Scale Aviation Modeller International Vol.19 Iss. 05

THE No.1 MARKET LEADER MODEL MAGAZINE

Re ve ll’s

1/ 32 Ar 19 6

W IN

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The Long Way Round Scratchbuilt Spiteful in 1/32

Gibson’s Bomber Mk III, Type 464 Provisioning

Après moi le Deluge 70th Anniversary

FIRST for in-depth product coverage

Modellers Portfolio The Avro Lancaster Artwork and Scale Drawings

Canopus Shorts S.23 Flying Boat A Luxury Mail Carriage for the Empire CMR’s kit in 1/72

Wargames

Incorporating

Revell’s Bell P-39D Airacobra

Our Monthly look in the Attic Vol 19 Iss 05 MAY 2013 £4.25

Printed in the UK

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Scale Aviation Modeller International May 2013 | Volume 19 | Issue 5

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Guest Editorial 70th Anniversary of the Dam Buster’s Raid By Neil Robinson

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odelling large-size, large-scale models comes with its own inherent problems – not only the physical aspect of working on something that sometimes needs a little more room to manoeuvre about than a ‘standard’ area modelling workbench can usually cope with, but then, once it is built, where do you put it!?! I encountered these dilemmas recently when I was involved in a joint project, together with several other modelling friends, to build a display of Type 464 Provisioning

Lancasters to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the Dam Buster’s raid. It was the first (relatively) largesize model I had built for many years, and it actually required a slightly different approach, not only in its construction, but also in the painting/decalling process. As such, my 1/48 Tamiya Lancaster was modelled in separate sub-sections, ie fuselage, wings and tailplanes – each sub-section essentially being treated as a kit in its own right. It was an interesting exercise (see ‘Dam Busting Lancaster’ elsewhere in this issue) and contrary to being put off modelling larger-size models, it

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AM Publications brings you a new modelling experience – the ‘SAMI Portal’. Just scan your QR Reader over the code shown, or point your browser to www.sampublications.com to see some of the builds featured in this issue, along with some exclusive ‘how-to’ video tutorials, onscreen kit reviews, news items and regular modelling updates throughout the month, all for your continued enjoyment!

has actually had the opposite effect, and rather whetted my appetite for tackling a few more ‘big fellas’ I have stashed away in the loft! Returning to real life, I can’t help but make mention of one of the reasons behind the model: the commemoration of the Dam Buster’s Raid in May 1943, and by extension, the ultimate sacrifice that the 55,573 young men of Bomber Command paid with their lives – a staggering 44.4% death rate. At least the long-overdue memorial to Bomber Command during World War Two, located near Hyde Park Corner in London and unveiled by the Queen on 28 June 2012, will ensure that their sacrifice will never be forgotten, and to quote the lines from the second verse of Laurence Binyon's poem, 'For the Fallen'... They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them...

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Contents

Contents SAMI Forward

WIN!

SAMI Features

Revell’s 1/32 Ar 196 page 431

SAMI Spotlight 408 First Look Reviews 378 Photo-Essay 358 The Big Build

370 Coot and Crusty

The Long Way Round A Delightful Spiteful. Scratchbuilding Supermarine Spiteful Mk XIV RB520 with the aid of the Matchbox Spitfire Mk 22/24 By Joachim Geier

Civil Aviation from the former Soviet Bloc by Andy McCabe

Corsairs in Colour US Navy A-7s by Andy Evans

414 Previews An initial glance at this month’s kits received for preview

418 Reviews The review team look at more new and recent releases

364 News News and forthcoming products from around the world, including our At a Glance look at this month's new arrivals

368 Czech Out News from the Czech Republic

• Trumpeter’s new-tool Vampire in 1/48. By Rick Greenwood • Eduard’s Spitfire – First of Quite a Few – a look in the box

382 Clark’s Field 374 Shorts S.23 Empire Flying Boat

Look what YOU can do! Revell’s 1/32 Airacobra by Dick Clark

424 Accessories New aftermarket releases this month from around the world

430 Decals

A Luxury Mail Carriage for the Empire by Colin Pickett

This month’s new releases

SAMI Columns 388 Classic Plastic Our Monthly look in the Attic By Paul Bradley

This month the Magazine is fully loaded, with Academy’s 1/48 F-4B, more Editorial benchmarks, and all the rest of our regulars

Page 394

436 Techniques 394 Dam Busting Lancaster

Prop Tips by Mike Grant

A Lancaster Mk III, Type 464 Provisioning. Tamiya’s kit in 1/48 by Neil Robinson

438 Paint it with Testors

399 Modellers Portfolio The Avro Lancaster Artwork and scale drawings by Chris Sandham-Bailey

442 Benchmarks 444 Book Reviews 446 On the Road with 580 Modellers 450 And Finally Cover Illustration by John Fox www.avroart.com www.sampublications.com May 2013

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SAMI Forward

The Big Build

The

Build

THE L NG WAY A Delightful Spiteful. Scratchbuilding Supermarine Spiteful Mk XIV RB520 with the aid of the Matchbox Spitfire Mk 22/24 By Joachim Geier

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hroughout the development of powered flight, historically, and right up until today the laws of aerodynamics, combined with research data and newly developed techniques and materials have influenced the shape and appearance of aircraft. To my eye, for example, the Su27 and MiG-29 share common features with their western brothers the F-15 or the F-18. These could either be the results of efficient espionage, or more possibly the equal results gained through wind tunnel research and CAD coupled with operational requirements… or just design-fashion!

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TECH DATA SCALE: 1/32 KIT NO: 04704/ PK722 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic MANUFACTURER: Matchbox/Revell

Nobody will doubt that airflow was the same on both sides of the iron curtain. The same phenomenon has happened many times - for instance in the late forties when piston-driven fighters were on the eclipse whilst at the same team reaching the pinnacle of design, soon to be replaced by

jets. New airfoils and bigger and stronger engines continued to dictate design features. So, to counter increased torque and decreased forward visibility on a taildragger, designers at Grumman, Boeing and Hawker, to name but a few, seem to have come to the same solutions. Increase the tail section area for better stability, widen the undercarriage track to improve handling and raise the pilot for better visibility. These common conclusions resulted in elegant and powerful machines like the F8F, the Boeing XF8B-1 and the Sea Fury. Vickers-Supermarine was no exception to this trend, by now making a last effort to breathe further life into the venerable Spitfire design. Though departing from the

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The fuselage at a very early stage showing the first modifications to the wing fillet and upper decking The wing upper surface finished with the correction inserted for the kinked surface classic elliptical wing with a new rectangular laminar flow design, here too the increased tail area and a typical hump on the fuselage were incorporated. These thoughts provided impetus for this build after completing my last conversion, a Seafire 45 that some may recall from the January 2009 issue, an undertaking that also gave me the confidence to start this project. At first the research work was very slow and discouraging as not even the Internet could provide any usable scale plans for a Spiteful, but once again to the rescue came the modelling friend who had initiated the Seafire conversion, who provided some excellent plans of the Spiteful, though without any interior detail. As I didn´t want to start without any clear idea of the interior the project was set aside in a very early planning stage until in late 2010 I was able to source, from somewhere in Australia, a CD with the Pilot's Notes for the Spiteful F Mk 14. This rekindled my enthusiasm and I restarted the project immediately. Out came the plans and the drawing tools and soon afterwards a 1/32 Matchbox

Wing bottom minus lower skin. Visible here is the middle layer of sheet styrene with lower main spar and reinforcement of the area ahead of the wheel well visible

Starboard lower wing surface with panel lines drawn for scribing

One of the errors that happened during nocturnal modelling sessions: spent cartridges chute placed on the wrong panel

fuselage was diagonally filled with another piece of 1.5mm plastic sheet followed by layer after layer until the gap was sufficiently filled. After the correct rough contours were achieved I sanded this structure to shape. Several more layers had to be added and sanded down until the fuselage contours

The radiator housings. At right in an early stage still needing some sanding to shape

Wings None of the kit parts could be used here and the whole assembly needed to be scratchbuilt. I opted for a three-layer construction with a middle layer of 1.5mm Plasticard (next time I would use at least 2mm to counter distortion problems) that was cut out representing the outlines, minus a few millimetres for the leading edge. Cutouts for the wheel wells were

Y R UND Supermarine Spitfire Mk 22/24, kit PK722, was pulled from the pile and opened. As I wasn’t sure of the outcome, my plan was to start with the rough and heavy conversion work first and then fill in the details.

The radiators themselves with hexagonal mesh for the front and square mesh for the rear

Fuselage As already executed with the Seafire the rear fuselage of the Matchbox kit was laid over the plans and its outline drawn onto them, revealing a degree of commonality between the two, especially the main longeron line that runs along the lower edge of the entry door in the centre of the fuselage. This looked the same on both the Spitfire and the Spiteful and was selected as a reference line. Now I had a starting point and could measure the outlines of the hump and transfer them onto a piece of 2mm plastic sheet. This spacer was cut out and glued on the top of the Mk 22/24’s spine, while a similar piece was fabricated for the area in front of the windscreen. Now the area between this ‘Razorback’ and the kit’s

corresponded with the cut-out templates of the cross sections. By cutting and adding plastic the whole wing root was moved considerably further forward.

The complete cowling. Test fitting revealed that there was a dent in the side profile just around the firewall and so some sheet styrene was glued on top to fill it After I had discovered that two layers of mesh were insufficient a third layer was inserted to distort the see-thru effect further

The interior of the cowling. Should anyone ask, I will tell them that beneath that cowling is the best Griffon engine I ever made!

The lower fuselage centre piece, cutouts for the wheel well already made

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Wing assembly while curing. This was left for sufficient time for the glue to cure. The metal ruler was an ideal aid to get the correct dihedral to the wing

No possibility of using the kit tailplane - but would anyone have noticed if I had taken the easy route?

The tailplanes were made from several layers of sheet styrene This is just the sanding residue from one tailplane!

A lever is produced using a drill and different files

made. Onto this two tapering spars were glued to the upper and lower halves. The first located directly behind the rear of the wheel well, just where the original spar was located, and the second one about 1 – 1.5cm further aft to give the wing a more laminar-layered cross-section. The spars were slightly longer than the wings, sticking out at the root to serve later as attachment points. No ribs were used as I hoped the Plasticard would conform to the correct shape itself later. A single leading edge was made from some 2x3mm plastic bar and glued in place, and just behind this some more 1mm strip was glued along to act as a rest for the upper and lower wing surfaces. A further step that should not be forgotten at this stage is the attachment of the landing gear fixing points. Here some paperclips were bent to shape and glued onto the central layer from above using some square pieces of Plasticard to hold them in place. Now a thin upper layer of 1mm Plasticard, cut to a slightly reduced wing planform, was produced and its leading and trailing edges sanded to an angle. This not only provides more area for the glue to grip but also facilitates the sanding of a thin trailing edge. Lots of glue was run along the seams now to give a firm bond, but what I didn’t anticipate was the glue not only softening the Plasticard for better adhesion but also causing some melted plastic to seep above the spars. This required some thin card to be glued above the area between the spars from outside, after which the whole upper wing had to be sanded again to achieve a nice even curved surface.

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As I had cut out the wheel well from the central layer of Plasticard the area in front of it came under considerable tension from the bent upper layer, resulting in a slight but unacceptable upward bend to the leading edge. To cure this problem some very thick Plasticard was glued from below to the central layer and after all had dried some very careful treatment with a heat pistol, and some even more careful bending, straightened things out. To support the radiator cutouts, these were boxed in before the final lower layer of

Plasticard was glued in place. The lower spars were slightly smaller in height than the upper, resulting in a nice aerofoil. This done some solid wingtips were attached and the whole construction sanded several times until the desired shapes and surfaces were reached. Finally all of the panel lines were scribed and the stubs for the cannon attached. One exacting task was to produce a suitably strong lower fuselage that mated the wings and gave the whole construction a strong bond. I cut out the lower fuselage section plate, including recesses for the remaining part of the wheel well, and this was then gently bent to shape until the desired curvature was achieved. Meanwhile two root-ribs, also representing the upper outline of the wing-to-fuselage joint - were cut from 2mm Plasticard and these had to be bent - and towards the rear they even had to be twisted - to conform with the fuselage. These then received cutouts for the spars and wheel well and were glued firmly to the lower plate and left to dry before shaped strips of thick plastic were glued to them to act as fillets – later to be sanded down. Care and patience was needed to attach the wings onto this middle section and a lot of Tamiya glue was used joining these parts, allowing some adjustment until the desired dihedral and wing sweep was achieved. The whole assembly was then fixed onto a steel ruler and left for a couple of days to dry.

Wing Radiators Alongside the wing construction I had been working on the radiators that are - in contrast to the late model Griffon-Spitfires –

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rather shallow. I first cut out the three main panels consisting of two sidewalls and a bottom. As these radiators are also not as curved as on a Spitfire the addition of some small pieces of Plasticard and gentle sanding of the sidewalls produced a pleasing result. Radiator flaps were made from Plasticard too. Next I constructed an open box that would fit well inside the radiators and glued different etched meshes to the openings at the rear and the front, representing air intakes and outlets. As there was still too much of a see-through effect I added another piece of mesh to the middle of this assembly. Just before closing everything up, I painted the interior of these radiators black.

Cowling The cowling consists chiefly of modified kit parts. The upper cowling was assembled and Plasticard added to its top to conform with the fuselage lines in much the same way as done for the turtle decking. The forward half of the cowling had to be sanded shallower to follow a straight line running from the windshield right through to the spinner backplate. Again the thickness of the kit parts was a benefit. As the bulges for the cylinder heads are too small and undefined on the kit I added some Milliput to cure this – though I think I haven’t entirely succeeded. The sidewalls were cut to size using a template with only a very tiny piece of plastic to be added towards the lower front edge, as the Spiteful’s cowling does not curve upwards as much as on the Spitfire. The lower cowling was built up from scratch as the kit part didn´t fit at all – again using

Partially built cockpit with control stick and rudder pedal bar in place.

The bulkhead with attachment points for the seat

some layers of Plasticard and a good deal of sanding. The whole cowling was now glued together and some strengthening inserted along the mating lines. After this some sealing plates, on which I later planned to attach the exhaust stubs, were glued inside the exhaust openings. A new carburettor intake was scratchbuilt using the front from the kit item and Milliput for the rear section. Tamiya tape was used periodically to tape everything together and check for correct alignment and general appearance of parts.

Some industrial techniques were used during the build to give some parts the necessary strength. Here some reinforcement is glued to the new lower fuselage sidewall other hand, required only some minor modifications, mainly to sand the trailing edge.

Cockpit

Empennage The kit’s elevators don’t match the original outlines, and a comparison with the plans confirmed there was no point in trying to adapt them, so again thick Plasticard was used to scratchbuild parts, engendering some more long sanding sessions – including one late at night when I accidentally sanded the airfoil upside down onto my second elevator forcing me to make a third. The fin and rudder, on the

Starboard cockpit side ready for painting

The seat with belts. I chose to paint the seat reddish to simulate Bakelite. This was done to add some colour to the cockpit and is not necessarily correct. A metal seat may have been used

With the main parts finished I assumed that most of the real challenges of this build were behind me and that I could start detailing the cockpit, but the Spiteful cockpit has almost nothing in common with the Spitfire so every part had to be built from scratch. After I had drawn the general layout of the cockpit onto the sidewalls I started to build the prominent fuselage tank located below the pilot’s legs, that results in a very modern ‘feet-high’ attitude for the pilot. Onto this a set of rudder pedals were attached and a new spade type control stick was produced as the kit part cannot be used.

Port side cockpit ready to go

The inserts for the cockpit after they were painted and weathered. White Ensign Models Tyre Black was used for the interior www.sampublications.com May 2013

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Sheet styrene rings glued to the inner surfaces of the wheels. Then these were glued together and sanded to the correct diameter Checking the fit of the fuselage parts before they were joined. Tamiya tape did a good job here

Information on the Spiteful cockpit was very limited and the only thing I had was the set of pilot's notes mentioned above, so a lot of guesswork ensued. This of course may have led to some mistakes, for instance I am still not sure if there is an armour plate below the pilot’s seat as in the Matchbox/Revell Spitfire kit. Knobs, levers, boxes and two side consoles were added. Also, one fuselage frame had to be constructed behind the pilot's seat at an angle, as suggested by the lines of rivets on the fuselage surface. A seat - borrowed from a Pacific Coast Models Spitfire - was installed later. No gunsight was produced as the sole picture of the Spiteful RB520 I wanted to build did not show one. After the cockpit-door was cut out, this was detailed and set aside for painting.

Mating of Main Components With the major components and details now complete it was time to join the fuselage halves. First the rear bulkhead was fitted and then both halves were painted using White Ensign Models Tyre Black after which some dry brushing and detail painting followed. Then the fuselages halves were glued together and taped up

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Wing bulges (thankfully only four) under construction. After they were cut out they were pressed into a wooden recess using a file shaft, or a similar smaller tool, depending on the curvature of the item

checks were made to prevent any distortion of the airframe that could later result in an uneven appearance. All was firmly secured and set aside to dry, after which the cowling was attached. This all done it was time for some more sanding and applications of squadron green putty. After everything was blended in the final scribing session was started to restore the missing panel lines on the fuselage.

Landing Gear

Constructing the landing gear legs. It took about four hours for each leg to be finished

After the model was thoroughly checked it was given a coat of automotive primer

The finished landing gear leg in place. The actuators can be seen protruding from the wheel well until the glue had cured. Now I inserted the finished instrument panel, securing it with some thickened epoxy glue, after which the tank and control stick assembly were fixed from below. This was also secured with a few drops of thickened epoxy (I thicken this glue by mixing it with some resin filler to prevent it seeping into places I don’t want it to be while it cures). The cowling was attached and this too was supported by some epoxy glue stiffened with a small section of net curtain mesh. The wing was now carefully trimmed to fit the fuselage and glued in place. Careful

Whether you will build a Spitfire 22/24 or the Spiteful you can´t use the kit-supplied landing gear legs as these are far too thin, so with no aftermarket items available it was time for some more scratchbuilding. Thankfully I had already found a suitable solution while building my Seafire 45 so I took some different diameters of plastic and brass tubing to create the main legs. To thicken these legs in certain areas thin strips of Plasticard – pulled over a sharp edge to soften them – were glued around the legs. To enhance the appearance of the legs further, some rings of thin aluminium foil followed. The fork was a flattened brass tube bent to the right curvature and filed to shape. This was then soft-welded to the brass tube that created the inner core of the gear leg (of course the metal parts were made first as otherwise you would ruin your plastic while welding). The Spiteful landing gear is quite complex as it includes two interconnected actuators. For the second one I used the kit’s gear legs altered to the correct shape, while for the gear doors a layer of Aluminium was glued to a slightly smaller layer of Plasticard resulting in nicely stepped gear doors. As the kit’s wheels were of the right hubtype (three holes) but of the wrong diameter my first thought was to use some 1/48 Spitfire wheels but these turned out to be far too small. With no other solution at hand I had to use the kit wheels. Checking the plans revealed that this time the thickness of plastic wasn’t sufficient to sand them down to the right diameter, so I glued some thick Plasticard inside the wheels and after mating both halves sanded these down to the desired diameter.

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The

Build 2/3 gloss and 1/3 matt Testors varnish sealed the whole thing but here too, I should have chosen 4/5 gloss and 1/5 varnish as the whole model now appears slightly too dull. But anyway, I am pleased with the result.

Conclusion Canopy

Painting and Weathering

A prominent feature of the Spiteful is the newly designed canopy that is so different from the Spitfire’s. You can’t use the kit item (though I wouldn’t use this for a Spitfire 22/24 either!). I had been dreading this stage of the build as I had no idea how to solve this problem until a modelling friend from the US sent me some pictures of a vacform device he had built to replace a kit canopy. Before going to the length of producing a vacform machine I first tried some crashforming over a male pattern. These attempts proved fruitless, due to the complex curvature of the part, but I had hoped for that one lucky punch! I subsequently found myself roaming the basement for a suitable box to produce a vacform machine as my modelling friend had described. After I had somehow produced this, thick plastic sheet was taped on top of the machine, heated with a heat gun, then the vacuum cleaner switched on and - wonder upon wonder - after two to three attempts I had an acceptable canopy, that only needed some framing. This was made using thin sheet styrene strips glued to the inside of the canopy’s lower frame lines. The forward frame was sawn from a thicker piece of sheet styrene to add some strength to the canopy.

I used my usual techniques of pre-silvering and pre-shading the airframe after a coat of white automotive primer had been applied. The colours used were from Xtracolor and White Ensign Models. First I painted the national insignia and continued with the camouflage colours. Blu Tack and Maskol were used for the demarcation of the upper colours resulting in some fine overspray when you spray at a right angle from above the surface to be painted. Tamiya masking tape on the other hand was used for the demarcation of the upper and lower colours where I needed a sharp line. The serials were home-made using clear

A coat of Sky and the roundel colours

Though not a state-of-the-art kit, the ageing Matchbox/Revell Spitfire 22/24 again proved to be a remarkably good starting point for producing a late Griffon powered ‘Spitfire’ and made for some interesting modelling (two years of it!). Furthermore the kit is cheap, and even cheaper on the second hand market, so you won’t risk too much money even if you end up scrapping the project. If you succeed you will not only own a unique and extraordinary model but also enhance and improve your modelling skills. Personally I still have two of these kits in my unbuilt pile and I am already checking my references for some future colour schemes.

The first colour coat to be applied was silver

Bits and Pieces The final bits and pieces consisted of the propeller blades that were slightly modified and sanded thinner and some other small items I don´t think I need to mention as these are not integral to the build – tailwheel doors, antennae etc. Following the Editor's initial guess about this project when I first mentioned it to him (a Seafang) I chose to depict RB520, a unique aircraft itself. Though a Spiteful Mk 14 it was intended to act as a pre-test aircraft to the later Seafang and so was equipped with a tail hook but no wingfold. RB520 was also known as the ‘hooked Spiteful’ and so the model received this item too. Apart from this its outer appearance is identical to the earlier Spitefuls with their short carburettor intakes.

With the underside colour of Medium Sea Grey, dry Tamiya tape was used to mask it and to achieve a sharp demarcation line.

The Ocean Grey was completely coated with Maskol to avoid any overspray. A method I had some doubts about at first but that worked well

Ocean Grey was sprayed freehand and then sausages from Blu Tack were fixed to mark the camouflage scheme lines

decal film and an ink-printer. The large underwing serials had to be given an extra coat of black enamel paint as the black ink on clear decal film always appears rather transparent. As this aircraft was a well maintained test airframe, and probably kept hangared, I tried to keep the weathering to a minimum - but failed somehow. A final coat of mixed

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SAMI Forward

News

News in May 2013

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hings seem to have picked up a bit this month, with a generous helping of both plastic and resin – just take a look at ‘At a Glance’ this month - and with the model show season well and truly open and the weather improving we can all relax and get back to the serious business of trying to keep pace with the industry’s furious output. Big news from the rest of the world this month – the Czech News has some real winners - is the new Kinetic Kfir in 1/48, while Dragon’s

1/72 Saturn V rocket will dwarf even the biggest of the 1/32 offerings that constitute the bulk of this month’s reportage. And a 1/72 Tu-2 as well! Oh great days! Great days…

Subscribers’ Monthly Prize Draw – April 2013 Mr Bowe, UK – Kit Mr Rantanen, Finland – Kit Mr Turek, USA – Kit Entry to the monthly prize draw is FREE to all subscribers

Alley Cat Now available through A2Zee is the Alley Cat reboxing of ACRK32-11, the CA-12/13/19 Boomerang. The Boomerang is a very comprehensive kit, with over 170 parts, forty-seven etched parts, vacform canopies, white metal undercarriage, decals for four aircraft, accurate stencil data, canopy masks and a detailed walkaround disc of a real Boomerang airframe. This is the Montex kit that has received a few changes and upgrades, which include improved vacform canopies produced by Red Roo, who also provided the stencil data for the airframe. Should any modellers have the original Montex kits and would like the improved Red Roo Models canopy, or the stencil sheets, or even alternative markings, all of these can be obtained directly from Red Roo Models at

Unicraft New ‘What ifs’ from this source: • 1/72 Heinkel 231-2 VTOL Project (1956) • 1/72 Heinkel 231-3 VTOL Project (1956) • 1/72 Boulton Paul P.99 Heavy Fighter Project (1942) • 1/72 Boulton Paul P.100 Heavy Fighter Project (1942)

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Airfix Airfix announced five new releases including a Shorts Tucano in RAF trainer livery and also the Folland Gnat Starter Set with 'Yellowjacks' livery. Back from the archives is an old favourite, the Mitsubishi Ki-46 II Dinah reconnaissance aircraft along with two 1/72 figure packs to expand the range of Second World War figures.

Bunny Fighter Club If you are not already a member of the BFC, then more incentives – or possibly even imperatives – are coming this month to help you change your mind. First along is an exclusive club edition of the 1/48 Bf 110 as a C-6 – the version with the MK 101 cannon slung underneath, and a variant so far not kitted in 1/48. Looking further ahead there will be the newly redesigned Fokker Dr.I ‘stripdown’ kit, and we look forward immensely to seeing how Eduard’s improved technology and design will have improved this exquisite little item. Of course all the other benefits of the club apply as well, so sign up on Eduard’s website now at www.eduard.com

www.redroomodels.com Of note is the considerable cut in prices of the 1/48 Alley Cat Vampire kits. These are reduced by around 50%, and given the accuracy and detail featured, they compare favourably with the new Trumpeter release.

I only accepted this mission because they told me the barrel was full of beer!

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News

AT A GLANCE

HobbyBoss Newly announced in 1/72 is #80298 the Tu-2 medium bomber, a kit that will fill a few gaps in collections, while a more familiar topic will be the Bf 110, which will be released in 1/72 as an E version. New to the list in 1/48 is another Corsair – this time an F4U-4B. This was the last variant to see action

Aerotech Aerotech’s update, on April 1st, assured us they now have the test castings for AT32018 Speed Spitfire, the decals are being printed and they will be working on the etch shortly and are hoping to have this available late May. They will be starting work on the Piaggio PC-7 by the time this goes to print, but will also be releasing further versions of the D.H.88 Comet. It has been suggested that it might be a good idea to produce the Messerschmitt Me 209 V1 as a

My word, it’s a busy month! Just as well the workbench is thawing out, as a lot of very interesting items are about to wink into being – first among these being the new-tool 1/48 Fireflies from Special Hobby, the initial boxing of which is out now, offering the aircraft in ‘Home Fleet’ markings. Watch this space as more will follow… Elsewhere there is a big delivery from HobbyBoss, Tamiya’s new 1/72 Il-2, and Revell’s big He 111H-6, a welcome second-sitting of this impressive kit. during World War II, deliveries to the US Navy commencing late in 1944.

companion to the Speed Spitfire. Aerotech were interested in doing this a few years ago but heard that this was being produced elsewhere so shelved the idea. As it has yet to appear in 1/32, they are reconsidering, and invite feedback…

Hasegawa New releases include an item of special interest to the UK - the 1/48 Seaking HAR Mk 5 from HMS Ark Royal, a limited-edition kit with extra additional parts for the radar and for the mesh intake filter. • 07332 1/48 ARADO Ar 234C-3 w/BT700 ‘Anti-Shipping Attacker’ • 07339 1/48 Seaking HAR Mk 5 ‘Ark Royal’ • 60502 Egg Plane J-15 ‘Chinese Navy’ • 02032 1/72 F4U-1A Corsair Combo (Two kits in the box) • 07333 1/48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero ‘Junyo Fighter Group’ • 07340 1/48 F-104S Starfighter ‘Veltro 1’

SAMI Forward

• 07338 1/48 F-16C Fighting Falcon ‘Tiger Meet 2012’ • 02047 1/72 CF-18A Hornet ‘Canada Special Markings 2012’ • 02044 1/72 B-17F Flying Fortress ‘Knockout Dropper’ • 02045 1/72 Kawanishi E7K1 Type 94 Seaplane ‘Battleship Kirishima’ with Catapult • 02046 1/72 Mitsubishi F-1 ‘Sea Camouflage Combo’ (Two kits in the box) • 02043 1/72 AH-1S Cobra ‘2011/2012 ‘Kisarazu Special’ (Two kits in the box)

Admiral #7209 1/72 Supermarine Seafire F.45 A Model #14467 1/144 Let L410 Turbolet A Model #14467-1 1/144 Let L-410M / L-410MU Turbolet A Model #72141LE 1/72 Antonov An-8 VSU TG-16 'Camp' Limited Edition Anigrand Craftswork #2111 1/72 Shenyang J-31 Gyrfalcon Anigrand Craftswork #4082 1/144 Fairchild C-82A Packet Art Model #7212 1/72 Sukhoi Su-25UB Airfix #02016 1/72 Mitsubishi Dinah Ki-46 II Airfix #03059 1/72 Short Tucano T.1 AZ Models #48063 1/48 Fairey Firefly FR.1 AZ Models #48064 1/48 Fairey Firefly TT.1 AZ Models #74010 1/72 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk USAAC and USAAF AZ Models #74011 1/72 Gotha P.60C-1 AZ Models #74012 1/72 Gotha P.60C-1 Night Fighter AZ Models #74013 1/72 Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXe Czechoslovak Air Force AZ Models #74014 1/72 Bücker Bü 181 / Bü 281 / Bü 381 Czech Service AZ Models #L7218 1/72 Boeing P-26A Peashooter USAAC 1941/1942 AZ Models #L7219 1/72 Boeing P-26A Peashooter USAAC 1934 AZ Models #L7220 1/72 Boeing P-26A Peashooter International Users Cyber-Hobby #5109 1/72 Sikorsky SH-3D Sea King USN Eduard #1176 1/48 McDonnell F-15A/F-15C Fighting Eagle Eduard #4429 1/144 Supermarine Spitfire Mk IXc Hobby Boss #80283 1/72 Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (Razorback) Hobby Boss #80284 1/72 Lockheed P-38L-5-LO Hobby Boss #80285 1/72 Ilyushin Il-2M3 Hobby Boss #80289 1/72 Gloster Gladiator Hobby Boss #80291 1/72 Macchi C.200 Saetta Hobby Boss #81706 1/48 Antonov An-2W 'Colt' Hobby Boss #83209 1/32 Northrop P-61B Black Widow Hobby Boss #87244 1/72 Mil Mi-2URP Antitank Variant HPH Models #32022R 1/32 Supermarine Walrus Mk I HPH Models #48019R 1/48 Iljushin Il-28 Italeri #0153 1/72 Fairchild AC-119K Gunship Italeri #1333 1/72 Northrop F-5E Patrouille Suisse Italeri #1338 1/72 Douglas DC-3/Douglas C-47 Dakota Mk III Italeri #1343 1/72 Augusta-Bell AB-212 / Bell UH-1N Mirage #481304 1/48 PZL-23 Karas Romanian Air Force MPM #72565 1/72 Douglas P-70 Nighthawk MPM #72574 1/72 Gloster Meteor Trent 'First Turboprop Fighter' Modelsvit #4802 1/48 Yakolev Yak-1 on skis Modelsvit #4803 1/48 Yakolev Yak-1 early Pegasus #2023 1/72 Airco D.H.5 RS Models #92111 1/72 Northrop XP-79 Flying Ram RS Models #92115 1/72 Lockheed F-4 /F-4A Lightning RS Models #92123 1/72 Lockheed F-5 Lightning RS Models #92133 1/72 Bell P-400 Airacobra RS Models #92134 1/72 Morko-Morane RS Models #92137 1/72 Nakajima Ki-27b RS Models #92138 1/72 Heinkel He 112B Luftwaffe RS Models #92139 1/72 Nakajima Ki-27 Thailand RS Models #92140 1/72 Heinkel 112B Spain Revell #04836 1/32 Heinkel He 111H-6 Revell #06647 None Boeing 737-800 Air Berlin Special Hobby #48127 1/48 Fairey Firefly Mk I ‘Home Fleet’ Special Hobby #48134 1/48 Fiat BR.20M 'Lanciani Delta Turret' Special Hobby #72245 1/72 Yakovlev Yak-23 Flora Two-Seater Tamiya #60781 1/72 Ilyushin IL-2 Sturmovik Tamiya #60782 1/72 Grumman F-14A Tomcat Tamiya #60783 1/72 McDonnell F-15E Eagle Trumpeter #02854 1/48 MiG-23MF Flogger-B Valom #14402 1/144 Sopwith Pup (Dual Combo) Wingnut Wings #32020 1/32 Sopwith Snipe early version Wingnut Wings #32054 1/32 Sopwith Snipe late version Xuntong Model #48001 1/48 Tu-2VS Soviet Tactical Bomber Xuntong Model #48002 1/48 Tu-2S Soviet Medium Bomber Xuntong Model #48003 1/48 Tu-2T Soviet Torpedo Bomber Zvezda #7304 1/72 Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4

