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May 2023 • Volume 45 • Issue 03

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RS Models’ Ki-79a in 1/48

• Diamond Jubilee Tucano

• This year’s Superkit – Spitfire in 1/24
• Bf 109D – Eduard meets Alley Cat in 1/32
• IAF Eagle – 1/72 F-15E into a F-15D 'Baz'
• IPMS UK, News, Reviews, and More…

The Other Hawk T.2 Flash Photographer! Big Bellows

A Cold War Configuration RF-84F Thunderflash Westland Whirlwind F. Mk I
1/72 Freightdog conversion Tan Models in 1/48 Special Hobby in 1/32

First and Best for Reference and Modelling

CO N T E N T S

T H I S M O N T H ’ S
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4 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
F E A T U R E S
Hellcat Hunters of the 39th Kyoiku Hikotai
The trainer that fought the US Navy,
modelled from RS Model’s 1/48 kit
By Jon Tabinor
Blowing In From Buenos Aires!
Special Hobby’s 1/32 Westland Whirlwind gets
Ugur Kenel’s special hobby treatment.
The Other Hawk T.2
A Cold War Configuration
By Colin ‘Flying’ Pickett
Entertaining Dora
Large Scale Bf-109D-1 conversion
By Gordon Scott
Trainer Tribute
Airfix’s striking Diamond Jubilee Tucano
as a final salute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
By Jack Homewood
Flash Photography
Tanmodel 1/48 Republic RF-84F Thunderflash
with CMK resin flaps and ailerons and
Caracal Models decals
By Jon Bryon
Aircraft in Profile
Chance Vought Corsair
The Later Versions – F4U-4, 5, 7 & AU-1 By Jon Tabinor
Scale plans and colour profiles by Sam Pearson
Colour Conundrum
Sand, Spinach, and Grand Slam Lancasters Part 2
By Paul Lucas
Colour profiles by Sam Pearson
Supermarine Superkit!
Have Airfix tamed the shrew once more with their
new 1/24 ‘Mark Nine’? Bill Clark finds out if no
profit grows where is no pleasure taken.
Baz To The Future
Yoav Efrati turns Revell’s new 1/72 F-15E into
Israel’s upgraded F-15D ‘Improved Baz’.
With:
Updates – our monthly news round-up section
with new product previews and reviews
Books – with Ernie Lee
IPMS UK Column with John Tapsell
Show Diary
Coming Next Month
Cover Image: FRS Models’ Ki-97
(ref. 48005) by Jon Tabinor`
(see page 14).
EDITORIAL
14
20
27
30
By Gary Hatcher
R
34 eaders may have noticed an increase in the short reviews
and inbox previews in the last issue – part of a plan to make
better use of the talents and skills of our review team. I rarely
make a purchase without reading at least an in-box beforehand,
and the pitfalls these days are plentiful, with many kits coming out
38
as new releases that date from the last century! Of course that
doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with them – but forewarned
is forearmed, and while some of my favourite kits predate the Ark,
and need plenty of basic modelling skills to get a result, it’s as well
to know what accessories or upgrades one might want to add.
45
With this end in mind I have been attempting to accelerate the
throughput of review kits, and I’d be happy to hear from any
former reviewers who might like to rejoin the team, or any
newcomers who would like to give it a try.
58
Don’t worry – you won’t be sent anything you don’t want and
will then be obliged to build. Modelling time is precious, so I make
sure I email a list of available kits and invite reviewers to state their
preferences. We usually manage to find something for everyone.
62
You don’t need to be a master modeller or photographer to join
in. What we are trying to do is to present information in as timely a
fashion as possible, and in my experience every modeller has
some ideas or techniques to share, and if you have special
68
knowledge of an aircraft type or genre then so much the better.
I continue to maintain that words are as important as pictures.
Pictures, of course, are essential, but they won’t mean much unless
an intelligent writer is interpreting them. Of course your modelling
skills are paramount, but without informed text we just end up
6
saying ‘Here is a plane what I built’.
92
94 That may be regarded as an USP in some quarters, but here we
96 prefer a little more meat on the bones …
97
For full details visit www.guidelinepublications.co.uk and look at our
range of print and digital subscription options or call
+44 (0)1582 668411. In the meantime I’m always happy to discuss this
or any issues arising from the magazine so feel free to drop me a line on
gary@guidelinepublications.co.uk
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 5
U P D AT E S

By Sorge

AIRFIX
www.airfix.com
Airfix invite us to consider advances in aviation with their 'Then and
Now' double kit (ref. A50190) featuring a Supermarine Spitfire and a
retooled F-35B Lightning II. The F-35B is also available separately in a
starter set (A55010). Both kits are 1/72 scale and contain shadow stands,
paint, glue and brushes.
Also out is a celebratory boxing of the Lancaster as a Dambuster’s aircraft
– of which more elsewhere …
ARMA HOBBY
www.armahobby.pl
Congratulations to Arma Hobby whose P-39
Airacobra kit was awarded the ‘Model of the
Year 2023’ medal by the German magazine
Modell Fan. The prize was traditionally awarded
at the International Toy Fair in Nuremberg and
to celebrate Arma are offering a ‘Medal Promotion deal. As
part of the promotion, they haver the following bundles:
P-39N Airacobra model kit in a bundle with free 3D-printed details
P-39Q Airacobra model kit in a bundle with free 3D-printed details
P-39N + P-39Q + 2x3D-printed details = 15% discount
P-39N Airacobra model kit in deal packages with selected Arma Hobby
model kits.
See the website for full details.

CLEAR PROP
www.albionalloys.com
Clear Prop are currently flogging a fine trio of MiG-23s. This third-
generation jet fighter was the first Soviet aircraft to feature variable
sweep wings and became a staple of the Cold War with over 5,000
manufactured between 1967 and 1985. The company have released 1/72
scale kits of three variants, based on a new tooling, each of which comes
with two sets of photoetched parts and at least four decal options.
CP72030 MiG-23MLA Flogger-G
CP72031 MiG-23MLAE-2 Flogger-G
CP72032 MiG-23ML/MLA Flogger-G
COPPER STATE
www.copperstatemodels.com
When Captain Lanoe George Hawker shot
down two German aircraft and forced off a
third over Passchendaele and Zillebeke in
1915 he became the first fighter pilot to
receive the Victoria Cross for aerial combat.
The aircraft he used in this action was a
Bristol Scout type C (ref. CSM32-007), now
newly tooled by Copper State in 1/32 scale.
The kit is comprised of 111 injection-
moulded plastic parts, five photoetched
metal parts, and Cartograf decals. There are
two versions of the Lewis MG mount and
bombs, a full rigging diagram, and a highly
detailed Gnome Lambda 80 HP engine.

ICM
www.icm.com.ua
Last summer there were reports of
AGM-88 HARM missiles having been
launched from Ukrainian MiG-29
fighters. This was only confirmed
when video footage emerged of a
launch in action. Somehow engineers
EDUARD had managed the impressive feat of
www.eduard.com integrating this anti-radar missile into
Out now from Eduard: the avionics system of the MiG-29.
1/72 Also impressive is the fact that ICM
7055 UTI MiG-15 1/72 has kept abreast of these
developments with a new kit, despite
1/48 the company’s head office being
8209 Bf 110C based in Kyiv. The new ‘Radar Hunter’
82183 Z-326/C-305 Trenér Master kit (ref. 72143) features a 1/72 MiG-29
11171 Rufe Dual Combo ‘9-13’ Ukrainian Fighter with HARM
missiles, with pylons and holders. There are three decal sheets with
84187 Tempest Mk V Series 2 different tail numbers for the aircraft and separate decals for the missiles
84117 Fw 190A-4 w/ engine flaps & themselves. ICM have also released a new set of WWII RAF Bomber and
2-gun wings Torpedo Pilots in 1/48 scale (ref. 48090).

6 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 7
M O D E L L E R S N OT E S
By Jack Trent
W
ith the 80th Anniversary of the epic
Operation Chastise upon us, and the
inevitable tranche of products
celebrating the event (Après moi, le deluge), there
is sufficient interest in the subject to warrant a
look at currently available kits and products for
those wishing to build models in the four major
scales. Space precludes the scores of accessories,
updates, and decals for the Lancaster in general,
but the following are all relevant to the matter in
hand:
1/144
For years the only Lancasters available for
small-scale modellers were vintage kits that
went back to the Ark, and had been boxed and
reboxed around the globe. By no means
unbuildable, the chief issue with these kits were
8 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
the transparencies, which were thick and poor
fitting. Amodel’s kit arrived in 2008 and changed
the game entirely. The kit was initially released
as a B.I/B.III but was reissued as a B.III (Special) in
2009 (ref. 14433), with an additional sprue
offering an insert for the lower fuselage and
bomb bay, as well as the Upkeep mine and its
apparatus. By no means a walkover in terms of
building, the kit features fine engraving and
detail, a fret of photoetch offering a nice bomb
bay interior (not relevant for the Dambuster),
and much better transparencies. Markings offer
one aircraft - ED912/AJ-N (Nuts) piloted by Flt. Lt.
L G Knight.
Little in the way of aftermarket is available,
although Kits-World have a couple of dedicated
Lancaster sheets in the scale, so it may be
possible to mix and match. They also have a
series of vinyl bases depicting RAF hard-
standing, including a couple based on
Scampton.
1/72
Of course everyone has released a Lancaster
in 1/72, but the front-runners at present for the
B.III (Special) are Revell and Airfix. Revell’s
excellent 2007 tooling was reissued in 2009 as a
Dambuster’s machine (ref. 04295), while the
current re-issue from Airfix is based on their
2012 release (ref. 09007), as opposed to an
earlier 1980 kit also reboxed as a Dambuster. This
newer kit includes 267 detailed parts, including
the Upkeep mine, and features markings for two
aircraft flown by Wing Commander Guy Gibson,
and Squadron Leader John Leslie (Les) Munro, in
Operation Chastise on 16/17th May, 1943. The
initial boxing included markings for the reserve
aircraft flown by Flight Lieutenant Joseph
Charles McCarthy DFC (Royal Canadian Air
Force), and one flown by Flight Lieutenant
Robert Norman George Barlow DFC (Royal
Australian Air Force), for those who like a
Commonwealth flavour. The Hasegawa kit (ref.
00554) was released as a Dambusters version in
2005 – hot on the tail of its initial boxing – but
the Revell and Airfix toolings probably have the
edge for price and availability.
All three kits are well supported by the
aftermarket, with all-important masking sets
available from the likes of Eduard, who also
produced plenty of photoetch, while CMK’s resin
interior sets are well worth a look. Of course
most generic Lancaster accessories will be
applicable to the B.III (Special), but one item
unique in 1/72 is Freightdog’s decal set for
aircraft involved in Operation Guzzle, which in
1946 saw three aircraft returned to service to
dispose of unused Upkeep mines at sea. The
sheet includes the large white post-war codes
applied, and serials for all three aircraft. Also
worth mentioning is the vacformed dam
produced by Amera Plastic Mouldings (ref.114)
and included by Airfix with a special boxing of
the older Lancaster tooling (ref. 50061), along
with paints, glue, and brushes.
Two decal sheets worth highlighting are Kits-
World’s 70th Dambusters Anniversary Operation
Chastise Avro Lancaster B.I/III Special , which
includes markings for all nineteen Aircraft of 617
Squadron that took part in the Dams Raid (ref.
172095), and Xtradecal’s 617 (Dambusters)
Squadron 1943-2008 History (ref. X72093), which
follows the squadron’s re-equipment post war. big enough you can always track down the
There is a mass of Lancaster material in the Heritage Aviation 1/24 vacform and do a scratch
scale – and given the price and quality of conversion!
available kits the modeller will be spoiled for
choice.
New from Guideline
For reference look no further than the brand
1/48 new Warpaint Special No.5 Dambusters and the
Not so much in 1/48 – although the Tamiya kit Lancaster. Author Des Brennan will be well-
was released as a dedicated boxing in 2012 (ref. known to most readers as author of our ‘Scaled
61111) and really is the only current game in Up’ articles, and has a long and distinguished
town. Fortunately it’s a good kit, and well publishing history of authoritative and unique
catered for in terms of decals and accessories. aviation subjects. This new book not only covers
Both Kits-World and Xtradecal produced decals the raid itself in detail, but includes chapters
in the scale, but further generic Lancaster B.III outlining the background to the Lancaster’s
items are available from the likes of Eduard, introduction and eventual use on Operation
CMK, and Uncle Tom Cobbley and all … Chastise, with a
broader view of
Bomber Command’s
1/32 wartime history, the
WAR
1/32 narrowly missed seeing two kits. ANNIVERSPAINT
Lancaster itself in all ARY
SPECIAL No
Wingnut Wings were up to their eyeballs in .6
its forms, and
Lancasters before the company ceased trading, Gibson’s role in the
so the only option in the larger scale is the HK raid and his career
Models kit at present (ref. HKM01E11). This prior to May 1943.
includes new tooled parts for the Upkeep mine, Illustrated
markings for Lancaster B Mk III Special throughout with
ED932/AJ-G of 617 (Kits-World also do Gibson’s period images,
machine in 1/32 as sheet KW132056), and an the book is the
exclusive UK edition with a booklet by Squadron best all-inclusive
Leader Stuart G Reid BSc RAF (Retired), former account of
pilot of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight’s Operation
Lancaster PA474 between 1999-2010, written Chastise and its
specially for the new Dambuster kit. The HK kit’s context
dimensions are daunting - L: 664mm, W: 972mm, currently Desmon By
d Brenn
and total parts count 854. Of course if that’s not available.
an
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 9
U P D AT E S

ITALERI
www.italeri.com
Although originally developed in the 70s to fulfil
a specific role as an air superiority day fighter,
the F-16 subsequently evolved into an all-
weather multirole aircraft with extraordinary
operational flexibility. Italeri’s 1/48 scale kit of
the F-16C Fighting Falcon (ref. 2825) features
new parts and five marking options – mostly
various shades of Cold War grey, with a couple of
fancy tailfins.
Thanks also to Italeri for releasing renderings of
their impending 1/72 AMX, a kit that has the
Editor squirming with anticipation …

KINETIC MODEL
www.luckymodel.com
Kinetic Model are releasing another boxing of their own newly-tooled version
of the F-16C (ref. KI-K48133). This one is a new tooling of the Block 52 with a
red-and-white scheme representing the ‘Black Knights’ aerial display team of
the Republic of Singapore Air Force. The model has laser-engraved details
along with positional flaps and slats and a choice of clear or tinted canopy. The
company have also got new boxings for the E-2C Hawkeye 2000 VAW-123
Screwtops (ref. KI-K48135), and the Mirage IIIO Royal Australian Air Force ARDU
(ref. KI-K48145). All are in 1/48 scale.

KP - KOVOZÁVODY
PROSTĚJOV
www.kovozavody.cz
New releases in 1/72 from KP are all
developed along a theme:
KPM0388 Shenyang
KPM0389 MiG-19PM ‘Over Europe’
KPM0390 MiG-19PM ‘Czechoslovak AF’
KPM0391 MiG-19P "Warsaw Pact"

MASTER-X SPECIAL HOBBY

www.master-x.wz.cz www.specialhobby.eu
Next up from Recent releases from Special Hobby in
Master-X is a second 1/72 include:
sitting of their
100-SH72479 Nakajima Ki-43-II
Embraer 390 in
1/144 – this time as a Ko/Otsu Hayabusa ‘Japan's allies’
Portuguese 100-SH72476 Mirage IIIC Armée de l'Air
machine.. 100-SH72473 CAC CA-9 Wirraway ‘In
training and combat’

MINIWING 100-SH72391 DH.100 Vampire 6

'Pinocchio Nose'
www.eshop.miniwing.cz
The Aero L-159 A/E Alca (ref. 100-SH72478 A-20G Havoc ‘Low
mini359) is a subsonic light Altitude Raiders’
combat aircraft developed 129-PLT277 HESA Shahid 136 / Geran-2
during the 1990s in the Czech
Republic. Miniwing’s 1/144 scale model
is comprised of thirty-three plastic parts X-SCALE MODELS
and a sheet of photoetch. There are www.x-scalemodels.com
decals for the Czech Air Force and A new release from X-Scale is this DC-8-32 in 1/144. The kit looks
Draken International, the US defence nicely tooled, and includes markings for Swissair but cabin
contractor that bought up many of the windows are only provided as decals for those who worry about
Czech government’s surplus machines. these things.

12 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
1/48 M A N S Y U K I  7 9 A
Manshu Ki-79A Ko
Kit No: 48005
Scale: 1/48
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: RS Models
www.rsmodels.cz
Sample provided by Ask Distribution:
www.artscale.eu
At right are the panel lines after accentuating
them with a scribing tool. The kit plastic is soft,
and easy to gouge and the lighting here
makes that look worse than it was in reality.
Here’s the seat pan being thinned. If you
scratch built a second one, and added another
instrument panel, the two-seater can be built
from this kit too, as everything else is there.
14 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
Hellcat Hunters of the 39th
Kyoiku Hikotai
D
espite looking like something that Rupert
Bear might fly, the Mansyu Ki-79 (NB The
kit spells this as Manshu, but Mansyu
seems the more accepted spelling) was an
important JAAF advanced trainer based on the
Nakajima Ki-27 fighter, and built in Mukden,
Manchuria. The Ki-27 was the first monoplane
fighter to serve with the JAAF, but was virtually
obsolete by 1942, and although some had been
converted to act as trainers, Mansyu went one
step further, designing the Ki-79 as a dedicated
trainer. Two versions were built simultaneously, a
single seater, the Ki-79a (Army Type 2 Advanced
Trainer Model A) and the Ki-79b (Army Type 2
Advanced Trainer Model B), a two-seat model
with two tandem cockpits. Both were powered
by a 510hp Hitachi Ha-13a engine and armed
with one forward-firing 7.7mm machine gun.
From 1943 the Ki-79 equipped many flying
schools and training units. The two-seat Ki-79b
was also used to give high school students a
taste of flying. Although a total of 1,329 were
Control surface hinge lines also benefit from
deepening too. As you can see, my tailwheel
broke off right at the start of the build and
was never seen again.
I had to be creative with cockpit detail as
references are non-existent. I used the Ki-27 as
a basis and scratchbuilt obvious things like the
throttle. Note the lovely Fine Molds seatbelts.
The trainer that
fought the US Navy,
modelled from RS Model’s
1/48 kit by Jon Tabinor
built, they were always in short supply and
Manshyu developed C and D versions with
simplified construction, which had only just
entered production at Mukden when the war
finished.
Ki-79s together with Ki-27s also equipped
Operational Fighter Training Units or Kyoiku
Hikotai. The 39th Kyoiku Hikotai was one such
training unit for Ki-61 Hien fighter pilots
established in July 1944 at Yokoshiba, east of
Tokyo bay in Japan.
On 16th February 1945, American carrier-
based aircraft of Task Force 58 attacked targets
around Tokyo – the first attack on the Japanese
homeland since Lieutenant Colonel Doolittle’s
famous raid three years earlier. All available
aircraft took to the air to repel this assault,
including sixteen Ki-79s of the 39th Kyoiku
Hikotai: 200mph trainers each with just one 7.7
mm machine gun! In the ensuing battle with the
Hellcats of the USS Lexington’s VF-9 led by six-
victory ace and squadron commander LCDR
The lip of the cockpit sills is quite thick , so
again a little delicate scraping with a scalpel
tip gives a more refined and thinner edge, as
seen at the top. The cockpit detail is nicely ‘3-
D’ and forms a good basis.
Forming the new instrument panel. Holes
were drilled first and then enlarged with a
round file. They always need to be larger than
you think, and checking them against the dial
decals is vital

I used USN Intermediate Blue for the cockpit
colour, which was, once more, based on that
of the Ki-27 in lieu of anything else.
The lower wing rear was scribed as shown and
then gently bent along these to give a more
conformal shape to the fuselage. The soft
plastic helped now, being very malleable.
The fiddly undercarriage forks, and my
‘improved’ wheels. Drilling the axle lets you
mount them on a cocktail stick to paint too.
Herbert N. Houck, the Ki-79s claimed two kills,
but lost six aircraft and five pilots. The victories
were originally credited to 2nd Lieutenant
Masatoshi Masuzawa and Corporal Kimiyuki
Moriwaki. However it seems that the Americans
lost only one plane to the trainer, which was
apparently shot down by Corporal Moriwaki.
After the war Ki-79s were impressed into use
by the Chinese Communist airforce and also by
Indonesian forces fighting for independence
from the Dutch on Java and Sumatra. A number
of aircraft were rebuilt from airframes found on
scrap heaps, and a Ki-79b actually became the
first aircraft flown by the Indonesians.
First released in 2020, and just re-released, RS
models Ki-79a is very much in the ‘limited run’
vein of kits. However that’s not to say it doesn't
fit well, and by all accounts it is very accurate
shape wise. You will knock the tail wheel off one
fuselage half though. I guarantee it.
Detail-wise the kit is a little soft in places, but
this can be easily sharpened up with the
judicious use of a scribing tool. The panels
around the forward fuselage and the control
surface hinge lines both benefit from this
treatment in particular. After that it was a case of
The blanking plate of the second cockpit isn’t
a great fit, so I superglued three stout bits of
the Plasticard inside to act as supports, then
flooded the gappy joint with superglue.
Here you can see the stress lines created and
how it needed to match the fuselage
contours. It still needed filling, just a lot less.
The tab slots of both undercarriage leg bases
needed trimming to give proper front-back
alignment, and also benefit from levelling-off
with a flat Swiss file.
checking the fit of the main parts, which with
exception of the single-piece lower wing’s rear,
were all very good. With an open cockpit I
decided I needed to add extra detail into the
cockpit, so after thinning the seat pan and
sidewalls, plastic rod and scrap were used to add
some extra ‘bits’, while some spare bits of
photoetch (from Eduard’s A6M2) added a touch
of finesse. Japanese aircraft of the period had lap
belts only, so I was finally able to use my
FineMolds injection-moulded ABS plastic IJA
seatbelt set to good advantage here, and once
painted they really looked very nice. The kit’s
instrument panel is basically blank and as it’s
very visible, I used it as a template to make a
new one from thin Plasticard. I found a diagram
of a Ki-27 instrument panel online and used that
as reference for where to drill holes for the new
instrument dials. A backing piece was then
shaped and had Airscale’s excellent Japanese
aircraft dials added one by one. The painted
panel front was then ‘glued’ to this using Tamiya
Gloss Clear (X-22), which also doubled as the
dials’ glazing. The rest of the cockpit was painted
in a medium grey-blue, like the Ki-27, as I could
find no reference of the Ki-79, and the kit’s
instructions are equally bereft of advice for this
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
1/48 M A N S Y U K I  7 9 A
A good view showing the instrument panel
visibility, the thinned cockpit sills, and the
cleaned up rear cockpit fairing.
Not the Walter White school of modelling!
Superglue and talc were mixed to act as both
glue and filler for the wing root to upper wing
joins. Note the Plasticard tabs added to give a
firm fit.
The legs joints still need filling and cleaning up
to eradicate the joint line. The two tubes on
the trailing edge are holders for magnesium
signal flares (should you have ever wondered
what these were on the Ki-27 too).
(or any detail painting for that matter).
I discovered that the cockpit sub-assembly
could be installed after the fuselage was joined.
This meant I could add the blanking panel for
the unused rear cockpit and clean up the joins
without getting a snowstorm of plastic dust in
the cockpit. With this done and some gentle
rescribing to reinstate panel lines, the
instrument panel and cockpit were fitted and I
turned to the wing assembly. The rear of the
lower wing part is moulded flat but it should
really be a very shallow ‘Vee’ to follow the lower
fuselage cross section. To help things along here
I scored deep lines on the inside of the part and
gently bent the area to shape. It still needed
some filler and sanding when added, but it was
nowhere near as bad as it would have been
otherwise. I glued the lower wing part onto the
fuselage first so I could exert extra pressure
around the rear wing root joint. When it came to
adding the upper wings, I cut small strips of
Plasticard to act as full-width tabs with the wing
roots. This gave a very secure fit, and because
the small gaps along the joins were now backed
too, they were a cinch to fill with a superglue
and talc mix. The tailplanes had their elevators
removed and repositioned and were also fitted.
15
1/48 M A N S Y U K I  7 9 A
The rear of the cockpit opening had a very
nasty joint line. It was far easier to cut a
Plasticard blanking panel than to try and fill
this.
Tamiya’s excellent lacquer silver served as
both proofing primer and base coat. Flying
surfaces were masked off to give some
contrast later. The brown was just a test spray
colour check.
In a similar vein the brown was allowed just to
peek through the various greens of the top
layer. Note the difference in hues with the
silver-based ailerons.
The cowling assembled well too – even the thin
front lip, although the opening for the
carburettor intake needed cleaning up and the
lips of the intake thinning, but it wasn’t difficult
to do.
The landing gear on my version (indeed I
think all Ki-79s) were unspatted, and RS provide
some fiddly, but reasonably well-
detailed, parts for the
undercarriage leg forks and
wheels. I scribed the
dividing line between
tyre and
16 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
A general shot showing the re-scribed panel
lines of the rear cockpit fairing and upper
wing after cleaning up the wing root joints.
Sealing the newly scribed lines with Tamiya
Extra Thin cleans them of any micro debris. Engine and propeller as supplied and with
additions. I added some spurious cooling
baffles between each cylinder to fill the gaps.
The Hitachi engine had its ignition harness at
the rear, which saved some work..
The home-brewed brown primer turned out
to be quite vibrant. I over thinned it a little too
much and as you can see on the starboard
wing ended up with panel lines not covering The underside took on a far warmer tone
properly. thanks to the primer brown, as you can see
compared to the A6M3, which has the same
two Hairyokuskoku shades applied.
No gloss varnish. Even the leading edge Careful scratching and scraping allowed the
yellow ID stripes went down perfectly. It brown primer, and silver beneath, to be
helped, I think, that the decals were very thin. selectively revealed, which was what I wanted.
hub deeper to be easier to paint, and re-drilled bases, but in short order I
the small stub axles for a more positive fit, but had an airframe ready to
other than that all they needed was careful paint.
painting. The lost rear wheel was fashioned from One last area to
a spare Eduard F4F Wildcat hard ‘carrier’ address
tailwheel, and is somewhat too wide as a
result. The main undercarriage
legs needed a bit of
trimming to fit and filler
to blend them into
their

Oil dotting and blending running from left to
right along both tailplanes. It’s a very gentle
effect but quite effective at giving
monochrome surfaces some extra interest.
The wheels and forks were simply superglued
into location. I’d already drilled holes in the
cowling for the new exhausts – the kit ones
were just meant to butt join and that never
looks right.
was the kit’s engine. This looks like a dog’s
dinner, but cleans up nicely. It still needs push
rods and a couple of other details added, as it is
very visible through the wide cowling. In a
similar vein I drilled the kit propeller and hub to
take a new shaft from nested diameters of brass
tube, which doubled as the Hucks-type starter
chuck at the front, when suitably filled to shape.
I had initially liked the look of the war-weary,
paint-peeling ‘Frankenstein’ Indonesian version
given as one of the marking options, but the
discovery of the 39th Kyoiku Hikotai’s brave fight
against overwhelming odds changed that, and
as it was also the third marking option it was
duly selected (the instructions could be a bit
more detailed on these schemes as it really adds
to an appreciation of the type). The paint
callouts are a little vague and there are no links
to any modelling paints given either, just ‘IJA
Black Green’ or ‘IJA Grey Green’. I opted for a
somewhat busy solution of Tamiya Silver (LP-
11) as a base undercoat, followed by a layer
of brown primer made from a home
brew of various Tamiya
and Mr Color
lacquer
The mating edges of the windscreen needed
scraping and filing to give a better fit. The
black marker on these edges helps hide their
thickness too, when glued on.
A prominent Venturi tube on the starboard
fuselage was drilled out to give a better look.
It's fiddly but refining little details like this
always gives a better result.
reds, yellows and browns. MRP IJAAF #1
Hairyokushoku Greenish-Gray version (MRP-415)
was used for the underside colour, tinted and
worked into with their Bluish-Gray version (MRP-
416) and RAF Sky (MRP-118) as a shadow colour.
The upper surface in the instructions called for
‘IJA Black Green’ but I went for a late war Yellow
Green using Mr Color Khaki Green(C-54) as the
base with their Kawanishi Dark Green (C-383)
used for some contrasting bluish-green panels,
and Tamiya Khaki (LP-73) for paler, browner
highlights. This was all blended together with
Tamiya’s Olive Drab (LP-28) to give a final greeny-
brown look.
At this point after a lot of airbrushing, my
‘special new friend’, the RSI in my left forearm
was really hurting, so to give my spraying fingers
a rest, I decided I’d try something that has been
debated in a friendly and understanding way
online for several years: applying the decals
without a gloss coat. RS’s decals are very thin
and have good colour density. My painting had
given a smooth, slightly satin, surface. Using
lashings of decal setting solution
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
1/48 M A N S Y U K I  7 9 A
The engine was fitted. I removed a baffle and
fitted a gun blast tube, just to make the point
that the thing was armed. Note the gentle
weathering on the wing leading edge too.
Sprue-exhausts inserted and prop pushed
home. The brown primer scraping looks very
good against the paler undersurface. The rest
of the dirt is from streaked oil paints.
the decals all went on very well with no silvering
observed. Would I do this again?
With decals like these and a smooth surface,
yes I might. It saved my arm some ‘gip’ and
allowed the build to go a little faster. I use a lot of
setting solution anyway even on a glossed
surface. It’s not the terrible crime against ‘proper’
modelling some say, but nor is it the revealed
wisdom of a lost civilisation either.
The reason for the silver and brown under-
layers was that I wanted to show an aircraft that
had some wear and tear – these were trainers
and lived outside, so I can’t imagine they weren’t
used and abused a little bit. But what I didn’t
want was the almost-clichéd large chunks of
paint peeling off to show bare metal beneath.
This didn’t happen much with primed airframes
it seems. I very gingerly picked and brushed at
the painted surface with the tip of a new
number
10A scalpel blade and slowly but
surely I could scrape off the outer colours
to show either brown primer or metal, or
both beneath. I stopped when I decided
that anymore would start to look contrived.
It’s all pretty subtle, which is what I think it
needs to be. To protect the decals and all
this arty artifice I did now apply a
coat of gloss varnish.
This meant I could
add oil-paint dotting
and weathering
next without fear of
upsetting anything beneath. Again the idea was
to give the paintwork a slightly faded, but not
uncared-for look. The propeller blades
were painted in a late war
grey-green (as
seen
17
1/48 M A N S Y U K I  7 9 A
in Ki-84s). It’s probably not
authentic for a Ki-79 but it does
add to that rather drab look that many
Japanese aircraft seemed to have in 1945.
Toning down the Hinomaru slightly with some
reddish brown and grey oils added to this jaded
Japanese feel, as did the thin layers of matt
varnish I sealed it all in with.
The last act of any drama was to drill a hole in
the windshield to take the Oigee Nihon-Kogaku
Type 95 telescopic gunsight. Drilling the hole
was simple but I had to chamfer the edges of the
windscreen to better sit on the fuselage, and
then trim the gunsight itself to fit through the
hole (it fitted fine on the dry fits of course!. The
pre-painted engine and undercarriage were all
glued in position as was the prominent aerial
mast. I replaced the kit’s exhausts with some
hollowed sprue, and push fitted the propeller
and spinner.
I gained a lot of respect for this little aircraft
during this project. Its
18 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
history is
very
interesting and its
shape, while simple,
has a certain grace to it that
grows on one over time. The Pacific war was one
with little quarter given by either side, and
Japanese fighting men were, and are, often
portrayed as cruel and barbaric (and not without
good reason). However, anyone who bravely
took off in an aircraft like this to fight F6F
Hellcats, knowing full well the odds stacked
against them deserves respect. When modelling
gives you insight into these somewhat obscure
stories, you know it’s been a great project.
1/32 W E S T L A N D W H I R LW I N D M K I

Blowing In From
Buenos Aires!
Special Hobby’s 1/32
Westland Whirlwind gets
Ugur Kenel’s special
hobby treatment.

