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Junkers F13 Float Plane Early Prod. (48004) 1:48 MinIArt via Creative Models Ltd The design process that led to the Junkers F13 was begun while WWI was still raging, and it was an unconventional and advanced design for the time, when most aircraft were still wood and canvas biplanes that were strengthened by the use of copious rigging wires that created excess drag, making them slow and delicate. The J13 as it was initially called first flew in 1919, and reached maturity during a time that Germany was prevented from having an air-force, and the market was flooded with military surplus aircraft that could be quickly and cheaply converted into rudimentary airliners or transports. It had a few cards up its sleeve however, such as its all-metal monoplane construction that was far easier to protect from the deleterious effects of weather, especially in humid or damp climates. Through careful design and extensive testing, it had a clean aerodynamic profile that meant a lower power output engine could be utilised to achieve desired speeds, meaning that it could be fitted with different engines from many manufacturers, rather than being saddled with a single high-output and therefore temperamental power-plant. It was crewed by one pilot with a spare seat to his side with a control column, and a further four passenger seats in the rear compartment, utilising the cockpit seat for an extra passenger should the need arise. Its stressed, corrugated duralumin skin and internal bracing made it both light and strong, with the fuselage attached to the top of the wing, which gave the crew and passengers an extra layer of protection in the event of a rough landing that compromised the gear legs. It also had an unusual trimming system that utilised fuel that was pumped between header tanks in the fore and aft of the fuselage to adjust for centre of gravity changes of the aircraft, and its fixed gear was simple to replace with skis or floats if the need arose. Germany was prevented from building any aircraft until 1921, which resulted in initial sales going overseas, even selling to England and America, Germany’s former enemies. It became so popular thanks to its many appealing qualities that within a few years it constituted around 40% of the world’s civilian air-traffic, and was a familiar sight in the skies of many countries around the world. Production continued until 1932, and included license-built examples that were manufactured in Russia and America, with airframes around the world continuing commercial service until the early 50s, whilst civilian operators were less inclined to give up flying them. The type’s development was mostly centred on the engine type that was mounted in the nose, having several options during its life-time, but there was also a stretched-fuselage variant that could carry more load, and the afore-mentioned float or ski options. More unusual variants were created by users, including a light bomber in China, a bizarre ground-attack aircraft in the US that mounted thirty downward-firing machine guns to pepper enemy troops below, and Soviet forces pressed some of their aircraft into military service with the Red Army. The aircraft remained popular despite its age, and in the new millennium, a Swiss-German company decided to create a series of replica airframes in the noughties, utilising as much of the original design as possible, but substituting a more modern Pratt & Whitney engine and modern precision instruments where the improvement would be worth the change. The design was based upon original blueprints and a laser-scan of an original airframe to confirm their accuracy, but at $2.5m per example, there won’t be too many gracing the skies any time soon. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt of this grandfather of the Ju.52 that utilised many of the same technologies and engineering techniques that were pioneered in this small aircraft. The kit arrives in a standard MiniArt top-opening box with a painting of the subject-matter on the top, and the decal option profiles on one of the sides. Inside the box are eleven sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has a cover printed in colour, with a full set of profiles on the front and rear pages, also in colour. Detail is up to MiniArt’s current standards, and examining the sprues reveals a huge quantity of detail that extends across the entire exterior, covering the model with finely rendered corrugations, and where appropriate, these corrugations also extend to the interior. The cockpit is well-rendered, and sits behind a replica of the BMW IIIa six-cylinder engine, with a radiator at the front, while the passenger compartment has a humped floor just like the real thing to accommodate the wing spars under the floor. This edition also sports extended span wings, and the floats necessary to operate from water, with changes to the airframe commensurate with this use. Construction begins with the starboard rear fuselage, which has a window and two bulkheads fitted, setting it aside whilst building the cockpit on its contoured floor. The two control columns are detailed with a lamination of two PE layers that represent the cables, fitting a bow-tie wheel at the top of each one, and setting them in place through rectangular holes in the floor, mounting rudder pedals in front, and making up two seats from two styrene parts and PE lap-belts, setting those aside while the unusually-shaped instrument panel is further detailed with levers and controls, plus a few PE parts, adding another PE lever between the columns along with a styrene part. The panel is decaled extensively after painting, and is fitted to a bulkhead via a C-shaped stand-off bracket that locates on two recesses. This too is put aside, mounting the starboard fuselage half to the cruciform fuselage floor after drilling out a few holes, and fitting two optional boxes in place if you plan on building your model with the wings mounted for flight. The forward section of the fuselage has three window panes added and is fixed to the rear part, using raised guides in the floor to ensure the assembly is straight and true. The cockpit is fitted next, and will be useful to help align the side, fixing the two seats in place, then adding the instrument panel on its bulkhead. Another bulkhead is made to separate the cockpit from the passengers, adding a window and two tied-back curtains, plus a pair of wedge-shaped strengtheners into slots at the sides. Two more individual seats with lap-belts are made and inserted in the floor as the front row, building a four-part bench seat/sofa that also has PE seatbelts added, gluing it to a stepped bulkhead, and fitting that into the rear of the passenger compartment, using the guides to ensure it is correctly aligned. A handle is inserted into a hole in the side door, fixing another to the opening door on the opposite side later. The six-cylinder in-line BMW engine is based upon a two-part block, into which the individual cylinders are slotted, adding a prop-axle and generator, then completing the tops of the cylinder heads, cooling tubing, wiring loom, air-intake and exhaust manifold to the sides, ending the manifold with a vertical horn if you plan on leaving the cowling open. Engine mounts are installed on both sides of the bay, lowering the completed engine into position between them, fitting the radiator after gluing the rear and a PE cross-brace to it, and a choice of two fixed aft cowling panels that have differing features, depending on which decal option you have chosen. The opposite side of the fuselage is made from two almost identical (but handed) parts, although a separate door is included, fitting the windows, a door handle and rail, and drilling two small holes in the rear section close to the wing root. The completed parts are then brought in and glued to the floor, creating a cowling for the engine bay from a choice of two styles of top parts, and common side cowlings, with a further option of a PE strap around the cowling if you wish. The cowling open option isn’t discussed any further in the instructions, which is unusual. A folded PE part is available to replace a styrene grab-handle part if you prefer, mounting it on the forward section of the cowling, fitting the roof on the fuselage after adding a circular light to the inside and drilling a small hole nearby. Another styrene or PE grab-handle is fixed to the side cowling on both sides, and a pair of clear windscreens are installed in front of the cockpit, as this early production variant didn’t have an enclosed cockpit. At the rear, the elevator is made from upper and lower halves, the upper half having the entire flying surfaces moulded-in to achieve a slim trailing edge, mounting it on the open rear of the fuselage behind the roof panel. The tail fin is slotted into the top of the elevator, fixing the separate rudder later to complete the empennage. There are two short C-beams provided for the inner wing upper panels, which are only utilised if the wings are to be built ready for flight, fitting into a recess under the short inner wing panels, then gluing them into place either side of the fuselage. At this stage the decision must be made whether to mount the wings, or leave them off for transport, using either three parts to create the joint for the mounted option, or an open rib with a socket glued behind it that will be seen in the wingless option, depending on your choice. Your preferred insert is glued into the ends of the inner panels, adding a pair of intakes under the belly, fitting a PE crew step under the port trailing-edge, the redundant tail-skid under the rear, and a PE actuator tab in a recess on the rudder. More PE or styrene grab-handles are fitted to the rear fuselage for ground-handling, and around the square back windows to ease access to the door over the wing. The extended outer wing panels are stiffened by adding two ribs to the grooves moulded into the inner surfaces, and slotting a three-quarter span spar lengthways into the grooves in the ribs, cutting the inner ends off if you are leaving the wings off the airframe. The wing underside is glued over the spar, and once the glue is cured, the ailerons can be fitted into the cut-outs in the trailing edges. They are put to the side for a while so that the float gear can be made. Two floats are made from two lower halves and a single upper portion that is highly detailed with ribs and other details, supported under the fuselage by a pair of V-shaped struts that form a W-shape on each side of the float, the forward port V having cross-braces to act as a crew and passenger ladder to climb onto the wing root. The floats are spaced apart by two K-braces, and the linked pair are inserted under the belly, locating in the holes drilled throughout the rest of the build process. The wings are completed by fitting PE actuators at the inner ends of the ailerons, after which the completed assemblies can either be slipped into their slots in the inner wing panels and glued, or depicted stowed nearby in whatever fashion you choose. An aerial mast is slotted into the roof behind the cockpit, and a choice of two propellers with or without spinner is supplied for you to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all of which are in a similar silver uppers with black accent and underside scheme. From the box you can build one of the following: Aero Express Ungarn, Hungary, Early 1920s Junkers South American Promotional Tour, Early 1920s Spanish Red Cross, Rif War, Mid 1920s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s a stunning model of this unusual variant of this aircraft that was so popular in the interwar period, and the float-plane version is the one for me. Detail is superb, and the construction process should be straight forward. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello everyone hoping that you are well. I have an old RS Models resin kit of the Letov Š-528. It is the boxing for a version in Luftwaffe service, and only has Luftwaffe decals. However I would like to make the Czech Police aviation version. It is more colourful. Does anyone know if there are generic Czech Police letters and marking available in 1/72? The closest I can find is an HR model set for the Avia B-534. However this is out of production I need : “OK - PAO’ in red lettering, or close to this so that I can customise the decals; and the unusual shaped Czech markings. i don’t know what this shape is called, but it reminds me of an old ‘ATV’ logo from the British TV service, in the early 1970’s. Thank you in advance for any help or advice TonyT91

