Mike

I can't very well call myself a Star Wars fan if I don't take part now, can I? Someone will have to tug my sleeve to remind me to do something, and depending on what's going on at the time, I might only put something little up, but it's not like I'm short on subjects to choose from. I have en entire 12' shelf of Bandai kits to pick from alone

Schnellbomber Ju.88A-4 Limited Edition (11194) 1:48 Eduard The Ju.88 was designed as a schnellbomber in the mid 30s, and at the time it was faster than current fighter designs, so it was projected that it could infiltrate, bomb and exfiltrate without being intercepted. That was the theory anyway. By the time WWII began in the west, fighters had caught up with the previously untouchable speed of the 88, and it needed escorting to protect it from its Merlin equipped opponents. It turned out to be a jack of all trades however, and was as competent as a night fighter, dive bomber or doing reconnaissance as it was bombing Britain. They even popped a big gun on the nose and sent it against tanks and bombers, with variable success. The A series was powered by a pair of Jumo 211 engines in cylindrical cowlings producing over 1,000hp each, and was improved gradually up until the A-17, with the A-4 being an earlier upgrade to the original that incorporated longer wings and a minor tweak to the engines. It also had strengthened landing gear and shackles for four bomb racks under the wings inboard of the engine nacelles. It was improved further in subsequent variants, some with balloon cutters, others with more powerful engines such as the A-5 that managed to beat the A-4 into service. Its real replacement was the A-14, that was fitted with more armour, had the bombsight removed, and had balloon-cutter equipment fitted, proving that the Germans took the barrage balloons over British skies seriously. The Kit It will come as no surprise to many that the plastic in this kit is from ICM, as they have been engaged in creating a comprehensive range of Ju.88 variants for some time now, with their kit becoming the de facto standard in the scale, unseating the previous incumbent. This Limited Edition boxing from Eduard takes the ICM plastic and breathes the usual Eduard magic on it, making it an even more desirable prospect. The kit arrives in a large top-opening box with a painting of a gloriously multi-colour camouflaged Ju.88 flying over a frigid-looking deep blue seascape, and scattered cloud cover on the distant horizon. Inside the box are eight sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a set of resin wheels with separate hubs, two frets of Photo-Etch (PE), one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other bare brass, a small square of clear acetate sheet with circles pre-printed in black, a sheet of pre-cut kabuki-style masking material in yellow, a separately bagged pair of decal sheets, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy white paper, with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages, plus a page of greyscale profiles that separate out the stencil locations to avoid muddled profiles and subsequent confusion. Detail is excellent from the box, enhanced further by the included PE, and sat upon a set of superbly crisp resin wheels that are almost a direct drop-in replacement for the kit parts once they have been cut from their pour stubs. Construction begins with the fuselage with the addition of sidewall details in the extensive cockpit area. Rear bulkhead, side consoles and seats with PE belts are all added to the cockpit sides for a change, with an insert in the fuselage for the circular Pielgerat 6 antenna and tail wheel added into the starboard side, the cockpit hugely improved by the additional of dozens of PE parts, many of which are pre-painted, and decals that add layers of details to the sides of the fuselage and radio wall, including a clear portion of the acetate sheet. The instrument panel and ancillary dial are supplied with two decals, and fits into the fuselage during mating of the two halves. The missing floor has two recesses filled for some decal options, and is added to the lower fuselage panel along with two additional styrene parts and two more in PE, which includes the lower parts of the inner wings and gives the structure some strength. It also receives the rudder pedals, control column, and the two remaining crew seats that are built up to include PE belts, before being joined to the underside of the fuselage. The tail has articulated flying surfaces that are all made from upper and lower halves, as is the rudder, and the wings are supplied as top and bottom, with the flaps and ailerons separate from the box, and neat curved leading edges so they look right when deflected. The flaps include the rear section of the soon-to-be-fitted nacelles, which are added as separate parts to avoid sink-marks, and these coupled with the ailerons run almost full-span, terminating at the wingtip joint. This variant was fitted with the under-fuselage gondola, and each side has separate glazing panels inserted from inside, and a seam running vertically along its length, draping more PE seatbelts for the crewman there. It is added to the hole in the underside of the fuselage, with the front and rear glazing plus a choice of two rear machine guns or a forward-firing cannon later in the build. The landing gear is made up on a base that accepts the main strut and retraction jacks, plus an A-frame and separate oleo-scissor links, adding them to the underwing in preparation for the installation of the nacelle cowlings. The engines must be built first, consisting of a three-part block and high ancillary part count with plenty of detail, mounting them on a rear firewall that fits securely inside the cowling after adding a curved rib at the mid-point. Even though this is an in-line engine with an inverted V-piston layout, the addition of the annular radiators gives it the look of a radial, with their representation added to the front of the cowling, obscuring much of the engine detail, the side panels can be left off to show all that detail however. The cooling gills around the cowling are separate parts, and the