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SAMI Forward

News

Kinetic

Retrokit

Big news this month is an all-new 1/48 Kfir from Kinetic, #48046. This is a joint project with IsraCast Studio, so you can be sure it will be accurate! Decals are designed by Isra, and model features include positionable flaps, cockpits and ejection seats for both C2 and C7, Python-3, Mk 82, CBU-10, Griffon LGB and Laser Designator. Subsonic and supersonic fuel tanks are also provided. Markings cover: • KFIR C7 553 'Venus', 'The Arava Guardians' squadron, Hatzor AF Base, 1988 • KFIR C7 539 'Venus' (Hebrew version), 'The Arava Guardians' squadron, Hatzor AF Base, 1992 • KFIR C7 521 'Pluto', 'The Arava Guardians' squadron, Hatzor AF Base, 1994

RetrokiT now has a new website, which you can find at www.retrokitonline.net so for all the latest and most crucial 1/144 upgrades and accessories, get online and check it out. Existing customers may need to re-register with the new site, but it is very userfriendly, and as one of the few places really pushing the boat out for the small scale, it is well worth cherishing. Must pick up one of these too… • RW44043 F-15E Cockpit Detail Set F• KFIR C2 number 805 'The Valley' squadron, Ramat-David AF Base, 1983 • KFIR C2 number 861 'Venus', 'The Valley' squadron, Ramat-David AF Base, 1985

Roden New kits announced from Roden: #451 1/48 North American T-28C Trojan The T-28C was an American deck training aircraft developed in 1955 based on the Air Force T-28B version. The main difference was a reinforced fuselage structure and the addition of equipment for carrier take-off and landing. The aircraft was widely used by the US Navy for carrier pilot training. In the early 1960s some T-28Cs were transferred to the South Vietnamese Air Force. In total 226 were made of this version. # 728 1/72 Opel Blitzbus Ludewig ‘Aero’ (WWII service) OK, not an aircraft, but this vehicle is

Italeri This month’s releases from Italeri see another vintage re-issue in original boxing, in this case #0114S, the Ju 86D in 1/72. This is presented as it first appeared in 1974 in a certified limited-edition guaranteed by a hologram on the box that includes a sequence number of each kit. Advance orders are being accepted up to 2,500 pieces for this item. Another very welcome return is

such a charismatic piece of kit, that we couldn’t resist a recommendation. Sit it next to a Lufthansa Junkers or some such… or just build it! Please make this in a bigger scale!

the B-57G, again in 1/72, accompanied by an F-104S in Aerobatic Team colours and a specially marked Tornado IDS/ECR.

ICM Kits in process include #48086, a set of WWII German Luftwaffe Pilots and Ground Personnel in Winter Uniform in 1/48

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Shed Models Recent arrivals to the 1/200 Range By Tim Upson-Smith R.E.8 This 1/200 metal kit is beautifully cast, with very fine detail considering the small size of the model. Included with the kit are etched brass struts and exhaust pipes. The wings are cast with no dihedral so for extra accuracy some careful bending will be required. The only addition I made was adding the wing bracing pylons to the upper surface of the top wing. These were made from fine Albion Alloys brass rod. The two colour options in the box A4352 and F6279 have the same overall finish, the former in PC12 and the latter in PC10, although in this small scale and with the controversy still open for these two colours I am not sure it matters which shade you use! I painted mine using chocolate brown to represent the PC12 finish of A4352. All in all a satisfying build which takes up hardly any space in the display cabinet, and another welcome release from this one man manufacturer. Airco D.H.9A/Polikarpov R1 This, like the R.E.8, is an absolute gem of a model, again because as well as the white metal castings etched brass is supplied for the struts and Scarff ring with Lewis gun. As one of the options in the colour schemes was for a postwar silver aircraft in Iraq in 1924, I decided to have a little fun

15E Cockpit Detail Set for Revell kit. We’re getting there!

and add a long range fuel tank and extra radiator under the nose. These were made from odds and ends of plastic sprue cut and sanded to shape. Shed Models provide the spare wheel often seen carried on machines in the middle east, the position of which varies. Unbelievably for such a small model 5 decal options are offered, including a Soviet licence-built Polikarpov R1 in overall green with red stars. Handley Page O/100 / O/400 This is the largest and I have to say most complex 1/200 model I have assembled to date, but that said when built it really does look the part and repays the time and care needed. All of the major parts are cast in white metal, while the struts are all provided in etched brass. I found that with this build due to the complexity of some of the strut arrangements around the engines and undercarriage that further references were needed. As well as using books I made great use of the Airfix 1/72 kit in my stash to work out how it all fitted together. Shed Models have done their homework well to come up with some interesting colour schemes, including a pink example used to ferry an Indian’s harem! I opted for a civilian airline conversion, G-EATN, as the large white panels with the black letters appealed. To build this model you will need some experience in assembling white metal and etched brass, but that said if the subject appeals, give it a try!

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News

This Month in MA

Minicraft

• Air Wars - Air Arms – The South African Air Force From World War to Bush War • Classic Airframes D.H. Venom FB.4 Revisited • Fly by Wire – The unique F-104 G CCV-Starfighter in 1/48 • Mad Russian – P-47N in 1/48 • CMR’s 1/72 Firebrand TF Mk V • Modellers Portfolio – Henschel Hs 129. Plans and Profiles by Peter Scott • The Supermarine Spitfire in Foreign Service – A survey in scale of Supermarine’s iconic fighter in Global use. Part One by Robert Humphreys • Convair’s R3Y Tradewind - an Excercise in Vacform Modelling • Automobile Association – An eyecatching Dragon • Workbench – German Battle of

A couple of really interesting items in this month from Minicraft, with an up to the minute boxing of the C-130 making a very welcome appearance: 14589 1/144 C-130J USAF This revised C-130J kit features new engine and propeller toolings to represent the latest C-130 in service. The kit also includes recessed panel lines, visible cargo hold, opening rear cargo door and position-able landing gear. New decals by Cartograf will include markings for two USAF aircraft.

Britain Fighters. Airfix’s Next Generation by Trevor Pask Plus all our usual columns and regulars

14690 1/144 JM-1 USN ‘ The B-26 was developed as a medium bomber and used to attack from medium and low altitudes at high speed. While not used in front-

Trumpeter Remember that 1/32 A-6 Intruder we reported as imminent some years back? Artwork is now upon the Trumpeter website. Looks like it just got ‘imminenter’…

line service by the US Navy or Marine Corps, the B-26 was designated JM-1 to perform training duties as a target tug. Aircraft were often painted in unique high-visibility orange to enhance visibility and towed targets at high speed for anti-aircraft gunnery training. Improved antiaircraft gunnery proved vital in the closing days of WWII to combat Japanese kamikaze attacks on ships of the US Fleet. The new JM-1 from Minicraft features recessed panel lines, and a choice of two marking options including one named ‘Joe’s Banana Boat’, with decals printed by Cartograf.

WIN! Get Lucky! This month Scale Aviation Modeller International has teamed up with LuckyModel to offer an opportunity to win one of three brand new 1/32 Kinetic Hawk 100 Series kits. This exciting new tooling offers a wide selection of options and markings covering the latest versions of the venerable trainer, including over 150 parts, etched details, detailed interior and optional positions for flaps and air brakes. Markings cover Royal Air Force, Canadian Air Force and Australian Air Force aircraft: • CT-155/Hawk Mk.115, 15 Wing, RCAF, Moose Jaw, Canada, 2003 • Hawk Mk.128, BAE Systems, Lancashire, UK, 2008 • Hawk Mk.120D, BAE Systems, Warton, UK, 2008 • Hawk Mk.127, 76 Sqn, RAAF, Williamtown, Australia, 2003 • Hawk Mk.127, 76 Sqn, RAAF, Williamtown, Australia, 2011

www.luckymodel.com To win one of these superb kits just answer the question below:

Q. In what year did the original Hawk trainer make its first flight? Answers on a postcard please to: Lucky Strike Competition, SAM Publications, Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, MK42 9BJ

Competition Rules

Employees/volunteers working for SAM Publications, LuckyModel 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. All entries must reach Media House by 24th May 2013, when the prize draw will take place.

SAMI Forward

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SAMI Forward

Czech News

Czech Out

By Richard Bolingbroke

Our monthly Round Up from the Czech Republic MPM MPM say they have now resolved the issues that had been delaying kits, with things getting back on track. The initial boxing of the 1/48 Firefly is out, with options for three wartime aircraft, and things are moving forward. Latest issues in March also included some revisions of existing toolings – notably two more releases of the excellent P-35 in 1/72, reviewed elsewhere in this issue. SH72260 P-35 ‘Silver Wings Era’ offers the type in attractive inter-war finishes covering all three squadrons that used the aircraft, as well as the Headquarters Squadron of the USAAC 1st Pursuit Group. SH72262 P-35 ‘War games and War Training’ offers even more interesting schemes: when war broke out in 1939 in Europe, Japan and China had already been fighting for some years and it was obvious to many that the USA would be involved in the conflict too. The US Army Air Corps increased the number of

exercises and tested various camouflage schemes on its machines, and it is the development and testing of these that is portrayed in this kit. Three options show various water-based temporary patterns while the last is in typical American wartime colours of Olive Drab and Neutral Gray. Moving on, SH72267 Heinkel He 100D ‘Soviet and Japanese Test Plane’ is another 1/72 kit depicting the rival to the Bf 109 in the Luftwaffe’s fighter competition. Unsuccessful as a candidate, in1939 it was offered for sale to delegates from allied states. Japan and the Soviet Union – then still officially allied by the MolotovRibbentrop Pact – both accepted trials aircraft, with Heinkel

managing to maintain a high degree of secrecy so that neither delegates knew the other were involved. Japan took three pre-production machines, and the Soviets five or six. There are no available photos of the Japanese machines and the schemes offered are reconstructions of how the aircraft may have

Master X

Eduard

Check out this new resin kit of the DFS 40 in 1/48 [email protected]

A milestone month for Eduard, as May sees the release of the first new-tool Spitfire kit, accompanied by the most aftermarket products they have ever been able to release simultaneously with the kit that they are designed for. Again, see elsewhere for full details thanks to the pre-release ‘white cover’ boxing that we have been very pleased to receive. This, of course, is the first of many. June will see the Royal Class kit, and will be released as a Dual Combo boxing with fourteen marking options, and even Brassin beer barrels to hang from the wing racks. As a bonus, the kit will include a beer glass emblazoned with the emblem of the specially bottled MARK IX Eduard

Planet New from Planet is PLT242, a Caproni Ca.114 ‘Peruvian AF Fighter’. This is a full resin kit of an Italian biplane fighter produced for Peru. Peruvian Ca.114s were deployed in the war against Equador in 1941. This kit was produced with the help of Antarki Models and includes white metal undercarriage legs. www.cmkkits.com

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appeared. The Soviet machines were tested in the TsAGI. Later, one machine was displayed as a part of the war prize exhibition. Final releases in March included two additional Me 163 kits SH72258 Messerschmitt Me 163C ‘Bubble Canopy Version’ and SH72263 Messerschmitt Me 163C ‘What-If War’. Both are to 1/72 www.cmkkits.com

beer. This beverage is to be released in June to be sold at the ModelBrno, PilserKit and E-day model shows only. Elsewhere, there are the usual profiPACK and Weekend kits in the offing, one of particular note being the Bf 109E-7 Trop, a kit awaited by many… www.eduard.cz

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Czech News

SAMI Forward

AZ Model While there has been an avalanche of new kits out this month, all announced at Nuremberg, the big news from AZ Model is the Tiger Moth – and a very rare treat it looks to be too! We understand it was initially based on the Pavla tooling, but has since been revised beyond all recognition, and is to all intents and purposes a new tooling, augmented by etched details – these are provided in the kit but designed to be optional for those not addicted to the genre. Four boxings are offered, with four attractive options in each, giving modellers the opportunity to amass an impressive collection, covering the aircraft’s widespread use extensively. Definitely one to look out for! Among the many 1/72 kits newly

HpH UK importers Hannants are offering a full range of HpH kits, including a couple of real eye-openers. We have been anticipating the 1/32 Catalina

– but what about this! A 1/32 Shagbat – sorry, Walrus – and a 1/48 Il-28 Beagle. Better send Tim off to Prague again ASAP… or no more Wingnuts for you! www.hph.cz

arrived are the 1/48 reboxings of the Grand Phoenix 1/48 Firefly. These come with an impressive Aires interior set, complete with (unpainted) etched details, markings for four options, and an impressively modest asking price of £19.99. www.azmodel.cz

CMR New from CMR is the latest 1/72 de Havilland Vampire, in the shape of the NF.3, a kit significant as we are advised it is to be the last tooled by CMR’s founder Mr Petr Buchar. CMR is now owned and run by Michal Ovcacik and Karel Susa (4+/Mark I), and while the standard and quality of the kits will remain unchanged, the ongoing Venom/Vampire saga marks the end of an astonishing line of kits tooled by the original Czech Master.

Miniwings Latest in 1/144 from Miniwings is the Blue Angels boxing of the Grumman F11F-1 Tiger. www.miniwing.cz

Fly Dedicated modellers of Czech subjects will delight in the limitedrun 1/72 Avia BH-21 (Czechoslovak Fighter & Trainer) from Fly. www.fly814.cz Congratulations to Petr on a job well done, and to view the full range check out the CMR website – but not before you have cast an eye over Colin ‘Flying’ Pickett’s beautiful Empire Flying Boat elsewhere in this edition… www.cmrmodels.co.uk

RS Models New releases from RS include the XP-79 Flying Ram, a kit that might even give Tony Grand a moment’s pause… • RS Models #92111 1/72 Northrop XP-79 Flying Ram • RS Models #92137 1/72 Nakajima Ki-27b • RS Models #92139 1/72 Nakajima Ki-27 Thailand • RS Models #92140 1/72 Heinkel 112B Spain

Other releases continue apace and add to the growing range of unique and original subjects in the 1/72 catalogue, including the new P-51H! www.rsmodels.cz

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SAMI Feature

1/144

Coot and C Civil Aviation from the former Soviet Bloc

T

he Tupolev Tu-134A/B is a version of the Tu-134 with upgraded engines, Avionics and seating for up to eighty-four passengers. The original Tu-134A had a glazed nose and this was carried on to the B version but some were modified to enable the radar to be mounted in the nose, thus removing the glazed section. The aircraft was built between 1966 and 1984 and 850 plus two prototypes were constructed. The Tu-134A/B carried a crew of threefour and had a capacity of between 72-84 passengers and was/is powered by two

Soloviev D-30-II Turbofan engines. The Zvezda kit consists of two sprues of grey injection moulded plastic, one sprue of clear injection, one decal sheet and one instruction sheet, while paint colours are given on the instruction sheet for Model Master paints. The detail on the plastic parts is exquisite as can be expected now on Zvezda’s airliner kits. The parts are superbly moulded with not a hint of flash anywhere. There is no cockpit or interior detail so the only things that need to fit inside the fuselage are the forward wheel well and nose weight and the cabin windows, although I did not use them as I prefer Micro Kristal Klear for these. With these added the

TECH DATA

TUPOLEV TU-134A/B3 SCALE: 1/144 KIT NO: 7007 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic MANUFACTURER: Zvezda UK IMPORTER: The Hobby Company US IMPORTER: Dragon USA

Hungarian Govt. Tupolev Tu-134 (HAYSA) at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, 21 October 1978 (Pertti Sipilä)

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By Andy McCabe

two fuselage halves are joined together. Jumping forward there is an option to convert the nose to the B version without the glazed nose, and this was done now so that I could clean up all of the joints in one go - not that they needed much cleaning up as the fit is excellent. The wings are next, and these are made up from a centre fuselage and two upper sections, and again the fit is exact and no filler was needed. The engines are made up from five separate parts and are quite simple but effective assemblies. Once again Zvezda

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Civil Aviation Decaling now commenced, and these are very nicely printed with excellent colour registration and density. Two colour options are supplied: • Tu-134A CCCP-65085 Aeroflot Airlines, USSR 1977 • Tu-134B RA-65694 Aeroflot Airlines Russia, 2001-2008 A Tupolev Tu-134 of Aviogenex at Zürich Airport in June 1982 (Eduard Marmet) score full marks for the detailed front engine fans. The fan blades were painted and installed in one of the engine casings and then the other half was fitted and the seams cleaned up and the engines fitted to the fuselage. The fit is very positive and due to this there were no gaps in the joints. The rudder was glued into position and the tailplane assembled and fitted to the tail. The cockpit canopy was masked and fitted and the two upper fuselage strakes were glued into position and the model was ready for a coat of primer. The model was sprayed with a white primer and any gaps or blemishes dealt with before another coat of primer and then a good coat of Halfords Appliance Gloss White could be applied to the upper fuselage. When dry it was masked off and Gunze Aqueous H334 was sprayed on to all of the other surfaces. The instructions show the lower fuselage/wings to be of a silver finish but images referenced show the lower fuselage to be a light grey.

The undercarriage was now painted and assembled then fitted to the fuselage, and other items to add were the etched blade aerials to the upper and lower fuselage and the two upper fuselage strakes.

TECH DATA

ILYUSHIN IL-18 SCALE: 1/144 KIT NO: 14412 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic MANUFACTURER: AZ Model UK IMPORTER: Hannants US IMPORTER: UMM-USA

Conclusion Not a difficult build and a quick one as well. The quality of the parts is superb as is now customary from Zvezda. Their recent kits are the best injection moulded Airliner Models on the market, in my opinion; the attention to detail on the parts is amazing and they build into superb models. I always look forward to building them when they are released. The fit of the parts is always excellent and very rarely is filler used in any great quantity. I could rave on forever about their kits but I think most of it would be edited out! In the meantime I look forward to the next Airliner release from Zvezda whatever it may be - perhaps the Airbus A350 maybe? Whatever it is, it will be another fine model I am sure.

An Il-18D of the Russian Special Flight Unit seen in February 2009 (Aktug Ates)

T

he Ilyushin-Il18, NATO code name Coot, is a large Turboprop Airliner designed and built in the Soviet Union by Ilyushin at the Moscow Machinery Plant No.30, that first flew on 4th July 1957. The Il-18 was manufactured between 1959 and 1978 with 564 built, and although the aircraft is no longer in production there are still examples in service. The Il-18 is powered by four Ivchenko AI-20M axial flow turboprop engines, which are coupled to four-bladed AW-68 I constant-speed feathering propellers, with a 4.5 m (14 ft 9 in) diameter. The aircraft has a passenger capacity of 65-120 with a crew of nine and has seen a wide range of both civilian and military operators since its introduction. The AZ kit consists of three white and two brown sprues of injection moulded plastic, one decal sheet and one

d Crusty

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SAMI Feature

1/144

Some attractive vintage liveries are apparent in this 1990 shot of a LOT Ilyushin Il18E (Charles Osta)

instruction sheet. Paint colours are given on the instruction sheet and the back of the box but no specific paint manufacturer is mentioned. The instructions give an A,B,C etc reference but they are not referred to either on the box or instruction sheet. The parts are not moulded as crisply as some of the major plastic kit manufacturers but that will not detract from this being a nice model when finished. The decal sheet is nicely printed with decals supplied for two options. There is no cockpit or interior detail so the only thing that needs to fit inside the fuselage is nose weight, and once added the two fuselage halves are joined together. The wing halves are next, when assembled they butt join to the fuselage as do the tailplanes, but it is worth taking time to ensure that the wings and

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

tailplanes are all in line as they can differ due to the lack of positive locating points. Filler was required to both wing and tailplane joints. The tail was glued into position and again filler was needed. The engines were next. The outer pair are made up from four parts each, which when assembled slot onto their respective markings on each wing. The inner engines are slightly different and require the two wing fairings to be fitted to the wings before the main engine assembly is added to them. The fit of the engine parts is not

Hungariian airlines Malev Ilyushin Il-18 seen in 1972 (Lars Söderström)

Czech Airlines Tupolev Tu-134A on charter flight to Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport from Prague in May 1975 (Piergiuliano Chesi)

too bad although filler was needed at the wing joints. With that the basic construction was finished. All of the seam and joint lines were cleaned up and the the model was sprayed with white primer. The upper fuselage was then sprayed with Halfords Appliance White, masked when dry, and then the lower fuselage, wings and tailplanes were sprayed light grey. The leading edges to the wings and tailplanes were than masked and painted silver. The decals were now applied, with no problems encountered. Colour Options are: • CSA Airlines, white upper fuselage and tail with silver/light grey lower fuselage, wings and tailplanes • Interflug, colour scheme as above

Conclusion Another quick build, with no problems encountered. The decals are nicely produced and printed and have a good density, even the white band below the red fuselage window band barely shows the grey paint through it. The plastic parts are crisply produced though there is not a great deal of surface detail, nevertheless the quality is quite good.

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Civil Aviation

The glass-nosed B variant of the Tu-134 – NATO codename ‘Crusty’ Tu-134UBL from 1449th Airbase in Tambov city, September 2010. This is a military variant for training bomber crews (Vitaly Kuzmin)

Kolavia Tupolev Tu 134 RA-65942 at Pulkovo Airport, September 2003 (Yevgeny Pashnin)

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SHORTS S.23 Empire Flying Boat A Luxury Mail Carriage for the Empire

I

TECH DATA

2The History Bit n 1935 Imperial Airways ordered twenty-eight Shorts C-Class flying boats directly from the drawing board in order to facilitate the expansion of the Empire mail service, a payload of 4,480lb (2,035kg) being ample for the time, with space for seventeen passengers thrown in for good measure and it’s this part of the service that they are best remembered for. First flying in 1936, prototype Canopus became the first of the line to bear a name starting with ‘C’, and in total forty-two CClass aeroplanes of all types were built, thirty of these being S.23s. The aircraft were operated by Imperial Airways

SHORT S.23 C-CLASS EMPIRE FLYING BOAT SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 72-200 TYPE: Resin

Limited, QANTAS, and Tasman Empire Airways Limited, as well as British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC). Whilst the Empire Mail Service ceased operation at the outbreak of the Second World War some of the Flying boats went on to serve in other capacities, including with the RAF and RAAF. Most examples of the C-Class, in all its guises, were withdrawn from service by 1947.

Building the C-Class. CMR Models’ Shorts C-Class is an intimidating kit, and make no mistake, being the largest resin kit produced by this manufacturer, it arrives in a substantial box with an equally substantial

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MANUFACTURER: CMR www.cmrmodels.co.uk

By Colin Pickett number of parts. Having sat in my stash for a while whilst I built up the courage, the kit I had was formed from finely detailed creamy resin parts (I understand the newer kits come in medium-green colour resin). This is accompanied by a set of pre-painted etch metal parts, and precut masks for the canopy, which comes as either a clear resin part or a vacform item (with a spare of course). The kit also comes with a multitude of decals which appear to cover each colour scheme for all of the aircraft built, or not far short of it if not. I opted for a session of test-fitting first and decided that I’d need to add a series of thin plastic card tabs to the top of the fuselage in order to help alignment later. Needless to say construction starts with the cockpit, which is a very comprehensive set of parts, including pre-painted etch for the instrument panels and radio operator’s station. The cockpit builds into a great representation of the real thing and it’s just a shame that it won’t be fully visible on completion. I also painted the rear

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Shorts S.23 List of S.23 Airframes CANOPUS

G-ADHL

CALEDONIA

G-ADHM

CENTAURUS

G-ADUT / RAAF S/n A18-10

CAMBRIA

G-ADUV

CASTOR

G-ADUW

CASSIOPEA

G-ADUX

CAPELLA

G-ADUY

CYGNUS

G-ADUZ

CAPRICORNUS G-ADVA COURTIER

G-ADVC

CHALLENGER

G-ADVD

CENTURION

G-ADVE

CORIOLANUS

G-AETV / VH-ABG

CALPURNIA

G-AETW

CERES

G-AETX

CLIO

G-AETY / RAF S/n AX659

CIRCE

G-AETZ

CALYPSO

G-AEUA / RAAF S/n A18-11

CAMILLA

G-AEUB / VH-ADU

CORINNA

G-AEUC

CORDELIA

G-AEUD / RAF S/n AX660

CAMERONIAN

G-AEUE

CORINTHIAN

G-AEUF

COOGEE

G-AEUG / VH-ABC / RAAF S/n A18-12

CORIO

G-AEUH / VH-ABD

COORONG

G-AEUI / VH-ABE

CARPENTARIA

G-AFBJ / VH-ABA

COOLANGATTA G-AFBK / VH-ABB / RAAF s/n A1813 COOEE

G-AFBL / VH-ABF

The engines are jewels in their own right

cabin black and fitted the numerous resin windows using Gator’s Glue, which was cleaned back using a damp cotton bud to tidy up the window surrounds. With the windows installed and the cockpit in place it was time to close up the fuselage. I started by fixing the front of the fuselage first, where the fit was most prominent, using thin superglue run into the joints before a quick blast of ‘kicker’ was used to speed things up. I then proceeded to work around the fuselage section by section until I’d completed the job. After applying the masking set to the windows, I fitted the canopy. In order to keep things in easy-tohandle pieces I decided to fill and sand the fuselage, and rescribe where necessary, although due to the careful alignment I’d done there was very little of this to do, in truth. Moving onto the wings next, these come as two halves so I used the same method as on the fuselage to ensure they were flat, as even a small misalignment on a part this size would make it look warped. Again filling and sanding first, the wings were then test fitted. CMR provide a substantial resin spar to assist in alignment of the wings and with a small amount of jiggling they fit seamlessly. A small amount of work saw the tail surfaces in place and it was then time to let loose with a can of Halfords finest grey primer. As usual I found a few small surface marks left from construction, which I

The S.23’s interior lives up to CMR’s usual standard

filled and sanded before a second coat of primer was used. I then polished the surfaces with a fine grade of wet and dry paper to get rid of any graininess from the primer. The Shorts C-Class were mainly finished in Duralumin, so Xtracolor enamel Duralumin was airbrushed over the entire airframe. Using reference pictures various panels were masked off and a coat of High Speed Silver used to give a variance in panel colour. The planing surfaces of the C-Class are said to have been a silver/grey colour, so a

The clear resin parts are complemented with pre-cut masks

With the airframe together it’s time for the primer

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A coat of Halfords primer provides a perfect base for the Duralumin topcoat

A spending wrapping of masking tape The Duralumin topcoat, ready for masking for the various panel colours

• Corsair – G-ADVB – Imperial Airways London • Cooee – G-AFBL / VH-ABF – BOAC / QUANTAS Empire Airways • Corio – VH-ABD – QANTAS Empire Airways • Coriolanus – G-AETV / VH-ABG – QANTAS Empire Airways

The different areas on the tailplane masked for painting

Demasked, the tailplane exhibits the differential finish I wanted Masked again, this time for access hatches

Just a slight difference, but it adds that realistic touch

mix of Medium Sea Grey and Duralumin was sprayed onto these surfaces once they were masked off. I also found from the references I had that the lower section of the hull would develop a ‘tide mark’ when sat in water, so this was replicated by masking off a waterline on the hull and then misting a coat of thinned Tamiya X19 Smoke and Brown on the area. I wanted to bring out the fine panel detail, but in a subtle manner, so adopted a wash of thinned dark grey enamel paint, which I carefully ran into all of the panel lines, producing the result I was looking for. I also ran some thinned black paint around the window frames before removing the masks to represent the rubber seals. As mentioned before, the kit comes with a vast array of decals for five of the S.23 C-Class production aeroplanes. These are: • Canopus – G-ADHL – Imperial Airways London / BOAC

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After much deliberation I decided on Canopus in its 1937-1939 markings as, for me at least, this represented the type in its heyday. The decals are in the correct shade of dark blue, in perfect register with very little in the way of carrier film. After applying a

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Shorts S.23

The waterline is added - it’s a flying boat, after all

coat of the elixir that is Johnson's Klear and leaving it to dry, I floated the decals into place on a thin localised coat of wet Klear as I wanted to reduce the risk of silvering, not that I suspected that the decals wouldn’t settle, I just know from past experience that the bigger the decal, the more likely it is to happen. The four Bristol Pegasus engines are masterpieces in their own right, just missing pushrods on the front, which come as etched brass parts in the kit. The engines were painted black and then dry brushed with silver and dark grey to bring out the detail. Having left the engines and cowlings off for ease during painting the airframe, I now set about fixing them in place on small discs of plastic card I’d prepared earlier, along with the exhausts. The aerial arrays came next, and I used lengths of thin piano wire to form the tail

Engines in place, ready for the cowls

A coat of Klear seals the silver(s) in, ready for decals

fixings before modifying the kit-provided mast to accept another length of piano wire to form the cross piece. The aerial wires were formed of fine fishing line, fixed in place with a small drop of superglue and tautened with the use of a heated knife blade passed near them (but not too close as they have a habit of snapping otherwise). The wires trailing down to the cockpit were also added. I also made small exhaust stubs from aluminium tube, with The front aerial mast - worth the extra effort

the edges thinned down to give a scale appearance. Lastly came the floats, the struts for which I drilled out and fitted thin lengths of wire to, to secure them into the holes I’d pre-drilled. I also added some small turnbuckles from wire loops to thread the rigging wire through, so with a bit of preplanning and judicial use of superglue and kicker the floats were soon in place. The finished C-Class looks every part the Empirical carriage, and it’s easy to imagine foreign and exotic countries passing below. Certainly CMR’s kit builds into a fine replica of the S.23, and while it is aimed at those with experience of resin kits and large models it’s worth the extra effort for the results. This is a real icon of a bygone era, prior to the chaos of the Second World War, a time that leads us nicely to the C-Class’s stablemate, the Sunderland, and so Italeri’s Sunderland Mk I beckons, as it wouldn’t do to leave the old girl sat on the shelf alone, would it?

