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Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Type 21 ‘Rabaul’ 1:48 Hasegawa History The first A6M1 prototype was completed in March 1939, powered by the 580 kW (780 hp) Mitsubishi Zuisei 13 engine with a two-blade propeller. It first flew on 1 April, and passed testing in a remarkably short period of time. By September, it had already been accepted for navy testing as the A6M1 Type 0 Carrier Fighter, with the only notable change being a switch to a three-bladed propeller to cure a vibration problem. After the delivery of only 65 aircraft by November 1940, a further change was worked into the production lines, which introduced folding wingtips to allow them to fit on aircraft carriers. The resulting Model 21 would become one of the most produced versions early in the war. A feature was the improved range with 520lt wing tank and 320lt drop tank. When the lines switched to updated models, 740 Model 21s had been completed by Mitsubishi, and another 800 by Nakajima. The Model The first Hasegawa A6M2b Type 21 was released in 1996 and has been released at least six times before this one, so they are really getting their monies worth out of the moulds. That said, the medium grey styrene is still well moulded with no flash and only a few moulding pips on the three main sprues, whilst the parts on the clear sprues are still remarkably transparent. There appears to be no sign of any imperfections on the review sample and it looks to be another well designed Hasegawa kit. The details are cleanly moulded and still well defined both internally and externally. Unlike most of the other kits of Japanese aircraft from Hasegawa reviewed recently, this one doesn’t come with a pilot, so the build goes straight to the cockpit. The floor pan is fitted with the joystick, rudder pedals, rear bulkhead and instrument panel. The seat is fitted to a block on the floor and the seat adjustment handle is attached to the rear bulkhead on the starboard side. To the instrument panel the two upper machine gun breeches are attached along with the gunsight. To finish off the cockpit the two side walls are attached with the port side having a separate instrument shelf fitted, thus making an enclosed tub. The completed cockpit tub is then fitted to one half of the fuselage, which is then closed up. The foreward upper fuselage panel is then attached and fitted with the two machine gun barrels. The Sakae engine consists of engine mount, the two cylinder banks and the crankcase with connecting rods. When assembled it is fitted the fuselage and covered with the single piece cowling. The engine exhausts are then attached as are the horizontal tailplanes. The two upper wing sections are glued to the lower single piece item before the aileron trim tab panel lines are filled and sanded as per the instructions. A number of location holes in the lower wing also need filling and the trim tab actuating rods need to be removed. The completed wing is then fitted to the fuselage, followed by the lower engine fairing, with oil cooler, the pilots’ headrest. The separate navigation light lenses are also fitted at this point, as are the aileron control horns. The main undercarriage consists of single piece wheels/tyres, oleo and outer bay doors, which can be left off as these were often removed to save weight. The undercarriage is then fitted into position and the outer doors attached. The single centreline drop tank is made up of two halves, and includes the mounting pylon, which, when joined together can be fitted between the main wheel wells. With the model now standing on its undercarriage the three piece canopy arrangement attached. It is possible to pose the cockpits canopy open and the aerial mast is fitted to the fixed aft section. Lastly, the three individual propeller blades are assembled to the back plate, the spinner is then added and the completed propeller is fitted to the aircraft. The build is now complete. Decals The decals are as well printed as those I’ve seen in previous reviews. Although there seems to be quite a bit more carrier film visible on this sheet, but nothing that a good gloss coat of paint and some Kleer/Future/Aqua Gloss won’t be able to sort out. Opacity is good as is the register. The sheet provides markings for three aircraft, all based in Rabaul the first two are painted in Mitsubishi Green, (more like white, or at least light grey to my eyes), and the last one in Nakajima, (IJN) Green, which at least looks green. They aircraft are:- Tainan Naval Flying Group, Lt. Hideki Shingho, 1942 advanced party Tainan Naval Flying Group, 1942 201st Naval Flying Group, 1943 Conclusion Hasegawa are really on a re-release trip at the moment, but then the kits are still very nice, not only to look at, but also to build. A more cynical mind would like them to actually produce some new moulds, but whilst these ones keep producing nice, easy to build kits, I can see why they keep knocking them out with just a change of decals. The included detail is nice, but there are always areas which can be improved if the modeller so wishes. But for a nice, easy weekend build you might content yourself with just the addition of some seat belts, job done. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Turned Brass Aircraft Barrels/Probes 1:48 Master Models We've received another batch of these superb items for Mast Models. Their reputation continues to grow with some of the best turned components you can buy. They are all packaged in the standard small flat packs with card headers which help protect the components. Inside the parts are all in separate bags with an overturned flap to keep them from falling out, although the probes are so sharp I'm surprised the hadn't pierced their way through. The Kfir set, designed for the Kinetic kits, has two very finely turned probes included. The pitot probe with its characteristic bulge near the tip is so fine in the waist that it looks like it could snap, and would do if it wasn't made of brass, just drill out a 0.8mm hole to fit. The AoA probe is just an amazing piece of turning, just drill a 0.5mm hole and fit, just be carefully it doesn't ping out of the tweezers as the carpet monster will love this. The Lightning set, designed for the Airfix kit just includes the fabulously turned, and blooming sharp pitot probe. Don't have this at head height as it will have someones eye out. Again drill a 0.8mm hole to fit. Whereas the Lightning probe is long and slender, this item for the Revell Hustler is a bit of a brute in comparison, yet through deft turning it still transitions down to a very fine point. You will need to open the hole up using a 1mm drill bit to fit this baby, and again don't display at head height if not in an enclosed cabinet. Lastly,this set is to replace the cannon barrel covers/barrels on the Eduard Spitfire IXc. Beautifully detailed from tip to base this should fit directly without opening up the attachment hole. Conclusion For a simple and quick way to upgrade the detail on your kits, these really are the only way to go. The finesse on the turning is amazing, I would love to see the machines the use. The probes though are very sharp and I cannot stress enough to be aware of this and take appropriate precautions, particularly if you have children. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Piotr at

Junkers Ju-87G-2 Stuka "Rudel" 1:48 Hasegawa History Even before the Battle of Stalingrad, German concern about the large quantity of Soviet mobile armour on the Eastern Front during 1942 resulted in the formation of an experimental air-to-ground anti-tank unit. Tests showed that arming the Junkers Ju87 Stuka with a 37mm cannon under each wing promised the optimal tank-busting weapon. This Ju87 variant was designated the Junkers Ju87G Kanonenvogel (cannon-bird). The Ju87G-2 was developed from the long-wing Ju87D-5 Stuka dive bomber. It was a rugged design powered by a single Junkers Jumo 211J-1 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled engine. The type displayed outstanding qualities as a tool for precision ground attack. However, in the air the Ju87G-2 was both cumbersome and slow. Defensive armament was limited to 7.9 mm Mauser MG 81Z twin-mounted machine guns at the rear of the large glasshouse canopy. A total of 174 G-2s were built before production of all Ju 87 variants ceased in October 1944. The Ju87G began its career in February 1943 in the battles for the Kuban peninsula in Southern Russia. It was at this time that Oberstleutnant Hans-Ulrich Rudel began tank-busting operations, having recently become the first Luftwaffe pilot to fly 1000 operational missions. Later, in July 1943, Rudel took part in the epic tank battle for the Kursk salient. More than 350 Ju87's participated in these operations, including a handful of production Ju87Gs. Rudel went on to fly no fewer than 2,530 sorties and notched up a total of 2,000 targets destroyed; including 800 vehicles, 519 tanks, 150 artillery pieces, a destroyer, 2 cruisers, the Soviet battleship Marat, 70 landing craft, 4 armoured trains, several bridges and 9 aircraft. Given the shortcomings of the Ju87G in terms of its speed, agility and defensive capability this speaks volumes for the piloting skills of Rudel himself and the marksmanship of his rear gunners. Hans-Ulrich Rudel was the most decorated serviceman of all the fighting arms of the German forces. He was the only recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Golden Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds. Unswervingly dedicated to waging war against the enemies of the Third Reich, Rudel continued in active service following injuries sustained in February 1945 that resulted in a leg amputation. Such was his prowess and notoriety, that the Soviets placed a significant bounty on his head. Wisely deciding to evade capture at Russian hands, in a final act Rudel led three Ju87s and four Focke-Wulf FW 190s westward from Bohemia. He surrendered to U.S. forces, on 8 May 1945. The Model This kit was originally released in 1998 with new parts added to the new tool dating back to 1991. That said, the moulds are obviously wearing well as there is no sign of flash or imperfections, just a number of moulding pips. Detail is finely done with engraved and raised details as required. Construction looks to be pretty straightforward and there doesn’t appear to be any noticeable pitfalls in the build, which if it’s to their usual standard will be a breeze. Construction begins with the two place cockpit, which consists of the pilots’ seat, joystick, centre bulkhead, radio stack, gunners’ seat machine gun mount base, machine gun mount and the twin machine gun itself. The details are quite sparse and could do with the addition of seatbelts at the very least. Each side wall is fitted to their respective fuselage sides before fitting the cockpit assembly and the fuselage being closed up. The engine/front fuselage is made up of two halves, the radiator tub, radiator, and two sets of exhaust stubs. The propeller is, which is assembled from the backplate, three separate blades poly cap holder, poly cap and spinner. This is the then fitted to the engine assembly. The upper coaming and lower fuselage panels are then fitted, followed by the rear fuselage panel, containing separate circular access panel. The wing is then assembled using the single piece lower wing section and the two upper wings, ensuring that the modeller has drilled the correct holes out for the fitting of the gun pods. The flaps and ailerons are moulded integrally, whilst making for a simpler build it would have been nice to have the ability to position them as per the modellers’ wishes. The wing, engine assembly and the two horizontal tailplanes are assembled to the fuselage, in addition to the tailplane end plates and port wing landing light cover. Next up, the two main undercarriage units are constructed, each consisting of the halves for the spats and for the separate the wheels. With the model on its back the undercarriage mounts are fitted, as are the underwing radiator covers, mass balances, pitot probe, and tailplane struts. The 37mm anti-tank guns are made up of two halves, one of which is moulded with the gun barrel. With these put together the two aerodynamic fins are added to each side of the rear pod, whilst the front and rear mounting supports are fitted to the top of each weapon. Are then fitted in to the pre drilled holes in the lower wing. Once the tailwheel has been attached the model can be turned over and the four piece windscreen and canopy can be fitted, with the rear cockpits sliding section attached to its two mounting plates and the aerial mast fitted to the fixed centre section. Decals The decals, printed onto a medium sized sheet look to be well printed, with little sign of carrier film with the exception of the outline crosses and a couple of access panel stencils. The register is good and they appear nicely opaque, including the yellow and white markings. The sheet provides markings for two of Rudel’s’ aircraft one stating it’s from Hungary 1945, which I think is a typo and should really be 1944 as it states he was an Oberleutenant. The other is from his time as Oberst JG2 in Germany May 1945. Swastikas are provided, and, much like the Fw-190 reviewed earlier this year it appears they have been positioned on the sheet in such a way as to be easily removable for the German market. Rudel's Ju87G-2 Kanonenvogel of Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2) "Immelmann" Werk-Nr. 494193 wore standard splinter camouflage of RLM 70/71 black green/dark green on its upper surfaces with RLM 65 light blue undersides. The crosses and swastika were painted in the simplified fashion of the last months of the war. The yellow fuselage band provided a means for rapid identification of Axis machines on the Eastern Front. The tactical yellow "V" marking under the port wing was introduced on aircraft operating over the Hungarian sector and is indicative of Luftflotte 4 machines. The commodore's chevron and bars were painted black with a white border. Conclusion This is yet another welcome re-release and makes for an interesting subject through the pilots impressive war record. The model is a bit simplified when compared to more modern releases, but it has stood the test of time and should be an easy and stress free build. The inclusion of seat belts and perhaps other sundry items could make the cockpit more interesting especially as the canopy is large and clear. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Douglas TBD-1A Devastator Floatplane 1:48 Great Wall Hobby History The Douglas TBD-1A aircraft was a specially modified standard TBD-1, mounted on Edo floats. The very first production TBD-1 off the line, BuNo.0208, was selected as the test aircraft. It was originally conceived as a test bed for the Dutch Navy, as the Dutch were interested in procuring the type for their use in the Dutch East Indies. Events in Europe at the time precluded the order and it never materialised. However, the single aircraft converted was retained by the US Navy to test different torpedo variants. It was often joked that the TBD-1A dropped more torpedoes in testing than the entire fleet did in WW2. This may not be too far from the truth, as it saw service from the beginning of 1939 out of Newport, Rhode Island, USA, long before the US entered the war in 1941. The Model The kit comes in a very attractive top opening box with an artists impression of the aircraft presumably taking off from quite a heavy sea. On opening the initial impression is very good indeed. There are five sprues of medium grey styrene, a separate cowling, one sprue of clear styrene, all carefully protected in their individual poly bags. Also included is a small etched brass fret, two metal parts, a large sheet of masks and the decal sheet. The mouldings are superb, with crisp fine details in the form of rivets, panel lines, (raised where required), even the corrugated upper wings look more to scale than the some other manufacturers releases of the base aircraft. There is absolutely no sign of flash or imperfections on the review sample, and only a few moulding pips. Construction begins with the pilots, and navigators seats and there complex looking set of etched seat belts, followed by the radio operator/rear gunners rotating seat, made up of the seat pan, lower support bar and ring shaped top section. Onto the top section the race and gun traversing mechanism/mount is attached. The pilots’ seat is the attached to the supports, and then onto the bulkhead, which is then slide into position into the cockpit tub, followed by the control column, rudder pedals. The navigators’ seat is then fixed into place, followed by the mid bulkhead, foreward bulkhead, radio stack, the pilots throttle lever and torpedo release lever. The shoulder height cockpit deck is then fitted out with the gunners’ seat assembly from the underside, which requires the fitting of three PE brackets. Turning the deck over the fire bottle, DF loop aerial, and the 30cal machine gun, consisting of a one piece gun, firing handles, magazine tray and magazine, is fitted to the gunners’ seat mount. The machine gun can be posed either in the firing position or stowed. Before the fuselage can be closed up there are several fittings to be fitted to the cockpit sides, such as more pilots’ controls and the small side windows. With the cockpit assembly fitted to one half of the fuselage the upper and lower instrument panels are then painted up and glued into position. The instrument panels and side consoles have very nicely rendered instruments which will take some careful painting to make the most of them. With everything in place the fuselage halves can be closed up. The pilots’ headrest support is then attached, along with several other fittings on and around the headrest. The complex torpedo ranging sight in then assembled and fitted the front coaming. This is a very detailed and fiddly assembly and is made entirely of PE parts so take care not to feed the carpet monster. The engine, consisting of the two banks of cylinders plus two sets of control rods, is assembled. To this, the crankcase cover and air intake pipe ring is attached. The two exhaust manifolds are then fitted to the front of the fuselage, followed by the engine. At this point the two piece horizontal tailplanes are assembled and attached their respective sides. The engine cowling is mated to the gill flaps and then fitted to over the engine to the fuselage. The instructions call for the canopy to be assembled here, if the closed canopy is chosen then this can be done as it is a single piece moulding. If the open canopy is chosen, leave off the sliding parts an only fit the fixed parts, thus protecting the fragile internal structures. Construction of the wing begins with the single piece lower centre section being fitted to the fuselage, followed by the two upper inner sections can be attached. The torpedo bomb sight windows/doors are assembled with one layer of styrene and two layers of PE. The three piece oil cooler is also assembled, then attached to the lower wing, whilst the bomb sight doors are attached in either open or closed condition under the foreward fuselage. The separate flaps are also fitted at this point, presumably in either retracted or lowered state, but the instructions aren’t particularly clear on this. The torpedo mounting plate is then fitted to the fuselage centre section and the torpedo, made up of front and rear body sections and twin PE propellers, can be attached. Because the original aircraft was meant to be carrier based it was fitted with folding wings, well this wasn’t dispensed with just because they fitted floats. The inner wing fold joints are added along with some nice detail parts, whilst the tow piece outer wing panels are joined and fitted with the separate ailerons, the reciprocal fold joins and the pitot probe on the starboard wing leading edge. PE strengthening brackets are then attached and the wings joined with the two metal wing fold hinges, although it would be wise to leave this until later in the build, as the model will need to be set upside down to allow the fitting of the floats. I’m not sure how well the wings will fit if the option to have them extended will be, as there doesn’t appear to be optional parts to cater for this, being just a butt joint. It may be an idea to use some metal rod to give the join some strength. Each float consists of inner and outer halves with a separate top deck. To each there are a number of cleats attached fore and aft, followed by the nose tip and rudder. Each float is then fitted with their respective support struts, which when set firmly; the two assemblies can be attached to the underside of the model. Decals The decal sheet provides markings for the one aircraft produced. They are very nicely printed, with no sign of carrier film, in good register and nicely opaque. Along with the national markings, you also get the identification and serial numbers, plus some stencils, access walkways and the propeller blade tip stripes. If you’d rather paint the main markings, GWH have provided a full mask sheet just for this occasion, although how good the masks fit over the corrugations on the upper wings is any ones guess. The mask sheet also includes masking panels for the cockpit canopy/canopies. Conclusion Considering that only one aircraft was produced, it does come as a bit of a surprise that Great Wall Hobby decided to release it. That said they turned out what looks like a very nice kit and it’s certainly unusual. Being pre-war the colours are bright with the then standard yellow upper wings, but it would have been nice to have had a “what if” set of markings for the proposed Dutch operated aircraft. Overall a very nice kit that will get people talking at club meets or shows. Highly recommended. Available Soon Review sample courtesy of

21st Kokusho A6M2-K Zero Fighter Trainer 1:48 Hasegawa History Whilst the Japanese Zero naval fighter is known the world over, it’s not so well known that there was a 2 seat trainer variant. The A6M2-K was designed and built at the 21st Naval Depot at Sasebo Naval Arsenal and was also built at the Hitachi plant in Chiba. The design was based on either a standard Model 21 or Model 22 A6M Zero. The conversion required the front cockpit be moved forward, and the new cockpit for the instructor to be fitted behind. This included a full instrument panel, and full dual controls. The instructor had a full sliding canopy, but the students cockpit was open with only small doors either side to aid accessibility easier. Two strakes were fitted either side of the rear fuselage to assist in spin recovery. The type served as a transitional trainer from the beginning of 1944 and were also utilised as target tugs trailing streamer type targets from pods beneath the outer wings. The A6M2-K used a larger fixed tailwheel than the standard aircraft and also had the outer gear doors removed to save weight. The Model Originally released in 2011this kit is still fairly new so naturally the moulding is very good. The finesse on the details such as rivets and panel lines is very nice indeed. There is no sign of flash and only a few moulding pips, plus no sign of imperfections on the review example. The instructions are well printed, clear and easy to read. Rather unusually the kit comes with two complete fuselages. The first is a single seater, and shares the sprue with the standard engine, cowling and propellers, whilst the second is the twin seater and subject of this build along with the interior required to build the trainer version. In fact you will end up with a lot of parts for the spares box once the kit has been built. The build begins with the assembly of the two pilot figures, each with separate torso, (with head attached), legs and arms. Next up is the cockpit or cockpits in this case. The single piece floor is fitted with a bulkhead, seat, seat supports, rudder pedals, joystick and instrument panel for each pilot. On the trainees’ instrument panel the gunsight and upper machine gun breeches are attached. As is usual with this type of kit from Hasegawa the sidewalls are separate and go to form a cockpit tub when joined to the bulkheads and floor. Before fitting the port sidewall though, two consoles need to be fitted, one for each cockpit. The completed cockpit assembly is then fitted to one half of the fuselage along with the tail wheel bulkhead and single piece tail wheel/oleo. The fuselage is then closed up and the upper forward decking attached and fitted with the machine gun barrels, whilst the rear decking is attached aft of the rear cockpit. The Sakae engine consists of engine mount, the two cylinder banks and the crankcase with connecting rods. When assembled it is fitted the fuselage and covered with the single piece cowling. The engine exhausts are then attached as are the horizontal tailplanes. There are optional tail cones, the normal solid type and an open tubular affair, which looks like it should be part of an anti-spin chute arrangement. The two upper wing sections are glued to the lower single piece item before the aileron trim tab panel lines are filled and sanded as per the instructions. A number of location holes in the lower wing also need filling and the trim tab actuating rods need to be removed. The completed wing is then fitted to the fuselage, followed by the lower engine fairing, with oil cooler, the cockpit role over bars and anti-spin strakes. The separate navigation light lenses are also fitted at this point, as are the aileron control horns. The main undercarriage consists of single piece wheels/tyres, oleo and outer bay doors, which can be left off as these were often removed to save weight. The undercarriage is then fitted into position and the outer doors attached, again these can be left off if required. The target streaming units, which look like rocket launchers in reverse, are made up of the two halves of the tube and capped off either end. They are fitted to the pylon, which is complete with separate sway braces and attached to the outer wings. With the model now standing on its undercarriage the pilots can be fitted and the four piece canopy arrangement attached. It is possible to pose the rear cockpits canopy open and the aerial mast is fitted to the fixed centre section. Lastly, the three individual propeller blades are assembled to the back plate, the spinner is then added and the completed propeller is fitted to the aircraft. Other than painting and decaling, the build is complete. Decals The decals from the latest batch of Japanese aircraft kits from Hasegawa have been pretty good, and it’s no different with this kit. Well printed, with thin carrier film, they are in good register and nicely opaque. Only the walkways on both wings and the identification numbers have any significant visible film, but on a nice glossy finish this shouldn’t silver too much. There are three aircraft for which markings are provided. All are from the Tsukuba Flying Group and both are in the distinctive and very colourful orange and black scheme, and are aircraft numbers 401. 407 and 415. Conclusion This is certainly an oddity I hadn’t heard of before receiving the kit and researching for the review. It will look great amongst a collection of Japanese aircraft, and in such a bright scheme it will certainly stand out. This will make a nice mojo lifter or weekend kit to while the hours away, and should turn out to be a fun build. Highly recommended Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

