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I got this a couple of weeks ago and although I've lots of things on the stocks, a few KUTAs, a Wessex, a Fulmar to photograph and my 'Find the Bismark' Maryland. I couldn't resist starting it. I've also got another but a double start is probably too much. There are a lot of well moulded parts, no resin or etch, and markings for two Operation Tungsten birds, one form 829 squadron and one from 830. More later on but I do like the box top illustration with Furious and Victorious in the background. Mind you torpedoes weren't used against the Tripitz.

I eagerly purchased a couple of Special Hobby Mirage F1s when they were first released and have been keeping them aside with this GB in mind (I may have purchased a few more since then, I couldn't possibly comment). Although I haven't narrowed the subjects of this project down to particular machines, the intended builds will both be late service examples, probably reflecting some of their operational use. To that end, I'll almost certain that I'll be using Berna Decals for both jets; I haven't used them before but they look very nice. Other aftermarket will include Master pitots, Peewit paint masks and a CMK 'Iraqi' centreline tank for the F1CT. The F1CR will utilise one of the kit-supplied recce pods. Pics of the sprues - apologies for odd effect created by photographing two sets of sprues together... P1000621 P1000623 thanks for looking, Andrew.

Source: http://modelweb.modelforum.cz/2013/10/19/novinky-od-mpm-production-na-rijen-2013/?lang=CS MPM is working on 1/72nd Potez-Air-Fouga CM.170R Magister (& Tzukit) and CM.175 Zéphyr kits. Bad news for the Valom similar project: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234946157-172nd-potez-air-fouga-cm170r-magister-by-valom/?hl=magister V.P.

Special Hobby is to release a new tool 1/72nd Letov S-328 Smolík kit - ref.SH72145 Source: http://www.mpmkits.net/2015/01/sh72145-letov-s-328-172-prvni-pohled.html Master in progress V.P.

Next Special Hobby reboxing from a Classic Airframe kit will be the 1/48th IMAM (Romeo) R.37bis - ref. 48185 Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2017/03/sh48185-imam-romeo-ro37bis-148.html Original CA box art and kit review: http://kits.kitreview.com/ro37reviewse_1.htm http://www.stormomagazine.com/Reviews/CA_Ro37bis_1a.html V.P.

Special Hobby is to (re-)release (ex-MPM) a 1/48th Aero L-39C Albatros "NATO Trainer" kit - ref. SH48171 Hope this time with an injected canopy... Source: http://www.mpmkits.net/2015/07/l-39c-albatros-nato-trainer-148.html Box art V.P.

Special Hobby working on a new tool Yak-3. It will be their next 1/32 kit after the Tempest.

