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For my second entry I am building this Hobby Boss Eurocopter Tiger as an Australian Army armed reconnaissance helicopter. Ironically it has recently been announced that the Tigers will be replaced by AH-64E Apaches. The Tigers had a troubled history, lengthy maintenance requirements resulted in high operating costs and low availability. In addition there were problems with communication and data links. A look at the parts: The instructions are of the exploded diagram style: I also have the Ronin Decals sheet which allows any of the Australian Tigers to be modelled the decals come with a very useful set of detail photos: some parts of the defensive suite will need to be scratched and, somewhat dauntingly, so will the very long towel rail aerial on the port fuselage. A quick start today with some of the major components cleaned up and dry fitted: fit is quite good and it goes together well, the cockpit tub is a very tight fit care will need to be taken to get the nose to close up properly to allow the canopy to fit correctly. Thanks for looking. AW

Hi all Just a few pics from my latest build- the 1/48 HobbyBoss KV-1E I love the look of the KV-1 but like it even more with the bolted on armour, a real beast! A simple build with some nice details and a few bits of PE and even a metal wire tow cable and for about half the price of the Tamiya kit, so what's not to like? OoB apart from the tarp and painted with MRP 4BO and pretty much a straight copy of the techniques shown by Nightshift's build on youtube, I make no apologies! This is the first 1/48th armour I've built and this is the way I'm going- my first 3 were all 1/35th but I realised pretty quickly that if I wanted to do any late war tanks then the bases have to be pretty big. By going 1/48 I can have bigger scenes which is probably the main reason I build armour. I've nearly finished the small diorama to go with this which I'll post once I've tackled the figures- I struggled in 1/35th so what 1/48 figures are going to be like only time will tell. No spoilers on this post but I'm made up with the base so far, loads of new things tried and I can't stop looking at it. Hopefully finished in the next week or so if I can stop tinkering with bits. Added the picture of the final base, more pictures in the diorama section here under 'The arrival of General Winter' And that's all, hope you like. Any tips for future builds much appreciated.

Soviet D-38 Tank (84517) 1:35 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The D-38 was a derivative of the BT-2 “convertible” tank that could have its tracks removed and could run on its road-wheels for an extra turn of speed on metalled/tarmacked roads, although Russia had very little in the way of this type of road, so it was a bit of a waste of effort. The tank was pretty good for its time, and the D-38 was fitted with a faceted turret that was welded, and could carry a 76.2mm howitzer, with the M1927 being the choice as it allowed the tanks to offer fire support to advancing troops. It was a powerful gun for the time, but it came a little too late and suffered from comparison to the newer T-34 that proved to be a much more capable machine in every way. Production of the D-38 stopped in favour of the new golden girl, and the rest as they say, is history. The Kit This is a partial retooling of their earlier BT-2 kit, but with new parts to depict the turret and any other small differences between them. It arrives in their usual top-opening box with a painting of the type on the kid, and inside are eight sprues and two hull halves in sand coloured styrene, two track sprues in grey, a small clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and a decal sheet containing two rows of white digits 0-9. The instruction booklet is slim, and there is also a sheet of painting instructions printed in colour on glossy paper slipped within it. It’s a small kit of a simple tank, so should be a fairly fast build until you get to the painting part, but detail is good throughout the exterior. Construction begins with the two hull halves, as this is an exterior kit and has nothing on the inside, not even a basic breech. A few holes need opening up, and a few more should be closed over with some rod or putty, then the final drive housings are bulked out by adding parts to the inside of the bell-shaped areas. Bump-stops are fitted to the side of the hull, followed by large perforated bars that separate the individual springs and suspension arms, with a different swing-arm for the front road wheels that have steering linkages poking through the armour for the road-going “travel mode”. The sides of the hull are then applied to the outer faces, closing in the suspension and the chain-drive to the rearmost road wheel. At the front the “steering” wheels are put in place with their central hub, then the paired road wheels are installed behind them, with the smaller idler wheel in front of the steerers, and a multi-part drive sprocket. Tracks are in grey styrene, and there are 48 links per side. Every other one has a guide horn, and the detail moulded into the links is very good. Make a run up and wrap it around the wheels while the glue is still soft, and hold the links in place with tape or some other method to ensure that the correct sag is present when the glue sets. The fenders are made from a front and rear part on each side, then at the rear a large exhaust muffler is made up and mounted on a pair of PE parts, just behind two engine louvers that might allow the viewer see the blank interior, so take the precaution of putting a coat of black inside before you close up, so that little will be seen. All that is left now is the turret, which is a simple top and bottom section, to which the main gun barrel are carriage are added behind a two-part mantlet, with a machine gun in a ball-mount to the right of it, plus a vent on the roof and grab handle at the rear. That’s it. I told you it was a simple kit. Markings The decal sheet contains two rows of 0-9 digits, with a pair of additional zeroes thrown in. There are no decals shown used in the side profiles, so do a little research and pick your numbers from the decal sheet. From the box you can build this Russian Green vehicle. Conclusion It’s a total dead-end of the Soviet armour programme, but an interesting one. If it weren’t for the T-34 it may have seen a lot more action, and could well have done a good job against everything but the Panthers and Tigers. A strange mix of Christie suspension, unusual design choices and a big gun. It’s quite a likeable tank. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This is a build for a friend, This is Hobby Boss's outstanding kit, straight out of the box. The Black Aces has to be one of the best Tomcat schemes. Paints used are MRP.