T
he first single-seat, twin-engined, cannon-
armed fighter of the Royal Air Force, when
it first flew in 1938, the Westland Whirlwind
was one of the fastest combat aircraft in the
world, and with four 20mm Hispano cannon,
one of the most heavily armed too. Its Rolls-
Royce Peregrine engines had a lengthy, never
fully-finished, development, which delayed its
service entry (but for a few months its impact on
the Battle of Britain might have been decisive)
and only 114 were built. Only three RAF
squadrons ever used the aircraft and, despite its
Westland Whirlwind Mk I success as a fighter and later as fighter-bomber,
it was withdrawn from service in 1943. Ironically
'Cannon Fighter'
its successor, the Typhoon, suffered from an
Kit No: SH32047 equally unreliable powerplant, without the
fallback of twin-engine safety.
Scale: 1/32
Special Hobby released their large-scale
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic model in 2021 and it’s probably the best
Manufacturer: Special Hobby rendition of the Whirlwind in any scale. One of
the kits marking options is P7177, HE-E, Bellows
www.specialhobby.eu
Argentina No.3, of 263 Squadron based at
Charmy Down airfield, October 1941. The writing
below the canopy signifies one of the several
aircraft purchased from funds raised by British
expats in Argentina and Uruguay under the
auspices of The Fellowships of the Bellows. This
secretive fundraising organisation aimed to raise
money to purchase aircraft for the Royal Air
Force. Its name, organisation, and rituals
parodied masonic-like fraternities while its
sarcastically-dry British humour invariably
puzzled unwanted foreign onlookers to great
effect.
The first Bellows plane, Bellows Argentina No.1,
flew in March 1941 after only four or so months
of fundraising. When 263 Squadron took delivery
of twenty Westland Whirlwinds, they adopted
the nickname Fellowship of the Bellows in
recognition of the group’s success.
Sadly P7177 went missing in action on 18
April, 1943 with the loss of Flying Officer Cecil
Percy King, aged 23.

The kit comes in a standard Special Hobby box with full-colour Once I’d got a general overview of the parts and a construction plan in my
instructions. When you open the box, you see a very large set of wings, head I could make a start. I thought that some of the very visible cockpit
engines, and a big fuselage. parts needed would benefit from having their lightening holes drilled out.

20 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
 1/32 W E S T L A N D W H I R LW I N D M K I

The multi-
part seat and
related parts
were
prepared in
the same
way, which
gives an idea
of the detail
in the
cockpit. The
flight control
stick is also
visible at the
top.

After this, I removed all the cockpit parts I needed from their sprues and
cleaned them up. As you can see, the quality and detail of the parts is
very good.

Each group of parts was sprayed first with black primer and then with its
I now grouped all pieces together to be painted in the same colour. This own top colour. Gloss varnish was applied immediately afterwards, and
makes for a much more organised painting process and avoids missing when dry, a copious black wash was applied. Both the paint and wash
one of them (which we’ve all done). are acrylic.

On the black instrument panel, I first dry-
brushed using shades of grey to reveal all the
details. A single decal full of gauges is
provided for the panel. But in order not to
submerge the excellent detail under the
decal’s carrier film, I removed each dial and
applied them individually.
The large instrument panel cries out for
additional detail painting, so after the decalling,
I applied matt varnish and then picked out
some of the details with a fine brush.
Here is the result – remember this is just made
with the kit’s instrument panel and decal. The
instrument panel is clearly visible within the
cockpit, so this extra work is time well spent.

After the general painting, washing and

The cockpit sidewalls look a little undetailed varnishing process, the cockpit’s rear
initially, but there are plenty of additional bulkhead has additional scratches and scrapes The other cockpit parts were similarly painted
parts to add. In the meantime the added with a fine brush, to add some extra and detailed, ready for final assembly. The decal
‘background’ needs painting and weathering. realism to an area of much use. additions are from one of ANYZ Model’s sets

MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 21

1/32 W E S T L A N D W H I R LW I N D M K I

I installed the cockpit side consoles first

followed by the instrument panel. The seat,
back pad, and rear bulkhead were built as a
sub-assembly, and then fixed to the side wall.
Those seemingly-undetailed cockpit sides
now look fit to burst with all the parts
attached. After making sure that everything
was in place, the fuselage halves were joined.
After the fuselage, it was the turn of the
engines nacelles - which were almost as big. I
don't know how detailed the real Whirlwind's
undercarriage bays were, but these very visible
and large areas could easily be embellished
further with a good detail set or references

At this stage, I deviated from the instructions
and assembled the engine nacelles. There’s
more than enough room to fit the internal
parts from outside and I felt it would be easier
to align things in a ready-assembled nacelle
than juggling them in one half.
I glued the engine nacelles to the wing first
and once I was happy with them, I glued the
I always like it when windscreens are supplied
wing to the fuselage. The fit of parts is
with some of the surrounding fuselage. In this
average, so a little filling and cleaning up is
way it can be easily attached and cleaned up.
needed to obtain a good result.
You may have wondered about the aluminium
paint? I use this as a proofing paint after
sanding as it shows up every little blemish and
imperfection.

I needed to get the rest of the parts ready for

painting, so I prepped the landing gear. Here I used Special Hobby’s own masks (ref.
The tail’s flight control surfaces are all supplied are all the parts for one of the undercarriage M32003), which really are a great time saver.
separately so can be posed in any position to legs. It creates a very detailed sub-assembly The kit’s canopy is extremely bright and clear,
add some extra interest. but it's a bit of a fiddle to put together. and was used without any polishing.

I actually used Hataka's Red line Modern Royal Air Force Paint Set VOL.2
(ref. HTK-AS73) for the main paint shades. The top camouflage After painting, I moved on to the weathering. First, I made lighter and
demarcations were masked using reusable adhesive similar to Blu Tack, darker versions of the base colours, and used these (well thinned) to
and everything was painted with an airbrush. break up the monotonous look of the large areas of grey and green.

22 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
 1/32 W E S T L A N D W H I R LW I N D M K I

My paint-weathering process takes a long

I tinted some of the panels in the green-
painted areas with grey, as if the underlying
layer was starting to fade and discolour.
In the grey areas, I applied much lighter greys
to some of the panel lines, again to give a
sense of ageing and fading.
time because I do it slowly with a brush, which
I like because it gives me a lot of control. Once
happy, I protected the paint with several
layers of glossy varnish, which also levels
things out for the decal application.

I used Special Hobby’s aftermarket resin

Once the varnish was thoroughly dry,
decalling only took a very short time because
of the low number of decals needed.
The decal quality is really good though. After
first applying Micro Set, then the decal, then
Micro Sol, the decal easily conforms to all the
recessed detail.
wheels for this model (ref. 5135). Keeping
them on their casting blocks made it easy to
hold and paint them, and the points where
they attach are at the bottom, so the cut areas
are not visible when they are finally detached.

MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 23

1/32 W E S T L A N D W H I R LW I N D M K I

With decalling done, all surfaces were
airbrushed with matt varnish, which provides
a good key for the pastel pencils that I then
used to add extra wear in high-use areas like
the wing roots.
The wing and tailplane leading edges were
now chipped to imitate wear from the
slipstream. The clear tail light glazing was also
added.
The landing gear was really difficult to place.
There are many pieces and they all need
gluing and aligning properly – all at the same
time. The result must be robust too, as it needs
to be strong enough to support this large and
heavy aircraft.

The propellers and spinners are large, which

After considerable effort, the landing gear was
properly aligned and glued in place, and the
aircraft was now able to stand on its own feet.
makes it easy to apply many weathering
techniques to them.
The Whirlwind's four Hispano Mk I cannon
were now installed. The instructions would
have you add them much earlier, but this
would just guarantee damage to them.

To do this I had to split each pair of cannon
and thin their bases so they would fit through
the apertures from the outside. It takes a little
work to do this, and to ensure they are all
aligned.
With the model on its ‘feet’ and the bulk of the
work done, it would be handled less often, so I
could begin to apply pastel weathering
powders. Here you can see I’ve highlighted Exhaust staining was made mostly with smoke
some panel lines with black pastel.. and black pastel powders.

Tiny scratches around the cockpit were The cannon barrels had a more realistic-look Finally, the canopy was attached, and once the
created with grey and metallic-coloured by gently rubbing their surfaces with a metal- wire antenna cable and foot step were
pastel pencils. coloured pencil. installed, the model was complete.

Special Hobby’s large model is a great canvas to add weathering and painting effects to.
The Whirlwind served at a time that saw many changes to RAF markings, so while their numbers were few,
they wore several different schemes and remain a real favourite for World War II RAF modellers.

24 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
U P D AT E S
TWO NEW RELEASES FROM SPECIAL HOBBY
Fiat G.50B Bicomando
Kit No: 32083
Scale: 1/32
Type:
Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer:
Special Hobby
www.specialhobby.eu
I
n order to provide training to
pilots to bring them up to the
standards required to operate
more modern aircraft the Italian
Regia Aeronautica, adopted the
two seat G.50B, an aircraft type
created by removing the fuselage
armament and installing a second
forward cockpit. One hundred of
these aircraft were produced,
seeing service with Regia
Aeronautica, the Luftwaffe, and
Croatia. Despite being a rushed
fighter conversion this is actually a
most attractive aircraft made to
meet a desperate need.
The Special Hobby kit of this
unusual aircraft type arrives on five
medium grey sprues of parts with a
further clear sprue providing the
scale thin canopy. The parts are
beautifully moulded with engraved
26 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
detail of the highest order. The
fuselage halves have the cockpit
interior framework moulded onto
them, whilst the wings are formed
of two large single parts for the
upper and lower surfaces. Being
based on an earlier Special Hobby
kit this one also contains a bag of
finely cast resin parts for the rotary
engine and other internal details as
well as a revised engine cowling.
This is joined by a pair of
photoetch frets containing items
such as seat harnesses to bring
more life to the G.50B. Decal
choices include two for the G.50B
in the service of the Regia
Aeronautica, including a post war
example in all over silver, one
green Luftwaffe machine, and
finally a green Croatian aircraft. The
decals are of superb quality with
placement described in the full
colour instruction booklet. It is
also possible to add the Special
Hobby mask set (Ref. M32006) to
help ease any painting woes you
might have. This additional set
includes masks for both the
canopy and wheels.
Whilst the multimedia nature of
this kit may make it above the skill
level of the total beginner, a more
experienced modeller would find it
a joy to build. The extreme
modeller would find it an excellent
starting point for some super-
detailing. A worthy addition to any
collection of 1/32 World War Two
aircraft, especially if you are
looking for something off the
beaten track.
SAAB SK-37 Viggen ‘Trainer’
Kit No: 48209
Scale: 1/32
Type:
Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer:
Special Hobby
www.specialhobby.eu
S
AAB’s mighty Viggen is a
legend among Cold War
aircraft, combining the
immense power of its Volvo engine
with its unusual for the time canard
layout. Whilst the two-seat version
of the Viggen has been previously
released by Special Hobby, that
was in its electronic warfare guise
rather than the pure trainer version
that fills this box. Based around the
common parts that form the centre
of this series of kits, the model is
formed of a total of nine sprues of
components, with newly-tooled
elements providing the second
cockpit and alternate parts to allow
this version to be created. The
parts are cleanly moulded in
medium grey plastic with finely
engraved surfaces including
restrained rivet detail in keeping
with the original aircraft, and whilst
there are a few ejection marks
these are hidden in the main. A
small amount of flash was also to
be found on the review sample,
but nothing beyond recovery with
By Colin ‘Flying’ Pickett
a sharp blade or sanding stick.
In addition to the mountain of
plastic, a fret of pre-painted
photoetch helps to add further
detail to the cockpit area making
for a busy looking office. All of this
will be on display through the
crystal clear canopies supplied. The
commonly-carried external fuel
tank is also provided, as well as
pylons, as the SK-37 was also
combat capable.
The kit comes with three decal
options allowing one of each of the
common schemes used on the
Viggen trainer to be depicted - the
impressive splinter scheme, natural
bare metal, or the low visibility
grey finish, all as used when the SK-
37 was operated by the Swedish
Air Force.
The instruction booklet is
formed of a series of full colour
diagrams with additional notes to
help guide you through the
construction process
It’s worth noting that Special
Hobby produce a mask set for the
canopy and wheels for the SK-37
(Ref.M48013) making painting a
little easier. Special Hobby also
produce a whole host of resin
accessories to add to the Viggen,
including replacement wheels,
thrust reverser petals, ejection
seats, and control surfaces
amongst others.
The Viggen is a large aircraft for a
single engine fighter and so this kit
will provide an imposing and
impressive model for the more
experienced builder. Whilst the
clean, brutish lines of the Viggen
are disturbed by the addition of
that second cockpit, it adds interest
and makes for a different look.

The Other Hawk T.2
A Cold War Configuration
By Colin ‘Flying’ Pickett
BAe Hawk T.1
Kit No: 04970
Scale: 1/72
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Revell
www.revell.de
Freightdog Models Hawk T.2
Conversion
www.freightdogmodels.co.uk
W
hile the most recent incarnation of the
BAe Hawk is labelled the T.2, there was
a proposal to build a series of Hawk
variants in 1975 to include a range of updates
common with the T.1a version and the Mk.50
export standard. This was to be given the
moniker Hawk T.2 should it have reached
production. These modifications would have
allowed the Hawk to undertake both air to air
and ground attack roles if required. One concern
The bulk of the conversion is based on this
single resin tail section. The bubbles seen are
actually below the surface so don’t show on
the finished item.
was the heat signature given out by the Hawk’s
exhaust and so a proposed extension to the
exhaust was designed, much akin to that utilised
by the IDF on their Douglas A4 Skyhawk,
replacing the lower rear fuselage with a longer
section and a revised stabiliser.
In addition the Hawk was undergoing a
change from the colourful training colour
schemes to all over grey. A further revision was
suggested to improve the camouflage scheme
with some novel ideas. The first was that
suggested in RAE Technical report 80080 from
June 1980 entitled ‘A Further Evaluation of Paint
Schemes for the Camouflage of Aircraft Against
Ground Optical Detection’. This report suggested
that areas prone to shadow were provided a
counter shade with white to help the areas
blend with the sky. In addition, the suggestion to
apply Dark Green camouflage to the upper
surfaces of the fuselage was made to help blend
the aircraft with ground cover.
This scenario gave model manufacturer
Freightdog the fuel to produce a rather novel
modification for the Revell BAe Hawk T.1a in
1/72 (ref. 04970), which entails the removal of
the lower rear fuselage to install a one-piece
Careful cuts with a razor saw remove the
standard exhaust ready for the new extended
version.
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
B A E H AW K T. 2
extended fuselage section with that lengthened
exhaust. The set also includes a set of four Sky
Sabre missiles (a development of the Rapier) and
pylons, as well as a centreline pylon from which
to hang a 500lb bomb. The Sky Sabre was a
laser-guided air-to-ground missile, which would
have required the use of an external guidance
source for the Hawk to launch its Sky Sabres
onto as it lacked laser guidance of its own.
The first job was to remove the area of the
fuselage needed to enable the modification to
fit. This was easy enough as it’s a simple case of
following the existing panel lines. A small
amount of trimming of the fuselage plug allows
the exhaust to fit. I also hollowed out the resin
part as much as possible as I had concerns about
adding that much weight aft of the main
undercarriage and the Hawk becoming a tail
sitter. With the preparation complete I could set
about the other modification I wanted to make -
the addition of the Air-Graphics Resin cockpit
upgrade with MB.10B ejection seats (ref. AIR AC-
103) on the basis that if I planned to spend time
modifying the rear of the hawk it deserved a
decent cockpit too. This needed a minor amount
of trimming to allow it to fit, although I also
The Air-Graphics resin cockpit is a simple
replacement for the kit parts and has a higher
level of detail.
27
B A E H AW K T. 2

The Despite being a minor alteration the extended exhaust

revised makes a dramatic change to the look of the Hawk.
exhaust
is a tidy
fit.

Air-
Graphics
MB Mk.10b
ejector
seats are
suitably
impressive.

The fuselage is closed up and the cockpit A coat of Light Aircraft Grey commences the
components painted to add further realism. painting process.

The addition The addition

of Dark Green of No.79 Sqn
breaks up the markings and
outline of the stencils adds
ground-attack to the look of
Hawk. the aircraft.

Careful light
weathering adds
a used look.

Sky Sabres, rocket pods and cannon pod make

for a fully laden Hawk.

hollowed out the area under the rear seat to
allow additional nose weight to be installed,
with further weight being added to the back
wall of the cockpit and above the nose wheel
bay. The cockpit itself contains a wealth of detail
that makes a dramatic difference to the model
with little effort, a set of spare ejection handles
from a photoetch set added even more detail
and saved my painting the moulded items.
With the cockpit fitted, it was a simple case of
following the kit instructions to make the Hawk
fuselage up before slotting the new tail section
into place and supergluing it in position. The kit
build was completed as per Revell’s guidance,
with the exception of the front canopy section as
this was faulty. While a replacement was
requested from Revell it would take a while to
arrive, so I modified a spare Airfix item to fit. This
was not a major issue as I planned to have the
canopy open anyway.
Using the Freightdog instructions and under
the guidance of Paul Lucas (whom I have to
thank for his input in this build), I progressed
onto painting, following a coat of Tamiya Light
Grey Primer. Freightdog suggest all over Light
Sky Grey, which I reproduced with Vallejo’s
Model Air Light Aircraft Grey (71.050) with white
shadow areas, reproduced by making templates
from the instruction sheet diagrams, which are
helpfully in 1/72. The front white areas under the
intakes were cut from decal sheet whilst I made
up masks for the areas under the tail surfaces.
Similarly, I made mask templates from a scanned
copy of the instruction sheets to allow accurate
reproduction of those Dark Green camouflage
areas, which I painted with Vallejo Modelair Dark
Green (71.019).
This then brought about the issue of
markings. I used the markings for a Hawk T.1a,
XX197, which flew with No.79 squadron RAF
during 1983 in the grey camouflage scheme
with low visibility roundels typical for the time.
No.79 squadron had a rich history of army
cooperation and was therefore a likely candidate
for the ground attack/close air support role at

28 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K

Hawk T.2 Profile
by Jan Polc.
the time. The decals came from an Xtradecal
sheet dedicated to the Hawk (ref. X72-166). In
addition, the stencil decals came from a further
Xtradecal Hawk stencil sheet covering both Grey
and Black aircraft (ref. X72-168) as stencils help
add a level of realism to what is essentially a
What-if model. Needless to say, the weapons
loadout depicts a Hawk T.2 employed in the
ground attack role with four Sky Sabres
mounted on the pylons provided, two rocket
pods, and a centreline Aden cannon pod for a
fully loaded machine. Final items to add
included the undercarriage, which was furnished
with Air-Graphics weighted wheels, and a brass
Pitot from Master (ref. AM-72-020). The nose-
mounted landing light was replaced with a
B A E H AW K T. 2
2.5mm scrapbooking gem as this looks far more
acceptable than a standard plastic item.
This was a genuinely enjoyable build of a
proposed Hawk derivative that helps to
demonstrate the thinking undertaken during
the Cold War. A simple conversion which, with a
little commitment, builds into something
unusual and fascinating around the proven
Revell base kit.
Finally, I’d like to dedicate this
build to the late Jan Polc, who drew
the original images found on the
Freightdog instruction sheet and so
unknowingly inspired this model.
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 29
BF 109D1 CONVERSION

Large Scale Bf-109D-1 conversion

By Gordon Scott

Messerschmitt Bf 109E-1
Kit No: 07236
Scale: 1/48
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Eduard
www.eduard.com
Alleycat Models
AC32005C 1/32 Bf 109D Conversion
www.alleycatmodels.co.uk

I
’m willing to bet that most of you reading this
article have made more than one Bf 109 in
your modelling career. I’ve made a few in
most scales and this one won’t be my last. Over
32,000 Messerschmitt Bf 109s were produced,
which indicates to me that there can’t have been
much wrong with the basic design, although its
success probably held up the development of
other German fighters including jet-powered
aircraft. It’s worth remembering that this aircraft
began life with a Rolls Royce engine, and that
once the powerplant was changed from a
Junkers Jumo 210D to the Daimler Benz DB601a
These are the resin parts and decals from
the rest became well-documented history.
Alleycat’s excellent conversion set.
However, there was a brief reprise for the Jumo
after the war ended when Avia used it with
excess 109 airframes to produce the S-199 AKA
Mezek or ‘Mule’ for use in the Czech Republic and
Israel’s emerging air force.
The subject of this build is the Messerschmitt-
produced Jumo engine 109D variant. The basic
aircraft first flew in 1935 powered by a Rolls
Royce Kestrel engine as the V1 prototype, but by
April 1936 the V3 had the Jumo 210C installed.
By February 1937 the Jumo 210D was fitted, and
the 109D saw successful active service with the
Legion Kondor in Spain, through the Polish
campaign, the ‘Phoney War’, and the Norwegian
campaign, claiming both Wellingtons and
Blenheim’s before finally being downgraded to

Alleycat’s instructions are easy enough to follow and include colour The vintage Cutting Edge sheet in all its glory – prior to being soaked in
artwork for markings and decal placement. water, at which point I discovered how vintage it actually was!

30 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K

Kagero’s excellent book on early Bf 109s was a
prime reference in this project.
Masks in place for the shark mouth, following
the decal sheet’s lamentable performance.
fighter training schools in 1941, where it saw out
the rest of the conflict.
We’re all guilty of thinking that we know every
kit we have in ‘the stash’ and where it is until we
decide to build it, and that’s when the fun begins
trying to locate it. I was looking for something
else when I came across the A2Zee conversion
hidden in an Eduard Bf-109E1 box. It had been
put away while I searched for the long out-of-
production 2007 Cutting Edge Early
Messerschmitts shark-mouth decal sheet (ref.
CED32091). I’d spent ages looking for it
unsuccessfully but finally located an alternative
sheet abroad. Money was duly sent, and I sat
back and waited - and waited. After about six
months I arrived at the conclusion it had ‘gone
missing in the post’ when the sheet fell through
the letterbox. I noticed that the sheet was for an
‘as yet unproduced conversion’ to an early mark
(probably an in-house production that never
happened) and that the colour instruction sheet
was for two Legion Kondor aircraft, but there was
a note apologising for the delay: the seller had
been in prison. I decided not to make a point
regarding the wrong instructions; be happy with
the decals and just get on with build.
Reliable references for the Bf-109D are not
exactly plentiful. I found Kagoro’s Monograph 3
with 3d illustrations and scale plans useful, along
with Lynn Ritger’s Bf 109 Part 1 Datafile, which
The Aires E-1 cockpit set was, as expected, an
impressive piece of casting, and is close
enough to the D to pass muster.
The underside prior to painting. Everything
cleaned up and looking tidy.
has images of a captured 109A examined and
documented by the Soviets with copies of
German handbook pages. That said the A and D
cockpits do differ but it’s a good place to begin. I
also had my old Airfix Classic Bf 109 book for
their 1/24 kit, which shows you how to carve a
balsa wood 109D nose!
This conversion relies on the Eduard Bf-109 E1
kit and the Alleycat/A2Zee Bf 109D-1 set. Both
are still readily available and together cost less
than some new 1/48 kits. Eduard’s kit is quite
elderly now but has stood the test of time well.
There is a small amount of flash around a couple
of parts but it’s still very good. Only one canopy
type is included, with a small coloured
photoetch sheet, but the decal sheet looks
excellent. I’d bought it to make a JG77 ‘Witch-on-
a-broomstick’ aircraft and a Weekend boxing for
this conversion, but I bought the wrong one
hence the profiPACK was used.
Alleycat’s conversion is in nicely cast grey
resin, and mine included the longer wing slats
for the earlier A and B variants that could come
in handy when I finally get around to my Dragon
Bf 110. The conversion includes a decal sheet by
Fantasy Printshop for three aircraft, while the
instructions are a mix of colour images and
black-and-white drawings on A4 pages.
I’d originally planned to open-up the fuselage
weapons and ammunition box bays and have a
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
BF 109D1 CONVERSION
Aires Quickboost radio compartment set (ref.
2113) in situ with additional wiring details
added.
Eduard’s three-bladed prop made for an easy
conversion, and the definition was sharper
than on the resin parts.
semblance of the rear of the Jumo within the
engine cowling, but the resin moulded engine
cowling doesn’t lend itself easily to this amount
of surgery. Feeling lazy, I sent off for the Quick
boost radio set instead.
The resin parts were removed from the
casting blocks and dropped into a sink full of hot
water and bleach. Once scrubbed with an old
toothbrush they were rinsed in clean water and
left to air dry on kitchen towel.
While waiting for the radio package to appear,
I made a start. Every modeller has their own
method of building. I identify all the parts I can
glue together that will require joints sanding,
then have a mass gluing session and leave them
for twenty-four hours before a mass wet-sanding
session, followed by a clean in hot water to
remove any dust. After this they’re left to dry and
placed into sub-assemblies ready for further
work. Working with sub-assemblies enables me
to build in more-or-less any order that takes my
fancy. The resultant sub-assemblies for this build
were cockpit, wings, empennage, prop,
undercarriage.
To begin I removed the Eduard E nose and the
wing-mounted radiators with a razor saw and
the radio access panel by chain drilling, then
finishing the edges with a file. The fuselage rear
interior was scraped paper thin using a curved
scalpel blade to accept the photoetched panel
31
BF 109D1 CONVERSION
fasteners, and then the resin parts that fill in the
gaps left by the now missing wing radiators
were test fitted. With a small amount of filing,
they actually fitted quite well so they were
superglued in and the plastic undercarriage bays
were installed. The upper wings followed and
were put aside to set. Just be careful with the
wings though as the single piece lower wing is
quite thin and flexible. Adding the upper wings
doesn’t really improve its strength and later
caused more work as, when I picked them up,
the flex caused the resin insert joints to crack
open.
The main damage having been done, the
empennage was constructed and set aside
followed by the cockpit, which went together
without any real problem. I added wiring,
photoetch, and other details and painted it with
RLM Grey (XF-22), Tamiya’s version of RLM
02.This was left to dry and was then given a light
dusting of Humbrol Clear Matt. However, once
dry, this left a white milky covering on the
surface! I touched it in with more 02 but was
really not impressed with the result. After a
sense of humour failure, I ordered an Aires Bf
109E-1 cockpit (ref. 2103) because when you’re
in this deep a bit more doesn’t really matter, and
it resembles a D cockpit quite well.
I then started on the prop. I thought it would
be a simple task, and it was. The four resin parts
are okay but looking at Eduard’s parts they were
just better and easy to convert to a two-bladed
unit. I cut two blades from Eduard’s prop and
drilled a hole in the bottom of a blade hub and
another into the prop shaft. I inserted a short
length of wire for strength and used Eduard’s
backplate with Alleycat’s spinner cap.
The rudder, ailerons, elevators, and flaps are
all single pieces, so they were tidied up ready for
installing later, with short lengths of wire
inserted to allow some offset when attached to
the wings. Alleycat’s exhaust pipes were sprayed
on their sprue and put aside, and work on the
undercarriage legs followed, again an easy task.
Once painted and the jubilee clips replicated
with chrome tape, I added the coiled brake lines
using black elastic thread and decided to live
with the solid wheel hubs. All this activity left me
at a dead end as I was waiting for the radio and
cockpit set due to the postal strike and I couldn’t
make further progress until the fuselage had
been assembled.
Once the Aires parts arrived they were
removed from the casting blocks and treated as
above. I painted and assembled them then put
them aside. The radio set requires a few wires
adding to replicate the electrical contacts, and
32 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
control cables were replicated with some silver
stretched sprue. I thought that I could test fit
the resin nose with the fuselage taped together,
but this was only partly successful due to the
flexing of the fuselage, so the radio set and
cockpit were fitted into the fuselage then
closed-up. The real aircraft is built in much the
same way as the kit: two fuselage shells, which
have an upper and lower lap joint meeting just
off centre along the length of the rear fuselage. I
wanted to show the join between the fuselage
shells and considered a slight offset of the two
kit halves, but this looked like a botched
assembly job. Next, I tried a piece of tape on the
edge of the join intending to fill and sand one
side but that didn’t look much better, so I’ve
cheated and used stretched sprue along both
joins very carefully sanded. The wings were
added next after removing the section shown in
Alleycat’s instructions and again left to harden.
Once the airframe had dried it provided a
solid foundation on which to mount the resin
nose so that’s what happened next. It also
showed that some sanding would be required,
as the upper nose part fitted really well but the
lower section was problematic despite removing
the section from Eduard’s lower wing shown by
Alleycat. More plastic was removed gradually
until I was a whisker away from cutting through
the wheel well walls. Resin was removed from
the lower inside edge of the resin nose until a
good fit was achieved. It did, however, still need
remedial work along the curved leading edges
as the resin part was just too deep. The cure was
to slice open the wing leading edge joins, insert
pieces of plastic card until both wing and wing
root were level, then thick superglue and filler
were used to close gaps around the nose, wing
root and lower fuselage. All were wet sanded
then primed two or three times until smooth.
The windscreen and rear canopy were masked,
fitted, and given a coat of RLM 02. The rear
canopy horizontal frame is internal. I can find no
image of the handholds seen on the E series
fitted to the inside of the D windscreen, so these
were omitted.
The real purpose of this build was to replicate
2./JGr 176’s shark mouth as seen when they used
Bf 109s pending re-equipment with Bf 110s,
then reverting to their original title II./ ZG 76,
hence the search for the Cutting Edge sheet. This
sheet, being designed for an undetermined
never-released conversion, just might fit the
sides but would never go around the complex
curve of the lower nose so I carefully cut out the
shark mouths, made a masking tape copy of
each side, and stuck them on to the nose. To be
fair they weren’t a million miles away from fitting
so with a bit of trial and error the masking tape
was cut to fit, ready for use as a mask, plan B
now being just to use the decal sheet’s teeth.
Painting began by spraying the nose with
white primer then the red, and after leaving a
few days to harden in the drying room (aka the
airing cupboard), I applied my two mouth masks
and got on with applying the RLM 02 to the
wheel bays, then the RLM 70/71/65 colour
scheme with Vallejo Model Air paints. I left it to
cure for a few days then removed the masks, put
a new knife blade in the handle, and began to
cut away the red ‘mouth’ of the decal from the
teeth. Parts of the red decal began flaking off
and I thought there was a chance they would
break up when wet, and sure enough that’s
exactly what happened. As soon as they got wet,
they shattered. Picking individual teeth up with
a brush just made smaller pieces of decal so on
to plan C, which involved a 10/0 sable brush,
Vallejo White (70.951) and a lot of patience.
Once my vision and patience levels had
recovered sufficiently, some general touch ups
were required before a couple of coats of Klear
were sprayed over the entire aircraft followed by
a Payne’s grey panel wash, again sealed with
Klear. After twenty-four hours a mix of Alleycat
and Eduard’s decals were used, guided by period
images and RLM drawings, to locate both
insignia and stencils to arrive at something that
resembled an ‘average’ 1939 2./JGr 176 Bf109D.
Weathering followed next relying on period
images for exhaust patterns, mud splashes, oil
stains and the like. Flying and control surfaces
were added and the whole model given a coat of
Humbrol’s Satin Varnish (135), which imparted a
nice, even, prototypical sheen. Masking was
removed from the canopy, the hood fitted with
its restraining strap, a crank handle made from
wire painted and fitted, then a couple of ground
tethering loops were made from wire and
located under the wings. The aerial and insulator
were added to complete the model.
Easy conversion? Overall, yes. I’m still unsure
who or what’s to blame for the nose/wing root
mismatch but it’s easily remedied. I won’t be
looking for anymore circa 2007 decal sheets and
I’m pleased that it’s finished. The nose looks a lot
shorter but having placed the removed E nose
against it they’re the same length. The actual D is
quoted as 100mm shorter than an E, but it looks
right and I’m not that fussed about a millimetre
or two in this scale.
I now have a witch on a broomstick looking
for an RLM65 fuselage. I did say it wouldn’t be
my last 109, didn’t I ...
T U C A N O T.1

Airfix’s striking Diamond Jubilee Tucano as

a final salute to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
By Jack Homewood

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Shorts

Tucano T.1
Kit No: A73005
Scale: 1/72
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Airfix
www.airfix.com

