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Hannover Cl.II (Early) 1/32 Wingnut Wings. (32079). The Hannover CL.II was designed in 1917 as a two seat escort fighter to protect other two seat reconnaissance aircraft.Hannoversch Waggonfabrik AG were actually manufacturers of railway waggons who had branched out into license building Halberstadt, Rumpler and Aviatik aircraft. Their first indigenous design was the CL.II, which first flew in July 1917 and entered service in August 1917. Like the Roland CL.II the fuselage was a lightweight structure formed of thin plywood layers covered with fabric and doped, as were the wing centre sections. It makes an interesting comparison with the Bristol F.2b fighter as some of the design aims were the same. Most obvious was the need to give the gunner as wide a field of fire as possible. Frank Barnwell did this on the Bristol aircraft by placing the fin and rudder pretty much half and half above and below the fuselage. The CL.II achieved it by shortening the span of the tailplane but maintaining the surface area by making it a biplane unit, and locating the gunner very high in the fuselage. Also similar to the F.2b the top wing is at the crews eye level, giving them an excellent view above and below. Unlike the Bristol with its lower wing mounted below the fuselage on short struts, the Hannover simply has a much deeper fuselage to maintain the gap between the two wings. In service it was very well liked, being strong, fast, highly maneuverable and generally versatile. It also had the advantage of being smaller that most two seaters, leading allied pilots to think it was a single seater that could be sneaked up on from behind. Any pilot who did so would place himself at the mercy of the rear gunner. As the war progressed into 1918 the Hannover was also used in the ground attack role, and continued in front line service up until the November armistice. The kit. As always the artwork is beautiful, this time showing a Cl.II in the escort role fending off an SE.5a attempting to attack an Albatros C.X. Inside are eleven individually bagged sprues, three large decal sheets, a small etched brass fret, and a set of the outstanding Wingnut Wings instructions. The plastic parts are pretty much the same as in the previous release (32024), but the decal sheets are all new. Sprue A. This mostly holds the interior and tailplane parts. The main cockpit part is A42 which is the floor and fuel tank, forming the core around which much of the rest of the detail is built. It is a sobering thought that the pilot sat above the petrol tank, when the risk of fire through enemy action or accident was high. One of the interesting 'bonuses' of building Wingnut Wings kits is that they are so accurate, you get a real insight into what these machines were like. When building up an interior I can't help but drift into thoughts of what it must have been like to have been aircrew on machines like this. Great stuff! I guess it why we all enjoy this hobby so much. Enough daydreaming, and back to reality. The Observers cockpit for options B and E has the choice of fitting a '50cm Flieger Kammer' Camera, and a Telefunken Type D wireless (found on sprue G3). These are such lovely parts, that it really is very tempting to use the, both even have their own miniature decals to further detail them, the wireless alone has eight of them. Also worth mentioning here is that the etched brass fret has some bracket work that is used to further detail the Observers cockpit. The parts are beautifully moulded, with delicate frameworks, bulkheads, levers and switched that go to make up the pilots and observers cockpits. There are also the distinctive biplane tailplane, elevators and ailerons. As expected all are moulded to perfection with fine trailing edges and delicate rib detail. Also exhibiting superfine moulding are the wing mounted radiators, a choice of either a Mercedes-Daimler or a Teeves & Braun unit depending upon which of the marking options you choose. They come as upper and lower inserts that are fixed into recesses in the wing centre section. Further items are the pilots LMG 08/15 Spandau in both 'solid' or 'High detail' etched jacket form, Undercarriage legs, Observers gun ring, and engine bearers. The following 4 photos are from my build of the previous release of this kit, taken a few years ago. the give a good idea of how well this all assembles. Sprue B. The wings are moulded with beautifully sharp, lightly scalloped trailing edges. There is fine rib stitching detail and a lovely aerofoil section that cambers gently but definitely across the top and bottom. Substantial locating tabs on each wing will make their fixing very strong. Always impressive is the standard of moulding that Wingnut Wings achieve on large parts such as these. There are never any flaws such as sink marks or short shots, just precise, clean, and perfect mouldings. Sprue C. Traditionally the smallest sprue in a Wingnut Wings kit (because there isn't much glazing on aircraft from this era), the parts are still to the same uncompromising standard as the rest of the kit. Crystal clear, the pilots windshield even his tiny rivet detail along its bottom edge, where it is fixed to the fuselage. Also on this sprue is a camera lens for the observers 50cm 'Flieger Kammer'. Sprue D. There are two of these, sensibly each supplies parts that need to be duplicated, such as the main wheels.In addition to the wheels are various fine struts and brackets for the tailplanes, some tiny flares, and inspection covers for the forward lower fuselage. The inspection covers are moulded with real open louvers, and it is much appreciated that they are provided as separate parts rather than being moudled into the fuselage halves, when they would sit on the seam line and be impossible to clean up. Another smart move by Wingnut Wings. Sprue E. The Argus As.III engine is moulded with separate sump/crankcase and cylinder units, to which is added all the necessary pipework and anciliaries. Pushrods run from the crankcase to the rocker arms on the cylinder head on the left side of the engine. There area three types of propellers to choose from, Niendorf, Germania, or Reshke. You are given the option of using a set of cylinder halves with the pushrods moulded in (E14) but where moulding limitations mean that there is no gap between the rods and the cylinders, or cylinder halves with no pushrods moulded on (E13), and you provide your own 0.5mm wire to create them. Sprue F. The fuselage halves are most prominent here, along with the upper wing centre section, cabane struts, ailerons, and engine cowlings. The fuselage captures the shape of the real thing to perfection, and has very neat detail both inside and out. There are some light ejector pin circles, but they have cleverly been located in areas that will be hidden once the fuselage halves have been joined. The engine cowlings are amazing. All four of them feature delicate 'D' shaped cooling louvers, part F7 alone has thirty one of them within a small area, all perfectly formed. Alternate nose caps are provided with different cooling hole patterns, again depending upon which marking option you have chosen. One of them will require you to open a flashed over hole (part F10) for options A and B. The Upper wing centre section is made from upper and lower units, with big slots to locate the big tabs on the outer wing panels from sprue B. This will make for a very strong upper wing assembly. Three 'G' Sprues carry generic items that are applicable to several aircraft, so not all parts will be required for this kit. Sprue G1 carries the Observers armaments, a choice between a Parabellum LMG/14 or a Parabellum LMG 14/17. The main difference is in the cooling jacket for the gun barrel. The /14 has the familiar large fretted jacket (and there is the choice of a 'solid' moulded barrel, or an etched brass one), while the 14/17 was fitted with a much thinner air cooled jacket barely any wider than the barrel. Sprue G2. There two G" sprues which contain half a tail trestle each, that can be joined to make the complete article. Also present are some Granatenwerfer grenades and two types of flares, along with external racks to fit on the outside of the Observers cockpit. Wheel chocks complete the parts for use with this kit, but there are also some handy parts for the spares box such as oxygen flasks and 12.5Kg PuW bombs. Sprue G3. This is a real treasure trove of diorama accessories, with four types of reconnaissance cameras, three types of flare pistols, first aid kit, homing pigeon box, box of photographic plates, step ladder, barograph, and even a mascot Teddy bear! There are also propellers from Axial, Astra, Heine, and Wolff, which are not required for the model, but would be useful in any workshop diorama. Photo Etch As mentioned previously the etch fret holds air cooling jackets for the 'High detail' LMG 08/15 Spandau, and Parabellum LMG 14. The pilot and Observer are supplied with seat belts, there are the bracket assemblies for the Observers cockpit, and the shutter mechanism for the wing mounted radiator. A nice touch is the little embossed name plate for the aircraft, with the Wingnut Wings logo on. Decals. Three very large sheets are found in the box, only just fitting the length and width. Printed by Cartograf the first sheet covers all the individual markings for options A to E. There are also a mass of instrument, placard, stencil and other details, including those for the cameras and other diorama accessories. Two further sheets provide the lozenge decals. There are complicated combinations explained for the options, with four and/or five colour lozenge being used, sometimes with four colour on the mainplanes and five colour on the ailerons. Lozenge is also given for the tail group, up to where it blends with the fuselage. Options Hannovers often featured irregular hand painted lozenge shapes on the fuselage often over painted with a dark glaze, which is the case for options A to D here. It is not difficult to do, but in case any modeller is unsure Option D is given as simpler alternative of a pale blue machine with clear doped linen wings. There are a few minor variations within the given options, (A) can be finished as (A1) without the wing stripes and upper fuselage chevron, or (A2) with them. Likewise (B) can be done without the red comet on the side as (B1), or with it as (B2). A. Hannover Cl.II 9276/17 “White 5", H Bronner, Royal Bavarian Schusta 27b, late 1917 to early 1918 B. Hannover Cl.II 9280/17 “Comet", Grönhagen? & J Gfrör, FA (A) 282, November 1917 C. Hannover Cl.II 9301/17 “White 4", J Missfelder, Royal Prussian Schusta 12, March 1918 D. Hannover Cl.II 9398/17 “2", JKH Müller & A Zitzelsberger, Royal Bavarian Schusta 24b, March 1918 E. Hannover Cl.II (Rol) 622/18 “White 2", Bayerische-Fliegerschule 5, mid to late 1918 Conclusion. This is a welcome return of a kit that sold out rapidly in its initial release (Kit 32024) and then began to fetch large prices on the second hand market. It has all the hallmarks of Wingnut Wings kits, beautiful mouldings, excellent fit, exquisite detail, fabulous instructions, and high quality decals. It is also a very good looking aeroplane, having a tough sturdy look that was possessed by few of these early biplanes. I am able to confirm that it is a trouble free build with absolutely no pitfalls or things to watch out for, as I built the previous release when it came out a few years ago. Get one while you can, it was one of the fastest sellers last time it was available, and I wouldn't be surprised if that is the case again. Highly Reccomended. Footnote: As mentioned earlier, I have already built the previous kit of the Hannover Cl.II a few years ago, finished with markings from the aftermarket Pheon Decal sheet. I have a few photos of the completed model, showing some of the diorama ccessories that come with it.

