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Morning all! This is my quick OOB (almost) build of the Roden VC-10 K3 1:144 kit. Nothing much more to say so lets get on with it : Kit: Roden VC-10 K3 1:144 (From my LMS- Mike's Models) Paints: Vallejo Model Air custom-mixed grey (based on reference photos) Vallejo Model Air black, Model Color silver Washes: Vallejo Model Wash-dark grey Additional Details: Refuelling basket (inside the central refueling pod) made from rolled up tissue paper Spare RAF roundels had to be used on the side of the fuselage due to an error made by myself Flaps were produced, cutting out the kit's flaps on the underside of the wing and using plasticard to make up the rest of the structure Spoilers/speedbrakes were produced from paper Pros: Great recessed panel lines on the wings and rear control surfaces Nicely detailed engine pods (especially the thrust reverser gratings) Lots (and lots!) of decals, especially on the refuelling pods, which were not all used in this build Window masks (which i stupidly put on every single window and ended up running out of masks half way down the other side!) Relatively cheap- depending on your LMS/supplier Numerous tiny aerials and probes supplied Cons: Very shallow panel lines on the main fuselage body Ejector pins on fuselage join, when these were removed I found that there was a poor fuselage join Very unusual scheme, I can find only one image of this scheme on the internet-apparently the crews "were not a fan" Decal placement sheet was sometimes difficult to interpret Base kit does not have an option for spoilers or flaps Quite a few decals were out of register, but this shouldn't really matter Thanks for having a look Kind regards, Sam

Don't get your hopes up... this is more of a marker than anything as I'm pressing on with my Vignette GB first, http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235004500-railcar/ This though is my submission Plan is it to be a relaxing time straight OOB (my comfort envelope is being seriously expanded with my vignette build. Theory then is that this is pretty much all I need... I know slightly zero about the DC-7 (and that's rounding up) but fancied something to go with this little twinkle in my eye... http://www.noorderlicht.net/projecten/schiphol-1928/ jump to image 7 for a card model to download! First impressions are that there is a good lump of flash to clean up, I'm hoping that's the problem and it looks like it, else a warped fuselage awaits. Also the engraved panel lines look very deep unless they are distinctive on the original? From other comments on Britmodeller Roden decals are not the most enjoyable experience to be had so there may be a livery change. Thanks for stopping in but don't expect much to happen for a month or so. Also the many very proficient modellers on the site might want to look away now... I'm not a good modeller but I enjoy it and it relaxes me; I can get all the angst I need in my day-job!

Spin Models has just released a 1/48th RAF Be.9c Pulpit resin conversion set for the Roden Be.2 kit - ref. K807 Source: http://www.aviationmegastore.com/raf-be9c-pulpit-conversion-roden-be2-k807-spin-models-spin-c48007-aircraft-modelling-conversion/product/?action=prodinfo&art=138142 Box art V.P.

