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INTRO Consider this Hurricane 1/72 to be my first kit. Comments and criticism are *welcome* My goal is to try techniques that I can use later for a personally-meaningful Ventura 1/48. This is my place to try and fail and fix HISTORICAL PLANE I am building this 127 Squadron RCAF Hurricane Mk.XII, C/N 1080, serial 5655, code 1-Z, named "Kitchener." School children from Kitchener, ON raised $25,000 to help pay for the plane. In 1943, 127 Squadron in Dartmouth, NS was regularly flying Hurricanes over to 34 OTU Pennfield, NB to cooperate with crews who were training on Ventura bombers. On Aug. 21, 1943 P/O Paul Piche belly-landed his Hurricane at Pennfield Ridge, NB when he forgot to lower the landing gear. Can you believe that he'd started his career as a flight instructor? I plan to model this crash as the meeting of a plane and a pilot in a place. Within six days, the plane was flying again. A year later on Sept 18, 1944, the plane crashed again. It was moved into storage, then sold off in June, 1946 with 715:00 airframe hours. HISTORICAL PILOT LPE "Paul" Piche was a Quebecer who moved to New London, Connecticut when he was 13. During the Depression, he married, fathered several girls, worked at a theatre and managed a gas station. In Dec. 1940 aged 30, he enlisted with the RCAF in Montreal. At 5'7 and 139 pounds the blue-eyed, fair-skinned Piche was summed up by the recruiter as follows: "Does not appear to be very rugged type." In Piche's favour, he had nearly 400 hours of flying experience. However, he also had a $11,000 debt from buying a 4-seater plane. Perhaps a Stinson or Fairchild. Asked for his plan after the war, he wrote "keep on flying." Piche trained as a flight instructor and performed those duties until Summer 1943 when he earned a commission and moved to 127 Squadron to fly Hurricanes. After the wheels-up landing at Pennfield, he was uninjured and soon flying again. In 1944 he followed 127 Squadron to the UK where it transformed into 443 Squadron, flying Spitfires. Piche died in October 1944 when his Auster took a 25mm shell to the exhaust manifold. He'd drifted over enemy lines in Venray, Netherlands while ferrying a pilot to pick up a Spitfire. CHOICES I bought the AZModel MK.IID limited run kit (OK it was the wrong kit for an XII but I'll make the best of it... I was clueless at the time) I'm geared up for Vallejo Model Air acrylics and an airbrush. (I've practised already -- great fun) So far I've spent a lot of time cleaning parts on the sprues. With no pegs and holes or guiding ridges, and pretty sparse instructions, this is definitely not a beginner kit. Ah well. I'm feeling very Zen about it. I'm a bit confused about some of the parts. I'll post about it later. My wife is taking a stab at 3D modelling the propeller replacement and the front of the engine you'd see without the spinner. We'll see how that goes.

So with the 100th Anniversary of the Irish Air Corps this year, thought I would try my hand at one of their very first aircraft...and my first attempt at a biplane. AZ_Martinsyde_F4_Box by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr The Buzzard entered service with the Air Corps in the summer of 1922 and were the first aircraft and single seat fighter of the new force. I'm building this one in-flight so first step was to add a pilot - this fella was from the spares, with his head cut and repositioned. You can't tell but there is a panel, rudder pedals and joystick in there! AZ_Martinsyde_F4_Wip_1 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Lower wing and tail planes/rudder added. I've never built an AZ model before but it's going together fine - just taking my time as there are no locating pins or tabs. AZ_Martinsyde_F4_Wip_3 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr The engine supplied is resin and looks the part but the instructions say you need to add the exhausts from rod or stretched sprue - i'll do those at the end. AZ_Martinsyde_F4_Wip_2 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr Then with the top cowling added - the fit here was a bit iffy and the plastic is very soft so some filling will be needed. AZ_Martinsyde_F4_WIP_4 by Dermot Moriarty, on Flickr More soon, thanks for looking! Cheers, Dermot

