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Evening Gentlemen, After finishing my Autoblinda AB41 from the same unit, I ended up building a Panzer III Ausf J used by the Carpathian Lancers as well. What really caught my interest was the idea that this tank, once captured, appears to have been repainted in Light Stone, which is not something you commonly see on a Panzer III. I was curious to see how this iconic German silhouette would look in desert British-style colors. Also, for some reason, I find myself coming back to Panzer III kits more than any other, this one makes it my fifth so far (G, H, J, L, and N). Maybe I'll make it a personal mission to make all variants 🤔 The Panzer III Ausf J was introduced in 1941. It featured upgraded armor, up to 50 mm on the front hull and turret. Early in production cycle it was equipped with a 50 mm KwK 38 L/42 main gun (this model included) which was later changed for longer 5 cm KwK 39 L/60. This model depicts one of three Panzer III tanks captured during the North African campaign, most likely during the battles around El Alamein in 1942, and handed over to Polish Carpathian Lancers. These tanks were not used in combat roles after capture but were instead repurposed for training exercises, and demonstration purposes. Reference material I was using includes photographs showing these captured vehicles lined up with Polish crews at the Middle East School of Artillery at El Maʽza near Cairo. These tanks bear red-white-red Allied recognition stripes and appear to be in freshly repainted condition. Some additional photos show these tanks used in a filming session for propaganda purposes. The Carpathian Lancers were part of the Independent Carpathian Rifle Brigade, a Polish unit formed in the Middle East by soldiers evacuated after the fall of Poland. The brigade fought in the Siege of Tobruk and became part of the Polish II Corps, later seeing action in Italy. While primarily an infantry formation, certain elements like the Lancers performed reconnaissance duties. One of the biggest challenges with this build was making it visually interesting, since I wanted to stay faithful to the reference photos. Those show the vehicle as freshly painted, with no external stowage or battle damage, essentially a clean, factory-like appearance. That made it tricky to avoid a "boring" look. I tried to remedy that by experimenting with washes, using them more liberally than I normally do, in order to bring out as much detail as possible. Not the most interesting looking model I built, but at least not a plain yellow brick. The kit is Academy No. 13531, a very nice model with a Tamiya-like quality. The tracks are 3D-printed T-Rex versions, incredibly detailed but also quite fiddly to work with. The kit-supplied tracks look good too, being link-and-length types, but unfortunately, they feature solid guide horns, which were never used on the Panzer III J. Aside from that, the only additions are a few replacement clamps, a combination of 3D-printed and photo-etched (PE). The jerrycan rack was scratch-built from leftover PE pieces. Model was painted with MRP Light Stone, and combination of Vallejo and Gunze for details. Decals are Echelon, although I had a lot of problems with them (disintegrated completely) so it would probably be much easier to just paint the markings. Weathering was a bit different compared from what I usually do. I usually avoid washes, or use them very sparingly, because I'm a bit afraid that the result will not be realistic. In this case I used them quite a lot. Several different brownish washes. Other than that, I used pigments, first sprayed over the whole model to bland everything together, and then rubbed here and there. And these are the reference photos I used. Cheers and have a great weekend! Nenad

Some thirty years ago Academy released a 1/48th F-86F-30 Sabre kit. The Korean company is now working on a new tool wing set to adapt onto the original kit fuselage to obtain a North American F-86F-40 Sabre model. A kit that will be also later released by Wolfpack Design. Source: https://www.facebook.com/gustav.jung.7/posts/pfbid0YSSNTYE8XtekiMC1eygwHqXbcqT76K3sizc8Dw3ncL4oWhCshJY2f9CxmzhGw9rVl Original variant box art - F-86F-30 New tool sprues for future F-86F-40 V.P.

Hobby 2000 from Poland (link) is to rebox the 1/72nd Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina kit from Academy. - ref. 72065 - Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina - European Theater of Operations (ETO) https://ksmodel.pl/sklep/szczegoly/hobby-2000-72065-consolidated-pby-5a-catalina-eto-limited-edition-1-72-27460/ - ref. 72066 - Consolidated PBY-5A Catalina - Pacific Theater of Operations (PTO) https://ksmodel.pl/sklep/szczegoly/hobby-2000-72066-consolidated-pby-5a-catalina-pto-limited-edition-1-72-27461/ V.P.