My Kursk model is nearly finished, but my F-16 model seem more like a slow project, so I would like to delay that kit for now. I found this Roden kit for a seaplane version of the Pilatus Porter on Ebay for cheap, and thought I'd get lucky. Previously I had built a regular Turbo Porter with some photo etch, but I was a little unlucky I think with the clear part for the canopy, and to my surprise as I opened this other kit from Roden, the big clear part for the canopy looks much nicer. I started with the floaters and given the experience I gained from the other kit, I should be well prepared to end up with a great looking seaplane model. Below is a photo showing some thin bits of styrene, cut from a big sheet. That part went surprisingly well. I had previously added putty the the assembled floaters (or whatever it is called in English) and sanded away the excess putty (Vallejo putty) to get a flat top surface. I also sanded down the detail, so that is why I am adding the styrene. It was tempting to try custom cut pieces of photo etch that I had lying around, but I don't think I have tools for anything more than very rough cuts and minor work on the PE, so I am trying out using stryrene. Known issues / interesting things: • Nose part, front side, have bad molding. Will have to use a power tool again to shape a nice circular cavity, because of how the two big plastic parts don't have a properly molded shapes on the very front where the propeller goes in. • The kit comes with a lot of tiny parts for the rear seats, but this time, I will leave all those parts unused. • I think it is best to glue on the two red signal lights with super glue at the very end, after having painted the model, to get the best result. • Kit is missing the anti static wicks. Photos show these to be rubber like strings that bends a little downward when the airplane isn't moving. • Box art suggest that there is some wiring beneath the airplane for stabilizing the floater parts of the airplane. • I must remember to not glue on the spinner before having airbrushed the propeller blades. • Decals look ok, not Cartograph quality, but ok. I foresee a slight fitting issue for that big long decal, as it nears the spinner, where the fuselage surface seem to split in two directions. • Build instructions show no indication of any nose weight to be added, however I will add some behind the propeller just to be sure the model doesn't flip backwards. In order to be more accurate when working with the styrene, I carefully used the ruler to make sure cutting lines were at an angle, and to the proper length. That way I didn't have to redo any of this work. When making the rounded corners, I made sure to drag my coarse sanding stick seven times across the tip of the corner on all parts (just a straight line), to better end up with a coherent result. I used a medium sanding stick to actually create the rounding. Update: The light on each wing tip wasn't that well defined. Luckily, I managed to cut off the lights from some wing tip parts that isn't for the seaplane version. The old lights were sanded down, so only a flat stub was left, and then I glued on the loose parts for the cut off lights:

