Shar2

Have you tried Accurate Armour? I'm sure they have a GPMG in their range, or try LiveResin.

Spitfire Mk.IX Four Spoke wheel sets for Tamiya Eduard 1:32 The Tamiya 1:32 Spitfire Mk.IX is a beautiful kit throughout, but there are always ways of improving even a Tamiya uber kit, or at least that’s how Eduard think. These two sets provide the modeller the option for fitting different styles of tyres to their model. Both sets include a full set of wheels, including the tail wheel, which is a one for one replacement. The main wheels are split into three parts, the wheel and tyre, plus the inner and outer hubs, the inners having well produced brake detail. They also both feature the four spoke pattern wheels, the differences are the tyres themselves. Set 632 129 features smooth tyres, while set 632-130 features a treaded pattern tyre. All the parts are very nicely moulded and are easily removed from the moulding blocks due to the thin webs holding them to said block. A quick clean up after removal and you’re ready to glue the hubs in place, paint and glue to the kit undercarriage legs and your work is done. For ease of painting the sets also come with a sheet of masks to help give that clean paint job. 632 129 632-130 Conclusion As with any modelling it is best to check your references and build your Spitfire accordingly. With these sets you now have the option of building your model with the correct tyres if the ones in the kit aren’t suitable. The masks are a very handy addition too, just to make life that little bit easier. Review sample courtesy of

I'm quite fortunate in that I look after the 3D printers and laser cutter at the uni I work for. I use the laser cutter a lot for cutting out ribs for the gliders the aero students design.

Great looking model. The idea is that the stealth is for the first waves of attacks. Once the AAA has been eliminated the external pylons can be used, or at least that's what I was told.

That they were. They took 10 minutes to crash drive.

Nice to another K being built. My Grandfather served, and actually survived serving on K class boats as a stoker. He actually volunteered for the submarine service as it was an extra shilling a day, having served on HMS Warspite.

Italian Submarine Scire’ Kagero Super Drawings in 3D Scirè was launched on 6 January 1938 in OTO's shipyard in La Spezia and commissioned on 25 April 1938, one of 17 Ardua class submarines. At the beginning of the war, she was assigned to 15th Squadron (I Submarine Group) based at La Spezia and was under command of Adriano Pini. On July 10, 1940, while on patrol in the western Mediterranean, French cargo ship SS Cheik (1058 GRT) was torpedoed and sunk by Scirè 54nm from the Asmare Light, north of Sardinia. In the summer of 1940 Scirè underwent a series of modifications converting her to a SLC boat. The size of the tower was reduced, her deck gun was removed, and 3 watertight cylinders were mounted on her deck instead to accommodate maiali. These cylinders, each weighing 2.8 tons, could hold up depths down to 90 meters. On September 24, 1940 Scirè, under command of Captain Junio Valerio Borghese, sailed from La Spezia for her first special mission to be performed in Gibraltar. In the evening of September 29, upon reaching the Strait of Gibraltar, Sciré received an order from Supermarina to suspend the mission and return to the base as Force H had left the Mediterranean to operate in the Atlantic. In 1940 Scirè made it first foray into the Bay of Gibraltar intent on sabotage of the British ships in Gibraltar Harbour with three manned torpedoes. None of the three were successful with the most daring getting stuck 100 metres from HMS Barham. The crew were forced to withdraw and the explosion of the torpedo's only achievement was to tip off the defenders of Gibraltar Harbour. They organised for boats to drop small charges into the water each night that would have proved fatal to any diver in range of the shock wave. Scirè entered the Bay of Gibraltar again in September 1941 with better results than the previous time. On September 20, 1941 three tankers were attacked and Fiona Shell (2444 GRT, 1892) was sunk whilst other two ships, RFA Denbydale (2145 GRT) and MS Durham (10893 GRT) were damaged. The Italians decided to create a permanent base in Spain eventually converting a ship called Olterra that was moored off Algeciras into a permanent base for naval sabotage. Scirè accomplished many missions inside enemy waters. Among these, the most important was carried out on 3 December 1941. Scirè left La Spezia carrying three manned torpedoes. At the island of Leros in the Aegean Sea, it secretly loaded six crew for them: Luigi Durand de la Penne and Emilio Bianchi (maiale 221), Vincenzo Martellotta and Mario Marino (maiale 222), Antonio Marceglia and Spartaco Schergat (maiale 223). On 19 December, Scirè reached Alexandria in Egypt, and its manned torpedoes entered the harbour and sank in shallow waters the British battleships HMS Valiant, Queen Elizabeth and damaged the tanker Sagona and the destroyer Jervis. All six torpedo-riders were captured and the battleships returned to service after several months of repairs. During one of these missions, on 10 August 1942, Scirè sank, damaged by depth charges dropped by the British naval trawler Islay in Haifa bay, about 11 kilometres (5.9 nmi) from the harbour. Islay was captained by Lieutenant Commander John Ross of North Shields, Tyne and Wear who was later awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions. The wreck of Scirè, lying at a depth of 32 metres (105 ft), became a popular diving site and Shayetet 13 training location. In 1984 a joint Italian-Israeli Navy ceremony was performed, in which the forward section was removed from the submarine and sent to Italy to become part of a memorial. In the whole of this series, under the Super Drawings in 3D banner there have been very few submarines, probably due to being enough detail to fill at least 80 pages of renders to be deemed interesting enough. Unless, of course, the publishers have enough information and access to the real thing to include the interior then I don’t think we will see too many more being included. With the Scirè though we really have the story of two submarines, the initial design with deck gun and normal submarine attributes, then the second, after here modification to chariot carrier, and this is what makes this title interesting. The reader is able to see the effect of the modifications to the subs profile and equipment fixtures and fittings. This is all covered through the wonderful renderings in the eighty pages of the book, the first seven pages of which cover the following parts of her story. Design SLC History The sinking The renderings show every part of the submarine in both guises, as well as the interior of the shelters and the maiali themselves. Also included is an A2 sheet with five views of the sub as originally built on one side in 1:100, while on the reverse you have five views of her as converted 1:150, along with detail drawings of the deck gun in 1:50 and maiale in 1:125. Conclusion While this is perhaps not the most detailed submarine title Kagero have released, the interest is in the conversion of the boat and the history of her daring operations. Of particular interest to those of the Mediterranean Sea war and of the brave maiale divers as I don’t believe there is a model of this sub available, in injection moulded plastic. Though there are a couple of resin kits in 1:400 by Dolphin Models, and 1:350 by E.V.A. Models. Review sample courtesy of