exhausts have separate stacks, which aren't hollow but are large enough to make reaming them out with a drill a possibility. The completed nacelles fit to the underwings over the top of the main gear installation, securing them in place with four pegs, two on each side of each nacelle. For one marking option a cannon is fitted in the gondola, consisting of a breech with moulded-in barrel, separate ammo can, and a chute that takes the brass to an exit point below the gondola. A highly detailed bomb sight is created from two styrene parts and four more decals and PE parts, siting it in the main cockpit, and choosing the appropriate nose glazing for your decal option. The main greenhouse for the cockpit has a choice of two guns, one with a double “snail” magazine, a sighting decal that is applied to the windscreen, and PE panels that fit over the rear horizontal panes. A grab handle and PE instrument box are also fixed in the windscreen, adding a two-part PE travel lock for the windscreen gun after the canopy is installed. The rear portion of the canopy is made from two halves due to its double "blown" shape to accommodate the two rearward gun positions, so that the gunner's head isn't pressed against the canopy. The guns are fitted through the two circular ports on the rear, adding a ring and bead sight, although no ammo feed is supplied. The props are made from spinner, backplate and a single piece containing all three blades, sliding onto a pin projecting from the engine front, which will require glue if you want to keep them on. The alternative gondola guns at the rear have a zwilling mount, and a blank glazing panel or the afore mentioned cannon in the front. Under the wings the dive spoilers are added with four bomb crutches on aerodynamic fairings between the fuselage and engine nacelles, with bombs supplied that have two of their fins moulded separately, along with the stabilising struts that fit into notches in the fins. An antenna and aileron actuators are added while the model is inverted, fixing the new resin wheels with PE rings at the rear, and twin main gear bay doors, with two more for the tail-wheel. Addition of the canopy mounted antenna and pitot probe in the port wing leading edge completes the build, and an extra diagram shows where the antenna mast wire should be run, including where the fly-lead enters the fuselage. Markings There are a generous six decal options included on the sheets, although the box art option is the most tempting from my perspective. There are a wide range of schemes including winter distemper, desert, splinter and other more unusual camouflages, to widen the appeal. From the box you can depict one of the following: 1./KG 1, Kharkov-Voichenko, Soviet Union, January 1943 Hptm. Klaus Häberlen, CO of Stab I./KG 51, Bagerovo, Soviet Union, April 1943 4./KG 54, Catania, Sicily, spring 1943 W.Nr. 140206, Hptm. Heinrich Paepcke, CO of Stab II./KG 77, Gerbini, Italy, October 1942 W.Nr. 1016, Lt. Johannes Geismann, CO of 1./KG 77, Catania, Sicily, September 1942 Lt. Gerhard Brenner, CO of 1./LG 1, Eleusis, Greece, March 1942 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. The masks supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape provide you with a full set of masks for the extensive greenhouse canopy plus its optional parts, adding more for the other windows around the model, and masks for the wheels to allow you to cut the demarcation between tyres and hubs with ease. Conclusion The ICM kit is a great model from the box, but adding Eduard’s extras in the shape of PE details and resin wheels adds more appeal, as will the varied decal options, which offer a few standard choices, and some fairly unusual alternatives to test your painting skills. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

You have my sympathies. We lost Mai this summer, on the same day my mum died. Not a good day

Your guess is good as mine, but it'd be interesting to find out

B-26F Marauder Upgrade Sets (for ICM) 1:48 Eduard There won’t be many modellers that haven’t seen or at least heard of the new range of 1:48 kits that ICM have been doing of the Marauder, which was woefully overlooked by other manufacturers for what seemed like the longest of times. Now we have a new range of kits that depict different variants throughout its short but illustrious career during and shortly after WWII. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in their usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Upgrade Set (491552) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. Kit parts that require adjustment are marked out in red for removal, or orange for sanding back. The rudder pedals are cut away at the bottom and have new perforated parts glued in to replace them, doing the same for a lever on the starboard side of the centre console that is also stripped of its moulded-in detail. The console has side skins overlaid, plus highly detailed new control panels, throttle quadrants and their attendant levers, wheels and adjusters. The instrument panel is sanded back and replaced by a new layered panel, cutting a section out of the cockpit floor to extend the crew hatch further into the fuselage, inserting a folded rectangular tunnel with retaining flanges, and a riveted strip laid on the forward edge. Hatch doors are made from new PE parts with handles, hinges and attachment points that should give a strong joint behind the crew seats. Speaking of seats, they have their adjustment rails removed and replaced by new PE parts, while the seats themselves are also replaced by several new PE parts that are folded to shape. The short forward bulkhead between the cockpit and nose is given a detailed skin with a couple of extra detail parts, then the rear bulkhead gets a pair of grab handles to ease crew passage through the narrow hatch. The cockpit sidewalls are littered with new boxes formed from folded layers of PE that have painted fronts, removing some parts from the separate side consoles to replace them with new painted details on both sides. The prominent nose gun is given a visible ammunition feed, folding up a PE length of link, then fitting it between the gun’s breech and a new ammo box, fixing a ring and bead sight to the breech and tip of the barrel, the latter after inserting the gun in the nose dome, adding a windscreen wiper to the flat spot through which the bomb-aimer views his target. The main canopy is detailed with an interior skin in between the two roof hatches, fitting extra detail parts in the centre, plus grab handles around the side windows, and an instrument in its own box in the centre of the windscreen. Zoom! Set (FE1552) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen below. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1553) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. The entire crew are given belts, which are lap-belts for the most part, save for the flight crew. Two belts are made for right and left of the crewman, one having a comfort pad under the buckle, showing them used for the rear gunner, waist crew, fight crew, and the pilot, who gets a set of shoulder belts to keep him in place during rough conditions. The upper gunner is also set up with a pair of lap-belts that should just be visible in the turret once completed. Exterior (481172) This larger bare brass set contains some important upgrades, although many of them aren’t quite exterior. Work starts with the cover panels that fit between the spars, facing inward into the bomb bay. They are stripped of raised detail, then have a new skin applied over the top, folding down two ribs and rotating them into position, with a pair of brackets toward the rear, one for each wing root. The engine nacelles are fitted with oval meshes over the intake horns, and have a square panel mounted in the centre of the forward bay bulkhead facing aft, adding two lightened braces across the rear. Before they are fitted to the wings, a skin is added inside the roof on the lower wing, with a small bracket at the rear, offering a much more detailed view into the bays. The engines have a full suite of wiring harness sections, each part forming a pair of leads, one per cylinder, with a C-shaped link between the tops of all the cylinders, following the scrap diagrams to locate them correctly. There are two of course, and it will be a lot easier than doing the wiring manually with your own wires, to which I can testify, as I have done that. The truest exterior part is the replacement of the kit’s deflectors to the front of the waist gunner positions, which are moulded as angular lumps on the kit by necessity. After removing these blobs, they are replaced by a pair of baffled deflectors that are double-thickness, and have a bracket added to the rear, plus a length of your own 0.5mm plastic rod to act as the retraction jacks, using a 1:1 drawing to assist you with cutting them to the correct length. Bomb Bay (481173) This set will be of use to anyone posing the bomb bay doors open, as it supplies replacements for the outer bomb ladders, which are chopped from the kit’s bay wall inserts before beginning. The new ladders are folded in half end-to-end, adding a set of bomb plates to each “step”, and mounting the ladder on a backing plate that has contoured sides with additional skins to add detail. The same process is then carried out for the longer central ladders, but without the contoured sides. The bombs all have a shackle fitted vertically, with scrap diagrams showing how the bombs should interface with the steps on the ladders. Rear Interior (491553) This set consists of two frets, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other in bare brass. It covers the waist gunner and upper turret positions, increasing the detail there substantially, particularly the waist position, which is noticeably simplified in the kit. Equipment boxes are folded up from rear parts with coloured faces, making three sets for use around the interior. The waist gun windows have the kit retraction rails used, but the ammo run that travels down much of the length of the fuselage is replaced by a new PE track that has ammo inside, rather than the kit’s blank surface that you have to paint and stripe yourself (like I did). Two of the equipment boxes are fitted either side of the starboard window, and the entire window frame is replaced by a two-layer PE assembly that sandwiches a piece of clear acetate between it, curving it to match the fuselage shape, using the kit parts as a template. The two guns are given a pair of ring-and-bead sights from PE, and are fed by a complex pair of ammo cans that are slid into a frame that is held in place by a pair of lateral beams, plus two V-shaped supports on each side. A length of ammo feeder track with link inside is also included, exiting the front of the ammo boxes and entering the breeches of the guns. The kit surround of the upper turret has a box removed from one corner, covering it over with a detailed skin, plus a handle on one side that is absent from the kit. The final assembly is the front bulkhead of the rear compartment, cutting away a moulded-in box and replacing it with another that has a pre-painted face added along with a handle near the top. The third of the equipment boxes made earlier is applied to the starboard side of the moulded-in hatchway, completing the set’s upgrade. Review sample courtesy of

This is the scariest part: Makes me more keen to keep my old car as long as possible, because its major "carbon debt" is way behind it, just burning a little diesel every now and again so I can roll it around from place to place. The occasional repair to things that wear out, and that's it. it's also just before they started putting tech in it for tech's sake. I love tech, and even I think the tech in cars now is getting a bit silly. Remove the rear screen and have a camera showing the view behind you on a rear-view screen? Why? Replace the £10 piece of mirror glass in your wing mirror with a camera and a screen? Why? All tech eventually breaks, as much as we hope it doesn't, but a piece of glass is a binary (cheap) item. it's either working, or it isn't, and you can replace it cheaply. My wing mirror glass fell out last year, but we caught it before it fell off, so it didn't even cost £10. Just a few pence-worth of really strong double-sided tape.

