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After completing my mammoth scratchbuild, I need a new project. I threw together a lovely 1/72 T-35 kit, but it only took a handful of sessions, and whilst I’m happy with the result and thoroughly enjoyed it, I only have very limited display space, and it failed to entirely enthral me like a true DIY model does. I’ve not yet decided on a new full-scratch project and am not really ready for the commitment just yet anyway, so time to “scratch the scratch itch” in part at least…. Looking through my stash (not something that took long as there’s only a couple of planes, an old car and one tank) I found a nice looking Hobbyboss Vickers medium MkII. It looks to be a very nice kit, with individual link tracks, a little bit of etch and some clever moulding, all very neatly packaged. Some of this clever moulding includes a one-piece upper hull which has a number of separate hatches, so to my mind, it’s crying out for an interior. It’s also full of injector-pin marks, so the first job was to scrape (using a curved No.10 scalpel) and sand them away. I then set-to with the plastic card. I’ve found a couple of images of a resin interior kit online, which together with real interior photos, allowed me to start knocking up a raised floor, bulkhead and driver’s compartment from 0.5mm sheet. These are just blu-tacked in place for now. I’ll detail (and probably paint) them all before slotting them into place. It’s a nice, clear and open box basically, so pretty simple to make and easy to see why crews were apparently fond of this machine. I need some checker-plate flooring though, so I think I’ll need to order some textured card. It’s good to be back in the saddle, and while I get to scratch some fun bits, it shouldn’t take a year to complete (hopefully!)

My second build will be something more 'armoury' but without much armour! Based on the UK Army's military version of the Land Rover, the WMIK (Weapons Mount Installation Kit) is designed for use in recon and fire support. The kit seems pretty detailed, 3 large sprues (including some nice padding included in the packaging). Two smaller sprues, a set of tyres and the clear parts. A small PE fret and some decals complete the kit. Instructions are a black and white booklet with a colour paint chart - which is fairly redundant (it's either an all yellow/brown desert or all green scheme). I'll be building it OOB, I'm not sure which colour yet - I may add some figures (I think I have a set somewhere).

I thought I had nothing suitable for this GB and then I remembered this. I bought it quite a few years ago to replace my old Airfix Rafael black prototype, which incidentally I cannot find listed on Scalemates - I presume it was just a re-boxing of the Heller Rafael A? Until I was about 10 years old I did not realise that Marcel Bloch who built pre war planes, and Marcel Dassault were one and the same person, but then my parents bought me a book on aircraft one Christmas which I have long since lost, but it had an article on Dassault and mentioned how he changed both his name and that of the company after the war. Apparently, so the story goes, his elder brother Paul Bloch was a General in the French Army who joined the resistance and was given the code name "Chardasso", derived from Char D'Assaut, the French name for a tank. It seems that after the war both Paul and Marcel decided they preferred the surname "Dassault" to Bloch! This should be a nice easy build but I am a bit uncertain about the colour scheme for this French Air Force version - the box art looks like more than one shade of grey but both HB and other manufacturers say all over Light Gull Gray - does anybody have any other suggestions? Pete

Morning all,number three in a quartet of this range for the Salty Sea Dog GB this time the Hellcat.Many thanks for looking in.

HobbyBoss is to release a 1/48th Consolidated B-24J Liberator kit - ref. 81774 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

My first Hobbyboss kit, Me 262 B-1a/U1 1:48 - not one I've seen a lot of posts for... To start with this is a very detailed kit, a lot of fine details and internal parts you just wont see...this is a great kit for those who favour a high degree of accuracy. The moulding is nice and sharp with clear definition - the plastic however is quite inflexible to the point where its a little bit brittle, this may be just a kit that's been sat around for a while! The fitting however was a different matter, the parts seem to be oversized and required quite a bit of trimming and sanding to make them fit together, some gapping with filler needed as well, overall the whole fit just seemed awkward. In the end not a bad kit at all, just let down by the fitting, also the addition of a replacement metal part to add weight to the front was a excellent addition and worth a mention. The cockpit was finished using the usual Eduard etched kit and the engines were a resin kit i managed to procure my scouring the internet for hours, finally being able to find one in stock in a Japanese hobby shop...makes you wonder why these don't come as a standard option on the 262 - turns out there are two options for aftermarket resin engine kits for this model, both are actually for Tamiya, not difficult to find which ones they are using the Hannants search engine, but good luck finding stock! The kit I really wanted to use comes with the full engine casing and is apparently the better fit, the one i had to go with was just the engines and mounts which took some fettling to fit but I'm happy with the result overall and adds a whole lot of detail. First real attempt at free handing the mottled cammo with the airbrush, not the best finish and did end up repainting it a couple of times - but a good attempt in my opinion - just couldn't get the finest lines, i was using a 0.3m needle and 1 Bar of pressure but maybe it was just me not having the experience and practice yet. Tell me what you think, all feedback is appreciated - the light on my phone is really harsh and sorry for the busy background, I don't have a lot of room on my desk at the moment

