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Javelin – The Ukrainian Anti-Tank Crew (MB35229) Russian-Ukraine War Series #6 1:35 Master Box Ltd via Creative Models Ltd The Javelin Anti-Tank missile is a fire-and-forget missile that a small crew can carry into battle against tanks, firing it from a distance before making their getaway without leaving a tell-tale trail of smoke to their current position. It replaced the M47 Dragon in US service, and its automatic infrared guidance carries a HEAT warhead to the target, rearing up at the last minute to carry out a top-down attack on the enemy, where the armour is at its thinnest, increasing its chances of success. Of course, the new generation of infrared dazzler countermeasures can give the enemy a chance of surviving, assuming the detection of the threat occurs in time. The manufacturers estimate that around 5,000 engagements have been made worldwide using the system, although that number must be rising on a daily basis, given the fact that it is being used by Ukraine to defend their homeland from the invader. Usually crewed by two soldiers, the device is man-portable and can be lugged into position for use, making a soft ‘poop!’ sound as it exits the launch tube in what’s called a soft-launch, igniting the main rocket motor once it is a safe distance away from the launch-point, protecting the crew from burns, and if it is a close engagement it gives them an additional fraction of a second to down-tools and make tracks out of the danger zone. In top-attack mode, the climb at the end of the trajectory can take it up to 150m from the ground, but an alternative low-level profile rears up to only 60m to keep visibility to a minimum. The operator of the weapon can work alone for a one-shot mission, but if additional rounds are needed, the weight of the extra missiles requires a carrier to join the party, and during the set-up and aiming phase they act as target spotter and threat assessor, countering the tunnel-vision required of the operator to dial-in the target. The Kit This is a new figure set from Master Box’s Russian-Ukrainian War series, created by a Ukrainian company to honour their armed forces that are helping keep them safe from attack. There is a little bit about that on the back of the box, and they clearly state that a portion of their profits goes toward helping their fight, so you can choose whether to buy it or not, depending on how you feel about that. Nuff said. The set arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box with a painting of a Javelin crew on the front, and a depiction of the models, a sprue diagram, a swatch of camouflage and a paint chart on the rear. Inside is one sprue in grey styrene, although the box shows it in sand, so your boxing may include either colour, which is fine. One crewman is sitting down with his legs out in front, holding the Javelin launch tube on his right shoulder, looking through the sighting unit on the side, and stabilising the weapon with his opposing hand. His colleague is kneeling on one knee and pointing to a potential target, while his other hand appears to be resting on his friend’s shoulder. Both men are wearing BDUs with a tactical vest covered in MOLLE loops over their shirt. They are festooned with pouches, and the spotter has his AK-74 slung barrel-down over his shoulder by its strap. The Javelin is made from nine parts, and is a model in itself, with a patch of digital camouflage printed below the instructions. If you’re not a brave modeller, you could always paint them in a one-colour BDU, or pick up a set of decals from Breeze Decals (35-001), and apply small sections with plenty of decal solution. The colour chart shows codes from Vallejo, Lifecolor, Mr.Color, Tamiya and AMMO brands, plus swatches that should allow anyone to choose their paints from their preferred range. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from Master Box’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. As well as the AK-74, there is a Malyuk assault rifle that is a home-grown bullpup AK-74 development, sometimes called Vulcan-M, which is probably just as well, as Malyuk translates to ‘baby’, so isn’t all that aggressive a nickname for a weapon. Conclusion Building this figure set as a tribute to the brave fighters of Ukraine in a small diorama base of long grass or snow would look great in your cabinet, especially if you’re one of those crazy people that can create realistic smoke and flame from a recent launch. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Leopard 2A6 Ukraine (BT-031) 1:35 Border Model via Albion Alloys The Leopard 2 is the successor to the earlier Leopard Main Battle Tank (MBT), and was developed in the 70s, entering service just before the turn of the decade. The original had a vertical faced turret front, while later editions had improved angled armour applied to the turret front that gives the tank a more aggressive look and provides much better protection, and more likelihood of deflecting incoming rounds harmlessly away. It has all the technical features of a modern MBT, including stabilised main gun for firing on the move, thermal imaging, and advanced composite armour, making it a world-class contender as one of the best tanks on the market. The original Leopard 2 variant entered service in 1979, but has been through several upgrades through its service life and the current production variant is the highly advanced 2A7+, with the 2A8 waiting in the wings. The 2A6 is still a powerful battlefield resource however, and likely to be so for some considerable time. It sports the Rheinmetall 120mm smoothbore gun with the barrel extended over the A5, which results in a higher muzzle velocity that improves its penetration power over its predecessor, allowing it to reach targets at a greater range and hit harder. It also has an armoured ammunition