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At the risk of over stretching myself, and realising that I haven’t even attempted to start the Vanneau, I am declaring this second build as a further entry in this GB. It will be Special Hobby’s Mirage F.1AZ as operated by the Gabon Air Force. It will be a further member of my Gabonese collection. Aside from the Starfighter I reckon the F.1 was/is the best looking Cold War fighter ever! I gave amassed a wealth of aftermarket, including the Decal set from LF which, it has to be said, isn’t great :(. I will be back to this very soon Martin

Hi All, My next build will be Special Hobby's Douglas Boston Mk.III Intruder. Here's the box art: Here's the sprue shots: The decals look nicely in register: There's a small PE fret: I'm going to model this as AL468 of 418 'City of Edmonton' Sqn, RCAF, based at RAF Bradwell Bay, December 1942 to June 1943. 418 had the highest kill tally of any squadron within the RCAF. Their hazardous Intruder missions were flown deep into enemy territory at low level, in order to engage night fighters taking off or landing at their home bases, all without the benefit of radar - brave men indeed. Here's the scheme: I cannot find any photos of AL468, but I am dubious as to the accuracy of this scheme. SH call out OG & DG over night, whereas I would have thought it would be in the standard night fighter scheme of MSG/DG over Night - I have asked the hive mind for clarification. In researching this kit I have found that there is potentially a nasty step between the fuselage & glazing, so I thought I'd investigate this early, so I could be prepared to shim the fuselage: Although there's a very slight step, it's nothing to write home about - maybe I got lucky? (or maybe the fuselage will push out with the interior in place - I shall proceed with caution). I'm off to start chucking primer around, so watch this space! Thanks for looking, Roger

Hi All, One new jet added into my collection! And this is the one I wanted to add for quite a long time because it's Swedish, it's from early jet age, it has centrifugal engine, and it's a twin-boomer. So win-win-win for me J21R was not super successful or super numerous aircraft. Neither it had a super long career. However this stands among those first generation jets that opened jet age for pilots and engineers in their native countries. I have a soft point to that era of aviation so very glad I now added this jet to the collection. I had a thread in WIP section on this project so there are some insights on construction. In general I did not find construction process too challenging. Even alignment of booms was not complex. Decent Czech short run with only reasonable dry-fitting required, nice perks in the box such as resin wheels, rich PE fret. In fact this can be called an OOB build as only contents from SH box were used except for manually added pitot tube (the kit's one was super-thick) and also an antenna on the starboard wing made with fishing line. Paints used for the scheme are Hobby Color H309 for green and H53 for grey. The scheme I used is for F7 Såtenas wing circa 1953-54. As far as I understand this was a fighter-bomber wing and J21Rs of that wing would normally be armed with gun pods or rockets which was making them A21R really. J21R is definitely not the most ordinarily looking aircraft. And honestly I was not perceiving this as 'beatuful'... But after putting this on wheels and placing it on the shelf - WOW! It is actually a very appealing bird! Look at these a little more 'artistic' photoes: And finally there are some group shots. With another Swede in my collection: ...with it's British stablemate ...and full collection of twin-boomers from my cabinet Hope you liked it! Kind regards, Dennis

