small attack fighter for operation on aircraft carriers cockpit and wheel wells. I decided to begin with the most
had its baptism of fire during the Vietnam War where they difficult task I’d set myself, to re-scribe all of the panel lines and
participated in combat with both the U.S. Navy and the Marines . rivet the entire airframe. I armed myself with as much reference
During the fighting the A-4 even took aerial victories against as I could find to ensure an accurate rendition of the fine surface
North Vietnamese MiGs. Later Skyhawks saw action with detail. For this task I recommend patience and not to work more
intervention in Arab - Israeli wars and the Falklands conflict with than one hour at a time on this particular task. The plastic is very
Argentina against the British Navy and its Sea Harriers. hard and you’ll end up hurting your fingers plus your
To document the history of the development of the ‘Scooter’ concentration decreases as time passes leading to mistakes.
would take up far more space than I have here, so lets
concentrate on the large scale modelling project.
56
57
Construction
With the breaks taken from scribing and of the doors matched the fuselage. detail. I often let myself go in this type of
riveting I was able to advance other parts space filled with a thousand and one
of the aircraft, such as the cockpit. I always try to switch between different plumbing and wiring lines, some that don’t
Fortunately the U.S. manufacturer ‘Avionix’ tasks on a model with the construction and really exist! Again, as always, good
has a wonderful resin cockpit specifically paint, so now I started painting the cockpit reference is the key to accuracy. Having
for this model. The fit of the parts is very as this will need to be closed inside the completed the wheel wells it was time to
good and it just needs the usual type of fuselage. The cockpit is quite compact, so look at the external fittings.
surgery for resin cockpit parts to fit snuggly after initial airbrushed base colours there
inside the plastic fuselage. Again I returned was the detail painting by brush with lots of All these parts are what ultimately give life
to the riveting which slowly but surely was colour reference to hand on the to the model, sometimes we are guilty of
adding such finesse to this old kit. The kits workbench. A few days of painting the not spending the time on fittings that can
original raised rivets, even when sanded cockpit and it was back to the building ultimately become the focus for anyone
away, left enough of an impression to act again, this time to scratch build the wheel viewing the finished piece. I decided from
as a guide to follow. To add some more wells and detail the landing gear. Again, a the start that I would treat each sub-
detail and interest I decided to open some good selection of reference is key, assembly as a ‘model’ in itself, giving each
acess panels. The engine starter turbine preferably a fully working aircraft to ensure my full attention, then ultimately bring all of
was constructed with several pieces of we catch every detail. The difficulty is that the models together to form the finished
Evergreen plastic, metal and copper wire. wells have to be symmetrical (or as best display.
I spent some time ensuring the curvature we can) and also will have a consistency in
The finished ‘dry-fit’

assembly as a final check
before painting begins. Note
the re-worked air intakes.
The scratchbuilt ammunition loading

bay and cover.
The converted figure adds

a sense of scale to the
finished display.
The resin cockpit from Avionix required

little more than carefull painting.
58
Wiring and plumbing was added to the All the detail work in the main wheel-wells had, of
nose wheel-well and landing gear course, had to be built twice! A lot of work, but I
according to my references. feel it was worth it for the final effect.
Painting and markings
My first colour to apply is always the masked I laid on a base grey of XF-19 The model starts to take on a more
lightest, in this case Tamiya XF-2 white to mixed with 50% white XF-2. dimensional effect with more realism than
the undersides and the upper edges which Over this I applied shading and highlighting an evenly applied solid grey.
will either remain white or be over-painted working around the various panels and
in red or yellow, With these white areas shapes.
The white base coat allows the yellow

