Airfix Model World Issue 060 (November 2015)

SHACKLETON EXCLUSIVE!

LATIN LOVELY

RALLY RAID

1/48 Wingman Models IAI KFIR TC2

1/24 Tamiya Gazoo Racing TRD 86

Nov 2015 Issue 60

50 REVIEWS

EXCLUSIVE BUILD

SHOW SCENE Hull debut and Figureworld

Airfix’s all-new 1/72 Avro Shackleton MR.2

AERIAL HOTROD

£4.30

1/48 'Lancer Two'

PINK BUT DEADLY

1/35 SAS Land Rover Pink Panther NOV COVER UK 9.indd 1

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EDITOR'S DESK

WELCOME

Like us! facebook.com/airfixmodelworld Visit us! www.airfixmodelworld.com

WELCOME TO ISSUE 60

A

side from my life-long love affair with the Phantom II, one aircraft that always used to leave an impression on me at air shows in my youth was the Shackleton. It simply screamed ‘old!’, and I

always thought it unbelievably cool that such a venerable type, with so many propellers, was still in service among all the RAF’s jets. While serving at Leuchars in the latter half of the 1980s, and being surrounded by my beloved F-4s and then Tornado F.3s, it was just once that I witnessed ‘The Old Grey Lady’ land and taxi into the visiting aircraft section. An excuse to jump in the Land Rover and see an AEW.2 up close had to be found! Cold War fans have waited a very long time for a newly tooled Shackleton, and I’m not quite sure why...but I’m delighted that Airfix has finally grabbed the bull by the horns and produced what appears to be a simply lovely MR.2. Our regular contributor

Jen Wright has had a ball with her test-shot version in this issue, and once the production kit hits the shelves I’m sure we’ll see many built examples on show tables everywhere...and a quick response from after-market decal and accessory manufacturers. It surely must be the most hotly anticipated kit for several decades, but what of those old Frog kits populating lofts far and wide? While I predict Airfix’s gem will dominate modellers’ time, there will be a small hardcore of builders still determined to make their own masterpiece from Frog’s ancient moulding. Each to their own I say, but it does leave one wondering what to do with older examples of subjects that have been re-tooled to much better

quality. I still have many kits that have been superseded by new toolings, but I can’t seem to part with them; maybe it’s the hoarder in me (isn’t there a little bit of that in most modellers?). I predict they will eventually be tackled by my two young sons as a grounding in modelling, and I hope it gives them as much pleasure as my early efforts gave me. For now, though, I’ll revel in the state-of-the art and will simply look forward to getting my hands on those four Griffon engines and everything they drag along with them. Chris Clifford, Editor [email protected]

FREE MODEL! Claim your FREE Airfix Spitfire PR.XIX or Gladiator Mk.I when you subscribe to Airfix Model World. See page 56. Editor: Chris Clifford Assistant Editor: Stu Fone Editor's Secretary: Vanessa Smith Contributors this issue: Brian Wakeman, Paul Cawte, Ian Young, Sonia Maes, Jennifer Wright, Malcolm V Lowe, Ian Hartup, Wayne Dippold, Toni Canfora Art Editor: Tom Bagley Group Art Editor: Steve Donovan Production Manager: Janet Watkins Commercial Director: Ann Saundry Group Advertising Manager: Brodie Baxter Advertising Manager: Tom Lee Ad Production Manager: Debi McGowan Group Marketing Manager: Martin Steele Marketing Manager: Shaun Binnington Subscriptions and Mail Order: Liz Ward Managing Director: Adrian Cox Executive Chairman: Richard Cox Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XQ, UK.

Distributed by: Seymour Distribution Ltd, 2 Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PP. Tel: 020 7429 4000. Fax: 020 7429 4001. Printed by: Warners (Midland) plc, Bourne. Printed in England (ISSN 1471-0587). Subscriptions: Please refer to main advertisement within the magazine. All applications stating name, address, date to commence and remittance to: Subscriptions Department, Airfix Model World, Key Publishing Ltd, P0 Box 300, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1NA, UK. Telephone/9.00-5.30 Monday-Friday GMT +44 (0) 1780 480404, Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757812 E-Mail: [email protected] Airfix Model World (ISSN: 1471-0587) is published monthly by Key Publishing Ltd, P0 Box 300, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1NA, UK and distributed in the USA by Mail Right Int., 1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway, NJ 08854.

Periodicals Postage Paid at Piscataway, NJ and additional mailing offices.Readers in the USA can place subscriptions by visiting www.airfixmodelworld.com or by calling toll free 800-676-4049 or fax 757-428-6253 or by writing to Airfix Model World, 3330 Pacific Ave, Ste 500, Virginia Beach, VA23451-9828. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Airfix Model World, Key Publishing Ltd, c/o Mail Right International Inc.,1637 Stelton Road B4, Piscataway NJ 08854. All items submitted for publication are subject to our terms and conditions. These are regularly updated without prior notice and are freely available from www.keypublishing.com The entire contents of Airfix Model World is © copyright, and no part of it may be reproduced in any form or stored on any form of retrieval system without the prior permission of the publisher.

“AIRFIX’’ is a registered trade mark of Hornby Hobbies Limited and is used under licence. We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly recommended to take their own precautions before parting with any information or item of value, including, but not limited to, money, manuscripts, photographs or personal information in response to any advertisements within this publication.

The average sale for the period Jan – Dec 2014 was 12,005 print and digital copies monthly.

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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CONTENTS INSIDE

REGULARS 06 News The latest happenings in the world of plastic modelling.

10 Show Scene At-a-glance model show calendar.

56 FREE MODEL! Claim your free Airfix Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX or Gloster Gladiator Mk.I when you subscribe to AMW.

76 On the Shelf Fourteen pages of reviews highlight the latest modelling products from around the world.

98 The Plastic Surgery Quiz AMW’s team of contributors, history writers and industry contacts regarding your own modelling conundrums.

16

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

34

FIGURE BUILD TASK FORCE BLACK

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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CONTENTS

INSIDE

SHOW SCENE Hull debut and Figureworld

66

INTERMEDIATE BUILD LANCER TWO

FEATURES 14 Out and About – Figureworld 2015 Airfix Model World’s Assistant Editor Stu Fone discovered an impressive pool of talent at this Northamptonshire event.

16 Advanced Build – Latin Lovely Brian Wakeman shows how to get the best from Wingman Models’ twin-seat IAI Kfir.

22 Intermediate Build – Tickled Pink In this issue’s first examination of special forces subjects, Paul Cawte goes allout on Tamiya’s 1/35 SAS ‘Pinkie’ Land Rover.

28 In Focus – Pink But Deadly Ian Young profiles the SAS Land Rover, with rare imagery of this elite force in training.

32 Photo Focus – Pinkie Peeks

42

EXCLUSIVE BUILD SHACKLETON MR.2

Get your Tamiya SAS Land Rover build just right with our super selection of walk-round photos, courtesy of Ian Young.

34 Figure Build – Winged Daggers in Iraq Sonia Maes offers our second special forces subject this month...a 200mm bust of an SAS Task Force Black trooper.

42 Exclusive Build – The Growler Airfix’s forthcoming Avro Shackleton MR.2 must surely be one of the most eagerly anticipated kits in recent times. Jennifer Wright gives her appraisal via an exclusive test-shot build.

52 In Focus – Cold War Guardian Malcolm V Lowe explores the career of Avro’s maritime specialist the Shackleton, with fascinating text and period images.

58 Intermediate Build – Rally Raid AMW’s car wizard Ian Hartup says Tamiya’s recent Gazoo Racing Toyota TRD86 is a real challenge.

66 Intermediate Build – Akers’ Aerial Hotrod Wayne Dippold uses Hobby Boss’ quarter-scale F4U-4 Corsair to portray the famous air racer Lancer Two.

58

INTERMEDIATE BUILD GAZOO RACING TRD 86

74 Out and About – From Little Acorns... Editor Chris Clifford reports on Hull Scale Model Club’s impressive debut show. Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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NEWS BULLETIN

LATEST UPDATES

BRAND-NEW FORTRESS!

EIGHTH AIR Force fans will be cock-a-hoop with Airfix’s announcement regarding a newly tooled 1/72 B-17G for 2016... and an accompanying Bomber Re-supply Set. The Flying Fortress kit depicts a B-17G-65-BO airframe with Cheyenne turret, and will feature two colour schemes. From the CAD renderings this looks

as though it will be a corking release...imagine the flood of after-market decals near its release! The re-supply set comprises an Autocar tanker, Chevrolet M6 Bomb Truck and Cushman Trike, and Airfix has examined the real aircraft and vehicles in its research and design process, so accuracy is assured. www.airfix.com

DESERT BATTLER

AIRFIX’S OLDER 1/32 military kits have always had a strong following, and one of the most popular, the Crusader Mk.III tank (A08360), has been re-released. It features the original mouldings, but a new Cartograf decal sheet offers markings for two British Army North Africa schemes (with differing

camouflage), which are: • T126299, 9th Queen’s Lancers, 1st Armoured Division, El Alamein, 1942 • T123647, 17/21st Lancers, 6th Armoured Division, Bou Arada, Tunisia, January 13, 1943 The moulds have held-up rather well for their age, and the 178 parts on our sample of this Skill Level 3 kit were flash-free.

RED HOT RACER MODELLERS WHO enjoy building race cars will welcome the re-appearance of Airfix’s 1/32 Ford 3 Litre GT (A55308). If one is not familiar with the product, it comprises 53 parts and depicts the sleek, long-tailed 200mph vehicle fielded by Alan Mann Racing, at events such as the 1968 BOAC 500. While the real car failed to complete that

race, this release comes with paints and a brush, so the result is guaranteed!

MASTERFUL WOODEN WONDER

PROBABLY THE most eagerly awaited release since a certain large-scale Hawker Typhoon,

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Tamiya’s 1/32 Mosquito Mk.VI more than lives up to expectation. It comprises 26 styrene runners

and two photo-etched metal frets, the former moulded to the highest quality. Three figures are included, two seated and one preparing to climb the access ladder, and these offer crisp features on the uniform and parachute straps. Assembly resembles a replica airframe rather than a model, with even the smallest element rendered accurately. Among the options offered are closed, half- and fully open bomb bay doors and raised or lowered flaps. In the export version, runners E and F (engine nacelles) are duplicated in clear styrene, which will allow the intricate Merlin 25 engines to be displayed in situ. These appear

almost perfect renditions, and lack just ignition wiring, which should be simple to replicate with thin wire. Stores consist of two 500lb bombs and fuel tanks, and there’s a fully detailed cannon fit. Three schemes are provided: • HX922/EG-F, 487 Sqn, RNZAF, RAF Hunsden, Operation Jericho, February 18, 1944 • LR303/A-SM, 305 (Polish) Sqn, RAF Lasham, spring 1944 • A52-518/Y-NA, 1 Sqn, RAAF, Labuan, Borneo, August 1945 With this release (60326), Tamiya has pushed the boundaries of what can be achieved in styrene and has produced a superlative kit. For further details visit: www.hobbyco.net

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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NEWS BULLETIN

LATEST UPDATES

COOL SCANDY PUSHER

RELATIVELY NEW Swedish firm Pilot Replicas has released a 1/48 SAAB J21 A-3. This is the company’s first attempt at a whole styrene aircraft kit and the results are highly impressive. The instructions are printed on high-gloss paper and the build stages are depicted by 3D CAD views. As for the plastic itself, it’s obvious that much effort has been put into the kit’s design. The engraved panel lines are sharp and consistent, and a wealth of detail is packed into the cockpit (busy instrument panel, side consoles etc) and undercarriage bays. The snow tyres are particularly notable, while photo-etched brass provides seat straps, oleo scissors and inner canopy

framework. Some runner attachments for the major parts are very thick, so a razor saw will be necessary. This aside, though, it’s a corking package that also offers beautifully printed decals for

three different Swedish Air Force aircraft, from 1948-52. And as if all this isn’t special enough, Pilot is also working on a separate detailed engine for its J21, and an all-new 1/48 kit of the J29F ‘Flying Barrel’. For further details visit: www.pilot-replicas.com

DOUBLE-CENTURY CHALLENGE

BRAMPTON SCALE Model Club was recently challenged by Cambridgshire’s Huntingdon Library to attempt to build/paint 200 kits at an Airfix ‘Make and Take’ event on August 12.

In preparation, the club ensured that a quorum of builders was available to provide the blank canvases (in this case Albatross D.Vs), upon which visiting modellers would create their vivid

visions of camouflage and decoration. However, it wasn’t until the early afternoon, when a number of budding modellers realised they could make or paint more than one aircraft, that things really got going. Now the builders were under pressure to build sufficient models to cater for this appetite, as concerted efforts to create almost a Jagdstaffel of Albatroses ensued. Despite the late flurry of activity, the target was missed...but the club is planning another attempt in the future. For more details visit Brampton Scale Model Club’s Facebook page.

...MORE ‘MAKE AND PAINT’ ANOTHER ORGANISED group has taken the plunge with its own Make and Paint sessions...Bedford and District Modelling Club. Emboldened by a successful event last February in

Bedford’s Hobbycraft branch, which attracted more than 30 families and caused a 50 percent spike in the shops’s sales, Bedford and District is planning another Make and Paint at the same venue on

the 24th of this month. It will be a Battle of Britain-themed session. For further details on this club and its activities, call Mark Peacock on 07963 956221, or e-mail: mark. [email protected].

Let AMW know what your club has been up to, whether it’s a competition, local display or change of personnel, venue or contact details. Simply e-mail the editor, [email protected], and include any good quality photos of 1Mb or larger.

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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NEWS BULLETIN

LATEST UPDATES

{in brief}

CHAMPION VEE-DUB

LUNAR PROBE Fifty years ago, Ranger 8 sent back the first close-up photos of the future landing site of Apollo 11...only the second success in the Ranger project. French firm L’Arsenal has now commemorated this feat with a finely detailed multi-media kit in 1/24 scale. NASA-JPL Lunar Probe Ranger 8 (item no: 24 01) is packed in a sturdy box to giving ample protection to the delicate castings; the kit comprises 167 resin, brass and photo-etched metal parts, plus decals for the solar panels and wire mesh for the antenna. The resin parts are rendered beautifully, with no noticeable imperfections, although they all will have to be removed from their pour stubs. The main antenna is formed from several sections of wire mesh, and L’Arsenal thoughtfully provides a jig to shape them properly. A CD-ROM contains assembly instructions and photos, and reference material to help with the build. Even in 1/24 scale the model is small, being just 7 1/2in (189mm) across the solar panels, but it’s a true gem for any real space modeller. www.larsenal.com

BELKITS HAS an excellent reputation for the quality of its kits, and its new Volkswagen Polo R WRC (World Rally Championship) will only further this. Whereas other manufacturers may leave more refined elements out of their cars, Belkits makes sure that all one needs is in the box. For the Polo, this includes window masks, photo-etched metal parts and fabric belts for the seats and spare wheel holder. The quality of the styrene is first-rate, with fully detailed interior, accurate controls, seats and dashboard, and a superb roll-cage assembly. Moulded mainly in white

styrene, all components are worthy of praise, but the highlight is the magnificent single-piece body shell, which has no visible flash or sink marks and accurately captures this car’s aggressive appearance. What makes these kits even more special is the attention to detail, with the identification of minor tweaks between the cars, in this case the three operated by Volkswagen Motorsport. All three drivers (Latvala, Ogier and Mikkelsen) are featured, and the decals are spoton for their respective vehicles. For further information visit: www. hobbyexport.com.

TROUBLESOME PLASTIC

MINIART has now fixed a serious issue with its styrene. The Ukrainian firm had received complaints about the quality of its plastic, in that it was brittle and in some cases falling apart; MiniArt tried adjusting its moulding, and the use of additives, but the worsening problem was eventually pinned-down to sub-standard styrene from Russia. Now MiniArt, despite an increase in base cost, has switched to a Belgian supplier and the results are back to top quality. New runners have already been moulded, the fragility issues are gone and the fresh plastic will now be used in all of MiniArt’s kits. Look out for reviews in AMW’s next issue. For further details, visit: www.miniart-models.com

RED DEVIL TIFFIE designed placement instructions. Registration looks excellent and their quality is such that they will handsomely transform one’s appropriate ‘Tiffie’ kit into this

uniquely beautiful celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain...and the bravery of James Nicolson, VC.      www.caracalmodels.com

WASH AND GO! Utimate Modelling Products has two new clay-based panel line washes to shout about. Actually the first, Dark Dirt, is a reformulated version of an older product but offers better coverage, is easier to use and doesn’t clump. The Winter Wash is ideal for armour builds and dioramas, where a chilly setting is desirable. Both are non-toxic and nonflammable. For further information visit: www.umpretail.com

SCI-FI HICCUP Last month’s AMW featured a build of Pegasus Hobbies’ Cosmostrator rocket, in which price versus parts count was discussed. Unfortunately we stated an incorrect retail price; it should actually be £17.99 and not the £34.99 quoted. Apologies to UK importer Pocketbond and all concerned.

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THE RAF’s commemorative Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4, ‘GNA’, has deservedly generated much widespread admiration and attention from aviation fans - from Biggin Hill to RIAT'. Sharp out of the blocks in slaking the associated modelling thirst is Caracal Models' subject-specific sheets in 1/72 and 1/48. Printed by Cartograf, the decals are supported and illustrated by explicit, accurate and well-

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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NEWS BULLETIN

LATEST UPDATES

SPACE-SAVING AIR SOURCE SPARMAX’S NEW Arism air compressor is smaller and lighter than most; it weighs just 5lb 12oz (2.6kg) and is roughly the same size as a bag of sugar. An oil-less piston compressor, it provides almost instantaneous airflow, and is fitted with an internal automatic pressure cutoff valve, which activates at 35psi (2.4 bar) and resumes airflow when the pressure drops to 25psi (1.7 bar). Unlike other compressors, the bleed valve/pressure gauge is attached directly to the airbrush, and this is screwed onto Sparmax’s neatly designed in-line moisture trap. This device is possibly the single weak link in the system, as the screw thread which attaches to the braid hose is plastic...all other threads are metal. Lightweight, compact and simple to use, the Arism is the ideal product for modellers that travel, or do not have sufficient space for a reservoir-type compressor. This handy piece of kit is available from The Airbrush Company: www.airbrushes.com

“WAIT A MINUTE, THERE’S MOVEMENT...”

KANE’S FATEFUL encounter with a xenomorph egg in Ridley Scott’s Alien film gets more frightening the more one watches it...as everyone knows what will happen next and grabs for the cushion! Polar Lights has recreated this classic scene, complete with alien face-hugger lurking in the egg, as a 1/9 scale kit. Nostromo’s Executive Officer (played by John Hurt in the film) is depicted reaching out with one hand, while the other holds a torch low to the ground to illuminate the egg’s contents. Cast mainly in plaster-like resin, the sculpting is stunning, particularly for Kane’s face and the organic placenta/face-hugger structure within the egg, which is provided as a mildly translucent resin

component. All of the clear parts are styrene, as is the pistol-type weapon, and the moulding here is first class. Further adding to the atmosphere is the single-piece 10¾in x 7in (274mm x 176mm) base, which provides the perfect scene with egg ‘entrails’ and Kane’s boot/knee imprints. Polar Lights has done a sterling job of capturing the actual pose from the fil, and has replicated the corded and quilted appearance of the Nostromo spacesuits with amazing accuracy. Comprehensive painting guides are printed on the outside of the lower box half, with the paint charts located on the inner faces. Remember...in space, no-one can hear you scream! For further details visit: www.amerang.co.uk

KURSK BAPTISM

THE PANTHER tank was first employed in combat during Operation Zitadelle (Citadel), and

Tamiya has released a joyous 1/35 Ausf.D variant to complement its previous Ausf.A and G versions.

This newly tooled kit (35345) features crisply moulded components, with excellent representation of weld seams and pitting on the hull and turret armour. Notably, the running gear improves on previous iterations significantly, yet assembly appears to be simple. No interior detail is provided, although two figures are included and Tamiya offers a range of mixedmedia upgrade sets for the gun, engine and tracks. The latter are provided as soft styrene lengths, with sharply defined individual links. Three Kursk-associated liveries are provided. For further information visit www.hobbyco.net

SUBMARINE HISTORIANS

LUFTFAHRTVERLAGSTART’S latest releases in the U-Boot Im Focus series provide further insights into Germany’s submarine fleet during World War Two. Edition 11 features U-438, which was conspicuous for the large shark mouth that adorned its bow, and its full history is explored until its eventual demise in May 1943 (known as ‘Black May’ by U-boat crews) at the hands of the Royal Navy. An armament article then examines the various anti-aircraft guns fitted to U-boats to provide protection against roaming Coastal Command aircraft. Finally, the ‘Fate’ section deals with U-67, which was lost during the Narvik operations in 1940, but which was raised in 1957. In addition to regaling the story of U-1406 and U-1407, two Type XVIIB vessels scuttled at the end of the war and recovered for exploitation by the Royal Navy, Issue 12 focuses on the Type VIIC U-249, which was equipped with the FuMB 35 Athos I radar warning receiver. This vessel survived the war, and it is notable that the article was inspired by reader’s questions regarding photographs of this craft in a previous issue. U-boat modellers will find both journals a goldmine of information, and these are available from www. luftfahrtverlag-start.de

Search: 'Airfix Model World' Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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SHOW SCENE

DIARY DATES

SHOW SCENE

At-a-glance model and airshow calendar

Fleet Air Arm Autumn Model Show Hosts:

Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton

Address: Fleet Air Arm Museum, RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset, BA22 8HT

24 OCT, 2015 FLEET AIR ARM MUSEUM

Times:

10am-5.30pm

Prices:

Adult £14.50, concessions £12.50, accompanied 5-15 year-olds £10.50

Tel:

01935 840565

Email:

N/A

Web:

www.fleetairarm.com

OCT 31

EURO SCALE MODELLING

NOV 7

IPMS MIDDLE TENNESSEE MODEL CONTEST

NOV 7-8

SCALE MODELWORLD 2015

NOV 22

AIRCRAFT ENTHUSIAST FAIR AND MODEL SHOW

Hosts:

IPMS Netherlands

Hosts:

IPMS Middle Tennessee

Hosts:

IPMS (UK)

Hosts:

Museum of Army Flying

Address: Nieuwegein’s Business Centre, Blokhoeve 13438 LC Nieuwegein (nr Utrecht) Times:

10am-5pm

Prices:

IPMS members free, nonmembers €6

Address: Rutherford County Agricultural Center, 315 John Rice Boulevard, Murfreesboro, TN, 3712

Address: Telford International Centre, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 4JH Times:

Sat 10am-6pm, Sun 10am-4pm

Times:

9am-5pm

Prices:

Prices:

Adults US $2 admission donation, under-12s free

Adults £10 each day, concessions £7 per day, children under 16 and IPMS members free

Tel:

N/A

Email:

[email protected]

Tel:

615-429-5191

Tel:

N/A

Web:

ipms.nl 

Email:

[email protected]

Email:

Web:

www.ipmsmiddle tennessee.com

scalemodelworld@ipmsuk. co.uk

Web:

www.smwshow.com

NOV 1

NORTH SHROPSHIRE MODEL SHOW 

Hosts:

IPMS Telford (North Shropshire Scale Modellers), Ellesmere Model Railway Club

Address: Market Hall, Scotland Street, Ellesmere, Shropshire, SY12 0ED

NOV 7-8

HISTORIA 2015

Hosts:

Club Historia

Address: Salle Barbara, Cassernes de Sion, Switzerland Times:

Sat 12pm-7pm Sun 9am-5pm

Times:

10am-4pm

Prices:

Free

Prices:

Free

Tel:

+41 79 415 38 13

Tel:

N/A

Email:

[email protected]

Email:

[email protected]

Web:

Web:

www.shropmodels.org.uk

www.clubhistoria.ch/ index.php/fr

KEY

E MODEL DISPLAY

) MODEL COMPETITION m AIRCRAFT DISPLAY

 

NOV 14-15

SCALE ACT ‘15

Hosts:

Australian Capital Territory Scale Modellers’ Society

Address: UC High School Kaleen, 108 Baldwin Drive, Kaleen, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia Times:

Sat 10.30am-4.30pm, Sun 10.00am-3pm

Prices:

Adults AUS $5, children AUS $2, family AUS $10, seniors AUS $2

Web:

www.actsms.asn.au

Address: Museum of Army Flying, Middle Wallop, Hampshire SO20 8DY Times:

10am-4pm

Prices:

£7.50

Tel:

01264 334779

Email:

mark@roberts15863. fsnet.co.uk

Web:

www.armyflying.com

DEC 12-13

STOCKPORT MODEL SHOW 2015

Hosts:

Friends of the Model Show

Address: Poynton Leisure Centre, Yew Tree Lane, Poynton, Cheshire, SK12 1PU Times:

Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4.30pm

Prices:

Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 10am-4.30pm

Tel:

N/A

Email:

enquiries@themodelshow. co.uk

Web:

www.themodelshow.co.uk

MILITARY DISPLAY



REFRESHMENTS

AUTOMOTIVE DISPLAY



FREE PARKING

J TRADE STANDS

AIRFIX ROADSHOW ATTENDING

IMPORTANT: It is worth noting that ALL events are subject to change or cancellation. This information has been collated from a variety of sources and was believed to be correct at the time of going to press. To advertise your event here, email: [email protected]

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Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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OUT AND ABOUT

FIGUREWORLD 2015 Richie Anton recreated a scene from Rourke’s Drift on the Darlington Military Modelling Society display. Of the 21 figures, just one is straight from the box...the remainder were either modified to varying degrees or scratch-built.

