AIR Modeller 57

Issue 57 cover_Layout 1 06/11/2014 14:37 Page 1

57 DECEMBER/JAN 2014 • £6.50 UK $15.99

MENG AIR MODELLER

DECEMBER / JANURAY 2014

www.mengafvmodeller.com

HARRIER

ITALIA

HASEGAWA’S ITALIAN JUMPER

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CONTENTS 2

P-47D Gabreski’s famous ‘forty seven’ modelled by Tristan Estoppey using the 1:32 Hasegawa kit.

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Perfect Storm? Part One Paolo Portuesi builds the new 1:24 Airfix Hawker Typhoon.

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Bear Metal Dave Oliver gives the Hobby Boss F4F Bearcat the bare-metal treatment.

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Harrier Italia Mirko D’Accordi builds the iconic jump jet using the 1:48 Hasegawa kit

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Big Bird B-17, Part 8 The Editor continues his build of HK Models spectacular 1:32 Flying Fortress.

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Air Born New releases.

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Early FE.2B Chema Martinez Fernandez describes his award-winning Wingnut Wings project.

Meng AIR Modeller is published Bimonthly by AFV Modeller ltd Old Stables East Moor Stannington Northumberland NE61 6ES Tel: 01670 823648 Fax: 01670 820274 email: [email protected] Editor and Designer: David Parker Deputy Editor: Mark Neville Sales Director: Keith Smith

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Meng AIR Modeller welcomes contributions from interested parties, but cannot accept any responsibility for unsolicited material. The contents of this publication including all articles, drawings and photographs originated by AFV Modeller ltd become the publishers copyright under copyright law. Reproduction in any form requires the written consent of the publisher. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes AFV

ISSN 1747-177X

Modeller ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or ommissions.

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P-47D Tristan Estoppey models Gabreski’s famous forty seven

When I started this project I was motivated to try unconventional techniques such as Rub n Buff and dry transfers to obtain the best possible "authentic" natural metal finish. This was before I read Gabreski's book A Fighter Pilot's Life whose well-known double page's picture of his P-47D made me change my mind. After a quick search for references on the Internet I realized it wouldn't be necessarily an easy escape from my initial plan, Gabreski's plane field applied camouflage being subject of many interpretations and thus much debated on the discussion forums.

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Cockpit

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I was provided with the truly magnificent MDC resin cockpit which

the instrument panel. Hasegawa suggests an "Interior green"

fits into the fuselage almost without any modification, no endless

cockpit but Republic-built P-47D were painted Dull Dark Green. I

sanding this time! Both smooth and corrugated cockpit floors are

mixed this green-blue colour by adding 50% of Tamiya flat blue

provided, the latter was used up to the D-25 version and thus

(XF8) to Gunze H312 Green. All details were painted according to

chosen for Gabreski's aircraft. I tried the HGW fabric seatbelts

the book "P-47 in detail and scale" which features cockpit pictures

instead of the photoetched parts provided by MDC (separate

of a machine in original condition. Weathering was done using

buckles are also provided by MDC should you want to make your

various technique such as hairspray technique using (AK

own belts). I was not totally convicted by the HGW belts since they

Interactive Worn Effect) for the seat and floor and AK interactive

are printed on one side only which limits the positioning options a

products applied with a sponge. A 6b graphite pencil was used to

little. Both Airscale (WWII USAF) and MDC decals were used for

give a metallic look to the edges of most parts in the cockpit.

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Engine I rejected the kit engine and opted instead for the good price/quality ratio Quickboost R2800 resin engine. Another slightly better alternative is available from Vector Resin. Pushrods were created using 0.75mm Evergreen styrene rods as well as the 36 ignition wires, two per cylinder, made from lead wire. The Quickboost magnetos are ok, however they depict a model used on earliest versions of the engine so I changed them for those from a Trumpeter kit. The motor was painted Gunze RLM74 which is a good match for the dark grey used at that time. Magnetos and propeller governor are black, ignition wires are painted with a mix of Vallejo light brown and aluminium matt. The inside of the cowling panels is not Yellow Zinc Chromate as often seen on restored aircraft but natural metal.

Engraving In a moment of craziness I decided I would go for a full rivetting of the complete airframe using a jeweller’s punch (MDC). If I had known at the beginning the huge amount of time it eventually took to complete this task for such a big kit I seriously doubt I would have done it. If you decided to do so the first thing you would need is plenty of patience, and good reference for the pattern. For the latter I used walkaround pictures whenever possible since I found all published drawings to be either over simplified or wrong, or both at the same time! Straight lines were made using the rivet spacer provided by MDC. Curved areas (fuselage) were lightly pre-riveted with a Rosie wheel using thin (2-3 mm) Dymo tape strips as guide. When using the jeweller’s punch, trailing edges need special care as you can easily push through the thin plastic.

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Undercarriage

tips were painted in Gunze H329 yellow and then masked. Tamiya

Some pipes were added to the otherwise quite empty wheel

Nato black was sprayed on the blades. The hub was painted with

wells. These were painted with a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-4 and

Alclad steel, the spinner with Rub ‘n buff applied using my fingers

Gunze H329 to represent yellow zinc chromate. The undercarriage

to obtain a polished look.

legs were detailed with the traditional brake pipes, undercoated with Alclad aluminium, a coat of AK Interactive Worn Effect and

Flaps

painted with slightly lightened Tamiya Olive Drab (XF-62).

I decided to glue the flaps retracted to prevent this massive

Weathering was done according to photos of Gabreski's aircraft.

aircraft from having a heavier look and, flaps are usually retracted

Kit wheels are poorly engraved and went directly into the bin. They

just after landing to avoid ground debris getting thrown against

were replaced by the excellent Barracuda resin items. They are

them by the propeller while taxiing and most WWII pictures show

accurate and casting is perfect, you just have to cut their casting

this configuration when parked. This requires some sanding and

block and sand them flat at your convenience to represent the

numerous test fittings to get the flaps perfectly aligned.

weighted effect. Tyres were painted with a mix of Gunze tire black, brown and a drop of white. Wheel hubs are natural metal on the

Fuselage and wing assembly

outside, the wheel hub cover plates on the inside were painted

Fuselage assembly was straightforward except for the 4 part

dark green and ocean grey, matching the upper camouflage style

engine cowling. Hasegawa's design follows the pattern of the real

of the aircraft. This is my personal interpretation of what I could

aircraft, which is a good thing but makes things a little bit tricky to

observe on the period pictures.

have all of them glued in the correct position. This difficulty was exacerbated by the installation of the Quickboost engine which

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Propeller

required the removal of the positioning tabs inside the cowling

The Hamilton Standard propeller is nicely represented by

panels. Again a fair amount of dry tests were needed to obtain a

Hasegawa but, as often, the blades are far too thick and so were

good result. Wings to fuselage assembly also needed sanding on

carefully sanded to a more appropriate scale thickness. Propeller

the ensure a good alignment on both side of the wings.

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Painting First of all a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1200 was applied on the whole model using my airbrush. This was done not only to erase the small scratches created by the rivet spacer/ruler during the riveting process but also to help soften the rivets as I wanted them to be present but discrete. The next step was to spray a coat of Tamiya matt white at the locations of the stars & bars, codes and invasion stripes. The paint was then sanded smooth with micromesh clothes before Montex adhesive masks and Tamiya tape where applied to the model. The under surfaces were painted first. Gabreski's plane, based in England during spring/summer 1944, is known to have been painted with RAF paint stocks, however the colour is still debated.

Some say it was left natural metal and others think it was painted medium sea gray. After a careful examination of all pictures available and considering the common practice within the unit, I am now convicted that this plane had its undersides left in natural metal. I started with a coat of Alclad white aluminium which was then masked before Alclad magnesium was sprayed along the fuselage panels covering the supercharger ducts. This particularity is clearly visible on pictures of natural metal P-47s and also noticeable on Gabreski's plane. Black stripes were painted on the underside of the horizontal stabilizers and liquid mask (Mr. Masking Sol Neo) was applied on the leading edge of the wings to later create some chipping. Red areas (nose and no walking zone at the wing root) were painted and masked at that time too. Next came the Tamiya RAF dark green (XF-81), applied over the whole upper surface of the model with a soft demarcation line with the undersides. References show paint covering the first third of the horizontal stabilizer lower surface too. This colour was then slightly modulated using lighter mixes of the base colour applied randomly and along

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selected panel lines and areas exposed to wear.

demarcation but the paint was sloppily applied since overspray is

The ocean grey (XF-82) was then sprayed following two distinctive

clearly noticeable. I found that trying to replicate this on my model

patterns which are characteristic of Gabreski's aircraft.

was quite difficult and my first attempts just ended with something

For the fuselage I prepared a very diluted paint and applied some

that just looked badly painted although this is somewhat what I

mottling in a similar way I would for a German camouflage

wanted to achieve! After several adjustments I ended up with a

pattern. The left side is well documented and progressing very

wing scheme probably cleaner than the original but more pleasant

slowly is the key to achieve a good result. References available for

to look at. To complete the camouflage Tamiya medium sea grey

the right side were just enough to give me a general idea of the

was applied on the lower part of the cowling.

pattern, the rest is artistic licence.

