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Special Hobby (Sword plastic) 1/72nd Brewster model 339-23 Buffalo "In RAAF and USAAF colors" boxing - ref. SH72128 - is ready Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2017/05/privezeme-s-sebou-model-339-23-buffalo.html V.P.

Special Hobby is to reissue its 1/72nd Boulton Paul Balliol kit - ref. SH72356 Source: http://www.specialhobby.net/2016/12/sh72356-b-balliol-172-boxart.html Reported with decals for demonstrator and two Sri Lanka AF a/c. Release in 2017. Box art Original release in 2012 & as - ref. SH72234 - Boulton Paul Balliol T.2 "RAF Trainer" - ref. SH72236 - Boulton Paul Sea Balliol T.21 FAA Trainer V.P.

Special Hobby is to release in 2016 a 1/48th Bücker Bü 181 Bestmann kit - ref.SH48120 Source: http://www.ipmsdeutschland.de/Ausstellungen/Nuernberg2016/Bilder_AT/Special_Hobby_10.htm Stransky similar project: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235005073-148-bucker-bu-181-bestmann-by-stransky-box-artschemessprues-drawings-release-in-016/ V.P.

Good day again all! This is my first RFI for quite a while. This is a Special Hobby Sea Hawk depicted as WM 995 OF 802 NAS. I have built her as a Suez machine on board HMS Albion. This aircraft was actually hit by Egyptian ground fire which resulted in a damage to the stbd drop tank. The kit comes with a nice load of resin and one piece is a drop tank that depicts the damage, so I modelled her postflight, blanked up ready for a drop tank change. The kit was originally the MPM version with resin cockpit incorporating a front nose wheel well, seat and drop tanks, bombs and sidewinders for other versions. There is also a nice etch set but very little was used on this kit, just the IP. The only disappointment was no resin for the main gearbay. I wanted this to be a quick build but got hung up on a couple of things. I did have to open up the gun ports as the kit just had engravings but they turned out fine in the end. As ever finished in Model Master acrylics and kit decals which are a little transparent when placed over the fuselage stripes. Blanks are scratched from plastic card and wire handles, saved alot of effort in building up the intakes. Although black and white blurry pictures of the actual aircraft show a relatively clean fuselage I did muck up the area around the damaged tank. Any hoo enjoy!

Hi Everyone My B17 Mk III is coming along nicely but I don't have any real progress pictures at the moment as theres not much to show. However for my summer build I've decided on Special Hobby's rather nice 1/32 Hawker Tempest II. It will be built OOB as its the "High Tech" flavoured version so you get everything you need to build what I hope will be a crackin' model. Cheers Iain

Hello all. Back in October I started on this build with little notion of the somewhat epic undertaking it would turn into. The new 1/72 tool of this aircraft from Special Hobby was itself a pleasure to work with (barring one or two necessary modifications), however, the more time I spent with this quixotic product of the Fairey shop, the more engrossing it became in all its FAA-baroque glory. The full tawdry detail of the various hackings and scratchings can be found here: ...along with the collected correspondence of a band of knowledgeable and supportive pals who kept me going on this through good days and bad. I thank you all. Two main challenges I set myself on this were to do an engine-reveal and to build a working main wing-fold mechanism at this scale. The two fundamental references I came to rely on were the IWM archive of Barracuda photographs (including many excellent close-ups), and Robert McCandless' superb volume: From the Cockpit No. 16: Barracuda, which Ex-FAAWAFU was kind enough to put me on to. The aircraft herself is built as one of the 829 NAS aircraft that took part in the Tungesten raid on Tirpitz in April of 1944. Some explanation of the figure in the cockpit for those who didn't follow developments in the WIP leading to this. (She's sculpted from scratch out of Milliput). Some time into the build I discovered images from a photo-shoot (dating from late 1944) published by Picture Post magazine, featuring a glamorously-depicted ATA pilot called Maureen Dunlop, posing with a Barracuda. (A search for her on the Getty Images website will yield a number of images preserved from this shoot). The ATA did not however represent the glamorous 'front' of aerial combat in WWII, and like many other areas of support activity - many of them involving women - have only very recently begun to have their rightful place in the historical narrative sufficiently acknowledged. These women flew military aircraft bravely in wartime conditions, frequently facing the endemic sexism of the services (and indeed the wider society) for their pains whilst doing so. Even the Picture Post cover treats her in a similarly sexist way ('glamour-pants' rather than brave pilot). She's shown in the cockpit here however, and very much in charge. Enough. Pictures in studio lighting: Overhead, wings extended: Overhead, starboard wing folded: Nethers: Starboard laterial, wing folded: Front, port: Midway, port: Front, downward: Tail: Rear, downward: Starboard rear: Starboard, overhead Port, rear: Front, low angle: Port nose, close-up: Port lateral, downward: Starboard lateral, close-up: Some daylight shots: Tony

