FREE! HAWK T.

1 POSTER
Profile artwork & Airfix box art

May 2018
Issue 90

80+
REVIEWS
INSIDE

FIRST LOOK

HIGH-CLASS

HAWK
Detailing Airfix’s re-issued 1/72 Hawk T.1A

PLUS 1/24 RANGER 8 • 1/48 XF10F-1 JAGUAR • 1/72 BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21

FOCKE-WULF Fw 189 HISTORY • LATEST NEWS AND SHOW REPORTS...

£4.60

THE FLYING EYE SHOOT AND SCOOT

1/72 Focke-Wulf Fw 189A-2 from ICM Tamiya’s 1/35 Archer self-propelled gun
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MissionModels_FP.indd 1 16/03/2018 12:48:09


R
esearching schemes for
this month’s free Hawk
colour profiles poster
prompted a wave of
nostalgia in yours truly, and
Airfix’s original box art for its
EDITORIAL
Editor: Chris Clifford
Assistant Editor: Stu Fone
Contributors to this issue:
Chris Jones, Chris Goss, Johan Augustsson,
Garry Tobiss, José Pires, Andy Davies
Designer: Tom Bagley
Chief Designer: Steve Donovan
EDITORIAL CONTACT
Airfix Model World, Key Publishing Ltd,
PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK
Email: chris.clifford@keypublishing.com
Website: www.airfixmodelworld.com
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Tel: +44 (0)1780 480404
Fax: +44 (0)1780 757812
Email: orders@keypublishing.com
ADVERTISING AND MANAGEMENT
Commercial Director: Ann Saundry
Group Advertising Manager: Brodie Baxter
Advertising Manager: Sarah Jarman
Advertising Sales Executive: Elizabeth Ridge
Classified Sales Executive: Hollie Keeling
Advertising Production Manager: Debi McGowan
WELCOME TO ISSUE 90
1975 kit of said aircraft popped
into my brain. The jet seemed
so sleek and modern as it flew
over RAF Cranwell’s College Hall
in the painting, and I have fond
memories of this model being
one of my first ever builds. I
was in awe of the Red Arrows
then (and still am of course), so
when the follow-on boxing for
this famous aerobatic team was
released it was another sure-fire
pocket-money purchase.
Chris Jones’ build of Airfix’s
re-released new-tool Hawk in
this issue exemplifies the lengths
some of our contributors go to
in offering interesting builds
for us to enjoy and emulate. All
our team members have their
own specialisms and favoured
MARKETING
Group Marketing Manager: Martin Steele
Marketing Manager: Shaun Binnington
Production Manager: Janet Watkins
MANAGING DIRECTOR AND PUBLISHER
Adrian Cox
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN
Richard Cox
SUBMISSIONS
We will gladly accept and review for publication
any, products, articles, letters, photographs
or other contributions. We cannot guarantee
publication nor, regrettably, return items sent to
us or be responsible for their loss. We will try and
reply where possible. Any letters are assumed
suitable for publication unless we are otherwise
notified. All items submitted for publication
are subject to our terms and conditions. These
are regularly updated without prior notice and
are freely available from Key Publishing Ltd or
downloadable from www.keypublishing.com.
Airfix Model World is published monthly by
Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford,
Lincs, PE9 1XQ, UK. Tel: 01780 755131.
facebook.com/airfixmodelworld
www.airfixmodelworld.com
techniques, and they’re a
constant source of inspiration
for me, and for you too I’m
sure. Contributing to AMW
takes dedication and a certain
mindset…and not everyone
providing a trial build makes
the grade. I am, though, always
scouting for new talent and
presently AMW finds itself in
need of another car modeller,
so if you live and breathe scale
autos, and think you have
the requisite modelling AND
photographic capabilities, please
contact me via the e-mail address
below. I mention skill with a
camera because as an editor and
modeller, nothing frustrates me
more than out-of-focus imagery
– ours is a truly visual hobby
Printed by: Warners (Midland) plc, Bourne
Printed in England (ISSN 1471-0587).
Distributed by: Seymour Distribution Ltd,
2 Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PP
Tel: 020 7429 4000.
Airfix Model World is distributed in the USA
by UKP Worldwide, 3390 Rand Road, South
Plainfield, NJ 07080. Periodicals postage paid
at South Plainfield, NJ.
Readers in USA can place subscriptions by
visiting www.airfixmodelworld.com or by calling
toll free 800-428-3003 or fax 757-428-6253
or by writing to Airfix Model World, 3300
Pacific Ave, Ste 500, Virginia Beach,
VA23451-9828.
Postmaster: Send address corrections to
Airfix Model World, Key Publishing Ltd, C/O 3390
Rand Road, South Plainfield NJ 07080.
The entire contents of Airfix Model World is ©
2018 and no part of it may be reproduced in any
form or stored on any form of retrieval system
without the prior permission of the publisher.
EDITOR'S DESK
WELCOME
Like us
Visit us
after all, and we’d be selling you
all short if we presented poor
quality photos.
Having decent lighting and the
right camera is half the battle,
and coaching can be given to
boost your confidence and
results; that goes for the writing
too. I’ll paraphrase the rapper
Eminem…will the right modeller
please stand up!
Chris Clifford, Editor
chris.clifford@keypublishing.com
We are unable to guarantee the bona fides of
any of our advertisers. Readers are strongly
recommended to take their own precautions
before parting with any information or item
of value, including, but not limited to, money,
manuscripts, photographs or personal
information in response to any advertisements
within this publication.
“AIRFIX’’ is a registered trade mark of Hornby
Hobbies Limited and is used under licence.
The average sale for the period Jan – Dec 2017
was 13,149 print and digital copies monthly.
To find a stockist near you,
visit airfixmodelworld.com
www.airfixmodelworld.com 3
 CONTENTS
WHAT'S INSIDE?

REGULARS
06 News

64
The latest happenings in the world
of plastic modelling, including new
Panther tanks with interiors!

12 Show Scene
Check out our handy at-a-glance
model show calendar.

72 Free Gift!
Subscribe to Airfix Model World
and claim your free 1/72 Tomahawk
Mk.IIB model kit or five-piece
diamond file set. FREE POSTER
Hawk T.1 profiles
REVIEWS: and box art
ON THE SHELF
74 Books
78 Aircraft kits
82 Military kits
84 Maritime kits
86 Auto kits
88 Figures
90 Decal sheets
94 Accessories

98 Archive
Treasures
Our closing item offers a stunning
reference image each month. In this
issue it’s the Hawker Sea Hawk.

48 28

4 Airfix Model World

 CONTENTS
WHAT'S INSIDE?

14

56 FEATURES
14 Intermediate Build – Eagle Owl
Chris Jones has fun with ICM’s recent 1/72 Focke-Wulf Fw 189A-2.

22 In Focus – The Flying Eye

The development and operations of the Fw 189 are examined by Luftwaffe
specialist Chris Goss.

26 Out and About – Kirklees Cool

IPMS Wakefield and District’s show, in Huddersfield, offered plenty of treats
for AMW’s Stu Fone.

28 Basic Build – Shoot and Scoot

Tamiya’s new 1/35 Archer self-propelled anti-tank gun is assessed by Johan
Augustsson, who places the model in a cool vignette setting.

36 Your Airfix – Vickers VC10

David Connolly tells how he backdated his Airfix 1/144 VC10 tanker to a C.1
transport.

38 Intermediate Build – Whispering Death

Chris Jones converts Airfix’s 1/72 Beaufighter TF.X to an Australian DAP
Mk.21, courtesy of High Planes Models.

46 Out and About – Northwest Omnibus

Stu Fone reports on South Cheshire Military Modellers’ annual event, the
Universal Model Show, held in Nantwich.

48 Intermediate Build – Trainer with Teeth

A wealth of aftermarket detail is added to Airfix’s re-released 1/72 BAE Hawk
T Mk.1A, by Chris Jones.

56 Advanced Build – Apollo Scout

Garry Tobiss takes a Lunar excursion with L’Arsenal’s superb 1/24 Ranger 8
probe. It's for experienced modellers only though!

64 Advanced Build – Swinging Big Cat

Planet Models’ 1/48 mixed-media Grumman XF10F-1 Jaguar is finished
expertly by Azores-based modeller José Pires.

Your favourite magazine is available digitally.

See airfixmodelworld.com for more details.

You can also find us on:

Search ‘Airfix Model World’
38

www.airfixmodelworld.com 5
 NEWS BULLETIN
LATEST UPDATES

BREAKING NEWS HAVE TANK, WILL PLOUGH!

FLYHAWK’S STUNNING 1/72 M1A2

FIGHTER AND SEP (see News, Sep 2017) has

TRAINER ACTION
AIRFIX IS re-releasing two
popular 1/72 toolings from
2010…the Spitfire Mk.Ia
(A01071B) and Folland Gnat
(A02105).
The Spitfire has new markings
to depict the RAF’s N3290/
GR-U, of 92 Squadron, France,
1940. Two fresh liveries are
supplied with the Gnat; the
first is for a red and white 4
Flying Training School machine
at Valley, in 1970, but the
ITALY’S BIG LITTLE CAR
second should raised a smile
with film fans, as it portrays a
light grey aircraft seen in the
1991 Charlie Sheen comedy Hot
Shots! Visit www.airfix.com for
more details.
received an upgrade in the form
of a Mine Clearing Blade System,
also known as the Track Width
Mine Plough (TWMP).
The original ten styrene runners,
plus separate inner/outer track
sections, upper/lower hull and
turret, and photo-etched brass
fret are joined by two new
frames for the plough assembly
in this new offering (3301). As
before, the detail is sumptuous,
rivalling larger scales in intricacy
and finesse, yet designed with
simplicity of assembly in mind…
the integrally moulded torsion
bars are a touch of genius. Helpful
hints remind modellers of the for the central ‘roller’. Equally
need to pre-mask glazing during impressive are the six schemes
assembly and the clear diagrams offered - five are shared with
should make construction a the previous release, but the
breeze. The new TWMP echoes additional option depicts one of
this approach, but without these with a NATO Green-coloured
compromising accuracy, notably TWMP. For more information, see:
via the fine real metal chain www.flyhawkmodel.com
ANTI-ARMOUR BEAST

ZVEZDA SURPRISED many means it’s a comparatively

FIAT’S 500F, known as the
Cinquecento (500) in Europe and
Bambina (baby) in New Zealand,
is the subject of Italeri’s busy 1/12
styrene offering.
The kit (4703) depicts the
diminutive 1968 version and, given
the model’s finished size and the
box contents, at first it doesn’t
appear as if the parts, held on
eight runners (in chrome-plated,
silver-grey, white, black and grey
styrene) will fit inside. Extra detail
is provided in the form of photo-
etched (PE) brass and metal parts,
vinyl tubing, copper wire and metal
springs, combining with the plastic
to yield working steering and
suspension. There are poseable
seats, rearward-opening doors, boot
and bonnet (the latter revealing a
detailed engine), and the interior
can be built in left- or right-hand-
drive configuration. The luxuries
don’t end there, with PE floor mats
and an optional fabric sheet for the
roof panel, which can be portrayed
in the open or closed position. Six
different styles of registration plates
are offered on the decal sheet,
including one probably from New
Zealand, although Italeri appears
to have suggested a seven-digit
UK licence number for a European
(left-hand-drive) vehicle. For more
information, visit: www.hobbyco.net
with the announcement of a
newly tooled 1/35 Sd.Kfz.184
Ferdinand tank destroyer, and it’s
a delightful offering, with a focus
on the inamous Battle of Kursk.
Packed inside the firm’s
trademark sturdy box, the kit
(3653) comprises 11 styrene
runners (with one clear) and a
separate lower hull. There isn’t
much interior detail, just the
breech for the 8.8cm PaK 43
anti-tank gun, so although the
casemate hatches can be opened,
there’s little inside to stimulate
one's eyesight. Exterior features
are rendered crisply though, yet
the type’s spartan appearance
clean hull; the tow cables are
noteworthy for their moulded
relief, and options are limited
to just an open/closed travel
lock for the barrel. The tracks
are link-and-length styrene
items, and feature superb detail.
Three markings choices depict
Ferdinands at Kursk, clad in
overall Dunkelgelb with Olivgrün
stripes; Zvezda notes them as
assigned to the 653rd schwere
Panzerjäger Abteilung (sPzJg.
Abt), although according to
references two were probably
654th sPzJg.Abt vehicles at the
time. For more information, visit:
www.hobbyco.net

6 View more news online: www.airfixmodelworld.com

 ‘NIGHT OWL’ RHINO
ZOUKEI-MURA’S 1/48 Phantom
family just got bigger as the firm
has released its new F-4D.
This company’s ‘spooks’ offer
stunning detail and are arguably
the best on the market, with
F-4C/J/S sub-types already
released (see AMW Jan/April/
November 2017 issues).
This fresh boxing (Super Wing
Series 7) depicts the ‘Delta’
version, famed for its Vietnam
War service (as a MiG-killer, but
more so its pioneering use of
‘smart’ weapons), offering two
colour schemes…first, a LORAN-
D-equipped (Long-Range
Navigation) Phantom of the
497th Tactical Fighter Squadron,
the ‘Night Owls’ (FP tail code),
a component of the legendary
‘Wolfpack’ 8th Tactical Fighter
MULTI-HUED FINISHES
REPLICATING PRISMATIC
effects has been made much
easier thanks to Spanish
company Green Stuff World,
which has released two acrylic
paint sets.
Each package comprises six
17ml bottles and, unlike other
similar products, these are
non-toxic, water-based, and
are designed to be airbrushed
over a gloss black basecoat/
primer layer. Once dry, these
create a visual colour-shift
effect depending on the
viewing angle. The first set
has a mix of metallic yellows,
blues and orange/reds with
1606 Burning Gold, 1552
Cobalt Blue, 1557 Psychotic
Illusions, 1555 Toxic Purple,
1559 Celestial Azure and 1558
Wing at Ubon, Thailand. The
497th TFS performed nocturnal
Fast Forward Air Control
missions (hence the black
undersides on this jet) and then
embraced Paveway laser-guided
bombs, forming tactics and
standards for said weapons.
This smart-bomb development
eventually passed to other
8th TFW squadrons, which
also employed electro-optical
bombs such as the GBU-8 for
the first time; these guided
stores, used in conjunction with
designation gear, were crucial
in attacking the Paul Doumier
and Thahn Hoa bridges in North
Vietnam. The other livery is
that of an HO-tail coded 49th
TFW machine based at Takhli
RTAFB, Thailand, as part of the
Nebula Copper. More greens
and yellows are contained in
the second batch, with 1556
Mystic Gold, 1609 Emerald
Gateway, 1556 Tropical Green,
1608 Reb Goblin, 1554 Storm
Surge Green and 1607
Martian Green.
While perfect
for automobiles,
these also have
potential for
Constant Guard III deployment
to Southeast Asia in May 1972.
Zoukei-Mura’s kit offers the
LORAN-D ‘Towel Rack’ antenna
on the spine for the 497th
option (but no associated
alternative rear instrument
panel), the under-nose fairing
for the APR-25/26 radar
homing and warning system
and USAF-style weapons pylons.
As with Z-M’s other F-4 kits,
one receives fully detailed J79
engines and intake trunking,
separate wing control surfaces
and a pilot’s boarding ladder. A
complete air-to-air armament
fit comprises AIM-7E Sparrow
and AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
(AIM-9Js also present, for use
after August 1972, as well as
wing and centreline fuel tanks).
Sadly, and considering the Night
Owls’ air-to-ground association,
no ‘mud-moving’ ordnance of
any kind is supplied, so this will
have to come from the spares
box and/or the aftermarket.
There has been Internet chatter
about the fuselage shape on
these Phantom kits, with alleged
‘bloating’ above the engine
shoulders; make no mistake,
though…it’s negligible and
they’re corking products.
For further details visit:
www.zoukeimura.co.jp/en and
www.tigerhobbies.co.uk
fantasy and animal figures.
Green Stuff World is currently
looking for a UK distributor,
and details on its products are
at: www.greenstuffworld.com
 NEWS BULLETIN
LATEST UPDATES

HAWKISH FIGHTERS
canopies and radiator exhaust
fairings, with a choice of drop
tanks or bomb for the centreline
pylon. Generously, four decal
options are supplied with the
P-40N boxing, for USAAF and
Dutch Near East Indies airframes;
there are RAF, RAAF and RCAF
machines for the Kittyhawk.
Perhaps one minor oversight is the
lack of underwing bomb shackles,
but regardless, these are easily the
best 1/72 P-40s. Those seeking
further embellishments need look
no further than Special Hobby’s
sub-brand, CMK, which is releasing
resin P-40 seats, wheels (see
p.96), cockpit sidewalls and control
surfaces. Further information is at:
www.specialhobby.eu

IN ITS many guises, the Curtiss surfaces, and general fittings

P-40 has been well-served by kit
companies, although not all are as
accurate as Special Hobby’s newly
tooled 1/72 offerings.
Initially, it has released a
P-40N Warhawk (SH72374) and
Kittyhawk Mk.Ia (SH72377), with
the kits sharing common runners
for the six-gun wings and control
(interior, undercarriage, bombs,
drop tanks and propellers). The
main changes between these
variants are the fuselage and
canopy, and these items are
replicated faithfully, featuring
fine engraved panel lines and
restrained rivets on the exterior.
There are options for open/closed

TRAVELLING SPRAYER FREIGHTER

MODELLERS ON the go will
appreciate Expo Tools’ compact
airbrushing package, which comes
complete with a robust travel case.
This budget-price combination
(AB605), comprises a 0.3mm
AB725 airbrush, 1.8m length of
9mm braided air hose and a mains-
powered mini-compressor (which
features an integral airbrush holder).
The latter is capable, despite its size,
with three pressure settings (12,
20 and 28psi [0.8, 1.4 and 1.9 bar])
selectable on a separate button to
the on/off switch. Note when first
activated, the airflow is at its highest
setting. The airbrush is Expo’s
baseline double-action product,
featuring a ⅓ fl oz (10ml) paint cup,
and is capable of spraying 0.5mm
to 40mm wide lines (dependent
on paint mix and air pressure).
Unusually, the base of the paint cup
has an oval, as opposed to circular
aperture, but where this meets the
cylindrical airbrush body there’s
a distinct lip, which may demand
extra vigilance when cleaning.
At £79.95 though, it’s slightly
cheaper than most packages of
this type, and would be ideal as a
travel or beginner’s airbrush.
Further details are available from:
www.expotools.com
MESH
BANDAI’S DELIGHTFUL 1/144
Millennium Falcon suffers
in certain areas due to the
limitations of styrene moulding,
but Czech firm Green Strawberry
has come to the rescue. Its
delicate photo-etched brass
Millennium Falcon Grilles set
(01715) supplies parts to super-
detail the freighter’s six upper
surface vents. Meticulous
research by the company
revealed there are two styles of
grille, and these are replicated
faithfully, with each four-piece
assembly capturing the nuances
of these intricate items. A guide
is also provided to ensure correct
position and alignment when
fitting. More details are available
from: www.greenstrawberry.cz

8 View more news online: www.airfixmodelworld.com

 ALL-NEW ‘MIGHTY MO’
HAVING DAZZLED modellers
with mixed-media aftermarket
sets and styrene 1/700 Montana-
class battleships, Chinese
company Very Fire Technology’s
first 1/350 ship kit is a stunner.
Its newly tooled USS Missouri
BB-63 (VF350003) comprises
18 crisply moulded styrene
runners, three photo-etched
brass frets (for railings, cranes,
ladders, gun shields, catapults
and radar antennas) and fine
anchor chain. There may have
been other kits of this class,
but they are eclipsed by this
offering, from its engraved
styrene deck planking, to
provision of 20mm Oerlikon
ammunition lockers (a first in
TORTOISE PROGENITORS
OKB GRIGOROV’S latest 1/72
resin military releases depict
Nuffield’s Assault Tanks (AT)
series… the forebears of
the imposing British
Tortoise Heavy Assault
Gun design.
To date, just the first
three have been released,
AT.1 (72061), AT.2 (72062)
and AT.3 (72063); each
comprises more than 120
resin parts and a common
photo-etched brass fret,
and the casting is superb,
this scale) and the integrally
moulded superstructure detail.
There’s even a full complement
of searchlights and binoculars
for the bridge, conning and fire
control positions. Its approach
to the deck is brilliant, with all
fittings (other than bitts and
fairleads) supplied as separate
items, which eases painting…the
intricate quad Bofors mounts
are mini-kits in their own right.
However, the real highlight is
the main armament; besides
supplying separate blast bags
and turret interiors, Very Fire
includes four levels of the
barbette (just the powder deck
is omitted), complete with
ammunition hoists.
with minimal preparation
needed — but it’s the surface
detail and refinement that
For purists, there are a few
minor foibles, but these should
be easy to remedy. The Mk.38
director supplied is of the
six-sided type (fitted to Iowa
and New Jersey) rather than
the seven-sided version for
Missouri and Wisconsin, and a
passageway immediately aft of
the conning control on deck four
is missing (an error shared with
every Iowa-class kit to date).
Two schemes are offered,
depicting Missouri clad in
Measure 22 camouflage during
1945, and Measure 32/22d
in 1944. Note, if the latter is
chosen, minor changes are
necessary; the most obvious
being OS2U Kingfisher
floatplanes in place of the
supplied SC-1 Seahawks, and
additional Mk.51 directors to
replace the four Mk.57s. This
is a marvellous offering, which
is due to be joined by lead-ship
USS Iowa soon...and at just £140
represents splendid value.
For more information, see:
www.veryfiremodel.com and
www.sovereignhobbies.co.uk
really impresses. The running
gear, lower hull and side
skirts are all common items,
with different upper
hull, turret/casemate
(depending on version)
and armament.
These are splendid kits
for fans of small-scale
armoured vehicles, and
we hope the remaining
15 variants will also be
released in time.
For more details, visit:
www.okbgrigorov.com
NEWS BULLETIN
LATEST UPDATES
{in brief}
QUALITY ABRASIVES
Ultimate Modelling Products now has two
new sets of sanding sticks. The uniform-
width Buffers come as a pack of three, while
there are six Thinny Buffers in a pack; both
come in 3,000- and 12,000-grades, and are
superb for seam/surface preparation and
neatening. www.umpretail.com
CORRECTIONS
We must report an error in our coverage of
Thunderbird Models’ Red Arrows Hawk tail
correction (April, p.92). We suggested the
three ‘pips’ at the rear should be removed
and replaced as we thought they were
undersized dye pipes, but they are in fact the
mounting points for said pipes, which should
be replicated with wire. Also, our news item
on Brengun’s A-36 Apache in January’s issue
(p.7) stated the scheme for HK944 could
be erroneous because the reference book
we consulted had this serial allocated to a
Mustang III. We’ve been steered towards a
period photo and HK944 does appear to be
an A-36/Mustang I; the 'sword' antenna posts
are also correct for all schemes included.
Apologies to Thunderbird and Brengun.
BLIGHTY IDENTIFIERS
Lancashire-based Model Art has released
a super-handy collection of black General
British Markings. The waterslide sheet (GEN
004) offers a full alphabet and numbers in
standard form for modern British military
aircraft, as well as the following legends in
upper case letters: Royal Air Force, Royal
Navy, Royal Marines, Support Command,
Transport Command, Army and Rescue.
Versatility is the watchword, though, as while
many markings are in 1/72 scale, others
are designed for 1/144 subjects. For further
details or to order, visit: www.modartdec.com
10 View more news online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
A TALE OF TWO KITTIES
TWO NEW 1/35 Panthers have been
released, both offering interior detail.
The first, a limited edition Ausf.G
(Early/Late Production) from Rye
Field Model (RM-5016) has a clear
upper hull, glacis and turret to allow
viewing of the full interior. The
choice of production layouts means
different turret equipment, and the
detail from the turret basket floor
upwards is staggering, with crew
seating, a superb gun breech and
everything else one would see in the
real vehicle.
Torsion bars are included (the
suspension moves), as is an engine,
transmission, an entire complement
of ammunition, radio gear, driver
instruments and controls. The
individual track links are workable,
with pins and an assembly jig, a
spring allows main gun recoil, and
two large frets of photo-etched (PE)
brass details also feature. Other
highlights comprise different styles
of rotating roadwheel (rubber and
steel), various exhausts, including
Flammvernichter suppressors,
HARDBACK TIME MACHINE
MANY OF us are used to World War
Two images in black and white.
So, it’s a revelation when fresh
colour photos from the period are
presented…and that’s the benefit
of this weighty new Osprey book.
Storm of Eagles is a celebration of
wartime aviation, compiled by Kent
Ramsey, aerial photographer John
Dibbs and former USAF Lieutenant
Colonel Robert Renner…the latter
now an accomplished writer. As
Dibbs explains in his introduction,
all involved wanted the images
to become ‘real’ to the reader,
hence the reliance on previously
copper towing cable and schemes for
Red 113 of 1./Pz.Rgt.2 (16th Pz.Div),
Red 213 of 2./Pz.Rgt.31 (5th Pz.Div)
and an unknown-unit tank with zig-
zag whitewash. No side skirt armour
is provided though.
Takom takes a more conventional
approach with its Early Production
Ausf.A (2097), which also oozes
detail (slightly fewer features in
the turret interior) but there are no
clear parts and the tracks, while well
unpublished colour views. And
when combined with classic and
lesser-known black and white
studies here, one has a splendid
reference for modelling, but which
also oozes atmosphere. There are
standout colour photos; a Brazilian
detailed, are link-and-length items.
A full engine also fills the appropriate
cavity in Takom’s kit, and the
interior is seemingly just as busy,
with all torsion bars, ammunition,
transmission, radios and driver
stations all present. There is much
less PE here, as it’s confined to
engine mesh screens, but one
does get copper towing and track-
changing cables, and a flexible hose
part. The instructions offer superb
CAD-style colour illustrations of the
interior, for painting, and notably,
side-skirts are included, but one
bug-bear is that Takom’s instructions
would have the builder glue the
driver hatches closed…perhaps the
only way to better view the interior
is not to glue the upper hull decking
or turret, so ‘periodic inspection’
is possible. The four liveries are
Black 701 (Pz.Rgt.23), Black 18 (16th
Pz.Div), Red 233 (Panzer Lehr) and
Red 221 (16th Pz.Div). Rye Field's kit
will be available in the UK from www.
tigerhobbies.co.uk, and the Takom kit
via www.pocketbond.co.uk
Expeditionary Force pilot standing
on the wing of his P-47, with the
famous ‘Senta a Púa’ badge in
full view. Another is the US Navy
Dauntless ready to take off from
Yorktown; the colours of the
aircraft and deck will aid modellers
no end when weathering.
Although the colour studies are
superb, the monochrome photos
are all just as worthy of inclusion
and are startling in their clarity
and, like the book’s Kodachrome
counterparts, offer inspiration in
spades. For further information
visit: www.ospreypublishing.com
HEAVY DUTY COVERAGE
MODELLERS USUALLY prefer
small-capacity single- or double-
action airbrushes, but for bigger
jobs, Sparmax’s high-load
offering may be of interest.
Its GP-850 pistol trigger
airbrush (SP-GP-850) should
make spraying large areas
easier, especially with a 4⅓fl oz
(125cc) gravity-feed cup…the
latter is detachable, facilitating
cleaning. Two nozzle types
are included; the fitted item
produces a fan-shaped area,
notably with minimal overspray
(although this will be dependent
on paint composition) and there’s
an interchangeable standard
circular-pattern unit. At £115,
this isn’t a budget or beginner’s
airbrush, but would be ideal for
large-scale ship and aircraft
modellers or those also building
radio-controlled subjects.
More details are available from:
www.airbrushes.com

