Mike

Star Trek Galaxy Class Upgrade Sets (for AMT) 1:1400 GreenStrawberry Whether Star Trek or Star Wars is your preferred method of Sci-Fi entertainment, you can’t help but acknowledge that Trekkies have some great ships, one iconic vessel being the USS Enterprise in its various incarnations. After The Original Series (TOS) hung up its Phasers, there was a substantial hiatus before Star Trek the Next Generation (TNG) came to our screens, giving Sir Patrick Stewart the captain’s seat as Jean Luc Picard, and a bridge full of diverse and peculiar crew that went off on an open-ended cruise through the galaxy. The Enterprise D was a Galaxy Class starship with a saucer section that could separate if needed, although this happened less and less as the series progressed. It was also faster and larger than its predecessors, with whole families accompanying the crew members on their travels, which was a nod to the less jingoistic “we come in peace – shoot to kill” mantra of Captain Kirk’s era. Starting in 1990, the show ran for seven series until 1996, with Enterprise D making its first big screen appearance in the 1994 cross-over with The Original Series Star Trek: Generations, where Kirk and Picard meet toward the end of the film. Several more cinematic outings followed from the Enterprise and her crew, some better than others, before they too hung up their Phasers to make way for other series, spin-offs and potential movies. Whether you like those next, next generation offerings is entirely down to you, but you can probably still remember the hate when TNG first arrived, and although there is still much love for TOS, TNG also benefits from the rose-tinted glasses we tend to don once a show has been and gone after a long run. In the modelling world, AMT have long produced kits from this lucrative property where no man/one has gone before, and they have a range of ship kits in 1:1400, of which the Enterprise D has been one that was first issued in the 90s, and has been re-released in many different boxes over the years, with new parts and decals added along the way. GreenStrawberry have been watching, and have created a number of sets to upgrade the detail on those ageing kits, whilst also making the lighting of the model a much easier and painless proposition. We have three sets in for review, and they are a feast for the eyes that will move warp-speed once you have woven your chosen lighting method into the upgraded kit. Galaxy Class Warp Nacelles (19923-1/1400) This large set arrives in one of GreenStrawberry’s shallow top-opening black boxes with a captive lid that is kept closed during transit by the overlapping sticker on the top that gives the modeller information upon what is inside. Once opened, there are eight parts in grey resin, two more in translucent red resin, and a further two parts in translucent blue resin. That doesn’t sound a lot until you see the size of the parts. The entire Warp Nacelles are replaced by new resin units that are made from upper and lower halves that are separated by a translucent blue part that wraps around the sides and rear of the nacelles. At the front, a corrugated section is fitted between the main nacelle and the forward Bussard Collector fairing, which then receives a translucent red ‘tongue’ that projects from the collector, which has pre-prepared holes moulded-in, and the hollow nacelle further assists in this regard. There are two of these of course, as no-one wants to go round in circles at warp 8, and each one is handed, with a helpful part number on a raised plaque inside the nacelle halves to avoid confusion. These parts have been 3D mastered, then further prepared to be traditionally cast for incredible finesse and smoothness of the parts throughout. Galaxy Class Impulse Engines (19723-1/1400) This set arrives in a small black box, and upgrades the Enterprise’s sub-light Impulse Engines with four grey resin parts, plus three translucent red resin lenses for lighting, and a small sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) with three grille parts. The simplistic kit engines are first cut from the back of the saucer and the base of the neck, as indicated in red on the instructions, then the three Impulse Engines are cut from their bases, have the translucent red parts slipped into the centre, taking care to align them correctly, using the chamfered end to achieve a snug fit, and remembering to flatten and smooth the cut surface. A PE grille is then glued over the red resin to increase detail, and a long spine insert is supplied for the central engine at the bottom of the saucer’s interhull neck, using hot water to subtly bend the resin part to the curved shape of the hull in that area. The engines have a crisp grooved outer, and are hollow behind so that a light source will make the red resin glow from behind the PE grille. Galaxy Class Main Deflector (19623-1/1400) This smaller box contains three grey resin parts, a clear resin lozenge, and a PE sheet with two parts included. The kit defector can be discarded, as this is a drop-in replacement when complete, and the set has again been mastered in 3D, then worked on further to improve the detail. Only one resin part is used on the model, which is the deflector dish, complete with ribbed detail within, and a central recess into which the clear resin part is glued. This is to disperse a light source from behind, the dish having a hole marked out in its base to assist with this, but the light is further muted by adding a PE part over the top of the clear resin diffuser, which is surrounded by another larger PE part that has a hole in the centre. You might baulk at having to curve the PE part to fit the contours of the dish, but you don’t need to worry, as the other two resin parts form a jig to curve the surround to the contours of the dish with very little effort. It may be wise to anneal the brass first by heating it in a flame and allowing it to air-cool to soften the metal, then place the part centrally on the concave section of the jig, pressing down with the convex portion to press it into shape. Then it can be carefully glued into place around the centre, and the completed assembly can be pushed into the front of the lower hull to complete. Conclusion If you’re building an Enterprise D in this scale, you will want to consider these upgrade sets, and choose which ones you feel you want, based on your needs and budget. If you don’t yet have a kit to suit the sets, we understand that the kit is being re-released in 2024, so you may wish to plan ahead. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

