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Nakajima Ki-43 II Hayabusa (70078) 1:72 Arma Hobby The Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa, known to the Allies as the 'Oscar' was a single-seat, single-engined fighter that was flown by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force from 1941 until the end of the War. The design utilised the same 14-cylinder Nakajima Sakae radial engine as the infamous Mitsubishi Zero, and in fact in the heat of battle, the two aircraft were often confused by Allied aviators. Just like the Zero, the Hayabusa was light, nimble and exceptionally manoeuvrable, and just like the Zero, its Achilles heel was a lack of armour and self-sealing fuel tanks. The Ki-43-II introduced a more powerful engine with two-stage supercharger, strengthened wings with hard-points for fuel tanks or bombs, armour for the pilot and basic self-sealing fuel tanks. In service the Hayabusa at first enjoyed enormous success thanks to its phenomenal rate of turn and lively performance. This was soon countered by the introduction of more advanced Allied fighters with heavier armour and armament, which removed much of the Ki-43's previous advantage. During the war the Japanese supplied their allies with fighters as a matter of course, including Manchuria, a puppet-state of Japan and Thailand. They weren’t used in great numbers because of Japan’s own need, but this changed after WWII, with China operating captured airframes, France, Korea and Indonesia procuring their aircraft from derelict stocks that would have otherwise been scrapped, but which they repaired to flying condition. The Kit This is a new tooling from Arma Hobby, the announcement of which was greeted with happiness from many modellers in this scale. The kit arrives in a small end-opening box, with an internal tray that stops the box from being crushed either in transit, or once it reaches the stash. A painting covers the front of the box, showing a Hayabusa fresh from a victory over a hapless P-40 that will likely to have to ditch if the background ocean vista extends all around. Inside are two sprues of grey styrene, one of which is larger than the other, plus a separately bagged clear sprue, a sheet of pre-cut Kabuki-style yellow tape masks (not pictured), a decal sheet, plus a small Erratum sheet containing just two markings that were bereft of white outlines on the main sheet. The package is rounded out by the instruction booklet, printed in colour on white paper, with the marking profiles on the back pages, and replicated in side-view on the back of the box. Detail is excellent, although a little flash has crept in on our example, possibly due to the finesse of the tail fin, or the moulding operators learning the correct heat and pressure settings that are appropriate to these new moulds. Removing flash is the work of moments however, and infinitely preferable to short-shot parts, but care will need to be taken when removing it from around the fin due to the thin styrene, and a short antenna peg at the top of the tail, so take your time. 3D Printed Accessories There is a QR code on the front page of the instruction booklet, which leads to a file that should permit those of us lucky enough to possess a 3D printer to create some accessories, as follows: Exhaust Pipes – 2 sets Rear Frame with Pilot’s Seat & Belts Gun Barrel Fairings Oil Cooler Fuel Cooler The Oil Cooler is marked as “Soil Cooler” on the Arma site, so I took a leap of faith and assumed a typo. You can print as many of these sets as you like to share for free, but as you’d expect there is a requirement that you don’t share the files publicly, or use them in any commercial manner. Construction begins with the pilot’s seat, which is a two-part assembly that includes the station to which it is attached, followed by the full-span wings, the lower half needing some flashed-over holes drilling out if you intend to fit drop-tanks under the wings, and another pair of holes for two of the decal options that have a centreline pylon. The two halves are mated, and the cockpit floor in the centre is painted Nakajima cockpit green before adding rudder pedals, a throttle cluster, small gaggle of levers, and the seat assembly, using the scrap diagrams as a guide if necessary. The instrument panel has a choice of two styles of gunsight that are pushed through from behind, with a diagram showing the four dial decals to apply over the detail painting that is called out on the same diagram. The cockpit sidewalls have details moulded into the fuselage sides, adding equipment to them as indicated in the large scrap diagrams, taking care to align the part on the starboard side with the moulded-in ribbing. The fuselage halves can be joined together, removing a small raised section on the port side of the cockpit for two decal options, then installing the instrument panel after dealing with the seams in your preferred manner. The forward skin of the fuselage is supplied as a choice of two styles of insert, which again depends on your decal choice, fitting the cooling gills to the peg on the front after inserting one of two styles of exhausts parts to the back, which leaves the tip projecting from the rear. Mating the fuselage and wing assemblies should be done carefully to avoid damage to the detail parts in the centre of the wing, then attention switches to the Nakajima Ha-115 power plant. Both banks of pistons are included, totalling fourteen cylinders in all, adding a two-part push-rod spider to the front, with the bell housing at the very front. It is attached to the nose after painting and wiring if you feel the urge, and the cowling is built around it from four segments and the intake lip, fitting a gun-port insert inside the top section and referring to the scrap diagram if necessary. The elevators are each a single part, and should be left off until after final painting for one decal option, which has a decal applied at the root that is best done before the elevators are attached. Inverting the model allows the main gear to be made from a strut, captive gear bay door and wheel, each one handed, with the wheel facing the centre once installed. A two-part oil cooler intake is made and fitted under the nose, adding the centre pylon and tail wheel, plus two additional square doors to the outer end of the main gear bays. A small three-part headrest is attached to the fuselage behind the pilot’s head, with a decal applied to the side before installing the canopy, which is a two-part arrangement, allowing you to pose it open or closed as you wish. An aerial mast is mounted on the side of the starboard nose, a landing light lens is installed in the leading edge of the port wing along with a pitot probe, and the three-blade prop with two-part spinner is slotted into the hole in the engine’s bell-housing, completing main construction. Two styles of underwing pylon pairs are included on the sprues, both types with sway-braces moulded-in that should be rotated carefully by 90° for later use after building the tanks. There are also two styles of tank, the late-style consisting of two parts each, while the early type are handed, and have two circular inserts with lugs that project through holes in the top-sides, fitting your choice of tank and pylon to the holes drilled earlier in the lower wing surfaces, using the scrap diagram and accompanying text to inform your decision. The penultimate instruction step shows the location of the antenna wire stretching from the tail to the post in front of the cockpit, with a fly-lead leading into the rear of the cockpit through the fuselage side. The last step shows the locations of various IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) stripes on the leading edges of the wings and main gear bay doors. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, as is usual with Arma kits, all wearing substantially different schemes. From the box you can build one of the following: 59th Hiko-Sentai, 3rd Chutai, New Guinea 1943-44 54th Hiko-Sentai, 2nd Chutai, Pilot: Capt. Hisashi Koshiishi, Paramushir, Kuril Islands, 1944 Hiko Dai, 71st Sentai, Hofu Airfield, Japan, late 1944 Decals are by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The masks are pre-cut from flexible kabuki-style paper (washi) tape, and are supplied for the canopy and wheels, although they aren’t documented in the instruction booklet. This shouldn’t be an issue however, as the wheel masks are toroidal, and the canopy masks are laid out in the shape of their destination. Conclusion Another high-quality release from Arma Hobby, with plenty of detail, a good choice of decals, with just a little flash to deal with. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

On display at the Tokyo All Japan Model Hobby Show 2024 Arma Hobby is to re1ease - in November 2024 ? - a 1/72nd Nakajima Ki-43-II Hayabusa/"Oscar" kit - ref. 70078 Sources: https://www.armahobby.com/70078-nakajima-ki-43-ii-hayabusa.html https://x.com/ModelArtInc/status/1844572143012749517 V.P.

Hi guys. I'd like to join this GB building this kit: It will be my first experience with this brand 🙂