CAC CA-25 Winjeel (259) 1:48 Planet Models by Special Hobby Winjeel is the name for “young eagle” used in Victoria by the original Australians, and the aircraft was designed and build in the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in that area during the 1950s. It was designed as a trainer aircraft to fly in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), replacing the previous Wirraway and Tiger Moths, although it required some redesign to make it a little less stable so that spin-recovery training could be undertaken. In an effort to phase out the prop trainers, the powers that be tried to replace it with an imported Macchi jet trainer, which failed and led to an extension of the Winjeel’s service life until the mid-70s with a few serving until the 90s as a Forward Air Controller (FAC) after which time it was replaced by the Pilatus PC-9 turbo-prop. The Kit This is a Planet Models reboxing of the 2016 resin kit by Red Roo with amended decals, and should give some relief to those that have been in the market for one. It arrives in a smallish top-opening box with the parts inside heat-sealed partitioned bags to reduce the chances of chaffing or breakage of the small parts during shipping or moving around once you own it. A few of the exhaust collector pipes had broken off in my sample, but these were easily glued back with small quantities of super glue There are three main bags of parts, with the larger fuselage and heavier full-span wings kept separate from the smaller parts for obvious reasons. The two vacformed canopies are again in another bag with the Photo-Etch (PE), a pre-printed acetate sheet, clear resin parts and white metal parts, plus of course the decal sheet. The instruction booklet is A5 and has colour profiles on the rear pages for painting and markings. Resin usually comes still attached to its pour block, which is where the liquid resin is poured into the mould and acts as an overflow and bubble-catcher for more rustic manufacturers that don’t have access to pressure casting methods. These will have to be removed before you can assemble or paint the parts, so there will be a little extra time needed to prepare the model for construction. With resin, you should take the precaution of wearing a mask when cutting or sanding it, as the tiny particles are harmful to your health if breathed in, which is the same with all small particles. Washing the parts in warm water will remove any sanding residue and also improve the adhesion of paint, as there may still be some mould release agent on the parts when you receive them. Take care not to use water that is too hot, as this may cause deformation to more delicate parts, and this technique can conversely be used to fix warped parts, followed by cold water to “freeze” the changes in the parts. Construction begins with the wings for a change, cutting out segments of the leading edge on each side to accommodate the clear landing lights, which you can drill out the back of to depict the lights inside. A number of small parts are fitted to the cockpit floor, which is also the top surface of the wing, then the fuselage halves are also detailed with resin and PE parts before it is closed up and mated with the wing in close succession. The elevators are placed on the flat at the rear of the fuselage with the tail fit inserted into the slot on the top, then there is a brief pause while the complete Pratt & Whitney R-985-AN-2 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder radial engine is made up around a central hub with separate cylinders, wiring loom, exhaust collector and an aft spacer part so that it sits correctly within the cowling. There are three seats within the cockpit, and they all have four-point seatbelts supplied on the PE fret, backed by a rectangular panel toward the rear of the cockpit, the majority of which is painted a bright grass green in some airframes. The front of the fuselage has two circular parts installed, followed by the engine and finally the cowling, which is cast as a single part with flashed-over cooling ports that will help show off your work on the engine when complete. The instrument panel is backed by a resin part, with a small lump on top that is only necessary for the FAC role, so should be removed if necessary for your choice of decal. There are two PE panels and acetate backers supplied, one for the trainer, the other for the FAC aircraft, so again choose your panel depending on your decal choice, or leave the resin panel and paint that if you prefer, and add the roll-over frame over the seats for those inevitable accidents. A tiny rudder actuator arm is fitted low-down on the fin and on all the trim-tabs, then four small clear resin lights are glued inside the cockpit, at the very tip of the tail and at each wingtip. Underneath the aircraft the white metal tail-wheel is installed in the rear, an intake and exhaust are glued under the nose with two PE parts joining them. The wheels are fixed, and the white metal struts are given PE scissor-links and brake lines, then glued to the underside of the wing into small depressions, adding wheels and pitot probe later. The canopy is vacform and beautifully clear as a result, doubled-up just in case you have an accident or want to cut it to open up the cockpit and make a slip-up. Careful cutting with some Blutak holding the canopy in shape, followed by careful sanding of the edges to ensure a good fit will see you with a spare to offer to others in the future if they have problems. The FAC version has a small aerial in front of the cockpit and blade antenna at the rear, plus a windscreen wiper and sensors in front of the windscreen, leaving just the two-blade prop to be slid into the bell-housing of the engine. Markings There are four markings options in the box, with four-view colour drawings of each option at the rear of the instruction booklet, allowing you to make one of the following: A85-404, No.1 Basic Flying Training School, RAAF Point Cook, 1964 A85-411, FAC Aircraft, No.76 Sqn. RAAF Williamtown, 1990 A85-415, FAC Aircraft, No.76 Sqn. RAAF Williamtown, 1990 A85-415, No.1 Basic Flying Training School, RAAF Point Cook, 1965 The decals are anonymously printed, but generally have good register, sharpness and colour density, except for a little bleed on one of the blue arrows, but that can easily be cut off before application. The glossy carrier film has been printed slightly high too, but it still covers the printed areas so shouldn’t be of issue. Conclusion A welcome re-release of a niche product made and flown by our Australian allies after WWII. Detail is good, casting blocks sensibly placed, and with the addition of PE, white metal, clear resin and two vacform canopies, that detail is improved even further. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

