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Hi all, I have been wanting to do this one for a while now and so started this one a month or so ago. I have other builds on the go at the same time which is why progress is a bit slow. The cockpit has gone together well and am enjoying so far. I have used Kits World IP and adapted it to a later IP just need to make up a gun camera device for the bottom of the IP. I have added an extra armour plate to the rear lower part of the seat although wish I had done that a bit better. Here are some of the cockpit components laid out. Still got lots to do in the cockpit including some additions and weathering etc. I want to do an Op Starkey machine, I did this in 48th scale using the Classic Airframes kit and painted the upper wing surface with just the white stripes and didn't extend the black to these. So this will be rectified when I paint this one. The others will be some Spitfires in the same scale hopefully although a 48th scale one might creep in. The Whirlwind is a nice kit so far. Thanks for looking Chris

After the 1/48th kit by Planet Models/Red Roo Models (link), Special Hobby is to release 1/72nd de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor (ref. 72494) & Moth Minor Coupé (ref. 72504) kits. Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2024/02/norimberk-den-3-4-trubky-platno.html 3D renders V.P.

In March 2025 Special Hobby (SH) is to reissue its 1/72nd North American F-82H Twin Mustang - Alaskan All Weather Fight - ref. 72203 Source: https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235150625-special-hobby-sh-2025-programme-1st-half-of-the-year-from-january-until-august/#findComment-5154570 V.P.

Special Hobby is to release new 1/48th WWII aircraft kits: IMAN Ro.43 & Ro.44. - ref.SH48137 - Ro-43 "Red Stripes" - ref.SH48140 - Ro-44 "Italian Float Fighter" - ref.SH48169 - Ro-43 "War Colours" Source: http://www.mpmkits.eu/2015/05/contest-what-is-this-148-wwii-mystery.html V.P.

"Czech wars" is not over. After the surprise re-release announcement from the AZmodel 1/72nd SMB2 kit (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235011686-172-dassault-super-mystère-b2-smb2-by-azmodel-re-release-box-artschemessprues-release-december-2016/😞 Special Hobby is to release, in cooperation with Azur-FRROM, a new tool 1/72nd Dassault Super Mystère B2 (SMB2) kit - ref. SH? Armements and fuel tanks will be included in the box. Different boxings will offer the opportunity to reproduce the original SMB2 as well as the Israeli re-engined variant. Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2016/11/super-mystere-172-pripravovany-model.html CADs Special Hobby, do you hear me, true scale modellers need a 1/48th SMB2 kit... V.P.

After the 2024 newsletters (link), here's the first one from SH for 2025. Newsletter January 2025 Source: https://www.specialhobby.info/2025/01/news-from-special-hobby-012024.html V.P.

Moving my slow build Special Hobby kit that failed to get completed before the end of the extended STGB: The build report to date is here: Martin

Special Hobby is not only working on a 1/72nd Dassault Super Mystère SMB2 kit (link) but also on a 1/48th one! Yesss. The subsidiary question is when as the SH kits development delays are often really slow. Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235011761-we-need-it-in-148th-the-smb2/&do=findComment&comment=2570698 V.P.

New Special Hobby boxing in 2025 - ref. 72524 - Hunting Percival P.66 Pembroke C.1 Source: https://www.aviationmegastore.com/en/modelling/hunting-percival-p66-pembroke-mk-c1--cold-war-raf-reissue-special-hobby-sh72524-208270.html V.P.