 It just goes to show what careful weathering to a face and clothing can achieve, as epitomised by Mario Delgardo on this Young Miniatures’ 1/10 U-Boat Commander. (All Key – Stu Fone)

Eminent Oundle T

he doors of the Great Hall at Oundle School were open wide for Figureworld 2015, and the welcoming atmosphere made this one of the friendliest shows I’ve ever attended. Discussion of any and all exhibits, displays and demonstrations was actively encouraged

and even a philistine non-figure modeller such as myself was made to feel welcome. An amazing display of figures dominated the main hall, with everything from fantasy through to historical. It was also great to see several new figure traders at the show, a sure sign that the genre is going from strength to strength.

A second hall was taken up with a huge assortment of books for sale, including several hard-to-find subjects, and there were three demonstration stands. These covered hand painting, airbrushing and sculpting techniques, and drew plenty of attention throughout the day. Perhaps I may now have learned enough to produce a halfdecent figure at last? ❚ Stu Fone

 ‘Holy replicas Batman!’ Mark Edmondson’s wonderful Moebius 1/8 scale Batman and Catwoman figures looked as if they’d leapt straight from the silver screen, and enlivened the IPMS Cleveland area.

We missed the painter’s name, sadly, but whoever it was did a stellar job with this ‘lifelike’ 1/6 scale werewolf from Resin Model Garage. Aarooooo!

 One almost expects this characterful African subject to turn to the camera...such is the realism in this scratch-built bust and the subsequent paintwork by Mark Taylor.

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 Terry Neasham provided a superb example of hand-painted artwork on this Pegaso Models 75mm mounted figure of Japanese warlord Hideyoshi Toyotomi.

VIEW MORE ONLINE airfixmodelworld.com

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

LATIN

LOVELY t

Brian Wakeman finds that Wingman Models’ two-seat Kfir is an involved, but worthy project

Highlight the fuselage area to be removed with marker pen, and remember that you only have one real go at this!  It’s advisable to deepen the original locating holes for the fuselage inlets with a drill.

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here is something about the distinctive lines of a classic delta-winged fighter aircraft, and even more so the beauty of Concorde or Tupolev’s Tu-144 Charger from the days of the Cold War, when espionage was rife and comparisons were easy. But after Mossad’s (Israeli Secret Service) alleged burglary of Dassault’s headquarters in France, to secure blueprints for the then embargoed Mirage 5J, the Kfir (Lion Cub) was to be born. To this day Israel denies any involvement in that ‘mission’, but the 50 embargoed aircraft eventually served with the French Air Force. Following on from the tried-andtested French Atar 09-powered IAI Nesher (Vulture) production run, clandestine work was being carried out to incorporate the vastly superior US General Electric J79 engine from the F-4E into a modified Dassault Mirage IIIBJ trainer airframe, then followed by conversion into an early Nesher, with consent from the United States. This transformed the aircraft’s power output hugely, and over the coming years the

canard foreplanes grew in stature... from the canard-less C.1 to the last iteration, the TC12. IAI Kfirs were sold to many air forces around the globe...but notably those in Latin American.

High parts count The sheer number of components in Wingman’s kit was staggering.

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

MODEL SPEC

These comprised 172 injectionmoulded components, 21 crisp resin items, four small turnedbrass pitot tubes, two vac-formed canopies (with paper masks), one photo-etched (PE) metal fret and an outstanding Cartograf decal sheet complete with eight Israeli schemes. And the level of detail, as IAI KFIR TC2 By:

Wingman Models

Stock Code: WMK48011 Scale:

1/48

Price:

€75

Available from: Wingman Models, www.wingmanmodels.com

expected from Wingman Models’ partnership with Kinetic, was outstanding. The former company has arguably cornered the market with its versions of this iconic Israeli fighter-bomber, and with the appearance of the fully combatcapable trainer, aircraft modellers now have a vast choice. But this build is certainly not for the fainthearted, as experience with multimedia materials is essential. I built a single-seat Kfir last year, so had an inkling of the pitfalls that could occur. One problem has to be the instruction sheet, as the placement of parts (especially smaller items) is rather vague. As mentioned, the resin detail is surely among the best available, so extra care must be taken when cutting and sanding.

Kinetic’s original threepart wing sections are sublime, but again it is wise to open attachment holes further with a drill bit in a pin vice.

 Great care was taken during removal of the full-length dorsal spine.

Face-off Wingman supplied a complete single-seat fuselage , which must be cut and manipulated to incorporate the trainer’s dorsal spine, forward cockpit and longer nose section (this needs no extra weight). This stage is vital, as a good join will save many hours’ filing and filling later on, and neat marking-out with a pen or pencil is advisable. Cutting began just behind the forward intakes, with a careful incision made along the original plastic spine, but it proved more problematic than chopping off the forward section. The builder now has a choice to make: paint and detail the cockpit first, or once the fuselage is assembled. It is a large area so either is quite acceptable. The resin MartinBaker Mk.10 ejection seats

 With the original forward section removed, one can see how the extra length alters the lines of the aircraft.

"THE SHEER NUMBER OF COMPONENTS IN WINGMAN'S KIT WAS STAGGERING"

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

"THE RESIN MARTIN-BAKER MK.10 EJECTION SEATS ARE WONDERFUL"

The author trialled the Gorilla brand of cyanoacrylate, and this was superb when applied with a cocktail stick. One can see the canards need blending into the fuselage sides.

 It’s always good to see the option of raised or lowered flaps on a model.

are wonderful, along with both instrument panels and cockpit/ avionics housings that again may be painted and then left until nearer the end of the build. These were painted with various grey and black/off-black tones, including personal favourites...Lifecolor Dark Cockpit Grey and Tyre Grey. Intake trunking needed to be painted and incorporated prior to wing attachment. Matt white provided the colour for these, and the small turbine fan received Gunmetal...but when the fuselage is closed little will be seen. A quality replacement resin exhaust for the J79-J1E engine may be attached to the kit engine outlet pipe, while the

three-piece wing assembly has presunk holes for pylons and intakes/ vents. It’s advisable to re-drill these, though. Do be very wary of removing the four airbrakes as their stems are delicate and easy to break. A small repair was needed to make amends as one had, well, snapped off! Having a conventional delta shape, the model will go together fairly quickly, but patience is vital to ensure a respectable fit. The intake join was found wanting and care is certainly necessary when placing the canards in situ to prevent any form of slippage, as on the real aircraft they blend smoothly into the fuselage. It was

IN A VACUUM?

 After a decent covering of primer, thinned Lifecolor UA021 FS36622 Gray was airbrushed on the underside. The rear masking was added to border a different shade of grey.

The word vac-form strikes fear into many a modeller but the truth is, with time and patience, dealing with vacuum-formed parts such as the canopy supplied here, ceases to be a black art. The author found it wise to first mark out the canopy shape with a fine-point black marker pen to define the outline shape, and then to carefully cut around the contour with a small pair of very sharp scissors. If this canopy still needs a little surgery, then a new 10A or 11 Swann-Morton scalpel blade can be used for the final cut. This process can be a made easier with the use of Blu- or White-Tack forced into the canopy to provide support. Care is the watchword here...so check twice and cut once.

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

AIRBRUSH IN FOCUS Badger Model 100LG (B-100-5) Price: £115 From: The Airbrush Company (www.airbrushes.com) Aztec Models’ instructions were vague about the colours, but the author’s interpretation included Xtracolor's X120 Light Green.

pleasing to see that Wingman also included an alternative aileron and flap arrangement (up/down) with the associated optional runners. Again, it is wise to open the associated holes with a small drill before making a firm attachment with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue.

A long haul With many weeks of work under one's belt, and taking time to cut and trim the awkward vac-form canopy, the preparation for paint arrived at long last. The undercarriage had already been prepped and painted, and the resin wheels looked somewhat forlorn on their own, along with the author’s take on an optional weapon fit. But matters were about to change for the better! One cannot but doff one’s cap to the effort Wingman conveyed into this masterpiece but (and this is a big ‘but’)... where on earth are the pylons and assorted weapons for these twin-sticked beauties? They exist at least in theory, because these ‘twin-tubs’ are as combatcapable as their single-seat compatriots. The only items in the box were a brace of threepart resin 250 lit supersonic fuel tanks with PE tail fins. This is where fate was to play a part and

This Kfir was sprayed with Badger’s easy-to-use double-action gravity feed 100LG airbrush, which is suitable for the novice and professional alike. It enabled fine and tight curved lines with enamel and acrylic paints, although it is advisable to spend extra time when it comes to cleaning out the latter medium. Badger has a long history of producing quality products and the 100 series is a worthy contender, being available with either a fine or medium head/needle combination. We thank The Airbrush Company for the review sample.

Taking the time to add the new exhaust will transform this Kfir’s model’s rear end. This item was painted with Lifecolor UA736 Burnt Black and UA731 Dirty Black, followed by gentle dry-brushing with a light blue-grey shade.

mitigate the frustration. At the beginning of this feature, mention was made of the author having already built a single-seat Kfir, which provided optional pylons and fuel tanks...but again a critical lack of weapons. Sitting there was a mix of leftover options that would be most welcome on the

two-seater, even though it was just tanks and associated pylons. Painted and then again put to one side, a 1,300 lit centreline tank with pylon, and a brace of 600 lit outboard supersonic tanks were ‘recruited’. To complement the load, two gloss white-painted LAU-7 Shair 2/Python 3 launch

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

 The final top coat camouflage colour has now been applied...always a pleasing stage with any build.

rails would be attached. The editor had kindly provided a decal sheet from the Aztec Models stable (48-054) and it offered a very attractive Ecuadorian Air Force TC.2 from 2113 Escuadron, 21st Fighter Wing at Taura Air Base, circa 1982. These aircraft replaced the vintage BAC Strikemasters in frontline service. Ecuador purchased its first export aircraft in 1982-83, and was the first non-Israeli operator of the Kfir (ten singleseaters and a pair of two-seat TC.2s, all equipped with ELTA EL/M-2001B radar). Aztec’s attractive decal sheet was chosen over the kit items, because the latter only included generic air superiority grey liveries, which were deemed slightly dull. The colour callouts on Aztec’s sheet seemed to be total speculation though (disappointing from a company in Latin America) so research was in order. Please do not take the following suggestions as being definitive, but more of a layman’s point of view.

Jungle canopy  IAI Kfirs could carry a wide variety of stores, but unfortunately none was provided in this kit. These items came from a single-seat Kfir build.

The opening act was to mist on Humbrol Medium Grey from a ‘rattle can’, and when dry Lifecolor Matt White was sprayed into the wheel wells and airbrake bays.

REFERENCE Israel Aircraft industries KFIR by Raanan Weiss/Yoav Efrati (IsraDecal publications) Latin American Mirages by Santiago Rivas/Juan Carlos Cicalesi (Harpia publications), ISBN: 978-0-9825539-4-7

 It’s amazing what a splash of colour can do for a military aircraft; Xtracolor KLM Light Blue was added to the inert Mk.82s.

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ADVANCED BUILD IAI KFIR TC2

"WITH EVERYTHING IN SITU, XTRACRYLIX MATT VARNISH ATTAINED THE DESIRED FINISH"

These were masked, and then the major colour of FS 36622 US Light Gray was applied through a Badger 100 airbrush. A slightly darker grey highlighted the area of the prominent rear fuel tank and newly revised resin chaff/flare dispenser. Turning to the topside pattern, an HB pencil was used to draw the tight and complex two-tone green scheme. This particular jet wore a non-standard scheme from the rest of the fleet, and so I settled on the following shades; for the lighter of the greens, Xtracolor

X120 FS 3425 was chosen, followed by Lifecolor UA531 FS 34079; the latter (and darker) hue was thinned considerably. These looked fine after application and the model was set aside to cure overnight. The decals performed as expected, with just a hint of solvent used, and they were then covered by a coat of Humbrol Clear varnish. Weathering was kept fairly minimal, with a mixture of Adam Wilder’s Nitro-line NL04 Grey Shadow Wash and NL23 Dark Street Dirt Effect...both available from The Airbrush Company. For extra clarity, the same brand’s NL32 Dark Rainmarks Wash and a dusting of GP04 Dry Russian Earth finished the effect. As a training airframe, armament was kept to a quartet of Mk.82 500lb bombs from a Hasegawa weapons set; their fuses were removed and the bodies sprayed Xtracolor X302 KLM Bright Blue to denote practice stores. With everything in situ, a final coat of Xtracrylix Matt varnish attained the desired finish.

 Adam Wilder pigments, dusted on sparingly, will add a worn look to any model but don’t overdo it...less is more. AMMO MIG’s new Clear Green and Red are worth investing in, and are not as messy as their Tamiya counterparts for painting navigation lights.

Cool cub To summarise, this kit is fabulous...but certainly not one of those ‘one cap fits all’ builds, because it will definitely test one’s patience and skill levels. And be prepared to source weapons from elsewhere if required. About the only wish was that a fully formed injection-moulded canopy could have been provided.

 An air of caution was necessary on dealing with the canopy....think twice then cut once! Xtracrylix Matt Varnish, diluted 50-50 with Lifecolor thinner, was the author’s choice for the finish. Wingman also included vinyl canopy masks, which worked to perfection.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER

Paul Cawte performs a detailed update of Tamiya’s classic SAS Land Rover

 Tamiya’s sand tyres were more than adequate, although resin replacements are available for more fastidious modellers.

 Seat cushions and jerrycan holders needed careful removal (from parts B26 and B28); both are supplied as resin replacements by Legend.

Early surgery Construction began with the chassis; this was fairly basic and unfortunately featured several prominent seams on the frame, axles and suspension parts. A pleasing feature was the ability to pose the front wheels...this is rare on modern releases, which is a

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shame as it gives character to the finished model. It is recommended to glue the axle (parts A12), universal joints (A9 and A10) and cross member (A18), together once the desired turn is decided on, as with the wheels fitted these components are quite loose and floppy. One must also remember later on, when fitting the steering wheel, to match the angle of turn. The end of the exhaust pipe was drilled-out before the completed chassis and wheels were sprayed black to create depth for later paint layers. Legend provided front seats and cushions in resin, and so the kit seats were removed

MODEL SPEC

The chassis featured prominent seams, but had the benefit of poseable front wheels.

he Land Rover ‘Pink Panther’ was the Long Range Desert Patrol Vehicle used by the SAS from the late 1960s to 1980s and served in various theatres until its replacement by the Land Rover Defender-based Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV). Tamiya’s 40-year-old Pink Panther has stood the test of time well. Three runners of garish pink plastic were offered which, despite their age, displayed quality moulding and what appeared to be an accurate outline. The areas in which the years have not been so kind are the items of stowage, front grille and, quite frankly, an appalling figure. To bring the model to more modern standards it was decided to utilise Legend Productions’ update and stowage set (LF1262); previous experience has shown Legend’s products to be well cast and good value.

SAS Land Rover Pink Panther By:

Tamiya

Stock Code: 1/35 Scale:

35076

Price:

Around £12

Available from: The Hobby Company, www.hobbyco.net

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER The chassis was sprayed black to give depth to the subsequent painting.

(from parts B26 and B28) with a razor saw. The jerrycan holders on these parts were also cut away, before attachment to the chassis, as these were also provided in the Legend set. The resin seats were painted separately and attached later.

Bonnet and dash Constructing the front of the vehicle involved the only major piece of surgery on the kit parts. The whole of the front panel, engine grille and headlights were provided as PE and resin, and so the plastic grille was removed (from part A2, ensuring the lower edge was kept intact before attachment to the front mudguards. A 2mm strip of

plastic was required to ensure the new brass panel (P1) was positioned correctly before the new grille and Land Rover badge could be fitted. The original grille was retained and painted black before being placed behind the new PE version. With the cutting work completed, the rest of the vehicle front fitted together easily and, with the addition of a few metal and resin parts, was attached to the chassis. The rear deck was constructed next; this was straightforward but did require a small amount of filler along certain joins. Once the rear section was mated with the chassis, the model was in effect complete, with just

Legend Productions produces two detail sets for Tamiya’s Pink Panther: SAS Land Rover Pink Panther Stowage (LF1261) and Pink Panther Update/Stowage (LF1262). The latter was used for this build and included all the stowage provided in LF1261 with additional replacement parts and details such as machine guns, seats, front grille and search lights. Packed within the study cardboard box were various resin parts, photo-etched (PE) metal, various gauges of wire, a length of chain (which, in this case, was replaced by a more in-scale version from Trumpeter), brass rod and string. As is standard with Legend Productions, the instructions are a double-sided A4 sheet with colour photos of the items in place. While this is sufficient for the majority of construction, working out how the machine gun components fitted together proved difficult. Pink Panther Update/Stowage set By: Legend Productions Scale: 1/35 Stock code: LF 1262 Price: £19:95 Available from: Lucky model, www.luckymodel.com

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER

the stowage items and weapons to fit...all of which were replaced with resin and PE from Legend.

Any colour as long as it’s pink! Once the basic construction was completed, a few decisions had to be made regarding the shade and which parts should actually be pink. Contemporary photos of pinkies in action are rare and often those claimed to be so are actually later Defender-based

DPV’s during the First Gulf War. The colour pink on preserved/ surviving vehicles varies from the very vibrant, almost fluorescent pink, to pale sandy pink and anything in between. Research implied there was no specific colour as it was mixed from red oxide primer, and white and black paint in non-specific quantities. However, there was conflicting information on which parts should actually be pink; some sources suggested

everything including the seats and tyres were pink, while others stated items such as jerry cans and seats weren’t pink at all. In actual fact, one of the only colour photos found during research showed vehicles appearing to be painted lilac! With all this in mind, the final painting decisions were made purely on personal preference and an educated guess. Prior to receiving any colour, all components that required a coat

of pink were either attached to the vehicle or grouped together in preparation for painting. The vehicle itself was first primed with Halfords Grey Plastic Primer to highlight any defects. A significant gap in the foot well was revealed, which required filling with Milliput before Tamiya NATO Green XF-67 was applied to areas where scratches and chips were to be added later. The pink used on the model was a mixture of Revell Aqua Colour 35

With the centre grille removed, part A28 was attached to the front fenders. A 2mm plastic strip ensured the replacement parts fitted properly.

The PE and resin components required for the new front grille and headlights, along with the ‘doctored’ kit grille part. The latter was saved, painted black and placed behind the PE parts.

The new front grille and headlights in place; added depth in this area was provided by the kit grille part.

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The completed front of the vehicle was attached to the chassis.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER

 The quality of Legend’s resin casting (left) can really be appreciated when compared to the kit parts.  Once the build was completed, the entire model was sprayed with Halford’s Grey Plastic Primer for a harmonised undercoat.

Flesh and 331 Purple Red. This was airbrushed across the entire model, before a protective coat of Johnson’s Klear was applied in preparation for weathering. Tyres, seats and various small details were painted and attached before a light dusting of Tamiya XF-78

Wooden Deck Tan was applied to the front and lower areas of the vehicle, and pin washes of Burnt Umber and black oil paint were applied around various details; a few small chips and scratches were also added with a new scalpel blade.

Absolutely loaded Once the painting of the vehicle was completed, painting and attachment of the individual items of stowage began. The SAS Panthers in Detail book was used as a constant reference at this stage, which proved to

be a long and delicate process. The decision to attach the searchlights proved foolish as they were knocked-off continually while attempting to place items in the rear of the truck. Various straps and tie-downs were also added,

Priming revealed a large seam line in the foot well, which was filled with Milliput.

Tamiya XF-67 NATO Green was airbrushed in areas that would require subsequent chipping later on.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER

 All parts to receive pink paint were gathered together. It was decided that tyres and seats would also get a coat of pink.

Period photos of Pink Panthers are hard to find, and so the modeller is reliant on preserved vehicles for reference. Although maybe not ideal in some respects, arguably the best print reference is SAS Panthers in Detail, by Wings and Wheels Publications. This is a photo walk-round book packed with photos of preserved pinkies...it was also clearly the reference source for Legend Productions as the stowage parts are almost identical replicas of those in the photos.

courtesy of lead foil. Instrument dials for the dashboard were taken from a spare sheet of cockpit dial decals. To complete the build the machine guns and sun compasses were fitted and various wiring was added to the searchlights and radio. Aerials were also attached and a

SAS Panthers in detail (Wings and Wheels Publications) ISBN-10: 8086416941 ISBN-13: 978-8086416946

 A mixture of Revell Aqua Colour 35 Flesh and 331 Purple Red was used to create an authentic-looking pink.

With wheels fitted the model was now at its most pink!

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Individual detail parts were picked out carefully in their required colours, by brush-painting.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER spare Clansman aerial base from Accurate Armour was fitted in the rear of the vehicle. Apparently a Larkspur radio would be more accurate, but what’s an aerial mount between friends? It should also be noted that care is necessary when positioning the front gun mount; this was positioned initially with the gun pointing to the outside of the vehicle, but when attempting to fit the gun the large empty cartridge box fouled on the tarpaulin laying across the bonnet, which resulted in a careful but frustrating cutting and repositioning of the gun mount to point in the opposite direction.

 Note the front machine gun mount pointing to the left of the vehicle. When attempting to fit the GPMG, the large empty cartridge box fouled on the bonnet tarpaulin, resulting in the mount needing to be repositioned to point in the opposite direction.

Who Dares Wins This model was a pleasure to build, and a nostalgic trip down memory lane to a time when a model could be finished and painted before tea time! Construction of the basic model is simple and straight forward, but the addition of either of the Legend update sets (or those from other manufacturers) really is a must as without them the model certainly lacks the refinement expected from today’s releases. With these, Tamiya’s Pink Panther can still build into an eye-catching replica of an important vehicle in British ❚ military history.

 The GPMGs were well detailed and consisted of four parts, which resulted in a very delicate model. Attaching the empty cartridge boxes and mounting the guns to the vehicle proved fiddly.  Machine guns, ammo belts, sun compasses, wiring and aerials completed the build.

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IN FOCUS

SAS LAND ROVER

Ian Young profiles the famous SAS Land Rover

he Special Air Service, more usually referred to by its famous acronym SAS, was originally formed in World War Two to conduct secret hitand-run missions deep behind

enemy lines. With heavily armed groups of soldiers, its initial operating theatre was the inhospitable North African desert, where the SAS used stripped-down Jeeps packed with all manner of

Pink Panther 10 FG 76 is seen here during training in the UK, possibly Wales... a favourite stomping ground for the SAS. This particular vehicle has been painted green and is shod with bar grip tyres to cope with the muddy conditions.

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10 FG 70 is clearly fitted with 15in (38cm) sand tyres and is finished in the more familiar pink paintwork, but note that the tyre sidewalls have also been painted pink, including the spare mounted on the front.

additional kit such as fuel, water and supplies to enable operations in the desert for weeks at a time. One of the distinct features of these vehicles was the fact that they were armed very heavily, with a combination of .50 cal heavy machine guns and Vickers K machine guns, which created a potent, yet small force ideal for the specialised missions on which they were engaged at the time. As the war neared its end the focus of operations moved away from the deserts of North Africa to Europe, and this shift in location meant more Jeeps being adapted for use by the SAS while conducting ‘mopping-up’ operations. As with those used in the desert, these new Jeeps featured heavy armament, but unlike the North Africa vehicles they were fitted with long-range fuel tanks and rudimentary armour protection for the crew, as well as additional storage for the crew’s personal kit.

The end of World War Two, and a belief by military chiefs that it no longer required a specialist unit such as the SAS, resulted in the Regiment being drawn down to a much-reduced force, but it wasn’t long before changes in the political and world climates created a need for the Regiment to be brought back to full strength...and with it came a requirement for new vehicles. The old wartime Jeeps were now hopelessly outdated for modern warfare, despite the fact that some missions would be very similar to those conducted in the desert during World War Two, and so the hunt was on for a suitable Jeep replacement.

A new breed Around the same time Land Rover, then a newly formed company, had recognised the importance of military contracts and had already started supplying the armed forces with a range of its products; therefore

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IN FOCUS

SAS LAND ROVER it was a logical step to adapt some of these Land Rovers to suit the specialist needs of the SAS. Initially the short wheelbase Series I Land Rover was the vehicle of choice and, like wartime Jeeps, it was stripped of the roof, windscreen and doors, and even fitted with Vickers K machine guns, although these were replaced eventually with Bren guns and .30 cal machine guns. As the years passed and new Land Rovers were introduced, a progression of similar vehicles were created and based around successive models, but they were all effectively ‘home-made’ conversions, usually referred to as Unit Modifications. However,

Crews take part in firing practice in the desert using their forward GPMGs. These appear to be late-type Pink Panthers.

1: Typical Pink Panther operating in the African bush. Note the large trays on the front wings for the then recently introduced Clansman radio equipment. Interestingly this vehicle is also fitted with 16in (40.6cm) bar grip tyres. 2: Rear view of the same group of SAS Pink Panthers on a makeshift firing range in the desert. 3: This blurry but rare shot shows an early, unit modified Pink Panther making a stop at a well. Note the early-type rifle holder on the front wing and bonnetmounted spare wheel, which are different to those used on ‘Pinkies’ built by Marshall of Cambridge.