Marauder Mk.III (48326) WWII RAF/SAAF Bomber 1:48 ICM via The Hobby Company Instigated on the eve of WWII in Europe, the Marauder was a medium bomber developed over two years by the Glenn L Martin company, entering service in early 1942. Due to its high wing and relatively small planform, loading was high, which resulted in a faster than usual landing speed, which could cause problems for an inexperienced crew during final approach, and similarly if a single-engined approach was necessary. Its stall speed would bite the pilots aggressively if they varied even slightly from the documented landing procedures, resulting in excessive losses due to accidents, which earned it the nickname ‘Widowmaker’ amongst crews. To counter this, changes to the aircraft’s aerodynamics and wing length were undertaken, together with additional crew training, a combination that proved successful, and led to the type’s loss rate being amongst the lowest of the Allies bomber fleet. After initial orders, more followed, and improvements led to the B-26A, and soon after the B-26B, which by Block 10 benefited from longer wings and the other improvements that gave its pilots a longer life-expectancy. The type saw extensive service in Europe, flying with the US Army Air Force and with the RAF, where it was known as the Marauder Mk.1 for B-26A airframes, and Mk.1a for the B models. It also saw service in the Pacific, with a total of over 5,000 airframes built, 500 of which were flown by the RAF, the last batch being the F models, which the RAF knew as the Mk.III, which had the incidence of the wing increased by a few percent to improve slow flight characteristics, fitting new oil-coolers to the engines, a different tail-gun with a canvas cover, and a new bomb-sight, as well as other British equipment fit. This was later standardised as the G, of which the British and South African Air Forces took a total of 350, split between Fs and Gs, all under the Mk.III designation. Post-war, drawdown of the Marauder was relatively fast, with all airframes withdrawn from service by 1947, after which the A-26 Invader was given the B-26 designation, creating confusion amongst many aviation buffs and modellers over the years. Powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp engine in nacelles under the wings, the rotund fuselage could carry up to 4,000lbs of bombs in a bay between the wings with a range of 1,500 miles at a substantially higher cruising speed than a B-17, giving it a better chance against fighters and flak, which contributed to its low attrition rate. An early adaptation saw the main armament increased from .303 machine guns to .50cals in all four turrets that could take a bigger bite out of any enemy fighters that ventured too close. The Kit This is a reboxing of a recent tooling from ICM of an aircraft that has been neglected for many years in 1:48 scale, so many modellers were highly excited on its release. This boxing has a new fuselage to represent the revised angle-of-incidence, and has acquired a new sprue of parts that includes the necessarily different spar/bulkheads, plus sundry other parts required to depict the new variant. The kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of a solitary Marauder flying over a mountain with an ocean vista in the background, and under the lid is the usual captive flap on the lower tray, and beneath that are nine large sprues in grey styrene, plus two of crystal-clear parts, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with painting and decaling profiles on the rear pages. Detail is up to ICM’s modern high standards, with most of the fuselage full of detail that includes the cockpit, bomb bay and fuselage compartments around the turrets and waist gun positions. Construction begins with the fuselage halves for a change, preparing the interior by drilling out some flashed-over holes for gun packs used on some decal options, and adding the outer bomb racks plus other small details, along with the windows and hinges for the bomb bay if you plan to pose them open. There are also two decals to be applied to parts of the nose compartment, one on each side. The nose bay is built upon its roof, adding side walls and details to the interior, then the cockpit floor is layered on top, fitting the pilot’s four-part seat and separate rudder pedals, making the centre console from another five parts, and attaching the instrument panel to the rear, both it and the console receiving decals to depict the dials. The cranked control column has a bow-tie yoke, applying them to the floor in front of the pilot’s seat, and a bottle behind it, plus a single-part co-pilot seat, two-part yoke, and a stiff neck from straining to view the instrument panel. In the front of the floor is the bomb aimer’s seat, with a new three-part sight for him to look through when the time for dropping bombs arrives. The bomb bay front and rear bulkheads have spars moulded-in and show off the circular cross-section of the fuselage, detailing both with small parts, and joining them together via the roof, which is ribbed for strength. Six bombs are built from two main parts with a separate spinner trapped inside the fin structure, gluing three to each of the central bomb ladders, then mounting those onto a pair of rails that fit into the bottom centre of the two bulkheads during the installation of the bay roof. The completed assembly is inserted into the port fuselage half, hiding the short empty sections of the fuselage by inserting another bulkhead behind the bomb bay and in front, the latter having the cockpit floor slotted into it before installation, leaving space for nose weight aplenty. Before the fuselage halves can be closed, there is a lot of armament to be built, starting with the waist gunners’ MGs that are applied to the floor on pivots, then the rear gun turret, which has two guns glued to a central support, sliding the barrels through the two slots in the canvas cover, and adding a tapering bracket to the top. The armour and controls for the rear guns has a window, rest and control handle fitted to the front, inserting it and the turret mechanism in the rear, sitting