Mike

German Panzerträgerwagen (82936) 1:72 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd During WWII German forces used armoured trains in large numbers, with over 20 locomotives in use, many of which were based upon the BR57 Dampflok, with a double-layer of armour applied, spaced apart by a wooden layer. Various cars were part of the train, all armoured in a similar manner to the locomotive, with different functions that could include control wagons, anti-aircraft, emplaced tank turrets, radio cars, infantry wagons and so forth. The initial designation for the standardised layout of carriages and wagons was BP42, which made use of extra flat-cars at the ends of the train to detonate booby-traps, although a Panhard 178 with specialised wheels would be sent up to 1km ahead of the train on the rails to reconnoitre the upcoming track. The revised BP44 arrangement eschewed the kick-off cars for Panzerjägerwagens that had turrets built-in, with a Panzerträgerwagen tank-carrier next in line front and rear. The Panzerträgerwagen was a well-wagon that had been adapted and armoured with side-skirts, with a pair of drop-down loading/unloading ramps to access the well-bed. These wagons carried a medium tank due to the weight limits, but the car had to be uncoupled for the tank to load or unload for action or at the end of the journey. The tank was usually a Panzer 38(t), manufactured by Skoda, and the intention was to provide covering fire from its position within the carriage well, or offload down the ramp that was generally left ready for action to counter-attack a ground-based ambush, using an automatic coupling to speed the process and minimise the danger to the train crew. The bogies were armoured with side-skirts to protect them from incoming fire, whilst retaining the ability to corner with the rest of the train, as the wagon would be a bullet magnet when it began firing, so it was crucial that the wheels remained intact. As the situation deteriorated further for the Third Reich toward the end of the war, even armoured trains would use the cover of darkness to protect their cargo from air attacks, which were becoming more frequent every day. The Kit This is a partial new tooling that is based upon the existing Hobby Boss range of armoured train kits, and includes a Panzer 38(t) tank to populate the wagon. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the front, and inside are five sprues and five loose parts in sand-coloured styrene, a decal sheet, instruction booklet in black and white, plus a colour painting and decaling guide that is printed on glossy paper on both sides. Detail is good, including rolling bogies, a separate tank that can be posed wherever you like on the model, and there are two sprues that provide a length of track with ballast that are common across the whole range of kits, plus two end-caps if this is either your last wagon, or you are building it in isolation. Construction begins with the bogies, cutting 1.15mm from the brake shoes that project from the sides of the wheels, fitting a leaf-spring and bearing cover to each wheel before they are fitted to the ends of the axles, making four wheels that become two bogies that clip into position in the roof of the wells that are found inside the body of the wagon. Buffers are fixed to the opposite end to the ramp, adding hooks, shackles and coupling parts, plus vacuum tubes to the sides, and a manual wheel on the side near the bogie. The surface of the well is covered with ribs on the sloped areas, adding hatches to the openings to each end, then gluing it to the body, fitting supports for the ramps and a centre block to the end of the body. The ramps are joined at the lower end, made from two layers, the upper layer having the same ribs as the well-bed, with support struts beneath the lower layer. It attaches to the wagon with twin pins from each side, the larger pins at the top, completing the wagon by adding L-profile rails to the sides of the wagon, creating an overhang within the bed. The tank is well-detailed for the scale, and the track runs are moulded with the majority of the road wheels, and have small sections of sprue between the wheels and track that should be cut away before adding the outer wheels to the idler and drive sprocket wheels. The lower hull has the suspension units moulded-in, and receives the two track runs, taking care to align the pins and install them in the correct orientation. The upper hull is applied over the open hull, slotting the fenders to the sides, with a separate jack and convoy light to increase the detail, finishing the glacis plate with a detail insert that has the bow machine gun added to the front. A rod with an eye at the top is glued to the front of the glacis, adding the exhaust and smoke box to the rear, then moving on to the turret, which is moulded as top and bottom parts, fitting the main gun and coaxial machine gun to the mantlet, an angled cupola over the circular upright, with a short periscope or vent added just in front. The turret mates with the hull and twists into position using a pair of bayonet lugs moulded into the ring. The track consists of two lengths of ballast that has the sleepers (ties for our US audience) moulded-in, with the option of adding them to any other kits from the range you have, and using one or two end caps to close the ends. The rails are separate parts that are slid into the fastener pads from both ends, linking them together with jointing plates on both sides that have the large bolts moulded-in. With careful painting and weathering the track should look realistic, but check your references to ensure you choose the correct colours to replicate the grease, soot and grime that was endemic during the steam era. Markings One colour scheme is provided, based upon dark yellow (dunkelgelb), with green and red brown camouflage stripes sprayed at random angles. The decals are mostly white stencils, with four balkenkreuz crosses for the sides of the wagon and tank. From the box you can build the following: The stencils are white, while the crosses are black and white, with good registration for the scale. Conclusion An unusual model from a growing range from Hobby Boss, and one that will garner attention once complete, thanks to the unusual subject matter and the detail that is incorporated from the box. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIb Collection (ED-72140 & ED48140) 1:72 & 1:48 Euro Decals by Fantasy Printshop The Hawker Hurricane was one of Britain's foremost fighters of WWII, and although overshadowed by the more graceful and slender Spitfire during the Battle of Britain, it was a capable aircraft that was available in large numbers, and achieved more than its fair share of kills during the conflict. It went on to see service to the end of the war, but was relegated to less onerous tasks as technology leapt forward resulting in faster, more agile aircraft that came on stream on both sides of the conflict. The type originated in the early 30s and first took to the sky in 1935, despite the Air Ministry’s tepid reaction to monoplanes at the time, and it was an aircraft that set standards for fighters that followed it, being a monoplane with a predominantly metal airframe, retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit and of course the delightfully powerful and throaty Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Compared to the Spitfire it was a little old-fashioned, starting out with a fabric-covered ‘rag’ wing that was eventually replaced by an all-metal aerofoil, and it was less aerodynamically streamlined, with a thicker wing and overall chunkier, blunt appearance. Although the wing was replaced by a metal aerofoil later, it retained the fabric rear fuselage and as such was able to have minor damage repaired quickly and easily, compared to the Spitfire that would have to go back to a repair facility for structurally insignificant through-and-through bullet damage. A fabric patch followed by a few coats of dope, and the Hurri would be back to the fray, which endeared it both to its pilots and ground crew alike. The Mk.IIB was equipped with an extra four machine guns in the wings, bringing the total for each wing to six, but reducing its top-speed, further so because the wings were also fitted with bomb racks. These hard-points could also mount underwing fuel tanks, extending the aircraft’s range by 100%, which sometimes led to a mixed force of Hurricanes undertaking interdiction operations with faster variants providing cover. By the time the improvements to the airframe resulted in the Mk.IIC, it was tasked with ground attack, taking out German tanks, which weren’t as easy to crack as first expected, because 20mm cannon shells would often ricochet off the frontal and side armour, and bombing a relatively small target