Junkers F13 Early Prod. (48002) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The design process that led to the Junkers F13 was begun while WWI was still raging, and it was an unconventional and advanced design for the time, when most aircraft were still wood and canvas biplanes that were strengthened by the use of copious rigging wires that created excess drag, making them slow and delicate. The J13 as it was initially called first flew in 1919, and reached maturity during a time that Germany was prevented from having an air-force, and the market was flooded with military surplus aircraft that could be quickly and cheaply converted into rudimentary airliners or transports. It had a few cards up its sleeve however, such as its all-metal monoplane construction that was far easier to protect from the deleterious effects of weather, especially in humid or damp climates. Through careful design and extensive testing, it had a clean aerodynamic profile that meant a lower power output engine could be utilised to achieve desired speeds, meaning that it could be fitted with different engines from many manufacturers, rather than being saddled with a single high-output and therefore temperamental power-plant. It was crewed by one pilot with a spare seat to his side with a control column, and a further four passenger seats in the rear compartment, utilising the cockpit seat for an extra passenger should the need arise. Its stressed, corrugated duralumin skin and internal bracing made it both light and strong, with the fuselage attached to the top of the wing, which gave the crew and passengers an extra layer of protection in the event of a rough landing that compromised the gear legs. It also had an unusual trimming system that utilised fuel that was pumped between header tanks in the fore and aft of the fuselage to adjust for centre of gravity changes of the aircraft, and its fixed gear was simple to replace with skis or floats if the need arose. Germany was prevented from building any aircraft until 1921, which resulted in initial sales going overseas, even selling to England and America, Germany’s former enemies. It became so popular thanks to its many appealing qualities that within a few years it constituted around 40% of the world’s civilian air-traffic, and was a familiar sight in the skies of many countries around the world. Production continued until 1932, and included license-built examples that were manufactured in Russia and America, with airframes around the world continuing commercial service until the early 50s, whilst civilian operators were less inclined to give up flying them. The type’s development was mostly centred on the engine type that was mounted in the nose, having several options during its life-time, but there was also a stretched-fuselage variant that could carry more load, and the afore-mentioned float or ski options. More unusual variants were created by users, including a light bomber in China, a bizarre ground-attack aircraft in the US that mounted thirty downward-firing machine guns to pepper enemy troops below, and Soviet forces pressed some of their aircraft into military service with the Red Army. The aircraft remained popular despite its age, and in the new millennium, a Swiss-German company decided to create a series of replica airframes in the noughties, utilising as much of the original design as possible, but substituting a more modern Pratt & Whitney engine and modern precision instruments where the improvement would be worth the change. The design was based upon original blueprints and a laser-scan of an original airframe to confirm their accuracy, but at $2.5m per example, there won’t be too many gracing the skies any time soon. The Kit A brand-new tooling from MiniArt of this grandfather of the Ju.52 that utilised many of the same technologies and engineering techniques that were pioneered in this small aircraft. The kit arrives in a standard MiniArt top-opening box with a painting of the subject-matter on the top, and the decal option profiles on one of the sides. Inside the box are twelve sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has a cover printed in colour, with a full set of profiles on the front and rear pages, also in colour. Detail is up to MiniArt’s current standards, and examining the sprues reveals a huge quantity of detail that extends across the entire exterior, covering the model with finely rendered corrugations, and where appropriate, these corrugations also extend to the interior. The cockpit is well-rendered, and sits behind a replica of the BMW IIIa six-cylinder engine, with a radiator at the front, while the passenger compartment has a humped floor just like the real thing to accommodate the wing spars under the floor. Construction begins with the starboard rear fuselage, which has a window and two bulkheads fitted, setting it aside whilst building the cockpit on its faceted floor. The two control columns are detailed with a lamination of two PE layers that represent the cables, fitting a bow-tie wheel at the top of each one, and setting them in place through rectangular holes in the floor, mounting rudder pedals in front, and making up two seats from two styrene parts and PE lap-belts, setting those aside while the unusually-shaped instrument panel is further detailed with levers and controls, plus a few PE parts, adding another PE lever between the columns along with a styrene part. The panel is decaled extensively after painting, and is fitted to a bulkhead via a C-shaped stand-off bracket that locates on two recesses. This too is put aside, mounting the starboard fuselage half to the cruciform fuselage floor after drilling out a few holes, and fitting two optional boxes in place if you plan on building your model with the wings mounted for flight. The forward section of the fuselage has three window panes added and is fixed to the rear part, using raised guides in the floor to ensure the assembly is straight and true. The cockpit is fitted next, and will be useful to help align the side, fixing the two seats in place, then adding the instrument panel on its bulkhead. Another bulkhead is made to completely separate the cockpit from the passengers, adding a window and two tied-back curtains, plus a pair of wedge-shaped strengtheners into slots at the sides. Two more individual seats with lap-belts are made and inserted in the floor as the front row, building a four-part bench seat/sofa that also has PE seatbelts added, gluing it to a stylised Z-shaped bulkhead, and fitting that into the rear of the passenger compartment, using the guides to ensure it is correctly aligned. A handle is inserted into a hole in the side door, fixing another to the opening door on the opposite side later. The six-cylinder in-line BMW engine is based upon a two-part block, into which the individual cylinders are slotted, adding a prop-axle and generator, then completing the tops of the cylinder heads, cooling tubing, wiring loom, air-intake and exhaust manifold to the sides, ending the manifold with a vertical horn if you plan on leaving the cowling open. Engine mounts are installed on both sides of the bay, lowering the completed engine into position between them, fitting the radiator after gluing the rear and a PE cross-brace to it, and a choice of two fixed aft cowling panels that have differing features, depending on which decal option you have chosen. The opposite side of the fuselage is made from two almost identical (but handed) parts, although a separate door is included, fitting the windows, a door handle and rail, and drilling a small hole in the rear section close to the wing root. The completed parts are then brought in and glued to the floor, creating a cowling for the engine bay from a choice of two styles of top parts, and common side cowlings, with a further option of a PE strap around the cowling if you wish. The cowling open option isn’t discussed any further in the instructions, which is odd. A folded PE part is available to replace a styrene grab-handle part if you prefer, mounting it on the forward section of the cowling, fitting the roof on the fuselage after adding a circular light to the inside and drilling a small hole nearby. Another styrene or PE grab-handle is fixed to the side cowling, and a pair of clear windscreens are installed in front of the cockpit, as this early production variant didn’t have an enclosed cockpit. At the rear, the elevator is made from upper and lower halves, the upper half having the entire flying surfaces moulded-in to achieve a slim trailing edge, mounting it on the open rear of the fuselage behind the roof panel. The combined tail fin and rudder is slotted into the top of the elevator to complete the empennage. There are two short C-beams provided for the inner wing upper panels, which are only utilised if the wings are to be built ready for flight, fitting into a recess under the short inner wing panels, then gluing them into place either side of the fuselage. At this stage the decision must be made whether to mount the wings, or leave them off for transport, using either three parts to create the joint for the mounted option, or an open rib with a socket glued behind it that will be seen in the wingless option, depending on your choice. You preferred insert is glued into the ends of the inner panels, adding a pair of intakes under the belly, fitting a PE crew step under the port trailing-edge, the tail-skid under the rear, and a PE actuator tab in a recess on the rudder. More PE or styrene grab-handles are fitted to the rear fuselage for ground-handling, and around the square back windows to ease access to the door over the wing. The outer wing panels are stiffened by adding two ribs to the grooves moulded into the inner surfaces, and slotting a full-span spar lengthways into the grooves in the ribs, cutting the inner ends off if you are leaving the wings off the airframe. The wing underside is glued over the spar, and once the glue is cured, the two-part ailerons can be built and fitted into the cut-outs in the trailing edges. They are put to the side for a while so that the landing gear can be made, which is based upon a K-shaped axle, which has a pair of V-shaped supports glued near the ends, finishing the assembly with a pair of two-part wheels, and mounting it in the recesses under the belly between the wings. The supports are handed, so be careful when putting them together to ensure the correct parts are used. The wings are completed by fitting PE actuators at the inner ends of the ailerons, after which they can either be slipped into their slots in the inner wing panels and glued, or depicted stowed nearby in whatever fashion you choose. An aerial mast is slotted into the roof behind the cockpit, and a choice of two propellers is supplied for you to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all of which are in different colours that are a change from the usual camouflage or grey shades worn by military aircraft. From the box you can build one of the following: Dz-33/D-154 ‘Reiher’ Aero-Targ Poznan, Chartered from Danziger Luftpost GmbH, 1921 D-188 ‘Dohle’, Junker-Flugzeugwerke AG, 1922 Dz-41 ‘Gustaw’ Danziger Luftpost GmbH, 1923 Note that MiniArt’s instruction design folks forgot to re-title the third decal option on the instruction sheet for our example, so please refer to the details above or their website instead. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s a stunning model of this unusual, yet popular aircraft, and I hope we get a float-plane version in due course. Detail is superb, and the construction process should be straight forward. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi all, Here is my latest build, the 1/48 Bristol Bulldog kit from Lindberg. This kit traces its lineage right back to 1968, which makes the moulds 52 years old…! Extensive modifications were made to the kit, including reworking all of the external surfaces (the kit comes with horrible textured fabric surfaces all over and raised panel lines), scratchbuilding the cockpit (the kit cockpit is non-existent), correcting the underside of the nose, correcting all of the nose panels, adding the chin radiator, adding the under-belly panel and circular under-fuselage fairing, replacing and detailing the engine cylinders, pushrods, sparkplugs and other details, scratchbuilding the windscreen, adding gun sights, bomb racks, navigation lights, and a whole bunch of other changes too numerous to list here. I painted the machine in the (rather boring) markings of a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) machine, using Red Roo decals for serial numbers. The national markings were spray painted. RAAF machines did not appear to be fitted with radio equipment. No photographic evidence found to show that RAAF Bulldogs sported antenna wires, nor do any photos show that RAAF machines sport lower starboard wing mounted air-driven generators (though the fittings for said generators remained). RAAF machines could be seen with various combinations of bomb racks, upper wing navigation lights and lower wing flare racks. Any combination can be seen. The combination I chose was bomb racks and upper wing navigation lights. The build took me just under four months all up. It was a fun build, but it fought me most of the way. It’s good to finally have something off the bench for the year… Anyway, here are some pics: Build progress and more detail shots are here - All comments, criticism and feedback welcomed. Cheers, BC