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

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

There are alternative part numbers for his gee-tar, and there's a few options on the sprues. I forgot to add that to the review, but you can replace it with a banjo, or the lute-like thing on the far right of the instrument sprue.

aboard Eric It's a good time to be an Airfix fan, as they've never been better, and their output it pretty high.

Street Musicians 1930-40s (38078) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Musicians playing their instruments on the street would be a familiar sight to anyone from any era, as that’s how many of them have made their living over the years, especially before recording contracts and gigs were a thing. They’d pitch-up, p ut out a bowl or some other receptacle for donations, grab a chair if necessary, and strum, pluck or blow their instrument of choice until they were too tired, were moved on, or earned enough to keep them fed for a little while longer. Of course, modern streets are more closely monitored for street performers, however before WWII there was little in the way of regulation, so performers could earn a living without the law getting in their way, although a hat or bag full of change would be a tempting target for vagabonds and thieves. This set arrives in a figure-sized box with the three musicians depicted in a high-quality painting on the front, and split apart in instruction form on the rear, complete with instructions for some of the more complex assemblies, and a paint chart that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. Inside the box are five sprues in grey styrene, three containing figure parts, the remainder the accessories. Two of the figures are standing, one playing a fiddle/violin with the open case collecting his winnings, while the other standing man is a crooner with an acoustic guitar, supporting it on his raised knee, resting his foot on a small stool. The remaining figure is seated on a dining-style chair, playing an accordion, with the case in front collecting change, and a walking stick laid across it, implying that he may be blind, or at least somehow disabled. The parts for each figure are found on separate sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. The accessories include the two seats, violin, guitar, and accordion, but there are several percussion, string and wind instruments included on the sprue for use elsewhere, or for depositing in the spares box. Conclusion Perfect for filling some space on a street, or giving a focal-point to a milling crowd of bystanders for your next diorama. Review sample courtesy of

It would make a lot of sense for me, but I'd still be happy if the 1:32 guys got their kits first. The speed I build, I'll be a dessicated skellington before I get around to building them anyway

This is where you learn how ambidextrous you are I was lucky because apart from writing and firing a (pretend) gun, I can do most things with either hand. It gets tricky at times though

I'd settle for 1:48 of both of those, but it'll excite some people if so

I'd go for that option too. Really fine fuse wire, fly tying wire or similar would do the trick, and Klear or your preferred gloss varnish should hold it in place as long as you don't need to do anything majorly physical with it after that.