I'd like to share my take on the recentish Academy Models 1:48 F4F-4 Wildcat. I built it as William N. Leonard's White-13, that he flew off USS Yorktown during the Battle of Midway. The model is built entirely from the box. Academy's kit is very nice in terms of detail, and you get plenty of options, and the kit comes with PE harnesses, paint masks for the clear parts, and really good quality decals for 5 aircraft (all Midway). I decided to take advantage of the folded wings option, even though they block a lot of the view. But I already have an unfolded wildcat in my collection. Paint was a home brew of Tamiya XF-19 and XF-2 for the underside, and a mix of XF-18, X-14, XF-2, and a few drops of XF-5 for the uppers. I applied a darker and lighter shade of each color, but the effects became muted by the Vallejo satin coat applied at the end. My blue is bluer and more intense than the actual color would have been, but I wanted my plane to have that warm south-Pacific tone. Colors look different under different lighting conditions. And here is the kit with it's Tamiya stablemate built back in 2019. My god, how the time flies. Even with wings folded, these mid-scale planes just chew up way too much display space. Back to 1:72 for the next build.

Academy is to release in 2019 a new tool 1/72nd Grumman F-14A Tomcat "VF-143 Punkin Dogs" kit in the MCP (Multi Color Parts) serie - ref. 12563 Source: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235047967-academy-catalog-2019/&do=findComment&comment=3218086 Box art V.P.

Academy has just reboxed/reissued the Minicraft 1/144th Douglas DC-4/C-54 Skymaster kit under ref. 12652 Source: https://academy.co.kr/product/1144-12652-미육군항공대-c-54-스카이마스터/2033/category/110/display/1/ V.P.

Ive come to the conclusion that in some cases, the box art is getting worse as the hobby gets older. I was browsing some Tomcat kits online (as one does) and remembered that Academy had had a very dynamic box art for a 1/72 kit. I duly found it, with a Tomcat in the sights of an A-4 during some Top Gun style dog fight. Pretty cool, isn't it? (One can sort of excuse the wang placement of the fuel tanks, which are too far outboard). That then led me on to a nostalgia trip, I remembered, through the mists of time, that I'd built a 1/100 Academy Tomcat 'back in day'. So I searched for that box art (original was a photo of the built kit) Fair enough, apparently there was a period where the advertising rules stated that the box had to show what was to be expected. But then I saw this was the updated version: I sincerely hope the deck shooter is pointing to the fact that the catapult shuttle has shot off without the Tomcat! And what's going on with the canopy windshield framing? And a ventral strake appears to have replaced the Phoenix pallet! Dear oh dear. I also found this Academy 1/144 box: Definitely 'artist's impression' rather than rendition. Oh very dear. So much wrong with this. Definitely painted by the same guy that did this horse; So, what have you seen with regards to bad box art that's made you think 'wait a minute.. '?

In 2023, I had an extended stay in Hawaii. I decided to take four kits, rudimentary modelling tools and basic paints to work on these kits. I had access to a CO2 bottle and an airbrush. The kits were selected based on ease of construction OOB, simple paint jobs and few decals. Easy and quick, or so I thought. Boxed up everything after four months and three kits came back home partially built, the fourth not even started. Finally, in 2025, I got around to finishing them. Here they are. If you care to read about the construction of these kits, the details are after the images of the completed models. Thanks for taking time to look! Don Corsair IV from Tamiya F4U-1A F6F-5N from Eduard white box SB2C-4 from Academy kit Construction The Tamiya required only clipping the wings to make a Corsair IV. I thought I would be able to forget about the small scoops on the fuselage. I could not so these got added after I got home. The Eduard white box F6F-3 has all the parts necessary to build an F6F-5N. All that I did was fill in a few panel lines on the wings and scribe on some new ones to suit the -5 wing. The Academy SB2C-4 was built as supplied in the box. This kit was the most complex of the four kits in this project. The fourth kit, a Tamiya 1/72 Birdcage Corsair was not started. Cockpits done and basic assembly Primed top and bottom. The kits came home in this primer. They survived the baggage handlers undamaged. At home, the kits eventually, got more primer and a long sleep in storage. After looking at my stacks of kits, I pulled these kits out and completed them after adding detail parts, abandoning my original markings for the F6F-5N and repainting the markings for the Helldiver. The kit decals were terrible. All done and resting in their display case.

Academy novelties 2025 Source: https://mmzone.co.kr/mms_tool/mt_view.php?mms_db_name=mmz_info&no=380152 V.P.

Academy is working on a 1/144th Boeing E-7A Wedgetail. Sound logical after the still future 1/144 P-8A Poseidon kit (thread). Source: https://www.hlj.com/1-144-scale-p-8-poseidon-acd12635 V.P.

