YOU NEED THIS MAGAZINE!

INDONESIAN THUNDER
Conversion of
Trumpeter 1/48
Su-30 MKK

NIGHT OWL
Revell’s 1/32 Heinkel He 219 A-0/A-2 Night Fighter

CIVIL WINGS EYE OF THE HURRICANE

Italeri 1/48 Hawker
Australia’s Ansett Hurricane Mk.1
Airlines DHC-4A
Caribou in 1/72

QUICKBUILDS:
APRIL 2018
Vol 24 Issue 4 £4.75

1/144 Meteor NF 11/12/14

1/72 Ilyushin Il-10

FIRST LOOKS:
Revell Ju-88 “Technik”
Zoukei-Mura F-4C Phantom II
Printed in UK

Dora Wings Gee Bee

Airfix’s B-25 Mitchell

001-Cover-0418.indd 1 09/03/2018 14:47

Shesto-0418-WP.indd 1 09/03/2018 15:57
 1/48
MiG-21PFM in North
Vietnamese service

Limited edition

April 2018 www.eduard.com #11115

One-stop shopping for modellers

Order online at www.hannants.co.uk
Kits of the Month No.1
for Mail Order
We stock the largest ranges
of plastic, resin and vacform
kits, accessories and
conversions, photo-etch
sets, paints, airbrushes,
tools ands books. Everything
under one roof from
ICM Academy to Zvezda. We
specialise in decals and
ICM32002 1:32 Polikarpov I-16 type 28 WWII Soviet Fighter ...........................................................£32.99 stock ALL available sheets
ICM32030 1:32 Bucker Bu-131D WWII German Training Aircraft (100% new moulds) .....................£29.99 from just about every
manufacturer in existence.
ICM48245 1:48 Dornier Do-17Z-7 WWII German Night Fighter .........................................................£27.99
We carry over 50,000 items
ICM48261 1:48 Heinkel He-111H-3 WWII German Bomber ..............................................................£33.99 from all over the world.

UK Distributors for MPM, Eduard, IBG, Bronco, Kittyhawk, Kinetic and many more.
If it’s advertised or reviewed in this magazine try us first. We probably have it in stock now.
Mail Order: Hannants London:
(all major credit cards accepted) Unit 2, Hurricane Industrial Estate, Grahame Park Way, Colindale,
Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR32 3LZ England London NW9 5NQ Next to the RAF Museum, Hendon
UK local rate number: 0845 130 72 48 Tel: 020 8205 6697
Tel: 01502 517444 (8 lines), Fax: 01502 500521 Email: colindale@hannants.co.uk www.hannants.co.uk

Hannants-0418-1|2.indd 1 07/03/2018 16:43

003-Ads-0418.indd 3 09/03/2018 15:59

 Scale Aviation Modeller International
WELCOME April 2018 • Volume 24 • Issue 4

It’s Show Time Club, and it’s nice to sit and will be flying off the trader stands effort and, in some cases, the
chat with club members, from over the next few months. large financial risk to put on a
both ours and other clubs, for In addition, at many shows show, whether as a member of
a whole day rather than just you have the competition, which a club putting on a display or as

T
he evenings are getting
lighter, and all over the
northern hemisphere
modellers are emerging from
their winter hibernation.
However, winter hibernation is
probably the most productive
time in modelling terms.
By October many modellers
have built up a stash of kits and
accessories to see them through
the winter months, and many, like
me, are probably adding to stashes
built up over many years – that
would already need a decade of
permanent winters to put a dent in!
But from March to May the
show season kicks off in many
countries with a vengeance, and
in April I do not think I have any
weekend when I am not visiting
a show somewhere in the UK.
In my case, many of the
shows will be visited with the
Milton Keynes Scale Model
a few hours once a month.
Of course, it’s also a chance
to show off your latest project
to the world. I know our stand
always looks a lot fresher
with the additions from the
winter building program.
For many visitors to these
shows it is also a chance to restock
on supplies, as in most states,
provinces, cantons, counties,
etc, the day of the model shop
is long gone, and even the most
basic modelling supplies need to
be purchased in advance. As for
exotic items, like decal setting
solutions, this is the only chance
you get without having to pay
postal charges on top of the price
of that must-have project.
Then of course there are all
the kits that have come out since
the last big show. I’m sure that
large quantities of 1/48 Airfix Sea
Furys and Revell P-51 Mustangs
gives many modellers a chance to a casual visitor to the show.
test their models against others’. Have a look at the back page
Though I have never been a pot for a list of all the shows around
hunter, there are many whose the United Kingdom, and if your
only motivation for modelling show is not there, please drop me
is to enter competitions. But a line. It costs nothing to advertise
be warned – shows are under your event, and of course, if you
threat, and many are walking a see me at a show please say hello.
very fine line, even though this But until then sit down
season seems a lot busier than and enjoy the latest edition
in recent years. In recent years of your magazine.
the cost of hosting a show has
increased quite considerably. David Francis, Editor
Using my club’s ModelKraft david@sampublications.com
show as an example, over the last
few years our costs have risen to
over £3000 per event, and every
year we have to decide if the
club can afford another year.
These comments are true
for all nations with an active
modelling population, so I urge
all readers around the world
to support your local clubs,
which have taken the time and

26 Ilyushin Il-10
Fly Models 1/72 Ilyushin
Il-10 by Roman Schilhart

12 Messerschmitt Built For Two?

Eduard 1/48 Bf-109G-6 Erla Weekend
Edition by Floyd S. Werner, Jr.

4 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

004-05-Contents-0418.indd 4 09/03/2018 16:29

 CONTENTS
1/32 HE 219 A-0/A-2
BY
BYSACCO DE
ANGELO VRIES
PICARDO
NIGHT
OWL
Revell 1/32 Heinkel He 219 A-0/A-2 Night
fighter by Angelo Picardo
T
he Heinkel He 219 was
the Luftwaffe’s first, and
only, purpose-built night
fighter, and featured a number
of advanced features, such as
compressed air-powered ejector
seats for its two-man crew. It was
also heavily armed, with up to
six forward firing cannons, and
in later variants, two Schräge
Musik upward-firing oblique
cannons. As a twin-engine,
tricycle undercarriage, twin-
fin aeroplane it was also an
aesthetically pleasing machine.
Revell’s kit of the He 219 has
been out for a few years now; this is
a re-release, and includes parts to
build the earlier A-0 variant, which
features smaller radar antennas and
a differently profiled rear canopy.
The kit comes in Revell’s
standard end-opening box and
contains fourteen light grey
sprues and two clear sprues. The
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
6 Night Owl
Revell 1/32 Heinkel He 219 A-0/A-2
Night Fighter by Angelo Picardo
68 Frustrated Freighter
Hobbycraft 1/72 Ansett Airlines DHC-4A Caribou by Paul Crawley
HAWKER HURRICANE MK.1
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
JAY BLAKEMORE
In the eye of the
HURRICANE
Italeri 1/48 Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 by Jay Blakemore
HURRICANE SEASON
D
evotees of the Hawker
Hurricane Mk.1 have
been spoilt of late,
with three1/48 state-of-the-
art kits appearing in quick
succession. The most recent
release is that by Airfix, and it
has already been proclaimed
by some reviewers as the most
accurate model of the type in
any scale. Italeri and Tamiya
have also released newly-tooled
editions of the same aircraft.
All three kits feature finely
engraved panel lines and are
beautifully detailed, but they each
offer slightly different features
to entice the modeller. The Airfix
kit includes two Battle of Britain
colour scheme options, a lavishly
detailed cockpit, and the option
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
18 In the Eye of the Hurricane
Italeri 1/48 Hawker Hurricane
Mk.1 by Jay Blakemore
1/144 METEOR NF 11/12/14
BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
HUW MORGAN
ILD
QUICKBU
A Small-scale
NIGHT
KIT DETAILS
48 Photo Scrapbook
KIT: GLOSTER METEOR NF12
MANUFACTURER: 1/144TH.CO.UK
SCALE: 1/144
FIGHTER
PRODUCT CODE: 44007
PANEL LINES: RECESSED
NO OF PARTS: 16 RESIN
TYPE:RESIN
STATUS: NEW TOOL
DECAL OPTIONS: 2
1/144th.co.uk 1/144 Meteor NF 11/12/14
by Huw Morgan
I
n Vol. 23, Issue 4 of SAMi
we published the build of
Shuttleworth Model Show, February 2018
a pair of resin models (the
Boulton Paul P.111 and the Avro
707) from this new company,
and were pretty pleased with the
results. Things have moved on,
and 1/144th.co.uk have a brand
new issue of a Meteor Night
Fighter, which at Scale Model
World we were able to snaffle
for review; the new kit comes as
potentially NF 11, 12, or 14 options.
Development of the family
of Meteor Night Fighters was
an expedient solution to the
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
30 A Small-Scale Night Fighter 48 Photo Scrapbook
1/144th.co.uk 1/144 Meteor
NF 11/12/14 by Huw Morgan
30 A Small-Scale Night Fighter
1/144th.co.uk 1/144 Meteor
NF 11/12/14 by Huw Morgan
Subscribe
DHC-4A CARIBOU
1/72 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
PAUL CRAWLEY
see page 40
FRUSTRATED
FREIGHTER
Hobbycraft 1/72 Ansett Airlines DHC-4A Caribou
by Paul Crawley
A
lthough I mostly build
civil aircraft, I have
always loved the look of a
“Bou”, the rugged yet graceful de
Havilland Caribou. In the 1980s
I loved to see the Army National
Guard fly them over my home
from nearby Dobbins Air Reserve
Base in Marietta, Georgia (USA).
My desire to one day build a
“Bou” came alive about ten years
ago when I discovered a 1/72 set of
Ansett–M.A.L. Airlines markings
by Underworld Decals of Australia.
Once I had those in hand, I found
one of Hobbycraft’s 1/72 scale RCAF/
UN DHC Caribou Transport kits.
This past July I finally dragged
both out of my stash and thought
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
68 Frustrated Freighter
Hobbycraft 1/72 Ansett Airlines
DHC-4A Caribou by Paul Crawley
ALSO INSIDE
35 The SAM news
42 First Looks
• Zoukei-Mura 1/48
F-4C Phantom II
• Revell 1/32 Ju-88A-4
(Technik Range)
• Airfix 1/72 B-25 Mitchell
• Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee R-1
004-05-Contents-0418.indd 5
grey parts feature some very fine
details, including recessed panel
lines and panel fasteners. There
is some flash and a few mould
ejector marks in awkward places,
but the rather long fuselage
halves are free of any warping.
The instruction booklet is in
Revell’s new colour format, with
twenty-seven pages covering
seventy-seven assembly stages,
and colour painting guides for three
schemes. Colour callouts are for
Revell’s own paints, though they are
cross-referenced to RLM colours.
CONSTRUCTION
Stages One to Thirteen of the
instructions covers the assembly
of the two-seat cockpit. Out of the
box, a very highly detailed cockpit
can be built, featuring raised
detail on the various instrument
panels and consoles. Numerous
of displaying the fully-detailed,
wing-mounted gun-bays.
The other two kits include an
optional engine, a detailed cockpit,
and a lavish “super decal sheet”,
printed by Cartograph and featuring
six colour scheme options: four
Battle of Britain machines, one
Malta-based aircraft, and one Irish
example. They also include a useful
A5 photographic reference booklet.
Additionally, if you purchase
the Tamiya release you get a
separate decal sheet with a seventh,
Finnish Air Force scheme, and
three standing RAF crew figures.
It certainly seems that there has
been a change in the weather and
that Hurricane season is upon us.
Having lately been embroiled
in a couple of protracted modelling
projects, I decided I wanted
capability gap which opened up
between the ageing Mosquito
night fighters and the availability
of the truly all-weather Gloster
Javelin. Realising that bringing
the Javelin to production status
would take some time, Gloster hit
on the idea of adding air intercept
radar to the existing two-seat
Meteor T7 trainer. With the parent
company fully occupied with other
Meteor versions and the Javelin,
development of the Night Fighter
was farmed out to Armstrong
Whitworth, the first of the family
(the NF11) flying in December 1948.
I could do a nice, simple build.
But then I saw how basic the
Hobbycraft kit is, found out about
some aftermarket improvements,
and decided to open up the cargo
bay doors and do a complete,
scratch-built cargo interior. So
much for the “simple” build.
THE PLANE
Online research lead me to Caribou
VH-BFC, a DHC-4A purchased from
de Havilland by Ansett in 1965 after
it had been leased for three years to
the Swedish Air Force. One source
claims Ansett paid $595,000 for
it (about $4.6 million in today’s
dollars). Ansett apparently wanted
decals are provided for instrument
dials and data placards, and they
settle down perfectly over the
raised areas, only requiring care
and precision in applying them.
The two ejector seats are nicely
detailed, but they do feature
moulded-on seat belts. To improve
the finished look of the seats, I used
Eduard’s new pre-coloured steel
etched belts, kindly provided by
“THE FINISHED MODEL BUILDS INTO
A FITTING MINIATURE MEMORIAL
TO THE BRAVE YOUNG PILOTS WHO
FLEW THE AIRCRAFT IN ANGER”
something quick and simple to
build, and choosing the Italeri
Hurricane seemed to fit the bill.
Moulded in a fairly soft, pale grey
plastic, Italeri’s Hurricane Mk.1
comprises just 93 grey parts, nine
clear parts, and a small metal
fret that includes the pilot’s
harness, two canopy handles,
and the instrument panel.
The A5 reference manual
has 35 pages of colour and
monochrome photographs that
include close-ups of such details
as the propellers, exhaust stacks
and intakes, radiator internals,
gun bays, cockpit, and wheel bays.
There are no photographs of the
engine or engine bay though,
which I felt was something of
an oversight, considering that
the kit includes a representation
KIT DETAILS
TYPE: ITALERI HAWKER HURRICANE MK.1
KIT NUMBER: 2705
SCALE: 1/48
PARTS COUNT: 102
DECAL OPTIONS: 6
THE KIT
144th.co.uk’s new kit is presented
as 16 reasonably cast resin parts,
with thin attachments for the
casting blocks. Our sample was
an early production version, so
it suffered from the fuselage
mouldings being attached to their
casting blocks across the joint
faces, making clean up difficult.
Despite the inclusion of a pretty
representative cockpit interior (see
later), the only option for a canopy
in our kit was a solid resin item
with decals for the glass; there was
no mention of the cockpit in the
rather simplified instructions in
our box. However, the upcoming
options do look much better, and
144th.co.uk has informed us that
future kits will include clear resin
The kit contents are well-packed in a
substantial box, which is identical for all three
variants offered
A late addition to our early-production kit was a cast resin
cockpit tub, complete with seats and instrument panels.
Future kits may have metal cockpits
the aircraft’s STOL potential to help
reach remote airstrips in Papua,
New Guinea. Unfortunately for
them, Australia’s Department of
Civilian Aviation wouldn’t authorize
the plane’s STOL use, even though
RAAF military Caribous could use
it. Ansett sold this Caribou in 1969.
FIXING THE KIT
To call Hobbycraft’s Caribou kit
“simple” is no overstatement.
The cockpit is not only pretty
sparse, but it’s also incorrect and
very noticeable through the huge
greenhouse canopy. The wing
dihedral is also too level, but thanks
to some online research of build
reviews and many helpful tips, I was
able to lay out a plan to correct those
failings and to add a lot of extras.
To help bring my “Bou” to life, I
the Editor, which greatly enhanced
the appearance of the seats.
As there are three clear panels
covering the circuit breakers, the
starboard cockpit wall panel is
provided as a clear part, so careful
masking is required to protect the
clear covers during painting. A
decal is provided to fit
on the rear of the part
to simulate the circuit
breakers themselves,
which is a real nice touch.
of the Rolls Royce Merlin.
The A4 instruction booklet
consists of 15 pages of clearly
drawn, black and white
illustrations. Construction
naturally begins with the cockpit
and proceeds through 16 stages
and several sub-stages. There
is a single-page fret map to aid
in part location, and six pages
feature the colour schemes
and decal placement. These
latter pages are also in black
ITEMS USED
AIRES HAWKER HURRICANE MK.1 COCKPIT SET: 4543
AIRES HAWKER HURRICANE WHEEL BAY: 4542
QUICKBOOST HURRICANE EXHAUST: QB48423
MONTEX MINI MASK: SM48340
canopies, cockpits cast in resin
and metal (to act as nose weight),
improved gating for the fuselage,
and re-written instructions.
The kit’s decals look to
be excellent, and if previous
experience is anything to go by,
should be easy to use (144th already
produce a separate decal sheet
covering a raft of RAF airframes).
The kit we received
offers two schemes:
• 85 Squadron WS593, RAF Church
Fenton 1958 (dark green/medium
sea grey/dark sea grey).
• 264 Squadron WS604, RAF
Middleton St George 1957 (dark
green/medium sea grey).
The wings have reasonable engraved detail, although
the trailing edges are very thick; the one-piece moulding
precludes any thinning without serious loss of detail
The fuselage halves are actually rather delicate
and need careful removal from their pour blocks,
whose location leaves the joint faces a bit ragged
Radar operator’s
panel, detailed with
the kit’s decals
Completed cockpit
tub looking aft
Completed cockpit
tub looking forward
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
and white, but there are colour
illustrations of the scheme
options in the reference manual.
THE COMING STORM:
AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES
I seem to be in the habit these days
of trawling the internet looking
for aftermarket goodies for the
kits I have accumulated in my
model stash, and then buying them
without having ascertained if those
kits actually require
them or not (more
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
CONSTRUCTION
With no set running order, I
started the construction with the
wings. These are provided as a
one-piece central section, plus
lower outer sections containing
the lower halves of the engine
nacelles. Separate outer panels
contain the upper nacelles.
There are two parts to each
engine, including a finely cast rear
jet pipe. However, simply gluing
the engine parts together and
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE
AFTERMARKET COCKPIT KIT
SINCE THE “OFFICE” IS SO
VISIBLE ON THIS AIRCRAFT”
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 5
1/32
Pilot’s instrument panels,
detailed with the kit’s decals
1/48 BY
BF-109G-6 ERLA
BYSACCO DEWERNER,
FLOYD S. VRIES JR.
A MESSERSCHMITT
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
12 Messerschmitt Built For Two?
Eduard 1/48 Bf-109G-6
Erla Weekend Edition by
Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
1/48
ILYUSHIN IL-10
1/72 BY
BYSACCO
ROMANDE VRIES
SCHILHART
QUICKBUILD
Ilyushin
IL-10
money than sense, I hear you cry).
But kit manufacturers these days
seem to be packing more detail
into their newly-tooled releases,
and very often those aftermarket
sets seem superfluous once the kit
parts are examined more closely.
Such was the case with Italeri’s
Hurricane. Upon opening the
nicely illustrated box I discovered
that I had purchased two Aires
sets, one containing a beautifully
detailed resin cockpit and another
containing a very nice single-
piece wheel bay. Lying at the
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
26 Ilyushin Il-10
Fly Models 1/72 Ilyushin
Il-10 by Roman Schilhart
1/144
SHOW REPORT
Shuttleworth Model Show
18th February 2018
T
hough quite a small show
the quality of models
on display were first
rate including a large number
fitting them in the nacelles will lead of very impressive dioramas
to an elementary error, just like that I had never seen before.
mine! The engine body/jet pipe is These drew the attention of not
significantly longer than it needs only modellers but
to be for the nacelle, and used as-is members of the public
would put the engine front face far
too far forward. Anyone with much
who were just visiting
the Shuttleworth PHOTO
SCRAPBOOK
of an understanding of Meteor collection and found the
architecture will realise that the
representations of the wing carry-
through on the engine should line
up with the wing leading edges.
I suspect that the engine might
need some reduction in diameter
if it’s to be positioned correctly.
With the error not spotted until
later, the upper wing sections
were superglued on, precluding
any remedial surgery. The fit
isn’t great, and one of the nacelle
fronts was a bit oval, needing
several applications of super glue
to build up the section, and some
careful carving of the mouth to
bring it closer to circular. More
super glue was used to fill the
rather ragged horizontal joints,
and De Luxe Products Perfect
Plastic Putty was used to blend
the wing-to-nacelle joint.
The fuselage halves need some
care in removing them from their
pour blocks, the thin sections
making them somewhat delicate.
The separate nose (to accommodate
There are engine front faces and rather
nice hollow-cast jet pipes. Here I’m about
to commit mistake #1 with the placement
of the front faces too far forward
The hollow nose was filled
with Deluxe Liquid Gravity as
a defence against tail sitting
48 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
Shuttleworth Model
Show, February 2018
1/72
SU-30MK
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
KITTI TATSUMAKI
Indonesian
THUNDER
Conversion of Trumpeter’s Su-30MKK to an Indonesian MK
by Kitti Tatsumaki
SPONSORED
FEATURE
74 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
74 Indonesian Thunder
Conversion of Trumpeter’s
Su-30MKK to an Indonesian
MK by Kitti Tatsumaki
52 Accessories
58 Decals
62 Reviews
78 Books & Media
82 Back Page
Built For Two?
Eduard 1/48 Bf-109G-6 Erla Weekend Edition by
Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
THE SUBJECT
F
ollowing the surrender of
Rumania to the Allies, the
POWs in Rumania were
seeking a way to be repatriated. Lt.
Col James Gunn was the highest
ranking POW in Rumania and he
was attempting to get them back.
According to Air Force
Magazine: “Gunn was approached
by Capt. Constantine Cantacuzino,
who offered to fly him to Italy
in the belly of a Bf-109. Captain
Cantacuzino was commander of a
Romanian fighter group that had
been flying for the Luftwaffe. He
also was Romania’s leading ace and
a member of the royal family. The
risk of this venture was not slight.
If they were downed by German
Fly Models 1/72 Ilyushin Il-10 by Roman Schilhart
Photographs by Wolfgang Rabel
THE SUBJECT
I
n autumn 1943, the Ilyushin
design bureau developed a
replacement for the Ilyushin
Il-2 ground attack aircraft. The
new type, called the Il-10, was
a much cleaner design with
better flight characteristics and
less aerodynamic drag, making
its first flight in April 1944.
Offensive armament remained
the same as on the Il-2, with two
wing cannons and a defensive
gun position in the back of the
cockpit. The aircraft had two
bomb bays located just inboard
of the landing gear bay, and
could also carry two externally
model show in the engineering
and restoration hanger.
What more could you ask for
plenty of good quality models
on display as well as one of the
best vintage aircraft collections
in the country?
I
n all its versions, the Sukhoi
Flanker is one of the most
beautiful modern airplanes
in service. Even though it is big
and heavy, its actual performance
never fails to amaze me.
Trumpeter has made one of the
best 1/72 scale Flanker families
on the market, with a near perfect
fit and amazing details in every
kit. I have built many variants
of the Trumpeter SU-30MKK,
Su-27, and Su-33, and I have
thoroughly enjoyed each one.
Since the shape of the MKK and
the MK are not much different, I
decided to modify Trumpeter’s
1/72 Su-30MKK Flanker-G
#01659 to an Su-30MK of the
Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU).
The Indonesian Air Force Su-
30MK is probably one of the less
popular Flankers, but I love its
camouflage patterns, so I decided
to give it a shot. My model was
going to represent Su-30MK, TS-
3001 of the 11th Squadron (“The
Thunders”), Indonesian Air Force,
based in Sultan Hasanuddin AFB,
Makassar in South Sulawesi. For
this build I used Indonesian Air
Force decals from the Hi-Decal
or American fighters or by flak,
or had an engine failure, it would
be curtains for Gunn, locked in
the aft fuselage of the Bf-109.
There were no maps of Italy
available, so Gunn drew from
memory a map of the southeast
coast of the country and an
approach chart for his
home base at San
Giovanni Airfield.
He wanted Captain
Cantacuzino to fly on
the deck to avoid German radar,
but the Romanian, who did not
have complete confidence in his
engine, held out for 19,000 feet,
which would test Gunn’s tolerance
to cold and lack of oxygen.
As an added precaution, they
mounted bombs on wing racks.
While its predecessor, the
Il-2, was often seen with rockets
under the wings, these were not
used on the Il-10. The first Il-10s in
European skies were those assigned
to the 108th Guards Assault Aviation
Regiment in early 1945. The new
aircraft saw only limited service
in Europe before the war ended,
but it was used in far greater
numbers on the Manchurian front
against the Japanese, and later
during the Korean War, carrying
on with the Soviet Air Force and
its allies until the mid-1950s.
Between 1944 and 1954 a total
of 4,966 aircraft were built.
Line, plus some extra detailing
add-ons, such as photo-etch parts
from Dream Model, which included
canopy details, cockpit details,
instrument panels, engine intake,
exhaust nozzles, and ladder sets.
THE BUILD
For the cockpit and instrument
panels I used pre-coloured photo-
etch from Dream Model; the details
on this set is remarkable, and are
easy to fit as well. I removed the
clear parts from Trumpeter’s HUD
and replaced them with thin clear
film, which looks more precise and
has a more accurate scale effect.
After finishing the cockpit, I
modified the main wings’ flaps
to show them in the lowered
position, to give a more interesting
and realistic look to the model.
I attached both the upper and
lower fuselage with Tamiya
thin cement, and after some
putty and sanding, the fuselage
assembly was done and it was
time to move to the next stage.
I started by assembling the
nozzles, using Dream Model
etch set DM0544. I spent 4 hours
had a large American flag painted
on both sides of the fuselage. While
that was being done, Cantacuzino
drew Gunn aside and told him
their plan to take off early the next
morning had become widely known
and might be compromised. As
soon as the painting was finished,
Cantacuzino produced heavy flying
gear for Gunn, stuffed him through
an 18-inch-square access door
THE KIT
Until the release of Fly Models’
Ilyushin Il-10 there was only one
contender, the Kopro kit from the
1980s. The new mouldings from
Fly reflect the latest technology,
having finely recessed consistent
panel lines and good detail both
inside and out. Due to its short-run
nature, however, some of the parts
need adjustment to make them fit.
At the time of writing, the
kit has been released in three
different boxings, “Soviet Service”,
“Korean War”, and “Post-War”.
My review sample was the Soviet
Service (72035) version, which
contains markings for four Soviet
Air Force aircraft from 1945 to
1956. There are two sprues of
plastic, one clear sprue, and a
resin block containing various
small parts, such as antennas,
landing gear arms, and exhaust
stacks. These are beautifully cast,
but must be treated carefully (I
broke one of the exhausts and the
building the nozzles, but hard work
always pays off and the result is
worth the effort. With the nozzles
done I turned to the canopy.
I started by removing the centre
moulding lines of the omega-
shaped canopy (a common issue
with injection moulded blown
canopies). I started by removing
the moulding line with a new
scalpel blade, very gently scraping
along the seam. Next, I started
sanding, working from 1000 grit
down to 4000, then used Tamiya
polishing compounds to restore
“THE UNIQUE AMERICAN
MARKINGS MAKE THIS
AIRCRAFT REALLY STAND OUT
IN MY COLLECTION
OF 109S”
into the fuselage (from which the
radio had been removed), locked
the door, and took off at 5:20 p.m.
on Aug. 27. The two-hour flight
was completed without incident,
though the Bf-109’s engine began
to run rough over the Adriatic.”
So with that type of motivation
loop antenna as I was removing
them from the casting block!).
All clear parts are transparent
and without distortions, as they
should be (even so, I dipped them
in Alclad Gloss for some additional
protection and that extra shine).
The light brown plastic runners
have sprue gates extending
onto the mating surfaces of
parts, while some of the smaller
parts suffer from mould seams,
which need to be scraped away
with a sharp scalpel blade.
There have been a few comments
regarding the kit’s accuracy on
various online forums. It
seems that the nose is
undersized in vertical
dimensions, and both top
and lower engine cowling
Sponsored by AK Interactive
www.ak-interactive.com
I had to build this aircraft. The
Eduard Weekend Edition of the
Erla-built Bf-109G-6 was released,
so why not use it to create this
historic aircraft? The Weekend
Edition is the mid-level offering
from Eduard, and while it doesn’t
include masks or photo-etch (PE), a
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
should be more convex. The
windscreen sits slightly too high,
and the placement of the exhausts is
not correct either. These issues are
difficult to address as they require
delicate plastic surgery, so I went
ahead without modifications. You
may judge by looking at my build
whether or not these corrections
are really necessary – to my
eyes, it still looks like an Il-10.
CONSTRUCTION
The cockpit consists of 14 parts,
including pedals, side
consoles, defence
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 49
“THE SUKHOI FLANKER IS ONE OF
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MODERN
AIRPLANES IN SERVICE”
a perfect finish. If you work
slowly and with patience, the
moulding line will disappear
like it was never there.
Finally, I scratch-built the
RWR bulges on both wing slats.
These are located 3cm away from
the fuselage and can be seen on
Indonesian Air Force Su-30MKs
and RMAF Su-30MKMs.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 75
09/03/2018 16:30
1/48
1/72
gun, and ammunition boxes for
the rear gunner. Decals for the
instrument panel and consoles
are also provided. I added photo-
etch seatbelts from the spares box
and sprayed the interior Gunze
H307 Grey, picking out details
by hand using Vallejo acrylics.
Once the fuselage halves were
closed, I added the lower wing
section, carefully positioning it
on a scale ruler to get everything
lined up straight. The lower wing
has separate resin air intakes,
one on each side. These are quite
fragile, but have to be inserted
at this stage, along with the
radiator grill on the centre wing.
I did a test run with the upper
wing halves, and this revealed
further problems. When positioned
to fit the wing tip, they did not line
up with the wheel bay bumps, and
were too wide on the fuselage-
to-wing joint. I addressed this
1/48
PAINTING AND DECALING
I masked the canopy and started
the painting process by priming
everything, using AK Interactive
AK175 Grey Primer plastic parts,
and AK757 Black for the photo-
etch. This ensures that the
paints adhere well to the brass
and plastic and helps prevent
the paint from peeling off.
Sometimes, due to air pressure
or humidity, there will be some
annoying primer particles left on
 HE 219 A-0/A-2
1/32 BY
BYSACCO DE
ANGELO VRIES
PICARDO
NIGHT
OWL T
Revell 1/32 Heinkel He 219 A-0/A-2 Night
Fighter by Angelo Picardo
he Heinkel He 219 was
the Luftwaffe’s first, and
only, purpose-built night
fighter, and featured a number
of advanced features, such as
compressed air-powered ejector
seats for its two-man crew. It was
also heavily armed, with up to
six forward firing cannons, and
in later variants, two Schräge
Musik upward-firing oblique
cannons. As a twin-engine,
tricycle undercarriage, twin-
fin aeroplane it was also an
aesthetically pleasing machine.
Revell’s kit of the He 219 has
been out for a few years now; this is
a re-release, and includes parts to
build the earlier A-0 variant, which
features smaller radar antennas and
a differently profiled rear canopy.
The kit comes in Revell’s
standard end-opening box and
contains fourteen light grey
sprues and two clear sprues. The
6 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
006-11-FEAT-He219-0418.indd 6
grey parts feature some very fine
details, including recessed panel
lines and panel fasteners. There
is some flash and a few mould
ejector marks in awkward places,
but the rather long fuselage
halves are free of any warping.
The instruction booklet is in
Revell’s new colour format, with
twenty-seven pages covering
seventy-seven assembly stages,
and colour painting guides for three
schemes. Colour callouts are for
Revell’s own paints, though they are
cross-referenced to RLM colours.
CONSTRUCTION
Stages One to Thirteen of the
instructions covers the assembly
of the two-seat cockpit. Out of the
box, a very highly detailed cockpit
can be built, featuring raised
detail on the various instrument
panels and consoles. Numerous
09/03/2018 15:59

