Latest Reviews

I wonder to ask if there a set in the wonderful 1/72 scale Regards Armando

Thanks for the above advice- I read this the day before I built up the empennage on mine, and after looking at a ton of reference you’re correct. The instructions show the part where the elevators attach to the tail plane from an upside down aspect, I wonder if there was a minor mistake in the graphics department and the elevators were shown right way up in the same diagram.

RNLI Severn Class Lifeboat (A07280) 1:72 Airfix Named after the River Severn, the Severn Class Lifeboat began life as the potential replacement for the existing RNLI all-weather lifeboats that were in service in the 1980s, improving range and endurance to put greater capabilities at the hands of the crew. The prototype was launched in 1991, and underwent development trials for most of the rest of the decade, while production class boats were in manufacture from 1995 onward, needing some alterations and upgrades before they went into service. Once the crews that were anticipating the boats at their locations saw the impressive new vessel that was the culmination of its numerous upgrades, they were keen to take them on as soon as possible, one such crew in Falmouth successfully requesting that the demonstrator be stationed at their boat house until their own was ready. The extended range and higher speed of the type made it an ideal replacement, allowing the crews to search longer, whilst covering more area, and help stranded craft further out to sea. They are built from a composite material that is fibre-reinforced for strength, paying particular attention to the keel and skegs that protect the screws, which were early victims of damage during trials. It is highly resistant to sinking, with up to two of the five compartments able to be flooded, and has all the latest communications, First Aid, and tracking systems onboard. It is powered by twin Caterpillar Marine Diesel engines for redundancy, and has a recessed bow thruster that increases the craft’s manoeuvrability at sea, allowing it to get in close proximity with vessels that it is attending. The Skegs are intended to protect the aft screws from damage in shallow water, and while the early incarnations were too easily damaged, the upgraded Skegs allow the boat to run over objects or aground without harming the propulsion system, giving the crew an audible warning in the form of a loud crunching sound if they’re getting too close to disabling their boat. For shallow water and other instances when the boat is too large for the task in hand, a Y-Class inflatable can be lowered into the water by the integrated crane to rescue or recover their target. Canada has also taken an extreme conditions adapted variant of the Severn Class boat on strength that are known locally as the Bay Class, although the Canadian boats are aluminium hulled, and have differences that make them suitable for extreme seas up to a 12 on the Beaufort (wind) scale. As of 2020, the RNLI was investigating the possibility of a life-extension programme to keep the Severn fleet in service for a further 25 years, taking the hull back to basics, and installing shock-resistant seats that will keep the crew safe in extreme seas. The Kit This is a new boxing of Airfix’s 2007 release of this RNLI lifeboat that can be seen in thirty-five harbours around Britain, in their distinctive bright orange, red and blue scheme, with another nine in the relief fleet in case they are needed. It’s quite incredible that our coastal seas are protected by a charity organisation, but they are, and they do a fine job of it too. The kit arrives in Airfix’s characteristic red-themed top-opening box with a Severn Class boat cruising close to shore on the front, and inside are four sprues in Airfix’s recent darker grey styrene, plus a clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet in spot colour that has a colour painting and decaling guide slipped inside along with the decals. Detail is good, as anyone that has seen the kit already will attest, and while it is an exterior kit below deck, the superstructure includes interior parts that can be seen through the windows, or exposed by leaving the roof loose on your model, although care will be needed assembling this portion of the model. Furthermore, the model can be made waterline by cutting the keel from the hull along a raised line inside the parts, a line that extends across the front of the keel and along the vessel’s sides, cutting the lower stern using the drawings to guide you, as there isn’t a line there. Construction begins with the hull, which is built from keel, topsides, stern and a part that fits into a recess near the bow to depict the bow thruster. Inverting the hull shows off the Skegs, between which the twin shafts, supports and screws are fixed, adding rudders in their wake, with the option of fitting a pair of two-part stands to the undersides for display, or at least temporarily during the build process. On the stern, two bilge outlets and three trim-tabs with their actuator rods are fitted, and the deck is mated to the hull, adding a hatch with window that leads below deck. After painting the deck where the super structure will be, interior dividers and a bench seat are installed along with a console and forward bulkhead. The interior ribbing and various equipment boxes are moulded as two parts that sit on either side of the superstructure, linked at the top by a small roof frame, attaching the ship’s instruments around the forward section, plus a ship’s wheel that resembles a car’s. The next step omits the above-deck parts entirely from the drawings for clarity, installing five crew seats on bases, some of which are separate, other bases moulded into the deck. Vertical struts are also glued into the deck, then the aft wall with hatch and twin windows is fitted with a cylindrical fixture behind it, and additional details installed within, including grab handles and an additional window. Two low extensions are added behind, locating on holes in the deck surface, then the remainder of the outer structure is mounted on the interior ribbing after fitting windows to the sides and bridge, plus two outriggers at the rear, which are boxed in, with short ladders fitted aft. Various deck fittings and railings are added around the bow and midships, with more detail on the roof of the bridge, moving round to the stern with boxed rafts, ladders, the crane and more railings with attendant deck-fittings. Another round of railings is added to the sides along with the anchor and open chock tie-up points at various locations around the edges. The inflatable is made from upper and lower halves, adding an outboard motor to the stern, although this is usually protected by a cover in operation. Above the enclosed bridge is another exposed station with seats that allows the crew to sail the boat in the open, giving them a lofty vantage point over proceedings. The mast is supported on a frame that is built from four parts, adding the control station with its own wheel at the front, the location of which is marked in black on the instructions. It is surrounded by low walls, and has the various sensors and aerials fixed to the flat top of the mast support, adding angled windows to the front and sides to deflect spray. More railings are fitted around the inflatable on the top deck, with life rings, searchlights and twin aerials finishing off the build. Markings The decal sheet is large, and includes codes and names for all of the thirty-five boats in service, plus the nine relief boats that don’t have their own names allocated. Old and new style fonts are provided for the codes, depending on when you wish to depict your Lifeboat, which also extends to the RNLI flag and “Lifeboats” on the sides of the superstructure. From the box you can depict any of the fleet, as shown on the painting guide, using the scheme below: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. In addition to the cheatline around the hull, there is a 10cm length spare that should be sufficient to cover most slip-ups, and RNLI in large blue letters for the open bridges of the reserve boats. Finally, there is a flag for the mast. Conclusion A welcome re-release of this important modern British Lifeboat with new decals, and revitalised instructions. There are some tips and tricks to be had if you search the previous builds over the years on this site, which will make your build progress well thanks to their efforts. It's worth noting the virtual 'sticker' on the top right of the box that states that at least £1.60 of the price of this model will go to the RNLI to assist them in their quest to keep the Nation's coasts safe. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

The French received quite a large number of the aircraft before the collapse. Otherwise I entirely agree, a superb book, especially for those aircraft from the French contract.