Last paint jobs consisted in completing the invasion stripes and

For the wings here again the reference material offers only some

spraying the blue of the stars and bars.

clues. The pattern seems to be much denser with tight soft edge

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Decals

Weathering

A few kit decals (kill flags, white instruction panel near the

Weathering started with the classical panel lines washes, using

windscreen and propeller stickers) where applied as all other

MIG products. Neutral Wash was applied to all panel lines and

markings were painted. Klear floor varnish was applied locally,

Dark wash to dirty areas, i.e. the lower fuselage and around wheel

decals were applied and then sealed with another coat of Klear.

wells. Next I loaded my airbrush with a highly diluted black/brown

Matt varnish (Tamiya XF86) was applied on the whole upper

mix and sprayed it within panel and along panel lines, inside

surfaces of the model.

wheel wells, gear doors, etc. without being too systematic. The

A feature of Gabreski's aircraft is the presence of electrical tape

staining due to fluid leaks on the bottom of the fuselage and

outlining the fuselage invasion stripes. I estimated the width of this

wings and the exhaust staining were also created using similar

tape to be 2 inches on the real aircraft, accordingly I cut 1.6 mm

black/brown mixes. The area around the shell ejector holes were

width stripes in black decals (those from the kit) and applied them

treated with diluted black oil paint applied with a sponge. The

to the model.

sponge technique was also used to apply MIG and AK Interactive products on the walking area at the wing root and on the propeller blades.

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THE PERFECT STORM? PART ONE

Paolo Portuesi There was an air of excitement around the Airfix stand at Scale Model World 2013 with the unveiling of a very special kit to commemorate their 75th year and also the 70th anniversary of D-Day, a 1:24 Hawker Typhoon. Even a cursory glance over the assembled test-shot and it was obvious Airfix had gone out to produce something very special, yet affordable. Airfix 1:24 aircraft will no

The Typhoon was designed around the powerful Napier Sabre engine beset by several problems, almost all the initial production batch was lost without any enemy involvement. Frequently, toxic gasses leaked inside the cockpit, the engine caught fire, and tail sections broke off when flying... When at last most of these problems were corrected, the Royal Air Force found they had one of the most capable ground support aircraft WWII. A Typhoon could combine the devastating fire power of its four 20 mm cannon with a large payload of rockets and bombs striking fear into the enemy on the ground, proving particularly effective after the D-Day landings. 12

doubt touch a nostalgic spot with many modellers, always on the top self of the local toy shop out of reach, and certainly out of reach of our pocket money they made the ultimate Christmas or birthday present. Unfortunately we never received a sample kit to feature in our 'Air Born' pages but, thanks to Paolo, at last we can take an in-depth look at this landmark release from Airfix.

We now have another Airfix kit in the monster scale of 1:24. I have fond memories as a boy of the very large Airfix Bf 109E and Spitfire Mk.I, holding the huge box of this new kit, comparisons with the other ‘super kits’ of yesterday and today is inevitable. Looking back, I thought the Hurricane was the best detailed, at least amongst those released by Airfix, but this new kit is something completely different, even from their more recent release of the Mosquito, the Typhoon stands in a class of it’s own.

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In this scale there’s nowhere to hide! Rarely will you see a more comprehensive engine built straight from the box with such high levels of detail and accuracy.

It’s reputed Typhoon and Tempest expert Chris Thomas was consulted by the kit’s designers to ensure high levels of accuracy and some stunning surface detail.

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The large red box has striking box art that captures the feeling of the Typhoon in action very well. As with the box art of Airfix’s golden era, it tells you a story, a very exciting one straight from the pages of a vintage boys comic! The box is heavy, containing around twenty five sprues it’s packed with plastic and a large decal sheet containing four options of markings. On un-packing it, you find that Airfix has moulded some over five hundreds of parts in a good quality light grey styrene. Parts

are crisp and well moulded with stunning detail. However, some smaller parts often need some cleaning up before assembly. Due the incredible number of parts, this is certainly not a kit for the novice builder! The instructions are very well done. Airfix has chosen to give us a multipage booklet of clear and detailed build diagrams and colour call-outs. Almost all 231 stages are easy to understand but, because of the complexity of the kit, do not jump from one

stage to another, with this kit you cannot go back! You need to read the plans until you’re familiar with the stages of assembly to have fun with this incredible kit. In addition, you need to decide which of the three possible final display configurations you like the best. I went for a fully open engine feeling it would be rude not to show off all of the rich detail and complex assembly.

On the negative side I have to say that ejector pin marks are way too frequent

Before adding the seatbelts I repainted the quilted seat back in a greener tone 14

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The same is true about the cockpit, which is superbly made and can be detailed up to a very realistic standard just with some careful painting. The seat belts are nicely done in plastic. My choice was to replace them with some very nice RB Productions paper and photoetch belts. Practically all of the fittings are moulded separately. Any additional detailing, with the notable exception of the wires running along the cockpit, is probably pointless. As usual with large scale

kits, Airfix has produced the instrument facia in two parts. The front of the instrument panel has been moulded with open gauges, and a clear plastic insert to fit from the back has been provided. Finally instrument decals are placed on the back of these clear inserts for a very convincing effect. While the ones included by Airifix are good, the aftermarket decals from Airscale are better and were my choice in this case.

Aftermarket additions in the cockpit were limited to RB seatbelts and Airscale instument facia decals

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It is when you look at the diagrams for the engine assembly that suddenly such a large scale makes sense. No plastic kit scale aircraft engine has ever been detailed to the extent that this is, at first glance it could seem over-engineered. You need to be brave enough and actually start the building to understand that it is not the case, everything that should be there simply is, including a pipe (part C14) that has been forgotten by the instruction booklet but not by the Airfix web site which shows the missing pipe placement!

The Napier Sabre was one of the most powerfull aircraft inline piston engines designed. It’s H-24 layout made for a short stroke and power ranging from 2200 BHP in the early versions up to 3500 BHP in it’s final specification

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I believe that aircraft models need a different approach to painting and weathering than tanks. I very rarely pre-shade my scale aircraft models, when I do it’s always in the smaller 1:72 scale. Another technique that I don’t recommend to a modeler new to such a large scale is dry brushing. Given that this Typhoon is three times larger, I surrender both preshading and dry brushing and go for my trusty post-shading technique. All the internal structures have been first painted with various shades of Alclad aluminum and then

warmed up with some unthinned burnt umber oil colour. In some cases, I over sprayed a very light and thin coat of Gunze Mr Hobby brown. For the engine I went from a barely lightened aqueous Mr Hobby matt black to a dark shade of Alclad aluminum. The seat is very well done with some realistic seams running across the quilting. It comes to life with some khaki for the padding, and a mix of matt and gloss black for the seat, again from the Mr Hobby aqueous range.

There are three different propeller spinners supplied, two backing plates and the option of three or four propeller blades

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So far has been an enjoyable kit to build. I can't say the parts fall together perfectly, but it’s decent. Fuselage and wings get along very well together. Really, there’s no putty and no sanding required if you carefully follow the instructions in the correct order.

In this scale, rivets can have the correct appearance, hard to acheive in 1:72 and 1:48

Various shades of Alclad laquers give the realistic bare metal finishes while Burnt Umber oil colour gives depth to the detail

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The movable parts are a perfect fit, and they do remain movable. On the negative side I have to say that ejector pin marks are frquent, and, often, are placed in highly visible places. Here careful filling and sanding is required to get satisfactory results. Another small problem that I experienced with the build is that a couple of the four gun barrels require some help, and some putty, to fit well into their wing recess locations.