Spanish Submarine Peral Mikr Mir 1:144 Isaac Peral was born on 1 June 1851 in Cartagena, a large and densely populated city on the Mediterranean coast, which was established as a naval base in the 16th Century. At the tender age of 14, Peral enrolled at the San Fernando Naval Military School in Cadiz, and at 16, he earned a commission into the Spanish Navy. During his Naval career, Peral was involved in active duties, travelling to Cuba and the Philippines. Peral excelled in his work, and was awarded a medal for bravery. In 1882, Peral was awarded the role of Professor of Physics at the Escuela de Ampliación de Estudios de la Armada. His growing knowledge of science and technology, combined with an understanding that Spain needed new methods to protect their territories overseas, spurred him to begin work on the plans for El Peral, a submarine designed for military use. With the encouragement and financial input of the naval minister Manuel de la Pezuela, Peral was able to build a full sized model of his design and which was launched in 1888. El Peral measured 22 metres in length, with a cigar-like shape, and was powered by two electrical 30 horse power engines. During the testing process, the submarine simulated both day and night time attacks, along with firing three Whitehead torpedoes. Unfortunately, despite promising results, in 1890, further investigation of underwater vessels for military use was brought to an end. In 1890 Peral was withdrawn from service, equipment removed, and the hull stored at La Carraca Arsenal. In 1913 her demolition was ordered but this was not carried out. In 1929, Admiral Mateo García de los Reyes, first commander of the Spanish submarine forces, managed to reclaim the hull and towed it to Cartagena, putting it ashore at the submarine base. In 1965 the authorities of Cartagena succeeded in moving the hull to the Plaza de los Héroes de Cavite. In 2002 was moved to the Paseo Alfonso XII, in front of the port of Cartagena. In 2013, Peral was restored and moved to the Cartagena Naval Museum. The Model The kit consists of two sprues of light grey styrene, one of clear styrene and a medium sized etched brass sheet. The kit is contained in the standard, colourful Mikr Mir box. As with most submarine kits, there aren’t a lot of parts and shouldn’t take too long to build, even in this scale though it is still a small submarine model, although some of the etched parts look to be quite fiddly. The instruction sheet just shows two complete operations with all the parts arrowed to their positions, broken up with only a few magnified areas where required. The hull is spilt horizontally and once glued together is fitted out with the addition of the bow torpedo door, upper and lower rudders, which are moulded complete with their support frames, the two main propeller shafts, shaft supports, tower trunk, two periscopes and two ventilators. The seven clear parts are used to shroud the lower tower, and on top of the tower trunk. You will need to paint the lower tower black first, and mask off the window areas before painting the hull colour. The rest of the build is accomplished using the PE parts provides, these include a small propeller on the underside, right aft, in front of the lower rudder, along with the protective guard that goes over it, along with a similar propeller and guard fitted right forward, just aft of the torpedo door. The main propellers are glued to their shafts, followed by their individual bosses, and shaped accordingly. The trickiest parts of the PE to assemble are for the two platforms that are fitted either side of the tower. Each platform consists of eight supports and the separate decking, but with patience these will look great when assembled and fitted to the model. Conclusion MikroMir really have a knack of producing interesting and unusual subjects, and this is another one that I knew nothing about. It’s great that they have chosen to release this in 1:144 scale as it makes this really small submarine that little bit bigger once built to show off, measuring out at around 155mm long when complete. Review sample courtesy of

Thanks Max. I was on the right lines.

