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  1. My second entry will be this. It contains markings for 2 tanks both of which seem to be for the Gulf War(s) but gives no info as to location, date etc. The kit does not have the various "add-on" armour packages that later became a standard fitting I believe, particularly when used for urban fighting. Pete
  2. This is the Revell re-boxing of the Preiser set, with some figures omitted.
  3. C-54D Skymaster (05652) 75th Anniversary Berliner Luftbrücke Airlift 1:72 Carrera Revell After the DC-3, Douglas began working on a design for group of major airline companies that was designated the DC-4, but it wasn’t quite to their liking, being less reliable and uneconomical than they would have liked, resulting in a design with a smaller airframe to meet their needs. War intervened, and the balance of the contract was taken up by the military under the name C-54 Skymaster, where it was used to transport cargo and personnel, with many variants with specific tasks such as Air Sea Rescue. The aircraft served throughout the war, and well into post-war through Korea, plus with many civilian operators, some of which flew into the 90s. There are still a few around at time of writing in museums and such. After the end of WWII and the former capital of Hitler’s Reich was split between the four main Allied powers, despite being located well behind the border of what became the Russian sector of Germany, which eventually became known as East Germany, or the German Democratic Republic. The Soviet Union quickly transitioned from Allies to enemy due to mutual distrust, which signified the beginning of the Cold War that dragged on until the early 90s. A land corridor was used by the Western Allies to supply their sector of Berlin, but this was blockaded by the Soviets in the summer of 1948, who generously offered to remove it if the Allies withdrew the newly introduced Deutschmark from the Allied occupied sectors. The Allies weren’t willing to give in to their demands however, and plans were made to supply Berlin by air, in the hope that the Soviets wouldn’t dare shoot down unarmed transport aircraft. They were right, and for the next fifteen months, the seemingly impossible task of supplying the city was accomplished by the Allies, with the C-54 involved, with around 330 airframes taking part. The airlift wasn’t without cost however, and over 100 pilots and crew died in accidents relating to operation of the airlift, several of them crews of Skymasters. The success of the operation became more embarrassing for the Soviets as the months rolled by, and eventually they lifted the blockade of their own volition, but the Allies carried on supply by air for some time after, in case the Soviets had it in mind to reestablish it, which had extended to road, rail and even canal transport. Berliners were extremely grateful, and there remains a Historical Foundation that maintains a museum to commemorate the actions of their former enemies, and they have a C-54 as one of their exhibits. The Kit To remember the 75th anniversary of the airlift, Revell have re-released their 2016 tooling of the C- 54D in a new box that includes four paints, a bottle of Contacta Professional glue and a #2 paint brush, plus a small bag of ten laser-cut plywood boxes to act as cargo for the model, all enclosed in a vastly over-sized top-opening box. There are also fourteen sprues of light grey styrene, a clear sprue, large decal sheet and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour and has painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages. This is a modern tooling, and has plenty of detail in the cockpit, interior and gear bays, although the flying surfaces are joined to the airframe with T-shaped hinges that seem to be a throwback to an earlier time when models were also intended as play-things. If left mobile, drooping ailerons on both sides would be indicative of a control failure, so it might be a good idea to apply a little glue to freeze the controls in a manner to your liking. Construction begins with the nose gear bay for a change, building the two sides on the roof panel, which is also the floor of the cockpit, flipping it over to install the instrument panel with moulded-in centre console and a forward bulkhead, applying a decal to the panel after painting. A detail insert finishes off the console with moulded in throttle quadrants and other controls, plus a triangular coaming that joins the panel and bulkhead together. Both pilots get an L-shaped control column with separate yoke, handed toward the centre, and a trim wheel on each side of the central console, then their seats are made from two-part seat cushions with moulded-in four-point harnesses, while the third crew member has lap belts only. The pilots’ seats are then mounted on a two-part frame and fitted to the rails moulded into the cockpit floor, painting everything as you go. A bulkhead with a doorway is detailed with five parts and has two decals to add detail, then it is mounted on the front of the passenger/load compartment floor, which has some nice detail moulded into its surface. The bulkhead for the rear of the radio/engineering compartment is also detailed with four parts plus the third seat, and is fixed into the slot in the floor to create the space, with a scrap diagram showing how the detail parts should link to two bulkheads together. More detail is added in the shape of a short corridor and section of wall to deepen the bulkhead on both sides, one of which has a fire extinguisher moulded-in. Two cots insert into the right side of the bulkhead on tabs, and are locked in place at the other end by another bulkhead with separate door that can be posed open or closed, adding a roof section over the top between the bulkheads. Two runs of five canvas and webbing seats are made from two parts each, and placed in the load area just behind the bulkheads, enclosing the space with two inserts that have tons of ribbing detail moulded into them, with the option to cut out the side load door, which is marked out on the outside of the part. The rear bulkhead is stepped and closes the rear of the fuselage interior, and the cockpit with nose gear bay is glued to the front bulkhead, completing most of the work on the interior details. The nose gear strut is a complex affair made from seven parts and is inserted into the bay, the drawing for which has one wall rendered invisible to aid location of the assembly. The fuselage halves are fitted with portholes on a long clear carrier, painting the cockpit area in green, then detail-painting the equipment boxes and cutting out the half-circles over the cockpit that will later receive an astrodome. A set of flashed-over holes under the belly are also opened at this stage, and you have the option of posing the crew hatch open on the starboard side of the nose, then repeating the process on the port fuselage half, which has a few more individual portholes. The interior is glued into the starboard fuselage half, and you are instructed to add 60g of weight into the spaces in and around the nose where it won’t be seen, then a pair of curved spacers are mounted under the main floor, and an insert is put in place where the side cargo door is located. The fuselage can then be closed, at which point you realise this is quite a large model, even at 1:72. The lower wings are long and slender, and are moulded as a full-span part, with the main gear bays moulded into the inner engine nacelles, painting the interior in green, and removing the short length of sprue that supports the part during moulding and transport. Each of the four nacelles are closed at the front by circular engine mounts, being careful to arrange them correctly so that the exhaust outlets are on the outer sides. The inner nacelles have bulkheads inserted behind the new parts, fitting another to the rear of the bays, and inserting a roof segment into the rear, all of which is painted in interior green. The flaps can be posed deployed, or “cleaned-up” for flight, and if you wish to deploy them, you will need to remove the portions marked in grey on the lower wing, as per the accompanying diagram, inserting flap bay wall inserts into the space, then closing the wings with two upper halves. The prominent intakes and their fairings on the top of each nacelle are each built from front and rear parts, and glued into recesses moulded into the upper nacelles, then the wings can be mated to the fuselage, adding inserts onto the nacelle sides for the exhausts. The flap bays are extended by adding an insert with the flap mechanism, fitting another inboard after removing a small portion of the base on both sides. The rudder fin is moulded to the fuselage, and has two T-shaped hinge-points moulded-in, onto which the two rudder panel sides are glued, giving the option of leaving the rudder mobile. The elevator fins are each made from two halves, and slot into the tail, with the flying surfaces glued around them in the same manner as the rudder. The intakes under the nacelles are completed with a lip, and an outlet at the rear, fitting the exhaust collector rings around the nacelle bulkhead for each of the four engines, which are next on the menu. The rear bank of pistons have a two-part push-rods and intakes added to the rear, trapping the axle between the two portions, with the front bank glued in place after sliding it over the axle, and finishing off the motor with the bulkhead, magnetos and push-rods moulded as one part. With all four engines complete, the cowlings are made from the cylindrical section that is moulded as one part, plus a choice of open or closed cooling gills at the rear. The engines slot into position in the cowlings on guides, and a scrap diagram shows the correct location. The assemblies are then glued to the nacelles on T-shaped pegs that match recesses on the firewall bulkhead, and they are completed by adding a choice of two styles of exhausts into the exit holes. It's not made abundantly clear to the hard-of-thinking (aka me) that the gear can be depicted raised for flight, so it’s good to know in advance to save you from gluing the nose gear into position before you get to the steps that deal with the landing gear. The nose wheel is made up first, and there are three styles, one for each of the decal options, as shown by the instruction steps that are mentioned at the bottom of each diagram. Two types are made from two halves, while the third is built from two halves plus a centre insert that will be seen through the spokes. To build a model with gear up, the nose bay is covered with a single lozenge-shaped door part with an engraved panel line down the centre, while the gear down option requires them to be cut in half down the panel line. Your choice of nose gear wheel is flex-fitted between the halves of the yokes, so can remain mobile, unless you intend to file a flat-spot to portray the weight of the airframe, in which case a dab of glue will suffice to keep it in position. The main gear legs are built from the strut and a chunky Y-shaped retraction jack, that has three additional parts linked to the upper portion, adding hubs to the cross-axle at the bottom end, which differ depending on which set of wheels you are using, as there are three again. Before installing them, a separate scissor-link is fitted to recesses in the front of the strut, then the three types of wheels are built, one with a separate hub that is inserted into one side of the two-part wheel, the other two made from halves, with a small hub cap on the outer face. In addition, there are twin brake hoses fitted to the front of the struts, with one end fitting into recesses in the hubs, adding a small triangular part between them, and a Y-shaped strut into the bay, plus a small antenna under the nacelle. Two actuators are added either side of the main wheel strut, and these open and close the main bay doors, which are cut from the single part that is used for the in-flight option. The remainder of the bay door part is also cut into three, and two mount on studs at the base of the strut, and the other at the front. For the gear-up option, the bay door part is used without cutting and is simply glued into the cut-out. Back to the flaps. To lower the flaps, two parts per wing are glued together, and mounted on the actuators that were installed earlier. To model them retracted, two alternative parts are glued per wing and inserted flush, in line with the airflow. In a small diagram the tail receives a light at the top of the fin, adding another two in a fairing that is glued to the pen-nib fairing at the rear of the fuselage. At the other end of the fuselage, the canopy part has an overhead console glued into its roof and painted according to the diagram before the canopy is glued down, joined by an astrodome behind it, a pair of twin antennae on an insert in the roof, and a small intake off to one side. Under the wings, a pair of pop-up landing lights are inserted into a recess either flush with the skin of the wing by cutting off the peg, or folded down on the peg. The cargo door is moulded as a single part that can be cut to depict the doors open, and a small porthole is inserted into a hole in the narrower door. Whether you pose them open or closed is up to you, but open doors in flight might whistle a little bit. Fitting the antenna and props are the last thing you’ll be doing after main painting, and on this kit the three-bladed props and spinner are moulded as a single part, and each one slots onto the axle projecting from the front of the engine. A cluster of probes and antennae are fitted around the nose, under the nose, under the wing roots and under the aft fuselage, after which there are two diagrams that show where the antenna wires should be fitted, using your favourite rigging material to finish the task. Just in case you didn’t put enough weight in the nose, Revell have thoughtfully supplied a stand that can be placed under the tail to prevent the crew from ending up in the tail. Markings There are four decal options on the large decal sheet, all wearing the same silver scheme, but with different markings to tell them apart, in addition to the wheels of course. From the box you can build one of the following: Air Transport Command, Airlift Berlin, 1948 USAF, Airlift Berlin, 1948 US Navy, Airlift Berlin, 1948 USAF, Airlift Berlin, Wiesbaden Air Base, Winter 1948-49 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A well-detailed model of this common transport from WWII and the Cold War, depicted as four airframes that participated in one of the most ambitious, extended and successful airlift missions in all of aviation’s history. It would make a great memorial to all the pilots and crew that lost their lives helping the people of Berlin survive. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  4. Hi all! Here is my latest production, it is actually a very old kit from the 1990s. The Dragon kit of the Dornier Do 335 has been revived several times in recent years: by Revell and lately by Hobby 2000 but the kit is always the same. A kit with a very fine detail and well made but with a quite complicated construction. The Revell kit also has unclear instructions and horrible decals! As always i used a set of mask and a PE sheet from Eduard and Gunze Mr Hobby Colors. Hope you'll like it!