P-51B Mustang Deluxe Set (70069) 1:72 Arma Hobby The P-51D was developed by the North American Aviation company as a fighter for Great Britain, but due to the poor performance of the engine that was initially fitted, it wasn’t all that good at higher altitudes. Fortunately, they slotted a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine into the airframe and it brought out the best of its design, which included the energy efficient laminar flow wing that gave it the potential to escort Allied bombers all the way to Berlin with the addition of drop-tanks and a lean fuel mixture when not in combat. It was flown in this guise as the Mustang III in British service, and as the P-51B/C in US service, then as the P-51D with a bubble canopy and cut-down aft fuselage, with an additional fin-fillet added later to improve stability that had been reduced by the new shape and fuel tank location, which was often retrofitted to older airframes due to its positive influence on the flight characteristics of the aircraft, regardless of whether it had a bubble canopy or not. The Kit This is a reboxing of Arma’s original 2021 release to depict various razor-backed Mustangs, and as it is a Deluxe set, it has two complete kits, many more decal options, and some useful resin extras. It arrives in a sturdy end-opening box with an attractive painting of a brace of Mustangs on the front, plus profiles of the standard decal options on the rear. Inside are two bags, each containing two sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a single 3D printed base of highly-detailed resin parts that are protected by verticals on the corners and trapped in a cardboard insert stapled to the box, two sheets of pre-cut kabuki tape masking material, a large decal sheet, and an A5 portrait instruction booklet with full colour profiles on the rear pages. Detail is stunning for the scale, and the finish of the exterior surface is a pristine satin texture with some areas left glossy, an example of which are the lenses of the underwing identification lights on the starboard wing. Remember that you get two of each of everything but the resin parts pictured below, as these are already doubled-up, and the decal sheet covers all the options, plus a bonus option that is mentioned at the back of the instruction booklet. Construction begins with the cockpit, which will be familiar to anyone who has built a Mustang before. The stepped floor has the seat, armour and support frame added to the front section, with a choice of resin seats that have moulded-in belts that comprise a bucket seat and two tubular-framed types for your use. The rear of the cockpit is filled with the original fuel tank with radio on a palette on top, and decals are included for some of the radio boxes. The pilot has his control column added and two dial decals applied to the floor, with more decals for the highly detailed instrument panel that is fixed below the coaming and has the rudder pedals glued to the back as shown by a scrap diagram. The cockpit sides are also detailed with additional parts, a copious quantity of decals to portray the equipment details, radiator pathway, adding a PE grille to the front of the bath, and another to the oval intake before it is inserted into the starboard fuselage side. The port side is prepared with extra parts and decals, adding the assemblies beginning with the instrument coaming, then the cockpit and finally the tail wheel, closing the two halves to complete the task. The wings are next, beginning with the centre of the main gear bay and a section of the spar. This is inserted into the upper wing half, and a detailed diagram shows how the bay roof should be painted correctly, which is best done before closing the wing halves and inserting the separate flap sections, which you are advised to paint before insertion, as they also have a decal around the halfway point of the curved leading edges. Unusually, both wing surfaces are full-width, in much the same way as the real aircraft, and after adding some internals, the wings and fuselage are joined with a choice of either a filleted tail, or the earlier un-filleted tail, which you get to choose by using different fin and elevator parts with moulded-in fairings. Some panel lines behind the cockpit should be filled depending on your decal choices, and this might be easier done before adding the wings. The main gear consists of a strut with single wheel and a captive bay door attaching to the leg, which slots into a socket in the outer end of the bay, with a pair of inner doors fitted to either side of the centre-line bulkhead. The airframe is ostensibly complete, but some small parts and assemblies are yet to be added, such as the radiator cooling flaps under the rear, pitot probe under the wing, a pair of bomb-shackles outboard of the main gear bays, and a pair of lips for the chin and main radiator intakes. The perforated grille or alternative blanking panel on the lower nose is slotted into its aperture, with a choice of two types of exhaust stacks that are duplicated in resin for extra detail and hollow exits with a decal depicting a new panel line aft of the slot, two types of antenna masts plus an optional non-standard antenna that you should make yourself and fix in place according to the scrap diagrams. The prop consists of four blades moulded as one, with a two-part spinner hiding a small washer that can be used to hold the prop in place and retain the option to rotate if you so wish. There are two styles of canopy supplied for your model, so choose the correct type for your decal option, both of which have the option to portray them open or closed. The older straight hood consists of the fixed windscreen with a section of the fuselage moulded-in, the canopy and the two scalloped rear-view panes, with the optional parts provided to display the canopy opened to one side, assisted by a couple of scrap diagrams nearby and a warning decal for the inner lip. The later Malcolm hood is the second option, with a blown canopy that gives the pilot more room to move his head for better situational awareness. This option firstly requires removal of some small blisters on the spine behind the canopy. There are parts supplied to portray the canopy rail, and these are shown correctly applied in scrap diagrams to assist you getting it right, with the stub end of the rails visible on the closed option. The final choice is to hang compressed paper fuel tanks, metal fuel tanks or bombs under the wings, all of which are made from two halves each and have stencil decals supplied from the sheet. Markings There are a generous eight decal options on the included sheet, plus a bonus option that’s at the end of the instructions, wearing a variety of schemes in service of British and American Air Forces. The first page shows the locations of all the common stencils on a line drawing to avoid cluttering and duplicating the other pages. Because there are two kits in the box, you can build two of the following: P-51B-7-NA 43-6913 "Shangri-La", 336th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF USAAF, pilot Captain Don S. Gentile, USAAF Station 356 Debden, Great Britain, March 1944 P-51B-15-NA 42-106950 "The Iowa Beaut", 354th FS, 355th FG, 8th AF USAAF, pilot 2nd Lieutenant Robert E. Hulderman, USAAF Station 122 Steeple Morden, Great Britain, July 1944 Mustang Mk III FZ152 (P-51B-5-NA 43-6533), No. 133 Fighter Wing, pilot Wing Commander Stanisław Skalski, RAF Coolham, Great Britain, Spring 1944 P-51B-15-NA 42-106839 "Bald Eagle III", 374th FS, 361st FG, 8th AF USAAF, pilot 1st Lieutenant Robert Turnbull Eckfeldt, USAAF Station 374 Bottisham, Great Britain, July 1944 P-51B-7-NA 43-6638, 355th FS, 354FG, 9th AF USAAF, pilot 2nd Lieutenant Fred G. Buckner, USAAF Station AFF-410 Lashenden, Great Britain, June 1944 P-51B-15-NA 42-106924 "Salem Representative", 334th FS, 4th FG, 8th AF USAAF, pilot 2nd Lieutenant Ralph Kidd Hofer, USAAF Station 356 Debden, Great Britain, May 1944 P-51B-1-NA 43-12375 "Bonnie ´B´ II", 353rd FS, 354th FG, 9th AF USAAF, pilot Major Don „Buzz” Beerbower, USAAF Station AFF-410 Lashenden, Great Britain, June 1944 Mustang Mk III FX876 (P-51B-1-NA 43-12146), No. 309 squadron PAF, RAF Andrews Field, Great Britain, May 1945 P-51B-7-NA 43-6638 Probably a 354FG hack, Autumn 1944 (Bonus Option) Decals are printed by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. It’s worth noting that each page of the profiles has a QR Code that takes you to a detailed blog post about the set, which provides much more information on the decal options than is possible in the instruction booklet, including photos of the real thing and background information. Conclusion Another superbly well-detailed kit from Arma that doubles the fun with TWO kits in the box, plus the resin goodies and a heap of decal options. Detail is excellent throughout, and the instructions are concise to help you with your build. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

After the P-51B/C (link), Arma Hobby is to release the 1/72nd North American P-51D/K Mustang bubbletop versions. Source comments: https://www.facebook.com/ArmaHobby/posts/4796445153719137 V.P.

Arma Hobby is to release in 2021 a 1/72nd North American P-51B/C Mustang kit. Source: http://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2020/12/30/arma-hobby-new-kit-announcements-for-2021/ Sprues design & 3D renders V.P.