Here is my model of USS Lassen in 1:700 scale from the Hobby Boss kit. I started this on 23rd Dec and with some fits and starts finished it yesterday. It was an easy kit to build, however, I rather bodged the paintjob as I painted the deck first, then the superstructures and when time came to attach them found some gaps needed filling, resulting in too many layers caused by masking and re-masking using Liquid Mask. As a result the sharp details have become rather lost and the decals exhibit quite a bit of silvering despite liberal application of Daco decal solvent. it was also my first time doing PE railings so they are bit wonky (I used transparent canopy glue & C.A. to fix them). The halyards are a combination of Uschi van der Rosten rigging and stretched sprue affixed with C.A. For the base, after building a frame using 20mm pine coaming from the local DIY shop the sea effect was created using stryofoam board, watercolour paper, then airbrushed Vallejo Dark Sea Blue, Pastel Green and Off White with the green & white closer to the vessel. I drew around the shape of the hull form using the bottom half of the waterline kit part and then gouged a seat for the ship. I created the waves using AK Interactive Sea Effect for the overall sea texture and then cotton wool soaked in the same for the churn, finished with AK Interactive Foam. I probably spent more time thinking and preparing the base than the model itself. Putting such effort on the sea taught me a vital lesson that despite the (perceived) shortcomings of my work on the model (paint job), once viewed as a whole, these somehow become less apparent.

Quite surprisingly still no trace nor rumour - even from Chinese modellers homepages - about the HobbyBoss catalogue 2021-2022. V.P.

