Military Illustrated Modeller - Issue 135 - December 2022

Aircraft Edition - December ‘22 135 Military Illustrated Modeller
military illustrated
135
modeller
ISSUE
Aircraft Edition - December 2022
Eduard’s New 1:48 F4F-3 Wildcat

THE FIRST OF GRUMMAN’S CATS

WILDCAT!
modeller
Aircraft edition
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Contents ISSUE No.135 December 2022
4 NEWS
6 What’s happening in modelling and aviation
COVER STORY
6 WILDCAT! THE FIRST OF
GRUMMAN’S CATS Pt.1
Eduard 1:48 F4F-3 Wildcat by Josef Blazek
16 PREVIEW
Arma Hobby 1:72 P-39 Airacobra
18 BIPLANE DUSK
Mark Casiglia builds ICM’s 1:32 Gloster
Gladiator Mk. I
40 THE FLYING PENCIL

ICM 1:48 scale Do 17 Z-2 by Gary Edmundson
50 PREVIEW
ICM’s 1:32 Yak-9T
52 SPECIAL DELIVERY
Hasegawa’s 1:48 Arado Ar 234 C
by Brett Green
65 NEXT ISSUES
What’s coming up in the next issues of Military
18 Illustrated Modeller
66 TAILPIECE
RAF Waddington in
Lincolnshire has become the
new home of the Red Arrows
40
Aircraft Edition 3
News
ALL-NEW AIRFIX 1:72 METEOR MK.8

A
irfix has sent information and images of this dismissed from the airfield and local police would
exciting all-new release: close the surrounding roads to stop prying eyes
One of the most anticipated releases this discovering this closely guarded aviation secret.
year, an evolution of Britain’s first fighter If anyone did catch a glimpse of this strange
jet, the brand-new tool 1:72 Gloster Meteor F.8 is new aircraft in the air, they would have no doubt
now available. wondered where the propellers were and why
In exceptional detail, this newly tooled release did it sound so strange? By the summer of 1944,
features two different engine intake types, two the secret was out and as No.616 Squadron
canopy types, plus ventral fuel tank and drop prepared to take the Gloster Meteor F.1 to war
tanks and includes three unique schemes. from its base at RAF Manston, the Royal Air Force
Measuring 158mm wide and 191mm in length, had their first jet fighter and a new era for British
this new release features 111 parts and is rated
a skill level two, ideal for both novices and pros
aviation had begun.
Britain's first jet fighter was still quite a primitive FUNDEKALS’
1:32 SPITFIRE
alike. design and the reason it proceeded as a twin
The three chosen schemes include (A) No.500 engined aircraft was down to the fact that these
Squadron (County of Kent), Royal Auxiliary early jets were not overly powerful and rather slow
Air Force, Royal Air Force West Malling, Kent,
England, May 1953, (B) No.74 (F) Squadron,
to respond to the pilot's power input requests, so
the use of two engines seemed practical. MK.I DECALS
F
Royal Air Force Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, The view from the cockpit was however superb, undekals has sent the latest information
England, July 1955 and (C) No.350 Squadron, with no propeller to obscure the pilots view about this forthcoming release:
Belgian Air Force, Beauvechain, Belgium, early and plenty of power available once the aircraft Fündekals is pleased to announce our new
1950s. was up to speed. Undergoing almost constant 1:32 Spitfire Mk.I decal, just in time for the
The capable of attaining speeds over 100 mph development, the early marks of Meteor were all Kotare Models kit!
faster than the latest piston engine fighters, it is based around the first aircraft to enter service, This is a scale-up of some of the most popular
interesting to note that development work on jet however, the service arrival of the F.8 variant subject matter from our existing 1:48 sheet.
propulsion started in the 1930s, with engineers in in 1950 saw the Meteor maturing into a truly We found good info on R6993 flown by S/L
both Britain and Germany searching for the next exceptional early jet, one which would not only Ellis of 610 Sqdn at Biggin Hill. Don’t think
generation of engine power. see service with the RAF, but also with several other most people will have ever seen DW-W before!
Gloster Meteor was the first jet-powered aircraft to air arms across the world. Slightly longer than its The decal is currently at Cartograf for printing,
appear in the skies over Europe towards the end of predecessors, the F.8 featured uprated engines, and we hope to have it available around the
WWII. Post-war, the Meteor had to evolve rapidly greater fuel capacity and the inclusion of an ejector same time as the Kotare kit hits the street.
to keep pace with the rest of the world as jet seat. To counter some instability issues discovered We’ll keep you updated as we have more firm
power became the standard means of propulsion during development, the new aircraft also featured information on availability and price.
for frontline fighters, this led to the F.8 variant. a redesigned tail unit, something which really We’re really looking forward to the Kotare kit!
Conducted under the strictest security, the Gloster serves to identify this later mark of Meteor. • And be sure to check out fundekals’ completely
Aircraft Company prepared their new twin new web site at www.fundekals.net! •
engined jet fighter for flight testing, but on test Thanks to Airfix for the information and images
flight days, all non-essential personnel would be www.airfix.com Thanks to fundekals for the information and images.
4 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

FEATURE ARTICLE Eduard 1:48 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat • Kit No. 82201
WILDCAT!
THE FIRST OF GRUMMAN’S CATS
Part One - In the Box and Construction
I
n September 1937, the prototype XF4F-2 took the Japanese Zeros. Even after the arrival of more which is easy to assemble, and the
off for the first time. Later, this aircraft became powerful successors it remained (FM Wildcat) in parts fit well. Unfortunately, its advanced age is
one of the icons of aviation. At the beginning of the armament of escort aircraft carriers for the rest visible, and it lags far behind technologically today.
World War II, the Grumman F4F Wildcat was the of the war. In total, almost 8,000 of the famous Another option is another affordable model from
most important fighter aircraft that served in the air Wildcat were produced. HobbyBoss, which was released in 2007 and is
forces of the US Marine Corps, the US Navy and, known for its typical surface rivets.
under the name Martlet, in the British Royal Naval F4F-3 IN 1:48 SCALE The Eduard kit is brand new on the market. It
Air Force. The F4F Wildcat participated in all major If we want to build a F4F Wildcat model in 1:48 is on par with the latest Eduard’s releases (Zero,
naval operations from the Battle of the Coral Sea, scale, then we have several kits to choose from on Mustang, Spitfire, etc.).
through the Battle of Midway and Guadalcanal, in the market. For comparison, we will focus on the The parts are beautifully detailed, and the entire
North Africa during Operation Torch and convoy most famous and affordable kits available on the surface of the model contains rivet lines. Everything
protection across the Atlantic. Until the arrival of market today. The model from Monogram, whose is complemented by photo-etchings and various sets
its successors, the F6F Hellcat and the F4U Corsair origin dates back to the early 1960s, can be of accessories created for the model, as is usual
in 1943, it was the only fighter in the arsenal of skipped right away. with Eduard. At the same time, the model does
the US Navy and Marine Corps that could match We can choose a model from Tamiya from 1994, not contain a large number of parts and the whole

Josef Blažek builds the first in Eduard’s
1:48 scale Wildcat family – the F4F-3
construction is not too time-consuming. There was can be offset if you wish. and exterior. The most beneficial are the seat belts,
nothing to think about compared to competitors. The interior of the Wildcat is not too which are beautifully and precisely processed. The
The choice for the new Eduard kit was clear! complicated, and it is very well represented in area of the main undercarriage of the aircraft is
the kit. We can also use a cockpit from direct 3D very nicely designed.
EDUARD’S 1:48 F4F-3 IN THE BOX printing, which takes the level of detail several Parts breakdown is conventional, with full
Eduard's F4F-3 Wildcat in 1:48 scale comprises levels higher. fuselage halves and wings divided over the entire
173 parts in dark grey plastic, but many of these The instrument panel is made up from plastic span of the lower and separate halves for the upper
will not be used, as the sprues are common to parts with raised bezels, over whicha decal is wings. The connection of the main wings to the
several other versions of the famous Wildcat. applied. We can also use the instrument panel made fuselage using plastic guide rails is very successful.
If you like recessed rivets, you'll love this one. The of coloured photo etched parts or the LööK set. Decals are supplied for six marking options from
rivet lines complement the sharply recessed panel The parts of the engine cover are beautifully the period before the US entered the Second
lines. Many rivets, on the other hand, protrude crafted. The propeller is beautifully crafted and World War and from the period of the first years
above the surface just like on the original aircraft. matches the original design. of the war in the Pacific (from 1940 to 1942). Self-
The rudder, ailerons, elevators are all separate Photo-etched parts enhance the entire model with adhesive die-cut masks in the traditional quality of
parts. This is not mentioned in the instructions but many details. They are designed for the cockpit the Eduard company are also included.
Aircraft Edition 7
CONSTRUCTION
Eduard’s Wildcat was a real pleasure to build. Fit
is excellent, detail is great and it is dimensionally The engine from the kit
before the upgrade.
accurate. This is what the model kit should look
like today. The surface with many rivets will help to
achieve a realistic appearance of the model after
completion and will facilitate the effort to get closer
to the real machine during painting.
However, I deviated from the instructions in a
number of areas.
I started the construction of the model with the
cockpit, which is very well detailed and surprises
with the low number of parts compared to other
kits. As usual, I required more detail and thus
welcomed the possibility of upgrading with a
cockpit from the Brassin Print, which is at the
highest level of detail and at the same time very
easy to use thanks to its technology. I saved a large
amount of time, which usually needs to be invested
in the processing of various details, and I could
devote myself to colouring almost immediately.
In addition to the 3D printed cockpit, I had a
choice between many instrument panels (from
the kit, from photo-etched parts, from 3D
printing and the Löök update set). Improved engine.
In the end, I decided to use an instrument
panel from the Löök set, which makes a lot of
work easier and is also beautifully finished.
Nevertheless, I found a small space for
improvement and worked on higher plasticity,
addition of details and flat finish. Small but perfectly formed!
At the same time, I refreshed the glazing of
individual instruments.
After cleaning the parts with Isopropyl alcohol,
I applied a base coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000
for unifying the surface and better adhesion of Direct 3D printed
colours. Subsequently, I sprayed the cockpit with parts are beautiful..
the recommended shade of the interior, which I
mixed from Mr. Color C 351 Zinc-Chromate Type
FS34151 and Mr. Color C 33 Flat Black in a
ratio of 9:1.
The next step was the scale lightening
and shading. I painted the details of the
cockpit with Vallejo colours and proceeded
to highlight them with oils.
For the wash and filters, I used
Talens Rembrandt and Abteilung 502
oil paints. I chose my own mix of a
dark earthy brown shade matching
the interior colour. The penultimate
step was to render the operational
wear of the interior according to
original photographs. I used Vallejo
colours again and when finished I fixed
the whole thing with flat varnish.
The original part of the

bulkhead of the main
wheel bay.
The engine cover parts fit great. Mr. Cement

SP B will make it easier for us to adjust the
exact position of the parts thanks to the I improved the surface of
colour trace. the dashboard from the
Löök set, matted it and
"glazed" it again.

A grateful helper for
gluing longitudinal joints
is Mr. Cement S.
I used a razor saw to
restore panel lines.
FUSELAGE AND ENGINE COVER After completion, the entire area of the wheel Unfortunately, the area of the lower part of the
After completing the cockpit, I focused on the rest of bay was finished, and the fuselage was ready for fuselage behind the main wheel bay is very
the fuselage and especially the main undercarriage. completion. All the parts fit flawlessly so I was able simplified and lacks many details, including the
The Wildcat's undercarriage is complicated to use the convenient, strong and quick gluing of panelling lines. For this reason, I modified the part
and extends deep into the fuselage, which the the parts using Mr. Cement S. according to the references.
kit solves very elegantly. A nice addition are the At this point I was ready to glue both halves After gluing and sanding, the rivet rows need to
guide rails for easy assembly of the main wings of the fuselage together. In the front area of the be renewed to fine-tune the overall appearance of
and maintaining the geometry of the model. After fuselage, it is necessary to putty the joint which the model's surface. To restore the rivet rows, I used
assembling all parts of the wheel bay, I applied is in the middle of the cover panels. Then I let the a Rosie the Riveter with a pitch of 0.65 mm, which
a layer of Mr. Surfacer 1000 and proceeded to joint harden for at least 24 hours and continue with nicely followed the rivet pitches in the kit. When
spray the base shade of the interior Mr. Color C the rest of the fuselage. building any aircraft with a radial engine under
325 Grey, which I subsequently shaded decently. On the top and bottom of the fuselage, the the engine cover, the assembly of the engine cover
After the paint had dried, it remained to apply fine riveting is slightly lost, which is an inevitable itself is often a pain, but luckily the fit in this area is
a wash (this time a black-grey mix of oil paints). consequence of injection moulding technology. seamless and the parts just need to be assembled
with a little care. At the same time, it is also visible
The right half of the fuselage after here that the chosen technology has its limits,
completing the construction and details. so it is necessary to restore and sharpen
the details using a riveter, a needle and a
razor saw. In the front part of the fuselage,
there is a small point intended for the future
attachment of the engine cover, which is not an
optimal solution for firm and clean assembly.
So I added to the front part of the fuselage an
Evergreen plastic profile, which served
as an attaching surface for a firm and
precise installation of the engine cover.
The left half of the

fuselage after completion.
Construction details.
The right half of the fuselage

after completing the construction
and details.
Aircraft Edition 9
Above all, the central

part of the main wheel
bay construction will
be clearly visible
from the sides on the
finished model.
I made some improvements and

added details by the references. Impressive detail here.
Main wheel bay
after improvements.
The assembled direct print

cockpit is beautiful.
Main landing gear wheels

Comparison of the dashboard from the from Brassin set.
Löök set after the upgrade (left) and
its original version (right).
Added details in the outer

part of the wheel bay.
I polished the windows on the lower
part of the fuselage with Tamiya
paste for their perfect clarity.

Cockpit after spraying Wheel bay completed
Mr. Surfacer 1000. with construction.
Finished wheel bay
The outer part of the wheel bay

was painted before assembly.
Cockpit painting complete.
Finished cockpit in
Bronze Green.
Painted main body parts

of the fuselage section
ready for assembly.
Aircraft Edition 11
Painted right side of the fuselage.

