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  1. So I just wondered if anyone was interested in having a look at how one of the larger scale Helicopters from Kitty Hawk goes together? I haven't seen too many of these beasts on the forum so not really sure what the appetite is for them....also since Kitty Hawk's gone tits-up I'm guessing probably not much!? Anyway I've built a couple of these things now and love building them and wanted to add a another to the little nest of Hawks so thought I'd give the Ocean Hawk a bash. Okay, this will be the 1/35 Kitty Hawk SH-60F Kit Number KH50007...will probably add a few bits and here and there and intend doing it with the blades at full extension rather than folded...I think they look kindda sad and dejected with the wings folded...these are Hawks...they're mean looking sweethearts so I like to have them in all their glory. Just puzzling over which scheme to do though....was thinking of this one.... or but not sure as sometime next year I'm planning to build the HJ-60 Coast Guard version...so it'll be a make it up as I go along sort of thing. This beast will probably take several months as I'm a pretty slow builder but I think the idea will be to point out some of the oddball things about the kit and the parts and play around with scratch building some bits and bobs...nothing major. Anyway I'll start putting together some piccies and stuff as I go along. Thanks for looking Cheers
  2. Hi All, this is my version of the 1:35 Kitty Hawk, Black Hawk - HM-60L.....sorry bout the photos I promise to get a better camera....wanted to try this out as painting something that's supposed to be totally black and make it not look totally black and boring was maybe an interesting challenge....yeah so....anyway make what you will of this thing... Thanks for looking Cheers
  3. Hi, so this is my version of the 1/35 Kitty Hawk MH-60R in the HSM-35 "Magicians" colors. Sorry about the photos they're pretty crappy....must get a new phone....iThingy....camera....whatever the hell they are nowadays had a play at doing some of the lines/connector whajamcallums on the rotorhead......meh.....it's okay for a first smash. got a few more of these so will get it right next time A few of the interior bits and bobs before it was zipped up... This is the overhead cockpit panel...whatever its called.... this is some sort of in-flight entertainment system???....bomb droppy thing....god knows...I sort of jazzed it up a bit as the side was just a blank wall of plastic which was a bit boring ....anyway.....was a ballache to do as its so damn tiny....but fun.... This is the interor....the spidery thing on the left....that was ridiculous....on the sprue it was almost a solid chuck of plastic that had to be surgically removed....that weren't fun..... Cockpit....bog standard really.... same again....sans chairs.....thing about me is I'm totally crap with decals and the kit comes with this decal set of the instrument panel....sod that....tried me best and didn't use them Overall view of the inside bits and stuff..... Anyway that's enough for now...thanks for looking!! Next one is the US Coast Guard "Jayhawk" - the Astoria one. Got all the conversion stuff/decals from Werners Wings so looking forward to doing that. Cheers all Alan
  4. This is sort of a book mark for now….not 100% committed to building this or joining this GB at the moment. Have quite a few builds to clear off the bench first….as can be seen…. ….but I need to get at least a couple off the bench before I starts this build. Normally the model comes first, but this time the decals were the first thing I bought about 2-3 years ago, and not 100% sure why I did! There were plenty of the Kitty Hawk models around until the shut up shop then they became impossible to find at any reasonable price!! I was already to sell them when this one showed up at my local club meet in June this year…and at a nice price as well. It’s quite a big model and there’s lots to it……..and being a Kitty Hawk model it’ll be a super pain to build!!! There were some nice schemes out of the box, the one with the undercarriage did grab me… ….but she will be a RAAF bird, either the later Camo versions or possibly the Yellow Artic one, though a single solid colour scheme can be hard to get right, but it would certainly be different! Anyway as mentioned this will be a place holder for now, but with luck I should be able to start this build close to the start of the GB.