DPRK Pukguksong-2 (84544) 1:35 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd Unsurprisingly there is not much information out there about this Missile system. The Pukguksong-2 (NK-15 western designation) is a North Korean Ballistic missile. It has been classed as a Medium Range or Intermediate range ICBM as little is know about its real range; this is estimated between 1200 kms and 3000 kms. So far there have only been two test flights both on a deliberate low trajectory. Unlike previous North Korean missiles the Pukguksong-2 is a solid fueled missile. Transport is through a new local design fully tracked Transport Erector Launcher. The missile is cold ejected from an enclosed transport canister using compressed gas. Footage seen shows the missile to have slipper blocks inside the tube similar to the US Minuteman system. The missile is said to be Nuclear capable. The Kit Hobby boss have have thrown a curved ball with this release, who knows where they got the info from! The kit arrives on 9 main sprues, a lower hull, two upper hull parts, a clear sprue, 12 sprues of track parts, a small sheet of PE, A sheets of masks (not shown) and a small decal sheet. Construction starts with the vehicle cab, The drivers controls go in along with two seats and the cab fire extinguishers. Next up all the suspension arms and transmission housings are fitted to the lower hull There are 8 arms per side. Once these are on the idler fixings and return rollers are added. The wheels can then be built up along with the drive sprockets and idler wheels. Next We turn to the tracks This make take a while as they are individual links, 121 per side each with its own track pad. There is no jig or guide and the links must be glued together. Once the tracks are on the addition of a rear plate completes the lower hull. Now we move to the top hull. The main part is one moulding to which is added various hatches, doors grab handles, aerial mounts, and the headlight protectors. The large top deck is next. At the rear of this are fitted the mud guards and two stabilising legs. Flipping it over the two rams for the erector are added along with some plates which protect them. Engine hatches then go on, and PE engine grills are also fitted. Some auxiliary seating goes on the sides of the top plate and then me main top hull moulding can go on. Next up we turn out attention to the missile tube and its erector. The main tube is in two halves, at the front a single part nose cane goes on. The rear of the tube is more involved with a total of 6 rings forming the base. A few other fixings then go to the tube. Two large boxes are added to the side along with a couple of large cable runs, two pipes attach these to the vehicle. The erector is then assembled. There are two large base parts to which the erection rams attach, and then its pined to the rear of the vehicle. The instructions say to to glue these parts, however there is not enough travel on these parts to have the missile in the upright position, though it could be done with some work and additional parts. Two supports are added to the front of the main hull. The lower hull, upper hull and missile tube can now be joined. Markings A small decal sheet gives markings for two different camo vehicles. No other information is given. Conclusion This is a great kit from Hobby Boss of a little seen vehicle, the kit is first rate and builds up easily into a good looking vehicle. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I've been encouraged by a respected member of this forum to provide some of my work for others to see. The last number of years I've struggled to finish and complete a kit. My building started in the 70's and the 80's and 90's, completed many and reaching a quality level that I was really pleased with. I have a good feeling working on this kit, I do see the finishing line relatively speaking. The LTV A-7 aircraft has been a favourite of mine for some time. And 2 seat versions of normally single seat aircraft as well a favourite. Yes the Hobby Boss Corsair has its warts, but I don't really see another on the horizon any time soon. My local hobbyshop had only the TA-7C available but it did include all the parts to build as an Air Force version. The South Dakota Air National Guard is one units markings I've admired with the Mount Rushmore art on the top of the tail. Those markings are included on a Xtradecal release. One aspect of the kit I disliked were the numerous rivet/screw details engraved everywhere. Most were filled with Tamiya surface primer, leaving just a hint of a few here and there that will show slightly after painting and weathering. The boarding ladder and steps will be made. I viewed the main wheels as a bit thin looking, so I sandwiched plastic card between the halves. The ejection seat seemed rather narrow and I've started to adjust it with Milliput. My work keeps me from progressing everyday and I am not sure how many installments I will have but my goal is to show my completed work in the finished model section.

Hi to all! Here is HobbyBoss 1/72 F9F2 Panther in colors of Argentina. On kit are used Quickboost aftermarket, nose, wheels, wheels covers and jet pipe. Painted, weathered and washed with Ammo Mig colors. Thanks for watching! BR

Everything else is heading to decals & weathering so time to start he next kit. Going with the Hobby Boss M4 HST (most likely in straight OD). It may eventually have something to tow (thinking a captured 88mm AA unit). Usual box art/sprue shot to start