the gunner behind on a circular seat that is also included. The top turret has the front section with ammo cans built first, inserting it and the gunner’s seat into the turret ring from below along with the control levers. The twin .50cals are inserted from above with the sighting gear between them, slotting the completed interior into a surround, then sliding the glazing carefully over the barrels and securing it with a non-fogging glue before it is slipped into the cut-out in the upper fuselage. Another ovoid bulkhead with a hatchway is inserted between the rear gunner and waist gunners, suspending a simplistic ammo box overhead in the waist compartment, then sectioning off the nose from the cockpit with a horseshoe-shaped bulkhead. If you skipped ahead and prepared the starboard fuselage half to speed through painting and weathering, it’s all good, otherwise the starboard fuselage is drilled out and dotted with detail parts, windows, braces and bomb racks, plus bomb bay hinges if you are leaving the doors open, then closing the two halves after putting 90g of nose weight in the space between the cockpit and bomb bay to keep the nose wheel on the ground when the model is complete, which is a substantial increase from the original 50g. Once the glue has set, your last chance to install nose weight in the space between the detailed areas expires when you install an insert over the back of the cockpit, using either a flat or domed astrodome, drilling a small hole in the port side of the part before fitting it. The tail fin is a separate assembly on this kit, starting by gluing the two halves of the fin together, then building the stabilisers as a single unit made from a full-span lower and two upper parts plus two smaller inserts. The two assemblies are brought together at the rear, covering the rear of the fuselage, then mounting the rudder and two elevators that are each made from two halves, and can be glued into position deflected if you wish, to add some individuality to your model. The bomb bay has four actuators fitted to each of the fore and aft bulkheads, installing the four doors folded into pairs, or covering the bay with a pair of doors if you intend to close it. All the decal options carried cheek-mounted gun packs, one only mounting one rather than a pair per side, which mount on the holes drilled earlier, after building each one from fairing, barrel, and nose cap for each of the four (or two). The main canopy and tail gun glazing are attached, adding two clear roof panels to the canopy, and making the nose glazing with a rectangular box on one side, and a gun in the centre before it too is glued in place, adding a bumper under the rear fuselage. Two detail inserts are applied between the spars that project from the wing root, with the detail facing inward, so remember to paint those at the same time as the rest of the interior for your own convenience. The wings are each separate, and slide over the spars that are moulded into the bomb bay bulkheads once completed. Before closing the wing halves, the gear bay structure is made, consisting of three parts forming an H-frame, adding two more ribs in the forward compartment, and closing off the rear of the bay with a final stringer, painting everything as you go. A bay insert is also included for the ailerons, and this is fixed to the lower wing as the upper is brought in and the two halves are mated. The two-section flaps are each made from upper and lower halves, as is the aileron, and all three are fitted in the trailing edge of the wing, attaching actuator fairings, detail parts inside the nacelle roof, a landing light in the leading edge, and a tip light over the moulded-in recess, which has a likeness of a bulb moulded into the area. A pitot probe is cut from near the wingtip, then the same process is carried out on the opposite wing in mirror-image, setting the completed wings to one side while the engines and their nacelles are built. Each Double-Wasp engine is made from a layer of six parts, depicting both banks of pistons and push-rods, adding the bell-housing and magnetos to the front, trapping a prop axle between them without glue, and inserting the intake ‘spider’ at the rear, with nine exhaust stubs mounted behind the engine. The completed engine is then locked between two circular carriers, and two exhaust collector parts are attached at the rear next to the cooling gills that are moulded into the rear carrier. The cowling is a complex shape that has a substantial portion moulded as a single part, inserting a curved plate inside to create a broad intake trunk in the base, then fitting two more inserts into the top sections of the cowling that fit into position, creating the familiar intake ‘ears’ at the top. The engine slides into the cowling from the rear until the cooling gills butt up against a cut-out, then attention shifts to the nacelle, which is made from two halves after adding covered exhausts and hinge-points to the gear bay sides on a single carrier per side, then gluing the two halves together with three bulkheads holding everything to shape. Once the glue has cured and seams have been dealt with, the engine and cowling are glued to the front and fitted under the wing. Again, the same process is carried out in mirror image for the opposite nacelle, after which the wings can be slid into position and glued in place. The Marauder was another tricycle gear equipped bomber, and the nose leg is made from the main strut with scissor-links added on both sides, fitted into the bay with a retraction jack behind it. A crew access ladder is provided, and is fixed into the roof at the rear of the bay, locating the two bay doors on the sides after fitting hinges along the upper edges, with a small retractor jack installed at the mid-point to complete the area. The main gear legs are fitted with twin supports at the top and door openers mid-way down, inserting them into the nacelles along with a V-shaped strut, and a pair of bay doors on each nacelle. The main wheel tyres are made from two halves, with two more parts for the hubs, as is the nose gear wheel, but with flat hub caps, all three installing on stub axles so that the model can sit on all three wheels, or the rear two if you forgot the nose weight. I can’t laugh, as I recently did that, but just got away with it. An aerial and a faired-in D/F loop are fixed under the belly, and another three are arranged behind the cockpit, with just the two four-blade props with separate spinners to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options in this boxing, all wearing British RAF roundels. From the box you can build one of the following: HD545, Martin Field, Baltimore, Spring 1944 HD561.B ‘Bilksem’, 21 Sqn. (SAAF), Italy, 1944-45 HD505/V ‘Vindictive Viking’, 12 Sqn. (SAAF), Italy, Winter 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. 