to be continued Hawker Tempest Mk.II, 1/32 scale New hi-tech kit form Special Hobby inkl. HGW fabric seatbelts, masks, Photo-Etch and a lot of Resin parts I will try my new Tamiya spraycolors for this build: -AS29 grey green RAF -AS09 dark green RAF -AS10 ocean grey RAF -AS11 medium sea grey RAF Boxart I chose Tempest Mk.II, HF-X / MW774, No. 183 Sqn, RAF for the build. Regards, Oliver

After the MD-500E (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235008128-172-hughes-md500e-by-special-hobby-ex-profiline-released/), Special a Hobby is also to rebox in 2017 the ex-Profiline 1/72nd MD-520 NOTAR kit - ref. SH72342 Source: http://www.specialhobby.info/2016/12/blog-post.html Profiline kit: http://aeroscale.kitmaker.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Reviews&file=index&req=showcontent&id=7455 V.P.

Special Hobby is to reissue in January 2017 its 1/72nd Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi kit. Source: http://www.specialhobby.info/2016/12/special-hobby-newsletter-january.html - ref. 100-SH72198 - Nakajima Ki-115 Tsurugi Source: https://www.specialhobby.eu/en/our-own-production/special-hobby/nakajima-ki-115-tsurugi.html - ref. 100-SH72199 - Nakajima Ki-115 "Battle of Tokio 1946" Source: https://www.specialhobby.eu/en/our-own-production/special-hobby/nakajima-ki-115-battle-of-tokio-1946.html V.P.

Not sure if maybe it belongs in the Space section, and for me the coolest flying machine ever made. It was the mount of my childhood heroes; ex-WW2 aces and budding Apollo Astronauts. It still holds numerous unbroken records including the highest powered manned aircraft flight (102,000 feet, 6.72M!). For a straightforward shaped thing it wasn't the easiest fit kit in the world, but I'm happy with the result. The decals are ridiculously thin and some were partly sacrificed to the Micromesh when policing away my less than mirror smooth initial finish. Oh well. Hope you like it.

Hi guys, here is one of my latest build i finished a few weeks ago. The Tempest is one of my favourite plane with the Fw 190 D9. The SH kit is magnificent but it's not an easy build because the separate nose does not fit well. The plane i've realized is one of the Clostermann's plane. Thanks for watching, Cheers, Manu.

