Search the Community

F-5E tiger II (KH32018) 1:32 Kitty Hawk The original F-5 design was lead at Northrop by Edgar Schmued who previously at North American had been the Chief designer of the P-51 and F-86. The F-5 was designed to reverse the trend of bigger and heavier fighters to produce a small, agile, high performance aircraft. It was also recognised that life cycle costs, and the ability to upgrade the design needed to be thought out at the beginning. Thus after winning the International Fighter Aircraft Competition in 1970 to provide a low cost effective fighter to America's allies Northrop introduced the F-5E or Tiger II. More than 3800 aircraft were built and served with the US Forces as well as their allies. Indeed the F-5F & N still serve in the adversary role today. The design of the F-5 would later go on to influence the YF-17 and F/A-18, as well as the late unsuccessful (is sales) F-20. The Kit This is a complete new tool from Kitty Hawk, The kit arrives on 6 spures of plastic with a small clear sprue, sheet of PE and two decal sheets. There are in addition resin exhaust nozzles add two resin crew figures; one seated and one standing. Construction starts as one would expect in the cockpit. The seat is first put together from an impressive 20 parts. Next up the cockpit tub is built up from another 20 or so parts not including the instrument panel and coaming. Once together the canopy raising parts are also added behind the seat. Following this the complicated nose gear bay / gun bay is built up which goes on front of the cockpit. All the detail is there for the nose mounted 20mm cannons including their ammo boxes and feed chutes. Once built up this section and the cockpit can be added into the front fuselage halves after some PE detail is added to the sides first. The nose section can then be built up and added but the modeller will need to select the right nose for the airframe being modelled. The instructions are of no help here so you will have to check your references. If wanted the seated pilot figure can be added. The canopy is then added at this stage in the instructions though I suspect most will leave it until the end. The canopy retraction mechanism is only in the raised position so if you want the canopy down some surgery will be needed. There is then the option to display the gun bay panels open if you wish to show off all that detail. Moving on to the centre fuselage two complete engines are built and installed. This seems a bit strange as no intake trunking is supplied and they will just sit there inside the fuselage. The main gear wells are made up and installed before the top of the fuselage is added. There are some optional vent panels to be installed but again its a case of checking your references as the instructions are of no help. For the rear the modeller can choose to build up plastic exhausts or use the resin ones. The two fuselage sections can now be joined and at the front the intakes added. Next up the wings are constructed. The main gear bay walls are added to the inner parts and the outers then added over the top. The main gears are made up and added along with the leading edge and separate flaps. The wings, tail planes and vertical tail are then added to the fuselage. The tail has a separate rudder. To finish off the aircraft the underwing pylons are added, and a whole range of missiles and bombs are provided. These include AIM-9 & AIM-7 missiles, Cluster bombs, dumb bobs and fuel tanks. Decals The impressive large decal sheet (and smaller additional sheet) look to be well printed. There is minimal carrier film and the colours are sharp, everything looks colour dense. From the box you can build one of nine aircraft F-5E Brazilian Air Force. F-5N VFC-111 "Sundowners" US Navy (3 Greys scheme). F-5E VFC-111 "Sundowners" US Navy (3 Browns scheme). F-5E Republic of South Korea Air Force. F-5E Islamic Republic Of Iran Air Force. F-5E Mexican Air Force. F-5E Republic Of Singapore Air Force. F-5E USAF (Silver with Yellow fuselage Band) F-5E USAF (SEA Camo) Conclusion The plastic looks great, and there is an impressive array of marking options available. The addition of PE and resin parts including good figures makes this an all round exciting package from Kitty Hawk. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of Available soon from major hobby shops

Hello, here's my debut with a bit unusual topic (already existing in this forum in much better execution ☺️) - Flying Flapjack from Kitty Hawk. Though I've expected a lot from the kit at the end I'm a bit disappointed by the quality. Still it was an interesting journey. Constructive remarks more than welcomed! Have a nice look.