O
n the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the Decals for the two
author was making a cup of instrument panels are
tea in No.72 Squadron’s provided, but these are of
crew room during a visit to rather poor quality and no
RAF Valley. Adorned decals were included for the
with memorabilia side panels. Indeed, in the
from across the regular boxing of the
unit’s history, and Tucano (ref. A03059) these
its Squadron bar are provided alongside an
made from the extensive stencil sheet, but
wing section of a strangely, this was not
together
Tucano, the room, provided in the limited-
a kit in a couple hours
usually full of rather edition kit.
as a child. As with many mouldings
sonorous students and In an attempt to hide
of this vintage, detail was lacking and
instructors, was eerily some of the cockpit’s
worries of ill-fitting parts and large gaps loomed
quiet. The loss felt personal. shortcomings, one of
overhead. Furthermore, the panel lines appeared
After some minutes of silence, one of the young the two legless, but
too soft, and the raised details were overly so.
pilots looked up and pointed to a print of a quite
Nevertheless, these minor quarrels were more
brightly coloured Tucano on the wall, with well detailed, pilots (as
than made up for by the kit’s two simply
sweeping lines of red, white and blue down the a display aircraft, Jon
awesome liveries. The first, the red, white, and
fuselage. “I remember that one from the Jubilee”, Bond,
blue striped scheme, and the second, an overall
he exclaimed, “it had a beautiful E II R on the
gloss black, the E II R on the underside and white
underbelly … we should repaint one of ours like
stripes on the upper wings and horizontal
that as a tribute.” The modeller, sensing an
stabilisers.
opportunity for a unique project, decided a
tribute of his own was needed. The subject Limited to 1,000 pieces, finding a Diamond
matter had never been more obvious. Jubilee boxing can be challenging, but
dedicated groups on social media for
When the Tucano first flew in 1986, Her
buying, selling and swapping model kits
Majesty was celebrating her sixtieth birthday.
made this process far easier. Within a
When it was retired in 2019 Queen Elizabeth II
couple of days of advertising, someone
had been on the throne for over sixty-seven
had dug a spare from their stash and
years. Designed to replace the aging BAC Jet
put it in the post.
Provost, the Tucano T.1 provided basic flight
training to new pilots, bridging the gap between
elementary flight training on the Grob Tutor and
Office Issues the pilot,
fast-jet training on the BAe Hawk. First entering Assembly began in the cockpit flew solo) was selected
RAF service in 1989, it was more recently and here the kit shows its age. The and brush-painted using
operated by No.72 and No.207 squadrons based ‘bang’ seats were a Hataka Dark Green (A016). Details
at RAF Linton-on-Ouse. In 2019, after thirty years single piece affair, were
of service, the Tucano was replaced by the and the cockpit picked out in Vallejo Model Air Black (71.057)
Beechcraft T-6C Texan II (Texan T.1) and basic tub is devoid and straps painted in a 60:40 mix of Dark Green
flight training moved to RAF Valley on Anglesey. of any (A016) and Ocean Grey (A032). Skin tones
detail at were then painted in Games
all. Workshop Tallarn Flesh before
Lifting the Lid the same brand’s Nuln Oil
Airfix first released the 1/72 Tucano kit back in wash was applied to
1992, but have re-released it on numerous accentuate detail further.
occasions, most recently in a slew of limited- After conducting some
edition special schemes including the research, Jon’s display
2014 Centenary of World War I, No.72 helmet was painted Traffic
Squadron’s seventieth anniversary, and White (A101) and two red
the 2012 display aircraft for the Diamond and blue stripes were added
Jubilee. using some trimmed decals from
Moulded across five of Airfix’s classic the spares box.
1990’s ‘chunky’ trees, with a mind-boggling Once Jon had been painted,
forty-eight parts and six construction steps, the attention turned to the seats. Seatbelts
kit was a reminder of rainy weekends throwing and straps were first tediously added

34
W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K

The 1990s vintage moulding was apparent on
opening the box.
There were only seven parts to build up the
cockpit, which lacked any moulded surface
detail.
A 3mm hole was drilled in a section of sprue
to provide a plug for the 3mm fibre optic
stand.
using Tamiya tape cut into thin pieces and
ejection handles were created using copper
wiring. The sides were then painted black, the
covers in Hataka’s Dark Green and the straps
again in the grey/green mix used for the pilot. A
couple of spare white stencil decals were then
added to the seats to liven them up. Jon was
then permanently glued to his chair and set to
one side with the other completed seat.
The cockpit tub was then assembled and
airbrushed in Ocean Grey before highlights were
added with the same paint lightened with
Vallejo White Grey (71.119) in a 70:30 ratio.
Smaller details such as the control columns and
glare shields were then brush painted in black. It
was decided to omit the poor kit instrument
decals and suitable alternatives were sourced
from the spares tub. In 1/72 with the canopy
closed little would be seen anyway.
Overly soft panel lines, basic detail and small
amounts of flash typify the kit parts.
Jon and the rear seat received a makeover
with Tamiya Tape straps, livening up the very
bare ejection seats.
The plug was inserted into the rear fuselage
before the halves were sealed together.
Having previously built this kit, the author
vividly remembered the canopy being
undersized, leaving a noticeable lip on either
side of the cockpit. A quick test-fit proved this
was not an isolated issue. Both halves of the
fuselage were thus gently sanded with 600 grit
sandpaper and dry-fitted until a flush fit with the
canopy was achieved.
Back to Base-ics
Before sealing the fuselage, a decision on how
to display the model had to be made. The
modeller, not wanting to hide any of the scheme
underneath landing gear, eventually decided on
an ‘in-flight’ solution whereby the aircraft would
be positioned on a DIY stand in a near-vertical
climb, enabling both the top and underside of
model to be displayed simultaneously.
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
T U C A N O T.1
The single-piece seats were basic at best, but
the pilots were surprisingly good - even
though they were missing some legs!
The tub and instrument panels were spruced
up using decals from the spares box as the
kit’s were deemed too poor for use.
The fuselage and wings were cemented
together but a few small gaps were present
that needed filling.
Yet, how to mount the finished article to a
stand had to be considered. Using some of the
chunky sprue from the box, a 3mm hole was
drilled into the styrene to fit a 3mm fibre-optic
cable capable of supporting the model. The
plastic strip was then attached to the inside of
the rear fuselage and a matching hole was
drilled in the kit plastic. Another 3mm hole was
then drilled into the centre of a 6cm x 6cm
wooden display plinth sourced from a local DIY
store. The fibre optic was then slotted into the
plinth and glued into place. The stand was then
tested to ensure the Tucano wouldn’t flop into a
nose dive once attached and placed to one side.
Wings and Things
With the fit considered snug, the fuselage was
sealed using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement, working
35
T U C A N O T.1

The plain exhaust stubs were sanded to

remove a moulding seam before getting drilled
out with a 2mm bit.
Canopy abrasions were polished out using
Tamiya’s polishing coarse, fine, and finish
polishing compounds.

Diluted Vallejo Black was brushed onto the

problematic seams to highlight any
imperfections before being sanded off.

With the masking removed the Tucano was

beginning to look the part.

The aircraft top was masked off with 6mm

Tamiya Tape ready for the underside to receive
The model was first primed with Vallejo’s White a coat of red.
Grey before White was airbrushed as a topcoat.

The finished propeller

assembly. No wonky
lines thankfully.. The anti-glare strip was airbrushed and the
The props were
model received a gloss coat ready for decals.
masked off ready
for a coat of black.

With the decals on, the arduous task of The wash was applied to the panels and left to
applying them was worth it. Note the slightly The ‘home-brew’ wash consisted of chalk dust dry before being wiped away with a damp
crinkled tail - we can’t win all our battles! mixed with Decalfix and water. cloth.

36 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K

from tail to nose, ensuring no gaps were present.
The intake for the Garrett turboprop engine was
then added to the front with the exhaust stubs,
which were first drilled out using a 2mm bit. The
two upper-wing halves were cemented to the
single lower piece and added to bottom of main
body. Revell Plasto model filler was used to fill
any gaps from the assembly. This was
particularly the case around the wing joins, front
fuselage, intake, stubs, and undercarriage doors
(clearly the kit wasn’t designed to be made
wheels up), but this was not as bad as expected.
The filler was then sanded away with 600 grit
wet and dry before heavily thinned black was
applied to the joins to highlight any
imperfections. Once rectified, the model
received an overall treatment with 2400 grit
sandpaper to smooth any blemishes in the
plastic before painting. The canopy was then
polished with Tamiya polishing compounds to
remove any abrasions and then masked off with
Tamiya masking tape. With the ejection seats
added and the canopy closed, the model was
ready for painting.
Red, White and … Blue?
To start, the Tucano was skewered to a kebab
stick to ease painting before black was
airbrushed onto the canopy frame so the colour
would show through once unmasked.
Afterwards, to provide a suitable base for the
white paint, the entire model was primed using
White Grey. If the primer were any darker, it
would increase the number of coats required to
achieve a brilliant white finish. Once dry, three
coats of White (71.001) were lightly applied with
an airbrush, being careful not to allow paint to
accumulate around panels or joins. Each coat
was left to dry for approximately an hour before
another was applied. After twenty-four hours
drying time the underside of the aircraft was
masked off ready for the red.
It was important at this stage to ensure the
shade of red matched the red of the decals. After
a certain amount of trial and error, Vallejo Red
(71.269) appeared the nearest match. With this,
the model received two coats straight from the
pot, a virtue of the Model Air range. The spinner
was also painted red.
Moving to the props, they received an initial
coat of white before the thin stripes were
masked off as per the painting instructions -
these stripes are provided as decals in the
regular boxing, which were a lot less hassle as
opposed to masking everything off and risking
wonky lines. The yellow tips were then painted
on the rear using Medium Yellow (71.002),
before they too were masked off and a coat of
black was airbrushed over the entire assembly.
With the all the masking tape removed, any
imperfections and overspray were corrected and
a coat of Alclad II Klear Kote Gloss (ALC-310) was
then applied to seal the paintwork and prepare
the surface for decals.
Racing Stripes
Very often modelling aircraft in striking
liveries can be a challenging ordeal to get right,
requiring numerous hours of work and many
attempts of putting one’s head through the
modelling bench. This was no exception.
Remaining envious of those who model typical
‘grey’ military aircraft, work began by cutting out
each stripe from the decal sheet and positioning
it on the A4 decal instructions provided by Airfix.
Brushing Micro Set on beforehand, each decal
was carefully added and positioned before any
T U C A N O T.1
excess liquid was mopped up with a cotton bud.
The red tail decal proved troublesome due to the
irregular surface and it being slightly oversized.
With hindsight it may have been easier to paint
the red on. A hefty application of Micro Sol was
needed to ‘suck’ it into the surface, yet it left
some slight crinkling at the top of the tail where
it wouldn’t quite conform properly. After a few
attempts at rectifying it with Micro Sol, the
modeller had to admit defeat and call it ‘one of
those things.’ With the stripes applied, attention
moved to the roundels and serial numbers,
which were added with relative ease. As
highlighted earlier, this boxing came with a
limited stencil selection, so extras were once
again sourced from the spares box. Thankfully,
the author had previously built an Airfix 1/72
Tucano at an age when stencils were considered
optional. With the decals added the horizontal
stabilisers were glued in place and another coat
of Klear Kote Gloss was airbrushed over to give
the decals a ‘painted on’ appearance.
Whether to Weather?
As this was a display aircraft, careful
consideration was made as to how to weather
the airframe. Unlike their grey frontline
counterparts, display aircraft, and indeed
training aircraft, are usually kept relatively clean,
so it was judged only minor weathering should
be applied to the Tucano. This came in the form
of a ‘home-brew’ wash made using white and
black chalk pastel dust mixed into a 60:40
solution of Humbrol Decalfix and water. It was
then brushed onto the model and wiped away
with a moistened cloth, leaving a subtle look to
the panels.
Final Touches
With the model ninety per cent complete,
only the spinner, antennas and pitot tubes
remained to be added. The exhaust stubs were
brush-painted Gun Grey (71.072) and Humbrol
Copper (55) before the same brand’s Smoke
(AV004) weathering powder was applied to the
tips. The antennas, which had been painted
white with the rest of the aircraft, were then
added along with the pitot tubes, which had
been painted in Chrome (71.064). Navigation
lights were carefully painted Red (71.269) and
XtraColor 3Sqn Typhoon Green (X046). The
model then received a final gloss coat to seal
everything in. Matt varnish was then gently dry-
brushed onto the anti-glare and wing walkway
panels. The turboprop intake was carefully
painted black, before the spinner was finally
added to avoid damaging the delicate blades.
With this, the Tucano was complete.
Fit for a Queen?
Airfix’s Tucano, while being outdated by
today’s standards, still results in a pleasing build.
With a bit of care when putting it together, plus
some dry-fitting and filler, it can be built into a
model that can take pride-of-place with the rest
of Airfix’s 1/72 RAF trainer aircraft series, such as
the Hawk, Jet Provost, and Gnat. The only major
downfall of this boxing was the unfortunate lack
of stencils, which are provided in the original kit,
and the poor cockpit. Hopefully Airfix may want
re-tool the Tucano T.1 in future, or perhaps add
its replacement, the Texan T.1, to its range …
hint hint! However, in the meantime, the author
would settle for a re-release of this Diamond
Jubilee kit, so others too can build their own
striking tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 37
THUNDERFLASH

Tanmodel 1/48 Republic RF-84F Thunderflash with CMK resin flaps and ailerons
and Caracal Models decals
By Jon Bryon

this is somewhat unusual. At least it means I
finish stuff regularly, but it does raise the
question at the end of each project: what should
I build next? In recent years I’ve taken to making
series of related aircraft as this plots quite an
interesting journey through my stash.
Tanmodel’s 1/48 Thunderflash, released in 2015,
marks the completion of all the F-84s that were
stored in the loft, by way of Revell’s F-84E (2001)
and Kinetic’s F-84F (2007). One hopes the
models get better as they get newer. Sadly, this
is not always the case.
Republic RF-84F Thunderflash I think the Thunderflash development of the
Kit No: 2201-1 Thunderstreak looks fantastic, and I was
delighted to acquire the second boxing of this
Scale: 1/48 kit. It was advertised as being better than the
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic first, containing die-cut masks, improved decals,
and reworked moulds, and it certainly is an
Manufacturer: Tanmodel attractive package. The instructions are clear, the
www.tanmodel.com decal options are gloriously illustrated, and the
detail in the kit appears to be impressive, not
One’s enthusiasm is dampened slightly once
the parts are examined. The plastic has that
rough, grainy texture all too common these
days, and the surface detail fades very badly
towards the edges of the main parts. The panel
lines themselves are quite wide and generally
inconsistent in depth. While Tanmodel are to be
commended for re-polishing the moulds to
improve the surface smoothness, this has led to
a lot of weird artefacts in the surface detail. I
would suggest you may be better off with the
first boxing, even if it might mean more work to
get a smooth finish.
At some point I acquired CMK’s corrected
ailerons and flaps in resin from Hannants when
they were on sale. In truth they are almost
identical to the kit parts as far as I can tell, the
main difference being the more accurate tabs on
the ailerons. The only other aftermarket I
purchased was a decal sheet by Caracal. I had
initially hoped to do a beautiful natural metal

D
ue to a quirk of personality, I’m a one-kit- least the comprehensive camera fit and nice airframe with a blue nose and tail with white
at-a-time kind of modeller, and if what I options such as separate clear parts for an open polka dots, but sadly this is for an earlier block
read on the internet is true, it turns out or closed canopy. aircraft without the large parachute housing

Ejector pins
are not too
much of a
problem
aside from
in a few
places, such
as here.
These would
be visible on
the finished
model if not
The plastic has quite a prominent gritty The parts are fairly well moulded with quite dealt with.
texture in various places, such as under the coarse panel lines and chunky sprue gates.
wings.

Seat belts
are not
provided
and I made
a simple
representat
ion from
Tamiya
tape and
ANYZ and Although not an issue confined to Tanmodel,
Reheat there are some real problems with surface The main cockpit components completed.
photoetche texture, fading detail and misaligned features They were painted in a mixture of MRP Traffic
d buckles. on the edges of the fuselage halves. Gray and AMT-4 Faded Gray.

38 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K

Out of the box nose well detail painted with
Mr Color Zinc Chromate FS34151 (C351).
Some ejector pin marks needed to be
removed from these parts.
The fit of the wing halves is not great, and at
the wing root I’m using some thin plastic card
superglued in place to fill the gaps.
The fuselage halves fit together well, but need
some clamping while the superglue goes off.
under the rear fuselage. While I had been happy
to scratch build one of these for Kinetic’s F-84F, I
did not fancy doing it again, and settled for a
plain SEA camouflaged ANG aircraft. This would
turn out to be fortuitous as doing a NMF would
have required an awful lot of surface
preparation. I recommend you research exactly
which aircraft you are making as there were
plenty of changes during the RF-84F’s life, not
least the absence or presence of said parachute
housing. www.thunderstreaks.com has plenty of
excellent photos of Thunderflashes that would
prove very helpful in figuring out details later on.
Once I had found a photograph of the aircraft
I was making, I discovered a few other additions
and corrections I would need to make. First, it
had an inflight refuelling probe attached to the
port wing. I simply drilled a hole and plugged in
a spare from a Hasegawa 1/48 A-4 kit. Second,
the kit is missing the fuel dump pipe in the rear
lower starboard fuselage. The location of this
changed over time, somewhere between block
25 and 30 aircraft maybe. I was modelling a
block 40 Thunderflash and surmised the fuel
dump was in the further aft position and so
fabricated an approximation from the spares
box. Third, the clear lens for the anti-collision
beacon in the spine is not provided, so I cut out
a slot and filled it with clear UV resin, later
For my needs visible cameras only need basic
painting. Note that the triple camera
arrangement has been glued together with no
opportunity to dry fit into the fuselage. How
this will work when the fuselage halves go
together remains to be seen …
At the wing tips the story is very similar, but I
decided to use black superglue and filler
powder to plug the gaps.
The upper fuselage camera bay doors need to
be rescribed in their entirety. Here I’m using
HIQ ‘Carving Tape’ and an MRP scriber.
sanded and polished to shape. Fourth, the
airbrake hinges are way too large, so these were
filled with CA and filler powder and new, smaller
hinges scribed in place. Additionally, the holes in
the airbrakes were drilled out using a 0.35mm bit.
Tanmodel provide options to display the
camera bays open with all the internals visible.
This means there are an awful lot of parts to fit in
the nose, and unfortunately there are no
locating points. Since I was modelling it all
closed up, all I needed to do was make sure the
cameras lined up with the windows and get all
the parts in there to avoid needing nose weight.
This is far easier said than done. Life was made
slightly easier by the rearmost camera window
being covered over, so I didn’t need to worry
about that as it would be invisible. The other five
cameras are more problematic, especially the
three that are joined together.
My initial strategy was to trust the
engineering of the kit and glue them all
together prior to installation. This was a mistake
as they didn’t line up with the windows at all.
After loosening all the joints with Tamiya Extra
Thin, I disassembled them and started again.
What eventually worked was to start with the
large parts that had a fairly definite location, like
the bulkheads, and then add each internal piece
step by step. After each step I would tape the
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
THUNDERFLASH
All the internal elements have been attached
to the starboard fuselage half, plus the rudder.
This was an iterative process as most have no
location points. No nose weight is required.
In contrast, the fit of the intake fronts to the
wings (delineated by the blue arrows) is
excellent.
All of the underside surface detail is rescribed.
Note the rear camera hatch, behind the nose
gear bay, is opaque making any effort
painting that camera redundant. It’s still
included as nose weight.
fuselage halves together to ensure the
alignment was good. When the part was set, I’d
take the halves apart, move to the next
component and repeat. Even the nose wheel
well is difficult to locate correctly and will leave
an odd gap towards the front as it’s not quite
long enough. Eventually I had all the internals
added and everything lined up. If you decide to
open the camera doors your life will be much
easier as you can access everything from above,
but I don’t like the aesthetic of open panels.
Cockpit detail is adequate for a closed canopy,
although it would turn out more is visible than I
anticipated once the clear plastic was attached.
My only additions were some seatbelts created
with strips of Tamiya tape and photoetched
buckles by ANYZ and Reheat. I wasn’t very
confident in the correct colour and went with a
pale grey mixed from MRP Traffic Gray (189) and
Faded Gray (021), which is probably a bit light. I
only wish I had removed the giant ejector pin
mark in the plate behind the seat head rest. I’d
assumed it wouldn’t be easily seen, and I was
wrong.
Once the cockpit was done it was added to
the starboard fuselage half along with the
camera bay internals, exhaust pipe, separate
rudder (a very nice fit), and engine turbine face
and intakes. The latter are, for all intents and
39
THUNDERFLASH
Here are the door outlines rescribed. The rivets
are incomplete and a bit wobbly.
There are some massive gaps between the
pylons and the wings. Using some vinyl
masking material as a dam, I’ve placed the
pylon in place and filled the gaps with black
superglue and VMS CA Filler Powder, set with
accelerator.
The airbrake holes have been drilled out with
a 0.35mm drill bit (all my 0.3mm bits are
broken!). The edge still needs refining, but the
fit is okay. I rescribed the hinges later as they
are too big.
purposes, invisible and not worth spending any
time on. Similarly, I didn’t paint the cameras to
any great standard, just well enough given what
can be seen through the windows. Fuselage fit is
pretty good and I used plenty of tape and
clamping to ensure the mating surfaces made
good contact while the superglue went off.
After attaching the wings together, which
were quite gappy but nicely engineered to have
the seam on the underside rather than the
leading edge, the real graft of the build began -
fixing the surface detail . Most of that on the
underside had to be removed completely and
rescribed, which is a tortuous process best
forgotten. I’m no great master of this dark art,
but I do find my way smoothed by some sharp
needle-pointed scribers (and sometimes just a
needle) along with HIQ Carving Tape. Where this
tape is too stiff, I use Tamiya vinyl tape for curves,
which is good because it’s flexible - and also bad
… because it’s flexible! The result isn’t as pretty
as envisaged. Gaps were filled where necessary
with AMMO Black Slow Dry Cyanoacrylate
(A.MIG-8034) and VMS CA Filler Powder
(VMS.AX10), which is nicer to scribe through
than neat superglue.
Eventually I had enough of rescribing and
fitted the numerous camera windows. As with
40 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
All the surface detail near the fuselage join
needs to be rescribed as it’s missing in the kit.
I use strips of Tamiya tape here overlaid with
some of their vinyl tape for curves to try and
minimise the scribing needle from wandering.
The pylons can then be removed from the
wing and the vinyl peeled off. It looks a mess,
but the hardened superglue can be trimmed
with a knife and then sanded to match the
profile of the pylon.
The airbrake outline can be scribed in the
plastic adjacent to the filler to give a cleaner
line. Note the new, smaller, hinges have been
scribed in.
pretty much everything else they fitted ‘quite’
well, but it’s that last ten per cent that is so time-
consuming to sort out. In this case it was sorted
out with ample superglue and careful pre-
scribing to try and retain the detail as the plastic
was sanded down. Inevitably the result was less
neat than hoped for, but adequate for normal
viewing distances. Clarity to the clear parts was
restored with Tamiya polishing compounds
applied via polishing wheels in a Proxxon motor
tool.
There are several aesthetic rules I follow when
making aircraft, although not slavishly, and one
of them is to ignore all stores. It has the twin
benefits of saving time and preserving the lines
of the airframe. In this case that meant leaving
off the ubiquitous drop tanks fitted to pretty
much every operational USAF Thunderflash I
could find a photo of. The inner pylons, however,
were going to be used, and unfortunately, they
did not fit at all well. I tried a method to improve
things I’d only ever read about. A layer of vinyl
masking film was placed where the pylon was to
go and holes punched for the locating pins. The
pylon was then put in place and orientated
correctly before the gaps around the edge were
filled with a thick mixture of superglue and filler
powder and set with accelerator. The pylons
One error in the kit is the absence of a clear
section in the spine. I’ve cut the area out ready
for some clear UV resin to be set in place.
In place, the pylons look much better. The
surface detail still needs to be completed.
The camera windows are a tight fit and need
sanding down. Installing them also caused the
fuselage plastic to crack. I used a lot of
superglue filler to close some of the gaps,
especially at the fuselage centreline.
could then be removed and the vinyl film peeled
away from the cured superglue. After tidying the
edges up with abrasives and restoring the
missing panel line detail, I had a much better fit. I
think you can also do this with Bare Metal Foil in
lieu of the vinyl film, which is much thinner, but I
was anxious it might be hard to remove the
pylon as the foil is very sticky. Maybe one to try
next time.
Tanmodel have used the tongue-and-groove
method for the wing to fuselage attachment,
which works well enough but the tolerances are
too tight for the wings to plug home fully. What
was more problematic was fitting the dropped
flaps as per photos of the original. I have no idea
whether the problem was me, Tanmodel, CMK,
or just the fact they must be fitted prior to the
wings being stuck to the fuselage, but I could
not get them in at all and resorted to butchery
on the underside where the worst is hidden.
When will I learn the importance of dry-fitting?
Also noted at this time were the massively thick
intake splitter plates, which would be ripe for
aftermarket replacement, ideally in something
like photoetch. To close off the wings, I also
added the wing fences. These, too, are extremely
thick, but at least they’re robust, although they
don’t slide over the wings very well at all. This is

After priming with some MRP NATO Black
(MRP-077) problem areas that still need
addressing are revealed, especially at the
corners of the windows. I haven’t masked the
clear parts as this paint is all going to be
polished off.
I replaced the wing-mounted pitot with one
made from four diameters of telescoping
Albion Alloys brass tube soldered together.
Masking is mainly made from machine-cut
Tamiya masking sheet using the kit-supplied
masks as a template. The black mask is the
only one used from the kit on the canopy as
all the rest are too small, too big, or did not
stick. The seams have been sanded down.
another area best not look at too closely on the
finished model…
In contrast to the nice fit of the wings, the
tailplanes flop about all over the place as the
round locating pegs are way smaller than the
corresponding holes. I made a decision to attach
them midway through painting, once the main
scheme was done and could be touched up if
necessary. Getting them aligned and square was
very difficult.
The project trundled on towards painting via
attaching the canopy. Good and bad news here.
On the good side, Tanmodel have moulded a
good chunk of the fuselage with the canopy,
meaning no difficult shut lines to preserve and
the seam between clear and opaque plastic can
just be eliminated. Not so good is the moulding
mismatch in the shut line between the canopy
and the windscreen. I filed that in the ‘too-
difficult-to-bother-with’ tray and pretended it
was all okay. I’ve spent a lot of time looking at
the rear of the canopy and have convinced
myself the framing is much too narrow. This
means it’s not possible to add any canopy lining
(which on this airframe I think should be dark
The wings fit to the fuselage pretty well. Note
the replacement CMK ailerons, which are only
a very slight improvement on the kit parts.
I utilised the single-piece canopy and
attached it with Tamiya Extra Thin. Some fine
gaps were then closed with clear UV resin to
prevent any fogging.
Scratch-built fuel dump vent as none is
provided in the kit. The location of this
changed during production; this is where the
late block models had it. Earlier blocks
featured the vent further forwards.
red). I might be wrong.
A nice touch from Tanmodel is the canopy
masking provided in this second edition. It
would be nicer if the masks fitted. Those for the
camera windows are pretty good and were
utilised, but the canopy masks were all over the
place, especially one of the front three-quarter
panels, which was massively oversized. I scanned
the masks into Inkscape and made my own from
Tamiya masking sheet using a Silhouette cutter.
In order to preserve the surface detail, I
decided to prime with MRP rather than a
dedicated primer, and wanted a warm brown
base for the greens, brown and grey of the SEA
camouflage. A suitable shade was mixed from
MRP Black (MRP-5) and Special Brown (MRP-233)
and delicately airbrushed over the entire
airframe. A light sanding revealed some surface
texture that was fine for a camouflage finish, but
would have been a problem were I going for
natural metal.
Many a happy hour was then passed slowly
noodling away with my Iwata Custom Micron B
filling in the green and brown parts of the
scheme. My plan was to have lots of tonal
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
THUNDERFLASH
Clear section of the spine made from UV-
curing clear resin, sanded and polished to
shape.
The gaps could then be properly filled with
superglue and filler powder. Note the
moulding mismatch in the detail between
the canopy and the windscreen. I did not
rectify this.
Also missing from the kit is the inflight
refuelling probe. This is a spare part from a
Hasegawa 1/48 A-4 kit.
variation by spraying inconsistently and through
various mottle masks. I also made use of both
Hataka and Mr Color shades of FS30219 Sand,
FS34102 Green and FS34079 Dark Green to get
more variety. Many photos showed quite a
desaturated tone for the tan brown, so I added
varying amounts of MRP grey and US Desert
Sand (MRP-243) to apply a variety of shades. The
actual pattern was very difficult to pin down
since I only had a photo of the port side and the
scheme varied a lot between aircraft. Caracal
only provide a port profile (which isn’t very
accurate) and thus the starboard side is a best-
guess.
One of the most appealing aspects of this
scheme was just how badly it was applied. The
demarcations between colours vary from very
tight (such as on the wing leading edges), to
very, very soft, such as between the pale
camouflage grey and the three upper colours on
the nose. There’s even overspray at the tip of the
tail fin onto the grey. This was delicious and I had
much more fun painting this model than
building it, which is the reverse of how it usually
goes. Aside from the leading edges, all the
colours were applied freehand.
41
THUNDERFLASH
A light sanding reveals moulding flaws in the
plastic. These will be fine under a camouflage
finish, but more work would be required for
natural metal.
The tan FS30219 was tuned with the Hataka version and adding varying
amounts of MRP greys and sand as I went along.
Cartograf printed the Caracal Decals, which
means the colour and register are superb, but
also that they’re quite thick and don’t settle into
the surface detail too well. There are very few for
this scheme and I mashed them down directly
onto the paint with various combinations of
setting solutions and solvents. I think Caracal’s
ANG badge on the tail is too small and the blue is
too light, so I used the kit version, which is bigger
and darker. Also note that the Caracal profile puts
the USAF marking in the wrong place. It should
be further aft, as I have modelled it.
Next was the pin wash, made from various
shades of Abteilung 502 oil paints mixed with AK
Interactive Matt Effects Thinner (AK112). I tended
towards the browner shades – Sepia, Dark Mud,
Raw and Burnt Umber, Engine Grease and
Starship Filth – along with other colours. Again,
this was directly on the paint and made a bit
more challenging by the shallow surface detail.
Further tonal variation was added by using some
AK Interactive weathering pencils (best applied
wet in my experience, and then manipulated
with a damp brush) and brown and black
Gundam Real Touch marker pens.
This latter product is
new to me,
and I
42 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
I initially blocked in the camouflage scheme
Priming was done with a 50/50 mix of regular with Mr Color paints, and desaturated the tan
MPR paint, in this case Black and Special with some MRP grey and US Desert Sand. All
Brown. airbrushing was done freehand.
Decals on and oil paint washes applied. The prominence of the recessed
detail is difficult to avoid given how coarse it is.
think they are enamel based as they can be thin plastic card, attached and then painted.
removed with white spirit. The pack comes with There are real signs of talent with this kit,
a blender pen to manipulate the marker pen shown in the generally excellent fit, sporadic
once it’s applied. I used it for some of the examples of excellent engineering, good overall
streaking on the flaps and ailerons and will get accuracy, and a beautifully packaged product.
some of the other shades of grey to use in the But the evidence of inexperience is also
future. apparent, not least in the substandard
Once I was bored with weathering, final moulding. Tanmodel had ambitious plans in
construction ensued. For some reason the main 1/48, but they have been quiet for a long time;
wheels are slightly different from each other and whether they improve on what they started with
the main legs did not sit properly into their remains to be seen. In any case, the
locating holes. I did my best to get them Thunderflash is a fantastic looking aircraft and
correctly aligned, but failed with the port strut I’m very glad to have this finished, but I have to
and it cants inward slightly. The nose leg is okay, confess it wasn’t much fun getting there.
but the moulding tolerances are just not quite
there for it to work properly. Given that my
hands shake, adding the undercarriage doors
was a trial as there are no indications on where
the locating tabs go, and it’s very easy to install
the nose doors too far forward or aft (or out of
alignment with each other). Finally, since
they had both been broken off
during construction, the
aileron tabs had to be
made from
M O D E L L E R S N OT E S
Late Mark Corsairs
By Jack Trent
G
iven the sprawling mass of kits available in
various scales, and of different marks,
perhaps the most logical way to look at
the matter is by variant rather than scale.
Likewise there is a bewildering mass of
accessories and decals available for the type,
many of which are generic, or can easily be
adapted, but space precludes a deeper analysis.
The notes below are rough guidelines only, and
suggest what might be the most user-friendly
way of building a collection without resorting to
too many ‘traditional’ modelling skills …
F4U-4
Annoyingly there are more egg-planes or
1/700 ‘ship’ scale kits of the Corsair than there are
1/144 – and of these only the F-Toys gashapon
claims to be an F4U-4, AFV’s 2018 toolings all
being early marks. 1/72 is a much easier.
HobbyBoss released an ‘Easy Build’ kit (ref.
80218), and was greeted at the time with
enthusiasm as it combined ease and quickness
of build with a surprisingly good level of detail
and fit for a kit of this type. Revell’s excellent
2014 tool was re-released in 2016 as an F4U-4
(ref. 03955), while the much reboxed Italeri kit
offers some nice options, especially for Korean
War machines. Some might suggest a kit bash of
these two, using the Revell airframe as the basis,
might be the way forward.
In 1/48 F4U-4s from Academy, Hasegawa,
Monogram/Revell, and Hobbycraft are all ‘of an
age’, while the most recent tooling, by
44 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
HobbyBoss in 2013 (ref. 80388), has been
criticised by some, while praised for ease of build
and fineness of detail. Consensus seems to be
that its problems with accuracy are not
insurmountable, and that in spite of these it’s the
best Dash-4 in the scale. In 1/32 the Trumpeter
kit (ref. 02222) is the only game in town for a late
mark.
F4U-5
UPC’s 1/100 kit and Lindberg’s 1/96 tooling is
about as small as you can go with the F4U-5 out
of the box, this latter dating from 1958. UPC’s
1/72 kit, dating from 1966, was reissued by
Fujimi, and is more of a collector’s item these
days. Perhaps the simplest way to model the
F4U-5 in 1/72 is the Italeri kit (ref. 1321), which
has appeared in many guises since its initial
release in 1994, reboxed by Revell and Tamiya,
among others. Some might argue that the High
Planes kits, while limited-run with all the
challenges that represents, are more accurate,
and that enhancing these with parts from the
Italeri kit is the way forward in the gentleman’s
scale.
In 1/48 Hasegawa’s series of late-mark F4Us is
well regarded, certainly more so than the
Minicraft tooling, and has appeared in both
Revell and Pro-Modeller boxings, but make sure
you don’t wind up with the 1963 Monogram kit
instead. HobbyBoss’s kit may be easier to find,
but the Hasegawa kit extended to several
boxings so may have some interesting decal
options if you can find them. In 1/32 Combat
Models’ (ref. 320032) seems to be the only out-
of-the-box Dash-5 so far.
F4U-7
As with the F4U-5, the F4U-7 is not well
represented in the smaller scales. In 1/72, again,
the High Planes and Italeri toolings cross-kitted
is a path some have trodden, while in 1/48 it is a
choice between Hasegawa and HobbyBoss. In
1/32 you will simply have to wait until someone
realises just how cool those French aircraft look
in Suez stripes, and do what you can with the
Trumpeter F4U-4.
AU-1
Good luck finding an AU-1 in 1/72! Hawk
released a kit in 1960, reboxed by Testors, many
times, and as recently as 2011. Hasegawa and
HobbyBoss, again, are the go-to brands in 1/48,
while 1/32 and larger remains unbroken ground
for this version. As for 1/24, you know Airfix will
get round to it, but when they do you can bet it
will be a Royal Navy option, so unlikely to offer a
late airframe.
F2G
Our Profile article has not included the F2G as
it was a development aircraft only, but if you are
modelling late Corsairs then you might consider
adding one to your line up. Special Hobby kitted
the type in both 1/72 and 1/48, the latter
reboxed by Accurate Miniatures.