  5. Hi All, I built this Kitty Hawk 1/48th Su-35 recently, it was basically an experiment really, just to see how to go about replicating the heat staining (I assume that's what it is?) on the engines and tail stabilator. I have no idea what is causing the colouration on the stabilator but again assume its heat stress?? I think it turned out okayish but if anyone has any thoughts on the result I'd appreciate your hints and tips on improvements! Sorry about the photos they're not the best in the world but thanks for looking Cheers
  6. Hello! For my second appearance on this sympathetic forum, a little drift from my theme (USAF Jets, 1/72): The Kitty Hawk T-6G2. Why this kit? simply because I had a "shock" during one of my travel back in France to see in a model shop this kit with the illustration of my dad aircraft flew in the 50's. So I decided obviously to buy the box and build the model for him. Back in history, my dad flew the T-6G2 during the Algerian war at "EALA 13/72". During this period, it was common for metropolitan fighter pilots to re-enforce close air support units in Algeria for a short term. So my dad, coming from EC 1/5 "Vendee" did a tour at EALA 13/72 where he flew T-6G2 114-440 WI and he was shot down by rebel ground fire: a single "golden BB" hit one of the two propeller blades, seizing the whole engine. He capsized during the belly landing but escaped with minor bruises. Building this model was a long journey because I wanted to make it "first class" for him. After opening the box, the kit seemed awesome but a closer examination revealed that it is far from being flawless. I did a lot of work to correct all the mistakes, especially in the wheel wells (wrong shape) and L/G, the rear portion of the fuselage after the canopy (way too thin), armament (wrong), etc... The cockpit and its inner framing have been completely re-designed, KH made a lot of mistakes here. I replace the propeller by a correct one (I forgot the manufacturer name) and the engine (resin). (If somebody is interested I have the full list of correction to be made to have a decent T-6G). To add some twist to the build, I open the port fuselage panel to show the inner details. Thanks God documents are plenty. I selected a yellow bird my dad flew also (he crashed in an aluminium-painted aircraft) because of the big shark mouth, the trademark to this squadron. The paint scheme is a mix of different yellows to mimic the faded "trainer yellow" applied originally in US when the aircraft was delivered to France. Also, I painted all the roundels and codes and obviously the shark mouth because the decal proposed by KH is wrong. Here are the pix (sorry for the poor quality: The true bird: My dad aircraft: Hope you will enjoy this kit!
  7. #21/2021 So, my dad has finally finished his mojo killer. The Kitty Hawk kit looks good in the box but is no beginners kit. Many parts don´t fit good, pins don´t fit in their holes....so if you build it, dryfit everything. Well, it didn´t turn out perfect (which kit does?), some glitches, but better than landing on the shelf of doom or in the trash. Kitty Hawk first released the French Jaguar and then the British one. The only thing Kitty Hawk did was changing the nose, the rest of the kits are the same. So my dad had to add the position/formation lights on the "bar" of the vertical stabilizer. Furthermore he reshaped the French pylons to the British form, using the Airfix kit parts as template. The British ones are shorter/smaller and not as pointy as the French ones. Regarding the loadout, if you want to build a Desert Storm version you can only use the two Sidewinders, the single fuel tank, the two BL-755 cluster bombs and the PHIMAT chaff dispenser. The rest of the kit weapons are useless for that. Sadly no AN/ALQ-101 included in the kit, bought a resin piece from Flightpath UK. The kit´s seat is too tall. For closing the canopy you have to remove some plastic of the kit´s bottom. Used lead wire to add some lines to the landing gear legs. Kitty Hawk only provides the earlier two antennas after the cockpit. "Sadman" already had the later style single antenna, did some scratchbuilding there. There was some kind of "adapter" between PHIMAT and pylon, no such thing in the kit, used a piece of plastic. Painted the whole thing with a mix of sand and flesh. Kit decals used, only the little "Q"s on the vertical stabilizers came from Xtradecal. Build thread here https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235093580-operation-granby148-sepecat-jaguar-gr1a-raf/ DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0003 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0004 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0005 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0006 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0007 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0009 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0010 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0011 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0012 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0013 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0014 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0015 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0016 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0017 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0018 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0019 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0020 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0021 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0022 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0023 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0024 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0025 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0026 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0027 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0028 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0008 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr
  8. Haven’t posted on here for a while. This is one of a pair I did simultaneously last year (the other one motorised with sound) but I called it finished before I weathered it, and last week I decided to finish it so here it is. Used the Aires resin cockpit. Not the easiest kit I ever made. Quite poor fit in places. Anyone who builds one should know the guidance about weight in the nose it out by a factor of about 2, hence the bodged tail strut! Thanks for looking
  9. One of my dad´s excursions to the modern jet world. DSC_0001 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr DSC_0002 by grimreaper110, auf Flickr
  10. Hello guys! Today I received this awesome kit, Kitty Hawk's DB Super Etendard in 1:48. As you can see, the box is full of plastic, most of that plastic is dedicated to the weaponry and fuel tanks. A small photoetch fret is included with the kit. Because I don't have a very good experience with Chinese decals, I bought two sheets from Calcas del Sur for the Kinetic SuE, but I assume they'll work just fine with this kit. Anyways, I hope to be able to post regular updates for this kit (I haven't seen many build reviews of KH kits on the internet).