10 FG 66 has become severely bogged down while on exercise, probably in Wales, but a recovery appears to be in progress.

it soon became apparent that a purpose-built, long-range patrol vehicle was needed and that would lead to the creation of the vehicle that would go down in history as the ‘Pink Panther’. Unlike previous unit modified vehicles, the new Pink Panther was to be designed (in conjunction with specifications given by the SAS) and built by Marshall of Cambridge...a well-respected company that has a long association with the military, having built a range of special vehicles that include ambulances and extended-range recce vehicles. The new long-range desert patrol machine was based on the then new 109in (277cm) wheelbase Series IIA Land

Rover, which offered increased carrying capacity but followed the familiar pattern of previous SAS Land Rovers by being stripped of all unnecessary items such as the roof, doors and windscreen—creating the distinct and easily identifiable appearance. The reason for stripping these items was twofold; first it decreased the weight, which allowed more essential items such as fuel, water and ammunition to be carried in greater quantities, and second it provided crews with much-improved visibility and therefore the ability to engage enemy targets quicker once identified. Just 72 examples of the Pink Panther were built by Marshall, Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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IN FOCUS

SAS LAND ROVER

In this view of the same vehicle shown on the previous page, we can see the stricken Pink Panther being pulled backwards out of the bog. Note that no water can is fitted in the side holder where the driver has his hand.

with the modifications including fitting of long-range fuel tanks, heavy duty suspension and underbody protection, larger 9.00 x 16 tyres, a pair of General Purpose Machine Guns (one at the front and one on a pintle in the rear compartment), triple-barrel smoke dischargers mounted on each corner of the vehicle, a Coles sun compass (similar to those fitted to original SAS Jeeps) and all manner of other equipment that would enable the crews operating these vehicles to survive in the field for many weeks. While the name Pink Panther obviously stems from the colour, and the topical reference to the Peter Sellers film in the cinemas at the time, not all vehicles received the pink treatment and early in their service many retained the original Land Rover dark green paint applied to all

Another view of the same vehicle while bogged down. Note that for UK operations the vehicle has been painted in two-tone camouflage, rather than the more familiar desert pink.

vehicles when they first left Marshall. Some were also painted in either plain NATO Green or a green and black disruptive camouflage pattern later in service life.

Low-sun influence There has been much discussion as to how the pink colour came to be chosen, but folklore suggests that it stemmed from the accidental discovery of a wrecked

aircraft by a patrol operating in the desert and the aircraft body had remnants of sun-burnished paint with a distinct pink colour; it just so happened that the colour was a close match to the shade exuded by the desert sand at sunset and sunrise, which was when most missions took place. By painting the Land Rovers in this curious tone, it allowed the Pink Panthers to blend-in very effectively while operating in the desert. Despite the unusual choice of colour, no special paint was used and all vehicles were, in fact, painted in a mix of white and red oxide paint (sometimes with a hint of black). It was this ad hoc creation of the colour that resulted in a wide variance in the shade of pink found on these vehicles while in service. Few displayed the exact same shade of pink. The Pink Panthers were delivered to the SAS between 1968 and 1969, and remained on strength until the late 1980s, and they participated in numerous missions around the world. But they were replaced eventually by another Land Rover product, namely the new coil-sprung 110 high capacity-based Desert Patrol Vehicle, also designed and built by Marshall of Cambridge. While the replacement DPVs just sported a standard desert sand colour scheme, they would also go on to find fame in their own right thanks to their well-documented ‘Scud-hunting’ missions during the First Gulf War. When the Pink Panthers were retired from active service, a small number were disposed of via a series of military sales and today there are believed to be around 25 examples either in private hands or military ❚ museums.

A group of five Pink Panthers are pictured here during firing practice on ranges set-up in the desert of an undisclosed Middle East country.

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PHOTO FOCUS

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER

Get your Tamiya SAS Land Rover looking just right with these splendid walk-round photos

(All Ian Young)

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PHOTO FOCUS

SAS LAND ROVER PINK PANTHER

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FIGURE BUILD

SAS TASK FORCE BLACK

Winged Dagg Sonia Maes delves into the murky world of anti-insurgent warfare with Mitches’ Military Models' SAS Task Force Black bust

T

he Special Air Service (SAS) is the British Army’’ legendary special forces unit. From the moment that several black-clad figures appeared on the balconies of the Iranian Embassy in London in 1980, the Special Air Service took on a certain ‘celebrity’ both at home and overseas; its motto Who Dares Wins has become part of British popular culture. Fast forward in time and the regiment’s Task Force Black was a hunter-killer unit, which had operated in Iraq since the fall of Saddam’s regime in 2003. Detailed information is limited by the very nature of their

activities but these undercover warriors aimed to ‘cut the head off the snake’ by hitting the command structure of bloodthirsty terrorist groups responsible for a trail of atrocities in Iraq. These included Muqtada al-Sadr’s Shia-based ‘Mahdi Army’. Task Force Black carried out strike operations every night; it was an unrelenting, intelligence-led assault, which took much hard work and no small amount of sacrifice...but it worked.

Preparation Mitches Military Models’ SAS Task Force Black bust is a 200mm resin casting, which came in

 Some parts had substantial casting blocks and seams that needed removing. They were scraped away with a scalpel and sanded smooth, taking care not to lose any detail.

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 The most important part of the face is always the eyes, which add character to the figure. Much time was spent in getting them right.

 When happy with the eyes, the face received a base colour of Vallejo Basic Skintone diluted with water and applied with an airbrush, to achieve a smooth layer.

 After an oil layer was added to improve blending, the first low and highlights were added and blended together.

 The darker parts of the face were accentuated to create further depth and character. Final highlights gave contrast.

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FIGURE BUILD

SAS TASK FORCE BLACK

ggers in Iraq  The matt green basecoat for the body armour has been airbrushed ahead of the first blending layer.

 The vest is seen completed, but plenty of contrast has been added to avoid a bland look...desirable with monotone gear.

“TASK FORCE BLACK CARRIED OUT STRIKE OPERATIONS EVERY NIGHT”

Perfect peepers As always the eyes are the most important feature of the face because they add character, and so they were painted first. The eyeballs received a coat of Vallejo Basic Skintone and the iris was first painted as a circle on the eyeball with black. The circle was

then filled with Vallejo Grey Blue, with lighter tints of this colour mixed with Basic Skintone. The pupil was painted pure black and the eyeballs were finished with a tiny white dot catch-light. More black was used to accentuate the edge of the upper eyelid, while a mix of Basic Skintone and Vermillion was used on the lower eyelid. The eyes were then finished with a coat of Johnson’s Klear to obtain a moist look.

MODEL SPEC

a stout cardboard box with a photograph of the finished model on the box lid. Seventeen wellcast resin parts came without instructions, but more about this later. The box art generally showed what was supposed to go where, but placement of some smaller components was not immediately obvious, and so trawling the Internet was necessary for reference photos. With a reasonable idea about construction, the parts were scrubbed with washing up liquid to get rid of any mould release agent. Some mould seams needed to be removed with a sanding stick, but this was far from onerous as the parts were well cast. Finally, all parts were attached to wooden sticks for ease of handling and the model received a primer coat of Vallejo Grey Acrylic Primer, applied by airbrush.

SAS Task Force Black By:

Mitches Military Models

Stock Code: B/SAS1 Scale:

200mm

Price:

£35

Available from: mitchesmilitarymodels.co.uk

Game face Before starting on the face, the eyeballs were covered with masking fluid to ensure they wouldn’t be damaged during painting; their gloss coat ensured easy removal of the masking material. The face received a base of Andrea Color 2nd Light, which was diluted with water and applied by airbrush at low pressure. This dried quickly and was followed by an oil mix of

Winsor & Newton (W&N) Naples Yellow Hue and Flesh Tint, which was removed immediately with a flat brush to leave a blending layer for successive colours. For the initial lowlights, W&N Burnt Sienna was added to the first mix with a hint of Cobalt Blue to break the orange tint. These were applied on the side of the face, under the cheekbones, eyebrows, nose and under the lips. Do not forget to add the different shades under Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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FIGURE BUILD

SAS TASK FORCE BLACK by adding Cadmium Yellow Pale Hue to the mix, and were applied randomly on the vest and along the edges. The whole model was then left to dry in a heating box and when totally dry, extra highlights were created, especially around the edges. Darker shadows were then painted in the recesses by adding W&N Sepia to the mix

and these were carefully blended in. Finally, pure Sepia was used for the extreme shadows to add more life and contrast.

Tough ‘lids’ Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH) helmets are designed for US Army Special Operations Command,

CANUCK CARBINE After many years of development in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces, the C8 Carbine became very popular with special forces due to its short barrel and adjustable stock. Varying barrel lengths, together with many accessories and different sighting options, make it a weapon system that is flexible and adaptable to any unit’s requirements. It is now employed by armed forces and police units worldwide as their standard issue battle/patrol rifle. Mitches’ scale version received a base colour of Vallejo Black Grey first. This was following by dry-brushed Dark Star Steel, which is a dark metal shade, followed by Dark Star Aluminium, which is lighter. For the camouflage, first a mix comprising W&N Naples Yellow Hue, Burnt Umber and Oxide of Chromium was made, and this was dabbed on the riffle randomly, followed by dabbing with pure Naples Yellow Hue. The colours were then blended gently and when dry, more patches were added by using Burnt Sienna and a mix of Naples Yellow Hue and Soft Mixing White. The rifle was than finalised by adding Sepia in the recesses to create depth.

the chin and neck. The recipe for highlights was created by adding W&N Soft Mixing White to the mid-tone blend, and these were applied above the eyebrows, on the cheekbones, the side of the mouth and on top of the nose; these were then blended together gently for smooth transitions. Final highlights and lowlights were created by adding Burnt Umber and Burnt Sienna to the shadow mix and more Soft Mixing White to the highlights. Burnt Sienna with a touch of Permanent Alizarin Crimson was used for the lips, with Naples Yellow Hue added for highlights. A thin and transparent wash of Paynes Grey and Soft

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Mixing White was added to the face for an unshaven look, taking care not to overdo things.

Body armour While the face dried, the focus turned to the bulletproof safety vest. Starting with the main body, a base colour mix of Vallejo Reflective Green, Yellow Olive and Pale Sand was diluted with water and applied with an airbrush, followed by a blending layer to work with oils. For this purpose a mix of W&N Oxide of Chromium, Naples Yellow Hue and Burnt Umber was applied but then removed immediately. The first lighter shades were created

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FIGURE BUILD

SAS TASK FORCE BLACK Graphite to avoid a uniform look on the metal parts. The straps were painted with the same colours as the safety vest, while the infra-red lights were painted Vallejo Flat Red with Light Orange highlights.

Uniform detail  Contrast was added to what in essence is a very bland desert camouflage tint.

 The night vision components have been added to the helmet.

 Various Internet references provide different colours for the ammunition pouches. Medium sand was chosen here.

 The ammunition pouches and carbine magazines have been painted, and they added welcome colour differences.

 Some of the pouches were painted in a slightly different shade to provide interest and variation.

 The camouflage pattern was rendered on the uniform after an initial set of high and lowlights was applied to the fabric.

As Task Force Black operated in Iraq, desert colours were used for the textile camouflage. To create these patterns, first a base colour of Vallejo Pale Sand thinned with water was airbrushed to create a smooth layer. The oil blending coat was a mix of Naples Yellow Hue and

Soft Mixing White, but before the actual camouflage patterns were created the low and highlights were painted. For the lowlights a hint of Burnt Umber was added to the first mix, and these were applied in the folds of the uniform. For the highlights more Soft Mixing White was added. All colours were then blended and the model was set aside to dry. The actual camouflage pattern was painted with the same mix as the vest, but with more Naples Yellow Hue added. The patterns were painted in a fairly random fashion and

“THE OIL LAYER WAS A MIX OF BURNT UMBER , OXIDE OF CHROMIUM AND BURNT SIENNA” and provide protection against handgun rounds. Reference material indicated that they come in various camouflage colours, but it was decided to opt for the version on the box lid. The helmet first received a base colour of Vallejo Beige diluted with water and applied with an airbrush. This was followed by creating an oil layer of Naples Yellow Hue and Soft Mixing White diluted slightly with Zest It, which is an odourless replacement for white spirit and is also gentler on paintbrushes. Then different shades were created on a round palette - Oxide Chromium,

Burnt Umber, Naples Yellow Hue and Burnt Sienna. These colours were added to the helmet and with a dry brush they were blended with the oil layer and the acrylic base. After everything was dry, the edges were accentuated with a mix of Naples Yellow Hue and Soft Mixing White. Darker shadows in the folds were then enhanced by adding Sepia to the darkest tint on the palette. The end result was that the helmet looked worn and dirty. The same technique was used for the night vision goggles but with lighter tints. They were weathered by stippling Dark Star Steel and Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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FIGURE BUILD

SAS TASK FORCE BLACK left to dry again. The uniform was then finished by deepening the lowlights even further. To do this, Burnt Umber was added to the mix together with W&N Liquin... an agent that improves the flow of oil paint and makes it more transparent. This mix was applied to all seams and folds.

Various colours stippled on the carbine before blending.

Accessories

 Here’s the completed head ready before final assembly of the model.

The ammunition pouches received a base colour of Vallejo Middle Stone followed by an oil layer, which was a mix of W&N Raw Sienna and Oxide of Chromium. The finished carbine seen after blending, and the application of high and lowlights to the magazine.

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First the dark patches were added by applying Burnt Sienna to the mix, followed by the highlights which were created by adding Naples Yellow Hue. To finish, more Burnt Sienna was worked into the folds and more highlights were placed on the edges. The microphone was basecoated in Vallejo Black Grey, followed by dry-brushing with Dark Star Steel and Dark Star Graphite, while the radio transmitter was painted with the same colours and technique as the body armour. To break-up uniformity, selected bags and pouches were painted in a slightly different colour, indicating that these might have been replaced over time; they received a base shade of Vallejo German Cam Medium Brown. The oil layer was a mix of Burnt Umber, Oxide of Chromium and

Burnt Sienna. Patches of Sepia and Burnt Sienna were then added randomly and blended with Naples Yellow Hue, but these were not blended too much so the textures were retained. Final lowlights were deepened with a little Sepia, and Naples Yellow Hue Took care of the highlights.

 This trooper’s sidearm has received its basecoat and first highlight.

 The finished sidearm and holster, with added weathering.

Special ops gem Mitches’ Task Force Black bust provides a pleasing model of a contemporary warrior. The quality of the castings is excellent and the model builds without drama. The only negative is the absence of instructions which, given the parts count, proved slightly frustrating. That said, time spent searching the Internet quickly shows what goes where. If modern warfare is one’s thing, then this bust will be a topical ❚ addition to one’s collection.

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Project1

16/9/15

09:46

Page 1

The International Plastic Modellers Society (UK) Presents

Saturday 7th November 2015 Open: 10.00am to 6.00pm

Sunday 8th November 2015 Open: 10.00am to 4.00pm

Admission: IPMS Members FREE Adults: £10.00 each day ~ 2 Day Pass: £15.00 Concessions: £7.00 per day Children under 16: FREE

The International Centre Telford Shropshire TF1 4JH SMW includes over 370 exhibitors, including some 190 trade stands and 180 model clubs

The World’s Greatest Model Show Incorporating the IPMS (UK) National Competition

2015-1 v3.indd 1

Friday17/07/2015 17:58

Jan and Tony’s (formerly with The Aviation Hobby Shop) new showroom and retail counter IS NOW OPEN on the 2nd Floor, Bignell House, Horton Road, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 8EJ, we are now open for business from Monday thru Saturdays 10.00 - 16.00 hrs. Plenty of free parking. We carry a varied range of aviation related books from most publishers, and a large range of plastic kits & accessories. We offer a 10% discount for ATC Squadrons, IPMS members and genuine Model Clubs/Societies on over the counter sales on production of a current membership card.We are attending numerous aviation related events, Fly-ins, conventions and a number model Please come and shows. We look forward to seeing you soon. We see us at the w now accept most major credit cards, cheques and sho ord Telf S IPM er postal orders to be made payable to AJ Aviation. 7th/8th Novemb POST FREE IN THE UK, OVERSEAS AT COST.

NEW OR RECENT KITS NOW IN STOCK

AIRFIX 1/72 scale AF8016 Armstrong Whitworth Whitley Mk.V £24.99 AF4003 Supermarine Swift FK Mk.5 ........... £14.99 AF4019 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.X................. £14.99 AF6014 Heinkel He 111P-2........................ £19.99 AIRFIX 1/144 scale AF3171 Vickers Vanguard........................... £10.99 AF4176 deHavilland Comet 4B ................... £14.99 AF5171 Boeing 707 (BOAC) ....................... £16.99 AIRFIX CLUB ISSUES 1/72 scale AF73006 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IID.................. £8.99 AF77611 FMA IA.58 Pucara ......................... £12.99 AIRFIX CLUB ISSUES 1/48 scale AF82012 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3/E-7........ £16.99 REVELL 1/72 scale H4877 Douglas C-54 Skymaster .............. £49.99 TAMIYA 1/32 scale TAM60326 deHavilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI..... £149.99 FROM THE STOCK ROOM • FROM THE STOCK ROOM RODEN 1/144 scale URO14301 DC-7C Pan American World Airways £21.99 URO14302 DC-7C Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) .. £21.99 URO14303 DC-7C Japan Airlines (JAL) ............ £21.99 URO14304 Douglas DC-6 (Delta) ..................... £21.99 URO14305 ATL-98 Carvair.............................. £19.99 URO14306 Douglas C-124A Globemaster II ..... £23.99 URO14307 VC-118 “The Independence”.......... £21.99 URO14308 Douglas C-47 Skytrain................... £16.99 URO14309 Douglas DC-3 ............................... £16.99 URO14311 Douglas C-124C Globemaster II ..... £23.99 URO14312 Bristol 175 Britannia 312 (BOAC) ... £25.99 URO14314 Boeing 720 “Starship One” ............ £24.99 URO14315 Boeing 720 “Starship One ”Elton John 1974” .................................................... £24.99 URO14316 Lockheed C-140A JetStar.............. £16.99 URO14317 Boeing 720 “Ceasar’s Chariot” ....... £24.99 URO14319 Boeing 720 (Pan American)............ £24.99 URO14320 Boeing 720 (United Airlines) ........... £24.99 URO14321 Fairchild C-119C Boxcar................ £21.99 RODEN 1/48 scale URO401 Gloster Gladiator Mk.II w/skis ......... £22.99 URO402 Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter Two Seat Fighter £19.99 URO403 Nieuport 28 C1.............................. £19.99 URO404 Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter Single Seat Bomber .................................................... £19.99 URO405 Gloster Sea Gladiator Mk.I.............. £22.99

URO406 URO407 URO408 URO410 URO411 URO412 URO413 URO414 URO415 URO416 URO417 URO418 URO419 URO420 URO421 URO422 URO423 URO424 URO425 URO426 URO428 URO429 URO430 URO431 URO432 URO433 URO434 URO435 URO436 URO437 URO438 URO439 URO440 URO441 URO442 URO443 URO444 URO445 URO446 URO447 URO448 URO449 URO450 URO451

OV-1A/JOV-1A Mohawk................. £29.99 Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutter Comic Fighter £19.99 Gloster Gladiator Mk.I .................... £22.99 OV-1B/OV-1C Mohawk ................. £29.99 Sopwith I.B1 French Bomber ......... £19.99 RAF Be 12b .................................. £25.99 OV-1D Mohawk ............................ £29.99 De Havilland DH.4 (USA) ................ £26.99 Fokker D.VII Early .......................... £19.99 Wolseley Viper Engine ................... £22.99 Fokker D.VIIF Late ......................... £19.99 Fokker D.VII OAW (mid) ................. £19.99 SE.5A Hispano Suiza engine........... £22.99 Fokker D.VII (OAW Early) ............... £19.99 Fokker D.VI (Albatros built, early) ... £19.99 De Havilland D.H.4 Eagle ............... £22.99 De Havilland D.H.9 ....................... £25.99 Fokker D.VII (Albatros built, late) .... £19.99 Bristol F.2B Fighter ........................ £22.99 RAF Be.2C .................................... £25.99 Bristol Fighter F.2b Mk IV ............... £22.99 Bristol F.2B (Sunbeam Arab)........... £22.99 De Havilland DH.4 (Puma) .............. £25.99 De Havilland DH.4a........................ £25.99 De Havilland DH.4 (RAF 3A)............ £25.99 Junkers D.I Early ........................... £25.99 Junkers D.I Late ............................ £25.99 De Havilland DH.9C (TBA) .............. £25.99 De Havilland DH.9 Ambulance ........ £21.99 OV-1C Mohawk............................. £29.99 Gloster Gladiator Meterological....... £22.99 Fairchild AU-23A Peacemaker........ £36.99 Pilatus PC-6/H2 Turbo Porter (Air America) .................................................... £36.99 Beechcraft UC-43 Traveller............. £29.99 Beechcraft UC-43 Staggerwing ...... £37.99 Pilatus PC-6/H-2 Turbo Porter ........ £37.99 PC-6/B-2/H-2 Turbo Porter ”Der Bunte Fredi” .................................................... £37.99 Pilatus PC-6/B-2/H-42 Turbo Porter “Floats” .................................................... £34.99 Beechcraft D.17S Staggerwing....... £37.99 Beechcraft GB-2 Traveller Mk II ...... £37.99 Beechcraft SD-17S Staggerwing Floatplane .................................................... £34.99 PC-6/B-2/H-2 Turbo Porter ”French Army” .................................................... £35.99 North American T-28D Trojan ......... £29.99 North American T-28C Trojan.......... £34.99

RODEN AIRCRAFT ENGINES 1/32 scale URO621 Gnome Monosoupape 100hp ......... £18.99 URO622 Hispano Suiza 8A 150hp................ £18.99 URO623 Mercedes D.III 160hp .................... £18.99 URO624 Oberursel URII ............................... £18.99 URO625 Hispano Suiza 8A6 ........................ £18.99 URO626 Wolseley W4A Viper....................... £18.99

REVELL 1/144 scale H3968 Airbus A320 Etihad........................ £14.99 H3989 Airbus A350-900 .......................... £19.99 H4044 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III .......... £26.99 H4206 Static A300-600ST Beluga Airbus Industries Super Guppy.................. £17.99 H4215 Airbus A319 (British Airways/German Wings) .................................................... £12.99 H4218 Airbus A380 (latest c/s).................. £24.99 H4219 Boeing 747 400 (Lufthansa)........... £18.99 H4221 Antonov An 124 ........................... £24.99 H4257 BAC Concorde (BA/Air France) ....... £16.99 H4259 Airbus A380 Interior....................... £26.99 H4261 Boeing 787 Dreamliner ................. £22.99 H4267 Airbus A320 (Lufthansa) ................ £12.99 H4270 Airbus A380 (Lufthansa) ................ £24.99 H4275 Boeing 747-8 (Lufthansa) ............. £22.99 H4663 E-4B Airborne Command Post........ £17.99 H4673 Tupolev Tu 95 Bear........................ £16.99 H4842 Spaceship Two & Carrier White Knight two .................................................... £17.99 H4859 Airbus A400M “Atlas”.................... £24.99 H4863 Boeing 747 SCA & Space Shuttle .. £26.99 H4870 Airbus A330-300 “Thai Airways” .. £17.99 H4871 Tupolev Tu 144 ......... £16.99 H4885 Boeing 747-8F (Cargolux) .............. £22.99 FUJIMI 1/48 scale - Limited stock first come first served FJ270401/H31 Hughes 500MD/OH-6D............ £15.45 FJ32017/R11 Mitsubishi T-2 “22nd Sqn” 4th Wing£23.95 FJ32019/R1 Mitsubishi XT-2 ...................... £23.45 FJ32020/R2 Mitsubishi T-2 JASDF 22nd Sqn” 10th Aniv ................................ £23.95 FJ32021/R3 F-15J Eagle JASDF 303Sqn..... £21.95 FUJIMI 1/72 scale - Limited stock first come first served FJ27028/H16 E-2CJ Hawkeye JASDF............ £18.35 FJ27031/H19 E-2 Hawkeye 2000 VAW 115... £19.95 FJ27034/H31 KV-107 JASDF 50th Anniversary £15.45 FJ27036/H33 HSS-2B JMSDF Seaking ........ £14.95 FJ28013/I12 F-14A Tomcat VF102 Diamondbacks US Navy 1987 ......................... £22.95 FJ28016/I13 F-14A Tomcats VF-114 Aardvarks US Navy ....................................... £22.95 FJ280172/I14 F-14A Tomcat “VF-154 Black Knights” Millennium Special................... £25.50 FJ280196/I15 F-14A Tomcat “VF-24 Fighting Renegades” ........................... £20.95 FJ35153/F30 Sea Harrier FRS1 Falklands War£13.95 FJ72015/F6 F/A-18D U.S.M.C. “Bengals” .. £15.45 FJ72017/F10 F/A-18A U.S.Navy “Warhawks” £14.95 FJ72023/C18 Saiun C6N2 “MYRT” Supercharger £14.45 FJ72029/C2 Ki 43 I Oscar 58th Hiko Sentai.. £10.95 FJ72053/C15 Nakajima C6N1 Saiun Type 11 “Myrt” .............................................. £13.95