I have been building a series of models representing aircraft of the Wisconsin Air National Guard, and my seventh entry is the Cessna OA-37B "Dragonfly", which the Wisconsin ANG flew for a mere two years (1979-81). For this build, I used Academy's excellent kit: supplemented with aftermarket and scratch-built details. My enhancements to the stock kit include: SBS resin cockpit Eduard photoetch ResKit wheels Scratch-built intake trunking w/compressor face Scratch-built exhaust Extended exhaust fairing at wing trailing edge Lowered flaps (slightly) and "drooped" the elevators Replaced kit underwing tanks with tanks from Hasegawa's A-37 kit Added nose light and wingtip navigation lights (CMK) Added small light to refueling probe assembly Replaced whip-antenna "bullets" on leading edge of horizontal stab with smaller, more-scale items I used Mr. Color paints for the camouflage, except for the tan (which was Hataka) Decals are a mix of kit stock, Print Scale, and a few handmade items The WIP can be found here: On to the pics! Some detail shots: The A-37s seem to have been passed from state to state, like a hot potato. Before joining the Wisconsin ANG, A/C 31062 flew with the New York ANG as evidenced by the painted-over text on the wingtip tanks: which I replicated on my model: (as an aside, Wisconsin's Dragonflies were handed down to the Pennsylvania ANG in 1981. Here's a photo of 31062 in its post-Wisconsin service: Academy's A-37 is a gem of a kit and made for a thoroughly enjoyable build and a fine addition to my Wisconsin ANG collection: Next up: the A-10A Thunderbold II (aka "Warthog"), which followed the Dragonfly in Wisconsin ANG service: Thanks for viewing, and special thanks to everyone who followed my build and offered suggestions/recommendations to help me along the way.

Academy has just reissued the Minicraft's 1/144th BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 kit under ref. 12657 Source: https://academy.co.kr/article/공지사항/1/4918/ V.P.

There's plenty of excellent nose art on American planes from WW2. In the case of the 486th BG based at RAF Sudbury (which is close enough that I'm counting it as East Anglian) there was the Zodiac series. Cpl Philip S Brinkman was a commercial artist and painted all 13 Zodiac symbols on noses https://www.americanairmuseum.com/archive/person/phillip-s-brinkman Although dispersed to other units during the passage of the war, they all survived intact- lucky charm or what?! This is the Academy edition, which I got from Model Behaviour in Long Melford (just along the road from Sudbury) for a very appropriate 24GBP. It's a lot of plastic for your money, Revell paint pot for size! More than enough interior detail supplied to keep me happy. I hope it doesn't break up in flight- the nose is connected to the main fuselage by along an oblique seam, I assume this is to allow for other variants to be produced easily, I just hope it holds together. Plus transparencies and masks.. 2 Versions included, (Model Behaviour keep decals for the whole fleet in stock) I will be building all the KIT SUPPLIED versions (Libra and Gemini) by doing one on either side.

Hello! I didn't do scale models for about one year so I picked a little one to start again. it's a 1/144 Apache from Academy built out of the box. Also quite pleased with the base as simple as it is , made from styrofoam and DAS clay.

At Nürnberg Toy fair 2013. 1/72nd Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II by Academy - ref.12507. Source: http://www.primeportal.net/models/thomas_voigt7/academy/ V.P.

Today in the Gustav Jung - from Wolfpack Design - Facebook page. It's reported as a Academy Hobby Model Kits project. 1/35th - ref. 12138 - Bell UH-1Y Venom But it's still a long way off until its release. Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=5767824333312067&set=a.136945053066718 V.P.

An early SB2C Helldiver has been on my project list for a long time. After completing the 1/72 Academy SB2C-4 kit, I decided to start a conversion of the Academy -4 kit into an SB2C-1 Mod III. This kit was pulled from my collection. I thought I'd start with the fuselage. The kit needs the following changes to backdate to the Mod III configuration: Fuselage - Add a trim tab to the rudder - Add four windows to the fixed cabin aft of the cockpit - Make the roll over structure and fuel tank visible behind the cockpit - Add pilot's headrest and armor plate behind pilot's seat - Square up the lower edge of the gunner's canopy - Remove roller tracks for the canopy on the rear fuselage - Remove window with three indents for the wind deflector on rear canopy and replace with clear styrene Closing the bomb bay doors relieved me of the work on the ordnance, painting and masking the bomb bay interior, etc. I decided not to widen the fixed cabin to remove the sway back appearance of the fuselage. The fixed cabin is narrow and short to accommodate installing the thick moveable canopy parts. Closing the canopies would allow me to avoid making any changes such as pilot's instrument panel and other details. No going crazy super detailing. The conversion started with the fuselage. Trim tab added to rudder: Portions of the fixed cabin behind the cockpit were removed and replaced with pieces of clear styrene from a CD jewel case. Details behind the pilots seat were made from styrene rod, sheet and scrap parts. Rear cockpit from the kit. Test fit in the fuselage I'm still working on how to change the wings to represent the two .50 caliber guns per wing, instead of the 20mm cannons provided in the kit. Don

Wolfpack Design is to reissue the Hobbycraft/Academy's 1/48th Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat kit - ref. WP14813 Source: http://www.wolfpack-d.com/catalog/htm/wp14813.html V.P.