Messerschmitt Bf.109K-4 ‘The Last Chance’ (AZ7819) 1:72 AZ Model With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, deploying monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The K series or Kurt was an attempt by the RLM to standardise production after the myriad of Gustav sub-variants, adding large rectangular blisters on the upper wings to accommodate wider wheels, and a more powerful variant of the DB engine that could propel it to around 440mph on a good day with the right fueling. Despite the difficulties experienced in manufacture at that late stage of the war, a few thousand of them were produced before the end, although the lack of well-trained pilots was more of an issue. The Kit This is a reboxing of AZ’s original tooling from 2014, with some new parts somewhere along the way. It’s a well-detailed kit with moulded-in equipment in the cockpit sidewalls, details in the wheel wells, and subtle exterior detail too, especially on the new fuselage parts. It arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the subject matter on the front, and the decal option profiles on the rear. Inside are three sprues in grey styrene, a tiny clear sprue in its own Ziploc bag, two decal sheets and the instruction booklet, which on my sample isn’t all that clearly printed, although it is legible. You will need to pay attention to the sprues, as there are four fuselage halves in the box, due to the earlier G fuselage being on the same sprue as the wings, which will be needed. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is well-detailed as previously mentioned, consisting of the floor with rear bulkhead, seat base, rudder pedals, control column, trim wheels, gunsight, a well-recessed instrument panel (sadly no decal, despite the instructions mentioning one), and the moulded-in side wall detail, plus the forward bulkhead, which has the cannon-breech cover inserted before it is added to the front of the assembly. It is glued into the new starboard fuselage half when completed, and the exhaust stacks are slipped through the slots in the cowling on both sides ready to be closed up. There is a top insert added later to complete the fuselage, which has the two nose machine gun troughs and C-shaped gun insert, a combined fin and rudder, while the fuselage has a nicely faired side to obviate the prominent Beule of the earlier G, and head armour that is moulded clear because it has a section of armoured glass in the centre. The lower wing is full-width except for the tips, which are moulded into the upper surfaces for fidelity, and these have the radiators depicted by front and rear faces inserted into the fairings, reducing their size and shape as per a set of scrap diagrams. The uppers are glued over and have the rectangular fairings laid over the previous half-moon blisters, and then you can paint the whole gear bays and insert the radiator flaps, which also get a coat of RLM66 on the inside, like the majority of the interior – I thought that the gear bays would still be RLM02, but what do I know? The wings and the fuselage are mated, then the landing gear is prepped, although they’re best left off until later. The struts have the scissor-links moulded-in, separate wheels and captive bay doors, using the wider tyres in preference to the earlier narrow ones that are left on the sprue. The elevators are both moulded as a single part, and attach to the tail in the usual slot and tab manner, then the prop with the broader blades is made up with the appropriate front and back spinner parts, sliding into the hole in the flat front of the fuselage. The correct retractable tail wheel and two doors for the bay are fixed under the rear, and the single-part Erla-Haube canopy with reduced framing covers over the cockpit with the relocated D/F fairing quite a way back down the spine. Horn balance, chin intake, extra fuel tank and pylon, plus the outer bay doors are put on toward the end of the build, although many pilots would remove the outer doors in the field to save weight and reduce the number of things to maintain by two. The two-part air intake on the port side of the cowling is last to be fixed on its raised mounting. Markings There are three options on the main decal sheet, while the separate sheet contains all the stencils, which is good to see at this scale. Two of these aircraft were captured or reused after the war, so are wearing their new owner’s markings, sometimes painted straight over the crosses of the defunct Luftwaffe, and these markings are included on the decal sheet. Where the old crosses and swastikas have been painted over however, you will be responsible for painting those, so be prepared for a little detail painting. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are decal seatbelts on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion Some interesting markings and camouflage options that were in use before the end and just after WWII, and its final German variant of this aircraft into the bargain. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Messerschmitt Bf.109G-6 ‘Captured’ (AZ7818) 1:72 AZ Model With almost 34,000 examples constructed over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar configuration to the Spitfire, deploying monocoque construction and V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than a carburettor as used in the Spit. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The Bf.109G series, colloquially known as the Gustav, was first produced in 1942. The airframe and wing were extensively modified to accommodate a more powerful engine, greater internal fuel capacity and additional armour. In contrast to early 109s, which were powered by engines delivering less than 700hp, some of the later Gustavs could output almost 2000hp with water injection and high-performance superchargers. The Gustav series accounted for a dizzying array of sub-variants, some of which featured a larger tail of wooden construction. Odd number suffixed aircraft had pressurised cockpits for high altitude operation, Erla Haube clear view canopy with clear rear head armour, underwing points for tanks, cannon or rockets and larger main wheels resulting in square fairings on the inner upper wings to accommodate them. The Kit This is a reboxing of AZ’s original tooling from 2014, with some new parts somewhere along the way. It’s a well-detailed kit with moulded-in equipment in the cockpit sidewalls, details in the wheel wells, and subtle exterior detail too. It arrives in a small end-opening box with an attractive painting of the subject matter on the front, and the decal option profiles on the rear. Inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a tiny clear sprue in its own Ziploc bag, two decal sheets and the instruction booklet, which covers G-5/6,8 and G-14 variants. You will need to pay attention to the headings on the various steps to ensure you build the correct version, and some scribbling out of unnecessary steps could be a good plan if you’re forgetful like me. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is well-detailed as previously mentioned, consisting of the floor with rear bulkhead, seat base, rudder pedals, control column, trim wheels, gunsight, a well-recessed instrument panel (sadly no decal), and the moulded-in side wall detail, plus the forward bulkhead, which has the cannon-breech cover inserted before it is added to the front of the assembly. It is glued into the starboard fuselage half when completed, and the exhaust stacks are slipped through the slots in the cowling on both sides ready to be closed up, after which you can add the chin mounted oil-cooler fairing. There is a top insert added later to complete the fuselage, which has the central hinge-point of the cowlings moulded-in, as well as the two nose machine gun troughs, a section of the fin and a choice of two rudders, the prominent Beule fairings over the enlarged breeches of the nose armament, and a choice of head armour, one of which is clear because it has a section of armoured glass in the centre. Incidentally, the port Beule has a smaller fairing to the front, which should be cut off and made good unless you are building a tropical Gustav. The lower wing is full-width except for the tips, which are moulded into the upper surfaces for finesse, and these have the radiators depicted by front and rear faces inserted into the fairings, reducing their size if necessary. The uppers are glued over, and then you can paint the two gear bays and insert the radiator flaps, which also get a coat of RLM02 on the inside, like the majority of the interior. The wings and the fuselage are mated, then the landing gear is prepped, although they’re best left off until later. The struts have the scissor-links moulded-in, separate wheels and captive bay doors, using the narrower tyres in preference to the thicker ones that are left on the sprue. The elevators are both moulded as a single part, and attach to the tail in the usual slot and tab manner, then the prop with the broader blades is made up with the appropriate front and back spinner parts, sliding into the hole in the flat front of the fuselage. The correct tail wheel and insert to close the bay over are fixed under the rear, and the single-part canopy covers the cockpit with a choice of two styles of antennae. There are some additional parts on the sprues to add weapons and extra fuel to your model, with two-part MG 151/20 that depict field-modification or Rüstsatz VI, 20mm cannons in their own gondolas. A four-pronged palette under the centre of the wings is also included, although these were generally taken off captured aircraft. Markings There are three options on the main decal sheet, while the separate sheet contains all the stencils, which is good to see at this scale. These aircraft were captured, so are wearing their new owner’s markings, sometimes painted straight over the crosses of the then defunct Luftwaffe, and these background markings are included on the decal sheet. Where the old crosses and swastikas have been painted over however, you will be responsible for painting those, so be prepared for a little detail painting. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are well-printed in good register, with a thin glossy carrier film close to the printed edges for the most part, but with a few that are a little larger. This shouldn’t cause too much of an issue however, as the film is thin and has a relatively soft edge. There are decal seatbelts on the sheet, which should add a little realism to your finished cockpit. Conclusion This boxing includes some interesting markings options that were in use before the end and just after WWII, and it’s an iconic variant of this aircraft into the bargain. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