  5. Hello everyone, I live about a 10 minute car ride from the Möhne dam, so naturally I had to build a dambuster. I did, about 15 years ago, the Revell one (others hard to get here). Not the newer version that happened to turn up in stores a few months after, but the decade-old animal with no interior (just like with my B-17). I did some upgrading, without any AM parts but strickly selfmade. Well, almost, I got a spare pilot seat from my pal who had a new "normal" Lanc, and I peeked into his instructions for building an interior. The crew was on board, although the only visible thing of the radioman was a piece of yellow lifvest through the window. After that, I moved several times, and the model disappeared in a box. About 2 weeks ago, I got to, well, upgrade my show-cupboard, suddenly had lots of empty room, and while looking for things to place there stumbeled upon the Lancaster. By accident I got the idea for a display... and here it is. A plank with half a plastic chopstick. Horribly silvered decals. So be it. No time to upgrade, didn't want to wait half a year for the full anniversary. ) No, you haven't had a pint too many... one focus on the pilot and flight engineer, the other on the maps of the navigator. The cockpit hood (is that correct with such a big thing?) had come loose during storage, and in an unfortunate accident the radioman went AWOL. I got him of course, but there's no way to get him sit at his post again. I decided to do Gibson's plane. Starting with the wooden stand, I wasn't sure if I had a good idea or if it'd turn out absolutely hideous. Actually, I'm rather pleased with it. What do you think? RRRROOOAAAAARRRRing across the water towards the dam... That's all (for now, might redo some things, like the prop discs), Johnny Tip out. (No mention of the codeword for success? ... No.)
  6. Talk softly and carry a big gun. Here's my latest completion, the Revell (ex-Dragon) Bf110C, with the AIMS conversion set used to modify it into the C-6 version with the 30mm MK.101 cannon and marked as one of the aircraft used by Erprobungsgruppe 210 in the summer of 1940. To the base kit and conversion were added the Quickboost exhausts, Red Fox Studios 3D instruments and radio gear fronts,the HGW seatbelts and interior/exterior mask set and LF models mask for the camouflage pattern. Revell re-jigged the Dragon instruction sheet which made it easier to follow but included quite a few errors, omissions and just-plain-headscratching assembly choices; I did my best with it and deviated where I thought it prudent and I pretty much got away with it I think. I found building the kit to be absorbing, at times a bit frustrating, but overall I enjoyed it to the extent that I have started on a second one, and now have a third in the stash (the Hobby 2000 Bf110D). Mistakes were made. Some of my work was down to its usual shonky standard and the camouflage pattern on the port side is just wrong, I made the mistake of thinking it would be possible to fit the wings right at the end and only realised then that I had obviously misplaced some of the camouflage masks. Still, in the end I got it finished and that's a long-awaited one off my 1/32 bucket list. Paints were Colourcoats ACLW12 - RLM Grau (RLM 02) for the interiors, ACLW03 - Hellblau (RLM 65) for the undersides and the top surface camo was ACLW02 – Schwarzgrun and ACLW11 - Dunkelgrun (RLM71). The blue on the prop spinners was a mix of Citadel acrylic blues mixed as close as I could to the blue on the aircraft code letter. Oh yes, one more for scale: Cheers, Stew
  7. Dornier Do.217J-1/2 (03814) 1:48 Carrera Revell The origin of the Do.217 was the Do.17 ‘Flying Pencil’ as it was colloquially known, in an effort to extract more power and therefore speed from the engines, extend its range and give it a better bomb load amongst other improvements. The resulting airframe was a capable and left the early war designs in its wake, becoming known as a heavy bomber in Luftwaffe service, something they were very short of throughout the war. It was also a versatile aircraft in a similar way to the Ju.88, and was adapted to many other roles like its predecessors, including the night fighter role, to which it was suited, although not initially. Various engine types were used through the endless rounds of improvements, with radial and inline engines fitted in a seemingly random pattern throughout the aircraft's life. The first night fighter was the J-1 with radial engines that had a crew of three in an enlarged cockpit and solid nose sporting four MG17 machine guns and another four 20mm cannons in the front of the gondola for concentrated forward fire. The crews disliked it due to the increased weight of the extra equipment however, and criticism led to an order to cease production of the night fighter variants, which Dornier either didn't receive or chose to ignore. The J-2 was little better, changing the 20mm FF/M cannons out for MG151s and removing the vestigial aft bomb bay, which was faired over with an appropriate drop in overall weight. Some of this weight was gained back with the installation of the FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar. This still wasn’t enough and the crews continued complaining, leading Dornier to produce the improved N series, which eventually entered service in small numbers as the N-1 and N-2 variants. The Kit This is a reboxing by Revell of minor tooling revision from ICM, based upon the sprues from the J series’ successor, the N series that was tooled first. The additional sprues cover parts for the backdating of the engines and nacelles to the earlier BMW 801 radials, as well as a new nose cone and cover for the radar equipped J-2 and earlier J-1 with its clean radar-free nose. Inside the large end-opening box are nine sprues in grey styrene, although the instructions show the two wings on separate sprues, but these are linked in our sample. A clear sprue, sheet of decals and the instruction booklet complete the package, most of which is held in a resealable clear bag, with the decals inserted within the pages of the instruction booklet. Construction begins with the well-detailed cockpit and fuselage, which is almost identical to the earlier N until you reach the nose cone, giving you a choice of the unadorned J-1 nose with cover for the tip where previous variants had searchlights, or the similar J-2 nose that has a pair of supports for the radar whiskers. The wings and tail are also identical to the N, although the new engines and nacelles are where things start to diverge properly. The radial BMW units are made up from two banks of pistons, the rear set having a bulkhead moulded in, then has the ancillaries and cooling fan added to the front. The cowlings are built in sections with exhaust stubs fitted to the insides, with three sections linked to complete the cylindrical cowling into which the engine slots before being locked in by the front cowling lip. This of course is done twice, as are the nacelles, which have ribbing detail moulded within and bulkheads to add detail and prevent see-through issues. The engine cowling slots onto the front of the nacelle and the retraction jacks are installed from above before it is fitted to the wing, as are the main oleos, mudguards and the two-piece wheels. You can also add in the gear bay doors at this point if you’re a masochist, or leave them off until main painting is over. The underside is completed by adding in the engine nacelles, completing the rear of the gondola under the nose with its glazing and inserting the closed bomb bay doors for the J-1, or by leaving the bay open, adding the extra fuel tank that was used to extend range, and installing the bifold doors in the open position. The retractable rear wheel also has its doors fitted with a small insert in front of the bay, finishing off the area. Flipping the model over shows the open cockpit, which needs the remaining parts adding before the glazing can be glued in place. Some small parts are added to the inside of the canopy before it is put in place, with the rear turret and defence machine gun added into the rear fairing. Additional appliqué armoured glass is present on the two front canopy panels, which can be “glued” with some clear varnish, making certain you haven’t trapped any bubbles between the parts before you set it to one side to dry. The next steps involve guns. Lots of them. All the barrels are slotted into the nose and your choice of nose cap is fitted, with the radar whiskers made up and cut to size for the J-2 decal options. The props are made up from a single part with all blades moulded in, then trapped between the front and rear parts of the spinner. The last parts are a set of cheek “pouches” that are fixed to either side of each nacelle with a set of curved grilles moulded in, and two exhaust deflectors on the top of the nacelles. Markings There are two decal options included on the sheet, both wearing a green/grey splinter over blue undersides, and differentiated by their markings and mottle patterns. From the box you can build one of the following: Do.217J-2, II./NJG101, Luftwaffe, Hungary, 1943 Do.217J-1, II./NJG1, Luftwaffe, 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Flying Pencil and its variants don’t get as much love as the more popular Junkers or ‘einkels, but they played an important part in the Nazi war machine, so deserve the level of effort that has clearly gone into production of this kit. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  8. Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 Easy-Click System (03653) 1:32 Carrera Revell With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, deploying monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor as used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The Kit This is a new tooling from Carrera Revell, but it isn’t a traditional plastic model kit, instead it is one of their Easy-Click system, but unlike any that we have seen previously, as it snaps together in a manner similar to the famous Lego bricks. The kit arrives in a standard end-opening box with a render of the finished product on the front, and inside are five sprues of parts, one grey, one green, two light blue, and one black, each one ready to clip together once cut from the sprue. There is also a clear sprue with a single canopy part, a sheet of decals, a sheet of stickers, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour and has decaling and sticker application guides on the rear. Each part joins to the other by friction fit, and each location turret has a corresponding circular receiver, and here an issue has crept in that might concern a “serious” modeller, as some of the receivers have resulted in shallow sink marks in the self-coloured plastic, which is most evident on the green coloured plastic. I suspect that we’re not the intended audience however, as this is an ideal method of introducing modelling to a younger person, removing paint and glue from the equation, but keeping the cutting of parts from the sprues, and giving them a choice of decals or stickers, depending on their skill level or impatience. Construction begins with the main landing gear, which are made up from two parts including the wheel, and can be lowered or retracted thanks to a short axle at the top of the legs. They are placed in the lower wing halves, and each wing is fitted to a central black former that has some of the cockpit detail moulded-in, including the control column. The wing roots are added, with optional painting instructions for the more advanced modeller, fitting the seat back into the cockpit, then surrounding it by two cockpit sides. The exhaust stubs are fixed to the front of the central former, and is surrounded by cowling parts on both sides and under the chin, adding another panel under the wings, hiding the central former. The instrument panel has two decals to apply, and this is inserted into the front of the cockpit, fixing the supercharger intake on the port side of the fuselage, then fitting the upper cowling gun troughs, the black barrel insert, and the rear cowling in front of the cockpit. The upper wing parts are then clipped into place in green and grey to create the splinter camouflage out to the rounded tips of the wings, trapping the gear legs in position at the same time. The starboard side of the rear fuselage is clipped into position on the central former, then a black extension is added, and locked in place by the port rear fuselage side, pausing to clip the canopy into the upper fuselage part, which has recesses to accept the moulded-in framework, which has caused a little distortion of the clear parts. The centre former is extended again with a short part that includes the tail wheel, closed in by more tapering fuselage sections, then adding a short length of spine in green, and the tail fin on both sides of the centre, filling in the rest of the spine and slotting the elevators into a groove in the tail fin, then finishing off with the rudder. To complete the model, the three-bladed prop is clipped onto the axle, and a spinner tip completes the prop. Underneath, a two-part drop-tank plugs into a two-hole recess after clipping the two halves together. Markings There is one scheme in the box, but as there are decals and stickers included, the process is shown twice, as the numbers differ between the sheets. Even though this is an Easy-Click kit, there is still a good number of stencils and other markings, so your model will have plenty of visual interest once completed. From the box you can build the following: The decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This kind of kit is a great introduction to modelling for today’s impatient youth, who probably wouldn’t even notice the slight sink marks on some parts. Recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  9. Unless we get an extension I am not going to finish this, and even if we do I expect it will end up in the KUTA, but what the heck!😄 I have been wanting to replace my ancient Frog model, and judging by the reviews in the GB, this reboxing of the Cyber Hobby kit is not bad if you ignore the ridiculously undersized ejection seats, which I may be able to fix, and the incorrect nose shape. Fortunately I bought a resin replacement nose a few years back when I was considering buying the Xtrakit version. Pete
  10. Hi All Usual reluctance to post anything in this fabulous forum! Nothing special just the 2001 RoG boxing of the near 50-year old Revell B-17G OOB with Tamiya Fuel Truck & ICM Bomber crew. Thanks for looking and see you at Telford! Best Regards Ben
