Model_airplane_international_-_march_2019.pdf

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6 NEW BUILDS INSIDE KIT BU ILD

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MASTER KINETIC’S 1:48 KIT OF THE VERY ATTRACTIVE M-346 MASTER, STEPS UP TO THE PLATE…

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March 2019 £4.75 / Issue 164

PREVIEW ■ HONG KONG MODEL’S 1:32 LANCASTER LANDS AT LAST…

SHOWTIME ■ WE VISIT THE FIRST SHOW OF 2019, THE IPMS BOLTON SHOWCASE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON STADIUM

KIT BUILD

BRISTOL’S LIGHT BOMBER WE TAKE A DETAILED LOOK AT THE AIRFIX 1:48 BLENHEIM MK.I

KIT BUILD

UKRAINIAN INSPIRATION HUGE, EVEN IN 1:144, WE BUILD REVELL’S INCREDIBLE ANTONOV AN-225 ‘MRIYA’

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VOLUME 14. ISSUE 164. MARCH 2019

VOL.14 ISS.164 MARCH 2019

01525 222573

Model Airplane International. Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, England

Editorial: Editor:

REGULARS

FEATURES

P04 - IN THIS ISSUE P06 - NEWSLINE P08 - COMMENT P78 - EVENTS DIARY P79 - CONTACTS DETAILS P81 - NEXT ISSUE P82 - FINAL THOUGHTS…

P10 IT’S SHOWTIME! Highlights from this year’s IPMS Bolton Model Show from the University Of Bolton Stadium.

P16 UKRAINIAN INSPIRATION Huw Morgan builds the incredible Revell 1:144 Antonov AN-225 Mriya.

REVIEWS P14 ONE, ONE, FOUR FOUR NEWS All that’s new for fans of this increasingly popular scale. Which models will you be building over the coming months?

P70 NEW RELEASES ACCESSORIES

Art: Editorial Design: Advertising Design:

Peter Hutchinson Peter Hutchinson & Alex Hall

P24 ADVANCED LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT

Advertisement and circulation:

Roy Kinsella builds Miniwing’s 1:144 Aero L-159A ALCA.

Model Airplane International, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX. Tel: 01525 222573 E-mail: [email protected]

P28 THE SPITFIRE THAT WENT TO SEA

P6 NEW RELEASES KITS

Publisher: Group Editor: Administration Manager: Office Manager: Advertising Manager:

Spencer Pollard [email protected] Alan Harman Marcus Nicholls Hannah McLaurie Paula Gray Richard Andrews [email protected]

Jamie Haggo gets the best from Freightdog’s 1:72 Supermarine Seafire Ib.

P36 RODEN’S PERFECT PEACEMAKER

Distribution: Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue, London, EC1A 9PT. Tel: 020 7429 4000

What aftermarket parts will you be using to improve your models?

Greg Phillips tackles Roden’s warlike Pilatus PC-6 variant…

P74 NEW RELEASES PAINTS

P44 BRISTOL’S LIGHT BOMBER

Select Publisher Services, 3 East Avenue, Bournemouth, BH3 7BW. Tel: 01202 586848 E-mail: [email protected]

Workshop additions to help with your finishing…

Nigel Poole takes a detailed look at the brand-new Airfix 1:48 Blenheim Mk.I.

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P54 KIT PREVIEW We take a detailed look at the Hong Kong Models 1:32 Avro Lancaster.

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Model Airplane International is published monthly by Doolittle Media, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX. Entire Contents © 2019 Doolittle Media, Reproduction in part or whole of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the content of Model Airplane International is accurate, the publishers and printers cannot accept liability for errors and omissions. Advertisements are accepted for publication in Model Airplane International only upon Doolittle Media’s standard terms of acceptance of advertising, copies of which are available from the advertising sales department of MAI.

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 3

IN THIS ISSUE... Written by Spencer Pollard

Hello everyone, welcome to the March 2019 edition of your favourite aviation modelling magazine! his month we have plenty of interesting features to inspire and entertain, mixing up new kit reviews with builds of some older offerings that you will hopefully find just as interesting. For our review builds this month we begin with Revell’s enormous 1:144 kit of the one-off Antonov AN-225 Mriya. Supplied initially as a ‘test-shot’ for us to look at, Revell’s very impressive kit is a sight to behold and in the hands of Huw Morgan who was in the review seat as the kit came in, the resulting model is a monster that will form the centrepiece of your collection for years to come. Though Huw has essentially built the kit from the box, he has taken the time to add some cargo within the nose, additions that help further tell a story as part of his build. You will find Huw’s thoughts on the kit, beginning on page 16 of this issue. Though smaller in size, the Airfix 1:48 Bristol Blenheim is no-less impressive and so we are delighted to introduce not only it, but also Nigel Poole to the pages of this magazine. Following on from their 1:72 releases, their larger brother is a testament to the skill of the toolmakers at Airfix who have come together to create a wonderful replica of this all-toooften forgotten member of the RAF’s WWII bomber force. We hope you enjoy reading about this new kit as much as Nigel enjoyed putting it together. Having dealt with the brand-new releases, our authors have had some fun with a number of slightly older kits, Greg Phillips with Roden’s 1:48 Pilatus Peacemaker, Jamie Haggo with Freightdog’s 1:72 Supermarine Seafire Ib and finally, Alan Kelley with Kinetic’s 1:48 kit of the very attractive M-346 Master. Each of these features will take you through the construction and painting of this diverse collection of plastic model kits, offering ideas that range from out of the box construction, through conversion and on to some simple scratchbuilding and detailing. Though different in terms of subject and scale, there is much to enjoy and absorb and we hope that you find something that will guide you through similar projects over the coming months. The end of January is the annual curtain-raiser to the model show season, so were were delighted once again to be able to attend the IPMS Bolton event from the University of Bolton Stadium. Having moved there last year, the show has really taken off and is now seen by many as one of the best on the calendar, modellers from the North West and beyond descending on the stadium en masse to enjoy the models on display and the trade stands that were there in abundance. From page 8 you will find some of the highlights from the show and who knows, if you were there, maybe one of your models! So this is the March 2019 edition of Model Airplane International. I hope you enjoy this issue and I look forward to seeing you again next month! ■

T

4 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

AIRFIX www.airfix.com

1:72 MESSERSCHMITT ME 262B-1A As the first operational jet fighter in the world, initial Messerschmitt Me262s combat operations were flown by single seat aircraft, piloted by some of the Luftwaffe’s most experienced airmen. A two seat trainer version soon followed, which allowed new pilots to acquaint themselves with this advanced technology, without their conversion from piston power being their first solo jet flight. The kit includes the following versions: ● 10./NJG 11, W.Nr 111980, Red 12 + RAF Version ● Avia CS-92 Czech Kit is priced at £18.99 and is available at time of going to press, either direct from Airfix.com, or from your local retailer.

1:48 HAWKER SEA FURY FB.11 ‘EXPORT EDITION’ The last in an illustrious line of Hawker piston engined fighters, the Sea Fury entered service with the Royal Navy too late to see operations during WWII, but proved to be one of the fastest propeller driven aircraft ever produced. Attracting plenty of overseas interest, the Sea Fury was also operated in some numbers by the navies of Holland, Australia and Canada, with Australian Sea Fury’s making a significant contribution to air operations during the Korean War. The kit

includes the following versions: ● VW645 Sydney August 1955 ● FB.11 803 Squadron Royal Canadian Navy 1948 ● Sea Fury FB. Mk.50 No. 860 Squadron Royal Dutch Navy – Aerobats Kit is priced at £24.99 and is available at time of going to press, either direct from Airfix.com, or from your local retailer.

1: 48 NORTH AMERICAN MUSTANG MK.IV As the North American Mustang was developed as a direct result of a British Air Ministry requirement, it is somehow fitting that the RAF and Commonwealth air forces used the aircraft extensively during WWII. The British designation for the later P-51D version was Mustang IV, with the Dallas built P-51K, which used a different Aeroproducts propeller, referred to as the Mustang IVa. The kit includes the following versions: ● KM272 ‘Dooleybird’ 19 Squadron RAF 1945 ● KH676/CV-A Flg Off A F Lane, 3 Squadron RAAF Cervia Italy, April 1945 Kit is priced at £20.99 and is available at time of going to press, either direct from Airfix.com, or from your local retailer.

6 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

TAMIYA www.tamiya.com

ENGRAVING BLADE HOLDER

FINE ENGRAVING NEEDLE 20°

TAMIYA CUTTING MAT A (A4 SIZE/BLUE)

This aluminium holder is designed for use with Tamiya fine engraving blades. It is also compatible with Tamiya Design Knife blades. Lightweight and durable with a knurled grip, its slimline form allows it to be held like a pen, enabling precision results. Comes with a safety cap.

This is a precision tungsten carbide needle for plastic modelling use, offering an exacting finish and superb durability. Use it to engrave new details or emphasise existing ones. Performs excellently in straight lines and curves, and can be used as one would a scriber. Shank diameter: 2 mm. Length: 25 mm. Storage case included. Recommended for use with Item 74139 Engraving Blade Holder.

This compact cutting board is made of semitransparent blue resin with minimal odour. The surface area has the front side printed with useful grid, increment angles, rulers, curved and circular markings, and the reverse is plain. Dimensions: 220 x 300 x 2 mm.

ITALERI www.italeri.com

‘TOP GUN’ F-14A VS A-4F The American supersonic twin-engine Grumman F-14 Tomcat was the icon of the U.S. Navy fighter squadrons during the ‘80s and ‘90s. it was characterised by the adoption of the variable-sweep wing, the twin-tail and the tandem two-seat cabin. The Tomcat provided an impressive operational performance. Thanks to its two General Electric Afterburning turbofans it was able to reach the max speed of Mach 2.34. It was armed with a 20 mm M61 Vulcan rotating gun and it could use, in addition to the more conventional AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow, the AIM-54 Phoenix radar-guided long-range missiles. The best pilots of the U.S. Navy Fighter Squadrons took part in combat training courses at the famous Fighter Weapon School better known as ‘Top Gun’. The F-14 pilots could improve their combat skills and capability on the F-14 confronting against A-4 Skyhawk and F-5 Tiger II used by the school to simulate the flying characteristics of the Soviet Mig.

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 7

ON A WING AND A PRAYER…

...

Jonathan Mock looks at our fascination - and fear - of modelling biplanes. Written by Jonathan Mock

I

CM’s announcement of a 1:32 Gloster Gladiator kit for 2019 had me swearing in a manner that would have made my grandfather blush – and he was a Cockney who served in the Fleet Air Arm so he knew a thing or two about profanity. The Gladiator is a personal favourite subject of mine, it’s

also a “west country” aircraft, being built farther up the M5 in Hucclecote, Gloucestershire. I’ve not built as many models of it as I perhaps would have wanted, certainly the Matchbox 1:72 kit featured early on in my modelling life and I remember making a blister-packed Airfix kit at some stage with the solid cockpit and

8 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

moulded pilot’s head. Chris Ellis wrote about converting this kit into a Gloster Gauntlet in – yes that book again – ‘How to Go Plastic Modelling’. The FROG Gladiator somewhat passed me by, as did the 1:72 Heller kit which was seen by reviewers as the best of the bunch and brought many of their trademark touches of detail and

delicacy – it’s one I keep meaning to add to the collection. At one point in the 1970s Airfix considered adding a 1:24 Gladiator to their ‘Superkits’ range but, like so many projects at the time, it was destined to be little more than a memo on a piece of paper. The largest you could go was the old – though still rather

nice – Inpact kit that passed hands through Pyro, LifeLife and eventually Lindberg. Roden added their own all-new 1:48 Gladiator to the mix and Eduard reissued this. But news of the 1:32 ICM release does at last fulfil that hole in the market for a large-scale mainstream Gladiator kit and even at the size it’s still going to be a fairly diminutive model. With the excellent new-tool Airfix 1:72 Gladiator also being reissued in new schemes I’m hoping at least one Gladiator of sorts returns to my workbench because, in truth, the last model of the type I made was over 30 years ago (!) when I built another Matchbox kit in the Munich Crisis scheme. My own personal odyssey of building biplanes kits down the years started – perhaps unsurprisingly – with Matchbox and their very first kit, the Hawker Fury (PK1) when it was released in the early 1970s. I also built the Siskin around the same time – far more forgiving with its simpler design and more sturdy struts – and really hankered after the Boeing P-12 but could never find one. The Airfix Dogfight Double of Bristol F2B and Fokker DR1 Triplane also made an appearance at some stage as did a couple of Revell WW1 biplanes. A Matchbox Fairey Swordfish notable for the inclusion of the radar parts - also accompanied the inevitable sporting injury or illness, but aside from the aforementioned Airfix Gladiator, my adventures with two wings didn’t really pick up again until I made the Hasegawa Curtiss SOC Seagull and Heinkel He 51 in the mid-1980s – I recently bagged another copy of the latter with a view to revisiting the subject and was surprised how few parts there were in the kit! I do remember tackling the

Matchbox Handley Page Heyford and realising that my skills did not match my ambitions, likewise the Fairey Seafox (a subject that was perhaps the epitome of Matchbox’s quirkiness). One I’m still after – thanks to the influence of the Matchbox adverts in Airfix magazine from the late 70s – is their 1:32 Tiger Moth. Talking of Tigers, when the old Airfix Tiger Moth was reissued in 1987 I grabbed it with glee as my father had made me one as part of my first ever collection of model aeroplanes – perhaps it said something for my education in modelling in the interim that I realised the accuracy of that kit fell well short of my fond memories. Thankfully Airfix replaced that with an excellent all-new 1:72 kit in 2014 and it is to be joined by a new-tool 1:48 kit in 2019 that brings us up to date. Biplanes – and indeed triplanes – also carry with them that terror of getting struts and wings to not only join but also align. Some kits tried to get around this by making linked struts that slotted into the wing, it mostly worked but also left an awkward join on the wing surface to disguise. Airfix did come up with an ingenious little jig on their 1:72 Sopwith Pup to help align and set the wings and they did something similar with their new-tool Swordfish kit. But for those who supplied individual struts, it was a matter of making your own jig (using everything from wood blocks to cardboard and Lego bricks) and making sure everything was square and true before the glue set. The struts themselves were often over scale or lacking an aerofoil section, hence the popularity of Contrail’s extruded plastic struts and Skybirds 86 metal ‘Strutz’ (both innovations from the West Country – we’re not

all cheddar and cider you know). Certainly when I read – still do read – old articles on building some of those vac-form kits like the Contrail Handley Page HP 42 or Supermarine Southampton, not only am I filled with admiration at the skills of those building vacform kits but also biplanes to boot, and all to a meticulously high standard. And, of course, talk of biplanes leads us to that other elephant in the room: rigging. Now this has always been seen as the bane of building any biplane models because without it, they just don’t look right. Rigging not only adds that final touch of authenticity but also a layer of delicacy. The technique of heat-stretched sprue over a candle has always been a bit of a modelling rights of passage of sorts, but modellers have tried anything and everything from monofilament fishing line to rolled wire. In my mind’s eye I can see the late great Alan W Hall rigging a 1:72 Tiger Moth with cotton sewing thread and tube glue in an edition of Airfix Magazine – I think even he conceded it wasn’t a good look. Techniques have ranged from drilling out holes in the wings/ fuselage and threading fishing line all over the model to using sprue fixed with white glue and a lighted cigarette to add extra tension! The current - and far less hazardous favourite are elasticated threads like those from E.Z. Line and Uschi Van der Rosten. I’ve used these to make simple aerial wires but have yet to progress fully rigging a biplane with them. With a Matchbox Hawker Fury currently on the workbench, I’m going to have to consider my rigging options so it may be the time to try it out. At 1:72 scale you can get away

with a single wire where they are doubled on the real thing, but from 1:48 upwards it becomes more obvious and with 1:32 and Wingnut Wings’ range of superb WWI kits – to be joined this year by that magnificent HP O/400 talked about in a previous issue, there is no hiding room right down to the tensioners and turnbuckles. Perhaps this is why I’ve yet to tackle one! It will be interesting to see what engineering solutions ICM bring to their 1:32 Gladiator and which other variants they have planned further down the line. I fancy doing a large-scale Munich Crisis machine as the colour schemes from that period do fascinate me. Of course I’ll have to get my act together regarding rigging but there are some excellent online tutorials and videos out there so it’s not like there’s a dearth of help and advice. Despite their perceived complexities, bi-planes continue to stimulate model manufacturers as technologies improve and engineering solutions take the terror out of construction. And it seems modellers still have an insatiable appetite for them, otherwise they’d/we’d not see new releases continue to flow onto the market. For my part, I’m enjoying revisiting that 1:72 Hawker Fury, it gives me the chance to improve some of the areas I don’t like (the exaggerated wing ribs), retain some of the original features (the riveting on the cowl) and add some basic details (cockpit). Small steps given I’ve not made something with two wings for a few years, but steps nonetheless. And two wings surely has to be better than one? ■

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 9

WRITTEN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY SPENCER POLLARD

IPMS BOLTON MODEL SHOW 2019 The IPMS Bolton show is the annual curtain-raiser to the year’s modelling events, so we are always excited to attend. Over the next few pages we’ll give you a favour of this urperb event and some of the models on display. By mid-morning the Bolton show was a lively affair with crowded aisles full of modellers admiring the wonderful work on show.

club minated the 72 XB-70 do layed. This huge 1: it was attractively disp ch stand on whi

10 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

Seeing so many 1:32 aircraft builds in one place was a treat. Our favourite? The superb Gloster Meteor!

The F-16 always looks great in Israeli colours…

The Revell 1:32 Beaufighter is a tough build, but in the right hands it can look spectacular.

Another F-16, a different operator. Same impression though: a wonderful build of an incredible aircraft.

The Sesku & Hemsworth Scale Model Club had this original display to reveal to onlookers where there members travelled from to enjoy each others company and discuss all things modelling.

A view from the upper balcony within the exhibition hall at the University Of Bolton Stadium, shows just how many models were on display…

A 1/18 AV-8B II Plus Harrier? What’s not to like?!

With the Tornado now retired from use within the RAF, it was great to see models of this iconic aircraft one display, this rendition of the Revell 1:32 kit being particularly fine.

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 11

This display of late-war Luftwaffe aircraft was a real highlight of the show. Just look at those finishes!