STEALTH
DECALS SOVIET SCRAPPER
TEXAS-BASED TwoBobs has
released a new set of markings
Modelcollect’s recent B-2 Spirit
bomber kit in mind (see News,
March 2018 issue).
TwoBobs had already designed
the kit decals on Modelcollect’s
offering, and with sheet
71-106 ‘B-2 Spirit Global Strike
Stealth’ it repeats one of those
schemes (‘Spirit of America’)
but offers an additional 18
named airframes stationed at
Whiteman AFB, Missouri, from
1997 to the present day. ICM HAS already released ailerons, a respectable
Comprising WM tail codes, a 1/32 I-16 Type 24 - but the cockpit with clear instrument
individual monikers such as firm now offers the Type 28 panel and dial decals, and a
‘Spirit of Kittyhawk’ and ‘Spirit (32002). pleasing portrayal of the type’s
of Louisiana’, serials and While at first the detail might idiosyncratic undercarriage.
undercarriage door legend seem clumsy, the moulding is Type 28s were known to sport
bands, this is a comprehensive in fact sharp, particularly on flared-at-the-base propeller
set that would also benefit the mainplane undersides… spinners, but the only spinner
Testors’ old kit…but that would remember, the real aircraft provided is the domed variety;
need much update work. was not complex or refined. the Type 28 was based on the
www.twobobs.net Deft rendering is apparent Type 24, and some features of
on parts such as the wheels, the latter were carried over, so
which have crisply delineated dogged research is advisable.
hubs, while the 17-piece Decals for two green-over-blue
engine (with exhausts and aircraft are provided: White
bearers) has well-defined 6, 45th Aviation Division,
cylinder casings. There are Southern Front, Odessa, 1941
also separate nose guns with and White 51, 72nd Mixed Regt,
full breeches, the prominent Northern Fleet Aviation, 1941.
wing gun barrels, individual Visit www.icm.com.ua
 SHOW SCENE
DIARY DATES

SHOW SCENE
At-a-glance model show calendar
E MODEL DISPLAY
) MODEL COMPETITION
J TRADE STANDS
m AIRCRAFT DISPLAY
 MILITARY DISPLAY
 AUTOMOTIVE DISPLAY
 REFRESHMENTS
FREE PARKING
MAKE AND PAINT

Model Kraft
2018
Date: April 22
Hosts: Milton Keynes Scale
Model Club
Address: Stantonbury Leisure
Centre, Milton Keynes,
MK14 6BN
Times: 10am-4pm
Prices: Adults £5, seniors £3,
children free
Email: timupsonsmith@live.co.uk
Web: www.mksmc.co.uk

May 5-6 Dublin Show 2018 13 IPMS Gloucester Model Show 26 Latin Militaire 2018
Hosts: Irish Model Soldier Society Hosts: IPMS Gloucester Hosts: Latin Militaire
5 Tangmere Scale Model Show Address: Hilton Dublin, Charlemont Address: Churchdown Community Address: Escuela Militar, Las Condes.
Hosts: Tangmere Sector Modellers IPMS Place, Dublin 2 Centre, Parton Road, Santiago, Escuela Militar, Avenida
Address: Tangmere Military Aviation Times: 10am-5pm Churchdown, GL3 2JH Presidente Riesco N°460,1 Las
Museum, Gamecock Terrace, Prices: €3 Times: 10am-4.30pm Condes, Santiago, 7560977 Chile
Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2ES E-mail: trooper164@eircom.net Prices: Adults £3.50, under-15s and Times: 10am-6pm
Times: 10am-4pm Web: Irish Model Soldier Society OAPs £1.50 Prices: Free
Prices: Adults £9, over-60s £7, children (Facebook) E-mail: gundylunch@sky.com E-mail: TBC
(5-16) £3 Web: N/A Web: www.latinmilitaire.com
E-mail: rmcspreckley@gmail.com
Web: Tangmere Sector Modellers IPMS
6 Heathrow Aircraft
(Facebook) Enthusiasts’ Fair 20 East Midlands Model Show 26 Model 2018 Exhibition
Hosts: Keith Manning Hosts: East Midlands Model Club Hosts: IPMS Torbay and South Devon
Address: Kempton Park Racecourse, Address: The Leisure Centre, Argents Address: Torquay Town Hall, Castle Circus,
5 Wirral Scale Model Show Staines Road East, Mead, Hinckley, Leicestershire, Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3DR
Hosts: The Society of Miniature Painters Sunbury-on-Thames, LE10 1BZ Times: 9.30am-4.30pm
Address: Mosslands, School Mosslands Middlesex, TW16 15AQ Times: 10am-4pm Prices: Adults £2.50, over-65s £1.50,
Drive, Wallasey, Wirral, Times: 10.30am-3pm Prices: Adults £4, children and under-13s £1
CH45 8PJ Prices: Adults £4, OAPs £3.50, concessions £1.50 E-mail: torbayandsouthdevon.ipms@
Times: 10am-4pm children £1.50 E-mail: eastmidsmodelshow gmail.com
Prices: Adults £3.50, under-16s and E-mail: keith768@btinternet.com @hotmail.com Web: www.ipmstorbay.com
OAPs £2.50 Web: www.aircraftenthusiastfair Web: www.eastmidsmodelclub.co.uk
E-mail: wirralscalemodelshow@gmail.com .co.uk
Web: N/A
June
20 GMMS Open Day
12 Lancing Model Show Hosts: Gravesham Military Modelling 3 RAF Kenley Aerojumble
5-6 18 Éme Salon National De La Hosts: Southdowns Model Group Society Hosts: Alistair White/Dave Sutton
Maquette Address: Lancing Parish Hall, 96 Address: Meopham Fitness and Tennis Address: RAFA Club, Kenley Aerodrome,
Hosts: IPMS France South Street, Lancing, Centre, Wrotham Road, Salmons Lane West, Caterham,
Address: 27390 Montreuil I Argillé BN15 8AJ Meopham, Kent, DA13 OAH Surrey, CR3 5LT
Times: TBC Times: 10am-4pm Times: 10am-4pm Times: 9am-2pm
Prices: Adults €2, under-10s free Prices: Free Prices: TBC Prices: £2.50
E-mail: smmrc@orange.fr E-mail: info@lancingmodelshow.org.uk E-mail: info@gmms.org.uk E-mail: acebellaviation@aol.com
Web: TBC Web: www.lancingmodelshow.org.uk Web: www.gmms.org.uk Web: TBC

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

12 Airfix Model World

ZoukieMoura.indd 1 13/03/2018 10:46
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

Eagle Owl H
enschel’s Hs 126
was the Luftwaffe’s
main reconnaissance
aircraft during the early
stages of World War Two, but its
increasing obsolescence meant a
replacement was vital.
Initially though, many Luftwaffe
It’s time for glazing galore and more, staff were sceptical about Kurt
Tank’s Fw 189 Uhu (Eagle Owl).
as Chris Jones tackles ICM’s Its twin-boom layout and heavily
glazed crew nacelle certainly
new-tool ‘Uhu’ clashed with standard views on
recce aircraft
design.
However, the
Uhu won
over its
detractors
with excellent performance and
handling, and a surprising ability
to absorb battle damage. Beyond
its ability to carry cameras, it was
also used for ground support, with
twin forward-firing machine guns
and pairs of light bombs (or even

Focke-Wulf Fw 189A-2
MODEL SPEC

By: ICM
Stock Code: 72292
Scale: 1/72
Price: £18.60
Available from: www.icm.com.ua

The centre wing section comprised lower and

upper parts, and separate (multi-pose) inner flaps.

14 Airfix Model World

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

Kit schemes

Two attractive decal options are provided in the kit, one in a fetching sand brown/
 The centre section fit was excellent, with the crew nacelle being assembled on top.
dark green, the other in winter whitewash. No Swastikas were supplied though, so
in this instance they were taken from a generic insignia sheet from Print Scale.  To ensure correct alignment of the nacelle walls, the roof and rear glazing were taped in
• V7+1J, 1.(H)/32, Finland, Summer 1943 place to aid the fit…but they were not glued at this stage.
• 5D+CK, 2.(H)/31, Rostov-on-Don region, January 1943

Variable-position surfaces
featured for the Fw 189’s
outer wing sections.

smoke screen canisters) under
each wing. Interestingly, although
the extensive glazing was designed
to give the best possible situational
awareness, the highly angled
nose panels could impair visibility
thanks to light refraction. The A-1
variant had a single drum-fed MG
15 in each of the tail and upper
dorsal positions, but production
of the A-2 commenced in 1941.
This version swapped the single
MG 15s for belt-fed dual MG 81Zs
in a new, electrically rotated tail
cone, and a single (later dual)
MG 81 installation in the upper
dorsal position. The newer guns
had a higher rate of fire…surely a
welcome feature in the maelstrom
of the Eastern Front...
A-2 Uhu
ICM’s fresh tooling of the Fw
189 has now produced several
incarnations of this iconic
aeroplane. In recent times, the
company has embarked on
a brand-new approach, and
its latest offerings represent
mainstream design philosophy and
contemporary injection moulding,
as opposed to many of its heritage
products. ICM’s back catalogue
contains fascinating subject matter,
but it involves a more traditional
limited-run ethos to design and
moulding, so the kits required
more skill and effort to build. Not
so here though...
Three styrene runners were
present (two regular and one
transparent). They boasted all
the elements of modern kit
design, with locating holes/pins,
wonderfully minute runner gates
and exceptionally subtle recessed
surface detail. This was not the ICM
of old and the overall impression
was excellent. However, for the
sake of balance, there were one
or two areas where one needed
to take care, as the top and

www.airfixmodelworld.com 15
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

‘Zooming’ to the aftermarket

Externally, this build was entirely out of the box, but with such a prominent crew area
it was deemed useful to employ Eduard’s ‘Zoom’ photo-etched (PE) metal set SS579.
Although aimed at ICM’s Fw 189A-1, it is perfectly relevant for the A-2. The only real
difference between the variants was the defensive weapons fit and gunner’s glazing.

 All major sub-assemblies were neatened before final airframe assembly could proceed.

bottom of the tail booms had
rough surface texture, which
needed sanding. There were also
one or two raised imperfections
on the plastic, but these virtually
 Interior detail was excellent, but moulded features on the pilot’s console and instrument
panel were removed to accommodate Eduard embellishment later. disappeared under varnish and
paint. The A-2 boxing contained
 After a coat of RLM 66, detail painting, weathering and the addition of Eduard’s coloured two styles of dorsal gun glazing,
PE, the crew nacelle really came to life. The cockpit-width harnesses looked odd, but were along with enough MG 81s to
there for the crew to brace themselves when standing or using the defensive guns.
cater for early or late- production
airframes. The transparent
runner also contained the revised
tail glazing present on the A-2,
although this may well be present
in the A-1 boxing.
Aufklärung assembly
The first question with a subject
such as the Fw 189 was always
going to be ‘what’s the glazing
like?’ Thankfully, the quality was
excellent. All clear parts were
removed carefully from the
runners and neatened, before test-
fitting and assembly later in the
build. Fully posable ailerons and
flaps were present for the outer
wings, and the finesse here was
impressive. The whole design of
the area was perfection itself, and
the outer wings were assembled
in no time at all. A similarly happy
story repeated itself for the central
wing section halves which, once
again, featured multi-pose flaps.
A few ejector pin marks were
dealt with on the nacelle interior
sidewalls, before the latter were
attached to the cockpit floor and
mated to the wing centre section.
A key concern was ensuring
everything aligned correctly in
the nacelle region, so the glazing
would fit properly later in the build.
With this in mind, certain parts
were taped in place but not glued,
to guarantee alignment while the
glue set. Decent raised detail was
present for the pilot’s console
and instrument panel, and overall
cockpit detail was excellent, while
further enhancement was added

16 Airfix Model World

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

“The centre section

fit was excellent”

 How about Eduard’s deft (and tiny)

ring and bead sight in 1/72 scale!

courtesy of an Eduard Zoom set
(see panel). Beyond the outer
wings, the tail booms, engine
nacelle parts and tailplane were
all assembled at this early stage,
to allow the glue to harden before
seams were sanded. With the
latter tackled, the entire airframe
was assembled along with the
rear nacelle O-frame. A dash of
filler was required along several
joins to ensure they were tidy,
so Milliput Superfine White was
smoothed with cotton buds and
water, to make the whole process
more agreeable. With assembly
completed, the various plain metal
parts of the Eduard set were
attached, before the cockpit was
sprayed Tamiya XF-63 German
Grey, to represent RLM 66. After
detail painting, chipping and
applying the various coloured parts
from Eduard, the interior looked
wonderfully busy. The absurdly
delicate bomb sight and pilot’s ring
and bead sight were particular
highlights!
House of glass
With the crew pod interior
completed, work began on
securing all the glazing and
roofing. After ensuring mating
surfaces were free of paint, the
dorsal gun transparency and roof
were fixed with minute amounts
of Tamiya Extra Thin Cement
and secured with tape. It was
vital at all stages to avoid getting
any glue on the clear parts, or
the crew would have a real job
spotting Soviet formations while
peering through solvent-marred
transparencies! Nose glazing
came as a multi-part affair and
this was pre-assembled in various
careful stages (the completed
crew section was used to ensure
correct alignment), allowing each
area to set fully, before moving
onto the next. There were a few
minor gaps, but most were due to
builder error; overall the designers
did a superb job to ensure the
type’s convoluted glazing was
as pain-free as possible. The

Tamiya Extra Thin Cement was used  Thankfully, careful design went into ICM’s glazing, so it was much less painful to work
carefully as the glazing was secured. with than expected. Masks from DANmodel were a bargain and fitted perfectly, but they
were tricky to remove.

www.airfixmodelworld.com 17
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

and micro-holes were filled. With
On a mission a ‘glasshouse’ such as this, any
gaps would have been disastrous
Several bottles of Mission Models’ new acrylic paint were trialled as part of this as overspray would creep in and
build. Its paint is part of a new and unique system, including extraordinarily fine ruin the interior. To further ease
pigment, proprietary thinner and a polyurethane additive to further enhance the pain of dealing with such an
performance. Due to the nature of Mission Models’ paint and its spraying qualities, incredible amount of window
the firm encourages modellers to find out more at www.missionmodelsus.com frames, DANmodels’ masks were
purchased. They must surely have
ranked as the most affordable of
all masking solutions, costing just
£1.60 (www.hannants.co.uk). The fit
was virtually perfect, which must
count as a major achievement;
aftermarket masks often seem to
need minor modification here and
there. Just the wheel hub masks
were too large, but overall the
design was brilliant. That said, the
glue was incredibly strong, and
if too long was taken to position
the masks, they would tend to
struggle in highly curved areas,
so a few segments of Tamiya Tape
were drafted in. Additionally, the
adhesive was so strong it was
awkward to remove the masks
sole criticism was the small required. Once the glue hardened, later, and much residue remained
rear rectangular side windows all glazing joins were treated on the transparency. Happily, it was
definitely wouldn’t fit without to several applications of Micro found that the sticky side of the
leaving a raised lip around them, Krystal Klear, neatened with damp masks could remove most of what
so very careful modification was cotton buds to ensure any gaps was left on the glass, while careful
use of white spirit and cotton buds
took care of the rest. After priming
the seams to check their quality,
painting began in earnest.
Camouflage trials
Firstly, the Eastern Front tactical
markings were undercoated with
white, to provide a decent base
for the subsequent yellow. For
this project, the aim was to trial a
number of the new acrylic paints
issued by Mission Models, so its
RLM 02 Grau, RLM 04 Gelb, RLM
65 Hellblau and RLM 71 Dunkelgrun
review samples were pressed into
service. The manufacturer claimed
the paint could be sprayed straight
from the bottle if required, and the
author was intrigued, so it seemed
rude not to have a go!
Initially, when sprayed in this
manner, it seemed too thick and
appeared to spatter around the

 Mission Models’ RLM 04 Gelb (over white undercoat) was used for the Eastern Front  After masking the yellow, an irregular coat of Mission Models’ RLM 65 Hellblau produced
theatre markings. light and dark tones for depth.

18 Airfix Model World

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

edges, but after building the
colour and leaving it to dry, it
produced perhaps the smoothest
finish this author has ever seen.
It was also impervious to masking
damage, which was a truly positive
trait. Once the RLM 04 had been
applied and masked, the rest of
the undersides were sprayed with
RLM 65. This seemed a little dark
to my eye, but it can of
course be lightened to
taste. Because I didn’t
have any review samples
of white or black from
Mission, it was decided
to experiment by mixing
them with white and
later black from the
similarly water-based
Vallejo range. This
worked perfectly, so
after thinning the
mix with Mission’s
own thinner and
additive (the latter
enhances flow and
improves paint
performance), light
and dark mottles
were sprayed over the Hellblau
areas. Masking is always fiddly,
particularly in this scale and
especially on a shape such as the
Fw 189, but once the undersides
were concealed entirely by Tamiya
tape, spraying the topsides began.
In the absence of a sample of
RLM 79, this was simply mixed
from Tamiya paints and mottled
 The cooling jacket and general detail on the tiny MG81Zs was superb; the electrically
rotated tail cone and dual gun installation was one of the major differences between the
A-2 and earlier A-1.
with light and dark tones, before initial tests seemed promising.
the joyous work of camouflage After taking great care to build
mottling could begin. For this, the mottling, a few corrections
Mission Models’ RLM 71 was were then made to finish the
thinned at a paint-to-thinner ratio camouflage. With painting done,
of approximately 6:1, with one- the airframe received multiple
part additive. Although this mix applications of Alclad Aqua Gloss,
would sound thick for mottling added over several sessions,
other paints, because of the before the decals were applied
super-fine pigment on offer and sealed with more of the same
here it worked rather well. varnish. The ICM kit decals were
Next time, I would probably top draw and behaved impeccably.
thin it just a little bit more, but Various oil washes over the

“A silver pencil
was used to
emulate subtle
paint chips”

 A Tamiya mix to portray RLM 79 Sandbraun was applied and once again, mottled with  Much time went into spraying the camouflage. After gloss varnish the decal performance
light and dark areas. was superlative, although the multi-part no-step lines needed trimming.

www.airfixmodelworld.com 19
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
Fw 189A-2

 Careful airbrush post-shading was used

to signify exhaust staining, panel line grime
and tyre dust.

 Small items such as these SC 50s can

really benefit from weathering attention.
Here, various grey and mud colours were
dry-stippled (like dry-brushing, but
stabbing instead), before the bombs were
rolled in dry dirt pigment.

 The pitch control vanes also benefited

from chipping, while the propeller blades
were weathered with various dry-brushed
shades of grey and dark green.

A silver pencil was used to

emulate subtle paint chips and,
after hand-brushed corrections, the
glazing looked perfectly acceptable.

different coloured surfaces
followed, before the airframe
was covered by multiple misted
coats of Xtracolor XDFF Flat
Varnish. Subtle chipping in various
locations was replicated with a
Silver Prismacolor pencil, before
final post-shading began with
highly diluted Tamiya paint mixes.
XF-69 Rubber Black was used for
the exhaust stains, a muddy blend
was sprayed to produce dust on
the tyres, and a matt black/red-
brown mix was used to post-shade
all panel lines. As mentioned,
the masks were challenging to
remove, and prompted much
careful work with the end of a
scalpel, to pry them away from the
transparencies. With the extensive
glazing revealed, brush touch-ups
took place before the small parts
were added to bring the build to
a close.
Final thoughts
ICM has produced an excellent kit
here; much thought and care has
clearly gone into the design of the
tricky glazing/nacelle assembly,
and overall the kit went together
very well indeed. The surface
detail is first rate and there are
so many fascinating schemes
and variants of the Fw 189, why
stop at just one? Beyond that, a
model such as this in 1/72 scale,
with so much glazing, is a real
conversation piece.

20 Airfix Model World

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P021_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 16/03/2018 12:56:01

 IN FOCUS
Fw 189 UHU

As a result, Dr Kurt Tank of the

Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau created a
unusual design for a twin-engined,
twin-boomed aircraft with the
crew operating from a central
pod. However, there were those
in the Reichsluftfahrtministerium
(RLM-Air Ministry) who preferred
a more orthodox design so,
in April 1937, contracts were
awarded to both Arado for three
prototypes of the more traditional
Ar 198, and to Focke-Wulf for
three prototypes of what would
eventually be the Fw 189.
Dipl. Ing. Erhard Kosel was
tasked with supervising
production of the three Fw
189s, and in July 1938 the first
prototype, Fw 189 V2 D-OPVN
took to the skies with Kurt Tank
at the controls. The second
prototype, V2 D-OVHD, was
completed the following month,
In March 1944, a number of A-2s and A-3s were fitted with FuG 212 Lichtenstein radar and ‘Schräge Musik’ oblique MG 151 this aircraft being fitted with a
guns for night fighter duties with NJG 100. This photo was taken at Werneuchen. One pilot, Oblt Josef Pützkuhl of I./NJG 100, 7.9mm MG 15 machine gun in
recorded six claims during May-June 1944. the nose, one in what was called

The Flying Eye

the dorsal step and another
in the tail…the last two firing
backwards. Two more MG 17s
equipped the wing roots, and the
aircraft could also carry racks for
two 50kg (110lb) bombs per wing.
The final prototype, V3 D-ORMH,
had no armament, but its two
Argus As 410 powerplants were
Germany’s Luftwaffe flew several unusual or distinctive fitted with automatic variable-
pitch airscrews.
aircraft during World War Two, but the Focke-Wulf 189 Uhu
Good from the start
(Eagle Owl) was arguably both functional and aesthetically Unlike many German prototype
pleasing. Chris Goss tells its story… aircraft, Tank found the Fw 189
performed well from the outset

W
ith the Luftwaffe’s aircraft (the Henschel Hs 126) tactical recce asset with a crew (much better than the rival Ar
standard pre-war commencing flying trials in early of three, able to defend itself and 198), so the RLM placed an order
single-engined 1937, plans were afoot even then possessing greater mission range for another four prototypes. V4
reconnaissance for another more advanced and performance. D-OCHO was the forerunner of

This A-series Fw 189,

operating in austere
Eastern Front conditions,
exhibits the appropriate
yellow theatre patches
under the outer wings.

22 Airfix Model World


what would become the A-series
standard recce version, and which
would be employed later as the
test-bed for such equipment
as smokescreen laying. V5
BQ+AZ was then the prototype
for the B-series of dual-control
trainers, which resulted in five
pre-production B-0s, this variant
being known simply as the Eule
(Owl). The main difference was
a redesigned solid, rather than
glazed nose, a stepped cockpit
and seating for five aircrew.
Orders were at last placed for
the A-0 pre-production tactical
recce variant. Some say this
occurred in Spring 1940, but
in November 1939, 9 Staffel
(Heer)/Lehrgeschwader 2 (9.[H]/
LG 2) which had performed
close support for the Army in
Poland while flying the Hs 126,
was recalled to Paderborn in
Germany where it commenced
trials on the brand-new Fw 189.
Commanded by Oberleutnant
Gerhard Wöbbeking, training was
so successful during the winter of
1939-40, it was decided to prove
the aircraft in combat and the
opportunity came in the Battle
of France. On May 11, 1940, 9.(H)/
LG 2, operating a mix of Hs 126s
and Fw 189s, flew from Holzweiler
to Valkenburg in Holland and
over the coming weeks operated
from airfields at Heelen, Heysselt,
Maubeuge, Le Cateau, St Pol,
St Quentin, Chateau Thierry,
Villenauxe, Dijon, Lyon, Montargis
and finally Boulogne.
Very little is recorded about the
experiences of the Fw 189 in the
Battle of France, but one Uhu
was damaged by flak 2½ miles
(4km) west of Valenciennes on
Above: The Fw 189’s graceful lines are fully evident on this aircraft, operating over
the Eastern Front. Below: Unteroffizier Heinz Jahner and Lt Becker of 9.(H)./LG 2 in
the cockpit of an A-series aircraft at Eutingen, March 8, 1940.
May 21, 1940 and returned with its
Observer, Feldwebel Hugo Bald,
wounded slightly. Then on May
16, 1940, the RAF met the Uhu for
the first time. Records as to what
actually happened have been lost,
but one of the Hurricane pilots
involved, Plt Off Duggie Clift of 79
H1+EN of (H)/Aufkl.Gr.12 seen in Russia. The badge on the cowling is a red-clothed moor with a black face and feet, climbing a
yellow rope. (All photos Chris Goss unless stated)
Squadron, remembers some of
what happened: “We were based
at Merville, which was really only
a field at that time, and had to
leave in rather a hurry due to
the German ground advance. My
logbook was lost, burnt I hope, as
the huts were set on fire by the
IN FOCUS
Fw 189 UHU
groundcrews who left by what
transport they could plunder.
Therefore, the following is from
memory.
It was not prudent to tarry
as we had been strafing the
advance up to and including the
morning we returned to Biggin
Hill. Regarding the claimed Fw
189, I do now recollect owing
to the type as our targets were
usually He 111s and Do 17s. We
were patrolling a defined area.
I was with Tom Parker who was
another claimant. Sergeant Harry
Cartwright was on the Squadron
but I cannot remember if he was
on that sortie. During the combat,
we finished up at ground level
and there was a fair amount of
ack-ack. I vaguely remember
discussing with Tom that the Fw
189 was possibly a decoy to take
us over an ack-ack area…”
Claims were submitted by
Parker, Cartwright and Duggie
Clift, Cartwright being shot
down by one of the escorting
German fighters, crash-landing
successfully near Reves in
Belgium. Two Fw 189s were lost.
Oblt Wöbbeking and gunner
Gefreiter Berthold Allmann
were wounded when their plane
crashed between Ernage and
Orbais, the unnamed pilot being
unwounded. However, the Fw
189 flown by Unteroffizier Heinz
Schmitz crashed at Ramiliers-
Offus killing him, Observer
Leutnant Klaus Seehase and
gunner Gefreiter Hans Kaven.
Respect earned
Operational trials complete,
it was agreed the Fw 189 had
proved itself and as a result,
www.airfixmodelworld.com 23
 IN FOCUS
Fw 189 UHU
Above and below: Fw 189 A-0 WNr 0004 coded BQ+AU seen at Holzweiler, in the
winter of 1939-40 while being trialled the by unit 9.(H)/LG 2. Note the second aircraft
in the distance on the lower photograph.
full production of the Fw 189
A-1 commenced…especially as
the aircraft it was intended to
replace, the Hs 126, was slow
and vulnerable to British and
French fighters.
The A-1 was essentially the
same as the V4 with minor
aerodynamic improvements. Its
armament comprised two fixed
forward-, and two flexible rear-
firing machine guns and the
ability to carry four 50kg bombs.
In mid-1941, the A-2 appeared
and benefited from improved
firepower, with the guns changed
to the superior MG 81. Despite
this, no Luftwaffe frontline
tactical recce unit was operating
the Fw 189 for the invasion of
the Soviet Union in June 1941,
the preferred aircraft still being
the Hs 126. However, by the end
of 1941, most Hs 126 units had
converted to the A-1 and A-2.
These variants would be followed
by the A-3, a trainer, while the
final production model, the A-4,
appeared in late 1942 and was
24 Airfix Model World
armoured pod, which housed a
pilot and rear gunner. Trials were
disappointing, especially when
compared with its rival, the Hs 129
but nevertheless, the prototype
V6 D-OGAB was constructed as
an assault aircraft which would
be, designated Fw 189 C. The Hs
129 was then chosen and Focke
Wulf concentrated on the recce
variants. The Fw 189 V7 and V8
were the prototypes for the Fw
189D floatplane but development
was cancelled at the end of 1939.
The final versions were the Fw
189E (powered by Gnôme Rhône
engines) and F (Argus 411 engines),
but with production halting in late
1944, very few if any Fw 189Fs
made it to frontline units.
The final number of Fw 189s
produced was just more than
850. In addition to Germany,
intended as a close-support/ Below: Uffz Gerecke (right) in the cockpit of an A-0, Holzweiler, March 1940. The
tactical reconnaissance aircraft superlative vision offered by the type is exemplified well here…invaluable for an
fitted with 20mm forward-firing observation aircraft.
cannon and with improved
armoured protection.
In 1942, production started
to switch from Bremen and
Prague to Bordeaux-Mérignac
in south-west France and by
the end of the year, nearly all
Nahaufklärungsgruppen on
the Eastern Front operated the
Uhu. Its three-man crew made
it an effective recce platform
capable of defending itself well,
not just with its guns but also
good manoeuvrability. In total,
11 Aufklärungsgruppe and then
17 Nahaufklärunsgruppe would
operate the Fw 189 during the
war, as well as countless other
minor units, which included
headquarters and training flights.
In addition to the A-variant, there
were a number of other intended,
but soon abandoned, sub-types.
The V1 prototype became the V1b
assault or close-support variant
with the cockpit replaced by an
 IN FOCUS
Fw 189 UHU

Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

operated a very limited number
of aircraft, while after the war, the
Royal Norwegian Air Force flew a
handful for a short time. Britain’s
Royal Aircraft Establishment
evaluated a captured A-3 variant,
Werk Nummer 0173. Assigned
the number Air Ministry 27, it
was seen at Farnborough in late
Summer 1945 after which it was
exhibited around the UK, but in
January 1946 it went into storage
at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire,
after which it was scrapped.
Just one example of the Uhu
now exists; Fw 189A-1 WNr 2100
coded V7+1H of 1.(H)/32, was shot
down on May 4, 1943. Operating
from Pontsalenjoki, it took off
at 0306 hrs to photograph
the Soviet airfield at Louchi
III where it was intercepted by
a Hurricane flown by Major
Nikolay Sklyarenko of the 760th
Independent Air Regiment, who Above: ‘Versuchs’ (trials) aircraft V3, WNr 1999 TP+AW on start-up, at Holzweiler, March 1940. This airframe had the Hirth HM-512
shot it down into woodland near engines replaced with Argus AS 410s in changed cowlings. The bulges under the cowlings enclosed single exhaust outlets, whereas
the airfield. Pilot Uffz Lothar the V1 and V2 sported multiple exhaust stacks on the sides.