German WWII Anti-Tank Rifle Solothurn S18/1000 with carriage 1:35 CMK by Special Hobby After WWI, Germany was forbidden from manufacturing certain arms on German soil, so Rheinmetall used their Swiss company Solothurn to circumvent this. This 20mm anti-tank rifle was hardly portable, and suffered from high recoil, which made it difficult to use, but was used by the Germans, Italy and China in small quantities, with a wheeled carriage improving its mobility, but making it quite a bulky proposition for its crew. It had a small bipod at the front, with a monopod supporting the weight of the buttstock, relieving the strain on its operator, and could be set up with either a bulky magazine, or as a belt-fed weapon, with a number of different cartridges used that required changes of the brake to cope with the change in recoil pattern. Everything about it was large, including the recoil, and it weighed in at over 100lbs without ammunition, so the trolley was a must for anything more than a short walk. The cartridge is wound out by a handle on the side of the breech, which takes three turns, so a quick rate of fire must have been very tricky, although it could penetrate the armour of a T-34 with a well-placed shot. It was of the bullpup design, with the trigger forward of the breech to make it more "compact", which at a shade over 69" or 1.7m would appear to have been relative. This set from CMK gives you the option of having one of these unusual weapons in your arsenal, or salted away in a diorama. It is a resin kit, and comes in a small vacformed shell with the instructions and header card forming the rear. Inside are twenty three parts in a pale grey resin, some of which are quite delicate, such as the curved legs on each side. Construction is simple after removing the parts from their pouring blocks and cleaning them up, based upon a T-shaped chassis with the wheels at the two open ends of the T. A mount is added to the remaining leg of the T, and the weapon is placed on top, with optional optical scope and magazine. Alternatively, you can build it with its legs down off the carriage by constructing the bipod/tripod legs in the down position. The trolley can be fitted with a pair of tapering boxes of additional ammo, which fit either side of the weapon on the axle. As you can see, the casting is excellent, and the attention to detail, coupled with the tiny contact patches between the parts and their pouring blocks should make for a trouble-free build. The pic below has been lifted from CMK's site to show you what the finished rifle looks like without you having to resort to Google: It's a shame it didn't come with crew to round out its potential, but nonetheless it makes an interesting and unusual item for your collection, and it won't take you months to complete it, unless it's part of a larger build. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Just finished the 1/48 Special Hobby Nieuport 10. Use the kit's decals, rigging done with ceramic wire and fishing line. Added the hole in the top wing for the observer to get access to a machine gun mounted on the front spar with the exception of the prototype photos in the Datafile and a few books I can't find where the MG was ever mounted here on the production types. The hole shows up in a number of photos of the aircraft in service so I added as I wanted an early war Nieuport. Lots of discussion on various web forums as to th color of the tapes on the fuselage and wings. Some say black, brown with the latest theory being in the blue-gray camp (same color as the Adrian helmets) so throwing caution to the winds I went with the blue gray. I initially laid down an Amtrak blue (Microscale) on the wings and then brush painted to blue gray over the top. I then got the idea of painting the blue gray on the decal sheen and cutting out the tape - which worked out perfectly (but needed Walthers Solvaset to get the decals to lay completely flat). Castor oil staining done with water based oils. Same with the mud on the tires and under the wings. I do have a 'work in process' on this subject if interested.

Special Hobby is to release in 2016 a 1/72nd Hughes MD500E kit - ref. SH72346 Ex Profiline kit? http://www.hyperscale.com/2010/reviews/kits/profiline7010reviewmd_1.htm Sources: http://www.specialhobby.info/2016/08/special-hobby-newsletter-september-2016.html http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10412985 V.P.

I have several early Great War aircraft in the pile and have the bug to get a few completed. I've posted shots of my completed Tabloid and here's a start on the SH 1/48 Nieuport 10 that's just been released as a two seater. While the instructions show the top wing with the hole SH elected to remove this part from the kit. Looking at the Datafile and period photos I added it back in the wing provided in the kit. The attachment points for the bottom wings is almost non-existant so I added some wire to beef it up but am still going to the hardware store to get some epoxy glue to strengthen the joint. The observer sits in the front and the pilot on the rear seat. I have a GasPatch 1914 Hotchkiss to mount on the top wing. Apparently this configuration didn't last very long as the observer standing up through the wing interfered with the air flow to the rudder and the pilot's ability to see ahead. I've got some blue decal sheet ordered to do the taping around the wings and fuselage; initially I thought of masking with Tamiya tape and painting the tapes but was concerned the yellow might pull up in places.