  11. ’66 Shelby GT 350R (07716) 1:24 Carrera Revell Ford’s Pony Car was first introduced in 1964, and immediately struck a chord with the American car-buying public, claiming a place in motoring history as it did so. By 1966, not much had changed yet, including the size and weight of the car, making it one of the lightest from the whole lineage. The Shelby 350 was a modified Mustang, with more powerful engine, stiffer suspension and distinctive styling in any colour as long as it was white, making it a track-style car before that name was fashionable, also changing the name to capitalise on the reputation of the Shelby company. The first batch of the ’66 350s were based upon the Fastback chassis, and colours other than white were available, and over 1,300 were made, plus around 1,000 in the standard bodyshell. A small number of ‘special’ cars were given the R suffix to differentiate, as they were race-prepared, and not suitable for picking up a carton of milk and a pack of Lucky Strikes from the local 7-Eleven. These cars raced in the SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) Pro Racing series, including races at Laguna Seca and Riverside tracks. The Kit This is a reboxing with new decals of the 1985 tooling by Revell under the Monogram branding, which is backed up by the raised lettering on the underside of the interior tub of the model. The kit arrives in a shallow end-opening box, and inside are four sprues and the bodyshell in white styrene, another sprue that has been chrome-plated over white styrene, a small clear sprue, decal sheet, and instruction booklet that is printed in colour with profiles for the decal option to the rear. This is a special boxing that depicts a single car as it raced on two tracks with Walt Hane at the wheel on both occasions. This is an old kit, but has good detail, and time has been kind to the moulds, including a full engine, underside details and the spartan interior that had been stripped down in anticipation of racing. Construction begins with the engine, two parts for the block and transmission halves, adding multi-part detail inserts top and bottom, then fitting two cylinder-blocks and their rocker-covers, which have decals for the top, then accessorising it with alternator, serpentine belt, fan and manifolds, exhausting four cylinders per bank. The under-tray of the vehicle is then outfitted with the front axle with suspension moulded-in, twin sports exhausts that exit at the sides in front of the rear wheels, and the rear axle, which has ‘hi-tech’ leaf-springs and the drive-shaft moulded-in, then has a pair of dampers fixed between them and the chassis to reduce rebound, installing the engine between the chassis rails at the front, joining the down-pipes from the manifolds to the exhausts. The interior is begun by applying six dial decals to the instrument binnacle, and a further two to the smaller central binnacle, taking the time to remove the standard equipment details in the centre of the main dashboard, as no-one listens to music while they’re racing. The two binnacles are glued into position, fitting the steering column with stalks, and spacing the lightened steering wheel with a tapering extension, then the instructions have you switching to the other wheels, inserting the two hub sides from each side of the flexible black tyres, applying gold or white Firestone logos to them depending on which race you are modelling. After that diversion, the dash is inserted into the front of the interior tub on a pair of notches, and the angled gear shifter is fixed to the transmission tunnel before the rear seats are covered over by a blanking plate and two flashed-over holes are drilled in the flat area at the rear of the doors for later use. The solitary driver’s seat and a covered spare tyre are put in place behind the wheel and on the blanking plate at the rear respectively, and a three-part roll-cage is located on the two holes, and that has a fire-extinguisher moulded into one of the cross bars. The bodyshell is prepared by painting the roof liner dark grey and sanding away the logo moulded into the front arches, then the front and rear screens are popped in from within, adding a chromed rear-view mirror into a hole in the top of the windscreen, before the rear quarter-light cut-outs are covered over with blanking panels that are painted red. Another small moulded-in logo is removed from in front of the arch, although that would have been better done at the same time as the other, then the interior tub is glued into the shell, painting portions of the underside red, as some of it will be seen through the floor pan once the assemblies are joined. Before that however, the rear light clusters are painted as per the instructions and fitted on pegs into the rear of the car, then the chassis and bodywork are brought together, adding a pair of coil-over shocks in the front turrets, which you can paint red if you have steady hands. The wheels are snapped onto the axles in each corner, then the engine bay is painted black around the engine, so it is probably a good idea to paint that before you have the engine in the way, for the sake of your sanity. A dash pot is glued to the firewall, and a strut brace is fixed to the suspension turrets, then the interior front bulkhead with separate radiator is slotted into the front of the bay, jumping back (literally) to add the rear bumper and opener/badge in the centre of the boot. We’re back at the front to install the bumper and chromed radiator, adding chromed reflectors with clear lenses in front that have a fine mesh texture engraved on the rear. Two circular chrome side-lights are painted orange and inserted into the corners of the bumpers to complete the car’s distinctive ‘face’. The bonnet has some detail moulded into the underside, but you’ll need to remove the ejector-pin marks in between them, applying the two go-faster stripes after painting, and another decal that depicts a circular mesh vent over the stripes toward the rear. The air-box and radiator feeder-pipe are glued into the engine bay, and the bonnet can be slipped into position without glue to leave it mobile, adding a chromed stay that is supplied to prop it open, or you can lay it across the bay, dropping into two recesses in the bonnet sides. There are some additional decals applied in the bay, some to bulkheads, others for the ancillary parts that gives the area a little extra realism. Markings This is a special edition in all but name, as it has decals for two particular races that this car took part in, one at Riverside, the other at the world-famous Laguna Seca circuit, and while you’d expect the car to be almost identical for each race, you’d be mistaken, as there are some subtle differences, such as the colour of the Firestone logos and the colour of the driver names. There are also two styles of pony logo on the front grille, one with silver trim, the other with just the coloured stripes and the outline of the horse. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Although the decal numbers are called out for the seatbelts on the instructions, they aren’t represented in the drawings, so in case you missed it, there is a full set of seatbelt decals to add extra detail. Conclusion This is an old kit, but other than the lack of outer runners and the copyright details giving it away, it’s not what you’d expect. There’s plenty of detail, and the body is well shaped. The instructions are a little odd in places the way they flit around, but taking some time to look them over should help avoid mistakes. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  12. Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIB (04968) 1:32 Carrera Revell Although somewhat less glamorous than the Supermarine Spitfire in the eyes of some, it was the Hawker Hurricane that proved to be at least half of the backbone of Britain’s air defences during the summer of 1940. Designed in 1935, the Hurricane was relatively advanced compared to other fighters in service at that time, featuring a fully enclosed cockpit, retractable undercarriage, eight .303 inch machine guns, a powerful liquid-cooled V12 engine and, most importantly, a cantilever monoplane. Despite its modern appearance however, the design and manufacturing techniques were thoroughly conventional, which meant that it was relatively straight forward to produce in large numbers. This proved useful when it came to manufacture because the aircraft could be churned out quickly, and was easy to repair and maintain. The Hurricane's first kill was achieved on 21st October 1939 when 46 Sqn found and attacked a squadron of Heinkel He.115s over the North Sea. The Mk.I was initially fitted with fabric-covered wings, which limited its dive speed, which was rectified by the replacement with a more robust metal skin, and adding a stabilising strake beneath the rudder to assist with spin recovery. Armour protection for the pilot and self-sealing fuel tanks were also added in light of combat experience, making the aircraft more survivable for the pilot, and increasing its ruggedness. The Mk.II was equipped with the Rolls Royce Merlin XX engine, capable of developing almost 1,500hp with the help of a two-speed supercharger and revised glycol/water injection system. The longer cowling required by the new engine also improved stability further, and by the time the Mk.IIB was in production, it also had hard-points for carrying bombs or additional fuel for longer-range sorties. Although the Hurricane was a solid performer, it proved to have less scope for improvement when compared to the Spitfire, and as it was slower due to its aerodynamics, the Spitfire became the poster-child of the Battle of Britain and beyond, despite the Hurricane claiming more kills than the graceful Spitfire. Later variants were fitted with 20mm cannons, and the final production variant, the Mk.IV used the so-called ‘universal wing’ that could carry bombs, weapons, fuel and other options, with a deeper armoured radiator housing under the centre. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Revell, and has been anticipated by many larger-scale WWII modellers since its announcement. The bated breath should now have been released and some mouthwash slooshed, as it’s available now from all the usual places online and in the real world. It arrives in a deep end-opening box, and inside are eight sprues in light grey styrene in three bags, a separately bagged clear sprue, a decal sheet secreted inside a colour instruction booklet that has markings profiles on the back pages, and a list of paint choices in Revell codes near the front. Detail throughout is crisp and neat, with finely engraved panel lines and relief for the fabric-covered areas that do a good job of representing the skin of the real thing. There are a lot of ejector pin marks inside the fuselage halves, and a few of them encroach upon the sidewall details of the cockpit, although whether they’ll be seen is debatable. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is made from sub-assemblies, starting with the pilot’s seat, which is fabricated from base, back and two side panels, then the bulkhead behind the pilot is layered from four sections after drilling some holes in the tapered top-section. The foot troughs and framework are joined together, and the sidewall framework is detailed with small parts, predominantly on the port side, and a cross-member with framework and hose is assembled. There is a lot of detail-painting called out with coloured flags with letters that cross-refer to the paint guide at the front, and this continues throughout the whole build. The framework of the cockpit can then be joined together by adding the cross-member and a tubular A-frame, with the front slotting into four holes in the forward bulkhead. The ‘floor’ of the cockpit is inserted into the assembly and rotated into position, after which the control column and linkage is installed along with the rudder pedals between the two troughs. A compass with decal is dropped onto a mount near the front of the cockpit, and in the rear the armoured bulkhead is slid down into the framework at an angle so that the seat can be fitted, with a scrap diagram showing the correct location from the side. A long winding hose is inserted down the port side of the cockpit, with the rear end curling round and mating with the cross-member under the seat, and there is another scrap diagram to help you with this. A lever is inserted into a socket in the starboard side behind the armour, with the handle projecting into the cockpit, which brings us to the instrument panel, which is surfaced with raised and recessed detail, over which you apply three decals for the various sections before gluing in place between the two sides of the cockpit framework. A choice of oval or rectangular lensed gunsight are added to an angled mount that slips through a hole in the panel in front of the pilot. In order to close up the fuselage, the spacer that fills the area where the Merlin should fit is joined together, and this has exhaust ports moulded-in with good detail, and the two halves trap the axle in place, along with the front detail insert that depicts part of the motor. This and the cockpit assembly are added to the starboard fuselage half after it has been painted internally, the afore mentioned ejector-pin marks dealt with if you feel the need, and the addition of a small detail skin to the aft of the sidewall. The port fuselage half is painted and has a detail part fixed into a socket, then the two halves are brought together, and here the instructions advise not to glue the cockpit framework into either fuselage half, but leave it floating in the sockets, presumably to achieve a better fit. The top of the engine cowling is glued over the empty space, and the closed canopy is temporarily taped into position over the cockpit opening for reasons that aren’t expounded upon. The main gear bays are actually a single space beneath the two bay openings, and are made up in stages, starting with the leading edge, which has two ribs attached to the main shape, then has a clear roof insert added, which is clear to replicate the two observation windows there, and they have a hose snaking across front to back. Some small detail parts are inserted, followed by the rear bulkhead, which has a two-part cylinder attached to the middle, and two retraction jacks glued to the sides. The wing’s centre section is separate on this model, and has a spar fitted inside, locating on pins that are moulded onto the inside, then the bay assembly is pushed into position, feeding the hose through a hole in the spar until it locates on more pins. Both lower wing halves have a cut-out in the leading edge that receives a landing light bay that has a separate lens slotted in before it put in position, painting the inside interior green. They are both glued onto the centre section using pins and tabs, and are closed over by adding the upper wing sections, drilling a hole in the starboard part if the aircraft had a gun camera