Heinkel He 115 "Scandinavian Service" Special Hobby 1:48 The Heinkel He 115 was the most successful German floatplane of the Second World War, and served as a reconnaissance and attack aircraft. When the Luftwaffe was officially established on 1 March 1935 the Heinkel He 59 was its only twin-engined floatplane. In July the Air Ministry issued a replacement for its replacement. This was to be a twin-engined aircraft that could act as a long range reconnaissance, torpedo bomber, minelayer or fog dispenser. The first prototype made its maiden flight in August 1937. Early test flights revealed that it was difficult to fly, but Heinkels designers were quickly able to solve this problem, and the resulting aircraft gained a very favourable reputation for its handling. The second prototype, V2, was similar to the V1, but with an improved nose, new tail surfaces, and NACA type engine cowlings. V3 had the separate cockpit canopies of the pilot and radio operator replaced by a single glasshouse canopy, while the V4 was the production prototype, with an improved tail and float supports. During the development process the original rather ungainly nose was replaced by the streamlined glazed nose used in production aircraft. The He 115 was in competition with the Ha 140. After tests in Lübeck Bay early in 1938 the Heinkel design was judged to be superior, and was put into production. After undergoing flight tests the V1 was modified in preparation for a series of record attempts. The early nose was replaced with a smooth wooden version, the radio operator and observer were both removed (a mechanic was carried), and a streamlined canopy installed. On 20 March 1938 the modified V1 set eight records, carrying a series of loaded from 0kg to 2000kg over 1,000km and 2,000km courses. These records were only held for eight days, before being broken by a CANT Z 509. The He 115 was an all-metal stressed-skin aircraft, with a slim streamlined fuselage. The mid-mounted wings had a rectangular centre section and tapering outer panels, and carried two BMW 132K engines (based on the Pratt & Whitney Hornet). The three man crew were carried in three cockpits. The observer was located in the glazed nose, with a bombsight and an MG15. The pilot was located just above the wing leading edge, and the radio operator/ rear gunner above the trailing edge. In the prototype the pilot and radio operator had been given separate canopies, but in production aircraft a single 'greenhouse' canopy was used, connecting their positions. An internal weapons bay was installed between the wings, and could carry either a 1,763lb torpedo or three SC 250 bombs (550lb each). The six aircraft exported to Norway soon found themselves being used against the Germans. At the end of the Norwegian campaign three of the Norwegian aircraft and a captured German aircraft escaped to Britain, where they were given an heavier armament of four forward firing and four rear firing machine guns, and used for clandestine operations. Two went to Malta, from where they were used to drop agents in German occupied North Africa, while two were used for the same purpose over Norway, operating from Scotland. These aircraft were withdrawn in 1942. One aircraft deemed unfit to be flown to the UK was flown to Finlandposing as a civilian aircraft. While the Fins interned the aircraft they let the crew go. The aircraft was used for ferry troops behind Soviet lines. However it was ambushed and forced to land where it was captured. Subsequently the aircraft was attacked by Finnish Fighters and sunk. There were reports the Soviets salvaged the wreck. Finland also borrowed two German aircraft to use inthe role of the ex Norwiegian example, one was retured but the second was surrendered to the Soviet. The Sweedish Air Force purchased and operated 12 aircraft, 6 more being on order but not delivered due to the outbreak of WWII. These were only retired in 1952 being well liked by their cres. The Model The kit comes in quite a large and sturdy top opening box. On opening the box the modeller is a large bag of medium grey styrene, a cardboard shelf on which the small poly bag of resin and another bag with the etched brass sheets and decal sheet are stapled. The styrene parts are very nicely moulded, with some very fine detail such as the recessed panel lines and raised panels where required. There is no sign of flash as one would expect of a new kit these days, and no moulding pip, just a few strengthening bits between the more fragile parts. The styrene appears to be quite soft and has a slightly rough texture, so paint should stick to it well. The clear styrene parts are quite clear and respectably thin, but there is some distortion on the curved areas, particularly the nose cone. The small bag of resin contains some very nicely moulded parts, such as the engines, spare machine gun ammunition drums, radio sets, levers and DF loop teardrop housing. There are a sheets of etched brass containing the instrument panel, seatbelts, boarding ladders, cockpit leavers and handles, radio operator’s panel, machine gun sights, and the float handrails. There is also an acetate sheet containing the instrument panels back sheets. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is quite complex with lots of parts from all three mediums making up into a very busy and detailed area. The instructions aren’t too clear for this area and should be studied carefully. It may be an idea to scan the instructions and print them in a larger format to improve things. The bomb aimers position is equally detailed with numerous parts being use to build a very detailed area. With the smaller parts in place the bomb aimers floor and support can be fitted, followed by the centre section, which consists of the bomb bay, cockpit floor, fuselage side inserts plus the fore and aft bulkheads. The radio operator’s position is also fitted out with the resin radio boxes and spare ammunition drums. Just forward of the radio position another bulkhead is fitted, onto which a brass and acetate radio panel is attached. The operators seat is then assembled and glued into position, at which point the fuselage can be closed up. The two piece wings are now glued together followed by a large panel just aft of the engine nacelles. The resin engines, once painted up are fitted with their two piece cowls. There are alternative horizontal tailplanes, each of which are in two halves and these should be assembled and put to one side. The completed fuselage is fitted out with the glass nose side panels, nose position canopy and the centre section roof. The tailplanes can also be fitted at this point. The large two part floats are now assembled and fitted out with the brass handrails, along with the two part float struts. The wing assemblies are now attached to the fuselage and fitted with the engine/cowling assemblies, propeller assemblies, (each from a back plate, three separate blades and the boss), and the cockpit windscreen. Turning the model over onto its back the tailplane struts can be fitted as are the main float struts, inner float struts, bomb aimers window, bomb sight, exhausts, and under fuselage panel. With all the struts in place the floats can now be attached. With the model the right side up and sitting on its floats it’s onto the final stages of the build. The machine guns are assembled from a separate breech, ammunition drums, PE gun sights and when fitted to their positions the barrel, with PE sight is fitted. In the case of the nose gun position the barrel needs to be fitted from the outside. The nose cone is then fitted along with the main canopy centre section, aft section and the cockpit canopy. The two PE boarding ladders are fitted between the floats and the aft cockpit position just aft of the wing trailing edges. And finally the rear gunners canopy can be posed either open or closed. If closed the machine gun needs to be posed in the stored position. Decals Decals are from Aviprint, look to be in register and are colour dense. Markings included are for the following aircraft:- W/Nr 3027, F-2 Wing of the Sweedish Air Force. 1939-1952 Ex Norwegian no.50. Defected to Finland 1940. Served with No.14 Recon Sqn. Later captured by Russia. Royal Norwegian Naval Air Service, machine 60. Captured by German Forces. Conclusion It is nice to see this imposing model re-released, with non German markings. It is a pity the instructions are small and sometimes complicated, though when blown up to A4 size on a photocopier it makes them much easier to read. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I decided a while ago to build the new 1/32 scale Special Hobby Yak-3 kit in this GB as I have a bit of a soft spot for the Yakovlev piston fighters. But I was undecided in what colour scheme to paint the model. I didn't like to make a Normandie-Niemen Yak-3 in this scale as I prefer to make one in 1/48 as a companion to my Yak-1 build which still needs to be completed. When I downloaded the PDF instructions for the new Begemot decals of the Yak-3 in 1/32 scale (still waiting for its arrival), it contained all the favored markings seen on models in the past, but one scheme was new and it looks stunning My thanks go to Dimmy who located these sensational pictures. This plane was flown by Senior Lieutenant Ermohin Valentin Grigorievich of the 402nd Fighter Regiment (265th Fighter Air Division, 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps, 16th Air Army, 1st Belorussian Front). He shot down 9 enemy aircraft between July 1944 and April 1945 and several of them on this aircraft. There is an excellent page where I got this information from This will be my first 1/32 scale build and I am exited having a go at it. The kit looks great in the box - maybe a bit simple with not too many parts for the scale. Will be interesting to see how it goes together. I will use some aftermarket parts, Eduard PE and HGW fabric seatbelts which hopefully arrive shortly too. Cheers, Peter