A little history... In 1949 the front-line fighter of the RAAF was the Mustang, and the first Vampires were starting to arrive (the RAAF's first jet fighter). Advanced training and refresher training for fighter pilots was being carried out using CAC Wirraway aircraft, but the Wirraways were not able to train pilots in the full syllabus required by fighter pilots, since they were not fitted with gyro-stabilised gun-sights and they could not carry rocket armament. So in December of 1949 the RAAF Director of Technical Services wrote to RAAF Headquarters on behalf of the Air Member for Technical Services with a request to enable a full syllabus of training to be carried out with Wirraway aircraft by fitting the following items: An AN-N6 Cine Camera Gun (as an alternative to the G.45 gun cameras already fitted); A Gyro Gun Sight (Mark 2D Series 2 or 3) in lieu of the Reflector Sight installed by Wirraway Order No. 134 (offset to the left to enable the instructor in the rear seat to have an unobstructed view when using the Aldis sight); Rocket pods (zero length rails) to enable the carriage of 6 rockets (3 under each mainplane) in such a manner as they do not interfere with bombing and gunnery installations; and Provide remote controls in the rear cockpit for the operation of the VHF set installed by Wirraway Order No. 173 (which only specified operation from the front seat). It was requested that the Air Armament School (AAS) at East Sale be instructed to carry out a prototype installation, and that Technical Services officers would visit if assistance was needed. This was seen as an urgent training requirement, and the AAS prototyping was requested as soon as possible. The Mark 2D Gyro Gun Sight and the AN-N6 Camera were both designed for 24V operation, requiring voltage boosters to enable them to be operated from the Wirraway’s 12V electrical system. Tests were required to determine if the power from the Wirraway’s engine-driven generator would be sufficient for these extra items and their voltage boosters. The requirement that the RP installation should not interfere with the existing bombing and gunnery installations was ambiguous, as it did not specify if the aircraft should carry under-wing gun packs (which were already fitted to all Wirraways at this time) and RP rails at the same time, or if the gun packs could be swapped for RP rails. The prototype installation carried out at AAS followed the second of these interpretations. Records show that Wirraway A20-729 was used for a mock-up installation and A20-723 was modified for the full installation and flight trials. The first flight with the new equipment fitted was carried out on 20 July 1950 at East Sale. The first rocket firing was carried out during a flight on 24 July. Further successful firing tests were carried out in July. But the program was discontinued and no other Wirraways were fitted with this capability. I've uncovered a sketch of the proposed rocket installation by the AAS, but I've never come across photos of the aircraft or the trials. So I'm basing this build on "educated speculation". So I'm planning to model A20-723 fitted with six RP-3 rockets on zero-length rails, a gyro-stabilised gun-sight and an AN-N6 gun camera on the wing centre-section. To duplicate this aircraft, I'll need a Wirraway kit, and ideally some rockets plus a gyro-stabilised gun-sight. The Wirraway will be the 1/72 Special Hobby kit (in all its flawed glory). Looking at my stash, the gun-sight and zero-length rails will come from a Tamiya F-51 kit and the RP-3 rockets will come from a Valom Bristol Buckmaster (why do I have two of those in my stash???). Here's where the fun will begin: First up is to construct the fuselage frame and detail the cockpits. Here are a couple of photos of the start of this process, alongside a scratch-built fuselage frame I've made for an MPM Wirraway I'm also building. Important to note that we must ignore the kit instructions here... Wirraways were all silver inside, no C364 "interior green" at all. None. Everything was silver, except black instrument panels, black electrical panels, and various red and yellow highlights for controls. No "interior green". And another view showing the instrument panels. You can see that the framework tubes are fairly chunky and SH have not replicated the framework too well. Several extra tubes have been added, and some real tubes are missing. Plus the foot-troughs should be discontinuous, not one long trough as the kit provides. But I'm living with it for this model... definitely changing it for my 1/48 and 1/32 builds...

