Search the Community

1/48th Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker-B" by HobbyBoss in 2013 - catalogue ref. 81711 Source: http://scalemodels.ru/modules/news/img_5748_1358082281_fe7282025aafa40f1fabea15ab64034f79f0190e.jpg.html V.P.

Su-27 Flanker-B Russian Knights (81776) 1:48 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The Su-27 and sibling Mig-29 were developed as a complementary pair of heavy and lighter fighters to combat the F-15 that was in development as the F-X at the time. It first flew in 1977, but encountered serious problems that resulted in some fairly spectacular crashes, some of which were fatal, but with persistence and successive rounds of improvements it came on strength with the Russian air force in 1985, but was still plagued with problems that prevented it from being seen in operational service for a further five years, and it is known as the Su-27S or Flanker B by the NATO countries. A navalised Flanker was also put into development, but that's a whole 'nother model. It proved to be a capable fighter, and after the fall of the Berlin wall, Russia continued its development, with other variants incorporating improvements, and wholesale conversions leading to other marks entirely, such as the SU-30, Su-33 and Su-34 with side-by-side pilot seating. The Flanker continues to impress the crowds at airshows thanks to the exploits of the Russian Knights and the Cobra manoeuvre that caused quite a stir when first seen. Sukhoi had a number of export successes, and China also manufactured Flankers under license as the Shengyang J-11 after an initial delivery of Russian built airframes. The Kit This is re-box with new decals of the 2016 kit from Hobby Boss and arrives in a large top opening box with a somewhat worn Russian Knights Flanker flying across the front. Inside you are greeted by a card insert with the two fuselage halves and their blended wings secured to it by coated wire, twisted around the nose, tail and wings. The nose and tail are further protected by a wrapping of thin foam, while the delicate parts of the wingtips are surrounded by a detachable sprue for good measure. Under the insert are fourteen more sprues of various sizes in the same grey styrene, two clear sprues, a small fret of what looks to be Photo-Etch (PE) stainless steel, or something similar. There are also three black "rubber" tyres, and a decal sheet plus of course the instruction booklet and a separate glossy page detailing the painting and decaling. The fuselage and wings strapped to the insert in the top of the box as a monolithic chunk of plastic is still impressive and has become the norm for kits of the Flanker family over the years, and having a look over it whilst perusing photos of the real thing, it seems to be ticking the boxes in terms of shape, although it's still tricky to be 100% about that when large parts of the airframe are still on the sprues. Construction starts with the cockpit, which is well detailed and has a multi-part seat, rudder pedals and control column, plus decals for all the main instrument panels. The instructions switch straight to building up the landing gear, as the nose gear is held in place by the addition of the gear bay to the lower fuselage, so they must have decided they might as well get you to build the main gear too. The gear legs are multi-part assemblies, and the nose leg has the characteristic slatted mud-guard and cluster of landing lights attached, the former in two parts that close around the nose wheel. The wheels are all two-part hubs with those black rubberised tyres, which have tread pattern moulded in, although no sidewall detail is present. The cockpit is installed from the underside in the upper fuselage, while the nose gear with the two exhaust trunks are placed in the lower half. The trunking is blanked off at the front by a simulated engine rear, and a slightly chunky-looking flame holder for the afterburner. That's it! The fuselage can go together, and if the dry-fit is anything to go by, there should be little if any clean-up to do. The leading-edge slats and flaps are separate, and adding them completes the wings, while the elevators fit to the rear at the side of the exhausts. The twin stabs have separate rudders and asymmetrical detail at the trailing edge, which is as it should be. You then have a choice of either open or constricted exhaust petals, which are both single parts per side. The rear section of the engine pods are moulded into the fuselage, but the forward section is separate, with a detailed roof, and a built-in FOD (Foreign Object Debris) screen blocking your view of the intake fan for the engines, which are supplied anyway. These fit onto ledges at the front of the fuselage-bound aft sections, with a cut-out over each main wheel bay, allowing you to fit the pre-prepared legs at this point if you wish. Each main gear bay has two doors, which have their actuator jacks included, as does the nose gear bay, with the smaller rear door captive to the trailing retraction jack. The nose cone is a single part, and has plenty of space for a nose weight if you think it will be necessary, although the instructions don't mention it. The canopy is also added at this stage, which is broken down into windscreen section with a clear hemisphere for the windscreen mounted sensor added as a separate part, and the canopy which has opening equipment depicted, as well as the PE rear-view mirrors. The canopy is correctly blown in front profile, which requires a three-part mould, so there is a seam on the top of the canopy that you will need to sand away and then polish back to clarity. Add a few probes and sensors, and that's the airframe built. Markings You get two Russian Knights markings options from the box, both of which have the bright red, white and blue stripes and yellow/blue sunburst on the fins. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals provide the more complex red stripes with the white accents that should permit a little leeway for painting of the base blue and white sections to complete the look. Careful measurement and masking, coupled with sparing application of paint to avoid visible lips under the decals should result in an impressive model. There are a trio of black & white photos on the rear of the instructions to assist, but there are a literal ton of photos on the internet if you should need them. If you are a stickler for detail, you might want to invest in some Su-27 Stencils from Begemot (48009(1)), as you can bank on those being comprehensive, and the instructions will be a little easier to follow without the national markings on the same diagram. Conclusion It’s a simple re-release in a new box with new decals, but the scheme will doubtless appeal to many. Detail is good, and the shape also seems to be too, although the true proof of the pudding will be in the building. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German 3.7cm Pak 35/36 auf Pz.Kpfw. 35R(f) (83895) 1:35 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd With a chassis originally designed by Renault, the R35 was a light infantry tank used by the French army in their unsuccessful defence of their homeland at the beginning of WWII, after which it remained in service with the German forces as a beutepanzer, where it was either used in second line service, or heavily converted to a makeshift gun carriage and used as a self-propelled howitzer. There were almost a thousand R35s in service at capitulation, and they had been found by the Germans to be unreliable, poorly armed to combat tanks, and with too little armour. Nevertheless, all the remaining vehicles were taken on charge by the Germans and more than a little tinkering with cutting torches ensued. This type had their turrets removed to mount the 37mm Pak 35/36 and served as roving light gun emplacements, after fitting of an extended splinter-shield that still left the crew exposed at the sides and rear. The gun was well-liked by the artillery crews of the day, although by 1942 it was hopelessly ineffective against a well-armoured target, and was being replaced by the 5cm Pak 38 as early as 1940, then the more widely-known Pak 40 in 1941. It was given a brief reprieve in the run-up to obsolescence by the use of a tungsten cored shell that gave it greater penetration, but its days were still numbered. When faced with the new T-34 that began flooding the battlefield when Russia counter-attacked, it would ricochet harmlessly away unless it could fire from close-range to the side or rear, which was dangerous even before it was attached to the inadequate 35R chassis. Couple that with the enemy troops that would be on the field and the lack of any meaningful protection of the crew, and many were killed before they could engage their targets. The Kit This is an minor re-tool of Hobby Boss’s 35R kit that we reviewed here some while back, sharing seven sprues and upper hull with its progenitor, as well as a Photo-Etch (PE) sheet that differs only slightly from the original. The new sprue contains all the parts needed to build and mount the gun, with a simple new decal sheet finishing the package. Inside the top-opening box are eight sprues plus the upper hull in sand-coloured styrene, two sprues of tracks in brown, a fret of PE, decal sheet, instruction booklet and separate colour painting guide. Inside the box is a card divider to keep the parts in place during shipping, and one sprue is partly wrapped in foam sheet to further enhance protection. The engine is first to be constructed, with a two-part block that is heavily detailed with additional parts, a great many of which are absolutely tiny, which goes together in stages that results in a very nicely depicted motor for your R35 chassis. Work then commences on integrating the engine with the lower hull, beginning with the sand-cast rear bulkhead, which has the idler tensioning devices and towing hook added, after which the radiator, cooling fan and tin-work ducting are assembled with the power-take-off wheel projecting from the rear of the box. The hull itself is made up from two side panels and a floor piece, into which the radiator housing, a styrene/PE stiffening plate and driver controls are added. The side panels are fitted out with three return-rollers and a final drive housing per side, and four bogies with two wheels per housing and a big suspension spring are built up. Two more solo bogies, two drive sprockets and two idler wheels are also constructed, and are installed on the suspension mounting points on the hull sides. At the same time the driver's seat, fuel tank and engine-mount bulkhead are placed within the hull, and the cast bulkhead closes up the rear. After adding a few more driver controls and their linkages, the drive-train is dropped into the hull, with a transmission housing added to the front, and prop-shafts joining it to the sprockets, completing the drive-train. Given their small size in 1:35, HB have decided to go down the link and length route with the tracks, and it's hardly surprising. The straight track runs are made up from six parts with a few links in between the curved lower sections, and twelve individual links at each end. Each of the individual links have three sprue gates, while the moulded lengths have additional dead-end tabs that protect against short-shot links, and also double as ejector-pin locations, saving the delicate detail from marring by mis-alignments. Unless you're going to the trouble of using metal replacements, these should do you proud with a bit of sympathetic painting and weathering. Give them a rub with an artist's pencil to impart metallic sheen where they get worn, and you'll never know they weren't metal. With the tracks in place, the full-length fenders are added, along with a little stowage and a big bottle-jack on the right rear. The upper hull is detailed inside with the driver's instrument panel, plus a choice of actuator for his vision hatch, which can be posed open or closed. The final drive inspection hatch is added along