Hi guys, After some persuasion from Mottlemaster I have decided to put in a second Ba.65 A-80 in this GB. It will be build straight from the box. I bought this kit without box and instructions on a Belgian show last year. Luckily I could find the instructions online and the box isn't that important. Here are some pictures of the content what is in a different box . So that is the content. Now it needs to be build. Cheers,

As soon as I'd finished reviewing this little resin gem from Planet Models, I couldn't resist the urge to build it, so I started preparing some parts for assembly, then painting. I'm building it as a bit of a sanity/mojo build, as I've not done a tap of modelling for a couple of months at least, and I was starting to forget how. I've not obsessed over detail too much, nor done much in the way of research. I've just pottered on regardless I got the cockpit base painted a couple of weeks ago, then had to take a break, but yesterday I took up my modelling tools again, and began detail painting of the 'pit, and some of the ancillaries such as the engine. The cockpit when finished slided inside th fuselage, so nothing much is seen of the area behind the X-shaped cross-braces, so I didn't even bother painting them... which makes the cockpit look a bit shabby now. Not my best work, but very little will be seen inside the fuselage, which suits me Yesterday I decided to close up the fuselage, which is sometimes a pause for thought with a resin model. I decided to use CA, as it gives an immediate bond that can be useful to work out the kinks of a potentially warped pair of fuselage parts. As it happens, these were pretty good, with just a small gap/misalignment between front and rear parts of the upper seam. I glued it in parts, using an old #11 blade to insert CA into the joints, starting with the top join forward of the canopy. Then the rear fuselage and tail were glued, being sure to get things lined up where it matters. The underside was done in the same manner, and before it was cured, I sanded any remaining gaps to choke up the small spaces with a mixture of resin dust and CA. A line of CA was then added to the top, and again, sanded while still fresh to get it all merged together. That all went surprisingly quickly, and a quick squirt of black primer showed just a few spots where there were flat-spots that needed rounding off. The wings were just push-fitted at this point, although the fit was very good, needing just a slight fettle before I could glue them in place. I had painted the two banks of pistons a generic metallic colour, and added the push-rods from short lengths of 0.5mm diameter styrene rod, which were painted black, then picked out in GW Chainmail along with the ring for contrast. I've got some tinned copper florists' wire in various diameters, and used the 0.3mm stuff to simulate the wiring harness, which isn't included in the kit. 14 lengths for the front bank, and another 14 for the rear bank, which although they looked nice & shiny (too shiny), were dulled down with a bit of matt varnish. I painted the bell-housing interior/exterior green as a best guess from some reference photos, and will pretty much leave it as is because so little will be seen that any weathering would probably go unseen Elevators were added, and these again fitted neatly, with different sized tabs & slots to ensure you get them in the right 'ole. I pushed the engine in place, and later had a quick go with the cowling on too, to give the full effect of the aircraft's shape (minus vacformed canopy at this stage). Very Fw.190 indeed. The white dot on the lip of the cowling is a piece of styrene rod glued into a solitary bubble that snuck through QC. It would have been invisible in the factory, so we'll let them off I'll be spraying a bit more black primer here & there to test seams & finishes, but at the moment there are a couple of pieces of clear acrylic sat in the notches I cut in the wing for the nav lights, as these were solid resin, so needed to go. Once cured, I'll sand them back to profile and polish them back to clarity, although I think they're usually coloured lenses. Tamiya clear red & green are already in the bulbs (a small drilled hole), so things should look ok with some more on the lens. Can I keep momentum up? Who knows, but I'm not starting anything else now until I have finished something. I have a PV-1 with Owl nightfighter conversion set that's asking me to build it at the moment, but whatever else comes along in the meantime might prove shinier I'm seriously tempted by the Fw.P.II that @petr@SpecialHobby kindly sent me too. Bless him!