HobbyBoss is to release in late November 2022 a 1/48th Hawker Hurricane Mk.I kit - ref. 81777 Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=216 Box art V.P.

Hi all, recently picked up the Hobbyboss Bearcat in 1/48 and 1/72. The 1/48 kit comes with decals for the French and Thai air forces, but I have some decals on the way for the US Navy. The kit is a 1B but making the conversion to the F8F-1 shouldn't be an issue. The decals come with 2 schemes, this will be built as the Bearcat from USS Randolph. Never built an American aircraft so looking forward to this one. Quite a straightforward kit so hoping it should be a fun build. I also have a 1/72 Bearcat but it's an easy assembly kit so will only take a few days tops to build, its practically just 2 pieces. Thanks for looking in!

HobbyBoss is to release 1/48th TBD-1 Devastator kits - ref. 81783 - Douglas TBD-1 Devastator - ref. 81784 - Douglas TBD-1A Devastator Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

HobbyBoss is to release 1/48th Messerschmitt Bf.109E Emil kits. - ref. 81791 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-3 Emil - ref. 81793 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-4/TROP Emil Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

HobbyBoss is to release a 1/72nd Grumman TBM-3 Avenger kit - ref. 87274 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

Several years ago I was considering refurbishing my old Revell C-6 but having lost one or two of the parts I decided to start again with a cheap HobbyBoss kit. I have not as yet decided which actual variant to build but I rather fancy one of the "heavy" fighters. HB provide markings for ZG 26 and ZG 76 and say it is a C-6. Should be a fairly simple build if they have not screwed anything up like the props on their Do-335 - the cockpit will need a little work and the gun barrels may need replacing. Assuming I have both the time and inclination I will have a shot at this before too long. Pete

In 2021 Hobby Boss is to release 1/48th CH-47 Chinook kits. - ref. 81772 - Boeing CH-47A Chinook - ref. 81773 - Boeing CH-47D Chinook More variants to follow? Most probably. To be followed. Source: http://www.moxingfans.com/m/view.php?aid=7201&pageno=1 V.P.

HobbyBoss is to release 1/72nd Douglas TBD-1 Devastator kits. - ref. 87272 - Douglas TBD-1 Devastator - ref. 87273 - Douglas TBD-1A Devastator Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

No it's not a joke. After the Kinetic announcement here's the HobbyBoss 1/48th Sukhoi Su-33 "Flanker-D" kit - ref. 81761 Source: https://www.facebook.com/TrumpeterModel/photos/a.103538733138062.8169.103526326472636/529782187180379/?type=3&theater V.P.

Hi all, another build lined up for this GB. I'll be building the Hobbyboss Mirage IIICJ in 1/48 but using the Armycast Israeli Mirages decal sheet to build a Mirage from 253 squadron. Looking forward to it!

Hi all, my first post in this section means my first finished tank. Its the Hobbyboss Merkava 4 in 1/72. Got this as an xmas present off my brother and it was a fun little kit. I definitely see a 1/35 kit in my future! Going to hang around in the armour section more and hopefully pick up some tips and tricks as I havent got the slightest clue really when it comes to building AFVs and weathering them. Anyway, here it is! Thanks for looking in!