ISSUE 84
Chance Vought Corsair
The second trial aircraft F4U-4X‘B’
BuNo 50301 seen here with fixed
tip tanks to improve range. These
were not put into production.
F4U-4 Corsair BuNo 81712 of VF-791
takes off from USS Boxer (CV-21) for
a Korean War air strike 6 July 1951.
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
The Later Versions – F4U-4, 5, 7 & AU-1
By Jon Tabinor
The first Vought
dash-4, was
F4U-4X‘A’ BuNo
49763, was
converted from
an F4U-1.
C
hance Vought’s model V-166, the F4U
Corsair, was one of the most successful
fighter aircraft of World War II. It was
distinctive too with its inverted gull wing to
keep the undercarriage short and strong while
allowing a large propeller to absorb its Pratt &
Whitney R-2800 engine’s power. In its F4U-1 and
-2 versions (plus Goodyear and Brewster-built
clones) it saw combat across the Pacific from late
1942, initially with the USMC from ground bases,
and then with both the USN and Fleet Air Arm
from carriers. Like all fighter types there was a
continuous search for more power and to
improve the breed. While the vagaries of the
early versions can often be perplexing, the later
versions can also be confusing and bear study of
their own.
The F4U-4
The final wartime variant of the Corsair, the
model V-354, the F4U-4, was the result of a
complete redesign of the Corsair in 1943 and
benefited from fifteen major improvements on
previous models. The Navy issued a requirement
to mate the Corsair with both the new water-
injected R-2800-18W and a new 13ft 2in
Hamilton Standard four-blade propeller (2in
shorter than the earlier versions’ three-blader).
This new combination seriously improved
performance over the earlier versions. The R-
2800-18W gave 2100hp on take-off, and with
water injection, 2450hp, giving the F4U-4 a top
speed of 451mph, a faster climb rate and a
shorter take-off than previous models.
Two F4U-1s (BuNos.49763 and 50301) were
converted in May 1943, being renamed F4U-4X
(sometimes called F4U4XA and 4XB). The new
version had its carburettor air intakes relocated
from the wing roots to the lower lip of the
engine cowling. The exhaust outlets were
redesigned, the intercooler intakes were
enlarged, the cowling was redesigned to house
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

the new powerplant, and new electrical and fuel

systems fitted. The sixty-two gallon wing fuel
tanks were removed for better manoeuvrability,
but at the expense of maximum range. The new
version retained the six .50 calibre machine guns
in the wings of earlier versions. Provision was
made for two pylon-mounted 1000lb bombs, or
eight 5in rockets under the outer wings.
BuNo.49763 was first flown on 19 May 1944, and
while the new engine installation required many
changes to the airframe, there were no major
problems. On 25 January 1944 Vought received a
contract for 1,414 F4U-4s.
The first of five XF4U-4 production prototypes
(BuNos 80759-80763) flew on 20 September
1944, and the Navy accepted it on 31 October.
The new version began reaching units in the
Pacific just before the end of the war, and
Vought built another 400 F4U-4s immediately
post-war until 1947. In total 2,045 were built, but
plans for Goodyear to build 3,500 as FG-4s were
shelved in August 1945 after only about a dozen
were finished.
Initial F4U-4s featured the curved-front,
internally-armoured windscreen similar to the
F4U-1D, with a blown canopy of matching cross
section. About half way through production, this
was replaced with a flat-fronted windscreen with
integral armoured glass. The canopy was also
changed to match this. All F4U-4s had outer
wing panels with fabric covering. F4U-4 with late style windscreen, possibly belonging to VF-53 at NAS North Island, San Diego 1950.
The basic F4U-4 spawned several variants too. Note the triangular stall ‘strip’ fitted to the starboard wing, which helped warn pilots of, and
A change in the F4U-4's firepower to four M3 control, the F4U’s potential lethal asymmetric stall.
20mm cannons led to the F4U-4B. This could
also carry eight 5in rockets, two 1,000lb bombs,
or two ‘Tiny Tim’ 11.75in rockets. Of the 297 built,
most had the same -18W engine as the dash-4,
but from mid-August 1946 they were fitted with
the R-2800-42W, which gave 200hp more on
take-off using 115/145-octane fuel. Some F4U-
4Bs were modified to launch and control a single
radar-guided BAT glide-bomb (the world's first
operational homing missile) but it was never
used in combat.
The single F4U-4N was F4U-4 BuNo. 97361
converted to accept the APS-6 radar in March
1946. It served as a test bed for the later F4U-5N
and -5NL night-fighter Corsairs before it was
struck off charge in 1948.
Eleven F4U-4Bs were converted to the F4U-4P
armed low-level photo-reconnaissance version,
by fitting a K-25 aerial camera in a shock-
absorbing mount in the ventral
baggage-compartment access door. The aircraft
had a 90-degree lens ‘rear-view’ prism that
allowed the pilot to attack his target and then F4U-4 of Carrier Air Group 1 ‘T28’ on finals for
activate the camera during pull-out to record landing aboard USS Tarawa (CV-40) 1946.
the results. During the Korean War, F4U-4Ps
served with VC-61 aboard the USS Valley Forge
from July to November 1950 and on the USS
Philippine Sea from August to March 1951. They F4U-4B BuNo 62924 of VF-113 lands aboard USS Philippine
saw extensive use before being phased out by
Sea (CV-47) 7 December 1950. Note the cannon stubs with
mid-1951 in favour of the Grumman F9F-2P
the rocket rail under the outer one. Prop and fin tip are yellow.
Panther.
Although it saw action briefly at the close of
World War II, it was Korea where the F4U-4
gained fame, providing close support right
through the conflict, with both USN and USMC
units. As well as strafing with machine guns or
cannon Corsairs dropped napalm, iron bombs,
and fired unguided rockets of which the 5in
HVAR (High Velocity Aircraft Rocket) was an oft-
used type. When Soviet-built armour proved
resistant to the HVAR's punch a new 6.5in
shaped-charge anti tank warhead was
developed. The result was called the ATAR (Anti
Tank Aircraft Rocket)). Corsairs were often seen
with a mix of these, while napalm was usually
carried in drop tanks painted yellow to
distinguish them from fuel-filled ones.
 AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

F4U-4, BuNo Unknown, VBF-150,

USS Lake Champlain, July 1945.

F4U-4, BuNo Unknown,

VBF-6, USS Hancock, 1945.

F4U-4, BuNo Unknown, VF-89,

USS Antietam, 1945.

F4U-4, BuNo 80879, VMF-222,

Awase, Okinawa, 1945.

F4U-4, BuNo 81924, VMF-211,

Tsingtao, China, late 1945.
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

F4U-4B, BuNo
Unknown, VF-4B,
USS Franklin D.
Roosevelt, 1947.

F4U-4, BuNo 96802, VMF-225,

USS Siboney, 1947.

F4U-4, BuNo 81453, VF-32,

Harbor Field, 1949.

F4U-4, BuNo 96971, VF-24,

USS Princeton, off Korea, 1951.

F4U-4,
BuNo 97309, US
Naval Reserve, NAS
Grosse Ile, 1950.
 AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

F4U-5, BuNo 121862, US Naval

Reserve, NAS Glenview, 1951.

F4U-5N, BuNo 123180, VMF(N)-

513, Itami, Japan, 1950.

F4U-5N, BuNo 124525, VMF(N)-

513, Kunsan, Korea, 1951.

AU-1, BuNo 129417, VMA-212,

Pohang, Korea, 1953.

AU-1, BuNo 129411, Aircraft Engineering

Squadron 12, Quantico, 1957.
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

AU-1, BuNo 129356, Flottille 14F, over

Dien Bien Phu, Indochina, May 1954.

F4U-7, BuNo 133669, coded 17, Flottille 15F,

PA La Fayette, October 1956.

F4U-7, BuNo 133659, coded 14,

Flottille 14F, BAN d’Hyères, 1961.

F4U-5NL, BuNo 122192, 3-A-205, 3.ª Escuadrilla

Aeronaval, ARA Independencia, 1965.

F4U-5, BuNo 121881, 3.ª Escuadrilla Aeronaval,

BAN Comandante Espora, 1964.
 AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

F4U-5N, FAH-609, Fuerza Aérea

Hondureña, Honduras, 1969.

Below: Additional profiles of El Salvadorean Corsairs that took part in the Football War,
which were the last Corsairs shot down, and the Corsair’s last victims.

FG-1D, FAS-207, Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña,

Ilopango, El Salvador, circa 1969.

FG-1D, FAS-215, Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña,

El Salvador, circa 1968.

FG-1D, FAS-220, Fuerza Aérea Salvadoreña,

Ilopango, El Salvador, July 1969.
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

A fine view of F4U-5NL BuNo 124672 of VC-2 shows the

radome, leading edge anti-icing rubber ‘boot’ coverings,
flash hider on the guns, and the square-section exhaust
flame hiders – essential with high-mounted exhausts.

Lieutenant Thomas J. Hudner Jr. of VF-32 flew now curved upwards, while the new inlets’ ducts panels were now all metal.
an F4U-4 off USS Leyte. On 4 December 1950 he widened the cowling’s lower corners giving a The pilot gained a power-actuated canopy
was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor flat-bottomed pear shape when viewed from the and improved side consoles in a more
for crash landing his Corsair in an attempt to front. The F4U-5 was the first Corsair variant on comfortable cockpit with a new adjustable seat
rescue squadron mate Ensign Jesse L. Brown. which the previously fabric-covered outer wing with folding armrests. Swing-down foot-brake
Brown, whose aircraft had been forced down by
anti-aircraft fire near the Chosin reservoir did not
survive the incident, was the first African-
American to complete the United States Navy's
basic flight training program.

The F4U-5
While the Korean War ushered in the age of jet
versus jet combat, the US Navy and Marines still
needed a propeller-driven close support aircraft
and night-fighter. While the AD Skraider was
seen as the eventual solution, the F4U-5 filled
these roles too, even though it had originated in
a March 1944 Bureau of Aeronautics request that
Vought propose an advanced Corsair (the F4U-4
had yet to fly). Vought developed the V-351,
which resulted in five XF4U-5 prototypes in
December 1944, although the production
contract was not awarded until February 1946.
The first two XF4U-5 prototypes were created by
mating F4U-4s (BuNo.97296 and BuNo.97364)
with the R2800-32W radial engines. 97296 was
the first to fly on 3 July 1946, but the aircraft
crashed on 8 July when test pilot, Dick
Burroughs attempted a dead-stick landing and
was killed. Nevertheless the first flight of a
production F4U-5 (BuNo.121796) was on 1
October 1947. The two-stage, variable-speed,
supercharged R2800-32W engine produced
2,450hp at sea level, and 2,850hp with water
injection, giving the F4U-5 a top speed of
between 462-470 mph at 26,800ft. It was the
fastest piston-engined aircraft to operate from a
USN carrier.
The installation of the -32W with its twin side-
mounted auxiliary superchargers resulted in the
most notable visual difference between the -5
and -4. Because of the superchargers’ added
length and the horsepower increase, the new
engine was located ten inches further forward
and mounted at a nose-down angle of 2.75
degrees. The cowling’s top was re-shaped to take
advantage of this downward tilt and gave the
same over-the-nose visibility as the shorter F4U-
4. The superchargers necessitated removal and
replacement of the F4U-4's chin inlet with two
cheek inlets (at the four and eight o'clock F4U-5P aboard USS Valley Forge (CV-45) in 1951 shows the fuselage-side camera ports, with
positions). As a result, the bottom of the cowling closable door, to good effect. The pilot is Captain David Booker, USMC.
 AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE

USMC AU-1 BuNo 129411 at MCAS Brown Field, Quantico in late Light
Gull Gray over White scheme. Note the lack of side intakes on, but the
same shape as, the F4U-5 cowling, and the five pylons per wing.

pedals served as leg rests on long flights. The
new Mark 8 gyroscopic gunsight was fitted. To
further reduce pilot workload, cowl-flaps,
intercooler doors and oiI-cooler doors were now
all automatically operated, and spring tabs
added to the elevators and rudder assisted the
pilot’s control movements – especially useful at
high speeds. A 2000lb-capacity centre-line pylon
was also added between the two 1000lb wing
inner pylons, but otherwise armament was
basically the same as the F4U-4B. Altogether, 568
F4U-5s of all models were built, of which 223
were ‘vanilla’ F4U-5s.
The main sub version of the dash-5 was the
F4U-5N and 5NL night fighter.
These were built to carry an AN/APS-19 or l9A
radar in a pod on the starboard wing. The first of
214 were delivered in May 1949 and ended in
September 1951. The F4U-5N was fitted with an
automatic pilot and had a gun camera with a 80-
candlepower light beam projector to aid
sighting of targets. Armament was four M3
20mm cannon, fitted with conical flash hiders,
carried in the wings, and the same ordnance as
the dash-5 could also be carried.
The cold-weather dash-5NL received
additional heating gear, de-icer boots on the
outer wing panels and tail empennage, as well
as a windscreen and propeller de-icing system,
which used a glycol mixture to prevent ice
formation. The 101 so modified carried the same
armament as the other versions. F4U-5NLs were
used extensively in Korea, flying mostly with VC-
3 detachments from land bases, as well as from
carriers USS Boxer and USS Philippine Sea. The US
Navy’s only Korean War ace, Lt. Guy P. Bordelon jr
of VC-3, scored all five of his aerial victories in the
same F4U-5N – Corsair BuNo.124453 ‘NP-21’
named Annie Mo in honour of his wife.
Thirty photo-reconnaissance versions of the
F4U-5, the -5P, were fitted with one vertical and
two oblique K-17 or K-1 cameras in their lower
mid-fuselage. These were mounted behind
closable doors with slipstream deflectors to
prevent oil fouling the camera ports. The Photo
Five could also accommodate the S-7S
continuous strip camera in a rotating camera
conversion kit. Deliveries began in May 1948. In
Korea, F4U-5Ps were for both target and post-
strike photography. VC-60 and VC-61 operated
them in-theatre while VC-62 flew the F4U-5P
from aboard the USS Leyte from October 1950
until January 1951.
The F4U-5 was also operated by Argentina’s
navy from 1956 to 1966. All Argentina's twenty-
six Corsairs, a mix of F4U-5s and 5NLs, serialled
0374 to 0395 and 0432 to 0435, were operated
initially from Punta Indio Navy Air Base and later
flew from their aircraft carrier ARA
Independencia.
The F4U-5NL also came to Central America in
the late 1950s, when the US Military Assistance
Programme (MAP) supplied ten of them to the
Honduran Air Force. While the Argentine Corsairs
maintained their night-fighting capability
throughout their service and flew from a carrier,
the Honduran ones lost their night-fighting and
winterized equipment before delivery in 1956.
Honduras also received eight F4U-4 Corsairs in
1960-61, at which time El Salvador also received
twelve Goodyear FG-1A and FG-1D Corsairs. Two
of these El Salvadorian FG-1s were the victims of
Major Fernando Soto’s Honduran F4U-5NL
during the short 1969 ‘Soccer War’, which
bizarrely (in every sense) made the last ever
Corsair kill a Corsair.
The AU-1
Korea also led to a low-level daylight close-
support version of the Corsair. Initially named
XF4U-6, it was later designated the AU-1
(meaning A for Attack, U – the Navy’s
designation for Vought, and -1 as the first
Vought attack aircraft). The AU-1 was effectively
an F4U-5 built to survive small arms and light
anti-aircraft fire rather than for high-altitude
performance, so was heavily protected by
armour plate. A flat armoured-glass windscreen
was fitted, and sensitive components were
moved to less vulnerable locations. It did not
need the high-altitude capability of the big
auxiliary superchargers, so they were removed
and an R-2800-83WA with single-stage
supercharging fitted. A new cowling without
cheek inlets was installed but the pear shape
remained since F4U-5 tooling was used. The oil
coolers were moved inboard where they were
surrounded by armour plate, as was the single-
stage supercharger’s inlet by moving it aft.
Though take-off power for the AU-1 was rated at
2300hp, top speed was much lower than the
F4U-5 and it was also more than 5000lbs heavier.
The AU-1 was armed with four 20mm cannon,
and up to ten 5in rockets, or as many as four
1000lb bombs, could be carried on more
streamlined wing hardpoints. Additional fuel or
bombs could also be carried on the aircraft’s
centreline pylon. The first production AU-1 flew

As well as showing the cowling shape of the F4U-7, this shot of a Flottille 15.F aircraft
shows the tests carried out with SS.11 wire guided missiles as potential bunker busters.
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
Honduran Air force F4U-5NL ‘FAH-609’
in which Major Fernadno Soto shot
down an El Salvadorian P-51 and two
FG-1s during the 1969 ‘Soccer War’. VAR
was not needed to confirm the kills!
ARA (Armada de la República Argentina – Argentine Navy) F4U-5 of the 2nd Naval Attack Squadron
on board Independencia 1965. Argentine F4U-5s were in Gray and White, while the night fighter -
5N and NL remained in Gloss Sea Blue.
on 31 January 1952 with VMA-323 the first to use
them operationally in Korea flying from K-6
Airfield, Pyeongtaek, while VMA- 312 flew them
from K-3 Airfield, Pohang.
Although heavily armoured, sixteen AUs were
lost to enemy ground fire during the war. In all,
111 AU-1s were built. Twenty-five of these were
taken from USMC stocks in Japan and used by
the French in Indo-China during 1954. Six were
lost before the July 1954 ceasefire, and the
remainder were returned to the USMC, which
quickly phased them out of the front-line. They
flew with reserve units until finally retired from
US service in 1957.
Honduras also received F4U-4s,
refurbished from ‘warbird’ stocks
in 1960. These are seen here
waiting for delivery. Note the
style of underwing pylon.
The F4U-7
The F4U-7, built specifically for France, first
flew on 2 July 1952 and was essentially an F4U-5
fuselage mounted to an overhauled F4U-4 two-
speed, two-stage, R2800-18W engine. The
availability of these war surplus engines made
them an economical choice for the USA when
supplying aircraft to France under the MAP. The
18W’s two-stage supercharger gave a better
altitude performance than the AU-1, and as a
result the F4U-7 differed from its predecessor in
having a chin scoop in the front of the cowl. Like
the AU-1 it featured a flat armoured glass
windscreen, and five hardpoints beneath each
TECHNICAL DETAILS
FOR F4U-4
Length: 34ft 6in
Wingspan: 41ft 11.7in
Height: 14ft 9in (4.5m)
Empty weight: 7505lb
Gross weight: 12500lb
Max takeoff weight: 14020lb
Engine: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-18W (or -
42W with water-methanol-injection)
2100hp, driving Hamilton Standard
Hydromatic 6507A-0 four bladed
propeller 13 ft 2in diameter
Fuel capacity: 273 US gal
Maximum speed: 446mph (718km/h)
at 26,200ft
Range: 1005 miles
Climb: 3340ft per minute
Service ceiling: 41,600ft
Armament: 6 x 0.50in Browning M2
machine guns with 400 rpg
8 x 5in rockets, or 2 x 1000lb bombs,
or 2 x 11.75in rockets
wing. The French did not operate the F4U-7 in
Indo-China, but flew them in Algeria until the
ceasefire of March 1962. They are also well
known for their use during Opération
Mousquetaire, the French part of the Suez
operation in 1956. The Aéronavale retired its
remaining F4U-7s in 1964 replacing them with
Vought F-8E(FN) Crusaders. A few went to
technical schools in France, and the rest were
scrapped.
France received ninety-four F4U-7s during
1952, and when the last one rolled out in
December 1952, the Corsair ceased production -
after twelve years and 12,571 aircraft.
CO LO U R C O N U N D R U M
Sand, Spinach and Grand Slam Lancasters
By Paul Lucas
Lancaster B Mk I (Special), PB996, No. 617 Squadron, RAF Woodhall Spa, March 1945. Thisaircraft was finished in the standard night bomber
scheme of Dark Earth, Dark Green and Night. The codes were ‘dull’ Red outlined with Yellow and the serials were just ‘dull’ Red.
Grand Slam Lancasters
P
ossibly the most controversial aspect of
this entire subject revolves around the
camouflage scheme applied to the
Lancaster B.I (Specials) that initially equipped
617 Squadron before a number of aircraft saw
some limited post war use in the hands of 15
Squadron. Up until 1976, it was thought that
these aircraft were camouflaged on their upper
surfaces in the same camouflage colours of Dark
Earth and Dark Green as all the other Lancasters
but with these colours extended down the sides
of the fuselage to Pattern No.1.
There are a number of photographs of 617
Squadron’s Lancaster B.I (Special) aircraft in the
IWM collection that are available to view online
and it is suggested that the reader accesses
these photographs and considers them in
conjunction with the following text. Of these,
perhaps the most relevant photo to the topic
under discussion here is that of two Lancaster B
Mk I (Specials), PD118 coded YZ-M and PD129
coded YZ-O flying in close formation with a
Lancaster B Mk I, NG489, coded KC-M under the
reference MH 30796. The two Lancaster B. Mk I
(Specials) are finished with the so called ‘daylight
scheme’ with the upper surface camouflage
extending down the sides of the fuselage to
Pattern No.1 whilst KC-M is finished in the Night
Bomber Scheme with the under surface Night
finish extended up the side of the fuselage to
Pattern No.2.
MJF Bowyer’s Accounts of 1945
On page 200 of his book Bombing Colours RAF
bombers, their markings and operations 1937 –
1973 MJF Bowyer wrote that:
A very low flying Lancaster thundered over my
home on March 15 1945, then circled. She was
unusual since her upper camouflage extended to
the base of the fuselage, in which the bomb bay
was deeply cut away. She was uncoded, but it was
not long before another, equally strange, came into
view, YZ-C : PB996. This wore the usual Lancaster
camouflage with red codes and, like the former
had her nose and dorsal turrets removed. Night
bomber markings did not last long on these Special
Mk I aircraft and in April I saw several with red YZ
coding outlined yellow and with their under
surfaces Medium Grey. Serials remained red on the
camouflage now extending down to the 60 degree
tangent. One was YZ-L : PD117, lost on March 21
1944. PB996 : YZ-D was similarly marked.
58 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
Further on in the book, on page 212, Mr
Bowyer set down the following observations of
15 Squadron’s Lancasters as they appeared at
Mildenhall in December 1945:
At Mildenhall in December … LS-O with white
under-wing serials and white codes had the usual
red fuselage serials and large bomb doors to
accommodate a 12,000-lb bomb. Well-known LS-J :
LL806 was resplendent in the latest colour scheme,
and mingling with these were a few Lancaster B.1
(Special) aircraft which had been handed over by
617 Squadron which now flew Lancaster VII(FE).
One was LS-R (LS ahead in white on both sides of
the fuselage). Her paint scheme was Dark Earth
and Dark Green with Medium Grey under sides,
although the latter, on close inspection, looked to
be more silver than grey. She had no H2S radome
but instead racks for the carriage of four flares or
small bombs. Paddle-blade airscrews were fitted,
and there were two .50 inch guns in the tail turret,
but no nose turret. Another almost identical
machine was LS-S : PD127. On a model of one of
these machines it would add to the realism if a
silvery wash be painted over the grey under
surfaces, for the colour even on close inspection
had a strange ‘washed-out’ appearance.
Overall, Mr Bowyer’s descriptions of the colour
schemes of the Lancaster B.I (Specials) that he
saw seems to agree with the following primary
source documents that deal with the colour
scheme of these aircraft that have been seen by
the author.
Documentary Evidence from 1945
The documentary trail begins on 13 February
1945 when a letter was sent from HQ 5 Group to
HQ Bomber Command entitled ‘Camouflage of
Aircraft.’ This letter stated that:
During recent daylight operations by No. 617
squadron, carrying “tallboy” bombs, there has
been a considerable increase in flack damage. It is
felt that this may be partially due to the night
camouflage on the aircraft, which is very
conspicuous at the bombing heights employed by
the Squadron.
2. As two flights of the Squadron are about to be
re-equipped with new aircraft, permission is
requested for these aircraft, and the remaining
“Tallboy” Lancasters, to be painted either grey or
standard light bomber day camouflage.
3. Operations by this Squadron are nearly always
carried out in daylight, and it is felt that, even if the
Squadron were to operate at night, the day
PART 2
camouflage would not endanger the aircraft. Some
Mosquito marker aircraft in No. 627 Squadron are
already painted with daylight camouflage, and
experience has shown that they are no more easily
seen at night on this account than those with black
under surfaces.
The arrival of this letter at HQ Bomber
Command led to a flurry of internal memos
between Officers in the Operations and
Operational Requirements Branches. Memo 122
dated 15 February passed the request up the
chain of command in the Operations Branch
from a Wing Commander to the Air Commodore
(Operations) through the Group Captain
(Operations) and Group Captain (Operational
Requirements). The memo read as follows:
At Enclosure 129A is a letter from Headquarters,
No. 5 Group. It requests permission to paint aircraft
of 617 Squadron either grey or standard day
camouflage.
2. In para. 3 it is stated that Mosquito aircraft of
627 Squadron which are already painted with
daylight camouflage are not more easily seen at
night than aircraft painted with night camouflage.
If this is true, and if it is likely that 617 Squadron
will continue to carry out mainly day attacks, the
request for day camouflage would appear
worthwhile in an attempt to reduce flack damage.
3. If you agree, I will draft an appropriate letter to 5.
Group.
The Group Captain (Operational
Requirements) made his view known to the Air
Commodore (Operations) in Memo 123 later that
same day:
Ref. min. 122 – the special Lancs. of 617 squadron
now coming off the production line will be painted
day camouflage on upper surfaces and “medium
sea grey” on under surfaces. We will have to paint
the first four aircraft ourselves as the requirement
was made too late to catch them on the
production line. I understand Coningsby are going
to try and do it themselves.
The “medium sea grey” undersurface is used on
aircraft required for both day and night operations.
In a letter dated 21 February 1945 HQ Bomber
Command wrote to HQ 5 Group under the
heading ‘Camouflage of Aircraft’. This letter read
as follows:
Reference is made to your letter 5G/36/21/Air dated
13th February 1945. Permission is hereby granted
for aircraft of No. 617 Squadron to be painted as
follows:-
 CO LO U R C O N U N D R U M

(a)Day camouflage on upper surfaces. the Air Ministry during which he was able to
(b)Medium sea grey on under surfaces. examine one of 15 Squadron’s Lancaster B.I
(Specials). The relevant part of the article read as
The “medium sea grey” under surface is the
follows:
standard colour for aircraft engaged on both day
and night operations. The Field Card I used during my visit to Mildenhall
was prepared from an official set of M.A.P. Colour
With regard to the ‘Day camouflage on upper
Standards issued in August 1944. The aircraft I
surfaces’ mentioned in the letter of 21 February
examined closely was YZ-Z, PD121. All the colours
1945, both DTD Technical Circular No.360 Issue 2
were non-reflecting MATT finish and let me state
and AP 2656A said exactly the same thing. The
the only time a heavy R.A.F. bomber at this period
following quote is taken from the relevant part
had a glossy finish was when it was wet!
of DTD TC No.360 Appendix 2, ‘Colour Schemes
for Bomber Command Aircraft Gliders and Tugs.’ The camouflage pattern on the upper surfaces
remained the same but was extended to the
1. Day Bombers (except Mosquito).
fuselage flanks, the engine nacelle sides and both
(i)Upper Surfaces (see Diagrams) sides of both rudders and fins, but the colours were
Unshaded areas – Dark green changed. ‘LIGHT GREEN’ replaced ‘Dark Green’ and
‘LIGHT EARTH’ replaced ‘Dark Earth’. Under surfaces
Shaded areas – Dark earth.
were ‘Ocean Grey’ including the bomb bay,
(ii)Under Surfaces – Sky. undercarriage legs and other
(iii)Boundary between Upper and Under Surfaces – accessories. Spinners and airscrew
Pattern No.1 blades – matt black – were tipped
(iv)Spinners Dark green or Dark earth. ‘Trainer Yellow’ (Cadmium
Yellow).
(v)Roundels
Roundels were carried on both
Marking I on upper surface of wing tips. sides of the fuselage and were
Marking II – none ‘Roundel Red’ (Indian Red)
Marking III – on both sides of the fuselage. narrow white and ‘Roundel Blue’
The Group Captain
(Operational
Requirements) seems to
have been correct in his
statement that the decision
(Indigo)
on the adoption of the new camouflage
surrounded by a narrow ‘Trainer
scheme came too late to be applied to the first 4
Yellow’ circle. The roundels below
Lancaster B.I (Specials) to come off the
the wings were similar except for
production line, serial numbers PB995-998
the missing yellow outline. The
inclusive. Evidence for this is provided by
roundels above the wing tips were
the well-known cine film sequence and a
Indian Red and Indigo only. Fin
number of still photographs, such as IWM
Flashes appeared on both sides of
catalogue number CH 15374 that is available to
the fins and were also Indian Red,
view on-line, showing PB996 coded YZ-C
White and Indigo.
dropping an Grand Slam on the Arnsburg
Viaduct in which the Lancaster can be seen to be Serial numbers, small instructional lettering on
finished in the standard Night Bomber scheme fuselage and under the wings , including Trestle
as described above. Whether Conningsby ever and spar markings, etc, were all Indian Red. A
did repaint these 4 Lancasters is not known characteristic of these aircraft was the circle of red
and MJF Bowyers sighting of PB996 YZ-D as undercoat showing around the joint of the fairing
quoted above in April 1945 is ambiguous on this and the fuselage decking over the opening left by
point. the removal of the dorsal turret. Strips of fabric had
been stuck over the joint with Indian red priming
and by its roughness looked like emergency
C. Rupert Moore’s Account weather-proofing.
from July 1946
Squadron markings and the individual code letter,
The idea that the Lancaster B.I (Specials) were both sides of the fuselage, ‘Trainer Yellow’ outlined
finished in Dark Earth and Dark Green on the Indian Red. The YZ was to the left of the roundel on
upper surfaces was called into question both sides. The squadron letters above and below
following the publication of C. Rupert Moore’s the fixed tail plane were ‘Trainer Yellow’ only.
article entitled ‘Grand Slam Bomber’ that was
This account contains a number of anomalies
published in the January 1976 issue of Scale
when compared to what was then the accepted
Models magazine. In this article, Mr Moore
view of the subject as given by
described a visit he made to Mildenhall on 18
MJF Bowyer, and the primary
June 1946 that had been officially sanctioned by

Lancaster B Mk I (Special), PD119, No. 617 Squadron, RAF Woodhall Spa, May 1945. Finished with Dark Earth and Dark Green upper surfaces and
Medium Sea Grey undersides. Codes were ‘dull’ Red with Yellow outline. Serials were ‘dull’ Red. Note that the port fin and rudder were Night and the
starboard fin and rudder were Dark Earth and Dark Green.

MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 59

CO LO U R C O N U N D R U M

source documents that have become available Diagrams’ stated that the Dark Earth and Dark
to researchers since all of these accounts were Green colours used on the upper surfaces of
published. Night Bombers were in future to be of the same
matt quality as the Special Night finish applied
to the under surfaces. The new colours were
Analysis designated Dark Earth Type M and Dark Green
Before proceeding any further, it is perhaps Type M and were provisioned for Stores to DTD
necessary to point out that what follows is not 83A under the Section 33B Reference Numbers
an attempt to challenge the accuracy of Mr 513-515 and to DTD 314 as 33B/519-521 for 1
Moore’s account or to attempt to refute what Mr and 5 gallon home and 5 gallon overseas
Moore says he saw. It is an attempt to perhaps containers respectively.
provide an explanation for what he says he saw Following the introduction of these new
as it seems to be so at odds with the other materials it began to become apparent that the
eyewitness descriptions provided by MJF aerodynamically ‘rough’ surface imparted by
Bowyer and the surviving documentary the Type M and Special Night finish was
evidence. In doing this, it challenges the proving detrimental to the performance of the
interpretation that has been made of Mr Moores’ aircraft. As a result of this, on 23 October 1942
account in the years since it was published. the Air Ministry wrote to the Resident Technical
It might be possible to argue that the reason Officers at the aircraft contractors enclosing
Mr Moore matched the colours Amendment No.6 to DTD TC No. 183 ‘Colour
he saw to Light Earth, Light Scheme Diagrams’. This stated that the Director
Green and Ocean Grey was that of Operational Requirements had ruled in a
these were the colours that had minute dated 19 October 1942, that Night
actually been applied for some paint was to replace Special Night on all
reason. One problem with this aircraft at present being painted Special
interpretation however lies in Night. In addition, the use of Type M paints on
the emphasis placed by Mr the upper surfaces of Night Bombers was to be
Moore on the description of discontinued and Type S paints used instead.
The Service was making the
change retrospectively
and the RTOs were
requested to arrange for
the introduction of these
changes on the production line as
the surface finish of the aircraft soon as possible. Stocks of Special Night and
as being ‘MATT’. By the end of Type M paints were not to be used up before
the war, all the finishes applied making the changes except insofar as was
to British military aircraft were necessary pending supplies of Type S
supposed to be of the ‘Type S’ paints becoming available. DTD TC 144
variety that had been was to be amended in accordance with
introduced during 1940. This these changes and the first two paragraphs of
seems to have commonly dried DTD TC No.183 as referred to above were to be
to what might be colloquially cancelled.
described as a smooth ‘eggshell’ finish. Reference This brief account of the rise and fall of Type M
to a matt finish might therefore suggest the paint in Bomber Command is of relevance here
possibility that the aircraft had been finished in because the only artefact that the author has
Dark Earth and Dark Green Type ‘M’ rather than ever seen that appears to be finished in Type
Dark Earth and Dark Green Type ‘S’. M paint is part of the remains of Whitley Mk V
There was a period during 1942 when British serial number N1498 held by the Midland Air
Night Bombers did have a very matt finish due Museum, Coventry. This aircraft crashed on 6
to the use of what were known as ‘Type M’ January 1942 and if the rear fuselage segment
paints. There is no room here to recount the seen by the author was actually finished in Type
‘Type M’ story in any detail so a short précis will ‘M’ materials, this might be evidence that the
have to suffice. Following intelligence reports in Type ‘M’ finish was already in the process of
early 1941 that suggested RAF Night Bombers being applied to aircraft by the Service before
could be seen clearly from above under moonlit the end of 1941.
conditions due to their Type S finish ‘glinting’ in The rear fuselage still has some Dark Earth
the moonlight, the decision was made to modify and Dark Green paint upon it that matches their
the camouflage applied to their upper surfaces. original Design Colour. In addition to this
On 20 January 1942 however, it also retains some very rough green
Amendment No.4 to DTD paint that is an excellent match for Light Green
Technical Circular No. 183 and some brown paint that has a much closer
entitled ‘Colour Scheme affinity

Lancaster B Mk I (Special), PD121, No. 15 Squadron, RAF Mildenhall, August 1946. Based on C. Rupert Moore’s description and painting, the upper
surfaces were Light Earth and Light Green and the undersides were Ocean Grey. Codes were Yellow outlined in ‘dull’ Red and the serials were just ‘dull’
Red. Note this aircraft still carried the codes of No. 617 Squadron.

60 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K

with Light Earth than Dark Earth. There is a
proviso to this however in that before this
artefact was salvaged, it had spent many years
outside at the crash site and there is no telling
whether the colour that is apparent today is the
same as when the finish was originally applied.
This raises the question as to whether Dark
Earth Type M and Dark Green Type M were the
same colour as Dark Earth Type S and Dark
Green Type S. Logic would suggest that they
were, but the remains of Whitley N1498 might
suggest that they were not. If this was actually
the case, the question arises as to why? Was
there some sort of link between Dark Earth and
Dark Green Type M and the range of textured
paints that were manufactured to match the
colours of the Standard Camouflage Colour
(SCC) range sponsored by the Ministry of Home
Security that were commonly used for the
camouflage painting of buildings, including
those found on RAF airfields? In this context, it is
interesting to note that there is a link between
the colours of the SCC range and the
camouflage schemes of RAF Motor transport
vehicles…
In the case of Whitley N1498, the one thing
that is readily apparent from the artefact is that
the Type M finish was brushed on and not
sprayed on. The evidence for this is provided by
the presence of brush marks in the paint. It is not
known whether an over thinned material
applied with a brush would go rogue in the
same way as if the same material were sprayed.
It might therefore be possible that if the
observed light green colour is essentially
unchanged from when it was originally applied
that the observed light green hue is its Design
Colour rather than an observed Rogue Colour.
In view of the instruction to not use up
existing stocks unless absolutely necessary, the
question arises as to what happened the stocks
of Dark Earth and Dark Green Type M that were
held by the Service in stores up and down the
country in places such as those Maintenance
Units that served as Aircraft Storage Units or on
front line Bomber Stations such as Mildenhall.
Did a stock of Dark Earth and Dark Green Type M
remain in the Stores following their withdrawal
from use until 1946 when they might have been
used to repaint a number of Lancaster B.I
(Specials) in a time of austerity? If this was the
case, might this explain why Mr Moore described
seeing a very matt finish that appeared to be
Light Earth and Light Green in hue?
Mr Moore’s description of the colour of the
under surface as being ‘Ocean Grey’ is also at
odds with both MJF Bowyer’s eyewitness
accounts and the Bomber Command documents
quoted above. It might be the case that Mr
Bowyer was not the only person to consider that
the ‘Medium Grey’ colour on the under surfaces
‘had a strange ‘washed-out’ appearance’ by
December 1945, and that as a consequence the
under surfaces were repainted with Ocean Grey
rather than Medium Sea Grey for some unknown
reason. It has also been suggested that Mr
Moore’s account might have suffered from a
simple misidentification of the colour at some
point because his finished painting of PD121
coded YZ-Z that graced the dust jacket of the
1945 edition of AFP that was also used on the
front cover of the January 1976 issue of Scale
Models showed a colour that more closely
resembled Medium Sea Grey than Ocean Grey.
Markings
The earliest document currently held by the
author that mentions the use of Red and Yellow
to apply squadron and aircraft code letters is an
internal Air Ministry memo dated 5 March 1945.
This memo states that 5 Group had painted a
Yellow line ¼ inch wide around the identification
lettering of their aircraft to help pilots forming
up for daylight operations. 6 Group now wanted
to paint a similar line to enable Flying Control to
identify the aircraft more easily during take-off
and landing. Whilst the response to this memo is
not currently known, there is a body of
photographic evidence that shows that Red
letters with a Yellow outline was the usual 5
Group practice.
It is interesting to note that Mr Moore made
reference to this arrangement and stated that:
The necessity of keeping precise formation called
for clearer individual identification. The dull red
squadron letters, even in broad daylight, were
difficult to read beyond a short distance.
So (I was told), the squadron letters were outlined
with ‘identification Yellow’, which I prefer to call by
its original name - ‘Trainer Yellow’. Though an
improvement, it was still not good enough. So the
colours were reversed and that is how I saw them –
yellow letters outlined in dull red.
He then continued
Identification from above and below was also
required. The squadron letters were painted above
and below the tailplane, yellow without outline.
The letters had their tops to the elevator hinge,
both on the upper and lower surfaces as they were
easier to read that way by the pilot when looking
upwards and forwards as well as by the tail gunner,
who covered this major blind spot for the pilot
when looking backwards and downwards.
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
CO LO U R C O N U N D R U M
All of this seems to be quite plausible. It is a
pity that photographs of the aircraft with Yellow
codes outlined in Red do not seem to exist.
That PD121 YZ-Z carried National marking IIs
under the wings is of interest because as can be
seen from the extract from DTD TC No.360
quoted above, this marking was not specified for
RAF Day Bombers and MJF Bowyer does not
mention such a marking in his accounts. This
raises the question as to when and why it was
thought necessary to apply them. At the time of
writing, no documentary evidence that deals
with this subject has come to light.
It is equally interesting to note that Mr Moore
did not report seeing any under wing serial
numbers on PD121 even though they were
supposed to have been applied over a year
previously in accordance with instructions
contained in AMO A.766 ‘Marking of Registration
Numbers on Aircraft’, which had been
promulgated on 26 July 1945. This raises the
question as to why PD121 was not so marked.
The real problem with Mr Moore’s article is not
so much what he said, as the way that what he
said has been interpreted in the years since his
article was published. It seems that it is now
widely believed that because PD121 YZ-Z was
finished in the manner described by Mr Moore
when he examined it in June 1946 that this is
how all 617 Squadron’s Lancaster B.I (Specials)
appeared during their operational career
between March and May 1945 when other
eyewitness accounts and the available
documentary evidence suggest otherwise.
Conclusion
The colloquial description of the Temperate
Land Scheme as ‘sand and spinach’ might be
based to a large degree on Dark Earth and Dark
Green going rogue as a result of over thinning
during their application by spray on the
production line. This phenomenon might have
been supplemented by the use of Type ‘M’
materials in Bomber Command during 1942 that
whilst manufactured to aircraft finish
Specifications DTD 83A and DTD 314 and being
officially named ‘Dark Earth’ and ‘Dark Green’
were actually very similar, if not identical, in
colour to the Air Ministry MAP colours officially
named Light Earth and Light Green, perhaps by
virtue of being based on colours within the SCC
range.
It might therefore be the case that a ‘sand and
spinach’ scheme not only existed, but was
widespread and might have persisted for a time
beyond the end of the war
61
1/24 S U P E R M A R I N E S P I T F I R E M K I X
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc
Kit No: A17001
Scale: 1/24
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Airfix
www.airfix.com
A
irfix’s latest foray into the 1/24 arena is the
much anticipated Supermarine Spitfire
IXc. Of course, this isn’t the first Airfix 1/24
Spitfire – their original Superkit, issued just over
half a century ago, was the Spitfire Mk I. The
original tooling was also refreshed later in its life
with additional ‘bits’ provided to allow a Mk Vb
to be built. I did attempt the Mk I back in the
Seventies, but never completed it and I’m not
entirely sure why, though its sheer size might
Opening up the ‘lightening’ holes on the seat
bulkhead provides a bit of depth and
accuracy, and seems to be a constant in any
Spit kit.
62 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
have played a significant factor.
So, there was only one way to see how this
new tooling compared to its elderly ancestor: to
discover if it was truly a bona fide Superkit. Build
it!
Where possible I try to weave some kind of
tale into my modelling, and the legendary
Spitfire lends itself to a host of possibilities. I
wanted to build something with some relevance
to my adopted ‘whereabouts’, here in deepest
Kent. We live close to Headcorn Aerodrome, and
are treated to seemingly daily displays of
Spitfires in the summertime. Mainly two-seaters,
they perhaps are on their way to the white cliffs,
with their ever-so-lucky passengers on board.
(And yes, I still rush out and give ‘Parky’ or
‘Charlie’ a wave, and sometimes they wiggle
their wings in reply).
My decision was to build a Spitfire IX that
would have seen action in the Kent skies.
Research led me to RAF’s No.1 Squadron who
operated the Mk IX from Kent following D-Day
Airfix supplies a full injection moulded
harness for the seat. This can be improved by
thinning it down, by scraping away with a
scalpel blade.
Have Airfix tamed the
shrew once more with their new
1/24 ‘Mark Nine’?
Bill Clark finds out if no
profit grows where
is no pleasure
taken.
right up until early 1945. Interest increased when
I realised the squadron transferred to Kent to
help combat V1 ‘Doodlebug’ flying bombs, flying
Anti-Diver patrols. They were initially based at
RAF Detling, but also spent periods at RAF
Lympne and RAF Manston (not that far from
Airfix’s Margate HQ), which all lay beneath the
V1’s deadly corridor towards London.
I drew up a list of ‘wants’. Being summer 1944,
I wanted AAEF ‘D-Day’ stripes, but my model was
from later in 1944, so the stripes would be
applied to the lower surfaces only. I’d hoped to
find a Mk IXe so I could convert the wings, but
research couldn’t conclusively confirm a suitable
aircraft. Markings wise, I’d need a J and X for the
squadron code and a suitable individual letter.
Not being brave enough to contemplate
painting codes, I searched for suitable decals
and discovered Techmod’s sheet 240011 for the
Spitfire Vb had relevant squadron codes, which
also gave options for the individual aircraft – H,
M, W and T.
My prime source for No.1 Squadron history
The basic cockpit parts are painted. It
assembles into a shell that is a small kit in its
own right.

Airfix provides all of these dials as individual
decals for the instrument panel. Take your
time applying then as it’s well worth the
effort!
With the fuselage halves joined the forward
bulkhead needs to be added. This has the filler
cap for the forward fuel tank too. Typical of
the detailed instructions is the note that the
bulkhead could sometimes be aluminium as
well as interior grey green.
The hairspray ‘chipping’ is achieved by
damping a stiff brush and gently scrubbing
away to expose the silver below. Subtly is the
key as ever with this technique, and it perhaps
more suited to larger scales such as this.
was Peter Caygill’s book In All Things First, No.1
Squadron at War 1939-1945. The squadron
moved to Kent on 22 June 1944 to commence
anti-V1 duties, but was also involved in escort
and low-level sorties over northern France. The
book identified Spitfire MK IXc MK644, coded JX-
M, that was flown on a Ranger patrol, attacking
trains in northern France on 8 June. I had no
anecdotal nor photographic proof that invasion
stripes would have been worn, so I had to take
an educated guess on this. The aircraft also
performed Anti-Diver patrols, specifically one on
9 July 1944. The only photograph of it was in the
book showing MK644 in a sorry state after a
heavy landing at RAF Northolt in March 1945.
Thankfully the pilot, S/L David Cox, only suffered
slight injuries.
So with all the evidence I required, it was on
with the build!
1/24 S U P E R M A R I N E S P I T F I R E M K I X
The port sidewall is ready to be added. The
cockpit slowly takes shape and becomes
satisfyingly complex.
Wing spars are offered up to the one-piece
lower wing, they are glued in later, once all of
the parts are in place. The wheel well walls
help with the wing’s rigidity.
The open hatches then show off the exposed
gun bays nicely, which rewards some careful
painting. Painting the top wings first saves
having to mask all this up too.
The Cockpit
One just has to start this kit with the cockpit,
it’s traditional. The four-part seat comes first, and
is then added to the built-up frame. The fit is
precise. Everything was painted RAF Cockpit
Green (Tamiya XF71) with a gloss coat, and
weathered accordingly. The kit provides an
injection moulded pilot’s Sutton harness, which
is quite thick, so will need thinning down if you
intend to use it. I did, and I got a reasonably
good result by scraping plastic from the inside of
the belts.
Airfix’s instrument panel is provided on a clear
sprue, with two options. One has clear dials, the
other has raised detail. I’m not sure why they are
clear as you’ll need to paint them, but I suppose
the brave could mask off each individual dial. I’m
not that brave, so I painted it gloss black and
then added each of the 30 or so individual decal
dials. With help from Micro Sol and Set the effect
was quite pleasing. A coat of satin varnish toned
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
The end result is very pleasing to the eye. Even
the shoulder strap has a proper location for
once.
The black primer shows off the kit’s petite
surface detail.
Each radiator is eight separate parts, with
arrows to show orientation. The grills were
painted black and dry brushed with silver. The
wingtips have scallops for the clear light parts
to be added. The clipped version is a whole
clear part to ease painting.
the panel down and then each dial was ‘glazed’
with a spot of gloss varnish. With all the painted
cockpit frames in place, it was beginning to take
shape and the additional side wall detail really
brought the area to life. A wash of grime and
some gentle dry brushing really made the detail
pop out, but as ever, it’s a shame it’s largely
hidden!
The Fuselage And Tail
The cockpit shell was attached to the right
fuselage half followed by the tail wheel
assembly, and I could then join the fuselage
halves, the fit of which was excellent. Airfix offers
both early and late versions of the tailplane, and
‘my’ one had the later type, so the other was
consigned to the spares box. Each tailplane fits
snuggly and clips reassuringly inside to ensure
correct alignment. The elevators can be added
later and posed as desired.
63
1/24 S U P E R M A R I N E S P I T F I R E M K I X
The engine bay’s main components all
assemble quickly and precisely.
With the wings added to the fuselage, a
Spitfire shape develops. The fit of the wingtips
and control surfaces is perfect, although some
gentle ‘modelling’ is still needed to eliminate
the fuselage seam.
The upper surface colours applied. In this
scale, carefully freehand airbrushing the camo
can give a very realistic finely-feathered
demarcation line.
The Wing
I wanted to show one wing with guns
exposed and the other closed up. I decided that,
to save some awkward masking later, the best
way to approach this was to paint the upper
wings first. So each was first sprayed with black
primer, followed with some silver and when this
was dry, I gave them a quick squirt of hairspray.
Xtracrylix RAF Ocean Grey (XA1006) was now
applied followed by their RAF Dark Green
(XA1001) sprayed freehand. I then used a wet,
stiff paintbrush to chip some of the paint,
exposing the silver beneath to suggest scuffing
at the wing root area. I added some small silver
paint slivers later to suggest further chipping.
The lower wing is unique in its construction:
the spars and wheel well walls are put in their
respective positions, but the instructions state
that they shouldn’t be cemented in at this stage,
which allows for any alignment issues later.
Liquid cement is then simply applied when the
modeller is satisfied with the alignment
(although ‘old-school’ tube cementers might
have issues here though).
64 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
Detail on the engine itself is very, very good.
I wanted to feature Allied Air Expeditionary Air
Force ‘Invasion Stripes’ on the lower surfaces.
It may seem counterintuitive to apply the
black first …
The bulkhead is now ready for some additions.
Again the level of details is really nice ‘out of
the box’ (which is surely how most modellers
will build it).
At this stage I installed the relevant pre-
painted armament parts, which fitted nicely. I
then added each upper wing to the single-piece
lower wing. In retrospect it might have been
preferable to glue the lower wing to the fuselage
first and when dry, to cement each upper half ,
first to the fuselage wing root and then, after
they’d set, to cement the upper and lower parts
together. There may be slight issues with the
upper wing parts fitting snugly over the spars,
but this approach would ensure a perfect wing
to fuselage root joint.
The radiators were now added and each
consists of half a dozen or so parts. Once more
Airfix has excelled in this area, and once more it’s
a shame they will be largely unseen.
The Mighty Merlin
I wonder if Airfix would consider selling
engine sprues F and G separately, because the
Merlin builds up into a model in its own right.
Unlike its Seventies predecessor, there is no
provision to include a motor, though I’m sure it
Airfix could easily release this as a separate
model, and this is before the ancillaries are all
added.
… but it allows the white to be applied in
varying densities to create shading.
I gave the engine a coat of semi-gloss black,
applied some acrylic gloss varnish then used
enamel washes to suggest a grimy film of oil.
might be possible with a bit of jiggery-pokery.
The Merlin consists of around fifty individual
parts, not including the exhausts. When built
and painted it’s added to the engine-bearer
assembly – itself a couple of dozen parts. Do pay
attention to the instructions on all this, trust me
…I whizzed through the build, not really paying
attention to them, only realising later that I was
building the Merlin as if being fitted with
cowlings on! The build sequence, with cowlings
off, is somewhat different, so I had to back track.
Thankfully it worked out okay in the end, but
read the Instructions first – you have been
warned!
The side and lower ‘copper’ tubes are very
tricky to fit in-between the relevant frames and I
painted them gloss back first, then silver, and
finally a thin coat of copper (Mr Metalcolor 215),
giving an attractive sheen. I added the
framework first so I could add the Merlin after.
This framework needs to be fully engaged into
the relevant holes in the bulkhead, so take extra
care when installing the lower parts because the
fit is tight, and accurate placement vital.

These ‘copper pipes’ need perseverance to
thread through the engine bearers. Care is
needed to ensure the engine bearers fit
accurately, and firmly, into their locating holes
– the lower ones are particularly fiddly to align
correctly.
Each propeller blade is two parts as seen top
right. This prevents sink marks that might
form in a single solid piece. Each has a small,
keyed notch to ensure they adopt the correct
pitch in the hub.
I wasn’t sure which gunsight was correct, so I
opted for the earlier ‘reflector’ sight (Gyro MK IID
gunsights were being installed in Spits from mid-
1944, but without a record it’s very difficult to pin
down dates for any individual aircraft. The Ed.)
The propeller can be added later, but Airfix’s
rendition is really quite exquisite. Each blade is in
two parts with a small part to add to the rear,
which avoids the potential for any nasty sink-
marks. The downside is some filler was required
here, but I’m happy to say it was the only filler
required on the whole model. The propeller fits
snuggly over the engine shaft mount and is
easily removed, which is a great boon if you
need to transport the model.
The Undercart
The main gear legs and doors were pre-
painted in ModelAir RLM 01 Silber (ref 71.063),
with oleos in a chrome shade, with a thin wash
of ‘grime’ added to provide a bit of depth. For the
wheels, Airfix provides three types of hub – solid
discs, and four, or five spoked. I opted for the
discs, although I have no evidence to suggest
what MK644 would have had at this stage. I’d
read that RAF Detling was very muddy, so I
theorised rightly or wrongly that the covered
1/24 S U P E R M A R I N E S P I T F I R E M K I X
With the bearers in place, the Merlin can be
attached. It fits on the bearers in four places
only, so once again careful alignment is
required.
With the undercarriage assembled and
painted, I added some dark earth weathering
powder to give some dirtiness to the parts.
You can see the attachment lugs on the legs
here clearly.
It was easier to paint the individual exhaust
stacks on the sprue. Each comes in two pieces.
Not shown here is the removed sprue, attached
in the most visible part of each stack, which
needs cleaning up and thus removes the weld
seam that’s very apparent on the real thing.
disc hub might have been used because of that.
Each main gear leg fits into a recessed ‘box’ and
the fit is very precise and tight. So much so that I
tried a dry fit, pushed it too far and then couldn’t
get it out to thin it down. As such it didn’t quite
go as far into the recess as it should have done,
This had a knock-on effect because the lower
wing insert then wouldn’t fit properly and
required trimming.
Painting and Decals
I used my preferred RAF shades of Xtracrylix
RAF Dark Green (XA1001), RAF Ocean Grey
(XA1006), and RAF Sky (XA1007), with Tamiya
Medium Sea Grey (XF83) for the lower surfaces.
Tamiya Rubber-Black (XF85) and White (XF2)
were used for the stripes. The green was applied
freehand, with the airbrush as close to the
surface as possible to provide a gently feathered
effect. Full-width AAEF stripes were added below
the wing, with leading edges dry-brushed in
Medium Sea Grey to suggest weathering and
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
The propeller parts are all located together
with other engine and nose components,
which is typical of the careful design of the
model.
These lugs fit into a recess in the mainspar.
This is a very tight fit, so much so that a dry fit
meant I couldn’t dislodge either despite them
not being totally ‘in’. No cement was required,
and do watch this area lest you suffer the
same fate.
After a coat of matt varnish was applied, and
once dry, it was time for Flory Model’s superb
clay-based wash. This is easily wiped off when
dry and really accentuates all the superb
surface detail.
chipping. I’d no idea how far up the side the
remnants of the fuselage stripes would have
been and photos of other Spitfires show much
variation.. Rightly or wrongly, I opted to have
them just on the underside. Johnson’s Klear floor
polish was then applied to give a nice smooth
surface for decalling and weathering.
The only real decal problem encountered was
the condition of Techmod’s decals. Being a very
old sheet, the letters proved very reluctant to
leave the backing sheet. The ‘J’ for the squadron
code broke into three, so it was a painstaking
task to fit the parts into place. The answer was to
use water that was warmer than I’d normally use
and soak each decal for a lot longer. No issues
were encountered with Airfix’s decals, which
provided the national markings and stencils. The
MK644 serial came from generic Xtradecal
sheets.
The Klear acrylic-based varnish meant I could
employ oil and enamel-based washes without
fear of affecting the paint beneath. A coat of
Winsor & Newton Galeria Matt varnish was then
65
1/24 S U P E R M A R I N E S P I T F I R E M K I X
airbrushed. This is very thick, so needed
substantial thinning. I did this with my home-
brewed mix of half and half 99% IPA and distilled
water, with a drop or two of acrylic retarder,
which when applied gave a nicely matted sheen
to the model. Once dry, I could apply the last of
the weathering, a full-on application of Flory
Dark Dirt wash. This is clay based, and once dry,
can be rubbed off using kitchen towels. If they
are used damp they will produce nice ‘airflow’
streaks suggesting grime and oil spills.
I had hoped that I could make the engine
cowling panels removable. I tried to remove
some of the top cowling interior, but to no
avail. I therefore resorted to fitting it
permanently, after shaving the top off of
the Merlin that I had so painstakingly
built earlier. With the cowling fixed on, it
at least showed off the bulky, yet clean,
lines of the later Merlin-powered Spitfires.
I left one side panel off, cementing the
other one in place, so at least some of my
detailing work would still be visible.
The propeller was added, along with the
canopy, and my Spitfire was finished.
66 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
But is it a true Airfix Superkit though?
My answer to that is a resounding yes. The
layout of part sprues is incredibly well thought
out, with each being more or less relevant to a
section of the build, and the fit of parts is superb
in general. The plastic is softish and burrs can be
difficult to remove as the plastic around them
seems harder, which is frustrating as it’s
imperative that even the tiniest of burrs is
removed to ensure a good fit later. Likewise test
fitting, prior to fixing, is paramount and can be
difficult in certain areas, due to the complexity of
the parts and the model’s sheer size – but
problems will occur if you don’t.
The Mk IX variant options in the
kit are good
too. You can build an early Mk IX with the smaller
chin carburetor inlet and original elevators, or a
late build with Aerovee universal carb intake and
extended mass-balance elevators, or one with
clipped wings and pointed, broader rudder.
I was honoured to have been invited along to
the Airfix Spitfire IXc press release event and
Airfix confirmed then that a Mk VIII will follow
in due course. The sprues already allow for
some parts for this. Thanks to Airfix for
the review kit, and a special mention to
Luke, their kit researcher, who helped
with my research for
this build. Special
thanks to Airfix for
providing us with this kit. It
is relatively easy to build, and
is, without a shadow of a
doubt…
A Spectacular
Supermarine Superkit
Spitfire.
 GREAT WORLD
OF SMALL AIRCRAFT
(
ALL NEW MODELS FROM METAL MOLDS - PRODUCTION 2023

! !
( (

! ! ! !
( (
(

! !
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(
1/72 F  15 D B A Z
Yoav Efrati turns Revell’s
new 1/72 F-15E into
Israel’s upgraded F-15D
‘Improved Baz’.
F15E Strike Eagle
Kit No: 03841
Scale: 1/72
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Revell
www.revell.de
R
evell's new 2022 tooling 1/72 F-15E Strike
Eagle has a modular construction similar to
the real Eagle airframe, which promises
both single seat and early two seat versions in
the future. I took advantage of the kit’s non-
pylon CFT (Conformal Fuel Tank) configuration
to convert it into a 2020-vintage Baz Meshupar
(Improved Baz) version.
A comparison of the kit lower fuselage, at left,
to the Hasegawa F-15C one, enabled me to
determine the correct location and size of the
modifications required as seen at the right.
The kit cockpit and seat details are adequate
for a closed-canopy display.
The front instrument panel was replaced with
an F-15A which is closer to the F-15D’s.
68 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
Israeli Air Force single-seat F-15A/C and two-
seat F-15B/Ds have been photographed recently
escorting USAF B-52 and B-1 bombers, and
simultaneously carrying Python 3, Python 5,
AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-120 air-to-air missiles
and also in the air-to-ground role, three 2,000lb
GPS guided bombs underneath the centre
fuselage and on wing pylons.
On 10 May 2020 Israel's Jerusalem Unification
Day holiday, simultaneous rocket attacks coming
from Gaza were launched on Jerusalem, Israeli
towns and settlements, and on central Israel,
including Tel Aviv. In response Israel initiated
Operation Shomer Homot (Guardians of the
Temple Walls), which as well as active air defence
using Iron Dome missiles included airstrikes
against suspected rocket launch sites and
logistics infrastructure in Gaza. This intensive
operation used all of Israel’s airworthy F-15s
including F-15D Baz Meshupar number 982,
which still wore its original September 2016
delivery ‘Mod Eagle’ camouflage colours (it had
previously been used by Oregon Air National
Guard 173rd Fighter Wing) of FS 36251 and FS
36176, but now had an Israeli electronics fit and
markings.
The kit’s CFTs pylon recesses were filled with
sheet plastic and sanded smooth.
The seats had masking tape safety tags and
straps added, which when painted added a lot
of colour and interest.
Building a Baz Bomber
Revell's new F-15E Strike Eagle has many
features found on Israeli F-15B/D airframes that
are not readily available on current kits of the F-
15. These include fuselage sides moulded with
integral CFTs without pylons, unshrouded engine
nozzles, non-faired tail hook, separate tail boom
antennas, and a multi-CRT cockpit.
Further modifications are needed to turn the
kit into a current two-seat Baz Meshupar and
these are as follows.
The lower fuselage gun-loading bulged door
was chiselled off part E70, the forward lower
fuselage, and adjacent vents filled with
superglue, then a new recessed grill vent was
scribed in their place. The F-15E bulged main
landing gear doors on this part also needed to be
sanded flush to match the lower fuselage
contours. The CFT parts’, E76 and E77, pylon
recesses were filled with plastic rod as were
recesses for the long lower pylons. Appropriate
CFT missile pylons were then taken from an
unused Hasegawa F-15D kit.
The ‘R2D2’ Satcom antenna aft the cockpit
needs to be scratch built and a blade antenna
added to its right. Further scratch built flat
antennas must also be added between the upper
The radome tip was damaged, so it was drilled
and a nail superglued in. This was then
reshaped to a sharp, round shape using a
jeweller’s file and aluminium-carbide wet and
dry paper.
The completed
cockpit looks
pretty good.

