Search the Community

Special Hobby has just announced a 1/48th Martin Baltimore kit - ref. SH48160 Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235016099-novelties-from-special-hobby/ V.P.

Martin B-10 Export WC/WAN (FR0043) 1:72 Azur FR.ROM The B-10 started life as the Martin Model 123 which was privately developed by the martin Company. It was to have a drew of four and feature an internal bomb bay and retractable undercarriage, something new in 1932 when the aircraft first flew under the designation XB-907 before being returned to Martin. This then become the XB-10 when it was returned to the US Army. The XB-10 featured a number of changes to the original design. The crew complement was reduced from 4 to 3, and all crew positions were now covered including the nose turret something completely new at the time. The new aircraft would have a longer wingspan. The original Townend rings on the engines were changed to NACA cowlings which reduced drag. The US Army ordered 48 of the new aircraft in 1933 with production models differing very slightly from the XB-10., and another 103 in 1935. The twin 600 hp Wright SR-1820-E Cyclone engines provided the aircraft with a similar if not better performance than the Army's pursuit aircraft of the day. Although the rapid pace of aviation in the 1930s would soon leave the aircraft design behind. It had really been eclipsed by the time the US entered WWII In combat over China and Asia the aircraft was found to lack the speed of modern fighters and not have the same hitting power as other medium bombers. As well as service with the US the aircraft was used by The Argentine Army & Navy, The Chinese Nationalists, The Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, The Philippine Army, The Royal Thai Air Force, and Turkey. The Kit This is a new tool kit from Azur Ffrom in collaboration with Special Hobby. The mouldings are typical of the higher end of the short run market. The fuselage is very well moulded with the corrugations of the skin very good indeed. There is a small amount of flash on some of the other components. The fuselage is moulded in a top/bottom split instead of left/right to avoid having a seem in the corrugated area which is good. There is one main sprue containing the wings, and a second for the fuselage and rear control surfaces. There are a further 2 sprues with all the other parts, and a large clear sprue. The front turret had become detached for the clear spure, but was not damaged. The last item in the box is a small PE fret. Construction starts with the fitting out of the upper fuselage, some small parts go in and at the cockpit area the instrument panels are added. At the rear supports go in for the rear position. We then move to the lower fuselage where the main parts for the three crew positions go in. These include the pilots position, rear gunner and front gun position. At first many smaller parts are added in to all three areas. In the rear the bulkheads go in for the observer/rear gunners area and the seating position is attached to the fuselage. A central support for the wings is also added in at this point. The pilots position has a front and rear bulkhead which supports the floor. The seat and flight controls are added to the floor and PE belts go on the seat. At the front the floor area for the gunner goes in as well as the support ring for the turret. Once all these parts are in two fuselage halves can be joined. Following this the extreme aft tail assembly including the tail wheel is made up and added to the fuselage. The fin/rudder and tail control surfaces can then be added. Next step in the construction is the wing. These are of conventional left/right with uppers and lowers. Into each lower wing the wells for the landing gear must be added in the bottom of the engine nacelles. The front firewalls can go in and the main gear legs are also show as being fitted at this stage, though I suspect modellers will leave these until later on. The wing halves can then go together. The engines can then go on the front of the nacelles. The wings can then be attached to the main fuselage. Lift devices are then added between the engines and the main fuselage. The exhausts then match up with their engines. The rear gun is added along with all the exterior glazing. At the front don't forget to add the gun to the turret before putting it in place. To finish off the main wheels are assembled and added, then the props can go on as well. Lastly various aerials and the pitot tube go on. Decals This boxing of the kit gives two choices of markings, decals by Special Hobby; Model 139 WC, 1403 14th Volunteer Sqn / 14th Chungfui, Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Hankow 1938 Model 139 WAA, 2-B-3, Escuadrilla de Bombardo, Escuadra Aerea No.2 Argentinian Navy Conclusion This is another left of field release from FFROM of an lesser well known but good looking aircraft from the earlier years of aviation. Very Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Martin Model 139 WC/WSM/WT (SH72440) 1:72 Special Hobby The B-10 started life as the Martin Model 123 which was privately developed by the martin Company. It was to have a drew of four and feature an internal bomb bay and retractable undercarriage, something new in 1932 when the aircraft first flew under the designation