mounted. Flipping the wing over, the leading edge of the centre section is added, then the remaining inserts that include the gun ports, clear landing light cover and other small parts such as the gun camera shroud are inserted along with the clear wingtip light covers. The fuselage is dropped into position between the wings, and underneath the chin insert and lower fuselage insert are fitted, followed my a recognition light and the fairing around the tail wheel. The trailing edge of the strake in front of the tail wheel is then sanded to a new angle by removing 2mm from the bottom and nothing from the top. The chin intake is put together from top and bottom halves, and the radiator core is made up from front and rear sections, and dropped into the cowling, which is built from an oval intake and the streamlined fairing, and once installed under the wing it has the flap at the rear added in the open or closed positions, using the diagrams to the side as guidance. All the flying surfaces are separate, so can be depicted at any reasonable angle, starting with the rudder panel, which is made from two halves and has a clear lens fitted above the trim-tab. The elevators fins and panels are all similarly two parts each, and fit to the fuselage under the fin via the usual slot and tab system. The ailerons are dealt with later, and are again two halves each, slotting into the spaces in the trailing edges, then you can choose whether to depict the flaps in the open or closed positions by swapping out the parts as per the instructions. There are ribs moulded into the open flaps, but the flap bays are devoid of any detail. The front of the fuselage has a fairing added to the front, with a choice of styles, one of which is open at the front, the other partially closed by a cover. There is a choice of two styles of exhaust, one with round pipes, the other with fish-tail outlets, and are each made from two halves, although they don’t have open ends. This could be remedied by opening the tips before joining the halves, taking care to cut them to the same profile as the exhausts. When finished your chosen style assembly is slotted into the outlets in the side of the cowling and painted a suitably hot and grimy colour. The crew stirrup can be depicted dropped for access or retracted by inserting a stub into the opening, and an L-shaped pitot is pushed into a hole under the port wing near the aileron hinge. The landing gear is next, beginning with the tail wheel, which is two parts as is the strut, which is closed around the wheel to create the yoke, and is then inserted into a hole in the tail. The main wheels are two parts with an additional hub insert, and these are slotted onto the axles at the end of the main struts and have the three-part captive doors made up concurrently and fitted once the legs have been inserted into the bays and supported by their retraction jacks. You are advised to remove the canopy at this stage, and still no explanation is forthcoming, as if you intend to leave the canopy closed, you reuse the same part two steps later, adding a choice of rear-view mirror styles on the top of the windscreen. The same choice of mirrors is available if you are planning on leaving the canopy open, but separate parts are used, the canopy portion sliding over the spine of the fuselage on runners. It’s worth noting that the canopy parts look slightly “smooth” on the sprues, as we’re used to raised frames on our models, but these have been engraved as tramlines on a smooth canopy, which looks strange. Checking quickly on Google, the canopy has very shallow raised frames, which would disappear to almost nothing when factoring in the scale, so a few coats of paint should result in a reasonable facsimile. The windscreen however has thicker frames on the front, and a flared frame at the rear to deflect wind away from the pilot with an opened canopy. These aspects aren’t rendered at all on either the open or closed canopies, but if this bothers you it could be remedied by adding a few layers of primer strategically to build up thickness. A light and aerial mast is inserted behind the canopy at the end of the build, and you’ll need some thread or wire to depict the antenna itself. The three-bladed prop is moulded as a single part, which is enclosed in the spinner and rear plate before it is slipped over the axle to complete the model. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, and they’re like day and night. Literally. The first option is a day fighter in traditional brown/green camouflage over sky of the time, while the second is an all-black night fighter. From the box you can build one of the following: No.79 Sqn., RAF Fairwood Common, South Wales, July 1941 No.253 Sqn., RAF Hibaldstow, England, late 1941 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The decals for the instrument panel and compass are printed with black backgrounds, and have the dials line-drawn in white and yellow, plus a little red. Conclusion A new-tool Hurricane in 1:32 will please a great many of my fellow modellers, and there’s enough detail to please most of them. The canopy is a strange choice, but on balance the kit should build up into a well-detailed model out of the box. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  13. Good afternoon all, Just managed to finally finish this beast. Its my second build, but only my first to get past the paint stage (my Hawk T1 build ended up being my test bed for various things). It's been a rather enjoyable build and a steep learning curve to say the least. The aim was to depict the first Typhoon I ever worked on many moons ago, so it's a personal build to me. To me the kit isn't to bad (Revell 1/48 Blackjack version), those that followed the build thread will have seen my stugggles with the decals, but we got there in the end thanks to a few kind souls. The build isn't 100% accurate, but I had to find a balance between spending a fortune on after market items and trying to make do with what I already had. Whilst adding the last few bits such as the 4 ADT probes under the nose, I dropped one and it fell into the black hole of the floor. After an hour on my hands and knees searching for it, I gave up. So only 3 ADTs. Overall I'm really pleased with the results, it's not the best that you'll ever see I'm sure, but it's good enough for me. Stand made by: https://www.sulacosteel.co.uk/ The build thread: 1/48 Revell RAF Typhoon FGR4 https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235129152-148-revell-raf-typhoon-fgr4/ received_1008318610222954~2 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr received_1269516293737944 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr received_257505146857865 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr received_2751235418349375~2 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr received_907392760943004~2 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr received_318912894208302~2 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr Thanks for looking. Cheers
  14. Unimog 404S (03348) 1:35 Carrera Revell Unimog was the brand-name used by Mercedes for their truck, tractor and commercial vehicle range that began post WWII as an agricultural brand, initially built by another company for them whilst using their engines. The range broadened in the late 40s and early 50s to include trucks, of which the 404 series was one, entering production in 1955. It is a small (1.5 tonne) 4x4 truck that was driven by a 2.2 litre M180 straight-6 Mercedes engine and has impressive off-road performance due to a change that had been required by a customer, the French Army, who wanted the spare tyre to be stored clear of the load compartment. The designers altered the shape of the rear chassis rails to allow the wheel to sit under the floor, the downward sweep giving the chassis extra flexibility that smoothed the ride on rough surfaces, assisted by coil springs, rather than traditional leaf springs. The four-wheel drive system could be disengaged on smoother ground, leaving just the rear wheels engaged, thereby saving fuel and wear on the front drive-shafts, and generally improving performance all round. The 404 series was the most numerous of the Unimog line, and was available as a short or long-wheelbase chassis, with the shorter option phased out at the beginning of the 70s, while the longer wheelbase continued on in service for another decade before it too was retired. The nascent West German Bundeswehr were a major customer, buying substantial quantities of the 404S as a workhorse for their forces, taking on many roles in their service. A total of over 62,000 of the 404S were made over its lengthy production run, with many of them still on and off the roads to this day due to their rugged engineering. The Kit This is a reboxing of the recent tooling from ICM of this Bundeswehr pillar of their transport arm. It arrives in an end-opening box, and inside are five sprues of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, five flexible black tyres, a small decal sheet and a colour printed instruction booklet with decal profiles on the rear pages. Detail is excellent throughout, and includes a full chassis and engine, plus the bodywork and load area, all crisply moulded as we’ve come to expect from ICM. The grille of the vehicle is especially crisp, as are the coil springs on each corner, and the wheels are very well-done with multi-part hubs. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which is joined together with a series of cylindrical cross-members, plus front and rear beams, the latter braced by diagonal stiffeners to strengthen the area around the towing eye at the rear. The suspension is next, adding an insert to the opposite side of each spring to avoid sink-marks, but care must be taken to align them neatly to minimise clean-up afterwards. Triangular supports for the fuel tanks are added on each side, then attention turns to the six-cylinder Mercedes motor. Beginning with the two-part cylinder block and gearbox, the basic structure is augmented by ancillaries, fan, pulleys and drive-shaft for the front wheels, after which the engine is mated to the chassis and has the long exhaust system installed, adding a muffler insert around the half-way point, and siting another drive-shaft adjacent. Two stamped fuel tanks are each made from two parts, with the forward one having a filler tube and cap glued to the side, sitting on the out-riggers that were fitted to the chassis earlier. The front axle is made up from five parts to capture the complex shape of the assembly, to be installed between the suspension mounts and mated to the forward drive-shaft, plus the stub axles for the front wheels. Two stowage boxes are made for the opposite side of the chassis from the fuel tanks, then the rear axle is made up with similar detail and part count, fitting between the suspension and having larger circular stub-axles that have the drum brakes moulded-in. The front wheels have separate drum brakes, and both front and rear axles are braced with damping struts, while the front axle has a steering arm linking the two wheels together, with more parts linking that to the steering column. With the chassis inverted, the front bumper and its sump guard are fixed to the front, and a curved plaque on the rear cross-member, plus another pair of diagonal bracing struts for the rear axles. Each wheel is made up from a two-part hub that goes together much like a real steel hub, but without the welding, around the flexible black tyres. The front and rear hubs are of different design, so take care inserting them in the correct location. Lastly, the chassis is completed by adding the radiator and its frame at the front of the vehicle. The cab is the first section of the bodywork to be made, starting with the floor, with foot pedals, shaped metalwork around the gearbox cut-out, sidewalls and the internal wheel wells below the floor level. A number of additional parts are glued beneath the floor for later mounting, then the lower cab is built up on the floor, including the front with recessed headlight reflectors; bonnet surround, dashboard with decal, plus various trim panels. The floor is then lowered onto the chassis with several arrows showing where it should meet with the floor, taking care with the radiator. Once in place, the bonnet and more interior trim as installed along with a bunch of stalks between where the seats will be inserted. The seats are made from the basic frame to which the two cushions are fixed, much like the real thing, then mounted inside the cab, followed closely by the two crew doors, which have handles on both sides, and pockets in the interior. They can of course be posed open or closed and there is no glazing to put in, thanks to the cabriolet top. More grab-handles, controls and other small parts are fixed around the dash, and the windscreen with two glazing panels are put in place, with a highly detailed steering wheel that has the individual finger ‘bumps’ on the underside, and for your ease, it’s probably better to put the wheel in before the windscreen is fixed in place. The cab is finished off by adding the cabrio top, which starts with an L-shaped top and rear, to which a small rectangular window and two side sections are added, dropped over the cab when the glue is dry and the seams have been dealt with. The load bed begins with a flat rectangular floor that has engraved planking, plus two longitudinal supports and three lateral beams that takes the weight of the bed once complete. The sides of the load area are stamped with raised and recessed detail, and comprise four parts, one for each side, plus raised side framework, and what looks like a spoiler on two short upstands at the front of the load area. Underneath is a rack for a nicely detailed jerry can, a stowage box or three, and the spare wheel on a dropped C-shaped mount, built in the same manner as the road wheels. The number plate holder is hung under the rear, also holding the rear lights for that side, with another less substantial part on the opposite side. The cab wasn’t quite finished earlier, as the front doesn’t yet have lights. The recessed headlight reflectors should be painted with the brightest metallic you can find before they are covered by the clear lenses and their protective cages, joined slightly outboard by combined side-light/indicator lenses, a choice of two styles of door mirrors, and a pair of windscreen wipers to keep the screen clear. Markings You might guess that most of the decal options are green that is so typical of how I remember the Unimog in West German service. From the box you can build one of these two: Kompanie/PzBH24, Braunschweig, 1961 Kompanie/PzGrenBH82, Lüneburg, 1975 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Unimogs were ubiquitous in Cold War West German army service, so there ought to be a good market for a modern tooling of the type, with many variants out there, and more in due course. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  15. I've always wanted to do a model of the first Typhoon that I ever worked on, so thought i'd make a start. The aircraft in question is ZK345 from around the 2016 time frame. My biggest issue I think I will have is finding the exact decals (anyone got any advice for them then I am all ears...lol) The kit I am using is the Revell 'Blackjack' 1/48 kit. The intention is to have x4 Paveway IV's (from ResKit), x1 LDP (from Eduard). x2 Asraam (included in the kit) and x4 Amraam (included in the kit) to represent the early Op Shader loadouts. The pilot came from PJ productions if I recall correctly. It's early days but I have been enjoying it greatly so far. Any advice on this kit would be welcome for sure. Shaky hands of late have made things tricky when aiming for the finer details, but I'm happy so far. The subject (photo taken by Burmarrad (Mark) Camenzuli) ZK345 LMML 27-01-2016 (1) by copyright of Burmarrad (Mark) Camenzuli Thank you, on Flickr The models progress: image_3 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image_1 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image_4 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image_5 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image_6 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image_8 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr image_9 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr 20230814_183905 by DaleRFU1, on Flickr Thanks for looking