Looks good, some of the stuff will be very small in 1/48 though ....do they do a 1/35 version?

Studebaker US6-U3 US Military Truck (35490) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd Before WWII, Studebaker began development of a 2.5-ton truck for military and civilian use, that was capable of working equally well off-road and on, with a 6 x 6 drivetrain giving it good grip in all weathers. It was up against substantial competition however, and other designs were found to have better performance under the conditions prevalent in locations where the type was to be used, the Studebaker being better suited to cold weather operations. The first trucks arrived in the USSR in 1941 under the Lend/Lease agreement, where it was well-liked, resulting in Soviet Russia being the major overseas operator of the type, calling it the ‘Studer’ in their service, where they adapted it to various roles, including most famously as a Katyusha rocket launcher. It was powered by a 5.2L straight-six petrol engine that could output around 86hp and drove all six wheels, while the over-engineered engine boasted a low compression ratio that made it extremely reliable. It was its reliability and ruggedness that endeared it to its operators and drivers, and inspired Joseph Stalin to write a note after the war congratulating Studebaker on the design of the vehicle, and telling them of how useful it had been to their war effort. Many Studers were used post WWII in the Soviet Union, often with their military equipment removed. Even after retirement, the cab and general configuration was also used as the pattern for the GAZ-51 truck, although heavily modified due to technological progress in the meantime. The Kit The origin of this kit stems from 2007, when it was first released, but there have been many variants and additional parts added to the tooling in the interim, and it still gives the impression of being a thoroughly modern kit, with some impressive detail. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are five sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue in a separate bag, and a decal sheet between the pages of the colour printed instruction booklet that has profiles of the decal options on the rearmost pages. As already mentioned, detail is good, and the kit is a full chassis offering, with engine, cab, chassis and bodywork all provided, including a rather complex, single-part transmission system that is found under the ladder chassis. Construction begins unsurprisingly with the ladder chassis, spacing the two main rails apart with six cross-members of various designs, some of which are made from 2, 3 or four parts, plus more dotted around the chassis, and a pair of leaf springs at the front, which locate in recesses in the outer faces of the rails. The chassis is finished at the ends by a large bumper bar at the front, and a pair of sprung R-shaped forms on either side of the towing shackle. The engine is next, basing the work on a two-part block with separate cylinder head, end caps with fan-belt moulded into one end, air intake box and pathway, plus other ancillaries, and the fan itself. The gearbox is created from three parts and is mated with the rear of the engine, lowering the motor into the chassis and coupling up the radiator assembly, which has been made from inner and outer faces, plus header tank and feeder hose that links to the top of the engine, adding the exhaust system under the engine, leading back to a separate muffler that has the exhaust moulded-in, exiting the side of the chassis behind the cab. The monolithic transmission system is fleshed out with separate halves of the differential castings, plus half the casing of the transfer box between the front and rear wheels. A steering linkage is added to the front axle, and the completed assembly is then installed under the chassis, linking the first drive-shaft to the rear of the gearbox, and locating the three axles onto their mountings. At this stage the rear axles don’t yet have their springs, first needing the central mount between the twin axles, after which the inverted leaf springs, dampers, and tie-bars can be installed, plus more linkages added to the front axle both for steering and damping. Two sets of running boards are attached to the chassis by L-brackets on each side of where the cab will be, accompanied by a three-part fuel tank on the left side, and a two-part spare wheel on the right. The US6 rolled along on eight wheels, four sets of pairs that are made from five parts, and two singles at the front, each made from main carcass and inner sidewall, trapping a disc in the centre, in case you wish to leave the wheels mobile. The completed wheels are attached to the six axle ends with care, then the bodywork can begin. Work on the cab begins with the roof, windscreen frame and scuttle that are moulded as a single part, fitting the shallow-V shaped glazing from outside, and adding supports to the sides, with the dashboard inserted from beneath, applying three dial decals during the process. The firewall and kick board part has the lower sills and bottoms of the A-pillars glued to each side, mating them with the roof assembly once the glue has cured. The steering column has the wheel and separate boss applied to the top, joining it to the underside of the dash and kick board, then adding the three foot pedals around the base, mounting the four controls and gear lever on the floor, and the bench seat after building it from just three parts, including the base. The floor is slid in from behind, followed by the sides of the engine compartment, adding the battery into a recess in the left side after painting it and deciding whether to wire it into the engine. The front fenders are fitted to the sides, and the back is closed after inserting a lozenge-shaped window into the curved panel. Headlights with clear or hooded lenses are mounted on the wings along with side lights, with the grille applied to the front of the engine bay, the side extensions protecting the lights from frontal impacts. Crew doors keep the weather out, and have simple door cards moulded-in, to which the handles, winders and the window glass are installed, and these can be fitted open or closed as you wish. A pair of supports are fitted under the front of the wings, fixing the bonnet over the engine compartment, and adding outer door handles before mating the cab with the chassis, gluing the bottom of the steering column as you do so. This boxing has an open load bed with ribbed floor, raised sides, and fold-up benches for carrying personnel, which can be stowed upright with the supports hanging vertically, filling a rather draughty space that would chill the kidneys of anyone sitting on the seats. Flipping the load bed over, two longitudinal support rails and a rear light bar are fitted, followed by the four mudflaps with U-shaped supports that hold them to the correct angle. The bed can then be glued to the chassis, aligning the tabs with the corresponding slots that are found on the top of the chassis rails. Six curved tilt supports are included in this boxing, and they can be stacked in the front of the load bed, or fitted in place by cutting the lower portions from the parts before gluing them in. The final step involves adding windscreen wipers, wing mirrors and towing hooks to the cab, all in pairs. Markings There are four decal options on the included sheet, with four profiles and a cab top scrap diagram for each one, and you wouldn’t be wrong if you guessed they were all green. From the box you can build one of the following: United States Corps of Engineers, 1942 Rusty Dow’s Studebaker US6-U3 – Rusty was the first woman to drive on a military road in Alaska US Army in Europe, 1944 US Army in the Far East, 1945 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Whilst this isn’t the first boxing of this kit, it’s an interesting option with a clutch of non-Soviet examples, and as we lost our last one before we managed to review it, it was good to see it. How we managed to lose a substantial box like that remains a mystery to this day. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Miss a double entendre opportunity, never... 😉

I do like the idea of window outlines being shown in scale in the instructions. This is a great alternative to aftermarket masks, since they are templates for making one’s own. Would love to see this feature in more kits, whatever the manufacturer.