storage space in the turret that is engineered to blow outward in the event of a detonation of munitions, which again improves the crew survivability further. For close-in defence they are fitted with an MG3 machine gun, and the armour is installed to give it an arrow-head front profile to the turret, as well as several more subtle upgrades that follow on from the 2A5. Sales of the Leopard 2 have been good overseas because of its reputation, and Canada, Turkey, Spain and most of the Nordic countries use it as well as many other smaller operators. Since the unlawful invasion of Ukraine by Russia in 2022, many nations have been providing military and other strategic assistance to keep the brave Ukrainians able to defend their nation against the aggressor. Although Germany initially appeared reticent to proffer their leading-edge A6 variants to a non-NATO nation, they eventually supplied A4 and A5 variants, but policy changes led to a small number of the more capable A6s being added to the roster, to be used as “tip-of-the-spear” at the centre of the attack to punch a hole in the front line and give the less capable tanks a helping hand. Unfortunately, there aren’t sufficient numbers available of the A6 to spare from the nations that are supplying them, or more would doubtless be forthcoming. The older Leopard 2 variants have been retro-fitted with Kontakt Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) blocks at key points to enhance their chance of deflecting a direct hit, although the A6 has more capable composite armour so this may be unnecessary. However, it’s better to be safe than sorry when it comes to armed combat. The Kit The kit on which this boxing is based was first released in 2019, and has been augmented a few times already, but now comes in a new box with additional parts to festoon the model with Kontakt ERA blocks, which look to have been pulled from one of their Russian tank kits, as they are moulded in green styrene. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening box with a painting of a Ukrainian Leopard on the front, and inside are seventeen sprues and two turret halves in grey styrene, seven more in green styrene, one in clear, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) that has been designed by Voyager Models, a turned aluminium barrel, a tree of black poly-caps, a length of braided wire, a small decal sheet, and the instruction booklet printed in colour on glossy paper, with profiles at the rear. Detail is excellent throughout, giving you the opportunity to build either an A5, or early and late examples of the A6 variant that is the subject on the box top. You also get workable track links and torsion suspension to create realistic-looking running gear that should also operate in a similar manner to the real vehicle. As per the text above, there are ERA blocks supplied, although the drawings are a little vague, and at time of writing there it is uncertain whether the Ukrainian engineers will find the need for installation, so they could be left on the sprues, or you could use online photos and your own references if you are unsure. Construction begins with the rear bulkhead of the hull, which is already well-moulded, but is further detailed with light clusters, convoy shield, towing eyes and so forth before it is attached to the hull floor along with the sides, and a supporting bulkhead near where the firewall would be between the crew and engine bay on the real vehicle. This part is purely structural however, and has stiffening web-work over both sides of its surface to create a strong shape ready for the next stage. Various suspension parts are applied to the hull sides, followed by seven torsion bars with swing-arms moulded into the ends on both sides, plus the two idler wheel axles at the front, the drive sprockets and final drive housings already moulded into the side walls. The road wheels are paired, and each one put together around a poly-cap so that the wheels can be added and removed as necessary, the same process applying to the idlers, and to the toothed drive sprockets at the rear. There are two types of circular cooling vents on the engine deck, which differ between the A5 and A6 variants, using different styrene parts, and for the A6, adding PE meshes over the vents. Two smaller raised vents are also made from styrene parts and a narrow length of PE mesh that wraps around the short vertical portion. They are put to one side for a short while so that the tracks can be built up. The track links consist of an upper and lower shell, with track pins and pivots sandwiched between them, which are built up in lengths of five links on the jig numbered 24 that is found on sprue P, gluing the central pivot to prevent them coming adrift during handling. Careful application of glue to the main track link halves results in a set of track links that are as mobile as the real ones, with good detail. I built up a short length of five links using six pivots in a few minutes, and can confirm that the parts are easy to clean-up, requiring trimming with a sharp knife, and the pivot sprue gates have been engineered in such a way as to make their clean-up a breeze. A quick translate of the text next to the number 84 offers a translation into something like “84 links”, so use that as your basis for each run, while 82 is another number I’ve seen. The track building process won’t be the work of five minutes, but it will be substantially quicker than a great many track systems I have used in the past. The upper hull is mated with the lower hull with the tracks in place, and has various detail parts fitted, including the driver’s hatch and surround plus vision blocks, track grousers and pins mounted on the glacis plate, a choice of two aerial bases, and front mudguards. A short two-link length of assembled track is placed between the grousers, adding