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 Scale Aviation Modeller International
WELCOME August 2018 • Volume 24 • Issue 8

FREE KITS! 1991 had just been released and was things have changed. Nearly all team members for 1/48 scale and
a major improvement on the Airfix of us have mobile phones that smaller who can take a couple of
kit, which had been released 25 have cameras that easily exceed good photographs of the finished

N
ow that was a shameless
way to catch your eye, but
in fact it is almost true.
Sometimes the unsung heroes
of our magazine are the team
who build our review kits. Many
of these have been featured in
this title for many many years
and a few have gone on to write
full build photo features.
In fact, that is exactly how I
started when I went to my first
IPMS club meeting and met
Alan Hall, a name many will
remember for his 30 years of
editing model magazines. It was
Alan who seeing my latest kit
persuaded me to try my hand at
writing a review article. At the
time I was just married and living
in a small one bed flat, so my
modelling was restricted to a lap
tray with a storage area for my
tools on top of the fridge freezer.
I remember that kit well it was
Academy’s then new, B-29 which in
years earlier. I also remember what
a challenge it was as I had never
built such a large kit before and
achieving an overall natural metal
finish in the days before the range
of metal lacquers and paints we
have today was a major challenge.
So, a month later I had a large
B-29 model for photography and
in those days my only camera
was an old 35mm compact and
I remember taking two reels of
film, then taking them to Boots
to get them developed only to
find from my 48 photographs I
had only two that were useable.
Onto the final chapter I had
to write about it! For me that
was by far the hardest part,
handwriting longhand over a
whole week to produce just 400
words on the build and then
persuading my lovely wife to
type it up and proofread my first
effort. If only she knew what that
that first article would lead to!
Fast forward 27 years and how
the capabilities of my 35mm model and also write a couple
compact and you have instant of hundred words and of course
access to the photographs to see build to a good but not necessarily
if they are any good. Also, there medal winning standard!
is a vast range of editing tools Up for the challenge? Well
available, which can sort a lot of just send a couple of photographs
the issues that you may have. of your latest build and a short
Access to the web means review to david@sampublications.
researching the history, colour com and you never know
and markings is easy while most where it may lead to just like
computers come with a word I did all those years ago!
processing program that even Until then enjoy the latest
checks spelling and grammar. issue of your magazine.
Though my wife and our proof
reader are still vital for me. David Francis, Editor
So nearly everyone can build david@sampublications.com
a review kit take a photograph
and write 500 words about the
build or so you would think?
In fact, my current team
are struggling to keep up with
the number of kits that despite
the moans that the hobby is in
a poor state continue to arrive
each week. So that’s where
the free kits offer comes in.
I am looking for new review

14 Full Metal Jacket

HobbyBoss 1/32 F-84G
Thunderjet by Guy Goodwin

Subscribe
see page 54

4 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

 CONTENTS
1/48 BY
PHANTOM F-4D
BYSACCO DE VRIES
PETER MARSHALL
Revolutionary
PHANTOM
KIT DETAILS
MANUFACTURER: ZOUKEI-MURA
PRODUCT NUMBER: SWS 1/48 NO.7
SCALE: 1/48
TYPE: INJECTION MOULDED
PANEL LINES: RECESSED
PARTS: LOTS (AND LOTS! I MAKE IT
ABOUT 390. NOT ALL USED AS ALTERNATE
WEAPONS ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 150 OF
THESE)
6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
6 Revolutionary Phantom
Zoukei-Mura 1/48 Phantom
F-4D by Peter Marshall
20 Tip and Run
Eduard 1/48 FW-190A-4
1/48 BY
FW-190A-4
BYSACCO DEWERNER,
FLOYD S. VRIES JR.
by Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
TIP RUN
KIT DETAILS
IPMS NUMBER: 26266
SCALE: 1/48
MANUFACTURER: EDUARD
MANUFACTURER WEBSITE:
WWW.EDUARD.COM
MANUFACTURER’S STOCK NUMBER:
82142
6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
20 Tip and Run
Eduard 1/48 FW-190A-4
by Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
FIRST LOOK!
I-153 “Chaika”
First look at ICM 1/32 I-153 “Chaika”
T W
he I-153 was a biplane
fighter developed following
the experiences of
operations by pilots flying the
Polikarpov I-16. This showed
that the monoplane Polikarpov
was outclassed by the more
manoeuvrable Fiat C.32 biplane.
The I-153 Seagull was developed to
combine the power of the I-16 with
the manoeuvrability of a biplane
design and became the last Biplane
fighter to enter frontline service.
ICM is on a bit of a roll in
producing high quality state of the
art biplanes as less than a month
ago we received a Bucker BU-131
Jungmann and this was very
impressive and now we have the
I-153. ICM has already produced a
very nice 1/48 scale but this new
1/32 scale eclipses its smaller
brother in nearly every area.
The cockpit is made up of from
four framework pieces to which you
add all the various levers, switch
panels, oxygen bottles and a flare
gun. With careful painting and
the addition of some aftermarket
seatbelts this will build into a very
impressive cockpit which will be
72 Kick like a Mule
40 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee R1 by Huw Morgan
40 First Looks
ICM 1/32 I-153 “Chaika”
TEMPEST MK. V
1/32 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
IVAN TAYLOR
28 Sicilian Stuka
Quick Build of the Airfix 1/48
Stuka B-2/R-2 by Jay Blakemore
A Tempting
TEMPEST
6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
64 A Tempting Tempest
Special Hobby 1/32 Tempest
MK. V by Ivan Taylor
ALSO INSIDE
35 The SAM News
37 Czech News
40 First Looks
46 Accessories
AND
easily seen on the completed model.
The engine is equally well
detailed though most of it will be
totally invisible on the completed
engines. All of the exhausts
feature small recesses that can
be deepened with some careful
work with small drills and some
needle files. You have eight
different shaped exhausts that
need to line up precisely with the
holes in the cowlings. ICM have
come up with a simple way of
making this possible you start by
attaching the only exhaust that
connects to two cylinders. Once
this is firmly attached in place
you are supplied with a circular
template (ICM call it a conductor)
which fits onto the pre-positioned
pipe. The template has cut outs
around its circumference that
enable you to accurately position
all the pipes. Once they are in
place the template can be carefully
removed and discarded. This
should make assembling the
complicated exhaust system very
simple. The rest of the assembly
should be quite simple thanks
to the beautifully moulded gull
wings and the large single support
strut. Even the rigging is very
basic with just four flying wires,
though one of these is so thick it
is more like a rod than a wire.
For the underwing armament
you have a choice of four bombs
or eight rockets, the latter
looking quite odd on a biplane.
Markings are supplied
for four aircraft:
• Polikarpov I-153, Red 28, 15th
IAP (fighter regiment) Lithuania,
June 1941, Overall silver finish.
• Polikarpov I-153,Red 26, 70th
IAP, Khalhin-Gol, August 1939,
overall silver with a squiggle
camouflage in dark green.
Zoukei-Mura 1/48 Phantom F-4D by Peter Marshall
I
t would seem that Zoukei-
Mura (ZM) are going to give
us new moulds of a lot of
different Phantoms! First we
had the -J and -S, now we have
the -C and -D. I can’t see them
stopping there, and while I
initially questioned the need for
another F-4 in 1/48 scale, building
their F-4J convinced me I was
wrong. I was delighted therefore
to be asked to review this kit, the
fourth of their Phantom family,
representing the -D version.
A little history: The F-4D was
an improved version of the F-4C
which, while being externally
almost identical to the F-4C, was
very different internally. The
first example flew on December
7, 1965 and deliveries began in
March of 1966, with a total of
793 built. While the F-4D had the
same basic airframe as the F-4C,
Eduard 1/48 FW-190A-4 by Floyd S. Werner, Jr.
E
duard has covered The
Focke Wulf 190 series
before but they stopped
at the A-5 version. The original
toolings of the FW-190 by
Eduard were beautiful models,
but they were very finicky to
build, while the short versions,
such as the A-2 thru A-4, were
never produced until now.
Well, Eduard can’t be accused of
not listening to modellers. Starting
with their Bf-109 re-engineered
series, and now with these early
versions of the Focke Wulf, they
have gone back to the drawing
board and made these all-new
toolings simpler and easier to build.
That doesn’t mean that they are
less detailed, just easier to build.
The first of these new generation
kits is the FW-190A-4. Packaged in
a sturdy top-opening cardboard
box with exquisite artwork on the
cover, this new kit is moulded in
five sprues of light grey plastic. A
sprue of crystal-clear plastic is also
included. As this is a Profipack,
there is also a pre-painted photo-
etch (PE) fret and a set of masks.
• Polikarpov I-153, Red
6, 72d SAP (Mixed
Regiment) North Sea
Fleet, Vaenga,1941.
Dark Green over Blue
camouflage with a
white tail and rudder.
• Polikarpov I-153,
White 102, Major
P.I Biskup, 71st
IAP, Baltic Fleet,
Lavansaari,
Summer 1942. This
aircraft has a black
and green over blue
camouflage and
is fitted with the
rocket armament.
CONCLUSION
Out of the box and with minimal
skill most modellers will be able
to produce a good representation
of the last biplane fighter and if
you go to town by adding some
wiring to the cockpit and engine
and some weathering and a nice
base to display it on you could
have a real show winner.
A full build will feature in a
future issue and we thank ICM for
supplying us with the review sample.
Special Hobby 1/32 Tempest MK. V by Ivan Taylor
W
hen I was given the
chance to build this kit
for SAMI, I was more
than happy to oblige, because I had
heard many amazing things about
it and its accurate representation
of the Hawker Tempest MK.V.
The kit does not disappoint.
Upon opening the box, you are
greeted with one large bag of
sprues, a box of CMK resin, a
beautifully printed instruction
book, and some of the most
beautiful decals I have ever seen.
It has to be said, however, that the
instructions are very busy; maybe a
few more steps to break up the busy
images would have been helpful.
This was always going to be
a labour of love and the build
should be appreciated for what
the major difference was in the
avionics, and the most significant
change was the replacement of the
APQ-100 radar of the F-4C with
the smaller, lighter, and partly
solid-state AN/APQ-109A. Other
improvements enhanced the
ground attack aspect of the mission.
THERE’S A LOT MORE OUT
THERE…BUT WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
There are eleven sprues of mid-grey
plastic and one of clear parts, all
with excellent detail. There is also
a decal sheet by Cartograf, and
though most of the sheet is devoted
to stencils, there are markings
for two Vietnam-era aircraft: the
first (65-0593) is in the standard
Southeast Asia (SEA) colours of tan,
medium green, and dark green over
light grey, and the other (66-8812)
The two decal sheets cover
five aircraft and are printed by
Eduard. They are beautifully
rendered with perfect register
and colour opacity. Stencils are
provided for one aircraft.
The parts count on the build
is quite small, with less than 100
pieces, and there are many parts
that won’t be used (so the spare
parts box will be replenished).
The detail throughout is exquisite
and the plastic is perfectly formed
with recessed panel lines and
rivets. Recessed rivets may not
be to your liking, but Eduard has
done them beautifully and kept
them restrained. Under a coat
of paint they are faintly visible
and to me they are the industry
standard for this type of detail.
I’ve always loved the look of the
“tip and run” raiders (for non-UK
readers: “drop the bomb and get
out” raiders) with their black-
painted bellies and fuselage sides,
so I went to my resin bin and found
a set of the necessary underwing
drop tank fairings. This set was
done by SAMi and I also had another
it is. Kits like these are the ones
that make you a better and
more experienced modeller.
THE COCKPIT
Like most aircraft kits, I started
with the cockpit. This is a metal
frame surrounded by fuselage
walls, which is very well replicated
by Special Hobby, with plastic
framing that looks accurate to
scale. However, every single part
needs cleaning of mould lines and
rather large sprue gates: but we are
modellers, and this is what we do.
The cockpit is a mix of different
media, including plastic, resin,
and photo-etch; with this mix
you are going to get a beautifully
detailed cockpit compartment.
has the same upper colours but
black undersides. There are two
markings and decal placement
sheets, in full-colour, and a 32
page A4 instruction booklet.
The instructions are what I now
expect from ZM: the multiple views
make it very clear what goes where,
and how, with useful comments
scattered along the way. The only
things I can take issue with at this
stage are the colour instructions
and the ordinance provided.
Ordnance-wise, while you
set by Verlinden, but the Verlinden
ones weren’t quite as nice so I used
those from SAMi. Unfortunately
they are out of production, though
I hope Eduard might consider
them in their Brassin range.
Now all I needed were the
decals. Luckily, since I run Werner’s
Wings, I have a decal artist – Mason
Doupnik – who is very gifted.
With all the components in
place it was time to build it. Let’s
get started and see what we can do.
CONSTRUCTION
Like most kits, this starts in the
cockpit, and being a Profipack that
means pre-painted PE parts. Eduard
gives you the option of not using
them and just using the plastic
parts, but with the exquisite detail
on the PE it would be a shame not to.
I painted my cockpit prior
to adding the side consoles and
FIRST LOOK!
Vickers Wellington Mk.1A/C
First look at Airfix 1/72 Vickers Wellington Mk.1A/C
e have been following
the development of
this kit since it was
announced so most of you will
know what to expect when you
open the box, but there were still a
few things to surprise me starting
with the instruction manual.
This is pretty typical of the
CAD style books that we have seen
from Airfix for a number of years
and clearly show where everything
goes but there has been a major
change as Airfix state on Page One.
“There are many detailed parts
within this kit which fit inside the
fuselage, but which are not easily
visible on the finished model and
therefore can be left out of the
construction if preferred. These
parts are highlighted in green
throughout these instructions”
and they are not kidding over 20
parts can be left out if you want to
simplify the build and you will still
be left with one of the most complete
fuselages I have seen on a 1/72 kit.
Now on to the plastic, as we had
seen on the CADS and Test shots and
in my opinion the portrayal of the
Geodetic construction is very well
done with a special mention to the
internal bulkheads I is just a shame
that most of it will be invisible after
completion but this level of detail on
But I wanted to be as accurate as
possible, so to add some extra
detail I also added some very fine
copper wire to the framing of the
cockpit. This was the cherry on top
of an already fantastic cockpit.
The cockpit was given its
distinctive late-war two-tone
colours with Mr. Colour 364 Aircraft
Grey Green and Tire Black. To
make all the detail pop I added a
wash of Mig Enamel Dark Wash,
and with some dry-brushing
and fine detail painting most
of the cockpit was complete.
This kit comes with a plastic seat
and a resin seat, and the decision
was not a hard one to make. The
level of detail on the CMK seat is
astonishing, and with the HGW
belts it is a match made in heaven.
THE ENGINE
Let’s talk about the CMK engine. I
have never seen a more exquisite
looking piece of resin in my
get four different AIM-9 variants
(D/E/J/L) and two different AIM-7s
(E-2/late F or M), and the suggested
load out of AIM-7Es and AIM-9Es
seems appropriate, 66-8812 was
one of the Long Range Navigation
(LORAN)-equipped aircraft that
was used for precision night-time
navigation, so something more air-
to-ground would seem appropriate.
As for the painting, the colour
guides show the side profiles with
slightly differing camouflage
patterns but with the upper
the instrument panel. The PE
was easy to build up and was set
aside. The entire cockpit was
sprayed with Mr. Paint RLM-66.
Then I wanted to try something
different for the wash. Roy
“THIS IS A ABSOLUTELY
BEAUTIFUL ENGINEERED KIT THAT
IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST
FITTING KITS I’VE EVER BUILT”
Sutherland from Barracudacast
has been using this technique for
years with spectacular results,
so I thought I’d try it: a mix of
approximately 50% water, 50%
Future, and a couple of drops of
Tamiya Black to tint it. This is
then brushed onto the paint and
allowed to dry. It works remarkably
the inside means there is a price to
pay in the shape of quite a few pin
marks in hard to get at places. Filling
these with Perfect Plastic putty
then removing any excess with a
dampened cotton bud may work. I
think my preferred method would be
life. The level of detail is out of
this world and it would be any
modeller’s dream to build it.
When I was asked to do this
model, I was fully aware of the
hard work that was going to come
with the CMK resin engine. The
Napier Sabre engine was one of
the most complex engines that
the RAF had, up until the jet era.
There were tubing, wires, and
piping running all over the place,
displaying an air of pure power.
The engine in the kit is a kit
within itself; with nearly 43 parts,
it alone would make a stunning
display piece on its own. However,
the front half of the fuselage is
separate (for the different versions
of the Hawker Tempest), which
makes the necessary plastic
surgery much more convenient.
This was a step that I wanted
to make sure was as close to
perfect-fitting as possible.
With a fine JLC razor saw I began
to cut from the exhaust cut-out. I
surfaces identical, suggesting ZM
have some reference material to
support the side patterns. However,
I have seen a picture of the right
side of 66-8812 and it doesn’t match
the paint instructions, so I would
suggest that the instruction to
paint the whole of the wing tanks
black is incorrect too; the pictures
I found look like the top is still
green. Anyway, onto the build...
I addressed the cockpit first.
Stages 1 to 7 covers the build and
installation into the fuselage of
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
well and the surface is also now
prepped if there are decals to apply.
The raised details were picked
out with acrylic paint. I find it easier
to add the pre-painted seatbelts
before the seat is installed. Some
dry-brushing with RLM 02 and
silver added the wear and tear
of an operational aircraft. When
all that had dried I added some
Krystal Kleer to produce the
glazing to the instrument faces.
The engine is much simpler than
the previous releases, including
just the front row of cylinders
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
to use the thinnest plastic card I can
find cut into squares to fill the inside
of the geodetic framework thus
hiding the pin mark. Externally the
fabric over geodetic structure looks
just right compared to pictures,
though a sand with wet and dry will
make it even more subtle if you wish.
The clear parts are perfect, and
a nice touch is that you get two
cockpit canopies - one is supplied
closed up while the second has
both the pilots and co-pilots
windows slid back. This feature
combined with the position able
control surfaces can really make
your model look more lifelike.
The decals are well produced
and as well as some details for the
cockpit also supply two significant
schemes. Wellington AA-R in
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 41
removed the plastic engine covers
and replaced them with resin
covers, which gave me an aid as
to where to cut the plastic on the
forward fuselage. Special Hobby
uses a very thick, hard plastic, so it
certainly put the saw to the test.
Once the cut-out had been made
for the resin engine, the plastic
sidewall where the engine would
go was far too thick and would
have been hugely over scale for the
model, so the walls of the engine
bay needed to be thinned down.
I used the wonderful Ultimate
Modelling Products sanders to
do this and chamfered the panel
edges with the same tools.
The only time I had even
the slightest fit issue with
the engine was its bulkhead.
Because the fuselage curvature
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 5
1/48
1/32 BY
F-84G THUNDERJET
BYSACCO DE VRIES
GUY GOODWIN
Full Metal
1/32
JACKET
the front and rear cockpits, with
detailed seats, side consoles and
instrument panels, separate
throttles, control columns, and
canopy levers. However, these are
the same seats as provided in the
F-4J kit and are, as such, slightly very clear transparent parts, • Alclad metallic paints:
inaccurate – and I do mean slightly. and vinyl rubber tires. The Various shades.
The differences relate to the decal sheet is the only thing not • Lots (and lots) of Tamiya tape.
survival pack and the oxygen state-of-the-art; it looked a little
bottle. On US Navy (USN) seats the suspect on my example, with
bottle is in the seat pack with a patchy varnish in places. But I THE INTERIOR
pressure gauge visible on the seat, had already decided I was going The cockpit is lovely, large, and
but the US Air Force (USAF) seats to replace them with aftermarket very visible on this kit, so it’s
decals so this was not an issue. definitely worth taking
Hobbyboss 1/32 F-84G Thunderjet by Guy Goodwin Because I was so impressed a bit of time on it. If
with the parts (which feature some you get nothing
I
’ve mentioned before my love desired. In hot Korean summers to break off. Above 15,000 ft the lovely fine, delicate moulding all else in terms of
of high-end kits – Tamiya, with a full combat load, the aircraft F-84 could be flown faster but at over), I decided to really go to town
Wingnut Wings, etc. – so routinely required 10,000 ft the expense of severe buffeting. on the aftermarket. That seems to
when I picked up the Hobby Boss (3,000 m) of runway for takeoff, The top speed limitation proved be the fun nowadays, researching
1/32 F-84G Thunderjet from the even with the help of Rocket troublesome against the faster the aircraft and seeing what’s
editor, I thought I’d probably build Assisted Take Off (RATO) bottles. Soviet MiG 15s in Korea. Slower available to add those all-important
it, but at some later point. But as Early F-84s had to be pulled than the MiG, the F-84 was also (some would say) finishing touches.
I was on a run of metal-finished off the ground at 160 mph with unable to turn as tightly, with a My list gradually expanded
kits, this one just seemed to be the control stick held all the way maximum instantaneous-turn load and I settled on the following:
too attractive to pass by. I have back. Landings didn’t prove to be of only 3G, which if exceeded was • Eduard Big Ed set: Completely
not had any experience with any less exciting and were made followed by rapid loss of airspeed. transforms the detail levels - well
Hobby Boss before and wasn’t at a similar speed. Despite the The F-84 was a stable gun worth it, but not cheap at £37!
really expecting too much, but high landing speeds, however, platform and the up-to-date • Quickboost resin seat: Beautiful!
as soon as I looked inside the box the Thunderjet was easy to fly on computing gun sight aided in The resin detail has to be seen
I realised this kit is a beauty! instruments, and crosswinds did accurate gunnery and bombing, to be believed and totally
not present much of a problem. and pilots praised the aircraft for transforms the cockpit.
Thanks to its wide, straight Republic’s legendary ruggedness. • Zotz decal set: Nice, but in the end
HISTORY wing, the Thunderjet rapidly But on to the aircraft build... I decided to mask and spray the
The F-84 Thunderjet was among reached its Mach 0.82 limitation at markings, copied from a period
the first generation of jet-age full throttle and low altitude. The colour photograph. I did use
fighters, coming to fame during aircraft had sufficient power to THE KIT the stencil decals and national
the Korean War as a ground-attack fly faster, but exceeding the Mach On opening the sturdy box, you’re insignia, which performed well.
fighter-bomber. Typical of most limit at low altitudes resulted in presented with 296 injection • Montex masks F-84 set:
early jets, the Thunderjet’s takeoff a violent pitch-up and structural moulded parts on seven sprues, I just used the USAF and
performance left much to be failure, which could cause the wings nine parts in white metal, some aircraft serial numbers.
6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
14 Full Metal Jacket
HobbyBoss 1/32 F-84G
Thunderjet by Guy Goodwin
1/48
1/48
QUICKBUILD
BY
STUKA B-2/R-2
BYSACCO DE VRIES
JAY BLAKEMORE frame itself mounts onto the central
lower wing section and forms a
very strong V-shaped assembly,
around which the wings are built.
The only additions I made to
the cockpit were some etched
harness and a colour etched control
panel from the remnants of an
Eduard detail set (which I found
amongst my spares and which was
originally intended for the ageing
Hasegawa kit). The multi-piece
panel was slightly smaller in
and clear bomb-aiming floor panel
housing) slipped neatly through
the open nose and into position as
per the instructions. A separate
firewall was added to complete the
fuselage and enclose all within.
CRANK IT UP
Optional wing-mounted gun bays
are included, which require that
the integrally-moulded access
panels in the single-piece upper
the decision to leave the upper
wings intact and the bays closed up.
A transparency is provided
to replicate the leading edge
mounted landing light, which
benefitted from an application
of Alclad Chrome on its inner
surface before being enclosed
within the port wing. (Locating
holes positioned midway along
the lower wing sections need to
be opened prior to wing assembly
if it is your intention to add the
four replacement bombs.
The protruding wing gun
housings are moulded separately
and feature barrels with hollowed
out ends, which is always a welcome
touch. But care must be taken if
attaching them after the wings have
been assembled, as they are easily
dropped inside. This happened to
one of mine; I managed to shake it
back out again, but in hindsight,
attaching them prior to assembly
might have been a wise precaution.
1/48
size than that provided by Airfix, wing halves be removed. The rigid underslung bombs or fuel tanks).
but it fit comfortably onto the V-shaped box frame, mentioned I found the representations
instead of a whole engine like the
earlier kits (though detail sets are
available if you want to go to town).
The rest of the items were added to
the fuselage and the assembly was
brought together for a near perfect
fit; however, the fuselage halves
had a slight raised ridge right at the
mating surface. This was annoying
To complete the airframe, the
separately-moulded rudder was
and required a little bit of filling added at a slight angle, as was the
with superglue and sanding. tail wheel. A choice of tail wheels
Now some of the restrained
rivet detail was lost and had to be
is provided, one with a dust boot
and one without. The instructions
restored, so I used Dymo name- recommend fitting the latter, but
Sicilian
badge tape and my Rosie the Riveter photographs of S1+GK suggested
tool to do so. Finally, a panel line otherwise, so I used the alternative.
offset to the right, aft of the canopy, The tailplanes proved to be a
had to be added. Simple enough. sloppy fit and I found it necessary
STUKA
The wings are very reminiscent
of the original release, with the “THIS KIT HAS NO MAJOR PROBLEMS to broaden the mounting lugs
with strips of plastic card. The
main difference being that there is
no exposed gun in the wing root. AND THE COMPLETED MODEL tailplanes were then cemented in
place, with the separately moulded
The wheel wells fit perfectly, as do
the wings themselves, but don’t original once I had removed the LOOKS EVERY INCH A STUKA” ailerons posed at an inclined
angle, but I Ieft off the supporting
forget to open the holes for the raised plastic detail. It required struts and added them later.
Quick Build of the Airfix re-painting, however, due to the above, forms the walls of the gun of the wing-mounted 250 kg
1/48 Stuka B-2/R-2 spurious blue-grey shade in which bays, and to this the two outer bombs a little crude, so I replaced
it had been originally printed, lower wing sections are cemented. with items with more delicate UNDER PRESSURE
by Jay Blakemore a common problem with early A combination gun mount fins from the spares box. This Weighted tyres are thankfully
Eduard colour etched sets. and ammunition container, and required that the bomb hangers becoming more common in aircraft
For the main interior colour a separately-moulded machine be modified by sanding the crude models these days, an innovation
I used Colourcoats RLM02. The gun breech are provided for diamond-shaped originals into that was in part influenced by
A
irfix first released the B-1 of the floor panel, on the pilot’s fuselage closed comfortably both bays. However, these are curved cradles to straddle the Airfix. Their Stuka, as with all of
version of the infamous seat, and amidst the sidewall around the assembled cockpit, simplistically rendered, so I made their more recent releases, features
Luftwaffe dive bomber in detail require filling or removal. and the control panel assembly flattened tyres and a clever system
2017, and those same sprues now Even so, the cockpit is nicely (which also features the pedals within the undercarriage housings
get a second outing as the B-2/R-2, furnished with a two-piece pilot’s by which the wheels can be locked
with a new two-option decal sheet seat, which lacks harness detail, into the correct position for a
and a choice of underwing stores. a control column, panel, and sitting or an in-flight model.
Moulded in the manufacturer’s foot pedals. The rear gunner’s If the model is to be displayed
now-standard blue-grey styrene, position includes a two-piece spent
the kit features all the features cartridge bin, a double row
that we have come to expect in a of machine gun (MG)
new-tool offering from Airfix: soft, magazines on a rack,
workable styrene, recessed panel a nicely moulded
lines, crystal clear transparencies, three-piece seat, and
impressive levels of internal detail a bank of radios.
(and options to show it off, such The separately
as separately-moulded fairings moulded
and access panels) – and lots sidewall frames
and lots of ejector pin marks. contain more MG
The latter are especially magazines, an oxygen
unwelcome when located in places bottle and hose, trim
likely to remain visible once the wheels, levers, and
kit is assembled; almost as soon fuselage ribbing, all of
as construction begins on the which assembles onto a
cockpit, pin marks in the centre rigid box-section frame. The
6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
28 Sicilian Stuka
Quick Build of the Airfix 1/48
Stuka B-2/R-2 by Jay Blakemore
KIT REVIEWS KIT REVIEWS
Sikorsky H03S-1
AMP 1/48 Sikorsky H03S-1 by Jon Howes
MANUFACTURER: AMP
SCALE: 1/48
TYPE: New Tool, Injection Moulded
DECAL OPTIONS : 4 Decal options all US
Navy/Marines
PARTS: 70 plastic parts and 15 etched
T
he Sikorsky H03S-1 is a
variation of the Sikorsky
H-5, one of the first
helicopter designed by the Russian
born engineer Igor Sikorsky in
the United state. Igor Sikorsky,
a name helicopter enthusiasts
will have heard a great deal about
with the company producing
PAINTING AND DECALING
helicopters in his name even to
this date. The H-5 replace the R-4
but the pins seemed to be a little
out of alignment. So the best thing “THIS IS A LIMITED RUN KIT First of all, I went around all the
helicopter which was the only
allied helicopter to see action
to do is to remove the male pin
and self align with the assistance AND AS A RESULT IT IS NOT THAT joints cleaning up any flash left
over and filling gaps with perfect
in WWII and was the second
helicopter to be mass produced by
of plastic card strips. Once these
where safely constructed the STRAIGHTFORWARD A BUILD” plastic putty. I then used Tamiya
XF-19 sky grey as a primer and
the United States and also build canopy at the front of the aircraft gave the kit a full covering, as this
by the British under licence and was attached. AMP does provide was also the interior colour and
named the Westland Dragonfly. some vinyl masks, which were not to be carefully placed to make sure assembly excluding the wheel to the would be visible through the clear
I wasn’t too familiar with the to thank Constantine from AMP control panel, which is a two-part control panel, the cockpit detail is too bad to be honest, the fit and they are symmetrical on both sides aircraft, again there was the same fuselage. Once dry I now applied
brand AMP, but after my research, for sourcing the clear sprue for plastic assembly to which you add very sparse so if someone wants placement is simple, but removing while at the same time avoiding the issue with locations not aligning Tamiya XF-3 yellow on the small
I believe they are a sister company me, as mine was missing on the etched brass and a piece of film more detail then scratch building them at the end was difficult. One super glue damaging the clear areas with the inserts on the external warning area at on tail. This was
to MikroMir who produce limited review sample. The clear parts which supplies the instrument would be required. The cockpit floor interesting stage of the build which of the window, a very tricky stage! parts of the aircraft, which seemed then masked and the whole aircraft
run kits. So I decided to challenge were OK, a little misty and you dials. The panel was painted was painted interior grey and then was quite hard to get right was The rear fuselage and tail to be becoming a theme of the kit. was sprayed with Tamiya XF-17
myself and take on this review could dip them into some Johnsons interior grey and I then moved the seats and panel were attached, the two windows directly above boom was made up of two halves It felt like AMP where trying their Sea Blue. Once dry I used my usual
which Sergeant Pilot James Allen
sample to see how it went. On Klear if you have some, but I onto the pilot and passenger seats. along with the control stick. the pilot, first there was no mask which required attaching together, best to turn a limited run kit into a Tamiya X-22 clear for my gloss coat
Ward won a Victoria Cross for
opening the small flimsy box, it decided to go with what we had. These are straightforward build Due to the number of windows provided here and also there was again the location pins were there, mainstream kit but unfortunately and then left it to dry for 24 hours.
climbing out of the aircraft in
is obvious that this will not take and once assembled are painted required the cockpit and cabin of no framing to indicate the location but it was still a case to remove this caused a few issues. Once During this time I worked on
flight to smother an engine fire
too long, with the low part count black. Etched seat harnesses are the aircraft are sealed inside two instead AMP provide two very fine these and use plastic card tabs to this stage was completed it the tail and rotor blade. The rotor
and R from 20th Operational
THE BUILD
of around 70 parts and a small provided but I decided to use some large clear fuselage parts. This was etched parts which represented the assist alignment before attaching was time to get painting. mast consists of a mix of plastic
Training Unit which crashed into
etched fret which adds some Construction starts with the spare Eduard pre painted ones from quite tricky as AMP did their best to frame of the window and both are the tail boom to the fuselage. and etched parts. Unusually for
Loch Ness and is now on display at
nice detail to the kit. I do need interior cockpit starting with the the spares box. Apart from the add location pins to assist with this, extremely fragile. These needed I now added the landing gear a helicopter model the rotor and
Brooklands Museum as the only
100% surviving Mk.1 in the world.
CONCLUSION
In my view this is the best 1/72
scale kit Airfix have released to
date and I am sure we will ss many
more variations on this boxing over
the next few years and until then
aftermarket manufacturers are
already producing a wide range of
alternative markings. Anyone else
for a B.O.A.C operated example?
By the time you read this the Airfix
Wellington will be widely available but
remember do not delay your purchase
as it is rare that Airfix are producing
second runs meaning that previous
kits like the Avro Lancaster Mk.II are
attracting premium prices on auction
sites. And surely it cannot be too long
before we get an all new Handley Page
Halifax or Douglas Hudson to replace
the 1960s vintage kits that have been
reissued so many times over the years.
My thanks to Airfix for supplying
the review sample and a full build
will feature in SAMi later this year.
58 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 59
56 Sikorsky H03S-1
AMP 1/48 Sikorsky H03S-1
by Jon Howes
1/32 1/48
GEE BEE R1
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
HUW MORGAN
The kit is presented on four sprues of 55 plastic parts and a small
photo etched fret
house years of the early 1930s were
the Granville Brothers. Driven by
the passion of Zantford Granville,
the enterprise of designing and
building racing aircraft soon
grew to involve all five Granville
siblings, hoping to establish an
enduring aircraft manufacturing
business. It was not to be.
The Gee Bee name became
established through a series of sport
and amateur racing aircraft like the
X-1, Type Y, and Type Z, but they
came to the peak of prominence
This is a small model, even in1/48 scale, being only around 10
cm long
The R1 was radical in every
sense; powered by the then-
enormous Pratt and Whitney
Wasp 9-cylinder radial of 800
hp, the airframe built around
it was as small as possible
with a short, stubby fuselage,
relatively thin, 25-foot (7.62m)
span wings, and a spatted, fixed
undercarriage; normal race weight
was around 2415lb (1140 Kg).
The construction was typical for
racers, with a fuselage of welded
high-strength Cr-Mo steel tube
plywood (Haskelite) skinning,
which was allegedly finished
with fourteen coats of hand-
sanded dope for smoothness.
cranky engine, and desperately
There’s a reasonable representation of the Wasp engine,
although some extra detail would be useful given its visibility
The R1 was a monster to fly,
with appalling pilot vision, a
poor lateral stability. Both the
R1 and its longer-range sibling
the R2 (designed for the cross-
country Bendix race and powered
by a 575 hp Wasp Junior) crashed
spectacularly several times and the
parts were ultimately consolidated
driven by individual human effort
and vision. Despite their short
lifespan, they created a legacy
that’s impossible to eradicate.
THE KIT
Ukranian company Dora Wings
have produced versions of both
the R1 and R2 Gee Bee racers; the
respective kits share many common
parts, with the cowlings showing
the most significant differences.
The R1 reviewed here comprises 55
in 1932 when famous pilot Jimmy built up to shape with plywood into a single lengthened airframe. well-moulded grey plastic parts, a
Doolittle flew the radical Gee Bee formers, spruce stringers, and The Gee Bee racers were single-piece clear part for the fixed
R1 racer to win the Thompson a mix of aluminium and fabric extraordinary machines, pushing canopy, and a photo-etched (PE)
Trophy at a speed of 252.7 mph. It covering. The wings had two steel boundaries that people didn’t sheet of 20 parts, with some cockpit
was to be the R1’s only victory. spars, plywood ribs and a smooth even know existed at the time, and details and representations of the
Sting like a Bee,
KIT DETAILS
KICK LIKE A
KIT: GEE BEE R1
MANUFACTURER: DORA WINGS
SCALE: 1:48
PRODUCT CODE: 48002
MULE
PANEL LINES: RECESSED
STATUS: NEW TOOL
DECAL OPTIONS: 1
needed to be thinned down
considerably, I needed to ensure
that the inner arc of the fuselage
retained the correct curve.
In terms of painting, it’s hard
when looking for reference material
for accurate painting schemes, Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee R1 by Huw Morgan
as you may stumble upon some
T
inaccurate restorations. But luckily he so-called Golden Age Bendix Trophy, a cross-country
for painting the engine, SAM of privateer air racing in race of 2500 miles from Los
Magazines’ Facebook page shared America lasted barely a Angeles to Cleveland, and the
one of the best references for this decade, between the late 1920s Thompson Trophy, a free-for-all
engine on the internet. With lots and the advent of World War II. It sprint around pylons set on a 10
of tiny pieces of resin surrounding was an inevitable consequence mile course outside Cleveland. The
the engine, I wanted to make every of the birth of aviation, as racing National Air Races were a week-
piece stand out, which I achieved aircraft against each other long extravaganza based around
by painting with an abundance of and the clock had become the Labour Day, attracting tens of
different paints. Gloss, matt, and norm barely ten years after the thousands of spectators, and flying
satin blacks were used to show Wright Brothers had scraped (literally) in the face of the dire
the different types of tubing and over the dunes at Kitty Hawk. economic circumstances gripping
wires, as some were a heavy-duty Several prestigious competitions the whole country at the time.
rubber and some metal. All the emerged, most famously the Front and central in the hot
6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
72 Kick like a Mule
Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee
R1 by Huw Morgan
52 Decals
56 Reviews
78 Books & Media
82 Show Diary
 PHANTOM F-4D
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
PETER MARSHALL