Stalled when my mojo was defeated by this kit. My dad, if not the kit deserves better, so off the shelf it comes; though I make no promises

Sopwith Pup "Gnome" 1:32 Wingnut Wings The lovely Sopwith Pup from Wingnut Wings makes a return with some new parts and decals to enable building of the ‘Gnome’ powered version. The most common powerplant was the 80hp Le Rhone 9c engine, but the 80hp & 100hp Gnome and Clerget engines were also used. The Pup itself entered service in 1916 and quickly proved to be an agile and popular machine amongst those who flew it. The name was never official, but derived from the observation that it looked like a smaller version of the twin seat Sopwith ‘One-and-a-half Strutter’, as if it were its ‘Pup’. Wingnut Wings have previously released two kits of the Pup, 32013 for the RFC version, and 32016 for the RNAS machine. Rather nicely, this new release gives you a choice of two RFC, two RNAS, or one training school machine. This kit shares most of the main sprues (A, B, C, and D) with the previous two releases, but adds three new ones. There are two sprue E's giving a choice of two different engines, and sprue G which has the cowling specific to the Gnome engine, and a full set of Le Prier rockets. As always, the silver gilt edged box features a beautiful painting of the subject in action, this time RNAS Pup N6179 squaring up to an Albatros D.II. Instructions. You can't help but be impressed by the completeness of the instructions in every single Wingnut Wings kit, they are quite simply the best that have ever been supplied with any kits, ever. These are as good as always, printed in colour on heavy glossy paper, with a parts map, detailed assembly drawings, colour and black & white photos of the real thing to show details, and five sets of Ronnie Bar illustrations to show the finishing choices. One of my favourite features is the completed sub assembly drawings, showing how things should look on the completed interior. Plus another drawing showing how all the interior control cables run from the joystick and rudder pedals. They are superb reference documents in their own right. Sprue A. This hold most of the smaller detailed parts such as the interior fittings, prop and cowling choices, struts, and other details. All mouldings are very finely done with sharp detail, no sink marks or flash, and minimal contact points where they attach to the sprue frame. The Pup had a couple of different inspection hatch shapes on the forward fuselage, and both the square and oval types are supplied here as panels to attach to the cowling area. Two types of propeller are provided, the instructions noting which one goes with which finishing option. Sprue B. Here we have the tailplane, rudder, wheels, Vickers gun, and a few other smaller parts. Again the precision of moulding is evident. particularly on the Vickers guns (only one of which is applicable to this model). Sprue C. This is the clear sprue, with a choice of windscreens and the clear inspection panels for the wings. They are all crystal clear, and the frames even have incredibly tiny little screw heads moulded in, that I can only see under a magnifying glass. Sprue D. Both wings are on this, along with the fuselage halves. The wings feature beautifully fine trailing edges and rib tapes with delicate stitching. The real wings featured a small see through panel near each tip, that allowed instant inspection of the pulley and cable that ran to each aileron.These are nicely moulded, and the clear sprue has the clear cover to go on top of them after painting. Especially impressive is the 'quilting' effect on the forward fuselage, so typical of the Pup. It was where an interior 'grid' frame was built in to smooth the transition from the round cowling area to the flat sided fuselage. Covered in fabric it gave a sort of quilted look that Wingnut Wings have captured to perfection. Sprues E x 2. There are two complete and distinct 'E' sprues that cover the 80hp and 100hp Gnome engines. The moulding is amazingly fine with the cylinder cooling fins rendered about as finely as is possible, and all the nuts and bolts are beautifully sharp. The 80hp Gnome was precisely copied by the German Oberursel company, the only differences being in the pushrods. These are contained on the sprue but obviously marked as not required. I often start my builds with the engine because they are such lovely little gems of a model in their own right. 7 cylinder Gnome 80hp: 9 cylinder Gnome 100hp The 100hp option even has tiny little decals to replicate the brass data plates on the crankcase. Whichever engine you choose you will have a complete unused one for the spares box, or even better, for use as a diorama accessory. Hows that for value!. It is typical of Wingnut Wings that they take a 'no expense spared' approach to their kits, so that you get precisely what you need to build an accurate model straight from the box. Sprue G. To my knowledge, this is the first time that a set of Le Prieur rockets have been released in 1:32 scale. Looking like giant fireworks that you might buy on November 5th, they were attached to the outboard struts. Intended for use against observation balloons, they proved to be ineffective in use due to directional instability. I.e. they didn't particularly fly to where they were aimed. They were tried on Pups, as a period photograph in the instructions show, but it is also noted that it is not thought that any of the five options in the kit actually used them. Also included is the characteristic semi cowling of the Gnome powered Pup. This only goes around two thirds of the engine, with the bottom third left uncovered, and is a good identifying feature of Pups with this engine. Etch. A neat little brass fret supplies the lap type seatbelt, foot plates for the wings, gunsights and cocking lever, along with a chute for expended ammunition links. Options. A. N6179 “Baby Mine”, TC Vernon (1 victory)& AW Carter (17 Victories) B Flight 3(N) Sqn RNAS March to April 1917. B. N6200 “Bobs”, AM Shook, B Flight 4(N) Sqn RNAS, April to May 1917 (12 victories). C. B2192, HH Balfour and EL Foot, School of Special Flying Gosport, August to September 1917. D. B5904 “A 1”, 61(HD) Sqn RFC, September 1917. E. B5906 “Impikoff 5” 44(HD) Sqn RFC/RAF 1918. Decals. A large decal sheet occupied the full width and length of the box. Printed by Cartograf, it provides all the decals for the five finishing options, plus a myriad of tiny stencils and instrument faces. If you want to read any of this fine detail you will need a good magnifying glass as the printing is incredibly small, but faultlessly done. It almost doesn't need saying, because this is Cartograf, but the printing is in perfect register, beautifully sharp, with minimal carrier film and spot on colours. Option C, the unarmed training machine with a stripy fuselage, is provided with two sets of stripes. It is notoriously difficult to distinguish black from red in old balck & white photographs, and although this machine is thought to have black stripes, they may also have been red, so you get the choice. There are no stripes for the wings as these can be simply masked at each rib. Conclusion. It is nice to see the Pup back in Wingnut Wings catalogue, as it is one of their simpler kits to build. I have already built two of the RNAS version (32016) and bought an RFC kit (32013) when it was about to go out of stock, as I couldn't bear not to have one! I have the usual indecision over which of the five options to go for, as they are all attractive in their own right. I think the striped training machine might just edge in, as I don't have anything like that in my 1:32 collection. You can have hours of fun with any Wingnut Wings kit trying to decide which one to go for. It builds up very easily and without any faults or problems. Everything fits with precision, making it a delight to put together. The rigging is very straight forward and fairly simple, and not difficult to do with either fishing line or the elastic EZ-line. Add to this the choice of attractive finishing schemes, then this is one of the best 'starter' kits to introduce you the wonderful world of Wingnut Wings. With Christmas approaching you need to get this on your list, you won't be disappointed. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Footnote: This is one of the Pup kits I have built previously, from 32016, the RNAS Pup, which enables this 'In box' review to go a bit further and confirm that it does indeed build up beautifully without any problems.

AEG G.IV Late 1:32 Wingnut Wings The AEG G.IV late first started to appear with front line units in early 1917 although it wasn’t until the summer that were available in useful numbers. Developed from an early concept of the heavily armed ‘battleplane’ which was designed to fight it’s way through enemy formations, it was the first of the line to be intended solely as a bomber. The battleplane concept was proven to be flawed after heavy losses were suffered, although it partly resurfaced in later years with the Me.110 ‘Zerstorer’. The G.IV is less well known than the Gotha series of bombers, but in fact was able to carry a heavier bomb load. It was also the most popular amongst aircrews as it was considered to be the easiest of the twin engine bombers to fly. At first it was used as day time bomber, but heavy losses soon saw it switched to night bombing raids. Another lesson that was re-learned in second world war. The kit was reviewed almost exactly 2 years ago, but deserved to be allocated sufficient time to tackle the build, which has taken until now. [Edit] Forgot to say there is a Work in Progress here.[/Edit] It is not one for begginers, but is not actually that difficult to build if you have a couple of Wingnut Wings kits under your belt. Of their bigger kits I would think it is one of the simplest to build. There are no wooden areas to depict, the rigging is actually pretty straighforward, being mostly 'X's of wires in the wings. And the fit is so spectacularly good it self aligns everything as you fit it together. The only thing to be wary of is whacking things on your workbench as it gets bigger. There are options to display the engines fully cowled or fully opened. I follwed the suggestion in the instructions to 'mix and match' to create a mostly open framework with the lower parts using elements of cowling. Almost any combination is legitimate, as period photographs will show. It is anothe winner from Wingnut Wings, as I thoroughly enkoyed the build from start to finish. It has proven to be more of a challenge to photograph, due to it's size. Hope you like it. To give an idea of its size, here it is with a WNW Albatros. Thanks for looking, John