Potez 25 with Salmson 18CMB Engine (FR0054) 1:72 Azur Frrom The Potez 25 was an interwar two-seat fighter bomber that was designed by Henry Potez of the eponymous Potez company in the 1920s, based upon their earlier 15, but with substantial changes that included modifying the wings to make it a sesquiplane. The upper wing was supported above the fuselage, and the significantly shorter lower wing was attached to the sides of the fuselage, with a choice of two styles of landing gear. One made by Potez, the other by Messier. There were also a variety of engines used to power it, including Renault, Hispano-Suiza, and a Salmson 18CMB. First flying in 1925, it soon entered production and service, using popular air races of the day to distinguish it from the mountains of WWI era biplanes that were available following the armistice. It was bought by several European and Mediterranean customers, and was considered at the time to be one of France’s most successful projects, with around 2,500 built by the French and more under license elsewhere. The Polish license-built aircraft differed from the original by having leading edge slots, plus other changes specific to their needs with around 300 made in total before production ended there in 1932. The production variant that ran the Salmson 18CMB engine, which output a substantial 520hp, had an advantage when competing in racing, as well as in its military roles, but the other motors that were employed were similarly powerful, usually within 50hp or so. There were over 270 airframes running the 18CMB engine, and it was used predominantly as a fighter or fighter-bomber in military service, although there were some airframes used for reconnaissance, and in civilian service it was typically employed where its powerful engine would confer an advantage, such as a postal carrier aircraft. As it neared the end of its working life and began to be outclassed by newer designs, a 25M variant was developed that converted it into a parasol monoplane, but it was never put into production, as technology had moved on by that time. The Kit This boxing originates from a 2019 tooling by Azur Frrom, although some of the plastic has been seen in Special Hobby boxes in the interim, as they partner with them to produce this and many other kits. This boxing depicts the Salmson 18CMB-engined variant in French service. The kit arrives in a small blue-and-yellow themed top-opening box, and inside is a resealable clear foil bag that holds five sprues in bluish grey styrene, a Ziploc bagged small clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) with a decal sheet in their own resealable envelope, and the instruction booklet printed in colour on portrait A5 glossy paper. Detail is good with engraved panel lines and louvres, raised and recessed features, and a new close-fitting cowling that covers the V12 engine in this boxing. Construction begins with the cockpit floor, which has two longitudinal ribs added to the top surface, a rudder bar near the front, and the seat toward the rear. A bulkhead and aft rudder bar are slotted behind the seat, adding two control columns into holes in the floor’s centreline. The aft cockpit an insert that is initially inverted so that the two-part camera can be fixed to the underside, the pilot’s instrument panel with decal is placed on a cross-rail to be fixed to the starboard side of the fuselage along with the cockpit floor and the camera assembly, with another short L-shaped section with a U-bar projecting rearwards is fitted into the port fuselage side along with a small seat and two canisters. Once all the detail painting is completed, the two halves can be joined, closing the underside with an insert that contains a downward facing window and a gluing a downward firing Lewis gun fitted with a plate mag on the U-bar fitted earlier. The separate nose that allows the new engine option to be portrayed is built from two halves, plus a bulkhead with the front of the engine moulded into it, a final cowling insert underneath, and seven ‘power bulge’ fairings spaced around the front cowling, and further back a linked pair of cabane struts is pushed through from inside, adding a top cowling over it to lock it in place. Two small pits are drilled on the deck in front of the pilot for later use. The lower wing has a spar moulded into it, joining them to full span, and several small holes need filling on the leading edges before they are slotted into the groove in the front of the lower fuselage, after which the nose assembly can be glued in place, trapping the wing in position, then a windscreen with a small hole is glued in, through which a tubular gun sight is installed, and a machine gun with ammo feed is installed on the deck for one decal option. The upper wings are full-span, and join with the lowers on two angled interplane struts, plus another two cabane struts that plug into the upper fuselage just forward of the cockpit. The elevators are moulded as a single part, and must be marked with a drill according to the given locations on a separate drawing, then the part is laid on the rear of the fuselage into the recess at the tail. The marks made before are the locations for the V-struts that brace them, fitting the revised square-topped rudder into a slot over the elevators and marking the sides with a drill before placement. The undercarriage is Messier manufactured, and the axle is supported beneath the fuselage by a three-part assembly of struts that forms a W, adding the tyres with two hubs at each end of the axle after drilling out and fitting two 0.5mm brass axle stubs into the ends, creating the wire rims from PE parts that are pressed to shape using the supplied jig, then applied to the wheels with additional PE rims inside and out, offsetting the spokes by 10° on one side for both wheels, symmetrically. A simple tail skid fits beneath the fuselage to support the rear. There are several PE parts applied to the upper wing, including aileron actuators and small aerofoils on short pins that sit in the hinge-point of the ailerons. More actuators are added underneath, then several rigging diagrams show how to lace up the wings, using a gaggle of PE turnbuckles that are marked in green, while the lines are marked in red to assist the process, although they are flipped in some diagrams. It’s good to see this forming part of a biplane kit, as they make the rigging task much simpler. Flipping the model on its back allows fitment of a choice of two styles of radiator installation under the nose, the crew step under the fuselage, and twin wind-powered generators under the wing leading edges. After righting the model again, the rear gunner’s position is fitted with a Scarff ring and U-mount with a pair of V-braces at the sides, adding a twin installation of Lewis guns and a choice of windscreen for one decal option. The prop is the final step, and its peg at the rear inserts into the front of the engine, adding a pair of exhaust stubs to the sides of the cowling. Markings There are three decal options on the sheet, all in French service, and all wearing a green scheme, with polished engine cowling, and the distinctive tricolour tail that French aircraft wore at the time. From the box you can build one of the following: No.207, 2 ème Escadrille, GB I/38, Mourmelon, June 1929 (Gaul’s Head Badge 1st Version) No.211, coded 5, 2 ème Escadrille, GB I/38, Thionville Basse-Yutz, March 1933 (Gaul’s Head Badge 2nd Version) No.2042 coded 3, 1 ème Escadrille, GO I/33, Nancy, October 1932 to March 1937 The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion An interesting reboxing of this interwar biplane with a shiny power-bulge-studded forward fuselage giving it a different look, with plenty of detail into the bargain. The addition of PE to assist with rigging the model is a great feature to see on a biplane. Highly recommended. Azur Frrom kits are available via many online and real-world retailers, but they are created in conjunction with Special Hobby, who also sell the kits on their behalf. Review sample courtesy of

