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  1. Eastern Express from Russia was to release 1/144th Douglas DC-8 kits. As result from the war going on this project is now taken over by the Ukrainian Eastern Express subcontractor X-Scale Models. Source: http://www.pas-decals.ru/forum/novosti/1078-novinki-vostochnyj-ekspress?start=621#39553 Box art Source: http://www.pas-decals.ru/forum/novosti/1078-novinki-vostochnyj-ekspress?start=810#42073 3D renders V.P.
  2. SBD-5 Dauntless (03869) 1:48 Carrera Revell The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a Dive Bomber and Scout aircraft developed for the US Navy. The SBD standing for “Scout Bomber Douglas”. Design work on the aircraft was started as early as 1935 by the Northrop Corporation under the designation BT-1. Northrop was taken over by Douglas in 1937, and the design was modified to become the BT-2. This was eventually ordered by both the US Navy and Marine Corps and entered into service in time for America’s entry into WWII. The original SBD-1, and later SBD-2 (with increased range and different armament) were the first two types deployed. The USMC getting the -1 in late 1940, and the USN receiving the -2 in early 1941. One of the main features of the aircraft were the split flaps, more commonly referred to as Dive Brakes which were designed to stop tail buffeting in dives. The SBD-3 was to follow in 1941 which had increased armour, self-sealing fuel tanks, and four machine guns. The SDB-5 followed and was to become the most produced variant with almost 3000 built. This aircraft had a 1,200hp engine, and flew with increased ammunition capacity. The Royal Navy and FAA evaluated the SBD-5 but were not overly impressed, so decided not to take it on. The -5 was superseded by the -6 with another more powerful engine, and a further 450 were built before production of the type ended. As well as use by the USMC & USN the SBD-5 would be used by the Royal New Zealand Navy, and the French who used them against the Germans in Western France in early 1945, then later in Indochina in 1947. The US Army would use the same basic airframe as the A-24 Banshee, and the later A-24B was equivalent to the SBD-5, but with the arrestor gear removed. The A-24s survived to be incorporated into the new USAF inventory where they would become F-24s under the new nomenclature, with the last of them scrapped at the beginning of the 50s. The Kit This is a reboxing of the Accurate Miniatures kit that has been seen in many boxes over the years, including Italeri and Revell. This latest boxing is available now, and reminds us just how well the toolings of Accurate Miniatures have stood up to the tests of time since its initial release in 1997. It is a well-detailed kit with recessed panel lines, subtle details throughout and very little in the way of flash, indicating that the moulds haven’t suffered from their frequent use over the years. The kit arrives in Revell’s usual end-opening box, and inside are six sprues in a pale blueish grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet and instruction booklet in colour with colour profiles on the rear pages. Construction begins with the interior, detailing the sidewalls of the fuselage with separate parts, adding the rear cockpit bulkhead, then creating the rear gun mount. The cockpit floor has a short spar moulded into the underside, which is joined by the clear main instrument panel with three decals supplied, the pilot’s bulkhead and seat that has decal belts, a single radio gear assembly, and an insert that fits between the crew positions. These are all painted up and fitted into the relevant slots in the starboard fuselage, and then locked in position by the port side without fitting the floor yet, as it has some additional work still required. Braces, control lines and floor mounted controls are added along with a pair of rudder pedals, then the floor assembly is inserted into the fuselage from below with the spars projecting through the slots in the wing roots. The lower wings are full width, and have a clear landing light inserted into the hole in the starboard side, and two holes need drilling on either wing to accept the bomb pylons later. The lower wings are offered up under the fuselage and once glued they are joined by the upper wings and the elevators at the rear, which are two parts each and have the flying surfaces moulded-in. The dive brakes on the main planes are fitted later on. Preparation of the front of the fuselage involves building up the gun trough insert with a pair of machine guns inside, and the 9-cylinder Wright R-1820-60 Cyclone engine, which is moulded as a single part to which the bell housing and wiring loom are added, and the magneto is glued to the top of the housing. The gun troughs and the tapered fuselage cowlings are glued to the main fuselage with another part underneath, then the painted engine is mounted on the keyed circular recess, with the cowling and the forward section of the gun insert assembled round it. The main gear is built next, with a choice or weighted or un-weighted tyres, which have separate hubs on each side, and attach to the axles on the struts that have a captive bay door added at an angle, which is shown in a scrap diagram to assist you, with the wheels outermost. An aerodynamic cowling around the centreline bomb is slotted into the underside, and you have a choice to depict the three-section dive brakes in deployed or stowed position, using either just the single central perforated section or adding the hinges, plus the upper and lower section of the two outboard brakes fitted flush with the wing surfaces, or installing them open by the use of delicate hinge parts that allow them to be posed partially deployed or fully open during a hard dive. The cockpit is completed by the addition of a number of small parts around the pilot’s station and the twin machine guns aft of the gunner’s seat, which are a single part on a separate mount and a small armour shield. The canopy is then installed, with more choice of parts and locations. The windscreen is the constant, while separate sections are sleeved inside the fixed section between the seats for a fully open configuration. If you’re closing the canopy over, there is a full-length part that butts up to the windscreen, which seems to require the gun mount to be removed, but it’s not made entirely clear. The three-bladed prop is a single part that slots into the bell-housing of the engine, and an exhaust stub slots into a gap in the cowling, with another on the other side. It’s bits and bobs time now, with pitot probe under the port wing and a TV-style radar antenna under both wings, plus another aerial pole just forward of the cockpit. The Dauntless is a bomber, and these are last to be made up, with the three-part centre bomb first with a pair of stencils, then the two-part ancillary bombs on their own pylons for attachment to the wings. The main bomb is fitted with an A-frame “trapeze” launcher that throws it away from the aircraft’s underside, and the final act is to add the arrestor hook that comes in handy, keeping the crew dry on their return to the carrier. Markings There are three decal options included on the sheet, and they are all painted in a variation of the three-tone US Navy scheme of WWII. From the box you can build one of the following: VB-16, USS Lexington (CV-16), August 1943 VB-16, USS Lexington, New Guinea, April 1944 VB-5 USS Yorktown (CV-10), Truk, February 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s nice to see the Dauntless in 1:48 back again, which brings back fond memories of building the old Matchbox kit as a kid. This one’s a bit smaller and more detailed, and should build into a handsome model with some really nice decals. Highly recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  3. Hobartville Hobbies has just released a limited edition 1/72nd Douglas Dolphin 3D printed kit - ref. HHK-72008 Source: https://www.hobartvillehobbies.com.au/?item=24#2 V.P.