The kit’s soft plastic makes for a fragile landing
gear, so it was scribed along its length with a
razor saw and metal wire embedded along its
length and through the nose wheel
Empirical (trial and error) sanding provided an
acceptable R2D2 shape, when compared to
the actual version as seen above.
It’s worth noting that the intake ramps are
wider than the variable ducts, whose width
can be determined, prior to gluing, with the
ramps dry-fitted.
engine fairings, and the kit's large ECM bullet on
the right-hand vertical fin tip replaced with a thin
balance weight.
On the lower forward fuselage replace the
angled lower antennas with ‘trapeze’ antennas
and add helmet sensors inside the clear canopy,
and rear view mirrors and handles to the forward
canopy frame bow. Finally the horizontal
stabiliser fuselage fairing’s round-tipped
antennas need reshaping to triangular shaped
ones.
The kit's centreline and wing pylons are
accurate, but the 600 Gallon fuel tanks halves
integrally moulded with each must be removed
first! The other external stores in the kit are also
not applicable to the aeroplane configuration I
wanted so were found from several sources.
Three 2,000lbs JDAMs were obtained from
Israeli F-15s have anti-flutter counterweights
on both vertical fin tips. These were cut from
paperclips, their tips sharpened with a
jeweller's file, and then cemented into
channels razor-sawn onto the fin tips.
Other current Baz modifications include
additional antennas on the fuselage top,
which were made from Plasticard.
Test fitting the intake ducts revealed a wide
gap that needed filling, which I covered with
sheet plastic. The duct opening was made
from easy-to-cut paper, and then transferred
onto the Plasticard.
Hasegawa Weapons Set VII, and for the left
fuselage CFT forward pylon, a Wolfpack 3D-
printed ELTA 8222 jamming pod and holder set
(ref.WP72068) was used. A pair of Rafael Python 5
IR-guided missiles were from ResKit set 72-0085
with rails sourced from an old Airfix F-15B kit
(never throw anything away). The AIM-7M
Sparrow for the forward starboard CFT pylon was
obtained from Hasegawa Weapons Set V, as were
the pair of AIM-120Cs that fit the aft CFT pylons’
attachment points.
The kit was built as per Revell's instructions,
with modifications made prior to part assembly
and paint application. The Baz’s front cockpit
instrument panel was replaced with one from an
F-15A, but because the rear cockpit layout of the
Baz Meshupar is still classified, I used the kit's F-
15E multi-CRT instrument panel, which is similar
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
1/72 F  15 D B A Z
Israeli two seat F-15D/Is have a rounded
SATCOM antenna aft of the cockpit,
reminiscent of Star Wars’ R2D2. This was scratch
built from a 1/48 Rockeye and plastic rod.
Ejector pin marks in the intake trunking need
filling before painting in FS 36251 Medium
Mod Gray.
The kit’s lower fuselage-to-wing attachment is
unconventional, but effective in providing
equal wing anhedral.
enough. Both cockpits were sprayed Gunze 1500
Black Surface Primer, and their details dry
brushed light grey, while the switch guards were
painted red and CRT screens painted gloss green.
The kit's Ace II seats are nicely moulded and
were enhanced with colourful ground-handling
safety features made from strips of Tamiya Tape
permanently fixed in place with superglue and
painted in bright red, yellow and orange as seen
on the actual aircraft. The aircrew-helmet sensor
cubes were made from plastic sheet cut to size
and cemented to the clear canopy using Revell
Contacta cement. Further canopy detailing
included fine wire handles, upper sensor wiring
and photoetched rear view mirrors. The seats and
canopy were left off the model until final
assembly, after it had been painted and
weathered.
69
1/72 F  15 D B A Z
Plastic strip was used to fill gaps at the upper
intake joints.
Filler was needed at the bases of the fins. Note
also the new anti-flutter tip weights in situ
here.
The model has a typical Baz CFT external-
stores configuration.
Once the lower fuselage gun loader bulge
was removed and the replacement vent scribed,
the ‘R2D2’ SATCOM antenna was made from a
1/72 Rockeye bomb, which has a 6mm base
diameter, and a round head that was sanded to
the proper profile using
photos.
70 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
By using superglue to join the CFTs to the
fuselage, and debonder to remove excess, I was
able to join the parts without melting the
plastic or sanding off any detail during clean-up.
The CFT’s spring-loaded fuel vent doors were
scratch built from Plasticard, and copper wire
wound around a metal rod for the spring.
A side view of the forward nose section
antennas and probes that the Israeli aircraft
carry.
An additional Plasticard flat, round radome was
added between the upper engine fairings.
The kit's soft plastic allowed modifications to
be made to some of the kit parts but others were
replaced with more durable metal alternatives.
The nose radome tip was found to be bent, so I
drilled the tip and inserted an iron nail into the
hole and flooded the radome cavity with
superglue. In hindsight, I was lucky – first that
the heat generated from the curing superglue
didn’t deform the radome – and second it
proved impossible to trim the aft end of the nail
with a cutter as it was too tough. (they’re hard as
nails, those nails are. The Ed.) To enable
radome installation, I had to
Superglue and debonder were also essential
in joining together the intakes and upper
ramps, where a lot of detail needed protecting
from potentially damaging filler.
CFT pylons were sourced from a Hasegawa kit
and positioned using drawings published in
Daco's F-15A/B in Detail. The difference in
pylon positions relative to the kit's F-15E ones
are clear.
Brass upper-nose antenna, angle of attack,
and pitot probes must also be added.
bore a hole into the nose section for the nail,
which luckily didn’t reach the instrument panel.
The nose landing gear leg is thin and soft, so a
channel was carved along it and a metal piano
wire embedded in it, and through a hole drilled
into the nose wheel. The same was done to
reinforce the main landing gear and tail hook.
The kit's fin tip plastic ballast weight and ECM
pod were sawn off, and both were replaced with
new ballast weights
made from metal rod
shaped into a
pointed tip using a
jeweller's file.

The kit's soft plastic created problems
throughout construction, forming sink marks
and warpage in areas where ‘hot’ plastic-melting
cement was used. Indeed, in hindsight, only
superglue should be used along the CFT and
wing flap and aileron trailing edges. Another
problem with the wing trailing edges is that they
are excessively thick and out of scale. Once
cemented together, they benefit from sanding
to a thinner section.
The intake ramps upper sections are also very
thin, and the upper ramps are a bit wide, so were
reduced in width using a sanding stick. Take care
not to sand off the ridge along the upper intake
ramp’s leading edge, as it’s not a moulding error
– it’s actually where the forward edge of the
intake ramps locate once the intake ramps are
joined together. Gaps along the sides of the
intakes are difficult to fill with putty, so I used
thin Plasticard. Once assembled and sanded, the
intake ducts were painted gloss white and the
ramps in Testors Model Master FS 36251 Medium
Mod Gray. As an alternative to adding ballast to
the radome, I added several lead fishing weights
to the cavity between the intake ducts and the
lower fuselage, and then joined the main
fuselage components. Filler was needed for wide
gaps at the lower wing surfaces, and for the
vertical fin bases’ outer surfaces. MIG Arming
Putty Classic (ref. A.MIG2040), which is acetone
based, was used. Excess filler could simply be
removed, using a cotton swab wetted with nail
polish remover, without any damage to the
plastic. The kit's engines are well detailed, but
the separate nozzle leaf segments were each too
wide to fit the engine ring. Each segment’s base
had to be trimmed for them all to fit, and
resultant gaps were filled with clear epoxy
cement.
To locate the missile pylons onto the
1/72 F  15 D B A Z
smoothly
contoured
CFTs, I dry fitted the
AIM-120s into their
assumed position using
photos, and then marked
their proper location on the
CFT. The right CFT’s AIM-7M was
attached next, followed by
Wolfpack’s ELTA 8222 ECM pod and
pylon.
The model was now ready for
painting and the first items painted were the
CFTs in FS 36375 Light Ghost Gray. These were
masked, and the aft fuselage’s ‘hot section’
painted with Mr. Gunze Black Surface Primer
1500, as was the masked-off canopy and
windshield. The ‘hot’ area was then painted AK
number
Dark Aluminum along with the engine nozzle
were
bases, which then were over-sprayed in Tamiya
sourced from
Clear Blue (X-23). After masking these, the model
an old
was airbrushed Testors Model Master FS36251
Aeromaster USAF
Medium Mod Gray. Once I’d lightly mapped out
numbers sheet, while the rounded 982 nose
the upper fuselage and wing paint pattern with
numbers came from an even older Modeldecal
an H2 pencil, using a paint map and side photos
RAF numbers sheet. Once all decals were
of the actual aircraft, these areas received FS
applied, the model was sprayed with a layer of
36176 Dark Mod Eagle Gray.
acrylic Future/Klear and the model weathered
Humbrol enamel clear gloss was applied in and streaked using oil paints.
preparation for decal application and,
The aircraft’s armament was painted and
annoyingly, remained slightly tacky throughout
decaled prior to adding them to the painted
the decal application process. The vertical fin
model. The three JDAMs were painted white
squadron insignia, Baz Meshupar eagle motif,
followed by yellow, the forward and aft yellow
and CFT stencils were sourced from Sky Decal’s
bands were masked with 1mm strips of Tamiya
sheet 16. The upper fuselage NO STEP and
Tape as was the forward 2mm of each bomb.
honeycomb warning stencils were obtained
Next the bombs were painted Testors Model
from Sky Decal’s F-15i Ra'am sheet 24. Fin ID
Master Olive Drab (ref.34087) and masked. The
number 982, and nose gear door USAF 9007 ID
bomb’s final colour was Testors Model Masters
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 71
1/72 F  15 D B A Z
The helmet sensors on the canopy interior
were carefully attached with Revell Contacta
cement…
A neat trick to prevent the parts pinging off
into the ‘Upside Down’ is to trim the actuators
from their sprues while stuck to masking tape.
Light Ghost Gray (ref.36375), along with the
pylons and CFTs. The Elta 8222 ECM pod, Python
IV, AIM-7 and AIM-120 missiles were airbrushed
using lacquer-based Mr. Surfacer 1200 Grey,
diluted with Nitro 21 thinner. The bodies of the
radar-guided missiles were masked and their
radomes painted off-white. The fins of all three
missile types were brush painted using a mixture
of AK True Metal Steel paste (ref. AK00457) and
matt black enamel, diluted with turpentine,
which thinned the AK paste enabling me to
brush paint this metallic mixture.
The Python
IV
72 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
… as were canopy grab handles and rear view
mirrors, into holes drilled in the canopy front
bow.
Python LAU-114 missile rails were sourced
from an old Airfix F-15 to replace the kit’s LAU
-128 units, and the JDAMs fitted to the pylons
with brass pins.
forward fin attachment section was brush
painted dark olive green, and its mid-fuselage fin
strakes and forward tip Humbrol Pale Grey
(No.40). Once the armament was painted they
were cemented to their pylons, and these in turn
were glued to the fuselage both using Devcon
clear two-part epoxy.
With all armament attached, the model was
sprayed with a semi-matt clear coat mixture of
Tamiya Flat Base (X-21) and Future/Klear thinned
with 70% pure pharmaceutical alcohol.
Reflective lenses were used for the nose-gear
lights and Python IV missile heads, while the
wing and vertical fin position lights,
and RWR receivers
In order for the kit's ‘unfeathered’ exhaust
segments to fit, their base had to be trimmed.
Clear two-part epoxy was then used to fill any
gaps between them.
Modern ordnance takes a lot of painting and
finishing, but adds to the complexity of the
aircraft and is well worth the effort. Here are
the pylons with JDAMs, Python IVs, the
Sparrow, and the ELTA ECM pod.
were painted. Last to add were the control
columns, ejection seats and the clear canopy,
which was perched atop a red painted holder
made of a piano wire.
Revell's new-tooled 1/72 F-15E is accurate in
shape, but is hindered by soft plastic, some
missing panel line detail and poor intake and
exhaust nozzle fit. Due to the pitfalls inherent in
the assembly of this model I can only
recommend it to experienced model builders,
but a nice F-15D can be
made from it with a
little effort.
REVIEWS
SPECIAL HOBBY
Grumman Guardian AF-3S ‘Mad Boom’
T
he Grumman Guardian was the first carrier-
based aircraft designed specifically for
anti-submarine operations and also the
largest single piston-engined aircraft to fly from
carrier decks. Entering service in 1950 there
radar carrying AF-2W and weapon carrying AF-
2S variants operating as hunter killer pairs. The
AF-3S was an improved AF-2S and carried an
additional Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD)
Boom. During the Korean War the Guardian flew
anti-submarine operations for the US fleet. From
1955 they were replaced by the Grumman S2F
Kit No: 48194 Tracker and transferred to the Naval Reserve for
Scale: 1/48 training until they were finally retired in 1957.
This is the third boxing of the Grumman
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Guardian and this AF-3S version includes new
Manufacturer: Special Hobby parts to make the final version that had the MAD
boom added. The new additions are a sprue with
www.specialhobby.eu updated wheels, underwing radar housings, and
74 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
By Paul Gilson
the MAD boom. The main parts are injection
moulded plastic with one new sprue containing
the underwing radar, new wheels and MAD
boom. Also included are an etched brass detail
sheet and resin parts with a new additional resin
part for the housing on the starboard fuselage,
into which the boom retracted when not in use.
The rest of the parts are from the previously
released AF-2S ‘Killer’ and AF-2W ‘Hunter’
versions. Only forty of the AF-3S variant were
built so the decals provided cover 10% of total
production with four aircraft, two each from
operational squadrons in 1953, and training
squadrons in 1956. The parts are all supplied in
sealed clear poly bags.
Construction started with the cockpit and
internal crew compartments and these parts are
a mix of plastic, resin and etched brass. The two

internal crew
compartments are only
given the seats and
etched belts, but even
these are invisible once the fuselage is together
as they have miniscule windows - the rear crew
were in virtual darkness to be able to see their
equipment screens. In contrast the pilot’s office
is fairly large and nicely detailed, with the
addition of decals for the consoles, which is
good as it is quite a greenhouse. When it comes
to fitting the interior bulkheads and closing up
the fuselage there are a number of moulding
points, which need to be removed and cleaned
up before these will fit.
The resin Double Wasp radial engine was next
and it comes as a large base with separate
cylinders to make the double bank. Some wire
was needed to make the value pushrods, which
are only really visible on the front bank. I didn’t
fit this at this stage as by leaving the front cowl
section – part A4 – off these can be fitted later. I
also fitted part F14 – the cooling flap on the port
side of the nose which I couldn’t find in the
assembly diagrams, although it’s
counterpart F15 is shown.
The addition of wings and
tailplanes was pretty rapid and
suddenly I had a large aircraft to
handle. There were some more
moulding points on the inner
surfaces that needed removal
and cleaning, and a slight
thinning of the trailing edges
improved the overall look. The
main undercarriage wheel wells are resin
parts and once installed it could appear
that they were short, as they leave a
gap in the centre, until you
realise this is the point at
which the main wing
would fold. The
main
undercarriage
is quite leggy as the
AF-2W Hunter version had to allow
for the large radar carried under the fuselage. I
added the brake lines made form fine wire to the
main undercarriage legs. The flap actuators are
supplied as etched brass parts, which made for
fine detail, but these were left of at this stage.
I also left the wheels, underwing equipment,
and aerials off at this stage and proceeded to
priming and applying the overall blue coat. I
tried to vary the coverage so some areas, such as
wing leading edges, look slightly faded. Looking
at photographs of AF-3S aircraft I could only find
the underwing radar and searchlight carried and
no extra fuel tanks or rocket armament,
although these are shown in the instructions for
this version, so I fitted just these parts. Once the
base colour was down the kit decals were
applied and all settled well with minimal carrier
visible, even the complex stars and bars over the
MAD boom housing went on with ease. I did find
the decal placement diagrams for the overall
blue variants particularly difficult to read as
the panel lines are shown in black, but
are so fine and with lack of
contrast to the
blue
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
REVIEWS
that
they were only
visible at an angle
under strong light. Finally
an overall light clear coat was
given before the small details and canopy were
all added. For the lights I used the appropriate
colour paint on the back of each to fix them in
place. Finally, silver was used to show the wear
points, which from photographs show quite
markedly on the dark airframe. I finished this
model as S/N 130367 from VS-27 based on USS
Antietam in 1953 when it was operating in the
Mediterranean Sea.
The result is pretty large in 1/48 and the
Guardian is a chunky beast, but I was pleased
with the result. Special Hobby kits take some
cleaning up of the parts and they don’t have any
alignment pins/holes. But, once
cleaned the parts do fit well and I
only used a small amount of filler
to finish the fuselage half joints
and wing root areas. The finished
result captures the slightly ungainly
look well and is recommended for
fans who like the slightly
lesser known corners of
carrier aviation.
75
REVIEWS
KOVOZÁVODY
PROSTĚJOV
Fokker S-11
Instructor
By Robert Rose
Kit No: KPM0372
Scale: 1/72
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Kovozávody Prostějov
www. Kovozavody.cz
F
okker’s S-11 Instructor was the first
immediate post-war design by the
company, intended for elementary flying
training. An approximate contemporary and
equivalent of the de Havilland Chipmunk, the
type was built in Schiphol and under licence in
Italy as well as by Fokker Brazil. Around a dozen
aircraft are still airworthy, mostly in the
Netherlands.
There have been a couple of previous kits of
this aircraft type in different scales. This new
mould kit is one KP have produced with several
differing colour schemes. The moulding is
simple but finely detailed, with recessed panel
lines, which are quite prominent, though that
should diminish under a coat or two of paint.
There are only thirty one parts provided in this
kit, which is even more impressive since three
are not required, alternate provision being made
for the different undercarriage positions when
on the ground and while airborne. With a
knuckle style main gear, the effect of loading
and unloading is obvious, so a worthwhile
option.
The kit was new in 2022 and has now been
issued variously in markings to reflect the use of
the aircraft by several air arms, including the
Netherlands, Israel, Italy and Brazil. KP have
issued versions of the kit to cover each of these,
with some colourful schemes offered. Bolivia
and Paraguay later operated some ex-Brazilian
aircraft; versions to provide these may appear in
the future.
76 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
One common limitation of the short run
moulding process is that sometimes the
sprue gates or runners overrun. In this kit
there are several points where the runner
ends overlap joining lines or visible
surfaces. These are easily enough
removed with a sharp scalpel and some
gentle sanding to ensure a clean surface. The
cockpit detail provided is sparse but adequate
once a little extra card is use to extend the
flooring forward. A front bulkhead would add to
the look, though it won’t really be visible once
the instrument panel is in place and the canopy
is on. The seats provided are just a little too wide,
so some paring was needed to get them to fit
side by side before the decal seat belts were
added.
The wings are moulded in an unusual way.
The upper wing and outer lower wings are
moulded as one, with separate inner lower wing
parts to form the centre sections. According to
the instructions, these then fit onto the stubs
formed by the wing root fairings on the fuselage
sides. There is a small snag with this. If the wings
are attached with the upper surfaces flush with
the stub, a significant step will exist at the lower
wing roots on either side. The lower wing inserts
have been moulded slightly too deep. To avoid a
great deal of sanding and filling, I recommend
an alternate assembly process. First, attach the
wings without the lower sections, to the
fuselage stubs. Because of the surface areas and
loads involved, use cyanoacrylate glue to do this,
best leaving the assembly overnight to harden
fully. Then dry fit the low inners sections, cutting
away and chamfering at front and back until a
good fit is made. Now run some glue around the
inner side of the wing to fuselage joint and also
glue in place each lower section. This should
avoid the sanding and filling fest otherwise
required, and preserves surface detail. This, of
course, is one of the purposes of a kit review; so
that you, the modeller, know in advance where
the potential traps lie. Forewarned is forearmed!
The horizontal tailplanes are also butt jointed
in place. Given their small
size, that works well, though a little care is
needed to identify where to mount them. There
are two very faint scribe lines either side of the
lower fin, which act as guides. The struts which
fit below the tailplane are very long and fit
between the lowest part of the fin post and the
rear of the fixed section of tailplane. The
instructions appear to show the struts attaching
to the elevator, which is clearly wrong and I think
is due to parallax errors in typical photographs
of the aircraft,
If the model is to be displayed sitting on the
ground, use the main undercarriage legs shown
in the instructions, The alternate pair, shaded out
on the instructions, are I believe for modelling
an aircraft in flight. It is a shame this is not
mentioned anywhere, since I think that is a
thoughtful touch by the designers. One item
that frustrated me was the pitot tube assembly.
This is mounted on the port wing and consists of
two fine tubes grouped together. The moulding
does show two slightly differentiated front
portions, which I accentuated with careful
scalpel work and paint shading. My attempts at
making wire replacements for the moulding
have so far failed. More practice required.
This is an interesting and quite challenging kit
of a relatively little known product of the Fokker
company. It is well worth seeking out for anyone
with an interest in Fokker or in training aircraft
generally. There have been previous, now out of
production, kits of the aircraft. It is a simple kit
but overall the lines seem accurate and there is
strong potential for lots of further detailing, with
aileron horn balances, canopy grab handles and
such like.
REVIEWS
SPECIAL HOBBY
Fiat G-50B
‘Finnish Aces'
By Ian Day
Kit No: 32044
Scale: 1/32
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Special Hobby
www.specialhobby.eu
Y
et another 1/32 Special Hobby kit graces
my presence. This one, a re-issue of the
original 2013 kit, is also a ‘Finnish Aces’
boxing. The moulds seem to have stood the test
of time, there being no flash or short shots. The
kit also has very nice engraved panel lines and
comprises fifty-six parts in light grey plastic, fifty
parts in resin, and a photoetched fret for seat
belts and the like. There is only one clear part for
the canopy and two for the position lights and
an acetate sheet for the gun sight.
As usual, the fun starts with the cockpit. Fairly
straightforward but the Italian seat harness is a
bit of a chore. The back, belts and chains all have
to be kept apart until after painting the major
cockpit areas. Most of the cockpit is easy to
assemble, just be aware that the placement of
part 4, which I presume is a trim wheel, is not
shown on the instructions. Looking over builds
on the Internet, it is positioned to the port side
of the pilot’s seat. The instrument panel is a two-
piece curved affair and it’s pig to fit. There are no
decals for this, so out with the brushes. Having
finally glued it in the correct place, I added some
bi-carb of soda to the superglue. It will come out
no more! I attached the gun sight the same way
though left the sight glass off until painting was
finished. The cockpit sidewall details were added
and the cockpit parts were then sprayed Italian
Interior Green.
At this point I got creative. The two entry
doors were carefully cut away and cleaned up
ready for paint as I intended to have them open.
Having hand painted the various sidewall
details, the parts were gloss vanished in
preparation for a black oil wash. I removed the
excess wash with a couple of cotton buds (Q-
Tips for our American readers) and finished it off
with matt varnish then added some scratches
and paint chips to give it that ‘used’ look. The tail
needs to be modified by cutting away the
shaded part on the instructions and adding two
new ones as supplied.
Carefully add the cockpit floor to one fuselage
half, making sure it sits where it’s supposed to
then both fuselage haves are cemented
together. The section forward of the windscreen
78 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
needed serious filling and sanding, the rest not
so much. The next stage is to build up the tail
planes and rudder. All three sets of parts need
ejector towers re-moving before gluing
together. The trailing edges need some serious
thinning too.
This is repeated on the wings. The lower wing
is a one-piece affair onto which the port and
starboard uppers are added. There is a serious
gap between the upper wing halves and the
fuselage. A major fill with Tamiya putty and very
careful sanding is the order of the day at this
point. The wing leading edges were not great
either, so I used superglue to fill the gaps.
The engine was a delight to build. I did
deviate from the instructions and used stretched
sprue for the connecting rods. I painted the
whole matt black and then lightly sprayed
Xtreme Metal’s Burnt Metal. It turned out rather
nicely. The rods were painted Revell silver and
the crank case blue-grey. The ‘u’ shaped exhaust
sits behind the engine mount and can be left
un-glued for final positioning when the cowling
is added.
The wheels and propeller are assembled and
painted but set aside until final assembly. When
it came to the canopy, I noticed the box art,
colour schemes, and lots of photos show the
side screens not fitted. I removed them from the
kit part with a razor saw. I added the gun blisters
and cowling assembly at this stage, omitting the
gun barrels until a later stage. The intake under
the fuselage has to be shortened from its
tropical filter mode. This does leave a solid front,
so this was carefully hollowed out with a small
drill. Small delicate items such as the pitots,
aileron mass balances and lights were to be
fitted after painting.
Moving on to the painting stage, I decided to
finish (pun) the model as the scheme A choice.
This was FA-25 as it appeared during March to
July 1942. Nothing special there you might
think, but the starboard fuselage has a few large
worn areas, showing the original Italian
camouflage underneath. Moreover, the outer
section of the upper port wing was still in the
original Italian mottle scheme. To cap it all, the
underside of the starboard aileron was in light
blue as opposed to grey.
After priming with Stynylrez black primer, the
yellow eastern front bands, with the exception
of the fuselage and the forward cowl, were
painted. Only took about five coats! The
underside grey was Tamiya ‘Royal’ grey, sprayed
panel by panel in various thicknesses to give a
varied shade to the underside. The upper dark
green is RLM 71 from the Ammo series. The black
- well it’s just black.
The outer port wing was finished in the Italian
mottle, using the paints from Ammo’s early
Italian paints set. Boy have I got my money’s
worth out of that set! I had intended to use
chipping fluid for the worn areas, but I totally
forgot. They have been hand painted.
The decals went on without a problem. I get
why manufacturers split up the swastikas, but in
this case, the centres are a distinctly lighter blue
than the outer, spoiling the overall effect. So,
after a few coats of matt varnish it was
weathering time. First, a dark wash down the
panel lines to accent them then some chipping
around some removable panels. The worn area
on the port side had to be done with a brush,
but I think it turned out alright. The pitot tubes I
made from brass rod and the leading edge lights
were made from clear resin. Aerial wires are
constructed from Aeroclub lycra thread.
For a ten year old kit, this has stood the test of
time very well. The engraved panel lines are crisp
and thin and apart from the wing roots, needed
very little filler work. I would suggest moving the
pilot’s seat back a couple of millimetres, I think
it’s too far forward.
For large scale kit of an unusual subject,
combined with an unusual colour scheme, this
kit is definitely worth the money.
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s
for 12 issue
REVIEWS
FINE MOLDS
F-4E Early
Phantom II
‘Vietnam War’
By Andy McCabe
Kit No: FP41
Scale: 1/72
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Fine Molds
www.fromemodelcentre.com
T
he Fine Molds kit of the Phantom contains
ten sprues of grey and two clear sprues of
injection moulded plastic, one decal sheet
and one assembly, painting and marking
booklet. Colour call outs are for GSI Paints along
with FS numbers in some instances, the plastic
parts are nicely moulded with fine intricate
engraved surface detailing. Wing fuel tanks are
supplied but there are no munitions provided
with the kit so if you want to fit any you have to
raid your spares box I am afraid. There are detail-
up parts that can be purchased for this kit, which
include the Alpha Probe set, seat belt harnesses
and rear-view mirror, and formation light set,
although of these only the seat belt harness set
would make a real visible difference to the kit.
80 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
There are some very finely moulded parts
including razor-sharp leading and trailing edges
to the horizontal stabs and wing surfaces, detail
to engine fronts and landing gear bays and
undercarriage, and the cockpit will have decals
for the instrument panels although no doubt
etched replacements will be available from
someone soon. This should build up into a very
smart 1/72 F-4E Phantom.
I started by spraying all of the interior parts
with Lifecolor FS36231 (UA033) and the nose
landing gear bay matt white. Decals are supplied
for the instrument panels but there is an option
to paint alternative panels that have raised
detailing, so I applied the decals over the raised
panels and used a setting solution to pull them
over the raised areas to give them a bit of 3D
detail. These were then fitted to the cockpit tub
along with the rear and mid bulkheads. The
cockpit assembly is then fitted into the fuselage
halves. The engine air intake ducts, intake covers
and inlet ramps were now fitted along with the
nose and aft upper fuselage covers, followed by
the engine fronts and exhaust pipe bulkhead
that were fitted into the upper aft fuselage
section. Before I added the nose cone and the
lower front gun cover, I added nose weight into
the nose space - it did not say to do so on the
instructions, but I thought it best to add some.
The wing structure, then the tail exhaust area
were assembled and fitted and the exhaust
pipes painted ready for fitting. The tail planes are
such a tight fit in the slots on the fuselage they
can be dry fitted for painting, but before this the
windscreen and canopy were masked, the
windscreen was glued into position and the
canopy dry fitted using masking fluid.
Now the model was given a coat of grey
primer, any gaps or misalignments were
addressed, and then a coat of Lifecolor FS36622
(UA021) was sprayed onto the underside of the
model. When dry the SEA camo was added using
Lifecolor’s FS30219 (UA137) FS 34102 (UA237)
and FS34079 (UA531). Lifecolor Steel (UA795)
was sprayed on from their Metallic Colour set,
and Alclad jet exhaust was then randomly
applied for that dirty sooty finish. Finally the
radome was [painted satin black and that was
the paintwork finished. I started decalling the tail
and worked forward on both sides with the main
decals and then the wings, then the stencils.
Fortunately Fine Molds have grouped the small
data stencils together rather than having each
one as a separate decal, which saved a whole lot
of work.
I finished the build with undercarriage, stores,
and finally the ejection seats, minus their
harnesses as I did not have any in my spares box.
The kit assembles very nicely and the parts are
an excellent fit, the instructions are clear and
concise and the finished result is quite
impressive. Weapons and seat harnesses are a
noticeable omission, but dedicated sets are
available from Fine Molds, and all can be sourced
from Frome Model Centre, who passed this kit
on for review. This is the first Fine Molds kit I
have made and I have to say I am impressed with
the detail.