Revolutionary

PHANTOM Zoukei-Mura 1/48 Phantom F-4D by Peter Marshall

KIT DETAILS
MANUFACTURER: ZOUKEI-MURA  us new moulds of a lot of
PRODUCT NUMBER: SWS 1/48 NO.7
SCALE: 1/48
TYPE: INJECTION MOULDED
PANEL LINES: RECESSED
PARTS: LOTS (AND LOTS! I MAKE IT
ABOUT 390. NOT ALL USED AS ALTERNATE
WEAPONS ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 150 OF
THESE)
I
t would seem that Zoukei-
Mura (ZM) are going to give
different Phantoms! First we
had the -J and -S, now we have
the -C and -D. I can’t see them
stopping there, and while I
initially questioned the need for
another F-4 in 1/48 scale, building
their F-4J convinced me I was
wrong. I was delighted therefore
to be asked to review this kit, the
fourth of their Phantom family,
representing the -D version.
A little history: The F-4D was
an improved version of the F-4C
which, while being externally
almost identical to the F-4C, was
very different internally. The
first example flew on December
7, 1965 and deliveries began in
March of 1966, with a total of
793 built. While the F-4D had the
same basic airframe as the F-4C,
the major difference was in the
avionics, and the most significant
change was the replacement of the
APQ-100 radar of the F-4C with
the smaller, lighter, and partly
solid-state AN/APQ-109A. Other
improvements enhanced the
ground attack aspect of the mission.
THERE’S A LOT MORE OUT
THERE…BUT WHAT’S IN
THE BOX?
There are eleven sprues of mid-grey
plastic and one of clear parts, all
with excellent detail. There is also
a decal sheet by Cartograf, and
though most of the sheet is devoted
to stencils, there are markings
for two Vietnam-era aircraft: the
first (65-0593) is in the standard
Southeast Asia (SEA) colours of tan,
medium green, and dark green over
light grey, and the other (66-8812)

6 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


has the same upper colours but
black undersides. There are two
markings and decal placement
sheets, in full-colour, and a 32
page A4 instruction booklet.
The instructions are what I now
expect from ZM: the multiple views
make it very clear what goes where,
and how, with useful comments
scattered along the way. The only
things I can take issue with at this
stage are the colour instructions
and the ordinance provided.
Ordnance-wise, while you
get four different AIM-9 variants
(D/E/J/L) and two different AIM-7s
(E-2/late F or M), and the suggested
load out of AIM-7Es and AIM-9Es
seems appropriate, 66-8812 was
one of the Long Range Navigation
(LORAN)-equipped aircraft that
was used for precision night-time
navigation, so something more air-
to-ground would seem appropriate.
As for the painting, the colour
guides show the side profiles with
slightly differing camouflage
patterns but with the upper
surfaces identical, suggesting ZM
have some reference material to
support the side patterns. However,
I have seen a picture of the right
side of 66-8812 and it doesn’t match
the paint instructions, so I would
suggest that the instruction to
paint the whole of the wing tanks
black is incorrect too; the pictures
I found look like the top is still
green. Anyway, onto the build...
I addressed the cockpit first.
Stages 1 to 7 covers the build and
installation into the fuselage of
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 7
1/48
the front and rear cockpits, with
detailed seats, side consoles and
instrument panels, separate
throttles, control columns, and
canopy levers. However, these are
the same seats as provided in the
F-4J kit and are, as such, slightly
inaccurate – and I do mean slightly.
The differences relate to the
survival pack and the oxygen
bottle. On US Navy (USN) seats the
bottle is in the seat pack with a
pressure gauge visible on the seat,
but the US Air Force (USAF) seats
 have a separate bottle, visible in
a cut-out at the bottom left of the
seat back. It’s a minor point, but
this (and the absence of belts) is
one area that could be improved.
Decals are provided for all the
panels, but with the exception of
the instrument dials the detail
seems strangely lacking. I couldn’t
see them settling down over the
raised detail, so I painted them
as best I could. The Instrument
panels in particular are very
nice, and with the raised detail
present in the dials they look
good after careful painting.
At this point ZM, offer you what
is, I feel, a slightly odd option.
There are parts provided to let you
pose the stabilators (the Phantom decide whether to fit the LORAN research suggested that, as well as
doesn’t have what you might call towel rail antenna and use the the towel rail, the Weapon Systems
“horizontal tails”) with a nose- appropriate Radar Homing and Operator (WSO) and pilot cockpit
down attitude, but this does involve Warning (RHAW) rear fairing on displays had a layout unique to the
some fairly serious surgery to the the end of the tail but…early -Ds LORAN jets. This could drive you
fuselage halves. The instructions didn’t have the RHAW fairings crazy, if you’re very concerned
cover it in detail but I wonder why fitted so you could leave the nose about total accuracy, and given that
you would spend the time to do fairing off and use the early fin the kit doesn’t provide alternative
it, and take the risk of messing cap provided in the box, which cockpit parts. I struggled without
it up, when you so rarely see the gives you more alternatives. success to find any pictures that
stabilators at any angle other than To be honest, I had already would show me the differences
the one provided by the basic kit. decided that I wasn’t going to use between LORAN and non-LORAN cleanup. Given how good the rest
It would probably be appropriate the kit decals. I have had a sheet cockpits (Can any reader help of this kit is and how cleverly the
if you were depicting an aircraft in my stash for ten years awaiting here? Ed), so I moved on. parts fit mostly on panel lines, I
under power, landing, or taking off, a state-of-the-art kit. This sheet I now fitted the two spine just don’t get it. Having said that,
but with no pilot figures included (Hi-Decal HDL48025) supplies some parts, and as I said in my earlier -J however, ZM’s assembly is still
to justify it, this seems very odd. I interesting Air National Guard and review I really don’t understand better than trying to clean up a
decided to leave well enough alone, Air Reserve schemes; a Korean why ZM have positioned the sprue seam down the length of the spine.
fitted the cockpit assembly (which example; and two Iranian aircraft, gates where they have on the The part that goes behind
includes the nose wheel bay), one pre- and one post-revolution. fuselage halves. They are quite the rear cockpit has two tube-
and joined the fuselage halves. Those schemes made the happy to attach onto the mating
And so to Stages 8 to 10, which choice of whether to use the towel surfaces for some parts, but for
require some choices; from the rail or not easy. None of them the fuselage halves they have put
point of view of the instructions, are LORANed, so I could push them somewhere that requires
the choice is an aircraft with LORAN back the decision on the RHAW
or one without, but there are other features for now, and the nose and
options. If you’re sticking with the fin tip could be added later.
the kit markings you’ve got to It’s worth mentioning that my

8 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


like features sticking up, and
the instructions would have you
remove one of them. I removed
both, as I couldn’t see either on
any of the pictures I found of
Imperial Iranian Air Force (IIAF)
F-4Ds, which was my preferred
choice. I would suggest checking
references as, while I found some
Vietnam era pictures showing
the rear tube, it doesn’t look
to be present in all cases.
Stages 11 and 12 deal with the
engines and intakes. The engines
are nicely detailed but not nice
enough to bother with the stand
provided (and if you do exhibit
one of the engines there’s going
to be a very big gap in the model).
The engines have two vanes on
the intake cone that were not on
the -J kit, which I assume are the
differences between the J79–GE-10
used in the F-4J and the -15 used
in the -C/D (which just goes to
show the research that has gone
into ZM’s Phantom Phamily).
The intakes are a two-piece
affair and as such are not seamless,
needing a little filling and sanding.
Stage 13 has you open up the holes in
the lower wing part for the pylons
(if required), and then Stage 14 fits
the intake/engine assembly and
the flipper plate for the forward
Sparrows, (also if required).
This is followed by Stages 15
and 16, which fit the main gear bay
1/48
parts and the upper wing sections; On that basis I take exception Earth for the Dark Brown, as I had
the fit is as excellent as you would to ZM’s instruction to paint the both of these Xtracolor tins in the
expect. Oh, remember that bit inside white. The trunking section stash. So I painted these behind the
about opening the holes for the from Stage 12 should be white, intake areas, inside the intakes,
pylons? I didn’t (for the second ZM but these bits shouldn’t be. and behind the splitter plates,
Phantom running) and had to work But what colour should they assembled and fitted the intakes,
out where the holes should be from be? The Hi-Decal instructions and they looked pretty good.
the outside. I managed it, but learn (and various websites) say that the One thing to mention is to
from my stupidity and think ahead. colours are FS30400 Sand, FS30140 not forget to remove the faint
Stage 17 fits the nose bay door Dark Brown, FS34079 Dark Green, raised lines on the intake parts
actuator, but I knew it would get and FS36622 Light Grey. I had the that indicate where the AN/
broken and could be fitted later, latter two as Xtracolor tins in the ALQ-126 antennae are supposed
so I moved on to Stage 18, which paint store, but the other two were to go (on the variants that
joins the upper fuselage to the an issue for me. While FS30400 is have that system fitted).
wing assembly. Now I had a model available from Xtracolor, I could I ignored the next two stages
looking a bit more like a Phantom! find no obvious FS30140 in a tin. that deal with the exhaust sections,
The instructions now move So I went with some suggestions as they can be done after painting,
on to the intakes and exhausts I came across to use RAF Light and moved onto the wings and
(Stages 19 and 20). In my -J review I Stone for the Sand and RAF Dark the control surfaces, Stages 23 to
discussed how nice the intake area
is, and the only difference here is
which parts need painting which
colour. One problem with Phantom
kits is that when you come to fit
the intakes, you need to give some
thought to painting, not just the
back of the splitter plates and the
area behind them (as those bits
are hard to paint when they’re in
place), but also the intake trunking.
On the Air Force examples (and
I’m assuming that, as the IIAF
bought Air Force models, they were
painted the same way) a section of
the aft part of the variable ramp
(inside the intake) is painted in
the local camouflage colour, as is
the inside of the trunking itself.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 9

27. The inner rear flaps, ailerons,
and two-part inner wing leading
edge flaps are all separate, which
is nice, but the outer wing leading
edge flaps are provided as a part
to fit after you cut away some of
the outer wing leading edge.
The instructions show them
all fitted neutrally and also detail
the max angles for each of them
should you wish to pose them. As
you rarely see the leading edge
flaps drooped, unless something is
happening like takeoff or landing
(and there’s no detail behind them
if you did droop them), I fitted them
in the closed position and fitted the
outer wing panels as provided.
The inner rear flaps are always
in the neutral and locked position
when on the ground, so I fitted
10 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
them as such, but the outer rear
flaperons are usually seen drooped.
I left these off for the time being,
with the intent of fitting them
nearer to painting. If you want to
droop them, you need to remove
the locating pins and file an edge,
and they then fit very nicely.
Some of the detail around the
leading edge flaps was a little
light, so I ran a blade over most
of it to make it more defined.
Stage 27 covers the arrestor
hook and Stage 28 covers the
stabilators. I left the stabilators
off for now, as they would just get
in the way and are easy to fit at
the end. It’s possibly worth noting
that the stabilators (unslatted,
obviously) are provided without
the arrowhead reinforcing plate
seen on many F-4s. Apparently,
these were not fitted until after the
Vietnam War, so they are correct
for the markings provided, and
as far as I can see most of the IIAF
F-4Ds didn’t have them either. But
if you make another F-4, check your
references closely for if or when
you should add the reinforcing
plates (provided as etch parts in
the Hypersonic set; http://www.
hypersonicmodels.com/product/f-
4-phantom-unslotted-stabilator).
Apparently, some aircraft only
had topside plates, some only had
underside plates, and others had
both. I also noticed that ZM have
removed the small strip from the
underside of the tip of the stabilator
that was on their F-4J (according
to one source, this is a tip vortex
generator and reinforcement
structure). This feature is certainly
present on extant F-4Ds and
most other variants I have seen,
so I was a little confused.
After exchanging emails with
several people with an interest in
the Phantom without coming to a
definite conclusion, I remembered
I had an email contact at Volks.
After a few emails and the sending
of some pictures, I got a reply to the
effect that “The strips are common
to all types” and “It looks like the
part has gone because of a mistake
at the factory during production”.
So now I had to either add some
strips or break out another set of
Hypersonic’s tail planes. As I had
already painted the upper surface
and the metal areas, I figured I
would just add the strips, so I cut
some slivers of sheet plastic to
the approximate shape and size,
attached them, let the glue set,
sanded them down slightly, and
called them done. That’s a day or
so of worrying and emailing and
searching I won’t get back for the
sake of something no one will
know about unless I point it out!
As the next eight stages (29-36)
cover the undercarriage, gear
doors, aerials, airbrakes, and the
like, I thought it about time to get
seriously into painting. This meant
jumping to Stage 37, in order to
fit the coaming and gunsight, so I
could fit the canopy to protect the
cockpit from overspray, and that
meant time to do some masking.
Two canopy options are
provided, a one-piece part and a
four-piece setup to pose it open. I
knew from the F-4J that the open
option fitted really well so I was
going with that. I masked the
transparent parts and fitted the
three parts that make the fixed
section between the two moving
canopies and then took another
look at the front windshield.
The instructions would have you
“Dilute transparent blue colour and
paint it on the front of the canopy”
to produce the tinted look often
seen in photographs. And while I
know where they’re coming from
I again decided to leave it; it’s a
nice touch but it could easily be
overdone and look unrealistic.
Before adding the windshield,
the instrument panel coaming
needed fitting. This is much better
than your typical kit part and
looks to be a good shape, and the
two-part sight has more detail
than most. Now, with the canopy
masked and tacked into place it
was nearly time for some paint.
I say nearly because I needed
to decide which top to use on the
vertical tail. As I was doing this
in Iranian markings (using the
Hi-Decal sheet) I had two choices:
a pre-revolution IIAF example
without the RHAW, and a post-
revolution Islamic Republic of
Iran Air Force (IRIAF) aircraft,
which was one of the four that
had the RHAW antenna.
Though I was tempted into
producing a non-RHAW aircraft,
I also wanted to do an Iran-Iraq
conflict aircraft, so I went with the
decals I had and added the chin
pod to the nose and the RHAW
tail top. I had to guess which
rear fairing to use as I failed to
find pictures of the real thing.
And NOW it’s time for paint!