with some PE parts, as is the lower part of the driver's hatch, with the upper section added in the open or closed aspect, depending on your whim. The hull is then closed up by fitting the upper hull and a host of pioneer tools that are threaded through their tie-down blocks to be added to the sides of the hull, together with the silencer/muffler and exhaust, the feeder pipe for which comes from the rear of the vehicle. The gun is last to be built, a process that begins with the carrier for the barrel, which is dropped on top and has the breech block inserted into the rear of the gun tube. It has a hollow muzzle thanks to a little slide-moulding, and it is joined by all the aiming and elevation mechanisms, then the mount with pivot-point is closed around the cradle. The splinter-shield is a single part, which has some small parts added before it is slid over the barrel and fixed in place with the addition of a bracing strut. Underneath the cradle a custom mounting adaptor is made up with turn-buckles allowing removal on the real thing, and this receives the gun’s pivot peg. There are two holes in the front of the upper hull, which accept the pegs on the bottom of the mount, leaving the crew having to stand in the turret ring, which is still present and unaltered. At the rear a shallow retaining-rail surrounds the engine deck to help crew and equipment stay on the tank as it moves. It's a bit of a lash-up, overall. Markings There is one decal option in “field grey” depicted on the painting guide, although there are two rows of serials from 0-9 and four additional crosses with a yellow centre on the sheet to give you some additional options if you wanted to depict a certain vehicle. The option presented is identified only as “Erwin”, without any information regarding where and when it was used, which is par for the course with Hobby Boss and their decals. The decals are mostly white, with just the yellow printing on the four unused crosses. They’re perfectly adequate for the task, and have good colour density and sharpness, but a tiny difference in register between the white and yellow of the unused crosses. Conclusion It’s a nice kit of a woeful tank destroyer (read: tank irritator), and it would have taken a brave man to man that gun whilst under fire. Well-detailed and conveniently small to fill up a small gap in your cabinet or corner of a diorama. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Messerschmitt Me.262A-1a Fighter (81805) 1:18 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The Schwalbe had the distinction of being the first jet engine fighter to see active service, and was respected by the Allies due to its speed and manoeuvrability, care of the advanced axial-flow engines that burned brightly, but not for very long. It came too late with too few airframes entering service due to delays with the engines, and the German high-command's insistence that every aircraft should have a myriad of variants sporting different configurations that brought with them further delays and confusion. The A-1a was armed with four Mk.108 cannon mounted in the nose, which resulted in a concentrated destructive power for this innovative aircraft. It could also carry bombs under the nose, or a palette of unguided rockets under each wing, thanks to Hitler’s infernal meddling that helped the Allies win the war. The Kit This is a reboxing of the kit that was released by Hobby Boss/Trumpeter’s sister company Merit International in 2013, which I think has also been available as a completed display model at some point in the past, although I couldn’t prove that in any way shape or form. It is what I’d call a project model, because it provides the base level of detail you would expect from a 1:48 kit, but in this scale of 1:18, which is roughly 2.67 or 2 2/3 the size, the detail seems spartan in places, and softer than you might like in others. In addition, due to the huge size of the kit (the fuselage is almost 24”/60cm long) it uses screws to hold some of the larger parts together, which have plastic covers that will need filling to make them melt away, and it is moulded in tougher ABS plastic to maintain structural strength. Inside the big top-opening box are a lot of parts separated into two sub-boxes with the fuselage taking up much of the remaining space. There are thirteen sprues and four engine nacelle halves according to the instructions, but the fuselage, intakes and exhausts and some of the other parts are supplied off their sprues in my boxing. It’s all moulded in grey styrene, and there are three very firm flexible tyres, a bag of thirty screws of four types, plus a large decal sheet in the bottom of one of the boxes. The clear parts are bagged in bubble-wrap, as are the two large nose weights that are simply 45mm lengths of 14mm bar that have been dressed roughly and given a coat of something shiny to prevent corrosion. If you have a copy of the excellent 1:48 Hobby Boss kit to hand, the parts will be very familiar, as it is almost a straight “blow up”, or pantograph (a slightly outdated term now) of that design in terms of how it builds up. Construction begins with the nose gear, with the strut having a clip-on retraction jack and wheel made from the black tyre that has the two sides of the hub pressed into the central hole. This clips into the gear bay part, and has the two cylindrical nose-weights attached to the top in a retaining frame with a cross-brace keeping them in place. The four Mk.108s are then made from two-part breeches, a top section and the barrels, which will need drilling out after you’ve flattened off the tip that seem to have been tooled with safety in mind rather than crispness. The bay floor and bulkhead are fitted together and the guns are placed on top with ammunition guides leading away through the floor for each one. A frame holds the barrels in place, with a bracing rod linking it back to the bulkhead, then the assembly slots over the nose gear bay, with a small bulkhead attached to the front. The cockpit is next, and has a front and rear lamination to the instrument panel, adding dial decals as you go, then slotting it into the top section of the cockpit tub. The lower tub has the side console detail skins and controls added, a pair of rudder pedals, control column, and electrical panel fitted, before the seat with separate side panels and bulkhead behind it is slid into the rear. The tub is bookended front and back by another pair of bulkheads that suspend it within the fuselage above the main gear bay. The fuselage can be closed up at that point, after installing two spreader bars in the open lower section to ensure a good mating surface between fuselage and wings. The cockpit and nose gear bay are slotted into receivers on the inside of the fuselage, and you are exhorted to also put the canopy in place then too, which traps it between the fuselage sides and the cockpit, allowing it to open and close without glue. The rudder is also trapped between the fuselage halves, and then you glue and screw the two halves together, choosing the correct covers for each screw, as they are shaped to match the contours of the fuselage. The radio bay door is also popped in, although there’s no detail behind it out of the box. They clearly had a 2-seat version in mind, as there is a large rear insert behind the cockpit, which has the usual turtle-deck and T-bar added before it is glued in place – glue the D/F loop in place now at your peril. The rest of the canopy is clipped in place at this time too, and it’s worth stating that the clarity isn’t 100% here. They have a very slight cloudy aspect to the panes, and this may or may not disappear after dipping in Klear/Future, plus there’s an odd ‘bullseye’ in the left curve of the canopy part that creates visible distortion from some angles. The engines are next, and are made from two main halves that push together using internal turrets/receivers, then have the intake with trunk screwed inside, and the exhaust made in a similar way, with decent fan detail in both ends. The three-part exhaust bullets are then centred within the trunk, and of course there’s another one to be made up for under the other wing. The completed engines are then mated to the lower wing with a couple of screws from the inside, and the main gear legs are built up with more clip-on retraction jacks and two-part hubs round flexible black tyres. The bay doors attach to the back of the struts, reflecting its “toy” roots, with no internal detail moulded-in. The wing is completed with the upper panel fitted over the top, trapping the slats, flaps and ailerons in place, all of which have T-shaped hinge points either separate parts or moulded-in. A clear(ish) wingtip light is also trapped on a pip during closure. The wings are screwed together with 3 screws and contoured caps, then the process is repeated for the other wing. The two completed wings screw together at their roots with three more screws, and have the internals made up and screwed into the assembly to be seen later from inside the bay. The wings and fuselage are then brought together with more screws and caps, and the smaller mid-line bay doors are made up and inserted into the centre, although the instructions seem to depict them closed, which isn’t usually the case. It's looking like an aircraft now if you back off far enough to be able to fit the whole thing in your vision, and we’re about to have a break while you make up the two fuel tanks on their stubby pylons, install them with RATO (Rocket Assisted Take Off) bottles under the trailing edge of the wing, an aerial under the wing, and a stubby antenna under the fuselage. With the model sitting on its own wheels, the tail is built with movable flying surfaces, then the upper nose panel with cannon ports is put in place, and here I feel the lips around the teardrop shaped apertures is too soft. The gun bay panels behind it can be closed or posed open on the central spine, with a pair of stays supplied, then the final part is a pitot probe at the tip of the port wing. Markings You get two decal options in the box with precious little background information as we’ve come to expect from Hobby Boss. Check your references in case there are any discrepancies between the portrayal and reality, and make your own decision. From the decal sheet you can build one of the following: As you’d expect the decals are massive and benefit from their size, having nice crisp outlines, legible stencils and detailed dials for the cockpit instruments. The swastikas are included in two halves each for territories where the symbol is legislated against, and you get what appears to be a good selection of walkways and all the commonly depicted stencils along with some rather large crosses – whether the stencils are spelled correctly I will leave to a German speaker to decide, as they have printed their own name as “HobbyBoos”, which isn’t a confidence boosting goof. Conclusion This is a LARGE model. You don’t fully realise that fact until you open the box, and then you take a deep breath and begin opening the bags wondering where you’re going to put it when finished. Personally, I feel that it is a model that you should take your time over, detailing the heck out of it, maybe adding a full set of rivets to the skin, although maybe not as they were supposed to be puttied over, which may come in useful, as the panel lines are quite deep and wide. For the internal details that us modellers usually obsess over, I’m hoping that the aftermarket companies are already getting their upgrade sets into production. As it stands it’s more of a toy than a model, but with the right builder a stunning replica could result, as the shape seems to be about right, and all the major components are there for you to go to work on. The transparency issue is a downer, but it’s a good candidate for someone to come along with a resin or vacformed replacement, the latter being almost below scale at 1:18. Recommended, after reading this review thoroughly. Review sample courtesy of