XB-907 before being returned to Martin. This then become the XB-10 when it was returned to the US Army. The XB-10 featured a number of changes to the original design. The crew complement was reduced from 4 to 3, and all crew positions were now covered including the nose turret something completely new at the time. The new aircraft would have a longer wingspan. The original Townend rings on the engines were changed to NACA cowlings which reduced drag. The US Army ordered 48 of the new aircraft in 1933 with production models differing very slightly from the XB-10., and another 103 in 1935. The twin 600 hp Wright SR-1820-E Cyclone engines provided the aircraft with a similar if not better performance than the Army's pursuit aircraft of the day. Although the rapid pace of aviation in the 1930s would soon leave the aircraft design behind. It had really been eclipsed by the time the US entered WWII In combat over China and Asia the aircraft was found to lack the speed of modern fighters and not have the same hitting power as other medium bombers. As well as service with the US the aircraft was used by The Argentine Army & Navy, The Chinese Nationalists, The Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, The Philippine Army, The Royal Thai Air Force, and Turkey. The export models were designated the model 139 with WC for China, WSM for the then Siam, and WT For Turkey. The Kit This is a new tool kit from Special Hobby in collaboration with Azur Ffrom. The mouldings are typical of the higher end of the short run market. The fuselage is very well moulded with the corrugations of the skin very good indeed. There is a small amount of flash on some of the other components. The fuselage is moulded in a top/bottom split instead of left/right to avoid having a seem in the corrugated area which is good. There is one main sprue containing the wings, and a second for the fuselage and rear control surfaces. There are a further 2 sprues with all the other parts, and a large clear sprue. The last item in the box is a small PE fret. Of note in the boxing is the different wing sprue for these models. There are two tracks on the trailing edge of the wing behind the engine nacelles, one was broken off in this box and not present in the plastic bag which is slightly disappointing. Construction starts with the fitting out of the upper fuselage, some small parts go in and at the cockpit area the instrument panels are added. At the rear supports go in for the rear position. We then move to the lower fuselage where the main parts for the three crew positions go in. These include the pilots position, rear gunner and front gun position. At first many smaller parts are added in to all three areas. In the rear the bulkheads go in for the observer/rear gunners area and the seating position is attached to the fuselage. A central support for the wings is also added in at this point. The pilots position has a front and rear bulkhead which supports the floor. The seat and flight controls are added to the floor and PE belts go on the seat. At the front the floor area for the gunner goes in as well as the support ring for the turret. Once all these parts are in two fuselage halves can be joined. Following this the extreme aft tail assembly including the tail wheel is made up and added to the fuselage. The fin/rudder and tail control surfaces can then be added. Next step in the construction are the wings. These are of conventional left/right with uppers and lowers. Into each lower wing the wells for the landing gear must be added in the bottom of the engine nacelles. The front firewalls can go in and the main gear legs are also show as being fitted at this stage, though I suspect modellers will leave these until later on. The wing halves can then go together. The engines can then go in the front of the nacelles before closing them up. The fronts of the cowls can then go on with different ones depending on the decal option used. The wings can then be attached to the main fuselage. Lift devices are then added between the engines and the main fuselage. The exhausts then match up with their engines. The rear gun is added along with all the exterior glazing. At the front don't forget to add the gun to the turret before putting it in place. To finish off the main wheels are assembled and added, then the props can go on as well. Lastly various aerials and the pitot tube go on. Decals This boxing of the kit gives four choices of markings, decals by Eduard. The decals look a little thick and they were hard to extract from their plastic envelope as there is no protective paper over them and they were stuck in there. Model 139 WC, 1403 14th Volunteer Sqn / 14th Chungfui, Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Hankow 1938 Model 139 WC, 3001 14th Volunteer Sqn / 14th Chungfui, Chinese Nationalist Air Force, Hankow 1937 Model 139 WSM, No.6, 50 Bomber Sqn Ubon AFB, 1940 Model 139 WT, No. 10/2310, 55 Sqn Corlu, Turkish AF 1941 Conclusion This is another left of field release from from Special Hobby in collaboration with FFROM of an lesser well known but good looking aircraft from the earlier years of aviation. Recommended. Review samples courtesy of

MikroMir is to release a 1/72nd Martin XB-51 kit - ref. Source: https://www.facebook.com/mikro.mir.dnepr/posts/4094017577342614 V.P.