such as a tank was a matter of pure luck, all while the enemy poured lead in your general direction. It was withdrawn from front-line fighter service at this stage of the war, as by then the enemy aircraft outclassed it in most respects, so it carried on in ground-attack, night fighter and intruder roles where it excelled, without unnecessary exposure to enemy fighters. The Decal Set This new set of decals from Fantasy Printshop’s Euro Decals brand is available in 1:72 and soon in 1:48, and each sheet arrives in a strong Ziploc bag, the thick instruction booklets acting as front cover and protection for the decal sheet within. The decals are protected by a thin sheet of absorbent paper to keep the dreaded damp at bay if your storage facility isn’t up to snuff. There are eight decal options on each set, and other than the difference in scale resulting in a disparity in sizes (A6 for 1:72, A5 for 1:48), layout of the decal sheets, and thereby the price, the sets are identical in function for each scale. From the sheet you can build the following: BD761 ‘SW-F’ of 253 (Hyderbad State) Sqn., RAF Hilbastow, August 1942 BH125 ‘U’ of 3 PRU RAF in Egypt, North Africa, early 1942 BG737 of the Malta Night Fighting Unit, RAF Ta’ Qali, Malta, in July 1941 BE171 ‘YB-B’ flown by Sergeant J F Barrick of 17 Sqn., RAF in Burma, February 1942 BE421 ‘XP-G’ of 174 (Mauritius) Sqn., RAF Manston, May 1942 Z3971 ‘SW-S’, ‘Samastmans’, 253 (Hyderbad State) Sqn., RAF Hilbadstow, late 1941 BG971 ‘AX-V’, flown by Major General Gerald le Mesurier, 1 Sqn. SAAF, LG 92, Egypt, July 1942 BD930 ‘FG-Ʃ‘, 335 (Greek) Sqn., LG 37, El Alamein, November 1942 Decals are of course printed by Fantasy Printshop Ltd., which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. We’ve only received the 1:72 sheet so far, but the 1:48 sheet will probably be along soon. When this happens, we’ll update the review with an extra photograph accordingly. 1:72 1:48 Conclusion With all the activity around Hurricanes recently, these sets will be welcome by many, and with eight options per sheet, they’re great value. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Messerschmitt Bf.109F-4 Starter Set (A55014) 1:72 Airfix Starter Set With almost 34,000 examples manufactured over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Initially designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar general arrangement with the Spitfire, employing monocoque construction and a V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than the carburettor used in the Spitfire. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The E variant, or Emil as it was more affectionately known was the first major revision of the original design, including an uprated engine and the attendant strengthening of the airframe that was required. It first saw service in the Legion Condor fighting in the Spanish Civil War on the side of Nationalist forces of Military Dictator Franco, and then in the Battle of Britain where it came up against its nemeses the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane during the critical fight for the survival of the RAF and Great Britain, which was key to halting Operation Sea lion/Seelöwe, the invasion of Britain by the Nazis. The F, or Freidrich as it was colloquially known was another revision that was initially based around a new more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 601E engine, but also experimented with changes to the wing planform, initially shortening the tips, but adding back a semi-elliptical tip when the test flights showed off the negative effects the wingspan reduction had created. The new tips became the standard going forward, and other aerodynamic refinements were made to improve performance, including expansion of the radiators and the intake for the supercharger on the port side of the cowling. The end result was considered to be the best handling 109 by its pilots, although its successor the Gustav was faster and more heavily armed. Almost 2,000 of the F-4 were manufactured, with 20mm cannon in the cowling, and later examples capable of carrying additional cannons in panniers under the wings. The Kit This is a new tooling from Airfix’s growing Starter Set range that includes a simplified kit plus stand, four thumb-pots of Humbrol acrylic paint, a 5ml tube of cement, and a #2 Humbrol paint brush with a clear plastic tube protecting the synthetic bristles. This range is intended to cater to the novice, whether they’re young, old or somewhere in between, or an experienced modeller that wants to build something simple for a change that is sometimes referred to as a “palette cleanser”. The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a header for vertical display at point of sale, and aside from the consumables already mentioned, there are three sprues of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, an instruction booklet in spot colour, a colour guide sheet to the basics of modelling, and a simple decal sheet. Detail is good, bearing in mind the simplified nature of the kit, extending to the cockpit, gear bays, nicely moulded wheels and a pilot figure with his hands on his laps. Starter Set instructions differ slightly from the standard offering, as they include yellow markings as suggestions for where to apply the glue between parts, and each step of the instructions has a sprue diagram in the corner that points out the location of the parts used, cutting down on the time spent hunting for parts that can affect even the most experienced modeller, draining away valuable modelling time hunting for that last part. Construction begins with the cockpit, fitting the pilot into the tub, noting that there isn’t a control column present in case you feel like adding one. The cockpit is glued into the starboard fuselage half, choosing either a retracted tail-wheel or using the same part in a vertical orientation for wheels down. A horizontal insert carries the exhaust stacks on each side, with an arrow ensuring that it is inserted the correct way around, and the exhausts project from the slots in the sides of the cowling. With that the fuselage can be closed, and after the glue has cured the wings are made from upper and lower full-span parts, slotting the fuselage in between them and adding the elevators to slots either side of the tail. The supercharger intake is fitted to a recess in the port nose cowling, then the model is inverted to add the twin radiator housings beneath the wings, and the oil-cooler intake under the nose. While the model is inverted, the main gear legs with moulded-in bay doors are inserted into the bay after adding wheels to each axle, or the slimmed-down retracted versions are glued into the recess with a section of the tyre visible past the captive gear bay doors. Righting the model permits fitting of the one-part canopy, which has a small hole near the rear for an aerial mast, creating the prop from three blades that are moulded as one, spinner and back-plate, plus a peg that pushes through a circular plug that glues into the front of the model, taking care with the adhesive if you want the prop to spin once the model is complete. The stand is made from a silhouette-shaped base and a curved support, plugging the model into the top of the support once complete. There are engraved Airfix logos at each wingtip that could be painted a contrasting colour if you’re feeling brave, or you could paint the stand a dark shade to resemble the shadow of the aircraft flying low over the ground. Markings The rear of the box has the painting and decaling profiles printed in colour, using Humbrol, codes to call out the colours, and red boxed numbers to refer to the decals. From the box you can build the following: Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Starter Set range is intended for a wide audience, with the possible exception of the ‘serious modeller’, but they already have more detailed kits of this type from Airfix and others, so they can’t complain, and we need more modellers in our hobby. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX (A02017B) 1:72 Airfix The Spitfire is possibly the most iconic and well-known fighter of WWII, so I'll not drone on about how great it was, as we already know - It and the Hurricane were the saviours of Britain’s bacon on a number of occasions, and are immortalised in aviation history as a result. The Mark 19 Photo Reconnaissance model was the last PR model of the Spit, and was powered by the mighty Griffon 65 engine, with the resulting extension in forward fuselage length, power bulges over the exhausts, not to mention pure grunt as it was pulled along by the massive five bladed prop. It could carry over 250 gallons of aviation fuel to extend its range, and after the initial batch it had a pressurised cockpit common with the Mark 10. It was introduced in 1944 and remained in service until 1954, although its last operational sortie was as asymmetric combat partner for an English Electric Lightning in 1963, when there was a chance of it having to engage Mustangs in Indonesia in actual combat. The last PR.XIX was serialled PS888, and is currently mimicked by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight's Mark 19, PS915, which wears its colours and markings in honour of this historic aircraft that carried out the last operational sortie in Singapore, when it photographed an area of jungle looking for communist hideouts on the 1st of April 1954. The Kit The original tooling for this kit reached the shelves in 2009, and is back again in a new box with different decals, arriving in a red-themed top-opening box. Inside are five sprues of dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed in spot colour on matt paper. Detail is typical of Airfix at the time, and some might find the panel lines a little strong/wide/deep, but after a coat of primer and the various subsequent layers of paint, they should reduce to an acceptable level. Construction begins with the three-part pilot, who has separate arms for a more dynamic pose than the usual hands-on-lap we typically see in older kits. He is fitted into the cockpit after the front and rear bulkheads are added to the floor, mounting his seat on the rear, and control column behind the moulded-in rudder pedals. To add detail to the instrument panel, a decal with a black background is applied to the front bulkhead above the foot well, making the prop from a five-bladed part that is trapped between the spinner and back-plate. Before the fuselage halves can be closed, the sidewalls are painted interior green, and here the instructions don’t show the moulded-in details, or the shallow ejector-pin marks that you can hide if you think they’ll be seen. The horizontal camera window is installed in the port side, slotting the cockpit assembly and a bulkhead behind it into the starboard side, then mounting the prop with a styrene washer before the two halves are mated. The lower wings are full span out to the tip joints, and are joined by the upper wing surfaces, leaving the bays blank out of the box. There isn’t much detail in the real gear bays, but if you feel the urge to get creative a couple of parallel ribs and other small details could be added, fitting a vertical camera window in the trailing edge of the wing assembly in the fillet under the fuselage. If you intend to pose your model in-flight, a pair of inserts should be placed in the bay cut-outs, which have the doors and wheels moulded into their outer surface. The completed wing assembly is brought together with the fuselage, installing the elevators in slots either side of the tail, and a separate rudder is fixed to the fin, giving the option of deflecting it for a more visually interesting appearance. The cockpit is covered by the one-part canopy, and a pair of tubular exhaust stacks are slotted into the cowlings on both sides of the Griffon engine. Turning the model on its back allows installation of the main gear legs if you are modelling them down, adding a wheel to each strut that has the captive bay door moulded into it. They slot into sockets at the inner ends of the gear bays, fitting two radiator housings behind them, and a two-part chin intake under the nose, adding a pitot probe under the port wingtip, and fixing a single door over the tail-wheel bay for in-flight, or mounting the tail-wheel with moulded-in wheel in the bay, with two bay doors either side, following the painting instructions given in the booklet. A trio of scrap diagrams show the correct angles for the main and tail wheels to assist your complete of the build. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, both long after WWII, with substantially different colour schemes and operators. From the box you can build one of the following: PM574, 81 Sqn., RAF Seletar, October 1949 PS888 Royal Thai Air Force, 1954 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The last of a great line of aircraft is depicted in this kit, and the airframe that carried out the famous last operational service flight of the Spitfire with the RAF. Detail is respectable for the scale, and it should sell well. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hurricane Mk.IIC/Trop (81779) 1:48 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The Hawker Hurricane was one of Britain's foremost fighters of WWII, and although overshadowed by the more graceful and slender Spitfire during the Battle of Britain, it was a capable aircraft that was available in large numbers, and achieved more than its fair share of kills during the conflict. It went on to see service to the end of the war, but was relegated to less onerous tasks as technology advanced, resulting in faster, more agile aircraft that came to the front on both sides of the conflict. The type originated in the early 30s and first took to the sky in 1935, despite the Air Ministry’s tepid reaction to monoplanes at the time, and it was an aircraft that set standards for fighters that followed it, being a monoplane with a predominantly metal airframe, retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit and of course the delightfully powerful and throaty Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Compared to the Spitfire it was a little old-fashioned, starting out with a fabric-covered ‘rag’ wing that was eventually replaced by an all-metal aerofoil, and it was less aerodynamically streamlined, with a thicker wing and overall chunkier, blunt appearance. Although the wing was replaced by a metal aerofoil later, it retained the fabric rear fuselage and as such was able to have minor damage repaired quickly and easily, compared to the Spitfire that would have to go back to a repair facility for structurally insignificant through-and-through bullet damage. A fabric patch followed by a few coats of dope, and the Hurri would be back to the fray, which endeared it both to its pilots and ground crew alike. By the time the improvements to the airframe resulted in the Mk.IIC, it was tasked with ground attack, taking out German tanks, which weren’t as easy to crack as first expected, because 20mm cannon shells would often ricochet off frontal or side armour, and bombing a relatively small target such as a tank was a matter of mostly luck, all while the enemy poured lead in your general direction. It was withdrawn from front-line fighter service at this stage of the war, as by then the enemy aircraft outclassed it in most respects, so it carried on in ground-attack, night fighter and intruder roles where it excelled, without unnecessary exposure to enemy fighters. It was succeeded by the D that mounted a pair of 40mm cannon in gondolas under the wings, increasing its offensive power appreciably, at which point it acquired the nickname ‘The Flying Can Opener’, adding additional frontal armour to the airframe that was exposed during the run-in to target. They carried on in that role until the Typhoon came into service, which could do the job faster and more efficiently without the worry of being bounced by enemy fighters that outclassed it. The Kit This is a new boxing of Hobby Boss’s 2022 tooling of the type, and whilst we have an excellent de facto standard kit from another brand, there’s no profit in that for Hobby Boss. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of a Hurricane engaging successfully with some Luftwaffe Bf.110s, for which it was a good match, providing the Hurricane pilot was wary of the rear gunner on his approach. Inside are five sprues in grey styrene of varying sizes, two clear sprues, one of which is wrapped in foam sheet, two black flexible tyres in a separate bag, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a small sheet of pre-cut canopy masks, a decal sheet, instruction booklet in black and white, plus a double-sided sheet of colour profiles printed on glossy paper to assist with painting and decaling. The metal exterior surfaces are covered with finely rendered rivets and engraved panel lines, while the fabric areas have fluted surfaces to depict the ribbing showing through the doped cloth skin. There are also oddities such as separate gun bay doors in the upper wings, despite there being nothing within, and that perennial head-scratcher, the clear instrument panel that has a decal for the dials. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with the foot-trays and a small section of “floor” that doesn’t exist in the real aircraft but has probably been included because it gives the seat armour something to plug into, slotting the seat into a recess near the bottom of the part, and applying six-part PE belts to add detail. The control column and rudder pedals are installed between the foot-trays, then the side frames are brought in, and the clear instrument panel is slotted into the top, applying a dial decal and a gunsight into the top centre. The completed cockpit is trapped between the fuselage halves along with a front bulkhead, with very shallow sidewall details moulded into the port fuselage side, and nothing on the starboard other than an access door that is also separate. As the fuselage is closed, the prop assembly is built from blades that are trapped between the spinner and back-plate, secured with a cap on the rear of the axle, being careful with the glue in that vicinity. Two sets of fish-tail exhaust stubs are slotted into the cowling on each side, with solid tips and a seams down the sides, which will need dealing with if it bothers you. The lower wing is a full-span part that has the outer portions of the main gear bays moulded-in, fitting an insert in the centre to complete boxing in the bays, although detail here is perhaps a little simplified when compared to the recent competition. The upper wings are fitted with extraneous double bay doors before they are mated to the lowers on either side of the fuselage, which could be useful if you are scratching or buying aftermarket gun bay interiors. Turning the model over sees additional detail inserted in the main gear bays in the shape of short ribs, struts and retraction jacks, building the belly radiator housing from four parts and installing it between the wings, plus a desert air filter that is made from two parts that includes a portion of the cowling under the nose, with a separate intake lip. A crew step is fitted under the wing trailing edge, a pitot probe under the port wing, and clear wingtip lights on the leading tip of each wing, adding a clear landing light cover further inboard, then fixing the cannon inserts in the leading edge after installing the two barrels with moulded-in recoil springs. Careful alignment is key here, assisted by steps around the edges of the cut-out, which can be trimmed to improve fit as necessary. The main gear legs are moulded as struts with separate aft retraction jacks, fixing captive gear bay doors, adding a tyre to the hub part before fitting it to the axle at the base of the leg. The tail-wheel is moulded into its strut, and drops into a fairing under the tail to allow the model to stand on its own wheels for the first time. Righting the model sees the elevators slid into slots in the tail, each one interlinking to give a strong bond. The canopy is in two parts, gluing the windscreen in position with a rear-view mirror at the apex, the framed canopy fitting behind it, and an aerial mast on the spine behind the cockpit. The last page of the instructions shows the locations of the numbered masks for the canopy, which also extends to the landing lights and wingtip lights. Markings There are two decal options included in the box, one on each side of the colour instruction sheet, but Hobby Boss have a widely variable track-record for their decals and profiles. Both examples here are dressed in desert schemes, but the underside colours seem at variance with the standards for the era and theatre, using Sky for one, and Light Blue for the other. It’s possible that azure blue was unavailable at times, but that’s a task for your references and the balance of probability to decide. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals should be easy enough to apply, but some of the colours used are unusual. The roundel red is bordering on peach/pink (the scan doesn't show that), and the yellow outlines appear translucent on the sheet. There are a cluster of stencils included, plus a decent rendition of instrument dials for the panel, but check your references carefully regarding colour schemes, and factor in some new decals if they bother you. Conclusion Every major company has a Hurricane in their range, and this is Hobby Boss’s. It’s not the best in scale, but to those that aren’t obsessed with detail and accuracy this could fill the spot, as it will look like a Hurri once complete. If you’re a serious modeller however (I hate that phrase), you’ll probably be looking at the competition instead. Recommended with caveats. Review sample courtesy of

It's all a means to an end though, so keep your chin up. In case I forget nearer the time, hope it all goes well

I would be looking in Eduard's direction for those. Can't be long now

I doubt a new Conk would sell in 1:72, personally. Have any of you SEEN one in that scale? It's vurry vurry long. I taped my old kit together many moons ago to please my Boy, and it was loooooong. A new 1:144 would be the best bet to my mind, but if you still want a big 'un, go for the HpH 1:48 kit instead. At least that way you can sleep in it when the other half finds out how much it cost Maybe convince a manufacturer to create one in time for its next big anniversary. First flight in France 2 March 1969. First British flight 9 April 1969. BA retirement 24 October 2003. Final flight 5 November 2003..

P-51D Mustang Upgrade Sets (for Eduard) 1:72 Eduard Brassin We’ve just reviewed Eduard’s recent Limited Edition boxing of this kit in a Dual Combo form here, with a dozen decal options to choose from, and now we have a group of upgrade sets from the Brassin range to increase the level of detail above the already high quality of the kit. As usual with Eduard's smaller Brassin sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package similar to their PE sets but with different branding, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The medium resin set arrives in a shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Bazooka Rocket Launcher (672378) This boxed set contains eight resin parts in shades of grey, plus a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE). The two sets of three rocket tubes are cast as one in a triangular bundle, with separate rear inserts to depict the tubes either empty or full of rockets. The pylon supports are cast as separate parts that consist of two vertical pylons and a diagonal strut in an N-arrangement, which attaches to the tubes on the top, adding PE bracing strips between the two forward straps. There is one set of three tubes to use under each wing, paying attention to the kit instructions for the location of the holes you will need to drill out to secure them. 75gal Drop Tanks (672373) This set includes a crystal-clear clamshell box inside the flat packaging to protect the 3D printed tank parts, of which there are four, printed on two linked bases, and they are held in place via fine tendrils than should be simple to cut away. When relieved of their print-bases, the tank halves are hollow except for a fine latticework inside them that helps to keep them rigid, and the two halves interlock along the horizontal centreline, using a shallow lip to hold them in position. A small sheet of decals is provided for the stencils, and the same diagram shows where you can add two lengths of 0.2mm wire for added realism to feed the aircraft with fuel from the tanks. Another diagram shows where the wire is routed along the kit pylon and into the wing, using colour coding to assist with orientation. Wheels (Five Tread Styles) This set is available with five different styles of tyre tread, and consists of two main wheels and tail wheel on separate casting blocks that are a drop-in replacement, plus a sheet of kabuki-style masks that are pre-cut with a set of hub/tyre masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcation perfectly with little effort. We have the Block Tread tyres in for review, but you can check over the other patterns by following the links below: Diamond Tread (672366) Oval Tread (672367) Block Tread (672369) Diamond Tread 2 (672370) Block Tread 2 (672371) P-51D-5 Löök Cockpit set (674012) This set contains a combination of pre-printed resin and PE parts to detail up your cockpit quickly and efficiently. There are two resin parts that make up the instrument panel in front of the pilot, the second part a central console between the pilot’s knees, with glossy faced dials already painted for you on black resin, which is densely packed at this scale, and beyond the skills of 99.9% of us modellers. Additionally, there are four-point seatbelts for the pilot, complete with brown comfort pads that fit under the buckles, etched from STEEL to give a more realistic thickness and drape. Review sample courtesy of

I don't like complicated, and can't remember them being that way, needlessly anyway - it looks more complex than it was. Mine came out OK. I seem to be getting the opportunity to show this off quite a bit lately

Me too. I actually toyed with the idea of using this as a pattern to make my own cockpit structure. Then I realised I barely get time to do any modelling these days, so I knocked it on the head.