PAINTING AND DECALS
I did the underside in Xtracolor
X140 FS36622 Light Grey, followed
by X29 RAF Light Stone for the
Sand, X2 RAF Dark Earth for the
Dark Brown, and X110 FS34079
Dark Green. I used rolls of Blu-tack
to provide the fairly hard edged
demarcation seen on these aircraft.
I allowed a little overspray where
the dark green goes from the
fuselage to the vertical tail as this is
evident on pictures of the real thing.
The bare metal areas at the
hot end were masked and painted
with various shades of my current
favourite metal finish, AK’s
Xtreme Metal range. I would have
applied some of the “burnt area”
decals I made for the -J build, but
my printer chose to suffer from
terminally blocked heads, so that
may have to wait for another day.
I applied a light coat of Klear,
as I’ve had some issues recently
with decals silvering and some of
the Xtracolor hadn’t come out as
glossy as I would have liked. I now
fitted the nose gear and the main
gear legs and jacks. It’s a joy to be
able to add these, as the jacks fit
positively and accurately (as does
so much of this kit), and it gave me
something to stand the kit on.
And so to the decals. The
Cartograf decal sheet looks
very nice and I really (REALLY)
appreciate that they start with
1 in the top left hand corner
and then run in numbered rows
across the sheet and down to 141
in the bottom right hand corner,
so there’s no need to go hunting
the entire sheet to find a specific
decal. They are also well spaced
out to allow easy access, and to a
large extent, the ones near to each
other on the kit are near to each
other on the sheet. This is how
to design a decal sheet, people!
I wasn’t using the individual
aircraft markings, but from looking
at pictures I knew that the Iranian
aircraft have something similar to
full US stencilling, so most of the
“THIS IS FAR AND AWAY THE
BEST PHANTOM IN 1/48 SCALE
(MAYBE ANY SCALE), AND I
REALLY HOPE TO BUILD MORE”
sheet is appropriate. I tried a few of
the underside decals first to see how
they behaved. They went on well
and so I applied most of the rest.
I appreciate that these decals
represent USAF stencils from
the early 70s, but I was building
an Iranian aircraft from the
early 80s and the pictures I have
are from the 90s and 2000s,
so I know that there are
differences (between aircraft
as well!) I tried to account
for this where possible, but
information on Iranian Islamic
Republic Phantoms is often
incomplete or contradictory.
I’m very impressed
with the kit decals; the
quality, the layout, and the
placement instructions
are as good as any I’ve
used. However, nothing’s perfect.
I did not use the formation lights,
as they are too yellow (I also hadn’t
used the plastic parts provided. It’s
a good idea, very clever and I know
the lights are slightly raised, but I
feel decals alone are sufficient). I
found a set of Eagle Strike stencils
and used them where appropriate.
The Hi-Decals markings are
incredibly thin and settled down
well. They look good but they were
also a little fragile at times; more
than one decal folded over on itself
so badly I couldn’t recover it: very
annoying, and next to impossible
to replace, but on the whole the
decals are excellent. It took a good
few days to do the decaling as
there is a lot to apply, but by the
end I was quite happy with how
it my Phantom was looking.
BACK TO THE PLASTIC
It was time to go back and fit a few
bits before the top clear coat, so I
did most of Stages 30 to 36, which
were the main wheels, gear
doors, airbrakes etc. Again
I was impressed by the
positive fit and accuracy of
these parts. It makes the
build a lot easier when you
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 11
1/48
know you can basically cut a bit off
a sprue, apply glue, offer it up, and it
will fit without any messing around.
I now fitted the outer rear
flaperons at an appropriate angle,
and when everything had set I
applied a top coat of XAFF Xtracolor
Flat Varnish, mixed with Klear,
as the finish in the pictures isn’t
really matt. With that done I could
remove the canopies, unmask them,
and hope everything was OK.
My Blu-tack rolls had kept the
cockpit pretty clean (the close
fit of the kit parts also helped),
so I added the three mirrors to
the pilot’s canopy section. The
instructions would have you
add one in the middle of the rear
canopy for the WSO, but pictures
show the Iranian aircraft with
two scabbed-on external mirrors.
Again, I don’t know if these were
fitted in the 80s timeframe I was
going for, but as the kit actually
has them in the box I fitted them
to the rear canopy section.
My only complaint here is that,
like every other Phantom I’ve
built, ZM has not represented the
heavy canopy interior framework.
I was tempted to break out one
of my Hypersonic sets (intended
for the Hasegawa kits) and make
it fit. I understand that with
cutting it can be done, but in the
end I left it as is. (Jeffery will
be producing a set for the ZM
Phantoms so sign me up for a few…)
And with it nearly being
endgame it was time to start
throwing bits at it from various
previous stages. The Total Air
Temperature (TAT) sensor, the
 shiny parts round the exhausts
(SUCH a good fit), the exhausts, a
few small clear parts (I often find
tiny clear parts a bit of a trial but
these again were an excellent fit),
the… hang on, the exhausts!
I know that I’ve been staring
at too many pictures but a few
things struck me here. To start
with, the exhausts look too deep at
the rear (caused by there not being
enough of a curve there) and in
the burner, the shiny part around
the exhausts has a bit of a shape
issue at the top – the cans look like
the petals start too far out (they
may also be a little short), as the
fixed section seems a little long.
This may be me seeing things
but check out some pictures and see
12 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
what you think. I also realised that
all the pictures and profiles I had
found of the Iranian aircraft had
the large red-on-white “Danger
Arresting Hook” marking,
which the kit decals hadn’t
provided (and they use a
much larger red arrow than
any of the aftermarket
decals I could find).
The arrow I could
handle with some red strips, but
the fact that I had already matted
the paint scheme was another
matter! But I had to try, and
fortunately the Eagle Strike
decals went down well,
and a quick matt coat
blended them in.
With all these
bits fitted it was
time to decide what
to hang underneath.
TIME TO ADD SOME BANG
I had been browsing the Osprey
book, Iranian F-4 Phantom II
Units in Combat, and a couple
of options leapt out. One picture
showed a full loadout, with wing
tanks, a centreline SUU-23 gun
pod, inner pylons with TERs
carrying Mk82s or M-117s or even
Hunting BL755 Cluster Bombs (the
BL755s really appealed, something
very different on a Phantom).
Or I could do a deep strike
package of centreline and wing
tanks, AIM-7s in three locations,

an ALQ-87 in one of the front
Sparrow bays, and GBU-10 Paveway
I LGBs on the inner wings. This is
a configuration used either with
an onboard AVQ-9 “Zot Box”
laser designator or with another
aircraft doing the designating.
I went with the second option
(how often do you get to use
Paveway Is?) If I had had enough
references I might have attempted
an AVQ-9 (basically a box fitted
to the left side of the inside of the
rear canopy), but I didn’t, so let’s
assume there’s another aircraft
out there doing the lasing!
Throughout the build I had done
the weapons as a background task,
making up all the AIM-7s and -9s
in the box (using the “parts not
for use” to make -9J/Ps instead of
-9Es) and digging though some
of the Hasegawa weapons kits
for the ALQ-87 and mount, the
GBU-10s, the SUU-23, and the
TERs (as I didn’t know which load
I was going to end up doing).
I had fitted the Sidewinder
rails to the pylons early on, hoping
I could mount four AIM-9J/Ps,
though I suspect this was an
unlikely load. But now that I got to
the point of mating up the GBUs,
it was clear that Sidewinders
wouldn’t fit at the same time,
so it is unlikely the launch
rails would have been fitted.
With the centreline tank, the
pylons, outer wing tanks, AIM-
7s, and the ALQ-87 fitted (Stages
39-44), the last things to fit were
the seats (dressed up with some
coloured Eduard belts, supplied
by your kind editor), canopies
(Stage 38,) and a ladder (excellent
fit of the canopy parts by the
way, but I’ve said that before);
and I was calling it done.
CONCLUSION
I love the ZM Phantom; I have now
built two, and having spent hours
staring at pictures (so you don’t have
to), I am aware of a few issues. There
are the minor things like the lack
of seat belts, the overlooked slight
differences between the Navy and
Air Force seats, the lack of canopy
framing, and the differences between
LORAN and non-LORAN cockpits.
These are mostly easy aftermarket
fixes if it really bothers you.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 13
1/48
The same is true of the strake
under the stabilator. Hypersonic
have you covered, or you can do it
yourself, or leave it as-is and 99 out
of 100 people either won’t notice or
won’t care. The rear fuselage curve
problem is something that I didn’t see
myself, but once it’s pointed out it’s
apparent that this kit is slightly phat
(get it? Fat but with a ph because it’s
a Phantom? Suit yourselves…) round
the rear end; but again it’s subtle. The
exhaust area issues I’ve highlighted
haven’t, as far as I know, been noticed
or mentioned by anyone else, so
I may be imagining some of it?
I think it’s true to say that as kits
get better the tiniest of issues get
met with a level of condemnation
that really isn’t justified. This is far
and away the best Phantom in 1/48
scale (maybe any scale), and I really
hope to build more as ZM extend
their range. Go on ZM, you know
you want to do a Royal Navy one!
REFERENCES:
•W
 eb searches and Osprey books
- Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units
in Combat ISBN 9781841766584
 F-84G THUNDERJET
1/32
Full Metal
BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
GUY GOODWIN
JACKET
HobbyBoss 1/32 F-84G Thunderjet by Guy Goodwin
I
’ve mentioned before my love
of high-end kits – Tamiya,
Wingnut Wings, etc. – so
when I picked up the HobbyBoss
1/32 F-84G Thunderjet from the
editor, I thought I’d probably build
it, but at some later point. But as
I was on a run of metal-finished
kits, this one just seemed to be
too attractive to pass by. I have
not had any experience with
HobbyBoss before and wasn’t
really expecting too much, but
as soon as I looked inside the box
I realised this kit is a beauty!
HISTORY
The F-84 Thunderjet was among
the first generation of jet-age
fighters, coming to fame during
the Korean War as a ground-
attack fighter-bomber. Typical of
most early jets, the Thunderjet’s
takeoff performance left much to
14 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
be desired. In hot Korean summers
with a full combat load, the aircraft
routinely required 10,000 ft
(3,000 m) of runway for takeoff,
even with the help of Rocket
Assisted Take Off (RATO) bottles.
Early F-84s had to be pulled
off the ground at 160 mph with
the control stick held all the way
back. Landings didn’t prove to be
any less exciting and were made
at a similar speed. Despite the
high landing speeds, however,
the Thunderjet was easy to fly on
instruments, and crosswinds did
not present much of a problem.
Thanks to its wide, straight
wing, the Thunderjet rapidly
reached its Mach 0.82 limitation at
full throttle and low altitude. The
aircraft had sufficient power to
fly faster, but exceeding the Mach
limit at low altitudes resulted in
a violent pitch-up and structural
failure, which could cause the wings

to break off. Above 15,000 ft the
F-84 could be flown faster but at
the expense of severe buffeting.
The top speed limitation proved
troublesome against the faster
Soviet MiG 15s in Korea. Slower
than the MiG, the F-84 was also
unable to turn as tightly, with a
maximum instantaneous-turn load
of only 3G, which if exceeded was
followed by rapid loss of airspeed.
The F-84 was a stable gun
platform and the up-to-date
computing gun sight aided in
accurate gunnery and bombing,
and pilots praised the aircraft for
Republic’s legendary ruggedness.
But on to the aircraft build...
THE KIT
On opening the sturdy box, you’re
presented with 296 injection
moulded parts on seven sprues,
nine parts in white metal, some
1/32
very clear transparent parts, •A
 lclad metallic paints:
and vinyl rubber tires. The Various shades.
decal sheet is the only thing not •L
 ots (and lots) of Tamiya tape.
state-of-the-art; it looked a little
suspect on my example, with
patchy varnish in places. But I THE INTERIOR
had already decided I was going The cockpit is lovely, large, and
to replace them with aftermarket very visible on this kit, so it’s
decals so this was not an issue. definitely worth taking
Because I was so impressed a bit of time on it. If
with the parts (which feature some you get nothing
lovely fine, delicate moulding all else in terms of
over), I decided to really go to town
on the aftermarket. That seems to
be the fun nowadays, researching
the aircraft and seeing what’s
available to add those all-important
(some would say) finishing touches.
My list gradually expanded
and I settled on the following:
•E duard Big Ed set: Completely
transforms the detail levels - well
worth it, but not cheap at £37!
•Q uickboost resin seat: Beautiful!
The resin detail has to be seen
to be believed and totally
transforms the cockpit.
•Z otz decal set: Nice, but in the end
I decided to mask and spray the
markings, copied from a period
colour photograph. I did use
the stencil decals and national
insignia, which performed well.
•M ontex masks F-84 set:
I just used the USAF and
aircraft serial numbers.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 15
 extras, I would at the very least
upgrade the seat. Unfortunately,
I could not find an F-84 seat in
this scale, but I did manage to
source one for an F-86 Sabre from
Quickboost, and I thought that it
was similar enough to get away
with it in the Thunderjet. With
a little adjustment it fits well
and certainly looked the part.
Moulded-on belts can look
amazing if painted well; using
them made a change from the
usual photo-etch and I was very
pleased with the end result. I
did, however, use a lot of Eduard
photo etch in the cockpit! The
cockpit ended up looking very
busy after adding the extra brass
and I think it adds a lot of extra
viewing interest on the finished
model, as the cockpit area is very
visible on the finished product.
There’s also a radio electronics
deck behind the pilot, which
inserts into the canopy. This also
benefits from a few wires here
and there. I did my best to be
accurate, but if I’m being honest,
this became a little generic!
HobbyBoss also supply a fairly
detailed engine, although only
the exhaust pipe is visible once
the fuselage is closed up. You
16 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
also have the option to have the
forward gun bay open, which is
fine straight from the box, but is
aching for a little bit more detail.
Having seen some online photos of
the bay, I obliged with some clear
plastic piping and fuse wire, which
lifted the appearance noticeably.
So the model wouldn’t be a tail
sitter, I added the two weights
supplied with the kit (cleverly
shaped to fit the fuselage) before
closing up the interior, one
underneath the gun bay and one
under the ammunition housing.
THE DANGLY BITS
As you would (hopefully) expect
in this scale the control surfaces –
ailerons, the horizontal stabilizers,
and rudder – are moulded
separately. Flaps are kitted down.
HobbyBoss supply a choice of
either plastic or metal landing gear
struts. I can’t see why you wouldn’t
use the metal struts, as the plastic
ones are not strong enough (the
model is quite a chunky, heavy
beast when finished). The detail
on the metal parts is excellent;
however, there is no torque link
supplied for the nose gear, but this
is corrected by Eduard’s detail set.
There is a choice of wing tip
tanks or conventional wingtips
without tanks. I originally thought
that she wouldn’t look quite right
without wing tanks, but I left
them off in the end, primarily so
my model looks a bit different to
everyone else’s, but also because
I had a picture of the aircraft I
was modelling without them.
Now with these stages
complete I could move on to
the fun part – painting!
FULL METAL JACKET
I do love metal finishes, and they
have been made so much easier
these days with the emergence of
some excellent metal paints. My
own weapon of choice is the Alclad
range; they spray beautifully and
dry almost as soon as they hit the
surface. The only requirement is
that the finish must be as flawless
as possible, without any hint of
glue or scratches on the surface.
Those will all be highlighted,
somewhat cruelly, by the paints.
First up though is a smooth,
durable black primer. The
smoother, the better, as this is
absolutely critical for the finish.
I like black as it complements
the paints and it gives an added
depth and lustre to the ”metal”.
I decided to try a new product
to me, Vallejo Black Primer. This
primer sprayed very nicely indeed

“IF YOU FANCY TRYING YOUR HAND AT
A METALLIC FINISH, THIS KIT REALLY
IS A GREAT OPTION TO CHOOSE”
and was certainly very smooth.
However, it wasn’t as tough as I
would have liked; when it came
to masking the panels in the
latter stages of the painting, to
my amazement, it peeled off –
completely ruining the finish. To
be fair to the product, maybe it
was an isolated batch or my model
wasn’t grease free (although it had
been washed), but it was with huge
disappointment that I realised it
wasn’t really salvageable if I wanted
to retain that perfect finish.
BACK TO THE DRAWING
BOARD.
After a day or two, I came up with
the rather radical answer – I bought
another kit! But as I’d spent so long
on the interior and was very pleased
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 17
1/32
with what I’d done with it (and spent
so much on aftermarket parts), I
really couldn’t just throw it in the
bin. So I broke up the fuselage,
carefully extracted all my carefully
crafted interior, and transferred
it to the new kit. In no time at all
(although somewhat financially
deficient) I had my interior
restored into a brand new model.
This time I went back to my
tried and tested Alclad Gloss Black
base. This worked very well and
provided the required base for
the upcoming Alclad paintwork.
I think the key to metal finishes
is to use multiple shades to get a
real patchwork of panels – very
noticeable on period photos
of these early jets. To achieve
this I used Alclad Magnesium,
Aluminium, White Aluminium,
Dark Aluminium, Duralumin, and
various mixtures of the above.
Note that I didn’t use any of
Alclad’s ”high shine” products
(Airframe Aluminium being one
– which, incidentally, I did use on
the external fuel tanks). These are
a little too bright for a wartime
aircraft at the front and are much
more delicate than their less shiny
colleagues. These, in my experience,
do lift when masked, unless you
are very careful, and they must
 be sealed in to stand a chance.
After many reels of Tamiya tape,
I had the basic airframe complete.
This was finished with Future
floor polish, which seals in the
metal finish nicely and provides
a smooth surface for the decals.
Once the decaling was complete
(using the generic items from the
Zotz set) I finished with Alclad
”soft sheen”, which provides a
subtle finish and which seems to
enhance the lustre of the metal
paints (although it will, of course,
18 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
dull the high-sheen finishes).
The final stage was the national
and squadron markings, using
the Montex Masks set. I decided
to do these last and used matt
paints to give some contrast
to the sheen of the metal. They
worked very well, but I had to
make sure I sprayed very lightly;
just a light dusting of paint here
is very effective. A heavy layer of
wet paint risks bleeding as well as
ridges when the mask is removed.
Next came a little subtle
chipping (although I don’t suppose
a metal surface can be chipped;
scratched maybe...), here and there
with silver, using a very fine brush.
I left the weathering at a minimal
state, feeling that the contrasting
panels seemed to make her look
suitably used and ”in field”.
CONCLUSION
All in all, this model was top-
notch and great fun. It builds into
a really substantially large, heavy
model. Put into a Tamiya boxing,
we’d all be singing its praises.
Excellent fit, beautiful metal
undercarriage legs as an option
to the plastic parts (which was a
pleasant surprise), lovely rubber tires
(which I know aren’t to everyone’s
taste but they look great to me),
and very fine surface detail are
big bonuses and make the kit an
absolute pleasure to build.
A minor minus point was that
some more detail could have been
supplied for the interior, but this is
 1/32

“THIS MODEL WAS TOP NOTCH

AND GREAT FUN. IT BUILDS
INTO A REALLY SUBSTANTIALLY
LARGE, HEAVY MODEL”

easily fixed with aftermarket parts.

And as I have said, the kit’s decals
looked a little suspect to me, but I
think mine may have been a little
old so please don’t pre-judge them
based on my loose assessment!
I loved building this model and
I am very pleased how she turned
out, and if you fancy trying your
hand at a metallic finish, this kit
really is a great option to choose.
I wish HobbyBoss would try their
hand at an F-86 Sabre in this scale.
What a nice kit that would be!
PROS:
Great fit, detail, moulding, and
contoured metal nose weights.
Separate flying surfaces. Metal
undercarriage, crystal clear
canopy. Great value for money..
CONS:
Too few to mention! The resin seat
is a must-have, in my opinion,
considering the lack of seat belts
and the low cost of a replacement.

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 19

 FW-190A-4
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DEWERNER,
FLOYD S. VRIES JR.

TIP RUN
AND

Eduard 1/48 FW-190A-4 by Floyd S. Werner, Jr.

KIT DETAILS
IPMS NUMBER: 26266
SCALE: 1/48
MANUFACTURER: EDUARD
MANUFACTURER WEBSITE:
WWW.EDUARD.COM
MANUFACTURER’S STOCK NUMBER:
82142
E
duard has covered The
Focke Wulf 190 series
before but they stopped
at the A-5 version. The original
toolings of the FW-190 by
Eduard were beautiful models,
but they were very finicky to
build, while the short versions,
such as the A-2 thru A-4, were
never produced until now.
Well, Eduard can’t be accused of
not listening to modellers. Starting
with their Bf-109 re-engineered
series, and now with these early
versions of the Focke Wulf, they
have gone back to the drawing
board and made these all-new
toolings simpler and easier to build.
That doesn’t mean that they are
less detailed, just easier to build.
The first of these new generation
kits is the FW-190A-4. Packaged in
a sturdy top-opening cardboard
box with exquisite artwork on the
cover, this new kit is moulded in
five sprues of light grey plastic. A
sprue of crystal-clear plastic is also
included. As this is a Profipack,
there is also a pre-painted photo-
etch (PE) fret and a set of masks.
The two decal sheets cover
five aircraft and are printed by
Eduard. They are beautifully
rendered with perfect register
and colour opacity. Stencils are
provided for one aircraft.
The parts count on the build
is quite small, with less than 100
pieces, and there are many parts
that won’t be used (so the spare
parts box will be replenished).
The detail throughout is exquisite
and the plastic is perfectly formed
with recessed panel lines and
rivets. Recessed rivets may not
be to your liking, but Eduard has
done them beautifully and kept
them restrained. Under a coat
of paint they are faintly visible
and to me they are the industry
standard for this type of detail.
I’ve always loved the look of
the “tip and run” raiders (for
non-UK readers: “drop the bomb
and get out” raiders) with their
black-painted bellies and fuselage
sides, so I went to my resin bin
and found a set of the necessary
underwing drop tank fairings.
These were produced by Verlinden

20 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


though I do hope that Eduard may
consider releasing a more modern
set in their Brass In range.
Now all I needed were the
decals. Luckily, since I run Werner’s
Wings, I have a decal artist – Mason
Doupnik – who is very gifted.
With all the components in
place it was time to build it. Let’s
get started and see what we can do.
CONSTRUCTION
Like most kits, this starts in the
cockpit, and being a Profipack that
means pre-painted PE parts. Eduard
gives you the option of not using
them and just using the plastic
parts, but with the exquisite detail
on the PE it would be a shame not to.
I painted my cockpit prior
to adding the side consoles and
the instrument panel. The PE
was easy to build up and was set
aside. The entire cockpit was
sprayed with Mr. Paint RLM-66.
Then I wanted to try something
different for the wash. Roy
Sutherland from Barracudacast
has been using this technique for
years with spectacular results,
“THIS IS A ABSOLUTELY
BEAUTIFUL ENGINEERED KIT THAT
IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE BEST
FITTING KITS I’VE EVER BUILT”
so I thought I’d try it: a mix of
approximately 50% water, 50%
Future, and a couple of drops of
Tamiya Black to tint it. This is
then brushed onto the paint and
allowed to dry. It works remarkably
well and the surface is also now
prepped if there are decals to apply.
The raised details were picked
out with acrylic paint. I find it easier
to add the pre-painted seatbelts
before the seat is installed. Some
dry-brushing with RLM 02 and
silver added the wear and tear
of an operational aircraft. When
all that had dried I added some
Krystal Kleer to produce the
glazing to the instrument faces.
The engine is much simpler than
the previous releases, including
just the front row of cylinders
instead of a whole engine like the
earlier kits (though detail sets are
available if you want to go to town).
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 21
1/48
The rest of the items were added to
the fuselage and the assembly was
brought together for a near perfect
fit; however, the fuselage halves
had a slight raised ridge right at the
mating surface. This was annoying
and required a little bit of filling
with superglue and sanding.
Now some of the restrained
rivet detail was lost and had to be
restored, so I used Dymo name-
badge tape and my Rosie the Riveter
tool to do so. Finally, a panel line
offset to the right, aft of the canopy,
had to be added. Simple enough.
The wings are very reminiscent
of the original release, with the
main difference being that there
is no exposed gun bay in the wing
root. The wheel wells fit perfectly,
as do the wings themselves, but
don’t forget to open the holes for the
outer wing guns if you need them.
After opening the holes I
realized that the FW-190A-4/U8
 didn’t have outer guns, so I had to
fill them using Apoxy Sculpt putty.
I used Mr. Paint RLM 02 in the
wheel wells while I had the wing
apart, as this makes it easier to
paint. I also remembered to open
up the hole for the bomb rack to
allow me to produce my tip and
run raider. Adding the wings to
the fuselage proved that Eduard is
a world-leader in fit and finesse.
The upper cowlings were
now added along with the nose
cowl ring, and again the fit was
phenomenal. I did have to use some
Apoxy Sculpt to fill in the cowl gun
troughs, as the A-4/U8 version
only had guns in the wing root.
All the flight controls fit perfectly
as well – in fact, I didn’t find a
thing that didn’t fit perfectly.
It was now time to add the drop
tank racks on the wings, but there
was a problem when I discovered
that the hole in the leading edge
was not the only thing different on
the A-4/U8. To allow the racks to
sit properly, the bulged doors on
the bottom of the wing are flat. Out
with the sanding sticks to sand it
smooth with the rest of the access
panel. Now the resin parts from simply perfect. The cockpit meant painting the model first in
the Verlinden set were added, with coaming fits loosely until you get PAINT AND DECALS RLM 76 for the belly. Next came
very little filler needed to smooth the canopy attached with Tamiya Assembly was very quick and in no the yellow under the nose (which
things out. Simple and easy. cement. (OK, confession time. I time it was time to prime and paint needed careful masking) and the
The inner landing gear doors on screwed up and added the wrong this little jewel. Compared to the rudder. The fit of the rudder was
the kit are incorrect; not in shape forward canopy. I tried to get it older-generation 190 kits, assembly so good that I had forgotten to
but in orientation. Eduard shows off but it was stuck on good and was fast and very rewarding. glue it in place, so I just pulled it
them as being extended, but on the proper so there was nothing to do I started with the canopy area, off and painted it with Mr. Paint
A-4 they stay closed and are only but live with it.) I used the Eduard which was painted in Mr. Paint RLM-04 Yellow, reattaching
activated during the retraction masks and despite using the wrong RLM-66. Then the entire model was it a bit later in the painting.
cycle. This was easy to take care of canopy they worked perfectly. primed with Alclad Grey Primer. While I was at it I made a
by simply snipping off the mounting The rest of the airframe was The only place I needed to do any mask from Tamiya tape for
points and sanding the lower wing now masked off with Tamiya tape more work on was the filled-in cowl the yellow “H” identification
slightly to obtain a perfect fit. where appropriate: the front of guns and that was my fault. The rest letter on the aft fuselage. Once
Adding the gunsight to the the engine, the wheel wells, and was perfect, which is a testament this had dried I covered it with
cockpit and cockpit coaming is the aft portion of the canopy. to the superb fit of the kit. more masks to protect it until
a unique setup that is brought I elected to paint and decal the I was ready to apply the black
together when attaching the aircraft like the real thing, then finish to the fuselage sides.
forward canopy, and the fit is add the distemper black. That The camouflage colours were

22 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


added, again from the Mr. Paint
range, starting with RLM-75. I
thought this was a little too dark,
though, so I oversprayed it with
some Model Master RLM-75. Then
the RLM-74 was added freehand for
the camouflage. The black panel aft
of the exhausts was also masked
off and painted at this stage.
The entire model was given a
gloss coat of Tamiya Clear, thinned
with Gunze Mr. Leveling Thinner
and allowed to dry overnight.
The decals were added to the
upper surface and I also added the
fuselage crosses just in case they
would show through. If I had I to
do it over again I would have not
added the crosses and swastikas.
Now came the time to figure out
how to do the black camouflage. I
decided to brush-paint it like the
real thing, which sounds good
but didn’t work out as well as I
would have hoped. After applying
masking fluid and some salt to
various panels, and to capture
some key camouflage points, I
set about using Hataka US Army
Midnight Black from their US
Army Helicopter paint set.
I used an old worn out brush and
tamped it in the paint, then added
it to the model. If I had been paying
attention I would have noticed
that it didn’t level out as well as I
hoped. I should have thinned it and
applied multiple coats. I did get the
look of the camouflage the way I
1/48
wanted it in regards to shape, but
not to texture; my paint was very
clumpy. I should have thinned it
with water as opposed to straight
out of the bottle. (Note to self:
Don’t try an untested technique
on a model for a magazine).
I now allowed it to dry and
then proceeded to try and sand
it level, which had the benefit
of removing all of the masking
mediums I had added. This worked
out pretty well but it still wasn’t
perfect, not that the real thing
was beautifully painted either,
but I still wasn’t happy with it.
I thought maybe a coat of clear
over it might help. Ahhh, no. It
didn’t. Breathe deep, drink beer and
wait. So instead of continuing to go
down the path to destruction I let
it dry and tried sanding yet again.
Sadly it did not work out as
well as hoped. The sides were good
but the bottom was lumpy still. I
decided to just strip it and start
again, which was messy and smelly,
but it worked out pretty well on
the belly. I was also very careful
to leave the top and sides alone as
they looked OK. Hopefully I could
keep them without too much pain.
I now repeated the painting
process for the lower fuselage:
primer, touch up, more primer,
RLM 76, mask, and then the RLM
04. This was followed up with some
masking fluid and salt. Instead
of using the Hataka I went with
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 23
 what I know, Tamiya NATO Black
sprayed out of my airbrush. At this
stage I also removed the masks on
the “H” and oversprayed it with
highly thinned NATO Black.
This time I was satisfied with the
finish. It isn’t perfect, but neither is
the real thing. Scratches were added
with a toothpick, tweezers, and
some scrubby pad remnants. A coat
of Tamiya Clear thinned with Gunze
Mr. Leveling Thinner was added in
preparation to adding the graffiti
decals that I had custom-made
by my decal guy, Mason Doupnik
(who did his normal fabulous job).
They worked perfectly and were
sealed in with some Alclad Flat.
Now it was time to start
the weathering process. Some
additional scratches were added
with a sponge and Model Master
Magnesium, Citadel Chainmail
Silver and silver pencil. For the
panel line washes I used a selection
from the AK interactive range.
I also used AK’s Blue for Black
Camouflage as a filter. This tinted
24 • JULY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
various panels and added a bit
of variety to the black areas.
After the washes had dried
overnight I needed to fade the upper
camouflage colours. I used artist
oils of buff titanium and a very
small amount of titanium white
for the majority of the fading. The
buff warms up the colours and also
”attaches” the model to the ground.
A few dots of burnt umber
artist oils were used around the
exhausts and access panels. This
replicated the dirt left by mechanics
doing their jobs. The dots were
mixed with a damp flat brush
with Turpenoid. I then swirled it
to mix the different paints before
dragging it from front to back on
the horizontal surfaces and top
to bottom on the fuselage. This
technique replicates the movement
of the air over the wings and tail,
and replicates the rain marks on
the side of the fuselage as well.
Some additional chipping was
added to the wing roots and various
panels. This was followed up by

adding heavily thinned Tamiya
Buff to the belly to represent the
dirt and mud thrown up by the
wheels. I also painted it around
the outside of the wheels. This
very thinned colour was also
sprayed in the direction of airflow
and vertically on the fuselage.
Some Mig Pigments to represent
mud were now added to the wheels,
landing gear doors, and wing roots
and secured with AK Thinner. To
represent exhaust staining some
highly thinned Tamiya Dark Earth
was sprayed on the sides and belly.
This was enhanced with some
AK Dark Mud and Black Smoke
pigments to add volume and
variation to the exhaust stains.
The key was not to go as far
as the new graffiti, which would
have been pristine. Had I been
smart enough I should have
done all of the weathering before
adding the graffiti decals. Oh well,
I should have thought through
my processes before starting, a
lesson learned for next time.
FINAL STAGE
Adding the landing gear was not
too bad until it came to the wheels
and tail wheel. Not because of the
1/48
kit but because the tail wheel fell off
the bench, never to be seen again.
No matter how much I looked I
couldn’t find it. Thank God I had
other wheels from the earlier FW
releases, so disaster was averted.
But wait, the Modelling Gods
were not pleased – as I was drilling
the holes for the Ultracast smooth
tread wheels I drilled right on
through the wheel. ARRGHH! This
model just didn’t want to be finished! couldn’t live with. So I tried to again. Fortunately the masks were
Luckily for me the hole was remove the canopy and promptly good for another pass and this
right in the centre. I used the shattered it into three pieces. time things were looking better
old kit again and cut off the hub Thank God it was the wrong one and the end of all the hard work
centre section of a kit wheel with to begin with and I still had the was in sight. Or so I thought!
a new knife blade, then I simply correct one still in the box. I had to replace the inboard
superglued it in place. After a coat I cleaned up the affected area guns since I’d broken them off
of paint you can’t tell the difference and had to do the entire canopy in handling the kit. I used Albion
(unless you’re looking really close).
The canopy masks were pulled
off and proved their worth;
however, there was a blob of glue
on the glare shield that I just
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 25
 tubing to do that and they looked
great. BUT, of course while drilling
the holes to attach them I split
the wing seam. Murphy’s Law in
action. I had to remind myself that
“Modelling is Fun” and I just kept
repeating that to myself. I filled the
resulting breaks with extra thin
cyanoacrylate (CA) glue and sanded
them. Then of course I had to paint
and weather the leading edge again.
The sliding portion of the
canopy was unmasked and attached
with white glue, and an antenna
made from EZ Line was added
26 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
to the tail and canopy. The prop
assembly fitted perfectly, but be
careful with the cooling fan blades
as they are fragile. I broke one off
and of course I couldn’t find it. One
last dig from the Modelling Gods.
I broke off one of the blades
from the other cooling fan in
the kit and added it. It is slightly
smaller but when painted you don’t
notice it. A drop of clear red and
green was added to the wingtips.
Finally, the model was done
despite the self-induced drama
at the end of the build. That was
completely my fault, all of it, and
does not reflect badly on the kit but
on my big fingers and bonehead.
CONCLUSION
This is an absolutely beautifully
engineered kit, and is probably one
of the best fitting I’ve ever built.
Eduard keeps going from strength to
strength and are to be commended
for issuing a new-tool Focke-Wulf
190 series that is far more buildable
and enjoyable than previous ones.
The lower parts count could have
easily translated into a less detailed
aircraft, but that is certainly not the
case. The detail is impressive and
nothing is missed. And if you want
the detail stuff, it is available in the
Brassin range, with no less than 20
sets for the 190 released to date.
It was almost a shame to dirty
up this kit as much as I needed to…
almost. The black belly and fuselage
sides are really eye catching, and
the graffiti is the pièce de resistance
(thank you Mason); I might add
these to the Werner’s Wings range
of decals in the future. Stay tuned.
I hope you enjoy building this
kit as much as I did. It really stands
out in my display case and I can’t
wait to do another one. That is the
highest praise I can offer any kit.
Great job Eduard. It is a good
time to be a Luftwaffe modeller.
Remember: Modelling is Fun!
REFERENCES:
•A
 irframe & Miniature No.7- The
Focke-Wulf Fw-190 Radial-
engine Versions- A complete
Guide to The Luftwaffe’s Butcher
Bird, Richard A. Franks, Valiant
wings Publishing LTD, 2014,
ISBN 978-0-9575866-4-2
•C
 aptured Butcherbirds- Vol
1, Jacek Jackiewicz & Robert
Bock, Atelier Kecay Publishing,
ISBN 978-83-924914-2-2
•L
 uftwaffe Hit-and-Run Raiders-
Nocturnal Fighter-Bomber
Operations over the Western
Front, 1943-1945, Chris Goss,
Ian Allan Publishing, 2009,
ISBN 978-1-903223-99-4
Scale Aircraft
Conversions
White Metal & Resin Aircraft Parts Since 1990