Vickers Super VC10 Tanker K3 Roden 1:144 The beginnings for the design of the Vickers VC10 can be traced back to the period when the “V-bombers” were being developed in the mid-1950s. Vickers were keen to transition themselves from a propeller based airliner producer to jet powered airliners, mainly to service the Empire and for the long haul Britain to America route, thereby reducing flight times. At the time, the only V bomber flying was the prototype Vickers Valiant but Vickers could foresee a civil version being derived from a larger design; designated the V1000, and this eventually became the Vickers VC7 specification. Unfortunately, orders to progress the VC7 were curtailed due to the RAF’s refusal to allow specification details of the V1000 to be published, thereby restricting Vickers’ sales teams from promoting the VC7 to potential civil buyers; such as Trans-Canada Airlines and Pan American Airways. Another setback occurred when the aircraft manufacturing companies of the 1950’s were all merged under the new nationalised brand of British Aerospace and much of their individual uniqueness became absorbed within the larger corporation. Later, in 1955, the government at the time cancelled the V1000 for the RAF which consequently impacted the VC7 and made it virtually dead; however, not long after, BOAC approached Vickers about producing a jet-engined airliner to a similar design. This ultimately led to the production of the Vickers Type 1100 series, more popularly known as the Vickers standard VC10s, and being further developed into the Type 1150 series; the Vickers Super VC10. The Vickers VC10 was a welcome addition to both military and civil operators, with the RAF operating them for troop transporting, freighting and CASEVAC duties, whilst civil operators utilised them for long-haul around the Empire and to the USA.. Commitments for the RAF to the far flung reaches of the Empire meant that long-haul flights necessitated regular staging stops for refuelling but, as Britain’s control of those bases began to recede, requirements were needed to develop in-flight refuelling for both strategic and tactical requirements. Over the following years, in-flight refuelling was provided by converted V-bombers such as the Vickers Valiant; Handley Page Victor and even the Avro Vulcan. By the late 1970’s these aircraft were getting to the end of their airframe fatigue life; with only the Victor K2 still operational, therefore a new air tanker was required to which designs were being put forward. This culminated in 1978 with the Ministry of Defence authorising British Aerospace to purchase and convert former civilian VC10’s to the tanker role. Nine aircraft were eventually purchased by the RAF; five former Gulf Air standard VC10’s, which were converted to the K2 spec., and four former East African Airways super VC10s that became the K3 spec. These aircraft were flown to Filton near Bristol, where the conversions were to be undertaken; with the design work and parts manufacturing being done at the Bristol division of British Aerospace’s Weybridge plant. The conversion programme was to be extensive, mainly as many of the original components were in need of either replacing or a major upgrade, especially in avionics and engineering. Each aircraft was stripped down to the bare frames and then virtually rebuilt; with the engines being replaced with Rolls-Royce Conway R.Co 43 units and had an Artouste APU fitted in the tail cone. The fuel for refuelling other aircraft was carried in five double skinned fuselage tanks fitted within the VC10s cabin area, plus the K2 had additional capacity in fin fuel tanks which provided a combined total of 181,000lbs of available fuel. Each aircraft had three refuelling points; two if which were provided from underwing strong points with a third position under the rear of the fuselage. These carried a Mk.32 refuelling pod that was attached to a Mk.17B hose drum unit in the rear freight bay of the aircraft. The Kit The kit is packed in a good sized and sturdy card box with top opening, which is useful for placing in the stash until all the research is completed and we are ready to start the build. On the front of the box is a very nice colour image of ZA149 (H) of No.101 Squadron RAF refuelling two fully armed Tornado aircraft. Within the box there are five sprues plus two fuselage halves in light grey plastic, plus another sprue containing clear parts for the windscreen and cabin windows. There is some flash but that looks to be fairly thin and should a simple task to clean up. As can be seen below, the window openings are not fully open across all of them therefore work will also be needed here before the clear window pieces will fit correctly. The fuselage pieces have quite a lot of clumpy sprue points along the join lines; I counted twenty on one fuselage half and thirteen on the other which makes for a lot of sanding before any further work can be done here. Panel lines on the surfaces are finely engraved, with additional raised sections set above and below the main cabin and cargo doors. These spigots of plastic appear to protrude from the join line and slightly overlap onto the fuselage exterior, which means extra care will be required when sanding these areas smooth, without impacting those fine panel lines. The wing sections showed most of the flash on this kit but it is really fine and should break away or cut easily without any real issues. Panel lines are very fine here, as with the fuselage, however it is very nicely detailed. The attachment points to the sprues are equally as clunky as with the fuselage so care needs to be taken when removing these components. The next sprue holds the tail fin and engine nacelles and connecting strut. The outlet gratings, shown as rectangles on the outer nacelle and fin, are just rectangular indentations. These are in need of some after-market p.e. to be produced in order to enhance this rather bland area. Sprue D has the tail planes pieces, nose-wheel, main-wheel flaps and the centre-line refuelling control unit. There are other components on this sprue which are not required for this version and therefore can be added to the spares box. There are two identical sprue F sets and these contain the engine intakes and exhaust components, along with the main wheel assemblies and the underwing hard-points with the hose deployment unit. The over-wing strakes for the main wings are also part of these sprues, as are various antenna blades. The final sprue is the one containing the clear parts. There are four windows strips, two for each fuselage half; plus the main windscreen and roof area. The cockpit is bereft of any detail whatsoever, not even a floor piece; however, the opening where the windscreen and roof piece fits is large enough to allow for any enterprising modeller to construct seats etc. before this component is fitted into place. A set of masks for the windscreen and cabin windows is supplied in this kit. There is a very tiny mask for each individual window which will be good news for those who wish to paint the model after the clear parts have been inserted. Decals Decals are provided for a single K3 tanker, namely ZA149 of 101 Squadron, Royal Air Force, and comes with all the demarcation lines, unit badges and cheat lines necessary to complete the VC10 tanker. A colour sheet is provided which gives details of two different schemes for ZA149; the first with the hemp coloured livery and another in the standard RAF grey scheme Conclusion This kit has a few areas of concern over the thick sprue connectors to the components but they are not insurmountable with a little care in preparation. I have not had a chance to compare the components to a scale plan but the parts do look good and the panel line details look to be correct and well defined. I envisage that this will be a popular kit and I shall be buying at one or two more so that I can have them in different liveries. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

The Roden Vickers Super VC10 K3 Type 1164 Tanker Jet Model Kit has now arrived, furthermore the Vickers Super VC10 Type 1151 BOAC kit is now back in stock too! For full details, please see our newsletter.