FJ72069/H23 Grumman E-2C Hawkeye “Screw Top” .............................................. £18.35 FJ72112/F32 F-86F-30 Sabre JASDF “First Sabre” .............................................. £12.75 FJ72132/M2 Spitfire PR Mk.19 Blue Invader . £11.95 FJ72133/F39 F/A-18A Hornet U.S.Navy “Top Gun” .............................................. £15.45 FJ72155/F3 MiG 29 Russia/North Korea ..... £16.45 FJ72157/F46 F/A-18C Hornet VFA-192 “Golden Dragons” ................... £15.95 FJ72169/F47 MiG 29 “Stlizhi” ...................... £16.45 FJ72170/M3 Spitfire “Kings Cup Race”......... £11.95 FJ72171/F48 F/A-18B Hornet “Sharp Shooters” £15.95 FJ72182/F51 A-7E Corsair “VA-56 Champion” £12.95 FJ72183 A-7E Corsair............................ £13.45 FJ72189/F52 MiG 29 Slovak, Hungary, Bulgaria £14.95 FJ72212/F45 F/A-18 Hornet “Blue Angels” .... £19.45 FJ722085/F55 BAe Harrier GR.3 “1417 Flt/233 OCU” .............................................. £13.95 FJ722092/F56 A-7A Corsair II “VA-52 Blue Blazers” .............................................. £14.35 FJ722108/F57 BAe Harrier GR III..................... £13.45 GLENCOE MODELS (scales as shown) GL5102 Austro-Hungarian Albatross 1/48.... £11.99 GL5107 deHavilland Venom FB.4 1/48 ........ £11.99 GL5114 Nieuport 28C - 1/48...................... £14.99 GL5115 Pfalz D.III 1/48 .............................. £12.99 GL5118 Spad XIII French Aces - 1/48.......... £14.99 GL5120 Bell X-1 – 1/48 ............................. £18.95 GL5122 Grumman Duck J2F-2 ................... £15.99 GL5203 Piasecki VZ-8P Airgeep – 1/32....... £15.99 GL5501 Vickers 700 Viscount (BEA/Capital) – 1/96 .................................................... £17.95 GL5911 Convair Satellite – 1/200 ............... £17.75 GL6501 Vickers 700 Viscount (Air France/Northeast) – 1/96.......................................... £17.95 GL6502 US Navy Blimp............................... £15.99 HUMA 1/72 scale HU2000 Messerschmitt Me 35b.................. £14.99 HU2501 Klemm Kl 35 ................................. £14.99 HU2503 Messerschmitt Me 209.................. £16.99 HU2504 Bucker Bu 131 Jungmann ............. £14.99 HU2505 Grunau Gr 9/Schneider SG 38........ £15.99 HU2507 Messerschmitt Me 263/Ju 248 ...... £16.99 HU2509 Fieseler Fi 5 R 1933 ...................... £14.99 HU2510 Dornier Do 27 ............................... £17.99 HU2511 Lippisch DM1 “Triebwerkloses” ...... £14.99 HU3001 Messerschmitt Pe 1101................. £17.99 HU3002 Gotha Go 145 ............................... £19.99 HU3003 Arado Ar 396 ................................ £19.99 HU3004 Klemm Kl 25 ................................. £18.99 HU3005 Arado Ar 80 .................................. £19.99 HU3006 Messerschmitt Me P1106.............. £18.99

HU3007 HU3008 HU3500 HU3501 HU3503 HU3504 HU3505 HU4000 HU4002 HU4003 HU4500 HU4501 HU5000 HU5001 HU6000 HU6001

Junkers EF 128 (1944).................. £19.99 Bucker Bu 180 Student.................. £19.99 Arado Ar 68 .................................. £21.99 Messerschmitt Me 309.................. £19.99 DFS228 ........................................ £17.99 Messerschmitt Me 328.................. £26.99 Messerschmitt Me 209 V5 ............. £19.99 Heinkel He 280 ............................. £25.99 DFS 346, 1944 ............................. £24.99 Focke Wulf Ta 283......................... £24.99 Messerschmitt Me 609.................. £29.99 Kalkert Ka 430 .............................. £32.99 Focke Achgelis Fa 223 Drache ...... £39.99 Junkers Ju 287 V1 ........................ £44.99 Dornier Do JII “Wal”....................... £39.99 Junkers Ju 288-C ......................... £44.99

HUMA 1/48 scale HU6500 Flettner FL.282 “Kolibri”................. £32.99 ITALERI 1/48 scale ITA833 Bell AH-1W Supercobra ................. £24.99 ITA836 Tornado F.3 ADV RAF ..................... £24.99 ITA845 KA-50 Hokum ............................... £22.50 ITA849 UH-1D “Slick”................................ £24.99 ITA850 F-22 Raptor .................................. £23.50 ITA857 Bell OH-13S Sioux......................... £21.50 ITA863 AH-64D Longbow Apache ............. £22.50 ITA2617 F-15A/C Eagle .............................. £23.50 ITA2632 Henschel Hs 123A-1 ..................... £24.99 ITA2638 SAAB JAS 39A Gripen ................... £23.50 ITA2643 C-130J Hercules ........................... £59.99 ITA2647 ACH-47E Chinook ......................... £44.99 ITA2654 F-16A Fighting Falcon .................. £23.50 ITA2659 OA-10A Jaws .............................. £34.99 ITA2666 MH-60K Blackhawk SOA .............. £22.50 ITA2667 F-14A Tomcat ............................... £23.50 ITA2668 Tornado IDS “Black Panthers”......... £23.50 ITA2669 Hawk T Mk.1 ................................ £28.50 ITA2670 Re 2002 Ariete (PRM Edition) ........ £28.50 ITA2677 BAe Hawk T Mk.1 “Red Arrows” ..... £27.99 ITA2679 Me 262B-1A/u-1 Nachtjager.......... £28.50 ITA2681 Lockheed F-5E Lightning ............... £28.50 ITA2683 F-16DG/DJ Fighting Falcon ............ £29.99 ITA2684 F-86F Sabre Jet Skyblazers ........... £27.99 ITA2687 E-2C Hawkeye/Hawkeye 2000 ....... £53.50 ITA2688 Kfir C1/C2..................................... £28.50 ITA2690 Junkers Ju 87B-2 Stuka (PRM Edition) £28.50 ITA2692 AB.212/UH-1N.............................. £22.50 ITA2694 F-16 Fighting Falcon “Special Colours” £24.99 ITA2695 Mirage F.1C .................................. £28.50 ITA2696 Spitfire Mk.IXc “Beer Truck” RAF..... £24.99 ITA2697 AD-4 Skyraider.............................. £28.50 ITA2698 EA-6B Prowler............................... £54.99 ITA2699 S-2E/F/G Tracker........................... £54.99

eduard

EXCLUSIVE BUILD

AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

Explore Airfix’s new maritime mammoth with Jen Wright’s long-awaited test-shot build of the Shackleton MR.2

THE GROWLER hen Airfix announced this kit, it’s probably fair to say that there was a real hubbub among the modelling community. For whatever reason, the Shackleton has had an enduring allure for modellers over the years, with few kits ever having been available. Only the MR.3 has been moulded by a mainstream manufacturer in the form of the Frog kit from the late 1960s, which is certainly a product of its era. But Airfix’s new offering fixes all that, and in some style! A total of 269 parts were presented, spread over seven frames, one of which was devoted to transparencies. The effect was almost overwhelming, with the initial impression being one of refinement and detail everywhere. With a myriad of tiny parts to back-up impressively moulded larger sections for a full interior, there were open flap areas, wheel well features and a fabulouslooking bomb bay. And it was big. Really big! The frames were dominated by enormous fuselage halves; in my mind at least, the

W

 During parts preparation, a number of large ejector pin circles were noted throughout the interior. These were filled and sanded as necessary to tidy things, although it should be noted that virtually none would be visible on the finished model.  Dry-fitting was carried out and at this point, the weight of all the parts was sufficient to bend the unsupported cabin floor...look at all that lovely detail!

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Shackleton was roughly the same size as the Lancaster of its heritage, but in actuality it was much larger in every direction! As has become normal with Airfix releases, there were many options on the build, which ranged from raised or lowered undercarriage or flaps to a choice

of upper turret, raised or lowered dustbin radome and two decal options. The transparencies were crystal clear with well-defined framing, which remained subtle. On that note, the panel line treatment was very fine too, being much shallower than we’ve

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AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2 evident, and would need dealing with. These were quite large in places, but would have been quite impossible to repair had they been in the bomb bay roof instead. As the pin marks were all in flat surfaces, it was simple to repair them with filler or Gunze Mr. Surfacer. With this done, the rest of the interior parts were grouped together into sub-assemblies, with one eye on ease of painting, and before very long the basic colour were added. The forward part of the fuselage, including the flight deck, was black, while the central part was light grey and the extreme rear was in Interior Green. The rest of the shades

become used to. The build process was documented by a thumping 113-stage construction guide, while paint schemes were detailed by full-colour layouts, with one third for stencilling.

Get to it! Work began with the multi-part pilot’s seats, which were combined with neat throttle pedestals and control columns and each sat on a raised box that attached to the cabin floor. The latter doubled as the bomb bay roof, and had two wing spars attached to it initially. While working on these parts many ejector pin circles became

were a little trickier, as reference photos showed various options. In the end the instructions were followed, with black desks, grey instrument panels and cream panelling. Crew seats were painted grey, with green leather cushions and dark brown was used for the lino-style flooring. This was all tied together with a dark wash for engraved details, and pale dry-brushing of black areas. This was a very stark strategy, but a deliberate effort to highlight the detail enough for it to be visible once the fuselage was closed. The final touch in adorning the interior came in the form of maps and

Despite the relatively low parts count for the undercarriage bays, they looked busy. Plastic card was used to cover the join line and sink marks in the front of the bay roof.

KIT COLOUR SCHEMES Airfix will provide two fine examples of RAF Shackleton liveries in its production kit. They are as follows: • WR963/M-B, 224 Squadron, RAF North Front, Gibraltar, September 1957 • WR966/GT/205 ‘White Knuckle Airlines’, 205 Squadron, Tengah Air Base (formerly RAF Tengah), Singapore, January 1972

"...THERE WERE OPEN FLAP AREAS, WHEEL WELL FEATURES AND A FABULOUS-LOOKING BOMB BAY"

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TEST AND ADJUST

 Basic colours were applied to most of the interior parts. The sheer scale of the task is readily apparent, not made any quicker by the numerous shades required.

It seems in these modern times that many modellers expect an awful lot of today’s kits. Is it too much to expect a perfect fit of every part, every time? Or should we maintain realistic expectations, while practising basic modelling skills? The obvious answer is probably a little of both. For the most part, this kit fitted exceptionally well, especially when due consideration was given to the sheer size of some parts. This is still a kit which rewarded care, though. The main fuselage halves would not close without considerable force at the rear of the bomb bay which, when checked and traced back, turned out to be caused by a build-up of tolerances, and a little help from mould seams. Two minutes of checking and sanding rectified a big filler job, which could have then caused other parts not to fit properly.

 Numerous colours were added to small areas, and allied to washes and dry-brushing to highlight the details. These were deliberately made very stark to aid visibility in the dark recesses of the interior.

an instrument panel from the decal sheet, and a few splashes of colour on fire extinguishers. Once all was painted and assembled the effect was really spectacular; with so much detail it seemed a real shame to join the fuselage halves, since dry-fitting showed that virtually none of it would remain visible. There was no realistic

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manner to enable better viewing apart from leaving the crew entry door open, which was duly carried out. In theory, the escape hatches could also be left out, and perhaps custom interior lighting could also be added. The fuselage join, despite the halves’ dimensions, was trouble free after the interior had been

added to the left half. With cyanoacrylate (CA) glue they were joined bit-by-bit, starting at the front and working rearwards. Any potential alignment problems that might occur during this method were alleviated completely by the presence of the two wing spars, and the resultant join needed very little work. CA was

allowed to squeeze out of the join, and once sanded provided all the filling that was necessary.

Mighty mainplanes Moving on to the wings, work commenced with the four engine nacelles and the undercarriage bays. The work Airfix put into the undercarriage

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MODEL SPEC

AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

"ONCE ALL WAS PAINTED AND ASSEMBLED THE EFFECT WAS REALLY SPECTACULAR"

Avro Shackleton MR.2 By:

Airfix

Stock Code: A11004 Scale:

1/72

Price:

£39.99

Available from: www.airfix.com

 Ejector pin marks such as the one shown here are extremely hard to remove by sanding, so a micro chisel was used to pare away material carefully until a smooth surface was obtained.

bay is worthy of note, being anatomically accurate throughout. Due to the nature of the moulded detail, the bays were in several parts which had to be interlocked and then fitted to the nacelle halves. Careful trimming and fitting

was found to be required to enable all the parts to fit well, with the main culprit being mould seams that got in the way of the tabs. Although the parts were essentially self-jigging, a

nacelle half was used as a guide to ensure proper undercarriage alignment. The paint scheme was simple enough, being gloss white everywhere apart from the firewall, which was a mid-grey colour. A wash of dark grey was used to pick out all that detail, and then small areas were picked out according to references. The undercarriage legs themselves were painted light aircraft grey, with a Neutral Brown wash, and were fitted to the bays before they were added to the nacelles. Although the nacelles themselves were utterly trouble free, I did find that one unit would not fit the wing until the roof of the undercarriage bay had been thinned and sanded back. I believe that had more attention been paid during the building of the undercarriage bay, this issue would most likely have been avoided, as it was only present on one side. The outer nacelles

 As with the Lancaster before it, the main undercarriage legs attach to the front of the wheel bay bulkhead. While it would have been possible to fit them after painting, it was decided to position them early on as per the instructions.

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presented no issues at all and simply clicked into place, although a small amount of work was needed on all four engines at the upper rear joint. More mould seam removal eased the tight fit of the radiator faces, and then the nose cones fitted with no trouble. The wings themselves presented little or no work, since all the undercarriage detail was integrated into the inner nacelles. I decided to drill out all the flap falsework detail with a 1.5mm drill bit, and then replaced the fuel vent masts with 0.8mm brass

tubing, bent to match the plastic parts before fitting. The wing halves were joined with liquid glue, after snipping off one of the outer leading edge locating pins as it impinged the fit. A final addition in the shape of tiny clear navigation lights finished the wings, which just left the tail. Poseable control surfaces were allowed for on rudders and elevators, and the method of articulation should be instantly recognisable to anyone who’s ever built an old Airfix kit. This entailed trapping the hinges between the

A KIT DESIGNER DESIGNER'SS VIEW

Airfix’s Senior Industrial Designer, Matt Whiting, gives his perspective on this important new release

 This recessed flap falsework detail did look effective, but represents actual holes on the real thing. Drilling out the holes is a simple process if desired, with help from a suitably sized bit.  After drilling the difference is certainly clear, and raised the look to almost photoetched metal levels of detail.

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It was by chance back in 2010 that I came across a ‘Readers Rides’ thread on a popular car restoration forum, about the ongoing work on a 1954 Avro Shackleton MR.2, which started the ball rolling on what was to become one of my favourite projects as an Airfix Designer. An initial visit to WR963 at Coventry confirmed that it would make a fantastic kit subject; however it wasn’t until 2014 that we were able to fit it into the busy Airfix design schedule. The most challenging aspect was the lack of available drawings, due to the long service life of the Shackleton meaning Avro’s drawings were never ‘released’ to third-party draughtsmen...until now. Thankfully we were given unprecedented access to the complete drawing and Air Publications archive, and the help of the very knowledgeable team at the Shackleton Preservation Trust. It’s not until you delve into the drawings that the long heritage of the Shackleton is revealed. Many drawings relate back to the Tudor, Lincoln and York and the basis of the wing originally started life in the Manchester and Lancaster. The drawings explained many interesting details such as the engines being angled downwards, and subtle differences between MR.1 and MR.2 engine nacelles, which are not immediately apparent. Working from original, large-scale drawings presents a few problems, though; there are not many places that will scan documents that large! The digitised drawings were painstakingly scaled and knitted together to form a complete airframe layout, and the scale drawings we have created are being used in a forthcoming reference book on the type...praise indeed! Eventually we completed three more visits to WR963, to check details and gather more photo references. Hopefully we have done justice in 1/72nd scale to such a charismatic and important RAF type!

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EXCLUSIVE BUILD

AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

 The fit of the nacelles to the wing underside was pretty much impeccable. A little Mr. Surfacer was all that was required to fair them in seamlessly.

 Test-fitting of the exhaust infill parts showed they were a touch too thick to fit flush. Each one was fettled slightly, and then scribed with the engine position number so they could be fitted back into the same slot after painting.  Although not overly noticeable here, minor trimming and filling was required to make the joins perfect at the point where the nacelles met the wing leading edge.

 To make use of the control surface hinging system, the joins at the rear faces of the fins and rudders were pre-sanded while the parts were held in place by hand.

halves of each control surface... low-tech perhaps, but it works well in practice, and the parts are sturdy enough to resist casual handling. It’s worth making a point here about the fit of these parts, since even on the finished model none required glue, due to precision of fit. Final major construction involved mating the wings to the fuselage, which was simple. Tube glue was applied to the spars, and once the wing had been slid into position,

liquid cement was run along the join, which required no further attention. In fact, it would have been a completely realistic option to join the wings after painting, as in fact was the case with the tails. After all major construction was completed, the last step before painting was to add and mask all the windows. At the risk of sounding like a skipping CD, they all fitted beautifully and because of the well-defined frames, were easy to mask with Bare Metal

 Detail, detail, detail everywhere one looks! Note how well the wings fit, too, with absolutely no filler required.

"DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE MOULDED DETAIL, THE BAYS WERE IN SEVERAL PARTS"

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AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

HOLLOW POINT

 With all major construction completed, all the glazing was added. One could be forgiven for not crediting the Shackleton with many windows; builders of this kit may well reconsider that!

 The canopy featured separate side windows that dropped into place as easily as all the other transparencies. In this shot, the bomb bay doors were merely clipped into position, as were the mainwheels.  All the windows were positioned from the outside, and all fitted extremely well. It would be entirely possible to paint them separately and add afterwards if preferred. Note, again, the near-perfect wing-to-fuselage join.

Even in these days of stunningly detailed and well moulded-model kits, very few include hollowed-out vents and barrels. This is an area that can reap dividends out of all proportion to the effort involved, and with practice, one rarely needs to resort to after-market parts. In this case, the exhausts were hollowed out using drill bits and the point of a scalpel blade. Although oval in appearance the exhaust is round in cross section, making this a simple task. A tiny hole was first made in the centre of each pipe, which was then enlarged with progressively larger bits. Moulded circles are rarely truly circular though, which is where the scalpel comes in. Once the drilled hole is as large as the material will allow, a sharp scalpel blade can be used to very gently shave away plastic until a thin wall is the result. The final touch was to wipe liquid cement around the work to smooth the surface.

Foil. Time for some adventures in the paint shop then! This was a simple scheme without question, the only issue being how to replicate Dark Sea Grey. As a serial user of Mr. Hobby acrylics, one of the colours I’ve never been convinced by was RAF Dark Sea Grey, and I don’t know of another good off-the-shelf match among any of my other preferred paint ranges. This meant mixing it, and for this Tamiya acrylics were used. Starting with XF-82 RAF Ocean Grey, XF-77 IJN Grey (Sasebo Arsenal) was added to a ratio of roughly 50:50 with a few drops of X-4 Blue to provide that distinctive bluish tone. Once happy with that colour, painting began by adding

the white sections, via Tamiya XF-2. It was possible to make the colour appear slightly patchy by varying the coverage as it

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AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

was sprayed, so no further paint effects were employed at that point. Masking was simple as there were no complicated intersections and all lines were straight, so once masked with Tamiya tape, the Dark Sea Grey was applied. This time, fading effects were added by lightening the colour with white and using this on upper areas, where fading would have been prevalent. No dark shading or pre-shading was carried out, which meant painting was speedy for such a large model. After the masking was removed from the white areas, two coats of Johnson’s Klear were brushed to provide a smooth surface for the decal application process.

Great transfers The decals were printed by Cartograf, and the designer really went to town. Internal decals have already been mentioned, but the comprehensive nature of the external markings and stencils were impressive indeed, and obviously well researched. Main markings

went on first, and they added a welcome splash of colour and excitement. Once these had dried enough for careful handling, stencil application commenced. Modellers of a nervous disposition may wish to look away now, but such was the comprehensive nature of the sheet, that this took around six hours! Initially it seemed as though the decals were a little unwilling to settle into the recessed detail, but it turned out to be a lack of patience that was at fault as they adhered perfectly after overnight drying. Next came sealing the decals and entire painted surface with a single coat of Tamiya X-22 Clear Gloss, thinned to around 60:40 with Mr. Color thinner; careful application by airbrush left a smooth surface with a soft, satin sheen. At this point, the model was set aside to let the paint cure properly, while all smaller parts got some attention. The term’ smaller parts’ was relative, though, as some were still either large or quite involved. Weaponry, for instance, consisted of two Mk.44 and two Mk.30 torpedoes. These comprised 22 parts between them, including the four bomb cradles, then were painted with multiple colours and even had decals applied. Other components built and painted at this point included tailwheel struts, main and tailwheels, bomb doors, flaps, undercarriage doors, aerials, propellers and so on. Preparing the propeller and spinner assemblies is occasionally laborious on any four-engined ‘heavy’, suitably trumped here by the addition of contra- rotating propellers!

 The empennage sports self-jigging tailplanes, in which the tabs reach all the way through the fuselage and wedge each other into place. The vertical stabilisers also benefited from what was virtually an interference fit and needed no glue.

 After masking the considerable number of windows, Tamiya XF-2 White was added where needed. This was then masked with the same firm’s tape in preparation for the custom-mixed Dark Sea Grey.

 It’s the habit of many modellers to apply the main markings first when decalling, rather than the stencils. Applied over a coat of Johnson’s Klear, Mr. Mark Setter was also used to help the decals settle into detail.

"MASKING WAS SIMPLE AS THERE WERE NO COMPLICATED INTERSECTIONS" Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

 One decal was particularly reluctant to settle, although in fairness, the detail in question was rather large. Using a compass cutter, suitable masks were fashioned to enable the white to be touched-up by airbrush.  After all the decals were applied and had dried overnight, Tamiya X-22 Clear Gloss, diluted with Mr. Color thinner, sealed the surface of the model before panel line washes were applied.

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Before any of the phalanx of detail parts could be fitted, the weathering had to be finished, and a matt coat applied. Neutral Brown wash was applied in small dots on the horizontal surfaces, and then stippled repeatedly with a soft brush until almost dry. This left soft smudging and patchy dirt to simulate foot traffic. Another wash of Cold Grey was added in the normal way to highlight panel lines, and blend the decals a little. These aircraft were delivered from the factory in a gloss finish, but study of period photos showed that the finish dulled fairly rapidly. Since the machine depicted was deployed to the Far East, it was noticeably faded and dull in photos, so satin varnish was used to mute the top surfaces. The

lower reaches were left in the glossier finish, since the underside of the Shackleton was not often exposed to direct sunlight. Lastly, all small parts were added and it is a credit to Airfix that not problems were encountered at all. Everything simply plugged into place, and in many cases, the tabs and fittings dealt neatly with any alignment issues. Uschi van der Rosten's Lycra thread then depicted the aerials. It has to be said that this was not an innately complicated kit despite the size of the subject. The scale of the build though, was impressively large and certainly no weekend job. I for one am hugely impressed with this product, from the level of detail, to pure ‘buildability’; it really did

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AVRO SHACKLETON MR.2

not disappoint. The few minor niggles were of the type that enhanced the enjoyment as they were worked around, rather than becoming an irritation. And those wavering over the price a little will surely not be disappointed if they do take the plunge! *Airfix’s Shackleton should be on ❚ sale from mid-October, 2015

 Besides a panel line wash, the white areas of the wing were stippled with Neutral Brown wash to simulate dirt build-up from servicing activity.

REFERENCE Haynes Publishing got its skates on to provide an Owners’ Workshop Manual on the Shackleton, with Airfix’s forthcoming release in mind. This book, in the standard format, is easily one of the best OWMs to be released, and collaboration with the Shackleton Preservation Trust (SPT) means solid information. The author has amassed a wonderful collection of imagery, whereby period whole-airframe and interior shots are accompanied by close-ups of the SPT’s WR963. Together with the enlightening history text, this is a valuable reference tool for anyone building Airfix’s new kit, Revell’s expected AEW.2 or, dare we say it... the ancient Frog kit! Avro Shackleton 1949 to 1991 (all marks) Owners Workshop Manual By: Keith Wilson ISBN: 978-0-85733-769-6 Price: £25 Format: 276mm x 213mm Available from: www.haynes.co.uk

 The kit's 48 propeller tip decals were eschewed in favour of masking and spraying. The decals were used as a size guide, marked with dividers.

 After spraying the tips, the many parts of propeller and spinner were united. Note that the stencils were in fact placed on the rear set of propellers.