barrel cleaning rods, towing eye and more grousers over the glacis and front fenders, fitting pioneer tools and frames around the engine deck, after dropping the four cooling vents into position before you do. A bow saw and pry bar are mounted on the right rear of the deck, fitting a travel lock to the centre, fixing light clusters to the glacis along with a wing mirror on the left side. The two towing cables are made from four styrene eyes, one at each end of a portion of the braided wire that is included in the box, although no length is given, but it’s not difficult to estimate this with the eyes tacked in place on the engine deck. The side skirts differ between variants, with pseudo-colour diagrams helping to choose which portions to include or remove. The drawings are a little confusing, so take your time to ensure you get it right. The same is true of the smoke grenade launchers on the sides of the turret, differing in layout between variants, whilst keeping the same eight barrels throughout. Speaking of the turret, it is provided almost complete, consisting of upper and lower halves, fitting the rear wall to the upper portion, whilst inserting five vision blocks around the commander’s cupola from the inside. All barrel options begin with the inner and outer mantlet, barrel shroud and fume extractor hump, but to depict an A5, a styrene barrel and muzzle must be used, as illustrated below in faux colour. The A6 early and late both utilise the turned aluminium barrel (or a styrene one if you prefer), plus the longer muzzle section to depict the substantial extra length of the new gun. The coaxial machine gun is moulded into one side panel, the other fitted to the side of the mantlet, and covered by a top-section that has a curved cut-out to accommodate the barrel. Step 15 seems to be a little upside down, as the top drawing shows the barrel already inserted, while the lower diagram shows the process of trapping the barrel assembly between the top and bottom halves of the gun assembly, fixing a cable roll and dividers in the bustle, with a cover over the top. The gap between the mantlet and the deflection fairings is covered by a three-part panel, building up the loader and commander’s hatches from multiple layers then inserting them into the top deck. Various lifting hooks, grab handles and a pair of aerial bases are fitted around the turret roof, making the MG3 on a two-part pintle mount for installation on the commander’s cupola in due course. Another page of false-colour images show the location of a training exercise beacon if required, cutting off the stub from the deck, and drilling a hole to accommodate it. The diagrams also show how to mount the hatch in open or closed states. There is a surround fitted over the commander’s vision blocks that incorporates two multi-part sighting boxes at the front and rear, which are built with clear lenses to the front, and the turret behind the hatch can be left to rotate if you are careful with the glue. The turret is covered at the front by a set of angled armour panels that give the tank its arrow-head look, and behind those are your chosen configuration of smoke grenade dischargers on an appliqué panel, then at the rear are two tapering stowage baskets, which have PE mesh on all sides, the outermost section folded around the contours of the tubular basket’s framework. The left side of the turret front has an optional set of specialist grenade launchers that are used in training situations to simulate firing of the main gun. They have the incredibly long-winded name of “Kanonenabschussdarstellungsgerät” that is shortened to KADAG. The barrels are separate from their support, and require the removal of three bolts from the armour panel they fit on, but to show the tank without them, the same base part is used, with a simple cover glued over the top. The completed turret is then lowered into the hull, lining up the bayonet lugs and twisting to lock it together. The ERA blocks are shown as an optional final two steps in the instructions, attaching a gaggle of them to the front of the turret, the glacis plate, and with moulded sets of blocks applied to the skirts. The layout of the turret and glacis plate blocks are vague, so if you intend to deploy your model with them applied, check your references, and if you can’t find any pictures of the A6 wearing them, take an educated guess based on those worn by the A5s and A4s that have already seen combat. Markings There is one page depicting the decal option from all sides, and the markings consist of hand-painted white crosses of various sizes, and four Ukrainian flags in blue and yellow in two sizes. From the box you can build the following: The decals are printed anonymously, but are suitable for the task, and there are only two colours plus white, with just the blue and yellow of the flags juxtaposed, but they appear to be in good register. The colour call-outs are given in AMMO codes, which are easy to get hold of almost everywhere, but there are plenty of paint conversion sites, tables and probably apps by now that will assist you if you need it. The main colours are NATO standard, so should be easy to find elsewhere. Conclusion A well-detailed model of an excellent tank that is going to do good work repelling the invader from Ukraine so they can get their country back and go on with their lives. Highly recommended. Available in the UK in all good model shops. Review sample courtesy of

