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Three new ex-Hasegawa re-boxings with Saab J-35, Macchi MC.202 Folgore and Harrier GR.7. by Eduard in 2016. Source: http://www.eduard.com/store/out/media/distributors/leaflet/leaflet2016-02.pdf V.P.

Well it looks like I’m the first cab off the rank for this one, only because I head off to work again today….and I need another distraction from the beast that is the Ta-152!! Ok as usual with GB’s I tend to try and do something a bit different, in this case I’m jumping up from my usual scale of 1/48th to 1/32nd plus it’s a full resin model! So here it is, Craftworks 1/32nd Macchi C.202/205. This was produced by a US firm in the late 90’s (they also produced; P-40C, P-36, La-5, Macchi C.200, A5M4 Claude) and is now quite rare, I’ve only ever seen one available and this was it! These are full multi-media models with resin, PE, white metal parts with lots of other stuffed supplied as well! The fuselage is cast in one piece, the same with the main wing, the casting throughout the whole model is quite nicely done with nothing warped, which is nice. These are the smaller resin bits. These are the bits if I was going to build the earlier C.202 version. Here is the white metal bits, they even supply you with some chain and wire, plus one small square of plastic?? The PE bits, IP dials and some beautiful “dry rub” decals. This is the canopy, no clear resin of vacform stuff here, you have to make your own, resin framing for the front and folded PE for the main part. This will be fun, at least they have pre-cut it for me, there are two sets! 4 sheets of decals!! From what I’ve read these are the best part of the model. There are squadron markings and serial numbers for every C202/205 ever made…..not for the person who has trouble making there mind up! This is the only scheme they supply details for. Now for the scheme I have a cunning plan……..decals! I’m probably going to give these a go, worse case I’ll revert back to the usual blotches. Well I’m looking forward to this one, have been dying to bring out one of my big resin beasts. I originally was planning to build the 1/48th Hasegawa version of this one with full Eduard extras, could be a fall back plan if things go wrong, plus have a pair of 1/48th SM.79’s (one resin one plastic) as a further one. As this is my last big GB for this year, one of the last two may come out if there is time!

Hi guys, I will be building the Pacific Coast Modeller 1/32 Macchi MC.200. It will be build straight out of the box. Well SOB means resin engine, cockpit and some PE parts as well. The only extra will be the decals. Pictures will follow later. Cheers,

Hello all Here is my latest completion - Hasegawa's 1/48 Folgore, a lovely kit to build. I'm usually an out of the box builder, but I've always had a soft spot for the look of the MC202, so was tempted into the aftermarket for this one to try and add a little extra nice detail to this build. The extras were: * Smoke ring decals from Mike Grant * Ultracast resin seat, wheels and exhausts * Montex Maxi Mask for cockpit frame and some markings * EZ line for the antenna wire The fuselage band and the white tail crosses were painted on rather than using decals, and the underside wing roundels were done with the Montex masks. However, I found these very fiddly so reverted to the decals for the upper wings. A quick note of praise for Mike Grant's smoke ring decals, these are really thin and conformed beautifully with no hint of silvering. It was painted in Tamiya acrylics XF19 Sky Grey for the underside and XF59 Desert Yellow for the upper surfaces - perhaps not the best matches for authenticity, but that's something that I'm not too fussed about. Kept the weathering light, with just an oil paint wash to highlight the panel lines and a thin dark acrylic mix for some exhaust staining. Pretty happy with how it turned out, and really enjoyed this build. Thanks for looking Adam

According to LSP forum, it looks like we'll have a 1/32 Macchi M5 seaplane soon. Source: http://forum.largescaleplanes.com/index.php?showtopic=56081 Does anyone know more? I hope it's true: it's a fantastic aircraft. Daniele