When painting the interior parts of
the fuselage, the correct distribution
of Bronze Green and light grey C325
must be observed.
Finished left side of the fuselage

The internal structure is
easy to assemble and fits
perfectly into place.
WINGS The fitting of the main wing was trouble-free sanding stick.
First, I focused on the stabilisers and elevators. I during testing, and thanks to the plastic guide For gluing the main wing, I chose the same
used Mr. Cement Deluxe in the central part of the rails there were no issues with correct geometry. procedure as for the stabilizers and applied Mr.
parts and Mr. Cement S for the leading edges. Unfortunately, the problem is the absence of Cement Deluxe and Mr. Cement S. I let all the
After bonding and hardening, I ground the leading attaching surfaces for the future installation of the joints harden before grinding them and restoring
edges, connected engraved panel lines between main wing machine guns, which does not allow us engraved panel lines and rivets. The landing light
panels with a razor saw and restored rivets with a to install them firmly and cleanly. For this reason, I on the leading edge of the main wing fits perfectly
sharp needle. created a support structure from Evergreen profiles in place. The instructions recommend adding a
The elevators cannot be glued in the drooped inside the wing. photo-etched part for the framing, which I personally
angle that I wanted, which is typical for standing The trailing edge of the wing appeared to be consider as less accurate, so I didn't use it.
Wildcats so it was necessary to modify it. quite thick, which I fixed by thinning it using a flat
The oil cooler cover is too thick at

the back and needs to be thinned.
The depth of the shell ejectors is too

shallow in the kit. After drilling, I
made new deeper recesses. At the
same time, I created support from
the Evergreen profiles for the
future installation of the main
machine guns in the wing.
Comparison of space for

bullets to fall out before
and after modification. I thinned the trailing edge with a sanding stick.

I created new panel lines on the Restoration and
lower part of the fuselage using a completion of details.
razor saw and plastic tape.
ASSEMBLY
“Building the model is very easy and fast. A significant step in aircraft construction is the
assembly of the main parts, i.e. the gluing of the
Using original accessories, the kit provides fuselage and wings. In the case of the Wildcat
from Eduard, this operation is very easy, and it is
a high degree of individualization...” enough to slide the main wings to the fuselage and
connect the entire joint around the perimeter using
Mr. Cement S. Everything fits without problems.
After the joint has set, it is advisable to deepen
the line between the wing and the fuselage with
a razor saw to add sharpness. The fit of the
stabilizers is not quite perfect on both sides of the
fuselage. I recommend filling this gap with liquid
super glue and then cleaning it with a debonder.
This is the correct way to achieve a hard, firm and
stable joint without any gap.
After sanding and working on the joints, I
sprayed all the joints with Mr. Surfacer 1000 to
verify that everything is precisely processed. After
fine-tuning the whole surface of the model and all
the connections between the parts, I went back to
the cockpit area, where the dashboard needed to
be painted in black (Mr. Color C 33 Black).
Adjusted elevator and elevator hinges. On the leading edge of the wing, the engraving needs to be renewed An important detail of any cockpit is the
with a needle. gunsight, which is part of the 3D printed cockpit
set. There is nothing more than just to add a clear
part, which I cut out of clear foil and glued using
dispersion glue. This was followed by gluing the
front windshield and masking the clear parts.
The fit of the windshield is perfect. It is important
to proceed very carefully and not to apply a large
amount of glue. To mask the clear parts, I used the
included masks from the kit, which fit into place
without any problems. The last step in this phase
was to spray the clear parts with interior paint - in
this case Mr. Color C 33 Black and the colour of
the interior for the sliding part of the canopy.
The model was assembled, and it remained
to clean it with Isopropyl alcohol and prepare
it for spraying camouflage colours. As usual,
I started by spraying the entire model with a
Everything fits perfectly. After modification, the elevators can be easily and cleanly glued in the coat of Mr. Surfacer 1000, which unifies the
desired position.
Aircraft Edition 13
surface before spraying camouflage colours and

creates a suitable base with optimal adhesion
for subsequent layers of colours. For my model I
chose Wildcat which was piloted by Lt. Elbert S.
McCuskey and shotedown a Japanese A6M Zero
in the Battle of the Coral Sea. The interesting point
about this plane is its marking, where the older
American insignias were replaced by a larger and
newer type that overlapped the older ones only
partially, which resulted in partial visibility of the
previous insignias. •
MODELSPEC
Eduard 1:48 F4F-3 Wildcat 1:48 I added details to the end of the main wing using a micro drill. Evergreen plastic strip was used as a firm and precise attachment
Kit No. 82201 surface for the engine cowling.
Accessories Used:
• Eduard item No. 648769 – F4F gun barrels
PRINT 1:48
• Eduard item No. 648767 – F4F-3 wheels
early 1:48
• Eduard item No. 648766 – F4F-3 exhaust
PRINT 1:48
• Eduard item No. 648777 – F4F-3 cockpit w/
reflector gun sight PRINT 1:48
• Eduard item No. 644171 – F4F-3 early LööK
1:48
Tools and Materials Used:

• Evergreen plastic profiles
I drilled out the kit arrestor hook hinge. Subsequently, I added the missing details.
• Gunze Mr. Cement S
• Gunze Mr. Cement SP B
• Gunze Mr. Cement Deluxe
• Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement
• Gunze Mr.Surfacer 1000
• JLC Razor Saw
• Sanding Sticks
• Gunze Mr.Masking Tape (6 mm, 10 mm, 18
mm)
• Plastic Clamps (various sizes)
• Iwata High Performance HP-CH Plus Special
(0,2mm) Airbrush
Paints and Finishing Products Used:

• Gunze Mr. Color Paints – C351 Zinc-
Chromate Type FS34151, C33 Flat Black,
C325 Grey, C367 Blue Grey, C316 White, The light reflector on the underside of the main wing was glued with The weakness of the model is the absence of details and panel lines on
C327 Red, GX-100 Super Clear III; GX113 Mr. Cement SP B. the underside of the fuselage, which I added according to references
Super Clear III UV Cut Flat and drawings.
• Tamiya Acrylic Paints –X-23 Clear Blue
• Tamiya Lacquer Paints –LP-52 Clear Red
• Vallejo Acrylic Paints – 953 Yellow; 908
Carmine Red; 820 Off White;
• Vallejo Model Air Acrylic Paints – 057 Black;
094 Green; 085 Ferrari Red; 957 Flat Red; 4
Blue; +own mixed shades
• Talens Rembrandt and Abteilung 502 oil
paints
Excellent fit; high level of detail;

dimensionally accurate; quick build;
beautiful surface details of the model
In some places, the sharpness of the

riveting is lost and the rivets need to be
renewed. The mounting of the engine cover 3D-printed dash
could be done better and more firmly. cap and gunsight
with added glass.
RATING: 9 out of 10
Thanks to Eduard for the sample

The overall assembly of the
model is easy. The only place
where I had to putty was the
connection of the stabilizers
to the fuselage. All that
remained was to clean the
model with Isopropyl alcohol
and proceed to painting.
“Eduard’s new F4F Wildcat was a

real pleasure to build. Fit is excellent,
model is dimensionally accurate, and
details are great. It is a modern kit
with everything we expect...”
Next Time...
Next time, Josef will paint and weather his new
Eduard 1:48 scale F4F-3 Wildcat.
Aircraft Edition 15
KIT PREVIEW Dora Wings 1:72 Vultee Vengeance Mk.II • Kit No. DW48044
Fine panel lines.
The Editor
reviews
Dora Wings’
new 1:48
scale Vultee Structural detail is moulded onto the inside of the
Vengeance. fuselage halves.
ALLIED STUKA
U
krainian company Dora Wings has a knack bent into shape to follow the contours of the Well-detailed engine cylinders.
for picking interesting and esoteric subjects, cowling. This time, Dora Wings has moulded the
and they have now expanded their range join between the cowl and the flaps with a recessed
to include an all-new 1:48 scale injection ridge that will make a more positive connection with
moulded plastic Vultee Vengeance Mk.II. It only takes the photo-etched parts easier to achieve.
a glance in the box to realise that this kit has nothing The inverted gull wings are made up from
at all in common with the old A-Z Models kit. separate upper and lower, port and starboard
Dora Wings' 1:48 scale Vultee Vengeance Mk.II halves. All control surfaces including the flaps are
comprises 176 parts in medium grey coloured separate parts and may be posed neutral or offset.
plastic, 14 parts in clear plastic, around 72 parts The dive brakes are separate photo-etched parts
on two photo-etched frets, die-cut vinyl masks and too and may also be posed open or closed.
decals for four marking options. There is no wing spar but the roots of the wings
The plastic is very smooth and semi-shiny. are fitted into a shallow recess in the fuselage Lots of photo-etch!
Surface textures are made up mainly from crisply sides. This should result in a pretty solid join.
recessed, fine and consistent panel lines. There are The nicely detailed wheel well ceilings are
some raised surface textures where appropriate moulded to the bottom of the lower wing.
too. Sprue attachment points are narrow, but they Main wheels are moulded with separate hubs
do extend onto the visible outside surfaces of the and tyres. Tyres are plastic parts - no vinyl here.
wings so do take care when removing the parts Clear parts are thin and free from distortion and
and cleaning up. supplied in separate sections to permit the canopy
Sprue attachment on the fuselage parts are on to be posed open or closed. The proof here will
the mating surfaces, making cleanup less risky. be in the building, but bear in mind that Red Roo
The cockpit looks really good. Models has an aftermarket vacform Vengeance
It is fitted out with photo-etched switches, trim canopy that is designed to be posed open. it may
wheel, head armour, handles, rudder pedals and work with this kit too.
More photo-etch for the poseable dive brakes.
harness straps with plastic seats, front and rear Alternative rear glazings are included too.
bulkheads, oxygen bottle, control columns and more. Dora Wings has thoughtfully provided die-cut,
The instrument panel has a plastic base, self-adhesive vinyl canopy masks, which will save
dial decals and a front panel of photo-etch. An some time taping up that complex birdcage.
alternative one-piece plastic panel with raised Instructions are supplied on a 20-page, glossy
bezels and switches is also supplied. booklet. There are 60 illustrated construction steps.
Decals are supplied for stencils, individual dials The marking guide is in full colour.
and other cockpit markings. The decal sheet is printed by Decograph from
The bomb bay doors are separate parts and a Ukraine. The decals are satin in finish. The clear sprue.
load of two bombs with crutches and interior bomb Markings are supplied for four RAAF options.
bay detail are included. The whole area is very All are finished in a fairly standard scheme of RAF
busy and nicely presented. If you prefer to display Dark Earth and Dark Green upper surfaces (most
your fuselage buttoned up, Dora Wings also likely DuPont paint equivalents applied at Vultee's
supplies a one-piece cover for the bomb bay. US factory) and RAAF Sky Blue lower surfaces.
The engine is made up from finely detailed Aircraft codes are printed in a faded RAAF Sky
cylinder banks, crankcase cover but no photo- Blue while the serials are Medium Sea Grey.
etched ignition harness. Two of the options have white Pacific theatre Vinyl canopy masks are included (but I will use Eduard’s).
The engine cowling is designed with separate identification markings on the tail surfaces and the
photo-etched cowl flaps that will need to be carefully leading edges of the wings.
All four aircraft feature nose art and two also
have yellow bomb logs.
Registration and printing look good.
Is this Dora Wings' best kit yet?
I think it is entirely possible! •
Markings are supplied for four options.
Thanks to Metro Hobbies
for the review sample
www.metrohobbies.com.au
Moulding quality is excellent.
16 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022 *Historical summary adapted from Wikipedia
Price (including postage):
UK - £13.40
Europe - £15.40
World - £17.40
FEATURE ARTICLE ICM 1:32 Gloster Gladiator Mk. I • Kit No. 32040
Mark Casiglia
builds and fully rigs
ICM’s 1:32 scale
Gloster Gladiator
biplane fighter.
T
he Gloster Gladiator was essentially an
inter-war aircraft, being brought into service
in 1937. It did however provide some
important and at times unexpected service
during the early stages of WWII.
The Gladiator boasts the dual honour of being
both the RAF’s last biplane and the first enclosed-
cockpit plane so it truly bridges the old and the
new. The Mk. I was powered by a 9-cylinder,
830hp Bristol Mercury radial engine and was
armed with 4 Browning .303 guns. With a
top speed around 250mph it was a joy to fly,
but it simply couldn’t compete with the newer
monoplane fighters being introduced at the time.
18
BIPLANE DUSK
Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022
Aircraft Edition 19
ICM’S 1:32 GLADIATOR IN THE BOX

ICM’s rendition of the Mk. I Gladiator provides A huge ejector pin
options for four variants, one pre-war overall mark was masked
in preparation for
aluminium finish and three early-war camouflage repair work. The ejector pin mark was filled
schemes. I chose Option 3, being No. 112 with sprue-goo, which was made
Squadron, Egypt 1940, serial number K6135 by dissolving styrene from sprues
into Tamiya Extra Thin cement.
which sports an attractive upper camouflage of Once set overnight, it was
Dark Earth and Dark Green over a typical early- sanded back and polished flush.
RAF lower surface of black and white divided
down the midline, with the undersides of the upper
wings and stabilisers in aluminium.
As always, I simply chose what was most
attractive to my eye. The kit looked promising in
the box with crisp, clean moulding. The instructions
were a little too basic, lacking important detail here
and there and forcing unnecessary guesswork.
CONSTRUCTION
The kit build was mostly a good experience
but there were a few minor challenges that will
be discussed in greater detail throughout this
article. Suffice to say, I ended up buying 2 kits
to get it finished, prompted by a head-scratching The pilot’s seat chipping was
copied from a reference using
aftermarket detail problem but aided by a few the hairspray technique. The
early hiccups of my own making. base was painted in Tamiya
The first stages of the build process involved LP-11 Silver with the top
preparation of the fuselage interiors. An immediate layer being Tamiya XF-71
Cockpit Green.
problem to solve involved the fuselage-mounted
Browning .303 guns on each side which have their
bodies inside the cockpit but their barrels outside,
housed within a tight channel. I had purchased
Quickboost barrels, item QB32257, so I removed
the styrene barrels and mounted the gun bodies The resin compass was an improvement on
into the cockpit sidewalls and set the barrels aside the kit part, but neither had a decal for the
compass dial so I utilised an unused instrument
for placement at the late stages of the build after panel decal. Whilst not accurate it was better
external paintwork was complete. I created dimples than a blank face. The Eduard photo-etched
into the housings so that the barrels would have harnesses are an excellent product.
a positive seat for what would be blind insertion.
Meanwhile I primed all 4 barrels and 2 cockpit
gun bodies using a mixture of black and grey
Gaianotes Surface Evo primer, which was used
throughout all stages of the project, and painted
them with Mr Metallic Color GX201 Metal Black,
highlighted with silver from the Tamiya Weathering
Master Set C.
COCKPIT DETAILING
Interior detail is quite good but there is a notable
absence of harnesses, which is unforgivable at 1:32
scale. I opted for Eduard coloured steel seatbelts,
item 33251. I also chose to upgrade the kit’s
compass using Quickboost resin item QB32269
and cockpit door using Quickboost resin item
QB32280 which provides both doors. I chose to
use only the port side door which would be posed
open and shows much finer detail than the kit part.
The final aftermarket interior upgrade was a
Yahu coloured photo-etched instrument panel, item After priming, a layer of Tamiya
LP-11 Silver was applied to
YMA3249 which comes as 2 parts and provides
the Quickboost cockpit door. I
some excellent detail. The main panel has a central chose an opened port side door
section separate from the surrounding panel. This is according to most references. I
not reflected in the simple kit part so I considered used the kit door on the closed
starboard side.
an important aftermarket upgrade.
I completed both sidewalls and main cockpit
components at the same time for ease of painting
and finishing. The tailwheel strut is mounted into
one fuselage half at this early stage but there is a
fair degree of play in the fit, so great care must
be taken to mount it correctly. Also, as I was to
discover later, this part is very fragile. The pilot’s
seat came complete with an unacceptably huge After a layer of
ejector pin mark in the centre of the backrest. I hairspray, Tamiya
repaired it by masking and applying sprue-goo, XF-71 Cockpit
which is made by dissolving small pieces of styrene Green was applied.
into Tamiya Extra Thin cement. Once set overnight,
The green surface was chipped away in areas by
wetting and rubbing with an old brush. Further manual
chips were added with Tamiya X-11 enamel and a
20 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022 magic wash of black and raw sienna was applied.
The Yahu two-part instrument
panel appeared accurate and was
improved by using a flat coat of Mr
Color GX113 followed by manually
picking out the dials with Deluxe
Products Looks Like Glass.
After completing the cockpit side

walls, the main cockpit assembly
was attached to the port side of
the fuselage. At this stage the
shoulder sections of the Eduard
harnesses were positioned.
With the main interior components securely

bonded, the fuselage was ready to close.
The brushed magic wash weathering layer
can be seen here.
Aircraft Edition 21
it was sanded flush and primed to check for flaws.