Hi, I have been posting on the aircraft modelling forum here for a little while, and have never before crossed over into figure modelling... Until now! Having recently moved flat, I now have a lot less space to work on models in. As a result I have a new resolution - which is compact projects only! I have always wanted to build a Little Bird, and when I saw the Kitty Hawk kit I thought it would be ideal for my new set up. And on top of that it comes with figures! If that's not a great combination of time consuming new techniques and small space requirements I don't know what is. I have watched some tutorials on YouTube about figure painting, and looked over threads on here. And today I plunged in. I will be posting WIP on the machine in the aircraft forum, but will be needing help with these figures... So with that said - here's my work after a day on one figure... and a few questions for those far more experienced! First off - a few pack / parts shots : My plan is to build the Bird with a mixed load out of fixed weapons and troops. I know this is (as far as I can tell) not something that is done in reality - but it will offer me the most from the build : the fun of building and painting mini guns and rocket pods, as well as tackling my first ever figure painting work... With that - I selected my first figure - my nerves allayed by knowing that if it went badly there were three more left! On that note - I should also add that I am not building this as a historic aircraft / specific unit. The figures will be roughly representing modern special forces - with a mixture of gear, some camo - anything that seems fun in order to try out new tricks. Please forgive me - I do know these sorts of builds can be torture for experts to look at! The first up was primed with Citadel white rattle can. As a total novice to figures my opinion is naturally of little use, but these seem nicely detailed. And coming as one piece removes the issue of join seams. There were a small amount of mould seams I removed (mostly) with a blade. Then I started on the head... I was quite happy with how it went all things considered. As recommended by almost every source I have seen, I started with a blanked dark skin tone, then lifted out the 't-zone' as spot creams call it, and went from there. I think I need to dilute the paint more...? Any tips welcome, but while I was quite happy, it's a bit blotchy looking. I assume this is from my paint drying / not being translucent enough in each stage? Torso and legs were next. I painted all of this figure after the primer with Vallejo brushed paints using a wet palette. Bas for clothes were two slightly different tones of beige. Then I stippled on an almost white beige before painting dark brown / green lines. The flak jacket was varying tones of mixed greens, with highlights and low-lights added. After some tidying up, and some darker tones in folds, I got round to the pads / helmets. These were the easiest for me as they were closest to doing aircraft parts and clearly avoid the issues of creases and patterns. They were painted Vallejo grey-black then dry brushed with paler shades before being lightly sponged with very pale grey for scuffs. So - day one, and figure one, down - at least nearly, some tidying + weapons yet! 6 more to go (including pilots) so lots of time to improve. I have 2 questions though: 1. To me this is looking far too vivid in terms of colours. Clearly I should have remedied that along the way, but is there a smart way to mute this all NOW? I was thinking a liberal dusting with some light pigments like sand / light dirt? 2. Would a thin oil wash of dark umber on the face settle into the smaller creases well, or might it destroy the acrylic paints? Same for oil / white spirit washes in general - are these a no go with Vallejo? Many thanks for any info, tips, suggestions or criticisms! Bruce

Hi Guys Please see the website for the latest new product, brass undercarriage for the 1/32 scale Kitty Hawk OV-10 A/c or D kits. http://aerocraftmodels.bigcartel.com/product/ov-10a-c-bronco-brass-undercarriage-set cheers Ali

After the 1/48th kits ( GR. link & A. link ). On LSM forums, the Kitty Hawk's rep, Glen "Kagnew" Coleman, confirms the company 1/32nd SEPECAT Jaguar family project. Of interest are also the words "1/32 French projects before we get into it". To be followed. Source: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=53067&p=617140 V.P.

After the single-seat Su-17/22M3 &4 (link), here's the Kitty Hawk 1/48th two-seater Sukhoi Su-17/22UM-3K "Fitter -G" kit - ref. KH80147 Source: https://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/copy-of-kh80146 Box art V.P.

