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Henschel Hs.123A Legion Condor (32016) 1:32 ICM via The Hobby Company Designed as a successor to the Heinkel He.50, the Hs.123 was a stop-gap that was intended to serve with the nascent Luftwaffe until the highly anticipated Junkers Ju.87 Stuka was ready for production. Although it was developed in competition with a Fiesler design for the same contract, it was established early on that the Henschel design was far superior, so work on the less-streamlined Fi.98 was eventually dropped. The 123 was a sesquiplane design, having substantially smaller lower wings attached directly to the fuselage, while the upper wing was suspended above the fuselage on simple, strong interplane, and finer cabane struts, requiring no drag-creating rigging to maintain structural rigidity. It first flew in April of 1935, but after losing two of the four prototypes due to structural failures whilst executing high-speed dives, the centre-section struts were strengthened to prevent this happening, after which it was cleared for production. The Hs.123 was well-liked by pilots, and as such quickly eclipsed the He.50, which went out of service quickly with front-line squadrons, relegated to dive-bomber training schools, only to have one last gasp as night intruders on the Eastern Front in 1943 where they served for a little over a year until disbanded. The initial Hs.123A-0 were little more than pre-production test airframes, used by the Luftwaffe for evaluation, followed quickly by A-1s that were modified with headrest and cockpit armour, and removable spats, plus fairing around the tail-wheel. The A-1s saw little active service initially, until they were sent to assist the Condor Legion in Spain, where they were disliked in the dive-bomber role due to their relatively light bomb load, which was complicated by their comparatively short range, requiring the use of a disposable drop-tank in the belly position that was originally intended to carry a larger bomb on a crutch. Instead, the bombs were carried on four pylons under the wing that gave a maximum load of 200KGs, which was insufficient for a dive-bomber intending to destroy infrastructure or armoured targets. Where it excelled however was as a ground-attack aircraft where the 50KG bombs could be used effectively against personnel and soft targets, while the airframe could soak up punishment from incoming fire that would have destroyed other aircraft, limping home to fly another day, and more importantly bringing the difficult-to-replace pilot back to carry out more missions. They were known as the ‘Angelito’ or Little/Dear Angel by the Spanish, who ordered another batch of airframes to complement their existing stock. The Chinese used a small number as dive-bombers during the Sino-Japanese war in the run-up to WWII, whilst the remaining airframes in German service were used in Poland, carrying out their role effectively where its ruggedness paid dividends both in the air and on the ground, as it was also easy to maintain and repair. Although generally considered obsolete by the Luftwaffe by the outbreak of WWII, they remained in service during the other Blitzkrieg operations that led to the conquest of France, where they impressed with their high availability for back-to-back missions, taking little time to re-fuel, re-arm and carry out minor repairs. They were effectively retired after France fell, as their short range meant the Channel was an insurmountable obstacle, and yet their service was not ended there, as thirty-two of the thirty-nine Blitzkrieg veterans were still airworthy, so were assigned to work in the Balkans campaign, then on to Operation Barbarossa. They were modified to remove the spats to prevent mud, ice and snow blockages, fitting more armour around the cockpit, and suspending a further two machine guns or cannons in pods under the wings. The last airframes were taken out of service after the battle of Kursk, the squadrons having finally received their Junkers Ju.87s, only seven years after the intended in-service date, by which time the Stuka was also struggling to remain competitive against the Soviet enemy without fighter cover. The Kit The origins of this kit only stretch back to 2024, so this is a genuinely new tooling, and is the third boxing of the kit so far. The kit arrives in a medium-sized top-opening box with a captive flap on the lower tray, and inside are eight sprues of grey styrene, a small sprue of clear parts, a decal sheet, and instructions that are printed in spot-colour on glossy white paper, with colour profiles of the decal options on the rearmost pages. Detail is good, and extends to finely engraved panel lines, raised access-panels, and engraved cooling vents, plus a well-rendered cockpit, bombs with or without retarded fuses, and a drop-tank for longer missions. Construction begins with the starboard fuselage half, which has details added to the sidewalls, a rear bulkhead and flashed-over half-hole reamed out for use later, linking the sides with the bulkhead over the next few steps, then building the seat with mounting bracket on the starboard, plus another with moulded-in adjuster on the port side. This is mated with the rear bulkhead, then the forward floor is detailed with a tube beneath it, and three-part rudder pedals on the top side, putting it aside while the lower instrument panel is detailed with levers and handles. The front bulkhead has the floor section fixed to form the footwell area, with the panel applied to the opposite side, and the two-part control column mounted to the base of the bulkhead, before gluing the completed assembly in the starboard fuselage half. The port fuselage half is prepped with more detail parts, then the two can be joined, trapping a two-part intake in the lower nose, and building the upper nose insert by inserting guns into their troughs with additional trough length added from extra parts, plus the upper instrument panel that is fitted with a gunsight and other parts under the coaming, fixing it in place with a cap at the front that forms the firewall behind the