Search the Community

Short Sunderland Mk.I/II "Flying Porcupine" (SH72438) 1:72 Special Hobby The Sunderland was developed by Short Brothers to an RAF requirement R.2/33 for a long range general purpose flying boat. It is thought Shorts took their work on Imperial Flying Boats to design the Sunderland, however the RAF requirement was released before the Imperial Airways requirements, and Short's decided to pursue both at the same time. The Sunderland would be a large four engined flying boat with both defensive and offensive armaments. The large wings which would mount 4 Bristol Pegasus engine were able to hold 200 Gallons of fuel giving the aircraft a 14 hour range. For defense initially four guns were mounted in a rear turret, two guns in the nose turret, and two guns on each beam. Later a dorsal turret would be added. Offensive weapons were carried internally and winched out under the wings through doors in the aircrafts sides. Later aircraft would also gain 4 fixed forward firing machine guns. German pilots nicknames the Sunderland the flying porcupine and there are numerous cases of Sunderland fighting off superior numbers off attacking aircraft. Radar fitted to these flying boats enabled them to become accomplished submarine hunters. Production shifted to the Mark III in December of 1941. This had a changed hull to improve seaworthiness. With 461 built this was the most numerous mark. The Kit This is a new boxing of the Mark III based on Special Hobby's new tool Mark V from 2019, with new parts for earlier marks. The parts on the sprues enable different marks to be made. In addition for early aircraft this kit contains a small 3D printed set of prop control units as later marks had covers on these. This is an impressive kit with good quality large mouldings and a full interior. Construction starts in the cockpit. The instrument panel and pilots seats are built up onto the deck with the control columns being added. The cockpit bulkhead goes in and there is an additional seat to fit on the bulkhead. At the other side what appears to be the navigators position goes in. The lower deck under the cockpit then is assembled with its bunk areas for crew rest on those long flights. The next stage is to build up the weapons carriers and the rails which winch them out under the wings. 8 bombs are provided. The top and main decks can then be joined and the weapons section added to the rear of this sub-assembly. To the front is added the mooring deck/access to the front turret with a realistic grating effect to the floor, Additional parts can now be added inside both main fuselage halves before you can think about closing them up around the main internal section. The modeler can have the weapons windows open or closed but this needs to be done now as they swing inwards. At the rear of the main cabin the gunners position and access to the top turret parts need then to be added. At the bow the anchor needs to go in. Only once all this is done can the fuselage be closed up. The exterior now needs to be looked at, The main top insert for the turret goes in, then underneath the hull step part is added. Both of these being inserts to allow for the different marks to be kitted. At the rear the vertical fin and separate rudder go on, then the tailplanes, here the moving surfaces are moulded in. The main wings go on next. These are conventional left/right upper/lower surfaces; again the moveable surfaces are moulded in. The wings have large tabs which slot into the fuselage which should help then fit on correctly and not droop over time. If you opted for the bombs slung out under the wings now is the time to add the racks there. We are now on the finishing straight. Still on the main wing the four engines are assembled, each with its own resin exhaust. The two main wing floats then go on. Next up its the gun turrets. All these are fitted from the outside which is a great help when it comes to masking and painting them as separate items. The front turret can be mounted slid back for mooring or in its forward position. The front boarding door can also be open as all the structure behind it is in place. The props and exhausts go on here. The last step is to attach all of the external aerials. Given there are four on the top, eight on each side; and two on the wings it's probably better left until after painting! If wanted by the modeler then beaching gear is provided for the aircraft. Clear Parts These are of the same excellent quality as the other kit parts, and again it can be seen there are parts for other marks on the clear spure. Markings The decals are printed by Cartograf so that guarantees there will be no issues with them. A generous four aircraft can be modelled using the kit decals, Mk.II W3983/RB-R, No.10 Sqn RAAF, Pembroke Wales, 1941. In 1943 this aircraft was damaged attacking a U-Boat and towed in Gibraltar for repairs. Extra Dark Sea Grey/Dark Slate Grey over Aluminum. Mk.II W3981/ZM-W No.201 Sqn RAF, Pembroke Wales,1941. In Dec 1941 she was transferred to Alexandria for transport duties. Extra Dark Sea Grey/Dark Slate Grey over Sky Grey Mk.II L2160/NM-X. No.230 Sqn RAF, Detached to Greece April 1941. Dark Earth/ Dark Green over Sky. Mk.II T9114/E, No461 (RAAF) Sqn, Pembroke Wales 1943. Late Extra Dark Sea Grey/Dark Slate Grey over White High Demarcation Scheme. Conclusion This is great new tool of an important though often overlooked aircraft for the RAF. The kit is very detailed indie and out. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Despite the recent release of the Italeri's Sunderland Mk.I (review: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=234927542), the Special Hobby Short Sunderland Mk.V project seems going on. Some CAD drawings are proposed in ModelForum: http://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=97&p=1362198#p1362198 Future kit reference is SH72162. Wait and see. V.P.