Gotha UWD (32053) 1:32 Wingnut Wings Developed from the Gotha G.1 landplane (Wingnut Wings kit 32045 reviewed here) designed by Oskar Ursinus, the 'Ursinus Wasser Doppeldecker' (UWD) was completed in December 1915. Only one was ever built and was given the serial number 120. It underwent trials with the German Navy in January - February 1916 during which time it was modified with balanced ailerons, extra windows, and a 'probiscus' device in the nose for dropping bombs through. Sometime during 1916 (possibly March) UWD 120 was used operationally on a raid on Dover. Little else is know of its use, until it was written off in October 1916. The low mounted engines and high fuselage was to minimise the effect of engine-out induced yaw, by keeping them as close to the centre line as possible. In turn this meant moving the fuselage up and out of the way. Another unusual feature was that the crew were located in an armoured ‘bathtub’ that formed the forward section of the fuselage. The kit. Presented in Wingnut Wings classy silver edged box, the Steve Anderson artwork shows the UWD in flight, possibly near the white cliffs of Dover. The painting shows it being escorted by a Friedrichshafen FF.33 floatplane, so I really hope that Wingnut Wings are going to release one of those at some point. As with the similar Gotha G.1, the large box is packed full to the brim with parts. It is interesting to note that although both kits appear similar, the only common parts in each box are the sprues A and B, all the others are different. Apart from the fact that the UWD is on floats rather than wheels, it is also powered by different engines. It used the 160 hp Mercedes-Daimler D.III rather than the G.1's 150hp Benz Bz.III engines. Sprue A. This large sprue only just fits the dimensions of the box, containing a variety of parts common to both the landplane and seaplane versions of this kit, mostly concerned with fuselage and some of the flying surfaces. The rear fuselage has been moulded as a three sided section, of the bottom and sides. The top section fits onto this, and at a stroke eliminates any fuselage seams. Well technically the joins are along the top corners of the fuselage, but they should be a doddle to deal with. Careful gluing with thin cement run along the join by capillary action should mean virtually no/almost no clean up will be required. Full marks to Wingnut Wings for this one, flat sided fuselages are always a pain to eliminate the seams from if they are done in the conventional manner. Some very fine items are also included, such as pilots seat, framework, pipework, the throttles, instrument panel, and gun type camera. Construction starts with the cockpit, which is where many of these items will end up. Sprue B. Here we have all four main wing panels, and the horizontal tailplane. Again all is faultlessly moulded with very fine scalloped trailing edges, and delicate sagged fabric effect. Strut mounting holes are clearly defined, as are some small holes showing where to drill for rigging attachment points. (The struts themselves are cleverly moulded with ends that will only fit into the holes they are destined for). The lower wings have large tabs on them that fit to the large single center section from Sprue A, and automatically set them at the correct dihederal Sprue C. The smallest, containing the clear parts for the windows and windscreen. A new approach to packing has these inside a heat sealed plastic bag, and inside that they are protected by a wrap around of a'cling film' type sheet. All parts are beautifully thin and clear. Sprue D. There are two of these, holding the floats, cowling parts, struts, and other duplicated parts. The floats are moulded as a single unit of three sides, with a separate top pice, in the same way as the rear fuselage has been done. Again this makes construction a simple task and practically eliminates any joining seams. What is really apparent is the sheer size of these floats. They are enormous. I had a recently completed WnW Sopwith Camel nearby when doing the photos, and couldn't resist showing a comparison. Sprue E. Again there are two of these sprues provided, for the Daimler-Mercedes D.III engines. These are different to those in the Gotha G.1 kit, which has Benz Bz.III engines. I may have mention in previous reviews that I often start building these kits with the engines. They are so beautifully moulded and everything fits precisely, so you quite quickly have a little jewel of an engine ready for fitment later in the build. Note that the magnetos are not fitted until the engines are in place, as there are new ones with long control rods attached (G33 &G34) to reach up to the top wing. The only thing you may want to add is some ignition wiring from fine fuse wire. As this is an engine used by many aircraft, the same sprue appears in many of Wingnut Wings kits. This means that than half of the parts are not needed, including a set of four beautiful propellers that can go into the spares box. Sprue G. More floatplane specific parts, notably the forward fuselage 'pod' and a lot of struttery. There are various windows and openings in the 'pod' that make it quite different to that of the Gotha G.1. Page 21 of the instructions notes the parts to use or omit if making Option A1, in the 'as delivered status. It also states that you will need to fill in two of the nose windows, so a decision needs to made early on. The mouldings are absolutely beautiful, with sharply defined detail, great delicacy/finesse with some very fine parts, free of flash or sink marks, and no distortion or warpage. I showed them to a fellow modeller who was absolutely amazed, and speculated at how much work goes into designing and producing mouldings of this quality. Etch. For once this is quite small. The model only requires a lap belt for the pilot, and a cooling jacket for the LMG 14 Parabellum. A nice touch is a little brass plaque to display with the finished model. Instructions. If you have never seen a set of Wingnut Wings assembly instructions, then these will be a real treat. Printed on twenty four pages of heavy high gloss paper, it is as much a work of reference as it is an instruction booklet. The CAD drawings of assembly stages are interspersed with period photographs (thirty seven in all) of actual machines and their details. On thing I particularly like is the CAD drawings of completed sub-assemblies in full colour, as these are a great help in understanding how everything goes together. Unusually the whole biplane wing unit complete with floats, is built as single unit to which the fuselage is attached. Marking Options. Just one, as only one was ever built, but there are small variation if you wish. By leaving off the 'probiscus' filling in some of the nose windows, and using the unbalanced ailerons, you can build it as version A1. This is shown in the instructions, and represents the machine as it was delivered for trials. Version A2 is in the same colour scheme, and represents the aircraft as used in service. A. Gotha UWD 120, See Flieger Abteilung 1, March 1916. Decals. Printed by Cartograf, the sheet is dominated by the large 'cross pattée' markings, with dozens of smaller details for things like stencils and instrument faces. There are around twenty for the cockpit alone, and another forty four to go on the twenty two 10kg Carbonit bombs stored in the nose. The fine detail is beautifully printed and readable through a magnifying glass, and given that the cockpit area is highly visible on the finished model, it should all look fabulous. Conclusion. It must have made sense to produce this model alongside the Gotha G.1, but don't make the mistake of thinking that the only difference is that one comes with wheels, and the other with floats. This is a Wingnut Wings kit, so no corners will have been cut. If some parts differed between aircraft, then you get new parts on the sprue. So much so that only two of the eight sprues are common to both kits. Personally I really like this aircraft, it has all the things I like about early aviation. It was built at a time when ideas were being tried out,and 'The Rule Book' didn't really exist. Only now, 100 years later, do we find it strange looking, because we know what a conventional aircraft should look like. It will build into a large model, and is certain to provoke questions from anyone seeing it. It is not really one for the beginner, but if you have built any of Wingnut Wings two seater kits then this one should not give you any problems. It is just bigger, not any more complicated. Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Gotha G.1 (32045) 1:32 Wingnut Wings Well I don’t think many of us saw this one coming, or even knew anything about the actual aeroplane. What a fascinating and yet strange looking contraption it is, with low mounted engines and high fuselage. The reason for this layout was to minimise the effect of engine-out induced yaw by keeping them as close to the centre line as possible. In turn this meant moving the fuselage up and out of the way. Another unusual feature was that the crew were located in an armoured ‘bathtub’ that formed the forward section of the fuselage. Three batches of six G.1’s were manufactured, the first six fitted with the 150 hp Benz Bz III engines as supplied in this kit. The first production aircraft arrived on the western front in the latter half of 1915. Little is known about its service history, but as was often the case in the Great War, it was one of those aircraft that was obsolete almost as soon as it entered service. One example was built as a seaplane, the 'UWD' which has also been kitted by Wingnut Wings and is Reviewed here. The kit. Packed in Wingnut Wings larger sized box, the lovely painting by Steve Anderson shows a couple of G.1's being defended by an Eindekker against an attacking RFC DH2. The artwork cleverly shows a close up of the main body of a G.1, whilst showing a full view of another in the near distance. Lifting the lid reveals eight individually bagged sprues, with barely any space left for anything else. Two of them are duplicated, Sprue E for the engines, and Sprue D for wheels, struts etc. All are moulded in the familiar neutral grey plastic with pin sharp detail, flawless surface finish, and no sink marks or other moulding flaws. Also included is a large decal sheet and a small brass etched sheet, along with Wingnut Wings superb instruction manual. Nothing else gives you that sense of anticipation and delight that opening a Wingnut Wings kit does, and as always this one delivers in full. Time to take a look. Sprue A. This large sprue only just fits the dimensions of the box, containing a variety of parts common to both the landplane and seaplane versions of this kit, mostly concerned with fuselage and some of the flying surfaces. The rear fuselage has been moulded as a three sided section, of the bottom and sides. All the framework is in there, along with some ejector pin marks, but none of this will be seen once assembled. The top section fits onto this, and at a stroke eliminates any fuselage seams. Well technically the joins are along the top corners of the fuselage, but they should be a doddle to deal with. Careful gluing with thin cement run along the join by capillary action should mean virtually no/almost no clean up will be required. Full marks to Wingnut Wings for this one, flat sided fuselages are always a pain to eliminate the seams from if they are done in the conventional manner. Some very fine items are also included, such as pilots seat, framework, pipework, the throttles, instrument panel, and gun type camera. Construction starts with the cockpit, which is where many of these items will end up. A lot of detail is provided and I have counted nineteen little instrument and placard decals to be placed to enhance all of this, and that is not counting the sixteen decals to place on the optional internal bomb load. Sprue B. Here we have all four main wing panels, and the horizontal tailplane. Again all is faultlessly moulded with very fine scalloped trailing edges, and delicate sagged fabric effect. Strut mounting holes are clearly defined, as are some small holes showing where to drill for rigging attachment points. The struts themselves are cleverly moulded with ends that will only fit into the holes they are destined for). The lower wings have large tabs on them that fit to the large single center section from Sprue A, and automatically set them at the correct dihederal Sprue C. The smallest one in the box, in clear plastic this holds the single windshield. It comes wrapped in a small sheet of plastic, itself contained in small plastic bag, so is well protected. Sprue D. Throughout the build there are many items that are required in duplicate or multiple times, such as wheels and struts. Sensibly all these parts are collected together on one sprue that has half the number required. It is then simple to provide two identical sprues to cover the full amount of items needed. There are bombs, guns, cowling parts, tail fins & rudder, a choice of two different styles of wheels, and parts for a tail support trestle. All the mouldings are of the same high quality expected of Wingnut Wings. The two 'D' sprues are unique to this kit and not shared with similar looking UWD floatplane. Sprue E. Again there are two of these supplied for the Benz Bz.III engines. These are my favourite part of any Wingnut Wings kit and I often go out of sequence and start my builds with them, as they are such a pleasure. The mouldings are superb, with nut and bolt details worked out to perfection. If making it up with all the cowling panels glued in place, there is nothing more that you need add. But if you want to display one or both of the engines with the cowlings off, you may want to add some ignition wiring. This goes from the magnetos to a 'sleeve' channel along each side of the cylinder bank. Then individual lengths come out along the sleeve to each spark plug. The instructions actually have photographs from the original engine manual showing both sides, where the wiring is very well shown. Th rest of the sprue contains gun rings and propellers that are not required and can go straight into the spares box. Sprue F. Another large one that fills the box. Again this is unique to the G.1 and not shared with the UWD floatplane kit, as you might have expected. The forward fuselage 'pods' on the two types had significant differences, so in their usual uncompromising way Wingnut Wings have made completely different mouldings for the two kits. Etch. There are various permutations of LMG/14 Parabellum and LMG/08 Spandau machine guns fitted to the five marking options, so the etched fret contains jackets for all three, along with the sights. A set of seat belts are provided for the pilot, as the only crew member given them. A nice touch is the little brass plate with the Wingnut Wings logo and 'Gotha G.1' etched in relief. These look quite good if the lettering is painted with enamel as you don't have to be very precise with the edges. After a couple of hours just go lightly over it with a cotton bud soaked in white spirit, and clean off any excess. Hey presto! you have a neat little brass plaque to place by your finished model. Instructions. If you have never seen a set of Wingnut Wings assembly instructions, then these will be a real treat. Printed on twenty eight pages of heavy high gloss paper, it is as much a work of reference as it is an instruction booklet. The CAD drawings of assembly stages are interspersed with period photographs (thirty seven in all) of actual machines and their details. On thing I particularly like is the CAD drawings of completed sub-assemblies in full colour, as these are a great help in understanding how everything goes together. As mentioned earlier, alternative parts are provided for the guns (Parabellum, Spandau, Becker), early or late wheels, 20kg or 50 kg Carbonit bombs, Reschke or Integral propellers, different arrangement of cockpit coamings, dual or single core radiators, as well as several minor details. Construction is unusual, with the biplane wings & engines being built as complete unit, and then joined to the completed fuselage. A full rigging diagram is provided, with front and rear three-quarter views distinguishing between bracing wires and control wires. Marking Options. Markings are provided for five individual airframes, all in the same basic field grey with light grey forward fuselage pod. Choices cover machines from the start of the G.1's service in July 1915 up until it's last use in September 1916. Option A actually has 2 variations depending upon whether you fit the truly odd looking 'Bomb dropping cage' that it was fitted with for part of its career. A. Gotha G.1 10/15, Fliegerersatz Abteilung 7 Sonderstaffel S.1, July to late 1915. B. Gotha G.1 11/15, Fliegerersatz Abteilung 7 Sonderstaffel S.1, late 1915 to early 1916. C. Gotha G.1 13/15, Feld Fleigerabtelung 37, September 1915 D. Gotha G.1 41/15, Kagol 1, late 1915 E. Gotha G.1 41/15 "Feodora", Feld Fleigerabtelung 37, September 1916? Decals Printed by Cartograf, all are in perfect register with good colours and perfect register. The majority of the sheet is covered with various Iron Cross and serial number markings. There are however a large number of small details, beautifully printed and readable under a magnifying glass. Conclusion As you may have gathered, Wingnut Wings have also released a kit of the Floatplane version, the UWD, and only Sprues A and B are common to both kits. Wingnut Wings have set something of a trend for issuing unusual and unexpected models alongside their more mainstream releases of Fokker, Albatros and Sopwith types. The Gotha G.1 must surely be the most unusual of the lot, like something Heath Robinson might have designed. For me this is a large part of the interest I have in Great War aviation, where design rules were not yet very firmly set and the only way to try out new ideas was to build them. The G.1 looks so odd to modern eyes because we now have a fixed idea of what a 'correct' aeroplane should look like. Perhaps only the Handley Page Heyford came close in replicating this layout, but even that had the engines on the top wing in a more conventional fashion. Full Marks to Wingnut Wings for producing such a wonderful model of this strange looking aircraft. It is well up to their world class standard, and I am sure will be a delight to build, if a little more involved than a single engined biplane. Get one to go with your Taube, Albatros B.II, and Eindekkers! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi all, A post this evening on using foam with large vac models has prompted the thought that I should post work to date here so that: a. It's more accessible b: I might actually extract a digit and crack on as she has become a bit of a running joke (well - the lack of progress anyway!) Early foto's quite poor I'm afraid - only digital camera I had to hand at the time - but you should get the gist... So - going back to Jan 2000 - in a Galaxy far, far away... Let me introduce you all to Connie - an elegant lady that I'm sure I'll be spending quite some time with ) Connie is the ID Models 1:32nd scale Lockheed EC121 Constellation kit (kit used in the loosest of senses - more a case of a set of reasonably accurate (so it would seem so far!) basic airframe shapes). This aeroplane is one of my all time favourites and when I came across the kit I had to have it. Needless to say, my fiancé Anne and myself are now house hunting - we need more space!! When finished she'll be resplendent in US Navy blue and white colours as an EC121K Warning Star. The moldings are reasonably cleanly formed on two huge sheets of polystyrene, roughly 60 thou thick. The box of Milliput placed next to the lower port mainplane should give you all a sense of size. This is the second of the two sheets. The first step is to fill the larger of the shapes with Polyurethane Foam, on order to provide some strength and rigidity, both during construction and once completed. Here's John Wilkes helping out by mixing up some foam - only use the two pack stuff, as the air drying type can continue expanding for a long period, causing real problems later! This was a big job and it's at times like these you need your friends (not just for the extra pair of hands, but also for the moral support and encouragement you need when starting a project this BIG!) First pour - port fuselage half. Don't use too much, this stuff expands like crazy! Starboard fuselage half - with foam in the process of expanding. All of this was done outside in sub-zero temperatures which slowed the process down and, we think, led to a denser foam. All the major components - fuselage halves, tip tanks, nose and radomes filled and curing. More foam was needed later! Port fuselage half and other bits removed from the backing sheet. Photo taken on my kitchen worktop on Sunday 9th Jan 2000 - UK readers will be able to compare Connie's size with the plug socket on the wall. Iain