Kozak-2 State Border Guard Service of Ukraine (35016) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannnants Ltd The Kozak Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle was developed in response to a need for protected troop transports for reconnaissance, patrolling and other such tasks, and was first seen in 2014, although only a few proof-of-concept vehicles were made by Praktika, in competition with several other types from other manufacturers, the Kozak going through to the next stage as one of the three that met the Ukrainian Army’s requirements. The original vehicle is based upon a heavily modified Iveco Eurocargo chassis, but this 2015 design is based on the Iveco Daily, which has a shorter chassis, resulting in a more compact vehicle. Looking at any of the variants side-by-side you wouldn’t think they were related to anything, as the outward differences are so great. It doesn’t have a sharply V-shaped hull in the same respect that custom designs do, but most of the chassis length is protected by a shallower V-shaped armoured panel that underpins the crew compartment, and in concert with the anti-trauma seating that is installed within, it satisfies the needs of the Ukrainian forces in the event of an IED detonating underneath. The exposed wheel stations would probably be sacrificed in the blast, but the diversion of the explosive energy away from the crew is the key aspect. After the initial design, the improved Kozak-2 was developed, incorporating a weapons station on the roof that allows the operator protection from small-arms fire, with vision slots that are protected by armoured glass in each of the side wall panels, plus a splinter-guard with more vision slots at the front, through which the machine gun projects, which can either mount an NSV heavy machine gun, or a 7.62mm weapon, depending on availability and mission requirements. The State Border Guard service of Ukraine have a more powerful 12.7mm DShKM machine gun that can tackle lightly armoured vehicles in addition to softskins and enemy combatants. The Kozak-2 entered service in 2017, and has seen plenty of active service since the unlawful invasion of Ukraine that began on 24th of February 2022. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from ICM of the Kozak-2, and has been made in cooperation with the vehicle’s manufacturers Praktika, as noted on the box top in the top right, which bodes well. The kit arrives in a top-opening box, with a captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are eight sprues of grey styrene, two identical clear sprues, a bag containing five flexible black plastic tyres, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) of a copper-coloured metal, two decal sheets, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy paper, and has profiles on the rear pages to help with painting and decaling. Detail is excellent, and as it’s a home-grown product, local knowledge will have come in very handy, as will their closeness for detail checking, although the vehicles have been rather busy of late, working tirelessly to recover parts of their country still occupied by the invader, and keep their other borders secure. Construction begins with the chassis rails, which have a leaf-spring attached to the front, and two double-leaf arrangements that are each made from two halves at the rear. Small armour plates and other parts are fitted to the frontmost sides, then the cross-members are built up, with two under the engine bay, a central four-part transfer box at the midpoint, a tough braced bar behind that, and another at the rear. Under the rear suspension is an additional cross-rail, plus a braced rail that has a pair of two-part tanks applied, one on each side before mounting. The solid floor pan is detailed with a three-part representation of the underside of the engine and sump, then the chassis rails are mated to the underside on tabs, adding a short drive-shaft that links the transmission to the transfer box, ready for when the axles are completed. The front axle is a thick assembly with differential bulge in the centre, which is made from two halves, and has the rear of the hub attached at the ends, and a damper bar that joins to the chassis via links, and the drive-shaft that links it to the transfer box. A steering actuator and two armoured plates are fitted over the newly mounted axle, adding two dampers to the rear, and a C-shaped linkage that joins the two hubs together. The rear axle is built from four parts, and is much bulkier than the front, as are the hub assemblies, which are each four parts. This is then glued to the leaf-springs, adding dampers, drive-shaft, damper bar, another cross-member and a towing shackle at the rear. The interior of the Kozak-2, which if you haven’t already guessed means ‘Cossack’, is a spartan compartment that is designed for a purpose and nothing more, keeping weight and clutter to a minimum, as well as reducing the likelihood of small parts becoming missiles in the event of an IED detonation. The crew seats are made first, making the back from cushion and backrest, then adding this to the base cushion and two concertina-style side panels, plus front and rear sections, taking care to line up the concertina elements to minimise clean-up. An adjustment lever is fixed under the front edge, and you should bear in mind that the seats are handed, so take care to fix the correct one to the tread-plated floor on its guide-slots. A small gear lever is made from two halves and inserted into the centre console, which is moulded into the floor. The dash is a single moulding that has the three foot pedals glued into the lower portion, then has the multi-part steering wheel, column and separate stalks fitted on the left side, with a gaiter and hi/low ratio knob mounted in the centre of the dash low down. There are three decals for the dials and controls on the sheet, remembering to paint the instrument binnacle black before you apply the decal. The dash is mounted on a central locating guide in front of the crew seats, and behind and between them a four-part rack with crew step/jump seat that has anti-slip tread-plate moulded into it, and acts as the support for the gunner when he is in action, folding away when not in use to keep obstruction to a minimum. Two passenger seats are built with two-part backs, adding safety tubing to the sides and top that helps prevent flail and neck injuries, fixing onto the seat cushion that has more U-shaped tubes glued underneath that project up and help keep the sitter’s body in position in case of a sharp sideways jolt. A back frame and a pair of shock-absorbing tubes attach the frame to the deck behind the driving crew, facing forward. The other six seats are fitted centrally with three on each side facing left and right. The base cushions are all moulded as a single linked unit, to which the lower tubes are fitted, adding two central supports in the space between them, then adding the backs, which are built at the same time as the first pair. This assembly is then mounted on a pair of raised rectangular areas of the floor, ready for the body to be built up. The vehicle sides are one part each, and cover the entire length of the chassis, adding radiused bullet-proof windows in the sides, a foot-plate at the front, cutting two lifting eyes at roof height, and drilling out four 1mm holes as indicated in a scrap diagram nearby. An interior skin is prepared by adding grab-handles and weapon stowage clips under the windows, with the inner face of the shooting loupes moulded into the surface. The laminated right side is offered up to the chassis, adding the front wing liner and inner panel to the engine bay at the same time, then doing the same for the left side, before working on the windscreen panel, which has two panes inserted into the frames, and two instruments applied to the centre frame on the inside. This is mated to the bonnet and two windscreen wiper blades are fitted into pockets in the bonnet before joining the two. The rear bulkhead has an inner and outer skin, then has the multi-part bumper and clear light clusters applied to the lower edge. It would be a good idea to prepare the front and rear panels at the same time as the sides, not just for ease of painting, but also to ensure that the side panels are mounted to the correct angle and can’t sag while the glue cures. The roof