Short Sunderland Mk.V 'Fighting Commies in Europe and the Far East' (SH72162) 1:72 Special Hobby The Sunderland was developed by Short Brothers to an RAF requirement R.2/33 for a long range general purpose flying boat. It is thought Shorts took their work on Imperial Flying Boats to design the Sunderland, however the RAF requirement was released before the Imperial Airways requirements, and Short's decided to pursue both at the same time. The Sunderland would be a large four engined flying boat with both defensive and offensive armaments. The large wings with would mount 4 Bristol Pegasus engine were able to hold 200 Gallons of fuel giving the aircraft a 14 hour range. For defence initially four guns were mounted in a rear turret, two guns in the nose turret, and two guns on each beam. Later a dorsal turret would be added. Offensive weapons were carried internally and winched out under the wings through doors in the aircrafts sides. Later aircraft would also gain 4 fixed forward firing machine guns. German pilots nicknames the Sunderland the flying porcupine and there are numerous cases of Sunderland fighting off superior numbers off attacking aircraft. Radar fitted to these flying boats enabled them to become accomplished submarine hunters. Production shifted to the Mark III in December of 1941. This had a changed hull to improve seaworthiness. With 461 built this was the most numerous mark. Due to concern about increasing weights and the subsequent lack of engine power the Mk.V. In Australia Sunderland crews suggested that the Pegasus engines be replaced by Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp engines. as these were already in use on Catalinas and Dakotas. Initally Two Mark IIIs were taken off the production lines in early 1944 and fitted with the American engines. Trials were conducted in early 1944 and the conversion proved all that was expected. Along with the new engines Hamilton Hydromatic constant-speed fully feathering propellers provided greater performance. Also a Twin Wasp Sunderland could stay airborne if two engines were knocked out on the same wing while. Production was switched to the Twin Wasp version and the first Mark V reached operational units in February 1945. Defensive armament fits were similar to those of the Mark III, but the Mark V was equipped with new centimetric ASV Mark VI C radar that had been used on some of the last production Mark IIIs as well. A total of 155 Sunderland Mark Vs were built with another 33 Mark IIIs converted to Mark, more were planned but the end of the war led to the cancellation of these orders. The Kit This is a new boxing of Special Hobby's new tool Mark V from 2019, now re-released. The parts breakdown on the spures would also indicate other earlier marks are planed as well. This is an impressive kit with good quality large mouldings and a full interior. Construction starts in the cockpit. The instrument panel and pilots seats are built up onto the deck with the control columns being added. The cockpit bulkhead goes in and there is an additional seat to fit on the bulkhead. At the other side what appears to be the navigators position goes in. The lower deck under the cockpit then is assembled with its bunk areas for crew rest on those long flights. The next stage is to build up the weapons carriers and the rails which winch them out under the wings. 8 bombs are provided. The top and main decks can then be joined and the weapons section added to the rear of this sub-assembly. To the front is added the mooring deck/access to the front turret with a realistic grating effect to the floor, Additional parts can now be added inside both main fuselage halves before you can think about closing them up around the main internal section. The modeller can have the weapons windows open or closed but this needs to be done now as they swing inwards. At the rear of the main cabin the gunners position and access to the top turret parts need then to be added. At the bow the anchor needs to go in. Only once all this is done can the fuselage be closed up. The exterior now needs to be looked at, The main top insert for the turret goes in, then underneath the hull step part is added. Both of these being inserts to allow for the different marks to be kitted. At the rear the vertical fin and separate rudder go on, then the tailplanes, here the moving surfaces are moulded in. The main wings go on next. These are conventional left/right upper/lower surfaces; again the moveable surfaces are moulded in. The wings have large tabs which slot into the fuselage which should help then fit on correctly and not droop over time. If you opted for the bombs slung out under the wings now is the time to add the racks there. We are now on the finishing straight. Still on the main wing the four engines are assembled, and added on. The two main wing floats then go on. Next up its the gun turrets. All these are fitted from the outside which is a great help when it comes to masking and painting them as separate items. The front turret can be mounted slid back for mooring or in its forward position. The front boarding door can also be open as all the structure behind it is in place. The props and exhausts go on here. The last step is to attach all of the external aerials. Given there are four on the top, eight on each side; and two on the wings it's probably better left until after painting! If wanted by the modeller then beaching gear is provided for the aircraft. Clear Parts These are of the same excellent quality as the other kit parts, and again it can be seen there are parts for other marks on the clear spure. Markings The decals are printed by Cartograf so that guarantees there will be no issues with them. A generous four aircraft can be modelled using the kit decals, SV566/Z - No. 209 Sqn RAF, Seletar, Singapore 1951-53 Flown by Distinguished Czech Pilot Vaclav Bergman. S.50.4 French Naval Aviation, Lanveco-Poulmic 1951 NJ177/V - No. 209 Sqn RAF, Seletar, Singapore 1953 PP117/4X-W - No.203 Sqn RAF, Detached to Finenwerde, Hamburgh British Zone Of Germany, 1948. This aircraft participated in the Berlin Airlift carrying mainly coal and salt. Conclusion This is great new tool of an important though often overlooked aircraft for the RAF. The kit is very detailed indie and out. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Any chance of the above mentioned kits? I know AModel announced the Lincoln maybe 10 years ago, but nothing came of it. It would be nice to have the military Sunderland and civilian Sandringham as well as the Shackleton in 1/144 as well.