  11. SH-60F Oceanhawk (KH50007) 1:35 Kitty Hawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was the Military designation of the S-70 design which was the winner of the US Army's 1970's competition for a twin engine medium lift helicopter to replace the UH-1. Following tradition it was named "Black Hawk" after the Native American leader and warrior of the Sauk tribe. Following the original UH-60A there have been many improvements and variants of the original airframe. Following the competition for replace the Seasprite which was won by the SH-60BSeahawk; the USN Navy then found itself in a position of needing to replace the venerable Sea King in the anti-submarine role. Again there were various submissions but Sikorsky came in a with a new version of the Hawk family the SH-60F. This helo would differ from the Seahawk by not having the search radar or MAD boom, but having a dipping sonar system and six tube sonar buoy launcher. As well as anti-submarine duties they were uses as plane guards and for shore side rescue. These have now been replaced in service by the MH-60S. The Kit This is a new tool from Kitty Hawk, like other members of the family it shares sprues with the other kits, The kit arrives on 13 sprues of plastic, two clear spures, a sheet of PE, and three sheets of decals.. The large box is fairly stuffed with plastic! some parts are common sprues for other versions so there will be a lot of parts left over. The first thing to strike you when you open the instruction booklet is the first 5 stages are blank! They are misprinted along with further pages of the booklet. Now this is the third one of these large Naval Helos to be reviewed and they have all had issues with the instructions. I would say that KH really need to address this issue as from their Facebook page it becomes clear they have shipped to customers like this. Construction then starts with the main cabin which is in effect a module which will fit inside the fuselage. We start with the floor and opening up of various holes for the internal fixings. The central well for the cargo hook is boxed in, then the centre console for the cockpit is added. Three main seats must now be built up for the pilots and the rear sensor operator; PE belts being provided for these. The cabinets and consoles for the rear position are then built up and installed on the left side, and the six shot sonar buoy launcher goes on the right in the area occupied by the radar avionics for the SH-60B. At the front end the main control panel goes instruments being provided as decals). Behind the rear operator the sonar buoy launching rack goes in, and behind that the rear bulkhead. The pilots controls need to go in and the left & right sides go on. Two additional seats go in the rear these hang from the cabin roof. The bulkhead separating the flight crew area and the rear area needs to be fitted in followed by the side parts. The cabin roof then needs to be fitted to the main module, at the front of this is the pilots overhead console where again instruments are provided as decals. The cabin module is then complete and can then be placed inside the fuselage halves. There are a large number of holes to be opened up before fitting this and rear wheel assembly (much further forward on the Naval helos) must be installed at this time. Once the cabin is built up attention then moves to the engines. There is quite a lot of detail here as two complete engines are built up along with all the internal structure. These are all fitted into the roof of the engine house. Gearboxes to the main rotor are added along with the exhausts. The intake assemblies are also built up and added. If wanted the external covers can be added, or they can be left off for maintenance dioramas etc. To the top of the housing antennas are added. The main glazing now needs adding along with all the doors and external pylons and fittings. including the over door winch. The landing gear sponsons and the gear itself then needs to be built up and added to the main fuselage. Other sponsons and rack are also added for the armament. For this version the tail is separate and can be attached in the normal or folded positions. The large rear stabiliser is then made up and added along with the tail rotor. Unlike the SH-60B the instructions for folding the tail are better here. The rotor head must now been built up. This being a Naval helicopter the blades can be folded and the instructions do show some detail of how to do this, but again they are not the best for this area. If making an armed version the kit contains torpedoes and external fuel tanks. If Again unlike the SH-60B these are shown in the instructions as well as how to hang them. Also at this point there is what looks to be a 7.62mm door gun and mount which can be built and added if needed as part of your chosen decal option. Decals The decal sheets are in house and should pose no issues. The main sheet (which is rather large) provides the colourful main markings. These have been developed by Kitty Hawk in collaboration with Shayne Meder who did the real artwork on these aircraft, so there should be no issues there. A smaller sheets provides cockpit and other details, and a sheet with colourful graphics. From the box you can build one of six helos NAS Fallon Rescue HS-7 Dusty Boys Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (Camo Helo) HS-4 Black Knights HS-14 Chargers US Navy COMSEVENTHFLT (VIP Green) Conclusion The plastic looks great, and it should build up into an impressive looking helicopter. There is much to recommend this kit in terms of the quality of the parts and the available options, however it is let down again by the instructions. Overall though recommended to those who want a modern tooling of this Helo and are prepared to put the work into the research and building of the kit. Not for the faint hearted or those who want a quick / easy build. Review sample courtesy of Available soon from major hobby shops