One thing that I noticed with the etched set, is that they have put "feet" on the headlamp brush guards. If only all of the Etched brass manufacturers would do the same. It will make the bond so much stronger when gluing them in place. John.

Thanks for the review, Mike, but what do you mean with the word "reversed Swastikas"? As a Finn I have always thought that ours was the proper one . It didn't have any connection in the better known and later introduced, 45 deg tilted sinister political symbol used elsewhere. V-P

P-40K-1/5 Warhawk ‘Short Fuselage’ (SH72379) 1:72 Special Hobby First flying before the outbreak of WWII, the Warhawk was a development of the P-36 Hawk, and although it was never the fastest fighter in the sky, it was a sturdy one that took part in the whole of WWII in American and Allied hands, with large numbers used by Soviet pilots in their battles on the Eastern front. The various marks garnered different names such as Tomahawk and Kittyhawk, so it can get a mite confusing if you're not familiar with the type. It was unable to keep pace with the supercharged Bf.109, but was used to great effect in the Far East and Africa, which may have assisted in the feeling that it was a second-string aircraft of inferior design, when this actually wasn't the case – certainly not to the extent inferred. It was robust, cheap to make, and easy to repair, although its high-altitude performance dropped off somewhat. The early marks were under-armed with just two .50 guns firing through the prop from the top of the engine cowling and a pair of .303s in the wings, but later models benefited from improved armament. The B model was a revision of the initial airframe with lessons learned from early production, self-sealing fuel tanks and armour in critical parts of the airframe, although this extra weight did have an impact on performance. The -D was a partial re-design, eliminating the nose guns, narrowing the fuselage and improving the cockpit layout and canopy. In British service it was known as the Kittyhawk Mk.I, but only a small number were made before the -E replaced it with a more powerful Allison engine, and an extra pair of .50cl machine guns in the wings bringing the total to six, but even that wasn’t sufficient to let it keep up with the opposition. It wasn't until the –F model that the Allison engine was replaced by a license-built Merlin that gave it better high-altitude performance and a sleeker chin. The -K was an Allison engine version with a shorter fuselage, retaining many of the earlier visual cues just to confuse us, known at the Kittyhawk Mk.III in British and Commonwealth service. The Kit This is a rebox of a recent tooling from Special Hobby with new parts to depict this variant, and it arrives in a red/white/grey themed top-opening box with a painting of the subject after a successful engagement with a late mark Bf.109, which is banking away whilst trailing smoke from its engine. Inside the box are three sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue that’s separately bagged, a tiny bag of two grey resin parts, a wide decal sheet, and the A5 portrait instruction booklet printed on glossy paper in colour. Detail is good, with finely engraved panel lines, raised and recessed details around the airframe and a few spare parts that can stay on the sprues, which are marked with a red X on the sprue diagram. Construction begins with the pilot’s seat, mounting it on a frame, then it is attached to the bulkhead and given a set of four-point decal seatbelts, after which it is set aside for a few steps. The fuselage sides are fitted with sidewall inserts, with sections further forward painted silver as they form part of the air intake pathway, adding the core with three circular intakes inside, and the intake lip in front once the fuselage halves are together. The rear bulkhead with seat and the instrument panel with two decals for the dials are trapped between the two halves of the fuselage as it is closed. A small circular shape on the cockpit side is removed and smoothed over at this stage too. Moving on to the wings, the full-span lower has the perimeter around the bay openings painted, as are the side-walls that are glued in the recesses, and the roof that is moulded into the upper wing half, adding a landing light under the port wing from within. The cockpit floor is moulded into the centre of the upper wing, and that is also painted the same colour, so quite convenient while you have the paint out. The control column and another lever are inserted into the floor, then the wings can be joined to the fuselage, taking care not to knock the stick off as you do so. The elevators are each a single part that affix with the usual slot and tab method, with a separate rudder that can be posed deflected if you wish. The exhaust stubs are supplied as inserts with one per side, and are far too small to drill out unless you have the world’s steadiest hands. The last option involves selecting open or closed cooling gills behind the radiator housing, inserting a pitot probe in the port wingtip, and painting the moulded-in lights on each tip above and below the wing. The main gear struts have an additional bracing leg fixed at the top, then the tripod arrangements are inserted into the sockets in the bay, adding the two doors to each side of the bays, and another two that are linked by a cross-brace in the tail bay and a single part strut/wheel to complete the undercarriage. The three-bladed propeller is moulded as a single part that is trapped between a back-plate and spinner, with a short spindle on the back that slides into the hole in the front of the fuselage. You then have a choice of two loads under the centre of the fuselage, consisting of a fuel tank, or a bomb for ground-attack operations. Each option is made from two halves plus four braces for the fuel tanks, and two for the bomb. Flipping the model over allows the last step to be completed, fitting the coaming and gunsight into the cockpit, adding the windscreen with rear-view mirror, and the two side windows into the scalloped sections behind the canopy, followed by the sliding canopy, which can be posed open or closed as you like it by using a different part for each option. One decal option has a two-part resin D/F loop aerial and fairing added to the spine behind the cockpit, with its location shown during step 6 of the instructions. Markings There are four options available on the decal sheet, three US options having bright personalisations around the nose area, while the other option is a Lend/Lease airframe in Soviet service, replete with red stars. From the box you can build one of the following: P-40K-1 (42-46040) White #13, Pilot 1st Lt. Robert Johnson ‘Jay’ Overcash, 643FS, 57FG, Based at Hani Main, Tunisia, May 1943 P-40K White #23, Lt. Nikolai Federovich Kuznetsov, 436 Fighter Aviation Regiment, 239 IAD, 6 Air Army, Lake Seliger, North Western Front, Winter 1943 P-40K-5 (42-9768) White #255, Maj. Edward ‘Big Ed’ M Nollmeyer, CO of 26FS, 51FG, Kunming, China, December 1943 P-40K, White #15, 25FS, 51FG, Assam Valley, India 1944 The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that 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 The P-40 is an interesting and oft overlooked aircraft that played some important roles in WWII, as evidenced by the number of notable pilots that gained their reputation in this doughty fighter. This is a well-detailed kit of a later variant, and has some interesting decal options that make it an appealing prospect. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