Sukhoi Su-22M3/M4 Fitter-F (Sic) KH80146 1:48 Kitty Hawk The Su-17 and the downgraded export version dubbed the Su-22, with its NATO reporting name Fitter was derived from the earlier Su-7 as a project to improve its low speed handling, particularly during take-off and landing. It was Sukhoi's first attempt at variable geometry wings, and when it reached service was the Soviet Union's first swing-wing aircraft in service. To keep the project costs down, the centre section of the wing remained fixed, with the outer able to swing back for high-speed flight, and forward for slow. A pronounced spine was also added to the rear of the cockpit to carry additional fuel and avionics that were necessary with the advances in aviation. The first airframes reached service in the early 70s, and were soon replaced by more advanced models with the designation M3 and M4, dubbed Fitter-H and –K respectively by the Allies. The M3 was based on a larger fuselage and had additional weapons options, while the M4 was further developed and was considered to be the pinnacle of the Fitter line with a heavily upgraded avionics suite including improved targeting, navigation, and yet more weapons options, as well as improved engines. A downgraded version of the M4 was marketed as the Su-22M4, and was in production until 1990! Although the Su-17 was withdrawn from Soviet service in the late 1990s, it remained in service much longer in its Su-22 export guise, where it was used by both Iran and Iraq, Libya and Angola to name but a few, and during this time it had variable success, which likely had as much to do with pilot skill and training as the merits of the airframe. The Kit We reviewed the (then) newly tooled Su-17M3/M4 from Kitty Hawk at the beginning of this year, and it has been quite a Sukhoi 17/22 kind of a year overall, when you consider what we used to have as the best kit in this scale, so now we're spoilt for choice. The Su-17 and Su-22 are externally identical, as it is just the abilities of the airframe and avionics that had been throttled back for the export market, and a fairly large export market it was too, which resulted in some interesting schemes, as we'll see toward the end of this review. The box sports a new painting of a German airframe with wings extended for low-speed and the tail plus drop-tanks adorned with a bright yellow and black tiger-stripe. Inside the plastic is the same as for the Su-17 for the aforementioned reasons, and that it would be impossible to see the fixed shock-cone of the M4 or differences in avionics or systems at scale on a closed-up airframe. Kitty Hawk seem to have got their NATO designations a little mixed up too, as the Fitter-F was designated to an earlier export version. The M3 and M4 were actually both loosely designated K due to their similarities, although it's the usual tricksy and confusing mess of variants and sub-variants that seems to plague Soviet era development programmes. There are the same nine sprues in light grey styrene, one in clear, a small sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) brass which has been updated to depict the new boxing with no other changes, and three decal sheets, two of which contain the national markings, the smallest the stencils. The instruction booklet completes the package and omits the incorrect Fitter name, with large colourful decaling and painting guide pinned into the centre of the pages. As the styrene is the same, there is little point in taking a new set of photos (our SSDs aren't infinite!), so you'll have to put up with the old logo in the corner until we get to the markings. Unfortunately, the missing support structure at the top and bottom of the shock-cone/radome are still absent from the new boxing, but I believe there is an aftermarket option out now that will correct that, or you could break out your modelling skills and fabricate the area yourself. Construction is also identical, so there's little point in re-treading the same discussion, which you can find in the original review linked at the top of this review. As originally stated though, the surface detail of the parts is very good as you can see from the following photos. The really interesting part of the package is the more colourful foreign operators' colour schemes, which Kitty Hawk have included for your delight and edification. Markings As already mentioned, there are three decal sheets, one of which has the majority of the national markings and some of the special scheme decals. The mid-sized sheet contains the rest, as well as the instrument panel and side console decals, which are again nicely done. The smallest sheet is filled with stencils that are nice and crisp, a marked improvement on some of the older decals from this company, which I remarked on in the earlier boxing. From this box you can build one of the following: The decals have good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin satin carrier film cut close to the printed areas. They are separately protected in a ziplok style bag along with the PE, which is always welcome from a point of view of protection from moisture. Each sheet is also covered with a thin "greaseproof" type paper, to prevent the sheets sticking together over time. Conclusion Of course it would have been nice if the nose issue had been rectified in the interim, but the rest of the kit is detailed and well defined, so it's easy to forgive the additional work needed to correct the deficiency if it bothers you. Overall it's still a good kit, and as long as you check and adjust fit you should end up with a good representation of the export Fitter. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops

UH-1D update sets, seatbelts & masks 1:48 Eduard - For Kitty Hawk Kit The Kitty Hawks kit is a good one. Eduard are now along with a few update sets to detail the kit. Interior Set (49861) This set is for the interior, mainly the cockpit. There is one nickel platted coloured fret and one plain one. The colour fret is dominated buy the large instrument panel, plus the centre console and overhead panel. The brass fret contains parts for the cockpit overhead windows, inside grab handles, door gun sights, door gun feed chutes and brackets inside the rear. If wanted the instrument panel set is available as a Zoom set which contains just the coloured fret. Full Set Zoom Set Cargo Interior (48935) This set provides the rear cabin or cargo area. There is one large part for the floor area and anther for the overhead,also additional smaller parts to replace lost lost when removing the floor area in the kit. Seatbelts (FE862) This set provides a full sets of seatbelts. These are the newer Steel type. Not only are the belts provided for the pilots but the rear seats as well. In addition new parts are provided for the kit seats. Masks (EX564) This set provides all the masks for the glazing in the yellow tape. Some of the bigger and more complex curved areas will require the centre parts to be masked in addition to the masks supplied. Review samples courtesy of

Super Seasprite sets & masks 1:48 Eduard - For Kitty Hawk Kit The Kitty Hawk Superseasprite has been out for a short time now and Eduard are now along with a few update sets to detail the kit. Interior Set (49834) This set though not marked is for the interior. There is one nickel platted coloured fret and one plain one. The colour fret is dominated buy the large two part instrument panel, centre console and overhead console. Also on this fret is a control box for the dash and other cockpit fittings such as levers. The brass fret contains sides & tops for the seats, a new floor pan, pedals, and the bulkhead through to the main cabin. If wanted the interior set is available as a Zoom set which contains just the coloured fret. Full Set Zoom Set Seatbelts (FE837) This set provides two full sets of seatbelts for the pilots seats. These are the newer Steel type. Cargo Interior (49847) This set is for the rear of the helo. There is one nickel platted coloured fret and one plain one. The coloured fret provides a full set of seatbelts for the rear seat, also the instrument panels for the rear. A prominent feature is the red webbing seats for the rear compartment, and the cargo net for the rear bulkhead. Some rod will be required to make the webbing seats. The brass fret has the rear cabin floor, side for the rear seat, and all the equipment racks. Masks (EX554) This set provides all the masks for the wheels and glazing in the yellow tape. Review samples courtesy of

Now we have too quarter scale Su-34:

After the Super Etendard (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234993552-148-amd-ba-super-etendard-by-kitty-hawk-box-artcads-release-1q2016/) it seems that Kitty Hawk is also working on a 1/48th AMD-BA Etendard IVM/P kit. To be followed. Thanks Laurent (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234993552-148-amd-ba-super-etendard-by-kitty-hawk-box-artcads-release-1q2016/?p=2230674)! V.P.

Another - subliminal or anodyne ? - message today in the Kitty Hawk Facebook. Source: https://www.facebook.com/736521713066784/photos/a.736556396396649.1073741827.736521713066784/808051749247113/?type=1&theater The following message with a Vought XF5U-1 "Flying Flapjack" picture. To be followed V.P.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/736521713066784/photos/a.736556396396649.1073741827.736521713066784/1247702645282019/?type=1&theater Most probably a future derived product from the elements developed for the future Su-34 "Fullback" kit. (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234996669-kitty-hawk-su-34-148-render-march/). A classic sales strategy template, see also Kinetic (via SkunkWorks) and AMK similar sets. V.P.