X-15A-2 “White Ablative Coating” (SH32081) 1:32 Special Hobby After Chuck Yaeger broke the sound barrier (officially) in the X-1, the series of experimental high-speed aircraft continued in the shape of the North American built X-15, which began in 1954, with the programme continuing until 1968, and extending to just short of 200 flights of this manned missile throughout many flight-envelopes, collecting data and experience that would be used to great effect in the following Mercury and Apollo programmes, which shared some crew, as well as furthering the understanding of atmospheric flight at high speed. It was carried aloft by a modified B-52 Stratofortress known as a 'mothership', then released, and when applicable it would ignite its rocket engine that would burn for an amazingly short time of around 80 seconds, propelling the aircraft up to a toe-curling 4,500mph. Initially it utilised two Reaction Motors rocket motors, but these were replaced by their immensely more powerful single XLR99 engine, which was powered by anhydrous ammonia and liquid oxygen, and perming solution (hydrogen peroxide – probably quite a bit more concentrated than that used to turn your hair curly) to drive the pump that fed the engine, which could be throttled up and down thanks to advances in technology after WWII. There were three aircraft built, and one was lost in a mid-air breakup that sadly killed the pilot. X-15A-2 also crash-landed, ending the day upside down and leaking fluids all over the lake bed they were using as a runway, but it was recovered and rebuilt. It was lengthened by a couple of feet and given massive additional fuel tanks to extend the run-time of the rocket engine. It was also coated in a white ablative paint that helped to ameliorate the excess heat that was generated by such fast transit through even the most nebulous of atmospheres. In the end A-2 flew a total of 55 missions in its different guises before the programme came to an end in 1968, when the delay of the 200th flight by continuing bad weather led to its permanent cancellation in favour of the Mercury programme. The Kit This is a reboxing of the improved tooling of the original 2007 X-15 kit from Special Hobby that was later upgraded to be able to depict the later launches that used the big fuel tanks under the belly. This boxing also includes a stand for the finished model, allowing a wheel/skids up pose that was the aircraft’s natural environment, way, way up in the sky beyond the majority of the atmosphere. It arrives in a reasonably sized top-opening box, and inside are seven sprues in grey styrene, a staggering 165 resin parts (many tiny ones), a clear canopy part, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE), a small slip of clear acetate with black printing for the instruments, a length of wire and a glossy instruction booklet with spot colour throughout. I forgot to photograph the wire, sorry! This isn’t a simple scale-up of their flawed 1:48 kit, and most of the issues present in the smaller kit aren’t present in this larger model. According to my Secret Advisor, there are one or two items such as the hemispherical nose tip being a little small, and the low-slung supplementary fuel tanks may be a few millimetres short, but that would only be visible from a side-on view if you knew where to look. Overall it seems to be a good replica of this amazingly fast space-plane, depending on where your idea of space begins of course! Construction begins with the combined cockpit and nose gear bay, starting with the rudder pedal box, which is faced with a laminated PE and acetate instrument panel. This is placed on the cockpit floor, and has side consoles, and rear bulkhead with stepped rear plus shaped top inserts, then at the front a bulkhead with the three-part nose bay is attached to the front. The additional joysticks are applied to the side consoles, followed by the building of the ejection seat, which has a large number of plastic and resin parts plus PE belts for the pilot, the completed assembly sliding onto the launch rail that is glued to the rear bulkhead of the cockpit. The main instrument panel is made from three sections and each has PE detail for the instruments, while the centre also has a piece of printed acetate behind it for the dials. More PE instruments fit to the front of the side consoles, and have small PE levers fixed in place to depict the controls. The fuselage is quite long at this scale, so the top and bottom halves are each made up from two panels, tapering to the nose at the front, and very blunt toward the exhaust of the XLR99 engine. Small parts are added around the cockpit and at the rear of its fairing, then the cockpit is glued to the upper fuselage so that the two halves can be joined together and have a small hemispherical Q-ball nose added. The wings aren’t particularly large, and are portrayed with two parts each that fit into the fuselage on lengthy tabs, as are the elevators with the addition of a swash-plate at the pivot point. A scrap diagram shows the correct anhedral of the elevators, plus the blocky tail fins, which are next. Due to the weird aerodynamic requirements of such a fast aircraft, the fins are blunt and don’t work all that well at slow speeds. They are made up from various parts, and there is an optional set of parts to depict the dive-brakes at the rear in the open position. The fuselage is detailed underneath next, and has a suite of probes and hollow-tipped exit pipes in the front section, then has the simple twin-wheel nose gear strut built and fitted with the bay door on a stand-off bracket behind the leg, which has a small flap in the lower section, presumably to help deal with dust kicked up on landing. Under the rear a small vertical “tail” assembly hides away more dive brakes, which can also be