32133 Junkers D.1 Landing Gear (WW) 48356 IDF F-CK-1C/D Landing Gear (AFV)
(replacement for 1/32 Wingnut Wings) MSRP $16.95 (replacement for 1/48 AFV Club) MSRP $16.95

14428 DC-8
Landing Gear
(2 sets) (Min)
(replacement for
1/144 Minicraft)
72160 Aero L-29 Delfin Landing Gear (AMK) MSRP $14.95
(replacement for 1/72 AMK) MSRP $11.95

Go ahead … pile on the weight!

September 2014: Canadian modeller Chris Parsons sent us June 2018: We contacted Chris to inquire about the integrity
this photo of his 1/32 Ju-88 Mistel he calls, “The Skyscraper”. of the SAC landing gear. His response, “I can find no issues
The sheer weight of the model was the prime reason Chris with the main gear. It’s been more than four years now and
chose to use our set #32026. Impressive work! it’s standing the test of time quite good.”

Landing gear for over 650 (and counting) different aircraft!

scaleaircraftconversions.com
 STUKA B-2/R-2
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
JAY BLAKEMORE
QUICKBUILD
Sicilian
STUKA A
Quick Build of the Airfix
1/48 Stuka B-2/R-2
by Jay Blakemore
irfix first released the B-1
version of the infamous
Luftwaffe dive bomber in
2017, and those same sprues now
get a second outing as the B-2/R-2,
with a new two-option decal sheet
and a choice of underwing stores.
Moulded in the manufacturer’s
now-standard blue-grey styrene,
the kit features all the features
that we have come to expect in a
new-tool offering from Airfix: soft,
workable styrene, recessed panel
lines, crystal clear transparencies,
impressive levels of internal detail
(and options to show it off, such
as separately-moulded fairings
and access panels) – and lots
and lots of ejector pin marks.
The latter are especially
unwelcome when located in places
likely to remain visible once the
kit is assembled; almost as soon
as construction begins on the
cockpit, pin marks in the centre
28 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
of the floor panel, on the pilot’s
seat, and amidst the sidewall
detail require filling or removal.
Even so, the cockpit is nicely
furnished with a two-piece pilot’s
seat, which lacks harness detail,
a control column, panel, and
foot pedals. The rear gunner’s
position includes a two-piece spent
cartridge bin, a double row
of machine gun (MG)
magazines on a rack,
a nicely moulded
three-piece seat, and
a bank of radios.
The separately
moulded
sidewall frames
contain more MG
magazines, an oxygen
bottle and hose, trim
wheels, levers, and
fuselage ribbing, all of
which assembles onto a
rigid box-section frame. The

frame itself mounts onto the central
lower wing section and forms a
very strong V-shaped assembly,
around which the wings are built.
The only additions I made to
the cockpit were some etched
harness and a colour etched control
panel from the remnants of an
Eduard detail set (which I found
amongst my spares and which was
originally intended for the ageing
Hasegawa kit). The multi-piece
panel was slightly smaller in
size than that provided by Airfix,
but it fit comfortably onto the
original once I had removed the
raised plastic detail. It required
re-painting, however, due to the
spurious blue-grey shade in which
it had been originally printed,
a common problem with early
Eduard colour etched sets.
For the main interior colour
I used Colourcoats RLM02. The
fuselage closed comfortably
around the assembled cockpit,
and the control panel assembly
(which also features the pedals
and clear bomb-aiming floor panel
housing) slipped neatly through
the open nose and into position as
per the instructions. A separate
firewall was added to complete the
fuselage and enclose all within.
CRANK IT UP
Optional wing-mounted gun bays
are included, which require that
the integrally-moulded access
panels in the single-piece upper
wing halves be removed. The rigid
V-shaped box frame, mentioned
“THIS KIT HAS NO MAJOR PROBLEMS
AND THE COMPLETED MODEL
LOOKS EVERY INCH A STUKA”
above, forms the walls of the gun
bays, and to this the two outer
lower wing sections are cemented.
A combination gun mount
and ammunition container, and
a separately-moulded machine
gun breech are provided for
both bays. However, these are
simplistically rendered, so I made
the decision to leave the upper
wings intact and the bays closed up.
A transparency is provided
to replicate the leading edge
mounted landing light, which
benefitted from an application
of Alclad Chrome on its inner
surface before being enclosed
within the port wing. (Locating
holes positioned midway along
the lower wing sections need to
be opened prior to wing assembly
if it is your intention to add the
underslung bombs or fuel tanks).
I found the representations
of the wing-mounted 250 kg
bombs a little crude, so I replaced
with items with more delicate
fins from the spares box. This
required that the bomb hangers
be modified by sanding the crude
diamond-shaped originals into
curved cradles to straddle the
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 29
1/48
four replacement bombs.
The protruding wing gun
housings are moulded separately
and feature barrels with hollowed
out ends, which is always a welcome
touch. But care must be taken if
attaching them after the wings have
been assembled, as they are easily
dropped inside. This happened to
one of mine; I managed to shake it
back out again, but in hindsight,
attaching them prior to assembly
might have been a wise precaution.
To complete the airframe, the
separately-moulded rudder was
added at a slight angle, as was the
tail wheel. A choice of tail wheels
is provided, one with a dust boot
and one without. The instructions
recommend fitting the latter, but
photographs of S1+GK suggested
otherwise, so I used the alternative.
The tailplanes proved to be a
sloppy fit and I found it necessary
to broaden the mounting lugs
with strips of plastic card. The
tailplanes were then cemented in
place, with the separately moulded
ailerons posed at an inclined
angle, but I Ieft off the supporting
struts and added them later.
UNDER PRESSURE
Weighted tyres are thankfully
becoming more common in aircraft
models these days, an innovation
that was in part influenced by
Airfix. Their Stuka, as with all of
their more recent releases, features
flattened tyres and a clever system
within the undercarriage housings
by which the wheels can be locked
into the correct position for a
sitting or an in-flight model.
If the model is to be displayed
 in the parked position then there
is some minor surgery required
to shorten the undercarriage
housings, the upper sections
of which must be cut away – a
process made easier by the soft
nature of the styrene favoured
by this manufacturer. The model
can also be assembled with or
without the spat-mounted sirens.
This kit includes a very fine
replica of the Junkers Jumo 210
engine. It consists of twenty-two
parts, and while this particularly
worthy example would have made a
30 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
fine addition to the model, I decided
against it as I wanted my model to
feature the characteristic stepped
nose that gave the real aircraft its
brutish and sinister appearance.
Also supplied in the Airfix
release are the alternative chin
radiators that allow the modeller
to display the louvres in the open
or closed positions. I chose the
former, as all the reference pictures
I had of African-based aircraft
show them to be open. A choice of
side-mounted intake housings is
also provided, one being the larger
square-shaped type characteristic
of machines operating in the
Mediterranean theatre.
There are different lower-cowl
sections to choose from, dependent
upon whether the radiator cooling
gills are posed in the extended
or the closed positions, and care
should be taken to select the
correctly proportioned items.
Once the appropriate options
have been selected, the nose unit
builds into a separate assembly
that slips onto the front end of
the airframe over the firewall.
After a dry-fit I found it
necessary to shave a small amount
of plastic off the rear edge of the
side-mounted intake before the
nose section would sit centrally.
Milliput was used as filler in several
areas around the nose, smoothed
into joints to minimise or disguise
the most obvious gaps. More was
required in several places on the
airframe to fill some unsightly sink
marks. These were particularly
prevalent on the undercarriage
spats, along the upper fuselage,
and in the very centre of the tail.
The propeller blades also
needed some attention, as the

rear of each blade suffers from
trench-like gaps when the separate
rear hub is attached. Once filled
with Milliput, the blades required
several applications of Alclad
Grey Primer and considerable
wet-sanding before the joins
were finally alleviated
IN A FLAP
One area that was updated from
the old Hasegawa kit was the
integrally-moulded flap and aileron
assembly. I had found it necessary
with that kit to remove the crude
triangular shapes representative
of the flap actuating arms located
on the lower wing trailing edges;
I replaced them with more
accurate representations made
from plastic card and metal rod,
which was drilled into the wings.
Not so with the new-tool kit
from Airfix, who have come up
with a sensible solution. The flap
and aileron assemblies have been
separately moulded and feature
delicate, integrally moulded
actuators and counterbalance
weights, a feat of model engineering
in itself. Better still, there is a choice
of two complete sets, one featuring
dropped flaps. These are long, thin
items, and are perfectly moulded
with none of the imperfections
evident on the fuselage parts. Due
to their flexible nature, however,
I found it necessary to secure
them to the wings one section
at a time, allowing the cement
to harden as I went along.
The dive brakes were not
attached at this time but would
be cemented to the lower wings
after painting, along with the flap
counterbalance weights which
were removed from the flaps to
guard against breakage and loss.
The canopy transparencies are
crisp, thin, and wonderfully clear,
but the moulded-on framework
caused me some confusion. Now, I
don’t claim to be a Stuka aficionado
(despite having long been
fascinated by its brutal elegance),
and I confess that I may be missing
something obvious here, but much
of the framing on the canopy
parts were moulded internally,
leaving the majority of the glazing
smooth externally. This left me
in a dilemma as to what colour to
spray the internal mouldings.
Studying photographs of in-
service machines was of little help.
So, despite the Montex mask set
(SM48464) faithfully reflecting
this combination of internal
and external framing, I took the
controversial decision to modify
the masks and so paint all of the
framing externally. (I can already
hear the cries of derision from
the authenticity police and the
rivet counters amongst you – but
let’s just call it artistic licence).
It had been my original intention
to pose both the front and rear
canopy sections in the open
positions using the parts provided.
However, the open front canopy
section had a crack in it – the perils
of having such wonderfully thin
transparencies – and being unable
to obtain a replacement in time
for this issue, I had no choice but
to use the closed option. This and
the masked windscreen sections
were now secured to the fuselage
before painting commenced.
DESERT SAND
The kit supplies two marking
options. The first is S1+HK, of 2./
Sturzkampfgeschwader 3, Greece,
1941, finished in dark green splinter
camouflage but devoid of any
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 31
1/48
unit badges or coloured panels –
which considering the plethora of
colourful marking options available
from that theatre of operations
was rather disappointing.
The second option is the familiar
and oft-controversial T6+AN,
of 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader
2 ‘’Immelman’’, Libya, 1942.
Featuring the standard splinter
camouflage with RLM79 overspray,
it appears here without the
desert snake motif regularly
attributed to this aircraft.
There is at least one excellent
wartime photograph which shows
the starboard side of this aircraft
in its entirety, with no snake
design painted along its flanks,
and one dubious photograph (that
many speculate is of the same
aircraft) which reveals the snake
motif on its port side. So, the jury
remains split on whether T6+AN
actually wore a snake on one
side, on both sides, or not at all.
Or perhaps all three theories are
correct and at some point in its
service career the snake design
was applied one side at a time. I
guess we’ll never know for certain.
Having for some time possessed
Montex mask set K48103, which

includes the desert snake design,
it was my original intention
to model T6+AN featuring it
in all its writhing glory. But
without definitive evidence as
to its existence, I was unable
to convince myself that such
an aircraft ever existed.
I therefore decided to save the
masks in the hope of definitive
evidence materialising in the
future and chose instead to model
the second choice supplied by the
Montex mask set, which was S1+GK.
This aircraft was finished in the
attractive factory scheme of RLM79
32 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
over RLM 78, which I felt would
allow me to create some interesting
weathering effects – using pre-
shading and post-highlighting
– to enhance the limited pallet of
colours. I had also found a good
wartime photograph of the aircraft,
which is always important to
me when trying to decide upon a
scheme and which will invariably
influence my final choice.
As is my favoured technique,
the painting process began with
an overall application of dark
brown, which would be used to
create shadows and add depth to
the finished model and hopefully
make it look less model-like. Once
dry, the dark enamel basecoat
was rubbed over using Albion
Alloys polishing pads to remove
all debris and to eradicate any
minor surface imperfections.
Enamels are a useful and
resilient filler and any and all
rub-throughs can be easily covered
with partial re-coats. If applying
enamel with a brush, it’s best to
build up an opaque finish using
several thinned coats of paint,
rubbing each successive coat back
until smooth. This process should
be repeated for the basecoat and all
successive colour and top coats.
In this instance, Colourcoats
enamels were used for the RLM
colours, though I mixed them
with Humbrol enamels to obtain
the heavily faded, weathered look
I required. (Although the paints
from these two ranges tend to
mix well, this is not always the
case with paints from different
manufacturers, so it’s always
advisable to check on some
scrap plastic or an old kit before
committing paint mixes to a model.)
Beginning with the
undersurface, the airframe colours
were built up panel by panel,
leaving hints of the darker basecoat
visible at panel edges and in areas
that would have suffered extreme
staining on the real machine,

such as the panels around and to
the rear of the exhausts, around
the wing root walkways, and
the wing-mounted gun bays.
Panel centres were highlighted
with lighter shades of the original
colours and further staining was
applied by brush, blending the
paint on the model’s surface using
brushes dampened with white
spirit. A similar washing technique
was used to paint the walkways and
tyres so that they retained hints
of the original RLM79 overspray.
I enjoy the challenge of painting
with a limited palette of colours,
and I knew that with a single
camouflage shade covering the
upper surfaces, I would be forced to
create some interesting weathering
to give the model character and life.
I had added a further restriction by
limiting my use of black to mixes
only and not allowing myself to
apply any directly to the airframe.
Adding such disciplines during the
painting process very often results
in a uniquely different model.
The white fuselage band and
underwing panels were applied
using an off-white enamel mix.
MASKS AND MARKINGS
Once satisfied with the overall
weathered appearance of the
airframe. I applied several thin
coats of gloss varnish to protect the
paint so far applied. Having allowed
the varnish to dry overnight,
wet-sanding cloths were once
again used to level the surface
in preparation for the fuselage
codes, which were to be painted
on using the Montex masks.
Initially applying the
Balkenkreuz mask as a central
marker, I positioned those for
the fuselage codes and arranged
more masking tape to protect the
fuselage from overspray. The codes
were then lightly applied using
a very dark brown enamel mix
to represent a faded black colour
(in keeping with my decision to
restrict the use of true black), while
the individual aircraft codes were
airbrushed in a dark red mix.
Decals were used for the national
insignia, but despite the Airfix sheet
being beautifully printed and in
perfect register, I chose to instead
use those from EagleCals sheet #143
(also secreted amongst my stash).
My reasoning behind this decision
was based on my past experience
with Airfix decals, which tend to
be thickly printed and annoyingly
resilient to softening solutions.
The EagleCal decals were, in
contrast, far thinner, glossy in
appearance, and reacted well to
Micro Sol softening agents. Next
to the muted codes the now starkly
black decals were somewhat
incongruous, so once they had
settled these too were masked,
this time using paper masks
held temporarily in place while
I oversprayed a light dusting of
sand brown. The Montex mask
national insignia outlines were
used to make the paper masks.
An assortment of EagleCal
and Airfix decals were used for
the stencilling – the latter items
proving to be more finely printed
and therefore appearing far more in
scale than some of the former. Paper
masks were cut for these items too
and their colours muted in keeping
with the overall finish of the model.
Once the decals were
appropriately weathered, the
entire airframe received several
coats of Humbrol satin enamel
varnish, which I allowed to dry
thoroughly before being flatted
once again with sanding cloths.
This final sanding process would
eliminate any ridges created around
the fuselage codes as part of the
masking processes and around
the decals, in readiness for a final,
quick-drying coat of varnish.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 33
1/48
CONCLUSIONS
Airfix has obviously made a conscious
effort in recent years to improve the
quality of their products, to such an
extent that they compare favourably
with those from other leading model
manufacturers. Their sensible pricing
structure means that their kits remain
affordable enough to entice a new
generation of modellers to the hobby,
while the build quality and detail makes
them as enticing to those who, like me,
have been around the block a few times.
Unfortunately, the quality is
somewhat let down by the many sink
marks that literally crater the wheel spats
and areas of the fuselage and require
careful preparation prior to painting.
But on the whole, this kit has no
major problems and the completed
model looks every inch a Stuka.
I have no qualms in recommending it
to fans of the infamous dive bomber, no
matter what their skill level. My thanks go
to Airfix for supplying the build sample.
 SAM Bookshop
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Modellers Datafile • 31

THE DOUGLAS A-4 Design and Development

1
SKYHAWK A C OMP R EHENS IVE G U ID E T
he US Navy was becoming increasingly alarmed at the
growing trend towards the increasing weight in fighters
and attack aircraft of the day, such as the USAF’s F-86
Sabre and the Navy’s F9F Panther, and Douglas came up with
Chapter

was 100mph more and the combat radius 115 miles greater.
Douglas was authorised to proceed with further design
studies. During the evaluation, the range requirements were
increased, raising the gross weight to 14,000lbs

THE DASSAULT
by Andy Evans a rather daring proposal for a jet fighter weighing only 7000 The design team came up with a low-winged jet-powered
pounds, a design which eventually led to the A-4 Skyhawk. aircraft with a modified delta planform, with a quarter chord

The Navy showed some interest, but since they were already
involved in the consideration of several other fighter designs,
they suggested that Douglas should apply the same sort of
philosophy to the design of a carrier-based attack aircraft.
This aircraft would be intended for the nuclear strike role,
with a top speed of 500mph, a combat radius of 345 miles, a
2000lb weapons load, and a maximum gross weight of less
than 30,000 pounds. A Douglas a team led by Ed Heinemann
THE DOUGLAS A-4 SKYHAWK
MIRAGE
sweep of thirty-three degrees. The span was only twenty-
seven feet six-inches, which eliminated any need for wing
folding and saving a lot of weight and complexity. The wing
had three one-piece spars with span-wise stiffened skin.
The delta shaped wing formed a single box with integral fuel
tankage, and the upper and lower skins were single pieces,
and the spars and stringers were continuous from tip to tip.
The wing leading edge was equipped with automatic leading

Skyhawks on the Douglas
production line
responded a couple of weeks later with a proposal that edge slats, and split flaps were provided on the trailing edge.
exceeded these requirements by a great margin. The normal The leading edge slats were designed to drop automatically
loaded weight of the aircraft would be only 12,000lbs, less at the appropriate speed by gravity and air pressure, thus
than half the limit specified by the Navy, and the top speed saving weight and space by omitting actuation motors and

2000B/C/D/N and International Versions

By Andy Evans
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FIRST LOOK!
Sam
I-153 “Chaika”
First look at ICM 1/32 I-153 “Chaika”
T
THE
he I-153 was a biplane
fighter developed following
the experiences of
operations by pilots flying the
Polikarpov I-16. This showed
that the monoplane Polikarpov
was outclassed by the more
manoeuvrable Fiat C.32 biplane.
The I-153 Seagull was developed
to
with
combine the power of the I-16
the manoeuvrability of a biplane
design and became the last Biplane
fighter to enter frontline service.
ICM is on a bit of a roll in
producing high quality state of
the
art biplanes as less than a month
ago we received a Bucker BU-131
Jungmann and this was very
impressive and now we have the
a which fits onto the pre-positioned
I-153. ICM has already produced
very nice 1/48 scale but this new
1/32 scale eclipses its smaller
brother in nearly every area.
The cockpit is made up of from
four framework pieces to which
you
add all the various levers, switch
panels, oxygen bottles and a flare
gun. With careful painting and
the addition of some aftermarket
seatbelts this will build into a
very
impressive cockpit which will
be
August 2018 WORLD’S BEST MODEL NEWSPAPER ‘FREE’
40 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER
>> CAD DESIGNS FOR KITTYHAWK NEW TOOL MIRAGE!
It’s not a
Mirage, it is a
Back in the USSR Mirage 2000
I
n the sixties, the Soviet
K
Air Force fielded a whole
range of Interceptor ittyhawk have just shared
aircraft and one of the most with us some more images
attractive was the Tu-128 of the CAD designs for their
Fiddler which remained new tool Mirage 2000C. This has
in service until the 1990s. been a sadly neglected type in all
But one thing that Soviet major scales, which is surprising
Designers also excelled as they type has seen service
at was turning attractive with nine countries around the
aircraft into ugly ones when world in a nice selection of colour
it came to producing a pilot
training version. Normally by
grafting an extra cockpit onto
the airframe that is totally
at odds with the original
design. So, it was with the
Fiddler and Trumpeter have
now carried out the same
process with their kit of
the Yak-128 to produce the
UTi training version which
was given the unfortunate
Large Scale Kamikaze
nickname Pelican!
Now that’s a good idea N
I
n many kits over the last
few years, we have had
fully detailed engines with
no possible way of displaying
them. Now Kittyhawk models
are producing a specialist
engine stand to display the
1/48 scale engine from their
Sukhoi Flanker family.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM
model.
easily seen on the completed
The engine is equally well
be
detailed though most of it will
totally invisible on the completed
engines. All of the exhausts
feature small recesses that can
be deepened with some careful
work with small drills and some
• Polikarpov I-153, Red
needle files. You have eight
different shaped exhausts that
the
need to line up precisely with
Fleet, Vaenga,1941.
holes in the cowlings. ICM have
Dark Green over Blue
come up with a simple way of
by
making this possible you start
attaching the only exhaust that
• Polikarpov I-153,
connects to two cylinders. Once
this is firmly attached in place
you are supplied with a circular
template (ICM call it a conductor)
pipe. The template has cut outs
around its circumference that
enable you to accurately position
all the pipes. Once they are in
place the template can be carefully
removed and discarded. This
should make assembling the
complicated exhaust system very
simple. The rest of the assembly
should be quite simple thanks
to the beautifully moulded gull
wings and the large single support
strut. Even the rigging is very
basic with just four flying wires,
it
though one of these is so thick
is more like a rod than a wire.
For the underwing armament
you have a choice of four bombs
or eight rockets, the latter
looking quite odd on a biplane.
Markings are supplied
for four aircraft:
• Polikarpov I-153, Red 28, 15th
IAP (fighter regiment) Lithuania,
June 1941, Overall silver finish.
• Polikarpov I-153,Red 26, 70th
IAP, Khalhin-Gol, August 1939,
overall silver with a squiggle
camouflage in dark green.
INTERNATIONAL
6, 72d SAP (Mixed
Regiment) North Sea
camouflage with a
white tail and rudder.
White 102, Major
P.I Biskup, 71st
IAP, Baltic Fleet,
Lavansaari,
Summer 1942. This
aircraft has a black
and green over blue
camouflage and
is fitted with the
rocket armament.
CONCLUSION
Out of the box and with minimal
skill most modellers will be able
to produce a good representation
of the last biplane fighter and if
you go to town by adding some
wiring to the cockpit and engine
and some weathering and a nice
base to display it on you could
have a real show winner.
A full build will feature in a
future issue and we thank ICM for
supplying us with the review sample.
ew from MikroMir
is an all-new
1/32 scale tooling
of the Yokosuka MXY-7
Ohka, the world’s only
dedicated suicide aircraft.
Over 860 examples were
produced but the results
were underwhelming with
only one US Navy ship the
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 35
FIRST LOOK!
Vickers Wellington Mk.1A/C
First look at Airfix 1/72 Vickers Wellington
Mk.1A/C
First Look
W
e have been following
the development of
this kit since it was
announced so most of you will
know what to expect when you
still a
open the box, but there were
few things to surprise me starting
with the instruction manual.
This is pretty typical of the
seen
CAD style books that we have
from Airfix for a number of years
and clearly show where everything
goes but there has been a major
One.
change as Airfix state on Page
“There are many detailed parts
the
within this kit which fit inside
• I-153 “Chaika”
fuselage, but which are not easily
visible on the finished model and
therefore can be left out of the
construction if preferred. These
parts are highlighted in green
throughout these instructions”
20
and they are not kidding over
• Vickers Wellington Mk.1A/C
to
parts can be left out if you want
still
simplify the build and you will
be left with one of the most complete
kit.
fuselages I have seen on a 1/72
Now on to the plastic, as we had
and
seen on the CADS and Test shots
in my opinion the portrayal of
the
• MiG 21MF Interceptor
well
Geodetic construction is very
the
done with a special mention to
internal bulkheads I is just a shame
after
that most of it will be invisible
on
completion but this level of detail
• Messerschmitt Bf-109A/B
see page 40
to
the inside means there is a price
pin
pay in the shape of quite a few
Filling
marks in hard to get at places.
these with Perfect Plastic putty
a fabric over geodetic structure
then removing any excess with
dampened cotton bud may work.
I just right compared to pictures,
be
think my preferred method would
www.sampublications.com
schemes. The new Kittyhawk kit
will come with a full selection
of under fuselage weaponry and
a detailed engine and should
be available in the autumn.
to use the thinnest plastic card
I can
inside
find cut into squares to fill the
of the geodetic framework thus
which Sergeant Pilot James Allen
the
hiding the pin mark. Externally
Ward won a Victoria Cross for
looks
climbing out of the aircraft in
flight to smother an engine fire
will
though a sand with wet and dry
and R from 20th Operational
wish.
make it even more subtle if you into
Training Unit which crashed
The clear parts are perfect, and
Loch Ness and is now on display
at
a nice touch is that you get two
Brooklands Museum as the only
cockpit canopies - one is supplied
100% surviving Mk.1 in the world.
closed up while the second has
both the pilots and co-pilots
windows slid back. This feature CONCLUSION
combined with the position able
In my view this is the best 1/72
control surfaces can really make
scale kit Airfix have released to
your model look more lifelike.
date and I am sure we will ss many
The decals are well produced
the more variations on this boxing over
and as well as some details for
the next few years and until then
cockpit also supply two significant
aftermarket manufacturers are
schemes. Wellington AA-R in
already producing a wide range of
alternative markings. Anyone else
for a B.O.A.C operated example?
By the time you read this the Airfix
Wellington will be widely available but
remember do not delay your purchase
as it is rare that Airfix are producing
second runs meaning that previous
kits like the Avro Lancaster Mk.II are
attracting premium prices on auction
sites. And surely it cannot be too long
before we get an all new Handley Page
Halifax or Douglas Hudson to replace
the 1960s vintage kits that have been
reissued so many times over the years.
My thanks to Airfix for supplying
the review sample and a full build
will feature in SAMi later this year.
2018 • 41
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST
destroyer USS Mannert
L Abele destroyed as a
result of an Okha attack.
The new MikroMir kit
will include a small etched
brass sheet and if accurate
will at last replace the
old Testors kit which at
over 60 years old is very
much state of the ark.
 Lets Get Racy State of the Art in
World War One
D
ora wings have supplied

U
us with images for a new
boxing of their P-63 ntil now Wingnut Wings
Kingcobra covering air racers of have been the unrivalled
the 150s and 60s.. These will appear leaders in 1/32 scale
in both 1/72 and 1/48 scale boxing World War One aircraft but soon
later this year and I am sure will there will be a challenger for
sell just as well as their Gee Bee the title. Copper State Models
Racer. But due first will be a 1/144 scale Bell P-63A/C and we have have announced a new 1/32 scale
just received a proof of the new decal sheet which shows a wide Nieuport 17 something that was a
selection of markings from across the world. This baby King Cobra glaring omission in the Wingnuts
should be on sale before the autumn modelling season starts. rage and based on the quality of

the recent 1/48 scale Armstrong

Whitworth FK.8 and Lanchester
Armoured car this new kit looks
like it is going to be quite special.
We will bring you a
detailed first look as soon as
we can obtain a sample.