One of the most divisive colour schemes ever applied to a Hunter! We love it, by the way…

We’d not seen a build of Bronco’s 1:35 Horsa Glider before, so were very pleased to take a close look at this one.

This Hurricane Mk.I looked gorgeous in its red, 527 Calibration Squadron colours and markings. One for a future build I think…

IPMS 580 Modellers had a very impressive display at the show, this 1:72 MQ-9 Reaper being just one of their displayed models.

David Draycott’s F-5F Tiger II looked extremely striking in it’s overall silver finish.

Nigel Poole’s Airfix 1:48 Bristol Blenheim as seen in more detail in this issue.

12 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

Even in 1:72, the P-8 Poseidon is a remarkably large model!

Carefully applied splinter camouflage helped to make this Dornier stand out from the crowd.

Another tough build, this superb Airfix Nimrod was not only well-built, it was very nicely finished as well.

Another model featured elsewhere in this issue, Huw Morgan’s build of the Revell AN-225 Mriya drew crowds of admirers.

The editor’s favourite collection of models at the show was this group of fully scratchbuilt 1:144 OR F/155T drawing-board projects. Each was a stunning testament to the skill of the builder.

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 13

ONE, ONE, FOUR FOUR NEWS Roy Kinsella rounds up some of the latest releases from this increasingly popular aircraft scale. This month he looks at ...

AMP (RU) www.hannants.co.uk

PLATZ www.platz-hobby.com 1:144 PLATZ F-15E STRIKE EAGLE - FC-11

1:144 AMP B-2 SPIRIT 14402 Very exciting developments just announced by AMP, they are in the late stages of producing a brand new B-2 Spirit. Looking at the detail CAD shots, I have a feeling this is going to be very impressive. This will be hitting the shelves later this year, when we hope to bring you more details and perhaps a full build. For further information on the AMP range, please visit the Hannants website where you will there kits for sale.

Platz as usual hasn’t wasted anytime releasing their next injected-moulded plastic kit. Once again in collaboration with F-Toys, they have produced yet another ‘Flying Color’ release, this time replicating the F-15E Strike Eagle. This double kit set is sure to whet your appetite, as there are two USAF liveries plus an Israeli option to choose from in this new release, the latter no-doubt being the big attraction here I think! Intriguingly, the kit also includes 71-291 which was the prototype ‘Strike Eagle’ based on an F-15B and was thus a very different aircraft to the F-15E. It will be interesting to see if the kit includes the pylons, stores and the detail changes needed to build this aircraft from this kit…

1/144 PLATZ TWIN RESCUE SET - PD-24 Platz has recently pleased the 1:144 scale community with the re-release of some of their older kits which have been very much in demand since they went out of production many years back. The UH-60J had been one of those kits and has now been re-launched to coincide with the release of an entirely new Platz kit, the colourful and sleek, Raytheon U-125A as used by the Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF). Both kits are being produced together under the title ‘RESCUE WINGS’ and the set looks to be quite interesting, the gorgeous U-125A in its stunning overall blue finish being particularly pleasing! More on this kit when we have it...

MIKROMIR www.mikro-mir.com

ARMORY http://armorymodels.com 1:144 MIKROMIR HANDLEY PAGE VICTOR B.1 - 144-027 MikroMir has followed on with producing yet another V-Bomber after their popular Vickers Valiant hit the shelves just a few years ago. The Victor is of course a very famous aircraft and that makes it a wonderful choice for a kit, in this case the initial version to see service with the RAF, the B.1, despite the fact that the box image appears to show a K.2! Seemingly in the works since 2016, it will be very interesting to see how this kit compares with the GWH/ Pitroad kits that we have become accustomed to seeing on model shop shelves and display table displays over the last few years. This will be on sale later in 2019 and we’ll take a closer look at the kit in full closer to that time.

1:144 ARMORY SU-24M FENCER D We have been waiting for this kit for a long time and it’s finally about to be released, at last the long awaited Armory SU-24M “Fencer D” should be hitting the shelves by the time you read this. The kit contents are really generous from what we know already with fourteen (yes, fourteen!) livery options and a biblical offering of munitions and stores to hang from your finished build, including the following: ● Fuel tanks - 2000l & 3000l ● Multiple bomb racks - MZBD-6 ● Guided bomb - KAB-500Kr, KAB-500L & KAB-1500L ● Bombs - OFAB-100-120, OFAB-250-270, FAB-250M-54, FAB-250M-62, FAB-250TS, FAB500M-54, FAB-500M-62, FAB-500TS, FAB-1500M-46 & FAB-1500M-54. ● Container APK-9 ● Container/cluster bombs KMGU-2. ● Cluster bombs RBK-250 ● Gun containers SPPU-6-23 ● Unguided missile pods UB-32A, B-8M & B-13L “Tulumbas” ● Unguided missile S-24B, S-25OF & S-25OFM ● Guided missile R-60, S-25L, Kh-23M, Kh-23ML, Kh-23MR, Kh-28, Kh-29L, Kh-29T, Kh-31, Kh58U, Kh-59 & Kh-29M “Ovod” ● Refuelling pod UPAZ-M

14 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

HIGH-FLYER XXL!

THE WORLD’S LARGEST EXHIBITION FOR MODEL MAKING AND MODEL SPORTS 04 – 07 APRIL 2019 DORTMUND, GERMANY

The great world of aircraft model-making – and much more: ∂ Forum with exciting lectures for active model flyers ∂ Flight shows ∂ Exhibition of special aircraft models ∂ Hot races with multicopters www.intermodellbau.com

KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION: Revell Antonov An-225 ‘Mriya’ Kit No: RV04958 Materials: IM, Status: New Tool Availability: On Line Model Shops Price Guide: £ 81.99

BEFORE STARTING: ● Tamiya OF2 side cutters ●#3 and #4 scalpels with #11,#23, and#25 blades ● Deluxe Perfect Plastic filler ● AK Interactive filler ● Mr Hobby Cement S ● Loctite cyanoacrylate glue ● Albion Alloys and Flory Models sanding boards ● Abralon 600, 1000 and 3000 grit foam abrasive ● Micromesh polishing cloths ● Tamiya masking tape ● Pacer Formula 560 canopy glue ● Bare Metal Foil Chrome ● Artists’ grey green and brown tone pastel chalks

PAINTS USED: Tamiya Acrylics XF-1 Flat Black X-2 Gloss White X-7 Gloss Red X-14 Blue XF-19 Grey XF-67 NATO Green Mr. Hobby Aqueous H77 Tire Black GX 100 Gloss GX 113 Flat Alclad II Aluminium Steel Jet Exhaust Pale Burnt Metal Citadel Miniatures Orange Yellow Skull White Halfords: Grey Primer Gloss Appliance White

BUILT AND WRITTEN BY HUW MORGAN

UKRANIAN

INSPIRATION I We build Revell’s enormous 1:144 kit of this spectacular, one-off transport.

n the January edition of MAI we brought you the first look at a test shot of the new 1:144 scale Antonov 225 heavy lifter first shown as a completed display model at Scale Model World 2018, and which, as I write this at Christmas 2018, has just hit the shops, here we follow that up with a full build. The An-225 is truly an aircraft of jawdropping statistics; the only aircraft in regular use with six engines, the heaviest aircraft ever built, with the greatest payload capacity at 240,000 Kg, the holder of the record (at 190,000 Kg) for the heaviest single piece of freight moved by air...and so on, particularly impressive because only a single airframe was ever completed. Conceived originally to transport the components of the Russian space shuttle system (the Buran orbiter and the Energia launch rocket boosters) the An-225 was a development of the An-124 Ruslan heavy lifter, with extended wing roots, longer fuselage and twin vertical tails, aside from

Windsor and Newton oils: Burnt Umber Lamp Black Titanium White

16 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

the additional engines. After a brief career in the space programme, when Buran was cancelled, the An-225 was mothballed until a decade later, the Antonov bureau realised the commercial potential of a very heavy lifter and resurrected the airframe, and in the new entrepreneurial environment in the former Soviet Republics, set about pitching the Mriya into the commercial airfreight world, initially in partnership with Air Foyle under the HeavyLift banner, and then with Volga-Dnepr. The aircraft currently operates under the Antonov Airlines badging in a white/yellow/blue scheme representative of its Ukrainian heritage. Other than its obvious external vital statistics, the An-225 has a number of features designed to facilitate its use as an extraordinary freight vehicle; - there are four 5Te capacity internal cranes for handling smaller items or larger items in combination; the fuselage and landing gear is designed so that at rest, the aircraft can 'kneel', lowering the nose gear to provide a straight-in loading

There are over 200 plastic parts making up this large, complex model, production models won’t use these colours.

There are some large pieces of moulding in the wing halves, and the upper fuselage closure plate, which incorporates the upper wing roots.

The fuselage halves are nearly full length, apart from the separate opening nose door. Here a 300 mm steel rule illustrates the model’s size.

The test-shot fortunately included a production version of the proposed decals, complete with full-length cheat line. The light blue underside colour will need to be mixed.

I happened to be building Revell’s Airbus 380-800 when the test shot arrived, here the wings and fuselage are compared with those for the Antonov.

The six sets of engine parts are neatly moulded.

ramp; the 28-wheel main gear also has some bogies that steer, allowing the entire aircraft to turn within a 60m wide runway, and the whole of the 1300 cubic metre hold is pressurised. Cruise speed is around 800Km/hr and range around 15,000 Km and power comes from six Ivchenko Progress D-18T of 51,600 lbf thrust each. The An-225 is still proving an asset to the civil and military airfreight business, and Antonov are understood to have had discussions with the Chinese national aerospace corporation on prospects for completion of the second part-built airframe, and even a re-start of production.

pinstripes; painting the demarcation will require some careful masking and a paper template would have been useful. The decals actually offer two options, with detail marking differences as seen pre- and post 1986 and helpfully include spare sections for some of the critical pieces, something other manufacturers could usefully emulate. Colour references as usual are for Revell colours, with a couple needing to be mixed. The kit is produced over 8 frames holding 208 plastic parts, in greys and maroon for the test shot, although no doubt inal production of the main parts at least will be in white, there are two small frames of clear parts for the windscreen and observation windows, although these latter are tiny and would be easy to replace with white glue or equivalent. The enormous fuselage halves are supplied as full length sections, aside from the separate nose door, and there's a huge upper fuselage closing panel which serves to move the root joint with the upper wing panel outwards from the fuselage (incidentally, this feature means that there's no option to leave the wings off for transport or storage). Each of the six engines is made up of separate hot sections and fans, the latter being assembled with one-piece cowling noses, although the main cowlings are split conventionally to sandwich the internals. There's some basic fuselage interior detail, with a full loor, bulkheads, cranes and internal ribs and there are alternative undercarriage parts to allow for the kneeling version; regardless of the option, there are 32 individual wheels to paint. Surface detail is by ine engraving but the inish of a few of the larger parts is a little grainy, no doubt something that will be ironed out in production trials, but in any case, is nothing that a light

polish with wire wool can't cure. Moulding is generally pretty sharp, but the sprue gates are rather large, and some parts beneitted from the use of a saw to remove them cleanly. Despite the 1:144th scale, this is a big model when built, measuring 62 cm by 60 cm (for reference a 1:24 scale Mosquito would have a span of 68 cm) so actual physical handling and bench space might become an issue – quite apart from the amount of paint needed!

In Miniature Revell announced their 1:144 scale model of the Mriya early in 2018, and with a scheduled release date of December 2018, MAI was fortunate to be offered a test shot to evaluate. The main details have been reported in the Issue 162 ‘First Look’ but it's worth repeating that as often the case with test shots, the plastic built here might be tweaked slightly for inal release. The model can be built in one of four conigurations: in-light with everything tucked away, and on the ground with the nose closed up; nose open with loading ramp folded and nose open with the fuselage 'kneeling' with the ramp deployed. These options are clearly illustrated in the instructions by the use of coloured silhouettes. There are no options for extended laps or separate control surfaces. The decals are designed by DACO and offer the scheme seen on the An-225 in Antonov use in predominantly white with a light blue fuselage underside, separated by a slightly curving yellow and blue cheat line with white

Getting Started The construction method follows that adopted in many of Revell's latest big airliners and transport planes where an internal shell is constructed with the loor and roof joined by the forward and aft bulkheads, and this assembly is clad in the thin fuselage halves, making for an inherently stiff structure. The method allows straightforward moulding of some interior detail, but inevitably leads to a thicker-than-scale fuselage wall, and thus a smaller-than-scale interior space. The fuselage is closed by the large upper plate and a smaller belly plate, the former carrying a hefty wing spar. Joint alignment over all these long joints and the broad wing will be critical to the inal appearance of the airframe, especially when painted white. Revell's instructions follow a reasonably logical sequence, but actual experience of the build suggests that some steps would be best deferred to minimise the risk of damage and to make handling what is a very large airframe a bit easier.

Interior Decorating

So, irst up is the fuselage interior, comprising the loor, roof and three bulkheads; I painted the former dark aluminium and the bulkheads Tamiya XF-19 grey which I used throughout

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The kit includes a credible flight deck, although the tiny letterbox windscreen won’t allow much to be seen.

Surface detail is excellent, although the surface itself is a little grainy in places, something that might well be improved in production versions.

the build to represent the Revell 76 Grey called up. The fuselage inner shells and the deck head were painted grey with a lower band of Tamiya XF-67 Green which I judged nearest to the Revell 360 Green and which actual photographs of the interior suggest should be rather more vibrant than I ended up with; for the two cranes and the internal ladders I used Citadel Troll Slayer Orange. The flight deck can be added now, and although it's likely that little will be visible through the letter box windscreen, I chose to paint the seats grey and the instrument panels a home concoction of blues and greens to represent the typical Russian interior colour seen in the real aircraft. The inner structure is completed by the addition of the four side panels, but since I'd decided to build the aircraft with the nose open, I wanted to make the visible part of the interior a bit busier. In reality, without internal lighting (next time maybe) very little is visible beyond the first few centimetres, but on-line photographs show that the side walls are quite cluttered, with lots of piping and cabling, control boxes and fire extinguishers, and particularly, spare main and nose wheels which were frequently carried. I made no attempt the replicate the insulation padding with which the upper part of the side walls are clad, and the detail I did add was representative only, and in no way intended to be accurate. One area I spent some time on was constructing the catenary power and control cables for the overhead cranes which are visible in the original, particularly if the cranes are run towards the front of the hold. As something of a diversion, the rather bare interior convinced me it would look better with a credible load, and having toyed with the idea of multiple main battle tanks (the aircraft received its airworthiness certificate with a load of four!) settled on a civilian option of several ISO Freight containers which if their overall weight was limited to 20Te, could be shuffled inside using the on board cranes,

and representing a potential aid mission. I acquired some 20' and 40' ISO container kits from =C=rail=intermodal as used in N-gauge railway modelling (UK N-gauge is around 1:148 scale so definitely good enough) which built up very well and I placed them with some pallets of sacks and oil drums in the forward part of the hold.

Airframe And Wings With the internal structure completed and painted, the fuselage can be closed around it, and progress in the build starts to accelerate. Before doing that, Revell's instructions call for the main landing gear bays and legs to be fitted to the underside of the floor. Whilst the bays can usefully be fitted and painted, my experience was that the legs prove to be rather vulnerable and can be left off until much later in the build. The size of the four main outside fuselage components (sides, top and bottom panels) and their relative thinness means that despite the support of the internal structure, real care is needed to get the joint lines as closely fitting as possible, I glued one side to the internals to act as a datum, thinking the rest would build around it, but on reflection, getting the alignment of that initial piece right then becomes super-critical, and if possible, it would be better to use a slow-setting glue and assemble at least two or three of the main bits all together. Although the primary seams run along panel lines, getting the surfaces at the same level across the joints is something of a challenge, and I ended up doing some filling with superglue, sanding and re-scribing. The upper decking has the enormous wing spar fitted before it's glued to the fuselage, and the spar itself benefits from having the prominent mould seams cleaned up first. With the fuselage essentially complete, I did all the seam clean up before attaching any of the flying surfaces, simply to ease handling. The horizontal and vertical stabilisers are built up from opposing halves, and fit is pretty

Alternative undercarriage parts are offered for the normal or kneeling configuration.

Many of the parts have large sprue gates, which are best cut using a micro saw.

The internal floors and bulkhead structure is simple, but rather large!

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There’s a simple cockpit perched up at the front, not much will be visible through the windscreen, but it’s straightforward to paint.

The undercarriage main parts build up into tidy sub structures which locate positively in the fuselage but from a practical point of view the fragile struts are best left off until later.

The rather blank forward side walls were jollied up with some representational detail of pipework, control boxes and spare wheels.

The inner cheek pieces adjacent to the nose door have some awkward knockout marks which will be visible with the door open.

good, leading to minimum fettling of leading and trailing edges, there's a smaller-scale spar which its into the rear of the fuselage to support them, but again it is excellent and location very positive and needed the merest smear of water soluble iller. Although the instructions show the main wing being assembled directly onto the fuselage, it is in fact possible to mate the upper and lower parts prior to this, and then slide the assembly onto the spar, although if the build is planned properly, it's not actually necessary to do this, I did however pre-assemble the halves of the twelve lap track fairings and it them to the lower wing early on. The nose is built up from two main halves, with various internals and details depending on the inal coniguration. For the fully open option I'd chosen the instructions suggest painting the interior the same green used for the fuselage interior, although a study of reference photos suggests this might be too dark. In the open-nose options, the nose gear doors are itted into the main nose piece itself, and at irst sight they appear too small, leaving a step at the rear edge. Thinking I knew better, I rather smugly added a strip of plastic to the front edge of the doors to bring the rear edges in line with the sides of the nose, subsequently having to eat humble pie when I realised that on-line photos clearly show that Revell had it right and the step is real! - I ended up carving about 1 mm from the rear edge of the doors to get back to the right proile. The underside of the nose has a scribed panel on one half but

not the other, and thinking initially that Revell had forgotten it, I got geared up to scribe the missing half, - fortunately I'd learned from the door debacle and had the sense to check the references - the as-moulded detail is correct! The engines are straightforward, representative fans, turbine faces and hot exhausts being sandwiched between verticallysplit cowling/pylon halves. The instructions suggest itting the one-piece nose sections together with all the other elements, but a bit of iddling showed that the nose pieces could by itting them without glue, be used to align the front fan faces and then removed, allowing them and the cowlings to be painted individually. I left the engines off the wings at this point, partly for ease of handling, but also so I could paint and decal them separately.