Macchi C.202 Folgore Hasegawa 1:48 The Macchi C.202 Folgore (Italian for Thunderbolt) was constructed by Macchi Aernautica as a development of their earlier C.200 Saetta. The original C.200 features an air colled radial engine, however the C.202 would feature a licence built Daimler-Benz DB601Aa engine. This along with a redesigned more streamlined fuselage would bring the speed upto 372 mph it's speed and manoeuvrability were comparable with other fighters of the time. It did have its problems, chiefly that it was under armed and was susceptible to entering dangerous spins. In addition the radios and oxygen systems were highly unreliable often leading to 50/60% of pilots returning to base. Over 1100 were built, and as well as serving with the Italian forces they were used by Croatia during WWII, and after the war Macchi we able to sell some surviving aircraft to the Egyptians where they would be used in combat against Israel. The Italian Air Force used them in the training role until 1948. The Kit This kit was originally released by Hasegawa in 1995, and has been re-released in various boxing since then, the last being in 2006. For the release now Hasegawa have reverted back to the box art and decal options of the original 1995 kit. The kit arrives as 3 main sprues, 3 small sprues, and a clear sprue. As you would expect from Hasegawa the parts are well moulded and all the parts are crisp. Construction begins as with most aircraft, in the cockpit. The main cockpit is made up from the bottom section, two sides and the instrument panel. The seat is added, with the control column, a rudder bar, and some ancillary controls to the cockpit sides. Once the cockpit is completed it can be placed inside the fuselage, and this then closed up. The panel on top of the nose with the guns is added as a separate insert, and oil cooler are added; and also the tailplanes at this stage. The wings are the next major construction step. These are of a conventional lower one piece wing, to which the left and right top wings are added. The undercarriage bay must be constructed and installed before the top wings are added. Once complete the wings are added to the main fuselage. Once the main aircraft is built its on to all the small parts to finish off. The main landing gear is constructed and added. The lower radiator is added along with the tail wheel n the exhausts. One last item is the propeller. For this kit it is three separate blades which must be added to the hub. Finally the canopy is added. Decals As mentioned this new release brings the same decals as the original 1995 kit, for two option. A smallish decal sheet has the national markings and a few others as the aircraft did not seem to have much more in the way of markings. The options supplied are; 363-2 363 Squadriglia 150° Gruppo 53° Stormo, Italian Air Force (Blotch camo) CL111 Commander 153° Gruppo Italian Air Force (Ring camo) Conclusion This is good re-release from Hasegawa. The kit has not been available for a while now. Overall recommended if you want/need a C.202 in your collection. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

IN their new arrivals, Hannants have a Kora Macchi C201, which according to them is an MC200 with an enclosed canopy as on the MC202 Folgore. I understood the MC201 to be an MC200 airframe with a Daimler Benz engine. Comments anyone?

Now, that's some greyhound! http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hasegawa-1-48-Macchi-C-205-Veltro-w-True-Details-cockpit-upgrade-/301096068406?pt=Model_Kit_US&hash=item461ab96536 How does she fit in the box?... nice details... ahem... cough, cough.