J-20 / Heja 1 - Re 2000 Export Birds (SH48208) 1:48 Special Hobby The Re 2000 designed by Reggiane in the late 1930s was an all metal low wing monoplane fighter. It is said the designers took inspiration from the P-35. This was their first aircraft to feature an all metal stressed skin construction, previous aircraft being of mixed metal/wood construction. However like many aircraft of the period the control surfaces would remain fabric covered. The aircraft would also feature a fully retractable undercarriage. An early major problem was the lack of reliable engines, this would plague the aircraft in use as well. Armament was only two 12.7mm machine guns in upper fuselage. Wing guns were looked at but never adopted. The large sliding canopy offered excellent near all round visibility something lacking in other aircraft of the time. With a top speed of 330mph the aircraft was able to hold its own or better the C.200 and Bf 109E. Surprisingly the Regiia Aeronautica cancelled its pre-production order and rejected the aircraft so it was promoted overseas. In face the British Govt were interested in purchasing it , initially directly, and then via the companies Portuguese subsidiary. Efforts on this came to a halt when Italy entered WWII. in the end 80% of production would go to Sweden with 60 aircraft, and Hungary with 70 aircraft. The remainder would serve with the Italian Air Force over the Med as escort and attack aircraft. 12 Re 2000A long range aircraft were built with an increased fuel capacity and a small number were rebuilt as catapult launched aircraft for the Italian Navy. The Swede's purchased the aircraft as an emergency measure resulting from the out break of WWII., thy however found as the Italians did that the reliability of these aircraft was not good and all but one were scrapped after the war ended. In Hungary the Germans were initially reluctant to supply their ally with aircraft in case they were used against Romania. As well as buying the 70 aircraft they acquired license production rights for another approximate 170 aircraft. The Kit This is a new tool kit from Special Hobby this year (with the wing sprue having its origins in the Classic Airframes kit of the past. As a new tool kit the quality is good with nice recessed panel lines, good detail and good clear parts. There are 4 sprues of grey plastic and the clear sprue. Construction first begins in the cockpit which builds up to a complete module that slots into the fuselage when built up. The rear frame has the seat and its supports added before being joined to the floor. At the front the bulkhead there is built up with the instrument panel being added at the top, and the rudder pedal at the bottom. This ten attached to the floor. The two side panels have various details added and then they attach to make a complete module. Into this a fire extinguisher and the control column are placed. Following this the retractable tail wheel and its housing are completed These two sub assemblies can now be placed into the fuselage and it can be buttoned up. Work now switches to the wings. There is a one part lower and left/right uppers. Attachment points for the main gear are added into the lower wing, these can then be assembled and added to the fuselage. The main gear units and their covers can then be built up and added in. The engine with its double bank to cylinders can be assembled and added to the front of the model. The 3 part cowling is then made up and added along with the intake and exhaust parts. To finish off at the rear the tail planes are added. and at the front the prop is built up and added. The pilots head rest is assembled and added along with the canopies. Lastly the nav lights and pitot probe are added on. Markings The glossy decal sheet is printed in house and looks sharp and in register. There are marking for two Swedish and two Hungarian aircraft.. White 45 - Italian Camo with white nose and fuselage bands. F10 Air Wing 1944, Swedish Air Force. White 53 - Italian Camo with white fuselage band. F10 Air Wing, Swedish Air Force V.421 - Italian Camo with Red/White/Green tail markings , Yellow wingtips and fuselage band, Hungarian Air Force, V.452 - Overall dark green over blue grey, Red/White/Green tail markings , Yellow wingtips and fuselage band, Hungarian Air Force, Conclusion It is good to see a new kit of this maybe lesser known fighter out there. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Kukkopilli (literally ”rooster whistle”) is a type of rustic vessel flute. Much like ocarina, it is a hollow body of fired clay, producing a sound when blown into. Depending on the design, kukkopilli may produce one or few notes. It always has a distinct rooster shape, else it would just be an ocarina with limited scale. Wikipedia has a quite representative picture of kukkopilli. They come in several sizes, and frankly, most of the are more ornamental than musical. The largest I’ve seen was about foot tall and very elaborately decorated; smallest was about the size of a thumb. They typically produce a fairly high pitched sound which to some was similar enough to the wizzing of a twin Turbomeca Marboré turbojets in Fouga CM 170 Magister, hence earning the Fouga it’s nickname in finnish service - kukkopilli. The type was also referrered just as Fouga. Finland procured 18 French built planes and a building license at the end of the fifties. Over the next ten years a total of 62 Fougas were built in Finland. They were in use for 30 years, replaced by BAE Hawk in the 80s. About 20 were sold to civilian buyers, some transferred to museums/memorials and the rest scrapped. My godparents lived near the approach to Pori airfield. Visiting them as a wee kid in the late 70s/early 80s I remember seeing (and hearing) Fougas either landing or taking off. It was probably the first aeroplane I could recognise and name. I’ll be building Special Hobby’s take on Fouga. I have the ”German, FInnish and Austrian” boxing of the kit and my intention is to do this OOB. I am ignorant of any mistakes in the kit and intend to stay that way . Decal sheet looks nice and provides for one finnish plane, namely ill-fated FM-65, which was one of the planes built in Finland. Ten Fougas were lost in fatal accidents, FM-65 being one of them. I’d rather have built one of ”survivors”, like FM-51, but the kit decals will do. This will be slow build. I have other builds in progess and I’ll try to finish them first. I’ll work on this while paint dries on the others. Cheers, -M