Hurricane Mk.IIb Trop (40008) 1:48 Arma Hobby The Hawker Hurricane was one of Britain's foremost fighters of WWII, and although overshadowed by the more graceful and slender Spitfire during the Battle of Britain, it was a capable aircraft that was available in large numbers, and achieved more than its fair share of kills during the conflict. It went on to see service to the end of the war, but was relegated to less onerous tasks as technology leapt forward resulting in faster, more agile aircraft that came on stream on both sides of the conflict. The type originated in the early 30s and first took to the sky in 1935, despite the Air Ministry’s tepid reaction to monoplanes at the time, and it was an aircraft that set standards for fighters that followed it, being a monoplane with a predominantly metal airframe, retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit and of course the delightfully powerful and throaty Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Compared to the Spitfire it was a little old-fashioned, starting out with a fabric-covered ‘rag’ wing that was eventually replaced by an all-metal aerofoil, and it was less aerodynamically streamlined, with a thicker wing and overall chunkier, blunt appearance. Although the wing was replaced by a metal aerofoil later, it retained the fabric rear fuselage and as such was able to have minor damage repaired quickly and easily, compared to the Spitfire that would have to go back to a repair facility for structurally insignificant through-and-through bullet damage. A fabric patch followed by a few coats of dope, and the Hurri would be back to the fray, which endeared it both to its pilots and ground crew alike. The Mk.IIB was equipped with an extra four machine guns in the wings, bringing the total for each wing to six, but reducing its top-speed, further so because the wings were also fitted with bomb racks. These hard-points could also mount underwing fuel tanks, extending the aircraft’s range by 100%, which sometimes led to a mixed force of Hurricanes undertaking interdiction operations with faster variants providing cover. By the time the improvements to the airframe resulted in the Mk.IIC, it was tasked with ground attack, taking out German tanks, which weren’t as easy to crack as first expected, because 20mm cannon shells would often ricochet off the frontal and side armour, and bombing a relatively small target such as a tank was a matter of pure luck, all while the enemy poured lead in your general direction. It was withdrawn from front-line fighter service at this stage of the war, as by then the enemy aircraft outclassed it in most respects, so it carried on in ground-attack, night fighter and intruder roles where it excelled, without unnecessary exposure to enemy fighters. It was succeeded by the D that mounted a pair of 40mm cannon in gondolas under the wings, increasing its offensive power appreciably, at which point it acquired the nickname ‘The Flying Can Opener’, adding additional frontal armour to the airframe that was exposed during the run-in to target. They carried on in that role until the Typhoon came into service, which could do the job faster and more efficiently without the worry of being bounced by enemy fighters that outclassed it. The Kit This is a new boxing of the recent tooling from Arma Hobby, which was one that many 1:48 modellers had been waiting for, as their 1:72 kits have a reputation for excellent detail, with the inference being that in a larger scale the detail would be even better, and we weren’t disappointed. The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a sturdy tray inside that prevents the dreaded crushing in storage. The painting of a bomb equipped fighter flying through dusty sky with wheels down, and the decal options printed in side-view on the rear. Inside the box is a cardboard tray that contains three sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a sheet of pre-cut yellow kabuki-tape masks, and an instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with colour profiles on the rearmost pages. Detail is everything we have come to expect from Arma, with crisp engraved panel lines, fine raised rivets, restrained fabric scalloping effect on the fuselage rear, and plenty of raised and recessed features that should result in a superb model if care is taken during building and painting. If this is your first Arma kit, you should know that they have a technique of adding stiffening ribs and stringers inside their kits, and they hide away their ejector-pins in places that won’t be seen, usually with a circle of tiny turrets around them. They are usually placed so that they can be left intact without affecting assembly, but if they do need to be removed, you’ll be advised in the instructions. Construction begins with the lower wing for a change, drilling out holes applicable to whether you intend to fit bombs or drop-tanks under the wings of your model. The holes are marked in red for tanks, and blue for bombs, which is helpful, and the diagrams are accompanied by a little explanatory text that advises that tanks aren’t used in any decal options from this boxing, catering to those that might want to use aftermarket decals. The gear bay is created from a well-detailed section of spar that has a pair of retraction jacks and a pressurised cylinder applied to it, then has the remaining walls and their ribs mated to it in succession and is finally covered by the bay roof, feeding a brass-painted hose through the bay once completed. Attention then shifts to the cockpit for a moment, building the seat from four parts, which is supplied with decal seatbelts and is glued to the rear bulkhead for later installation in the cockpit. We then shift our attention to the wing halves, removing the drop-tank location points for all decal options, and cutting new holes in the wing leading edge outboard of the landing lights, inserting supports for the barrels and the landing light bays in the lower wing at the same time. The gear bay assembly is glued into the full-span upper wing, adding another short spar closer to the rear, then joining the two halves together. Now we learn why we didn’t build the entire cockpit earlier, as it is built in the space between the wings once they are completed, starting with the control linkage and frame, with the foot rests/trays over the top, and a small lever glued to a cross-member on the left. The cockpit side frames are painted and inserted at the perimeter, locating in slots in the upper wing centre, and these are joined by the rudder pedals on a central mount, and a V-frame beneath where the seat will sit that stiffens the assembly. The control column is built from three parts and includes the linkages that lead aft under the pilot’s seat, which is inserted last over the V-braces at the rear, locating on more slots in the upper wing. Flipping the wing over, a pair of rods are inserted into the bays, their location shown by another drawing that highlights them in blue. The instrument panel is next, with raised details depicting the instrument bezels and other switches, with a decal included for it and the compass that fits between two legs under the panel, which you are advised to cut into sections for an easier fit, using plenty of decal solution so that it settles well into the recesses. It is glued into the starboard fuselage half with a pair of small pieces of equipment, with six more in the port side, and the option to pose the foot step on the exterior skin in the lowered position, which is a nice touch. There is also a decal for a pair of dials moulded into the fuselage sidewall. With that, the fuselage halves can be brought together, seams dealt with, and then carefully mated with the wings, taking care not to damage the lovely detail in the cockpit. If you plan on modelling your canopy closed, you should also cut away the rails as indicated in red on a scrap diagram at this stage to allow the closed canopy to fit firmly. The underside of the fuselage has an insert with the tail-wheel fairing moulded-in, and further forward, the central radiator housing has its core made from front and rear sections with the matrix texture moulded-in, and a circular insert with hosing, all of which is glued to the underside of the fuselage and covered by the cowling that is made from body, intake lip and cooling flap at the rear, locating in a shallow recess in the lower wing that has a horseshoe flange with fasteners to add to the detail. A choice of tail wheel inserts in the hole under the rear of the fuselage, adding a full-span elevator panel with separate flying surfaces that fills the recess in the top of the tail, fitting the two-part fin to a stepped lug in the fairing, and fixing the rudder to the rear, allowing all the tail surfaces to be posed deflected if you wish. The main gear legs are made from a strut with a retraction jack moulded-in, and another added to the rear, plus a captive bay door that fits on the outboard side, and a two-part wheel fitted on the stub axle. There is a choice of two styles of gun camera fairing in the starboard wing leading edge that uses two different parts, and your choice depends on which decal option you have chosen, two options require the fairing to be sanded flush to the wing leading edge. The gunsight and a clear lens are glued to a recess in the cockpit coaming at this stage, taking care not to disturb it before the windscreen is installed, inserting clear lenses to cover the landing lights, and the clear wingtip lights that have a recess in their mating surface that you can add some green or red paint to depict the bulb before you glue them in position, adding two short barrels to the newly drilled out gun ports outboard of the lights. While the model is inverted, a pitot probe and crew step are added to the port underside, and a clear recognition light is inserted just behind the radiator, painting it a clear amber, with a tropical chin intake filter fairing made from two parts in front of the wheel bays and under the engine cowling. The rest of the work on the airframe is done with the model resting on its wheels (if you’ve fitted them yet), installing a choice of two styles of exhausts and mounting blisters in recesses in the nose cowling, and an aerial mast in the spine behind the cockpit, cutting off the little triangular spur near the top, and removing the short post on the fin for two decal options. A choice of two styles of prop are included for the different decal options, using the same blade part, but substituting different spinner and back plate parts, plus a washer inside the spinner that can be glued carefully to allow the prop to remain mobile after building. The common windscreen is glued into the front of the cockpit cut-out, and to close the canopy, part T2 is used, but if you intend to leave the canopy slid back, a slightly wider part is supplied, marked T3, with pre-cut masks provided for all options, as well as the wheel hubs and landing lights. As already mentioned, drop-tanks are included for this boxing, built from two halves that trap the location pegs between them, and have a small stencil for one side, even though they also tell you they’re not used for any options in this boxing. The instructions also show the bombs being built up from four parts each, along with their pylons, for use with one option. Again, if you are using aftermarket decals, the tanks or bombs may be of use to you. Check your references to be sure. Markings There are three quite different options on the decal sheet, each having a full page of colour profiles at the back of the instruction booklet, with letter codes corresponding to a table on the front page that gives codes for Hataka, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Humbrol, Vallejo and Tamiya ranges, which should be sufficient for most of us, although FS numbers are also included for most colours to help you further. From the box you can build one of the following: ‘Hurribomber’, HL795/V, No. 274 Sqn., RAF Sidi Haneish (Egypt) and Sidi-Bu Amud (Libya), November 1942 BG967/A, No. 261 Sqn/., RAF China Bay airfield, Triconmalee, Ceylon 1942 Z4017/FU-56. No. 81 Sqn., RAF Flight B. Operation ‘Benedict’, Pilot P/O Bush. Vaenga, USSR, September 1941. White camo on wings added in October 41 Decals are by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another fabulously well-detailed model of this doughty fighter that shows amazing attention to detail, and is deservedly becoming the new de facto standard in this scale. This tropical variant helps to fill another gap in the range, which we hope will continue to broaden until everyone has the mark and sub-variant that they want. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

USN/RN Escort Carrier Deck & PSP Airfield Bases (70060 & 70059) 1:72 Arma Hobby Arma have a widening range of 1:72 kits, many of which would have flown either from carriers or temporary airfield, the latter having Pierced Steel Planking (PSP) laid over it to keep the mud to a minimum, as it is a huge impediment to operations for any aircraft. Both sets arrive in sleek cardboard packages that are folded around the injection-moulded bases, with a tab and slot keeping the wrapping in place, initially held firm by a length of tape. Once open, you can see the exceptional detail that has been moulded into these parts, each one measuring 15.2cm2, or 6” 2 section if you prefer, with a shallow vertical side all around. In addition, there is a QR code on the packaging that will lead you to a page on Arma’s site that provides 3D printer files to create some accessories to go with the base, on the assumption that you own an SLA 3D printer of course. The QR code on the base packaging offers bespoke accessories for the deck/airfield to accompany the bases, the parts appropriate for the type of base. The PSP base 3D files will print out fire extinguisher, toolboxes, fuel barrels, British ‘flimsy’ fuel cans, wheel chocks, and a wooden trestle, while the Carrier base has arrestor cable mounts, British and American versions of wheel chocks, and a bomb cart, all of which will add realism to your base and accompanying model (whatever you may build), with some careful painting. Markings There are no decals included in the boxes, as paint are all that is needed for these delightful bases, choosing suitable painted wooden and metallic shades where appropriate, with wear and a little rust if you choose. If you print the extras, some internet research will soon turn up some examples for paint colours. Conclusion The detail moulded into each of these bases is excellent, and once painted will be an excellent backdrop for your next model, or one that you’ve already built if that’s your intention. The 3D parts will be a boon to anyone with access to a printer, adding extra background interest to the model. Highly recommended. USN/RN Escort Carrier Deck (70060) PSP Airfield (70059) Review sample courtesy of

Source: https://www.facebook.com/ArmaHobby/posts/3462056447158021 Considering it'll be most probably a WWII period a/c and in 1/72nd this will be uninteresting to me... My (Polish) wishes - 1/48th plastic kits from: TS-8 Bies, TS-11 Iskra & PZL-130 Orlik. V.P.

Hurricane Mk.IIc 87 Squadron HL864 'NIGHTINGALE' LK-? This is the first model that I have managed to complete in over a year. Normally I find myself over in the armour section of the forum, but recently I have had a complete lack of mojo and have ended up with far too many stalled projects. So, I thought I would try some aircraft builds for a change. I started with the Airfix 1/24 Spitfire, which I was enjoying, but when I got to the painting stage I felt that I needed something less challenging to practice some different techniques on. Looking on this forum and various Youtube channels there seemed to be a lot of praise for this kit, and I have to agree, it is very nice indeed. This is the 'Jubilee' edition of the kit and features markings for one of the 87 Squadron aircraft in it's Night Intruder scheme of Dark Green and Medium Sea Gray over Black. It appears that the squadron hastily applied the camouflage over the existing black of their night fighter aircraft, leading to a somewhat scruffy appearance, perfect for getting the modelling juices of an armour modeller flowing again. After reading a few discussions about 87 Squadrons paint scheme I decided to use a darker tone than Medium Sea Gray. On most of the reference photos it appears that the aircraft had patches of lighter tones brushed on in various places and I felt that these lighter patches were most likely closer to Medium Sea Grey. The challenge was to replicate a badly painted aircraft and not make it look like a badly painted model. Using MRP paints I painted the model with a mixed up close to black and then, after applying hairspray in a few places to aid chipping and wear effects, I sprayed on the camouflage colours. The gray was a mix of Medium Sea Grey with a touch of Bronze Green and black added. I then sprayed on patches of thinned Medium Sea Gray and lightened Dark Green. I bottled going full on with it so it looks a little subdued here, but it is more obvious to the naked eye and in higher resolution photos. The aircraft I chose to depict is HL864 'Nightingale' flown by Pilot Officer R.W. Mitchell. The ? code appealed to me but it is not one of the markings provided. As I try to avoid decals and create masks where possible I was hoping that shouldn't be a problem. I used the kits decal sheet for sizing the codes etc, however looking at the comparison photo above it seems to me like L and K are a little too tall as is the tail flash. I have also missed the serial number 'just visible' under the stabilizer. I can add that later but I will have to live with the codes. I'm a little bit out with the demarcation lines of the camouflage here and there and I have also noticed when posting the top view photo that I have got the fuselage roundels slightly out of line, oh well!🙄. The most challenging part of doing this scheme was the name scroll. The lettering was far too small for my cutter so I resorted to doing the art work in Photoshop and printing a decal. I have never really had much success with this. I did think of painting it, but my eyesight and diminishing dexterity put that out of the question. The close up above shows off how excellent the Master Barrel guns are. The resin kit supplied exhausts are also very nice, however, I should have painted them a lot more orange to depict the coating applied to the night fighters, they just look rusty here which I didn't want. Out of the box it is an excellent kit, but I did choose to add the gun barrels, some HGW seatbelts a few pipes, cables here and there, a navigation light in front of the ariel mast, and the uplock lugs on the wheels . I also felt that some of the rivet detail on the wings was a little too pronounced, so I gave them a bit of a rub down with a sanding sponge. The research done by @Ray_W for his excellent build proved very helpful in this project and is well worth a read through HERE if you are planning to build one of the 87 Squadron aircraft. I'm so glad that I built this kit, my mojo has been fully restored. As always, there are definitely things that I could have done differently/ better, but overall, I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out and, I feel ready for the next project or maybe I should get one of the multitude of stalled projects finished. Sorry if this is a little long for a Ready for Inspection post, I didn't do a WIP this time as the kit has been pretty well covered on this forum. After the discussion with @Troy Smith, see in the comments below, regarding the exhausts and under tailplane serial numbers I decided to make the alterations. I didn't want to replace all of the existing photos so I have just re-shot the following three to show the changes. Wayne