Paint And Decals With the airframe thus pretty complete, sanded, polished with 2000 grit Abralon foam-backed abrasive, primed, re-polished (a few times) with primary panel lines rescribed, it was time for paint. The inal stage of preparation had been to leave the airframe with an overall thin white primer inish so with upcoming masking in mind, I chose to spray the leading edges of the wings, tail planes and vertical stabilisers with Alclad Aluminium to represent natural metal and I took the opportunity to spray the wing tips with Tamiya X-7 Red. Having masked the Aluminium and Red, I could apply the main gloss white colour, using my standby Halfords Appliance

Gloss White straight from a warmed rattle can, laying down a couple of thin mist coats irst, followed by a inal, thicker wet coat, all the time resisting the urge to put the paint on too heavily. As it happens, while spraying this in my garage in the depths of winter I did manage to get some pooling of paint on one wing tip; after biting my ingernails for 48 hours while it sat over a radiator to harden, careful sanding back with a sequence of increasingly iner Albion Alloys sanding sticks and a very thin re-spray saved the day. The fuselage has a pale blue underside deined by a mix of Revell colours which I replicated using a 50:50 mix of Tamiya X-14 Blue and X-2 White, although on relection, this is rather too vibrant a blue and more white would have been a better bet. Although the demarcation between the white and blue would to a large extent be obscured by the cheat line decals, I was very conscious of the risk of the solid blue showing through the decals and wanted to mask as closely as possible to the actual boundary, so I scanned the decals and made paper templates from printed versions which allowed me to put faint pencil marks where the edge of the masking should go. Other than the slightly daunting prospect of the large cheat lines and the nose stripes the decals aren't challenging; they're tough, thin and easy to handle and I used plain water to place them, and DACO's red solution to settle them down. Having left them until last to get a feel for the way they might behave, the big cheat lines were pretty benign in the way they

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went on, and I followed the kit's guidance in putting a couple of 1 cm cuts in the nose segments, which I ended up adding to with a couple of small cuts around the periphery. Although it might sound difficult to a novice, in fact their resilience makes fitting the decals to the compound curves of the nose not too bad at all, their tolerance to postapplication prodding being very helpful and their slow response to the DACO solution allowing plenty of time to smooth them down, I finished them by pressing with a soft cloth soaked in very hot water. I had decided to model the aircraft in a pretty clean condition, since it had been re-painted in 2016 so kept the weathering to a minimum. Online photos show that the engine pylons and flap tracks get quite dirty so I gave them a dilute wash of black oil paint, scrubbing the residue off quite early and using the stained tissue to rub some grime into the wing upper surface. Specific streaking and staining was added using pastel chalks. Decals on, there's some minor touching up of paint around the nose door to do, and the metallic panels around the (APU?) exhausts behind the wheel wells to add, for which I masked and used Alclad Steel. I'd hand painted the wheels, and sorted them into okay and not so good, putting the latter on the inside of the legs and glued the support jacks under the nose. Last thing would be fixing the three segments of the loading ramp. ■

The massive upper fuselage closure plate has an equally massive main spar fixed to it, there’s a smaller-scale version to support the tailplanes.

I wanted to add a credible load to the interior, so installed some N-gauge railway ISO containers and pallets of sacks and drums, everything behind them being invisible.

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Given the size of the mouldings involved, the fit of the upper panel is pretty good, although careful incremental gluing is needed.

Here are the main components of the airframe before assembly, it’s difficult to get a feel for the size from this picture, but the main fuselage is 60 cm long.

I assembled the nose separately, and added what I though was a necessary packing strip, - wrong! Note that what appears to be missing scribing of the asymmetric underside panel is in fact a representation of the real thing.

Make up of the engines is conventional, usefully the one piece front ring can be left off until the end, simplifying painting.

The rear edge of one of the engines in the test shot had a small defect in the moulding, easily fixed by letting in a piece of plastic strip and sanding to shape.

Masking the undercarriage was awkward with tape, so I used wetted tissue to mould into the corners.

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Levelling the outer-to-inner wing panel joint left some of the panel lines damaged. The main connection joint was reestablished using tape guides and the tip of a rat-tail file.

I scanned the kit decals and cut stencils to help define the location of the masking line for the under surface blue paint.

Here’s a complete set of engines for one side, decalled but not yet weathered. It’s really useful to be able to leave off the nose ring and paint it separately.

FINAL VERDICT Revell are to be commended for producing a kit of an interesting, yet potentially limited interest kit; certainly the unique airframe deserves recognition, but inevitably, the limited marking options will probably restrict its appeal. As a build experience, the kit it excellent, detail is good, and the engineering is intelligent with very few pitfalls, it may be relatively expensive and appear overwhelming in size, but actually, this is a kit that can be tackled by modellers with a range of experience, and it’s certainly impressive when built! All we need now are some ‘what if?’ schemes. Many thanks to Revell for having the confidence to give us the test shot.

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BUILT AND WRITTEN BY ROY KINSELLA

ADVANCED LIGHT COMBAT AIRCRAFT he Aero L-159 ALCA is a light subsonic attack jet and advanced trainer developed in both single and two-seat variants. The distinctive features of the aircraft clearly reveal it to be a close relative of the venerable L-39, the airframe having changed very little. Indeed, after 1991 and the demise of communism

T

throughout central and eastern Europe, nations such as the recently independent Czech Republic found themselves facing challenges in how to maintain and improve their ageing air force assets. Aero Vodochody (more locally known as Aero), was formally a Czechoslovakian aircraft production company which had produced the L-29 Delphin and the family of the L-39 Albatros aircraft throughout the Cold War. The factory resides in the district of Prague and after the state of Czechoslovakia returned back into two independent states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia respectfully, Aero continued production in the Czech Republic with the L-39, but now focused at the export market and how best to improve this platform to new potential customers. Aero eventually produced the L-39MS (Later designed as the L-59 Super Albatros).

We build Miniwing’s 1:144 Aero L-159A ALCA

This jet featured a more powerful turbofan engine, advanced avionics and was sold to Egypt and Tunisia. It is visually different to the original L-39 by the more sleek extension of the forward fuselage featured in the L-59.

In Miniature Just like the real deal this 1:144 scale L-159A is produced in the Czech Republic by Miniwings, who need no introduction as they have been well established in the 1:144 community for many years. This is an injection-moulded kit, although newly produced by Miniwing we can see the origins of the plastic in the older JACH/Attack Hobby kits’ L-39. However, there has been significant improvements and modernisations made to this design. The kit is produced in grey plastic, there are two grey runners and one clear runner for the canopy. The kit is sold in two different Boxes. The first is a standard kit that contains plastic plus photo-etch and a generous amount of resin weapons including, Mk.82 bombs, GBUs, Maverick Missiles and even a belly gun, decals being provided are for the Czech Air force and offer four different liveries. The second release is a budget offering sold inside a sleeve instead of a box. This contains the same kit, minus the resin weapons. The budget offering obviously costs less but also offers various decal options. I decided to build both kits for this feature, the Czech Air Force and the Iraqi Air Force budget release.

Assembly Begins... As with most builds the cockpit assembly is first off the block here. The plastic is a little crude but there are enough

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SPECIFICATION: 1:144 Miniwing Aero L-159A ALCA Kit No: MINI 323 & MINI 324 Materials: IM Availability: Available Price Guide: MINI 323 £11.70 (Czech) from Hannants & MINI 324 £7.99 (Iraqi) from Hannants

BEFORE STARTING: ● Mr. Hobby Mr.Cement S ● Deluxe Rocket Rapid Cyano Glue ● Tamiya Masking Tape ● Tamiya Cutters ● Vetus Tweezers Set ● Swann Morton No.11 Disposable Scalpel ● Vallejo Plastic Putty ● RB Productions Fine Saw ● Evergreen Plastic Card ● Alclad II Sanding Cloths ● Norton 200 Grain Sand Paper ● Mr. Surfacer 1200 jar and rattle can

PAINTS USED: Mig one-shot grey primer Hataka Acrylics: A048 Light Gull Grey A035 Dark Ghost Grey A037 Light Ghost Grey A044 Dark Ghost Grey A031 Gunship Grey Tamiya Acrylics: XF-53 Neutral Grey XF-19 Sky Grey XF-80 Royal Light Grey XF-82 Ocean Grey 2 (RAF) XF-83 Medium Sea Grey 2 (RAF) XF-1 Flat Black

features to work with. The cockpit tub includes the base of the ejection seat so all you have to do is simply add the backing plate. This part features the cushion and rear of the ejection seat, including the headrest. Fitting the cockpit assembly inside the two fuselage halves is next. The avionics sit neatly behind the ejection seat. At first I wasn’t convinced the panel behind the ejection seat would be adequate so on the Czech Air Force example I scratched an alternative panel using plasticard. Closing the two fuselage halves up I moved on to ensuring the fit was nice and there was little or no correction needed. We were off to a good start! Next came the wings. These are moulded in one piece, including the fuel pods and underside detail. This makes life easy, but the fit of this entire section to the underside of the assembled fuselage left something to be desired. This wasn’t a problem though, a quick smear over with Vallejo White Putty being enough to fill the gaps. With the filler working its magic the wings and fuselage were now neat and tidy. Moving on to the air intake I noticed the plastic parts for the spitter plates appeared just a little too thick which in turn faced the air intakes to protrude a little too far. Instead of thinning the plates down, I simply replaced them with thin plasticard shaped using the kit parts as templates. The result was more

satisfying than I had wished for and the when attached, the air intakes looked smooth against the fuselage.

Underwing Stores And Details

I decided at this point to fix the underwing pylons in place. The Czech Air Force example is regularly seen with all six pylons fitted so that was replicated here. I decide to fit a thin piece of plastic to the belly of the model to replicate the gun pod pylon after neglecting the fine resin and breaking it. Moving onto the Iraqi airframe I only mounted four of the six pylons as that is how they appear in almost all the reference photos I have. Miniwing can confirm this too. Using the measurements provided, I marked out each pylon and glued them in place under the wings of both models. Following quickly on from here I attached the rear stabilisers to the fuselage, careful to ensure I had them the right way around of course. No snags here, the fit was nice and snug. Concerned that the panel lines on the kit were just a little too deep, I decided to reduce them and at the same time take the opportunity to even out any discrepancies that might have resulted from the work so far. I decided to blast the airframe with some Mr. Surfacer 1500 Grey from a rattle can over a few sittings. Every time I initially spray a rattle can like this over a build, I almost think I’ve

Alclad II Lacquer: ALC-101 Aluminum ALC-112 Steel ALC-312 Klear Kote SEMI-MATTE ALC-310Klear Kote Gloss Tamiya Acrylics for detailing Copicmodeller 0.02 Warm Gray Pen

overdone it and worry I have ruined the build. But by the time it dries it almost always shrinks and sets beautifully and that’s exactly what happened here. Getting back to where it all started I returned to the cockpit to detail it a little before fixing the canopy in place. A Dark Gull Grey interior and a black ejection seat keeps it simple but pleasingly attractive. Though that was simple, adding the canopy proved less so... The problem here is that the canopy plastic is just a little too thick, a common problem in this scale. How I corrected this was quite simple; I sanded back the lower edges of the canopy plastic where is meets the fuselage. Happy with the excess that I’d removed I placed the canopy on and turning the model upside down I handpainted generous amounts of Mr. Surfacer 1200, along the fuselage edges, allowing it to dry in place, the resulting finish ensuring a smooth and consistent line between the canopy and fuselage When everything was dry I masked the canopy - it was now time to start painting!

Painting And Decals

Both of the L-159 builds, Czech Air Force

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The kits contains a mixture of injection moulded and resin parts.

Note in this shot of the kit contents, the appearance of etched-brass details - a bonus in a kit costing just under £12.

and Iraqi Air force examples, in real life are painted with the same colour codes. However, after looking at my reference photos there is no denying they appear quite different mainly because the Czech example is quite old and weathered. In fact, the livery I chose for this particular aircraft is a temporary scheme which celebrates the aircraft flying 10,000 flight hours! The colour codes indicate Dark Ghost Grey and Gunship Grey over Light Ghost Grey. This is the very same as the Iraqi aircraft, for which I will use the HATAKA Red Range. To achieve this weathered look, rather than just lighten the paints I opted to change to colours codes and chose colours closer to my reference photos - I also decided to use Tamiya Acrylics instead of Hataka to make things more interesting. This being so, I replaced Hataka’s Dark Ghost grey with Tamiya XF-83, Gunship Grey with XF-82 and finally Light Ghost Grey with XF-80. I decided to thin my Tamiya paints down with 30% Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. Both models were finished in the same way. After the Mr. Surfacer application was long dry I began adding the fuselage colours, Light Ghost Grey first. When dry I masked this entire area off carefully. Next up and contrary to what

Construction is simple and straightforward.

The wings are supplied in one single parts that includes the tip-tanks.

might be expected, I added the darker grey to the upper surfaces first. I did this because I was concerned had I applied the lighter grey color first, that I would risk damaging some of the finer detail on the fuselage with the application of the Blue-tak that I intended to use for masking. Airbrushing this in reverse simply made the painting process so much easier and safer for both builds. Moving on and happy with the Blue-Tak masks covering the Dark Grey sections of the upper fuselage, I applied the Dark Ghost Grey colour, taking care with the paint application to ensure the edge of Dark Ghost Grey would be soft. Finishing with the main camouflage colours I individually masked off various sections that required individual attention, including the nose, XF-53 on the Czech and XF-19 on the Iraqi examples. Both builds received a coat of Alclad High Speed Silver at the edge of the intakes too. Next up was to give both builds a generous coat of clear gloss to assist with the decal application later. For this I used Alclad Klear Kote Gloss. Aqua Gloss would usually be fine too but as the latter is acrylic I would be cautious about using the decal solution with it. I just find the Klear Kote is more durable in my experience. The fit of the wing to the fuselage is not all it could be, needing a little filler to create a smooth joint.

Surface detail is delicate and restrained.

The second kit is a simpler affair, being supplied in a plastic bag without the resin and etched embellishments.

The Decals in the kit are produced by JBr Decals and are super-fine and unforgiving if you make an error with them. However, if you take your time and get them right then the rewards are very satisfying. The decals were absolutely gorgeous. The Czech roundel decals are toned down and two Grey sections along with a third clear section. However I felt the grey shades were just not contrasting enough for my liking so once dry, I just coloured one section in with grey pencil to make it darker and I was satisfied with the result. There were a surprising amount of decals on offer in this kit, including a generous amount of stencils too, considering this is a 1:144 scale kit! But it was worth taking the time to apply them. After the decal application was complete and sealed, I applied Alclad Klear Kote Semi Gloss to take the high shine from the airframes of both builds. The decals were so fine there was no silvering whatsoever or any hint of the decal surface protruding from this tiny build.

Weathering Although incredibly small in front of me on the bench I could see there was a little room for weathering here. I decided to sharpen the point of my standard lead pencil and create fine panel

Six pylons in place under the wings of the Czech aircraft…

…Four under those of that town by the Iraqi Air Force.

Plasticard replacements for the intake splitter plates help the intakes to fit more accurately.

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With the undersides airbrushed, they could now be masked ready for the upper surface camouflage.

A layer of primer helped to smooth everything out ready for a layer of camouflage paint.

Blue-Tack was used to define the upper surface camouflage pattern. …As does the Iraqi example.

Painted and glossed, the Czech aircraft shows off for the camera…

lines all over the aircraft. For the larger panel lines, including the flaps I added a little drop of Black Tamiya Panel Line Accent. On completion I again added another clear coat of SemiMatt Gloss. The results were really satisfying. Before moving onto the payload I fitted the undercarriage and various aerials.

Final Assembly This is the point when you realise how much of a punch the L-159 ALCA must be able to throw. The weapons array this aircraft can mounted with is very impressive. Equally as impressive are the weapons provided in the standard kit. Included are Mk.82s, GBUs, Maverick missiles and one centrally mounted Twin 20 mm gun pod. These parts are moulded in resin and just stunning to behold. On the trees there are also AIM-9 Missiles so I was not going to waste any of these. For the Iraqi fit all my research led me to employ two wing tanks on the inner pylon and two Mk.82 bombs on the outer pylons. This was the common fit of munitions when the Iraqi L-159 was used to target ISIS, another option could have been two Mk.82 on each wing instead of one set of

fuel tanks but I did not have enough bombs! The Czech Air Force would be even beefier. Looking through so many photographs and images, I was spoilt for choice but decided to mount the following: two Mavericks on the inner pylons, a pair of GBU-12s on the middle pylons and on the outer pylons, a pair of Sidewinders. To put the cherry on the cake I fitted the twin MG pod under the centreline fuselage. Because this aircraft would be fit for

training purposes I painted these munitions in their respective training colours, hence the Tamiya XF-14 Flat Blue sections on the missiles and bombs. Finally, I added some various details throughout the build, including coloured lights and natural metal sections, before removing the masks from the canopies. To my relief and surprise this was not a tailsitter too. Bonus! ■

The decals supplied in both kits are superb, especially once sealed-in under a layer of matt varnish.

FINAL VERDICT Overall these little kits were great fun as simple and as small as this. Although I’m confident any builder would be as recommended kit and I look

and incredibly rewarding. I wasn’t expecting to be so satisfied with a kit I did tweak them a little to improve each over the standard kit contents, equally satisfied whilst building them completely out of the box. A highly forward to seeing more injected plastic kits from Miniwing in the future.

