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L-4 Cub – European Cubs in Post-War Service (SH48222) 1:48 Special Hobby The Piper Cub was a light aircraft developed before WWII with production continuing throughout WWII and into the late 40s. In military service as a communications, reconnaissance, or spotter aircraft, it was known as the L-4 Grasshopper, and 20,000 plus were built due to its success in various roles, including trainer and glider tug. It was powered by a flat-4 engine, and despite the limited power it was agile in the air, with docile handling characteristics and a very low stall speed, which made take-off and landing a simple process, and let the aircraft use strips that were far too short for other types. After the war, many of the former military aircraft were re-purposed for civilian use, or sold to other nations in similar roles. Due to the simple nature of the type, maintenance was straight-forward and cost-effective, leading to many airframes surviving to the present day in private hands. The Kit This is a reboxing of Special Hobby’s 2022 new tool that we somehow missed until now, so it’s our first look at the plastic, although we have reviewed the 3D printed engine upgrade set, which truly is a sight to behold. The kit arrives in a modest top-opening box, and inside are two full-size sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), a casting block with four parts, a tiny slip of over-printed clear acetate, the A5 instruction booklet in colour, and the decals in a separate resealable bag. Detail is good, although there are some ejector-pin marks here and there by necessity, and some of them might need dealing with during assembly and painting. Construction begins predictably with the cockpit, starting on a floor part that is detailed with rudder pedals, fire extinguisher and other small parts, plus the linked control columns, the four-part seat for the pilot, with a choice of two types of rear seat installed later. The Continental motor is started by gluing the top and bottom halves together, with optional heat shielding over the piston banks, and a central air intake system underneath. This is slipped through the piston slots in the starboard fuselage half, which has the cowling details adjusted for one of the decal options on both sides. The firewall with moulded-in tank separates the engine from the cockpit, and after gluing the floor into the bottom, a sloped rear bulkhead is placed on ledges. A choice of two additional intake parts is inserted under the motor, created by removing the tip for one decal option. Whilst closing the fuselage, two rods are inserted low on the firewall, linked diagonally to the sidewalls, then your choice of rear seats, one option that is similar to the pilot’s seat but with a single mounting frame, the other a single cushion with PE belts and no back. For three of the decal schemes there is an additional grating inserted and glued to the front bulkhead, and a tonneau cover is spread over the rear cockpit area. The instrument panel is created by adding a curved insert across the front of the opening, to which a choice of printed acetate film or a decal is applied, adding a PE surround over the top. At the front of the tonneau, one option has a PE belt strung across from one sidewall to the other. The Cub’s extensive glazing is next, with a choice of closed or open starboard side panels, which is accomplished by using one of two parts supplied on the clear sprue. The port side is always closed, and is first to be placed in position, linked to the opposite side by an asymmetrical framework over the heads of the crew that holds the tops of the windows at the correct width. There are details moulded into the insides of the glazing parts, so masking inside and painting them will increase the realism appreciably. Special Hobby have a set of masks to help in this regard. The clear roof is applied over the top, and in front of that the lengthy spar and an inverted V-frame is added that is covered by the crystal-clear curved windscreen. Once the glue and paint are dry on the canopy, the wing halves are joined over the spars, taking care to smooth down the ejector-pin marks that are present on the centre surface of each part, just in case they clash. A few seconds with a motor tool or coarse sanding stick should see them gone, as you don’t need to be too careful. The single-thickness elevators are slotted into the tail, then it’s a case of adding all the detail, starting with the landing gear struts under the fuselage. The engine is also detailed with resin exhausts and intake filter, plus a small “pot” on the top of the cowling. The wings are supported by a V-shaped strut between the fuselage and outer wing, with an additional stay around half-way, and some tiny PE actuators fitted to the ailerons. You will need to find some 0.3mm wire or thread to replicate the aileron control wires that run down the front support and pop out again to mate with the PE actuators added earlier. This is replicated on both wings of course. The tail wheel is fixed to the moulded-in strut under the tail, and there are twin control wires added to the elevators, with the control wires replicated top and bottom, and two more to control the tail-wheel itself for ground-handling. More short wires are added on the topside of the ailerons, and the two-part balloon-like tyres are slipped over the axles on the gear legs. If you have elected for an open cockpit, the open window is fixed almost flush with the lower wing and held in place by a PE stay, while the lower trapezoid cockpit door is folded down with a PE handle and retaining clip glued to the bottom edge. It isn’t mentioned, but we assume that if you close the window you should glue the door in the closed position earlier in the build. There is a short antenna inserted into a hole in the roof, which has a wire strung between it and the top of the fin, then the two-bladed prop is slipped over the shaft at the front of the engine, with a shallow spinner included for one of the decal options. Markings There are a healthy four decal options included on the sheet, and if you’ve been staring at grey jets a lot recently, you might want your sunglasses, as some of them are a bit colourful. From the box you can build one of the following: L-4J Grasshopper OK-YFJ c/n:12830 ex-USAAF 44-80534, owned by J Zítka, Rtyně v Podkrkonoši, Czechoslovakia, 1947 L-4H Grasshopper HB-OUD c/n:11854 ex-USAAF 44-79558, private owner in Bern, Switzerland, 2004 L-4H Grasshopper G-AIIH c/n:11945 ex-USAAF 44-79649 private owner, Great Britain, 1993 L-4H Grasshopper SP-AML ex-USAAF 44-79884, Warsaw Aero Club, Poland, 1949 The decals appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion I wasn’t all that interested in this aircraft until I saw the 3D printed engine set that we reviewed recently, and now I’m all over it. It’s an acknowledged fact that I’m fickle, but it’s a really nice kit of a surprisingly common and persistent aircraft that will appeal to civilian aircraft modellers as well as some of the many pilots that earned their wings flying in one. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi all, didn't realise how soon it was before this GB opened- luckily I've just bought Special Hobby's 'Middle East Meteors' kit in 1/72. As the paints suggest, I'll be building this in the early Israeli blue/brown scheme, with this specific aircraft being used as a target tug by 107 squadron until 1964. Here's the sprue shot, I have cut the main fuselage and wing pieces off to test the fit and so far it looks good. Looking forward to this build- even if the dayglo stripe decals terrify me 😅 Thanks for looking in!