McDonnell Douglas F-15I Ra’am 1:48 Hasegawa History The F-15I is operated by the Israeli Air Force where it is known as the Ra'am (Thunder). It is a dual-seat ground attack aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, and is based on the F-15E. The Ra'am is similar to the F-15E, but features several different avionic systems to meet Israeli requirements. To facilitate night-time strikes, the F-15Is were initially fitted with Sharpshooter targeting pods designed for Israeli F-16s. The Sharpshooter pod was less capable than the LANTIRN pods used on USAF F-15Es; Israel later purchased 30 LANTIRN pods. The F-15Is initially lacked Radar Warning Receivers, thus Israel installed its own electronic warfare equipment, the Elisra SPS-2110, as well as a new central computer and embedded GPS/INS system. All sensors can be slaved to the Display And Sight Helmet, (DASH), helmet-mounted sight, providing both crew members a means of targeting which the F-15E lacks. The F-15I uses the APG-70I radar whose terrain mapping capability can be used to locate targets that are otherwise difficult to spot—e.g., missile batteries, tanks and structures—in adverse conditions such as heavy fog or rain. The radar can detect large airliner-sized targets at 150 nautical miles, and fighter-sized targets at 56 nautical miles, although it has a reduced resolution one-third below the standard USAF APG-70. The Model Unfortunately I can’t find what date that this kit was originally released other than my usual database suggests if could have been as far back as 1991. If that’s the case then the moulds are still in remarkably good condition. The kit comes in a very attractive top opening box with what looks like a photo of a Ra’am in a landing configuration somewhere in Israel. Inside the box is packed with 11 main sprues of light grey styrene, a number of smaller sprues and one of clear styrene. The details, such as the finely engraved panel lines are sharp and crisp. There is no sign of flash or imperfections and only a few moulding pips. There are quite a few parts provided that are destined to go straight into the spares box as, according to the instructions part diagram many aren’t required for this version and are subsequently greyed out. Having gone through the stages in the instructions it doesn’t appear to be overly difficult although some areas of the kit will need to be removed so that the Ra’am specific items can be added. Naturally the build begins with the cockpit, the twin tub is fitted with two sets of rudder pedals and joysticks, which is a bit of a surprise as I hadn’t realised any version of the F-15E was dual control. Anyway, the pilot and RIO instrument panels are fitted once painted. There are no decals provided for either the instrument panels or the side consoles so careful painting will be the order of the day. The two ejection seats, each constructed of the squab/seat back, primary gun and frame, plus the two sides are assembled and each fitted with the seat pan firing handle. The mid coaming and rear cockpit side walls are now attached and the whole assembly is sandwiched between the two halves of the separate nose structure. The kit doesn’t come with any seatbelts so it might be better to replace these with aftermarket items, as even though two pilots are included, only one is seated, the other is posed as if climbing up the access ladder. Each intake is made up of two halves and the intake ramp, which when joined together are attached in position on the upper section of the mid/rear fuselage once the ramp has been fitted. The intake trunking on each side is provided into upper and lower halves and capped off at one end with the engine fan disc. These assemblies are then fitted to the lower halve of the fuselage and the intake lip ramps are attached. Several holes will need to be opened up depending on what stores the modeller is intending to fit. The rear fuselage ECM tips are removed along with the central fairing. Before closing up the fuselage, the two exhaust nozzles are assembled form a rear “dustbin”, with engine exhaust disc pre-moulded, and the exhaust petals, are fitted into position. The rear cockpit fairing is also attached allowing the nose assembly to be joined to the rest of the fuselage. The port and starboard wings are each assembled from the upper section with the lower outer pre-moulded and the separate inner panels. The assembled wings are then attached to the fuselage, along with the single piece horizontal tailplanes, vertical tails and new ECM parts to replace those removed earlier. Each conformal fuel tank is a single moulding, onto which the individual side pylons and single piece, triple hardpoint, long lower pylons are attached, along with their associated crutch pads. Each CFT also has an auxiliary intake fitted. These are then attached to their respective sides of the fuselage and the rear mounted chaff and flare dispensers, plus arrester hook are fitted. Whilst the model is upside down the undercarriage assemblies can be fitted. Each of the main units consist of two piece wheels/tyres, main oleo, retraction jack, plus main and rear undercarriage bay doors, the main sections of which are usually closed. The nose wheel is similar in construction, but with a single piece wheel/tyre, oleo, retraction jack, two nose wheel leg landing lights, main door, (again, usually shut) and rear bay door. With everything else in place the model can be turned right side up and fitted with the airbrake and actuator jack, if the airbrake is to be shown retracted, omit the jack. For the cockpit there is a second mid coaming fitted just behind the pilot’s seat and the rear coaming behind the RIO’s seat. The mid coaming is where the canopy actuator is fitted. Before fitting the windscreen and canopy the HUD glass needs to be attached. The two pitot probes, one on each side of the nose are attached, as is the four piece access ladder and the optional RIO figure, completing the build. The kit comes with a good selection of weapons, which is unusual coming from Hasegawa and there is a nice diagram showing what can be mounted where. Although it’s possible for the aircraft to have three 600 gallon drop tanks fitted, only two are provided. Not too much of a problem as I’m sure it’s the bombs that will be most important to F-15I modellers. The kit comes with:- 2 x 600gal drop tanks 4 x AIM-120C AMRAAM 4 x AIM-7F Sparrow 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinders 12 x Mk20 Rockeye 1 x AN/AAQ-28 Litening pod 1 x AN/AAQ-13 Navigation pod Decals The large decal sheet is covered in small items, with very few of them actually belonging to the unit or national markings. The vast majority are stencils for the aircraft, while the rest are markings and stencils for the weapons. The decals look to be very well printed, being nice and thin, in good register and opaque. The carrier film is virtually nonexistent and really can only be seen in some of the walk/don’t walk decals. The three different styles of Eagle heads are particularly well done. Three aircraft, each from the 69th squadron are given, No’s 235, 250 and No 267. Conclusion This is really my first look at a Hasegawa F-15 and I really liked what I saw. IT may not be the cutting edge of F-15 models, as I’m sure newer releases from other manufacturers are more advanced in features and production methods. This one though looks right, and although I can’t tell what the fit and build is like just by looking in the box, I’d imagine it’d go together without too much fuss, and then the real fun begins with the fabulous Israeli camouflage. It is this which really makes it stand out from the crowd. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Airco DH-2 Stripdown Eduard1:48 The Airco DH.2 was a single-seat biplane "pusher" aircraft which operated as a fighter during the First World War. It was the second pusher design by Geoffrey de Havilland for Airco, based on his earlier DH.1 two-seater. The DH.2 was the first effectively armed British single-seat fighter and enabled Royal Flying Corps (RFC) pilots to counter the "Fokker Scourge" that had given the Germans the advantage in the air in late 1915. Until the British developed an interrupter gear to match the German system, pushers such as the DH.2 and the F.E.2b carried the burden of fighting and escort duties. The D.H.2 first flew in July 1915. The D.H.2 was armed with a single .303 in (7.7 mm) Lewis gun which was originally able to be positioned on one of three flexible mountings in the cockpit, with the pilot transferring the gun between mountings in flight at the same time as flying the aircraft. Once pilots learned that the best method of achieving a kill was to aim the aircraft rather than the gun, the machine gun was fixed in the forward-facing centre mount, although this was initially banned by higher authorities until a clip which fixed the gun in place but could be released if required was approved. Major Lanoe Hawker devised the clip. He also improved the gunsights, adding a ring sight and an "aiming off model" that helped the gunner allow for leading a target.The majority of D.H.2s were fitted with the 100 hp (75 kW) Gnome Monosoupape rotary engine, but later models received the 110 hp (82 kW) Le Rhône 9J. The arrival at the front of more powerful German tractor biplane fighters such as the Halberstadt D.II and the Albatross D.I, which appeared in September 1916, meant that the DH.2 was outclassed in turn. It remained in first line service in France, however, until No. 24 and No. 32 Squadron RFC completed re-equipment with Airco DH 5s in June 1917, and a few remained in service on the Macedonian front and in Palestine until late autumn of that year. By this time the type was totally obsolete as a fighter, although it was used as an advanced trainer into 1918. A total of 453 D.H.2s were produced by Airco. The Model The model comes in a very attractive box with what looks like a 3D rendering of the completed model. Upon opening the box the parts are well wrapped in a poly bag with the decals and instructions loose. The original kit is which is included in this boxing is produced on three sprues in beige and blue grey styrene. All the parts are nicely moulded with no visible imperfections and only a few moulding pips. Due to the nature of the aircraft, some of the parts look pretty fragile and will need to be carefully removed from the sprues and some gentle cleaning up, particularly the tail booms. The difference here is that there is an option to completely replace the wings and tailplane with etched parts, which is the whole point of the stripdown series of models. The build starts with the cockpit, the floor of which is attached to the lower wings, these wing parts need to be removed before continuing with the build. Onto the floor plate the seat supports, seat, joystick and compass, (with acetate compass card), are fitted. A lot of the styrene parts can be replaced with the pre-painted etched parts included in the kit. Also on the painted sheet are a full set of seatbelts, instrument panel and other useful items. Onto one half of the fuselage the rear bulkhead, rudder bar and support, oil tank, engine mount and rear lower fuselage panel are attached. With the fuselage sides glued together, the cockpit assembly can be slid up into the fuselage from beneath. The rear upper deck is added along with two PE straps replacing the moulded items which also need removing. The etched wings are then assembled and these require complex folds and twists to create the desired aerofoil shapes. With everything in place the leading edge strip is then attached. The ailerons are constructed in the same way, but instead of a separate leading edge these have separate central spars. Once the ailerons are complete the can be attached to the wings. The modeller then assembles the central panel, which when folded to shape is fitted with the two upper wings. The lower wings are attached to the fuselage pod. The struts are the standard kit styrene items, but with extra etched detail in the form of the rigging brackets and fittings. The struts are then attached to the lower wing and once everything is set the upper wing can be added. The two piece fuel tank is then fitted to the upper wing central panel. In the next step, the main undercarriage is built up with the aerofoil centre section/axle is attached to the double struts each side along with the one piece wheels. This assembly can be rigged off model and put aside for fitting later. Rigging is a personal thing, but it may be an idea to rig the complete structure before continuing with the rest of the model. The engine can now be built up with its separate ignition harness which needs to be adapted as per the instructions and the additional PE valve lifters added to the top of each cylinder head, and the four bladed prop before attaching to the rear of the main aircraft structure. At this point the undercarriage assembly can also be fitted. The trickiest part of the build is the tailplane and its fragile support booms. The tailplane consists of a similar structure to the wings and has to be folded carefully to shape before having the etched elevators attached, followed by the styrene skid. The same goes for the fin and rudder but is slightly simpler. The booms are can now be fitted to the main assembly with a spreader bar attached to the rear, just forward of the tailplane, which is fitted to the four attachment points on the rear of the booms. Alignment is critical to keep everything square in both the vertical and horizontal plane. The tail booms can then be rigged in accordance to research photos, as there is no detail in the instructions for this section. The final part of the build is the fitting of the machine gun in the forward fuselage along with the magazine racks on the port side and the external rudder cable attachment. Since there is nowhere to put them there are no decals included in the kit. Conclusion The original kit was a lovely looking model of an aircraft from bygone times showing an interesting way of getting around the lack of fitting forward firing machine guns. Whereas the rigging is usually the biggest challenge when building a biplane, this kit has the added bonus of the entirely photo etched wings and tailplane to occupy the modeller. Not one for the beginner it should prove interesting and interesting to the sort of modeller who likes to have something different in the collection, and this is certainly different. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II “Vandy 75” 1:48 Hasegawa The history of the F-4 Phantom is too well known to re-write it here, suffice it to say that it has proven itself to be one of the best aircraft of its type built to date. The Hasegawa kit is probably equally as well known was still regarded as the best 1/48 scale kit available up until perhaps when Academy released their B and C versions. The original Hasegawa F-4 was released around 1980 and has seen many re-releases of the various versions from that date, along with new or additional parts they included new decals and the moulds were refreshed with engraved details to replace the raised details. This version of the Phantom the F-4S comes with commemorative decals for the 75th anniversary of Air Test and Evaluation squadron VX-4. The thing with the Hasegawa Phantom kits is that you know exactly what you’re going to get. The moulds are obviously holding up well as there is no sign of flash or imperfections, on the review sample at least, the details are still nice and crisp. It’s not perfect by any means but a good looking model is quite easy to achieve. Plus there is more aftermarket for these kits than you can throw a stick at, so the world is your lobster in deciding how detailed you want to make your kit. What you do get in this release is the strengthening panels for under the wing and around the main wheel bays. These are provided in what looks like etched nickel and are pretty easy to fit. For those that haven’t built one construction begins with the two pilots, each with separate heads, complete with bone dome, masks and oxygen hose. The pilot has a separate right arm, whilst the navigator has a separate left arm. The ejection seats are assembled from the singe piece squab/backrest/headrest, the two seat sides; primary ejection gun and headbox cover with firing handles moulded integrally. The twin seat tub is fitted with the rear bulkhead, navigators’ instrument panel with separate radar joystick, mid bulkhead, pilots joystick, rudder pedals and instrument panel. The instrument panels and side consoles need to be carefully painted as there are no decals included. The nosewheel bay is then glued to the bottom of the completed cockpit tub and affixed to one side of the fuselage followed by the separate sidewalls. The fuselage halves are then joined together and the two piece air intakes are attached. The blank wall that Hasegawa provide at the rear of the intakes needs to be painted black, or the modeller could produce a photo/decal to reproduce the intake and fan face before fitting the kit parts. Alternatively some homemade or aftermarket intake blanks could be use to hide the shortcoming. With the intakes in place the two ECM fins are fitted to each side. The single piece lower wing isn’t fitted with the outer wing panels; these are moulded with the upper wing sections, thus ensuring the correct dihedral on these panels. With the upper wings fixed to the lower section the wing fence on the leading edge at the fold join needs to be removed and a new part fitted further back along the join. The outer wing slats are also fitted at this time. The completed wing can then be joined to the fuselage assembly, followed by the single piece exhausts, horizontal tailplanes, fin top, two part nosecone, rear canopy fairing, the ejector seats and the pilots. Turning the model over onto its back the nose wheel, consisting of the oleo, separate scissor link, twin nose wheels and retraction jacks are assembled and fitted to the nosewheel bay. The main door retraction mechanism, main door, nose door with aerial attached are then fitted, as are the openings for the two nose intakes. Once the etched strengthening straps have been carefully removed from the fret the can be fitted into their appropriate positions forward of the main wheel bays and airbrakes. Each main undercarriage assembly is made up of two wheel halves, oleo, retraction jack and main bay door; these are then fitted into place. The small outer doors are then attached, followed by the inner doors and their linkages. The airbrakes can be posed either extended or retracted with the addition of the actuator jack if extended. The catapult stop hooks and their mounting plates are then fitted to the forward inner wing. To complete the fuselage the intake splitter plates and cockpit glazing parts are attached, the modeller can pose the canopies open or closed as desired. The model also comes with three two piece drop tanks, one for the centreline station and two for the outer wing stations. The inner wing pylons are fitted with twin launch rails and attached to the inner wing station. The kit does come with four Sidewinder and four Sparrow missiles should the modeller wish to fit them. Decals The decal sheet is smaller than normal due to the fact that there aren’t any stencils, probably due to this particular scheme. The gold 75th anniversary markings look great on the sheet with good density and opacity and in register. There is very little carrier film visible with the sole exceptions being the air intake warnings, but being affixed on gloss paint this shouldn’t cause too many problems with silvering. It certainly a lovely looking scheme. Conclusion Yes it’s another Hasegawa Phantom re-release. But in 1:48 this is still the one to get if you want an F-4S. I have built a few in my time modelling and have always enjoyed the build so maybe it’s time for me to do another? If you haven’t built one then now’s the time as you can’t have a model collection without at least one Phantom in it. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Nakajima Ki-84 Type 4 Fighter Hayate (Frank) 1:48 Hasegawa History "Forget it - it's a Frank." It is said that this comment was made frequently by USAAF personnel watching radar screens on Okinawa in the closing weeks of the Pacific War. It was customary to watch for a contact to appear and then to scramble P-51 Mustangs to intercept the enemy aircraft. But when the blip was moving so fast that it was inferred to be one of the advanced new Japanese Hayate fighters it would be assumed that the P-51s would stand no chance of catching the intruder. Generally regarded as the best Japanese fighter of World War Two, the Hayate, (Hurricane) was nonetheless not without its problems. Much of its superlative all-round performance stemmed from its extremely advanced direct-injection engine, the Army's first version of the Navy NK9A. Yet this same engine gave constant trouble and demanded skilled maintenance. T. Koyama designed the Ki-84 to greater strength factors than any previous Japanese warplane - yet poor heat-treatment of high-strength steel had the consequence that the landing gears often snapped. Progressive deterioration in quality control meant that pilots never knew how individual aircraft would perform, whether the brakes would work, and even whether - in attempting to intercept B-29 Superfortresses over Japan - they would be able to climb high enough. Despite these problems the Hayate was essentially a superb fighter - a captured Ki-84-1a was to out climb and outmanoeuvre a P-47 Thunderbolt, and a P-51. The first batches were sent to China, where the 22nd. Sentai, when equipped with the new fighter, were able to fly rings around Chennault's 14th Air Force. The 22nd Sentai was later moved to the Philippines, where problems overtook them, with many accidents and shortages and extremely poor serviceability. Frequent bombing of the Musashi engine factory, and the desperate need to conserve raw materials (the shortages resulting primarily from the American submarine blockade) led to various projects and prototypes made of wood or steel. Total production of the Ki-84 still reached 3,514, showing the importance of the design to the Japanese forces. The Model Originally released in 2000 this is another example of Hasegawas superb mould design and upkeep. Inside the very attractive box, with a very nice painting of a Ki84 flying solo above the clouds, are seven sprues of medium grey styrene and one of clear, along with 8 grey and 4 black poly caps. From reading reviews of the day and researching the type, the kit was very well regarded as almost, but not quite the perfect model kit being both accurate and nicely detailed. I see no reason why this has changed with this release, so expect it to be a fun and enjoyable build. There are only nine build sequences in the instructions and as is the norm the build begins with the cockpit. The cockpit floor is fitted out with more levers, apart from the regulation joystick, than seems appropriate for a single seat fighter, but, whatever the real on looks like the seven included in the kit are certainly well represented, also fitted are the centre lower console and rudder pedals. To the now well populated floor the seat is attached, followed by the front and rear bulkheads, instrument panel with decal instruments, upper cannon breeches, and sidewalls, each kitted out with further controls and black boxes pre moulded and in need of some careful detail painting. The completed cockpit is then fitted to one half of the fuselage and with a poly cap in the tail wheel position the fuselage can be closed up. The lower wing is then fitted with five poly caps in the bomb and drop tank positions. The upper wing panels are then attached to eh lower wing, with the landing light fitted to the port side. The wing, single piece horizontal tailplanes and two part rudder are then attached to the fuselage completing the mainframe. The kits gives alternative main wheels, and some research should be carried out as only the later style should be used and the instructions don’t make it clear which is which. The single piece tyres have separate inner and outer hubs, with the inner one fitted with a poly can and the outer one with an unidentifiable part. The completed wheels are then attached to the oleo along with the main gear door. The engine is quite a simple single piece affair, but with the close cowl not much will be seen anyway. The engine is attached to the firewall onto which the multiple exhausts are also attached. The gearbox housing is in three parts, well four if you include the attachment ring and this is fitted to the front of the engine, the gearbox housing also accommodates another poly cap, whilst just above the housing an intake is fitted. The completed engine is the slid into the cowling and attached to the front of the fuselage. There is another intake, in three parts fitted on the centreline at the join where the cowling meets the forward lower fuselage. Flipping the model over the main undercarriage is attached, along with the inner bay doors and their respective retraction actuators, whilst to the rear the tailwheel is slotted into the previously fitted poly cap and finished off with the attachment of the two bay doors. The drop tank crutches, landing light cover, pitot probe, foot step and wing cannon barrels are all fitted along with the three piece oil cooler which is fitted under the starboard wing root. Check the orientation of the cooler as when first released the instructions showed this to be fitted the wrong way round and it cannot be presumed that Hasegawa have changed this. The individual navigation lights above and below each wing tip and either side of the fin are then attached. The three piece drop tanks are then assembled and slotted into position into the poly cap held within the wing. The flaps are separate items and can be posed up or down as per the modellers wishes. Turning the model over onto its wheels the gunsight, four piece head rest are attached before the windscreen, sliding canopy and fixed canopy sections are all fitted. The last operation is the assembly of the propeller, which consists of the single piece four bladed prop, axle pin and spinner; this is then slid into the poly cap within the gearbox housing completely the build. Decals Hasegawas own decals are well printed with very good density/opacity, no sign of carrier film on any of the decals, including the wing walk areas which would normally cause a problem, and in good register. They are slightly matt but thin and should settle down well. The modeller may wish to leave some of the markings off, such as the yellow leading edges and paint them instead. The decals provide markings for two aircraft, both in olive drab over grey-green, these are:- Ki84 No.62 flown by Capt. Shigeru Tsuruta of the Hitachi Flight Training squadron from June 1945. Ki84 No.762 flown by Capt. Yasuro Masaki, of the Hitachi Flight Training squadron from June 1945. Conclusion This is another welcome re-release from Hasegawa, and from reading build reviews from earlier releases it should be a fun and rewarding experience. It should make for a nice weekend build, or one to get the mojo going again after a difficult build of a lay off. Whatever the reason for building, it will be a nice addition to the collection, particularly if you're into Japanese aircraft. Very highly recommended Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Aichi D3A1 Type 99 (Val) 1:48 Hasegawa History The Aichi D3A, (Val) was a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). It was the primary dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and participated in almost all actions, including the attack on Pearl Harbor. The Aichi D3A was the first Japanese aircraft to bomb American targets in World War II, commencing with Pearl Harbor and U.S. bases in the Philippines, such as Clark Air Force Base. During the course of the Second World War, the Val dive bomber sank more Allied warships than any other Axis aircraft. In December 