New Decal Range In response to demand OLDMODELS DECALS is proud to announce an expansion of some of its high quality range into a new Digital Print format. Oldmodels Decals current inkjet range are known for their accuracy and attention to detail – this will continue with the new Digital range. What is Digital print? In essence it is a commercially printed decal utilising modern digital printing processes. This is the same process as used by a number of larger decal producers such as DRAW and TWOSIX DECALS. The end product is a continuous sheet decal printed on stock decal sheet which behaves for the modeller the same way as silk screen produced decals. This process differs from silk screen in that whilst it will print white, it cannot print metallic. It is also vastly cheaper than silk screen production as it is without the need for large print runs per subject to cover the expensive silk screen master costs which in turn result in high inventory costs and capital outlay which is simply unaffordable for me. This allows much smaller runs more suited to more esoteric subjects. What is being released in this new format? New Items RNZAF Boeing 727-022C early and late schemes in 1/72, 1/144 and 1/200 Re-release of existing range in new format RNZAF: McDonell Douglas T/A-4K Skyhawk in SEA, Euro1 and last schemes in 1/48 and 1/72 Lockheed P-3K/K-2 Orion current scheme in 1/72, 1/144 Lockheed C-130H(NZ) current scheme in 1/48, 1/72 and 1/144 Boeing 757-2K2 current scheme in 1/144 NHIndustries NH90 current scheme in 1/72 Kaman SH-2G(NZ) current scheme in 1/48 and 1/72 Bell UH-1H Iroquois current grey scheme in 1/35, 1/48 and 1/72 BAC167 Strikemaster early and late schemes in 1/48 and 1/72 Aermacchi MB339CB in 1/48 and 1/72 Beechcraft B200 King Air in 1/72 Civil schemes FlyDC3 Trust’s DC-3 Warbird in 1/48 and 1/72 As always these are available from my website www.oldmodelsdecals.com Many more are under preparation. Oldmodels Decals is happy to receive suggestions in terms of which decals to convert to the new format next. Release Timetable Tranche 2 of Digital decals will be released within the next two weeks and will contain many civil schemes including the new scheme on the Air NZ A320s, the black ATR72, first NAC B737-200 scheme and five 1/144th Viscount schemes (for the new plastic F-RSIN kits) as well as C130 Euro1, P-3B/K, and the Vampire schemes. Will everything be converted to the new format or issued in the new format? No. Very deliberately my range includes many esoteric NZ subjects and schemes within subjects – to give the modeller the widest possible choice. However this often means low, or in some cases, no sales. The costs of producing a sheet of decals of each and every esoteric subject in the Digital format is fixed, up front capital and expensive. On the other hand the inkjet method provides me with the ability to print part sheets to order – meaning I do not have the crippling inventory costs that other methods require. This also applies to esoteric scales within individual subjects. For example, some subjects have kits available in as many as six scales, however experience has shown that 95% of the sales occur in just two or three of those scales. Where this applies the low volume scales will continue to be available in Inkjet format. For these reasons many current schemes and possibly some yet to be released schemes will remain Inkjet unless I receive a commercial sized order for them. Quality In general the digital decals are less sharp than the photo quality inkjet decals but are of a comparable quality to the decal sheets provided in the kits. This generally shows up in the readability of small writing and general “crispness”. A combo photo of a kit decal, my inkjet decal and my digital decal of the RNZAF NH90 is posted on the website on both the digital and inkjet explanation pages. Digital Decal Costs Most of the subjects being converted will be priced the same or marginally above the old price for Inkjet decals. This mainly happens because of the printing method needs much smaller print margins meaning more decals per sheet, and the removal of the backgrounds from light colours means each decal needs slightly less space. In these cases the Inkjet decals will be withdrawn. However if you prefer inkjet they will be available on request at the same price. However for some larger subjects and scales it is less easy to take advantage of the improvements mentioned. This results in large increases in costs. In most cases this is where the decal occupies an entire sheet to itself. When I choose to offer the Digital format for these schemes, I will also offer separately the cheaper Inkjet format. It also means there are a small number of scale/subject combinations that I will not offer in Digital format except as a special order, or unless a retailer funds a production run. These include the 1/48 RNZAF C130 High Viz schemes (delivery and 70s-80s schemes), and the James Aviation and MOT 1/48th DC-3 schemes. All of these are very full double sheet sized schemes. The indicative price for these schemes in Digital format would be NZ$48 plus P&P which I currently consider to be too high to be commercially viable. There may also be a wait time of up to a month to get these printed – unless you are prepared to fund an even higher price for a special run. Even then the turn round from the printer is proving to be around two weeks. The reality is that I have no real leverage with the Printers who see even a “big” order from me as a small filler run to be fitted in around their core business. Why am I not converting everything suitable for conversion in one go? There are several factors at play here. The first is the upfront cost to what is a small business. The income from the first sales will fund the next rounds. The second is that creating the digital master from an inkjet master or two masters (clear/white) is a time consuming and not simple task. This is partially exacerbated by the need to upgrade some of the older masters to the standards of my more recent issues. The third is that the order size I am currently using with the printers is a sweet spot in terms of do-ability on their side whilst being large enough to keep costs down it is not so big that I can’t handle it on my side of the equation. Can I suggest subjects for (re-)release in Digital format? By all means please do. If I get sufficient demand for a subject or scale I will action it. The number needed will vary by subject and scale and will primarily be based on the size of the resultant decal. Remember however the likely costs of larger decals (full sheet or larger). A new decal has only been released only in Digital – can I get a cheaper Inkjet version? In general – yes. Please use the custom query form and I will assess the option for you. What does this move to Digital mean for custom decal requests? The options will be discussed with you at the time. The inkjet format will generally be both cheaper and faster to produce – there is a significant wait factor with getting digital decals printed. Doing the set up work is also keeping me rather busy in the short term. John Oldmodels Decals www.oldmodelsdecals.com