Pend Orielle or pomkit, What great kits they made. I built their 1/48 Mariner a while ago and i loved it. The resin is smooth , and the quality is great. Not up to todays standards but good enough for me. This is their 1/48 Sunderland kit. I have had the Alpha flight one and im really starting to wonder if they bought the pend orielle masters and improved them. Theres some things i recognise , like the cockpit detail. I could not find any info on this kit other than a couple of pics of the box , so was surprised how small said box was when it arrived, Its such a big kit. The fuselage was in quarters and the front parts were warped quite badly , luckily the hot water technique worked out OK so the first thing i have done is to join the front and rear parts to make the fuselage halves.

As a quick aside I have decided to build a Lincoln International 1/152 scale Short Sunderland kit for my club's theme competition "Sink the Bismarck". I thought everyone and their brother would do a Fairey Swordfish so have chosen one of the aircraft that spotted it. I like little odd scale kits so picked the Lincoln kit out of my stash. I started by thinning the inside of the fuselage by the windows and cockpit and rubbing the dots off. Like the Airfix kit which it has many similarities too it is covered with 'rivets' - can't stand them

Hi, Next model this year - Short Sunderland Mk I. This is fameous N9029, which was involved in (following Valka.cz web page) 28.7.1940: dogfight with two CR.42 near Malta (surived). 28.3.1941: NM-V captained by F/Lt A.M.G.Lywood, reported Italian fleet movements leading to the Battle of Cape Matapan. 16.4.1941: evacuation of 'very important persons' including King Peter of Yugoslavia. May 1941: evacuation of British and Greek troops from Crete. 1.1.1943: aircraft failed to return from anti-submarine mission, crew of F/O H.Holcombe was missing. The discussion of painting scheme of her as for end of Greek campaign was here: Just to summarize. basicly in model there are decal for this machine. However, I did her in TSS with blacl undersurfaces (instead of model reccomemndation - but for 1940! - in TLS with black bottoms) and grey serial (set number by number from drawer, in model decals the serial number is white), also side roundels A1 are different then one given by producer (ie. with standard yellow band size). Whole surface was covered with Tamiya putty to fill deep panel lines. Due to her hard life in Med for a year at least I did some hard weathering, maybe too much, but when I started I could not stop Here she is: Many thanks for all who took part in discussion and helped me in final choices! Coments welcome Regards Jerzy-Wojtek