Supermarine Spitfire F Mk. 22 "Hi-Tech" 1:72 Special Hobby When the prototype Spitfire took to the air for the first time on 5 March 1936, few involved in the design could have foreseen where the development of the type would lead. One of the ultimate incarnations was the F Mk.22. Although the relatively compact dimensions of the Spitfire were largely retained throughout its development (the wingspan of the Mk.22 was almost identical to the Mk.I, although it was 3 feet longer in the fuselage) the Mk.22 was a massive 60% heavier than the first of the mark. The sparkling performance was retained though, thanks to the 2000hp+ Rolls Royce Griffon engine. With more than double the power of the Merlin engine fitted to the Mk.I, the Mk.22 was capable of a maximum speed of 454mph. It had an enlarged tail and a laminar flow wing that was nearly 50% stiffer compared to early Spitfires. The comparatively light armament of the first generation of Spitfires was also upgraded a number times, culminating with the massive hitting power of four 20mm cannon. The Mk.22 flew for the first time in March 1945. 278 examples were built, although only one front-line squadron (73 Sqn) was equipped with the type, the rest going to RAuxAF units. Although the Spitfire has always been a popular choice for model kit manufacturers, there were so many unique variants that some have inevitably been kitted more often than others. Late model Spitfires have fared relatively well in recent years, particularly since Airfix released their 1:72 scale Mk. 22/24 a few years ago. Special Hobby of the Czech Republic has been filling in some of gaps with a range of late mark Spitfires and Seafires such as the Mk. 21 and Mk. 46. Now they have released a Mk. 22 of their own, complete with photo etched and resin parts to help it stand out from the crowd. This tooling is related to the Xtrakit Mk. 22, but as the layout of parts is completely different, it's probably best to think of the two kits as cousins rather than brothers. The kit looks pretty good on the frame, with plenty of detail and surface structures made up of fine, recessed lines and fasteners. The moulds are starting to show their age now though, and some clean up of parts will be required. Construction starts with a reasonably well detailed cockpit, made up of a floor, control column, individual rudder pedals, seat, seat armour and rear bulkhead. The instrument panel features raised detail and a separate gunsight, while the insides of the fuselage feature some nice sidewall detail. The overall impression is of a well detailed and suitably busy cockpit. Curiously, although a fret of photo etched parts has been supplied with the kit – and contains parts such as a replacement seat, harnesses and instrument panel – it isn't shown in the instructions other than the diagram showing the contents of the box. Most of the parts should be fairly obvious in terms of their application though. The lower wing is moulded in a single span, with separate port and starboard upper wing surfaces. The ailerons and flaps are all moulded in place, but surface details are nicely represented. Each of the main landing gear bays is made up of four separate lengths of plastic which effectively box in the wheel wells. Engineering the landing gear bays in this way makes construction more complex, but yields a fairly well-detailed result. The horizontal tails are moulded as solid pieces, but the rudder is a separate part. The prominent underwing radiators feature separate exhaust vents and radiator faces – also replicated with photo etched parts - and the distinctive bulges for the Griffon rocker covers are moulded as separate parts. The landing gear is quite nice and, as this is a 'Hi-Tech' boxing, a pair of resin wheels have been included. The five-bladed airscrew is moulded in seven parts, with each of the blades moulded separately. You will need to assemble these parts carefully in order to make sure everything lines up nicely. The engine exhausts have also been picked out in resin, which is a welcome little bonus. The canopy is moulded in two parts, so you can choose between