  12. SH-60B Seahawk (KH50009) 1:35 Kitty Hawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was the Military designation of the S-70 design which was the winner of the US Army's 1970's competition for a twin engine medium lift helicopter to replace the UH-1. Following tradition it was named "Black Hawk" after the Native American leader and warrior of the Sauk tribe. Following the original UH-60A there have been many improvements and variants of the original airframe. During the 1970s the US Navy began looking for a replacement for its Kamen SH-2 Seasprite which was used by the Navy as its platform for the Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System (LAMPS) MK.I system. The new avionics of the LAMPS Mk.II needed a bigger airframe. After looking at a variety of airframes the USN decided on a maritime version of the S-70. The biggest changes being the addition of a folding tail, and main rotor assembly for ship board operations. The S-70B would be designated the SH-60B. Also added to the helicopter for Naval operations would be a sonar buoy launcher, emergency floatation system (later removed), and the left hand door of the UH-60 was removed. The new helicopter would keep an 83% commonality of parts with the UH-60. The prototype fist flew in 1979 with production deliveries beginning in 1983. The Kit This is a new tool from Kitty Hawk, like other members of the family it shares sprues with the other kits, The kit arrives on 12 sprues of plastic, two clear spures, a sheet of PE, and two sheets of decals.. The large box is fairly stuffed with plastic! some parts are common sprues for other versions so there will be a lot of parts left over. Construction starts with the main cabin which is in effect a module which will fit inside the fuselage. We start with the floor and opening up of various holes for the internal fixings. The central well for the cargo hook is boxed in, then the centre console for the cockpit is added. Three main seats must now be built up for the pilots and the rear sensor operator; PE belts being provided for these. The cabinets and consoles for the rear position are then built up and installed on the left side, and a box which contains avionics fits to the right side with a gap down the middle to reach the pilots. At the front end the main control panel goes instruments being provided as decals). Behind the rear operator the sonar buoy launching rack goes in, and behind that the rear bulkhead. The pilots controls need to go in and the left & right sides go on. Two additional seats go in the rear these hang from the cabin roof. The cabin roof then needs to be fitted to the main module, at the front of this is the pilots overhead console where again instruments are provided as decals. The cabin module is then complete. Once the cabin is built up attention then moves to the engines. There is quite a lot of detail here as two complete engines are built up along with all the internal structure. These are all fitted into the roof of the engine house. Gearboxes to the main rotor are added along with the exhausts. The intake assemblies are also built up and added. If wanted the external covers can be added, or they can be left off for maintenance dioramas etc. To the top of the housing antennas are added. The main rotor head is then built and the blades added. Now here is where Kitty Hawk and their instructions let us down. The parts are in the kit to support the rotors when folded, however there is nothing in the instructions to show how the rotor head needs to be configured for folding blades. The main cabin module can then be places inside the fuselage halves. There are a large number of holes to be opened up before fitting this and rear wheel assembly (much further forward on the Naval helos) must be installed at this time. The main glazing now needs adding along with all the doors and external pylons and fittings. There are optional structures such as a FLI turret for the front, but nothing is mentioned in the instructions about which option is for which decal option. The MAD and its pylon go on as well as the main landing gear and its mounts. For this version the tail is separate and can be attached in the normal or folded positions. The large rear stabiliser is then made up and added along with the tail rotor The complete top section and rotor can then be added to the main fuselage and the underside radome is added. Again here the instructions do not really explain how to attach the folded tail section very well. If making an armed version the kit contains torpedoes and external fuel tanks. If you are looking for how to attach these in the instructions then dont bother nothing is mentioned at all for this. Decals The decal sheets are in house and should pose no issues. The main sheet (which is rather large) provides the colourful main markings. These have been developed by Kitty Hawk in collaboration with Shayne Meder who did the real artwork on these aircraft, so there should be no issues there. A smaller sheet provides cockpit and other details. From the box you can build one of six helos YSH-60B LAMPS - Prototype Helicopter USN HSL-41 "Seahawks" - USN HSL-43 "Battle Cats" - USN HSL-45 "Wolfpack" - USN HSL51 "Warlords" - USN SH-60B From the Spanish Navy Conclusion The plastic looks great, and it should build up into an impressive looking helicopter. There is much to recommend this kit in terms of the quality of the parts and the available options, however it is let down again by the instructions. Overall though recommended to those who want a modern tooling of this Helo and are prepared to put the work into the research and building of the kit. Not for the faint hearted or those who want a quick / easy build. Review sample courtesy of Available soon from major hobby shops