Hi Here is my last build with this Special Hobby Northrop Nomad. This is one of the long family of all metal aircraft designed by Jack Northrop and known as A-17 or DB 8. I chose to build this SAAF trainer of the 42nd Air School based at South End, Port Elisabeth, South Africa in 1941. Thanks to Tonyot who gave me a picture of her I could add the gun stubs and the Venturi. Sadly I made a beginner fault with some super thin glue in front of the canopy thus the white layer at the junction with the fuselage. Anyway it was a fun build and there are many other DB 8 in my stash to build other exotic roundels. About roundels I have to say that those with white are really too thin and to compensate I used twice of them. Actually when visiting Special Hobby factory last month I asked a new decal sheet and they kindly gave me one. It could be easy to make a white undercoat before putting the decals. Patrick

Some of you may remember this Anson. It was submitted for the "Training Types" GB around 2 years ago, but not proceeded with. Well, I am back and on to it now, and I have found out some more about it! L9164 was the last British casualty of 18th August 1940. Those who know about the Battle of Britain, and readers of the book "The Hardest Day" by Dr. Alfred Price will be aware that this was the day of the greatest loss, by both sides, during the Battle of Britain. Anson L9164 was involved in night flying over RAF Windrush on the evening of 18th August 1940. It was attacked by an He111 of KG27 and both aircraft collided. It was suggested at the time that the pilot of the Anson, Sgt. Bruce Hancock, had caused the collision on purpose. No one will ever know as Sgt. Hancock died when his aircraft crashed. It is further alleged that Sgt. Hancock survived the crash but died later, and may well have survived had the search been organised earlier. Again we will never know. I do do not know what markings L9164 carried, but I have found some very useful photographs. Not of L9164, but of L9162 which is close enough. L9162 was one of 2 Ansons that were involved in a mid air collision over New South Wales, Australia, in September 1940. Although locked together, the 2 aircraft made a successful forced landing on the fields below, becoming known as the Brocklesby mid-air collision, named after the town over which the incident occurred.