Mothes survived with head

injuries, but Oberfeldwebel
Kurt Lebrecht (observer) and
Obergerfreiter Günther Albrecht
(gunner) were both killed. It
took Mothes two weeks to
return to German lines and after
recovering, he resumed flying
duties and survived the war. In
1991, the Fw 189 was recovered
from its crash site by aircraft
restorer, the late Jim Pearce,
who brought the aircraft back
to the UK in 1992 where, four
years later, it was reunited with
Lothar Mothes. It was acquired
subsequently by the Flying
Heritage Collection in Washington
State, USA and it is thought
to be under restoration
Fw 189A WNr 2059 with factory code KH+GI. Note the fuselage band and lack of armament. somewhere in Europe.

This captured Fw 189A-3 with the

WNr 0173, and British roundels, sits
at the Royal Aircraft Establishment,
Farnborough, in 1945. It eventually
went to 6 MU Brize Norton in January
1946, after which it went into storage
before being scrapped. (Key Collection)

www.airfixmodelworld.com 25
 OUT AND ABOUT
HUDDERSFIELD SHOW

 580 Modellers’ Ian Tranter

originally envisaged his
scratch-built steam-powered
‘Stevenson’s motorcycle’
as a car, but his impatience
resulted in a reduction from
four wheels to two! (All photos
Stu Fone, unless stated)

 This ‘Old Man Logan’ bust on Washington

Model Club’s stand was a garage kit, but
received an almost lifelike complexion and
appearance, courtesy of Pete Watson’s
excellent painting.

 Neil Summersfield matched Esci’s 1/48 Saab Viggen with Neomega’s SK 37 conversion  Academy’s 1/35 Jagdpanzer 38(t) Hetzer – Prague 1945 was built straight out of the box
set, and a meticulous splinter paint scheme for his Swedish fighter trainer. by Sheffield modeller Glyn Hallgate, deservedly winning a commendation in the competition.

Kirklees Cool
competition, with more than 120
models entered, and the judges
faced quite a dilemma in several
categories. Best-in-Show was
won deservedly by Paul Brickles’
the scene. My thanks go to IPMS
Wakefield and District’s Robert
Lewis, who provided photographic
support after my camera
equipment suffered a minor

I
t may have been just two complex ‘Syrian Diorama’ scene, accident! Stu Fone
weeks since the previous local with a BMP-1 armoured personnel
modelling event (see Apr 2018, carrier smashing through a VIEW MORE ONLINE
p.56), but Huddersfield’s annual barricade, as rebel troops fled www.airfixmodelworld.com
show produced a surprisingly
fresh and invigorated display.
For several clubs, this was at
least their second show of the
year, but the displays featured
much that was new, and hinted at
yet more to come. The hall was
packed with clubs and traders,
with plenty of room for visitors
to navigate the aisles, and a
second room for extra exhibits
and the competition area. Variety
was definitely the spice of life,
from Ian Tranter’s scratch-built
‘Stevenson’s motorbike’ on the
580 Modellers stand, to John
 It’s great to find something a little different, and Deborah Wilson’s class-winning Ebbro
Lingwood’s much-modified 1/72
1/24 Citroen H van ‘Boulangerie’ was an eye-catching entry. (Robert Lewis)
HMS Hibiscus. Considering the
size of the event, it was great  This immaculate Revell 1/144 Space Shuttle and boosters was built by junior modeller
to see such a well-supported Nathan Nicholson, without any aftermarket...just attention to detail and careful painting.

26 Airfix Model World

 Pennine Models at Haworth

QUALITY
FROME MODEL CENTRE
MODELLING

86
19
SOME OF OUR AIRFIX BARGAINS
ce
sin
PRODUCTS
ed
Service and quality the way it should be
ish Series 1 Armour £5.50 03059 Short Tecano T1
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ta

01306 Stug 3 03062 Mosquito NF XIX/ J30

Es

We are one of the largest independent family run model shop in the 01307 JS3 Tank
01308 Tiger 1
country, situated in the historic town of Frome in the beautiful county
01311 SD.KFZ.234
of Somerset. We offer our customers probably the largest, most 01317 M3 Lee Grant
diverse range of modelling products under one roof with very helpful 01318 Matilda
and friendly service second to none. 01319 Chi-ha
We have many years of experience in the model trade and we offer Series 2 £7.99
free solid advice on all the ranges we stock (which is in the region of 02301 Scammel Tank Transporter
02308 Panzer 4
40,000 lines) not to mention the countless number of goodies that
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are available and which we are more than happy to order for you, 02316 WW2 DUKW
if we had the space we would stock them all! 02320 Sherman Crab
So if you’re new to the modelling hobby, an intermediate or a 02321 Churchill “Crocodile”
veteran modeller we will have something to wet your appetite. 02322 LWB Land Rover & Trailer
02326 Bedford MK. 4 Tonne Truck
02327 M113 U.S. Fire Support Version
02328 Saracen A.P.C. MK. 1/2/3
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Series 3 £10.50
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04301 Churchill Bridge Layer
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Series 5 £18.00
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Series 6 £22.50
06304 WW2 USAAF Bomber
Re-Supply Set
Series 1 Aircraft £5.50
01003 Curtiss Hawk 81-A-2
01003a Curtiss Tomahawk MK.11B
01004 North American P51D Mustang
01005 Mitsubishi A6M2B Zero
01006 Folland Gnat T.1
01008 Messerschimtt BF109E-4
01039 Bell P-39Q Airacobra
01054 DHC Chipmunk T.10
Club Models
82012 ME BF 109e3/7 £17.50
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Frome, Somerset, BA11 1DA Tues-Sat: 10am-5pm

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www.fromemodelcentre.com penninemodels@gmail.com

P027_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 16/03/2018 12:58:00

 BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER
SHOOT AND SCOOT
Johan Augustsson places Tamiya’s
new Archer self-propelled gun in a Dutch
setting, during the Battle of the Schelt,
autumn 1944
T
he British ‘Self Propelled
17pdr, Valentine, Mk I,
Archer‘ was developed
during the latter half of
World War Two, with the first
prototype being completed in
March 1943.
It was the result of fitting an
Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun
into a Valentine tank chassis.
Designed and manufactured by
Vickers-Armstrong, 655 were
built before production ceased
in May 1945. Archers were used
in North-West Europe and Italy;
and employed post-war by the
Egyptian Army.
The 17-pounder was powerful…
but also large and heavy, and
could just be moved around
the battlefield by vehicle alone.
Since the Valentine tank
28 Airfix Model World
had a small hull and it was not
possible to use a turret, the gun
was mounted in a simple, low,
open-topped armoured box, with
the gun facing to the rear to
keep the Archer’s overall length
short. The mounting allowed for
11° of traverse to either side, with
elevation from -7.5° to +15°. On
firing, the gun breech recoiled
into the driver’s space, and the
latter crew member stayed in
position, in case the vehicle
needed to move quickly.
The rear mounting,
combined with its low silhouette,
made the Archer an excellent
ambush weapon, allowing its
crew to fire, then drive away
without turning around.
Shake and bake
Tamiya has done it again;
it’s released a kit that
could almost be built
in darkness while
blindfolded!
Construction
presented
almost

British self-propelled anti-tank
MODEL SPEC
gun Archer
By: Tamiya
Stock Code: 35356
Scale: 1/35
Price: £47.99
Available from: The Hobby
Company
no problems at all, so described
here are simply the parts that
needed extra attention, or where
I deviated from the instructions.
It must be mentioned the kit
built here was a pre-production
version in a grey and rather
hard plastic, and this required
intermediate priming from time
to time; there’s green styrene
The first steps dealt
with the chassis, driver’s
area and engine firewall.
 The bogies are in place and all the completed wheel types have been neatened. Note the
direction of the former items.
BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER
in the production boxings.
Unusually for Tamiya, the kit
included quite a high number of
ejector pin marks in visible areas.
With two recently built AFV Club
Valentines under the belt, it was
noticed that Tamiya’s suspension
was not as intricate, and only
with major surgery could they be
constructed in any other position
than horizontally flat. The link-
and-length tracks, though, were
easy to build and were primed
beforehand.
As the Archer had an open
fighting compartment, all the
interior was painted before
the side walls and gun were  Displayed here are the four bogies…be sure to attach them in the correct position as the
installed; this included the roadwheels are of different sizes.
inside of the walls. After a
coat of Tamiya XF-61 Dark
Green, all details were painted
with Vallejo acrylics matching
the instructions, shaded and
highlighted accordingly. Once the
interior was built and painted,
initial weathering commenced via
diluted AK Interactive AK8027
 Inner ammunition racks, as well as the bottom parts of the outer racks have been added,
after initial black primer had been applied. Not too obvious due to the dark colour, but the
driver’s station was also completed.
www.airfixmodelworld.com 29
 BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER
Dry Mud, AK017 Earth Effects and
AK012 Streaking Grime.
The rest of the hull was
assembled without issue, and
then the gun. The latter was
kept off the vehicle for separate
painting, as was the gun shield.
Care should be taken when
removing Part C21 from the
runner in Stage 15, as it was both
thin and had a high number of
sprue gates. Ejector pin marks
were also present on the back-
rest, Part D53 in Stage 16. To add
 The roadwheels, return rollers and idlers are secured, but the drive sprockets were
interest, not all shell ends were
added later, together with the tracks.
added in Stages 21-22, but do
remember to drill the two holes
shown in Stage 23, if the kit’s ‘A’
version is built. In the same Stage,
Part C50 could be attached, and
here was the only replacement
made - the top handle was shaved
off and substituted with a spare
photo-etched metal part.
The gun shield proved to be
stubborn in not wanting to
adhere properly; it came off at
least five times during painting
and weathering stages; this
might also have been an effect
 Track construction ongoing! All link parts were primed on the runners beforehand, as was caused by the plastic in this pre-
the vehicle's underside. production kit. Finally, both the
The insides of the crew compartment walls were primed beforehand, and then all
equipment was added before the basic dark green was applied.
 There was a pleasing amount of detail
moulded on the gun mount.
30 Airfix Model World
Bren gun and the tow cables
were left off; the latter because
Tamiya’s cable ends were half
hollow, which was a cheap
solution to this detail. Note also
this pre-production sample did
not include the clear part G1 for
the spotlight.
Quest for colour
Before painting the rest of the
vehicle, the interior was masked
with foam material and masking
tape. Painting was carried out
via airbrush and with three
tones; the first from the sides
and with pure XF-61 Dark Green;
the second tone from above
in a 45° angle via XF-61, mixed
with XF-59 Desert Yellow and
XF-21 Sky. The last coat was
applied directly from above and
just to the centres of horizontal
panels, using the middle mix
but with more Sky and slightly
higher dilution. When this had
dried, I brush-painted the tracks
with AMMO-MIG A.MIG-
2007 Tracks Primer, and
the rubber parts of the
roadwheels and idlers with
Vallejo 70.995 German Grey.

The muffler and exhaust pipe
were masked and sponged
with Tracks Primer, and finally
the metal bar on the left-hand
toolbox was painted dark steel
grey (a blend of Vallejo 70.950
Black and 70.815 Basic Skintone).
A light coat of clear varnish
was added to areas where decals
would be applied, and the option
for the ‘Canadian 2nd Anti-
Tank Regiment, 3rd Canadian
Infantry Division, North-West
Europe Early 1945’ was
selected and added with
Micro Set decal solution.
Weathering was
tackled first through
the products already
employed in the
interior, the idea
being to portray
a rather dirty
BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER
vehicle. The time of use – the
Battle of the Schelt – was fought
from September-November
1944, in rainy weather and the
intentionally flooded Dutch
landscape, so it was thought a
 The hull top was installed, followed by the gun mount; the latter was then clicked in
place and the ‘shoe’ glued to the hull floor. Air intakes were also installed.
 All inner walls received a base coat damp look would be suitable.
of Tamiya XF-61 Dark Green before detail Both dark washes were added
painting. The exterior stowage boxes were in recesses, as well as muddy
also constructed at this stage.
brown tones around moulded
detail. Then larger deposits of
wet mud were added via mixes
of pigments, fine sand, plaster,
static grass, and AK Interactive
AK023 Dark Mud, AK016 Fresh
Mud and AMMO-MIG A.MIG-2015
Wet Effects. When all this was
done, splashes of AMMO-MIG
A.MIG-1752 Loose Ground
were added by loading the
compound onto an old brush,
and then blowing on the
model’s surface with an
airbrush.
Setting the
scene
The Archer kit
came with three
crew figures; a
gunner, loader
and commander,
but where the
driver went no
one knows. For many
years Tamiya fell behind with
its figures compared to other
manufacturers, but just lately
something has happened…
the firm has produced rather
pleasing figures, with examples
being the M10 and Valentine
crews, and the recent German
tankers collection (some of my
www.airfixmodelworld.com 31
 BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER

 The beautifully rendered and poor facial features were

17-pounder gun was as easy to present, and the collars needed
construct as the rest of the
close friends’ carving out around the shoulders
model. Still, the breech block
could only be depicted in an open faces were for better definition. It was
position…otherwise, delicate scanned by Tamiya for halfway into painting the first
surgery would be needed. this set). With the Archer crew, figure before it was realised the
though, Tamiya plunged back to subject was wearing the ‘pixie’
 The interior was finished after brush painting details, chipping and initial weathering. the 1990s. The poses were fine, suit! Disappointing, as the rest of
Light colour modulation was followed too, to make different green nuances more prominent. but what happened to the detail? the kit was so good.
Not all the shells were installed, as this was to be a vehicle shown in action. Surface pitting, unnatural folds Nevertheless, all three were

 Once all parts were added the model awaited external colour. The gun and its shield were
painted separately to ensure easier handling.

Side walls, the

small shroud over
the driver’s position
and toolboxes could then
be attached. No filler was
used up to this point, even
if certain ejector pin marks  Three tones of Dark Green, highlighted with Desert Yellow and Sky, were applied with
were discovered too late. the crew compartment being duly sealed beforehand. The parts still attached to the runner
were locking pins for the main gun.

32 Airfix Model World


 Detail parts, tracks and rubber portions of the roadwheels and return rollers have been
applied. Decals for the Canadian 2nd Anti-Tank Regiment, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division,
North-West Europe, early 1945 were positioned over a clear coat.
 The completed model awaited treatment from ‘Mother Earth’. The damaged ‘C1’ decal,
though was the result of a mistake by the modeller; an accident with some kind of solution
on the work bench.
assembled and painted with
Vallejo acrylics and Games
Workshop inks, following
the colour schemes in the
instructions. The chosen
mediums were Black and Sepia
inks, and highlights with 70.821
German Camouflage Beige and
70.819 Iraqi Sand added to the
basic colours.
A small wooden base was
selected and a Reality in Scale
Farmhouse (#35076, www.
realityinscale.com) found in the
stash to complement the tank
destroyer scene. The house was
built out of the box and painted
accordingly, with Humbrol 70
Brick Red dry-brushed over grey
primer to serve as a basis for the
brickwork. Tamiya XF-9 Hull Red,
mixed with XF-10 Flat Brown was
used for the tiles, with Vallejo
70.886 Green Grey for the thatch.
Door and window frames received
Andrea White 1st Highlight from
the company’s 'Whites' paint
set, and the flower espalier
with Vallejo 70.962 Flat Blue.
Brickwork and roof tiles were all
sponged with different greys,
browns and orange, to enliven
the base colour. All structural
surfaces were then treated to
washes and effects from AK
Interactive and MIG Productions.
The cobblestone street section
was made courtesy
of J’s Work silicone
moulds (www.
jsworkmodel.
BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER
com), in which household filler  Most of the weathering
was spread. Three ‘sheets’ were involved an array of ready-
needed and, due to the long to-use commercial mediums
from MIG Productions, AK
drying time of the filler, it took
Interactive and AMMO-
about a week to get even this MIG. Extra ‘wet effects’
small area covered; plaster will and plain steel paint on
be used next time! Fine sand and the wheel rims was
AK Interactive AK8023 Neutral still to be added.
Texture for Earth filled the
hollows between the cobblestone
sheets, and cork and the same
household filler covered the
small area beside the house. A
brickwork post was selected from
the stash to add interest.
When the groundwork had dried
it was airbrushed with XF-52
Flat Earth, and then sponged
with several grey, brown and
beige Vallejo shades, before
the application of several dark
washes. Before the wash had
dried fully, the same AK
www.airfixmodelworld.com 33
 BASIC BUILD
17-PDR ARCHER

Here is the more-or-less

completed Reality in Scale
Farmhouse. This firm is known
for highly detailed, first-rate
diorama products and this
was no different.

 The base under construction, with moulded cobblestone sheets, cork, and board for
levelling. Fine sand has been added between the cobbles and secured with diluted white glue.

 The kit's crew wasn't the best effort from Tamiya…but adequate. With soft detail,
painting becomes challenging, and it’s obvious here. Certain seams on the ‘pixie’ suits were
mistaken for mould lines and vice versa, while facial details were poor and hard to sharpen.

Interactive effects used on the
model were applied here and
there. Plants were added along
the house foundation, as well as
grass tufts from Fredericus-Rex
(www.fredericus-rex.eu), and
laser-cut leaves from different
manufacturers. Finally, the back
of the house model was covered
with black mounting board and
the figures were installed in the
Archer...et voila!
Almost falls together
As mentioned in the beginning,
this was a truly joyful build,
and had it not been for the
necessary intermittent priming,
the model itself could have been
built over a weekend. Painting,
weathering, base construction
and figures would of course
extend the time, but still…this
was one of the easiest model
kits ever built by this modeller,
and a splendid addition to the
collection. While the Archer falls
into the Basic Build category,
the scenic work demands a little
more skill if one wants
to take this route.

“TAMIYA HAS DONE IT AGAIN;

IT’S RELEASED A KIT THAT COULD
ALMOST BE BUILT IN DARKNESS”
34 Airfix Model World
 GRAPHICAIR MIL-SPEC
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P035_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 19/03/2018 10:35:45

 YOUR AIRFIX
RAF VC10 C.1

Aussie modeller
David Connolly
backdates Airfix's
VC10 tanker to a
smart C.1 transport

A
s a young chap,
the closest I got to
the beautiful VC10
airliner was BOAC
magazine advertisements. It was
many, many years later that I was
alongside the runway at RNAS
Yeovilton when a hemp-coloured
VC10 flew in for the annual air
show…absolutely regal!
So, my build is a happy amalgam
of an airliner-type scheme and
military service. The only readily
available kit was Airfix’s 1/144
tanker, but 26 Decals represented
several C.1 aircraft in its useful set
STS44229. lines on fin, tailplane and wings Filling the windows satisfactorily but I drew the line at exhaust or
Modifications were limited to (plus just a few on the fuselage) was the most time-consuming oil stains!
the obvious – remove refuelling and fill all windows/door shapes part. No washes were applied in The 26 decals are very fine,
gear, fill the resulting hole under (to be replaced with decals). I also any panel lines, but there is a little requiring careful handling. Many
the rear fuselage and the slots braced the interior of the fuselage pre-shading on the Light Aircraft had to be cut into manageable
for the pylons, add inner wing and wings to prevent flexing, and Grey areas. pieces (including the large freight
fences, shorten outer wing fences, added a curled piece of thin plastic The engine nacelles were also door) to avoid stretching, folding,
remove all raised access panels card to hide visible joins within the embellished with various drilled and creasing…nerve-wracking to
from under the wings, scribe panel front of the engine nacelles. holes and scraps of decal strip, say the least. Accuracy literally
hinges on placing the cheat line
precisely; doors and windows will
then fall into place. I was close, just
a couple of millimetres out, which
will only be obvious to anyone who
knows the aircraft intimately.
David Connolly,
Port Macquarie, Australia

Are you proud of a particular

Airfix build? Then let AMW know by
providing us with 200-250 words on the
project and what was involved, along
with 6-8 good quality photos against
a clean white background. Photo file
sizes should be 1MB or larger. Please
e-mail your submissions to the editor:
chris.clifford@keypublishing.com

36 Airfix Model World

 Veteranus Models
www.veteranus.co.uk
Model Kits: Model Railway: Paints: Scenics: Airbrushes: Tools: Books
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Manufacturers of hard plastic multipart figures in 28mm & WE BUY KITS & MODEL RAILWAY
54mm scales. Digitally designed and manufactured in The Harder & Steenbeck Tamiya - Mr Hobby/Mr Colour Acrylics
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P037_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 16/03/2018 14:12:11

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21

WHISPERING DEATH
Chris Jones transforms Airfix’s ustralia is a huge country not include torpedo gear or a

Beaufighter TF.X into an Australian

Mk.21, with High Planes’ resin conversion
A and in the event of any
conflict, the potential area
of operations for the Royal
Australian Air Force is vast.
This is as much the case now as
dorsal fin fillet. It was used by
the RAAF to devastating effect
against Japanese ground and
naval targets across the Pacific
region, at some point earning the
it was in 1939, when the RAAF was infamous nickname ‘whispering
in the market for a heavy fighter. It death’ on account of the quietness
wanted a powerful aeroplane that of its Hercules engines. The
could cover long distances while airframe featured in this build
packing a powerful punch, and the served with 22 Squadron, based
Bristol Beaufighter offered just at Sanga Sanga airfield in the
that. Initially, the RAAF operated Philippines, in 1945.
Bristol-built airframes, but by
1944 the Department of Aircraft
Production (DAP) was producing
home-crafted Mk.21 Beaufighters
in Australia. The Mk.21 stood
out from other Beaufighters for
a number of reasons, the most
obvious being the fairing for the
Sperry autopilot, visible as a
bulge on the nose. Beyond that,
it had a new rear canopy and the
ability to carry four wing-mounted
.50 cal machine guns, instead  The conversion began by filling and
of the normal rifle-calibre (.303) sanding the gun camera fairing and panel
For a modeller who loathes unnecessary effort, this conversion was delightfully simple!
offerings. Finally, the Mk.21 did on the nose.