open or closed position. The cockpit door is also moulded as a separate part. As this is a 'Hi-Tech' edition of the kit, a generous six decal options are provided: Spitfire F Mk.22 PK430/racing number 3, No. 610 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Cooper Air Race, Elmdon, July 1949; Spitfire F Mk.22 PK519, No. 615 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Biggin Hill, 1950; Spitfire F Mk.22 PK550, No. 615 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Biggin Hill, 1949; Spitfire F Mk.22 PK570, No. 603 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Turnhouse, 1949; Spitfire F Mk.22 SR65, No. 1 Squadron, Southern Rhodesia Air Force, Cranbourne, Southern Rhodesia, 1951-52; and Spitfire F Mk.22 681, No. 2 Squadron, Royal Egyptian Air Force, El Arish, Egypt, 1950. The decals themselves look great on the sheet and stencils are provided too. Conclusion Provided there are no surprises in terms of fit and finish, this kit should build up into a pleasing model. I've always found late mark Spitfires, with the socking great Griffon engine pushing the legacy of the design to the limit, so I'm looking forward to building this kit at some point in the future. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Yakovlev Yak-3 Special Hobby 1:32 Lighter and smaller than Yak-9 but powered by the same engine, the Yak-3 was a forgiving, easy-to-handle aircraft loved by both novice and experienced pilots and ground crew as well. It was robust, easy to maintain, and a highly successful dog-fighter. It was used mostly as a tactical fighter, flying low over battlefields and engaging in dogfights below 4 km (13,000 ft). The new aircraft began to reach front line units during summer 1944. Yak-3 service tests were conducted by 91st IAP of the 2nd Air Army, commanded by Lt Colonel Kovalyov, in June–July 1944. The regiment had the task of gaining air superiority. During 431 missions, 20 Luftwaffe fighters and three Ju 87s were shot down while Soviet losses amounted to two Yak-3s shot down. A large dogfight developed on 16 June 1944, when 18 Yak-3s clashed with 24 German aircraft. Soviet Yak-3 fighters shot down 15 German aircraft for the loss of one Yak destroyed and one damaged. The following day, Luftwaffe activity over that section of the front had virtually ceased. On 17 July 1944, eight Yaks attacked a formation of 60 German aircraft, including escorting fighters. In the ensuing dogfight, the Luftwaffe lost three Junkers Ju 87s and four Bf 109Gs, for no losses to the Yaks. Consequently, the Luftwaffe issued an order to "avoid combat below five thousand metres with Yakovlev fighters lacking an oil cooler intake beneath the nose!" Luftwaffe fighters in combat with the Yak-3 tried to use surprise tactics, attacking from above. Unresolved wartime problems with the Yak-3 included the plywood surfaces coming unstuck when the aircraft pulled out of a high-speed dive. Other drawbacks of the aircraft were short range and poor engine reliability. The pneumatic system for actuating landing gear, flaps and brakes, typical for all Yakovlev fighters of the time, was problematic. Though less reliable than hydraulic or electrical alternatives, the pneumatic system was preferred owing to significant weight savings. In 1944, the Normandie-Niemen Group re-equipped with the Yak-3, scoring with it the last 99 of their 273 air victories against the Luftwaffe. The Model It was quite a surprise when Special Hobby announced a new 1:32 Yak 3 earlier in 2016, but here it is, re-released in Hi-Tech form. The colourful boxart, with a representation of two Yaks shooting down a Bf.109 also shows, in wording in the left hand bottom corner, that this is a Hi-Tech kit. This means that in addition to the seven sprues of bluish grey styrene, two sprues of clear styrene, (not sure if there should be two as they appear identical), there are also a sheet of etched brass, paint masks, and a blister pack of resin parts. All the parts are well moulded with no sign of imperfections or flash, just beautiful, yet quite restrained panel lines, rivets and other detail, where it should be. The