Viking

Lovely Firefly! Amazing work. Cheers John

I have one of these, and periodically take it out of the box to looks at. And back it goes, I love the Marauder but can't face what looks like a long haul to get it built. You have achieved an outstanding result, I'm interested in your painting technique and might give it a go, the result is fabulous. Cheers John

Thanks eng, I'm hoping to build one in 'Chelsea Rose' as well, and possible the classic BA Negus livery. I've updated the review with some more photographs to show the nose gear and assembly, and a few other bits. The nose leg is multi part and will be delicate to assemble. We wouldn't have it any other way though would we? Certainly not a chunky single part moulding - give me Zvezda's finely detailed style every time . Cheers John

And We have received one at Britmodeller!

Boeing 757-200 Icelandair (7032) Zvezda 1:144 First flown in 1982 the Boeing 757 was designed as a replacement the to hugely successful 727 tri-jet. The initial version was the -200 as depicted in this kit, which entered service with Eastern Airlines on January 1st 1983. Designed to cruise at higher altitudes than the 727, the 757 was able to achieve up to 45% fuel saving over its predecessor. The later -300 version stretched the fuselage by 23 ft (7.1m) and entered service in 1999. It has served widely with Civil, Military, and Government/VIP operators, as both passenger and freight haulers. Offered with the Rolls-Royce RB-211 or Pratt & Whitney PW2000 engines, a total of 1,049 757's of all versions were delivered. After nearly 40 years of service it is becoming an increasingly rare sight in the skies. Since this kit was announced, it has been eagerly awaited by airliner modellers, and first impressions are that it was well worth the wait. It is presented in Zvezda's stout cardboard post-office resistant box, with an outer sleeve depicting an Icelandair 757 taking off. Slide the outer cover off and the box reveals a set of beautiful looking moulding in light grey plastic. Panel lines are lightly engraved, and details are razor sharp on all the finer elements such as engine fans and undercarriage legs. The fuselage features the 'lobe crease' along its length, but is difficult to photograph as it is so subtle. Construction starts with the cockpit (we don't say that very often in airliner modelling!) with seats, control columns and rear bulkhead. Strips of glazing are provided for the cabin windows, and the instructions show to remove various lengths from each one, a sure sign that a -300 is on the way, and this sprue will be shared with it. The cockpit opening is of the 'letterbox' type, with a clear insert for the glazing, like the Airfix 'Skyking' and some Revell kits do. The instructions note to include 10 gr of weight in the nose to prevent tail sitting. There is no option to assemble it with slats and flaps down (which seemed to divide opinion amongst modellers) as the wings are formed from a single span lower part with individual uppers for each side. This is a virtually fool proof way of getting the dihedral set correctly and equally each side, simplicity itself. The wing can be built with the upward curved 'winglets', or the standard tips which are included but marked as not for use. Either are probably appropriate as photos show Icelandair 757's with both at various times. Next up are the engines, and here we have a real bonus. Zvezda have included both the Rolls-Royce and P&W options in full, which is very welcome for those of us who like to buy multiple kits and finish them with aftermarket decals for other liveries. The Rolls-Royce engines are used on this Icelandair version, and feature stunningly moulded fan detail. Also welcome is the provision of inner liners for the intakes. They are in 2 parts so can be assembled and smoothed off before fitting to the fan units. Knowing how accurately Zvezda's kits fit together, a quick swipe with some wet & dry paper should clean up any seams in seconds. Finally the undercarriage is assembled, but there is the option to assemble it 'gear up' in flight, and a sturdy stand is provided should you chose to do this. The undercarriage is made up of Zvezda's typically fine detailed parts, so will need care in assembly. Attention to detail evident even here as two complete sets of wheels are provided, each with different hub patterns. Kudos to Zvezda! Nose leg main part: I've had a couple of messages since posting this review, asking if it is possible to fit the nose leg after assembly. The good news is yes! Stage 10 in the instructions is the final step, and this is where you fit all the legs to complete the model. Summaries from the instructions to illustrate some of the pints made above. Decals Just one colour scheme is provided, that of Icelandair. It is beautifully printed in perfect register and with minimal carrier film. Silver framing is provided for all window surrounds and the cockpit glazing. A much appreciated touch is the provision of blocks of colour for the blue and yellows needed for painting the model. These will be the engine cowlings (yellow) and the under fuselage and fin. A second sheet provides the wing and tailplane walkway markings. Conclusion. The 757 has been high on many airliner modeller 'wants' list for several years. There are nice resin kits available, but the two injection moulded 757's from Minicraft and Eastern Express are not up to most modellers expectations, and can now be consigned to 'collectors only'. This new kit far and away exceeds them, and looks to be outstanding 'in the box. I have no doubt that it will build up with the superb fit that Zvezda achieve with their kits, a little care will be needed with assembling the noseleg, but the rest of it looks to be simplicity itself. I am sure that it should be a big seller for Zvezda, and that the aftermarket decal producers should be releasing some of the many, many attractive schemes that the 757 wore over the years. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