decals are provided for instrument
dials and data placards, and they
settle down perfectly over the
raised areas, only requiring care
and precision in applying them.
The two ejector seats are nicely
detailed, but they do feature
moulded-on seat belts. To improve
the finished look of the seats, I used
Eduard’s new pre-coloured steel
etched belts, kindly provided by
006-11-FEAT-He219-0418.indd 7
1/32
Pilot’s instrument panels,
detailed with the kit’s decals
Radar operator’s
panel, detailed with
the kit’s decals
the Editor, which greatly enhanced
the appearance of the seats.
As there are three clear panels
covering the circuit breakers, the
starboard cockpit wall panel is
provided as a clear part, so careful Completed cockpit
masking is required to protect the tub looking aft
clear covers during painting. A
decal is provided to fit
on the rear of the part Completed cockpit
to simulate the circuit tub looking forward
breakers themselves,
which is a real nice touch.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 7
09/03/2018 15:59
 Cockpit side walls and instrument panels
The Fuselage closed around the cockpit module
The radar operator’s panel is
another finely-moulded piece
with a lot of raised detail. Again,
decals are supplied to detail the
various receivers and transmitters,
and these decals settle down
perfectly over the surface detail.
The Heinkel 219 was fitted with
a fold-down armoured shield in
front of the pilot. On the model,
this can be positioned in either a
raised or lowered position. There
8 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
006-11-FEAT-He219-0418.indd 8
The spars insure a good fit ton the wing to fuselage join
The lump of white metal I initially added to
avoid tail-sitting, which proved to be insufficient
is also an armoured glass panel in
front of the pilot, but I found that
this part required some trimming
to get it to fit the aperture.
The pilot’s gunsight is a one-
piece clear part, which suffers
from thick lenses which have
mould separation lines through
their centre (on my next He 219
I will replace the lenses with
something a bit more to scale).
The overall colour of late-
war Luftwaffe cockpits is a dark
grey, which could create a “black
hole” effect to the cockpit. I have
found that this gloomy effect
can be avoided with careful
highlighting with lighter shades,
and adding some wear and tear,
to provide a very colourful and
interesting looking cockpit.
The nose wheel bay is located
directly below the cockpit and
this was assembled alongside the
cockpit to form one assembly.The
completed cockpit/nose wheel bay
module is attached to the starboard
fuselage half, as are two bulkheads,
which also include two short wing
spars on which to attach the wings.
As this aeroplane has a tricycle
undercarriage, it will require
nose weight to keep it off its tail.
The instructions recommend
90 g of weight, to be placed just
behind the cockpit, so I used a
The two marked spars are removed to fit the flaps
sizeable lump of white metal that
weighed more than recommended;
but as I would discover later,
it was still not enough!
Once the fuselage halves are
closed up, the separate dorsal
panel is added. The join line of
this part runs through numerous
panel lines, so care has to be taken
during its fitting to preserve
the fine detail. The same is
also true of the belly panel.
The front fairing of the belly
panel features the gun ports for the
four forward-firing cannons. Part
F-41 represents the gun muzzles,
but I found the detail on this part
09/03/2018 15:59

to be quite poor: the muzzles
look more ovoid than circular,
they are not hollow, and they
are marred by very heavy mould
separation lines. I replaced the
parts on my kit with four lengths
006-11-FEAT-He219-0418.indd 9
“REVELL’S 219 WAS A
STRAIGHTFORWARD, PLEASANT MODEL
TO BUILD WITH NO MAJOR ISSUES”
of Albion Alloys steel tubing to
better represent the gun barrels.
With the fuselage completed,
my attention turned to the wings.
These large pieces feature separate
control surfaces, and the flaps can
be modelled retracted or lowered.
The wing root-mounted cannon
muzzles are represented by part
G-50, but they have similar issues
to the belly guns, so I replaced
them with more steel tubing.
The engine/undercarriage
nacelles and fairings come in
two halves which are fitted to the
underside of the wings. The fit of
these parts is good, but again the
join lines cut through panel lines,
so unless you are careful they may
be lost during seam clean up.
Stages Twenty-seven and
Twenty-eight cover the inserting
of various intakes, plus lights, to
the wing’s leading edge. The fit of
some of the intakes is a bit off, and I
found that I had to make good with
some filler. There is also a small
error in the instructions:
on the port wing, the
intake labelled H-80
is actually Part E-80.
Once the wings
and nacelles are completed, they
can be attached to the wings by
sliding them over the spars to
form a tight and join-free fit. The
ailerons and flaps are attached
now. The flaps can only be attached
in either the raised or lowered
position, but the ailerons can be
positioned as you like, giving some
nice animation to the model.
When you reach Stage Thirty-
two, you are faced with the fitting
of the wing-to-fuselage fillets,
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 9
1/32
Parts C-93 and C-94. The plans
are rather vague about the precise
positioning of these parts, and
a bit of care is needed in placing
them correctly. I referred to a
number of online references of
both the real aeroplane and of
the completed kit to ensure I
got them in the correct place.
With the wings sorted out, you
can move onto the tailplanes and
fins. Again, all control surfaces
are separate, and they can be
made moveable if you so wish.
Next came the Daimler-Benz
DB 603 power plants. These are
only represented by the annular
radiators, visible through the
cowling fronts (if you want to
open the cowlings, full engines
are available from CMK). Five
pieces are added to the inside of the
cowlings to build up the radiators,
and although they feature some
rather nice detail, most of it will
be hidden from view. The cooling
gills are only provided in the closed
position, but if you want to display
them open, Barracudacast have
produced a very nice set to do this.
The engine cowls fit very
securely onto the nacelles via a cone
09/03/2018 15:59

shaped mount, and now you can
add the four sets of exhausts. The
ends are not hollowed out, but this
doesn’t really matter as the flame
dampers will hide the actual ends.
The tricycle undercarriage
is next. The nose strut comes
in two halves, with the wheel
sandwiched in between, and the
main undercarriage legs are also
moulded as two hollow parts.
The tyres and the wheel hubs
are supplied as separate pieces,
which does make painting a bit
easier. I found that the attachment
of the nose leg to the fuselage
bay was a bit fiddly, as was the
fitting of all the various retraction
struts. Both the nose and main
undercarriage doors are provided
as a one-piece part that requires
cutting to have the gear down.
With the undercarriage on, I
discovered that the nose weight I
had added (as instructed) was not
enough to stop the model from
tail sitting. After a lot of naughty
words had issued forth, I had to
set about rectifying this. The
only real option I had was to add
weight in the engine nacelles, so I
carefully removed the cowling and
its mounting cone and opened up a
hole in the front face of the nacelle.
Into this I poured lead shot until
the model was sitting on the nose
wheel. I then stuffed strips of plastic
bag into the hole to secure the shot
and stop it from rattling around.
The cowling was reattached, and
the model now weighed a lot more
than I expected. Fortunately, the
undercarriage could take the load,
but purchasing a set of SAC white
metal legs would be a very good
option for anyone building this kit.
With the 219 now sitting
firmly on its legs I fitted the crew
ladder in the extended position.
The next stage of the build
involved attaching the canopy,
where the main hood needs to
have the locking mechanism
added. Some care is needed when
attaching these parts, so as not to
damage the transparent parts, as
the contact points are quite small
and the canopy frame is thin.

10 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

006-11-FEAT-He219-0418.indd 10 09/03/2018 15:59


The windshield also needs a lot
of care also when attaching it to
the fuselage; like the canopy,
the contact and frames are
very thin. Note that there
are two types of rear canopy,
depending on which decal option
you are building, so you need to
be careful to use the right one.
Once the canopy is complete
the instructions move on to the
radar aerials. There are three
arrangements of aerials and
mounts, depending on the version
of the aeroplane you are building. As
these assemblies will be extremely
delicate, and very vulnerable to
damage, I left this stage until I
had finished the whole build. I
also left a number of other aerials,
control surface balances, and other
delicate pieces off until after the
paint and decals were applied.
PAINTING AND DECALS
There are three schemes provided,
all featuring a variation of a
basic camouflage schemes using
RLM 75 blotches over RLM 76.
Two of the schemes also feature
the underside of the starboard
006-11-FEAT-He219-0418.indd 11
wing painted in black.
I decided on building an
He 219 A-0 of 1./NJG 1 flown by
Major Werner Streib, based in
Venlow in 1943.This variant
has the smaller radar aerials
and early higher-profile rear
canopy, but not the upward-
firing Schräge Musik system.
On this aircraft the colour
scheme was an overall RLM
76, with small random
patches of RLM 75 covering
the upper surfaces of the
fuselage and wings. I used
Xtracolor enamels for the
RLM colours. These have a
gloss finish to facilitate decal
placement, though I would
still apply a coat of acrylic gloss
before applying the decals.
For the camouflage patches,
I thinned the paint down to a
milk-like consistency and set
my airbrush compressor to a low
pressure. I then spent a pleasant
couple of hours applying random
patches of RLM 75 over the upper
airframe, being careful to keep
them to a similar size and spacing.
With the painting completed,
I could now start the decaling
process. Revell’s decals are
excellent; they are clearly printed
and in excellent register, with good
colour density. The only things
missing are the swastikas (due to
the law in Germany prohibiting
their production). I sourced a pair
from a sheet of generic swastikas
produced by Xtradecal. All the
decals settled down perfectly over
the recessed panel details, with a
little help from Micro Sol and Set.
Once all the decals were
applied – including a large number
of stencils – I added a little
weathering, starting with a wash
of raw umber oil paint to darken
the panel lines. I then applied
streaks of Tamiya smoke to the
exhausts, the gun muzzles, and the
gun shell ejector ports. Once the
weathering was completed to my
satisfaction a coat of Xtracolour
Matt Varnish was applied.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 11
1/32
“REVELL’S DECALS
ARE EXCELLENT;
THEY ARE CLEARLY
PRINTED AND
IN EXCELLENT
REGISTER”
THE FINAL BITS
Once this had dried, I attached all
the various aerials and other small
parts I had left off until the end,
in order to avoid damaging them
while painting and decaling. The
last things to be added were the
aerial wires, using Lycra thread,
and my model was completed.
CONCLUSION
This kit has been around for a few
years now and it has been the subject
of some very in-depth analysis,
reviews, and critiques. I know that
there are issues regarding the shape
of the nose and the panel line layout,
but unless you are a real expert in the
type, these are not glaringly obvious.
The Revell kit provides an alternative
to the Zoukei-Mura’s kit, which
features all the interior details you
could wish for, but at a far higher price.
I found Revell’s 219 was a
straightforward, pleasant model to build
with no major issues that any modeller
with a bit of experience couldn’t deal
with. It is highly recommended.
09/03/2018 15:59
 BF-109G-6 ERLA
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DEWERNER,
FLOYD S. VRIES JR.
A MESSERSCHMITT Built For Two?
Eduard 1/48 Bf-109G-6 Erla Weekend Edition by
Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
THE SUBJECT
F
ollowing the surrender of
Rumania to the Allies, the
POWs in Rumania were
seeking a way to be repatriated. Lt.
Col James Gunn was the highest
ranking POW in Rumania and he
was attempting to get them back.
According to Air Force
Magazine: “Gunn was approached
by Capt. Constantine Cantacuzino,
who offered to fly him to Italy
in the belly of a Bf-109. Captain
Cantacuzino was commander of a
Romanian fighter group that had
been flying for the Luftwaffe. He
also was Romania’s leading ace and
a member of the royal family. The
risk of this venture was not slight.
If they were downed by German
12 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
012-17-FEAT-Bf109-0418.indd 12
or American fighters or by flak,
or had an engine failure, it would
be curtains for Gunn, locked in
the aft fuselage of the Bf-109.
There were no maps of Italy
available, so Gunn drew from
memory a map of the southeast
coast of the country and an
approach chart for his
home base at San
Giovanni Airfield.
He wanted Captain
Cantacuzino to fly on
the deck to avoid German radar,
but the Romanian, who did not
have complete confidence in his
engine, held out for 19,000 feet,
which would test Gunn’s tolerance
to cold and lack of oxygen.
As an added precaution, they
09/03/2018 15:59

had a large American flag painted
on both sides of the fuselage. While
that was being done, Cantacuzino
drew Gunn aside and told him
their plan to take off early the next
morning had become widely known
and might be compromised. As
soon as the painting was finished,
Cantacuzino produced heavy flying
gear for Gunn, stuffed him through
an 18-inch-square access door
012-17-FEAT-Bf109-0418.indd 13
“THE UNIQUE AMERICAN
MARKINGS MAKE THIS
AIRCRAFT REALLY STAND OUT
IN MY COLLECTION
OF 109S”
into the fuselage (from which the
radio had been removed), locked
the door, and took off at 5:20 p.m.
on Aug. 27. The two-hour flight
was completed without incident,
though the Bf-109’s engine began
to run rough over the Adriatic.”
So with that type of motivation
1/48
I had to build this aircraft. The
Eduard Weekend Edition of the
Erla-built Bf-109G-6 was released,
so why not use it to create this
historic aircraft? The Weekend
Edition is the mid-level offering
from Eduard, and while it doesn’t
include masks or photo-etch (PE), a
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 13
09/03/2018 15:59

nice kit can be built without them. I
love both of those items, though, so
I sourced them separately; I think
both are essential and including
them is the reason I think that
the Profipack kits are a bargain.
I searched my decal stash and
found that I had an RB Productions
decal sheet (RBD4801) for this
airplane, so I was set to go.
14 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
012-17-FEAT-Bf109-0418.indd 14
THE BUILD
As is typical, building the
kit starts in the cockpit. The
Weekend Edition cockpit is a nice
representation, with decals being
used throughout for things like
the instrument panel. However,
I didn’t like the look of that, so
since I had a leftover fret of Eduard
pre-painted photo-etch (from
when I used a Brassin cockpit
on a previous Bf109G Profipack),
I employed it on this model.
The cockpit was pre-shaded
with Tamiya NATO Black. This
was over sprayed with Tamiya
Dark Grey. I then added a wash
of lampblack artist oils to the
recesses, followed by a dry-brush
with RLM 02 and silver to add
some wear to the cockpit. Last,
I added some silver pencil and
sponge chipping here and there.
The fit of the pre-painted PE
is perfect; I attached the plastic
instrument panel support from the
kit to the fuselage half and then
added the PE to it. This ensures that
it fits precisely where it is supposed
to. Once it was all together I coated
the entire cockpit with Alclad
Flat before the instrument faces
were given a drop of Krystal Kleer
to replicate the glass faces.
I elected to try the pre-
assembled exhausts and found
that they look really good – maybe
not quite as good as using
the photo-etch parts and
plastic, but certainly
acceptable. With those
added, the fuselage
halves joined up with
no issues whatsoever.
09/03/2018 15:59

Moving onto the wings was
much the same as the rest of the kit
– the fit is perfect. I did have to open
up the hole in the centre for the ETC
rack and the hole for the Brassin
FuG-16 antenna and mount. I was
going to use a Brassin ETC rack and
drop tank, but I wanted the model
012-17-FEAT-Bf109-0418.indd 15
to represent the aircraft after they
landed. All the pictures I could find
did not have the aircraft landing
with the drop tank; the aircraft
took off with one so they must
have dropped it when it ran dry.
A Quickboost set for the
undercarriage bay liners (QB48276)
was used. These look much
better, as they feature the opened
holes in the top of the bay, rather
than showing them as slightly
recessed as in the kit plastic.
The wing-to-fuselage join is the
one place that I wish Eduard had
“THE PAINTING PROCESS STARTS
BY PRE-SHADING WITH TAMIYA
NATO BLACK ON THE PANEL LINES”
done better. They have the aft join
cut into a V shape as opposed to
being on a panel line. This requires
careful assembly and minor
amounts of Super Glue to get it
smooth. I then used a beading tool
to restore some of the fasteners that
were lost in the sanding process.
The tail assembly went
together….wait for it….perfectly.
Before I knew it the model
was almost ready for paint.
I now added the canopy
and masked it off with
the Eduard masks;
these also fit the clear
parts perfectly.
I like to add my
landing gear now, to protect
the flaps and so the model has
something to stand on. This
was easy enough to do. I painted
them prior to adding them and
used Bare Metal Foil Chrome for
the exposed part of the oleo
About this time I noticed
something that I had overlooked: I
had the wrong canopy arrangement
on my model! The Rumanian
aircraft had been fitted with an Erla
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 15
1/48
Haube style canopy, and fortunately
this is supplied in the kit, but
marked as not used. It wasn’t a big
issue, but I did have to break off
my beautiful attached canopy and
clean up and paint the affected
areas. This also required me to add
the additional parts that belong
to this style of canopy. Again not
a big deal, but I really should have
caught that earlier when looking at
my references. The new canopy was
masked off and I was back on track.
The landing gear was masked
with Tamiya tape and the model
wiped down with Testor’s Plastic
Prep to remove any oils left on the
model. Some Tamiya Dark Grey was
sprayed over the canopy area, then
a coat of Alclad Grey Primer was
sprayed over the entire model. This
showed that a little more cleanup
was required, but nothing drastic.
PAINTING AND DECALS
It was now time to add some colour
to this model. For me, the painting
process starts by pre-shading
with Tamiya NATO Black on the
09/03/2018 15:59
 panel lines and in random squiggly
patterns. This time I also added
some white squiggles, as this was a
relatively new machine with only 7.5
hours flying time on the airframe
at the time of the flight to Italy.
I wanted to try out the new
Slovakian Mr. Paint range, so I
started by spraying the RLM 04 –
and instantly loved this new paint!
I planned to paint the model
like the real thing, so I first added
the yellow to the lower engine
cowling and wing tips. After that
had dried, I overpainted those
areas with RLM 65, just like the
real aircraft. This would allow
me to chip off some of the light
blue colour to reveal the yellow
underneath. The white fuselage
band was also sprayed at this stage,
and once dry was masked off.
I also masked the RLM 65 with
Tamiya tape before I added Mr.
Paint’s RLM 76 to the bottom and
side of the airplane. I had to use
some care to allow some of the
pre-shading to show through. Once
dried, RLM 75 was added on the
wings and the top of the fuselage
and mottled slightly on the sides.
One of the characteristics
of Erla-built 109Gs is that they
had a high demarcation line on
the fuselage spine. The strange
thing about this aircraft is that
the upper wing camouflage is an
earlier type of camouflage, more
common on Messerschmitt-
built aircraft. I used the Eduard
mask set for the Messerschmitt
camouflage pattern (EDEX509).
The RLM 74 was easy enough to
add, and the mottling was made
very easy, as the Mr. Paint doesn’t
clog up the airbrush like some
other manufacturers’ colours; the
paint is perfect for this fine work.
16 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
012-17-FEAT-Bf109-0418.indd 16
Some RLM 02 was now added
lightly on the sides of the fuselage
and in the mottling on the aft
fuselage. On the actual aircraft,
all the theatre markings were
overpainted before the Italian
flight, the nose and wingtips with
RLM 65 and the top of the rudder
and fuselage band in a dark green.
I elected RLM 71 for this colour,
as suggested by RB Productions
on the decal sheet instructions.
I now moved to the propeller
spinner, which was painted white
and allowed to dry. Eduard’s
spiral masks (EX512) were then
placed on the spinner and the
black was added. After removing
the masks, the entire spinner
was oversprayed with a light coat
of Mr. Paint Red. This has to be
a thin layer, as the spiral shows
through on the original aircraft.
The actual colour is not known;
I postulated red because after
painting out the Luftwaffe theatre
colours it made sense to paint the
spinner red, as red was used by
the Allies for recognition in the
Italian region. Just in case those
huge flags couldn’t be seen.
Once everything had been
painted to my liking, I sealed
everything in with a coat
of Alclad Aqua Gloss in
preparation for the decals.
The Eduard kit decals were
used throughout the build for the
stencils. Despite it being a new
aircraft, many stencils Eduard
supply are not visible in the
photos, so I only added the ones
I could see. In my opinion, the
Eduard decals are some of the best
kit decals on the market and, as
normal, behaved beautifully.
Then it was time to add the RB
decals. These had been purchased
some time ago and I hoped that they
would not disintegrate. Thankfully
they didn’t and worked perfectly.
After this set was originally printed
some additional information
about the work number has
become available. The RB decals
had this as 166139, but the correct
number is 166133. Thankfully the
numbers were separate, so I just
used all the 3’s on one side, then
modified the 9’s to 3’s on the other
side. Later releases of this sheet
corrected the number error.
Everything was now sealed
in with Future, then Alclad Flat,
and I could start the weathering.
In my view, weathering is where
the model becomes a miniature
airplane. I had already started
the weathering process with the
pre-shading, but the “formal”
weathering process starts with a
wash of burnt umber applied to the
panel lines and in random patterns
where dirt and grime would gather.
Now that I had dark recesses I
needed to add some highlights. This
is achieved with a dot filter layer.
Little dots of buff and titanium
white artist oils are added to the
upper surfaces, while recessed
areas get a couple of dots of burnt
umber artist oils. These are then
blended in with a flat brush that
is slightly damp with turpenoid.
I blend them in a circle and then
from front to back on the wings and
top to bottom on the fuselage. This
gives the appearance of fading the
paint slightly. The more dots
of the light colours, the
more faded the paint
will look. Since this is a
fairly new aircraft I kept
the fading quite slight
by using only a few dots.
I now chipped my
aircraft with a couple of
different techniques.
The first was is a
silver stamp pad
with a sponge, which
produces a random
09/03/2018 15:59

“FUN. THAT IS WHAT DOING
THESE EDUARD BF-109F/GS IS.
PURE UNADULTERATED FUN”
scratching effect. Once I’m happy
with that I use Model Master
Magnesium in the same manner.
Then finally I use a #2 silver
pencil to add specific scratches.
Next, heavily thinned Tamiya
Buff is streaked front to back and
top to bottom with my airbrush.
This dirties up the upper surface.
While I had the airbrush loaded
I added some more colour and
established the exhaust stain
outline. Surprisingly for a new
aircraft, with only 7.5 hours on it
when it took off, this aircraft was
filthy when it landed because the
inferior fuel used by the Luftwaffe
and its allies burned very dirty.
I used Tamiya Dark Earth,
thinned more than normal, and
concentrated around the centre
012-17-FEAT-Bf109-0418.indd 17
of the exhaust streaking.
I start close to the exhaust
with the airbrush and as I
go back I pull the brush away
from the model to widen and
thin out the staining. Finally,
Mig Pigment Black Smoke was
sparingly applied with a wide
brush from front to back. I start at
the exhausts using the side of the
brush and as I pull the pigment aft
I rotate the brush to get a wider
brushstroke. Some additional
chipping was added to the wing
root to represent new scratches
from the pilot entering the cockpit.
The DB605 series of engines
leaked a lot, so on the undersides
I added a couple of dots of burnt
sienna, burnt umber, and lamp
black artist oils were added. Then
the dots were pulled aft with a damp
brush of turpenoid in the direction
of airflow and gravity.
While I was on the
belly I added a mud splatter
with a Mig wash. I used
a small flat brush and then
flicked it to get the mud to splatter.
I also used the airbrush to establish
a dirty area behind the wheels on
the flaps, lower wing, and rudder.
The final part of weathering is
Mig Pigments Dried Mud applied
to the wheels, landing gear doors,
and the area behind the wheels.
The canopy was added to the
model with the aid of a special tool
I had made that sets the angle of
the canopy while it sets. I added EZ
Line to the canopy to represent the
retaining string. The wingtip lights
were painted with silver and then
AK Red and Green clear paints.
I do wish that Eduard would have
made the lights clear but I’m not
complaining too hard (Quickboost
have produced a set of wing tips in
green and red clear resin (QB48801)
that I can recommend to anyone
building this kit. Ed). Adding the
final parts, such as antennas
from EZ Line and Albion Alloys
Telescopic rod for the pitot tube
brought this model to a conclusion.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 17
1/48
CONCLUSION
Fun. That is what doing these
Eduard Bf-109F/Gs is. Pure
unadulterated fun. Are they perfect?
No, but I don’t know any kit that
is. Excellent fit, beautiful surface
detail, and exceptional value for
the money is what these kits are.
The Weekend Editions of
these kits is nice but I think the
lack of pre-painted photo-etch
and the masks are what really
makes this a Weekend Edition.
I certainly didn’t build mine in
a weekend but the whole process
was over and done quickly, and
the unique American markings
make this aircraft really stand
out in my collection of 109s.
The aftermarket parts that I
added really made the kit stand out
and I’ll be building more of these
Eduard kits, as well as Zvezda’s kit,
and now the new Tamiya Gustav. It is
a great time to be a 109 fan as each
kit offers something unique. The
hardest decision will be which one to
build and what markings to apply.
Remember: Modelling is fun!
09/03/2018 15:59
 HAWKER HURRICANE MK.1
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
JAY BLAKEMORE
In the eye of the
HURRICANE Italeri 1/48 Hawker Hurricane Mk.1 by Jay Blakemore
HURRICANE SEASON
D
evotees of the Hawker
Hurricane Mk.1 have
been spoilt of late,
with three1/48 state-of-the-
art kits appearing in quick
succession. The most recent
release is that by Airfix, and it
has already been proclaimed
by some reviewers as the most
accurate model of the type in
any scale. Italeri and Tamiya
have also released newly-tooled
editions of the same aircraft.
All three kits feature finely
engraved panel lines and are
beautifully detailed, but they each
offer slightly different features
to entice the modeller. The Airfix
kit includes two Battle of Britain
colour scheme options, a lavishly
detailed cockpit, and the option
18 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 18
of displaying the fully-detailed,
wing-mounted gun-bays.
The other two kits include an
optional engine, a detailed cockpit,
and a lavish “super decal sheet”,
printed by Cartograph and featuring
six colour scheme options: four
Battle of Britain machines, one
Malta-based aircraft, and one Irish
example. They also include a useful
A5 photographic reference booklet.
Additionally, if you purchase
the Tamiya release you get a
separate decal sheet with a seventh,
Finnish Air Force scheme, and
three standing RAF crew figures.
It certainly seems that there has
been a change in the weather and
that Hurricane season is upon us.
Having lately been embroiled
in a couple of protracted modelling
projects, I decided I wanted
09/03/2018 15:58