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

Corsair Mk.III (80396) 1:48 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The Corsair is an iconic fighter aircraft that had speed agility and an unusual look to recommend it to pilots, but its gestation was far from easy due to the optimistic and highly demanding specification that required not only high speed but great war-load carrying capability and a low stall speed to make it suitable for carrier operations. It was given the largest engine then available in the shape of the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp radial engine, which could drive a huge three bladed prop that was almost 14 feet across. This meant that the wings had to be given an inverted gull shape so that the prop didn't strike the ground on take-off or landing. It had already proved itself capable before the United States entered WWII, being the first US single-engined aircraft to exceed 400mph. Concerns about armament led to the cowling guns being deleted and three .50cal machines guns being installed in each wing, which displaced the fuel tanks into the fuselage ahead of the cockpit, giving the aircraft its distinctive set-back appearance. By 1941 it was in production and had been allocated the name Corsair, but initial trials revealed an unpleasant stall characteristic that would lead to one wing dropping suddenly, which had to be fixed with a small root mounted stall strip. The set-back cockpit also gave poor forward visibility on landing and take-off, with oil from the engine further obscuring the view. The top cowling flaps were replaced with a fixed panel, and the landing gear struts re-tuned, but this delayed its use as a carrier borne fighter until 1944. Despite these set-backs it was used successfully as a land-based fighter, and was used in large numbers by the US Marines to good effect. A number of aces got their kills in the Corsair, which was superior to the Zero, which coupled with the pilots' experience over the poorly trained rookie Japanese pilots made them easy targets. Because the Corsair was fast at low level it was also used for ground attack, firing unguided rockets and bombs on wing pylons. The Royal Navy also used the Corsair from 1943, putting it into use immediately, as it was far superior to their existing options, and despite its unforgiving deck handling characteristics it found favour with pilots. The Mk.III was a Brewster-built F4U-1, who were having such production issues that their contract was rescinded and they went bankrupt soon after. The aircraft were prone to shedding their wings, so various restrictions were put in place to prevent this. After WWII it went on to serve in many conflicts, with the production line finally closing in 1953, more than 10 years after it opened. As a testament to its longevity and usefulness, some foreign operators still had Corsairs in service in the 1970s! The Kit This kit is most definitely one of Hobby Boss's more upmarket kits, and is well detailed throughout. Inside the top-opening box are 11 sprues of varying size in mid-grey styrene, a clear sprue and a reasonably sized decal sheet. On initial release there was discussion over the cowling, which appears to have an oversized opening at the front, and a misshapen auxiliary chin-intake as a result. This shouldn't be a major problem for most builders, but if you are striving for accuracy, there is a resin replacement in the wings from True Details that will address this issue, and those should still be available. This version of the Corsair is the final mark used in WWII, but an early block, although it has the by now familiar Malcolm type blown hood, rather than the claustrophobic bird-cage hood originally used in earlier versions. Construction is pretty straight forward, complicated only by the decision whether to fold the wings or not. The cockpit is built up as a "tub" with oval bulkheads at each end and a two-layer floor that exposes some of the control lines through a central hole. Side consoles and the main instrument panel are supplied with raised and recessed details, plus decals in black and white if you don't feel up to painting them, or using Airscale individual instrument decals on the build. Rudder pedals, trim wheel, fire extinguisher and control column make for a nicely detailed interior. The big P&W engine is well stocked with parts, and depicts both rows of cylinders, as well as the complex spaghetti-like exhaust stacks, which eventually wend their way out to the two exits on the side of the fuselage. There is also a reproduction of the reduction gear bell-housing with a ring for the wiring harness, although the wiring itself is absent in this kit. A little research and some lead wire will soon put that right though, and you will have a handsome looking block to put in the aircraft. The instructions then have you make up the inner wing panels and tail wheel, In preparation for closing the fuselage. The lower inner wing has the wing-fold ribs, intake backing bay and a couple of holes drilled out, then the short upper panels are dropped into place, with separate flaps, intake fairings and the wingfold mechanism (if used) together with support rods. Before closing up the fuselage, a pair of cockpit sidewall inserts