Greetings to all. Begged test samples of the new model from the Ukrainian firm Roden. Very good they get the model. Today managed to glue the tail elements.

I've been on a bit of a go-slow with my model building recently, so I'm pleased to finally announce the arrival of Flight ET720 from Addis Ababa : This is my take on Roden's Boeing 720B kit - warts and all - but finished off with Ethiopian Airlines markings from 26Decals (Sheet 144-615). and here it is with a friend from Abidjan Thanks for looking. Time to head off back to Addis. Regards mike

Roden have a nice bit of kit coming soon; the 1/144 RAF Vickers Super VC10 Type K3 1164 Tanker! For full details, please see our newsletter.

Roden have released two gorgeous kits of the Vickers Super VC10 in 1/144 scale. This iconic aircraft is available in two different versions, with either the distinctive BOAC livery or East African livery.

1/32 Sopwith Triplane. Correcting the Roden Kit With the Wingnut Wings SopwithTriplane kit having long since sold out, the only game in town is the Roden offering. Hannants had them on special offer recently, so I was tempted and purchased one. There is one major problem with the kit however, and that is that the fuselage is too short by about 6 mm. I believe it was Rowan Broadbent of Pheon Decals, John Adams of Aeroclub, and Brian Fawcet who originally brought this to attention, and Brian offers his own resin fuselage correction set. Here If you have a Roden kit and want to fix it, Brians correction set can be heartily recommended. However, I decided to have go at fixing it myself with some old fashioned modelling, using what I had available so as to keep the overall cost down. Firstly I sawed the fuselage in half where the rear decking starts, then cut a strip of 40 thou plasticard 6mm wide. This was cut into lengths for the side and bottom of each fuselage half, and inserted where the cut was made. I set them standing proud of the outside surface to give a little sanding room to bring them down flush. Using 40 thou gave a good strong bond as well. The trick here is to do the fuselage halves with the locating holes first (I think it was left side). Lay it on a flat surface when the inserts are first attached, to get a nice straight fuselage half and let it set solidly over night.The next day do the other half with the locating pegs on, and align it on the by now strong other side, to get a perfectly straight fuselage. This left the cockpit decking too short, but fortunately Roden supply two, one for the single gun and one for the twin gun option. I simply cut a 6mm section off one and joined it to the rear of the other, sanding it flush later. I am not 100% certain that the extra length is in the cockpit decking (rather than the rear fabric decking) but I think so, based on studying photographs and plans. Perhaps Triplane experts can throw some light on this? Annoyingly Roden do not supply any decals for the instrument panel, so I sourced some from the spares box. Having built Wingnut Wings Sopwith Snipe with the 'late' four point Sutton harness, I had a spare etched brass lap type seatbelt which was perfect for the triplane, as again Roden do not supply this. The forward of the two filler caps on the decking need to be filled in and relocated further aft. I simply drilled a hole in the new location and carefully cut one from the spare decking and cemented it in. Before; Having cut the fuselage, there was now a section of fuselge lacing missing on the starboard side. I scraped and sanded off what was there, and replaced it with some Eduard 1/48 etched lacing that I had in stock. Although 1/48, one of the patterns matched perfectly with what was on the kit before I removed it. (Note relocated filler cap) The undercarriage legs do not have much of a contact point where they meet the fuselage, so i decided to fit them while all was still bare plastic for the sake of getting a good strong join all around. Note also that there was a bit of sink marking in the area between the lower wings, as well as other areas where white Milliput has been used to fill in and smooth things up. With Halfords grey primer from a rattle can sprayed on, all was looking encouraging. One real oddity I only spotted after priming was that the underside of the top wing had lots of pinholes in, like resin castings sometimes do. A bit of Milliput sorted that out, but it is a new one on me in injection moulded plastic. Painting is under way, I decided to fit the struts to the middle wings as a bit of filling was needed around them, and paint everything up as a series of sub assemblies. I hope this helps anyone out there contemplating building one of these. They are not to Wingnut Wings Standard, but do build into nice models. The 6 mm extension may not sound like much, but to me it makes a big difference to the look of the model and is well worth doing. Get the wings on and rig it next! Cheers John