Internal detail of the wings extends to fuel tanks and the cannons complete with ammunition

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BEARMETAL

T

he F4F Bearcat, like its British contemporary, the Sea Fury can be seen as perhaps the pinnacle of piston engineered fighter design that had been rapidly advancing throughout the Second World War. Entering squadron service on the 21st of May 1945 it was too late to see combat in WW2, but It still provided a useful and capable stop-gap until the new generation of jet fighters became available and remained in service with some countries until the mid 1960s. Its superior manoeuvrability compared to its predecessor the Hellcat, made it a firm favourite with pilots. It also boasted some unusual design features such as provision for a G-suit (The first operational aircraft equipped with this feature) while early versions had 20

explosive bolts that would automatically jettison one wing tip if the other one broke away.The Hobbyboss kit is quite a recent tooling and displays a high degree of surface detail and precision parts which make assembly a pleasure. Unfortunately, the level of detail is rather inconsistent, with areas such as the undercarriage bays and the engine being rather basic. It’s strange then that other parts, such as the area in front of the cockpit fire wall are so detailed, yet without modification, would remain unseen once the fuselage halves were joined. A search of the internet revealed a few aftermarket items specifically for this kit, others items such as the cockpit photo etch set had to be heavily modified from items made for other manufacturers kits.

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Dave Oliver gives the HobbyBoss F4F Bearcat the bare-metal treatment

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cockpit The parts supplied with the kit gave a reasonable representation of the cockpit, there was however much room for improvement. With no P.E set for the Hobby Boss kit, I bought and modified the one for the Hobbycraft model. This involved trimming up the instrument panel and side consoles in order to fit correctly, Then Plasticard was used to reshape the kit side consoles, while the rather two dimensional wires on the cockpit floor were removed and replaced with lead wire. The gun sight supplied with the kit was rather large, so a replacement was scratch built. The cockpit walls had a few P.E items added such as the throttle leavers, but still looked rather bland so again lead wire was used to make the area more interesting. Vallejo Interior Green was then used to paint the cockpit tub. It seems to have a slightly

brighter tone more suited to American aircraft and can be both sprayed and brush painted with ease. The side walls were sprayed with Zinc Chromate Yellow. Finally the seat cushions were painted with Citadel Scorched Brown and then given a light dry brushing and highlighting. A light wash of Mig Shadow Brown was used almost as a filter to unify the whole area, and then Citadel Badab Black was then used to highlight the instrument panels and remove the rather glossy appearance of the prepainted P.E, giving it a matt, dusty texture. Chipping was added to the whole area and the seatbelts were then super-glued in place. This was then put to one side rather than gluing it in place due to further work required on the fuselage halves which could result in damage or accidental overspray.

resin radial

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Having decided it would be a shame not to display the detail of the engine and the area behind it, I decided to make two cut outs in the engine cowling and the fuselage. The Aries front bulkhead detailing set was added along with some extra wiring to make the area look a little busier. Plasticard was used to make the framing around the hatches. Finally, inspection hatches were made from Plasticard and riveted around the edges to simulate the removed panels. After these panels were removed I decided to replace the rather Basic kit Engine with the Aries aftermarket item. The resin plug was carefully removed from the back of the casting then the engine was painted grey for the crank casing and Tamiya XF-16 for the cylinder blocks, the ancillaries were then added. The pushrods were made using copper wire, small holes were then drilled in the back of each cylinder block and lead wire was used to create the exhaust. Plug leads were then made with very thin lead wire. The whole assembly was given a light wash of black oil paint to pick out the details, and then more specific pin washes around areas of greater wear. The prop was painted Lifecolor Panzer Grey, then chipping was added using a fine sponge dipped in Citadel Chainmail silver.

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‘bays and ‘gear

As I mentioned in the introduction, the wheel bays were a little plain so more detail was added first from the Aries detailing set, then with wire for the various hydraulic cables on the walls of the compartment. Due to the open design of the undercarriage area I decided to glue the wings to the fuselage halves first rather than try and detail the area once the two sides had been glued together. Painting this area took a bit of research as reference material was rather thin on the ground, the two tone green and silver paint

scheme looked interesting so making an educated guess this was applied. The undercarriage legs themselves were nicely detailed, never the less there was still room for improvement so the hinges at the top of the legs were drilled out and wire was added for the hydraulic hoses. The wheels supplied with the kit were a little small and had no tread, a feature only present on the immediate post war aircraft. Again there were no specific aftermarket items so I had to improvise. The replacement wheels for the Academy

kit looked great, nicely weighted with a good tread pattern but being about 2mm bigger in diameter than the kit wheels; they wouldn’t fit on the struts. Holding my breath, I cut away the bottom section of the legs, retaining the brake calliper housing. Longer replacements were then made with plastic encased metal rod, cutting recesses in the calliper and the leg, this was then supper glued in place. The finished items were then test fitted in order to get the correct angle of fit.

wings and things The construction of the wings was very straight forward and required just a little filling on the leading edge. The joining of the two fuselage halves was also relatively straight forward. Aligning the replacement parts took a little bit of work but once glued in place, only a little filling and rescribing was needed. This was a relief, as it would have been a shame to lose the any of the well moulded surface detail, one of the kits strongest points. The elevators on the tail-planes were reset to a dropped position, and then in a moment of madness, I decided to do the same to the ailerons. This proved to be a rather time-consuming as it opened up some of the seams along the wing root and the leading edge. In hindsight, I should have done this before fixing the wings to the fuselage but it was worth it in terms of adding interest to the model 23

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show your metal With all the relevant areas masked off, the model was given a going over with a fine Micromesh cloth to provide a key for the primer. It was then thoroughly washed with a mild detergent to remove any grease from the surface. From this point on, the model was only handled wearing gloves to avoid marking the surface. A coat of Alclad Grey primer was used to show up any seam lines or areas that needed attention. Due to the fact that natural metal finishes are notorious a showing up any imperfections, several areas on the tail and leading edge of the wings had to be dealt with. Another overall coat was applied then given a polish with an old cloth to remove

any graininess from the finish. Two coats of Alclad Black primer were then sprayed on and again polished to provide a shiny surface for the paint. Having wanted to do a natural metal finish for some time I decided to experiment on an old 1:72nd Bearcat kit I had in my stash. I had a pretty good idea of the finish I wanted, how to achieve that was another matter. Going through some old magazines It seemed that the builds that looked the most realistic used Alclad paints. After briefly trying to use rub and buff which was an absolute disaster! I tried out several different shades of Alclad, settling on

The distinctive tail markings were supplied on the after market decal sheet, but were discarded and painted on in order to achieve a more weathered appearance. Once the area was masked a coating of cheap hairspray was applied then a light coat of Citadel Skull White was sprayed on, once dry, the stripes were applied first masking the area with low tack masking tape, then a light coat of Tamiya Royal Blue X-3. The first attempt was a disappointment, the

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Airframe Aluminium, my one reservation being its fragile nature when it came to masking and weathering. The first coat was dusted on, then after 15 minutes given a light polish with a cloth. This was then given 24 hours to dry and another two coats were applied over the course of a few days. A rogue finger print on one of the wings (must have forgotten my gloves) caused some concern meaning that they were given an extra coat to cover this up. Finally some streaks were added to break up the uniform nature of the finish and the control surfaces were given a coat of Standard Aluminium to make them a different shade to the rest of the finish.

lines were a little uneven and the paint proved remarkably resilient despite my best efforts with an old toothbrush. Having stripped the tail and repeating the process, this time using a much thinner paint mix, the results were better, but still required some more chipping applied by hand. I can only assume that being a lacquer based paint, the Alclad reacted with the hairspray?

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The anti-glare panel was masked of using low tack masking tape, and then liquid mask was stippled round the front of the engine cowling to simulate wear. Some lightened Lifecolor Matt Black was sprayed on, then after a while the masking was removed and the paint was ‘distressed’ by picking at the finish with a sewing needle and removing the areas of liquid mask. Finally the

top of the panel was given a very gentle sanding with an old sanding stick. The masking had slightly marked the paint so this was repaired using a Post It Note for masking.

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finishing So far I had a very shiny airframe with a very distressed looking tail and nose, so I started irregularly shading the panel lines of the aircraft with Lifecolor smoke, a very low pressure was used (5psi) in short passes over the fuselage and wings. After each pass I let the paint dry in order not to overdo the effect The national insignia, code numbers and distinctive charging bull decals were first of all cut from the sheet as closely as possible to get rid of the edge of the carrier film. They were then cut and

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generally abused with a scalpel blade, chipping was done with a sponge dipped in Citadel Chainmail silver then a dusting over with smoke gave them a weathered look in keeping with the aircraft, they were then sealed with Microscale decal film. These went on beautifully with only a small amount of setting solution, the only difficulty being the left hand side code number that folded up and had to be replaced. Once these were in place more weathering was applied in the form of Model Mates Mud Brown and Oil Brown

weathering dye around the wing roots and engine cowling, while the rather shiny panel lines were dulled down with some very carefully applied oil paint pin washes. All in all was a really enjoyable build with relatively few problems, the kit itself all went together with a minimum of fuss and I am pretty happy with the natural metal finish which was the main focus of the build.