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SPECIFICATION: Freightdog 1:72 Supermarine Seafire Ib Kit No. N/A Materials: IM/Resin Availability: All good model shops Price £18.99

BEFORE STARTING: ● Swann Morton scalpel ● Tweezers ● RB Productions scriber ● RB Productions mini saw ● Mr Hobby epoxy putty ● Plastic micro strip ● Tamiya super fine surface grey primer ● Mr. Neo masking sol ● Mr. Color Levelling thinner ● Tamiya flexible masking tape

AIRBRUSH: Iwata Revolution CR

PAINTS USED: MRP MRP-110 Dark Green WW2 RAF MRP-111 Interior Grey-Green WW2 RAF MRP-112 Medium Sea Grey WW2 RAF MRP-115 Ocean Grey WW2 RAF MRP-118 Sky WW2 RAF Mr. Color Dark Iron Mr. Hobby GX-100 Super Clear Gloss Tamiya Flat Black Vallejo Matt Varnish Alclad Duralumin

BUILT AND WRITTEN BY JAMIE HAGGO

THE SPITFIRE THAT WENT TO SEA This month, getting the best from Freightdog’s 1:72 Supermarine Seafire Ib n Part 5 of the Seafire series we take a step back to where it all began in order to model the very first ‘Hooked Spitfire’ before arriving bang up to date with a brand new release from Freightdog. Released just in time for the 2018 PMS Scale Model World show at Telford (which as I write this was a mere three weeks ago) I was fortunate enough to grab one thus saving on postage and packing if

I

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they’d missed the deadline! So, this article will take on more of a review style whilst still hopefully providing some advice on a relatively ‘new’ kit.

In The Box… The package is actually KP’s new tool Spitfire Mk.Vb ‘Trop’ with a resin conversion set and new decals printed by Fantasy Printshop. The

plastic parts are fine, crisp and accurate, with consistent panel lines and comprehensive cockpit detail for the scale. The only that let it down was the slightly thick onepiece canopy, however, a neat touch was that the area under the windscreen was designed to run along a panel line, this making the fit easier. Freightdog’s package doesn’t include the original decal sheet which is a shame as there is no instrument panel decal or seat harness (I usually stick the decal to thin lead sheet). Still, that’s a minor quibble as the rest of the package looks great. As for the resin bits you are provided with a one-piece panel that fits under the fuselage complete with scribed hook recess with a tiny hook poking out, two and six-pot exhausts (for the other decal markings) and some very welcome exhaust mounts. The kit would have you blank off the open exhaust area in the nose to mount the exhaust parts; this is a much better solution and a request to Freightdog that they consider marketing these separately for those with the original and stock, KP boxings.

Conversion

The first step was to cut away the lower rear fuselage in order to fit the resin replacement containing the hook detail. This was straightforward as the cut line was along the existing panel line so this was deepened with an RB

Productions’ scriber and then finished off with the same manufacturer’s ultra-fine razor saw. Freightdog’s instructions (on the single, fullcolour markings guide) would have you attach the resin to one half now however it was easier to wait until the fuselage halves were joined.

Cockpit

As I intended to use MRP paints, the cockpit components received a thin coat of Tamiya primer to deal everything in. I’ve had great success with MRP, but occasionally it has lifted so I always prime these days as a belt and braces approach. As you’ll see from the photos the detail is really rather impressive, even some of the lightening holes in the frames are drilled out - not even Eduard give you that! Once everything had been airbrushed with a basecoat of Interior Green, the details were picked out with a fine brush and various acrylics. The instrument panel is well-moulded but the missing decal would have been very welcome (I had a spare Eduard decal but it was too big). No matter, it won’t be seen under the closed canopy so I left it painted black. To address the missing seat harness and because I didn’t have a photo-etch set going spare, I just painted some Tamiya Masking Tape with Buff and glued it in place once again, under the canopy it looks fine. When dry, the cockpit components were given a wash using Roy Sutherland’s now well-known technique. In essence this involves a 50/50 mix of Johnsons Klear and water with some Tamiya paint stirred in provide the colour - in this case black, but dark green would do just as well. If you’ve not tried it, I highly recommend you do! I exaggerated the contrast

KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

KP’s moulding is superb, being very crisp with very neat and consistent surface detail.

The fuselage is also very nicely moulded. Note the belly tank, a welcome edition to the spares box although early Seafires were seen with them too if you want to create something a little different.

Note how nicely moulded the smaller parts are, a standout being that instrument panel and the lightening holes in the frame.

These are all the resin parts, the exhausts not being required for BL 767 so another welcome addition to the spares box.

A close-up of the fuselage frame, lovely stuff. Not even Eduard replicate those holes!

For the scale, the detail in the fuselage halves is very well done.

as the detail is small and the canopy thick, for an open canopy I’d make it a lot more subtle. I didn’t see the point in weathering the cockpit, so it was coated with a layer of matt varnish ready for installation and the closure of the fuselage halves.

before being being joined permanently with cyanoacrylate. This was done for speed but if you do the same be careful with alignment as there are no pins to guide you. The fit was okay, but filler was needed along the seam so for this I used Mr. Hobby Epoxy Putty. This stuff is fantastic; its analogous to Milliput but is more plastic. That means it’s not water soluble but sands and more importantly scribes, just like kit plastic. It’s a wonderful product for filling seams. With the fuselage rubbed down, the resin hook insert was glued in place. The fit is very good but I did choose to fill and re-scribe the panel lines for a consistent appearance. It

was very easy as the contours are spot on! The wings are straightforward although along the inner leading edge the top halves don’t quite reach the lower half. This was easily fixed with a smear of Mr. Hobby Epoxy Putty. A few lumps and bumps are needed to be glued in place so don’t forget to open the holes as indicated by the instructions, which was something I completely missed! When mating the wings to the fuselage it was apparent that the underside of the nose was ‘pinched’ so a short piece of sprue was used to spread the parts to match the fuselage with the wings. There were gaps along the wing roots and tailplanes, so masking tape

Construction Before joining the fuselage halves, the resin exhaust mounts were glued in place. The contours match impeccably and are very welcome, so much so that I repeat the plea to Freightdog: please make these available separately! Paint was gently sanded away from the edges of the fuselage halves

First job, deepen the panel lines ready for the mini saw.

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And here is the part removed with RB Productions’ saw.

was applied to protect the panel lines and the errant gaps illed with Deluxe Plastic Putty. When dry, a damp cotton bud was used to remove the excess. The canopy could now be glued in place and the windscreen faired in with the Deluxe Plastic Putty, the putty being sanded smooth this time to blend the onscreen to the fuselage. The two-piece Volkes Filter and lower nose had been glued together at the start of the project and then illed and sanded, so this could now be added. This needed a fair amount of fettling and I’m wondering if gluing the ilter halves to each fuselage half irst might be the neater solution? All of the various radiators and coolers were added to the lower wings next, the radiators being particularly reined so no photo-etch needed here. Finally, the upper wing strengtheners needed to be added from ine plastic strip. And there she was ready for paint.

Painting

The irst job was to mask the canopy (using a spare Eduard mask suitably modiied) and spray the internal colour. That done, the airframe received a coat of Tamiya Super Fine decanted to the airbrush and thinned with a few drops of Mr. Color Leveling Thinner. This uniied the inish and the mix of plastic, resin, plastic card and no little iller. MRP paints were used throughout the painting process, each colour being laid down and then lightened and darkened to break up the monotone look. At irst glance it looks like too much contrast especially as this aeroplane was essentially a prototype trials airframe, however, the subsequent varnish layers and light weathering uniied the inish and toned it all back by the end of the process. The lower surfaces were masked and the upper camoulage was sprayed in place, the demarcation being applied freehand. With my airbrush, MRP paint with a drop or two of Mr. Leveling Thinner, an extremely tight demarcation can be created and although perhaps in this scale a hard demarcation is more appropriate, I prefer the look of a model inished in this way. The windscreen was now masked off and the interior green primer colour sprayed in place, which was I assume a postproduction modiication? The paint work was sealed with a thin coat of Mr. Hobby GX-100 Super Clear Gloss. The MRP paint is hard and smooth, but I prefer not to weather directly on top of it. The Fantasy Printshop decals were applied using the new Ammo of Mig Jimenez decal solutions which worked superbly; they are very thin though and though few split as they gripped the surface, the damage was easily ixed. Everything was the treated to a sealing coat with the gloss again just to protect the decals ready for weathering.

The basecoat in the cockpit, note the framing was handpainted with Ammo of Mig’s Interior Green colour, in hindsight this wasn’t necessary.

Yes, the wash has far too much contrast but this is all going to be buttoned up, so the intense false shadows really help.

Weathering

This was kept very light as this was a trials aeroplane. An oil sludge wash was applied but in hindsight I think the dark grey/green tone

A matt coat really blends everything together.

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To help with depth in the cockpit the lower wing was painted black. Note the separate inner wheel wells.

The exhaust mounts are a very welcome edition, almost worth the price of the kit on their own. KP would have you blank them off with car to mount the exhausts…

This looks worse than it is, but a good slathering in Mr. Hobby Epoxy Putty will ensure no gaps at all and it makes it easier to blend into the plastic. The resin hook-insert fits really well but I thought it would be neater to fill the join and re-scribe the panel lines.

To improve the fit under the nose and at the wing root, a spacer was required as the parts were a little warped.

More filler, this time Deluxe Perfect Putty. Note the masking tape protecting the panel lines, this will aid clean up.

A moist cotton bud is the weapon of choice to clean up the putty, no sanding required.

Up first, the interior colour. Ready for paint.

Strengthening strips are required, these being made from thin Microstrip. It’s all laid out in the Freightdog instructions.

Alclad Duralumin was applied to the wing root and Mr. Hobby Masking Neo applied with a sponge to recreate the typical Spitfire/Seafire wear pattern.

Everything has been unified with a primer coat. Sorry for the odd hue, the camera had a white balance wobbly and this couldn’t be seen on the little screen!

As this aeroplane was a Spitfire conversion it had the standard ‘day’ camouflage. After the Sky fuselage band, the Medium Sea Grey was applied and shaded.

The underside is masked so now the upper surfaces are ready for the camouflage.

used on the upper surfaces has created a little too much contrast, especially over the lighter markings. This was polished off with a kitchen towel very gently so as not to remove it from the panel lines which is easily done if not careful. A light post shade with a grimy tone was then applied with the airbrush over the undersides and then to replicate the exhaust staining on the fuselage sides.

Finishing off

MRP’s Ocean Grey initially looked to blue and dark to my eye, however, after the green and matt varnish had been sprayed in place, it looked spot on.

I always dread this stage! There’s an almost finished model sat there but this bit seems to go on forever! The prop was painted and glued in place, before painting the undercarriage legs ready for installation. The gear legs are handed but seem to both be for the left hand side! The right gear leg mounting peg was very carefully bent to

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 33

KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE the right angle, I’m looking forward to building Tamiya’s new 1:48 Mk. I… The gun barrels are a simple push fit and look impressive. Though I ordered some brass replacements for this one, I’ll probably save them for another project. The finishing touch was to add the aerial mast. This had a naval set up so the IFF wires from the tail plane had been removed, with only a wire from the mast to the fin as the RN aeroplanes were fitted with the HF - something I’ll get round to adding when I get a surge of motivation! ■

With a good airbrush, proper paint dilution, a very fine freehand pattern can result. This may be too feathered for scale effect but I prefer it!

A gloss coat seals everything and adds a layer of protection despite the MRP paints being robust.

And here is the camouflage finished.

A complimentary tone was mixed from various oil paints and Ammo of Mig Oil Brushers, thinned slightly and then slathered on.

It’s an easy job to polish away the excess with a gloss surface and a kitchen towel. Note how crisp the mouldings are. Oddly, the windscreen was in primer so it was carefully masked and sprayed.

Always a satisfying event, peeling off the masking fluid.

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My absolute favourite stage, the matt varnish, in this case the wonderful Winsor and Newton Galeria matt. Now the subject starts to look like a miniature aeroplane rather than a model, in my eyes anyway.

Now for the top surface.

A bit of a chore, but the results are much better than trying to handpaint the yellow tips. Again, this is MRP but over a white undercoat.

In hindsight, the tone I mixed was a little too high, especially over the markings.

The same exhaust mix was applied on the underside.

A very subtle exhaust stain was sprayed on using a sooty tone mixed from Tamiya paints and heavily thinned. This was a trials aeroplane not a combat veteran.

FINAL VERDICT The sharp-eyed amongst you may notice a few flecks of white debris on the inside of the canopy! They won’t come off and the thing is sealed and feathered in. Will I remove it and repair the damage? Maybe but probably not yet, it’s irritating for sure but is yet to trip my irritation threshold! In the box the KP kit looks fantastic being crisply moulded and well-detailed and though it clearly doesn’t match the Eduard Mk. IX kit for detail and fit, it is easily the best Mk.V kit in 1:72 and I can highly recommend it - just be prepared to use some filler here and there. The canopy is a bit of a let-down if I’m honest but I’m sure you could use a vac-form replacement and if you wanted to open the canopy then the detail will stand up to scrutiny. The Freightdog conversion is a great starting point for anyone wishing to embark on a conversion but so far hasn’t plucked up the courage to take a saw to a kit yet. Overall this is a great package and a very nice model will result.

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION: Fairchild AU-23A Peacemaker Kit No: ROD439 Materials: IM Available from: All good model shops Price Guide: £37.99

MATERIALS USED: ● Mr. Cement S ● Tamiya Panel Wash Black ● Derwent Studio Pencils. ● Flory Models Dark Dirt Wash. ● Micro Set ● Johnsons Klear

PAINTS USED: Tamiya Acrylics: Black XF-1 White XF-2 Royal Light Grey XF-80 Citadel Acrylics Mephiston Red Microscale Gloss Varnish. Vallejo: Satin Varnish. Winsor & Newton oils Lamp Black Titanium White.

AIRBRUSH USED: Iwata eclipse HB- SBS

ACCESSORIES USED: Eduard mask: EX 305 PC-6/AU-23A Master-Model: AM-48-056, M197 Cannon

BUILT AND WRITTEN BY GREG PHILLIPS

RODEN’S PERFECT

PEACEMAKER Get the best from Roden’s very impressive 1:48 Pilatus offshoot, the Fairchild AU-23A Peacemaker...

R

oden has produced many variants of the Pilatus PC-6 over the years, even one with floats. My first build of the Pilatus was Roden's Air America version some years ago. But one of my favourite subjects are civilian aircraft militarised and here Roden offered up

the license-built Fairchild Peacemaker, with pylons added to the wing and a lightened version of a Gatling gun hanging out of the fuselage entirely, my cup of tea! Not built in great numbers by Fairchild, the Peacemaker was not a great success in the field - being far too slow - but as a subject for a model, it’s perfect!

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In The Box As with many Roden kits that I’ve come across, the surface parts have a slight texture to them although the panel line detail is good and the parts are nicely detailed with the occasional flash to clean up. There are some large injector pin

marks to clean up but that’s par for the course with these models... The Pilatus is one of those aircraft that has fiddly bits sticking out everywhere, so most assemblies like props, the undercarriage (front and rear) aerials and wing struts need to be painted and weathered separately and then

KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

The Roden parts are nicely detailed but will require cleaning up, watch out for those injector pins!

The cockpit area is adequate for what will be seen through the sides, especially with that big gun blocking the view.

Because Roden uses the fuselage parts for various versions of their Pilatus PC-6 range, a little adjustment will be needed for the specific types. Luckily Roden has given us a helping hand in these areas by supplying 1/1 scale plan drawings.

The floor plan needs holes drilling out too, but this time it’s up to you to figure out which ones.

The interior is ready to close up. But looking at the seats it looked little sparse, so some seat harnesses were drawn up on paper and fixed to the seats.

The interior painted and finished ready to enclose in the fuselage.

Roden’s interpretation of the gun left a lot to be desired and the assembly wasn’t the best either. An upgrade was badly needed and thankfully Master had the answer with some beautifully turned barrels.

brought together during final construction. This makes not only painting easier, but lessens the chance of breaking parts off accidentally during the construction and finishing stages. My first step was to open the many holes on top of the fuselage with a mini drill. Roden supply measurements to help you drill these out, but luckily the plan view offered in the instructions showing the various dimensions, is the same size as the fuselage part, so it was just a matter

of making a copy and attaching it to the top fuselage with a few drops of paper glue and then using that as a template. You could do this when both fuselage sides have been glued togther, but I chose to do them separately. With these drilled out, the paper was peeled off and the holes cleaned up. The cabin floor is next and again, you need to drill out location holes to mount subsequent parts and details. It’s for you to make sure that you drill the holes you need or leave them alone, no seat holes for instance being required in the back of this version. Talking of drilling holes, don’t forget the pylon holes on the underside of the wings, which was exactly what I did! It’s so much easier if you follow the instructions sometimes, Greg... The two seats are nicely detailed and the front console is basic but adequate. A decal is supplied for the instrument panel, which when applied, broke up which a sign of things to come. The interior is painted black and then a medium grey is applied making sure that some of the black is left to show through. Once the paint had dried the detail was picked out by drybrushing everything with white oil paint. When the oil paint had dried, the highlights were boosted using Tamiya Panel Wash, in this case, black.

Moving On...

The next item is the Gatling gun. The kit’s rendition of this leaves a lot to be desired, so I decided to create one from brass rod and plasticard. Working on this item into the early hours it was only in the cold light of day that my efforts looked ten times worst than Roden's

offering, that bad that I didn’t take a photo of the offending item! Without resolving this area of the Fairchild I would have been stuck and would have trouble proceeding any further. Thankfully, after a search Online, I found that Master had a gun in their range. Although not exact for the Fairchild (it’s meant for a Cobra gunship) this set would be a far superior replacement than the kit’s offering. Whilst I was ordering this, I also acquired the Eduard PC-6 masking set. When the Master set turned up I was amazed how small the parts were, even in 1:48. Supplied in a large package were three beautifully turned barrels accompanied by a very small photoetched sheet. Assembly of these parts is very fiddly, so I ended up placing the three rear barrel ends on some White Tack to hold them in position whilst slotting the photo-etched parts into their various positions. All of the gun parts, mounting bracket and ammunition housing, were then painted silver and then flat black. Once dry, these parts are handled and marked with my fingernail to give them that used look. One item that I misplaced was the ammunition belt connecting the gun breech to the magazine housing. I’m sure it ended up in the man cave bin and in turn went to the outside bin - and I wasn’t rummaging through that in the rain! The interior was then completed and fixed to the cockpit floor. This was then fitted to the inside of the fuselage, the fit being spot-on. Closing the fuselage parts it became very noticeable that the front seats looked very bare, so I drew some seat belts using colouring pencils, the drawn belts being sealed with several coats of varnish over the paper. These were then cut out and

The fuselage is joined along with the cowl. The cowl part requires some trimming to fit flush with the fuselage cross section.

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The transparencies weren’t the best especially the front windscreen and with no aftermarket replacement at the time, had to make do with the best of what was supplied.

The way Roden have moulded the propeller means you can change the pitch on the props with ease if you wish.