Italeri 1/72 Short Sunderland MkIII, always wanted to build one of these. Nice kit, unfortunately the painting didn't go according to plan, initially started with Tamiya Flat White which thinned with Levelling Thinners lays perfectly, but ran out part way through and finished with Revell Aqua White. What a mistake that was. Totally ruined the finish.. spent days trying to sand it back and find the motivation to finish it, but it never really came back, then topped off with Ultimate Weathering Wash sticking to the gloss surface despite being fully cured and smooth. Haven't added several aerials and rigging which I may add at a later date, but calling this one done before it ends up in the bin. Extremely frustrated. Didn't meet my expectations at all, but I guess with the current climate and worries an occasional unhappy build here and there is inevitable. Lots of lessons learnt on this one.

Hi All Here is my entry to this GB An old Airfix Sunderland in a battered box due to laying around my stash for over 30 years The kit decals are beyond help but I have replacements . Hope to start new Years Day Martin H

https://youtu.be/lgdM3iO4EYU

flashlighting-motorized-scratcgbuild interior

The deadline is OK for me so I hope I would be able to finish this one in time. Anyway I have to build this model before Special Hobby comes with their one so a good excuse. The box art is great, really impressive. The box is not that great as it is very difficult to smuggle home - and you can’t use the popular sentence "oh no darling, not a new kit, I have had this one for ages…" The Eduard masks and Zoom set has been ordered for this beast. And (no surprise here) it will be the Dakar Aeronavale option.

Hi folk's I know this kit is older than me but it was a kit that sat high up on the shelves in the model shop when I was a kid out of reach and out of my budget,so it's about time I built one.I know it's far too long in the tooth with it's rivett's and moving parts but for twelve quid I could'nt resist.I'm doing an OOB build with only a tinker here and there especially the cockpit but more later. Boxing is a Humbrol era gray molding. Quite a large kit when built and the rivett's were not as bad as I expected,decal's OK. Glazing OK shame the cockpit glass is frameless. Among the many pitfall's to come are the way the turret guns are just poorly molded figures with a hole in to which the guns glue but I'll think of something all I want to achieve is a build of the basic kit hopefully finished with my present painting ability so as soon as the Banshee is finished I will make it my Christmas build.

About thirty five years ago while looking around a model kit trader's tent at the RAF Finningley airshow I picked up a small box with a very comical painting of a banana-shaped Sunderland on the front. The box looked like it should contain a jig saw puzzle or chocolates instead of a model kit. I was amazed though when I opened the box, inside was a miniature replica almost piece for piece of the AIRFIX Sunderland moulded in a hard silver grey plastic. The manufacturer was a Hong Kong company named Kader. In the intervening years I have come across a number of other Kader models which seem to be scaled down copies of other kits, such as the FROG Britannia and they are all to odd scales to fit inside a standard box size. About twenty years ago I decided to build this model but to convert it into a Mk1 instead of the kit Mk III. I blanked off the top turret opening and cut out the earlier beam gunners hatches. I then had to alter the hull step from streamlined to stepped. I altered the engine exhausts and did the props in spinning mode. I originally brush painted the model in Humbrol Silver H11 to represent a pre war overall silver aircraft and it stayed in this colour scheme for many years. Then recently I decided to repaint it in the early camouflage scheme of Slate Grey and Sea Grey. That inspiring box artwork Replicated old style AIRFIX instructions and decal sheet. Even the silver grey plastic seems to be AIRFIX. One of my only photos showing my Kader Sunderland in its original silver finish on display with a selection of my other maritime aircraft. And here we are in my model room with references and paints to hand. The 1970 Short Sunderland Profile proved invaluable for the camouflage pattern. First brush painted coat of Humbrol M31 Slate Grey enamel over the Humbrol G11 Silver. First application of Humbrol Satin 164 Dark Sea Grey enamel. I found it a real challenge to try and paint the camouflage pattern to scale on such a small complex model. After both colours had been applied I then decided to try and replicate the worn and chipped paint effect illustrated in the Profile. I carefully scraped the top paint layers away from the underlying silver with a modelling knife. The trick was to try not to get carried away so I carefully scraped away only the areas I could see in the photos. I have also applied the white of the fin flash with Vallejo White. TO BE CONTINUED

ML824 at the RAF Museum Hendon. Built as a Mk.III in belfast in 1944 it was then brought up to Mk.IV standard before leaving. ML824 made 11 operational flights with No.201 Squadron at Castle Archdale, Northern Ireland; totalling 127 hours 20 minutes, comprising ten anti U-Boat patrols and one convoy patrol. She was transferred to The Aeronavale in 1951, serving mainly in West Africa. The French presented the aircraft to the Short Sunderland Trust in 1961 and was displayed in Pembroke Dock. The aircraft was handed over to the RAF Museum in 1968. The aircraft is now on display with the public allowed limited access to the interior. A full history is available here. Pics mine.