Hi All Completed build number 2, much happier with this than the first. The kit itself comes with five photoetch frets, so that up'd the challenge from Dreadnought for starters. She's brush painted in Humbrol enamels, mixed up my own red for the hull, then decks are 123, and hull/uppers is 125. The kits is very nicely engineered and goes together a dream generally. I augmented it with Model master barrels for the main and secondary armament and then likewise Model masters resin and turned brass aa guns (2 types) and training guns (they were chuffing awkward/tiny). The kit has some railing but lacks the main deck and most of the boat deck as well, so that is from my Repulse kit as I have after market for her. I added a thin line of evergreen strip to replicate a wooden rail that ran around her stern and scratch built the struts for the seaplane. It was my first proper go with photo etch and then I tried simplified rigging and overall I'm very pleased with her. She's taken a long while to complete but that was partly due to the amount of time between coats of paint at the start of the build then my wandering attention, a really nice kit to build and is such a handsome looking ship I might well do her sister ship at some point, Apologies some of the pics aren't great, my phone refuses to focus at times, Firsts; Photoetch as well as working out my own for that not provided Main barrels AA Resin and barrels Pin washing Rigging Build log here; I recently did a presentation course and the guidance was always one thing you liked (or more) and one thing you could do better so points I can improve are always welcome thanks for looking Sam

Hello there, comrades. With your indulgence (I didn't vote last year), I'd like to join the fun with this little beauty. Certainly fits the bill; it's a car that's armoured This is my first attempt at a groupbuild. I'm hoping that joining you will motivate me to complete this project within a reasonable time for a change. Today, the day that stops a nation is underway, when the chaff burners compete for the Melbourne Cup. A couple will fall over on the wet track and be shot, women wear fascinators, everyone splashes money around and most get Brahms and Liszt. Unaccountably, it's a public holiday! But it's chucking down with rain and we've just had a violent hail storm. What better day to stay indoors, avoid the soggy hullabaloo and start a new project? Here's how my dear friend Enviroman marked the dreadful day on his kitchen calendar a couple of years back...

USS Gato SS-212 1944 1/350 HOBBYBOSS via Creative Models Beginning to enter service near the end of 1941, the diesel-fuelled Gato class submarines adopted the traditional US Navy submarine arrangement used since the end of WWI. They were equipped with four engine rooms, diesel-electric reduction gear, one auxiliary generator, four electric motors generating 5480 hp when submerged driven by two 126-cell batteries. Submerged endurance was 48 hours at 2 knots. Cruising range was 11,000 miles on the surface at 10 knots with 94,400 gallons of diesel fuel. Patrol duration was 75 days. Their performance was better on the surface than submerged, much like the rest of the worlds submarines at the time. At the outbreak of WWII the Gato class was produced in large numbers and became the workhorse of the US submarine fleet. In an attempt to cut off the supply chain of US forces from Australia the Japanese forces landed on the Solomon Islands on 20th January 1942, which also allowed Japan to target Australia directly. In retaliation, the US submarines were ordered to attack the Japanese supply chain which they did, from New Guinea waters all the way to Japans coastal waters. Throughout the war modifications and conversions to the Gato fleet were carried out the 3 inch deck guns were replaced with 4 inch and the bridge structures modified to accommodate 20mm Oerlikon cannon. The Gatos had many notable successes throughout the war, including the sinking of the carriers Tahio, (by USS Albacore), Shokaku, (by USS Cavalla) and virtually throttling the Japanese Islands of precious fuel and oil. The Kit This is was a new tooling from HobbyBoss inq 2021, that kit representing USS Gato the lead ship of her class as she was in 1941. She was laid down 5 October 1940, by the Electric Boat Company. She was launched 21 August 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Louise Ingersoll, wife of Admiral Royal E. Ingersoll, and commissioned 31 December 1941. This new kit features different parts fo the late war fit of the boat in 1944. As you can imagine in 1/350 the parts count is not large. There are 25 plastic parts and a PE name plate. The two main hull parts go together trapping the rudder at the stern. Also at the stern the two propeller shafts go on as well as the propellers, these are followed by the stern dive planes. Moving to the bow the forward mast or jackstaff is added along with the bow planes and two anchors, further amidships the later deck gun is added. Next up the deck house is completed with its fittings and at the top the masts and periscopes. Additional later Anti-aircraft armament is also in place fore and aft of the bridge. If needed the base can then be made up along with the PE name plate and the finished boat placed on it. Decals Decals are provided for pendant numbers only. Conclusion This is a great looking kit from HobbyBoss, though it would have been much better if some PE was included most notably for the later AA mounts. Overall recommended/ Review sample courtesy of