Project 685, (Mike Class), Submarine Mikro Mir 1:350 The Project 685 was an advanced submarine developed to test advanced submarine technologies. The design was initially developed in the 1960s, but the first unit was not laid down at Severodvinsk until 22 April 1978. The submarine K-278 Komsomolets was launched on 09 May 1983 and commissioned in late 1984. The hull was of double-hull configuration, divided into seven compartments: Torpedo room, Accommodations, Control room, Reactor compartment, Electrical motors, Turbines and Auxiliary mechanisms. The inner pressure hull was titanium, light and strong, making her the world's deepest diving submarine, and her operating depth below 3,000 feet was far below that of the best American submarines. A personnel rescue sphere was fitted in the sail to enable the crew to escape in the event of an underwater emergency. On 07 April 1989, while the Komsomolets was submerged at a depth of 500-1,250 feet, a fire erupted in the aft compartment when a high-pressure air line connected to the main ballast tanks, which allow the submarine to control its depth, burst a seal. A spray of oil hit a hot surface, and a flash fire began which soon spread through cable ways despite closed hatches. The emergency system to protect the nuclear reactors from overload kicked in, and the propeller shaft stopped. The boat managed to surface eleven minutes after discovery of the fire, but the rupture in the main compressed air system fed the fire further. The crew fought the fire for several hours before the submarine flooded and sank. Of the 69 crew members, 42 were killed in the accident, most dying in the water of hypothermia. The Komsomolets sank 180 km southeast of Bear Island off the coast of Norway in 1,500-1,700 meters of water. The Komsomolets was carrying two nuclear torpedoes when she sank. Two investigations, one by a state commission and another conducted independently, failed to fully account for the magnitude of the accident, though the independent commission suggested that Komsomolets had construction flaws. Others have claimed that the crew was not properly trained to operate the submarine's equipment. The site of the accident is one of the richest fishing areas in the world, and the possible leakage of radioactive material could jeopardize the local fisheries, valued at billions of dollars annually. Several underwater submersible missions to the site revealed that sea water was corroding the casings of the warheads and the hull of the submarine, a process accelerated by the rapidly shifting currents. On 24 June 1995 work began on sealing parts of the hull, and the objective was achieved at the end of July 1996. The hull was said to be safe for at least 20 to 30 more years. The Model As with the other kits from MikroMir that I’ve reviewed recently, this one comes in the standard top opening box with a painting of the boat in its natural habitat. Inside the parts are held in a easy opening poly bag, containing two sprues of grey styrene, three if you include the stand, a small sheet of etched brass and a small decal sheet. Construction begins with the joining of the two hull halves, split horizontally, rather than vertically of the previously reviewed releases. To this the four piece sail is attached, to which the modeller has the option of fitting up to eight masts and periscopes. The horizontal hydroplanes are each made up of upper and lower halves, which when glued together are fitted to the hull and two small PE propeller blades attached to the pod on the ends of each. The upper and lower rudder sections are then glued into position as are the forward hydroplanes. The propeller is made up of a central boss and eight PE blades, four at the tip and four forward of the first, much like a contra-rotating prop. The hull is then fitted with four large two piece reverse teardrop shaped pods, two on each side roughly amidships. These look like water intakes for the reactor cooling/steam generation, but if any of the BM massive knows exactly what they are I would love to know. There are four square aerial like shapes fitted two each side on the upper hull, midway between the sail and the rudders, and a strake like shape on the lower hull aft. Decals The small decal sheet provides quite a lot of markings for the submarine. These include the bollard locations, but also for the escape/access hatch which is provided as two parts to improve the opacity of the white sections. There are also depth marks for the bow, amidships and stern. Conclusion It’s reviewing models like this one that tells me I don’t know half as much about Submarine classes as I thought, as I’d not heard of this one or its fate. As they say at work, everyday is a school day. This is also why I like MikroMir models so much, they really do release not only the famous boats, but the more, somewhat obscure subs. They are also willing to receive ideas as to what to produce next, just as long as there are plans available. Review sample courtesy of

USS Benjamin Franklin (SSBN 640) and USS Kamehameha (SSN-642) Mikro Mir 1:350 The Benjamin Franklin-class submarine was a group of US ballistic missile submarines that were in Navy service from the 1960s–2000s. The class was an evolutionary development from the earlier Lafayette-class of fleet ballistic missile submarine. Having quieter machinery and other improvements, they are considered a separate class. The Benjamin Franklin class, together with the George Washington, Ethan Allen, Lafayette, and James Madison classes, comprise the "41 for Freedom" that were the Navy's main contribution to the nuclear deterrent force through the late 1980s. The Benjamin Franklin’s were built with the Polaris A-3 ballistic missile, and in the early 1970s were converted to carry the Poseidon C-3 missile. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, six boats were further modified to carry the Trident I (C-4) missile, along with six James Madison-class boats. These were Benjamin Franklin, Simon Bolivar, George Bancroft, Henry L. Stimson, Francis Scott Key, and Mariano G. Vallejo. This class can be distinguished by the fairwater planes' location halfway up the sail; the Lafayettes and James Madisons had the fairwater planes in the upper front portion of the sail. Two of these submarines [Kamehameha and James K Polk] were later converted to SEAL-mission capable attack submarines. In March of 1994 USS JAMES K. POLK (SSN 645) completed a 19-month conversion from ballistic missile submarine to attack/special warfare submarine at Newport News Shipbuilding. The January 1999 inactivation of the POLK leaves the KAMEHAMEHA (SSN 642) as the Navy's only former ballistic missile submarine equipped with Dry Deck Shelters (DDSs). In the early 1990s, to make room for the Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines within the limits set by the SALT II strategic arms limitation treaty, the ballistic missile tubes of Kamehameha and James K. Polk were disabled. Those boats were redesignated special operations attack submarines and given attack submarine (SSN) hull classification symbols. They were equipped with dry deck shelters to accommodate SEAL Delivery Vehicles or other equipment. The Benjamin Franklins were decommissioned between 1992 and 2002 due to a combination of SALT II treaty limitations as the Ohio class SSBNs entered service, age, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. USS Kamehameha was decommissioned on 2 April 2002, the last ship of the Benjamin Franklin class to be decommissioned. The Model Both of these kits have been out for a little while now and since they are basically the same hull I thought I’d review them together. They are both in the familiar coloured top opening box with a picture of each boat at sea, inside of which the kit parts are safely held in a poly bag. Considering the size of the completed models, there are very few parts, making them great kits to start with if you thinking of making a selection of submarine models. The grey styrene is not as soft as some short run kits I’ve come across and the moulded details, such as the silo doors, are very nicely moulded with only a little flash, but no other signs of imperfections. The two hull halves are cut vertically rather than the standard horizontal seen in most other kits and are both full hull options only unless you wish to carry out major surgery. The two halves are glued together and the join line filled and sanded as necessary. The single piece silo section is then glued to the upper hull, followed by the six part sail assembly, consisting of two sail halves, dive planes, sail top and internal floor, being attached to the forward end of the silo section. The sail is provided with three periscopes which are fitted to the top of the sail. The instructions call for a clear part to be fitted to the front upper section of the sail, but neither of the review samples had this part, so check carefully before purchasing. The upper and lower rudders and the aft dive planes are then attached to the rear of the hull, followed by the etched propeller. With the boss in place, the blades must be twisted carefully to shape, which is shown in the instructions, but you might get better results by finding a photograph of them on the internet or your library. The only difference between the two kits is that the USS Kamehameha is provided with two, three piece dry deck shelters which are glued onto the forward end of the missile silo section, just aft of the sail. Decals Both kits come with the same decal sheet that provides the names and identification numbers for the whole class, so you don’t have to make the boat named on the box art. The sheet also contains depth markings, bollard location markers and emergency escape hatch markers. Conclusion As with the other boats released in this scale, these are great looking kits and even though they’re short run, they do build into a really nice model and of a decent size too, as can be seen in the Ready For Inspection section on this very forum. Another pair of winners from MikroMir, with just the Ohios to release to complete the USN Boomer set. Review sample courtesy of