Hawker Tempest V Hi-Tech 2 1:32 Special Hobby The Tempest was an attempt by Sidney Camm's team at Hawker to "fix" the Typhoon's shortfalls, which although they were few were important enough for them to throw a lot of time and money at them. As far as attempts go, it was pretty successful, but it left us modellers with a fairly confusing array of designs that look substantially different from each other, let alone the Tiffie.The over-thick wing of the Tiffie had resulted in too much drag, so this was ditched and replaced by the new Laminar Flow aerofoil as demonstrated by the then new Mustang, which necessitated an exceptionally smooth riveted finish to maximise the benefits of the design. Because they were to be fitted with engines that were experimental at the time, the Ministry insisted on a number of different engine fits to prevent delays re-engining the airframe if one type was delayed or terminated. This led to a the differences in the front end, from the Mk.I with a Spitfire-like nose, the Mk.II with a Fury-style nose, and the V which had the more recognisable Typhoon-style nose. The V was the first to receive approval from the Ministry and after the IV had engine problems the V became the main initial variant, and after the Tornado was cancelled the Mk.II went ahead with its Centaurus engine and cylindrical cowling.In service the Tempest Mk.V was found to be an excellent aircraft, and was the fastest prop-driven fighter of WWII at low altitude. It was also rugged, and could take punishment, and could be thrown around the sky by a competent pilot despite its thin wing. It was responsible for downing a number of jet-powered Me.262s and had an exceptional kill to loss ratio. The Kit This is the second Hi-Tech boxing of the Tempest V, the first was reviewed here with all of the plastic retained from the first Mk.V, along with the photo-etch, masks and HGW seatbelts. As the original kit has proved very popular Special Hobby have re-released it, however rather than just release the same kit they have gone to the next level. This boxing has a new plastic sprue which comes from the Tempest Mk.II (reviewed here), containing a full set of rockets for the kit. New Sprue As well as including this new sprue the fine folks at Special Hobby decided to change the resin around in the kit. You still get resin wheels and a pilots seat & Cockpit like the original Mk V, however you do not get the rest of the original kits resin gun barrels. This is not to say Special Hobby are short changing the modeller, far from it! This boxing contains a resin Napier Sabre engine, exhausts, complete engine bay; and resin engine bay panels to display next to the model. New Resin Markings There are four decal sheets, containing national markings, aircraft codes, stencils, and finally some additional codes with squadron crests and instrument dials for the cockpit. The decals have been printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness and colour density, sporting a thin glossy carrier film cut close to the printed areas. From the box you can build one of the following: JF-E/SN222 "le Grande Charles", Flt Lt Pierre Closermann, 3 Sqn, Fassberg April/May 1945. JBW/EJ750 Wg Cmd Wary, Vokel late 1944. JJ-F/EJ762, Flt Lt Fairbanks, 274 Sqn, Volkel, October 1944. 5R-B/SN206, Flt Off Rens, Quackenbruk, 33Sqn, May 1944. J5-H/SN330, Sqr Ldr Cole, Wunstorf 1946. The last option is in overall High Speed Silver with Green codes, all the others are standard camo. Quite a broad spread of options that should suit most modellers, given the variety of the schemes. Conclusion Another stand-out Tempest from our friends at Special Hobby, with a box full of goodies that might usually be an aftermarket set with other manufacturers. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I know I have a bit of a reputation for doing stupid amounts in a GB so I would hate to break the mould. Here are three Mirage F1s, using the excellent Special Hobby kit. As you can see from the jumble above, only one of the kits is in a box. The two single-seaters are from the bagged "simple kits" that Special Hobby released about a year ago. These are simply the plastic parts with no decals, supplied in a bag. In effect, they are Special Hobby's equivalent to Eduard's "overtrees". I will be building the following: Mirage F1AZ - Gabonese Air Force. This will use the LF Models conversion set. @Giorgio N will be using the same set for his build, which will be a bit more involved than mine. You can see his build here. Mirage F1JA - Fuerza Aérea Ecuatoriana This is the export version of the F1E. I was struck by the two green camouflage as shown on the Xtradecal sheet and a couple of photographs on the net. @eclipse pointed out in the chat thread that the scheme is actually green and brown. Different references give different paint numbers for the lighter colour, so this will be quite interesting to research while the build progresses. Mirage F1B - Armée de l'air You can't build a batch of Mirage F1s without building one in the classic French blue scheme. It's The Law! The Special Hobby kit provides a suitable scheme, but it is a special scheme. I much prefer standard line jets, so I'll be using a scheme from an Xtradecal scheme. It's really quite plain, which I like. Let's have a look at the parts. Here are the fuselage halves for the single seater. The first batch of these kits had a slightly damaged bit at the very front of the part. this was rectified in subsequent batches. These parts are actually from a boxed kit which had the damage. I replaced these parts in the box with perfectly formed parts from a simple kit. I will be using them on this build for the Mirage F1AZ. It will be having major surgery to the nose anyway, so I thought that the damaged part wouldn't be an issue.