  16. 75th Anniversary Northrop F-89 Scorpion (05650) 1:48 Carrera Revell The United States Army Air Force issued a specification for a jet interceptor in August of 1945, the same month that WWII ended, and Northrop’s response was a design that started life with swept wings, reverting to straight wings due to the low-speed issues inherent to swept wing configurations. The prototype first flew in 1948, winning the battle with the alternative Curtiss-Wright XP-87, as it was the fastest of the offerings, and by 1950 it was faster still, having more powerful afterburning engines in the belly nacelles, and a great deal of advanced equipment for the time, entering service toward the end of 1950. As was typical of the time, fewer than 20 airframes were built before the -B variant replaced it with improved avionics due to the rapid pace of development in the early jet age, followed by the -C. Four years later, the -D was the main variant in production, which improved radar and avionics further, and dropped cannon armament in favour of unguided rockets, which was part of the blinkered thinking of the era, expecting dogfighting to be a thing of the past in the missile-equipped world. The Scorpion was an all-weather interceptor that was intended to defend the United States in case of incursion by an enemy, with their former WWII ally the Soviet Union at the top of the list. The Scorpion’s name came from the high position of the tail and elevators, which was due to interference with the airflow from the wings, forcing relocation to an ‘elevated’ position. The sharp nose adds to the aggressive look and this had been lengthened by around 3’ early in the evaluation process to accommodate six cannons and a radome to give it more destructive capability along the line of flight. The addition of permanent tip-tanks extended the type’s range, and gave it a distinctive look. The F-89B variant was a problem child, and was withdrawn in 1954, while the following -C variant was also afflicted with issues from introduction in 1951. The -D was also first flown in 1951, demonstrating how fast things were changing, benefitting from experiences and fixing issues that had plagued the early variants, and became the definitive version, recommencing production that had stalled after the earlier problems in 1953. Almost 700 -Ds were built, skipping two variants that didn’t reach the production line, after which the F-89H was created that was easily distinguished from the earlier types by the greatly enlarged tip-tanks, which instead contained an array of weapons. There were three-each of radar and infrared missiles, plus another forty-two unguided FFAR rockets, but the complexity of this arrangement led to delays that ended its career early in 1959, as it was outclassed by the new types that were reaching service. The final variant was the -J, which was essentially a modified -D that had the capability of firing air-to-air nuclear rockets under the wings, firing one during a test in 1957 - what an insane concept! It was also capable of mounting up to four Falcon missiles for offensive operations that didn’t require a mushroom cloud. The Kit This is a 75th Anniversary release of this 1990 tooling to celebrate the formation of the United States Air Force (USAF) as a separate force, although at time of writing it’s closer to 76 years. The kit arrives in an over-sized top-opening box, and inside are four sprues of light grey/green styrene, a clear sprue, large decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour, reusing the old black and white drawings that have been updated to the new style. This is a kit from another era of modelling, but even though it has raised panel lines, it is still a well-detailed kit, with plenty of interest in the cockpit, landing gear bays, and throughout the usual areas of interest, with both raised and engraved features. There aren’t a huge number of panel lines on each external surface, so anyone wanting to rescribe wouldn’t be scribing for too long, as there are only eight main parts to rescribe, plus the tip tanks. Why Revell put the model in such a large box is a source of confusion though. It’s not the worst example of box over-kill ever, but it is noticeable, mainly because of the relative weakness of the cardboard that makes the package a little bit too flexible for my liking. That might not sound too serious, but you must bear in mind that if you intend to stash models on top of this box, it won’t take too much weight before collapsing. As this is a gift set, it comes with a selection of acrylic paints in small “thumb pots”, a Revell No.2 paint brush, and a 12.5g bottle of Revell Contacta Professional glue, which is well-liked by many, partially due to the precision metal applicator needle that makes it easy and accurate to use, avoiding wasting glue in the process. Construction begins with the c…. complete fuselage, gluing the two halves together, and applying the nose cone to the forward end, dealing with the seams once the glue is cured. It’s an unusual starting place, but the cockpit can be inserted from the underwing area once it is complete and painted, which is the very next task. The pilot and radar operators have very different ejection seats, the pilot’s having a simple seat that is trapped between the two side frames with another at the rear that includes a simple head cushion. The rear seat has an extended foot-rest moulded into the seat part, adding curved sides and a thicker rear frame at the rear, both seats having moulded-in belts to add some detail. The cockpit tub has the side consoles moulded-in with raised instrument details moulded-in, and accepts the two seats, plus two instrument panels, one for each crew member, adding control column and throttle in the front, and a tiny clear dome in the rear cockpit. The completed cockpit is then inserted from below, aligning the front instrument panel with the coaming moulded into the fuselage. The front faces of the engines are inserted after it, moulded into a carrier to hold them in position, before closing the hole in the underside with an insert after cutting a small section from the rear if appropriate. Once the glue for the insert has cured and any seams been dealt with, the exhausts are made from rear face of the engine plus trunking, which slides into holes in the rear of the fuselage, then has C-shaped deflectors over the top, which were used to assist smoothing airflow over the tail, which had been a problem with the initial design. An auxiliary intake is built from two halves and inserted into a slot in the port rear fuselage, and the intake lips are installed to the front, taking care to test fit and fettle to improve alignment as much as you can. The nose gear bay is moulded into the lower insert, with detail in the roof, but none on the side walls due to limitations in standard injection moulding. This is partly rectified by the bay side walls moulded into the bay doors, which slide down the sides of the bay and give the doors a firm connection to the fuselage. A small clear light is popped into a recess just forward of the bay. The gear leg is a single strut that is inserted into a U-shaped frame, with a retraction strut to the rear, spaced by a jack that gives it a strong triangular base that plugs into the roof of the nose bay. The Scorpion’s wings are relatively short wide assemblies that are made from top and bottom halves, the latter having the gear bays moulded-in, which is really rather nice considering the age of the moulds, which are also very clean and relatively free from flash. Each wing slots into its appropriate fuselage side on a substantial tab, with the instructions advising taping the wings to the correct dihedral, but a jig would be more effective, coupled with checking back to ensure nothing has moved. The gear bays are filled by a straight strut with lateral retraction jack, vertical outer door, and the closed inner door, opening only for deployment/retraction and for maintenance. This is repeated under the opposite wing, then four FFAR rockets are fitted onto the four pairs of carriers moulded into each wing, finishing with the two-part tip tanks that mate via the usual slot and tab method. The elevators are a single part that attaches to the top of the flat lower fin section, trapped in place by the upper fin that has a long tab that passes through the elevators into the moulded-in portion of the fin. Probes are fixed to each side of the fuselage around the intake area, then the windscreen is glued to the front of the cockpit cut-out, placing the canopy behind it, with the option of sliding it back to open it, or forward to portray it closed. Finally, there is a clear rod that you can insert under the rear fuselage if you forgot to add enough weight to the nose during closure of the fuselage, for which the instructions recommend 20g, although a little more won’t hurt, within reason. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, and it’s any colour you like as long as it’s bare metal. They come from the post-war period where camouflage was no longer a priority, so the schemes were typically bright and with minimal paint over the exterior. Some were painted grey, but the majority had colourful unit-markings at the extremities, with various flamboyant motifs such as lightning bolts and stars to differentiate their squadrons. From the box you can build one of the following: F-89C Scorpion 51-5843, Montana Air National Guard, 186th Fighter-Interceptor Sqn., 120th Fighter Group, Great Falls International Airport, Montana, USA, May 1958 F-89C Scorpion 50-746, 84th Fighter-Interceptor Sqn., Hamilton Air Force Base, California, USA, 1952 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A surprisingly well-detailed rebox of this unusual early jet interceptor from the early part of the Cold War, which will doubtless appeal widely, and using the raised panel lines as a guide, re-scribing it shouldn't be a large undertaking. It’s also the only kit available in this scale at time of writing, so qualifies as the best by default. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  17. Sikorsky CH-53 GS/G (03856) 1:48 Revell The CH-43 Sea Stallion was developed in the 1960s when the US Marine Corps was looking for modern replacements for its piston engined helicopters. The Navy issued a request for a "Heavy Helicopter Experimental / HH(X)". which drew offers from Boeing of a modified Ch-47, from Kaman a version of the Fairey Rotodyne (now that would have been something), and Sikorsky with u larger upgraded platform based on the S-61. The first new CH-53 flew in 1964 with production deliveries beginning in 1965. At the same time the German Army were looking for a replacement heavy helicopter and after looking at both the CH-47 and CH-53 the CH-53 was chosen. Only the first 2 machines were from Sikorsky with the remainder of 108 being built by Fokker under licence. The German helos have been upgraded over time. The re were three major upgrades: new missile warning and self-protection systems; and provision for two external fuel tanks allowing range to be increased to 1,800kmwhen carrying 36 armed soldiers or a 5,500 kg payload. This came with the addition of a night vision goggles-compatible cockpit for night low-level flying capabilities. Upgrades were done by Eurocopter Germany by early 2001, resulting in updated GS/GE/GA variants. As a result of new foreign operations 20 of the helicopters were converted to perform Combat Search and Rescue missions. These were designated CH-53GS and as well as more powerful engines, they are equipped with modernized IFR equipment, additional exterior fuel tanks, low-flight night vision cockpit and NVG, partial ballistic protection, engine dust collectors, missile counter measure and self-defence armament. With the lower capacity of the replacement NH-90 is has been estimated the CH-53 will serve upto 2030 to stop a loss of their capability. With restructuring in the German military the airframes have passed from Army control to that of the Air Force, so no longer will we see HEER on these machines. The Kit This is Revell's kit from back in 1981 and its BIG, I was surprised how big it was when laid out against another big revel kit the 1/48 B-29, its about 3/4 the length. Figures from the box give a length of 47cms and a rotor disc of 45cms. Even though its a product of the time with raised detail the moulds have held up well and Revell have added new parts to the kit over time so you can build any CH-53 from the box (the old jeep and towed gun from the first boxing are still present). New parts for the German versions include different rotor blades, Side fuel tanks, and new engine nacelles. The sprues on this kit appear to have been packed very tightly leaving some parts off the sprue, and some broken; most notably the tail rotor. Construction starts in the cockpit, so no surprise there. The pilots crew seats. Rear wrap around armour is added to the seats with the head rests. Collective control sticks are then added. The instrument panel is added to the main cabin floor (instruments provided as decals), then the cyclic sticks go in and the rear cockpit