StuG III Ausf.G Feb 1943 Alkett Prod. (72101) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The StuG is a popular German WWII AFV, and the more you learn about it, the more obvious it becomes why. The SturmGeschütz III was based upon the chassis of the Panzer III, but removed the turret and front deck, replacing it with an armoured casemate with a lower profile that mounted a fixed gun with limited traverse. It was originally intended to be used as infantry support, using its (then) superior armour to advance on the enemy as a mobile blockhouse, but it soon found other uses as an ambush predator, and was employed as a tank destroyer, lurking in wait for Allied forces to stumble haplessly into its path, where it could be deadly. With the advances in sloped armour employed by the Soviets, the original low velocity 75mm StuK 37 L/24 cannon was replaced by a higher velocity unit that was also used in the Panzer IV for tank-on-tank combat, extending the type’s viable career to the end of WWII. The earliest prototypes were made of mild steel and based on Panzer III Ausf.B chassis, and whilst they were equipped with guns, they were unsuitable for combat due to the relative softness of the steel that would have led to a swift demise on the battlefield, being withdrawn in '41-42. By this time the StuG III had progressed to the Ausf.G, which was based on the later Panzer III Ausf.M, with a widened upper hull and improvements in armour to increase survivability prospects for the crew. Many of the complicated aspects of the earlier models that made them time-consuming and expensive to produce were removed and simplified by that time, which led to several specific differences in some of the external fitments around the gun, such as the Saukopf mantlet protector. The Ausf.G was the last and most numerous version, and was used until the end of the war with additional armour plates often welded or bolted to the surface to give it enhanced protection from Allied tanks and artillery. The Kit This is a new tooling from MiniArt in their nascent 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to an extent for many years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are nine sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals in a Ziploc bag, a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret in a card envelope, and the instruction booklet in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together with five parts creating the ‘tub’, then adding the three-part glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. One decal option has a few holes drilled into the rear overhang before installation for use later, then various suspension parts are applied to the sides that have the swing arms and axles already moulded-in. Six paired return rollers are made up, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets, which have an alternative front sprocket face for you to choose from. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and six at the front, plus another between the lower and its diagonal, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The gun shroud is built from four parts and mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on three lugs moulded into the sides. The gun shroud is slotted into the casemate, with a mantlet slid over the front, after which the lower heavily armoured and bolted lower casemate front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up. A convoy light is glued into the centre of the glacis, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides, and a single rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on those at the rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope forward of the cupola from within the roof. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle glued to the business end, and sleeve moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid with an optional stowage box on top for one option, and an alternative site on the engine deck for the other decal options. PE brackets are added around the vehicle, with pioneer tools built up and fitted where there is space as the build progresses. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the frontal bullet shield with PE support and another DIY grab handle before putting it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cable, but you must provide the braided thread or wire to make the cable itself, attaching one to each fender, fixing fire extinguisher, jack block, jack, barrel cleaning rods etc. to various places, and for one decal variant, two stacks of wheels are mounted on long pins on the rear bulkhead, making the pins from more of your own wire. Option four also has a PE railing around the engine deck, which has a basket to hold two jerry cans, each one made from three parts, and slotted into position at the rear of the deck. Two scrap diagrams show how the forward ends of the railings attach to the back of the casemate, and the other four decal options can have stacks of road wheels stowed on the back of the engine deck on the aft vents, again on pins made from your own wire stocks. Two aerials of 30mm each are also needed to complete the model. Markings There are five decal options on the small sheet, with various schemes ranging from pure panzer grey to dunkelgeb, with camouflage or distemper over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 189, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 21 Luftwaffen-Feld-Division ‘Adler Division’, Staraya Russa Region, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 21 Luftwaffen-Feld-Division ‘Adler Division’, Staraya Russa Region, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung ‘Grossdeutschland’ Okhtryka, Ukraine, Eastern Front, Spring 1943 Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 210, Eastern Front, 1943 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion MiniArt bring their talents to bear on 1:72 scale, releasing a subject they have already researched for their 1:35 scale range, resulting in a highly detailed model with plenty of options for personalisation. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

They should fit in well with the Cheese Sellers and wine.🧀

Universal Acrylic Thinner & Airbrush Cleaner (HC10001 & HC10003) Hobby Colours Having thinners and airbrush cleaning products for many different brands of paint can be a logistical nightmare, cluttering your spray booth or painting area with extra bottles, and forcing you to keep a track of what you have left for each system, with a likelihood of running out if you lose track. Hobby Colours have taken that on board, and have created their own brand of universal thinners and airbrush cleaners for use with Acrylic paints of whatever brand you might have on hand. Each product arrives in a 100ml translucent plastic bottle with a screw-on cap that matches the colour of the contents. The thinners is clear with a white cap, while the cleaner is a pale blue with a blue cap, which is also useful in telling them apart quickly, using the cap or colour of the liquid to prevent grabbing the wrong one in haste. Universal Acrylic Thinner (HC10001) This clear liquid is useful for any acrylic paint, and can be used to thin for brush or airbrush painting, the latter using the usual ‘consistency of semi-skimmed milk’ as a guide, and working from there. It has a flow improver and drying retarder mixed in, so the paint will dry more slowly, which will be especially useful for brush painters, and for airbrush users on a hot day, when a drying tip can make spraying tiresome, constantly stopping to remove accumulated paint before starting the process again. I’ve used it for several tests, particularly with the Jim Scale paints, and it works beautifully, helping give it a silky-smooth finish. Universal Airbrush Cleaner (HC10003) Tinted blue to differentiate it, this mixture should be used when cleaning brushes or airbrushes, and it has a slight foaming action when agitated, helping to break up dried paint that’s stuck in hard-to-reach crevices. It has also been formulated to be kind to seals and O-rings, reducing your maintenance burden and costs in the long run. Seeing it in action, it lifts away caked-on paint easily, and is very useful, especially if you’re like me and have been known to leave paint sitting in the cup for a few days by accident. Conclusion Keep your airbrush in good fettle, whilst easing painting of your models too, picking up a few bottles of each to ensure you don’t run out. Remember that you’ll almost always use more cleaner, so adjust your purchase upwards. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Agree, this big gun is calling out for a set of figures to go with it….. Billy

Excellent review, Mike, thank you! Cheers, Mark

Mam zamiar zbudować ten model, ale zdecydowałem się przerysować linie na wklęsłe i dodać ślady śrub wykonanych nitownicą.