 A large model, with a plentiful amount of final additions; these were built, painted, detailed and weathered as the build progressed. Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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IN FOCUS

AVRO SHACKLETON

Malcolm Lowe examines the story of the RAF’s Avro Shackleton, and particularly the MR.2 version of this famous maritime patrol aircraft

The Shackleton MR.2 was a large but graceful aircraft in flight. It underwent a great deal of weathering of its basic paintwork as displayed here by the muchphotographed WL742, which served with several units including 206 Squadron. (Avro Heritage Museum)

COLD WAR GUARDIAN vents during World War Two illustrated beyond doubt the vital importance for Britain to possess competent and capable long-range maritime patrol and anti-submarine warplanes. Completely lacking in this type of aircraft at the start of the war, Britain was potentially on the verge of defeat when crucial supplies

E

from North America were under constant and very successful attack from German U-boats in the first three years of the conflict. It was only with the introduction of effective long-range patrol aircraft, especially the US-manufactured four-engined Consolidated Liberator, allied to the introduction of escort aircraft carriers for vital

Atlantic convoys, that the tide was able to turn decisively in Britain’s favour during what became known as the Battle of the Atlantic. This conflict was a close-run contest, but with the end of World War Two the Liberators were either returned to the US or scrapped, these lumbering but effective aircraft having been supplied to

The actual prototype for the Shackleton MR.2 version was WB833, photographed here early in its trials career. It tragically crashed in April 1968 while on the books of 204 Squadron from the Ballykelly Wing. (Avro Heritage Museum)

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Britain under wartime Lend-Lease arrangements. In the immediate post-war years, suitably converted and configured Avro Lancasters were pressed into service as makeshift maritime patrol, antisubmarine, reconnaissance and search and rescue aircraft for the RAF’s Coastal Command. The fact that they were needed at all for these roles in the immediate postwar world amply showed that the threat to Britain’s shipping and the Atlantic lifeline had not vanished with the ending of World War Two. It simply had a different enemy – the Soviet Union rather than the newly defeated Nazi Germany. Indeed, the end of World War Two in 1945 placed the new enemy rapidly on the horizon, and with the increasing escalation of the Cold War between the West and Soviet Russia, the need quickly began to manifest itself for a new, purpose-built long-range

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IN FOCUS

AVRO SHACKLETON maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft for Coastal Command. During late 1945, official interest for such a type initially concentrated on a conversion of the Avro Lincoln as a general reconnaissance and search and rescue platform. The Lincoln bomber was Avro’s successor to the Lancaster and this requirement was officially formalised in Specification R.5/46. Avro’s famous designer Roy Chadwick initially led the effort to create an aircraft The aerodynamic trials aircraft that pioneered the basic layout of the Shackleton MR.2 was VW126, seen here in an apparently re-touched image showing the production MR.2’s intended configuration. (Avro Heritage Museum)

Manufacture of the Shackleton MR.2 took place at Avro’s Woodford factory, where these recently completed examples were photographed. WL754, which first flew in March 1953, is evident in the centre. (Avro Heritage Museum)

to this requirement, which was designated within the company as the Avro Type 696. The Avro design team drew on a number of details and influences from the Lincoln, along with the company’s Tudor civil airliner, but the new aircraft was essentially a separate design for a very different concept. It was intended to have a range of approximately 3,000 miles (4,828km) while carrying up to 6,000lb (2,722kg) of weapons and equipment. In addition to having a large amount of mission-related electronic gear, the Type 696 was designed for long-endurance patrol missions, and so attention was paid to a good crew environment, with rest areas and cooking facilities. It appears that at one stage during development, the Type 696 was referred to by the designation Lincoln ASR.3.

a suitable name for the type. Roy Chadwick had known Shackleton personally, and it was as much in tribute to the famous explorer and his long-range exploration under adverse conditions that the Shackleton aircraft received

its name. The initial example to fly (one of three prototypes) was allocated the British military serial number VW126, with the first production-standard version of the Shackleton being designated GR.1 (for General Reconnaissance), later amended to MR.1 (Maritime Reconnaissance). The initial production example flew in March 1950 and the type entered RAF service with 120 Squadron at RAF Kinloss in Scotland, which received its first examples from March 1951 onwards. By then, however, it was already apparent that the MR.1 and the somewhat refined MR.1A could be greatly improved upon, leading to the birth of a considerably more capable, uprated and more powerful development. Designated

MR.2, this new Shackleton model was pioneered by an aerodynamic trials aircraft, serial number VW126, which had originally been the first Shackleton to fly, and which now initially flew with intended MR.2 modifications during July 1951. WB833, originally ordered as an MR.1 (Avro’s paperwork says ‘MR.1A’) was reconfigured as the actual MR.2 prototype, and first flew in this guise on June 17, 1952. The last ten MR.1As on Avro’s production line were duly completed as MR.2s, the first production example being WG530, which initially flew during August 1952. Orders for 80 further newbuild aircraft were placed; the last 21 of these were completed as the later, considerably altered

Famous name Successful design work led to the first flight of the initial aircraft on March 9, 1949, with Avro test pilot JH ‘Jimmy’ Orrell at the controls. The new aircraft was appropriately named after the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. This was not by any means simply the adopting of

This dramatic image shows MR.2 WL796 at the 1953 SBAC Display at Farnborough, fitted with an airborne lifeboat. Shackletons did not normally carry one of these, but could be equipped with ‘Lindholme Gear’ for rescue purposes. (Avro Heritage Museum)

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IN FOCUS

AVRO SHACKLETON

This fine image of MR.2 WG531, taken at Woodford captures the classic lines of the Shackleton and highlights its lineage from the Lancaster. Sadly this aircraft was lost at sea with its crew in January 1955. (Key Collection)

Shackleton MR.3, and therefore the total number of MR.2s built was 69. Among the significant changes included in the MR.2 was the revised installation of ASV Mk.13 air-to-surface search radar, the radome for this radar being relocated from the lower nose position of the MR.1 to a ventral location aft of the large bomb bay; this radome was capable of being retracted very neatly when not in use. The radar had improved all-round coverage, and its lower fuselage position additionally minimised the risk of bird-strikes. Both the nose and tail section of the MR.2 were lengthened compared to the blunter MR.1, with prominent look-out glazing in the extreme rear fuselage. Among other alterations, the undercarriage was strengthened and twin-retractable tailwheels were fitted. During its lifetime the MR.2 was eventually subjected to several major upgrades, with Phase I, II and III modifications introducing revised radar, weapons and other systems; structural

dispensed with), and approximately 14,000lb (6,350kg) of 1,000lb (454kg) or 500lb (227kg) bombs, mines, and/or depth charges. This represented a considerable war load and made the Shackleton MR.2 a potentially deadly foe for any hostile shipping or submarine threat. A capacious bomb bay in the lower fuselage was capable of carrying a variety of contemporary ordnance and sonobuoys, depending on the mission requirements of individual aircraft. There were typically ten crew members (two pilots, two navigators, a flight engineer, an air electronics officer and four air electronics operators), but this was open to revision depending on the mission flown and equipment fit, and sometimes a crew of at least 11 was carried.

Vital service

Armourers load stores in the bomb bay of a 224 Squadron Shackleton MR.2 during Exercise Teamwork at Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, in September 1964. 224 Squadron was based at RAF North Front (Gibraltar) at that time (note the ‘GIB 14’ stencilling on the weapons launcher), but disbanded two years later. (Key Collection)

strengthening to increase fatigue life was also carried out. Power for the MR.2 came from four mighty Rolls-Royce Griffon inline engines, the Griffon 58 of 2,455hp with water/methanol

boost being the preferred type for the later, fully uprated Phase III examples. Armament comprised two forward-firing 20mm cannons in the nose, plus a dorsal turret (later

The Shackleton MR.2 was operated by RAF Coastal Command as a part of NATO’s requirement for patrols over the Atlantic during the Cold War, continuing the vital role that Liberators had performed during the later stages of World War Two. The increasing number and capability of Soviet submarines posed a real threat to Britain’s survival in times of possible conflict, and long-range Shackletons became Britain’s guardians in the same way that Coastal Command had been vital to Britain’s survival in the war against Germany. The first RAF unit to fly the Shackleton MR.2 was 42 Squadron at RAF St Eval in Cornwall, which received its initial examples during January 1953. Thereafter the type gradually replaced the Shackleton

An atmospheric image of Shackleton MR.2 WL742 in its element over the open water. The Shackleton was a big, powerful all-metal aircraft with a wing span of 120ft (36.58m) that was vital to Britain’s defence during the Cold War. (Malcolm Lowe Collection)

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IN FOCUS

AVRO SHACKLETON Ten Shackleton MR.2s were converted into T.2 trainer configuration (sometimes misidentified as T.4s); these included WR964/Z, which served with the MOTU. (Avro Heritage Museum)

MR.1/MR.1A and the stop-gap Lockheed Neptune MR.1, becoming Coastal Command’s premier longrange watch over Britain’s waters and maritime interests. The 69th and final MR.2 was WR969, which first flew in May 1954, but the last to make its maiden flight was WR968 on June 17, 1954. A total of 14 RAF squadrons eventually flew the MR.2 (there were no export customers for this Shackleton version), the type serving into the early 1970s. All the expected missions were flown by the MR.2, including maritime patrol, anti-submarine, reconnaissance and search and rescue, in addition to occasional use as a troop transport. Sadly, several Shackletons were lost in accidents. The prototype MR.2, WB833, was eventually passed into RAF service after various trials work. While flying with 204 Squadron from RAF Ballykelly, Northern Ireland, it tragically crashed in poor visibility on April 19, 1968 into Glenmanuilt Hill on the Mull of Kintyre. All 11 crew members lost their lives. In addition to their maritime role with Coastal Command, RAF Shackletons played an important part in ‘Imperial Policing’, becoming involved in several flashpoints and local conflicts around the world. Probably the most high profile of these was participation in the so-called ‘Beira Patrol’ which commenced in 1966 and was a blockade of oil shipments through Beira, Mozambique, as a part of United Nations trade sanctions against Rhodesia. Shackleton MR.2s of 37 Squadron participated in the Suez Crisis of 1956, providing maritime surveillance and protection for

British and French warships during the armed intervention against Egypt during that year. The ‘farthest flung’ MR.2 unit was 205 Squadron at RAF Changi, in Singapore. A little-known role for several Shackleton MR.2s was their part in RAF operations against terrorists in Aden during

the early 1960s. Involved were the Shackleton MR.2s of 37 Squadron based at RAF Khormaksar, which were tasked among other duties with dropping leaflets on rebellious tribesmen, and various ‘psychological warfare’ operations such as the release in flight of empty beer bottles, which made

With the crew’s personal kit laid out by the aircraft, this study of a 224 Squadron Shackleton shows how neatly the radome stowed away while not in use; it can be seen just under the ladder and access door. (Key Collection)

a whistling noise while falling but landed silently, giving the impression of unexploded bombs. An offshoot of the Shackleton MR.2 production was the T.2 trainer. Ten examples were converted from MR.2 airframes, the work commencing in the latter half of 1966 with MR.2 Phase II WL739, and ending with WR967, which was the final example to be converted. The work was carried out at Langar, Avro by then having become a part of Hawker Siddeley Aviation (HSA). The T.2 was unarmed and was fitted for radar training, the main operator being the RAF’s Maritime Operational Training Unit (MOTU). Further development of the Shackleton’s basic design led to the uprated MR.3, which was visibly different to the Mk.1 and Mk.2 Shackletons in having a tricycle undercarriage. The MR.2 itself received a new lease of life with the conversion of 12 examples to AEW.2 airborne early warning platforms, serving with the RAF at Kinloss and then Lossiemouth in ❚ this specialised role until 1991.

Prominently displaying on its fuselage sides the fact that it was allocated to 203 Squadron, this early 1960s Shackleton MR.2, WL800, exhibits the large contra-rotating propeller units that were a feature of the type’s design. (John Batchelor Collection)

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86

Tamiya’s TRD Rally Challenge version of its recent Toyota GT86 sets some hurdles for Ian Hartup

T

oyota’s GT86 sports car was developed in conjunction with Subaru and debuted at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show to critical acclaim. Featuring Subaru’s trademark flat-4 cylinder, horizontally opposed boxer engine, combined with Toyota’s proven experience in rear-wheel-drive sports coupés, it was always going to be a winning

design. The end result car hit the market in 2012 and quickly established itself as a favourite of the Japanese tuning fraternity. With interest in the new vehicle being high, it didn’t take long for it to be adopted by the motorsport scene. The TRD Rally Challenge series is a Japan-based racing/ rallying competition for lightly modified road cars and Toyota’s

 The multi-part roll cage required careful assembly; Mr. Cement Delux was used as this gives more ‘wiggle time’. The floor was utilised as a jig to ensure everything aligned properly.

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in-house team, Gazoo Racing, entered the TRD86 in the series for 2013 and won at the first attempt.

Early to the party Tamiya was quick to release a kit of the GT86 and its sister, the Subaru BRZ, in road car form in 2013. These kits are typical Tamiya fare; well-engineered, yet simple, with decent moulding...and scope for further detailing by more advanced modellers. For 2014 Tamiya chose to re-issue the kit in TRD86 form. To achieve this, it augmented the basic road car kit with a new runner containing racing seats,

MODEL SPEC

RALLY RAID Gazoo Racing TRD 86 2013 TRD Rally Challenge By:

Tamiya

Stock Code: 24337 Scale:

1/24

Price:

£34.99

Available from: The Hobby Company, www.hobbyco.net

 With the body prepared, a base coat of Zero Paints’ Aluminium was applied before it was masked and the required areas sprayed with Zero Jet Black.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86

COPIOUS MARKINGS Tamiya provided a busy selection of decals, and tape masks for protecting the glazing during painting/airbrushing.

 The black areas were designed to line-up with the decals. Care was required to ensure enough coverage, and to ensure the decals would align correctly. The basic interior was very plain in black. A variety of different manufacturers brands of black in satin, gloss and matt finishes were used to combat the monotony.

 Tamiya provided seatbelt decals, and care in sequencing them correctly was required. The small area of red on the centre of the seat base was designed to fill a noticeable gap in the decals.

steel wheels and a rollcage. Two well-printed, silkscreen decal sheets complete the package. Obviously, as it is based on the earlier GT86/BRZ kit, the majority of construction would be familiar to anyone who had already built those products. However, as they have never been covered in AMW before, it’s appropriate to cover the construction in depth.

Back to front Unusually for a car kit, construction began with the rear suspension and drive train, but the chassis floor was an integral part of the construction process, so it proved necessary to deal with that first. Alclad Black Primer served as a basis for the various shades required to detail the transmission tunnel and front under tray,

“ THE SIDE SILLS WERE TO BE FINISHED IN THE BODY COLOUR”

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86

 The dashboard and instrument cluster were assembled. Disappointingly, the radio equipment was provided only as a decal.  A variety of black shades and Alclad Aluminium were applied to the rear differential assembly.

although considerable masking was required to ensure everything stayed neat and tidy. The side sills were to be finished in the body colour, and so the rest of the parts to be thus painted were prepared as well at this stage. The instructions stipulated that the body be painted with Tamiya spray can No.TS-76 Mica Silver, but Zero Paints’ ZP-1047 was substituted for this, and performed admirably as usual. The sills were treated

to a basic clearcoat to seal them, and then the masking was removed. Suspension parts had already been painted with a combination of satin black (Mr. Color H92) and aluminium (Alclad ALC-101). The detailed painting of the brake discs and exhaust parts were carried out with Zero Paints’ range of Tamiya substitute shades. The only minor delay was caused by the complex masking of the front upright/

 The dash fitted neatly to the tub and in doing so completed the interior; the roll cage completed a neat sub-assembly. The exhaust and transmission tunnel were masked and the given a coat of Gaia light stainless to contrast with the body coloured panels.

engine block and front wheel arch liners, which Tamiya chose to produce as one part, with four different paint shades required. Once all the delicate masking and spraying of this part was completed, construction of the chassis could be finished. The engine was neatly detailed with just six further components and the radiator, but the resulting assembly was about as detailed as is required for this model.

Bland is good, right? The completed chassis was set aside before attention turned to the interior tub. Being a rally car, the insides of the real machine is not particularly well appointed. Although the majority of the standard innards are retained, it is mainly finished in shades of black; to make this area more interesting, a variety of black finishes and dark greys were used. The seats were neatly moulded, being handed for

“VARIOUS DECAL SETTING SYSTEMS WERE TRIED”

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86

driver and co-drivers, and again they needed to be painted in two different black finishes, which once again required careful masking. A small area of red in the front of the seat cushion was cleverly designed to match with seat stripe decals. At least it would be if it were the same colour as that recommended

by Tamiya in the instructions...the first of many problems with the decals. Typically, the engineering of the interior and the roll cage was superb, the standard of fit being second-to-none. However, Tamiya had cut a few notable corners in the way it had treated the alterations to the interior to depict

 Exhaust sections had already been painted with Tamiya X32. These parts and the previously assembled rear sub-frame were then added to the chassis floor.

the rally car. True, the real vehicle is altered very little from the road car, something that is stipulated in the rules of the series. But a prominent part of the rally gear is a large radio pack fitted to the co-driver’s side of the dash. Tamiya chose to depict this as a decal and not a well-designed version at that.

When the firm had already gone to the trouble of tooling the roll cage and wheels for the kit, why cut that corner? In any event the plastic parts of the interior were finished with little in the way of fuss; all of the small sub-assemblies fitted together perfectly. The decals proved problematic though,

 The front shocker towers and wheel arch liners were moulded as one with the engine block. Neat masking was required to obtain the best result.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86 Test-fitting the body to the chassis served only to highlight the extent of the warping of the bodywork, with a gap of up to 8mm in places.

The interior tub was added to the floor, and the chassis definitely looked busy once this was done.

because they simply would not settle into the detail no matter what was done to them. Various decal setting systems were tried, from Micro Sol/Set to Mr. Mark Softer/Setter and ultimately Daco Super Strong. The later is usually the metaphoric nuclear warhead of decal agents and a kill-or-cure option, but it simply had little effect! Even the proven hairdryer technique failed. In the end, they were driven down as best as could be achieved and the thing was buttoned-up accordingly. The interior tub was added to the

chassis and attention then turned to the bodywork again.

Trouble in store… The silver basecoat had been applied earlier to the bodywork, so then the areas to be sprayed black (Zero Paints’ Jet Black) were masked following the kit instructions. Sadly, Tamiya didn’t provide masking sheets for this, which was another missed opportunity. Once the black basecoat had dried, all body parts received a gloss clear coat as a basis for the decal work.

 Clear-coated and polished, the body was ready for decaling. The first layer of decals took some effort to get them to lie down, while their fragility was to become apparent only later.

{62}

As 2pk Automotive clear was used, approximately a week was allowed for it to cure fully before it was sanded lightly and polished with Meguiar’s new Mirror Glaze compounds. The main decals were then examined with a view to planning the application sequences; the roof decal was applied first, as this large single-piece item seemed as good a place to start as any. But issues with settling the decals into the detail, and making them conform to shape changes, manifested themselves straight

away. After rather too long, a form of satisfactory finish was achieved with Mr. Mark Softer and a hairdryer on high heat. Next the passenger side main slab decal was applied, and by this stage a system had been developed to settle the decals as best as possible. First, the decal was soaked in hot water and then the area of the bodywork it was intended for was brushed with Mr. Mark Setter (the blue bottle). The decal was laid into this, aligned correctly and left for two minutes. Then the hairdryer was deployed with a broad and flat soft brush to

 Test-fitting the back bumper to the bodywork, to establish alignment, was vital. The chipping effect could already be seen on the rear quarter, and a duplicate decal sheet was required to remedy this issue.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86

“A PRE-CUT MASK SET FOR THE MAIN GLAZING WAS PROVIDED” encourage the decal down into the detail. It took a few attempts, but ultimately proved to be the answer to getting them into the recessed features successfully. Yes, they were still incredibly fragile...but at least they were on the model. Unfortunately as the model was handled to apply further decals, the first items became damaged where the decals met the edges of panels or body openings; they chipped easily. In several cases it proved necessary to remove the entire decal and replace it with a duplicate from a second sheet supplied by the importer. Due to these delays the decaling took well over a week of evenings, spread over two weeks. Once the decals were finally finished and had been allowed a few days to dry

completely, they were sealed under several coats of 2pk clear coat. The cured clear was sanded and polished to a high shine with the aforementioned Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze range of compounds and waxes...more of which in a future issue.

model, this part was quite basic and sadly not reflective of the real thing and purists might choose to detail this area. In fact, while the

engine bay is adequate for most modellers it does provide a decent basis for super detailers to get carried away. The rear bumper

Assembly...at last Once polishing was completed, the trims and seals around the window edges and across the roof were masked and sprayed in with Tamiya X-18 Satin Black. Finally, further construction could really commence; firstly the various preprepared grilles, number plates and ‘twiddly’ bits were added to the front and rear bumpers. The firewall was also assembled at this stage and as depicted on the

 Rear-quarter chipping is evident here. The roof segments were, if anything, worse and in the end they were removed carefully and re-applied from the second sheet.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86 was eventually attached to the body shell. A pair of locating pins is provided for the centre and these provided a positive fit. With the outer sections, where they attach to the upper wings, the fit was less precise, and a drop of Superglue was required to ensure everything aligned. The front valance and grilles attached to the bodywork in a fairly lacklustre manner though; frankly it could not be any less vague if Tamiya actually intended it to be so. In the end the chosen sequence was to attach the outer parts to the wings, and then wiggle the centre into place and fix it with five-minute epoxy adhesive.

Just typical! A pre-cut mask set for the main glazing was provided in the kit, as is the norm with Tamiya’s modern offerings. These were applied in the usual manner and the required areas sprayed with satin black. The fit of the clear parts was typically Tamiya—the rear glazing in particular clipped

into place with nothing but a few dabs of PVA to fix it. By this stage a further issue with the bodywork began to manifest itself. The main shell was warped and not a little bit either. This might have been an isolated example were it not for the fact that an opportunity to examine three other kits had arisen, and they all exhibited the same problem. As the bodywork was already painted and decalled there was no chance that a new item was going to be prepared, so final construction was continued. The headlight and rear lights were assembled next; these proved to be cleverly engineered so they could be assembled in advance, and just added once the bodywork was ready. The rear light clusters were built first; the glazing was fixed into place with PVA before the assembled and painted light units were added, and the integrally moulded locations for these parts proved spot on. The front units were a little more troublesome as the glass just wouldn’t align

 Tamiya provided pre-cut masks for the main glazing and these were used to prepare the parts. Once painted, the glazing was added to the body shell with PVA adhesive.

properly, and some wiggling was required to get them positioned correctly before the reflective elements could be added.

Wheely great The kit provided the correct steel wheels for the TRD series on the new extra runner; these were beautifully detailed with wheel nuts and lightening holes. They were painted to match the body

MATERIALS AT A GLANCE Alclad Grey, Black and White Primers Various metallic shades Gunze Mr. Hobby various colours Mr. Cement S Mr. Cement Deluxe Mr. Color H92 Satin Black Mr. Color Levelling Thinner Revell Aqua Colour pots for smaller detailing, various colours Tamiya Masking tape (various widths) Zero Paints Aluminium ZPPre-Mixed Clear Coat (www.hiroboy.com) Gaia Colour Dark and Light Stainless Steel (1001 & 1002) www.hobbyeasy.com Games Workshop Citadel Washes, various colours

 The rear bumper was clipped into place easily, due to a positive locating point in the centre. Outer edges, where it fixed to the bodywork, proved a little vague by comparison and as a result their alignment was not perfect.

{64}

 Assembling the front bumper to the bodywork proved problematic. Possibly the warping of the main moulding contributed to this but, in the end, superglue and an array of choice expletives got it fitted!

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

GAZOO RACING TRD 86

 Tamiya provide slightly complex front light units, and care was required to fit them properly. Patience and a considered approach was all that was required in the end.

colour and satin varnish was used to impart a suitable contrasting sheen. The windscreen wipers had been pre-prepared with a coat of satin black and they were then added. Tamiya’s instructions called for the bonnet to be placed onto the bodywork and tacked with masking tape, until the chassis was added; very low tack tape was used to avoid it damaging the decals when removed. The bodywork was then offered to the chassis and interior assembly, and the fit was positive although the warping did mean that a small amount of Superglue was required to ensure everything stayed where it was intended. All that was left was to add the wing mirrors, exhaust tips and mud-flaps...all of which had been pre-painted and decalled in advance. A metal bonnet stay was provided in the kit, but this was grossly over scale so a length of smaller diameter brass rod was substituted, although the finished model is unlikely to be exhibited with bonnet up.

What’s to say? This was not a bad kit despite the battles required to get a proper result. True, the warping of the bodywork was an issue in the final assembly, but anyone with eyes,

 Front and rear mud flaps were provided and were handed front to back and left to right. Get them correctly orientated and they will fit well, but on the review model this was affected badly by the body twist.

common sense and a bottle of Superglue adhesive should be able to remedy that. The biggest issue was the decals, because after the wonderful Cartograf sheet in the Vaillant Porsche, great things were

expected. Sadly the sheet in this offering was a retrograde step over those in the earlier kit. A pity really, as the subject is bright, bold and colourful. A missed opportunity?... ❚ Most certainly!

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

Wayne Dippold transforms Hobby Boss’ 1/48 F4U-4 Corsair into a colourful civilian air racer

I

n the 1960s, colourful Mustangs ruled the air racing stage at the National Championship Air Races in Reno, Nevada. With their bright paint schemes and large racing numbers, P-51 Mustangs set the tone for what an air racer should look like. In 1966, though, US Forestry Service pilot Gene Akers bucked the trend and purchased an ex-US Navy F4U-4 Corsair (former Bu.No 97259).