Im saving up money for model kits rn and I am constantly thinking about the HK Models 1:32 Lancaster, which is not on my list yet, what are your thoughts on the kit and if you have made it by any chance what did you think of the build? Thanks in advance. Levi

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

My first foray into 1:32 after a long time. I don´t plan to build more 1:32 unless I get Revell's Bf 109G-6 and decals to build it as Erich Hartmann's all white plane while he was part of JG 53. The aircraft here is the second run of Revell's 1:32 Fw 190, the A-8/R11 nightfighter. The antennas were difficult to add because they didn´t want to stick to their support struts. At some point after the build the right hand mounting peg for the right wheel got damaged and the wheel slanted to one side. It was "fixed" by applying quite a bit of epoxy glue and letting it to harden during the night. The photos were taken with backlighting to give the aircraft a better nightfighter feel.

Hi all There are a number of 'firsts' here: Posting to Ready for Inspection Model in more than 20 years 1:32 scale model Attempt at airbrushing Attempt at weathering This is a straight OOB build; it was difficult enough without adding more firsts. The kit wasn't difficult but I need to think about the order that I do the construction and painting. I have learnt a lot from this project that I will be able to use in my future builds. Thanks for looking. Graeme

Spitfire Vc from very modified Revell MK II kit with entirely new ammo covers and bubbles, Vokes filter and canopy from Hasegawa MK V. Master gun barrels, resin wheels from Halinski, bronze legs from Eduard, Eduard etch, Montex Masks. Lots of small corrections, cockpit was changed too. With older buddy:

Hi ! Building a 1/32 scale Luftwaffe diorama with a large hanger. I'm about to paint the hanger but need some colour references. I can se in a lot of ww2 pictures the hangers and some service buildings är painted in camo patterns, but of course, I can't se what colors. Some help to get color reference would be great ! Regards Stefan from Sweden

Cessna O-2A Skymaster Roden 1:32 Cessna O-2A Skymaster In the early 1960s, the Cessna aircraft company built a small commercial aircraft, the Model 337. Compared with similar aircraft of the same class, it had an unusual layout: a tractor engine in front, and a pusher in the rear. Instead of the classic fuselage layout, two booms extended backwards from the wing, which were connected by the horizontal tail assembly. The aircraft could carry two crew members, and four passengers or up to 450 kg of payload. It was quite successful commercially, but Cessna also hoped to find an outlet in a military role. In 1967 a military version of the machine appeared, the O-2A Skymaster. With the start of the Vietnam War, the US Air Force began to actively employ light aircraft as scouts, for fire direction or lightweight communications. One of the most widely used was the O-1 Bird Dog, but it was not always able to perform certain military tasks, such as controlling targeting for other planes. The O-2 was more suited to this type of task and, therefore, was soon involved in missions of this kind in the Vietnam conflict. Also, the O-2 could be used as a light strike plane, like its predecessor the O-1. For this, pods of unguided rockets and other light weapons could be hung under the wing of the aircraft. Some machines, designated O-2B, carried out 'psychological warfare missions - they were fitted with speakerphones broadcasting calls to the population to stop the war, but this exercise was not successful. Another important application for the O-2 was the rescue of pilots whose planes had been downed in an area of operations. The O-2 could take off from the shortest airstrips and land in the most unsuitable places for this purpose. Many US Air Force pilots had this machine to thank for their rescue. Series production continued until 1970, during which time at least 532 aircraft were produced. The end of their active military career in the US Air Force coincided with the end of hostilities in Vietnam, but in the US they were used long afterwards by the Air Force for patrol or liaison tasks, and were eventually decommissioned due to age and obsolescence. Despite this, this aircraft is still very popular among private owners. And many former military machines are still operated under civil registration or take part in numerous vintage airshows. The Model The kit comes in a rather large box with an artist’s impression of an armed O-2 in-flight. Opening the box reveals ten sprues of grey styrene, and one of clear, there is also quite a large decal sheet. Surprisingly for a new kit there is quite a lot of flash visible and wave fronts on some of the parts. That said the details are finely done and there is a fair amount of detail included in the kit. While it looks great on the sprues, I’ve read that while the accuracy is fairly close, there are problems encountered during the build, particularly with warped fuselage halves and an awkward roof fitting. So while I will go through the build process, be aware that there will be a fair bit of work required to get everything to fit correctly. You should also note that there are no spinners included, so some of the aftermarket deals may not be suitable for aircraft that were fitted with spinners. The build begins with the assembly of the two, six piece propellers, horizontal tail unit with separate elevator, four piece pylons which includes the nicely produced crutch pads, and two, four piece rocket launchers and two seven piece gun pods. The tail booms are assembled next, each from two halves and with separate rudders and anti collision light on the port fin. The engine exhausts are also assembled at this point and put to one side. The engines themselves are complex little models in their own right, each engine consisting of no less than 50 parts. The rear engine frame and nose engine compartment/nose gear bay are also assembled, as is the seven piece nose landing gear. The seven piece front engine bay is fitted with the nose wheel assembly, followed by the engine assembly and the pair of exhaust pipe assemblies. The rear engine frame is then fitted with its engine and the simpler exhaust parts. The completed front engine assembly is then the attached to the firewall and under pan. Work then begins with the the forward avionics bay that sits between the engine bay and the cockpit, this consists of four shelves on which the various radios and other avionic boxes are fitted. The instrument panel is then assembled, consisting of the panel, coaming, four rudder pedals, centre pedestal and control yolks with separate shafts. The four seats are then built up, two from five parts and two from four parts, before being glued into position on the cabin floor. The three piece doors are then assembled and the windows and viewing ports added to the fuselage sides. Now while the interior is quite nicely done, there is plenty of scope for the modeller to add further detail, including the quilted sound proofing, circuit breaker panel on the captain’s side of the cockpit, and seat belts. Check you r references when using aftermarket deals as some O-2’s had the rear seats removed and the co-pilots seat moved aft so that a litter could be fitted for medevac purposes. If building out of the box the cabin floor is glued to one half of the fuselage, along with the engine assemblies and instrument panels and the three piece aft engine intake glued into position. The wing comes as three main parts with the upper section being a single piece moulding, not forgetting to open up the holes required for the pylons should you be using them as not all O-2’s were armed. The separate flaps can be posed in either extended or stowed positions and there is a skylight fitted above the cockpit area. The wingtips are also separate allowing of later versions to be released. The main landing gear comprises of a single piece strut and a pair of three piece wheels. With the fuselage all assembled, which will require a significant amount of weight in the forward area, wherever you can squeeze it in, the wing is glued into place along with the two booms and horizontal stabiliser. Then the main undercarriage assembly is add as are the pylons, weapons pods, nose bay doors, Rad Alt panel, and main gear doors. Finally the upper wing is festooned with a multitude of aerials and the two propellers attached. Decals The decals are really rather a disappointment, while they are correct colour and style, they are not in register and there are numerous spelling mistakes. Also the aircraft using the serial number is number 67-00109 is an imposter as that number was assigned to an F-111A. There are markings for three aircraft on the sheet, these being:- Cessna O-2A Skymaster “Don’t’ Shoot”, Vietnam, 1967 (No unit or squadron information provided). Scheme composed of overall Aircraft Gray with Snoopy nose art on cowl and White upper wing panels carrying “Don’t Shoot” in large letters. Cessna O-2A Skymaster, Unknown Unit, Vietnam, 1971. Scheme composed of overall Black with Ghost nose art on cowl and “THE FAC” in large white letters on upper wing. Cessna O-2A Skymaster, Unknown Unit, Vietnam, 1970. Scheme composed of interlocking swirls of Tan, Dark Green, and Medium Green with Light Gray undersides. Conclusion Over all it’s great to see this aircraft being released in 1/32, yes it is more of a short run release that will require a little more work than say something from Tamiya, but it will look great once built. I have heard reports that some fuselages are warped so please check before starting the build. I am disappointed with the amount of flash as there is no way a newly released kit should suffer from this, and the wave fronts can be overcome by heating the moulds better. Review sample courtesy of