  4. A-20G Havoc Low Altitude Raider (SH72478) 1:72 Special Hobby The A-20 Havoc, better known to those with an interest in the Royal Air Force as the Boston, was a light bomber developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company of Long Beach, California to a US Air Force specification issued in 1937. The aircraft’s initial customer was the French Air Force, who had been impressed by its performance whilst visiting the USA as part of a pre-war purchasing commission. The order was not able to be delivered to the French however, as by that time they were overrun and the armistice had been signed in 1940, so the contract was taken up by the RAF instead, who needed every aircraft they could lay their hands on. In RAF service it was known by the name Boston, and by the service code DB-7, with no fewer than 24 British and Commonwealth squadrons operating the Boston, either as a light bomber or night fighter such as the Havoc I Turbinlite, which was fitted with a powerful searchlight in the nose. The A-20 was also widely used by the USAAF after being met with initial indifference, and by the end of the war, almost 7,500 of the type had rolled off the production lines. By the time the A-20G began production in 1943 the glazed nose had been replaced by a solid nose that carried a gun-pack, initially with four 20mm cannons plus two .50cal machine guns set slightly back under the nose, although they reverted to six .50cals later, due to the inaccuracy of the cannons. The rest of the armament was standardised with .50cal guns in the newly powered top turret and the ventral turret, the former requiring the widening of the fuselage to accommodate its bulk. The engines were upgraded to more powerful variants of Wright R-2600 Twin Cyclone engines, and became the most numerous variant, serving in US, British and Soviet Air Forces amongst other operators, replaced by the H and J variants with more powerful engines amongst other improvements. The Kit This is a reboxing with additional parts of a kit that was first released in 2007, although it doesn’t seem to have been affected by time one iota. The kit arrives in a modest red-white-grey themed top-opening box, and inside are four sprues of grey styrene in a resealable clear plastic bag, plus a clear sprue in its own bag, a decal sheet that is separately bagged with a sheet of paper to keep moisture at bay. The instruction booklet is printed on glossy paper in colour with a portrait A5 format, and colour profiles in the rear to assist with painting and decaling. Detail is good, extending to all the usual places, and including fine engraved panel lines, internal details inside the fuselage and gear bays, as well as the rendition of the individual cylinders of the twin Pratt & Whitney engines. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with a stepped floor, onto which the front bulkhead, instrument panel with decal, nose gear bay, pilot seat, control column and rudder pedals are fitted, the gear bay located on the underside of the floor. The upper turret is built on a detailed ring, adding a pair of guns into slots, then covering the assembly with a clear domed glazing, with the option of leaving the guns mobile if you don’t glue the pivots. This permits closure of the fuselage halves, fitting detail inserts each side of the cockpit, being careful to remove a tiny triangle of raised styrene from the starboard insert to improve fit. The upper turret and a clear window are added to the top of the fuselage during closure, adding a pair of oval windows on the sides, and shaving off an antenna over the wing root for accuracy. The wings are built next, comprising top and bottom halves, plus an insert on the top surface, and landing lights underneath. The engine nacelles are then made from halves, and have bulkheads at each end of the gear bay, plus an insert that details an intake on the side of the nacelle, all of which is painted in green primer before being set aside to build the elevators from two halves each. The next step sees the wings, elevators and a two-part nose with 20g of nose weight added inside, bearing in mind that this aircraft was an early adopter of tricycle landing gear, the bane of forgetful modellers everywhere! There’s plenty of room, and nothing will be seen of the area once completed, so a little more won’t hurt. The engine nacelles can’t be installed until the engines and their cowlings are completed, which starts with the twin banks of pistons, which have cooling vanes moulded-in, and a separate bell-housing in the centre, mating to a bulkhead in the rear, then they are slipped into the one-part cowling, one for each side of the aircraft. The landing gear is built before the nacelles are installed, and the nose wheel is first, the strut having a separate scissor-link and moulded-in yoke that accepts the two-part wheel, with retraction jack heading aft into the bay. The main gear is built with a box-like frame that is made from several parts with the main strut central, leaving the wheels off until after the nacelle is fitted. Once the bay roof and the gear assembly is complete, the nacelles are lowered carefully over the struts, and are joined at the front by the engine and cowling assembly. The main wheels are each two parts, and they can be glued onto the axles at this stage, along with the bay doors that run along both sides of all the bays under the aircraft. Putting the model on its wheels for the first time, the canopy and its long top-opening section are glued over the cockpit, the props are inserted into the front of the engines, and the nose cone with six .50cal barrels protruding from the holes moulded into it. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet that is included in the box, both of which are predominantly olive drab over neutral grey, but having some brighter green splodges here and there. From the box you can build one of the following: A-20G-25 Havoc, 43-9105 J, ‘Sweet Li’l Kitten’, 312th BG, 388th BS, USAAF, Gusap, New Guinea, Summer 1944 A-20G-45-DO Boston, 43-22148, A-28-78/DU-R, No.22 Sqn., RAAF Morotai, Podzim, 1944 <ul style="list-style-type:upper-alpha"> The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion The Havoc/Boston is one of the many aircraft that served without the fanfare of the Lancaster, Spitfire or Mustang, but it served valiantly thanks to its crew, and this is a good model of the type. It’s mean and green, with a forest of guns in the nose. These things appeal to me, how about you? Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  5. DB-8A/3N ‘Outnumbered and Fearless’ (SH72465) 1:72 Special Hobby Designed and developed by Northrop as the A-17, the aircraft was a ground-attack type that initially had fixed gear, but was later given more modern retractable undercarriage to improve aerodynamics. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engine, it had a crew of two and could carry up to a ton of bombs in a small vertical bomb bay, and on a pair of racks under the centre wing section. They were built in small numbers for various customers, with fewer than 400 made in total, the US Army Air Corps. taking delivery of the initial batch, and a number of foreign operators including the French, although their airframes were diverted to other customers after the fall of France. By this time Northrop had been taken over by Douglas, hence the D at the beginning of the aircraft’s designation. The Netherlands took delivery of eighteen airframes that were designated DB-8A/3N with a more powerful 1,100hp R-1830 engine, but the British assessment of the type as “obsolete” was pretty much on the mark. In Dutch service they were pressed into service as a fighter aircraft despite being poorly suited to that role, but in the absence of better options, the pilots were forced to make the best of it, fighting bravely against the Nazi invaders. When the invasion began, a squadron were on duty, and all but one managed to get off the ground to face the enemy. Most of them were shot down by the more agile Bf.110s and Bf.109s, although they did manage to shoot down a few transport aircraft of the enemy before a few returned to base, where the remaining aircraft were rendered unusable by further attacks by the enemy. Their numbers were effectively reduced to zero by the end of the first day, with the Netherlands being completely over-run a few days later, on the 14th of May 1940. The Germans took an airworthy airframe, probably from the stored aircraft, repainted it with German markings and assessed it after transporting it back to their homeland. The very last A-17 was struck off charge in the US in 1945, after a short career as a coastal patrol hack. The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit from the Special Hobby stable from the early 2000s, as is evidenced by the shiny surface area of the external parts, and time has been kind to the moulds, with little in the way of flash, and two pairs of fuselage halves, engines and cowlings showing that there have been other versions in previous boxings, although the fixed, spatted wheels of the initial A-17A aren’t present. The kit arrives in a top-opening, blue/white/grey themed box, and inside are two sprues of grey styrene, a clear sprue in a separate Ziploc bag, a large resin belly insert in another Ziploc bag, the decals and Photo-Etch (PE) in a re-sealable clear foil bag, and the instruction booklet, printed in colour on glossy paper in portrait A5 format, stapled down the spine. The sprue diagrams on the inner front cover have red Xs on parts that aren’t used in this boxing, although the two fuselage halves aren’t even present on the diagram, possibly due to a lack of space on the page. Construction begins with the cockpit, starting with the seat, which has an inverted-U support