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AUGUST 2018
AUGUST 2018

Vol 48 Iss 569 £4.75

Texan
Printed in UK
Printed in UK

photo recce
CHARIOTS OF FIRE
Smoker
INIOHOS 2018 Brazilian T-6G

36 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION

SAM-Pocketmags-July-1|2-2018.indd 1 MODELLER INTERNATIONAL 11/07/2018 15:10
 News
CZECH
By Tim Upson-Smith
T
his month there seems
to be a shift towards
the smaller scales
with some very interesting
announcements from two
companies new to these
pages. This month I seem
to have written Albatross
rather a lot, with both Aero
and DH examples in the news.
If your company or product
is not featured and you would
like it to be, please contact us
at the editorial e-mail address.
Air Babies
KP
T
he 1/72 Praga Air
Baby is now available
after quite a long
wait. Two versions have
been released, the Praga built
Air Baby featuring Czech
civilian markings and the
British licence built Hilson
Praga, with markings for two
UK registered aircraft plus
an Australian example.
Albatross!
EDUARD
A
ugust is looking a busy
month for our friends
at Eduard, with four
kits being prepared. The most
important one among them is
a new tooled Bf 109G-10 Mtt.
Regensburg in 1/48th scale
ProfiPack edition. There were
three production versions of
the G-10 and this Eduard kit
represents the early version.
Eduard state that ‘It is not easy
find interesting markings
for G-10s, but I guess we were
successful to find really attractive
markings with interesting
historical backgrounds’.
Polish Wings
FLY
T
he FLY PZL-
37A/B/bis family
of 1/72 scale
kits are almost ready.
These are injection
moulded kits with the
addition of some superb
looking resin engines,
bomb bays and cockpit
details. Markings
options will include Polish,
German and Romanian (both
cross and roundel) examples.
August sees two Limited Edition
kits in 1/48 scale. These are ‘Bella’
which sees the re-release of the
Eduard P-39 Airacobra this time
with 10 markings options for
Soviet aircraft during the Second
World War. The options are based
on the latest expert research and
in some cases offer variations of
previously well-known schemes.
The other August Limited Edition
‘Evolution’, is based on the L- 39C/
ZO 1/48 kit produced by Special
Hobby. The boxing brings two
highly colourful marking options,
a civilian plane flying in Russia,
which features a large Dragoon
motive around the fuselage, and
a Hungarian AF aircraft with
shark motive on the fuselage
and large national flag on the
tail. Standard Eduard accessories
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 37
are available in both these
Limited-Edition kits, of course.
Last but by no means least
August sees the release of the
1/72nd scale Spitfire HF.Mk.VIII,
this time as a Weekend Edition kit.
The must mention Brassin
release this month is the
anticipated engine for the
Tamiya 1/48 scale Bf109 G-6,
which is a real work of the resin
casters art. www.Eduard.com
Expanding
109 family
AZ MODEL
T
he AZ model range
of 1/72 scale Bf109s
is expanding to now
include a K-4. If you missed
them the first time round
AZ have also announced
the rerelease of some of
their kits, including in 1/48
scale the Let L-13 Blanik
glider and in 1/72 scale the
Stinson L-5 Sentinel and
Hawker Hurricane Mk.IID.
 Tiny Bizjets
STRANSKY
E
very now and again I come across
a new manufacturer, which is
one of the things I love about this
job! This month I present to you the firm
Stransky who have just released their
own 1/144 scale Gates Learjet 35. A
clever addition to the rear of the
box is a printed section of runway, a
simple but welcome display idea!.
Stransky also have a couple more
1/144 scale kits in development,
including a Lavočkin La-7 and
Piper L-4 Grasshopper.
Albatros for one!
MINIWING
M
iniwing have
announced an
all-new 1/144
scale L-159 Alca, the single
seat attack version of the
L-39 Albatross. The kit
will have markings for a
selection of grey camouflaged
Czech Air Force options,
in addition though it has
markings for one of the best
commemorative display
schemes I have seen. This
L=159 was painted to
resemble a Second World
War Czech Squadron
Spitfire, complete with the
outline of the Spitfire wing
superimposed on to the
Alca wing. With any luck
this kit should be available
by the time you read this.
Later in the year Miniwing
are planning on releasing kits
of the Bell 206 Jet Ranger/OH-
58A KIOWA and Sikorsky S-51.
So, plenty to look forward to
if you like the small stuff.
38 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
American Specials
SPECIAL HOBBY
T
his month sees three new
kits from Special Hobby
with an American theme
for the US Nationals, they are in
1/48 scale the AF-3S Guardian
‘MAD Boom’ anti-submarine
hunter/killer, the AF-3S was
basically an AF-2S with a magnetic
anomaly detector fitted.
The AF-3s were operated both
from land bases and aircraft
carriers and during the Korea War,
the type was used to defend US
Navy vessels in the combat zone.
The Guardian was removed
from frontline service in 1955,
but remained just with US Naval
Reserve units up to 1957. The
type became the very first US
Navy carrier-based aircraft to be
specially built for anti-submarine
warfare. It also holds the record
for being the largest single-piston
engined, aircraft ever to be flown
from the US Navy carriers.
Our model of the final, attack
version of the Guardian consists of
as many as eight styrene runners,
one clear sprue, a set of resin parts
and a photo-etched fret. The
new AF-3S sprue also contains a
new set of mainwheels with the
correct number of slots in the
hubs and an enlarged starboard
wing pod housing more efficient
radar to that used in the AF-2S
version. The decal sheet caters
Islanders
VALOM
T
his month we have some
welcome news for fans
of civil aviation in the
shape of a 1/48 scale Britten-
Norman Islander. Three boxings
have been announced, British
Airways, Israeli Air Force and
Aurigny Airlines (Channel
Islands). In 1/48 scale these
will make quite a colourful
addition to your model cabinet.
We also have the 1/72 scale
for four machines, two of which
were painted in blue overall per
regulations issued later in the war.
The VS-20 machine was operated
in 1953, at first from NAS Atsugi in
Japan, later from aircraft carrier
USS Bagoeng Strait. The other blue
Guardian belonged to VS-27 and
flew from CVS-36 USS Antietam in
the Mediterranean in 1953. AF-3Ss
machines remained in service with
reserve units long enough to receive
the new Grey-White scheme, the
other two Guardians in our kit
offers this scheme as worn by NAS
Los Alamitos based machines, the
scheme is also accompanied by
orange fuselage bands which were
used to mark training machines.
The second release is the
Canadian Vickers Delta Mk.II/
III “RCAF” in 1/72 scale. The
Canadian machines were produced
by Vickers under licence from
Northrop and were referred to as
the Mk.I to Mk.III. While the Mk.I
and Mk.II versions differed from
their American predecessors only
in details, the Mk.III featured a
completely redesigned tail unit.
Canadian Deltas saw service in
a multitude of roles, they were
used as photographic machines
and for aerial survey, following
the outbreak of the Second
World War they began also flying
DH.91 Albatross out for build and
very nice it looks too. If you want
to add a little extra detail to your
Albatross, Valom has also released
an interior detail set comprising
of cast resin passenger cabin
seats, racks and tables to add some
detail to the inside of your DH-91
though you are unlikely to see it.
reconnaissance missions, anti-
submarine patrols and were
also used for training purposes.
Many of them were also fitted
with a pair of floats or skis.
Our kit brings the option
to build one of two Delta Mk.II
versions or one Mk.III example
which sported a new tail fin. All
of these three machines flew in
natural metal overall, one was
used during 1937, the two others
saw service during the Second
World War. The model comes
on five grey injection moulded
styrene sprues accompanied by
one with clear parts specific for
this Canadian variety of the Delta.
The final release is the C-41A ‘US
Transport Plane’ also in 1/72 scale.
The C-41A kit comes on five grey
injection moulded sprues and two
made of clear plastic. The Scheme
A option, a US Army machine was
fitted with a different type of side
door dome window and Special
Hobby have correctly portrayed this
feature and designed a new sprue
with this alternative style of side
door. The kit also has markings
for a pair of machines that flew
with private military companies
AWS and XeS (both emerged
from the infamous Blackwater
security company). The first one
of these is also white overall with
cheatline in two blues, the other
is in dark grey and black. The
final machine is a white C-41A of
Evergreen International Airlines
which was operated by CIA.
New & Collectible Model Kits

’ s
Dean STOP
Hobby
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
contact us for a quote $22.50 USD $22.50 USD

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

THE
Unit 8, Cedar Court, Halesfield 17, Telford TF7 4PF Model Cellar
NEW
ADDRESS! TEL: 01952 586 457 PLEASE NOTE: all our figures and accessories are unassembled and unpainted
To place an order and to see more please visit our website:
e-mail sales@kingkit.co.uk www.kingkit.co.uk www.ModelCellar.com
 FIRST LOOK!
I-153 “Chaika”
First look at ICM 1/32 I-153 “Chaika”
T
he I-153 was a biplane
fighter developed following
the experiences of
operations by pilots flying the
Polikarpov I-16. This showed
that the monoplane Polikarpov
was outclassed by the more
manoeuvrable Fiat C.32 biplane.
The I-153 Seagull was developed to
combine the power of the I-16 with
the manoeuvrability of a biplane
design and became the last Biplane
fighter to enter frontline service.
ICM is on a bit of a roll in
producing high quality state of the
art biplanes as less than a month
ago we received a Bucker BU-131
Jungmann and this was very
impressive and now we have the
I-153. ICM has already produced
a very nice 1/48 scale kit, but this
new 1/32 scale eclipses its smaller
brother in nearly every area.
The cockpit is made up of from
four framework pieces to which you
add all the various levers, switch
panels, oxygen bottles and a flare
gun. With careful painting and
the addition of some aftermarket
seatbelts this will build into a very
impressive cockpit which will be
40 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
easily seen on the completed model.
The engine is equally well
detailed though most of it will be
totally invisible on the completed
model. All of the exhausts feature
small recesses that can be deepened
with some careful work with small
drills and some needle files. There
are eight different shaped exhausts (Mixed Regiment)
that need to line up precisely with North Sea Fleet,
the holes in the cowlings. ICM Vaenga,1941. Dark
have come up with a simple way Green over Blue
of making this possible you start camouflage with a
by attaching the only exhaust that white tail and rudder.
connects to two cylinders. Once •P
 olikarpov I-153,
this is firmly attached in place White 102, Major
you are supplied with a circular P.I Biskup, 71st
template (ICM call it a conductor) IAP, Baltic Fleet,
which fits onto the pre-positioned Lavansaari, Summer
pipe. The template has cut outs 1942. This aircraft
around its circumference that has a black and
enable you to accurately position green over blue
all the pipes. Once they are in camouflage and
place the template can be carefully is fitted with the
removed and discarded. This rocket armament.
should make assembling the
complicated exhaust system very
simple. The rest of the assembly CONCLUSION
should be quite simple thanks Out of the box and with minimal
to the beautifully moulded gull skill most modellers will be able
wings and the large single support to produce a good representation
strut. Even the rigging is very of the last biplane fighter and if
basic with just four flying wires, you go to town by adding some
though one of these is so thick it wiring to the cockpit and engine
is more like a rod than a wire. and some weathering and a nice
For the underwing armament base to display it on you could
you have a choice of four bombs have a real show winner.
or eight rockets, the latter A full build will feature in a
looking quite odd on a biplane. future issue and we thank ICM for
supplying us with the review sample.
Markings are supplied
for four aircraft:
•P
 olikarpov I-153, Red 28, 15th
IAP (fighter regiment) Lithuania,
June 1941, Overall silver finish.
•P
 olikarpov I-153,Red 26, 70th
IAP, Khalhin-Gol, August 1939,
overall silver with a squiggle
camouflage in dark green.
•P
 olikarpov I-153, Red 6, 72d SAP
FIRST LOOK!

Vickers Wellington Mk.1A/C

First look at Airfix 1/72 Vickers Wellington Mk.1A/C

W
e have been following
the development of
this kit since it was
announced so most of you will
know what to expect when you
open the box, but there were still a
few things to surprise me starting
with the instruction manual.
This is pretty typical of the
CAD style books that we have seen
from Airfix for a number of years
and clearly show where everything
goes but there has been a major
change as Airfix state on Page One.
“There are many detailed parts
within this kit which fit inside the
fuselage, but which are not easily
visible on the finished model and
therefore can be left out of the
construction if preferred. These
parts are highlighted in green
throughout these instructions”
and they are not kidding over 20
parts can be left out if you want to
simplify the build and you will still
be left with one of the most complete
fuselages I have seen on a 1/72 kit.
Now on to the plastic, as we had
seen on the CADS and Test shots and the inside means there is a price to to use the thinnest plastic card I can
in my opinion the portrayal of the pay in the shape of quite a few pin find cut into squares to fill the inside
Geodetic construction is very well marks in hard to get at places. Filling of the geodetic framework thus
done with a special mention to the these with Perfect Plastic putty hiding the pin mark. Externally the which Sergeant Pilot James Allen
internal bulkheads I is just a shame then removing any excess with a fabric over geodetic structure looks Ward won a Victoria Cross for
that most of it will be invisible after dampened cotton bud may work. I just right compared to pictures, climbing out of the aircraft in
completion but this level of detail on think my preferred method would be though a sand with wet and dry will flight to smother an engine fire
make it even more subtle if you wish. and R from 20th Operational
The clear parts are perfect, and Training Unit which crashed into
a nice touch is that you get two Loch Ness and is now on display at
cockpit canopies - one is supplied Brooklands Museum as the only
closed up while the second has 100% surviving Mk.1 in the world.
both the pilots and co-pilots
windows slid back. This feature
combined with the position able CONCLUSION
control surfaces can really make In my view this is the best 1/72
your model look more lifelike. scale kit Airfix have released to
The decals are well produced date and I am sure we will ss many
and as well as some details for the more variations on this boxing over
cockpit also supply two significant the next few years and until then
schemes. Wellington AA-R in aftermarket manufacturers are
already producing a wide range of
alternative markings. Anyone else
for a B.O.A.C operated example?
By the time you read this the Airfix
Wellington will be widely available but
remember do not delay your purchase
as it is rare that Airfix are producing
second runs meaning that previous
kits like the Avro Lancaster Mk.II are
attracting premium prices on auction
sites. And surely it cannot be too long
before we get an all new Handley Page
Halifax or Douglas Hudson to replace
the 1960s vintage kits that have been
reissued so many times over the years.
My thanks to Airfix for supplying
the review sample and a full build
will feature in SAMi later this year.

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 41

 FIRST LOOK!

MiG 21MF Interceptor

Eduard 1/72 Scale MiG 21MF Interceptor ProfiPack Edition by Tim Upson-Smith
MANUFACTURER: Eduard
SCALE: 1/72
KIT NO: 70141
PARTS: 183 Injection moulded parts over 3
sprues, 15 Injection moulded clear parts, 49
colour photo-etch parts
MASKS: 2
DECALS: 5 markings options printed by
Eduard, decals for 2 styles of stencil (blue
and black)

T
his kit has been on my
radar now for quite some
time, as Eduard has been
teasing us with 3D cad renders
for what seems like forever. At
the Nuremberg Toy Fair we got
our first glimpse of the plastic
as the Eduard team had the first
test shot. And I certainly liked
what we saw and it served to
whet my appetite even further.
Before we look in the box let’s
take a moment to appreciate
the box, which shows a pair of
Polish Air Force MiG-21s doing
a low fly-by of a crowded beach.
If the box art doesn’t say buy
me I don’t know what will.
So, what do we get in the box?
Inside this ProfiPack Edition you
will find three sprues of grey
Injection moulded plastic, one
sprue of clear Injection moulded
plastic, a colour photo-etch
fret, a set of yellow tape masks,
a decal sheet covering the five
options, a very comprehensive
decal sheet with what looks like
hundreds of stencils and a full
colour A5 instruction booklet.
When you look at the sprue
layouts you will see that there are which will have the option to Eduard have released a diagram and the separate nose ring and
quite a few parts marked as ‘not build an example produced by the highlighting them. This level of cone which will make masking
for use’ especially on the sprue Moscow factory, this release is for a attention to detail is a hallmark and painting so much easier.
with all of the ordnance options. MiG-21 built by the Gorky Factory. of this latest release from If you build this kit out of the
Most of these parts will feature in I must confess I didn’t know Eduard and it is continuing box you still have a lot of options
a forthcoming Royal Class Edition that there were any differences, but to live up to the Eduard 1/72 on the level of detail you can add to
Scale Revolution, started by the the cockpit. You have the option to
excellent Avia B534 family. go down the full colour photo-etch
The quality of moulding in this detail route, decals over moulded
kit is superb and to my eye just as detail, paint or a combination of
good as anything coming out of all three! For the MiG interior
Japan, if you look really closely turquoise Eduard gives you a mix
there is a slight mould seam on of three Mr Colour paints, these are
some parts which will need to be not readily available in the UK, so
cleaned up. Also, the fit tolerances I will be using the cockpit colour
are quite tight so make sure the from an AK Soviet jets set, which
mating surfaces are clear of paint. I have found is a good match for
The surface detail is some of the the Eduard colour photo-etch.
best I have seen with raised and Eduard has supplied a number of
recessed detail as appropriate. options for the exterior detail, you
The parts breakdown has been can use either plastic or photo-
designed for ease of assembly and etch for various aerials and those
hints at further versions to come. odd bits the Soviets seemed to like
I particularly like the separate bolting onto the exterior of their
fuselage spine and vertical fin aircraft. You also have the choice

42 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


of posing the underside fuselage
air brake open or closed, as I write
Eduard have announced a future
Brassin set will be available to add
further detail to all of the airbrakes,
this set will be released at the same
time as the Royal Class Edition.
Eduard have included five
colour schemes in the kit, which
give a good representation of the
many and varied schemes this
long-lived Fighter has worn.
OPTION A is for an all over
aluminium painted Polish Air
Force example, this is the aircraft
featured on the box art.
OPTION B is for an overall pale
grey painted aircraft flown by the
Czechoslovak Air Force, early 1990.
OPTION C is for an aircraft from the
German Democratic Republic, in the
late 1980s. This aircraft is finished
in a two-tone green camouflage
topside over pale blue undersides.
OPTION D is an all over pale
grey aircraft operated by the
Romanian Air Force, c1990.
OPTION E is perhaps the most
colourful, this MiG is an ex Czech
Air Force example that was supplied
to the Republic of Mali in 2006.
It is finished in a four-colour
green/brown topside camouflage
over a mid-blue underside.
Of the schemes I am being
tempted by the Polish example as
when I think MiG, an aluminium
finish is what springs to mind, also
by the time you read this I will have
visited the Polish Air Force Museum
in Krakow, which, will with any
luck, provide lots of inspiration.
PLUS
Simultaneously with the release of
this new kit, Eduard has released
some rather nice extras. If you have
the ProfiPack Edition this already
has the stencils and paint masks
included, so you will not need those
unless you want to mask the inside
of the canopy with the TFace range
of canopy masks which supplied
both internal and external masks.
The cockpit set looks stunning
with fantastic detail on the rear
bulkhead and on the back of the
ejection seat. A test fit has shown
that not much of this will be visible
on the finished model but you
will know it’s there. With my
build of this kit I intend to build
both options so you can see the
difference. The resin exhaust
nozzle again is beautifully cast but
you will have to squint to see the
photo-etched afterburner detail.
That said the last section of the
jet pipe is light years ahead of the
plastic parts as only resin can be.
The resin wheels are in my view
are a must have if you want to add
that little bit extra to your model.
They have flats moulded in and
full sidewall detail that will really
look good when painted and lightly
weathered. The Brassin pylons these extras as I can on my build of
and missiles are also as you would this ProfiPack MiG-21MF, whilst
expect very nice, with finer detail where possible assembling the kit
that their plastic counterparts. equivalents so you can judge for
yourself how much of this extra
detail you may wish to add.
BRASSIN
•6
 72 180 MiG-21MF Interceptor
cockpit (for Eduard kit) CONCLUSION
•6
 72 181 MiG-21MF exhaust I think that it is fair to say that with
nozzle (for Eduard kit) this long-awaited release Eduard have
•6
 72 182 MiG-21MF wheels given us the best 1/72scale MiG-21MF
(for Eduard kit) and as it joins the already produced
•6
 72 184 MiG-21MF pylons 1/144 and 1/48 scale examples, the
(for Eduard kit) best MiG21MFs across the board! I
•6
 72 185 MiG-21MF R-3S missiles am sure the Editor would not be
for MiG-21 (for Eduard kit) alone in wanting a 1/32 scale kit of
this quality but for now, I am happy
to reacquaint myself with the joy of
MASKS 1/72 scale, which for me is where I
•C
 X511 MiG-21MF (for Eduard kit) started in this great hobby of ours.
•C
 X512 MiG-21MF TFace Long live the Eduard
(for Eduard kit) 1/72 Scale Revolution!
My thanks to Eduard for
supplying this kit and the
DECALS accessories for preview and build.
•D 72015 MiG-21MF stencils
(for Eduard kit)
It is my intention to use as many of
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 43
 FIRST LOOK!

Messerschmitt Bf-109A/B
First look at Dora Wings 1/48 Messerschmitt Bf-109A/B Spanish Civil war

Y
ou can never have enough
109’s in 1/48 scale, but to be
honest I am approaching
the point where I think we
have had enough! Over the last
few years a number of major
manufacturers have released a
near endless stream of E, F and
G variants and it is now only the
very early and very late version of
the 109 that are left to be kitted.
AMG produced an all new tool
kit of a Bf109A/B as a limited run
item, but these quickly sold out
and now Dora wings are releasing
the AMG plastic with brass and
resin from their own sources.
The Bf109 A and very similar B
were rushed into service during the
Spanish Civil war in fact most of the
A Models were actually prototypes
with added military equipment.
During their service in Spain the moulded plastic.
airframes were continually being Though DW’s
instructions are
quite comprehensive
updated and I think that has made as far as construction goes as
producing a 100% accurate model some parts are called out as
a bit of challenge for Dora Wings. being appropriate to either an A
On opening the box, I was or B model, but some differences
immediately forced to compare the are overlooked like the shorter
kit with Tamiya and Zvezda’s late leading-edge flaps of early A models
marks 109. This new kit includes as many aircraft were modified
an engine as part of the fuselage continually on the frontline who
mouldings just like the latter and is to say with 100% certainty •M
 esserschmitt Bf-109A, 6-10,
I will say Dora Wings example that DW have not got it spot on. 2.J/88, Unteroffizer Ernst
stands up very well with those more The decals supply three Mratzek, Spain , March 1937.
established manufacturers. In schemes the first two in an •M
 esserschmitt Bf-109A,
fact, in a number of areas the Dora overall silver/natural metal finish 6-15, 2.J/88, Spain, 1937.
kit is actually superior thanks to while the third and fourth have •M
 esserschmitt Bf-109B-2,
the etched brass sheet and resin a scheme in greys and green 6-27, 1.J/88, Spain 1938
parts which supplies detail in the (RLM62/63/65) similar to that seen •M
 esserschmitt Bf-109B-2,
cockpit and on the fuselage that in the final days of the Second 6-36, 1.J/88, Oblt H. Harder,
is just not possible in injection World War on late mark G-6s. Spain September 1938

CONCLUSION
In the UK this kit will retail at just over
£25 which as it includes resin, etched
brass and vinyl masks as well as the
plastic makes it very good value for
money. The inclusion of a variable
pitch propeller on the sprues also
means that it is highly likely that
further versions will be released later
this year. Our sample is already on its
way to the USA, so a full build article
can be built by someone who knows
far more about the 109 than me.
Our thanks to Dora Wings for
supplying the review sample which
in the UK will be available from
Hannants by the time you read this.