fuselage and outer wing panels are smooth of these, as they are plywood. Whilst looking quite a simple build, there is a lot of detail included, particularly in the cockpit with a mixture of styrene, resin and etched brass parts. The rest of the kit looks to be quite straight forward, with no hidden problems. The fact that the instruction booklet is one of the clearest and easiest to read, (are you listening Dragon?), helps. The build itself begins with the assembly of the cockpit, strangely enough, and the fitting of the side consoles with their additional details to the tubular framework of what would constitute the side walls. The moulded rudder pedals are replaced with resin and PE, whilst the eight piece instrument panel, (including the smaller levers etc.), is assembled and detailed with decals for the instruments, a drop of Kleer or aqua gloss will help them stay in position and give them a glassy look. The two piece rear shelf is fitted with a resin radio set, the front bulkhead, with the cannon breech, whilst the joystick is fitted with a PE trigger to replace the moulded part. All the sub-assemblies are then brought together, in addition to another section of tubular frame to build up the cockpit “tub” if you like. The fuselage halves are joined together once the resin exhaust stubs have been fitted and four piece tail wheel assembly, including resin wheel and PE scissor link, has been built up and fitted to the shelf that is attached to one half of the fuselage. The radiator chute is then fitted through the bottom of the fuselage. The tail surfaces are then assembled, each from upper and lower sections and the two piece rudder. The upper wing section is then fitted out with the fuel filler caps which unusually contain decals for what I presume fill levels, I know someone will come to my on these. The lower wing section is fitted with the radiator. The two wing sections are then glued together and the cockpit assembly glued to the centre section of the top wing, then fitted out with the seat, back rest, seatbelts etc. The wing/cockpit assembly is the slid into the fuselage assembly, followed by the forward cowl deck and resin machine gun muzzles. The instrument panel is further detailed with the gunsight and its associated support rail, the coaming and cocking levers for the machine guns. This is then slide into the cockpit aperture, along with two extra side panels. Each main undercarriage is made from a main leg, resin wheel, PE details, shock strut and actuator, scissor link and two outer gear bay doors, before they are fitted to their respective five piece bays, which in turn are slid into the apertures in the lower wing section. The inner bay doors and their associated retraction actuators are then attached, along with the tail wheel bay doors and up lock fittings. The kit being finished off with the fitting of the four piece propeller, headrest, three piece, or optional single piece, canopy, and finally the pitot probe. Decals The two decal sheets provide markings for five different aircraft, although they are all in the same camouflage. The decals are well printed, by Eduard, and look to be in register with good density, important for the white markings and on quite thin carrier film. The markings included are for the following aircraft:- Yak-3, White “6”, of 1 Sqn, Normandie-Niemen regiment, Autumn 1944, Sterkl, Lithuania. Yak-3, White “Double Zero”, East Prussia, 1944 to 45 Yak-3, White “24” Roland De Poype, Hero of the Soviet Union, Eastern Prussia, Autumn 1944. Yak-3, White “22” Asp Pierre Douarre, Le Bourget, France, June 1945 Yak-3, White “4” Lt Roger, (Robert), Marchi, Lithuania, Summer 1944 Conclusion This is really a lovely little kit, and looks like it will be a joy to build, although not without its quirks, such as the main undercarriage bays being completely assembled, with the legs and wheels before being fitted to the wing. It might be best to fit the bays to the wing first and do any filling and sanding they may require, before fitting the undercarriage. Other than that, another nice release from Special Hobby. Review sample courtesy of