added to the rear, and PE seatbelts over the pilot’s lap. The front cockpit is separated from the rear, and this flat rectangular part has a rear bulkhead, control column and a small instrument package on the floor in front of it. The rear cockpit consists of a tapering floor, and a trough in the rear of the area with half bulkhead and a rack of boxes fitted to the front. This and another box are inserted into the rear cockpit and are joined by the rear gun on a semi-circular pivot, showing the correct orientation that includes the instrument panel with decal at the front, all from the side with arrows showing their part numbers. The gunner’s seat also has a pair of lap belts, and it is dropped into position in the rear, separated from the pilot by a curved cowling, which is installed as the fuselage halves are joined together, creating two separate openings for the crew. Once the glue has cured and the seams are dealt with, the centre section of the lower wing with its smoothly dished wheel bays and perforated dive flaps moulded-in. The open space between these features is covered over with the resin insert that depicts the bomb racks and aerodynamic fairing that extends around the rear of the gear bay cut-outs. The upper wings are full-span, and fix to the visible portion of the centre lower section, and are completed by the outer lower panel, giving a strong, overlapping joint to the wings. The elevators however, are butt-joints and would benefit from being pinned in position with some brass rod, which should be relatively easy because each elevator is a single part. A small square insert slots into the leading edges of the root once the glue has cured. The engine is next to be installed, having been built up earlier in the instructions. The Twin Wasp engine is moulded as a single, well-detailed part that depicts the front of the engine, and is trapped on a ledge in between the two cowling halves after painting the interior aluminium. It plugs directly into the tapered flat front of the fuselage, and has an intake added to the top of the cowling as it rolls down toward the lip. The canopy is a single part, and is glued over the two crew stations and the separating fairing, adding a tubular gun sight on the deck in front of the cockpit, and a tall aerial is later fixed to the centre of the canopy. Under the fuselage, two exhaust stacks project from the cowling sides, and an intake is added into the gap between the gear bays. Further back, the bomb racks each have eight triangular shackles fitted into shallow grooves in the resin, then it is time to build the landing gear. The main struts are inserted into holes in the outer end of the bays, and the two-part wheels are fitted to the short axles perpendicular to the strut, while the tail wheel is attached to the yoke in the rear, with a single wheel part slotting onto the axle. While the model is inverted, the clear window and fairing under the gunner’s area is attached to the fuselage, leaving the centre section clear, but it would be sensible to paint the interior with the blackest black you have to hide the fact that the window goes nowhere. The last job is to fit the three-blade prop that is moulded as one part, with the optional spinner that is used on three of the four decal options, the four gun barrels in the leading edge of both wings, and the pitot probe in the port wingtip. A tiny part is also fitted to the starboard fuselage side behind the engine cowling. A rigging diagram shows three wires in total, two of which lead to the wings just in front of the ailerons, and a third that leads from the starboard wire to the base of the aerial mast, leading back to the radio in the cockpit. Markings There are four options on the decal sheet, three in service of the Dutch Air Force, one in captivity following the fall of the Netherlands. From the box you can build one of the following: No.390 (C/N 540), 3_V-2 Luchtvaart Regiment, Militaire Luchtvaart, 1940, responsible for shooting down two Ju-52 transports before being shot down. No.382 (C/N 532), 3-V-2 Luchtvaart Regiment, Militaire Luchtvaart, 1939 No.382 (C/N 532), 3-V-2 Luchtvaart Regiment, Militaire Luchtvaart, 1940, responsible for shooting down a Ju-52 transport before being shot down. KK+UI ex-No.394 (C/N 544) Captured by the Nazis & tested at Erprobungsstelle Reichlin, Germany in June 1940. The Orange Triangles with black outlines were painted after delivery to indicate that the Dutch machines were neutral, as the original roundels that were applied by Douglas at the factory could have been mistaken for British or French roundels. Not that the Nazis cared in the end. The decals appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion Not a well-known aircraft type, but this boxing pays homage to the brave Dutch pilots that took to the air knowing they were both outnumbered and flying an out-dated machine, probably to their doom. Outnumbered and Fearless sums it up well. Detail is good, and the application of some modelling skill should result in an attractive replica of this aircraft. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  6. In an effort to improve their aircraft collection, the MNA's most recent restoration effort has focused on the combat battered Douglas A-4C Skyhawk. The below photo, pre-restoration, was taken by me in 2021. The camouflage here appears to be off-white/light grey and the green version of olive drab. Coded C-322, the aircraft was assigned to the IVth Air Brigade in 1976, and assigned to the Vth Air Brigade in 1983. AMILARG shows no record of this aircraft participating in the South Atlantic War of 1982. This photo was taken from the MNA's Facebook page. Unlike C-322, the restored aircraft will carry full 1982 ID bands. The camouflage was also changed to off-white/light grey with the brown version of olive drab. The aircraft is still storaged. I'll post a photo showing the finished restoration once it's published in the MNA's Facebook page.
  7. Lone Star Models is to release a 1/48th Douglas (N.A.) O-47 resin kit in 2016 2018 2022 2023 - ref.?? Source: http://www.lonestarmodels.com/completekits.html V.P.
  8. Hello guys, In this thread I'll be posting all the 3D printed models I'll be building. 3D printing is still a young branch in the hobby world. There aren't many threads dedicated to this style of modelling on BM. As a way to introduce the thread, here are three models I assembled and painted. The first one is an A-4B in 1:72. The aircraft is marked as C-207. This model was gifted to my therapist as a way to thank her for everything she did for me. These two are I.A.e 33 Pulqui 2s in 1:48 scale. The first one was painted in a scheme which doesn't follow any conventional rules. I just wanted to see how it looked with some coats of paint. The second Pulqui 2 was painted in the more realistic scheme of the F-86F-40 Sabres Argentina used till the 70s. Anyway, I hope to see you guys comment on this thread. Next aircraft will most likely be a 1:48 Mirage V "Dagger" as C-408 in the "last flight of the Mirage" in Argentina.
  9. ’Jig Dog’ JD-1D Invader with KDA-1 Drone (48289) 1:48 ICM via Hannants Ltd The good old B-26 Marau… hang on. The A-26 Invader? Wait, erm... B-26 Invader. That's it, as long as it's after 1948 as that's when it was re-designated as the B-26 by the US Air Force to confuse us, and later on back to the A-26 just to complete my befuddlement. It was developed a little after the Marauder and despite using the same engines it was designed totally separately from its tubular colleague. It was designed to replace the A-20 Havoc, but it was initially less than popular in the Pacific theatre where its poor cockpit visibility due to the canopy and engine position rendered it unloved by the first users. It was more popular in the European theatre and was accepted as replacement for the Havoc fairly quickly. Two types were designed, The C with a glass bomber nose and the B with a full metal nose filled with either 6 or 8 .50cal machine guns, which coupled with the three in each wing gave it quite a punch, deserving of the Strafer title. It also had a pair of turrets on the fuselage mid-upper and dorsal positions, which were both operated by a single gunner using a complex remote mechanism that flipped between the upper and lower turrets depending on where the gunner was looking through his binocular sights. This trained the guns accordingly and also calculated the correct offset for parallax and lead, but was very complex and caused some delays to it entering service, and even more issues with maintenance in the field. After the war it served in Korea, early Vietnam engagements and other conflicts, ending its days in US service with the Air National Guard in the early 70s. It continued in civilian service as a fire bomber and in other roles, such as actor in the film Always with Richard Dreyfuss playing its brave but ill-fated pilot. The US Navy would also use the Invader originally designating it JD-1, giving rise to the nickname Jig Dog. They were used for secondary roles such as target towing, and drone carriers. The drone carriers had blown clear nose cones and were usually painted in garish schemes to ensure they weren’t blasted instead of the drones. They were usually called ‘Jig Dog’ by servicemen, later officially changing to DB-26Js because, why not? The Kit This is a reboxing of a new tooling from ICM, with extra parts for the US Navy version and a Firebee Drone for under one wing and a fuel tank under the other to balance things out. The kit arrives in the familiar top opening box with a captive inner lid on the lower tray, and inside are twelve sprues in grey styrene, two in clear, a decal sheet and the instruction booklet. A quick look over the sprues reveals that panel lines are very crisp, narrow and