So, after Kinetic (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234981269-148-amd-ba-super-etendard-sue-super-etendard-modernise-sem-by-kinetic-released) and AMK (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234952903-amk-super-etendard-148), Kitty Hawk (aka Kitty Wok) has just announced another new tool 1/48th AMD-BA Super Etendard kit - ref. KH80138 Yes but... Why not an Etendard IVM or a Etendard IVP? Source: http://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/#!kh80138/o5uzg Box art For the producers, if you're going French, be aware there's no modern 1/48th kits from: - MD.450 Ouragan - MD.454 Mystère IV - AMD-BA Super Mystère B2 (SMB2) - SO.4050 Vautour IIA/B/N - Dassault Mirage IV - Br.1050 Alizé - Dassault Mystère/Falcon 20 - MS.760 Paris - Nord 2501 Noratlas - NH-90 TTH/NFH Caiman - SA.316 Alouette III - SA.330 (Super) Puma, AS.532 Cougar, EC.725 Caracal - SA.341/342 Gazelle - SA.321 Super Frelon etc. V.P.

T-28 Trojan Sets & Masks 1:32 Eduard for Kitty Hawk kit Interior Set This colour nickel, and brass fret set provides parts for the cockpits. There are parts for the instrument panels, side consoles, head up display, rear cockpit part, and antenna part. There are new internal skins for both seats. Cockpit set. This set provides just the colour fret from the interior set above. Exterior Set This set provides parts for the engine including the wiring harness, and intake filer meshes. For the landing gear there are new scissor links. There are panels for the engine cowls, and internal area for these as well. New static wicks are provided, as are various parts for the kit weapons. Undercarriage Set This set provides complete new skins for the interior of the wheel wells. Seatbelts This set provides two sets of seatbelts for the aircraft. These are the new flexible thin steel type. Masks This set provides masks for the canopy and wheels. Conclusion These sets will add a good amount of detail to the large scale T-28 kit. Recommended. Review samples courtesy of

USS Kitty Hawk Detail Sets Eduard 1:350 The Merit International/Trumpeter USS Kitty Hawk kit came out last year, yet Eduard have finally released their etched sets for it. As useful as they are, they don’t address one of the primary problems of the kit, the lack of hanger details. That said the rest of the model is provided with plenty. The five sets reviewed here cover pretty much every external part of the model, there are three, two sheet sets contained in large zip-lock bags and two single sheet sets, contained in the standard sized poly sleeve. Set one, (53-170, Island), is a two sheet set containing over 188 parts. These include replacement platforms, platform supports, all the railings required, numerous other fittings and their structures, replacement numbers, in the blocked light style for each side, replacement vertical ladders, and a replacement bridge window section. There is also a full complement of light bars, watertight doors, cable reels, SATCOM aerials, ECM arrays, SPS-49 array, SPS-64 array, mast fittings, yardarm railings, wind indicators, and navigation radar. The funnel receives new caps and walkway, whilst the AN/SPS 48 radar not only gets a whole new array, but a completely new mast as well, complete with all the platforms, railings and doors for the control room at the base. Sheet two, (53-171) is another two sheet set and contains parts to superdetail the hull and deck. Naturally most of the sheets are taken up with new railings, along with the numerous cable reels, and watertight doors, but there are a selection of replacement platforms, their supports and both vertical and inclined ladders. Also included are additional deck houses, replacement parts for the RIBs, additional access platforms, saluting guns, sponson supports, crane fittings, bridle catcher supports and deck edge aerial platforms. The instructions also show how to modify one of eh deck edge mounted radomes to the correct shape. Sheet three, (53-172), is another two sheet set, and whilst there are lot of parts, they are mostly used to replace the kits deck and elevator mounted safety nets. There are also even more railings, along with emergency weapon dumping slides, a new ensign staff and Jack staff with the associated railings used only when in port. The flight deck is fitted with an all new set of edging that goes the whole way round the deck and several new platforms, and, of course, more inclined ladders. Sheet four, (53-173), is a smaller single sheet set, containing parts for the carrier air wing. Each aircraft has different parts replaced, such as the Hornets receiving new pylons, wheels, undercarriage doors, catapult bar and tailhook. The Intruders get, new wheels, undercarriage doors, tailhook, aerials, and, if you’re a complete masochist, an open aft equipment bay. The Seahawks are also given new wheels, and a choice of extended or folded rotor blades, tail rotor, and the instructions show where to cut if you wish to fold the tail. The Hawkeyes, receive new rotor dome pylon supports, wheels, tailhook and undercarriage doors. The set is not confined to the aircraft, all the ground equipment is provided with more detailed parts, such as tow bars, forklift cage and forks, tow truck front and rear panels, fire hoses, steering wheels and the APU extension for some of them. The big crash crane is fitted with a new operators cabin, ladders, cable wheels, support beams, and cross members. Sheet four, (53-174), is also a single sheet set and contains new cradles for the ships boats, along with ninety triple racks for the life raft containers that are sited around the flight deck, along with their supports. Whilst not particularly difficult to fold, they may become a little tedious, so probably best to do them all at once. Conclusion The USS Kitty Hawk kit is a fabulous piece of moulding and design, even without the hanger details, these sets at least makes the external details stand out and with care should make the finished model look amazing. Maybe Eduard could do something for the interior now, although I know a couple of other companies and individuals who have taken up this particular challenge. Review sample courtesy of