At this point I also prepared and installed the resin
compass. Interestingly, neither the kit part or resin
part comes with a decal for the compass dial so
rather than leaving it blank, I cut off an instrument
panel dial decal and placed it there. Not entirely
accurate but certainly more suggestive of a
compass than a blank face.
Interior surfaces were primed then painted using
Tamiya XF-71 acrylic instead of the kit’s suggestion
of XF-5 Flat Green which would have been way off
the mark according to references. I added XF-15
Flesh and XF-85 Rubber Black into the mix to for
highlights and shadows respectively. I used the The horizontal stabilisers had a very ambiguous fit against the Sink marks were present in the fuselage mouldings in areas of thicker
main airframe. Great care needed to be taken to ensure horizontal plastic, opposite locator pins and slots. Black CA did an excellent job in
hairspray chipping technique for the pilot’s seat, alignment was correct. The rudder on the other hand was very filling these areas.
floor, control stick and resin cockpit door, trying easy to position.
to replicate wear patterns noted from reference
photos. This was done with primer followed a base
The joined fuselage showed an
layer of Tamiya LP-11 Silver, a coat of hairspray excellent fit with minimal amounts
and finally XF-71 thinned with X-20A. Once the of seam work being required.
surface was dry, I gently rubbed it back with a
wet brush to release some chips where needed. A
toothpick was used to refine some areas and create
finer chips. Smaller cockpit details were picked
out using Tamiya enamel paints, followed by dry
brushing using XF-20 Medium Grey enamel. Finally,
a magic wash was applied using a recipe of 10
drops of water, 10 drops of Pledge, 2 drops of
Vallejo Airbrush Flow Improver, 1 drop of Liquitex
Carbon Black ink and I drop of Transparent Raw
Sienna ink. In flat, open larger open areas where
I felt the magic wash had stained excessively, I
corrected it by airbrushing a very thin blend coat of
XF-71, staying away from edges and corners.
All interior surfaces were then flat coated with
My Color GX113, including the Yahu instrument
panel. I picked out the dials using Deluxe Products
Looks Like Glass. Finally I added manual chipping
to other cockpit interior areas using a Prismacolor
silver pencil.
I placed the lap portions of the photo-etched
harnesses onto the seat, then bonded the main
interior assembly into the port side of the fuselage A close up up for cockpit area
shows everything fitting
as per the instructions, using Revell Contacta together well with some further
cement. I taped the unglued starboard fuselage seam work needed to finalise
side into position as cement dried to ensure a good the basic fuselage preparation.
fit. Once dry, I installed the Yahu instrument panels
with Zap Medium CA and once again made sure
the starboard side would locate passively with the
panels in place. At this point I was also able to
install the shoulder portion of the pilot’s harness
as this required anchoring into a bulkhead aft of
the pilot’s seat. With all the work and handling
of the port side fuselage housing the tail wheel
strut, it eventually broke off at its thinnest part. I
re-secured it with CA but wasn’t entirely confident
of its strength. The fuselage halves were finally
bonded together with Tamiya Extra Thin cement
and allowed to fully cure.
The new upper and lower

wings went together well
The wings were glued under light compression provided by mini-pegs. This caused but great care was needed
a problem in the area where the flaps join the wing, as the wing cross section in to maintain full thickness
that area ended up less than the thickness of the flaps. where the flaps would
eventually be mounted.
A good fit of the struts against the upper wing was confirmed
while the cement cured on the lower wing connections.
Placement of the main struts was difficult

as there was no reliable way to test fit for
alignment. I used Revell Contacta cement to
provide the time needed to tape the upper
wing into place and finesse the alignment. The inboard struts were verified as being correctly aligned so that they
would settle neatly into place at the end of the project.
The fuselage struts sat positively into place and the joins were The outer struts fitted reasonably well into their slots. Slight movement Black CA was used to both seal the gaps and add additional strength to
reinforced with Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. was impossible to avoid during the alignment stage as there were 8 the connection of the struts.
connection points to maintain whilst trying to set the struts parallel to
each other and to their opposite counterparts, all while making sure the
MAIN ASSEMBLIES upper wing was parallel to the lower wing in all planes.
Meanwhile, I decided to put the wings, stabilisers
and rudder together in preparation for
placement once the fuselage was
cured and tidied up. This is usually
a very simple process but I fell into a
trap caused both by my inexperience
with ICM’s soft, flexible plastic and
what I would consider as poor kit
design in a key area. My usual process
when cementing wing halves is to place
them together, run some Tamiya Extra Thin
along the seams, and place mini craft pegs to
hold the pieces securely together for curing. The
problem I encountered was at the base of the wing
flaps, where there is nowhere near enough vertical
support to prevent the wing halves from squashing
together when glued under light compression. That
area is more or less a void, and coupled with the
extremely soft plastic, the 4 flap areas ended up
thinner in cross section that the base of the flaps
when were trial fitted. The location of the flaps
against the wings was also less than positive with
no locator tabs or slots but rather just a v-shaped
edge. I had little option but to bond all 4 flaps
in place as close to correct as possible, before
proceeding with repeated steps of sanding, priming
and rescribing the gaps. Disappointed, I accepted With the struts securely positioned, the kit’s
port side cockpit door was temporarily bonded
the problem and dealt with it as best I could. I then with Mr Masking Sol Neo and the canopy clear
turned my attention back to the fuselage. parts glued with Tamiya Extra Thin cement.
Aircraft Edition 23
Some careful work was needed after

removing the kit plastic to integrate
the resin parts and blend them in. I
used black CA and Infini soft sanding
sticks to take care of the joints.
The canopy parts were not only

an excellent fit, but are moulded
so beautifully that there was
absolutely no visual distortion
evident through the clear plastic.
Quickboost resin position lights were used to replace the fully circular
clear parts of the kit. The coloured resin clear parts look excellent,
and extras are provided as they would no doubt be easily lost from
tweezers during installation.
I had purchased the AIMS photo-etched

detail set, item 32PE009 for the bracing wires
it provided. Since the rigging comprised of flat-
sectioned wires, I thought this would not only be
easier for rigging but more accurate too. The
AIMS set also included other external detail so I
decided to utilise whatever I could. In a major but
understandable failure to pay close attention, I
decided to remove fuselage styrene detail from the
port side in preparation for placement of the AIMS
photo-etched detail. After trial fitting the parts, I
moved onto the corresponding starboard side. I
checked the package, assuming the parts would
be there on a different fret, but to my dismay, no
starboard side detail could be found. It was then
that I realised that the AIMS detail set provided
photo-etched enhancement for the port side only,
with nothing for the exact same details on the
starboard side. This is puzzling beyond belief and
highly disappointing. I clearly couldn’t proceed any
further as i was unwilling to accept differences on
HGW masks were used to protect the clear parts. The fit is excellent The cockpit was masked away using the kit’s port side cockpit door and
each side of the finished model. My choices were and being masking tape rather than vinyl, I did not fear problems with masking tape.
to abandon the project or purchase another kit and sticky clean up later.
rescue what I could from my work so far. Despite a
strong instinct to walk away, I bought the kit.
The advantage of the new kit was obviously
new fuselage halves with intact detail, a new tail
wheel strut to replace the broken original, and new
wings whereby I could approach the flap areas
with better knowledge of the nuances required
to complete them properly. I prized the fuselage
halves apart and managed to salvage the cockpit
interior components without any irreparable
damage. After repainting and finishing the cockpit
sidewalls using the same methods as before,
I replaced all the existing interiors, placed the
new tailwheel strut and bonded the new fuselage
Some seams were present on the lower side which needed work to After sanding the seams using a range of Infini soft sanders, it was
together. The wings were redone and I left the removed. Black CA was ideal for the task as it is both easily visible and easy to verify that the gaps were adequately filled.
AIMS photo-etched set well alone until I would much softer than regular CA.
need the bracing wires at the end of the project.
The fuselage contained many sink marks, in
areas opposite internal locator tabs where the
styrene was thickest. These were filled along with
the rest of the seams with Madworks Black CA.
This sets softer than regular CA so makes an
excellent sandable filler which can be easily seen
and verified. The rudder was easily and positively
installed with the aid of an intermediate part
between it and the main tail fin. The horizontal
stabilisers however were a completely different
story. There are 2 shallow locator pins on each
stabiliser root, but no definitive tabs or slots to
guide their horizontal inclination. Also, there is After a primer check coat, further sanding was done to take care of A final primer coat verified the complete removal of seams and
no bed on the fuselage onto which the stabilisers seams which weren’t quite perfect. resulting smooth contours.

An overall layer of Gaianotes Surfacer
Evo primer was applied. I used a mixture
of their black and grey primers to produce
the dark grey seen here.
Some engine components,

partially assembled and
ready to be put together.
The completed engine looks compelling. The crank

I chose to use Quickboost resin intakes which have beautifully case was painted in Mr Color C2 Gloss Black with Whilst there isn’t anything wrong with the kit’s exhausts, I chose
moulded inlets. They are on full display at the front of the aircraft so the remainder finished in Tamiya LP-70 Gloss to use Quickboost resin equivalents. The outlets are more crisply
were well worth the trouble. Aluminium and AK Xtreme Metal Gunmetal. Finally moulded and that was enough motivation to use the substitute.
a magic wash of black brought all the details out.
should fit. It almost seems as though this area was underside, as well as the new lower wing assembly. upper wing navigation light housings in preparation
an afterthought and in fact I needed to trim some the seams were very obvious but black CA, Infini soft for placement of their superior Quickboost resin
fuselage detail to allow the stabilisers to sit flush. sanding sticks, check priming and further sanding substitutes, item QB32268. These come as half
I used Revell Contacta cement and tweaked the dealt with these areas well. The starboard side circle flush fittings as opposed to the kit’s full circular
positioning with no help at all from the kit parts. closed cockpit door was glued into position. The and wrongly shaped lights. The clear portions are
Tamiya tape secured the stabilisers while the fit was far from positive with small gaps requiring provided as pre-coloured resin in green and red,
cement cured. Once set, I ran a bead of medium filling and reinforcement with CA. The starboard with extras provided in case of loss of these tiny
CA to secure an otherwise unstable joint and fill side kit cockpit door was temporarily bonded with parts. The resin housings were trimmed to size and
some frankly puzzling gaps. Mr Masking Sol Neo, to act as a handy mask for positioned with medium CA, before filling the joins
A panel was bonded on the rear fuselage the side of the cockpit. Meanwhile, I removed the with black CA and blending with sanders.
With the engine, cowlings and exhausts assembled, After masking the main body colour, the exhausts and The kit provided the option for removable cowlings
a trimmed paper cone note was used to mask the collector ring were painted using a base of AK Xtreme metal but I decided to close it up fully. The preliminary
engine away. The exhaust joints were blended with Bronze followed by Steel in patches, then very thin Mr Color paintwork was now complete and ready to be added
black CA and Infini sanders. C2 Black and Tamiya X-34 Metallic Brown in patches. to the main airframe later in the build process.
Aircraft Edition 25
STRUTS
The next step was one of the trickiest of the
build process, which was placement of the eight
wing struts. Whilst the connection of the struts to
the wings and fuselage seem solid enough, the
difficulty was making sure that the struts were
not only parallel to each other in all planes,
but also positioned so that the upper and lower
wings would be parallel and positioned correctly
according to each other. That seemed like a lot
of plates to juggle all at once. Trial fitting was
impossible as I couldn’t secure any struts while
balancing the upper wing and attempting to
hold everything together while checking angles
and dimensions. Instead, I decided to use Revell
Contacta cement and place all the struts into place,
trying to eyeball the angles and make sure they
all lined up with each other whilst measuring the
distance between the struts to make sure they would
be spaced correctly for the upper wing. Once the
glue had produced a basic initial set, I trial fitted Overall upper camouflage paintwork
was laid down without masks, using
and taped the upper wing into position, whilst
AK Real Color RC287 RAF Dark Earth
tweaking the positioning of the struts to ensure and RC286 RAF Dark Green.
not only a good fit against the upper wing, but a
parallel upper to lower wing and maintenance of
the angles of the struts. There was some resulting
movement in the glued connections of the struts so
once everything was securely taped into position,
I ran back over all connections with Tamiya Extra
Thin. After setting overnight, I removed the tape
and upper wing, and ran a bead of black CA
around the strut joins to close gaps and further
secure the bond. The instructions call for gluing
the upper wing into place at this stage but from a
painting and finishing perspective this was clearly
not an option.
I next added the canopy onto the fuselage using
Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement. The canopies
were beautifully moulded with no distortion of
the clear parts. I used an HGW mask set, item
632841, which fitted well and being made from
regular masking paper, I was assured of easy
clean up at the end compared to my experience
with black vinyl masks for example. The sliding
canopy was kept separate but processed the same
way as parts attached to the fuselage. The cockpit
was fully sealed with Tamiya tape prior to painting. Pre-shading with light textures was achieved
The first paint layer was XF-71 to allow the correct using Vallejo Model Color white diluted with
water, sponged and brushed according to
interior colour to show through on the inside. The where lighter areas were needed.
mask set provides interior masks but I elected not to
paint the interior of the canopies since they really
can’t be seen.
The landing gear struts were then assembled
along the wheels themselves. The instructions call
for placement of the wheels onto the struts at
this stage, but this would be a huge mistake
as there is simply no way of locating the
correct wheel angle onto the struts given
the way these parts are designed and as will
be discussed later, tweaking the wheel fit was a
critical final step for addressing a slight
problem with the dihedral. The 2-blade
Watts propeller was then assembled and
as usual, gaps were dealt with using
black CA and sanders. The
lower wing resin machine
gun bodies were glued
into place, confirming a
good fit of the barrels but
leaving these fragile parts aside
for placement at the very end. With all the main
assembly complete, I primed, checked and
re-primed where needed, and turned my The Dark Earth camouflage colour was
attention to the engine, exhausts and airbrushed manually, using a very thin mix
diluted with Mr Color Levelling Thinner, taking
cowling assembly. care not to obliterate the pre-shading beneath.