ARMA HOBBY
PZL TS-11
Iskra bis DF
‘Expert Set’
By Bruce Leyland-Jones
Kit No: 70010
Scale: 1/72
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: ARMA Hobby
www.armahobby.com
Another bright spark from ARMA
Hobby…
A
fter the last World War, the dominance of
Russia, under the mantle of the Soviet
Union, dominated Eastern Europe. As
such, it imposed its own aircraft upon the
satellite nations of the Eastern Bloc, including
Poland, forcing them to build MiGs and allowing
their own national aviation industries to decline
significantly. When Stalin died in 1953, PZL
(Polskie Zakłady Lotnicze), was able to assert itself
somewhat and, with the full support of a Polish
Government determined to re-build what was
once a thriving industry, set to developing a
basic jet trainer to replace the existing piston-
engined TS-8 Bies and the aging Soviet
MiG-15UTI employed throughout the Warsaw
pact. Powered by an imported Armstrong
Siddeley Viper turbojet, the PZL TS-11 Iskra,
(Spark), took flight in February 1960 and,
following a breakdown in negotiations with the
British, developed the engine locally, producing
more than just a simple copy to power their
impressive new trainer.
In 1961, PZL then submitted their Iskra as a
contender for the WarPac’s basic jet trainer
competition but lost out to the Czech Aero L-29
Delfin. Both Delfin and Iskra were their respective
nation’s first production jet aircraft and both
shared similar performance characteristics.
However, the Iskra was somewhat faster and had
a significantly greater range, sharing a ceiling
height with the Czechoslovak machine.
Undeterred, the Polish government chose to
adopt the Iskra and Poland became the only
Eastern Bloc country to fly ‘Sparky’, although
India did buy seventy-six for their own Air Force
Academy.
Continually developed during its tenure, the
Iskra finally retired from Polish skies in 2021,
after some sixty years’ service. (India retired its
own bright sparks in 2004).
I have a lot of time for ARMA Hobby kits,
appreciating the quality of their goods since I
first encountered them, back in 2014. I was taken
by their attention to detail and got the feeling
that I was buying from genuine aircraft
enthusiasts, who had a real passion for their
chosen subject matter. The kits themselves had
no real indications of short-run technology, with
generally good, if not great, fit of parts all round.
I also appreciated how they appeared to have
taken a leaf from The Eduard Book of Kit Sales,
offering their goodies in a range of boxings,
from simple sprues-only and so-called basic
‘Junior’ kit, up to more complex ‘Expert’ and
‘Deluxe’ sets, containing all manner of kittery
bells and whistles, including etch and masks and
even resin extras. (Note that ARMA are allied to
Attack Squadron, producing a range of lovely
resin and etch detail pieces and have more
recently become closely associated with the
Hataka range of paints).
Bearing in mind that this kit has now been in
production for some seven years, the plastic
appears to be almost as good as it was when it
was first released. Very, very little flash was
evident, although there were some mould seam
lines to remove from some of the finer parts,
such as the undercarriage legs. Surface detail
remains to be finely engraved lines and there
were no sink marks or other blemishes. The
decals were in perfect register and of good, solid
colours. There’s a plethora of stencils and, at first
glance, there seems to be hundreds of them, but
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03
REVIEWS
a closer look at the instructions reveals that
ARMA have actually taken the time to produce
three sets of stencils that are specifically for each
of the subjects provided for. This review kit
being an ‘Expert Set’ boxing, there’s a sheet of
photoetch, containing a myriad of really tiny
pieces and an acetate sheet with instrument
dials and what appears to be a template for the
internal windscreen.
The other provided extra is a set of masks for
the canopy and wheels and I noted that these
are of the thicker, vinyl-like material, rather than
the more flexible kabuki-type tape. But I get
ahead of myself…
The build begins with the two seats and once
completed, complete with their respective etch,
these are put to one side for insertion towards
the end of the build. Next, I was instructed to
build the two instrument panels. On their own,
the plastic is sharply moulded, and each panel
even has the backs of their instrument dials
moulded into the rear. These are intended to be
enhanced by the now-traditional arrangement
of an acetate sandwich, between plastic and
etch, but even though I painted the plastic
white, before adding the acetate sheets, the
actual dials vanished from view, once the etch
layer was applied. All of the instrument and
control panels are supposed to be painted black,
but I used a dark grey and rubbed off some of
the paint, in a (sad) attempt to make them look
busy. Some little red-painted etch pieces added
some colour and I was very glad of my pointy
tweezers. Note that I use a pair of very pointy
tweezers, with a single layer of tape wrapped
around the ends, to improve grip. I also work
over a large white piece of card, in good light. All
that said, I have an optometrist appointment
looming!
The fit of the cockpit to inside one fuselage
half was a positive one, facilitated by a moulded
projection, intended to fit through a hole in the
81
REVIEWS
fuselage wall. Here was one of the instances
were the age of the the moulds may be
beginning to show, as I had to open up the hole
to allow the projection to poke through. With
the tub installed, I then added the necessary
nose weight and would tentatively submit that
the 5g suggested by the instructions may be a
little underwhelming. I chose to ignore this
paltry sum and though I may be
overcompensating, tail sitting is not one of my
preferred model postures!
Finally, before closing up the fuselage, a nicely
moulded tail pipe was installed and, following
this, I was happy that the fuselage halves joined
together nicely and that there was very little by
way of a fuselage seam to clean up. This was
especially welcome, given the number of little
lumps, bumps and finely engraved panel lines,
festooning said fuselage.
Shifting my attentions to the wing sub-
assemblies, I noticed some gappage, but this
was easily managed with some Perfect Plastic
Putty. The instructions also advised me to sand
0.1mm off the inner surface edge, to ensure a
good fit. (I’d also had my brain switched on, so I
remembered to drill holes for the ordnance
pylons. Whilst I had the drill to hand, I also
cleaned out the locating holes for the
impending wing-root/engine-bay pieces. These
are added to the lower wings and there are small
pieces, bearing moulded bulges, to be applied
to the sides of these. However, I believe that
ARMA have numbered these pieces incorrectly
and 07A should go where 08A goes, and vice
versa. A simple dry-fit revealed this to me, so no
real harm was done.
One additional feature I did appreciate, was
the option to have dropped flaps, this being
facilitated by good engineering, a clear line as to
where to cut plastic, and some very nicely
moulded, separate, flaps. After this little
endeavour, I could almost convince myself that I
was a proper grown-up modeller!
At this point I feel it appropriate to offer a
word of warning and suggest most strongly that
you leave off adding the flaps until the build is
nearly complete. The reason being that my own
preferred way of holding the model was
between leading and trailing edges of the wings
and I soon discovered that the dangly flaps were
not the strongest of structures. Adding the wing
sub-assemblies to the fuselage was a trouble-
free exercise and again, the nice engineering of
the kit ensured a relatively gap-free join.
Certainly, no filler was necessary, which is always
a good thing in my book. A similar satisfactory
tale could be told regarding the empennage.
As the building stage drew to a close, I very
nearly made a silly mistake and almost cleaned
up some flash that was not flash! There are two
82 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
pitots to apply to the fuselage underside and, in
a single-malt befuddled state, I saw what
appeared to be quite extensive flash
surrounding each piece. Fortunately, I stayed my
hand, did some more research, and learned that
ARMA had moulded them to resemble the real
things closely. There’s even a clear diagram,
illustrating this fact! That same diagram also
ensured that the remaining lumps and bumps
needing to be added to the fuselage were
correctly placed.
The undercarriage, whilst appearing to be
quite complex, was simple enough to apply and
I was pleased to see that my extensive use of
plumbum had not gone amiss. A final piece of
brass was applied to the cockpit, and I was finally
able to add my two bang-seats. The fit of these
was tight, to say the least, but again, ARMA
provided a useful diagram to reassure me re
their placement.
With the building practically complete, it was
time to mask up, using the supplied masks. Now
I’m no stranger to masking and it may just be
personal preference, but I do not seem to get on
with the vinyl-type of mask, as supplied with
these kits. I find them too stiff and whilst they
usually perform well on smooth surfaces, such as
canopies, they definitely struggle when applied
to irregular surfaces, such as wheel hubs. Also,
their thickness prevents them being effectively
pressed into corners and, consequently, they
always seem prone to paint bleeding through.
Given that such masks are more expensive to
make, I cannot understand why simple kabuki-
type tape could not have been used. In the end,
for the wheels at least, I had to resort to tape and
a punch.
Colour callouts are in Federal Standard and
Hataka and I was almost tempted to buy the
Hataka set specifically for the TS-11, until I
noticed that none of these supplied the sandy
colour my chosen subject required.
Subsequently, I stuck with Humbrol, and my
external colours were as follows;
Dark Grey FS38176 – Humbrol 156
Light Ghost Grey FS38375 – Humbrol 127
Blue Green FS35275 – Humbrol 76
Desert Tan FS33448 – Humbrol 93
Air Superiority Blue FS35450 – Humbrol 89
I used Humbrol 2 Emerald for the wheel hubs.
Markings offer four aircraft:
1 - PZL TS-11 Iskra bis DF, of the 41st Tactical
Aviation Squadron, Stups-Redzikowo AB, May
2004.
2 - PZL TS-11 Iskra bis DF, of the 41st Tactical
Aviation Squadron, Malbork AB, April 2009.
3 - PZL TS-11 Iskra bis DF, of the 7th Special
Aviation Regiment, Polish Navy, 2nd Section, 1st
Aviation Squadron, Siemirowice AB, August 1993.
4 - PZL TS-11 Iskra bis D, Air Force Academy,
Hakimpet AB, Hyderabad, Indian Air Force, India,
1976
One final challenge, (or ‘opportunity for
learning’, dependent upon your own personal
philosophy), remained and that involved some
mesh guards for the intakes. Whilst these are
offered as photoetch pieces, the very delicate
nature of these had caused the finer strands of
brass to part company with the main framework,
meaning that I could not perform the fine metal
origami required of me. In vainglorious hope, I
scoured the internet for images of flying Iskra
without the guards and, whilst I did find some
with only half of their intakes covered, I realised
that I could not really escape the necessity of
fitting something akin to the real things and
needed to scratch my own. As it happens, a
certain large supermarket of my acquaintance,
beginning with T, has replaced paper bags for
vegetables and fruit with plastic mesh ones, with
these being intended for repeated use. Always
on the look-out for Things That Might One Day
Become A Useful Modelling Resource, I had one of
these bags to hand and decided the mesh would
be appropriate…and so it was.
Painting done, the decals were applied
directly onto Johnson’s Klear and they behaved
beautifully. The model was then given an overall
coat of Humbrol Mattcote and I had a bright
spark upon my shelf, to sit amongst my ever-
growing Trainer collection.
Conclusion
This is a great little kit of a generally
overlooked trainer and is indicative of the ARMA
Hobby quality I’ve come to expect and enjoy.
The plastic is very smartly detailed, and detail is
generally superb. That said, I’d question the need
for some of the etched details, especially given
the miniscule size of some of the parts. The
masks were not as useful as they might’ve been,
but that could be simply me and my predilection
for tape as a masking material.
Because of the potential difficulties with the
tiny etch, I perhaps would not recommend the
‘Expert Set’ of the kit to inexperienced modellers
and would suggest they stick to the more basic
editions. For any other modellers, I’d strongly
suggest you give it a go and to ignore befuddled
and clumsy kit reviewers such as Yours Truly and,
if you’re still currently unaware of ARMA Hobby
kits, their bright spark is as good as any of their
output to get the modelling fires going.
 REVIEWS

MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 83

U P D AT E S
EDUARD
www.eduard.com
Big things from Eduard this month - quite
literally with a selection of updates available for
the Revell 1/32 Hurricane and the Airfix 1/24
DEF MODEL
www.wildcatmodels.com
Thanks to UK importer Wildcat Models for
passing on the following samples for review:
US Navy F-14A Pilot Set 1/72 (ref.DF72001)
Designed to fit in the cockpit of the Academy
F-14A (ref.12560), this pair of figures, the Pilot
and RIO, will add a bit of human interest. The
figures are 3D-printed and so will need careful
removal from the printed base plate, however
the detail is tremendous and will compliment a
carefully executed paint finish. Ideal if you want
to pose your F-14A in flight or just about the
launch from the catapult.
P-51D Mustang Decal Set 1/72 (ref.JD-72008)
This delightful set for any 1/72 P-51D includes a
set of decals to allow the movie-inspired
modeller to build the machine featured in the
recent Top Gun: Maverick film. As well as decals
the set also includes a canopy mask and a figure
to relax against the finished model in a style
similar to a certain actor. DEF Model have put
together an enjoyable and fun way to make a
P-51D that’s a little out of the ordinary, especially
for the aircraft-based movie fan.
84 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
Spitfire, among others. Scaling down only
slightly, 1/48 kits to receive a barrage of
photoetch, masks, 3D-prints, and Brassin
goodies include the Revell B-24J, the ICM
Beaufort Mk I, the HK B-25J, and further items for
the Airfix Anson. Also in 1/48 Eduard cover
F/A-18E Super Hornet Mk.14 Single Seat Set
1/48 (ref.DS48022)
Intended for use in either the Meng or Hasegawa
F/A-18E Super Hornet kit, this 3D printed seat is
highly detailed, just requiring a small amount of
cleaning up and painting to make something
special of the Super Bug’s cockpit.
A-10 Thunderbolt Ace-II Ejection Seat with
Wool Pad 1/48 (ref.DS48021)
Another superbly detailed ejection seat, this
time intended to fit in the cockpit of the
Academy A-10 Thunderbolt II. The seat has a very
convincing replica of the sheepskin wool seat
pad that is commonly found in the A-10, as well
as a moulded in harness. A simple way to add a
further level of interest to the Thunderbolt’s
cockpit.
Top Gun Marking Set for F/A-18E/F 1/48
(ref.JD-48004)
Designed to be used with either the Meng,
Revell, HobbyBoss or Italeri F/A-18E/F kits in
1/48, this detail set includes all of the small
emblems and markings needed to build a Super
Hornet straight from Top Gun: Maverick. One of
the great features of this set is the inclusion of a
series of helmet markings in the designs
featured on the helmets of all of the major F/A-
Kinetic’s F-16 MLU and Tamiya’s F-35A. Even in
1/72 it’s still a case of size mattering, with a full
selection of updates for Zvezda’s C-130J
For full details of all new items – and of course
the rest of Eduard’s extensive catalogue, check
out the website.
18E/F pilots in the film itself, meaning the
supplied figures can have an authentic finish.
The figures included can either be used in one
F model Hornet or split across two E model
Hornets as they both have slightly different
poses making them ideal for either a launch
diorama or to compliment an F/A-18 in flight.
The figures feature a high level of accurate detail
and so will make a worthy addition to any
related build.
P-51D Mustang Decal Set 1/48 (ref.JD-48005)
Another accessory set for the Top Gun: Maverick
aficionado, this set allows you to build a replica
of the P-51D featured throughout the movie. As
well as the crisply printed decals, the set also
includes a photoetch fret with pre-painted
instrument panel and harnesses. A canopy mask
helps with painting, with the box being
completed with a 3D printed figure as in the
1/72 set. It’s worth noting that this particular
P-51K/F-6D (as it actually is) has been converted
to a two-seat configuration so an element of
scratch building will be needed in the cockpit
area to make a truly accurate replica. This is a
really delightful and novel set and one that will
make a unique aircraft to add to any Top Gun or
movie-based model collection.
U P D AT E S
U P D AT E S
FOXBOT
www.foxbot.com.ua
New from Foxbot:
Digital Falcons: MiG-29 9-13 ‘White 57’ 1/72
(ref.72-071) and 1/144 (ref. 144-003)
A choice of two scales to build a replica of MiG-
29 9-13 White 57 of the 114th Tactical Aviation
Brigade, Ivano-Frankivsk, during 2018. Both sets
contain the national markings and stencils
required, although you’ll need the associated
mask set for the 1/72 version unless you are
decent with hand cutting digital camouflage.
Those with a penchant for 1/144 will be
delighted to find that the pack contains the
decals for the required camouflage pattern. A
great way to produce this attractive colour
scheme.
Teeth & Girls: NA P-51, Part III 1/72
(ref.72-053)
A great collection of P-51 decals from a series
focused on the individual nose art and names
given to each aircraft, which will make for a
colourful and interesting line-up. Each of the
aircraft is shown in the full colour instruction
booklet, which also contains the location of each
of the enclosed stencils.
P-38 Pin-Up Nose Art, Part II, 1/72
(ref. 72-067)
Foxbot continue their range of decals based on
86 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
nose art with a further sheet for the P-38 series
of aircraft making for a collection of aircraft so
typical for the period. The set includes as
complete set of stencils as well as the usual fully
comprehensive instructions and paint chart.
Ukrainian Crocodiles: Mil Mi-24 Part I,
Warriors of Light 1/48 (ref. 48-069)
The Mi-24 has seen heavy involvement in the
ongoing conflict in the Ukraine and this decal
sheet brings some of the many ‘Hinds’ now
involved in 1/48 model form. The sheet covers
eight different aircraft, each in all over white,
some depicting the Ukraine’s use of the Mi-24 as
part of its UN commitment in the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.
Along with the decals needed for each aircraft, a
full set of stencils in also enclosed including
those for the rotor blades. Decal placement is
shown in the very comprehensive instruction
guide. As with all of the decals from Foxbot’s
‘Warriors of Light’ range a donation to the
Ukraine ‘Return Alive’ charity is made with each
purchase.
Digital Rooks: Su-25, Warriors of Light 1/48
(ref.48-064)
This decal sheet allows the construction of large
number of Su-25 Rook ground attack aircraft
currently in action in Ukraine with a total of
fifteen aircraft depicted. Some of the aircraft are
JEIGHT DESIGN
www.wildcatmodels.com
F-15J 306TFS Golden Eagles, Komatsu Air
Show 2022, Special Marking Decal Set, 1/72
(ref.JD-72007)
Japanese display aircraft tend to have colour
schemes that are very special indeed and this
one certainly makes for a different look, taking
the scheme applied to the main character in
the most recent Top Gun film, Maverick’s F/A-
18E, and displaying it proudly on an F-15J.
Designed to be used with Hasegawa’s 1/72 kit
of the F-15J, the decals are of excellent quality,
shown prior to the current conflict but are in the
same digital camouflage scheme currently in
use. Each of the aircraft is depicted in the full
colour instruction booklet which also contains a
full stencil placement diagram along with a
colour chart showing RAL, FS and Vallejo paint
colour matches.
Ukrainian Fulcrums: MiG-29 (9-13) 1/48
(ref.48-076)
A huge range of Ukrainian MiG-29 9-13s to
choose from on this sheet, with a total of ten
different options showing the whole range of
different camouflage schemes adopted over the
on-going service life of the type. As the colour
schemes vary depending on use and location
there is a wide variation of high quality decal
options to pick from, each being clearly depicted
in the colour instruction booklet.
Silver Stars –Yak-9T, Part II 1/32 (ref. 32-028)
A set of decals for the Yak-9 in 1/32 depicting
four aircraft with either silver emblazoned red
stars or other dramatic markings with a silver
accent. A full colour instruction guide
accompanies this set of high quality decals and
stencils including a stencil placement guide to
help you get the very best from this set of
markings.
sharply printed and have good colour density
whilst the inclusion of a set of canopy masks is
a great touch. Even more interesting is a set of
3D printed chocks with the appropriate
markings included as part of the decal set. The
placement and painting guide is in full colour
making for what should be a fun modelling
experience. This decal set makes for a different
and novel approach to a great colour scheme
and something a bit unusual that is bound to
cause some interest when placed on display.
The decals are imported by Wildcat Models –
see other Top Gun-related items in these
Updates.
 WARPAINT
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U P D AT E S

LEGEND PRODUCTIONS
www.wildcatmodels.com
More samples provided
by UK importer Wildcat Models:
WW2 US Navy Pilot 1/24 (ref.LF2404)
An ideal addition to the 1/24 Airfix Hellcat F-6F,
this resin pilot figure is posed climbing into the
cockpit of the aircraft. The figure is formed of
seven resin components, with separate legs and
arms, which will allow some adjustment to get a
realistic pose again the model. The uniform and
equipment carried are accurate for the period
and should respond well to careful painting,
being cleanly moulded. A great way to add some
human interest and scale to your model.
WW2 US Navy Pilot 1/18 (ref.LF1802) your model in flight as well. Another beautifully
An ideal addition to the Merit Douglas Dauntless crafted accurate figure from Legend.
or similar 1/18 kit, to help add that human WW2 US Navy Rear Gunner #1 1/18
touch. The figure is in the same pose as the 1/24
(ref.LF1804)
figure mentioned above, with realistic features
Of course you can’t have a pilot in your
and pose. The construction of the seven parts is
Dauntless without a gunner to occupy the rear
simple enough, but this doesn’t mean that detail
has been skimped on, with items such as the seat, and this set fills that vacancy nicely. As with
the other figures in the range the rear gunner is
pilots pistol and chin strap included.
authentically clad in suitable clothing and
WW2 US Navy Pilot #1 1/18 (Ref/LF1803)
equipment. The gunner also comes with two
This seated pilot figure is ideal to occupy the
heads to help provide variation. The figure is
front cockpit on any suitable US WWII navy
formed of ten resin parts so there is some ability
aircraft. The pilot comes with two heads, one
with his goggles up and the other with them to adjust arm and leg position to enable him to
lowered, a bonus for those of us who struggle to fit the gunner’s position perfectly.
paint eyes. A great choice if you want to pose

MODEL ART DECAL
SYSTEM
www.modartdec.com
SNCASE Aquilon Mk 20 and Sea
Fury T.20 1/72 (ref.72/085)
This decal sheet is divided into two
groups, the first covering the licence
built dH Sea Venom during its service
with the French Navy in all over Sea
Blue, with five options in attendance.
1. Aquilon Mk 20 /No.11 Flottille 11F,
Hyeres, France, 1955
2. Aquilon Mk 20 /No.6 Esc. De
Servitude 54S, Hyeres, France,
1955
3. Aquilon Mk.20 /No.23, Esc. De
Servitude 2S, Lann-Bihoue, France,
1959
4. Aquilon Mk 20 / No.2, Esc. De
Servitude 59S, Hyeres, France,
1960
5. Aquilon Mk 20 / No.20, Esc. De
Servitude 10S, Hyeres, France,
1961
The second half is dedicated to
Hawker’s Sea Fury T.20 two seat
training version with seven options
for this often overlooked aircraft.
1. VX280 / 85 A Hawker owned
aircraft entered in the
1949 National Air Race
2. VX300 / 274 / LM of 766 NAS at
RNAS Lossiemouth during 1951
3. VX287 / 210 / JA of 1831 NAS at
RNAS Stretton during 1950
4. VX308 / 201 / CW of 738 NAS at
RNAS Culdrose during 1951
5. VZ345 / 202 / CH of 1832 NAS at
RNAS Culham during 1951
6. VZ364 / 200 / HF of the IF Flight at
Hal Far, Malta during 1954
7. WE823 / 851 of the Southern Air
Division RNVR seen
at RAF Benson during 1956.
The instruction sheet provides one
side of diagrams for each aircraft with
clear and detailed information
regarding painting and decal
placement as well as other notable
points and features to enable an
accurate replica of the aircraft in
question to result. The decals
themselves are beautifully printed
with sharp demarcations between
colours and minimal carrier film.
Avro Anson Mk I 1/48 (ref.48/014)
If your interest in Avro Ansons
extends to those in French service or
you have a hankering to build the
new 1/48 Airfix kit but want to
produce something less mainstream
then this decal sheet is ideal for you.
Providing five different aircraft, this
sheet comes with all of the markings
you need to create something
special.
1. EG280 / 21, Escadrille d’Outre-Mer
EOM 82 ‘Niger’ BAMKO (A.O.F)
1947, Armee de l’Air
2. Serial unknown / 22, Escadrille de
Police & Securite EPS 82 ‘Niger’
BAMKO (A.O.F) 1946, Armee de l’Air
3. 56.S-32, Escadrille de Servitude 56S
BAN LARTIGUE (Algeria) 1950,
Aeronautique Navale
4. LT831 / 56.S-37, Escadrille de
Servitude 56S BAN LARTIGUE
(Algeria) 1947, Aeronautique
Navale
5. 52.S-33, Escadrille de Servitude 52S
Ecole du Personnel Volant BAN
LARTIGUE (Algeria) 1947,
Aeronautique Navale
The decals are of superb quality and
are accompanied by an instruction
sheet full of detail and information to
enable an accurate French Anson Mk
I to be constructed.

TOPNOTCH MASKS
www.topnotchmasks.com
P-51D Mustang ‘Top Gun’
Insignia, 1/48
This set of masks allows the
application of all of the markings
found on Kiss Me Kate, the personal
P-51D of Tom Cruise, as seen in the
film Top Gun: Maverick by allowing
the modeller to airbrush the
majority of the colour scheme in
actual paint rather than using
decals. Formed of thin laser-cut low-
tack vinyl the masks come with a
complete set of placement
instructions, although if you feel
that you need further guidance
there is plenty of advice to be found
in the downloadable guide too.
Whilst it’s immediately noticeable
that the afore mentioned legend
Kiss Me Kate is missing from the
masks, this nose art isn’t actually
present on the aircraft during the
course of the film and so the mask
set is 100% correct. The set also
includes the masks needed for the
invasion stripes and stars and
bars too.
It may take a little longer to use
masks and paint to apply the
various markings found on the
aircraft but you will be rewarded
with a finish free from any carrier
film or silvering as well as one that
conforms to any panel lines and
curves. Nothing looks ‘painted on’
more than paint after all. It is well
worth checking out the huge range
that TopNotch have on their website
as they cover a vast range of aircraft
and scales, allowing a great many
camouflage schemes to be applied
with the minimum of effort.

88 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
U P D AT E S

SCALE AIRCRAFT
CONVERSIONS
www.scaleaircraftconversions.com
New product for April 2023:
48434 F-35A Lightning II Landing
Gear (Tamiya)
48435 EMB-314 Super Tucano
Landing Gear (HobbyBoss)
48436 EMB-312 Tucano Landing
Gear (HobbyBoss)
48437 Yak-9D/T Landing Gear
(Zvezda)
AERO RESEARCH
www.aeroresearchcds.com
The new photo CD for May from
Aero Research is USN/USMC A-4
Skyhawks Pt.8. This CD has 155
high-resolution photos of the
popular Skyhawk from 1958 to the
1990s, in a wide variety of colour
schemes.
Also new for this month is a new
book, JetStar, The First Business Jet.
This book, available only in a
digital version, covers the history
of all JetStar variants and includes
the most
complete
and accurate production list
published to date. The book also
provides 220 photos of JetStars,
for those modellers unsure of how
to paint their kit.

LACI
www.laci-ltd.uk
A new name to this reviewer, we have been
encouraged to check out this manufacturer’s
website and can recommend it to any modellers Mignet Flying Flea.
of civil aviation. The company offers a growing We look forward to further updates from this
range of 1/144 resin engines and dropped flaps, source.
as well as a couple of interesting kits of the

BUNNY FIGHTER CLUB
www.blackbirdmodels.co.uk
Check out the full range of ‘Bunny Lady’ kits
and T-shirts, featuring the Tempest Mk V from
Bfc. Membership gets you a 15% permanent
club discount at Eduard’s online store, access to
unique Club kits and accessories, and even
better prices at Eduard’s trade stand at shows
and events. Membership also gets you a Club
T-shirt with unique design and special barcode
(used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt
will be only available to the members of BFC.
On top of all this you’ll get free entry at
Eduard’s annual E-day show, for both days, and
you’ll still get the entry kit.
Join now at www.eduard.com/bfc/
 U P D AT E S

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3 pc £7.80 5 pc £11.50 100/65 teeth 1 pc £3.60 100/65 teeth 2 pc. £6.30 100/65 teeth 5 pc.£13.50 have" types - 3 pcs £7.80 100/65 teeth 5 pc.£11.00

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Address your orders to: Guideline Publications, 6 Kensworth Gate, 200-204 High Street South, Dunstable, Beds LU6 3HS
Telephone: 01582 668411 Email: kim@guidelinepublications.co.uk

www.guidelinepublications.co.uk
MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 91
BOOKS

Title: South China Sea 1945 of combat actions the outcome of which The author engages
Task Force 38's bold carrier have been greatly affected by the use of with informative text that
rampage in Formosa, Luzon, aviation resources. This title looks at the US is coupled with a well-
and Indochina Navy’s carrier force raid on the island of chosen selection of period
Luzon and surrounds, which held a large photographs whilst the
Author: Mark Lardas (Author),
force of Japanese aircraft that would prove Illustrations and maps help
Irene Cano Rodríguez
a huge barrier to the forthcoming battles bring both the air and sea
(Illustrator) closer to the Japanese mainland. The book elements of the battle to life,
Publisher: Osprey Publishing follows the format of previous titles in the adding clarity to the fog of
ISBN: 978 1 4728 5311 0 series, with the actions being presented to war. This book makes for a fascinating study
Format: Softback the reader in chronological order, whilst the of an often overlooked arena of the Second
248mm x 184mm 96pp tactics used in this aggressive and daring World War and certainly for those wishing to
www.ospreypublishing.com action are well documented and explained. accrue knowledge of the war in the South
Needless to say the use of Hellcats, Helldivers, China Sea without undertaking a period of
T he Air Campaign series of books by Osprey
have managed to encapsulate a number
and Avengers features highly adding an
element of inspiration for the modeller.
intense study this book is ideal due to its
accessibility and format.

Title: Airframe & Miniature No.20:
The Avro Lancaster (including
the Manchester)
Part One - Wartime Service
A Complete Guide to the RAF's
Legendary Heavy Bomber
Author: Richard A. Franks
Publisher: Valiant Wings
ISBN: 978 1 91293 217 7
Format: Softback
297mm x 210mm 272pp
www.valiant-wings.co.uk
T he legendary Airframe and Miniature
series returns with an equally legendary
subject, that of the Avro Lancaster and family.
Obviously it would be near impossible to do
just service to the Lancaster in one volume
and so Valiant Wings have split the subject
over two massive volumes, the first part
covering the Avro Manchester and Lancaster
B Mk I, II, III and VI in RAF service during WW2.
Those that have read one of these tiles before
will find themselves in familiar territory, with
the large preface section explaining the
period leading up to the production of the
Avro Manchester, the type’s introduction into
service coupled with the urgent need for the
more capable Lancaster and its following
development into the various subtypes
covered in the book as well as the various
users of the aircraft.
The camouflage and markings chapter brings
its range of colourful profiles to explain the
development of the different marking
schemes for each variant. A whole chapter is
dedicated to the huge number of relevant kits
that have been produced over the years in
every scale, explaining the various features
and issues of each kit to help the modeller
select the most useful to them. A selection of
kits is built by Steve A Evans to help illustrate
the possibilities open to the more capable
model maker. I always find the Building a
Collection chapter a source
of temptation as each
variant and sub variant is
presented in an isometric
drawing detailing the
differences between each.
The In Detail section
brings a dissection of the
Lancaster in both
photograph and
drawing to help add detail to any
model, with only your skill being the limiting
factor. The book is rounded off with a listing
of every conceivable kit, accessory, and decal
produced as well as a huge bibliography
should you feel you need to follow this
volume up with more reading on the
Lancaster. All of this is topped off with a set of
detailed fold out 1/72 plans. A worthy
addition to the library of anyone considering
a Lancaster build and one that you would be
hard pressed to better. Richard A Franks has
produced another monument to aviation
modelling.

Title: Westland Whirlwind series, this in-depth look at the Whirlwind undercarriage for
in WW2 (Wingleader includes a collection of one hundred and those looking to
twenty photographs along with a series of six add extra detail.
Photo Archive 19).
colour profiles accompanied by highly Neil Robinson has
Author: Neil Robinson informative ‘Modellers Notes’. Being based created the
Publisher: Wing Leader around contemporary photographs the book perfect
ISBN: 978 1 90875 731 9 brings an ideal reference to the modeller as it accompaniment to
Format: Softback reflects the aircraft in both its prototype and any Westland Whirlwind build,
295mm x 210mm 72pp service forms, depicting the wear and tear regardless of the scale. The reader is left in no
www.wingleader.co.uk that could be found. The photographs are doubt that a huge amount of research has
annotated and captioned to present the best been undertaken in the production of this
possible value from each example, explaining
T he excellence of the Wingleader Photo
Archive series brings us a superb guide to
the twin engine Westland Whirlwind. Utilising
the different systems and features of the two
main versions of the Whirlwind. This includes
book, combined with a great deal of passion
alongside some superb images, which have
been reproduced in fine definition. A highly
the effective format of other books in the detail images of the cockpit and recommended reference.

Title: Supermarine Spitfire Mk IX around a select collection of one hundred different wing types
(Wingleader Photo Archive 20) and twenty period photographs, which are used as well as
intended to provide the ultimate historical interior detail from
Author: Simon W. Parry
walk around of this popular aircraft type. This the cockpit to the
Publisher: Wing Leader means honest period images showing the gun bays and
ISBN: 978 1 90875 732 6 sort of detail that we modellers devour engine. The most
Format: Softback alongside highly informative and well-crafted controversial
210mm x 300mm 72pp captions and text. Where special attention is section will be
www.wingleader.co.uk required the photographs are annotated to that on invasion stripes with
help clarify matters further. In addition a straight lines on the aircraft shown being the

T iming is everything and Wingleader have

managed to perfect theirs with the release
of this new title in the Photo Archive range
coinciding with the arrival of Airfix’s new 1/24
Spitfire Mk IX. As with the other titles in the
series, this A4 landscape book is based
series of six full-colour profiles of an
interesting selection of Spitfire Mk IXs is
included. These are given a check list of
features to help the modeller to ensure that
their recreation of that particular aircraft is as
accurate as possible. The book covers the
rarity rather than the norm. Whilst the
obvious kit is the Airfix 1/24 offering this book
would make for the perfect companion to any
Spitfire Mk IX build and as such it is given a
most hearty recommendation as a very
necessary addition to any Spitfire library.