posed open by adding jacks to the mechanism to project the aft edge of the two surfaces away from the centreline. A pair of strakes fit on either side of this fairing, after which the exhaust for the rocket motor is put together around the outer lip, and having various sensors and vents arranged around it, plus a deep tapering trunk that gives the depth to the exhaust. When finished it slots into the rear of the fuselage. The canopy has small elliptical windows in the front, which are moulded into the clear canopy, and has a stiffener brace attached to the inside at the rear, that can be posed open or closed. An optional resin piece can be installed over the port window depending on the mission you are planning on depicting, but no information is given as to when this was used until you look at the two decal options, both of which have the panel. The two additional fuel tanks are made up from two large halves split vertically, with small inserts added to holes in the top sides. They seem simple, but on the upper surface they have a mass of hoses and equipment, plus the big attachment points where all those pipes enter the underside of the fuselage. PE brackets, wire, resin and plastic parts go into the detailing of the tanks, and you are provided with plenty of overhead and scrap diagrams to assist you in getting it right. Take your time and pay careful attention while performing this part of the build and you shouldn’t go far wrong. Ground handling of the airframe employed the nose wheel and a two-wheeled dolly arrangement that attaches to the rear of the fuselage astride the rear dive brake fairing. This is a complex assembly, and is mostly resin with a little wire and PE parts added for good measure, then painted hi-viz yellow and fitted with two wooden blocks that were inserted under the stanchions when parked. There is a whole page of diagrams showing the correct arrangement of parts, and how the wooden blocks were utilised, so again take your time to get it all together in the correct manner. On the last page the large tanks are fitted, then joined by the rear gear trolley or an optional dummy ramjet that was carried by decal option A after loading onto the mothership to test the effects of its aerodynamics on the airframe. It wasn’t good, and caused a substantial amount of damage thanks to the speed the air moved around it, causing the tail to lift and the skin around it to burn and melt. The pilot luckily managed to nurse his aircraft back to base unhurt, but the damage was never repaired due to the end of the programme. Markings The repaired A-2 flew with the white ablative coating applied, so the overall look of the aircraft changed markedly. Many flights were made, and small differences appeared and disappeared as the aircraft evolved. The decal sheet covers one flight of this airframe before and after it was mated with the B-52, with a separate page covering the complex scheme that was applied to the fuel tanks. From the box you can build one of the following: X-15A-2 56-6671, Pilot William ‘Pete’ Knight, flight 2-53-97, 3rd October 1967. Already lifted from the trailer and hung on the B-52 mothership, ready for the first stage of hypersonic flight. When the X-15 had been fitted to the B-52, the Ramjet dummy was then fitted to the ventral fin. X-15A-2, 56-6671, Pilot William ‘Pete’ Knight, flight 2-53-97, 3rd October 1967. The aircraft configured as it appeared before its very last record-breaking flight. The machine is positioned on the servicing and transportation trailer just before being towed to the B-52 mothership. Decals are well-printed and consist mainly of stencils and warnings in red, black and some are on a silver background, so the majority of the spot colour around the airframe will need to be painted, with the stripes posing the most technical aspect of that task. Conclusion If you haven’t got one already and are interested in early hypersonic research, this will be a highly interesting topic for you, and it builds up into quite a long model at slight over 50cm for the fuselage, plus a few cm for the pipes at the rear. There is a lot of documentation out there for those wishing to portray their X-15 as realistically as possible, and the addition of a stand should come in handy for those with limited shelf-space. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Expected tomorrow: the Special Hobby programme for the first half of 2025. Source: https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=77712&sid=d57ccc64e8deec3b89acc56aa0545d82&start=11925#p2681985 Googled: What do we can expect ? Bets are open. My dreams - 1/48: SO.4050 Vautour II, Mystère IV, MD.450 Ouragan, Saab J-21R, Bristol Brigand, Supermarine Swift FR.5 etc. In the pipe line with allocated reference number 1/32 - ref. SH32035 - Morane-Saulnier D-3801 (MS.406) - Swiss Morane - ref. SH32080 - Macchi MC.202 Folgore - ref. SH32085 - Macchi MC.205 Veltro - ref. SH32084 - Manshu Ki-79A - Single Seater Trainer and Special Attack Plane - ref. SH32020 - Fiat G.55 Centauro 1/48 - ref. SH48160 - Martin Baltimore Mk. I/II - ref. SH48243 - Sack AS-6 1/72 - ref. SH72164 - Douglas A-1F Skyraider - ref. SH72425 - Lockheed Hudson Mk. IV/V/VI - ref. SH72436 - Curtiss CW-211 - ref. SH72494 - de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor - ref. SH72504 - de Havilland DH.94 Moth Minor Coupé - ref. SH72507 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E "Rare Emil" - ref. SH72509 - Messerschmitt Bf.109T "Long Wing Theodor" - ref. SH72512 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E Emil - "Swiss White Cross" - ref. SH72526 - Sack AS-6 1/72 - Spad 510 1/72 Caproni CA.313/314 1/72 - Bücker Bü 181 – new fuselage mold 1/72 other box of Ju 87D / ACADEMY kit wiht SH sprue 1/72 other box of AT-6 / ACADEMY kit wiht SH sprue Etc. V.P.