Akers and his crew chief, Mac Mendoza, prepared the machine for the 1967 races, arriving with what was described as a “bone stock, demilitarised” natural metal finish devoid of colour except for the cowling and tail, ‘N’ codes and a painted ‘22’ on the vertical stabiliser and wing. Akers’ entry was one of just two Corsairs in the 1967 air races and the lessthan-stunning scheme was not a fan favourite. However, his entry

turned heads since the Corsair hadn’t appeared in races since the F2G Corsairs were flown in 1949. The first time out, ‘22’ placed tenth...not a good showing for a type once was flown by some of the best pilots the US Navy and Marine Corps had to offer. As is the nature of racing vehicles, Number 22’s paint schemes changed over subsequent years. Undeterred by the poor placing in 1967, Akers returned in 1968 with

A rare colour photo of Lancer Two, in its highly attractive teal colour scheme from 1968. (Dustin W Carter)

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the now-named ‘Lancer Two’, in an eye-catching teal green paint scheme. After its racing career the airframe was eventually donated to the Experimental Aircraft Association of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it sits today displayed in US Navy colours.

That new plastic smell! Hobby Boss’ F4U-4 Late comprised 240 grey styrene parts on 11 runners, along with a clear frame for the cockpit glazing. Options included folding wings parts and open gun bays. Eight High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVAR) and six .50 calibre wing machine guns were provided, but as shooting at one’s competition in air racing is generally frowned upon, these became welcome additions to the spares box. The instructions included nine construction stages and a parts diagram, while painting illustrations were provided on a separate double-sided A4 guide. Colour call-outs were provided for Gunze Mr. Colour, Vallejo, Model Master, Tamiya and Humbrol paints.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

 Fuselage inserts were added before fuselage assembly, as this ensured a smooth transition between pieces, requiring no sanding.

To the starting line

MODEL SPEC

Hobby Boss’ parts were well detailed and quite suitable right from the box, but it was decided to use Aires’ F4U-4 cockpit set #4571 designed for this kit. Having worked with Aires products in the past, some trepidation came F4U-4 Late Version By:

Hobby Boss

Stock Code: HB 80387 Scale:

1/48

Price:

£29.99

Available from: Creative Models, www.creativemodels.co.uk

along with this decision, but it was found with an initial dry-run that the cockpit fitted perfectly, with no cutting or sanding necessary. Photos of Lancer Two had shown that the military interior colour had been changed to light grey; Model Master Camouflage Grey FS 36622 was deemed a close match and all interior parts were duly painted. Side consoles received matt black, while raised detail was rendered with various appropriate shades. Aires provided a clear acetate film for the instruments and centre console, which would be sandwiched between a photoetched (PE) metal bezel plate and the resin instrument panel, for a convincing panel. A pin wash of Citadel Nuln Oil (black) accentuated the detail, followed by a light spraying of Pledge with Future Shine (the re-branded Future/Klear) as references appeared to show gloss paint in

“Hobby Boss’ parts were well detailed”

 The wing came with five separate ill-fitting parts with which to close-off the gun bays. Making this area flush was a major challenge.

 Hobby Boss produced an 11-part R-2800 engine that looked highly convincing right from the box.

 Exhaust weathering was achieved by moving Burnt Umber oil paint over an Alclad Steel base.

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

 The kit cockpit (left) was quite acceptable but the Aires replacement provided much more detail. The entire assembly fitted the fuselage perfectly, with no trimming needed.

 The main gear struts were well detailed, and once assembled accurately depicted the type’s complex undercarriage.

 Wheel wells were painted prior to assembly, as this area would be difficult to reach once the wing halves were mated.

the cockpit. The completed ‘office’ was placed into one side of the fuselage along with the tailwheel sub-assembly minus the tail hook, and the halves were glued together. Lancer Two did not have a gunsight installed, and so the notch in the instrument combing

was filled. During the same construction stage, indentations for antenna masts and the light on the spine were also filled and the dipole antennas on the belly were removed. The windscreen and canopy were bathed in Pledge with Future Shine and set aside to dry.

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 Upper wing pieces were joined as a unit as opposed to the instructions’ suggestion of assembling outer and inner wing portions separately, and then mating the two. This method achieved a good fit over the wing, leaving just the seam on the leading edge to deal with. Strip styrene strengthened the join.

The trailing edges of all flaps and control surfaces were all rather thick, but sanding made them appropriately thin.

Race power Hobby Boss produced an absolute gem of an R-2800 engine, by far one of the best injection-moulded powerplants this modeller has ever seen. Thirteen parts made up the engine proper, which included an accessory section on the back and four separate exhaust tubes.

The crankcase cover, magnetos and sundry pieces where painted FS 16473 Aircraft Grey, while the cylinders received Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black, dry-brushed with aluminium. Exhaust tubes were painted Alclad Steel then Burnt Umber oil paint was mixed with Liquin (Japan Dryer in the US)

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

“Landing lights were included but they were undersized”

 Superglue was flooded into the back side of the gun bay doors, to give the joins strength for the forthcoming filling, sanding and scribing.

and applied to the exhausts. With a fresh brush, all excess oil paint was removed onto kitchen paper to leave the metallic look of the Alclad, but showing close-up irregularities and brush marks. It was determined that by leaving off the accessory section, the engine could be added after completion of the fuselage–as opposed to inserting between the fuselage halves as instructed. The engine cowling and prop was a fail for Hobby Boss, though, with what appears to be too small an opening in diameter and a too-broad ‘grin’ for the oil cooler intake. The prop blades were also misshapen and lacked detail on

the hub. As a remedy, True Details’ corrected cowling and prop set (48552) cured these problems. The hub and blades went together easily and received Alclad White Aluminium, with the backsides of the blades painted matt black, and

a pin wash of Nuln Oil completed the assembly. Control surfaces came next and all were separate pieces, allowing for them to be positioned by simply removing the mounting tabs; ailerons were left neutral but the rudder and elevators were moved for a more natural appearance. Each control surface had integrally moulded trim tab actuator rods, so the rod portions were removed with a scalpel and a small hole was drilled from the backside, to allow wire to be inserted to replicate the rod; putty filled the drilled hole, and the antenna mast atop the rudder was removed.

Wingtip trouble At this point a major problem became apparent. The outer wing panel tips were clipped as for a British Fleet Air Arm bird and not round tipped. This was curious, as Hobby Boss has not released a British variant and apparently the late version -4 is the only one that comes with these panels. It has

A small piece of brass tube with a sharpened inside edge was used to restore rivet detail. The point of an X-Acto blade, twisted inside the tube, was all that was needed to sharpen it.

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

“Holes were drilled through the flap at the step area”

 To make the landing lights, notches were cut into each of the bottom wing panels and a piece of clear styrene was added. After assembling the wing, the piece was sanded to the contour of the leading edge and then polished.

 An easy fix for the incorrect main undercarriage front door was to purchase Quickboost’s F4U-1 Undercarriage Covers (QB 48112); simply trace the outline of the door on the model and trim the plastic.  Air racers had all gun openings faired over to reduce drag. To accomplish this, thick plastic card and heat-stretched styrene filled the openings, before being sanded flush.  Integrally moulded control tab rods were removed, and replaced with thin solder inserted through holes drilled from the rear of the control horn. Each hole was then filled with a drop of Superglue.  The badly shaped kit doors were replaced by resin replacements from Quickboost. Although designed for Tamiya’s kit, they fitted well.

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been noted online that Hobby Boss has corrected the issue and would replace the panels if requested, but e-mails and calls to the company remained unanswered. Correction was easy, though, and accomplished by simply swapping the panels with the early version kit already in the author’s stash. Styrene sheet could also be used to build the tips easily. Deviating from the instructions, upper inner and outer panels were assembled, together with styrene strip to reinforce the inner join. This was repeated with the lower sections, which ensured smooth mating along the wing fold lines. Hobby Boss did include landing lights but they were undersized and located on the upper part of the wing... incorrect. Clear plastic was cut to shape and placed into a notch cut into the lower wing and, after assembly of the wing, the plastic was cut, sanded and polished to represent the lights. To improve the smooth airflow needed for maximum speed, Lancer Two had all gun and shell ejection ports faired over. This was achieved on the model by gluing sections of styrene runner into each opening then trimming, filling and sanding the areas. The gun panel doors were difficult to get smooth, as each wing had five

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

 The kit wheel halves were mismatched, and so Ultracast resin items became a direct replacement for the originals.

 Canopy pieces received a bath in Pledge to improve their clarity, and were then set aside on kitchen paper to dry.  The flaps can be installed in the extended position by trimming the mounting hinges to the correct angle. Flying control surfaces could be set in different positions by removing the insertion tabs.

 Hobby Boss mysteriously moulded a hole in the side of the fuselage that did not correspond with any part. Less noticeable with retracted flaps, it was an absolute must to fill with extended flaps.

separate pieces required to close the bays, and were definitely designed to be posed open; much cyanocrylate and re-scribing was necessary. The radiator intakes (F11 and F29) fitted without issue, but it should be noted the inner surfaces of the pieces should be painted in the wheel well colour before insertion, as they would be visible from the bays. Wingtip light pieces had a small hole

drilled from the back side and drops of Tamiya Clear Green and Clear Red paint were added to represent coloured bulbs, before being adding to the wing. Hobby Boss had designed the kit flaps to be attached in the retracted position but it was rare to see a Corsair on the ground without its flaps deployed, and simple sanding of the mounting hinges allowed the flaps to be displayed down. It was at this time that

the step hole on the inboard starboard flap was added. Holes were drilled through the flap at the step area then cleaned with a scalpel blade. Strip styrene was then glued in the opening to boxin the step, then trimmed and smoothed.

Dodgy wheel housings Another misstep taken by Hobby Boss was the completely inaccurate forward main

undercarriage bays, coupled with incorrect front main strut doors. Quickboost came to the rescue with its F4U-1 undercarriage covers (QB 48112) which, though designed for Tamiya’s kit, fitted perfectly on Hobby Boss’ offering. The gear door was simply laid in place on the wing and its outline traced onto the plastic, and two quick cuts with a scalpel and brief sanding had the openings to the correct outline...a process that would have been

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

 Tamiya Fine White Primer was used to give a uniform base for the Testors Teal Green. This allowed the true colour of the paint not to be affected by a darker base coat. By leaving the accessory section off the engine, was possible to insert the latter into the fuselage after assembly.

very time consuming if the doors themselves had to be reworked. All in all, it was money well spent. The undercarriage struts were well detailed and went together easily, and a coat of Alclad Aluminium was applied along with a wash of Nuln Oil and Citadel’s Agrax Earthshade (brown) to emphasise detail and add depth. After-market wheels from Ultracast (ULT 48188), were used

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 Looking somewhat splotchy after the first colour coat, four additional layers were needed to give the paint uniform coverage. Tamiya tape was cut into thin strips to mask the propeller warning stripes.

to replace the two-piece kit wheels, and a size 53 drill made the perfect hole in the wheel for mounting to the gear leg. NATO Black was used for the tyres and grey and brown pastels depicted wear. Wheel hubs were sprayed Alclad Aluminium and received a wash of the aforementioned Citadel colours. The wheels and struts were added after painting of the airframe had been completed, and the wing was

mated to the fuselage with just a small gap present between the upper wing and fuselage; this was filled easily.

Making it pretty Lancer Two’s final racing scheme was an eye-catching teal green with beautiful graphics, presenting a major challenge to someone primarily used to matt finishes. A coat of Tamiya Fine White Surface

Primer ensured a uniform base colour, followed by a rub-down with 4,000-grade abrasive paper and clean-up by tack rag. Testors’ Teal (small square bottle) looked to be the closet match to the photos of Lancer Two used for reference. Mixed approximately to a 50-50 paint-to-thinner ratio, two light coats were applied and allowed to dry for 48 hours. Light sanding and a tack rag were used

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INTERMEDIATE BUILD

F4U-4 CORSAIR ‘LANCER TWO’

“NATO Black was used for the tyres”

before the process was repeated, slowly building the colour. While time consuming, an excellent gloss finish was achieved by this method. It was the sheet from DRAW Decal that first attracted this modeller to Lancer Two. Conversations with proprietor Greg Drawbaugh revealed that the sheet this modeller purchased years before had since been upgraded, and so Greg very kindly sent a new version. Along the way, original prototype photos were discovered, making corrections and updates necessary, and so he implemented the changes. His new printing process, dubbed Next Generation Digital Silk, produced a decal that conformed well and had stunning colours. Do follow the application instructions properly though, to save self-inflicted gnashing of teeth! Decal application was straightforward, with the only deviation being to make a

photocopy of the tail numbers to determine where to cut the decals, to better fit the repositioned rudder. After all markings were in place, Johnson’s Pledge was added; undercarriage struts and doors were installed at this time, but the former took persuasion to fit into the well. The tailwheel doors had the fairing removed as per reference photos, and the prop had the tips painted with the aid of thinly cut strips of Tamiya tape.

The chequered flag Lancer Two was arguably one of the most impressive-looking civilian Corsairs and with little additional effort, Hobby Boss’ F4U-4 builds into an excellent rendition of this attractive racer. Despite the minor problems, Hobby Boss in part provided the route to a wonderful subject. Surface detail was crisp and consistent, while the ❚ overall fit was excellent.

 To help with decal placement over a repositioned control surface, a photocopy of the decal was made and then cut to fit the angles of the part...then used as a template.  After-market Ultracast wheels upgraded the appearance of the main undercarriage. Thin solder was used for brake lines and the whole assembly received a wash of Citadel Agrax Earthshade (brown).  With re-positioned control surfaces the model exuded a more realistic ‘relaxed’ appearance.

 DRAW Decal sheet 48-Corsair-1 ‘Lancer Two F4U-4’ has been updated as new images of said racer became available. Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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OUT AND ABOUT

HULL SCALE MODEL CLUB SHOW

Clever, and ever so slightly spooky, Rob Cookson’s 54mm ‘Last Watch’ vignette won Best in Show. Great painting, scratch-building and convincing groundwork were all evident.

 Trumpeter’s 1/350 Zhoushan Chinese Navy frigate was built to an impressive standard by Tony Beesting, who employed a product from Mod Podge to create the effective sea base.

A wealth of fine detailing work was poured into Francis Chapman’s glorious 1/12 Tamiya Honda F1 car. It depicts the vehicle in which Richie Ginther won the 1965 Mexican GP.

From Little Acorns... T here’s nothing quite like a brand new event to enliven the show season, and Hull Scale Model Club’s debut holds much promise for the future. Considering the club has less than ten members, its first stab at holding a show was hugely enjoyable and there was a real buzz throughout the day; in part due to good will from attending

clubs (Washington Modellers, IPMS Cleveland and Leicester Modellers among them) and visitors, but also because of the good selection of trade stands for what was a small, fledgling exhibition. Coastal Craft, Collectakit, Tirydium Models and Tiger Hobbies were a few of

 Adrian Morris transformed this old Airfix 1/72 Il-28 Beagle into a stunning replica. Scratch-built crew compartments and the rear gun unit raised the detail level.

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the traders on hand to present shopping opportunities (and the chance to grab a bargain), and a pleasing fact was that builds for the competition were judged in situ on the club tables. Best in Show went to Rob Cookson of 580 Modellers for his

evocative 54mm World War One vignette entitled Last Watch, which posed a Tommy and the figure of Death together on snowy ground. The show was held in the bar of Hull City Football Club’s KC Stadium, in conjunction with Hull Veterans Support Centre. I heard just one gripe during the day, about signage (how hard can it be to find a large football ground?), and if the show garners the levels of support I witnessed then it can only get bigger and better. ❚ Chris Clifford

 This wonderful 1/35 M7 Priest was built by IPMS Cleveland’s Barney Lee. A Legend Productions detail set, Alpine figures and oil/dry-brush weathering ensured superb results.

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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ON THE SHELF

SEND IN YOUR PRODUCTS FOR US TO REVIEW AT: Airfix Model World, Key Publishing Ltd, Units 1-4 Gwash Way Industrial Estate, Ryhall Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XP, UK

BOOKS

CLASSIC CLOUDMASTER in the 1940s and 1950s, it is perhaps surprising that the DC-6 remained in service with KLM until 1963, when it was replaced by jet-powered airliners. The accompanying bilingual narrative, while short, provides an enthralling potted history of the aircraft, its operators and the routes flown. It also underlines the relative fragility of these airliners, and covers the inevitable accidents and incidents, several of which remain unexplained. Finally, there is a complete list of every DC-6 to serve with a Dutch airline, which includes any notes on accidents or subsequent service.

In terms of period photographs and colour schemes, this will serve as an invaluable reference document for any modeller with a Heller or Minicraft kit of the type in their stash. SF

BOOK SPEC

Dutch Profile's fascinating and well-illustrated publication on the DC-6 Cloudmaster is intended as a companion to sister company Dutch Decal’s products. It takes a detailed look at the airliner during its service with four Dutch airlines, but unsurprisingly, the

majority of attention is focussed on the national carrier, KLM, which operated the majority of the DC-6s in that country. A mixture of colour and black and white photographs provide part of the history, but more importantly these are used to highlight the subtle changes in the markings and paint schemes between individual aircraft. This is echoed with a series of excellent colour profiles, which display the various liveries that adorned Dutch DC-6s between 1948 and 1971, with a gradual shift from natural metal to overall painted surfaces. Given the pace of aviation innovation

Douglas DC-6A/B By:

Harm Hazewinkel, Dick Meier, Luuk Boerma

ISBN:

978-94-90092-08-5

Price:

€17.50

Format:

A4 Landscape

Available from: Dutch Profile Publications, www.dutchprofile.nl

ISRAEL’S MENACING MERKAVA

BOOK SPEC

Desert Eagle’s series on Israeli military vehicles is fast becoming the Rosetta stone for armour modellers. Here one is introduced to the Merkava family of tanks and vehicles, then provided with an in-depth analysis of the Mk.2 Merkava Mk.2 in IDF Service Part 1 By:

Michael Mass, Adam O’brien

ISBN:

978-965-916358-8

Price:

£23.99

Format:

215mm x 279mm

Available from: Aviation & Military Book Centre, www.aviationbookcentre.com

version which, despite being superseded by more advanced variants, remains in service with the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The focus then switches to combat operations, with a series of in-action photographs that depict the Mk.2 in a variety of terrains, from desert/ urban locations to heavily vegetated areas (notably the Golan Heights during winter). The full-colour photographs will be brilliant as references on tank configuration, as well as weathering, dirt build-up and how the glutinous Golani mud is frequently thrown onto the upper surfaces of the tank. There are also examples of the respect afforded to the IDF,

such as the Merkava adorned with letters from Israeli children to show their support during Operation Protective Edge in 2014. A detailed walk-round section captures every aspect of the Merkava’s unique design, from the turret mortar to the forward-mounted engine and rear hull access hatch, all intended to improve the survivability of the crew. A series of diagrams accompany the photographs, and these will be invaluable to modellers, especially when scratch-building, as they provide precise information on equipment baskets, external stowage and appliqué armour plates. While there are relatively few interior photos, these cover

the primary fighting stations for the gunner, driver, commander and loader and are of very high quality. Finally, there is a section devoted to the various tactical signs that adorn the hulls and turrets of IDF Merkavas. SF

THE RAF’S ROTARY WORKHORSE

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begins with the famous ‘Bravo November’ from the Falklands War, and culminates with the type’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, the

contribution made by the Chinook to operations in Northern Ireland is also covered, along with the peacekeeping and humanitarian missions of the 1990s and early 2000s. Accounts of incidents by the crews are at times harrowing, none more so than the recollection of a Taliban attack that resulted in a Chinook being hit by a rocketpropelled grenade and small-arms fire, yet the pilot was still able to fly it to a forward base to land. Perhaps the best sections are those devoted to the perspectives of the pilots, crews and engineers, and the explanations of just what it takes to keep these huge machines flying. The narratives

are backed throughout by a splendid collection of cutaways and photographs of the Chinook, many of which have not been published previously. This will be an indispensable guide to the type. SF

BOOK SPEC

The reassuring ‘wokka-wokka’ sound of the Chinook’s rotor blades has been echoing around the RAF for more than 30 years, and here the author describes how the type has become the centrepiece of British battlefield mobility. It covers all aspects of this twin-engined helicopter, and provides a forensic examination of major systems, and the various upgrades that have kept the type at the forefront of British military operations. More importantly, the human perspectives are covered, especially the roller-coaster narrative on combat sorties. It is here that the true story of the Chinook emerges, one which

RAF Chinook 1980 Onwards (Marks HC.1 to HC.6) By:

Chris McNab

ISBN:

978-0-85733401-5

Price:

£22.99

Format:

214mm x 276mm

Available from: Haynes, www.haynes.co.uk

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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Halifax Modellers World TAMIYA 1/32 SCALE

DH MOSQUITO FB Mk.VI £144.00

HOBBYBOSS 1/48 SCALE

Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-12 R14 £13.99

SWORD 1/72 SCALE

BAC Jet Provost T.Mk.5 £12.99

HKM 1/32 SCALE

Mosquito Mk.IV/PR.Mk.I/IV £149.99

AIRFIX 1/48 SCALE

‘Ready for Battle’ Set £24.99

AIRFIX 1/72 SCALE

Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley £24.99

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TRUMPETER 1/48 SCALE

Convair F-106B Delta Dart £44.99

EDUARD 1/48 SCALE

Aussie Eight DUAL COMBO £64.99 VIETNAM SCOOTERS £44.99

REVELL 1/72 SCALE

Douglas C-54 Skymaster £44.50

ICM 1/48 SCALE

Dornier Do 17Z-10 £26.99

SPECIAL HOBBY 1/48 SCALE IMAM (Romeo)Ro.43 £29.99

ACADEMY 1/72 SCALE

McDonnell F-4J Phantom £22.99 USN F-8E Crusader £16. 99

Humbrol,Revell,Tamiya, amiya, Vallejo,Xtracrylic, AK Interactive paints in stock Iwata/Neo Airbrushes from £50

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ON THE SHELF BOOKS

RIDE THE LIGHTNING a restored example in the Italian Air Force Museum. Section 2’s examination of camouflage and markings also offers much, from pin-sharp period closeups, whole-aircraft shots and excellent illustrations of national insignia and manufacturer motifs, to the dazzling array of colour profiles and plan views. While the latter display the usual Richard J Caruana flair, additional artwork from the author’s friend and colleague Angelo Brioschi serves as a tribute to their creator, who sadly passed away in March this year. This impressive 82-pge softback is closed by useful listings of Folgore kits, decals

and accessories (much more is available than one might expect), although no detailed appraisals of the kits are included. These books are modern classics in the making, and are highly recommended. CC

BOOK SPEC

Valiant’s Airframe Detail series has become an indispensible commodity in terms of research. This, the third to be published, represents superb value for

anyone contemplating a build of what was arguably Italy’s bestlooking fighter of World War Two. Editor Richard Franks’ decision to place his faith in author Di Terlizzi was wise indeed, as the latter scribe has pulled out all the stops in providing a tip-top study of the Folgore (Lightning). The series’ usual format is adhered to, which makes sense as it takes a logical approach to how the information is presented. After an informative scene-setting introduction to the type, one can expect an absolute mother lode in terms of period imagery, splendid manufacturer drawings and walk-round detail photos of

The Macchi MC.202 Folgore A Technical Guide By:

Maurizio Di Terlizzi

ISBN:

978-0-9930908-3-7

Price:

£12.95

Format:

A4

Available from: Valiant Wings Publishing, www.valiant-wings.co.uk

BLIGHTY’S RHINO AIRCREWS

BOOK SPEC

Yet another instalment of the very readable ‘Boys’ series from Grub Street, Phantom Boys lifts the lid on the quite varied (and at times rather hairy) experiences of Royal Air Force F-4 aircrews. Phantom die-hards may already be familiar with some of the first-hand accounts within, Phantom Boys By:

Richard Pike

ISBN:

978-1-90980822-3

Price:

£20

Format:

240mm x 160mm

Available from: Grub Street, www.grubstreet.co.uk

but even to a self-confessed ‘spookaholic’ such as I, many were completely new and provided much insight and entertainment; especially as I’d worked in support of the F-4 at Leuchars in the 1980s. Annecdotes such as those from Keith Skinner who, when on 92 Squadron and with his wingman, used crafty lowlevel flying to get the best of two US Air Force F-15s, make for absorbing reading. A very interesting and seldom-covered operation explained by the book is that of proving the then new RAF F-4s ability to deploy rapidly to the Far East, via a multi-aircraft flight from London to Singapore, which

broke records in the process. There are fine examples of dry service humour too, especially throughout Steve Gyles’ account of ejecting from a Phantom as it veered off the runway at Leuchars; he thought he’d killed his navigator (he hadn’t, thankfully), but the closing sentences where he describes an encounter with a tongue-tied nurse in hospital is highly amusing. There are tales from flying over the Falklands, intercepting Russian Bears, and the experiences of RAF personnel flying Royal Navy Phantoms while on exchange. The book would have benefitted from first-hand words from actual Fleet Air Arm F-4 crews,

and a few more photos, but one can’t have everything. This is a splendid and engaging read, though, which will have many unearthing Fujimi and Hasegawa FG.1/FGR.2 kits from the stash in double-quick time. CC

ANYTIME BABY...RELOADED!