Gloster Gladiator Mk.I/II (A02052B) 1:72 Airfix The Gladiator was the last biplane fighter used by the RAF before the introduction of more modern monoplanes such as the Spitfire and Hurricane. The Gladiator was designed in response to an early 30s Air Ministry requirement for an aircraft capable of 250mph armed with at least four machine guns. Gloster decided that rather than developing a brand-new fighter, they could capitalise on their Gauntlet design that was reaching maturity. This modified design would dispense with a pair of interplane struts to reduce drag and utilise a wing design that had been developed by Hawkers. The "new" aircraft would use the 700 hp Bristol Mercury engine, first flying in 1934, with the first production aircraft being delivered into service in 1937. The Gladiator was probably the pinnacle of biplane design with its streamlining, closed cockpit and heavier armament. The Mk II would be powered by a Bristol Mercury VIIIA engine, and was known as the J-8A in Swedish service. The Sea Gladiator was developed from the Mk.II with the addition of an arrestor hook, with later variants also having space for a dinghy pack to survive water landings away from immediate rescue. Almost 100 Sea Gladiators were built for the Royal Navy before they were replaced by more modern designs, again taking the shape of Navalised variants of Hurricanes and Spitfires While the RAF ordered and received some 180 aircraft, the biplane design was really at the end of its useful life with more modern types being introduced around the world. The type saw active service in the Battle of France in 1940, and on the home front in the Orkneys. Overseas they were used in Norway and most famously in the defence of Malta, where a trio by the name of Faith, Hope and Charity managed to defend the Island for a period against vastly superior numbers of Italian forces. Gladiators also saw service in Africa as well as in Greece and the Middle East, Belgium, China and Finland. By 1941 the aircraft had been retired from front line service with the RAF, though it continued to serve in communications and weather research roles for a little while. The Kit The original tooling for this kit was released in 2013, and including a Swedish Glad with Skis, this is the fifth reboxing in various guises, and yes, you still get the skis in the box in case you feel the urge to use them. The kit arrives in a small top-opening red-themed box, and inside are three sprues in dark grey styrene, a clear sprue, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on matt paper, and tri-folded to fit inside the box. Detail is good, with finely engraved panel lines, scalloped fabric ribbing effect, and even a pilot figure in case you wanted one. Construction begins with the cockpit, slotting the bulkhead and seat in at the rear, followed by the control column and rudder bar, plus a compass on a pedestal between the pilot’s knees. The optional crew figure can be slipped into position now, with a gaggle of arrows showing the colour call-outs in Humbrol codes as you might expect. This carries on throughout the build in a helpful manner. You have the choice of cutting out the crew door from the port fuselage half, drilling out two flashed-over holes to mount the replacement door part on the outside now or later if that suits your building process better. A pair of gun breeches with barrels are slotted into grooves in the fuselage sides, then the cockpit is fitted on raised guides in the starboard fuselage, gluing the port side on and cutting off the short mast on the fin tip once the glue is cured. The deck in front of the cockpit is a separate insert, with two pairs of cabane struts pushed through from below, their carriers locating in grooves in the part, and applying three instrument decals on the square(ish) bulkhead nearest the pilot. The completed insert is fixed to the top of the fuselage, mating the lower wing after drilling out the two flashed-over holes if you are planning on used the Airfix stand (AF1006) that is sold separately. The engine is built in situ on the front of the fuselage, starting with the intake trunking spider, adding the Mercury cylinder block and two intake trumpets at the front, then a combined bell-housing and triple stator-blades in front of that, slipping a pin inside first to act as the propeller axle. The cowling is made from three sections plus the lip, the lower section having twin exhausts moulded-in. The lip is glued on next, the other two sections installing behind the lip, locating on studs moulded into the horizontal cylinder heads. Add a little wiring from your own stock, and the engine should look just the job. As usual with our reviews, we’ll ignore the rigging during the build, as everyone has their own methods, but you’ll be pleased to hear that the last page of the instructions contains a full guide on the rigging locations, which you may want to study before you get past this stage. Two linked interplane struts are fitted into recesses in the outer wing panels, then the full-span upper wing is laid over the top, locating the eight strut tops in the corresponding recesses. The elevators are each single parts that slot into each side of the tail, mounting the rudder to the rear of the fin, cutting a short mast from this part and making good. Inverting the model to fit an intake under the nose also allows fitment of the two fixed landing gear legs, installing a choice of tyres depending on whether you are posing the model in-flight or not, and finishing them off with the same outer hubs. The tail wheel with integral strut inserts into a hole in the tail, and if you elected to place the model on the ground, the correct tyres have a slight sag in the lower surface. While the model is still on its back, the crew-access step and underwing machine gun gondolas are mounted, then you can install either a two- or three-bladed prop with a choice of spinner cap, and if you wish, you can use part A17 that is a hand-crank handle. If it struck you as odd that the interplane struts were linked in pairs earlier, it’s because they aren’t on the real aircraft. The linking X is simply a section of sprue that is there to keep the struts aligned until the glue has cured, after which they should be cut away and the gates sanded flush, touching in the paint if appropriate. The Glad’s enclosed canopy was an early innovation in pilot comfort, and you can pose it closed by using a single part to depict the complete assembly, or by using the separate windscreen and double-layer pushed-back canopy, the pilot can feel the wind through his… flying helmet. That completes the build phase, with the last page of the instructions filled with diagrams that will help you to lace up the model using your preferred method and rigging material. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, one Norwegian aircraft from the silver-wings era, the other in camouflage after the realities of war sank in. From the box you can build one of the following: Pilot: Lt. Dag Krohn, Norwegian Air Service (Haerens Flygevåpen), Fornebu, Oslo, Norway, April 1940 No.1401 (Met.) Flight, Royal Air Force Coastal Command, Bircham Newton, Norfolk, England, July 1942 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Given this model’s age, the details are surprisingly modern to this 1:48 modeller, with fine panel lines and fabric scalloping that should result in a high-quality replica of the last of the biplane fighters with a little modelling skill, paint and glue. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Avia BH-10 (KPM0421) 1:72 Kovozávody Prostějov Designed and manufactured in Czechoslovakia in the mid-1920s, The BH-10 was a civilian aircraft that was intended as an acrobatic sports plane, and unusually for the era, it was a monoplane. It was developed from the earlier BH-9, adding a tall anti-roll bar behind the pilot, as the aircraft had been known to nose-over, resulting in injury or death to the pilot in the open cockpit. Only twenty-one examples were built, ten of which were bought by the Czechoslovakian army and used under the designation B.10 as trainers for their newly formed air arm, the rest being used by civilian owners and flying clubs. It was powered by a small Walter NZ 60 engine that output 60hp through a two-bladed wooden propeller with a maximum speed of 100mph, below that of a modern passenger car, although granted that was in three dimensions, rather than just two. Of the small number that were built in the 20s, a few still survive in museums and collections around the world, which is quite surprising, considering that WWII was waiting in the wings only a decade later. The Kit This is the first boxing of a recent new tool from Kovozávody Prostějov of this little aircraft, and the kit arrives in a small end-opening box with a painting of a bright blue BH-10 on the front, and the decal options on the rear. Inside the box is just one sprue of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, a comparatively large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet printed in black and white on a folded sheet of A4, with a line drawn set of profiles on the back page. Despite the small size of the kit, detail is good, and includes a cockpit, some nice rib and fabric detail on the flying surfaces, and a representation of the five-cylinder Walter radial engine. Construction begins with the sub-assemblies, starting with painting the instrument panel, which has a staggering total of three whole instruments, typical of aviation’s early days. The engine is a single part, and benefits from being painted four contrasting shades, then the pilot’s seat is painted and has four-point decal seatbelts applied, before it is glued to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit, which has the floor added at a right angle. The cockpit is completed by a straight control column that inserts in a hole at the forward end of the control lines moulded into the floor. The fuselage has a little internal detail moulded-in, despite being only 6cm long, so after detail-painting, it is trapped between the fuselage halves along with the semi-circular instrument panel, inserting the elevators and tail fin into slots in the rear of the fuselage, adding a skid under the tail. The main gear is made from three V-shaped struts, linking them with an aerodynamically faired axle, which has the wheels applied to each end, allowing the model to stand on its own wheels (and skid). Each of the two wings are moulded as a single part, and have a lot of nice detail moulded-in, depicting the ribs, flying surfaces and fastenings, attaching to the fuselage sides on a pair of short pins. They are supported by a pair of thick struts, two on each side of the fuselage, and the instructions advise that there should be a small gap at the trailing edge of the wing, illustrated by a scrap view from above. The engine is exposed, and simply glues directly to the front of the fuselage on a large peg, showing off your work on painting it earlier. It is finished off by a two-bladed prop, and the model is completed by adding a choice of two styles of windscreen in front of the cockpit, and the highly visible triangular roll-over bar that is covered for aerodynamic reasons behind. Markings There are three decal options included on the sheet, two in a cream colour, one in blue as shown on the box art. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion The BH-10 is a new one on me, and its small stature is quite appealing. The surface detail is nicely done, and if you really want to push out the boat, you could add the exhaust stacks behind the engine from brass rod or tube. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Aero A-11HS Finnish Export Version (SH72464) 1:72 Special Hobby Between the two World Wars, Czech company Aero created several aircraft for their own country’s use, many of which were biplanes. The A-11 was a light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft that was a development of the earlier and inconsistently named A-12, that reached production after flight tests and subsequent alterations that gave the airframe the look that became synonymous with the type. The Ab-11 was the bomber variant, and served with the Czech Air Force uneventfully, where they were well-respected by their crews, and when they were finally withdrawn from front-line service, many were refitted with dual controls so that they could be used as training aircraft. Eight airframes were built for a contract with the Finnish Air Force, creating the A-11HS with a V8 Hispano-Suiza 8FB engine powering the aircraft with an output of 300hp, 60hp more than the Breitfield-Danek Perun II engines that were found in Czech machines. Most Czech airframes were out of service or destroyed by the time WWII came around, and were considered too old to be used by the Germans, with just a few originals and replicas remaining today, one of which is at Kbely museum in Prague, so I might have some pictures somewhere. The Kit This is a boxing that is based on a limited-edition tooling from Special Hobby, adding new parts to create this short-run export variant. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, with three sprues of grey styrene, two small clear sprues, a print-base with two orange resin parts, an A5 instruction booklet printed in colour on satin paper, and separately bagged decal sheet completing the package. The instructions show the unused parts on the sprue diagram with red crosses, and there will be quite a few parts left over at the end. Detail is good, especially the louvred engine cowlings and cockpit interior, as well as the fabric covered wooden wings, which have a subtle undulating surface moulded into them. Construction begins by making up the cockpit floor from two sections, adding a couple of detail parts on the starboard side, then fixing it and a small bulkhead to the starboard fuselage half after painting the details that are moulded into the interior of the fuselage and taking care of a few ejector-pin marks if necessary. A crib-like stowage area is made up from two parts plus an inverted A-frame, and that has a flat seat fixed to the floor, with a bucket seat added further forward for the pilot, and fixing the controls into the front of the cockpit. A bulkhead with rudder bar is glued at an angle to the front of the cockpit, with radio gear applied to the centre of the port fuselage half along with a compass that has a decal applied to the top. The fuselage can be closed after adding an instrument panel for the pilot with decal, and a bumper is inserted into the tail at the same time. The rear gunner’s Scarff ring is made from a circular base with three tubular mounts, onto which the twin Lewis Guns on a centre bracket with two plate magazines are installed, detail painting the assembly as you go. The front-mounted radiator is then attached with an insert under the engine bay, drilling two holes under the wing roots using a scrap diagram with measurements, and inserting another panel with a small window to the fuselage to close it up. With the fuselage completed, the two lower wings, which are each single parts, are inserted into slots in the fuselage, and a scrap diagram shows that there should be zero dihedral to them, and the same is true of the elevators, which are each inserted into the rear fuselage on pins and given their separate flying surfaces, with the rudder pushed into a slot in the rear to complete the empennage. The crew are in open cockpits, so a pair of small windscreens are added to the coaming in front of the openings, the larger one a two-pane unit for the gunner, presumably to deflect more wind during periods that he is operating the gun. The upper wings are moulded as a single span part, with an insert placed over the narrow centre section to achieve the semi-circular cut-out over the crew. A pair of cabane struts are installed in the underside of the wing, with four more added slightly outboard, and finally a pair of interplane struts are fixed to the outer wings on each side. A transparent representation of the upper wing is shown above the rest of the model to show it being installed from above, and the following two diagrams show the location of the rigging lines, which you’ll need to supply yourself, using your preferred method to complete the job. An additional strut joins the upper wing to the fuselage near the pilot’s position, which appears to be a fuel pipe with an aerodynamic fairing, which is best inserted after the wings are joined. The model still needs its landing gear. The two V-shaped gear supports and their interlinking axle are then inserted into holes in the underside, and have their wheels or skis with separate pivot-points added to each end of the axle. The prop has a tiny pointed boss glued to the centre, and the axle at the rear slides into the hole under the radiator at the front. The last two diagrams show the various rigging wires, control cables and even a rubber bungee at the front of the skis, plus a limiting wire to keep the skis from bucking and hanging too low for landing. Markings There are four decal options included on the sheet, all wearing aluminium lacquer and the blue Swastikas used by the Finns at the time that have since been conflated with, and deprecated thanks to the Nazi’s use of the original ancient good luck symbol. From the box you can build one of the following: AE-45, c/n A.11HS.5, Finnish Air Force, based in Utti, Finland, Winter 1928-9 AE-46, c/n A.11HS.6, Finnish Air Force, late 1920s AE-41, c/n A.11HS.1, Finnish Air Force, late 1920s AE-47, c/n A.11HS.7, Finnish Air Force, late 1920s The decals are printed using a digital process and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. This means that the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion The A.11 series is an interesting interwar biplane, and it looks good in the Finnish scheme for what is a very niche variant of the aircraft. You’d be forgiven for thinking there would likely never be a kit of it in any scale, but here it is. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Painting the Fleet – Rivet Counter Guide #2 ISBN: 9798218121570 Dana Bell Dana Bell is a well-known researcher and author in aviation history, and this is the second of his eclectic series entitled ‘Rivet Counter Guide’, which is of course a reference to those modellers that insist on building and painting their models as accurately as possible, enjoying the research as much, if not more than the actual modelling. Some of their number have a bad reputation due to their unpleasant personalities, but the majority of rivet counters are well-balanced modellers that are easy to get on with and are more than happy to share their wealth of knowledge with the rest of their fellow hobbyists. Dana is one of the latter, and is now sharing his work by way of this ongoing series of books. The subject for the first offering was the cockpit of the F4U-1 Corsair, which should give you an idea of the depth of research that Dana is able to reach. We reviewed that book here, and it’s well worth looking into if you’re planning on building one or more of this WWII US fighter. This book follows the same format, arriving bound in a stapled card cover, with seventy-two genuine pages, plus a page of patches on the rear inside cover. The front inside cover has a brief description of what a rivet-counter is about, which is pretty similar to my own description above, but more erudite. The subject covered is much broader than #1, and covers the painting and markings of the US Naval fleet’s embarked aircraft during the early years post WWI, the text starting in 1925, ending with the short period of the 40s before America was drawn into WWII and camouflage became necessary, ending the yellow-wing period, and putting years of training to the test. Dana’s work has spanned a dozen years and many research archives, which he acknowledges at the beginning of the book under the brief introduction before the real chapters begin in earnest. Introduction Organisation & Experiments Launch and Recover Basic Colours Exterior Finishes Pontoons Yellow Wings Basic Markings National Insignia US Navy Markings Serials & Unit Markings BuAer Serials (NuNos) Flagplanes US Naval Forces Europe Special Service Squadron Squadron 40-T Asiatic Fleet Battleship Unit Colours Battlefleet Aircraft Colours 1925 Illustrations Battlefleet Aircraft Assignments Chart Tail Colours Fuselage Bands Chevrons Cowl Colours Colours Battle Force Colour Card 2nd June 1931 Reproduction Battleship Classes and Commissioning Dates Chart with Illustrations Battleship Division One Observation Squadron One-B (One) Battleship Division Two Observation Squadron Six Observation Squadron Five-S Observation Squadron Two-S Observation Squadron Two-B (Two) Battleship Division Three Observation Squadrons One (One-B) and Two Observation Squadron Three (Three-B) Battleship Division Four Observation Squadron One (One-B) Observation Squadron Four (Four-B) Battleship Division Five Observation Squadron One (One-B) Observation Squadron Five (Five-B) Cruiser Divisions and Aircraft Light Cruiser Division Two, Cruiser Division Two Observation Squadron Three (Three-S) Scouting Squadron Five-S (Five-B) Cruiser Scouting Squadron Two Light Cruiser Division Three, Cruiser Division Three Observation Squadron Three Observation Squadron Three-S Observation Squadron Eleven-A Scouting Squadron Five-S Scouting Squadron Six-S Scouting Squadron Six-B Cruiser Scouting Squadron Three Light Cruiser Division Five, Cruiser Division Four Scouting Squadron Nine-S Cruiser Scouting Squadron Four Cruiser Division Five Scouting Squadron Ten-S Cruiser Scouting Squadron Five Cruiser Division Six Scouting Squadron Eleven-S Cruiser Scouting Squadron Six Cruiser Division Seven Scouting Squadron Twelve-S Cruiser Scouting Squadron Seven Cruiser Division Eight Scouting Squadron Fourteen-S Cruiser Division Eight Cruiser Scouting Squadron Eight Cruiser Division Nine Cruiser Scouting Squadron Nine Tail Colours 1930-40 Illustration Clearly this book is incredibly information dense, and breaking it down into manageable chunks by Division is the only sensible way to do it, with each Cruiser and Battleship section containing assignment charts, photos of some of the aircraft, insignia and pennants as well as profiles, with the larger sections having the most of content and photos that have their own informative captions nearby. The photos are mostly black and white, which is to be expected, but the drawings by Tom Tullis, diagrams, pennants etc. all have relevant colours that should be a great help to the interwar US Naval modeller, and anyone interested in the theme or era. Note the separate card insert containing a glossary of terms to enable the reader to look up and acronyms they may not be familiar with. Conclusion Dana’s books are definitely a niche product, of which he’s doubtless aware, but he enjoys research so much and wants to share it with us, which is great news both for us modellers and aviation historians everywhere. It’s crammed with information, much of which was previously unavailable the last time this kind of research was undertaken, in earnest, and he admits in the introduction that there are still some areas where more information is needed, but as of now you’re unlikely to find anything like it on the market. Very highly recommended. It’s available via Amazon US here for our American members. From other countries you can buy it via eBay using their International Shipping service. The link below will take you there: Review sample courtesy of Dana Bell, who is also a member of our forum.