LKW 7t MIL GL Truck LARS2 Hobbyboss 1:35 (85521) In the 1960s the Bundeswher was looking to replace its fleet of vehicles which stemmed from the birth of the modern German Army. They wanted a fleet of 2, 3 & 4 axle vehicles in the 4 to 10 tonne payload range which had to be amphibious. As it was a large task it was suggested that bidding companies form a common development company for a unified project. This was set up under the leadership of MAN and included Klockner-Humboldt-Deutz, Bussins, Krup, and Henschel. The specification agreed was for a cross country capable, amphibious, all wheel drive, run flat tyres, steel cab, NBC protection, and a multifuel engine. In 1975 the German Army & MAN signed the contract to produce 4x4, 6x6 and 8x8 vehicles. They are powered by a V8 Deutz diesel engine and are mainly flatbed or covered type trucks. The distinctive cab with the cut away corners stems from the need for the vehicles to be rail transported on standard flat cars. Earlier trucks had fixed cabs but later ones tilting ones which made engine maintenance much easier. All vehicles feature a mount for a MG3 machine gun (basically an MG42!). Germany had deployed the Light Artillery Rocket System since 1969, The 110mm rockets were mounted on a multi-barrelled launcher. Originally on a Magirus chassis they were later put on the MAN chassis when the German Army Standardised to them. The system was an area weapon employing Fragmentation or smoke projectiles, as well as this it could deliver anti-tank mines. Maximum range was 14km with a minimum range of 6.6km. The 36 tubes could all be fired in 18 seconds, The system was phased out in 1998 to be replaced by the M270 system. The Kit The kit arrives on 10 sprues, a clear sprue, with cab and launcher as separate parts. There are also 4 boxes of various sizes and 7 rubber tyres, a nice inclusion is masks for the windows. Construction starts with the chassis. First of all the suspension units & axles are built up, this is followed by the transfer case. The main chassis rails are joined by the cross members and the transfer case is added. Supports for the suspension units are added in and then the axles themselves follow. Prop shafts join the transfer box to the front axle and first rear axle, another joins the first rear axle to the second. Next up the exhaust system goes in. Shock absorbers are added for each axles and torque dampers as well link to the chassis. Lastly for the chassis the wheels and tyres go on. Work then moves to the cab. The dash board is built up with some of the drivers foot controls added underneath it. The base plate of the cab has the gear controls and a few other parts added then the dash is fitted. Once this is in the drivers seat and steering wheel are added along with the bench seat for the passengers. This is then the lower part of the cab complete. Moving onto the upper part the windows added along with a couple of internal parts and the main rear bulkhead. The upper cab can then be attached to the floor. The spare wheel and carrier are completed and attached to the cab, followed by the main doors being completed and added. The right side equipment locker is also built up and added. On the outside of the cab the front bumper is added along with the roof hatch, mirrors, wipers and parts for the engine hatch. The completed cab can then be added to the chassis. At the rear of the chassis two hydraulic stabiliser legs are built up and added on. Work now moves to the rear launcher platform. The main base has is underside parts added and then it fits directly on to the chassis. Once this is on the equipment box that fits in front of the launcher. The main box goes onto the floor pate, under this is added an equipment locker to the right and a jerrican rack to the left. A boarding ladder rack is also included for this area. To the very rear of the vehicle an access platform complete with PE tread plate is built up and added. A boarding ladder then attached to this. Once all the platforms are on its time to move to the launcher itself. The circular base is built up and a small generator unit also get assembled and added for the base. The main launcher assembly now goes together and the extended tubes are added to the front of the launcher. The end caps can be either in the open or closed position. An operator station is then built up and added in between the tubes, this seems to offer manual traverse and elevation if its needed in the event of a power failure. The completed launcher can then be added to the rear of the vehicle. Decals Theses are minimal as the vehicles did not carry many markings. Conclusion It is great to see a modern if now out of service German vehicle being made available, this gives many diorama possibilities as well as a great stand alone model. The kit is nicely complex and should build up to be a great looking kit. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Alright, first of all, I will need to have a small rant: this Aircraft's nickname is a nightmare. I sent a solid hour or two looking for a proper 'official' spelling for use in the title, only to find that the closest there is (as it is used by the Videogame) is Sturmovik, which doesn't make sense considering the original Russian pronunciation, where 'ш' is pronounced as a "Sh" sound, but even more baffling is 'Stormovik' as there is no 'o' sound anywhere NEAR the first letters, and even though the theoretically correct 'Shturmovik' does indeed get used, it is primarily in more vintage works, where the more recently-printed copies of the same book have changed the spelling to that of the first variety! Due to this, I may as well use the original Cyrillic штурмовик, for at the very least it is undeniably accurate and true to the original with minimal fuss! …Okay, pet peeve rant over. I should probably now get to the subject itself: Hobbyboss's single-seat wheel-equipped Il-2. This is undeniably a great kit, as quite a few much more knowledgeable modelers have made clear, although that does not rectify a rather prominent issue: It cannot fit on my workbench! The solution, as obvious as it is, was to build everything separately, stashing the rest of the sprue back in the box where they would not bother me, and so I started with... The engine. Yes, I know that it is common courtesy to build the Cockpit first (at least so I think), however as I am studying resources and walkarounds to get the area as accurate as I can get in terms of colours, I elected to build the Mikulin AM-38 powerplant first, seeing as it should be relatively simple, right...? Well, the construction could be worse, however seeing as there are 4 different paints needed for the engine I had to assemble parts that shared certain colours and leave others on the sprue before priming them, a spit in the face to my traditional practice of smothering the engine in Tamiya Gunmetal and calling it complete! Here the parts were given their first coat of paint, chrome silver (the only shade I have at the moment) on the smaller pieces and a strange mixture of 'Dark Grey' and 'Neutral Grey' on the larger ones. Yes, I know I am supposed to use 'Dark Ghost Compass Grey' (which does not really match up with photographs of real AM-38s in any case), however seeing as I did not have the appropirate shade I just mixed' and matched'. It came out alright, but it was at this point I ran out of lacquer thinner (needed for one of the paints) and daylight, which meant I had to pause the painting, at least for now. And that is all the work I have for today. Don't worry about the relative lack of progress, as I will make an attempt to expand the build everyday, majorly if possible. I have tried to resize the photographs to be more compact (thank you very much @stevehnz) but if it has failed horribly please let me know. As an addition to this, if there is anything I could do to improve build or my methods I would be more than happy to see any tips or such, as this my first attempt at this sort of activity. In any case, that is all for now. Sincerely, Hurricaneflyer