38 Airfix Model World


PACIFIC THEATRE TRIO
High Planes Models’ (www.hpmhobbies.com) provides three RAAF decal options for
Mk.21 Beaufighters in overall Foliage Green.
• A8-50/DU-H, 22 Squadron RAAF, Sanga Sanga Airfield, Philippines 1945
• A8-24/EH-C, 31 Squadron RAAF, Coolamine Creek, Australia 1944
• A8-186/DU-I, 22 Squadron RAAF, Morotai, Dutch East Indies 1945
Bristol conversion
The Airfix Beaufighter in RAF
format has been covered
comprehensively by Airfix Model
World, so this article will focus on
High Planes’ resin conversion and
the nuances of the Mk.21. As far as
conversions go, this was gleefully
simple and much welcomed by
the author, who loathes messing
around unnecessarily! Beyond
the decals, the conversion
offered several resin parts
including a new instrument panel,
Bristol Beaufighter TF.X
MODEL SPEC
By: Airfix
Stock Code: 04019
Scale: 1/72
Price: £18.99
Available from: www.airfix.com
INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21
 The two outboard cartridge ejector chutes had to be filled, and cyanoacrylate/
accelerator worked perfectly for this.
As marked, the panel on the port wing
upper surface also had to be filled to
produce an accurate Mk.21.
‘hedgehog’ exhausts, .50 cal gun
barrels, the obligatory Sperry
autopilot fairing and a clear resin
navigator’s canopy. Sadly, the
latter was marred by blemishes
in this sample, so it was discarded
and replaced, but more on that
later. The proceedings kicked
off by tackling all the necessary
conversion tasks, before pressing
on with the rest of the build. Initial
work involved removing the gun
camera fairing on the nose; Airfix’s
kit represented this as a recessed
access panel above the slightly
raised gun camera fairing itself. So,
600-grade Wet and Dry paper took
care of the raised detail, before
reasonably thick cyanoacrylate
(CA) glue was applied to the
recessed panel, sprayed with
accelerator, then sanded. Before
assembly, the part was primed
with a dark acrylic, just to ensure
the work was up to standard. Since
Australian Mk.21s had different
wing gun arrangements to other
Beaufighters, a minor upgrade
 The interior was more than
adequate for 1/72 scale. High
Planes’ resin instrument panel
was basic, but hardly visible
on the finished model.
www.airfixmodelworld.com 39
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21
was also required in these areas.
The topside of the port wing
contained an access panel line for
the smaller calibre guns, which
wasn’t present on the Mk.21, so
this was filled and sanded via
the same CA method as already
detailed. Once more, this area
was primed before assembly,
just as a quality precaution.
On the underside of the
starboard wing, the two
outboard ejector chutes
also needed filling, and
CA/accelerator proved
a winning combination. As
mentioned, the Mk.21 featured a
new rear canopy, but frustratingly
the resin offering was covered in
numerous raised imperfections,
which made it unusable. To remedy
this, a kit canopy was measured
carefully, sawed and fitted with
a clear plastic blanking plate…a
reasonable solution and one which
avoided the need to chop the
40 Airfix Model World
 Removing
the kit-supplied
exhausts was
simplicity itself,
enabling the resin
‘hedgehog’ units to
be added later.
fuselage. The new
instrument panel
was fairly basic, and did
require some modification
to fit, but it could hardly be seen
on the finished model, so it wasn’t
really an issue. Minor surgery
on the kit exhaust assembly
was required, but this was as
simple as removing everything
behind the exhaust fairing. The
resin hedgehog exhausts were
coated with Alclad ALC-304 Gloss
Black Base, followed by ALC-102
Duraluminium, before an overspray
with light coats of Tamiya XF-1 Flat
Black and XF-64 Red Brown (a 2:1
mix). These were then set aside
until later.
Lurid green and
bulging noses
After assembling the internals
and neatening the fuselage
halves, painting could begin. Walk-
round photos of the preserved
Mk.21 at Moorabbin in Australia
showed an incredibly lurid green
hue inside, quite unlike the
subdued Interior Green usually
A colour akin toi apple
green was apparently
the interior shade
of choice on Mk.21
Beaufighters. It’s a bit
different at least!
"TAMIYA TAPE
SEATBELTS WERE
DETAILED WITH
A .05 PEN"
seen on Beaufighters.
P-51 Mustangs produced by
the Commonwealth Aircraft
Corporation (CAC) were
noteworthy for their bright
cockpit colour, which has been
compared to an apple green, and
it seemed that similar colour
was used on the Moorabbin
Beaufighter. One source cited FS
24110 as an approximate match,
so this was plucked from the
Lifecolor range (UA522, www.
airbrushes.com). Having been
led to believe Lifecolor can be
thinned and sprayed with water,
this was attempted and ended in
abject failure. Next time, specific
Lifecolor thinner will be sourced.
Instead, though, a Tamiya mix was
produced from the busy 5:8:8:7:3
combination of XF-5 Flat Green,
X-5 Gloss Green, XF-2 Flat White,
X-25 Clear Green and X-8 Lemon
Yellow...phew! Once the airframe
had been assembled, the Sperry
autopilot fairing was attached

 Home-made Tamiya tape seatbelts were detailed with a .05 pen and a sharp 2B pencil…
certainly cheaper than buying photo-etched metal replacements!
with slow-drying CA, neatened
and faired with Milliput Superfine
White putty. Apparently, the
wing guns were mostly omitted
if rockets were carried, but it
seemed a shame to avoid them
here (there weren’t many parts
to the conversion anyway), so the
holes for the .50 cals were also
marked and drilled at this stage.
After localised priming and a little
remedial work, painting could
then begin.
Foliage Green
Certain colours seem gloriously
controversial in the modelling
world and RAAF Foliage Green is
one of them; after much research,
the author was still in the dark
about the exact nature of this
shade! Thankfully Lifecolor offer
a match, but after the previous
spraying failure, this tone was
created from Tamiya paints.
After experimentation,
the following blend was
 Slow-drying cyanoacrylate was used to attach the nose-mounted Sperry autopilot
fairing, before it was neatened and faired with Milliput.
discovered, comprising a ratio
of 1:9:18:7:2 X-16 Purple, XF-2 Flat
White, XF-27 Black Green, X-5
Gloss Green and XF-1 Flat Black.
As ever, any errors are solely the
responsibility of the author, but the
result looked reasonable. However,
after applying a base coat, the
initial effort appeared far too dark.
The brief for this build was to
produce a faded, patchy
and well-weathered
aircraft, so the aging
INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21
 Once internal painting/weathering
was completed, the fuselage halves
could be joined.
 Tape was used to help set the correct
location of the .50 cal gun ports.
process could begin in earnest.
The first stage was to fade
the airframe gradually, through
mottled applications of
progressively lightened base coat.
It’s important to remember with
paint effects that even when they
look extreme, subsequent layers
of varnishing will mute the effect
substantially. I’ve lost count of the
times subtle paint variation has
been attempted, only to have it
disappear under a gloss coat,
www.airfixmodelworld.com 41
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21
An initial rendering of Foliage Green was much darker
than required, but fading was on the horizon.
never to return! The key, then, is
to make it look more exaggerated
than intended, in the confidence
that it will be subdued eventually.
Once an incredible amount of
fading had taken place, a batch of
the original paint mix was created,
Further mottling, panel
post-shading, streaking
and patchwork panels
were produced courtesy
of paint mixes closer to
the initial dark colour.
42 Airfix Model World
but minus the black and with a
dash more white, to start adding
further colour to the heavily faded
paint. Again, this was created
with random mottles. Next, the
standard base coat was mottled
all over and finally, this same mix
The paint was faded progressively with lightened
tones to create this rather exaggerated effect.
was used to fill certain panels (to prior to decaling.
suggest re-painting, touch-ups High Planes’ decals were excellent
or battle-damage replacement), and responded wonderfully with
sprayed across all panel lines and Micro Sol. Once dry, they were
in various streaks. As mentioned, sliced along the slightly deep panel
this looked exaggerated, but it was lines, before more Micro Sol was
soon to be muted by gloss coats, applied to avoid the risk of any
High Planes’ decals
performed very well. Note
how the gloss coat muted
the previously extreme
look of the weathering...

"A SCOURER WAS
USED TO CREATE
SUBTLE CHIPPING
AND SCUFFS IN
THE PAINT"
silvering. No panel line wash was
required, due to the depth of the
moulded detail, so the next step
was to seal the decals with multiple
mists of gloss. After mounting the
model on its undercarriage, as
much final assembly took place
as possible before the entire
airframe received Xtracolor
XDFF Matt Varnish. With this act
completed, it was then possible to
add the direction-finding loop and
transparent cover seen on Mk.21s.
Streakers...
Reference photos suggested the
cowls on this aeroplane were black,
and prone to heavy weathering. To
this end, the cowls were masked
and dry-brushed with Humbrol
33 Matt Black, before a metal
dishwashing scourer was used to
 Ah, the metal scourer! Not just useful in the kitchen, it can also be employed to produce
random scuffing and chipping on models.
INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21
create subtle chipping and scuffs
in the paint. Real Beaufighters
tended to leak much oil from their
Hercules radials, which streaked
back from under the cowl flaps
and stained everything behind. To
this end, a mix of AMMO-MIG Dark
Streaking Grime, Winter Streaking
Grime and Engine Grime (www.
migjimenez.com) was mixed and
streaked back with a thin brush.
It was then possible to soften
the streaks and drag the staining
backwards with a combination
of brush work and cotton buds,
moistened lightly with white spirit.
This effect took some time to build
in multiple layers, but the result
was worth it. Although Xtracolor
Matt is enamel-based, if left for 48
hours to dry at room temperature,  Multiple layers of oil streaking, courtesy of a mix of AMMO-MIG products, were used to
it can withstand considerable portray leaks and staining from the engines.
 Cordite and exhaust staining was layered with thin airbrushed mixes, while the wheels were
treated to a wash of AMMO-MIG Rain Mark Streaking Effects.
www.airfixmodelworld.com 43
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
DAP BEAUFIGHTER Mk.21

 Once again, the invaluable scourer was pressed into service, this time to create scuffs from
the footfall of groundcrew. Careful ‘taps’ are required for this to work, not dragging movements.

 The .50 cal gun barrels were incredibly well cast,

delicate and hollow. After a coat of XF-69 NATO
Black, AMMO-MIG Gun Metal pigment was applied by
cotton bud and secured with pigment fixer.

"PRISMACOLOR
METALLIC SILVER
PENCIL PROVIDED
CHIPPING
EFFECTS WHERE
APPROPRIATE"

staining came via a have been an isolated incident,

abuse. If need be, it can always
be touched up if required. The
wheels were treated to a thin
wash of AMMO-MIG Rain Marks
Streaking Effects, to simulate an
accumulation of Pacific dust, and a
Prismacolor Metallic Silver Pencil
provided chipping effects where
appropriate. Cordite staining was
rendered with super-thin XF-85
Rubber Black, while exhaust
highly diluted black-
brown mix. Finally, the
roundels were blended
into the overall fading
of the paintwork with
thin mottles of XF-55 Deck
Tan, before a scourer was used
to produce scuffing on the wings
(from groundcrew footfall).
To conclude...
High Planes’ conversion offers
a concise and effective way to
produce a Mk.21 Beaufighter
from the standard Airfix kit. The
issues with the rear canopy may
 The kit canopy was trimmed at the rear
and a blanking plate was added from clear
plastic sheet, to replace the blemished
resin offering.
but if not, it is certainly possible
to modify the kit canopy to
rectify this. There is something
enduringly menacing about
the appearance of Australian
Beaufighters in overall green, and
it must have been terrifying to see
these whispering green monsters
swooping over the jungles or
ocean before blazing away at
anything that caught their fancy.
Beyond the historical interest,
Pacific operating conditions also
offer many opportunities for
weathering, which can be
great fun.

44 Airfix Model World

 MIRAGE IIIE/5E ‘CYRANO’
IIIEA Argentina, 5SDE Egypt, 5EV Venezuela

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NORWAY´S AIRLINES
This first volume in European Airlines’ new series
on Norway’s airlines takes an in-depth look at the
companies formed during 1918–22, including the
aircraft imported and the people involved, using
numerous photographs, many of which are
published here for the first time.
THE BEGINNINGS OF NORWAY´S AIRLINES
Format: A4, hardback, ca. 220 photographs,
many colour profiles, ISBN: 978-82-93450-04-7
Price: £ 34,95 + postage

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P045_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 16/03/2018 14:16:19

 OUT AND ABOUT
UNIVERSAL MODEL SHOW

 For his Best-in-Show entry,
Steve Perry showed what could
be achieved from wargaming kits,
using Rubicon’s 1/56 vehicles and
figures to recreate a North African
scene of Erwin Rommel and his
Afrika Korps preparing for battle.
(All photos – Stu Fone)
N
antwich’s Malbank 6th
Form College opened
its doors once again
for the South Cheshire
Military Modellers’ show,
welcoming clubs, traders and
visitors from near and far to a
suitably eclectic event.
As its name suggested,
it represented an A-Z of
construction hobbies, with Lego,
railways, dioramas, models and
everything in between. Exhibits
ranged from miniatures to full
size; the latter including a Land
Rover, Wombat recoilless rifle,
various militaria/re-enactor
displays and wargamers.
However, the kids’ favourites
were undoubtedly the Star Wars
cosplayers, with Chewbacca,
R2-D2, Boba Fett, Darth Vader
and Kylo Ren all roaming the
venue, accompanied by squads
of Stormtroopers and Rebels.

Northwest Omnibus
The show appeared larger
and busier than last year’s, as
evidenced by the competition
entries, with twice as many
vying for Best-in-Show; after
much deliberation, Steve Perry’s
small-scale ‘Rommell’ diorama
took the accolade. It was great
to see so many junior entries,
with Adam Haven’s 1/35 winter-
camouflaged Tiger I particularly
noteworthy. As always, the
South Cheshire club made
everyone welcome, even holding
a ‘mini-BAFTAs’ to commend
the Lego display (including a
‘have a go’ building area), and
award Best Club display to the
Merseyside team, with its varied
 580 Modellers' David Foxall combined Tamiya’s 1/32 F-16C with Wolfpack’s conversion set and busy exhibit.
and spare weapons from Academy’s same-scale kit to produce this gorgeous United Arab Stu Fone
Emirates’ F-16E ‘Desert Falcon’.
 Nick Bradshaw’s ‘The Mother of Dragons’ bust was one of several realistically painted VIEW MORE ONLINE
subjects on the North Staffordshire Model Club table. www.airfixmodelworld.com

 Deservedly winning the ‘Miscellaneous’ category, Neil Kilshaw’s Thompson’s Gazelle, built  Robert Bedford’s careful airbrushing lent a war-weary appearance to his Tamiya 1/48 He
from a JP Delorme resin kit, looked as if it had just paused in its eating to be photographed. 219 Uhu; one of many excellent builds by the IPMS(UK) Luftwaffe Special Interest Group.

46 Airfix Model World

 PO Box 56023
St. Petersburg, FL 33732-6023

P047_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 16/03/2018 15:02:13

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A
TRAINER
WITH TEETH
I
nstantly recognisable as the
mount of the incomparable
Red Arrows aerobatic team,
the Hawk certainly ranks in
the aviation hall of fame.
Renowned for being a real pilot’s
aeroplane with no frills and sports
car-like performance, it continues
to secure global success as a
trainer and light combat aircraft.
First entering service with the RAF
in 1976, Hawk fulfilled the training
roles previously undertaken by the
Gnat and Hunter. Hawk T.1s were
used for advanced flying training,
 CMK has produced control surfaces for the Airfix Hawk 100. Although there are a number
of differences between Hawk 100s and earlier variants, these fitted the T.1/T.1A without too
much trouble.
 Once more, the CMK wheel well set was designed for the Airfix new-generation Hawk, but
it can also be made to fit the T.1/T.1A.
48 Airfix Model World
Chris Jones throws a bundle of aftermarket items
at Airfix’s re-released Hawk T.1A
and Tactical Weapons Units (TWUs)
to provide armament training for
prospective fast jet pilots, while
the T.1As of the latter had the
necessary wiring to enable carriage
of AIM-9 Sidewinders. During the
Cold War, some RAF Hawks were
even declared to NATO to provide
local air defence or operate as
part of the mixed-fighter force,
alongside the RAF’s radar-
equipped interceptors. Currently,
the Hawk family exists in numerous
guises worldwide, while the T.1/T.1A
has now been superseded by
the T.2 for RAF advanced flying
BAE Hawk T.Mk.1A
training. It is an iconic machine, MODEL SPEC By: Airfix
which will serve well into the future.
Stock Code: A03085A
Tactical asset
Airfix's T.1/T.1A has of course Scale: 1/72
been available before, and Price: £12.99
since many readers will have
Available from: www.airfix.com
built it, a large amount of
aftermarket items was procured
for this project to provide a new
perspective. As mentioned, the
only real difference between
these variants was the weapons
carriage capability of the T.1A

KIT COLOUR SCHEMES
Airfix supplies decals for an older aircraft in tactical Dark Green/Dark Sea Grey,
and a more modern black jet with a specially decorated 100th anniversary tail:
• XX353/M, 151 Squadron, RAF Chivenor, 1983
• XX256, 208 Squadron, RAF Valley, 2016
and to that end, this release
includes a warlike runner omitted
from the Red Arrows boxing.
This includes pylons, AIM-9
Sidewinders (and rails), drop
tanks and a basic ADEN cannon
pod. The kit itself originates from
the 2009 tooling and as such, the
panel line detail is heavier than
on newer Airfix products, but
actually looks quite presentable
under paint and varnish.
Aftermarket assault
The first intention was to fit an
Eduard cockpit set, labelled for the
‘Airfix Hawk’, but upon opening the
pack, it was full of multi-function
display screens for the Hawk 100
series, and not
relevant for
the analogue
dials of the
older Hawk
T.1A. Thankfully,
Finnish firm
INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A
Res Kit offers a set of 1/72
resin Matra 155 rocket pods,
and in TWU service these
were often carried by Hawk
T.1As. Slight mould texture
was present, but the overall
detail was excellent.
To improve cockpit fit, the
front bulkhead was moved
backwards slightly, while
the locating hole for
the rear bulkhead
Kuivalainen has designed a photo- was enlarged.
etched (PE) metal cockpit upgrade
(produced by Eduard) for the
Hawk Mk.51, the export version
of the T.1, so this was procured as
well. After test-fitting the cockpit
hub, the front bulkhead sat too
far forward and hung over the
nosewheel bay void, so careful
trimming allowed it to lay slightly
further back. Additionally, the
rear bulkhead sat high at the rear,
but enlarging the locating hole
allowed it to be lowered. Beyond
this, the instrument panels were
oversized, both in comparison to
the kit decals and the intended
metal replacements, so these were
trimmed suitably too. The new
instrument panel coamings from
Kuivalainen also required surgery,
so the front of the cockpit was
sliced appropriately. Once content
the interior would fit snugly, nose
ballast was added via small fishing
weights fixed with cyanoacrylate
 The key difference between the T.1 and
T.1A was that the latter could carry weapons.
A runner of stores included the obligatory
ADEN cannon, along with useful AIM-9
Sidewinders, rails and drop tanks.
www.airfixmodelworld.com 49
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A

ATTACK OF THE EXTRAS

A varied collection of aftermarket parts was procured for this build. Not all the
items used were specifically designed for Airfix’s Hawk T.1, but improvisation was
the order of the day here. For example, the CMK products were designed for the
Airfix Hawk 100 Series, but they fit the Hawk T.1 family too with a little effort.
CMK
7198 BAE Hawk 100 series control
surfaces  Careful hand-brushing was used to match the PE colours to the desired cockpit hue. The
7199 BAE Hawk 100 series panel on the right has been painted.
undercarriage set
(CA), while rudder pedals came
Quickboost from the Flightpath set. Delicate
QB72466 BAE Hawk air intakes brush painting also took place on
the Kuivalainen instrument panels,
Res Kit so the grey would also match the
RS72-0060 Matra 155 rocket pods chosen mix sprayed in the cockpit.
Master After a gloss coat on the interior
AM-72-020 Pitot tube for BAE Hawk (Alclad ALC-600 Aqua Gloss Clear)
and an oil wash, the coloured
Kuivalainen metal parts were added and
KPE72036 BAE Hawk Mk.51 interior subjected to a layer of Xtracolor
(The Hawk Mk.50 series were export XDFF Matt Varnish. Applying
versions of early trainer variants) the front coaming was tricky,
until discovering that Blu-Tack
Flightpath could be used to support it, while
FHP72060 BAE Hawk T.1/T.1a detail and Gorilla Epoxy Glue was applied
weapons set around the edges. Although this
(Designed for Italeri kit) sets quickly, it was neatened with
damp cotton buds, so a fine, thin
bead of glue was created around
Flightpath rudder pedals enhanced the mating surfaces.
the cockpit detail, but fairly brutal
surgery was required on the kit Wings and things
instrument panels and coaming to More drastic action was required
fit the Kuivalainen PE parts.
on the wings to fit CMK’s wheel
well set. Although both items from
the firm used here were for the
Hawk 100 series, most elements
will fit the T.1/T.1A. However, since
the 100-Series airframes have
enlarged noses and bigger wings,
the nose gear bay cannot be used,
nor the separate ailerons. The
detail present in the main wheel
wells was superb, and looked
brilliant with detail painting and
an oil wash, but before that could
happen, a modicum of minor
surgery was in order...
After applying Black Dymo tape
as a guide, careful scalpel slices
were used
to remove the kit
wheel well, before the resin
replacement was secured
with CA and accelerator. The
fit was actually very good,
although more CA was still
required to fill the joins, but
after much sanding a perfect,
blended fit was achieved. The inner
surfaces of the upper wings were
thinned substantially (gouging the
wing root was optional!) and the
mating surfaces on the fuselage
were also modified to ensure
the wheel well would fit once
the wings were together. The kit
flaps were also removed at this
point. Returning to the question
of undercarriage, it was noted
that the kit nose wheel doors as
supplied were full length, whereas
on the real Hawk,
they only extend
partially down
the bay,

50 Airfix Model World

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A

before a rear door

covers the rest of
the gap. With this in
mind, more surgery took
place before a new rear door
was obtained from the Flightpath
set. Beyond this, the main
undercarriage doors on both the
kit and the CMK set weren’t quite
the right shape, but it was decided
to press on with the resin items
regardless. Besides, they would
be ‘shielded’ effectively by Matra
rocket pods later on.
The Hawk has interesting flap
 To install the CMK mainwheel well, more surgery was in order. Here,
black Dymo tape provided a guide for careful scalpel slices.

vanes which cover the top edge  With surgery completed, the CMK resin could be added later in the build. Gouging holes
of the main flaps, but they came in the wing root while attempting to thin the under surfaces was optional!
as full span items, which was
inaccurate for the T.1/T.1A, so they
were chopped appropriately and
thinned a little on the underside to
ensure a good fit. They were also
excruciatingly thin and delicate,
so much care was required.
Intriguingly, the aileron hinge
line engraving stopped half way
across on the kit wings, so this was
re-instated with more Dymo tape
and re-scribing. On real Hawks, it
is possible to see daylight between
the rudder and tail fin, so the kit
rudder was also removed with
delicate scalpel work. The fit of
the wing halves and main fuselage
halves was perfect, and after  Cyanoacrylate was used to secure the mainwheel well and fill any gaps. After judicious
leaving the glue to harden for sanding (always take extra care with resin and avoid the dust), a perfect fit was obtained.
around four days (to help prevent  The aileron hinge line didn’t cover its full span, so more Dymo tape was used as a
shrinkage and ‘ghost’ seams) scribing guide.

The first part of airframe construction

required the removal of the kit
flaps, so CMK’s items could
be employed instead.

www.airfixmodelworld.com 51
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A

the joins were neatened before
Quickboost produces revised
the whole airframe was mated.
heat-exchanger intakes with
open fronts, so the kit items Although the fit was excellent,
had to be removed first. as ever, Milliput was used to add
further neatness.
Humps and lumps
Further detail enhancement on
the Hawk’s spine hump was next,
with Quickboost heat-exchanger
intakes. After removing the kit
offerings, the resin replacements
were secured with slow-drying CA
and faired in with Gorilla Epoxy
glue. Although just a small item,
they made a big difference visually.
Moving further down the spine,
the moulded starter intake grilles
were removed, before metal
replacements from Kuivalainen
were secured with more Epoxy. The
starter exhaust was also drilled
through with a pin vice to complete
the spine modifications. Attention
then moved back to the wing,
to secure the flaps. CMK’s flap-
operating link fairings fitted the kit
locating holes beautifully, although
it was vital to pay attention as they
were all slightly different sizes, as
per the real thing. Retrospectively,
slight modification to the holes
would have been better as not all
fairings quite touched the flaps, but
the result still looked reasonable.
The fairings were attached with yet
more Gorilla Epoxy, along with the
main flaps themselves. Once set,
the flap vanes were secured with
tiny drops of CA. Wing fences were

XTRADECALS GALORE

Tamiya tape was used as

a guide for careful work
with a razor saw, to fit the
Flightpath wing fences.

 Kuivalainen's set included superb starter intake grilles. These, along with Quickboost
intakes, were secured with Gorilla Epoxy Glue to allow alignment. Although it sets quickly, it
can be cleaned with damp cotton buds before curing…much less stressful than Super Glue.

UK mail order giant Hannants has produced a goldmine of Hawk decals (in several
scales) through its Xtradecal brand, and two comprehensive sheets were utilised for
this build. X72166 provides an eye-watering amount of unit markings Hawks in air-
defence greys and tactical wrap-around schemes, all the way through to the older
white/red training liveries in RAF service. Meanwhile, a complete set of data stencils
was provided on sheet X72166. Owing to the wide range of colours worn by RAF Hawks,
the stencils also changed in colour and style over the years, and this sheet covers all
the aforementioned variations in Hawk shades, including contemporary gloss black.

52 Airfix Model World

 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A

After removing the kit rudder, the CMK

item could be installed. On real Hawks,
one can see daylight between the rudder
and fin itself. The trailing edges were
extremely delicate, and minor damage
occurred to the top rear edge, which was
repaired at the end of the build with a
small drop of paint.

addressed next and, after using
Tamiya Tape as a guide, nail-biting
razor saw work took place to
apply Flightpath’s wing fences.
It was essential to keep test-
fitting, to avoid accidentally
creating a brand-new clipped-wing
Hawk variant!
On the underside, a plastic
card insert was used to cover
the airbrake seam, as on the real
aircraft this area seems devoid
of detail, and it saved tackling an
awkward join line.
Attractive aerial base plates were
also supplied by Flightpath, and
were fixed in place with CA. Yet
more refinement to the cockpit
came courtesy of head-up displays
from Flightpath, although
for a wrap-around livery were  CMK’s flap-operating link fairings fitted well with the kit locating holes. Retrospectively,
available at the time of building, the kit holes could have been modified to further improve the fit between fairings and flaps,
an attractive 63 Squadron scheme although the result was reasonable.
from the TWU at RAF Brawdy was
favoured, and after a base coat
of Tamiya XF-54 Dark Sea Grey,
the Green was applied freehand
via XF-81 RAF Dark Green. These
colours were then mottled with
light and dark tones, while the
standard base coats were also used
to colour certain panels. It was
important to make this look a little
too extreme, as the subsequent
gloss and matt varnish would
subdue the effect substantially.
Alclad Aqua Gloss Clear was then
applied over several sessions, to
achieve a high-gloss finish for the
decals, courtesy of Xtradecal
 The flap vanes are not full span on the Hawk T.1 family, so these were trimmed according
to reference photos. These parts were extremely delicate to remove from the casting
blocks, and much care was required during assembly to avoid breakages.

just the front item was

applied at this stage. After using
a sheet of clear plastic to provide
the HUD glass, this was secured
with Micro Kristal Klear, before
the windscreen was attached with
more of the same, and the cockpit
was masked.