Joining you with this Special Hobby 1/72 Martin Baltimore, Martin Baltimore, first flew 14 June 1941. Twin engine medium bomber, with two Wright R-2600 engines. Operated with RAF and Fleet Air Arm, Australian, Canadian, South African Air Forces, Free French, Greek, Italian, and Turkey. Italian after they joined the Allies, and the Greek AF in exile. The modelled aircraft operated from Gambut, Libya with 13 squadron Royal Hellenic Air Force, alongside and looking just like RAF Coastal Command. The Baltimore was never operated by front-line US services. The narrow fuselage similar to that of the Maryland, Boston, and Hampden, was restrictive of movement, preventing crew-members assisting a wounded colleague - contributing to the aircraft being unpopular. 1575 aircraft were built, but none survive intact today. The kit cost me £13.50 from Hannants, in 2002.

Martin B-10B In US Service (FR0044) 1:72 Azur FR.ROM The B-10 started life as the Martin Model 123 which was privately developed by the martin Company. It was to have a drew of four and feature an internal bomb bay and retractable undercarriage, something new in 1932 when the aircraft first flew under the designation XB-907 before being returned to Martin. This then become the XB-10 when it was returned to the US Army. The XB-10 featured a number of changes to the original design. The crew complement was reduced from 4 to 3, and all crew positions were now covered including the nose turret something completely new at the time. The new aircraft would have a longer wingspan. The original Townend rings on the engines were changed to NACA cowlings which reduced drag. The US Army ordered 48 of the new aircraft in 1933 with production models differing very slightly from the XB-10., and another 103 in 1935. The twin 600 hp Wright SR-1820-E Cyclone engines provided the aircraft with a similar if not better performance than the Army's pursuit aircraft of the day. Although the rapid pace of aviation in the 1930s would soon leave the aircraft design behind. It had really been eclipsed by the time the US entered WWII In combat over China and Asia the aircraft was found to lack the speed of modern fighters and not have the same hitting power as other medium bombers. The B-10B which was the most numerous variant form the US features the 675 hp Wright Cyclone R-1820-19 engines. As well as service with the US the aircraft was used by The Argentine Army & Navy, The Chinese Nationalists, The Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, The Philippine Army, The Royal Thai Air Force, and Turkey. The Kit This is a new tool kit from Azur Ffrom in collaboration with Special Hobby. This kit unlike the other boxings contains different wings, nacelles and engine covers for the different engines. The mouldings are typical of the higher end of the short run market. The fuselage is very well moulded with the corrugations of the skin very good indeed. There is a small amount of flash on some of the other components. The fuselage is moulded in a top/bottom split instead of left/right to avoid having a seem in the corrugated area which is good. There is one main sprue containing the wings, and a second for the fuselage and rear control surfaces. There are a further 3 sprues with all the other parts, and a large clear sprue. The front turret had become detached for the clear spure, but was not damaged. The last item in the box is a small PE fret. Construction starts with the fitting out of the upper fuselage, some small parts go in and at the cockpit area the instrument panels are added. At the rear supports go in for the rear position. We then move to the lower fuselage where the main parts for the three crew positions go in. These include the pilots position, rear gunner and front gun position. At first many smaller parts are added in to all three areas. In the rear the bulkheads go in for the observer/rear gunners area and the seating position is attached to the fuselage. A central support for the wings is also added in at this point. The pilots position has a front and rear bulkhead which supports the floor. The seat and flight controls are added to the floor and PE belts go on the seat. At the front the floor area for the gunner goes in as well as the support ring for the turret. Once all these parts are in two fuselage halves can be joined. Following this the extreme aft tail assembly including the tail wheel is made up and added to the fuselage. The fin/rudder and tail control surfaces can then be added. Next step in the construction is the wing. These are of conventional left/right with uppers and lowers. Into each lower wing the wells for the landing gear must be added in the bottom of the engine nacelles. The front firewalls can go in and the main gear legs are also show as being fitted at this stage, though I suspect modellers will leave these until later on. The wing halves can then go together. Onto the top section then goes the other half of the engine nacelle. The engines can then go on the front of the nacelles and the cowlings are attached. The wings can then be attached to the main fuselage. Lift devices are then added between the engines and the main fuselage. The exhausts then match up with their engines. The rear gun is added along with all the exterior glazing. At the front don't forget to add the gun to the turret before putting it in place. To finish off the main wheels are assembled and added, then the props can go on as well. Lastly various aerials and the pitot tube go on. Decals This boxing of the kit gives two choices of markings in the colorful yellow wings scheme. 