restrained, the surface is matt and very neat-looking, with plenty of engraved and raised details on the parts, plus subtly indented flying surfaces mimicking their fabric covering. Construction begins with the cockpit, creating the pilot's seat, instrument panel (with instrument decals) with built-in door to the nose, centre console with throttle quadrant before adding those and the single control column to the floor. The aft compartment is built up around the front wing spar with a set of radio gear hanging from a pair of risers. The port fuselage half is detailed with some side console and panel parts, nose gear bay sides, forward spar with radio gear, rear spar in the centre of the bomb bay, sloped aft bulkhead and another frame behind that, followed by the cockpit floor, so you'll have to do some detail painting as you go. After this the starboard fuselage side is prepped, along with an internal detail panel and nose gear bay side, and a hatch that does a credible impression of a toilet lid. Here's where a little cautionary note about sink-marks on the exterior of my sample needs mentioning. The right side of the cockpit and bomb bay with its detailed ribbing has caused the shallowest of sink-marks on the exterior, which would be best dealt with using a little filler before you get busy building. You could have dismissed it as oil-canning of the skin if it were consistent, and on both sides, but as it isn't you'll need to decide whether you're going to fix it. Happily, the majority of it is in areas that are open enough to allow easy sanding back of filler, so it shouldn't slow you down very much. I'll be using some Tamiya Basic on mine in due course and have no doubt it will be just fine. With that and a quantity of detail painting you can then slide the starboard fuselage over the two spars, and it would be a good idea when fitting those spar parts to let them set up with the starboard fuselage taped in place to ensure they make the correct angle when they're set in place permanently. The instructions then have you building up the tail feathers, with the elevators having separate single-part flying surfaces, plus a two-piece rudder to attach to the moulded-in tail fin. The nose for this version is made up from two halves plus the floor, after which the internal equipment is added and the glass nose is then fixed over the front. A partial bulkhead is fixed between the nose section and the fuselage with a small hatchway for the crew to access the nose, then the nose assembly can then be glued to the fuselage. The wings are next, and the lower parts have a smattering of flashed-over holes ready to drill out for bombs, gun-pods or drop tanks, plus three cartridge ejection chutes to be cut out for the wing mounted .50cals. You’ll also need to open up the holes for mounting the mounting gear for the tank and the drone, which are marked out on a plan diagram of the wings, in relation to the notch in the leading edge that usually accepts the wing gun insert. The faces of the in-line radiator baths are added to the lower wings and then it's already time to bring the halves together. You'll notice that there are fairings and a hump in the upper wing where the engine nacelles will be, and these are separate assemblies to be built up later. First, the separate two-section flaps and the ailerons are prepared and added to the trailing edge of the wings, the latter being of one piece each and slotting into wing via two tabs. The tip lights and underwing landing lights are added from clear parts, and a small insert is glued into the wing that blanks over the wing gun ports. At this stage the instructions have you sliding the wings onto the spars and gluing them in place. Whether you'd rather wait until you've added the engine nacelles though is entirely up to you though. There are of course two engine nacelles and these build up pretty much identically apart from their outer skins, which are handed to fit their respective fairings as you'd expect. They are split vertically, and each half has internal structure moulded-in, with bulkheads added fore and aft of the gear bays, coupled with bay lip inserts that bulk out the edges and also hold captive their bay door. This may require some clever masking and a little care during handling, but it shouldn't hold you back too much, as the hinge-points are relatively robust. The two halves are joined together, the prominent intake on the top of the nacelle is made up from two parts, then is added to the nacelle front which is in turn glued to the rest of the nacelle, with the completed assemblies attached to the wings from the underside, as yet without their engine cowlings or props. The engines are added later in the build, and the Twin Wasps are depicted in their entirety with both banks of pistons, push-rods, ancillaries and reduction housing at the front, plus the collector ring and exhausts at the rear, the latter made up from eight parts each. So that they are fitted correctly and mesh properly with the nacelles, they are attached using a jig that is discarded later, so remember not to glue it in! Again, the engines are identical and interchangeable with each other, and they fit to the nacelles with a teardrop-shaped tab, after which the engine cowling is slotted over them. The cooling flaps are last to be added in four sets around the rear of the cowling. The top of the fuselage is still open at this point, as it has an insert to be fitted which encloses where the turret was, and the gunner's compartment is added along with the new glass area for the top that is made from three sections that are assembled on a disposable styrene template. The canopy is glued over the cockpit, and at the rear an insert is fixed under the very rear of the fuselage with the tail light provided in clear. Attention turns to the landing gear, which is of the tricycle variety as became the fashion in late war. Each of the three tyres are made from two halves with separate hubs applied from either side, then hung on their respective legs, which have retraction jacks and scissor links added along the way. The main airframe is ostensibly complete save for some antennae and the props, and if you've been sparing with the glue when assembling the engines, the latter should still spin once complete. Two pylons under the wings a single part to close the bomb bay tidy up the underside, then a pair of mounts are made up from three parts each and inserted into the additional holes under the wings that are level with the landing lights, and fix on V-shaped legs. The fuel tank is of two parts, and can be fitted under the wing on the unused mount, the other being used to carry the drone. KDA-1 Firebee Drone This part of the kit has been available separately for a while, but is now offered integrated to its carrier. All the parts are found on one sprue, and work starts around the engine trunking with an intake fan on a bulkhead and exhaust fan toward the rear. A bulbous bullet is inserted in front of the intake, and the two fuselage halves close up around the subassembly to be joined by the swept-back wings and tail, with the top covered over by a tapering insert, and the tip fairings made from two halves each then inserted over the wing tips. A pair of chevron vertical tips slot onto the elevators, and the assembly is completed by adding the rudder to a slot near the aft of the fuselage. It is painted garishly so that it shows up in the air, as shown on the main painting drawings. Markings In this boxing there are two options of drone controllers in Gloss Sea Blue with yellow wings & tail, along with orange stripes. From the box you can build one of the following: JD-1D 89075, Utility Sqn. VU-3, US Nav, 1950s JD-1D 140356 US Navy, China Lake 1958 The decals are printed by ICM’s usual partners, and consist of all the necessary markings plus, stencils and a few other small decals, with good register, sharpness and solid colours. Conclusion Any boxing of this model should make a fair few people happy, and consign a lot of old Monogram kits to deep stash or eBay, if they’re not there already. Detail is excellent and made so much nicer by the matt surface, and there's a fair proportion of the interior included for what has become a popular kit and the de facto standard in 1:48. Smear a little filler into those light sink-marks before you get started, and no-one will know they're there. Another great Invader from ICM. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  10. A-1J Skyraider Update Sets (for Tamiya) 1:48 Eduard Another older kit from the Tamiya gets the modern Eduard treatment. The 1:48 Skyraider from Tamiya is another of their kits that were awesome when they were first released, and are still pretty good almost 25 years later. We’ve got new technologies to improve these kits with now, and Eduard are renowned for grabbing those technologies with both hands to improve our models. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE), Löök and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. The resin sets arrive in the new shallow Brassin cardboard box, with the resin parts safely cocooned in bags, and the instructions folded around acting as padding. Brassin Wheels (648761) Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set includes three resin wheels, a 3D printed tail-wheel strut and a sheet of pre-cut kabuki-style yellow masking tape that allows you to cut the demarcation between tyres and hubs sharply and with little effort. Once the parts have been liberated from their casting and printing bases, they are drop-in replacements for the kit parts, with massively improved detail, especially around the tyre sidewalls, tread detail, and the brake housings on the rear of the hubs. Each wheel also has an element of sag engineered into the tyre that is suitable to an operational aircraft, without looking like it’s got a slow puncture. The rear strut for the tail wheel is removed from its printing base with nippers, a sharp blade or saw, and provides exceptional detail over and above what’s possible with injection styrene. Löök Pre-Painted Resin Set (644165) This set contains a combination of pre-printed resin and PE parts to quickly and efficiently detail up your cockpit. There is a single resin part to replace the kit instrument panel in front of the pilot, with highly effective gloss varnish simulating the glass covering painted over the dials for you on black resin. Additionally, the PE set contains the four-point belts for the pilot, complete with pale grey comfort pads that protect the pilot from the buckles. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1291) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. It includes a set of four-point belts for the pilot, complete with pale grey comfort pads that protect the pilot from the abrasion of the buckles during operations. You might have noticed they’re identical to the Löök set above, so bear that in mind if you’re planning on opening your wallet for multiple sets. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  11. B-26K Counter Invader – Early (48278) 1:48 ICM via Hannants Ltd. The A-26 was built by Douglas during WWII as the successor to the A-20 Havoc. Two types were designed, The C with a glass bomber nose and the B with a full metal nose filled with either 6 or 8 .50cal machine guns, which coupled with the three in each wing gave it quite a punch, deserving of the Strafer title. It also had a pair of turrets on the fuselage mid-upper and dorsal positions, which were both operated by a single gunner using a complex remote mechanism that flipped between the upper and lower turrets depending on where the gunner was looking through his binocular sights. This trained the guns accordingly and also calculated the correct offset for parallax and lead, but was very complex and caused some delays to it entering service, and even more issues with maintenance in the field. In 1948 it was re-designated as the B-26 by the US Air Force to confuse us, and later on back to the A-26 just to complete the process of befuddlement. It was developed a little after the Marauder and despite using the same engines it was conceived totally separately from its more rotund colleague. It was initially less than popular in the Pacific theatre where its poor cockpit view due to the canopy and engine proximity rendered it unloved by the first users. It was more popular in the European theatre and was accepted as a replacement for the Havoc fairly quickly. After WWII it served in Korea, early Vietnam engagements and other conflicts, ending its days in US service with the Air National Guard in the early 70s. In the mid-1950s some Aircraft were converted to the Drone controller role with the DC prefix to launch Ryan Firebee drones in support of combat training. In a late twist the B-26 would be brought back in the 60s for the Vietnam War because it could still hold its own in combat. The aircraft externally still looked very much like the WWII airframes, but the turrets were removed in favour of fixed forward firing guns and four hard points were fitted to each wing, allowing the carrying of 8,000lbs of ordnance. The wings of these aircraft were rebuilt and strengthened, the rudder was enlarged, and permanent tip tanks (65 US Gal each) were added to the main wings. Anti-icing was added to the airframe to cope with cold weather and higher altitudes, and a new anti-skid braking system was also added. In the cockpit the dials and displays were updated and a secondary control yoke was added to allow piloting from either seat. New 2,500hp engines were installed inside the existing nacelles, along with cuffed broad chord props to cope with the enhanced power delivery. The USAF ordered 40 of the "new" aircraft which were known as Nimrods locally to their crews. As well as combat operations in South east Asia some aircraft flew on secretly with the CIA in the Congo, wearing deceptive camouflage. The last aircraft were finally retired by 1969 when AC-130 gunships took over their night interdiction role. Only 6 of the type survive, with "Special Kay" having been restored to Flight as a memorial to crews who fought the covert missions in South East Asia. The Kit This is a new variant from the recent tooling from ICM, and this is the third boxing of the Counter Invader, in its secret role. While you get many parts from the original Invader boxings, this edition features a new fuselage and wing sprues, a new rudder, new engine nacelles, a pylon sprue, and weapons sprues ICM previously released as a stand-alone US Armament set. It arrives in the familiar top opening box with dramatic artwork of an Invader swooping low over the jungle, and the usual captive inner lid on the lower tray. Inside the box are a healthy fourteen sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, three decal sheets and the instruction booklet. A quick look over the sprues reveals that panel lines are very crisp, narrow and restrained, the surface is matt and very neat-looking, with plenty of engraved and raised details on the parts, plus subtly indented flying surfaces simulating their fabric covering. There are a number of red blocks printed over the sprue map, which shows how many of the parts will be left on the sprues once you have completed construction, such as original wings, props, cowlings and one of the canopies. If you’re a bit ham-fisted and plan on building many Invaders, you could well find these come in useful down the line. Construction begins with the internal bomb load, which is then placed within the port fuselage half along with some detail panels and bulkheads. The former gunner’s position and the cockpit are next, creating the pilot's seat, instrument panel (with instrument decals), centre console with throttle quadrant before adding those and the twin control columns to the floor. The aft compartment is built up around the front wing spar with a set of radio gear hanging from a pair of risers and a pair of wing spars, so you'll have to do some detail painting as you go. After this the starboard fuselage side is prepped, with the right side of the cockpit and bomb bay with its detailed ribbing. With that and a quantity of detail painting you can then slide the starboard fuselage over the two spars, and it would be a good idea when fitting those spar parts to let the glue set up with the starboard fuselage taped in place to ensure they make the correct angle when they're set in place permanently. The instructions then have you building up the tail feathers, with the elevators having separate single-part flying surfaces, plus a two-piece rudder to attach to the moulded-in tail fin. The gun-nose comprising the fixed lower and rear section of the nose are built up out of three parts, making space for the 40g of nose weight you are encouraged to fit before you add the single cowling panel that covers the gun bay, with a pair of four-barrel gun-inserts added through the holes to depict the tips of the .50cals. You'll need to drill out the muzzles yourself, or take the lazy way out and get a set of Master barrels for ultimate luxury and detail. The nose section is a straight-forward butt joint to the fuselage, with a small half-moon cut-out that should help align it. The new wings are next with a small radiator intake prism moulded-in to which you add a backing radiator panel, and the lower parts have holes and long depressions ready for the four pylons per wing. You'll notice that there are fairings and a hump in the upper wing where the engine nacelles will be, and these are separate assemblies to be built up later. Firstly, the separate two-section flaps, and the ailerons are prepared and added to the trailing edge of the wings, the latter being of one piece each and slotting into the wing via two tabs. The tip tanks are made of two halves and are glued in place, and underwing landing lights are added from clear parts. At this stage the instructions have you sliding the wings onto the spars and gluing them in place. Whether you'd rather wait until you've added the engine nacelles though is entirely up to you. It’s your model! There are of course two engine nacelles and these build up pretty much identically apart from their outer skins, which are handed to fit their respective fairings as you'd expect. They are split vertically, and each half has internal structure moulded-in, with bulkheads added fore and aft of the gear bays, coupled with bay lip inserts that bulk out the edges and also hold captive their bay door. This may require some clever masking and a little care during handling, but it shouldn't hold you up too much, as the hinge-points are relatively robust. The two halves are joined together, the prominent intake on the top of the nacelle is made up from two parts, then is added to the nacelle front which is in turn glued to the rest of the nacelle, with the completed assemblies attached to the wings from the underside, as yet without their engine cowlings, engines or props. The engines are added later in the build, and the Twin Wasps are depicted in their entirety with both banks of pistons, push-rods, ancillaries and reduction housing at the front, plus the collector ring and exhausts at the rear, the latter made up from eight parts each. Again, the engines are identical and interchangeable with each other, and they fit to the nacelles with a teardrop-shaped tab, after which the engine cowling is slotted over them. The cooling flaps are last to be added in four sets around the rear of the cowling. The top of the fuselage is still open at this point, as it has an insert with