After adding some light pencil lines to guide
the final camouflage pattern, Tamiya 3mm vinyl
tape for curves was applied.
Tamiya masking tape was placed to cover the RAF

Dark Earth areas, which not only provided a mask
but prevented the vinyl tape from creeping out of
position. A sharp scalpel was used to trim the tape,
taking care to avoid perforating the vinyl tape.
All upper areas were now fully

masked and ready for painting
in RAF Dark Green.
Excess tape was removed with tweezers to reveal

a clean edge for the next stage of painting.
ENGINE The finished camouflage shows

The engine is quite a neat unit with crisp edges whilst the pre-shading
a modest parts count, so assembly is shows through well.
very easy. I chose to utilise Quickboost
resin intakes, item QB32261. The
advantage of the resin substitutes
lies in the added detail of the
intake openings, which are on
full display out in front of the
engine. They fitted without too
much fuss and were secured with medium CA. The
engine housing was painted using Mr Color C2
Gloss Black with the remainder finished
in Tamiya LP-70 Gloss Aluminium. Chips
on the crank case and fasteners were
added manually using Tamiya X-11
enamel before a black ink magic wash
was applied to accentuate all the
beautiful detail. The engine
was then added into the
cowling parts, which were
pre-painted internally
using AK Xtreme Metal
Gunmetal. I chose not to opt
for removable cowlings although there is an option
to detail the sides of the engine and pose the
cowlings open. The instructions are slightly vague
at this point with a little deciphering required
to work out which parts are needed for which
cowling variation. With the cowl covers
glued together, I added Quickboost resin
exhausts, item QB32260. Their outlets are
a lot more crisp than the kit’s offering but they
required a fair degree of finessing when gluing
with medium CA since there was some ambiguity
in the connection to the cowling interior. The joint Overall upper camouflage
completed and ready to mask
between the exhausts and cowling was once again for the lower painting stages.
blended with black CA and sanders.
Aircraft Edition 27
PAINTING Masking for lower paintwork was achieved with a

combination of Tamiya tape in 18mm and 40mm.
Painting commenced with the upper and side
camouflage colours applied freehand, using AK
Real Colors RC287 RAF Dark Earth and RC286
RAF Dark Green. Pre-shading light textures were
then applied with Vallejo Model Color acrylic
paint in white, diluted with water and applied both
by sponge and by brush. Whilst trying to remain
random, I favoured high spots for lighter highlights,
leaving low areas darker. After applying some
light pencil lines using a soft 4B pencil, I freehand
airbrushed the Dark Earth areas, heavily thinned
with Mr Levelling Thinner. Great care needed to
be taken at this stage to avoid obliterating the
pre-shading textures beneath. If in doubt, the
secret is to back away and have another look
after doing another section. With the Dark
Earth areas complete and using the pencil
lines as a guide, Tamiya 3mm vinyl tape for
curves was used to mask the Dark Earth areas in
preparation for the final layer of Dark Green. Once
laid down, it is important to apply Tamiya masking
tape over the vinyl tape to help secure it and
prevent too much rebound from the elastic memory
of the vinyl. The Tamiya tape is easily trimmed
by running a sharp blade over the centre of the
vinyl tape, being careful not to press too firmly
and risk perforating through to the model surface.
Once the masking was complete, heavily thinned
Dark Green was gradually applied, again being
cautious to retain the tonal variation provided by
the pre-shading. Meanwhile the Dark Earth of the The black undersurfaces were painted with
an initial layer of RC001 Flat Black followed
cowling was masked prior to painting the collector by RC022 Rubber Black patterns using an
ring and exhausts. These were started as an overall Artool splatter mask. It was then blended by
base layer of AK Xtreme Metal Bronze, with some light sanding and a very thin coat of RC001.
highlights of Steel. Heavily thinned Mr Color C2
black and Tamiya XF-34 Metallic Brown were used
in patches, before a mix of C2, XF-34 and Mr
Color GX112 clear gloss were applied overall as a
translucent blend coat.
Turning my attention to the undersides, I masked
the lower border of the fuselage as well as any
areas which may have been at risk of overspray
from lower paint work. Painting began with the
black port side half. The first layer was AK Real
Colors RC001 Flat Black, followed by manual
streaks in the direction of airflow using RC022
Rubber Black and further application of the same
colour through an Artool splatter mask. A 2500
Infini sponge was used to soften the tones before a
very thin mix of RC001 was used as a blend coat,
being careful not to lose any of the variation but
rather just toning it down. The centreline was then
masked and the white half was airbrushed using
the black base method of initial mottle pattern of The black paintwork was
Mr Colour C69 Off White followed by thin blend masked away with Tamiya
tape and the white was
coats until the shade variation appeared evident commenced using Mr
but not dominant. Finally, the aluminium doped Colour C69 Off White via
areas of the upper wing and stabiliser undersides the black basing method.
were done. I started with an overall layer of
Tamiya LP-70 Gloss Aluminium followed by Mr
Metallic Color GX201 Metal Black manual lines
and Artool mask splatter patterns. The result was
initially stark but was toned right down after being
blended with further LP-70 heavily diluted with Mr
Levelling Thinner.
The wheels and propeller were being painted
along the way, with the propeller and tyres being
treated with mixtures of AK RC001 and RC022 as
per the black lower undersides. The inner wheel
hubs were and tail wheel hub were painted in
LP-70 in a similar fashion to to underside silver
areas. The HGW mask set used for the clear parts
also included masks for the wheels, which were put A close-up of the central lower
to good use at this stage. section shows the mottling done
for the first stage of black basing.

The completed white
painting after thin
mixes of C69 Off White
were applied to blend
the mottling.
The completed black and white of the lower surface, coming along as planned.
A close up of the final black port side wing shows some The underside of the upper wings and stabilisers were finished Mr Levelling Thinner was used to heavily thin LP-70 as a blend coat in the aluminium
interesting and authentic colour modulation. in aluminium dope. I painted a base layer of Tamiya LP-70 Gloss areas. The final result shows a convincing and interesting level of shade variation.
Aluminium followed by patches of Mr Metallic Color GX201
through an Artool splatter mask.
All surfaces, fully painted and

complete for now. More shading will
follow at the weathering stages.
The final aluminium dope effect on

the lower horizontal stabilisers.
The propeller and wheels were painted using both AK Real

Colors RC001 Flat Black and RC022 Rubber Black whilst
the Silver wheel hubs were painted in Tamiya LP-70 Gloss
Aluminium. Further weathering and post shading will follow.
Aircraft Edition 29
MARKINGS
For the main markings, I found a Montex Maxi
Mask set, item 32187, which contains masks to
replace all major decals found in the ICM kit.
Whilst I do have facilities to cut my own masks,
if a set is available to purchase for a few dollars,
the choice to buy them ready-made is easy given
the time and effort required to produce masks at
home. I started with the upper wing and fuselage
roundels. The first step was to find the exact
position of the roundel and this is best achieved
by placing the main outer section of the roundel
in the correct place, then using that to guide the To start the process of painting the main markings, the easiest first The background mask was added, having used the main marking as
position of the main background outline mask. The step was to position the main outer section into the correct position. a guide. Further masking with Tamiya tape was placed around the
first paint layer was a light grey shade to create borders to prevent overspray.
a blank canvas. I chose Mr Color C11 Light Gull
Grey and sprayed a light coat, keeping slightly
away from the borders to avoid a light coloured
edge showing through after final painting. Different
parts of the masks are then replaced as each colour
is added. The paints I used were Mr Color C100
Wine Red, C326 Blue FS15044 and C69 Off
White. After masking and painting, I used a similar
method to of pre-shading with Vallejo Model Color
acrylic paints as I utilised for the main paintwork.
For red and blue areas, I used white pre-shading
and for the white inner ring of the fuselage roundel
I used black to create some underlying contrast.
A light coat of grey was applied as a neutral base. I chose Mr Color The main outer section was then replaced, and the first light layer of
Once pre-shading was complete, masks were C11 Light Gull Grey and tried to keep it extremely light at the borders red was applied. I used Mr Color C100 Wine Red.
relaid in sequence and overlying colours reapplied to avoid creating a light line along the edges.
in thin blend coats until the final results were
achieved. The serial and squadron codes were
next and followed much the same process albeit
easier since they were single colours and did not
need successive levels of masking. I chose C69
Off White for the serial codes and Tamiya XF-20
Medium Grey, which seemed lighter than the kit
decals but darker than other pictures I had seen.
Black and white reference photos were hard to
judge and this grey seemed like a safe average.
I used black acrylic paint pre-shading and the
results, as with the roundels, were better than
decals in both avoidance of a flat, monochromatic
finish and of course removal of all the risks The inner circular mask was then added back in, with the outer mask Removal of the insignia masks revealed the base colours in place and
associated with decals such as poor conformance removed. The first light coat of blue was airbrushed, using Mr Color ready for pre-shading.
C326 Blue FS15044.
to surface detail, obvious carrier film and risk of
silvering. Once all markings were painted, they
were lightly sanded with a 2500 Infini soft sanding
stick to accentuate the weathered effect.
WEATHERING
With all paint work essentially complete, I coated
all surfaces and loose parts with Tamiya X-35
Semi-Gloss Clear thinned with Mr Levelling Thinner
in preparation for further weathering. I started
with an overall oil paint panel line wash, using a
mixture of black and raw sienna, roughly at a ratio
of 3:2 and mixed with odourless solvent. I added
white into the mix to produce a light brown-grey I pre-shaded using Vallejo Model Color White diluted with water and The red inner portion was then repainted, being careful not to obliterate
colour for the black areas. Once dry, the surfaces wicked off the brush to prevent any seepage under the outer mask. the pre-shading highlights created in the prior step.
were rubbed back with a cotton cloth very lightly
dampened with odourless solvent, with some area
left intentionally dirtier to replicate accumulation in
areas where it would be expected such as natural
folds, edges, changes in contour and of course
wheel and propeller hubs. I followed the oil wash
with another clear coat of X-35.
I then moved onto using Carbon Black Liquitex
acrylic ink mixed with Transparent Raw Sienna,
diluted with X-20A thinner and airbrushed around
accumulated dirt areas such as wing and stabiliser
roots, the area immediately aft of the cowling and
various underside areas. By flicking the airbrush
The outer portion of the main mask was then replaced and using this as After removal of the masks, the modulation of colour was apparent and
trigger, I was able to create some authentic splatter a guide, the central circle was placed over the red area. Removing the demonstrates the benefit of masked and painted markings over decals.
which dried to a translucent and subtle finish outer mask, the blue was then lightly repainted.

The fuselage marking followed a similar process to the wing markings. The base grey, also showing some surface detail that decals would have After the central potion was painted using Mr Color C69 Off White, the
Outer border masks in place. always struggled to conform around, at least without distorting. outer masks were applied to allow application of the central red colour.
Leaving the middle portion in place, and addition the central mask The initial result after removing the masks showing colours in their Pre-shading with diluted white acrylic in preparation for final insignia
portion, the outer section was removed and the first layer of blue was correct positions and free of distortion around the raised detail. colours.
airbrushed.
The inner red portion received it’s final top layer. The outer blue section was then completed, being subtle enough to All inner masks were then replaced, making sure perfect alignment, before
avoid losing the white highlights. the middle layer was removed to allow completion of the white zone.
I pre-shaded the white zone using brush-painted lines of Vallejo Model The white layer was then completed being careful to remain subtle. After removal of the masks the result was acceptable but needed for
Colour Black, diluted with water and wicked dry to avoid paint running a simple touch up at the aft border where the base grey border was
under the masks. showing. The modulation and pre-weathered effect was nicely evident.
Aircraft Edition 31
The fuselage serial and

squadron codes followed
much the same process as
the main insignia markings.
The three colours I used for the

insignias were Mr Color C69 Off
White, C100 Wine Red and C326
Blue FS 15044.
The final result of painting the codes

turned out as planned, avoiding a the
The base colour was monochromatic appearance of decals.
Mr Color C11 Light Gull
Grey and the pre-shading
colours were Vallejo Model I chose Tamiya XF-20 Medium Grey for the squadron codes as an average of
Color White and Black. reference photos, the kit’s box art and the actual colour of the kits decals.
suggestive of older, ingrained stains. To add to

this, I used the different mixes of same diluted oil After airbrushing inks and
colours previously utilised for the panel line wash application of an oil paint
panel line wash. Different
and flicked more splatter marks using an old brush, colours of diluted oil paints
most heavily immediately aft of the main wheels. were flicked from a brush
I used oil paints, dispensed onto cardboard to to create wheel splatter.
leach out residual oil, and dry-brushed them in
various shade mixes to add further accumulated
grime in a more diffuse and generalised way.
This was most useful for replicating wear on the
propeller blades, grime on stabiliser leading edges
and landing gear struts, and further grime behind
the cowlings and finally around wing and stabiliser
roots. At the same time, some minor chipping was
added generally to fasteners and metallic edges
around the fuselage using both X-11 Chrome Silver
enamel and Prismacolor silver pencil. Finally a flat
coat of GX113 was applied to all parts except
silver painted areas, which received a final satin
coat of X-35.
It was now time to finally bond the cowl and
engine assembly onto the main airframe. This
was a reasonably secure connection which was
bonded with Revell Contacta cement and left
to dry undisturbed. I improved the exhausts by
brush painting them with AK Ultra Matte varnish
before highlighting with some rust tones from
Tamiya Weathering Master Sets B and C while
the front surface of the collector ring was brought
to life by rubbing in some Uschi Chrome metal
polishing powder with a cotton swab. I removed
the temporarily bonded port side cockpit door and
canopy masks at this stage. Minor clean up of
paint seepage around the clear parts was easily
achieved with a wooden toothpick wet with X-20A. The diluted oil paint splatter
The resin cockpit door was then carefully glued into extended to the tail section
place using medium CA. although to a lesser extent
compared to the main wing
undersides. The lower white side wing undersurface after oil wash,
splatter and streaking, as well as dry brushing of oils.
The black side lower wing

received lighter mixes of oils
to pick out details and add
splatter and streaks.
32 Military Illustrated
Final weathering of the wheels and propeller
using oils to convey accumulated dirt around
the wheel hubs and abrasion streaks on the
propeller. Small chips were added to some
nuts on the propeller hub using a silver pencil.
Dry brushing of oils was particularly

evident on the leading edge of the
horizontal stabilisers. The effect created
was both subtle and authentic.
The completed upper sides after ink

shading, oil work and chipping followed
by a flat clear coat of Mr Color GX113
and finally, removal of canopy masks and
addition of the Quickboost resin door.
The upper wing and belly navigation light beds