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SAMI Feature

Photo Essay

This A-7 154552, belongs to VA-303 ‘Golden Hawks’ and has a striking tail emblem

Photo-Essay

Corsairs in Colour T US Navy A-7s

he Ling Temco Vought A-7 Corsair II or ‘Sluf’ (Short Little Ugly Fella – in polite conversation) was a carrierbased subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the US Navy A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War. The Corsair was later adopted by the US Air Force to replace the A-1 Skyraider and F-100 Super Sabre. The YA-7A made its first flight on 27 September 1965, and entered Navy squadron service late in 1966, and the first units reached operational status on 1 February 1967, and undertook combat operations over Vietnam in December of that year.

By Andy Evans

The A-7 required only 11.5 hours of maintenance per mission, resulting in quick turnaround and high number of combat-ready aircraft. However, after several years of exposure to the harsh marine conditions aboard aircraft carriers, the maintenance hours per sortie were often twice this amount. On the 5 November 1965, the USAF announced that it too would purchase a version of the A-7, designated the ‘A-7D’, for use by Tactical Air Command, the most important difference from the Navy version being the adoption of the Allison TF41-A-1 engine, a licence-built version of the British Rolls-Royce Spey. The Navy was so impressed with the performance of the

Strapped to the deck of the USS Nimitz in this colourful bird from VA-87 ‘Sidewinders’ Note the FLIR pod on the wing pylon of this A-7 from VA-81 ‘Sunliners’

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USAF machines that they ordered their own version with the TF41 engine and M61 cannon, the A-7E.. The first US Navy A-7As were deployed to Vietnam in 1967 with VA-147 Argonauts aboard the USS Ranger and these aircraft made their first combat sortie on 4 December 1967, and soon gained favour as a ‘bomb-truck’.. In the following months, VA-147 flew around 1,400 sorties losing only one aircraft. The Navy's improved A-7B model arrived in Vietnam in early 1969, with the definitive A-7E following in 1971. The ‘Sidewinders’ and ‘Marauders’ then deployed from June 1972 to Mar 1973 aboard USS America (CV 66) for a ten-month combat cruise and

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Corsairs

A very nondescript looking Corsair from VA-305

VA-83 ‘Rampagers’ is the unit to which this Corsair is attached

An A-7E from VA-46 ‘Clansmen’ aboard the USS John F Kennedy.

VA-97 ‘Warhawks’ owned this A-7 when she was assigned to the USS Enterprise

Note the ‘City of Lemore’ notation on the nose of this colourful Corsair

An A-7E from VA-195 ‘Dambusters’ assigned to USS Kitty Hawk

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Photo Essay

The wing-fold of the Corsair was a vital element for carrier operations

during that deployment, VA-82 played a role in the attack that destroyed the Thanh Hoa Bridge, a vital link in the North Vietnamese Army supply lines and a target that seemed indestructible during the Vietnam War. Navy A-7E squadrons VA-15 and VA-87, from the USS Independence, provided close air support during the invasion of Grenada, codenamed Operation Urgent Fury in October 1983, and other Navy A-7s also provided air support during the US mission to Lebanon in 1983. On 24 March 1986, during the Gulf of Sidra dispute with Libya and the so-called ‘Line of Death’, Libyan air defences fired SAM-5 missiles at two F-14s from VF-102 operating from the USS America, that were orbiting in international air space. A7s from the USS Saratoga responded by firing the first AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles in combat, and the following day A-7s again launched HARM missiles against other Libyan SAM sites. In April 1986, Navy Sixth Fleet A-7Es from VA-72 and VA-46 aboard USS America also participated in Operation ‘El Dorado

VA-94 ‘Shrikes’ flew this Corsair Corsairs go grey, and this paint scheme proved difficult to maintain, with a plethora of ‘touchups’ being required A very weary looking Corsair from VA97, aboard the USS Carl Vinson Canyon’, the retaliatory attack on Libya, again firing HARM and Shrike anti-radar missiles. In August 1990, while USAF A-7s stayed home in favour of A-10s, the US Navy deployed two of their last A-7E squadrons as part of Operation Desert Shield aboard the USS John F Kennedy, the only carrier of six deployed during Desert Storm to operate the A-7. VA-46 and VA-72 made the last combat sorties of the A-7 flying from the Red Sea to attack targets throughout Iraq. It was indeed a sad day when the last ‘Sluf’ slipped off a carrier deck!

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Corsairs

A good view of how the A-7 was tied down to the deck is afforded here

Something now included in many model kits and also accessory sets – the open bay of the A-7

How’s this for a paint project – quite a patchwork aboard this VA-174 Corsair

Another variation on the marking of VA-97

Catching the late evening sun at a stop-over at March AFB is this A-7E from VA-37 ‘Bulls’

The incomparable A-7 ‘Sluf’ – seen here in the colours of VA-12, ‘The Flying Ubangis’

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SAMI Columns Clark’s 1/48Field

The unlimited canvas of

Clark’s Field By Dick Clark

Wargames Getting the UMP with Revell’s Airacobra TECH DATA

What you Get

O

ne problem with Revell is that you never know what you’re getting. With the exception of their ‘Classic’ reboxings, all boxings look the same. Until you actually remove the contents you have no idea if you’re getting a state-of-theart new tooling, a fifty-year-old moulding with modern decals, such as their 1/72 Mustang, or maybe a reboxing of someone else’s original. The latter is the case with this P-39D. The original model was released by Special Hobby only a year or so ago, the original release being supplemented with resin and photo-etch, which is not included here. That is not really a problem; this release makes for a simpler kit, while aftermarket details can be purchased

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BELL P-39D AIRACOBRA SCALE: 1/32 KIT NO: 04868 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

separately if you feel the need. However, Special Hobby specialise in so-called limited-run kits, which are, by their very nature, not so highly engineered as most modern mainstream mouldings, and certainly not so much as Revell’s own upto-the-minute releases. They generally require a bit more work and a bit more experience, to get the best from. This is no exception. The kit comprises seven sprues of softish grey plastic (nice and easy to work

MANUFACTURER: Revell GmbH & Co.KG www.revell.de

ALSO USED EDUARD JX073 masking set

with) and one clear sprue, one very nice decal sheet and a twelve-page A4 instruction booklet. The individual parts are for the most part cleanly moulded, with engraved panel lines and rivet detail. The only part I have to comment on is the canopy; this is a large, one-piece item and not the best in terms of mould quality. The decal sheet is very well printed, although it struck me that the naked lady was spectacularly badly drawn. However, online research for original images reveals that it is an accurate representation of the actual artwork applied. Not every squadron had a Renoir or a Degas on its strength. The decals offer two options. The choice shown on the box-top is attributed to the 36th Fighter Squadron, 8th Fighter Group at Milne Bay, New Guinea, Pacific, 1943. Fair enough. However the second choice is

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also attributed identically, and I’ll be charitable by suggesting this is a misprint. This very distinctive aircraft was actually the Command/Umpire ship with USAAC Headquarters, 31st Pursuit Group during the Carolina Wargames in 1941.

On with the Build Construction doesn’t start with the cockpit! Stages 1 & 2 deal with the nose-wheel well, owing to the fact that the cockpit is built up on the upper wheel-well panel. Even without any additional etch, the cockpit builds up very nicely indeed. The instruments are raised, but decals are supplied too, and these settle comfortably over the raised detail after generous applications of setting solution. Once they were settled in and dried, I applied a drop of clear gloss on each instrument face to give an impression of glass. There are a couple of struts behind the seat, the location of which is a bit vague, but not too bad. There’s even some good sidewall detail. With careful painting and weathering, this office scrubs up very nicely indeed. There is a part #C52 on the sprue that I suspect belongs in the cockpit somewhere, but since there’s no mention of it in the

Before closing up the fuselage, be sure to fit the intake trunking behind the cockpit. There ought to be a splitter-plate inside this trunking. I believe this was included as an etched piece in the original Special Hobby boxing. It’s a visible omission, which purists may wish to rectify; however, since I don’t know exactly how it goes inside the trunking I left it alone. Besides, I had decided to build this straight from the box and make the best of what I’d got. I would also suggest supergluing a whole lump of lead on top of the nose-wheel well before closing the fuselage up. All control surfaces except flaps are poseable. Tailplanes, elevators and ailerons are next in the sequence. I do think it’s a pity when the flaps are excluded, as they would so often be lowered when an aircraft was parked, but there you go. If you want to go the extra mile, Eduard do a superb flap set (ED32180 on Hannants listings). I set the elevators slightly down, and a touch of left rudder/aileron. Trailing edge surfaces will all benefit from a little thinning down. Next up are various parts to add to the inside of the lower wing half. The intake plates, Parts #C39 & 40, required some careful positioning followed by a fair bit of filling and sanding to blend into the wings. Further work will likely be needed here once the wings have been added to the fuselage, as well as behind the wing under the belly. Don’t, whatever you do, fit Part #C4, the gun panel right on the front of the nose, until you’ve made as sure as you can that you’ve put enough weight inside the nose. I tend to balance a model as

The partly-built nose-wheel well and cockpit assembly, glued into the right fuselage half prior to painting

The fully assembled and painted cockpit, in the right fuselage half, ready for closing up the fuselage. The weight in the nose is nowhere near enough yet

Close-up of the completed cockpit

near as I can judge to the line of the main wheels to check it will sit on its nosewheel, but even then I got it wrong this time, as will be seen later. Most of the next twenty stages deal with things you really don’t want to be doing until after you’ve done your main painting and decaling, like undercarriage

instructions your guess is as good as mine! There is a drive-shaft to be inserted into the nose-wheel well, which isn’t mentioned until Stage 31. However, I would strongly recommend this is added before the whole cockpit/nose-wheel well sub-assembly is fitted between the fuselage halves. I would also recommend fitting this sub-assembly to the right fuselage half before trying to fit Part C1, the rear shelf, fitting this after the cockpit to ensure getting it at the correct angle.

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The wing assembly needs to be clamped while the glue sets after joining to the fuselage. Once set, no filler was needed along the join, although some sanding was necessary

Quite a bit of filling and sanding is needed around the wing roots and intakes

This view shows the poor fit of the canopy over the doors and around the front of the screen.

More lead has been added and a rough plastic card insert glued in to make sure the lead stays in place. This was still not enough!

Close-up of the nose section prior to painting. Note that the gun troughs have been drilled out

Close-up under the nose section, showing the remedial work around the intakes, and the make-up sponge used to mask the wheel well.

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and navigation lights. You do want to visit Stage 39 to fit the vent flaps, but otherwise pass straight to at least Stage 48. Do paint the insides of the exhaust outlets matt black before joining them up. Stage 49 deals with fitting the exhausts and the cover-plates over them. I left these off until after painting, but that created a problem as the plates were very difficult to fit after painting; they have to be pushed over (and they‘re a tight fit) and slid forward into position, and you’ll only really get one go, so if the plates don’t quite fit you’re stuffed. With hindsight, I would try to file down the backing-plate of the exhausts to enable fitting them through the cover panels after painting. Also at Stage 49, do not miss filling the hole for the aerial mast. This is shown by a symbol, which I guess is supposed to represent a putty knife. However, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen this symbol before and it’s certainly not in the symbol key at the start of the instructions. I did miss it and had to fill the hole very carefully after painting. Fortunately it is covered by the green stripe decal around the fuselage. Stage 50 deals with the gunsight and its mounting bar. The location of the bar is a bit vague; you really just have to fiddle it about until it looks right, so don’t use fastsetting glue!

Stage 51 deals with the canopy and doors, and this is the first stage where I had any real fit problems. The top of the doors didn’t fit into the opening in the canopy. I didn’t discover this until after I’d fixed the doors to the fuselage, necessitating some careful filing of both the door and canopy frames. Then the canopy did not fit well to the fuselage at the front end, meaning work with filler to blend it in. I think it would be better to ensure the doors fit into the canopy before fixing either in place, then fitting the canopy to the fuselage, finally fitting the doors into the openings, although I suspect some adjustment may still be necessary in order to get the doors to align with the canopy. At this stage I considered the model to be ready for paint.

Painting and Decaling Contemporary photos of this aircraft show a very worn and weathered airframe. However, as the yellow tail and green fuselage stripe were painted especially for the Wargames, I assumed these would be much less weathered. I also felt it unlikely that all bar the most essential stencilling

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would have been repainted, so I did not apply all stencilling to the tail. My usual grey auto primer was applied as a base coat. This showed very little extra remedial work, so I was soon onto the main colours. The underside was sprayed with Humbrol Acrylic Grey 64. This was masked off, but note that the instruction sheet shows a wavy demarcation under the nose which I believe is incorrect. Looking at contemporary photographs of this and other 31st PG aircraft, all have a straight demarcation running along a panel line, so this is how I masked it. I also masked off the entire tail section, employing a roll of Blu Tack around the fuselage to give me a soft demarcation between the yellow tail and the forward fuselage, this demarcation to be hidden under the green stripe decal. The weathered effects I was striving for began at the painting stage. My first coat on the upper surfaces was Humbrol Acrylic Light Olive 86; a good coverage of this was followed with a couple of light coats of Olive Drab 155. This was later polished back to reveal the lighter shade in uneven patches, particularly on the upper surface of the nose and towards the centres of panels, but before that the tail was sprayed, first with white primer to give a lighter, brighter yellow (and with minimal coats for good coverage), then with Tamiya TS-47 Chrome Yellow. Once I’d achieved the desired effect on the Olive Drab areas through polishing back, the entire model was given three or four brush-applied coats of Klear in preparation for washes and decaling. Decaling took several sessions - there are a lot of stencils! The decals look rather thick, but after a drop of Micro Sol and a coat of matt varnish they have really gained a painted-on look - I am really pleased with them. However, they are not without problems, mainly due to errors on the instruction sheet. Starting from the top; there’s a decal numbered 20 on the

instructions, on the left side behind the upper intake, which should be number 96. Just below that, and on the opposite side, the instructions show two number 50s - in fact the instructions show 5 number 50’s but there are only four - and these two should go under the leading edge of the tailplanes, as shown on the bottom, righthand, side elevation. There are two decals numbered 9 ‘Ground here’ which I suspect should go at this location below the 20/96 decal, but I’m not sure. There are also more

After priming, the undersides have been sprayed with grey and masked off, and the tail section has been masked prior to spraying the Olive Drab

Masking removed from the tail, the forward section having been sprayed with Olive Drab over a lighter shade of Olive

decals number 83 on the drawing than exist on the sheet; four of these go under the wing-guns, but since they read ‘50 cal shells‘ and these guns were 30 cals, they‘re wrong for this location. Some decals are only appropriate for one version, but there are other decals on the sheet which don’t appear to have any place whatsoever! I believe 31 and 97, on the drop tank, are transposed on the instructions, and lastly, the green stripe needs to be trimmed to fit around the wing root. After the matt coat, further weathering was applied with pastel powder. This was applied particularly to create the heavy exhaust staining seen on P-39s, but it was partially cleaned off the ‘UMP’ letters as these would have been applied specially for the wargames and therefore be less heavily stained.

Final Assembly All undercarriage components were painted on their sprues (I remove all bar one pour-stub from each part, wherever possible ensuring that the last one is one that won’t show after the parts are fitted). The front gear assembly is a bit tricky, with a lot of parts to align correctly. I assembled the main actuator struts, Parts E18, E31, E34 and the hydraulic ram E28, setting the latter at what I reckoned was the correct angle. Then when this was set, I fitted it and the main leg, finally fitting Parts E17 & E32 (don’t you just love Revell’s logical parts numbering?). I left the nose-wheel off at this stage. I was aware I still had a tailsitter, and I had a plan. Turning to the main undercarriage, this builds up well, although I did have some difficulty getting the main gear legs to locate properly, in the end cutting the locating lugs off to get them to sit in the well properly. The location of the inner door actuators is very vague; I just set them where I felt they looked right, although the shorter struts, Parts C15 were too short and, I have to confess, got left off. All gun barrels were drilled out. I’d previously drilled out the holes for the barrel ends in the nose-gun panel, so they

Close-up showing how the green stripe fits around the rear of the wing root, needing a careful trim slotted in much better. Now I neared the real final assembly, I turned my attention to the problem that my P-39 was still sitting on its tail (I had hoped the addition of all other parts would cure it, but, alas, no). Firstly I added some lead shim inside the front wheel, assembled, painted and fitted that. Nope, that wasn’t enough. So now I turned to the propeller assembly. After building up the blades to the backplate and painting and decaling that and the boss (and therein lay another decal problem; the decal simply didn’t fit and I ended up masking and painting the

The ‘badly-drawn girl’ is actually a good reproduction of the original artwork. Not every squadron had a Renoir or a Degas on strength!

The nose-wheel assembly, showing how the gear has been built up leaving the two rear brackets until last

The red stripes denote walkway limits on the wing. This type of decal is much easier to apply if cut into straight sections. Cut diagonally through the corners and apply each section one at a time. This will make it far easier to avoid the decal folding up

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SAMI Columns Clark’s 1/48Field

Author’s own images of ‘Brooklyn Bum 2nd’ at the 2008 Duxford Autumn Air Show. Reference photos are a great help, but care should be taken using photos of restored planes as they may well be fitted out differently to the original prototypes. In this case, ‘Brooklyn Bum’ has no wing guns and a modern aerial fit yellow, red and white spirals), I cut and shaped bits of lead to fill all available space. I wrapped some around the cannon barrel, too. Assembled it and push-fitted it …it was just enough! I’d left the drop tank as my final insurance, in case I had to load more lead into that. So that just left the drop tank to fit. Simple. I wish. I followed the instructions

very carefully, since there are choices of sway-brace dependent on whether one is fitting the tank or the bomb, but the tank didn’t even remotely fit the rear braces. I had to break them off and figure out what was what. I would recommend fitting the front pair of braces, fitting the tank (and you’ll need to drill out the locating holes The decal around the propeller boss simply doesn’t fit. I attempted to improve matters by cutting through the white area, but had to mask and spray it in the end

This view shows the problem encountered with fitting the drop tank. A better solution would be to fit the forward sway-braces, then the tank, then fit the rear braces to match Lead shim inserted between the nose-wheel halves to add more weight - still not enough.

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Yet more lead inserted into every possible space inside the propeller boss - this time it proved just enough!

Close-up of the underside of the starboard wing. Note that the stencils saying ‘50 cal shells’ are wrong; these guns were 30cals. Also, what a shame the red/green/yellow formation lights are represented by use of decals rather than clear parts.

to fit over the pins on the central pylon), and lastly fit the rear braces into the tank and you may have to modify them yet. I really don’t know what is wrong here, but something clearly isn’t right. Last of all were the formation lights. I painted the locations for these red and green, then super-glued the tiny clear parts over them.. It is a little disappointing that the red, green and yellow (should be amber) formation lights under the starboard wing are represented by decals rather than clear parts, but there it is.

The final Reckoning Well, this model isn’t without its problems. Few of these are any worse than one might expect from a limited-run kit, but is this what should be encountered in a mainstream, mass-produced model from one of the world’s leading manufacturers? I’m beginning to approach new Revell kits expecting there to be errors somewhere in the instructions. These errors make a challenging build all the more so. But in the final analysis, I have a finelooking model of a rather different P-39D Airacobra, an aircraft that is ‘different’ in its own right, what with its mid-mounted engine, car-type doors and tricycle undercarriage. It does look rather splendid next to the red-tail Mustang. A challenging build can be all the more satisfying when it’s done and looks this good. For £30.00 it’s great value - go and buy one, you know you want to!

OL

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NE

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wk T.1A 04849 BAe Ha

il Model deta

Model detail

l o o h c S t h g i l F e Th ! n o c l Fa 1:32 BAe Hawk T.1 RAF

Model

detail

The Hawk T1A is a two-seat training aircraft that is also used by the RAF for ground attack and as a light interceptor. This successful jet trainer distinguishes itself with incredible manoeuvrability, outstanding performance and robust construction.

04849

With over 800 aircraft in service or ordered by foreign countries, the Hawk has also proved to be a major export success for BAe.

Model Details: • Finely detailed surface structures • Detailed cockpit and ejector seats After entering service with the RAF in • Replica inner air intake ducts November 1976, the Hawk T1 was used both • Separate air brake flaps as an advanced trainer and a weapons • Detailed undercarriage bays and landing gear training platform with the first training • Under-wing pylons with rocket pods squadron being established at RAF Valley in • Weapons container with 30mm gun barrel North Wales. For its role as a weapon systems • Decals for 2 RAF versions trainer the Hawk was fitted with a 30mm Aden cannon and two rocket pods. Then, For more details on this brand new 1:32 scale from 1983, 88 Hawk Mk1A’s were modified model kit as well as the complete range of to carry Sidewinder guided missiles. Revell products check out our international website at www.revell.eu

Available from branches of

and all good Toy & Hobby Stores. Revell GmbH, Orchard Mews, 18c High Street, Tring, Herts HP23 5AH. Tel: 01442 890285. Fax: 01442 827919. Email: [email protected] © 2013 Revell GmbH. A subsidiary of Hobbico, Inc. All rights reserved. Trade enquiries welcome.

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Edited by Paul Bradley

Our Monthly look in the Attic!

The faded and rather tatty box, but a nice touch is the explanation accompanying the illustration

The yellowed, curly decal sheet - not bad decals, but I’d read they were liable to disintegrate on contact with water, so an alternative scheme was found

Matchbox 1/72 Percival (Piston) Provost T Mk1 By Dick Clark

T

he Percival P.56 Provost was a British initial trainer designed for the Royal Air Force, replacing the Percival Prentice. It was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed, tailwheel undercarriage and side-by-side seating for the instructor and trainee. 460 were built and served with the RAF and 7 other air forces, including Oman, from 1953 into the seventies. The Matchbox Provost T Mk1 was released in 1979. The kit is, typically of Matchbox, moulded in red and white plastic, neither of which is very pleasant to work with but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. This example came in a rather faded and tatty box, but the parts were all good, featuring minimal raised panel lines and recessed control surface lines. The only real disappointment is the rather chunky, none-too-clear canopy, but since the interior is rather basic, this isn’t necessarily too much of a drawback. As with most Matchbox kits, the kit

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assembles easily enough, though some filler was required along the fuselage seams and wing-to-fuselage joints. I decided to keep this to an out-of-the-box build as far as construction was concerned, not least because there doesn’t seem to be anything on the aftermarket for it. There is scope for added detail if the builder feels so inclined. I did try to polish up the canopy, but to be honest I didn’t try too hard! Not only is it chunky; it was also the only part I had any difficulty positioning correctly. I filed out the tab on the airspeed horn to form the two pillars it should be fitted on. The only non-kit part is the whip aerial behind the canopy, which is a short length of fishing line. The decals didn’t look too good, and I read somewhere online that they’re liable to crumble at any attempt to remove them from the carrier, so I searched around for an alternative scheme. The one I chose is XF603, which is currently owned and flown by the Shuttleworth Trust. The unusual colour scheme (for an RAF trainer)

The model in its red and white plastic, assembled ready for painting

represents Provosts that were supplied to the Sultanate of Oman Air Force - one of two options on the original decal sheet. However, although they were painted in this camouflage scheme for operational use by Oman, for the purpose of their delivery flights RAF roundels and

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yielded a nice little model of a trainer to add to the collection, and one in an unusual colour scheme. There are small inaccuracies on the model, and as one would expect from this maker and period, there is scope for extra detailing if desired. As far as I am aware the only other kit of this type is the CMR resin example. My Matchbox kit was found in Hannants' second-hand section for a fraction of the cost of the CMR kit - sure, you get what you pay for, but I have no complaints!

markings were required to be worn, hence this unusual hybrid scheme. After a grey primer, I applied the camouflage using Humbrol Dark Sea Grey and Dark Green. I painted the upper surfaces first for ease of masking, spraying the undersides with Tamiya Gloss Aluminium. Two or three coats of gloss clear varnish were applied over this before decal application. The decals came from a variety of sources - the roundels and fin flashes came from Xtradecal set X72-041, the under-wing codes from Xtradecal set X72065 and the fuselage codes from Model Art set GEN004. After setting, another coat of gloss clear sealed them all in. This was always intended as a quick, simple build, and so it proved. But it still

the GALLERY Fabrizio Catalano sends greetings from Palermo, Italy, to Classic Plastic readers, “and pictures of my Airfix Henschel Hs.123A. I have built with the original kit's parts. I just replaced the engine and the ventral tank; even the decals are original. I like very much ‘Vintage’ kits like this one.” Thanks, Fabrizio, and if any other readers have a build you’d like me to feature in Classic Plastic, just drop a line with some hi-res photos and a few words to me at [email protected] and I’ll see if I can squeeze it in.

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Monster Under The Bed, Part 3 The Beast Strikes Back By Antique Andy Hazell

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ell the ‘Beast’ has well and truly bitten back as I have just been diagnosed with a stomach ulcer! Personally, I think it is all the stress as a result of my ongoing battle with the ‘Monster Under The Bed!’  Anyway the quacks have started treatment and I have been off work for the week. This enforced convalescence has given me the time to confront my nemesis face to face - work for the month on the big Hurricane is as follows: The gun bays proved to be a real headache. I chose to assemble the bays first and sprayed them interior green. I was then faced with the problem of fitting the guns, ammunition boxes, feeds and extraction chutes into the already completed bays. This can only be described as like trying to perform keyhole surgery on a gnat using a bent spoon and a hammer! Many hours of dry fitting and at times less than gentle persuasion was required, but I got there in the end. The undercarriage bay was badly warped and needed a fair bit of work in order to ensure that it fitted squarely into the lower

Bits of monster…

wing. Again this item was primed with Halfords Grey Plastic Primer before Lifecolor Interior Green was airbrushed into place. A thin black wash was also applied with a brush to lift the considerable detail provided. As a teenager, I had completed the elevators, ailerons, rudder and tailplanes; on inspection it appeared that I had not made too bad a job of these items. However, some strange varnish-like substance had leaked into the box while in long-term storage and come into contact with these parts. It sanded away easily enough, but its origins and identity still remain a mystery.   Then came the part of the build I was dreading, fitting the wings together and adding the completed fuselage. I did not want to use any filler on the wing roots as the subsequent sanding would destroy all the excellent surface detail that was present

A close-up of the completed engine and gun bay assemblies

Andy appears to have got ahead of the game here.

Heller 1/72 Dragon Rapide

T

he de Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide was one of Britain’s most successful civilian aircraft, first flying in 1934 and remaining on scheduled airline service until the 1960s; some still operate sightseeing flights to this day, notably from Duxford. The type was designed as a faster and more comfortable successor to the D.H.84 Dragon. And was, in effect, a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the four-engined D.H.86 Express. It shared many common features with the larger aircraft, including its shapely tapering wings, streamlined engine and undercarriage fairings and the famous Gipsy Six

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engine. A total of over 730 were produced, many seeing service with the British military for training and liaison

over all over the kit’s exterior. In reality I should not have worried. Airfix had engineered the kit very well. The top of the undercarriage bay also forms a jig to position the upper wing root exactly at the correct height to meet the fuselage - the wing root joint that resulted was absolutely perfect. So, the airframe is now virtually complete. I will be leaving it for a few days to allow the glue to set off completely. Once I have cleaned up a few joints, it will be time to prime and start to apply the colour scheme. Well, I think Month 3 finishes with honours even. My only real concern is that the warped fuselage halves, dealt with last month, have left the nose with a slight twist to it that still needs to be corrected. The Beast may still have a few moves left in it yet

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as the Dominie, while others served with airlines and charter companies around the world and with over twenty air forces. Despite this popularity and familiarity, there have only been two mainstream

injection moulded kits of the type – Frog’s early 1/68 kit from 1959, and the featured kit from Heller, which debuted in 1979 and has also been released by Airfix. This is one of Heller’s best with good detail for its time including a full set of passenger seats in the cabin and a detailed cockpit for the pilot, and although it has a few small inaccuracies, it is still a very nice kit. The parts come on three medium grey sprues, with a clear sprue for the cabin windows, canopy and nose light. In my early boxing, there is a small decal sheet with two options for either the French Air Force, or Air Couriers airline out of Britain. Other boxings include different options, including an RAF machine in the current boxing. Construction features a rather neat method of pre-rigging through readymade holes, and this should ease the difficulties many of us find with rigging!