Pravda Class Submarine Iskra, (Spark) Mikro Mir 1:350 The Pravda Class or P class submarines were built for the Soviet Navy in the mid-1930s. They originally served as training ships, then later served in World War II for mainly transport duties. They were intended to operate with the surface fleet but failed to meet specifications, particularly for surface speed. The initial design envisaged 130mm guns for surface action. These boats had a long building time, being laid down in 1931 and completed in 1936. They were double hull boats with 8 compartments. Their main shortcomings were underpowered machinery, a long diving time and poor sea-keeping. Weakness in hull strength had to be remedied by stiffening and weight cutting. Yakubov and Worth state that these were the least successful Soviet submarines of this era and were relegated to secondary duties on completion. The two surviving boats had their conning towers re-built to resemble the later K class. 3 boats were built by Ordzhinikidze Yard Leningrad. All served with the Baltic Fleet. P1 Pravda (Truth) - Launched 3 January 1934 - sunk off Hango, Finland, 17 September 1941 P2 Zvezda (Star) - Launched 1935 - Broken up 1956 P3 Iskra (Spark) - Launched 1934 - Broken up 1952 A fourth boat was planned but not laid down. The Model The variety of submarines that Mikro-Mir release is what makes this company so great. They don’t rely on just German or American submarines, but also the more unusual and rarer types. This is the case with this kit of the Russian Pravda class submarine Iskra, (Spark). The kit comes in the standard style cardboard box with a painting of the submarine leaving a Russian harbour. Inside, the kit is tightly packaged inside a poly bag complete with etch, decals and a simple instruction sheet. The grey styrene is quite soft, but the details are very finely done with no flash or other signs of imperfections. Construction begins with the assembly the large tower. The tower sides are glued together with the deck in between. There are six periscopes and aerials glued to the deck along with two hatches which have PE hand wheels. The aft section of the deck is fitted with a four piece gun mounting. Two more mountings housing large guns are fitted fore and aft of the tower, each mounting consisting of two halves, the gun which is fitted with a PE elevation wheel The next assembly is the hull, made up from two halves split vertically, and the separate main deck to which is fitted with two strakes adjacent to where the tower is attached. The stern planes are glued into position, as are the propeller shafts, PE propellers, with plastic boss, separate rudder, and fore planes. The tower assembly is then glued into position on the deck and detailed further with the attachment of PE handrails. The deck is fitted with two PE cranes and the four piece stand assembled to display the completed model. Decals The small decal sheet provides markings for the boats name, main and secondary identification numbers and two Russian ensigns, one straight and one fluttering. Conclusion This is another great looking submarine, even if the class wasn’t entirely successful, it’ll be something different in your collection. Long may Mikro-Mir continue releasing more great subjects. Review sample courtesy of

Hopefully No. 7 will be Coventry.

Project 628 Submarine Mikro Mir 1:350 In 1952-1953 design efforts began on Project 628, an updated Soviet XIV series (K-class) submarine configured to conduct experimental launches of the 10XN Volna (wave) subsonic cruise missile. This missile – developed by Chelomei's design bureau – was powered by twin ramjets; the missile was launched from a ramp with the aid of single booster rocket. Initially though the tests were conducted using Russian built versions of the German V-1 flying bomb in a similar way that the US Navy was also using this missile. Although Western intelligence reported launchers installed near Leningrad and Vladivostok for this missile, it did not enter ground or naval service. It was rejected for naval service because of guidance limitations, the high fuel consumption of available ramjets, and the ongoing development of supersonic missiles. Versions of the 10XN did enter service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1953. The Model Mikro-Mir seems to be cornering the market for weird and wonderful submarines, and they certainly don’t shy away from any submersible subject. This kit comes in the standard style cardboard box with a drawing of the sub overlaid onto photograph of the real thing firing a V1 off its ramp. Inside the kit is tightly packaged inside a poly bag complete with etch, decals and a simple instruction sheet. The grey styrene is quite soft, but the details are very finely done with no flash or other signs of imperfections. Construction is very simple and begins with the assembly of the conning tower and hanger. The two tower halves are glued together sandwiching the conning deck to which two periscopes have been attached. The hanger comprises of two halves and the main door, which gives the option of the modeller posing it open and detailing the interior. Two PE ladders are then glued to the tower. One on each side along with the PE window frames for the front of the tower. The two hull sections are joined together, followed by the separate main deck, and extreme aft section of decking. Each propeller shaft and rear dive plane are moulded as a single piece, to which a support strut and PE propeller are added before being glued to the hull, along with the forward dive planes and tower assembly. There is an addition deck section fitted to the rear of the hanger which provides the support for the aft end of the ramp. The three piece ramp is then assembled, this includes the elevation actuator. The ramp assembly is then glued into position. The tiny V1 flying bomb comes with in two parts witht eh ramjet separate, ones assembled it can be fitted to the ramp. The kit is then finished off with the addition of PE DF aerial and safety line supports before being attached to the supplied stand. Decals The small decal sheet provides markings for two submarines, K3 and K21 along with four bollard location markings, but there are no mention of any markings on the painting guide. Conclusion Well, this is certainly an unusual one to have in the collection and great to see MikroMir taking it on. With the colourful red and white squares on the V1 body to add a bit of colour to the standard grey and read of the hull it will stand out from the crowd. Review sample courtesy of