Special Hobby is to re-release in 2023 2024 the MPM 1/48th Heinkel He-177A Greif kit under ref. SH48???? This re-edition will include several new designed parts. Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2022/12/heinkel-he-177a-148-navrat-trochu-jinak.html V.P.

Special Hobby is to release a new tool 1/72nd Fairey Barracuda Mk.II/.III kit - ref.SH72306 Source: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2016/Bilder_AT/Special_Hobby_11.htm V.P.

After the MustHave F-86K with a 6-3 wing, here's the future Special Hobby 1/48th F-86K Sabre Dog "Kilo" with a large F40 wing Source: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/ V.P.

source: czech forum A.R. from Special Hobby confirmed Mosquito project publicly announced some time ago is in progress and people from AZ/KP know it. The next battle in the war.

Special Hobby (SH) is to re-release its 1/32nd North American X-15A-2 "White Ablative Coating" (link) kit under ref. SH32081 Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2020/08/sh32081-x-15a-2-white-ablative-coating.html Box art V.P.

Hello team, Here is my Special Hobby 1/72 DB-7B Boston finished as A28-9 She's Apples from 22 Squadron RAAF. I didn't really enjoy this build. Maybe it was the kit, maybe it was me or a combination of both, but it seemed like it was 1 step forward 5 steps back. The final thing that knocked the wind out of my sails was when I was sticking down some stencils for the markings that I had cut out on a sheet of Tamiya tape on my Silhouette cutter to use instead of the kit decals, they lifted the paint and primer off back to the bare plastic. Is it the primer? (Alclad black) The paint? (SMS Acrylic Lacquer) Or should I have given the model a wash before priming to remove my fingerprints? Maybe different manufacturers of primer and paint? I've never had this happen before. If anyone has any ideas, I'm open to suggestions. Anyway, I just wanted it to be over with, so I finished it with the kit decals (along with slight silvering) and decided to use it a bit of practice for weathering oils so all was not lost. I also had a go at adding a bit of detail to the kit engines using 0.3mm lead wire and stretched runner. It's a little overscale and not the best paint job, but I had fun doing it and it makes the engines look a bit busier in the cowls. Thanks, JG.

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

Special Hobby/MPM had already released Sack AS-6 kits in 1998 & 1999. But the Czech company is to release new tool kits in 1/72nd and 1/48th scales from this German prototype circular-winged aircraft. - 1/48 - ref. SH48243 - Sack AS-6 - 1/72 - ref. SH72526 - Sack AS-6 Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2025/01/panvicka-na-nemecky-zpusob-sack-as-6-v.html 1/72nd fuselage test sprue V.P.

Hi all I have just finished the Special Hobby 48th Firefly Mk.5, with the Wolfpack resin and photo etch folded wings conversion. This one hs taken a while but I am very pleased to have a folded Firefly in the display. WT488 R-205 of HMS Glory, Korea 1953, Pilotcwas Lt, JFK "Sean" McGrail, who according to the instructions had flown 118 combst missions between November 1952 and March 1953, wow. Some parts were replaced by brass such as the jury struts and the fronts of the Fold mechanism with a home made rods used and the ropes on the end are lead wire. I also added some plasticard to the spinner behind each blade as thus was not provided in the kit. The model was brush painted with Humbrol enamels and washed with Oil paint I won't add a link to the WIP as it is part of my 126 page FAA multiple build thread so I am sure you have probably all seen it and thought crikey 126 pages, not looking at that😄 I'd like to thank those who offered support and encouragement along the way, always very much appreciated and thanks for looking in. All the best Chris

Special Hobby is to release new tool 1/72nd Lockheed Hudson Mk.IV/V/VI kit - ref. SH72425 Sources: https://www.specialhobby.info/2022/01/news-from-special-hobby-012021.html https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/SH72425 V.P.

Sure hope that 'Cannon Fighter' box also gets upgraded.

She'll be back (link) under Special Hobby label - ref. SH72503 - Boulton Paul Defiant Mk.II - Night Fighter. Expected with new decals and likely with new 3D printed parts. Source: https://www.specialhobby.net/2024/10/navrat-defiantu-pripravujeme-stavebnici.html Box art V.P.

Special Hobby is to release a 1/72nd Dornier Do.27 kit - ref.SH72327 Source: https://www.facebook.com/specialhobby/photos/a.458974014197468.1073741825.256992114395660/985391688222362/?type=3&theater Maybe next time in quarter scale... V.P.

In 2024, Special Hobby is to reissue its 1/48th Fiat Br.20 Cicogna kit - Bomber over Two Continents - ref. SH48229 Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=623277613141146&set=pb.100063767391074.-2207520000 V.P.