engine. A pair of cockpit sill inserts are fitted to the sides of the opening, then the model is inverted to add another insert to the rear fuselage that also traps a V-shaped support for the elevators in place. Further forward, the lower wings are made from full-span lowers and two upper panels that have recesses for the interplane struts, then these are mated to the remaining cut-out under the belly, dealing with the seams in your preferred manner. Elevator panels are made from upper and lower halves, fitting them to raised areas either side of the tail, mating with the braces fitted earlier. Their flying surfaces are installed later, after the engine is made. The full BMW 132Dc 9-cylinder radial engine is depicted by front and rear halves of the piston bank, adding a bell-housing with push-rods plus a deflector at the front, and intake trunk spider to the rear, trapping an axle inside the bell-housing by installing a circular stator frame to the front. Once painted (and wired if you’re brave), twin exhaust manifolds are added to the rear, permitting the motor to be mounted on the firewall, locating it using two asymmetric plugs to ensure it is correctly oriented. Once installed, two sets of additional intake and exhaust trunks are inserted, the intakes mating the spider with the duct under the nose to complete the assembly. The engine cowling is made from nine sections, beginning with a flattish lower portion, then working up both sides until the cowling is complete, resting the forward lips on the stator at the front of the engine. A small outlet is fitted under the nose, and two ports are applied to the top two cowling panels to let the bullets pass through unfettered, leaving the interruptor gear to avoid smashing the prop blades as they pass. The reason for the many facets of the cowling is due to the close-fitting design that necessitated teardrop fairings on the outer surface to clear the cylinder heads. The open cockpit of the Hs.123 would have been a boon in the warm climate of Spain, but the converse was true when it went to the Eastern Front, the pilot having only a three-panel screen to deflect the blast of the oncoming wind. This is represented as a single part, and is glued into the front of the cockpit cut-out, with the facility to make your own masks by tracing the shapes printed in black at the end of the main instructions, cutting tape sections to match. You will also need to mask off the open part of the cockpit, ensuring that paint can’t get to the inner face of the canopy. A protective piece of tape cut to size and attached to the inner face of the windscreen would be useful here, as it will be easy to remove after main painting thanks to the open canopy. The empennage is completed with two-part rudder and elevator flying surfaces, which have actuator linkages applied once the glue has cured, which will need adjusting if you have elected to deflect any flying surfaces, either lengthening or shortening the rods as appropriate. The robust interplane struts are each single parts, as are the Z-form cabane struts, all locating in sockets, but it would be wise to first make the upper wing from its two main parts, puttying a hole in the centre, and using that without glue to ensure that the struts are correctly aligned before the glue cures. The aileron cut-outs have a portion of spar fitted to the openings, providing the hinges on which to mount the two-part ailerons, which can be deflected if you wish. There is no rigging to be done, which will please anyone phobic about the process, and as such there aren’t any rigging diagrams. You will however need to portray the antenna wire that leads to the tail, which you can see on the kit box art. Fixed landing gear is always easier to build than retractable, and reduces the choices unless your model can be displayed with or without spats. This boxing is fully spatted due to its era and location, and even the tail-wheel has an aerodynamic fairing. The main gear is built in two steps, making the wheels from two halves, then mounting them between twin yokes, with a short mudguard affixed to the rear, and backed up by another yoke with support struts to the rear. The upper portion of the leg is faired-in by two aerodynamic parts, followed by a two-part spat with oval fairing at the front that requires the removal of an arc from the support struts, a task that is best done prior to assembling the legs. The completed main gear units are attached to the lower wing in recesses, adding an attachment shackle for a two-part drop-tank in the next step. The tail-wheel is a single part trapped inside a two-part fairing and glued into the fairing under the tail. Each lower wing holds two bomb pylons that are each two parts, attached by pins to holes in the wing surface, followed by a pair of crew access stirrups that fit in holes in the trailing-edge root fairings, and a short length of stretched sprue is mounted under the engine cowling, with a T-shaped antenna on the upper spine, finishing the build with its two-bladed prop. You have a choice of bomb load for your model, building four from two halves plus perpendicular fins and four “screamer” tubes attached to the fins. The same build process is carried out with the retarded bombs, which use different body parts that have an extended fuse actuator in the nose to detonate above ground and perform what became known as daisy-cutter operations. Your choice of bombs is fitted on the carriers under the wings. Markings There are three Legion Condor options included on the decal sheet, complete with black circles with and without white crosses, plus black or white crosses that helped avoid friendly fire from other Fascist units. From the box you can build one of the following: Hs.123A 24*3, VJ/88, Legion Condor, Spain, 1937 Hs.123A 24*4, VJ/88, Legion Condor, Spain, 1937 Hs.123A 24*5, VJ/88, Legion Condor, Spain, 1937 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 A welcome release of this short-lived precursor to the Stuka, in some interesting pre-war Legion Condor schemes, and some excellent detail in the cockpit and exterior. Highly recommended. Available from all good model shops now. Review sample courtesy of via importers