HA-1112M-1L Buchon The Movie Star (AZ7669) & The Air Show Star (AZ7670) 1:72 AZ Model The Hispano Aviación HA-1112 was a licence-built version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, manufactured in Spain but fitted with a variety of different powerplants. The M-1L was the final variant of the type and was named Buchón (Rock Dove). It was fitted with the Rolls Royce 27 Litre Merlin V12 and Rotol propeller, both readily available from UK postwar surplus. The new engine further altered the appearance of the HA-1112, giving it a prominent chin intake and intakes at the top of the cowling instead of the bottom for the inverted V of the DB engines originally used in wartime 109s. Although hopelessly outdated at the time of its introduction into service in the mid-1950s, the Buchón was considered to be perfectly adequate for its intended role helping to police Spanish territories in Africa. The availability of the anachronistic Buchón was a boon for postwar film makers however, who were famously able to use it in place of the Bf.109 in films such as Battle or Britain and Dunkirk, although many of us can spot one a mile away. They’re also sometimes seen at air shows in warbird guise, as they are a lot more readily available than Bf.109s, and the support infrastructure for Merlins is more common. The Kit These two kits are reboxings of the 2021 new tooling from AZ, and they depict the Buchon in either Movie guise or as an air show participant with identical plastic in both boxes, just the decals and the boxes that set them apart. They arrive in a small end-opening box with a painting of the subject on the front, and decal options on the rear, while inside are two sprues of grey styrene, a small Ziploc bag containing the clear parts, instructions and decals, all within a resealable clear foil bag. Construction begins with the cockpit, which is made up from a floor part with rear bulkhead and rear deck, plus instrument panel with raised details, sidewall details moulded into the fuselage, the control column, rudder pedals, trim wheel and separate base to the seat. The completed assembly fits within the fuselage halves along with the exhaust stacks and backing plate inserted from within before closure. The top cowling and chin intake are inserted into their slots, then it’s time to make up the wings, which have an almost full-width lower and two upper halves with the wingtips moulded-in. You have a choice of arranging the split flaps behind the radiator fairings according to the scrap diagrams, and a pair of fences are glued on the upper wing along an engraved guide line. The main gear legs are each single struts with separate wheels and bay door covers, and a scrap diagram shows the correct angle for them to be set. The tail-wheel is a single part, and there is a separate rudder, plus the four-blade prop with two-part spinner slipped into the hole in the nose. If you are portraying a movie star, the wingtips should be trimmed slightly according to a scrap diagram, and the cannon fairings on the leading edge of the wings should be removed and smoothed over, drilling a hole to insert a simple rod and adding two supports under the elevators. The movie version also has a WWII-style antenna added behind the canopy. For the Spanish version the wings are left as-is and the cannons are attached to the fairings with a choice of twin-rail unguided rockets under the wings. The horn balances on the ailerons are applied to both the movie and in-service airframes, although this isn’t made abundantly clear on the instructions. The canopy is moulded as a single part, but is clear and thin, as is the head armour part that installs in the cockpit behind the pilot. Markings Each boxing has three decal options on their sheet, with the layout printed on the rear of the box and reproduced below. From each box you can build one of the following: The Movie Star (AZ7669) The Air Show Star (AZ7670) The decals are well-printed with good registration, colour density and sharpness. The carrier film is thin and glossy, and although it extends perhaps a little further than usual, it’s thin enough not to make a difference. Conclusion The Buchon is an attractive variant of the Bf.109, and modelling a Warbird or Yellow-Nosed Bleeper from The Battle of Britain movie is a popular subject. The other markings options are unusual and interesting too. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This is the 13th Hawker Hurricane from my Hawker Hurricanes around the world project, a post-war Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia Mk IV. Mostly I've been modeling Hurricanes from unique countries, but in this case it's a duplicate, because I modeled a Kingdom of Yugoslavia Mk I already. The markings are very different though, and I was excited to model both the lovely and unique Royal Yugoslav Air Force camo and the rocket armed Mk IV, so Yugoslavia is getting featured twice. But, maybe you could argue that the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia were not exactly the same country? Slightly different borders and very different governance model and all that... This is the AZ kit I used. Mostly OOB, but I opted for styrene rockets from an Airfix Typhoon kit versus the resin AZ pieces. I also drilled out the ID light so that I could model that with Kristal Klear. Hand brushed with Tamiya XF-23 underneath and XF-77 on top which I chose based on insights regarding camo from @Supercuber and @Troy Smith. I opted for no weathering. This is the second Mk IV of my collection (the other is Argentina) but this will be the only rocket-armed of the group. Enjoy! Here is a photo of the original 9539, and my attempt to photograph the same angle... I understand this photo is once the Hurricane was already at a museum, and obviously she's wearing a tarp or something. You can also see how overly large the fin flash I had to use is versus the original. And here is the RFI for her older Yugoslav sibling (the Mk I);