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Harrier HASEGAWA’S 1:48 ITALIAN NAVY AV-8B HARRIER II 28

Italia

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modelled and described by Mirko D’Accordi 29

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Italian Jumper Officially adopted in the summer of 1991

with ground attack as a secondary role,

GRUPAER were used in several

after lengthy technical evaluations, and

through the use of laser-guided bombs

international missions, their ‘baptism’ took

undergoing a parliamentary process , this

(GBU) and the latest generation of JDAM,

place in January 1995 when Operation

aircraft is the main strike force of fixed-

combined with its utilisation of a powerful

United Shield in Somalia occurred. The

wing aircraft in the Italian Navy. The

25 mm cannon with 300 rounds of

aircraft also served during the operations

contract allowed for a total of 18 aircraft,

ammunition. The aircraft’s armament also

in the Balkans, and has remained in use

two two-seater and sixteen single-seater

includes air-to-air medium-range missiles

until the present day over the skies of

aircraft, thirteen of which were assembled

and both active radar-guided AIM-120

Libya. To pay tribute to twenty years of the

in Italy by Alenia. The first aircraft

"AMRAAM" and AIM-9L “Sidewinder” IR-

AV-8B Plus Harriers serving the Italian

assembled by Alenia was constructed in

guided missiles. It is also equipped with a

Navy, I decided to build the Hasegawa 1:48

October 1995 and the last in December

multimode radar, taken from the F-18. This

scale COD 09 684 "Italian Navy" model kit,

1997.

allows defence engagement and tactical

using AIRES 4199 for the cockpit , the

The AV-8B Plus, also known as the Harrier

missions involving multiple targets to be

wheel AIRES 4201 and Tauro Model decal

II, is a single-seat subsonic all-weather

completed more efficiently. Due to this

sheet 48-544 to greatly enhance the basic

aircraft with the evolution of British

technology, identification of targets even in

model, making the kit a more accurate

Aerospace and produced under licence by

adverse weather conditions is possible,

interpretation of the aircraft.

Boeing. The Italian Navy uses the Harrier II

further enhanced through the use of night

Plus primarily for air defence of the fleet,

vision goggles (NVG). The HARRIERS of

Hasegawa’s Harrier

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The model is made up of approximately

gear compartment in the open position,

sheet, despite being very comprehensive,

170 pieces, most is crafted with excellent

because they are actually open when the

has many reject markings, unusable due to

detail and there are lots of accurate panel

aircraft is on the ground (although not

them being the incorrect shades of white.

lines. The model, due to its particular

always the case ... more of this later). The

Anyone who would like a sheet including

design, is not the easiest to build. There

possible myriad of external loads and

the Italian insignia is out of luck, however,

are parts of the kit that are finicky to

armament is limited to a pair of AIM- 9L/ M

there are ways around this, as there is an

construct, and so require a dry fit and a

"Sidewinders", AIM-120"AMRAAM",

aftermarket sheet of decals available from

little work, but fortunately no major

additional 300 gallon fuel tanks, the gun

Tauro Model 48-544 that I used. Overall, it

modifications are required. The cockpit is

pod, the pod stabiliser fins and finally the

is a good kit that allows you to build a

sufficiently detailed out of the box should

AN / AAQ -28 II. Among the few flaws

faithful recreation of the 'AV8B Plus' that is

you wish to use it. Unlike the 1:72 scale

present, the canopy has an annoying seam

well detailed and presents little challenge.

Harriers, here we have the opportunity to

and the absence of the explosive lanyard

detail the airbrake and the nose landing

can be represented by an decal. The decal

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Cockpit refinement

The Aires set is an excellent recreation of

scale effect. Later I went back over some

etc, in order to give a little colour and

the cockpit. After removing from the casting

areas hit by light, with the same colour but

vibrancy to the cockpit. The two CRT

plugs and cleaning the various parts that

more lightened. This is to prepare the parts

displays and the panel at the bottom left

make it up, along with doing several dry fits

for a very diluted colour wash. The

were highlighted with a mix of Future and

(and having thinned the walls of the

dashboard, centre console and the body of

green transparent Gunze H94 the former,

fuselage that surround the cockpit), the

the seat were painted in matt black, while

while for the latter, I used Future and

parts fit together easily without major

the cushion, backrest and headrest of the

transparent red Gunze H91.

problems. The seat has received some

seat were painted with the Khaki Gunze

extra detail to the headrest, pillow, anti-G

H81; straps are coloured in light green with

tube and oxygen supply. I then utilised

a hint of silver to create ‘metallic’ effect. I

photo etched parts to further enhance

then ran a wash over all areas of the

details. A clarification in regards to the seat

passenger compartment with a mix of

straps; I preferred to attach only two of the

synthetic and oil-based paints diluted

four provided with the set. This is because

heavily. After about ten minutes I removed

the various images depicting the inside of

the excess with a dry brush. The next step

the cockpit of the aircraft only display two

is a drybrushing performed with a medium

belts. At this point, the whole, tub, side

grey Humbrol and, the second time, on the

walls, seat and dashboard are ready to be

most protruding areas affected by light,

painted. A small tip: Be very careful at this

with a light grey Humbrol 64; this is to

stage in assembling the HUD as It is

increase the contrast and obtain greater

incredibly fragile! In terms of the colours, I

depth. The final touch was to go over of all

loaded the airbrush with grey Gunze H317

the small details such as buttons, switches,

FS 36231, appropriately lightened for a

joystick , throttle, buckles, handle ejector

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By analysing images of this particular aircraft, I

cause the nose landing gear compartment to foul

found that, in the vast majority of cases, the front

the tub, the underside was incorrectly sized. After

undercarriage and airbrake are in the open

some time, with light milling, I managed to

position when the aircraft is on the ground. In

assemble it without visible damage. After some

contrast, in only some images it appears that the

minor adjustments, the parts fitted together and

rear compartment of the aircraft is open. I had to

formed a cohesive structure. A great deal of

wonder if the latter is fitted open or closed. After

testing different weathering methods has

a thorough check, I decided that, having it being

lengthened the amount of time the detail set took

beautifully detailed to fit it open, it would be a

to construct, but undeniably produced good

waste to model it closed, because, if well

results. Before proper painting I decided to paint

painted, this piece could give great interest and

a guide coat over the whole model. This first coat

finesse. I removed the pieces from the resin plugs

consisted of Gunze H311, which is a light grey,

and cleaned the various parts that comprise it,

and H316, followed by a wash with Payne's grey

also cutting open the pairs of doors in the kit part;

oil. The smaller details, such as hydraulic lines, I

This is a very delicate operation that requires

painted with silver.

extreme precision as it is difficult not to remove parts that must be retained. Everything is good; a problem arose however, when, using some drills I started to thin the walls of the fuselage, I soon realised that fitting the aircraft's cockpit would

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Following the instructions and after a few dry fits, I

pictures of the real aircraft, I noticed (as did my

started assembling the model. I didn't hit any

friend Jerome) some inconsistencies between the

particular problems except for the alignment of

colours suggested by Hasegawa and the real

the vents. For the particular look I wanted to

ones. This is because, looking at the pictures of

achieve, I decided to line the inside and work on

American Marines Harriers, the colours are the

the exterior side with the rest of the fuselage.

same, except for the patch of dark grey (FS

Using plastic that was appropriately shaped, I

36118), found on the back of the aircraft and not

glued it following the curvature of the fuselage,

present on this model, hence the decision to

and so I filled the gap that had previously formed

adopt the colours seen here. We categorically

and, the second time, I smoothed everything with

preferred to use grey (FS 36320 H307) for the

abrasive paper and went over some details lost

lower parts, and grey (FS 36231 H317) for the

during the process. At this point the model was

upper surfaces and the radome in neutral grey (FS

ready for painting. Across the whole model, I

36173 H53). In addition to this, we found that the

applied a coat of grey ALCLAD primer, followed by

colour demarkation recommended by the

all the panel shapes for which I preshaded with black opaque Gunze. While looking at

instructions was wrong. In actual fact, the line of separation between the upper and lower surfaces does not run along the fuselage, but instead moves towards the wing behind the first nozzle,

only to reappear from the trailing edge of the flaps. The back nozzles were painted with Alclad jet exhaust and then a mix of orange, transparent blue Gunze, matt black Gunze and Tamiya powder pigments were used. After laying the decals and polishing the final model, it was ready for the various weathering mixtures made using a combination of oil colours, Black, Umber and Sepia followed by a coat of transparent Gunze H20 that covers the whole thing and makes the aircraft's colours opaque.

