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Convair F-106B Delta Dart 1:48 Iliad Designs (48037) Iliad Designs is a producer of decals, colour charts and books from Canada's capital city Ottawa. This sheet sees them bring us a choice of decals for the new Trumpeter F-106B kit. The first time we have had the B model available in kit form. There are 5 markings for 4 aircraft as 72535 is shown in markings for the Californian ANG, and later when it was used in the flight test programme for the Rockwell B-1. The options are 72514 from the 27th FIS, Loring AFB, Maine 1969. 72535 used during the flight testing programme for the B-1 72513 also used during the flight testing programme for the B-1 72529 from 539th FIS, McGuire AFB, New Jersey, 1961 72535 from the California Air National Guard. This features the State Bear on the tail. Aside from being an interesting collection of schemes, the decals themselves look to be of very good quality. The printing is crisp and sharp, while colours are bold and solid. They look thin and glossy on the sheet, so they should perform well. A smaller correction sheet is included for the 27th FIS one due to a printing error with the main sheet. Conclusion This interesting sheet is nicely printed. If you have the new Trumpeter kit then this sheet will enable you to produce a different aircraft. . Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Akatombo Works project for 2020 is a 1/72nd Convair Model 48 Charger resin kit - ref. Source: http://akatombo.air-nifty.com/akatomboworks/2019/09/post-c03c77.html V.P.

Eastern Express is to release a 1/144th Convair 880 kit - ref. 144144 Source: http://www.pas-decals.ru/forum/novosti/1078-novinki-vostochnyj-ekspress?start=378#36281 Box art V.P.