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 bottom of the page and the diagrams at the top to create your own masks if you wish. It goes up to 34 thanks to the extensive glazing. Conclusion Like a lot of modellers, I’ve had a soft spot for the Marauder for a while, and I’m grateful that a new well-detailed model has been released by ICM, with various boxings following on from the initial offering. The Marauder saw a lot of action, so there’s plenty of opportunities to depict a well-weathered example, and I’m looking forward to seeing them popping up on the forum. Very highly recommended. Available from all good model shops now. Review sample courtesy of via importers

You used to be able to get something similar to that from Hasegawa in small sheets that arrive in little clear plastic boxes. Also, have a look into window films. You can get that stuff in various shades/hues, and it's flexible enough to wrap around a curve, adhering with just soapy water and a squeegie. I've applied the straight silver stuff to a couple of windows over the years. It's not massively hard, but is a bit tricky in larger areas

I use an app on my phone called PaintRack, which is done by a company called “Courageous Octopus”, aka two American guys. They have a huge database of many, many brands, and they’re pretty responsive when you find something not on their list. I’ve helped them out with some Lifecolor, Mr Color and Army Painter shades in the past, and they’re now available on their app. They don’t have xtracrylix, but my stash is ancient, so I wasn’t sure the bar codes were still valid. Maybe someone else could help them? they have some pretty neat colour tools that allow you to find an equivalent from another brand, pick a colour from a photo, or take a Live Photo to choose the colour. You can switch brands by choosing a different tab in the comparison chart, giving you the best chance of finding a similar colour. You can also find colours that would look good next to your chosen colour, complementary colours and other methods, which would be good for figure painters etc. The app is free to download, and gives a lot of functionality, then once you’re sure it’s for you, you throw them a couple of quid/bucks and you get the whole app opened up. I’m not a huge buyer of apps, but I put a few quid down on this one

Someone reported this as being in the wrong section. My initial reaction was "Yep, should be in Sci-Fi", but then I wondered what you thought about it. I'd put it in there if I were me, which I am, but what about you? it's a What-If, obviously, so gimme a hint Alternative WWII, Sci-Fi, or whut?

MiG-21F-13 ProfiPACK (82191) 1:48 Eduard The Fishbed, or MiG-21 was such a successful design that there were more than a few generations of the type, starting with what would later become known as the first generation in the late ‘50s. By the early ‘60s a new generation had been designed that was marked out by the F suffix, which stands for “Uprated” in Russian “Forsirovannyy”. They benefitted from improved avionics, additional fuel and a more powerful engine, with a wider spread of munition types available to hang under the aircraft. Adding the K-13 missiles to their repertoire led to the additional suffix of 13, making the full name MiG21F-13, with the capability of carrying two suspended on adapted pylons, then later using newly designed weapon-specific pylons. They were also built under license as Chengdu J-7s or F-7s, and by Czech manufacturers, initially differing by name, but later reverting to the Soviet nomenclature. It was given the NATO code of Fishbed-C for quick reference by Allied operators. To reduce the weight and space needed by more traditional weapons, the F-13 had only one NR-30 cannon fitted in the starboard bay, the other removed. This cannon carried a miserly sixty rounds, but the lack of extended dogfight capabilities was more than made up for by the new weapons it could carry, making it a more lethal opponent than previous iterations. The next generation arrived just a year later and used the P designation, as they were interceptors first-and-foremost, again adding the F for later upgrades, which included new engines, radar, avionics and weapons systems during one of the fastest-moving periods of aviation technological growth since man first took flight. These too were superseded by another generation toward the end of the ‘60s. The Kit This is a boxing of a new tooling from Eduard, and arrives in a standard gold-themed top-opening box with a painting of a brace of F-13s high over pinkish morning or evening cloud. Inside the box are seven sprues of grey styrene in three bags, a clear sprue in a Ziploc bag, two decal sheets, a small sheet of kabuki-style masking material, a sheet of nickel-plated and pre-painted Photo-Etch (PE), plus the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy white paper, with the decal profiles on the rearmost pages and a stencil page at the back. Eduard’s original series of MiG-21s debuted in the 2010s to much applause, and this kit continues that theme, packing the parts with excellent detail, and thanks to the addition of masks and PE parts, there’s little extra that will be needed for most modellers to be happy with their model out of the box. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with a choice of two styles of instrument panel, the style relating to the method used to build them up. A blank panel is the basis for the PE option, using two pre-painted layers to create the main panel, adding another two for the bottom-centre panel (with a choice of two top layers), and two more layers to the panels to each side of the main panel. The simpler option involves a styrene panel that has dials and instruments moulded into it and the sub-panel in the centre, applying decals over the main panel, with a choice of two decals for the centre panel. The cockpit floor is a short flat section with peg at the front, which receives rudder pedals and control column toward the front, dropping the main panel into a slot between the two components, setting it aside for a moment while the intake trunking is made. The trunking also incorporates the nose gear bay, and is made from two sculpted walls, a bay roof, and an aft bulkhead, mounting a peg to each side to space it equally away from the fuselage halves, attaching a U-shaped bracket into the centre of the bay slot, a single rod in each wall side, and another small part buried within. The exhaust is next on the tick-list of tasks you need to complete before closing the fuselage, starting with two halves of the main trunk, which has an afterburner ring and another length of trunk attached to the front, with a representation of the engine rear moulded into the bulkhead with a spacer at the very front. Moving to the rear, a tapered ring of petals is fixed to the end, with an outer ring slipped over, and a trio of actuators placed in grooves round the perimeter, assisted by a scrap diagram. The MiG-21’s main gear bay is an unusual arrangement in the fuselage, consisting of a loosely box-like assembly that is made from four parts, with one side having an optional wall for some markings, adding small parts to the detailed sides, painting it as per the instructions before putting it aside while the cockpit receives some more attention. The interior of the starboard fuselage is painted as indicated, adding the sidewall after applying a PE skin and two detail parts, with a three-part side console that has three PE parts applied to the top, slipping it into position on a pair of U-shaped “hangers”. The same process is carried out inside the port fuselage, with three small parts on the sidewall, and a mixture of decals and styrene parts on the side console. The aft bulkhead of the cockpit is a choice of a solid or a clear part, installing your choice in place with the help of a scrap diagram, and fitting the intake trunk, two-part coaming, plus two half bulkheads in the centre of the fuselage, followed by the exhaust, after which you can close the fuselage, remembering to add some nose weight in the space inside the trunk where the radome is sited, fitting a nose cone to the front, and covering top access with an insert in front of the windscreen. A brief interlude shows a pair of side profiles with small areas marked out in three different colours, which indicate areas that should be filled depending on which markings option you have chosen. Take a moment to fill and make good, then you can move on to detailing the surround to the cockpit, starting with a combined four-part PE/styrene cluster in the top of the main panel for some decal options and a two-part assembly for them all, a three-part HUD with choice of clear lenses, followed by an insert behind the pilot, which has additional hoses and other parts applied for some decal options. The tail fin is a large two-part assembly with a long section of spine moulded-in, a separate rudder fin, and a choice of using the moulded-in triple IFF sensors on the tip, or replacing them with a finer PE representation after removing the styrene antennae and drilling out a 0.3mm hole to locate them, which also gives you an opportunity to put them in place after main painting. The fin/spine arrangement is glued into position on the fuselage after test-fitting it with your choice of canopy parts to ensure correct alignment, then the two-part exhaust cowling is glued together and fitted over the rear, an intake is applied to the side of the spine, and the intake ring is installed over the radome, fixing two PE vanes in the front of the stators before doing so. Starting work on the full-span lower wing sees fitting of inserts under the nose, and in the outer ends of the bay cut-outs. Small holes are drilled in the wingtips, for the wing pylons, and another two down the centreline, plus a diamond-shaped hole if you intend to use the styrene IFF triple-antenna under the belly, otherwise a small hole is drilled later for the PE alternative. Various small parts are installed in the bays along with a little detail painting, flipping the assembly over to fit a circular landing lights that are each made from a clear lens and styrene back, using a different part for a landed aircraft, which has the light flipped horizontally, pointing down the runway. The main gear bay is dropped into place in the section of fuselage that’s moulded between the wings, then the upper wing surfaces are glued over the top, lowering the fuselage into position once the glue is cured, before moving onto the tail. Each elevator is a single part that fits with slot and tab either side of the fin, festooning the area with intakes and fairings during the process. The flaps can be posed retracted or deployed by switching out the parts, and adding an extended actuator to the deployed option, inserting ailerons outboard, with an actuator fairing between them, and a fence in a slot near the tips. A scrap diagram shows the detail parts that are applied to the flap tracks to complete the process. More fairings are added between the flaps and ailerons under the wing, with T-probes outboard, adding a strake to the slot under the tail, and the air-brake pattress in retracted or deployed condition under the belly, with a few more intakes and exhausts nearby. To mount the open airbrake, the two-part perforated brake and retractor jack are fitted to the leading edge of the pattress, installing the forward airbrake bays under the fuselage next to the wing leading edge, only if you are deploying them. Each bay has a retractor, and the