  13. MH-60S Knighthawk (KH50015) 1:35 Kitty Hawk The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk was the Military designation of the S-70 design which was the winner of the US Army's 1970's competition for a twin engine medium lift helicopter to replace the UH-1. Following tradition it was named "Black Hawk" after the Native American leader and warrior of the Sauk tribe. Following the original UH-60A there have been many improvements and variants of the original airframe. The MH-60S is the US Navy's replacement for the venerable Sea Knight. Unlike other naval versions of the 60 the MH-60 is not based on the original S-70.SH-60B platform but the UH-60L platform, but still with Naval features. The airframe is in reality a hybrid with twin sliding doors from the UH-60 airframe with the engines, gearbox and rotor from the SH-60. They also have the integrated glass cockpit from the MH-60R along with some of the avionics and weapons systems. The Kit This is re-boxing of the MH-60L which was a complete new tool from Kitty Hawk, The kit arrives on 15 sprues of plastic, two clear spures, a sheet of PE, decals, additional resin parts; and not least the two large fuselage halves. The large box is fairly stuffed with plastic! some parts are common sprues for other versions so there will be a lot of parts left over. As mentioned before starting the kit the modeller needs to decide which version they are doing. The instructions shipped with the kit are a complete mess they have some pages from the MH-60S boxing and some from the HH-60 boxing. New PDF ones can be obtained from Kitty Hawk but quite honestly these are not great as well. They show the sand filters being fitted though looking at reference photos not all the decal options had them. There is also included in the kit an excellent resin and PE M197 cannon for mounting on the side as per the box art. This does not feature at all in the instructions! The parts for stowing the folded blades are also included in the kit, however there is nothing in the instructions for this, and there seems to be no way to fold the tail, something I feel should have been included for a Naval Helicopter model of this size, complexity and cost. Construction starts with the main cabin. The centre console for the cockpit is added along with the control columns and pilots seats. The main and overhead panels go in with all faces provided as decals. In the rear the lifting well is boxed in. The rear seats, and those directly behind the pilots go in and then the cabin roof can go on. The internal side structures are then added to this module. Once the interior module is complete the main fuselage can be closed up around it, not forgetting to add in the tail wheel assembly. The main front screen can then go on along with the pilots doors and the main doors (though I suspect these will be left off until later). The main wheels and there support brackets can now be added on. Once the cabin is built up attention then moves to the engines. There is quite a lot of detail here as two complete engines are built up along with all the internal structure. These are all fitted into the roof of the engine house. Gearboxes to the main rotor are added along with the heat diffusing exhausts. The intake assemblies are also built up and added. Take a note from your references as to whether or not the sand filters are needed. If wanted the external covers can be added, or they can be left off for maintenance dioramas etc. To the top of the housing antennas and the IR jammer are added. The main rotor head is then built and the blades added. There is no option to fold the blades though this should not be too hard to do if the modeller wanted to. IR suppressing exhausts are also included in the kit, though again I have seen aircraft operating with and without these so again the modeller will need to check their references. The large rear stabiliser is then made up and added along with additional tail parts. At the front various antennas and sensors are added. The front FLIR turret and its mounts are made up and added. There are a few options here with no explanation so sounding like a broken record its back to your references. The rotor head is added to the engine housing at this point though I suspect most modellers will leave it until the end. A note on the rotor head I have seen on facebook that some parts of it are moulded back to front and will need to be cut off and repositioned to make them right. Again check your references or the discussion on KH FB Page! If making an armed version the stub wing assemblies for each side need building up and the appropriate weapons adding. The kit provides a lot of different options NONE of which are covered in the instructions along with no details of how to fit the stub wings or pylons. Decals The decal sheet is in house and should pose no issues. The main sheet (which is rather large) provides the colourful main markings. These have been developed by Kitty Hawk in collaboration with Shayne Meder who did the real artwork on these aircraft, so there should be no issues there. A smaller sheet provides cockpit and other details, though I detect a slight shift where the yellow has been overlaid on the white. From the box you can build one of four helos HSC-6 Screamin Indians HSC- 21 Blackjacks HSC-7 Dusty Dogs HSC-3 - Merlins SA07 To commemorate the 2011 Centennial of US Naval Aviation, this helo was painted as a 1950s era HU-2 Sea Blue scheme. Conclusion The plastic looks great, and there is an impressive array of weapons included. There is much to recommend this kit in terms of the quality of the parts and the available options, however it is let down badly by the instructions even if you manage to get a copy of the correctly printed ones, Overall though recommended to those who want a modern tooling of this Helo and are prepared to put the work into the research and building of the kit. A lot of options are doable from the box with the correct research. Not for the faint hearted or those who want a quick/ easy build. Review sample courtesy of Available soon from major hobby shops