Hurricane Mk.IIB (40007) 1:48 Arma Hobby 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. 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 the new tooling from Arma Hobby, which was one that many 1:48 modellers had been waiting for, as their 1:72 kits have a reputation for excellent detail, with the inference being that in a larger scale the detail would be even better, and we weren’t disappointed. The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a sturdy tray inside that prevents the dreaded crushing in storage. The painting of a bomb equipped fighter flying through an uncluttered sky, and the decal options printed in side-view on the rear. Inside the box is a cardboard tray that contains three sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a sheet of pre-cut yellow kabuki-tape masks, and an instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with colour profiles on the rearmost pages. Detail is everything we have come to expect from Arma, with crisp engraved panel lines, fine raised rivets, restrained fabric scalloping effect on the fuselage rear, and plenty of raised and recessed features that should result in a superb model if care is taken during building and painting. If this is your first Arma kit, you should know that they have a technique of adding stiffening ribs and stringers inside their kits, and they hide away their ejector-pins in places that won’t be seen, usually with a circle of tiny turrets around them. They are usually placed so that they can be left intact without affecting assembly, but if they do need to be removed, you’ll be advised in the instructions. Construction begins with the lower wing for a change, drilling out holes applicable to whether you intend to fit bombs or drop-tanks under the wings of your model. The holes are marked in red for tanks, and blue for bombs, which is helpful, and the diagrams are accompanied by a little explanatory text that advises that the bombs are only used for one decal option, whilst tanks aren’t used in any from this boxing, catering to those that might want to use aftermarket decals. The gear bay is created from a well-detailed section of spar that has a pair of retraction jacks and a pressurised cylinder applied to it, then has the remaining walls and their ribs mated to it and covered by the bay roof, feeding a brass-painted hose through the bay once completed. Attention then shifts to the cockpit for a moment, building the seat from four parts, which is supplied with decal seatbelts and is glued to the rear bulkhead for later installation in the cockpit. We return to the wing again, removing the drop-tank location points for all decal options, and cutting new holes in the wing leading edge outboard of the landing lights, inserting supports for the barrels and the landing light bays in the lower wing at the same time. The gear bay assembly is glued into the full-span upper wing, adding another short spar closer to the rear, then joining the two halves together. Now we learn why we didn’t build the entire cockpit earlier, as it is built in the space between the wings once they are completed, starting with the control linkage and frame, with the foot rests/trays over the top, and a small lever glued to a cross-member on the left. The cockpit side frames are painted and inserted at the perimeter, locating in slots in the upper wing centre, and these are joined by the rudder pedals on a central mount, and a V-frame that stiffens the assembly. The control column is built from three parts and includes the linkages that lead aft under the pilot’s seat, which is inserted last over the V-braces at the rear, locating on more slots in the upper wing. Flipping the wing over, a pair of rods are inserted into the bays, their location shown by another drawing that highlights them in blue. The instrument panel is next, with raised details depicting the instrument bezels and other switches, with a decal included for it and the compass that fits between two legs under the panel, which you are advised to cut into sections for an easier fit. It is glued into the starboard fuselage half with a pair of small pieces of equipment, with six more in the port side, and the option to pose the foot step on the exterior skin in the lowered position, which is a nice touch. There is also a decal for a pair of dials moulded into the fuselage sidewall. With that, the fuselage halves can be brought together, seams dealt with, and then carefully mated with the wings, taking care not to damage the lovely detail in the cockpit. If you plan on modelling your canopy closed, you should also cut away the rails as indicated in red on a scrap diagram at this stage to allow the closed canopy to fit firmly. The underside of the fuselage has an insert with the tail-wheel fairing moulded-in, and further forward, the central radiator housing has its core made from front and rear sections with the matrix texture moulded-in, and a circular insert with hosing, all of which is glued to the underside of the fuselage and covered by the cowling that is made from body, intake lip and cooling flap at the rear, locating in a shallow recess in the lower wing that has a horseshoe flange with fasteners to add to the detail. A choice of tail wheel inserts in the hole under the rear of the fuselage, adding a full-span elevator panel with separate flying surfaces that fills the recess in the top of the tail, fitting the two-part fin to a stepped lug in the