Hi all, Hot off the bench, the superb Special Hobby Tempest V as boxed by Revell. A beautifully detailed, sharply cast beauty of a kit with virtually no vices. Loved building it. Even though the kit is fine as it is (slight nose/spinner inaccuracies aside) I used some aftermarket items to improve it. The Barracuda nose and propeller did improve the overall look of the nose, radiator and spinner. Worth the investment if such things bother you! Also used CMK's Seated Pilot set, with a finely cast pilot, although the face expression is a bit odd The wheels were also CMK, perhaps need a bit of a wash to bring them up The serial number and codes came from generic sets by Xtradecal to represent a 486 Sqn V-1 hunter from June 1944. 486 together with 3 Sqn RAF claimed over 500 V-1s shot down in the summer of 1944. The V-1 kill markings were home-printed on decal paper. I used Klear mixed with water as a setting agent for the decals, which worked perfectly. Thanks @stevehnz@bigbadbadge for this toppest of tips This is one of the nicest kits I've had the pleasure of building in ages. So much so, I bought two more, which is unusual for me (I don't keep multiples of kits in the stash, donations excepted!) And here's the build thread if you're interested, the cockpit construction is worth a look: Anyway, thanks for looking in on this, hope you had a pleasant weekend. Alan

After much internal debate I've decided to go with building a classic French jet that was used by the Armée de l'Air (AdlA), from the fifties through to the seventies. The sixties coincided with the French yé-yé musical movement which I'm a big fan of so each instalment of this thread will include some music from that era... For the kit I'm using the excellent Special Hobby kit in its initial Azur/FRROM boxing, the only difference between the early and late version of this kit is the decals, early = NMF, late = camouflage although it should be noted that NMF jets were still present very late into the aircraft's service. Here's the kit: Here's the main reference (although I have got some other magazine articles), the EM37 book is excellent covering the career of the type in French, Israeli and Honduran service, there are lots of photos, a technical section, unit histories, aircraft histories and where possible, a photo of every aircraft built with only a few exceptions. The text is French but a good on line translator will help. The book is quite expensive and the ordering process isn't simple but if you really want a comprehensive one-stop shop on the type (which I did), then this is the book for you. I've also got some Berna Decal and Modeldecal sheets on the type but the truth of the matter is, I haven't decided on the unit markings yet. The kit decals are quite good but I might use them with some of the aftermarket ones to mix things up a bit.

This one came as a complete surprise to me: https://www.specialhobby.info/2020/11/news-from-special-hobby-112020.html