A6M5c | Hobby Boss | 1/72 W.O. Takeo Tanimizu, Pilot, Imperial Japanese Navy, 203rd Flying Group, 1945 I finished this on 10/13/2020. This is the Hobby Boss A6M5c, which I built to replace the Hasegawa boxing of Tanimizu's aircraft which I built in late High School and whose molds date to 1972 (according to scalemates). I love the double cannons in the wings, it just looks dangerous! Although in reality the extra weight without a more powerful engine made it a dog. But it looked cool. Of the 1/72 offerings of the 5c, the Hobby Boss was the one that had very few negative comments. As is typical with Hobby Boss there are some glaring omissions. I found they forgot a headrest, which I had to fabricate, the loop antenna in the cockpit, and missed the fourth exhaust stack on the starboard side. The exhaust stack I noticed in the 11th hour, but was able to make a new one that is reasonable. HB provided a cut out in the cowling for a 4th stack, except they provided it on both sides. If I'd noticed earlier, I would've tried to fix that. On the plus side, this was one of the better HB kits I've done in terms of fit and also had very few raised mold lines to sand off. Comparing it with the Hasegawa, the wing guns are longer, the pitot tube is shorter and the canopy doesn't stick up as high. All of these are not very noticeable when the model is sitting by itself. Takeo Tanimizu had 18 victories. He is known for his regrets later in life, praying nightly at his in-home Buddhist altar for the men he killed. He is equally known for an incident where he flew low over a US pilot he downed in the sea to throw him his life preserver. He lived through the war and into the late 1990s. Paints: Mr. Color C15 (Top) > Mr. Color C35 (bottom) > cowl was Hataka RLM 66 (black gray) dusted with black until it looked about right > aotake in wheel wells was 3 parts Testors Model Master metallic blue with 1 part Testors green. Decals: Kit decals WIP is here. The cockpit had more detail than typical HB kits, but it was pretty inaccurate. I tried to make it at least a little more accurate, even though it is very hard to see through the somewhat opaque canopy. Here's the headrest I made and the loop antenna, which I later painted silver: And here it is next to the Hasegawa I made a long time ago: As always, questions, comments and constructive criticism welcomed!