After 4 and a half years, about time I posted a model. Inspired by some Roy Cross ultraviolence in my local LMS, in 2019 I picked up Airfix's re-issue of the 1970 Henschel 123. Same kit, much better decals: Like other Vintage Classics, it goes together well - fit is mostly very good - but can be made better: Rivets sanded down and everything re-scribed. Most of the panel lines are about right but the top wing is very wrong, I redid them as much as possible and sanded down the rib undulations, especially where the panels should be metal! Redid the cockpit. Thinned down the side walls, added bracing, and dropped the access hatch. Seat and stick were old Aeroclub white metal bits, probably for a Hurricane. Other details scratch-built. There's no photo etch available, so I did the instrument panel by taking a photo of the real thing and scaling it down, printed out and glued in. Worked well. Belts where Kits World 3D decals, not that pleased with them as they weren't big enough and out of register. Foil might have been better. Bit of spare photoetch for the gunsight. Added the radio aerial - its now drooped in the current hot weather. Well don't we all. Redid the drop tank struts and plumbing. Redid the bomb racks from spare photo-etch bits. Added the internal engine cowling braces from wire and the external joint lines from stretched sprue. Added control surface wires. Exhaust pipes from brass tube. Pitot tube from brass rod. New foot rest/step things out of wire and plastic sheet. They are fragile but look much better. New windscreen from acetate sheet. Now this is hard to admit, but after 40+ years together, some good, some bad, me and my Humbrols have decided that the best thing for our relationship is for me to get something younger and easier to live with, and for the Humbrols to go in a skip. Well no, I'm not that heartless. But I've taken the plunge and said hello to something sultry and Spanish: AK 3G Acrylic paints, and this kit was ideal to try them out. I confess I had a previous fling once with Vallejo but couldn't get used to them, they seemed very fragile. And they were superb, really easy to work with and went on beautifully with a drop of W&N flow improver and AK thinners over Mr Surfacer Primer. Excellent coverage, no lift and tough to handle after 24 hours. I then went to the 2020 Scale Scotland show and bought half of AMS's stall. I'll still use Humbrols where suitable but I'm a convert. Two small gripes - the dropper bottle tips can split after a while so don't force the paint out, help it with a pin, and the code-specific print on the labels tends to come off if you throw thinner around or just from a lot of wear. Easy to fix with a pen but watch out for it. Weathering was light apart from some engine oil and ground dust on the underside, these planes were brand new when they went to Spain. Now the camouflage scheme - there is an interpretation of period photos which Airfix (and other manufacturers, like GasPatch) follow, but I'm not convinced. It looks too jagged and I suspect has been based on photos like this, which have been artificially enhanced creating false artifacts: Now I don't think that thin splinter on the port aileron is real, I think its shadow. So I've omitted it - if I'm wrong I don't want to know. Anyway, onto the model: Thanks for looking! I will try to post more of my backlog soon.

Ok. I hope this one is allowed. The moulds are the same, the decals are the same, it is from Heller, but the boxing is 2015...The Scalemates lineage confused me. I'll get this in the pipe and if it is not allowed, feel free to strike me off! What's in the box...as you can see, it is the newer instruction sheet, not the older style exploded diagram. I really need another Messerschmitt--who doesn't, really? I hope I'm accepted! --John

Hello, here my latest build this year, a Clear Props I-16 Rata. Build almost straight out of box. Only thing afthermarket is the maskin set of Clear Prop which I would highly recommend. Best regards Hans

Hello everyone Im in with my build #1. It will be Airfix’s re-issue of the 1/72 Henschel Hs.123 in Luftwaffe markings from the Spanish Civil war. I will add photo’s of the sprues tomight. Dennis

Luftwaffe Pre-WWII Aircraft Acrylic Colours (AK11715) AK Interactive This is another boxing of AK Interactive’s third generation acrylics, aiming for excellent coverage, what they describe as awesome grip, and a promise of no clogging of your airbrush if you use one. They’re also great for use with a paint brush undiluted, but they should be diluted with water or their own thinners if using with an airbrush, which I’ve successfully tested with my usual vague “semi-skimmed milk thickness” goal for the thinned paint, and using Ultimate Thinners as my thinners of choice. Each pot arrives in a 17ml dropper bottle with sharp contours at the shoulder and a cruciform profile to the white screw-top cap, which is also knurled near the bottom to improve grip further. The labels wrap around the body of the bottle giving general information about the new range, plus its name and product code near the top, with a bar code along one short edge. Overall, it’s a nice look, but that’s not why we’re here. This is a smaller set that arrives in a rectangular box with a square base, with four bottles filling the box, obviating the need for a length of foam to prevent them from rattling about. The design of the packaging is simple and based on an overall white theme, with a slightly retro font on the front that is a little garish. The usual orange AK logo with the negative silhouette of an AK-47 in the centre is prominently displayed, as well as the Air Series logo that refers to the fact that this is an aviation set, not an airbrush specific set. The 3G Acrylics brand logo is also present, with the product code above and the strapline “Scale Reduction Factor” below. This refers to scale colour, which can be a divisive theme, although I’m personally OK with that. Essentially, it refers to the perceived lightening