Hi All, Just thought I'd throw in a thread title which would get your blood pumping But seriously, I followed three excellent builds this year by Dennis @spitfire, Steve @stevej60 and Andy @Col Walter E Kurtz with their 1/32 Tempests (1 PCM and two Special Hobby between them) and as a result of their efforts the Revell boxing of the Special Hobby kit fought its way to the top of my build list! I'll be building this alongside the 1/24 Hellcat in the Hellcat STGB which is still ongoing. First job was to turn the box into a top-opener - I like Revell kits but those end opening boxes are not the best! Like all their reboxes, the sprues are just packed loose into one bag: It's the Special Hobby Tempest Mk V so it's well-documented as a beauty: Excellent surface detail all round. The interior is no slouch either. Some aftermarket - the Barracuda nose replacement, CMK pilot and early-style wheels, and HGW wet transfer stencils. The Barracuda nose isn't necessarily a must-have, but it corrects the overall shape of the forward fuselage and air intake as well as the spinner shape and size. I have a Mk VI in the stash as well, so the kit nose shape is slightly better for that variant but I might invest in another Barracuda set if it fits okay. I also have some paint masks - the camouflage ones are a generous hand-me-down from @spitfire who used them for his build. Lastly the instructions and decals: I'll be using the serials to try to replicate JN810 SA-P, an early Series 1 Mk V piloted by Flt Lt R J Cammock of 486 (NZ) Sqn in June 1944. He flew this aircraft shooting down four of his 20+1 V1 kills between 19 June and 23 August 1944. Looks like it'll be a fun build, when I have time to work on it! Alan

DH.82 Tiger Moth Correction/Update sets (For ICM) 1:32 CMK by Special Hobby The new ICM Tiger Moth kit was a welcome addition to their 1/32 line of new tool aircraft. CMK now bring us some update sets for this kit. All are cast to their ususal high standards. Main Wheels & Tailskid (5139) This set brings us the main wheels with sag in the tyres (perhaps a bit too much?) there are also two different sets of inner wheel hubs, and three different sets of outer wheel hubs including a pair with the DH logo, There is in addition a new tail skid from a harder resin material. Instrument Panels with Compasses and Coaming (5140) This set replaces both cockpits instrument panels and coamings. There are new compasses included with OE mounting brackets. A sheet of decals provides individual instruments for both panels. Luggage Box (5137) If you want tot open up some panels on your Tiger Moth then this set allows you to open up the luggage area behind the rear cockpit. As well as all the structure for the area an item of luggage is also provided to fill the bay. Correction Propeller (5138) This is a new drop in replacement propeller with separate front and rear hubs. Review samples courtesy of

After the 2020 newsletters (link), here's the first one from SH for 2021. Newsletter January 2021 https://www.specialhobby.info/2021/01/news-from-special-hobby-012021.html V.P.

Special Hobby is to release a 1/72nd Bugatti-De Monge 100P racer kit - ref. SH72435 Source: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2020/Nuernberg_2020.html V.P.

T-34 Makeshift Wheels & T-34/85 Solid Wheels (for Tamiya) 1:48 CMK by Special Hobby T-34 Makeshift Track Wheel (From Panther) (8061) Necessity is the mother of invention as they say, and there is probably no more place this comes into its own than on the battlefield. No doubt on battlefields all over tank crews have fixed their mounts with whatever they could find. Some enterprising Russian Tank crew or maintenance depot saw they could replace T-34 road wheels with those scavenged from a wrecked panther. This set arrives in CMK’s usual yellow-themed clamshell box, and contains the two main wheels on a single casting block with a centre locating part, the outer cap being from the kit. The parts are well cast and will add a certian detail to you 1/48 T-34 that will have other modellers asking questions no doubt. Recommended if you want something a little different on your T-34. T-34/85 Solid Track Wheels Conversion (8060) The excellent Tamiya 1/48 T-34/85 comes with full spider type wheels. This set from CMK replaces these with the late Type Dished Wheels. These we seen on some late war vehicles, but more typically on post war vehicles. This set arrives in CMK’s usual yellow-themed clamshell box, and contains 10 sets of two main wheels on a single casting block with a centre locating part, the outer cap being from the kit. The parts are well cast and will add a certain detail to your 1/48 T-34. Recommended if you want a late war or post war T-34 Review samples courtesy of

Fiat CR.42 Falco Main Wheels (5141 for ICM) 1:32 CMK by Special Hobby Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set arrives in CMK’s usual yellow-themed clamshell box, and contains the two main wheels on two casting blocks that join the parts at the bottom contact patch of each tyre. They are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts once you have removed them from their pouring block, and the wheels have a fine tread. The makers name detail is found on the sidewalls. There is some less than subtle weighting to the bottom of the tyres to give the impression of the airframe pressing down on the highly compressed air in the tyres. This seems over done to the reviewers taste. Recommended if you are planning on doing a CR.42 without the wheels being encased in the spats. Review sample courtesy of