I recently bought this kit and now I found this GB so I thought it would be a good idea to join and try to actually build the thing! I like it because according to Wikipedia this type's first flight took place on the day I was born - I feel a connection already As I've said elsewhere, I have only returned to aircraft modelling a short while ago and am still very much in the learning stage, so please don't expect any miracles. Mind you, it will be a small miracle if I actually finish the model. I will probably have to ask a few questions as I go along, if that is all right. This is my first Group Build so I'm a bit nervous! Here then is the kit: The sprues look rather nice: The kit has markings for two versions, a Belgian and a French machine. Both come in dark blue, the Belgian one also has orange panels. They look good but I found a decal sheet with some more versions: The Thai machine is intriguing, but I'm rather partial to the Royal Canadian Air Force one, very smart in red-white-blue. This is of course a very unwise choice for me because it requires loads of masking, something that I only have had moderate success with so far. Especially when having to mask over humps and bumps I tend to get leakage and overspill - hopefully I can learn some tricks here to get better in that. I don't know anything about these helicopters and even less about the Canadian version, so if there is anyone here who has some knowledge I would very much appreciate being educated! As far as interior detail is concerned, apart from the seats and some decent looking bulkheads the inside of the fuselage is mainly detailed with a load of ejector pin marks. So, first port of call is to fill those. I am hoping to add some more real detail to the cabin sides. I found a good set of photographs that show the ribs etc., I plan to add some of those with plastic strip. It would be nice to have the cabin door open (to some extent). Even nicer would be to have a cockpit window open and show the pilot clambering in via the outside (apparently that is how they had to get in), but that is probably asking a bit too much! And..... we're off:

I've built helicopters in the past (Airfix Scout and Puma, Matchbox Cobra and Hasegawa Huey linger in the memory), but not for a long time. I'm also way too fond of a terrible pun, so this build just had to happen. I'm really sorry This is what I will be building. Like all my build threads, it is waiting on my long suffering postie to deliver the actual box before I can get started. I'm stealing the national markings from this Begemot sheet I have for the Mi-8, they're the interesting red and yellow roundels in the bottom left corner between the Indian roundels and the Pakistan AF tail markings. I have two reference pictures, one shows a black 3 digit bort number, the other only shows the roundels. Time and the contents of the decal stash will dictate how creative I get. Andy

Greetings! Here is my entry to the STGB, Hobby Boss Corsair II. It has two FAA options in camouflage scheme, which i am usure of its accuracy, anyone with any knowledge of such matters please pitch in or i will blindly build it OOTB as per the instructions. I have taken photos of the colour profiles listed below.. This kit was purchased after i read the book The Kamikazi Hunters (cover pic below) which was a really good read. The FAA certainly deserves more recognition of its exploits during WW2 particularly at the final stages in the Pacific. Anyway, i am looking forward to this one, and hope to get started on the 29th. Thanks for looking, Cheers Greg

In late December 2019, Hobby Boss is to release a 1/144th Shaanxi Y-8 - ref. 83902 Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=149&l=en V.P.

Greetings all Here's my attempt at the widely-documented Fw190D-9, 'Blue 12', surrendered at Furth in May 1945. The Hobby Boss kit is generally excellent and a lot of fun to build, but I still managed to mess it up in places Paints are from Vallejo and Mig. Markings are Montex masks, with the kit decals being used for the 'E9', the octane triangles and W.Nr. There is also a 'guest appearance' from the Tamiya ground starter cart, which I threw together a few days ago (that's also a great little item). Managed to get some pics this morning before the thunder storms (which are now in full swing as I type). Anyway, hope you like

Just made a start on this Hobby Boss 1/48 Ta 152 C-11. The 152 'C' was not thought to have reached front line service before the end of WW2 (at least one commentator believes that two of them did see action before the end of hostilities), but even if they did see action then it would have been very limited. I've also got the Italeri/Dragon 1/48 'H' model in the pile, but I'd like to see how this turns out first, before making a start on that. So this is almost - but not quite - a 'what if'. Needless to say, decal and unit options are limited for the Ta 152 in general, but especially for the 'C' versions, but the box decals look ok, so I'm happy to use them. The kit comes complete with the 'back half' of the engine, which can be seen through the wheel wells. I don't plan on looking in there much, so the parts just got a coat of black and some dry brushing.. Cockpit in RLM 66 following by some dry brushing and random black, red & yellow detailing. The kit came with some PE belts, which do look a bit over-scale, but I used them anyway.. That's it for now