From my Hawker Hurricanes around the world project, another instalment, this time an Mk IId from the Soviet Union. The kit is AZ Model and built OOB except for a few of the decals and the wheels which were Aires resin. Brush painted with Tamiya acrylics. This will be the only Mk IId out of the 25 or so Hurris I'm building as it was not a mark built in large numbers nor used by many operators (in fact the VVS may have been the only foreign operator). I have now built a few of the AZ Model Hurricanes and was really not a fan of the Mk I (which I think was actually the old Sword kit), but finally with this Mk IId I started to enjoy and appreciate what they offer! Not much more to say about it, hope you enjoy! The real white 21 suffered a sad fate, apparently. Finally, here she is with a few of her recently completed friends--Ireland, Kingdom of Yugoslavia, and Belgium. The Kingdom of Yugoslavia RFI is here and others will soon follow!

Hi there Here are some pictures of my 1/72 Seafang recently completed. A number of changes were made to the AZ plastic parts in the kit. The following parts were stolen from. Special Hobby Seafire FR 47: Spinner and propellers, spinner tip shortened by 2 mm Cylinder head covers Carburetter intake Complete tail section and tail wheel SBS exhausts and cannons were used as well as Barracuda Resin wheels Plastic card undercarriage doors were made. Decals came from Modeldecal. And here are 2 pictures with the Seafang and an Airfix Mk 1 Spitfire I built at the same time. Regards Toby PS There is a build thread as well but my linking skills are not too good.

I finally finished two of the three AZ JoyPack kits which I had in the stash for quite some time. At the time of purchase I was not aware of the cowling issues, but I tackled these by following a forum thread of Barry Numerick's excellent build process. The G-2 is Ion di Cezare's mount with (not quite correct) Print Scale decals. Cheers, Luka

Dear fellow Britmodellers, this is my 1/72 AZ Model Bf-109 G10/R2 in markings of Nahaufklärungsgruppe (short-range recce group) 14. Painted with Mr.Hobby acrylics. Photos by Wolfgang Rabel. "Black 12" was photographed by US Troops at Fürth airfield in May 1945. Color pictures of this aircraft are featured in the MMP book "Bf 109 Late Versions". I tried to replicate the complex camo scheme the best I could. The AZ Model kit (WNF factory) contains the decals, but not the camera housing on the lower fuselage. I used a resin part from AML (#72068). Photo-etch from Brengun, pitot tube and guns from Master. Vacu canopy from Rob Taurus, exhausts from Res-Im. Thank you for your interest! Best greetings from Vienna. Roman

AZ model is to release (in 2016 2019) a 1/72nd Vought OS2U Kingfisher kit (Pavla plastic). Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234931186-azmodellegatoadmiral-wwii-aircraft-comments-questions-and-wishes/?p=2147039 V.P.

I suppose just in order to annoy the soon to release Special Hobby kits, Legato is to release a serie of 1/72nd - Curtiss P-40E Warhawk / Kittyhawk Mk.Ia kits. These will be repop of the old AZmodel kit with new decals, masks etc.. Source: http://www.modelarovo.cz/velky-doprodej-info-z-kpaz/ V.P.