Messerschmitt Bf 109E "Slovak and Rumanian Aces" (SH72472) 1:72 Special Hobby The BF 109 has inherited quite a legendary status and when you look into its service career, it's certainly obvious why. Viewing the design in retrospect, it looks just like a typical fighter of the WWII era, but it was more than that, it was the very platform that the single seat fighter format was born from. Powerful engine, monocoque airframe, all metal construction, enclosed cockpit and retractable gear this was unheard of before hand, it was radical, not typical in the 1930's. Its birth wasn't perfect however, to achieve its performance, some sacrifices were made, particularly in the landing gear arrangement and high wing loading having a negative effect on landing speeds compared to the competition at the time. This inherent design issue was never fully cured and it's estimated that at least 10% of all 109's were lost in take off accidents. Early models (A-D) were powered by the Junkers jumo engine with outputs of around 700hp. The aircraft was first used in combat during the Spanish Civil War where many lessons were learned and these would be later put to good use in battles over France and Britain. The E or Emil model broke the mould in 109 development by changing to the more powerful Daimler Benz DB 601 engine of around 1080hp, a significant step in performance and also in armament due to the introduction of 20mm cannon. By 1939, all earlier variants had been replaced in frontline service. As the variants progressed, so did the level of armour protection for the pilot. Another critical element to improve survivability was the use of twin radiators with cut off valves meaning that if one radiator was damaged, the other could be used to keep it airborne. The Emil was the primary Luftwaffe fighter until 1941 when the F model became widely available with more powerful engine although a few managed to see combat in the Battle of Britain. For an aircraft that broke the mould with fighter technology and performance in the mid 30's, it's evolution meant that whilst it's design had exhausted improvement capability towards the end of the war, it stayed in operational use until 1965 in Europe in the guise of the Spanish licence built HA 1112 using the Merlin power plant. During its 30 year career, more than 33,000 were built, a record that will probably never be beaten. The Kit This a brand new tool for 2020 from Special Hobby, in collaboration with Eduard. The quality is first class with crisp moulding and fine engraved panel lines. Given the small size of the real aircraft, in 1/72 the model is quite diminutive, but seems well detailed. Construction starts with the cockpit. The rear bulkhead attaches to the floor with the rudder pedals going in as well. The front lower bulkhead is made up and installed onto the floor followed by the instruments panel and the coaming in front of it. The instruments being provided as decals. Into the cockpit go the flight controls and flap wheel, followed by the seat. The belts being provided as decals also. If the modeller is going to display the cover for the guns in front of the cockpit open then full guns are included, if you are doing this closed then only partial ones need to be added. Next up the engine is assembled which seems quite detailed for the scale, the bearers attached and it fitted to the firewall. Inside the main fuselage halves the exhausts are fitted along with the tail wheel and then the whole thing can be closed up. Separate engine and gun covers can be added, or left off as needed. After the tail surfaces are attached to the main fuselage then we can move onto the wings. The lower wing is a single part with left and right uppers. The wheel wells are all boxed in on the lower. To the middle of the lower wing the radiator is first added. The top wings can then go on. All the wing control surfaces are separate parts. To finish the wing the under wing radiators are added. The wing can then be joined with the fuselage. The canopy parts can then be added, with different types of head armour being provided for the different decal options. The slats can then be added to the main wing in either the open or closed position as needed. At the front the prop and spinner goes on. Last up for the main parts, the main landing gear is made up and added. A few detail parts now can be added to finish of the kit, the aerial mast, pitot tubes, balance horns,; and even an engine starting handle if you wish to install it. Markings The glossy decal sheet is printed in house and looks sharp and in register. There are four decal options available from the decal sheet; Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3, No.9, W.Nr. 2486, ‘Hai Fetito!’, Lt. Av. Ioan Di Cesare, Escadrila 57, Grupul 7 Vânătoare, Aeronautica Regala Romana (Royal Romanian Air Force), based at Karpovka-Stalingrad, occupied part of the USSR, November 1942. (Box art aircraft) Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7 (rebuilt from an E-3), No.64, W.Nr. 704, ‘Nella!’, Adj. Av. Tiberiu Vinca, Escadrila 56, Grupul 7 Vânătoare, Aeronautica Regala Romana (Royal Romanian Air Force), Karpovka-Stalingrad, occupied part of the USSR, Winter 1942. V Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3, White 2, probably W.Nr. 2945, čtk. Ján Režnák, Slovenské vzdušné zbrane, (Slovak Air Force) 13. (slow.)/JG52, based at Krasnodar, occupied part of the USSR, January 1943. Razňák's final tally stood at 32 victories which ensured him the position of the most scoring fighter pilot of the SVZ. Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7, White 1, rtk. Rudolf Božík, Scramble Flight, Slovenské vzdušné zbrane (Slovak Air Force), Vajnory airfield, the Slovak State, 1943/44. Rudolf Božík, a Slovak Air Force ace pilot with 12 and ½ victories under his belt. Conclusion It is good to see a new tool out of this most famous aircraft. I am no 109 expert but it looks to be a well detailed and engineered kit. Decal options of other users than the Luftwaffe are always welcome. Highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of

Junkers Ju.87D-3 Stuka Experten (SH72470) 1:72 Special Hobby The Ju-87 Stuka was conceived as a dive bomber in the early 1930s and proved itself a capable performer during the Spanish Civil war, then later during the Blitzkrieg in Western Europe. However, the Battle of Britain showed that the relatively slow speed of the aircraft rendered it vulnerable to more modern fighters of that time, such as the Spitfire and Hurricane fielded by the British. As such it was redeployed to combat arenas where the Luftwaffe held aerial superiority or where there was unlikely to be any airborne opposition at all. Axis aligned countries were also supplied with surplus German Aircraft, usually those that had since been superseded by new variants. The -D series featured two coolant radiators underneath the inboard wings panels, while the oil cooler was relocated to the position formerly occupied by the single, chin-mounted coolant radiator. The -D series also introduced an aerodynamically smoothed cockpit with better visibility for the pilot and overall space for the crew to move around in combat. Armour protection was also strengthened and a new twin-mount 7.92 mm MG 81Z zwilling machine gun with a high rate of fire was installed to improve the rate of fire they could direct at their opponents. Engine performance was increased with the installation of the improved Jumo 211J that now delivering around 1,400 hp, which enabled the weapons load to increase from a relatively ineffectual 500 kg to 1,800 kg, although a typical bomb load was more likely to be 500-1,200 Kg. The D-3 was intended for ground attack and was armed with forward firing machine guns as well as the afore mentioned bomb load and crew protection. The Stuka’s ground attack credentials were further improved by the replacement -G variant, which added hard-points for underslung cannons in panniers under the wings. The Kit This a reboxing of the Academy kit, with additional parts that were tooled by Special Hobby themselves. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with the usual yellow/white theme and an attractive painting of the subject matter on the front. Inside are six sprues in two shades of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE), a small bag containing three 3D printed parts in orange resin, the instruction booklet with colour profiles on the rear pages, and a decal sheet in a separate bag. Detail of the Academy parts is good, and they are matched in every way but the colour by the new sprue from Special Hobby’s designers. The addition of the new parts, resin and PE are a good boost to the base kit, and the decals are printed by Eduard, so the carrier film can be removed after application. Construction begins with the cockpit of course, making up the bulkhead between the crew, then adding PE seatbelts to the pilot’s seat and the gunner’s less salubrious perch at the rear. The assemblies are fixed to the cockpit floor along with a seat base for the pilot, control column and tiny PE rudder pedals in the front, and extra ammo containers at the side of the gunner’s seat, and finally a bulkhead at the rear. Before you can close the fuselage, the rudder panel must be removed from just the port fuselage half, as it’s a full-thickness part and is replaced by the new part later on. The interior of the fuselage has nice detail moulded-in, with one extra part added to the starboard side before the cockpit is trapped between the halves during closure. The instrument panel is fitted into the front coaming and a decal is applied over the painted panel, then it is glued to the top of the fuselage, and at the rear of the cockpit opening another insert is installed with the clear direction-finding antenna that is recessed into the fuselage. The nose section is separate from the main fuselage to enable more versions from the same tooling, and it is built up from two halves plus two exhaust stacks, radiator inside the intake and the prop shaft moulded into the starboard side. This is glued to the fuselage, after which the wings are started. The lower wing is full span, but needs a section cutting out from the centre to accommodate a new insert with a pair of lugs inserted into holes from inside. The outer wings are glued over the top, and the fuselage is then dropped in between the gap. At the rear the new rudder panel is glued in place with the two elevators each single parts plus the flared end-caps, sliding into slots in the fuselage sides. Each wing needs a pair of holes drilled out to accept the relocated intakes for the oil coolers, and this is shown out of step with the build, as the flashed-over holes aren’t visible from the outside, so drill them out before you join the upper and lower wings together. This also applies to two more holes outboard of the gear legs under each wing. You have been warned! Speaking of wheels, the new sprue contains two-part wheels with radial tread, and these can be inserted into either un-spatted gear legs, or the more aerodynamically clean but sometimes impractical spatted legs, the latter option also having 3D printed tubes added to the curved front and spinners that apply to just one decal option. With your choice of main gear legs installed on butt-joints under the wings, the common tail wheel is inserted under the elevators, adding support struts between the elevators and fuselage sides, plus a pair of semi-conformal bomb shackles under each wing. Each of the moulded-in wing-flaps have three actuators added into holes in the respective surfaces, plus two smaller parts, and a further two more upstands are inserted vertically under the chin intake as pivots for the bomb launching cradle. The bombs are made up from PE fins and two-part styrene bodies, adding more PE stabilising struts between the rear of each fin, forming a square when looking from behind. The larger bomb is added to the launch cradle and glued to the centreline, while the two pairs of smaller bombs fix to the mounts under the wings, plus the PE dive-brakes that flip up to enhance the aircraft’s dive characteristics when deployed. Turning the model over onto its wheels, the rear gunner has the mount and twin machine guns added, while at the front the prop is built up from the three blades that are moulded together, which is slipped over the shaft following the rear spinner plate, so that it can be secured by a styrene O-ring that is then covered over by the spinner cap so it can remain mobile once the glue is cured. The canopy can be posed closed by using the single-part moulding on the clear sprue, or you can use the four-part separate sections to pose the canopy fully or partially open, with both options receiving an antenna that fixes in a hole moulded into the centre-aft section. The wing guns, pitot probe and clear landing light are all then glued into the leading edge of the wings to complete the model. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, and you will need to make some decisions about which you want to model early on, as it affects your choice of gear legs. Although the options all wear the same green RLM70/71 splinter camouflage over an RLM65 blue underside, they are differentiated by their distinctive markings and the clumsy way that previous markings have been overpainted. From the box you can build one of the following: T6+AA, Orbstlt Dr. Ernst Kupfer, CO of St.G 2, The Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, Summer 1943 S7+AA, Orbstlt Walter Sigel, CO of St.G 3, Egypt 1942 T6+BC, Wr.N.2491, Little Bear, Gruppenadjutant II.St.G 2, Lt Gunter Schmid, Eastern Ukraine, September 1942 The decals appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. The swastikas on the tail are shown as black diamonds on the profiles, but are on the sheet as two halves so that you can add them for the sake of historical accuracy, leave them off if you don’t wish to display them, or your country has laws against its use. Conclusion The base kit is well-detailed with fine engraved panel lines, and the addition of the new sprue and extras in the shape of PE and resin really raise this Stuka’s game, making for an interesting build and some unusual schemes. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Avia S-199 Pilot & Mechanic (F72385) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby The Avia S-199 was a Czech-built copy of the Messerschmitt Bf.109G, based on toolings and parts left behind as the Nazis retreated from their country, but substituting the unobtainable DB605 engine with a Junkers Jumo 211F that was mated with the same prop used when it was fitted to the He.111 during wartime production. The result was a difficult aircraft to fly due to the mismatch of parts, which led to some derogatory nicknames from their pilots such as Mule from the Czechoslovakian pilots and Knife from the Israelis, who used it as their first fighter after establishing their new Air Force. This figure set is intended for the recent Eduard kit in this scale, and includes a pair of figures giving each other one last salute before the pilot goes off to fly his Mule, or a salute of relief from a pilot coming back from a mission. The two figures are well sculpted for the scale, and are supplied with ‘batwings’ of flash between their arms and torsos, as well as a little between their legs, which is a moulding aid to reduce bubbles and make the parts easier to remove from the moulds, and should be easy to remove. As with all resin moulds, there is always a little clean-up to be done, which is best carried out before giving the parts a wash in warm (not hot) soapy water to remove the particles and any remaining mould-release agent, which could reduce paint adhesion. With resin, you should take the precaution of wearing a mask when cutting or sanding it, as the tiny particles are harmful to your health if breathed in. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Breda 65A-80 ‘Aviazione Legionaria’ (SH48226) 1:48 Special Hobby The Breda 65 was a development of the earlier model 64, and was an interwar fighter and ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Air Force in small numbers before WWII. It was unusual as a fighter in that it had an internal bomb bay that could carry a small bomb load for the ground-attack role, which kept the aircraft aerodynamically clean, although it wasn’t exactly a sleek aircraft to begin with. The airframe was constructed completely from metal, and was powered by a Fiat A.80 RC.41 18-cylinder radial engine with around 1,000hp output from the twin piston banks of 9 cylinders each, with the exception of a small number of the initial production that were instead powered by a less-powerful license-built Gnôme-Rhône motor. Twenty-three aircraft assigned to 65a Squadriglia of the Aviazione Legionaria were sent to Spain to fight alongside the German Legion Condor on the side of the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War, where they lost more than half during the conflict. Once the war was over, the remaining aircraft were transferred to the Spanish Air Force as they were for the most part outdated by that point, with comparable performance as the German Stuka, although that comparator soldiered on much longer. The remaining aircraft of the 200+ that were built were kept in-service longer than desired due to problems with their replacements, and attrition was high when there were modern opposition forces in theatre. When they were able to carry out their task unmolested however, they were a stable platform for ground-attack, and made a good account of themselves on occasion before they were ultimately withdrawn from service, by 1942 at the latest. The Kit This is a reboxing with new decals of an older kit from Special Hobby that first saw the light of day in 2010. It is of the shorter-run style moulding that has much of the finer details supplied as resin parts that are found in a separate Ziploc bag inside the box. There are three sprues of grey styrene, a separately bagged clear sprue, the afore mentioned bag of resin parts, decal sheet and a large fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a resealable bag, rounded out by the A5 stapled instruction booklet, all inside a blue/grey themed top-opening box. Detail on the resin and PE is excellent, and the external surface of the airframe parts are similarly well-moulded, while the interior parts, especially the tubular framework has a little bit of flash on it, so a pre-build clean-up will be a sensible proposition before you begin. Construction begins with the pilot’s seatbelt arrangement, unusually. The four-part PE belts are attached to the top of a trapezoid rear panel, with two PE chains hanging down, the completed assembly then glued to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit, which has a rounded cushion moulded into it. The seat pad with partial surround is glued underneath, and a two-part frame is added to the rear, which also receives a lever on the starboard side of the seat. The unusually-shaped triangular floor section is attached to the frame under the seat and an inverted triangular frame at the front, which also has the rudder pedals and foot rests fixed to a cross-brace, and the control column is glued between two pegs in the centre of the floor. Another PE chain with belt is linked between the seat and the floor, and a couple of scrap diagrams show the location and how to fold up the PE foot rests. A pair of tank halves are put together with another two-part tapered tank placed on top, ready to be sandwiched between the two side frames, which is the next task. The frames are held apart by installing the cockpit assembly, the tanks, a front bulkhead and aft cross-braces between the two sides, plus a framed rear deck behind the pilot that also has a headrest added to the front. A flat panel is also inserted under the tanks, leaving a sizeable gap between the cockpit and tanks for the bomb racks. The bomb racks are tubular and perforated throughout their length, and are each rolled up separately from parts on the PE sheet, with a top and bottom surround, into which the resin bombs are inserted, pointed end facing up in a similar manner to the German He.111. They are suspended vertically from the side frames on tabs that project from the top surround, with a raised platform overhead that is made up from three styrene parts and two PE parts underneath. The completed interior is trapped inside the two fuselage halves by several location tabs, with the spine behind the pilot a separate insert, presumably to give options for the two-seat trainer. The tail wheel is a single part that is trapped in between a two-part aerodynamic fairing, which is in turn trapped in a fairing moulded into the fuselage under the tail. The elevators are added to the tail after joining their halves together in a butt-joint, and these also fit in place on a butt-joint that would make for a stronger join if you add some pegs from brass rod or similar. You will also need to remove the ejector-pin marks from the inside of the two elevator halves to ensure a snug fit of the parts. At the front, the triple-faced instrument panel with a curved PE lower section that is festooned with PE levers is made up, and there are sadly no decals for the dials. The lower wing is a single full-span part, which has a framework added around the interior of both main gear bays, plus retractor jacks and main struts attached to small inserts that glue into the front of the bay openings. The upper wing halves have moulded-in tubular framework and ribbing, which should react well to some careful painting before they are glued over the lowers and added into the fuselage from below. Now for some resin details. The engine is depicted entirely in resin, building up all 18 cylinders around the central core in two banks, with two scrap diagrams showing the correct orientation of the completed assembly. It is inserted into the hole in the front of the fuselage after adding an exhaust collector ring and two exhaust stubs, both of which have PE supports. The resin cowling slides over the engine, adding a chin intake from two parts and a twin resin intake that merges and disappears inside the fuselage just in front of the cockpit. Two small rectangular parts are applied just behind the cowling on the sides, and a pair of oval fairings are added underneath to finish it off, then a gap in the belly of the aircraft behind the bomb bay is filled with a clear greenhouse that sits flush with the underside. A pair of short struts join the elevators to the fuselage at the rear, and a PE actuator is fixed to the starboard side of the rudder, finishing off with a clear light at the very rear of the fuselage. With the model inverted, the landing gear and underwing details are finalised, starting with the curved front spats, which have a retraction jack at their base, and a mudguard at the rear on a C-shaped bracket. Three flap actuator fairings are added near the trailing edges of the wings, as are a pair of PE actuators for the ailerons, and a pitot probe under the leading edge of the port wing. Turning the model over, there is a copious amount of detail to be installed, starting with PE elevator actuators, a combined PE, resin and clear styrene gunsight in the cockpit, and the four wing-mounted guns for which you have a choice. There are simple styrene guns included on the sprues that you can use as-is, or you can cut off the barrels and replace them with rolled up PE cooling jackets around a central rod, which you will need to supply from your own stock. That may be a little tricky, but the extra detail would be well worth the effort, and the task simplified by annealing the PE carefully in a flame, taking care not to overdo it, as thin brass can vaporise in too hot a flame. Moving back to the tail again there are six small fairings to be glued to the surfaces of the elevators and rudder, which have rigging wires strung between them according to the scrap diagrams. The canopy is found on the clear sprue in three parts, with the faceted windscreen applied over the instrument panel, plus the sliding centre section and fixed rear portion over the framework behind the pilot. A pair of wingtip lights are supplied to fill the holes in the wings, then the last task is to make up the prop, which is fully resin, and is assembled from the centre boss and three blades, which don’t appear to be keyed, so take care to arrange them so that they are at the same angle of incidence. Markings There are two decal options included on the sheet, both sharing the same three tone camouflage scheme that extends over the leading edges of the wings and onto the underside a little. They are both combatants in the Spanish Civil War, so differ only by their tail codes. From the box you can build one of the following: 16-35 65a Squadriglia Assalto, Aviazione Legionaria, Puig Moreno, Spain, Winter, 1938 16-35 65a Squadriglia Assalto, Aviazione Legionaria, Puig Moreno, Spain, Winter, 1938 The decals appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of time into the bargain. Conclusion Another niche subject from Special Hobby, and it’s good to see it back on the shelves. It’s not a shake-and-bake kit, but a good replica should be possible with some care and use of those modelling skills we sometimes hear about. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Aero Ab-11 L-BUCD (SH72471) Blue Bird on a Long Flight over Europe, Africa and Asia 1:72 Special Hobby Between the two World Wars, Czech company Aero created a number of aircraft for their own country’s use, many of which were biplanes. The A-11 was a light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that was a development of the earlier and inconsistently named A-12, that reached production after flight tests and subsequent alterations that gave the airframe the look that became synonymous with the type. The Ab-11 was the bomber variant, and served with the Czech Air Force uneventfully, where they were well-respected by their crews, and when they were finally withdrawn from front-line service, many were refitted with dual controls so that they could be used as training aircraft. Most airframes were out of service or destroyed by the time WWII came around, and were considered too old to be used by the Germans, with just a few originals and replicas remaining today, one of which is at Kbely museum in Prague, so I might have some pictures somewhere. The aircraft’s performance and reliability were factors in choosing the type for a long-distance endurance journey around Europe, North Africa and parts of the Far East, with pilot General Vilem Stanovsky at the controls and mechanic Frantisek Simek in the second seat. The flight began in May 1926 and lasted until 23rd June of that year, travelling a total of over 15,000km. The aircraft was given a civilian registration of L-BUCD, and nicknamed Blue Bird with a light blue paint scheme reinforcing the theme. The reliability of the Breitfield-Danek Perun II straight-6 engine was a factor in their success, making the round trip from Czechoslovakia, Morocco, England, Finland, Turkey, Italy, and back to Czechoslovakia with a