Sanger has announced limited run 1/48th Short Sunderland Mk.III and Mk.V multimedia kits due for release in December 2012 January 2013. Etc. Source: http://www.sangereng.fsnet.co.uk/ 1/48th SHORT SUNDERLAND Mk-III 1/48th SHORT SUNDERLAND Mk-V DECAL SHEETS AVAILABLE FOR: RAF SEAC RAAF RCAF RNZAF SAAF RNoAF French Escadrilles Special Markings to your requirements This remind me we are still waiting for the 1/48th V-Bombers announced over two years ago... And I don't speak about the B-52 in the same scale as she doesn't interest me at all. I've the Sanger Boeing B-47 Stratojet in the stash and she looks beautiful. One day... Anyway for deep pockets guys there's (was?) a 1/48th Sunderland resin kit by Alpha Flight: http://www.cybermode...lpha_4817.shtml V.P.

Apologies in advance if these should be their own individual categories and will adapt if so. Here are a selection of my builds involving Flying Boats and Float Planes since restarting model-making a few years back after a break of around 35 years. 1/72 Airfix Junkers Ju52/3m finished as a WHIF, used by the Regia Aeronautica on Rhodes in late 1940 OOB Build. (I had posted this previously in a Junkers thread but seemed appropriate to include it here as well as it has floats! ) 1/72 Airfix Short Sunderland III with Wrapround Camouflage. OOB Build with slight scratch cockpit. Roundels from Original Kit, Lettering from Revell Heyford 1/72 Airfix Supermarine Walrus in USN Colours. OOB Build, but missing canopy glass. WHIF scheme. 1/144 Airfix Boeing B314 'Clipper' in wartime BOAC Markings. OOB Build. 1/72 Matchbox Heinkel He-115 FloatPlane as a Swedish TB-2. OOB Build. Roundels & Lettering from Airfix Mosquito J30 kit This is my first Airbrushed model and really like the finish that can be achieved over (my) brush 1/72 Airfix Auster AOP (kit #01023), represented in a fictional Swiss Flying Doctor scheme. OOB Build with slight cockpit "clutter" added. Decals raided from spares box Lovely little kit to build 1/72 Matchbox Dornier Do G/Do-18 Flying Boat (Kit #PK-409), finished as a Deutsche Lufthansa South Atlantic Mailplane. OOB with slight mods to convert kit to more accurately represent civilian service.