bulkhead. The front lower bulkhead is then added which houses the tail rotor pedals. The complete seats can then be added in. Moving on to the main fuselage a large number of holes must be drilled. The front wheel well is added in along with all the cabin window. The fuselage is now ready to go together by adding in the main cabin floor, rear top opening door; and the support parts for the main and tail rotors. At the rear the ramp is made up and added, this can be open or closed. We then move onto the large side sponsons which accommodate the landing gear. The inner arts attach to the fuselage and then the main gear legs go on, this is then followed by the outer parts. Back to the front of the helo the large single part glazing is added, followed by the nose gear. The engine pods can then be added to the fuselage side, sand filters being provided for the version which carried them. The left side tail plane is also added now. If building the version with the extended range tanks these can now be built up ad added on. To finish off the main body of the helo a large number of small detail parts are added, some dependant on the version being modelled. These include various aerials, tail skid, jammers/|ECM equipment, and wire cutters. To finish off the rotors must be made up and attached making sure ti use the right blades for the version being made. Decals The decal sheet is large and impressive, it is from Zanetti in Italy (so no issues there) as well as a large amount of stencils and safety markings there are four options; CH-53GS, 84-67 HFR 32 May 2002 - Overall Green Scheme CH-53GS, 84-57 HFR 32 April 2002 - Overall Green Scheme CH-53G, 85-03 HFR 35, April 2002 3 Colour Camo with KFOR markings CH-53G, 85-03 HFR 35, April 2002 3 Colour Camo with ISAF markings (not clear on the instructions this one) Conclusion This will surely make up into an impressive looking model. Recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  18. ATF Dingo 1 (03345) 1:72 Carrera Revell Engineered and built in the late 90s by Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the Dingo is an early incarnation of a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) type of armoured transport vehicle that was used by the German Bundeswehr from 2000. It has a shallow V-profile keel under the vehicle that deflects blast waves from underneath away from the crew compartment, and while it may sacrifice a few of the four wheel-stations in the process, it should protect the crew from significant injuries in all but the most extreme mine or IED attacks. The ATF part of the name stands for Allschutz-Transport-Fahrzeug, which translates to “All-protection transport vehicle” according to Google. The windows are also angled inward at the top, which increased their effective thickness a little, and reduces the effects of blasts that are rising up the side of the vehicle. The Unimog chassis at the heart of the vehicle is armoured and protected by the keel, rather than using a monocoque build process like many vehicles of the style, creating a strong chassis that is highly resistant to deformation by explosions. It is lighter than many vehicles of its type, some of which is accounted for by the fabric-covered load area at the rear, rather than using heavy metal armour to protect non-essential equipment. The vehicle was originally equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun in a turret on the roof, but since 2008 there have been remote weapons stations retro-fitted to further protect the crew from harm when using the weapon, without adding any armour and bullet-resistant glass weight to screen a human crew member operating a turret. The Dingo 2 is a development of the original Dingo, with an extended chassis from the Unimog U5000 that offers improved protection for the crew and can carry more equipment, up to four tonnes for the longer wheelbase variant. There are hundreds of both versions in service around the world besides the variants that are used by the German military and police force. Germany has sent 50 Dingo 1s to Ukraine to help them with the defence of their nation against the invaders. The Kit This is a reboxing of Revell’s 2005 tooling of this MRAP Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC), and it arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of the type on the front. Inside are three sprues in light grey/green styrene, plus a clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet printed in colour, with painting and markings profiles on the rear pages. Detail is good for the scale, including the driving crew’s cab, a tilt for the rear compartment, and the underside of the chassis and its keel. Construction begins by adding the front and rear suspension units to the chassis, with moulded-in axles and drive-shafts, fitting a steering arm between the hubs of the front axle. The exhaust is threaded through the chassis and axles, mating to a two-part muffler at the rear of the vehicle along with a C-shaped bar, rear bumper and shield-shaped convoy light with a decal depicting the white cross that helps illuminate the rear of the vehicle for the vehicle behind. Another bumper and protective sump guard are fitted at the front of the chassis, then the four wheels are built from halves, one for each corner. The floor has a sloped form added under the rear before it is glued to the chassis, allowing installation of the dashboard on its central console, the short gear lever, and steering wheel, followed by two seats in the front, and another three in the rear, all on short bases that are moulded into the floor. The hull sides are prepared with their trapezoid windows from the insides, then they are glued to the sides of the floor, adding a bulkhead behind the rear crew, and another two-part bulkhead at the rear of the vehicle that has the light clusters moulded-in. The roof has the windscreen frame moulded-in, and the armoured windscreen is inserted from within, then glued in place over the crew cab. There’s no engine included in this model, building up the bonnet by applying the front wings, bonnet, and the grille, then flipping the model over onto its back to install the keel under the centre of the vehicle, and a pair of mudguards at the rear. Two pairs of crew steps are mounted on a tubular bracket that fit into recesses in the keel, with a scrap diagram showing the correct angle that they should be fitted, adding another rod across the rear of the chassis. The tilt for the rear load area is supplied as a single part that has creases moulded-in, but they are perhaps a little severe for some, and would benefit from being softened by using a sanding sponge, then fixing an aerial base on the right rear corner. Two large wing mirrors slot into recesses on the front door frames, installing the turret ring to the hole in the roof and posing the hatch open or closed. A gun mount is fitted between the two trunnions at the front of the ring, with a choice of MG3 machine gun, Mark.19 grenade launcher, or a Browning .50cal, each with its own magazine style. The MG3 and Browning have box mags of differing sizes, and the grenade launcher has a more substantial pair of linked drum magazine feeding it 40mm grenades that it fires at almost machine gun speeds. Markings There are three decal options on the small sheet, and there’s a lot of green involved. From the box you can build one of the following: 2.Kp/TF1 Zur, KFOR, Prizren, Kosovo, 2001 Task Force Fox “Essential Harvest” Macedonia, 2003 ISAF Camp Warehouse, Afghanistan, 2005 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A long overdue re-release of this compact MRAP from Germany. It’s got decent detail and clear parts, although a little flash has crept into the latter, but that’s the work of moments to remove with a sharp knife and sanding stick. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  19. Airbus A300-600ST Beluga (03817) 1:144 Carrera Revell The Beluga is an aircraft that’s close to my heart, as it frequently flies near or even over my home on its way to and from the Airbus factory at Hawarden, Chester. The fleet has recently been augmented by a larger and more advanced aircraft that is based on the Airbus A330, and is called the BelugaXL that brings a 30% increase in capacity, which also wears a distinctive mouth and eyes of its namesake whale around the nose area and cockpit. The Beluga as it is now known was originally called the Super Transporter, which is where the ST part of its nomenclature originates, and it was designed to transport over-sized components, typically the wings of the now discontinued A380, as well as many other large airframe assemblies that can include fuselages of smaller Airbus products on an ongoing basis. It replaced the ageing turbo-prop powered Super Guppies in 1995, with a fleet of five airframes carrying out their duties ever since. With the XL fleet now coming on stream at a rate of one per year, the Airbus operating company have extended their services to the wider transport world for outsized cargo to hopefully utilise excess capability, and possibly to take over loads that were previously carried by the sadly destroyed Antonov An.225 Mrija that was callously destroyed by the invaders of Ukraine. Although the Beluga’s cargo area is larger even than the legendary C-5 Galaxy, its load is limited to a comparatively low 47 tonnes, which is less than half to a third of its major competitors, although 47 tonnes is still a huge weight, especially if it’s on your foot. The BelugaXL is intended to replace the Beluga fleet in due course, with an original date of 2025, but as of 2023 they are still running side-by-side, with a slight difference in the howling take-off run letting us know which one is leaving Hawarden around 10 miles away. Cargo is loaded at the front via a portion of the fuselage above the nose raising toward the vertical while the low-mounted pressurised cockpit remains in position, giving the crew an excellent view of the runway during landing and take-off, without complicating the door’s mechanism or necessitating the evacuation of the crew during loading. The lower portion of the aircraft remains close to the standard A300, the major differences above the line where you would expect the windows to be, bulging out to accommodate the cargo it has been tasked with over the last 30+ years, and the introduction of the Beluga has reduced Airbus’s transport costs by a third, which is a substantial saving over the years. The production of the XL fleet is proceeding apace, the last of them rolling out onto the tarmac in the summer of 2023, with the original intention of drawing down the Belugas, which hasn’t completed yet at time of writing. When they do leave service, they will still have life left in them, and will be used by Airbus Beluga Transport (AiBT) for use carrying general oversized freight around the world. The Kit This is a reboxing of Revell’s 1997 kit, and is of course the only kit of the type in this scale. The kit arrives in a long end-opening box, and inside are five sprues of white styrene, a small open-sided clear sprue, a large decal sheet and the instructions printed in colour, with profiles for decals and markings on the back pages. Although the tooling is 25 years old now, detail is good, although some of the panel lines on the large cylindrical cargo area could be considered a little deep, but after primer and a few coats of paint they should reduce somewhat. Construction begins with the nose gear bay, which is moulded as a single part with a little detail inside, plus two ejector-pin marks that should be hidden beneath the substantial pivot-point that is mated with the lower portion of the strut, through which the twin wheels, one with moulded-in axle are slotted and glued. A long retraction jack locates into cups in the bay roof, and is joined to the leg around half way, painting everything in preparation for insertion under the cockpit. The fuselage halves have cut-lines for the cargo door thinned out from within, which is a nice feature, but that then puts the onus on the builder to create the interior, but no mention of this is made until the very end of the instructions. The windscreen is inserted into the port fuselage half along with the nose gear bay, then the two fuselage halves are mated, glued and taped in position while the glue cures. Underneath are a pair of fairings with NACA vents moulded-in, which fit into recesses in the fuselage halves, and those are best inserted once the fuselage halves have had their seams dealt with to your satisfaction, as there are some undulations near the edges in places. The elevators of the Beluga are made from top and bottom halves, and have their vertical surfaces made up from inner and outer faces, mating on a shallow peg that would suggest their installation would be best done after they are joined to the fuselage so that their alignment can be checked and corrected if necessary. Plugging the finished assemblies into the tail, attention shifts to the wings, which have a gear bay detail insert glued to the interior of the upper half before joining the lower, and Revell’s instructions show a clothes peg approaching the assembly menacingly from below. Use any clamps you wish however, and please don’t have nightmares. Once both wings are made, they each have five flap actuator fairings pinned in place, and a wingtip inserted in the open end, which has a little winglet at the rear of the fairing. The wings can then be plugged into each side of the fuselage on three substantial pegs, one of which is the inner end of the gear bay insert. Careful alignment of the wings is crucial, so it is wise to check and support the wings just in case one or both moves during the curing period of whatever glue you use. While you wait, the twin GE CF6-80C2A8 (catchy name!) turbofan engines are built up by fitting the front face, rear face and bullet parts within one half of the engine cowling before closing and gluing it, painting the components before it is put together. The pylons are moulded into the engine cowlings, and these are fixed to the underwing on a pair of pins, again taking care with alignment so they both hang correctly in relation to the ground. The two main gear legs are built up identically in mirror image, adding a retraction jack to the strut, followed by a pair of brake assemblies on a carrier linkage, then sliding two wheels with integral axles through the brakes and gluing the other wheels to the other side. These are inserted into the bay on three pegs, and have the bay door cut into two sections and glued in place on the outer edge of the bay. The nose gear was completed earlier, and has its bay door part cut in half for installation on each side of the bay. At this point, we find out that the model can also be completed in-flight by omitting the nose gear