Sopwith Triplane. 1/32 Roden. The Sopwith Triplane was developed from the Sopwith Pup, but was built in relatively small numbers. Despite being a highly successful fighter it's front line service life was also comparatively short. It was difficult to service and maintain, and was never adopted by the Royal Flying Corps, with service being restricted to the RNAS ans one French squadron. The Roden kit has been around for a while and was bettered by the Wingnut Wings kit in 2012. Unfortunately the Wingnuts kit sold out very quickly, meaning that if you want a Triplane, you have to get the Roden kit. Hanants had them on sale earlier this year, so I took the plunge and bought one. There are some problems with it, which I corrected in this WIP thread here. Basically they are; - The fuselage is too short - One filler cap is in the wrong place - No seatbelts are supplied - The tiny propeller on the strut mounted Rotherham pump is just a solid bar. - [Edit] Oh, and the prop was replaced with one of the spares from a WNW Sopwith Pup kit, 'cos it had sharper detail [/edit] The fuselage was lengthened with plasticard, and the top decking had a piece taken from one of the 2 optional deckings supplied. The finished model represents the mount of Raymond Collishaw of the famous 'Naval 10' squadron, aka the Black Flight. It is one of the kit supplied options. The little prop for the Rotherham pump was from the spares box, off a generic RFC fittings sprue from a Wingnut Wings kit (Can't remember which!) Thanks for looking John

Seatbelts RFC WW1 (32857) and Seatbelts German WW1 (32858) 1:32 Eduard pre-painted Etched brass. The last 10 years has seen a big rise in interest in Great war aviation modelling, particularly in 1:32 scale. There are the beautiful Wingnut Wings kits, and others from Roden, Special Hobby, and Academy. With their large scale open cockpits, seatbelts are a necessity, and both Wingnut Wings and Special Hobby supply them as unpainted etched brass items in their kits. However, painting them is not every ones favourite task, and one look at these will convince most modellers not to even try, but just buy a set. The detail on them is way beyond what anyone could expect to paint by hand, with miniature stitching in perfect patterns. Seatbelts RFC WW1 (32857) Two complete sets are provided to make each of the 'Early' and 'Late' versions, the differences being in the lap belts. The buckles are offered as separate items to be threaded on to the 'fabric' sections, and several overlapping straps are attached, along with individual metal plates. All of which makes for a finer representation than other types of etched seatbelts that are 'all in one' . This type of Sutton harness is particularly applicable to the Sopwith Camel and may also have been fitted to SE5.a's, Pups, and other types according to pilot preference. It was a late war design so checking of references for particular aircraft is recommended. It would also have been used extensively post war, as it was a superior design to the 'lap only' belts in use during most of the great war. With Wingnut Wings Camel due to be released at some time this year (we hope!) this set is very welcome. Seatbelts German WW1 (32858) No less than five complete sets of belts are offered here, and like the RFC set above, the buckles are separate parts to be threaded on. The painting is superb, and really needs to be looked at under a magnifying glass to appreciate how good it is. Most of the belts are the 'lap' type that secured around the pilots waist without any shoulder straps. Each of them is in a different colour, with linen, tan, red and dark brown. One complete four point harness is provided, of the type typically fitted to Albatros and Pfalz fighters. The other 'lap' seatbelts in the set will be suitable for the Albatros CIII, Hannover CL.III, amongst many multi seaters, plus various Fokker and Aviatik machines. Conclusion Both of these sets are well worth having and provide a far superior result than can possibly be obtained by hand painting. They will anyway be essential for Roden and Academy kits as no seatbelts at all come with these kits. It will be a great idea to pose the shoulder straps of the four point sets hanging outside the cockpit, ready for the pilot to clamber in. This can frequently be seen in period photographs, and will show these lovely belts off to advantage. RFC German Review sample courtesy of

I thought I'd just try present this model the best I can, and leave the knowledge of its quriks to my WIP thread here. I learned a few things during this project, so I'm happy. The paint scheme is "Reece Flight, Australian, later 1st Aviation Regiment, Army Air Force, Vietnam, 1969", according to Roden.