35-238 Code 59, 28th Bombardment Sqn, Clark Field Philippines 1938. Since the instructions were printed it has been found out this aircraft was not passed to the Philippine Army. The aircraft was struck off in 1941. Code 138, Sqn Hack for the 17th Pursuit Sqn, 1st Pursuit Group, Selfridge MI, USA. Sqn badge on the nose. Conclusion This is another left of field release from FFROM of an lesser well known but good looking aircraft from the earlier years of aviation. Very Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Martin B-10 Export WH-2/WAA (FR0042) 1:72 Azur FR.ROM The B-10 started life as the Martin Model 123 which was privately developed by the martin Company. It was to have a drew of four and feature an internal bomb bay and retractable undercarriage, something new in 1932 when the aircraft first flew under the designation XB-907 before being returned to Martin. This then become the XB-10 when it was returned to the US Army. The XB-10 featured a number of changes to the original design. The crew complement was reduced from 4 to 3, and all crew positions were now covered including the nose turret something completely new at the time. The new aircraft would have a longer wingspan. The original Townend rings on the engines were changed to NACA cowlings which reduced drag. The US Army ordered 48 of the new aircraft in 1933 with production models differing very slightly from the XB-10., and another 103 in 1935. The twin 600 hp Wright SR-1820-E Cyclone engines provided the aircraft with a similar if not better performance than the Army's pursuit aircraft of the day. Although the rapid pace of aviation in the 1930s would soon leave the aircraft design behind. It had really been eclipsed by the time the US entered WWII In combat over China and Asia the aircraft was found to lack the speed of modern fighters and not have the same hitting power as other medium bombers. As well as service with the US the aircraft was used by The Argentine Army & Navy, The Chinese Nationalists, The Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, The Philippine Army, The Royal Thai Air Force, and Turkey. The Kit This is a new tool kit from Azur Ffrom in collaboration with Special Hobby. The mouldings are typical of the higher end of the short run market. The fuselage is very well moulded with the corrugations of the skin very good indeed. There is a small amount of flash on some of the other components. The fuselage is moulded in a top/bottom split instead of left/right to avoid having a seem in the corrugated area which is good. There is one main sprue containing the wings, and a second for the fuselage and rear control surfaces. There are a further 2 sprues with all the other parts, and a large clear sprue. The front turret had become detached for the clear spure, but was not damaged. The last item in the box is a small PE fret. This boxing allows aircraft with the Wright Cyclone R-1820-G3 engines to be built. It also has extra clear parts for an aircraft with a rebuilt nose following an accident. Construction starts with the fitting out of the upper fuselage, some small parts go in and at the cockpit area the instrument panels are added. At the rear supports go in for the rear position. We then move to the lower fuselage where the main parts for the three crew positions go in. These include the pilots position, rear gunner and front gun position. At first many smaller parts are added in to all three areas. In the rear the bulkheads go in for the observer/rear gunners area and the seating position is attached to the fuselage. A central support for the wings is also added in at this point. The pilots position has a front and rear bulkhead which supports the floor. The seat and flight controls are added to the floor and PE belts go on the seat. At the front the floor area for the gunner goes in as well as the support ring for the turret, or the parts for the replacement clear nose can be installed if building that version. Once all these parts are in two fuselage halves can be joined. Following this the extreme aft tail assembly including the tail wheel is made up and added to the fuselage. The fin/rudder and tail control surfaces can then be added. Next step in the construction is the wing. These are of conventional left/right with uppers and lowers. Into each lower wing the wells for the landing gear must be added in the bottom of the engine nacelles. The front firewalls can go in and the main gear legs are also show as being fitted at this stage, though I suspect modellers will leave these until later on. The wing halves can then go together. The engines can then go on the front of the nacelles. The wings can then be attached to the main fuselage. Lift devices are then added between the engines and the main fuselage. The exhausts then match up with their engines. The rear gun is added along with all the exterior glazing. At the front don't forget to add the gun to the turret before putting it in place. To finish off the main wheels are assembled and added, then the props can go on as well. Lastly various aerials and the pitot tube go on. Decals This boxing of the kit gives three choices of markings, decals by Special Hobby; Model 139 WH-2 M515, 2 VIG III Of the Netherlands East India Force. This aircraft was sent to Singapore and flew combat missions alongside the RAF, Two different types of Triangles are supplied as it was felt the originals had too thin a border. Model 139 WAA, B-504, Regimiento 3 de Ataque, BAM El Plimerilo, Argentina 1949 Model 139 WAA, B-511, Regimiento 1 de Bombardeo, BAM El Plimerilo, Argentina 1946-47 (Aircraft with a rebuilt nose following an accident) Conclusion This is another left of field release from FFROM of an lesser well known but good looking aircraft from the earlier years of aviation. Very Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I've finally finished re-purposed Monogram B-26 Marauder That I originally built decades ago. After striping down the old paint and disassembling as carefully as possible. I reassembled the B-26 as an XB-26H which was a "Proof of Concept" for Bicycle landing gear. This configuration was adapted for the B-48, B-51, and operationally for the B-47. Some of the parts didn't survive disassembly so I had to manufacture my own props, engines, outrigger wheels and redesigned rear gunners position. Also printed my own nose art decals You can see my work in progress here. This was a fun build of an unusual subject. I hope you will enjoy this finished work. Thank for stopping by and if you have ant comments critiques or suggestions, they are always welcome.