Arado Ar 196B Revell 1:32 The Arado 196 is probably one of the most well known of the Axis floatplanes, and it certainly was one of the best of its class. But it is the twin float version that most people know about as it was the most popular with around 537 aircraft built. The single float version, of which only a maximum of ten were built is, obviously not so well known. In October 1936, the RLM asked for a He 114 replacement. The only stipulations were that it would use the BMW 132, and they wanted prototypes in both twin-float and single-float configurations. Designs were received from Dornier, Gotha, Arado and Focke-Wulf. Heinkel declined to tender, contending that the He 114 could still be made to work. With the exception of the Arado low-wing monoplane design, all were conventional biplanes. That gave the Arado better performance than any of the others and the RLM ordered four prototypes. The RLM was also rather conservative by nature, so they also ordered two of the Focke-Wulf Fw 62 design as a backup. It quickly became clear that the Arado would work effectively, and only four prototypes of the Fw 62 were built. The Ar 196 prototypes were all delivered in summer 1937, V1 (which flew in May) and V2 with twin floats as A models, and V3 and V4 on a single float as B models. Both versions demonstrated excellent water handling and there seemed to be little to decide one over the other. Since there was a possibility of the smaller outrigger floats on the B models "digging in", the twin-float A model was ordered into production. A single additional prototype, V5, was produced in November 1938 to test final changes. In February 1938 an Ar 196 V4 carrying the registration D-OVMB and serial number 2592 was trialled as a test aircraft. The aircraft was fitted with a ventral float in which the fuel tank, two smoke dischargers as well as emergency provisions and additional ammunition was carried. The further in-service testing of the Ar 196 B was carried out during 1940-1941. The Model The kit comes in Revells usual slightly floppy end opening box which really should be redesigned. The box art is very attractive with and artists impression of the prototype V4 in its element. On opening the box you're faced with a raft of sprues. 13 in light grey styrene, and one in clear styrene. The package is completed by the instruction booklet and decal sheet. The majority of the kit is the same as the twin float variant released by Revell back in 2011, with only the floats being produced as new parts. There is a lot of work to do before the modeller can close up the fuselage, as the 196 had a ladder-like framework within the fuselage, which is visible through the cockpit aperture, a large hole in itself. Construction starts with the pilot's position, mated to the bulkhead between him and the observer, with radio equipment festooning the backside. The ladder sections have various parts added before they mate to the solid floor section, and detail throughout is good. The radio and instrument panel faces are suitably detailed for this larger scale, although there are doubtless wires and additional detail that could be added with the right references. It is worth noting that the rear cockpit seems to have been lined with sheet plywood or similar to stop the spent casings from the rear armament from finding their way into the workings of the aircraft. Check your references for confirmation if you can, and grab some thin styrene sheet cut to shape if you plan on replicating this. Once the cockpit and "chassis" is complete and painted, the engine compartment bulkhead attaches to the front, and you can begin adding the fuselage around it. The BMW radial engine isn't added until later in the build, but the detail and part count here is high. With careful painting and weathering it should build up into an excellent focal point of the model. The cowling is made up from a number of parts, allowing the modeller to leave part or all of it open to expose as much of the engine as they wish. There is also a choice of prop with a spinner or without, so check your references. The wings come in the traditional upper and lower halves, and have a rather sturdy looking spar arrangement sandwiched between the halves, plus a full set of poseable flying surfaces. You can choose here to pose the wings folded for stowage, unfolded ready for flight or with one wing folded one extended to show off the model's features without taking up too much display space. Care is needed here, as the construction of the wings differs considerably depending on which version you choose. Ploughing on without looking at the little black explanatory pictures could limit your choice later in the build. The tail, with one piece elevator is built as a single unit and slots into the rear of the fuselage later in the build along with the movable rudder. The large single main float is made up from five parts, the float halves, top deck and two internal bulkheads. The instructions call for 50g of weight to be placed in the nose of the float to prevent it from sitting on the rudder at the end of the float, although if you’re going to use the stand this problem is alleviated by the way the supports are moulded. The modeller is provided with optional rudders, either deployed or retracted. Whilst the four support struts look pretty rugged, they probably won’t take too much handling to break, unlike the much stronger supports in the earlier kit. There is a fairly clear rigging diagram to follow, and where Revell state to use cotton, the modeller can use whatever they are most comfortable with. The small outrigger floats are provided in two halves with three support struts, one of which is bifurcated and these are then attached to the lower wings and rigged as per the instructions, although this particular diagram is less clear and you may want to use your references instead. Also under the wings there are two hardpoints to which the cradles and small bombs are fixed The transparencies are clear & crisp, but the various parts are assembled from flat parts separate from the cockpit aperture, and here you could run into trouble if you either get the angles wrong, or use traditional cement and cloud the parts. It would be advisable to use a non-solvent glue like GS-Hypo Cement and build the parts in-situ to ensure you get the angles right to give a good join with the cockpit sills. Masking before building the assemblies could also be a good idea, to avoid cracking the joints with excessive handling. Decals The decal sheet includes markings for just the V4 prototype, D-OVMB, but does also have a fair number of stencils, plus the instrument panel. The red band and swastika are not included, only the white circle on which the swastika would be placed, so you’ll have to paint this area and use aftermarket decals if you wish to display this. The underside registration letters are large and will need some softening/setting solution to help bed down properly as although the carrier film is relatively thin. This goes for the side registration letter too. Conclusion Much like the earlier twin float kit, this is a beautiful model and will make a great companion piece with the two shown side by side. It certainly looks different, and yet familiar at the same time. I really like this aircraft and it’s great to have it released in this scale as it offers so much more in the way of detailing possibilities. Very highly recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or

Hi 1:32 So which is better, revell or italeri ? and which is easier to build ? cheers jerry