of a colour applied to a scale model, as if seeing it through “scale air”, or aerial perspective, which reduces the saturation of any colour over distance, a well-known technique used in art, especially to depict the effects of distance in scenery and other distant objects. Some folks may not subscribe to it however, and that’s ok too. For example, would the “scale reduction factor” be the same for a 1:72 and a 1:24 aircraft? Would the difference be visible? Those are questions you’ll need to find answers for yourself, as I’m certainly not going to try and tell you how to paint your model. This set includes the following colours: AK11814 RLM61 AK11815 RLM62 AK11816 RLM63 AK11817 RLM65 (1938) These paints are just as easy to apply by airbrush or paint brush, and once dry they are very tough as acrylics go, especially if you key the surface beforehand with a buffing-type sanding stick. A primed and buffed surface is slightly ahead in terms of adhesion, but not by much so it’s good news all round whether you’re a modeller that primes religiously or not. In addition to airbrushing well without clogging, the paint goes on well with a paintbrush, needing one or sometimes two coats depending on the colour, and brushing out well with very little in the way of brush marks if you use a broad filbert brush. I’m not a natural brush-painter, and was really pleasantly surprised at how well the paint went down despite my lack of experience. Conclusion I like these paints and their bottles are practical and attractive, although I’m not massively keen on the fonts used on the box artwork, but that’s just my personal taste. This set gives you the shades you’ll need to complete the interiors of your WWII US aircraft, and once you add some white and black for colour modulation, they’ll be very useful for the modeller. The recently reviewed RAF Coastal Command & RN FAA includes a black and a white bottle, if that’s convenient or appealing – this is Britmodeller after all. There’s a whole range of these colours available both individually and in sets for aircraft, AFV and other modelling genres, some that we’ve now reviewed, and the rest we’ll be getting to soon. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi, At the outbreak of Spanish Civil War, in Summer 1936, first country who sent some equipment to Republicans was France (then it was USSR). The other help was mostly private (from US, UK). Besides military (bombers, fighters) some of French airplanes were civil machines like very successful light postal and passenger machine Latecoere 281. Initially they were just converted into armed bombers (like also Spanish Fokkers F VII/3m - so installing the bomb racks through removed windows), Soon, to prevent "friendly fire" loses they were marked with red areas (belts). It was much later, in October 1936 when Germans came with Legion Condor and Italy with their forces, when Republican machines got camouflages. In summer 1936 the need for masking on airfields was not recognized yet. In Aragon, the first and the largest airbase was organized in Sarinena and the machines based there formed "Alas Rojas" (Red Wings) unit. Now there is a small museum there. The details of how the Latecores looked like there are scare, there are some photos but of poor quality, since those machines are visible mostly in background. There are also some apparently mistaken profiles. I painted the mode accordingly to my best knowledge, believes and assumptions. I corresponded with Sarinena and Cuatro Vientos museums (no fruitfully, though), googled a lot etc. It was discussed in two threads. In Interwar section: And in WIP section (where build is documented as well): I would like to thanks all who were trying to help! The build of Latecoere 281 started with an aftermarket product by French small company Renaissanse. It contain the replacement engine and canopy for SBS kit of Latecoere 283/285 https://www.scalemates.com/kits/renaissance-rf72030-latecoere-28-3-5--1109415 Besides all other scratched parts I have used the tail parts from this SBS resin kit. since they were useless for my parallel conversion of SBS kit into Latecoere 290 (this will came later ) Here is the result - the Latecoere 281, ex-F-AJVB in Alas Rojas colors: Comments welcome, Regards Jerzy-Wojtek P.S. This is #10/2023...

Numbers of Spanish Republican airplanes flies abroad (for example to Oran) after the Franco victory the in Civil War. I've seen some photos of them (for example of Northrop Delta or Polikarpov R-Z), but is it possible to see more of those photos taken there available in net? Or in a book? I am trying to find them but no success so far.... Regards the J-W

Hello all! As this year it is 80 years since the Spanish civil war, I thought it would be nice to propose a GB for 2017 or 18 for the SCW. This conflict brought together people from all over the globe, from coal miners from Wales to Ernest Hemingway, from clandestine Luftwaffe pilots ; many of whom went in to become WWII aces) to George Orwell. Soviet pilots, Australian nurses, Volunteers on all sides of the war. The scope for vehicles from improvised AFV's welded together by union members, to the first German Panzers, Italian light tanks, supplies of French tanks from WWI, Soviet armour, is huge. Aircraft range from the first successful monoplane retractable undercarriage fighters (the Soviet I-16) to the first BF 109's, Italian Savoia-Marchetti bombers, Cant and other floatplanes, Junkers transports and an incredible array of 'Golden Age' civilian aircraft. Pressed into (or volunteered) for service, there were aircraft manufactured in e.g. Poland, France, Czechoslvakia, America, the USSR, Canada, Great Britain and of course Spain involved. Ships and naval subjects are very important and varied. Nationalist and Republican Spanish, German and Italian naval vessels, submarines/U boats, merchant ships of many origins. A large number of the latter were destroyed in the conflict. The scope for figures donned in all manner of uniforms and similarly for dioramas and vignettes is vast. If anyone would like further information on subjects, just