Note: The finished model can be found here. Note: Looks like I might have picked the wrong PE for this kit. Some of it is usable though. This morning, I just had to start building this kit. I recall having bought it from Hannants a long time ago, and I made sure to also get some photo etch parts as well. I don't remember if I saw even more packs with photo etch for this kit. There is only photo etch for the first two seats, and not the other six seats in the passenger area. The box: The photo etch: I decided on this painting scheme (Australian, Vietnam 1969, mostly "foliage green"): Images of the photo etch instructions: It says "Self adhesive" on a label stuck onto the pack of photo etch, however only a few parts are self adhesive, being just the cockpit parts. Some of the photo etch are for weaponry (minigun & missile launcher), but it doesn't look like the kit comes with those parts. There are 74 pieces of photo etch, and maybe 20 or so are for the weaponry which ofc won't be included in this build. The clear canopy parts looked ok, with a little bit of flash. The main canopy piece is a little bit uneven, but I hope I can dip it in Humbrol Clear to make it look great. Must remember to first experiment with this method first on some other spare canopy part I have lying around. This kit seem really nice imo. There is lol a photo etched part for a wire that goes down to the wheel on each side. Wish there was rubber wheels for this kit though. It looks to me, that adding the photo etch require buying some tiny plastic pole, to cut off pieces from. Maybe a minor issue. There are separate parts for all the rudders, however I suspect they aren't supposed to be adjustable without further work.

Gentlemen & Fellow Modellers, I am pleased to announce that the Roden Bristol Britannia in Monarch Airlines livery has now been released. for illustrations of this super model please go to http://www.frogmodelaircraft.co.uk/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=305 I can also confirm that the VC10 will be released before Christmas. The first version will have decals for a East African & BOAC aircraft with a Tanker version to follow. Roden do listen to the modeller and I can assure you all that some very exciting releases are in the pipe line, please keep your suggestions coming and I will pass them on. Please also visit the Frog site at www.frogmodelaircraft.co.uk for other news including a new shop. The Frog Forum always needs new members so please consider joining. I hope by now some you you will have built the Roden Britannia and I as well as Roden would be pleased to have your comments. Thank You and happy Modelling, Martin