As my fourth instalment of my "Hawker Hurricanes around the world" project, and my first representative from Europe, here is a Polish Air Force Hawker Hurricane Mk. I. Poland's initial order of Hurricanes was shipped in summer of 1939, but were much too late to enter service. The only documented serial number I have seen for one of these Hurricanes is L2048, so I am assuming the L2045 on mine is an error and should have been L2048. But, I suppose it is also possible that one of the Polish Hurricanes was L2045 (in which case it later ended up in RAF service, because I have seen a photo of L2045 in France in 1940). Regardless, I am unaware of any photos of any of the Hurricanes in Polish Air Force markings--whether L2048, L2045, or otherwise--so mostly this is based on assumptions. @GrzeM was able to let me know the documents indicate a three-blade prop, which was helpful because I was going to use a Watts two-blade! This is the AZ model Mk. I early kit, which proved the most challenging kits of the four I have now built (Arma Mk. I; Airfix Mk. XII; AZ Mk. IV). It does have the Polish Air Force decals (and also Yugoslav and Italian which I am excited to use!), which was the main reason I bought it. Believe it or not I spent more on this kit (with shipping) than any of the other 20 Hawker Hurricane kits I've bought (even Arma's Expert sets!). In the end, I stole parts from Airfix (prop and spinner, windscreen, carburetor intake, UC doors, rear wheel, decals), Arma (canopy, 5-spoke wheels), Fly (exhaust stacks), and another AZ kit (the Mk IId's landing lights) to make this come together. Frankly, after all of that, I'm happy with how it turned out! Incidentally, while completing this I celebrated my one year anniversary of adulthood modeling! Here are photos of my first four Hurricanes altogether representing North America (USA - Airfix Mk XII [actually Royal Navy, but US markings for Operation Torch]); Europe (Poland); Australia (Arma Mk I); and South America (Argentina - AZ Mk IV). WIP for the project is here: And other RFIs:

This is instalment three in my "Hawker Hurricanes around the World" project, the lonely Hawker Hurricane Mk IV that was gifted to Argentina. Here is the WIP: This is the kit; AZ is the only 1/72 Hawker Hurricane Mk IV that I'm aware of, and certainly it has it's strengths. But, probably these are kits better tackled by more experienced modellers than myself, and I certainly struggled with it. Honestly, I probably wouldn't even bother doing an RFI except that I think the subject is so interesting! My biggest disappointment is the decals, and ultimately I painted out some of them because they settled so poorly. Anyway, certainly a fascinating subject and a necessary addition to the first phase of my project (which is to represent a Hurricane from every continent), as this is the only "entry" from South America! My understanding of the story in terms of the scheme and photographs below (I can't read the captions, so may have some of this wrong) is that it was shipped to Argentina [in 1945] and had begun a transition to Argentine scheme/markings, but was not completed before going on display in Buenos Aries [the photos below are from Cordoba in 1948, not Buenos Aires in 1945--my bad!]. So, she's Argentine "in the back," RAF "in the front." Given the fact that it was being displayed and was certainly to participating in any combat missions, I assume it would have been quite clean, so I didn't bother with much weathering (although I was tempted because it may have helped cover up some of the sloppiness and ugly decaling!). All hairy stick (medium sea grey and dark green acrylics and olive green and ocean grey enamels), although I did use Tamiya rattle cans to create a base coat of light grey underneath and dark green on top. It was my first attempt at painting yellow leading edge, and interestingly out of the 20+ Hurricanes I plan to build for this project, I think this is the only one that has that (I'm glad!). This was also my first time working with resin (some interiors which can't be seen anyway and the radiator) I borrowed some decals from an Arma kit for the walkway strips and machine gun covers, and an Airfix kit donated the wheels and undercarriage gear, but otherwise all OOB. Here are my pics attempting to mimic the angles above. And here she is in colour: Her companions so far are USA and Australia, and RFIs for those are linked here: And here are all three together. These will be the only representatives from Australia, North America, and South America of the whole project. Finally, for some reason I like this picture of them in a shoe box! Thanks for looking!

This is my entry for the Africa Group Build and my second 109 - the first being an E-7 for the Heller Group Build. Looking forward to reading up on pilot Franz Schwaiger and his unit 6/JG-3.

AZ model is to release a new tool family of 1/72nd de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito. Among others the NF.30 variant. Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235010228-kpaz-central-discussion-questions-answers/&do=findComment&comment=2686107 First announcement was made with a NF.19 picture V.P.