Gee this build snuck up on me, plus it seems it will the the 3rd GB in progress!! Now for something completely different I’m going to build an Italian Seaplane for this build, a pretty little Macchi M.5. Ok now before everyone gets excited and reminds me this is the US Navy GB, there is a little known fact that the US Navy flew Macchi M.5’s (loaned from the Italians) from December 1917. These aircraft flew as 263ᵃ Squadrigilia and were in operations against Austro-Hungarian forces over the Adriatic sea. In one of these encounters occurred on the 18th August 1918 where a US Navy Pilot Charles H. Hammann became the first US Navy pilot to receive the Medal of Honor. Unfortunately I can’t find enough details on Hammann’s aircraft to replicate this aircraft but will build the other aircraft which was important in this event, Ensign George Ludlow’s Macchi M.13015 (he was rescued by Hammann after being shot down) which is included in the decal set. Ludlow's is the bottom aircraft, very colourful. oh and I can't forget the resin, gotta have resin in every build! This is part of the kit. I won't be getting too carried away with internal detailing as most of it will be hidden, so this will very much be an out of the box build. This will be my first big scale biplane so will be a bit nervous when it come to the rigging, all helpful advise appreciated. Plus as an additional first this will be the first GB which has no added extras! Been looking forward to building this right from the beginning, plus will be trying a few different painting techniques I’ve seen in other builds.