The various weapons carried on the Fairchild; the kit only supplies the one layout.

The nicely detail undercarriage is built and painted off the model for ease.

Control surfaces and other details painted, ready for installation.

The final paint scheme is applied beginning with the tan colour.

added to the seat using PVA glue, not a hundred percent accurate, they nevertheless filled that visual gap through that big windscreen.

position later on. The transparent parts aren’t the best, especially the front windscreen which looks rather rough. Sanding and buffing might help but was afraid that the cheap and brittle plastic might give me more issues than it cures, including hazing or cracking. It was decided therefore to dip them a few times in Klear, which worked to a point. The propeller parts were built next; a nice touch here is the fact that you can change the pitch of the props. The underwing weapons comprise two flare dispensers and rocket pods. These were painted silver and then Olive Drab. Again, these are manhandled and marked with

Completing The Airframe With the fuselage parts joined, the tailplanes were added followed by the main wings. With a little trimming, these fit with no major problems. One thing to watch out for is that the wings don’t have the largest of attachment points to the fuselage. With the wings being so long and heavy, the model was sat on its back on a flat surface to help with the alignment of both wings and then left to set, at the same time dry-fitting the wing struts so they would fit into

Being mindful that when applying the camouflage; it’s easy to lose track of what you’re doing when masking and painting.

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fingernails to give that used look. The undercarriage is next which is, to put it mildly, fiddly! I used the fuselage as a guide/jig for positioning of the struts and once happy just one point of glue was applied to hold the strut assembly together. These were then painted as a standalone assembly.

Painting, Weathering And Decals With the bare bones of the little Fairchild assembled, the completion of the external paintwork could begin. I temporarily taped the ailerons and flaps to the wing so as to keep the top camouflage pattern in line, fixing these in place at the very end of the build. All the

More masking ready for the darker green to be airbrushed on.

The upper camouflage in place ready for the lower surfaces to be finished.

The pale grey and black undersides need to be carefully masked and sprayed.

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

The decals are a nightmare especially the shark’s mouth, which fell to pieces on me. Masking this for paint, or another decal supplier would be the way to go. For me I ended up painting the front in place following the aforementioned damage.

paints applied here are custom mixes of Tamiya paints. The tan was applied first then light and dark green using the White Tack method of demarcation. The grey then black undersides were then sprayed on to complete the scheme. With the paint left to dry overnight, the whole model is lightly wet sanded with 6000 grit pad in the direction of airflow. Be careful when wet sanding as it will look different when dry. So a first light sand and wipe the residue dry and decide whether it needs another going over. Once happy with the finish, the paint was sealed with a few coats of Vallejo Satin Varnish. The model was then left for a few days ready for the decals. The decals looked good at first glance though if I’d known the trouble they were going to give me I’d have looked for an alternative decal sheet! My first decal placed down was one of the large Thai white lettering under the wing. When removed from the backing and placed on the surface it became very brittle and when moved into position, broke in two pieces, then three,

the decal just didn’t like being handled. Another point that came to light very quickly was that the decal looked too big compared to the markings shown on the painting guide. Once happy with the position, this decal was given a coat of Micro Sol and left to settle. I didn’t continue with other decals until I saw if there was any reaction to the decal from the Micro Sol. After a few minutes I gently pressed the decal onto the surface where one of the corner edges decided to break off. Though I was losing my patience now, I hadn’t come this far for the decal sheet to let me down! I left the Fairchild and went away to calm down and think. My first idea was to look online for a decal substitute for the markings in the scheme painted in, but nothing came up. After a large slice of cake and a calmer attitude, I went back and tackled the other side of the wing. With the experience of dealing with the first decal in my mind, I applied the second one with a bit more care, because I knew what was coming it seemed to behave a little better. Luckily the other decals left to apply would

be very small, except for the sharkmouth, which when applied broke up into little pieces at the front. I suppose the front lower cowl shape is complex. This decal was also too big which didn’t help when positioning. When the decal dried the rest of the shark's mouth was painted in by hand. After that painful experience with the decals, the whole Fairchild was given several coats of Vallejo Satin Varnish. With everything left to dry the rest of the model’s ancillary parts could be pieced together. This was carried out with little in the way of hitches, although a steady hand is needed to attach the many small parts to the top of the fuselage. ■

FINAL VERDICT As I mentioned earlier I built the ‘Air America’ Pilatus some years ago and don’t recall any issues with the decal sheet then. Other than the decals this is a good kit with nice surface detail and with care, goes together without problem. Roden has captured that no-nonsense go and land anywhere look that the Pilatus has and in the process, added a superb model to my display case!

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

SPECIFICATION: Airfix 1:48 Bristol Blenheim MK.I Kit No A09186 Materials: IM Available from: All good model shops Price Guide: £36.99

BEFORE STARTING: ● Tamiya Extra Thin Cement ● MiG Extra Thin Cement ● Mr Surfacer 1200 ● Perfect Plastic Putty ● Dspiae Single Blade Cutters ● Tamiya Masking Tape ● Silhouette Portrait 2 cutting machine. ● Tweezers. ● Mr Paint Liquid Filler

PAINT USED: Mr Paint MRP- 85 Fine Surface Primer Black Mr Paint MRP - 108 Dark Earth Mr Paint MRP- 110 Dark Green Mr Paint MRP- 111 Interior Grey-Green Mr Paint MRP- 173 Tyre Rubber Vallejo Various shades of MiG oil paints.

AFTERMARKET ITEMS USED. Mig Rigging Line 0.01 mm Master Model. Browning .303 calibre barrels. (Part No AM-48-026) Brengun . Vickers K (GO) gun. (Part No BRL 48047)

BUILT AND WRITTEN BY NIGEL POOLE

BRISTOL’S LIGHT

BOMBER We take a detailed look at the brand-new Airfix 1:48 Blenheim Mk.I

H

aving returned from Scale Model World in Telford in November of last year, I was all fired up for my next challenge. Disappointed that Airfix hadn’t managed to release the new 1:48 Blenheim in time for Scale Model World, I found myself picking over the kits I had to try and identify my next victim. So, you can imagine my delight when the editor asked me if I could build the very kit I was longing for, the Blenheim. So, a week after

the largest model show in the world, much to my girlfriend’s disapproval a large brown box was delivered and quickly whisked off to my workshop...

First Impressions...

On opening the box, I wasn’t disappointed. Nice clean flash free mouldings seemed in evidence, as did a high parts count, a good level of detail, crystal-clear canopies and turret. But there’s always a downside and on

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this occasion it was the horribly soft plastic that Airfix seem intent on using. I had, some weeks previously just completed Airfix’s rendition of the 1:72 Blenheim. Looking through the runners it was apparent that they had employed some of the same construction techniques in this new large-scale version. Obviously, the part count is higher, along with the level of detail, but the construction of the engines, canopies

and undercarriage are similar. The only major difference is the one-piece fuselage, which eases construction. It’s also quite obvious from the kit’s breakdown and unused parts, that we are going to be treated to other variants, other than just the nightfighter supplied in this release.

Getting Started Diving straight in, the instructions have you begin with the construction of the bomb

bay. Seeing as we are building the fighter variant with its gun belly pack attached, you are required to remove, what are in fact the bomb bay doors that are moulded in the open position. This is a very simple task as I discovered, being best achieved by heavily scoring along the relevant lines and then snapping them off. This, I found, created a nice, accurate cut requiring minimum clean up, if any at all. The rest of the bomb bay area comes

together swiftly and with no fuss, with the wing spars forming part of the bulkheads. The well in-between the two wing spars is well portrayed, even though hardly any of it can be seen when the fuselage is closed up. But we know it’s there, and that’s what counts! The fuselage is the next part of the construction, this being well-appointed and fiddly, with a lot of parts fitting in a small area. Luckily, most of the work is done prior to

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

The Injection pin markings were easily dealt with using a Perfect Plastic Putty. Sanding down and finishing it off, with a quick a quick rub over with a fibreglass pen.

Tools needed to deal with those ejector pin marks: putty and a glassfibre pen.

The sink marks on the wing fillets, were dealt with early on in the build. Using Mr Paints Liquid putty. Care must be taken when sanding it back, so that the original profile of the fillet is retained.

The completely filled wing-root fillet, filled as described in the text.

Dissolving parts of the kit’s runners in liquid glue helps create a very useful filler for larger gaps.

The tiny parachute pack, assembled and very carefully painted.

Ammo’s Extra Thin Cement was used to great effect around this build.

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The engines and their nacelles under construction.

The interior of the wheel wells are nicely detailed and fun to paint.

Here you can see how I departed from the instructions. Using this sequence of construction I was able to construct the undercarriage without performing any tedious masking in order to paint them, and the interior of the wheel bays.

joining the fuselage halves, so even my fat fingers could cope! There are several ejector pin marks that need dealing with on the interior of the starboard side, as they will be visible through that huge expanse of a canopy. I simply filled them with some Perfect Plastic Putty, sanded them back and then finished them off with a rub down from a fibreglass pen. There are a similar amount on the port side, but thankfully they are hidden by the pilot’s seat and controls. Prior to doing any more work on the cockpit I noticed some really prominent sink marks, running the length of both wing fillets. They’re not something even I could ignore and I’m pretty lax about these sort of things! Deciding these were best dealt with early on, masking tape was

The tyres come marked with the Manufactures name of DONLOR. I can only assume this was adopted for Trademark reasons. It is however a very simple and quick task to alter this to read DUNLOP.

The undercarriage legs slip simply into place...

tactically applied to preserve the details in the surrounding area. This was followed by a healthy serving of MR Paints liquid putty to the affected parts. Left to dry it was a simple, yet tedious task to sand back to a smooth, sink free finish. But the remedial work in this area wasn’t over yet. The tips of both fillets were blunt, dare I say it, short shot! A quick test-fit of the wings confirmed this. Not to worry there’s an easy way to deal with this sort of thing; in the past I have tried to repair this type of fine detail with putty but it never seems to adhere well, coming away when you try to shape it. Superglue has proven to be just as ineffective. Cracking and breaking away when you try to carve it to shape. There is however an ideal solution and it’s in the box. Cut some lengths of sprue and put them into a glue resistant pot. Then add a little

The completely assembled and painted undercarriage ready to be fixed in place. Note the mixture of black and aluminium components.

...Before sliding the rear of the engine nacelle in place. Here you can see how little masking is needed if construction is approached in this way.

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Airfix supply a jig to ease construction of the turret components. Just be sparing with the glue to ensure it doesn’t become a permanent fixture.

The cockpit supplied by Airfix is excellent out of the box. The only thing required aftermarket wise is the harnesses.

liquid glue, allowing the sprue to dissolve into a paste so you now have a putty that welds itself to the plastic of the kit. Once dry, it is easy to carve and sand to shape. The only downside is the drying time as it takes a while depending on the amount of liquid glue used. The more

glue, the longer the drying time.

Moving On... Once that was out of the way, it was back to the cockpit. Using the Haynes Manual for the Blenheim as a reference guide (If you can only

buy one source of reference for the Blenheim, this book should be at the top of your list) it was quickly painted up using MR Paint 111, interior Grey Green, weathered using MiG oils. Airfix has done a cracking job on the cockpit, even the brake lever on the centre of the control column is represented. The only aftermarket you really need is a set of seatbelts. Unfortunately, at the time of building the dedicated Eduard set of belts for the Blenheim were unavailable, but a little research enabled me to use the set intended for the Sea Hurricane, coupled with a set of generic RAF seatbelts, from which I pilfered

Paints and finishing products used as part of this build.

Here all the raised detail around the gunners hatch, turret ring and vertical stabiliser have been reinstated. The use of a vinyl cutter was employed to make the ring around the edge of the gunners hatch.

Having access to my own vinyl cutter, allows me to design and produce my own masks. For both canopies and markings.

Custom masks allowed the interior faming to be painted with ease.

48 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

The turret was similarly masked with custom items created by the author.

Here, the port roundel shows off for the camera, painted using more custom painting masks. The improvement over proprietary decals is easy to see.

The barrels for the gun pack were also replaced, this time using Master Barrels. It’s not that Airfix’s are bad, just that Master Barrels are better.

The Airfix offering was to put it mildly, poor. Mine was exchanged for the aftermarket version produced by Brengun.

The same forethought was put into the engines, exhaust ring, cowl and exhaust. That was used when constructing the undercarriage and bays, allowing me to build them with no masking for painting required.

Strangely enough the prominent ‘V’ was missing from the undercarriage doors. However on checking my references I found that these were not applied to all Blenheim’s, but the aircraft I chose to model does have them, so they were easily depicted using strips of plastic cut to shape.

Airfix have done an outstanding job on the Dorsal turret. It’s such a pity it cant be seen when installed.

the lap belts, for the turret gunner and navigators’ positions. The Instrument panel rivals many aftermarket offerings, only requiring careful painting and application of the supplied decals which were cut and applied separately to ensure a perfect fit. A parachute pack is installed to the rear of the pilot’s seat, the detail of which is exquisite and really shines through when picked out with various oil paints. If I had more time, I would have added some wiring detail to the rear of the instrument panel, but alas I was on a deadline. Once the radio panel and tailwheel bulkhead had been painted up and fitted, the fuselage halves could be bought together. The

fit around the bomb bay, is in a word, snug, requiring me to break out a set of clamps. The rest of the fuselage isn’t a bad fit, but not a good one either...I think it can be best described as ‘adequate’. This needs dabs of filler here and there, coupled with some heavy sanding. During this process, the raised detail around the gunner’s entrance hatch was lost, along with the lip that’s forward of the turret and a prominent raised panel at the leading edge of the vertical stabiliser. I’m fortunate in that I have a Silhouette cutting machine that I initially purchased to make masks that allow me to airbrush markings and produce protection for glazed canopy panels. Since its purchase I have found a myriad of uses for it one of which is to reproduce raised detail, which may have been lost during the construction phase. Measurements were quickly taken and the raised ring around the hatch was soon cut from vinyl and applied to the fuselage. The lip around the turret and the area on the stabiliser were a little trickier to re instate being so prominent, but I believed it was worth the extra time involved to find a solution to the problem. Using the vinyl tape Tamiya produce for masking off curved areas, I proceeded to follow the outline of the lost raised detail. Then applying Mr Surfacer 1500 on the base of the stabiliser and MR Paint liquid putty around the turret ring, using an old paint brush, I slowly built up the depth of the filler layer by layer, until eventually it was deeper than the Tamiya tape. Putting it to one side it was allowed to fully harden off overnight. Once dry I proceeded to slowly and carefully sand back the filler, until it was the same level as the Tamiya tape, making sure it faired seamlessly into the existing details. Then for the moment of truth: removal of the tape. To cries of joy I was rewarded with perfectly sharp raised areas of detail, which spanned the fuselage halves. It’s the little triumphs in modelling that matter, and this was one of them for me! Once all the major parts were fitted to the fuselage my attention turned to the canopy which is crystal-clear and huge! Sitting behind my MacBook Pro, Adobe Illustrator open, canopies and digital callipers in hand, I set about designing masks. That’s when I realised that there was no mention of the second port side canopy in the instructions. After a quick check of my reference’s. I came to the conclusion that the port side canopy shown in the instructions is applicable for the all black night fighter from No 54 operational Training Unit (option B). The port side canopy, which isn’t mentioned is of the type used by the Aircraft restoration Company depicting No 23 Squadron (option A) the option I had decided to model. Strangely enough, on both port side canopies the lower window directly in front of the pilot is slightly frosted and looking at photographs and the Airfix paint guide, they should be clear. A quick sanding and polishing session later it was clear, a minor inconvenience dealt with. Masks made for the interior and exterior, I went to work. Once all the masks were fitted MR Paint Interior Grey Green was sprayed on

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

the inside of the canopy. Painting the inside of a canopy can be time consuming, but the overall effect far exceeds relying on painting the interior colour on the outside of the canopy first, providing as it does, a sense of depth whilst allowing the interior colour to flow throughout the cockpit. The canopy on aircraft is always the focal point to which your eye is drawn to and none more so than the Blenheim Mk.I - it’s a flying greenhouse in that regard. So, if you get it wrong on this kit, it’s a major issue and there’s no getting away from that fact I’m afraid. Happily, the fit is good. Not perfect mind, it requires patience and a steady hand. It cannot under any circumstance be rushed. There are multiple methods being bandied about for the best way to fit the canopy, so I fell back onto my experience gained when building the 1:72 version. Opting to fit the starboard side first, I carefully teased it into place, securing one small area after another with Ammo’s Liquid Cement, letting each area fully dry before moving onto the next. Finally, the two halves of the canopy were bought together and then with much trepidation and the steadiest of hands, a small bead of liquid cement was allowed to wick its way along the length of the join. Add the upper forward section of the canopy and your done. Now you can take a breath! If you’re not confident using liquid cement in this area, then I would suggest using some resin UV curing glue as it dries crystal clear and doesn’t run. It can be applied to the canopy, manipulated into place and then zapped with a UV light source to cure it.

With the fuselage pretty much complete, bar the turret I started on the wings. For me modelling is like a game of chess as I’m always planning several moves ahead. I don’t like masking for painting because it can suck the enjoyment out of kit for me, so I always plan my construction around making painting easier. A lot of planning on my part went into the engines and undercarriage, I can tell you! Firstly, the undercarriage was tackled. Throwing caution to the wind the instructions were ditched and parts C8, C28 and C21 which represent the main framework for the undercarriage, were glued together and painted. The oil tank (C6) was then painted, weathered and fitted, along with the representation of the forward wing spar, which can be threaded into position through the framework of the undercarriage. Putting those to one side, the remaining undercarriage parts were fitted into the top nacelle of the wing, including the rear nacelle bulkhead, before being painted and weathered. The separate bottom nacelles were then painted, both inside and out. The main framework of the undercarriage can then be clicked into place, along with the forward firewalls (parts C39). The lower nacelle, already painted, can then be fitted to the lower section of the wing, remembering that the wing spar representations and lower nacelles are left and right handed. To ease fitting of the lower nacelle I found that removing the locating guide on the front firewall helped a lot. Doing it this way gave me a fully painted undercarriage and interior wheel

50 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

wells, with absolutely zero masking. That’s got to be a result in anybody’s book. The same philosophy was employed with the construction of the engines and their cowlings. Instead of building the cowlings around the engines, they were built up independently, painted and weathered and then the completed engines fitted into the cowlings from the front and exhausts from the rear. The cooling fins are then clicked into place, thus negating any tricky masking. Mention must be made of the wing to fuselage fit. It’s done, by the now common to Airfix ‘spar technique’, which makes the fit almost fool-proof. My fit was gap free perfection, top and bottom. Not a jot of filler, nor the swipe of a sanding stick was needed, the same being said of the horizontal stabilisers, the fit of which was so good, I attached them after the main paint scheme and decals had been applied.