“THE FINISHED MODEL BUILDS INTO
A FITTING MINIATURE MEMORIAL
TO THE BRAVE YOUNG PILOTS WHO
FLEW THE AIRCRAFT IN ANGER”
something quick and simple to
build, and choosing the Italeri
Hurricane seemed to fit the bill.
Moulded in a fairly soft, pale grey
plastic, Italeri’s Hurricane Mk.1
comprises just 93 grey parts, nine
clear parts, and a small metal
fret that includes the pilot’s
harness, two canopy handles,
and the instrument panel.
The A5 reference manual
has 35 pages of colour and
monochrome photographs that
include close-ups of such details
as the propellers, exhaust stacks
and intakes, radiator internals,
gun bays, cockpit, and wheel bays.
There are no photographs of the
engine or engine bay though,
which I felt was something of
an oversight, considering that
the kit includes a representation
KIT DETAILS
TYPE: ITALERI HAWKER HURRICANE MK.1
KIT NUMBER: 2705
SCALE: 1/48
PARTS COUNT: 102
DECAL OPTIONS: 6
018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 19
of the Rolls Royce Merlin.
The A4 instruction booklet
consists of 15 pages of clearly
drawn, black and white
illustrations. Construction
naturally begins with the cockpit
and proceeds through 16 stages
and several sub-stages. There
is a single-page fret map to aid
in part location, and six pages
feature the colour schemes
and decal placement. These
latter pages are also in black
ITEMS USED
AIRES HAWKER HURRICANE MK.1 COCKPIT SET: 4543
AIRES HAWKER HURRICANE WHEEL BAY: 4542
QUICKBOOST HURRICANE EXHAUST: QB48423
MONTEX MINI MASK: SM48340
and white, but there are colour
illustrations of the scheme
options in the reference manual.
THE COMING STORM:
AFTERMARKET ACCESSORIES
I seem to be in the habit these days
of trawling the internet looking
for aftermarket goodies for the
kits I have accumulated in my
model stash, and then buying them
without having ascertained if those
kits actually require
them or not (more
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 19
1/48
money than sense, I hear you cry).
But kit manufacturers these days
seem to be packing more detail
into their newly-tooled releases,
and very often those aftermarket
sets seem superfluous once the kit
parts are examined more closely.
Such was the case with Italeri’s
Hurricane. Upon opening the
nicely illustrated box I discovered
that I had purchased two Aires
sets, one containing a beautifully
detailed resin cockpit and another
containing a very nice single-
piece wheel bay. Lying at the
09/03/2018 15:58
 bottom of the box, beneath the
individually bagged kit frets,
there was also a Quickboost pack
containing resin exhausts and a
pack of Montex canopy masks,
which proved to be very useful.
Upon examining the kit
parts more closely, it became
immediately apparent that the
cockpit and wheel bay were actually
quite decent. In fact, the kit exudes
quality, from the crisp panel lines
and engraved fastener detail to
the rendering of the Hurricane’s
distinctive fabric-covered fuselage.
The rudder and ailerons are
all moulded separately, as is the
pilot’s side door. The engine bay
can be posed open on the port
side to reveal the Merlin power
plant, and the undercarriage
features weighted tyres – always
a nice touch. I couldn’t wait to get
started on this little gem of a kit!
STORMING AHEAD:
INITIAL ASSEMBLY
The kit cockpit is fairly well
provided for straight from the
box. It comprises around twenty
parts, though I naturally chose to
use the Aires set, which features
much finer detail and includes the
two side consoles and associated
20 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 20
levers that are absent from the kit.
Consisting of just 14 resin parts,
an acetate instrument panel, and
a very busy metal fret, it didn’t
take long to separate the resin
components from their moulding
blocks and begin construction.
Dry-fitting the cockpit tub
– made up of the floor panel, a
back panel featuring the pilot’s
head armour, and two sidewalls –
showed it to be slightly too narrow
to fill the Italeri fuselage, so to
bridge the gaps I added plastic
card shims to either side of the
rear panel and to the outside edges
of the sidewalls. Once the super
glue had set, I sanded the shims to
match the inner fuselage profile.
The wheel bay supplied in the
kit is also very decent; however, the
Aires replacement again displays
far finer detail, and more of it, so
the kit bay went into the spares
box. The large centre section of
the Italeri wheel bay comes as a
single separate part that needs
to be glued to the lower wings.
The end sections of the bay,
into which the landing gear fit,
are moulded as integral parts of
the lower wing, and therefore
need to be removed. Mimicking
the “V” shape of the upper part
of the undercarriage legs and
solidly moulded, these sections
require careful drilling along
their inner edges before being
surgically removed with a
scalpel. I used a chisel-edged
scalpel to clean the jagged edges
before the area was smoothed
with wet and dry sandpaper.
The Aires set features a
beautifully cast one-piece resin bay,
which spans the entire width of the
central wing section, and into which
are glued a compressed air bottle
and several small pipes and rods.
The large moulding block must be
removed entirely from the top of
the bay before attaching it to the
kit’s one-piece lower wing; because
space in the fuselage is limited, if
left in place the moulding block will
prevent the fitting of the cockpit
tub and hinder attachment of the
wing assembly at a later stage.
I drilled and sawed the moulding
block free, then used the flexible
extension of my Dremel 3000,
fitted with a burr attachment, to
level the resultant jagged surface
and reduce the depth of the resin
insert. Once cleaned up the one-
piece bay was then held in place
against the inside of the lower
wing, and super glue was allowed
to run along its outer edges and
secure it in place. It fit perfectly.
With the wheel bay set in place
and the ailerons loosely placed into
their respective recesses in the
wing trailing edges – they would
later be posed at a slight angle and
glued – the upper wing halves were
cemented to the one-piece lower
wing. I wrapped them in rubber
bands and put them aside to harden.
The wing tip navigation
lights come as two separate
transparencies with pre-drilled
holes, which is another
nice touch. These holes
would later be filled with
a wash of red and green
09/03/2018 15:59

enamel to represent coloured
bulbs, before being secured to the
wings using PVA glue (once the
cemented wings had hardened).
Italeri have not been slow in
releasing alternative versions of
their Hurricane kit, including a Sea
Hurricane and a MK.IIc, and the
breakdown of the main airframe
components reflects the need for
adaptability in some areas. Two
such areas are the central sections
of each wing leading edge, which
come as separate inserts featuring
the machine gun apertures. The
apertures are nicely hollowed
out, but unfortunately the inserts
themselves are not the best fit, and
require some re-profiling and an
application of filler around their
edges to blend them into the wings.
The majority of parts were now
removed from the sprue frames
and cleaned up, and construction
started on various sub-assemblies,
including the engine and
undercarriage. The engine is basic
and doesn’t actually fit together
very well. Gaps are evident around
most of the main engine block
components, and some areas are
oddly devoid of detail altogether.
The engine firewall is also
oddly shaped, as it does not have
the same profile as the inner
fuselage to which it attaches, so
when fitted there is a gap around
its edge. If you intend to display the
engine, you will have to do some
extra work on it and the engine
bay to bring them up to scratch.
By this time, however, I had
018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 21
already decided to close up the nose
– not because I was shying away
from the extra work, but because
I wanted to keep the Hurricane’s
familiar profile intact, as this is the
only Hurricane in my collection.
Also, I had decided to use the
fabulous Cartograph decal sheet
and model McKnight’s aircraft,
with its wonderful nose art, and
this would have been lost if I had
removed the engine panels.
Having decided to close up the
engine bay, I still needed to build
and paint the engine, as it remains
quite visible once the fuselage is
closed, and there is no alternative
way to attach the propeller and
exhaust stacks other than gluing
them to the completed engine.
I chose to replace the kit
exhausts with the superior
Quickboost items, which feature
hollowed out ends and which are an
exact replacement for the kit parts.
The propeller spinner also required
a bit of extra work, as the back plate
is a poor fit, leaving gaping holes
around the protruding blades. I
tidied these up with a bit of Milliput.
The undercarriage is nicely
represented, featuring delicately
detailed actuating arms and
legs, with only the slightest of
mould seams to remove. Another
nice feature is the inclusion of
weighted tyres and the option
of four- or five-spoke wheels.
All flight controls are moulded
separately, and at this time they
were removed from the sprue
frames, assembled, and cleaned
up. The elevators and ailerons
fit nicely into their respective
slots in the wings, and the
tailplanes can be easily posed or
left unglued. The rudder too can
be posed at an angle, and comes
with an integrally moulded (but
fragile) aerial stalk on its top.
To prevent the stalk from being
knocked off during construction,
I decided to drill a tiny hole down
through its centre and insert a short
length of Albion Alloys tubing.
This was a feat of microsurgery
at its most demanding, but it was
worth the eye and finger strain,
as it would give me a perfect
hole through which I could
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 21
1/48
thread an aerial wire at the end
of the build. A corresponding
hole was also carefully drilled
into the aerial mast.
I also chose to remove the
moulded-on tail light from the
rear of the rudder and drill a
small hole into its mounting,
into which I would later insert
a transparent lens made from
stretched clear sprue.
All sub-assemblies were now
set aside to harden and await
their turn in the spray shop.
THE EYE OF THE STORM:
ASSEMBLY AND PAINT
The painting process began with
an application of Alclad Grey
Primer, followed by a coat of Alclad
Aluminium over the completed
cockpit tub, wheels, undercarriage
and bay, and propeller blades.
The Aires cockpit went together
with little fuss and required just
the usual amount of patience where
the tiny, etched control levers and
09/03/2018 15:59
 knobs were concerned. I had left
the port sidewall off to facilitate
painting, and over the aluminium
base coat I now airbrushed a coat
of darkened Colourcoats Interior
Green ACRN28. Once dry, I then
dry-brushed the Interior Green
straight from the tin over the
darkened colour, and subsequent
lighter shades of the same colour
to highlight the wonderful detail.
I washed some of the green
enamel from the cockpit framing
and levers to reveal the silver
coat beneath, mainly in areas
that I thought would attract the
most wear on the real aircraft.
I did prevaricate as to whether
or not I should expose the metal
framing entirely, but photographs
of the real aircraft suggested
that it was painted green.
(For those of you not acquainted
with the Alclad range of metallic
lacquers, and who are perhaps a
little intimidated by metallic paint
in general, don’t be. Alclad metallic
22 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 22
lacquers couldn’t be simpler to
use and can be applied by airbrush
straight from the bottle. They
touch-dry in minutes, and once
thoroughly dry can be polished
using wet sanding cloths, and can
be further buffed to a high gloss.
Alclad lacquers can even be
overpainted, and as they are
impervious to white spirit once
dry, any unwanted enamel paint
can simply be washed or wiped
off before it hardens. Acrylics too
can be used in conjunction with
Alclad lacquers, but I have never
used them so cannot say for sure
how one reacts with the other.)
The Aires instrument panel
comes in four parts: the resin back
panel, with integrally moulded
gun sight; the main panel face,
in metal; a small central panel
section, also in metal; and the
printed acetate instrument faces. to the lower fuselage and seal
The main components were the cockpit in for good. Firstly
airbrushed in black enamel and though, I took the precaution of
once dry, a slightly lighter brown/ constructing a cardboard tent
black shade was dry-brushed over over the exposed cockpit area to
them to pick out the raised detail. protect the protruding head armour
Also provided in the Aires set is a from damage during handling.
separately moulded resin compass, With the wings cemented
with its own metal housing, which firmly in place, there remained
attaches to the bottom of the a considerable gap at the front
instrument panel. This too was fuselage joint, which needed
painted black, and the housing filling with a plastic card
picked out in Interior Green. shim; Milliput was again
After the separate pieces had required to tidy up the
been allowed to dry thoroughly, the wing joints all round. The
centre section of the instrument tailplanes too were a sloppy fit, and
panel was airbrushed in white. plastic card shims were cemented
This allows the transparent to the tabs so that they filled the
clock faces on the printed acetate overly large slots. Milliput was
sheet to stand out once it had once again used to fill the joints
been sandwiched between the
main components of the panel.
Each of the
finished cockpit
assemblies were
now given a coat of
matt varnish to seal in the painted
detail and set aside to dry while
I closed up the fuselage halves.
The completed cockpit tub
slipped effortlessly into the
fuselage; the shaped plastic fillets
that I had added to the tub’s outer
edges fit the internal profile
of the fuselage sides perfectly.
I could now attach the wings
09/03/2018 15:59

once the cement had hardened.
With the main body of the
airframe now complete and all
the gaps filled, it was time to
inspect for defects. There were
a couple of odd bumps moulded
onto the upper nose, just aft of
the propeller, that didn’t look like
they were supposed to be there,
so I sanded them away. There was
also a small air scoop on the lower
port side of the nose that didn’t
appear in photographs of the
Mk.1, so this too was removed.
Yet more plastic was shaved
from the nose to bring it into line
with the upper engine bay panel.
This was attached next, as was the
engine bay side panel. These are in
fact a very poor fit all around, and
they needed quite a bit of work to
make them blend into the fuselage.
HURRICANE FORCE:
PAINTING THE AIRFRAME
I proceeded to give the completed
airframe several coats of Alclad
Grey Primer, paying particular
attention to the joints. Further
wet-sanding was required along
the wing, tailplanes, and nose
panel joints to smooth out some
noticeable problems revealed by
the primer. The wheel bay was then
018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 23
given a coat of Alclad Aluminium,
as were the wing leading edges.
With the problem areas tidied
up, the complete airframe now
received a shadow coat of dark
brown enamel. I then washed this
off the wheel bay, using a brush
loaded with white spirit, to reveal
the Aluminium. The thinned
brown enamel gathered in the
recessed detail and clung to the
edges of the bay walls, as I had
intended it should, adding depth
and a patina of age to the area.
I began the process of
camouflaging the upper surfaces
by first airbrushing the dark earth
areas using Humbrol #110 Brown.
This was achieved without the
use of masks, roughly following
the pattern illustrated in the
instructions and leaving a hint
of the shadow coat showing
through at the panel edges.
Once the dark earth was dry,
Blu-Tak ”sausages” and masking
tape were employed to create the
camouflage pattern. The unmasked
areas were sprayed in a mix of
Humbrol #226 Green, #29 Brown,
and a touch of Satin Black, in an
approximation of RAF Dark Green.
The masking was then carefully
removed when the dark green was
still only touch dry. By doing so I
could wash away any of the green
enamel that had strayed into areas
where it wasn’t wanted, using a
brush loaded with white spirit.
In this instance however, there
was no need, and the model was put
aside and allowed to dry overnight.
The following day I began
to weather the upper-surface
colours, which I had decided to
do before applying the under-
surface camouflage, so as to
make the matt enamel slightly
more resilient to wear (freshly
airbrushed matt enamel tends to
mark very easily when handled,
and by using a mix of matt and
satin enamels in the weathering
process, it’s possible to add a
slightly harder-wearing, protective
surface over the matt paint).
As a departure from my usual
practice of applying airbrushed
filters to create a weathered finish,
I decided to entirely dry-brush
the weathering on the upper
surfaces of the Hurricane, as I
felt that this technique would
give the finished model a retro
look that would complement the
old-world charms of the aircraft.
Adding different shades of
green and brown enamel onto my
palette, and using an old worn
brush, I mixed and blended various
colours directly onto the green
areas of the model. I concentrated
on building up the mix of colours
around recessed details, raised
details, panel centres, and of
course on areas of maximum
wear on the real aircraft.
Once the green had been allowed
to thoroughly dry, I used the same
process on the dark earth areas,
using various brown and sand
shades. Hopefully, if all turns
out as expected, this will prove
that you don’t need an airbrush
to effectively weather a model.
Turning to the undersides,
I tackled the black wing first.
Here I resorted once again to
the airbrush, initially spraying
black enamel along the panel
lines, allowing the dark brown
shadow coat to act this time as the
central highlight colour. A mix
of grey and brown was then used
to add random highlights across
the entire area, finally spraying
a mist of the lighter colour over
the entire wing to tone down the
black and give it an in-scale look.
Finally, the black wing was
masked off, and the underside of
the fuselage and the starboard
wing were given a coat of
Colourcoats Sky ACRN01, this
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 23
1/48
IN MEMORIUM
W
illiam Lidstone
‘Willie’ McKnight was
Canada’s second-
highest scoring ace of the war.
He quit medical school to join the
RAF, and was appointed Acting
Pilot Officer on 15th April, 1939. In
November he was posted to the
all-Canadian No.242 Squadron
shortly after its creation at
Church Fenton in October 1939.
McKnight took part in fighter
sweeps covering the evacuation
beeches at Dunkirk, and during the
Battle of Britain flew as wingman
to his enigmatic squadron leader,
Douglas Bader. He would survive the
Battle of Britain, only to disappear
whilst flying a fighter sweep to
Calais on 12th January 1941. His
body has never been recovered.
McKnight has no known
grave, but his name appears on
the Runnymede War Memorial,
Englefield Green, Egham,
Surrey. In his short RAF career
McKnight scored 17 victories.
The No.242 Squadron badge,
featuring a caricature of Adolf Hitler
receiving “a boot up the backside”
was designed by Douglas Bader,
and was carried on the noses of
the squadron aircraft. McKnight’s
personal emblem, featuring
the upper half of a skeleton,
was an allusion to his medical
school training, and appeared
on both sides of his Hurricane.
09/03/2018 15:59
 time leaving the shadow coat to
do its job at the panel edges.
Having allowed the camouflage
colours to dry thoroughly for
a couple of days, I gave the
entire airframe several coats of
gloss enamel varnish. The Sky
identification band was latterly
applied once the varnish had
dried – not because I had intended
to leave it so late in the painting
process, but simply because I had
forgotten to apply it earlier.

MONSOON: WET AND DRY

AND DECALS
To achieve the perfect surface
for decals, I will usually
spend a considerable
amount of time flatting
and polishing a model’s
vanished surface to
remove any imperfections
that may have accumulated
during the painting process. This
can prove to be a taxing job on a
smooth-surfaced aircraft – taking
back the gloss varnish gingerly
and constantly checking for rub-
throughs – and it was never going
to be an easy task on the Hurricane,
with its undulating, fabric-covered
fuselage and control surfaces,.
For the flat areas I employed
sanding blocks made from sections
of spongy packing foam. For the
undulations, I wrapped pieces of
3200 grit sanding cloth around the
rounded end of a paintbrush handle,
and around a toothpick to get into
the tighter curves. Even so, there
remained areas on which the varnish
proved impossible to flatten entirely
– areas which could cause silvering
beneath the transparent carrier film
of the decals – and I actually did
rub through to the shadow coat in
a couple of places on the fuselage.
Luckily though, the rub-
throughs would be hidden by the
large fuselage roundels, but I would
not know until after the decals had
settled whether or not I was going
to get silvering beneath them. I
now worked over the airframe
with wet 3200 grit sanding cloths
until the gloss varnish appeared
matt overall. I then used 12000
grit cloths to further polish those
surfaces, in order to receive decals.
The Cartograph decals performed
faultlessly, sinking effortlessly
into recessed details and moulding
themselves around raised details
with a single application of Micro set
solution. The colour and registration
of the decals were perfect, though
the squadron badge appears to
me to be somewhat oversized.
Silvering did indeed mar the
appearance of some of the decals,
namely the squadron codes along
“THE ITALERI HURRICANE MK.1
CAN BE ENJOYED BY LESS
EXPERIENCED MODELLERS”
that awkward, undulating fuselage.
To resolve the problem, I scored
the edges of the offending sections
of carrier film with a new scalpel
blade, and removed them by
sticking cut lengths of masking
tape to them and ripping them off.
The rough edges of the cut decals
were then smoothed out with an
application of Micro-Sol setting
solution applied with a soft brush.
With the decals dry, I attached
the front canopy to the fuselage
using liquid cement. It required a
smear of Milliput to blend it in with
the nose, and a touch of dark green
paint to hide the joint. A sealing coat
of eggshell varnish, mixed from
Humbrol gloss and matt enamel
varnishes, was then applied overall.
All that remained was to
attach the fragile bits that had
been left off during painting,
namely the undercarriage, pitot
tube, extended step, landing light
lenses, and of course the propeller.
The canopy was a lovely, snug fit,
and to attach it to its runners I
simply glued two short lengths of
stretched sprue along the inner,
lower edges of the transparency,
and when these had dried the
canopy simply clicked into place.
THE STORM HAS PASSED:
CONCLUSIONS
Italeri’s Mk1. Hurricane is a nice
little kit, but it does present
some challenges. The fit of parts
is a bit haphazard in places –
namely the separately moulded
engine bay panels, the wings and
tailplanes, engine bulkhead, and
the spinner – but these problems
can be easily overcome with a
little care and a little filler.
On the positive side, the
Cartograph decal sheet is a winner,
which is beautifully printed with a
good selection of colour scheme
options. With aftermarket additions
readily available for this kit, the
Italeri Hurricane Mk.1 can be enjoyed
by less experienced modellers
who simply want a satisfying build
straight from the box, as well as the
experienced modeller who wants to
improve upon the box contents, .
The finished model certainly
looks like a Hurricane and builds
into a fitting miniature memorial
to the brave young pilots who
flew the aircraft in anger.

24 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 24 09/03/2018 15:59

018-25-FEAT-Hurricane-0418.indd 25 09/03/2018 15:59
 ILYUSHIN IL-10
1/72 BY
BYSACCO
ROMANDE VRIES
SCHILHART
QUICKBUILD
Ilyushin Fly Models 1/72 Ilyushin Il-10 by Roman Schilhart
IL-10
Photographs by Wolfgang Rabel
THE SUBJECT
I
n autumn 1943, the Ilyushin
design bureau developed a
replacement for the Ilyushin
Il-2 ground attack aircraft. The
new type, called the Il-10, was
a much cleaner design with
better flight characteristics and
less aerodynamic drag, making
its first flight in April 1944.
Offensive armament remained
the same as on the Il-2, with two
wing cannons and a defensive
gun position in the back of the
cockpit. The aircraft had two
bomb bays located just inboard
of the landing gear bay, and
could also carry two externally
26 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
026-29-QB-IL10-0418.indd 26
mounted bombs on wing racks.
While its predecessor, the
Il-2, was often seen with rockets
under the wings, these were not
used on the Il-10. The first Il-10s in
European skies were those assigned
to the 108th Guards Assault Aviation
Regiment in early 1945. The new
aircraft saw only limited service
in Europe before the war ended,
but it was used in far greater
numbers on the Manchurian front
against the Japanese, and later
during the Korean War, carrying
on with the Soviet Air Force and
its allies until the mid-1950s.
Between 1944 and 1954 a total
of 4,966 aircraft were built.
09/03/2018 16:06

THE KIT
Until the release of Fly Models’
Ilyushin Il-10 there was only one
contender, the Kopro kit from the
1980s. The new mouldings from
Fly reflect the latest technology,
having finely recessed consistent
panel lines and good detail both
inside and out. Due to its short-run
nature, however, some of the parts
need adjustment to make them fit.
At the time of writing, the
kit has been released in three
different boxings, “Soviet Service”,
“Korean War”, and “Post-War”.
My review sample was the Soviet
Service (72035) version, which
contains markings for four Soviet
Air Force aircraft from 1945 to
1956. There are two sprues of
plastic, one clear sprue, and a
resin block containing various
small parts, such as antennas,
landing gear arms, and exhaust
stacks. These are beautifully cast,
but must be treated carefully (I
broke one of the exhausts and the
026-29-QB-IL10-0418.indd 27
loop antenna as I was removing
them from the casting block!).
All clear parts are transparent
and without distortions, as they
should be (even so, I dipped them
in Alclad Gloss for some additional
protection and that extra shine).
The light brown plastic runners
have sprue gates extending
onto the mating surfaces of
parts, while some of the smaller
parts suffer from mould seams,
which need to be scraped away
with a sharp scalpel blade.
There have been a few comments
regarding the kit’s accuracy on
various online forums. It
seems that the nose is
undersized in vertical
dimensions, and both top
and lower engine cowling
should be more convex. The
windscreen sits slightly too high,
and the placement of the exhausts is
not correct either. These issues are
difficult to address as they require
delicate plastic surgery, so I went
ahead without modifications. You
may judge by looking at my build
whether or not these corrections
are really necessary – to my
eyes, it still looks like an Il-10.
CONSTRUCTION
The cockpit consists of 14 parts,
including pedals, side
consoles, defence
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 27
1/72
gun, and ammunition boxes for
the rear gunner. Decals for the
instrument panel and consoles
are also provided. I added photo-
etch seatbelts from the spares box
and sprayed the interior Gunze
H307 Grey, picking out details
by hand using Vallejo acrylics.
Once the fuselage halves were
closed, I added the lower wing
section, carefully positioning it
on a scale ruler to get everything
lined up straight. The lower wing
has separate resin air intakes,
one on each side. These are quite
fragile, but have to be inserted
at this stage, along with the
radiator grill on the centre wing.
I did a test run with the upper
wing halves, and this revealed
further problems. When positioned
to fit the wing tip, they did not line
up with the wheel bay bumps, and
were too wide on the fuselage-
to-wing joint. I addressed this
09/03/2018 16:06
 “THE NEW FLY MODELS KIT IS A
WELCOME REPLACEMENT FOR
THE OLD KOPRO MODEL, AND
FILLS ANOTHER IMPORTANT GAP
IN SOVIET AVIATION HISTORY”
by shortening the inner ends of
the wings with a file. This was a
delicate task, as they do not have
a straight contour, and after my
surgery, I was left with slightly
offset wheel bay bulges. I used my
Flexifile and some putty to correct
their shape as well as I could.
The leading wing edge had a
very nasty seam line that took me
several sanding sessions to be rid
of, and filler was also needed on all
other primary components as well.
I filled all gaps with Vallejo putty
and sanded the areas repeatedly
until they looked smooth. I then
primed the model with Tamiya
Grey Primer, which helps to
detect surface irregularities.
These were plentiful, so I got to
enjoy more sanding sessions.
Once most of the dusty work
was done, I glued the canopy and
the rear defence gun in place and
28 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
026-29-QB-IL10-0418.indd 28
masked the clear parts with
Tamiya tape. Packaging
foam was used to cover the
wheel bays before the model
went to the paint shop.
PAINTING, DECALS,
FINAL BITS
The model was pre-shaded
with Gunze H12Black along
all panel lines and joints. I
chose the first option from
Fly’s decal sheet, identified as
“White 9” from an unknown
unit which had been found on
Czech territory in April 1945.
Paint references are listed for
Humbrol and AK colours. However,
I used acrylics from Gunze instead
and sprayed the undersides in a
mixture of H417 Light Blue and
H56 Intermediate Blue, which
resulted in a greyish-blue tone,
somewhat darker than RLM76.
On the upper sides, I started
with the lightest colour, using
a 50/50 mix of H71 and H72. I
made demarcation lines from
Uhu Tac and covered the areas
with paper masks in preparation
for the next colour, H303 Green,
followed by H77 Tire Black. I
added a drop of pure white to each
colour to achieve a scale effect.
My favourite surface preparation
for decals and weathering is Alclad
Gloss, which I sprayed in several
layers to provide a strong canvas.
I then mounted the landing gear,
which I had already painted in
H307 Grey. I hadn’t noticed that
there are no locator pins for the
gear legs, so these were opened
up manually with a drill and the
legs simply glued into place.
Next, I added decals, which
consist of six red stars and two
identification numbers. Fly Models
decals are well-printed, in good
density, and performed flawlessly.
I sealed everything in with another
protective coat of Alclad Gloss
before I started the weathering
with artist’s oils. Here, I mainly
used ivory black to accentuate
recesses and panel lines, and
raw umber for dirt streaks and
oil leaks. Note that these paints
take at least 12 hours to dry.
Final painting touches included
adding exhaust streaks along the
fuselage sides and dusting up the
wheels with Tamiya pigments.
All fiddly and protruding bits
and pieces, like the propeller,
gun barrels, and antennas were
now prepared for assembly
and painted accordingly.
CONCLUSION
Even though I have some
reservations regarding the shape
of the nose and the canopy hood,
the new Fly Models kit is a welcome
replacement for the old KoPro
model, and fills another important
gap in Soviet aviation history.
The Fly kit builds into a decent
replica right out of the box,
but requires some time,
09/03/2018 16:06
 1/72

patience, and skill, so it’s probably

not ideal for beginners. Having
said that, it’s not more challenging
than any other short-run kit and
can be thoroughly recommended
to experienced modellers.
I like the subject so much I have
already bought another Fly Il-10
and look forward to making use
of the other attractive marking
schemes provided in the box. Thanks
to Fly Models for producing this
kit and for the review sample.

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 29

026-29-QB-IL10-0418.indd 29 09/03/2018 16:06

 METEOR NF 11/12/14
1/144 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
HUW MORGAN

BUILD
QUICAKSmall-scale
NIGHT
KIT DETAILS
KIT: GLOSTER METEOR NF12
MANUFACTURER: 1/144TH.CO.UK
SCALE: 1/144

FIGHTER
PRODUCT CODE: 44007
PANEL LINES: RECESSED
NO OF PARTS: 16 RESIN
TYPE:RESIN
STATUS: NEW TOOL
DECAL OPTIONS: 2

1/144th.co.uk 1/144 Meteor NF 11/12/14

by Huw Morgan

I
n Vol. 23, Issue 4 of SAMi
we published the build of
a pair of resin models (the
Boulton Paul P.111 and the Avro
707) from this new company,
and were pretty pleased with the
results. Things have moved on,
and 1/144th.co.uk have a brand
new issue of a Meteor Night
Fighter, which at Scale Model
World we were able to snaffle
for review; the new kit comes as
potentially NF 11, 12, or 14 options.
Development of the family
of Meteor Night Fighters was
an expedient solution to the
capability gap which opened up
between the ageing Mosquito
night fighters and the availability
of the truly all-weather Gloster
Javelin. Realising that bringing
the Javelin to production status
would take some time, Gloster hit
on the idea of adding air intercept
radar to the existing two-seat
Meteor T7 trainer. With the parent
company fully occupied with other
Meteor versions and the Javelin,
development of the Night Fighter
was farmed out to Armstrong
Whitworth, the first of the family
(the NF11) flying in December 1948.