Augusta Westland Lynx Mk.8 Revell 1/32 History The initial design, then known as the Westland WG.13, was started in the mid-1960s as a replacement for the Westland Scout and Wasp, and a more advanced alternative to the UH-1 Iroquois. The design was to be powered by a pair of Bristol Siddeley BS.360 turboshaft engines. As part of the Anglo-French helicopter agreement signed in February 1967, French company Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) had a 30 per cent share of production work, Westland performing the remainder. It was intended that France would procure the Lynx for its Navy and a heavily modified armed reconnaissance variant for the French Army, with the United Kingdom in return buying Aérospatiale Gazelle and Puma for its armed forces. The initial naval variant of the Lynx, known as the Lynx HAS.2 in British service, or Lynx Mk.2(FN) in French service, differed from the Lynx AH.1 in being equipped with a tricycle undercarriage and a deck restraint system, folding main rotor blades, an emergency flotation system and a nose-mounted radar. An improved Lynx for the Royal Navy, the Lynx HAS.3, had Gem 42-1 Mark 204 engines, an uprated transmission, a new flotation system and an Orange Crop ESM system. The Lynx HAS.3 also received various other updates in service. A similar upgrade to the French Lynx was known as the Lynx Mk.4(FN). In the early 1990s, Westland incorporated some of the technology from the Naval Lynx-3 design into a less-radical Super Lynx. This featured BERP rotor blades, the Westland 30-derived tail rotor, Gem 42 engines, a new under-nose 360-degree radar installation and an optional nose-mounted electro-optical sensor turret. Royal Navy Lynx HAS.3s upgraded to Super Lynx standard were known in service as the Lynx HMA.8, and several export customers ordered new-build or upgraded Super Lynxes. From the 1990s onwards, Westland began offering the Super Lynx 200, which was equipped with LHTEC CTS800 engines, and the Super Lynx 300, which also had a new cockpit and avionics derived from the Agusta Westland EH101. Both of these models have achieved several export sales. In 2002, Flight International reported that more than 40 variants of the Lynx were in service, numbering almost 400 aircraft having been built for various customers The Model The original RN Lynx from Revell was released back in 2013 and it’s then them until the aircraft’s retirement to release the latest and final version. Although this is pretty much a re-box of the original Mk3 it does come with all the upgrades that the Mk8 was known for, namely the ugly nose FLIR on the modified nose panel, and under fuselage radome. It does also come with a different tail boom with separate fin allowing the possibility of posing the fin folded. The box the kit comes in is adorned with a nice painting of a Lynx in flight, unfortunately it is an end opening box, therefore and floppy as ever, so no shoving it in the stash with any more than one other kit on it. Inside there are fourteen sprues of grey styrene, two of clear and a largish decal sheet. The mouldings have stood up well and there is no sign of flash or other imperfections, but quite a few moulding pips. The internal details are very nicely moulded and includes the sound proofing and tie downs on the inside of the cabin, although it could be doing with being a little bit baggier. Construction begins with drilling out the requisite holes in the cabin floor before added the cockpit centre console frame, instrument panel pedestal and panel, which appears to be correct for the type. The rudder pedals, cyclic and collective levers for both pilots are then glued into position, followed by the centre console control panels. Each of the pilots seats are made up from five parts with the seatbelts moulded into the backrest and seat squab. Once assembled the seats are glued into position along with the cabin rear bulkhead, sidewalls and rear bench seat with front support frame. The middle set of six seats might look ok from a distance but they bear little resemblance to the real things as the end frames are solid, whereas you’d see the actual framework on the real items. There is a group of electronic black boxes fitted behind the pilots seat consisting of seven parts and the middle seat assembly is fitted at the same time. The roof soundproofing is fitted with a hand hold before being glued into position. Before the fuselage halves are closed up the sections are fitted either edge of the side doors and more holes are required to be drilled out. The engine exhaust plate is fitted with two, tow piece exhausts while the main rotor gearbox, which is very nicely represented is fitted with a drive pin and cap, so that, should you wish, the rotors can be turned once fitted. The cabin and main rotor gearbox assembly are then sandwiched between the fuselage halves as is the exhaust plate. The roof panel and engine covers are then glued into place, followed by the exhaust shrouds and several access panels. The underside of the fuselage is also attached at this point as are the underside tail panel and what looks like a doppler panel, but could be for the radio altimeter and orange crop panels. The intake grilles are unfortunately represented by clear parts, not mesh as per the rear aircraft. Personally, unless an aftermarket company can reproduce them the clear parts could make for good moulds for the modeller to produce their own mesh grilles. The underside is fitted with several more panels and aerials before work begins on the nose section. the nose comprises of five parts before the five piece FLIR unit is attached. The completed assembly is then glued to the fuselage. The thwo piece tail cone is fitted with the end bulkhead which includes the hinge and locking points, as does the two piece tail fin. If you were to pose the fin folded you will need to add some internal detail to both, including the tail rotor transitional gearbox in the fin. The kit does come with the locking handle for the fin as well, so it looks like Revell nearly decided to give the folding fin option in the kit, but decided to do it properly. The completed tail cone/fin is then glued to the fuselage, along with the side doors and the slides, windscreen and pilots doors, as well as smaller items such as the windscreen wipers and various blade aerials. The main undercarriage legs each comprise to halves for each oleo, two parts to the scissor links and two halves for each wheel. The completed undercarriage legs are then sandwiched between two halves of each sponson interior before the two part sponson itself is attached. The nose wheel oleo is also in two halves and fitted with a two piece scissor link, plus two, tow piece wheels. With all the undercarriage assembled they are glued into their respective positions, along with the large anti IR beacon under the front end of the tailcone, a large blade aerial on the port side near the beacon and a number of other items which this reviewer hasn’t a clue what they are. The SACRU hook is then attached, along with four strengthening straps and the hold down harpoon unit. The tail rotor is a single piece moulding to which the inner hub and outer control rods are attached before being fitted to the port side of the fin, while on the starboard side the horizontal stabiliser is fitted. Another large blade aerial is fitted where the sonar hole used to be while just aft and to starboard there is a retractable lamp fitted. The build now concentrates on to the weaponry. The modeller has the option to fit a 50 cal M2 heavy machine gun in the port doorway. This assembly is made up from no less than twenty two parts all told, and really looks the business, with the caveat that the cooling holes over the barrel could be better represented. The other options to add weapons to the Lynx include two Stingray torpedoes each from four parts or two Sea Skua anti shipping missiles, each consisting of eight parts. The launchers are made up from ten parts and if you’re not going to fir the gun you will need two launchers. Aside from the weapons, the kit also includes the rescue hoist consisting of ten parts and is fitted to the starboard side doorway. The HF aerial stays are fitted to the underside of the tail cone and fitted with a length of wire of the modeller’s choice. The last major assembly is the main rotor. The head is made up from thirteen parts, before the rotor blades are attached and the whole assembly fit to the main rotor gearbox finishing the build. Decals The single large decal sheet provides a complete stencil set for one aircraft all the marking specific to each option. The decals are very nicely produced with great colour density, in register and nicely opaque. The markings provided are for the following:- Lynx Mk8, 207 Flight, 815 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Iron Duke, March 2016 Lynx Mk8, 215 Flight, 815 Naval Air Squadron, HMS Monmouth, March 2012 Conclusion It’s very nice to see this kit re-released with the new parts to build the final version of this venerable helicopter, and it’s still a fabulous looking kit. Not being overly complex it shouldn’t take too much to make a good looking model out of it. I have heard there may be fit problems in some areas, but with a bit of care and patience I’m sure they won’t be too bad. It will certainly be an impressive model for any collection. There is certainly plenty of scope for super detailing if that is your wish. If you wish to pose your Lynx with the blades folded there si an aftermarket set that will help you with that. or

I-153 Winter Version ICM 1:32 The Polikarpov I-153 was the last of Nikolai Polikarpov's biplane fighter aircraft to enter service and despite being the most advanced entry in the series was already obsolete when it first entered service in 1939. The I-153 was developed as a result of a misreading of the results of the aerial combat during the Spanish Civil War. In July 1937 a meeting chaired by Stalin concluded that the Fiat CR.32 biplane was superior to the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane. The nimble Fiat fighter had achieved impressive results against the Soviet fighter, but partly because the I-16 pilots had attempted to dogfight rather than use their superior speed to break off combat. The successful introduction of the Bf 109 was ignored, and instead of focusing on producing a superior monoplane the Soviet authorities decided to work on an improved biplane. The new aircraft needed to maintain the manoeuvrability of the I-15 and I-152 while also increasing in speed. This presented Polikarpov with a problem, for he had already argued that any increase in speed came at the cost of an increase in weight (from the heavier more powerful engine and stronger fuselage needed to support it). The heavier aircraft would then be less manoeuvrable. Work on the I-153 was officially approved on 11 October 1937. Polikarpov's main aim was to reduce drag and weight in an attempt to compensate for the weight of a heavier engine. He did this in two main ways - first by introducing a retractable undercarriage, and second by returning to the 'gull wing' configuration of the I-15, in which the upper wing was linked to the fuselage by diagonal sections, eliminating its central section. This had worked on the I-15, but had been unpopular with some pilots and higher authorities, and had been removed from the I-152. As a result that aircraft had been less manoeuvrable than its precursor. The 'gull wing' on the I-152 was an improved version of that on the I-15, with a bigger gap between the wing roots, which improved the pilot's forward view when landing and taking off. The fuselage and wings of the I-153 were similar to those of the I-15 and I-152, with a steel tube framework, covered by metal at the front of the fuselage and fabric elsewhere. The manually operated retractable undercarriage rotated through 90 degrees before folding backwards into the fuselage. The first prototype was powered by a 750hp M-25V engine. Its maiden flight is variously reported as having taken place in May or August 1938, with A.I. Zhukov at the controls. Tests that began on 27 September are variously described as state acceptance or factory trials. These tests weren't entirely satisfactory and production was delayed while some of the problems were solved. In June-August 1939 state acceptance trials were conducted using an I-153 powered by the new Shvetsov M-62 engine, a version of the M-25V with a two-stage supercharger. These trials were not officially concluded until January 1941, long after the type had been superseded. Next in line was a version powered by the 900hp M-63, and this version passed its trials on 30 September 1939. Only a handful of aircraft were produced with the M-25 engine. The 800hp M-62 was used in the largest number of aircraft, around 3,018 in total. The 1,100hp (at take-off) M-63 was used in 409 aircraft. A total of 3,437 I-153s were produced, beginning in 1938. 1,011 aircraft had been completed by the end of 1939, and a massive 2,362 were built in 1940, at a time when the Soviet Union desperately needed more modern monoplanes. Production came to an end early in 1941 and only 64 aircraft were completed that year. The standard I-153 was armed with four ShKAS machine guns. These replaced the PV-1 guns used on the I-15 and I-152, and had a much higher rate of fire (1,800 compared to 750 rounds per minute) as well as being much lighter. The four under wing bomb racks could carry up to 441lb of bombs. The Model Having released a wheeled version of the I-153, it’s now the turn of the sky fitted winter version. Contained in a sturdy box the three large sprues of grey plastic are pretty well protected in their single plastic bag, with the clear parts in a separate bag, there is also a largish decal sheet. All the parts are superbly moulded, with no sign of flash or other imperfections and only a few noticeable moulding pips. There are a few swirl marks in the plastic, but nothing to worry about and will easily be covered when the kit is primed and painted. Since the aircraft was mostly wood there are very few panel lines, where fabric was used in the construction, the kit shows the underlying structure, but in a nicely restrained way. Construction begins with the lower wing and the two upper sections being attached to the single piece lower section, after which there are two insets that fit into the main undercarriage bay roof. The cockpit is assembled next, and is a very nicely detailed area. The two seat supports are attached to the seat back and glued to the cockpit floor, followed by the seat base. The two piece control column is glued into place along with its separate control rod and rudder pedals. The tubular framework of the cockpit is quite delicate, and care should be taken when removing from the sprues and assembling. Side tubular structures are fitted with ancillary instruments, levers, radio controls, throttle lever and flare pistol. The side sections are then glued to the front and rear sections. The whole assembly is then attached to the cockpit floor assembly and the whole lot glued to the lower wing assembly.The fuselage sides are then detailed with an oxygen bottle, and side access doors before being glued together. The fuselage is then slid over the cockpit structure and glued to the lower wing. The horizontal tailplanes, elevators and rudder all come in two halves. When glued together they are attached to the rear fuselage. The upper wing comes as single piece upper section and two piece lower sections. Once joined, the assembly is attached to the forward fuselage and the two interplane struts glued into position. The engine is quite a simple affair, being moulded in two halves, to which the valve rods are attached, followed by the exhausts. The cooling shutter ring is then fitted to the inside of the nose cowling, followed by the engine assembly, rear bulkhead, and separate exhaust stubs and five piece propeller. The engine/nose cowling assembly is then attached to the front fuselage, followed by the two side panels, top panel, windshield, gunsight and oil cooler duct. Each of the main undercarriage legs are made from three parts, But instead of the wheels, the legs are fitted with skis and their fixtures, comprising five parts each ski, once assembled they are glued into their respective positions. The tailplane struts are then added, along with the undercarriage bay doors and single piece tail skid. You then have the option of adding wither eight rockets, each of three pieces, two small bombs, also three parts or four larger bombs also three parts. The bombs have separate crutches while the rockets are fitted to rails. Then it’s just a bit of very light rigging and the model is done. Decals The decal sheet is printed by ICM themselves. The decals are quite glossy, well printed, in register and nicely opaque, particularly useful for the large white numbers. There are four decal options, the four aircraft being:- I-153, Red Army Air Force, 1940, in overall Aluminum, 1940 I-153, Red Army Air Force, 1940, in overall Aluminum, March 1940 I-153 aircraft VH-101 of the Finnish Air Force, 1940, in Field Green over Light blue undersides. I-153 aircraft IT-15 of the Finnish Air Force, 1940, in Field Green over flat black upper sides of the wings and fuselage sides and Light blue undersides. Conclusion As with the I-16, this is a very cute and recognisable little aeroplane. The biplane design, whilst out of date, makes this aircraft look a nicer design then the I-16. It’s certainly great that ICM are catering to those of us who like the larger scales and there is still plenty that could be done with the interior should you wish to go to town on it. Nice to now have the option of the ski equipped version. Review sample courtesy of