F4F-4 Wildcat Operation Torch (70065) 1:72 Arma Hobby Grumman began development work on a new carrier-based fighter in the mid-30s, starting with the F2F, which was a biplane, but it and the successor F3F led to the basic shape of the Wildcat, minus two of the wings. Initially, the new aircraft was outpaced by the Brewster Buffalo, and Grumman had to redesign their progeny to carry a supercharged version of the Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp radial engine, and later on, new flying surfaces that gave it the required improvement, receiving orders from the US Navy as a very sensible and prophetic backup-plan in case the Buffalo was a let-down. Initial orders from France were delivered instead to the British Royal Navy after France fell before they could be delivered, where it was initially designated as the Marlet. The US Navy would adopt the type in late 1941 after the Buffalo turned out to be an unanticipated disappointment, although it was quite a manoeuvrable little aircraft that saw some service elsewhere. Originally armed with 4 x 0.50 cal machine guns, the F4F-4 was introduced in 1941 with an increased 6 guns to improve the aircraft's punching power. Although the armament was increased to 6 guns, the ammunition capacity was not, giving pilots less time with their fingers on the trigger, which was generally disliked by the pilots for obvious reasons. The extra weight from two more guns and the new wing fold gear also reduced performance, which could keep the pilot in harm’s way longer than with the early mark. It was the primary US Carrier fighter during the early years of America’s war, with production continuing until 1943 when they switched over to building the replacement Hellcat, but one factory continued to make Wildcats for the British Fleet Air Arm (FAA). The Wildcat’s smaller size and slower landing speed was a boon on the typically smaller carrier that the British Navy operated in large numbers as escort carriers. Operation Torch saw British Martlet IIs and US Wildcats both taking part in the invasion of French North Africa in late 1942. They fought against roughly equal numbers of Vichy fighters, around half of which were Dewoitine D.520s, the battle resulting in moderate losses for them, without any on the Allied side other than from ground fire and friendly fire. The Kit This kit is a reboxing of a recent tooling of this important early WWII US fighter, and is finely engraved and well-detailed, at a level that’s at the top of the injection-moulding tree. It arrives in an end-opening box, and Inside are two sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, sheet of kabuki-style pre-cut masks, decal sheet, A5 instruction booklet printed in colour on glossy paper. There is also a QR code that will lead you to a page on Arma’s site that provides 3D printer files to create some accessories and additional parts to go with the model, on the assumption that you own an SLA 3D printer of course. Detail is excellent as we've come to expect from Arma, and this extends to all the internal and external surfaces as you can see from the photos. Construction begins with the cockpit, adding decal seatbelts to the seat before installing it on the rear bulkhead. The front bulkhead incorporates the instrument panel and rudder pedals, with decals depicting the dials, installing in the front of the floor section with a control column and side consoles in between them, applying more decals for the consoles. The completed cockpit and firewall bulkhead are glued into the starboard fuselage half, adding the first parts of the landing gear legs to the area in front of the bulkheads, with the ends on the diagrams colour-coded to assist with their positioning, after which the fuselage can be closed and the seams dealt with in your preferred manner. The engine has both banks of pistons depicted as separate layers, adding the bell-housing, two-part push-rod ring and intake ‘spider’ at the rear, then applying a number of stencils to the bell-housing after painting to further enhance the detail. The engine mounts and air intakes/scrubbers are made up using scrap diagrams and differing colours to guide you, then inserting it into the front of the fuselage before closing it up. The engine is then added at the front and cowled over with a choice of two styles of half cowlings and intake lips. At the rear of the fuselage, the elevator fin is slotted in horizontally from behind, followed by the elevator panel, closing them in by installing the rudder surface behind it and fixing a faired-in tail-wheel underneath. The wings are relatively simple due to the fuselage mounted landing gear, each one made from two halves and drilling holes under the inner section before closing them up if you intend to hang drop tanks under there, or the 3D printed bombs if you’re able. The landing gear leg bases are a mass of struts, starting with a pair of A-frames glued underneath the central divider in a diamond shape, bending the struts down slightly according to the accompanying drawing. A jig is supplied to make up the top frame that mirrors the lowers, and it is made from front and rear sections, glued together while laid on the jig, then glued over the top of the bay divider and bracketed by the main struts, which have a short additional section added to the top. The captive inner bay doors are fixed along the centreline of the assembly, and another 3D drawing shows how it should look. The completed assembly is lowered into the gear bays with the model inverted and adding a wheel to each axle. More diagrams show the correct location of the top ends of the struts in the bay to assist you. An intake fairing is installed behind the bay divider, and the two lower windows for the pilot are inserted from outside at the same time, painting the recognition lights or remembering to paint them later, depending on your preferred build process. Two exhaust stubs are included for under the nose, plus more parts that consist of a pair of gun barrels, plus the optional fuel tanks under the inner wings that are made from two halves plus anti-sway braces, taking care to put the shorter brace in the front. A clear lens is popped over the landing light under the wing with the pitot probe at the tip, adding a rounded fairing under each wing, then it’s a case of installing the gunsight and two-part canopy over the cockpit, the forward-raked aerial mast, and the prop with choice of bullet-shaped spinners to finish it off. Markings There are three decal options included on the sheet, as displayed on the back of the box, and in more detail on the back of the instruction booklet. From the box you can build one of the following: F4F-4 Wildcat, VGF-29 Sqn., USS Santee, French Morocco, November 1942 – crash-landed by Ens. Joseph M Gallano during Op. Torch F4F-4 Wildcat, VGF-26 Sqn., ex-Op. Torch airframe, Guadalcanal, 8th April 1943 Martlet II, 888 FAA Sqn., HMS Formidable, Oran, Algeria, 14th December 1942 Decals are by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another stunning 1:72 Wildcat from Arma Hobby, with some interesting decal choices and extras that you can download that should add extra detail to your finished project if you’re a 3D printer owner. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Another Arma’s Hurricane took off from my bench. An since they come in all shapes and sizes, today we have a Turkish Mk.II in 72nd scale. Turkey procured a number of Hurricanes during WW2 in several batches and in various circumstances. In March 1943 a flight of ex-RAF Hurricanes Mk.II (b and c versions) was transferred from RAF bases in the Middle East to Turkey. One of this flock was an aircraft bearing serial number HV608 that I present you here. Very few photos depicting those Hurricanes are available today (I know only two), so decisions regarding the equipment and painting scheme of this particular bird were based only on my “educated wish” reinforced by the opinions of the wise men (thank you very much @Troy Smith and @Paul Lucas). some info you may find here. So, without further ado, Arma Hobby’s Hurricane Mk.IIc, 1:72 scale, built mostly OOB (a 3D printed seat with seatbelts, a mirror and exhaust stacks were included in the kit). I used gun barrels from Master, an instrument panel from Yahu and a gunsight from Brengun. Please enjoy and comment at will. Cheers, Marcin

Flight Lieutenant Ian Howard Roediger served with 3 Squadron RAAF for two tours of WWII. Married to my Grandmother’s sister, F/L Roediger was my great uncle. Family folklore held his exploits with the Kittyhawk in high regard. He is on the far left of the second row in this photo. F/L Roediger performed a textbook wheels-up landing in Kittyhawk IV FX639 on a whizzer strip, on the 13th May 1944, after being hit by A/A over Cassino. The aircraft was not badly damaged and was returned to service. A few months later on the 13th June he bailed out of Kittyhawk IV FX713 at 800ft, after again being hit by A/A. He was rescued by a forward stretcher bearer patrol. For his airmanship, he was awarded the DFC. When Rex Bayly completed his second operational tour and went on leave on the 21st October 1944, F/L Roediger was made Commanding Officer. On the 29th, Murray Nash returned to start his 2nd tour and resumed command as Squadron Leader. 3 Squadron was the first RAAF unit to be equipped with the North American P-5l Mustang III. From reading through the Operations Record, it’s clear that F/L Roediger initially flew Mustang III FX942, later Mustang III KH613 during November 1944. For the final mission of his second and final tour, on 6th December 1944, he flew Mustang III KH615, code CV-B. The op was an armed reconnaissance run over Sarajevo, and it’s this Mustang I will be building. The Arma Hobby 1/72 P-51B/C will comprise the base on which I will be working. The decal sheet for 3 Sqn. FB244 has everything I need for KH615, apart from the correct codes and serials. In a spot of good luck, one of the other options has the serial KH516, so I’ll chop that up and rearrange it! For the codes, I will utilise a ‘B’ from the Ventura sheet V3279. White 8” serials in 1/32nd scale. 12" 1/48th, 18" 1/72nd. Because I haven’t been able to locate any definitive photos of KH615, I’m making an educated guess on the shape, but there’s a nice blocky ‘B’ that matches the ‘CV’ quite well. One aspect of the KH series of Mustang IIIs I have noticed in photos is that they all have a fin fillet, so I’ll be sure to choose that option. I’m otherwise assuming the camouflage pattern and colour (Ocean Grey / Dark Green over Medium Sea Grey) should match the FB244 diagram, but would love to have this confirmed by anyone in the know. I would really appreciate any input on other details that may be relevant. I'll likely start this a few weeks late, as I've committed to quite a number of group builds this year. It's a special one, so while I'm aiming for the deadline, I'll be happy enough to continue later in the WIP if that's ok. As a final note, the Operations Records above have been copied and posted from my personal Flickr account, as they are now out of copyright and in the public domain. If this is a problem I will willingly remove them.