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F-14 is absolutely packed with photos, and all can be ‘tapped’ to enlarge them for greater visual use. The same informative captions accompany the imagery,

along with good colour profiles and plan views by Rock Roszak, and this digital version is hugely interactive; one can scroll through mini-pages along the bottom of the screen to get exactly where one wants, and quickly. There are detailed examinations of the three Tomcat schemes (Light Gull Gray over Insignia White, overall Light Gull Gray and the lowvisibility Tactical Paint Scheme), and revealing illustrations show the variations in the latter livery to good effect. And besides the seemingly endless array of wholeaircraft shots (which represent every Atlantic Fleet unit), there are also close-up views for detailhounds. Many modellers still cling

to tradition and covet proper ‘paper’ references, and rightly so, but even this Luddite reviewer now recognises the benefits of digital publishing. With more than 450 pages, this is a total bonanza for F-14 fans. CC

BOOK SPEC

Anyone modelling from the late 1970s to the early 2000s will have relied on one of Bert Kinzey’s Detail & Scale books. This much-loved series of softbacks changed the way we look at the real subjects, to gain as much visual information as possible in our quest for realism. The originals are now all out of print, but the publisher has moved forward with the times and now offers new Detail & Scale titles in digital format, for iBook, Kindle and other devices. The benefit of digital publishing is that a great many more pages are available– with more colour...and all for less cost than with a standard print book. This ‘e-tome’ on the mighty

Colors & Markings of US Navy F-14 Tomcats Part 1: Atlantic Coast Squadrons By:

Bert Kinzey

ISBN:

978-0-9860677-2-3

Price:

US $9.99

Format:

digital

Available from: Detail & Scale, www.detailandscale.com

! k c a B is

Etched Brass Detailing Sets, Multi-Media Kits & Accessories

www.WhiteEnsignModels.com

ON THE SHELF

AIRCRAFT KITS

LIMITED LANCER

BUTTERFLY-TAILED TUTOR

STUNNING LION CUB

PRODUCT SPEC

It’s taken some time for AvantGarde Model Kits’ products to filter through to AMW...but boy was it worth the wait! This inaugural release is a stunning Kfir C2/C7, which is equipped with a full weapons load. It features crisply detailed components, with well-defined engraved panel lines and rivet detail on the exterior surfaces, and a crystal-clear canopy. Considerable effort has been made to ensure accuracy, with separate ejection seats and instrument panels for each variant and superb undercarriage bays, although the intakes have a blanking plate IAI Kfir C2/C7 rather than being full-length items. By: AvantGarde The weaponry includes GBU-12 and Model Kits Griffin laser-guided bombs, Python-3 Item no: 88001 air-to-air missiles and even triple and multiple stores racks for Mk.82 Scale: 1/48 500lb bombs. The two schemes are: Price: US $64.13 • Kfir C2, 874, First Fighter Available from: Squadron, 1979 AvantGarde, • Kfir C7, 555, Arava Guardians www.amkhobby.com Squadron, 1990

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PRODUCT SPEC

Fouga’s Magister has received plenty of attention recently, but newcomer AvantGarde’s classy 1/48 kit will arguably eclipse all previous iterations of this famous trainer. It offers a myriad of features and combines styrene, photo-etched and white metal parts, the latter provided in a neat, well-ordered container. The level of detail is outstanding, and includes options for a full internal rib/bulkhead structure, engines and a lavishly detailed cockpit. What makes this kit really special is that the fuselage runner is duplicated in clear styrene, which allows all of Fouga CM.170 Magister the internal features to be viewed. By: AvantGarde The precision approach is reflected Model Kits in the gorgeous decal sheet, which Item no: 88004 provides markings for five schemes: Scale: 1/48 • AA-117, Flugzeugfurerschuhle A, Luftwaffe Price: US $54.51 • MT24, Belgian Air Force (BAF) Available from: • MT35 ‘Last of the many’, BAF AvantGarde, • Patrouille de France www.amkhobby.com • MT48, BAF Display scheme

DEFENSE FORCE TRAINER

Previously available in a ‘Blue Impulse’ display livery, Platz has now released its 1/72 Mitsubishi T-2 as an early variant, bedecked in standard Japanese Air Self Defense Force training unit colours. It shares the majority of runners with their earlier F-1 release, with differences centred on the vertical fin, nosewheel bay, cannon fairing and the provision of a second canopy and cockpit. This is a quantum leap in detail and mould quality when compared to previous kits, and there are options for raised/lowered canopies, airbrakes and leading edge slats. The decal sheet offers full stencil data for a single high-visibility aircraft, and provides markings for four schemes, although there are T-2 Early Type sufficient numerals for a further 25 By: Platz airframes: Item no: AC-15 • 69-5121/121, T-2 Prototype Scale: 1/72 • 19-5101/101, Air Proving Group • 59-5015/105, Provisional T-2 Price: US $22.44 Training Sqn Available from: • 69-5118/118, 22nd Sqn, 4th Air Wing, Platz, www.platz-hobby.com JASDF

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Re-released under a ‘Limited Edition’ label, Revell’s B-1B appears almost identical to its previous iterations, which means it is configured as an early airframe. This is an immense kit, and despite its age is well moulded, but to build a late-model aircraft modellers will need to scratch-build numerous airframe changes, and source a number of after-market components. These include the correct exhausts, weapons (the AGM-69s featured in the kit were retired from service in 1993), bomb racks and an AN/AAQ-33 Sniper pod. Disappointingly, the previous vinyl tyres, which provided a ‘weighted’ appearance on a completed model (it is heavy!) have been replaced by relatively poor two-part styrene versions and these will need to be B-1B Lancer either modified or replaced. The two By: Revell overall FS 36118 Medium Gunship Gray Item no: 04900 schemes are: • 85-077/WA, 77 Weapons Sqn, Scale: 1/48 USAF Weapons School, Dyess AFB, Price: £59.99 October 2012 Available from: • 85-061/GA, 116th Bomb Wg, Georgia Revell, www.revell.de ANG, Robins AFB, July 2012

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ON THE SHELF

AIRCRAFT KITS

FORZA STRIPES

CANDY BOMBER

FOKKER NEMESIS

The C-54 entered service during World War Two, but is perhaps better known for its work in the Berlin Airlift, where it was nicknamed the ‘candy bomber’ after crews threw sweets to the waiting children. Revell’s newly tooled C-54D variant features stunning mould quality, delicate engraved panel lines and a wealth of options, from open/closed doors and hatches, to raised/lowered undercarriage and flaps. The attention to detail is fantastic, and includes a single piece lower wing to ensure an accurate dihedral, inner-fuselage linings, canvas netting for the seats, and an intricately detailed cockpit, electronics bay and crew rest C-54D Skymaster area. Perhaps the only challenge By: Revell will be the removal of the engine Item no: 04877 components from the runners as Scale: 1/72 these have up to 14 attachment points. Two schemes are included: Price: £49.99 • 0-17218, US Air Force, 1949 Available from: • 317227/400, Wiesbaden AB, Berlin Revell, www.revell.de Airlift, 1948-49

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Special Hobby seems to delight in releasing eclectic aircraft types and the Imam (Romeo) Ro.43 is no exception. This multi-media kit comprises six styrene runners, a photo-etched metal (PE) fret and 20 resin components. While the detail on the plastic is basic, it does feature an excellent reproduction of the fabric/metal surfaces of this floatplane, particularly the fuselage sides. The resin and PE provide a wealth of extra detail, and the casting of the former is superb, with the radio and machine guns as the standIMAM (Romeo) Ro.43 ‘Redout items. Helpfully, a jig is included for striped’ the main float, which will prevent any By: Special Hobby alignment issues when it is attached to Item no: SH48137 the lower fuselage. Two overall silver Scale: 1/48 schemes, with characteristic red upper wing stripes, are provided: Price: €37.50 • MM27163, Red 3, Italian light cruiser Available from: Montecuccoli, 1937-39 Special Hobby, • MM27047, Red 2, Italian heavy cruiser www.cmkkits.com Fiume, 1940

JAPANESE AIR FORCE ONE

Scale:

1/32

Price:

£18.50

Available from: The Hobby Company, www.hobbyco.net

Hasegawa has released a newly-tooled kit of the popular Boeing 777, in the form of the 300ER variant, as used by the Japanese Government, for VIP transport. Based on the parts breakdown there will at least be a basic -300 offered in the future. As with its excellent Airbus kits, painting will be aided by the provision of the fuselage halves in white styrene, with the remainder of the parts in grey. The mould quality is excellent, and there are finely engraved panel lines on the exterior surfaces. Options include wheels up/ Boeing 777-300ER down, with a stand provided for the By: Hasegawa former, and a nose weight for the latter. Item no: 10810 Two schemes are offered, airframes Scale: 1/200 90-1101 and 90-1102, which will enter service in 2019 and be used for VIP Price: £24.99 and humanitarian purposes. Notably, Available from: Hasegawa has accurately reflected the Amerang, use of Corogard covering just on the www.amerang.co.uk underside of the wings.

PRODUCT SPEC

l’Air, 1916 • Captured Escadrille No.48, Valenciennes, France, 1917 • B3459, 1 Squadron, RFC, Bailleul, France, 1917 • No.2232, Russian Empire, 1917

PRODUCT SPEC

Italeri's 1/32 kit is a re-boxing of Hobbycraft’s 1995-vintage product, but with stunning Cartograf decals. The styrene is unchanged from the original, which means the inaccurate forward fuselage, cowling, wheels and seat will need to be rectified. While the exterior details are mostly present, the interior is comparatively bare, and modellers may wish to scratch-build the framework. Notable are the decals, provided on two sheets and with perfect register. Five colourful schemes are included: Nieuport 17 • No.2614, 91a Squadriglia, Italian Air By: Italeri Force, 1917 Item no: 2508 • No.1428, Escadrille No.3, Armée de

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ON THE SHELF

AIRCRAFT KITS

PRODUCT SPEC

This package matches Hasegawa’s generally lovely A-4E/F with Eduard decals, tape masks, photo-etched (PE) metal details and a splendid resin ejection seat. Thankfully, one can have the bulging avionics hump or the sleeker alternative, and the engraving in general is very fine. As this is a Hasegawa mould, weapons are conspicuous by their absence, with just fuel tanks supplied. It’s a shame Eduard didn’t include any of its resin weapons, but that aside it’s a great boxing with impressive decals designed by Furball; this includes arguably the most famous A-4 of them all. The schemes are: • A-4E, 149993/303/AG, VA-72, USS Independence, 1965 Vietnam Scooters • A-4E, 150058/513/NM, VA-195, USS By: Eduard Oriskany, 1969 Item no: 1197 • A-4F, 154186/200/NM VA-192 (CAG), USS Ticonderoga, 1968 Scale: 1/48 • A-4F, 155018/401/NP ‘Lady Jessie’, Price: €67.45 VA-164, USS Hancock, 1971 Available from: • A-4F, 154190/300/NF, VA-22 (CAG), Eduard, www.eduard.com USS Bon Homme Richard

CLASSIC PROPLINER

Those devoted to civil aviation will be thankful for this new kit, despite the odd flaw. Engraved panel lines of slightly inconsistent widths are present, and our sample had flash on the prop blades; the engraving on the horizontal stabilisers is a little heavy too. But the moulding is sublime elsewhere, such as on the wheels and fuselage. Windows come as moulded ovals on clear strips, while the windscreen glazing is a Bristol Britannia separate part on which frames must By: Roden be masked and painted. Roden did Item no: 312 drop a clanger, though, as the decals Scale: 1/144 are for a BOAC 102 Series airframe (G-ANBE) but the kit actually depicts Price: £25.99 the 212/312 Series, which was Available from: 10ft longer. New decals have been Pocketbond, printed and sent to all retailers. The www.pocketbond.co.uk amended decals portray G-AOVB.

PRODUCT SPEC

SOUTHEAST ASIA HOTROD

RUSSKIE INTERCEPTOR

TINY FIGHTER

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Zevda’s mould of the Su-27 SM Flanker appears in a Revell box, and with new decals. For anyone that doesn’t know this kit, it’s a beauty, with sharp engraved panel lines and detail. There was a little flash around weapons pylons, but not enough to get one’s knickers in a twist! Engine fan and afterburner moulding is offered, along with super undercarriage units and respectable ejection seat. The instrument panel and side consoles are flat, with decals for embellishment. Besides a boarding ladder, wheel chocks and seated/standing pilot figures, the Su-27 SM winning feature is the armoury of Kh-31, R-27 ER/ET, R-73 and R-77 By: Revell missiles. The decals are not as Item no: 04937 refined as Zvezda's, though, and Scale: 1/72 employ random cyrillic text to form stencilling. The two Russian Air Force Price: £22.99 colour schemes are: Available from: • Red 06/RF-92210, 2013 Revell, www.revell.de/en • Red 54/RF-93731, 2012

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Special Hobby has upped its game with this new kit, which has a hig parts count. The fuselage and wings are a treat with their fine panel lines and delicate rivets, and other impressive areas include the instrument panel, engine and the crystal-clear canopy. One potential sticking point is the vertical tail, though, which looks undersized when placed on scale plans. Weaponry comprises individual underwing rockets, and Folland Gnat F.1 the colour schemes are for Finnish By: Special Hobby and Yugoslav jets: Item no: SH72137 • Gnat F.1, GN-101 ‘Kreivi von Rosen’, HävLv 11/HämLsto, Finnish AF, Scale: 1/72 1971 Price: €15 • Gnat F.1, GN-110, Finnish AF, Available from: Luonetja, June 1970 Special Hobby, • Gnat F.1, Yugoslav AF www.cmkkits.com • Gnat F.1, 11602, Yugoslav AF

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Freightdog Models

Home of Blue Max and Pegasus Models Online shop for kits, decals ands accessories www.freightdogmodels.co.uk +44 (0) 1342 716004 Fairlight, Sandy Lane, Crawley Down, Crawley, RH10 4HX

To advertise here please call Ben Harrison on 01780 755131

or email [email protected]

Unmade or already built, any quantity, especially large collections, Will collect nationwide and pay best cash price.

Please call 01202-976974. or 07901-890461. Thank you.

Fast and friendly service Easy to navigate webshop Large range of over 3500 models, figures, tools and accessories from Revell, Airfix, Italeri, Tamiya and many more, ready for immediate despatch Based in the Midlands since 2001 with worldwide shipping available

Web: www.models2u.co.uk Email: [email protected]

Phone: 01543 433999

ON THE SHELF

MILITARY KITS

PAN-PAN RECCE

THE LAST RIVER

STALIN’S TANK

COMMAND PRESENCE

Russia’s ZiL-131 has been utilised for many roles, and ICM has added the command (KShM) variant to add to its range. A high parts count is reflected in the beautifully detailed engine and cab interior, and the moulding is superb. Differences to the previous versions are contained on three new runners, and include a new chassis and box-body. Although the interior of the latter is empty, there is plenty of scope for detailers to add various radio fits; other command/radio variants, such as the R-409 could be made from this kit. ZiL-131 KShM Helpfully, the body windows are fitted By: ICM from the outside, so these can be left Item no: 35517 off until after painting. Eleven schemes Scale: 1/35 are provided, and among these are: • 28-17, Soviet Army, 1986 Price: £22.99 • 300-54-77, Czechoslovak Army, late Available from: 1980s ICM, www.icm.com.ua • 07 27 P7, Ukrainian Army, late 2000s

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Soviet armour fans will enjoy this re-boxed ICM T-34/76 from Revell, as it provides different schemes from the original. The moulding is splendid, the representation of the cast turret and mantlet being topnotch, with a realistic roughened texture. Interior detail is generally basic, but driver’s and gunner’s seats are provided and the turretmounted 76mm gun and coaxial 7.62mm machine gun are superb. Options include hatches that can be posed open/closed and there's a choice of all-steel and later rubbershod road wheels. The tow cables T-34/76 (model 1943) and tracks are in vinyl; but the latter By: Revell are two-piece components and feature excellent pad surface relief. Item no: 03244 Decals for two colour schemes are Scale: 1/35 included: Price: £17.99 • 106, 30th Guards Tank Brigade, Leningrad, 1943 Available from: • 17, Stalingrad, winter 1942-43 Revell, www.revell.de/en

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PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

There appears to be growing interest in older French armoured subjects, and ICM has released a newly tooled Panhard 178, nicknamed the ‘pan-pan’. For such a small vehicle, there are is surprising number of parts, and this will result in a fully detailed interior, which includes engine, both driving stations and an excellent 25mm gun. Spare ammunition for both turret-mounted weapons is provided, as are numerous exterior fittings and equipment. Panhard 178 AMD-35 Moulding on the four vinyl tyres is By: ICM outstanding, and four French Army Item no: 35373 schemes from spring 1940 are offered: • 90256, 1st Platoon, 6th CUIR, 1st DLM Scale: 1/35 • 91662, 3rd Platoon, 6th CUIR, 1st DLM Price: £20.99 • 91669, 2nd Platoon, 6th CUIR, 1st DLM Available from: • 90254, 3rd Platoon, 8th CUIR, 2nd ICM, www.icm.com.ua DLM

Hasegawa is to be applauded for this collection, packaged as an ‘Across the Rhine’ limited edition. It comprises a re-released Tiger I, Panther G, M4A3E8 and Chaffee, broadly representative of types in service with German and US Armies in early 1945. Additional instructions provide specific information for differences to standard assembly procedures, and this set will appeal to modellers and gamers alike. Mould quality is good, although the detail on the components is not as crisp as more Tiger I and Panther G vs modern offerings. A Eight schemes M4A3E8 Sherman and M24 are included, two for each vehicle Chaffee ‘Across the Rhine’ type and these include: By: Hasegawa • Tiger I, 401, Schwere Panzer Item no: 30035 Kompanie Hummel, German Army • Panther G, 302, German Army Scale: 1/72 • M4A3E8, 27, 68th Tank Battalion, Price: £34.99 6th Armored Div, US Army Available from: • M24, 117th Cavalry Reconnaissance www.amerang.co.uk Company, US Army

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Free UK postage + VAT deducted (for those outside the EU) for website orders

www.oxoniansplasticfantastic.co.uk or www.heepdrut.com You can also buy from our shop on ebay ‘Oxonians’ or email me [email protected] Come and see us at many of the southern UK Model Shows

SPHERE PRODUCTS Stands to reason

www.sphereproducts.co.uk Make the most of

Albion Alloys Broken Toad Dark Star Expo Tools Lifecolor Vallejo Wilder Winsor & Newton Zap Glue E S P H RE

your workspace with our range of Storage Systems, Workstations, Transit Cases and Modelling Aids.

Bespoke Design and Manufacture Service.

Designed and made in England

[email protected] 19 Anson Road, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, Suffolk IP5 3RG +44 (0)1473 636787

ON THE SHELF

MARITIME KITS

TORPEDO CRUISER

FORMIDABLE FRENCHIE

CLASSIC FLAT-TOP

The Redoubtable-class of submarines operated in the French Navy throughout World War Two, although just five of an original 31 survived. L’Arsenal’s gorgeous resin kit includes delicate photo-etched metal deck railings, and a choice of conning towers, although modellers will need to check references as to which was fitted to each vessel. While the 14 parts exhibit impressive casting throughout, with no air bubbles or mould marks, the standout element is the single-piece hull, which features delicate decking and torpedo door details... helpfully the mounting block is Sous-Marin 1500T attached to the vessel’s keel for By: L’Arsenal ease of removal. Three schemes Item no: 40020 are provided, and the busy decal Scale: 1/400 sheet enables one of 13 different vessels to be depicted; these Price: €49.95 include: Available from: • S1 Vegeur L’Arsenal, • S4/54/34 Fresnel www.larsenal.com • 16 Le Héros

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

The second and last of the Tenryu-class light cruisers, Tatsuta was heavily involved in combat during World War Two, supporting operations at Wake and Bougainville Islands and Guadalcanal. Like its sister-ship, it too was sunk before the end of the war, in this case by the USS Sand Lance. Hasegawa’s new-tool kit of the Tatsuta is identical to the Tenryu, down to the shared decal sheet, and as such can just be built as a waterline model. One of the groundbreaking features of this Japanese Navy Light Cruiser class was the use of triple torpedo Tatsuta tubes on a centreline mount, and By: Hasegawa Hasegawa has captured accurately Item no: 358 the look and characteristics of these items. The anti-aircraft Scale: 1/700 positions feature fine crossPrice: £19.99 hatching on the decks and cleanly Available from: defined gun mounts. Just a single Amerang, scheme is offered, for Tatsuta in www.amerang.co.uk July 1942.

FLOTILLA FLAGSHIP

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Designed as a flagship for a destroyer flotilla, the Tenryu-class light cruiser actually looked more like an enlarged destroyer than a cruiser and just two were built. Hasegawa’s newly tooled Tenryu features crisply moulded detail throughout, particularly the deck and superstructure sides, and the configuration is correct for the vessel in its post-1942 condition with additional anti-aircraft guns positioned amidships. Just a waterline vessel can be built, but the provision of reinforcing cross-members Japanese Navy Light Cruiser for the ship halves may point to Tenryu a subsequent full-hull version. Compared to previous Hasegawa By: Hasegawa ship releases, the smaller parts Item no: 357 appear much finer, and this is most Scale: 1/700 apparent on the main 14cm (5½in) main guns and the various whalers, Price: £19.99 motor boats and life rafts. The single Available from: scheme depicts Tenryu in July 1942, Amerang, although the decal sheet features www.amerang.co.uk banners for both Tenryu and Tatsuta.

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Revell USA has re-released Renwal’s classic USS Shangri-La, complete with original 1960s box-top artwork and period-style instructions. The single option is for a full-hull vessel, but a waterline version is feasible with work. There is plenty of flash present but remember, these moulds are more than 50 years old! While the detail is heavy in places, particularly the guns, crane and helicopter, the deck is rather good, with the wooden surface replicated by fine raised lines. It includes a partial air wing collection of two A-3B Skywarriors, 12 F-9F Cougars and one S-55 helicopter, plus three Regulus missiles and associated launch equipment. Despite the age of this kit, it does feature separate life-raft blocks, integrally moulded ladder and watertight hatch details and two variableposition aircraft lifts. Upgrade Angled Deck Carrier USS sets, additional aircraft and Shangri-La alternative decals are available By: Renwal from Starfighter Decals (www. Item no: 7819 starfighter-decals.com). A complete set of deck and Scale: 1/500 aircraft markings is included for Price: US $28.95 the two schemes, which depict Available from: Shangri-La in 1955-56 and postRevell, www.revell.com 1957 respectively.

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ON THE SHELF

DECAL SHEETS

LEATHERNECK BIRDS

USMC F4U Corsairs By:

Fündekals

Item no:

N/A

Scale:

1/32

Price:

US $18

Available from: Fündekals, www.fundekals.com

SBS Model has produced several accessories to correct and upgrade Hobby Boss’ Toldi I.(A20) light tank (named after a famous 14th Century knight), and has followed this with a great set of markings for Hungarian units. Plenty of thought has gone into the design of this sheet, and there are separate national markings for the basic kit and the display perfect register and tone...standouts among the nine schemes are: • F4U-1A, 17740, Maj Gregory Boyington, VMF-214, Vella la Vella, December 1943 • F4U-1A, 17833, Maj Marion Carl, VMF-223, Bougainville, December 1943 • F4U-1D, 50417, 417, 1st Lt William Eldridge Jr., VMF-441, Okinawa, April 15, 1945 • FG-1D, 88056, FF75, Lt Col Donald Yost, VMF-351, USS Cape Gloucester, July-August 1945

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Chance-Vought’s gull-winged fighter is one of those instantly recognisable designs, yet there are many inconsistencies in the schemes and markings. An encyclopedic level of research means that Fündekals' 1/32 sheet (also available in 1/72 and 1/48) corrects many of those anomalies, although modellers should note that the colour instructions will need to be downloaded. Issues include the boundary colours on US ‘stars and bars’, antenna layouts on specific aircraft, and why varying amounts of sealing tape were applied to the forward fuselages. The decals are truly stunning, and

ARMOURED KNIGHT

Toldi I.(A20) and Toldi I.(B20) in WWII By:

SBS Model

Item no:

D35003

Scale:

1/35

Price:

€7

Available from: SBS Model, www.sbsmodel.com

upgraded version, with cut-outs specific to each. Four of the six schemes are in an attractive three-colour (green/brown/tan) camouflage, with two in overall green: • Toldi I.(A20), H 323, 1st Recce Bn, Transylvania, 1941 • Toldi I.(A20), H 320, 1st Recce Bn, Transylvania, 1941 • Toldi I.(A20), H-361, Budapest Mátyás fold, 1943 • Toldi I.(B20), H 451, Budapest Mátyás fold, 1943 • Toldi I.(A20), L11, H 337, Ludovika Cadet School, 1942 • Toldi I.(B20), L33/H 478, Ludovika Cadet School, 1942

FIGHTERS AND DRONES

HERMIT AIRLINES

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Ilyushin IL-62M Air Koryo By:

Liveries Unlimited

Item no: N/A Scale:

1/144

Price:

US $10

Available from: Fündekals :), www.fundekals.com

accompanied them with a wealth of information on the changing liveries, national markings and stencils of the Il-62Ms operated by this carrier. The three sheets provide airline and aircraft markings, windows and aircraft codes respectively, and the decals appear commendably thin, yet the reds and whites are suitably opaque. The entire fleet of five or six (reports differ as to the exact number) airframes is provided, and the schemes cover the period 1985 to May 2014. If one wants an Il-62 build to stand out from the crowd, then this set is ideal.