has four small parts fitted to the underside before it is glued in place, completed with a pair of moulded-in escape hatches and the circular cut-out for the roof-mounted weapons station. The grille is fitted to the front of the vehicle, and has a thick bumper with moulded-in reflectors for the clear lights that are installed and painted with suitable clear shades, then have protective cages folded from PE parts, with a winch housing between them. The front skirt is made from two layers and has small sensors fitted into recesses, then is assembled on the front with the bumper, and a cow-catcher that is built from eight parts, including three slats that protect the grille. The Kozak-2 has four side doors, two on each side, all of which have inner and outer skins plus glazing, with grab handles fitted inside, and handles on the outside, while the front doors have wing mirrors on C-shaped tubular frames, and the rear doors have a circular cut-out that doubles as firing loupe for the front passengers. The back doors are similar in construction, but with a smaller fixed window near the top, inserting into the frames at the rear. All doors can be mounted open or closed as you please. Inverting the model allows fitting of the shallow anti-mine keel panel, which has the ends closed off to prevent ingress of the explosive wavefront, which would reduce its effectiveness in protecting the crew. Mudflaps are added to the rear of the front wheels, and on both sides of the rear wheels, then the wheels are made to fill the arches. The spare tyre is built first, adding a two-part hub from either side of the flexible tyres, and mounting it under the body at the rear. The rear pair of wheels have a slightly different pair of hub halves inserted from each side, and then have a choice of two styles of dust covers fixed over the outer face. The front wheels have similar two-part hubs, with an additional centre insert, and the same choice of dust covers over the front. They all fit onto their appropriate axles, but don’t put the model on its wheels just yet. There are a pair of long crew steps to be fitted onto the keel panels under the rearmost side door on both sides, then the model is turned right-side up for all the external detail to be added to it. The first item is a searchlight, which has a clear lens and opaque rear, mounting on the right wing in front of a small part near the scuttle. A perforated mount for the pioneer tools is filled with four hand-tools before it is mounted on the right rear of the body. A two-part cage is closed around the searchlight, and completed by adding two top bars, and a bracket that stands out past the side of the wing for another mirror that is added later. Under the tools a pair of three-part brackets are mounted on recesses, and on the opposite side a pair of towing arms are fitted under the windows on pins. Two small lifting eyes are glued to the scuttle, and an LED lamp with armoured shroud fits into a pair of recesses on the left wing. What looks like a tubular convoy light in a shroud is added to the centre above the rear doors, and five rungs are glued to the left side of the rear for access to the roof, with a sixth on a bracket that hangs down below the bodywork on pivots, adding a jerrycan in its holder to the left. Grab handles are fitted between and above the side doors, on the roof above the ladder, and on the front and sides of the bonnet to ease access to all the horizontal panels, and on the right flank, palette of pioneer tools is attached, adding a rack of blocks beneath it. The detailing is still far from over though, as the wing-mounted indicators and roof-line repeaters are positioned, with the more exposed lower wing lights protected by four half-torus PE guards that create a cage around them on both sides. PE cages are added around the rear lights too, bending the ends to match the profile, then adding a pair of stirrup steps below the back doors. A two-part exhaust is attached to the left of the rear doors that allows the vehicle to plough through water up to a metre deep without stopping to prepare. The new machine gun turret has two C-shaped side armour panels that have their bullet-proof vision panels inserted from inside, cutting off the low part at the rear, assembling them onto the base that has a circular ring with bayonet lugs fixed to the underside, and moulded-in stiffeners on the top surface to keep the armour at the correct angle, even under fire. The D-shaped crew hatch is given a pair of handles, and is then fixed into position in the turret floor, adding an new mount for the weighty machine gun, which is built up from a breech with moulded-in barrel that is clamped between two mounting halves, with twin handles added to the rear and a three-part ammo box on the left, slipping it into the front splinter shield, which also has two vision blocks inserted from within. The completed gun and front shield is then lowered onto the mount, securing it on an additional Y-shaped fixture, then finishing off by adding a rear-view mirror on a U-bracket, and a hand-traverse wheel on the underside of the ring. The completed assembly then drops into the cut-out and is rotated to lock it in place on two bayonet lugs. Markings There are a generous five options available on the decal sheet, all vehicles depicted before the invasion, wearing a either black or digital camouflage over a green base. From the box you can build one of the following: Zhuravlivka Border Crossing Point, Kharkiv Region, Spring 2016 Lviv, December 2016 Military Exercises ‘Rapid Trident 2018’, September 2018 Military Exercises ‘Rapid Trident 2019’, September 2019 Special Task Force ‘Shkval’, December 2020 As previously mentioned, there are three instrument decals supplied on the sheet. 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 This is a good-looking kit, and apart from adding some window blinds, strap for the top gunner, and a few cables in the passenger compartment, it’s an excellent rendition of the type from a period before the current hostilities. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Fw.189C/V-6 (72290) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The Fw.189 Uhu was a late-30s design for a reconnaissance aircraft by a team led by Kurt Tank that was powered by a pair of inverted V-12 Argus A410 engines in a twin-boom configuration, with a central crew gondola that had a greenhouse canopy affording the crew and observers an excellent view of the surrounding area. Despite the high piston-count, the aircraft was relatively slow, with a top speed of just under 220mph, cruising below 200mph, but speed wasn’t an issue for reconnaissance unless the enemy were after you. It entered initial service in 1940 once WWII was underway, adding light bombing to its routine, thanks to underwing racks that could carry four 50kg bombs that were of limited usefulness unless they found their mark directly. The Fw.189A series was the main reconnaissance variant, a -B serving as a five-seat trainer of which only a handful were made. The Fw.189C was a concept for a heavily armoured ground-attack variant, removing the extensively glazed crew module and replacing it with a small, angular cockpit that seated two in a highly protected position. It was entered into the competition for a new ground-attack/close-support aircraft that the Henschel Hs.129 eventually won, the unconventional Blohm-und-Voss Bv.141 having already been eliminated due to its unproven asymmetrical form. Two prototypes of the -C were manufactured for testing, V1b and V6, the latter carrying two 20mm MG-FF cannons and four 7.92mm MG17s, plus a 7.92mm MG81 that was a development of the infantry MG34, operated by the rear-facing crew member. Following trials where the test airframes gave a good account of themselves, they were still found to be ‘unsatisfactory’ by those in command, and the project was cancelled, leaving the field open for the Henschel design. The Kit ICM released their Fw.189A series of kits in 1:72 beginning in 2016, and they have now taken their slide-rules to the sprues to create this engineering dead-end to delight and entertain us modellers, not to mention relieve us of a little cash. The kit arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are three sprues of grey styrene, two separately bagged sprues of clear parts, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet, which