pop me a PM If anyone is interested and then also if anyone would like to co-host; that would be great! Come and join us for beer, sangria, tortillas and tapas! Righto: on with the list: 1. TonyTiger66 (host) 2. Antoine 3. Sgt. Squarehead 4. CliffB 5. Learstang 6. Arniec 7. JimmyZ 8. wyverns4 9. Kingtiger 10. Artie 11. AndyC 12: stevehed 13. Botan 14. JWM 15. SleeperService 16. Moggy 17. Prenton 18. jrlx 19. Levin 20. whitestar12chris 21. Styreno 22. exdraken 23. Avereda 24. Gingerbob 25. JohnD 26. TrickRich 27. SAU 28. Jockney 29. Kahunaminor 30. TheBaron 31. Kpc7676 32.AlexN 33. Grandboof Well, we made 30, and now we're on 33! We're a slow steady burner. The 'Green party' of group builds, one day we will get enough bods to pass the poll, we just have to spread the word and stick to our guns. Thanks to Martin fog becoming number 33 welcome on board. Let's keep the momentum up. Ask your friends! Please post any links to or pictures of SCW subjects. It would be lovely to see some 'sea salts' here. Anyone want to build a Dreadnought? . This is a superb area for figures too. Aircraft? We are utterly spoilt with beautiful subjects! Thanks for joining, all your support and suggestions folks TonyT Edited title and text 11/10/2016 PS: A little prize or three could be made available if people are interested, please let me know in the thread. Sponsored by my stash reduction project

Breda 65A-80 ‘Aviazione Legionaria’ (SH48226) 1:48 Special Hobby The Breda 65 was a development of the earlier model 64, and was an interwar fighter and ground-attack aircraft used by the Italian Air Force in small numbers before WWII. It was unusual as a fighter in that it had an internal bomb bay that could carry a small bomb load for the ground-attack role, which kept the aircraft aerodynamically clean, although it wasn’t exactly a sleek aircraft to begin with. The airframe was constructed completely from metal, and was powered by a Fiat A.80 RC.41 18-cylinder radial engine with around 1,000hp output from the twin piston banks of 9 cylinders each, with the exception of a small number of the initial production that were instead powered by a less-powerful license-built Gnôme-Rhône motor. Twenty-three aircraft assigned to 65a Squadriglia of the Aviazione Legionaria were sent to Spain to fight alongside the German Legion Condor on the side of the Fascists in the Spanish Civil War, where they lost more than half during the conflict. Once the war was over, the remaining aircraft were transferred to the Spanish Air Force as they were for the most part outdated by that point, with comparable performance as the German Stuka, although that comparator soldiered on much longer. The remaining aircraft of the 200+ that were built were kept in-service longer than desired due to problems with their replacements, and attrition was high when there were modern opposition forces in theatre. When they were able to carry out their task unmolested however, they were a stable platform for ground-attack, and made a good account of themselves on occasion before they were ultimately withdrawn from service, by 1942 at the latest. The Kit This is a reboxing with new decals of an older kit from Special Hobby that first saw the light of day in 2010. It is of the shorter-run style moulding that has much of the finer details supplied as resin parts that are found in a separate Ziploc bag inside the box. There are three sprues of grey styrene, a separately bagged clear sprue, the afore mentioned bag of resin parts, decal sheet and a large fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a resealable bag, rounded out by the A5 stapled instruction booklet, all inside a blue/grey themed top-opening box. Detail on the resin and PE is excellent, and the external surface of the airframe parts are similarly well-moulded, while the interior parts, especially the tubular framework has a little bit of flash on it, so a pre-build clean-up will be a sensible proposition before you begin. Construction begins with the pilot’s seatbelt arrangement, unusually. The four-part PE belts are attached to the top of a trapezoid rear panel, with two PE chains hanging down, the completed assembly then glued to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit, which has a rounded cushion moulded into it. The seat pad with partial surround is glued underneath, and a two-part frame is added to the rear, which also receives a lever on the starboard side of the seat. The unusually-shaped triangular floor section is attached to the frame under the seat and an inverted triangular frame at the front, which also has the rudder pedals and foot rests fixed to a cross-brace, and the control column is glued between two pegs in the centre of the floor. Another PE chain with belt is linked between the seat and the floor, and a couple of scrap diagrams show the location and how to fold up the PE foot rests. A pair of tank halves are put together with another two-part tapered tank placed on top, ready to be sandwiched between the two side frames, which is the next task. The frames are held apart by installing the cockpit assembly, the tanks, a front bulkhead and aft cross-braces between the two sides, plus a framed rear deck behind the pilot that also has a headrest added to the front. A flat panel is also inserted under the tanks, leaving a sizeable gap between the cockpit and tanks for the bomb racks. The bomb racks are tubular and perforated throughout their length, and are each rolled up separately from parts on the PE sheet, with a top and bottom surround, into which the resin bombs are inserted, pointed end facing up in a similar manner to the German He.111. They are suspended vertically from the side frames on tabs that project from the top surround, with a raised platform overhead that is made up from three styrene parts and two PE parts underneath. The completed interior is trapped inside the two fuselage halves by several location tabs, with the spine behind the pilot a separate insert, presumably to give options for the two-seat trainer. The tail wheel is a single part that is trapped in between a two-part