Model Aircraft 2017-02

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SU EX A -33 TR Fla A nk er

EXCLUSIVE - MIG MASTERCLASS

FR.18 No.28 Squadron Apache Longbow

spitfire silver bird AH-64D Saraf

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combat edge Buccaneer

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WAL H C S UN SIX-G -1A/U5 ME-262

AWK SKYHESIAN SCOOTER IN D O N

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PRU Blue

FEBRUARY 2017 Vol 16 Iss 02 £4.50 Printed in UK

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CONTENTS

39  Model Aircraft Extra – Su-33 Flanker

With background details, walk around and a full 1:48 model build of the Kinetic kit by Alan Kelley

Model Aircraft Extra

52  Silver Spitfire

Chad Summers builds a Far East based 1:32 FR.18 of No.28 Squadron

Plenty to Go On

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ts always pleasing to have a ‘triple-bill’ in the magazine, and for Spitfire enthusiasts, then Model Aircraft is the place to be this month as we have a trio of Supermarine’s finest to bring you from MAM regulars Olivier Soulleys, Gerry Doyle and Chad Summers. What can you say about this timeless classic that has not been already said, and I hope that these builds will inspire you to have a go at building one of the most graceful and iconic aircraft ever to fly. As always we have a wide and eclectic mix of subjects this month, ranging for an IDF Apache Helicopter, via a colourful Indonesian Skyhawk, a Bristol Blenheim, and a Dassault Rafale, to a diminutive Mil-2 ‘Hoplite ‘Gunship’. Our ‘Combat Edge’ feature this month is another subject close to my heart – the Blackburn Buccaneer, and we

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have a superb build from Richard Spreckley of one of the Red Flag Buccs that opened quite a few eyes when they beat up the Nevada desert in the 1970’s and 80’s. I’m also pleased to welcome Andreas Fonesca to the MAM team with his excellent ‘Chilean Viper’, and Partik Meszaros with his aforementioned Apache. Its also nice to have an IPMS Scale Modelworld winner amongst our pages and to that end we have Alan Kelley’s brilliant Su-33 Flanker which took a well deserved Silver at Telford. So I hope you enjoy all we have for you this month and as always…..

48  Combat-Zone - British Bombers

of World War II

Anthony Tucker-Jones offers a brief survey of the merits of Britain’s Second World War medium and heavy bomber fleet

56  PRU Blue – Thai Spitfire Gerry Doyle adds Aeromaster decals to the 1:48 Airfix Spitfire PR.XIX

58  Step-by-Step Spitfire

Olivier Soulleys builds the 1:24 Trumpeter Mk.Vb

68  Desert Storch

JM Villaba builds the 1:48 Tamiya Fi-156C from the North Africa Campaign

Happy modelling

Andy

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12  Combat Edge – The Blackburn Buccaneer With background details, colour profiles and a full 1:48 model build from Richard Spreckley

20  Indonesian Scooter

24  Harmattan Hammer

28  Six-Gun Schwalbe

Partik Meszaros super details the 1:48 Hasegawa IDF AH-64D Saraf

6  Desert Longbow

Alex Sidharta builds a colourful TNIAU TA-4 Skyhawk

Danumurthi Mahendra builds a strike configured 1:48 Revell Rafale M, as used over Libya in 2011

Ian Cooper builds the 1:48 HobbyBoss Me-262 A-1a/U5

32  Chilean Viper

36  Emblematic Emil

72  Hop to It!

76  Modelling with MIG -

Andrés Fonesca Wilder builds the 1:72 Academy kit as a ‘Peace Puma’ F-16

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Angel Exposito details the 1:48 Tamiya Messerschmitt Bf 109E3

Vitor Costa details the 1:72 HobbyBoss Mil-2 Hoplite ‘Gunship Variant’

Back in Black

Mario Serelle shows you how to give a night finish to the 1:72 Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk.1F using Ammo of MIG products

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IDF AH-64D SARAF

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Desert Longbow Partik Meszaros super details the 1:48 Hasegawa IDF AH-64D Saraf

AH-64D Apache Longbow‘ Israeli Air Force‘ Manufacturer: Hasegawa Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 07365

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he AH-64 Apache is one of the most powerful and versatile attack helicopters in the world and has been in service with the IDF since 1990. For this build I used Hasegawa kit with the IsraCast AH-64D Apache Longbow Conversion Set, an Aires Cockpit, Army Cast FOD covers, IsraDecal Decals and Eduard RBF Tags. First was to fit the Aires cockpit, which needed some little adjustments to get it to fit. Its also vital to use the IsraCast Conversion Set as Israeli helicopters have some differences on the aft wall in rear cockpit. The cockpit was then suitable painted, highlighted and detailed and all of the dial and switchology picked out.

Eduard RBF flags are also another item that adds more realism in the cockpit! The canopy frame was painted black from inside to avoid and see through reflection, and the outside was covered with a very useful Eduard Canopy Mask. The biggest problem I found was how to fit flare dispenser that is located on aft fuselage, behind engine compartment. This part from conversion set is too small about 2mm. I solved this by cutting it in half and inserting a section of plastic sheet and some putty and then sanding it smooth. The final task was to remove the tail section flare dispenser base which Saraf doesn’t have fitted. There are no other problems with IsraCast parts, as everything fit’s well, and the instruction sheet is superb The main rotor is a touch difficult to fit and to achieve the correct droop on the main blades I soaked them in hot water and carefully bent them to shape. The blades were then painted Black and post-shaded with grey. The rotor head was painted by dark green, and on the real aircraft the bolts are fixed by some light green paint, which secures all joints, which I replicated here. The Longbow radar had some wires from control boxes added for effect. Instead of classic weapon load I equipped my Saraf with four fuel tanks which were painted Dark Green and look really good. For the camouflage scheme I used the standard Sand and Brown colours with a soft edge demarcation. I then added a touch of White to each shade and sprayed this into the centres of some of the panels. I then added a little light post-shading along the panel lines. The latches on the access panels were also

The IsraCast parts all fit well and the instruction sheet is superb

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IDF AH-64D SARAF

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

9 DESERT LONGBOW carefully shaded to show their use by oily hands! Before I added the decals I gave the model a coat of gloss. I have to say that the IsraDecals are just excellent, and I was a bit apprehensive as to if they would conform over all the rivets, but they did – perfectly. Once dry I added another gloss coat in preparation for weathering. For this phase I used various AK Interactive and Ammo of MIG products, carefully working these into the surface until I achieved the effect I was after. The final job was then to add the Army Cast FOD Covers and more Eduard RBF Tags. MA

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CASEMATE COMPETITION

Luftwaffe in Colour

Competition

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odel Aircraft has got together with Casemate Publishing to bring you an exclusive monthly competition to win one of their latest military titles. Founded in 2007, Casemate UK is a major specialist publisher and book distributor in the UK, European and Commonwealth markets.

The publishing arm of Casemate is one of the leading publishers in the fields of military history, defence studies, and military science worldwide. Casemate’s publishing list covers subjects as diverse as Roman History, Napoleonic Wars and the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts of today.

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What was the nickname given to the Luftwaffe ace Erich Hartmann by his comrades? A) Bobby B) Bubi C) Booby

Send your entries to... Model Aircraft/Casemate Luftwaffe in Colour Competition Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, MK42 9BJ Or email: [email protected]

Competition Rules Employees/volunteers working for SAM Publications Ltd, Casemate Publishing and associated companies or their families are not permitted to enter. Entries are limited to one per person/household. No correspondence will be entered into. The judges’ decision is final. Winners’ names will be published in a future edition of Scale Military Modeller International. All entries must reach Media House by 24th February 2017, when the prize draw will take place.

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COMBAT EDGE – BUCCANEER

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The

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ith the ending of World War II, the Royal Navy found itself needing to respond to the threat posed by the rapid expansion of the Soviet Navy, especially their the fast, well armed cruisers, and like the German ‘pocket battleships’ before them they presented a serious threat to the merchant fleets in the Atlantic. To counter this threat, the Royal Navy decided not to produce a new ship class, but instead introduce a specialised strike aircraft employing conventional or nuclear weapons and attacking at high speed and low level. A detailed specification was issued in June 1952 as Naval Staff Requirement NA.39, calling for a two-seat aircraft with folding wings, capable of flying at 550kts at sea level and with a combat radius of 400 nautical miles at low-level. A weapons load of 8,000lbs was also required including conventional bombs, the ‘Red Beard’ free-fall nuclear bomb or the ‘Green Geese’ antiship missile. The first responses were returned in February 1953 and Blackburn’s Project B-103, won the tender in July 1955. Owing to secrecy, the aircraft was called BNA (Blackburn Naval Aircraft) or BANA (Blackburn Advanced Naval Aircraft) in

lackburn uccaneer

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documents, leading to the nickname of ‘Banana Jet’, and the first prototype made its maiden flight on 30 April 1958. The first production Buccaneer model, the Buccaneer S.1, entered squadron service with the Fleet Air Arm in January 1963, powered by a pair of De Havilland Gyron Junior turbojets making the aircraft somewhat somewhat underpowered, and as a consequence could not take-off fully loaded with both fuel and armament. A temporary solution to this problem was the ‘buddy’ system’ when an aircraft took off with a full load of weaponry and minimal fuel and would refuel with a Supermarine Scimitar. This lack of power meant, however, that the loss of an engine during take-off or landing at full load, with the aircraft was dependent on its blown flaps could be catastrophic. The solution was the Buccaneer S.2 powered by Rolls Royce Spey engines, which provided 40% more thrust. The turbofan Spey also had a significantly lower fuel consumption and improved range. The engine nacelles had to be enlarged to accommodate the Spey, and the wing required minor aerodynamic modifications as a result. Hawker Siddeley announced the production

A Red Flag Buccaneer and the subject of the modelling section of this feature

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The Buccaneer in its last days with the RAF in low-vis grey

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You can see here an amalgam of parts on this Bucc

order for the S.2 in January 1962and all Navy squadrons had converted to the S.2 by the end of 1966. Blackburn’s first attempt to sell the Buccaneer to the RAF occurred in 1957–58, in response to OR.339 requirement for a replacement for the Canberra light bombers. Blackburn proposed two designs, the B.103A, a simple modification of the Buccaneer S.1 with more fuel, and the B.108, a more extensively modified aircraft with more sophisticated avionics. Against a background of interservice distrust, political issues and the 1957 Defence White both types were rejected by the RAF as being subsonic and incapable of meeting the range requirements, and the TSR.2 was eventually selected in 1959. However, after the cancellation of the TSR.2, and then the substitute American F-111K, the RAF still required a replacement for its Canberra’s in the low-level

The Buccaneer S.2 was powered by Rolls Royce Spey engines

strike role, while the planned retirement for the Royal Navy’s aircraft carriers meant that the RAF would also need to add a maritime strike capability. It was therefore decided in 1968 that the RAF would adopt the Buccaneer, both by the purchase of new-build aircraft, and by taking over the Fleet Air Arm’s Buccaneers as the carriers were retired. A total of forty-six new-build aircraft came from Blackburn’s successor, Hawker Siddeley, designated S.2B. These had RAF-type communications and avionics equipment, Martel ASMs, and could be equipped with a bulged bomb-bay door containing an extra fuel tank. Some Fleet Air Arm Buccaneers were modified in-service to also carry the Martel anti-ship missile. Martel-capable FAA aircraft were later redesignated S.2D, and the remaining aircraft became the S.2C. RAF aircraft were given various upgrades, and self-defence was improved by

In the Gulf the Bucc sported some very risqué artwork…..

the addition of the AN/ALQ-101 ECM pod chaff and flare dispensers and the AIM-9 Sidewinder. In 1979, the RAF obtained the AN/AVQ-23E ‘Pave Spike’ laser designator pods and Paveway laser guided bombs; allowing the aircraft to act as target designators for other Buccaneers, Jaguars and later Tornadoes. From 1986, No.208 Squadron and the then No.12(B) Squadron replaced the Martel ASM with the Sea Eagle missile. Opportunities for Buccaneer squadrons to engage in realistic training were limited, and so when the US began their Red Flag exercises at Nellis AFB in 1975, the RAF became keenly interested. The first Red Flag in which RAF aircraft

The South African Air Force ordered sixteen Buccaneer S.50s

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COMBAT EDGE – BUCCANEER

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were involved was in 1977, with ten Buccaneers and two Vulcan bombers participating. Buccaneers would be involved in later Red Flags through to 1983, and in 1979 also participated in the similar Maple Flag exercise over Canada. The Buccaneer proved impressive with its fast low-level attacks, which were highly accurate despite the aircraft’s lack of terrain-following radar and other modern avionics, and were able to penetrate adversary defences. During the 1980 Red Flag exercises, one of the participating Buccaneers lost a wing in mid-flight due to a fatigue-induced crack and crashed, killing its crew. The entire RAF Buccaneer fleet was grounded in February 1980, subsequent investigation discovered serious metal fatigue problems to be present on numerous aircraft. A total of sixty aircraft were selected to receive new spar rings while others were scrapped resulting reduction in aircraft numbers. In 1983, six Buccaneer S.2s were sent to Cyprus to support British peacekeepers in Lebanon as a part of Operation ‘Pulsator’. On 11 September 1983, two of these aircraft flew low over Beirut, their presence intended to intimidate insurgents rather than inflict damage directly. After 1983, the land strike duties were mostly reassigned to the Tornado aircraft then entering service, and two remaining Buccaneer squadrons No.s 12 and 208 Squadron were then assigned to SACLANT for maritime strike duties. Only the ‘Shadow Squadron’, No. 237 OCU, remained assigned to the role of land strike and also operated as a designator for Jaguar ground strike aircraft in the event of conflict. The Buccaneer stood down from its reserve nuclear delivery duties in 1991. The Buccaneer took part in combat operations during the 1991 Gulf War as part of Operation ‘Granby’. It had been anticipated that Buccaneers might need to perform in the target designation

…along with the odd sharksmouth!