XFY-1 VTO Pogo 1:48 Lindberg The Pogo was a dead-end offshoot on the Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) family tree, which was designed almost immediately post WWII, perhaps with a little influence from the German Natter? It utilised the recently developed turbo-prop engine driving a contra-rotating pair of paddle-bladed props to remove the torque twist from the brute power of the engine, which would have had catastrophic results in the delicate task of landing the aircraft backwards. The aircraft was a large delta-wing with substantial over-and-under stabilising fins, and four castor-type wheels at the tips to rest on once powered down. The theory was to house one on every warship under a dome, and use them as first-line defence against intruders. The fact that a very experienced and skilled pilot would be need to launch and recoup the vessel was a substantial drawback, and it also struggled to reduce speed once it had gained momentum. The biggest issue however was the art of landing the aircraft tail-first, looking over your shoulder whilst fine-tuning the throttle well before sophisticated computers came into being. Most of the early flights were tethered in order to prevent disaster, but later it converted to level flight and was flown for some time, where the braking issue became apparent. If the other factors has not conspired against it, perhaps air-brakes would have been added, but even with all the technical issues dealt with, it still would have been a very difficult aircraft to fly well. It was put on hold until 1955 when further test flights sealed its fate, resulting in a closure of the programme, with the last flight occurring just a year later. The Kit This is a reissue of an old kit, and as such you should set your expectations accordingly. It is the only option in 1:48 injection styrene however, so its return to availability in the UK is a happy event. The kit arrives in a top-opening box that has one captive side to retain the lid, with a photo of the actual kit on the front and sides. Inside is a confusion of parts in a bag with only "sprue" of sorts the rest of the parts are either loose or attached to a runner on one side, which is conducive to chaffing in transit. Saying that, there is none evident in the review sample, although mould wear has resulted in a reasonable amount of flash around the fuselage intakes and the props, with a modicum present elsewhere. The original production details have been removed from the inside of the fuselage, but the raised panel lines, simplified detail and myriad of raised rivets dates it nicely. The rivet detail is however well done, and raised panels are also present, some of which will sadly be lost during sanding of the seams. Two small decal sheets are included, as well as a single clear canopy part, and a folded A3 instruction sheet, which consists of three exploded diagrams of the airframe, the working contra-prop and the boarding ladder that is also included. The cockpit is bare save from simplified seat with pilot figure, so if you're looking at detailing it, you're going to have to scratch-build a cockpit yourself, as well as consigning the poorly defined pilot to landfill. The fuselage parts close around the pilot and his seat, as well as the prop, although this isn't mentioned in the pictorial instructions, so ensure you read the written section as well. The prop is actually quite interesting, as it includes a working set of gears to make one prop spin in the opposite direction when you push the other. You'll need to do a lot of clean-up to make all this work, as well as sorting out the exterior for cosmetic purposes, but it does look kind of fun to play with. With the fuselage closed, the wings slot into their roots, and as you'd expect they are made up from upper and lower halves, with the castor wheels sandwiched at the tips in bullet-shaped fairings. A pitot probe fits into the nose of the port wing-tip, and that's construction over with once you've added the quite nice clear part to cover up the absence of detail in the cockpit. The framework on the canopy is a little heavy, but not too bad in terms of shape and clarity for a model of this age. You get a simple access ladder to go with the kit, which is made up from eight parts and is surprisingly tall. The tubes have a semi-circular profile, which might be incorrect, as is the shape when compared to some of the photos on the 'net, which show a little more complexity at the bottom, as well as a set of castors and diagonal cross-braces. The support tower that is sometimes seen under/behind the fuselage isn't present, and neither is the odd-looking dolly that it was transported around in the horizontal attitude, but that's a bit much to be expected of such an old kit. What else is missing? Apart from the cockpit, the exhaust is completely hollow, so you can see straight through the aircraft to the back of the prop. There is also nothing behind the intakes on the wing roots, and in the chin-mounted bulge, which once you've cleaned out the flash, you'll be able to see straight through. The spinner cap seems a little snub-nosed, but that's a reasonably easy fix due to the thick plastic in that area. Markings There was only one prototype in natural metal with simple stars-and-bars plus the word NAVY on the wings and fuselage, plus Convair vertically/horizontally on the tails. A serial number is included on the sheet, but I've not seen it worn on any of the pictures I have found, so further digging will be required. The smaller sheet includes some stencils, intake warning triangles in red, and another pair of serials. Perhaps a modern addition to the old sheet? The decals appear to have a little yellowing to the white and the carrier film, which doesn't bode well for ten years down the line, so it might be worth sourcing replacements. Colour fidelity has been skewed as a result of this, although sharpness and register seem good. Conclusion You could describe this as a Curates Egg, but it is simply a product of its time. It is an interesting aeronautical dodo, and represents the total confusion and rapid advancement that was prevalent following the technological race during World War II. The kit is very old, a bit flashy, and basic, but it's the only one in 1:48, which means that it's worth picking up if you fancy a challenge. Afterall, who knows when a new tooling will be forthcoming from anywhere else? There are more modern toolings in 1:72, but if your scale is 1:48, they would look a little silly on your shelves, so what do you do? Recommended for fans of the aircraft who model in this scale. Review sample courtesy of UK distributors for

Managed to get my hands on a really really old kit. This kit is over 30 years old. All the parts are still there and the decals still work but has some issues like silvering. As per kits that old, parts are a rough and not very detailed. Had to spend a lot of time sanding join lines and filling in gaps. Printed decals for the cockpit but realized that the cockpits will mostly be closed anyway, oh well.

Pepelatz is considering to release a 1/72nd Convair VTO Observation aircraft resin kit. Source: https://www.facebook.com/pepelatzmodels/posts/1020831278289154 US ARMY Vertical Take-Off Observation Aircraft Project 1955. V.P.

Fantastic Plastic Models is to release a 1/144th Convair NX-2 atomic-powered bomber concept from 1960 resin kit - ref. The kit is being mastered and cast by Anigrand Craftswork. Sources: http://fantastic-plastic.com/convair_nx-2.html https://www.facebook.com/FantasticPlasticModels/photos/a.320028440935/10156201171510936/ V.P.