Airfix 1/24th Ju 87B Stuka

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oday if a precision target needs hitting, they will use a laser guided bomb or a JDAM. In World War II, it was the dive bomber. The pilot aimed his aeroplane at the target in a near vertical dive and at the optimum moment, the bomb was released to hit the target with near pinpoint accuracy. All nations used the dive bomber but the most famous, or infamous, was the Luftwaffe’s Stuka. The Ju 87 Stuka is an aircraft that conjures up images of cranked-wing bombers screaming out of the sky to hit targets with deadly accuracy. Indeed in the early stages of WWII, when the Luftwaffe had air supremacy, the Stuka was a lethally accurate aeroplane, capable of hitting crossroads, bridges and other targets with

Available on and off over the years, including a release from Airfix in the 1990s, this kit is currently available from Heller and is well worth seeking out. Whirlykits have some upgrades and decal sets available for it now – including a striking AA scheme. See this month’s Model Aircraft for a review…

By Angelo Picardo.

the accuracy of today’s laser guided weaponry. Psychologically they were terrifying. Columns of retreating soldiers and escaping refugees would cower helpless as they heard the screeching sirens of Stukas as they dived on their targets. If the aircraft-mounted sirens were not enough to petrify the people on the ground, the Germans mounted whistles on the bombs to increase the wail of the falling weapons. The Stuka units were as much instruments of propaganda as they were machines of war, featuring in newsreels, with units and crews being household names. In the early campaigns, such as Poland, Belgium and France, they were unstoppable. However, when the Germans found them up against targets that were

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protected by more agile and manoeuvrable fighters, the Stuka suffered. During the Battle of Britain, Stuka units had to be heavily escorted and eventually they were withdrawn from the battle.They did soldier on as dive bombers, and were extremely effective as a tank buster with two 37mm guns mounted under their wings. I built my first Stuka many years ago. It was the 1/32nd Revell kit, the one with the incredible box art of the aeroplane with the red and white snake painted down the side of the fuselage. Since then this colour scheme has been one of my favourites. When Airfix released their Super Kit of the Ju 87B in 1/24th, like many others I was astounded by the level of detail that was included in the kit. The cockpit and engine were overflowing with fine details but, as always, there was room for improvement and on a kit this big, plenty of room indeed!

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When I got hold of my Ju 87, I decided to concentrate on the engine and cockpit and leave the machine gun bays in the wings alone. Apart from some etched seat belts and decals for cockpit instruments and placards, I did not want to use any other aftermarket extras. The colour scheme was simple; it had to be the desert camouflaged machine with the snake down the side. There used to be a decal sheet for this scheme but, by the time I got around to building my model, it was out of print and despite numerous Internet searches and requests, I could not track one down. Then when making enquiries on Large Scale Planes I learnt that Montex made a set of vinyl masks for this particular machine. It took no time to get a set and the project was under way. I started with the engine. As with all other Airfix 1/24 kits, the engine’s panels could be removable to show off the power plant.The engine was detailed by enhancing the detail already there, and by adding a few missing bits. A lot of the addition was in the form of wiring and plumbing, which was achieved by using solder, lead wire, and various gauges of fusewire. The main thing I did want to do was to replace the moulded solid plastic lumps, meant to be the fuel filters with clear parts, detail the air filter, and to enhance the engine mounting bolts. The fuel filters are moulded to the firewall. All I did was cut away the plastic part, and then make clear parts from sprue

and then paint it with Tamiya clear yellow to represent the fuel inside the clear glass bulb. I then had to add the fuel lines and retaining clips made from wire. These filters are visible between the engine and firewall, and improve the look of that area. The air filter in the kit was a bit basic so I replaced it with a plastic rod which was wrapped in spare etched mesh. The engine mounting bolts had the centre drilled out. Next I drilled a hole down through the nut from top to bottom through which the distinctive split pins could be fitted. Another little modification was to hollow out the ends of the exhausts. There is a prominent mould separation line along the length of the exhausts but this also follows the line of a seam on the real things, so I left them alone. The rest of the work on the engine was just painting and weathering. Airscale produce a set of Luftwaffe data placards which were handy in detailing this area. The engine covers are designed to be removable so that the power plant can be displayed. The fit however, is not perfect. This was to cause some problems when it came to painting. The cockpit was going to be the main area to work in. The Stuka has an extensive canopy and Airfix's transparent parts are clear and thin. After a dip in Klear floor polish, they were even clearer. Various handles and mirrors were added to the inner surface of the canopy. The framing of the canopy has internal as well as external elements and Airfix have moulded them in that way, so careful masking is required. Anyone familiar with Airfix's big 24th scale aircraft will know how the instrument panels are moulded, with a

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clear insert, featuring the dials which then fits into an instrument panels with holes moulded where the dials are meant to be. Airscale do an instrument panel decal for the Stuka. To use it the kit panel needs thinning down. I taped some wet and dry to a plate of glass and used a blob of Blu Tack to hold the panel as I sanded it to a thinner profile. I also added various levers and knobs to the panel. The levers were made from scrap parts of etched brass and wire, and for the knobs I used the porcelain balls found inside water filters, and lead shot. Other details were added with wire, plastic card, scrap etch, and anything else that I found useful. I added, or replaced various wiring looms and piping running along the cockpit walls using assorted thicknesses of wire, solder, and fisherman's lead wire. Also I added and enhanced levers and switches and I rebuilt the spent case basket from wire and masking tape. The ammo drums had their moulded-on straps removed and replaced with straps made from lead foil. The gunner's backrest was replaced with one made from lead foil and masking tape. Airscale's placards were added to the cockpit, along with Eduard's excellent etched seat belts. The pilot’s seat was thinned down, reshaped to a more accurate profile, and had a seat pad added to it. The gunner's seat is well detailed, just requiring careful clean-up and assembly. The interior just needed painting, weathering and sandwiching in between the fuselage halves. The fit was not that great and a lot of clamping and taping was required to get as tight a closure of the fuselage halves as possible. Once all this was done and the seams were cleaned up work could be started on the rest of the airframe. Little effort was necessary here. The only major work done was to the cowlings. I thinned these down and opened up the various air vents present. Another quick modification was to replace the kit’s thick plastic oil cooler vent flap with another one made out of thinner

weak. I took time to get as tight and strong a joint as possible. There has been some discussion as to what colour the snake should be on this machine. On the Revell box it is red and white but it is now thought to be white over sand/camouflage. The scheme I was doing was of sand splinter applied locally over the European two-tone green camouflage. I painted the green-on-green scheme using Xtracolor enamels and then used Tamiya acrylics to do the sand. Before all this, I sprayed the model white, and applied the masks for the snake. The vinyl masks didn't seem to want to stick too well over the surface details. I was contemplating

aluminium. The rest of the assembly was straightforward. The flaps and dive brakes were left off until after painting was completed, and I modified the main wheels so they could be fitted after the spats had been assembled. The wings come in four parts. They are split along the line where the Stuka’s distinctive crank in its wing occurs. The fit here was not too good and the joint was

recutting the masks using Tamiya masking tape but I managed to get the vinyl masks to stick and there was minimal creep under the masks. Also, due to the poor fit of the engine panel, which I left loose so the engine could be displayed, the masking and painting of the snake’s head was fairly tricky. The kit's decals were used for all of the other markings. Montex does provide masks for the markings, but I only used the ones for the aircraft's codes. No Swastikas are provided; they came from my spares box.

Once the model was painted I sealed it all under a couple of coats of Klear. Then I started to weather. First thing was a wash of raw umber oil paint thinned with white spirit. The next stage was to add various spots of oil paint all over the airframe. I used white, pale yellow, ochre, and raw umber. I then used a broad flat brush moistened with thinners to draw the dots back along the airframe. This was done a number of times until I received the desired effect. Next step was to apply chips to the paint scheme using dark grey paint. The chips and scrapes were applied to places were crews would walk and where panels would be repeatedly removed and replaced, and where, in the desert environment, airflow would throw sand and grit against the paint scheme. The next stage was to apply scrapes of aluminium using a silver pencil. The interior was weathered in a similar way and MIG pigments were dusted onto the floor to represent sand and dust that would accumulate in the cockpit. Exhaust and gun stains were added by airbrushing Tamiya smoke on in thin streaks building up the layers to get the desired effect. MIG pigments were used to finish off the effect and everything was then coated with Humbrol matt varnish. The final stages involved fitting the wing control surfaces, the bombs and the removal of the masking tape from the canopy. I always wanted Airfix's 1/24 Stuka in my collection, but it had to be in this scheme, mainly because I remember the old Revell kit with its striking box art. Part of me wanted to do the snake red and white, as it appeared on the box, but I decided to do it in what is generally believed to be the correct colours. None the less, it is a very striking scheme and does look good.

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1/48

A Lancaster Mk III, Type 464 Provisioning

M

ost readers will be more than familiar with No 617 Squadron’s historic raid, code-named Operation ‘Chastise’ on the night of 16/17 May 1943 against several dams in the German industrial heartland of the Ruhr, which resulted in the Möhne and Eder dams being breached and the Sorpe dam badly damaged. The cost was high, eight Lancasters lost and fifty-three aircrew killed with three more becoming PoWs, but the operation has now passed into the annals of RAF legend and this month sees the 70th anniversary of the raid. As such, it seemed more than appropriate to build a model of one of the Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster Mk IIIs used. The last time I built a Lancaster model, it was a Dam Buster version too, way back in 1964 when I was in my early ’teens – the then just-released, original 1/72 Revell kit! Roll on fifty years and a trip up into the

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loft found me scrambling around looking for my 1/48 scale Tamiya ‘Dambuster/Grandslam Bomber’ kit I had stashed away. Originally released in 1976, which was probably when I bought this kit, it has subsequently been re-released, initially as a limited-edition version in 2009, that included electric motors to spin the propellers, and also canopy and turret parts with pre-painted frames and then again in early 2012 I believe, with some additional parts. For this release, the electric motors are gone but Tamiya has supplied both the painted and unpainted versions of the clear parts in each kit. The ‘new’ mouldings are now all moulded in pale grey plastic instead of the original's black, but the surface detailing is still raised, like the original, although it is quite fine and not overdone. The model retains its fairly basic interior, and the pilot’s area, which is visible through the canopy glazing, could really do with a bit of attention. The bomb aimer's station is also a bit sparse, as are

TECH DATA

AVRO LANCASTER B MK III SPECIAL ‘DAMBUSTER’ SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: 61111 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic MANUFACTURER: Tamiya

By Neil Robinson

the gun turret interiors. There is also an error in the kit’s positioning of the navigator’s and radio operator’s table and associated seats, which are too far forward, and this has a ‘knock-on’ effect on the two square windows on either side of the forward fuselage. Ideally, these square windows need moving back to a position under the small astrodome at the rear of the cockpit glazing, but I had already cemented the fuselage halves together when I realised the error, and discretion being the better part of valour, decided to leave well enough alone and hope that nobody noticed! Keeping with the aircraft’s interior, the instructions advise you to glue the pilot’s parachute in the pilot’s seat pan. However, all the crew had places to store their parachutes, and the pilot’s would never be left in the seat pan. In fact the only one that can be readily seen from the outside of the airframe is on the bulkhead behind the bomb aimer’s position. I had ‘fun’

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Lancaster Mk III trying to find out how the pilot’s seat straps were draped and anchored, and am still not completely sure now. I believe there were two ‘Y-shaped’ straps; an inverted ‘Y’ anchored from the centre top of the seat which met up with matching ‘Y-shaped’ straps anchored under the seat pan – but I’m open to correction. The yellow disc on the pilot’s armour plate headrest should be painted on both sides. The forward section of the fuselage interior including the bomb aimer’s station and the flight deck was matt black, including the pilot's seat. The navigator’s/radio operator’s table appears to have been Interior Grey Green with black seats. The rest of the interior from the main wing spar, which is right behind the radio operator’s station, to the rear turret is Interior Grey Green. For modelling purposes, the interior black can be painted a very dark matt grey, allowing the interior to be slightly more visible through the cockpit canopy, and allowing other 'black' items to be painted various tones of semi-gloss and gloss black, to highlight them a little and give a more 'scale' appearance. All seat cushions, back rests and padded Lancaster Mk III, Type 464 (Provisioning), ED932, AJ•G of No 617 Squadron, armrests were RAF, based at RAF Scampton, May 1943. ED932 was delivered to No 617 either black or Sqn on 30 April 1943, and was flown by Wing Commander Guy Gibson and dark glossy his crew on the night of 16/17 May 1943 green leather. The seat cushions in the kit have deep ribbed gaps, which is incorrect as they were smooth leather, There is an error in the Tamiya kit’s positioning of the so the gaps should be filled. navigator’s and radio operator’s table and associated The rear turret machine guns and main seats, which are positioned too far forward, that has a mounting brackets are shown back to ‘knock-on’ effect on the square windows on either side front on the instruction sheet with the of the forward fuselage. Ideally, these square windows mounting brackets sloping in the wrong need moving back to a position under the small direction. The left one should be on the astrodome at the rear of the cockpit glazing

right and the right one on the left! The 2009 limited-edition release also provided some additional parts including new nacelle fronts with recessed panel detail and an option for unshrouded exhausts, plus bulged and ‘weighted’ mainwheels with smooth tread tyres. The 2012 release, which includes the 2009 sprues and the painted canopy parts, also features two new hemispherical bomb aimer’s domes, both larger than the early production one included in the original kit boxing – one plain and the other with the two infra-red light transmitters for the ‘Z’ equipment. This new boxing also includes the original ‘paddle’ blade propellers and new ‘needle’ blade propeller assemblies, plus parts for the later Rose Brothers FN 20 rear turret armed with two 0.50 calibre machine guns. A new large decal sheet offers four subjects: • B.III, ED888, PM•M of No 103 Sqn • B.III, ED905, BQ•F Ad Extremum of No 550 Sqn • B.I, NG347, QB•P, Picadilly Princess of No 424 Sqn; • B.I(FE), TW880, TL•F of No 35 Sqn.

Modelling the beast as a Dam Buster Despite being over three decades old, Tamiya have kept the basic moulds in excellent condition and, by enhancing the kit with the new-tool additions, they have ensured that their Lancaster is still a viable modelling proposition in the 21st Century, and it still remains the only injectionmoulded Lancaster ever produced to 1/48. As I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, I used an original moulding kit, so had to make a few ‘adjustments’ that those of you who might be modelling from a

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SAMI Feature

1/48

2009 or 2012 boxing won’t need to do. As such, I shan’t bore you with a blow-byblow account of how I built the beast, but rather just describe a few of the salient features attributable to the Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster Mk IIIs used in the raid. Starting at the front end, these Type 464 Provisioning Mk IIIs were fitted with the larger, clear, hemispherical bomb aimer’s dome – which is only available in the 2009/2012 Tamiya boxings, so I had to ‘borrow’ one from a friend (thanks Chris) to fit to my model. Most of the Operation Chastise aircraft were also fitted with VHF radio sets to enable the aircraft to communicate with each other better, especially at low level, which can be identified by the fitting of a thin blade VHF aerial under the starboard side of the nose forward of the port side camera ports. One of the first queries I came across was where exactly were the spotlights fitted that were used to determine the height of the aircraft during the bombing run. After a bit of research it transpired that the front light was actually positioned in the lower port side camera position, to the rear of the bomb aimer’s window. Initially the spotlights, standard Aldis Type B signalling lamps, were positioned so that they converged at 150 feet and as such the rear spotlight was fitted under the rear fuselage, in the same position as the redundant ventral turret. However, the height was later reduced to sixty feet, and the rear light was subsequently repositioned in the bomb bay, on the angled bulkhead immediately to the rear of the ‘Upkeep’ bomb. Both spotlights shone their beam through short tubes, angled slightly forward and to starboard, so that they could be seen by the Flight Engineer looking through the starboard cockpit

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teardrop fairing, forming a figure ‘8’ on the surface of the water when the aircraft was at sixty feet. I drilled holes in the position for the lower camera port and one in the centre of the angled bulkhead immediately to the rear of the Upkeep bomb, and then glued short lengths of tube into them. They were painted black like the rest of the airframe underside. Moving backwards, the blanking plate for the deleted mid-upper turret was glued in place, and the raised circular moulding representing the position of the ventral gun position was gently sanded down to reduce its prominence. If you feel so inclined, you can represent the original position of the spotlight by a ‘square’ or ‘circle’ of fresh paint. Turning to the wings, the Dam Buster aircraft were fitted with additional cable cutters – either side of the inboard wing section air intakes, either side of the outer engine nacelles, and just inboard of the wingtip panel line join, which I replicated by small rectangles of thin plastic card, with short lengths of sprue to represent the cutting blades. I also borrowed a set of the narrow chord needle propeller blades from my mate Chris’s kit too – that’s a couple of pints I owe him next time we’re in a pub! The Tamiya kit’s engine nacelles are possibly the worst bit of this kit. Not only are they a bit suspect in shape, but they are a rather poor fit to the main nacelle fairings and wing leading edges. The sidemounted carburettor air intakes also look too small. Arriving too late to fit to this particular model, for the next Tamiya Lancaster I build – (yes, I’ve got another original boxing in the loft which I have earmarked with a suitable scheme in mind!) – I will definitely use the Belcher Bits No 15 ‘Lancaster Engines’ resin replacement engine nacelles. Beautifully

The weathering was 'restrained', as ED932 was a new aircraft, but I added some ‘muted’ exhaust staining as most of the aircraft, including ED932, had been hard worked during the training for the raid

Note the way in which the exhaust stains typically flow over the wing upper surfaces on both sides of the inboard engines, but only on the inner side of the outboard engines, due to the dihedral of the outer wing panels. However, exhaust staining from all four engines was apparent on the nacelle sides and under the wings

cast in grey resin, after carefully sawing off the Tamiya parts they are direct replacements for the kit items, and come with alternative exhaust manifolds and optional flame damping shrouds. Underside coolant and oil radiators air outlet doors are also included, which are often seen open on parked Lancasters. In fact, I had noticed the open radiator doors

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Lancaster Mk III on parked Lancasters too, and made my own from thin plastic card to fit to the undersides of the Tamiya engine nacelles. However, I cannot recommend the Belcher Bits highly enough, as looking at other modellerss' Lancasters with them fitted, they certainly make a world of difference and improve and enhance the look of the Tamiya kit no end. The Tamiya mainwheel undercarriage legs are good, but the original boxing kit only includes late production treaded tyres. So, Belcher Bits to the rescue again, with their Set No 12, ‘Lancaster Smooth Tread Bulged Tyres’, which I was able to use and fit. Talking of the main landing gear, this was another area that initially caused me some confusion – exactly what colour were the legs and the mainwheel hubs? The answer seems to be it that depended upon the production run and/or who actually manufactured the aircraft! The Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster Mk IIIs, powered by American-built Merlin 28 engines, were built by the parent company, A V Roe, at their Manchester (Chadderton) plant. All twenty-three aircraft selected for modification, (randomly selected in the ED-serial number range), were modified up to Type 464 Provisioning standard by the company at their Woodford plant. As regards the undercarriage legs, it would appear that they were either unpainted dull aluminium, or in some instances painted in a light colour, probably Interior Grey Green, with the exception of the

middle section of the main oleos, which were invariably semi-gloss black, and the sliding suspension leg just above the hub, which was highly polished natural metal. The mainwheel hubs were mainly unpainted dull aluminium, but some were also either semi-gloss or matt black. It would also appear that the tailwheels on these Type 464 Provisioning Lancasters were ‘smooth’ without the anti-shimmy groove around the centre of the tyre as moulded by Tamiya. So, I filled the groove with model putty and sanded it smooth. Again the wheel hubs were black, with black wheel forks and shiny natural metal tailwheel leg.

Painting the Beast Due to the size of the model, it was easier to construct and then paint and decal it whilst it was still in its main sub-sections – ie fuselage, and separate wings and tailplanes. All the Lancasters were finished in essentially the same standard Bomber Command scheme for four-engined monoplanes, comprising a Dark Earth and Dark Green disruptive pattern on the upper surfaces with Night under surfaces to Pattern No 1, which featured the black under surfaces extending up the fuselage sides to a level above the wings. A peculiarity seen on many Lancasters was the asymmetric positioning of the fuselage roundels, the one on the starboard side being further forward than the one on the port side. As the Tamiya kit decals were missing in

An attempt to replicate the wellknown wartime photograph of ED932, showing a close-up of the 'Upkeep' mine and the positioning of the individual aircraft letter 'G' immediately to the rear of the trailing edge of the wing

my kit, (which had been ‘rescued’ from the loft), I used the national markings and stencils – such as the wing walkway lines and lettering and all the ‘Trestle Here’ stencils – from an old ADS sheet Avro Lancaster Part I dating back to 1999. The Lancaster’s upper wing Red/Blue roundels were a massive 100 inches in diameter, and in the early boxing of the Tamiya kit they are too small, so even if you have a full set of kit decals, aftermarket options will need to be sourced for these. On some of the Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster Mk IIIs, an elongated area of a darker colour can be made out on the upper surface of the fuselage around the area of the mid-upper turret following its removal. I traced around the edge of the mid-upper turret raised fairing and sprayed the area in a slightly darker green to that of the main camouflage Dark Green. Keeping with the turrets a moment, but returning to fit problems, I encountered one that was of my own making – by not reading the instructions properly – in respect of the front turret. To ease the painting process, I assembled all the fuselage parts, but left off the front and rear turrets, which I duly painted and assembled ready to fit to the fuselage in the final stages of the build. Unfortunately,

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SAMI Feature

1/48 Another attempt at replicating a wellknown wartime photograph of Gibson's Lancaster, this time showing the tube for forward Aldis light fitting in the camera port, the VHF aerial under the starboard nose, and the additional wing leading edge cable cutters – plus of course, the 'Upkeep' mine!

Chastise, that had been organised by the IPMS(UK) Bomber Command Special Interest Group to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the raid. I had been ‘allocated’ Wing Commander Guy Gibson’s machine, ED932, AJ•G, and whilst applying the decals, I constantly referred to photographs of the real machines, especially ED932, so that I would get them in the correct position. For instance, the photo of Gibson and crew climbing aboard ED932 immediately prior to the raid showed me where the serial number was positioned (on the starboard side at least!) and a starboard side-view close-up of the bomb showed the positioning of the individual aircraft letter 'G' in relation to the trailing edge of the wing and the fuselage roundel. The rest of the markings were positioned by checking against

due to the ammunition boxes that drop below the level of the front turret base, the turret cannot be fitted after the horseshoe-shaped shroud with the teardrop-shaped fairing on top (part B46) that butts on to the fuselage front has been glued into place. The problem is, though, that you do actually need to fit this part, and sand it smooth to fair in to the rest of the front fuselage, prior to painting, as it is quite twisted on the sprue (a problem I understand that is common in all the early 1976 boxings) so it’s a bit of a ‘Catch 22’ situation. Anyway, I dipped the part into hot water to soften it, and then glued it into place. It wasn’t until I wanted to fit the front turret that I realised it wouldn’t fit. In the event, I had no option but to saw off the offending underslung ammunition boxes, and then carefully squeeze the turret into place.

Gibson’s G-George My model was to be part of a larger display, comprising models of all nineteen Lancasters that took part in Operation

Close-up of the 'Upkeep' mine attached to its unique release arms and the chain that rotated the weapon backwards so that it would 'bounce' over water. Note also the superb Belcher Bits mainwheels with the correct smooth tread tyres On some of the Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster Mk IIIs, an elongated area of a darker colour can be made out on the upper surface of the fuselage around the area of the mid-upper turret following its removal. To reproduce the effect I traced around the edge of the mid-upper turret's raised fairing and sprayed the area in a slightly darker green to that of the main camouflage Dark Green

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photos of other Dam Buster Lancasters and aircraft within the same serial number range. The colour of the actual ‘Upkeep’ bomb/mine is interesting too. It would appear that most were painted in standard Red Primer, an oxide red, similar to the dull red in the national markings, although some bombs/mines may have been painted green. At least one, carried by ED909, AJ•P flown by Flt Lt H B ‘Micky’ Martin, was recorded as being painted black. I kept the main airframe weathering restrained (as they were relatively new aircraft) but added some muted exhaust staining as most of the aircraft, including ED932, had been hard worked during the training for the raid. It should also be noted that the exhaust stains ran over the wing on either side of the inboard engines, but only on the inner side of the outboard engines, due to the dihedral of the outer wing panels. However, exhaust staining from all four engines was apparent on the nacelle sides and under the wings.

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Lancasters

Modellers Portfolio

Lancaster B Mk.VII NX611 Just Jane

Initially allocated to the Tiger Force, NX611 entered service in April 1945. Surplus to requirements it was instead used for French maritime patrol during the 50s and 60s. Returned from Australia to the UK in 1965 NX611 was acquired by Fred and Harold Panton as a memorial to their brother Christopher. Currently available for taxi rides NX611 is being restored to flying condition

Lancaster B Mk III TW880 TL-F

As part of the anticipated invasion of the Japanese home islands a Commonwealth bomber force was created, a range of aircraft were allocated including Lancaster TW880 of 35 Squadron. Due to the end of the war in the Far East the Tiger Force was no longer required. Instead 35 Squadron undertook a post war tour of the USA as a show of good will and thanks

Lancaster B Mk III EE139 BQ-B Phantom of the Ruhr

EE139 flew on a total of 121 raids. Delivered to 100 Squadron on 31st May 1943, it first wore the code HW-A and later HW-R. At this time it was named and received nose art. Transferred to 550 Squadron on 25th November 1943 and re-coded BQ-B. Received severe damage three times but repaired, and scrapped in February 1946

Lancaster B Mk III ME669 ZN-0

106 Squadron, crashed during a raid on Schweinfurt on 26th April 1944, however before it crashed Sergeant (later Warrant Officer) Norman Cyril Jackson crawled out onto the wing to put out a fire that had started in a fuel tank and set the starboard wing alight. Having been shot from the wing Jackson survived and received the VC for his actions

Lancaster B Mk I Special PD119

RAE Farnborough. Originally allocated to 617 Squadron for Grand Slam missions and used by squadron CO, Gp Capt J.E. Fauquier RCAF. PD119 also served with 156 and XV squadrons before being allocated to the RAE where it was converted to a target tug, believed to be the only Lancaster to wear this distinctive scheme. Struck off charge in September 1950

Colour artwork by Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm www.inkworm.co.uk

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Modellers Portfolio

Lancasters

Lancaster B Mk I RA805 80001

Constructed in 1945 and acquired by Sweden for use as a test bed for jet development in 1951. Pod under fuselage at Avro’s Hamble factory along with stainless steel aft of pod along with retractable tail wheel due to anticipated exhaust heat. 80001 flew with a RM 4 Dovern jet engine in June 1951. Following the cancellation of the Dovern engine 80001 was used for afterburner trials. Following a fire in number 1 engine on 8th May 1956 the aircraft crashed killing two of the four crew, the other two successfully bailed out

Lancaster Prototype DG595

One of only three Lancaster prototypes, DG595 was the second prototype built but first to represent production type. Despite lack of air deflector on mid upper and inclusion of belly turret. DG595 first flew on 13th May 1941, delivered to A&AEE on 16th August 1941 and written off on 17th February 1944. The first Lancaster prototype BT308 used Manchester airframe (including third central tail fin) with modifications. DT810 the thirds prototype was fitted with Bristol Hercules and representative of the B Mk II

Lancaster B Mk.X KB772 VR-R Ropey

419 Squadron RCAF. Constructed at Victory Aircraft Ltd in January 1944, but did not enter service until November when allocated to 419 Squadron, RAF Middleton St George in November 1944. Flew with shark mouths but did not receive name ‘Ropey’ until towards the end of its operational career. On 5th June 1945 returned to Canada and assigned to Tiger Force but entered storage and scrapped on 13th May 1947

Lancaster B Mk I RF175 JO-D

463 Squadron RAAF. Based at RAF Waddington and used after the war for Operation Exodus, the repatriation of POWs from Europe. Typical of 5 Group, code was also carried on the tail in red outlined with yellow, this was however a late war addition. Code VN of 50 Squadron still faintly visible despite being repainted. Reverse side had several chalked slogans by rear door

Lancaster B Mk I RA530 DX-Y

57 Squadron, was lost shortly after take off for a raid on Böhlen, Leipzig on 20th March 1945 from RAF East Kirkby, at 23:47 hit a house at nearby Stickney, five of the crew lost their lives as a result of the action. Carried a black vertical stripe on a red tail fin to denote GEE-H Master Bomber

Colour artwork by Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm www.inkworm.co.uk

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Modellers Portfolio

1/144 Scale Plans Avro Lancaster Scale Drawings by Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm www.inkworm.co.uk B III Top View

1st Prototype BT308

2nd Prototype DG595

B MkII

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MODELLERS Portfolio

Plans

1/72 & 1/144 Scale Plans Avro Lancaster General characteristics • Crew: 7: pilot, flight engineer, navigator, bomb aimer/nose gunner, wireless operator, midupper and rear gunners • Length: 69 ft 4 in (21.11 m) • Wingspan: 102 ft 0 in (31.09 m) • Height: 20 ft 6 in (6.25 m) • Empty weight: 36,457 lb (16,571 kg) • Loaded weight: 68,000 lb (30,909 kg) • Max. takeoff weight: 72,000 lb (32,727 kg) with 22,000 (10,000 kg) bomb • Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Merlin XX liquidcooled V12 engines, 1,280 hp (954 kW) • Maximum speed: 282 mph (246 knots, 455.6 km/h) at 63,000 lb (28,576 kg) and 13,000 ft ( 3,962 m) altitude • Range: 2,530 mi (2,200 nmi, 4,073 km) • Service ceiling: 21,400 ft (6,523 m) at 63,000 lb (32,659 kg)

Armament • Guns: 8× 0.303 in (7.7 mm) Browning machine guns in nose, dorsal and tail turrets, with variations • Bombs: Maximum normal bomb load of 14,000 lb (6,300 kg) or 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) Grand Slam with modifications to bomb bay

B III Top View

B III Front View

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Modellers Portfolio

Avro Lancaster Noseart

Nick

Thumper

Phantom

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MODELLERS Portfolio

Plans

1/72 Scale Plans Avro Lancaster B Mk III Lancaster Variants • B.I : Original Lancasters were produced with Rolls-Royce Merlin XX engines • B.I Special: Aircraft adapted to carry ‘Tallboy’ and ‘Grand Slam’ bombs • PR.1: B.I modified for photographic reconnaissance • B.I(FE): Tropicalised version based on late production aircraft for Tiger Force • B.II: Bristol Hercules (Hercules VI or XVI engines) powered variant • B.III: As B.I but with Packard-built Merlin engines. • B.III (Special): Known as the Type 464 Provisioning Lancaster, twenty-three aircraft built to carry the ‘Upkeep’ bomb for the dam busting raids • ASR.III/ASR.3: B.III modified for air-sea rescue • GR.3/MR.3: B.III modified for maritime reconnaissance • B.IV: The B.IV featured an increased wingspan and lengthened fuselage. Renamed Lincoln B.1 • B.V: Renamed Lincoln B.2 • B.VI: Nine aircraft converted from B.IIIs. Fitted with Merlin 85/87 • B.VII : Final production version of the Lancaster

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Lancasters

Modellers Portfolio

Lancaster B Mk I LM130 JO-N Nick the Nazi Neutralizer

463 Squadron RAAF. Took off from RAF Waddington on 11th March 1945 and was involved in a mid air collision with a Hurricane IIc over Blankey, Lincolnshire. All 7 Lancaster crew and the pilot of the Hurricane lost their lives in the accident

Lancaster B Mk I LL966 LE-P

630 Squadron, delivered on 6th May 1944. Took off from East Kikby for a raid on the oil refinery at Rositz, 15th February 1945, due to heavy flack the aircraft was lost, believed to be around 21.30 hours by crew members who escaped. LL966 crashed near Lehma/Zschernitzsch, 2 km East of Rositz. Red tail with black bar was for GEE-H Master Bomber markings.