A-26 Invader Late Type (7473 for Italeri) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set arrives in CMK’s usual yellow-themed clamshell box, and contains three wheels on a single casting blocks that join the parts at the bottom contact patch of each tyre. They are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts once you have removed them from their pouring block, and all the wheels have a fine tread. The Good Year name detail is found on the sidewalls. There is some subtle weighting to the bottom of the tyres to give the impression of the airframe pressing down on the highly compressed air in the tyres. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Special Hobby is to release a 1/72nd Tachikawa Ki-54Hei (Ki-54c) "Hickory" kit - ref. 72270 Source: http://www.specialhobby.info/2017/05/models-in-progress-update-vol3.html Mould clear parts tooling block V.P.

As a follow up on my JA 37 Viggen, I just finished the two-seater, an SK 37 Viggen from Special Hobby. Same kit as Tarangus, with all the pros and cons of that kit. The biggest setback of the kit being the fit of the upper air brakes and the intakes. I used thin plastic card to shim the airbrakes, and managed to get a good enough fit, instead of filling, sanding and rescribing that area. The intakes I just dealt with the "old school" way though, with filling, sanding and rescribing. Paint from Mr.Paint from Slovakia. Chipped the wing, air intakes, fin and canard leading edges with some masking fluid after painting them aluminium. Then painted the black, and rubbed off the now dry masking fluid. I think it turned out convincing enough. Added some fading to the paint as well, although I think it's more visible IRL than on the pictures. Also added the ejection seats safety handle at the right side of the headrest, and some seatbelts. The flying surfaces were also cut a bit to make them hang. Above the exhaust I added the RWR. Pitot tubes and AOA probe were replaced with Master brass items. Decals from the excellent Moose Republic Decals range. Now on to the pictures.

A-20/DB-7C Boston RAAF Crew (F72374) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby Quite often its great to have a figure, or couple of figures to add to a finished model on a base to bring it more to life. This set from CMK is for a Boston, though it can be used for a variety of Allied WWII aircraft. The set arrives in the usual yellow-themed CMK blister pack, with the instructions sandwiched between the resin parts and the header card. Inside are the two figures. The casting is up to the usual high standards from CMK/Special Hobby with minimal clean up being needed. One of the arms for the second figure is moulded away from the figure to be removed and added, apart from that no other work is needed. Conclusion Detail is excellent, and will add a great touch to any suitable model. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

This trips project completed, it must be almost time to go home. Speaking of which that's when the pitot tube will be added. I can't see that surviving the journey intact.

Junkers Ju 88A/C Wheels Early Type (7478 for Revell) 1:72 CMK by Special Hobby Kit wheels are generally in two halves, which means you have the resultant joins to deal with, possible mould-slip issues on single part wheels, and sometimes less than stellar detail due to the moulding limitations of styrene injection technology, especially in the tread department. That's where replacement resin wheels come in, with their lack of seamline and superior detail making a compelling argument. They are also usually available at a reasonable price, and can be an easy introduction to aftermarket and resin handling, as they are usually a drop-in replacement. This set arrives in CMK’s usual yellow-themed clamshell box, and contains three wheels on three casting blocks that join the parts at the bottom contact patch of each tyre. They are a drop-in replacement for the kit parts once you have removed them from their pouring block, and all the main wheels have a fine tread. The Continental name detail is found on the sidewalls. There is some subtle weighting to the bottom of the tyres to give the impression of the airframe pressing down on the highly compressed air in the tyres. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Special Hobby is to release in 2018 a family of Armstrong Whitworth Meteor nightfighters kits incl. NF.11/12/13 & 14 - ref. SH72358, 72360, 72363 & 72364 Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2017/12/sh72358360363364-aw-meteory-nf.html Canopies mould V.P.