aerodynamic fairing, which is in turn trapped in a fairing moulded into the fuselage under the tail. The elevators are added to the tail after joining their halves together in a butt-joint, and these also fit in place on a butt-joint that would make for a stronger join if you add some pegs from brass rod or similar. You will also need to remove the ejector-pin marks from the inside of the two elevator halves to ensure a snug fit of the parts. At the front, the triple-faced instrument panel with a curved PE lower section that is festooned with PE levers is made up, and there are sadly no decals for the dials. The lower wing is a single full-span part, which has a framework added around the interior of both main gear bays, plus retractor jacks and main struts attached to small inserts that glue into the front of the bay openings. The upper wing halves have moulded-in tubular framework and ribbing, which should react well to some careful painting before they are glued over the lowers and added into the fuselage from below. Now for some resin details. The engine is depicted entirely in resin, building up all 18 cylinders around the central core in two banks, with two scrap diagrams showing the correct orientation of the completed assembly. It is inserted into the hole in the front of the fuselage after adding an exhaust collector ring and two exhaust stubs, both of which have PE supports. The resin cowling slides over the engine, adding a chin intake from two parts and a twin resin intake that merges and disappears inside the fuselage just in front of the cockpit. Two small rectangular parts are applied just behind the cowling on the sides, and a pair of oval fairings are added underneath to finish it off, then a gap in the belly of the aircraft behind the bomb bay is filled with a clear greenhouse that sits flush with the underside. A pair of short struts join the elevators to the fuselage at the rear, and a PE actuator is fixed to the starboard side of the rudder, finishing off with a clear light at the very rear of the fuselage. With the model inverted, the landing gear and underwing details are finalised, starting with the curved front spats, which have a retraction jack at their base, and a mudguard at the rear on a C-shaped bracket. Three flap actuator fairings are added near the trailing edges of the wings, as are a pair of PE actuators for the ailerons, and a pitot probe under the leading edge of the port wing. Turning the model over, there is a copious amount of detail to be installed, starting with PE elevator actuators, a combined PE, resin and clear styrene gunsight in the cockpit, and the four wing-mounted guns for which you have a choice. There are simple styrene guns included on the sprues that you can use as-is, or you can cut off the barrels and replace them with rolled up PE cooling jackets around a central rod, which you will need to supply from your own stock. That may be a little tricky, but the extra detail would be well worth the effort, and the task simplified by annealing the PE carefully in a flame, taking care not to overdo it, as thin brass can vaporise in too hot a flame. Moving back to the tail again there are six small fairings to be glued to the surfaces of the elevators and rudder, which have rigging wires strung between them according to the scrap diagrams. The canopy is found on the clear sprue in three parts, with the faceted windscreen applied over the instrument panel, plus the sliding centre section and fixed rear portion over the framework behind the pilot. A pair of wingtip lights are supplied to fill the holes in the wings, then the last task is to make up the prop, which is fully resin, and is assembled from the centre boss and three blades, which don’t appear to be keyed, so take care to arrange them so that they are at the same angle of incidence. Markings There are two decal options included on the sheet, both sharing the same three tone camouflage scheme that extends over the leading edges of the wings and onto the underside a little. They are both combatants in the Spanish Civil War, so differ only by their tail codes. From the box you can build one of the following: 16-35 65a Squadriglia Assalto, Aviazione Legionaria, Puig Moreno, Spain, Winter, 1938 16-35 65a Squadriglia Assalto, Aviazione Legionaria, Puig Moreno, Spain, Winter, 1938 The decals appear to be printed by Eduard and are in good registration, sharpness, and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. I mention Eduard because from 2021, the carrier film on their decals can be coaxed away from the printed part of the decal after they have been applied, effectively rendering them carrier film free, making the completed decals much thinner and more realistic, and obviating the need to apply successive coats of clear varnish to hide the edges of the carrier film. It’s a great step further in realism from my point of view, and saves a good quantity of time into the bargain. Conclusion Another niche subject from Special Hobby, and it’s good to see it back on the shelves. It’s not a shake-and-bake kit, but a good replica should be possible with some care and use of those modelling skills we sometimes hear about. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hi, I a series of small double setters - after three German, two Italian, two Czechoslovak time from one from France - the Caudron 600 Aiglon. This was important sport/touring machine (more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caudron_C.600_Aiglon ), during WW2 impossed to some aemies and even before served military during Spanish Civil War (on both sides) . The model is done OOB (except the rotating prop) from the beautiful resin kit by Hungarian SBS company. However, the scheme of 30.6 given in box is a bit simplified (or just different) compared to the real thing. Here is link to photo of real thing: http://www.aviationcorner.net/public/photos/1/4/avc_00406414.jpg Please note not uniform background color near markings... And here the interpretation of artist to the box https://www.mojehobby.pl/zdjecia/9/4/1/35527_rd.jpg Here is mine attempt: Comments welcome Regards Jerzy-Wojtek #15/2022