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Harrier

Italia

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As can be seen from the photos, I worked with the "Air to Ground" configuration, with the AN/AAQ-28 pod, laser-guided weapons and a pair of AIM- 9Ls, but afterwards I changed my mind and, to liven up the grey camouflage, I "loaded" the aircraft with various weapons that added a touch of colour, painting the LGB with a blue body and the dummy Sidewinders in fluorescent orange, a great touch of colour. I am very satisfied with this project, I added another model with the Italian colours to my collection, the model is not easy to create, but it eventually surpassed my expectations.

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In this the eighth installment of the B-17 build I was able to get the last elements of the fuselage prepared for paint and actually managed to get some paint applied to the exterior of the model, definitely a bit of a landmark! In the last Issue the nose was completed and I was able to fit this to the rest of the fuselage, taking care to get the best possible fit so that there would not be too much work needed for a smooth transition with the rest of the fuselage. I had to trim the Navigator’s table to improve the fit and I taped the whole nose in position until it had set properly. Before I did too much work on smoothing out the joints I taped over the openings in the fuselage to prevent any sanding dust getting inside. Despite this when I moved on to masking the windows I spotted some specks attached to the inside on the nose glazing so i was forced to remove it to clean them off not a good moment! Masking all the different glazing areas was another long process, made easier but the good fit of the pre-cut Eduard masks I was using. I also spent a lot of time on replacing the areas of surface detail which had been damaged by sanding with the curves between the cockpit spine and the rest of the fuselage proving especially demanding. Eventually I

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was ready to prime and start getting some colours applied!

Before fitting the completed nose I had to add the pair of oxygen hoses to the bulkhead and once again the excellent MDC flexible resin hoses allowed me to get a nice natural look.

I wanted to have the sliding cockpit windows open so i carefully drilled open and then trimmed the pair of windows leaving just the cockpit frames.

I used some transparent plastic from the Eduard blister packaging to make new sliding sections. These and the other window parts were masked using the Eduard window masks, sprayed interior green and then Alclad Aluminium.

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The cockpit glazing is provided in three parts so getting it all aligned properly is critical and it was here that I hit a small problem. Note the filled joint lines around the green edges of the cockpit moulding.

When I test fitted the frames I realised that the pilot’s seats were touching the frames leaving no space to fit the sliding open sections. Further tests showed that there was some give in the seat mounts so that they could be pushed inwards.

I glued the sliding sections with white glue inside the frame before gluing the whole assembly with the trusty Mr Cement S. Despite my best efforts there were still some gaps to be filled around the window frames.

My subject aircraft did not have an astrodome, just a flat window so I used the kit glazing part to cut around to make a new flat glazing panel.

Moving to the tail now and the gun sight for the Cheyenne turret needed some attention. The curved slot in the base plate was opened up and I drilled out the solid support legs, added the small wheel and the electrical connection.

I added the tinted orange visor and the cables wires that allow the sight to track with the guns using EZ Line. With this done the glazing was added.

The next stage was making good the surface detail after the fuselage spine, nose and tail had been fitted, filled and sanded, resulting in the loss of detail from large very visible areas. It is something which amounted to several days work.

I used a P cutter to re cut the panel lines and the Rosie the Riveter 1:32 tool to replace the rivets with this proving a perfect match for the spacing of the kit rivet pattern. A tedious but critical process for the best finished results.

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The landing lights needed to be completed and the first job was to fill the joint line between the two wing halves inside the rebated light mount in the leading edge. I used a rubber tipped brush to smooth the putty as it is impossible to

sand inside this small space. For the lights I began by spraying them with Chrome Alclad but I ended up adding new lenses from the Resicast range for a more realistic look.

Following the lights I moved on to the supercharger pipework on the nacelles. Although the kit parts are nicely rendered I decided to replace them with a set of the Eduard Brassin resin replacements which are more detailed. They

take a little bit cleaning up with substantial casting blocks and they have to be mated with the front sections of the kit parts which demanded some precise cutting. The superchargers were not fitted yet to aid painting them. The last bits of masking were undertaken and the pre-cut Eduard masks fitted the windows really well. I decided to remove the entire glazing from the top turret and built a new protective tube from plastic card. During the clean up work on the fuselage small flecks of sanded plastic had got inside the turret and were stuck to the top turret glazing so removing it would allow me to clean this and make it easier to fill the glazing panel lines.

The kit flaps were completely smooth so I added the missing rivet detail using the revetting wheel.

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The window frames around the waist guns and the tail were primed the Alclad Airframe Aluminium as this would be visible through the windows.

To begin prepping the airframe for paint I airbrushed a coat of Mr Primer Surfacer diluted with the Yellow label thinners. I then used a foam polishing stick and Gunze polishing cloths to polish the surfaces.

The results were spectacular and the slightly satin finish of the primer was easily transformed into this polished surface.

I was especially pleased that the fine surface detail was not clogged at all by the primer and in fact seemed to help define it.

Areas where there were joints like the tail and nose were a particular concern but the joint line here was entirely camouflaged.

The real problem area proved to be the seam line where the fuselage spine met the rest of the fuselage. The Primer showed up some flaws and errors in my panel line engraving. I also spotted this raised panel detail which appeared in none of my references so I removed it.

The flush moulded circular inspection covers were replaced with new surface mounted ones made from 10 thou plastic. You can see here the ongoing work to get the perfect transition between the fuselage spine and to properly blend the cockpit windows with the rest of the fuselage. This was sanded, and primed about four times until I was happy with it.

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Another coat of Mr Primer Surfacer and things are looking good on this side of the fuselage at least! No signs that the spine has been mated to the fuselage.

Finally I was ready to move on with some painting The engines and their cowls were all separate to assist in the painting the heat-damaged portions of the nacelles.

Meanwhile on the other side, a clumsy attempt the secure the window masking that had started to lift resulted in this. I removed the sliding window and decided to fit it at the end of the painting process. You can also see a couple of flaws in the panel line below the window that will need to be fixed.

I began with a coat of Alclad Aluminium and this picture shows the fuselage with the Alclad applied ready to start weathering or so I thought.

The arrival of the new True Metal product from AK Interactive was prefectly timed for my build. I conducted a few promising tests on scrap kits before deciding to try this on the B-17. True Metal is a paste which can be polished to a very realistic finish and AK Interactive tell me that it can also be airbrushed using white spirit to thin it. Below The fuselage with the True Metal finish looking very realistic. If you make a mistake with your application, a damp cloth with white spirit will simply wipe the surface clean so you can do it again. This means weathering will have to be done with water-based paints. I tried sealing the finish with Alclad clear coat but found it dulled the finish.

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I began with the wings to see how best to apply it and in this picture you can see the inboard section contrasting with the outer section which is still Alclad.

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This is my technique for applying the True Metal. The paste is not completely opaque so underlying plastic will show through. A suitable undercoat is therfore required and I found the Aluminium Alcad ideal. I squeezed a small amount onto a pallette.

I used a wide flat brush to apply the paste, working small areas rather than the whole wing. Work quickly at this stage to get an overall coverage but don’t worry about any gaps.

Once the paste is roughly spread over the area and looks something like this I switch over to using my finger tip. Applying it just using a brush can give some good tarnished effects where the base paint shows through but any lumps of the paste that have not been spread will be very obvious when polished.

Quickly spread the paste over the complete working section and then rub the paste vigorously using your finger tip and moving in all directions. As you do this you will see the surface start to change and the polished finish quickly appears.

The polishing action of your finger can also be used to blend the True Metal into the adjoining completed sections for a seamless finish. A soft cloth can also be used to enhance the finished shine.

The results really are spectacular and the finish is resistant to handling and can be masked without causing any damage.

Which is good because quite a bit of masking was required to paint the Olive Drab rear fuselage and anti-glare panels. My subject aircraft ‘Little Miss Mischief’ was repaired by grafting on an older rear fuselage from ‘Wallaroo Mark II’ and also had a replacement outer port wing finished in the early OD/grey paint.

The Project continues in the next Issue

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new releases

Wingman Models 1:48 IAI F-21A KFIR

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Another tasty release in the 'Superkit' series sees the usual Wingman format of taking a modern tooled kit (from Kinetic in this case) adding a host of resin detail parts, photoetch and turned metal parts (from Master of Poland) and all topped off with decals from Cartograf, basically all you need for an in-depth project in one box. Aside from the previously available base kit the resin parts include a full cockpit, wheels, exhaust, supersonic tank and antennas all cleanly cast and mastered. In metal theres photo etched details including HUD framing, ejector seat handles, AOA probes and pitot tube. The decal sheet provides a choice of three

schemes for one US Navy and two US Marines Agressor schemes from the mid 1980’s and is of Cartograf's usual high quality, right down to the myriad of small stencilled markings for the airframe. A set of pre-cut paint masks are also included for tyres and canopy and excellent instructions to guide you through the build and full colour paint and decal plans. We really like the concept of these highly detailed 'out of the box project' kits which also offer very good value for money. www.wingmanmodels.com has details of their full range of Superkits which are available direct.