7.5 cm PaK 40 German Anti-tank Gun 1:72 Special Armour (72025) Work on the PaK 40 began in 1939 when word of new Soviet Tank designs began reaching Germany. At the time they were only just testing the 5cm PaK 38. The new PaK 40 was essentially a PaK 38 upgunned to 7.5cms. While the 38 used new alloys to make it lighter these were in demand by the Luftwaffe so the 40 essentially used steel. To simplify the construct the 40s shield was made from straight plates. The 40 became the main German ant-tank gun of the war and was effective against all but the very late heavily armoured tanks of the very late war. The guns were passed to various allies, and captured ones were used by Russian forces. Post war the guns continued to see service around the world with some being uses as late as the Vietnam war with guns exchanging fire with US Naval vessels/ The Kit This is the a new tool kit from Special Hobby for 2021 which arrives on one sprue of parts. There are not a great deal of parts but the are all well moulded. Construction starts with the two part barrel, this then fits to the cradle, the traverse and elevation wheels are added to the gun mount along with the sight. and this is paced on the main part of the carriage. The single part main gun is then added. The two part spaced gun shield is added along with the main wheels. The front of the carriage is added. The legs can be fixed splayed for firing or in trail for towing, Decals There are no decals with the kit, but Special Hobby Suggest a few colour schemes you can use. Conclusion This is a good looking model in 1.72 and should be welcomed by the small scale armour modellers. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Armstrong Whitworth Meteor NF.Mk.14 (SH72364) "The Last of Night Fighters" 1:72 Special Hobby Yes that an Armstrong Whitworth Meteor, not a Gloster one. Gloster did design the Meteor, however by the time the cold was was upon us the RAF had Meteors in the day fighter role but were still using Mosquitos in the night fighter role. At the time Gloster were heavily into the design of the Javelin for the RAF so it was put to AW to design and build a Night Fighter version (they did build the majority of Fighter Meteors for the RAF as well). The NF Meteor would come about as an amalgamation of meteor parts already in use, the main body was that of the two seat T.7 but with the later tail of the F.8. The four 20mm cannon were moved into the wing outer spans to accommodate the AI Mk 10 Radar in the nose. Like the T.7 the crew would not be afforded ejection seats. The first aircraft flew in May 1950. Later on the NF.12 would feature a US built APS-12 radar, the NF.13 being a tropicalised NF.11. The final version of this venerable night fighter would be the NF.14 featuring a more modern blown canopy, Only 100 were built and used operationally only by the RAF although the French Flight Test Centre did use one for testing Radar and electronic countermeasures. Once retired as night fighters they lived on a navigational trainers in the RAF well into the 1960s. The Kit This is a recent new tool kit from Special Hobby, originally released as the NF.11 this new boxing has a new fuselage and canopy for the NF.14 As a new tool the moulding are of good quality with good detail and nice recessed panel lines. The kit arrives on 4 main spures, a smaller sprue and a clear sprue. Construction first begins in the cockpit which builds up to a complete module that slots into the fuselage when built up. The centre bulkhead is added to the floor and then the left side is added. The centre radar console is then built up and installed along with both seats. The rear bulkhead goes on, and in the front cockpit the control column goes in. The right side can then be added. To the underside of this module the nose gear well is then added. This assembly can then go into the right fuselage. The pilots instrument panel then goes in as does the deck behind the radar operator. The fuselage can then be closed up. Construction now moves onto the wings. Firstly the engines and jet pipes need to be assembled. There is a basic representative Derwent which you will see the front face of through the intake. Behind this there is the jet pipe, and exhaust. These go into the one part lower wing. In front of the engines goes the fairing over the front wing spar which is seen through the intake. Single part intake inners are then fitted. The aperture for the fuselage at the leading edge of the wing will need to widened slightly. Moving on the the upper wing the main gear wells need to be built up. The two wing sections can then be joined. The intake leading edges, and exhaust trailing edges are then fitted. The fuselage can now be joined to the wings. At the rear the tail planes then go on. The main gear units are then assembled and added along with their retraction struts and the main gear doors. Like the real units these are complicated and care need to get them right. At the front the nose wheel and its doors are then added also. To finish off the wing and belly tanks are fitted followed by the canopy, gun muzzles and pitot tube. Markings The glossy decal sheet is printed in house and looks sharp and in register. There are markings for four aircraft WS810/F No.60 Sqn RAF, RAF Tengah, Singapore 1960. WS775 No.85 Sqn RAF, RAF Church Fenton 1958. WS790/H No.264 Sqn RAF, RAF Linton-on-Ouse 1955 F-ZAM (ex WAS747) French Flight Test Centre 1955-1989 Conclusion It is good to see a new kits of the Meteor Night Fighter out there. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of