starboard side also holds the breech of the gun, which is made from three parts, taking note that there are two distinct colour schemes for the bays, depending on your decal choice. Flush panels are fitted behind the bays, installing the brakes hinging from the leading edges of the bays, then fairing over the front with a narrow panel, the starboard side having perforations to cool the barrel of the gun beneath it. For closed airbrakes, it’s a simple case of installing a single complete panel over and around the bay area, adding a representation of part of the gun mechanism behind the starboard part. A PE hinge is added above and below the barrel fairing, using the large diagrams to guide you. The main wheels are each build from two-part tyres, plus separate inner and outer hubs, making two, then building the gear legs from the main strut, brake housing and hose, separate oleo-scissor link, captive gear bay door with actuator, building both in mirror image, and choosing which colour to paint the doors depending on your decal choice. They are installed in the outer end of the main bays along with a large retraction jack, and an inner bay door with retractor, with another scrap diagram from overhead showing the correct orientation and angle. The wheel for the nose gear is made in the same manner as the main wheels, attaching it to a strut with twin yokes and control arm, noting the location of a small part on the tip of the yoke near the hub. It is dropped into the bay and is bracketed by a pair of detailed doors, with the usual colour caveats depending on your decal choice. A small antenna is added under the nose, if you chose the PE IFF antennae they are mounted in a 0.3mm hole, as is a triangular antenna behind it, ensuring you use the correct parts… again depending on your marking choice. On the topside of the nose is a probe at an angle on the starboard side, mounting the correct fairing over the front of the spine for your choice, with a small part inside, and an antenna in the rear. You may have noticed there’s nowhere for the pilot to sit yet, but that’s next. The KM-1M seat is made from a myriad of parts for excellent detail, including a PE pull-handle between the pilot’s knees, adding stencils to the headbox once painted, then fitting a set of four-point PE crew belts that are pre-painted, and consist of nine parts, plus two more to add yet more detail to the seat. It is slipped into the cockpit in a “reverse-ejection” movement, fitting an internal windscreen over the coaming, then choosing whether to attach the closed canopy part over it, or pose it open by using the alternative part with a tab that fixes into a slot in front of the coaming at an angle. Short lengths of PE are fitted to the hinges of the ailerons, adding static-discharge wicks to the tips of the wings, elevators and tail fin to complete the airframe, save for the long probe on the nose, which is made from a central styrene needle, one straight for flight, the other option showing it folded to prevent stabbing anyone walking nearby. The probes are moulded with two vanes integral, and you can choose to fit two more perpendicular, or remove the two that are moulded-in, and replace them all with PE parts from the fret. A final diagram shows the correct fitting under the nose for both options. There are a good range of weapons and stores provided in the box, starting with a two-part 490L drop-tank for the centreline, plus two UB-16 rocket pods that are made from halves, with a bulkhead in the middle, and a choice of short or long tapering tips that are moulded with the rocket noses just visible. A pair of S-24 missiles are made from two halves each, adding opposing fins to holes in the tail, then mounting it on an adapter pylon. Next are a pair of R-3S A2A missiles, with a clear seeker on a thin tubular body, adding opposing fins to those moulded-in front and rear, with its own adapter rail. The final items are a pair of FAB-250 iron bombs, with two-part bodies, two opposing fins, and a two-part annular fin at the rear, plus a pair of mounting lugs on one side. A choice of these weapons can be attached on the three pylons under the wings and centreline, with a final step in the instructions showing possible locations. If you are looking for a more realistic load however, check your references for certainty. Markings There are six disparate decal options in this boxing, including some countries that no-longer exist in that particular form, and with a variety of schemes and equipment fits that will inform your build decisions throughout the process. From the box you can build one of the following: s/n 741204, HävLLv 31, Kuopio-Rissala AB, Finnish AF, Finland, August 1985 s/n 74211503, Nguyen Nhat Chieu, 921st FR, Sao Do, Democratic Republic of Vietnam, October 1967 s/n 660416, 1. slp, České Budějovice AB, Czechoslovakia, 1968-1970 Cairo-West AB, United Arab Republic, 1967 s/n 22504, 204. LAP, Batajnica AB, Yugoslav Air Force, Yugoslavia, 1962 s/n 741924, AFS-31, East Germany Air Force, Preschen AB, German Democratic Republic, 1978-1980 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. The masks supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape provide you with a full set of masks for the canopy, more for the bullet-proof section within the windscreen and the rear bulkhead. In addition, you get a set of masks for the two lenses of the HUD, landing lights, the seekers on the R-3S missiles, plus a few extra circles that are used with a pod/missiles not supplied in this boxing. Conclusion Eduard’s MiG-21 series is already well regarded, and this new and much needed addition continues the tradition of supplying a ton of detail and options to the modern modeller. A highly detailed cockpit, gear bays, airbrakes, and a choice of weapons load make for an appealing package. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Someone Reported it for you, so I moved it

No, but I will if you like

It didn't even make a dent. That information just glanced off without making a single impression on me at all

Who he? The writer? No idea No, don't tell me, it'll only push out some useful information.