US M911 C-HET With M747 Heavy Equipment Semi-Trailer (85519) 1:35 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Any army requires transporters for their heavy equipment, and in the US this is abbreviated to HET, which stands for Heavy Equipment Transport, so you hear the use of the phrase applied to a number of heavy-haulers. Tank transport is particularly heavy, with your average M1 Abrams weighing in around 60 tons. The M911 tractor unit was a product of the 70s and was initially paired with a trailer that had previously been used with the M746 that the M911 replaced. During the Gulf War the M911 saw extensive use pulling Abrams tanks from battle to battle, which exposed weaknesses in the tractor's mechanicals that led to its replacement by the M1070, from the same Oshkosh stable. The easiest way of telling them apart is the more streamlined grille of the M1070, versus the square shape of the M911. The Kit This is a completely new tooling from Hobby Boss, and arrives shortly after Meng have done the very same combo. It arrives in a large sturdy cardboard box, and once you open it up, you're greeted by a pretty comprehensive package: Their are 10 spures of caramac plastic, 1 clear spure, 3 cab parts, 1 large trailer bed part, 13 large tyres, 17 small tyres, 3 sheets of PE, chain, rope and cable as well as decals & masks for the cab windows. Construction starts with the cab chassis. Various arts are built up at first including the transmission, air reservoir, cross beams, and differentials. These parts can then be fitted into the chassis rails . Onto these are then added the parts for the suspension units. Once made up these and their power shafts are added to the chassis. The fuel tanks and side lockers are then built up and added. The wheels can then be built up and added. At the front the radiator units is added. Construction then moves onto the cab. Seats are made up and added to the cab floor. The dash is made up along with the steering column and this is added to the main cab unit. The floor is then added to the cab. The doors and various parts such as the mirrors, wipers, lights etc are added. The bonnet is then added and the cab can be added to the chassis. The bumper and grill can then be added at the front. Tot the side the air cleaner is added. To the rear of the cab the large winch and motor are made up and added, along with the spare wheel carrier and 5th wheel plate. PE mud flaps are added to the back. The exhaust and its PE shroud are fitted. Construction then moves onto the trailer. The lower fame work is made up from two side parts and the many cross members, plus rear support frame. The lower frame can then be added into the single part top frame. The air reservoirs are built up and added in. Side reinforcement plates are then added in in the underside. Also on the underside a mass of small parts are then added. The trailer axles are made up and added. These are followed by the wheels. The landing legs are made up and added to the front of the trailer. On the bed of the trailer the central bed plates are added along the rear loading ramps. The chain is to hold these ramps up. The trailer can then be added to the truck. Markings Despite this being a big model, it has a smallish decal sheet. markings are provided for 4 units; 257th Transportation Company (Dessert Yellow overall) 1st Armoured Division, 708th Support Battalion (Camo unit, Overall green trailer) 1st Armoured Division, 708th Support Battalion (Overall green truck & trailer) 2123rd Transportation Company (overall camo truck & trailer) Conclusion It's not a pocket-money kit by any stretch of the imagination, but the effort, attention to detail and care that has gone into the design makes it a worthy addition to your stash. Once built up it will make an impressive model. Online this Kit is fully 2/3 the price of the Meng Version. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello guys, here's my latest model, Hobby Boss's Mirage IIICJ with the markings of the Fuerza Aérea Argentina. I used Condor Decals decals for the insignia.

When all is up in the air, concentrate on something familiar and re-assuring - like a Sea Hawk model! This is the 1/72 Hobby Boss kit, with Modeldecal transfers to correct some anomalies in the kit markings. At least I hope they "correct" ! What a marvelous little kit this is, even allowing for the age of the Airfix one that I am more familiar with. Its only real issue is the intake vane arrangement, which is too prominent. I did cut this one's vanes back, but clearly not far enough. I have 3 more in the stash to build and looking forward to them. And the collection grows: Stay safe everyone..... FredT

Hello guys! After nearly three months without scale models to build, I was able to snatch this one from a Facebook seller, Hobby Boss's Mirage IIICJ in 1:48. I won't be using the kit decals, I'll use the ones printed by Condor Decals (of Argentina). The final scheme will be of a Mirage IIICJ based at El Plumerillo Ait Base, Mendoza, 1986. Here are the obligatory box, sprues and decals shots:

F9F-2 Panther, VF-123 Kit: Hobby Boss F9F-2 Panther (#87248) Scale: 1/72 Paints: Vallejo Model Color, Model Air & Metal Color Weathering: Flory Models Wash Good quality kit from Hobby Boss, really enjoyable build.

MiG-15UTI 'Mukelo', Finnish Air Force Kit: MiG-15UTI Midget (#80262) Scale: 1/72 Aftermarket: Kuivalainen Photo Etch, decals (origin unknown) Paints: Vallejo Model Color, Model Air & Metal Color Weathering: Flory Models Wash Nice little kit from Hobby Boss, very good value for money. Built in a week. Built for Nordic GB. Build thread:

Over the last few weeks my son Christopher (that's him in my avatar) has been getting more interested in modelling after playing a bit of War Thunder and watching some documentaries with me. He decided he wanted to build another model now he's getting older (still 9 y/o) - He's built two as a wee nipper, a Cromwell tank and an I-16 which he used mostly paint brushes on, although he did dabble with an airbrush at times. This time he was determined to do a good job, and despite a little bit of impatience here and there, he's achieve that in spades, and made his old dad proud This is the Hobby Boss kit that he chose and I bought for him (he's not having any of mine!), and he's built mostly unaided over a number of sessions during lockdown. It's all airbrushed, and 99% of the work is his. He couldn't be bothered with the decals when they came around, so I did those for him, and I think I gloss coated the underside, but everything else you see is his work. Oh, and I had to glue in the landing gear with CA because they were a bit squiffy. He didn't do much with the cockpit other than paint it grey after it was in the fuselage, and gave the same treatment to the gear bays. I was his airbrush servant, filling and cleaning it for him, as I didn't want to put him off so early and the colour suggestions were mine. We had a problem with my RLM76 being empty when I opened it, so we used the next nearest colour from the same brand (Gunze). So, with great pride I introduce my wickle boy's first proper model He's particularly proud of the underside, as it looks like it's seen some action on the front, and you may also notice that we'd forgotten to add the pitot probe and a couple of aerials when I took the pics, so we'll add those as long as we can find them Speaking of finding, we've lost the retraction jack on the nose gear, but it's a sturdy connection so it shouldn't matter, and I've straightened it up since the photos. The next techniques he needs to master (other than patience) is cockpits, weathering wheel bays, seams, and patience. Did I mentioned patience yet? Patience. How awesome is that for a 9 year old though? EDIT: We've got a very happy Christopher here, and he's very touched by all your comments. We thought we'd put another pic up with the last few bits added for good measure, and he insisted on painting in the wingtip lights, so I suggested a layer of silver with translucent green and red over the top. He even got to use my W&N Series 7, so is a true modeller now

Yak-28PP Brewer-E (81768) 1:48 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd. First flying in the late 50s, the Yak-28 was an early Soviet swept wing design that began life as a bomber but was adapted to fulfil other roles such as interceptor, reconnaissance and electronic warfare. The PP was the electronic warfare variant and carried no weapons, instead the bomb bay was filled to the brim with electronic countermeasures, making it the first Soviet EW aircraft. The radome was replaced by a greenhouse nose cone, and an operator’s position was added in the nose with a canopy that opened up in front of the main cockpit. To dump the heat created by the electronics, there were lumps and bumps on the underside of the aircraft to help dissipate the excess and prevent overheating. There were numerous attempts to improve on the basic airframe, but none proceeded past prototype, although the PM did achieve a speed record while the Yak-28-64 had wing root mounted engines giving it a more modern look, but again was cancelled before it reached production. It was eventually replaced by the Su-24 in many of its roles, including the Electronic Warfare role of the Brewer-E. The Kit This is a fairly major retool of the original Yak-28P Firebar that we reviewed here late last year. It arrives in a similar box with painting of the type on the lid, and inside are ten sprues in grey styrene, two of clear parts and a small decal sheet. The instruction booklet and separate colour painting guide complete the package, with only wings, engines and landing gear sprues carried over from the P. Complete new fuselage, tail and cockpit sprues have been tooled for this variant, along with a beautifully detailed greenhouse for the nose cone, which has been slide-moulded to obtain maximum detail on the framing. Two of the smaller sprues contain rocket pods that are mounted under the outer wing in the instruction, but as this variant usually flew without armament, it is unlikely they were actually carried, so check your references before making holes in the wings. Construction begins with the pilot’s solo cockpit, which revolves around the long tub with instrument panels (with decals), bulkheads, control column and seat added before the sidewalls are installed. The seat has good detail and consists of seven parts but no lap-belts visible on the cushions, although can easily add those from tape or foil. Like the Harrier, the Firebar had bicycle undercarriage with a nose wheel and one main gear leg toward the aft of the fuselage with each bay boxed in with good detail, and struts with retraction jacks added along the way. While they can be left off until later the supporting jack on the nose wheel could be difficult to fit retrospectively, so check this in advance of applying too much glue. The front cockpit is formed by adding a detail insert and window into each side of the front fuselage, then while closing up the fuselage, a bulkhead and an additional ejection seat is inserted along with an ancillary instrument panel visible from the lip of the compartment. All the assemblies have good supports and tabs within the fuselage to assist with positioning. Once you have dealt with the seams, there are numerous cooling lumps and antennae to be added along the bottom of the fuselage, some of which covers the seam and reduces the amount of making good needed there. A louvered panel is inserted in front of the rear gear well, and the instructions would have you adding the bay doors at this stage, which is fine if you won’t be masking and painting, but otherwise they’re best left off until later. Flipping the fuselage over the airbrake in either open or closed configuration is added, the nose glazing, top cover for the EW officer with clear window, coaming and rear deck are installed along with a few more ill-advised antennae, with the pilot’s canopy left off until later. The engine pods bear a passing resemblance to extended Me.262 pods and each one has two main cowlings with a rear blanking plate, stator blades and nose cone enhancing that feeling. The intake is close enough to the cone that more detail isn't really visible to anyone with normal levels of inquisitiveness especially when the intake lip is added to the assembly, so there aren't any blades depicted on the plate. At the rear a four-part exhaust is provided with blades visible at the end of the trunking, and a nice tapered exhaust tip. Tons of small slide-moulded intakes are added to each side along with clear vision ports toward the front, and of course this assembly is repeated in mirror image for the other nacelle. Additional fuel tanks are joined at this stage, with each one being handed for its own wing due to its close-fitting nature. The wings are simple assemblies of two parts with holes needing drilling depending on whether you plan to fit the supplied pods, and they incorporate the tops of the engine pods that the main sections are added to during their construction. The short wingtip mounted stabiliser wheels that fit into their bays with two doors, retraction jacks, wheels and yoke are fitted, as are the fuel tanks and those rocket pods if you really must. There are also wing-fences and more intakes on the engine cowling, plus a small flap between the fuselage and engine pods and a pointed fairing near each wingtip that attaches to a small cut-out in the wing surface. The new tail is separate from the fuselage and consists of two parts for the fin with another for the rudder, then two single part elevators half-way up the fin are fitted on two pins each, and a couple of blade antennae swept in the direction of flight. Adding the wings to their slots in the fuselage, gluing in the two canopy parts and fitting the pointy probe on the nose completes the build. Markings Hobby Boss aren’t renowned for their verbose informative decal instructions, and this kit is no different, although it does have two quite different options depicted on the little decal sheet that accompanies the kit. From the box you can build either a three-colour camouflaged aircraft with grey/blue lower, or a silver machine, about which we know very little from studying the large and colourful painting guide, which shows four views that will be particularly useful for the camouflaged option. The decals are printed to HB’s usual standard and are workmanlike in their sharpness and colour density. The majority are plain red or red and white, so registration isn’t an issue, but the instrument decals are worth pointing out because they are very well done with crisp details and colour where necessary. Conclusion If you’re in the market for a Brewer-E, this will be a nice addition to the stash, and with Hobby Boss’s penetration into the market, it’s also fairly easy to get hold of. Detail is very good throughout, and it should build up into a nice model. Do the camo one – you know you want to! Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