Lancaster B Mk II LL701 KO-F

115 Squadron. Based at RAF Witchford, took off for a raid on Schweinfurt at 18:50 on 24th February 1944 as part of a raid consisting of 734 aircraft (including Halifaxes and Mosquitoes). Failed to return from the raid with no knowledge of the final fate of LL701. 115 Squadron also lost LL644 KO-N on the same raid

Lancaster B Mk II DS708 OW-Q Queen of Spades

426 Squadron RCAF. Took part in several operations but received severe damage due to flak during a raid on Berlin on 2nd December 1943, returned on two engines and was sent away for repairs. Returned to squadron and coded OW-D. Later transferred to 408 Squadron and wore codes EQ-A and EQ-Q. In February 1945 transferred to Shorts and converted for RAE flying trials, abandoned at Foulness Island and scrapped in 1950

Lancaster B Mk I DV305 BQ-O

550 Squadron, based at RAF North Killingholme. Received severe damage, including the loss of the mid upper and tail gunners during a raid on Berlin on the night of the 30th/31st January 1944. Bomb aimer bailed out over occupied territory due to a misunderstanding. Despite damage Flying Officer G.A. Morrison managed to bring DV305 back but it crash landed at Woodbridge Emergency Landing Ground, Suffolk

Colour artwork by Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm www.inkworm.co.uk

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Modellers Portfolio

Lancasters

Lancaster B Mk I Special PD121 YZ-Z 617 Squadron, based at Woodhall Spa, 1945. One of thirty three Lancasters converted to carry the22,000 lbs Tallboy Grand Slam bomb, PD121 entered service in March 1945 and undertook six operations (including four with a Tallboy) before the end of the war, transferred to 15 Squadron and officially scrapped on 19th May 1947. PD121 carries a reversed serial scheme with yellow and red outline in an effort to improve daylight identification

Lancaster G.R.3 TX264 Lancaster B Mk III Special Type 464 (Provisioning) ED932 AJ-G Allocated to the newly formed 617 Squadron ED932 was flown by Wing Commander Guy Gibson on Operation Chastise on the night of the 16th/17th May 1943 to destroy the dams in the Ruhr valley

Lancaster B Mk I PA474 Operated by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, PA474 was completed on 31st May 1945 and allocated to the Tiger Force. Retained by the RAF PA474 joined the BBMF in November 1973. Currently wears the scheme of ‘Thumper’, Mk III KC-A of 617 Squadron whilst retaining original serial code

120 Squadron, Coastal Command. D for Dog took off from RAF Kinloss on 13th March 1951 for night navigation training, 6 ½ hours later radio contact with the aircraft was lost. TX264 had crashed into high ground on the north side of Beinn Eighe, Torridon in the early hours of the 14th, none of the eight crew members survived

Lancaster B MkI NG358 LS-H XV Squadron. Carries two yellow bars on both inside and outside of tail to show GEE-H Master Bomber. Despite receiving extensive damage NG358 was repaired to fly several more missions and survived the war

Colour artwork by Chris Sandham-Bailey/Inkworm www.inkworm.co.uk

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The Testor Corporation Adds Creative Models As U.K. Distributor

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SAMI Spotlight First Look

FIRST LOOK

Trumpeter’s Vampire T he FB Mk 9 was a tropical version of the FB Mk 5 with the addition of an air conditioning unit, which gave way to the tell-tale longer intake fairing on the starboard side of the aircraft. Around 320 airframes were constructed to this standard and powered by the Goblin 3 jet engine as opposed to the Goblin 2 in the FB Mk 5.

TECH DATA

DE HAVILLAND VAMPIRE FB MK 9 SCALE 1/48

KIT NO: 02875 PRICE: £16.99 US$31.99 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic MANUFACTURER Trumpeter UK IMPORTER: Pocketbond US IMPORTER: Squadron

On close inspection of the plastic the Trumpeter riveter has shown restraint and the panel details are quite fine

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By Rick Greenwood

First impressions of the kit are good, with the three sprues of grey plastic parts contained in their protective plastic bags. The clear parts and canopy are crystal clear and well packed in a separate plastic bag. Parts breakdown is logical for the subject with the upper and lower fuselage sections and wings broken down into two horizontal sections with the tail booms added separately later on during construction. An eight-page instruction booklet and separate colour guide are provided with colour callout for the main schemes listed for major brands of paint. Stage one in the instructions has you build up the nose wheel and undercarriage leg, however I elected to skip this and dive straight into the cockpit/nose gear bay assembly suggested later on in the sequence. The nose gear well is well detailed and made up of five

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First Look

Cockpit parts laid out prior to construction. Part A3, the control column, is oversize, and is slightly out of shape

SAMI Spotlight

What I think is the weakest area of the kit - the poor intake parts

I dry brushed a lighter shade to add depth and bring out what little detail is present. The cockpit was then added to the lower fuselage section along with the painted wheel well, as per the instructions in stage 4 The main gear wells clamped in position

separate parts. No problems were encountered at this stage and the whole sub-assembly was sprayed with Alclad Aluminium. Moving on to the cockpit, construction is completed with seven plastic and one clear part. Detail is basic for the scale, a decal is provided however to represent the instrument dials. There are no colour callouts here so I went along with black, after a quick Internet search. Trumpeter have provided separate main gear wells that need to be added at this stage and the fit was good, although another point missed is the shape of the main aperture in the lower wing section. Trumpeter have represented it as having a round section instead of the more pinched correct shape, found on the real aircraft. Next up was the jet pipe and what Trumpeter were trying to replicate here is beyond me. I corrected the flared trumpetlooking effort by simply rotating the part in a piece of 800 grit sandpaper until a more acceptable outline resulted. I then glued it in place with slightly less protruding then suggested in the instructions for a more presentable appearance. Once I had added a large amount of weight to the front of the model to try and prevent a tail-sitter (unsuccessfully) the fuselage was cemented together using Revell Contacta plastic cement for added strength.

That was quick! Airframe assembled

appearance. The intakes are very shallow with no attempt to replicate the intake trucking at all; the parts are just blanked off behind the splitter vanes. Once complete, small holes were drilled to represent those on the real machine at the outboard end of the intakes. Construction of the twin-boom tail section was very straightforward with no fit issues at all. Once offered up to the completed fuselage section only a small amount of filler was needed to ensure a flush join. Trumpeter have included some curious panel line detail in the area underneath

Intakes needed sanding flush with the leading edge of the wing

the cockpit. Looking at photos of the real aircraft I cannot see any panel lines in this area as I assume the construction to be of wood? These were simply sanded out when completing the work around the nose section. Once the airframe was assembled, I was left with something reassembling a Vampire. I say this as there seems to be a shape issue with the fuselage in my mind's eye. I feel that the centre section is too bulbous in cross section, and the nose perhaps lacks the correct downward rake in front of the windscreen. Problems with the

After leaving it overnight, I turned my attention to the separate intake parts, where the first impression is not good. Trumpeter have not captured the look of the elongated version found on the Mk 9 and the parts look to represent the Mk 5 in

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SAMI Spotlight First Look

the model, with no adverse reaction noted. So as to be in a position to comment on the Trumpeter decals for this review, I used the under wing roundels and was quite surprised at just how well they settled down into the detail, with no setting solution used at all. After all the main markings were added, I added the stencil data and no-step areas with little fuss. All things considered the whole process of adding the decals was a little drawn out due to the age of some of the Classic Airframes items used, however I'm reasonably pleased with the end results.

Some filler was required to blend in the seam around the nose section

Odds and Ends

Not a great deal of filler was used overall

The paint guide from the Classic Airframes kit used as a guide for the camo pattern

wingtips being too rounded were easily fixed with a short session of sanding, and once all the small flaws were sorted out with filler and a quick sand down the complete fuselage assembly was ready for primer.

Designed for the Classic Airframe kit, but the sharkmouth fits well

Main Colour Scheme I had managed to progress this far in a relatively small amount of time, as the construction had been fairly easy. The fit of the major parts of the model were really good, so credit to Trumpeter for this. But now the problems started. The model looks more like the FB Mk 5 to me with the short intake fairing provided, but the decal options I assume are for Mk 9s. After much deliberation I decided to use a little artistic licence with my model and used spare Classic Airframe decals from my spares box. These I had left over from a previous build and are for a 112 Squadron RAF Mk 5. I decided upon RAF camouflage of Green over Grey with PRU Blue undersides deviating from the PRU Blue and Dark Green test scheme intended by Classic Airframe. So, a bit of an educated guess I suppose. To obtain a truly smooth glass-like finish and remove any small imperfections I mixed lukewarm water and a small amount of washing up liquid and treated the whole model to a wet sand with 12000 grade Micro-mesh polishing cloth. Care needs to be exercised at this point as too much pressure will wear the paint away, resulting in unnecessary touch-ups later. Once I was happy that all small imperfections had been removed, the model was washed under running water to remove any trace of the detergent. Once dry a few light coats of Johnson's Klear were applied to the whole airframe, with a cotton bud. Again the model was left to

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

Decalling was a challenge but I'm pleased with the end result

dry overnight before the previous stage of Micro-meshing was repeated. Once dry the kit was polished with an old cotton T shirt, to impart the high gloss finish required for the decals. To some this may seem a lengthy process to go through but I find it results in a very smooth surface that aids the application of the decals and the wash that will be used later. Daco strong setting solution was used to ensure the decals conformed to the fine engraved details found on the surface of

The drop tanks and wheels were built up as per the instructions. I'm not totally convinced, however, that Trumpeter have captured the shape of the tanks quite right. The wheels are a good representation of the real thing and were quickly assembled. Once dry the wheel hubs were masked with a circle template of the correct diameter, and sprayed Humbrol 56 Aluminium. While the wheels dried, I turned my attention to the undercarriage legs, which are simple items but had mould lines and flash present on my example; once cleaned up they too were painted in Humbrol Aluminium. The undercarriage doors were then added to the model having been painted PRU Blue at the same time as the fuselage under surface. The units were then added to the model. Looking at the sit of the aircraft on its landing gear something seems not quite right, in comparison to reference photos. This could be rectified by shortening the main gear legs slightly before adding them to the model to capture the Vampire's stance a little better. With the model now sat on its wheels my attention focused on the clear parts. While well moulded and crystal clear the main canopy’s appearance is strangelooking with a flared-out section at the

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First Look

rear. The windscreen section and main canopy were masked in preparation for spraying with the main camouflage colours. As Trumpeter make no provision for the wingtip navigation lights, small areas were masked and painted silver, and when dry Tamiya clear red and green were overpainted, on the appropriate side of the airframe. Small holes were then drilled for the vertical tail pitot tube and boom-mounted whip aerial, these being made out of heat stretched sprue to the required diameter. Seat belts were fabricated from Tamiya tape, painted a light tan/brown colour and added to the seat, the gunsight reflector was added to the top of the instrument panel and the canopy sections added to complete the model.

SAMI Spotlight

Drop tanks and wheels next

Conclusion Trumpeter have missed an ideal opportunity to corner the market, as far as 1/48 Vampires go. Granted the kit builds very well with the fit being excellent in many areas but the shape issues ruin the appearance of the model, for me at least. Other areas of the kit are let down by poor

Canopy masked awaiting paint

Wheels were painted while on cocktail sticks to ease handling

Masks removed and test fitted to the model detail, as with the intakes, but perhaps this is reflected in the reasonable cost of the kit? We have all bemoaned Trumpeter in the past for including loads of invisible internal detail, have we not? Is it worth the money? Well at £15 I would say so, for a quick build with a good result easily obtained at the end, however if you're looking for a highly detailed and accurate Vampire then you are better looking elsewhere. This said, I think the end result obtained with this kit should satisfy all but the most ardent Vampire fan.

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SAMI Spotlight First Look

Super Spit 9 Eduard Spitfire IX and Aftermarket Sets

I

s there room in the market for another Spitfire kit? Well, being fortunate enough to get a look in a pre-production box of Eduard’s new Spitfire IX I have to say that the answer is a resounding yes. The first thing that struck me is that this kit is moulded in grey rather than the olive drab plastic I have always associated with Eduard kits. The second thing I noticed was that it features some of the finest recessed detail that I have ever seen injection moulded, which is really emphasised by the grey plastic. Normally rivets and panel lines are moulded to the same depth or thickness - perfect for taking a wash but not that realistic if you look closely at the real thing. Well Eduard have obviously have been getting really up close and personal with Spitfires because every panel line and nearly every rivet is represented but with variations in depth and size. Now, some will argue that if you look at a real aircraft from 48 feet away this level of small detail is not visible and I have to agree. But modelling is also about being a little bit artistic and this level of subtle detail certainly will look amazing once lifted out with a light wash, especially on a natural metal finish. Also impressive is the detail supplied for the cockpit, which is made up from over sixty parts including pre-coloured etched brass in this Profi-Pack edition for items like the instrument panel and seat belts as well as plain brass for the armour plate behind the seats. Alternative parts abound including pointed or rounded rudders, upper cowlings, or open or closed canopies. There are also a number of parts marked not for use, including the clipped wing tips on the clear sprue, which will be used in later boxings that we will see over the next few months.

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FIRST LOOK

The decals are equally impressive, spread over two sheets, the first of which includes every stencil seen on the real thing while the larger includes markings for no less than seven aircraft including some with nose art, invasion stripes or Polish and Czech national insignia, though my favourite is the single example in natural metal finish with replacement upper cowlings from a camouflaged example.

By David Francis plastic kit manufacturers as to what is achievable in model form. Of course we do not know how well the kit goes together but a video on You Tube featuring a member of Eduard’s staff assembling a test shot with no visible filler bodes well as to what can be achieved. Even better - it looks like a Spitfire and matches the plans I have near perfectly.

And there’s more Eduard started as an aftermarket manufacturer and at the same time as releasing the Spitfire kit they have produced both resin and etched brass sets that take this kit to a whole new level.

Conclusion

Brass n Resin

This kit really raises the bar not just for Eduard but for all injection moulded

Spitfire Wheels -5 spoke and Masks Part No 648 098 This set supplies replacement tyres with Dunlop sidewall markings and a slightly weighted appearance, the hubs are cast separately, which will help painting, assisted by the masks included. Spitfire Exhaust Stacks Fishtail Part No 648 099 This set supplies separate exhaust stubs that have weld detail and recessed pipes, which you will attach to a section of engine manifold.

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First Look

SAMI Spotlight

Etched Brass Spitfire Mk IX Part No 49 639 This set had me scratching my head as I thought duplicates a number of parts supplied in the ProfiPack kit we received for review. In fact the instrument panel is a slightly different layout from the kit’s examples while you are also supplied with more details to enhance the cockpit and the under wing radiators. Spitfire Mk.IX Cockpit Part No 648 100 As I have already said the cockpit supplied with this kit is very complete and for most modelers will be more than adequate. But once you have unboxed the resin and brass parts included in this set you will be amazed by what Eduard have managed to produce. In fact the level of detail is so breathtakingly beautiful that I think that this set would be best displayed next to a completed model so you can show off what Eduard and your painting skills have achieved.

Spitfire Mk.IX Surface Panels Part No 48 766 This set enables you to open up nearly all the small access panels around the model. You start by using the supplied brass templates to cut away the kits plastic, a task that will take some skill to achieve successfully. Once removed the brass parts supply not only the panels but also a representation of the surrounding structure. Spitfire Mk.IX Landing Flaps Part No 48 765 This set once again supplies a template to enable you to cut away the moulded plastic from the kit wings accurately, after which you can assemble the etched flaps, which will look amazingly accurate under a coat of paint.

Conclusion Though none of these sets are essential to the model they do supply more and better detail than the basic kit parts. Eduard have not finished yet either, as they are already working on a complete resin engine as well as detailed gun bays and radio compartment. Personally I will be saving my money for the promised Czech Air Force boxing of the Spitfire with over thirty marking options.

Plus, of course a few bottles of the Eduard Spitfire themed beer produced by the BERNARD brewery and on sale from the Eduard stand at both E Day in September and the Brno show in June. I kid you not! For more details of Eduard’s future plans you can view their superb monthly magazine online for free at www.eduard.cz

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SAMI Spotlight Previews

Previews Panavia Tornado ECR Tigermeet 2011

Panavia Tornado ECR Tigermeet 2011

TECHNICAL DATA

TECHNICAL DATA

SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 04847

SCALE: 1/144 KIT NO: 04846

PRICE: £14.99 US$26.50 DECAL OPTIONS: 1

PRICE: £4.99 US$10.75 DECAL OPTIONS: 1

PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue

PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

Vampire NF.3

Fairey Gannet T 5

TECHNICAL DATA

TECHNICAL DATA

PARTS: Plastic 145, Clear 10

PARTS: Plastic 62, Clear 1

SCALE 1/72 KIT NO. CMR72-230

SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 04845

MANUFACTURER: Revell

MANUFACTURER: Revell

PRICE: TBC PANEL LINES: Recessed

PRICE: £11.99 US$21.25 DECAL OPTIONS: 2

UK IMPORTER: Revell UK

UK IMPORTER: Revell UK

STATUS: New Tooling Type: Resin

PANEL LINES: Recessed

US IMPORTER: Revell-Monogram

US IMPORTER: Revell-Monogram

PARTS: Resin 56, Etched 26, Vacform Clear 1, Canopy Masks MANUFACTURER CMR UK IMPORTER: Hannants US IMPORTER: Squadron

STATUS: Revised Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 92, Clear 13 MANUFACTURER: Revell UK IMPORTER: Revell UK US IMPORTER: Revell-Monogram

Fokker D VIIF TECHNICAL DATA SCALE: 1/32 KIT NO: 32031 PRICE: US$79.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 5 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Revised Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 198, Etched 8 MANUFACTURER: Wingnut Wings www.wingnutwiings.com

A-4E Skyhawk VMA-211 Wake Island Avengers TECHNICAL DATA SCALE: 1/144 KIT NO: PD-20

Heinkel He 111H-6

PRICE: DECAL OPTIONS: 4

TECHNICAL DATA

PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue

SCALE: 1/32 KIT NO: 04836

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

PRICE: £59.99 US$85.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 2

PARTS: Plastic Plastic 33, Clear 1 x 2

PANEL LINES: Recessed

MANUFACTURER: Platz

STATUS: Revised Tooling

AVAILABLE FROM HobbyLink Japan

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

www.hlj.com

PARTS: Plastic 402, Clear 33 MANUFACTURER: Revell

This is a limited reissue of the Platz 1/144 A-4E kit with markings for two aircraft of VMA-211 ‘Wake Island Avengers’, one from VMA-311 ‘Tomcats’ and one from VMAT-102 ‘Skyhawks’. Includes two complete Skyhawk kits in the box. This is a particularly fine tooling, and one that sells out almost as soon as it is issued, so get on to HLJ as soon as you can to secure one. Very highly recommended!

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

UK IMPORTER: Revell UK US IMPORTER: Revell-Monogram

After the Ju 88 with over 6200 units built, the He 111 became the most prolific bomber of the German Luftwaffe during the Second World War. This second boxing follows on from the original P kit, and depicts the later H-6, which differed from the earlier version in both engines and armament fit. In the torpedo bomber role the H-6 could carry two LT F5b aerial torpedoes externally under the fuselage instead of an external bomb load of up to 2500 kg. As the war continued the He 111

also played an increasingly important role as a transport aircraft. With a production run of 1775 units the H-6 was the most numerous production model of the He 111 series, remaining in service until the end of the War. This boxing includes new Parts for the H6 Model, two SD 500 Bombs, two Aerial Torpedoes and markings for 7./KG 4, 2./KG 26. Of note are the parts for the initial boxing’s internal bomb load, which will give you some useful items for the spares box. An impressive kit, at a very good price – only problem is where to put it!

The latest from Wingnut Wings offers another variant of the Fokker D VII – in this case the F, which differed in having the powerful BMW IIIa engine, which offered better performance at higher altitudes. The F entered service with Jasta 11 in June 1918. Udet himself praised the engine in no uncertain terms, only regretting that its introduction came too late to have a significant effect on the outcome of the war. Sources vary, but as many as 750 of this variant may have been produced. This release includes thirty six new parts applicable to the D VIIF, as well as the usual generous helping for the spares box!

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order hotline 0845 643 1304 www.modelhobbies.co.uk THESE ARE JUST A SELECTION OF THE 1000S OF KITS WE HAVE IN STOCK!

AFVHOBBYBOSS CLUB 1/351/48 M109A2 F6F-3NHOWITZER HELICAT

AFV CLUB 1/35E BOFORS AARDVARK40MM AA GUN

RODEN 1/72 OPEL BLITZBUS LUDEWIG A7D CORSAIR II "AERO" (1937)

# 35163 £26.99 #80350 £29.99 £45.99 £41.39

£27.99£11.69 £25.19 ##80344 724 £13.00

RODEN 1/48 AIRCO TORNADO ECR DH.9C

RODEN CARVAIR AIRFIX 1/144 1/72 CURTISS SB2C HELLATL-98 DIVER

AFV CLUB 1/35 AEC DORCHESTER 4X4 ACV (FULL TRUMPETER 1/32 INTERIOR) FAIREY SWORDFISH

EDUARDTRUMPETER 1/72 MESSERSCHMITT BF 110G-4 1/48 SUKHOI SU-24M

PEGASUS HOBBIES 1/18 BELL X-1 AIRFIX 1/72 MITSUBISHI DINAH KI-46 II

MPM 1/72 GLOSTER METEOR TRENT 'FIRST1/72 TURBOPROP AIRFIX BELL P-39Q FIGHTER' AIRACOBRA

# 35109 £38.69 #80340 £43.00 £14.99 £13.49

##80354 435 £25.99 £39.99£23.39 £35.99

##02835 7086 £25.00 £74.99 £22.49 £67.49

# 305 £19.99 #02031 £5.99£17.99 £5.39

# #8802 02016£29.99 £7.99£26.99 £7.19

##03208 35227 £49.99 £44.99 £59.99 £53.99

# 72574 £20.52 #01039£22.80 £4.99 £4.49

SPECIAL ARMOUR 1/72 A4/V-2 ROCKET WITH LAUNCH PLATFORM

MPM ITALERI 1/72 DOUGLAS P-70IDSNIGHTHAWK 1/72 TORNADO BLACK

# 72565 £20.52 #1291 £22.80 £10.50 £9.45

# 72014 £13.50 £12.16

ITALERI 1/72 SAVOIA MARCHETTI S.79 SPARVIERO

#1290 £14.99 £13.49

PLASTIC SOLDIER 15MM ALLIED M3 ITALERI 1/48 BAE HAWK T.1A RED ARROWS HALFTRACK

# WW2V15016 £18.95 £17.05 #2677 £26.50 £23.85

www.modelhobbies.co.uk Telephone 0845 643 1304

email [email protected] WE ALSO ACCEPT

ALL MAJOR CREDIT/DEBIT CARDS ACCEPTED

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SAMI Spotlight Creative Times

Sponsored by Creative Models www.creativemodels.co.uk

Creative Times A selection of new releases now available

From Creative Models

RAF Strategic Bomber Vulcan B.2 TECHNICAL DATA SCALE: 1/144 KIT NO: L1001 PRICE: £32.99 US$60.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 2 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 81, Clear 2 MANUFACTURER: Great Wall Hobby UK IMPORTER: Creative Models US IMPORTER: Dragon USA

TBD-1 Devastator VT-6 at Wake Island 1942 TECHNICAL DATA SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: L4809 PRICE: £43.99 US$82.50 DECAL OPTIONS: 2 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 105, Clear 11, Etched 48 MANUFACTURER: Great Wall Hobby UK IMPORTER: Creative Models US IMPORTER: Dragon USA

This boxing from Great Wall, initially released a year or so ago, covers the venerable TBD-1 in the ‘level bomber’ role, as opposed to the more familiar torpedo carrying mission. The kit offers a highly detailed yet agreeably compact set of parts, with everything you need, but very little that you don’t, giving the appearance of a kit that will build up easily out of the box. Chief changes from the previous boxing are the inclusion of main gear legs with compressed oleos (the previous kit had them extended) and a choice of bombs in place of the torpedo. The etched parts add a great deal of detail to the interior, as well as seat belts and ignition harness for the engine. Masks are included, and one very welcome option is the single-piece canopy that can be used instead of the multi-part open option. Two sets of markings are included – one a ‘yellow wings’ machine from VT-3, and one a VT-6 machine in blue and grey. Decals are included for the propeller tips, and a full set of masks supplied for both open and closed canopy options – although these are the vinyl type that do not adhere well to tight curves. The masking sheet also covers some

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

of the markings, including pieces for the wing walkways, an interesting option, but I wish they were made from kabuki tape! All things considered, this kit is an attractive prospect, with enough options – canopy, wingfold, masks – to add appeal, but few of the problems and compromises these options generally oblige the modeller to make if they don’t want to use them. I would recommend some research into colours and other aspects of the TBD-1 before tackling this kit – Tom Cleaver’s review of the Midway boxing on Modelling Madness is a very useful read, with a couple of tips that will make for an easier and more accurate build.

It would be no exaggeration to say that this is possibly the most impressive 1/144 kit I have ever opened. Not only from the point of view of the tooling, but the engineering and design are beautifully executed, with a seemingly effortless construction likely, allowing a beautiful finished model of what has to be one of the most striking aircraft of all times – having experienced the Vulcan live at low level I have a lasting affection for the thing. Firstly, the one-piece upper and lower fuselage/wing parts will allow a seamless assembly, with minimum risk to the beautiful surface detail, which is super-fine. One-piece seamless intake parts are provided, removing another potential clean-up problem, while the two moulded seats in the cockpit aperture will be more than enough to busy up what little will be

visible of the interior once the lid is on, but even so two crew figures are provided. This first boxing – also released under the Pit Road label but inevitably sold out is a ‘Black Buck’ package, which has been done before in this scale, and some might regard as predictable, but the ‘Falklands fit’ parts are on a separate sprue, and it is obvious from the open weapons bay option and the parts layout that further boxings will be coming. I can’t wait for a white one! Options are provided for two machines: • Vulcan B.2, XM597, 101 Sqn, RAF Ascension Island, Operation Black Buck, Falklands War, 1982 • Vulcan B.2, XM607, 44 Sqn, RAF Ascension Island, Operation Black Buck, Falklands War, 1982 I cannot recommend this highly enough. Having kept an eye on 1/144 for some years now and seen it expand and improve steadily, this kit still comes as a surprise. It looks that good! Thanks to Cyber-Hobby for additional images

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Sponsored by Creative Models www.creativemodels.co.uk

Creative Times SAMI Spotlight

Focke Wulf Fw 189A-2

Spitfire Mk IXc Dual Combo

TECHNICAL DATA

TECHNICAL DATA

SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: L4803

SCALE: 1/144 KIT NO: 4429

PRICE: £29.99 US$60.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 2

PRICE: £10.99 US$19.95 DECAL OPTIONS: 5

PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue

PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

PARTS: Plastic 157, Clear 18, Etched 31

PARTS: Plastic 19, Clear 1 x 2

MANUFACTURER: Great Wall Hobby

MANUFACTURER: Eduard

UK IMPORTER: Creative Models

UK IMPORTER: Creative Models

US IMPORTER: Dragon USA

US IMPORTER: Squadron

Back again via Creative Models, this kit offers the definitive version of the distinctive twinboom reconnaissance machine. Includes etched parts for seatbelts, landing flaps and gunsights, canopy masks, and markings for two aircraft.

The latest addition to the Super 44 adds more attractive options to this exquisite little tooling, with two complete kits included. Optional exhausts and main wheels are provided, canopy and wheel masks, and five aircraft are covered by the decal sheet: • Spitfire LF Mk IXc, MJ586, flown by Pierre Clostermann, 602 Squadron, Longues sur Mer airfield, July 7, 1944 • Spitfire HF Mk IXc, MJ296, flown by Otto Smik, 312 Squadron, North Weald AB, Late August, 1944 • Spitfire LFMk IXc, MJ250, No. 601 Squadron, Italy, Summer, 1944 • Spitfire LF Mk IXc, ML135, flown by Jerry Billing, 401 Squadron, Tangmere AB, June 7, 1944 • Spitfire LF Mk IXc, ML135, flown by Jerry Billing, 401 Squadron, France, July 1, 1944

Fighting Eagle Limited Edition TECHNICAL DATA SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: 1176 PRICE: £54.99 US$99.95 DECAL OPTIONS: 4 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Revised Boxing TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 170, Clear 2, Resin 17, Etched Frets x 3, Masks MANUFACTURER: Eduard UK IMPORTER: Creative Models US IMPORTER: Squadron

This limited edition of the F-15A/C in 1/48 is based on the Academy plastic parts, supplemented with Eduard Brassin accessories covering the pilot’s seat, engine exhausts and wheels. Three etched frets offer a mass of detail, including the usual colour interior parts, and the whole package adds up to an enhancement that will make an eye-catching kit. The decal sheet features four colourful markings for USAF F-15s: • F-15C s/n 78-0547, Flown by Col. Jeff Silver, CO of 137th Fighter Wing, Oregon Air National Guard, Kingsley Field, 2012 • F-15C-25-MC s/n 76-0053, Flown by Lt.Col. Jack Fry, CO of 53rd TFS, Bitburg AFB, Germany, Early Eighties

Bf 110G-4 TECHNICAL DATA • F-15A s/n 76-0111, Flown by Lt.Col. John Kugler, CO of 318th FIS, Castle AFB, October, 1988 • F-15C-24-MC s/n 79-0032, Flown by Col. Lee Alton, CO of 32nd TFS, Soesterberg AB, the Netherlands, Late Eighties Only 1,500 boxes available so get one in quickly or miss out altogether!

SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 7086 PRICE: £24.99 US$44.95 DECAL OPTIONS: 4 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 216, Clear 13, Etched 74 MANUFACTURER: Eduard UK IMPORTER: Creative Models US IMPORTER: Squadron

Model built by Martin Nademlejnský Eduard’s G-4 includes a wide range of radar antennae and nose-gun variants, and offers markings for four aircraft. Also included is a set of masks and a photo-etched template tool for accurate construction of the radar antennae included. Marking options are: • Bf 110G-4 - 6./NJG101, Fritzlar, Germany, 1945 • Bf 110G-4 - Hptm. Wilhelm Johnen, 7./NJG6, Neubiberg, 1945 • Bf 110G-4 - Stab II./NJG1, Bad Langensalza, Germany, 1945 • Bf 110G-4 - Wr.Nr. 110087, 4./NJG3, Kjevik, Norway, 1945

I-16 Type 24 TECHNICAL DATA SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: 8468 PRICE: £12.50 US$19.95 DECAL OPTIONS: 1 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 93, Clear 2 MANUFACTURER: Eduard UK IMPORTER: Creative Models US IMPORTER: Squadron

www.sampublications.com May 2013

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SAMI Spotlight Reviews

1/72

REVIEW

Legato Fairchild Argus Mk III

TECH DATA

T

his is a very competent kit of a rather obscure subject. Surface detail is not the sharpest, but it’s more than adequate for a fabric-covered aircraft and the parts need very little clean-up. The instructions cover both the radialengined and inline-engined aircraft but the resin radial engine is not included in this version of the kit (the radialengined Mark I/Mark II version was released some time ago). The only options are for spatted or unspatted main wheels and for different exhausts. The transparencies are rather dull although they can be improved a lot by careful polishing. The decals are of the sort which stick instantly and forever so a lot of water or setting solution is needed to position them safely. They are thin and the register is perfect but the red and blue of the RAF roundels are too bright, being more of a pre-war colour. References for this aircraft seem to be rare so I can’t comment on its accuracy other than to say it looks generally good when compared to photographs, but I think the landing gear might be moulded in its extended in-flight configuration. Assembly is simple, without any nasty surprises. All the parts fitted well although several use butt joints, which are not to everyone’s liking. The interior detail is restricted to seats, control columns and an instrument panel. The complicated undercarriage struts need careful assembly but provide a strong enough unit once completed, and the instructions include helpful drawings which show the correct arrangement. The instructions give guidance for adding a scratch-built rudder trim tab and rear light but don’t mention the need for elevator trim tabs, nor do

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

By Ivor Ramsden

FAIRCHILD ARGUS MK III SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 7234 PRICE: £12.99 US$TBC DECAL OPTIONS: 4 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling

they say that, on wartime RAF versions if not on all, the wingtip navigation lights need to be moved to the extreme wingtips. Lifting handles made from wire are shown at the rear of the fuselage but I couldn’t see these on the few wartime pictures that I could find so I left them off. My reference pictures showed that the struts of the foot steps should be longer so these were replaced with stretched sprue. Whilst in modification mode I fitted the venturi for the instruments to the right side of the cabin as photographs showed it there rather than the left side as shown in the instructions.

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 37, Clear 5, Resin 1 MANUFACTURER: Legato UK IMPORTER: Hannants US IMPORTER: UMM–USA

The cabin windows need some trimming before they fit into their apertures but they can be fitted from the outside after painting, which makes masking unnecessary. Four very different colour schemes are shown on the rear of the box. Two are in silver dope, firstly a very plain RAF aircraft in Burma with SEAC markings, then a postwar civilian Czech machine with red trim. A Royal Australian Air Force version is the most colourful option with red fuselage, white tail and silver wings. The final version is for an aircraft of the Air Transport Auxiliary in RAF Dark Green and Dark Earth with yellow undersides. The camouflage pattern shown on the box varies from my photographs so I modified it to follow the pictures more closely. A fairly easy build, which most modellers will manage without difficulty and which produces a nice replica. I can’t think of any other kit which includes ATA markings, which is a shame because this important organisation is largely forgotten. This is also a kit that lends itself to some interesting civilian post-war colour schemes.

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REVIEW

Seversky P-35A (Philippines Defender)

04929 P P-47D Thunde rbolt

By Brian Derbyshire

O D E L K I T SE S
P L A ST I C M O N E Y P R IC AT P O C K E T M

T

he P-35A was a result of desperation. Sixty Seversky EP-106s (on a Swedish order) were requisitioned and sent, unmodified, to the Philippines. In November 1942, the worn-out survivors of intense training were transferred to 34PS, at the dirt strip of Del Carmen. Eighteen out of twenty-five were declared serviceable, and were flown effectively for three days before being caught on the ground and largely wiped out. Special Hobby are improving all the time. Little refining is needed on this kit, and detail (surface and internal) is exemplary. Fit is (generally) excellent, and cockpit freaks will be in heaven. Instructions are OK, though a bit fuzzy. Finish details for ‘23’ are incorrect. Span and length scale out well, and the look and detail are extremely convincing. Construction is excellent for a short-run kit, however there is no separate cowling nose ring, which makes it awkward to clean up the joints. The seat sits a bit low, the control panel needs support from the firewall, care is needed fairing in the tailcone, and the wing roots need trimming. Otherwise, it's delightful. Two aircraft are offered in a ‘silver’ finish (20/4MP and 17/4MP) plus two camouflaged (20/4MP again and 23) all from the 17th Pursuit Squadron, 4th Composite Group, before the shooting started. I cannot confirm ‘20’ before camouflaging, but her November photo shows neither fuselage nor starboardupper insignia, and the baggage hatch window is overpainted. ‘23’ appears only in a close-up, which shows only the fuselage and tail. Nose and fin numbers are black, the nose ring is white. Operational photos are rare, though three are in colour. Initial camouflage attempts were rushed, and the paint flaked very badly. Later, maybe during the reorganisation of late November 1941, which formed the 24th PG and transferred all the P-35s and -35As to the 34th PS, the

untless 04934 SBD-5 Da

04928 P-51B Mustang

TECH DATA

P-35A PHILLIPPINE DEFENDER SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 72237 PRICE: £15.50 US$30.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 4 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 52, Clear 6, Etched 34, Resin 5 MANUFACTURER: Special Hobby UK IMPORTER: Hannants US IMPORTER: Sprue Brothers

paint standard was improved and brought up to date with two wing and two fuselage insignia, ‘US Army’ underwing, plus Group designator on the fin. I know of only one example, which appears in ‘as captured’ condition on P. 76 of Duel for the Sky. This had 36" fuselage insignia, with black ‘24P’ on the lower fin, "48" (in a smaller size, and apparently in insignia blue) near the fin tip and a tarpaulin over the engine. I assumed a repeat ‘48’ on the nose. Google ‘Republic P-35A’ (not Seversky) for the best selection of sites, including IPMSStockholm's excellent walkround of a J 9. Very satisfying. A lovely kit of a mediocre aircraft, and a worthy tribute to the poor devils who had to fight in it.

1 Corsair 04930 F4U-

Also Available: 04931 F6F-3 Hellcat 04932 P-40E Warhawk 04933 F4F-4 Wildcat 04935 P-39Q Airacobra

Available from your local Toy and Model retailer

Visit our international web site at www.revell.eu Revell GmbH, HP23 5AH. Tel: 01442 890285. Email: [email protected] © 2013 Revell GmbH. A subsidiary of Hobbico, Inc. All rights reserved. Trade enquiries welcome.

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SAMI Spotlight Reviews

1/48

REVIEW

P-40E/K - Kittyhawk

By James Griffiths TECH DATA

T

he standard Italeri blue box is adorned with a painting of one of the nose-art heavy P-40s, although a tiger rather than the standard shark mouth, which makes it a little more eye-catching. Lifting the box lid reveals four grey sprues, one clear, and a decently sized decal sheet by Cartograph. The mouldings look to be well detailed and there isn’t a great deal of flash, but some is present as this is a reissue and the moulds will be quite well used. The instructions are on a double-sided, foldout sheet, printed in black and grey with paint colours called out in Model Master, Italeri Acrylpaint and Federal Standard codes. Construction begins with the cockpit, and right off the bat a decision must be made as to which decal option is to be chosen, as this dictates which instrument panel to use. These have a fair amount of moulded detail, and would benefit from some careful painting and dry-brushing to bring them really to life. No decals are provided for the dials, which seems to be unusual now as just about every kit I’ve built recently has had one or two. Having said that, keeping painting and detailing skills up to scratch is never a bad thing! On joining the fuselage halves together, there could be some surgery required depending on the version chosen, as there are two tail options. The cut line is indented on the inside of the fuselage halves and the plastic is quite soft, so with a bit of care and a sharp blade, a neat job isn’t too difficult. Once all of the main parts are attached, a bit of filler was required around the wing roots and engine covers, but once this was smoothed off it was ready for painting and then the ‘fiddly bits’. I found the instructions a little confusing

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

P-40E/K KITTYHAWK SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: 2717 PRICE: £22.50 US$47.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 6 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: Reissue

when it came to fitting the landing gear doors, as they aren’t particularly clear, so a hunt on the Internet for some photos of a real P-40 quickly showed me how they should fit (probably!) There are six decal options and stencil data on the Cartograph sheet, covering RCAF, RAF and USAAC aircraft, I chose the RAF 112 Squadron option, from Italy 1944 because I think it suits the Kittyhawk so well (and the first kit I ever built was the

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 70, Clear 5 MANUFACTURER: Italeri UK IMPORTER: The Hobby Company US IMPORTER: MRC

old Airfix 1/72 version from the same squadron). All of the markings are printed in good solid colour and register, as you would expect given their manufacture, and adhere well to the airframe with very little silvering or tearing, even the complex curves and cutouts around the nose. With the markings on I couldn’t resist ‘flying’ it around the room, making engine noises, like I know I did all those years ago with the smaller version! This is a fairly straightforward kit to build, as long as you keep an eye on the instructions when optional versions are concerned. A bit of filler is required, but nothing too strenuous and the whole thing goes together fairly quickly. The decal options/colour schemes are varied and interesting, so there is something to suit most tastes. A recommended kit to all but the most inexperienced of modellers, due to the bits of filling required, but it could certainly be used as a stepping stone for those wishing to broaden their skill-set.

Mastered-Adverts-AV-0513_AV-0606 12/04/2013 11:28 Page 421

Achtung Spitfire!

Eduard Spitfire official page

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1/48

KINGKIT

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SAMI Spotlight Reviews

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REVIEW

Typhoon 1b Mid-production

By Ivor Ramsden TECH DATA

D

espite this kit being labelled ‘mid-production’ the sprues include everything you need for early and late versions of the Typhoon. Included are large and small tailplanes, three- and four-bladed propellers, car door and bubble canopies and early and late exhausts. The instructions refer to the assembly of a Typhoon with the early small tailplane, three-bladed propeller and bubble canopy. The later type parts will be useful because one of the three decal options is for an aircraft with the later ‘Tempest’ tail. Until building this kit and having to decide which marking option to use I never realised how complicated the mid-production Typhoon variations were, so I recommend a thorough study of references before you build. Even after checking my books I’m still not certain that I’ve put the correct exhausts on my model. Detail is good, with nicely restrained panel lines, which are something of a bonus in these days of exaggerated detail, and the cockpit is a multi-part assembly, which results in a detailed although not wholly accurate representation. The undercarriage bays are well detailed and the main wheels are particularly nice mouldings. High explosive rockets and separate rails are provided, but no bombs, although racks are included. The rocket tails are moulded separately and, although rather thick, they still look the part. An etched fret includes seat belts and the pilot’s foot step. The modification plates, which were added to reinforce the joint between the tail unit and the fuselage, are not included, although in this scale they are barely noticeable. I represented them with tiny rectangles of

422 | May 2013

Scale Aviation Modeller International

HAWKER TYPHOON (MID PRODUCTION) 3-BLADE SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 72003 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic

thick decal sheet which, although not quite the right shape, are adequate to indicate the plates once painted. The Sky of the squadron codes on the decal sheet is very good but the red of the roundels is too bright so I replaced these. Assembly is by no means straightforward although the end result is worth the effort. A lot of trimming is required, but no more than on many other limited-run kits. The cockpit assembly is too wide and needs considerable trimming to get it to fit within the fuselage halves. Whilst struggling to get the fuselage halves together I forgot to install the tailwheel but this was probably a blessing in disguise because it would have been very easy to knock it off. I successfully fitted it as part of final assembly. The undercarriage bays are too deep to fit inside the wings and need drastic thinning. Whilst doing this I sharpened up the wing trailing edges in a similar way to rubbing down a vacform. The radiator is assembled as a separate unit along with the ‘roof’ of its intake duct and I had difficulty getting a smooth join to the fuselage. Whilst in this area the instructions don’t show the installation of the radiator flap but it’s hiding on the sprue, part number 28. There is no way that the wings will join the fuselage until the wing root fairings are reduced in width but with care they

PARTS: Plastic 92, Clear 7, Etched 5 MANUFACTURER: Brengun UK IMPORTER: Hannants US IMPORTER: UMM-USA www.hauler.cz

become almost a snap fit. On the smalltailed Typhoon the elevators had small fairings on the upper left and lower right surfaces for the trim tab motors but the kit has these on both upper and lower surfaces so brief attention with a sharp blade was required to remove the extra parts. The tailplanes are a butt joint but an aggressive liquid adhesive will give a secure bond without the need for drilling and inserting a spar. Final assembly includes installation of the exhausts and landing light cover transparent parts, all of which need more trimming. Options are given for aircraft of 137, 609 and 183 Squadrons, all representing aircraft in mid-1944 and all in standard RAF green and grey colours, but for some reason Brengun have omitted the yellow wing leading edges and the walkways. They have also confused themselves as to which aircraft were rocket-armed; my references suggest that all three options carried rockets. The 183 Squadron aircraft is the subject of a clear photograph taken during an inspection by H.M. The King. The box top picture is based on this photograph but artistic licence has changed the RAF blue uniforms into army khaki. The original photograph shows that this aircraft was fitted with the larger tail unit. This aircraft carries a name which should read Diane V, but Brengun have interpreted this as Devall. On the model this is all of 3 millimetres long so it will take a good pair of eyes to spot it. Most, if not all, rocket-carrying Typhoons had their leading-edge landing lights faired over, which can be represented by painting the transparent covers. The 137 Squadron option shows D-Day stripes but these can also be applied to the 609 Squadron aircraft as the squadron Operations Record Book shows that this Typhoon, JR379 was operational around D-Day. This kit would be a challenge for the less experienced modeller but despite the work it really was worth the effort and with a little extra detail it could be a show winner. The surface detail is first class; in shape it looks every inch like a Typhoon and corresponds so closely with the best plans around that I am certain that Brengun must have used them. I’d be pleased to build another. Need I say more?

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Reviews SAMI Spotlight

1/72

Seafire FR Mk 47

REVIEW By Andy Brook TECH DATA

H

ere we have Special Hobby’s latest addition to its 1/72 Spitfire and Seafire series – and it’s a beauty. By the time Supermarine produced the Seafire FR Mk 47, almost all, but not quite, its connection to the original Spitfire Mk I had gone. This really was the ultimate Spit, both metaphorically and in reality. But it was already being eclipsed by the early jets, and saw only limited service with the Royal Navy between 1948 and the mid-1950s. It saw action in Korea but finished its career with the reservists of 1833 Naval Air Squadron. Special Hobby have designed their later Griffon-engined Spitfires and Seafires around common parts, and this version follows the same mould (so as to speak). The kit comes in a large, sturdy, topopening box, with a picture of HMS Ocean (or, at least, a British-looking aircraft carrier) and, close up, one of its embarked 804 Squadron aircraft. Instructions are Special Hobby’s usual small monochrome booklet, and the two sheets of decals (one markings, the other stencils) come in their own plastic bags. There are two big sprues of a firm grey plastic for the generic parts, plus another for the Mk 47 wings and fuselage, and a generic clear sprue for the canopies. Panel lines are finely engraved and recessed, and dimensions are spot on with the plans in the Warpaint Series No.20. There are lots of parts, and lots for the spares box too. That said, I confess to having been a bit disappointed to find only one set of wings. I was hoping for options for both folded and spread, but more of that later. The cockpit is very good for the scale, with instruments moulded correctly and detail on both sidewalls. All that is needed are some seatbelts, from etch or Tamiya

SUPERMARINE SEAFIRE FR MK 47 SCALE: 1/72 KIT NO: 72099 PRICE: £14.50 US$27.00 DECAL OPTIONS: 3 PANEL LINES: Recessed STATUS: New Tooling

tape, as the modeller chooses. Although shown as locating on to the starboard fuselage half, I inserted the cockpit subassemblies from below, without any problems, and probably achieved a better fit as a result. I then decided to go ‘off piste’. The main difference between the Mk 47 and its predecessor, the Mk 46, was that its wings folded. I had already made Special Hobby’s Mk 46, so there didn’t seem much point in having two finished models essentially similar. The wing-folds are correctly depicted, so I took out a sharp knife, used some Dymo strip for guidance and cut carefully through the recessed lines. I then attached the lower inner wing section to the fuselage and scratch-built the wingfold mechanisms. After that, I added the wheel wells to the lower wings, sanding them down to ensure the upper wings would fit properly. Construction then proceeded apace, with few difficulties, given the quality of the kit. The only real problem (as with the Mk 46) was in the fit of the tailplanes to the rudder. The rudder and arrestor hook can be posed as desired. There’s a choice of early or later style windscreen, both of which are extremely clear, as is the main canopy. Options are also provided for RATOG, centreline fuel tank, wing combat tanks and rocket pylons. It’s a bit of a pain

TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic PARTS: Plastic 83, Clear 9 MANUFACTURER: Special Hobby UK IMPORTER: Hannants US IMPORTER: Sprue Brothers

measuring the locations for the pylons, but that’s my only real gripe about the construction. I actually left off the upper inner wings until after painting, to make masking and decalling easier. The completed outer wing assemblies were also only added at the end of the build. They are attached to the inner halves by the right-angled parts of a metal staple, and stuck in place with Superglue. Three colour schemes are provided. One is 804 Squadron’s VP431/137 in wartime Dark Sea Grey and Slate Grey over Sky, correctly with ‘B’ type roundels on the upper wings. The other two are in the, probably more familiar for this type, high demarcation Extra Dark Sea Grey over Sky. These are 800 Squadron’s VP461/178 in Korean War bands, and 1833 Squadron’s VP442/151, with the rather fetching red and yellow bands applied for this reserve squadron’s annual training in 1953. Original photos show that the demarcation line on these two aircraft was in a slightly different position on the aft fuselage, and Special Hobby correctly shows the variation. They also provide a choice for the roundels in either bright post-war colours or duller wartime red and blue. I’m not sure I agreed with their rationale about fading from the Far Eastern sun, but it shows how much they are striving for accuracy. I went for the 1833 Squadron aircraft, which is included, with its wings folded and fitted with rocket pylons, in Eric Brown’s book Seafire, from the Cockpit. The decals are perfect. They go on very well, can be moved easily into position and settle down into the panel lines with no silvering. Even the fuselage band fitted absolutely perfectly, and there are seventysix individual stencils (yes…seventy-six… for a 1/72 fighter), and they even include the white paint marks on the tyres. That’s what I call a labour of love. It’s a bit strange that you don’t get the option to model the aircraft without the bands, as the underwing serials are incomplete. But why would you want to with such attractive schemes? Having already made the Mk 46, I knew this was going to be a very good kit. My views after completing the FR Mk.47 have only hardened: I reckon it’s pretty near perfection in plastic. Perfection would have been folding wings as part of the kit. Overall, I cannot recommend this kit highly enough.

www.sampublications.com May 2013

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SAMI Spotlight Accessories

Accessories BarrucudaCast Roy Sutherland is well known for producing some of the best resin accessories on the market, and we have just received his latest sets. The most detailed is a cockpit designed for Hasegawa’s Bubbletop Typhoon, for which the majority of the details are supplied in finely cast rest with an acetate film for the instrument dials, while etched brass is supplied for the instrument panels, rudder pedals and other small details. The rest of this month's releases are 1/32 wheels with different tread patterns for the P-47 and Me 262. The P-47 sets include alternative parts to reproduce either plain or slotted hubs, while the Me 262 sets includes alternative smooth or ribbed tread tyre patterns for the nosewheels.

P-47C/D Diamond Tread main wheels Part No. BR32060 Designed for: Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Revell P-47C/D Cross Tread main wheels Part No. BR32061 Designed for: Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Revell

Me 262 Main and nose wheels – ribbed hub Part No. BR32066 Designed for: Trumpeter, Hasegawa, Revell Me 262 Main and nose wheels – smooth hub Part No. BR32067 Designed for: Trumpeter, Hasegawa, Revell

Conclusion The Hasegawa Typhoon is a lovely well-detailed kit but the addition of the Barracudacast cockpit set will lift it to a whole new level. The tyres are no less well detailed and will be a vast improvement on the vinyl style included in some Far East-produced kits. Visit www.barracudacals.com to check out the full range of resin masks and decals.

1/48 Hawker Typhoon Bubbletop cockpit set Part No. BR48041 Designed for: Hasegawa

1/32 P-47C/D Block Tread main wheels Part No. BR32059 Designed for: Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Revell

Eduard Scaling down again this month, with only one set of masks in 1/32, Eduard offer a broadside for quarterscale modellers, catching up with the Airfix Army Lynx and getting in quick with some bits for Trumpeter’s MiG-21F. Another set of the fabric seatbelts appears too in 1/48, this time for USAAF subjects In 1/72 one pleasant surprise is an etched set for the Italeri Wessex HU.5, a kit of some vintage, but also one that builds up into a very nice model, and one deserving of some embellishment. Another set for Italeri’s Sunderland adds surface panels and completes Eduard’s very comprehensive coverage of this kit.

1/32

JX148 BAe Hawk 100/128 for Kinetic kit

1/48

48759 Lynx AH.7 exterior for Airfix kit 48760 Bf 109E tools and boxes 48768 MiG-21F-13 accessories for Trumpeter kit 49060 Seatbelts USAAF Fabric 49621 MiG-21F-13 for Trumpeter kit 49628 Lynx AH.7 interior for Airfix kit 49629 Lynx AH.7 seatbelts for Airfix kit 49630 Bf 109F-4 for Zvezda kit 49633 T-28D for Roden kit EX380 Tu-2T for Xuntong kit EX383 T-45 for Kinetic kit EX387 MiG-21F-13 for Trumpeter kit FE621 MiG-21F-13 for Trumpeter kit FE628 Lynx AH.7 interior for Airfix kit FE630 Bf 109F-4 for Zvezda kit FE633 T-28D for Roden kit

1/72

72552 Sunderland Mk I surface panels for Italeri kit 72557 Sea King AEW.2 exterior for Cyber Hobby kit 72558 Sea King HC.4 exterior for Cyber Hobby kit 72559 Bf 110G-4 for Eduard kit 72560 Wessex HU.5 exterior for Italeri kit 72561 Bf 110G FuG 220/212 for Eduard kit 73458 Wessex HU.5 interior for Italeri kit 73465 Sea King HC.4 for Italeri kit 73469 Bf 110C/ D Weekend for Eduard kit CX348 B-18 for Special Hobby kit CX349 Digby Mk I for Special Hobby kit CX353 T-28 for Sword kit CX354 D4Y for AZ Model kit SS458 Wessex HU.5 interior for Italeri kit SS465 Sea King HC.4 interior for Cyber Hobby kit

Once again Eduard refreshes the kits that others do not reach. If you like to add detail then this is the place to come, with a range of options from the simple ‘Zoom@ upgrades that add a small amount of detail without any surgery, to items like the Sunderland maintenance platform set, which lifts a kit right out of the water and adds a whole new dimension. The colour etch sets continue to expand and improve, and this is one area in which Eduard cannot be

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beaten – nor has anyone tried yet – while the fabric seatbelts are certainly a welcome addition to the range, especially if you are opening cockpits. The full range can be seen on the website at www.eduard.com UK importers are Creative Models, Hannants and LSA, while in the US Squadron, Roll Models, Sprue Brothers and others all carry the range.

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Wings Cockpit Figures Last year on the MDC stand at Telford we discovered test samples from a new range of resin figures. These are among the finest castings I have ever seen and I honestly believed they could not get any better. Well I was wrong because the latest sets for WWI pilots and crew are truly amazing, with a level of detail hitherto unseen. Steve Warrilow is well known for his World War One subjects and he has sculptured all the latest releases. The two seated pilots are designed to fit into Wingnut Wings’ D.H.2 and S.E.5a. And though the rest of the figures can be teamed with any manufacturers' kits I am sure most will end up paired with Wingnuts’ products.

RFC 06 Seated RFC D.H.2 pilot February 1916-April 1917 Sculptured by Steve Warrilow This figure includes alternative positions for the right arm and a choice of heads, one wearing a balaclava and the other with a scarf wrapped around the lower face.

RFC 03 RNAS pilot in naval jacket and fug boots 1915-1918 Sculptured by Steve Warrilow

1/32 RFC 02 RFC or RNAS pilot in Sidcot flying suit March 1917-18 Sculptured by Steve Warrilow

RFC 04 RFC Mechanic swinging a propeller 1914-18 Sculptured by Steve Warrilow LSK 01 LSK Confident Ace in flying leathers 1915-1918 Sculptured by Steve Warrilow LSK 02 LSK pilot in flying coat adjusting goggles 1915-18 Sculptured by Steve Warrilow RFC 05A Seated RFC S.E.5a pilot April 1917-18 (arms in) Sculptured by Steve Warrilow This figure includes three heads, including one that appears to be a good representation of Capt H Harker MC

Conclusion Hopefully available by the time you read this there will be another seated pilot for the

S.E.5a moulded with his arm outside the cockpit and a choice of head. Also you will have two sets for the D.H.2, one showing the crew in a relaxed position while the second set will be for an inflight diorama showing the crew in action with the gunner firing over the wing. Items can be ordered direct from david.allen@wingscockpitfigure s.com at £13.50 to £15 depending on the number of parts. Postage will be at cost. They will also be available online and at shows from the Model Design Construction stand and also their website at www.modeldesignconstruction .co.uk

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SAMI Spotlight Accessories

Eduard Brassin

Starfighter Decals

More 1/48 weapons this month from Brassin, with a very impressive pair of GBU-24s included, while in the smaller scale the cockpit for Eduard’s own Bf 110G-4 is a really eye-catching set of parts in the smaller scale:

This month we have two new sets in Starfighter’s E Z rigging set, which supply sheets of etched brass rigging wires for the 1/72 Revell P-26 Peashooter and the Curtiss SBC-3/4 by Heller.

1/72 Boeing P-26 Peashooter Rigging Set Part No: PE-04 Cost $8.00 Designed for Revell Curtiss SBC-3/4 Helldiver Rigging set Part No: PE-06 Cost $8.00 Designed for Heller

Conclusion This is a simple idea, which in this scale can give a very good effect with minimal effort though some care needs to be taken when removing the rigging from the fret with a sharp scalpel blade. If you are interested in prewar US Navy and Marine aircraft you should really visit Starfighter’s site as they have so much of interest in all the major scales. Check out www.starfighter-decals.com

1/48 648094 R-27ER / AA-10 Alamo-C Includes parts to make up four missiles. 648095 GBU-24 bomb 1/48 Sixteen resin parts make up two complete bombs, and include decals and Remove Before Flight tags 648096 MG FF gun 1/48 Includes ten resin parts to assemble two guns.

1/72 672014 Ju 88 wheels late 1/72 Designed for the Revell kit, this set includes tailwheel with separate mudguard, a small etched fret and painting masks. 672015 Bf 110G-4 cockpit 1/72 Eduard have really gone to town on the cockpit of their G-4, with some twenty-

seven resin parts as well as an etched fret, so in the smaller scale a really impressive result can be achieved. Detail is comprehensive, right down to the gunsights on the upward firing MG FF cannon.

The full range can be seen on the website at www.eduard.com UK importers are Creative Models, Hannants and LSA, while in the US Squadron, Roll Models, Sprue Brothers and others all carry the range.

Humbrol New from this well known source is a range of acrylic sprays designed not only for modellers but for other hobby and craft uses. The solventbased fast-drying aerosols can be used on plastics as usual, but are also applicable to wood, glass, ceramics, metal, cardboard, sealed plaster and hardboard. Matt, Satin, Gloss, Metallic, Metalcote and Clear finishes are available. New colours provided by the manufacturer include: Acrylic Sprays #38 Gloss Lime Green 150ml £4.99 #68 Gloss Purple 150ml £4.99 #106 Matt Ocean Grey 150ml £4.99 #160 Matt German Camo Red-Brown 150ml £4.99 #164 Satin Medium Sea Grey 150ml £4.99

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While the gloss colours will be more applicable to automotive or other subjects, the Ocean and Medium Sea Greys will be very useful for those wanting a quick fast-drying even surface without recourse to an airbrush, for whom brush-painting is a yet-to-be-acquired skill. Also new to the range is an acrylic thinner, specially formulated to be used with Humbrol’s own acrylic paints when both brush-painting and airbrushing. The formula has a low odour and includes a retardant that reduces the drying rate – a useful attribute when airbrushing. Also applicable for brush-cleaning. Acrylic Thinners 125ml £4.99

Check out the expanding range at www.humbrol.com

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Accessories SAMI Spotlight

Scale Aircraft Conversions A selection of manufacturers’ latest releases in all the major scales from 1/144 to 1/32 get the treatment with new undercarriage legs this month, but the most significant set for me is produced in 1/48. Trumpeter’s recent Supermarine Attacker suffered some very noticeable errors in the undercarriage department. The new SAC set not only replaces the legs themselves but also supplies a new undercarriage bay that corrects the location of the legs, which makes it a must-have for anyone with this kit in the stash..

1/144 Avro Vulcan Undercarriage Legs Product No: 14410 Designed for: Great Wall

1/72

1/32

NA P-51 Mustang Undercarriage Legs ( 2 Sets) Product No: 72057 Designed for: Airfix

Westland Sea Lynx Product No: 32037 Designed for: Revell

Messerschmitt Bf 110 Undercarriage Legs Product No: 72058 Designed for: Eduard

Conclusion These items will be available to purchase in the UK from Hannants, www.oxonianplasticfantastic.co.uk, and LSA Models. SAC have their own website at www.scaleaircraftconversions.com.

Sukhoi Su-35D Flanker Undercarriage Legs Product No: 72059 Designed for: Hasegawa T-50 PAK-Fa Undercarriage Legs Product No: 72060 Designed for: Hobbyboss

1/48

TSR.2 Undercarriage Legs Product No: 72061 Designed for: Trumpeter

Supermarine Attacker F.1 Undercarriage Legs Product No: 48128 Designed for: Great Wall

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SAMI Spotlight Accessories

True Details I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced sample of the HobbyBoss P-61 Black Widow; it is a stunning kit and the only thing I did not like were the vinyl wheels, which do not match the quality of the rest of the tooling. I thought I would be waiting some months before aftermarket replacements would be available, but fortunately I was wrong as True Details have released a beautiful set of resin wheels with separate hubs, which are far better that the kit-supplied parts. A real nice touch is that even the Goodyear logo and name are present on the sidewalls, something not always seen due to licensing issues. Also new this month is something I have not seen before in the shape of two versions of the standard USAAF fighter parachute packs with

all their associated strapping and harnesses. These early parachutes are put onto the pilot immediately before flights so are often seen sitting on the wing in period photographs (Note parachute packs are rarely seen on the ground). The first set has the parachute in its pack upwards with the straps outstretched while in the second it is the other way around with straps folded across the pack. Both sets are moulded to a casting block but the area around the parachute pack is only attached by a thin flash of resin so should be fairly easy to remove.