The immediate post-war period is probably one of the most curious eras in aviation, as nations were downsizing and consolidating their military forces. Starfighter Decals now offers four US Navy Grumman Bearcats from this time-

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

North Korea is one of those wonderfully obscure places, which means that usually, just military subjects are covered. Thankfully, Liveries Unlimited has released a set of decals for that country’s sole airline, and

F8F-2 Bearcats in USN Service By:

Starfighter Decals

Item no:

4809

Scale:

1/48

Price:

US $12

Available from: Starfighter Decals, www.starfighter-decals.com

frame, with a mixture of fighter and drone control aircraft, the latter resplendent with Orange Yellow wings. Helpfully, the red wing stripes for this subject are provided as decals. Gloss carrier film should ensure smooth application, with minimal risk of silvering, and the colours and register appear spoton. Four schemes are offered: • F8F-2D, 122663, UD/60, VU-4 NAAS Chincoteague, 2953-54 • F8F-2, 121701, A/0, VF-152 CAG, October 1949 • F8F-2, 121695, B/402, VF-194, USS Boxer, 1950 • F8F-2, 121664, C/103, VF-61 USS Coral Sea, 1949

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ON THE SHELF

DECAL SHEETS

BRICK SELECTION

By:

Kits World

Item no: KW17237 Scale:

1/72

Price:

£10.20

Available from: Kits World, www.kitsworld.co.uk

for later low-vis grey RAF aircraft. Of the seven options, some are: • S.2B, XN980/233, 801 NAS, HMS Victorious, 1966 • S.2B, XW527/527, 12 Sqn, RAF Honington, 1987 • S.2B, XX891/J ‘Just Married’, 15 Sqn, RAF Laarbruch, 1982 • S.2B, XV160, 208 Sqn, RAF Honington, 1977 • S.50, ‘425’, 24 Sqn, South African AF, Waterkloof, 1966

WHISPERING DEATH AND COASTAL KINGS

PRODUCT SPEC

Airfix’s release of the Beaufighter Mk.X has instigated renewed interest in the type, and so this quarterscale sheet for Tamiya’s 1/48 boxing is most welcome. There’s much variety, too, with Coastal Command, South East Asia Command and Aussie options. Notes on structural nuances are provided by the colour instructions, and there’s also plenty of information regarding the five schemes, which include an attractive post-war target-towing example. The liveries are: Bristol Beaufighter Mk.X, TF.Mk.X, Mk.21 & TT.Mk.21 By:

Xtradecal

Item no:

X48148

Scale:

1/48

Price:

£7.99

Available from: Hannants, www.hannants.co.uk

• M.X, KW393/W, 27 Sqn, Burma, early 1945 • TF.M.X, LZ451/EE-M, Wg Cdr AK Gatward DSO, 404 Sqn RCAF, RAF Strubby, 1944 • TF.Mk.X, NE425/2-G, 404 Sqn RCAF, RAF Davidstow Moor, 1945 • Mk.21, A8-112/SK-L, Flt Lt Carter/Flt Sgt Noaks, 93 Sqn RAAF, Morotai, 1945 • TT.Mk.21, A8-357, 30 (TT) Sqn, ATU RAAF, Woomera, 1957

PRODUCT SPEC

Blackburn Buccaneers

‘YANKEE’ HUEYS Kitty Hawk’s new quarter-scale release of the UH-1Y has prompted this excellent sheet from Werner’s Wings. It provides better renditions of certain markings in the kit, as well as new US Marine Corps liveries...but all are in the standard lowvis grey for the type. There’s a decent amount of stencilling and ten schemes in total for east and west coast helos, and the colour instructions quote Federal Standard paint numbers. UH-1Y Deadly Venom By:

Werner’s Wings

Item no: 48-09 Scale:

1/48

Price:

US $14

Available from: Werner’s Wings, www.wernerswings.com

Options include: • 168411/05/SM, HMLA-369, 2014 • 167801/06/SN, HMLA-169, 2011 • 168504/02/CA, HMLA-467 • 166769/37 or 503/YP, HMM163 (REIN), 2008-9 • 168428/23/HF, HMLA-269, 2013

MARINES’ ROTARY CHARIOT Most will think of low-vis green when considering schemes for the HC.4, but Xtradecal’s new sheet designed for Airfix’s forthcoming kit offers so much more. There are white stripes over the standard green, the raspberry ripple of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Desert Pink al la First Gulf War...and a foreign example. National insignia is supplied for all 11 liveries, and the printing is up to the company’s usual standard. Olive Drab 298 is quoted for the green on Xtradecal’s instructions, but Westland documents quote NATO Green 285 from the mid1990s onwards. Some of the helicopters are: • HC.4, ZA296/Q, 848 NAS, aboard HMS Bulwark,

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Oh the Buccaneer! Can there be a more impressive and much-loved RAF Cold War aircraft? With this in mind, it’s wonderful that Kits World has produced this sheet; let’s hope that Airfix, one day, does in fact produce an all-new 1/72 ‘Brick’ on which to hang these markings. In the meantime, there’s the original raisedline kit from that company, Revell’s re-release of Matchbox’s old effort, and the boutique CMR kits. Here, the bulk is with RAF wraparound camouflage examples from the 1980s, but there are Fleet Air Arm machines and a South African jet from the 1960s. Stencilling is included, and also covers markings

Westland Commando HC.4 By:

Xtradecal

Item no:

X72218

Scale:

1/72

Price:

£7.99

Available from: Hannants, www.hannants.co.uk

May 2009 • HC.4, ZG822/WF, 848 NAS, Operation Granby, 1991 • HC.4, ZA290/VC, 846 NAS, Operation Mikado, Chile, 1982 • HC.4, ZB507, Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough, 1980s • Mk.73, ‘471’, Egyptian Air Force, 1980s • HC.4, ZD480, Royal Navy/ United Nations, RNAS Yeovilton, July 14, 1995 Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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ON THE SHELF

DECAL SHEETS

SAR/Transport helicopters By:

Belcher Bits

Item no:

BD-11

Scale:

1/72

Price:

CAN $11.99

Available from: Belcher Bits, www.belcherbits.com

instructions are in black and white, they offer much information and sage advice on structural nuances. Some of the liveries include: • CH-149 Cormorant, 149901915/902, 2002 • CH-147 Chinook, 147004, 447 Sqn, 1982 • CH-147F, 147303, 450 Sqn, 2014 • CH-113A, 11307, 1992 • CH-146 Griffon, 146475, 2004 • CH-113A, 113314, 450 Sqn, 1973 • CH-113A, 10403, circa 1964

ALL ABOARD THE SKYTRAIN

PRODUCT SPEC

Rocketeer offers two highly attractive schemes here, for out-of-the-ordinary C-47s. The first is an end-of-war memorial livery on C-47 118503, denoting the staggering 950-kill tally recorded by the 354th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, in World War Two. This is via a bare-metal finish, smart red ‘lightning’ flash and a symbol for every single victory. The second scheme is that of 51012/ARSDET

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C-47 ‘Special Mission’ By:

Rocketeer Decals

Item no:

RD72021

Scale:

1/72

Price:

US $14.14

Available from: Rocketeer Decals, www.rocketeer.jp

SPEY-ENGINED SPOOKS We highlighted the plans for these decals a few issues ago, but they’ve actually now been released...and really do fill a glaring gap in the decal market for Brit Phantom fans. While two schemes have been offered in Fujimi boxings, the remaining eight have not (not even via the aftermarket). Royal Navy and RAF machines are present, and all but one depict very early schemes, including the ‘No.1’ F-4K and M ( a little scratchbuilding will be necessary for the latter, as it sported a nose pitot). The most interesting option is arguably the Boscombe Down test airframe, which wears naval grey and white, but has RAFshade outer wings and a red tail. These markings are also available in 1/48 (RAM48-001). The liveries include: Early British McDonnell Douglas Phantoms By:

RAM Models

Item no:

RAM72-001

Scale:

1/72

Price:

£15.99

Available from: RAM Models, www.rammodels.co.uk

• FG.1, XV579/157, 767 NAS, Royal Navy, RNAS Yeovilton, 1969 • YF-4M, XT852 ‘No.1 McDonnell F-4M’, July 17, 1967 • FG.1, XT597, A&AEE, Boscombe Down, 1982 • YF-4K, XT595 ‘NO.1 McDonnell F-4K’, Joe Dobronski (McDonnell), June 1966 • FG.1, XT857/7, A&AEE, HMS Eagle deck trials, March 10-21, 1969 • FG.1, XT867, Naval Air Support Unit, RNAS Yeovilton, Sept 1968

SUPERMARINE DATA

8, which was a US Army Air Rescue Service aircraft in Olive Drab over Neutral Gray, but with high-visibility yellow and black markings on the front and rear fuselage, and on the wing inboard sections top and bottom. These are lovely schemes and a refreshing change from standard wartime service garb, but note that the major yellow portions on the second of these machines must be masked and painted.

Do you have a 1/32 Spitfire build planned? Then why not plump for these after-market wet transfer stencils, which will undoubtedly

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Helicopter modellers should welcome this sheet, which offers a whopping 17 schemes for Canadian Armed Forces search and rescue and transport choppers, from the 1960s to the 2000s. There’s plenty of colour here for those who like it, especially with the modern Merlin derivative and the red, white and blue CH-113 Labradors (CH-46). Two sheets are provided, one with all the coloured markings, the other with black numbers, ‘Canada’, ‘Rescue Sauvetage’ legends and more. While the

PRODUCT SPEC

CANUCK LIFESAVERS AND HAULERS

Spitfire Mk.IX Stencils By:

HGW Models

Item no:

232001

Scale:

1/32

Price:

€6.17

Available from: HGW Models, www.hgwmodels.cz

improve on the kit decals. Perfect for Tamiya’s Mk.IX, many of the markings will also be applicable to other marks of Spit, such as the Mk.VIII. All the necessary data is here, including walkway warnings, trestle lines, fuel advisories, W/T symbols, propeller badges and much more. Even the patches for the outboard .303 guns are provided, although in this large scale they are arguably better being represented by tape or lead foil for more realistic depth. The printing is excellent and absolutely no carrier film is visible.

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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ON THE SHELF ACCESSORIES

By:

Alley Cat Models

Item no:

AC32044C

Scale:

1/32

Price:

£5

Available from: www.alleycatmodels.co.uk

BOMBS AWAY!

Kayaba Katsuodori Ram-jet Fighter Intake By:

Freightdog Models

Item no:

N/A

Scale:

1/72

Price:

£2.50

Available from: www.freightdogmodels.co.uk

ALL FUELLED UP

HGW Models’ range of wood-grain decals is perfect for those unwilling or unable to replicate, with paint, a timber exterior on the fuselages of World War One biplanes. There are ten sections of wood included, and these should be applied as normal, before any excess is trimmed with a sharp knife. A range of other shades are also available from HGW, including transparent hues, which will need to be applied over a suitably coloured undercoat. Pine Tree (Borovice) White Base By:

HGW Models

Item no:

532021

Scale:

1/32

Price:

€7.13

Available from: www.hgwmodels.cz

GRIFFIN GEAR

PROJECT SENTRY

S and M Models has released another entertaining ‘what-if’ proposal from the 1960s, in the shape of the HS 801 AEW Comet conversion, which is designed to fit Airfix’s recent re-release. It comprises nine resin components, although several will require the removal of substantial flash before work can begin. There will be an element of cutting and reshaping the original kit, particularly for the fin, but otherwise this is a simple (if unusual) conversion.

PRODUCT SPEC

Mosquito Wheels

As good as the Meng Kayaba Katsuodori ram-jet fighter is, it does suffer from one glaring inaccuracy, namely the presence of fan blades in the intake! Thankfully, Freightdog has come to the rescue with a neat resin solution, which replaces part A20 directly. Two components are included, as Meng’s kit provides sufficient parts for two fighters.

KNOCK ON WOOD

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Designed to fit Tamiya’s Mosquito Mk.VI, these exquisite resin wheels from Alley Cat should fit any 1/32 Mossie. The tread is of the block-type, and the definition is magnificent...best of all there are no seams or joins to fill, and the casting block is thoughtfully positioned on the flattened section.

JAPANESE RAM

PRODUCT SPEC

MOSSIE RESIN

HS801AEW Comet By:

S and M Models

Item no:

SMC44-09

Scale:

1/144

Price:

£15

Available from: www.sandmmodels.co.uk

THIRST QUENCHERS

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Profimodeller

Item no: 32244 Scale:

1/32

Price:

€23.95

Available from: www.profimodeller.com

By:

Special Armour

Item no:

SA72015

Scale:

1/72

Price:

€16.25

Available from: www.cmkkits.com

JAS-39C/D Gripen Wheels By:

SBS Model

Item no:

72031

Scale:

1/72

Price:

€4

Available from: www.sbsmodel.com

PRODUCT SPEC

By:

A-Stoffanhänger ‘Liquid Oxygen Tank for V2 Rocket’

SBS Model’s set of wheels for the JAS-39C/D Gripen is intended for the Revell kit, although with minor modification it could embellish any 1/72 model of this type, as it would appear that the A/B variants used the same items. While the quality of casting is first class, and the detail includes accurate brake housings and even the tyre brand on the sidewall, they do not have flat spots to represent aircraft weight.

PRODUCT SPEC

Mosquito Bomb Bay

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

As with Profimodeller’s interior detail set (reviewed in October 2015’s AMW), its Mosquito bomb bay upgrade will raise HK Models’ 1/32 kit to a whole new level of quality. Three photo-etched metal frets provide a wealth of features and embellishments, with options for standard 1,000lb bomb and 4,000lb ‘cookie’ shackles. Almost every bomb bay component will be improved by this product.

Owners of Special Armour’s V-2/A-4 rocket will find its latest accessory ideal when creating a launch scene. It includes a liquid oxygen tank, associated lattice supports and a twin-axle trailer. All parts are crisp and flash-free, and any sink marks will be hidden once assembled. When combined with an Opel Blitz fuel truck and Special Armour’s Hanomag tow tractor and V-2 rocket transporter, it will form a convincing V-2 diorama.

This great collection of drinks boxes from Matho Models would be equally at home in either military or civilian vehicles, but would add that finishing touch to any diorama. There are four brands featured, with at least one style of carton for each. Printed on thick paper, these can either be assembled as supplied or applied over a styrene or balsa substructure, to add rigidity. Drinks Boxes By:

Matho Models

Item no:

35013

Scale:

1/35

Price:

€6.95

Available from: www.mathomodels.com

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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ON THE SHELF ACCESSORIES

A.MIG-8405

Scale:

1/48-1/35-1/32

Price:

€4.95

Available from: www.migjimenez.com

HUNGARIAN ACCURACY

PRODUCT SPEC

The turret on Hobby Boss’ Hungarian light tank is not as it should be, but this correction package from SBS Model ticks all the boxes. It’s an involved affair, with beautifully cast two-piece turret sections, rear stowage box, mantlet and vision block units. A small fret of photo-etched brass parts enables extra refinement, in the shape of hatch hinges and supports, and locking handles. Interior painting advice is given by the instructions. Toldi II (B40) Corrected turret By:

SBS Model

Item no:

35018

Scale:

1/35

Price:

€25

Available from: www.sbsmodel.com

F-16C Cockpit By:

HAD Models

Item no:

148007

Scale:

1/48

Price:

€14

Available from: www.hadmodels.com

By:

Eduard

Item no:

48851

Scale:

1/48

Price:

€22.45

Available from: www.eduard.com

EXTRA PROTECTION

Ensure neat finishing on Revell’s recent 1/32 Fw 190F-8 with HGW’s Basic Line set, which offers two sets of pre-cut canopy masks, laser-cut microtextile seatbelts and photo-etched metal seat buckles/fittings. The printing and colouring on the belts is splendid, and the masks will certainly aid in obtaining a sharp finish on the canopy framing. Maintain patience while threading the belts through all the buckles, and a stunning cockpit should be the result.

PRODUCT SPEC

Item no:

A-4E/F upgrade set

FRIEDRICH FUN

HGW Models By:

HGW Models

Item no:

132816

Scale:

1/32

Price:

€12.09

Available from: www.hgwmodels.cz

EXTRA LIFT

DIORAMA WARMTH This neat three-door stove could feature in a cutaway household diorama, or that of a wrecked dwelling with its inner features on show. Hauler’s three-part resin product is simple to prepare for painting. Just remove the main stove unit, flue pipe and stack of firewood from the casting blocks and wash before committing any colour by paintbrush or airbrush. A great little item. Small Stove By:

Hauler

Item no:

HLU35081

Scale:

1/35

Price:

€8.78

Available from: www.hauler.cz

Pure genius is the only way to describe Thachweave’s artily made 1/35 sandbags, made from real cotton and with their own drawstrings. One simply fills the bags with sand or wet plaster, and then they can be pressed onto any surface, and then soaked in a mixture of water and white glue so they hold their shape when dry. Perfect for sandbag armour, this is clever stuff with a well-scaled look. Sandbags By:

Thachweave Products

Item no: TWSB1 Scale:

1/35

Price:

Can $10

Available from: www.thachweave.tripod.com

Give your new-tool Airfix Hurricane a busier look with Eduard’s superb wing flap arrangements. After removal of some of the kit plastic, one must then engage in much delicate folding of the photo-etched brass, but given patience and the correct tools, jaw-dropping flap units will be the result. Plastic rod will need to be sourced, to create hinge portions, but the diameter and lengths are given on the instructions.

PRODUCT SPEC

AMMO MIG

It was inevitable that Eduard would release a photoetched metal improvement package with which to detail its re-boxing of Hasegawa’s A-4 (see p.82). This set offers much and with it, one can fashion completely new airbrakes, and add embellishment to areas such as the undercarriage doors and legs, rear cockpit bulkhead and sidewalls, canopy, weapons pylons and wing slat actuators. There are even new fins for the underwing fuel tanks and Foreign Object Damage covers to place over the air intakes.

PRODUCT SPEC

By:

SCOOTER BRASS

PRODUCT SPEC

Lime/Dry Leaves

This very busy dual-media set is designed for Hasegawa’s F-16 and depicts a Block 30/50 cockpit. The copious parts count certainly means the finished result will outshine the relatively Spartan kit components. Cast in resin is the beautifully detailed cockpit tub, combined instrument panel/coaming, impressive ACES II seat, rear upper bulkhead/canopy actuator, canopy sills and a cockpit sidewall. Extra details comes via the photo-etched brass fret, which carries rudder pedals, canopy seals, seat features such as the firing handle, and instrumentation overlays.

PRODUCT SPEC

PRODUCT SPEC

Modelling any post-summer diorama should have one considering fallen leaves. AMMO MIG has now gone down this route with its scenic range and offers various sorts of imitation foliage, and this pack offers Lime tree leaves in a dried state, with their trademark yellow tinge. The cost will heighten if one wants a thick carpet of leaves on the groundwork, but a reasonable scattering will be relatively cheap and add authenticity to an autumn/ winter diorama or vignette. Suitable for the above-mentioned scales, as leaves vary in size, obviously!

VIPER OFFICE

PRODUCT SPEC

AUTUMN FOLIAGE

Hurricane Mk.I landing flaps By:

Eduard

Item no:

48852

Scale:

1/48

Price:

€14.95

Available from: www.eduard.com

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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ON THE SHELF

RECENTLY RELEASED ACADEMY

1372 Bell 206 Jet Ranger

www.pocketbond.co.uk

48287 Hurricane Mk.I Landing Gear (Airfix)

1/72

02871 EA-3B Skywarrior 02889 A-37B Dragonfly

12514 AH-64D Block II

02895 de Havilland Sea Hornet NF.21

DRAGON

1/35

www.hobbyco.net

01550 T-62 Mod 1975 KMT-6 Mine Plough

1/35 3306 MACV-SOG

1/48

6131 Anti-Tank Teams World War Two

01593 BTR-70 APC in Afghanistan 1/32 32096 F-86D/K Sabre Dog Landing Gear (Kitty Hawk) 32097 SE.5a ‘Hisso’ Main landing Gear (Wingnut)

3816 WWII German Infantry Weapons Part-2 6756 StuG.III Ausf.F w/7.5cm L/48 Last Production

TAKOM

05542 1K17 Szhatie

7513 M7 Priest/Kangaroo

www.pocketbond.co.uk

1/35

1/35

6504 LMV Lince

02023 WWII German 12.8cm FlaK 40 Zwilling

05561 Indian T-90S MBT

02025 WWI Medium Tank Mk A Whippet

03218 Ju 87G-2 Stuka

02032 Krupp 21cm Morser 10/16 2 in 1

XUNTONG

6814 Sd.Kfz.234/4 mit 7.5cm L/48

TAMIYA 1/24 3906 Scania R730 V8 Streamline 1/9 WLA 750 motorcycle

6819 Sturmpanzer Ausf.1 als Befehlspanzer Umbau Fahrgestell Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G 6821 Pz.Beob.Wg.V Panther mit 5cm KwK.39 1/32 3225 Wing Tech Bf 109E-4B

05546 2S3T-10M/MK Soviet heavy tank 1/32

www.pocketbond.co.uk 48005 Ilyushin DB-3F/IL-4/Il-4T

www.hobbyco.net 1/700 31359 Japanese Light Cruiser Mogami

1/35

ZVEZDA

35126 M247 Sgt York Air Defense System

www.hobbyco.net

35345 Panther Ausf.D Sd.Kfz.171

7269 Junkers Ju 88G-6 Heavy Night Fighter

1/72

RODEN www.pocketbond.co.uk 1/72 0733 FWD Model B WWI 3-Ton Lorry 1/48 ITALERI

0452 Heinkel He 51B-1

www.hobbyco.net 1/72 1360 CANT Z.506 Airone

SCALE AIRCRAFT CONVERSIONS www.scaleaircraftconversions.com 1/72 72106 T-2C Buckeye landing Gear (Wolfpack)

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1/32 60326 de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI

1/35 3601 King Tiger Ausf.B (Henschel Turret) German Heavy tank

TRUMPETER www.pocketbond.co.uk 1/700 05782 USS Tennessee 1944

72107 F-84E/G Thunderjet Landing Gear (Aca/Ita)

05794 HMS Queen Elizabeth 1941

1/48

05340 USS Texas BB-35

1/350 3634 Soviet Car GAZ M1

Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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THE PLASTIC SURGERY ASK THE EXPERTS

Sponsored by

Airfix Model World’s team of experts answers your modelling questions

A different approach

Q

For brush-painters, modelling tends to be a very different experience. How do you create

soft demarcation lines and convincing panel line weathering without an airbrush? Jason Browne, via e-mail

AMW’s Editor, Chris Clifford, replies: “Breathing life into a model without the aid of an airbrush can seem daunting; one will never be as well-equipped without an airbrush, but there are ways around the issue. Firstly, many camouflage colours are available in spray-can form, (Humbrol, Tamiya). One can use Blu- or White-Tack ‘worms’ (often shown in AMW articles) and masking to set soft demarcation lines after the first camouflage colour has been applied. To accentuate panel lines or lighten panels, why not try post-shading with weathering pigments, worked along the panel lines and on the panels themselves by microbrush...and then use aerosol varnish to seal

Winter armour techniques

Q

I love seeing ‘tanks in snow’ dioramas but have never been brave enough to try it myself. How do I create convincing snow? Steve Fitzpatrick, via e-mail AMW’s Toni Canfora replies: “Several brands offer materials to create snow. Most are made from very fine acrylic powder, similar to something called Micro Balloons and resemble the powder found in office photocopiers. A slightly more coarse powder is also available and usually contains small flakes of silver and blue to create sparkles. Products from Deluxe Materials have been used on the Sherman in the accompanying photo. Woodland Scenics also offers a similar range. The soil beneath the snow can be built-up with a mix of plaster and fine sand, painted light grey. On top of this, brush white glue

the pigments; this will ensure the latter will not be disturbed by brush strokes. Washes can also be applied to the aforementioned panel lines after brush-painting. After a gloss coat has been applied to the model (aerosol varnish), simply mix artist's oil paint to the desired shade, dilute them heavily (Raw Umber is a good single shade for washes), and apply to the panel lines. Let it cure for a while before removing the excess with a soft cloth, in the direction of the airflow. Premixed washes are also available, from Humbrol, AK Interactive and AMMO MIG. Finally, a good tip for brush-painting camouflage is to thin the paint considerably and then apply, say, three or four thin coats (with ample drying in between) rather than one or two thick layers straight from the pot. This will prevent brush strokes being visible and result in a much smoother finish.”

Contact us

or Deluxe Materials’ Scenic Bond and, before these dry, sprinkle Scenic Snowflakes over the surface. This can be followed by the finer Shovelled Snow, and to fix permanently, spray Scenic Spray Glue on top. To achieve a more frozen look, Icy Sparkles, also from Deluxe Materials, is ideal. It’s important to create several layers to achieve a smooth surface and the impression of

newly fallen snow. In photos, we often see accumulated snow on vehicles, as it gathers in corners and recesses. To mimic this, simply mix the fine snow powder with glue, such as Deluxe Materials’ Shoveled Snow and Scenic Bond, then stipple the mix onto the model and top it with sprinkled snow. Matt varnish can also be sprayed from a distance to fix the powder.”

Do you have a modelling conundrum regarding techniques or references? If so, why not quiz our band of contributors, history writers and industry contacts? Simply send your query via e-mail (with The Plastic Surgery in the subject line), to: [email protected], or a typed letter by post to: The Plastic Surgery, Airfix Model World, Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 1XQ, United Kingdom. Please provide your postal address. Each question printed will receive a selection of Ultimate Modelling’s sanding sticks worth approximately £15. For further details on Ultimate Modelling products, please visit www.umpretail.com

THE NEXT ISSUE IS ON SALE: NOVEMBER 5, 2015* *UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that overseas deliveries are likely to occur after this date.

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Airfix Model World www.airfixmodelworld.com

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