Potez 25 A2 Jupiter Version (SH72420) 1:72 Special Hobby The Potez 25 was a French single engined, two-seater biplane designed in the interwar period and used widely by air forces around the world. Following development of the Potez 15, the designers attempted to build a larger, more flexible type that would be used in a variety of roles, including as a fighter, bomber escort, light bomber and reconnaissance platform, and this design became the Potez 25. The A2 variant was primarily a reconnaissance aircraft, powered by either a Salmson radial engine, a Lorraine inline engine or a Hispano Suiza engine. The Potez 25 had a respectable range of 373 miles and a maximum speed of 132 mph that was about average for the period, and even armed with 7.7mm machine guns, it was also capable of carrying 200kg of bombs. Surprisingly, the aircraft could quite easily be converted from sesquiplane to parasol-winged monoplane, and served with the Romanian Air Force in this configuration, hardly missing the smaller lower wing. In total, over 4,000 examples were built, including many under licence. The Aircraft was license built in Poland for the Polish Armed Forces. 47 aircraft were powered by a PZL Bristol Jupiter VIIF radial engine, as the original engines were in short supply in Poland at the time. The last example rolled off the production line in 1936, and any that were in service at the outbreak of WWII were hopelessly outclassed by more modern German Aircraft. The Kit The original boxing of this kit arrived in 2019 under the Azur Frrom logo, with new parts in subsequent boxings from both them and Special Hobby. This boxing depicts the Jupiter engined variant from the late 20s and early 30s, in the service of foreign operators Estonia, Finland and Yugoslavia. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside is a resealable clear foil bag that holds five sprues in grey styrene, a Ziploc bagged small clear sprue, another bag of 3D printed small parts in orange resin, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) with a relatively large decal sheet in their own resealable envelope, and the instruction booklet printed in colour on portrait A5 glossy paper. Detail is good with engraved panel lines and louvres, raised and recessed features, and a well-rendered radial engine that gives its name to the boxing. Construction begins with the cockpit floor, which has two longitudinal ribs added to the top surface, a rudder bar near the front, and the seat toward the rear. A bulkhead and aft rudder bar are slotted behind the seat, adding two control columns into holes in the floor’s centreline. The aft cockpit is built inverted initially so that the two-part camera can be fixed to the underside, the pilot’s instrument panel with decal is placed on a cross-rail to be fixed to the starboard side of the fuselage along with the cockpit floor and the camera assembly, with another short L-shaped section with a U-bar projecting rearwards fitted into the port fuselage side along with a small seat and two canisters. Once all the detail painting is completed, the two halves can be joined, closing the underside with an insert that contains a downward firing Lewis gun fitted with a plate mag. The separate nose that allows the different engine options to be portrayed is built from two halves, adding a linked U-shaped cabane strut into the corner before trapping it in place with the top cowling portion. A small hole on the front of the fuselage is filled, making two pits nearby with a drill bit for later use. The lower wing has a spar joining them to full span, and two small holes need filling on the leading edges before they are slotted into the groove in the front of the lower fuselage, after which the nose assembly can be glued in place, trapping the wing in position. A windscreen, tubular sight and machine gun with ammo feed are installed, the latter in a recess that should be lengthened into the nose area before gluing. The upper wings are full-span, and join with the lowers on two angled interplane struts, plus another two cabane struts that plug into the upper fuselage just forward of the cockpit. The elevators are moulded as a single part, and must be marked with a drill according to the given locations on a separate drawing, then the part is laid on the rear of the fuselage into the recess at the tail. The marks made before are the locations for the V-struts that brace them, fitting the rudder into a slot over the elevators and marking the sides with a drill before placement. The undercarriage axle is supported beneath the fuselage by a three-part assembly of struts that forms a W, adding the tyres with two hubs at each end of the axle. A simple tail skid fits beneath the fuselage to support the rear. There are several PE parts applied to the upper wing, including aileron actuators and small aerofoils on short pins that sit in the hinge-point of the ailerons. More actuators are added underneath, then three rigging diagrams show how to lace up the wings, using a gaggle of PE turnbuckles that are marked in red to assist the process. It’s good to see these forming part of a biplane kit, as they make the task much simpler. Flipping the model on its back allows fitment of the paired bombs on racks under the wings, the crew step under the fuselage, and two 3D printed aerodynamic fairings that fit to the leading edge of the lower wings about centre span. The model is without any form of motive power at this stage, the Jupiter engine supplied as a single well-detailed part that fixes to the flat front of the fuselage, and is hemmed in by the multi-legged cowling before fitting the two-bladed prop into the bell-housing. The rear gunner’s position is fitted with a Scarff ring and U-mount with a pair of V-braces at the sides, and twin Lewis guns with plate mags that for the day must have given any attackers approaching from behind pause for thought. Scheme B wears a pair of skis on the landing gear axles, which comprise the ski parts and a conical adapter, plus a 3D printed conical spinner in the centre of the prop. Markings There are three options on the decal sheet in the service of different nations. From the box you can build one of the following: No.100, 2 Division, Estonian Aviation Regiment, Tartu, 1930 PO-40, Finnish Air Force, 1928 No.28 Royal Yugoslav Air Force, Yugoslavia, 1933 The decals appear to be printed using the same digital processes as Eduard are now using, and have good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut loosely around the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of precious modelling time into the bargain. Conclusion An interesting reboxing of this interwar biplane in some more unusual schemes, with plenty of detail into the bargain. The addition of skis is a fun option. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This was a great little kit to build. It fit nicely and was a very fast paced model. I used a matt black undercoat with Vallejo's aluminum color. The pilots are painted with Testor's enamels. The one problem I had with this model is that the some of the decals shredded. They were out of the package but I kept them out of the way and covered so I'm unsure of what could've happened. If you've experienced this and know what might of happened, please comment! Enjoy the photos! -Joanna