Painting, Weathering & Decals The airframe, albeit in separate sub-sections was for the most part now complete, letting us move onto the main paintwork. Firstly a primer coat was applied. Don’t skip this stage. Remember the downside I mentioned at the beginning, that awful plastic? Well if you don’t prime, it will come back to haunt you especially if you use a ‘hot’ type of paint such as a Mr Paint’s lacquers, because firstly it will scar the plastic as though you have spilled liquid glue over it, and secondly it won’t stay on when you mask over hit! I use heavily thinned Mr Surfacer 1200 through my airbrush. It goes

on silky smooth and provides that necessary barrier between plastic and paint. With the primer on, and any blemishes rectified, the main camouflage pattern was applied. For me the MR Paint lacquer-based paints are the ones to reach for. Pre-thinned for airbrushing, fast drying times coupled with a rock-hard finish. What’s not to like? The smell and the cost, that’s what! In fairness I like the smell - it’s the rest of the family that complain! Using MRP 108 Dark Earth and MRP 110 Dark Green the upper camouflage pattern was applied freehand. The main painting was completed with MRP 85, Black Surface primer for the underside. Sticking to the golden rule of painting darker colours over lighter ones. The already completed engines, propellers and horizontal stabilisers were now fitted. Opting to make masks for the squadron

codes and roundels, these were quickly and easily painted on. A gloss coat and then all the smaller decals were added, which performed flawlessly, easily out performing many aftermarket decals I have used, being perfect in register and super thin. With this done, the airframe was sympathetically weathered. I like weathered aircraft as much as the next person, but for me subtlety is key as the Blenheim suffered a terrible attrition rate during the war to the point that one pilot, during the Battle for France in 1939, was shot down three times in one week! So, it’s not unrealistic to presume, that they weren’t around long enough to look like a hunk of junk. The remainder of the undercarriage was then attached along with the flaps. The paintwork being sealed with Vallejo Premium Matt varnish.

This just left the dorsal turret. Now this is a nice piece of design work with a low parts count. But what there is, forms a surprisingly accurate rendition of the turret area. This is made up on a jig that makes construction a breeze and ensures everything fits and lines up correctly. The only downside is the gun: it’s awful. After all the effort Airfix put into the turret detail, they let themselves down with the poorest excuse of a Vickers K gun I have ever seen! Do yourself a favour and order an aftermarket one, from either Gaspatch Models or Brengun. You won’t regret it. As a final touch the antenna was rigged using Ammo’s 0.01 mm rigging. Which, as you can imagine is super-fine, but being elastic in quality is quite resilient, and hard to snap accidentally. ■

FINAL VERDICT Let me get this out of the way. There are only two things that let this kit down: the plastic Airfix use and that turret gun! Airfix are on the cusp of moving from producing good kits to great kits, but to my mind the plastic they are using is a major factor preventing this. I’m no expert in the field of injection moulding, but I’m sure if they changed it to a harder type like that used by their competitors, the annoying sink marks and short shots would disappear overnight. That being said I really enjoyed this kit. It’s not for beginner’s mind, mainly due to the make-up of the canopy. The details are very good and the fit in the main, is excellent. They also appear to have corrected the shape of the upper nacelles, compared to the 1:72 kit. It took three weeks for me to complete and I enjoyed every minute of it, ‘enjoyed’ being the key word. Roll on the other variants I say! I just hope a Mk.IV is on the cards as well!

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 51

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE BUILT AND WRITTEN BY ALAN KELLEY

SPECIFICATION: Kinetic M-346 Master Advanced Fighter Trainer Kit No: K48063 Materials: IM/PE Available from: All good model shops Price Guide: £42.99

MATERIALS USED: ● No. 10 & 11 Scalpels ● Mr. Dissolved Putty ● Ammo by Mig plastic cement ● Tamiya Masking Tape ● Winsor & Newton Series 7 size 00000 brush ● Deluxe Rocket Rapid Cyano Glue ● Tamiya Sprue Cutters ● Tamiya Fine Surface Primer ● UMP Skinny Sanders ● Hataka Lacquer Thinner ● Mr. Base White 1000 primer ● Alclad II Black Primer & Micro filler ● Badger Stynlrez Black Primer

PAINTS USED: Alclad II Hi-Speed Silver Steel Hataka Orange Line Gloss Clear Coat Hataka Blue Line White Jet Black Brown Lifecolor Tensocrom White Oxide Paint (for panel wash) Ammo by Mig Metallic Red Mr Hobby Acrylic H327 Gloss Red paint

MULTIR

MAST We take a detailed look at Kinetic’s 1:48 kit of the very attractive M-346 Master

O

riginally co-developed by Yakovlev and Alenia Aermacchi as the Yak/AEM-130, Alenia Aermacchi proceeded to separately develop the M-346 Master, after the partnership was dissolved in 2000, while Yakolev continued work on the Yakovlev Yak-130. Exteriorly the aircraft look virtually identical, but different cockpit systems being put in place. The first flight of the M-346 was performed in 2004 and the type is currently operated by the air forces of Italy, Israel, Singapore, and Poland.

In Miniature Ammo by Mig FS36231 cockpit Grey Cyan Yellow Dark Wash

Recently there have been several new releases of jet trainers in 1:48 scale based on

16 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

this aircraft programme, Zvezda and Kittyhawk having released the Yakovlev version the YAK-130, whilst only Kinetic so far have chosen to produce the M-346 Master. I was asked in the summer to build a pre-production sample of the forthcoming Kinetic Gold release of the Master for their stand at Telford

ROLE

TER

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Intake sides showing the ejector pin marks.

which I decided to complete in the Metallic Red Initial Production batch scheme, the results of which you see here.

Getting Started... The Kinetic Gold branding on the kit is to signify the new moulding advances achieved since they relocated to their new factory in Hong Kong. On opening the box I was instantly impressed with the quality of the moulding achieved by Kinetic. The first step of construction began with removing the cockpit parts from the runners using my trusty Tamiya Sprue Cutters, then sanding the remaining attachment stubs off. The cockpit is nicely detailed, but there are no instrument panel decals supplied with the kit, so all instrument detail will need to be either handpainted or use aftermarket decals, such as those supplied by Airscale or Mike Grant. I decided to paint mine as I frequently do. I’m a great believer in trying to add as much detail as possible and like to simulate the writing that would appear in cockpit panels with very fine white lines. The cockpit was painted using Ammo by Mig FS36231 cockpit grey, before the panels could be added using Hataka Blue Line Jet Black paint, all the cockpit buttons being added in light grey. I ran an Ammo dark wash around the cockpit as a final step to add

Ejector Pin marks filled with Mr. Dissolved Putty.

some definition and make those little details pop. Next up was to work on the two main landing gear bays and the nose bay. There is plenty of detail in both areas that look great once picked out with careful painting. First step was to prime them all using Mr. Base Color White 1000. Once this was dry I painted all of the piping with Hataka Jet Black, before picking out the fine details using the Winsor & Newton Series 7 000 brush. I simulated the clamps used on the piping with little dabs of Ammo Cyan and Yellow paint. Before gluing any of the bays in place all the landing legs need glued in position. They are reasonably strong, and aren’t under threat during the construction process. Next up was to build the intakes and exhausts which need to be added before the fuselage can be completed There are some quite noticeable injector pin marks that need filled, before the two side of the intakes can be glued together. Once I had filled the pin marks using Mr. Dissolved Putty, I glued the two halves together and ran some more putty down the seam. Once this had cured I sanded

Painted cockpit. All instruments were handpainted, no decals being supplied in the kit.

Cockpit tub ready to be painted.

All cockpit components cleaned up and ready to be primed with Tamiya Fine Surface primer.

Photo-etch harnesses ready to be added to assembled ejection seats.

Harnesses glued in place.

56 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

Part-way through painting, the detail is beginning to come alive. Seats painted black using Stynlrez Black Primer.

Seats primed initially using Tamiya fine surface primer to seal in the etch.

Details added using Abteilung oil paints.

it flush and painted everything white using Mr. Base Color White once again. The turbine blades and exhausts were painted gloss black before being given a coat of Alclad Steel, then a wash. These were then glued in place, ready for the fuselage to be assembled. Kinetic have approached this very smartly, having a top and bottom section of the fuselage, rather than a huge seam along the top to fill. The fit of the parts, when test fitted, was perfect. Before the top half was glued on, I added the tail and all of the various photoetch parts. Before gluing the cockpit in place within the bottom half of the fuselage, I would recommend adding the two nose panels. The fit is quite tricky if the cockpit is glued in place first, as I found out to my cost, meaning I had a little gap to fill. I then added the

nose section, the coaming over the instrument panels and the framework for the HUDs. The fit of the forward windscreen, when dry-fit was perfect. I painted the HUD glass clear green, glued them in place then added the windscreen. The kit comes with optional canopies: one with moulded in detonation cords and one without. The version I was building did not have the detonation cords fitted, so I used this one, tacked in place as a mask over the canopy sections for painting. I masked the front windscreen using Tamiya tape cut into shape, and the model was ready for painting.

Painting And No Weathering!

I began the painting process by completing the flaps, ailerons and tailplanes. These were primed with Mr. Base White 1000. Once cured, I gave them a coat of Mr. Hobby H327

Gloss Red in preparation for the final Metallic Red. For this I was using the recommended paint - Ammo 192 Metallic Red. My experience of Ammo acrylic paint is that it has good coverage, but needs time to fully cure. I painted the parts and left them aside for 48 hours. Once set, I sprayed all of the parts with a gloss coat using Hataka Orange Line Gloss Clear. The main aircraft was also primed in Mr. Base White 1000. Whilst I had been painting the flaps, etc, I noticed there really was no need for the middle gloss red paint coat, so I decided to leave this out this time round. I painted the entire airframe using Ammo 192 Metallic Red once again and left it to cure, before finishing the airframe with a layer of gloss varnish. Before getting to the decalling stage, I painted the metal panels around the exhausts. For this I used Alclad Steel, with highlights in Aluminium.

Photo-etched grilles and wing lights glued in place.

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Flaps and ailerons with Mr. Dissolved Putty sanded back and masking tape over the attachment points to protect them during painting. Detail painting in the wheel wells. I used Ammo acrylic paint for this.

The nosewheel well assembled and landing gear added.

Mr. Base White 100 primer on flaps, ailerons and tailplanes.

Intakes glued together and primed white.

Assembled flaps, ailerons and speed brake. Join lines and ejector pin marks filled with Mr. Dissolved Putty.

H327 Red gloss red added. This step eventually proved to be unnecessary due to the good coverage of the Ammo Metallic Red.

Top coat of Ammo Metallic Red added.

Main gear bays and legs added.

The front wheel well glued in position. It is clever from Kinetic to mould the wells and bay doors as one piece.

Intakes glued in position. It’s very important to ensure they are aligned correctly as the metal leading edge part will not fit correctly, otherwise.

Turbine blades primed in Alclad Black Primer.

There are not a lot of decals for the scheme I chose. They are printed by Cartograf and are perfectly in register. As is typical with all Cartograf decals, they settled perfectly, although I did have to coax the decals into place around the leading edge of the vertical stabiliser with a hairdryer. One issue I did have

Cockpit mounted in place. I recommend adding the two sides before this stage as I found it difficult to glue them in place once the cockpit had set in place.

Turbines painted using Alclad steel, and then given a black wash to enhance the detail.

with the decals was with the stripes over the wings onto the tail planes; I chose to drop the wing’s leading edges and also the flaps and ailerons, but when you do this, the decal is far too short, so I chose to mask these areas and spray them the correct colour with Alclad stainless steel paint.

There is no weathering worth talking about on this aircraft as it is very new and as a demonstrator, has been kept pristinely clean. However, upon close inspection of several weathering photos I could see that the riveting on the airframe and also the panel demarcations were white. I wanted to keep this

Exhausts now added and ready to glue the fuselage together.

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KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Instrument panel coaming and HUDs added.

Complete assembled airframe. I primed the speed brake with Mr. Base White 1000.

Canopy tacked in place ready for priming and paint. The photo-etched fences were also added to the wing roots.

Airframe primed in Mr. Base White 1000.

60 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

Ammo Metallic Red added and Gloss Coat applied.

Exhausts masked ready for paint. There’s a lot of masking in this area!

Alclad steel applied.

Masks removed to show metal panels.

as subtle as possible and used Lifecolor Tensocrom white oxide paint, carefully painted onto the lines and rivets, wiping any excess away with kitchen towel. This achieved the look I was hoping for.

Final assembly I added all the various sub-assemblies and the airbrushed the aircraft with a final clear coat. This only left the addition of the finer details and the model

Wing leading edges masked off. I also masked and painted the grilles on the rear of the fuselage.

The model, completely painted and ready for its decals.

KIT BUILD SKILL LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

Sub-assemblies glued in place with Revell Contacta. This gives more control and is a better bond for larger parts.

Masking the areas for the wing stripes where it is not possible to use the decals.

Alclad High Speed Silver paint applied carefully with an airbrush.

Masks removed. I’m happy with the results!

Decals applied with no issues.

62 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

Using Lifecolor Tensocrom White Oxide for the panels.

was complete. It was at this stage I build and painted the ejection seats. The photo-etch harnesses were annealed over a candle flame, cooled and shaped to make them look more realistic. I glued them onto both seats and then primed them both using Badger Stynlrez Primer. Once dried, I used dark grey paint to drybrush the highlights onto the seat frames. I used various shades of Ammo paint to add in all the base colours, such as the seat cushions, harness and various placards and warnings. The final stage was to use oil paints to blended the finish together and further enhance the detail. This then lead me onto the canopy. I painted the photo-etch mirrors first, then masked off the canopy, primed it in black and then applied the Metallic Red. I let it cure, added a clear coat then glued the mirrors in place. The completed canopy could then be carefully fixed to the model, allowed to set and then the pitot glued in place to complete this very attractive project. ■

A final gloss coat finished the model.

FINAL VERDICT Kinetic have produced a fine model of this aircraft, and provide plenty of options My version did not use any of the pylons and supplied missiles, bombs or drop impressive once fully armed. It will be interesting to build the new Kittyhawk or this kit. I thoroughly enjoyed my build and look

in terms of markings and armament. tanks, but this aircraft will look Zvezda Yak-130 and compare them to forward to doing the next one now.

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 63

WE TAKE A DETAILED LOOK AT THE...

HONG KONG MODELS WRITTEN BY SPENCER POLLARD efore Christmas we discussed the impending release of a number of larger plastic kits, amongst them the subject of this month’s preview, Hong Kong Model’s 1:32 Avro Lancaster B.Mk.I. With the kit now to hand we can take a closer look at the contents of the box ready for a full series of builds later this year.

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In the Box It’s awfully big of course, and not just the kit itself, the suitcase-sized box that it arrives in commanding attention before the lid is lifted ready to examine the contents. Once you open the box though the sheer size and scale of the project that you are soon to face, becomes all the more apparent. Clear your bench and diary: this is one huge project to enjoy! Being one of the first kits to arrive, ours appears to be a ‘Limited Edition’ offering that also includes a bonus in the form of a clear

fuselage. I have reservations about this, but can see that it will be useful for those wanting to show of the kit’s interior, of which there is plenty! The inclusion of clear parts offers up several possibilities should you wish to use them, keeping one half entirely ‘clear’, or perhaps masking out specific areas to reveal the interior on the side of the model that is not the primary point of focus. Like I say, I have reservations about the validity of this feature, but it’s certainly noteworthy. Now, back to the kit... Though HKM make something of the fact that their kit is designed with all modellers in mind and that simplicity has been their aim from the off, this kit still includes 824 parts over 50+ runners, so don’t be fooled into believing that this is a weekend project. That’s not to say that the kit doesn’t include features designed to simplify the process slightly (the wings for instance are each moulded in large, hollow sections) but in the main, what you see is a

64 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

traditional kit, albeit one that’s very large! Work begins on the interior as you would expect, the cockpit being the first point of call. Detail here is well created and comprehensive, the bomb aimer’s, pilot’s and navigator’s stations all being present and in the main, correct. Along with the neatly-defined structural detail inside the fuselage halves, the cockpit and associated areas feature delicate structures and fittings that will repay careful painting and weathering. Careful examination of the smaller parts reveals further details and in some cases, such as the instrument panels, odd omissions, the instrument faces being entirely smooth with seemingly nothing in the way of decals to decorate each one. This was the first of what would be a few points of contention with this kit and its approach, leaving me to feel that some details had been rushed and thus compromised as a result. To offer the gauges as smooth shapes on an otherwise neat panel is one thing, to not offer