Photo Etch Details for the Italeri Sunderland Mk.III 1:72 Eduard Having built the Italeri Sunderland I, I was very impressed with the kit on the whole, bar perhaps the excessive panel lines which needed some work to tone down. The detail is pretty good, but Eduard being Eduard have released several sets to enhance the new Mk.III kit further. These sets aim to provide both internal and external enhancements as we'll see. Set 72583 Sunderland Mk.III Bomb Racks The Sunderland had a somewhat unusual arrangement for stowing the bombs. A pair of lifting beams locating within the wing structure allowed the bombs to be stowed inside the fuselage. Hinged doors enabled the bomb racks to be guided out under the inner wings when open. This rack assembly is brilliantly recreated in this set with good scale representation of the bomb racks and box frame that supports them. Set 73510 Sunderland Mk.III Interior The cockpit, forward nose compartment & turret and mid upper area get attention in this set. A coloured Self adhesive fret provides a main panel, side walls for the cockpit and overhead panel housing the throttle quadrant & mixture controls. Also included on this fret are seatbelts and a selection of cockpit controls. The unpainted larger fret contains the perforated structure in the nose compartment, additional detail to enhance the front turret interior and the rails around what is the beam gun locations on a Mk.I Set SS510 Sunderland Mk.III Interior The budget alternative for the interior set as per usual is the Zoom set which just provides the coloured self adhesive fret shown above, certainly worth considering for the rather large cockpit that is on show. Set 72584 Sunderland Mk.III Surface Panels If improving the exterior of the kit floats your boat, then the surface panel set may be of interest. The prominent fuel cell covers on top of the wings are catered for on this fret along with many other smaller panels gracing both the wings and fuselage. How the wing fuel cell covers will sit on the kit I don't really know given the quite deep panel lines. They may look better with these particular panel lines filled in. Set 72585 Sunderland Mk.III Exterior Complimenting the Surface panel set is the exterior set. The engines get the triangular cowling framework that sits in front of the large radials. The plug leads are also included, 42 of them, so some patience will be necessary at this stage! The four oil cooler inlet mesh's and intake duct framing are provided for the leading edges of the wings as well as the landing light surrounds. The porthole windows along the sides of the fuselage get treated with the ring surrounds giving a subtle prominent finish. Mask CX396 Sunderland Mk.III In common with the familiar mask sets, this sheet provides masks for all the transparencies on the kit as well as the beaching wheels. With so many windows, this set will alleviate one of them stages I for one don't particularly enjoy! Conclusion Eduard have provided a modular and thorough makeover to make a good kit better in the guise of the charismatic Sunderland. I only wish these sets were available when I built the Mk.I following the in- box review. Perhaps I'll need to get a Mk.III now to put these to good use on! Review sample courtesy of

Totally New: Air New Zealand B777-219ER 2013 Trademark scheme 1/144 and 1/200 RNZAF Sunderland MR Mk V 1950s / last scheme in 1/48 RNZAF Venom FB1 in 1/32 Now available in Digital format: Air NZ B737-200 NAS delivery and NAR interim schemes in 1/72, 144 and 200 Air NZ F27-500F NFD and NFE delivery schemes in 1/72 and 1/144 DC3s - Ministry of Transport, James Aviation (now in 2 schemes), and Pionair in 1/48, 72 and 144 Air National Dash8-100 in 1/72 and 144 Air Chathams and Air Freight NZ CV580s in /172 and 144 DC-3 Warbird ZK-DAK in 1/144 (previously only in 48 and 72) RNZAF UH-1D/H Iroquois – all schemes are now available in 1/35, 48, 72 and 144 RNZAF Bell 47-G Sioux – all 12 schemes now available in 1/32, 35, 48 and 72 RNZAF AESL Airtourer T6, CT-4B Airtrainer, CT-4E Airtrainer – all schemes now available in 1/16, 48 and 72 RNZAF 75th Anniversary supplementary decal sets – C130H in 1/48, 72, 144 and 200th and CT-4E in 1/48 and 72 RNZAF TAF P-51D Mustangs in 1/24, 32, 48, 72 and 144. All available through my website www.oldmodelsdecals.com John Oldmodels Decals

Oldmodels Decals announces the following additions to its DIGITAL range: Ansett NZ Air Freight F27-400 in 1/72 and 1/144 RNZAF F27-120MPA in 1/72 and 1/144 RNZAF Sunderland Mk V last scheme in 1/72, 1/144 and 1/154 (The F27s 1/96 scale decals remain available in the INKJET range) And the following NEW additions to its INKJET range: Grumman G-44 Widgeon – Amphibian Airways Grumman G-21A Goose – Mount Cook Airlines. These are available in 1/48 and 1/72 In addition the existing Widgeon decals (NZ Tourist Air Travel, Mount Cook Airlines, Sea Bee Air, Aquatic & Vintage, and SALT Air) and Goose decal (See Bee Air) on the NZ Amphibians webpage of my site have all been upgraded and some reduced in price. John Oldmodels Decals www.oldmodelsdecals.com