44 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

 ACCESSORIES
Aviattic
I T
n just a few years
Aviattic has
established a
reputation for being
the one stop shop for
aftermarket World
War One accessories.
From meticulously
researched decals,
to some beautifully
cast detail sets,
as well as a range
of diorama accessories.
And if that was not enough
they also have a range of resin
figures that have been sculpted
by some of best in the business.
One of there latest releases
features a German pilot with his
hands on his hips and looking
quite aggressive. This is a one
piece casting so will just need
removing from the casting
blocks and wash in soapy water
before you can start painting.
The moulded detail is amazing
and my particular favourite is the
wool edging to the pilot’s jacket.
Which with careful painting
and a wash will really pop out.
Of course, the main issue for
most aircraft modellers like me is
actually painting the figure and
it is here that You Tube is your
friend as there are a number of
simple tutorials available that
even I have managed to get a good
result with. I especially like the
Noy’s Miniatures
T
he latest range of
bases from Noy’s
miniatures will be of
particular interest to English
modellers who like the Royal
Navy’s Fleet Air Arm.
HMS Glory was a Colossus Class
aircraft carrier constructed in 1942
and was assigned to duties in the
Far East after commissioning in
1945. Japan surrendered before
the ship could it started combat
operations, so HMS Glory is
best known for it’s three combat
deployments of the coast of
Korea between 1951 and 1953.
The new bases from Noy’s
Miniatures supply a section of HMS
Glory’s deck during its Korean
service so you can populate it with
Hawker Sea Fury and Fairey Firefly
in the scale of your choice. Less
fastidious types like me can use
this to display a large range of FAA
types from 1946 to the early 1960s.
46 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
Scale Aircraft Conversions
his month from SAC, we
have four new sets of
undercarriage legs in
varying scales and as usual are
cast in high quality white metal.
1/32 SCALE
Junkers D.1 Landing Gear
Kit number: 32133
Designed for: Wingnut Wings
Price: $16.95
ones produced by Games Workshop
using acrylic paints that work well.
And most cities have a branch of 1/48 SCALE
this war-gaming chain, which IDF F-CK-1C/D Landing Gear
sells all the paints you need. Kit number: 48356
Designed for: AFV Club
Price: $16.95
1/32 SCALE
ATTRES 031 WW1 German Pilot Standing
Hands on Hips 1/72 SCALE
Aero L-29 Delfin Landing Gear
Kit number: 72160
CONCLUSION
This pilot figure will feature
in a diorama currently under
construction using a number of
Aviatics airfield equipment and a Designed for: AMK
Wingnuts wings kit. And If all goes Price: $11.95
well this will feature in a future
issue of SAMi later this year.
Our thanks to Aviattic for 1/144 SCALE
supplying the review sample and if DC-8 Landing Gear (2 sets)
you have any interest in World war Kit number: 14428
One a visit to there web site at www. Designed for: Minicraft
aviattic.com is well worth the effort Price: $14.95
as there is lots to inspire in all scales..
1/144 SCALE
NMI44033 HMS GLORY DECK
KOREAN WAR:
Length: 14.8 cm / 5.83 inch; Width: 10.5
cm / 4.13 inch;
Printed on cardstock.
 
1/72 SCALE
NM7233 HMS GLORY DECK KOREAN
WAR:
Length: 31 cm / 12.2 inch; Width: 21.9
cm / 8.62 inch;
Printed on cardstock. CONCLUSION
  1/32 SCALE We are in a bit of a golden age for
NM3233 HMS GLORY DECK KOREAN modellers of the FAA of the 1950s with
1/48 SCALE WAR new tool kits of a number of important
NM4833 HMS GLORY DECK KOREAN A single 1/32 sheet as follows: types in all the major scales so many
WAR Length: 59.4 cm / 23.38 inch; Width: 420 will welcome these new bases.
Length: 39.5 cm / 15.55 inch; Width: 28 cm cm / 16.54 inch; Our thanks to Noy Pines for
/ 11.02 inch; Plotter-printed on heavy duty paper (Not supplying the review samples
Printed on cardstock. cardstock) which can be purchased in
  the UK from Hannants.

Eduard Brassin
T T
his month there has been
a lot of lovely detail
sets for the 1/72 scale
Eduard MiG-21MF, these
are looked at elsewhere in
this issue in the Preview
Plus of the ProfiPack kit.
Last month we looked
at the first Brassin sets for
the Tamiya 1/48 scale Bf 109G-
6 and I mentioned that I was
sure there would be more sets,
Eduard have not disappointed, the
cockpit and radio compartment
sets are works of art. As is the
engine and gun set for Eduard’s
own Fw190 also in 1/48 scale.
Eduard Brassin
1/72 SCALE
672 176 AGM-154C Block II
1/48 SCALE
648 389 BLU-27
648 404 Bf 109G-6 radio compartment
(for Tamiya kit)
648 405 Bf 109G-6 cockpit (for Tamiya
kit)
648 408 Fw190A-5 engine and fuselage
guns (for Eduard kit)
As usual these sets are
beautifully cast and
detailed and will really
enhance any kit they are
used on. All of these sets
are highly recommended!
My thanks to Eduard
for supplying these
samples for review
www.eduard.com
ACCESSORIES
Gaspatch Models
hough I have
been aware of
the Gaspatch
model rage and even
invested in one of their
HS 123 dive bomber
I had not paid much
attention to their
resin detail range.
On opening a small
well-packaged box a
loud thumping sound
was heard as my jaw
dropped to the floor. I
have never seen resin so
beautiful. Those were
my first thoughts when
we received a sample
from their Spandau Machine
Gun family in 1/32 scale.
Each Spandau is made up
from just four parts starting
with the amazing breech and
the jacket with it’s numerous
air holes beautifully cast as is
the small gun sight on top.
To this you add the
separate gun barrel, which
can clearly be seen through
the cooling holes. Finally,
we have the canvas gun belt
with each casing beautifully
reproduced and finally a
mounting lug is supplied for the 1/48 SCALE
underside. A small instruction Spandau early MG08
sheet shows clearly how the Spandau 08/15 Fokker Version
parts assemble as well as Spandau 08/15 Fokker Version with
some simple colour notes. extended loading handle
1/32 SCALE
Spandau early MG08
Spandau 08/15 Fokker Version
Spandau 08/15 Fokker Version with
extended loading handle
CONCLUSION
Honestly I do no know how
any manufacturer will be able
to produce a more realistic
Spandau than these in fact I
am not sure they will be able
to produce anything more
detailed. That was until I
found what was nesting at the
bottom of the box , but I will
save that for next month.
Visit www.gaspatchmodels.
com to see the full range which
feature guns from both Britain
and Germany in scale from
1/24 to 1/48th or if you are at
Telford in November you will
be able to see the full range
on the Gaspatch stand and we
thank them for supplying us
with review sample to review.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 47
 ACCESSORIES
Sparmax’s New Zeta airbrush compressor
W
e have just received
a sample of
Sparmax’s new Zeta
airbrush compressor and I
have to say I am impressed.
Most of us start airbrushing
using propellant cans but most will
quickly become convinced of the
need to upgrade to a compressor
due to the variations in air
pressure achieved by cans and of
course the quite high costs. I well
remember my first compressor
it was a real cheapy and proved
that you get exactly what you pay
for as it lasted less than a year.
Then I purchased my first
Sparmax compressor and that
one is still working well today
but will now be replaced by
the Zeta. And how things have
changed since my last Sparmax
compressor purchase as the Zeta
features two features that are
quite impressive. The compressor
itself is quite small measuring
L24cm X W14 and H21.5Ccm (9.4
X 5.5 X 8.5) and weighs just 4.6kg
(10Ibs). This is just the right size
sit on most work benched but
many will be like me and have it
on the floor next to the bench.
The On/Off switch is located
on top of the compressor and once
started you get a small thumping
noise (45db) but this is not loud
enough to drown out the radio
or television ( Or Kids/partner)
unlike my old compressor.
Now the big feature that I like is
the combined stand/water trap/ air
pressure gauge that you attach to the
edge of the workbench with a large
Glamp. The most obvious feature
is the airbrush hanger on which
you will rest your brush between
sessions, but this is so much more.
The airbrush hanger has a sensor
in its base which automatically
turns the compressor off while the
brush is resting and as soon as you
pick it up the compressor starts.
A bit like the auto start stop used
by modern car engines at traffic
lights. But that is not all you also
have the pressure gauge dial and
pressure control easily at hand.
So, no more scrabbling under the
bench for me, when I want to adjust
my pressure settings as it is all
immediately to hand. Finally, you
have a water trap to make sure that
your air is totally dry eliminating
the problem of moisture in your
paint which can spoil your hours
of work, especially when it is hot
and humid. Having the trap raised
up also means it is simple to empty
just press the button underneath
Everything you need to get
started is supplied in the box
including an anti-tangle hose with
the standard fitting used by most
airbrushes from Badger, Iwata,
Paasche, Neo, Sparmax but not
the Testor Aztec which is normally
supplied with an adaptor in its box!
CONCLUSION
If that time has come when you are
going to give up rattle cans or just
need to buy a new compressor this
Sparmax Zeta would be well worth
investing in and is currently available
for £199 from the Airbrush Companies
website www.airbrushes.com which
includes a 2-year guarantee. Or to put
it another way the Zeta costs the same
as 28 rattle cans of air about 3 years
modelling for the average modeller,
but this compressor should last a
lot lot longer as my first Sparmax is
still going strong fifteen years on.
Our thanks to the Airbrush
company for supplying the Sparmax
with the compressor working and Zeta for us to test and I am sure
any water will be blown out of the you will see it in many build
trap into a waiting cup or bowl. photographs over the next few years.
Eduard Löök
W
e first
came
across
this new Eduard
product line, at
the Nuremberg
Toy Fair earlier
this year. We have
now received the
first two sets for
review, unlike the
preview set, the
attendees of the

Eduard Mask Eduard Toy Fair

Press Conference
received, the For 1/32 scale
these instrument

T
hese mask sets are cut
from yellow tape and
are in my view pretty
essential for models with
canopies as I am hopeless at
cutting my own masks, so any
help is gratefully received.
1/48 SCALE
EX589 Ju 87B-2/R2 (for Airfix kit).
CONCLUSION
Just one mask set this month but as
the Stuka has far too many frame
lines this mask set, in my view, is a
pretty necessary purchase if you
are building this new kit from Airfix.
My thanks to Eduard for
supplying this sample for
review www.eduard.com.
production
version includes
the colour printed
resin instrument
panel and a set of Eduard Steel
seatbelts. The instrument
dials are glazed and the parts
are a direct replacement for the
kit parts, making these sets a
very simple drop in upgrade.
Eduard Löök
1/32 SCALE
634 001 P-51D-5 (for Revell kit)
634 002 F4U-1A (for Tamiya kit)
panels offer
a more
3-dimensional
option than a colour photo-
etched panel and I am sure as
more products are added to
the line this range will become
very popular offering as it
does, an easy to use upgrade
to your cockpit, with the added
bonus of a set of seatbelts.
My thanks to Eduard for
supplying these samples for
review www.eduard.com

48 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


CMK
W
ith perfect timing for
this issue that features
CMK’s sister company
Special Hobby’s Tempest Mk.V
we have a number of sets for
their Hawker Tempest family
which now covers the Sabre
engined Mark V and VI and the
Centaurus engined Mk.II. Later
on this year we should also see
the ultimate development of
the type the Hawker Sea Fury.
The CMK range of aftermarket
sets is divided into two ranges,
the standard range in yellow can
be multimedia or just resin sets.
This month we are concentrating
on their resin figures sets that
supply two pilot figures one
climbing into the cockpit and one
with the pilot seated. The second
set supplies an RAF mechanic and
is perfect if you are building your
model with the engine exposed.
The second range in Green
packets is the Quick and Easy
range which are simple drop
in replacements for the kit
parts with better detail than
their plastic equivalent.
CMK Standard Range (Yellow
Packet)
1/32 SCALE
F32 317 BRITISH TEMPEST PILOT
CLIMBING OUT OF COCKPIT
Designed for Special Hobby
F32 316 BRITISH TEMPEST PILOT
SITTING
Designed for Special Hobby
F32 340 BRITISH WWII TEMPEST
MECHANIC
Designed for and RAF 1940-50 Diorama
ACCESSORIES
Q32 275 TEMPEST MK.II/V/VI SQUARE
TREAD PATTERN MAINWHEELS
Designed for Special Hobby kits
CONCLUSION
CMK Quick and Easy Range The Green range offer some
(Green Packet) simple inexpensive upgrades for
the Tempest and certainly the
1/32 SCALE Tempest Mk.II/VI Cannon Barrels
Q32 238 TEMPEST MK.II/V SER. 2/ with wing and Mark V/VI Exhaust
MK.VI CANNON BARRELS WITH WING sets are ones that I would definitely
LEADING EDGE be adding to my purchase.
Designed for Special Hobby/Pacific Coast If you have any figure painting
kits skills adding one of these nicely
cast and detailed pilots from the
Q32 239 HAWKER TEMPEST MK.V/VI standard rage will certainly add a
EXHAUST SETS sense of scale to your model as well
Designed for Special Hobby kit as a point of interest to the viewer.
Our thanks to CMK for supplying
Q32 242 TEMPEST MK.II/V/VI MAIN the review sample which can be
WHEELS – LATE TYPE purchased from many specialist
Designed for Special Hobby/Pacific Coast stores, hobby stores and online
kits retailers around the world.
To be sure of future copies of Scale Aviation Modeller International,
fill in your details and hand this form to your newsagent
Please reserve/deliver* a copy of Scale Aviation Modeller International
on a regular basis, commencing with the .......................................... issue
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 ACCESSORIES
Lifecolour
J I
ust received from the
Airbrush Company is a
new type of weathering
product aimed specifically
at the aircraft modeller.
Lifecolor introduced the
liquid pigment range
for armour modellers
but have been gradually
expanding the range to
cover other subjects and one
of latest is a set designed
to emphasize details on
your aircraft model.
Basically, this range is
a pigment that have been
premixed into an acrylic carrier
liquid and can be applied by brush
or airbrush. Each of these sets
released to date supplies five
different colours and a separate
pot of pigment remover.
THE WINGS & FUSELAGE SET SUPPLIES
THE FOLLOWING COLOURS:
LPW 26 Black Liner, this set is best used
on very dark coloured airframe sand and
in areas we you need to represent exhaust
stains.
LPW27 Grey Liner, the one I have used
most to date as it gives a very nice effect
on most surfaces.
LPW28 Payne Grey Liner, great on lighter
blue colours.
LPW 29 Landing Gear Dust, a very light
tan colour.
LPW 30 Blue Burned Exhausts, a great
colour when used in conjunction with the
black liner.
All of these colours can be mixed together
to produce an almost infinite variety of
shades of the base colours.
Application is so simple and easy as can
be seen on Lifecolour’s YouTube channel
were this set is used to realistically
weather a PZL-23.
Eduard Photo-Etch
O
ne set this
month for the
new Airfix 1/48
scale Stuka, which
has the same colour
photo-etch for the
cockpit as the Zoom
set has but with the addition
of some extra detail for the
exterior. However, you will
still need to purchase the Zoom
set seatbelts separately.
1/48 SCALE
49894 Ju 87B-2/R2 (for Airfix kit)
50 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
Yahu
almost always
find something
in a batch of
Yahu releases that
makes me think about
building a kit in my
stash. But this month
I had actually just
started HK Models
new 1/32 scale B-17
Flying Fortress when
a small packet contained a 1/48 SCALE
wonderful prefinished set, MIL MI-2 INSTRUMENT PANEL &
that I think is a must have for SEATBELTS
anyone building this beast of Product number: YMA4865
a kit. Even better it has also
Basically you apply some water to your been released in 1/72 scale for
painted model and then flow the pigment in the Airfix B-17 which will of 1/32 SCALE
and around the detail. As it dries you will find course be much more practical BOEING B-17E/F FLYING FORTRESS
the unsightly carrier liquid will just disappear. size for most modellers. INSTRUMENT PANEL
You can then lightly moisten a cotton bud Product number: YMA3222
with water to remove any excess and if the
pigment has set just a small amount of the 1/72 SCALE
remover can take off a small amount or take WW2 SEATBELTS-LUFTWAFFE CONCLUSION
the pigment away completely. Product number: YMS7213 Though the B-17 sets were the star of
the show for me all of the other sets
MESSERSCHMITT ME163B-0 are equally well produced and the Mil
CONCLUSION INSTRUMENT PANEL MI-2 set that includes the seatbelts
I have only been playing with sets for Product number: YMA73003 is very good value for money.
a few days and I am very impressed, Our thanks to Yahu
the only thing that I have found BOEING B-17 FLYING FORTRESS for supplying us with the
is that the remover can take off INSTRUMENT PANEL samples, which are available
Tamiya paint if it has not had a coat Product number: YMA7304 from Hannants in the UK.
of varnish but that is the only paint
I have found so far that is effected.
Even with my relative inexperience
with the product I am really looking
forward to trying to obtain a heavily
weathered finish on my next big project.
Our thanks to the Airbrush
Eduard Zoom
I
company for supplying the review must admit to being a bit of a
sample which can be ordered from fan of the Eduard Zoom sets,
their website at www.airbrushes.com as they give you just that
while you can view the full range of little bit of extra detail and do not
Lifecolour how to videos by typing require to much fiddly folding. If
Lifecolour into You Tube’s search bar. you are new to using photo-etch
then these Zoom sets are a really
good starting point. The extra
detail the Zoom sets provide
for Stuka will be very visible
through the large ‘greenhouse’
canopy this type has.
1/48 SCALE
FE894 Ju 87B-2/R2 cockpit (for Airfix kit)
FE895 Ju 87B-2/R2 seatbelts Steel (for
Airfix kit)
FE896 A-26B cockpit (for Revell kit)
If you have the Airfix Stuka These Zoom sets as I say
and you want that little bit of are an ideal introduction to
extra detail for the exterior photo-etch, but if you do want
of your model, then this to add more detail Eduard
will be the set to go for. can help you there with their
My thanks to Eduard for more detailed phot-etch sets.
supplying these samples for My thanks to Eduard for
review www.eduard.com supplying these samples for
review www.eduard.com

Pliers and Cutters
T
his month we are taking
a quick look at the Shesto
range of pliers and cutters.
As modellers it is always a good
idea to have a selection of good
quality tools, Shesto offer a
good selection of tools to suit all
budgets. If you are just starting
out a pair of sprue cutters is an
essential purchase and over time
you can add to your tool kit with
various shaped pliers which I
find certainly come in handy!
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 51
ACCESSORIES
PRODUCT OF
THE MONTH
BOX JOINT PLIERS & CUTTERS:
• Precise
• Comfortable inbuilt spring
These are quality stainless steel pliers and
cutters, the box join construction means
that they will never get loose and develop
wobbles, but they will continue to open
and close smoothly.
HOBBY PLIERS & CUTTERS:
• Great choice for modellers
• Comfortable inbuilt spring
These are an ideal starting point if you are
just getting into model making making and
will give you many years of use.
SLIM LINE BOX JOINT PLIERS AND
CUTTERS:
• Delicate tasks
• Accuracy
This range as the precision of the box joint
construction with the added bonus of a
slimmer point on the pliers. This makes
these a great choice if your modelling
project requires the careful and precise
bending of photo-etch parts or wire.
COMBINATION BOX JOINT PLIERS:
• Never develop loosened or wobble
• Great quality
These have the same construction style as
the slimline range but offer some different
styles of pliers suitable for bending metal
or wire into more complex curves and
round shapes.
VALUE RANGE:
• Good value for money
• Inbuilt spring
The value range offers a more general
purpose set of pliers and cutters, including
sedated tip pliers. Whilst some of the tools
in the value range could be used for model
making, it would be best if you can to save
up for some of the precision sets and keep
the value set for those little DIY jobs that
need doing. This way you won’t ruin your
good pliers and cutters fitting new plugs!
(Ask me how I know).
For more information on this and
other products
go to the Shesto website
www.shesto.com
or contact them directly via email at
sales@shesto.co.uk or telephone
0208 451 6188
 DECALS
Model Maker Decals
O
ne of the latest sheets from
Model Maker Decxals of
Poland available in 1/48 and
1/72 scale covers the Mig-29M (
Modernised) and UBM flown by the
1st aviation Squadron. Over the last
few years this squadron has been
paintings its aircraft with tail and
fuselage art work commemorating
the pilots of 303 Squadron
(Polish) who flew Hurricanes,
Spitfires and finally Mustangs
during the Second World War.
Eachj aircraft has a picture
of the pilot painted in black and
greys on the inside of tail fins plus
a large representation of the 303
squadron badge painted across
the top of the fuselage normally
in grey but one option on this
sheet has this in full colour
Euro Decal by Fantasy Printshop
T
he latest release t from
Euro Decals supplies a
selection of US National
insignia, aircraft stencils and
warning markings and Navy and
Marine titles. A really usedul
52 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
The instructions come on six
A4 sheets and leave you in no doubt
where everything goes and what
colours to use. However no stencils are
supplied, but Modelmaker also have
this covered with a separate sheet that
supplies over 280 images to supply
every stencil seen on the airframe!
1/72 SCALE
MM72087 MIG-29 HEROES OF
KOSCIUSZKO NEW PAINT SCHEMES
PART 1
•M
 ig-29M, Number 38, 23rd Tactical
Air Base , Tail art work F/Lt Wojciech
Januzewicz.
•M
 ig-29M, Number 56, 23rd Tactical Air
Base , Tail art work W/Cdr Marian Pisarek,
Full colour fuselage badge
•M
 ig-29UBM, Number 42, 23rd Tactical Air
generic set I first thought but if you
look closer you will see that you
also have an individual markings
sections. This includes national
insignia and where needed intake
markings for a diverse range of
Base , Tail art work Col Cedric Fauntleroy
•M
 ig-29UBM, Number 28, 23rd Tactical
Air Base , Tail art work Lt Col Gustaw
Sidorowicz
MM72091 POLISH MIG-29 STENCILS OLD
AND NEW SCHEME
1/48 SCALE
MM48087 MIG-29 HEROES OF
KOSCIUSZKO NEW PAINT SCHEMES
PART 1
As listed above in 1/72 Scale
MM48091 POLISH MIG-29 STENCILS
OLD AND NEW SCHEME
As listed above in 1/72 Scale
CONCLUSION
These sheet offers a perfect solution
to building a Mig-29 with a very
types finished in grey. The aircraft
in this section are F/A-18 Hornet,
F-014 Tomcat, AV-8B Harrier II,
F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15C Eagle,
A-4 Skyhawk, F-117A, V-22 Osprey,
MH-60 Seahawk, F-16 Falcon
and finally C-130 Hercules.
1/72 SCALE
ED72114 USN/USMC/US AIR FORCE
LOW-VIZ INSIGNIA AND DATA
1/48 SCALE
ED48114 USN/USMC/US AIR FORCE
LOW-VIZ INSIGNIA AND DATA
CONCLUSION
This type of set are very useful to
replace some of the decals in kits
from the far east which tend to be
attractive scheme though I would
have to build two to show off that
full colour bage and a UM with the
low viz version. Until a few weeks
ago there was a small fly in the
ointment as for both scales you really
need the Polish Mig-29 upgrade
set that Attack Squadron produced
(72100/48050) but this manufacturer
had ceased production of its range.
Fortunately we heard as this issue
went to the press that the mouldings
have been sold on and should be
reissued at some point in the near
future by SBS Models of Hungary
along with the rest of the range..
Our thanks to Model Maker
Decals, for supplying these decals for
review. You can see the full range at
www.ModelMaker.com.pl, and most
of the Model Maker range is now
being stocked by Hannants in the UK.
thicker and more prone to silvering
spoiling the look of your model.
These new additions to the
range Euro Decals are available
now from www.fantasyprintshop.
co.uk and our thanks to Ray
Horwell for bringing these
new items to our attention.

Decales Global
T
his month we have a
selections of Boeing
airliners operated
by various airliners from
around the world with one
thing in common I have
never heard of any of them!
One thing to note is that
the decals in this sheet come
with an overall carrier film
and you need to trim the decals
from the carrier sheet close
to the printed image before
applying them to your model.
Begemot
A
nother new sheet from
Begemot for current
Russian hardware, this
time the humped spine Mig 29SMT.
This variant was not a success
with the order from Algeria
DECALS
1/144 SCALE CONCLUSION years no matter how small.
DG141257 TAESA BOEING 737-300 Another interesting selection To order these decals visit
DG14147 CANJET BOEING 737-200 of schemes that confirm Decales www.joydecals.com and we
DG14982 SAT BOEING 737-200 Global seem to be trying to thank Greg Joy for supplying
DG14869 AIR HORIZONS 757-200 produce decal for every airline the review samples.
existing over the last 20-30
being cancelled when only half
of the order had been delivered.
These were returned to Russia
and with the rest of order were
assigned 14th Fighter Regiment.
So it is not really surprising that
we only have 12 decal options,
though the decal sheet still has
over 300 individual images.
1/72 SCALE
•M
 iG-29SMT prototype, Bort 777,
Dubai Airshow, 2005
•M
 iG-29SMT prototype, Bort 777,
MAKS 2009 Airshow
•M
 iG-29SMT prototype, Bort 777, •M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 21, 116th Center of CONCLUSION
MAKS 2015 Airshow Combat Employment, Astrakhan AB, Though not a major success,
•M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 23, 929th Main 2016 the Mig-29SMT certainly has a
Flight Research Center, Akhtubinsk •M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 22, 929th Main Flight distinctive shape that makes it
AB, 2009 Research Center, Akhtubinsk AB, 2009 stand out in a line up of Fulcram’s.
•M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 23, 929th Main •M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 20, 968th IISAP, In the UK the Begemot range
Flight Research Center, Akhtubinsk Lipetsk, 2010 is available from Hannants
AB, 2016 •M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 11, 14 IAP, Kursk AB, and I thank Begemot for
•M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 05, 6963rd 2009 supplying us with
Aviation Base, Kursk AB, 2010 •M
 iG-29SMT, FC-14, 3rd Fighter Wing, the review sample.
•M
 iG-29SMT, Bort 05, 7000th Buspher AB, Algerian AF, 2006
Aviation Base, Kursk AB, 2013
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 53
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 KIT REVIEWS
Cessna TO-1D Bird Dog
Miniwing Cessna TO-1D Bird Dog in 1/144th scale by Robert Podkoński
TYPE: Cessna TO-1D Bird Dog
MANUFACTURER: Miniwing
KIT NO: mini301
SCALE: 1/144
PARTS: 14 clear polystyrene
TYPE: Short Run
DECAL OPTIONS: 1 (seven different
packagings)
T
he Cessna L-19/O-1
Bird Dog multipurpose
aircraft, was a militarised
development of the Cessna
170 lightweight, high-wing
monoplane. The greatest
difference from the latter type was
that the Bird Dogs had only two
seats in a tandem configuration.
Introduced in 1950, Cessna
L-19/O-1 saw action both in Korean
and Vietnam wars, and apart from
United States Army, Marines and
Air Forces, the type was used by
more than 20 other nations.
The last U.S. Army O-1 Bird Dog
was officially retired in 1974.
This new model of this small
but notable aircraft was the first
foray into polystyrene moulding of
the Czech manufacturer Miniwing.
This kit consists of only 14 clear
polystyrene parts on one runner,
packed into string-bag together
with vinyl pre-cut masks, a decal
sheet and instructions. The bag
is secured to a cardboard leaflet,
presenting the actual painting
scheme of the model. Miniwing’s
offers no less than seven different
boxings of this kit including U.S.
Army and USAF machines and
some more exotic ones, like JSDGF,
56 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
Thai or Chilean Bird Dogs. Each
package contains the same set of
parts and masks, differing only in
the decal sheet included. The one I
got for this review is the first in the
series, depicting the high-visibility
orange painted aircraft, used by
U.S. Army in Alaska for instrument
training purposes. The parts are
cleanly moulded, panel lines are
recessed and well-defined (being
much oversized for the scale, but
one can live with that). More on
vinyl masks and decals later.
CONSTRUCTION
The construction of course starts
with a cockpit, and in this case,
the only part that goes inside
the fuselage is a pilot’s seat.
There should be two of them, in
fact, but if you will look at the
photographs the second one was
usually barely visible or removed
entirely. Scratch-building of
the second seat as well as some
representations of the instrument
panels and control sticks should not
be difficult, however, even though
the parts of the model are thin
and transparent, almost nothing
would be visible after painting the
model. So any detailing is entirely
up to you. The pilot’s seat can be
added to the cockpit after gluing
together the fuselage sides. There
are no locating pins, but this is not
an issue as the fit is perfect and
the parts are tiny. Probably due to
my too enthusiastic cleaning up I
needed to use a bit of Tamiya putty
on the wing-fuselage joint line this
was the only filler used on the kit.
As the clear polystyrene is
usually more brittle than the
ordinary plastic I recommend using
a razor-saw to cut all the parts off
the sprue rather than cutters. Once
the main parts are together parts
I sanded the joints before adding
the pre-cut vinyl masks to cover
transparencies. The masks fit
perfectly, but being so small they
are a bit stiff and the adhesive does
not keep some of them in place
well enough (especially the ones
covering the complex curvatures
of the windscreen). Nevertheless,
these are a welcome addition, as
I presume cutting such masks by
myself next to impossible. (You
could attach the vinyal mask to
some Tamiya tape and then use
them as a template though in this
scale that may be a challenge!).
I now applied an overall coat of
Mr.Hobby grey primer/surfacer
from a spray can and after sanding
afew imperfections that were
now visible I could move on.
PAINTING AND DECALS
The specific painting scheme
could not be simpler: overall
orange with black anti-glare panel
on the engine cover and silver
undercarriage legs. I started by
painting the whole airframe with
Tamiya Orange (TS-12) and then
started decalling. The decals
are thin and in register, but a bit
transparent, especially the white of
the national insignia. They respond
very quickly after dipping in water
and conform perfectly to the
underlying surfaces with just a drop
of decal softening fluid. I sealed the
decals with a coat of transparent
lacquer. Next, I masked off the

anti-glare panel and painted it Tamiya Rubber
Black TS-82, as this gives a better scale effect
than pure black before removing all the masks.
I now hand painted the undercarriage legs
Aluminium and added the wing struts which
I had already primed and painted in Tamiya
Orange. These are perhaps a bit too thick for
the scale, but look good enough to me and
needed no trimming. The wheels are designed
in such a way that one does not need to adjust
the angle, so attaching them was no problem.
Finally, I decided to add some “extras”.
Starting with the exhaust pipes made from
pieces of 0,5 mm diameter hypodermic needle,
and a black blister on the spine painted with
a sharpened toothpick and thick black paint,
and an aerial made from Uschi van den
Rosten black fine elastic thread. The above-
mentioned well-defined panel lines need no
KIT REVIEWS
accentuating, so I painted only some exhaust
stains with Tamiya Smoke. The last piece to
be attached was a propeller, painted black
and silver, and my model was finished.
, 1 :4 8
0 3 9 4 3 e a u fi g h te r T F .X
CONCLUSION B r is to l B
Building this model took me around four days
(mainly because I wanted the primer and paints
to dry thoroughly) and I must admit it gave me a
lot of pleasure. I know that it has its innaccuracies
like the overscale panel lines but in my opinion
these are inevitable in this scale. It is a nice and
welcome addition to the collection of more famous
or better recognized military airplanes in 1/144th
scale. This kit is so good I would recommend
it for a beginner, assuming she/he has a good
eyesight (or a good, adjustable magnifying
glass, like me! ) and a set of good tweezers.
I would like to thank Miniwang and
ways’
the Editor for giving me the chance of 03922
0 ‘B r it is h A ir
adding this model to my collection. A 3 8 0 -8 0
1 :2 7 0 0
06719 ta r D e s tr o y e r ,
Im p e r ia l S
Available from all good model
stockists and online from
Visit our website
W W W. R E V E L L . D E / E N Social icon
Rounded square
Only use blue and/or white.
facebook.com/Revell @RevellUK
For more details check out our
Brand Guidelines.
Revell GmbH, Unit 10, Tring HP23 4QR
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Email: ukbranch@revell.de
Trade enquiries welcome
 KIT REVIEWS
Sikorsky H03S-1
AMP 1/48 Sikorsky H03S-1 by Jon Howes
MANUFACTURER: AMP
SCALE: 1/48
TYPE: New Tool, Injection Moulded
DECAL OPTIONS : 4 Decal options all US
Navy/Marines
PARTS: 70 plastic parts and 15 etched