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The Buccaneer took part in combat operations during the 1991 Gulf War as part of Operation ‘Granby’

role, although early on this had been thought to be unlikely. However, the switch from low-level to higher levels for the RAF Tornado aircraft led to a hasty deployment of six Buccaneers, including the adoption of desert camouflage and Pave Spike pods, and these aircraft departed from RAF Lossiemouth on 26 January 1991. In theatre, it became common for each RAF attack formation to comprise four Tornados and two Buccaneers; each Buccaneer carried a single Pave Spike to designate LGBs dropped from the Tornadoes. The first combat mission took place on 2 February; operating at a medium altitude of roughly 18,000ft the combination successfully attacked the As Suwaira Road Bridge. Operations continued on practically every available day, however, missions did not take place at night as the Pave Spike lacked night-time functionality. Approximately twenty road bridges were destroyed by Buccaneersupported missions, restricting the Iraqi Army’s mobility and communications. In conjunction with the advance of Coalition ground forces into Iraq, the Buccaneers switched to airfield bombing missions, targeting bunkers, runways and any aircraft sighted, and following the guidance of the

Tornado’s laser-guided ordnance, the Buccaneers would commonly conduct dive-bombing runs on remaining targets of opportunity in the vicinity. In one incident on the 21 February 1991, a pair of Buccaneers destroyed two Iraqi transport aircraft on the ground at Shayka Mazhar airfield. In all Buccaneers flew 218 missions during the Gulf War, in which they designated targets for other aircraft and dropped forty-eight LGBs. It had originally been planned for the Buccaneer to remain in service until the end of the 1990s, but the end of the Cold War stimulated major changes in British defence policy, saw many aircraft being deemed to be surplus to requirements. It was further decided that a number Tornado GR.1s would be modified for compatibility with the Sea Eagle missile and take over the RAF’s maritime strike mission, and the Buccaneer would be retired early. The last Buccaneers were withdrawn in March 1994 when 208 Squadron disbanded. In October 1962, the South African Air Force ordered sixteen Buccaneer S.50s. These were S.2 aircraft with the addition of Bristol Siddeley BS.605 rocket engines to provide additional thrust for the ‘hot and high’ African airfields. The S.50 was also equipped with strengthened undercarriage and higher capacity wheel brakes, and had manually folded wings. They were also equipped to use the AS-30 air-to-surface missiles, in flight refuelling probes and underwing tanks. Once in service, the extra thrust of the BS.605 rocket engines proved to be unnecessary and thus the rockets were very rarely operated and were eventually removed from all aircraft. South Africa later sought to procure further Buccaneers, but the British Government blocked further orders due to an imposition of a UN embargo. For overland attack, the SAAF Buccaneers carried up to four 450kg bombs in their rotary bomb bay, and four bombs, flares, or SNEB rocket packs on the underwing stores pylons. SAAF Buccaneers saw active service during the South African Border War, frequently flying over Angola and Namibia attacking SWAPO guerilla camps in the 1970s and 1980s. Buccaneers played a major role in the Battle of Cassinga in 1978, being employed in repeated strikes upon armoured vehicles, including enemy tanks, and to cover the withdrawal of friendly ground forces from the combat zone. Only five aircraft remained by the time the Buccaneer was retired from service in 1991.

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COMBAT EDGE – BUCCANEER

HS Buccaneer S.2 XX899 of No.12(B) Squadron RAF

HS Buccaneer S.2 XX910 of No.208 Squadron RAF as seen at Red Flag Exercises

HS Buccaneer S.2 XX825 as seen during Operation ‘Granby’, 1991

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RESCUE

HS Buccaneer S.2 XV359 seen as shortly before the types retirement

HS Buccaneer S.50 418 of the South African Air Force

HS Buccaneer S.2 XT286 of No.809 Squadron, Royal Navy

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Red Flag Buccaneer

Richard Spreckley builds the 1:48 Airfix kit in desert colours

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he Blackburn Buccaneer is one of my all time favourite aircraft, and is the last of the all-British greats. Having acquired several books and information on the Buccaneer over the years my eye was drawn to the 1977 Red Flag exercise Buccaneer scheme, which was flown by No.208 Squadron. As the exercise was conducted in Arizona, No.208 Squadron painted their aircraft in a temporary desert scheme of Dark Brown and Sand/

Middlestone in an all over wrap around scheme, and XV352 was one of those aircraft. Its scheme was modified so that the rear third was kept in the RAF Dark Green and Medium Grey scheme, with the radome also in standard colours. The aircraft also sported a single red star (to identify it as an enemy aircraft) on the port side of the front fuselage and one CBLS carrier in green and one in sand. So - all these elements made this particular aircraft stand

out, and the one that I wanted to build. The Airfix kit was released over twenty years ago and are now difficult to come by, and can be quite an expensive investment, however, I was fortunate enough to acquire one. The plastic is moulded in light grey on several sprues, however, there is a problem with warping on the fuselage parts and this took a good deal patience, lots of clamps, and plenty tape to gently coax them into a correct alignment. The cockpit offers very little and the seats are bare except for a hint of a harness moulded into the backrest. One of the more unique features of the Buccaneer was its rotating bomb bay, and Airfix kindly provides the bomb bay ‘door’ as a separate piece, and my vision was to show off this feature in its

HS Buccaneer S.2 Manufacturer: Airfix Scale: 1:48 Kit Number: 09180

One of the more unique features of the Buccaneer was its rotating bomb bay

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‘deployed’ position and with one of the engine covers removed so that the engine could be seen. There are several aftermarket resin and etch kits to help detail the model, and I decided that the NeOmega resin cockpit provided a superb level of detail, and Flightpath provided more interior and exterior details. There is, however, no aftermarket set for a detailed Spey engine or bomb bay and no aftermarket decals either in this scale. So I started with scratchbuilding the Spey engine using various types of plasticard, sprue offcuts and wire, and the powerplant was I builtup using reference photographs to ensure I got the basic outline. It was never going to be 100% accurate but I wanted it to certainly look like a Spey engine! I continued scratchbuilding the bomb bay using the same technique as the engine and also

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the port and starboard wheel wells, which are packed full of piping and hydraulics that are nonexistent on the kit moulding. The excellent resin cockpit was next, and the detail on the NeOmega set is outstanding it was a pleasure to work on. After painting the tub in Black and Dark Grey, I then brought out the detail using a dry brush technique with metallic silver. The seats went through the same process but received a dark wash to define the complex moulded harness. For aesthetic and practical reasons and certainly not from an authentic standing, I decided to pose the aircraft with the port wing extended and the starboard wing folded. The wing fold was enhanced using the Flightpath set, which provides a multi-layer framework and really made a difference. The rest of the initial build was quite straightforward, and the only detailing required on the landing gear was some hydraulic lines, and I attached the rest of the ancillary items such as antenna and pitot tubes as required. Before adding the engine, which was already attached to the intake mouth, it was painted and detailed using the

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Vallejo Metal range. The blue burnishing was created using Ammo of MIG Metallic Blue, and then this was sealed using Vallejo Metal Varnish. A dark wash was then added to bring out the details of the engine. I was then able to attach this to the fuselage. I also prepped the Flightpath CBLS practice bomb carriers and kit provided 500lb bombs. Now I moved onto the main painting phase and I added a primer coat of Vallejo Light Grey and masked off the various elements I needed to. Once dry the finish was lightly sanded using Micromesh to polish away any flaws, and any areas that need a spot of filler were identified and dealt with. After forty-eight hours I then applied a Black pre-shade to all the panel lines and recessed areas to bring more depth to the overall finish. I then applied the lighter of the two colours, however, I couldn’t find a sand colour

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that really worked so I mixed my own using Vallejo Air Sand, Light Brown and Off-White. Once this base colour had dried, I outlined the camouflage scheme using White-Tac and masking tape. I then applied Vallejo Brown Earth in order to get the tone and colour I wanted. I then post-shaded both colours by adding a very small amount of White to the base shades. The standard temperate scheme was then put on after masking-off the desert scheme. The Medium Grey was applied first and then the Dark Green was added and again post shaded as before. After twenty-four hours I then removed the masking and painted the metallic leading edges. Once completed a layer of Vallejo Gloss was lightly sprayed on and left for a further fortyeight hours. As I have already mentioned there are no 1:48 decals for this particular aircraft, and the

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kit decals were quite old and not very sharp, but I only needed to use the stencils as all other markings were sourced either through custom masks, or the ever reliable Xtradecal sheets for RAF numbers and letters. Another coat of gloss was then added and left to dry. The final process was weathering, and here I used Vallejo Dark Grey, Light Grey and Brown washes. Oil stains and fuel leaks were added using Tamiya pigments and the light staining over the wing vortices wings achieved by lightly spraying Off-White across the wings. A Flightpath etched crew access ladder was then attached to the starboard side. I was very pleased with how this turned out. Not a build for the faint hearted, but with patience you can produce a stunning model. MA

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SKYHAWK

Indonesian

Scooter

Alex Sidharta builds a colourful TNI-AU TA-4 Skyhawk

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he story of Indonesian Skyhawk began in late 1970s when the Indonesian Air Force (TNI-AU) desperately needed a dedicated attack aircraft. The spotlight fell on the A-4 Skyhawk, and fortuitously at the time, Israel wanted to sell some of its surplus A-4Es and TA-4s. Under ‘Operation Alpha’ pilots and technicians were quietly sent to Israel for training, and Indonesia then received thirty-five A-4/ TA-4 Skyhawk’s, consisting of thirty-three ex-Israeli A-4E/TA-4s and two ex-US Navy TA-4Js. The aircrafts were delivered between 1980 and 1982, and both ex-US Navy TA-4Js were delivered in 1999 after being retrofitted in New Zealand. The Skyhawk’s served in Skadron Udara 11 (No.11 Squadron) in Makassar and Skadron Udara 12 (No.12 Squadron) in Pekan Baru. In 1997, all remaining Skyhawk’s joined Skadron Udara 11 in Makassar and were re-painted in a new three-tone low-visibility blue/ grey camouflage, which they wore until being retired in 2004. The kit I am using is the beautifully moulded 1:72 Hasegawa TA-4 Skyhawk ‘Israeli Air Force’ #07307, and I used the limited-edition release that includes resin extended exhaust-cone. To build an Indonesian TA-4, only the extended exhaust is used, the aircraft had no guns, an early

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antenna configuration, chaff/flare dispensers and a square fin tip. Some scratchbuilt parts were used for the blade antenna base near the front wheel bay, and an oval-shape antenna on spine. As usual, the build began with the cockpit, which was painted with Gunze FS36231 Dark Gull Grey, and I used the kit’s instruments decals for the detailing. The after a little more detail painting on the engine fan for, which I used white and the exhaust can, I joined the fuselage halves together. The fit of this Hasegawa kit is mostly good, and only a minimal amount of filler was needed to eliminate the seams. I left the intake lips off and planned to install them after painting. This particular ‘Scooter’ was one of the last Skyhawk’s in Indonesian service, and TL-0416 made her last flight from her base in Makassar to Yogyakarta on the 5th August 2004, along with two other A-4Es. Indonesia doesn’t use Federal

TA-4 Skyhawk ‘Israeli Air Force’ Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded and resin Kit Number:07307

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21 INDONESIAN SCOOTER

The Indonesian Skyhawk’s were re-painted in a new three-tone low-visibility blue/grey/brown camouflage