As @trickyrich recently put up a placeholder for a VF-31 F-14, I thought I’d join in the fun with a much older Grumman Tomcatters Cat. This will be the Arma Hobby F4F-4, utilising the kit decals to represent the aircraft flown by the legendary John S. Thach during the Battle of Midway with VF-3. I don’t have the kit in my hands yet, but I’ll make a start once it arrives and I’ve… cleared the decks of a few other projects (Edit: which will be at least a few weeks after May 11)

Arma Hobby do a selection of extra detail improvement parts that can be downloaded and printed to add to your kit, one of these is a set of parts for the radiator ontheir 1:48 Hurricane kits. 3 of the parts are easy to identify, the full cowling assembly, the radiator matrix assembly and the cooling flap actuator rods, the first two being direct replacements for injection moulded kit parts, and the latter are easily seen in detail photo's of the rear of a hurricane radiator. However, there are two further parts included in the set which I've been unable to identify from the Arma website or any of my Hurricane references, they are the two parts on the right of the image below:- They are sized as if to replace the radiator matrix inside the cowling - can anyone identify what they are and how and when they should be fitted? @Troy Smith @GrzeM @Wojtek Bulhak

Even though I had plenty of other models in progress, I decided to open yet another box and actually finished! No need to introduce Arma Hooby's Hurricane: it is the best around and a really nice model OOB. It still can benefit from some improvements and I tried to do my best. I chose to depict MW367, coded DR-B and nicknamed "Jessie" from the ADLS (No1697) flight. I had never painted D-day stripes, let alone giving them a hastily applied aspect, and found its weatherbeaten looks very attractive. Finished model: Guns from Masters Scratched improvements using plasticard, aluminium foil, copper / lead wire, Albion Alloys micro tubes, etc. Painted with Mr Hobby Aqueous paints. Touch-up with Vallejo references Washes from True Earth Weathering with felt tip pens, watercolor pencil, True Earth True Dust products, Vallejo acrylics WIP: Improvements / added details are shown with the red arrows During the final assembly, I added the following (no arrows pointing towards these!): - Round rear view mirror made using a punch&die. The mirror supplied by Arma Hobby is a rectangle. - Canopy slide rails on the cockpit sides - Cable outlet drilled and micro tube inserted behing the dorsal antenna - Belly antenna (IFF?) - Trim actuators with their flyweights and cables It took me close to 65h to get to the finish line but I enjoyed this build a lot. I hope I have not made too many blunders as I am not at all versed into WW2 aircrafts. Please let me know.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/ArmaHobby/posts/4494536197243369 Update http://armahobbynews.pl/en/blog/2021/08/13/f4f-4-wildcat-1-72-test-shots/ V.P.