spare prop strapped to the underside, just in case. The Kit This is a new limited-edition tooling from Special Hobby, and the kit arrives in a small top-opening box, with two sprues of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, tiny Photo-Etch (PE) fret, instruction booklet and separately bagged decal sheet within. The instructions state that a floatplane version was created under the code A-29, and looking at the sprue diagrams there are some unused parts for this boxing, so shall we wonder if we’ll be seeing one of those later? Detail is good, especially the louvred engine cowlings and cockpit interior, as well as the fabric covered wooden wings, which have a subtle undulating surface moulded into them. Construction begins by making up the cockpit floor from two sections, adding a couple of detail parts on the starboard side, then fixing it and a small bulkhead to the starboard fuselage half after painting the details that are moulded into the interior of the fuselage and taking care of a few ejector-pin marks if necessary. A crib-like stowage area is made up from two parts plus an inverted A-frame, and that has a seat fixed to the front of the frame, installed just behind the cockpit floor, with another bucket seat added further forward for the pilot, using PE parts for the seatbelts, and fixing the controls into the front of the cockpit. A bulkhead with rudder bar is glued at an angle to the front of the cockpit, with radio gear applied to the centre of the port fuselage half along with a compass that has a decal applied to the top. The fuselage can be closed after adding a two-part exhaust insert from within the starboard half, and a bumper is inserted into the tail at the same time. The cockpit is wide open at this stage, with an insert provided to create the two oval openings for the crew. The instrument panel is glued inside the front of the insert and has a pair of decals supplied, one for the dials around the periphery, and a central decal with a good-sized map in colour. The completed insert is then slotted into place in the upper fuselage, with another insert beneath the engine cowling, and yet another rectangular insert that has a small window in it. There are also three holes to be drilled into the underside, with a scrap diagram to guide you in locating the correct sized holes accurately. The front-mounted radiator is then attached to the fuselage to close it up. With the fuselage completed, the two lower wings, which are each single parts, are inserted into slots in the fuselage, and a scrap diagram shows that there is zero dihedral to them, as do the elevators, which are each inserted into the rear fuselage on pins and given their separate flying surfaces, with the rudder pushed into a slot in the rear to complete the empennage. The crew are in open cockpits, so a pair of tiny windscreens are added to the coaming in front of the opening, both of which are minute, but also crystal clear. The upper wings are moulded as a single span part, with an insert placed over the narrow centre section to achieve the semi-circular scooped section over the crew. A pair of cabane struts are installed in the underside of the wing, with four more added slightly outboard, and finally a pair of interplane stuts are fixed to the outer wings on each side. A see-through impression of the upper wing is shown above the rest of the model to show it being installed from above, and the following two diagrams show the location of the rigging lines, which you’ll need to supply yourself, using your preferred method to complete the job. An additional strut joins the upper wing to the fuselage near the pilot’s position, which is best inserted after the wings are joined. The model still needs its landing gear, but the spare prop is under/between the legs, so is best built first, folding up a PE pocket for it that is glued to the underside of the cowling to accommodate the tip of one blade, with the prop’s axle sliding into the larger hole drilled previously. The two V-shaped gear supports and their interlinking axle are then inserted into holes in the underside, and have their wheels added to the ends. The prop that’s currently in use has a tiny PE boss glued to the centre, and the axle at the rear slides into the hole under the radiator at the front. Markings This is a special limited edition, so only has one decal option is present on the included sheet, which is of course the Blue Bird. From the box you can build the following aircraft: The decals appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of time into the bargain. Conclusion The Ab-11 is an interesting and quirky aircraft from Aero, and this special scheme is rather attractive, and a change from the usual camouflaged aircraft of WWII, or the gaudy schemes sometimes applied to WWI aircraft. The detail is good, and should appeal to a broad range of modellers, so I hope they moulded sufficient copies. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sukhoi Su-22M-3K Fitter J (Tumansky R-29BS-300 engine) Conversion (4455 for Kittyhawk) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby The Sukhoi Su-17 was a successful Cold War supersonic interceptor with variable geometry wings to offer better performance at different areas of the flight envelope. Its export variant was dubbed the Su-22, and there were a number of variants through the years as aviation technology progressed. At the end of the 70s the larger M-3 variant of the Su-22 was released with a matching avionics suite to the indigenous Su-17, available with the Tumansky R-29BS-300 engine, which had a modified gearbox that necessitated a new rear fuselage and empennage. The Conversion This resin set is a conversion for the Kittyhawk kit, and arrives in a bulky cardboard box with the product details on a sticker on the top. Inside are fifteen grey resin parts, one 3D printed afterburner ring in orange resin, a set of decals and the instruction booklet that extends to 1.5 sheets of folded A4 printed on all sides as an A5 booklet. Many of the casting blocks have the Vespa Models logo on them, who are specialists in Sukhoi correction and detail sets, but aren’t mentioned in the instructions, so our guess is that it’s a collaborative effort. Construction begins with removing the rear of the kit fuselage at the panel lines marked in the first diagram, slightly offset between the spine and fuselage. The rear is replaced by the large monolithic casting of the new fuselage, which is prepared by building up the exhaust from three sections plus the 3D printed afterburner ring at the front. The exhaust is inserted into the new fuselage rear and locked in place by adding the final fairing around the exhaust petals, and a bullet fairing over it that has various sensor bulges moulded-in. The spine and fin are slotted into the top of the fuselage and you have a choice of different sized tail fin tips, then the two elevators are butt-fitted to the fairings on the sides of the fuselage, which would be better pinned to give the joints more strength, and there is plenty of thickness in the fuselage at those points. A shallow fairing is removed from the starboard front of the new fuselage, then a quartet of new intakes are fixed to the remaining fairings on the top of the fuselage to complete the build phase. Markings The decals in the box give you three options for an Su-22M-3K in case you don’t already have any of your own. From the box (and with the Kitty Hawk kit of course), you can build one of the following: No.47 South Yemen Air Force, 1990s No.50, Air Force of USSR, A K Serov Higher Military Aviation Pilot School of Krasnodar, 1980s ‘Dignity’, Libyan National Army Air Force, Al-Watiya base, 2014 The decals appear to have been digitally printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cover the printed areas. Don’t forget that as of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view. Conclusion If you already have or can still get hold of the Kitty Hawk kit, and wanted to go a little bit off-piste to portray a more unusual operator of the type, this set should hit the spot. The detail is excellent, and it shouldn’t be too much effort to remove the casting bases, after which it will be much the same as a plastic kit to put together. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

As seems to be my habit recently I came across this when looking for something else. and one of the options is for 826 Squadron of the RCN. The kit is an early Special Hobby kit (2003 according to Scalemates) and has a real 'limited release' look about it. There's a lot of flash on the three grey sprues and the surface is a little rough. But the transparencies look nice. There's a lot of resin, which is much more delicately and finely moulded than the Injection plastic. Good selection of transfers and some film for the IP. And a small bit of etch. Reasonable instructions and although they do suffer from the usual SH mode of 'stick this piece somewhere round here' there are some detail drawings. And decent colour call outs and transfer application guides.