were painted in X-11 enamel. The clear part for
the belly light wasn’t a great fit so I elected not to
use it and instead built up a lens using Microscale
Kristal Klear into the circular depression, which
worked very well. The red and green Quickboost
navigation lights fitted beautifully into their resin
beds, and were glued into place using Ammo
by Mig Ultra Glue which dries perfectly clear. I
enhanced the result by coating all the navigation
lights, including those on the upper fuselage and
tail with Deluxe Products Looks Like Glass.
RIGGING
Now it was time to think about the rigging, a part
of the project I had been dreading since I had no
past experience with it. Reading the instructions
from the AIMS photo-etched set, I drilled 0.5mm
holes into the kit styrene as closely as possible
to where they were indicated. I decided to drill
The completed lower sides, awaiting the holes on the underside of the upper wing
final assembly and addition of in advance so that once the wing was secured
wheels. The aluminium doped areas into place, everything would be ready to go
were clear-coated using Tamiya
X-35 Semi-Gloss Clear.
Aircraft Edition 33
with minimal further handling needed. This entire

process seemed like flying in the dark because it Photo-etched rigging from
the AIMS set worked well.
was very difficult to verify that the positions of holes Holes were drilled into the
would suit the length of the photo-etched bracing styrene at anchor points and
wires, but I went ahead regardless. the rigging was secured with
The upper wing was finally ready to be united CA. The excellent Quickboost
position light is also seen here.
to the rest of the aeroplane. After the best trial fit
I could manage, I used some medium CA on the
tip of the wing struts and they were bonded into
place, one pair of struts at a time. Once securely
in place, I carefully added a bead of Tamiya
Extra Thin cement to the 8 connection points and
allowed the joints to fully cure. Great care was
needed to avoid adversely affecting the completed
surrounding paintwork.
Before removing the bracing wires from the
photo-etched fret, I needed to decide what colour
they should be. I settled on Tamiya XF-56 Metallic
Grey as this seemed to be a good neutral average
of all my thoughts and observations. I started by
spraying the parts on the fret with Mr Metal Primer
thinned with Mr Levelling Thinner, followed by
brush painting XF-56 enamel. To place the rigging
I started with the shorter sections bracing pairs
of struts before moving onto the longer sections Detail of the tail section
photo-etched rigging as well
connecting different pairs of struts to each other. as the rear section of 0.2mm
Some braces were too long but fortunately none ModelKasten elastic line used
were too short. After careful trimming and test to create the aerial wire. All
rigging was painted in Tamiya
fitting the braces were secured at each end by
XF-56 Metallic Grey enamel.
adding a small drop of medium CA into each
anchoring hole. The challenge was to pose and
cement the braces into position in a completely
passive state. Slightly long braces presented
as slightly bowed and in a couple of instances
needed to be removed and re-trimmed. Great
care was taken to measure and bond the rigging
into position with the model sitting passively on
its landing gear as any weight or pressure on the
wings from a jig for example would cause enough
flexing to alter the rigging measurements, resulting
in either popped rigging joints or bowed braces.
Once the photo-etched braces on the wings,
flaps and tail were finalised, I added the aerial The horizontal bar between
wire connecting the tail, fuselage and splitting off the main rigging was simply
to each upper wing. ModelKasten 0.2mm elastic created with a length of
rigging was secured into 0.5mm holes drilled 0.03” Evergreen styrene rod
bonded with CA. All rigging
into each side of the upper wing and joining attachment points were
onto a single wire connecting the tail fin with the re-sprayed with flat or semi-
upper central fuselage connection. Medium CA gloss clear to remove the shiny
once again again used, and the elastic rigging patches created by the CA.
was brush-painted with XF-56 enamel while also
touching up all the photo-etched braces. A rod
supporting the main wing braces was seen in
references but not provided in the kit or the photo-
etched set. I used some 0.030# Evergreen styrene
rod to solve the problem which was pre-painted
with XF-56 and glued into place with CA. The
connection points of all rigging were clear coated
with either GX113 for camouflage areas or X-35 The wheels were a very
for aluminium areas to remove the shiny patches important final step in the
created by the CA at their connection points. build as I used their hub
connections to correct a
slight dihedral problem.
ADJUSTING THE DIHEDRAL Great care was needed
It was now time to address a problem that I knew as the kit parts provided
was coming. The plane sat with a slight dihedral no guidance for correct
positioning of the wheels.
slant as the starboard lower wing tip was slightly
higher than the port side. Adjustments were made
to the lugs at the end of the main wheel struts with
styrene shaved off the top edge of the port lug and
the bottom edge of the starboard lug. Initially I just
guessed how much I would need to remove and I
went ahead and bonded the port side wheel first,
studying the diagram provided in the instructions
and copying the splayed angulation of the wheel.
Revell Contacta cement was used to allow me the

Aircraft Edition 35
time I needed to finesse the angles, and Tamiya I next tried the propeller onto its pin mount
MODELSPEC tape was used to secure the position while it set. I coming through the engine housing. There was so
ICM 1:32 Gloster Gladiator Mk. I positioned the wheel as low on its lug as possible much play in that part that the propeller sagged
Kit No. 32040 in an effort to lengthen it and prop up the port under its own weight, so I had no choice but to
side. Once the cement had set for a few hours, I glue the pin mount into place and glue to propeller
Adhesives Used:
tried the starboard wheel on and was able to do onto it. Of course this meant that the propeller was
• Tamiya Extra Thin Cement
• Revell Contacta Cement a slight further reduction in thickness on the lower no longer able to rotate, but this was a small price
• Zap-A-Gap Medium CA side of the lug to allow the wheel to sit higher and to pay compared to having it sag the way it was.
• Madworks black CA therefore lower the starboard wing tip. Once I had The sliding canopy was then bonded into place
• Mig Of Ammo Ultra Glue both halves perfectly level, I went ahead and glued using Ammo by Mig Ultra Glue. The final step of
• Sprue-goo the starboard wheel and secured it with tape until this challenging build was to add the fragile lower
it was firmly set. At this point I added the tail wheel wing Browning machine gun barrels into their
Paints and Finishing Products Used: into its strut and secured it with a careful drop of housings and with a final rub of Uschi Chrome
• Gaia Notes Surfacer Evo Tamiya Extra Thin as it seemed to want to pop out polishing powder, the project was complete. •
• Tamiya acrylic paint without it.
• Tamiya lacquer paint
• Mr Color lacquer paint
• Mr Hobby acrylic paint
• AK Real Colors lacquer paint
• AK Xtreme Metal paint
• Tamiya enamel paint
• Vallejo Model Color acrylic paint
• Mr Levelling Thinner
• Tamiya X-20A thinner
• Tamiya acrylic paint retarder
• Hairspray
• AK Ultra Matte varnish
• Tamiya acrylic clears
• Mr Color UV Cut Gloss and Flat Clear
• Pledge floor varnish
• Microscale Kristal Klear
• Deluxe Products Looks Like Glass
• Art Spectrum oil paints
• Art Spectrum odourless solvent
• Tamiya Weathering Master, various sets
• Liquitex acrylic ink
• Vallejo airbrush flow improver
• Prismacolor Silver Pencil
• Mr Masking Sol Neo
• Tamiya masking tape
• Tamiya tape for curves
Materials and Tools Used:

• ModelKasten elastic rigging
• Evergreen styrene rod
• Tamiya Decal Adhesive Softener Type
• Mr Mark Softer
• Infini soft sanding sticks
• Vallejo diamond files
• SMS ceramic scraper
• Tamiya files
• Swann Morton disposable scalpels
• Ultimate Modelling Products sanding sticks
• Fibreglass pen
• Mini craft pegs
• Artool splatter masks
• Holcroft sable brushes
• Sparmax SP-20x 0.2mm airbrush
• Sparmax max-4 0.4mm airbrush
• Hseng AS186 Air Compressor
Aftermarket Products Used:

• Quickboost gun barrels, item QB32257
• Quickboost compass, item QB32269
• Quickboost cockpit doors, item QB32280
• Quickboost navigation lights, item QB32268
• Quickboost resin intakes, item QB32261
• Quickboost resin exhausts, item QB32260
• Yahu photo-etched instrument panel, item
YMA3249
• AIMS photo-etched detail set, item 32PE009
• Eduard coloured steel seatbelts, item 33251
• HGW mask set, item 632841
• Montex Maxi Mask set, item 32187

“The Gladiator holds the dual honour of being both
the RAF’s last biplane and first enclosed-cockpit
plane so it truly bridges the old and the new...”
Aircraft Edition 37
ft
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FEATURE ARTICLE ICM 1:48 scale Do 17 Z-2 • Kit No. 48244
Gary Edmundson
builds and details ICM’s
1:48 Dornier Do 17 Z
THE FLYING PENCIL

Aircraft Edition 41
Styrene sheet was punched out to make backs of

the instruments, and the panel was wired using
0.010” diameter lead wire.
Seat belts were made strips of bendable metal from a wine bottle and The panel was painted with a mix of Tamiya dark grey acrylic and detailed using various decals
copper wire. for the instrument faces.
N
icknamed “The Flying Pencil”, Germany’s
Dornier 17Z saw service with the Luftwaffe
in the early years of World War II as a light
bomber. The Dornier Do 17 Z-2 and Henkel
He 111 were the iconic twin engine bombers used
by the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain, after
which this Dornier type was phased out of that role
due to its limited range and bomb load restrictions.
Never having built a model of this type of
aircraft, I was interested to see some very positive
remarks made about ICM’s 1:48 kit. The look of
this bomber has appealed to me for years, so I
decided to purchase one, and build it to represent
After airbrushing the
one flown during the Battle Of Britain. interior flat black, it was
Researching various aircraft after studying the painted with Tamiya’s
instruction sheet and markings supplied in the XF-22 RLM Grey,
lightened with XF-55
kit had me ordering the Techmod decal sheet
Deck Tan.
which had markings for Do 17 Z-2 F1+FS with its
distinctive pink bars on the wing and tail. Since the
kit doesn’t supply any swastika markings for the
tail, I needed some after-market markings anyway.
I also picked up Master’s machined brass gun
barrels for the six MG15s. This aircraft belonged to
KG76 based in France, and was shot down over
Kent on September 15, 1940.
I had seen a few builds of this model on the
Internet and I was able to pick up some tips
on things that were troublesome and needed
additional detail or correcting.
FUSELAGE INTERIOR
With the large greenhouse canopy and other Details in the cockpit
glazed areas, the cockpit interior called out for were picked out with
some improvements. To enhance detail of the rear Vallejo acrylics, and the
look of the interior was
of the instrument panel, I added backs for the
made to look busy with
gages by punching out discs of styrene. These were various decals from the
glued in place, and then a series of wires was spares box.
added by channelling fine .010” lead wire to each
one from the components on the cockpit walls. The
panels were painted dark grey, and instrument
decals were added, cut from the supplied sheet,
and some cut from the spares box.
The throttle control area was rather crudely
represented, so I rebuilt some of it with finer
handles and altered the positions of others. For the
seats I made safety belts from soft metal material
taken from a wine bottle top, and buckles from
copper wire. Copper wire was also used to make
some handles for other locations in the cockpit.
The interior was primed in Flat Black XF-1 as a
pre-shade, then painted using Tamiya’s XF-22 RLM
Grey, lightened with a touch of XF-55 Deck Tan. Some of the pilot’s
Some of the radio equipment was brush painted area was enhanced
in a dark grey using various Vallejo acrylics, then by modifying the kit
parts for the throttle
I gloss coated everything afterwards with X-22 controls.
Clear. The seats were painted separately, with the
seat belts and canvas webbing and backs picked
out in Vallejo acrylics. Using some spare decals

To help the fit of the main wings to the fuselage, 0.040” styrene
sheet was cut to support the shape of the joint.
The seams of the wing and fuselage assemblies needed some filling The landing gear housings had small seams which were filled with Magic Sculpt epoxy putty
with Tamiya’s lacquer-based putty.
from my scraps box, I dressed up the equipment WING ASSEMBLY The engine/undercarriage mounts were
with some nameplates and other markings to make The large wing assembly needed supports added assembled and fitted to the wings in preparation
it look busy, although perhaps not specifically near the wing roots to keep the shape of the wing for painting the exterior finishing colours. The tail
accurate for the discerning experts. solid where it mated up with the fuselage. I cut section was also fitted, leaving off the delicate
Joining the fuselage halves together, I left out two profiles of the wing roots from .040” styrene actuators for the elevators for later.
the bomb bay detail, fuel tank, and anything that sheet and shaped them to support the plastic
couldn’t be seen on the finished kit. I filled the gap properly for a good fit. Although the fit of the CANOPY AND GLAZED PARTS
in the fuselage for the long “ladder” antennae part, large wing assembly to the fuselage was good, There was a multitude of extra glazed parts on the
of which I made a more delicate replacement out of some filling and sanding was required, mostly at clear styrene sprue, provided for other versions
styrene rod and wire much later in the construction. the rear of the section. of ICM’s Do 17 kits. I used one of these extras to
Master brass gun barrels and etched sights replaced the kit examples. The kit’s six MG 15s had their barrels removed and were painted before mounting in the clear parts.
After dipping the clear parts in Future, the guns were mounted using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Masking the clear parts was a time-consuming effort using small pieces of Tamiya tape.
Aircraft Edition 43
Pre-shading of the panel lines was done with thinned XF-1 Flat Black. The clear parts first had their frames
airbrushed first with the interior colour
of XF-22 RLM Grey.
test a method of dipping each of the clear parts in