S LANCASTER B.MK.I a decal to complete the picture quite another. As with the seat straps that we will look at later, the aftermarket will no-doubt deal with this omission, but it nevertheless remains noteworthy for those looking for a complete picture from the box. Though the cockpit comprises a large number of small parts that combine to create the seats, instrument panels, tables and other paraphernalia, these sit on top of large and rather bland floors that do little to capture either the complexity or construction of the originals. Here you are presented with perhaps the clearest example of cost-cutting and simplification and though little of these pieces will be seen with the fuselage closed up, for the asking price I would have expected rather more complexity than that offered by HKM. Along with the plastic parts within the cockpit, the kit also includes a small fret of photo-etch that includes some seat straps. I have to say that much like the instrument faces, these are less than impressive, being flat and featureless, even careful painting being unlikely to elevate their appearance beyond the ordinary. It’s nice that they are there but they do little to replicate the complex belts found in the real aircraft and given the material of their manufacture, they will be hard use, difficult to paint and no-doubt difficult to place realistically. By the time that you get around to dealing with the interior of your build I am sure that aftermarket belts will be ready for sale, so I would suggest that they are used rather than those supplied in the box. Moving on from the cockpit, the instructions deviate slightly from what seems like a sensible constructional path to deal with the tailplanes and fins. Traditional in design and construction, these will be easy to build, the inclusion of separate control surfaces and rudders allowing options when it comes to the final set-up of the model. I was taken by the use of internal bracing struts that ensure that the fin and tailplane halves don’t compress and crack their joint during use. Similar notes apply to the mainplanes, though as mentioned earlier, their assembly is simplified slightly thanks to their astonishing method of moulding, huge, hollow parts being the order of the day. It also may well be worth mentioning at this point the quality of the surface detail, delicate panel lines and embossed rivets being HKM’s weapons of choice top replicate the Lancaster’s fuselage construction. How you feel about this depiction of the aircraft’s panelling and rivets will no doubt be a very personal thing, but there is no doubting the excellence of the mouldings and the surface

detail that decorates each part, that surface detail being some of the very best that I have ever seen in a plastic aircraft kit. As with the interior, the turrets are complex and thanks to the myriad parts that seemingly make up each one, likely to be time consuming to build and paint, especially when the glazing is a clear as it is in this kit and the interiors so visible as a result. Once again, HKM flex their muscles when it comes to the moulding of the various parts, the .303 gun-barrels featuring open muzzles and delicately incised cooling vents along their lengths. As mentioned, the glazing that sits atop each turret is incredibly clear, the same being said for the huge cockpit canopy. Along with the clarity of each piece, the framing is also noteworthy, each structural member being sharply defined without looking out of place. Though I’m sure that masking sets will be forthcoming, the frames are so well depicted that masking using more traditional methods will be relatively straightforward, if not quick to complete! In terms of construction the upper and nose turrets are split in two, the joints being along natural panel lines, the tail turret being a single piece that slides over the completed interior detail before the other gun barrels are carefully glued in place. Having dealt with the fuselage, the next main task is to assemble the wings, the engines/nacelles and the complex undercarriage. We’ve already dealt with the wings themselves in terms of their moulding, so we will leave that alone and move on to the engines. The kit includes four RR Merlin engines and their associated mounts. Scanning the instructions it would appear that you can mount the engines in place and then show off as many as you want thanks to the inclusion of separate cowling panels that can either be left off to taste, or glued in place to create a smooth nacelle. Detail around the engines is fine and well-moulded with almost 40 parts making up each one. Having seen the completed model at least year’s IPMS Scale Model World in Telford I couldn’t help but think that the engines looked a little under-detailed in terms of their finer features with only the basics in place and that was certainly confirmed with the kit to hand. What is supplied is certainly a worthy attempt at the Lancaster’s Merlin powerplants, but when

compared to Tamiya’s Mosquito for instance the finished engines look somewhat naked. Given the number of pipes and cables that are missing from each one, they will certainly benefit from additional work and the details that will result from those hours at the bench. Do that though, especially on more than one engine and the results will be more in keeping with the original and the scale in which it is being replicated by this kit. The interior of the inboard nacelles and their undercarriage bays, legs and wheels are similarly detailed, the basics being undoubtedly there. Once again though, they would benefit from additional pipework and other fixtures and fittings, the wheels and tyres looking particularly devoid of any fine detail. I understand the approach to this kit and that costs needed to be kept down, but it’s in places such as this that the effect is more akin to a high-end 1:48 kit than one offered in 1:32, with details that are depicted rather than fully realised. That’s not to say that what is supplied is poor, it isn’t, but there is a definite sense that with just a little additional time and effort the results could have been far more comprehensive and the resulting model, far more realistic. Having said that, if you are a modeller that’s happy to dish out for a kit such as this, you will not likely be one that cannot add what’s needed no matter how long it takes to do so. Honestly, I doubt that many will build this kit from the box... The final aspect of this kit that needs to be discussed is the bomb bay, its load of bombs and something that rather takes the shine off the kit: the number of ejector pin marks that need to be dealt with. The bomb-bay in a Lancaster is capacious and here that is well replicated with a full load of bombs, including a set of 500lb General Purpose bombs and a single 4000lb ‘Cookie’. As with the other finer details in this kit, you can’t help but admire the moulding and be a little less impressed by the detail. The Cookie for instance is little more than a bland tube that exhibits absolutely no surface features that point to its construction. Similarly, the smaller bombs are little more than basic shapes, rather than accurate depictions of the weapons carried by not only the Lancaster, but also other Allied aircraft of the period.

And then we move on to those ejector pin marks. Given HKM’s ability to mould extremely complex shapes almost to perfection, the appearance of so many ejector pin marks in so many almost impossible to deal with locations, was something of a shock. The upper ceiling of the bomb-bay for instance is peppered with them, these annoying blemishes appearing between the ribs, almost 40(!) being found on one single piece of the bay! The same problems affect not only the interior of the bay but also the inner bay doors, flap bay interiors, gear doors and interior surfaces and the inner bomb-bay walls. All in all, for a kit of this price and complexity, not a pretty picture. Though most of the pin marks within the bomb-bay will be hidden by the bombs, many will not so you will either have to live with them, or spend time carefully removing each one - a far from easy task. I’m really at a loss as to why this was not dealt with earlier and a decision taken to use additional tabs – a la Dragon – to deal with any issues that may have been needed during the moulding of the kit, that resulted in so many ejector pin marks being seen. The construction of the kit is completed with the completion of the propellers (standard and paddle blades being supplied in the box), the slotting of the wings into place, the flaps and then control surfaces on the main wings. Small aerials and other tiny features can then be added ready for the painting of the camouflage and add-on of the markings. The kit includes two options, the choices being as follows: ● Lancaster B.Mk.I - R5868/OL-Q, No. 83 Squadron, RAF Wyton, June 1943. ● Lancaster B.Mk.I - R5868/PO-S, No. 467 Squadron RAAF, RAF Waddington, May 1944. ● Lancaster B.Mk.I - W4783/AR-G, No. 460 Squadron RAAF, RAF Binbrook, May 1944. The decals, printed by Cartograf are superb as you might imagine, being comprehensive, well-printed and seemingly accurate in colour and design. No-doubt as this kit hits the shelves, options will be offered for the hundreds of Lancaster that flew during WWII, but in the meantime, these will be more than acceptable... ■

VERDICT This is a very impressive kit that will build up into a huge and commanding replica once complete. As mentioned, though much of what’s on offer is impressive, there are compromises and they rather take the gloss away from what could have been a stellar release. As it is, the modeller will be in for a long and involving project that will not only require them to construct the 800+ parts that the kit contains, but perhaps add to and correct some of the issues that we have mentioned. We will see just what is possible from this kit later in the year when John Wilkes embarks on his multi-part build feature. Thanks to HKM for the review sample looked at this month.

66 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

EW in the ‘HOW TO BUILD...’ series How to Build... TAMIYA’S 1:48 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MK.I

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When Tamiya released their 1:32 scale Spitfire Mk.IXc in 2009, they set a new standard for plastic model kits. As one of the most popular subjects in the history of scale modelling, we should not be surprised to find that Tamiya has now released an all-new Spitfire kit in 1:48 scale. Tamiya’s brand new 1:48 scale Spitfire Mk.I delivers innovative design, outstanding detail, an accurate outline and crisp, subtle surface textures. This model has nothing at all in common with their 1993 kit. Between these covers, we provide an exhaustive step-by-step illustrated guide to building Tamiya’s 1:48 scale Spitfire Mk.I straight from the box plus tips on painting and weathering. Plenty of inspiration is offered with two different configurations plus a conversion to the Photo Reconnaissance version with models by Brett Green and Marcus Nicholls. Also included are a walkaround of a surviving Spitfire Mk.I, a summary of other Spitfire Mk.I model kits available in 1:48 scale, a list of available accessories and decals plus a catalogue of helpful references.

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NEW RELEASE - KITS

NORTH AMERICAN MITCHELL MK.II Scale: 1:72/Italeri/Materials: IM/Kit No. 1415/Availability: All Good Model Shops/ Price: £17.50 nother new Airfix red box is now appearing in model shops, this time in the form of the North American Mitchell Mk.II This is essentially a re-release of Airfix’s earlier Mitchell B-25 C/D boxing, but none the poorer for it. The kit includes exactly the same sprues in the as the original release, with options for different engine exhausts and armament fits, employing clever engineering, such as using the engine nacelles as a jig to ensure correct alignment of the undercarriage legs. It’s a kit I would recommend to relative newcomers to the hobby, who already have a few kits under their belt, though the large clear canopies could be potentially tricky, as three clear parts have to be glued together in the nose area, but with a little care and patience it shouldn’t pose much of a problem. This latest release now comes with a new decal sheet enabling you to model either an aircraft of No. 180 Squadron RAF, flying out of Dunsfold circa 1943 with a Lion as its nose art (Nulli Secundus), or No. 305 Squadron (Polish) RAF flying out of Lasham (also circa 1943) with the familiar red and white checkerboard, or to be more accurate szachownica lotnicza, displayed. These new decals are rich in colour, look especially thin, well researched and perfectly in register, as we have come to expect from Airfix’s new releases. Looking at period photos of these aircraft, they became really dirty, really quickly, thus, this kit gives us a great canvas onto which we can apply a whole range of weathering techniques.

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VERDICT This kit really is an overlooked gem in Airfix’s catalogue, one which really deserves more credit, with sharp mouldings and great attention to detail. Each time this kit has been released it has been overshadowed by more popular subjects from the same manufacturer (this time being the new tool Hunte) which is a real shame, as this is really one of Airfix’s better kits. (Nigel Poole)

68 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS H145 POLICE SURVEILLANCE HELICOPTER Scale: 1:32/Revell/Materials: IM/Kit No. 04980/Availability: All Good Model Shops/Price: £29.99.

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et another large-scale helicopter from Revell, this time the H145 which is employed by lots of Police services around the world including the UK who run a mixed fleet of these and the EC135. The base kit was originally released in 2005 in the H145’s military form, but those original parts which remain are hard to differentiate from the newly added parts, all of which are crisp and flash free. The FLIR unit, data link pod, monitor screens and all the other police specific equipment is faithfully reproduced, matching that seen when I flew in my forces helicopter - albeit a EC135 but with similar surveillance equipment fitted. This opens up the possibility of building the Revell EC135, using all the police specific equipment from this kit, should you wish. The Decal sheet is vast, covering items such as the fabric pattern for the seats and the paintwork around the area of the Fenestron unit. The decal for the image displayed upon the air observer’s screen, from the FLIR camera is particularly good (with a quick flight of my drone, some work in photoshop and I’m sure I can have a FLIR image of my house on that screen!). One airframe option is catered for on the decal shee, that being the Police Helicopter squadron in Stuttgart, Germany, which is a stunning livery in silver and blue that’s guaranteed to stand out in any display case.

VERDICT A little something different: not military, yet not really civilian either, with an eyecatching paint scheme. I bet it won’t be long until the aftermarket decal companies start producing sheets for the UK based, National Police Air Service (NPAS) aircraft. (Nigel Poole)

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 69

NEW RELEASE - KITS

EC135 HEERESFLIEGER/GERM. ARMY AVIATION. Scale: 1:32/ Revell/ Materials: IM/ Kit No. 04982/ Availability: All Good Model Shops/ Price: £29.99.

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roduced by Airbus. The Eurocopter 135 is currently employed by over 300 organisations, military and civilian, in 30 different countries. So, it’s safe to say that there will be at least one colour scheme you’ll like! This kit was originally released in 2013 under a civilian guise, and Revell has now added new sprues, allowing us to model the military version of the EC135. With a high a part count (260 parts), and fine intricate detail, I would not suggest this will

be an easy kit and Revell themselves market it as level 5, bearing in mind they only have five levels! The kit employs both raised and recessed details over the large fuselage, which is most welcome when building these larger scale kits, adding to the level of authenticity we strive for. On closer inspection of the parts I could find no sink marks at all, with the large clear cockpit canopy being free from any flaws or distortions. In fact, it’s hard to believe that the original moulds are now 6 years old, such are the quality of the parts!

The decal sheet offers us two airframes, both flown by the German Army out of Buckeburg in 2018, the only difference between the two aircraft being the serial number on the tail. The green and black paint scheme gives this helicopter a menacingly broody look. The sheet includes decals for the cockpit instrumentation, which are of the new digital style screens. It is amazing, just how much detail they have packed onto this small sheet.

VERDICT Well-executed, large, detailed and at an affordable price: what’s not to like? Any chance of releasing it in the Police version Mr. Revell? (Nigel Poole)

RENARD R-31 Scale: 1:72/Azur-FRROM/Materials: IM, PE/Kit No. FR0039/Availability: Hannants, £21.60 ew releases from Azur-FRROM are always welcome, particularly as they tend to cover some of the more leftof-field subjects that aren’t covered by mainstream manufacturers. Certainly it’s the case here with a fine model of the very attractive Renard R-31, the only Belgian designed aircraft used by the Belgian Air Force during the German invasion in 1940. This surprisingly large two-seater aircraft which, possibly due to its Rolls Royce Kestrel engine, looks in parts remarkably like a Hawker Fury, but there the similarity ends due to its characteristic parasol wing. The model is contained on a couple of frames of dark grey plastic. Don’t be put off by the tag “limited run” because, apart from the lack of locating pins the moulding quality is very good, and previous experience with these kits has shown there to be little problem with the fit of parts. The surface detail is up to current expectations, and the inclusion of a small photo-etch fret means that items such as the Browning gun, should it be used can be considerably enhanced. There is a well-appointed cockpit, again supplemented by the inclusion of photo-etched seat straps, and apart from further small parts on the fret to add to the airframe,

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one is struck by the relative simplicity of the kit’s construction. The large Parasol wing is only supported at one point in front of the cockpit so apart from adding the large wing struts there is nothing daunting here, particularly with no rigging. Some small improvements could be made though, such as drilling out the exhausts, and possibly separating the ailerons, elevator and rudder should you wish. There are a few strengthening wires between the undercarriage which can be seen in reference photos that could be added, not a particularly difficult task. Markings for three options are provided, two for the similarly marked “Red Sioux” and “Blue Sioux” squadrons finished in green and silver dope, whilst a third is a training aircraft mainly in silver with the upper decking in green. The decals are crisply detailed and in perfect register, though it’s difficult to tell if they are opaque enough to prevent lighter areas darkening over the green paint. A painting challenge comes in the form of trying to achieve the turned effect on the metal engine panels, again, visible on reference photos of the aircraft. No easy answer here as each time I’ve tried I’ve used different approaches such as using oil colour, metallic markers, and soft graphite pencil.

VERDICT All in all then a very nice model of a very attractive airplane that is every inch an archetypal thirties silver wing aircraft. Our thanks go to Azur FRROM for the review sample. (Haris Ali)

70 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

VIRIBUS UNITIS ALBATROS D.III OEFFAG 153/253 Scale: 1:48/ Eduard, The Czech Republic /Materials: IM, PE/ Kit No. 11124/Availability: Eduard, 895 Kč

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ow here’s a lovely package! It’s hard to believe that Eduard’s Oeffag Albatros series first appeared around eight years ago, and as part of their re-release programme they have put together a “Tribute to the old monarchy” in the form of two Oeffag Albatros D.III kits. Each set of parts covers both the 153 and 253 series, supplemented by two sets of photo-etch for each model, allowing for one of each of the types to be built, supplemented by a set of masks and enough decal options for nine AustroHungarian aircraft. The box itself is impressive, with an excellent rendering of one of Brumowski’s famous all-red aircraft alongside one piloted by the equally famous Friedrich Navratil, supported by suitable Austro-Hungarian heraldry on a period map of Austria Hungary. Bravo Eduard - that should be enough to pull you in! The model is a good one, the dark grey parts cleanly moulded with great surface detail, the rivets on the plywood panels perhaps a little obvious but they do look right when painted. The same could be said for the accentuated rib detail, a feature of Eduard’s recent WWI offerings which you will either love or hate. Personally I find them a little too exaggerated, but not as bad as those seen on the Siemens Schuckert D.III or the S.E.5a, though even here they still look okay and if the really bug you, they can be sanded down a little. The two marques were characterised by different Austro-Daimler engines of increased power as development progressed, and indeed, both the engine and cockpit area are excellent with plenty of supplementary photo-etch parts. Both distinctive snub nose and conventional conical nose parts are supplied, plus alternative ailerons to accommodate the options provided, though there are other unused parts that will cover other options if you have alternative decals, such as those 253 aircraft that had armament mounted on top of the fuselage. The decals are well up to Eduard’s usual quality, and with Austro-Hungarian aircraft equally as distinctive as their German counterparts, there being plenty of colourful options to choose from amongst the nine offered here. These are spread across two sheets, complete with a mass of stencils, and should you wish to make further use of the unused ones you can buy an ‘Overtrees’ set (8241X, 225 Kč), plus supplementary photo-etch sets (8241-LEPT, 195Kč for the 153, and 8242-LEPT, also 195Kč for the 253) from Eduard. Many of the options will be familiar to WWI modellers but they’re all so attractive and for me, it really is one of those aircraft that just begs to be built over and over again as there are so many possibilities.