As I'm sitting here watching paint dry on an F4U for the Corsair GB I start thinking, I know Dangerous, then I start what-ffing,, even more hazardous, then I start plotting.... Catastrophic. End result.... I have an old Monogram B_26 Marauder I disassembled a long while back for restoration. THis is an old kit, built waaaaay back in the last century. Not in the best of shape, cracked pieces, real glue marks, not CA. Probably should be tossed in the bin, and it may still, BUT lets see if it can be resurrected into an XB-26H. Otherwise known as the Middle River Stump Jumper. And I'm just certifiable enough to try and do this because I ain't never not done it. So if you feel brave to follow along if only to watch me flail about, or to offer pearls of wisdom you are most welcome to join. Extra refreshments have been stocked and seating have been arranged. Lets begin shall we? As always Comments, suggestions,and general anarchy is welcomed.

Have just obtained the lovely Williams Bros B-10 kit, and looking forward to using it as my first In Progress build log here on the Forums. That said, I want to do a fair bit of extra detailing for the interior. The kit provides a decent basis for the interior, but leaves the inside of the forward turret quite entirely empty. Does anyone have any nice references for the inside of the B-10? And does anyone know of any detail issues with the kit? So far, I am assuming that the pictures on Military Factory of the B-10 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force are correct - But I question the combination of interior elements in both aluminum and green zinc chromate. It is my understanding that aircraft had one or the other, but that may not be true. Many thanks for your time, Tweener.

A new giant on approach by Amodel, a 1/72nd Martin JRM Mars - ref.? Thanks Tali ;-) Source: http://www.greenmats.club/topic/2421-amodel-jrm-martin-mars-172-тестовая-сборка/ V.P.

LukGraph is rumoured making plans to do a Martin T4M-1 Torpedo Bomber in 1/32nd scale Source: http://www.network54.com/Forum/149674/message/1489941240/I'm+impressed! To be followed. V.P.