Academy is to release a 1/144th Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit kit - ref. 12645 Source: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=diq99Jbec0M V.P.

F-117A Night Hawk Academy, 1/72 Hi folks, I've far too many options in the stash for this GB, but I've settled on this kit for now. Sprues: It all looks quite simple, though I will be complicating matters by building it in flight, gear up – which can sometimes be a pain with kits not designed for it. Good luck with your builds everyone

Here are some pictures of my B-24 Assembly Ship. I was especially pleased how the time taken with the masking paid off. The pattern flows across the joins between the fuselage, wings, tail planes and fins without any steps. The WIP post showing the build can be found here: Out with the sunglasses, here it is. And here the checkerboard pattern with 2 other Assembly ships I made earlier. The spotty one was First sergeant which was posted earlier here on BM. The other was an earlier build of Pete the Pom Inspector. Two sets of the HAD decal set was used on this build and the nose art decal is fantasic. It was also the last time I used Humbrol matt varnish. Both kits are from Academy. And for some contrast, here is an Olive Drab painted B-24 with the decals from Kits at War. This is the Hasegawa kit. Regards Toby

When I was young my Dad bought Roger Freeman’s book, The Mighty Eighth. In the back were some colour profiles with 2 pages of brightly marked Assembly Ships. Fast forward a lot of years and this magazine showed up at our local IPMS club meeting: Included in here were 4 1/48 builds of Assembly Ships, in most cases all hand painted with no special decals. I began to think that it was possible to build some of these colourful planes. Jumping forward some more years and I bought this wonderful book: So I got ready to build this checkerboard plane by scaling up the plans to 1/72 in the copy machine to give this starting point: Not being the owner of fancy tools to cut masks, here is my tooling set for the markings. Thats Tamiya masking sheet that comes in a 5 pack. The sheet is just big enough to cut single masking stripes for the wings: But before the checkerboard work starts, first I needed a good solid yellow to start with. My LHS has a good stock of Tamiya paints so after the main parts were assembled a primed using Tamiya’s Fine grey primer, I decanted an sprayed a new coat of Tamiya pink primer. The first try with pink primer on the wings without the grey primer but not hide the area’s of filler very well, so grey primer before pink is the learning. I have built a couplu of Academy B-24’s before and I forgot the nose section of the fuselage is a fraction thinner than the greenhouse transperency that fits on the nose. Some filler was nneded to blend the pards together but could have been avoided by shimming the 2 nose halves before glueing them together. Here’s how it looked: Tamiya spray can Chrome yellow was decated into a jam jar and then sprayed through my airbrush to give this great solid and fast drying yellow coat: More to follow soon on the chekerboard pattern. BTW, an Eduard canopy mask is a must for builing B-24’s. Regards Toby

After the F-35A (link) Academy is to release in 2020 a 1/72nd Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II kit - ref. 12569 Source: http://academy.co.kr/1aden/site/01_academy_kor/notice/2020_catalog.pdf V.P.

New 2024 release from Academy, check out my YouTube for more details.

Good day, I am just now getting around to posting this one as I completed it back in June. Here are the highlights of this kit………….. 1. Colors / paints used A. Airframe : AK Gunship Green ( AK 11150 ), AK English Grey ( AK 11020 ), Model Master Medium Green, Vallejo Olive Green wash B. Propellers & tires : Tamiya Flat Black XF-1, Tamiya Flat White XF-2, C. Exhaust stubs : Tamiya Gun Metal X-10 2. Weathered with paint, pastels, & washes This is a simple yet nicely detailed kit to construct. Fit between parts is excellent and while there is no cockpit and limited cargo bay detail, it isn`t really required to make a good replica of this famed air lifter. The kit comes with four different options as I chose the multi colored camouflage of the South Korean Air Force. The included decals are excellent and a simple decal of the cockpit windows is included. The piece is clear and the windows can be masked as an option over the decal. I enjoyed this well engineered kit from Academy and I recommend it for all skill levels. Thank you in advance. Respectfully submitted, Mike