P-39N Airacobra (40011) 1:48 Arma Hobby The P-39 was Bell’s response to a specification request for a fighter from the USAAC, which was to be a high-altitude interceptor. With Bell’s usual left-field approach to aircraft design, the team produced the world’s first tricycle landing geared prop-driven aircraft, as well as the first aircraft to site the engine behind the pilot, while the airscrew remained at the front. The prop was driven by a long drive shaft that ran under the pilot’s floor, with a coaxial 37mm cannon firing through the centre of the spinner, in a quest for high penetration and accuracy. Ancillary armament varied depending on model, from nose mounted .50cals to four 7.62mm machine guns in the wings. The Airacobra had limited internal space for fuel thanks in part to its tapered nose, and the lack of a supercharger substantially limited its abilities at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks, and the likelihood of engine failure after hits from a rear attack, the Airacobra flew in most arenas of combat, but distinguished itself best on the Eastern Front in Soviet service, where almost 5,000 were flown with some notable aces racking up victories whilst flying them. The N model started life as a G model, but due to changes on the production line, were designated N instead, with around 500 made. In fact no G models ever left the factory, being superseded and re-engineered as later marks. The final variant was the Q, which ceased production in 1944 after a variety of sub-variants and one-offs were created. The Kit This is a reboxing of a brand-new tooling from Arma that was released soon after its announcement, with plenty of detail baked-in. The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a painting of the aircraft zooming past a Bf.109 Gustav that it has just bested. On the rear are the three decal options in side profile with a little information about each aircraft under each one. Inside are three sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a Ziploc bag containing three 8mm ball bearings, the decal sheet, a sheet of pre-cut canopy and wheel masks and of course the A4 instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour with profiles on the rear pages. There is an errata sheet in this first edition, correcting some parts around the nose, with a Ziploc bag that contains some small intakes that should be used instead of the styrene intakes moulded into the fuselage halves. On the errata sheet there is a QR code if you have a 3D printer and wanted to download additional parts that include a highly detailed seat with harness, bomb shackles, gun breeches and other cockpit features. Whilst this might not be a first in our hobby, it’s unusual, and useful for the growing number of us that possess these new devices. Detail is excellent, with finely engraved panel lines, raised and recessed features, and crisp details within the gear bays and cockpit. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with the footwell, which has the rear of the breeches for the nose machine guns moulded pointing sideways, which should be bent in to face aft into the cockpit with the aid of a little glue. The cockpit floor is fitted with a prominent drive-shaft cover, a small floor-mounted instrument panel plus decal and a lever to one side, that are joined by the rear bulkhead, a piece of head armour, installing the seat and decal belts (or the 3D parts if you’re a printer owner), then joining the rudder pedals to the front of the footwell, followed by the instrument panel with its decals and gunsight added to the top half along with a clear lens, plus a short control column that slots into the central shaft cover. The V-shaped part glued under the cockpit is a cross-member within the nose gear bay, which is beneath the forward end of the cockpit, and is completed by adding the side walls, which also have two scrap diagrams to show their orientation, and that they taper toward the front. The forward roof of the nose gear bay is installed over this, and here’s where the three ball bearings will be used to keep the nose-wheel on the ground. There are three hemispherical depressions in this part that you glue the ball bearings into with super glue or epoxy, and they act as the model’s nose weight. It’s always nice when a company includes the nose weight to take the guesswork out of the process, so it’s appreciated. The cockpit still isn’t complete, as there is a complex side console on the port side, plus a small detail part on the sidewall and the rear deck behind the pilot, drilling two flashed-over holes for the radio gear. The cockpit is located within the fuselage, and a bobbin is trapped between the two halves as they are brought together, which will allow the prop to spin if you don’t glue it up. The nose has a pair of intakes in the front, which should be removed and replaced by the 3D resin parts included, taking note of the errata sheet for orientation. The radio box is made from two parts, with a gun trough insert for the nose, and here it’s key that you test fit the part and fettle it before applying glue, as an early test-build showed that it could have a fit issue if dropped in without testing. The Airacobra is a low-wing monoplane, so the lower wing half is full span, with some optional holes drilled first if you are using the centreline bomb or fuel tank. The upper halves are glued over the top with a small inverted T-shaped stiffener in the centre that also forms the leading-edge root intake trunks, and inserts form the wing-mounted guns in the leading edges. The tail is a separate assembly that begins with the elevator fins, which have the fin fillet moulded-in, and has a separate elevator fitted across the span before it is glued in place at the rear, plugging the fin into the top, and a separate rudder panel glued into the rear, both two parts each. The wings are also added at this point, filling the three engraved recognition lights in the starboard tip for all decal option, taking care to avoid marring the detail around it. As already mentioned, the errata sheet mentions that the kit intakes on the nose should be removed and replaced by the tiny 3D printed parts, filling some panels further back that are marked in red, all of which might be easier to do before mounting the wings. The Airacobra’s innovative landing gear format revolved around the nose gear, and that starts with you bending a triangular frame and locking it into position with another rod to form the retraction strut for the front leg. The long leg itself is moulded with a separate oleo-scissor and two-part wheel, and this inserts into the front of the bay, supported by the cranked strut that fixes to the rear on four raised pips that give it additional strength. The main gear legs are comparatively short and have separate two-part wheels and captive gear bay doors that hide the dull side of the hubs. Unusually, the inner main bay doors and their actuators are added first at the same time as the three cooling flaps under the engine, slotting the legs into the outer ends in the following steps. While the model is inverted, a small nose gear door is inserted in front of the strut, adding two long doors to the sides. With the model back on its wheels, the canopy is dealt with. The Airacobra had unusual car-doors on the sides of the canopy like the early Hawker Typhoon, with the rest of the glazing fixed in place, so the main part covers the whole canopy, once you have glued the radio rack in place behind the pilot. The two side doors should be painted inside and have several decals added to detail them further, so you can choose to leave them closed, leave one open, or both open at any angle to suit your whim, with masks for both sides of the window to assist you with this. The exhausts for the mid-engined Airacobra fit into slots midway down the sides of the fuselage, but the prop is still in the front, thanks to the long shaft through the cockpit. The blades are moulded as one, with the spinner fitted over it along with a cannon muzzle tip, and the assembly is glued to the bobbin that was trapped between the fuselage halves earlier, adding a barbed pitot probe in the port wingtip. There is a recessed landing light under the port wing, and you also get to choose what to hang from the centreline pylon. You have a choice of a large two-part fuel tank or bomb, using the same pylon for either, and referring to the painting and markings guide next to it for stencil locations. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, with lots of Olive Drab on display, and an alternate scheme for the third decal option that changes some of the markings on the nose. From the box you can build one of the following: 42-18354, 345th Fighter Sqn., Sardinia-Corsica, Spring 1944 42-18736, Cdt. Jean Machet de la Martinière, GC 1/4 Navarre Commander, Reghaia Air Base, Algeria, March 1944 42-9033, ‘White 01’, 100th Guards Fighter Regiment, pilot Grigoriy Dol’nikov, April-May 1945 Bonus 42-9033, ‘White 01’, 100th Guards Fighter Regiment, polit Ivan Babak, 1943-45 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. It includes seatbelt, instrument panel and stencil decals, the latter covered on a separate set of diagrams from the main markings to avoid confusion. There is a sheet of pre-cut kabuki-style masking material included in the box, which will allow you to accurately mask the canopy and wheels, plus other small masks for the landing light, and a couple that I can’t quite figure out without first using the others. Conclusion This is a comprehensive model of the oft-neglected Airacobra in 1:48, and whilst there are other options on the market, this is based upon their research for their earlier 1:72 kit, and uses the latest in moulding techniques, plus 3D printing technology for the details, with more to print yourself if you have your own printer. It is packed with detail and has some great decal options and masks included in the box. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hurricane Mk.IIA/B/C Eastern Front Deluxe Set (70045) 1:72 Arma Hobby The Hawker Hurricane was one of Britain's foremost fighters of WWII, and although overshadowed by the more graceful and slender Spitfire during the Battle of Britain, it was a capable aircraft that was available in large numbers, and made more than its fair share of kills during the conflict. It went on to see service to the end of the war, but was relegated to less onerous tasks as technology leapt forward resulting in faster, more agile aircraft that came on stream on both sides of the conflict. The type originated in the early 30s and first took to the sky in 1935, despite the Air Ministry’s tepid reaction to monoplanes at the time, and it was an aircraft that set standards for fighters that followed it, being a monoplane with a predominantly metal airframe, retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit and of course the delightfully powerful and throaty Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Compared to the Spitfire it was a little old-fashioned, starting out with a fabric-covered ‘rag’ wing that was eventually replaced by an all-metal unit, and it was less aerodynamically streamlined, with a thicker wing and overall chunkier, blunt appearance. Although the wing was replaced by a metal aerofoil later, it kept the fabric rear fuselage and as such was able to have minor damage repaired quickly and easily, compared to the Spitfire that would have to go back to a repair facility for structurally insignificant through-and-through bullet damage. A fabric patch and a few coats of dope, and the Hurri would be back to the fray, which endeared it both to its pilots and ground crew alike. The Sea Hurricane was initially developed to be launched from Catapult Armed Merchantmen (CAM Ships) as a one-shot launch that would be used to defend a convoy from attackers, and then either flown to friendly shores, or ditched close to the convoy in the hope of being picked up. The aircraft were converted from well-used airframes for a last hurrah to protect the merchantmen, and were initially known as Hurricats. They had several alterations to make them suitable for launch and operation by Navy pilots, including naval specification radio gear. The later 1B was equipped with an arrestor-hook and catapult equipment and were used on aircraft carriers of various types, while the later 1Cs had cannon armed wings and an over-boosted engine that put out 1400hp at low level. The IICs were used on naval carriers, and over four hundred were built. The Kit Arma’s Hurricane Mk.I was first issued in 2018, and has been reboxed in various guises since then. This new boxing depicts the Hurricane in British and Soviet markings on the Eastern front, with two kits in the box plus 3D printed extras, so you can build yourself a brace of Hurris. The kit(s) arrives in a slightly larger than usual end-opening box, and inside are four sprues of grey styrene, two clear sprues, a Ziploc bag of 3D printed parts that is wrapped in bubble-wrap, two sheets of pre-cut kabuki-style masking material, a large decal sheet and the A5 instruction booklet with colour profiles to the rear. If you’re a neophyte to Arma Hobby kits, the detail is excellent, with fine engraved and raised details, plus a generous quantity of components within the box that many companies would consider to be aftermarket. As a 1:48 modeller, I was really quite envious of the quality of these kits until the 1:48 boxings started popping up, but I’m OK now. As there are two kits in this box, just assume that we’re talking about and photographing everything in duplicate, except the decal sheet and resin parts, which contains markings and parts for both kits. Before starting building the kit, the instructions have you choose the decal options you plan on building, which will affect which wing parts, tail-wheel, and chin intake that you use, with some more changes requires along the way, which is pointed out in red where necessary. With that preparation done, construction begins with the main gear bay, which is made from two parts that form both bays in one D-shaped assembly, with a central tank applied to the front wall before it is inserted into depressions inside the wing, which is moulded as a single span part top and bottom, filling some ammo chute holes under the wing for some options. Work begins on the cockpit, starting with the rear bulkhead, which has an angular headrest, the seat in styrene or resin (your choice) and decal four-point belts if you don’t use the resin seats, which have the belts moulded-in. The instrument panel is also made from the styrene panel with raised details and two decals, one for the panel, the other for the compass between the pilot’s knees for enhanced detail. The cockpit sidewalls are detailed with decals and styrene parts, and you can also add quite a gaggle of 3D printed resin parts if you wish to give your model more detail, adding a cross-brace under where the seat is fitted, and gluing the completed instrument panel into the front. On the top of the wing, the foot troughs are moulded-in and receive the control column and rudder pedals, and the fuselage is closed around the rear bulkhead and seat. The wings and fuselage can now be mated, taking care not to ping off the raised cockpit detail perched atop the wings as you bring them together. At the rear, the elevators are moulded as full-width fin and separate flying surfaces, and drop onto the back of the fuselage with the fin and moulded-in rudder inserted from behind to complete the empennage after removing the aerial peg at the top of the rudder for some options, then filling in some panel lines and gun ports on the wings, and on the fuselage below the cockpit opening. Inverting the model will allow you to put the retraction jacks and gear legs in their bays, and the wheels on the axles, with their captive bay doors fixed to the outer side of the legs, adding the tail-wheel into its socket under the fuselage. The belly-mounted radiator is made up from the main fairing with front and rear radiator faces slotted into it, and covered over at the front with the oval intake installing it with a circular light behind it painted with clear orange, and a two-part chin intake in front, with optional resin mesh cover. You have a choice of styrene or 3D printed exhaust stubs with fishtail ejectors that give a good impression of being hollow, especially for their size. Each wing leading edge gets a clear landing light, a T-shaped pitot probe in a small hole in the skin, and for one decal option a set of superb 3D printed cannon barrels with integrated springs. A two-part tropical filter is supplied for some of the decal options, to use as necessary under the nose, then the propeller is made up, the blades of which are moulded as a single part, sandwiched between a spinner cap and the airframe, which has a tapering styrene washer and needs a little glue to keep it mobile within the spinner. The windscreen is fixed to the forward deck after adding the gunsight to the coaming, and has a 3D printed rear-view mirror glued on top. To pose the canopy open or closed, there are two parts, one patterned to fit the cockpit aperture snugly, the other widened slightly so that it can slide over the spine behind the cockpit, stopping just before the aerial mast, from which you’ll need to nip the aerial tab off the back. There are also a pair of wingtip lights in clear that have a tiny bulb-shaped hole inside for you to fill with paint to depict the red or green lamp within. For options with standard guns there are optional 3D parts to replace the styrene barrels, and a pair of appliqué panels in resin that have separate angled deflectors for the outermost ammo chute, which you can see on the additional sheet that accompanies the resin parts in this set. Over the page an eighth decal option is printed, which will require you to pick up some Finnish decals and a Mk.I propeller from another Arma Hobby kit. Markings There are seven decal options on the sheet, five wearing red stars, the other two RAF roundels, and you can build two of the following: Hurricane Mk.IIb, BM959/60, Karelian Front Air Force, 609th Fighter Aviation Regiment, USSR, April 1942 Hurricane Mk.IIa, Z2585/42, Karelian Front Air Force, 152nd Fighter Aviation Regiment, USSR, February 1942 Hurricane Mk.IIc, KX452/64, Northern Fleet Air Force, 78th Fighter Aviation Regiment, USSR, March 1943 Hurricane Mk.IIa, Z5548/48, Soviet Air Force, Unknown unit, Probably 26th Fighter Aviation Regiment, USSR, Winter 1941/42 Hurricane Mk.IIb, Z4017/FU-56, 81 Sqn. RAF, Flight B, Operation ‘Benedict’, USSR, October 1941 Hurricane Baltic Fleet Air Force, 3rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, Pilot Cpt. G D Kostyliev, USSR, Autumn 1942 Hurricane Mk.IIb, Z5236/GO-31, 134 Sqn. RAF, Operation ‘Benedict’, Vaenga, USSR, October 1941 Bonus: Hurricane Mk.II, HC-465, ex Z2585, Finnish Air Forces, 34 Fighter Sqn., Spring 1944 There are two sheets of masks Decals are by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion What do you get if you take a great kit and put two in the box, plus some extra 3D printed parts and 7/8 decal options? A better package that’s of great interest, especially to those with a thing for the Eastern Front. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

First post on the aircraft side of things after a few on the armour side. I previously enjoyed building the Arma Hobby 1:72 Hurricane, so I picked up the F4F-4 Wildcat expert set to build the Martlet Mk II option. As expected, the detail is excellent and the fit is very good, good enough that I left the engine cowling removable. The Techmod decals were a bit stiff so they didn't really sit into the subtle panel lines well even after a lot of setting solution. Aside from that, the paint scheme worked out better than I expected after just using paper cut up and stuck on with tack. The colours were a confusing topic as usual with WW2 subjects. After some testing of the various Vallejo model air colours called out for the kit and comparisons to other colours, I stuck with the relatively dark Vallejo colours. Weathering was done with an enamel wash, some dry brushing on the underside (not great) and an aluminium weathering pencil (better than expected). Detail highlights: the cockpit, the PE seatbelts worked well; the wheel well and landing gear, where the parts fit together incredibly well and the PE bike chains really add an extra touch. Oh also I broke off the rear radio antenna pole and replaced it with some wire and a lot of swearing.