IJN Battleship Fuso Kagero Super Drawings in 3D Fusō was the lead ship of the two Fusō-class dreadnought battleships built for the Imperial Japanese Navy. Launched in 1914 and commissioned in 1915, she initially patrolled off the coast of China, playing no part in World War I. In 1923, she assisted survivors of the Great Kantō earthquake. Fusō was modernized in 1930–1935 and again in 1937–1941, with improvements to her armour and propulsion machinery and a rebuilt superstructure in the pagoda mast style. With only 14-inch (356 mm) guns, she was outclassed by other Japanese battleships at the beginning of World War II, and played auxiliary roles for most of the war. Fusō was part of Vice-Admiral Shōji Nishimura's Southern Force at the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was sunk in the early hours of 25 October 1944 by torpedoes and naval gunfire during the Battle of Surigao Strait. Some reports claimed that Fusō broke in half, and that both halves remained afloat and burning for an hour, but according to survivors' accounts, the ship sank after 40 minutes of flooding. Of the few dozen crewmen who escaped, only 10 survived to return to Japan. This is the latest book from Kagero in their Super Drawings in 3D, and like the previous books it has a brief history and the ships specifications at the beginning. This includes the following:- Overview Design Armour Power Plant Mechanisms of fire control Radar Equipment Searchlights Aviation Upgrading Conclusion The rest of the eighty five pages are filled with the now well known style of beautifully drawn 3D renderings of every part of the ship. More time and effort seem to have been taken with this volume as there are a lot more detailed renders, including cutaways of the magazines, athwartships of No.2 and No.3 turrets, and of the whole ship horizontally. Naturally there is a wealthy of information for the modeller to use during their build, and having built the 1/350 Fujimi kit I wish I had had this book at the time. Every area of the upper hull and superstructure is dealt with plus the lower hull including the propellers and rudder. The area where I had difficulty in getting right, the funnel and searchlight towers is very well detailed in the book and would have been most useful. As well as the ship renders, there are also close up drawings of the triple 25mm mountings, searchlights and each of the main turret styles For even more detail, especially for the rigging, Kagero have included a double sided A2 fold out sheet with a three view on one side as the ship was in 1944, in 1:350, with additional drawings of the fore and aft views also in 1:350, ships fixtures, such as turrets, funnels, searchlights, single, dual and triple 25mm mounts and radar, which are in a mixture of 1:200, 1:150 or 1:50 scales. Conclusion This is another superb book in the series and a great addition to any maritime modeller’s library. This series is a boon to any ship modeller and is turning into a magnificent collection of titles. The detail included is second to none, and the renderings are so clear that they will be a delight for the superdetailers, particularly if building the Fujimi kits in 1:700 and 1:350. Having compared the renderings with my completed 1:350 kit, Fujimi have done a great job on getting it right, and the use of their etched detail sets was worth it. Review sample courtesy of

Yeah, thanks for pointing that out Ken. I'd completely missed it. Doh!

HMS Resolution Mikro Mir 1:350 The Resolution class was a class of four nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBN) built for the Royal Navy as part of the UK Polaris programme. Each submarine was armed with up to 16 UGM-27 Polaris A-3 nuclear missiles. The class included Resolution, Repulse, Renown and Revenge. They were built by Vickers Armstrong in Barrow-in-Furness and Cammell Laird in Birkenhead between 1964 and 1968. All four boats were based at HM Naval Base Clyde (HMS Neptune), 40 km (25 mi) west of Glasgow, Scotland. The Resolution class was the launch platform for the United Kingdom's strategic nuclear deterrent from the late 1960s until 1994, when it was replaced by the Vanguard-class submarine carrying the Trident II.The design was a modification of the Valiant-class fleet submarine, but greatly extended to incorporate the missile compartment between the fin and the nuclear reactor. The length was 130 metres (430 ft), breadth 10.1 metres (33 ft), height 9 metres (30 ft) and the displacement 8,400 long tons (8,500 t) submerged and 7,600 long tons (7,700 t) surfaced. A Rolls-Royce pressurised water reactor (PWR1) and English Electric Company turbines gave them a speed of 25 knots (46 km/h) and they could dive to depths of 275 metres (902 ft). Sixteen Polaris A3 missiles were carried, in two rows of eight. For emergencies there was a diesel generator and six 533-millimetre (21 in) torpedo tubes located at the bow, firing the Tigerfish wire-guided homing torpedoes. The submarines put to sea with a crew of 143. The first to be completed was Resolution, laid down in February 1964 and launched in September 1966. After commissioning in 1967 she underwent a long period of sea trials, culminating in the test firing of a Polaris missile from the USAF Eastern Test Range off Cape Kennedy at 11:15 on 15 February 1968. Resolution commenced her first operational patrol on 15 June 1968, beginning 28 years of Polaris patrols. The class were part of the 10th Submarine Squadron, all based at Faslane Naval Base, Scotland. All four of the class underwent conversion during the 1980s so that they could be fitted with the Polaris AT-K missile which was fitted with the British-developed Chevaline MRV system. As the newer Vanguard-class submarines entered service, the Resolution class was eventually retired and all boats laid up at Rosyth dockyard with their used nuclear fuel removed. The Model This kit has been out for a little while now but this is our first look at it. The kit comes in the familiar coloured top opening box, inside of which the kit parts are safely held in a poly bag. Considering the size of the completed model, there are very few parts, making it a great kit to start with if you thinking of making a selection of submarine models. The grey styrene is not as soft as some short run kits I’ve come across and the moulded details, such as the silo doors, are very nicely moulded. The two hull halves are cut vertically rather than the standard horizontal seen in most other kits. This makes the modelling of a waterline diorama a little harder, but most submarine models I’ve seen have been full hull. The two halves are glued together and the join line filled and sanded as necessary. The single piece silo section is then glued to the upper hull, followed by the four part sail assembly, consisting of two sail halves, sail top and internal floor, being attached to the forward end of the silo section. The sail is provided with no less than nine periscopes and antenna/radar masts, so it can look a bit crowded if the modeller was to fit all of them. To the front of the upper casing a sonar blade is glued into position and just ahead of that there is a another protuberance which I have yet to identify. The bow planes each come in inner and outer sections allowing the modeller to pose the outer sections folded up should they so wish. The upper and lower rudders and the aft dive planes are then attached to the rear of the hull, followed by the etched propeller. With the boss in place, the blades must be twisted carefully to shape, which is shown in the instructions, but you might get better results by finding a photograph of them on the internet or your library. There is just a small decal sheet providing just the depth marks, two types for the bow and two types for the stern, the kit also comes with a small stand to display it on. Conclusion As with the other boats released in this scale, this is great looking kit and even though it’s short run, it does build into a really nice model, as can be seen in the Ready For Inspection section on this very forum. Mikr Mir should be congratulated for releasing this important class of British boats. Review sample courtesy of