fairing, and fixing the rudder to the rear, allowing all the tail surfaces to be posed deflected if you wish. The main gear legs are made from a strut with a retraction jack moulded-in, and another added to the rear, plus a captive bay door that fits on the outboard side, and a two-part wheel fitted on the stub axle. There is a choice of two styles of gun camera fairing in the starboard wing leading edge that uses two different parts, and your choice depends on which decal option you have chosen. There are clear lenses to cover the landing lights, and the clear wingtip lights have a recess in their mating surface that you can add some green or red paint to depict the bulb before you glue them in position, adding two short barrels to the newly drilled out gun ports outboard of the lights. The gunsight and a clear lens are glued to a recess in the cockpit coaming at this stage, taking care not to disturb it before the windscreen is installed. While the model is inverted, a pitot probe and crew step are added to the port underside, and a clear recognition light is inserted just behind the radiator, painting it a clear amber, with a chin intake made from two parts in front of the wheel bays. The rest of the work on the airframe is done with the model resting on its wheels (if you’ve fitted them yet), installing exhausts and mounting blisters in recesses in the nose cowling, a pair of glare-hiding strakes in a straight line between the exhausts and the pilot’s eyeline for two decal options, and an aerial mast in the spine behind the cockpit, cutting off the little triangular spur near the top, and removing the short post on the fin for all options in this kit. A choice of two styles of prop are included for the different decal options, using the same blade part, but substituting different front and back spinner parts, plus a washer inside the spinner that can be glued carefully to allow the prop to remain mobile after building. To close the canopy, part T2 is used, but if you intend to leave the canopy slid back, a slightly wider part is supplied, marked T3, with pre-cut masks provided for all options, as well as the wheel hubs and landing lights. As already mentioned, drop-tanks are included for this boxing, built from two halves that trap the location pegs between them, and have a small stencil for one side, even though they also tell you they’re not used for any options in this boxing. The instructions also show the bombs being built up from four parts each, along with their pylons, for use with two options. Again, if you are using aftermarket decals, the tanks and bombs may be of use to you. Check your references to be sure. Markings There are three quite different options on the decal sheet, each having a full page of colour profiles at the back of the instruction booklet, with letter codes corresponding to a table on the front page that gives codes for Hataka, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Humbrol, Vallejo and Tamiya ranges, which should be sufficient for most of us, although FS numbers are also included for most colours to help you further. From the box you can build one of the following: Hurribomber BE489/AE-Q 'Butch the Falcon'. 402 Sqn., RCAF, Warmwell, February 1942 Z3171/SW-P 'Hyderbad City', 243 Sqn. RAF, Hibaldstow, Pilot F.Sgt. J C Tate, Winter 1941/42 Z3675/WX-B, 302 Sqn. PAF, Church Stanton, August 1941 Decals are by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another fabulously well-detailed model of this doughty fighter that shows amazing attention to detail, and deserves to be the new de facto standard in this scale. This back-dating of the variant helps to fill another gap in the range, which we hope will continue to broaden until everyone has the mark and sub-variant that they want. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I can tell you've done a good job, cos it's creepy as I wasn't that fussed on the films, but Bill Skarsgård knocked it out of the park. He's becoming one of my favourite actors, and comes from a very talented family.

It just keeps getting better Brian I'll definitely be up for a purchase of a jockey when/if you start selling them. It'd be churlish not to really

Other than 12V and 1.6A of power required, it's difficult to say. You ideally need a polarity drawing that shows which pin (inner or outer) is the positive, or you could short it out. You also need the diameter of the plug, although you could measure that, or put another plug in (without power), and then measure that if it fits snugly. A lot of devices are protected against incorrect polarity, but yours might well not be - there's no way to tell. I'd brush off your Google Fu and look up those company, brand and model names on the stickers. Also, if you have the instruction booklet, that might help. Your other option is to turn the place upside-down and find the missing PSU. It can't have gone far unless you've had a massive clear-out, so it's there somewhere.

I've tried all sorts of brands over the years, and have just tried another, and I'm impressed. JB Weld Super Weld, Professional Grade. It's not massively cheap, but neither is it particularly expensive, but it is a damn good glue that bonds very quickly, attaching small surfaces together with ease, and it grips like to a blanket. It's now my favourite bonding glue, and I use the remains of my no-brand CA for filling, and for applications where less viscose glue is needed for seam filling, or similar.