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SKYHAWK

Standard or any other military paint standards and all of their Skyhawk’s were repainted locally. This makes an non-uniform look when all aircraft were parked together, as some were darker than the others. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to match the actual colours to my FS paint chips. The real ones are very similar to FS36495, FS36306 and FS35184 chips, so I used Gunze #C338 and #EC-20 and Model Master #2132. Not an exact match, but good enough. For the markings I used the excellent FCM #48-044 sheet and Microscale Decal Solutions. A few aircraft received the ‘Operation Alpha’ logo (a black bird carrying bomb) on their fins just before the retirement, and this bird was one of them. I then sealed it all in with a coat of gloss ready for weathering stage. I then ‘sludge-washed’ the model using a mix of Windsor & Newton Payne Grey and Burnt Sienna, and removed any excess with a cotton bud. I also used some

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AK Interactive products and Tamiya’s Weathering Master Set for more effects. Then I sprayed on a matt coat to seal everything in, and installed all of the smaller parts. I used the kit-supplied blade antenna (#E5) onto the previously scratchbuilt base near the front gear, the thin antenna (#E11) on spine behind the canopy, and the formation light (#W3) just behind the antenna as the original site was replaced by a white-painted, oval-shape antenna. Overall, this was an enjoyable build and definitely Hasegawa has delivered one of the best Skyhawk kits around. MA

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DASSAULT RAFALE M

Harmattan ‘Hammer’ Danumurthi Mahendra builds a strike configured 1:48 Revell Rafale M, as used over Libya in 2011

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always have a soft-spot for delta-winged aircraft and I think the Dassault Rafale stands as is one of the sexiest fourth-generation aircraft in the world today. I could totally be biased, of course, but when I got hold of the 1:48 scale Revell kit I knew I had to build one. This Rafale M is the latest re-issue from Revell with new parts and decals. What I like most about this kit is the level of surface and interior details, which include the landing gear, pylons, and weapons. However, the fit is rather a mix bag: some areas are great but others need intensive filling and sanding, and also I think they could do more in the decal department. The cockpit was the first section I assembled and it went together very nicely, and because the actual cockpit is black, I sprayed different shades of black and dry-brushed

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Dassault Rafale M Manufacturer: Revell Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 04517

the raised details with light grey to make it more interesting. I painted the MFDs XF-5 Flat Green and sealed them off with clear gloss and then I painted the ejection seat black and the seat cushion XF-58 Olive Green. I found out that jumping through the instructions sequence actually helped build a better Rafale, and one such case was the front fuselage section. Once you have inserted the cockpit and put the two fuselage halves together, you should jump straight into installing the intakes and nose cone. Leave the canards behind as they

get in the way of properly filling and sanding areas around the intakes. When you install the nose cone, make sure you insert enough weights to avoid a ‘tail-sitter’! Up to this stage, the biggest hassle was the intakes. I found the inevitable gaps and the steps but I could take to minimize them by aligning the intakes to the lower fuselage. I chose to do this because the lower area is packed with intricate details, and aligning them this way helped preserved the details as much as possible. I use slow-curing cement to have more time aligning the bond. Since there isn’t much detail, the steps on the upper side were dealt by scraping the surface, leveling it with putty, and sanding it smooth. Later

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25 DASSAULT RAFALE M on I would re-scribe the few lost panel lines. Another challenge is getting the wings’ dihedral angle correct, and I needed to smooth out the seam lines that ran through the lower side of the wing roots. Trying to preserve as much surface details as possible, I masked off the seams and left 3-4mm gap for the putty, which help avoid any unnecessary spills. Once set, I removed all excess putty using cotton swabs dipped in nail polish remover. After a few swipes the gaps are gone, and the surface details were intact. Next in line was working on the landing gear. After assembling the multiple parts, I painted the struts and wheel hub Alclad Aluminium, and as I wanted the tires to have a ‘weighted’ look, I trimmed off 0.5mm from the base of each. After masking, I sprayed the XF-85 Rubber Black. Moving toward the clear canopies, I dipped them in a Johnson’s ‘Klear’ bath and let dry for forty-eight hours. I always like to have them in the same tone as the model, so once dried I masked them off and fixed all of them onto the fuselage. I noticed a gap near the windshield and I filled and sanded it smooth. With the cockpit sealed, the model is ready for its first drop of paint. Navalised Rafale Ms get a lot of attention from their crews and are exposed to grease, oil, and the elements, and as such get pretty dirty as many reference images showed. My goal therefore was to to paint the model in layers of different grey shades until it was completely opaque. The different shades– from darker to lighter – were meant to break the monotone look and make my Rafale more interesting and weathered. Once I laid down some Mr. Surfacer

I chose an aircraft from Flotilla 12F that had participated in Operation ‘Harmattan’

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DASSAULT RAFALE M

Operation ‘Harmattan’

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he Operation Harmattan was the code name for the French contribution to the 2011 military intervention in Libya, which ended in the October of that year. During the conflict, Rafale’s typically conducted six-hour sorties over Libyan airspace, carrying an armament of four MICA air-to-air missiles, four or six AASM ‘Hammer’ bombs, a Damocles targeting pod and two drop tanks.

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DASSAULT RAFALE M

Black primer, I started marbling with highly diluted XF-54 Dark Sea Grey. I did this for the next consecutive layers, randomizing the spray pattern and building up opacity. Then I mixed in some XF-19 Sky Grey to vary the base colour. For the exhaust nozzles and APU exhaust, they received a base coat of Alclad Aluminium over sprayed with Model Master Steel and Burnt Metal Metalizer. I then sprayed clear gloss over the entire model to prepare it for decaling. As I wanted to build a battle proven Rafale, I chose an aircraft from Flotilla 12F that had participated in Operation ‘Harmattan’, the French involvement in the 2011 Libyan conflict. With a little dab of Mr. Mark Setter, the thin and registered decals set itself nicely onto the surface. To emphasis the panel lines, I mixed Tamiya’s Panel Line Accent Black, Grey (or together with Brown) and worked the panel lines. Now I love to weather my aircraft, so to recreate the grime, filth, and streaks I used several materials. The filthy underside was replicated by airbrushing a mix of X-19 Smoke, Flat Brown, and Flat Black. Laying down a small drop of Black enamel paint and swiping them with a flat brush in the direction of the airflow did the streaks. Dabbing a mix of highly diluted red brown and black using a finely pointed brush created oil stains. I studied a lot of reference shots to ensure that the weathering is kept irregular and random.

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Revell gives you a really nice load. I loaded my Rafale with three 1000-gallon tanks, six GBU-12 smart bombs, a pair of infra-red MICAs, and R.550 Magic IIs on the wing tip rails. With few decals and not much detail here I decided to paint the weapons to make them more interesting. I masked the clear IR sensors before painting the main body White and the tips Silver. For the GBU-12s, I painted the warhead section XF-58 Olive Green, while the tail, guidance and control units Mr. Color 307 Grey and Flat Brown. I wanted to install the Damocles pod but there were no instructions for installing the pod, so out came my references. To secure all of the stores and pods, I drilled out holes in the bombs, pylons, and wings and inserted some 5mm copper plugs before adding CA glue. Final touches include installing the pitot tube, navigation lights, wheel bay doors, and securing the main clear canopy in an opened-position. Overall I think this is one of Revell’s best kits so far, and with a little bit of effort, research, and imagination, I was able to create a battle-proven Rafale the way I wanted it. MA

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SIX-GUN SCHWALBE

Six-Gun Schwalbe

Ian Cooper builds the 1:48 HobbyBoss Me-262 A-1a/U5

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he information that comes with this kit reminds us that the Messerschmitt Me262 was the first jet fighter in the world, and project work had begun as early as April 1939 on a turbine jet powered aircraft, and the first flight took place on 18th July 1942. The version reproduced in this 1:48 HobbyBoss offering is the Me-262 A-1a/U5, which was the only one of its kind, a one-off prototype that carried six 30mm Mk 108 auto-cannons in the nose. Because significant weight is needed in the nose to avoid it ‘tail sitting’, Hobby Boss thoughtfully provide an alternative gun mount part in cast metal, which I used, although there was some fitting issues here. The metal part made it difficult to join the two fuselage halves together forward of the cockpit, but eventually with the help of plenty of glue and some strong rubber bands, the problem was solved.

The main work on the kit began with the cockpit, the cannon bays, gear bays and engine intakes and exhausts. Alclad was used for the cannon and metal areas, and the interior surfaces were painted with Tamiya RLM Grey XF-22, and I added some seatbelts fashioned

The Me-262 A-1a/U5, was a one-off prototype

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Me-262 A-1a/U5, Manufacturer: HobbyBoss Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: plastic injection moulded with white metal Kit Number: 80373

from masking tape for more effect. The rest of the model went together well with a tiny bit of filler and Mr Surfacer needed on the joins, and I was ready for painting. As I used Tamiya paints here, and some mixing of shades was inevitable, and I found a useful reference online to the main camouflage colours being mixed as follows -Brown Violet - XF-61 (7 parts), XF-63 (3 parts) and XF-2 (1 part), Light Green - XF-26 (8), XF-61 (1) and XF-2 (1) and Light Blue - XF-2 (7), XF-23 (1) and XF-66 (2) I started painting with the underside with the Light Blue and followed that by masking-off the lower surfaces ready for the main topside camouflage, using Tamiya tape for the straight edges and BluTac for the curved, soft edges. The mottling was then added freehand in both Light Green and Brown Violet. The metal band to the font of the fuselage was added using Alclad Silver and finally the RLM Grey nose completed the job. The entire model was then sealed using Johnson’s ‘Klear’ mixed with Tamiya thinners.

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29 SIX-GUN SCHWALBE

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The kit decals were a little thick but went on with no problems, and once they were sealed with another coat of ‘Klear’ they looked fine. A panel wash was then added using an oil paint/white spirit mix and then Tamiya Flat Coat finished it off. The landing gear, gear bay doors, cockpit and the cannon access doors were added last. MA

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SAM-MDSD-05-Tiger-Ad_Layout 1 13/01/2017 09:38 Page 1

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dedicated reconnaissance version, the RF-5 ‘Tigereye’ and the ill-fated F-20 ‘Tigershark’. For the F-5 it has been a fast ride into aviation history! The story of the F-5 is brought to life in this new MDF Scaled Down from SAM Publications, and the types background; operators, colour schemes and roles are all included, along with colour profiles, technical diagrams and extensive walk arounds. This is a must have book for the enthusiast and modeller alike.

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FIGHTING FALCON

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Viper

Chilean

Andrés Fonesca Wilder builds the 1:72 Academy kit as a ‘Peace Puma’ F-16

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he F-16 made its first appearance with the Fuerza Aérea de Chile (FACh - Chilean Air Force) in January 2006, when a pair of two-seaters, the first of ten Block 50 fighters arrived in the country as part of the ‘Peace Puma’ program. These ten aircraft were then based at Los Cóndores air base, in the north of Chile, being and assigned to the Grupo de Aviación N°3. For this build I am using the 1:72 Academy kit as it builds very well straight-from-thebox. I also added an Aires cockpit and radar, a CMK exterior detail set, Eduard exhaust, airbrakes and wheels, Master Model pitot and AoA probes Eduard Maverick missiles and Litening pod, a JHMCS helmet from Modern Hobbies and Python IV missiles from Skunkworks. I began by adapting the Aires cockpit to fit the

F-16C/J Fighting Falcon Manufacturer: Academy Scale: 1:72 kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 12415

airframe, and after some sanding and filing and with the help of Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty it slotted in nicely. I also added some more detailing to the Aces II ejector seat. The cockpit parts where primed with Ammo of MIG Black Surface Primer and then given a base coat of US Interior Grey, from Chilean producer K4. I then added some highlights to bring out the details. Then a coat

of Tamiya Gloss was applied followed by an Ammo of MIG Dark Wash, and finally a matt finish with Testors Dullcoat. The instrument glasses then received a touch of gloss varnish at the end. A similar process was done on the other resin parts, such as the electronics bay, Vulcan cannon bay and radar. Given I did not have any aftermarket replacements, I started to detail the undercarriage wells and doors with plastic card, a little stretched sprue, some lead and copper wire and some etched pieces. The kits undercarriage legs where however, replaced with some from a Tamiya kit along with Eduard Brassin wheels.

The Viper is displayed on Uschi van der Rosten printed Tarmac

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exhaust I began with a darker ‘ring of Tamiya Chrome Silver, and once dry I masked off a fine line and the painted on some Alclad Jet Exhaust. The ‘turkey feathers’ were primed with Tamiya Gloss Black and then painted over with Alclad Pale Burnt Metal. Then more burnt metal effects were achieved airbrushing very diluted Tamiya Clear Orange, Blue and Smoke and then detailed by brush. With the main gloss coat now dry I moved on to weathering. For the panel lines I added some Ammo of MIG Dark Wash and painted on fuel and lubricant stains with Windsor & Newton oils. I also added a few chips and scratches and finally sealed everything in with another application of Testors Dullcoat. The weapons and undercarriage were then further enhanced with stencils and weathering, and its these small details can turn an average looking model to an eyecatching miniature.