and main gear assemblies, placing the bay doors into the cut-outs without cutting them in half, however the nose gear doors will need the hinges cutting off so they will fit. Four small probes are glued over engraved marks under the nose, adding wingtip lights, plus a pair of position lights under the belly and on the top of the fuselage. Finally, the optional opened load area is dealt with, attaching the cut sections, now glued together, to the top of the open front by an angled connector that is glued in position. Then two arms are mounted on the pins moulded on either side of the cut-line, and in the next step a large insert is slid into the fuselage, but this isn’t on the sprues, which makes one wonder whether it was originally intended to be a styrene part. The modeller is told to visit step 37, where two drawings that show a pattern for the floor and rear bulkhead are to be used, an icon showing that a cutting motion is taking place. There are a line of small circular turrets to support the floor on each side of the fuselage interior, but they don’t offer a lot of support, so it may be wise to increase that by adding more material, and whilst doing that there are several ejector-pin marks inside the fuselage halves that you could also obliterate. Whether you use sheet styrene or cardboard is entirely up to you, and then you must decide whether to also detail the interior of the fuselage with ribbing and ancillary equipment, or depict it in the process of disgorging its cargo, thereby hiding the emptiness of the interior. That’s a fun question to ask yourself. Markings All five Belugas wear the same scheme, with a blue stripe up the rear of the fuselage and tailfin with stylised arcs in different shades of blue on the fin itself, the Airbus and Beluga names on the sides, whilst the only differentiating markings are the numbers on the front of their cargo doors, and their civil registration numbers. Only airframes 1, 2 and 3 are depicted on the sheet, so from the box you can build the following: Number 1 TA F-GSTA Number 2 TB F-GSTB Number 3 TC F-GSTC Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. There are also blue wingtip decals included on the sheet, with a spare in one corner, plus a triangular piece of blue decal to help with any gaps between the stripe decals, which are made from four parts, two per side. Conclusion There’s a ready audience for the Beluga, as it is an unusual-looking aircraft, and that is possibly about to increase if they are being drawn down from service. Whether we’ll see them back on the shelves in an AiBT livery remains to be seen, but it is a good time to pick one up with the official Airbus scheme, just in case it’s a while before it is back. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  20. The German Junkers F.13 was the world's first all-metal airliner manufactured at the end of WWI It was a cantilever-wing monoplane, with two pilots in an open cockpit and an enclosed cabin compartment for four passengers. Over the years 322 planes of this type were manufactured and they were used by a many international airlines. The Finnish company Aero Oy (nowadays Finnair who, in fact this year are celebrating their 100 th anniversary of operations) inaugurated their operations on March 20, 1924 by flying mail from Helsinki to Tallinn with the Junkers F.13 type D-335, After the ice in the Gulf of Finland had melted the planes' skis were changed to floats. Between 1924−1935 Aero had a total of seven Junkers F.13 planes in their fleet. In addition to Tallinn the other destination was Stockholm. The Finnish Air Force and the Border Guard were the other Finnish operators of this plane type. The Revell Junkers F.13 kit in 1/72 scale dates back to the 1990's. The boxing I bought included decals for the Aero Oy livery but I additionally bought the Arctic decals set which gave markings for more versions of the Finnish planes. The kit was of good quality and the quite small number of parts had good fit and almost no flash at all. The only tricky part in the assembly were the floats and the many struts, One needed a great deal of accuracy and patience in building the construction and attaching it so that it was correctly in line and not tilting to any side. I warmly recommend to build the floats and the struts separately and attach the "mess" to the fuselage only at the end. After having assembled the kit I first primed it with gray Mr. Surfacer 1200 and sprayed it then with Tamiya's Glossy black TS-14. The metal areas were then air brushed with Ammo's polished aluminium lacquer. Since the hue of the metal in the actual plane was satin I first attached the decals and at the end air brushed the model with the acrylic satin varnish of Vantage Modelling Solutions. This new Polish stuff was excellent in my opinion. Since the whole plane was made of very dense corrugated metal I had bad doubts of how the decals would stick to it without silvering. Strangely enough there's only little silvering to be seen.
  21. Mercedes-Benz Unimog U1300L TLF 8/18 (07512) 1:24 Carrera Revell The Unimog U1300L is based on the 435 chassis, although the original U1300 was built on the different 425, and sibling the 1700L is also based upon the 435. It was introduced as a specialist fire engine for the German Fire Service and the Bundeswehr staring in 1975, and by the time it was retired in 1987, under a thousand U1300 and over 21,000 U1300L has been produced. The L variant used the enhanced 435 chassis and has a more powerful engine to improve its traction and load-carrying capabilities, with a choice of two lengths within the designation, driven from the rear wheels with selectable four-wheel drive for rough or muddy terrain. A straight six-cylinder diesel engine provides the power, sometimes with a turbocharger, and that power is put down through two or four wheels via an eight-speed gearbox that gives it a top speed of just under 70mph for an empty vehicle. Speaking of load, it can carry up to 1,800 litres of fire-fighting water supply to make a start on remote fires, and has a capacious load area that can be stacked with fire-fighting equipment and supplies, accessing them via large lift-and-retract doors on the sides and rear of the vehicle, a fenced-off roof area for more equipment and a ladder, and seating in the cab for three crew. The roof of the cab is the location for the blue flashers and the siren horn, with a movable search-light at the top of a post on the bonnet, as fires don’t just happen during daylight hours, although they do bring some of their own illumination. It was replaced by a 437 based truck that is still in service today. Incidentally that same chassis is also the basis for the Dingo 2 MRAP Armoured Vehicle. The Kit This kit is a reboxing of a kit from Revell that was first released in 1985, with new parts being added during the remainder of the 80s. The kit arrives in a large end-opening box with a painting of the kit in front of a burning building of some type, with a few fire-fighters seen in the background in their hi-viz protective gear and helmets. Inside the box are five sprues in styrene, two in red, one each in silver, black and white, plus a clear sprue, four flexible black tyres, a small piece of widely spaced mesh, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour with profiles at the rear for the marking options. It is of course a product of its time, but still has some good detail where it counts, although there are a few moulded-in tools that would have benefitted from separate parts when looking at it from a modern perspective. There isn’t any mould damage visible, and a tiny amount of flash is relegated to the sprue runners, so shouldn’t be an issue. Note: The red sprue photos have been processed to reveal more of the detail, as they were a little bright. Construction begins with something you wouldn’t necessarily expect of a kit from the 80s, which is an engine. The big inline block is built from two halves and includes the sump, adding the serpentine belts with alternator to the front, and a depiction of the turbo on the left side. The chassis is moulded as a single large part, adding some ancillaries, the engine, drive-shaft, transfer box with additional drive-shafts moulded-in, and the exhaust muffler with exit pipe and feeder pipe that links to the engine in the front. The front suspension mounts are each made from two-part springs with rubber covers and connections on the bottom that accepts the seven-part front axle with pivoting hubs that have brake discs and callipers moulded-in. Additional struts, dampers and anti-roll bars are fixed to the axle, and a steering linkage ensures that the two hubs move in unison, providing you haven’t overdone the glue on the pivots. The rear axle is supported by another pair of covered springs, but its assembly is more complex and rugged to support the weight of the rear of the vehicle. The two assemblies are slipped over a transverse beam near the rear of the chassis, then the four-part rear axle is fitted, with two cross-braces, dampers, anti-roll bars and ancillaries layered over it. Two hydraulic reservoirs and their hoses join them together, then the assembly is attached to the chassis just forward of the rear axle, with more parts around them, adding fuel tank, foot-steps, stowage boxes and a rear cross-beam with towing shackle and reversing lights, one on the beam, the other on a bracket to the side. The vehicle’s wheels are each made from two hub halves that hide a mushroom pin to attach to the axle, and a rubber tyre is slipped over the completed hub, all of which requires no glue. The cab is a single part that is created via sliding moulds to produce all four sides in one part including detail, minus the doors and windows, with a pair of support beams that must be nipped off from the door openings, ready for the installation of the doors later. The two seats are moulded from two parts each, consisting of the upper pencil-quilted portion, and the base with integrated rails, one seating two on a wider cushion, while the driver gets his own individual seat. The cab floor is detailed with foot pedals, gear and drive shifting levers added to the centre, and the dash perched atop the centre console, applying four decals over the painted part before it is installed. The seats are mounted on the rear of the floor, the steering wheel and column are inserted, and another two decals are applied to the ends of the dash panel. Starting with the cab body inverted, the front grille is fixed under the bonnet, the windscreen slips in from inside, and a rear-view mirror is added to the centre, then building up the doors with door cards, fixed quarter-light, and a three-part hinge that is selectively glued so they remain mobile. They are glued at the front edge by the hinges, taping them into position until the glue dries. The cab is then lowered over the interior, adding a detail insert with ribbed roof and circular panel over the recessed top. The details are then applied, including the siren horn, a three-spoked circular part, and the blue lights on the front corners of the roof. Two small panels over the front wheels are inserted on the sides, with arches mounted on pegs from below. The load area is a complex assembly, starting with the partially tread-plated floor, adding four sides, taking care to mount the floor above the supporting lip inside each face. The internal dividers create four compartments, with moulded-in equipment, some of which are surprisingly deeply recessed to add realism, with a few that aren’t quite so good. Additional equipment, including rolled-up hoses, a simple cot, and the two up-and-over doors are inserted into the visible compartments on the right side, then some more details are added. This includes fire extinguisher, manifolds, nozzle, another hose, and a trio of yellow containers, which are fitted under the moulded-in hose racks, one of the more impressive moulded-in portions of the interior. The roof is fitted, and each side is edged by a length or double railings, fixing an extending five-part ladder into position along one side, and a vertical roof ladder that is moulded from vertical and horizontal sections, plus two mounts that fit on pins to the back of the vehicle and extends onto the roof for ease of access. The rear light cluster has clear lenses, hanging on a single stalk under the back of the vehicle, joined by a pair of lollipop reflectors on the corners, and number plate with light on the left side. Turning the body over, supports and pivots are inserted into location guides, then are joined by four mudguard halves, which will help when gluing the body on the rear of the chassis, adding the cab to the front, then making up the front bumper, which has the reflectors moulded-in for the running lights, fitting clear lenses over the top, and cutting two pieces of the supplied mesh to 7mm x 14mm to act as their protective cages. The vehicle is essentially complete, although the cab exterior needs detailing, adding the two wing-mirrors on large C-shaped mounts, the searchlight with clear lens on the scuttle in front of the windscreen, a pair of separate wipers, two grab-handles for access to the bonnet area, and two contoured clear indicators that should be painted clear orange. Markings There are a surprising eight decal options included on the sheet, but you’d be safe in guessing that the predominant colour is red. There are however TWO different reds, depending on which option you choose, so make your choice early, as you will have to apply some red paint to the exterior during the building process. From the box you can build one of the following: Trier, Germany Bad Oeynhausen, Germany Höxter, Germany Braunschweig, Germany Venlo, Netherlands Salzburg, Austria Switzerland, Altstätten Hasselt, Belgium Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s an older kit, but it checks out. With careful painting and detailing, this should build up into a creditable replica of this workman-like fire-engine that saw extensive service in Germany and Europe. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  22. Hello everyone I've recently finished 2 builds 1 by Pioneer2 the other by Revell both in 1/72. These 2 kits couldn't more different. The Pioneer2 kit is very rudimentary and isn't labelled as any particular model type, however I'm going to presume it's the V2 based on the undercarriage. I will note that if it is the V2 it's not in correct scale. The Revell kit is type IX. Quite a nicely detailed kit which lends itself to additional work. I'm actually going to do a little more work on the wings at a later date. The intention is to build a workshop diorama for this plane. Here is the Pioneer2 kit fully assembled and painted. And the Revell kit, partly left in wood finish unpainted. scratch built workshop stands.