  14. Sukhoi Su-30SM Flanker-H (KH80171) 1:48 KittyHawk The Su-30 was a development of the Su-27 with two branches of development being carried out simultaneously, one manufacturer making export versions for China and other countries, while the Irkut Corporation that are based in Moscow handled the Russian airframes and those for other Allies, both under the over-arching banner of the Sukhoi name. The Russian variant is the SM, which is the subject of this kit. It has small canards for manoeuvrability, to which is added vectored thrust from the twin engines, which are capable of adjusting the angle of the exhausts up to 15o in half a second, giving it even more agility that is great for airshows as well as useful in dogfights. SM stands for “Serial Modernised”, which fortunately for us starts with the same letters in Russian too. A few vanilla Su-30s entered service, and over a hundred SM later joined them, becoming operational in 2018, although they did take part in the 2015 Russian intervention in Syria, performing some low-risk missions and more than a few low-intensity combat sorties according to Western intelligence. The SM is also flown by the Russian Knights that are often seen at airshows, so up until this year’s Covid-related show cancellations, a lot of airshow-goers will have seen them hanging in the sky on their exhausts. The SM is to be joined by the SM1 that has more powerful avionics and engines, standardising on the same power plants that are fitted to the Su-35 along with other aspects of its service and repair envelope to reduce costs while improving availability of both qualified technicians and therefore airframes. Delivery of these airframes should begin in 2021, with a further updated SM2 following along after a contract for a small number was signed in 2020. The Kit This is part of the new range of Su-27 and Su-30s that are arriving this year from Kitty Hawk. It turns up in KH’s usual sturdy top-opening box, and includes eight sprues and two fuselage halves in grey styrene, two sprues of clear plastic, a sheet of Photo-Etch (PE), a pair of exhaust nozzles in resin that are kept safe in a small plastic box. The decals and instruction booklet complete the package, with colour profiles on the inside cover and in the centre of the booklet. All the sprues are individually bagged, and there is a huge amount of detail moulded into this kit, with a pair of engines included, along with a detailed painting guide and access hatches to show them off, a very nice cockpit with lots of parts and decals for better detail, a full representation of the N011M Leopard phased-array radar and avionics black box in the forward fuselage. Construction begins conventionally with the cockpit, specifically the two RD-36 ejection seats, each made from eleven parts, PE belts for both crew members, plus their four-part rail and bulkhead assemblies. The inner facets of the side consoles are moulded into the dual cockpit tub, with the outer sections added separately, with the bulkheads, seats, control columns, main instrument panels and decals, rudder pedals, rear seat coaming, and the jack for the canopy installed at the rear. The preparation of the interior continues with the avionics ‘black box’ and the nose gear bay assemblies, plus two intake trunk sections that form the bulkhead in front of the engine faces, which are made next. The engine housing is made up from two halves, and inside is the front and rear fan with the rear bullet fairing surrounded by the afterburner ring, and the various external ancillaries taking up a further nineteen parts for each power plant. These are then dropped into their sponsons in the lower fuselage along with the aforementioned bulkheads and blanking plate to the sides, then two small brackets linking them together. The main gear bays are next to be put together, filled with good detail in just three parts, then they, the nose gear bay, radar box and cockpit are all fitted inside the lower fuselage, joined by the canards that slot into their sockets and are trapped in place by the top fuselage. Also trapped is the ‘beaver-tail’ or ‘stinger’ that extends the fuselage between the engines and has a number of important sensors and self-protection features inside. The top and bottom portions are joined over a representation of the braking para-pack, then seven PE parts representing the chaff and flare pods and two small blade antennae are glued into place in their recesses, with the resulting assembly trapped on pins inside the rear of the fuselage during their mating. Curiously isolated from the making of the rest of the cockpit, the HUD with separate glazing and push-button panel is made up, then set aside for a while as you make up the front sections of the twin engine nacelles. The main skin has ramps and louvered auxiliary intake fitted to the floor, then in the roof is another ramp, plus the lower half of the trunking. They can be set either closed or open to suit your needs, and of course there are two to make up. They are attached to the lower fuselage after adding the HUD and demisting hosing to the cockpit aperture, then after that the GSh-30-1 autocannon is glued into the recessed bay and covered by its door, with just the muzzle left visible. The nose is then tipped with an angled adapter panel that covers the avionics equipment made up earlier, and this can be posed open by adding two struts and a bracket, or closed by omitting these parts. At the rear the para-pack door is able to be posed open with pack showing, or closed using the same parts. The two upper access panels on the forward section of the engine bulges are dropped into the holes or left off to expose your hard work, with the central air-brake at the rear of the cockpit hump again able to be shown open or closed by using the ram that is included to prop the brake at the correct angle. A pair of sensors are then installed on the outer sides of the engine nacelles. This picture shows one nozzle with the flash removed to show off the