the faired over section where the top turret used to be, with another for the former dorsal turret fitted later on. Each of the three tyres are made from two halves with separate hubs applied from either side, then hung on their respective legs, which have retraction jacks and scissor links added along the way. Happily, these can be fitted late in the build, so the open bays can be masked quicker than if they were present. Speaking of bays, you can depict the bomb bay open or closed by using either a one-piece door for closed, or two separate doors with internal detail for open. This is nice to see, as it's always a little tricky to join two doors and get them aligned with the fuselage so there are minimal join-lines. The main airframe is ostensibly complete save for some antennae and the new broad-blade props, and if you've been cautious with the glue when assembling the engines, the latter should still spin once complete. The four pylons per wing are each made from two parts, and should have some 0.8mm holes drilled in their lower surface for later use, then you need to make a choice what to put on the pylons, with the help of a load-out diagram provided, or from your own references. US Aviation Armament (48406) As well as the internal bomb load, there are four sprues containing various munitions, as follows: 2 x LAU-10A Pods of 5" Rockets 2 x LAU-69 Pods of 2.75" Rockets 2 x LAU-68 Pods of 2.75" Rockets 2 x BLU-23 500LB Fire bombs (Can be made with or without the fins) 2 x BLU-27 750LB Fire Bombs (Can be made with or without the fins) 2 x Mk.77 750LB Incendiary Bombs 2 x SUU-14 Dispensers 2 x Mk.81 Snakeye Bombs* 2 x MK.81 Low Drag Bombs* 2 x Mk.82 Snakeye Bombs* 2 x Mk.82 Low Drag Bombs* *All of the above bombs can be fitted with Fuse extenders Markings There are four options available on the decal sheet, all of which wear the same green top colour, despite my scanner’s best efforts to convince you otherwise. There are a number of markings variations that were applied to some of the options at some point in their tenure, the details of which are given in boxed-in scrap diagrams, and each option has additional aerial wires that you will need to make from your own supplies. From the box you can build one of the following: B-16K 64-17644, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force B-26K 64-17645, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force B-16K 64-17646, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force B-16K 64-17649, 211th Sqn., 2nd Group, Congolese Air Force The decals are printed anonymously, although they look like DecoGraph's output to my eye. They have good registration, colour density and sharpness, and include a number of stencils that are legible with the right optics. The decals for the armaments are of the same quality and sharpness. At the rear of the instruction section is a page devoted to a series of mask templates that you could use to create your own DIY masks by laying kabuki tape over them and drawing/cutting them out. It’s a useful option to have, but I prefer to cut mine in-situ, where you can cut them perfectly to size with a brand-new #11 blade. Conclusion This model is excellent for anyone wanting to an early Counter Invader in some unusual colours at the behest of the CIA. Detail is excellent and the addition of the weapons is great news. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of
  12. Special Ops Skyraiders (48019a) 1:48 Iliad Designs The Skyraider was an enormous, single-engined ground-attack aircraft that was under development during WWII as a carrier-borne torpedo/dive bomber, but eventually became a highly proficient ground-attack and close-air-support (CAS) platform, that outlived at least one of its intended replacements. It was fitted with a powerful Wright-Cyclone engine that gave it immense load-carrying capacity, long loiter-time, and once unloaded, it was described as “climbing like a homesick angel” to get its pilot out of harm’s way and back home for another sortie. Its flexibility saw it used extensively in Vietnam, both for its original CAS and Ground Attack missions, but also in support of Special Operations, for which specialised squadrons were established as Special Operations Squadron (SOS) of Special Operations Group (SOG). This decal sheet contains markings for six such “sneaky beaky” aircraft, some of which are painted in non-standard Vietnam tri-colour greens and brown, which jars the eye a little on first viewing. They are quite a mixed bag of schemes, as you’d probably expect from such operators, and although the camouflage is there, it is often negated by a bright yellow symbol on the cowling, or in one case a red/white/blue tail or a snarling shark’s mouth. The decal sheet is exceptionally well-printed with good registration, sharpness and colour density, plus a thin glossy carrier film cut close to the printed surfaces. The set doesn’t include stencils of course, as these are usually included on the kit sheet. As well as side profiles, the opposite side of the instruction sheet shows overhead views and opposite side views of the aircraft without any decals, so that you can map out the camouflage on all three surfaces, which is rather helpful. Additional scrap diagrams show painting of the prop-tips, main gear spat codes, opposite sides of the cowling of one airframe that shows a different sized font, as well as arrowed call-outs of spot colours, interesting information and unseen decals in addition to the caption to the sides of all of the subject aircraft to assist you further. Conclusion Iliad always produce interesting subjects that are well-researched, have concise instructions, with excellent quality decals rounding out the package. Highly recommended. Iliad Decals are available from all good model shops. Review sample courtesy of
  13. Hello guys, I have completed this Skyhawk E from Hobbycraft as a what if from the Armada Argentina. My country negotiated with Israel the sale of 16 A-4Es in 1982, but the US didn't allow the transaction to go through, so the aircraft remained in Israel. The money was never recovered. This attempt at rearming the Armada is known as Operación Goliat. The model was entirely brush painted with Revell Aqua acrylics, and decalled with Condor Decals's set 48032.
  14. B-26K Invader Upgrade Sets (For ICM) 1:48 Eduard ICM have created a broad range of 1:48 invader kits under the A-26 and B-26 codes in various guises, and they’re thoroughly modern kits that are well-detailed out of the box, making a lot of modellers happy. Eduard's new range of sets are here to improve on the kit detail in the usual modular manner. Get what you want for the areas you want to be more of a focal point. As usual with Eduard's Photo-Etch (PE) and Mask sets, they arrive in a flat resealable package, with a white backing card protecting the contents and the instructions that are sandwiched between. Interior (491262) Two frets are included, one nickel-plated and pre-painted, the other bare brass. A complete set of new layered instrument panels, sidewalls and side consoles with added levers for the cockpit and the extensive instrument panel on the side wall in full colour, with multiple floor skin parts; internal structural details; a large number of parts for the central throttle quadrant; additional seat supports; equipment boxes around the interior, and a central overhead instrument panel in the roof of the canopy. Zoom! Set (FE1262) This set contains a reduced subset of the interior, namely the pre-painted parts that are used to improve on the main aspects of the cockpit, as seen above. Whatever your motivations for wanting this set, it provides a welcome boost to detail, without being concerned with the structural elements. Exterior & Undercarriage (481080) This set arrives on a single large bare brass fret, and contains parts to detail the gear bays with new surface skins for the roof, rear bulkhead and sidewalls, plus another skin for the underside of the upper wing that can be seen through the bay opening. It also includes a full wiring harness for the twin engines, plus additional blocks that are fixed to the bell-housings at certain points, as shown on the accompanying diagram. The nose and main gear legs get replacement oleo scissor-links, and in front of the bomb bay a set of airflow disruptor “fingers” are added in either the deployed or retracted position. Seatbelts STEEL (FE1263) These belts are Photo-Etch (PE) steel, and because of their strength they can be etched from thinner material, which improves realism and flexibility in one sitting. Coupled with the new painting method that adds perceived extra depth to the buckles and other furniture by shading, they are more realistic looking and will drape better than regular brass PE. As well as a set of four-point belts for the pilot, you also get two sets of lap belts for the other two crew members with comfort pads under the buckles on all the waist belts. Masks (EX844) Supplied on a sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with a full set of masks for the canopy, with compound curved handled by using frame hugging masks, while the highly curved gaps are in-filled with either liquid mask or offcuts from the background tape. Masks Tface (EX845) Supplied on a larger sheet of yellow kabuki tape, these pre-cut masks supply you with everything above, but also give you another set of canopy masks tailored to fit the interior of the glazing so that you can paint the internal frames and give your model that extra bit of realism. Review sample courtesy of