T
he Sikorsky H03S-1 is a
variation of the Sikorsky
H-5, one of the first
helicopter designed by the Russian
born engineer Igor Sikorsky in
the United state. Igor Sikorsky,
a name helicopter enthusiasts
will have heard a great deal about
with the company producing
helicopters in his name even to
this date. The H-5 replace the R-4
helicopter which was the only
allied helicopter to see action
in WWII and was the second
helicopter to be mass produced by
the United States and also build
by the British under licence and
named the Westland Dragonfly.
I wasn’t too familiar with the to thank Constantine from AMP control panel, which is a two-part control panel, the cockpit detail is
brand AMP, but after my research, for sourcing the clear sprue for plastic assembly to which you add very sparse so if someone wants
I believe they are a sister company me, as mine was missing on the etched brass and a piece of film more detail then scratch building
to MikroMir who produce limited review sample. The clear parts which supplies the instrument would be required. The cockpit floor
run kits. So I decided to challenge were OK, a little misty and you dials. The panel was painted was painted interior grey and then
myself and take on this review could dip them into some Johnsons interior grey and I then moved the seats and panel were attached,
sample to see how it went. On Klear if you have some, but I onto the pilot and passenger seats. along with the control stick.
opening the small flimsy box, it decided to go with what we had. These are straightforward build Due to the number of windows
is obvious that this will not take and once assembled are painted required the cockpit and cabin of
too long, with the low part count black. Etched seat harnesses are the aircraft are sealed inside two
of around 70 parts and a small THE BUILD provided but I decided to use some large clear fuselage parts. This was
etched fret which adds some Construction starts with the spare Eduard pre painted ones from quite tricky as AMP did their best to
nice detail to the kit. I do need interior cockpit starting with the the spares box. Apart from the add location pins to assist with this,

58 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


but the pins seemed to be a little
out of alignment. So the best thing
to do is to remove the male pin
and self align with the assistance
of plastic card strips. Once these
where safely constructed the
canopy at the front of the aircraft
was attached. AMP does provide
some vinyl masks, which were not
too bad to be honest, the fit and
placement is simple, but removing
them at the end was difficult. One
interesting stage of the build which
was quite hard to get right was
the two windows directly above
the pilot, first there was no mask
provided here and also there was
no framing to indicate the location
instead AMP provide two very fine
etched parts which represented the
frame of the window and both are
extremely fragile. These needed
“THIS IS A LIMITED RUN KIT
AND AS A RESULT IT IS NOT THAT
STRAIGHTFORWARD A BUILD”
to be carefully placed to make sure
they are symmetrical on both sides
while at the same time avoiding the
super glue damaging the clear areas
of the window, a very tricky stage!
The rear fuselage and tail
boom was made up of two halves
which required attaching together,
again the location pins were there,
but it was still a case to remove
these and use plastic card tabs to
assist alignment before attaching
the tail boom to the fuselage.
I now added the landing gear
assembly excluding the wheel to the
aircraft, again there was the same
issue with locations not aligning
with the inserts on the external
parts of the aircraft, which seemed
to be becoming a theme of the kit.
It felt like AMP where trying their
best to turn a limited run kit into a
mainstream kit but unfortunately
this caused a few issues. Once
this stage was completed it
was time to get painting.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 59
KIT REVIEWS
PAINTING AND DECALING
First of all, I went around all the
joints cleaning up any flash left
over and filling gaps with perfect
plastic putty. I then used Tamiya
XF-19 sky grey as a primer and
gave the kit a full covering, as this
was also the interior colour and
would be visible through the clear
fuselage. Once dry I now applied
Tamiya XF-3 yellow on the small
warning area at on tail. This was
then masked and the whole aircraft
was sprayed with Tamiya XF-17
Sea Blue. Once dry I used my usual
Tamiya X-22 clear for my gloss coat
and then left it to dry for 24 hours.
During this time I worked on
the tail and rotor blade. The rotor
mast consists of a mix of plastic
and etched parts. Unusually for
a helicopter model the rotor and
 KIT REVIEWS
tail need to be fixed in place and
are not able to rotate. I painting
the finished rotors titanium silver
and metallic grey and sealed
it all in with my usual gloss.
With all the varnish cost
fully dry I could apply the decals.
60 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
These are very thin and delicate
but settled down fantastically
though, great care is needed not
to break any, as you manoeuvre
them into position (I did once).
The only issue with the decal
stage is that the instructions only
provide a port side view, so I had
to use Google to find images of
the starboard side to work out the
decal placement. There is also
not enough stencil data provided
according to the instructions, as an
example, there was a requirement
of four decals of the word “Step”
in white, yet only two provided.
Once the decals had been given
time to settle and cleaned up, the kit
was given a good spray of X-35 semi
gloss finish before the rotor and
tail rotor were attached in place.
Unfortunately, I had a slight
issue with the tail rotor as a part
sprung off and the carpet monster
had it never to be seen again.
I now added the small winch,
wheels before removing the masks
and my kit was completed.
CONCLUSION
This is a limited run kit and as a
result it is not that straightforward
a build, even with the small part
count. There are several fragile
areas of the kit and even now, when
handling the kit it feels liked it could
break. There is certainly scope for
scratch building that cockpit and
cabin if you wanted to leave any
doors open. I enjoyed the challenge
of the kit and is the only 1/48 kit of
its kind I would recommend this kit
to anyone with an interest in the
type, but be prepared for a little
work before you put it on the shelf.
My thanks to AMP for supplying
the review sample which in the UK
can be purchased from Hannants.
 THE DOUGLAS A-4

orde
SKYHAWK

r now
A COM P REHENSI VE GUI DE
MDF 31
US Navy, US Marine Corps and Foreign Versions
SKYHAWK
£24.99
+ P&P

By Andy Evans

T
he A4D/A-4 Skyhawk is without doubt
one of the more successful military aircraft
of the post-War era. It entered service with
the US Navy in late 1956 and served with distinction for
many years, bearing much of the early action in carrier-based
strikes against North Vietnam during the 1960s. The Skyhawk was
in continuous production for over twenty-seven years, and although the A-4
is no longer serving with the US Navy and US Marine Corps, a few
examples are still operational in foreign hands, and private defence
Modellers Datafile • 31

contractors. Douglas built 2,960 Skyhawks between 1954 and 1979, THE DOUGLAS A-4
and this small yet effective aircraft packed a mighty punch and these
lightweight, high-speed bombers was affectionately nicknamed
SKYHAWK A CO MPREH EN SI VE GUI DE
by Andy Evans

‘Heinemann’s Hot Rod’, the ‘Bantam Bomber’ and ‘Scooter’. Upgraded

models had improved engines and a drogue parachute, new avionics used by the armed forces of Australia, Kuwait, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia
THE DOUGLAS A-4 SKYHAWK

displays, larger cockpit canopies and more ammunition for the two and New Zealand. An additional role undertaken by the Skyhawk was that
cannons, and the two-seat trainer versions included the TA-4F and of ‘aggressor aircraft’. During the Vietnam War, it was found that the air-
TA-4J series. As noted, its combat career began with the first American to-air kill ratio against North Vietnamese fighter aircraft was too low. In an
carrier-launched raids on North Vietnam, August 4, 1964, and during attempt to improve this, the Navy Fighter Weapons School - better known
Israel’s Yom Kippur war in 1973, Israeli Air Force Skyhawks provided as ‘Top Gun’ - designed to train pilots against Soviet-bloc aircraft, adopted
much of the short-range striking power on the Sinai and Golan the Skyhawk and when its avionics and weapons systems were stripped out
Heights fronts. Skyhawks were also in action against British forces it proved to be an extremely agile aircraft, and one which could simulate
SAM Publications

during the 1982 Falkland’s conflict, where they paid a heavy price M DF
31
SKYHAWK
the performance characteristics of the MiG-17. The A-4 Skyhawk remains
against the Sea Harrier. The Navy’s ‘Blue Angels’ flight demonstration one the iconic designs of the Cold War era, and its history and operations are
team flew the Skyhawk from 1974 to 1986, and Skyhawks were also Cover: Illustration Purposes Only celebrated in these pages of this new Datafile from SAM Publications.
000-CoverFront-MDF-OUTPUT-FRONT_MDF31-Cover.Skyhawk.indd 1 06/07/2018 13:45

M DF
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 KIT REVIEWS
Iskra TS-11
Arma Hobby 1/72 Iskra TS-11 Bis DF by Carmel J Attard
MANUFACTURER: Arma Hobby
SCALE: 1/72
KIT NO: 70004
LEVEL: Junior set
TYPE: Injection moulded
PARTS: 55
DECAL OPTION: one

T
he TS-11 Iskra (Spark)
made its maiden flight
on 5th February 1960
to become the main jet trainer
for the Polish Air Force. It came
second to the Czech L-29 Delfin
in the competition to find a new
trainer jet for the then Warsaw
Pact nations. Poland decided
to continue with development
and production of the Iskra
to meet its requirements and
it is still flying today. Design
of the Iskra is conventional
with two seats in tandem
and a 2,2050 Lb st nationally
developed SO-1 turbojet.

THE KIT
The kit represents an Iskra 100,
which is armed with a 23mm gun in
the nose and four underwing racks
for bombs or rockets. It is injection
moulded in light grey styrene on
two trees containing 51 parts and
another with three canopy parts
and a landing light item. 12-page
instructions contain parts plan,
twelve stages of construction,
colour callout in FS numbers and
the box art on one side and 4-plan
views on the other and very suitable
for reference for decal placement.
The kit supplies markings for one
Polish example in an overall metal
finish with a medium grey anti glare
area ahead of the canopy. Being a
junior set this boxing contains no
resin or brass etch parts and the
bi-lingual instructions contain
detail clear assembly diagrams.
I have previously made
models of the Iskra from two
other manufacturers but the
new Arma Hobby kit is easily
the best kit of this type. With
dimensions and profile that appear
perfectly rendered and having
panel lines finely recessed.
Before starting assembly, the
cockpit detailed side consoles,
which are integrally moulded with
the floor, are first painted in dark
ghost grey and the instrument area
in black with white dial detail. The
cockpit is then assembled having
rudder pedals, two control columns
and the instrument panels, which were added to the lower fuselage.
are all glued in place along with a I am surprised that Arma
front and rear bulkhead. The front added so much detail to the
bulkhead required a small amount landing gear and main wheel
of trimming from the sides in order wells. You also have the option to
to allow the fuselage halves to pose the wheels retracted though
close. The delicate fuselage interior I presume some filler may be
ribbing on sides was given a light needed to the wheel well doors.
wash to enhance the detail. I also The canopy needs just a little
added a crew figure to the forward adjustment to get the best fit and
seat which came from my spares all that was needed now was to
box. I also decided to add some nose mask the crystal clear canopy
weight to the practically empty and the wheel wells before first
nose compartment to prevent any spraying the anti glare panel in
chance of tail siting. I shaped a medium grey and the rest of the
piece of plastic card to a semi oval model being sprayed with Humbrol
shape which was used to form the Acrylic Spray AD600 metallic silver.
roof of the nose wheel well and hide Allowing the silver to set for six
the nose weight that I added in the hours, then all the masking was
upper nose section. removed except that on the canopy.
Having closed the Decals were applied which proved to
fuselage I then turned be a flawless process and the model
to the wings. A little was airbrushed in Alclad 2 clear
sanding was needed light sheen overall. Canopy masking
on the lower wing so was finally removed to reveal a
that it fits flush with well-defined canopy framing.
the upper wing parts.
One thing to watch
out for are the pitot CONCLUSION
tubes moulded to the A small, simple kit to assemble,
tips of upper wing that leaves you with an impressive
parts and therefore model of which encourages me to
care is needed during have a go at producing the upgraded
assembly to protect version in two-tone grey camouflage
these although these Iskra that Arma have also released.
are quite stout. After Thank to Arma for giving me the
the wings slotted into opportunity to build this fine model.
place then there were
a few antennas that

62 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

 TEMPEST MK. V
1/32 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
IVAN TAYLOR
A Tempting
TEMPEST Special Hobby 1/32 Tempest MK. V by Ivan Taylor
W
hen I was given the
chance to build this kit
for SAMI, I was more
than happy to oblige, because I had
heard many amazing things about
it and its accurate representation
of the Hawker Tempest MK.V.
The kit does not disappoint.
Upon opening the box, you are
greeted with one large bag of
sprues, a box of CMK resin, a
beautifully printed instruction
book, and some of the most
beautiful decals I have ever seen.
It has to be said, however, that the
instructions are very busy; maybe a
few more steps to break up the busy
images would have been helpful.
This was always going to be
a labour of love and the build
should be appreciated for what
64 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
it is. Kits like these are the ones
that make you a better and
more experienced modeller.
THE COCKPIT
Like most aircraft kits, I started
with the cockpit. This is a metal
frame surrounded by fuselage
walls, which is very well replicated
by Special Hobby, with plastic
framing that looks accurate to
scale. However, every single part
needs cleaning of mould lines and
rather large sprue gates: but we are
modellers, and this is what we do.
The cockpit is a mix of different
media, including plastic, resin,
and photo-etch; with this mix
you are going to get a beautifully
detailed cockpit compartment.

But I wanted to be as accurate as
possible, so to add some extra
detail I also added some very fine
copper wire to the framing of the
cockpit. This was the cherry on top
of an already fantastic cockpit.
The cockpit was given its
distinctive late-war two-tone
colours with Mr. Colour 364 Aircraft
Grey Green and Tire Black. To
make all the detail pop I added a
wash of Mig Enamel Dark Wash,
and with some dry-brushing
and fine detail painting most
of the cockpit was complete.
This kit comes with a plastic seat
and a resin seat, and the decision
was not a hard one to make. The
level of detail on the CMK seat is
astonishing, and with the HGW
belts it is a match made in heaven.
THE ENGINE
Let’s talk about the CMK engine. I
have never seen a more exquisite
looking piece of resin in my
life. The level of detail is out of
this world and it would be any
modeller’s dream to build it.
When I was asked to do this
model, I was fully aware of the
hard work that was going to come
with the CMK resin engine. The
Napier Sabre engine was one of
the most complex engines that
the RAF had, up until the jet era.
There were tubing, wires, and
piping running all over the place,
displaying an air of pure power.
The engine in the kit is a kit
within itself; with nearly 43 parts,
it alone would make a stunning
display piece on its own. However,
the front half of the fuselage is
separate (for the different versions
of the Hawker Tempest), which
makes the necessary plastic
surgery much more convenient.
This was a step that I wanted
to make sure was as close to
perfect-fitting as possible.
With a fine JLC razor saw I began
to cut from the exhaust cut-out. I
removed the plastic engine covers
and replaced them with resin
covers, which gave me an aid as
to where to cut the plastic on the
forward fuselage. Special Hobby
uses a very thick, hard plastic, so it
certainly put the saw to the test.
Once the cut-out had been made
for the resin engine, the plastic
sidewall where the engine would
go was far too thick and would
have been hugely over scale for the
model, so the walls of the engine
bay needed to be thinned down.
I used the wonderful Ultimate
Modelling Products sanders to
do this and chamfered the panel
edges with the same tools.
The only time I had even
the slightest fit issue with
the engine was its bulkhead.
Because the fuselage curvature
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 65
1/32
needed to be thinned down
considerably, I needed to ensure
that the inner arc of the fuselage
retained the correct curve.
In terms of painting, it’s hard
when looking for reference material
for accurate painting schemes,
as you may stumble upon some
inaccurate restorations. But luckily
for painting the engine, SAM
Magazines’ Facebook page shared
one of the best references for this
engine on the internet. With lots
of tiny pieces of resin surrounding
the engine, I wanted to make every
piece stand out, which I achieved
by painting with an abundance of
different paints. Gloss, matt, and
satin blacks were used to show
the different types of tubing and
wires, as some were a heavy-duty
rubber and some metal. All the
 metal parts that you see on the
engine have been hand-painted
using AK extreme enamels, and
then washed over with the AK
Engine and Turbines wash from
their engine weathering set. The
resin exhausts are a beautiful
addition to the kit, and I painted
these with a base coat of red brown,
then added some slight chipping
with a lighter version of the same
paint. I went over the exhaust
stacks with a thinned-down black
acrylic wash to give them a sooty
look. The wash needed to be thin
enough not to paint the exhaust,
but have enough bite to stain.
Once I was happy with the
engine, the engine compartment
and cover rail were also painted
in the grey-green colour
and given a dark wash.
66 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
WINGS AND FUSELAGE
The fuselage halves went together
with no issue, but sadly the same
cannot be said for the wing-to-
fuselage joining. When first test-
fitting you notice that the fuselage
and wings join seamlessly, but the
multi-part landing gear bay caused
some interference. The wheel
bays sit below the cockpit, but the
cockpit framing sits too low in the
fuselage and causes some major
interference with the wheel wells.
There is no way around this
issue without the removal of a
large majority of the lower cockpit
area, which turned out to be
not really an issue as it cannot
be seen once the cockpit and
fuselage are closed together.
With the moulding of the
Tempest being made to produce
different versions, the wings
have some panels that need to be
placed on the leading edges of the
wings near the wing root. Many,
myself included, have asked the
question, “What is the point?”
The answer is that the Tempest
MK.VI and MK. II had air intakes
on the wings for cooling, and
Special Hobby designed this kit
with these other versions in mind.
With the fuselage and wing join
now fitting (after the removal of
some protruding cockpit), there
was one noticeable area that needed
to be dealt with is the underside
of the fuselage wing join. This is
something that is common in the
design on many aircraft kits, so
it’s not something that Special
Hobby can be criticised for.
Re-scribing and re-riveting is

something that you will have to do
on this kit; there is no avoiding it
after the amount of sanding you
will have to do on most of the wing
and fuselage. For re-scribing I use
Funtec scribers, sold by Ultimate
Modelling Products. These produce
a very clean panel line and are
very easy to use, plus they come in
every possible size you will need.
A large amount of sprue glue
was needed on the underside
wing join, as there was a gap that
was 1mm wide. This was packed
with plastic, cut to shape, and
sprue glued over. Sprue glue will
be a very good friend of yours in
the construction of this kit.
CLEAR PARTS
There is not a whole lot to say about
the very small sprue of clear parts,
except that they are some of the
most crystal-clear transparencies
I have ever used. Unfortunately,
I can’t let the poor fit of the front
canopy go unmentioned. The front
canopy section is moulded with
a section of the upper fuselage,
so you do get the appearance of a
seamless, perfectly fitting canopy.
This would be if the canopy
fitted into the cut-out of the
fuselage, but I needed quite a
lot of work with superglue and
UMP sanders to get it perfect.
1/32
LANDING GEAR
CMK have been excellent in their
production of resin goodies for this
beautiful bird, and the wheels are
no exception. Stunning cast-resin
wheels with the Dunlop logo on the
side of the tyre are a much-needed
improvement over the plastic ones
in the kit (although it does have to
be said that it is nice to see that the
plastic wheels are still weighted).
The landing gear legs and
mechanism must be some of
the fiddliest and most complex
landing gear I have yet to deal
with. I would highly recommend
that you skip ahead a few steps
and do this as early as possible
in the build to avoid a future
headache. I myself decided to do
the landing gear once the aircraft
was all painted and weathered. Did
I regret that decision? Yes, I did.
The landing gear legs
themselves are very nice indeed;
I would say there is no need for
an aftermarket replacement. I engine wash, which has a perfect
painted all the landing gear parts colour and finish when dry makes
with Ultimate Modelling Products the shiny area look like a well-
Gloss Black Primer and then AK used machine: oily and grimy. parts, its structural integrity is
Extreme Aluminium. I found this Around the leg compressions superb, with not a wobble when
was a little overkill, as it turned and dampeners, I used a small the aircraft is on its legs.
out looking more nearly chrome amount of Oil Effects to simulate
than aluminium, and it being a the grease that gathers around
mechanical moving part I wanted moving parts. Although the PAINTING
to achieve a look of wear and tear. landing gear is composed None of the schemes in this specific
This was done by again using AK of many small and intricate kit really float my boat, but the
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 67
 first release of this kit (without the
resin engine) had a scheme that
included invasion stripes, which I
just had to do. So, I did an aircraft
from another boxing of this kit.
I began by wiping down the
aircraft with a paper towel and
Ultimate Modelling Products
Airbrush Cleaner, which as well as
being a perfect airbrush cleaner,
is great for cleaning your kits of
grease and dust before priming. I
primed the model with Ultimate
Modelling Products Black Primer
through the UMP Apex airbrush.
These two are also a match made
in heaven; a lovely self-levelling
primer through a beautiful, easy
to use (and clean) airbrush.
I use black primer for
multiple reasons, Firstly, black
is a good colour for showing any
imperfections on the surface of
the model. Second, it’s good for
darkening the base coat and helps
with the paint effects I will add
later. When Tamiya released their with XF-83 Medium Sea Grey 2. removing the tape to spray and of the panels randomly to avoid the
1/32 scale Spitfire MK. IXc, they also Once all the base colours had re-mask the appropriate colour. “patchwork quilt” look, as nothing
released some new paints specific been painted and left to dry for From spraying the invasion stripes I fades evenly and I wanted to keep
for that kit and the late-war RAF a good day or two, I wanted to also learnt to never spray black and everything as random as possible.
camouflage scheme. These colours crack on with the invasion stripes. white; rather, a dark grey and off- I then broke up all the lightened
are perfect for this aircraft. For a long time, I was under the white colour should be used to take areas with a darker version of
Thinned 50/50 with UMP Acrylic illusion that the Tamiya tapes away that factory fresh/toy look. the base colour, then broke that
Thinner, I sprayed the XF-82 Ocean are perfect for the different scale With all the base colours up with a lighter base colour,
Grey 2 first, roughly following invasions stipes, i.e. for 1/48 you down, it was time to start the spraying the panels with random
the colour callouts. Then, before I would use the Tamiya 10 mm tape paint effects that contribute to (as best I could) figures-of-eight
sprayed the XF-81 Dark Green 2 I and for 1/32 you would use the 16 the weathering (I have learned and squiggly lines. Going all over
used a considerable amount of Aizu mm tape. It turns out that I was this technique and adapted it the aircraft with this technique
tape to mask out the camouflage very wrong, and it also turn out to my own personal modelling I managed to get the faded,
pattern (I like the Aizu tape as it that 1/32 scale invasion stripes from Paul Bretland, to whom I mottled appearance I was after.
can go around tight bends without on single-engine fighters should owe a lot of “thank you’s” for all
kinking and lifting from the be 14.38 millimetres wide. I have learnt from him and many
surface, like the Tamiya flexi-tape This became a full day of others in the modelling world).
does). The underside was painted measuring out each stripe, then To start, I lightened the centre