CHILEAN VIPERS

Although the CMK kit provides a new radome, I preferred the kit one and then installed Master Models pitot and AoA probes. The nose section needs lots of work in order to install the Aires radar and CMK electronics bay, so patience is definitely the watchword here. The inside of the canopy also received some attention with handholds and JHMCS helmet sensor being added. Once all this was complete and masked off I added a coat of Rustoleum Grey Primer followed by some Black pre-shading. Camouflage painting began with the undersides which were FS3640, and I also added some ‘paint patches’ to represent local touch-ups. The upper camouflage consisted of an FS35237 base with big FS3652 blotches, and I used the same technique as for the undersides. Once I was happy, I airbrushed on a coat of Tamiya Gloss and then added the markings from the excellent TwoBobs ‘Peace Puma Vipers’ set, followed by another coat of Gloss to protect them. On the

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FIGHTING FALCON

Chilean Vipers

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t the end of the 2000 Chilean government decided to purchase ten new Block 50 F-16s and in 2005 agreed a purchase a total of eighteen ex-Dutch F-16s that were already upgraded with the MLU conversion package and 2008 another batch of former Dutch F-16s were also purchased under the ‘Peace Amstel I and II’ programs. Chilean Vipers are able to carry the Israeli Python 4, Derby and AMRAAM missiles, the latter being

were approved sale by the US Congress. For low-level navigation the FACh also purchased twenty-five Litening pods from the Netherlands.

I then added a modified mechanic from an old Hasegawa figure and added a pilot’s helmet bag and added all this to a simple base built with a Uschi van der Rosten printed Tarmac on an inexpensive photo-frame. MA

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 109E3

An Emblematic Emil Angel Exposito details the 1:48 Tamiya Messerschmitt Bf 109E3

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oday there are many manufacturers who have in their catalogues faithful reproductions of this iconic German fighter, but for me best versions come from Tamiya, and this 1:48 example is a case in point. It is exquisite in all aspects, and needs absolutely nothing added, except I applied some seat belts and a little more etch in the cockpit – but that’s a personal choice. Also you have the ability to show the flaps and slaps deflected, as well as the opportunity to finish the aircraft in a choice of camouflage schemes including units stationed in France in 1940, and in Norway. To enhance to the look of the finished model I took the opportunity to add more rivet detail, and of course the aforementioned Eduard cockpit extras. As for painting the cockpit, I began with a coat of Black then some RLM02 to achieve the tone of my choice. Then I added a gloss coat and some oil washes and finally sealed everything in with a matt layer. The rest of the kit, as can be expected went together without any problems, and I was soon ready to paint. Again I began with a primer coat followed by some Black pre-shading, and then a coat of Gunze H67RLM65 on the undersurfaces and sides of the fuselage. The upper surfaces were then painted in the classic Gunze RLM71/RLM02/ RLM65 with a ‘splinter’ pattern of course. Once dry a coat of gloss was added and the markings applied. Next came some weathering and I turned to my trusty oil washes on the panel

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Messerschmitt Bf 109E3 Manufacturer: Tamiya Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 10911

lines and rivet detail, and as usual any excess was removed with a cotton bud. I also added some chips and sctatches to the fusealge and especially in areas of high wear. For the stains, leaks again I used oils and for the exhaust marks I airbrushed on a subtle tone of Light Buff, then with another darker tome over the top, and finally some Black as a centre. The entire model was then sealed with Alclad Clear Matt, and my classic Bf 109 was complete. MA

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37 AN EMBLEMATIC EMIL

Working on the cockpit

The Tamiya kit is exquisite in all aspects, and needs absolutely nothing added

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MESSERSCHMITT BF 109E3

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Masking off the camouflage pattern

Adding the rivet detailing

Adding subtle mottling and shading

Gunze H67RLM65 was applied on the undersides

Applying the exhaust staining

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39 SU-33 FLANKER D

Model Aircraft Extra

SU-33 Flanker D

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he Sukhoi Su-33 Flanker-D is an allweather carrier based, twin-engined air superiority and derived from the Su-27 and initially known as the Su27K. Compared with the Su-27, the Su-33 has a strengthened landing gear and structure, folding wings and stabilators for carrier operations. The Su-33 also has canards, and the wings are larger than the Su-27 for increased lift, with upgraded engines with a twin nosewheel, and is air refuelable. First used in operations in 1995 aboard the carrier Admiral Kuznetov, the fighter officially entered service in August 1998, by which time the designation Su-33 was used. Following the break up of

the Soviet and the subsequent downsizing of the Russian Navy, only twenty-four aircraft produced. With plans to retire the Su-33 once they reach the end

The Su-33 carries guided missiles such as the R-73, R-27E on twelve hardpoints

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of their service life, the Russian Navy ordered the MiG-29K as a replacement in 2009. To prepare for the operations of the Su-27K and the rival MiG29K on-board the new carrier, work proceeded on the development of the steam catapult, arrestor and optical and radio landing systems. Conceptual designs of the Su-27K commenced in 1978, and full-scale design started the guidance of Konstantin Marbyshev. The two prototypes were constructed in conjunction

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SU-33 FLANKER D

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41 SU-33 FLANKER D

with KnAAPO in 1986–1987, with the first of two known versions twin-seat Su-33UBs, making their first flights in 1999 and were known as the Su-27KUB, ‘Korabelny Uchebno-Boevo’, or ‘carrier combat trainer‘. To adapt the original Su-27 for naval operations, Sukhoi first incorporated a reinforced structure and undercarriage to withstand the great stress experienced upon landing, particularly quick descents and non-

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flare landings. The leading edge flaperons and slats and other control surfaces were enlarged to provide increased lift and manoeuvrability at low speeds, although the wingspan remains unchanged. The rear radome has also been shortened and reshaped to prevent it striking the deck during landings. The Su-33 carries guided missiles such as the R-73, R-27E on twelve hardpoints, supplemented

by the 150-round 30mm cannon. It can also carry an assortment of unguided rockets, bombs and cluster bombs for secondary air-to-ground missions, and the aircraft can be used in both night and day operations. The Su-27K entered service in the mid-1990s, and officially entered service 31 August 1998 with the 279th Naval Fighter Regiment of the Northern Fleet, and Russian Navy currently operates nineteen Su-33s.

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SU-33 FLANKER D

Flanker Fighter Alan Kelly builds the 1:48 Kinetic Su-33

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or this build I’m using the new 1:35 Kinetic Su-33 Flanker D kit, which comprises of 253 parts in grey styrene, ten clear parts and the markings for nineteen aircraft, across both squadrons aboard the Admiral Kuznetov. However, there is only one colour scheme. Upon first inspection the kit looks extremely well detailed, especially around the cockpit, and landing gear bays. The missiles and engine nozzles have also been beautifully done, and the missiles themselves are one-piece and have been slide moulded. There are four seams that will need to be scraped away due to the moulding process, but this is easily done. The same can be said for the engine nozzles and burner cans- there really is no need to purchase any aftermarket items here. The only additional purchase I made was the Quickboost K-36DM ejector seat. The instructions appear to be a photocopy of CAD drawings and are quite difficult to decipher in places, so caution is advised. I will be using the Mr Paint colours for the first time, after reading many excellent reviews and I used are MRP-199 Blue, MRP-200 Dark Blue and MRP-201 Light Grey. Construction began in the cockpit as usual,

Su-33 Flanker D Manufacturer: Kinetic Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 48062

and here there is a lot of detail moulded into the rear bulkhead so I would recommend not gluing this in place until after it has been painted. I fixed the side consoles, rudder pedals and control column into place and then gave them a coat of Mr Paint Sukhoi Cockpit Blue-Grey, and wow - this paint is incredible. It goes on very smoothly, without any pooling and was dry in a matter of minutes to a tough, durable finish. I used Ammo of MIG Dark Wash in the corners and shadow areas. I then picked

The cockpit was enhanced with a Quickboost K-36DM ejector seat

Work being undertaken on the wheel bays

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43 SU-33 FLANKER D

out all the various switches and buttons using Vallejo acrylics to produce a very busy looking office once all the detail was painted in. I used some of the new AK Interactive Gauzy Agent Glass Coat to simulate the glass in the dials, as this product has been developed to give clear parts an extremely realistic transparent look, and it certainly did the trick for the dials. Next up was the seat. First I primed the resin in Badger Stynylrez Black Primer and then gave it a dry brush of Dark Grey highlighting all the raised areas, before adding in the metallic’s and various buttons. I also painted the harness, before giving it a sealing coat and adding various placards from Airscale decals. The ejection release handle was from the kit as it looks much truer to scale than the resin part. Before gluing anything in place I had to complete the arduous task of painting in all the moulded detail in the wheel wells – and there are plenty of wires and hydraulic pipes to be seen here. Similarly to the cockpit area, I thoroughly recommend not gluing any of the pieces together until all the detail is painted in as

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it can be difficult to get the paintbrush into some of the areas later. The front well was painted RLM65 Light Blue, as was the rear wells., and part of the rear’s sidewalls needed to be painted bright red. The next stage was to build up and add the intakes. The turbines blades are etched parts and needed to be twisted to shape. The construction of the landing gear was quite an extensive undertaking, and the front landing leg is made up of fourteen separate pieces alone. When looking at reference pictures of the landing gear, it is hard not to notice all the piping and hydraulic cables that are on the legs, so I decided to try and add as much as possible. This was accomplished with some lead wire from Plus Model and Albion Alloys tubing cut to replicate the connectors. It

really does add a much better sense of realism to the landing gear. This was all painted up ready to be glued in place. The two main landing gear legs were also detailed in much the same way as the front, and I added connections using Albion alloy tubing to the Oleo struts for all the brake cables, and then added the lines using lead wire. These were painted using Mr Paint MRP201 Light Grey. I painted up all the tyres, gave them a shadow wash and then dry brushed the raised areas to show highlights. I refined this by accentuating the highlights using Vallejo acrylics once again and a Winsor & Newton Series 7 000 brush. At this stage I decided to get all the rest of the sub-assemblies made up and ready for paint, as due to the shape and size of the model, I felt it would be much easier to proceed this way and

Kinetic have produced a top-notch kit with this Su-33

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SU-33 FLANKER D The nosewheel is a kit in itself…….

….and the mainwheels benefit from a little extra detailing I used bespoke paint mix of Mr Surfacer 1200, Mr Hobby H2 Gloss Black, and Mr Color Self Levelling Thinner. Then I used Tamiya bendable masking tape

I chose to mask each area starting with the Dark Blue…..

…..once dry I applied the Light Blue with more masking…..

…..and then the Grey, which then received a panel line wash……

….and the decals completed the look

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To colour the engines I used Alclad Hot Metal shades

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

SU-33 FLANKER D

bring it all together at the end. For my primer coat I used bespoke paint mix of Mr Surfacer 1200, Mr Hobby H2 Gloss Black, and Mr Color Self Levelling Thinner. This gives a Dark Grey durable coat. The masking process was a very time consuming affair due to the nature of the three-colour camouflage scheme used on the aircraft, and I decided to use the white, bendable Tamiya masking tape for this task. I chose to mask each area starting with the Dark Blue. Once dry I did the Light Blue, then onto the Grey. Next up I chose to paint the bottom of the fuselage. This was primed in my homemade mix before using the Mr Paint Light Grey. The fit of top to bottom fuselage was very good and it did not take much effort to get both glued together, and I ran a little Mr Surfacer around the joins before sanding smooth and priming. I then added the radome onto the front of the aircraft and the various pitot’s and small antenna ready for painting.