Thought I had already shared the rest of my albums here from Oshkosh but apparently not. Just click the link to see all of my photos of the Martin Mars. https://www.flickr.com/photos/92554273@N07/albums/72157673631912586 20160727-MJS_6102 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6201 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6370 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6371 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6402 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6409 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6414 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr 20160727-MJS_6432 by _m_sinclair, on Flickr Thanks for looking! -matt

PBM-5A Mariner 1:72 Minicraft Models The Mariner was developed by the Glen Martin company to work in cooperation with the Catalina, and replace the Consolidated P2Y that was starting to show its age even before the USA was drawn into WWII by the attack on Pearl Harbour. Entering service in 1940, they served in various guises throughout WWII and beyond, with a shipment sent to the RAF but never used in anger, as well as the RAAF who used them primarily for troop transports. The PBM-5 was a much improved variant of the original with more powerful engines, and the -5A added retractable landing gear making the Mariner a true amphibian. There were 40 of this model built, almost all new from the production lines, with only four converted from other marks. Withdrawn in 1964 to be replaced by the P5M Marlin, only one now exists in complete form, and I count myself lucky to have seen it at the Pima museum a couple of years ago. On dry land it is an impressive specimen, with the sides of the fuselage rising like a cliff in front of you, an expanse of Dark Sea Blue skin and rivets. The Kit This has been an anticipated release by many, as the Mariner is an interesting and unusual flying boat, often eclipsed by the more pugnacious Catalina. It is a new tooling, and arrives in a thick set box with a painting of a Mariner flying away from the plume of its exploding bomb load, nacelle mounted bomb bay doors still open. There is also a Lockheed Martin logo, showing that it is a licensed product, and on the sides are a number of side profiles showing some of the decal options. Inside the box is a lot of plastic – six large sprues in a light grey shade, and one of clear parts, which are very nicely done. A simple sheet of decals and a thick instruction booklet round out the package. The fuselage halves take up the full length of the box, and most of one sprue, with fine engraved panel lines on the outer skin and not a rivet in sight. First impressions are that it is a nicely tooled kit, having a high part count, zero flash, and what appears to be a well detailed set of bays. There are a couple of small sink marks here and there, most noticeable in the upper half of the inner wing where the boxes for the flap bays are, and the consequent thickness of styrene has caused a depression on the outer skin on each side of the fuselage. Easy to fix, but you'll also have to repair a few square inspection panels once you're finished with the putty. The first seven pages of the booklet are filled with sprue diagrams, and at the bottom of page seven is a box of text warning you of the options for landing gear up or down, and the alternative radar blister above the cockpit. There is also a choice of three or four-bladed props, although that isn't mentioned until later. The cockpit is first, naturally enough, and a decent array of parts go to make up what for the scale is pretty well detailed. Instrument panel and centre console are up front with the rudders, trim-wheels, seats and control columns on both sides, which have separate yokes. Behind them are a pair of trestles containing instrumentation, tilted up to the rear to be easily viewed by the two operators. Behind them is a large wall of instrumentation that looks a lot like an early computer, which has another operator's seat facing aft to allow the operator to view the array of instruments around him. In order to be able to see some of this detail, there are a number of portholes set in the sides of the fuselage, which are on the clear sprue as separate parts, each with its own backing plate that fits neatly into the recess around each one. There are a number of different shapes on each side, so take care here, and mask them up as soon as the glue is dry. The cockpit/cabin floor is inserted into the starboard fuselage half along with the nose gear bay, which is very nicely detailed, and the circular main gear bays that sit in the aft sides of the fuselage. These are detailed with radial stiffeners, and a small circular observation window is applied to the centre, so that a crew member could check they had deployed properly. If you are modelling the Mariner with its gear down, a flashed over hole under the main gear bay aperture will need to be opened up to receive the peg on the back of the gear legs later. The angular bomb-aimer's window is also inserted in the front of the nose, and have retracting doors that close over them in order to withstand the rigors of sea landings. With that you can close up the fuselage after adding an ounce of weight (28.4g to the metric folks) in the nose area. The interior should probably be painted a dark colour away from the areas where the cockpit and cabin are positioned, as there is