Hi all, here's my F8F-1 Bearcat easy assembly kit built for the Salty Sea Dog GB. Build thread here: Picked it up as something small to practice on before I build Hobbyboss's larger Bearcat. Can't fault the kit at all it was a super fun and laid back build- exactly what a starter easy kit should be. Assembly took no time at all, it could even be done with no glue as most parts just snap into place. I'm glad to see Hobbyboss are releasing the F8F-2 soon as an easy kit too, I hope they continue to manufacture these kits as they're a joy to build and would be great for a new modellers first build (or just to practice on). This was my first time building an aircraft deployed at sea so wanted to try a little weathering- nothing over the top just some chipping. Used AK Interactive metallic pencils and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. Here are the photos: Thanks for looking in!

Hello all, This is another 'Easy-Assembly' kit from HobbyBoss, again a very straightforward build: the kit only uses some 25 parts but shows nice detail overall. I wanted to use it as a painting exercise, specially for the worn NMF look that reference pictures of VNAF Bearcats typically show. I added spare PE seat belts, some simple sidewall cockpit structure (the cockpit & seat are molded all-in-one into the top fuselage), IP decal and a gunsight. Also the main gear bay received a bit of tubing and detail. A few lines of rivets were added around the engine compartment and I replaced the kit's gun barrels with brass tubes. Decals are bits and pieces from the spares box. I used several Alclad metal paints and mainly oils for weathering. Hope you enjoy the pics - thanks for looking. Have a great end-of-year all! Patrick Credits background picture: designed by Freepik, photo by mrsiraphol: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/maldives-island_1122944.htm#query=maldives palms&position=6&from_view=search&track=sph

In 2020-2021, HobbyBoss is to release 1/72nd Grumman F8F Bearcat kits. - ref. 87267 - Grumman F8F-1 Bearcat - released - ref. 87268 - Grumman F8F-1B Bearcat - released - ref. 87269 - Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat - released V.P.