Sd.Kfz.10 Zugkraftwagen 1t ‘Demag D7’ (SA72021) 1:72 Special Armour by Special Hobby In the decade before WWII, Germany was rearming - secretly at first - but overtly once they had publicly thrown off the constraints of the Versailles Treaty. In order to mechanise their military, many different vehicles were required, from large to small, with the Sd.Kfz.10 being at the smallest end. It was based on a hull rather than a ladder chassis, which gave it a low profile similar to that of a standard truck, despite it having a half-track running gear and a pair of steerable wheels at the front. It was powered by a 6L petrol engine from Maybach, and was intended to transport up to eight troops and tow smaller artillery pieces, which it did throughout the war, although production ceased before the end, despite a few attempts to re-vitalise the design. In its production form, the D7, it was capable of 40mph on road, although one of its main users, the Luftwaffe, limited it to 19mph to preserve the rubber trackpads, even though it was happy to cruise at a shade under 30mph. It had seven forward gears and three reverse, with a clever steering mechanism braking one or other track when larger steering inputs were made. It was demonstrated in 1938 and had entered service by the beginning of hostilities, with some further minor upgrades adding to its robustness and the added ability to tow heavier loads to increase its usefulness to the military. Toward the end of the war, proposals were made for an improved variant, but nothing came of it other than a few prototypes of one design, and drawings of another. The Kit This is another reboxing of the amended tooling that originated in 2011, but don’t let that dissuade you – it’s a modern tooling with lots of detail throughout. It arrives in a small end-opening box, with two grey sprues, decal sheet and A5 instruction booklet, printed in colour. The smaller sprue covers the revised idler wheels, drive sprockets, and more detailed tracks, which are an improvement over the originals that are still on the larger sprue, although the new tracks have some recessed ejector-pin marks on the inner face. Construction begins with creation of the track runs, which are based on a beam with axles moulded-in, onto which you slide the sets of wheels that are moulded in linked units for the two rear layers, and individually for the three outer wheels, plus the new two-part drive sprockets. The track on each side is moulded as a single run, and is wrapped around the wheels carefully, cutting off any spare links, then gluing the run in place. Take care when bending the parts, and warm them up a little to assist with flexibility. This is done twice as you’d imagine, and the completed runs are glued to the sides of the hull, with the crew area placed over the top, and firewall with windscreen frame moulded-in at the front of the area. There's a substantial sink mark below the windscreen, but this doesn't matter as it will end its days under the hood. You will need to provide your own windscreen from clear acetate, a piece of packaging material or even the front of a clear vacformed clamshell package, but they have included a template to assist you in this. It seems a little churlish not to include a slip of acetate sheet, but there you go. The bonnet/hood is fitted in front of the windscreen, with a nicely detailed radiator attached to the front. The front wheels are each two parts, and have a deeply dished hub moulded-in, as well as tread for the tyres. The axle is supported by a single lateral leaf-spring, steering arms and anti-roll bar that are put together and inserted into the wheel arch, with additional rods fitted afterward, their location shown from another angle in a scrap diagram. Number plate, towing eye, pioneer tools, width-marker lollipops and headlights are all clustered around the front, and inside the crew cab the driver controls, wheel and two seats are fitted, with a decal provided for the instrument panel. In the rear, bench seats, fenders, spare fuel cans and stowage boxes are assembled and attached, with the rear number plate and Notek convoy light at the back over a pair of mudflaps, and length of cable on a circular frame fixed on the back of the vehicle on three pegs, two of which are moulded-in. Markings There are four decal options on the sheet, which consists mostly of number plates, white stencils and the aforementioned instrument panel decal. From the box you can build one of the following: Sd.Kfz.10, unknown combat unit, Wehrmacht, Russia 1942 Sd.Kfz.10, Adler-built vehicle, unknown unit, Wehrmacht, Poland 1939 Sd.Kfz.10, Demag-built vehicle, unknown unit, Wehrmacht, Yugoslavia, summer 1942 Sd.Kfz.10, unknown combat unit, Wehrmacht, Czechoslovakia, May 1945 The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that 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 A welcome re-release of a lesser-known half-track from the early war, with a variety of camouflage options that should suit most folks. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sd.Kfz.250/1 Ausf.B – Neue Ausführung (SA72005) 1:72 Special Armour by Special Hobby The Sd.kfz 250 was a light armoured halftrack similar in appearance to the Hanomag Sd.Kfz.251/1. Both were a mainstay of the German armoured Personnel Carrier fleet, but were flexible enough to also take up many other tasks. With two steerable wheels at the front, the rear was carried on tracks, giving it good clearance and rough ground capabilities that a truck simply could not manage once the going got tough. It was armoured sufficiently to deflect non-armour piercing rounds from small arms fire, but with an open top it was susceptible to both grenades and plunging fire, where the armour would concentrate the blast inside to the detriment of the occupants. Almost 6,000 examples were produced between 1940 and the end of WWII, and the vehicle was in service in time for the invasion of France, serving in most theatres in which the Wehrmacht fought to the bitter end. Fifteen official variants were produced, including ammunition carriers to support StuG batteries and signals cars that were equipped with radio sets. Other variants were equipped with heavy weapons that enabled them to provide infantry support. As a testament to their versatility, usefulness and durability, the type was sometimes reused when captured by Allied forces and insurgents taking back their homeland toward the end of the war, and they were kept in service for some period afterward where needs required. The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that was originally released under the Mk.72 label, tooled for them by Special Hobby in 2013, although many new parts have been added to the series over the years, as can be seen by the differing style and colour of one of the sprues. The kit arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box that has a painting of the subject on the front, and the three decal options printed on the rear. Inside are four sprues in two shades of grey styrene, a sheet of decals, and the instruction booklet, printed in colour on glossy paper in A5 format. Bizarrely, the box states that PE and resin parts are included in the kit, which isn’t the case as confirmed both by contents and the sprue diagrams, so we removed the text from the box art. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is made up into a shallow dish from three sections so that the road wheels for the tracked portion of the vehicle can be interleaved behind the drive sprockets, which are both made from two parts each. The tracks are found on the sand-coloured sprue, and are shortened by five links to fit the chassis, as shown in the accompanying scrap diagram, and here a little heat judiciously applied might be beneficial to help the styrene wrap around the sprockets at the ends. The front wheels are each made from two halves, and these are fixed to the steering axle that is made up from six parts, with a wheel on each end. The crew compartments are made up next, starting with the driver’s compartment, which has much of the detail moulded into the floor, plus a dashboard with steering column and wheel, joined by two seat backs, control levers and two stowage boxes. The rear compartment is tread-plated in the lowest areas, and fixes to the back of the drivers’ section, with an additional seat, and a two-door cabinet at the rear, plus a stack of double drum mags for the machine gun behind the chair. The sloping centre sections of the body sides are glued in place on the lower hull after the interior is installed, adding a pair of towing hooks at the front, and the fenders with stowage boxes moulded into the surface, adding a stowage box in the space between the wheels on one side, and a barrel-shaped exhaust in the other. The upper hull is moulded as a single part, and is fixed on top of the centre section along with the rear bulkhead and a fold-down platform that stows near vertically in the left side, adding a fire extinguisher and more ammo toward the rear. The front armoured radiator cover, and crew compartment vision slots are fixed to the front, and a door, towing hitch, and two jerry cans in racks are added to the rear to complete most of the structural work. A mounting plate with an MG34 on pintle mount and a splinter shield are made and fixed to the front of the passenger compartment, adding another on a pivot at the rear of the compartment, then racking four Kar.98s on the sloped right side of the interior. A pair of wire cutters and an axe are fitted to the front arches, adding some slightly oversized width-indicator ‘lollipops’ to the corners of the wings and a convoy light to finish the build. If you’re a detail hound, we reviewed resin sets for the wheels and tracks some time ago that you can see here. Markings There are three choices on the small decal sheet, in service in various parts of the European theatre. From the box you can build one of the following: Sd.Kfz 250 Ausf. B (Neu), WH-1651812, Panzeraufklärung Abteilung 70, 4. Kavalerie Division. At the end of the war the vehicle was found in Mörtelsdorf, Austria, put out of service Sd.Kf 250 Aus. B (Neu), 388, WH-1629146, 3. Grenadier Kompanie, Panzer Grenadier Division Grossdeutschland, Lithuania 1944 Sd. Kfz 250 Ausf. B (Neu), 339, SS-900915, 3./SS-Pz. Aufkl. Abt. 11 - 11.SS Panzergrenadier Division Nordland (Schwedenzug - Swedish volunteers platoon), Berlin, May 1945. The vehicle was destroyed on the corner of Friedrichstrasse and Reinhardtstrasse on 2 May 1945. The crew including a Swedish female nurse volunteer were killed The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that 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 Another well-detailed Sd.Kfz.250 to add to the roster in 1:72, broadening the range, and adding some more esoteric decal options with a story behind them, as detailed in the accompanying text. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Here you can see how it looks like on the model, including all other 787 parts from us.