45

The underside components ready to fit

Green area under the speed brake. Once this was done the airframe was sealed in Gauzy ready for decals, weathering and final assembly The engine area of this aircraft is a visually interesting area and quite a challenge to paint. So first I glossed the area that would be finished metallic, and then sprayed each panel Alclad Aluminium, before using their Hot Metal Shades to show the various discolouration’s due to engine structure and heat. I used Sepia, Red, Violet and Blue, before picking out some of the access panels in Vallejo Chrome, and once sealed, I gave it a black wash. The afterburner cans and thrust vectoring nozzles were painted Gloss Black, before coating in Alclad Stainless Steel. There is a lot of heat discolouration around

the rear nozzles on the real aircraft, and again the Alclad Hot Metal paints are perfect for replicating this. The Blue is the prevalent colour, so I airbrushed this over the Steel undercoat, but also added various areas in Sepia, Violet and Red. Overall I think I captured this well. The internals were painted black and Ammo of MIG Rainmarks Effects wash used to simulate the smoke discolouration within the nozzles. Kinetic have reproduced the afterburner assembly in etch, and this is quite fiddly, and I found it quite difficult to get the three pieces aligned and glued together. The decals have been designed by Cross Delta and printed by Cartograph. They went down beautifully with a coat of Microsol, leaving no

The cockpit with glazing added

Sadly I soon discovered how brittle the smaller parts were as he static dischargers on the wing tips and tail planes all broke off, the hinges on the flaps had to be fixed, some of the small pieces on the undercarriage had to be repaired, and every one of the four pitot tubes around the cockpit snapped, plus the thin U-shaped pipe that runs around the inside of the canopy snapped into three pieces. In the end I decided to cut all the static dischargers and all the pitot tubes off and replace these with stretched sprue. I painted all the areas around the fuselage edges and masked the nose off before spraying this Flat White, and I also added the White areas to the front of the wings. I then moved to the area around the cockpit, finishing painting the Dark Blue areas and the rear canopy in Sukhoi Blue cockpit colours. The fit of the front canopy was perfect, so I decided to leave it off until final assembly stage. The last area to be painted was the Interior

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The kit supplied missiles are very well done

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SU-33 FLANKER D ScaleModelworld

Silver

The finished look of the undersides

Alan’s Flanker took Silver at the 2016 IPMS Scale Modelworld

silvering and snuggled neatly down into all panel lines. My only complaint and I never thought I would ever hear myself say this, is there are not enough stencils included! For the weathering I used several Ammo of MIG washes and grime products. I decided to be quite subtle, but still wanted to make it look used. I added streaks on the flaps and ailerons, and around the various access hatches using Dark Streaking grime, blended with a combination of a moistened wide brush and cotton buds. I used Sky Grey to do a panel line wash on the bottom of the airframe, and a mix of black and Sky Grey on the upper sides. I added fading and sun bleaching to the paint using Ammo of MIG Rainmarks Effects, and all in all I was very happy with the effect it created. Once the airframe is complete it all had to be married up and the vertical stabilisers and

tail planes were added. The two canards were then glued on and the pins for the wing fold assembly added. There were still plenty of small assemblies to be fixed in place such as the undercarriage doors and hydraulic actuators, the refuelling probe, the rear canopy and frame, and finally weapons. Kinetic have produced a top-notch kit with this Su-33. It goes together without any real issues and the detail moulded into the plastic parts is stunning in places. I will say this is not a kit for a beginner- there were plenty of times I thought I was never going to see the end of the project. But I got there in the end and I’m rather pleased with my Sea Flanker! MA

The wingfold mechanism is nicely realised

The detail moulded into the plastic parts is stunning in places

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SAM-MDF27-Jaguar-Ad_Layout 1 14/11/2016 16:58 Page 1

JAGUAR

7 F2 W! MDT NO OU

THE SEPECAT

A C O M P REHENS IVE G U ID E

Cover for illustration purposes only

British, French & International Versions By Andy Evans

B

orn out of Anglo-French accord and later discord, the SEPECAT Jaguar became one of the most capable and formidable fast jets of the 20th Century. The Jaguar has served with distinction in the Close Air Support and Reconnaissance roles with the Royal Air Force and Armée de L’Air, and enjoyed some export success with Oman, Ecuador, Nigeria and India, who are now the last operators of the aircraft. Slated for retirement from RAF service in the early 1990’s, the Jaguar was suddenly thrust back into the spotlight with the Gulf War, and proved to the decision makers just what a capable and versatile aircraft they had, and one worth future investment rather than just the scrapman's torch. This new Datafile from SAM Publications is not only an account of the Jaguar's airframe, operators, roles and systems, but also a celebration of a much-loved aircraft, and one sadly missed in our skies. Includes full details of the aircraft in service, comprehensive walk arounds, colour profiles, scale plans and how to model the Jaguar in popular scales.

THE BIG

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MDF 27 JAGUAR

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WWII BRITISH BOMBERS

COMBAT-ZONE

British Bombers of World War II Anthony Tucker-Jones offers a brief survey of the merits of Britain’s Second World War medium and heavy bomber fleet

E

very schoolboy has heard of the iconic Lancaster bomber, but this was not the only type in Bomber Command’s massive inventory. Yet apart from the much less glamourous Halifax, the Lancaster’s other stablemates remain little known. In fact, the RAF started the war with three four engine heavy bombers and half a dozen twin-engine medium bombers. Many of which were deployed in a wide very variety of roles. Getting the weight to power ratio proved problematic with many of the early designs. The first of the heavies was the Short Stirling which failed to make its mark, because it suffered from a very poor operational

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The largely unsuccessful Stirling bomber

ceiling caused by a reduction in its wing span. This was due to a penny-pinching edict from the Air Ministry that the aircraft had to fit inside existing hangers. Not only was it the first four engine heavy bomber to enter service, it was the only British four engine bomber designed as such, as both the Lancaster and Halifax were

developments of two engine designs On the ground the Stirling had a very pronounced nose up position thanks to its very high landing gear. This tall undercarriage was designed to shorten take-offs and landings and featured the largest wheels fitted to an operational aircraft during the war. The nose-up

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The Stirling Mk I was powered by four engines that gave it a maximum speed of 270mph and a range of over 2000 miles. Capable of carrying 14000lb of bombs for self-defence the aircraft was armed with six .303in machine guns. Although unwieldy on the ground the Stirling proved manoeuvrable in the air and stable in flight. Nonetheless the 99ft wingspan plus a full bomb load meant the aircraft struggled to reach 12,000ft - in theory is was capable of 17,000ft. This left it vulnerable to enemy fighters and flak. The first unit to be equipped with the Stirling was No.7 Squadron in August 1940. Initially based at RAF Leeming, in Yorkshire it relocated to RAF Oakington, near Cambridge in October 1940. It remained there for the rest of the war but converted to Lancaster. The squadron conducted its first operational sortie on 10/11 February 1941 attacking an oil storage depot at Rotterdam. The principal variant was the Mk III fitted with Hercules XVI engines and a twin gun dorsal turret. Despite all its shortcomings the Stirling equipped fifteen Bomber Command squadrons and served as a bomber until September 1944. Although no longer suitable as a bomber the Mk IV and V were used as transport and glider tugs. In total 2374 Stirling’s were produced. Under specification P.13/36 the Air Ministry issued a remit for a twin-engine medium bomber, which resulted in the Avro Manchester.

COMBAT-ZONE

The twin-engine Manchester predecessor of the four engine Lancaster

49

Bombs being loaded into the Halifax bomb bay

The Halifax proved a very valuable workhorse alongside the Lancaster

attitude provide an adequate angle for sufficient lift during take-off. However, this made the aircraft difficult to handle on the ground. To compound matters, the undercarriage retraction motors could be unreliable and were not really up to the job. The Stirling did not get off to a terrible auspicious start. It was designed to a 1936

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requirement, but the prototype did not take to the air for another two years and then it was only half scale. The full scale prototype flew on the eve of the Second World War in May 1939. On this inaugural fight the undercarriage gave way and the prototype was damaged beyond repair. Despite this production was greenlighted.

Although the airframe design was robust, especially the strong wing structure, power proved a problem. Fighter Command’s Hurricanes and Spitfires needed the Merlin engines, so the Manchester by default used the 1312kW (1760hp) Rolls-Royce Vulture twentyfour cylinder engine. These were prone to catching fire and proved unreliable making the Manchester a potential death trap. The Manchester prototype took to the air on 25 July 1939 with a second aircraft conducting trials on 26 May 1940. It was soon discovered that airflow along the fuselage was disrupted when the nose turret rotated whilst in flight. This was remedied by moving the axis of rotation forward slightly, and the wingspan was also increased by ten

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WWII BRITISH BOMBERS

The Hampden one of the RAF’s most important medium bombers at the start of WW2. Note the thin fuselage

feet. The Manchester Mk I featured a distinctive central tail fin as well as twin fins and rudders. The engines gave a speed of 265mph at 17000ft and could take 10350lb of bombs. The first twenty aircraft were followed by 180 Mk IAs with the central fin omitted. The Manchester became operational in November 1940 with No.207 Squadron. Six aircraft took part in a raid on Brest harbour on the night of 24/25 February 1941. The upper gunner found the Frazer-Nash FN7 upper gun turret very uncomfortable especially on prolonged flights. The Rolls-Royce Vulture engines regularly failed to provide full power at vital moments. This and unexpected engine fires resulted in a loss rate of 40 per cent of Manchester’s on operation and 25 per cent during training. As a result the bomber was withdrawn from frontline service in 1942. The Manchester apart from its engines was a promising bomber and the Mk III was modified to take not two but four Merlin engines. The wingspan increased from 90ft to 102ft. This became the prototype of the much more famous Avro Lancaster. Unlike many of Bomber Command’s other bombers the designers got it right from the start with the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber. It saw few modifications during its long production run. The prototype Lancaster BI flew on 9 January 1941 and the first operational sortie occurred on 2 March 1942 when four Lancaster’s dropped mines in the Heligoland Bight. The Mk I was powered by four 1223kW (1640hp) Rolls-Royce Merlin XX or twenty-four 12-cylinder Vee engines. This gave the aircraft a maximum speed of 287mph, an operational ceiling of 19000ft and a range of 1730 miles.

The nose configuration of the Lancaster was largely the same as the earlier Manchester

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Armours preparing bombs for a Hampden

Hampdens flying in close formation

Capable of carrying a 12000lb bomb load the Mk I (later renamed B.Mk I and finally B.Mk X) gained a reputation for being sturdy, pleasing to handle with good offensive and defensive firepower. The most famous Lancaster raid was carried out by No.617 Squadron in May 1943 against the Ruhr Dams. This operation employed 19 B.Mk I (Specials) with a ‘cut out’ bomb bay to take the Barnes Wallis mine (known as the ‘bouncing bomb’). Also to save weight the nose and dorsal turrets were removed and in the tail turret the normal armament of four machine guns was reduced to two. On the night of 15/16 September 1943 the squadron made the first operational use of the 12000lb Tallboy bomb. These were used to attack the Dortmund-Ems canal. Later on 14

March 1945 the enormous 22000lb Grand Slam bomb was dropped by Specials on the Bielefeld viaduct. The end of the war had dropped forty of these bombs. The shortage of Rolls-Royce Merlin engines resulted in the Lancaster Mk III (later B.Mk III and B.Mk 3) powered by the American licence built Packard V-1650 in its Merlin 28, 38 or 224 forms. It was also selected for production by Victory Aircraft Ltd of Toronto Canada, which built 300 as the Mk X. In total 7379 Lancaster’s were produced including 3294 Mk Is. Although much less famous than the Lancaster the Handley Page Halifax served Bomber Command well over Germany. The first two prototypes flew in 1939 and initial production aircraft were dubbed the Halifax Mk I Series I. This was

The Lancaster proved highly versatile with almost 7,400 built

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

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Halifax Mk III powered by Bristol Hercules engines



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100 aircraft were produced as the very similar Hereford training aircraft. The Hampden was powered by two 746kW (1000hp) Bristol Pegasus XVII nine cylinder single row radial engines. These provided 255mph, with a range of 1885 miles, service ceiling of 22700ft capable of carrying 2000lb of bombs. Initially used as a reconnaissance aircraft the Hampden was found to be vulnerable to agile enemy fighters and was switched to a night bomber before being withdrawn. It ended its days as a torpedo bomber conducting anti-shipping missions for Coastal Command. The Armstrong Whitworth Whitley suffered the same fate. The Whitely entered service in 1937 and was obsolescent by the outbreak of war. Intended as a night bomber it avoided the early heavy losses. However, it could not maintain altitude on a single engine and was withdrawn from front line service in 1942. Nevertheless, over 1800 were built and they saw extensive action. The Armstrong Whitworth Albemarle, which entered service in 1943 although intended as a medium bomber, was only used in a transport/ tug role. Lastly the Wellington was one of the most important bombers at the start of the war. It carried out most of the early operations, especially against the German fleet, until large numbers of heavies were available toward the end of 1941. It first appeared in October 1938 as the Wellington Mk I with 726kW (1000hp) Pegasus XVIII radial engines. The Mk III had Rolls Royce Merlin Vee engines and the IV with Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp radial engines, VI with Merlin engines and X with Hercules engines. Notably Wellingtons formed the major part of the very first 1000 bomber raid. It also had a second career in maritime reconnaissance, transport and training roles. By October 1945, 11461 had been delivered. MA