Felt like giving a BoB vibe tonight with some scenic photography of my Arma Hurricane Mk1 And the new Special Hobby Bf 109E-1. Does anyone recognise the markings? Both aircraft were shot down during the Battle Great that we 1/72 modellers are not being forgotten with some brilliant kits! Regards Andrew

Mirage IIICJ (SH72352) 1:72 Special Hobby The Dassault Mirage III is one of the most recognisable aircraft to emerge from the Dassault Aviation stable in post war France with its distinctive delta wings and sharply pointed nose. The Mirage III grew out of French government studies for a light weight all weather interceptor able to reach an altitude 18,000 meters (59,500+ ft) in six minutes and able to reach Mach 1.3 in level flight. The tail less delta combined the wing with an area ruled Coke bottle-shaped fuselage to achieve such speed, minimising buffeting and other compressibility related issues that had plagued early supersonic designs. The Mirage IIIC would remain in French service from 1961 until 1988, and the largest export customer for the Mirage III was Israel, operating the Mirage IIICJ that had less advanced avionics and some aspects of the design removed or simplified. Nevertheless, Israel found these aircraft and weapons systems more than a match for anything her neighbours were able to field during the Six-Day and Yom Kippur wars, with the aircraft being a resounding success in combat with Syrian, Jordanian and Egyptian aircraft, many of which were of Soviet origin. Israel then sold some of these aircraft to Argentina when they had been replaced by more modern designs. The Kit This is a new tool by Special Hobby of this Dassault success story, and it shows. There is fine detail to be seen throughout all the sprues, including a crystal-clear canopy sprue, and a well-printed sheet of decals. The kit arrives in a modest top-opening box, and inside are five sprues in grey styrene, a small clear sprue in a Ziploc bag, a decal sheet in a resealable bag, and an A5 instruction booklet printed in colour on glossy paper. An insert within the booklet shows additional details for assembly of the wing, so bear that in mind when you get there. Construction begins with the cockpit, which consists of a tub with separate front and rear bulkheads that has the side consoles moulded-in, to which the rudder pedals, control column, instrument panel with decal, and the coaming with a clear HUD unit attached to the top. The exhaust is made up from three sections to obtain detail, with a two-part lip, and a single section representing the rear of the engine that has a bulkhead moulded-in to secure it within the fuselage. The intake bullet fairings have a small insert added to each one, and the nose gear bay is glued to an insert that forms the lower surface of the nose, after which you can begin to close up the fuselage, adding a two-part outer fairing to the exhaust before putting the trunk and cockpit between the two halves, adding the nose gear insert below once the halves are together. A choice of tail fins is supplied, as is a choice of bullet fairings for within the intakes either side of the cockpit. Once you have chosen, the outer fairing can be glued over it to complete the intake trunking. The lower wings are moulded as a single part that incorporates the underside of the fuselage, needing a few fairings removing before you can proceed. The main bays are added to the inside and the bays are painted along with the roof details that are moulded into the upper sides of the wings, which are separate parts. Flying surface actuators and a rectangular insert are fitted as the wing is joined to the fuselage, and a circular light is inserted into a hole in the bottom of the nose, leaving you with a very Mirage-shaped model that just needs the fine details and some paint to finish it. The nose gear is built from an A-frame to which the two halves of the yoke are added along with a rectangular bay door and the one-part wheel. The main gear struts are each one part with two-part wheels, and are attached within their bays with the addition of a retraction strut and bay doors on the outer and inner edges. The nose leg has a long retraction jack and another rectangular door, plus a third that sits on the side of the bay with a retraction jack projecting into the bay. A number of antennae, pitot probe in the nose and other small parts are dotted around the airframe, and the last act is to insert the ejection seat, which is made from five parts, and is covered by the fixed windscreen and pivoting canopy, which can be fixed in place in the raised or lowered position. A diagram shows the weapons locations for your ease, and many of these are included in the box, as follows: 2 x AIM-9D Sidewinder A2A Missile 2 x AIM-9B Sidewinder A2A Missile 2 x Shafrir 2 A2A Missile 2 x Shafrir 1 A2A Missile 2 x Twin 250KG bombs on a shared pylon 1 x Matra R530 A2A Missile 1 x 880L Fuel Tank for the centreline 2 x 625L Fuel Tank 2 x 1300L Fuel Tank 2 x 500L Fuel Tank Each one is provided with a pylon and/or adapter rail, with separate perpendicular fins on many of the missiles, and the 500L fuel tanks. Markings There are four decal options included on the sheet, and you are provided with a four-view page for each one, complete with colour call-outs in Gunze Aqueous and lacquer. From the box you can build one of the following: 52, No.101 Sqn., First Fighter Sqn.m Hatzor Air Force base, Israeli Air Force, 1967 745, No.117 Sqn., First Jet Sqn., Ramat David Air Force base, Israeli Air Force, 1967 60, No.117 Sqn., First Jet Sqn., Ramat David Air Force Base, Israeli Air Force, 1967 784, No.119 Sqn., Bat Sqn., Tel Nof Air Force base, Israeli Air Force, 1966 The decals are printed in the Czech Republic, and are printed with good register, colour density and sharpness, with a thin gloss carrier film over the printed areas. Looking at the carrier film I suspect that they are printed by Eduard, and have tested my theory once I’d scanned them for the review. Applying Tamiya tape over any of the decals resulted in the carrier film coming free with no resistance, which is exactly how Eduard decals behave. Why am I mentioning this on a Special Hobby review? As of 2021, the carrier film from Eduard decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier-free, making the decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and having now tested them on my recent F4F-3 Wildcat, I’m a fan. Conclusion A very well-detailed and crisply moulded new tooling of this important French fighter in Israeli service that should sell well. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Meteor T.Mk7 "British Jet Trainer" (SH72468) 1:72 Special Hobby The Gloster Meteor was the first British jet fighter and the Allies' first operational jet aircraft during the Second World War. The Meteor's development was heavily reliant on its ground-breaking turbojet engines, pioneered by Sir Frank Whittle and his company, Power Jets Ltd. Development of the aircraft itself began in 1940, although work on the engines had been underway since 1936. The Meteor first flew in 1943 and commenced operations on 27 July 1944 with No. 616 Squadron RAF. Nicknamed the "Meatbox", the Meteor was not a sophisticated aircraft in terms of its aerodynamics, but proved to be a successful combat fighter. Several major variants of the Meteor incorporated technological advances during the 1940s and 1950s. Thousands of Meteors were built to fly with the RAF and other air forces and remained in use for several decades. The Meteor saw limited action in the Second World War. Meteors of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) provided a significant contribution in the Korean War. Several other operators such as Argentina, Egypt and Israel flew Meteors in later regional conflicts. Specialised variants of the Meteor were developed for use in photo-reconnaissance and as night fighters. The T.7 twin seat trainer was developed from the Mark 4. 640were produced for the Royal Air Force, 43 for the Royal Navy; and 72 for export. 20 Belgian F.4s were modified locally into T.7s. Many nations would operate the T.7 with a pair of T.7s being the first jet aircraft to land in Israel. These were locally converted to carry belly mounted camera. The Kit This is a re-release by Special Hobby of the MPM kit, which has also recently been re-released by Zur Ffrom as well. Construction first begins in the cockpit which builds up to a complete module that slots into the fuselage when built up. The centre bulkhead is added to the floor and then side consoles are added. The centre instrument console is then built up and installed along with both seats. The rear bulkhead goes on, and both control columns. To the underside of this module the nose gear well is then added. This assembly can then go into the right fuselage. The pilots instrument panel then goes in as do the remainder of the side consoles. The fuselage can then be closed up with the nose gear now being fitted. Construction now moves onto the wings. Firstly the engines and jet pipes need to be assembled. There is a basic representative of the Derwent which you will see the front face of through the intake. Behind this there is the jet pipe, and exhaust. These go into the one part lower wing. In front of the engines goes the fairing over the front wing spar which is seen through the intake. Single part intake inners are then fitted. Moving on the the upper wing the main gear wells need to go in. The two wing sections can then be joined. The intake leading edges, and exhaust trailing edges are then fitted. The fuselage can now be joined to the wings. At the rear the tail planes then go on. The main gear units are then assembled and added along with their retraction struts and the main gear doors. Like the real units these are complicated and care need to get them right. Take note to assemble the wheels correctly and not as per the instructions. The wheels are not handed like most aircraft. Luckily here the wheels are separate from the mud guards so they can be put in the correct way around. The modeller will need to make their own stay from the rear of the mudguard. To finish off the wing and belly tanks are fitted followed by the canopy, aerial and pitot tube. Markings The glossy decal sheet is printed in house and looks sharp and in register. There are markings for three aircraft G-AKPK Gloster Company demonstrator WV488 No.43 Sqn RAF, RAF Tangmere 1949 I-19 Royal Netherlands Air Force 1950s. No.328 Sqn at Soesterberg where it still resides. Conclusion It is good to see the T7 back out there. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Also seen in the Nürnberg Toy Fair 2013 photo reports, at the Special Hobby stand there was what looks like a 1/32nd Fiat G-50 Freccia ("Arrow") prototype. Sources: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2013/Bilder_VH/Nuernberg2013_VH_1.htm http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2013/Bilder_JLF/Nuernberg2013_JLF_1.htm More pics: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2013/Bilder_JLF/Nuernberg2013_JLF_037.htm http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2013/Bilder_JLF/Nuernberg2013_JLF_038.htm http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2013/Bilder_JLF/Nuernberg2013_JLF_039.htm http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2013/Bilder_JLF/Nuernberg2013_JLF_040.htm Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234935180-sh32056-fiat-g50bis-in-132-scale/ V.P.