Noy’s Miniatures This month we have something a bit different from Noy’s Miniatures. For the last few years we have had a steady stream of bases printed on thick card with an almost 3D representation of the grass, concrete and mud on which you can display your latest creation. Now they have produced a set that is designed to replicate a WWI aerodrome consisting of three card sections. The first is similar to the previously issued bases and supplies an area of brick hard standing and an area of grass/mud. What makes this set different from other releases is that you are supplied with a choice of vertical cards that represent a typical prefabricated metal hanger with either a background of winter trees or one with the trees in full summer leaf. I would suggest making up a wooden support structure from MDF or similar in an L shape to which you can secure the card pieces with double-sided tape to produce a nice base for your WW1 or even inter-war biplanes.

1/72 NM 7213 WW1 Airfield Set Length 31cm /12.2 inch Width 22cm /8.66"

1/48 NM 4813 WW1 Airfield Set Length 39.5cm /15.5 inch Width 28cm /11.1"

Conclusion This is an interesting idea, one you see widely used by railway modellers, which enables you to produce a base that will be a good background for those who like to photograph their models, or may make a good background for a boxed fixed-perspective diorama. If you are interested in these bases Noy’s Miniatures are being stocked by Hannants in the UK. Customers alternatively can contact Noy via email at [email protected] and he will be able to confirm total cost including postage to your country. Payment is made via Pay Pal.

1/32 USAAF Parachute #1 Part No: 32508 Designed for: P-51, P-47, P-40 and many others USAAF Parachute #2 Part No: 32509 Designed for: P-51, P-47, P-40 and many others P-61 Wheel Set Part No: 32018 Designed for: HobbyBoss

Conclusion If you are planning on getting or already have a HobbyBoss P-61 you should definitely look at laying down a set of True Detail wheels even if it is the

Brengun This month we have a whole selection of etched brass and resin details sets including two for Brengun’s own kits of the Natter and Hawker Typhoon, as well as a major upgrade set for the Special Hobby Barracuda Mk V and dropped flaps for Trumpeter’s Wellington to add to the wheels released last month. I am also pleased to note that last month’s 1/48 set for the Skyraider - carrying a bomb made up from a toilet - has been scaled down to 1/72 and like its larger brother includes a resin toilet, etched brass frame and fuses, plus a full set of decals A new addition to the range is a pair of standing pilots to add a sense of scale to your model. OK that’s not new but in 1/144 it is quite rare!

1/72 BRL 72047 Bachem Natter (Brengun) Designed for Brengun BRL72048 Typhoon Mk.Ib (Brengun) Designed for Brengun BRL72046 Toilet bomb Designed for Hasegawa Skyraider

1/48 BRL48046 British wheel chock + ladder Designed for: Various BRL48044 Wellington flaps Designed for Trumpeter BRL48045 Barracuda Mk V Designed for Special Hobby

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

only aftermarket set you buy. The parachute packs will look really neat on the wing of a Thunderbolt or Mustang and are a great way of personalising your model, and for numpties like me far easier to paint than a 1/32 figure. These sets are currently available from www.squadron.com and will be available from regular True Detail stockists in due course.

1/144 BRL144071 Douglas C-47/Lisunov Li-2 Designed for Eastern Express BRL144073 MiG-21 pilot Designed for Eduard BRL144072 UK pilot WWII Designed for Eduard

Conclusion As always these sets are produced to a very high standard but if I have to pick favourites it has to be the RAF and MiG-21 pilots - a perfect complement to the Eduard baby scale Spit and MiG. The full range can be seen at www.brengun.cz and they can also be contacted via surface mail at Chladkova 14, 616 00, Brno, Czech Republic

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SAMI Spotlight Decals

Decals Starfighter Decals This month Starfighter have returned to familiar ground with two 1/72 sheets for subjects from the pre- and early-war period. We start with a small set that supplies yellow wing period markings for US Navy and Marine Douglas Dauntlesses. The Dauntless also features on the next sheet but this time in wartime camouflage. This sheet supplies markings for Navy aircraft at the Battle of the Coral Sea, which also includes markings for a Devastator and Wildcat as well as the SBD. Each sheet is very well printed with the smallest markings in perfect register and is supported by full colour instructions.

1/72 72-138 Colorful Dauntless • VMB-2 Red Devils MCAS North Island 1940.

• VMB-1 Quantico 1940. • VB-2 from photograph taken at the Douglas Plant. 72-137 USN at Coral Sea 4-8 May 1942 • F-2 Bu No 2531 VF-42 8 May 1942. Battle of Coral Sea • F-14 Bu No UNK. VF-42 8 May 1942. Battle of Coral Sea • F-1 Bu No 4031 VF-2 May 1942. Battle of Coral Sea • S-12 SBD-3 Bu No 4690 VS-2 May 1942 • S-8 SBD-3 Bu No 4537 VS-2 May 1942 • S-11 SBD-3 Bu No 4531 VS-2 May 1942 • S-10 SBD-3 Bu No 4690 VS-5 May 1942 • T-1 Bu No 0285 VT-2 May 1942. Battle of Coral Sea • VT-5 Bu No 03§9 May 1942. Battle of Coral Sea • 2-S-12 Bu No 4690 VS-2 May 1942 Promotional Photo.

Super Scale International Three very welcome new sheets from Super Scale – now re-marketed by Squadron to a very high standard – offer some attractive schemes for special-liveried Trojans, as well as a couple of stunning sharkmouth schemes for P-40Ks, one sporting fiendish tusks and both making the best of the aircraft’s aggressive lines. Also released is a set of generic early US insignia applicable to aircraft between 1919-1942, with the red spot on the star.

Conclusion To see the full range of decals and accessories visit Starfighter’s website at www.starfighter-decals.com

1/48 MS481263 North-American T-28B Trojans • Red Bull Navy and Army Show Aircraft. Designed for Roden kits • BuNo 138179 'Red Bull', Austrian registration OE-ESA in overall Gloss Sea Blue • BuNo 138289 in US Army White over Olive Drab. Includes markings for both US and later Canadian registration MS481263 US Type One Insignia 19191942 Includes forty insignia in sizes 50”, 45”, 42”, 36”, 35” and 25”

1/32

Eduard Decals The latest decal release from Eduard sees a scale-down of their 1/48 MiG stencils:

1/72 #72003 MiG-21BIS stencils A complete set of Russian language instruction and maintenance stencils for the1/72 MiG21BIS in either black and blue versions, plus

430 | May 2013

Scale Aviation Modeller International

other stencils in red, white and green. The set consist of 170 individual stencils.

The full range can be seen on the website at www.eduard.com UK importers are Creative Models, Hannants and LSA, while in the US Squadron, Roll Models, Sprue Brothers and others all carry the range.

Curtiss P-40K 16th & 25th Fighter Squadrons, 51st Fighter Group Designed for Hasegawa kits • 1. P-40K-5 Duke,16th FS, 51st FG, pilot Maj Robert Liles, October 1943 • 2. P-40K-5 Miss Wanna II, 25th FS, 51st FG, pilot 1st Lt Charles White, summer 1943

Squadron have really brought the Super Scale range back into touch, and these latest releases are particularly impressive. The ‘long fuselage’ P-40Ks look striking with the typical sharkmouth nose art, while the overall quality of the printing – by Cartograph – leaves nothing to be desired. Available from Squadron at www.squadron.com

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Decals SAMI Spotlight

Wingnut Wings After a flurry of new kit and decal releases at the end of 2012 many modellers thought we might be waiting a year before we saw anything new. Well this time we only had to wait three months for a new decal sheet and of course it is tied in with the release of the Fokker D VIIF. This sheet supplies markings for five aircraft, using the kit’s lozenge decal on the wings but supplying all the individual markings and unique national insignia. As with all

Wingnut’s decal sheets special mention must be made of the instructions as these little booklets are among the highest quality instruction sheets you will ever see. As well as the normal colour profiles you have a selection of period photographs and a detailed synopsis of the aircraft’s history and markings.

1/32 WW30010 Fokker D VIIF Fighting Fokker Part 5 • Fokker D VII F 465/18, Georg von Hantelmann, Jasta 15 & HG 11, October 1918 (25 victories) • Fokker D VII F 7716/18, Bruno Loerzer (?), Jasta 26 & JG 111, (44 victories) November 1918, Herman Goring (22 victories) April 1920 • Fokker D VII F, Otto Loffler (?), Jasta 2, Late

1918 (15 victories) • Fokker D VII F ‘Red Z’, Jasta 26 (?), November 1918 • Fokker D VII F, Fritz Haack, Jasta 46, Late 1918

Conclusion If none of the kit’s five marking options take your fancy surely one

of the five attractive schemes on offer here will - in fact I cannot decide between Loerzer’s stripy Fokker or Haack’s black and white example with the owl. I may just have to buy another kit. Like all Wingnut’s products ordering is direct from the manufacturer’s website at www.wingnutswings.com and even if you are not a 1/32 enthusiast this site is well worth a visit for any WWI modeller to view the extensive photo archives.

WIN! Revell’s Winning Streak! SAM Publications, in association with Revell, is offering a monthly opportunity to win the latest kits from Revell’s catalogue. Up for grabs this month is the 1/32 Arado Ar 196 Floatplane

To win Revell’s Ar 196 just answer the following question:

Q. What was the name of the highly successful German commerce raider, operating the Arado 196, that was sunk by HMS Cornwall in May 1941 Send your answer to: Revell’s Winning Streak Competition, SAM Publications, Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, MK42 9BJ

Competition Rules

04688 Arado Ar196 A-3 The Arado Ar 196 was one of the most successful World War II floatplanes. Its sphere of operations extended from Crete via the Black Sea to the far north. In addition to coastal reconnaissance and attacks on small shipping it was also used to attack submarines. By the summer of 1937 the first prototype of the Ar 196 was flying and the first deliveries were made in 1939. From 1941 the actual main version of the Ar 196, the A-3, was supplied. This series had, among other things, a three-bladed adjustable propeller and better radio equipment together with more powerful defensive weapons and two SC50 50 kg bombs. Most of the machines in the Ar 196A-3 series went to the coastal flying groups as well as to various naval reconnaissance groups and to the large naval units. Arado 196s were stationed on the battleships Tirpitz and Bismarck. The Ar 196 was also used ever more extensively for air/sea rescue. Up to October 1944 a total of 435 had been built.

Employees/volunteers working for SAM Publications, Revell 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. All entries must reach Media House by 24th May 2013, when the prize draw will take place.

Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit www.revell.eu or email [email protected]

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SAMI Spotlight Decals

Iliad Decals The two latest sheets from Iliad once again cover aircraft that have had numerous sheets devoted to them, though as is normal for this manufacturer they do something slightly different from the rest. The first sheet this month is a case in point. Last year Iliad produced a sheet for the F-4 Phantom featuring the special marking applied to the

1000th, 2000th, 3000th, 4000th and 5000th examples, each of which had commemorative nose art. The new sheet covers significant milestone aircraft from the Second World War like the 1000th B-24, 1000th B-17, 10,000th P-47, 1000th Hellcat and the most colourful, Yippee, the 5000th P-38. The second sheet covers the P-47 in Royal Air Force service, and most of these carry the SEAC blue roundels and include both bubbletop and razorbacks. One example is supplied with more traditional RAF markings as used by an OTU in Egypt during 1945.

colour scheme and was named Yippee. It was flown for an array of publicity events before being refinished and shipped overseas. Assigned to the 5th Air Force’s 475th FGM, 431st FS in June 1944, it was lost on January 29, 1945 due to an ‘aerial accident’ of an undisclosed nature, most likely in the Philippines • 10 Grand Thunderbolt, P-47D-30-4420441 as it appeared as its rollout at Farmingdale on Sept 20th 1944. It was assigned to 79th FS, 87th FS 12th Air Force, where it was coded X97. It was lost on Dec 21 1945 in a mid-air collision with a B-24, over the Bay of Naples • The 10,000th Hellcat to go into service. This F6F-5 was delivered to VDF-87 aboard the USS Ticonderoga in May 1945.

1/72

1/48

Conclusion

IL72-010 Milestone Aircraft • This B-24H was the 1000th B-24 to roll off Ford’s Willow Run assembly line on Nov 3, 1943. The aircraft was later assigned to the 455th BG, 743rd BS and renamed Pithonu Censored • The 1000th B-17 built by the Douglas Aircraft Plant in California. This B-17G was later named Rene III and flew fifty-three missions with the 457th BG before being lost on March 21, 1945 on a mission to Hopstein, Germany • The 5000th P-38 built was given a special

IL48-025 RAF P-47 Thunderbolts • Thunderbolt II (P-47D-39), KL328 of No.73 OTU, at Fayid, Egypt early 1945 • Thunderbolt I (P-47D-22), HB982 of 135 Sqn, Chittagong, December 1944 • Thunderbolt II (P-47D-28), KJ278 of 79 Sqn, Wangjing, early 1945 • Thunderbolt II (P-47D-30), KL315 of No.42 Sqn, Meiktila, mid 1945 • Thunderbolt II (P-47D-28), KJ194 of 134 Sqn, Arakan, early 1945 • Thunderbolt II (P-47D-28), KJ140 of 30 Sqn, East Bengal, December 1944

I really like the fresh take Iliad put on familiar subjects and the milestone sheet will make a nice mini theme without the risk of getting bored by building multiples of the same item. These sheets are typical of their range so go to www.iliad-design.com to see the full range, which can be ordered from the site. Alternatively in the UK they can be purchased from Hannants.

Canuck Models, Formerly Wintervalley Decals Canadian manufacturer Wintervalley Decals changed its name a few months ago to Canuck Models and this month we have two more of their Canadian theme sets.

We start with the Avro Arrow, a type that just like the British TSR.2 was strangled at birth and never got a chance to show its worth in service. Markings are supplied for five Arrows

in 1/72 with a full profile of 25201 in an attractive white scheme with large areas of fluorescent orange and black trim. As well as the individual aircraft markings you also get a full set of wing walkways and stencils for one aircraft. The second sheet is also in 1/72, though it is also available in the two larger scales as well, and this is the second sheet for the CF-118 Hornet covering the symmetrical scheme that was applied to the type when it entered service and up until the early 1990s. Markings are supplied for eight squadrons as well as the AETE test establishment and also for the William Tell competition in 1986, which was won by 492 squadron. Full stencil and colour plans are supplied on a full profile while individual tails and LEX fences show the markings for each unit, though some further research online may be needed to decided on what individual markings are needed from the decal sheet’s number jungle.

1/72 CAN -72-002 CF-188 Symmetrical Markings • 409 Squadron, two marking options • 410 Squadron, two marking options and Panther markings for LEX • 416 Squadron, two marking options • 412 Squadron, one marking set • 425 Squadron, two marking options • 433 Squadron, two marking options • 439 Squadron, two marking options and

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Arabic check six markings on LEX for Gulf War aircraft • 441 Squadron, one marking set • AETE Test Establishment Avro Arrow • Avro Arrow, RL-201 • Avro Arrow, RL-202 • Avro Arrow, RL-203 • Avro Arrow, RL-204 • Avro Arrow, RL-205

Conclusion If you have an interest in Canadian subjects you should check out Canuck’s website for all sorts of goodies, including some very attractive schemes for the CF-101. Canuck Model sheets are currently only available from the manufacturer’s website at www.canuckmodels.com and payment can be made using PayPal. Postage to the UK took approximately 7-10 days.

Mastered-Adverts-AV-0513_AV-0606 12/04/2013 11:28 Page 433

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SAMI Columns Techniques #2

How-To MODELLING GUIDE MIKE GRANT’S

Prop Tips Our Monthly ‘How To’ Guide

By Mike Grant

S

hortly after I’d joined IPMS(UK) in my teens, one of my modelling mentors (sadly no longer with us) told me that a model is just a collection of smaller models. Although I understood his comment at the time, it’s taken me many years to appreciate fully the wisdom of his words. When we start off modelling most of us simply want to achieve the end result, and the individual pieces are just steps along the way to achieve it. I think what my friend was implying, however, is that each sub-assembly should be treated as a model in itself and worthy of the same care and attention we’d bestow on a complete airframe. The final result then reflects the quality of its component parts. The cockpit and canopy is often the first area of a model we examine, but an aircraft’s propeller is also a focal point. So much so that we differentiate aircraft types as ‘jets’ or ‘props’, and it is of course one of the first things we see when looking at or photographing the model from the front.

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1 Some kits are thoughtfully engineered so that the sprue attachment points are at the propellor hub, making detachment fairly risk free; however on many models the sprues attach directly to the fragile blades 2 It’s sometimes prudent to snip through the sprue gates at a distance from the blades 3 Having done so it’s much easier to slice off each sprue stub with a sharp knife, without having to put undue pressure on the blades 4 No matter how well moulded a kit is, there’ll be some clean-up necessary. In this photo the mould seam lines can be seen on the hub and collars, the sprue attachments are quite evident and there’s almost always a thin seam running along the edges of each blade

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5 The seams along the blade edges are best removed by scraping with the edge of a scalpel blade, followed by a few quick passes with fine wet-and dry sandpaper 6 Those seams around the blade roots are virtually inaccessible with regular sanding sticks, so home made ‘micro’ items can be indispensable. Various grades of wet-and-dry are attached to wooden drink stirrers using double-sided tape, then the sanding sticks cut into smaller slivers with tapering points, which reach easily into tight recesses

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7 It might seem unnecessarily indulgent to airbrush the prop tips rather than paint them with a brush, but going back to the ‘model within a model’ analogy, the results will be smoother and sharper by spraying them and thus the overall model quality will be improved. Tamiya Flat White is airbrushed first as a primer, followed by yellow. The tiniest dab of red in the yellow gives a richer colour and prevents the greenish tint that can sometimes result from using pure yellow.

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8 The human eye is tuned to spot asymmetry, so it’s important to maintain consistency from blade to blade. The width of the yellow tip has been marked on the back of a business card so that each blade can be masked at the same point, and another mark indicates where the prop logo should be applied later

9 9 Small pieces of masking tape are used, being careful to pinch the tape at the blade edges to ensure the masks are absolutely flush. The whole prop is then airbrushed gloss black 10 Prop manufacturers’ logos are sometimes supplied on the kit decal sheet, along with stencilling. Several aftermarket sets are also available with these markings

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11 With the masking removed and the decals set in place, a Flat or Satin varnish can be airbrushed on the blades. Since the hub would be polished silver I wanted to avoid getting any varnish on the gloss black base coat, so a temporary card mask was made to cover this area while spraying the Flat finish 12 Parafilm is the perfect masking medium for covering the blades while the silver is sprayed, as it has no adhesives that might otherwise pull off the decals when removed. Tamiya silver enamel was the paint of choice

14 A final point to note is how the prop attaches to the model. Alignment is important, especially on an inline engine where the slightest droop or gap will interrupt the aircraft’s lines 15 It may be necessary to compromise on a rotating prop by gluing it in place to maintain a tight fit

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How-To

13 The completed propeller, after a pin wash of brown-black watercolour has been applied around the blade collars and hub. Of course further weathering could be applied here, perhaps using oils to achieve a slight patina on the blade surfaces or some chipping along the edges. Check references first, though, to determine how much and whether the real thing was wood, metal or made of composite materials

MIKE GRANT’S

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Dassault Mirage 2000 D By Adrian Troughton TECH DATA

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hh the Mirage! One of my all-time favourite aircraft. This particular kit caters for the Mirage 2000D twoseat version, easily recognizable as being from the classic Mirage stable. Italeri’s kit comes in a large box with a photo of a French machine on the top, while profile paintings of all the colour schemes on offer can be found on the bottom. The box is packed full with nine light grey sprues, all bagged, with a separate bag for the all-important transparent parts. Engraving is soft with a lack of sharpness, in my opinion, on all parts. The transparencies were marked and needed polishing even though they had been protected. The decals look very good, being colourful and in perfect register. Along with the review kit I was provided with Eduard’s pre-painted cockpit detail parts and also Kinetic's engine and airframe details, and these are very nice indeed and if applied carefully will add some nice finishing touches to this kit.

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SCALE: 1/48 KIT NO: 2707 TYPE: Injection Moulded Plastic MANUFACTURER: Italeri UK IMPORTER: The Hobby Company US IMPORTER: MRC

Construction begins with the cockpit tub. All parts fitted well in this area and with the edition of the Eduard photo-etch details a good look was achieved. The front landing gear bay unit attaches to the underside of the cockpit tub, and is then offered to one of the fuselage halves, before these are then closed up. The fit here is acceptable but a little filling and sanding will be needed at the nose join and also near the tail. Engine shock cones and covers are also attached at this stage and these proved to fit well. I suspected the next part would be hard and I was unfortunately right. Step 3 is where the lower wing half is offered up to the previously built fuselage. This section

EDUARD: FE556 Mirage 2000D etched interior details for Kinetic/Italeri kits KINETIC: K5011 Mirage 2000D etched details for Kinetic/Italeri kits

comes in four parts - the lower wing up to the landing gear bays and forward of this a fillet piece continuing from the landing gear bays up to near the front landing gear bay, and lastly the two upper wing halves. This whole arrangement has to be the most awkward I have ever seen and the overall fit of these items is poor and needs lots of sanding just to get it to fit into the space. The two top wing pieces were the easiest items to fit but the amount of filler and sanding needed to get this whole arrangement to fit here is considerable. Care needs to be taken at this step as a poor finish here will spoil your whole kit, so even though it’s a bad fit have patience and only move on when you are completely happy with it. The main landing gear is next up and this looked good, with just a clean-up needed. Tyres are split with the hub sandwiched in-between which produces a just-about-ok fit with sanding needed on the tyres to tidy up. The front landing gear was easier and everything looked good. Photo-etch from Kinetic was used here for extra detail. The big delta wing full-span flaps were

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these are good, and with the Eduard detail sets used really look the business. A choice now needs to be made as to whether the canopies are left open or closed. I opted for open to show of all that lovely photo-etch detail, and this finishes the airframe leaving the drop tanks and preferred ordnance to be chosen. I went with two wing tanks, a centre-line tank, and two Matra Magic AAMS. The missiles were OK, being one-piece affairs, but the tanks needed a lot of sanding to eradicate the join line. That’s the build finished, now on to the painting. Because of the amount of filling and sanding needed on this kit I started with a good overall coat of grey primer and any problems were dealt with and reprimed. I decided to be different and go for the Mirage 2000 FUAE (Qatar Emir AF) 7th Air Defence Sqn. This wears a two-colour camouflage scheme, for which I used an overall coat of FS 26375 light grey and for the upper disruptive colour a Medium Blue. I applied this with an airbrush and as an aid to decaling I gave the model five coats of Klear for an ultra-glossy finish. The decals themselves are great, they Aircraft Usage & Notes France Mirage 2000B France Mirage 2000B France Mirage 2000C France Mirage 2000C France Mirage 2000C Desert Storm France Mirage 2000C Desert Storm France Mirage 2000C Desert Storm France Mirage 2000N France Mirage 2000N France Mirage 2000N, EC 2/3 ‘Champagne’ France Mirage 2000N, EC 2/3 ‘Champagne’ France Mirage 2000N, EC 2/3 ‘Champagne’ France Mirage 2000N, EC 2/3 ‘Champagne’ Greek Mirage 2000EG Greek Mirage 2000EG Qatar Mirage 2000D Qatar Mirage 2000D NOTES: (~) = approximate

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do however stick like limpets so use plenty of water for sliding them into position. Lots of stencilling has to be applied but if taken in stages you will get there in the end. All the small parts were now fitted and two coats of flat clear acrylic were applied with the airbrush to finish.

Conclusion Well, this has been a difficult one and honestly it has been one of the hardest kits to get right that I have done for a while. The fit of some of the major parts is tricky - notably the wing-to-fuselage joint that gave me so many problems. Lots of time and head-scratching were expended during the course of this build but I did prevail and honestly the finished model when painted and decaled does look excellent, and captures all the poise of the lovely Mirage 2000. The photo-etch parts sent with the review kit give it a real edge, adding that extra special touch, and I certainly recommend these items. Was it worth it? A definite yes - it really looks superb.

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next and they can be positioned dropped. I think as far as accuracy goes, lack of hydraulic pressure when parked has these down but it’s entirely to taste. I decided to have them down this time, and thankfully they fitted well. Next came the dorsal avionics piece, which is added or omitted according to version, and this fitted fairly well with only a little sanding to tidy. The nose cone also varies according to version and needed some sanding to achieve a good fit Exhaust trunking and nozzle was next and a lot of Kinetic’s photo-etch detail is used here to great effect, and with careful painting and a little dry brushing great results can be achieved. The tail fin is now put in place and this fitted without issue. Stage 11 has you fit the wingtips and the fit here is bad with a lot of sanding and filling needed to blend satisfactory as this is a prominent area and needs to be flawless. Ejection seats are now made up, www.sampublications.com May 2013

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This second collection of Mike Grant’s stunning ‘How To’ articles continues showing how a little ingenuity and basic knowhow can go a long way to improving a basic model aircraft kit without recourse to an excess of expensive aftermarket products.

This is the third book in the series looking at modelling iconic British Jet Aircraft types with a selection of model builds and projects taken from the archives of Scale Aviation Modeller International and Model Aircraft magazines. Covering a variety of scales, techniques and accessories, the features vary from quick out of the box builds to in-depth conversions and super detailing.

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World War One World War Two Post War • Over 50 Builds in 1:76 (3 in 1:72) • A short history of each type • Straight builds • Conversions • Detailing • Colour Schemes • Scale Drawings • 128 pages – full colour • over 50 kits featured

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Cold War Peacemaker – Convair B-36 . . . . . . . . £21.99 Convair Deltas - From SeaDart to Hustler . . . . . £22.99 Corky Meyer’s Flight Journal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £19.99 Experimental & Prototype - US Air Force Jet Fighters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £24.99 Fire Bombers in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £23.99 From Props to Jets – Commercials Aviation’s Transition to the Jet Age 1952-1962 . . £21.99 F-117 Nighthawk: Stealth Fighter Photo Scrapbook £11.99 Grumman F9F Panther/Cougar . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.99 Gunships - The Story of Spooky, Shadow, Stinger & Spectre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £24.99 History of the Liberty Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £49.99 How to Build & Modify Resin Model Aircraft Kits. . £17.99 Hypersonic – The Story of the North American X-15. £21.99 Killer Rays – The Story of the Douglas F4D Skyray and F5D Skylancer . . . . . . . . . £29.99 Laird Airplanes – A Legacy of Speed . . . . . . . . . £21.99 Lockheed Blackbird Family – Photo Scrapbook £11.99 Magnesium Overcast – The Story of the Convair B-36 . £21.99 MiG Killers – A Chronology of US Air Victories in Vietnam 1965-1973 . . . . . . £26.99 North America's T-6 - A Definitive History. . . . . . £23.95 Northrop's Night Hunter - P-61 Black Widow . . . £29.99 Radical Wings & Wind Tunnels . . . . . . . . . . . . . £24.99 Skystreak - Skyrocket & Stiletto . . . . . . . . . . . . . £19.99 Stearman Airplanes: A Detailed History . . . . . . . £27.99 Strike from the Sea – US Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet since 1948 . . £29.99 The Vimy Expeditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £49.95 USAF Interceptors – A Military Photo Logbook 1946-1979 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £18.99 US Air Force Aviation – A Military Photo Logbook Vol.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £19.99 US Air Force Prototype Jet Fighters Photo Scrapbook . £19.99 US Experimental & Prototype Aircraft Projects Fighters 1939 - 1945 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £29.99 US Naval Aviation – A Military Photo Logbook Vol.1 £17.99 US Naval Air Superiority - Development of US Shipborne Fighters 1943-1962 £29.99 Valkyrie – North America’s Mach 3 Superbomber £19.99 World’s Fastest Four-Engine Piston-Powered Aircraft £21.99 X-Plane Crashes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.99 X-Planes Photo Scrapbook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £22.99 WARBIRDTECH SERIES The WarbirdTech Series is one of the best sources of information for modellers and aviation enthusiasts. Each volume is crammed full of excerpts, drawnings, exploded views, cutaways, assembly line and repair depot photographs from original tech manuals. Vol.1 Consolidated B-24 Liberator. . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.2 P-38 Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.3 F-86 Sabrejet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.14 Boeing B-29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.20 A-10 Warthog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.27 Lockheed AH-56A Cheyenne. . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.32 Griffon-Powered Spitfires . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.33 Grumman A-6 Intruder . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.34 North American XB-70A Valkyrie . . . . . £12.99 Vol.39 Lockheed C-141 Starlifter . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.40 Mikoyan MiG 15 Faggot . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.41 Mikoyan MiG 29 Fulcrum . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99