Thanks for the review. Hand pass. Saved me money.

US Army K-51 Radio Truck with K-52 Trailer (35418) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Chevrolet G506 truck formed the basis of a range of 4x4 load-carrying vehicles that could carry up to 1.5 tonnes of cargo, men or equipment. They were initially made under the 4100 code, then were renamed as the 7100 series, and usually had a standard enclosed cab, with a 3.9L straight-6 engine under the bonnet, and a four-speed “crash” (non-synchromesh) gearbox putting out a little over 80hp through all four wheels. It rapidly became the Allies’ standard light truck, and served in substantial quantities on the Western Front, with the Soviets on the Eastern Front, and the forces fighting Japan in the Far East. There were many variants, some in US Army service, others in USAAF service, with almost 50,000 of two specific types, the G7107 and G7117 sent over to the Soviets in large numbers under the Lend/Lease program. The G7105 variant was a fully-enclosed van-bodied truck that had a full metal bodyshell to protect the contents, and thanks to its twin wheeled rear axle, it was capable of carrying the same load as its open-topped siblings. They were used extensively by the Signal Corps, but are relatively rare in the overall panoply of chassis types for this series. Their low production quantities and participation in WWII trimmed their numbers further, so they are quite rare compared to others of the type, but some still survive of course, and can be seen occasionally at historic vehicle rallies and get-togethers of like-minded enthusiasts. When it is full of radio equipment and personal gear, a trailer expands its carriage capacity to include a generator or similarly heavy piece of kit. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent G506 tooling from MiniArt, and is one of a large and still expanding range that is to be found in your favourite model shop. It’s a full interior kit, with engine, cab and both load areas included, along with some appealing moulding and detail, particularly in the cab, the equipment and those chunky tyres. It arrives in one of MiniArt’s medium-sized top-opening boxes, and inside are twenty-six modular sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, Photo-Etch (PE) sheet in a card envelope along with a short length of metal chain in a heat-sealed bag, decal sheet and glossy instruction booklet with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. Detail is excellent, and well up to MiniArt’s usual standards, using PE parts to enhance the model, and finely moulded details of the chassis, running gear, trailer, cab and interior areas. Construction begins with the ladder chassis, which has leaf-springs fore and aft, cross-braces and rear towing eye fitted to create the structure, then has the fuel tank with PE retention bands, PE rear bumper irons folded around a styrene jig, and axles installed on leaf springs, before the brake drums/hubs, battery and external brackets are added to the chassis rails. The transfer box and drive-shaft join the two axles together, and a steering linkage and box are inserted into the front of the chassis, then the engine is built up based on the straight six-cylinder block, with carburettor, dynamo and transmission added, plus the serpentine pulleys and fan at the front. The engine and substantial front bumper iron are fitted to the chassis, assembling the exhaust and its muffler, which slip into the underside of the chassis from below, held in position on PE brackets at the exit. The wheels are built with singles at the front, made from two parts each, and with twin wheels at the rear, again with separate outer sidewalls. Each wheel slips over its respective axle, with the hub projecting through the central hole. The three-part radiator housing is layered up, with the rear part having a hole that allows the air from the fan to cool the radiator when stationary, mounting on the front of the chassis and mating to the input and outlet pipes already in position. The crew cab is next, beginning with the firewall and forward sidewalls. The firewall is detailed with dash pots fixed to the forward side, and is set aside until it is needed toward the end of building the bodyshell, which is next. The sides of the van have a separate ribbing insert layered on the insides, to be joined to the floor after the raised platform for the crew seats is installed, fixing two four-part seats on top, and a small forest of levers in the centre of the floor. The floor is inverted to install the sidewalls, putting a short fuel filler tube on the outside that matches up with the extension within that leads to the tank. This boxing has a wall of radio gear assembled on the left side from a host of parts, and a long bench seat along the other with four cushions as a single part, with some impressive fabric sag moulded-in. Above the seats is a double cabinet with fake sliding doors, and PE chain straps at the sides, which is fitted near the rear along with a fire extinguisher on the right side. The rear light clusters are mounted on PE brackets on the rear of the side panels, one per side, and as is often the case with instruction steps, they may be better left of until after main painting. The rear valance plugs into the floor on two pins, joining the two side panels together on the lower edge. The dashboard inserts into the A-pillars that are moulded into the roof, with seven decals for the instruments and stencils on the glove box, plus two more on the headliner by the rear-view mirror, which installs into the front of the roof panel. The steering column is joined to the underside of the dash, adding a courtesy light, vent and six curved ribs to the inside of the roof in grooves. The rear doors and their interior cards are assembled with their handles, locking mechanism in a fairing with a flat PE surround, plus handles on both sides of the right door, and clear window glass with rounded corners. The crew doors and their interior cards are assembled with handles and window winders, plus the clear window glass that can be posed open or closed at your whim. The windscreen frame has the two clear panes fitted, and has a pair of PE brackets and styrene wingnuts that are installed either vertically for closed, or at an angle for open, with a scrap diagram showing the correct orientation of the various parts, and below it on the scuttle is a ventilator panel that can be posed open or closed as you prefer. The steering wheel is fixed to the top of the column, the diagonal kick panel is joined with the firewall and fitted out with three foot pedals, and a button that I think is the parking brake. The roof and firewall assembly are fitted to the growing bodyshell assembly with a choice of aerial bases on the roof in front of the vent cowling that sits on a PE base, while the rear doors are installed within the frame in the open or closed position if you prefer, adding a short stay from wire of your own stock, and two PE eyes on the corners of the roof nearby. Two