Heinkel He51 B.1 1:48 Roden The He51 was a development of the earlier He49. The He49 was officially an advanced trainer but in reality it was a fighter for the then secret Luftwaffe. The He51 was a conventional single bay biplane with fabric covering a metal tube construction, armament was a pair of 8mm machine guns in front of the pilot, firing through the propeller. It was ordered into production in early 1933. In the summer of 1936 six aircraft were delivered to Spain to fight in their civil war. These initial operations were successful and more deliveries were made, eventually a full three 12 aircraft squadrons formed the Legion Condor, all manned by German "Volunteers". With the introduction of aircraft such as the Polikarpov I-15, and I-16 the Heinkels lost their edge in air-to-air warfare and were relegated to ground attack where they proved successful and would refine the close air support tactics which the Luftwaffe would use to great effect in WWII. Despite heavy losses 46 He51s would survive the Spanish Civil War and would be joined by another 15 new builds to serve in the Spanish Air Force. The last of these aircraft would not retire until 1952. The Kit The kit arrives on 5 sprues of light grey plastic and one small clear sprue. The parts are well moulded with no flash or other defects visible. The panel lines on the metal cowlings are engraved, and the fabric effects are restrained and very well done. Construction starts strangely with the centre line fuel tank; this is two halves with mounting brackets. Following this another set of sub-assemblies in the form of the horizontal tails, with their elevators and control horns are put together. Only following this does construction move to the cockpit area. The main cockpit floor has the control column and rudder pedals attached, and the seat has its mounting parts attached. At this stage the machine gun barrels are fitted to the engine cover, and the spindle for attaching the propeller is added to the engine front section. Following this the side framing for the cockpit interior has a couple of extra parts added to it. The instrument panel is then built up along with the underside radiator. Next the exhausts are added into each fuselage half. The wheels are built up and added into their spats at this time. The interior of the fuselage/cockpit is now assembled. The floor, seat, and instrument panel are added into the main framing. The flaps can then be added to both the upper and lower wings. The next step is to close the main fuselage around cockpit section. The radiator housing, engine front, and engine decking are added at the front. To the rear the tailplanes and rudder are also added. Following this both wings can be added. The lower wing fits to the fuselage with the upper wing being supported by struts towards each end, and smaller struts in front of the cockpit. Care will be needed to align these correctly. The last items to be added to complete the model are the fuel tank, wheels, and propeller. If the modeller wishes to rig their model they will have to use their own references as there is no rigging diagram supplied with the kit. Decals The decal sheet for the kit is fairly small as the aircraft did not carry much in the way of markings. Decals are provided for two aircraft; He51 B.1 - Bort 2-24 Commander of 4.J/88 Legion Condor - All over Grey. He51 B.1 - Bort 2-98 Lt Kurt Strumpell 3.J/88 Legion Condor - Disruptive Green over Grey. Conclusion This is a good looking kit of an important pre WWII aircraft, and one which played an important part in the Spanish Civil War. It would be good if Roden had provided a rigging diagram to help the modeller, however aside from this it is a great kit. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

AMG is to release a 1/48th Beechcraft D.17S Staggerwing racing kit - ref.48503. Roden kit rebox + add ons? Source: http://hobbyterra.com/product/beechcraft-d-17s-staggerwing-racing-amg-models-48503.html V.P.