Aermacchi MB 326K Impala 1:48 Italeri The MB326 was designed to fulfil a need of the Italian Air Force for a combined jet trainer/fighter that would be cheap, easy to maintain and could use the Armstrong Siddley Viper engine, which was cheap & efficient, but designed for a short service life. In reality, it was sufficiently powerful and reliable to be used in other applications, and as improvements came along in its design, the thrust output grew substantially. The aircraft was of a similar configuration to the British Jet Provost, although the nose was narrower due to the in-line tow-seat cockpit. This shape continued for the single-seat Variant, which was the first single-seat variant that went on to sell well in Africa and the Middle East. Like the Provost's weapon-armed Strikemaster, the Impala, as it was known in South African service was a ground-attack aircraft, with the majority of their stock built in South Africa. The two-seat 326Ms were known as the Impala I, while the single-seater, the subject of this kit was known as the Impala II. They were very successful in their role, being able to cope with poor runways and carry sufficient munitions on the six hard-points to make their point, while flying fast and low to avoid anti-aircraft batteries and missiles. The Kit This is a re-release of an existing tooling, originally released by ESCI in the early 80s. That said, it benefits from nicely restrained panel lines and crisp details that bely its age. The box is typical top-opening Italeri fare, and the sprues are all together in one bag, with the clear parts bagged inside the main bag. There are three sprues of medium grey styrene, mainly because the long sprue that contains the main airframe components has been cut down to fit inside the smaller box. A small modular type clear parts sprue contain the two-part canopy and a few small parts, and the box contents is completed by the large instruction booklet and the rather busy decal sheet. The build commences with the cockpit, which is a typical product of its age, and has only minimal structural detail to which decals for the instrument panel and side consoles are applied. The instrument panel has some relief detail, which is limited to the different levels of the panel itself, so the decals are a must unless you fancy scratching the instrumentation. The pilot's ejector seat is a simple affair only vaguely resembling the Martin Baker Mk.4 that should be present. One from the spares or aftermarket would make an immediate improvement here, as the head-box is massive and totally unrepresentative, giving it a top-heavy look. The rear bulkhead as a little detail moulded in, but a large box has a sink mark where the thick styrene has shrunk during cooling. This can easily be repaired with a little filler however, and as a blank canvas, any additional detail can be added by the modeller. The wings and fuselage are both assembled in short order, with plenty of flashed over mounting holes to be drilled out for weapons and tanks if you plan on fitting them. The exhaust is provided as a stub attached to a small bulkhead and has a representation of the rear engine face moulded in, although that is probably quite a bit too far aft. The elevators fit into a pair of slots wither side of the tail, and should be level – any anhedral was removed long before the K was envisaged. The wingtip fuel tanks are built from their separate halves and install on two large pegs. The undersides of the intakes are added to the lower wing, and the trunking disappears, so best put a little darkening paint in there to fool the casual viewer. Interestingly the nose has a cut-out with a basic interior, so the cover can be posed open or closed. This is a product of a different age, and this kind of feature doesn't appeal as much as it did in the 80s, and detail is quite unrealistic. The rear cockpit is cowled over with a single part, which should be fitted carefully to minimise clean-up, and the canopy can be posed open or closed. The parts are clear and thin, but my copy had some marks on the outer surface despite being separately bagged. A quick polish and dip in Klear/Future should resolve that issue though, as they're fine and unobtrusive. The kit is finished off by adding the wheels and gear legs to the gear bays. Here again, there are inconsistencies, as the main gear bays and air-brake bay have some very nicely moulded in detail. A little detail added to the walls and they would be good to go. The nose gear bay is completely blank however, and could do with some work to bring it up to the standard of the other bays. The air-brake can be posed open or closed by the addition of a retraction jack, and it would be a shame to close it up and hiding the detail. The weapons fit includes a pair of cheek mounted 30mm cannons with Sabrina-like fairings around them, a pair of wing-mounted pods containing 12.7mm Brownings, a pair of rocket pods and two small cigar-shaped reconnaissance pods. Extra fuel is carried in two streamlined tanks on the wing pylons with small finlets on the rear. There are some small sink-marks on the tips of these tanks, due to the alignment socket on the inside of the nose. This will need a small application of filler to smooth out. The detail on the wing-mounted gun pods is excellent for the vintage, as are the conical noses of the rocket pods. The weapons/fuel tank pylons all have surface detail moulded in, and the decal sheet includes stencils to busy them up. The decal sheet is a busy one, containing six choices of aircraft flown by South Africa, Brazil, Italy and Dubai. From the box you can build one of the following: 4th Squadron SAAF, Waterkloof AB, South Africa 1970 – green & brown over grey 85th Combat Flight School SAAF, Hoedspruit AB, South Africa, 1990 - green & brown over grey Escuadron "Pacau", 1o/4o GAV Forca Aerea Brasileira, Natal 2006 - green & brown over grey Reparto Sperimentale di Volo, Aeronautica Militaire Italiana, Pratica Di Mare 1990 – dark green, mid green & brown over grey Reparto Sperimentale di Volo, Aeronautica Militaire Italiana, Pratica Di Mare 1979 – dark green, mid green & brown over grey United Arab Emirates Police Air Wing, Dubai 1977 - dark green, mid green & brown over grey Decals are of course printed by Cartograf, and are crisply printed, with good colour density and register. There is an absolutely tiny discrepancy in the register of the red, but that is only really noticeable under magnification on the UAE roundel and flag, which is an identification scheme that really tests the register of decals anyway. Conclusion In its day this must have been quite an impressive kit, and there are some aspects of it that impress even today. There are some lowlights too, but nothing that can't be fixed or a blind eye turned. The quality of the engraving on the external surfaces is up to modern standards, which is always a good start with any kit. There are some nice decal choices, and although the camo patterns sound very similar, the actual layout of the colours is different from country to country, so there is in fact plenty of variety. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of