rear arches are fitted under the floor into recesses, projecting past the line of the bodywork to encompass the twin rear wheels, then with the body righted, a pair of wing mirrors are glued onto the cab in front of the doors at handle-height on long struts with PE brackets at the bottom, posing the doors open or closed again as you wish. The body and chassis are mated, and a choice of cowling panels that fit to the sides of the engine compartment after adding a V-brace under the bonnet, then fitting the front wings that incorporate the section of running boards under the doors that joins up with the rear boards. The front of the vehicle has its headlights with clear lenses plus sidelights fitted to the wings, and PE windscreen wiper blades are hung from the top of the frame on styrene arms, then the front grille is built. You may have noticed that this appears on the sprues too for a simpler build process, but a more detailed and realistic grille can be fabricated from the PE parts on the fret. It is constructed completely from PE, and two styrene jigs are included on the sprues to assist with accurately creating the correct shape. The lower rail, light cages and curved side panels are made up on one jig from a single piece of PE, while the centre panel is folded up on another, then they’re joined together ready to be attached to the front of the engine bay. There are two PE brackets stretched across the front of the radiator, but if you elected to use the styrene grille, this process is condensed down to nipping the part from the sprue, cleaning the sprue gates, and gluing it to the front of your truck, removing a small curved section from the left of the styrene grille as it is glued in place. The bonnet can be fitted open or closed with a PE stay that is provided in the centre of the panel for the open option. Two additional stowage boxes are built out on the sides of the truck, with separate doors, PE padlocks, and a plate on the top to protect it from damage, one of them having a pioneer tool rack applied to the rear side, which has PE clasps and styrene tools provided to complete the details. It is attached to the right stowage box, and has a wire reel made up and fixed on a pin in a hole behind it, adding a choice of aerials and their tie-downs on the roof, varying depending on which aerial base you installed earlier. A small PE strap stops the roll unreeling during transit, just like the real (reel?) one. K-52 Trailer During WWII, the US used two small two-wheeled trailers for transporting additional equipment and other essential stores around the battlefield, towed by trucks and other vehicles that had at least a ¾ ton payload carried internally. There were two major variants, one for carrying many types of equipment and designated as G-518, the other a specialist water carrier that was given the catalogue designation G-527. The main contractor was Ben-Hur Manufacturing Co., which garnered it the nickname ‘Ben-Hur Trailer’, and its 1-ton load capacity in 3.2m3 volume meant that it saw a lot of action, mostly ignored by war historians and modellers alike, as it was a transport and not as interesting as the things that went bang. Nevertheless, there were over a quarter of a million built, and many of them spent their days dutifully following a Chevrolet truck around the roads and tracks of Europe and the Far East. This is a derivative of a new tooling from MiniArt, launched just after the G-527 Water Buffalo we reviewed recently, this kit has excellent detail as usual with MiniArt, including a full chassis, well-rendered chunky treaded tyres, and even a set of slat extensions to the sides of the structure with moulded-in wooden texture. Construction begins with the bodywork, starting with the two sides that have leaf springs moulded-in, which have the axle retention bolts added to both sides, PE tie-down loops down the sides, and the light cluster that is fitted on a PE bracket next to the rear suspension mount. A choice of external framework to the sides with or without the extension slats is glued to the sides, including small PE brackets at both ends of the slatted sections. The wheels are built from two parts, the larger having the outer hub, tyre carcass and the tread moulded as one, the smaller having the opposite sidewall details moulded-in. They are then put to one side while you build up the rest of the load area. The two sides are mated with the floor part, adding brake actuators underneath and on the side, and bringing in the ends to create the load box, with more PE brackets and foot stirrups to aid entry. While the chassis is upside down, the two-part inner hubs are fitted to the ends of the axles, adding a short length of 0.5mm wire to each one, and another length to a bracket under the floor. The towing frame is made from two converging lengths, which are fixed under the front of the floor on a pair of U-bolts, while a pair of mudguards are mounted on the chassis sides on pegs, inserting the wheels into their wells. The load bed is populated by a large generator that fills most of the area with a storage box at the front, which is first to be mad, including a PE padlock for security. Four jerry cans with PE straps are made with spare fuel to power the generator, starting work on the rear face where the control panel is located, which can be posed open or closed. The open option involves two PE door sections, the largest of which is the door that pivots up and slides into the housing with a styrene handle that is also found on the styrene closed door. Seven PE wingnuts are inserted between dividers for power connectors, which will still be visible when the main door is closed, exposing the wingnuts. This is fitted as one end of the generator’s cowling, adding another to the other end, and gluing PE handles between the columns of louvres on the sides, plus a pair of styrene tie-down loops. The opposite end has a radiator core mounted in the centre, and the top cowling has curved edges, and four more PE grab handles, a lifting eye, and a filler cap on the rolled edge. The tailgate is completed by adding the PE retaining pins on chains at floor level, then the two-part towing eye is mounted atop the front of the A-frame, and a jockey-wheel is built from two halves plus a yoke and pivot, with an alternate all-steel wheel if you prefer. This can be fitted under the hitch in either horizontal position for travel, or vertically for a parked trailer, locking it in place between two halves of the pivot. Another longer length of wire is fitted under the left chassis rail and hitch frame, dangling the end down over the hitch, adding a plug for the electronics, which has a hole moulded-in for the wire. The safety chains are cut to length, and are each trapped between two halves of their bracket, adding the hook on the loose end after drilling a hole in the part first. For protection of the equipment in bad weather, a tarpaulin cover can be made from five sides, adding PE clasps to the opening end, straps to the front, and short lengths of