Future floor finish, giving them a protective shine.
Doing this helps the parts to not fog up in the
presence of cyano or styrene glue. It also provides The underside was airbrushed with
a Tamiya mix of light blue, and then
some protection against other mistakes which I sealed with X-22 Clear Gloss.
was thankful for later. After immersing each glazed
section in the Future acrylic, I dabbed off the
excess and hung them carefully to dry overnight. would have reflected light when viewed later. The from styrene rod, heated and bent around a hobby
The instruction guide suggests installing the interior of the lower-rear gunner’s position was knife handle of the appropriate size. As easy as
glazed sections at the end of the build, but I’ve airbrushed XF-22 after masking the small amount that sounds, it took me quite a few tries to get two
always placed them securely before painting the of glass on that piece. Test-fitting the pieces with reasonably good ones made, and a fair length of
outer scheme. That meant I would have to glue in the fuselage showed they mated up well, and so styrene rod. I didn’t actually add any wiring, since
the MG.15 guns in place first and attach the brass they were cemented into place using Tamiya’s it would have been a tremendous amount of work,
barrels afterward. After removing the plastic barrels Extra Thin cement. and so little of it would have actually been visible
from the guns, I drilled the appropriate size holes The Techmod decal package came with canopy on the finished model.
to accept the brass replacements. I painted the masks, but unfortunately, they were designed for The engines were airbrushed flat black, and
bodies of the guns black, and brushed & polished the Classic Airframes kit, and therefore didn’t fit then the cylinders were lightly sprayed with Alclad
them with Uschi steel metal powder Steel Type. the ICM parts. I spent a fair amount of time cutting II Duraluminum. Over this, I airbrushed a thinned
The spent-round bowls were painted with Vallejo small sections of Tamiya masking tape, meticulously amount of Tamiya Clear Blue X-23 to emulate
70.830 Field Grey. A secure joint had to be made placing them into position on the numerous glass a heat-effect. I painted the exhaust manifolds
when gluing the guns into the ports in the clear panels. I airbrushed XF-22 onto the exposed separately, first a coat of Flat Black, then rubbed
parts because inserting the barrels afterward posed window frames to allow that colour to be seen on with dry pastel chalks of a dirty brown/orange
a hazard of pushing them loose and creating an the inside after all painting had been completed. colour to give them a varied, oxidized look.
almost unrecoverable situation. I did use Tamiya’s One of the biggest flaws of the kit is the cowling
Extra Thin cement to do this, but still ended up with ENGINES support rods, since there are too many, and they
a slightly marred smudge in one case where my The Bramo 323P 1,000hp engines were nicely are placed in a pattern that doesn’t come close to
layer of Future acrylic didn’t work as well as I’d detailed with the option of two exhaust types. It resembling the actual configuration. I found some
have liked. was evident from records and photos that F1+FS definitive references for the supports on the Internet,
Some of the internal frame around the thicker had the ported kind with two pipes coming out of and printed off a photo to help me fashion new
edges of the front glazing was brush painted with the top of the cowling. Missing from the front is ones from styrene rod. Three mounting locations on
a Vallejo mix of paint to match RLM 02 since it the circular conduit for the wiring, which I made the engine casing were marked out with small strips
Following photo references, the underside was masked off with tape and sticky-note paper.
After airbrushing on the RLM 71 Dark

Green, the upper camouflage pattern
was masked off for the subsequent
colour of RLM 70 Black Green.

of styrene adjacent to the wiring conduit,
and these formed the pattern to place the
support rods cut from .020” rod. These
supports had to be added and painted
much later in the build, after the cowlings
had been placed over the engines.
PAINTING THE EXTERIOR

With all the glazed sections masked off
and seams & gaps filled and sanded,
I airbrushed some pre-shading on the
model’s panel lines with XF-1 Flat Black
after adding a little extra thinner to get a Panel lines were
finer line. treated to a diluted
oil paint mixture,
The underside of the aircraft was painted first, using mineral spirits
airbrushing on a Tamiya acrylic mix of XF-23 Light and Winsor &
Blue with XF-2 White in a 1:1 ratio. The thinned Newton Black and
paint was lightly applied allowing the pre-shaded Raw Umber.
panel lines to show through. A protective coat of
X-22 Clear Gloss was then sprayed onto this.
The decals were
Masking off the lower light blue colour applied over a gloss
need a fair bit of research since the patterns of surface, and then
demarcation lines of these aircraft varied, and over-sprayed with
all of the illustrated profiles with the kit and decal a very dilute mix
of the surrounding
guides seemed to show only one of the variations. colour to tone down
Luckily enough photos were taken of the aircraft I the look.
was building to show that the upper camouflage
colours didn’t wrap around under the wings by the it was hard to manage a fold without possibly white look of the national crosses, for example, to
engines, for example, so I proceeded to tape off the breaking the delicate film. be more blended-in to the overall look of the model.
underside using these and other photo references of After sealing the underside decals, I started on This technique is quite subtle, and care has to be
actual Do.17Z bombers from that period. the upper side. There was a red strip around the taken to not over-do the effect. I usually take two
For the upper surfaces, the RLM 71 was mixed fuselage that I actually masked and painted, rather sessions with each colour, doing a slight amount at
from XF-62 Olive Drab and XF-49 Khaki in a 1:1 than use the Techmod example. The decal film on first, and reviewing the results halfway through.
ratio and airbrushed over the surface for those the markings for the fuselage sides was quite thin
areas as shown on the standard camouflage layout and went on with no slivering at all. The swastika ENGINE COWLS
for that aircraft type. After a protective coat of X-22 markings for the tail are made in two parts and The engine cowlings were painted separately after
had dried, this was masked off, and the RLM 70 had to be carefully manoeuvred into position before constructing them without the kit-supplied supports.
was applied using Tamiya’s XF-27 Black Green. gently being pressed down and dabbed off. It was Because of the fine engineering of these parts,
After removing the masking tape from the model helpful to add a tiny amount of X-20a thinner to the they just needed to be pressed into position over
(but of course leaving the tape on the clear parts) markings to help them settle into the recessed lines the engines in their mounts without needing any
the surface was prepared for decal application by on the surface of the model. After all the markings glue. The interiors were airbrushed with XF-22,
spraying on another coat of X-22 clear. had a day to dry, they were sealed with a coat of and the exterior painted to match the appropriate
X-22 Clear Gloss. camouflage: one RLM 70, and the other RLM 71,
DECALS The decal for the pink bar for the wing was both with RLM 65 on the bottom.
Markings for the underside were applied first. I used, but I chose to paint the corresponding bars at The cowling support rods were cut to size from
used the kit decals for the large national crosses, the tops of the vertical stabilizer and rudder, since .020” styrene rod after a careful measuring &
and all the other stencils on the wings and Techmod’s decals didn’t quite match the shape of placement exercise was carried out on each one.
fuselage. The warning stencil on the entrance the ICM kit. By adding a drop of XF-55 Deck Tan to They were glued into place with Tamiya’s Extra
door under the nose was a better option from X-15 Pink, I came up with a good match to airbrush Thin Cement, and secured when dry with a drop of
the Techmod sheet, along with another addition these on. super glue at each point of contact. They were all
halfway down the fuselage. The kit markings went To tone down the appearance of the markings, then primed in Flat Black with a brush, after which
on very well with their extremely thin film, but I had I overspray them with a very dilute mix of their they were painted In a Vallejo acrylic mix to match
to be careful not to have them fold on me, because surrounding colour. This allows the stark black & RLM 02.
The kit’s antenna on the bottom of the fuselage was replaced with one made from styrene rod and fine Tyres were painted with Tamiya’s XF-69 NATO Black, and then weathered using a fine spray of greyish-
copper wire. earth colour around the sides.
Aircraft Edition 45
A conduit pipe was added to the front of each engine The cylinders were painted black, then highlighted with Alclad II Duraluminum. The exhaust manifold was coloured using artist chalk pastels, although so little
made from styrene rod which had been heated and bent could be seen of them after being housed in the cowlings.
around a hobby blade handle.
WEATHERING
The next stage I went into was to give the panel
lines a touch of diluted dark oil paint. Raw umber
and black Winsor & Newton Series 1 oil paint
was mixed on a small polyethylene bag with some
mineral spirits and allowed to “wick” along all of
the panel lines using a fine pointed brush. Any
excess or tide marks was wiped off with a slightly
dampened brush after allowing this to dry for
about 40 minutes. This same mixture was applied
to areas under the engine cowlings, fuel ports, and
undercarriage doors to show effects of oil stains
and leaks.
A dilute mix of X-19 Smoke was airbrushed
in and around the lower areas of the engine The kit’s cowling supports were inaccurate and had to be replaced.
cowlings and landing gear, with the very front of
the cowlings masked off to give a stepped effect
to the discolouration. Both dark grey and silver took a few applications with a very small amount SMALL DETAILS
paint chips were added to the model, with the done at a time, so that results could be assessed at With most of the painting done, it was time to add
silver enamel being toned down with black and/or each stage - it’s easy to overdo the look. The centre the more delicate details that would have made
raw umber oil paint. The chips were applied with of the stains was made darker using X-19 Smoke, handling the model difficult during that process.
a very fine 000 size brush, and were afterward and also a touch of dark pastel chalk. I did find The Master brass gun barrels were assembled
toned down by over-spraying them with their the chalk powder more difficult to control, and after with a fair amount of difficulty due to the size of the
surrounding colours as done with the decals earlier. adding too much, went back over it with a dilute gun sights. I was lucky to have a microscope for
Engine exhaust stains on the upper wing were amount of the base colour with and airbrush. After this step and have to admit these are the smallest
airbrushed on in diluted acrylic using a greyish plenty of clarting about, these streaks took on a parts I’ve ever worked with. Both front and rear
dirt coloured mix of Tamiya paint. This procedure look I was finally pleased with. sights have a base that needs to be bent into shape
The underside was weathered using Tamiya’s X-19 Smoke and additional oil paint washes. Exhaust stains were applied to the wings with dilute greyish-dirt acrylic mixes and pastel chalk powders.

All of the upper side decals received a dilute over-spray of their surrounding colour to mute their Chipped paint was simulated with silver enamel mixed with a touch of dark oil paint applied with a 000 fine
appearance. pointed brush.
The pink markings on the tail section were painted on to match the colour of the one on the Fine Uschi Rigging Line was attached between the tail and the post on the canopy for the antenna line, with insulators made
left wing. with PVA glue.
& glued to each barrel, but the overall appearance

when painted is quite worth the work involved.
Happily, these barrels were slipped into the pre-
drilled holes I’d made without pushing the rear of
the guns out of their locations in the canopy sections.
The landing gear was added after painting
and weathering the parts, and it was only after I’d
finished and photographed the model did I notice
a small detail missing - two small support rods from
the main gear legs to the back of the wheel covers
- which got added using thin styrene rod. Care was needed with decal application since both the Techmod, and kit markings
The wire antenna on the bottom of the fuselage were printed on very thin, delicate film and were apt to fold on themselves.
was made from thin copper wire, after small
posts had been added using styrene rod. There
are two antennae on the canopy that had to wait
until the model no longer had to be turned on its
back. When gluing on the main antenna post, I
accidentally dropped the wetted end onto the clear
panel of glazing, marring it. After walking away
The sleek silhouette of this aircraft gave

it the nickname “The Flying Pencil”.
Small braces for the wheel

covers were added as a
final step, along with the
odd-shaped pitot tube on
the port wing.
Aircraft Edition 47
to gather my thoughts, I remembered that the clear CONCLUSION who have shared their work on the Internet, and
parts had a protective layer of Future on them, and The ICM 1:48 scale Dornier Do.17Z-2 is very well with many references available on the same, I was
so went about wiping off the offending mark with researched and engineered and it was a pleasure able to add a very interesting and attractive model
Windex cleaner on a wooden toothpick. I was very to put together. Thanks to a number of modellers to my small collection of 1:48 scale aircraft. •
fortunate that this worked well, and the canopy had
not been irreversibly damaged.
I used Uschi fine rigging line for the long antenna
wire that runs from the tail to the post on the
canopy, and made insulators using blobs of white
PVA glue. For a last touch of weathering, I made
a few spots of engine oil on the tops of the tyres,
having a few streaks running down the sides as
seen in references. Lifecolour paints had an “Oil”
acrylic with a gloss finish that worked well for that,
although it is quite similar to Tamiya’s X-19 Smoke.
DISPLAY
To display the model, I added some of ICM’s 1:48
figures picked from a couple of their Luftwaffe
Ground Personnel sets and painted them up in
Vallejo acrylics.
MODELSPEC
ICM 1:48 scale Do 17 Z-2 Kit No. 48244
Figures Used:
• ICM 1:48 scale German Luftwaffe Ground
Personnel (1939-1945) kit no. 48085
• ICM 1:48 scale German Luftwaffe Pilots and
Ground Personnel (1939-1945) kit no. 48082
Accessories Used:
• Uschi Line Rigging Line Fine
• Master 1:48 MG 15 barrels & etched sights
AM-48-055
• Techmod 1:48 decal sheet Dornier Do-17Z
no.48812
Tools and Materials Used:

• Tamiya Extra Fine Cement
• Tamiya Basic Putty
• Mercury Adhesives Super Glue Thin &
Medium types
• Harder & Steenbeck Infinity CRplus Airbrush
• Walter Products 3.5x - 90x Trinocular
Stereo Microscope with a 144LED ring light
WP-1AFZ-IFR07-5N
• 10mm Tamiya Masking Tape
• Fly fishing lure lead wire 0.01”
• Micro drill set
Paints and Finishing Products Used:

• Tamiya Acrylic paints as listed in the paint
callouts.
• Winsor & Newton Oil Paint Series 1 554
Raw Umber, 744 Yellow Ochre, Ivory Black,
074 Burnt Sienna
• Vallejo Acrylic paints as listed in the paint
callouts
• Alclad II lacquer paints as listed in paint
callouts
• Model Master enamel Chrome Silver
• Mineral Spirit thinner
• Rembrandt Artists Chalk Pastels various
colours.
References:
• The Luftwaffe At War 1939-45 by Adolf
Galland, K. Ries, R. Ahnert Ian Allan
Publishing
• Luftwaffe Camouflage & Markings 1935-
45 Vol.2 by J.R. Smith & J.D. Gallaspy.
Kookaburra Technical Publications Pty Ltd.
• Various images from Internet sources. ICM’s 1:48 Luftwaffe ground personnel figures were well posed and nicely detailed.
They were painted with Vallejo acrylics.