Resin Upgrade Sets for Airfix Harrier GR. Mk.7A & GR. Mk.9A 1:72 CMK It's quite a while since Airfix's second generation Harrier kit hit the shelves, so it was something of a surprise when CMK sent these sets our way. There are six sets in total - three for the GR. Mk.7A and three for the GR. Mk9A. Together, the sets provide complete replacement parts for the cockpit and flying surfaces, as well as parts to detail the engine bay of the famous V/STOL jet. Harrier GR. Mk.7A Cockpit Set The first set contains a complete replacement cockpit. The set comprises a tub, ejector seat, sidewall details, instrument panel, coaming, rear deck, control column and rudder pedals. The resin is crisp and free of flaws. The depicition of the harnesses on the Martin Baker ejector seat is particularly impressive, and overall this is an excellent set. Harrier GR. Mk.7A Control Surfaces Set This set includes resin replacements for all of the GR. Mk.7A's control surfaces, including the slotted flaps, ailerons and the rudder. The casting is as crisp and smooth as you would expect from CMK. Harrier GR. Mk.7A Engine Set This set is slightly different to the others, as rather than improving on what is already in the kit, it provides something that the kit lacks. The set includes the upper part of the Pegasus engine, along with the relevent structural parts of the fuselage, hinged panels and LERX. This set provides a unique opportunity to turn the kit into a mini diorama - something which will make a real difference to the finished model. Harrier GR. Mk.9A Cockpit Set This is the equivalent cockpit set for the GR. Mk.9A version. Harrier GR. Mk.9A Control Surfaces Set This is the equivalent control surface set for the GR. Mk.9A version. Harrier GR. Mk.9A Engine Set This is the equivalent engine set for the GR. Mk.9A version. Conclusion CMK can be relied upon to turn out some good quality resin, a fact to which these sets testify. Detail is top-notch, casting is flawless and I have no doubt that the fit will be equally good. If you have the Airfix Harrier in your stash, then these sets will be well worth picking up. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This is going to be a slow build, because I really want to get it right. Based on the Special Hobby 1/48 Barracuda, I am planning to build this aircraft: It is a Fairey Barracuda Mark III, PM 933 / N6L, of 810 NAS, and it will be depicted as it was when flying from RAF Beccles in Spring 1945 on anti-E-Boat patrols off Holland and Belgium; I was electrified to see that this very airframe is one of the profiles in the Barracuda From The Cockpit book - but note how battered the nose is, in particular. This is a weary veteran! The photo above was actually taken a couple of months later (though the aircraft is unchanged), when the squadron was working up with HMS Queen before setting off for the Far East, though they never got further than the Irish Sea as the Bomb was dropped first (my Dad always used to claim that the bomb had nothing to do with it: they heard he was coming, so just gave up). The Pilot is my Uncle, Ted Hartwell, and the Looker my Dad, Bill Morton (both, alas, no longer with us); their TAG (when flown, which was rarely) was Leading Airman "Tex" Northover. [uncle Ted married my Dad's sister after the war]. For obvious reasons I want to make this one good; though the aircrew are no longer around to see it, my Mum is and it will be a present to her. I have two copies of the Special Hobby kit - one the bog standard Mk II, and one the 'Hi-Tech" Mk II/III - the latter obtained at the weekend via eBay (which at least solves the ASV radome issue). I also have a CMK Merlin III, ready to be modified into a Merlin 32 (following some excellent advice from Britmodellers over in the WWII discussion forum). The Bren Gun Barra II/III detailing kit has been ordered, but not yet arrived. It probably seems wasteful to some of you on here to have 2 kits, but the second kit was bought as an insurance policy to allow me to make the wing fold etc modifications right, with some back-up available in case of disaster. Makes me feel more comfortable when doing radical surgery, anyway! I plan to build it with wings folded and at least one engine cowling open - probably both - with maintenance work going on. I have a different picture of Dad's, taken of a 744 NAS Barra at Maydown in 1946, which has given me some ideas for the diorama aspects. There is also a great pic on p44 of Barracuda From The Cockpit, of an aircraft being worked on at North Front, which has given me inspiration. This will not be a speedy build, because I am working on others at the same time - for instance I plan to do the Gazelle in which I did my first rotary solo for the Helicopter GB starting in a couple of weeks, and something else (not yet decided) for the slightly later FAA GB. The Barra, being a labour of love, will be the thing I turn to occasionally for slow-time relaxation, and might take months! One plea; if anyone has any reference material which shows the engine installation, open cowlings or whatever, than I'd love to see it. I have the aforementioned book (which has some good shots in it), I have the Flight cutaway drawings, and I have photos of the FAA Museum nose (both with and without the restoration which is currently going on), but there doesn't seem to be much else around that shows the engine bay. I may have to make educated guesses, but I'd rather model from evidence if it is available.