  15. A-26 Invader (83213) 1:32 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The A-26 Invader underwent a confusing change of designation to B-26 Invader after 1948 by the US Air Force to confuse us (mainly me), and later on back to the A-26 just to complete my befuddlement. It was developed a little later than the Marauder and despite using the same engines it was designed totally separately from its more rotund colleague. It was designed to replace the A-20 Havoc, but it was initially less than popular in the Pacific theatre where its poor cockpit visibility due to the canopy and engine position rendered it unloved by the first users. It was more popular in the European theatre and was accepted as replacement for the Havoc fairly quickly. Two types were designed, The C with a glass-clad bomber nose and the B with a full metal nose filled with either 6 or 8 .50cal machine guns, which coupled with the three in each wing gave it quite a punch, deserving of the Strafer title. It also had a pair of turrets on the fuselage mid-upper and dorsal positions, which were both operated by a single gunner using a complex remote mechanism that flipped between the upper and lower turrets depending on where the gunner was looking through his binocular sights. This trained the guns accordingly and also calculated the correct offset for parallax and lead, but was very complex and caused some delays to it entering service, and even more issues with maintenance in the field. After the war it served in Korea, early Vietnam engagements and other conflicts, ending its days in US service with the Air National Guard in the early 70s. It continued in civilian service as a fire bomber and in other roles, such as actor in the film Always with Richard Dreyfuss playing its brave but ill-fated pilot. The Kit The Invader has been the subject of a few new kits recently, with this being a new addition that will please the 1:32 modeller, as it is the first in this scale, so it’s already the best injection moulded kit of the type in this scale! This twin-engined aircraft is quite sizeable, but my 60cm photoboth can just about accommodate the largest sprues, which came in very handy. The kit arrives in a large sturdy box with an internal divider keeping some of the smaller sprues safe from the weight of the other larger sprues during transit. There are thirteen sprues in grey styrene, one in clear, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), three black flexible tyres, two decal sheets, the instruction booklet and separate colour painting guide. The sprues are individually bagged, and some of them have additional foam wrapping to protect either the parts under the wrapping, or the sprues that rest against them. The clear parts and engine nacelle parts are bagged in bubble-wrap to keep them safe from harm, which although trivial from a modeller’s point of view is worth noting because it should result in fewer damaged of chaffed parts when they reach you. The detail is good throughout, with engraved panel lines, small recessed rivets, raised parts where appropriate, and good detail within the fuselage halves where there are crew areas, all of which adds to realism and visual detail. The bomb bay, cockpit, rear compartment, and three gear bays are all well-detailed from the box, and the clear parts will allow the modeller to show off their work thanks to impressive clarity of those parts. Construction begins with the nose gear bay, which begins with the roof and is boxed-in with the nose gear leg added along with the retraction jack that rests against a short cross-rib. The cockpit is a separate area that sits above the nose bay, but has a gap between those two areas that could be stuffed with nose weight to prevent a tail-sitter. The cockpit floor is filled with a centre console, a pair of multi-part seats with PE stiffener struts, twin control columns with separate yokes, a well-moulded instrument panel with decals included for the dials, rudder pedals, rear bulkhead and coaming over the panel. The turret was operated remotely from within the airframe, and the gunner’s station is next to be built, having a good number of parts and a seat for the operator, then all sub-assemblies are put to one side while the bomb bay is made. The bay walls are separate, and have bomb shackles added and five bombs per wall fitted (or otherwise) along with an insert within the fuselage, a couple of clear windows, the front bulkhead to the bay, and the nose gear bay. More bulkheads and the cockpit are installed within the starboard side next, then with the fuselage inverted, another pair of bulkheads are installed, with a clear window in the nearest angled one to the gunner, so he can survey the bay after the bombing run to ensure all bombs really did leave together. The turret mechanism, mount and ammo boxes are also inserted, plus a front bay lip to match the rear one, both having door opening mechanism fitted. The port fuselage has a large insert fitted within the nose, then another bomb bay wall and windows are added in the same manner, allowing the closure of the fuselage. After the glue is set up and the seams dealt with, the bomb bay and nose gear doors are able to be fitted, as is the rear glass for the gunner’s compartment, some small lights and various small intakes, aerials etc. The glazing at the front encloses the cockpit, with no option of leaving the canopy open, then aft is the remote turret that has two .50cal machine guns and their ammo feeds fitted to the floor under its domed cowling, and a two-part cowled D/F loop behind the aft glazing. The nose cone is a single part with eight holes that allow the nose gun muzzles to poke through from their bulkhead mounts, which isn’t accurate to the real thing, but is simply an expedient method of correctly aligning the gun muzzles. The radial engine is depicted with cooling vanes on each cylinder, and is mated to a featureless rear bulkhead, then joined to the reduction gear bell-housing, which fits to the engine on keyed pegs so that the ancillaries line up correctly. The completed engine is slid into the single-part cowling, which have the cooling flaps moulded in the open position, so you’ll need to cut them off and reposition them if you plan on having them closed on a parked-up machine. The single-piece prop slips over the axle to finish off the assembly, and of course two are required unless you want to fly round in circles. In anticipation of making the nacelles, the main gear bays are built next, having two fictional ribbed halves that close around the gear legs, which have a tough upper section mated to a keyed lower section and separate retraction arm added before they go in. There is an Eduard set available that adds the missing bay edges that is perforated with highly visible lightening holes to help with the look of this area if it concerns you, and it also includes some extras for the nose gear bay. These assemblies are closed in with a front bulkhead and have the “rubber” tyres fitted to two-part hubs installed on the stub-axles. The bays are trapped inside the two nacelle halves, and have their bay doors added to each side of the aperture, then these too are set aside for a while. The first act on the wings is to pierce the flashed over holes for the variety of underwing stores that are provided in the box. With this done, the upper and lower wings are joined and have their two-part flaps and ailerons fitted to the trailing edge, a clear light at the tip, landing light and reflector under the wing, and a choice of small bombs or twin “stafer” gun pods each with twin barrels under each wing. The engine nacelles are also glued into place on their deeply recessed positions, then the fronts of the nacelles are added and the engine cowling assemblies are fitted into the three holes in the front, ensuring that the intake is to the top. They attach to the fuselage on three tabs, and the last task is to install the rudder and the elevators, which all have separate flying surfaces. Check your references to set the dihedral of the elevators correctly, as it is quite pronounced on this type. Markings As usual for Hobby Boss, they don’t tell you the date or location that the three decal options came from, but as there are three, that’s one or two more than you usually get. All three options are silver, and have one French and two American airframes depicted. From the box you can build one of the following: Decals are usual HB standard, with the national markings, a few stencils and walkways included, plus a nice rendition of the instrument panel included. The second sheet is postage stamp sized, and has a lady flying a bomb for the “Mission Completed” option, printed separately because of its use of completely different colours than the main sheet. Conclusion A brand new tooling that seems to have been afforded plenty of detail inside and out with the exception of the main gear bays that have been tooled simply to fill the gap and not for accuracy. You’ll possibly want a little more choice of decal options if you’re not a fan of silver too. If this is going to be a project model for you, there’s plenty of aftermarket already available, but don’t forget that nose gear weight before you close the fuselage. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  16. For the WIP page, please refer to: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235100492-revell-douglas-dc-3-swissair-172/ Back to our forum after 2 amazing weeks in Germany for doing my MCC in oder to finish my pilot course (finally)! Between this time and Amsterdam for the next week, I wanted to share with you the pictures of the final result of the Douglas DC-3 with the Swissair colors that my dad decided to build. (Sadly, when I was abroad. I didn't saw the model with my own eyes yet.) I've left you with the WIP page if you wanna read the context and also the production of the model. Without any father delays, I'll leave the pictures below, with the Oporto Airport in the background during the 1950's/1960's!