After its T-6, Kitty Hawk is to release a 1/32nd North American OV-10D Bronco kit - ref.KH32003 See CAD drawings herebelow Sources: http://www.themodellingnews.com/2014/01/yee-har-kittyhawk-to-let-loose-large.html https://fr-fr.facebook.com/Kagero.SM https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=ms.639006636156204.639006599489541.639006522822882.639006542822880.639006722822862.bps.a.639006416156226.1073741960.224979750892230&type=1 V.P.

Kitty Hawk is to release a 1/32nd Vought OS2U Kingfisher kit - ref.KH32016 Now 1/32nd and not 1/48th as initially announced. Source: https://www.facebook.com/736521713066784/photos/a.736556396396649.1073741827.736521713066784/900453140006973/?type=1&theater V.P.

After a break of some 30 years from the hobby, I decided to get back to work. I decided my subjects would be examples of the aircraft I worked on during my time in the RAF. So, here is my first project from my time on 16® Sqn 2001 to 2004. Jaguar GR3a XZ392 PF, the Jag display aircraft in its day job. It's in the not often seen LGB self designation role fit. Sometimes brought out during the heavy weapons phase of the QWI course. The Kitty Hawk kit took a bit of wrestling to put together, the fit of some parts is not great. Also areas like the wing leading edges and pylons are completely the wrong shape. I added copious amounts of aftermarket to make up for the kits and my failings. Here is my first offering on BM.

A Kitty Wok representative has published in a Chinese forum some CADs from elements of the kits to come. Source: https://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=zh-CN&tl=en&u=http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4217712359%3Fpid%3D80755983168%26cid%3D0&usg=ALkJrhglYXVLJS9v-AikH0EsgzFQWIDZRQ#80755983168 A SSPU-22 gun pod - for new tool 1/48th or 1/32nd(?) Sukhoi Su-17/-22 "Fitter" kit? Any help to identify the following items? Thanks in advance. V.P.