URAL-43203 Military Box Vehicle of the Ukraine Armed Forces (72709) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The URAL-4320 originally entered into Soviet service in the late 70s, and as it is still in production, they and their derivatives are almost ubiquitous in Eastern Europe. It is in use with the Ukrainian Armed Forces today, where its off-road capabilities are essential, bouncing over rutted and turned-over terrain where tanks and shell holes have ruined the surface over the course of the last year. The invader has also donated some additional trucks that have been left behind, which is helpful. The vehicles are painted in a striking digital camouflage over their basic green colour to help hide them in built-up areas. Keep up the good work! The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that has its heritage in the late 1990s, although there have been numerous additional parts over the years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive lid to the lower tray, and inside are three sprues, load box and cab parts in grey styrene, a larger sprue in black, two small clear sprues, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the rear. Due to the age of the kit there are some minor issues with flash here and there, but it looks to have been reduced in this latest boxing, and where it remains, a quick scrape with the edge of a blade will see it disappear in moments. The cab part is slide-moulded, and a little flash is visible around the edges where the mould sections meet, probably as a result of the age of the mould. A little more care will be needed here to ensure you don’t accidentally remove any of the detail that should be there. The load area is also slide-moulded to obtain detail on all sides of the exterior, and the window cut-outs on the diagonal roof sections. Construction begins with the chassis, which is predominantly moulded in black, as per the finished colour of the underside, which is helpful. The three axles, drive-shafts, cross-members, exhaust and a representation of the underside of the drive-train are all added to the ladder chassis, and the axles are tipped with six two-part wheels with separate hub inserts. The cab interior is relatively simple, and is made from a sled-like floor to which the twin-seat part and gear stick are fitted, while the dash is given a steering wheel on the left side, and a grab rail on the right for the co-driver to stabilise himself when traversing rough terrain. These sub-assemblies are inserted into the cab from below after the numerous windows are fitted from within, adding radiator and inner arches within the engine bay, and two crew steps are fixed under the side doors, plus lights and door mirrors to complete the cab, which is then put to the side while the load bed is made. The bed floor is a single part that is stepped and has raised areas to accommodate the rear wheels, with plenty of support structure underneath, and mudflaps added on each side of the double rear axles. A small section of the floor is removed before installation of the upper, then an extending aerial on a bracket, spare tyre, and stowage areas are fitted around the rear and underneath. At the front of the load box, there are various piece of equipment related to climate control fixed high up above the cab, a cluster of small windows on the diagonal sections of the roof, and optional extra parts on the flat part of the roof to complete the detail. When it is installed on the chassis, a five-part fuel tank is inserted under the left front of the bed, completing the model by adding the substantial front bumper iron to the front end of the chassis rail. Markings There are two options included on the decal sheet, but with four number plates, that’s really four with two camouflage colour options. The base colour remains the same, adding either subdued digital camouflage decals, or the brighter yellow and brown option. It’s entirely up to you and/or your references which combination you go for. From the box you can build one of the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine Armed Forces of Ukraine, camouflage version from 2021 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s not a new kit, so a little work tidying up the parts will pay dividends, but it’s an example of a Ukrainian workhorse that’s carrying crucial goods for the soldiers and civilians during this terrible war, this time with protection from the elements, and a likelihood that it could also serve as a radio truck. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

To Be Ahead, To Save The Life – Sappers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (35753) 1:35 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd It has been more than a year now since Ukraine was invaded, an action that the aggressor disingenuously still persists in describing as a “special military operation”. Ukraine’s response has been resolute and impressive, and with the assistance of their Western Allies, they have recovered much of the land that was lost in the initial stages, but due to the seeding of the territory taken by the invader with mines, their troops have had to clear a path for their own soldiers or risk massed death or serious injury. Sappers are a brave breed, and Ukraine’s Sappers must put their training into practice on live munitions every day that are singularly unforgiving of mistakes. Add to that the possibility of stay-behind snipers, ambushes and booby-traps, and their job is incredibly difficult and dangerous. They still go out every day to do it despite the risks, which is incredible. The Kit This figure set is a new tooling from Ukrainian company ICM, and depicts a team of three Sappers with their sniffer dog. It arrives in a shallow top-opening box with a captive lid on the lower tray, and contains a single sprue of grey styrene, a double-sided colour-printed instruction sheet plus a leaflet advertising their range of acrylic paints, and as luck would have it, they do a set specifically tailored to Ukrainian army figures, which we reviewed some time ago here. The human figures are all in different poses, one wrangling the dog, which appears to be a German Shepherd, although it’s difficult to tell with the goggles and Peltor ear defenders she’s