Aircraft Edition 49
KIT PREVIEW Arma Hobby 1:72 P-39Q Airacobra • Kit No. 70055
Three chrome steel

balls are supplied
as nose weight.
The Editor takes a

close look at Arma
Hobby’s latest release
and their first in the
Airacobra family –
a 1:72 scale P-39Q.
MID-ENGINE FIGHTER
T
he Bell P-39 Airacobra was a fighter produced RAF for use over western Europe but adopted by Arma Hobby's 1:72 scale Bell P-39Q Airacobra
by Bell Aircraft for the United States Army the USSR, where most air combat took place at comprises 83 parts in grey plastic, five parts
Air Forces during the Second World War. It medium and lower altitudes. in clear plastic, three small chrome balls (nose
was one of the principal American fighters in Soviet pilots scored the highest number of kills in weight); yellow Kabuki die-cut self-adhesive paper
service when the United States entered combat. the P-39 attributed to any U.S. fighter type flown by masks and decals for five aircraft options.
It had an unusual layout, with the engine any air force in any conflict. The grey plastic parts are delivered on two large
installed in the centre fuselage, behind the pilot, Other major users of the type included the sprues. Moulding quality is excellent with no flaws
and driving a tractor propeller in the nose with a Free French, the Royal Air Force, and the Italian or visible moulding imperfections on my sample. The
long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with Co-Belligerent Air Force.* plastic parts boast a luxurious satin texture. Arma’s
a tricycle undercarriage. Although its mid-engine website advises that long-run metal moulds are used
placement was innovative, the P-39 design was IN THE BOX for their kit production, and it really does show.
handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo- Arma Hobby has launched their all-new 1:72 Being a long-run kit, the parts are moulded
supercharger, preventing it from performing high- scale Airacobra family with the Kit No. 70055, with all the alignment aids that you would expect
altitude missions. It was therefore rejected by the the P-39Q. including locating pins, holes, slots and tabs.
Full length fuselage halves. Impressive panel line and rivet detail. Subtle textures on the upper wing.
Elevators are moulded separate and may be posed to taste. Two different upper gun cowl parts are provided. Two styles of exhaust, but only the six stack is used for

Five marking schemes are included.
Moulding quality is excellent. So far I have only a pair of drop tanks, 100 kg bombs and 250 lb
found one ejector pin circle and that is only on the bombs.
inside of an undercarriage door. The canopy parts are thin and clear.
Sprue attachments are moulded to the surfaces The two side doors are moulded as clear parts.
of the kits so take care when cutting these off and They may be posed open or closed. Note that pilot
cleaning them up. entry and egress was usually from the starboard
Surface textures are just gorgeous. Recessed side. Self-adhesive die-cut masks are supplied
panel lines, circular fastener heads and other for the windows, canopy and wheels. This is a
structural details are very fine. thoughtful and time saving touch.
The fuselage is supplied as left and right halves A number of additional parts and unused options
with a few elements that allow some important are included on the sprue such as alternative
options. exhausts, three different styles of propeller and
The most obvious is the forward upper gun more.
cowl panels. Two styles are included with subtle Instructions are supplied as a 12 page stapled
variations. A5-sized booklet.
Some cockpit structural detail is moulded directly The kit is packed into a end-opening cardboard
to the inside of the fuselage halves. Additional box. I have to say that I have never been a fan
separate parts include a plastic cockpit floor, of end-opening boxes - access to the parts is
throttle quadrant; instrument panel, a moulded pair more difficult, loose parts can easily be lost while
of rudder pedals, control column, radios and more. retrieving instructions or a larger sprue, and the
The instrument panel features raised detail that format is less structurally rigid, inviting the contents
will respond well to careful dry brushing. to be crushed when the box is inevitably at the
As an alternative, an overlay decal is supplied bottom of a pile of kits.
for the instrument panels and switch panel. I know it is a nit-pick but I would prefer to see
Harness strap decals are included as well. future Arma Hobby releases in a lid-style of box.
Three small chrome metal balls are supplied as The kit decal sheet offers markings for five
nose weight. These are placed into recesses above options with some colourful markings variations in sheet, as are propeller logos and wing walk
the front landing gear bay. camouflage and service nationality. markings.
Exhausts are moulded as one-piece per side. The Decals are printed by Techmod.
ends are moulded solid - perfectly understandable They are: They are glossy, colours are well saturated and
in this small scale. • P-39Q-10 Airacobra, 363rd Fighter Squadron, everything is in perfect register.
The wing parts are full span lower and separate 357th Fighter Group, pilot Lt. Clarence “BUD”
port and starboard halves for the top. They are Anderson, Oroville, California, October 1943. CONCLUSION
suitably thin at the trailing edges. Aileron hinge • P-39Q-1 Airacobra, 6th Fighter Squadron, 15th Arma Hobby's brand new 1:72 scale P-39
lines are appropriately heavier than the general Fighter Group, Makin, Gilbert Islands, late Airacobra is a gorgeous kit with its crisp surface
panel line detailing. 1943. textures, high moulding quality, thoughtful parts
The wheel wells are nicely detailed between • P-39Q-15 Airacobra, 10° gruppo, 4° Stormo, breakdown, useful options and very high level of
the upper wing halves. They are presented as one Italian Co-Beligerent Air Force, Galatina Air detail.
piece each and feature very fine raised letter on Base, Italy, November 1944. Although not all the options on the sprues are
the sidewalls. Tyre tread is smooth. The wheels are • P-39Q-6 Airacobra, 82nd TRS, 71st Tactical mentioned in the instructions, you will be able to
subtly bulged and flattened. Reconnaissance Group, pilot: Lt. Michael Moffitt, build most Airacobra variants from the parts in
Elevators and rudder are separate parts and Saidor, New Guinea, Spring 1944. the box.
may be posed to taste. • P-39Q-20 Airacobra, 2nd Mixed-Special Air This is a another excellent offering from Arma
The tail wheel and strut are moulded as a single Regiment, Polish “people’s” Aviation, pilot gen. Hobby. •
part. Detail looks good. col. Fiodor Polynin, Warsaw 1945.
Ordnance includes two underwing gun pods, Stencil markings are printed on the same single Thanks to Arma Hobby for the sample
The plastic instrument panel. Optional decal overlay for the panel and harness straps.
this boxing. Nice thin clear parts. The doors are moulded as separate parts. The kit decal sheet.
* Historical background adapted from Wikipedia Aircraft Edition 51

FEATURE ARTICLE Hasegawa 1:48 Arado Ar 234 C-3 • Kit No. 09845
SPECIAL D
Brett Green adds detail to Hasegawa’s 1:48
scale Arado Ar 234 C pioneering jet bomber.
T
he Arado Ar 234 holds the distinction of
being the world’s first operational jet bomber,
but it was originally conceived purely as a fast
reconnaissance aircraft.
The design featured a narrow fuselage and two
Jumo 004 jet engines slung under slim straight
tapered wings, with the pilot seated inside a
Plexiglas dome in the front of the aircraft.
High fuel consumption meant that much of the
fuselage interior was occupied by fuel tanks. As a
result, there was no room for internal landing gear.
Early Ar 234 prototypes were fitted with a dolly
that was jettisoned after take-off, and a retractable
skid in the bottom of the fuselage plus smaller
outrigger skids in the engine nacelles that were
deployed during landing.
The Luftwaffe was doubtful about the operational
use of the dolly/skid arrangement on operational
aircraft and insisted on the fitting of conventional
tricycle undercarriage. This was done, but only with
the reduction of the capacity of the fuselage fuel
tanks and hence operational range.
The upside, however, was that space was freed
up to fit bombs under the fuselage and the wings,
resulting in the development of the Arado Ar 234
B-2 bomber, displacing the original B-1 dedicated
reconnaissance variant.
A total of 210 Arado Ar 234 B-2s were
produced. Despite its bomber designation,
the majority of operational sorties were
reconnaissance.
Development of the type continued, with other
variants including a night fighter and dedicated
reconnaissance versions.
Brian Silcox’s photo of the National Air and Space

Museum’s Arado Ar 234 B-2 cockpit shows the excellent
view afforded the pilot thanks to the Plexiglas nose.
ELIVERY
Aircraft Edition 53
The four-engine Arado Ar 234 C also reached

the production stage, although only a small number
were produced. This aircraft was fitted with a
pressurised cockpit and two paired sets of Jumo
“The Ar 234 C was the first operational four-engine
003A-1 engines delivering a maximum speed of
873 km/h. Some considered that the Ar 234 C
jet aircraft, and the fastest jet to fly during the
was actually overpowered, but pilots appreciated
its high speed. war. It was also the last German aircraft to fly over
Unlike the unarmed Ar 234 B, the Arado
Ar 234 C was fitted with either two or four England in WWII.”
MG151:20 20mm cannon, and was produced in
reconnaissance (C-3) and bomber (C-4) versions.
In addition to being the world’s first jet bomber,
the Ar 234 set a number of key milestones. The
Ar 234 C was the first operational four-engine jet
aircraft, and the fastest jet to fly of the war. It was
also the last German aircraft to fly over England in
the Second World War.
HASEGAWA’S 1:48 SCALE ARADO

AR 234 C IN THE BOX
The Arado Ar 234 C kit is much more than a
few parts substituted on the Ar 234 B. In fact, the
wings, engines, cockpit, forward fuselage and nose
wheel are all totally new. Some smaller details are
also inserted in the original rear fuselage part,
including the rear-firing cannon in a ventral panel.
The basic layout of the Ar 234 C kit cockpit will
look familiar to modellers who have built the Ar
234 B, but most of the parts are new. The seats,
side consoles and control column are all excellent.
The new style of main instrument panel, however,
is a bit oversimplified in my opinion. It looks more
like a chunky crash pad rather than the complex
Hasegawa released their all-new 1:48 scale Arado Ar 234 B-2 kit in 2002. This immediately superseded the underdetailed and inaccurate
panel it represents. Hobbycraft Ar 234 kit that had been available from for some time before.
The tricky cockpit bulkhead that caused some
problems in the earlier kit is not used on the Ar
234 C, so the fit issues in this area are not such
a problem. I still recommend that plenty of time
should be allocated to test fit the main fuselage to
the nose though.
The clear parts are simpler than those in the Ar
234 B kits. The top and sides of the canopy are
moulded thinly and clearly as a single part. The
new nose piece shares the same problem as the
original kit though - a very noticeable seam line top
to bottom along the centreline.
My only issue with the new parts is that the
shape of the intakes for the paired BMW engines.
The intakes seem to gape too wide open, and the
characteristic slope at the top of the intakes does
not look quite pronounced enough to my eye.
Hasegawa’s kit includes a good selection of useful options including bombs, drop tanks and RATO packs. The model may be built in bomber or
reconnaissance configurations. Cameras and clear access panels are supplied with the kit.
This kit was enhanced with a resin replacement cockpit and dropped flaps, both from Cutting Edge. Paints are Gunze-Sangyo acrylic H421 RLM 81 Brown Violet, H422 RLM 82 Light Green and H417 RLM 76 Light Blue.
The decals were also sourced from Cutting Edge.

BUILDING THE HASEGAWA 1:48 SCALE AR 234 C
As I had already built Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale Ar
234 B, I wanted to do something a bit different for
my Ar 234 C build. This was harder than it sounds
though as, apart from some examples of disruptive
winter camouflage, painting and markings were
pretty uniform across the Arado Ar 234 range.
After scouring the Monogram Monarch Ar 234
book I found a couple of photos of Ar 234 V19
- the very first four-engine Arado Ar 234 C series
prototype.
I was intrigued to see the wings and engines in
the partial views offered by the photos appeared Most clear parts with compound curves First, the raised seam is scraped to the The frosty remains of the seam are now sanded
to be bare metal, but the fuselage was certainly suffer from raised seam lines, and level of the surrounding plastic using a with a fine abrasive stick.
camouflaged. Hasegawa’s Ar 234 C is no exception. sharp hobby knife.
This will be very obvious from certain
I had found my unique subject. angles if it is not dealt with. It is much
easier to eliminate the raised seam now
THE FRONT OFFICE before the canopy is assembled.
The sequence of building my Ar 234 C was similar
to the Ar 234 B, but detailing was quite different.
Starting at the front office, I decided that
Hasegawa’s kit parts were good enough to use
with only a few additions. I still had an old Cutting
Edge Ar 234 resin seat with harness straps cast in
place, so this was used. This seat is no longer in
production, but it appears to be identical to that
used in the Me 262, so an Ultracast Me 262 seat
could be used instead.
Hasegawa supplies decals for the starboard side
The next step is to polish the seam and the There are specialised model polishes A ghost of the seam is still visible here,
console as well as switches and quadrants on the surrounding areas with progressively finer grades available but Colgate toothpaste does a but this and any tiny lingering scratches
port side. I cut these decals into multiple sections of Micro Mesh polishing cloths. I started with 400 pretty good job too. A modest amount of will be hidden after a bath in Future
and applied them to the consoles after the cockpit grit and moved down to 12,000 grit. toothpaste was smeared onto the clear floor polish.
plastic part and allowed to dry before it
parts had been sprayed and gloss-coated.
was polished with a clean fingertip - another
Although I was less than thrilled with the main inexpensive and accessible modelling tool!
instrument panel, I thought that this and the
supplementary vertical panel might be enhanced Hasegawa’s cockpit is very well detailed straight from the box, The
with cables running from the rear of the dials. main addition was a replacement pilot’s seat from Cutting Edge, but
I usually drill the plastic parts attach the wires an Me 262 seat from Ultracast will be more widely available today
and will do the job at least as well. Here, the cockpit parts have
before painting, but I reversed the procedure this
been painted with Tamiya XF-63 German Grey and gloss-coated
time. Some fine tin wire was primed with Tamiya with Future floor polish.
White Primer straight from the can, followed by
a coat of TS-34 Camel Yellow. The yellow wire
was cut into sections a little longer than I thought
I needed and glued into pre-drilled holes in the
back of the painted panels. The excess wire was
then trimmed off. This procedure worked well and
resulted in a very clean and precise join at the
back of the instrument panel.
The only other addition to the kit cockpit was The big glasshouse canopy exposes some of the workings hidden in
more conventional cockpits. The cable bundles behind the instruments
placard decals from Aeroscale. Once the smaller are very obvious on the Arado Ar 234. Fine soft wire was primed
details were picked out with acrylic paints and then sprayed yellow and blue in preparation for the cabling job.
a fine brush, the cockpit received a final coat
of Flat Clear. Individual instrument dials were
each coated with a spot of Future floor polish to
represent glass lenses.
The slightly thicker blue wire represents the pilot’s

Hasegawa supplies decals for the side consoles. The instrument The rear of each instrument was drilled out to oxygen hose. The harness straps, switches and
decal on the starboard side is particularly effective. Only the accommodate the fine yellow painted wire. handles have been painted with Vallejo acrylics
rearmost section of the port side decal was used. The raised over white primer. This ensures better coverage for
detail forward of this area was picked out with a fine brush. temperamental colours like yellow and red.
Aircraft Edition 55
PLASTIC SURGERY
CMK has released a detail set for Hasegawa’s
1:48 scale Arado Ar 234 B that includes fuselage
fuel tanks, flap bays, flaps and main wheels.
Some of these could be used without
modification but others would need to be adapted
to the new kit.
The wings were prepared for the flaps in the
same way as the Ar 234 B wings were, but the
flaps themselves had to be shortened. The wider
engine nacelles on the Ar 234 C meant that there
was not as much room for the flaps on the four-
engine variant.
Two rectangles were also cut from the top of the
fuselage to accommodate the fuselage fuel tanks. CMK offered a detail set for Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale Arado 234 B that All four landing flaps were measured, marked and cut to size with a
included flaps and flap bays, but these are narrower on the Arado Ar 234 razor saw. The resin landing flap bays received the same treatment.
The wings and engines were now assembled. C due to the greater width of the engine nacelles.
I cut off the raised locating pins on the wings
to improve the alignment between the top and
bottom halves.
Before the fuselage halves were joined, the main
landing gear had to be fitted.
For this project I used Scale Aircraft Conversions'
white metal replacement undercarriage legs.
SAC's metal parts were perfectly cast with very
little clean-up required.
Hasegawa's plastic undercarriage legs both
featured prominent sink holes near the axles and
raised moulding seams on either side of the legs.
The oleo scissors were simplified too, with seam
lines and no lightening holes.
By comparison, SAC's parts were smoother and
The hinge lines of the flaps moulded into the kit wings were scored gently A new hobby blade finishes the job.
free from imperfections. The oleo scissors were but repeatedly with a scriber in preparation for cutting them out.
supplied as separate parts and these were cast
with lightening holes in place. I started by gluing
the oleo scissors to the legs, then prepared all the
metal parts with Tamiya's Grey Primer straight from
the spray can.
The SAC legs were then glued into the Arado's
main gear bays. The white metal medium made it
easier to attach the separate retraction struts, as I
could bend the attachment point without breaking
the super-glue bond at the other end.
Hasegawa's parts breakdown demands that you
install the undercarriage legs before the fuselage
halves are closed, so the robust medium of white
metal will come in very handy during later heavy With the plastic moulded flaps removed, the modified resin flap bays may The flaps were removed from the full-span upper wings too.
handling of the model in the painting stage. be glued in place. CMK’s instructions are vague about the exact location, The long section removed from the top of the fuselage will reveal
Another unexpected benefit popped up as I set so this was my best guess! one of the resin fuselage fuel tanks.
the fuselage on its main gear legs.
One wing was noticeably lower
than the other. However, thanks to
the malleable white metal medium,
I was able to push one of the legs
further back into the gear bay,
effectively adjusting the length of the
undercarriage. Try doing that with
plastic gear legs!
SEQUENCE IS EVERYTHING
I decided to paint the bare metal
wings before adding them to the
fuselage. This would make it much
easier to undertake the complex
masking of the wing.
The three shades of metallic paint
were all from Tamiya’s spray can
range. The base colour is AS-12
Bare Metal Silver. The others were
TS-17 Aluminium Silver, and a
mix of AS-12 Bare Metal Silver
The raised locating pins on the inside surfaces

of the wings were cut off, as they are slightly
misaligned and will result in fit problems
further down the track. Tamiya tape and
plastic clamps were used to hold the pieces
together as the Revell Contacta cement set.