and red of the tail flash to remain
vibrant, a nice touch against the dull
grey of the airframe.
59
Given that this aircraft did not operate from surfaces and for the upper an HB. Then a enhance details and add to the used look
aircraft carriers but from land bases, the layer of gloss varnish is applied to serve as of th A-4. At this point it’s time to tweak
effects of dirt have to be considered and a basis to place the decals. The decals minor flaws or deficiencies that may have
various subtle tones were airbrushed used are from CAM decals, although they occurred up to this point in ready for a
shading around panel lines and in the are for a model ‘M’, most are safe to use sealing coat of matt varnish. This duller
direction of airflow, especially across the my model ‘E’. Once all the decals are finish enhances the look of many flying
wings. applied and set everything was sealed with hours and provides a uniform and realistic
Once all of the paintwork was completely another coat of gloss varnish. Then once finish across the paintwork and decals.
dry I began to mark the panel lines, I dry, some MiG Productions "Dark Wash"
recommend using a 2H pencil on the lower was sparingly applied in certain areas to
Weathering and definition of the panels is easily seen A coat of gloss gives a good seal to the paintwork and prepares the
against the matt white so the effects were applied very surface for decals. Decals are best applied to gloss finishes to avoid
gradually. the ‘silvering’ effect of the carrier film.
One element not available on the decal The clear masking film needs to be A pleasing finish with that ‘painted-on’
sheet for my actual subject Skyhawk are carefully burnished around the edges to appearance, because, well, it’s painted on!
the ‘WL’ tail markings. The straight lines avoid any ‘creep’ by the black.
mean a mask is easy to create.
The many available ready-

to-use washes available are
best applied on a gloss
surface to improve their
flow. It also allows any
excess to be removed
Tamiya X-19 has a translucent finish
without staining the
ideal for adding subtle shading with
paintwork.
the airbrush over any colour.
60
With the decals sealed I could safely mask the

walkways on the wings. An initial coat of straight
black was further lightened by a pale blue and then
white suggesting fading and weathering. The final
step was to carefully apply tiny scuffs and scratches
with a fine brush and the base grey colour.
The final part to paint which is integral to the airframe is the exhaust. Following my
reference shots, an aluminium base coat was applied and when dry, two fine lines were
masked with Tamiya tape. Tamiya X-19 was used again to apply subtle discolouration
and finally a black/brown mix was airbrushed to suggest heavier staining.
After a full polishing job the canopy received some

internal detail with lead wire and styrene before
being masked in and out and airbrushed with matt
black. The external frame was given the same base
grey as the airframe with some tiny fastener detail
marked on with a sharp pencil. With the canopy
displayed open the detail painting inside is as
important as the cockpit.
61
Heavy Load
A-4s carried up to ten bombs with a or paper towel and apply with a random The fuel tank is heavily scuffed and
mixture long and short fuses. Each bomb manner. A finishing touch of some dusty discoloured along the length of its centre.
has wiring and it’s specific paint finishes. earth (typical of Vietnam) was applied with Some coloured wiring and fittings were
The painting of the bombs is quite creative some pigment powder and some random picked out in acrylics and all help with the
with some photographs showing a scratches and damage by pencil. busy and detailed appearance of the wheel
tremendous amount of wear in the combat Then I moved onto the pylons, in this case wells. Extra details were added to the
environment. The ordnance for my A-4 the SRM were improved with Evergreen as arrestor hook before being airbrushed in
were stored on land bases and the well as the wiring of each bomb to the. All it’s black and white bands with weathering
cumulative outdoor weathering and pieces were airbrushed white then details and washes applied as per the other
inclement Vietnam weather from sun, wind picked out with HB pencil and an overall components.
and rain are typical and should be taken coat of gloss varnish. ‘Dark Wash’ from
into account. The painting is relatively MiG Productions was used to enhance fine When in place, the bomb load becomes an
simple, starting with an olive base colour I details and add a weathered look to not interesting focus of the finished model with
used a piece of sponge to speckle different only the pylons but all the landing gear and the strong colours contrasting against the
colours including earth tones. This wheel well detail. Washes also improved white and grey of the airframe adding to
technique works like the dry brush the look of the fuel tank. Note how the fuel the purposeful combat-ready look.
technique, dip the sponge in the paint just tank has it’s tail removed, done to avoid
a little and remove the excess with a cloth any contact with the ground on take off.
Working from my reference images the heavily

weathered finish of the bombs was replicated with
some simple techniques.
You do wonder how the