1939, the Navy ordered the aircraft as the Navy Type 99 Carrier Bomber Model 11. The production models featured slightly smaller wings and increased power in the form of the 746 kW (1,000 hp) Kinsei 43 or 798 kW (1,070 hp) Kinsei 44. The directional instability problem was finally cured with the fitting of a long dorsal fin, and the aircraft actually became highly maneuverable. Armament was two forward-firing 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 97 machine guns, and one flexible 7.7 mm (.303 in) Type 92 machine gun in the rear cockpit for defence. Normal bomb load was a single 250 kg (550 lb) bomb carried under the fuselage, which was swung out under the propeller on release by a trapeze. Two additional 60 kg (130 lb) bombs could be carried on wing racks located under each wing outboard of the dive brakes. The D3A1 commenced carrier qualification trials aboard the Akagi and Kaga during 1940, while a small number of aircraft made their combat debut from land bases over China. Starting with the attack on Pearl Harbor, the D3A1 took part in all major Japanese carrier operations in the first 10 months of the war. They achieved their first major success against the Royal Navy during their Indian Ocean raid in April 1942. Val dive bombers scored over 80% hits with their bombs during attacks on two heavy cruisers and an aircraft carrier during the operation. During the course of the war, Val dive bombers had to frequently combine their attacks upon enemy warships with the IJN Kate torpedo bomber; consequently enemy vessels were often sunk by a combination strike of bombs and torpedoes. However, there were occasions when just the Vals would make the attacks, or at least score the sinking hits. Discounting the Pearl Harbor strike, which also used the Nakajima B5N used for level bombing and torpedo attacks, Val dive bombers were credited with sinking the following Allied warships. The Model Originally released in 2002 this kit has been re-released several times since, with new decals each time. This release is the same, with decals for the Indian Ocean Raid. Inside the attractively printed box are the six sprues of grey styrene and one of clear, along with a small sprue of four poly caps. The mouldings are standing the test of time well, with no sign of flash or imperfections other than quite a few moulding pips on the smaller parts, although being only twelve years old, so they should. Details are nicely moulded, including finely engraved panel lines and slightly deeper lines where necessary. The instructions aren’t quite as clear as some of Hasegawas other re-releases, particularly for the cockpit assembly, but with a bit of care it should all go together ok. The build with the construction of the forward cockpit bulkhead and the fitting of the upper machine gun breeches to said bulkhead, along with the instrument panel which has raised details, yet the decal that is meant to be used on it looks like it wouldn’t settle down that easily over them. The modeller can either remove the details on the panel or carefully remove each instrument from the decal and place them with the raised areas finishing them off with a drop of your favourite clear varnish. The side walls are populated with detailed parts, with spare magazines for the rear machine gun, throttle lever, additional instruments and one of the two optional bomb sights fitted to the starboard side, whilst the port side is fitted with additional spare machine gun magazines and mid brace tube. The cockpit floor is the fitted out with the mid bulkhead, pilots seat, joystick, rudder pedals, and the complex rear gunners seat assembly made up of the seat, three machine gun support tubes, cross tube and machine gun, which can be posed either in the firing position or stowed on the gunners left hand side, next to his seat. The cockpit tub is then assembled from the sub assemblies of the floor, instrument panel, port and starboard side walls plus the rear bulkhead and the whole lot sandwiched between the fuselage halves as they are closed up. The centre console, with central compass, interior bracing and additional instrument for the gunner are then attached between the pilot and gunner positions. Next it’s on with the wings, which consist of a single piece lower wing and two upper panels. Ensure that you open up the holes in the lower wing if you wish to fit the bombs. The completed wing is then attached to the fuselage along with the two single piece horizontal tailplanes. The single piece engine is fitted with a poly cap and finished off with the fitting of the gearbox cover. The cowling is assembled from two halves and a separate nose section. There are two types of bomb included, the large 250kg which is mounted on the centreline and the two 60kg bombs fitted to pylons on the outer wings. Each bomb comes in multiple parts including pylons, sway braces, fins and the trapeze mechanism for the 250kg bomb. The main wheels are simple fixed affairs and are made of inner and outer spats into which the single piece wheels are fitted. With all the sub-assemblies built up they can be fitted to the aircraft. Before fitting the engine thought, there are the two separate exhaust stacks that need to be attached on the underside of the firewall. Additionally, there are a pair of dive brakes, landing lamp, aileron trim tab linkages, arrestor hook, tailwheel and arrestor cable guard attached. The single piece three bladed prop fitted with a two part hub assembly then slid into place, to be held by the poly cap previously fitted to the engine assembly. Finally the pitot probe, clear navigation light parts and canopy/canopies are attached, with the option of multiple open panels or single piece closed arrangement, each with the aerial mast fixed on the centre section fixed part. Decals The decals provide markings for four aircraft, each of which took part in the Indian Ocean raid. Aichi D3A1 EI-238 flying from Shokaku Aichi D3A1 EII-203 flying from Zuikaku Aichi D3A1 AI-203 flying from Akagi Aichi D3A1 AI-206 also flying from Akagi As usual, the decals are well printed with good opacity and in register. There is little or no sign of carrier film, with the exception of the horizontal tailplane stripes on which the film is very noticeable. A good coat of gloss varnish and some good setting and softening solution will go a long way to get rid of any silvering in this area, or you may want to discard them are paint them instead. Conclusion Even though it’s another re-release, it’s good to see the Val out again as it is an important part of Japanese Naval Aviation history. There is nothing difficult in the build, in fact some areas are perhaps a little simplified, particularly the engine. Certainly the interior will require a good bit of detail painting to bring it all out, but the simple colour schemes mean that this would make a nice weekend build without any AM getting in the way and will look good in any collection. Highly recommend. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Bristol F.2B Fighter 1:48 Revell History The Bristol F.2 Fighter was a British two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft of the First World War flown by the Royal Flying Corps. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter or popularly the "Brisfit" or "Biff". Despite being a two-seater, the F.2B proved to be an agile aircraft that was able to hold its own against opposing single-seat fighters. Having overcome a disastrous start to its career, the F.2B's solid design ensured that it remained in military service into the 1930s, and surplus aircraft were popular in civil aviation. After only 52 F.2As were built production switched over to what became the definitive Bristol Fighter, the Bristol Type 14 F.2B which had first flown on 25 October 1916. The first 150 or so were powered by the Falcon I or Falcon II engine but the remainder were equipped with the 275 hp (205 kW) Falcon III engine and could reach a maximum speed of 123 mph (198 km/h). The F.2B was over 10 mph (16 km/h) faster than the F.2A and was three minutes faster at reaching 10,000 ft (3,000 m). F.2Bs often carried a second Lewis gun on the rear cockpit mounting, although observers found the weight of the twin Lewis gun mounting difficult to handle in the high altitudes at which combat increasingly took place in the last year of the war. A number of attempts were made to add forward firing Lewis guns on a Foster mounting or similar on the upper wing - either instead of, or in addition to the Vickers gun. Unfortunately this caused interference with the pilot's compass, which was mounted on the trailing edge of the upper wing. Some F.2Bs were fitted with a Lewis gun offset top starboard to minimise this effect. The Model The kit comes in a nice looking top opening box, with a picture of an aircraft in the process of dropping bombs, whilst another aircraft chases off the opposition in the background. On opening, all the parts are fairly well protected in a single poly bag. The four sprues of parts in light brown styrene are nicely moulded with no flash and only one or two pips on some of the smaller parts. Strangely there is no clear sprue as the aircraft definitely had a windscreen, albeit a small one. The cockpit is a complex affair with several sub assemblies constructed first before the whole lot is brought together. Beginning with the cockpit floor, onto which the rudder bar and joystick are attached, followed by the engine priming pump handle, front bulkhead and fuel tank. The engine exhausts are then shown to be painted up and addition parts fitted. The instrument panel will need some careful painting and the instrument decals added. Onto the panel the bracing struts and machine gun are attached. The fuselage interior has some nicely moulded representation of the internal structure will also need to be carefully painted to bring out the details. The moulded internal detail is complemented by the fitting of the spare Vickers drum magazines, various pump handles and fittings along with the exhaust panels. Before the fuselage can be closed up the cockpit sub-assembly is fitted, followed by the pilots seat and supporting structure over the fuel tank, the gunners seat pad, rear bulkhead and instrument sub-assembly. With the fuselage closed up the exhausts can now be attached, as can the scarf attachment panel ring over the gunners position. The pilots windscreen frame and the external control fixtures for the rudder bar. The horizontal tail plane is then fitted out with the two elevators then the fin and rudder is also attached. The whole tail assembly is then attached to the rear of the aircraft. Moving forward the lower wing struts are attached to the fuselage and put to one side to set firmly. The upper wing is then assembled with the addition of the pilots compass, gunsight, ailerons and their associated control horns. The lower is also assembled at this point, with the addition of the ailerons, control horns, what look like either grab rails or representations of the control lines. The lower wing is then fitted to the fuselage via the struts fitted earlier. The cabane and inter-plane struts are attached to the fuselage and lower wing respectively onto which the upper wing can then be fitted. The undercarriage struts and axle are fitted to the lower forward fuselage, and the wheels attached. To the rear the tail skid, with bracing struts is attached to the rear fuselage just forward of the tailplane. There three pairs of bomb rails fitted to the lower wing centre section onto which the modeller can choose to fit either the two 100lb bombs, (on the centreline), or eight 25lb bombs, four per side on the outer rails. The engine front is now assembled, with the fitting of optional style radiators which are surrounded by the nose cowl and the two bladed propeller is attached via a pin passed through from the rear of the radiator. The completed assembly is then fitted to the fuselage. The single Vickers machine gun, scarf ring and elevating fittings are assembled and attached to the gunners position, completing the build. Well, perhaps not quite complete, as there is an awful lot of rigging on this aircraft and it would be a waste to build the model without it. Take great care to read and digest the rigging diagrams, which are quite complex, but should be ok if taken one step at a time. Decals The decal sheet has been printed in Italy, so no doubt that it’s by Cartograf. So naturally you’d expect them to be pretty good, and they are. Apart from the twin fuselage bands there is very little sign of carrier film. The decals appear to be nice and thin, slightly matt, with good opacity and in register. The blue of the roundels and fin flash is nicely muted as per the orders of the day. The modeller has the option of building one of two aircraft. Bristol F.2B, C=4630, No. 62 Sqn RFC, Spring 1918 Bristol F.2B, B1134, “19”, No 35. Sqn RFC, France, February 1918 Conclusion This is a great looking kit and Revell have done themselves proud with providing enough detail for all but the most ardent modellers with AMS. It will build into quite a reasonably sized model and should be a great addition to any collection, especially fully rigged, which I’m sure all modellers who buy it will be diligent enough to do. Please note we have walkround photos of the Brisfit HERE Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit

Hi everybody, here I present my currently finished RF-4E, built of Hasegawa J.A.S.F.D (07230) kit. I used addiionally Aires pilot seats, Hi Decal Line decals, Master tubes and probes, Steel Scorpion "Remove before flight" pendants (correct word?..) and Eduard painting masks. I finished my Phantom in Iranian markings: 62nd TFS, 61st TFW, Islamic Iranian Air Force (IRIAF), TFB.6, Bushehr, 1985. Thanx to Arkady72 for stencil decals! Model was paited using Lifecolor, Tamiya and Mr Hobby acrylics and Mr. Hobby and Model Master metalizers. I hope you enjoy!