The next project is this exciting piece of flying history. I have made a start and have painted the props, unfortunately they look like a great big black blob. Assembled the wings and part of the fuselage which looks nothing like the real aircraft. Some images of the real thing for a bit of a reference. Thanks for looking. Stephen

Hello folks, Introducing my first completed build of 2018, the 1/72 Nostalgic Plastic resin rendition of the Convair YF-102 prototype. It was a chore and a challenge, and had languished to become a shelf queen for a long while. In fact, the build thread for it is over in ARC's "Shelf Queens II" Group Build: YF-102 Build Thread Some of my problems with this kit, as well as crying and gnashing of teeth, may be found there. But, here are the pics: Now, if someone would come out with a good plastic version! Ed

Grand models (http://www.grandmodels.gr/ & https://www.facebook.com/grandmodels.gr ) is to release soon a 1/72nd Convair TF-102 Delta Dagger resin conversion set for Meng kit. Source: https://www.facebook.com/modellingnews.gr/photos/pcb.693583827408683/693582454075487/?type=3&theater https://www.facebook.com/modellingnews.gr/posts/690454244388308 V.P.

After the Dagger (http://www.meng-model.com/index2ss.php?id=168), the Dart! Meng is to release a 1/72nd Convair F-106A Delta Dart kit - ref.DS-006 Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=878210852292240&id=195290177250981 V.P.

She is a poor faded old gal, an original Monogram 1/48th F-102A Delta Dagger with the Case XX wing and I put her together in the early 90's using the kit decals and painted using one of those Humbrol small spray cans which were popular back then, was supposed to be FS36473 'ADC Grey' but I suspect was something quite different. Whatever, the sum of the parts was good and she has been on display in my cabinet until recently however with seven new builds this year I need the space and she has been ousted and is now poised on the edge of the 'shelf of shame'. So what to do? Well, I could bin her, however the original Monogram kit fitted well and all she needs is a little filler. The decals are shot but being Monogram they refuse to peel off. I think I did good work with the complex armaments bay and thanks to the brittle poly cement that I used all the parts have fallen out without too much persuasion. My plan is to attack her with Fairy Power Spray and lots of sanding paper and see what she looks like after that. I do have decals for other Delta Daggers, or I could complete her as a PQM-102A drone, or even as stored in AMARC back in the late 80's. I want to get this done quickly and the end of January deadline of this group build suits me perfectly, I want to start a big project after this. On to the photos Michael