92 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
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www.guidelinepublications.co.uk
IPMS UK
IPMS UK
By John Tapsell
Back in 2012, Scale ModelWorld was graced with a Royal Navy Lynx for
the weekend, arranged by Airfix as part of their launch for the 1/48 scale
Lynx Helicopter.
Landing the Lynx in the rear car park looked
straightforward, but I'm sure it wasn't.
A
s IPMS enters into its sixtieth year, it is
perhaps worth taking a look back at how
the Society and the hobby has changed in
that time.
From our humble beginnings in 1963, located
in a hostelry in North London, IPMS has grown as
an organisation, and more importantly as a
concept, to span the globe. The original Society
was a single entity based firmly in the UK.
Indeed, for the first year of our existence we
were the British Plastic Modellers Society. Early
interest from the USA saw a rapid change to the
title we still use today – the International Plastic
Modellers Society.
Inevitably, in those far off days before the
Internet and easy global communication,
national interests coloured our development
and caused tensions with those outside the
'home' nation. This led eventually to a decision
to form separate national organisations. Those
early growing pains put in place a vibrant and
varied IPMS family that now encompasses some
60 separate national bodies around the World.
Each of those groups has a separate and distinct
identity, but each retains the fundamental aim of
promoting and supporting the hobby of scale
modelling – they just do it in a way that works
best in their own countries.
As IPMS grew and developed, so too did the
wider hobby. Many of our older manufacturers
have long since disappeared – Merit, Frog, Pyro,
Matchbox, and Peerless to name but a few. Many
new ones have arrived to take their place – and
from many new places too.
I well remember the East European and
Russian kits of the 1970s and 1980s, often of
poor quality but of exotic and interesting
subjects. With the end of the Cold War in the
early 1990s, a new wave of East European
94 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
Getting the Lynx in and out of the exhibition halls was a job for a select
crew from IPMS.
manufacturers began to creep into the global
market. Then too, the explosion of Asian
manufacturers began to appear, pushing the
established Japanese manufacturers off their
dominant position in the world market. In that
time, the overall quality, variety and
sophistication of the humble plastic kit has
moved on in leaps and bounds and yet, some of
those earlier kits are just as good today as some
of the latest releases - old doesn't always mean
bad.
Allied with the vast expansion of the plastic
kit market has been the growth in the
aftermarket industry. Early 1/76 scale polyester
resin kits, home cast and delivered in used
cigarette boxes, gradually gave way to larger,
more sophisticated models from more serious
manufacturers. Photoetch has become the norm
rather than the exotic, as has the habit of
purchasing aftermarket sets almost as an
essential to finishing any model (not that I'm
convinced of the latter, but maybe I'm just
showing my age).
The latest innovation of course is the
development of 3D printing over the past ten
years. The quality and range of products
available to modellers has increased
dramatically and with the cost of a good quality
hobby printer now within the reach on many
modellers, the growth in the sale and
distribution of print-ready files that you can print
on your own machine has also increased
dramatically. Many aftermarket manufacturers
now routinely create a 3D printed master from
which they can cast multiple resin copies. From a
geeky computer curiosity, the world of 3D
printing has become almost mainstream. This
will inevitably be the future of scale modelling
but whilst in theory anyone can now create
anything they need, the reality is that unless you
A night
departure
on Sunday,
followed
by a transit
back to
Yeovilton.
have, or are willing to learn CAD skills yourself,
the bulk of these files and products will be
produced by a dedicated band of modellers
whilst the rest of us with limited time, drawing
skills and finances will realise our limitations.
So where will this leave IPMS? You could argue
that we will lose our relevance in this
increasingly connected world of social media,
instant messaging and custom manufactured
parts, but then again, perhaps we are just as
relevant now as we were back in 1963. It's still all
about the 'by modellers, for modellers' mantra –
we just need to develop as our fellow modellers
discover new ways of enjoying their hobby. We
have to grow. We have to change gradually as
the hobby does. We need new blood. We need
new ideas and if our steadily increasing
membership is a barometer of that, then we
should be well on our way down that route.
IPMS is not about imposing an ideal on others.
It's about embracing the enthusiasm that
modelling creates. Holding rigidly to a set of
standards and values that worked fifty years ago
would never work and neither should it do so.
IPMS is growing and changing because that's
what its membership wants it to do. It is
reflecting the wider hobby and appealing to a
new generation of modellers. There will be
friction from time to time as each generation
gives way to the next, but that is the inevitable
consequence of belonging to a dynamic
organisation that is developing to address the
needs of those members.
I believe that IPMS is here for the long term.
I've seen it grow and change during my
membership (a mere thirty-five years) and I fully
expect it to continue developing for the next
thirty-five too. Why not join us and be a part of
that story?
SHOW DIARY
2023 UK SHOWS By Geoff Cooper-Smith of 580 Modellers
A
nother six shows added to the calendar this month
(although due to the space available all may not be visible
as yet), even though we are over a quarter of the way
through the year already. The 17th September is becoming a stand
out date, with three shows now occurring on this date – Keighley
in the North, Wings N’Things in the East (which is where 580 will
2023 Shows
29 April (Saturday) Scottish Nationals
& 30 April (Sunday) Dewars Centre, Glover Street, Perth. PH2 0TH
Contact via: Scotnats.org
29 April (Saturday) South Downs Model Show
Bohunt School, 65a Broadwater Road,
Worthing. BN14 8AH
Contact: info@southdownsmodelgroup.org.uk
14 May (Sunday) De Havilland Aircraft Museum Model Show
Salisbury Hall, London Colney,
Hertfordshire. AL2 1BU
Contact: Levy250@hotmail.com
20 May (Saturday) Mildenhall Scale Model Club Show 2023
The Jubilee Centre, Mildenhall. IP28 7HG
Contact Ian Christmas at: ifc1976@btinternet.com
21 May (Sunday) IPMS Gloucester Model Show 2023
Churchdown Community Centre, Parton Road,
Churchdown. GL3 2JH
Contact Jeff Brown: gundylunch@sky.com
03 June (Saturday) IPMS Salisbury Scale Model Show
Wyvern St Edmund’s Sports Hall, Church Road,
Laverstock. SP1 1RE
Contact: salisburymodelshow@outlook.com
04 June (Sunday) Northern Model Show (IPMS Tyneside)
Parks Sports Centre, Howdon Road,
North Shields. NE29 6TL
Contact Rob Sullivan: robsullivannms@gmail.com
10 June (Saturday) The White Rose Figure World North 2023
The Galtres Centre, Easingwold,
near York. YO61 3AE
Contact Nic Burden on 07986 619234
10 June (Saturday) Shepway Military Modelling Club Show
Hawkinge Community Centre,
Heron Forstal Avenue, Folkestone. CT18 7FP
Contact Tony Thunder:
shepway_mods @hotmail.co.uk
11 June (Sunday) Barry War Museum Model Show
Station Approach Road, Barry,
South Wales. CF62 5TH
Contact: email-info@barrywarmusem.co.uk
17 June (Saturday) Ipswich Model Show (IPMS Ipswich)
Ipswich & District Indoor Bowling Club,
136 Rushmere Road, Ipswich. IP4 4JU
Contact Graham Lovell: g55lovell@outlook.com
17 June (Saturday) East Neuk of Fife Model show
Cupar Old Parish Centre, Short Lane,
Cupar. KY15 5EQ
Contact Bruce Pert: foto@btinternet.com
18 June (Sunday) MAFVA Nationals
The Burgess Hall, Westwood Road,
St Ives. PE27 6WU
Contact: liaison@MAFVA.net
96 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
be) and Blue Lamp in the Midlands.
The intention is to keep the list of model shows as up-to-date as
possible so please contact Geoff Cooper-Smith at
580Modellers@gmail.com or on 07841 417680 to ensure your event
receives the promotion it deserves.
25 June (Sunday) West Anglia Scale Model Show
(West Norfolk IPMS)
Littleport Leisure Centre, Camel Road,
Littleport, Ely. CB6 1EW
Contact: stevegregory8026@gmail.com
25 June (Sunday) Coventry & Warwickshire 2023 Model Show
Midland Air Museum, Coventry Airport,
Baginton. CV3 4FR
Contact Paul Redfern: cwipms2019@gmail.com
01 July (Saturday) Hailsham & District Model Club Scale
Model Show
Eastbourne Sports Centre, Cross Levels Way,
Eastbourne. BN21 2UF
Contact: info@hailsham-district-scale-model-
club.org
09 July (Sunday) IPMS North Somerset Show
Helicopter Museum, Locking Moor Road,
Weston-super-Mare. BS24 8PP
Contact: john.annegarn@sky.com
16 July (Sunday) Romsey Modellers Scale Model Show
Crossfield Hall, Broadwater Hall,
Romsey. SO51 8GL
Contact: tony@romseymodellers.co.uk
23 July (Sunday) IPMS BDAC Model Show 2023
Hangar 1 South, Boscombe Down Aviation
Collection, Old Sarum Airfield, Old Sarum,
Salisbury. SP4 6DZ
Contact Sandy: tufti882@icloud.com
29 July (Saturday) IPMS Dundee Annual Show & Competition
& 30 July (Sunday) The Boomerang Centre, 10 Kemback Street,
Dundee. DD4 6ET
Contact: gordon.short@tiscali.co.uk
30 July (Sunday) The Essex Modellers’ Show
Hosted jointly by IPMS South-East Essex, IPMS
Hornchurch, IPMS Chelmsford and MAFVA Essex at
Hannakins Farm Community Centre, Rosebay
Avenue, Billericay. CM12 0SZ
Contact Jim Smith: wifflesnoop@yahoo.com
06 August (Sunday) IPMS Avon & Lincombe Barn’s combined
Modelling & Wargaming Show
Thornbury Leisure Centre, Alveston Hill,
Thornbury. BS35 3JB
Contact Andy White at: ipmsavon@gmail.com
13 August (Sunday) North Devon Model Show
(North Devon Model Society)
The Park Community School, Park Lane,
Barnstaple, Devon. EX32 9AX
Contact Sera Staples: sera@staplesandvine.com
20 August (Sunday) West Cornwall IPMS – 2023
Hayle Day Centre, Commercial Road,
Hayle. TR27 4PE
Contact: jayforrester1974@gmail.com
 CO M I N G N E X T M O N T H

Coming Next Month A N D F I N A L LY…

I Brengun
n the next issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling the editorial
team present the usual eclectic mix of historical and
reference material, news, reviews, and, of course, the
best in modelling features, both out-of-the-box and A-24B Banshee
beyond. Here are a few of next month’s highlights: By Mike Verier

1
A Texan Takes Time
Isradecal’s T-6A/C
Texan II
By Colin ‘Flying’ Pickett

Kit No: 144020

Scale: 1/144
2 Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Piaggio P.108B Manufacturer: Brengun
Prototype www.rsmodels.cz
Backdated from the
Special Hobby 1/72 kit
By Stephen J Di Nucci

3
Japan’s ‘Blenheim’
A Bristol Blenheim in
Japanese Markings
By Harvey Low

T
he Douglas Dauntless is primarily From the box a passable replica can
famous as a carrier-based dive of course be made. Brengun recognise

4 bomber, but there was however a

Catching the Bus
Airbus 320neo in 1/144
By Ethan Williams
5 a clear (closed) canopy. The tooling
A Poseidon
adventure
BPK’s 1/72 P-8
By Ugur Kenel’
Plus Colour Conundrum, and all our usual
updates on kits, decals, and, accessories, book
reviews, columns, and more.
Please note – this contents list is speculative and the vagaries of deadlines
and print schedules can sometimes result in the magazine’s contents
changing later in production.
land-based variant. Known as the A-24
Banshee it was produced in limited
numbers, serving with the Army Air
Corps, the Free French, and Mexico.
Brengun have added this to their range
of Dauntless variants, which now runs
to four different boxings of the same
model.
The basic kit, tooled by Jach, is
accurate in outline and has some
twenty-eight parts in grey plastic plus
includes alternative cowlings to cater
for differing variants, undercarriage, a
rudimentary interior, and appropriate
bombs. The detail is cleanly executed
with the vital perforated dive brakes
clearly marked (but not pierced) on a
one-piece wing.
This tooling is the same in all
boxings, the primary difference being
very nice decals typically covering two
or three different machines, in this case
Bar Fly operated by the 407th BG at
Amchitka in 1944 and a D Day-striped
Free French machine from GCB 1/16
Vendee. Both are Olive Drab over
Neutral Grey.
that many modellers would like the
option of more detail and accordingly
have released a PE and resin upgrade
set (ref. BRL144166) and a pair of
vacform canopies, open or closed (ref.
BRL144170) for those who would like
to take it further. Thankfully Peewit
have also produced a canopy mask (ref.
M144030 - worth every penny in saved
time and difficulty), which of course
works for either the kit or vacform
canopies. Although not designed for it,
all of these will also work on the
surprisingly good old Revell tooling if
you have one.
The best justification for the
photoetch is the perforated dive
brakes, a distinctive feature of the type
that can only really be done in etched
brass. The set also includes resin
replacements for the engine, wheels
and bombs, but not the cockpit or rear
gun mount – perhaps a separate detail
set in the future?
For further reading on the A-24 –
and all other Dauntless variants – the
new Warpaint title by Kev Darling will
be available soon.

MAY 2023 • VOLUME 45 • ISSUE 03 97

NEW DECALS Moskito/Jagdgeschwader JG 300 1944 RLM 74/75/76; Black << Heinz Bar
1/JG 77, yellow under nose, white tail band RLM 74/75/76; Grey <<
26 Decals
Gunther Specht 1944 yellow tail band RLM 74/75/76 £9.99
STS44277 1:144 Re-printed! Braniff International Douglas DC-8-51 & DC-8-62 £13.80
BN14402 1:144 Mercury Blue Douglas DC-8-62 £13.20
Lima November
BN14403 1:144 Ultra Corvette Blue Douglas DC-8-62 £13.20
Aircraft decals (civil)
BN14404 1:144 Ultra Perseus Green Douglas DC-8-62 £13.20
LN44654 1:144 DDL Danish Air Lines Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condor Part 2 with
BN14408 1:144 Ultra Mercury Blue Boeing 727-200 £13.20
window masks £9.99
BN14409 1:144 Ultra Corvette Blue Boeing 727-200 £13.20
LN44655 1:144 DDL Danish Air Lines Focke-Wulf Fw-200 Condor Part 1
BN14410 1:144 Ultra Perseus Green Boeing 727-200 £13.20
with window masks. £9.99
LN72-572 1:72 DDL Danish Air Lines Focke-Wulf Fw-200C-4 Condor Part 1
Berna Decals
with window masks £14.99
BER32083 1:32 Dassault Mirage IIIE Armee de l'Air (Air Army) Part 3: 13-QA N°482 - LN144-D01 1:144 Royal Danish Air Force Lockheed C-130H in the old colour scheme £9.99
EC 1/13 'Artois' - BA 132 Colmar 1977, 3-IJ N°505 - EC 1/3 'Navarre' - LN48-D12 1:48 Royal Danish Air Force Lockheed C-130H in the old colour scheme £17.99
BA 133 Nancy-Ochey 1979-81 £14.60 LN48014 1:48 DDL Danish Air Lines Focke-Wulf Fw-200C-4 'Condor' Part 1.
BER48007 1:48 Vought F4U-7 French Corsair, Indochina, Egypt, Tunisia (3 schemes) £9.70 OY-DAM x 3 and OY-DEM £17.99
BER48039 1:48 Vought F-8E(FN) Crusader French flotille 12F in the 90 LN48015 1:48 DDL Danish Air Lines Focke-Wulf Fw-200C-4 'Condor'
+ 2 special schemes £11.30 Part 2. OY-DAM x 3 and OY-DEM £17.99
BER48155 1:48 Dassault Mirage IIIE Armee de l'Air (Air Army) Part 3: 13-QA N°482 -
EC 1/13 'Artois' - BA 132 Colmar 1977, 3-IJ N°505 - EC 1/3 'Navarre' - Model Art
BA 133 Nancy-Ochey 1979-81 £13.80 MA4814 1:48 Avro ANSON Mk.I (2) Armee de l'Air: Escadrille de Police et de
BER72045 1:72 Re-printed! Dornier Do-335, Heinkel He-162 and Focke-Wulf Securite EPS 82 'Niger' & Escadrille d'Outre-Mer EOM 82 'Niger' in
Fw-190A-5/Fw-190A-8 in French colours (9 schemes) £8.99 A.O.F. (French West Africa) Aeronautique Navale: Escadrilles de
BER72131 1:72 Dassault Mirage IIIE Armee de l'Air (Air Army) Part 3: 13-QA N°482 - Servitude 52S & 56S (Algeria) £12.00
EC 1/13 'Artois' - BA 132 Colmar 1977, 3-IJ N°505 - EC 1/3 'Navarre' -
BA 133 Nancy-Ochey 1979-81 £8.99 MA7285 1:72 Royal Navy: Hawker SEA FURY T.20 - National Air Race (1949), 738
NAS, 766 NAS, 1831 NAS, 1832 NAS, IF Flight (Hal Far) & Southern Air
House Of Phantom Decals Division RNVR (Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve) Aeronautique Navale:
HOPD48003 1:48 USAFE McDonnell F-4E Phantoms of the 26th TRW / 86th TFW at SNCASE AQUILON Mk.20 - Flottilles 11F & 16F, Escadrilles de Servitude
Ramstein AB,Germany Over 15 marking options, inlcuding early hard 2S, 10S, 54S & 59S £12.00
wing F-4Es with short gun muzzle, as well as SEA, SEA-wraparound and
EURO 1 painted aircraft. Stencils for two aircraft. £29.99 Techmod
TM48130 1:48 Stripes for Lozenge schemes. £7.20
Lifelike TM72113 1:72 Re-printed! German WWI 5 colour Lozenge. Upper and lower
LL48017 1:48 Messerschmitt Bf-109E/Bf-109G Part 3. (4) E Black A+- surfaces. 2 sheets £7.20
Oblt Hesselmann JG/26 France 1940 RLM 02/71/65; G White 1 10(N) TM72164 1:72 Stripes for Lozenge schemes.. £7.20

NEW KITS Miniwing-Plastic

Hasegawa MINI357 1:144 BAC Strikemaster / Oman 1 kit
A & A Models
HA02305 1:72 Heinkel He-111Z-2 Zwilling with bagged, 1 decal version £7.50
AAM7221 1:72 Dassault Mirage IVP with
Bv-246 HAGELKORN £89.99 MINI358 1:144 BAC Strikemaster / Singapore
ASMP missile £29.70
1 kit bagged, 1 decal version £7.50
Hobby 2000 MINI359 1:144 Aero L-159A ALCA / Czech AF +
A-Model
H2K32009 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf-109E-3 Desert Draken 4Q/2022 1 kit boxed, PE,
AMU72179 1:72 Yakovlev Yak-50 and Yakovlev Legion Condor Dragon £43.40 2 decal versions £13.50
Yak-52 - 'Flieger Revue' Display Team. £19.70 H2K48012 1:48 Henschel Hs-129B-2 North Africa £28.99
AMU72357 1:72 Da-42 MPP Guardian £31.99 H2K48022 1:48 Mikoyan MiG-29 German Air Force Planet Models
AMU72376 1:72 Da-42 VI £31.99 (ex Academy) £27.20 PLA21148 1:48 GAL-48 Hotspur Mk.II RESIN KIT £59.20
H2K48023 1:48 Mikoyan MiG-29 Polish Air Force
Aim Fan Model (ex Academy) £27.20 RS Models
AIM7201 1:72 Heinkel He-60C/D floatplane with H2K72062 1:72 Douglas A-1H Skyraider RSMI92144 1:72 North-American P-51H
beaching trolley £47.99 (ex Hasegawa) £26.40 Mustang USAF £14.99
H2K72063 1:72 Douglas A-1J Skyraider RSMI92148 1:72 North-American P-51H Mustang
Airfix (ex- Hasegawa) £26.40 Air National Guard £15.80
AX09007A 1:72 Avro Lancaster B.III (SPECIAL) RSMI92196 1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-II and
'THE DAMBUSTERS' £46.99 IBG Models North-American P-51H Mustang £24.99
IBG72532 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw-190D-9 Marienburg RSMI92208 1:72 North-American NA-64 'Yale' £17.99
AML (Late Production) £22.50 RSMI92282 1:72 Kawasaki Ki-60 £17.99
AML72027 1:72 Fiat G.50 Finnish version with
resin skis £14.99 ICM Smer
AML72047 1:72 Fiat G.50 Freccia over Italian Skies. £14.99 ICM32039 1:32 WWII training biplanes (Bucker SM72-895 1:72 Polikarpov Po-2 'Wheels'
AML72051 1:72 Fiat G.50 Freccia over Spanish Skies. £14.99 Bu 131D, de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth (USSR, Finland) ex-KP/KOPRO £8.20
AML72053 1:72 Fiat G.50 Freccia over Finland £14.99 and Stearman PT-17 £99.80 SM72-896 1:72 Polikarpov Po-2 'Skis'
ICM48229 1:48 Junkers Ju-88A-4 with German (USSR, Yugoslavia) ex-KP/KOPRO £8.20
AMP Ground Personnel and Torpedo Trailers £69.80 SM72-897 1:72 Polikarpov Po-2 'Korean War'
AMP144009 1:144 Airbus A310-300 Pratt & Whitney (decals for North Korea and China)
Delta Air Lines & Fed Ex £51.99 Italeri ex-KP/KOPRO £8.20
AMP144010 1:144 Airbus A310-300 Pratt & Whitney IT1438 1:72 Fiat CR.32 Freccia. £16.99
Pan American £51.99 IT1468 1:72 Fairchil AC-119 Stinger £44.99 Sova-M
SVM-72028 1:72 Gates Learjet 35A
Aviator Kovozavody Prostejov (1982 Falkland war) £34.99
Figures (injection) KPM72101 1:72 de Havilland DH-88 Comet in RAF & SVM-72038 1:72 Grumman HU-16B 'Albatross'
AVI001 1:48 Imperial Japanese Army Aviation Foreign Service. Decals for E-109 flying boat (USAF) £49.99
pilot figures. 10 figures/10 poses. £11.99 (probably) French Air Force 1939; K5084 SVM-72048 1:72 Learjet C-21A jet utility aircraft £34.99
AVI002 1:48 Imperial Japanese Navy Aviation Royal Air Force 1939; CS-AAJ Portugal
pilot figures. 10 figures/10 poses. £11.99 1939 £ 15.40 Special Hobby
KPM72104 1:72 de Havilland DH-88 Comet SH48209 1:48 Saab SK-37 Viggen Trainer £59.60
AZ Model "Prototype & Racers" £15.70 SH48227 1:48 Airspeed Oxford Mk.I 'Gunner Trainer' £41.60
AZM7822 1:72 Heinkel He-162A-2 'Post-war' £14.80 KPM72190 1:72 Piper L-4 Grasshopper with SH72367 1:72 Curtiss P-40D Warhawk/Kittyhawk
AZM7837 1:72 Heinkel He-162D-9 'Luftwaffe '46' £14.80 Bazookas 'Rosie The Rocketeer' Mk.I 'Four Guns' £15.80
AZM7838 1:72 Heinkel He-162S-2 'Trainer Jet' £14.80 'Lucky Pierre' and 'Buzz Bomb' £15.70 SH72465 1:72 DB-8A/3N 'Outnumbered & Fearless' £17.99
AZM7839 1:72 Heinkel He-162S-9 'V-tail Jet' £14.80 KPM72236 1:72 Cessna C-180 'Civil'
(UK, Czech Rep., USA) £16.70 Sword
Eduard kits KPM72315 1:72 Airco DH-9A 'Over Iraq' £18.99 SW72116 1:72 Republic RF-84F Thunderflash
EDK11171 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2-N Rufe KPM72316 1:72 Airco DH-9A 'In Australian Service' £18.99 4 markings; Italy, Belgium, USAF, and
DUAL COMBO £59.99 KPM72370 1:72 Cessna C-180 'Special markings' £16.70 Netherlands £16.99
EDK7055 1:72 Mikoyan MiG-15UTI SW72146 1:72 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
ProfiPACK edition £16.30 Lukgraph 3 markings for : USAF, Italian Air Force,
EDK8209 1:48 Messerschmitt Bf-110C LUK3239PRM 1:32 Royal_Aircraft_Factory Be.2E/F Royal Netherland Air Force £17.99
ProfiPACK edition £32.70 Premium Edition RESIN KIT £233.99 SW72147 1:72 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
EDK82183 1:48 Z-326/C-305 Trener Master LUK3240 1:32 Hansa Brandenburg type NW - 4 markings for : USAF, France, Belgian
ProfiPACK edition £26.50 standard version RESIN KIT £206.99 Air Force, Luftwaffe £17.99
EDK84117 1:48 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 LUK3240PRM 1:32 Hansa Brandenburg type NW -
Weekend edition £20.30 premium version RESIN KIT £249.99 Valom
EDK84187 1:48 Hawker Tempest Mk.V Series VAL14424 1:144 Bristol Scout D Double Set £16.20
2 Weekend £23.60
 A & A Models AML Eduard kits ICM Kovozavody Prostejov
AAM7221 1:72 Dassault Mirage IVP AML72047 1:72 Fiat G.50 Freccia EDK11171 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2-N ICM32039 1:32 WWII training biplanes KPM72104 1:72 DH-88 Comet
with ASMP missile £29.70 over Italian Skies £72.00 Rufe DUAL COMBO £59.99 £99.80 "Prototype & Racers" £15.70

NEW ACCESSORIES (Italeri) £46.70 CMK4459 1:48 2000 Lb Bomb AN-M66A2

AIRE2268 1:32 Lockheed F-104A/C Starfighter equipped with Conical Fin Assembly
Aerobonus (by Aires) wheel bay (Italeri) £24.99 M130 (2 pcs.) £7.90
Figures (resin) AIRE4886 1:48 Dassault Rafale C/M
QAB320174 1:32 USAAF WWII Bomber cockpit set (Hobby Boss) £28.70 Eduard
Crew (8th Arma) £12.70 AIRE4887 1:48 RA-5C Vigilante 3D printed decal
QAB480238 1:48 Russian Female Aerobatic Pilot £9.70 exhaust nozzles – early (Trumpeter) £30.50 ED3DL48113 1:48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair (Hobby Boss) £9.20
QAB480239 1:48 German WWII Pilot & Radio man for AIRE4888 1:48 Dassault Rafale exhaust nozzles ED3DL48114 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2-N Rufe (Eduard) £7.99
Fokker G-1 (Mikro-Mir) £14.80 EXHAUST (HobbyBoss £26.60 ED3DL48115 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter
AIRE4889 1:48 F-4B/F-4N/F-4C/F-4D Phantom II Model 21 (Academy) £7.99
AIM - Ground Equipment exhaust nozzles (Zoukei-Mura) £26.60 ED3DL72013 1:72 Lockheed U-2C (HobbyBoss) £5.99
GE32078 1:32 Eurofighter Typhoon tow bars ED3DL72014 1:72 Mikoyan MiG-15UTI (Eduard) £9.20
-two-pack, with wheels up and down. £18.00 AML Aircraft detailing sets (etched)
GE48071 1:48 BAe Hawk Towbar with wheels up Aircraft conversions (resin) ED23038 1:24 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc landing
and down £12.60 AMLA32033 1:32 Bell Airacobra Mk.I, AH574 for flaps (Airfix) £23.60
GE48078 1:48 Eurofighter Typhoon tow bars-two- Royal Navy tests (Special Hobby) £8.40 ED23039 1:24 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IXc engine
pack, with wheels up and down for use AMLA32034 1:32 Fieseler Fi-156C-3 Nachtschlacht & undercarriage (Airfix) £23.60
with the AIM-Ground Equipment kit of (Hasegawa) £8.40 ED481104 1:48 Consolidated B-24D Liberator bomb
the RAF F-59 medium tractor. £12.60 AMLA72085 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw-58B/C Nachtschlacht bay (Revell) £32.70
GE72071 1:72 BAe Hawk T.1 Towbar £9.00 with bomb racks ETC 50 (Azur, Fromm and ED481105 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter
GE72077 1:72 Tucano tow bars-two-pack, with Special Hobby) £10.80 Model 21 landing flaps (Academy) £14.40
wheels up and down. £9.00 AMLA72086 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw-58B/C Nachtschlacht ED491340 1:48 Mil Mi-8MT (Zvezda) £26.50
GE72078 1:72 Eurofighter Typhoon tow bars-two- with MG 17 (Azur, Fromm and ED491342 1:48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair (HobbyBoss) £18.80
pack, with wheels up and down. £9.00 Special Hobby) £10.80 ED491344 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter
GE72097 1:72 C-130 Hercules Tow Bar for use with AMLA72087 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw-58B/C Nachtjager Model 21 (Academy) £18.80
Airfix/ Italeri kits and the AIM-Ground with MG 131 (Azur, Fromm and ED491346 1:48 Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat (Eduard) £23.60
Equipment kit of the RAF F-396 large Special Hobby) £10.20 ED491347 1:48 Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat (Eduard) £23.60
tractor. £7.20 AMLA72088 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw-58B/C Nachtjager ED72730 1:72 Grumman F-14B Tomcat exterior
GE72103 1:72 Fairey Gannet tow bar £6.30 with four MG 17 (Azur, Fromm and (Academy) £16.30
GE48097 1:48 C-130 Hercules tow bar for use with Special Hobby) £10.20 ED73799 1:72 Lockheed U-2C (HobbyBoss) £14.40
theItalerir kit and AIM-Ground Equipment AMLA72093 1:72 de Havilland Mosquito NF.XII / ED73800 1:72 Grumman F-14B Tomcat (Academy) £17.50
kit of the F-396 large tractor. £10.80 NF.XIII with A.I. Mk.VIII radar nose for EDFE1340 1:48 Mil Mi-8MT (Zvezda) £16.30
GE48103 1:48 Fairey Gannet tow bar. (Airfix) of the Mosquito F.II/VI-conversion set (Tamiya) £5.50 EDFE1341 1:48 Mil Mi-8MT seatbelts (Zvezda) £5.99
Fairey Gannet AS.1/AS.4 £9.00 AMLA72095 1:72 Messerschmitt Bf-110D/Bf-110E/ EDFE1342 1:48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair (HobbyBoss) £9.20
Aircraft conversions (resin) Bf-110F/Bf-110G full Radar aerials EDFE1343 1:48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair seatbelts
TWC72040 1:72 Supercharged Gipsy Queen engines conversion FuG £10.20 (HobbyBoss) £5.30
- for Dove-7/8 & Devon C2 - £12.60 AMLA72096 1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw-58B/C EDFE1344 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter
Nachtschlacht (Azur, Fromm and Model 21 (Academy) £14.40
Aims Special Hobby) £7.30 EDFE1345 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter
AIMS72P009 1:72 Junkers Ju-88A-0 conversion £9.00 Model 21 seatbelts (Academy) £5.99
AIMS32P42 1:32 AB 500 containers x2 £12.60 Barracuda Studios EDFE1346 1:48 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 Weekend
AIMS48P038 1:48 2x AB500 containers £7.20 Aircraft detailing sets (resin) (Eduard) £9.20
AIMS48P039 1:48 Junkers Ju-88A-0 conversion BCR32494 1:32 McDonnell F-4 Phantom Rudder EDSS800 1:72 Grumman F-14B Tomcat (Academy) £11.99
(Special Hobby Ju-88C-4) £25.50 Pedals. (Tamiya) £5.99 Aircraft paint masks (self adhesive)
AIMS32P44 1:32 Hk 19 German hand held camera £3.80 BCR32495 1:32 McDonnell F-4 Phantom EDCX645 1:72 Mikoyan MiG-15UTI (Eduard) £5.99
AIMS48P041 1:48 HK 19 German Hand Held Camera £2.70 Rudder Pedals - USAF £7.99 EDCX646 1:72 Lockheed U-2C (HobbyBoss) £5.30
AIMS48P044 1:48 Ju 88 late war long range fuel tank BCR32496 1:32 Douglas A-4 Skyhawk 20mm EDCX647 1:72 Grumman F-14B Tomcat (Academy) £7.20
set 2x 900 Ltr tank, 2x 600 Ltr tank, Cannon Barrels £5.99 EDEX934 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2-N Rufe
2x LAST III ETC racks £9.00 BCR72493 1:72 BAC Lightning (canopy masks) (Eduard) £7.99
AIMS72P010 1:72 2x AB500 containers for any aircraft £3.80 Landing Gear Set (Airfix) £15.99 EDEX935 1:48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair (HobbyBoss) £7.20
AIMS72P012 1:72 HK 19 German hand held camera x1 for any BCR72488 1:72 Fw 190A-6 thru A-9, F, D EDEX936 1:48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair
aircraft £1.80 Main-wheels - Ribbed.. £6.50 (canopy masks) (HobbyBoss) £9.20
AIMS48P042 1:48 BMW 801 flame dampers - for any BCR72489 1:72 Fw 190A-6 thru A-9, F, D EDEX937 1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter
German aircraft using BMW 801 engines Main-wheels - Smooth. £6.50 Model 21 (canopy masks) (Academy) £9.20
at night - enough for 2x engines £3.80 EDEX938 1:48 De Havilland Mosquito B Mk.IV /
AIMS48P043 1:48 BMW 801s engines for Dragon CMK/Czech Master Kits PR Mk.IV (canopy masks) (Tamiya) £11.99
Ju-88 kits £18.00 3D printed resin EDEX939 1:48 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4 (Eduard) £5.99
129-P48005 1:48 Hawker Tempest Mk.II Engine
Aires (Centaurus) (Special Hobby Eduard Brassin
Aircraft detailing sets (resin) and Eduard) £24.80 Aircraft detailing sets (resin)
AIRE2267 1:32 Panavia Tornado GR.4 wheel bay Aircraft detailing sets (resin) ED634032 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf-109G-4 (Revell) £29.70

RS Models Micro-Mir RS Models Special Hobby Sword

RSMI92208 1:72 North-American NA-64 'Yale' MM48-020 1:48 de Havilland DH.112 Venom RSMI92093 1:72 Lightning P-322 SH72463 1:72 Gloster Meteor Mk.8/Mk.9 IAF SW72139 :72 North-American FJ-3/FJ-3M Fury
£17.99 £44.99 £24.99 £22.50 £17.99
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