Started on the 9th of December... Every year I try to do a 'clear the bench' build over Christmas, this year it was this one: Not sure why folks seem to shy-away from the Trumpy 109E kits almost all the completed ones that I have seen are from the Eduard and Dragon kits. Ahh well... I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this one. Perfect fit everywhere, lots of detail, excellent etch, decals and phenomenal clear parts. (not so excellent rubber tyres tho'). For a change I broke-out my enamels for the 74/75/76/04 colours, all of which I mixed using my preferred Mk.I eyeball method. Highly recommend this to anyone contemplating a 1:32 build and perhaps a wee bit put-off by the excessive parts-count and cost of some of the 'uber kits' around just now - I got this off a well-known on-line auction site from a Chinese based seller for just £16.50 !!!!! (that's as good as giving it away) even down here to NZ the postage was just ten-quid. So here t'is all done only addition is the kit specific Eduard Zoom set which includes the harness too; And I have to admit that I'm very pleased with it. Please feel free to hurl any criticism, ask any questions or make any comment at all. Thanks for taking the time to look and Happy 2019 to all here. Ian.

USN Deck crew Videoaviation 1:32 The latest releases from Videoaviation.com are these sets of figures and equipment. Two sets are of US Navy, one with modern figures and a trolley filled with metal cases, the other from the Vietnam era with two figures and a trolley filled with what look like bomb fuses. The sets are manufactured in the standard creamy beige resin which is really well moulded and detailed. [187232] US Navy Deck Crew Maintenance – This set contains two figures, one kneeling, one standing, both with separate arms, heads and a pouch for the kneeling man. The kneeling figure also has a speedy drive for opening up a panel. The set also includes a twelve piece Aero 12C trolley which includes two small and three large metal boxes as load. ; [187532] US Navy Deck Crew Vietnam – This set contains two figures, both standing, one with both arms and head separate, who is meant to be holding a fuse in his hands and one with just one separate arm and separate head. The set also includes a nine piece trolley which includes two pallets of bomb fuses as a load. The chap with the fuse is meant to be a red shirt ordnance man, while the other is a green shirt, maintenance man. Unfortunately each of the sets the instructions don’t come with colour photographs of the crewmen and equipment, but show the completed items and the callouts are written down with pointers to the appropriate items of clothing and equipment parts. Conclusion Videoaviation continue to release great sets to add life to your large scale dioramas, are superb. The added crews and equipment will be especially useful, just add your model with a bomb trolley, and bombs with their fuses removed for that great looking diorama. Review sample courtesy of

Löök Resin Instrument Panels & Seatbelts – December 2018 Eduard 1:32 Continuing their line in the LOOK series of instrument panels, Eduard have released two more sets. These are for the Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IX Late, and Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6, both in 1:32 scale. As with the previously released sets, the modeller is provided, in these cases with the main instrument panel. Each set also includes a sheet of etched steel for the seat belts. The panels have all the correct markings and placards painted on them and the faces of each instrument is glazed, making them look very realistic, particularly with a bit of weathering to get away from that newly built look. Conclusion This series is a great resource for those of us who are unable to replicate all the markings on a panel, all in one easy package. They are certainly a neat and innovative idea from the masters of aftermarket. Review sample courtesy of

Halberstadt Cl.II (Early) 1:32 Wingnut Wings (32049) Announced a couple of months ago, Wingnut Wings have now released two boxings of the Halberstadt CL.II, in ‘Early’ and ‘Late’ versions. Designed in 1917as two seat escort fighter and ground attack machine, the CL.II served from July 1917 until the end of the war in November 1918. Of all wood construction, the CL.II was smaller than existing two seaters (‘C’ types) and lighter (the ‘L’ part of its designation). Consequently is had a good rate of climb, top speed, and manoeuvrability, with excellent communication possible between the closely located pilot and gunner. It proved to be popular with its crews and very effective in its designated roles. Some 700 were built by Halberstadt and a further 200 by Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke (BFW). They were often attached to specialised ‘Schutzstaffel’ Protection Squadrons, whose job was to fly escort to traditional two seat reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft. Following their transition to the ground attack and infantry support role, they were renamed ‘Schlaststaffel ‘ Battle Squadrons. The Kit. Presented in Wingnut Wings familiar silver edged box, the glorious Steve Anderson painting depicts the ‘flame’ decorated Schusta 26b machine (options C) over the lines, about to receive attention from an approaching Sopwith Camel. Lifting the lid reveals the plastic components on four large and one smaller sprue, with a further small one holding the clear parts. The decals fill two large A4 sized sheets covering all the individual markings for five options, with a full set of five colour lozenge in upper and lower colours. As always the ‘icing on the cake’ is the superb instruction booklet in full colour. This is more than just a set of construction drawings as it contains period photographs of CL.II’s, showing detailed close ups where these help to illustrate particular details. Further photographs show some of the actual aircraft offered as options. The assembly drawings are beautifully clear, explain every step with clarity, and pointing out many of the variations that must be made for the particular aircraft chosen to build. One thing I always appreciate is the full colour sub assembly drawings, showing how the completed cockpit area should look. Not only does this remove any doubts, but it helps to plan the painting sequence for all the components. Construction begins with the cockpit, filled with lovely details like the fuel tank upon which the pilots seat is affixed, the compass, the pressurising pump, wire reel etc, finished off with etched brass seat belts and numerous little placard decals. The Telefunken Type D wireless and amplifier set is a little gem that I expect most modellers will want to install. A small number of control wires run down the cockpit sides, and can be replicated with the rigging material of your choice. The illustrations show exactly where they go. The Daimler Mercedes D.III engine can be built as one of three versions, a standard 160hp D.III, a 180hp D.IIIa, or a 200hp D.IIIau. The instructions make it very clear which parts are appropriate for which version, and are backed up with contemporary black & white photos, and full colour CAD drawings of the finished engine. A fixed LMG 08/15 Spandau machine gun is fitted on the port side in front of the pilot. Wingnut Wing provide a choice of two, one as solid plastic moulding, and the others with and etched brass slotted cooling jacket for higher detail. A similar choice is available for the observers LMG 14 Parabellum later on in the build. With the engine and interior built up, the two fuselage halves are joined together. Various ‘rivets’ and tabs need to be shaved off the exterior surface, as they are only appropriate to the ‘late’ version Halberstadt. This is a simple task to do, and clearly pointed out in the instructions. With the fuselage halves together, construction moves on to adding the lower wings and tailplanes, and that very distinctive gun ring over the observers cockpit. Very early machines (Options B & D) had a smaller rudder than later ones, and although the difference is subtle Wingnut Wings supply both. All the parts for the 'Early' version are on sprue 'F'. One little detail that I particularly like about German aircraft of this period is that several of them had a compass mounted out on the port wing, away from magnetic interference. This Halberstadt is one of them, and it makes an interesting and eye catching detail on the finished model, particularly as the decal for it is a little masterpiece that is fully readable under a magnifying glass. Struts and engine cowlings (complete with etched brass flash guard for scale thickness) are fitted next, in preparation for the multi-part upper wing being fitted. This comprises of upper and lower center sections halves, solid outer panels, and separate ailerons. The radiator detail is moulded into the center section parts, with lovely sharp definition. The fuel tank even gets a clear plastic sighting tube to fit on its top surface. The wings themselves have rib and delicate fabric ‘sag’ detail, with ultra fine trailing edges. No doubt the top wing will fit on flawlessly with everything lining up to perfection. One thing I learned early on is not to use cyano on the struts, but slower setting glue such as Revell Contacta. This gives you time to pop all struts fully into their sockets and check that everything is lining up as it should. Next up is the undercarriage, with the option of faired and unfaired axles. (I always use fine fishing line to rig the legs, and it is amazing how much strength this gives them, just like on the real thing). The kit supplies Neindorf, Garuda, and Axial propellers, with the instructions pointing out which one goes with each option. All are impressive mouldings with superb hub detail moulded in, and unlike many other manufacturers, there are no sink marks on the blade roots. The build is completed by fitting either an LMG 14 or LMG 14/17 machine gun for the observer, plus a choice of flare racks and cartridges to locate around the rear cockpit. There is even a choice of flare pistols to put inside. The rigging is at moderate level, as this is a single bay biplane. There are no double wires or awkward runs, so it should not present any difficulties using your preferred method of elastic line, fishing line, stretched sprue etc. Options. A. Halberstadt CL.II 5702/17 “3 Martha & Else”, Max Niemann & Rudolf Kolodzicj, Royal Prussian Schlasta 21, October 1918. B. Halberstadt CL.II “4 Rosi” Royal Bavaraian Schusta 23b, Early 1918. C. Halberstadt CL.II “4” Royal Bavaraian Schusta 26b, Early 1917. D. Halberstadt CL.II “1”, Fridolin Redenbach, Royal Bavaraian Schusta 27b, September 1917. E. Halberstadt CL.II “4 Dora”, Royal Bavaraian Schusta 27b, March 1918. Decals. Decals are printed by Cartograf, and are of the usual faultless quality. Everything is in perfect register with minimal carrier film and good colours. Two A4 sized sheets are provided, with the first covering all the different markings and detail items. It is always the little placards and instrument dials that impress me most, they are such perfect little miniatures and really add so much to the finished model. The ‘flame’ section for option C is wisely provided as the ‘fingers’ only, as it will be necessary to paint the forward section of the fuselage due to the compound curves. The second sheet contains a set of ‘upper’ and’ lower’ 5 colour lozenge in ‘cookie cutter’ format. This is a very helpful idea as the fabric on the CL.II was applied at 45 degrees, which would be a little awkward to do with strips of decal. Pay attention to the instructions, because only option E had the standard upper and lower lozenge fabric applied. C,D, and B had the ‘lower’ lozenge applied on the upper surfaces, with the lowers covered in bleached linen. Option A had yellow painted wings, but this would have been over the standard lozenge as per option E. Whether you want to do this or just omit the lozenge and go straight for yellow paint is your choice, but all of this is shown in the instructions. Halberstadt had an unusual method of painting the CL.II’s fuselage. Patches of greens, brown yellow and blue were covered with a ‘stipple’ effect. Wingnut Wings helpfully have a guide on their website showing how to achieve this with an airbrush set to low pressure. Both the ‘Early’ and ‘Late’ versions of this kit have an option in them that does not have this stipple finish, should you want to avoid it. Conclusion. Without a doubt, another masterpiece from Wingnut Wings. It has everything we have come to expect from them, attractive box art and packaging, flawless mouldings, superb decals, and instructions that are more like a detailed reference manual. This is a very good looking aeroplane with lots of interesting marking options. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to learn that it quickly becomes one of their best sellers. Very Highly recommended  Review sample courtesy of