Eduard Photo Etch detail sets for Italeri Sunderland 1:72 Eduard Italeri's Sunderland Mk.I was greeting with great excitement when it was announced last year. Although the treatment of surface details was surprisingly heavy handed, the kit was generally well received. Now Eduard have released a tranche of photo etch detail sets aimed at pushing an already detailed kit a step further. Sunderland Mk.I Interior (Self Adhesive) 1:72 Eduard This set caters for the kits interior, with a natural focus on the cockpit area. The first fret is comprised mainly of pre-painted self-adhesive parts and includes harnesses for the crew seats, replacement sidewalls and sidewall details. There are also details for the centre console, including a full set of throttle levers. A multi-layered instrument panel is also included. Parts found predominantly on the second fret are rudder pedals, details for the backs of the pilots and co-pilots seats and parts for the bomb aimers station. Other internal details are also provided, including parts for the dorsal gunners positions and ring and bead sights for the guns themselves. Sunderland Mk.I Interior (Zoom) 1:72 Eduard This set is comprised of the pre-painted self-adhesive fret from the set reviewed above. Sunderland Mk.I Exterior 1:72 Eduard Surprisingly enough, this fret contains parts for detailing the exterior of the aircraft. As you will no doubt have noticed from the scan of the fret above, frames are provided for all of the windows. Also on the fret are ignition wires and mounts for the engines, frames and meshes for the wing-mounted air intake ducts and oil coolers and aileron control horns. Whilst this fret might not contain a vast number of parts, it should still make a difference to the finished model. Sunderland Mk.I Bomb Racks 1:72 Eduard The Italeri kit includes provision for the Sunderlands retractable bomb racks, but this set from Eduard adds a considerable amount of additional detail. The inward-folding doors are included, as are the internal sliding rails and braces. The fittings in the underside of the wing are included too. The real pièce de résistance, however, are the bomb racks themselves. These racks, once assembled, show off the real benefit of photo etch technology. The intricacy of detail and finesse of detail has to be seen to be believed and is a quantum leap over the kit parts. Sunderland Mk.I Maintenance Platforms 1:72 Eduard This large set could almost be described as halfway between a detail set and a diorama accessory. It is designed to represent the maintenance platforms that retract into the leading edge of the Sunderlands expansive wing. It will require some cutting and bending in order to fit the parts into the wing, but the end results should be well worth it if the pictures on Eduards website are anything to go by. The set is comprised of the portions of the leading edge of the wing which fold down to form the upper platforms, the retractable lower platforms and the broad platforms that fit in front of the engines. Bracing struts for the whole assembly are also included. The overall effect is very convincing indeed. Sunderland Mk.I Surface Panels (Self Adhesive) 1:72 Eduard This set is comprised of a single, fairly large set for the kit’s exterior. It includes a host of self-adhesive panels designed to be applied to the wings and fuselage of the kit, including the prominent outlines of the large wing fuel tanks. Also included are a range of other panels and inspection and maintenance covers. You will have to take care to make sure that the parts are securely attached to the model before you begin painting, but the extra details should be worth the trouble and may even help to improve the appearance of the kits's rather heavy surface detail. Conclusion Heavy surface detail aside, Italeris new Sunderland Mk.I is a rather good kit. In usual Eduard style, these sets will add detail where it counts. Used together, they will transform the kit into a real exercise in superdetailing. The maintenance platforms in particular will turn the kit into a real showstopper. Review sample courtesy of

Pavla have been busy working on improving the new(ish) Italeri Sunderland, and are releasing these sets shortly. We'll have some review samples for you soon, but just to whet your appetites: C 72115 Sunderland Mk.I For Italeri U 72-142 Sunderland Mk.I engine cowlings For Italeri U 72-143 Sunderland Mk.I propellers For Italeri U 72-144 Sunderland Mk.I propeller spinners For Italeri There's also a code V 72-103 with no photo, so I'm guessing that's a maxi-pack of all the above. I could well be wrong though - it happens

Italeri Sunderland After a month or so on the bench, it's finally, well almost complete bar the astrodone and arial wire. The main challenge initially was the heavy panel lines, but plenty of primer and regualr rubbing down has tones them down quite a bit, I'm certainly happy with them, although it will be personal taste I guess. These things suffered a lot of weathering, so I wanted to capture some of this to bring out it's character. As you can see from the picture above of the aircraft I modelled, I've been rather reserved on the paint chipping along the hull and leading edges. Paints were Xtracrylics and Humbrol Aqua Colour matt varnish. Built mostly out of the box, I added some detail here and there such as the rear of the instruments on the panel as this is on show through the greenhouse. It's a good kit, most negative comments have been around the panel lines, but at least it doesn't need a rescribe Anyway, hope you like it... Thanks for looking, Neil