Green and grey

RAF tactical wraparound
schemes were applied after
the realisation of just how
obvious light-coloured undersides
were at low level. This could
be lethal when trying to avoid
visual detection from hostile
fighters, so the entire scheme
was wrapped around the whole
airframe. While Airfix decals

www.airfixmodelworld.com 53
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A
A base of Tamiya Dark
Resplendent in all its Sea Grey was followed
aftermarket glory, the kit by a freehand coat of
was almost ready for paint. Tamiya RAF Dark Green.
The HUD frames from Flightpath
(see panel). These performed
looked marvellous, as did the superbly, and the roundels even
antenna mounting plates. conformed over the minute vortex
generators with help from Micro
Sol and gentle pressure. Of note,
the Xtradecal data stencil sheet
was incredibly well realised and
suitably subtle. Once the decals
were sealed with more gloss
varnish, the mainwheel wells
came in for additional attention.
Although it could seem counter-
intuitive, fine detail painting over
a gloss coat can be well worth the
effort, as any errors can be left
to dry, and then removed with a
sharp cocktail stick. With that in
mind, careful brush work brought
 To hide the seam, a thin plastic card insert was applied to the airbrake bay. In real life, life to the superlative wiring,
these areas seem fairly devoid of detail, so this seemed a reasonable approach. piping and equipment boxes CMK
rendered. Careful application of
AMMO-MIG’s A-MIG.1407 Engine
Grime wash was used to complete
the process in this area.
Stains on planes
After completing as much final
assembly as possible, the airframe
was muted with multiple thin coats
of Xtracolor XDFF Flat Varnish.
After discovering a wonderful
reference photo showing grime
streaks underneath an RAF
Hawk,it was decided to re-create
these through a number of
54 Airfix Model World
methods. Firstly, a super-thin
mix of two-parts XF-1 Flat Black
to one-part XF-64 Red Brown
provided soft staining, before tiny
drops of black/grey oil paint
were applied with a cocktail
stick and dragged back with
a cotton bud (moistened
lightly with white spirit).
Finally, a black blendable
pencil was
sharpened
keenly to apply fine streaks. These
pencils can be worked with water,
hence the ‘blendable’ label, so
damp cocktail sticks were used to
drag back these streaks and soften
them where required. As the kit
panel lines were reasonably deep,
an oil wash was not required but
the same black/brown airbrush
mix was used to apply a sense of
grime accumulated around panel
lines, with precise post-shading.
While the build progressed,
one unique
area that had
been receiving
 INTERMEDIATE BUILD
BAE HAWK T.1A

155 pods from Res Kit looked most

impressive, and the intake blanks
from Flighpath really looked the
business too. The final stage was
to apply the ludicrously fine pitot
from Master Model. This firm’s
turned metal items are exquisite Numerous tones of
the same paint were
and the Hawk pitot, with its
mottled to produce
complex curves and fine point was a weathered look.
another case in point. Although it looks
extreme here, the
Final thoughts subsequent varnish
The shape of the 1/72 Airfix made the effect much
Hawk T.1/T.1A is good from the more subtle.
box, and the fit of the airframe
superb. Certain areas do require
Since yellow and black
attention, but for anyone starting
is the author’s favourite
out in the hobby, or returning combination of colours,
from a hiatus, it represents a the application of 63
Squadron’s fighter
bars was desirable.
Xtradecal’s markings
were truly excellent.

good chance to build a basic kit

and try one’s hand at correction
work and minor scratch-building.
For more experienced modellers,
or those with aftermarket sets in
the stash, the basic kit provides a
platform for real super-detailing
opportunities. This project
demanded much time and surgery,
but the result was well worth
it. Beyond that, there are so
many gorgeous Hawk schemes
available, from home and
abroad, there is plenty of  The canopy took an extraordinary amount of time to complete, thanks to the extra
inspiration for any masking required for the seals and MDC. Despite great care, numerous brush touch-ups
modeller. were required.

attention was the canopy. Thanks

to the presence of obvious canopy
seals and the prominent miniature
detonating cord, much extra
masking was required, along with
numerous brush touch-ups…but
the result was worth the trouble.
 Master’s turned brass pitot added a
After removing the cockpit masks,
level of refinement simply not possible with
the build was brought to its final plastic. Meanwhile, panel line post-shading,
stages. At this point, a number intake blanks from Flightpath and the Res Kit
of the aftermarket items really Matra pods further enhanced the detail.
excelled at elevating the detail
 Guided by a photo of Hawk underside
to another level. Flightpath’s
weathering, a combination of airbrushing, oil
white metal ejection seats looked streaking and blendable pencils were used
blindingly good once painted, as to add grimy streaks. The Aden pod was
did the warning placards from enhanced with re-scribing and a barrel made
Kuivalainen. Meanwhile, the Matra from Albion Alloys brass tube.

www.airfixmodelworld.com 55
 ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8
Garry Tobiss builds an esoteric but intriguing real space
subject, in the form of L’Arsenal’s Ranger 8 probe
T
he National Aeronautics
and Space Administration
(NASA) created the
unmanned Ranger
programme to secure the first
detailed reference images of the
lunar surface.
These photos were then used
to select suitable landing sites
for the Apollo missions, which
resulted in man walking on the
moon. Ranger probes were built
by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory
(JPL) and launched aboard
an Atlas-Agena rocket (Atlas
56 Airfix Model World
196D first and Agena B 6006
second stage). Each Ranger
was designed to fly straight into
the moon, taking photos with
their six on-board cameras…
transmitting the imagery back
to earth until the moment of
impact. The programme had a
troubled start when Rangers
1 and 2 failed to leave their
parking orbit around earth. The
next three missions suffered
communications malfunctions,
and either missed the moon
or failed to transmit. Ranger
6 experienced camera failure.
In July 1964, though, Ranger
7 successfully returned high-
quality images of Mare Cognitum
(Sea that has become known).
Ranger 8 was launched on
February 17, 1965 and impacted
Mare Tranquillitatis (Sea of
Tranquility) on February 20, 1965.
More than 7,000 images were
acquired prior to the probe’s
impact, and the force of the
collision formed a crater more
than 8 miles (13km) wide. Ranger
9, the final spacecraft in the
series, launched in March 1965
and was also successful.
Lift-off
French firm L’Arsenal has created
a unique subject with this kit. It
was supplied as a typical short-
run product in a functional
cardboard box, sporting a
basic image with information
provided on a CD. There was
much data to trawl through on
the disc…95 separate files just
for the assembly instructions (in
English and French), then more
supporting material including
a parts list, painting guide,

Main parts for
the spacecraft’s
payload section.
The six small
pieces replicated
camera lenses.
assembly photos, reference
photos and a series of NASA
footage files. The latter were in
.FLV format so would need to
be converted to MP4 format (at
least on an AppleMac) to allow
them to be played. These files
are all public domain items so,
rather than messing around with
the required file conversion, the
basic file title was put into an
Added refinement
Besides resin components, L’Arsenal provided well-printed decals and photo-
etched (PE) metal details. The two large PE parts are the top surface solar panels.
ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8
Internet browser and the same
footage was soon located on
popular video-sharing websites.
Parts for the model itself were
mainly resin but also included
photo-etched (PE) metal, various
 The bus is shown top left, together with the hexagonal casting block that had to be
tiny metal rods and tubes, plastic removed. Below are the colour coded support legs still on the casting block.
tubing, two small sections of wire
mesh with which to make the
antenna dish, plus decals for the
solar arrays. An inspection of
 Six PE parts were added to the underside of the bus, followed by the housing for the
small thruster.
 Each leg seen separated from the casting block. The needle file at the top, from Albion
Alloys (www.albionhobbies.com), proved useful in neatening the parts. Note the brass tube
and resin brackets.
www.airfixmodelworld.com 57
 ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8

 One completed thruster power board assembly (top left) and components for the
second. Note the completed item also has small wires added.

the resin castings showed Resin is very brittle –

they were generally of especially the smaller
 Four strengthening bars, plus six support struts between the legs, completed a well- very high quality, with few parts, so new scalpel
detailed structure. air bubbles and areas of blades and PE razor
distortion. It’s been said saws were used to
many times before but separate the pieces
just in case the reader is from the casting
new to resin, it must be blocks. Ranger 8 had
handled with care. The dust a payload comprising
is potentially toxic, so all a tower housing the
sanding was done with very cameras sitting
damp Wet and Dry paper, on top of the bus
so none of the dust floated (ie the services
around the work area. All component of
shavings and sawdust were the probe).
disposed of after each This was
part was separated and supplied as
cleaned, rather than let three
any residue gather. large

 Both power boards attached to the bus. The two spherical

helium tanks are clearly visible, and the small wire additions
represent connecting pipes.

NASA-JPL Lunar Probe Ranger 8

MODEL SPEC

By: L’Arsenal
Stock Code: 2401
Scale: 1/24
Price: €79.95
Available from: www.larsenal.com

58 Airfix Model World


 Miniscule mounting blocks were attached, followed by helium pipes around the top of the
bus and down the legs to the attitude control thrusters.
pieces of resin, plus six small
parts for the camera lenses. All
were neatened so they seated
correctly, but a small amount
of filler was needed to deal
with several gaps. The bus was
a chunky piece with a large
hexagonal casting block, which
was removed very carefully with
a razor saw. The area was then
made smooth with Wet and Dry,
and the PE was then added.
Supplying the instructions on
a CD meant a huge amount of
information could be provided,
but the drawback was that unless
your computer was close to the
work area, it was difficult to
reference the intricate details.
So, a few sheets were printed
for assemblies such as the
legs and solar panel launch
supports, because these needed
plenty of study.
Engineering challenge
Each leg was different, so
they were colour coded with
permanent marker pens to
ensure there was no confusion.
It eventually emerged that
ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8
Support struts
for the antenna
dish when stowed
were added to the
bottom of the bus;
these were very delicate.
the drawings were detailed
sufficiently to allow identification
without the colours, but using
the coding did expedite assembly,
so was worth the effort. Time
was needed to clear the resin
from the lightening holes in
each leg though – slow and
steady was the best approach to  Resin brackets and brass wire were used for the stowed solar panel supports. The parts
avoid breakage. Once the legs were assembled as shown and then added to the bus.
were on the bus it was time to
One of the completed
add the supporting struts; an solar support brackets
intriguing part of the build, which is shown on the bus.
seemed to drift into engineering This was a
rather than traditional model fiddly structure
construction. Four strengthening to portray
braces were formed via brass correctly.
tube, with resin brackets at each
end, but adding the latter was
tricky. Six connecting struts were
then attached with more resin
brackets and brass wire. Aligning
the strengthening braces was
a minor challenge; they were
attached with white PVA glue
– just as well because initially
they were positioned incorrectly.
Super Glue then followed to
provide a permanent bond. Super
Glue with rubber additive was
trialled for the first time, and this
was much superior to the brittle
bonds afforded with traditional
cyanoacrylate. The addition of
the braces and struts resulted
in a surprisingly robust
 These parts built into the
deployment motor, used
to move the high-gain
antenna from its
stowed position.
www.airfixmodelworld.com 59
 ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8
Alternative AntennAs
 The basic parts for the high-gain antenna dish are shown here. Careful construction
was required to ensure the whole assembly was symmetrical.
 The motor seen mated with the bus struts. Note the two lead wires…the blue vinyl tube
supplied in the kit is also shown but note its over-scaled nature.
structure at the base of the
bus. Two thruster boards were
then constructed from resin,
PE and wire. These contained
the spherical helium tanks used
to provide flight control. Next,
various small resin parts were
attached to the struts. Four
of the legs had small attitude
control thruster units, and helium
pipes to connect these to the
tanks were formed by bending
lengths of 0.3mm wire to the
shape of the top of the bus.
There were two sections, each
starting and ending at a thruster
on the support legs. The pipes
were mounted on incredibly
 Two wire mesh pieces were cut into 12 segments, with the two pieces of resin used tiny resin blocks, which had
as a master. They were then supposed to be overlapped to form the dish mesh. delicate cradles – it was a fine
demonstration of skill by the kit
engineer that these were cast.
Ultimately, the blocks on top
of the bus were not employed
because they were so miniscule,
and barely visible after the pipe
had been attached. Adding the
teeny blocks to the legs was
trial enough, but very careful
application with fine-tipped
tweezers settled them into place.
The last major assemblies on
top of the bus comprised two
supports for the solar panels
when stowed for launch. These
were unusual structures, and
it took much study of the
instructions to understand the
geometry. They were formed via
resin brackets and wire struts.
The kit instructions suggested
gluing some of the brackets to
the bus and then aligning the
structure. This was attempted,
 Using a tennis ball as a former for a piece of plastic mesh proved to be much easier. but in the end, a hybrid approach
This also had the advantage of no join seams. of instructions plus trial and
error was used because it was
60 Airfix Model World
difficult to achieve correct
angles on the brackets. Several
of the latter had to be eased
from their seating gently to
ensure correct orientation.
The resultant structure was
not totally symmetrical, but
satisfactory enough. Meanwhile,
the bus had support struts added
underneath; these were used
on the spacecraft to stow the
antenna for launch. By now the
model had become festooned
with various small components
that would have been very easy
to damage, so great care was
exercised when handing the unit.
Vital energy
Two solar panels provided power
for the spacecraft, and these
came as two resin pieces for
the lower sides, with PE faces.
Strangely, one panel was slightly
smaller than the other and the
resin a different shade, but this
was unlikely to cause a problem
because the PE parts were
identical. Both
pieces of resin were
warped slightly, so
they were warmed
gently with a heat gun
and flattened. It was
possible that gluing them
to the PE would have
achieved the same result,
but no risks were taken. The
bottom of each panel had
PE parts, plus the need for
wires to be added. The latter
were created according
to the diagrams, with
0.3mm wire - a task that
looked complex but proved
straightforward in the end.
The high-gain antenna was
 ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8

 Four pieces of pre-cut wire, a central brass wire, PE and resin  The fully assembled high-gain antenna dish, which looked convincing, particularly due to
parts were needed to complete the antenna. the very fine plastic mesh sourced from the spares box.

another intricate part of the kit, remaining two struts. Once outline ready to cut. However,
and it was built with yet more stable, the struts were glued to an easier approach was simply
finely cast pieces. Four struts the outer ring and the internal to press the mesh against the
opposite each other were placed braces added. This created a smaller master with a finger,
gently on the central unit, and very decent looking antenna and then cut round it with the
they fitted snugly enough that structure. The method for mini-scissors on a small penknife.
glue was unnecessary at this creating the antenna dish mesh Various trial assemblies with
stage – and then placed within was to use two resin pieces as the segments were frustratingly
the outer ring on the work a master to cut out 12 pieces of ineffective, but it was then found
surface to ensure the ends triangular wire mesh (see panel). the shape of the dish was similar
of the structure were true. The instructions suggested to the diameter of a tennis ball.
Small amounts of glue were sandwiching the mesh between Therefore, a piece of plastic
then applied followed by the the two masters and tracing the mesh from the spares box was
pulled over said tennis ball and
warmed with a heat gun. The
resultant shape was cut out and
placed into the resin dish; the
major advantage being there
were no join seams and this, plus
the mesh density appeared to
be a better match to reference
photos. The remainder of the
antenna was created with pre-
cut wire, resin and PE. Next came
the motor used to deploy the
antenna from stowed to in-flight
position, and this was a fairly
complex arrangement of resin,
PE and wire. Various holes in the
resin had to be cleared, taking
care not to tear the very thin
pieces, and adjustments had
to be made to some resin
pins, to make them fit.
Once completed, the
motor was attached
to one of the support
legs. Vinyl pipe was
supplied to create the wires
to the motor, but this was over-
scale, so was replaced with lead
wire instead. It was at this point
the assembly could no longer
rest on the legs, so a hole was
drilled in the bus (as per the
instructions) for a wire, and a
scrap piece of medium density

www.airfixmodelworld.com 61
 ADVANCED BUILD
LUNAR PROBE RANGER 8

the basic colours, although brush a scrap piece of MDF, covered

painting then followed to pick
out the detail. This included gold
for the antenna motor, white
for the leg braces and struts,
and highlights with steel metal
powder on the thruster boards
and solar array struts. The final
part of the assembly meant
joining the payload to the bus,
followed by the solar panels.
It was noticed during the build
these were relatively heavy, and
there was a suspicion this would
cause problems later on and,
sure enough, the tiny attachment
points broke. They were replaced
with new larger items, fashioned
from scrap resin, but even so the
attachment points for the panels
seemed worryingly small.
Last was the antenna dish.
 By this stage in the build, a
temporary stand was needed The base was replaced with a
– a scrap piece of MDF and lunar landscape created with
spare wire in this case.
 The completed solar panel
on the right shows the various
wires added to the underside.
Components for the second
panel are on the left.
with plaster sculpted by hand.
Once dry, this was painted mid-
grey and a lighter grey was then
airbrushed at an extreme angle
to create a shadow effect.
Something different
The Ranger 8 was an unusual
and very enjoyable build.
Spacecraft from that period
were generally hand-
crafted, each often
being unique, so nothing
could be taken for
granted in terms of
the usual geometry
and equipment seen
on more mainstream
subjects. Adding all
the support braces
and struts gave the
impression of a
mini- engineering

fireboard (MDF) was used as a damage. All major assemblies

temporary stand.
Mission livery
All of the resin was washed in
the early part of the build, to
remove any release agent…
thus avoiding paint adhesion
issues. The instructions provided
detailed painting guides for each
part as the project progressed,
and these were combined with
the supplied photos of the actual
spacecraft to apply colour. A
decision was taken early in
the build to assemble as much
as possible prior to painting,
because glue settling on a bare-
metal finish usually leads to
received an airbrushed primer/
base coat of Alclad II ALC-305
Gloss Black Base. The
bus was then painted
ALC-105 Polished
Aluminium,
the payload
ALC-111
Magnesium
and the
top part of the
payload ALC-108 Pale
Gold. Decals were supplied
for the upper surfaces of the
solar panels, but several had
blemishes, so the arrays were
painted with ALC-204 Prismatic
Sapphire instead. This completed

62 Airfix Model World

 All of the base
colours have been
applied to the
major assemblies.

project rather than a straight

kit build. The production was
superb though; it was amazing
to see the quality of casting and
the way the model assembled so
well. The only weakness was the
solar array attachment. In space,
the weight of the panels and the
limited attachments points would
not have mattered, but here on
terra firma, even in miniature
form these caused problems. A
marvellous kit…but definitely
not for beginners!

 The tops of the solar panel arrays were masked and painted, rather
than using the kit decals.
 A simple base, enlivened with hand-sculpted plaster took no time at
all to construct.
 ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1

Swinging
BIG CAT

rumman's XF10F-1 Jaguar The decals were printed

José Pires builds Planet Models’ all-resin
XF10F-1 Jaguar...Grumman’s first foray
into variable geometry wings
G was the first combat
aircraft to be designed with
the ability to change its
wing-sweep angle.
Conceived as a single-seat,
long-range, general purpose
carrier or land-based transonic
fighter, it was to be fitted with
the developmental Westinghouse
J-40-WE-8 afterburning engine.
This innovative design was to be
a single airframe project, despite
the 112-aircraft order placed…and
although ultimately regarded as a
failure, was a critical step towards
 Planet’s cockpit parts were detailed with a combination of scrap wire, plastic and decals later, more successful designs.
from the spares box. The build of Planet Models’
offering was aided greatly by the
The cockpit was painted excellent Naval Fighters series
with Tamiya XF-69 NATO
book on the type, written by the
Black and Lifecolor UA
004 Interior Green; only pilot ever to fly the XF10F-1,
Vallejo acrylics sufficed Corwin ‘Corky’ Meyer.
beautifully, and the colour
saturation was very good,
especially on the national insignia
and Jaguar cat motifs. Planet
also supplied simple but effective
instructions, which featured
photographs of the build steps,
with part numbers identified on
the first page. However, there
were no colour codes for detail
painting; therefore, this modeller
chose to follow standard practice
as applied to contemporary
Grumman aircraft.
Preparation work occupied the
bulk of the project’s first phase,
whereby each part was separated
from the casting blocks with
a scalpel bade or razor saw as
appropriate. A note of caution
though; modellers are strongly
Grumman XF10F-1 Jaguar
MODEL SPEC

for the finer details.

Cast delight ‘Swing Wing’
Planet’s Jaguar comprised 61 By: Planet Models
cream-coloured resin parts, all Stock Code: PLT 249
cast to a high standard, with
the major components packed Scale: 1/48
separately inside individual plastic Price: €77
sleeves. Smaller and more detailed Available from: www.cmkkits.com
pieces, which included the cockpit
sub-assemblies and wheels, were
grouped by size and similarly well
protected. Two vacuum-formed
(vacform) canopies were provided
and these arrived in their own
plastic bag.

64 Airfix Model World


advised to wear a respirator when
cutting/sanding resin components,
as the dust is harmful if inhaled.
All components were then
washed with warm soapy water
to eliminate any dust and residual
release agent.
Into the cockpit
‘Office’ parts were detailed with
copper wire and scrap plastic,
before they received black
primer. The seat required no
embellishment and featured
integrally cast seatbelts; it was
brush painted with an olive grey
shade and highlighted with Hemp
to the base colour, while details
were picked out with light grey
or silver. The cockpit was painted
with Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black
and Lifecolor UA 004 Interior
Green, before the latter was mixed
with UA 134 Zinc Chrome Yellow to
provide lighter contrasts.
‘Office’ parts were
detailed with copper
wire and scrap plastic”
ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1
The engine exhaust tube and ring A solid resin piece, which was
were primed and airbrushed with attached with five-minute
Alclad ALC-104 Pale Burnt Metal, epoxy, represented the front
followed by the application of landing gear bay and intake
several dark oil paint filters. inner walls…it also acted as a
support for the cockpit.
Unusually for resin, the detail on
the instrument panel appeared
soft, so instrument dials were
sourced from the spares box
to improve the overall effect...
small details were painted with
various Vallejo Model Air colours.
All cockpit components received
varnish, before a dark wash, mixed
from black and Burnt Umber oil
paints, was applied. After being
left to dry thoroughly, all the work  A generous amount of weight was fixed inside the front fuselage to prevent this Jaguar
was sealed under several thin model from tail-sitting.
layers of matt varnish. Several small tabs were glued on the
edges of the fuselage halves to aid
Closing in alignment. Note the 0.5mm styrene
The cockpit sub-assembly was shims added to the mating surfaces
attached to a frame that also of the front fuselage section.
formed the front landing gear bay
and inner intake walls. From this
point onwards, the watchword
was ‘dry-fit’…crucial given the
generally unforgiving nature of
the adhesives used. Cyanoacrylate
(CA) secured the frame structure,
followed by five-minute epoxy
and this combination was used
throughout the build to provide
additional strength. Black
www.airfixmodelworld.com 65
 ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1
Enhancing
navigation
lights
The resin wings replicated the wingtip
navigation lights with recessed lines
alone, so it was decided to replace
them with scratch-built versions. The
panel lines were used as a guide to
remove the resin with a razor saw.
After the surfaces were sanded
smooth, they were painted silver
and, once dry, with the appropriate
clear colour. Then, two blocks of
clear resin were cut, and the inner
surfaces sanded and polished before
a small hole was drilled, into which
a small drop of clear red or blue
was added. The blocks were then
attached to the wing recesses with
CA, sanded roughly to shape and
then gradually refined with Micro-
Mesh sanding pads, before being
polished and finally varnished with
Johnson’s Klear.
 As supplied in the kit, the navigation
lights were represented by engraved
panel lines on the wingtip. These
were removed to allow the fit of clear
replacements.
 A resin block was cut to shape and the
inner surfaces painted with either clear
green or red and attached using CA.
 The block was sanded to shape
and subsequently polished, creating a
much more realistic appearance when
compared to the kit item.
66 Airfix Model World
primer was applied to the engine
exhaust tube and ring, and when
dry these were airbrushed with
Alclad ALC-104 Pale Burnt Metal,
before several dark oil paint filters
were added. The exhaust ring was
dry-brushed with steel to highlight
the detail, with the engine parts
married to the starboard fuselage
with epoxy.
Once the cockpit sub-assemblies
had been installed, it proved
necessary to check the fit of
the windscreen. The canopy
was processed (see separate
panel) and dry-fitting revealed
corrections would be required,
with several 20-thou (0.5mm)
styrene shims glued to the mating
Join lines were sealed with
CA, followed by Mr. Hobby’s surfaces of the front fuselage
Mr. Dissolved Putty, which section. This simple addition
was then blended into enhanced the appearance of the
the fuselage with windshield dramatically. The rest
sanding sticks. of the fuselage was joined in small
sections at a time, which allowed
for better alignment; the vertical
tail was also attached at this stage.
All fuselage joins were then
sealed with CA, followed by an
application of Mr. Hobby’s Mr.
Dissolved Putty. A visible seam
was apparent between the intake
inner walls and the outer air intake
structures, so this was filled with
Milliput Epoxy Putty and, after
initial sanding, was treated with
Mr. Surfacer 1000 before being
sanded again.
Bare-metal guts
At this stage, it was decided to
address the areas that would
remain in a bare metal finish.
Therefore, the undercarriage
bays/doors, and wing slat
housings, were primed before
 The vertical stabiliser was attached without issue, but the resulting seam was neatened receiving several coats of gloss
with Mr.Dissolved Putty and blended with a cotton wool bud moistened in lacquer thinner.
black. The metallic effect was
Note the offset on the rudder to add interest.
achieved by airbrushing Alclad
ALC-119 Airframe Aluminium
at 12psi (0.8 bar), as per the
manufacturer’s instructions. A
different metallic colour, ALC-105
Polished Aluminium, was used
on the airbrakes, wing slats and
landing gear struts, although the
preparation was almost the same.
On the airbrakes, many holes
did not go all the way through
the resin...these were opened
with differently sized drill bits,
which improved their appearance
vastly. The wing slats presented
the biggest challenge as their
surface was marred by a myriad of
 Milliput was used to blend the wing-to-fuselage join and was shaped with a wet finger. minuscule holes, which required
Later, Mr. Surfacer 500 was applied and the surface polished. several hand-brushed layers of Mr.

Surfacer 500 before they could be
sanded and polished with Micro-
Mesh. Several thin coats of ALC-
107 Chrome were applied to the
metallic areas, and after masking,
Lifecolor UA 047 Gloss Sea Blue
was airbrushed on the external
panels. Weathering was achieved
with a brushed application of Com-
Art 2-103-1 Blue Grey Smoke to
enhance the moulded detail.
Also at this stage, the wheels
were cleaned and primed before
UA 047 Gloss Sea Blue was
airbrushed on the hubs and
allowed to dry. The tyres were
then painted with Vallejo Model
Air 71.056 Black Grey and dry-
brushed with German Grey,
ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1
Vallejo plastic putty
filled the gaps between
windshield and fuselage,
and was smoothed with a
wet fingertip.
 Lifecolor UA 047 Gloss Sea Blue was airbrushed on the entire fuselage in several light
coats, to allow some of the black primer to show through.
and detail was enhanced with
pigments, which simulated dust
and dirt on the threads.
Get those wings swinging
The mainplane structure was
the kit’s biggest challenge.
Planet offered the choice of
pose angle, but this required
the mating surfaces to be cut
and trimmed to attach them
to the fuselage. Rather like the
real thing, there was little, or
no support provided, and care
was needed to achieve the best
alignment and angle between
fuselage and wings. Eventually,
it was decided to position the
wing at an intermediate angle,
with a permanent pen used to
mark the area and the resin was
removed with a razor saw. To
ensure a proper join, a sanding
drum was fitted to a motor tool
and the mating surface of the
wing re-shaped to follow the
fuselage curvature. Additionally,
lengths of 3/64in (1.2mm) steel
tube were installed in the
“The exhaust ring
was dry- brushed with
steel to highlight the detail”
www.airfixmodelworld.com 67
 ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1

Dealing with vacform canopies

The glazing provided by Planet Models was crystal clear and very thin…but must
be handled differently to injection-moulded parts. To remove the canopy, the
base was first marked with a permanent pen, before Blu-Tack was packed into the
shape; this provided a firm structure to cut against, and enhanced visibility of
the frame and mould lines. With a new scalpel blade, the mould line was scored
lightly at a 45-degree angle until the styrene was cut through and the part could
be removed. As this build would feature an open canopy, a razor saw was used to
separate the front windshield from the main transparency.
Finally, the Blu-Tack was removed, and the styrene edges were smoothed with a
sanding stick, before the parts were masked with Tamiya tape.

wings. The study of reference two days to dry fully, a coarse

The crystal-clear
canopy was packed with
Blu-Tack before it was cut from
its moulding sheet; the latter
facilitated separation of the
canopy from the windscreen, as
the frame lines were more defined.
 Casting
constraints required
the details on the
airbrakes to be drilled,
which improved their
appearance greatly.
 The undercarriage legs
were detailed with wire and
painted with Alclad ALC-107
Chrome on the metallic areas,
and Lifecolor UA 047 Gloss Sea
Blue for the remainder.
photos, as well as scale drawings,
was essential to determine the
correct placement of the wing
root against the fuselage surface.
A plastic card guide, cut to the
correct angle between wing and
fuselage, was used to achieve the
appropriate dihedral.
At this point the wings were
attached with medium thickness
CA, and the gap filled with Filla
Glu’s Wicking and Filla-Powda
which, with the steel pins, formed
a supremely strong join. Milliput
epoxy putty was then applied
and shaped roughly with
a wet finger; after
being set aside for
sanding stick removed any excess
putty, then several layers of Mr.
Surfacer 500 were added. A
variety of sanding sticks finished
and polished the join.
Ready to paint...
With major construction
completed, attention turned to
paint preparation. This began with
the attachment of the previously
masked windscreen, via slightly
diluted white glue. Despite all
the previous filling and sanding,
inspection of the fuselage
revealed several small gaps,
which were addressed with Vallejo
plastic putty and smoothed with