I-16 Type 29 ICM 1:32 Design work on the I-16 began during the summer of 1932 at the Central Aero and Hydrodynamic Institute. When the tiny I-16 flew for the first time in December 1933, it was far ahead of any other fighter design in the world, featuring retractable landing gear, a cantilever wing and variable pitch propeller. Although not among the best remembered aircraft of the thirties, it was nevertheless a very able and rugged machine and featured prominently in the events of the time. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, almost 500 were put into service with the Republicans. The outstanding manoeuvrability, firepower and rate of climb, surprised the enemy leading to the opposition nickname of Rata (Rat) and the friendly name Mosca (Fly). Equipped with the Soviet 20 mm cannon it was the most powerful aircraft weapon in front line service with any nation on the eve of World War II. It had a very high rate of fire and was extremely reliable. Another batch of I-16s was purchased by China to fight the Japanese, again surprising the other side with excellent performance. When it first appeared, the I-16 Ishak (Little Donkey) was powered by a radial engine which developed a modest 450 hp. Even with this it achieved a creditable 376 km/h (234 mph) and, as the world's first single-seat fighter to have low monoplane wings, an enclosed cockpit (on some versions) and a retractable undercarriage. It was immediately put into mass production alongside the Polikarpov I-15 biplane fighter. Development led eventually to one version of the I-16 reaching over 520km/h (325 mph), with an engine of about two-and-a-half times the original power. At this point the I-16 might well have faded into obscurity, if not for the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936. This war drew support from all over the world. The Nationalists, supported mainly by German and Italian forces, were the better equipped. Britain, France, the United States, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia and Turkey all sent an assortment of aircraft to the Republican forces, directly or indirectly. But by far the major supporter of the Republicans was the Soviet Union, which supplied 1,409 of the 1947 aircraft contributed by other countries. 475 of these aircraft were Polikarpov I-16s. They first entered combat in Spain in November 1936. Flown in many cases by Soviet pilots, they proved more than a match for German He 51 fighters and Arado Ar68, but met their equals in the Italian C.R.32 biplanes and were overpowered by Messerschmitt Bf 109s. From March 1937, all remaining I-16s were concentrated into Fighter Group 31, and this was by far the most successful of all Soviet-equipped units. Meanwhile, I-16s were fighting also in China, and in 1939 were operated against the Japanese in Mongolia. Their final fling came during the early part of the Second World War, but by then they were overshadowed by more advanced foreign types. Suffering the brunt of the German invasion, those remaining were replaced by more modern fighters in 1942-1943. The Type 29 differed from the earlier Type 28 by having two synchronized ShKAS in the nose and a single 12.7 mm (0.50 in) UBS in the bottom of the fuselage; it had no guns in wings which were reserved for ground attack weapons. Three rocket racks were mounted in each wing. Additionally, starting in 1941, the external fuel tank hardpoint was changed so that it became multipurpose: it could carry the new type of drop tank, PLBG-100, or a FAB-100 bomb. Wartime photographs from the summer of 1941 show two configurations: one with 6 RS-82 rockets and two FAB-100 bombs and another with four RS-132 rockets The Model This is the third in ICM’s series of I-16’s, the previous releases being a Type 24 and a Type 28. As with the previous release there is a nice artist’s representation of the aircraft on the box top. Once you take the lid off the box and opened the inner lid, you will find four large sprues of grey styrene, one small clear sprue and a medium sized decal sheet. All the parts are superbly moulded, with no sign of flash or other imperfections and only a few noticeable moulding pips. There are a few swirl marks in the plastic, but nothing to worry about and will easily be covered when the kit is primed and painted. Since the aircraft was mostly wood there are very few panel lines, where fabric was used in the construction, the kit shows the underlying structure, but in a nicely restrained way. Is is interesting to note that this is not5 just a re-release of the Type 28 with added weapons. The wing sprue is completely new with the correct modifications/differences not only to the wings, but also the cowling front. Construction begins with the wings and the two upper sections being attached to the single piece lower section, after which the port and starboard clear navigation lights are attached. Each aileron is moulded in top and bottom halves, which, once joined together are fitted in the desired poses, along with the lower underside of the nose. The cockpit is assembled next, and is a very nicely detailed area. The rear bulkhead is fitted with the seat backrest and support, while the two piece rudder pedals are assembled. The pedals are fitted to the cockpit floor, along with the rear mounted battery box. The front and rear bulkheads are then glued into the left hand fuselage section along with some sidewall detail. The floor is then slide in through the front bulkhead opening and glued to the rear bulkhead. The two piece throttle is assembled and glued into position, and then the instrument panel, which is moulded in clear plastic is fitted with the instrument decal. The rest of the cockpit is then detailed with the oxygen bottle instrument panel, joystick, a couple of handles, and seat. On the opposite side wall the undercarriage handle and a couple of instrument clusters are attached. The firewall is fitted with the two piece oil tank and two gun troughs, before being fitted to one half of the fuselage. The two piece rudder and three piece elevators are then assembled, as is the two piece upper nose section. The fuselage halves are then joined, and the rudder, horizontal tailplanes and upper nose section attached, as are the two door panels. The fuselage and wing assembly are then glued together. The engine bearers and attached to the engine mounting ring, followed by gearbox case and intake manifold, the two halves that make up the cylinders, each with exquisite fin detail, are joined together, then fitted with the piston rods and individual exhaust pipes, before the gearbox assembly is fitted to the rear. The completed engine is then attached to the fuselage. The engine is cowled with three optionally fitted panels, plus the three piece nose cowl, with optionally positioned vents. The two machine guns fitted to the upper nose are then slid into their associated troughs, followed by the gunsight and windscreen. The build is finished off with the assembly of the two main undercarriage units and the various weapons, including two piece drop tanks and two piece rockets on separate single piece rails.. Each undercarriage unit is made up of a two piece wheel, single piece main leg, complete with actuator, two outer doors, with separate hinged lower section, there is a second support rod fitted with another door which is glued to the leg and rear mounting point in the wing. The tail wheel is then attached, as is the tail cone and rear light, the drop tanks and rockets, side mounted venturi style pitot, aerial mast and what looks like an aerial unit, aft of the cockpit. Decals The decal sheet is printed by ICM themselves. The decals are quite glossy, well printed, in register and nicely opaque, particularly useful for the large white arrow. There are four decal options with this release, they are:- I-16 Type 29, Red 75 of the 4th Guard Fighter Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Aviation, Winter – Spring 1942 in white over light blue camouflage I-16 Type 29, White 12 of the 4th Guard Fighter Regiment of the Baltic Fleet Aviation, Winter – Spring 1943 in dark green over light blue camouflage. I-16 Type 29, White 75 of the 71st Fighter Regiment, Autumn 1941 in dark green and black over light blue camouflage. I-16 Type 29, White 13 of the 158th Fighter Regiment of the Northern Fleet Aviation, Pskov Region, July 1941 in dark green and black over light blue camouflage. Conclusion I really like the I-16, there’s something about the old I-16, no matter which type. Whether it’s the cute little plane, or the plucky little fighter going up against the odds, with only the skills of the Soviet pilots keeping the aircraft, which was quite difficult to fly and fight with, in the air. Even though it is really very nice and will build up into a great looking model there is plenty of provision for the super detailers amongst us to really go to town on the interior. 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

Pre- Painted Instrument panels Eduard LOOK 1:32 Continuing their line of LOOK series of instrument panels, Eduard have released two more sets. These are for the Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IX Early, and Hasegawa Fw 190A-5, both in 1:32 scale. As with the previously released sets, the modeller is provided with the main panel, side panels and centre panels as required. Each set also includes a sheet of etched steel for the seat belts. The panels have all the correct markings and placards painted on them and the faces of each instrument is glazed, making them look very realistic, particularly with a bit of weathering to get away from that newly built look. Spitfire Mk.IX Fw 190A-5 Conclusion This new series is a great resource for those of us who are unable to replicate all the markings on a panel, all in one easy package. They are certainly a great and innovative idea from the masters of aftermarket. Review sample courtesy of