wearing, plus the bullet-proof vest/harness she has on for protection from snipers and shrapnel. The handler is wearing the usual helmet and combat vest, with his AK shouldered on its sling, and various pouches about his person. The other standing figure is detecting mines with his electronic detector held out in front, the coil hovering just above the ground. His other hand is balancing a simple spike on a pole that is used to search for objects in the ground the old-fashioned way, and like his colleague he is wearing similar garb that includes knee-pads. The final figure is kneeling, wearing the same gear as his comrades, excavating something suspicious with an entrenching tool, which is a short shovel to us civilians. The parts for each figure are found in their own areas of the sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from ICM’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the various parts of the model. If you don’t much relish the task of painting digital camouflage on your figures, you can pick up a set of Ukrainian camouflage decals from eBay, which I did immediately on receipt of the first set we reviewed, noticing on receipt that it had been made in conjunction with our good friends at Dora Wings! Conclusion An excellent candidate for a modern-day diorama, and the detail is excellent, just needing the modeller to add a lead for the hound, and a length of fine wire to complete the detector rig. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

URAL-4320 of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (72708) 1:72 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd The URAL-4320 originally entered into Soviet service in the late 70s, and as it is still in production they and their derivatives are almost ubiquitous in Eastern Europe. It is in use with the Ukrainian Armed Forces today, where its off-road capabilities are essential, bouncing over rutted and turned-over terrain where tanks and shell holes have ruined the surface over the course of the last year. The invader has also donated some additional trucks that have been left behind, which is helpful. The vehicles are painted in a striking digital camouflage over their basic green colour to help hide them in built-up areas. Keep up the good work! The Kit This is a reboxing of a kit that has its heritage in the late 1990s, although there have been numerous additional parts over the years. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with captive lid to the lower tray, and inside are three sprues and cab part in grey styrene, a larger sprue in black, a small clear sprue, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the rear. Due to the age of the kit there are some minor issues with flash here and there, but it isn’t severe, and a quick scrape with the edge of a blade will see it disappear in moments. The cab part is slide-moulded, and a little flash is visible around the edges where the mould sections meet, probably as a result of the age of the mould. A little more care will be needed here to ensure you don’t accidentally remove any of the detail that should be there. Construction begins with the chassis, which is predominantly moulded in black, as per the finished colour of the underside, which is helpful. The three axles, drive-shafts, cross-members, exhaust and a representation of the underside of the drive-train are all added to the ladder chassis, and the axles are tipped with six two-part wheels with separate hub inserts. The cab interior is relatively simple, and is made from a sled-like floor to which the twin-seat part and gear stick are fitted, while the dash is given a steering wheel on the left side, and a grab rail on the right for the co-driver to stabilise himself when traversing rough terrain. These sub-assemblies are inserted into the cab from below after the numerous windows are fitted from within, adding radiator and inner arches within the engine bay, and two crew steps are fixed under the side doors, plus lights and door mirrors to complete the cab, which is then put to the side while the load bed is made. The bed floor is a single part, with two rails under the centre section, and mudflaps on each side of the double rear axles, followed by two rear light clusters at the very back. When it is installed on the chassis, the raised sides are fitted around the edge, with another three-part wheel slotted into a cylindrical half-frame between the cab and load bed, plus a five-part fuel tank under the left front of the bed, completing the model by adding the substantial front bumper iron to the end of the chassis rail. Markings There are two options included on the decal sheet, but with four number plates, that’s really four with two camouflage colour options. The base colour remains the same, adding either subdued digital camouflage decals, or the brighter yellow and brown option. It’s entirely up to you and/or your references which combination you go for. From the box you can build one of the following: Armed Forces of Ukraine Armed Forces of Ukraine, camouflage version from 2021 Decals are by ICM’s usual partners, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s not a new kit, so a little work tidying up the parts will pay dividends, but it’s an example of a Ukrainian workhorse that’s carrying crucial goods for the soldiers and civilians during this terrible war. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (16104) 1:16 ICM via H G Hannants Ltd We all know the story by now of the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and the war that has raged for just over a year at time of writing. We won’t go further with the discussion of that, but suffice to say, it has resulted in the mobilisation of a lot of brave Ukrainians to defend their country from this incursion, and those efforts are ongoing during the bitter cold of the winter that is more than a bit colder than those we have here in the UK. Stay safe, all of you! This figure as part of ICM’s range of 1:16 larger figures represents a soldier engaged in that conflict, however his stance is that of a man that is away from the front at least temporarily, posing for the sculptor in a relaxed manner, whilst still carrying his war-fighting kit about his person. The kit arrives in a shallow top-opening box, with the usual captive flap on the lower tray. Inside are two sprues of grey styrene, two in black, an instruction sheet and a glossy colour copy of the box art if you would like to display it in your modelling room or somewhere in your home as a symbol of support. The instructions consist of a sprue diagram, a paint conversion chart with ICM, Revell and Tamiya codes alongside the colour names and swatches, then on the reverse is a detailed trio of drawings of the soldier from three angles, complete with part numbers and paint suggestions for the part. A swatch of digital camouflage that is commonly used by Ukrainian troops is also given, although a chicken like me would be looking for some camouflage decals in 1:16, as I have done already for my 1:35 Ukrainian figures. The majority of the parts for the figure are on the larger sprue, including the packs and pouches that a modern soldier carries on his or her tactical vest with its MOLLE loops making everything modular. The figure is broken down in a similar manner to a 1:35 example, although the torso is split into front and rear halves to prevent sink marks ruining the crisply moulded detail, especially the patch on his chest that appears to be of a raccoon. The soldier is wearing a covered modern helmet that is moulded in two halves, and has a pair of goggles in a protective bag strapped to the front, with most of the strap moulded into the helmet halves. The chin-strap is separate and formed from three fine parts that gives you the option to depict it closed or open for a more candid look. The fingers of both the soldier’s hands are also separate, as his hands are draped over and around his AK-74 variant, which has a 40mm Underslung Grenade Launcher (UGL) beneath the weapon’s barrel. He is also carrying a slide-out portable missile launcher across his back, while his AK is fed by the ammunition within the pouches around his waist, which are joined by other pouches and bags, with two types of comms on his chest, and various other small accessories, including a handset for his radio, grenades, bayonet, knife, magazines for his AK, medical shears, and buckles. There is also a choice of an AK without a UGL, and next door on the sprue are the plastic portion of the knee-pads that fit over the moulded-in cushions and straps, plus separate boot soles with finely engraved tread patterns evident. The base is moulded in black styrene, and has a choice of four different surfaces for the top and a flat base for the bottom. The choices comprise a flat asphalt surface plus three styles of cobble or paving stones. Conclusion In line with the stylised flag on the box lid, a brave Ukrainian soldier sculpted in great detail in a natural pose and with realistic cloth drape, that coupled with sympathetic painting should give an impressive result. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

Armed Forces of Ukraine Acrylic Paint Set (3025) ICM via H G Hannants Ltd ICM have recently released their own brand of acrylic paints on the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. This set provides the major colours to assist you in painting your Stugna-P Complex Anti-Tank Missile Launcher with crew from ICM themselves that we reviewed here, and you will find the following colours in the box: 1072 US Dark Green 1035 Grey Green 1041 Buff 1069 Extra Dark Green 1054 Chocolate 2001 Matt Varnish The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. On the rear of the pack is an example of the usage of these colours using the kit mentioned above, and also depicts a sample of the digital camouflage that is often worn by the brave soldiers of the Ukraine. During testing, I used Ultimate Acrylic Thinners to dilute the paint to spray through my Gunze PS770 airbrush, which has a 0.18 needle chucked in. The paint dilutes well once it has been mixed thoroughly, and sprays well through my airbrush, which has a smaller than usual needle that is a good test of the finesse of the pigment grind of any brand, some of which don’t spray very well though anything less than a 0.3mm needle. There were no problems with blockages at all, and the coverage was excellent after my usual ad hoc dilution method, which was probably nowhere near the 40-60% thinners or water that’s suggested on the pack. Apart from the varnish, the other paints all dry to a matt finish. In past tests, the matt varnish worked very well diluted with water, sprayed over the spoons that were also partially taped up to perform two functions at once. The matt patina that resulted is exactly what was expected, and the tape lifted no paint at all, despite my best efforts to do so. Bear in mind that the spoons were prepped by a buff with a very fine sanding sponge to give them the best chance of adhesion. Using a brush, the colours cover well two coats with minimal brush marks visible. Conclusion The paints were excellent through the airbrush with nothing in the way of drama during the testing process, including the Oily Steel and Satin Varnish. The solid colours also brushed out very well, as did the varnish, but what happened to the Oily Steel is a mystery to me at this stage, possibly a bad mix, or some other oddity peculiar to my bottle or batch. There is a little less paint in the bottles than some brands, but a shade more than others, so it’s about average. That is more than offset by the very reasonable price they’re asking for the set, even at RRP. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Currently on back-order, however. Review sample courtesy of