  17. My dad once again, asked me if I could share his work here, and I'm doing that with all my pleasure. This time, and after so many models he did in the military version, he turned for a bit into civil aviation again. Don't ask me how he find it or where I have no clue at all, but one day my dad came home with a DC-3 from Revell in his hands. This kit from 2004, brings two options: the paint scheme of KLM or the paint scheme of Swissair. After some time considering, we've decoded to pick up the Swissair livery. Despite in the end I was more for the KLM one. Well we can save the decals for a later version who knows By what we could check from the box art and also by pictures online this was the paint we needed to recreated in our Dakota. So basically in the beginning. my dad attached the main fuselage and started to sand. After this job was completed he then puttied it and again it sanded. For what he told me this kit didn't had much gaps, so the job was kinda easy. After that he redesigned the fuselage lines and by now this is how the model looks like: Next, my dad inserted the engine nacelles and also the covers, and by him, this was a bit challenging because the pieces didn't fit with each other so he had to use a bit of force and compression for them to remain in their position. After that he put the primer to check some imperfections. I need to confess that I'm actually a bit surprised with this kit from Revell, as because it seems very accurate for me when it comes to shapes and also angles! And with this silver layer, the kit started to gain some Dakota style Here is the guy! And if I am not mistaken with the permeant silver layer. After that my dad started to paint the wings and also the elevators leading edges in black juts like we saw on the pictures. Since my dad doesn't like the "typical travel agency plane" as he normally says, the decided to pop up the lines of the aircraft a bit and dirty them a bit. For that he used the typical black panner line ink. He tool this picture during the first layer on the right wing and since I'm not with him this is the only picture I have for you about this After that the main things were done: Black nose, and the remaining black stripes on the wings, elevators and tail. Looks like in a gap of 1 week this airplane is practically done! By the pictures, the propellers were all black with yellow stripes and he also made them already! When it comes to the landing gear and wheels I don't know how's the status, but looks like it can be a subject for continue this trend. For one post there's too much pictures! See you around!
  18. This is my first foray into 3D printed models. I watched a video on how to smooth out PLA plastic with nail polisher, but it didn't work. I used Calcas del Sur decals to make C-207 as it appeared during the Falklands War. Enjoy! Here are both of my A-4s in 72nd, left Kosmosur 3D and right Airfix. I'm now tempted to buy the Airfix kit and paint it as C-207 with its bare metal scheme of 1969.
  19. ABM is to release a 1/72nd Douglas DF-195 resin kit Source: https://propjet.ucoz.ru/forum/18-254-36200-16-1584098070 http://www.polarpost.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?t=225 V.P.
  20. Hello guys, I'd like to know if someone could provide me with a sprue map/photo of the sprues of the 1977, 5406 kit, Monogram model. I'm looking to build an A-4E without the hump and with the smooth fairing. I've checked everywhere, but I haven't been able to locate a page with the sprue map. TIA!
  21. A-26B Invader Cockpit (4416 for ICM) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby ICM’s new range of A-26 Invader kits has hit a sweet-spot with a lot of modellers of 1:48 scale, and there has been a flurry of aftermarket arriving to cater for the super-detailers amongst us. This set from CMK provides a replacement cockpit, and arrives in one of their standard yellow card boxes, with the parts inside Ziploc bags and buffered by the folded instructions. Inside the main bag are twenty-four parts in grey resin, although one part (the spare instrument panel backing) isn’t used. There is also a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) and a slip of clear acetate film with the instrument dials printed on it in a separate bag. The instruction sheet is double-sided A4 with spot colour. The first step is to remove the moulded-in ribbing within the fuselage sides, which has the cockpit area shaded in red for your guidance. Similarly, on the angled aft bulkhead with wing spar moulded-in, there is equipment to be removed, and a hole to be closed over with filler or scrap styrene. The latter is shown in green for your ease. The instrument panel is made up from a lamination of PE, acetate and resin, taking care to paint the rear of the acetate white to “illuminate” the dials, and line them up with their openings. There is additional switch gear moulded into the back plate, which would benefit from painting according to your references. It also has a coaming part fitted to the top, a side panel, which supports a small shelf that holds an instrument box, then the rudder pedals are assembled on a double-T frame and glued to the rear of the instrument panel. The centre console is a large part, and is detailed with eleven PE engine control stalks across the top surface. The kit bulkhead is next skinned with a new resin part, and is mated with the new floor, which also has details on the underside that will be seen through the nose gear bay aperture. The centre console is glued to both these parts and will assist in obtaining the correct angle between them, then the instrument panel is glued to the front of the centre console. There are a number of cylinders placed around the cockpit with a fire extinguisher amongst them, then a stack of shelves is made up to hold all the radio gear in three layers. The crew seats are fitted with PE supports with a set of lap belts for the radio operator, and four-point harness for the pilot in his slightly sexier seat behind his control column, topped with a bomber-style yoke. Before the cockpit is inserted into the fuselage, the two interior skins are fitted to replace the moulded-in detail that was removed earlier, and during fuselage closure, a bulkhead is installed in the front to blank off the footwell area. There is no painting information included, but if you check the ICM instructions and your references, that shouldn’t pose much of an impediment to completing the task. Conclusion This set offers a substantial upgrade to detail for this kit, which is quite visible thanks to the generous glazing of the canopy. With careful construction and painting it should stand out as a focal point to your model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  22. My first build of 2021 and first Tamiya model. For my first tamiya I have to say some very nice detail and fits. Found the decals a little weak especially the intake hazard decals too many folds. And not a fan of the colours only available as a spray making it very hard to convert to a tin or to humbrol etc. If anybody has a good cross reference site for tamiya AS paints let me know please.
  23. About the only qualifying kit from my stash, originally received when I was about 9. A gift from a party for children at the factory my dad worked at. I remember building this kit at my grandparents' place, and asking my grandad what size engine - he ran a garage. Unpainted, and covered in glue fingerprints, it was my first success at a turning prop. This particular kit a purchase at Jet Age. An older couple came to Jet Age on 17 Nov 2019, selling their late-son's kit stash. A bit of a dead-man's locker sale, I bought this Dauntless for £5. I'm pretty sure I knew of this GB by then - so bought the kit for the possibilties it offered. And the proceeds went to the museum - which earned a round of applause at briefing. I built another Airfix Dauntless in Dec 2019 for the Film GB - so should be quite familiar with the kit. Planning to build this 3 colour option, delaying painting until a Corsair in the same scheme.
  24. Hi all, here is my new 1/72 MPM Douglas A-20G Havoc "la france libre": Construction: MPM has created a superb kit in 1/72 for the Douglas Havoc / Boston variants. In 2008 i brought the D-Day Havocs kit variants with the solid gun nose. At first, I wanted to build OOB, but after a while, some details were added scratch: Cockpit: Life raft and details Nose: Brass MG barrels (accessory), fuselage reinforcement, MG ejectors Fuselage: Rudimentary fuselage installation, rear exit Turret: Entire tower structure, brass MG barrels (accessory) Engines: Cables, valve lifters, exhaust pipes, slightly opened cooling flaps Charger: Inlet details, open outlet Gear: Brake lines, resin wheels (accessory) With some creative breaks, I worked on the model for almost 6 months. Original aircraft: My model, the "la france libre" was the first Havoc in Europe with 100 successful mission missions and was called "Miss laid" for a long time. The plane was sent to Paris in the autumn of 1944 for the French liberation celebration as a part of an exhibition and renamed for this reason. Most of the Havocs were heavily weathered. Source: worldwarphotos.info Finish: I wanted to transfer the impression of the original photo above to my model. The paintjob was started as standard for me on an Alclad Airframe aluminum primer. After that preshading, three glazing layers per colour, painting scratches with a silver pin, masking and painting of the walk-ways, masking, painting and weathering of the invasion stripes, intermediate finish with future, decals, washing, painted exhaust gas traces, dust oil paints, chalks etc. etc. Walkaround: Bottom: Details: I hope you like my model. Criticism, notes, and comments are gladly welcome. Kai
  25. Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.859839390730689.1073741846.134774536570515&type=3 V.P.
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