wire to represent the bungees that hold the tarp down around the lower edges. If you elect not to cover the generator with a tilt, the stowage box, generator and four jerry cans are installed on the floor, strapping a spare tyre under the chassis on a PE frame, which is held in place by a small hook at the rear. A third choice involves a slatted extension to the trailer’s sides, adding PE brackets to the sides earlier in the build, and fitting front and rear slatted sections to the front and rear, topping off the vertical sections with curved supports for the tilt when fitted. Markings There are five decal options on the sheet wearing green, including 1one in British service that has black camouflage over the top. From the box you can build one of the following: British Forces Radio Station, 8th Army Sector, Italy, October 1944 1st Armoured Division, 829th Signal Battalion, North Africa, Spring 1943 102nd Infantry Division, ETO, Autumn 1944 US Marine Corps, 4th Marine Division, Pacific 1944-5 Corps Signals Unit, 2nd Polish Corps, Italy 1944-5 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This is an interesting variant of the G506 chassis doing the job that many of this type were built for, and with the addition of the trailer it looks substantially different from its siblings, which with the detail that MiniArt pack into all their kits, it’s a very tempting offering. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Gloster Gauntlet Mk.I (AZ7866) 1:72 AZ Model by Kovozávody Prostějov The Gauntlet bears a family resemblance to the Gladiator from the same stable because it preceded it, entering service earlier after an extended development process that would be worthy of a modern defence project. Its development began as early as 1929, but it wasn’t until 1933 that it was given the name Gauntlet, and another two years before it started to enter service with the RAF in small numbers. It was intended as a replacement to the Bulldog, which it outpaced by 50mph thanks to its Bristol Mercury engine, with heavier armament that included two machine guns in troughs in the fuselage sides, firing through the cowling and propeller. Only twenty-four of the initial airframes were made before there were improvements made, which were give the designation Mk.II, resulting in the initial batch being retrospectively named Mk.I. The Mk.II made up the majority of production, with over 200 manufactured in the UK, plus more built overseas. At its peak there were fourteen squadrons equipped with Gauntlets, but as the storm clouds of war began to gather, it was already outdated. By the time war finally broke out, only one squadron was left in frontline service, the rest having transitioned to more modern fighters such as the Hurricane, which was created by Gloster’s new owners, Hawker, still carrying over some design traits from the Gauntlet through the Gladiator to the Hurricane, particularly in the rear fuselage and tail areas. Happily for the Hurricane pilots however, the speed and armament of their new aircraft was much improved and gave them a fighting chance against the enemy. The Gauntlet lingered on as a trainer in the UK and abroad for a while, with a single Mk.II preserved in airworthy condition in Finland, one of its former operators, although the engine has been replaced by something a little more modern for practical reasons. The Kit This is a reboxing of a 2008 tooling from AZ that has been re-released with new decals that depict the Gauntlet in RAF and Danish service. It arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of a gaggle of Gauntlets over rolling fields on the front, and profiles for the decal options on the rear of the box. Inside are three sprues of grey styrene, decal sheet, a small sheet of clear acrylic with two windscreens printed on it, plus the instruction booklet that is printed on a folded sheet of A4, with a series of rigging profiles on the rearmost page. Detail is good, with just a wisp of flash here and there, and a good representation of the fabric covered framework over the majority of the airframe. Construction begins with the simple cockpit that is based on a well-detailed flat section of floor, onto which the seat, control column and rudder pedals are fixed, applying four-point decal seatbelts to the pilot’s position for a little extra detail. There is cockpit sidewall detail moulded into the insides of the fuselage halves, and once these and the cockpit are painted and weathered, the fuselage halves can be joined together, adding a two-part instrument panel at the front of the cockpit cut-out. The engine is supplied as a single part with nine cylinders arranged around the core, which is surrounded by a three-part cowling due to the teardrop fairings around the perimeter, finishing the cowling off with a separate lip at the front. The tail fin is moulded into the fuselage halves, adding the individual elevator fins to the sides in small slots, and a tail-wheel with moulded-in strut underneath. The lower wing is a single part that is inserted into a slot under the fuselage, and once the seams have been dealt with, the landing gear can be built, made from two triangular struts that are linked by the axle that has wheels mounted on each end, positioning the assembly on the underside of the fuselage using the small recesses that are moulded into the model to locate them accurately. Four cabane struts are similarly fitted to the fuselage in front of the cockpit using more guide recesses, which supports the upper wing that is also moulded as a single part. Four interplane struts are fitted between the wings, and a scrap diagram gives details of the tensioner rods that are suspended in the rigging, which is dealt with over the page. A pair of exhausts are mounted under the cowling, cutting the windscreen from the acetate sheet and folding it to shape before gluing it to the front of the cockpit, then slotting the two machine gun barrels in the troughs on each side of the fuselage. The final task (if we ignore the rigging for now) is the two-blade propeller, gluing a spinner to the front to finish it. Speaking of rigging, there are four diagrams on the rear of the booklet, detailing the location of the wiring, which should assist with the process along with the box art for a three-quarter view. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, two RAF, and one in Danish service, the latter having a more interesting scheme, as the RAF were heavily invested in silver dope in the 1930s – perhaps someone had shares? From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that 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 The Gauntlet was a well-used interwar fighter that in its day was an impressive improvement over those that it replaced, but was soon to be left in the wake of the next generation of fighters due to the speed of development at the time. The kit depicts its fabric covering well, with a detailed cockpit, and it comes with some interesting decal options. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of