68 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


“WITH THE ADDITION OF RESIN AND
PHOTO-ETCH THIS KIT IS EXCELLENTLY
PRICED AND WOULD MAKE A SUPERB
ADDITION TO YOUR WORKBENCH”
MARKINGS AND ROUNDELS
I decided to purchase the Montex
mask set for aircraft JN751 flown
by Roland “Bee” Beaumont. This
is an aircraft that is available for
the original release of the MK. V
tempest kit, number SH32052. I
know it is not a scheme that is in
this kit, but it is such a beautiful
aircraft that I would have been
filled with regret if I had not built it.
Montex produce some excellent
mask sets for aircraft, giving you
the option to paint all the markings
and numbers rather than use decals.
This was a decision that I made
only late in the in-build process,
but my thoughts are these: if you
want to achieve a totally painted-on
look, then actually paint them on.
I cannot stress how easy it is
to use the mask sets. I previously
found that some vinyl masks
started to curl up after some time,
but I had no issues with these.
Thankfully Mr. Hobby offer
paints that are a perfect matched to
RAF roundels and markings. I found
that Mr Hobby H327 Red, H326
Blue, and H329 Yellow are perfect
for the job. I also used the yellow
on the leading edges of the wings
and for the spinner on the nose.
You must apply the paint in very
thin layers, because if you apply
the paint too thickly, you will get a
ridge of paint, and when you peel
the mask of you can feel it when you
run your finger across the surface.
WEATHERING
To add fading and bleaching before I
get to the weathering stage, I like to
incorporate a lot of my weathering
into the painting stage of the
build. (The engine had already
been masked, as I had already
got it to its final stage before
painting of the aircraft began).
The surface detail must be
the hallmark of this kit, and
Mig Ammo Panel Line Wash
contributed to a lot of the staining
and detail it needs to be shown
off. I found that this wash was a
perfect depth and colour to reveal
all the stunning surface detail.
Upon removing the wash, I
rubbed the wash backwards in the
direction of airflow to leave behind
some minor streaking. This was
another reason I wanted to paint
on my markings, as I wanted to
accentuate the rivets and panel
lines that the markings cover.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 69
1/32
My Mondeluz watercolour
pencils got a good workout on
this build, as I use slightly lighter
versions of the base colour to
create chipping and scratches.
These pencils are great for using
on the edges of panels to add depth
to slightly overlapping or raised
panels. My silver Faber-Castell
pencil also got worn down in
this build, as this is the pencil I
use to show very deep chips and
scratches that have gone through
to the natural metal airframe.
This was used in high-wear areas,
such as the walkway and where
the pilot climbs into the cockpit.
Flory Model pigments were
used on the walkway to simulate
the mud and dirt that would have
built up from the pilot’s boots.
I also used these pigments on
the wheels to show the natural
build up of dust and dirt. I fixed
these pigments with UMP acrylic
thinner and it works a treat.
 I want to give the propeller
its own little segment, as I
have been asked how I do the
chipping on my props.
I first primed it in UMP Black
as I would prime any other
part. Then I painted the prop
with AK aluminium; as I did not
give it a gloss black base, the
aluminium is not as vibrant.
Once the AK aluminium has
dried, I then gave it a coat of AK
Shine Enhancer, as a protection
more than to enhance its shine.
After a good day or two of drying,
I then sprayed tyre black and
faded it with lighter streaks in the
direction of airflow of the blades.
Once all this had dried, I
chipped away the black paint
from the propellers, with a fairly
worn-out blade, creating chipping
and scratches. The propeller was
protected and finished with a
dusting of Testors Dullcote.
Since the start of this build I
had been constantly researching
this specific aircraft, particularly
the exhaust streaking and
stains. Because of the dihedral
of the aircraft the smoke stains
from the exhaust aren’t a simple
streak backwards. In fact, the
streaking is more on a curve
upwards then downwards.
70 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
After having mangled my brain anyone who is not experienced with I used to think that the “fall-
on the actual shape of the exhaust re-scribing, re-riveting, and having to together” kits were what made this
streaking, I had to decide how to go perform some serious plastic surgery. hobby fun, but I was wrong. This is
about painting the actual stains. I With all that said this kit is the kit that makes us modellers rather
started with a very highly thinned going to give you a great sense of than assemblers. This is the kit that
dark brown to get a basic shadow, accomplishment, and I feel that it I would choose if I were to be asked
then in the centre of the brown I will truly make you a better modeller to only build one kit ever again.
did a dark grey, then in the centre for building it. With the addition I would like to thank Special
of that a light grey, while making of resin and photo-etch, this kit is Hobby for supplying this amazing
sure that the edges were faded and excellently priced and would make a kit for me to build, and a massive
feathered enough to look natural. superb addition to your workbench. thank you to SAM publications
The same went for the large for allowing me to build it.
radiator scoop on the underside
of the aircraft, except for the
light grey. I wanted to show
more of a dirt and grime streak
rather than an exhaust streak.
CONCLUSION
Since the release of
this kit I have always
wanted to build it, and
to have been given the chance
to do so was a dream come true.
Is this a perfect kit? Sadly, I would
have to say No, but that isn’t the
kit’s fault. It does not pretend to be
anything it is not. You know exactly
what you are going to get when you
build a Special Hobby kit, and for
that I cannot fault it. You are going
to be tested when building
it, and it is not one that I
would recommend for
 BOOKWORLD
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 GEE BEE R1
1/48 BY
BYSACCO DE VRIES
HUW MORGAN

KIT DETAILS Sting like a Bee,

KICK LIKE A
KIT: GEE BEE R1
MANUFACTURER: DORA WINGS
SCALE: 1:48

MULE
PRODUCT CODE: 48002
PANEL LINES: RECESSED
STATUS: NEW TOOL
DECAL OPTIONS: 1

Dora Wings 1/48 Gee Bee R1 by Huw Morgan

T
he so-called Golden Age
of privateer air racing in
America lasted barely a
decade, between the late 1920s
and the advent of World War II. It
was an inevitable consequence
of the birth of aviation, as racing
aircraft against each other
and the clock had become the
norm barely ten years after the
Wright Brothers had scraped
over the dunes at Kitty Hawk.
Several prestigious competitions
emerged, most famously the
Bendix Trophy, a cross-country
race of 2500 miles from Los
Angeles to Cleveland, and the
Thompson Trophy, a free-for-all
sprint around pylons set on a 10
mile course outside Cleveland. The
National Air Races were a week-
long extravaganza based around
Labour Day, attracting tens of
thousands of spectators, and flying
(literally) in the face of the dire
economic circumstances gripping
the whole country at the time.
Front and central in the hot

72 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

 1/48

The kit is presented on four sprues of 55 plastic parts and a small This is a small model, even in1/48 scale, being only around 10 There’s a reasonable representation of the Wasp engine,
photo etched fret cm long although some extra detail would be useful given its visibility

house years of the early 1930s were
the Granville Brothers. Driven by
the passion of Zantford Granville,
the enterprise of designing and
building racing aircraft soon
grew to involve all five Granville
siblings, hoping to establish an
enduring aircraft manufacturing
business. It was not to be.
The Gee Bee name became
established through a series of sport
and amateur racing aircraft like the
X-1, Type Y, and Type Z, but they
came to the peak of prominence
in 1932 when famous pilot Jimmy
Doolittle flew the radical Gee Bee
R1 racer to win the Thompson
Trophy at a speed of 252.7 mph. It
was to be the R1’s only victory.
The R1 was radical in every
sense; powered by the then-
enormous Pratt and Whitney
Wasp 9-cylinder radial of 800
hp, the airframe built around
it was as small as possible
with a short, stubby fuselage,
relatively thin, 25-foot (7.62m)
span wings, and a spatted, fixed
undercarriage; normal race weight
was around 2415lb (1140 Kg).
The construction was typical for
racers, with a fuselage of welded
high-strength Cr-Mo steel tube
built up to shape with plywood
formers, spruce stringers, and
a mix of aluminium and fabric
covering. The wings had two steel
spars, plywood ribs and a smooth
plywood (Haskelite) skinning,
which was allegedly finished
with fourteen coats of hand-
sanded dope for smoothness.
The R1 was a monster to fly,
with appalling pilot vision, a
cranky engine, and desperately
poor lateral stability. Both the
R1 and its longer-range sibling
the R2 (designed for the cross-
country Bendix race and powered
by a 575 hp Wasp Junior) crashed
spectacularly several times and the
parts were ultimately consolidated
into a single lengthened airframe.
The Gee Bee racers were
extraordinary machines, pushing
boundaries that people didn’t
even know existed at the time, and
driven by individual human effort
and vision. Despite their short
lifespan, they created a legacy
that’s impossible to eradicate.
THE KIT
Ukranian company Dora Wings
have produced versions of both
the R1 and R2 Gee Bee racers; the
respective kits share many common
parts, with the cowlings showing
the most significant differences.
The R1 reviewed here comprises 55
well-moulded grey plastic parts, a
single-piece clear part for the fixed
canopy, and a photo-etched (PE)
sheet of 20 parts, with some cockpit
details and representations of the

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 73

 The photo etched fret has some cockpit components, but is
dominated by the Stewart Hartshorn aerofoil-section flying wires

Curiously, the fixed canopy, is moulded as

two parts
The engine is made up of eight main parts

The assembled engine

The rather sparse cockpit builds up The wings are made up of upper and lower halves, and is enhanced by the
from several bulkheads and struts, the ailerons are separate addition of lead wire
and care is needed in the alignment ignition leads

streamlined Stewart Hartshorn
flying and landing wires.
The decals are nicely printed
and include the markings for both
the R1 (race number 11/NR2100) and
R2 (race number 7/NR2101), and the
kit includes masks for the complex,
trademark Gee Bee scallops along
the wings and on the undercarriage.
BUILDING
With relatively few parts, assembly
is conventional, starting with
building up the representation
of the tubular fuselage internals,
which although straightforward,
will repay precision when the
assembly needs to be fitted
to the fuselage interior.
The seat and instrument
panel are added to the framework
and I painted the whole lot and
the fuselage internals with Mr.
Hobby H334 Barley Grey. The seat
cushion was painted to represent
red leather (apparently fitted to
help the pilot slide if he needed
to bail out!) Some PE levers, trim
wheels, and seat belts completed
the rather sparse cockpit fittings.
The starboard fuselage half has
the cockpit access door moulded
in situ should one wish to show it
closed, but given the nice detail
inside the cockpit, it would be a
shame not to open it up: the kit
includes a separate door against
this eventuality. Unfortunately, the
door is moulded as a thick single
piece, unrepresentative of the
lightweight structure of a racer,
so I constructed a new door using
a curved piece of thin plastic card,
and framing from plastic strip.
The very prominent engine
assembles easily, and although the
main components are present, the
ignition wiring is missing (despite
the presence of the collector ring),
but this is easily remedied with
some lead wire. The engine was
painted in various shades of Alclad,
followed by a brown wash, and once
finished it looks quite impressive.
The plastic cowling has a photo-

74 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

 1/48

etched location ring fitted to its
inner edge; this rather delicate
piece is asymmetric and fits in
only one of two orientations to
accommodate the ovality of the
fuselage. Cleverly, Dora Wings
have engineered the cowl so that
it actually locates on two of the
engine cylinder heads, and can
be fitted after the engine, so the
location ring doesn’t actually need
to be glued to the fuselage at all.
Wings assemble from upper
and lower halves, and the tail
parts fit to the fuselage with what
are essentially butt joints. Given
the small dimensions, I didn’t
bother with pinning, and only
modest clean up and filling was
needed to achieve a tidy joint line.
I decided to build up the
undercarriage wheels and
spats separately (pants in US
terminology) at this stage.
However, I decided not to fit
them to the wings, thinking that
painting would be easier later. As
it happens, experience suggests
that fitting them at this point
and blending them in properly
would have been a better idea.
PAINTING, MASKING,
AND DECALS
With all the main joints tidied up
as much as possible and the canopy
masked, I sprayed everything

There’s a PE mounting ring which attaches

to to inside of the cowling and locates on the
The fuselage access hatch is moulded solid in the kit, and the aperture needs to be fuselage. Correct orientation is important to Here’s the cowling in position, note the close fit of the mounting ring
cut out, I made a new hatch with some internal detail match the oval fuselage

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 75


The canopy appears to be in two parts, but was
fixed closed in real life
with Halfords Grey Primer (which
revealed some small repairs were
needed), then Halfords White
Primer. I laid down the main
gloss white using Halfords Gloss
Appliance White, applied thinly
in several coats from a warmed
can, and let it dry for 48 hours.
The kit provides masks for
the main demarcations between
white and red in the form of vinyl
artists’ film, which works well if
it can be bedded down firmly. On
the glossy wings this proved to
be straightforward, but getting
the film to conform to the ridged
fuselage curves was trickier! I
ended up using a hair dryer to
soften the film before pressing
it into the corrugations with a
cocktail stick. (I suspect that kabuki
tape masks would have been easier
to use.) At this point I realised that
having the undercarriage legs in
place would have been useful to get
some continuity in the painting.....
With the masks in place
and smoothed down by a final
application of the hair drier, I
started spraying the red, using a
thickish mix of Mr. Hobby H327,
diluted with Mr. Hobby Levelling
Thinner, to try and minimise any
capillary creep under the masking.
I deliberately sprayed from the
masking side of the joint, away from
the interface. H327 is probably not
as scarlet a red as was used on the
real aircraft, but it looked to me to
be a better match for the red colour
used on the kit decals. I used several
thin coats, building up the colour,
and thinning progressively so that
the final (fifth?) coat was around
80% thinner to get a glossy finish.
So, 24 hours later, a heart-
stopping moment as the masks
came off to show a finish that was
actually pretty good, with only a
couple of minor touch-ups needed.
The decals are exceptionally
thin and rather delicate, so I chose
to cut the large serials into three
pieces and used plain water to
help position them, relying on
the very gloss surface to draw

Initial placement of the film masks, quite a lot of effort was needed to get them to conform to the Removing the masks was heart-stopping, but fortunately only minor touching up was needed.
fuselage texture. Note the glossy white surface resulting from the Halfords paint

76 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL


them down. The decals were
thin enough that I chose not to
apply an overall gloss coat.
FINAL BITS
The pre-painted etched flying
wires were now fixed in place,
using white glue to avoid marking
the paintwork. Care needs to
be taken in handling these to
avoid developing kinks.
Finally, the engine and cowl can
be attached and the scratchbuilt
access door hung on its hinges.
CONCLUSIONS
I really enjoyed this build, I have a
bit of a thing for 1930s racers and
I already had the old Testors kit
waiting to be built. But the finish
and engineering of this offering
from Dora Wings is far, far, superior.
1/48
There are no serious issues with the
build, although some care is needed
to get the best out of the masks.
I am now really hoping that Dora
Wings will extend their range - how
about a Travel Air Mystery Ship or
a Laird LC-DW-300 ‘Solution’?
REFERENCES
•M
 endenhall C.A. And Murphy
T. The Gee Bee Racers, A Legacy
of Speed. ISBN 0-933424-05-1
•M
 endenhall C.A. The Air
Racer. ISBN 0-933424-01-9
The cowl locates directly onto the engine through lugs that fit around the cylinder heads
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 77
 BOOKS & MEDIA
B-29 Superfortress
vs Ki-44 “Tojo”
Pacific Theatre 1944-45
AUTHOR: Donald Nijober
YEAR: 2017
PUBLISHER: Osprey
ISBN: 978-1-4728-1886-7
FORMAT: 80 pp Paperback; also available
as e-Book
A
nother publication in the
Osprey Duel series, this book
examines the main protagonists
in the strategic bombing campaign
against Japan. Along the way, it reveals
some aspects rarely considered how,
apparently, the Japanese had gathered
and analysed intelligence on the B-29
before it appeared – even concluding
that it would be pressurised for
high-altitude operation but despite
a remarkably accurate assessment,
did not provide as effective a home
defence organisation as they might
have. Or the troubled genesis of the
B-29, which employed a lot of new
technology for the time, and at first was
prone to such things as uncontrollable
engine fires, sudden explosive
decompression, or a runaway gun turret.
The book follows the standard format
for this series. After an introduction and a
Westland Wessex
1958 onwards (all models)
Owners’ Workshop Manual
An insight into the design. Construction,
operation and maintenance of an anti-
submarine, trooping, SAR and VVIP helicopter
AUTHOR: Lee Howard
YEAR: 2018
PUBLISHER: Haynes Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-78521-117-1
FORMAT: 188pp Hardback
T
his latest manual from
Haynes, has to be one of
the best yet. This book
is worth it for the photographic
coverage alone, which is superb.
The Wessex is covered in detail
from the prototype through to its
retirement in 2003. The book not
only covers the types many military
roles but its extensive civil use
too, especially the work of Bristow
Helicopters in the North Sea oil
fields. The book also covers some of
the overseas users of the Wessex.
The second half of the book covers
the Wessex in the most wonderful
detail, with photographs showing all
aspects of the airframe. This section is
supplemented with extracts from the
78 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
chronology detailing key events, each
type is examined in detail in the context
of the historical background in the first
two chapters: Design and Development
and Technical Specifications. Next comes
The Strategic Situation, after which The
Combatants looks primarily at USAAF
gunnery and JAAF pilot training. Combat
then looks at the tactics employed by both
sides and covers the principal events of the
bombing campaign. The book is concluded
by chapters entitled Statistics and
Analysis and Aftermath, a bibliography,
and an index. The text is illustrated
throughout by photographs and other
illustrations in Osprey’s usual style.
This proved a very interesting read
for your reviewer, from which he learned
a lot. Recommended, particularly for
those with an interest in the Pacific War
or aircraft technical development.
Thanks to Osprey Publishing
Ltd for the review copy.
MJC
technical manual for the Wessex
giving that little bit of extra detail!
The last chapters cover flying
and maintaining the Wessex before
the book is rounded off with stories
from pilots who flew the type and,
in some cases, survived accidents,
whilst flying the Wessex.
This book is a real modellers book,
if you have any of the available kits of
the type from 1/144 scale to 1/32 scale,
you need this book on your model
making bench. The photographic
coverage is to a very high standard and
when coupled with the informative
and accessible text means that this
book comes highly recommended.
My thanks to Haynes Publishing
for supplying this book for
review, now I can feel a 1/32 scale
Fly Models Wessex calling!
TMU-S
USMC Phantoms
The RF-4B Phantom II in the Tactical
Reconnaissance Role 1965-1990
AUTHORS: Lee R De Haven & Richard
Rentrop
PUBLISHER: Double Ugly! Books
ISBN: 978-3-935687-86-7
FORMAT: 208pp Hardback
N
umber 6 in The Ultimate
F-4 Phantom II Collection,
this volume covers
the RF-4B in USMC service.
The first chapter is billed as an
introduction, describes the technical
development of the F-4’s Naval
reconnaissance variant. The next three
chapters cover the histories of the three
US Marine Corps squadrons which flew
the aircraft from its introduction until
1975. These units were then consolidated
into one squadron, VMFP-3, and
naturally the next chapter continues
with the history of this unit until the
retirement of the type. Each unit history
is comprehensively described and
lavishly illustrated with photographs
and side colour profiles. Appendix 1,
VMFP-3 Camouflage and Markings,
describes the evolution of the aircraft’s
paint schemes and markings within that
unit and contains a further selection
of photographs of both standard and
Airlines at War
British Civil Aviation 1939-1944: An Official History
YEAR: 2018
PUBLISHER: Air World Books
ISBN: 978-1-47389-409-9
FORMAT: 197 pp Hardback
Y
ou might be forgiven for
thinking that this title is a
bit odd? There is no author
credited; and it is a history that stops
a year before you would expect it to.
The explanation is simple: this book
is the official history which was first
published by HMSO in 1946 as Merchant
Airmen: The Air Ministry Account
of British Civil Aviation, 1939-1944.
According to the front piece there are
some additions and updates, but (apart
from some typos here and there) these
are indistinguishable from the original
to someone who has not read both.
Many who model World War II aircraft
are probably familiar with pictures of
Mosquitos with civil registrations on
the “ball-bearing” route to Sweden, but,
as the book reveals, the merchant air
service did so much more than that, such
as regular passenger and mail services
throughout the British Empire and across
the Atlantic. Readers accustomed to flying
to New York from Heathrow in seven or
so hours will be surprised at the flight
special
schemes, such
as the 1976
“Bicentennial”
example. Two “tactical grey”
schemes from the early 1980s are also
illustrated using four-view profiles.
Further appendices cover the
salvage and creation of the aircraft
displayed at the National Museum of
Naval Aviation, Pensacola, Florida,
USA; illustrations of “patches”
and insignia; individual aircraft
histories; and a list of acronyms.
This is something of a specialised
book, covering just one variant of the
Phantom, which served with only one
air arm and was built in relatively
small numbers. But it is certainly
of great interest, as it provides a
very comprehensive treatment of
its subject. It is not cheap, but if
you are interested in the Phantom,
this book is well worth investing in,
particularly if you are contemplating
a model of a Photo Phantom.
Thanks to Double Ugly! Books
for supplying the review copy.
MJC
times quoted
for the latter,
and others may
be interested
to see which
VIP passenger
who was a
trained pilot, took control of a Boeing 314
whilst on a passenger carrying flight!
There is even a photo of him doing so,
something that would never happen today.
The text is in the style of official
publications of the time, so may seem
strange, quaint, or formal to the modern
reader, but accept that and you will find
that this is a very interesting read. Of
equal interest are the illustrations: there is
a comprehensive selection of photographs
and other illustrations such as route maps
which complement the text perfectly.
This book fills a gap in the literature
of British aviation during the Second
World War; it is of value not just for the
information contained, but as an example
of an official publication of the immediate
post-war era. It is certainly worth its
place on the bookshelf of anyone with
an interest in World War II aviation.
Thanks to Pen & Sword Books
Ltd for the review copy.
MJC

Top-drawings 51
Brewster F2A Buffalo
AUTHOR: Maciej Noszczak
YEAR: 2017
PUBLISHER: Kagero
ISBN: 978-83-65437-73-0
FORMAT: 20pp Softback
I
n service use at the start of the
Second World War, the Brewster
Buffalo was a carrier fighter
whose pilots soon found out that they
were outgunned and far slower than
the Japanese Zero fighters. However,
on the other side of the world the
de-navalised version used by the
Finnish Air Force did enjoy some
success against Soviet fighters.
The book commences with a brief
bilingual (English & Polish) summary
of the development of the Buffalo,
indicating various changes that occurred
in production. As with the previous Top-
drawing books, the bulk of the pages are
filled with scale drawings of the different
versions, showing the details in 1/48th
scale. Such details as the different styles
Hawker Hurricane
The Multirole Fighter
AUTHOR: Philip Birtles
YEAR: 2017
PUBLISHER: Fonthill Media Ltd
ISBN: 978-1-78155-587-3
FORMAT: 442 pp Hardback; also
available as e-Book
F
orever overshadowed in
the public mind by its more
elegant and well-known
contemporary, the Spitfire, the
Hurricane was nevertheless a
vital part of the Royal Air Force
order of battle and made a vital
contribution to the war effort on
many fronts in many roles. This
book, by well-known and respected
author Philip Birtles, is an account
of the Hurricane’s service history.
The book opens with an
introduction, and some chapters on
the Hurricane’s genesis, tracing its
lineage from T.O.M. Sopwith via the
various Sopwith designs and the
Hawker biplanes of the 1920s and
1930s. Following that, the majority of
the book concentrates on the type’s
service history, from its entry into
RAF service with 111 Sqn until its
eventual retirement from Portuguese
service in 1952. Along the way it
covers the Battles of France and
Britain; the defence of Malta; the
Desert and Asian campaigns; carrier-
borne Sea Hurricanes, and CAM ship
operations; Canadian production
of skis fitted to Finnish aircraft, the
export models, bomb racks, and sections
of the fuselage. Some of this information
is then collated in 1/72nd scale on the
last two pages. Colour plates show ten
variations of camouflage for U.S. Navy,
U.S.A.A.F., British, Finnish, and Dutch
aircraft, with a pull-out picture of a
Buffalo in flight, ideal for framing.
A very useful reference for the
aircraft modeller of an aircraft
that has not received a vast amount
of coverage. Recommended.
Review copy kindly supplied
by Casemate Publishers www.
casematepublishers.co.uk
Paul Middleton
and service; the many second-line
roles it undertook; and post-war
overseas service. Finally, there is a
chapter on rebuilding and restoring
Hurricanes, majoring on those aircraft
being rebuilt at the time of writing.
The main text is followed by
a number of appendices, listing
preserved Hurricanes; technical
specifications for each variant;
production batches; and Hurricane
units, first RAF then other air arms.
The latter covers the major role(s) of
each unit, the squadron codes where
applicable, marks and dates, and bases.
Finally, there is a short bibliography.
The book is well illustrated by many
contemporaneous and well-picked
photographs. It is not a quick read,
and it is not cheap, but it is well worth
the price and deserves a place on your
bookshelf. It even inspired this Spitfire
fan to look into the current availability
of Hurricane kits and wonder which
particular variant to do first.
Thanks to Fonthill Media
Ltd for the review copy.
MJC
Modellers Data-File 30
The Messerschmitt Bf109
A Comprehensive Guide ‘F to K’ Variants
AUTHOR: Lynn Ritger
YEAR: First published 2007,
updated Second Edition 2018
PUBLISHER: SAM Publications
ISBN: 978-1-9996616-0-1
FORMAT: 224pp Softback
T
his book was first
published back
in 2007 and has
been out of print for some time
now, so with all of the recent new
Messerschmitt Bf109F and G kits it
was time for an updated reprint of
this well-respected reference book.
Before moving into the development
of the type, the book opens with a look at
the short life of a 109 pilot, highlighting
some of the similarities between Allied
and Axis pilots and the effect that their
loss had on those around them. The
book then continues with a look at the
development of the Bf109F to G models
before looking at the types use on the
Channel, Mediterranean and Eastern
front, before moving on to look at the
types use in the final days of the war.
In the middle of the book, there
are seven pages of colour profiles,
showing in service and captured 109s,
these are followed by some fantastic
reference images of the engine, both
Blenheims over Greece
and Crete 1940-41
AUTHOR: Brian Cull
YEAR: 2014 (hardback); 2017 (paperback)
PUBLISHER: Fonthill Media Ltd
ISBN: 978-1-78155-280-3 (hardback)
ISBN: 978-1-78155-631-3 (paperback)
FORMAT: 223 pp Hardback/Softback
W
hen Italian forces invaded
Greece in 1940, the Greek
Air Force consisted of some
mainly obsolete fighters, and three
squadrons of light bombers, including
Blenheims; this force was significantly
outnumbered by the Italian Air Force.
Britain moved swiftly to secure Crete
and recognised the need to assist in
the defence of Greece. One fighter
squadron and three light bomber
squadrons were dispatched to Greece,
one of the latter being 30 Squadron.
One of the Wireless Operator/
Air Gunners (Wop/AG) on this unit
was Sgt Herbert “Lofty” Lord, later
Flt Lt DFC. In the fullness of time his
papers from the period came to his
grandson, Simon Lord, who contacted
the author. The outcome is this book.
WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • AUGUST 2018 • 79
BOOKS & MEDIA
contemporary images
and modern restored
examples. The next
chapter looks at the
foreign users of the
type, including the
Spanish who kept their
Merlin engined version
in service until 1965.
The second
half of the book
offers the real meat for us modellers,
containing as it does the detail
chapters and the colour photographic
walk round images of some of the
preserved 109s in museums. The
model builds in this Second Edition
are all new for this book and feature
some of the latest releases in all
scales from Eduard, Zvezda, Tamiya
and AZ. The decal and accessory
lists are also new for this Edition.
The book is rounded off with
a list of surviving airframes and a
list of the variants with production
details, highlighting the physical
differences between the versions.
This is a very welcome Second
Edition of this book especially as I
missed it the first time around! My
thanks to SAM Publications for
supplying this book for review.
TMU-S
Initially
intended to be an
account of Lord’s
participation, the scope of the book grew as
extensive research showed the author that
it would be possible to write an account of
all Blenheim operations in this theatre up
to the loss of Crete. That is what this book
is about; the author relates events using a
mix of narrative, first-hand accounts, and
extracts from documents. The writing
is supported by a well-chosen selection
of contemporary photographs. Three
appendices follow, starting with a table of
RAF and Greek Blenheim losses; a biography
of Herbert Lord written by his grandson;
and an account by Ian Carter, editor of the
Blenheim Society Journal, of a visit to Greece
in 2001. Finally, there is a bibliography,
acknowledgements, endnotes, and an index.
The author is an acknowledged authority
on the war in Greece, and this book is a
fascinating account of just one aspect of one of
the less-well-known theatres of World War II.
Thanks to Fonthill Media
Ltd for the review copy.
MJC
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Show Diary
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Scale Aviation Modeller International
August 2018 • Volume 24 • Issue 8

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