“The crystal- clear

canopy was packed with
Blu- Tack before it was
cut from its moulding sheet”
68 Airfix Model World

a wet fingertip. When dry, a light
layer of Mr. Surfacer 1000 was
applied by brush and later sanded
to a smooth finish. In a final check,
the model received black primer,
which revealed several further
flaws in the finish; once corrected,
the primer acted as a solid
foundation for the next stage.
The whole airframe was
airbrushed with UA 047 Gloss
Sea Blue in a series of light
coats; this was to maintain the
depth provided by the black
primer layer. To prevent the paint
from peeling when areas were
masked, the model was set aside
until thoroughly dry. A study of
reference photographs was useful
 Alclad ALC-105 Polished aluminium
was airbrushed onto the intake lips and
exhaust ring.
ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1
 Areas with
a natural metal
finish were masked
before they were
airbrushed with
various Alclad
shades, which
formed tonal
variation across
the metallic areas.
in determining several details  The final aspect of the natural metal parts before the weathering process began.
on the finish. Therefore, ALC-101
Aluminium, ALC-105 Polished
Aluminium and ALC-103 Dark
Aluminium were applied to the
wing areas that rotated inside
the fuselage at maximum sweep.
Strips of Tamiya tape were used to
achieve clean demarcation lines
between the various shades used,
and the model received several
thin coats of Vallejo 26.650
Polyurethane Gloss Varnish in
preparation for the decals.
Decal night(mare)
The decal sheet, printed by
Aviprint, provided one scheme,
that of the only Jaguar airframe
The large expanse of dark blue was
to fly. The markings were glossy
enlivened by the stark decals and and incredibly thin, which caused
subtle weathering/fading. problems when transferring
them to the model; they were so
fragile that it was paramount to
position them as close to the final
location as possible. Any attempt
to move them subsequently
risked the decal disintegrating.
Nevertheless, once positioned,
they received a generous amount
of Micro Sol setting solution and
looked spot on.
As a test airframe the Jaguar
flew just 32 times, but several
period photos indicated the
gloss blue surface suffered a
mild amount of weathering.
Weathering also muted the brightness
For this purpose, a dark wash
of the white decals. Note the light oil
filter, which had been applied to was fashioned with Black and
the wing surface. Burnt Umber oil paints and
applied along selected panel
lines. When dry, the model was
satin-coated and then filters,
mixed from highly diluted Lamp
Black and Ivory White oils, were
added to a surface dampened
with turpentine; these were fully
diffused with a wet brush onto the
model’s surface. This process
www.airfixmodelworld.com 69
 ADVANCED BUILD
GRUMMAN XF10F-1
also allowed the markings to lose
The panel lines were
accentuated lightly with their bright appearance, and the
a dark oil wash. This model was coated with a 50:50
procedure helped further mix of gloss and matt varnishes
to break the uniformity from Vallejo.
of the gloss blue. The final steps comprised
installation of previously finished
items, which included the landing
gear, wheels and covers. These
were installed without any real
issues, but care was needed to
ensure alignment. The arrester
hook and tail bumper wheel
mechanism were attached with
CA, followed by the airbrakes;
the latter were only present on
 The landing gear was painted with Alclad lacquers and acrylic UA 047 Gloss Sea Blue,
while the tyres were brushed with black grey and weathered with pastels.
 The lower surface of the fuselage was also weathered with panel line washes and filters.
Note the flat spots on the tyres, created by sanding their undersides lightly to denote weight.
70 Airfix Model World
Reference
Naval Fighters 26, Grumman Swing
Wing XF10F-1 Jaguar,
by Corwin ‘Corky’ Meyer,
(Ginter Books), ISBN: 0-942612-26-4
www.ginterbooks.com)
the aircraft from the 17th
flight onwards.
Feline verdict
This was a very enjoyable
project, involving an unusual and
interesting subject and, despite
several challenges (the most
prominent being the windscreen
and wing-to-fuselage joins), the kit
built relatively well. Was it perfect?
No. Was it another step on the
learning curve? Yes! Ultimately,
this item would be recommended
to modellers with a few resin
kits already under their belt.
 SUPPLIERS OF AVIATION KITS & DECALS
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Email: mel@sandmmodels.co.uk
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ISBN: 978-0-9973092-2-5
Price: £34.99 Format: 209 x 280mm
Web: www.casematepublishing.co.uk
This mighty tome examines all
aspects of carrier aviation but
makes an important distinction
between fixed-wing- (not including
V-22 Osprey) and rotary-wing-
capable ships; just the former are
covered. Nations with such vessels
GROUND-ATTACK BATS
A Century of Air Warfare with Nine
(IX) Squadron, RAF
By: Gordon Thorburn
ISBN: 978-1-78303-634-9
Price: £25 Format: 240mm x 160mm
Web: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
As the RAF’s senior bomber
unit, 9 (IX) squadron holds more
battle honours than any other…
with a history spanning the
RFC era through to the jet age.
Details of operating ponderous
beasts such as the Royal Aircraft
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256 pages
are chronicled alphabetically,
and it’s surprising how few (nine)
have chosen to operate aircraft
carriers, with just two (USA and
China) fielding more than one
(soon to be joined by the UK).
There is a historical overview of
carrier operations for each country,
followed by analysis of future intent,
a description of the ship classes,
and its fixed- and rotary-wing
aircraft. Finally, the organisational
structure of each navy’s likely
carrier battle group is presented in
tabular and pictorial form. Perhaps
understandably, the US Navy and
US Marine Corps receives the most
attention, and a two-page graphic
highlights the disparity between
these forces and the rest of the
world…between them, they operate
twice as many fixed-wing-capable
vessels as all other navies combined.
This is a well-balanced volume, with
plenty of high-quality colour photos
(of aircraft, helicopters and ships)
complementing the text, although it’s
more a general reference document
than a modeller’s guide. SF
286 pages
Factory B.E.2, Vickers Virginia and
Handley-Page Heyford through to
the sleek and powerful Canberra,
Vulcan and Tornado are covered
comprehensively. This fascinating
book recounts the squadron's
many firsts, including first to
hit the enemy, and first to get
into a dogfight. While operating
Lancasters armed with 12,000lb
Tallboy bombs, the unit was
instrumental in sinking Tirpitz in
November 1944. Many previously
unpublished black and white
images, which include target
zones and maps adorn the pages.
Separate chapters cover in-depth
and personal accounts from air
and groundcrew members, along
with several gripping stories of
captures, escapes and evasions.
Into the modern era, the last
chapter deals with Canberra and
Vulcan operations, as well as the
squadron’s involvement in the
First Gulf War in 1991, flying the
Tornado GR.1. This is an enthralling
read for anyone interested in the
wide-ranging exploits of what’s
arguably the RAF’s premier
ground-attack unit. AD
RUNNING THE…
80 pages
Gloster Gauntlet
By: Alex Crawford
ISBN: 978-83-65281-61-6
Price: £15 Format: 230 x 166mm
Web: www.mmpbooks.biz
One can trace the origins of
Gloster’s Gauntlet biplane
to 1926 with the issue of
Specification F.9/26, which
sought a replacement for the
then existing Gloster Gamecock
and Armstrong Whitworth Siskin.
It was to be a protracted affair,
with disappointment and ‘moving
goalposts’…but lessons learned
along the way made the Gauntlet useful period photos showing
what it was and helped to form the whole aircraft and in close-
the same firm’s later Gladiator. up (walk-rounds of a ‘warbird’
MMP’s softback explains the are included). The line drawings
type’s route to market and entry in 1/72 scale are also handy for
into service, before delving into modellers, as they exemplify
its employment in Palestine and the structural differences, while
South Africa, and second-line scheme inspiration lies in the 18
duties such as work with the colour profiles, with plan views and
Meteorological Flights. Camouflage separate illustrations of upper wing
and Markings, and Foreign Service RAF squadron identities. All in all,
are two more chapters, and the a good-value guide to an important
latter offers airframe lists for and handsome aircraft…and ideal
Danish and Finnish aircraft. All for anyone building kits from
chapters, though, benefit from Aeroclub, AZ Model and others. CC
DESERT WARRIOR 84 pages
Merkava 4 in IDF Service Part 3
By: M Mass and A O’Brien
ISBN: 978-965-7700-08-2
Price: £29.50 Format: 279 x 215mm
Web: www.aviationbookcentre.com
Desert Eagle has returned to the
Merkava 4, with this its third volume
on the type. After the standard
introductory section covering the
Merkava family of vehicles (including
armoured personnel carrier
versions), there is a comprehensive
explanation of the Trophy active-
protection system fitted to Merkava
4Ms. What then follows is manna
from heaven for armour modellers, single-axle trailer (also used on
with close-up photographs of the Merkava 3 and Puma). All photos are
4/4M variants divided into In Action, in full colour, and the captions supply
General View, Man and Machine, a wealth of information, at times
Weapons, Suspension, Insignia, offering explanations for features
Powerpack Installation, Instructor’s as well as describing them in detail.
Chair and Goor trailer sections. The authors’ modelling background
Arguably the latter two are the shines through, as even the smallest
most intriguing, highlighting little differences between Merkava 4 and
known aspects; namely how tank 4M are highlighted, making this the
commanders and crew are tested in perfect reference for any kit of this
the field by their tutors (although the Israeli main battle tank…notably the
turret-mounted chair looks rather recent newly tooled offerings from
precarious), and the 8-tonne capacity, Hobby Boss and Meng. SF

HOT GATES AND OTHER BATTLES
Greek Hoplite versus Persian
Warrior
By: Chris McNab
ISBN: 978-1-4728-2574-2
Price: £12.99
Format: 249 x 184mm
Web: www.ospreypublishing.com
Osprey has delved into the Ancient
Greeks before, with Nic Fields’
book in the Campaign series,
Thermopylae 480BC. Here, a more
expansive investigation is offered
with this Combat series work by
BATTLING IN THE BOCAGE
Panther Tanks – German Army
and Waffen-SS Normandy
Campaign 1944
By: Dennis Oliver
ISBN: 978-1-5267-09-32
Price: £14.99 Format: A4
Web: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Much like the mighty Tiger,
Germany’s Panther tank is a
perennial modelling favourite…
and is the subject of the third
book in the softback Tank Craft
series (it follows the Tiger and
Sherman). The style is much the
80 pages
Chris McNab, in that it goes beyond
the legendary 300 Spartans at
‘The Hot Gates’ and examines
the tussles between Greeks and
Persians over a wider timespan;
battles at Marathon and Plataea are
also covered. In modelling terms,
the historical narrative lends vital
context (and is fascinating, with
many maps and diagrams), but
figure painters benefit more from
the excellent illustrations. Anyone
considering Greek Hoplite/Persian
projects has plenty of detail here
on clothing and weaponry; the
artworks show decorated shields,
Corinthian-style helmets, lower-leg
greaves, torso cuirasses and more.
The Persian warriors’ garb is viewed
equally, with their penchant for full-
length leggings, long-sleeved tunics
(both colourful) and the trademark
composite recurve bow. Obviously,
there are no photographs of the
combatants, but with the artworks
and images of period pottery, friezes
and statues, arrowheads, spear
points and counterweights, and
photos of re-enactors, one has a
truly rounded study. CC
66 pages
same, and this work focuses on
the Panther’s employment during
and after the Allied invasion of
Normandy. Dennis Oliver’s books
are always useful, and so it is
here, via a mix of pure history text
on different user units, inspiring
colour profiles/scrap views
and a modelling section, which
describes current and past kits
in different scales, accessories
and decals. Period photos offer
tantalising views of important
details, such as camouflage and
Zimmerit patterns, the engine
deck (there’s a stunning rear
close-up of an Ausf.G Panther
on p.16), and the artworks will
certainly get the cogs turning
when considering potential colour
schemes for models. The kit
chapter is handy, as it provides
potted reports of items by Dragon,
Tamiya and the like, and decent
numbers of aftermarket goodies,
but some of the photos of built
models suffer from poor depth
of field, hence are out of focus in
places. Lester Plaskitt's 1/35 build
is an exemplary addition, but one
could have done with more than a
caption on how it was finished. CC
‘TIN FISH’ DROPPERS
Nakajima B5N ‘Kate’ and B6N
‘Jill’ Units
By: Mark Chambers and
Tony Holmes
ISBN: 978-1-4728-1874-4
Price: £13.99
Format: 184 x 248mm
Web: www.ospreypublishing.com
In a slight change to Osprey’s
usual Combat Aircraft layout, the
authors present a chronological
account of air operations by B5N
‘Kate’ and B6N ‘Jill’ two torpedo-
bombers, rather than just the
units. It starts with an overview of
the former’s development, before
the focus shifts to World War Two,
offering an in-depth analysis of
how the B5N performed at Pearl
Harbor, and subsequently during
the battles at Coral Sea, Midway,
the Aleutians and Solomons. The
B6N’s troublesome introduction
into service is then addressed,
and while it had its successes, the
type suffered heavily during the
‘Great Marianas Turkey Shoot’ at
the First Battle of the Philippine
Sea in early 1944. Also recounted
are the desperate tactics adopted
FROM HAND-HELD TO ARTILLERY
US Infantry Weapons of the Second
World War
By: Michael Green
ISBN: 978-1-47382-722-6
Price: £14.99
Format: 188 x 245mm
Web: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
This Images of War volume examines
closely the weapons used by US
infantry units during World War
Two, with the author dividing them
into three categories; Individual,
Crew-served and Support. For each
section there is an introductory
text, identifying specific weapons
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ON THE SHELF
BOOKS
96 pages
from later in 1944, when both
types were employed as ‘special
attack’ or kamikaze platforms,
with the B6N proving more adept
due to its higher speed. While this
is one of the shortest sections, it
is by far the most sobering, given
the losses inflicted on US vessels.
The combination of 30 full-
colour profiles (with informative
captions), detailed narrative and
period photographs makes this
an ideal reference for builders of
World War Two Imperial Japanese
Navy torpedo bombers. SF
198 pages
and how they were employed…
with illuminating contemporary
accounts from soldiers and official
reports on how well (or otherwise)
they performed. However, it’s with
the accompanying black-and-white
photographs that this volume really
comes to the fore, and while several
are clearly posed for propaganda
purposes, most were taken during
combat (often under fire) or training
exercises by US Army or US Marine
camera teams. Unusually, there
are also eight pages of colour
photographs, several depicting
re-enactors operating historical
weapons; the remainder are either
from military archives or private
collections. When combined with
the narrative, it highlights which
weapons were truly man-portable
(even if in several sections, such as
.30 cal machine guns and flame-
throwers), and which had to be
transported on vehicles (such as the
.50 cal and large-calibre mortars)
or by vehicles (artillery). Modellers
will find the contemporary photos
very useful, as they provide excellent
examples of how equipment was
carried, stored and used, notably for
crew-served or support weapons. SF
 ON THE SHELF
BOOKS
SONIC STORM
F-15I Ra’am in IAF Service
By: Ra’anan Weiss and Ofer Bar-
Shalom
ISBN: 978-965-7220-21-4
Price: US $39 Format: 210 x 279mm
Web: www.isradecal.com
Modellers seeking information on
the F-15I Ra’am (Thunder) need
look no further than IsraDecal’s
publication, which is updated for
its second edition. Regardless of
kit scale, there is something in
this book for everyone, and the
MODEL CAR OWNERS’ MANUAL
Civil Vehicles Scale Modelling
Guide
By: AK Interactive
ISBN: 978-436-53557-24-6-0
Price: €59.90 Format: A4
Web: www.ak-interactive.com
AK Interactive’s mammoth Civil
Vehicles Scale Modelling Guide
was announced with a series of
associated paint sets (see News,
last issue), but deserves closer
inspection on its own, such is the
wealth and breadth of modelling
advice contained within its 360
76 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
82 pages
authors have lifted the veil on the
type in stunning fashion. Apart
from a brief introductory section,
explaining the F-15I’s inception and
its operational service to date, the
82 pages are packed with top-quality
colour photographs. Deployments
of Ra’am to overseas exercises are
featured, along with a gallery of
armed/unarmed F-15Is, before the
‘War & Conflict’ and ‘Daily Routine
and Maintenance’ sections give
a revealing insight into life on a
frontline Israeli squadron. The
undisputed highlight is the walk-
round, which fills half the pages and
covers the F-15I in meticulous detail,
from the cockpit and undercarriage
bays to weapons, the multitudes
of airframe stencilling, and Israeli
additions (extra chaff dispensers,
GPS antenna and countermeasures
gear). Helpfully, extreme close-ups
of the conformal fuel tanks are
accompanied by a series of arrows,
to aid readers’ understanding of how
they relate to each other. Isradecal’s
photo study is easily the best
reference on the type to date, and to
which other guides should aspire. SF
360 pages
pages. It’s intended to cater for all
skill levels, with the advantage that
if acquired while still a beginner,
it will be a constant reference
as a modeller’s experience and
expertise increases. Most of the
contents will be familiar to aircraft,
ship and armour modellers,
with basic essentials such as
preparation, paint, material and
adhesive types, before embarking
on working with these various
elements. However, it also covers
those specialist auto-modeller
aspects, notably creating realistic
fabric textures for seats and
upholstery and replicating a
spotless lacquer-clad metallic or
standard colour finish, for which
there are specific paint brands, as
well as tried-and-tested methods
such as polishing. A different box
of tricks is then supplied for those
desiring a used vehicle, which
then develops into recreating dirt,
stains, snow/ice and rust effects;
the latter could easily fill a volume
of its own. Finally, dioramas are
addressed, with guidance on
composition, before galleries of
real and model cars provide oodles
of inspiration. SF
SHOWCASE CENTENNIAL
256 pages
The Red Army on Parade Volume
1 1917-1945
By: James Kinnear
ISBN: 978-91-982325-8-5
Price: €45
Format: 281 x 237mm
Web: www.canfora.se
The books published by award-
winning Swedish modeller, graphic
designer and AMW contributor
Toni Canfora always display a
touch of class. This new hardback,
though, authored by subject
specialist James Kinnear, is truly
groundbreaking. It’s the first Socialist revolution). Image-wise,
publication to focus solely on the the collection of black and white
famous Russian/Soviet military photos is staggering, and there’s
parades in Moscow’s Red Square, plenty to excite modellers in
and it does so with much aplomb. terms of detail; the list of vehicles
In this 100th anniversary of the is legion, with everything from
parades it’s a timely release, and the Garford-Putilov armoured car,
after an introductory chapter one Renault FT-17 and British-built
is treated to examinations of each Mk.V tanks, to BA-1 armoured cars,
parade, year by year until World T-28s, T-34s, IS-2s, and ISU-152s…
War Two’s end…and includes the and even the imposing IS-3.
Allied Victory Parade in Berlin The historical text imparts
(September 7, 1945), Victory in interesting detail about the
Japan Parades in Harbin and parades and their political
Voroshilov (September 16 and 24) significances (these varied).
and the first post-war November Ultimately, this is a book no
parade (November 7, 1945 – the student of Russian/Soviet military
anniversary of the Great October vehicles should be without. CC
ALL THE DEUCE UNIFORMS 374 pages
Colors & Markings of the F-102
Delta Dagger
By: Rock Roszak
ISBN: 978-0-9860677-8-5
Price: US $9.99
Format: digital (Amazon and Apple)
Web: www.detailandscale.com
Detail & Scale really has found its
stride with e-publishing, evidenced
by this new Colors & Markings tome
on Convair’s F-102, commonly known
as the ‘Deuce’. Anyone building
Meng’s modern 1/72 kits, Monogram
1/48 or the Encore boxing of same,
or even the ancient Hasegawa
offering, this digital book has a markings of the period…yet it was an
wealth of reference photos and even more interesting canvas than
informative text. Besides the study the ‘106 due to the application of
of the main liveries (Aircraft Gray, ‘Vietnam’ shades. Red Arctic surface
SEA camouflage and aluminium panels also added attractiveness, but
lacquer), all user units (such as this book also shows rarities such
those in Air Defense/Alaskan Air as test and evaluation machines,
Commands, USAFE and Pacific Air aircraft of the Air Defense Weapons
Forces, and Air National Guard) are Center, NASA and even the smart
represented by excellent imagery, red and white ‘show’ jet from the
colour profiles and squadron badge Pave Deuce drone programme at
artwork. Much like its cousin the Hollomon AFB (as well as ‘standard’
Delta Dart, the F-102 was a dazzler PQM-102 drones). A stunning
in many guises, due to the colourful reference for jet modellers. CC
P077_AMW_May18_ad.indd 1 19/03/2018 13:19:01
 ON THE SHELF
AIRCRAFT KITS
LIFE-SAVING TRANSPORT
C-27J Spartan
By: Italeri
Item no: 1402 Price: £44.99
Web: www.hobbyco.net
Italeri’s C-27J receives a figurative
fresh coat of paint, with superb new
Cartograf decals accompanying the
11 styrene runners. Unlike some other
1/72 transport kits, this impresses
from the outset, with a fully detailed
cockpit and cargo bay, the latter
benefiting from full length inserts (to
emulate the quilted fabric lining on
the real aircraft). Options include an
open/closed cargo ramp and crew
ON WINGED FANGS
DH Vampire FB.5/FB.52
By: Mark I Models
Item no: MKM14468 Price: £14.99
Web: www.4pluspublications.com
For all the type’s popularity,
Mark I’s Vampires are the first
styrene offerings in ‘airliner’ scale,
and this boxing covers British/
Commonwealth air forces (others
address export machines). There
are sufficient parts for two kits,
with a single styrene runner and
separate canopy; the highlight
is the upper fuselage, which has
integrally moulded wings…cleverly,
these act as locating points for
the lower airframe. Externally, just
78 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
1/72
access door; airframe differences
between US and Italian C-27s are
replicated faithfully. However, despite
the styrene luxuries, it’s the decals
that impress most, notably the
perfect register on the US Coast
Guard stripes and wolf’s head 75th
anniversary adornment for the
Italian machine. The schemes are:
• HC-27J 2706, US Coast Guard,
Sacramento, California, 2017
• C-27J, MM62217, 46a Aerobrigata,
98° Grupo, Pisa-San Guisto
• C-27J, 2705, US Army Special
Operations Command, United
States, 2015
1/144
the major panels are featured,
as fine engraved lines — anything
more would be excessive in this
scale. The decals are splendid,
with perfect register and good
opacity, and there are even the
type’s characteristic wing walkway
outlines and an instrument panel.
The four schemes are:
• FB Mk.5, VV217, DH Trials aircraft,
Hatfield, 1949
• FB Mk.5, VZ267/L, 613 Sqn
RAuxAF, Ringway, 1951-57
• FB Mk.5, VZ339, Royal Canadian
AF, Odiham, spring 1951
• FB Mk.52, 238, Advanced
Flying School, South African AF,
Pietersburg, 1968
TWO WINGS, PUG NOSE
Polikarpov I-153 Chaika
By: Revell
Item no: 03963 Price: £6.99
Web: www.revell.de/en
If re-boxing a kit is a sign of
quality, ICM’s I-153 has it in spades,
and Revell has joined Hasegawa in
releasing the original components
in its own packaging. The single
runner may have been divided to
fit, but otherwise the parts are
identical, with crisply moulded
detail and delicate scalloping
GLIDING AND SOARING
L-13 Blaník
By: Special Hobby
Item no: SH72342 Price: €13.80
Web: www.cmkkits.com
Special Hobby’s styrene kit has
a single runner containing 22
well-moulded parts, and there’s a
separate canopy, which exhibits
commendable clarity. A busy cockpit
includes seats, control columns
and a basic representation of
the instrument panels. Exterior
surfaces feature a smooth shiny
finish, with raised ribs (instead of
1/72
on the wings and fuselage to
represent fabric-covered surfaces.
There’s a well-appointed cockpit
included, and the engine even
has push-rods for the cylinder
heads. As with the initial release,
options are limited to a choice
of armament, either rockets or
bombs. The one disappointment is
there’s just a single basic scheme,
for a camouflaged Soviet machine:
• White 24, Capt KV Soloviyev,
71st Ftr Regt, Baltic Fleet AF,
Lavansaari, summer 1942
1/72
any scalloping effect) to depict the
fabric-covered control surfaces;
the latter appear accurate when
compared to reference photos. While
the decals are in register, the white
items appear semi-transparent, and
will not prevent bleed-through of the
underlying tones:
• OK-1827, Benešov, Czech Republic
• 173356/VH-GPS, Queensland,
Australia
• DM-3208/39, Magdeburg, German
Democratic Republic, 1961
• OK-4832/LU, Aeroclub Pilsen,
Plzeň-Letkov, Czech Republic