Vol.42 Sukhoi Su 27 Flanker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.43 Tupolev Tu 95 Bear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 Vol.44 Northrop F-5/F-20/T-38 . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.99 AIRLINERTECH SERIES The AirlinerTech series provides the enthusiast with an under-the-skin look at structure, design, systems, and operation of the high-tech wonders. Vol.5 Lockheed Electra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £13.99 Vol.8 Lockheed L-1011 TriStar . . . . . . . . . . . . £13.99 Vol.12 Convair Twins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £13.99 WARPAINT SERIES Warpaint books have become established in the few couple of years as one of the world’s leading reference sources for both aircraft model markers and aircraft enthusiasts. Each book contains pages of beautiful colour side and plan view illustrations, is packed with pictures in colour and black & white and also has a detailed 1/72nd scale plan and close up, in detail, walkaround photographs. In every case a comprehensive history is provided by a leading author together with production information and squadron usage with each unit listed together with a representative serial number and codes. No.10 Vickers Wellington. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.00 No.20 Supermarine Seafire (Griffon). . . . . . . . £12.50 No.25 Short Sunderland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.26 Bristol Blenheim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.27 deHavilland Vampire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16.50 No.29 Hawker Sea Hawk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.30 RAF/RN Phantoms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.32 A-20 Boston/Havoc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.34 Avro Lincoln. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.35 Fairey Barracuda. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.50 No.37 Gloster Gladiator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £14.50 No.47 McDonnell F-101 Voodoo. . . . . . . . . . . £11.50 No.49 Fiat G-91 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.50 No.51 Lockheed Neptune . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.50 No.52 Fairey Albacore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.50 No.54 Westland Whirlwind F Mk.1 . . . . . . . . . ££9.95 No.56 Blackburn Firebrand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.00 No.57 Handley Page Hampden & Hereford. . £12.00 No.58 Supermarine Swift . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.00 No.59 Lockheed Hudson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.00 No.60 English Electric Canberra . . . . . . . . . . £15.50 No.61 Sovia Marchetti SM.79 Sparviero . . . . £12.00 No.62 Handley Page Hastings . . . . . . . . . . . . £9.95 No.63 Vickers Valiant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.50 No.64 Convair F-102 Delta Dagger . . . . . . . . £13.00 No.65 Westland Wessex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £14.50 No.66 Bristol Bulldog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.00 No.67 Folland/Hawker Gnat & HAL Ajeet. . . . £10.00 No.68 Bristol Brigand plus Buckingham & Buckmaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £10.00 No.69 Martin B-26 Marauder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.50 No.70 Vought F4U Corsair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £15.00 No.71 Armstrong Whitworth AW.650/660 Argosy. . £10.50 No.72 Vickers Supermarine Seafire (Merlin) . £12.50 No.73 North American B-25 Mitchell. . . . . . . . £12.50 No.74 Hawker P.1127/HS Kestrel & Harrier Mk.1/4 £14.50 No.75 BAe Sea Harrier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.50 No.76 Grumman S2F Tracker/TF-1 Trader . . . £14.50 No.77 Curtiss P-40 Tomahawk/Warhawk . . . . £14.50

No.78 AerMacchi C.202/205 Folgore/Veltro . . £12.50 No.79 PBY Catalina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £15.00 No.80 SAAB Draken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £14.50 No.81 Junkers Ju 52 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £12.00 No.82 BAC Jet Provost & Strikemaster. . . . . . £14.50 No.83 Fairey Battle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £14.50 No.84 F6F Hellcat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16.50 No.85 Supermarine Scimitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £13.00 No.86 Vickers Wellesley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £13.00 No.87 TBF Avenger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £16.00 No.88 T-33A Shooting Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £13.00 No.89 Avro Lancaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £15.50 No.90 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. . . . . . . . . £16.00 No.91 Mikoyabn-Gurevich MiG -21 “Fishbed” £25.00 ADH/TAMIYA PUBLICATIONS ADH001 How to build Tamiya’s Fairey Swordfish £9.95 ADH002 How to build Tamiya’s Bristol Beaufighter £11.95 ADH003 How to build Tamiya’s Spitfire Mk IXC . £11.95 ADH004 How to build Tamiya’s Mustang . . . . . . £11.95 SQUADRON SIGNAL IN ACTION SERIES 1217 US Navy UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) in action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 1218 A-10 Warthog in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 1220 F4U Corsair in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 1221 B-25 Mitchell in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 1222 P-38 Lightning in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 1224 F-84 Thunderjet in Action . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 10225 TBF/TBM Avenger in Action . . . . . . . . . £11.99 10227 B-29 Superfortress in Action . . . . . . . . £11.99 10228 B-24 Liberator in Action . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 10230 S-3 Viking in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £11.99 SQUADON SIGNAL WALK AROUND SERIES 5560 Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina Walk Around . . £16.99 5561 F-89 Scorpion Walk Around . . . . . . . . . £16.99 5562 SAAB 35 Draken Walk Around. . . . . . . £16.99 5563 Lancaster Bomber Walk Around . . . . . £16.99 5565 F4U Corsair Walk Around. . . . . . . . . . . £16.99 5567 B-17G Flying Fortress Walk Around . . £16.99 25066 KC-135 Stratotanker Walk Around . . . . £16.99 25068 F9F Cougar Walk Around. . . . . . . . . . . £16.99 25070 Heinkel He 111 Walk Around . . . . . . . . £16.99 25071 B-25 Mitchell Walk Around . . . . . . . . . . £16.99 PILOTS NOTES Pilots Notes are unique facsimile reproduction of the original Air Ministry Pilot’s Notes as issued to military aircrew. Each is approximately 60 pages with sytems descriptions, handling advice and cockpit diagrams. A unique insight into some of history’s most famous aircraft. Priced at . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . £5.95 each. Avro Anson I, Auster AOP.9, Beaufighter II, Blenheim, Blenheim Mk.IV, Boston IV, Canberra, Catalina, DHC-1 Chipmunk T.10, Blackburn Firebrand TF.V, Handley Page Halifax, Harvard, DH Hornet, Horsa, Hurricane, Liberator, Avro Lincoln, Westland Lysander, Messerschmitt Me 109, Gloster Meteor III, Mitchell III, Mosquito 38, Mustang, Airspeed Oxford, Seafire 17, Seafire 45, Spitfire V, Spitfire VI, Spitfire VII, Short Stirling, Bristol Sycamore, Hawker Tempest II, Hawker Tempest V, DH.82A Tiger Moth, Hawker Typhoon, Vampire T.11, Vickers Wellington, Westland Whirlwind

BUSES 222, U3, 727 pass the top of Horton Road. Only 2 minutes walk from West Drayton (BR) Station. Ten minutes drive from Heathrow Airport.

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SAMI Columns Benchmarks 1/48

Benchmarks T Curtains for Me

hanks to all the many wellwishers who sent in comments and suggestions with regards to the Twins. Interest has been so great that it is with some regret I am obliged to announce my failure to complete the brutes, and I am somewhat shamefacedly forced to admit that they currently languish in a box on a shelf, waiting for my attention span to pass their way again. Inevitable really. The problem has been that with the nasty weather barring access to the workbench, they have dragged on and on, and with a number of unpalatable scratchbuilding tasks still to go – small but time-consuming ones like windscreens and gunsights – I grew suddenly weary of the project and decided I needed something to build out-of-the-box and finish. Fear not, though – the first plastic was cut on this particular project nearly two years ago, and their turn will come again. Chief catalyst this month has been the new MMP book on the Bf 108. This turned up for review and inspiration struck. Many thanks to Creative Models, who provided a copy of the sublime little Eduard kit, and with everything I needed in the box, and a first class reference work

442 | May 2013

Scale Aviation Modeller International

By Gary Hatcher

The story of ‘Sonderkommando Blaich’ makes interesting reading, and this scheme will make for an attractive model

to hand, the only way was forward. I knew this kit would not disappoint, as I have crossed its path before. It goes together quickly and easily, although next time I will make sure I dry-fit the canopy before gluing the fuselage halves. I had the engine in place, the wings assembled and most of the cockpit together in no time, and managed to clean what little joints needed attention in less time than it had taken me to

The finished model. The big transparency requires some extra care fitting out the interior. Note the wire across the windows running front to back – this presumably holds the blinds in place when they are pulled down, and keeps them up against the windows

rescribe one of the Twins’ upper wings. It really is a tonic. The engine is comprehensive, but almost invisible once installed, so I just sprayed the whole thing with Humbrol Dark Aluminium and slotted it into place in the assembled fuselage. The kit provided colour etched parts for the instrument panel and seatbelts, and these all went in and looked splendid, and it was round about this time – while the canopy was undergoing a coat of Klear – that I realized something was missing. It’s all the fault of the MMP book. Scanning the profiles I noticed that each one showed something in the top of the canopy – a couple of lines indicating some feature that was not apparent in the kit. Closer study of the volume revealed a complex arrangement of blinds and curtain rails infesting the whole interior of the canopy, and the more I studied the book, the more glaring this structure became in all the period photos, as well as in the contemporary walkaround shots. Drat! It would have to be done. Now I knew it was there, there was nothing for it but to bite the bullet and get back to scratchdetailing again… In the end it was only an evening’s work. Once the canopy had cured, I made the curtains from strips of white decorators' tape laminated into a bundle. These were painted buff and attached in the stowed position along the central framing at the top of the canopy. The system of wires that enable them to be drawn down over the windows was made from stretched sprue glued carefully in

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Benchmarks SAMI Columns

Get this book before you start the kit! It really will make a difference

An interesting and charismatic – although ugly – machine. A Bü 181 in 1/48 would sit very nicely alongside it…

Eduard’s kit contains everything you need

Taifun sitting on an entirely inappropriate background…

finished I had ripped out the sealed front end and gouged out an enormous hole. It looks like a team of dodgy builders have come in and started work, promising to be ‘back to finish it in a week or so…’ But it may have to wait even longer There is a desert option in the Bf 108 kit, for Theo Blaich’s spotty machine, which will allow me to get my mottling hand back in. The whole project has been a delight, so I may just have to get a ‘second wind’ and build another Taifun first. Of course, if I do, it will be curtains for me……

place with very sparing use of Deluxe Materials’ Roket Max, following the canopy framing on the inside, although only approximately, as it is apparent in many photos that this apparatus is not a robust affair, and its shape seems to vary, frequently being visible in places behind the glazing. Eventually it was all done, the canopy masked – thank Heaven for Kabuki masks – and the whole thing painted and decaled. To my relief the whole bundle of sticks was still in place when the masking was removed, and the model was quickly finished using the etched fret provided, which offers some lovely little details like grab handles, rudder actuators, and the like. So I have finished a kit this month! Thanks to Eduard, Creative models, and to MMP – although it was down to their book that it took me slightly longer than it might – I have a new addition to the cabinet. So pleased am I with the highly visible interior that I have reawakened the stalled He 111 project, bitten the bullet and resolved to fit the vacform front gun position to the ventral gondola – in fact even before the Bf 108 was

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SAMI Columns Books & Media

Books

Messerschmitt Bf 108 Taifun TECH DATA AUTHOR: Jans Forsgren PUBLISHER: MMP ISBN: 978 83614 216 72

Halberstadt Cl II at War Windsock Datafile 157 TECH DATA AUTHOR: J.S.Alcorn PUBLISHER: Albatros Publications FORMAT: Softback, 36pp

The latest in the popular Windsock series revisits the distinctive Halberstadt Cl II, first covered by Peter Grosz in Datafile No.27, which has of course been out of print for quite some time now. This title follows the familiar format, at the heart of which is a collection of almost ninety period photos, the majority of which did not appear in the earlier publication. The narrative provides a well detailed account of the technical development and operational history of this aircraft and to round it off there is a comprehensive section on colours and markings. Alongside the period photos are some colour photographs of the only surviving Cl II in Krakow, and a collection of period drawings derived from Flight magazine. As ever the central section houses scale plans in 1/72 and 1/48 as well as 1/32 drawings of the fuselage. Add to this some colourful profile paintings by Ronny Bar and a round-up of all Cl II kits to date, and the result is a very

AUTHORS: Ikuhiko Hata, Yasuho Izawa and Christopher Shores PUBLISHER: Stackpole ISBN: 978 08117 107 63 FORMAT: Softback, 340pp

Japanese wartime aviation is a subject that seems to be at the back of many of our minds, but all too often modelled indiscriminately, without the kind of attention to historical details that are available to those modelling Luftwaffe, British or RAF subjects. This book is a very welcome title that will add some names and faces to your models, and contains a wealth of information. Starting with 100 pages or so of background overview – in itself an eye-opener for the non-expert – the book then goes on to list units, pilots, bases and aircraft before offering a great many individual biographies. A little utilitarian in its presentation, this book nonetheless offers an impressive grounding in the subject, and is recommended for anyone wanting to advance their

444 | May 2013

Scale Aviation Modeller International

This book opened an enormous can of worms for this modeller, turning up as it did just as he was about to build Eduard’s shapely little kit from the box. As it turned out it was pandora’s box he opened, as while the kit is a very nicely produced set of parts, there are one or two details omitted – chiefly from the interior – that can be added to make a significant difference. It’s an oddly bracketed aircraft. Presumably being kitted more comprehensively than the Bücker Bü 181 on the grounds of its illustrious pedigree, the Bf 108 was a German single-engined sports, touring and communications aircraft developed Messerschmitt in the years leading up to the war, and was a significant step in the direction of the Bf 109. It of the saw widespread service with the Luftwaffe as a communications and ferry aircraft, but went on to have a significant history after the war, with production continuing in France by Nord, and it is chiefly due to this that the bulk of the book is able to draw upon so many beautifully maintained aircraft, with a great many colour walk-around shots of aircraft currently still flying. This, of course, is a mixed blessing, as most of us will want to model the aircraft in its wartime role with the Luftwaffe, and while the general layout of some of the machines featured will be the same, there are

Book Month!

comprehensive publication, perfect if you intend to build one of the Mirage or Blue Max kits currently available. This is a well put-together, modeller-friendly book, which is well worth investing in, even if you have the original book on the subject. www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk Dave Hooper

Japanese Army Fighter Aces 1931-45 TECH DATA

FORMAT: Softback, 160pp

differences in minor details that will be hard to identify correctly, and when it comes to interior colours on original Luftwaffe machines we are left guessing, by and large. In keeping with its role, the aircraft had a slightly less spartan interior, with leather seats and panelling on the cockpit sidewalls – presumably in some kind of imitation leather, while the arrangement of curtains and associated wires and cords will require some kind of representation under the spacious canopy. Still, the book is filled with useful material, and while I would have liked a bit more on its wartime service it does include a comprehensive walk-around section covering the entire airframe, and includes 1/72nd and 1/48th scale plans of all variants, and the usual excellent colour profiles. Another essential guide that will assist you in getting a significant result from any model www.mmpbooks.biz GH

knowledge of Japanese wartime aviation beyond Pearl Harbour and Midway – two subjects no doubt covered in the companion volume on Naval fighter aces. www.casematepublishing.co.uk Jack Trent

USS Lexington CV 2 TECH DATA AUTHOR: David Doyle PUBLISHER: Squadron/Signal ISBN: 978 08974 771 54 FORMAT: Softback, 104pp

Commissioned in 1927, the USS Lexington was the US Navy's second aircraft carrier. Squadron’s book is a welcome look at one of the ships behind the aircraft we model, and is a lavishly-illustrated volume following Squadron’s usual format. In 1942 Lexington was in the Coral Sea, so this book offers an interesting insight into earlier wartime operations, as well as the pre-war ‘yellow wings’ period.

With over 200 photographs, this offers an immensely enjoyable visit to a working aircraft carrier during a period of transition. www.squadron.com Jack Trent

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Books & Media SAMI Columns

Paratrooper

Africa@War Volume 8

SAAF’s Border War

The Life of General James M. Gavin

The South African Air Force in Combat 1966-1989 TECH DATA TECH DATA

AUTHORS: T. Michael Booth and Duncan Spencer

AUTHOR: Peter Baxter

PUBLISHER: Casemate

PUBLISHER: Helion

ISBN: 978 16120 012 72

ISBN: 978 19089 162 35

FORMAT: Hardback, 496pp

FORMAT: Softback, 64pp

Only loosely an aviation book, this is nonetheless an excellent read and well worth investing some of your spare time in if you want to broaden your knowledge and understanding of ‘the big picture.’ Gavin was commander of the 82nd Airborne during Operation Market Garden, and the Battle of the Bulge, and his story is a fascinating and inspiring tale of courage and leadership, as well as offering some insight into his postwar career as a strategic planner at the Pentagon, an advisor to J.F.

Through the long years of the Cold War, the SAAF was effectively South Africa's first line of defence against Soviet expansionism in southern Africa through their surrogates the Cuban military, Angola's FAPLA and Namibia's SWAPO. This unique and fascinating book covers all the major operations that the SAAF was involved in, and provides not only a close look at the operations and equipment involved, but also puts this whole area into context. Many of us are baffled at the seemingly incomprehensible border wars, and a better understanding of how they fit into the bigger picture of the Cold War offers an important insight into the SAAF and its various deployments. Besides an extensive selection of photographs, the book features a

Kennedy, and ambassador to France. www.casematepublishing.co.uk Richard Bolingbroke

Windsock Worldwide Vol.29 No.1 January / February 2013 TECH DATA

comprehensive section on camouflage and markings and eleven pages of colour aircraft profiles and insignia. www.helion.co.uk Robert Driffield

PUBLISHER: Albatros Publications

It’s hard to believe that Windsock is now entering its 29th year. This latest issue contains a variety of WW I aviation / model related articles. The latest part of Lance Kreig’s Modelling Masterclass - which seems to have been running forever covers some of the smaller details including methods for creating spoked wheels. In Sweeping Statements Ray Rimell examines discrepancies in the depiction of the upper wing of the Hannover Cl II in period drawings. Rara Avis features the strange looking FK.12 triplane (I’m sure this subject was featured in a previous issue) while Arvo provides some stunning colour profiles of the Sopwith Triplane. On top of this is the usual round-up of news and reviews from the WWI modelling world. www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk Dave Hooper

Soviet and Russian Military Aircraft in Africa TECH DATA AUTHORS: Yefim Gordon & Dmitry Komissarov PUBLISHER: Hikoki ISBN: 978 19021 092 75

Secret US Proposals of the Cold War

FORMAT: Hardback, 272pp

Another title from the dynamic duo – this time a book that will offer a very widespread appeal. Given the scope and quality of available kits and decals these days, the subject is guaranteed to offer inspiration to all but the most jaded of readers, with a huge range of colours, markings and aircraft types described. The contents are laid out alphabetically by country, with very comprehensive coverage offered – fancy a Senegalese Mi-17? – and a mass of colour profiles and photographs. One of the best and most interesting books from this source that we have yet seen. You will never stop finding new and interesting facts and colour schemes, and the quality of the illustrations makes it a

TECH DATA AUTHOR: Jim Keeshen PUBLISHER: Crécy ISBN: 978 08597 916 18 FORMAT: Hardback, 174pp

very valuable work of reference. Highly recommended. www.crecy.co.uk Jack Trent

The latest in Crécy’s fascinating series on trials and prototype aircraft is a real treat for modellers, featuring as it does a wide range of original engineering models from the period represented. The Cold War era saw countless proposals for radical and unorthodox military aircraft being presented to aerospace upper

management in model or drawing form. And this book places these in context, using original models to illustrate aircraft that obviously did not exist in real life. A beautifully presented book, filled with fascinating facts and images, including models of X-planes both familiar – the Dark Shark and the Flying Pancake, unfamiliar – the Boeing 2707 and the Republic AP-42, and the completely unlikely! An essential book for anyone collecting this series, or with an interest in counterfactualism. www.crecy.co.uk Jack Trent

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SAMI Columns 580 Modellers

The main hall, looking a little empty, but there was a steady trickle of intrepid souls throughout the day and they had money!

I Need Not Fear the Icy Blast Again East Midlands Model Club Show, Hinckley Leisure Centre, Sunday 24th March 2013 By Geoff Cooper-Smith

W

hat a difference from last year! About 20 degrees (Centigrade) that is! Last year we attended Hinckley in shirtsleeves during what proved one of the warmest spells of 2012, with the summer subsequently coming, yet again, to nothing much. At least one show gets afflicted by an ‘icy blast’ each year and it was evidently the turn of Hinckley this year (although Bolton did come close); we certainly didn’t expect a show at the end of March to be a ‘very snowy one’! The adventure was undoubtedly heightened by a rather inaccurate weather forecast as although in the previous few days a considerable amount of snow had fallen across

‘Northern parts’ it had subsequently (mostly) disappeared. However, after less than half an hour travelling in A Bit O’lace on Sunday morning it was evident that it had snowed far more than had otherwise been forecast and a goodly part of the journey was completed with snow falling and in places only one lane of the M6 clear. The A5 was no better, the clearest length being the only place we saw a lorry laying grit, the driver evidently considering it too dangerous to drive the bits that really needed it! Other 580 exhibitors, who had come from other parts of the country, had a similar tale to tell and it was also evident that some clubs who had promised to turn up were unable to make it, such is the fickleness of the UK weather.

Thud! A nicely finished Trumpeter 1/32 example amongst the many fine items on the host club's stand

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

Brave and foolhardy we may be but once unloaded and set up it was simply a blast. I forgot to load part of the stand, which meant we had no skirt or labels and consequently our display lacked some of its modesty and professionalism. We also lent our spare cloths to the adjacent Riverside club (who have recently become an IPMS branch and renamed themselves Cheshire Modellers) as some of them were also unable to make it. There was a steady stream of intrepid punters who will no doubt be glad to hear that they ensured the show ‘wiped its nose’ and is hence safe for another year, and they were entertained by the many aspects of modelling, for in addition to the usual plethora of beautifully finished plastic and resin you could try your hand at wargaming, and there is

Amazingly the Aerobatic Display Teams SIG are celebrating their 20th Anniversary this year and have a rather natty logo to celebrate the fact

The East Midlands Model Club membership prefer to review their purchases thoroughly evidently a pretty active local model boat scene adept at using all manner of materials to construct working submarines, battleships, and even rubber ducks. The traders who made it (and there was a sizable local contingent) were also generally happy considering the predicament and there were

Amongst the many eye-catching items on the West Norfolk IPMS display was this 1/48 CH-46D in the process of being ‘tied down’ (or is it let free?)

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580 Modellers

UK 2013 Show Diary

Compiled by Geoff Cooper-Smith of 580 Modellers Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April The Scottish National Scale Model Show At the Dewars Centre, Glover Street, Perth, PH2 0TH from 10am to 5pm (4pm Sunday). Admission is £8 one day/£12 both days adult, £4.50 one day/£7 both days concessions (includes IPMS and MAFVA members), £15 one day/£20 both days family and £2.50 per day for children. Car parking, a model competition (Saturday), demonstrations, kit swap and Tombola. See: www.scotnats.org.uk, for further details. Sunday 05th May Automodellismo 3 (celebrating 60 years of the Corvette) Presented by Little Cars at Hanslope Village Hall, Hanslope, Buckinghamshire, MK19 7NZ from 10am to 5pm. Admission is £2 adult, accompanied children under 16 free with free car parking, refreshments, and some full-sized exhibits. See: www.hamex.co.uk, for further details. Saturday 11th May Lancing Model Show Presented by the Southdowns Model Group at Lancing Parish Hall, 96 South Street, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 8AJ from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free (donations welcome) with free car parking, refreshments and a model competition. See: www.lancingmodelshow.org.uk for further details. Sunday 12th May Model Show 2013 Presented by IPMS Gloucester at the Churchdown Community Centre, Parton Road, Churchdown, Gloucestershire, GL3 2JH from 10am to 4.30pm. Admission is £2.50 adult,

£1.00 concession, £5.00 family with free car parking, disabled access and home made refreshments. Contact: [email protected], for further details. Sunday 12th May The Model Show At Croft Village Hall, Mustard Lane, Warrington, WA3 7BG. Admission is £2 adult, £1.50 seniors, £1 children with free car parking, refreshments, raffle, disabled access and guest appearances by Darth Vader, R2D2, Imperial Stormtroopers and a Dalek. Contact: Paul on 07757 178041, for further details. Sunday 19th May The Hendon Model Show 2013 (dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Dambusters raid) Presented by IPMS Barnet and IPMS Harrow at the Royal Air Force Museum London, Grahame Park Way, London, NW9 5LL from 10am to 6pm. Admission is free with car parking, disabled access, refreshments and a model competition. See: www.ipmsbarnet.co.uk, for further details. Saturday 25th May Model 2013 Presented by the Torbay Military Modelling Society and IPMS Torbay & South Devon at Torquay Town Hall, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3RD from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Admission is £2 adult, £1 child and OAP. Open model competition with themed class: 617 Squadron 1943-2013, 70 years of the Dambusters. See: www.torbaymilitarymodellingsociety.org.uk, for further details.

Sunday 26th May Mod Con Presented by the Northants Military Modelling Club at the Queen Eleanor Primary School, Queen Eleanor Road, Northampton, NN4 8NN from 10am to 4.30pm. Admission is £1.00 adult, £0.50 child with free car parking, refreshments, military vehicles and a model competition with prizes. In support of the Queen Eleanor Primary School Golden Jubilee. Contact: [email protected], for further details. Saturday 01st June Scale Model Show 2013 Presented by IPMS Salisbury and the Salisbury Scale Model Club at Wyvern College Sports Hall, Church Road, Laverstock, Salisbury, SP1 1RE from 9.30am to 4.30pm. Admission is £3.00 adult, £1.50 child, £8.00 family with free parking, refreshments, demonstrations, a model competition, Tombola and free children’s ‘make and take’. See: www.salisburymodelshow.co.uk, for further details. Sunday 02nd June Northern Model Show Presented by IPMS Tyneside at Northumbria University, Domain (1st Floor), Student Union Building, 2 Sandyford Road, Newcastle, NE1 8SB from 10am to 4pm. Admission is £3.80 adults, £1.90 children & concessions with car parking, bar & restaurant and an open competition. Contact: [email protected], for further details. Sunday 09th June Plastic Modelling Show Presented by Guideline publications at the Islington Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London, N1 0QH from 10am to 4pm. Admission is £6 adult, accompanied child under 16 free. Meet the editors and contributors, live demonstrations and question and answer sessions. See: www.guidelinepublications.co.uk, for further details.

SAMI Columns

Saturday 15th June Scale Model Show 2013 Presented by the East Neuk Scale Model Club at the Old Church Centre, Kirk Wynd, Cupar, Fife, KY15 5AW from 10am to 4pm. Admission is £4 adult, £3 concession, £8 family with refreshments and free car parking. Contact: Bruce on 01382 543104, for further details. Sunday 16th June MAFVA Nationals 2013 At the Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambridgeshire from 10am to 6pm. Special museum admission charges apply giving access to all exhibits, the annual military vehicle show and book fair as well as the MAFVA Nationals for £18.50 adult, £14.80 concession, children free with disabled access, restaurant and café, ‘bring and buy’ and a model competition. See: www.mafva.net/nationals, for further details. Sunday 23rd June Model Show & Open Cockpit Day Presented by Coventry & Warwickshire IPMS in association with the Midland Air Museum at the Midland Air Museum, Coventry Airport, Baginton, Warwickshire, CV3 4FR from 10am to 4pm. Normal museum admission applies and includes the model show with free parking, disabled access and refreshments. Contact: [email protected], for further details. Sunday 23rd June IVth Annual Model Show Presented by West Norfolk IPMS at Downham Market Town Hall, Downham Market, PE38 9JS from 10am to 4pm. Admission still to be confirmed with car parking, refreshments, Tombola and an open model competition. In aid of The Bridge for Heroes. Contact: [email protected], for further details.

If you would like your event included in this show diary then please do not hesitate to contact me on 07841 417680 (note new number) or at [email protected].

This new Airfix pair on the 580 stand, provided by recent inductee Mark Housley, got a lot of interest and positive comment during the day – they are both, apparently, ‘little gems’ bargains again with one of our number picking up a ‘previously owned’ 1/32nd Revell (nee Hasegawa) Bf 109G, which is a very nice kit indeed, for just £5! The Collectakit stand (or should that be collection?) gets ever more expansive and eclectic (and hence educational) such that it now takes at least half the show to look through everything they have for sale. There was no competition this year, but to be honest the show was none the worse for it, although the organisers are considering its return in 2014 as part of the show floor, which is to be commended. East Midlands Model Club must be congratulated for putting on

Total model environment for this Northants Military Modelling Club Bf 110 Nightfighter undergoing maintenance

another great show and organising and running it most professionally. The newly created website was used very effectively to keep us all updated, confirming the show was on as well as the state of the roads, which was very reassuring. The club has also expressed its gratitude for all those who attended (clubs, traders and punters) and we were certainly glad we were able to attend once again. I am sure the two principle organizers, Alec and Andy, are looking forward to doing it all again next year…

IPMS Rutland BOAC Mosquito; they were used for ‘diplomatic’ movements with Sweden.

will once again be held in the Hannakins Farm Community Hall, Billericay on Sunday July 14th. It is good to see new events such as this

‘coming along’ and taking a second step towards getting themselves established.

Show News The Essex Modellers Show has been confirmed for a second year. This is a collaborative effort between four IPMS branches based in Essex and

The biggest and most unusual model was on the US Air Force SIG display in the form of an X-15 attached to its B-52 mothership, replete with launch tallies on the nose

www.sampublications.com May 2013

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SAMI Columns And Finally

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De Havilland Vampire T.11 WZ590, IWM, Duxford, Cambs

Vampire T.11at Llanwrog Airfield Museum, Wales

Notes on WZ590 R By Geoff Fletcher

eference the article by Tim Skeet in the latest issue of Scale Aviation Modeller, I recently took several photographs of the subject of his model - WZ590 - at Duxford for my own reference when I build the kit myself.  The aircraft does indeed sport the prominent yellowpainted dipole aerials on the

Starboard main gear leg

upper outer wing panels, plus yellow whip aerials on the tail booms, and a small aerial on either side of the nose. The auxiliary intakes in the wing roots are of a different shape either side - a small note for the super detailers if the kit doesn't already exhibit this feature.

Main gear leg and wing root detail

Nose interior detail on the Llanwrog Vampire

Nose wheel detail on WZ590

Samples for Review Scale Aviation Modeller International is always happy to review new products 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 products reviewed within Scale Aviation Modeller International should send them directly to the editorial address and clearly mark them for the attention of the 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 Addresses & Enquiries Please note that the Editor and staff at Media House cannot help with general enquires about contact details for companies, importers or model shops whose products may be mentioned in Scale Aviation Modeller International 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 Editor nor contributors will undertake specific or general aviation research for enquirers. Thank you.

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Coming Next Month • Frogfoot – Trumpeter’s 1/32 kit tooled up • Modellers profile – F-84 Thunderjet Plans and profiles • Dambusters Continued – Revell’s 1/72 Lancaster takes on the role • Prone Meteor – Something strange in Clark’s Field – just for a change • Meng’s Hornet – New Tool Me 410 in 1/48 • Widow Maker – David Francis passes the post with the HobbyBoss P-61 and explains why it’s not a kit to rush

• Paint your Wagon – Mike Grant loks at the wide range of paints available to modellers • Scaling Down goes One Step Beyond – Sopwith Pup in 1/144 Plus Classic Plastic, and all our regular News, columns, Reviews and product coverage in the best scale aircraft modeling magazine around

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Scale Aviation Modeller International is published monthly by Media House and is distributed to the news trade on the second last Saturday of each month. Next on sale 30 May 2013

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Scale Aviation Modeller International

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Scale Aircraft Conversions White Metal & Resin Aircraft Parts Since 1990

32072 Westland Lynx HAS.3, Mk 88A Landing Gear (Rev)

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Sometimes a wee bit of correction may be in order Trumpeter’s new 1/48 Supermarine Attacker F.1 is a welcome addition for modeller’s interested in early jet aviation. However, the main landing gear do not accurately render the outboard position of the wheels and they attach too far aft in the bays. Our set no. 48218 addresses both of these areas while providing additional strength and durability.

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