Hello everyone. Here's my most recent completion - a Vickers medium tank in 1/35 from Hobbyboss. A nice kit, but not without a few issues. The tracks, although separate links, were horrible due to rather nasty plastic, and this necessitated them being installed before painting. I'd normally fit them after the main paintjob, but to be honest, painting them in-situ was fine after all. There were a few errors and omissions in the instructions, but fairly easy to spot and overcome. Detail is pretty good for the rest of the vehicle, and the plastic is nice and hard, but I'm sure there could have been better ways to engineer the kit. It came with no interior, but being a simple open box, scratchbuilding one was pretty straightforward. It was painted with Tamiya acylics (custom colour mix) and weathered with oils and pastels. WIP is here..... 1/35 Vickers MkII - Work in Progress - Armour - Britmodeller.com

SPAD 510 7eme Escadre & At War (FR0049 & FR0050) 1:72 Azur Frrom The SPAD 510 was an interwar biplane fighter that was half-way between the stringbags of old, and the modern monoplane fighters, insofar as it was primarily constructed from metal alloys, with only the wing and flying surfaces covered by fabric. It was a development from an earlier SPAD design that was made in response to a requirement from the French Air Force in 1930, and was the only biplane offering due to the encroachment of the monoplane into fighter design. It had an unusually long gestation for the period, entering service six years after the initial design, with many of its earlier problems resolved, and powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs V12 engine that drove a two bladed prop and propelled the fighter to a maximum speed of 230mph, which was respectable at the time, and met with Armée de l'Air requirements. It was intended to fly with either two cannons or four machine guns, or a combination of the two, but practically only four machine guns were fitted, while the last two off the production line were equipped with a single 20mm cannon between the cylinder banks to fire in a synchronised manner through the prop. Fewer than 70 were made, and by the time WWII was on the horizon they were already being phased out in favour of more advanced monoplanes, often the capable Morane Saulnier MS.406, although other types were used. With a comparable performance envelope to the British Gladiator, it was clearly outclassed by the enemy Bf.109Es that it would encounter early in the war, although a skilled pilot could possibly achieve a kill despite the disparity. Although many were withdrawn from the frontline to training units, some were initially lined up against the Axis forces as coastal defence before they were ousted and had to move to another more suitable locations. A few were taken on charge by the Germans after the armistice, although they were of little practical use as a fighter. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Azur Frrom, with two boxings released initially, one depicting the first squadron to take the 510 on, 7éme Escadre who also provided the pilots for the Weiser Circus aerobatic team, which was named after their squadron leader. The other boxing is an ‘At War’ issue that includes the aircraft that were charged with protecting the coastal areas at the beginning of WWII. The kits arrive in identical-sized end-opening boxes in their usual blue theme, but with different box art on the front and the decal options on the rear. Inside the boxes are two identical sprues of grey styrene, a small clear sprue, the same multi-purpose decal sheet, and an instruction booklet that looks very similar, but is in fact different depending on which boxing you are looking at. This is what I sometimes refer to as “medium run”, as although it does have some aspects of a short-run kit, it is quite accomplished, but not quite up to mainstream in terms of finish to the sprues etc. Don’t be put off one iota by that fact though, as it’s a nice kit and has some good detail moulded-in. Construction begins identically, and doesn’t diverge until right at the end when differences in the exhausts are pointed out in a scrap diagram in the At War boxing, which the modeller would have to scratch build. The cockpit is a flat floor with some details moulded-in, which is added to by fixing a control stick, seat, rear bulkhead, front bulkhead and the instrument panel frame with foot well added, the latter also receiving a decal to depict the instruments. The fuselage halves are closed up around the cockpit once painting is completed, and here you will notice that the halves have engraved panel lines throughout. The lower wings and elevators are all single parts, as is the engine cowling, which has some nice perforated grille detail moulded into it. A scrap diagram shows that the wings and elevators are all intended to be fitted as 90° to the rudder, so get your EBMA wing jig out if you can’t trust yourself to get everything aligned correctly. The small wrap-around windscreen and clear gunsight are added on pegs to the forward section of the cockpit, then it’s time to double the number of wings. The interplane struts are substantial and low in number, resembling an italic capital I, with N-shaped cabane struts mounted on the top cowling in front of the cockpit. These are best aligned with the upper wings during setting of the glue in order to avoid fit issues, and although the rigging is ignored for now, there are full rigging diagrams toward the rear of the instructions to help you make a more accurate model. Everyone has their own technique, so we’ll leave that up to the individual and move on. The main wheels are moulded into their spats and are fitted on long tapering struts, fixing on pegs to the underside of the fuselage, then braced by a pair of wires that attach to the lower section of the legs and a raised area of the underside. The lower wings have blisters on the top surface that have hollows on the underside, which are filled by the gondolas that have the guns moulded into the front, the barrels of which you can drill out for a bit more realism if you wish. At the tail is a skid, and further forward is a stirrup for the pilot’s access, a pair of shackles for stores under the centreline, with a rectangular radiator fairing just beneath the pilot’s feet. After a page and a half of rigging diagrams, the two-bladed prop and a pair of aerial masts are the last parts to be glued in place. As previously noted, the At War boxing has a different exhaust layout depending on which decal option you choose, so be prepared to undertake some DIY to achieve the proposed layout. Markings Each boxing has three decal options printed in colour at the rear of the booklet, all with the same basic scheme that has green upper surfaces with a high demarcation on the fuselage, over a silver underside. The option with the red rudder fin will need to be painted to accept the white 1 in a circle, which is the only variation in painting that I could see. From each box you can build one of the following: 7éme Escadre (FR0049) Nr.26, Red 1, 1ére Escadrille GCI/7 (Spa 15 Bayard’s Helmet), Lt Ozanne, esc. Leader, June 1938 Nr.14, White 5, 3éme Escadrille GC II/7 (Spa 73 Japanese Stork), Dijon, Spring 1939 Nr.25, 4éme Escadrille GC II/& (Spa 78 Black Panther) Dunkirk show, 1937 At War (FR0050) Nr.9, White 8, DIAP (Dépot d’Instruction de L’Aviation Polonaise), Lyon-Corbas, May 1940 Nr.44, White 14, 3éme Escadrille GARC II/561, Le Havre-Octeville, November 1939 Nr.56, Red 6, CIC Montpellier (Fighter Training Centre), June 1940 The decals are identical for the two boxings, so if you change your mind and can find the schemes, you can build any of the above options. You’ll need two boxes if you want to build one from each boxing though. The decals are well-printed, in good register with dense colour and sharpness, including a number of stencils and the instrument panel decal, which is printed in white and hides particularly well in the middle of the sheet. Conclusion It’s a charming little aircraft from the Blériot-Spad stable that was caught between the transition from biplane to metal monoplanes. It’s an unusual aircraft that we don’t get to hear of often, but it is an appealing kit. Highly recommended. Both kits are available from Special Hobby’s webshop, and it’s Special Hobby that moulded the kits in conjunction with Azur Frrom. 7éme Escadre (FR0049) At War (FR0050) Review sample courtesy of