30 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

030-33-QB-Meteor-0418.indd 30 09/03/2018 16:06


THE KIT
144th.co.uk’s new kit is presented
as 16 reasonably cast resin parts,
with thin attachments for the
casting blocks. Our sample was
an early production version, so
it suffered from the fuselage
mouldings being attached to their
casting blocks across the joint
faces, making clean up difficult.
Despite the inclusion of a pretty
representative cockpit interior (see
later), the only option for a canopy
in our kit was a solid resin item
with decals for the glass; there was
no mention of the cockpit in the
rather simplified instructions in
our box. However, the upcoming
options do look much better, and
144th.co.uk has informed us that
future kits will include clear resin
The kit contents are well-packed in a
substantial box, which is identical for all three
variants offered
A late addition to our early-production kit was a cast resin
cockpit tub, complete with seats and instrument panels.
Future kits may have metal cockpits
030-33-QB-Meteor-0418.indd 31
canopies, cockpits cast in resin
and metal (to act as nose weight),
improved gating for the fuselage,
and re-written instructions.
The kit’s decals look to
be excellent, and if previous
experience is anything to go by,
should be easy to use (144th already
produce a separate decal sheet
covering a raft of RAF airframes).
The kit we received
offers two schemes:
•8
 5 Squadron WS593, RAF Church
Fenton 1958 (dark green/medium
sea grey/dark sea grey).
•2
 64 Squadron WS604, RAF
Middleton St George 1957 (dark
green/medium sea grey).
The wings have reasonable engraved detail, although
the trailing edges are very thick; the one-piece moulding
precludes any thinning without serious loss of detail
The fuselage halves are actually rather delicate
and need careful removal from their pour blocks,
whose location leaves the joint faces a bit ragged
CONSTRUCTION
With no set running order, I
started the construction with the
wings. These are provided as a
one-piece central section, plus
lower outer sections containing
the lower halves of the engine
nacelles. Separate outer panels
contain the upper nacelles.
There are two parts to each
engine, including a finely cast rear
jet pipe. However, simply gluing
the engine parts together and
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 31
1/144
fitting them in the nacelles will lead
to an elementary error, just like
mine! The engine body/jet pipe is
significantly longer than it needs
to be for the nacelle, and used as-is
would put the engine front face far
too far forward. Anyone with much
of an understanding of Meteor
architecture will realise that the
representations of the wing carry-
through on the engine should line
up with the wing leading edges.
I suspect that the engine might
need some reduction in diameter
if it’s to be positioned correctly.
With the error not spotted until
later, the upper wing sections
were superglued on, precluding
any remedial surgery. The fit
isn’t great, and one of the nacelle
fronts was a bit oval, needing
several applications of super glue
to build up the section, and some
careful carving of the mouth to
bring it closer to circular. More
super glue was used to fill the
rather ragged horizontal joints,
and De Luxe Products Perfect
Plastic Putty was used to blend
the wing-to-nacelle joint.
The fuselage halves need some
care in removing them from their
pour blocks, the thin sections
making them somewhat delicate.
The separate nose (to accommodate
There are engine front faces and rather
nice hollow-cast jet pipes. Here I’m about
to commit mistake #1 with the placement
of the front faces too far forward
The hollow nose was filled
with Deluxe Liquid Gravity as
a defence against tail sitting
09/03/2018 16:06
 the NF 11/12/14 variants) also
comes in two halves, so I took
the opportunity to fill these with
Deluxe Liquid Gravity to help
with the potential tail sitting. I
built up the cockpit from the tub,
the two seats, and what I finally
worked out were the instrument
binnacles, the lack of instructions
proving a bit of a challenge.
Foolishly, I now committed my
second big faux pas by gluing the
fuselage halves together, expecting
that I could drop the cockpit in
afterwards...alas, no, since the tub
fits under the lip of the fuselage
opening; the only remedy was to
cut away the side of the fuselage
and slide the cockpit in sideways,
replacing the cut part and filling.
Of course, the presence of the
cockpit is only relevant if one can
see it, and in the absence of the
promised clear canopy, I decided to
attempt to vacuum form a new one
using the kit’s resin version as a
master – not wholly dimensionally
correct, because if the resin one
is correct, the vac form would be
slightly oversized, but it was the
best I was going to get without the
effort of shaping a new master.
I used my homemade vacuum
former, which is connected to my
workshop dust extractor, and a
hot air paint stripping gun as the
heat source (see below). I tend to
use salvaged packaging material
as clear stock, which leads to lots
of failed attempts, as different
batches respond differently
to the heat. Nevertheless, I
managed to get a couple of
satisfactory items to play with.
Masking the glasshouse-style
canopy was always going to be
an issue, but 144th provide some
tidy decals for the solid resin
option. Taking advantage of this,
32 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
030-33-QB-Meteor-0418.indd 32
VAC FORMING
O
ne of the issues often found
with 1/144 scale aircraft is
the inevitably thick canopy,
offered either in injection moulded
polystyrene or clear resin, although
some manufacturers offer vacuum
formed canopies in base kits or as
aftermarket items (Brengun being
particularly noteworthy in this).
When the kit canopy really
needs to be replaced with
something more in scale, or when,
for instance, a canopy is to be
shown open, then given the small
sizes involved, vacuum forming
at home is a reasonable option.
The first thing needed is, of
course, a male master on which to
mould; in many cases, the kit canopy
can be used, the minor oversizing
due to the thickness of the vacuumed
acetate being generally acceptable.
If the kit canopy is to be preserved
from potential damage, it’s possible
The male master. The kit’s resin canopy
is mounted on cocktail sticks to locate it,
and spaced above the plinth with bits of
plastic tube
I scanned the decal sheet, then
taped the paper image over a wide
piece of masking film so I could
carefully cut around the decal
panels to produce a set of masks.
The nose looks to be a bit
too big in diameter and needs
some trimming to get a flat
perpendicular face to glue
to the front of the fuselage,
and some super glue as a filler.
to make resin copies
to use as masters.
The master
needs to be held
securely on a plinth
through which the
vacuum is drawn.
I built a small MDF
box about 20 cm Here’s my homemade plenum box for vacuum forming. The hose
x 15 cm x 15 cm as a connecting it to my workshop dust extractor is at lower left.
plenum chamber and
fitted a 4 cm square plinth to the top,
drilled with a matrix of 1.5 mm holes.
The master is mounted on one or
more pieces of cocktail stick, which
locate in the holes; I usually stand
the base of the master off the plinth
surface by 1 or 2 mm to allow a slight
undercut and therefore a sharper
lower edge to the canopy. The plenum
box is connected to my workshop
dust extractor system, although I
suspect a powerful garage vacuum
cleaner would provide enough suck.
Here’s a successful mould. Note how the
master is trapped by the slight undercut
resulting from the stand-off. This makes
accurate cutting of the canopy much easier
Sanding is needed to get the
contour right where the bulged
fuselage meets the nose, leading
to the loss of some of the surface
detail, which needs to be either
re-scribed or filled completely.
The wing assembly and tail parts
fit the fuselage without too much
aggravation, and the drop tanks fit
into neat recesses in the lower wing.
With the airframe essentially
complete, it was cleaned up and
then primed to highlight panel and
Clear plastic blanks are mounted
loosely in a frame with a square
hole sized to fit over the plinth. With
the vacuum on, the plastic is heated
using a DIY hot air paint stripper;
some coordination is required to
drop the plastic over the mould
without it cooling too much.
I tend to use clear sheet
scavenged from packaging, some
of which has been vac formed
already (which is a good indicator
of suitability), but as there’s
invariably a significant range of
properties and thickness, inevitably
there’s also a lot of trial and error.
However, I reckon to get one good
canopy in about six or eight tries.
Here’s one I prepared earlier.
joint flaws. A couple of iterations
later, the final scheme could be
applied. I decided to go with the 264
Sq option since I liked the overall
lighter look. For the medium sea
grey (BS381C:637, FS16270) I used
Mr. Hobby H306, lightened a touch
with white to get a more scale effect,
and for the dark green (BS381C:641,
FS14079) I used Mr. Hobby H73,
rather more heavily lightened.
The hard masking along the
horizontal fuselage line was done
09/03/2018 16:07

After trimming, the fit of the outer wing to the
centre section was pretty good
The horizontal nacelle joints needed significant
remedial work to fill the seams and correct the
ovality
I made masks by scanning the kit decals, then
cutting around them onto tape
with tape, and BluTac worms were
used to mark out the upper surface
demarcations, keeping them to
a small diameter to give a tight
boundary. The radome was painted
with Mr. Hobby H77 Tire black.
Several thin coats of Mr. Hobby
H30 Clear prepared the surface for
decals. As with previous experience,
030-33-QB-Meteor-0418.indd 33
1/144
Our kit only offered a solid resin canopy and decals; it’s planned
that in future, a clear resin canopy will be included
Mistake #2 was to assume the cockpit could be
fitted after the fuselage was joined.... surgery
was needed to allow it to slide in sideways
we had to review suffered a little
from prototypic instructions and
the lack of a clear canopy, but
hopefully by the time you read this,
upgraded kits will be available.
As with many small scale resin
kits, some modelling challenge
is to be expected, and this kit
The nose section is distinctly larger in diameter than the is no exception. Nevertheless,
mating section of fuselage, and some sanding is needed it is a very worthwhile addition
to the 1/144th scale world.
Thanks to Brian Keates at 144th
for the review model, which can
be purchased at www.144th.co.uk,
along with the rest of the range.
Masks fitted to REFERENCE
the canopy Caruana R.J. And Franks R.A,
The Gloster and AW Meteor.
Modellers Datafile #8, SAM
Publications. ISBN 0-9533465-8-7
these were excellent, being sharply
printed with good colour density.
They were easy to place with
plain water, followed by a drop of
MicroSol to settle them. Tamiya XF-
35 satin varnish sealed the decals in
before the undercarriage was fitted.
CONCLUSION
This is another nice model of
a non-mainstream type from
144th.co.uk. However, unlike the
previous experimental types,
the more complex shape of the
Meteor’s airframe isn’t as accurately
captured, the nose diameter and
profile potentially being somewhat
compromised by making it separate
(to account for the different variants
of NF 11/12/14). The early edition
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 33
09/03/2018 16:07
 SAM Bookshop
OUT OUT
NOW! NOW! OUT NOW!
THE BOEING F/A-18E/F

SUPER HORNET and EA-18G Growler

M O D E L L I N G
Created with
G U I D E

By Andy Evans

Fighters & Attack

Aircraft of the
Vietnam War

AIR KRAFT
M DF
7 1
SCALED DOWN
MODELLING GUIDE

MDSD 7 Boeing Super Hornet £14.99 AIRK-1 Modelling Guide £10

00-HAK-Cover-Front-New-Vietnam.indd 1 16/10/2017 14:13

000-CoverFront-MDFSD-OUTPUT-FRONT_MDFSD-07-Cover.qxd.indd 1 11/09/2017 15:17

MDF 29 Panavia Tornado £19.99

COMBAT EDGE Warfighters in Detail

MDF 28 Vought A-7 MDSD 6 Blackburn MDF SD 5
Corsair £19.99 Buccaneer £14.99 F5 Tiger £14.99
PROWLER

COMBAT EDGE
COMBAT EDGE • 2

000-CoverFront-MDF27_MDF10-Cover.qxd 27/10/2016 16:51 Page 1

MDF • 27

THE SEPECAT Warfighters in Detail

JAGUAR
2

A C O M P R E H E N S I V E GUI DE

British, French & International Versions

by Andy Evans
THE US NAVY & MARINE CORPS EA-6B PROWLER
The SEPECAT Jaguar

The US Navy & Marine Corps EA-6B

PROWLER
SAM PUBLICATIONS
SAM Publications

M DF
27
JAGUAR

Combat Edge 2 Combat Edge 1

00-Cover-Front-CE2-Prowler.indd 1 18/10/2016 10:57

MDF 27 Sepecat MDF SD 4 Hawker Sea MDF 26 Douglas US Navy & Marine Corps US Marine Corps
Jaguar £19.99 Fury £9.99 Skyraider £19.99 EA-6B Prowler £9.99 AV-8B Harrier £9.99

ORDER HOTLINE: (01234) 224993

For more information on all our products please visit

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM
034-39-News-0418.indd
SAM Book Store.indd 2 34 09/03/2018 13:39
13/11/2017 16:05

Sam
THE
April 2018 WORLD’S BEST MODEL NEWSPAPER ‘FREE’
>> KITTYHAWK’S BLACKHAWKS, SEAHAWKS, AND PAVEHAWKS
Large
Scale
Multi Scale Hawks
Racer
M
ikro Mir have
announced that they
will be releasing
the DH-88 Comet in 1/72 scale
to compete with the existing
SBS kit and just announced
AZ Models kit. But even more
interesting is that they will
also be releasing a 1/48 scale
version and the CAD image
looks like this will be the most
detailed kit of the type to date.
Expect the inevitable red
Grosvenor House marking.
and considering that only 5
examples were completed,
the Comet carried a wide
range of paint finishes. And
I do hope that the black and
gold DH-88, Black Magic or
the British racing green and
gold G-ACSR feature on the
kit sheet or are released as
an aftermarket decal sheet.
7 13:39 034-39-News-0418.indd 35
K
ittyhawk have
supplied us with
some information
about a forthcoming project
that will take a number
of years to complete.
“Myself and a team of
specialists (Navy, Air Force, and
Army pilots and maintainers)
are working on doing the entire
family of Blackhawks, Seahawks,
and Pavehawks in 1/35th scale
and later maybe 1/48th scale.
The Blackhawks at the moment
will be UH-60A/L and MH-60L,
eventually we will do the UH/MH-
60M aircraft. The Seahawks are
even more exciting with the entire
A Really Bent Wing Bird
W
ith a name
like AFV
Club you
would not expect
this manufacturer to
release any aviation
kits but in fact, they
have a growing
range in all the
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM
FIRST LOOK!
F-4C Phantom II
First look at Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4C
he F-4 Phantom is
one of the most easily
recognisable and famous
aircraft of the latter half of
the 20th century. The USAF’s
first version was based on the
airframe of the US Navy’s F-4B,
but with modifications: the rear
air
cockpit was modified for the
force’s weapons system officer
was
and a second set of controls
fitted. Other changes included
broader tyres and a set of more
powerful brakes, as they would
be land- as opposed to carrier-
based, and a completely different
avionics suite was employed.
The F-4C first flew in 1963 and
USAF
was almost fully equipping all
squadrons in Vietnam by 1965.
Zoukei-Mura has now released
this kit to follow-up their two
fantastic naval releases (in
the form of the F-4J and F-4S),
and it is a great addition to
their portfolio of Phantoms.
52 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER
line being covered from SH-60B,
SH-60F, HH-60H, MH-60R and SH-
60S. This will provide a wonderful
canvas for some very colourful
aircraft. The Pavehawk will be the
HH/MH-60G variant. No release
date yet but proofing of the CAD
continues until we get it right.”
Phantom II by Jezz Coleman
THE KIT
The kit parts comes on 11
sprues containing 370 light
grey parts, and one more sprue
containing 14 clear parts. The
instruction booklet is extremely are
Keflavik, Iceland 1976. These
detailed and comprehensive.
the Bicentennial markings and
The large decal sheet has
are quite colourful, with a large
markings for only one aircraft,
checkerboard design covering
the
an F-4C from 57th FIS, NAS
INTERNATIONAL
major scales.
One of their
latest kits is an
F4U Corsair in 1/144
scale and they have
now announced that
they will release a
new version of this
kit with the wings
folded, which I
think is a first in
First Looks!
in
engines, but they are lacking
model, the closed cockpit comes
• F-4C Phantom II • Ju-88A-4
a lot of detail. This is a shame,
in really handy for masking
entire vertical stabiliser. They
are as Zoukei Mura did such a great
the cockpit whilst painting.
printed by Cartograph and are job on the details for the Jumo
The front wheel well is
perfectly in register and very
crisp. engines included in the 2016 F-4D and hopefully, in my opinion,
integrated into the cockpit, so
they
there are plenty of etch or resin
The kit is largely based on the release of the1/48 Ho 229 kit. an F-4B or N. Although it is quite
need to be built at the same time, replacements available), a few
previous releases and indeed, The kit includes a set of costly at approximately £70, don’t
but it is really well thought out
and
details have been left out in the
many of those parts are still AIM-7E Sparrow missiles and
4
let this high price tag put you off
fits perfectly. The main wheel
wells
wheel wells, and I had issues with
included. There are new details AIM-9P Sidewinders. However, what really is a fantastic kit.
are built into the wings and slot
into
the fit of the outboard parts of the
for the fuselage, including new are included in I would sincerely like to
wings, as there was a gap when
no bombs
a tab at the bottom of the fuselage
• B-25 Mitchell • Gee Bee R-1
shortened afterburner nozzles the kit, which is a shame. thank Zoukei-Mura, and Carmine
to complete the inside of each
well.
fitted in place. As well, some of the
to correctly depict the J79-GE-15 Napolitano specifically, for my review
The rest of the airframe is sprue attachment points aren’t in
engines (although the original sample; I will shortly be building it for
sublime and the detail is really
well
CONCLUSION the greatest place, such as on the
either a future issue of SAMi or MAM.
nozzles are still included). refined. My personal highlight
is
spine at the top of the fuselage. Very
The rear cockpit is accurate for There are a few issues and
the depiction of the titanium
plates
careful trimming is required when
shortcomings with the kit: the lack
the F-4C, but the two Martin-Baker at the rear of the afterburners. removing these parts, especially as
ejection seats do not include any of harnesses is noticeable (although
You get two complete J79 Zoukei Mura plastic is quite soft.
pilot restraining harnesses. These The decal sheet is very nice,
my
belts really are needed, so on
a set but I would personally prefer
previous F-4S build I had added
more than the one option in a kit
see page 42
of Quickboost resin replacements.
of this price; however, plenty of
I purchased the Zoukei-Mura
is aftermarket options are available.
etch set for the cockpit, which Overall, though, this kit is fantastic
produced by Eduard, but it almost
and easily the best F-4C in the scale.
seems a shame to not use the
as Zoukei Mura have certainly done
moulded detail in the cockpit,
their homework on this release.
it really is that good. A careful
this cockpit This will be shortly followed by the
painter can make
look fantastic out of the box.
The canopies come with the
option of open or closed. If it is
not being used on the finished
www.sampublications.com WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL
2018 • 53
Like many US Navy fans, I
am really looking forward to the
Seahawk family as no manufacturer
to date has covered these types
with a state of the art kit in the
larger scale. And with a folding
main rotor and tail it will not take
up much space on the model shelf.
this scale. Do not be put off by
the Japanese anime artwork
the plastic contents look first
class and I will certainly be
keeping an eye on the Hobbylink
Japan and Lucky Models
websites for this kit’s release.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 35
09/03/2018 16:06
 Airfix is King
T Rotor Wing Treats
he new tool Airfix 1/72 scale kit
of the Sea King was released in
2015 as an HC-4 Junglie and later
in a paint set as a HAR.3 in ASR Yellow
scheme. Now they are reissuing the latter
version with a very attractive scheme
as carried by a 78-squadron example
in the Falklands during 19991. If that
does not float your boat they have also
included a Mk.43B in the Norwegian Air
Force Air Sea Rescue scheme of overall
white with large areas of orange.
Almost here
H
aving seen the new 1/72 scale Airfix
Wellington in Nuremberg I was
immediately inspired to build one
though I rarely venture into 1/72 scale
due to the superb representation of the
geodetic finish. Airfix have now announced
the first marking option, which covers the
only surviving Mk.1a at the Brooklands
Museum. This aircraft was used in daylight
raids during the first year of the war but
was lost on a training flight during 1940
crashing into Loch Ness. The aircraft
was recovered in 1985 and after a 30-year
restoration process is now the centrepiece
of a new display at Brooklands covering
the history of aircraft production at the
site including the Vickers Wellington.
36 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
034-39-News-0418.indd 36
I
t is well known that Werner Wings
owner Floyd Werner Jr has provided a
lot of input into the recent Kittyhawk
AH-6 in 1/35 Scale and UH-1 in 1/48 scale.
This has put him in a very good position
to release a selection of simple updates for
these kits. We start with a set of down turned
exhausts as fitted on the Attack Version
of the AH-6J during operation by Special
Forces in Somalia. The AH-6 also has a
second set, supplying the nose mounted FLIR
that featured on the recent Kittyhawk kit
box art but was not included in the box.
Both should be available by
the time you read this.
Floyd has also supplied us with some details
of future releases including a resin update set
for the Kittyhawk UH-1D being mastered by
Andrew Perren. This set
will include corrected
transmission mounts
as well as updated cabin
walls and roof as well
as overhead panels for
the cockpit and first aid
kits for the back of the
pilot seats. Also for the
Huey will be a new decal
sheet covering the types
use in Vietnam until
the types retirement
from US Service. This
sheet will have at
least 23 options and
should be released in
the next few months
once the instructions
are finished.
A
a
5737A
09/03/2018 16:06
 Airfix.com Start as you mean to finish
and all good retail stockists
Official Product

5737AX_Ad_A4_A0415A-A01071B_AD_Feb2018.indd 1 13/02/2018 09:38

034-39-News-0418.indd 37 09/03/2018 16:06
 News
CZECH
By Tim Upson-Smith
O BIG Buff!
utside, as I write. It is
snowing, my children
are having a snow day
off school and this morning
I went sledging with my
daughter at our local park.
My plan once I have finished
writing this is, to stay in
the warm and have a good
modelling session! Hopefully
though by the time you read
this Spring will actually
have arrived and we have
quite a lot to look forward to
from the Czech Republic.
Choices Choices
RS MODELS
T
he Bücker 133 A/B/C
in 1/72 scale is almost
here. And we now know
the colour schemes for the
four boxings of the kit. Which
will feature both the radial
and inline engine versions.
The colour schemes include
Yugoslavian Partisan AF, Swiss
AF, Lithuanian civil version,
Croatian AF and various
German versions both civil and
Luftwaffe, amongst others!
38 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
034-39-News-0418.indd 38
HPH
J
ust before our press deadline,
HpH announced that they
will be producing a 1/48
scale B-52H Stratofortress!
This kit will be mixed media,
with the main components in
fibreglass, while most of the
details will be produced in resin.
The clear parts will also be cast
in a transparent resin. The kit
will also include a large amount
of photo-etched brass, and white
metal parts for the weight-bearing
areas like the undercarriage.
You will also get a set of canopy
Year of the MiG!
EDUARD
T
he big news from Eduard
is the release of a brand
new 1/72 scale MiG 21
family. The first release will be
the MF and I had the pleasure of
seeing the first incomplete test
shot at the Nuremberg Toy Fair
and I liked very much what I saw!
April will also see the 1/48
scale MiG 21 released as a limited
edition Vietnam boxing, a Profipack
release of the 1/48 scale He280
(with some rather fine box art),
masks and a decal sheet that
will supply all the markings but
no details as yet on the colour
schemes that will be included.
We do know that the
interior will be fully detailed
which will also extend to the
undercarriage and bomb bays.
HpH will also be releasing a
range of accessories to compliment
this kit including a complete
payload of iron bombs or A.L.C.M
(Air Launched Cruise Missile).
The missile set will also include
and a weekend edition of the 1/48
scale Bf109F-2 and finally in 1/72
scale there will be a Profipack
edition of the Spitfire Mk.VIII.
As well as the kits,
there are lots of photo-
etch and Brassin sets
to tempt as well have a
look at www.Eduard.
com to see the full range.
an internal rotary launcher
and external missile racks.
And finally, a set to display
the flaps in the lowered position
will also be released. But this set
must be ordered at the same time
as the model if you want one!
Sadly all of this detail
does not come cheap with the
basic kit costing 775 Euro’s
(approximately £695 or $965US)
For details on how to
order this mighty kit please
visit www.hphmodels.cz
Comets!
AZ MODELS
A
Z has announced an
all-new injection
moulded 1/72 scale
DH88 Comet. We can
look forward to boxings
covering all of the aircraft
in all of their incarnations.
I can see this being a very
popular kit as, let’s face it,
the DH88 has to rate as one
of the most attractive twin
engine civil aircraft ever!
09/03/2018 16:06

Big Winds
SPECIAL HOBBY
W
e mentioned that Special
Hobby were working on
a 1/32 scale Westland
Whirlwind quite sometime back
now. Every time I see the folk
from the company I ask about
progress and it would seem that
Special Hobby have been very busy
behind the scenes. The mould
for the fuselage and the smaller
parts are now completed, but
there is still lots to do. A release
date for Eday in September is
not impossible, but I know that
Special Hobby will want to get
it right before they release it!
Hopefully we can look forward to
some resin RR Peregrines too?
A more imminent release is
the 1/72 scale Dornier Do27. The
first boxing of this kit will have
markings for German, Belgium and
Spanish aircraft. In 1/32 scale we
can look forward to the release of
the Tempest Mk6, which should be
available by the time you read this.
034-39-News-0418.indd 39
News
POLISH
By Marcin Wawrzynkowski
A
s I write 2018 is already
two months old and a lot
has already happened
on the Polish modelling
market. There is one new
producer with some interesting
announcements as well as
some welcome reissues and a
few brand new kits too! Let’s
see what the manufacturers
have prepared for us during
the first two months of 2018.
P.11c Fighter
ARMA HOBBY
W
e are waiting for the
new 1/72 scale model
of the PZL P.11c fighter
this project is still underway. But
for now, modellers must content
themselves with a new version
of his older brother, PZL P.7a this
an “Expert Set” which include
markings from the September
Campaign period allowing you
to build a combat veteran. Also
just arrived is the new 1/72
scale Fokker DVIII, so look out
for a review in a future issue.
ARMA HOBBY: PZL. P7A SEPTEMBER
1939 EXPERT SET
SCALE: 1/72
KIT NO: AH70007
DECAL OPTIONS: 4
STATUS: injection model, photo-
etched parts, masks.
Re-issued delight
IBG
F
ans of Polish wings are
waiting for the new IBG
1/72 scale models of the
PZL.37 Łoś bomber. For now,
you again need to be patient
because the model is still in
development, although we are
hoping it will not be too much
longer. The new kit from IBG is
a reissue with new markings of
Classic Airlines
BIGMODEL
B
igmodels is a new
manufacturer on the
Polish modelling
market, who have started
right away with interesting
ideas. The company is
offering 1/144 scale passenger
aircraft, which are prepared
in cooperation with the
Russian manufacturer Eastern
Express, however, Bigmodel
is not just re-boxing kits,
these are limited edition
kits of just 200 examples.
Each kit has a large number
of additions produced in
metal and photo-etched
brass. The first five are
the classic - IL 18 with five
different options available,
including the early version
of LOT Polish Airlines painting! STATUS: injection model, photo-etched
parts, metal parts, masks.
BIGMODEL: IL-18 DEUTSCHE
LUFTHANSA BIGMODEL: IL-18 MALEV
SCALE: 1/144 SCALE: 1/144
KIT NO: 144001 KIT NO: 144003
DECAL OPTIONS: 1 DECAL OPTIONS: 1
STATUS: injection model, photo-etched STATUS: injection model, photo-etched
parts, metal parts, masks. parts, metal parts, masks.
BIGMODEL: IL-18 LOT BIGMODEL: IL-18 AIR MALI
SCALE: 1/144 SCALE:1/144
KIT NO: 144002 KIT NO: 144020
DECAL OPTIONS: 1 DECAL OPTIONS: 1
STATUS: injection model, photo-etched
parts, metal parts, masks.
BIGMODEL: IL-18 BERLINE
SCALE: 1/144
KIT NO: 144022
DECAL OPTIONS: 1
STATUS: injection model, photo-etched
parts, metal parts, masks.
the RWD.8 training/light
communication plane in
1/72 scale, this time with
decals for Romanian and
Hungarian aircraft. The
decals were developed by
ModelMaker Decals so are sure SCALE: 1/72
to be of the highest quality. KIT NO: 72504
DECAL OPTIONS: 4
IBG: RWD-8 HUNGARIAN AND STATUS: injection model.
ROMANIAN SERVICE
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 39
09/03/2018 16:06
 to our market
leading magazines...

S
YOU NEED THIS MAGAZINE!
EXCLUSIVE MODEL AIRCRAFT EXTRA Firefly
INDONESIAN THUNDER MIG MASTERCLASS Eurofighter Pacific
Conversion of
Battle Cat Lynx over Iraq Typhoon Punisher
Trumpeter 1/48
Su-30 MKK

Smoke On

winter
Red Arrows
Hawk

Heinkel
NIGHT OWL
Revell’s 1/32 Heinkel He 219 A-0/A-2 Night Fighter

Eastern
Front
usiv Aviation File
British Phantom
cl

CIVIL WINGS EYE OF THE HURRICANE

ex

4
es
how

Italeri 1/48 Hawker

Australia’s Ansett Hurricane Mk.1
id

Airlines DHC-4A to
gu
Caribou in 1/72

QUICKBUILDS:
APRIL 2018
Vol 24 Issue 4 £4.75

1/144 Meteor NF 11/12/14

Lynx
Vol 17 Iss 04 £4.75

1/72 Ilyushin Il-10

APRIL 2018
FIRST LOOKS:
APRIL 2018

Vol 48 Iss 565 £4.75

Printed in UK AH-7
Printed in UK

Revell Ju-88 “Technik” Battle Cat

Zoukei-Mura F-4C Phantom II combat edge
Printed in UK

Dora Wings Gee Bee MAPLE LEAF

Airfix’s B-25 Mitchell HORNET

www.sampublications.com
Secure online ordering at
Order hotline +44 (0)1234 211245
SAM-Subscription-DPS-March-2018.indd 1 09/03/2018 10:13
 Magazine Subscriptions

Scale Military Modeller Scale Aviation Modeller Model Aircraft

Please indicate the length of subscription
required and for which magazine you wish
to subscribe by ticking the appropriate box UK EUROPE WORLD

3 MONTHS +1 FREE ISSUE £12 £15 £20

6 MONTHS +1 FREE ISSUE £24 £30 £40
12 MONTHS +­­(Plus
2 FREE1 Free Binder)
ISSUES £44 £60 £80
18 MONTHS +4 FREE ISSUES £65 £95 £115
24 MONTHS (Plus 2 Free Binders) £85 £115 £150
BINDER­­ £10
Available to all readers, strong, robust ‘Cordex’
binders to hold 12 issues of Scale Aviation Scale Military Modeller
Modeller (in green) or Model Aircraft (black) or Scale Aviation Modeller
Scale Military Modeller (Blue). Model Aircraft
RRP based on UK prices.

Order Form
DELIVERY and PAYMENT
Mr/Mrs/Ms Initials Surname

Special Offer
One Free Binder
Address

With 12 Months Postcode/Zip Country

Subscription Reference Daytime Telephone Number

Subscriptions
A I enclose a £ Sterling cheque made payable to ‘Media House’
Two Free Binders B Please charge my Visa Mastercard American Express Maestro (Switch/Solo)
With 24 Months Valid From Expiry Date Maestro (Switch)/Solo Iss No
Subscriptions Card Number

Security Code Last 3 digits (4 for Amex) of the Security Number on reverse of card

Signed Today’s Date

Payable by • Cheque • Credit/Debit Card • via PayPal to mail@sampublications.com

Please note we now accept US Dollar and Euro cheques made payable to Media House
When paying by credit/debit card, please ensure you include your Security Number as
payment cannot be taken without it. Please quote your Sub Ref No if known.
Please allow 28 days for delivery.