Special Hobby is to release late Summer 2016 a 1/48th Junkers Ju-88C-4 kit - ref. SH48177 Variant based on the ICM Ju-88 plastic kit (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234994947-148-junkers-ju-88a-4-a-14-new-variants-by-icm-a-4-released-a-14-release-in-q3-2016/). Source: http://www.specialhobby.info/2016/06/newsletter-special-hobby-july-2016.html V.P.

Mirage F.1B Figure Set 1:72 Special Hobby Special Hobby have released these figures under the CMK label to accompany their new Mirage F.1B kit. The set consist of two standing pilots (one with and one without his flight helmet) and a standing ground crew figure. The pilot figure seem to be just standing there watching the ground crew member frantically fixing something that they probably broke . The figures are very well sculpted with separate arms for the ground crew man. These figures are excellent and just what is needed to bring your Mirage model (or any 1/72 French Jet) to life. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

US Army WWII Figure 1:48 Special Hobby There seems to be fair amount of 1:48 kits around and not not much in the way of extras out there, This figure from Special Hobby under their CMK label is a walking figure carrying a rifle. As much as figures in the scale are welcome, its good that we get one in a non combat pose as well. The figure is well sculpted with separate arms and head. This figure excellent and just what is needed to bring your 1:48 model to life. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Fiat CR.32 Freccia/Chirri 1:48 Special Hobby The CR.32 was an evolutionary development of an earlier Fiat Biplane fighter, and was thrown into the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Nationalist forces against the i-16s of the Republicans. It was renowned for being nimble, and its aerobatic prowess meant that it stayed in service longer than it perhaps should have, as it could still shoot down more modern monoplanes if handled by an experienced pilot. A product of the early 30s, it was already obsolete by the beginning of WWII, but it remained in service with the Italian Regia Aeronautica until well into the way, although its deployment was away from the leading edge of technology, where it still managed to hold its own. Eventually, the remaining airframes in Italian service were relegated to training duties, replaced by modern al-metal monoplanes such as the Folgore. Spain license produced a number of airframes named Chirri, which were essentially the same aircraft with some minor differences, and these fought alongside the Italian-build Freccis, and the remaining airframes were later converted to two-seat configuration and used as aerobatic trainers until the early 50s. The Kit The origin of this kit lies with Classic Airframes in the 1990s, and is now being released under the Special Hobby banner with revised decals and packaging. Inside the box are two sprues of shiny grey styrene, which are showing some signs of age, and could do with a little tidy-up before you commence construction, especially the wings, which seem to have picked up some artefacts over the years. None of this is too taxing however, and the shiny surface shows up any blemishes nicely. Also included is a bag of resin parts that are nicely detailed, although a few had come loose from their casting blocks due to the kicking it probably received in the Christmas post. A couple of the vanes around the nose have been damaged too, but I’m confident that they can be repaired with a little care. A single clear part is provided in its own bag, and the final bag contains the decal sheet, plus two small sheets of Photo-Etch (PE), one of which is nickel-plated and pre-painted. The instruction booklet is A5 on glossy paper and in full colour, with the decaling and painting guide to the rear. First impressions are a little mixed, due to the short-run nature of the Classic Airframe (CA) moulds, and the wing parts being in comparatively poor shape compared to the fuselage, plus the good quality resin parts. That said, this is probably the most mainstream kit of this little fighter now that it is under the Special Hobby name. Construction begins with a choice of tail, with two options requiring the modeller to cut the rudder off the fuselage halves, and both have elevator slots that need opening out before you can proceed. Attention then turns to the cockpit, which is mostly a mixture of resin and PE parts, which should result in great detail when painted sympathetically. As well as the sidewalls being detailed with PE parts, the seat gets a harness, and in the footwell there are a set of PE rudder pedals included. A pre-painted instrument panel lamination is installed at the front of the cockpit tub, which builds into a rounded box that fits between the fuselage halves. The nose is missing from the fuselage halves, and is provided as a single resin part that has excellent detail, especially around the radiator fins and intake. The elevators have their pins to hold them in place, and optional fin-swap is a butt-joint that could benefit from some reinforcement. The lower wings are also butted against their root fairings on the fuselage, so a little judicious pinning would be a sensible option, all of which speaks of the short-run origins of this kit. The windscreen, sighting devices and cabane struts are added to the top of the fuselage, after which the upper wing can be added, with one camo option needing 3.5mm removing from the "nose" at the wing centre. PE actuators for the flying surfaces are supplied all-round, and the small aerofoil-like balances on the ailerons. The wheels, gear legs and spats are all styrene parts, as are the two-bladed prop and spinner, but the under-nose radiator and a pair of small bombs on their carriers under the fuselage are resin, with additional detail possible because of this. Finally, there is no rigging guide included with the kit, but as there is minimal used on this aircraft, a few pictures from different angles should suffice to allow you to plan the process. Markings Four camouflage options are possible from the box, and all of them have some quite complex camouflage, as was often seen on anything Italian during that period. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. From the box you can build one of the following: Fiat CR.32 Freccia 163-10/MM 3518, 163 Squadriglia, Rhodes, June 1940. Fiat CR.32 Freccia V-105 (C.No.315) 1/1. "Ijjázs" vadászszázad (1/1. Squadron "The Archer") early 1939. Fiat CR.32 Chirri 3-61 (C.No.111) Capitán Angel Salas Larrazábal, Leader of Escuadrilia 2-E-3 Aviación Nacional (Franco's rebel air force), Zaragoza, August 1937. Fiat CR.32 Quarter Freccia 160-10/MM.4666, pilot capitano Duilio Fanali, 160 Squadriglia, 12° Gruppo 50° Stormo D'assalto, Tobruk T2 base, July 1940. Conclusion It's an old kit, but it still has the potential to become a good representation of this last-gasp of the biplane age that fought in many combat zones, with a number of well-known pilots. Recommended to the more experienced modeller. Review sample courtesy of