Convair B-36 Peacemaker Warpaint Series No.102 In 1941 the United States had to consider that Britain might lose the war with Germany; most of western Europe had already fallen to the German onslaught and the U.S. viewed the situation that they may have to take up the fight with Germany if Britain fell. The major problem was that America did not have a long-range bomber with sufficient range and load carrying capacity to fly missions to Germany all the way from the USA. Early in 1941 President Roosevelt and his senior military officers looked at the increasing likelihood of fighting on two fronts, with a war against both Germany and Japan becoming inevitable. The USAAF was tasked to investigate designs for a long-range bomber, with the capability of flying bombing missions to German and back from bases in the US. Specifications were sent in April 1941 to aircraft manufacturers Boeing and Consolidated; plus Northrop (who at that time, was an aviation research organisation, looking into the long-range Flying Wing concept) for designs that could achieve 12,000 miles range at a cruising speed of 275 mph, maximum 450mph, and an altitude of 45,000 feet; A bomb load of 10,000lb (pounds) was also specified. Boeing was working at full capacity at this time building their B-17 Flying Fortresses, plus being heavily involved in design work of the B-29 Super Fortress, whereas Consolidated already had an advanced design, based on their preliminary Model 35 specification. As such, it was the Consolidated design that was taken forward for further development. Consolidated presented their design specification for the Model 36 (later to become the XB-36) on 6th October 1941 and a contract was issued to progress on 15th November 1941. The design featured a wing span of 230 feet with an area of 4,772 square feet and powered by 6 Pratt & Whitney 28-cylinder X-Wasp engines. The first mock-up was ready in July 1942, by which time the United States had been brought into the war through Japan's actions at Pearl Harbor, and therefore this aircraft was going to be "born in war"; however, continual design change requirements meant that the prototype XB-36 did not fly until late 1946 and the first production B-36 "Peacemaker" was not accepted into operational service until June 1948, being delivered to the 7th Bombardment Group {Heavy); based at Carswell AFB, Fort Worth. The Book On opening the book you are presented on the first page with a set of four profile images of B-36 colour schemes, beautifully illustrated by Richard J. Caruana. Following this feast for the eyes is the historical and technical descriptive chapters by Kev Darling. The first chapter is both enlightening and interesting, as the narrative plays out the trials and tribulations which caused the B-36 design to take over seven years to finally come to fruition as a fully operational strategic bomber. Throughout the book there are black & white and colour photographs, showing tactical markings and colours that complement the excellent full colour illustrations of Richard's art work. A total of 21 profile drawings are included within the 52 pages, including covers, with some of the profiles showing both sides of the fuselage where details may be different; such as nose-art etc. The centre-page displays a full page plan and profile of a B-36H-1-CF Peacemaker drawn by Richard. This illustration provides virtually all the colour demarcations for a White, grey and natural metal finish and should be of immense help for painting up a model of this aircraft. Well researched and detailed tabulated tables; containing additional data such as technical specifications, production details and operational units, can be found throughout the book. There is also a table defining the kits and their scales, aftermarket parts and decals that have been produced; although I cannot confirm whether these are all still available today. There is also a section on the FICON (FIghter CONveyer) project; the carriage of a straight-winged Republic F-84E, partially fitted into the bomb bay under the fuselage, which would be deployed as a fighter escort if needed. Conclusion The Convair, as the Consolidated-Vultee merger became known, B-36 Peacemaker was a supremely large and awe inspiring aircraft for anyone who got to see it and this book helps to bring over that impression of sheer size and strength; with its six large rearward facing propeller driven engines. Kev Darling provides a fascinating insight into the politics and technical aspects of the struggles to get this behemoth from the drawing board to become on of the United States Cold War bombers. The narratives are beautifully illustrated with full colour drawings from the esteemed artist Richard Caruana and, together, they have brought the story of the B-36 Peacemaker into fully understandable and enlightening publication. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of .

Another Glen Coleman - subliminal or anodyne ? - message in the Kitty Hawk Facebook. Source: https://www.facebook.com/736521713066784/photos/a.736556396396649.1073741827.736521713066784/850409331678021/?type=1&theater To be followed V.P.

Convair 440 Metropolitan 1:144 Welsh Models with Lima November decals Like many twin engine airlinres of the 1940's, 50's, and 60's the Convair 240 started life as a DC-3 replacement, and went through several developments. This version, the 440, was in answer to the Vickers Viscount and featured more soundproofing and aerodynamically improved cowlings. In service with SAS from 1956 to 1976, they were configured with 52-56 seats and operated with an excellent safety record, not one of SAS's fleet was ever lost. (although in 1965 LN-KLE on a crew training flight hit some trees and landed with various bit of branches embedded in it!) An attractive aeroplane, I wanted on in my collection and obtained the Welsh models kit couple of years ago. Of course this resulted in Authentic Airliners releasing a beautiful resin kit once I started mine! I've been working on it 'now and again' for over a year now, and finally finished it off this week. I bought Lima November's lovely decal sheet 'Early SAS Conviar 440's' as I like this scheme best, and also the decal sheet in my kit was the later scheme and incompletely printed anyway. I made my own little engine fronts from rod and card, so that I could have the cowling fronts correctly open. I cut out and glazed the cockpit windows, but because I had used a full 'keel' inside the fuselage halves, you can't see through from one side to the other! Lesson learned. Here she is (pictures are about life-size) Here is one I prepared earlier, Roden's DC-7c also in Lima Novembers SAS decals; And finally, my growing collection of Welsh Models Twin engine airliners; Thanks for looking, John