After the 2021 newsletters (link), here's the first one from SH for 2022. Newsletter January 2022 https://www.specialhobby.info/2022/01/news-from-special-hobby-012021.html "Our list of models scheduled for this year’s release is in the attachment to this Newsletter." ??? No attachment to the online newsletter ? Anybody has it ? V.P.

Forgive the photos, I decided on an RFI during a burst of unjustified self-confidence. The camera sees what the eye occludes, and I'm much less happy with it than I was before I studied the photos. Additionally, my Pixel 7's camera has been incredibly disappointing, possibly due to a poor choice of case. And my lightbox needs replacing, and I need new lights for it besides. But those are all excuses. In any case, I opted to build a Kittyhawk shortly after the death of J F Edwards, Canada's greatest and last remaining ace from the Second World War. DK Decals has a sheet with a Kittyhawk I purportedly flown by Edwards in June of 1942 during his time on 260 Squadron, though not the aircraft he flew when on 17 June 1942 he shot down and killed the experte Otto Schulz with a deflection shot of remarkable difficulty. The Special Hobby Kittyhawk Ia kit was my base, with the only cosmetic modification to make it a Kittyhawk I being to replace the later bulged 0.50 barrels with some brass rod of the appropriate size. Paints are the excellent Colourcoats for all but the cockpit interior (a Gunze mixture), the rubber of the tires (Tamiya), and the propeller blades and tips (Gunze again). Some Eduard etch was used, principally to irritate me, I think, which probably speaks volumes about how low diplomatic relations with my own psyche have sunk. Wildly discursive build thread here:

Bugatti 100 Racer Masks (M48011 for Special Hobby) 1:48 Special Mask by Special Hobby I have literally just finished tapping out the review of the new 1:48 scale Bugatti 100 Racer, and thought it prudent, kind and sensible to let you know about this handy set of masks that will allow you to mask up the crystal-clear canopy before you get the paint out, to ensure that it stays clear and bright throughout. Like the rest of the new range of canopy masks from Special Hobby, the set arrives in a re-sealable clear flat-pack that is protected from the inside by a sheet of card and a set of paper instructions that double as the header card, with the masking material displayed at the front. Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. In addition, you get a set of hub/tyre masks for the main wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. Highly recommended, especially if you’re not keen on masking. Review sample courtesy of

Bugatti 100 Racer (SH48219) 1:48 Special Hobby Bugatti’s streamlined air racer was custom designed for flying the circuits in 1939, using twin engines behind the pilot that ran a pair of contra-rotating props in the nose, which gave it a sleek aerodynamic profile and a compact size. It was also inventive in terms of the tail, which was a V-shape and had a gearbox to split the pilot inputs accordingly between the fins. Before it could be tested and put into the air however, the German invasion began, which forced the engineers to dismantle the aircraft and hide it on Mr Bugatti’s estate until after the war, although he died in 1947 so development stopped there. Over time, the engines were raided for car projects and the airframe fell into disrepair until the 70s when a restoration project began, after which it was placed in a museum. A replica was made using more modern technologies where sensible, and this flew briefly using a pair of more readily available Suzuki engines. After a prop strike during landing, where the aircraft veered off the runway following a brake failure, its third test flight ended in disaster when the aircraft went out of control, killing the pilot who had played a major part in its production, and completely destroying the replica. It had been promised to a museum in England after this flight, which clearly couldn’t now happen. Quite a sad tale overall. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Special Hobby, and after bemoaning its absence in 1:48 when reviewing the 1:72 issue a few months ago, I’ve now got my wish, as it’s a rather cool-looking aircraft. It arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are two sprues and separate lower wings in grey styrene, a clear part in its own Ziploc bag, a bag of resin parts and this time, a tiny sheet of decal. No, that’s not a typo, you get an instrument panel decal. Even in 1:48 it’s a relatively little thing, and that much is brought home when you see the fuselage, which is under 15cm long on the sprues, although longer when the nose and prop are complete. Construction begins with the transmission at the front of the cockpit, which takes the power from the two engines and adapts them to the contra-rotating prop gearbox, the final-drive shaft passing through a bulkhead that fits into the front of the fuselage. The fuselage halves have sidewall detail moulded-in with a little more added from separate parts, and fairings over the two drive-shafts are glued into both fuselage sides, then backed up with the cockpit floor on a support, seat back with four-point Photo-Etch (PE) seat belts against the rear bulkhead, and rudder pedals with short control column are placed in recesses in the floor. The coaming has a number of small parts installed so that the instrument panel can be attached and covered by the single decal, plus a pair of bottles inside the nose housing after the fuselage is closed up with a fluted insert added in a hole in the spine, and an intake behind the cockpit. Like a lot of air racers, the 100 has a short wingspan for manoeuvrability, but at the root the chord is wide with a large root fairing, the chord tapering rapidly to the tip. The lower half is a single piece, which has a pair of resin bay wall inserts fitted into the marked recesses, then closed up with the upper wings after a lick of paint. The fuselage is dropped into the space in between the wings, and the V-shaped tail assembly with a recess moulded-in to replicate the intake louvres on the leading edge, and an insert at the rear. The recesses are filled with curved louvre intakes, as is the slot in the vertical tail that doubles as the tail-wheel strut. On the fuselage sides, a pair of bulged resin exhaust outlets are fixed to the fuselage in recesses in the aft section of the wing root fairing, then the landing gear is installed after flipping it over onto its back. The gear legs are a single piece each plus retraction jacks with the two-part wheels flex-fitting into the yoke, and a pair of captive gear bay doors affixed to the outer side, and a tiny vestigial door at the top of the leg, fitting flush with the wing surface. After which the model can stand on its own three wheels. Additional details are fitted into the cockpit before it is covered by its canopy, including a number of PE levers, and the clear canopy is then fitted to the opening as a single part, with no option for leaving it open, but as it’s nice and clear you should still be able to see all your hard work. The contra-prop has four elements to its spinner, two trapping each of the two-bladed props in between, with the smallest pointy one in the front, of course, gluing into position on the long prop-shaft. Markings There are two markings options given on the instructions, one of which is the actual blue scheme it wore, the other a what-if scheme that has red and white fan-shaped stripes on the wings and tail, which looks quite patriotic. From the box you can paint whatever you fancy, but these two are suggested: There aren’t any decals for the airframe, and the one for the instrument panel is totally fit for purpose. Of course, I couldn’t resist taping up some of the major parts to give an impression of the finished model, so here it is: There is a set of masks available now from Special Mask to allow you to mask up this lovely crystal clear canopy without stress or anguish, and quickly too, even if you're not masking phobic. You can see the review of that set, right here. Conclusion I’ve been smitten with this little aircraft since the smaller kit arrived, and Special Hobby have done a great job with the moulding, using resin where sensible, and giving us plenty of detail in the kit. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Allrighty I'll start off with this Hopefully it won't prove too challenging. For various reasons I've not been at the bench for nearly a month. I need something relatively simple to get the modelling mojo juices flowing again I'll post up the box and sprue shots soon(ish) /P