Send to:
Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, MK42 9BJ, UK
Tel: +44 (0) 1234 211245 • Fax: +44 (0) 1234 325927
email: mail@sampublications.com

www.sampublications.com
SAM-Subscription-DPS-March-2018.indd 2 09/03/2018 10:13
 FIRST LOOK!
F-4C Phantom II
First look at Zoukei-Mura 1/48 F-4C Phantom II by Jezz Coleman
T
he F-4 Phantom is
one of the most easily
recognisable and famous
aircraft of the latter half of
the 20th century. The USAF’s
first version was based on the
airframe of the US Navy’s F-4B,
but with modifications: the rear
cockpit was modified for the air
force’s weapons system officer
and a second set of controls was
fitted. Other changes included
broader tyres and a set of more
powerful brakes, as they would
be land- as opposed to carrier-
based, and a completely different
avionics suite was employed.
The F-4C first flew in 1963 and
was almost fully equipping all USAF
squadrons in Vietnam by 1965.
Zoukei-Mura has now released
this kit to follow-up their two
fantastic naval releases (in
the form of the F-4J and F-4S),
and it is a great addition to
their portfolio of Phantoms.
42 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
042-47-FirstLooks-0418.indd 42
THE KIT
The kit parts comes on 11
sprues containing 370 light
grey parts, and one more sprue
containing 14 clear parts. The
instruction booklet is extremely
detailed and comprehensive.
The large decal sheet has
markings for only one aircraft,
an F-4C from 57th FIS, NAS
Keflavik, Iceland 1976. These are
the Bicentennial markings and
are quite colourful, with a large
checkerboard design covering the
entire vertical stabiliser. They are
printed by Cartograph and are
perfectly in register and very crisp.
The kit is largely based on the
previous releases and indeed,
many of those parts are still
included. There are new details
for the fuselage, including new
shortened afterburner nozzles
to correctly depict the J79-GE-15
engines (although the original
nozzles are still included).
The rear cockpit is accurate for
the F-4C, but the two Martin-Baker
ejection seats do not include any
pilot restraining harnesses. These
belts really are needed, so on my
previous F-4S build I had added a set
of Quickboost resin replacements.
I purchased the Zoukei-Mura
etch set for the cockpit, which is
produced by Eduard, but it almost
seems a shame to not use the
moulded detail in the cockpit, as
it really is that good. A careful
painter can make this cockpit
look fantastic out of the box.
The canopies come with the
option of open or closed. If it is
not being used on the finished
09/03/2018 16:15
 model, the closed cockpit comes
in really handy for masking
the cockpit whilst painting.
The front wheel well is
integrated into the cockpit, so they
need to be built at the same time,
but it is really well thought out and
fits perfectly. The main wheel wells
are built into the wings and slot into
a tab at the bottom of the fuselage
to complete the inside of each well.
The rest of the airframe is
sublime and the detail is really well
refined. My personal highlight is
the depiction of the titanium plates
at the rear of the afterburners.
You get two complete J79
042-47-FirstLooks-0418.indd 43
engines, but they are lacking in
a lot of detail. This is a shame,
as Zoukei Mura did such a great
job on the details for the Jumo
engines included in the 2016
release of the1/48 Ho 229 kit.
The kit includes a set of
AIM-7E Sparrow missiles and 4
AIM-9P Sidewinders. However,
no bombs are included in
the kit, which is a shame.
CONCLUSION
There are a few issues and
shortcomings with the kit: the lack
of harnesses is noticeable (although
there are plenty of etch or resin F-4D and hopefully, in my opinion,
replacements available), a few an F-4B or N. Although it is quite
details have been left out in the costly at approximately £70, don’t
wheel wells, and I had issues with let this high price tag put you off
the fit of the outboard parts of the what really is a fantastic kit.
wings, as there was a gap when I would sincerely like to
fitted in place. Also, some of the thank Zoukei-Mura, and Carmine
sprue attachment points aren’t in Napolitano specifically, for my review
the greatest place, such as on the sample; I will shortly be building it for
spine at the top of the fuselage. Very either a future issue of SAMi or MAM.
careful trimming is required when
removing these parts, especially as
Zoukei Mura plastic is quite soft.
The decal sheet is very nice,
but I would personally prefer
more than the one option in a kit
of this price; however, plenty of
aftermarket options are available.
Overall, though, this kit is fantastic
and easily the best F-4C in the scale.
Zoukei Mura have certainly done
their homework on this release.
This will be shortly followed by the
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 43
09/03/2018 16:15
 FIRST LOOK!

Ju-88A-4 (Technik Range)

First look at Revell 1/32 Ju-88A-4 (Technik Range)

T
he Technik range from
Revell is their premium
line, which takes a basic
plastic kit and then adds some
working features. The latest
model to get this treatment is
their 1/32 scale Junkers Ju-
88A-4 Bomber, one of the most
successful German multi-role
aircraft of the Second World War.
First released by Revell in
2011, the original version of the
kit did not have the underwing
pylons for the external bomb
load. In 2013 this admission was
rectified, and it is this version of
the kit that the Technik version
is based on. In fact, this kit is
identical to that version, in that
the marking options are the same
as the 2013 boxing. Surprisingly,
so are the instructions, which are
not in the latest style introduced
in 2016. They are perfectly
usable, but it does come as a bit
of a shock after the beautiful CAD
designed ones in recent kits.
The main changes to this kit
are contained in a separate box
that contains the electrical parts.
All of these are prewired with
push connectors, so absolutely
no electrical skills are required
to build this kit, just the ability to
follow the instructions closely. CONCLUSION
The main part of the system is an The Technik version of the Ju-88
IT circuit board which controls the operation of the electrical system basic kit parts: you will have to drill certainly adds a lot of interest
and is hidden inside the rear a 7 mm hole in the centre of the to the model, and is sure to be a
fuselage. The second part annular radiators to house them. big hit with young and old alike
of the system is the battery The next feature is the lights. at model shows. The Ju-88 was
pack, which is located outside Small LEDs are supplied to always a great kit, and the simple
the aircraft and is connected illuminate the landing light, wing nature and ease of assembly of the
to the IT board by a wire and tail navigation lights, and to electrics will make it suitable for
that runs into the fuselage illuminate the cockpit. Each LED all but the most novice modeller.
through the tail wheel. has two leads, a pre-coloured one I have only one concern, and that
The working part of the based on its location (i.e., orange is that this is a ghost aircraft – despite
system starts with a pair of for the landing light), and a black all the working features you have
electric motors that power negative one. These are plugged into no crew to man the aircraft! It would
the engines and are located, the appropriate coloured leads that be a simple matter to modify a few
unsurprisingly, in the engine emerge from the IT circuit board, commercially available aftermarket
cowling. These require the so there is absolutely no room for options, like PJ Production’s
only modification to the error if you follow the instructions. Luftwaffe pilot (which comes with
Once completed, just add 4X AA two alternative heads so could be
1.5 volt batteries and use the switch used for the pilot and co-pilot).
on the battery pack to turn the A full build of this kit is already
model on. You will then be treated underway and in due course it
to a set sequence of operations: will appear in a future issue, along
•C abin light on (this is located on with a video showing the working
the rear fuselage bulkhead), features on our Facebook page.
•L anding light on, Our thanks to Revell for
•L eft hand engine start supplying the review sample, which
up to full power, can be purchased from Revell’s
•R ight hand engine start up, extensive dealer network.
•N avigation lights on.
After approximately a minute of
running the sequence is reversed.

44 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

042-47-FirstLooks-0418.indd 44 09/03/2018 16:15

 FIRST LOOK!
B-25 Mitchell
First look at Airfix 1/72 B-25 Mitchell
T
he B-25 Mitchell was the
most successful medium
bomber ever produced by
the United States. Entering service
just before the start of World War
Two, the type was most famous
for its attack on mainland Japan,
taking off from the carrier USS
Hornet on 18 April 1942. It served
with all the allies on all fronts
during the war, and remained
in service well into the 1960s.
THE KIT
Airfix have had a late-mark Mitchell
in their catalogue since the late
1960s, but like many kits in their
range these golden oldies are being
replaced by all new toolings. The
first new B-25 Mitchell released
covers the C and D versions
that entered service in 1941.
The plastic is typical of recent
Airfix kits, with a mix of raised
042-47-FirstLooks-0418.indd 45
and recessed detail. The engraving
will be criticised by some for
being slightly heavy, but in my
view, it is easy to fill if you do not
like it; under a coat of primer and
camouflage they will look just fine.
The big difference between this
kit and preceding 1/72 Mitchells
is the level of detail that has
been achieved, especially in the
cockpit, bomb aimer/navigator
compartment, and bomb bay. This
almost rivals a resin production,
and with careful painting and
washes will be more than adequate
for most modellers. In fact, the
only items that really need to
be added are the seat belts.
Construction should be quick
and easy, helped by some clever
engineering, such as the large
wing spars and the bomb bay doors
moulded as part of the internal
detail. All of this is supported by
clear instructions that clearly
show the assembly
process, though
like all Airfix kits
the colours to be
used are only keyed
to the Humbrol
range of paints.
Two marking
options are supplied.
The first is an aircraft
assigned to anti-
submarine duties in
a green-over-white
camouflage pattern. I suspect,
though, that for many it is the CONCLUSION
second option that will be of most Though the early B-25 was nowhere
interest – “Desert Warrior”, painted near as colourful as later models,
in sand pink over neutral grey. Airfix have picked two interesting
The decals feature an impressive schemes that will please most
mission tally, as well as a listing modellers until the aftermarket
of all the medals awarded to its decal manufacturers start
crew. This aircraft releasing new sheets for this kit.
is shown after From the way the kit has been
its return to the designed there is no doubt that
United States in later models will follow, though not
1943, where it until 2019. This is a very impressive
carried out a tour release, and I am sure that many
with its crew to modellers are hoping that the
promote the sale B-25’s RAF equivalent, the Vickers
of war bonds. Wellington, will be produced later
this year to the same standard.
Our thanks to Airfix for supplying
the kit prior to its UK release.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 45
09/03/2018 16:15
 FIRST LOOK!

Gee Bee R-1

First look at Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee R-1

A
t Nuremberg a new
company called Dora
Wings launched its range,
and among their first kits was
a new- tool Gee Bee racer. The
inter-war period is a much-
neglected field, and the American
racing planes (the Formula One
of their day) even more so.
This is surprising, as the
aircraft were very colourful and
there were many unusual designs,
of which the Gee Bee racers were
probably the most extreme:
basically, get a large powerful
engine – in this case a Pratt &
Whitney Wasp Junior – and pack
it into a fuselage with as minimal
sticky-out bits as was possible.
This design led to a striking
appearance that was instantly
recognizable, but with handling
characteristics that challenged
even the most gifted of pilots.
In fact, the R-1 version featured
in this kit crashed during the
1933 Bendix Trophy race, killing
its pilot Russell Boardman.
This aircraft features the
most famous Gee Bee scheme,
a white fuselage with red trim,
which includes some challenging
scallops for the modeller to
paint, but more of that later.
THE KIT
On opening the box, I was
immediately impressed with
the detail supplied for the Wasp
engine, but less so with the
engraved lines that are supposed
to represent the fabric- covered
rear fuselage. I suspect many will
remove most of this with a bit of
work with wet and dry paper.
The interior is quite well
detailed, though most of this will be
invisible through the tiny canopy.
A small etched brass sheet supplies
a number of small details, as well
as seat belts and the bracing wires
above and below the canopy.
Markings are supplied for

Number 11, registration NR2100. Wings have also included a set

Alternative markings for Number 7,
NR2101 are also supplied, although
no colour scheme is shown for
this option in the instructions.
What is really nice is that Dora
of pre-cut frisket film masks,
which should make painting all
those red scallops a lot easier.
CONCLUSION
Though not perfect, I was actually
quite impressed with this new kit,
and with a mouth-watering selection
of new releases planned for the
next 12 months I cannot wait to
see how Dora Wings develop.
The review sample has already
been despatched to one of our
team for a full build in a future issue.
You can visit www.dorawings.com
to see the current range and the
proposed new releases in both 1/72
and 1/48. And we thank them for
supplying us with the review sample.

46 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

042-47-FirstLooks-0418.indd 46 09/03/2018 16:15

 New & Collectible Model Kits

D e a n ’ s Hobby
STOP
We Buy Model Collections
BLE
FREE 15 PAGE CATALOG AVAILA
116 N. WASHINGTON ˚ OWOSSO, MI 48867 ˚ 989-720-2137
www.deanshobbystop.com
e: dean@deanshobbystop.com

1/32 scale WWI British RFC Pilot & Lewis Gunner

KINGKIT
THE ORIGINAL KIT DEALER (Est. 1983)
Due to the continued success of our
new web site, we are looking to buy
all types of second hand models,
accessories and related books.... please
MC32024 MC32025
$22.50 USD $22.50 USD contact us for a quote

www.kingkit.co.uk
Also sold as a combo set (MC32026) $41.00 USD

THE
Model Cellar Unit 8, Cedar Court, Halesfield 17, Telford TF7 4PF
PLEASE NOTE: all our figures and accessories are unassembled and unpainted
To place an order and to see more please visit our website:
NEW
ADDRESS! TEL: 01952 586 457
www.ModelCellar.com e-mail sales@kingkit.co.uk www.kingkit.co.uk

042-47-FirstLooks-0418.indd 47 09/03/2018 16:15

 SHOW REPORT
Shuttleworth Model Show
18th February 2018

T
hough quite a small show
the quality of models
on display were first
rate including a large number
of very impressive dioramas
that I had never seen before.
These drew the attention of not
only modellers but
model show in the engineering
and restoration hanger.
What more could you ask for
plenty of good quality models
on display as well as one of the
best vintage aircraft collections
in the country?

PHOTO
members of the public
who were just visiting

SCRAPBOOK
the Shuttleworth
collection and found the

48 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

048-51-ShowReport-0418.indd 48 09/03/2018 16:04

 WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 49

048-51-ShowReport-0418.indd 49 09/03/2018 16:04

 SHOW REPORT

50 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

048-51-ShowReport-0418.indd 50 09/03/2018 16:04

048-51-ShowReport-0418.indd 51 09/03/2018 16:04
 ACCESSORIES
Eduard Brassin
T
his month the majority
of sets from Eduard
focus on two recent 1/48
scale releases, the Airfix P-51
Mustang and the Eduard Fw
190A series. If you have either
of these kits in your to-do pile,
then some or all of these sets
will certainly enhance your
model. The Fw 190A-3 cockpit is
a real thing of beauty, so much
so it would almost be a shame to
hide it inside the kit fuselage!

Eduard Brassin
1/72 SCALE 1/48 SCALE
672 161 GBU-11 648 357 Fw 190A-3 cockpit (for Eduard kit)
648 359 P-51D rear view mirrors (for Airfix
kit)
648 360 P-51D Hamilton Standard
uncuffed propeller (for Airfix kit)
648 365 Bf 109F radio compartment (for
Eduard kit)
648 367 Fw 190A-3/A-4 undercarriage legs
bronze (for Eduard kit)
648 368 British 500ib bombs
648 369 P-51D 250lb bombs (for Airfix kit)
648 371 Fw 190A control surfaces early (for
Eduard kit)
648 373 Fw 190A pitot tubes early (for
Eduard kit)
CONCLUSION
As usual, these sets are beautifully
cast and detailed and will really
enhance any kit they are used on.
My only reservation would be using these sets are highly recommended
the resin pitot tubes, as you would My thanks to Eduard for
need to be very careful to avoid supplying these samples for
breaking them! Otherwise all of review www.eduard.com.

Profimodeller
T
his month we bring you
a look at Profimodeller’s
1/32 scale conversion
set for the HpH Aero Albatross,
which converts the basic HpH kit
into the more interesting target
towing version of the L-39V. The
conversion will involve some
alterations to the front cockpit
and a complete replacement of
the rear cockpit using the resin
and photo-etch parts provided.
Also included in the set are
resin parts to reproduce the
exterior towing attachment
points, and to round it off there
is a complete set of markings
and a painting guide for the
L-39V in an attractive scheme of
overall white with yellow trim
1/32 SCALE
PM32161 Albatross L-39V CZ tow jet
conversion set (for HpH kit).
CONCLUSION
The HpH kit is in itself a stunning
resin kit, but it is quite expensive,
so you must really want to add an
L-39V version to your collection if
you purchase this set as well. And
you will need experience in working
with resin and etched brass, as well
as a small amount of additional
experience modifying kit parts.
If this description matches you,
then this conversion will make
for a very colourful and different My thanks to Profimodeller and other Profimodeller releases
looking Albatross that will be the for supplying these samples for visit www.profimodeller.com
centre piece of your collection. review. For more information on this

52 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

052-57-Accessories-0418.indd 52 09/03/2018 16:03

 ACCESSORIES

Quickboost
by Aires
T
his month we have a wide
range of new releases
from Quickboost that
supply a mix of detail sets. These
include the exhaust pipes for
Revell’s 1/32 scale Spitfires;
some mini conversions, such
as the replacement chin pods to
modify Tamiya’s early F-14 to
late models; and correction sets
like those for the propellers on
Haseagawa’s P-3 Orion or Airfix’s 1/72 SCALE pod with ECM antenna (for Tamiya kit).
1/48 Ju-87, which have more QB 72 555 P-3 Orion propeller with tool QB 48 795 Nakajima A5M2b Claude
accurate shapes than the kit parts. (for Hasegawa kit). exhaust pipe (for Wingsy kit).
QB 72 557 Nakajima B5N1 Kate exhaust
(for Airfix).
QB 72 564 Beriev Be-12 landing lights (for 1/32 SCALE
Modelsvit kit). QB 32 192 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX World War and modern subjects. I
fishtail exhaust (for Revell kit). particularly like the propeller sets,
QB 32 193 Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IX oval mainly because they include a clever
1/48 SCALE exhaust (for Revell kit) jig that sets the correct pitch angles,
QB 48 787 Junkets Junkers Ju-87B Stuka QB 32 198 Supermarine Spitfire cockpit making assembly almost idiot proof. I
VS-11 propeller with tool (for Airfix kit). door with separate crowbar (for Revell kit). say “almost”, because I managed to use
QB 48 788 Junkers Ju-87B Jumo propeller too much glue and attach a propeller
with tool (for Airfix kit). to the jig, so learn from my mistake.
QB 48 790 Grumman F-14A/B Tomcat chin CONCLUSION My thanks to Quickboost
pod-early (for Tamiya kit). This month’s sets cover a good for supplying these samples for
QB 48 791 Grumman F-14A/B Tomcat chin selection of aircraft for both the Second review. www.quickboost.net

COMBAT EDGE Warfighters in Detail

Combat Edge – 1
US Marine Corps
AV-8B Harrier

Combat Edge – 2
US Navy & Marine
Corps EA-6B Prowler

order now
just £9.99 EACH plus postage

ORDER HOTLINE: 44 (0)1234 211245

ORDER ONLINE: www.sampublications.com

052-57-Accessories-0418.indd 53 09/03/2018 16:03

 ACCESSORIES
Aerobonus
T
here are three more 1/48
scale figures this month
from Aerobonus, and
unusually these are not pilots or
ground crew but late-war German
infantry. As the war drew to a
close many Luftwaffe units were
sent into battle as ground troops,
and these figures can be used in
dioramas in a number of ways;
my idea is to combine them with
a Fiesler Storch about to take off
during the fall of Berlin in 1945.
Aires
A
diverse range of new
subjects in 1/48 scale
this month that show
off the diversity that Aires
has in its range. To start
off is a simple set of control
surfaces for the Wingsy A5M2
Claude. Second, if you really
want to upgrade a model,
you could do no better than
the beautiful cockpit and
etch set that takes the Airfix
P-40 to a whole new level.
Finally, if you want to add
a feature to draw the eye to your
model, then you have the pair of
cannon bays for the AMK Kfir –
and a frugal modeller can even
split this set to detail two kits.
54 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
052-57-Accessories-0418.indd 54
1/48 SCALE
480 193 WWII Germany Infantry with
Panzerfaust.
480 194 WWII German Infantry with rifle.
480 197 WWII German infantry with rifle
and bucket.
CONCLUSION
A very nicely cast set of figures
that will need some imagination to
incorporate into an aviation diorama.
Tamiya have produced a number
of military kits in 1/48 scale – or
you could always build a tank!!!!
My thanks to Aerobonus for
supplying these sets for review.
1/48 SCALE
AIRE4728 P-40B WARHAWK COCKPIT.
Designed for Airfix.
Yahu
O
nly a few
new sets
in the
instrument
panel range
(YMA) from
Yahu this month,
but most scales
are covered and
they are all in the
JustStick format.
With these sets
assembly is kept
to a minimum,
and in most cases
you just replace
the kit’s plastic
panel with the pre-
finished etched brass piece.
The only non-instrument
panel item this month is a
complete set of seatbelts (YMS) 1/32 SCALE
for the PZL23 Kara in 1/72 scale. NAKAJIMA KI-44 SHOKI
Product Number: YMA32230
1/72 SCALE
PZL23 KARAS SEATBELTS CONCLUSION
Product number: YMS7218 I have been a big fan of this
manufacturer’s products ever
MITSUBUSHI KI-15/C5M BABS since I saw the first set, as they
INSTRUMENT PANEL are incredibly simple to use and
Product number: YMA7292 are available at very reasonable
prices, considering how good they
MESSERSCHMITT ME-262A look on the finished model.
INSTRUMENT PANEL Our thanks to Yahu for supplying
Product number: YMA7293 us with the samples, which are
available from Hannants in the UK.
1/48 SCALE
REPUBLIC F-105 THUNDERCHIEF
Product number: YMA4853
HENSCHEL HS-123
Product number: YMA4861
AIRE4731 MITSUBISHI A5M2 CLAUDE
CONTROL SURFACES.
Designed for Wingsy.
AIRE4735 IAI KFIR C2/C7 GUN BAYS.
Designed for AMK.
CONCLUSION
As always, these kits are beautifully and test fitting will be needed to
cast, and with the exception of the the kit parts to fit the cockpit set,
control surfaces, come with clear but the results will be outstanding
instructions that clearly show what My thanks to Aires for supplying
fits where. Some modifications these sets for review. www.aires.cz
09/03/2018 16:04
 Scale Model
Exhibition
Saturday 14th April 2018
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
One of the South’s biggest static scale model shows
Aviation, military, transport, marine, figures and sci-fi models
Over 100 tables showing the art and craft of scale model making
Free parking, trade stands, competition, refreshments,

Parkstone Grammar School

Sopers Lane, Poole, BH17 7EP
Admission : Adults £3.50 , Children £1.00
For further details please visit
https://poolevikingsblog.wordpress.com

Show hosted by Poole Vikings Model Club in

association with B.M.S.S. and I.P.M.S. Dorset, a
not-for-profit organisation. Admission charged to
cover exhibition expenses.

052-57-Accessories-0418.indd 55 09/03/2018 16:04

 ACCESSORIES
PRODUCT OF
THE MONTH

Spraycraft SP50K Classic Multi-Purpose Airbrush Kit

A dual action internal mix airbrush, for fine detail work or rapid overall coverage.

T
his particular set from Shesto CONTENTS:
contains pretty much everything •S  P50 Internal Mix Airbrush
you need to start Airbrushing. The •2  Paint Jars: ¾ oz (22cc) & lids
can of air will be enough to get you started, •V  inyl hose
but for long term airbrushing investing in •R  egulator adaptor for air propellant
a compressor will be the right way to go! •3  00ml Air propellant (SP9300)
So, if you are looking for a good value general • 1 50ml Airbrush cleaner
airbrush starter kit that has all of the basics to • Instructions
get you started then this set is certainly worth
considering. It feels very solid in your hand and AIRBRUSH CHARACTERISTIC:
the trigger is nice and responsive. I find the • F luid control knob for easy adjustment
suction type airbrush with a jar better for larger • E xceptional atomisation & accurate spray control
areas, so my test piece for this particular airbrush • S prays light to heavy viscosity media
was my current project a 1/16 scale Fokker • S elf centering drop-in nozzle for perfect alignment with
Triplane! Even so I still mixed up too much even control through spray range
paint in the jar, but not to worry as the set comes •0  .5 needle and nozzle
with a spare jar so I just swapped them over
keeping the ready mixed paint for the next part TECHNICAL:
of the model which needs the pale green/grey. •D  ual Action (press down for air and pull back for paint)
The Shesto Spraycraft range offers a • Internal mix
collection of great value airbrushes, ready-to- • S pray pattern approx. 1.6 - 38mm
use kits and accessories for the beginner as
well as for the enthusiast. From easy-to-use For more information on this and other products
single action broad stroke to dual action detailed go to the Shesto website
airbrushing, Spray Craft offers the right solution. www.shesto.com
My thanks to Shesto for supplying this
or contact them directly via email at
airbrush set for review, for more details sales@shesto.co.uk or telephone
on this set and the others in the Spraycraft
range, please visit www.shesto.com
0208 451 6188

56 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

052-57-Accessories-0418.indd 56 09/03/2018 16:04 SAM-A

 YOU NEED THIS MAGAZINE!
INDONESIAN THUNDER
Conversion of
Trumpeter 1/48
Su-30 MKK

NIGHT OWL
Revell’s 1/32 Heinkel He 219 A-0/A-2 Night Fighter

CIVIL WINGS EYE OF THE HURRICANE

Italeri 1/48 Hawker
Australia’s Ansett Hurricane Mk.1
Airlines DHC-4A
Caribou in 1/72

QUICKBUILDS:
APRIL 2018
Vol 24 Issue 4 £4.75

1/144 Meteor NF 11/12/14

1/72 Ilyushin Il-10

FIRST LOOKS:
Revell Ju-88 “Technik”
Zoukei-Mura F-4C Phantom II
Printed in UK

Dora Wings Gee Bee

Airfix’s B-25 Mitchell

EXCLUSIVE MODEL AIRCRAFT EXTRA Firefly

MIG MASTERCLASS Eurofighter Pacific
Battle Cat Lynx over Iraq Typhoon Punisher

Smoke On

winter
Red Arrows
Hawk

Heinkel
Eastern
Front
cl
usiv
Aviation File
British Phantom
ex

4
es
how

id

to
gu

Lynx
Vol 17 Iss 04 £4.75

APRIL 2018
Vol 48 Iss 565 £4.75
APRIL 2018

AH-7
Printed in UK
Printed in UK

combat edge Battle Cat

MAPLE LEAF
HORNET

SAM-Ad-Pocketmags-ALL-March-2018.indd
052-57-Accessories-0418.indd 57 1 09/03/2018
09/03/2018 11:40
16:04
 DECALS
BOA Syhart Decals
T
he latest batch of

sheets from BOA Decals
supplies two attractive
markings for Revell’s superb
1/144 scale Embraer ERJ-190
E-Jet. The E-Jet has been a
major success, with over
1400 aircraft delivered since the
range’s introduction in 2001.
Two of the type’s operators
are Ukraine International, with
five in service and two more on
order; and Bulgaria Air, a slightly
smaller operator with four
of the type in service. Both
aircraft are predominantly
white with tail markings in their
respective national colours.
The instructions clearly
illustrate the two schemes
and the decals not only supply
all the aircraft markings
but also two options for
the passenger and cockpit
windows: either natural metal
surrounds for the kit’s clear
parts, or solid coloured windows
with natural metal surrounds.
1/144 SCALE
BOA144104 UKRAINIAN
INTERNATIONAL
This sheet supplies markings for all five
aircraft currently in the fleet.
UR-EMA/B/C/D/E
BOA144105 BULGARIA AIR
This sheet supplies markings for all four
aircraft used by Bulgaria Air.
LZ-BUR/PLO/SOF/VAR
CONCLUSION
As always, these sheets are
well printed and will make for
some very colourful additions
to your 1/144 airliner fleet.
Our thanks to BOA for supplying
these sheets for us to review.
T
he latest sheet from
Syhart is very different
from their normal
commemorative schemes:
it covers a Mirage 2000D
aircraft painted in the retro
desert scheme that was
carried by the Jaguars in
the raid on Ouadi Doum.
Ok, I had to look that one up.
Here is what Wikipedia says:
“The Ouadi Doum air raid
was carried out by French
aircraft during the Chadian-
Libyan conflict, on 16 February
1986, against the Libyan airbase
of Ouadi Doum in northern Chad.
The raid was significant in
that it demonstrated French
resolve to counter Gaddafi’s
expansionary aims and
indicated France’s commitment
to its former colonies.”
The Mirage 2000D OF EC
3/3 was repainted in a two-
shades-of-brown scheme with
an anniversary marking in dark
brown on both drop tanks
suits the desert camouflage. I
must mention that the Boers
1/48 SCALE Head squadron badge on the
48-103 Dassault Mirage 2000D, 652, tail is particularly well printed.
3-0XN, “30 Ans Raid Ouadi Doum” Syhart sheets can be ordered
EC3/3 Ardennes 1987-2017 direct from the manufacturer at
www.syhartdecal.fr, and if you
like colourful sheets you should
CONCLUSION definitely visit their website.
The two-seat Mirage 2000D is We thank Sylvain
one of the most attractive of the Hautier for supplying us
Mirage family and it certainly with the review sample.