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Wingman Models 1:48 IAF AS.565 Panther ‘Atalef’ Helicopter Conversion WMF 48020 is a comprehensive conversion for the Kitty Hawk Dauphin kit to convert it to an IAF AS565 “Atalef” Panther Helicopter. There's a whole load of cleanly cast resin parts (mainly concerned with modifying the interior), a photoetched fret and a decal sheet providing all you need including excellent assembly

and reference photos in the instruction leaflet. Always a help with a helo' is a full set of pre-cut glazing masks which are also included. Take a look at www.wingmanmodels.com for details of their range of conversions and upgrades.

Wingman Models 1:48 SUU-30B/B Bombs 'Fix It' SUU-30 B/B Bombs contains six two-part resin bombs in 1:48 with photo etched fins and detail and a comprehensive decal sheet to arm your latest NATO Cold War, 'Nam or even Yom

Kippur project. Quality is as expected excellent, making it a very worthwhile detail upgrade, WMF 48021 is the code.

Uschi Van der Rosten Master of the ingenious product, Uschi Van der Rosten have a great new product for aircraft modellers. Three Green flexible nose weight is a mouldable lead putty which as well as being unnervingly heavy is both mouldable and tacky so you can just squeeze a lump into the nose cavity of you chosen project to avoid the dreaded ‘tail sit’ It shouldn’t need any adhesive to hold it in position which makes the whole process very quick and simple. Next we have three different grades of elastic rigging line with

each set containing 45 metres of line on a nice metal spool. The lines are all what I would describe as quite fine but they are available in ‘Standard’ 0.005mm, ‘Fine’ 0.003mm and ‘Superfine’0.001mm. Obviously these are ideal for your biplane builds and the tiny size would be perfect for small scale projects as well as being suitable for antenna lines and the like. Full details of these and the rest of the range from www.uschivdr.com

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Tarangus 1:48 SAAB JA37 Viggen

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The new 1:48 Viggen has been talked about for some time now, the good news is it's now released onto the market and certainly looks well worth the wait. I think I'm correct in saying that MPM have had some involvement in the production, thus the kit has an initial feel of a modern Eastern European production. With eight sprues in grey and the canopy and light details in clear, the moulding and detail is impressive with some very crisp panel lines and thin edges. We're presented with a multi-part cockpit with nice relief control detail and ejector seat and a very nicely handled exhaust assembly with full intake ducting. Wheel wells feature good detail and the landing gear captures the complex appearance really well, more complexity which has been overcome by the kit's designers is the breakdown of the fuselage sections, with it's arrival just before going to print we haven't had chance to do any dry fits as yet but everything looks very promising. Surface detail is very crisp with fine recessed panel

lines and some very impressive moulding of the exhaust nozzle. Control surfaces are all moulded in position which may disappoint some but the various intake nozzles have been moulded with open ends to improve the look of the finished model. External stores are restricted to the centre line tanks as seen on the box art. Decals are well printed and very comprehensive covering four schemes. If you're feeling brave the famous splinter pattern should look stunning and I'm sure the aftermarket guys will produce some pre-cut masks. The other three schemes are the more subtle grey one that features on the boxart. The decal quality is excellent with full markings for smaller stencils, pylons etc all included. An A3 guide sheet in full colour should help with colours and markings. This is a really nice kit and will be most welcome by modellers of Cold-War subjects. Check www.tarangus.com for this and other Swedish subjects.

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Wings Cockpit Figures 1:32 Flight crew figures We have more top notch additions to the growing range of Wings Cockpit Figures designed to compliment your next 1:32 build, with some absolutely stunning sculpting. We begin with (RAF 04B) which is an RAF fighter or bomber pilot 1940-42 with his parachute casually slung over his shoulder and he comes with a choice of heads with Type B or Type C helmets and flexible resin cables for the headset cables and oxygen mask. He would make an ideal companion for the new Revell Spitfire for example. Also compatible would be the second figure of a WAAF Section Officer in a crosswind (RAF 02C). Tons of character again here and a real sense of a

bit of a chill in the air! Next is an RFC Pilot pulling on his gloves (RFC 10) with a choice of heads supplied and pistol stuck in the top of his boot. Luftwaffe ground crew are next with this chap (Luft 01B) who is designed to stand on the wing of a Bf 109 while leaning on the fuselage, no doubt conferring with the pilot. The last figure (USN 01) is an early war 194143 US Navy Pilot resting against the propeller of say his Corsair? Again stunning sculpting which will make painting any of these figures an absolute treat. These and the rest of the range are available from the MDC website: www.modeldesignconstruction.co.uk

Italeri 1:48 Mustang Mk.IVa A new release from Italeri, but not a new kit, not a bad thing in this case as this is the Hasegawa Mk.IVa with the bonus of some tasty new decals. The sprues show no difference from a Hasegawa kit and with the bags carrying a 'Made in Japan' tag appear to be manufactured by them with the high standard of quality you'd expect. The kit includes what you need to build a British 'K' (plus some leftover parts) with four versions of markings for RAF (one on fact RCAF) including a couple of exciting schemes

with the shark-mouthed No.112 Sqn in Italy and 'Dooleybird' of No.19 Sqn. proving Cartograf are still at the top of their game. Although not a brand new tooling this kit still holds it's own against contemporary competition with nicely detailed cockpit side-walls and facia, beautiful surface detail and finely rendered wheel wells and wheels. A good choice of ordnance is included which would make this a very nice out of the box build with little fuss, very nice indeed.

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Italeri 1:72 Jaguar GR.3 'Big Cat' Special Colours If you have any small scale Jag GR.3s in your kit collection you may well have these two sprues as this is the same kit marketed by Revell and even re-boxed by Tamiya and has been available for some time now. As with most kits it has it's highs and lows but is considered a decent base if you want to make a few corrections and if you get the kit for the commemorative markings you won't need to worry about arming your big cat (cluster bombs are poor).

Moulding is still good with decent surface detail, maybe not quite as delicate as Hasegawa's offering in 1:72, but still acceptable for the scale. Onto the decals which really are the feature of this release, who better than Cartagraf to produce such a challenging scheme as this? Colours are strong and the blends excellent which is critical in small scale and will undoubtably make this a very striking subject affectionately known as 'Spotty'!

Mezek and Turbina Bohumir Kudlicka Published by Mushroom Models Softback format, 112 pages ISBN 978 83 63678 08 1 www.mmpbooks.biz

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This heavily illustrated release in MMP's 'White Series' charts the service of post-war Messerschmitts in Czechoslovakia, namely the 'Mezek' Bf 109G and 'Turbina' Me262. As always, we can rely on MMP to present a wealth of period photographs, most of which most readers will have never seen before with some very exciting colour schemes which would certainly make an interesting change from the usual Luftwaffe colours. As well as overall views of the aircraft there's some excellent close-up reference of cockpits, engines and a good selection of technical manual excerpts and

1:48 plans. Colour profiles are always a strong point from MMP, no disappointment here with fifteen plus pages of top quality colour illustrations of modelling inspiration. The Israeli 'Avia S-199' has some excellent coverage (being purchased from the Czechs) with some great photographs and colour profiles. Development of the aircraft by the new owners is covered in detail making this another MMP 'one stop' great value reference which should prove a popular addition to the library of German aircraft enthusiasts.

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Eurofighter- 10 years in German Service By Dr. Andreas Zeitler Published by Airdoc Softback format, 64 pages, German / English text ISBN 3 935687 74 4 A very accessible history of the Eurofighter 'Typhoon' in German service which is heavily illustrated with some excellent colour photography of these elegant machines in action. Starting with pre-production and development descriptions then introduction into the Luftwaffe, there's some very nice reference shots and the text translation into English is very good. Just when I was tiring of the usual grey finished Typhoons along comes the section on

Special Liveries! There's some great inspiration for modellers with some striking tail art and the complicated 'Tiger Meet' schemes, one that particularly caught my eye is the 400th Internationally delivered aircraft with it's pixelated design in blue across the grey. A final section on arms provides some good reference images of the Typhoon's firepower with removed panels and underwing images. Recommended to any Typhoon or modern Luftwaffe fan.