Kawasaki Ki-100-I Koh (Tony) 1:48 Hasegawa History Originally powered by a Kawasaki Ha-140 inline engine and designated the Ki-61 the aircraft was redesigned in October 1944 to be fitted with a Mitsubishi Ha-112 twin row radial engine and re-designated the Ki-100. The ability to fit a wide radial into a narrow fuselage came from studying an imported Fw-190. At first, there were problems with the aircraft now being found to be very tail-heavy, but the removal of a large lead counterbalance, which had been placed in the Ki-61-II-KAI's rear fuselage to balance the increasingly heavy Ha-140 engine, restored the center of gravity (cg). As a result, on 1 February 1945, the new model was flown for the first time. Without the need for the heavy coolant radiator and other fittings required for a liquid-cooled engine, the Ki-100 was 329 kg (725 lb) lighter than the Ki-61-II, reducing the wing loading from 189 kg/m² (38.8 lb/ft²) to 175 kg/m² (35.8 lb/ft²). This had an immediate positive effect on the flight characteristics, enhancing landing and takeoff qualities as well as imparting increased manoeuvrability and a tighter turning circle. The army general staff was amazed by the flight characteristics of the plane, which surpassed the Hien's in all but maximum speed (degraded by a maximum of 29 km/h [18 mph] by the larger area of the radial engine's front cowling), and the model was ordered to be put in production as the Army Fighter Type 5. The company's name was Ki-100-1-Ko. All of the airframes were remanufactured from Ki-61-II Kai and Ki-61-III airframes; the integral engine mount/cowling side panel was cut off the fuselage and a tubular steel engine mount was bolted to the firewall/bulkhead. Many of the redundant fittings from the liquid-cooled engine, such as the ventral radiator shutter actuator, were still kept. The first 271 aircraft, or Ki-100-1-Ko, with the raised "razorback" rear fuselage were rolled out of the factory between March and June 1945. A further 118 Ki-100 I-Otsu were built with a cut-down rear fuselage and new rear-view canopy from May through to the end of July 1945. This version also featured a modified oil cooler under the engine in a more streamlined fairing. The engine was reliable in contrast to the mechanical nightmares of the Nakajima Ki-84, Kawasaki Ki-61, and Kawanishi N1K-J that kept many aircraft grounded. Although slow in level flight for 1945, unlike most Japanese fighters, the Ki-100 could dive with P-51 Mustangs and hold the speed on pullout. Two problems which hampered the effective employment of Japanese fighters towards the end of the war were unreliable electrical systems; that of the Ki-100 were less problematic than most other aircraft types, although the fuse-boxes caused problems; and poor radio communications, which was generic throughout the war. The armament was two fuselage-mounted 20 mm Ho-5 cannons, each with 200 rpg. These were complemented by two wing-mounted 12.7 mm (.50 in) Ho-103 machine guns with 250 rpg. Army units to be equipped with this model included the following Sentai: 5th, 17th, 18th, 20th, 59th, 111th, 112th, 200th and 244th and the 81st Independent Fighter Company. Along with the previously named Army air units, pilots were trained through the Akeno and Hitachi (Mito) Army Flying Schools. Many of the Akeno and Hitachi instructors, who were often seconded from operational units, flew combat missions (this deployment was a notable spreading out of the very few fighters that were operational, but many of these wings were only partially re-equipped). The Ki-100 made its combat debut on the night of 9 March 1945 and suffered its first loss on 7 April 1945, when a Ki-100 flown by Master Sergeant Yasuo Hiema of the 18th Sentai was shot down by a B-29 after "attacking the formation again and again". Allied aircrews soon realised that they were facing a formidable new fighter. Although far fewer Ki-100s were available than the Ki-84s, it was perceived to be one of the most important fighters in the inventory. However, during interception of the high-flying B-29s (the B-29 raids soon became low-level missions) the new Japanese fighters struggled as the Ha-112-II engine performance decreased at high altitudes. The most effective way to attack the Superfortress was by making very dangerous head-on attacks, changing their approach path as they neared the bombers. A failure while attempting this was deadly, because of the concentration of defensive fire from the bombers. In this type of combat, the Navy's Mitsubishi J2M Raiden was superior. An overall assessment of the effectiveness of the Ki-100 rated it highly in agility, and a well-handled Ki-100 was able to outmanoeuvre any American fighter, including the formidable P-51D Mustangs and the P-47N Thunderbolts which were escorting the B-29 raids over Japan by that time, and was comparable in speed, especially at medium altitudes. In the hands of an experienced pilot, the Ki-100 was a deadly opponent and, together with the Army's Ki-84 and the Navy's Kawanishi N1K-J, the only other Japanese fighters being able to defeat the latest Allied types. The Model The original version of this kit was released in 1996 but other than the 1999 release of the re-tooled version with the cut down rear fuselage there isn’t any other information on the provenance of the moulds. But, judging on the simple nature of the build it looks to date from the original. That said, if this kit is from the original moulds then they are holding up very well. There is no sign of flash or sink marks and only a few moulding pips. On the inside of each wing tip there are a number of small nodules which will need removing to ensure a good fit. The six sprues of grey styrene and three sprues of clear are very well moulded with finely reproduced panel lines and fasteners. The styrene does appear to be rather soft, so be gentle when sanding and filing. The instructions are well printed, clear and easy to read. The build takes place over twelve operations and looks fairly straight forward. The build begins with the cockpit, which consists of the floor, seat back, seat bucket, seat adjustment lever, rudder pedals, and front bulkhead. Before the cockpit can be fitted to the fuselage, the two side walls need to be installed, along with the hydraulic valve control box, (most parts are actually labelled in the instructions), on the port side wall. With these and the cockpit fitted the instrument panel, with associated decal is fitted to the underside of the coaming. Also fitted at this stage are the upper cannon barrels, exhausts, oil cooler intake, single piece engine cylinders, and gearbox cover. The fuselage halves can then be closed up. To complete the fuselage the cowling nose ring and cannon troughs are attached. The single piece lower wing and two upper wing sections are joined together, after which they can be fitted to the fuselage, along with the horizontal tail planes. Each main undercarriage is made up of a single piece oleo, including the scissor link, single piece main wheel/tyre and the outer bay door. Also constructed at this point are the two drop tanks, each made up of two halves and the pylon. With the model on its back the main undercarriage can be fitted along with the inner bay doors and their associated retraction links, single piece tail wheel, belly fairing, drop tanks and oil cooler exhaust door. The final parts to be attached are the three piece propeller, consisting of the three bladed prop, back plate and spinner, the rear decking after of the cockpit, including radio and headrest, single piece canopy, aerial, pitot probe and landing light cover. Other than painting, the build is complete. Decals The Hasegawa printed decals look pretty good, although perhaps a tad thick, so will need some softener and setting solution to get them to bed down properly. Register is good as in the opacity, and there isn’t much in the way of carrier film. Two aircraft are depicted on the decals, both flying with the 59th Flight Regiment, aircraft No 47 and aircraft No. 153 Conclusion I’ve usually chosen the Ki-61 as one of my favourite Japanese aircraft and didn’t realise the Ki-100 was derived from it. That said it’s a good looking aircraft and will look great next to the inline engined variant. It isn’t a complex kit by any stretch of the imagination, but with a nice paint job, it will look good in any collection. Recommended Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Focke Wulf Fw190F-8 1:48 Hasegawa History Arguably one of the best fighters of the time, the Fw 190 was widely used during the Second World War. A total of over 20,000 were produced, including some 6,000 fighter-bomber variants. The 190 remained in production from 1941 until the end of the war, going through multiple redesigns. The Fw.190 made a name for itself as a true Luftwaffe workhorse and was used in a wide variety of roles, including a high-altitude interceptor (especially the Fw.190D), escort fighter, fighter-bomber and night fighter. When the Fw 190 started flying operationally over France in August 1941, it quickly proved itself to be superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force's main front-line fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V. The 190 wrested air superiority away from the RAF until the introduction of the vastly improved Spitfire Mk. IX in July 1942 restored qualitative parity. The Fw 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front in November/December 1942; though Soviet pilots considered the Bf 109 the greater threat, the Fw 190 made a significant impact. The fighter and its pilots proved just as capable as the Bf 109 in aerial combat, and in the opinion of German pilots who flew both, provided increased firepower and manoeuvrability at low to medium altitude. The Fw 190 became the backbone of the Jagdwaffe, along with the Bf 109. On the Eastern Front, and was versatile enough to use in Schlachtgeschwader (Battle Wings or Strike Wings), specialised ground attack units which achieved much success against Soviet ground forces. As an interceptor, the Fw 190 underwent improvements to make it effective at high altitude, enabling it to maintain relatively equal with its Allied opponents. The Fw 190A series performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 m (20,000 ft) and above), which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude interceptor, but this problem was mostly rectified in later models, particularly in the Junkers Jumo 213 inline-engine Focke Wulf Fw 190D series, which was introduced in September 1944. In spite of its successes, it never entirely replaced the Bf 109. The Fw.19 F-8 was the most mass-produced variant of the Fw.190F series, based on the Fw.190A-8. The Fw 190 F-8 differed from the A-8 model in having a slightly modified injector on the compressor which allowed for increased performance at lower altitudes for several minutes. The F-8 was also fitted with the improved FuG 16 ZS radio unit, which provided much better communication with ground combat units. Armament of the Fw 190 F-8 was two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots and two 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns above the engine. According to Ministry of Aviation acceptance reports, at least 3,400 F-8s were built, and probably several hundred more were built in December 1944 and from February to May 1945. Dozens of F-8s served as various test beds for anti-tank armament, including the WGr.28 280 mm air-to-ground missile, probably based on the projectiles from the Nbw 41 heavy ground-barrage rocket system, and the 88 mm (3.46 in) Panzerschreck 2 rockets, Panzerblitz 1 and R4M rockets. The Model Originally released in 2011 this kit has now been reboxed by Hasegawa, this time with a new set of decals and a different weapon load. The box artwork shows this well with a representation of the aircraft banking to port with the large bomb on its centreline. The styrene inside the box is of the usual Hasegawa fare, nicely moulded with fine panels lines, no sign of flash and only a few moulding pips on the seven grey sprues of varying sizes and one sprue of clear styrene. Instructions are not as clear as some of their kits but are certainly usable. Spread over thirteen operations, the build begins with the cockpit which consists of the tub, with the rear decking integrally moulded, separate seat, side consoles, rudder pedals, and joystick. The instrument panel requires the details to be sanded away so that the instrument decal can be applied. Alternatively you could use the individual decals found on the Airscale products, and keep the surface details. Seatbelts are not provided so these will have to be sourced from elsewhere or assembled out of Tamiya tape. With the cockpit completed it can be affixed to one side of the fuselage, along with the trim wheel on the starboard fuselage side wall, after which the fuselage can be closed up. The main undercarriage bays are made up of the front wing spare face, wheel wells and central bracing structure. The bay assembly is then glued into position on the single piece lower wing. The upper wing sections are then fitted to the lower wing, the machine gun bulges are then fitted to the their respective positions on the upper wings, followed by the upper nose decking and horizontal tailplanes. With the fuselage almost complete, it’s on to the engine and cowling. The cowling consists of upper and lower sections, two side pieces, front section and an internal intake part. Putting the completed cowling assembly to one side, construction of the engine can begin. The valve rods are attached to the combined cylinder banks/bulkhead. There is not much in the way of detail for the cylinders, but to be honest there won’t be anything seen once the cowling has been fitted. With e valve rods in place, the gearbox back plate is fitted to the front of the engine, followed by the gearbox, into which a poly retaining part has been added, followed by the fan disc. The completed engine is then attached to the forward fuselage, along with the exhaust pipes on either side and finished off with the cowling.. With the fuselage upside down, the undercarriage can be attached. Each main undercarriage assembly is made up of the main oleo, separate scissor link single piece wheels and gear bar door. The tail wheel also has a separate single piece wheel which is attached to the tail wheel oleo and supporting structure and finished off with the attachment of the other side of the wheel yoke. The main undercarriage assemblies, once fitted into position are completed with the attachment of a retraction jack for each leg. Additional parts fitted at this point include the wing root gun barrels, boarding step, outer wing panels, and the centreline bomb rack which is made up out of two front halves, a single piece rear section and completed with the fitting of the four crutch pads. The bomb itself is assembled from the two nose halves, two tail halves, two separate fins and the tail ring. Part of the lowest fin needs to have a section removed to give the required ground clearance. The bomb can then be fitted to the carrier. The final