Avro Lancaster Instrument Panel Upgrade Airscale 1:32 In preparation for the release of the huge HK Models Lancaster, we have Airscale providing a replacement instrument panel, which includes each individual panel, levers and shrouds for the throttle quadrant and a set of decals, and knowing Peter's penchant for detail, highly accurate. There are also two small sheets of acetate with exceptional optical quality. The etched steel parts should be painted and finished off to the modellers taste before assembly can begin. For the main instrument panel, engineers panel, navigators and circuit breaker panel the clear acetate sheets should be cut to size, using the panels as a template, the gluing the acetate to the rear of he panel followed by the decal, ensuring the instruments align with the positions on the front of the panel, the etched backing plate is then glued into position completing the assembly. Some of the instrument decals are for the front face of the panels such as the switch covers. For the throttle quadrant, you will need to make slots in the kit part before adding the various levers. The shrouds should be removed from the sheet separately in order to fit the correct to the correct position on the quadrant as there are left and right shrouds in addition to the main shroud for the throttle levers. Conclusion Peter's decal panels and Photo-Etched (PE) instrument bezels have rapidly gained a reputation for quality within our hobby, and Fantasy Printshop have done another fine job of printing his work. The big Lancaster will be a labour of love with as much detail as possible by most modellers who buy it and what better place to start than the cockpit. When I talked to Peter at Telford, he assured me this set will also fit the newly announced 1:32 Lancaster from Wingnut Wings. Review sample courtesy of Peter at

SS – KampfGruppe Peiper 1943 – 1945 Kagero Publications Written by Massimiliano Afiero and published by Kagero publishing, this book tells the story of the military career of Joachim Peiper, one of the most valiant and decorated officers of the Waffen SS, told through the main battles and campaigns, which involved the units under his command, especially the armoured Kampfgruppen of the Leibstandarte Adolf Hitler, starting from the fighting on the front at Kharkov in the Ukraine, between February and March 1943, passing through the fighting for the salient of Kursk, the intervention in Italy, the new campaign on the Ukrainian front between autumn and winter of 1943-44, fighting on the front of Normandy, the counter-offensive in the Ardennes, until the last fighting on the Hungarian front and in Austria. The analysis of the various battles told through the testimonies of the direct protagonists, the war reports of the period, the original documents, without forgetting the involvement in the war crimes committed by units under Peipers command. Not only is this book is filled with useful information on all the battles the Kampfgruppen was involved in, but each battle is illustrated with numerous maps, diagrams and very interesting photos, including all the different vehicles used, many of the officers from headquarters down, and the more humble troops on the front line. The real interesting photos for the modeller are, naturally the vehicles and there are plenty of unusual camouflage schemes and equipment seen on everything from a SdKfz 251 Half Track to a SdKfz 182 King Tiger. There are also superb scenes just asking to be built as a diorama, plus three pages of colour profiles. Conclusion If you’re into your German armoured units of WWII then this is a must have book, the text is well laid out, although there are some spelling mistakes scattered amongst the text. The period photos are superb, although some are a bit blurred, and some of the annotations don’t seem to describe the picture. But if you want an unusual diorama, or camouflage for your model collection then look no further. Review sample courtesy of