Pat has kindly allowed me to include my part built Arma Mustang into the GB. I started it in the Mustang STGB in March, but life got in the way. Hopefully that won’t happen again and I will get it finished this time. I was originally planning to build the 112 Sqn aircraft, but now will be doing the top one. Not a lot done, basically I’ve constructed and painted the cockpit and interior. George

P-39Q Airacobra (40010) 1:48 Arma Hobby The P-39 was Bell’s response to a specification request for a fighter from the USAAC, which was to be a high-altitude interceptor. With Bell’s usual left-field approach to aircraft design, the team produced the world’s first tricycle landing geared prop-driven aircraft, as well as the first aircraft to site the engine behind the pilot, while the airscrew remained at the front. The prop was driven by a long drive shaft that ran under the pilot’s floor, with a coaxial 37mm cannon firing through the centre of the spinner, in a quest for high penetration and accuracy. Ancillary armament varied depending on model, from nose mounted .50cals to four 7.62mm machine guns in the wings. The Airacobra had limited internal space for fuel thanks in part to its tapered nose, and the lack of a supercharger substantially limited its abilities at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks, and the likelihood of engine failure after hits from a rear attack, the Airacobra flew in most arenas of combat, but distinguished itself best on the Eastern Front in Soviet service, where almost 5,000 were flown with some notable aces racking up victories whilst flying them. The N model started life as a G model, but due to changes on the production line, were designated N instead, with around 500 made. In fact no G models ever left the factory, being superseded and re-engineered as later marks. The final variant was the Q, which ceased production in 1944 after a variety of sub-variants and one-offs were created. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from the designers at Arma that was released soon after its announcement, with plenty of detail baked-in. The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a painting of the aircraft flying low over a dusty background with palm trees in the rear, its gear down, although with no flaps visible. On the rear are the three decal options in side profile with a little information about each aircraft under each one. Inside are three sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a Ziploc bag containing three 8mm ball bearings, the decal sheet, a sheet of pre-cut canopy and wheel masks and of course the A4 instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour with profiles on the rear pages. There is an errata sheet in this first edition, correcting some parts around the nose, with a Ziploc bag that contains some small intakes that should be used instead of the styrene intakes moulded into the fuselage halves. Additionally, there are a pair of main gear bay doors in another Ziploc bag for your use, plus a link and a QR code if you have a 3D printer and wanted to download additional parts that include a highly detailed seat with harness, and other cockpit features. Whilst this might not be a first in our hobby, it’s unusual, and useful for the growing number of us that possess these new devices. I’m not one of them, but visiting the link there are two styles of seat with harness, a pair of gun breeches with two trim wheels and throttle quadrants. Detail is excellent, with finely engraved panel lines, raised and recessed features, and crisp details within the gear bays and cockpit. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with the footwell, which has the rear of the breeches for the nose machine guns moulded pointing sideways, which should be bent in to point into the cockpit with the aid of a little glue. The cockpit floor is fitted with a prominent drive-shaft cowling, a small floor-mounted instrument panel plus decal and a lever to one side, and are joined by the rear bulkhead, a choice of two styles of head armour, installing the seat and decal belts (or the 3D parts if you’re a printer owner), then joining the rudder pedals to the front of the footwell, then the instrument panel with its decals and gunsight added to the top half along with a clear lens, plus a surprisingly short control column that slots into the central shaft cover. The V-shaped part glued under the cockpit is actually a cross-member within the nose gear bay, which is beneath the forward end of the cockpit, and is completed by adding the side walls, which also have two scrap diagrams to show their orientation, and that they taper toward the front. The forward roof of the nose gear bay is installed over this, and here’s where the three ball bearings will be used to keep the nose-wheel on the ground. There are three hemispherical depressions in this part that you glue the ball bearings into with super glue or epoxy, and they act as the model’s nose weight. It’s always nice when a company includes the nose weight to take the guesswork out of the process, so it’s appreciated. The cockpit still isn’t complete, as there is a complex side console on the port side, plus a small detail part on the sidewall and the rear deck behind the pilot, drilling two flashed-over holes for the radio gear. The cockpit located within the fuselage, and a bobbin is trapped between the two halves as they are brought together, which will allow the prop to spin if you don’t glue it up. There is a small inspection panel and narrow louvres in the nose on the starboard side, which should be removed for this edition, and are marked in red to assist with location. The radio box is made from two parts, with a gun trough insert for the nose, and here it’s key that you test fit the part and fettle it before applying glue, as an early test-build showed that it could have a fit issue if dropped in without testing. The Airacobra is a low-wing monoplane, so the lower wing half is full span, with some optional holes drilled first if you are using the 0.50cal gun pods under the wings, or using the centreline bomb or fuel tank. The upper halves are glued over the top with a small inverted T-shaped stiffener in the centre that also forms the leading-edge root intakes, then once the glue is dry, you should fill in the holes for the wing-mounted guns in the leading edges. The tail is a separate assembly that begins with the elevator fins, which have the fin fillet moulded-in, and has a separate elevator fitted across the span before it is glued in place at the rear, plugging the fin into the top, and a separate rudder panel glued into the rear. The wings are also added at this point, filling the three engraved recognition lights in the starboard tip for all but one decal option, taking care to avoid marring the detail around it. The errata sheet mentions that the kit intakes on the nose should be removed and replaced by the tiny 3D printed parts, which might be easier to do before mounting the wings. The Airacobra’s innovative landing gear format revolved around the nose gear, and that starts with you bending a triangular frame and locking it into position with another rod to form the retraction strut for the front leg. The long leg itself is moulded with a separate oleo-scissor and two-part wheel, and this inserts into the front of the bay, supported by the cranked strut that fixes to the rear on four raised pips that give it additional strength. The main gear legs are comparatively short and have separate two-part wheels and captive gear bay doors that hide the dull side of the hubs. Unusually, the inner main bay doors and their actuators are added first at the same time as the three cooling flaps under the engine, slotting the legs into the outer ends in the following steps. While the model is inverted, the two gun pods are made from three parts each and are added under the wings for all but one decal option, and a small nose gear door is inserted in front of the strut, adding two long doors to the sides. With the model back on its wheels, the canopy is dealt with. The Airacobra had unusual car-doors on the sides of the canopy like the early Hawker Typhoon, with the rest of the glazing fixed in place, so the main part covers the whole canopy, once you have glued the radio rack in place behind the pilot. The two side doors should be painted inside and have several decals added to detail them further, so you can choose to leave them closed, leave one open, or both open at any angle to suit your whim. The exhausts for the mid-engined Airacobra fit into slots midway down the sides of the fuselage, but the prop is still in the front, thanks to the long shaft under the cockpit. The blades are moulded as one, with the spinner fitted over it along with a cannon muzzle tip, and the assembly is glued to the bobbin that was trapped between the fuselage halves earlier, adding a barbed pitot probe in the port wingtip. There is a recessed landing light under the port wing, and you also get to choose what to hang from the centreline pylon. You have a choice of a large two-part fuel tank or bomb, using the same pylon for either. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet, with two different schemes to choose from. From the box you can build one of the following: P-39Q-1, 46th Fighter Sqn., 15th Fighter Group, Makin, Gilber Islands, Late 1943 P-39Q-10, 363rd Fighter Sqn., 357th Fighter Group, pilot Lt. Clarence ‘Bud’ Anderson, Oroville, California, October 1943 P-39Q-15, 68 GIAP, 5 GIAD, Winter 1944-45 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. It includes seatbelt, instrument panel and stencil decals, the latter covered on a separate set of diagrams from the main markings to avoid confusion. There is a sheet of pre-cut kabuki-style masking material included in the box, which will allow you to accurately mask the canopy and wheels, plus other small masks for the landing light, and a couple that I can’t quite figure out without first using the others. Conclusion This is a comprehensive model of the oft-neglected Airacobra in 1:48, and whilst there are other options on the market, this is based upon their research for their earlier 1:72 kit, and uses the latest in moulding techniques, plus 3D printing technology for the details, with more to print yourself if you have your own printer. It is packed with detail and has some great decal options and masks included in the box. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc (40009) 1:48 Arma Hobby The Hawker Hurricane was one of Britain's foremost fighters of WWII, and although overshadowed by the more graceful and slender Spitfire during the Battle of Britain, it was a capable aircraft that was available in large numbers, and achieved more than its fair share of kills during the conflict. It went on to see service to the end of the war, but was relegated to less onerous tasks as technology leapt forward resulting in faster, more agile aircraft that came on stream on both sides of the conflict. The type originated in the early 30s and first took to the sky in 1935, despite the Air Ministry’s tepid reaction to monoplanes at the time, and it was an aircraft that set standards for fighters that followed it, being a monoplane with a predominantly metal airframe, retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit and of course the delightfully powerful and throaty Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Compared to the Spitfire it was a little old-fashioned, starting out with a fabric-covered ‘rag’ wing that was eventually replaced by an all-metal aerofoil, and it was less aerodynamically streamlined, with a thicker wing and overall chunkier, blunt appearance. Although the wing was replaced by a metal aerofoil later, it retained the fabric rear fuselage and as such was able to have minor damage repaired quickly and easily, compared to the Spitfire that would have to go back to a repair facility, even for structurally insignificant through-and-through bullet damage. A fabric patch followed by a few coats of dope, and the Hurri would be back to the fray, which endeared it both to its pilots and ground crew alike. By the time the improvements to the airframe resulted in the Mk.IIC, it was tasked with ground attack, taking out German tanks, which weren’t as easy to crack as first expected, because 20mm cannon shells would often ricochet off the frontal and side armour, and bombing a relatively small target such as a tank was a matter of pure luck, all while the enemy poured lead in your general direction. It was withdrawn from front-line fighter service at this stage of the war, as by then the enemy aircraft outclassed it in most respects, so it carried on in ground-attack, night fighter and intruder roles where it excelled, without unnecessary exposure to enemy fighters. At sea, it was converted