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followed by the heavier Mk I Series II and the increased range Series III. The main modification came with the Mk II Series I which featured a two-gun dorsal turret and uprated 1037kW (1390hp) XX engines. The Mk II Series I (Special) was fitted with a fairing instead of the nose turret and the engine exhaust muff were omitted. The Mk II Series IA had a drag reducing moulded Perspex nose, which was standard on all subsequent Halifax’s, a four-gun dorsal turret and Merlin 22 engines. It also had rectangular vertical tail surfaces to reduce problems experienced with the original design. The Mk III was powered by four 1204kkW (1615hp) Bristol Hercules XVI radial engines in 1943. This gave it 282mph at 13500ft, though the service ceiling was 24000ft and a range of almost 2000 miles. It was capable of carrying an internal bomb load of 14,500lb. Between the cockpit and the dorsal turret was a teardrop fairing that housed the direction finder aerial. The dorsal turret was a Boulton Paul A Mk III mid-upper turret armed with four 7.62mm machine guns. The rear turret on the late models either had two or four machine guns. These also had on the underside of the fuselage a large radome for the H2S ground mapping radar. It had originally been intended that the Halifax and Lancaster would have a ventral turret in this position. Other variants included the Mk VI and Mk VII which also served as bombers. The Mk VIII and IX were transports. Besides the Manchester the RAF’s other main medium bombers are also worth mentioning. The Handley Page Hampden while a reasonably good design was hampered by a narrow fuselage which confined the crew. The prototype first flew in June 1937 and delivery of the Mk I started in September 1938. In total 1270 were constructed by two British manufacturers with the Canadians building another 160. Also

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SPITFIRE MK.IXC

Silver Spitfire Chad Summers builds a Far East based 1:32 FR.18 of No.28 Squadron

T

he Supermarine Spitfire is arguably one of the best looking fighters of all time and to me, the later marks with the Griffon engine represent the marriage of design beauty and performance. For some reason, though, the Griffon engined Spitfire has not received much attention from mainstream model manufacturers, especially in 1:32. However, Pacific Coast Models released an excellent Mk. XIVc a few years back and the Matchbox Mk.22 has been around for some time. I was really wanting to build a bubble top late model Spit and when I came across the Grey Matters 1:32 Mk.XVIII conversion, I knew I’d found the one. The Grey Matters set is advertised to convert the 1:32 Hasegawa Mk.V but it works great with the Pacific Coast Models kits as well. Given the extra detail in the Pacific Coast Models kit, I determined this to be a better base for the conversion. Grey Matters sell individual resin pieces separately if the modeller wishes to use the Mk.XIV as the base kit, but as I already had a spare Mk.IX, I decided just to use that one along with the full conversion set. I really like the Pacific Coast Models kits with the inclusion of resin and etched details. The only issue with their Spitfire series is that included resin seat is way over scale,

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so I substituted this for one from Barracuda Studios. The Grey Matters conversion comes with a new Griffon engine nose section that is moulded with the upper portion of the wing leading edge. This makes fitting to the Pacific Coast Models kit extremely easy. The set also includes new spinner, props, rear spine, radiators, gun barrels, exhaust, vertical stab, rudder, and wheels. It also includes new tail wheel with new gear doors as well as main wheels. The tail wheel is moulded with the gear so that’s one downside. The other is that the included resin mains are the four-spoke variety and my reference material indicates that the Mk.XVIII was fitted with the threespoke variety. To fix this problem, I used the excellent resin wheels produced by Resin 2 Detail. The other extras I decided to use were turned brass barrels from Master Modeller and the metal landing gear from Scale Aircraft Conversions. Both of these sets are marked improvements over the ones included in the kit and conversion set. Since this is a relatively extensive conversion, construction gets rolling with some major surgery instead of the typical cockpit area.

The Grey Matters instructions provide clear illustrations of the required cuts in the Mk.IX fuse. These include cuts for the new nose, removal of the rear turtle deck, removal of the vertical stab, and cut outs for the retractable tail wheel. When all this is done, there’s not a whole lot left of the Working on the cockpit

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

53 SPITFIRE MK.IXC

Adding the Grey Matters Conversion set

A little work was necessary on the wings to get the correct look for the type

Master barrels are just superb

Ready for painting!

I wanted something unique in terms of markings and came across the RAF’s No.28 Squadron FR.18’s flying out of Kai Tak in Hong Kong Spitfire Mk.IXc Manufacturer: Pacific Coat Models Scale: 1:32 Kit Type: Multi-media Kit Numbers: 32005 Grey Matters Mk.XVIII Resin Conversion Set Barracuda Studios resin seat Resin 2 Detail Three-Spoke Resin Wheels Master Brass Gun Barrels Scale Aircraft Conversions Metal Landing Gear

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original kit fuse pieces. Test fits of all the parts showed relatively good fit despite the extensive nature of the surgery. The only extra work was a little thinning of the rear fuselage halves to get a good joint with the new rear fuse resin cap. Building the cockpit at this point provides necessary support and aids in alignment of all the kit and Grey Matters resin pieces. While I could have used the Hasegawa kit as the base, the Pacific Coast Models kit provides extra detail in the cockpit area. The kit seat brace/support structure needs some slight modification to fit the Barracuda seat. Everything was painted with Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics and then installed in

the fuse halves. The oblique camera ports were drilled out on both fuse halves. I scratchbuilt a camera and fitted it to the starboard side. Since the FR’s only flew with one oblique camera either in the port or starboard position, I put a backing plate in the port side and then fashioned a camera cover using a circular tin cutout. The fit of all the cockpit parts is good and with the fuselage closed-up, and the new resin nose was then installed. It’s a rather heavy, single chunk of resin but it ends up being adequately supported by the lower portion of the main wing. The FR.18 flew with the ‘E’ wing, so some modifications to the ‘C’ wing included in my

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SPITFIRE MK.IXC

I used Alclad Metallic’s for the main colour and a custom Tamiya mix for the camouflage

Pacific Coast Models kit were needed. This included installing new under wing radiators (provided in the Grey Matters conversions set)

as well as filling in some panel lines and sanding down some of the ‘C’ wing bumps and bulges. The biggest difference was in the armament and I didn’t like the look of the Pacific Coast Models or Grey Matters gun barrels. Neither is bad, they just don’t provide the level of finesse compared to the brass barrels available from Master. The Grey Matters radiators are a good bit narrower than those on the Pacific Coast Models kit so to fix this issue; I cut the kit radiators off at the base

and used those base pieces to fill in the recessed areas in the wing. I added a little filler and sanded these areas to create a smooth base for attaching the new resin radiators. The new radiators are not only narrower they are also deeper, so new inlet and outlet close-outs have to be created to prevent the dreaded ‘see through’ look. I created these with sheet styrene and then trimmed the Pacific Coast Models provided etched inlet and exhaust screens so they would fit properly. Grey Matters does not provide radiator louvers so these have to be created from sheet styrene as well. Pacific Coast Models provide some nice resin inserts for the gear bays that close out the area and add nice detail for internal gear bay structure and actuation mechanisms. The Pacific Coast Models kit provides the aft wing to fuselage transition as a separate piece and before attaching it, I drilled out the camera ports and installed the scratchbuilt ventral cameras. The wing to fuselage joint was a little less than perfect, especially around the moulded in wing root areas on the Grey Matters nose section. There were small gaps as well as some minor height differences that had to be filled, faired, and sanded smooth. The oil cooler inlet was added and small gaps filled and sanded smooth. Grey Matters provides new, larger resin elevators so the Pacific Coast Models parts have to have their elevators removed. I added small wire rod to each elevator to allow for later positioning of the elevators. The horizontal stabs are butt joined so I added plastic rods for more

The aircraft is marked as belonging to RAF’s No.28 Squadron flying out of Kai Tak in Hong Kong

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55 SPITFIRE MK.IXC

A look at the undersides Weathering applied using various oil applications and washes

positive and strong joints. Attaching the rudder follows the same process as the elevators. The retractable tail wheel is provided as a single piece with the wheel moulded into the strut. This is inserted into a single piece tail wheel door assembly that attaches to the rear fuselage. I wanted a little more strength in this area so I epoxied a small hollow aluminium tube to accept the tailwheel into the rear fuselage and slid the tail gear in place. There’s no positive location marks or pins for the spinner to attach to the fuselage, so I marked the centre and drilled out the nose and spinner and inserted a hollow brass tube into the fuse and a telescoping tube into the spinner. I wanted something unique in terms of markings and came across an interesting article on the RAF’s No.28 Squadron FR.18’s flying out of Kai Tak in Hong Kong. The squadron was known to strip their mounts in between missions with

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different aircraft showing a variety of natural metal, natural metal and camouflage, and all camouflaged finishes. I thought that TP455 with its stripped fuselage and camouflage wings would provide the unique finish I was looking for. The natural metal areas were primed and painted using Alclad Metallic’s and camouflage was painted with custom mixed Tamiya acrylics. Markings were all masked and airbrushed, using the Montex Mask set for the Revell 1:24 Mk.24 and custom made serials. The Korean ID bands were masked and airbrushed on, as were the yellow leading edge stripes. No.28 Squadron arrived in Korea with their spinners painted in sectioned red and white or blue and white pattern but in some cases these were overpainted with all red or all blue. I chose to section the spinner in red/white. Weathering was applied using various oil applications and washes as well as AK Interactive’s Panel Line Wash. The fuselage was sealed with a semi-gloss clear and the camouflaged wing areas with a flat clear. I replaced the landing gear with metal ones from Scale Aircraft Conversions. The ones I used

were intended for the Tamiya Mk.VIII and as such, they needed to have the actuation arms cut off and metal inserts installed to allow the gear to be inserted into the mounting lugs in the Pacific Coast Models wheel bays, and I added some brake line detail using fine solder. The new Resin2 Detail three-spoke wheels were then painted and installed. Grey Matters provide a replacement set of tubular exhaust and those were painted, weathered, and attached. Some exhaust staining was airbrushed on with highly some thinned tones of black, brown, and grey. I used the kit provided windscreen with the Grey Matters provided bubble canopy. Only issue here is that just one is included, so be careful when trimming it. The whip aerial was made using stretched sprue and installed on the fuse spine. If you want to add a late model Spitfire to your collection, pick up one of these conversions and get out you razor saw and super glue. With a little extra work, you’ll have a unique model while honing your modelling skills along the way. MA

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SPITFIRE PR.XIX

PRU Blue

Thai Spitfire Gerry Doyle adds Aeromaster decals to the 1:48 Airfix Spitfire PR.XIX

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f like me you browse around model shops, shows and swap meets to pick up odds and ends with an ‘that’ll come in handy’ attitude, you end up with a ‘spares-box’ full of forgotten goodies. Such was my pleasure when I got the 1:48 Airfix Spitfire PR.XIX as soon

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as it was released a few years back, and didn’t really know what I wanted to do with it until when flicking through my ‘decal bank’ I found an old Aeromaster set ‘Last of the Legend - Late Far East Spitfires Part 2’. A Royal Thai Air Force machine from 1954 fitted the bill

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57 THAI SPITFIRE

Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX Manufacturer: Airfix Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: A05119

nicely, with a multi-coloured roundel and a PRU Blue/Medium Sea Grey scheme. I also wanted to open up the engine as I had an Aires set. This was designed to fit the Airfix 22/24 but I was fairly confident that I could get it to fit the XIX. I also had Barracudacast’s Wheels, Propellers and Cameras, along with Eduard fabric seat belts and a few resin left overs from other projects. The first job was to separate all the resin from the blocks and clean them. Next I carefully cut off the nose section following the panel lines. There then followed a fair amount of test fitting and adjusting with needle files to get the firewall to nestle in properly. Eventually all fitted to my satisfaction and it was time to open up the hatches for the camera ports. I also drilled around inside of the panel line and filed it flush. I also sanded the inside surface to give the opening more of a scale thickness. It was then time to turn my attention to the cockpit. Airfix actually provide a fairly good ‘office’ so all I added were the Eduard Fabric harnesses and a spare throttle quadrant from Baracuddacast I had in my aforementioned ‘spares-box’. I painted the cockpit with Xtracrylix Interior Beige/Green and dry brushed it with light grey and a pin-wash of Brown/Black oil paint. I then picked out the detail with various Citadel shades, and the instrument faces as well as the camera lenses were given a drop of PVA to give them a glazed look. All the internal parts were then glued into place and the