sub-assemblies of the build are the propeller, (consisting of the single piece propeller, back plate and spinner), optional styles of canopy with alternative armour plate supporting structure, three piece gunsight, and windscreen which can then all be fitted to the model. Lastly the pitot probe and wing tip nav lights are attached, Decals The decal sheet is very well printed by Hasegawa themselves, in good register, nicely opaque and slightly glossy. Surprisingly full swastikas are included, so I don’t think this kit will be on sale in Germany, although they are placed on the sheet in such a way as to be easily removed. The are full stencils for one aircraft and the option of two aircraft markings. Fw-190F-8 A3+18 11./KG200 March 1945, RLM74 and RLM 75 over RLM 76, with RLM75 mottle on the fuselage sides. Fw-190F-8 A3+LV 11./KG200 1945, RLM74 and RLM 75 over RLM76 with no mottling. Conclusion This is another nice re-release from Hasegawa and well up to their usual standards. The detail is very nice straight out of the box, and apart from the addition of seatbelts shouldn’t really need anything else. The unusual fin arrangement of the 1000kg bomb makes it a little more interesting and will make a nice addition to any collection. Recommended Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Jugs Over Italy Eduard 1:48 Limited Edition This is the second release of the P-47 Thunderbolt from Eduard, the first, Jugs over Germany, was reviewed here last year, HERE and build HERE So, since the styrene is still the Academy kit, it would be rather churlish to repeat what hes already written this will be more of an over view of what you get in this box. The painting of Deacon Dandy on the box front is very attractive and inviting. The six decal options are printed in profile on one side of the box whilst the special edition resin parts are shown on the opposite side. On opening the kit looks even better in the plastic than even Mikes photography can convey. No sign of flash or moulding pips, without the extras it looks like it will build into a good looking model. Due to the addition of the resin and etch, there will be quite a few parts destined for the spares box. The resin and etch are well up to Eduards usual standards and includes all the parts from the earlier release, including the choice of propellers and the very useful tooling to get the blades fitted correctly. This kit will probably have the same minor problems in the build as found in the build review so it may be wise to take note and adjust your build accordingly. Decals The large colourful decal sheet is suitably impressive, with the various markings for the six options and full stencils for one aircraft. Whilst the schemes provided are for the aircraft serving, naturally, in Italy, there is an exception, and that is the last scheme where the aircraft in question was actually based in France. Perhaps there werent enough units in Italy to provide enough options? :- P-47D, 86th FS, 79th FG, Fano Air Field, Italy, February 1945, in an overall silver with olive drab spine/anti-glare panel and blue vertical tail. P-47D-25, flown by Capt. Edward F Jones, 64th FS, 57th FG, Grosseto airbase, Italy, early 1945, in olive drab over neutral grey and red cowling front. P-47D-25, 527th FS, 86th FG, Pisa Air base, Italy 1945, in overall silver, olive drab spine /anti-glare panel with red cowling front, red cooling gills and red striped tail. P-47D-27RE, flown by Lt. Sylvester Bud Hendricks, 65th FS, 57th FG, Grosseto air base, Italy, Autumn 1944/1945 with olive drab spine/anti-glare panel, red cowling front and yellow stripes in the wings and tailplane. P-47D-27RE, 315th FS, 324thFG, Early 1945 in overall silver, olive drab spine/anti-glare panel and a red lightning bolt on the fuselage sides beneath the cockpit. P-47D-27RE, 314th FS, 324th FG, Dole, France, winter 1944/45. Conclusion As with the other release this will make into a very nice looking model given that care and attention are taken with the fitting of the resin parts etc. The aircraft colour schemes in this box arent as different as the earlier kit, but they certainly are colourful. Highly recommended. Walkround photos are available HERE Review sample courtesy of

McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom Seamless Intakes AlleyCat 1:48 The Academy F-4B Phantom has already been praised for it’s detail and accuracy, but there are always areas that need upgrading in any kit. This new set from AlleyCat provides the modeller two seamless intakes along with separate splitter plates. The parts are made of white resin and are very nicely moulded, with fine panel lines, sharp edges and smooth intakes. There is a small amount of cutting to remove an area of the kits lower wing, but this is well described in the instructions, including a diagram of the offending area. The intakes need the fan face end to be cleaned up, removing the moulding lugs, before the kits fan faces can be attached. With this done the intakes are then fitted as normally along with the splitter plates once they have been removed from their moulding blocks of course. Conclusion Another very easy conversion set from AlleyCat that not only look good but alleviate the problems of trying to remove the seam from the inside of the kits parts. These should be able to be used by almost every modeller and I can heartily recommend them. Review sample courtesy of

Kit – Academy 1:48. Paint – Alclad lacquers, Humbrol & Xtracolour enamels, Tamiya acrylics. Decals – Aeromaster 48-278 ‘Sabres over Korea III’ Extras – None. North American F-86F-30 Sabre ‘Nina V’ Assigned to Col. Robert Baldwin CO, 51st Fighter Interceptor Group K-13 (Suwon AB) South Korea Summer 1953. Not my best by a long way, but now I have a Sabre in the cabinet which is something that I’ve wanted for a l-o-n-g time. As ever please feel free to comment, ask questions or criticise constructively and thanks for taking the time to look. Ian

Hi, After finishing the F-51D Mustang around 10 days ago I've had a small break from starting any new models. After pre-spraying both the Lightning F.2a & Spitfire F mk.22 in a thinned mixture of Humbrol 11 I decided to start the Tornado which has been awaiting the build for a while now, I've used the same mixture with varying pressure on the airbrush (borrowed a small compressor), I sprayed all the sprue's. Here's some of the unboxing & photo's once it had been sprayed: Box: Drop tanks Without & With Paint: Sprue A: Sprue B: Sprue C: Decals to be Used: "A" from this set The underside of the fuselage/wings is going to be sprayed Black tomorrow, and hopefully will get the decal's on before assembling it fully. Thanks for looking & comments welcome.

Heinkel He.115 B Special Hobby 1:48 History The Heinkel He 115 was the most successful German floatplane of the Second World War, and served as a reconnaissance and attack aircraft. When the Luftwaffe was officially established on 1 March 1935 the Heinkel He 59 was its only twin-engined floatplane. In July the Air Ministry issued a replacement for its replacement. This was to be a twin-engined aircraft that could act as a long range reconnaissance, torpedo bomber, minelayer or fog dispenser. The first prototype made its maiden flight in August 1937. Early test flights revealed that it was difficult to fly, but Heinkels designers were quickly able to solve this problem, and the resulting aircraft gained a very favourable reputation for its handling. The second prototype, V2, was similar to the V1, but with an improved nose, new tail surfaces, and NACA type engine cowlings. V3 had the separate cockpit canopies of the pilot and radio operator replaced by a single glasshouse canopy, while the V4 was the production prototype, with an improved tail and float supports. During the development process the original rather ungainly nose was replaced by the streamlined glazed nose used in production aircraft. The He 115 was in completion with the Ha 140. After tests in Lübeck Bay early in 1938 the Heinkel design was judged to be superior, and was put into production. After undergoing flight tests the V1 was modified in preparation for a series of record attempts. The early nose was replaced with a smooth wooden version, the radio operator and observer were both removed (a mechanic was carried), and a streamlined canopy installed. On 20 March 1938 the modified V1 set eight records, carrying a series of loaded from 0kg to 2000kg over 1,000km and 2,000km courses. These records were only held for eight days, before being broken by a CANT Z 509. The He 115 was an all-metal stressed-skin aircraft, with a slim streamlined fuselage. The mid-mounted wings had a rectangular centre section and tapering outer panels, and carried two BMW 132K engines (based on the Pratt & Whitney Hornet). The three man crew were carried in three cockpits. The observer was located in the glazed nose, with a bombsight and an MG15. The pilot was located just above the wing leading edge, and the radio operator/ rear gunner above the trailing edge. In the prototype the pilot and radio operator had been given separate canopies, but in production aircraft a single 'greenhouse' canopy was used, connecting their positions. An internal weapons bay was installed between the wings, and could carry either a 1,763lb torpedo or three SC 250 bombs (550lb each). The A-1 could also carry two more bombs under the wings. The He 115 was operated by the Küstenfliegergruppen coastal reconnaissance units. KFGr.106, KFGr.406, KFGr.506, KFGr.706 and KFGr.906 are all recorded as using the type, starting with 1./ KFGr. 106, which had eight by September 1939. During that year KFGr.106 and 109 used the He 115 to drop magnetic mines around the British coast. KFGr.506 and 706 used the He 115 during the Norwegian campaign, where it was used by both sides. KFGr. 106 and 506 used the He 115 during the Battle of Britain, resuming the mine laying operations. The type then began to be phased out in favour of the Blohm und Voss Bv 138 flying boat, and the remaining He 115s were concentrated in Norway, where they took part in attacks on the Arctic convoys, including the successful assault on convoy PQ 17 in July 1942. The last He 115s left front line service in the summer of 1944. The six aircraft exported to Norway soon found themselves being used against the Germans. At the end of the Norwegian campaign three of the Norwegian aircraft and a captured German aircraft escaped to Britain, where they were given an heavier armament of four forward firing and four rear firing machine guns, and used for clandestine operations. Two went to Malta, from where they were used to drop agents in German occupied North Africa, while two were used for the same purpose over Norway, operating from Scotland. These aircraft were withdrawn in 1942. The model The kit comes in quite a large and sturdy top opening box with an artists impression of an aircraft overflying a Royal Navy patrol boat. On opening the box the modeller is a large bag of medium grey styrene, a cardboard shelf on which the small poly bag of resin and another bag with the etched brass sheets and decal sheet are stapled. The styrene parts are very nicely moulded, with some very fine detail such as the recessed panel lines and raised panels where required. There is no sign of flash as one would expect of a new kit these days, and no moulding pip, just a few strengthening bits between the more fragile parts. The styrene appears to be quite soft and has a slightly rough texture, so paint should stick to it well. The clear styrene parts are quite clear and respectably thin, but there is some distortion on the curved areas, particularly the nose cone. There also seems to be some stress marks on some of the parts as if they have been removed from the mould too early. The small bag of resin contains some very nicely moulded parts, such as the engines, spare machine gun ammunition drums, radio sets, levers and DF loop teardrop housing. There are two sheets of etched brass containing the instrument panel, seatbelts, boarding ladders, cockpit leasers and handles, radio operator’s panel, machine gun sights, and the float handrails. There is also an acetate sheet containing the instrument panels back sheets. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is quite complex with lots of parts from all three mediums making up into a very busy and detailed area. The instructions aren’t too clear for this area and should be studied carefully. It may be an idea to scan the instructions and print them in a larger format to improve things. The bomb aimers position is equally detailed with numerous parts being use to build a very detailed area. With the smaller parts in place the bomb aimers floor and support can be fitted, followed by the centre section, which consists of the bomb bay, cockpit floor, fuselage side inserts plus the fore and aft bulkheads. The radio operator’s position is also fitted out with the resin radio boxes and spare ammunition drums. Just forward of the radio position another bulkhead is fitted, onto which a brass and acetate radio panel is attached. The operators seat is then assembled and glued into position, at which point the fuselage can be closed up. The two piece wings are now glued together followed by a large panel just aft of the engine nacelles. The resin engines, once painted up are fitted with their two piece cowls. There are alternative horizontal tailplanes, each of which are in two halves and these should be assembled and put to one side. The completed fuselage is fitted out with the glass nose side panels, nose position canopy and the centre section roof. The tailplanes can also be fitted at this point. The large two part floats are now assembled and fitted out with the brass handrails, along with the two part float struts. The wing assemblies are now attached to the fuselage and fitted with the engine/cowling assemblies, propeller assemblies, (each from a back plate, three separate blades and the boss), and the cockpit windscreen. Turning the model over onto its back the tailplane struts can be fitted as are the main float struts, inner float struts, bomb aimers window, bomb sight, exhausts, and under fuselage panel. With all the struts in place the floats can now be attached. With the model the right side up and sitting on its floats it’s onto the final stages of the build. The machine guns are assembled from a separate breech, ammunition drums, PE gun sights and when fitted to their positions the barrel, with PE sight is fitted. In the case of the nose gun position the barrel needs to be fitted from the outside. The nose cone is then fitted along with the main canopy centre section, aft section and the cockpit canopy. There is a resin fairing attached to the port side of hte lower nose, onto which the resin DF teardrop fairing is fitted, as is a resin gun barrel. The two PE boarding ladders are fitted between the floats and the aft cockpit position just aft of the wing trailing edges. And finally the rear gunners canopy can be posed either open or closed. If closed the machine gun needs to be posed in the stored position. Decals The medium sized decal sheet, designed by DEAD Design appears to be well printed and in good register, there is minimal carrier film and the decals are slightly glossy. There are three options included:- He115 B-1, K6+TH of the 1./KFIGr.406, based at Trondheim, Norway 1942. The upper surfaces wore a temporary white finish for over water operations. The ship markings are believed to signify involvement in the attacks against convoy PQ 17. HE115 B, M2+BL of the 3./KFIGr.106, based at Bokrum or Schellingwoude, mid 1940. The underside surfaces and national insignia were roughly painted over with black distemper for night operations. He115 B, 8L+FH, WNr. 2398, of the KFIG.906. This aircraft had a hard landing on December 28th1942, in Hafrsfjord, Stavanger, Norway, lost one of its floats and eventually sunk. The crew escaped unhurt. Presently this aircraft has been raised and will probably be restored in the Sola Flymuseum. The sheet also contains a selection of stencils, and signs. Conclusion When this kit was first mooted it was met with a cheer, particularly from me. I had always wanted one of these aircraft in 1:48 scale and here it is. The kit doesn’t look to be particularly difficult to build, although the instructions make it a lot harder than it should. Increase the size of them and all should be revealed. There are a lot of small parts for the interior so care should be taken when building and painting these areas. The addition of the resin and brass parts should mean that the modeller won’t need to go out and buy any more. The completed model will be quite large but will be a great addition to any collection, with the possibilities of some nice diorama ideas already going through my head I can see this one being built very soon. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Seafire FR 46/47 Armament Set 1:48 CMK The Airfix Seafire 46/47 kits is reputedly one of their best kits released until the advent of the new Hornby owned Airfix and their latest 1:48 releases. That said the Seafire is still a great kit but there’s always room for improvement, if not to make the model more accurate, then to make it more interesting. This armament set does just that. The set consists of eighteen resin and sixteen etched brass parts that go to make up a pair of very nicely detailed gun bays. The resin parts include a pair of 20mm cannon, gun bays, gun bay dividers, ammunition bays, inner bay and outer bay covers. The etched parts are used to represent the fastener strips seen when the covers are removed, these fit around the edges of the new bay trays. The resin parts are attached to their moulding blocks by one edge, so there shouldn’t be too much clean up required once they’ve been removed. There isn’t any other sign of flash or imperfections other than thin webs between the gun bay dividers, and the moulding details look very good indeed and the covers edges nicely thin. The kits wings need to have the bay covers carefully removed and tidied up to accept the new items, probably best to cut slightly undersized and opened up with a file until the new bays slide in. Conclusion This looks like a great little set that will certainly ensure your model will give its admirers something else of interest to look at. It shouldn’t be too hard to fit, but would probably be best for those modellers with some experience of working with resin and etch and aren’t afraid to start cutting up their kits. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Once in a while its a good thing to go to stash and select something on a whim. Take it out and just build it without getting tied up in knots about planning, research, finding etch sets, decals, improvemnets, etc etc. Just reconnect with the fun of building, open the box and crack on! One of my all time favourite aircraft is the P-51, and one of my all time favourite kits is Tamiya's P-51, so out of the stash it came. If you have never built one of these, you are missing a treat. It goes together beautifully and is a pleasure to build. I chose 'Shangri-La' flown by Captain Don Gentile of 336 Fighter Squadon, as I remember buliding Revells 1:32 scale kit of the smae aircraft in the 1970's, and I like the 'boxing parrot' marking. I put the pilot in as I had no etched seat belts and he was a good way of covering that up!. The only aftermarket I added was s pair of True Details resin wheels as I happened to to have a spare set with nice block tread on. Other than that it is an 'out of the box' build. After a simple, straightforward, fun build, 'Shangri-La' is now complete; Did I mention that I like Mustangs? Here are a few more Thanks for looking and happy new year to all. (My top tip for 2014 - Build a Mustang!) John

Hi guys! Just finished this one, and what a lovely kit this turned out to be! Everything fitted perfectly, with no filler, just a bit of seam filling tippex needed due to builder error... Dare I say it, but up there with Tamiya in terms of precision fit?! I have wanted to build AE479 ever since I saw a grainy air-to-air photo of her in an old book belonging to my late grandfather when I was a boy. Thank you Airfix for the chance to do so! Here she is- I went for a slightly more weathered appearance- all of my reference photos show her absolutely filthy, so I have tried to replicate this as much as possible. Another thread on here proved invaluable! Thanks for looking! C&C welcome!

Supermarine Spitfire MkIX 1:48 Brassin Continuing Eduards releases for their own Spitfire MkIX they have released these two sets of resin wheels, which should also be ok for other manufacturers kits. Both sets come in the now standard blister pack and held in place by a foam pad. The outer hubs are separate for the wheels/tyres but the inner hubs a moulded in place. Set 648 115 contains plain tyres and four spoke hubs, whilst set 648 118 contains tyres with a block type tread, again with four spoke hubs. The mouldings for both sets are very nicely done with no sign of flash and will require a minimal amount of clean up due to the way they are connected to the moulding blocks by thin webs. Each set also comes with a set of paint masks which will certainly help with the painting of the inner hubs but shouldn’t really be needed for the separate outers. Conclusion Another great pair of wheel sets from Eduard subsidiary Brassin that will give, I think, a pair of very nicely detailed extras to any Spitfire model that used the four spoke wheels, not just the Eduard kit. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

EA-18G Growler VAQ-132 "Scorpions" Hasegawa 1:48 The EA-18G is a development of the successful F/A-18F two seat Super Hornet that came into service in 1999 and replaced the Tomcat from 2006. It's intended that the EA-18G will replace the EA-6B that's currently in service in the carrier based electronic warfare role. The key benefits of the Growler are it's an ability to stay with the F/A-18s throughout the whole attack mission as well as using the INCANS Interference Cancellation System which allows friendly voice communication whilst jamming enemy communications, something the EA-6B can't do. Several minor modifications have been made to the wings to create a more stable platform for the electronic warfare role including leading edge wing fold fairings and wing fences. The Growler has since had its name changed to Grizzly (in the operational environment at least) due to the potential confusion of the names 'Growler' and 'Prowler'. The cannon on the Growler have been replaced with electronic attack equipment, some of which is also mounted on wingtip pods. Jamming is carried out by the addition of up to 5 ALQ-99 pods slung on the pylons under the wings in addition to Air-Air missiles. Unfortunately, the ALQ-99 has it's issues such as interfering with the aircrafts own radar and slowing the top speed of the aircraft down, so replacing these and adding next generation equipment is expected in the evolution of the Growler. The EA-18G has first seen combat in Operation Odyssey Dawn, enforcing the no-fly rules set to prevent the Libyan Government from attacking it's civilians in the civil war in March 2011. The kit Having reviewed the 1:72 scale version of this kit, it’s interesting to compare the same aircraft in the two scales. The top opening box includes the same art work as its smaller scale sister. 300 parts are included across 9 light grey sprues and clear one that’s bagged separately. The most noticeable difference between the two scales apart from the higher level of detail that you’d expect in 1:48th is the separate flaps and slats making for a more ‘dirty’ configuration straight from the box. The instructions are of the normal Hasegawa folding A4 document with surprisingly few stages; only 12 stages to assemble 300 parts, so careful attention is needed not to miss any detail. The diagrams are however clear. There are additional parts that are a carry over from the F model that the G tooling was modified from that aren’t required. An example of this is the inboard slats, the G model having a fillet where the wing fold is located. An extra sprue containing the correct parts is included. So let’s get into the build. As per normal construction starts with the cockpit. Typically Hasegawa, this is average in detail levels. The tub has moulded in switches and panels so it is possible to make it look quite busy with the paint brush. Each seat comprises 5 pieces, the centre, two side panels, ejector handle and top plate. Lacks of seatbelts are quite noticeable in this scale, so using some aftermarket detail to inject some life into your pit may be worth considering. Two crew figures are included if you like to use them in your builds, each with two types of helmet to choose from. I’ve read elsewhere that the rear cockpit panel is incorrect. If this bothers you, there is a good reference HERE to help you correct it. The cockpit locates on top of the nose gear bay which then fits between the two nose halves. Surface detail in the kit is very nicely done. A combination of recessed panel lines, hinges, raised details and rivets give a satisfactory finish. Something that is evident on the nose exterior as well as others that I’ll mention further in the review is very slight raised areas resulting from ejector pin marks on the inside surfaces. These may simply disappear under a coat of paint. If not, a slight rub down should fix them. Something to be aware of is some of the panel lines / nose detailing need amending due to the base kit being the F model originally. Diagrams are included in the instructions for carrying this out. In the review I’ve linked to above, it also points out that some of the perforated surfaces that are an over spill from the F model are not present on the G so some minor filling will make it more authentic. Despite the large number of parts, construction is quite simple. With the nose assembled, we move to the main body. As with most (if not all) F-18 kits, this is separated into top and bottom halves. Again, surface detailing is exquisite. Whilst the wings have separate flaps and slats, they don’t unfortunately have the folding wing options unless you decide to carry out this modification yourself. Hasegawa have thought of this in the design however as cut lines have been moulded into the wing fold points to make this easy. Full depth intake trunks are included being blanked off by the front compressor blades for the engine. Unfortunately, there are some ejector pin marks down the interior of the intakes, so these will need filling and blending as will the seam once the two halves of each trunk are joined. With the intakes assembled, they are fitted to the lower fuselage half and the wings assembled to the upper half. Before completing this, take note of the holes that need to be opened, both on the fuselage and wings as there are plenty of them. With the main fuselage constructed and nose glued in place, the tail feather and undercarriage are the next focus. The elevators are connected via a plastic ‘axle’ containing two polycaps so that they can be moved together once assembled. As with the nose parts, there is evidence of ejector pin marks pushing through into the external surfaces on the tails so probably better to apply a layer of primer to see if this is still evident afterwards. As with the wings, separate rudders are provided so they can be positioned at your discretion. The slats and flaps can be fitted at this stage as shown in the instructions or at the end after painting depending on your personal method of construction. You will need to decide which configuration you are choosing though as to select the correct parts for the flap actuator fairings. The undercarriage is a very detailed affair and captures the rugged look well. The only disappointment is ejector marks on the inside surface of the one piece nose wheels on the tyres. A small amount of filler will be necessary here to fill them. The burner cans are provided in the closed position. Detail is satisfactory. A full complement of weapons is included and very nicely detailed they are. The fins on the missiles are very thin giving good scale representation and the pylons have also been treated to a good dose of surface detail to compliment. The load is provided is as follows: ALQ-218(V)2 wingtip pods (x2) ALQ-99 high-band jamming pods (x2) ALQ-99 centreline low-band jamming pod (x1) 480 external wing tanks (x2) AGM-88 HARM (x2) AIM-120 AMRAAM (x2) The rather large canopy is thinly moulded giving no noticeable distortion. There is a thin seam down the centre of the canopy that will need to be polished out. The windscreen is supplied as a separate part allowing you to have the canopy either open or closed and a superb HUD is included on the clear sprue too. Finally, apart from a wealth of ‘sticky out bits’ such as antennas, a boarding ladder is included to finish the display if you choose to have it represented on the ground. Note in the picture below, I've removed the canopy from the sprue to be able to get a picture of it. Decals A lovely decal sheet is included representing an aircraft of VAQ-132 Scorpions in both High and Low vis marking options (2010 & 2011). The decals are vivid in colour, very sharp and no register problems visible. A good mix of aircraft markings, placards and stencils are included for both the aircraft and the ECM / weapon load out. Conclusion This is great release from Hasegawa. The cockpit could benefit from some extra detail and there’s a healthy supply of options to choose from if you go down that route. There are a few surface detail errors that carry over from the F model that the tooling was derived from, but other than that, the shape is very good and the exterior detailing quite stunning. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Hello boys, It's been a long time I didn't post any completed plane here (it's also true that I didn't complete any plane in a long while, as well ). Well, here is my last effort, the Hasegawa P-39 in soviet markings. There are a few boo-boo, like the undersides cowl flaps which need to be re-positionned, but I hope you'll like the thing. Feel free to comment, It's my usual way of improving. Best Stef (#6)