internal detail The included resin exhaust nozzles have them angled down to depict maximum deflection in that direction, and these parts have a sheet of flash covering the open end that you should carefully cut from the part before washing and painting. Take care with cutting too close, and add back the steps on the interior of the petals with a sharp blade or file before you wash them to remove residual mould-release agent. They mount on a lug to ensure they are fitted the correct way, and are noticeably longer than the unused plastic exhausts on the sprues, which are marked Su-27. The wings have the usual tab and slot fit, and have separate front slats and flaps, two-part elevons and strakes just under the pivot-point. The landing gear struts are fairly complex on the real thing, and the detail has been replicated by using separate parts for the top, the oleo-scissors, brake assembly and ancillary brace, topped off with a two-part tyre that has the hubs moulded-in, and the two bay doors each having their own struts to hold them at the correct angle. The nose gear strut is similarly complex with separate top, three landing lights with clear lenses, additional details, and one large bay door that has a cylinder on the inside face, with a retraction jack set deep into the bay. The twin wheels are each single parts and are surrounded by a louvered mudguard at the rear. There are a large number of sensors in the Su-30SM, with many blade antennae around and under the nose, and aft onto the LERX and cockpit hump. The refuelling probe is also found on the port side of the nose, and that too can be posed open or closed, the latter requiring the aft section to be removed so that it sits semi-flush inside its receptacle. The radar gives you a choice of two flat sensors, which are both nicely detailed and fix to the bulkhead in the nose, to be covered with the radome and probe or not, depending on whether you are showing the nose tipped up for maintenance. The canopy is moulded as a single part and is very clear, but has a couple of very small sink-marks in the “b-pillar” vertical frame where there are contact point for the interior structure. As a result, the “glass” portion dips ever-so slightly as it approaches the frame, which will be difficult to do anything about without taking your life in your hands. It is small, so could well be ignored, and will be further obfuscated by the internal frame that is fitted from inside along with the rear section where the canopy attaches to the aircraft. A set of rear-view mirrors are also attached to the inside, which should look good with some Molotow liquid chrome applied to the mirror area. The windscreen part is separate and has two thin kinked PE strips added to the inside before fitting, which would be best attached with some clear acrylic gloss such as Klear. In front of the windscreen is the OLS-30 laser-optical locator system (think IRST with extras) in a bullet-shaped housing that has a clear lens and aerodynamic fairing so that it blends in with the windscreen. The airframe is completed by the twin fins with moulded-in rudders that have fairings added to the rear and a small insert fitted to the leading edge to complete the intake there. A pair of wingtip rails with tiny tip lights are added to the wings, with a dual-rail pylon included for under each wing. No weapons are included for a change, but if you have any of KH’s other Russian/Soviet kits, you’ve probably got plenty on hand already. Markings There are three decal options on the supplied sheet, which are protected by a ziplok bag and coated paper during transit and storage. From the box you can build one of the following: Russian Federation Air Force Red 24 Russian Navy Blue 45 Russian Knights Blue 31 Check your references for Blue 45, as it has an apparently monotone flag and code number that both seem to use the blue of the fuselage instead of a separate blue shade. This could of course be at a different point in the aircraft’s career, so don’t take my word for it. The decals are printed anonymously, and are in fair register, although my sample has a slight drift in the white, as well as a couple of blemishes in two of the larger Russian Knights decals, marring the red/white stripes and one of the sunbursts on the tail. Hopefully your copy will fair better from being on the slow boat, rather than the fast aircraft from China. Conclusion Another good-looking kit from Kitty Hawk that has lots of detail and some striking decal options straight from the box. There are a few minor issues with the decals, but nothing that can’t be fixed. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of and available soon from major hobby shops
  15. So my previous project finished and some weather that is just screaming "STAY INSIDE!!!" coming up, it is time to start something new. Rummaging through the stash to find something to build is fun, and I felt I needed something different from my WWI Roland Walfisch build. Something without rigging. Something without struts. Something with only one set of wings, if even that. The XF5U1 is certainly one of the weirdest planes ever built, and based on its incredible estimated performance figures I am sad that it never came closer to flight than ground taxying, due to problems with vibration caused by the complex arrangement of two radial engines, gearboxes, clutches and overly long propeller shafts. Any engine could drive any propeller, so both propellers would turn even if one of the two P&W R2000 radials buried in the wing stopped. Pretty cool stuff! And the Kitty Hawk kit looks nice too, all injection molded with good surface detail and adequately busy cockpit. Open engine bays, but for some reason there is no detail there... I feel that the model would gain from having one of the engine bays open to make it more visually interesting (and not just visually baffling), so I will make an attempt at scratch building the Pratt & Whitney R2000 engine installation.