The kit is WNW. Scale 1/32. As usual a good kit, an instruction with some weird instruction steps. So I had to memorize it and built it straight way. The rigging was no problem at all, since we developed a good technique already. You can find all in the forum anyway. The painting is from the Russian Civil War. In summery it took me 2 months beside my job. Happy modelling

The kit is WNW. Scale 1/32. As usual a good kit, an instruction with some weird instruction steps. So I had to memorize it and built it straight way. The rigging was no problem at all, since we developed a good technique already. You can find all in the forum anyway. The painting is from the Russian Civil War. In summery it took me 2 months beside my job. Happy modelling

Bugatti 100 Air Racer (SH72457) 1:72 Special Hobby Bugatti’s streamlined air racer was custom designed for flying the circuits in 1939, using twin engines behind the pilot that ran a pair of contra-rotating props in the nose, which gave it a sleek aerodynamic profile and a compact size. It was also inventive in terms of the tail, which was a V-shape and had a gearbox to split the pilot inputs accordingly between the fins. Before it could be tested and put into the air however, the German invasion began, which forced the engineers to dismantle the aircraft and hide it on Mr Bugatti’s estate until after the war, although he died in 1947 so development stopped there. Over time, the engines were raided for car projects and the airframe fell into disrepair until the 70s when a restoration project began, after which it was placed in a museum. A replica was made using more modern technologies where sensible, and this flew briefly using a pair of more readily available Suzuki engines. After a prop strike during landing, where the aircraft veered off the runway following a brake failure, its third test flight ended in disaster when the aircraft went out of control, killing the pilot who had played a major part in its production, and completely destroying the replica. It had been promised to a museum in England after this flight, which clearly couldn’t now happen. Quite a sad tale overall. The Kit This is a brand-new tooling from Special Hobby, and I really wish it was in my preferred scale, as it’s a rather cool-looking aircraft. Please Sir, can I have one in 1:48? It arrives in a short figure-sized end-opening box, and inside are two sprues in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a bag of resin parts and gasp! No decals. It’s a wee little thing, and that much is brought home when you see the fuselage, which is under 10cm long on the sprues. Construction begins with the transmission at the front of the cockpit, which takes the power from the two engines and adapts them to the contra-rotating prop machinery. The instrument panel is attached behind to the back of a short coaming, which must have made for quite a noisy cockpit. The fuselage halves have sidewall detail moulded-in, and this is painted up before the panel is inserted with a drive-shaft in the front, then backed up with the cockpit floor, seat back and rear bulkhead, with representation of the rudder pedals inserted under the panel next to two tubular drive-shaft covers running forward along the sides of the cockpit. The fuselage is closed up with a fluted insert added in a hole in the spine, and the V-shaped tails with more inserts to replicate the intake louvres on the leading edge, which is fitted later after the wings are completed. Like a lot of air racers, the 100 has a short span, but at the root the chord is wide with a large root fairing, the chord tapering rapidly to the tip. The lower half is a single piece, which has a pair of resin bay wall inserts fitted into the marked recesses, then closed up with the upper wings after a lick of paint. The fuselage is dropped into the space in between the wings, and a pair of small cylindrical pots are inserted into the very front of the fuselage. Underneath, the rudder/tail wheel has an insert with more louvres glued in, with the moulded-in tail wheel painted later. At the rear a pair of bulged resin exhaust outlets are fixed to the fuselage in recesses in the aft section of the wing root fairing, then the landing gear is installed after flipping it over onto its back. The gear legs are a single piece with the wheels clipping into the yoke, and a pair of captive gear bay doors affixed to the outer side, after which the model can stand on its own three wheels. The contra-prop has four sections to its spinner, two trapping each of the two-bladed props in between. The pointy one goes in the front, of course! This is glued to the prop-shaft, and the clear canopy is fitted to the aperture as a single part, with no option for leaving it open. Markings There are two markings options given on the instructions, which are replicated on the rear of the box, one of which is the actual blue scheme it wore, the other a what-if scheme that has red and white fan-shaped stripes on the wings and tail, which looks quite patriotic. From the box you can paint whatever you fancy, but these two are suggested: There aren’t any decals, so they’re perfect for the job. Very light weight and impossible to lose. Conclusion I’m smitten with this little aircraft, and Special Hobby have done a great job with the moulding, using resin where sensible, and giving us plenty of detail in a tiny kit. Now. About my 1:48 one? Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello everyone … Seeing as my Cessna build is now in a holding pattern (decals). I thought I would throw my next two high wing builds into the mix. If you’ve listened to me chat over the four years I have talked about a Polish Air Force collection. Not quite the oldest planes in my collection that honor goes to a Nieuport and Albatros D.V In 1920’s Polish A.F. markings. For the P.7a I will be using the Arma kit. And the P.11c is the Azur kit. Please feel free to ask questions, post comments or add thoughts. Dennis

It's been a while since I posted any progress on modelling work, due mostly to six weeks contract work away from home in London, followed by just over three weeks vacation in Japan. On my return I contracted a chest infection and just felt yuk for a while!. I'm well on the mend now and although I have a handful of projects on the go, I decided I needed a small new project to get my mojo going again. Some constant nagging gentle encouragement from the member for Bury St Edmunds, aka @Courageous, also had a part to play .................. and you will be pleased to know Stuart, I have also done more work on the Vosper, but you'll have to wait a bit to see that! Some of you will have seen some questions I posted in the Interwar section a while back to obtain some information on the Gamecock. Responses were very helpful and encouraged me to start this one which had been sitting in the back of a cupboard for many years. The customary box top artwork, which when I dusted off the box, was in itself enough to get me cutting plastic! A start has now been made....... The cockpit consists of white metal floor and seat, to which I added some wire rudder pedals, which when closed up can't really be seen, but I know they are there......... All closed up with seat inside And the white metal I/P is in there painted up for effect: Lower wing will be next up, together with some work to clean up the white metal front and engine. More to come Terry

The second resin kit I'd thought I'd do for the group build. Another parasol monoplane, but a rare one for Yugoslavia as they only had one D.Ibis for a short time for trials before sending back to the factory. They did however buy a load of the CI versions. Anyway, the kit has a prototype sent to Japan with decals only for that aircraft, so I'll have to hit the spares and some freehand painting for the Yugoslav one. A simple kit (oh yeah he says... we will see) with few very well done crisp resin parts. It forms part of a collection of interwar 1930 ~ 1941 Royal Yugoslav Air Force I've been pulling into the stash over the past year. It's one of those themes that unfortunately involves lots of short run and dubious resin models.

Oh boy a chance to actually start building those resin kits I knew I was going to start in this lifetime. So I decided on two, this here is an old long out of production L&M 1/72 scale resin kit bought off eBay recently as I'm in a Yugoslav mood this year and that, unfortunately means having to build short run kits to cover the major types. Few parts, fairly good castings so what the hell could go wrong? I have on order some etched WWI wheel spokes from Eduard which are probably going to be completely useless here as the smallest diameter is 7.2mm while the kits are ??mm since I didn't measure them. A good start.