VERDICT I think you may sense my enthusiasm for this subject, and one thing is for sure, come a period when I have more time on my hands, I’m really looking forward to making inroads into my stash of WWI Eduard kits, and you can be pretty sure my six Oeffag Albatros’ will be at the top of the list, that’s if they haven’t already been completed! This is a very nice pair of kits and they come highly recommended. Our thanks go to Eduard for the review sample. (Haris Ali)

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 71

NEW RELEASES - ACCESSORIES

BARRACUDACAST www.barracudacals.com

BR32357 FW 190A-1 THRU A-5 MAINWHEELS

BR32358 FW 190A-6 THRU A-9, F, D MAINWHEELS - RIBBED

BR32359 FW 190A-6 THRU A-9, F, D MAINWHEELS - SMOOTH

Designed For: Hasegawa & PCM Material: Resin Price Guide: $9.95

Designed For: Hasegawa & Revell Material: Resin Price Guide: $9.95

Designed For: Hasegawa & Revell Material: Resin Price Guide: $9.95

This set contains two accurate resin mainwheels with ribbed tires, separate six holed wheel hubs to represent the correct hollow look under the hubcap, and detailed tire logo and data. This wheel was fitted to all Fw 190A-1 to A-5, and some early A-6s. For the Hasegawa or PCM kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

Consists of accurate resin mainwheels with ribbed tires, solid wheel hubs and detailed, readable tire logo and tire data. A simple to install upgrade for your Hasegawa or Revell Fw 190A/F and all Dora series kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

Consists of accurate resin mainwheels with smooth tires, solid wheel hubs and detailed, readable tire logo and tire data. A simple to install upgrade for your Hasegawa or Revell Fw 190A/F and all Dora series kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

BR32380 P-51 MUSTANG DIAMOND TREAD MAINWHEELS

BR32381 P-51 MUSTANG BLOCK TREAD MAINWHEELS

BR48343 SEA FURY MAINWHEELS DIAMOND TREAD

Designed For: Revell Material: Resin Price Guide: $8.95

Designed For: Revell Material: Resin Price Guide: $8.95

Designed For: Airfix Material: Resin Price Guide: $6.95

Replace the kit mainwheels with these superb resin wheels that feature accurate diamond tread pattern and detailed hubs. Real P-51 wheels have seethrough hubs, and you can easily open the slots and holes on these wheels by cutting away the thin flash, resulting in a very prototypical look. Designed for the 1:32 Revell new-tool P-51D, but will also work for 1:32 P-51s of all types from Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Dragon, Hobbycraft or Monogram. Easy and quick to install. Order both styles and you can display your model with mismatched tires, a common occurrence on P-51s in the field. Master Patterns by Master Mike and Roy Sutherland

Replace the kit mainwheels with these superb resin wheels that feature accurate staggered block tread pattern and detailed hubs. Real P-51 wheels have see-through hubs, and you can easily open the slots and holes on these wheels by cutting away the thin flash, resulting in a very prototypical look. Designed for the 1/32 Revell new-tool P-51D, but will also work for 1:32 P-51s of all types from Hasegawa, Trumpeter, Dragon, Hobbycraft or Monogram. Easy and quick to install. Order both styles and you can display your model with mismatched tires, a common occurrence on P-51s in the field. Master Patterns by Master Mike and Roy Sutherland

This set consists of a pair of Sea Fury mainwheels with diamond tread, a very common tread pattern for earlier Sea Furies, and could be found on Sea Furies throughout it’s service life. The hubs are beautifully detailed and the tyres are complete with fine beading and readable tire data. Separate centre hub nuts are supplied in 2 types, with and without uplocks. The tyres are the correct smaller diameter. This wheel is for Sea Fury only. Tempest and Firefly wheels are larger, and also available from us. A real detail upgrade for the Airfix kit. Simple to install! Can also be fitted to the 1:48th Sea Furies from Falcon, AMG, Hobbycraft and Trumpeter. Patterns by Mike O’Hare.

72 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

BR32357 FW 190A-1 THRU A-5 MAINWHEELS

BR48344 SEA FURY MAINWHEELS - BLOCK TREAD

BR48356 FW 190A-1 THRU A-5 MAINWHEELS

Designed For: Hasegawa & PCM Material: Resin Price Guide: $9.95

Designed For: Airfix Material: Resin Price Guide: $6.95

Designed For:Hasegawa, Tamiya & Eduard Material: Resin Price Guide: $7.95

This set contains two accurate resin mainwheels with ribbed tires, separate six holed wheel hubs to represent the correct hollow look under the hubcap, and detailed tire logo and data. This wheel was fitted to all Fw 190A-1 to A-5, and some early A-6s. For the Hasegawa or PCM kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

This set consists of a pair of Sea Fury mainwheels with diamond tread, a very common tread pattern for earlier Sea Furies, and could be found on Sea Furies throughout it’s service life. The hubs are beautifully detailed and the tyres are complete with fine beading and readable tire data. Separate centre hub nuts are supplied in 2 types, with and without up-locks. The tyres are the correct smaller diameter. This wheel is for Sea Fury only. Tempest and Firefly wheels are larger, and also available from us. A real detail upgrade for the Airfix kit. Simple to install! Can also be fitted to the 1:48th Sea Furies from Falcon, AMG, Hobbycraft and Trumpeter. Patterns by Mike O’Hare.

This set contains two accurate resin mainwheels with ribbed tires, separate six holed wheel hubs to represent the correct hollow look under the hubcap, and detailed tire logo and data. This wheel was fitted to all Fw 190A-1 to A-5, and some early A-6s. For Hasegawa, Tamiya and Eduard early Fw-190A kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

BR48387 BF 109G WHEELS - RIBBED HUB, RIBBED TIRE

BR48388 BF 109G WHEELS - RIBBED HUB, SMOOTH TIRE

Designed For: Universal Material: Resin Price Guide: $7.95

Designed For: Universal Material: Resin Price Guide: $7.95

Superdetailed, properly sized and proportioned resin mainwheels as fitted to the Bf 109G-5 through G-14 series aircraft. A easy upgrade for the Eduard, Zvezda, Hasegawa, Tamiya, Otaki and other 1:48 Gustav kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

Super detailed, properly sized and proportioned resin mainwheels as fitted to the Bf 109G-5 through G-14 series aircraft. A easy upgrade for the Eduard, Zvezda, Hasegawa, Tamiya, Otaki and other 1:48 Gustav kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 73

NEW RELEASES - ACCESSORIES

AVAILABLE FROM DOOLITTLE MEDIA

BARRACUDACAST www.barracudacals.com

BR48389 BF 109G WHEELS - PLAIN HUB, RIBBED TIRE

BR48390 BF 109G WHEELS - PLAIN HUB, SMOOTH TIRE

Designed For: Universal Material: Resin Price Guide: $7.95

Designed For: Universal Material: Resin Price Guide: $7.95

Super detailed, properly sized and proportioned resin mainwheels as fitted to the Bf 109G-5 through G-14 series aircraft. A easy upgrade for the Eduard, Zvezda, Hasegawa, Tamiya, Otaki and other 1:48 Gustav kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

Super detailed, properly sized and proportioned resin mainwheels as fitted to the Bf 109G-5 through G-14 series aircraft. A easy upgrade for the Eduard, Zvezda, Hasegawa, Tamiya, Otaki and other 1:48 Gustav kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

BR48391 BF 109G10 AND Bf 109K-4 MAINWHEELS

BR72353 FW 190A-1 THRU A-5 MAINWHEELS

Designed For: Universal Material: Resin Price Guide: $7.95

Designed For: Hasegawa, Tamiya & Eduard Material: Resin Price Guide: $4.95

Super detailed, accurate resin mainwheels as fitted to many 109G-10 and all K-4 aircraft. these are the wheels with wider tires that necessitate the large wide wheel fairing on the upperwings of later G-10s and all K-4s. Also fitted as mainwheels to the He-162. For Eduard, Hasegawa, Revell, and Fujimi kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

This set contains two accurate resin mainwheels with ribbed tires, separate six holed wheel hubs to represent the correct hollow look under the hubcap, and detailed tire logo and data. This wheel was fitted to all Fw 190A-1 to A-5, and some early A-6s. For Hasegawa, Tamiya and Eduard early Fw190A kits. Designed by Gunnar Jansson.

www.doolittlemedia.com

www.doolittlemedia.com

www.doolittlemedia.com 74 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

NEW FROM DOOLITTLE MEDIA

The Modeller’s Guide Superdetailing, Painting and Weathering Aircraft of WWII, with airfield accessories, ordnance and diorama

Aleksandar Pocuc SCALE MODELLING: A LOVE STORY READY TO ASSEMBLE

‘

TOOLS AND MATERIALS TECHNIQUES BUILDING THE AIRCRAFT ■ SPITFIRE MK. IXC ■ P-47D THUNDERBOLT ■ JU-87D ‘STUKA’ MAKING A DIORAMA

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Modeller’s guide to superdetailing, painting and weathering aircraft of WWII’ book is intended for both beginners and advanced modellers as it covers wide variety of modelling tasks ranging from basic detailing, scratch-building, painting, weathering, machining custom parts using resin as well as scratch-building part from brass and aluminium and of course, diorama making. Basics about tools, paints and modelling materials have been covered as well. The book revolves around three subjects, P-47D Razorback, Spitfire Mk.IXc and Junkers Ju-87D Stuka, all in 32nd scale. Step by step concept will provide a good reference and ideas to all WWII aircraft modellers regardless of their experience.

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DOOLITTLE MEDIA, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX. United Kingdon. TEL: +44(0)1525 222573. FAX: +44(0)1525 222574. ONLINE: www.adhbooks.com

WWW.MODELAIRPLANEINTERNATION MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL

BACK ISSUES £4.75 each

Issue 163- February 2019

Issue 162- January 2019

Issue 161- December 2018

Issue 160- November 2018

Issue 159- October 2018

Issue 158- September 2018

W. www.doolittlemedia.com

E. [email protected]

T. +44 (0) 1525 222573

NAL.COM

ALSO AVIALABLE FROM DOOLITTLE MEDIA: www.doolittlemedia.com

JOIN THE ELECTRONIC

REVOLUTION Enjoy Flying Scale Models on your iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet PC. Visit the App Store or Google Play and search for “Flying Scale Models” or visit PocketMags.com to purchase single issues and subscriptions to read on your device or PC.

Doolittle Media Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, Great Britain

EVENTS DIARY Model shows for 2019

February 24th 2019

March 16th 2019

South Cheshire Militaire to be held at Malbank 6th Form College, Malbank 6th Form College Nantwich, CW5 5HD. IPMS South Cheshire Military Modelling Club’s 35th Annual Universal Model Show will see 100+ Exhibitors showcasing the very best of modelling across many different genres Military models, sci-fi & fantasy, wargaming, train layouts, R/C, boats & aircraft, wartime dioramas best in show competition, traders, buy & sell stand, star wars characters, military vehicle display, hot food & refreshments, plus much more. Free parking! Great day out! Admission: Adults £3.50, children & concessions £1.50 Contact: South Cheshire Militaire: Steve Morris. Tel: 07807722582. Email: [email protected] Website: www.scmmc.co.uk

Southern Expo 2019 to be held at Hornchurch Sports Centre, Hornchurch Sports Centre, Harrow Lodge Park Hornchurch Road, Hornchurch, Essex RM11 1JU. 10am to 5pm Saturday & 10am to 4pm Sunday Entry: Adults £3.00, Children £1 & Senior Citizens £2 Open Competition (Sunday only) – the Senior competition is being sponsored by Models For Sale (www.modelsforsale.com). Contact Pete Bagshaw. Tel: 01708 726102. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.southernexpo.co.uk/

March 23rd 2019 Yeovil Model Show 2019 to be held at Bucklers Mead Academy, Bucklers Mead Academy, 1 St Johns Road, Yeovil, BA21 4NH. 1000’s of the best models from the southwest on display including aircraft, cars, military, ships, tanks, motorbikes, figures, boats, railway, busts, sci-fi & fantasy painting, gaming and airbrushing demonstrations. Large selection of trade stands selling kits, paints,

78 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - March 2019

brushes, glues, tools, accessories, books. Disabled Access. Hot and Cold Refreshments. Free Parking. Free children’s activities. Please note there are two entrances, BA21 4NH and BA21 4FE. Contact Ken Bugler. Tel: 07759 137000. Email: [email protected]

May 19th 2019 East Midlands Model Show 2019 to be held at The Leisure Centre, Hinckley, The Leisure Centre, Argents Mead, Hinckley, LE10 1BZ. The 29th Annual Show for the East Mids Model Club Show. £4.00/Adults, £1.50/Child/Conc, £9.00/Family ticket. Prices held for the 4th year. See the web page for more details and updates. Contact: Jon Arnold, East Midlands Model Club. Tel: 07931 338498. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.eastmidsmodelclub.co.uk

May 25th 2019 IPMS Torbay and South Devon Model Show to be held at Torquay Town Hall, Torquay Town Hall, Castle Circus Torquay, Devon, TQ1 3DR. Exhibitions, club displays, competitions, trade stalls. Admission: adults £2.50, over 65s £1.50, under 13’s: £1.00, family: £5.00. Contact: IPMS Torbay & South Devon. Email: [email protected]. Website: www.ipmstorbay.com

August 11th 2019 Boscombe Down Aviation Collection to hold their Fourth Model Show in Hangar 1, Old Sarum Airfield, Old Sarum, Salisbury, SP4 6DZ. Displays by model clubs across the region along with trade stands and other displays. Entry includes the model show and museum, as well as the experience of sitting in a fast jet cockpit! www.boscombedownaviationcollection.co.uk

✆

CONTACTS

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Contact details for companies featured in MAI this month... Azur/Frrom **See Special Hobby Ltd** Albion Alloys 518 Wallisdown Rd, Bournemouth, Dorset BH11 8PT www.albionhobbies.com Tel. 0044 1202 511232 Fax. 0044 1202 539967 Creative Models Ltd Creative Models Ltd, Unit 6-10 Ind Est, Chatteris, PE16 6TG Tel: +44 (0)1354 760022 Fax: +44 (0)1354 760037 www.creativemodels.co.uk Eduard M.A., 170 Obrnice, Obrnice, 435 21, Czech Republic Tel: 420 35 6 11 81 86 Fax: 420 35 6 11 81 71 Email: [email protected] Hannants Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 3LZ Tel: 01502 517444 Fax: 01502 500521 www.hannants.co.uk

Hasegawa Corporation, 3-1-2 Yagusu Yaizu, Shizuoka 425-8711, Japan Tel: 81 54 6 28 82 41 Fax: 81 54 6 27 80 46 Historie & Collections 5 avenue de la Ræpublique F-75541, Paris Cédex 11 Tel: 01 40 21 18 20 Fax: 01 47 00 51 11 www.historieetcollections.fr The Hobby Company Limited Garforth Place, Knowlhill, Milton Keynes MK5 8PH Tel: 01908 605 686 Fax: 01908 605 666 Email: [email protected] or [email protected] www.hobbyco.net ICM Holding Borispolskaya 9, Building 64, Kiev 02099, Ukraine Tel/Fax: (+380 44) 369 54 12 Email: [email protected]

Italeri S.p.A Via Pradazzo 6/B, I-40012 Calderara di Reno, (Bologna), Italy Tel: +39 051 72 60 37 Fax: +39 051 72 64 59 Email: [email protected]

Mushroom Model Publications 3 Gloucester Close, Petersfield, Hants. GU32 3AX Tel: +44 (1)1730 265014 Email: [email protected] www.mmpbooks.biz

Lela Presse S.A.R.L. 29, rue Paul Bert, 62230 Outreau, France. Tel: 03 21 33 88 96 Fax: 03 21 32 00 39 www.avions-bateaux.com. Email: [email protected]. MARK I Ltd. PO Box 10, CZ-100 31 Prague 10 – Strasnice, Czech Republic Tel: +420-241 765 158 Fax: +420-241 765 158 Email: [email protected] Master Model 71-126 Szczecin, ul. 26 Kwietnia 49/44, Poland Tel: +48 0 503 072 624 Email: [email protected] www.master-model.pl

Pocketbond Ltd. POCKETBOND Bachmann Europe PLC, Moat Way Barwell, Leics LE9 8EY Tel 01455 841756 [email protected] Revell GmbH Unit 10, Old Airfield Industrial Estate, Cheddington Lane, Tring HP23 4QR Tel: 0845-459-0747 Fax: 01296-660041 Email: [email protected] www.revell.de/en Revell GmbH & Co., KG Abteilung X, Henschelstr 20-30, D-32257 Bünde, Germany

Special Hobby Ltd Mezilesi 718, Prague 9 193 00, Czech Republic www.cmkkits.com Wydawnictwo Stratus s.c. PO Box 123, 27-600 Sandomierz 1, Poland Tel: 0-15 833 30 41 Email: [email protected] www.stratusbooks.com.pl Trumpeter Wa San Development (Macau) Ltd Rampa Dos Cavleiros No.9, Block 5, Floor 16, Flat AS EDF, Jardim Sun Yick Garden, Macaua, China www.trumpeter.com Wingnut Wings Ltd PO Box 15-319, Miramar, Wellington 6022, New Zealand www.wingnutwings.com

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 79

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SO WHAT’S PLANNED FOR THE NEXT ISSUE?

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NEXT ISSUE

ubscrib S e ay SEE PA GE

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E FOR EMIL 2.0

Mike Williams enjoy’s Eduard’s 1:48 L-29 Delfin

Chris McDowell takes a detailed look at Eduard’s Messerschmitt Me Bf109E-3 ‘Profipack’

A BIT OF INSPIRATION – RAF PHANTOM FGR.2S Glenn Sands remembers the incredible Phantom in RAF service, ready for a full build of the Airfix 1:72 kit next month…

Issue 164 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 81

FINAL THOUGHTS

HOW OLD BOOKS CAN OFFER NEW INFORMATION… hough model making to me is fundamentally about the building and painting of models, I am just as interested in its history. Because of this, I have over the years bought a huge number of classic (some would say old…) modelling books and magazines in the hope that I can be just as clued-up on where the hobby and industry came from, as much as can be on where it is going. A chance purchase at the Bolton Model Show of a book published in 1974, provided one such nugget of surprising information… In Chris Ellis’ aircraft modelling title published in 1974 “How To Make Model Aircraft”, he discusses Revell’s 1:32 Harrier instructions. Within that little passage, Chris includes part of the instructions that show off Pactra paint codes, using this to illustrate how detailed and complete the instructions are. Though this is interesting in itself what is perhaps more intriguing is that most of the Pactra codes included on the sheet match exactly, Tamiya’s paint numbers and colours used today. The only exceptions within the list of 7 colours used being X-9, which today is Gloss Brown and not Aircraft Grey, and XF-51 which, rather than

T

being ‘Olive’, is ‘Khaki’ within Tamiya’s range. Here is the list and how it compares to Tamiya’s current range - see what you think… PACTRA COLOURS ● XF-1 Flat Black ● X-2 Gloss White ● X-5 Leaf Green ● X-9 Aircraft Grey ● X-11 Silver ● XF-51 Flat Dark Olive ● XF-56 Flat Metallic Grey

TAMIYA COLOURS ● XF-1 Flat Black ● X-2 Gloss White ● X-5 Flat Green ● X-9 Gloss Brown ● X-11 Chrome Silver ● XF-51 Khaki Drab ● XF-56 Metallic Grey

I wonder if these were the only ones, or if as I suspect, there are more matches between the two ranges? Perhaps I need to carry out further research and get back to you… Fascinating, eh? See you next time. ■

“Though this is interesting in itself what is perhaps more intriguing is that most of the Pactra codes included on the sheet match exactly, Tamiya’s paint numbers and colours used today.”

82 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - February 2019

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