has profiles of the decal option printed on the back page. Detail is good, extending to all the usual locations, and the new grey sprue matches this and includes a revised centre section of the upper and lower wings, plus the miniscule cockpit, which makes one wonder how two men fitted inside. Construction begins with the crew compartment, choosing either an MG81 single mount with a twin drum magazine and large dump bag, or a double MG81Z ‘zwilling’ mount that would have probably been belt-fed. Your choice of gun installation dictates whether you will need to widen the slot for the gun in the rear of the fuselage, inserting your choice between the two halves and trapping the rear glazing whilst closing the two halves. The lower half of the centre wing panel has two flap sections inserted in grooves at the rear, setting it aside while the upper wing panel is detailed. The cockpit area is painted and has a two-part seat installed, adding a simple cushion for the rear gunner, plus a control column and instrument panel in the front seat, applying a decal to depict the dials. The decal has white surrounds to the dials, which looks a little toy-like, but as this aircraft has an infinitesimal set of windows, it is highly unlikely to be seen from the outside. The two halves of the centre wing are brought together and the fuselage blister is placed over the cockpit, adding the clear canopy over the opening, which has only three small panels in the front three facets that remain clear after painting. The nose cone finishes the fuselage, after which the assembly is flipped over and the main gear bay recesses are painted, then covered by two-part sections of the booms, plus a retraction jack pointing aft, and two cannon barrels that slot into the inner two holes in the leading edges of the wing roots. The aft portion of the booms are made from two halves each, making the elevator panel and its flying surface from two halves each, after fitting an insert into the tail gear bay that is moulded into the elevator. The flying surface is trapped between the two halves to remain mobile if you wish, and the three assemblies are joined together, then later mated with the rest of the model, although it would be wise to set the correct alignment now before the glue cures. Separate rudder panels are also fitted to both fins, which can be offset in the same direction to each other if you wish. Two engine nacelles are built from two halves each, adding exhaust stubs and front internal bulkheads before closing, then fitting the prop axle on either side of the front cowling, gluing it in place on the front of the nacelle, and fixing the two-bladed prop with serrated spinner to the front, taking care with the glue if you want to leave the props mobile. These too are joined to the growing assembly along with the outer wing panels, which are each made from two halves, plus a flap panel, and the long ailerons, adding a landing light to the underside of the starboard wing. The model is designed to be built with wheels down, but with a little work can be altered to an in-flight kit by closing the main gear bays, and fitting the tail-wheel flush in its bay. To build the main gear, the wheels are each made from two halves, and trapped between two struts that also hold a rod and retraction jack in place. A short mudguard is fixed over the wheels at the rear, and the completed gear is inserted into the bays, locating in lugs in the roof. Twin bay doors are attached to the sides of the main bays, fitting the tail-gear wheel with integral strut and door in the elevator panel along with a door, completing the airframe with a pitot probe in the starboard wing, and an aerial under the belly. A set of four wing-mounted 50kg bombs are included on the sprues, each made from two halves, plus a set of perpendicular fins, attached to the undersides of the outer wing via a short pylon with twin sway-braces, two per wing. Markings As the V6 was a single airframe, there is just one decal option included on the modestly-sized sheet, wearing an early war green splinter pattern over pale blue undersides. From the box you can build the following: Fw.189C/V-6 Rechlin, Autumn 1940 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. As is common now with ICM kits, there is a page of the instruction booklet devoted to the masking of the canopy, using the printed shapes on the right of the page and the diagrams on the left to create your own masks if you wish. It includes just five panes including the landing light thanks to the minimal glazing of this aircraft. Conclusion Only two airframes of this variant were ever built, and whilst it is a quirky aircraft, it has a certain appeal. ICM have made a good job of this in 1:72, and even though there isn’t much in the way of cockpit detail, there’s even less room to put it, and very little chance of it being seen. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Aces of the Eighth (2147) P-51D Mustang Limited Edition 1:72 Eduard The P-51 was developed by the North American Aviation company as a potential fighter for Great Britain, but due to the poor performance of the original Allison engine at altitude it wasn’t suitable, especially for a specification that included combat at high altitude over Britain. Happily, in an attempt to correct this deficiency they decided to strap a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine to front of the airframe and it brought out the best of its design, which included the energy efficient laminar flow wing that gave it the potential to escort Allied bombers all the way to Berlin with the addition of drop-tanks and a lean fuel mixture when not in combat. It was flown in this guise as the Mustang III in British service, and as the P-51B/C in US service with a “razor-back” spine and scalloped rear-view windows behind the cockpit, until some bright spark took a blown hood that had been used successfully on the Spitfire and fitted it to British Mustangs, garnering the nickname Malcolm Hood after its originator. The P-51D was altered to have a bubble canopy and cut-down aft fuselage that improved the pilot’s situational awareness, with an additional fin-fillet widely added later to regain some of the stability that had been lost by the new shape and fuel tank location. In British service it was known as the Mustang Mk.IV, and the same variant made at the Dallas factory with hollow AeroProducts props that was designated P-51K in US service was known as the Mk.IVa in RAF service to differentiate. Sadly, the hollow prop was prone to vibration thanks to some inferior quality control at the factory, so was often swapped out in the field. The P-51D is the Mustang that most people think of when they hear the name, unless they’re more of a petrol head or a bit horsey, although us modellers are more likely to ask “which variant?”. The Kit Following the launch of the Royal Class boxing of Eduard’s brand-new 1:72 P-51 Mustang tooling, this second edition includes two kits in the ProfiPACK format, including extras such as Photo-Etch (PE) frets, kabuki-style masks, and a voluminous decal sheet that contains a dozen options, from which you can choose two. There are two sets of three sprues in grey styrene, plus two sprues of clear parts, two PE frets that are nickel-plated and pre-painted, two sheets of pre-cut masking material that aren’t pictured (imagine a yellow rectangle), two stencil decal sheets, and the main decal sheet, of which there is only one. The instruction booklet is printed in colour on glossy paper, and has profiles for the decal options on the rear pages. Note: The sprue photos below depict only one set of sprues and ancillaries from the box. Remember that there are two of everything other than the main decal sheet in this boxing. Construction begins with the pilot’s seat, which is built up with a choice of traditional or framework seat depending on the decal option, with PE belts for both choices, then the cockpit floor and fuel tanks are added in, with a framework on top that supports two radio boxes and a C-shaped bracket that fits over the assembly. An equipment box on the floor is removed for some decal options, fitting a PE dial on the remainder, mounting control column with gaiter in front, and the seat made earlier with pilot armour and headrest, adding another PE dial to the floor, plus a pair of stencils on top of the front