Bomber Aircraft of 305 Squadron By Lechoslaw Musialkowski Published by Mushroom Model Publications Hardback format, 192 pages ISBN 978 83 61421 80 1 www.mmpbooks.biz An illustrated history of Polish bomber squadron No.305 'Wielopolski' is presented in this new release in MMPs 'white series'. As always, MMP turn up a huge amount of unpublished photos to get the modelling juices going. The photos and colour profiles are the focus of the book with excellent detailed captions taking the reader through the night bomber colours and markings through to the low-level specialist missions towards the end of

WWII. Aircraft covered are the Fairey Battle, Wellingtons, B-25s and Mosquitos with some excellent close-ups of crews and maintenance as well as general views which have the colour profiles of the aircraft in question alongside, a great reference format for modellers. Another great all-round reference from MMP offering good value for money.

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The Airbrush Company, Iwata Custom Micron CM-C Plus Iwata’s Custom Micron airbrushes are very much the flagship models of the respected Iwata range and they have now been improved to make things that little bit better again! The new brushes have a redesigned taller, more comfortable square pattern trigger and there is also now a handy facility to store the crown cap (the protective tip of the brush that protects the needle) by screwing it into the end of the preset lock at the rear end of the brush. I mostly work without a crown cap on my brushes to avoid the build up of paint and unforseen splatters that result, so a safe stowage place is most welcome. The example that we have been testing is the Custom Micron CM-C Plus which has a 0.23mm needle teamed up with a generous 9ml paint cup. The range includes three other models with different paint cup and nozzle combinations to suit different requirements The brush has a Micro Air Control valve mounted under the cup which allows for very fine regulation of the air pressure rather that having to reach down to adjust your compressor you can quickly make adjustments as you work. As soon as you hold the airbrush to know that this is a serious piece of kit with a precision feel to all the controls and a very smooth trigger action, offering just the right balance of

resistance as you pull back on the trigger. I wanted to see just how it performed with what would be an everyday paint for me rather than any specialist airbrush inks for example. I used some Mr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Colour for this, mixing a couple of colours and using just water to thin them. I was a little sceptical about how much better the CM-C Plus would be compared to my regular high end Iwata Hi-Line HP-BH but I could immediately feel the difference in the operation, the control I had and the finesse of the results I was getting. Without any doubt i could appreciate the difference between this and my regular brush and it ran consistently throughout the entire painting session. From the red metal presentation case to the anodised rear body this is a beautiful precision tool with results that reflect this. Obviously this is reflected in the price but for those of us who strive for the highest quality results after spending months of work constructing a model this is no doubt the sort of airbrush you would want to be able to utilise. Highly recommended. Full details of this and the rest of the Custom Micron range can be found at www.airbrushes.com

The Airbrush Company, Iwata Cleaning Mat, Airbrush Cleaning Kit & Airbrush Cleaner Spray

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There is no point in investing in a precision high end airbrush if it is not kept clean. As we know keeping your brush clean is the secret to trouble-free operation but getting some of those small parts clean is no easy task. Fortunately Iwata have now put together a dedicated Airbrush cleaning kit and a specialist cleaning mat (available separately). The mat has a lipped edge to stop your nozzle rolling off the desk and getting eaten by the carpet and comes with a useful sectional drawing of the airbrush components. The boxed set contains a pack of cleaning wipes, a small bottle of cleaning fluid, a pack of pipe cleaners, an illuminated magnifying lens to inspect your nozzle and needle, a tube of needle lubricant,

a nozzle wrench and a set of three micro nylon cleaning brushes. The set also provides an illustrated guide on how to effectively clean and maintain your airbrush with useful tips on where and how to lubricate the mechanism as well as everyday cleaning methods. This is an excellent set which will be replacing my makeshift home made cleaning devices immediately. Finally in this collection of cleaning materials is the Medea Airbrush Cleaner in this handy spray handle bottle which can be used to clean out your spray booth or to shoot a jet of cleaning fluid into the intake of your airbrush! www.airbrushes.com

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32088

24008

72095 72096

32089

48271

48273

48272

48270

32087

72094

48267

72093

48269

48268

Scale Aircraft Conversions Scale Aircraft Conversions continue to add to thier range of white metal replacement undercarriage legs across all the main scales. Starting in 1:72 scale and set 72094 is designed for the new Airfix Bristol Blenheim. 72096 is the Pj production Mirage III/IV, 72093 offers two sets of gear for the Airfix Hawker Hurricane and 72095 is designed for the Roden C-123 Provider. In 1:48 scale there is a set for the Revell Panavia Tornado 48270 and for the Kinetic Sea Harrier 48271. The Hobby Boss BV141 48267, Jet Provost 48268,

Kitty Hawk F9F Cougar 48269, Trumpeter F-106 Delta Dart 48272 and finally for the Revell/Monogram F-4 Phantom 48273. In 1:32 we have set 32089 for the Trumpeter F4F Wildcat, Wingnut Wings Fokker D.VII 32088 and for Azur’s kit of the Romanian IAR-81C 32087. Finally for the Airfix 1:24 Hawker Typhoon there is set 24008. Full details of these and the rest of the range can be found at www.scaleaircraftconversions.com 51

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AOD72030

AOD32010

AOD72C05 Aviaeology Decals We have some new decal releases from Aviaeology starting with a great set of markings AOD32010 part 2 for 1:32 404 Squadron Beaufighters - perfect if you want to tackle the re-released Revell kit. The set comes with a very comprehensive guide to the six different aircraft provided on this set - half of a two part set that is available. The information provided is very detailed and includes details of features and mods made to each one. The 3 decal sheets in the set look superb too with perfect registration. To compliment this there is set AOD32S02 which is a full set of 1:32 Beaufighter stencils and data markings. moving now to 1:72 and 1:48 we have AOD72030 Venturas in Canada 1 and AOD48031 Venturas in Canada 2. Some great nose art on both sets along with all the relevant national markings and the usual comprehensive data sheets to guide you through each of the selected schemes with ten on the 1:72 sheet and nine on the other. Finally there is a useful generic set of RAF & FAA 8” Aircraft serial numbers in 1:72 AOD72C05. Visit www.aviaeology.com for more details of these and the rest of the range.

AOD48031

AOD32S02 Ammo of Mig Jimenez A handy boxed set of acrylic paints from the Ammo paint range, this one focussed on colours for IAF desert camouflage. The set contains four colours, FS 36375 Light Compass Ghost Grey, FS 33531 Middlestone, FS34424 Light Grey Green and FS 30219 Tan. The colours are water soluble and are designed for both brush and airbrush. Full details can be found at www.migjimenez.com

RB Productions

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We have a mix of new additions to the fast-growing range of RB Productions upgrades and we begin with this excellent set of photoetched radiator grilles designed for the 1:24 Airfix Hawker Typhoon RB-P24007, these are a very visible feature and should really add to the look of the finished model. To go along with this RB-M24001 is a set of pre-cut paint masks for the Typhoon canopies. In 1:32 scale there are also masks for the Azur IAR80/81

RB-M32003 and suitable for this kit also is RB-P32038 which is a set of seatbelts with photoetched buckles and pre-cut paper straps. Decals now and RB have a set of markings for Romanian RB-D48017 is in 1:48 and the set provides markings for a choice of seven different aircraft. A colour marking guide is provided with background info on each aircraft as well as full colour references. www.radubstore.com for full details

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1:32

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early

FE.2B Chema Martinez Fernandez’s award winning wingnuts project

This project began to take shape during my first visit to Scale Model World at Telford in 2011, where I found a couple of amazing books on this aircraft. As I was quite fond of WW1 subjects and fan of the Wingnut Wings kits and their plans to release this aircraft and the books I purchased I could clearly see what my next project would be. Just over a month after my return from Telford the Wingnut Wings kit was released offering two different, early and late, and unable to choose I purchased both! I once had them in my possession I was able to enjoy studying each kit. The first step in this project would be the choice of the subject aircraft, and having studied the choices of decals I decided I wanted an aircraft in plain linen so the early kit was selected. Once I had decided on the model it was time to plan the project, and following the trend of my recent work with models of this brand and given the high quality of its detailed interior and engine, I decided that these two elements will be the focus of this project.

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cockpit and interior As usual I started with the cockpit, and before touching anything I planned the detailed cabin to be exposed by removing the fabric side panels and the engine covers too. With this in mind I needed to take special care in detailing the cockpit inside and out, with little room for error. To make assembly becomes us not too complicated we will try as much as possible be guided by the instructions of the kit. I started by assembling and painting the radiator, fuel tank and the pilot’s floor and gave them a wash with oil Sienna oils for a touch of dirt.