Yakovlev Yak-3 "Onward to Berlin" Special Hobby 1:32 Lighter and smaller than Yak-9 but powered by the same engine, the Yak-3 was a forgiving, easy-to-handle aircraft loved by both novice and experienced pilots and ground crew as well. It was robust, easy to maintain, and a highly successful dog-fighter. It was used mostly as a tactical fighter, flying low over battlefields and engaging in dogfights below 4 km (13,000 ft). The new aircraft began to reach front line units during summer 1944. Yak-3 service tests were conducted by 91st IAP of the 2nd Air Army, commanded by Lt Colonel Kovalyov, in June–July 1944. The regiment had the task of gaining air superiority. During 431 missions, 20 Luftwaffe fighters and three Ju 87s were shot down while Soviet losses amounted to two Yak-3s shot down. A large dogfight developed on 16 June 1944, when 18 Yak-3s clashed with 24 German aircraft. Soviet Yak-3 fighters shot down 15 German aircraft for the loss of one Yak destroyed and one damaged. The following day, Luftwaffe activity over that section of the front had virtually ceased. On 17 July 1944, eight Yaks attacked a formation of 60 German aircraft, including escorting fighters. In the ensuing dogfight, the Luftwaffe lost three Junkers Ju 87s and four Bf 109Gs, for no losses to the Yaks. Consequently, the Luftwaffe issued an order to "avoid combat below five thousand metres with Yakovlev fighters lacking an oil cooler intake beneath the nose!" Luftwaffe fighters in combat with the Yak-3 tried to use surprise tactics, attacking from above. Unresolved wartime problems with the Yak-3 included the plywood surfaces coming unstuck when the aircraft pulled out of a high-speed dive. Other drawbacks of the aircraft were short range and poor engine reliability. The pneumatic system for actuating landing gear, flaps and brakes, typical for all Yakovlev fighters of the time, was problematic. Though less reliable than hydraulic or electrical alternatives, the pneumatic system was preferred owing to significant weight savings. The Model It was quite a surprise when Special Hobby announced a new 1:32 Yak 3 earlier in 2016, we reviewed it in its Hi-Tech form form here. This new boxing "Onward to Berlin" gives us all the original plastic without the Hi-tech parts, and decals three late war aircraft. All the parts are well moulded with no sign of imperfections or flash, just beautiful, yet quite restrained panel lines, rivets and other detail, where it should be. The fuselage and outer wing panels are smooth of these, as they are plywood. Whilst looking quite a simple build, there is a lot of detail included, particularly in the cockpit. The rest of the kit looks to be quite straight forward, with no hidden problems. The build itself begins with the assembly of the cockpit, strangely enough, and the fitting of the side consoles with their additional details to the tubular framework of what would constitute the side walls. The moulded rudder pedals are replaced with resin and PE, whilst the four part instrument panel, is assembled and detailed with decals for the instruments, a drop of Kleer or aqua gloss will help them stay in position and give them a glassy look. The two piece rear shelf is fitted with a radio set, the front bulkhead, with the cannon breech. All the sub-assemblies are then brought together, in addition to another section of tubular frame to build up the cockpit “tub” if you like. The fuselage halves are joined together once the resin exhaust stubs have been fitted and four piece tail wheel assembly, including resin wheel and PE scissor link, has been built up and fitted to the shelf that is attached to one half of the fuselage. The radiator chute is then fitted through the bottom of the fuselage. The tail surfaces are then assembled, each from upper and lower sections and the two piece rudder. The upper wing section is then fitted out with the fuel filler caps which unusually contain decals for what I presume fill levels, I know someone will come to my on these. The lower wing section is fitted with the radiator. The two wing sections are then glued together and the cockpit assembly glued to the centre section of the top wing, then fitted out with the seat, back rest, etc. The wing/cockpit assembly is the slid into the fuselage assembly, followed by the forward cowl deck and resin machine gun muzzles. The instrument panel is further detailed with the gunsight and its associated support rail, the coaming and cocking levers for the machine guns. This is then slide into the cockpit aperture, along with two extra side panels. Each main undercarriage is made from a main leg, resin wheel, PE details, shock strut and actuator, scissor link and two outer gear bay doors, before they are fitted to their respective five piece bays, which in turn are slid into the apertures in the lower wing section. The inner bay doors and their associated retraction actuators are then attached, along with the tail wheel bay doors and up lock fittings. The kit being finished off with the fitting of the three bladed propeller, headrest, three piece, or optional single piece, canopy, and finally the pitot probe. Decals The two decal sheets provide markings for three different aircraft, although they are all in the same camouflage. The decals are excellent as by Cartograf, and look to be in register with good density, important for the white markings and on quite thin carrier film. The markings included are for the following aircraft:- Yak-3, White 15 - 64 Guards Fighter Regiment. 4 Guards Fighter Division, 2nd Baltic Front, Autumn 1944. Yak-3, White 114 - 402 Fighter Regiment, 265 Fighter Division, 1st Belorussian Front, Spring 1945. Yak-3, White 10 - 6 Guards Fighter Division, 2nd Ukrainian Front, Spring 1945. Conclusion Another nice release from Special Hobby, and a better price point than the Hi-tech boxing for those who dont want all the resin & etch. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Replacement Wheels – Sea Vixen, Ju.88A-4 & SE.5a (Q48278, Q48279, Q48280) 1:48 CMK Quick & Easy from Special Hobby Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have seams to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling. Sea Vixen Wheels (Q48278 for Airfix) A direct replacement to the kit wheels with excellent hub and tyre detail for this lovely kit. There is no "sag" moulded in, but if you wanted to depict this anyway, a light sanding at the bottom would accomplish the task without much effort at all. Junkers Ju.88A-4 and later C-6/G late Main Wheels (Q48279 for Revell) Main wheels and tail wheel with yoke and mudguard moulded integrally, offering superior detail and light deformation to give the impression of weight, with the casting block attached in this area where it won't be seen. SE.5A Wheel Correction Set (Q48280 for Eduard) This set adds the faceted appearance of the outer fabric covers, depicting the spokes that would be seen, as well as the Palmer Cord logo and tyre specification details. Again, the casting blocks are sensibly small to avoid ruining the shape of the tyre during removal. Review sample courtesy of