Ukrainian Soldier Firing FGM-148 Javelin (F35384) 1:35 CMK by Special Hobby The Javelin is a fire-and-forget anti-tank weapon developed by the American company Raytheon with a choice of top-attack or direct profiles, depending on whether a better result would be achieved through thinner armoured areas of an AFV for example. They have been successfully used over the years in many conflicts, and a substantial number of them have been shipped to the Ukraine since the invasion by the Russian Federation in March of 2022. They have been used to great effect against Russian armour by the Ukrainian troops, who have been trained on the weapon before becoming operational, learning that the Javelin offers excellent portability alongside accuracy and target penetration. The operator can aim and fire the weapon rapidly, retiring to a safe place immediately while the hardware inside the missile does the hard work, tracking and eventually hitting the target using infrared sensors. It also soft-launches, so that a launch plume doesn’t give away the position of the operator, and has a smaller warhead in the nose to detonate ERA or slat armour so that the main warhead can explode against the target’s primary armour layer. As usual with CMK's resin sets, it arrives in the familiar clear vacformed box, with the resin parts safely inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the header card at the rear. The main part of the figure is cast as a single, incredibly detailed part, and is joined by two jigs on a single casting block, and an orange 3D resin print-base that is filled with various parts of the missile and launch system. A small sheet of Photo-Etch (PE) and a set of decals complete the package, with the bifold instruction sheet guiding the way. The figure is complete apart from the operator’s hands that are moulded integrally to the 3D printed launch module, which has a targeting sensor at the front, to which you fit a drop-down protective cap. The barrel of the weapon is attached via a pair of small lugs and a circular flat-spot, and the rear end-cap is located on a keyed lug at the rear. You then have a choice of depicting the missile still in the launch tube by inserting the round-ended stub down the hollow barrel, but be aware that you may not be able to remove it again once it’s deep in there. The other option is to show off the missile, either just after launch or as a display – it’s entirely your choice. The short rear end slots into one of the jigs so that you can install the four tapered fins, and before it is glued to the main body, the larger forward section is slotted into its own jig to install eight more fins, after which the body halves are joined together on a square lug. A pair of diagrams show the location of the stencil decals and stripes, and also gives a hint about the paint colour, although no actual codes or colour names are given. The front cap of the launcher is also provided, and can be left on the ground near the soldier, as can the AK-74 that is found inside a protective frame. It also has a PE sling that can be laid out in a similar fashion to that shown in the instructions. Going back to the figure, the detail is fabulously well-sculpted, even down to the operator’s sun glasses tucked into the top of his tactical vest above a chest-full of loaded ammo pouches, and a radio with flexible aerial on his shoulder strap. The MOLLE loops are all represented on the vest, with a daysack mounted on the rear, and a modern spec-ops style helmet with adjustment dial on the rear frame, plus a night-vision mount on the front, four-point chin-strap system, and a tube scarf pulled up over his nose to ward off the cold, and probably Covid into the bargain. If you were wondering what the launch of a Javelin looks like, there’s not much smoke during the initial launch phase, and even the ignition of the main motor is relatively smoke-free, so hiding a supporting wire could be tricky. The video below should give you a lot more information than we can. Conclusion It’s a while since we’ve seen such a well-detailed, crisply moulded figure, and the addition of 3D printed parts and the PE makes for an impressive package. It’s a figure that deserves to be painted with as much care as possible, and lends itself to a poignant launch diorama. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

The Ghost of Kyiv (72140) Mig-29 of Ukrainian Air Force 1:72 ICM via Hannants Ltd. This is going to be a difficult review to steer a centreline on, so you’ll have to forgive me if I drift to one particular side a little, although I’ll try not to. Please don’t be tempted to engage in any jingoism of your own. On 24th February 2022 an aggressor invaded Ukraine with malevolent intent, a variety of fallacious explanations as to why they were there, and intentions of taking over the whole country to make it their own. Ukraine, its government and people have fought back valiantly against this attack, and one Ukrainian aviator in particular gained notoriety for shooting down a number of the aggressor’s aircraft in quick succession, flying an upgraded Mig-29-13 in a grey digital camouflage scheme. There is conjecture whether the ‘Ghost of Kyiv’ exists, has since been killed in action, or whether it is simply a conflation of the exploits of the Ukrainian Air Force as a whole. Whichever it is, it has given the aggressors pause for thought, and prevented them from achieving anything resembling air superiority over most of Ukrainian territory, giving the brave Ukrainian fighters one less thing to worry about amongst many perils. We at Britmodeller would like to wish all of Ukraine’s armed forces the best with their struggle, and hope that it is resolved soon to their satisfaction. The Kit This is a reboxing of ICM’s 2008 tooling of this