Isra Decals kill markings and some

of the coloured aircraft
stencils. The second sheet
displays a number jungle

A
nother new sheet, similar
to the one we reviewed last
month, which offers what
Isra have called “The Complete
Scale Modelling Experience”.
This time they have turned
their attention to the Israeli Air
Force F-4E and RF-4 Phantoms
operated from the 1960s until the
early part of the 21st Century.
The instructions are supplied
as an eight-page booklet with 30
photographs, illustrating aircraft
from all five squadrons that
operated the Phantoms, in all the
various schemes carried by the type.
That is it, though, with no
captions or further information,
so I would advise anyone intending
to use these sheets to seek out the
Isra Book covering the F-4 Kurnass,
by Ra’anan Weis and Sholomo
Aloni. In its 112 pages you will find
all you need and much more.
The decals are supplied on
four sheets. The first supplies
all the individual unit markings
and national insignia, as well as
for the larger numerals as
well as formation lights.
The third sheet supplies
the smaller stencils and
another number jungle
for the smaller numerals.
Finally, on sheet four you
have the red and white trim
carried by 101 squadron aircraft.
1/32 SCALE
IAF-99 ISRAELI AIR FORCE F-4E & RF-4
KURNASS
Markings are supplied for all aircraft from
the following units.
•69 Squadron “The Hammers”.
•105 Squadron “Scorpian”.
•107 Squadron “Knights of the Orange Tail”.
•119 Squadron “Bats”.
•201 Squadron “The One”.
CONCLUSION
Though many will be disappointed
that the normal ultra-detailed
instruction sheets are missing from
this release, enough is supplied that,
with a little research, you can build
any Israeli Phantom. Recommended
for anyone with enough shelf
space to house the model.
Our thanks to Isra Decals
for the review sample, which
can be purchased from www.
isradecal.com as well as from
many dealers around the world.

58 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

058-61-Decals-0418.indd 58 09/03/2018 16:09


Xtradecal
A
irfix’s release of a new-
tool McDonnell Douglas
Rolls-Royce powered
Phantom has spurred Xtradecal
to release several new sheets.
We start with three of them,
for different time periods,
which supply all the stencils
and other unique markings.
The first sheet covers the
Phantom FG.1 and supplies one set
of black stencils, plus a number
jungle for the underwing serials
and six Type D roundels. The next
sheet moves onto the RAF’s FG.1 and
FGR.2, similar to the previous sheet,
but with a few extra stencils and
no roundels. The final sheet is for
the final grey days of the Phantom,
and has white stencils, plus number
jungles in black and white for the
fuselage serials, and no less than
108 small low-viz roundels.
Separately, we have the second
sheet in Xtradecal’s Phantom
series, with seven marking
options covering the type’s
service with the RAF from the
1970s until its retirement.
058-61-Decals-0418.indd 59
1/72 SCALE
X72798 RN McDonnell Douglas Phantom
FG.1 Stencils
X72288 RAF McDonnell Douglas Phantom
FG.1 HGFR.2 Stencils Pt 1
X72289 RAF McDonnell Douglas Phantom
GF.1 FGR.2 Stencils Pt 2
X72290 Royal Air Force McDonnell
Douglas FG.1 & FGR.2 Phantoms Pt 2
•RAF McDonnell Douglas FGR.1 XV582/B
111 Squadron RAF Leuchars 1970s.
•RAF McDonnell Douglas FGR.2 XT906/T 2
(AC) Sqn RAFG Larrbruch 1970s.
•RAF McDonnell Douglas XT912/912 6 Sqn
RAF Coningsby June 1969.
•RAF McDonnell Douglas XV403/A 54 Sqn
RAF Coningsby 1972.
DECALS
•RAF McDonnell Douglas XV414/N 41 Sqn CONCLUSION
RAFG Gutersloh Sept 1976. If you love the Phantom you will
•RAF McDonnell Douglas XT914/Z want to add these sheets to your
Combined markings of 56 and 74 Sqns RAF stash, ready for the inevitable
Wattisham March 1972. future versions of the Phantom
•RAF McDonnell Douglas XV466/D that Airfix will be releasing
Desperation 1434 Flt RAF Mt Pleasant. over the next few years.
•RAF McDonnell Douglas XV421/F Faith Our thanks to Hannants for
1435 Flt Mt Pleasant 1991. supplying these sheets for review.
Begemot
F
or a change, we
have a pair of sheets
from Begemot that
do not contain multiple
marking options. Instead,
we have red stars – lots
and lots of red stars.
In 1955 the Russian Air Force
standardized the national
insignia for use on military
aircraft, and these new sheets
from Begemot supply all the
variations in multiple sizes.
The instructions explain
how to decide which size star
to use on your latest models,
with illustrations of aircraft 1/48 SCALE
that vary in size from a Mig- 48-050 USSR AIR FORCE INSIGNIA
15 to a Beriev Be-12 seaplane, (TYPE 1955)
and everything in between. In this scale, the three sheets supply 237
stars of various sizes and styles.
1/72 SCALE
72-075 USSR AIR FORCE INSIGNIA CONCLUSION
(TYPE 1955) If you want Soviet stars, then
In this scale, the two sheets supply 267 these two sets supply enough
stars of various sizes and styles. national insignias to keep you
going for many years of
modelling Russian aircraft.
In the UK the Begemot
range is available
from Hannants, and I
thank Begemot for
supplying us with
the review sample.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 59
09/03/2018 16:09
 DECALS
Bullseye Decals
I
have not yet seen a
Bullseye decal sheet that
I have not liked, and the
latest sheet is no different,
although this is probably the
most subdued sheet so far.
The new sheet covers the F-16
in operational service over Syria,
Afghanistan, and Iraq between
2015 and 2016. All of the options
are painted in the normal two
shades of grey camouflage, with
the only colour coming from
the tail bands on the tail.
What makes up for the lack
of colour are the very impressive
mission markings along the
cockpit sides on a number of
options. The larger sheet supplies
all major markings, while two
smaller sheets supply the major
stencils and national insignia
for two individual aircraft.
But it is the full colour
instructions that are particularly
impressive, as they not only supply
the usual full-colour profiles,
but are also packed with useful
information, such as the most
common loadouts and which kits
and aftermarket sets provide
the munitions to model them.
The decals are sized for the
Tamiya F-16, and in particular
the Aggressor boxing, which had
the parts included to produce
either a Block 40 or 50.
1/48 SCALE
WARHEADS ON FOREHEADS
•F-16CM Block 50, 90-0049, 55 FS/20
FW, OIR, 2016, 9th AF CC’s flagship.
•F-16CM Block 50, 91-0379, 79 FS/20
FW, Bagram AB, 2016/17, Squadron
Commander’s aircraft.
•F-16CM Block 50, 97-0110, 55 FS/20 FW,
OIR, 2016.
•F-16CM Block 50, 91-0403, 480 FS/52
60 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
058-61-Decals-0418.indd 60
FW, OIR, 2016.
•F-16CM Block 50, 91-0353, 77 FS/20 FW,
OIR, 2016/17, Squadron Commander’s
aircraft.
•F-16CM Block 50, 91-0345, 77 FW/20
FW, Aviano AB, 2011.
•F-16CM Block 50, 91-0352, 480 FS/52
FW, OIR, 2016, Wing Commander’s
aircraft.
•F-16CM Block 50, 90-0829, 480 FS/52
FW, ORI, 2016, Ops Group Commander’s
aircraft
•F-16CM Block 40, 89-2137, 555 FS/31 FW,
Bagram AB, 2017, triple MiG-killer’
•F-16CM Block 40, 89-2035, 555 FS/31
FW, Bagram AB, 2017’
CONCLUSION
Though I am not really a fan of the
F-16 (unless painted in Aggressor
colours), I am quite tempted to
produce an operational F-16, fully
loaded and ready to add another
mission marking to the impressive
tally that it already carries
Sprue Brothers are the exclusive
distributors of the Bullseye at,
https://store.spruebrothers.
com. While you are there check
out the rest of Bullseye range.
We thank both companies for
supplying the review samples.
Model Maker Decals
T
o be honest, I was a bit
unsure if this month’s
new sheet from Model
Maker should feature in the
book or in the decal section
of this month’s magazine.
The Mi-2 Hoplite has been
in service with the Polish
Air Force and Army for quite
a long time. It started in a
very drab grey over green
camouflage, but now, with
over 50 years in service
there has been an amazing
selection of colour schemes,
as well as an interesting
selection of unit markings.
One aircraft, 7332, was painted
in a commemorative scheme
for the 50th anniversary; this
scheme evolved over several
months, and all the various
stages can be produced using
the accompanying decal sheet.
The main feature of this
sheet is not the decals, but
the accompanying A-4 book,
which illustrates all the
various schemes, using 113
colour and 7 black and white
photographs as well as 34
colour profiles. All of these
helicopters can be produced
using the comprehensive
decal sheets, which include
markings in both 1/48 and 1/72 so inspiring it would be hard to
scale, spread over 3 sheets. build just one or two Hoplites.
I am really hoping that this
is going to be the first in a series
1/72 SCALE AND of sheets, as I would really
1/48 SCALE like a similar one featuring the
POLISH AVIATION COLOURS Mig-21 Fishbed fighter and
Mil Mi-2 Hoplite in Army and Air Force Mil-24 Hind attack helicopter.
service Our thanks to Model Maker
Decals for supplying these decals
for review. You can see the full
CONCLUSION range at www.ModelMaker.
This is obviously a work of love, com.pl, and most of the Model
as the decals look superb and Maker range is now being
the photographs in the book are stocked by Hannants in the UK.
09/03/2018 16:09 Custom
066-71
 CUSTOM
MODELWORKS

We are pleased to announce that Custom Modelworks

is the exclusive Australasian distributor for:
ALL SAM PUBLICATIONS PRODUCTS

As the exclusive distributor, Custom Modelworks will be the centralised

customer service hub for all Australasian magazine subscribers.

Our services include:

• Full subscription services for all magazines
• Full renewal services for all magazines
• Subscriptions and renewals processed by Custom Modelworks with
the magazines airmailed direct to you from the publisher
• Stocking monthly magazines and back issues
• Stocking the full range of books
• Customer enquiries
• Subscription services, missing issues

For all wholesale and retail enquiries, subscriptions and renewals please contact:
Custom Modelworks 02 9520 0933
sales@custommodelworks.com.au
Also available online at: www.creativemodels.com.au

058-61-Decals-0418.indd 71
61
CustomModelWorks-0118-WP.indd
066-71-Decals-0118.indd 1 09/03/2018 16:07
08/12/2017 16:09
17:05
 KIT REVIEWS
”Thunderbirds”
Miniwings 1/144 Republic F-84G Thunderjet and F-84F Thunderstreak by Jonathan Davies
SUBJECT: F-84G
MANUFACTURER: Miniwings
SCALE: 1/144
TYPE: Resin
STATUS: New decals
NO. OF PARTS: 21
DECAL OPTIONS: 1
SUBJECT: F-84F
MANUFACTURER: Miniwings
SCALE: 1/144
TYPE: Resin
STATUS: New decals
NO. OF PARTS: 16 resin plus two vacform
canopies
DECAL OPTIONS: 1
THE SUBJECT
W
hen the Thunderbirds
team was officially
named as such in 1953,
the F-84G Thunderjet was the
first aircraft to serve with the
new team. Based at Luke AFB,
the team was originally known
as the 3600th Air Demonstration
Team, but following a competition
in Luke, which drew a lot of
interest, they were renamed the
Thunderbirds. The name came
from Native American folklore,
in which thunder and lightning
are attributed to a giant bird.
The Thunderjet was superseded
by the F-84F Thunderstreak
in April 1955, which went on to
serve with the team until May
1956, having given 91 shows.
THE BUILDS
Both kits are moulded in a creamy-
coloured resin that holds detail
well and is surprisingly easy to
work with. The F-84F comes with
two vacform canopies, whereas
the F-84G has what appears to be
a clear resin canopy and a vacform
canopy. Decals are designed by JBr,
62 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
062-67-Reviews-0418.indd 62
printed by BOA Agency, and are
clean and in register. Panel lines
are engraved, although if one were
to be critical, they are rather heavy
for this scale. Each kit also includes
a sheet of pre-cut canopy masks.
First off, I went about removing
the parts from the pour stubs. Most
could be easily removed by running
a scalpel along the separation line
a few times before it came away, bit
in a few cases a fine saw and a little
sanding was required for clean up.
I started with the G model, which
is a little easier as the fuselage is cast
as a single piece. The wing joints
are pretty sound, and a little time
spent cleaning and squaring them
up removed the need for any filler.
Once I was happy with the joints
the main wings were attached with
super glue, the tongue and slot
joints ensuring a firm fit. The extra
preparation paid off and I found I
only needed a slight dab of Tippex
(correction fluid), wiped down with
a cotton bud and alcohol, to remove
a slight gap at the root trailing edge.
The next stage was to add
the tip tanks, and this was also
straightforward. The wing tips
slot into grooves on the tanks
and whilst the groove could
have been a little larger, the
joint was secure when glued.
I then added the tailplanes,
although in hindsight I should
have left these to the end as it
made decaling the fin very hard
with them in place. On this kit,
there is a slot in the fin into which
you insert the tailplanes, and
given how thin the fin is in this
scale, this is a rather fiddly task.
I found it useful to attach one fin
with the tiniest dab of superglue
to get it held in the right position,
before adding more superglue
from the open side and inserting
the second tailplane. This worked
well and no filler was required.
The underwing drop tanks
should be removed from the pylons
as the Thunderbirds aircraft were
usually seen with just the pylons in
place. Note that the pitot tube should
be omitted. I added the nosegear
doors and the smaller main gear
doors at this point, although as it
turns out, these are also better left
to the end to make decaling easier.
The cockpit is supplied as a
single-piece casting, which when
painted is inserted into the cockpit
tub. After priming with Halfords
White Primer, I painted it using
Ammo of Mig Acrylic Zinc Chromate
Green and Citadel Miniatures Black.
When dry, it was superglued into the
fuselage and the fumes left to vent.
I used the clear resin canopy
rather than the vacform version,
attaching it in place with Gator Glue.
The supplied pre-cut masking was
then applied, a somewhat fiddly
task requiring needle tip tweezers
and a magnifier. It was, however, a
great boon to the whole process.
Turning to the F model:
09/03/2018 16:09
 KIT REVIEWS

attaching the intake ring requires
some care, as it is supplied as a
separate piece and requires a little
clean up before being attached
to the nose. Using superglue to
attach it, you have very little
room for error and it’s easy to get
it slightly off, making the intake
splitter vane not quite vertical.
The wings and tailplanes on
the F model are supplied without
any mounting support, so I added
small locator pins made from small
sections of dressmaker’s pins. I took
a little time to clean up and ensure
the mating faces were completely
square, removing the need for filler.
The underwing pylons are
provided separately, and these
were added next (note that the
instructions show them upside
down). Leave off the drop tanks, as
the team aircraft were seldom, if
ever, seen with them on. Note that
the pitot tube should also be omitted.
To make decaling the fin a
bit easier, I elected to leave off
the tailplanes at this stage. I
did attach the undercarriage
doors, although again, leaving
them until the end would have
made decaling a lot easier.
The cockpit consists of a seat,
decals for the seatbelts, and the
instrument panel. I added these
as the cockpit is quite visible
through the canopy. The cockpit
was painted using Ammo of Mig
Acrylic Zinc Chromate Green
and Citadel Miniatures Black.
Once the seat was in, I added the
vacform canopy, of which two
are (thankfully) supplied. The
masking was now added and was a
very welcome addition to the kit.
Oddly, the exhaust is moulded as
a blank face, so I used a small drill
to open it up to give it some depth.
the remainder of the airframes.
Both aircraft are natural metal
and I used Alclad Gloss Black Primer
as a base for this. I have had some
issues with Alclad metallics in the
past, and after some discussion
with Paul Fitzmaurice at www.
modellingtools.co.uk, I decided to
try the AK Extreme Metal range. I
used Aluminium, Dark Aluminium
and Duraluminium and they turned
out to be superb paints, spraying
easily and drying quickly enough to
allow masking after only an hour.
“MINIWINGS SHOULD BE COMMENDED
FOR PRODUCING SUCH NICE MODELS
IN SUCH A SMALL SCALE”
FINISHING
You would think that for such small
kits, decaling would be quick. It
actually took quite a while, as being
so small it was too easy to disturb
one drying decal whilst trying to
place another. The decals themselves
are very thin, yet surprisingly
resilient, although they will fold
over on themselves if you give
them a chance. Fit was pretty good
overall and they responded very
well to Mr. Mark Softer and Setter.
For the G model the scallops
on the tip tanks are provide as
the white section only, leaving
you to paint the tanks red and
blue before applying the decal.
The scallops are applied as three
parts, which makes life a lot easier.
It turned out that I should have
added the top and bottom sections
first, to make alignment easier.
The flag panel decal should
be ignored, as that came into use
in 1954 when the Luke AFB badge
on the port side was also replaced
with the team badge. The box gives
the correct markings for the 1953
scheme. One small point is that
decals 21 and 28 are transposed
on the instructions, but that is
easily spotted and remedied.
The F model comes with
markings for two aircraft, the lead
and right wing. I went with the right
wing aircraft as it lacked two very
fine red lines on the upper wing
surfaces. Otherwise everything
was pretty straightforward.
Once everything was dry there
was a little retouching work to
be done before sealing the decals
with Johnsons Klear and adding
the undercarriage. The G model
nose gear leg could have done
with about a millimetre trimming
off to improve the sit and help
reduce the tendency to tail sit.
CONCLUSION
Never having built a full resin kit
before, I was a little apprehensive,
but any fears I may have had were
soon put to rest. All in all, the kits
are very well produced and can
be turned into very nice models
without excessive effort – just a little
preparation of parts before joining
to make everything fit very well.
Miniwings should be commended
for producing such nice models in such
a small scale. I’d recommend this for
anyone with modelling experience
looking to branch into resin models.
My sincere thanks to Miniwings
for providing the review kit and
to Paul Fitzmaurice at Modelling
Tools for persuading me to try
the AK Extreme Metal paints.

PAINTING
In each case the model was given
an initial coat of Halfords White
Primer. Once dry, the tail surfaces
were given a coat of Tamiya Gloss
White and the undercarriage bays
sprayed with zinc chromate yellow.
On both models the anti-dazzle
panel is olive drab, not black as
indicated on the F model. This was
sprayed and masked before painting

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 63

062-67-Reviews-0418.indd 63 09/03/2018 16:09

 KIT REVIEWS
Heinkel He-162 A-2
Brengun 1/144 Heinkel He-162 A-2 “War Prizes” by Robert Podkoński
TYPE: Heinkel He-162 A-2
MANUFACTURER: Brengun
KIT NO: BRP144006
SCALE: 1/144
decora
base, un re i dettag
penne li vedere gli
Per llo ed altri
detalle set sono contenun “Revel colori nelle
un píncel s ver más uti l Contac istruzio
colore i seguenti colori ta Profes ni di monta
El kit y “Revell s en las sional
instruc per la decoraMini”: Per
ggio.
besch incluye los Contacta Profes ciones zione di
ilderin siguie de
de bouwi g. sional
ntes colore Mini”: montaje.

PARTS: 28 grey polystyrene, 1 clear polystyrene

ring, een nstructies s para Para
pense voor meer la pintur pintar los 82
De el a básica
nécess set omvat deen “Revell kleuren voor ,
la miseaires dans volgen Contacta de
de kleure Profes gedetailleer
et un en peintu la notice d’asse n voor sional Mini”: de 79
tube re des
Le lot de colle « détails mblage. de basisbeschild Zie
instruc comprend Revell Contac , vous e-
tions for les trouve
and “Reve rez les
additio couleurs de ta Professional couleu 68
The ll Contac nal colour base suivan Mini rs
instruc Bauan set containsta Professionals for detaile tes, » : Pour
hoja deciones para d paintinun pinceau

TYPE: Short-run
armar entha leitung. the follow Mini”:
Pintura instrucciones el Pinsel
lten: Für ing basic refer to g. 59
Kit de
básica
y ilustra mo delo. und die Detail paint the
colour building
e descri met uitvoe mode cemento son da proporciona Im Set „Revell Contacbemalung s, a brush
contie zioni precis lismo incluid sind folgen ta Profes siehe weiter
ne instruz e in Geillus rige montade plástic os. Un de Farben sional
e pittura ioni di diverse lingue bouws treerde meert ge aanwi o sin monta
e Farben 43
www.reve für die Mini“ Klebst in der
Kit di die base sono montaggio . et.
Niet-g Basisverf enalige bouwb
jzing. r. Basisb
emalu off
mode ll.de
llini in contenuti. fotografiche Avec planeassembleerd lijm zijn eschrijving ng, ein
plastic
a smontLa scatola La colle de monta e kunsts inbegreoen. Une vaste 08
ati. Collo et la couleu ge multil tof mode Extens gamm
partire Kit ingue. l-
assem de modélisme r de base

DECAL OPTIONS: 4
e
Kit di
dall’et
à di 14 Umfan ive range of d’accessoire
profun montaggio anni. multil bly instructions. en plastiq sont conten
ue non
greich access
es Zubeh ories:
s:
ingual
dos. Edade compl
essi per
paints instruc assem ues. Ampli örsort
Kits and tion sheet blé. iment
Ampiaa gama de

5
s
Gesch de montaje de 14 años model Non-a cemen :
ikt vanaf compl hasta listi espert Monta ssembledt are includ provides precis Uitgeb gamma di accesorios:
05696 Compl
confirm exe bouws
14 jaar. ejos para adultos. i: Si richied Bauan geanweisung plastic mode ed. Pictori
al,
e reide
reeks
access
accessori:

EL
maque
és. Présup ets voor tistas e una
profon entha leitung enthä . l kit. Basic
oires:
experi da esperi lten. Bebild lt ausfüh

LEV
pose des ervaren menta enza e mode
llbaus erte, mehrs rliche
conna mode dos. Requie capaci atz.
lbouw Nicht
issanc
es et compé ers. Uitgeb re habilid tà. Adatto zusam Klebstoff undprachige
ades y a meng
tences reide kennis conocimient ebaute Basisfarben
solide r Kunsts
s. A partiren vaardighede

5 LEV 5
EL
4
de 14

Kits
ans n zijn
amate jusqu‘à l‘âge t.
3
urs de
14 to complexes lisme

Requir

ab 14
Compl
adult.
and skill.
es
Kit suitab
2vereis
modé adulte.
pour les

experi substantialle for ages

enced
mode knowledge
ex mode l builders.
Jahre. l kits for
os 1 toff-

1
2
3 4
5

Fähigk
eiten
fundie voraus
rte Kennt . Geeig
erfahr nisse net

INTRODUCTION
ene und
Komp Modellbauer
lexe Bausä . Setzen
tze für

Gift Set
L
et me guess that there is no modeller here and there, but at the same time makes
55
Gift Set

EL
LL EEVV E L 4
5
interested in the Second World War construction a bit more difficult.
period who has not heard about
3

If one wishes to super-detail the model,

2 5
1 4
LEV

Gift Set
3
1

2 . Vb
1 re Mk
2

Spitfi
14+

1:72 the only operational Volksjäger, the it’s worth noting that Brengun offers
3

EL
4

III

1:72
ter Mk.
Lancas
incl.

Avro
5

TS
247 PAR
5

Heinkel He-162 Salamander; therefore, separate sets of vacuum-formed canopies,

295 mm I Ib
ane Mk.
Hurric
Hawker
TS
53 PAR
1:72

.I Ib
ane Mk 134 mm

Hurric
Vb
re Mk.

no historical introduction is given here. as well as a photo-etch fret for things

Spitfi
TS
37 PAR
127 mm
Avro
Hawker
Spitfi

247 PAR
295 mm

Lancas
53 PAR

incl.
134 mm

The model reviewed is one from the Czech like the pilot’s seat and scissor links.
37 PAR
127 mm

Hurric
re Mk.

TS
TS

ter Mk.
TS

ane Mk.

14+
Vb

05696
manufacturer Brengun’s series of Third Reich Taking into account that the finished
III

14+
I Ib

Lancas
ter Mk
. III
onen
hervor
rufen.
advanced constructions in small scale. Volksjäger in this scale measures about
sche Reakti n.

The kit comes in a side-opening cardboard 2½ inches long and its span is no more
allergi c reactio allergique.
-84-9)
. Kann an allergi réaction zaken.
cause uer une
R. 55965 . May veroor

incl.
provoq as.
MIT (CAS-Nr. 55965-84-9) . Peut sche reactienes alérgic
CIT und -84-9) allergi
ch aus MIT (CAS-N ° 55965 . Kan een causar reaccioi allergiche.
t Gemis CIT and (CAS-N -84-9)
Enthäl mixture of CIT et le MIT r. 55965 -84-9)
. Puede e reazion
ns causar
Contai mélange de en MIT (CAS-N CAS 55965 -84-9). Può ns. .
are nt CIT (N°
el van de CIT y MIT (CAS-Nr. 55965 later questio ele vragen
. De erg
wendb Contie ing for eventu
oorlog de Hurricane. 0
De
Bevat
mengs
mezcla di CIT e MIT Keep packag king voor te future.
e Wereld , ne una a r de verpak per richies

box, adorned with an in-flight picture of a than 1½ inches, super-detailing seemed so

156.00
de Tweed e jachtvliegtuig meer dan enten-
Contie
ne una
miscel ahren. Bewaa llaggio
e
eve ll.d
aufbew
igen uit 2 in totaal met instrum
Contie agen ures. vare l’imba
vliegtu het tweed e Rückfr ces ultérie Conser
, net als Wereldoorlog • Cockpits
ww w.r
später référen
dste Britse kung für llage pour consul
tas.
de beken igen ter wereld tijdens are propeller tvoering Verpac
its van en vloog • Draaib RAF-ui ver l‘emba para futuras
bouwk wde vliegtuin dienst s één al.
Mundi . Conser el embalaje
model gebou ingen telken r
omvat meest eind 1941 fijne graver rs voor da Guerra Guarda
Deze set rt tot de ter kwam met transfe la Segun idos del
mundo elstr. 20-30,
behoo lakken grijke cos de al un Hensch
05696

05696
constru
Die sehr Spitfire Avro Lancas e opperv ellen • Omvan s británi s más Mundi
Guerra Cabina del Revell
GmbH,
IS THE
ieges. torige illeerd
Gedeta e landingsgest dos avione los avione Segunda s• 2018 968
803 056
viermo © . REVELL
n Weltkr ugen der Welt. gen. • conoci tra entre durante la móvile 7 Bünde o, Inc. GMBH,
los más

Salamander tested by Soviets. On the other far beyond my capabilities that I decided
zendin Gedetailleerd D-3225 ary of Hobbic OF REVELL
4 009
hélices

05696
des zweite n Flugze amt über l•
encuen
ismo de Hurricane, se de 1941, realizó • Par de versiones
RAFs
MARK
ugen ebaute iegs insges ords panee A subsidi
en Flugze meistg entenb de model el finales
iones sendas ERED TRADE
n britisch ne, zu den Zweiten Weltkr Instrum e juegos segundo caza, o desde con finas grabacanías para molto
agile, REGIST
nteste ts mit to contien , como el da NY.
den bekan gzeug, die
Hurrica nd des
ler • Cockpi El conjun s, en servici detalla • Amplias calcom ale. Lo
Spitfire o a partire GERMA Poland.
tze zu
währe Spitfire motore • Superficie dos servizi con in
Jagdflu , flogen re Propel brable cuatro es. s detalla
Mondi ter, in dettagliate Made
lbausä zweite im Dienst en • Drehba rsion War. The El manio ter, de 0 mision • Motore 2° Guerra Lancas ici ogni
ltet Model auch das 1941 World aircraft Lancas ici della motore Avro • Superf completi per
Set beinha , wie ab Ende feinen
Gravur eine RAF-Ve El Avro más de 156.00 instrum
entos i britann nti. i
ter, Second prolific . Il quadri 0 interve • Adesiv
Das gehört mit jeweils t of the total de tablero de aerei più
famos
ge Spitfire Avro Lancas Oberflächen bilder für then most War flew con al mondo 156.00 liati
wendi torigen Detaiilierte Abzieh British
aircraf
to the Second World ts with piloto li degli più prodotti ale con oltre Carrelli dettag
Die viermo e. • sendes
well known ne belong the
lers •
Cockpi nti di model aerei Mondi comando •
rke • Umfas

side of the box, the four schemes are presented to make this one out of the box.
0 Einsätz
the most t the Hurrica
during e eleme fa parte deglila 2° Guerra lli di
156.00 erte Fahrwe 1941 and propel tively panne
kits of fighter aircrafthe end of s • Rotatable respec Il kit contienHurricane, durant
e
ts con
• Detaili ction at version il caccia 1941, volava li • Cockpi
constru the second service ed surface one RAF ale. Le come girevo
s model , as indeed ter entered engrav sets for Mondi plus fine del ni • Eliche
contain d and dalla
This set uvrable Spitfire Avro Lancas detaile ehensive decal la 2ème
Guerre
uits en
0 te incisio
raffina
manoe engine ns.• Finelyes • Compr de ils constr de 156.00 e RAF
highly The four 0 missio carriag
iques
britann des appare é plus rissage version
world.
in the of over 156,00 d under- s avions ne, effectu
Hurrica 1941, ont bord • Trains
d’atter
a total • Detaile plus célèbre re le
ent panels ites des son compè dès fin planche de
instrum
es à construcomme ter, en
service ts avec

in full colour. Since it is a War Prizes package,

des modèl tout Lancas • Cockpi
partie, libres
contien rs Avro s • Hélices la RAF
Ce set Spitfire fait moteu gravée versions de
aire Les quadri finement des
légend nombres. ées es pour
grands s détaill omani
ns. • Surface décalc
missio • Nombreuses
és
détaill

81 mm
356 x
507 x

those four schemes are: two overall silver-grey

-1
Box D50
Black

CONSTRUCTION
Yellow
Magenta
Cyan

machines captured by the Soviets; perhaps the

best-known plane, tested in Farnborough, in
two shades of green over blue; and the French
example in medium blue with a red nose. Save
the RLM colours, all the paints are described
only as red, silver grey or French insignia
blue, with no suggestion of preferred brand.
Inside the box one finds two sprues in
dark grey polystyrene, a clear canopy, a decal
sheet, and an instruction leaflet packed into a
string bag. The parts were originally produced
by JACH and are cleanly moulded, featuring
very thin and shallow recessed panel lines.
Of course, the canopy is much too thick for
the scale, even if perfectly transparent.
Interestingly, the parts breakdown
reminds me of bigger-scale kits. For example,
the main undercarriage bay consists of
three flat panels, which gives more detail
There is a lot to be painted and glued inside
before closing the fuselage sides: the main
undercarriage bay walls, the turbine face
and engine’s end, the forward wheel bay and
mounting, the pilot’s seat, the control stick, and a
bulkhead forming the cockpit back wall. Also, one
must not forget to glue some weight just behind
that bulkhead, as there is no other place inside.
Fortunately, all the parts fit well and
need no correcting. Instructions suggest
gluing the forward undercarriage before
closing the fuselage, but it can be easily
be done much later, in order to simplify
painting. Next, a wedge-shaped flat piece
goes over the main undercarriage bay. It is
a bit too short, so a sliver of thin (about 0.5
mm thick) plastic card is needed here.
All the fuselage joints need some puttying,
as will the joint between the horizontal tail
and the fuselage. You will also need more filler
at the engine gondola’s rear end. Fortunately,
both wings and the intake fit perfectly. Before

Social icon

Rounded square
Only use blue and/or white.