Two different 1/72nd families of Cobra kits in view by AZ Models and another one by Special Hobby. The Czech ennemy brothers! A 1/72nd Bell AH-1G Cobra kit (early & late versions) is to be released in July by AZ Model. Soon also AH-1Q and TH-1G. Source: https://modelweb.eu/2013/12/23/172-ah-1g-huey-cobra-az-model/ - ref. AZ7450 Another family of 1/72nd Cobras (G and Q/S) is also to be released this summer by Special Hobby. Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234939769-new-72nd-scale-ah-1-cobra-available-soon/)1/72 3D renders V.P.

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my first completed model of the year, the 1/72 AZ Model Bf-109 G-14AS "new tool 2020". No changes have been made to the external shape and dimensions, but the interior parts have been modified for a much better fit. Both the cockpit/fuselage and the wing/fuselage joints are much easier to assemble, literally 'klicking in place'. The boxing of the G-14AS is identical to the contents of a G-10 kit. That means it is not entirely correct, as the G-14AS had two filler caps relocated. Previous boxings of AZ's G-14AS included additional decals for these hatches. Unfortunately this has been omitted on the new release, and I had to plunder one of their older boxings to replace them. As usual three marking options are included, of which I chose "Black 3" of 5./JG27, flown by Lt. Schmitt, in Schwerin-Görres/Germany, April 1945. I slightly diverted from the paint instructions by spraying the underside of the wings in Aluminium, common with late-war Bf-109s. I also added the long-stroke tail wheel (shown on the box art, but not suggested in the instructions). To enhance the 'scale appearance' I replaced the plastic pilot headrest, cooling flaps, Morane mast and antenna with photo-etch parts. The pitot tube is a metal item from Master, DF loop is made from wire. The model was painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics and weathered with artists oils. All photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. Thank you for your interest, best greetings from Vienna! Roman

AZ model is to release in November, at SMW Telford 2017 2018 2019 (?) 1/48th Fairey Delta 2 or FD-2 kit - ref. Source: https://www.facebook.com/azmodelkits/photos/pcb.1416733228351282/1416733088351296/?type=3&theater V.P.

Hello everyone! Here is my latest kit, completed this past weekend. It's AZ Model's 1:72 Messerschmitt P.1106T - the navalized carrier variant. I thought the concept so crazy and absurd that I couldn't resist getting it! I believe it's a first in Luft46 kits since I don't recall anyone releasing carrier-borne aircraft in this field. The instructions that came with the kit were for the B variants (the other two boxings), I'm not sure if by mistake or that's how they come with this kit. I had to refer to the boxart for the variant-specific parts (arrestor hook, underwing fuel tanks and gun pods. The build wasn't easy. The parts were a bit crude and with flash and needed plenty of cleaning up, reminding me of earlier Special Hobby and MPM kits. I built it mostly OOB only adding belts from Tamiya tape and replacing the wing pitot tube with one made from stretched sprue. I opened up the holes at the tip of the gunpod barrels. To get it to sit on its legs, I packed weight inside the engine and in the nose area above it. I made a forward u/c bay bulkhead to hold/hide the lead weights. I managed to get a reasonably good join of the wings to the fuselage but the other joins needed plenty of filling and sanding. The canopy was a poor fit and I only managed to get it in place after plenty of trimming and at the third attempt when I resorted to CA gel to hold it in place. The kit was fully painted and varnished with brush. I didn't like the options proposed by AZ Model so I made my own scheme. I used the decals from option 3 plus the anchors of option 2, all placed as I saw fit. The decals behaved well and reacted to Micro Set and Sol. Despite the difficult build, I enjoyed it and am glad I decided to build this "flying fish"! Thank you for looking and all comments are welcome as always Miguel

Hi all I would like to build this little beauty. I will be building an FAA machine and would like to build it pretty much OOB. I am still finishing my very much modified Blackburn Shark in the Frog Squad build, although it is very nearly finished so this will act as a place marker until I can start. Resin parts cut from their Moulding plugs. I damaged the back of one of the U/C bays and so have covered it with plasticard. The rear cabin seat frames got damaged during cutting off and so I have sanded all but one off (needed the reference an will replace with brass rod, so much for OOB !!! Thanks for looking and good luck to all doing builds All the best Chris