box behind the pilot. There is a choice of three starboard side wall frames with plenty of detail moulded-in, removing the front of one box, adding other details to it, and the standardised port sidewall. They are installed in the fuselage sides after painting the interior sections noted in the instructions, adding backing for the exhaust stubs at the front, then the tail-wheel bay is made up from two halves, fitting the radiator pathway and a wide oval PE grille to the belly intake before the fuselage halves are closed. A choice of two styles of tail fins are included, with and without fillet, depending on which marking option you have chosen. A small insert is fitted to the aft deck behind the pilot, completing work there for now. The wheel bays are built up next with some advice regarding colour given along the way, splitting the bay down the middle with a bulkhead and bracketing it front and back with bay walls that have partial ribs moulded in place, and here the detail is excellent, including a landing light assembly that is fitted at an angle within the bay, using a scrap diagram to guide you. This assembly is fitted to the full-width lower wing along with ammo chute backing plates, and drilled out holes if you intend to mount the bomb racks. A single clear part for the three identification lights is installed in the starboard lower wingtip before the wing uppers are glued on and the aileron tabs fit into slots in their recesses, with some room for deflecting them if you wish. The short section of the nose moulded into the wing lower has a PE template to help you scribe a rectangular panel line under there, filling two or three of the other panel lines under there, depending on your chosen decal option. On the leading edge is an insert for the guns with barrels moulded-in, adding a small tip light into the ends of the wingtips as they are mated with the fuselage. Then the empennage is begun, sliding the elevator fins into slots horizontally, while the rudder is moulded into the tail fin that was installed earlier. The instrument panel gives you a choice of styrene or PE options, depending on which you prefer, the more detailed option layering a choice of two pre-painted PE parts for the main panel and another for the smaller central section. The two choices of styrene options are made from two parts, and have two decals that differ between decal options to represent the dials. Two styles of coaming have the panel fitted under it, mounting a choice of gunsight on top, then hanging the rudder pedals from pegs behind the instrument panel. It is dropped into the front of the cockpit, and a scrap diagram shows it from the side, ensuring it is suspended vertically, perpendicular to the sill. The model is flipped over to install the outlets for the radiator, the larger aft exit held in place by a vertical actuator, gluing the tail strut and separate wheel into the bay under the tail, showing the correct angles in scrap diagrams nearby, and fixing a V-shaped PE retraction jack at the front of the two moulded-in doors. The intake lip is fitted along with a PE splitter under the belly, adding a new PE part behind it, whilst under the nose a pair of inserts are installed, using either solid or perforated parts depending on which decal option you have chosen. The smiley chin-intake lip is fitted under the prop back-plate, and five small raised marks are removed from the lower wing forward of the flaps near the outer end, then it’s time to build the landing gear. The tyres are moulded intact and have diamond tread, with hub caps added from either side before they’re fitted to the struts, which have moulded-in scissor-links and door actuators, adding the captive bay doors later. The flaps are each made up from two styrene parts with a tiny piece of PE added to the inner end of each one and a decal on the curved leading edge after painting, which you’ll have to remember to add later. Main gear and flaps are all slotted in place on the underside along with the captive outer bay doors, inner doors with actuators and a pitot probe under the port wing, after which you can rest her on her wheels for the first time. The prop is made from two pairs of blades that fit perpendicular to each other between the two spinner halves and separate back-plate, fitting it to the front of the fuselage in case there was any doubt. The blown hood is fitted for all options in this boxing, gluing a choice of windscreen into the front along with a rear-view mirror at the apex. The canopy has an insert added under the rear, adding a curved cross-brace into a slot mid-way between the bottom frames, then it can be glued over the remaining space in the closed position, or you can slide the canopy to the rear, using the scrap diagrams for guidance. A backup ring-and-bead gunsight is fitted, the ring inside the canopy, the bead on a short post on the top cowling, drilling a 0.3mm hole in the deck first. The exhausts are made from two parts each, fitting them into slots in the cowling after painting them a suitable hot-metal colour, and fixing an aerial on the spine behind the cockpit. Drop tanks are last to be made, with a choice of three tank types that all share the same style of pylon, and are each made from two halves. A few spare weapons are left on the sprue, including a set of five rockets for under each of the wings, which have separate tails and moulded-in launch-rails, plus a pack of three tube-carried rockets in a triangular cluster, and two sizes of bombs with separate fins. Markings There a generous twelve decal choices on the sheet, with stencils on a separate sheet, their location drawings separated from the main profiles to reduce confusion. From the box you can build two of the following: P-51D-5, s/n 44-13321, HO*, “Cripes A´Mighty 3rd”, Maj. George E Preddy Jr., 487th FS, 352nd FG, Bodney, Great Britain, July 1944 P-51D-10, s/n 44-14221, WD*A, “Ridge Runner”, Maj. Pierce W McKennon, 335th FS, 4th FG, Debden, Great Britain, April 1945 P-51D-10, 44-14733, CS*L, “Daddy´s Girl”, Capt. Ray S Wetmore, 370th FS, 359th FG, Great Britain, March 1944 P-51D-20, 44-72218, WZ*I, “Big Beautiful Doll”, Lt Col. John D Landers, CO of 78th FG, Duxford, Great Britain, March 1945 P-51D-5, 44-13316, G4*C, “Nooky Booky II”, Maj. Leonard K Carson, 362nd FS, 357th FG, Station 373 Leiston, Suffolk, Great Britain, June 1944 P-51D-15, 44-15152, QI*T, “Jersey Jerk”, Maj. Donald J Strait, 361st FS, 365th FG, Great Britain, 1945 P-51D-10, 44-14223, CL*M, “Katydid”, Lt. Col. Elwyn G Righetti, CO of 55th FG, Wormingford, Great Britain, January 1945 P-51D-10, 44-14164, E2*D, “Detroit Miss”, Lt. U L Drew, 375th FS, 361st FG, Little Walden, Great Britain, October 1944 P-51D-5, 44-13761, MC*I, “Happy Jack´s Go Buggy”, Capt. Jack M Ilfrey, 79th FS, 20th FG, 8th AF, Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, Great Britain, autumn 1944 P-51D-10, 44-14733, 5Q*E, “Mary Beth”, Capt. Kirke B Everson, 504th FS, 339th FG, 8th AF, Fowlmere, Great Britain, April 1945 P-51D-5, 44-13677, OS*X, “Miss Steve”, Lt. William G Cullerton, 357th FS, 355th FG, Steeple Morden, Great Britain, 1944 P-51D-25, 44-73060, LH*X, “Dove of Peace”, Col. Glenn E. Duncan, 350th FS, 353rd FG, Raydon, Great Britain, April 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. There are masks for both styles of canopy in this boxing, all pre-cut to shape from yellow kabuki-style paper or washi tape on a sheet, plus masks for the wheels, allowing you to cut the demarcations between tyres and hubs with ease. Conclusion Eduard have brought their 1:48 Mustang skill-set to bear upon 1:72, and the kit is equally well-done for the scale, and there are two of them in the box, plus a choice of twelve decal options, so if you have a shortlist of two, you can build them both. If you need more, there are Overtrees available that contain only the plastic, although you’d also need to pick up some PE to give the additional kits the same level of detail. Highly recommended. Overtrees Review sample courtesy of

I've had a look to test my theory, and couldn't see anything. My theory was that they were released before this kit you're building when the only Airfix 262 had spindles for axles, rather than the keyed ones. Eduard AM is good AM, and they usually try to make your job as easy as possible, so if they were designed with this kit in mind, they'd be keyed too. Just a thought