Dassault Mirage IIIE/RD/O Revell 1:32 History While the initial Mirage IIIC model was heading towards quantity production, Dassault promoted a long-range, all-weather air defense/strike fighter (multirole) variant of the design as the "Mirage IIIE". The prototype first flew on April 1st, 1961 and included a lengthened fuselage with increased avionics and fuel, a Marconi navigation radar, Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and Cyrano II series air-ground radar. The Mirage IIIE was outfitted with the SNECMA Atar 09C series afterburning turbojet engine and a total of three prototypes furthered the endeavor prior to production. After adoption by the French Air Force, the IIIE was also licensed-produced in the countries of Australia, known as the Mirage IIIO(A), and Switzerland while fielded by the forces of Argentina, Brazil, Lebanon, Pakistan, South Africa, Spain and Venezuela under various export designations. French Air Force Mirage IIIE models were cleared for nuclear ordnance. As with other interceptor aircraft of the period, a dedicated reconnaissance variant soon emerged as the "Mirage IIIR". This variant offered the ground attack frames of the Mirage IIIE models with the avionics suite of the Mirage IIIC interceptor. They lacked radar under the nose cone and housed multiple cameras for photo-reconnaissance sorties instead. The Mirage IIIR was then improved through the "Mirage IIIRD" upgrade. Reconnaissance types were adopted outside of France by the forces of Israel, Pakistan, South Africa and Switzerland. The Model Originally released in 2016 by Italeri, Revell have now re-boxed the kit with new decals. The kit comes in a top opening box which is still incredibly flimsy, which showed by the fact that the review samples windscreen had been badly cracked. Inside there are six large sprues of grey styrene, one of clear and a large, colourful decal sheet. The moulding of the parts looks to very nice and fine, with no flash or other imperfections. Whilst quite detailed out of the box, there is plenty of room for extra, should the modeller wish. Construction begins with the assembly of the nine piece ejection seat with a choice of ejection handles on the head box. Although nice, the kit only comes with decal seatbelts, etched steal/brass or cloth would be much better, so you will have to resort to aftermarket items. The single piece cockpit tub is fitted out with a lower front bulkhead, alternative two piece instrument panels, depending on whether you are building the E/O or RD versions, joystick, and three piece coaming with optional head-up display. The upper rear bulkhead and sidewalls are then attached to the tub, followed by the three piece nose wheel bay, which is attached to the rear of the cockpit tub. The cockpit/bay assembly is then glued to the lower fuselage, which will also need some holes drilled depending on which version you are building. The main wheel bays are each made up from four parts, which are then glued into the lower fuselage. The full length intakes are each made from two halves, but in such a way that there shouldn’t be any seams to worry about. The rear sections of the intakes where they join is a single piece, which when all assembled allows the intakes to be fitted to a bulkhead which is then glued into one half of the upper fuselage. Strangely enough, the instructions then tell you to build the engine at this point, which is a very nice six piece assembly, as a standalone model itself, but could have been left till the end where its transport stand is also assembled. The fin is then assembled and again, the modeller has to drill out holes depending on the version they are building. The fuselage halves are then joined together, sandwiching the intakes in-between, after which the fin assembly is glued into place. Each wing, also requiring holes to be drilled out depending on version are each made up from upper and lower halves, but before joining them together the modeller has to fit the upper and lower airbrakes, outer main gear bays and main gear oleos. Clear lenses for the navigation lights are then attached. If you’re building the RD reconnaissance version then the camera nose needs to be assembled. Each of the four cameras are made from three parts including clear lenses. The rear nose bulkhead is then fitted with the camera platform onto which the cameras are then fitted. The lower camera bay hatch is fitted with clear ports, after which the nose halves are glued together with the bay in-between and a fifth camera in the extreme nose and the final clear parts to cover the ports. The bay hatch can either be posed in the open or closed position with support rams to hold it open should the modeller wish it. The upper and lower fuselage sections are glued together, followed by the fitting of the wing assemblies, intakes and either the RD or E/O nose sections having fitted 20g of nose weight just forward of the cockpit first. Now the rather confusing bit in the instructions, which show the engine assembly being slid into the exhaust orifice before the exhaust fairings and nozzle sections, yet in another diagram it shows the nozzle and fairing being fitted without the engine. So, it looks like you can either engine on the display stand or in the aircraft, yet there are no other details for the interior of the fuselage should you want to display it out. The wings are fitted with half of the flap and aileron actuator fairings, whilst the other half is fitted to the control surfaces. The main undercarriage assemblies are then completed with the addition of scissor links, actuators, outer doors and two piece wheels. The inner doors are fitted with separate hinges before being glued into place. The nose wheel is made up from thirteen parts not including the bay doors and once assembled is glued into position. In front of the nose wheel bay there is a bulged panel, which looks like a doppler panel, and depending on the version the modeller is building there is an option of two types. The build of the aircraft is completed by the fitting of the windscreen, canopy, which can be posed open or closed, various aerials, pitot probe and a nicely produced access ladder. The optional engine stand is then assembled from thirty six parts and will look great in a diorama setting. If you are building the E/O strike version then the kit comes with a wide selection of weapons to hang of the aircraft. These include the Matra R530 missile, 500 l, 1300l and 1700l drop tanks, JL 100R Rocket pods/fuel tanks, R550 Magic missiles, AIM-9B missiles, Matra AS37 Martel missiles, Barax pod, Barracuda pod and Phimat pods Decals The decals come on a large sheet and provide options for three aircraft. The decals look very nice, being in register, good colour density but with quite a matt/satin finish. Some of the decals are quite large and will probably need some softening and setting solutions to bed down correctly. The sheet also contains a full set of stencils and warning symbols for both the aircraft and the ordinance. The options are:- Mirage IIIE 3-XT “50 Years EC 3/3 Ardennes” Armee De L’air, BA133, Nancy-Ochey, 1993 Mirage IIIRD 33-TI ER 3/33 Moselle, Armee De L’air, BA124, Strasbourg-Entzheim, 1987 Mirage III0, A3-49, 3 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force, Butterworth AB, Malaysia, 1983 Conclusion I never got to see the Italeri kit when it was first released, so it’s nice of Revell to re-box it. The kit does look very nice and will certainly look stunning in any collection, just a shame that you have to use the separate engine either on the stand or in the aircraft. It would have been nice to have a simpler tube just to fit in the aircraft. Not really knowing the subject I can only go by those who have reviewed the Italeri kit when it comes to accuracy and from what I’ve read it does measure up well with the real aircraft. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