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fuselage halves brought together. I found a couple of moulding errors on the lower wing surfaces but these were quickly dealt with quickly using Milliput, and I then started on the engine. I assembled the main block up and gave it a few light coats of Alclad II Gloss Black Primer and polished up the rocker covers using Uschi Van Der Rosten Metal Powder. I also dry brushed this over the rest of the block to highlight the details. The firewall and bearers were painted Interior Green and dry brushed and washed. I also added some plumbing using various sizes of Albion Alloys brass tubing. I then masked-off the canopy and fitted the windshield in place. Now it was time to add some colour, and I first gave the mode a primer coat of Tamiya White and any blemishes were treated and another coat of primer added. The upper surfaces were given several thin coats of Vallejo Model Air Medium Sea Grey, and once dry this was masked-off and Vallejo PRU Blue applied. I also masked and painted the

walkway lines. The entire model was given several coats of Alclad II Aqua Gloss in preparation for the decals. The Aeromaster decals performed very well for their age, and as there weren’t that many this process went quickly. I then gave it the model another coat of Aqua Gloss to protect the decals from the weathering. I post shaded all panel lines with well-diluted Tamiya Smoke, and the added a pin-wash of Brown/Black oil paint. When I was happy with the weathering I gave the whole model a coat of Alclad Semi Matt and the added the engine and all the other sub-assemblies. The Baracuddacast wheels and propellers finished the build. Note to self for future reference ‘I must have another look in my ‘spares-box’ for inspiration’. You never know what I might find! MA

A Royal Thai Air Force machine from 1954 fitted the bill nicely

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SPITFIRE MK.VB

STEP

by STEP

Spitfire Olivier Soulleys builds the 1:24 Trumpeter Mk.Vb

D

espite being released in 2003 the Trumpeter Spitfire is still a very nice kit. The level of detail and the panel lines are very accurate, even so I wanted to add even more interest so I decided to open up the right wing gun bay, do a lot of work in the cockpit and canopy and spend time on the painting a weathering stage for an authentic finish. One thing I do need to mention though is the decal sheet has incorrect colours and colour callouts. So I decided to hand paint the main marking for this aircraft from an RAF Polish Squadron MA

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The right side of cockpit with a completely scratchbuilt seat and guitar string oxygen hose and other wiring

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

59 SPITFIRE MK.VB

Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb Manufacturer: Trumpeter Scale: 1:24 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 02403

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6

9

2

3

The harness was made from fine strips of tin and Trumpeter buckles

Working on the insides of the gun bay with Evergreen strip

7

I scratchbuilt the markings for the fusealge…..

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The control panel was rubbed with SNJ Aluminium Powder and the details were picked out with a fine brush.

Adding a super-detailed gun into the wing

10

The left side of cockpit showing the pilot’s detailed armour plate

5

8

One of the reasons I like the larger scale kits is the ability to introduce some very fine detailing

Master barrels are a must!

….and for the wings

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SPITFIRE MK.VB

11

13

15

12

Adding the camouflage and wing leading edge colours

I used a marker pen for some defined fluid streaks and pigments for other stains of around the armament ejection chutes

Here you can see of how you can create realistic weathering on older aircraft using a combination of oil paints and pencils

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16

14

Working on some subtle weathering on the undersides using diluted ink spread with a wet brush.

I used five different watercolour pencils on upper surfaces to complete the look

A look at the pilot’s access door

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F4U-4B CORSAIR

MODEL AIRCRAFT SHOWCASE

‘Whistling Death’ Jezz Coleman builds the 1:48 Academy F4U-4B Corsair ‘Korean War Variant’

A

fter building a number of many fast modern jets I felt the need for something a little older and perhaps with a propeller and my eye fell on the 1:48 Academy F4U-4B Corsair ‘Korean War Variant’. On inspection of the parts it was apparent that this was a pretty basic kit, but it had some nice detailing and engraved panel lines. Starting with the interior it was quite a simple affair, with a simple tub and very basic moulded dials and switches on the instrument panels. These were then painted with a mix of Tamiya Yellow Green with a few drops of Green added to give a little contrast to a very blank canvas. I also shaded to the side walls and main

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cockpit area using a slightly lighter mix of the base colour then a black green oil was used to bring out what detail there was. With the cockpit all completed it was time to button up the fuselage, and while that was set to one side, it was on with the engine. This was a one-piece affair and with some careful painting and an oil wash it came out quite well. This was glued inside the cowling and this was then attached to the main body. Next came the wings, which were pretty straightforward. The canopy was then masked-off and the front section was glued in place, with the rear part tacked onto the upper fusealge to save masking up the interior. The wheel wells were then painted up the same

F4U-4B Corsair Manufacturer: Academy Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 2124

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

63 WHISTLING DEATH

You can see how the Corsair earned its nickname ‘Whistling Death’.

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F4U-4B CORSAIR

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interior colour as the cockpit then Maskol was used to seal up the bays  The entire model was then given a primer coat of Black and this was followed by and overall application of Tamiya XF-4 Blue, with a little postshading added to lighten various areas and to give the paintwork a sun beaten look. To further accentuate the panel lines I chose to airbrush on some Tamiya smoke, and once dry the aircraft was given a few light coats of Johnsons ‘Klear’ prior to an oils pin-wash thinned white spirits, and any excess was wiped away with a soft cloth. The decals were then applied without any problems. The final details such as the wheels undercarriage legs, wheel bay door, propeller and payload were then added. The last thing was to apply a matt coat to seal everything in. Despite being a basic kit I was very happy how it turned out, and you can see how it earned its nickname ‘Whistling Death’. MA

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FI-156C STORCH

DESERT STORCH T JM Villaba builds the 1:48 Tamiya Fi-156C from the North Africa Campaign he Tamiya Fi-156C Storch was the 100th Tamiya release, a milestone for the company and without any doubt a superb model. The kit comes moulded in the classic Tamiya grey plastic with very fine engraved details, and is completed with a small etched fret for cockpit details, as well as some metallic parts to provide rigidity for the long landing gear legs and wings. Construction began by detailing the cockpit, and to complete this stage I used the Eduard etched set #49-408, I also added some extra scratchbuilt parts such as the levers and knobs and the floor structure, and I also added some copper foil seat belts and copper wire buckles. To protect the clear parts of the cockpit during the painting work, the kit features a non pre-cut masking sheet, which I trimmed to shape with a sharp modelling knife. However, the masking sheet is only for the exterior, so I

shaped more masking for the interior from a spare masking sheet. The interior colour of the cockpit is the RLM 02 Grau, and I used a thinned mix of Tamiya XF-22-60%, XF- 52-25%, XF-3-5% and XF-2-10% in a 60:40 - paint to thinner ratio. To complete the detailing I decided to open the fuel tanks located in the wings, and here I used Evergreen sheet of various thicknesses and acetate. I also decided to leave open the very finely detailed Argus engine, and this part of the kit is a real jewel, only needing the addition of some ignition wires that I made from stretched plastic. Probably the most intricate step in the building of this model is the fitting of the wings and the fuselage, due the complicated fit of the canopy parts. So I recommend you paint

the wings and the fuselage in separate steps before final assembly. The paint scheme I am using represents an Storch from the North Africa campaign, using RLM 79 Sandgelb II using XF-59-75% plus XF-10-25%. The fuselage and wings undersides were painted in RLM 78 Hellblau, made with XF-2-70% plus XF-830%, and both colours were matched with the Luftwaffe colour chart from Eagle Editions. MA

Fi-156C Storch Manufacturer: Tamiya Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded with etch Kit Number: 25158

Colours were matched with the Luftwaffe colour chart from Eagle Editions

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

69 DESERT STORCH

Dry fit test of the cockpit prior to the painting stage

The fuselage halves before closing. I added some detailing to the internal structure of the wing

Working on the fuel tanks and adding the fitting belts

Adding detailing and colour to the Argus engine

Weathering the undersides with a Tamiya Weathering Master Set

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FI-156C STORCH

Adding effects to the fuselage

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The final test fitting of the engine

A view of the upper side of the wing with the fuel tanks showing.

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

71 DESERT STORCH

To add some more detail to the windshield, I opened the small ventilation windows

The code letters and crosses were masked and hand painted.

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Hydraulic lines were added as part of the braking system details

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MIL-2 HOPLITE

Hop to It! Mil-2 Hoplite ‘Gunship Variant’ Manufacturer: HobbyBoss Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 87242

Vitor Costa details the 1:72 HobbyBoss Mil-2 Hoplite ‘Gunship Variant’

T

he Mil Mi-2 - NATO code name ‘Hoplite’ - is a light twin-turbine utility helicopter. The Hoplite can also be lightly armed so could also provide close air support with its 57mm rockets and a 23mm cannon. Most of the armed Mi-2 variants were used by Poland, although some were also used by the former East Germany, and North Korea still maintains a large active fleet and the type can be found in over thirty countries around the globe. Now from time to time i feel the need to build something really easy, no stress or extra work just

a fun build. So I chose the 1:72 HobbyBoss Mil-2 as it only has four sprues, one for the clear parts and another sprue with the details to produce an armed version. As usual the build began with the cockpit, which is a very basic representation, with only a few parts. i added some seatbelts using painted Tamiya tape, and decals for the instrument panel. I painted the interior with Dar Grey and then added a very light wash. The clear parts for the windows didn’t fit all that well so they were faired in the Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty.

The two fuselage halves fit quite well but still require some putty and some Tamiya Liquid White Surfacer Primer to make sure of a perfect finish. Once the clear parts were masked the fun began as it was, time to paint! There is only one ‘option’ available so I used Gunze H304 Olive Drab. With the kit painted I added some highlights using Tamiya XF-4 Yellow Geen and XF-57 Buff. After a clear coat I added a mixed oil wash of Burnt Sienna, White and Black, and removed any excess with a cotton bud. . Once I was happy I added the decals and the applied a

There is only one option – Olive Drab

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MODEL AIRCRAFT FEBRUARY 2017

73 HOP TO IT!

The Hoplite can be armed with 57mm rockets and a 23mm cannons.

Adding the decals and a light wash

Adding some exhaust marks

Wilder Products Tyre Grey pigments were added on the tyres

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MIL-2 HOPLITE coat of satin varnish. Time now to add the external machine guns and simulate the exhaust fumes, and here I used with Tamiya Matt Black, very thinned and applied in several coats. Being an acrylic paint it will not be affected by the oils and thinners used in the weathering process. More weathering highlights were then added using Abteilung 502 ABT001 Snow White, ABT035 Buff and ABT155 Light Sand. Then shadows were applied using Abteilung 502 ABT005 Smoke and ABT050 Olive Green.

.....and the shadows

These colours are applied on the recessed areas to give some contrast to the model. Wilder Products Tyre Grey pigments were added on the tyres and I used an Aquarelle Pencil Set add scratches and other effects on the surface. The rotor blades were painted with Tamiya NATO Black they were then dry brushed with White. The central part of the rotor was painted Silver and washed with very thinned Tamiya X-19 Smoke. Overall this was a nice kit, with very good engraved panel lines, and gives a great base for more detailing and weathering. MA

Abteilung 502 products were used for the highlights.....

Overall this was a very nice kit

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BRISTOL BLENHEIM MK.1F Bristol Blenheim Mk.1F Manufacturer: Airfix Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: A04059

MIG Masterclass Back in Black Mario Serelle shows you how to give a night finish to the 1:72 Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk.1F

T

here are two ways of replicating an overall Black on a model, the boring one, or the challenging one. You can simply spray Black paint over the entire airframe or you can try to replicate a more realistic finish, working with colour modulation and other effects. I chose the second option to represent my 1:72 Bristol Blenheim Mk.IF Night Fighter. The new Blenheim family was released in 2014 by Airfix and follows the high quality presented by this manufacturer of late. So armed with the Ammo of MIG World War II RAF Interior Cockpit Set A.MIG-7432 I started painting all of parts using A.MIG-219 Interior Green. After brush painting some smaller details the Interior Wash A.MIG-1003 was used to add some shadows and dirt to the cockpit area. Then using a fine tip brush, a mix of Interior Green and

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White was carefully applied to all details edges creating some highlighting effects. Usually I don’t like using decals to represent the instrument panel, but this was so tiny in the Blenheim Ready to start a new project! that it looked fine to me. Masking tape seatbelts were my only additions to the cockpit. The wheel wells few surprises were waiting for me. With most of had to be painted and weathered before gluing the major components the fit is good, but the the wings together, and again the Interior Green nose to fuselage joint presented a considerable was airbrushed on and some small details picked gap that was filled with stretched sprue and up with Aluminium. I prefer giving a higher sanded smooth. The belly insert, where the contrast on the enclosed areas, so I opted by cannon fairing is attached, also needed some using the Black Night A.MIG-1611 Wash in the filling and sanding work. One last surprise was wheel wells. when attaching the cockpit entrance hatch, as Building the airframe was an easy task, but a another large gap between the clear parts and

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77 BACK IN BLACK

The nose section parts went together easily

The nice cockpit details start to show up with a careful painting

The Interior Wash created some shadows in the cockpit and made the details stand out.