no interior apart from there, so you don't want your viewers seeing bare styrene, or your nose weight. The Mariner had two bomb bays buried in the underside of the engine nacelles, using an otherwise redundant area, and avoiding having to place waterproof bomb bay doors in the underside. They are very nicely rendered, having prominent ribbing moulded into the side walls that are built into the lower part of the nacelles moulded into the wing, and a very highly ribbed roof built into the upper part of the central wing. Forward and aft bulkheads are included, as are ladderwork structure of the wing on each side of the bays. Overall, a very nice part of the model, and it would be a shame to cover it with the one-piece closed bay door. If you can't bear to hide it away, the doors can be cut apart along a weakened centreline and posed open. The roof detail has caused some sink marks in the upper wing centre section, which would be best addressed early in the build to avoid difficult handling once the wings are together. The wing structure is quite unusual, and should result in a very strong wing if put together carefully. The upper wing consists of a central section that includes the upper halves of the engine nacelles, and two outer portions. Underneath are two lower wing halves that overlap the joints between the central and outer panels, and these include the lower halves of the engine nacelles. The engines are built up later, and have both banks of cylinders of the R-2800 Double-Wasp engines depicted, with the crank case and bell housing fed through the hollow cylinder banks to make the finished engine. This is backed by either a set of open or closed cowling flaps, and the cowling slides on from the front, mating with the front of the cowling flap part. A choice of three or four bladed props is provided, and they simply glue into the holes in the front of the engine. Although it doesn't show on the photo above, there are very fine cooling fins moulded into each cylinder of the engine. Air intakes are added to the top and bottom of the engine nacelles, and a navigation blister is added from the inside the rear of the spine. A full set of ailerons and flaps are included, and can be posed for effect, with the instructions advising on sensible positions. Each section is provided in upper and lower halves, and are cemented in place around T-shaped tabs to give the joint strength, and if you're careful with the glue, the ability to pose the and re-pose them later. In truth, it's probably best to glue them at your preferred angle, remembering to also pose the inner flap sections at the same angle as the outers. The Ailerons of course should deflect in opposite directions, and don't forget to do the same thing to the control columns in the cockpit, or someone's bound to have a moan! Under the wings are three depressions into which the struts for the outboard floats are fixed, and you'll need to take care to use the correct parts, as they are handed. The floats are made up from top and bottom halves, and have four depressions moulded into the top for the V- and N-shaped struts. These are probably best left off the model until after painting, remembering to spray them while you're doing the rest of the airframe. The tail is built from a one-piece upper and two part lower, with separate elevators fitted the same way as the wings' flying surfaces. The fins and rudders are also separate, and fixed at 90o to the elevators, not the ground, as shown in a scrap diagram. A pair of support struts are fitted above and below the elevators, locking the fins in place. The completed wing assembly is dropped onto a saddle-shaped depression on the upper fuselage and glued in place, and the tail gets the same treatment, giving them both a good strong bond with the fuselage. There are three turrets on the Mariner, and usefully, all three can be left off until after the build to avoid damage and/or additional masking. The ball turret on the nose is made up from a solid lower and clear upper, with a rough depiction of the guns sandwiched between the halves, and the barrels protruding through the glazing. Detail isn't wonderful here, but turrets are seldom a strong point of any 1:72 kit. The dorsal turret is similar, having a lower turret ring, guns mounted on the ring, then encapsulated by the two glazing parts that are split vertically. The split isn't on a frame line however, so do take care to minimise the glue line here. A lower crew position is then added to the turret ring so that it can be dropped into the fuselage later. The tail gunner sits in a similar fully glazed turret to the mid-upper, but has a tear-drop fairing in front to smooth the airflow over the rear of the aircraft. Landing gear can similarly be left off until after main painting, but even if you elect to pose it retracted, you'll still need to build up the main gear, as the wheels are visible in their recesses. The gear legs are inverted and the pin is removed from the small door on the upper part of the leg, preferably before you install them for ease. The nose gear is hidden behind a V-shaped one piece pair of doors, which is cut to form two if you are deploying the gear. If going for the gear down option, which is most likely given that your Mariner would either be flying or waist deep in water if the gear was up, you simply install the gear leg in the nose bay onto a pair of moulded in