Over All of Spain The Sky is Clear (DS7202) Tupolev SB-2M-100 Bomber & 2 x Bf.109E-4 1:72 ICM via Hannants Ltd The Spanish Civil War was an ideal proving ground for the nascent Luftwaffe, and a large number of German aircraft and crew were involved under the name Condor Legion, as “volunteers”, flying early Bf.109s and similar era aircraft from the German arsenal on the side of the Nationalists. Communist Soviet Union was supplying the other side with inventory from its arsenal as well as crews during the early stages in a pseudo proxy war of sorts, but the Fascists won with a lot of help from Germany. Although Spain remained neutral in name, they never forgot the help they received from the Nazi, and often assisted them in a clandestine manner. The conflict gave the Luftwaffe sufficient experience that they could run rings around the relatively inexperienced foes they faced, sometimes in outdated machines, in the run up to and in the early days of WWII, allowing their pilots to rack up seriously large numbers of kills that possibly gave them a false sense of superiority when they came up against the RAF. The Set This is a new boxing that contains two Bf.109E-3s from the Condor Legion, and a Tupolev SB-2-100 from the Spanish Republic Air Force. Messerschmitt Bf.109E-3 (72131) The Messerschmitt BF 109 was certainly the most numerous, and probably the best known of all the aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Almost 34,000 examples were produced between 1937 and 1945, and the type saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Powered initially by the relatively low powered Junkers Jumo engine and later by various iterations of the more powerful Daimler Benz DB600 series of inverted V-12 engines, the later variants of the BF 109 could achieve speeds of up to 400mph. In comparison with the early A, B, C and D variants, the E, or ‘Emil’, was a significant redesign. It featured the more powerful Daimler Benz engine and better armament consisting of two wing-mounted MG/FF/M 20mm cannon and two MG17 7.9mm machine guns mounted in the cowling above the nose. The E-4 also featured improved armour for the pilot, and improved cockpit canopy which afforded the pilot a better view and was also easier to produce. Whilst the E-1 and E-3 were blooded during the later phases of the Spanish Civil War, it was the E-4 that formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighter force during the Battle of Britain. During this phase of the war, the E-4 was found to be a close match, in terms of overall performance, to the Supermarine Spitfire, although each type had different strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the other. The Kit There are two identical Bf.109E-4 kits in the box, and they originate from a 2004 tooling, but don’t let that put you off. There’s a good amount of detail on the single grey sprue, and a choice of separate or closed up canopies on the clear sprue. The instructions are simplicity itself, and consist of two half pages plus a sprue diagram and internal painting chart. Construction begins with the cockpit, which has a respectable seven parts, including a clear gunsight. The fuselage closes up around the assembly and has a boxy lump representing the outline of the Daimler Benz engine moulded-in, with a single part cowling that covers the block and a supercharger intake on the left side. The wing lowers are full-width with separate topsides, and all the flying surfaces are moulded-in, as are those in the elevators, while the rudder is separate, as are the support struts under the elevators. The landing gear have separate struts and doors, plus a single-part wheel, one per side. With the model inverted the gears, the chin-mounted oil cooler, pitot, aileron horn-balancers and the tail wheel are fitted, then flipped-over a choice of three-piece canopy for opening, or two-part for closed canopies are installed along with the aerial mast, two wing-mounted machine guns, plus three-part prop and spinner that are held in place with a two-part collar finish the build. Aren’t 1:72 kits quick to build? There are of course two of those, so you get to do that twice. Tupolev SB 2M-100 Katiushka (72161) Tupolev’s first variant of the SB series of light bomber were supplied to the Republic forces in 1936, 31 delivered by freighter, of which a number were later captured by the Nationalists, who were the ones that used the name Katiushka in common parlance. Initially, they were too fast to be caught by the enemy, but once the Bf.109s came into theatre, the losses mounted and they were withdrawn from front-line service. Some of them survived into the 50s in the hands of the victors. The Kit This is a reboxing of the 2005 kit of this funny-looking aircraft. It’s a two-engined type and is a more complex build than the 109s, with six sprues in grey styrene, one of clear parts, and an instruction booklet that spans several pages. Construction begins with the bomb-load, which are in three sizes and come in two halves with separate fins, with a choice of which to use later in the build. With those out of the way, the centre section of the airframe is made up, which includes the inner panel of the wing up to the engine nacelles, which have their fronts missing at this stage. Two full-width spars stiffen the assembly, and bomb carriers as well as some of the internal structure of the engine nacelles and gear bays are added along the way. The cockpit is a simple one and fits to the front of the forward spar, with the instrument panel attached to the inside, and the pilot’s controls attached to the upcoming nose section. The nose of the aircraft is separate, as is the tail, and both these areas are detailed with seats, weapons and glazing before they are closed up, with the fuselage trapping the rudder in place. The three sections are joined after making up the two nacelles for the Klimov M-100 12-cylinder engines, which were little more than license-built Hispano-Suiza units. The nacelles are made from four parts each, with the louvers moulded on top and