  23. Panzerhaubitze 2000 (03347) 1:72 Carrera Revell The PzH2000 is Germany's self-propelled howitzer, and has some impressive stats at its disposal, especially the rate of fire, which in burst mode can fire up to three rounds in 9 seconds. Don't you just love the name "burst mode"? For sustained fire, it can fire between 10-13 rounds per minute, although with a suggested maximum of 100 rounds per day, that won’t mean 24/7 bombardment. It is also accurate out way beyond 40km, and has plenty of advanced features that allow it to land multiple rounds on a target at the same time by altering the trajectory of each subsequent round to shorten the flight time, leading to simultaneous arrival. The main gun is a 155mm unit designed and made by Rheinmetall, and is highly advanced with separate charge and ammunition packages allowing for tuning of the round in the barrel, all of which is done automatically by the auto-loader mechanism. A new gun that is in prototype at time of writing has already extended the effective range of the gun even further to in excess of 67km, and they are hoping to increase that further to 75km by the end of testing. The crew are well protected from counter-attack, even though the vehicles by their nature are usually some way behind friendly lines due to their long reach. In conflicts such as Afghanistan, where it first saw action with the Dutch, the boundaries of engagement aren't fixed, so additional armour has been added to the roof of the turret to protect it from mortar rounds. A few issues were reported based on its use in Afghanistan due to heat and cold problems affecting the gun's operation at extremes of temperature, but these have been addressed in subsequent upgrades. Some PzH2000s have been used in Ukraine, provided by Germany, the balance coming from the Netherlands’ stock. They have seen extensive activity there, firing well in excess of their recommended 100 shells a day, which has resulted in stress and degradation of the auto-load systems, and those have needed to be repaired, with additional attritional replacements being supplied in the meantime, increasing the overall numbers in-theatre over the period of the conflict so far. As a consequence of their active service, the barrels that were rated for 4,500 rounds before replacement have been found to be lasting far longer, some reaching 20,000 rounds before they were replaced. The Kit This is a reboxing of Revell’s 2001 kit of the type, arriving in a small end-opening box, containing four sprues of grey styrene, decal sheet and colour-printed instruction booklet that has profiles for the decal options on the back pages. The detail of the kit is good for the age and scale, showing neither mould wear nor flash, with crisp moulding, plenty of detail, plus raised and recessed features where it matters most. Construction begins with the assembly of the lower hull from the base structure, which is detailed with a pair of sides that have the suspension arms and other detail moulded-in. The fourteen paired road wheels, twin idler wheels and two-part drive sprockets are made up and fitted onto the stub axles on the hull sides, adding two of the four return rollers on the outboard positions, the inner two being moulded into the hull sides. The tracks are link-and-length, with two long runs top and bottom, short runs on the two diagonals, and ten individual links that accomplish the curves around the ends of the track runs on both sides. A scrap diagram shows the colours suitable for the steel track links and their rubber pads to assist with painting. The upper hull is made from the deck with moulded-in glacis plate, plus the two side panels, after which the two hull halves are mated, and the rear bulkhead with moulded-in access doors is inserted into the space on the back of the vehicle. There is a choice of where to locate a beam on the vehicle, either on the right side or across the glacis plate, fitting a shallow box on the left side of the hull. The rear bulkhead is completed by adding hooks, towing shackles and other small parts to it, then filling the void at the rear of the sponsons with inserts that have detail engraved that include light clusters and the doors for stowage boxes inside the sponsons. The skirts slip into position on the hull sides, then the front of the vehicle is outfitted with light clusters and their cages, towing shackles, and a pair of warning lights that are painted red for operation on civilian roads, finished off with a pair of wing mirrors, one each side. The hull is finished off with a towing cable that is mounted around the side and rear of the turret perimeter, placing a pair of track links on the deck, plus the driver’s hatch and armoured vision-block covers on the front right. The massive turret is made from a curved roof/sides that is mounted on the floor, and closed at the rear by a semi-circular bulkhead, adding three hatch-tops and a warning flasher to the top and rear, the most forward hatch also getting a machine gun ring for an MG3 with moulded-in pintle-mount, and a rail on the right-most hatch that is fitted at an angle. The pivot-point for the main gun is built from two halves two plus additional detail parts, then the front of the turret is detailed with a four-part mesh stowage position with a small panel and bracket above it on the right, and a tapering louvred panel on the left cheek. The barrel is moulded in two halves, and once complete is inserted into the breech/pivot on a keyed lug, then the assembly is clipped into position without glue inside the turret. The mantlet has four-barrel smoke grenade launchers on each side, and this is then slid over the barrel to cover the pivot drum, the interior of which isn’t meant to be accurate, just functional. A pair of aerials are made from stretched sprue and glued to the rear of the turret roof, and the turret is locked into position by lining up the bayonet lugs and rotating it to the front. An optional travel-lock for the barrel can be installed on the front deck, illustrated by two diagrams and a front elevation that notes that the centre of the lock is 16mm from the left side of the raised guides. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, one in German service, the other in Ukrainian wartime service in 2022. From the box you can build one of the following: Batterie/Panzerartillerielehrbataillon 325 Muster 2011/2012 Ukraine/Ukrainian Army 2022 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is a reboxing of a very nicely detailed model, especially when you consider the tooling is now over 20 years old. The decals have been updated to reflect a more recent user of the type too, which will appeal. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  24. So my son asked me to build him a “combat helicopter” which I did at work at my desk during my lunch hours. As I was building it a work colleague said he had something for me and gave me the Revell kit telling me he was never going to build it and that if I wanted it it was mine. The kit is from 1980 and fairly simple, but there were some fit issues, filling and sanding to do and the decals had yellowed. I hit Hannants for some new decals, Master Detail for a couple of pilots and scrap pieces of wood and metal to make the base. No, this is no Tamiya kit, but then it doesn’t cost anything like a Tamiya (yes I know this one was free, but you know what I mean) and you get one big good looking aircraft at the end.
  25. M1A1 AIM(SA)/M1A2 Abrams (03346) 1:72 Carrera Revell The M1 Abrams is at time of writing and likely to remain that way for some considerable time, the current Main Battle Tank employed by the armed forces of the USA. Named after General Creighton Abrams, Commander of US forces in Vietnam, the Abrams entered service with the US Army in 1980, gradually replacing the M60 MBT. Since then over 9,000 examples of the gas turbine-powered tank have been produced and it is now in service with the armed forces of Australia, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as well as the US. The US Marines operated the M1A1 (HA), which utilised depleted uranium as part of its composite armour package, the M1A1(SA) Situational Awareness had improved armour and a forward-looking FLIR turret installed, while the M1A2 variant is an upgrade over the original M1A1, with enhanced targeting and armour capabilities. The Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK & TUSK II) are field-installable armour upgrades that incorporates various elements such as Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA), a shallow V-keel underneath to deflect IED blasts away from the crew compartments, and armoured screens around the turret hatches, all of which were developed in response to experience acquired during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, particularly in urban environments. The Kit This is a reissue of a 1997 tooling, although some of the detail must have been quite impressive when it was originally released, including the anti-slip coating on the horizontal portions of the vehicle. It arrives in a small end-opening box, and inside are six sprues in light grey styrene, a small decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour, with profiles in the rear to assist with painting and decaling. As already mentioned, the detail is good, especially for the time, with individually moulded wheels that must be paired up, IFF ID panels, link-and-length tracks, turret basket framework and the exhausts for the gas turbine engine at the rear. Construction begins understandably with the lower hull, which is made from the floor, two side panels that have the wheel-stations moulded-in, plus the rear bulkhead that has heat-exchanging grilles moulded-in, with a gap for the hot exhaust from the engine. The road wheels are made up into pairs, the drive-sprockets are built from two halves with slightly simplified details on the outer face, then they are glued into position along with the two return rollers along the upper run. The tracks are link-and-length, as already mentioned, and are made up from two flat lengths on the horizontal, two short diagonal lengths at the ends of the run, and ten individual links to fit around the drive-sprocket and idler wheel, repeating it on the opposite side, painting the tracks when you feel it best. The exhaust insert has a choice of two styles, and a large towing hook underneath, then the upper hull is fitted with a pair of side-skirts, cutting off the rear curved section for the M1A1 option. The driver’s hatch and light clusters are glued to the shallow sloped upper glacis plate, then the top and bottom hull assemblies are mated. The turret is a single upper that needs four flashed-over holes drilling out before it is mated to the turret floor, adding stowage boxes to the sides and rear, located on recesses, and with the Vehicle Meteorological Sensor (VMS) mast on the rear. The commander’s cupola with thick hatch and machine gun mount, or a simplified alternative are glued into the right cut-out, then the turret baskets are fitted around the sides and rear, along with the towing cables with moulded-in eyes. Although the tubular frames of these are a little oversized through necessity, they’re not overly large, so don’t look out of place. The M1A1 and M1A2 turret fittings differ, so there are two pairs of steps dealing with those, then the mantlet with moulded-in coax machine gun is inserted into the front of the turret, adding the gun barrel into the hole, adding the other half of the fume extractor “hump” from midway down the barrel, which was moulded as an insert to avoid sink-marks. The crew-served weapons on the turret differ between versions, with differing mounts for the commander’s hatch, and a 7.62mm gun for the other hatch, all with ammo cans mated to their sides. The turret is then twisted into the hull to lock the bayonet lugs into position. The M1A1 has a pair of spare road wheels and a tubular part that may be a Manpad missile, although it’s hard to tell. The M1A2 has a large aircon unit in the bustle rack, the same tubular “thing”, spare road wheels and four ammo cans that are fixed to the back of the bustle rack. Both variants then have another spare road wheel mounted on the turret top that appears to block the view of the Gunner’s primary sight for the M1A2, so seems a bad idea. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, and for a change there is an Australian option provided, rather than US only options. From the box you can build one of the following: M1A2 Abrams, 194th Brigade Task Force, 1-70 AR National Training Centre, Fort Irwing, California, 1995 M1A1 Abrams, Australian Army, Armoured Cavalry Regiment, B Squadron, 3 Troop, 1st Adelaide, South Australia, 2015 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A surprisingly well-detailed kit of this modern Main Battle Tank, which is still reasonably large in 1:72 scale. The camouflaged decal options add some individuality to the boxing, which is always a good thing. Highly recommended. Carrera Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
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