L-4 Grasshopper Engine (P48002) (Continental O-170-3) 1:48 Special Hobby 2022 saw the release of a brand-new tooling of this lightweight aircraft, the militarised variant of the Piper J-3 Cub, and not too long later, up pops this gorgeous 3D printed engine and cowling for it, offering significantly higher levels of detail than can be achieved with injection moulded styrene. As usual with their resin sets, it arrives in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Due to the delicate detail of the parts, they are cocooned in a hollow foam square, with another sheet behind it to protect it during shipping and storage. There are ostensibly two parts on separate printing bases within the box, but the cowling actually consists of four parts on one compact base. The outer cowling splits in two as you remove it from the base, and inside are another two parts that are used as heat deflectors over the two banks of pistons of the flat-4 Continental engine, and using two colour diagrams inside the instructions, you can connect up the cylinders with wire from your own stocks, which pass through the heat deflectors, and locate at the rear of the engine. To add it to your model, you simply remove the front of the fuselage as per the two diagrams marked in red, insert the engine’s backplate in the opening, and reuse the small square kit part underneath. After adding the heat panels and wiring up the motor, the two-part cowling can be fitted over the engine, or left off for a maintenance diorama or similar. You might notice a few layer lines on the sides of the cowling parts, but these are so small as to be nigh-on invisible to the naked eye, and will disappear under primer and paint. Conclusion The detail on the engine, especially as it is a single tiny part, is stunning, and the finesse of the cowlings is equally impressive, adding so much detail to your model that it looks like you could turn the prop, start it up and fly away… providing you were an inch tall. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Mirage IIIC Wheels (Q72401 for Special Hobby) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby We reviewed Special Hobby’s new Mirage IIIC in various guises, the latest to be found here, and while it’s a nice kit, resin can always improve the detail that injection moulded styrene is capable of. As usual with CMK's resin sets, It arrives in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the green Quick & Easy branded header card at the rear. There are two casting blocks inside the box, one containing two main and one nose wheel, the other with two rear hubs for the main wheels that include brake detail and a keyed hole for the kit’s axle. The wheels are attached to the block via their contact patches to ease removal, and the hubs are flat on their block so you can remove them with a razor saw and not damage any of the fine detail. Super easy, and a simple improvement on the kit parts. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

After the 1/72nd kit (link), Special Hobby is to release a 1/48th Bugatti-De Monge 100P racer kit - ref. SH48219 Sources: https://www.specialhobby.net/2022/01/sh48212-siebel-si-204e-148-frezujeme.html https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SH48219 V.P.

Mirage IIIC Atar 9B Engine Nozzle (Q72402 for Special Hobby) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby We reviewed Special Hobby’s new Mirage IIIC in various guises, the latest to be found here, and while it’s a nice kit, resin can always improve the detail that injection moulded styrene is capable of. As usual with CMK's resin sets, It arrives in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the green Quick & Easy branded header card at the rear. Containing just one resin part, it takes the place of two kit parts to depict the hot end of the Atar 9B engine nozzle that propels the Mirage IIIC and variants to supersonic speeds. The nozzle is mounted on a circular casting base, and should be easy to cut away due to the narrow supports that are holding it down. Sanding the surface flat should be all the preparation needed apart from a wash in warm soapy water to remove the rest of the mould-release agent. As well as not having to deal with a seam down the centre of the kit parts, you also get additional detail on the exterior in the shape of rows of rivets, and even more on the inside surface, plus the finesse of the lip. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello Here is my last build with this 1/72 Special Hobby Gloster Meteor F. Mk.8 in the Syrian Air Force around 1956. Actually this is the old MPM / Xtrakit dated back to 2006 which was reissued this year with different markings about Middle Eastern Air Forces. I chose the Syrian one as I liked this scheme with light earth / dark green over blue. I used PRU blue because I saw a colour picture and it is consistent with most RAF fighters at the time which were dark sea grey / dark green over PRU Blue. But the discussion is open. Patrick

Zetor 25 Tractor Driver & Village Boy (F72382) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby This delightful little figure set is intended for use with Special Hobby’s own resin Zetor 25 tractor that we have reviewed recently. As usual with CMK's resin sets, it arrives in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. Inside are two resin casting blocks, each one containing a figure. The driver is sculpted in the seated position, with a separate right arm for detail’s sake, and a thin film of flash running vertically down from his face to his vest to improve moulding reliability. That’s the work of moments to brush away with the side of a blade or even a cocktail stick. The other mounting points are where he sits and against the back of his legs, with excellent sculpting by M. Antfeist of his trousers, jacket and cap. The boy is standing with his legs slightly apart, looking up at the driver perhaps, wearing some baggy pants that are held up by a pair of braces over his shirt. There is a little flash between his legs to facilitate casting, but again that should be easy to remove. After a wash in warm soapy water to remove the last of the mould release, you can paint them any colours you like, but the instructions show a typical example if you’re stuck for ideas. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello:) Kit is OOB with addition of some scratchbuilt details(full cockpit, pilot seats). Painting was quite a challenge since this was the first time I decided not to use decals (blue and yellow Sweden national colours) but decided to paint them instead. Only issue I had was with small windows on the sides (they didn't fit well) but other then that very enjoyable build and lovely kit, something different for a change. Kit: 1/72 Special Hobby SH-89(CASA C-212-300 Aviocar) Decals: OOB, painted Paint: Ammo Mig primer and acrylics Weathering: Ammo Mig washes and Oilbrushers, AK Interactive weathering pencils 🙇‍♂️