With some patience and the right products not so complicated techniques you can go beyond ‘flat black’ painting the fuselage needed to be filled with plastic card and sanded smooth. After a tedious masking process, the ‘greenhouse’ canopy received a coat of Interior Green to match the cockpit interior, and a Black Primer was sprayed over the entire model. Those areas subject of extensive ground crew traffic received a salt mask and a Dark Grey ‘marbling’ coat was airbrushed over the model. After

Highlights were added using a mix of the base colour and White

removing the first salt mask, a second one was applied and a new Light Grey ‘marbling’ coat was applied inside the area affected by the previous mask, and to selected panels around the airframe. When removing the second salt mask you will have an interesting base coat of varying shades of Grey and different textures, including some hard edged marks. I don’t like using pure Black on my models,

After painting the wheel wells and their details, the assembly received a Black Night wash to add some depth and dirt effects

A Dark Grey ‘marbling’ coat was airbrushed on the inside of most of the panels.

The Black painting scheme starts with a Black Primer coat

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BRISTOL BLENHEIM MK.1F

Polishing cloths were used to smooth the rough surface after the salt masks process

Two salt masks were applied over the Dark Grey ‘marbling’ coat

Here you can see my ‘scale Black’ mix of Rubber and Tyres and Black airbrushed in various thin coats to preserve the pre-shading effects

especially on this scale; it looks just too dark to me. Instead I prepared my own ‘Scale Black’ mixing Satin Black A.MIG-032 and Rubber and Tyres A-MIG-033 2:1, get a very Dark Grey shade, and this mix was then thinned and sprayed on in numerous coats. The engine cowling rings and exhausts were painted in Alclad/ Ammo Duraluminium and next the decals went on with no real problem after a coat of Alclad’s Aqua Gloss. A second layer of the same product sealed the decals in preparation for the weathering process to come. Ammo of MIG has a specific panel line wash for use on Black surfaces - Stone Grey for Black A.MIG-1615. This wash is the perfect shade to subtly accentuate the panel lines, making them visible but not too contrasting. The flaps received a heavy application of Black Night A.MIG-1611 wash for a dirty look, and instead of removing the excess with a paper towel or cotton swab, I used a small brush moistened in Enamel Odourless thinner. Despite being a more time consuming process, by using a brush you can easily control how much of the excess wash you want to remove and leave more or less of the product exactly where you want. To simulate some wear on the wing walkways I applied Black with a sponge. The same technique was then used to represent paint

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chipping around the leading edges of the flying surfaces, but this time using Aluminium. After a semi-gloss coat, a Silver watercolour pencil was used to add a few more scratches on the wings and the airframe weathering was completed. The exhausts were treated with Track Rust A.MIG-3008 and Black A.MIG-3001 pigments for a worn look. Pigments were also used to weather the tyres, but this time Light Dust A.MIG-3002 and Dark Earth A.MIG-3007 were my choice. The Ammo of MIG Mig rigging line was used as radio antenna wire and the job was done! Despite its weird, flattened nose, the Blenheim

The airframe received a Stone Grey Wash and the interior of the flaps a Black Wash for a higher contrast and dirty look

And there you have a nice representation of this World War II Night Fighter

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We Recommend Ammo of MIG Products used in this build

BACK IN BLACK

Model Aircraft Choice

The tyres were treated with Light Dust and Dark Earth pigments for a dirty look Small scratches were created with a Silver watercolour pencil used over a semi-gloss coat 0.02 Rigging Thread was used as antenna wire

• A.MIG-7432 - World War II RAF Interior Cockpit Set • A.MIG-032 - Satin Black

• A-MIG-033 - Rubber and Tyres • A.MIG-1615 - Stone Grey for Black Panel Line Wash

is still a nice looking aircraft, and the Black scheme looks great on it! With some patience and the right products not so complicated techniques you can go beyond ‘flat black’ painting and have a nice representation of this World War II Night Fighter family member in your collection! MA

• A.MIG-1611 - Black Night Wash • A.MIG-3002 - Light Dust Pigment • A.MIG-3007 - Dark Earth Pigment

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VOLUME 16 ISSUE 02

Produced by HobbyZone Limited under licence from SAM Publications 21 Kingsway, Bedford MK42 9BJ Telephone: +44 (0)1234 211245 Fax: +44 (0)1234 325927 Email: [email protected] PUBLISHER SAM Publications GROUP EDITOR Andy Evans EDITOR Andy Evans HobbyZone Limited, 21 Kingsway, Bedford MK42 9BJ Email: [email protected] ASSISTANT EDITOR David Francis ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andy Renshaw EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Mario Serelle EDITORIAL CONSULTANT (EUROPE) Vitor Costa The above editorial email is ONLY to be used for editorial submissions. It is NOT for subscription payments or queries, back issues or Modellers Datafile orders. Please send all of these to [email protected] STUDIO MANAGER / DESIGN Jonathan Phillips PAGE LAYOUT Andy Folds SAM PUBLICATIONS EMAIL [email protected] Use this address for back issue orders, subscriptions or subscription enquiries or book orders. Note that we cannot undertake research into specific or general aviation queries and that there may be some delays in responses from the contributors, as they are not based at the editorial address. CONTRIBUTORS Jeff Brundt; Jezz Coleman; Ian Cooper; Angel Exposito; Andreas Fonesca; Anthony Tucker-Jones; Alan Kelley; Danumurthi Mahendra; Partik Meszaros; Alex Sidharta; Richard Spreckley; Chad Summers; JM Villalba ADVERTISING SALES Mark Willey Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)1234 224992 PRE-PRESS PRODUCTION HobbyZone Limited PRINT PRODUCTION Stephens and George Print Group, UK DISTRIBUTION COMAG Tavistock Road, West Drayton, Middlesex, UB7 7QE Telephone: 01895 433777 NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION BY disticor 695 Westney Rd South, Suite 14, Ajax, Ontario, Canada L1S 6M9 Tel: + 1 (905) 619 6565

And Finally... Ghost Rider – Rides Again!

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SAF B-52H 61-0007 ’Ghost Rider’, was brought out of seven years of storage at the Davis Monthan ‘boneyard’ in Arizona to replace an active B-52H that was badly damaged by fire while on the ground at Barksdale Air Force Base and make the USAF arms treaty-dictated fleet of seventy-six B-52s up to strength again. An oxygen leak coupled with a spark ended 61-0049’s life in an intense cockpit fire while on the ground at Barksdale AFB in 2015, and the damage was so bad that it was deemed cheaper to pull one of thirteen B-52Hs out of type 1000 than try to repair the aircraft.

However, ‘Ghost Riders’ fuel lines, seals, tyres and many other components that have been baking in the sun for close to a decade all needed to be carefully inspected and/or replaced before the jet could fly again.

Contributions and photographic material are welcome, but must be accompanied by adequate postage to cover return. HobbyZone Limited accept no responsibility for loss or damage to materials supplied. © HOBBYZONE LIMITED 2017 Articles, photographs and drawings published in Model Aircraft Monthly are protected by copy­right. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without prior author­ity of the publishers. Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. HobbyZone Limited reserves the right to suspend or refuse any advertisement without giving reasons. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes HobbyZone Limited cannot be liable in any way for any errors or omissions. Nor can the publisher accept respon­sibility for the bona fides of advertisers. ISSN: 2046-5386 HobbyZone Limited is a member of The paper used in this magazine is made from timber sourced from sustainable managed forests; the pulp is ECF (elemental chlorine free); the manufacturing mill is accredited with ISO14001 and EMAS for their environmental controls. SUBSCRIPTIONS Cheques/Money Orders in Sterling only made payable to HobbyZone Limited and sent to the address above. Credit card payment accepted by phone. Subscription Hotline +44 (0)1234 211245 AMERICAN SUBSCRIPTIONS Wise Owl is no longer selling subscriptions on behalf of HobbyZone Limited. Current Wise Owl customers can renew their subscriptions at the current rates directly with HobbyZone Limited: Subscription hotline +44 (0)1234 211245 – we are happy to call you back to take your order! Email ordering and customer support: [email protected] Website secure online ordering: www.sampublications.com Model Aircraft, Volume 16, Issue 02, February 2017 (ISSN: 2044-737X) published monthly by HobbyZone Limited, 2221 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls NY 14304-5709. Periodical postage pending Niagara Falls NY. U.S. Postmaster. Send address corrections to Model Aircraft Monthly, PO Box 265 Williamsville, N.Y 14231 QUESTIONS TO CONTRIBUTORS If you have a question or query you wish to raise with any of the contrib­utors to this magazine, they should be made IN WRITING to the HobbyZone Limited address. Neither the Group Editor nor any of the contrib­utors are at HobbyZone Limited on a daily basis and the Group Editor asks for all enquirers to appreciate this fact and be patient. Please understand that the staff at HobbyZone Limited do not have access to the information you require and therefore cannot answer your questions on the phone. Please enclose a stamped SAE with all enquiries, if you anticipate a reply. Thank you. SAMPLES FOR REVIEW Model Aircraft Monthly is always happy to review new books within its pages. Any item which you feel is appropriate will be given due consideration for inclusion in the title. Any company, trade representative, importer, distributor or shop which wishes to have books reviewed within Model Aircraft Monthly should send them directly to the editorial address and clearly mark them for the attention of the Group Editor. Confirmation of receipt of the samples will be supplied if requested. For all international companies etc the above applies, but please ensure that the package is clearly marked for customs as a ‘sample, free of charge’ to reduce the risk of unnecessary delays. Thank you. COMPANY/SUPPLIERS ADDRESS DETAILS & GENERAL ENQUIRIES Please note that the Group Editor and staff at HobbyZone Limited cannot help with general enquires about contact details for companies, importers or model shops whose products may be mentioned in Model Aircraft Monthly if the address information is not included with the review etc. Please check the advertisements in this journal for all suitable UK sources and only contact the firm directly if it is noted that there is ‘No UK stockist’. We are sorry, but we cannot help with details of companies which do not advertise in this magazine. Also note that neither the Group Editor nor contributors will undertake specific or general research for enquirers. Thank you. COPYRIGHT WARNING Due to the growing misuse and breach of copyright apparent on the web, HobbyZone Limited hereby gives notice that no-one is permitted to reproduce in any way, (in original form or ‘modified’), anything published in this, or previous editions of this magazine. All design, layout and studio photography is the copyright of HobbyZone Limited. All profiles, scale plans and supporting photographs are the copyright of the individual authors. None of these may be used without prior written agreement from both the author/artist and HobbyZone Limited. Infringement is a breach of international law, so if you see items posted on the web from this magazine other than on the official HobbyZone Limited website (sampublications.com) please advise the publisher immediately.

Next Month in Model Aircraft – March 2017 Arctic Harrier - James Ashton adds a ‘cold winter’ finish to the 1:48 Eduard GR.7/9 kit Combat Edge - The F-117 Nighthawk – Stealth Attack, with background details and a full 1:48 model build from Danumurthi Mahendra Silver Stinger - Jezz Coleman looks at the 1:72 Revell F-89 Scorpion South Atlantic Scooter - Chad Summers builds the 1:48 Hasegawa Skyhawk as an A-4Q of the Argentine Navy Soviet Stealth - Bri Wakeman delves into the 1:72 Zvezda Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA, with a ‘what-if’ Egyptian Air Force version Dispersed Operations - Andrew Root builds a very personal 1:24 Typhoon diorama Model Aircraft Extra- The Vought A-7D - with background details, scale plans, a walk around and a 1:48 model build from Angel Exposito

Riders on the Storm - Craig Sergeant details the 1:72 Hasegawa Tornado IDS in Italian Service, with added SCALP EG Missiles Combat-Zone - The Desert Air War - In the first of a twopart feature, Anthony Tucker-Jones examines the much neglected air war fought over the wastes of North Africa during World War II Eagle Strike! - Toby Knight details the 1:48 Revell F-15E as used over Iraq in 2006/7 Step-by-Step - Finnish Fighter - Olivier Soulleys converts the 1:48 ICM LaGG-3 to a LaGG-1 using an Eduard Set A Trojan Work-Horse - Dirk Ekholt builds a colourful 1:32 T-28B US Navy trainer using the Kitty Hawk kit. Modelling with MIG - Finishing a Flanker - George Roidis guides you through painting and finishing the 1:48 Kinetic Su-33 using Ammo of MIG products. Photo Recce - ‘Shader – Shades’ - RAF Tornadoes in the fight against ISIS

© HOBBYZONE LIMITED 2017 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted (including posting to a website) in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. MODEL AIRCRAFT IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY HOBBYZONE LIMITED NEXT ISSUE ON SALE 23RD FEBRUARY 2017.

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