Hi all... At the urging of the friend @Moa, I decided to rescue a scratch that I had archived for four years and get down to work again with him, and publish it here on Britmodeller. I hope it is in the interest of the community. A brief history. The former Stag Lane aerodrome, if we are located throughout the '20s, was undoubtedly synonymous with De Havilland. But in the previous decade another story ran in those grounds. In the context of the first months of the WWI, the confirmation of the aeroplane as a new military "tool", and the growing need for pilots to "wield" it, is that some contracts are obtained for the opening of aerodrome and establishments for that purpose. In September 1914 Messrs. Geoffrey Smiles and W.T. Warren founded the "London & Provincial Co." pilot school on the ground they bought to the north, in Egdware, where they will install the school and the Stag Lane airfield. The first batch of instruction aircraft were the English-made Caudron G.III with Anzani engines. In 1915 it was added an L&P "Brevet biplane" of own manufacture, similar to the Caudron but somewhat smaller. Success accompanies them, and with the intention of modernizing the aeronautical material they hire designer Anthony Fletcher, recently move away from Martinsyde, to manufacture their own training aircraft. In 1916 London & Provincial Co. introduced the "type.IV" or "School Biplane", with 50hp. Gnome 'Omega' rotary engines, and the undoubted imprint of the works of "Tony" Fletcher. In this case, emphasizing the instruction role, the cokpit is totally open, in tandem, but the student and instructor occupy the same open space. In July of that same year, Flight magazine presented L&P type.IV "Fuselage Biplane", modified for aerobatic flight. The fuselage is narrower, the cockpits are closed and differentiated, the wing and the tail is larger. The engine is an 80hp Anzani. In October this aircraft will obtain the record of loopings in a demonstration on the Hendon aerodrome. In the remainder of the War the London & Provincial Co. will be assigned as part of the RAF "18th wing school of instruction". I couldn't find the precise information on how many "School Biplane" and "Fuselage Biplane" planes were manufactured by the London & Provincial Co. on Stag Lane, but it can be said that four type.IV "School Biplane" planes reached until 1919 ( K-117 / G-EABQ; K-118 / G-EABR; K-119 / G-EABS; K-138 / G-EADT), and the looper type.IV "Fuselage Biplane" G-EAQW until 1920. After World War I, all contracts and subsidys related to the conflict are cancelled immediately. The aviation industry will undoubtedly be the most affected area. We already know the becoming of many manufacturers, designers, and the urgency of civil and commercial aviation. The London & Provincial Co. will also be found in this situation. In January 1919, 40 vacancies were announced for pilot courses and the arrangement of Stag Lane airfield and its aircraft for air events and some commercial flights. The company was in a reorganization process at the same time that a dispute began with the Department of Civil Aviation. Finally the license is not renewed and in July of that year the "London & Provincial Co." closes its doors. With the closure of "L&P" the four L&P type.IV with a 50hp Gnome engine are also lost trace. The facilities will survive and part of them will shelter the brand new company that Geoffrey De Havilland was creating, which will be formally established on September 26, 1920. As for the looper L&P type.IV "Fuselage Biplane", sometime in 1917 it was acquired by the Richmond company "Whitehead Aircraft Company", another contractor of elements and aircraft for the War Office, to be part of the group of aircraft from your flight school. The first jump tests will be done on this machine with the Calthrop parachutes, enlarging the front cockpit to facilitate the departure of the passenger. According to the images it can also be seen that there was a redesign of the landing gear by one of the "anti-overturn" type, and of the nose of the fuselage behind the 80hp Anzani, which still maintained it. https://youtu.be/tttHD9s0jrI Within the same process of company reorganization after the end of the War, the "Whitehead Aircraft Company", which also carried debt and capitalization problems, finally entered bankruptcy in 1920, with the auction and liquidation of its assets. The L&P type.IV "Fuselage Biplane" registered by Rodney A. Whitehead as G-EAQW in February 1920 will be part of these asset sales. In an article published in Flight magazine on May 20, in addition to reviewing his history, he can be seen in a image with a shiny new look and in good flight conditions. The landing gear returned to its original configuration, a new livery with well-placed regulatory registration, and a new 100hp Anzani engine more powerful. If the plane had a buyer or not, it will disappear from the registrations that same year. The planes I decided to represent are the London & Provincial type.IV "School Biplane" (no painted registration) from 1919, and the London & Provincial type.IV "Fuselage Biplane" G-EAQW from 1920. It is a work that I am resuming after four years of suspending it. My scratch speed is not the same as my friend @Moa's, but slowly I will show some progress. Now I definitely want to finish it. Here are some images of the model construction process. They are all from 2016. For now they are like this... Cutting the first plastics... Control sticks... The first parts glued. Although there is some information about the interiors, basically almost everything is improvisation, taking as inspiration the most documented planes of the time and similar to these models. The RAF BE.2 was a good reference. In this link an original drawing of the instrument board of the L&P "Fuselage Biplane"... The materials used for construction are varied: there are wires of different thicknesses, stretched plastic, plastic sheets, cyano-impregnated paper, paper tape to make the seat belts. The model begins to take shape... The first steps to develop the cylinders of the Gnome and the Anzani. Mold making for the "proto-cylinders". The complete fuselages have been covered. The Anzani and the Gnome block's with the sites marked for the location of the future cylinders. Proto-cylinders to start working on the details. The Anzani's master cylinder is finished. Cylinder cloning is ready. At this stage a problem arose. This was when I discovered that the 1920 L&P G-EAQW had some details different from the 1916 original. I found its history with the Whitehead Aircraft..., and the doubts with the livery of this aircraft. A new drawing... ...and the corrections began with major surgery. The simplified instrument board of the front cockpit was replaced by a simulation of the fuel tank. That site would be used for test jumps with the Calthrop parachutes. No one saw anything... ^ ^ We start with the wings. Stretched plastic to simulate the fabric. First step. We continue with the engines. It is time to put the cloned cylinders in their places... We start with the most complex Anzani and its ten intercalated and slightly desradiated cylinders. Everything stayed in its place. This is the current moment of the L&P scratch. I am not very satisfied with the Gnome Omega because it was slightly out of the correct diameter. Maybe I'll correct it... I hope I didn't bore you. I will be showing the progress. Matías

Hello... I greet the community from Argentina. I see that I joined Britmodeller in 2015, but I never wrote anything... I can assure you that I'm not a ghost! ^ ^ I am a lover of everything that has wings produced between 1919 and 1939... I am also very tempted by the WWI planes, and the beautiful curves of any time (of some planes too). Although the interwar world is usually silvery with some well-documented colors, being a ghost can sometimes be very convenient at the moment of interpreting lost livery in b/w. I embrace this hobby from the scratch, drawings, and some projects that revolve around them. My English is very bad, so I apologize in advance. If the subject be up to my knowledge, and I have time, it will be a pleasure to participate in Britmodeller. Saludos Matías

Hello everyone. I'm still new here..., so here I'm trying my second message. These are my works in progress. For now, all suspended in different stages of construction, for some error that requires a major correction, for boredom, or because the stage that begins requires special attention, especially the development of engines... Anyway, now I am dedicated to some works that occupy me all the time, so necessarily there they will be waiting for the best moment to be finished. Artigau 'Coronel Pringles' ... it was an airplane of Argentine manufacture that flew between 1917 and 1920. It is the work that is first in the waiting list. I have to make the Gnome Omega 50hp, make the simil fabric of the wings and fuselage, and everything else. London & Provincial ... they are the models 'Brevet biplane' (Gnome Omega 50hp), and 'Fuselage biplane' (Anzani 100hp.). It is necessary to refine the details of the fabric of the fuselage and the wings, besides carving the corresponding ailerons. The cylinders of the engines are already made, only the blocks are missing, and everything else... LFG V.130 Strela ... the huge wings of this plane are stored in another box. The Benz Bz-IV engine and all its parts are already made, I just have to assemble it. Work details on the fuselage. Assemble the wings and tail, and continue with the construction of the rest of the parts... FEIRO Daru ... an interesting Hungarian passenger plane from the early 20s. This project I suspended almost at the beginning, since the development of the nose for the Hispano-Suiza was wrong. It will require a lot of attention and better interpretation of the images.

So as the two current builds reach the painting and waiting phase, I've moved on to the next attempt in stash reduction. Now, biplanes have always presented me with a bit of a problem, I've always struggled to get that top wing balancing properly and sturdily enough. So what better way to face this fear than to attempt building one a few most of those present in my stash. Since four are matchbox, I know from my previous fury build that someone's actually thought construction through and the central struts will be well placed and held be other parts. Since the others are Airfix and Frogspawn, I may have more trouble later... So what kits are making an appearance? The first is part of the reason for the build, pulled down of the dread SoD after taking flight and various delicate parts snapping, one Hawker Demon. Next, the Frogspawn. A Blackburn Shark Mk.II Then the second Airfix kit and first Matchbox. A Bristol Bulldog and Armstrong Whitworth Siskin. One Matchbox Gloster Gladiator with a bit of AM.... And finally, Matchbox's Supermarine Walrus. There's also a Matchbox Stranraer in the wings, but she will appear later in the thread.

Hello fellow modellers, I hope you are having a pleasant weekend. I am building a 1/72nd scale Amodel Polikarpov I-16 Type 5. Unfortunately something strange happened to the canopy. It is no longer clear, it has gone a milky white and is now opaque. I live in Queensland Australia and had stored it in a little parts tin. I feel maybe humidity or some other factor related to heat caused this change, as it hasn't happened to canopies stored in normal kit boxes or zip-lock bags. It has probably been cooked! I have tried emailing Amodel and they cannot provide a canopy, only complete kits. I then found out that Falcon list an I-16 canopy in their Russian canopy 1/72 set. Unfortunately it isn't listed as an individual item in the Squadron range, so I would have to buy the complete Falcon set. It would be better value for money to buy this set than another I-16 kit, but I can't find any pictures of the Falcon set and wondered if the canopy included is the correct early type I need? It needs to be quite 'tent' shaped and fully enclosed. Does anyone know what type is in the set? Finally, I am hoping to model a Spanish Civil War Example (I know the kit has probably the wrong type of wings. I can live with this - this time ). I did wonder if anyone knows of a picture showing a SCW Polikarpov Type 5 (6?) with the later, open, round windshield rather than canopy? So far I have only seen this on type 10's, but if any type 5's like this existed my problem is solved. I have a good non-fogged one as I left it in the kit box rather than in the 'cooking' tin! I wonder why it became so fogged in that little tin, was it really that warm in there? Thank you for reading All best regards Tony