Special Hobby is to release a 1/72nd Dornier Do.27 kit - ref.SH72327 Source: https://www.facebook.com/specialhobby/photos/a.458974014197468.1073741825.256992114395660/985391688222362/?type=3&theater Maybe next time in quarter scale... V.P.

JA-37 Viggen Canard Correction Set (4362) AJ/SF/SH-37 Viggen Canard Correction Set (4361) (for Special Hobby/Tarangus) 1:48 Special Hobby Tarangus brought us a newly tooled JA-37 Viggen a few years ago, consigning the old Airfix kit to history, and Special Hobby - the people behind the tooling and moulding of the Tarangus kit - brought us the AJ-37, AJS-37, and the SH/SF-37 was handled by Tarangus again. As a Viggen lover, I'm still waiting for the two-seater, so if anyone in a position to help move that along is listening, get a move on! Every model has its flaws, and it seems that the angle of the leading edge of the flaps on the canards was a little off, so Special Hobby have created these two sets to correct that issue. They also add a smidge of additional detail to the flap itself, including the see-through parts, and each set has the correct number of vortex generators on the rear edge of the fixed portion of the canard. The canards have the root fairing along their full length, which leaves a thin section where the flap sits, so take care when removing the parts from the casting block. One of my samples had warped in the box, but this is easily fixed by taping the part to a flat surface and pouring hot water from the kettle over it, then dousing it under the cold tap. Handily, the correct angle of droop for the flaps is given on the instructions as 30o, but do take care not to cut off the lugs from the fairing sides, as they are the locating point on the fuselage. A couple of small air bubbles mar an otherwise good set slightly, but this is easy to clean up, and casting thin parts is prone to this kind of issue. As usual with resin, take the precaution of wearing a mask when cutting or sanding resin, as the tiny particles are harmful to your health if breathed in. Washing the parts in warm water will also improve the adhesion of paint, as there may still be some moulding release agent on the parts when you receive them. AJ/SF/SH-37 (4361) JA-37 (4362) Review sample courtesy of

Special Hobby is to release a HA-1112 M-1L Buchón "Ejército del Aire" - ref.SH72308 Source: http://www.mpmkits.eu/2014/08/sh72308-ha-1112-m-1l-buchon-ejercito.html Box art V.P.

A new and upgraded - new mould for small parts - boxing from the old 1/48th IMAM (Romeo) Ro.37 kit is in progress by Special Hobby - ref. SH48183 Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2017/05/modely-v-priprave-v.html V.P.

MPM SH32049 boxart: http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=97&t=71717&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a translation: Main parts from short run and small details from metal mould.

I got this a couple of weeks ago and rashly dived straight in. I do like Fulmar's and have quite a few done and more than a few in the stash. Although criticised as being a bit slow and not terribly aerobatic, it was a very effective fleet defence fighter. Remember, it was never designed to dog fight against fighters but defend the fleet against long range bombers and reconnaissance aircraft as well as acting as a spotter for gunnery. It did had a long range and could stay in the air for a long time, as well as being a stable and effective gun platform. Fulmars shot down more enemy aircraft than any other FAA fighter so it wasn't a failure and certainly was a major factor in the success of the Malta convoys. A nice set of well moulded sprues, although there is a little flash. Good cockpit and wheel well detail. There is a bit of paint on them already. I did say that I had dived straight in. Nice nice instructions but in traditional SH manner some locations are a bit vague. Clear sprue, a little bit of resin and some etch. Good transfer sheet from Cartograf for four versions I am going to do this version as it's a bit different. Happy modelling to come hopefully. I have also got a masking set. I recall the time it took to mask my previous attempts.