Thinking of the control cables for the rudder bar I added two rings at each end of the bar. At first I thought about leaving the kit side pulleys but I did replace them using a punch to three discs of 0.25 mm and 0.5 mm sandwiching the smaller between the bigger two. I continued by fitting the rest of the fuselage structure in preparation for removing and cleaning the side panels from the fuselage, using dry fitted to check exactly which areas should be removed. Once I had assembled the structure i was able to decide which side to open up and the panels were carefully cut away and cleaned up. The open wall had to be carefully sanded to thin it down to a scale thickness. A new internal framework was constructed from plastic card to replicate the framing behind the missing panels. On the front section holes were drilled around the edges for the fabric stitching with corresponding bolt holes in the rear section for the engine covers.

With the external details sorted I returned to the interior which was now exposed. Piece by piece I painted the interior panels imitating wood grain, using an easy and effective technique.

My references showed subtle distortions in the nose cones of operational aircraft, I added these creases and dents by working into the surface of the parts and blending with fine abrasives.

As the fuel tank was to be on show I decided to scratchbuild a more detailed version from styrene sheet and strip.

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Since I wanted a light coloured wood I used a yellow base with all parts painted in yellow in this case Tamiya XF -3. The variations and graining is applied with oils using different colours applied unthinned and then a sponge is dragged over them to lift off the oils and create the woodgrain. Keeping the patterns random and varying the colours will enhance the natural appearance. Once you are satisfied with the grain you have to seal the work with Tamiya Clear orange X - 26, and repeat over all the panels.

With the cabin and all the wood painted I was able to detail throughout the interior. This requires much photographic information of the real aircraft and a logical approach to the function of the different components.

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Painting of cylinders: Alclad copper base. Filters: Humbrol copper. Orange Tamiya XF -53, XF -1 black (very subtle)

powerplant The engine will be an important focal point of this model, so I planned to take special interest in its construction. The engine that is provided with the model is simply outstanding but still has room for some improvements, replacing some elements with scratchbuilt parts and adding on all the cables and pipes. I started by mounting the engine block and the cylinders, the original spark plugs before cutting them off in place and drilling them out with a 0.3 mm drill. Spark plugs: Cut the originals and drill a hole. Stick a copper wire in place, this is trimmed and painted white, leaving the tip copper colour and then add the power cable. Based on photos of the actual engines in the kit instructions and using logic, I added to the parts of the model itself with inlet fuel lines, cooling pipes and electrical cables, all of which was plumbed into the rest of the aircraft when the engine was mounted in the fuselage. The exhaust is enhanced by drilling out the ring of holes with a 0.3 mm drill bit and is painted in XF -9 and then treated with oxides and black pigments .

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fuselage

I started painting the fuselage masking everything thoroughly. The first thing I addressed was painting the fabric panels on the fuselage side to mimic the worn paint here I used the hair spray technique. This technique is very easy and I started painting the area of fabric in a linen colour, in this case XF-55, and once dry I applied hairspray over this area having decanted it into my airbrush, so as to have the best control when applying it. I applied a few coats of the hairspray and then applied a base coat of the fuselage colour Tamiya XF-62. Once dry I used a stiff brush and

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water to scrub the surface and randomly remove the top coat of paint and exposing the linen colour underneath. You can gradually build up the effect working in small sections until you are happy with the appearance. Once I had finished I masked this area and painted the remainder of the fuselage using a base colour of XF-62. Once the base colour is on I always make tonal changes around the frames and panel lines using darker shades and this is followed by a lightened shade with a little yellow mixed in to lighten the centres of the panels.

These shading colours are always very dilutes and sprayed using a low pressure for very subtle effects. Using my own home made paint masks I sprayed the insignia on the fuselage and then using 2000 grit ultra fine sand paper I carefully rubbed them back to create a worn and chipped finish to the insignia. The exception was the number ‘6’ on the nose which was done using the kit decal which was also sanded down to match the worn look of the other fuselage markings.

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The final step of painting was to stipple some oils using a brush dipped in solvent and blending from top to bottom, followed by a touch of brown pigments with areas of chipped metal on the cowlings done with a silver watercolour pencil. The areas of fabric on the fuselage are made from rolled metal foil with one piece hanging and the other tied up with strings. For wheels used the hairspray technique to create the worn effects on the fabric wheel hub covers. With all that had finished and the assembled engine installed, and all the plumbing and wires connected the fuselage, is at last staring to look like the real thing.

wing structure There are two details that will be key to this part of the model, the first being the middle part of the upper wing which will have the fabric covering removed, the second is to create the transparent look to the fabric and insignia, so I faced challenges of construction and painting. Let's start with the construction of the stripped wing. This structure would need to be strong because it would need to support the weight of the outer wing sections so the basis are the two beams

that go from side to side will be 3mm brass rod. The second aspect will be the ribs, and I will need to make 11 identical ribs and two more final ones with a recess to fit the rest of the wings, The 11 ribs also have an open internal structure. I used the kit wing as a guide to the dimensions of the these parts with the ribs being 1.5mm wide, I drew the profile of the rib and my photographic references showed that the inside of the ribs was rebated. I made a

plastic master of one rib from Evergreen plastic and also with an allowance for the stringers with two 3mm holes in the rib for the rods to pass through. With this master rib created, it was now just a matter of making resin copies using a silicon mould. The main beams of the wing are square not round so the brass rod was passed through 5mm square profile plastic tube to give the correct appearance with compromising the strength of the whole assembly.

The difficulty of painting the structure is that it needs to have a wooden finish which with all the recesses will be tricky but not impossible. I started with a base of XF-52 and applied Earth Sienna and Yellow Ocher oils and with the help of forceps and a small piece of sponge I was able to create the wood texture effects. It was finished with a coat of sprayed Tamiya clear orange . To conclude the details of the wing structure I painted black metal joints and silver screws, and used a 0.2mm Rotring drawing pen mark ribs to simulate the nail holes.

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1

2

3

4

It's time to paint the rest of the wings in a doped linen which will of course be slightly transparent. I started priming the wings with Tamiya grey primer, and once the primer is dry I applied a base colour using Gunze H-313. with the light colour linen and the darker wood of the internal structure I will have to create a finish that is the opposite of that which normally applies to this type of aircraft in other colours. When painting the wings of any other colour biplane area of the fabric over the rib tends to be more clear so we would normally lighten the base colour along the ribs. In this case the ribs will do the opposite and darken the linen. 1 Airbrush and freehand with Tamiya XF-52 I defined all the ribs, in the case of the beams I only sprayed on the bottom of the wing. 2 Once dry paint I masked the ribs and spars with 1.5mm tape. 3 I again sprayed the base gunze H-313 and removed the masking to leave cleanly defined ribs. 4 Now it integrate these I applied a thin coat of

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H-313 over the whole wing without covering the ribs, the ribs must be visible but subtly. To finish with a base colour I lightened the center of the fabric between the ribs. The next step is to paint the roundels on the wings and with the considerations of transparency. With the help of a compass cutter I made the circular masks, XF-8 for blue, XF-2 white and XF 7 for red. I then masked the ribs and we shaded with light grey over the white areas and again over the two other colours with darker shades of the red and blue.

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rigging and final assembly English aircraft do not have the typical round rigging wires, but use a flat type which makes rigging far more complex than with round wires. I used 0.12mm fishing line, 0.5mm brass tube and flat wire in 0.1 and 0.3mm. The spans were measured and allowing for the tensioning mounts it has to be at least 5mm on each side of the entire length. I cut two sleeves of brass tube 3mm long, which were glued to each and of the flat rigging. This was done on all the rigging wires at different sizes. To fix to the plane first of all I had to add a tiny loop of 0.5mm wire to each point where a rigging line is mounted, glued with CA glue. At the end of each rigging brace a small length of fishing line is inserted into the brass rod ‘caps’ and glued with CA again. Two more brass rod sleeves are cut off about 1mm long. To mount the rigging proceed as follows : • Insert the cap on the fishing line . • Pass the fishing line through the wire loop. • Re-enter the line into the cap . • Tension and secure with a drop of CA. • Repeat at the other end of the rigging line.

Proceed with care and once set cut the excess thread and paint the ends of the lines matt black. Once I fitted the central struts had to paint and mount the tail, painted with the same wood techniques and rigged in the same way. The control cables for the rudder and tail were added using 0.16mm fishing line painted with silver spray paint.

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FE.2B early

In short, this was a big project and such a detailed model requires a lot of patience and this one has been the most complex of Wingnut Wings builds but also the most spectacular kit. It has been exhausting work during the almost 6 months building this kit but definitely worth the effort.

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