Pics taken by Darwin at the SAC Museum in Nebraska

Convair F-102A (Case XX) 1:72 Meng Models Roughly a year ago Meng surprised us with a new tool F-102 in 1:72, something a lot of us had been waiting for. The original Kit was the Case X wing. This was reviewed at the time by Paul, and his review can be seen here. Looking at the tooling it was apparent Meng had designed this for the Case XX wing to be made as well. Our wait is now over and the Case XX wing kit is here. As is common with a lot of military aircraft the F-102 was subjected to being constantly upgraded throughout its service life. One of these upgrades was to what we know as the case XX wing. This was an improved design to the leading edge wing camber. The case XX wing had a conical camber along the length of leading edge of the wing which improved trim drag, increased the aircraft's service ceiling; and also gave the added benefits of improved low speed handling and stability. The only differences from the original kit are the new parts for the wing camber on sprue F. Meng have been pretty generous with the decal options in this kit. The decal sheet by Cartograf provides a choice of three aircraft: F-102 061436 - 509th FIS RTAB Udorn, Thailand 1969 SEA Camo. F-102 061363 - 196th FIS, California, USA 1968 ADC Grey. F-102 061448 - 179th FIS, Minnesota, USA 1960's ADC Grey with red wing tips/fin. Each option is illustrated with a four-view full-colour profile as well as a detailed illustrations of the AIM-4 missiles, the drop tanks and their pylons. The decals look nicely printed. They appear to be reasonably thin with colours are nice and bold. The carrier film is so minimal in places that it struggles to be seen. They have quite a matt finish, so Id recommend applying them over a gloss surface and using a decal setting solution, particularly on the larger decals for the vertical tail. One shame is that the USAF and U.S.AIR FORCE titles are in black where they should be insignia blue. For those wanting to build a different aircraft (or more to the point those of us buying more than one!) I am sure Draw decal and Fundekals will be along with more schemes. Conclusion While not as much as a surprise as the original Case X wing the wait for the XX Wing has been worth it. If youve been waiting all these years for a state of the art, accurate kit of the F-102XX, then your patience has finally been rewarded. Overall, Meng have produced a nicely detailed kit which doesn't compromise on build ability. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Convair Delta Dagger F-102A (Case X) 1:72 Meng Models New Release Meng are to release a brand new tooling of this good looking aircraft in 1:72 which was America's first supersonic all-weather interceptor, which will have Meng's usual attention to detail, including the following: The kit offers various painting options which have been strictly verified The best assembly option and precise fit Retractable built-in pylons Canopy can be built either open or closed precise exhaust nozzle Precise model lines completely reproduce the perfect shape of the Area-ruled F-102A aircraft Landing gears and airbrakes can be built either open or closed. If their previous releases are anything to go by, it should be just whate the 1:72 Cold War jet builder is looking for. Don't point your smartphone at the QR (3D-barcode thingy) in the bottom right just yet, as the site isn't quite set up for it, as this is a pre-release photo

Hello folks, I'd like to show you another old kit of mine: Hasegawa's 1/72 Convair F-106 Delta Dart. I used Revell paints and completly OOB. The fiting was ok and I uesd thin sprue to cover the gaps. I hope you like my Dart and If you see somethign that I can do better tell me. Cookie,

B-36J (As B-36H but with strengthened undercarriage and increased fuel tankage, 33 built, some aircraft flew with a reduced crew and no armament apart from the tail guns for high altitude missions) Pics by Darwin from the SAC Museum in Nebraska.

Pics taken by Darwin at the SAC Museum in Nebraska

Pics from Darwin taken at the SAC museum in Nebraska The Atlas was one of the first generation missiles and interestingly enough the famous WD-40 spray can trace it origins back to this missile as it was developed to protect its fuel tanks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SM-65_Atlas The Missile The Launch Console