Tempest Pilots & Armament Set 1:32 Special Hobby With the Hi-Tech boxing of the new Tempest II that we reviewed recently, here, included a port armament set amongst the generous box of resin, so it makes sense to release one for the other side, to give people the option of opening them both up. Aircraft often look more "human" with a crew figure to give it a sense of scale too, and here comes a couple just for you. As usual with Special Hobby's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar clear-fronted yellow box, with the resin parts safely cocooned inside, and the instructions sandwiched between the rear header card. Starboard Armament Set (5109) This resin and Photo-Etch (PE) set is used in adding a pair of cannon and their ammo feeds in the port wing, which requires a T-shaped portion of the upper wing to be removed, the resin bays to be constructed and painted in the suggested colours, and inserted from below with PE supports for the edges, and resin panels that can be left nearby to give a more candid appearance to the scene. It is a complete mirror-image of the port bay, as you’d imagine. Tempest Pilot Climbing out of Cockpit (F32317) A beautifully sculpted pilot figure that could equally be climbing into his cockpit as climbing out of it. He has separate arms and head, with an unbuttoned leather flying helmet on his head, and parachute pack bumping the backs of his legs, with one leg on the sill of the cockpit, the other on the wingroot and his hands steadying himself as he enters or exits. A painting guide is also given on the rear of the instructions, using Humbrol codes. Note: the pictures of the figure on the website (link below) seems to show an earlier sculpt of the figure, as the production mould has much improved crispness than the main photo, which also shows the right hand in an unusual position. Tempest Pilot Sitting in Cockpit (F32316) Another fine figure that is moulded to a replacement seat with harnesses in situ, to best reflect the pilot in a seated position. The arms and head are separate, giving some room for personalising the pose, such as turning the head to the side. As with the other figure above, the finished mould is more crisp than the pictures shown on the website, and once painted should look superb. Conclusion Both figures need minimal clean-up, and the attachment points for the casting blocks have been hidden away nicely for the most part, with the head attached on the smooth dome of the helmet to aid tidying up. As usual with resin, take the precaution of wearing a mask when cutting or sanding resin, as the tiny particles are harmful to your health if breathed in. Washing the parts in warm water will also improve the adhesion of paint, as there may still be some moulding release agent on the parts when you receive them. Review sample courtesy of

Evening gang. Been meaning to post up a few photos of this one for a while and finally got some taken in daylight over the holidays. Worked this one up for the Edgar Brooks Tribute Spitfire STGB using the Special Haobby kit and Colourcoats paint along with only a set of Eduard seatbelts added as extras. Other than the seatbelts and a few minor additions such as the throttle cables and flare rack the cockpit was pretty much that found within the kit... I've read horrible stories about how ill-fitting this kit is but can't say I found any major issues that test-fitting and minor adjusting didn't avoid or cure. I've also read that it's inaccurate but other than the wingtips requiring a few minutes reshaping it looks like a Seafire 45 to me. Painted using Colourcoats Enamel range throughout as my first attempt to use this brand of paint and have to say I loved them. Easy to use and forgiving of my clumsy brush and airbrushing techniques. Always wanted to add a Mk.45 to my small but growing Seafire collection and this one has satisfied my desire

Here I present my attempt at the Special Hobby Bristol Beaufort. It was quite a challenging build, and its a bit rough in places but overall I am pretty happy with it. Brush painted with Tamiya and Italeri Acrylics. Finished as an aircraft from 217 Squadron RAF based at Luqa, Malta 1942. According to the markings information with the kit, this aircraft was shot down by a Ju 88 on June 20th 1942. Thanks to all those who followed the build and gave me support and advice. Build thread can be found here. Thanks for looking. There is a map and lamp in there!

With the long summer break almost upon us down under I thought it was time to have a go at something a little more challenging. I picked this up at the swap'n'sell at the local model expo awhile ago and set it aside for when I had time to do it justice. Oh-oh - resin and etch I intend to build it as a Mk1a, DD959 Q of 217 Squadron in Malta, 1942. The colours sound attractive - extra dark sea grey/dark slate grey camouflage over azure blue. My first task will to read carefully this build by @Navy Bird and this one by @CedB for inspiration and hints (I hope they don't mind a little plagiarism). I am also experimenting with using Flickr as Photobucket is getting so frustrating to use - hopefully the photos work out OK.