For more details check out our

Brand Guidelines.

062-67-Reviews-0418.indd 64 09/03/2018 16:09


attaching the canopy, the tiny instrument
panel must also be glued into place.
Finally, the paper-thin vertical fin
and rudder units are simply joined to the
ends of the horizontal empennage.
PAINTING AND DECALS
Masking the canopy looks simple, but due to
its size it is not. I masked the engine intake,
exhaust, and undercarriage bays with masking
fluid and small pieces of wet paper tissue.
The most difficult part for me was finding
a way to secure the model for painting.
Eventually, I stuck a bamboo skewer into
the forward wheel bay and this worked
satisfactorily. I primed the model with Tamiya
primer/surfacer from the rattle can and took
a look at the proposed painting schemes.
At first, I thought about the most outlandish
scheme, i.e. the example used by the French.
However, I had no adequate blue paint at hand,
so eventually I chose the one tested by the
Soviets. To be honest, the RAF scheme looked
just too complicated for
me in this scale.
I have found that
covering aluminium
paint with matt
varnish gives an effect
of silver grey to Soviet jets, such as
MiG-15s and the like. Therefore, I
painted the whole model Tamiya
Aluminium. As it is a glossy paint,
once it was dry I started decalling.
The decals themselves are of
very good quality, thin and opaque,
but again because of their size, not
062-67-Reviews-0418.indd 65
KIT REVIEWS
easy to place in their respective locations.
Once decaled, I left the model to dry overnight
before giving it a light coat of matt varnish.
FINAL BITS
After unmasking the model, all that is left is the
undercarriage. The bay covers were painted and
installed with a bit of CA glue. Fortunately, I had
put enough weight inside to prevent tail sitting.
Instructions tell you to add as much as 2 grams,
but 1½ seems enough – remember that there
really is not much space inside the fuselage.
I brush-painted the engine exhaust
gunmetal and the intake rim red, and
considered my model finished.
CONCLUSION
Brengun keeps convincing us that 1/144 scale
models do not need to be oversimplified compared
to bigger scales. In effect, a modeller with a steady
hand and a good magnifying glass can produce an
astonishing miniature of an interesting airplane.
That said, the kit reviewed here is definitely not
for a novice. Assembling such small-
scale models inevitably involves
some problems, like masking
or airbrushing tiny areas, so a
bit of experience is a must.
The author wishes to thank
the Editor and Brengun for giving
me the chance to build this model.
Social icon
Rounded square
Only use blue and/or white.
For more details check out our
Brand Guidelines.
09/03/2018 16:09
 KIT REVIEWS
PZL P.7a
Arma 1/72 PZL P.7a
(Deluxe set) by Juan
Manuel Valea
MANUFACTURER: Arma
SCALE: 1/72
TYPE: New-tool
PARTS: 4 resin, 39 grey plastic, 2 clear
plastic, etched brass.
MARKING OPTIONS: 8
THE PLANE
A
ccording to Wikipedia (the
source of all quick answers
nowadays), the PZL P.7 was
a Polish fighter aircraft designed
in the early 1930s at the PZL
factory in Warsaw. With state-of-
the-art construction, and as one
of the first all-metal monoplane
fighters in the world between 1933
and 1935, it was the main fighter
of the Polish Air Force. It was
replaced in Polish service by its
follow-up design, the PZL P.11c.
More than 30 P.7 fighters remained
in service during the Invasion
of Poland, scoring several kills
despite its obsolescence.
THE KIT
Spoiler alert, and a strange opening
for a review article: this may be
the best kit I have ever built in
my almost 35 years as a modeller,
and later I will tell you why!
The kit comes in an end-opening
box with attractive box art of the
PZL. Inside you´ll find everything
you need to build two full kits:
two identical sprues with grey
plastic parts (39 each); two small
clear sprues with two models of
windshields each (if you fancy you
can build your own windshield
with the photo-etch frame and
clear sheet included – but not
me!); two identical etched frames
with several parts (30), including
seat belts, instrument panel, and
instrument panel film; vinyl masks
66 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
062-67-Reviews-0418.indd 66
for the windshields and tires; and
a little resin cast with four wheels,
which boast magnificent detail,
no bubbles anywhere to be seen.
To complete the package,
you have comprehensive
instructions and a great-looking
decal sheet by Cartograf.
On first inspection, the kits
parts reveal some really well-
executed engraved panel lines and
raised detail (where needed). The
wings came as a single piece made
up of upper and lower sections,
which eases the alignment
process enormously. Some parts
exhibit a small amount of flash
on several pieces, but nothing
to worry about too much.
BUILD AND PAINT
As per the norm I started with
the well-detailed interior. The
instrument panel is comprised of
a piece of film, a piece of photo-
etch, and a plastic base, which
received a coat of white before
attaching the film. The photo-etch
instrument panel received a lick
of dark grey acrylic and a subtle
dry brush of a lighter shade; later
a pair of control knobs painted
red and yellow were added.
The seat, seat rest, and back
plate are made from several bits of
plastic; these are nicely detailed
with photo-etch seatbelts, which
are really soft and easy to work
with. The cockpit floor received
a pair of photo-etch parts, as did
the control sticks and the rudder
pedals. A few levers were added
to the sides of the fuselage, which
also has some nice raised detail.
The interior was painted in
custom mixes from the Citadel and
Vallejo acrylic paint ranges: a base
coat of light grey for the interior;
steel for the seat and light brown
for the seatbelts; a dark acrylic
wash for the rest of the interior;
and some light chipping in metallic
colours. Once completed, the
interior looks rather stunning, and
fortunately being an open-cockpit
plane, something of it will be seen!
Closing the fuselage and
adding the wings and tail planes
was pretty straightforward,
with almost no filler used.
Next came building the engine/
exhaust/cowling group. Here it´s
advisable to take a few minutes and
carefully study the steps to take.
Every exhaust looks the same (and
there´s eight of them), but they are
not; they need to be placed in the
exact hole of the exact cylinder
or you will have a problem.
With that task completed, on to
the cowling, which comes in two
pieces, with a ring of photo-etch
braces to be added. If you follow
the instructions and use a little
care you will produce a stunning
replica of the Bristol Jupiter engine.
PAINTING
The model received a coat of
Tamiya Light Grey as a primer,
and also to see if they were any
blemishes. After that I sprayed on
a pre-shade in Tamiya Dark Green
(which cannot be seen at all, rats!).
The lower part received a custom
mix of light blue and grey, made
from Tamiya Royal Grey, a bit of
Tamiya Royal blue, and Lichtblau
from the Aqua Colour line of Revell,
all diluted with a mix of window
cleaner and water. To replicate
the Polish greenish khaki for
the topside, I used several light
coats of a mix of Vallejo English
Uniform and Olive Drab, with a
dash of US Dark Green added.
After letting it all dry I ran a
mechanical pencil with a 2b lead
through the panel lines, making
sure to take my time. Next I sprayed
few light coats of GloCote floor
polish before adding the kit’s decals.
DECALS
The kit provides decals for eight
versions; mostly Polish, but also a
Romanian and a Luftwaffe machine.
•P
 ZL P.7a, 123. Fighter Squadron
from Cracow. For participation
in P.7a airplane testing the unit
has been granted the right to use
the PZL factory symbol as a unit
marking. In 1939 the squadron
became part of the Warsaw
Pursuit Brigade. On September
1 the squadron commander,
Capt. Mieczysław Olszewski,
09/03/2018 16:09
 KIT REVIEWS
fought and died in this aircraft.
•P
 ZL P.7a, 162. Fighter Squadron
from Lwów. In 1939 the unit
took part in the battles as a
part of the Łódź Army. The
damaged airplane was lost
during an attack of German
saboteurs on September 6, 1939.
•P
 ZL P.7a, the Scoala de
Perfectionare (Advanced Flying
School), Romanian Air Force,
November 1940. Aircraft from
123. Squadron evacuated to
Romania by Cpl. Pilot Eugeniusz
Nowakiewicz after September 17,
1939. Note the Polish asymmetrical
insignia and underwing codes
overpainted with a brighter shade.
•P
 ZL P.7a, one of the machines
captured by the Germans at
the Dęblin aviation school
airfields. The airplane was as the squadron badge. CONCLUSION
repainted in German colors The decals worked superbly As I said in the introduction, this
and used for training; there well, being thin, in register, might be the best kit I´ve ever built.
are two versions, with either a and with good colour density. Was it because of the superb fit?
white spinner or a green one. They did receive quite a lot of No, it required some trimming
•P
 ZL P.7a, 132. Fighter Squadron Micro Set and Micro Sol, mostly and a little putty here and there.
from Poznań. Markings for the mid because of the raised texture Was it because there was no
1930s military manouvers, applied of the wings and tailplanes, flash? No again, there was some,
with white removable paint. but they conformed flawlessly, though it was easy to remove.
•P
 ZL P.7a, aircraft of commander with no silvering anywhere. The fact is that some kits when
of Toruń III/4 Fighter Wing built still look like kits; there´s always
Capt. pil. Leopold Pamuła, something that gives them away.
with the markings of the 141. WEATHERING AND white, and two shades of light But not this kit – it looks just like
Fighter Squadron, which Pamuła FINAL BITS green, making scratches in the a miniature airplane. The interior
commanded before promotion I applied another coat of gloss areas that would be more prone looks as if you could put a tiny Polish
to the Squadron command. and a final coat of matt varnish to damage and wear. If I think pilot in there and he could go flying;
•P
 ZL P.7a, 122. Fighter Squadron, by Tamiya, with a drop of light the effect is too over the top it the engine looks like you can add
Cracow. Markings from 1933- grey added to tone down the can easily be reversed by using petrol and oil and bring it to life. The
36. On this plane Cpl. pil. Karol decals and make the airplane a cotton bud dipped in water to whole plane looks like a real plane.
Pniak from the aerobatic look more worn (my aircraft was remove the effect. I also ran the It may sound silly and maybe
“Bajan Trio” took part in an one that had already finished white pencil over the sides of the the photos don´t reflect it, but
impressive in-flight photo operational use and was assigned tires to give them a weathered I cannot explain it better. It has
ssession and in many air shows. to a flying school, before being look and show the brand name been a big and pleasant surprise.
•P
 ZL P.7a, Kościuszko 111. Fighter pressed back into active service). of the tire, which is faithfully Arma has done a splendid job in
Squadron, Warsaw 1933-35. The last step was to weather reproduced on the side wall. designing a magnificent kit.
I chose the first example, the airframe by using watercolour Finally, the spinner hub was This is truly a deluxe set, with
because I like that it used the pencils to add some random painted in the same colour as the everything you need included in
emblem of the PZL Company chipping. I used silver, light grey, aircraft, while the blades were the box, and I can recommend it
painted with a mix of black and to everyone (except the complete
brown as per instructions. The novice, and that is only due to the
lasts bits added were the pitot multimedia nature of the kit).
and pilot’s step. The two rods My thanks to Arma for
between the landing legs were supplying the review sample.
made of stretched black plastic.

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 67

062-67-Reviews-0418.indd 67 09/03/2018 16:09

 DHC-4A CARIBOU
1/72 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
PAUL CRAWLEY
FRUSTRATED
FREIGHTER Hobbycraft 1/72 Ansett Airlines DHC-4A Caribou
by Paul Crawley
A
lthough I mostly build
civil aircraft, I have
always loved the look of a
“Bou”, the rugged yet graceful de
Havilland Caribou. In the 1980s
I loved to see the Army National
Guard fly them over my home
from nearby Dobbins Air Reserve
Base in Marietta, Georgia (USA).
My desire to one day build a
“Bou” came alive about ten years
ago when I discovered a 1/72 set of
Ansett–M.A.L. Airlines markings
by Underworld Decals of Australia.
Once I had those in hand, I found
one of Hobbycraft’s 1/72 scale RCAF/
UN DHC Caribou Transport kits.
This past July I finally dragged
both out of my stash and thought
68 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
068-73-FEAT-CivilWings-0418.indd 68
I could do a nice, simple build.
But then I saw how basic the
Hobbycraft kit is, found out about
some aftermarket improvements,
and decided to open up the cargo
bay doors and do a complete,
scratch-built cargo interior. So
much for the “simple” build.
THE PLANE
Online research lead me to Caribou
VH-BFC, a DHC-4A purchased from
de Havilland by Ansett in 1965 after
it had been leased for three years to
the Swedish Air Force. One source
claims Ansett paid $595,000 for
it (about $4.6 million in today’s
dollars). Ansett apparently wanted
09/03/2018 16:08
 1/72

“I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE

AFTERMARKET COCKPIT KIT
SINCE THE “OFFICE” IS SO
VISIBLE ON THIS AIRCRAFT”

the aircraft’s STOL potential to help

reach remote airstrips in Papua,
New Guinea. Unfortunately for
them, Australia’s Department of
Civilian Aviation wouldn’t authorize
the plane’s STOL use, even though
RAAF military Caribous could use
it. Ansett sold this Caribou in 1969.

FIXING THE KIT

To call Hobbycraft’s Caribou kit
“simple” is no overstatement.
The cockpit is not only pretty
sparse, but it’s also incorrect and
very noticeable through the huge
greenhouse canopy. The wing
dihedral is also too level, but thanks
to some online research of build
reviews and many helpful tips, I was
able to lay out a plan to correct those
failings and to add a lot of extras.
To help bring my “Bou” to life, I

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 69

068-73-FEAT-CivilWings-0418.indd 69 09/03/2018 16:08

 found and ordered two magnificent
aftermarket conversion kits by
Plus model of the Czech Republic:
a cockpit interior set (#AL7001),
and a port engine set (#AL7003).
Even though they ended up costing
more than the kit itself, they are
beautifully crafted resin and photo-
etch model kits in themselves. The
port engine kit does come with too
many cylinders (an 18-cylinder
R-2800 engine instead of the
correct 14-cylinder R-2000), but I
figured it would be so obscured in
my maintenance diorama that few,
70 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
068-73-FEAT-CivilWings-0418.indd 70
if any, would notice (and I wasn’t
too anxious to try and replace
it with yet another aftermarket
bank of cylinders). But I put that
fact in here just for the record.
My research also turned
up several Caribou websites
with a huge amount of helpful
information, especially Scott
Hemsley’s extensive kit review
at hedgehoghollow.com. His
review includes the wonderful
find of many Vietnam Caribou
photos on Captain Peter A. Bird’s
homepage, petester.com.
Thanks to those aids, I knew to
address several items: increasing
the kit’s wing dihedral, adding a
small stall strip to the front edge of
each wing (near the landing lights),
adding outer engine nacelle wing
lights, and adding extra, opposing
pitot tubes to each nacelle side.
BUILDING A CARGO BAY
The kit provides a choice of simple
black window decals (assuming
you fill in and sand over the oval
kit windows) or clear plastic
window strips with a red cargo
net decal (backed by a solid black
decal strip, if desired). But that’s it.
Since I was going to all the trouble
to install a detailed aftermarket
resin cockpit and a detailed
aftermarket open port engine, I
just couldn’t ignore the cargo bay.
So I cut out and opened up
the rear cargo doors, and began
scratch-building the cargo bay. I
used part of the floor and several
of the cargo net seats from
Revell’s 1/72 scale C-54/DC-4
kit, scratch-built the bay ceiling
from sheet styrene, and added
extras like fire extinguishers
and warning markings.
I scratch-built some of the
interior rear fuselage structure
with various parts from my spares
boxes. I also scratch-built the
sides, floor, lifts and rear panel
of the lower cargo door. To help
show off the interior, I also cut
out the port rear side passenger
door, replacing it with a new
door made from sheet styrene,
and scratch-built a portable
door access ladder, as shown in
photos of Ansett’s Caribou.
FINAL ASSEMBLY
After closing up the fuselage
and filling and sanding fuselage
seams, I used small strips of
sheet styrene in the lower wing
joins to help increase the wing
dihedral. I also used the kit cockpit
canopy (attached with white
glue) to mask the cockpit during
painting, as I was going to replace
it with one of the two nice (and
more correct) vac-form canopies
supplied in the Plus Models
aftermarket resin cockpit set.
PAINTING AND DECALING
Because the aftermarket decal
sheet doesn’t include any white
backgrounds, I cut out and (lightly)
taped black and white photocopies
of the decals to the fuselage and
tail. These served as templates to
help mask where I needed to paint
09/03/2018 16:08

the white sections, as opposed
to the bare metal parts of the
aircraft. I used Tamiya’s Fine White
Primer rattle can spray for the
white sections and their Fine Gray
Primer rattle can spray to mark the
upper wing/fuselage grey strip.
I used Testors Red Enamel,
shot through an airbrush, to do the
tail (with the white logo sections
masked). Then I re-masked and
sprayed Alclad’s Gloss Black
Primer for the metal sections. After
masking the already black wing and
tail de-icer boots, I then sprayed
various shades of Alclad Metalizer
paints for the bare metal sections.
The aftermarket decals went
on fairly well, except for one
major flaw. The side cheat lines
are about a half inch (about 12-13
millimetres) too short for the
nose portions to meet properly.
Thankfully, the decal sheet was on
a clear (not blue) background, so
I was able to scan and copy them
on clear decal paper with my ink
jet printer. Then I cut out small
extra sections of the side cheat line
to close up the unexpected gap,
068-73-FEAT-CivilWings-0418.indd 71
1/72
which I cut and patched between
the windows and the cockpit. Not
perfect, but close enough. (The
extra set of decals also helped to
fix some goofs in other spots).
Once painted, I removed the
kit-supplied cockpit canopy that
I’d used as a mask and replaced it
with one of the much nicer (and
more correct) vac-form canopies
included with the aftermarket
cockpit kit. I opened up the side
and top cockpit windows (seen
in many Caribou photos) to make
the cockpit more visible. I also
imagined that those openings,
as well as the open side door and
open rear cargo doors would have
provided some needed ventilation
on a hot New Guinea airstrip!
CORRECTING THE STANCE
Because I had canted the wings
slightly to increase the dihedral,
the landing gear struts, if installed
without modification, ended up
slightly canted as well. I cut down
one side of the two-legged struts
slightly to try and compensate. But
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 71
09/03/2018 16:08
 that ended up making the rear sit
too low. Then I remembered that
one of the kit reviews I had read said
the nose gear strut was too long, so
I cut it down slightly to help level
her out a bit. I think she still sits
a little too low in the rear, but I’m
through fiddling with her before
she ends up in a full belly landing!
72 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
068-73-FEAT-CivilWings-0418.indd 72
THE DIORAMA
Since the aftermarket resin and
photo-etch engine kit provided a
nice, open port engine display, how
could I not have some mechanics
working on it? I added a couple of
hand-painted mechanics and a
toolbox from some Preiser figure
kits. To stand on, I gave them
some photo-etch ladder platforms
by Airmodel. The base is a bare
wooden plaque from a local craft
store, which I stained on the edges,
top-coated with Mr. Surfacer,
and spray painted. I then drew
concrete sections in pencil, adding
some pesky grass and stains.
CONCLUSION
All in all, I’m pleased to finally have
a nice looking civilian “Bou” in
my collection. While very simple
and basic, the Hobbycraft kit does
provide a good starting point for
a decent build, with just a few
corrections. I also highly recommend
the aftermarket cockpit kit (or other
similar enhancements) since the
“office” is so visible on this aircraft.
I heard there are a couple of 1/48
scale “Bou” kits out there now...if
only I could get a review sample…
09/03/2018 16:08 Bookw
 BOOKWORLD
Airframe Album 12
The Gloster Gladiator. The twelfth
title in the Airframe Album series is
an essential companion for anyone
tackling Gladiator kits in all scales and
complexity.Contents include a wealth
of historical photographs; period detail
images and diagrams; 3D isometric
views, colour profiles by Richard J.
Caruana; at least 128 pages
£17.95
Encyclopedia of aircraft 5.
Introducing the Fifth volume of the
definitive modeling guide, Encyclopedia
of Aircraft Modelling Techniques. This
volume covers the following subjects in
depth through its 155 pages and more
than 700 high quality pictures: How to
assemble, paint, and weather fuel tanks and
all types of weapons including missiles,
bombs, machine guns, and cannons.
£28.99
The Weathering Magazine
22 Basic
The Weathering Magazine is the
only magazine devoted entirely to the
painting and weathering techniques of
scale models and figures. In this issue,
we will focus on all basic techniques,
tools, and materials used for modeling.
£8.99
MDF 29 Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado has a singular history,
and up-date programs has kept it flying
onto the 21st Century. Now in the last
years of its service life, it perhaps a
good time to look back on what is, and
remains a very fine aircraft, and this new
Datafile from SAM Publications brings
the Tornado story to life!
£19.99
YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www. bookworldws. co. uk
Stockists of the following subjects: Aviation, Military, Naval,
Modelling, Railway, Motoring
Major credit cards accepted, UK cheques payable to Bookworld Wholesale Ltd
Bookworld-SAMI-0418-WP.indd
068-73-FEAT-CivilWings-0418.indd
1 73
wholesale
Airbrushing and
Weathering Techniques.
The information in this book is the result of nearly
twenty years working with Vallejo acrylic colors
and auxiliary products and is meant to be used
as a guide and reference. Chapters include Air
brushes and Airbrushing Model Air Colours,
Acrylic Surface Primer, Airbrushing Model
Air Techniques, Basic Weathering Techniques,
Advanced Weathering Techniques, Decals and
Varnishes, Diorama-Vignette Bases and Stone
Textures, Creating Wet and Water Effects Gallery,
FAQ with Tips and Tricks, Colour Charts.
£22.99
TD 48 Grumman F4F
Wildcat.
TopDrawings nr 48 Oleksandr Boiko
Grumman F4F Wildcat 20 pages 17
pages A4 model making plans masking
folis. 10 colour profiles Insert A3
£17.99
The Weathering aircraft 8
Seaplanes
The Weathering Aircraft Magazine, your
publication of choice entirely focused on
painting and weathering techniques for
aircraft models, launches its eighth issue.
£8.99
Air Modellers Guide to
Wingnut Wings Volume 2
This publication is the 2nd in a series of
books showcasing a number of different kit
builds that detail the methods and materials
used to achieve the stunning models
£25.00
Nachtjagd Combat
Archive Part 1
Red Kite are proud to announce the
launch of a brand new book series that
will prove essential for not only Luftwaffe
historians but also anyone with an interest
in RAF Bomber Command.
£20.00
Warpaint 112.Douglas
A3D Skywarrior
Never glamorous and not receiving the
recognition showered on its deck mates,
the shipboard Douglas A3D Skywarrior
will be remembered by US Navy fans
and historians for many reasons, most
of all because it figured prominently in
the Cold War crises of the late 1950s and
early 1960s
£19.00
Fokker D.VII Kaiser’s
best fighter
Pages 88 50 archival photos 138 colorful
photos 4 pages model plans 7 renders 3
colored silhouettes
£17.99
Modelling School
AMMO by Mig Jimenez is proud to
publish Jamie Haggo’s first modelling
book. Jamie is well known for his highly
realistically weathered aircraft models
and in this book he will show in step by
step detail how he achieves his results.
£21.99
Bookworld Wholesale Ltd.
Unit 10 Hodfar Road, Sandy Lane Ind Est,
Tel: 01299 823330 Fax: 01299 829970
web: www. bookworldws. co. uk email:info@bookworldws. co. uk
Luftwaffe Crash Archive 12
Red Kite are proud to present Volume
Twelve of Nigel Parkerís Luftwaffe
Crash Archive, the final one in the series.
Researched over twenty years
£20.00
Airframe and Miniature 11
The messerscmitt Bf109
Late series.
This second volume follows our first
volume covering the early versions
published in 2013. 240 pages
£19.95
Polish wings 23
No. 303 Squadron was the only Polish
unit equipped with the Mustang IV, as
the bubble-top P-51D and P-51K were
known collectively to the RAF. Between
April 1945 and December 1946, the
squadron used a total of 29 of these
aircraft, plus six Mustang I’s as hacks
£15.00
Damaged 3
3rd issue of Damaged, the magazine that
has surprised many modellers, with a
careful layout and great photos.
£4.95
UK POSTAGE SINGLE BOOKS £2. 50
TWO OR MORE BOOKS £4. 50
OVERSEAS AIRMAIL PLEASE ADD 15% OF ORDER VALUE
MINIMUM £4. 50
Stourport, Worcs DY13 9QB
Warpaint 113.Panavia
Tornado
The Tornado F.3 spent just over twenty-
three years in frontline operational
service with the Royal Air Force
compared to a similar period for air-
defence Phantoms, and twenty-eight
years for the Lightning.
£16.00
Air Modeller’s Guide to
Wingnut Wings
If you are a fan of WWI aircraft then this
is a book for you. Showcasing a selection
of builds of the stunningly high detailed
kits available from New Zealand based
brand Wingnut Wings. Paperback,full
colour,112 pages.
£19.50
Aircraft Modelling
Essentials
With this Essential Techniques series we
create a new way of learning modeling.
This is a perfect series of books for those
people who want to take the first steps in
this hobby and for those who return to
it after a while
£27.99
How to Build Tamiya’s
1:32 F4U-1A & F4U-1D
Corsair Volume 2
£14.95
RAF Secret Jets of Cold
War Britain
RAF: Secret Jets of Cold War Britain The
West was stunned when the Soviet Union
dropped its first atomic bomb in August
1949. In the wake of the Second World
War, funding for the RAF had fallen away
dramatically but now there was an urgent
need for new jet fighters to meet the threat
of Russian bombers head-on.
£6.99
Junkers Ju87 Stuka
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber With
its cranked wing and vulture-like looks
the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive-bomber
came to symbolise the terror of the
German Blitzkrieg
£22.99
MDF Scaled Down 7
The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Front
and EA-18G-Growler by Andy Evans.
This new Scaled Down from SAM
Publications brings the Super Hornet
story to life.Paperback,Full colour,100
pages
£14.99
Aces High 11
We introduce you the 11th issue, the
first number of the collection dedicated
entirely to aircraft. The mythical Fw-
190. An indispensable issue for all lovers
of aviation. For this special issue we
have selected some articles of the highest
quality of the best modelers in which
they explain a lot of techniques on this
iconic plane, with a careful layout and
great photos.
£8.99
07/03/2018
09/03/2018 15:53
16:08
 SU-30MK
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
KITTI TATSUMAKI
Indonesian
THUNDER
Conversion of Trumpeter’s Su-30MKK to an Indonesian MK
by Kitti Tatsumaki
I
n all its versions, the Sukhoi
Flanker is one of the most
beautiful modern airplanes
SPONSORED in service. Even though it is big
and heavy, its actual performance
FEATURE never fails to amaze me.
Trumpeter has made one of the
best 1/72 scale Flanker families
on the market, with a near perfect
fit and amazing details in every
kit. I have built many variants
of the Trumpeter SU-30MKK,
Su-27, and Su-33, and I have
thoroughly enjoyed each one.
Since the shape of the MKK and
the MK are not much different, I
decided to modify Trumpeter’s
1/72 Su-30MKK Flanker-G
#01659 to an Su-30MK of the
Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU).
The Indonesian Air Force Su-
30MK is probably one of the less
popular Flankers, but I love its
camouflage patterns, so I decided
to give it a shot. My model was
going to represent Su-30MK, TS-
3001 of the 11th Squadron (“The
Thunders”), Indonesian Air Force,
based in Sultan Hasanuddin AFB,
Makassar in South Sulawesi. For
this build I used Indonesian Air
Force decals from the Hi-Decal
74 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
074-77-FEAT-AKInteractive-0418.indd 74
Line, plus some extra detailing
add-ons, such as photo-etch parts
from Dream Model, which included
canopy details, cockpit details,
instrument panels, engine intake,
exhaust nozzles, and ladder sets.
THE BUILD
For the cockpit and instrument
panels I used pre-coloured photo-
etch from Dream Model; the details
on this set is remarkable, and are
easy to fit as well. I removed the
clear parts from Trumpeter’s HUD
and replaced them with thin clear
film, which looks more precise and
has a more accurate scale effect.
After finishing the cockpit, I
modified the main wings’ flaps
to show them in the lowered
position, to give a more interesting
and realistic look to the model.
I attached both the upper and
lower fuselage with Tamiya
thin cement, and after some
putty and sanding, the fuselage
assembly was done and it was
time to move to the next stage.
I started by assembling the
nozzles, using Dream Model
etch set DM0544. I spent 4 hours
09/03/2018 16:08
 Sponsored by AK Interactive
www.ak-interactive.com
1/48

“THE SUKHOI FLANKER IS ONE OF

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MODERN
AIRPLANES IN SERVICE”
a perfect finish. If you work
slowly and with patience, the
moulding line will disappear
like it was never there.
Finally, I scratch-built the
RWR bulges on both wing slats.
These are located 3cm away from
the fuselage and can be seen on
Indonesian Air Force Su-30MKs
and RMAF Su-30MKMs.
PAINTING AND DECALING
I masked the canopy and started
the painting process by priming
everything, using AK Interactive
AK175 Grey Primer plastic parts,
and AK757 Black for the photo-
etch. This ensures that the
paints adhere well to the brass
and plastic and helps prevent
the paint from peeling off.
Sometimes, due to air pressure
or humidity, there will be some
annoying primer particles left on

building the nozzles, but hard work

always pays off and the result is
worth the effort. With the nozzles
done I turned to the canopy.
I started by removing the centre
moulding lines of the omega-
shaped canopy (a common issue
with injection moulded blown
canopies). I started by removing
the moulding line with a new
scalpel blade, very gently scraping
along the seam. Next, I started
sanding, working from 1000 grit
down to 4000, then used Tamiya
polishing compounds to restore

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 75

074-77-FEAT-AKInteractive-0418.indd 75 09/03/2018 16:08

 the surface, which is a nightmare
during decal application or
weathering. Therefore, after 24
hours of curing time, l wet-sanded
the whole model with 3M Micro
Fine Sanding Sponge to make sure
the surfaces were silky smooth.
I painted the engine exhaust
using black, steel, silver, clear
blue, clear orange, and an AK476
Steel overspray. I then used a silver
marker pen to paint the silver
hatches on the engine exhaust.
After that, I lightened up the outer
exhaust rings with clear blue and
AK670 Stainless to produce a burnt
metal effect – and if handled with
care, this can give excellent results.
I now masked the exhaust
and primed again to make sure
everything was still OK before I
moved to the main camouflage
colours. Again, I wet-sanded
everything with 3M Softback
Microfine Sanding Sponge to
ensure smooth surfaces. Once this
was complete I carried out a pre- to photos of the actual aircraft. For the second camouflage, I used MC-502Silver for the gun port and
shading experiment: I used AK3145 I started by applying an overall AK3414 Grey with a few drops AK476 Steel for the two hatches
German Grey as pre-shading coat of AK2057 Light Ghost Grey of White added to lighten it. behind it. I then “smoked” those
around the panel lines, with some this is a grey shade with a little After leaving the model metal colours with very diluted
panels in AK2053 Intermediate blue in it. I then masked the overnight I peeled off the masking AK671 Xtreme Metal Smoke to
Blue and MC-215 Wood Brown camouflage pattern with Tamiya tape and started adding some make the variation in colour look
as cold and warm colours, then masking tapes, using Tamiya fading and variations in tone subtler. I also used burnt iron for
AK3146 Grey and MC002 White white thin vinyl tape on the edges. on some panels by adding small some colour variation on the metal
for highlights on the hatches. amounts of White and MC-257 plates. Finally, I painted the inner
Next came the camouflage Grey into the original mix. Next, side of the air brake red and the
pattern. The Su-30MK has a I masked the gun port and the wing tip pylons with AK3146 Grey
hard-edged pattern, so instead of area surrounding it; I then used With the painting complete I
painting freehand, I needed to mask moved onto decaling. I used the
and spray to create the sharp edges. stencils from the kit’s sheet and Hi-
I made some masking templates
with Adobe Illustrator, referring

76 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

074-77-FEAT-AKInteractive-0418.indd 76 09/03/2018 16:08

 Sponsored by AK Interactive
www.ak-interactive.com
1/48

Decal Line decals for the Indonesian

Air Force markings. To finish the
Flanker I sealed and protected
the decals with Gaia Clear Coat,
before adding a panel line wash
using AK Interactive Paneliner.