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my 1/72 AZ Model P-51C Mustang “Lucky Leaky II”, coded SX-M, of the 352nd Fighter Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group. She was one of the later production series with the 'dorsal fin' filet. Based in England, she crashed due to engine failure on May 2, 1945. I built straight from the box using AZ Model decals. These did not perform as good as usual, being brittle. Some pieces simply broke off the surface, most notably on the US Insignia on the right hand side of the fuselage. The model was painted in various shades of Alclad II over a gloss black basecoat. I found it pretty difficult to match the yellow spinner to the decal color; it took several attempts of mixing various yellow and orange paints to achieve the result. The black spinner stripes were masked with White Tamiya tape. Thank you for your interest in this topic. Best greetings from Vienna!

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's another AZ Model Bf-109 (#17 in my collection) representing the aircraft of Lt. Wöffen of 6./JG 27 in March 1945 at Rheine-Hopsten airfield. The main differences of the Erla G-10s compared to those built at WNF or Regensburg plant consisted of a new engine cowling (“Type 110”), differently shaped gun throughs, a wider oil cooler, missing chin bulges and different rudder. AZ failed to replicate some of the small changes to this particular version, such as the position of filler caps, but only the 'experts' will detect them. More concerning is the shape of the front lower cowl, which seems not deep enough at the junction of the wing root and fuselage. The difference becomes evident when you compare the AZ Model Bf-109 to the Fine Molds offering. On the other hand the AZ kit is considerably cheaper than the FM kit, and readily available in many different versions - and it does look convincing enough to my eyes! The model was painted with Gunze/Mr.Hobby acrylics, for weathering I used Winsor & Newton artist's oils. All photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. I have not seen a photograph of this aircraft, and AZ Model instructions are a bit sketchy. For painting, I referred to a color profile in "Bf 109 Late Versions", MMP Books, p.75. This aircraft seems to carry an overpainted fuselage number which I replicated with a paper template cut from Post-Its. The DF loop is a piece of scrap photo etch rolled around a cocktail stick. The pitot tube is Albion Alloys 0.3mm steel wire. The morane mast under the wings is from a Brengun photo etch set. The very fine IFF antenna under the belly is 0.1mm Albion Alloys steel wire. Thanks for your interest, best greetings from Vienna! Roman

Hi everyone, Here's the latest model to be added to my collection - AZ Model's new 1/72 Bf 109G-10 (Erla) finished in the colours of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana. The model represents "Black 11" as flown by Sergente Maggiore Loris Baldi of 4ª Squadriglia, 2º Gruppo Caccia "Gigi Tre Osei" in early 1945. Paints are Humbrol and Xtracolor, the markings are from Skymodels' "German aircraft in Italian service" sheet with the kit providing the balkenkreuz and most of the stencils whilst the spinner spiral is by AZ Model themselves. I used "Camouflage and Markings of the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana 1943-1945" by Ferdinando D'Amico and Gabriele Valentini as my primary reference with the instructions from Stormo Decals ITALIAN Bf.109 ACES - PART II as a secondary source. I went with Stormo's interpretation of the large wing bulges and broad tyres. It may have had the smaller bulges and narrow tyres but the only photo of this machine is from a bad angle so it's difficult to tell. The model itself isn't all that bad, but I'm afraid to say that it's another one of AZ's near misses as it has shape issues around about the nose which means it's not a good representation of an Erla built machine. The discussion over on the 72nd Scale Aircraft forum gives the lowdown: LINK. Now for the photos: Now that I've completed this model it means I now have a complete Schwarm of Small Axis 109G's! Comments welcome, Mike.

Dear fellow Britmodellers, here's my latest, another Erla Bf-109 G10 from AZ's new boxing. Photo etch from Brengun, pitot tube from Master, decals from Eagle Cals. Photographs by Wolfgang Rabel. Thanks for your interest. Best greetings from Vienna.