British Fighter Aircraft in WW1 Design, Construction and Innovation. By Mark C. Wilkins. Casemate Publishers. ISBN 9781612008813 The Great War heralded a fascinating era of aeronautical development, coming as it did just as the very first aviators and their machines were establishing themselves in Europe. As answers to various problems were sought a huge range of designs were tried, from tail first canards, pusher and tractor engines, monoplanes, biplanes, triplanes and more. This book is a natural follow on from the same authors previous work 'German Fighter Aircraft in World war 1', reviewed here in 2019. Filling 192 pages it is richly illustrated with around 250 photographs and drawings, many of them contemporary. It is printed on good quality glossy paper, dimensions 254mm x 203mm, between hardback covers. Sections are: Introduction The British Aircraft Industry The British and Colonial Aeroplane Company (B&CAC)/Bristol The Royal Aircraft Factory Aircraft Manufacturing Company (Airco) A. V. Roe & Company (Avro) Sopwith Aviation Company Engines and Props Conclusion Appendix 1: The 1915 Defence of the Realm act Appendix 2. Aircraft Designer Patents Notes Bibliography Modern full colour photographs are used to illustrate preserved machines such as those owned by the Shuttleworth collection. Others cover reproduction machines under construction such as John Saunders SE5a, and John Shaws beautiful Sopwith Camel, shown below: These are accompanied by detailed drawings/sketches of key components such as tailskids, interrupter gear, and others. All valuable information for modellers. I particularly liked the period advertisements, and factory shots of aircraft under construction which are very atmospheric. The major manufacturers are covered in dedicated chapters, featuring individual aircraft such as the Bristol Scout and F.2B, the RAF BE.2 and SE5a, Avro 504 (not really a fighter, but it fits in well) and Sopwiths Pup, Triplane, and Camel to name a few. This is rounded off with a very interesting chapter on engines and propeller manufacturing. Finally there is a selection of original patent drawings covering Avro's method of seat mounting to Sopwiths method of securing rigging wires (- and it's not a turnbuckle!). It is not a book to give you a detailed history of each aircraft, rather it describes the development of the various companies and some of the deigns they produced. There is as much information on Tommy Sopwith and the establishment of his famous company, as there is about the aircraft themselves. Plenty of anecdotes are sprinkled through the chapters, I particularly like the contemporary accounts from pilots. For example, Elliot White Springs, US 148 Aero Sqn "in a dogfight down low nothing could get away from it...a Camel could make a monkey out of an SE or a Fokker at treetop level but it couldn't zoom and it couldn't dive". Conclusion When looking back to earlier times, nothing is more important than context. To properly understand the story being told, the reader needs to be 'in the shoes' of the people of the time, and see things from their knowledge base and social values. This something this book does so well. The introduction and first chapter set the scene very well, setting out how British design lagged behind the French, and developed in different ways to the Germans. The author makes interesting points that I not considered before, such as the British use of the wooden box girder fuselage on all major designs throughout the war, while other nations used welded steel or plywood semi-monocoques. He also discusses how designs not only had to be good flying machines, but also had to be practical to build, transport, and maintain. There is a great deal of original thought and presentation that lifts this book above being just another book about First World War Aviation. It is a 'Sunday Morning' book, sit in your favourite armchair with a mug of tea, and spend a pleasant hour or so reading and enjoying this lovely book. There are a good few Sunday mornings to be had! Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

That is a real beauty Ray, interesting back story as well. Cheers John

Absolutely incredible! Cheers John

That really is a beautiful piece of work, the finish is outstanding, and brush painted, wow! Cheers John

Hi Dave, Good to know we are following parallel paths with regard to the A310! Which airline/livery are you gong to finish it in? Cheers John

I really like that! Very interesting with the test engine mounted, and a superb colour scheme. (I also must get mine out of the stash and build it!) Cheers John

Lufthansa Airbus A310 1:144 Revell with AA and 26Decals The A310 was a shortened version of the A300 Airbus, using the same fuselage sections, but with a new, smaller wing. Lufthansa used them from 1983 to 2005, A few are still flying, mainly as cargo haulers. This is the venerable old Revell kit of the A310, with a replacement resin nose from Braz to correct the kit part. It is a simple bit of work, and makes a huge difference to to the finished model. I also scraped and reduced the over prominent reinforcement bulge at the base of the fin, and blended it in a bit of Milliput to improve the look. Decals are silk screen printed from 26Decals and performed superbly. The cockpit and passenger windows are Authentic Airliners photo realistic decals, There is a new kit from Eastern Express, but it is pricey at over £60, so the Revell kit is still worth building if you have one in your stash. But it really does benefit from the Braz nose. Mine was kindly donated by the ever helpful Mr Stringbag, so thanks again Chris! With something else. Lets call this Frankfurt 1986! Thanks for looking, John

I'll always steer clear of a multi striped cheatline that meets on the nose. You are braver than me Einar, and have made a beautiful job of it! I'd agree that this is one of the most attractive liveries. Cheers John

Very unusual build of a DC-8. I'm always intrigued by civil airliners adapted for military use, great to see this one! Cheers John

Blimey Dave, that looks like an Albatros, something the Airfix kit doesn't do straight out of the box! Great work on improving it, there is a lot of satisfaction to be gained from doing these improvements to old kits, lets see more please! Cheers John