THE FINAL BIT

Now it was time for another etched-
part happy hour to assemble Dream
Model’s ladder. This set is quite easy
to assemble and I have already made
a few of these for my other Flankers.
I painted the ladder bright orange,
before adding a little wear followed
by a wash with AK Paneliners. I then
attached the PE ladders in place
with PVA glue and my Indonesian
AF Su-30MK was complete.

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 77

074-77-FEAT-AKInteractive-0418.indd 77 09/03/2018 16:08

 BOOKS & MEDIA
Colors & Markings of U.S Navy Phantom in the
F-14 Tomcats e-book Cold War
Part 2: Pacific Coast Squadrons
AUTHORS: Bert Kinzey and Rock Roszak
ISBN 978-0-9860677-9-2
T
he wait is finally over!
Ever since the first
part of the new Tomcat
Colors & Markings series was
released back in 2015, I have
been waiting for Part 2, covering
the Pacific Coast squadrons,
which had some of my favourite
markings applied to the F-14.
But first, if you are not familiar
with the Colors & Markings or
Detail and Scale series of digital
books, let us cover the basics.
To use these books, you need a
smart phone, tablet, or computer
with either iBook or Kindle formats.
Obviously, the larger the screen
the more detail that you will see.
Browsing the book is simple. By
using the data bar at the bottom of
the page, you can rapidly scan all
the chapters to find the one you are
looking for. If the pictures are too
small you can zoom in and rotate
them from landscape to portrait, as
well as zoom in to see more detail.
The big advantages of these
E books are that they contain
far more information than was
possible in the printed titles they
replace, and are considerably
cheaper (under 10 US dollars or
less than £8 in English money).
As a comparison, the original
book, released in 1984, had just over
200 photographs, mostly in black
and white. The new book has an
impressive 746 colour photos, plus a
large number of colour illustrations,
as well as profiles, and these include
squadron markings and details of
exterior markings and stencils.
Each of the 15 operational
squadrons has a chapter; for
example, one of the most popular
units, the Sundowners (VF-111)
has 31 photographs illustrating
all the schemes carried by the
squadron, including one flown
by Iceman (in fictitious VFA-213
markings) during the filming of
Top Gun (probably the best advert
for the Tomcat ever made).
This book covers far more than
just the operational squadrons:
the two reserve squadrons and
the units using the type in the
adversary role also have their
own chapters. Finally, we finish
with coverage of the units using
Tomcats as test and evaluation
aircraft, including VX-4, with its
famous Playboy “Vandy1”. Most
78 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
078-79-Books-0418.indd 78
REVIEW
aircraft from the unit did not carry
this marking, as can be seen by the
46 photographs showing the wide
selection of schemes that were far
more common. Four, however, were
painted gloss black with a Playboy
Bunny on the tail at different times,
until political correctness caught
up with the unit. On the last day the
Playboy Bunny appeared on the tail
it was modified to a Crying Bunny
with a tear and a frown and the
next day it was removed totally.
I am a big fan of this range and
they are a permanent feature on my
iPad as both a modelling reference
and a source of inspiration. I am
really hoping that the team at Detail
and Scale will now cover more of
their previous titles in this fashion.
We are long overdue for the Colors &
Markings treatment for the F/A-18
Hornet, which has now served for
far longer than the Tomcat and
in a wider range of markings.
Our thanks to Detail and Scale
for providing us with the sample to
review. You can visit their website
at www.detailandscale.com to see
the full range and much more
Mustang
SERIES: Special Series
PUBLISHER: Aero Research Company
CAT. NO: 4010
www.AeroResearchCDs.com
T
his new disc from Aero
Research has 191 images
of Mustangs. The opening
few images show some semi-
derelict surplus stock, then moves
on to cover racers and warbirds,
RAF Wildenrath 1977-1992
AUTHOR: David Gledhill
YEAR: 2017
PUBLISHER: Pen and Sword Aviation
ISBN: 978-1-52670-408-5
FORMAT: 271 pp Hardback
T
he title of this book seems
very wide-ranging at first –
the Phantom is, after all, the
iconic Western Cold War jet. However,
the subtitle makes the scope more
manageable. But the book is not just
about the Phantom! It is also about
a station and a historical period.
The author clearly knows and
loves his subject. As an RAF officer,
David Gledhill was a navigator on
the Phantom, and later the Tornado
F3 (another of his books, Tornado
F3 in Focus, published by Fonthill
Media, was reviewed in volume
24 issue 1 of this magazine).
The book starts with the history
of the Phantom in RAF Germany:
as the reader may know, it started
off in the ground attack, strike
and reconnaissance roles, just as
it did in the UK, switching to Air
Defence (AD) once the Jaguar entered
service in sufficient numbers.
The next chapter examines the
Phantom in the AD role, particularly
how it was operated, the tactics
used, and how the radar worked.
Whilst this is primarily a history-
focussed book, this chapter contains
some detailed photographs of the
radar installation, which will be
particularly useful to the modeller
who wants to super-detail their FGR2.
The next chapters cover the
history of RAF Wildenrath; the
operational context, which among
other things details the Soviet and
other Warsaw Pact forces of the time;
the day-to-day details of operating
in Germany, from the various
low-flying zones to the endless
before finishing with the much-
modified Turbo Mustang III.
exercises; and many other aspects.
From chapter ten onwards
the narrative covers the Phantom
squadrons themselves, 19 Sqn and
92 Sqn, from their formation as
Phantom units in the 1970s to their
disbandment as such in the early
1990s. The focus is mainly on 92 Sqn.
Although the author served with
that unit, the reason given for this
focus is not personal bias (entirely
understandable though that may
be), but because 19 Sqn’s Operational
Record Book covering the period is not
yet released into the public domain.
There is much to interest the
modeller, from the detail shots of
the radar installation mentioned
earlier, through the war loads carried,
to descriptions of special colour
schemes. It would be interesting to
see a Phantom model with a red nose,
as carried by a four-ship formation
– for one sortie only – in honour
of an early Comic Relief event.
The final chapters cover the
disbandment of the units and the
fate of RAF Wildenrath. The book
is rounded out with a glossary
and index. Relevant photographs,
both monochrome and colour,
illustrate the text throughout.
If you have an interest in
RAF Germany, the Phantom, or
the later Cold War, do buy this
book. If you don’t, why not buy
it anyway? Recommended.
Thanks to Pen & Sword
Books Ltd for the review copy.
MJC
With the release of the new
Airfix Mustang this disc will give
you plenty of inspiration to build up
a very colourful collection of civil
‘Stangs. Hopefully an enterprising
manufacturer will produce some
conversion sets to build some of the
more modified racers, and somebody
else will produce the decals to go
with them. Race 34, “Miss Foxy
Lady” would be my choice, gloss
black with pin up art on the fuselage!
My thanks to Aero Research
for supplying this disc for review.
TMU-S
09/03/2018 16:08
 BOOKS & MEDIA

American Aircraft Tornado GR1

Development of WWII
Special Types 1939-1945
An Operational History

AUTHOR: Michael Napier

YEAR: 2017
PUBLISHER: Pen and Sword Aviation
AUTHOR: Bill Norton ISBN: 978-1-47387-302-5
YEAR: 2016 FORMAT: 251 pp Hardback
PUBLISHER: Crecy Publishing

T
ISBN: 9780859791885 he subject matter of this
FORMAT: 251 pp Hardback book is precisely what
it says on the cover: an

A
fter the First World War,
aircraft development
almost stood still for a
number of years. A combination
of war weariness and the
economic circumstances of
the 1920s and 1930s meant
that by the late 1930s, neither
technical development nor
tactics had moved on very
much in many countries.
This included the USA.
This book, written by a flight
test engineer who has worked
as such in both the military
and civilian spheres, covers the
development of American aircraft
for the United States military –
both Army Air Corps and US Navy
– during WWII. It leaves aside the
bombers, fighters, and gliders
(which have been covered in
previous books in the series). and
concentrates on what it describes
as “special” types. These are the
types that are often seen as less
“glamorous” or interesting by
many, but which nevertheless
perform a vital role, with an
emphasis on experimental
and unproduced types.
After an introduction and
an opening chapter which set
the scene, subsequent chapters
cover floatplanes, photo-
reconnaissance types, tactical and
strategic transports, rotorcraft,
(both autogyros and early
helicopters), airborne targets,
and drones. A final chapter
summarises the work, shows
the way for future development,
and presents conclusions.
The well-written text is
supplemented by data tables
where appropriate, and is liberally
illustrated with contemporary
photographs. There is also a
glossary, a comprehensive set
of endnotes, and an index.
If you are interested in US
aircraft, or indeed aircraft
development in general, this
book is worth obtaining.
I learnt a lot from it.
Thanks to Crecy Publishing
for the review copy.
MJC
operational history of the Tornado
GR1, from its introduction by IX Sqn
in 1982 to when it was succeeded
by the GR4. Only RAF service is
covered – implied in the title, as
only the RAF knew the aircraft as
a “GR1” – and only the GR1 and
GR1A, not the F3 nor the GR4.
Starting with a brief account of
the type’s development, the main
part of the book takes the reader
from the early 1980s and the Cold
War through to the final days in Iraq,
via the end of the Cold War and the
First Gulf War. The very readable
text gives an interesting insight
into the Tornado’s capabilities, and
life in a squadron for the crews who
flew and maintained it. There are
ample photographs, all of which are
relevant, and many of which will
be useful to modellers for showing
paint finishes and weathering.
The appendices include a series
Inside RAF WWII Fighter
Instrument Panels
AUTHOR: Dariusz Karnas
YEAR: 2017
PUBLISHER: MMP Books
of colour profiles illustrating
squadron markings of the
operational units, and a list of
all Tornados by serial number
and their eventual fate.
Michael Napier is himself a
former RAF Tornado pilot, and
the foreword is written by another
former Tornado pilot, the current (at
the time of writing this) Chief of the
Defence Staff, ACM Sir Stuart Peach.
In addition to his own knowledge
and experiences, the author has
drawn on both public and other
records, and interviews with former
Tornado air and ground crews, to
produce a very interesting, readable
and comprehensive history.
Thanks to Pen & Sword
Books Ltd for the review copy.
MJC

Eights and ISBN: 978-83-65281-62-3

FORMAT: 39pp Hardback

Nines T
he latest book in the
Inside... series takes a
look RAF Second World
War fighter aircraft instrument
SERIES: Airliner Series panels. The book opens with
PUBLISHER: Aero Research Company a short introduction, before
CAT. NO:. 2013 moving on to look at the
www.AeroResearchCDs.com following panels in detail:
Spitfire Vc, Hurricane MkI,

W
hen it comes to
coverage, airlines
and civil aviation
always seem to be the poor
relations to Second World War
Luftwaffe subjects, so it’s good
to see this being redressed,
even in a small way, with this
disc. Concentrating on DC-8s
and DC-9s, the disc has images
from the 1960s, 70s and 80s, and
includes coverage of airlines from
around the world. The images
from the 1960s are superb and
rival modern photographs. All
of the images are in colour.
If you are looking for some
references for your latest airline
build, then look no further!
My thanks to Aero Research
for supplying this disc for review.
TMU-S
P-51B Mustang III, Defiant,
Beaufighter VI, and Mosquito
MK VI. Each section starts with
a short text on the fighter, with
a photo of the real thing, then
displays full-colour full-page
artwork of the instrument
panel itself, which is then
followed by 1/1 images of each
individual instrument.
If you are looking for that
little bit of extra detail for your
model, or you are interested in
Second World War instruments,
then this book will be just
what you are looking for!
My thanks to Mushroom
Model Publications for
supplying this book for review.
TMU-S

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • APRIL 2018 • 79

078-79-Books-0418.indd 79 09/03/2018 16:08

 Promote your company here and appear in all 3 titles – Scale Aviation Modeller International,
Model Aircraft and Scale Military Modeller International – with a total 126,000 circulation.
Contact Mark Willey on +44 (0)1234 224992 mark@sampublications.com

GINTER BOOKS OXONIANS

NAVY / AIR FORCE
TEL: (805) 584-9732 FAX: (805) 584-6604 WEB: www.ginterbooks.com PLASTIC
FANTASTIC
1754 Warfield Circle, Simi Valley, CA 93063, USA
NFAF 217 Curtiss X-55 Ascender ............................................. $24.95
NFAF 218 Lockheed F-94 Starfire ............................................ $39.95
NFAF 219 Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech....................... $14.95
NF 97 Martin PBM Mariner.......................................................... $52.95
NF 98 Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider Part One............................ $52.95
NF 99 Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider Part Two........................... $55.95
NF 100 “Blue Goose” Command Aircraft............................... $35.95
NF 101 Grumman S2F/S-2 Tracker Part One............................ $46.95

SCALE MODELS
Sheffield’s Specialist Model Shop
48 ( 0114 2449170
YEARS www.marcway.net

Vast selection of plastic kits - Aircraft - Tanks - Military

- Ships - Cars - Bikes - Space - Trucks etc
HUNDREDS OF RARE & OBSOLETE KITS
Dioramas - Scenic Materials - Plastic, Metal & Wood sheet and
MOTOR BOOKS
The world’s oldest motoring bookseller
sections - Modelling Tools, Paints, Brushes, Airbrushes & Compressors
Also Model Railways, Die Cast Models and Scalextric • AVIATION • BUSES • TRAMS • COLLECTABLES • MARITIME
• MILITARY • MISCELLANEOUS • MOTORCYCLES • MOTORING
WORLDWIDE MAIL ORDER
598-600 Attercliffe Rd, Sheffield S9 3QS Resin kits, conversions and upgrades • MOTORSPORT • RAILWAY • WORKSHOP MANUALS •

0114 2449170 Open 10am - 5pm, 6 days

•Situated 2 miles from M1 (junc 34) • 200 yds from Attercliffe Tram Stop www.alleycatmodels.co.uk www.motorbooks.co.uk

Distributors of
Hobbyboss, Vallejo, Scale Aircraft
MiG, AK Interactive,
Hobby Bunker, Inc.
33 Exchange Street
Miniart, Model Master
and many more…
Conversions
Malden, Massachusetts

Your one stop toy soldier,

games & hobby shop
Open 7 Days a Week
781-321-8855
781-321-8866 (fax)
01354 760022
Units 6-10 Honeysome Ind Est, Honeysome Road,
matt@hobbybunker.com
www.hobbybunker.com Cambridgeshire, PE16 6TG www.creativemodels.co.uk

121 HIGH STREET,

UCKFIELD, TN22 1RN
KITS • PAINTS • GLUES • AIRBRUSHES • TOOLS • STYRENE ETC
Friendly service & advice - Mail Order 01825
Open Tuesday – Friday 10 – 5.30. Saturday 9.30 – 5.00. Closed Sunday and Monday.
www.thehobbybox.co.uk 765296
Specializing in white metal
MATADOR MODELS landing gear
and Airfield Accessories ranges
9873 CR 2469 Royse City,
At least 5-10% discount off EXTENSIVE 1/76TH ARMOUR Texas 75189
manufacturer’s prices AND WHEELED VEHICLE KITS
+1 (214) 477-7163
Fast and friendly service AND CONVERSION RANGES,
Easy to navigate webshop FROM WWI TO THE 2000’S www.scaleaircraftconversions.com
Large range of over 3500 models, and Airfield Accessories 1/48th. 1/72nd.
figures, tools and accessories from 1/76th. 1/144th scale ranges of British
Revell, Airfix, Italeri, Tamiya and many more, and German airfield vehicles and
ready for immediate despatch equipment including ambulances,
Based in the Midlands since 2001 with refuellers, tractors, G.S. and
worldwide shipping available specialist vehicles, figure sets etc.

Web: www.models2u.co.uk B W MODELS RANGE OF 52 Holdings Road, Sheffield S2 2RE

Email: help@models2u.co.uk MILITARY TRANSFERS South Yorkshire England
Phone: 01543 433999 www.matadormodels.co.uk Tel: [0114] 2761587 www.blackbirdmodels.co.uk

xxx-ShopWebGuide-0218.indd 96 12/01/2018 12:12

 Promote your company here and appear in all 3 titles – Scale Aviation Modeller International,
Model Aircraft and Scale Military Modeller International – with a total 126,000 circulation.
Contact Mark Willey on +44 (0)1234 224992 mark@sampublications.com

y


 USTANG
M
1/350
Kit

HO
www.oldmodelkits.com
B BIES

If you are Mustang-Hobbies.com

looking at this...
then it’s working!
Promote your company here and be
seen in all 3 of our quality titles – Scale
Aviation Modeller International, Model
Aircraft and Scale Military Modeller
International – with a combined
circulation of 126,000!
Models, Decals, Books, and Much More !
PLASTIC & METAL KIT RETAILERS
HOBBY & PASTIME MATERIALS
UP TO 20% OFF ALL KITS ONLINE
AND MAIL ORDER
Incorporating 1,000’s of deleted and new kits.
303 The Broadway, Bexleyheath, Kent DA6 8DT Tel/Fax: (020) 8298 7177
ONLY OPEN ON TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS & SATURDAYS 9.30-5.30
www.kitkrazy.com Email: steve@kitkrazy.com
NEW MAIL ORDER LISTS – SEND 70p SAE

To be seen in our next issue, www.halifaxmodellersworld.co.uk

contact Mark Willey on mark@ Shop Hours: Mon, Tues, Thurs 10.30-17.30, Fri 10.30-17.00,

sampublications.com or Call
Sat 9.30-17.00, Sun 10.30-16.30, Closed Wednesday
HALIFAX MODELLERS WORLD
01234 224992 25 Horton Street, Halifax. HX1 1QE
YORKSHIRE 01422 349157

WANTED PLASTIC KITS

AVIATION • MILITARY • AUTOMOTIVE • SHIPS ETC
All makes past and present, large collections no problem.
Fast friendly service, also looking for die-cast models, vintage and contemporary.
Please call Paul on 07824154510 or 01425 511480

+30+2%%,(6 City Cycle Centre

ZZZKSPKREELHVFRP We have a large selection of Plastic Kits from Airfix, Revell, Tamiya,
6HFXUHRQOLQHRUGHULQJ Italeri, AFV Club, Academy and more. Also Paint and Sprays from
5HDOWLPHVWRFNOHYHOV Humbrol, Tamiya, Revell, Vallejo and Games Workshop
:RUOGZLGHVKLSSLQJ
CITY CYCLE CENTRE 7 Market Street, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4PB
)$/&21-$<62=02'65('522 models@citycyclecentre.com www.citycyclecentre.com
3-352'8&7,216)&0'(&$/6
CAMBRIDGESHIRE 01353 663131

www.mjwmodels.co.uk
Discounted Prices and Many Special Offers
Orders despatched within 1 working day
ALBION ALLOYS
Stockists & Suppliers of Model Aircraft Kits, Accessories and Paint Sets by :-

Precision metals for industry MJW Models Eduard, LifeColor, MPM, Special Hobby, Sword, Vallejo, and many more
Email us at: mjwmodels@fjandmw.plus.com
Like us on Facebook
www.albionalloys.co.uk ONLINE MODEL SHOP

xxx-ShopWebGuide-0218.indd 97 12/01/2018 12:12

 BACK PAGE
Show Diary
April 8th
SHROPSHIRE SCALE
From March 2018 to May 2018

May 20th
EAST MIDLAND MODEL
June 30th
IPMS PLYMOUTH MODEL SHOW
Scale Aviation Modeller International
April 2018 • Volume 24 • Issue 4

PRODUCED BY MEDIA HOUSE UNDER

LICENCE FROM SAM PUBLICATIONS
21 Kingsway, Bedford MK42 9BJ
MODEL SHOW SHOW (NEW DATE) Plymouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Plymouth Telephone: +44 (0)1234 211245
RAF Museum Cosford, The Leisure Centre, Argents PL1 2BJ Fax: +44 (0)1234 325927
SAMI SAMI Email: mail@sampublications.com
Shifnal, Shropshire TF11 8UP ATTENDING Mead, Hinckley, Leics LE10 ATTENDING Use the above address for back issue orders,
1BZ subscriptions, enquiries or book orders. Note that
April 14th
IPMS DORSET/POOLE May 26th FUTURE EVENTS THAT we cannot undertake research into specific or
general aviation queries and that there may be
VIKINGS MODEL
SHOW 2018
IPMS TORBAY MODEL SHOW
Torquay Town Hall, Castle Circus, Torquay,
SAMI IS ATTENDING some delays in responses from the contributors, as
they are not based at the editorial address.
PUBLISHER SAM Publications
Parkstone Grammer School, SAMI Devon TQ1 3DR August 1st to 4th
ATTENDING
GROUP EDITOR • Andy Evans
Sopers Lane, Poole, BH17 June 2nd andyevans@sampublications.com
IPMS USA NATIONAL CONVENTION
7EP IPMS SALISBURY MODEL SHOW 2018 EDITOR • David Francis
Phoenix Convention Centre, Phoenix, Arizona
April 22 david@sampublications.com
Wyvern College Sports Hall, Wyvern College, 9th September ASSOCIATE EDITOR • Tim Upson-Smith
MODELKRAFT 2018 Church road, Laverstock SP1 1RE
2018 CHILTERN MODEL SHOW tim@sampublications.com
Stantonbury Leisure Centre, June 2nd COPY EDITOR • Andy Rowe
SAMI Weatherley Centre, Eagle Farm Road,
Milton Keynes, MK14 6BN ALFOLD MODEL SHOW 2018
ATTENDING Biggleswade SG18 8JH PROFILE ARTWORK • Darren Prior
May 5th Care Ashore, Springbok Estate, Alfold, Cranleigh, The editorial emails are ONLY to be used for
28th September
SCALE MODEL SHOW TANGMERE Surrey GH6 8EX editorial submissions. They are NOT for subscription
E DAY, CZECH REPUBLIC payments or queries, back issues or Modellers
Tangmere Military Aviation Museum, Chichester June 17th NATIONALS (NEW VENUE) Datafile orders. Please send all of these to the Media
PO20 2ES WEST NORFOLK IPMS ANNUAL MODEL House address detailed at the top of this column.
Lysa nad Labem Convention Centre, Lysa
May 12th SHOW STUDIO MANAGER • Jonathan Phillips
nad Labem, Czech Republic
LANCING MODEL SHOW Downham Market Town Hall, Downham Market, PAGE DESIGN & LAYOUT • Andy Folds
10th and 11th November
Lancing Parish Hall, 96 South Street, Lancing Norfolk PE38 9HS PRE-PRESS PRODUCTION • Media House
SCALE MODELWORLD 2018 PRINT PRODUCTION • Printed and bound in UK
BN15 6AJ June 23rd Telford International Convention Centre, SAMI TEAM
May 13th IPSWICH IPMS MODEL SHOW Telford, Shropshire TF3 4JH • Andy Renshaw • Andy Evans
IPMS GLOUCESTER MODEL SHOW Ipswich and district Indoor Bowling Club, 136 24th November • Tim Upson-Smith • Andy Rowe
• Nicola Upson-Smith • Kathy Francis
Churchdown Community Center, Parton Road, Rushmere Road, Ipswich IPS 4JU
PLASTIC WINTER BRATISLAVA CONTRIBUTORS THIS MONTH
Churchdown, Gloucester GL3 2JH
Dom Kultury Ruzinov, Ruzinovska 28, Bratislava • Angelo Picardo • Peter Marshall • Sacco De Vries
• Roman Schilhart • John Bisset • Paul Crawley
• Vitor Costa • Jared Demes • Michael Chilestone
• Aaron Ludlow • Carmel J. Attard • Robert Podkoński
ADVERTISING SALES • Mark Willey

...COMING NEXT MONTH

mark@sampublications.com
DISTRIBUTION • Warners Group Publications Plc
The Maltings, West Street, Bourne, Lincolnshire
PE10 9PH Telephone: 01778 391000
NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION • Disticor
695 Westney Rd South, Suite 14, Ajax, Ontario,
Canada L1S 6M9 Tel: + 1 (905) 619 6565

Media House is a member of

The paper used in this magazine is made from
timber sourced from sustainable managed forests;
the pulp is ECF (elemental chlorine free); the
manufacturing mill is accredited with ISO14001
and EMAS for their environmental controls.

SUBSCRIPTIONS
Cheques/Money Orders in Sterling only made
Mig-25 From ICM payable to Media House and sent to the address
above. Major credit card payment accepted by
Navy Ghost From Airfix telephone.
A Really Big Fokker Subscription Hotline +44 (0)1234 211245

From Revell
AMERICAN
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Wise Owl is no longer selling subscriptions
on behalf of Media House. Current Wise Owl
customers can renew their subscriptions at the
current rates directly with Media House:
Subscription hotline +44 (0)1234 211245 –
we are happy to call you back to take your order!
Email ordering and customer support:
mail@sampublications.com
Website secure online ordering:
www.sampublications.com
Copyright Warning Scale Aviation Modeller American shops and trade may obtain copies from
Due to the growing misuse and breach of copyright apparent on the web Media House gives notice that no-one is permitted to International is published Kalmbach Publishing Toll Free 1 800 558 1544
reproduce in any way (in original form or ‘modified’) anything published in this, or previous editions of this magazine. All design,
layout and studio photography is the copyright of Media House. All profiles, scale plans and supporting photographs are the monthly by Media House and Canadian shops and trade may obtain copies from
is distributed to the news trade Disticor Tel: + 1 (905) 619 6565
copyright of the individual authors. None of these may be used without prior written agreement from both the author/artist and
Media House. Infringement is a breach of international law, so if you see items posted on the web from this magazine other than on on the second last Thursday of Scale Aviation Modeller International, Volume 24
the official Media House website (sampublications.com) please advise the publisher immediately. Issue 4, April 2018 (ISSN 1356-0530) published
each month. monthly by: Media House, 2221 Niagara Falls Blvd,
Niagara Falls, NY, 14304-5709.
© Media House 2018
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted (including posting to a website) in any form
Next on sale Periodicals postage pending: Niagara Falls, NY.
US Postmaster: Send address corrections to:
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval
system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.
26th April 2018 Scale Aviation Modeller International, PO Box 265,
Williamsville, NY 14231

82 • APRIL 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

082-BackPage-0418-SAMI.indd 82 09/03/2018 16:07

Zvezda-SAMI-0418-WP.indd 1 09/03/2018 15:57
AKInteractive-0418-WP.indd 1 09/03/2018 15:58