Skyhawk could take off
with such a heavy
payload under each
wing!
62
The tiny ‘Sylvester’ cartoon

on the pilot’s helmet was a
challenge!
An initial coat of matt black was masked with some

Tamiya tape and a subtle overspray of dark grey applied
to replicate the tyre pattern. Dark washes again pick out
the detail of the wheel hubs.
All ready for the final assembly. I kept to my original plan of treating the
different elements as separate models in their own right ensuring the same
degree of finish throughout.
63
Great care is needed during the final assembly, with such a lot of painted parts to add
there was a lot of handling of the model so I tended to leave the more fragile pieces
until last. The stance of a ‘Scooter’ is critical to the final appearance so the landing
gear was set at the correct angles and the joints allowed to completely harden before
setting the model on it’s wheels.
64
With the canopy in place a few last details were

added to the frame and hinge and the pilot’s
helmet which adds an interesting touch. My
good friend Joaquin G. Gazquez painted the
converted gunsmith figure which helps add that
human touch and the Vietnam theme.
The Douglas A- 4 Skyhawk is a beautiful aircraft with infinite These smaller aircraft in 1:32 sit well in any collection or display
possibilities for modellers with the amount of camouflage and the larger scale offers the modeller so much more scope for
schemes on offer. Shortly after starting this project, Trumpeter detailing. Although there’s now a superior kit on the market, the
announced the release of a newly tooled kit of the A-4, infinitely old Hasegawa Skyhawk still makes an enjoyable project where
superior to the old Hasegawa kit as we’d expect from tooling over you can add your own unique personal touches.
thirty years old!
65

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AIR 61 cover_Layout 1 08/07/2015 14:24 Page 1

18 “Fresh Werke” Focke Wulf

30 Fouga Magister CM. 170 R

Meng AIR Modeller is published Bimonthly by

I’m not the only modeller who has a problem

cutting and sanding, the task was completed. Encouraged

Turrets and transparencies

Engraving and riveting

Decals and markings

Final assembly and base

Honestly, I thought that this would be an easy build,

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF)

Office Landing Gear & intake

Fuselage Wing loads

Painting the Iranian camouflage!

The following day two coats of Johnson’s

A highly recommended kit which with the

Focke Wulf 1:32

Kicking off with the cockpit

Time to install the cockpit and I hit a few

the cockpit coving glued into place and the

The well detailed wheel bays fit snugly

The BMW radial engine is extremely well

The twin MG 131 barrels need some cleaning

Considering that the HGW set was not designed

Above A sponge was used to get an random

Mr. Paint Camouflage

Further small scratches and scuffs were added

Wet Transfer Markings

Somewhere along the way I

With all the markings in position I was able to move

The undercarriage was assembled from

Exhaust stains were tackled next and I

HGW Rivet and Wet Transfer Sets

AK Interactive Xtreme Metal paint

Revell obviously have plans for further Fw 190

Overview of almost all the

Bare (metal) essentials

Here the result after glossing

Everything can then be handled with no

This view shows how low this aircraft really

The wide angle of the open canopies allows a

These Wingman ‘Super Kits’ make for a very

Eduard’s Bf 109E-7 takes

Modelled and described by Luc Janssen

After buying this magnificent kit from Eduard, I checked my

Paint and Markings

Desert Dust and Damage

Wingman 1:48 IAI Nesher, Dagger and Finger

HK Models 1:32 De Havilland Mosquito B Mk.IV Series II

Italeri 1:32 Sopwith Camel

Heinkel He 219 Uhu Vol.1

Italeri 1:48 Fw 190 A-8

Revell 1:48 Mil Mi-24D 'Hind-D'

Italeri 1:32 Nieuport 17

Uschi Van Der Rosten

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