F-86K Sabre Dog 1:32 Kitty Hawk The F-86DK was developed by North American from their F-86D. In the early 1950'e there was a requirement in NATO nations for an all weather fighter. Plans by FIAT to produce the de Havilland Venom under licence had failed. in 1953 the US Air Material Command informed North American they would like to produce the F-86D in Italy to supply to NATO nations under the Mutual Defence Assistance Program. However the aircraft was to have a simpler fire control system and be armed with guns instead of rockets. The initial specifications also called for a two seater aircraft. The rationale behind the simpler fire control system was the fear that the new E-4 Fire control system for the F-86D would be compromised. Also at the time the USAF was having problems maintaining the complex E-4 system as well. North American replied to the requirement for the new aircraft with a modified F-86D. It was pointed out that to make a two seat aircraft would require a complete re-design which would be lengthy and costly. The company produced the MG-4 fire control system which would use a nose radar to give the pilot his firing range and break away time. By providing this information direct to the pilot there was no need for a radar operator. Under the NA-205 project the USAF gave North American two F-86Ds to be converted to YF-86K standard. At the same time they entered into an agreement with FIAT in Italy for the licence manufacture of the F-86K using MDAP funds. The first YF-86K was flown at Los Angeles in 1954, with the first production aircraft being delivered in may of 1955. It was agreed that the first 120 aircraft would be made by North American to get production underway. These aircraft would be for Norway and Holland while FIAT would make aircraft for Italy, France and Germany. The first FIAT aircraft would fly in May 1955 also. Many of the aircraft made at FIAT would feature the longer wing as fitted to the F-86L. Many aircraft with the original wing would also be retro fitted with the longer wings. Other nations which at first should have received the F-86K did in fact get the F-86D. The arrival into the USAF of the F-102 led to surplus F-86Ds being released to Denmark, Japan, Greece and Yugoslavia. By this time the E-4 fire control system was not considered to be a security risk. In the end only Norway, Germany, Italy and France received the F-86K under MDAP. Two other nations would also end up flying the K model; Venezuela and Honduras. In 1965 they negotiated purchase of all surviving German aircraft. Some of these aircraft had never actually been flown by the Luftwaffe due to shortages of trained pilots and ground crew! 51 aircraft were exported. In the early 1970s following the arrival of F-5 aircraft four (or six depending on the source) F-86Ks were transferred to the Hondurans. Not much is known about these aircraft except they flew in a NMF with sharks mouths. Given the low number operated, and complex systems it is assumed they did not operate for long. There are photos on the web as late as 2014 showing at least one of these aircraft survives . The Kit It was only a matter of time after the initial F-86D release that we would get an F-86K in 1:32 scale. The kit arrives in a smaller box than you would expect, however it is crammed full of parts. You get seven sprues of light grey parts, a clear sprue (thoughtfully packed in its own card box for protection), a small PE fret and 2 sheets of decals. Shockingly enough the construction starts with the cockpit. The first item to be made up is the ejection seat. This is a complex affair with a total of 11 parts being used. The seat looks to be a good representation of the unique seat made for the Dog. Following construction of the seat, the electronics area behind it is assembled and attached to the main cockpit tub. Decals are provided for the panels in the cockpit, though the modeller can choose to paint them if they wish. Following this the control column and rudder pedals are installed. The next step is to complete the front landing gear and its wheel well. This is formed on the underside of the engine intake trunking. The wheel retraction gear forms part of the walls of the well and these are glued to the underside of the trunking. The well for the mighty mouse rocket tray which sits behind the wheel well is then constructed along with the rear section of the intake trunking. The two sections of trucking with their sub assemblies attached are then joined up. Construction then moved onto the engine. Even though most of it will not be seen a full engine is provided in the kit. The engine is a model in its own right. The forward inlet cone and fan are constructed. The individual burner cans (8 of them) are constructed and then added to the engine section. The rear fan section can then be constructed. The front engine system is then attached to the intake trunking and the completed cockpit from earlier attached to the top of the trunking. As mentioned a lot of the engine will not be visible. It could be left out as model in its own right, however it seems to provide a lot of structure for the supporting fuselage, and if left out the modeller would need an intake blank and rear blank as well. Following the engines the left and right cannon bays are built up. These can be left open if wanted by the modeller. The bays feature two full 20mm cannons with associated control and ammo boxes. Even if leaving these panels closed the modeller will still need to build the bays and put the cannon in as these can be seen through their firing openings. Next the instrument panel is built up. Again decal is supplied if the modeller does not wish to paint this area. The instrument panel is attached to the front fuselage sections which are then closed around the completed engine/trunking section. A rear bulkhead mounts the engine section inside the fuselage, while the cockpit mounts the front section. Next in the construction sequence is the building of the main wheel wells. These are 5 parts each, and once built they attach to centre section of the underside for the main fuselage section. This section and a front underside section are then attached to the previously constructed main fuselage section. The rear engine section can then be added to the now nearly complete front fuselage section. The rear fuselage sections 9left & right) then join around the engine section. Construction then moves onto the wings, tail-planes, and vertical tail. These are of a convention upper/lower for each side, with left and right for the tail. The main wings feature separate flaps, and the all important leading edge slats. At this time the main landing gear units are also constructed. These items can then be added to the fuselage. Finishing touches are adding the landing gear, pilot entry steps, and rear mounted airbrakes. The radio gear shelf is added into the large canopy and canopy rails added also. Drop tanks are provided, along with rails for sidewinders, for those options which were so armed. Canopy The large clamshell canopy is one of the distinguishing features of the F-86D/K/L family and Kitty Hawk have done it proud. For a large part it is clear and free from distortion or moulding problems. As mentioned a nice touch is that the clear sprue is packaged in its own separate box. Decals Decals are provided for 5 examples. Luftwaffe - JD-352, 3.JG74 Neuber der Donau. Armée de l'air ECTT 1/13 Artois, Colmar 1957. Aeronautica Militare XII Grupo, 36º Stormo. Royal Norwegian Air Force ZK-Z. USAF 355tth Combat Crew Training Sqn, Perrin AFB 1960. The inclusion of the last set of markings (The USAF) ones is strange as the K was an export Sabre Dog. All references point to 51-2961 being an F-86L, not a K. This is not a game changer as I suspect nearly all modellers getting this kit will do so for one of the European options. All of these aircraft except the Luftwaffe one flew in a BMF finish. Please note the colour call outs for the Luftwaffe aircraft are in British Standard colours. There aircraft flew in local German Federal Standard RAL Colours not BS colours. There is no manufacturer listed for the decals. They are matt, well printed, in register and look colour dense. Like the F-86D Kitty Hawk don't give you multi-part decals for the national insignia which go over the air brakes. All of the decal options feature markings over the airbrake. This will be manageable to cut the decal out for this, however a split decal would have been appreciated. Similarly the decal for the wings are not cut where they overlap onto the leading edge slats, though this will be a lot easier to fix. Conclusion It is great to see the K follow on from the D, hopefully we will see an L model in the future as well. Very Highly Recommended. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops

Hi all Here's my latest completed build, and the second of my Royal Australian Air Force collection. Its the 1/48 Kitty Hawk F-35A built as A35-001, the first F-35 for the RAAF. It's in the markings of 2 OCU The kit was an real nightmare to build, poor fitting and required lots of filling, the paint ended up not coming out the way i was hoping hence the light areas that were supposed to show through the final finish aren't really visible (which isn't a bad thing as it's only really visible on the real thing in bright light). I started it easy back in January but it spent a few months on the shelf of doom. Now it's finished I'm fairly happy with it, and I've taken a pic with my RAAF F/A-18F I was planning on doing an RAF F35-B and a US Navy F-35C but after this one i might reconsider that idea ! Enjoy ScottC

Hi Has anyone seen the KittyHawk Kaman Seasprite SH2-F? Is it a re pop of the old Matchbox one or a new kit? I have the Matchbox one in the stash and it was good for its day but that was 20 years ago so I'm considering the Kitty Hawk one if its a new tool. Cheers Colin W

Announced at the US IPMS Nats 2014, the next Kitty Hawk 1/32nd kit (after the OV-10 Bronco http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234952767-132-north-american-ov-10-bronco-family-by-kittyhawk-new-cads/) is a N.A. F-86D Sabre Dog - ref. KH32008 Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kitty-hawk/736521713066784?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal V.P.

Kitty Hawk is to release a 1/32nd Bell P-39Q/N Airacobra kit - ref. KH32013 Source: http://www.kittyhawkmodel.com/#!kh32013/c24dx V.P.