CARRIER-BORNE TANKER
KA-6D Intruder
By: Italeri
Item no: 1405 Price: £19.99
Web: www.hobbyco.net
Italeri’s Intruder tooling is a
perennial favourite, partly because
it’s the only offering in the scale that
has wing folds. And with fine panel
lines, a reasonable cockpit, optional
airbrakes and the type’s trademark
fold-out ladder…what’s not to like?
Here, the firm’s A-6 is re-released
in aerial refuelling format, with the
requisite under-fuselage hose and
drogue unit and extra under-wing
fuel tanks, although the latter appear
JET WAR PRIZES
Heinkel He 162A
By: Brengun
Item no: BRP 144006
Price: €10.99
Web: www.brengun.cz
Many of Brengun’s He 162s are
notional subjects, but its straight-
winged A-2 is rooted firmly in fact,
portraying captured machines
as operated by the RAF, Soviet
and French test units during the
immediate post-war period. There
are two styrene runners, plus a
third for the canopy, and all parts
1/72
a little undernourished. The kit seats
are fair representations of Martin-
Baker GRU-7s, and the undercarriage
has pleasing refinement for the
scale. Italeri’s decals are printed
beautifully, on gloss carrier film, and
cater for four Light Gull Gray over
white liveries, one being a Vietnam
War aircraft:
• 151793/515/AE, VA-176
‘Thunderbolts’, USS America, 1978
• 149951/523/AJ, VA-35 ‘Black
Panthers’, USS Nimitz, 1975
• 151789/521/AC, VA-75 ‘Sunday
Punchers’, USS Saratoga, 1990
• 151809/515/NL, VMA(AW)-224,
USS Coral Sea, 1971-72
1/144
are moulded cleanly, with no flash
or sink marks. Exterior detail is
replicated as fine recessed panel
lines, and there’s a pleasing level
of interior furnishings, from the
combined nosewheel bay/cockpit
(including instrument panel) to
intakes and exhausts for the BMW
003 powerplant. There are four
schemes, two in Soviet markings
(red 01 and 02), one un-numbered
French machine and WNr 120072,
flown by the legendary Eric
‘Winkle’ Brown RN; it later crashed
with an RAF pilot at the controls.
THE OSCAR AND TOJO SHOW
Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa &
Ki-4-II Shoki ‘Akeno Flying School’
w/TX40 Fuel Truck
By: Hasegawa
Item no: 02248 Price: £46.99
Web: www.amerang.co.uk
Hasegawa has re-released its
delightful Ki-44 in company with
the older Ki-43. While the former
is splendid, with fine engraving,
the latter has raised panel lines,
so purists will want to re-scribe
these. The inclusion of the semi-
antique Hayabusa, though, is
ameliorated by the addition of a
beautifully moulded fuel truck,
TRAINING GLOVE
Yak-130
By: Zvezda Item no: 7307
Price: £19.99 Web: www.hobbyco.net
Continuing its theme of
contemporary Russian jets, Zvezda’s
new-tool Yak-130 (NATO nickname
Mitten) offers nine styrene runners.
The beautifully moulded parts
provide masses of interior detail,
from a packed cockpit and full-
length intakes, to separate pipework
in the main undercarriage bays.
Other highlights include four-part
pilot figures and integrally moulded
miniature detonating cord on
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ON THE SHELF
AIRCRAFT KITS
1/72
barrel trolley (with load) and two
groundcrew figures…perfect for
a flight line refuelling scene. For
those who make the effort to
improve the Ki-43, it’s actually
a sound framework, although
the main undercarriage legs are
poor and should be replaced with
scratch-built or aftermarket items.
Three of the colour schemes
(two supplied for each aircraft)
involve heavily worn green over
bare metal, but the Ki-43 also has
an overall bare-metal option. All,
though, represents assets flown
by the Imperial Japanese Army’s
Akeno Flying School, in 1943.
1/72
the crystal-clear canopy. Zvezda
is generous with the weapons,
supplying AA-11 Archers, wingtip
countermeasure dispensers, a
centreline gun pod, two types of
rocket pods, and four styles of bomb.
The decal sheet has full stencil data,
along with basic national markings.
Three schemes are supplied, with
colours matched to Humbrol shades:
• RF-44488/51, Borisoglebsk Training
Centre, Voronezh, Russia, 2015
• RF-81683/75, Victory Day Parade,
Kubinka, 2017
• 74, 116th Guards Ground Attack AF,
Belarusian AF, Lida, 2017
 ON THE SHELF
AIRCRAFT KITS
DOWNSTAIRS DORA
Fw 190D-9 ProfiPACK
By: Eduard Item no: 8184
Price: €29.95 Web: www.eduard.com
Eduard has re-released its Fw
190D-9; sometimes nicknamed
by Luftwaffe pilots as the
'Downstairs Maid'. This is a great kit,
accompanied by photo-etched metal
details (plain and pre-coloured)
for the cockpit, and self-adhesive
tape masks. Easier to build than the
firm’s Fw 190A/F kits, due to the lack
of an engine, one has super-fine
moulding comprising engraved panel
lines, alternative fuel tanks and a
bomb, a full nose gun bay, open/
MALTA ATTACKER
Ju 87B-2/R-2 ‘Picchiatello’
By: Italeri
Item no: 2769 Price: £34.99
Web: www.hobbyco.net
Italeri’s Stuka gets tweaked to
again represent the B-2, but
also the R-2 with underwing fuel
tanks. The kit impresses, with fine
engraved panel lines and rivets,
and a busy cockpit, but is let down
by a too-bulbous propeller spinner
and misshapen prop blades.
Bombs/tanks from the same firm’s
World War Two Luftwaffe stores
80 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
1/48
closed cowling petals and ‘open’
undercarriage bays with a view to
the engine rear. A separate rudder
and ailerons also feature, and the
decals remain unchanged from the
original release:
• 210003/Yellow 1, I./JG 26, Germany
• 500408/White 12, 5./JG 301,
Germany
• 210003/Black 1, wavy line, IV./JG
26, Germany
• 600150/Black 1, chevron and bar,
Stab/JG 4, Germany
• 211115/Red 18, I.EKG(J), Pilsen,
Czechoslovakia
• 211164/Black 4, chevron and bar,
Stab/JG 6, Prague, Czechoslovakia
1/48
set also feature. Crew stations
are well appointed and there’s a
full engine, weighted tyres and PE
parts. The Cartograf decals cater
for five machines:
• Ju 87B-2, 239a Sq, Regia
Aeronautica, Mediterranean, 1941
• Ju 87B-2, 7085, 237a Sq, Regia
Aeronautica, Italy, 1940
• Ju 87R-2, Yellow 209/18
(captured), 236a Sq, Regia
Aeronautica, Libya, 1941
• Ju 87B-2, 5794, 236a Sq, Regia
Aeronautica, Sicily, 1940
• T6-DP, 6./StG 2, Libya, 1942
CLASSIC JET TRAINER
Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7
By: Miniwing
Item no: 084 Price: £19.80
Web: www.miniwing.cz
The quality of casting on
Miniwing’s Meteor T.7 is sublime;
fine panel lines and even the one-
piece main/nose undercarriage
units are rendered beautifully.
Most impressive is the join of the
fuselage and wing, which is as
snug as can be, and not a hint of
filler will be needed. There are
reasonable seats for the scale,
the under-fuselage fuel tank is
B-29 HUNTER
Nakajima Ki-87
By: RS Models
Item no: 92211 Price: €22
Web: www.rsmodels.cz
RS Models continues its ‘what-if’
subjects with this Ki-87; just one
prototype was built, the aircraft
being designed to counter raids
by US B-29s, but production was
prevented by the end of World War
Two. Besides the bare-metal flying
example, RS also offers two notional
schemes via the well-printed decals.
Plastic-wise there are two runners
1/144
supplied, and even self-adhesive
masks are provided for the heavily
framed glazing. About the only
glitch is a detail seemingly carried
across from the company’s same-
scale Meteor F.8; nose guns are
present and the T.7 wasn’t armed
with these, so one must sand away
the fairings and fill the recessed
ports…a simple task. The decals
are well printed and cater for two
T.7s in High Speed Silver:
• WA740, 421 Sqn Royal Canadian
Air Force, Odiham, 1951
• WH144/A-N, 215 Advanced Flying
School, RAF, 1953
1/72
with finely engraved parts, and the
sheer size of the type is apparent
immediately. The prominent turbo-
supercharger is present, to be
recessed on the starboard front
fuselage, and the cockpit detail is
reasonable (moulded instruments,
and a padded seat back-pad). RS
provides just frontal engine features
on a firewall, and the glazing is in one
piece. The what-if schemes are:
• White 87, 56th Sentai, Itami AB,
Japan, December 1945
• 244th Sentai, Tokyo, Japan,
November 1945
Tankfest_fp.indd 1 05/03/2018 16:50
 ON THE SHELF
MILITARY KITS

SOVIET WORKHORSE 1/35

VALIANT FELINE
1/35

T-60 Late Series
By: MiniArt
Item no: 35232 Price: £37.99
Web: www.miniart-models.com
MiniArt has cornered the market for
World War Two Soviet light tanks,
and its T-60s are perfect examples.
Boasting 38 styrene runners and
a photo-etched brass fret, this
is a comprehensive kit featuring
individual-link tracks, a full engine,
transmission, batteries, ammunition
load, equipment and interior
fittings…even small items, such as
the starter crank shaft crossing the
WHEELED THIRST-QUENCHER
driver’s control levers, are replicated CM-11 (M48H) Brave Tiger
faithfully. This boxing depicts the By: Takom
late-production variant, as produced Item no: 2090 Price: £52.99
by the Gorky/GAZ plant, with rivetted Web: www.pocketbond.co.uk
hull/turret armour plates, pressed or
cast road wheels, asbestos-wrapped Takom’s first foray with the M48
exhaust pipe and extended mantlet (following its recent M47s) is
shield. There are four overall 4BO a curious choice, in the form
Russian Green schemes, with varying of Taiwan’s M48H Brave Tiger,
degrees of whitewash on two options: which combines an M60 hull
• Black 4, February-March 1942 with an M48A2 turret and late-
• White 916, 22nd Tank Corps, Kalach, version 105mm main armament.
southwestern Front, July 1942 This new tooling provides six
• 3rd Shock Army, Kalinin Front, styrene runners, a photo-etched
Velikie Luki, December 1942 brass fret, copper wire, separate
• White 460, 1942 lower hull/upper turret and band-
style tracks. The latter exhibit
1/35 a quality more reminiscent
MOBILE MISSILE
of Dragon’s DS Styrene than
standard vinyl, and there are
metal pins to join the ends. While
there’s no interior, the exterior
detail more than compensates,
with delicate texture to replicate
cast surfaces, weld seams and
beautifully rendered engine deck
lifting handles. Similarly, the
main gun is moulded as a single
part with separate hollow muzzle,
while the .50 cal machine gun is
stunning. The decal sheet may
be small, but there are markings
for four Republic of China Army
tanks; three in green/brown
black camouflage and one in
overall green.
1/72

Rheintochter 1 with E-50 Body

By: Modelcollect
Item no: UA72031
Price: US $21.99
Web: www.modelcollect.com

The Germans were renowned for

CMP F15 Water Truck
By: Mirror Models
Item no: 35166 Price: £41.99
Web: www.pocketbond.co.uk
Mirror Models’ range of
Canadian Military Pattern (CMP)
trucks is joined by the 15cwt
(hundredweight) water-carrying
version. It’s a busy package, with
15 styrene runners (including
one for clear parts), two photo-
etched brass frets, lengths of
metal wire and vinyl piping, and
five solid vinyl tyres. This boxing
provides the Type 11 cab (hard-top,
outward-angled windscreen and
long engine ‘snout’); the Type 13
is available separately (35167).
With more than 350 components
there’s an abundance of detail,
from the well-appointed cab to the
splendid engine, transmission and
suspension. Compared to earlier
Mirror releases, runner attachment
gates are much improved. Four
colour schemes are provided,
with British and Italian machines
in overall Light Stone, and two
SSC 15 Olive Drab Canadian Army
vehicles, with shades matched to
AMMO-MIG products.
taking an armoured vehicle and
experimenting with what weapons
could be mounted on it (such as
8.8cm FlaK 36/37 or 3.7cm FlaK 43),
so Modelcollect follows a proven
philosophy when combining a
Rheintochter 1 surface-to-air missile
with an E-50 chassis. It comprises
eight styrene runners, with a
separate upper/lower hull and rear
plate, and a small photo-etched
brass fret for the vehicle’s grilles. It’s
hard to settle on one highlight, such
is the kit’s quality, whether it be the
detailed engine and cooling units,
superb Rheintochter missile, or the
excellent hull texture (featuring the modeller’s imagination – this
accurate late-war weld seams). will be a hugely entertaining project
There are two notional schemes, though…and would look great
both for camouflaged vehicles, but alongside a flak-bearing vehicle in a
in reality, the only constraint will be missile/gun combo.

82 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com


TRACKED BALL LIGHTNING
Flakpanzer IV (3cm) ‘Kugelblitz’
By: Dragon Item no: 6889
Price: £69.99 Web: www.hobbyco.net
Dragon’s original Kugelblitz portrayed
the zenith of Panzer IV flak-tank
development. This new boxing
appears to offer hull parts from the
firm’s existing Panzer IV Ausf.H/J
and FlaK 38 kits, but with an all-new
turret and other accoutrements. The
company’s Panzer IVs are excellent
in most areas, but the obvious boost
to this product is the Kugelblitz ball
turret, which is a comprehensive
COMMUNICATION WAGON
Sd.Kfz.261
By: ICM
Item no: 48194 Price: £13.99
Web: www.icm.com.ua
ICM was the first firm to provide
an injection-moulded Sd.Kfz.223
in 1/48 scale (see Jan 2017 issue),
and to get the most from its
moulds it has now released an
Sd.Kfz.261 radio vehicle. Almost
all parts are the same as in the
‘223, but one receives additional
components to portray the open,
turretless crew compartment with
anti-grenade mesh screens, which
1/35
affair. It comprises two stunning
(traversing) MK 103 3cm guns with
full breech detail and fine renderings
of the elaborate muzzle brakes. The
ball itself has separate hatches, a
curved belt chute, ammo containers,
intercom switch box (with copper wire
provided for cabling), trigger pedals
and a bracket for a stereoscopic
rangefinder. One also receives real
metal towing cable, clear vision
blocks, photo-etched brass details
and one-piece DS styrene tracks. A
wondrous kit, with four suggested
unidentified-unit colour schemes.
1/48
are rendered in fine photo-etched
brass; the prominent frame-type
radio antenna is also present. This
is a neat offering, with worthy
suspension spring detail and
the choice of styrene tyres with
separate wheel hubs, or rubber
tyres with styrene hubs. Eastern
Front and North Africa Wehrmacht
schemes are given via the neat
decal sheet:
• WH-522808, Ukraine, 1941
• WH-203297, Russia, 1941
• WH-638532, Tunisia, March 1943
• WH-1021895, Belarus, October
1943
POWERFUL 88 PUNCH
Jagdpanther
By: Zvezda Item no: 5042
Price: £9.99
Web: www.hobbyco.net
This new Jagdpanther portrays an
Early Production machine (early
February-April 1944, single driver’s
periscope and jack moved to
between the exhausts) and offers
excellent value. The pioneer tools
are in neat separate groupings,
wheels are moulded together in
two-layered rows for simplicity
and the upper hull displays a high
degree of refinement, although
all hatches are rendered in the
ARMED RECCE TANK
Aufklarungspanzer 38(t) mit 2cm
KwK.38
By: Dragon
Item no: 6890 Price: £69.99
Web: www.hobbyco.net
Dragon’s often-employed runner
mixing applies to this cool Panzer
38(t) with 2cm gun. The bulk of the
parts hail from the company’s 38(t)
Ausf.G boxing, while the remainder
have been plucked from Sd.Kfz.251
and '234 kits. There’s much to like
here; the open turret is soon filled
with an excellent flak gun (with slide-
moulded barrel), a seat, radio and
View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com 83
ON THE SHELF
MILITARY KITS
1/72
closed position; the engine deck is
particularly pleasing. Items such
as the banks of spare track links,
wheel bolt detail and convincing
exhausts add extra class, while
one-piece styrene track runs are
designed to be bent to shape
around the wheels. A suggested
camouflage pattern for Eastern/
Western Front 1944-45 sits
on the instructions, but to be
correct technically, this vehicle
should wear Zimmerit but none
is moulded here. The decal sheet
offers generic white-outlined
black casemate numbers and
German crosses.
1/35
ammunition boxes. Driver controls
and a detailed transmission are
present, there’s a splendid perforated
storage box and photo-etched brass
mesh sections for the grenade cover,
which can be posed open or closed.
A star antenna is also offered, as is a
full complement of on-vehicle tools
and individual-link Magic Track; a
casting number is moulded on each
link! Regarding suggested liveries,
there are two Eastern Front vehicles
from unidentified units, but the
third machine with three-tone
camouflage is from the 116.Pz.Div.,
Western Front, 1944.
 ON THE SHELF
MARITIME KITS
ANCIENT MARINER
HMS Eskimo
By: Mister Craft
Item no: S-92 Price: £5.49
Web: www.amerang.co.uk
If there was a retirement age for kits,
Airfix’s Tribal-class destroyer would
qualify, yet this basic offering has
a new lease of life in Mister Craft’s
boxing, with a new three-piece stand.
There are two styrene runners, plus
a separate deck and forward/aft
superstructures, and the vessel can
be built in full-hull configuration…
but with judicious cutting could also
be presented in waterline form. The
age is apparent from the amount of
DNIEPER PATROLLER
Soviet Navy Udarnyi River
Monitor
By: Dodo Models
Item no: 70009 Price: £21.44
Web: www.dodo-models.com
This resin and PE Udarnyi makes
for a refreshing change, being
a class of vessels designed to
operate in Russia’s vast river
network, and this ship provided
fire support against German units
during World War Two. There were
just two vessels in the Udarnyi
class, and either can be built from
this kit, as neither carried hull/
84 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
1/600
flash present and minimal surface
detail, and much neatening will
be required. Note just an early
Tribal can be built directly from
this kit; for those desiring a late-
war ship, the funnels, armament,
mainmast and superstructure will
need modification. There are four
schemes, with Western Approaches
camouflage indicated for HMS
Eskimo…references must be checked
for the remaining British, Australian
and Canadian vessels:
• F75/L75/G75, HMS Eskimo, 1943
• F33/L33/G33, HMS Somali, 1942
• I30, RAN Arunta, late 1943
• G63, RCN Haida, late 1943
1/700
pennant numbers. It comprises
30 resin parts (including those for
two bonus KV-1 tanks) and a single
PE fret; the latter supplies the
bridge platforms in addition to the
usual railings, ladders, yardarms
and anchor chains. Usually, the
hull/deck rendering takes the top
honours, but here it’s the main
gun turrets, with commendably
thin exterior reinforcing strakes
and delicate barrels. A basic
colour scheme is supplied, for
an overall light grey vessel with
red-brown decks, and flags are
provided in decal form.
BOW-HEAVY BATTLESHIP
HMS Victoria 1890
By: Combrig
Item no: 70084
Price: US $50.40
Web: www.combrig-models.com
Famous for being one of the few
vertical shipwrecks, HMS Victoria
has been ignored previously by
model companies; Combrig’s
waterline offering is the first
of this vessel. It comprises
more than 100 finely cast resin
components and a comprehensive
PE brass fret, but this kit isn’t
for beginners, with recourse to
reference material being vital
for portraying the torpedo net
SILENT WARRIOR
HMS Upholder/HMCS Victoria
By: OKB Grigorov
Item no: 700075 Price: €13.40
Web: www.okbgrigorov.com
Britain’s Upholder-class diesel
submarines were a casualty of the
end of the Cold War, being in RN
service for less than four years,
before eventually being sold to
Canada, where they were renamed
the Victoria-class. OKB Grigorov’s
lovely resin kit is simplicity itself, with
a single-piece full hull, photo-etched
(PE) brass propeller and a separate
1/700
booms and boat deck (neither are
covered fully in the instructions).
Scratch-building skills are needed
for the masts, yardarms and
for stanchions on the bridge
underside, plus there are no
railings. For those modellers
seeking an extra challenge, the
plans (which are not to the same
scale as the model) provide
most of the rigging details.
Being a 19th Century ship, it
was coloured brightly, with red
lower hull (extending above the
waterline), white cheat line and
superstructure, black hull to the
freeboard, tan masts and funnels
and wooden decks.
1/700
resin prop’ hub. Casting quality is
good, with a notch incorporated
along the length of the pour stub
to allow easy separation. Surface
features are represented as fine
recessed lines or panels, but there
is no representation of extended
masts and/or periscope…all must be
scratch-built. A smart four-part PE
metal stand is supplied for display.
There are no decals, as none of the
vessels carried pennant numbers (so
technically any Upholder or Victoria
could be built), and references will be
required for the hull colours.
THE ULTIMATE GUIDE WITH HINTS, TIPS AND TECHNIQUES
Welcome to the re-printed
Scale Modelling – Step-by-Step …
whether you are a total novice,
returning to the hobby after a long
lay-off, or an experienced modeller.

While flexibility and experimentation

form a large part of building scale
models, there are some standards
that are set in stone and many
construction, painting and airbrushing
methods are featured here. Primarily,
though, this instructional 100-page
publication is aimed at beginners
who, if they choose to stick with
it, will have entered a fascinating
and fun arena in which to develop
their creativity. On these pages we
also endeavour to welcome lapsed
modellers back to the fold and to
help update their skills. Enjoy, and get
building!
and much more!

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www.keypublishing.com/shop OR Overseas: +44 1780 480404
Monday to Friday 9am-5:30pm
 ON THE SHELF
AUTO KITS
SCANDANAVIAN HAULER
Volvo FH16 XXL ‘Viking’
By: Italeri Item no: 3931
Price: £59.99 Web: www.hobbyco.net
When it comes to trucks, Italeri
stands head and shoulders above
the rest in getting the best from its
kits; here parts from four Volvo F16
and FH16 offerings are combined
with two new runners (bull bars,
wheel arches and engine extras)
and a partial frame from its truck
accessories set (3854). Seven hollow
vinyl tyres and a sheet of vinyl
mesh (for the bull bars) complete
QUARTER-MILE LEGEND
Tom McEwen Barracuda Funny Car
By: Polar Lights
Item no: 953 Price: £39.99
Web: www.amerang.co.uk
Drag racing is a world apart; its
‘Funny Cars’ class provides some
of the wackiest vehicles, and Tom
McEwen, known as ‘the Mongoose’,
competed in a highly modified
1969 Plymouth Barracuda. This
is a re-release of an earlier kit
(exact date unknown) but captures
the look and attitude of this race
car perfectly, from the 30-piece
86 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
1/24
this busy package. The result is the
XXL version, along with striking
‘Viking’ livery for the cab sides and
aerodynamic fairings, and stylised
company logo. Commendably, the
parts are moulded cleanly, notably
those older items, some of which
have been around for more than
three decades, yet there is minimal
flash or sink marks. The decals are
another gem, with stunning artwork
for the exterior, along with rear-view
mirrors, rear light clusters and trim,
all featuring perfect register and
excellent opacity.
1/25
engine (including optional Enderle
or Hillborn fuel injectors) to the
tubular frame chassis and driver’s
roll-bar protection. Everything
about this vehicle just screams
exaggeration. There are nine
styrene runners (two chrome)
and these offer options for wheel
styles, while the tyres are vinyl
(the rears are two-piece units
with pre-printed logos). Painting is
simplified by the gold and red trim
being in decal form, but best of all,
the upper shell can be hinged to
reveal the detailed engine.
STUTTGART CLASSIC
Porsche 911 Turbo
By: Revell
Item no: 07179 Price: £22.99
Web: www.revell.de/en
Considering most of this tooling
dates to 1989, this is a reasonable
kerbside replica of the real 911
Turbo from two years earlier. The
body shell is shaped well and has
no visible mould lines…just the
odd eye-confusing cooling line.
All parts are in red styrene, save
for clear components and the
chromed runner, which carries the
engine/transmission, alloy wheels,
headlamp bowls and wing mirror
DESSERT WAGON
Citroén H CrepeMobile Type
By: Ebbro Item no: 25010
Price: £59.99 Web: www.hobbyco.net
This sweet Citroén H van follows
Ebbro’s previous Mobile Kitchen’
boxing (25008) but is a cheaper
(and less detailed) affair as it lacks
all the latter’s interior fittings and
cooking/food accoutrements. It’s
still a pleasing item though if one
just wants the ‘outer experience’,
although rear section bench seats
and a well-appointed cab are present;
1/24
‘glass’ facings. The chrome is too
garish and should be stripped to
make way for the various correct
metallic and grey tones of the
real powerplant (not the wheels
though, as these just require black
paint between the main spokes).
Suspension and steering detail
is good, as is the dashboard,
but the seats have no belts of
any kind. The rubber tyres are
convincing, and the decal sheet is
busy, with dash instruments and
registrations for cars in Germany,
France, Great Britain, Belgium,
Spain, Austria, Switzerland, the
Netherlands and California, USA.
1/24
one can also pose open the rear, side
and cab doors. There’s a full chassis
with axle/steering representation,
and the cab seat support frames
are particularly well rendered. A
chrome runner carries headlamps
and other bright work, the floorpan,
rear seating and chassis are moulded
in black, but if one wishes to emulate
the box-top livery, the yellow
bodyshell parts are a boon. Rubber
tyres, well-printed decals and photo-
etched metal grille/treadplate parts
complete the package.
Untitled-1 1 16/03/2018 14:31:14
 ON THE SHELF
FIGURES
TROUBLESOME TRIO
Strange Company’s Adventures:
Wow, I Like It!
By: Master Box
Item no: MB24031
Price: £11.50
Web: www.creativemodels.co.uk
Master Box delves into the world
of cyber/steampunk with the first
of four releases designed to depict
ISRAELI
1/35
ARMOUR TRIO
IDF Tank Crew
By: Royal Model
Item no: 767
Price: €28.90
Web: www.royalmodel.com
Comprising three resin part-
figures, this Royal Model set
offers Israeli tankers dressed
in overall green uniform and
wearing helmets with side
cut-outs for radio ear covers,
rather than the type with
bulged sides to accommodate
headsets. The detail is crisp
indeed, especially on the
webbing and heads. All are
male subjects (female Israeli
tankers were not permitted
until last year) and they’re
posed as if in driving mode;
two are portrayed with a hand
resting on the hull/hatch. Ideal
additions for a wide variety
of Israeli tanks and armoured
personnel carriers.
88 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
1/24
a sci-fi adventure,
and can be built
either separately
or as part of a Star
Wars-like cantina
scene. This offering
supplies three figures
— a gun-wielding
male mercenary,
an android waitress
(with tray and drinks)
and bipedal robot…
the latter posed as if
petting the female character. Each
comprises 11 or 12 well-moulded
styrene parts, with separate limbs,
torso and head; there are seams,
but these should be easy to address
with a knife and/or abrasive paper.
Full biographies for the characters
are supplied on the box rear, along
with paint charts, and an insert
begins the story.
FEMME FATALE 1/24
Strange Company’s Adventures:
Don’t Even Think About…
By: Master Box
Item no: MB24033
Price: £10.99
Web: www.creativemodels.co.uk
Taking inspiration from the
steampunk genre, this second of
Master Box’s adventure releases
depicts an armed woman, dressed
in a Victorian-style outfit, sitting
on a bar stool. It comprises two
runners; the first offers 13 parts
for the figure, with separate arms,
legs, head and two-part hat, while
the second provides 13 components
for the stool and a section of bar
counter. The moulding is excellent,
notably on the many buckles on the
boots and tunic top, and the figure’s
hair, which is arranged in ringlets.
TEUTONS IN A CAN
Bundeswehr Tank Crew
By: MiniArt
Item no: 37032 Price: £10.99
Web: www.creativemodels.com
Anyone with 1/35 German
Leopard builds on the cards
shouldn’t ignore MiniArt’s new
Bundeswehr Tank Crew set, as it
will add much life to one’s model.
Five subjects are provided; three
standing with arms
posed as if resting on/in
hatch openings, another
standing while gripping
the handle of an MG
3 heavy machine gun,
and a seated female
tanker with beret and a
radio headset over the
top. Different styles of
helmet are offered, and
ERK AND A
1/72
FLY-BOY
RAF Pilot & Mechanic standing
By: PJ Production
Item no: 721138 Price: €4.60
Web: www.pjproduction.net
We still marvel at how some
figure sculptors can master
such fine detail in small scales,
but it’s fully evident on PJ
Production’s latest item…this
splendid World War Two RAF
pilot (wearing a leather flying
helmet and Mae West, and with
separate parachute pack) and
his overall-clad mechanic. Just
a hint of very wispy casting
flash was present on our
samples, but a fresh scalpel
blade will deal with this quickly.
Once neatened, the resin duo
will be ideal for populating
small aircraft vignettes or
larger dioramas.
1/35
body armour is evident on two
of the male figures. Footwear
is represented in standard and
‘desert’ form, but both reflect
the more modern format, while
binoculars, goggles and a boom
microphone are just some of
the individually moulded items.
Flecktarn, and temperate
Tropentarn uniform patterns are
shown on the box art.
SOLDIERS IN 1/35
THE SADDLE
US Horsemen
By: MiniArt
Item no: 35151
Price: £10.99
Web: www.miniart-models.com
Soldiers will embrace whatever
transport they can find, and
to exemplify the fact, MiniArt
has replicated the instance of
horse-riding US Army soldiers in
Normandy during 1944. Six runners
supply sufficient components for
two figures (each comprising a
horse and rider) and, although
this sample suffered from flash on
several parts, the moulded relief is
superb, notably the horse’s heads
and GI’s tunics. The composition
is interesting, with one horse
stationary (and its rider posed as
if being photographed) and the
other appearing to be at the canter;
it’s rider (an officer) is portrayed
with drawn pistol. MiniArt has
captured the details perfectly, from
the European-style stirrups to
the appearance of motion on the
cantering animal.
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 ON THE SHELF
DECAL SHEETS
FLYING DOLPHINS
Aero L-29 Delfín in the World
By: Armycast
Item no: ACD72017 Price: €12.50
Web: www.armycast.cz
Armycast has followed its excellent
F-5 and T-33 sets (see Nov and Dec
2017 issues) with this stunning
collection of 17 L-29 Delfín (Dolphin)
liveries, perfect for AMK’s kit.
Natural metal and camouflaged
aircraft feature equally, with those
from the Hungarian, Ghanaian and
United Arab Republic
Air Forces being
the most colourful.
These decals are
also available in 1/48
MORE ‘LIGHT BLUE’ RHINOS
Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas
FG.1 & FGR.2 Phantoms Pt2
By: Xtradecal
Item no: X72290 Price: £7.99
Web: www.hannants.co.uk
Part 1 of Xtradecal’s RAF
Phantoms series featured
90 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
1/72
scale (ACD 48017)
but include just 10
options. The 1/72
schemes include:
• 3246, 1st Ftr Regt,
České Budějovice,
Czechoslovakian AF,
1960s
• 1408, Air Force
Academy, Piešt’any,
Czechoslovakian AF,
1966
• 3233, 341st Trg Sqn,
Pardubice, Czech
Republic AF, 1998
• Red 374, Pilot and Technical
School, Szolnok, Hungarian AF,
1970s
• Red 57, Air Force Academy, Boboc,
Romanian AF, 1960s
• 3232, 33rd FB Wg, Malacky,
Slovakian AF, late 1990s
• U-110, Entebbe, Ugandan AF, 1970s
• G 956, 1st Trg Regt, Takoradi,
Ghanaian AF, early 2000s
• 1135, 2nd Trg Sqn, Tikrit, Iraqi AF,
late 1960s
1/72
in August 2017 issue’s News
pages. The second round offers
a pleasing mix of tactical-
camouflaged F-4s (with the
original upper vertical tail shape,
and ECM modification), and later
air-defence grey machines. The
printing is excellent, and the eight
schemes are:
• FGR.2, XV403/A, 54 Sqn,
Coningsby, 1972
• FGR.2, XV414/N, 41 Sqn,
as seen at Gütersloh,
Sept 13, 1976
• FGR.2, XV466/D, 1435
Flt, Mount Pleasant,
Falklands, Dec 1991
• FGR.2, XV421/F, 1435 Flt,
Mount Pleasant, Dec 1991
• FG.1, XV582/B, 111 Sqn,
Leuchars, mid-1970s
• FGR.2, XT906/T, II Sqn,
Laarbruch, mid-1970s
• FGR.2, XT912/912, 6
Sqn, Coningsby, June 17,
1969
• FGR.2, XT914/Z, 74/56
Sqn markings combined,
Wattisham, March 25,
1992
FLORIDA FIFTEENS
1/48
Emerald Coast Eagles
By: Bullseye Model
Aviation
Item no: 48-006
Price: US $24.99
Web: spruebrothers.com
Despite its age
and relative lack
of different colour
schemes, the mighty
F-15C is still a popular
subject with modellers.
The fact is not lost
on Bullseye Model
Aviation, which has
released this superb
selection of markings
for USAF F-15Cs based
at Tyndall and Eglin in
Florida. The aircraft,
all painted in the late
Mod Eagle tones of FS FW, Eglin, 2009
36176/36251, date as far back as • 83-0031/TY, 1st FS, 325th FW,
2003, and have fetching colour Tyndall, 2003
accents via white-shadowed • 79-0021/TY, 95th FS, 325th FW,
tailcodes, vertical-fin bands Tyndall, 2009
and unit markings. Detail-wise, • 82-0013/EG, 58th FS, 33rd FW,
even the minutest features are Eglin, 2009
accounted for, such as paint • 82-0013/EG, 60th FS, 33rd FW,
barn logos, and there’s enough Eglin, 2006
stencilling (on a separate sheet, • 82-0025/ET, 40th FTS, 46th TW,
not shown here) for four jets. Of Eglin, 2007
the 16 options, examples include: • 85-0126/OT, 85th TES, 53rd
• 82-0033/EG ‘Gulf Spirit’, 33rd Wing, Eglin, 2007
BRIT SPOOKS GALORE 1/72
Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas Sqn, Leuchars, 1989
FG.1 & FGR.2 Phantom Pt4 • FGR.2, XV499/I, 23 Sqn, BDRT
By: Xtradecal airframe, Leeming, 1993
Item no: X72293 Price: £7.99 • FG.1, XF574/B, 43 Sqn, Leuchars,
Web: www.hannants.co.uk 1970
Here’s yet more lovely British
Phantom garb courtesy of
Hannants’ own brand, printed
with Airfix’s new kit in mind…
but they could as easily be
employed on Fujimi models.
Two-tone tactical paint
accompanies low-vis grey, but
there is also the famous (and
stunning) ‘Black Mike’ among
the eight liveries:
• FGR.2, XV419/G, 29 Sqn,
Coningsby, 1981
• FGR.2, XT901/J, 17 Sqn,
Brüggen, 1973
• FGR.2, XV498/U, 92 Sqn,
Wildenrath, 1992
• FGR.2, XV393/A, 228 OCU/64
Sqn, Coningsby, 1979
• FGR.2, XV419/AA, 19 Sqn,
Wattisham, 1991
• FG.1, XV582/M ‘Black Mike’, 111