are fitted inside the fuselage, and the large tail-wheel is inserted, then the arrestor hook bay is built up and glued in behind the tail wheel. Finally, the rear stub of the engine is trapped between the two halves, then the lower wing, cowling and cooling flaps, plus the empennage are assembled and fitted, which allows offsetting of the flying surfaces if you wish, although you would need to extend or contract the actuator arms accordingly. The outer wing panels themselves have their gun bays included, which can be modelled open or closed, with a boxed in bay and lengths of .50cal ammo supplied with the guns. You'll need to close them up if you're modelling the aircraft with its wings folded, and with that in mind, a full set of covers are included. The wing-fold ribs hide the interior of the wing, and you are supposed to be able to slot them together whether you are building the kit with folded or unfolded wings. Some test fitting of the straight wings would be a wise move to reduce the chances of a step, and I would definitely consider attaching the inner and outer panels in advance of closing up the wing parts. The ailerons are separate, as are the outer flap sections, both of which are made from top and bottom halves and can be posed again. Small clear wingtip lights are added to each tip as well as the root, and a pitot probe is inserted into a slot in the port wingtip. The kit is designed to be built with the wheels down, so all of the gear bay doors are engineered to fit the open bays, but if you're after a wheels-up look, test fitting is the way to go. The main gear legs are the central parts and have separate oleo-scissors, and a large A-frame retraction jack that beefs up the gear to stand the rigors of deck landings. The two small "knee-pad" bay doors attach to the front of the struts, and should be painted underside colour on the outside, and primer on the inside. The wheels are in two halves, and show a good level of detail, including circumferential treads on the tyres, and nicely moulded spokes on the outer hubs. There is no flat-spot on the tyres, so a sanding stick will be needed if you prefer them to show the effect of the aircraft’s weight. The canopy is in two parts, with a separate windscreen. It is shown modelled closed, but I'm sure it will be possible to pose the blown "Malcolm" style hood in the open position. Apart from a few aerials, the remaining parts are weapons to load your Corsair up with for a more aggressive look to the finished model. There are eight HVAR unguided rockets that were used to great effect at the end of the war, which have separate mounts, and will just need actuators made from wire to finish them off. The underwing pylons have two large auxiliary fuel tanks attached, and these have separate sway brace and filler/overflow hose parts to give them a little extra interest. There are demarcations for the yellow tips moulded into the blades though, which although handy for the novice isn't really very accurate, so they will need to be filled if you can’t live with them. Markings There are two decal schemes included on the sheet, both of which are British machines for obvious reasons, but different enough to pick a favourite from. The options are as follows: JS479/Q-BH2 of 718 Sqn. DAA Ballyhalbert, 1945 JS636/Y2F Naval Air Sqn. 759 Fleet Air Arm, 1944-45 The red seems a little pink in this scan, but to the eye it is more red. A quick Google shows that both these decal options were actually Mk.II airframes, with the distinctive cross-rail on the canopy. Several sources show them as such, so I suspect that Hobby Boss have dropped a clanger here, possibly getting the II and III mixed up and providing the wrong canopy as a result – the boxtop has the cross-rail, which backs that hypothesis up a little. Check your references, and if you agree and it bothers you, you’ll need to resort to aftermarket decals and some canopy surgery. The second option is announced to by “Royal Vavy”, but the decals use an N, so have a chuckle and move on. Unusually, the yellow prop tips are included on the decal sheet, which unless backed by a coat of white paint will probably look quite dull over a black prop, so you'll need to paint a white background on the tips, and it would seem a waste of effort to not then overspray the area with yellow, rendering the decals redundant. The decals are cleanly printed, in good register, and seem to have good colour density. Conclusion With the exception of the too-wide cowling opening this is a really nice kit from a builder's point of view that's packed with detail, and should build into a good-looking model. If you can live with the cowling issue, it will look great out of the box, otherwise, you'll doubtless need to pick up the aftermarket replacement, and maybe some aftermarket decals too if you’re interested. Overall, it's a nicely done kit, and should provide hours of entertainment for your average modeller, with the above-mentioned caveats. Recommended. 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

HobbyBoss is to release in late June 2017 a 1/72nd Douglas C-47 Skytrain kit - ref. 87264 Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=product&a=show&id=1342&l=en V.P.

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