and a small amount of TS-14 Black. A few panels
received a coat of flat lacquer to offer variation in
sheen. The metallic frames above the fuselage fuel
tanks were also sprayed at this stage.
I visited the National Air and Space Museum’s
Silver Hill restoration facility back in 2004. While I
was there, I saw their Heinkel He 219, unrestored
and largely disassembled. I was particularly
interested to see the lurid green colour of its
fuselage fuel tanks. One day I’ll do something like
that on a model, I thought to myself at the time.
The opportunity finally presented itself with my
Arado Ar 234 C. The tops of the resin fuel tanks
were sprayed Vallejo acrylic 70891 Intermediate
Green, followed by detail painting of the lines,
caps and fittings with various colours. The tanks
were weathered with a wash of Tamiya X-18 Semi-
Gloss Black heavily thinned with water and run
alongside raised features. Chips and spills were
also represented with dark brown paint applied
with the tip of a fine brush.
The bottom of the rear fuel tank was thinned
significantly by grinding with my Dremel motor
tool. This was then lined up and glued to the top of The engine intakes and exhausts are well detailed and fit together nicely.
the fuselage. The forward fuel tanks was glued in
place too.
MASKING AND MORE MASKING

The kit painting instructions were scaled up to
1:48 for making canopy masks. Two sets of plans
were printed, as a separate set of masks would be
required for the inner and outer window frames.
Tamiya tape was applied to the back of the plans
and first the inner windows were cut out with a
small pair of scissors. These in turn were stuck to
the kit canopy.
Scale Aircraft Conversions’ white metal undercarriage parts were used SAC’s parts were smoother than the kit parts and free from
The masked top canopy section was glued to the
for this project. SAC's metal parts were perfectly cast with very little imperfections. The oleo scissors were supplied as separate parts and
forward fuselage, then the rounded nose section clean-up required. these were cast with lightening holes in place. The oleo scissors were
was added. Thankfully, the join between the clear glued to the legs, then all the metal parts were sprayed with Tamiya’s
parts was close to perfect. Grey Primer.
The nose was sprayed Tamiya TS-17 Black and
the inner window masks were removed. Now the
slightly larger outer window masks were carefully
stuck to the canopy, ensuring that the edges lined
up with the outermost frame lines.
The camouflage pattern was sprayed using
a combination of Tamiya tape and pre-cut self-
adhesive masks. The wings had been completely
covered with wide Tamiya tape before this final
phase commenced.
Hasegawa's parts breakdown demands that you install the Another benefit of the malleable white metal legs is that they can be
undercarriage legs before the fuselage halves are closed, so the adjusted after the parts have been glued in place.
robust medium of white metal comes in very handy during later
heavy handling of the model in the painting stage.
Lots of weight is needed to keep the

nose wheel on the ground. Two
large fishing weights were
pounded flat with a hammer
so that they fitted snugly
beside the nose wheel
bay. This was more
than enough to
prevent tail-sitting.
Structural fuselage ribs are supplied as resin strips. These have been fitted inside the
rectangle cut for the forward fuselage fuel tank.
Aircraft Edition 57
The wing and engine sub-assembly was painted prior to fixing it to the model. The first step was a coat of The wings and engines then received an overall coat of Tamiya AS-12 Bare Metal Silver. This and all the
Tamiya Grey Primer, straight from the can. This helps identify any persistent gaps, steps or scratches subsequent metallic colours were decanted from the spray can into glass jars so they could be sprayed with
my Iwata HP-CH airbrush. The rear sections of the nacelles were masked in preparation for a coat of black.
The wings were masked and sprayed in a number of different Tamiya metallic shades. These included TS-17 The black rear sections of the engine nacelles offer a stark contrast to the bare metal of the wings.
Aluminium Silver, and a mix of AS-12 Bare Metal Silver and a small amount of TS-14 Black. A few panels
received a coat of flat lacquer to offer variation in sheen.
The reverse surface

of CMK’s resin rear
fuselage fuel tank was
ground down with a
Dremel motor tool to
improve the fit between
the plastic kit parts.
The bright green of the

fuselage tanks was based
on photos of an unrestored
fuel tank in the fuselage
of the unrestored Heinkel
He 219 at the National
Air and Space Museum’s
storage facility in Silver
Hill, Maryland.
The time spent on detail

painting and weathering
the tops of these fuel tanks
was worthwhile, as they
are quite prominent under
the ribs of the fuselage.

The painted wing is mated with the
fuselage. The fit was tricky, especially at
the trailing edge due to the complication
of the fuel tank, but a fairly satisfactory
result was achieved after tight taping.
A few steps on the rear fuselage were smoothed with Milliput White
two-part epoxy putty.
The bottom of the nose section incorporating the majority of the cockpit parts was glued to the front of the fuselage. A bulkhead is supplied for the open front of the fuselage, but I found that it interfered with the fit of
the nose parts so it was left off.
Aircraft Edition 59
The kit painting instructions were scaled up to Tamiya tape was applied to the back of the plans and first the inner windows were The masked top canopy section was glued to the forward fuselage, then the
1:48 for use as a template for making canopy cut out with a small pair of scissors. These in turn were stuck to the kit canopy. rounded nose section was added. Thankfully, the join between the clear parts
masks. Two sets of plans were printed, as a was close to perfect.
separate set of masks would be required for the
inner and outer window frames.
The nose was sprayed Tamiya TS-17 Black and the inner window masks were The wheel wells were stuffed with tissue paper, and the undercarriage legs Cutting Edge’s 1:48 scale lost wax brass cast
removed. Now the slightly larger outer window masks were carefully stuck to the carefully wrapped in masking tape. DF loop is sadly now out of production. This is a
canopy, ensuring that the edges lined up with the outermost frame lines. luxurious touch for the project.
The upper surface and fuselage sides were painted RLM 82 Light Green. Masks were cut for the fuselage The RLM 81 Brown-Violet colour was represented by Gunze-Sangyo acrylic H304 Olive Drab.
camouflage pattern and stuck straight on to the surface of the model. A couple of coats of Future floor polish followed as a good base for the decals.
The rear fuselage and the top of the fin

were not visible in the few reference
“Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale
photos that I could find of this aircraft,
but a book noted the radio codes and
Werknummer of V19. The decals were
Ar 234 B and C are both
individual characters from several
Fantasy Printshop decal sheets. great kits – well detailed
and accurate...”

The unveiling! The masking tape has been removed from the wings and the canopy, revealing the patchy appearance of this hybrid prototype.
FINISHING TOUCHES cover and one with a broad white centre stripe framing on the canopy parts, although a rogue
Although V19’s Werknummer and radio code was covering the other intake. I cut four covers from thin speck of white dust had managed to attach itself
not visible in the wartime photographs, they were plastic sheet using my Olfa circle cutter. This left a to the inside of the starboard side window and
both listed in the Appendix of the Monarch Arado small hole in the centre of each cover where the resisted all efforts to dislodge it.
Ar 234 book. Individual letters and numbers were compass needle had penetrated, so I filled these The ailerons were painted in RLM 81 Brown
cut from a couple of Fantasy Workshop decal with Milliput and sanded them before priming the Violet and RLM 82 Light Green for a little more
sheets to replicate these. The decals were applied parts in white. One of the circles was then masked variety, while the flaps received a coat of Tamiya
over a glossy coat of Future floor polish. with a stripe down the middle, and the covers were XF-4 Yellow Green representing late-war factory
The large expanse of bare metal on the wing sprayed red. primer. The wartime photographs showed that the
and engines would be interesting, but I decided Everything received a flat coat at this point and forward fuselage seemed to be sealed with tape.
to add a few more custom features. I had seen a all the masking was removed from the wings and This was masked and sprayed with Tamiya XF-55
photo of an Me 262 with one solid-coloured FOD the canopy. I was pretty happy with the shiny black Deck Tan.
FOD guards were made using thin plastic sheet and an Olfa circle cutter.
Three were painted red, while the fourth featured a white stripe down
the middle. This was based on a photo of an Ar 234 B-2 intake cover
found in the excellent Monogram Monarch book on the Ar 234. The various bits and pieces are readied for final assembly. The flaps have been painted in a primer finish of Tamiya acrylic XF-4 Yellow Green.
Aircraft Edition 61
Being a prototype, weathering was

kept to a minimum. Just a few of
the key fuselage panel lines were
highlighted with a very thin wash of
Tamiya X-18 Semi-Gloss Black and a
sprayed application of the XF-1 Flat
Black and XF-64 Red Brown mix.
The big 1,000 kg bomb was painted RLM 65 Light Blue as a bit of contrast against the paler RLM 76.
CONCLUSION
Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale Ar 234 B and C are both
great kits – well detailed and accurate.
Having now built both of them, I would have to
say the C is clearly the better fitting and easier
build of the two, which is surprising
considering how many parts they
have in common.
I was very happy with the impact
of the dropped flaps on both models
and the fuel tanks from the CMK update
set on the C.
Although I was initially dubious about the
value of Scale Aircraft Conversions' white metal
undercarriage legs, I am now more convinced. The
more that I worked with the Ar 234 C white metal
legs, the more I liked them.
This was an enjoyable project. •
The dropped flaps were secured

with super glue. It is a shame
that we can’t see any of the nice
resin flap bays behind them!

The pitot tube is made from
an industrial light filament.
The extra mucking around with the multiple masking layers pays off with the final effect. The dark framing is a high-gloss
finish, suggesting that the clear Plexiglas has been fixed over the top of the panels.
Photographs of this aircraft showed sealing tape around the join between the main fuselage and the nose. This was masked and
sprayed with Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan.
Aircraft Edition 63
modeller Next Issues
ISSUE No.135 December 2022
Editors; Aircraft Edition - Brett Green

TRICKY DICKY'S BATTLEFIELD TAXI Military Illustrated Modeller
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mud and dust Issue 136 AFV Edition on sale
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Reproduction in part of any text, photograph, Edition on sale 19th January 2023
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© Doolittle Media 2022
...AND MORE!
Aircraft Edition 65
Tailpiece
RAF RED ARROWS MOVE TO

NEW LINCOLNSHIRE HOME
R
AF Waddington in Lincolnshire has
become the new home of the Red Arrows –
maintaining a link with the county spanning
almost 40 years.
This week, the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team
began permanently operating from the station.
It marks a new era for the team, which first
performed in 1965 and displays to millions of
people each season – aiming to showcase the RAF
and represent the United Kingdom.
The Red Arrows’ personnel, aircraft and
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© Crown Copyright 2022

NEW from the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series
How to Build...
TAMIYA’S 1:48 LOCKHEED P-38F/G LIGHTNING
By Marcus Nicholls
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an iconic US fighter from the Second World War. Its twin Allison
V12 engines were mounted in booms to free-up the nose so it could house a fearsome array of
four M2 Browning machine guns and a 20mm cannon. The twin-boom airframe became a sight
feared by enemies wherever it served, with good reason.
In 2019, after several years of painstaking research, Tamiya released an all-new kit of this sleek
aircraft and it has taken its place proudly in the 1:48 Aircraft Series as No.120 in the range.
In this new ‘How To Build’ book, Tamiya Model Magazine’s Editor, Marcus Nicholls, presents no
less than four built-up examples of Tamiya’s fantastic model; one Lightning each from Brett
Green and Spencer Pollard, plus two from Marcus Nicholls.
The second of Marcus’s models incorporates resin and photo-etched super-detail sets from
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level. New photos of the other models show how Brett Green and Spencer Pollard built and
painted the models in their own styles.
The book includes four complete builds, covering the following topics:
n Adding photo-etched parts
n Using resin upgrade components
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Aircraft Edition - December ‘22 135 Military Illustrated Modeller

Eduard’s New 1:48 F4F-3 Wildcat

THE FIRST OF GRUMMAN’S CATS

Contents ISSUE No.135 December 2022

40 THE FLYING PENCIL

ALL-NEW AIRFIX 1:72 METEOR MK.8

4 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

6 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

The original part of the

The engine cover parts fit great. Mr. Cement

8 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

The left half of the

The right half of the fuselage

Above all, the central

I made some improvements and

The assembled direct print

Main landing gear wheels

Added details in the outer

10 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

The outer part of the wheel bay

Cockpit painting complete.

Painted main body parts

Painted right side of the fuselage.

Finished left side of the fuselage

The oil cooler cover is too thick at

The depth of the shell ejectors is too

Comparison of space for

12 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

surface before spraying camouflage colours and

Tools and Materials Used:

Paints and Finishing Products Used:

Excellent fit; high level of detail;

In some places, the sharpness of the

Thanks to Eduard for the sample

14 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

“Eduard’s new F4F Wildcat was a

Fine panel lines.

Vengeance. fuselage halves.

Moulding quality is excellent.

ICM’S 1:32 GLADIATOR IN THE BOX

After completing the cockpit side

With the main interior components securely

it was sanded flush and primed to check for flaws.

The new upper and lower

Placement of the main struts was difficult

Some careful work was needed after

The canopy parts were not only

I had purchased the AIMS photo-etched

24 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

Some engine components,

The completed engine looks compelling. The crank

26 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

Tamiya masking tape was placed to cover the RAF

All upper areas were now fully

Excess tape was removed with tweezers to reveal

ENGINE The finished camouflage shows

PAINTING Masking for lower paintwork was achieved with a

28 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

All surfaces, fully painted and

The final aluminium dope effect on

The propeller and wheels were painted using both AK Real

30 Military Illustrated Modeller - December 2022

The fuselage serial and