T-14 Armata Revell 1:35 The T-14 Armata is a next generation Russian main battle tank based on the Armata Universal Combat Platform. It is the first series-produced next generation tank. It has entered serial production, with the first batch of 100 T-14 Armata tanks being deployed with the Taman division, and it is expected to be completed by 2020. The Russian Federation was expecting to order 2,300 new main battle tanks for delivery by 2020. In 2015, Russian media had announced that around 20 tanks had been delivered for testing, without naming a source, and at least seven T-14 Armata tanks appeared in the 2015 and 2016 Moscow Victory Day parade, five in 2017. But in 2016 the Russian defence ministry announced that it had signed a contract for a “test batch” of 100 tanks to be delivered by 2020, with the full project extended until 2025. In July 2018, Deputy Prime Minister for Defence and Space Industry Yury Borisov said there is currently no need to mass-produce the Armata when its older predecessors, namely the latest variants of the T-72, remain "effective against American, German and French counterparts”, saying, “Why flood our military with Armatas, the T-72s are in great demand on the market(s).” Instead, a modernization program of the T-72s, T-80s and T-90s in-service will take precedent. In August 2018, at the ARMY2018 Forum outside Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defence signed a contract for the purchase of 32 T-14s tanks and 100 T-15 infantry fighting vehicles, with delivery to be finished by 2021 The Model This is a re-boxing of the Zvezda kit from 2016, as such the kit is quite well known and from what I’ve seen is pretty good when built up. Unfortunately Revell have used their own flimsy end opening boxes rather than the strong Zvezda type, but its fine if you don’t want to store it for any length of time. The kit itself is very nicely moulded and come on eight sprues of light grey styrene and a single clear sprue. There are also squares of mesh which need to be cut to size for the engine deck grilles and a small decal sheet. There are no signs of flash or other imperfections and only a few moulding pips. Construction begins with the fitting of the engine deck grilles, using the netting supplied. There are templates in the instructions for the modeller to cut to the correct size. For covers are then fitted on the underside of the grilles. The crew vision ports and hatches are then glued into position on the upper hull section, while on the lower hull section the two, three piece exhausts are assembled and attached, followed by a large panel on the underside. The upper and lower hull are then glued together and two more net grilles are added to the very rear of the ending deck. The rear bulkhead is then fitted with the numerous brackets, towing eyes, and tow hook before being attached to the rear of the model. The two rear mudguards are assembled from three parts and glued into place. The lower glacis plate is then fitted with the attachment points for the various engineering equipment tan can be fitted to most Russian tanks such as dozer blades etc. The front mudguards are then attached, followed by the assembly of the fourteen dual road wheels, idler and drive sprockets. The return rollers, four per side are glued into place, followed by the axles and, where required, the three shock absorbers per side. The idler and sprocket axle covers are also fitted at this point, as is the spaced armour, and spare track links for the rear bulkhead. The road wheels, idler and drive sprockets are now fitted to their respective axles followed by the assembly of the tracks. Each track is made up from link and length with separate guide horns, and while not quite as realistic as individual links can make it easier to assembled for the less experienced modeller. The tracks are then glued into place, but I would normally do this at the end of painting as it’s easier to paint the track and vehicle before fitting. Because of the size of the two, three piece side skirts, it is possible to get away with only making the lower length of track if you’re not too worried about doing something that can’t be seen. You can add the side skirts after painting and fitting of the tracks if you so wish. The engine deck is further detailed with the fitting of hinges, stowage covers, deck armour, cables, and hinge covers. The towing cable is then glued to the rear bulkhead and the upper lengths of the side skirts are also fitted. The attachment arms for the slated armour to the rear of each side of the tank are glued into place followed by the armour itself. Fortunately the arms are moulded integrally with their hinge points, making the setting of the correct angles so much easier than the Takom version of this tank. The turret is now assembled with a plethora of panels, vision blocks, additional armour, grab handles, lifting eyes, and the many defensive launchers. Be aware that there are quite a few panels that have to be fitted internally including the sight doors before the turret ring can be attached, and including the large active defence launch tubes. The main gun is made up from thirteen parts and is fitted to the turret ring section before that turret is closed up. The remote machine gun mounting is made up from twelve parts before being attached to its base and sight consisting of another eight parts. The mounting can be glued into position or left to rotate as required. The turret is then further detailed with additional sensors, aerials and other fittings before being attached to the hull. Decals While there are two paint options, there are only decals for one vehicle, that of the prototype shown at the 2015 Moscow parade. Conclusion Zvezda are gaining a reputation for producing nicely detailed and buildable tanks and have come a long way over the years. This does look a very nice model from the box and there shouldn’t be any need any aftermarket to produce a good looking tank for your collection. There are also numerous paint schemes available to be seen on the internet, so you could try your hand at one of those. It’s great to see Revell re-release this kit as it gives those modellers unsure of buying a Zvezda kit a chance to see what they’re like while being backed by Revell. It also keeps product coming from Revell while they continue their reorganization which will hopefully lead to more self designed releases. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

Indeed. We're getting a metal one next year hopefully and a sand casting printer for civil engineering and our science lab has one that can print the matrix onto which organs are grown. There's a new one out that uses stem cells. Our high res printer prints in resin so can be used for masters.

It is certainly a very interesting technology. Apart from the hi res printer I also gave one that can print in carbon fibre, six in ABS and one that can print up to 1m cubed.

Hey Rob, nice little Vulcans. What printer did you use? I look after ours at the uni I work at, one of which can print to 16 micron resolution.

It looked even more amazing in the flesh at Telford. A truly amazing build.