BLACK MYTHICAL BEAST
The Dragon Viper – F-16A Netz &
F-16C Barak Block 30, 115th Tayeset
By: Armycast
Item no: ACD72022 Price: €12.50
Web: www.armycast.cz
The F-16A/C airframes of Israel’s
The Dragon Squadron wear what’s
arguably the smartest artwork of
any of the nation’s fighter units. It’s
black dragon on a red spearpoint
sits perfectly over traditional brown,
pale green and sand camouflage.
Modellers wanting to emulate
these jets in scale form now exploit
UNUSUAL GOONEY BIRDS
Douglas Dakota C-47 – DC-3
By: Kits World
Item no: KW172127 Price: £10.20
Web: www.kitsworld.co.uk
One could lose count of the
different ‘uniforms’ worn by the
legendary Dakota, even purely
in military terms, but if more
unusual garb is the goal then
Kits World’s three-option sheet
is worth considering. The first
scheme is for a Dark Green/Dark
Earth/Night Dakota III operated
by the often-clandestine British
Overseas Airways Corporation in
1945. This sports the trademark
red, white and blue stripes and
large silver-edged black codes
(G-AGHF). A much brighter livery
comes via the South African
Air Force C-47, ‘6877’, known
as the 'Dazzle Dak’ due to the
black and yellow stripes on its
lower fuselage, and upper/lower
wings (it has a gloss white upper
ON THE SHELF
DECAL SHEETS
1/72
SIX DECADES DIGITAL
1/48
Armycast’s four-
scheme decal
collection, which
offers markings
for four different
aircraft, including
stencils and
national insignia
(three of the five
sheets shown
here). As a bonus,
the firm also
provides the
F-16A/C’s surface
reinforcement
plates in photo-
etched brass, with
optional parts for F-2A 3rd TFS 60th Anniversary and a large samurai head to
Revell/Academy By: DXM one of its Mitsubishi F-2As
kits, as well as Item no: 71-4229 Price: US $25 (airframe 43-8524). DXM allows
Hasegawa. This Web: www.dxmdecal.com us to portray said livery via
decal/PE combo is also available in its two sheets of beautifully
1/48 scale (48-022) The four 115th The Japan Air Self-Defense printed decals, which are thin
Tayaset aircraft are: Force’s 3rd Tactical Fighter and glossy…and perfect for
• F-16A Netz, 124 Squadron was 60 years old in Hasegawa’s kit. Full stencilling
• F-16A Netz, 234 2016, and to mark the occasion, is supplied, as are colour call-
• F-16C Barak Block 30 (large intake), the Misawa-based unit applied outs for Mr. Color, Humbrol and
360, 2017 cool pixelated camouflage Federal Standard.
• F-16C Barak Block 30, 383, 2017
EAGLES OF THE HOLY LAND 1/48
Israeli Air Force F-15 Baz such as ‘Cyclone’, ‘Carriage of Fire’
By: IsraDecal and ‘Mars’, and many of these are all
Item no: IAF-100 Price: US $28 catered for in Hebrew script. A must
Web: www.isradecal.com for anyone modelling Israeli F-15s.
Israel has always been adept
1/72 and turning even relatively
basic aircraft into much more
capable machines; the ‘Baz’
conversion of F-15A/B/C/D
airframes is a fine example.
Not to be confused with
the F-15I, these aircraft can
execute ground-attack and
recce missions as well as air
defence, and if one wishes to
model the Baz in 1/48 scale,
IsraDecal offers every marking
one needs. This package
supplies four individual
sheets (two shown here) with
national insignia, myriad
stencils, squadron badges/
motifs, victory tallies and even
camera sighting squares (one
of the units is involved in test
fuselage). The final scheme is work). Via generic codes, up to
that of ‘D-ARPF’, a captured 37 airframes can be portrayed,
DC-3 (formerly the ex-KLM from either the Knights of the
aircraft PH-SLV ‘Valk’) flown by Orange Tail, Tip of the Spear or
Germany’s Deutsche Lufthansa, Test & Evaluation Squadrons,
at Schipol, in 1941. Kits World and a large poster-sized
suggests this machine wore RLM stencil placement guide is also
02 grey over RLM 04 yellow. provided. Most Baz carry an
individual name on the nose,
View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com 91
 ON THE SHELF
DECAL SHEETS

FAT-BACK FULCRUM 1/72

POLSKI COMBINATIONS
1/35

M2/M3/M5A1/M9A1/M14 half- Warsaw. The options are:

MiG-29SMT
By: Begemot
Item no: 72-034
Price: €TBA
Web: www.begemotdecals.ru
Undoubtedly printed with
Zvezda’s recent kit in mind, this
comprehensive selection of
markings for the MiG-29SMT
offers a wealth of schemes…and
myriad stencilling for airframe and
weaponry alike. Thirteen different
jets are represented, many wearing
Russia’s ‘splinter’ camouflage
and ‘BBC POCCИИ’ tail legends.
Other colour patterns are present
though, with the older two-tone
blue/grey garb evident on Russian
(and the sole Algerian) examples.
offers scaled templates on the
instructions to render this.
Some of the schemes are:
• SMT prototype, Dubai airshow,
2005
• SMT Prototype, Blue 777, MAKS-
2015 airshow
• FC-14/3017, 3rd Fighter Wing,
Algerian AF, 2007
• RF-95811/Red 23, 929th Main
Flight Research Center of Russian
Ministry of Defence, Akhtoubinsk,
2016
• RF-90845/Blue 21, 116th Centre of
Combat Employment, Privolzhski,
2016
• Red 11, 14th Fighter Aviation Regt,
Kursk AB, 2009
• RF-90847/Blue 23, Russian VKS in
Syria, Khmeimin AB, summer 2017
DEMON CENTENARY
Track in Polish Service vol.2
By: Toro Model
Item no: 35D49 Price: €7
Web: www.toro-model.com.pl
Delightful colour accents on this
Toro sheet will enliven various
half-track builds, for modellers
seeking to portray Polish Army
vehicles via kits by Tamiya,
Dragon, Academy and Monogram
(conversion work is necessary
to depict the later marks
represented). All wear overall
Olive Drab paint and most have
Allied white recognition stars, but
the life is added by the regimental
motifs, such as the Mermaid of
• M9A1, 4036269, 2nd Anti-Tank
Artillery Regt, 2nd AD, Italy,
1945
• M5A1, Z5580511, 10th Dragoons
Regt, 1st AD, France, June 1944
• M9A1, ‘Zolkiew’, 1st Motorised
Artillery Regt, 1st AD, Germany,
1945
• M2, Carpathian Lancers Regt,
2nd AD, Italy, 1945
• M9A1, Z5820443, Signal HQ,
1st AD, Germany, 1946
• M3 75mm GMC, ‘Lublinianka’
12th Podolian Uhlan Regt, Italy,
October 1945
• M3 75mm GMC, 40122597
‘Cairo’, Carpathian Lancers,
Italy, 1945
1/48

Bonus codes are supplied so one
can portray any SMT from Algeria’s
fleet. The first livery is that of a
demonstrator with a zig-zag on
the vertical tail, and Begemot
THAT’S YOUR LOT!
Embraer 195 PLL LOT
By: Martola
Item no: 144D007
Price: €6.92
Web: www.martola.com.pl
Decal newcomer Martola has
released markings for Poland’s
national carrier before (Il-62M),
but now also offers a livery for
• Red 20, 968th Research
Instructor Mixed Aviation Regt,
Lipetsk, 2010
• RF-92925/Red 05, 7000th
Aviation Base, Kursk AB, 2013
1/144
the Embraer 195. The same
colours are present, being dark
blue over white and with large
‘LOT’ motif on the forward
fuselage and company motif on
the tail. The aircraft in question
is SP-LNA, and this sheet has
the blue body trim combined
with grey windows…ideal for
Revell’s kit.
F-16C 100 Years of Flying Fiends • F-16C Blk 40, 89-2043 ‘Flying
By: Two Bobs Fiends 100 Years’, 36th FS, 51st FW,
Item no: 48-261 Price: US $14 October 2017
Web: www.twobobs.net • F-16C Blk 40, 88-0540/OS, 36th FS,
51st FW, April 2008
Last year, the 51st Fighter Wing
celebrated the 100th anniversary
of its component 36th Fighter
Squadron by painting special
artwork on the tail of an F-16C.
The Osan, South Korea-based unit
specialises in low-level nocturnal
attack, courtesy of its Block 40
LANTIRN pod system. If special
liveries are your thing, Two Bobs’
new sheet offers said centennial
markings, which comprise red
stripes and black chequers on the
vertical tail. Those interested in
modelling this unit’s aircraft, but
not necessarily in a more garish
fashion, also have a choice in a
line jet that wears just standard
chequers alone. Full stencilling and
‘stars and bars’ for both aircraft are
provided, as are markings for the
centennial jet’s intake and exhaust
bungs. Sized for Tamiya’s kit:

92 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com

Untitled-1 1 16/03/2018 14:33:37
 ON THE SHELF
ACCESSORIES

GALLIC FIGHTER 1/48

ANATOLIAN
1/35 FRENCH 1/72
NIPPONESE
1/48

DETAILS GEAR RECCE TOOL READINGS

Caudron CR.714
By: Brengun Item no: BRL48086
Price: €10.19 Web: www.brengun.cz

There’s always
a reasonable
amount of
detail on RS
Models kits,
but their WWI Turkish Infantry Weapons &
limited-run Equipment
nature does By: ICM
mean extra Item no: 35699
refinement Price: £7.99 WW2 Japanese Instrument Dial
SLR 1 + CRP 371
is usually Web: www.icm.com.ua Decals
By: L’Arsenal Item no: AC72 31
required for a By: Airscale Item no: AS48 JPN
Price: €5.95 Web: www.larsenal.com
truly decent This weapons set is an ideal Price: £7.25 Web: airscale.co.uk
replica. The complement to ICM’s Turkish French Air Force Mirage IIIRs carried
company’s 1/48 Infantry (35700) package Peter Castle’s Airscale brand
the SLR 1 side-looking Airborne
Caudron CR.714 will benefit greatly (see last month’s Figures), offers incredibly useful products
Radar during some reconnaissance
from this new photo-etched (PE) and offers two identical to ensure accuracy and quality
sorties. This interesting store has
metal fret from Brengun, as it offers runners of rifles, swords, of finish. These cockpit dial
not been available in scale form until
plenty of replacements/additions for pistols, helmets, ammunition decals display super-fine detail/
now, courtesy of French boutique
the cockpit (such as new instruments pouches, entrenching tools, printing and bring an air of
L’Arsenal. The cream-coloured
with printed acetate dials, a seat hand grenades, map/binocular authenticity often not provided
resin item comes in two parts, and
and belts) as well as new wing flaps. cases and water bottles. The with kit decals. The individual
its CRP 371 pylon is also supplied.
Just basic folds are mostly required moulding is first rate, and there nature of each dial negates
Fine engraved panel lines ensure a
on the PE parts, but minor surgery are separate cocking levers for silvering of carrier film, and a
convincing appearance, as do the
on the kit underwing section is the Mauser M1890/1893 and numbered list names every item
hollow air intake at the front and
necessary to install the flaps. 1903 rifles, which are supplied (attributing to navy or army,
shark-like rear cut-out.
with/without bayonets. Best too); switchgear panel decals
1/48
BANANA of all, there’s a handy guide to
APÉRITIF,
1/35 and clear acetate for punching
the weapons and equipment, so dial glass also feature. Superb.
COVERAGE these could be used easily with MONSIEUR?
H-21C Shawnee masks
By: Eduard
non-Turkish figures.
PONY’S PUNCH 1/32

Item no: EX547 Price: €11.25

Web: www.eduard.com LIFT DEVICES 1/72

Helicopters with extensive

glazing such as the H-21 ‘Flying
Banana’ demand careful
masking, but Eduard’s bespoke
self-adhesive set for Italeri’s
1/48 kit will make life much
easier. Besides the main ‘office’
transparencies, one also receives
masks for the fuselage windows
and wheels. Liquid mask will be
required to infill certain areas
once boundaries are set by some
of the masks.
Café Furniture and Crockery
By: MiniArt
Item no: 35569 Price: £10.99 P-51D Mustang
Web: www.miniart-models.com By: Master Model
Fw 189A-1 landing flaps Item no: AM-32-100 Price: £6.70
This in-the-box diorama package
By: Eduard Web: www.master-model.pl
comprises five styrene runners,
Item no: 72643
carrying grey, white, clear
Price: €22.45 This product is designed for 1/32
and transparent green parts.
Web: www.eduard.com P-51Ds, although its timing is
Together they provide four
coincident with Revell’s new Mustang
French-style chairs and two
More experienced modellers (see News, March 2018). It comprises
pedestal tables, along with wine/
tackling ICM’s recent Fw 189 12 turned brass barrels and blast
brandy bottles, beer/wine/brandy
toolings (see Chris Jones’ build tubes (six of each), and two gun
glasses, cups and saucers. All
on p.14, this issue) might want sights and beads (the former in
glasses are hollow, so with clear
to consider Eduard’s new flap PE). Assembly is explained clearly,
paint (mixed to match wine/
set. Etched finely in brass, these with the kit’s styrene items being
brandy/beer tones), one can
delicate units require many folds/ removed, before holes are drilled
simulate the necessary alcoholic
twists, but the effort will be well for the blast tubes, into which the
beverage! There’s also an A4
worth it. One must remove sections barrels are placed at varying depths.
sheet with Bistro/Café/Tabac
of the kit wing to accommodate the Note this set can be combined with
signs and awnings…perfect for
metal, but old hands should have no full-length barrels from AM-32-001
adorning MiniArt’s French Café.
issue with this. for other aircraft projects.

94 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com


PRECIOUS 1/48
METAL LIMBS
Bf 109F undercarriage legs Bronze
By: Eduard
Item no: 648308 Price: €17.25
Web: www.eduard.com
Aftermarket undercarriage legs
don’t come much better than
Eduard’s bronze offerings, and while
not cheap, they add real fidelity and
unmatched strength. These legs
are accompanied by superbly cast
resin gear bay doors, with all four
parts being designed to fit the Czech
company’s own Bf 109F toolings.
1/72
A LANC’S
LIFE
Avro Lancaster B.VII NX611
‘Just Jane’
By: Air-Craft Models
Item no: ACD72003+
Price: £13.99
Web: coastalcaftmodelsuk.com
Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage’s
Lancaster B.VII ‘Just Jane’
is represented here at eight
points during its existence, from
Aeronavale service, via the
Historical Aircraft Preservation
Society at Biggin Hill, to private
owners, culminating with its
current guise in 2017. There are
comprehensive decals with all
necessary markings, plus photo-
etched brass window templates
and strike camera housing, and
resin components for a fuselage
intake, two dorsal radomes and
the correct turret position.
GUNS, GUNS,
1/35
GUNS!
WWII German Infantry Weapons
Part-2
By: Dragon
Item no: 3816 Price: £10.99
Web: www.hobbyco.net
Dragon’s second German
weapons set offers early and late-
war rifles/machine guns, but also
three Panzerfausts (30/30K/60).
There are four styrene runners
(two of each), and helpfully,
the weapons are labelled for
easy identification; separate
magazines are supplied for side-
loading guns (MP 28/24/E/34S).
Foreign examples include Finnish
Suomi M 1931, Czech ZK 383 and
Hungarian M 39M. All parts are
moulded to Dragon’s exacting
standards, with the ventilated
jackets on the MG 34S and MP
28 notable for their refinement.
PATROLLER 1/72
PYLONS
Racks for P2V Neptune
By: Plus Model Item no: AL7020
Price: €9.80 Web: www.plusmodel.cz
Timed to coincide with Hasegawa’s
P-2 Neptune releases, this simple
resin set supplies 16 underwing
pylons, sufficient for a full load of 5in
HVARs on the P2V-1…or for two later
airframes (as these carried just eight
in total). Each is cast separately,
and features excellent panel and
attachment point detail. That’s not
all, as there are decals for the pylon
outer faces, with full stencilling data
incorporated. This will be a quick and
easy addition to any P-2.
ARMED TO 1/72
THE TEETH
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Gun
Barrels
By: Master Model
Item no: AM-72-125 Price: £10.80
Web: www.master-model.pl
Master Model’s intricate set is ideal
for any 1/72 scale B-17, offering
13 two-piece (jacket and barrel)
ventilated-jacket units, sufficient
for the most heavily armed variant,
the B-17G, and offers four angled
flash hiders for chin/tail turret guns.
Being generic .50 cal items, they
are suitable for any World War Two
USAAF medium or heavy bomber.
1/32
MITCHELL
OFFICE
B-25J Cockpit details set
By: Profimodeller
Item no: 32088 Price: £20.99
Web: www.profimodeller.com
Profimodeller’s cockpit set
will transform this area on HK
Models’ large-scale B-25J.
The package comprises an
instrument panel, rudder pedals,
cable looms and other items
in resin, printed acetate dials
and two sizeable photo-etched
brass frets with a multitude
of components, such as the
instrument panel facing and
other switch-box fronts,
seatbelts, the canopy hatch
frame, flare pistol holder and
much more besides.
View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com 95
ON THE SHELF
ACCESSORIES
GALLIC
1/48
STORES
LRF 4 Rocket Launcher
By: PJ Production
Item no: 481219
Price: €12.20
Web: www.pjproduction.net
Modellers seeking alternative
weapons for their 1/48 Mirage
III/V builds should consider PJ
Production’s excellent resin
LRF 4 rocket pods. Two units
are supplied, each comprising
three parts, with the inner and
outer tail cones (the former
cast integrally with the main
body) featuring commendably
thin sides. CES 3 pylons (for the
Mirage III) are supplied, although
this type of rocket pod can also
be fitted to French Mirage F.1 and
Jaguar models.
ALL ABOUT 1/48
DECEPTION
AN/ALQ-131 (shallow) ECM pod
By: Eduard
Item no: 648363 Price: €9.95
Web: www.eduard.com
Most commonly seen fitted to USAF
F-111, A-10 and F-16 aircraft, this
electronic-countermeasures pod
is designed to jam ground-based
radars during attack. Eduard’s unit
depicts the shallow version of the ‘131
(there’s also a ‘deep’) and is splendid
in its execution. Cast in one piece,
the shape and details echo the real
item superbly, and the suspension
lugs are separate items. There’s also
a busy decal sheet with the requisite
stencilling, and a great colour/decal
placement guide on the instructions.
 ON THE SHELF
ACCESSORIES
RAIL PLACARDS 1/48
LAU-7 Missile Launcher Stencils
By: Flying Leathernecks Models
Item no: 7D48-001 Price: US $5
Web: flyingleathernecksmodels.com
Detail hounds will love this neat
LAU-7 accessory, which supplies all
necessary stencils, warning signs
and stripes/bands for this missile rail
used to mount AIM-9 Sidewinders.
There are sufficient decals for 12
pylons in all, enough for several
builds and adding much-needed
refinement. For ease of application
the side markings are provided as a
single decal, with separate top and
bottom placards…note these are
designed to fit Hasegawa’s 1/48 F/A-
18A/B/C/D LAU-7 launchers.
1/32
BUBBLETOP
SCHEMES
Spitfire Mk.XVI Canopy and
Markings Mask
By: AlleyCat
Item no: AC32010C Price: £7
Web: www.alleycatmodels.co.uk
Intended for Tamiya’s big Spitfire
Mk.IXc and XVIe, this self-
adhesive mask set supplies all
necessary roundels, fin-flashes
and serial numbers, in addition to
interior and exterior covers for
the canopy and windscreen. The
three schemes are:
• Mk.IX, TE215/AP-A, 130 (Punjab)
Sqn RAF, spring 1944
• Mk.XVI, TB675/4D-V, 74 Sqn
RAF, Drope, April 1945
• Mk.XVI, AE-Q, 402 Sqn RCAF,
Fassberg, June 1945
96 View more reviews online: www.airfixmodelworld.com
FAST DETAIL
1/32
Spitfire Mk.IX Cockpit Upgrade
By: BarracudaCast
Item no: BR32339
Price: US $15.95
Web: www.barracudacast.com
While Revell’s Spitfire Mk.IX
cockpit features a refined
instrument panel, the remainder
of the cockpit isn’t as well
detailed. BarracudaCast’s
‘Snapshot’ upgrade set offers
quick and easy improvements
to this highly visible area,
comprising 21 finely cast resin
components and a length of black
wire. The main items are direct
replacements for the styrene
sidewalls (but are busier), to
which modellers will need to
fashion hydraulic lines from soft
lead wire…there’s even a canopy
latch/jettison mechanism.
ARMOURED 1/72
FACELIFT
T-72M1
By: Hauler Item no: HLH72070
Price: €7.08 Web: www.hauler.cz
Revell’s small-scale T-72M1 gets a
photo-etched brass makeover from
Hauler, with this busy upgrade. There
are replacement side-skirts and
stowage, but the
main improvements
are on the turret,
with new hatches,
smoke-dispenser
caps, handles and
periscopes/vision
blocks. The rest of
the hull benefits
from fuel tank
straps, V-shaped
splash plate, driver’s
vision blocks and an
accurate fixing for
the cupola-mounted
machine gun.
HAWK ROLLERS 1/72
P-40 Wheels – Block Tread
By: CMK Item no: Q72 296
Price: €3.80 Web: www.cmkkits.com
Designed to fit parent firm
Special Hobby’s new P-40s, these
superb resin wheels offer more
refinement than the kit’s styrene
items. They echo the kit by providing
flush and spoked separate hubs,
with notably deeper recesses on
the latter, but also the block tread
tyre pattern as opposed to the
circumferential version.
1/48
STARFIGHTER
BURNER
F-104 Exhaust Nozzle Late
By: Eduard
Item no: 648175 Price: €14.95
Web: www.eduard.com
If Hasegawa’s F-104s have one
major shortfall it’s the exhaust
nozzle detail, but Eduard’s
superb resin replacement more
than compensates. It’s intended
for the F-104S, which was fitted
with the J79-GE-19 variant
(for F-104Gs, set 648174 is
applicable) and comprises five
resin (including two mounting
adapters), and two photo-etched
metal components. The casting
is amazing, notably the main
converge/diverge nozzle, which
will respond well to careful
painting and weathering.
‘OFFICE’
1/32
LABELS
Modern Cockpit Dataplate and
Warning Decals
By: Airscale
Item no: AS32 DAN Price: £10.95
Web: www.airscale.co.uk
It’s an old rule, but the larger the
scale, the more detail is needed…
yet there’s always something
missing from kits. Here the issue
of placards, warning/hazard and
console labels is addressed in
style, with multiple examples of
each. References will be key in
selecting the correct type for
each cockpit, but there’s a choice
of pre-shaped and blank hazard
markers. Printed by Fantasy
Printshop on gloss carrier film,
the decals are superb, with
excellent register and opacity.
SMALL BOMB 1/48
CONTAINERS
30lb Incendiary Bomb/SBC
By: Belcher Bits
Item no: BB-41 Price: CAN $14.99
Web: www.belcherbits.com
Belcher Bits’ well-cast 30lb
Incendiary Bomb carriers are suitable
for any 1/48 RAF bomber, but notably
for the Lancaster, which could carry
up to 12 in a single load, along with a
4,000lb ‘Cookie’. Helpfully, that’s the
number of single-piece small bomb
containers supplied (a 4lb version is
also available as BB-17), so one could
add fewer munitions and have spares
for any Wellington, Hampden, Halifax
or Blenheim projects.
 MODEL MART
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MAY2018.indd 96 14/03/2018 10:29

ARCHIVE TREASURES
HAWKER SEA HAWK

T
he flying fish motif
on the forward
fuselages confirms
this gaggle of Hawker
Sea Hawk F.1s is from the
Fleet Air Arm’s 898 Naval Air
Squadron. Pictured in 1953
or ’54, the aircraft were then
based at RNAS Brawdy, near
Haverfordwest, in Wales.
These are later F.1 airframes,
recognisable by the addition
of the aerodynamic ‘bullet’
at the junction of the vertical
and horizontal stabilisers.
As with many FAA aircraft
of that period, the colour
scheme was Extra Dark
Sea Grey over Sky.

NEXT ISSUE ON SALE MAY 3, 2018*

98 Airfix Model World *UK scheduled on sale date. Please note that overseas deliveries are likely to occur after this date.
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Untitled-1 1 16/03/2018 14:53:19