My entry for this blitzbuild will be Hobby Boss's 1/72 Land-Wasser-Schlepper. Still undecided on whether it will be a the Superhero Option or the Other Option.

Blitz...Lightning...geddit? 1/48 kit from Hobby Boss, will be completed in the lower natural metal scheme. Going for the 24-hour option, will be kicking off at 0900 BST on Saturday. Good luck everybody! 👍

Right. So we got one extra week - and @trickyrich tricked me to build one more. Oh well, why not! So let's go with something that is doable in a week: Hobby Boss easy assembly kit. And so that it's not too easy - some Kuivalainen (Eduard) etch. Decals - not sure where I got those... This MiG-15UTI actually ties in nicely my Finnish planes in this GB. Gnat was the first proper fighter in the Finnish Air Force since the war that was atleast somewhat relevant at the time of it's purchase. It was quickly outclassed though - as the aviation industry was moving so fast. MiG-21F-13 followed - and while it did not replace Gnat as such (Draken did), it made it more or less obsolete in FAF. With the purchase of the MiG-21's, four MiG-15UTI's were also bought. It was used as interim trainer between the Fouga Magister and MiG-21F as no dedicated two seater MiG-21 trainer was available. But MiG-15UTI proved to be of little use in Finnish Air Force, there was no real need for such plane type. But, my point being - the thing that ties my Finnish GB builds together - Gnat, MiG-21F-13 and MiG-15UTI all served in the Finnish Air Force at the same time. Whats in the box. It's labeled as an 'Easy Assembly' kit - but it's still a proper kit nevertheless. Pretty nice detail, just maybe little less parts than normally. Like the wings are one part and so on. PE will detail nicely the rather spartan cockpit. Cockpit without PE... ... and with PE. All the extra bits, ready for primer. ... aand the fuselage & wings assembled! I better stop now so that I don't have to post this to the RFI area straight away

So the longest project finally finished. Quality of model itself as usually Hobby Boss or Trumpeter. I'm sure I've made some mistake and missed few things, but by the end it is only piece of plastic, isn't it?

Morning all, Build number eight for the year is a subject I'm incredibly fond of, the epic Rafale Marine. Base kit is the rather average Hobby Boss kit, which isn't particularly accurate in places and isn't the best fit in areas too, one of the reasons I chose not to enter into the Navy GB in case I made a mess of it... I've built it as it comes from the box, warts and all- I made a right mess of the canopy so please don't look too closely..... Finished using Hataka Orange Line- there's always a lot of contention over French colours, but I found on this build that Light Ghost Grey with a few drops of Dark Gull Grey added creates a close enough match for the base colour, which I darkened further to add the shading and staining. The main markings came from an old Model Alliance sheet, which whilst toned down compared to the overly bright kit decals, still required a post shade to dull them down to an acceptable level. Seems no one can get these right! Weathering came courtesy of MIG Productions neutral wash and oilbrusher. I always enjoy building a model of an aircraft I have seen, so I elected to finish the model as No. 11 of Flotille 12F, which I caught at the 2012 Yeovilton Air Day. 1/72 Hobby Boss Dassault Rafale M by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr 1/72 Hobby Boss Dassault Rafale M by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr 1/72 Hobby Boss Dassault Rafale M by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr 1/72 Hobby Boss Dassault Rafale M by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr 1/72 Hobby Boss Dassault Rafale M by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr And the jet itself Dassault Rafale M 11 Aeronavale RNAS Yeovilton 24/06/12 by Shaun Schofield, on Flickr Thanks for looking, comments welcomed, especially any tips on how to prevent the paint on canopy framing lifting with the masking tape, something that has plagued me in recent builds.... Cheers, Shaun