into the Sea Hurricane by adding catapult spools and an arrestor hook under the tail, using the Merlin XX to power it to around 320mph. Around 60 were built as Sea Hurricane Mk.IIcs, while another 50 Mk.IIbs were converted, many having C wings installed to bring them up to specification. Although they weren’t succeeded by any later Hurricane marks, the Mk XIIA was a Canadian-built Mk.I that ran a Merlin 29. On land, the Mk.IIc was succeeded by the D that mounted a pair of 40mm cannon in gondolas under the wings, increasing its offensive power appreciably, at which point it acquired the nickname ‘The Flying Can Opener’, adding additional frontal armour to the airframe that was exposed during the run-in to target. They carried on in that role until the Typhoon came into service, which was capable of doing the job faster and more efficiently without the worry of being bounced by enemy fighters that outclassed it. The Kit This is a new boxing of the recent tooling from Arma Hobby, which was one that many 1:48 modellers had been waiting for, as their 1:72 kits have a reputation for excellent detail, with the inference being that in a larger scale the detail would be even better. Spoiler Alert: It was and still is, and the detail is present in copious quantities. The kit arrives in an end-opening box with a sturdy tray inside that prevents the dreaded crushing in storage. The painting of a white cannon armed fighter having just set fire to both starboard engines of a German Junkers Ju.290, is dramatic and well-executed, with the side profiles of the decal options on the rear of the box. Inside the box is a cardboard tray that contains three sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue, a sheet of pre-cut yellow kabuki-tape masks, 3D printed parts protected in a triangular cardboard insert stapled into a corner, decals, and an instruction booklet that is printed on glossy paper in colour, with colour profiles on the rearmost pages. Detail is everything we have come to expect from Arma, with crisp engraved panel lines, fine raised rivets, restrained fabric scalloping effect on the fuselage rear, and plenty of raised and recessed features that should result in a superb model if care is taken during building and painting. If this is your first Arma kit, you should know that they have a technique of adding stiffening ribs and stringers inside their kits, and they hide away their ejector-pins in places that won’t be seen, usually with a circle of tiny turrets around them. They are generally placed so that they can be left intact without affecting assembly, but when they do need to be removed, you’ll be advised in the instructions. Construction begins with the lower wing for a change, drilling out holes applicable to whether you intend to fit bombs or drop-tanks under the wings of your model. The holes are marked in red for tanks, and blue for bombs, which is helpful, and the diagrams are accompanied by a little explanatory text that advises that neither the bombs or tanks are used in the decal options of this boxing, catering to those that might want to use aftermarket decals. The gear bay is created from a well-detailed section of spar that has a pair of retraction jacks and a pressurised cylinder applied to it, then has the remaining walls and their ribs mated to it and covered by the bay roof, feeding a brass-painted hose through the bay once completed. Attention then shifts to the cockpit for a moment, building the seat from four parts, which is supplied with decal seatbelts and is glued to the rear bulkhead for later installation in the cockpit, unless you prefer to use the 3D printed seat, which has belts moulded-in, cutting down on the number of parts whilst adding excellent detail. We return to the wing again, cutting a new rectangular hole nearby, filling in the original with a piece of scrap styrene or filler whilst you are there. The gear bay assembly is glued into the full-span upper wing, adding another short spar closer to the rear, then joining them together after removing a short length of the ridge behind the landing light bays to achieve a better fit for the inserts. Now we learn why we didn’t build the entire cockpit earlier, as it is built in the space between the wings once they are completed, starting with the control linkage and frame, with the foot rests/trays over the top, and a small lever glued to a cross-member on the left. The side frames are painted and inserted at the perimeter, locating in slots in the upper wing centre, and these are joined by the rudder pedals on a central mount, and a V-frame that stiffens the assembly. The control column is built from three parts and includes the linkages that lead aft under the pilot’s seat, which is inserted last over the V-braces at the rear, locating on more slots in the upper wing. Flipping the wing over, a pair of rods are inserted into the bays, their location shown by another drawing that highlights them in blue. The instrument panel is next, raised details depicting the instrument bezels and other switches, with a decal included for it and the compass that fits between two legs under the panel, which you are advised to cut into sections for an easier fit. It is glued into the starboard fuselage half with a pair of small pieces of equipment, with six more in the port side, and the option to pose the foot step on the exterior skin in the lowered position, which is a nice touch. There is also a decal for a pair of dials moulded into the fuselage sidewall. With that, the fuselage halves can be brought together, seams dealt with, and then carefully mated with the wings, taking care not to damage the lovely detail in the cockpit. Two vents are removed on both sides of the fuselage low down near the root fairing for the included decal options, then if you plan on modelling your canopy closed, you should also cut away the rails as indicated in red on a scrap diagram at this stage to allow the closed canopy to fit firmly. The underside of the fuselage has a 3D printed insert with the tail-wheel fairing and arrestor hook trough moulded-in, leaving the standard underside on the sprues for this boxing. The central radiator housing has its core made from front and rear sections with the matrix texture moulded-in, and a circular insert with hosing, all of which is glued to the underside of the fuselage and covered by the cowling that is made from body, intake lip and cooling flap at the rear, locating in a shallow recess in the lower wing that has a horseshoe flange with fasteners to add to the detail, and scribing two panel lines nearby for one decal option. The tail wheel inserts in the hole under the rear of the fuselage, adding a full-span elevator panel with separate flying surfaces that fills the recess in the top of the tail, fitting the two-part fin to a stepped lug in the fairing, and fixing the rudder to the rear, allowing all the tail surfaces to be posed deflected if you wish. The main gear legs are made from a strut with a retraction jack moulded-in, and another added to the rear, plus a captive bay door that fits on the outboard side, and a two-part wheel fitted on the inner axle. Two of the decal options have modified main gear bays, one having the forward section cut away diagonally, the other having a curved cut, likely to avoid damaging the deck during hard landings. There are clear lenses to cover the landing lights, and the clear wingtip lights have a recess in their mating surface that you can add some green or red paint to depict the bulb before you glue them in position. The gunsight and clear lens are glued to a recess in the cockpit coaming at this stage, taking care not to disturb it before the windscreen is installed, and slotting a gun camera into the leading-edge of the starboard wing root. There is a choice of two styles of cannon barrels, using either the styrene parts from the kit, or replacing them with the more detailed 3D printed parts that accompany this boxing. While the model is inverted, a pitot probe and crew step are added to the port underside, and a clear recognition light is inserted just behind the radiator, painting it a clear amber. The rest of the work on the airframe is done with the model resting on its wheels (if you’ve fitted them yet), installing a choice of 3D printed or styrene exhausts and mounting blisters in recesses in the nose cowling, and an aerial mast in the spine behind the cockpit. A two-part intake is fitted under the chin, and the prop uses a three-blade part trapped between the spinner and back-plate parts, plus a washer inside the spinner that can be glued carefully to allow the prop to remain mobile after building. The windscreen is a single part with a rear-view mirror at the peak, and to close the canopy, part T2 is used, but if you intend to leave the canopy slid back, a slightly wider part is supplied, marked T3, with pre-cut masks provided for all options, as well as the wheel hubs and landing lights. As already mentioned, drop-tanks are included for this boxing, built from two halves that trap the location pegs between them, and have a small stencil for one side, only to be used if you are using after market decals and your references require it. The instructions also show the bombs being built up from four parts each, along with their pylons, even though they also tell you they’re not used for any options in this boxing. Again, if you are using aftermarket decals, these may be of use to you. Check your references to be sure. Markings There are three quite different options on the decal sheet, each having a full page of colour profiles at the back of the instruction booklet, with letter codes corresponding to a table on the front page that gives codes for Hataka, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Humbrol, Vallejo and Tamiya ranges, which should be sufficient for most of us, although FS numbers are also included for many colours to help you further. From the box you can build one of the following: Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc NF672 ‘7K’, No. 835 Sqn., HMS Nairana, Pilot Sub.Lt. A R Burgham, first half 1944 Sea Hurricane Mk.X AM277, No. 04 Sqn., HMS Dasher, Operation Torch, November 1942 Sea Hurricane Mk.IIC JS310 ‘S’, No. 825 Sqn., HMS Vindex, early 1944 There is a small slip of paper inside the kit box, which notes that the decal designers found out at the last minute, that one decal option had a tiger head instead of the decal they had intended, which was pointed out to them by our very own Troy Smith, and Ian Burgham, with a note of thanks to those two. Decals are by Techmod, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion A fabulously well detailed model that shows amazing attention to detail, and deserves to be the new de facto Sea Hurricane standard in this scale. The addition of 3D printed parts takes it to even higher levels that have been hitherto unavailable from an out-of-box build. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I will soon start the painting of an Arma Hobby P-51B, but I'm not sure how I will paint the section in front of the windscreen. In most profile pictures and paintings of this aircraft, the cowling itself is ow course blue, part the part next to the windscreen is depicted as being olive drab. Foxbot tells you to paint in olive drab as well. The only period photo I can find is this: https://www.starduststudios.com/don-mckibben.html There is maybe a slight different between the sections, but I am a bit sceptical why would it be in olive drab, if all other fighters in 352nd fighter group seem to have totally blue cowlings. What do you think? Are there any blue nosed mustangs that you know with olive drab sections? I would also appreciate if someone who has built many Arma Hobby 1/72 Mustangs could help me with some advice how to improve the fit of the tail section. I'm now doing a double build, and have previously built one, and in all of the three builds the fit of tail parts is not that good, there are steps and gaps. I know that there is some imperfections in the moulds that cause some of the issues. But if someone has managed to get the parts to fit as well as the rest of the kit, please could you share what you have done. I hope their P-51D is better in this area, and also has finer sprue gates like the new 1/48 P-39. And less of them.

Hi all. Yesterday I applied to join this GB and this morning I received acceptance, so here I am with this little gem of a kit from Arma Hobby that I think is well known by most modellers, at least those of us who work at 1/72 scale. My intention is to start by riveting the surface and using an aftermarket part such as wheels, pilot harnesses or reflector sight. What I haven't decided is what paint I will have, one of the ones offered by Arma Hobby or another one from the aftermarket. I hope to start soon. Cheers. Andrés.