classic Cold War Soviet-era jet, but with new decals appropriate for the subject matter. The kit arrives in a stylishly appointed top-opening box with captive inner lid, and inside are three sprues of medium grey styrene, a small clear sprue, two sheets of decals and the instruction booklet, which shares the same design as the box lid, and has spot-colour throughout, including full colour profiles on the back page. Detail is on par for the era of its original release, with engraved panel lines, raised and recessed detail where appropriate, cockpit and gear bay detail, and a complement of weapons and fuel tanks, the latter remain unused. Construction begins with the cockpit, which has an ejector pin mark in the middle of the floor that will be covered by the ejection seat, but should be cut flush to ensure everything fits properly. A control column and instrument panel with raised and recessed detail moulded-in completes the cockpit, although the Zvezda K-36 seat could do with a little additional work, including adding the tubular housings for the ejection stabilisation beams that sit at each side of the headbox. The cockpit inserts into the upper fuselage from below, after which it can be closed up ready for the other components. There aren’t many stages to the instruction booklet, and we see the wings, elevators and stabilisers added at the same time as the two-part canopy. Two inset diagrams show the twin engine nacelles being made up with integral FOD guards before they too are joined to the underside of the fuselage, with the exhausts also made up from inner and outer parts in more inset diagrams. The included weapons also have inset diagrams, and you can make up two each of R-27 Alamo, R-60 Aphid and R-72 Archer air-to-air missiles, but bear in mind that the weapons sprue has a little flash, so some clean-up might be needed. Each missile has its own pylon, and the larger R-27s have separate fins perpendicular to the seamline. They are all shown inserted into the holes in the wing undersides at the same times as the main and nose gear, which have separate wheels and retraction jacks, plus gear bay doors and a clear landing light in each main gear well. The nose gear bay has three doors, and at the tip of the nose a pitot probe will poke out your eye if you look to closely. Markings There is just one decal option spread over the two sheets, with all the digital camouflage on the larger sheet, while Ukrainian national markings and codes are on the other. As the real identity of the Ghost is unknown, there are six lines of numeric codes in white/blue, blue/white and white/yellow options, plus a stylised skull for the nose on a black circular backing. The underside is painted sky grey and the topside off-white, glossing them ready for the digital camo decals, of which there are eighteen in three shades of grey. An instrument decal is also included to improve the detail in the cockpit, plus a number of stencils for the airframe, all of which should settle down well with the help of some decal setting solution. They are printed by ICM’s usual partner, and registration, colour density and sharpness is good. Ghost of Kyiv Paint Set (3027) ICM have this year released their own brand of acrylic paints to the market, and are creating some kit specific sets to go with their major releases, of which this is one. The set arrives in a cardboard box with six screw-capped bottles inside, each containing 12ml of paint. The bottles are clear Polypropylene, and are capped with cylindrical tops with knurled sides, and a one-time security seal that you break on first opening. A label on the side gives you basic information about the colour and code, a little information regarding application in English and Ukrainian and a bar-code. The paint is thick in the bottle, with plenty of headroom between the surface of the paint and the lip of the neck. I dropped a glass stirring ball into each bottle, and they took a few seconds to disappear beneath the surface, indicating their viscosity. Inside the box are the following bottles: 1028 Offwhite 1033 Sky Grey 1034 Dark Sea Grey 1037 Dark Grey 1038 German Grey 2002 Satin Varnish The paint is undiluted, so will need thinning by between 40-60% with water or acrylic thinner for use with an airbrush, and they naturally have a semi-gloss finish that can be adjusted later by the use of varnishes, and are waterproof when dry like most acrylics. During my initial testing I used Ultimate Thinners, my go-to thinners for any acrylic paint, which helps keep the number of large bottles in my spray booth to a minimum. The paint comes out of the bottle quite thick and viscous, so it’s possible you’ll have to dilute it even for brush painting use, although I used it neat during testing, so a small bottle will go a long way in either case. It sprays well when diluted, and like a lot of acrylics a light coat is best initially, followed quickly after by heavier coats until you have the coverage you require. It dries quite quickly, and is touch-dry in 5-10 minutes in summery 20-23oc temperatures, unless you’re in the antipodes as I write this. I have used them to create a number of spray-out cards and spoons for other sets in the range, and they both spray and brush very well, with little issue other than my inexpert application by paint brush. Conclusion It’s a poignant re-release of this model, and the decal choice is inspiring. If 1:72 is your thing and you like jets, you should get one. A set of acrylic paints specifically designed for this kit makes painting your model much easier to accomplish too. It’s all made by a Ukrainian company that is still capable of doing business despite the circumstances, which is singularly impressive. Very highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. The Ghost of Kyiv Mig-29 (72140) Ghost of Kyiv Paint Set (3027) Review sample courtesy of