  16. Hi all, I wonder if anyone can help me? i purchased a Kitty Hawk F-35b (1/48 scale) which is a stunning kit, the problem is some of the parts on Sprue B are ‘short shot’ and only half moulded. My question is..... does anyone have any way of getting in touch of either Kitty Hawk themselves or the U.K. supplier so I can purchase a replacement sprue? I’ve tried the usual ways- Facebook page, original supplier etc. though with no luck. Can anyone please help?
  17. Afternoon, all. I hope everybody is safe and well. I imagine that a lot of Britmodellers will be - like me - using the lockdown as an excuse to thin out the stash a little bit. I picked up Kitty Hawk's UH-1Y at Cosford model show just after it's release, and it's been one of those kits that has stared at me from the stash ever since. I figured that seeing as I have a little extra spare time on my hands of late, I'd pop the box open and have a peek. One thing led to another, and, well here we are! Everything is OOB, a few details added here and there. This was my first KH kit. I have very mixed feelings on the build overall. I feel the kit is very well designed, some clever design work. However, what works in CAD on a screen doesn't always translate well on the modelling desk, and the fit of this kit fought me throughout. Dryfit dryfit dryfit was my mantra throughout the build. The flash was something else entirely. I'm still considering replaying the doormounted M134 with an aftermarket offering because the moulding of the kit supplied one was so warped and flashed over. The plastic was so brittle, most small parts had to be repaired straight from the sprue. And let's not mention having to pay to get replacement parts for the chin mounted optics mailed over because they were strangely not present in the kit. I used Vallejo model air paints to finish it. I like the colour match for the FS numbers in their range. However, be careful if building this kit, as the colour callouts are incorrect, so as well as having to do a little homework, you'll have to live with the kit decals getting lost in the paint scheme, as they are printed in the wrong colours. However, the end result was... just about worth the hardship. I already have my eyes on their UH-1N, and I'm still undecided as to whether I'll add the Venom's stablemate, or if I'll stretch to Academy's 1/35 offering of the AH-1Z. Regardless, if the UH-1Y is a kit you feel you need in your cabinet, I'd definitely recommend it, on the proviso that you may spend more time banging your head against the wall than you'd like! C&C welcome as always, and I hope you enjoy! Take care, and stay safe folks. Daryl
  18. Source: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2925044454214488&id=736521713066784 V.P.
  19. Hot on the heels of my last Kitty Hawk build comes this OV-10 Bronco, built as a USAFE FAC aircraft based in Germany in the 80s. It's a strange kit in keeping with Kitty Hawk's reputation for over-complexity but builds up very nicely given the appropriate application of effort, determination and swearing! I painted it with MRP paints for the greens and Xtracrylix for the grey. Decals weer from the kit and went on well with a bit of MicroSol. The base is one of those ubiquitous examples from Coastal Kits. I had a go at detailing the cockpit with various thicknesses of enamelled wire but the less seen of that the better! All I'll say is if I ever built this again, I'd do the Vietnam USAF FAC colours of all-over grey, this camouflage was an absolute beggar to paint! Cheers, Alan
  20. Kitty Hawk has a 1/48th Mil Mi-8/17 "Hip" family in project. Sources: https://www.facebook.com/groups/369828906819827/permalink/689993798136668/ https://www.modelforum.cz/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=68170&start=12000#p2244338 V.P.
  21. Kitty Hawk has 1/48th Mil Mi-24 "Hind" helicopter kit(s ?) in project. Let's have a look at the M. Song Wang message herebelow. "all, on the way": SU-25 ok, Su-25UB ok, APA-5D ok but also something new... A Mi-24P "Hind-F"! Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/369828906819827/permalink/679965482472833/ V.P.
  22. A new M. Song Wang subliminal message in the Kitty Hawk afficionados Facebook group. Kitty Hawk might have a 1/48th Kamov Ka-52 Alligator "Hokum-B" kit in the pipe line. To be followed Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/369828906819827/permalink/667734353695946/ V.P.
  23. Kitty Hawk has a 1/48th Mil Mi-28 "Havoc" kit in project/design - ref. KH???? Source: https://www.facebook.com/groups/369828906819827/permalink/668836086919106/ 3D renders V.P.
  24. After the 1/48th kits (link) Kitty Hawk is to release 1/35th Bell UH-1 Huey family of kits - ref. KH50001 Sources: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/6201308633 https://www.facebook.com/groups/369828906819827/permalink/662143230921725/ https://www.hannants.co.uk/product/KH50001 3D renders V.P.
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