crutch-pads, set the angle by adding two retraction jacks to the rear of the bay, and then add the twin wheels, which are each supplied in two halves. The bay doors are cut into two and then installed either side of the bay. The main gear legs are short and pivot into place, with a small bay door attached to the upper section. The pin on the back of the door locates in the hole you drilled in the fuselage side, and a retraction jack reaches down from the bay to the leg. The main wheels are in two halves, and if you want to add a little bit of weight deformation to the tyres, you'll want to sand a little flat on the contact patch to give the illusion of sag. The canopy is beautifully clear, and is one of the last parts attached and simply drops onto the lip of the fuselage. You'll be doing a fair amount of masking here, as it's a greenhouse with plenty of framework. Give it a month, and Eduard will have masks for it if they haven't already announced them. Behind the canopy is the radome, which is either a streamlined teardrop shape, or an elongated dome, much the same as worn by the EC-121 Warning Star, only on a smaller scale. Check your references and install the correct one for your decal choice, and of course, you did read the warning on page 7 of the instructions to open up that flashed over hole for the fin-shaped dome, didn't you? If you're mounting the fin, a small bullet shaped radome sits on top of it, but if you're not, it sits on the spine just behind the mid-upper turret. Markings Two options are given on the decal sheet and painting instructions, both of which are painted in the three tone US Navy scheme of Dark Sea Blue, Intermediate Blue and White, with a soft, but tight demarcation between the colours. If you're not confident enough to airbrush that freehand, blu-tak sausages might be an idea, but you'll need to roll them evenly, and keep the lines straight when applying them. The two aircraft in question are as follows, and you can build one from the box: Bu.No. 59849, ca.1945 BNu.no.59349, ca.1947 These aircraft weren't smothered in markings, so the decal sheet is modestly sized containing only "stars and bars" national markings with and without a central red stripe on the bars, a couple of prop warning markers for the fuselage and tail codes in white. The sheet was printed by Cartograf, and the quality is exactly as you'd expect. Register, sharpness and colour density is excellent, and the glossy carrier film is cut close to the decals, with the exception of the prop warning tramlines, which have a large area of film between the two red stripes. Cutting them apart and positioning them separately might be a bit more work, but it should improve the look and reduce the chances of any silvering creeping in. Conclusion There have been discussions on the internet aplenty since the launch of this kit a few weeks ago, and after the initial histrionics died down, there has been a more positive response to the kit, with some thinking that the tail is a little too low set by a couple of millimetres at most. Whether this bothers you or not is entirely up to you, and I believe that Red Roo are currently working on a number of update sets to help with accuracy as well as converting the model to either an RAF hangar queen, or one of the RAAF transports that were used post war. We'll let you have some details on that once we're in receipt of a sample. The kit itself is nicely done, well laid out for construction, and will most definitely look like the Mariner when complete. Detail in the various bays is good at the expense of a couple of sink marks, the decal sheet is a little samey, and of course it would have been nice to have a larger section of the interior decked out, but you have to be realistic. The model has been patterned on the only extant example at Pima, so if you have a particular aircraft in mind, do make sure you check all your references, as fit and finish often varied even between aircraft. It's not "my" scale – I'm a 1:48 modeller when it comes to aircraft, but I'm going to be building this one, as it's such an appealing subject. Overall, a pretty nice job by Minicraft. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Howdy, I am trying to cobble together references for the Martin Baker MB-2. So far all I have is info found on the web. Can you suggest any publications that follow the design and building for this aircraft? I'm interested in plans for the Napier Dagger too. I am curious where the engine cooling air exhausted to. There are big inlets in the front. Where do they go? Any help is appreciated. Brent

Combat Models has just released a 1/32nd Martin B-57 Canberra vacuform kit. Source: http://combatmodels.us/ V.P.

Martin B-26 Marauder. Built as 44-68219. Flown to France but saw no combat. Went to the French forces and then to Air France's technical school. Was given to Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Le Bourget, where is sat in storage for 25 years before undergoing a 5 year restoration. Was loaned to the Utah Beach D-D Memorial Museum in 2011 where she wears the markings of 131576 "Dinah Might" as flown by Major D Dewhursht 386th Bomb Group USAAF on D-Day. Pic thanks to Tony (Swordfishfairey)

Pics thanks to bootneck

Finished yesterday, had a few fitting problems and I messed with decals a bit but am still pleased with the result. Regards

EB-57 Pics by Darwin from the Combat Air Museum in Kansas