shutters on the forward face, each of them having a two-blade prop fixed in place with a washer before they are glued in place. As the nacelles are fitted, an additional panel is inserted into the top space with a U-shaped exhaust insert partially hidden beneath. The outer wings are each made from top and bottom halves plus a separate aileron per side, and the elevators are each a single fin and separate flying surface, which almost completes the airframe. Once the glue is dry, the clear parts for the pilot and rear gunner are fitted, with choices for each of them, and the peculiar nose canopy is fixed along with a choice of twin machine guns. The rear gunner has a U-shaped mount for this gun, which you also have two choices for. A pitot probe slides into the leading edge of the port wing, and a few small parts are dotted around the clear nose. The last steps involve fixing the single-part main wheels between the yoke of the main gear legs, which are backed up by two extra parts per side, and unless you plan on posing it in flight, you cut the bay doors in two and glue them in place, two per bay. The tail wheel slots into the rear, and there’s an option to add a piece of wire as actuator for the rudder. The bomb bay is similarly moulded as a single part that can be glued in as-is, or split down the middle to show off the bomb load that you made up initially. The smallest bombs attach vertically to a small palette in the front of the bay, while two medium or one large bomb can replace them, with two more small bombs in the aft of the bay. Markings The set has its own set of painting instructions in colour, as the 109 instructions don’t have their own. The SB-2 has its own markings choices in the back of the instructions, but those are superfluous and there are no decals for them, so try to ignore them. From the box you can build all three models with no alternative options. This is why you bought this boxing though, so build away: Bf.109E-3 2.J/88, coded 6.107 Legion Condor, Spain, spring 1939 Bf.109E-3 2.J/88, coded 6.91 Legion Condor, Spain, spring 1939 SB 2M-100, 24th Bomb Group, Republican Air Force, Spain, spring 1939 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 This boxed set includes three models of recent vintage, and while there’s a small amount of flash here and there, detail is pretty good, and once the flash is gone there’s good models to be made. Highly recommended. Available in the UK from importers H G Hannants Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

My entry will be one of the highest winged, and one of the shortest STOL, aircraft of the 1930's/1940's - the Fieseler Storch. I plan on doing this one in Spanish Civil War colours, as everyone else on the web seems to like to do it in the camo and markings of Rommel's plane in the Western Desert. 😀 I will be starting in a week or so, once I finish my entries in two other Group Builds on this forum. I have both the Academy and the Heller (also reboxed by Smer) examples in 1/72 in my stash. Anyone know which of these is the best kit to use? Thanks, Philip

For my first ever group build entry I am going to attempt the Heller Heinkel He 112 B0/B1 (kit reference 240). According to Scalemates this was the original 1979 boxing. Note the swastika blacked over by hand. Earlier this year I bought a set of Spanish Civil War decals (Xtradecal set X72274). The primary reason at the time was for an Ju87A that I acquired but had Japanese markings in the box. Once this group build was on the horizon I looked at my small Heller stash and the He112 built as the V9 (B series prototype) and flown in 1938 by Hauptmann Harro Harder in Spain seemed like a good option. The parts are almost completely flash free and have no obvious sink marks that I have found yet. Overall the level of detail is impressive for the time. Options exist for different noses. I shall be using the one on the right. More great detail. Note the interior cockpit sculpting. A fly in the ointment. The aircraft I am modelling had no antenna but I don't know any way of filling the hole in the canopy. I like the instructions and the paint suggestions. They speak of a different time. My next post will be a short history of this particular aircraft.

Hello 👋 After encouragement from @JOCKNEY and a few others, I am going to enter one here. It is for the Spanish Civil War II Group Build that didn’t make it. I was going to be the host, I will return and edit this, place the co-hosts names here soon. I’m in hospital at the moment, Inverclyde. Everything will be done by iPhone. If images don’t show, please let me know. I will be building the recently released, by Dekno of Catalonia, British Aviation Eagle in Spanish Civil War markings. It is 1/72. Tiny, but it looks lovely in the box 😊. There may still be a special offer on the website. Worth checking; there often are offers and discounts for two or three models. All ‘Golden Era’ and/or SCW or racing/record aircraft; my favourite era and types. I must stress that new Dekno is very, very different to old Dekno. Superb Resin models with beautiful detail. I will start once out of hospital. Not long. Best regards Tony T

I see we have a couple of the wonderful looking Airfix Ju87B already in the GB and I wonder if i can join with the same. I intend to build the boxed Condor Legion option. I started this last week at my local modelling group as it was a build night, so here is starting pic and progress to date. Obligatory and excellent box art! Interestingly 'designed and manufactured in the UK' - surpise and welcome. To prove not started! Cockpit progress on build night - I take my time! Main cockpit parts painted. Matt black primer then RLM02 light spray to hopefully pick out the detail Seems to be a step up in quality from other Airfix kits I've built. Now waiting for aftermarket pilot seat with seatbelts.

I will be building this for the Spanish Civil War/Small wars builds that didn't make it. https://www.scalemates.com/kits/italeri-114-junkers-ju86d1--193463 It was a gift from my Brother in law last Crimbo, and has been quietly waiting patiently for its turn.