Bristol 175 Britannia Roden 1:144 The Bristol Type 175 project, the initial programme name which eventually matured into the famous Bristol Britannia, came about from two different post-war requirements: first, an earlier design specification from the Brabazon Committee, which embodied lessons learned from the Brabazon project; second, an urgent need from BOAC in 1946 for a Medium Range Empire (MRE) passenger transport aircraft. BOAC had been looking at purchasing the new and very efficient Lockheed Constellation however, in the austere immediate post-war period, the government refused such large expenditure on foreign purchases. The Bristol Aeroplane Company, based at Filton, was one of four aircraft building companies that tendered eight designs for this prospective order. None were initially accepted on their original design specifications but the nearest design that looked as if it could possibly match expectations was the Bristol Type 175 design To follow this up, further meetings took place with working groups established from October 1947 onwards between BOAC and the Bristol company; their remit to settle on size, weight, capacity and range etc., before the final specification could be agreed and certified. Three prototypes were initially ordered by the Ministry of Supply (MoS) in July 1948; all were to be Centaurus powered however, the second and third prototypes would be built so that they could easily be converted to the, fairly new and unproven at that time, Proteus units. BOAC, who were expected to order at least 25 production aircraft, kept holding off the contract signing, presumable to await results of the first prototype flights but also starting to look at a Proteus powered version over the Centaurus. As such the working groups restarted design meetings to ascertain optimum parameters for a larger and more versatile aircraft based around the Proteus power plant. The contracts, to order 25 of the new designs was finally signed in July 1949 and comprised the following specifications: Wing span of 140ft, Wing area of 2,055ibs, an all-up-weight of 119,000lbs with Proteus (118,000 if Centaurus fitted); and with accommodation for 42, 50 or 64 day passengers, or 38 sleeping berths. After completion of the test flights programme of the prototypes, which lasted from 1952 to 1955, the first production aircraft of two Bristol Type 175-101 Britannia's; codes G-ANBC & G-ANBD were formally handed over to BOAC on 30 December 1955. The Kit Starting with the box art, with a view of Britannia G-ANBE in full BOAC livery high over the clouds in 1964, is quite an evocative scene and could be inspiring enough to ensure sales without even opening the box! The box itself is of very sturdy top and bottom style packaging. On opening up the box we are presented with nine sprue's of medium grey plastic, one sprue of clear parts, two sheets of decals (BOAC), an 8-page instruction booklet and finally a single card colour markings and decal placement sheet. The grey sprue's are slightly grainy to the touch, which I imagine will be good the adhesion of primers and paints to take hold. Looking at the sprue runners, these give an impression of being short-run moulds; something to consider as these kits might not be available long term. The first sprue holds the two fuselage halves, in vertical sided-fitting format, plus the nose gear strut and holding plate. The fuselage has window openings to take the clear windows, but a point to note here is that the cockpit area is not fully open, it is blanked off horizontally where the clear canopy would sit. This means that one either paints that area a dark colour and then fits the canopy; or the area has to be opened up with a knife/saw and an 'office' scratchbuilt to fit inside. Personally I am going to open it up and detail the area with mine, although there probably not be much to see when assembled and painted. The kit fuselage length is 10.35 inches (262.5mm) which is 124 feet in 1:144 scale and that equates to the longer bodied 200 and 300 series aircraft. As can be seen on these images, the panel lines are recessed and very nicely defined. On the other sides, there are tiny locating pins for correct alignment but care needs to be taken as they are so small they may miss the location. Having said that, I have just done a dry-fit of of the fuselage and it went together really well and fit is nice and tight. The wing undersides are equally as well produced however, the wheel well/bay is a fairly nondescript affair. There are two sets of identical sprue's for the tailplane and mainwheel assemblies. Each tailplane has a top and bottom element requiring glueing together. Four sprue's make up the cowling and prop assemblies, plus main wheels. There is an element of flash on the props but I found these to be quite easy to remove by filing with a light-grade sanding stick. The clear sprue has the main canopy plus various pieces for the cabin windows. Having checked the instruction sheets, the sets of linear windows are for the main fuselage body area and the individual pieces are for the fore and aft sections; the reasons for single units due to the curving of the fuselage in those areas. INSTRUCTIONS AND COLOUR DETAILS An 8-page A5 sized booklet of illustrated assembly details comes with the kit; the first illustration comprising of a parts breakdown shown on their associated sprues. The is following by illustrated exploded views of each area of assembly, with part number identified matching placements on the sprues A single sheet is also supplied, with colour details for the BOAC livery and the decal placements DECALS A set of decals for a full liveried BOAC aircraft, coded G-ANBE are supplied on two sheets; however, I have learned whilst producing this review that this kit is the long bodied, 124ft long 200 or 300 series, whereas G-ANBE was the shorter 114ft long 102 series aircraft. Normally that wouldn't be a problem as we could perhaps move the letters around to a matching set for a 312; unfortunately here though, the code is also embedded in the tail pieces and as such the whole tail decal would need to be re-done. I understand that Pocketbond, the supplier of this kit for review, has contacted Roden about the problem and (at the time of writing this) is waiting on a response as to whether there is a possibility of a reprint or reissue. Please see post #5 of this thread for details of the corrected decals, plus a revised picture. CONCLUSION The possibility of these sprue's only being from short-run moulds would perhaps suggest getting these kits when and where you see them available, as the moulds might not sustain large volume production as with some of the major producers. Notwithstanding the decal element, this looks to be a very nice and accurate model of a Bristol Type 175 200 or 300 series Britannia aircraft. On further research I also understand that Royal Air Force versions of the Bristol Type 175 were 200 series, namely 252 and 253 series. A very nice kit which I like very much, and will certainly get at least one more to build in a different livery. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

Douglas AC-47 Spooky Roden 1:144 The rapid development of jet aircraft in the immediate post-war years seemed to promise the end of the use of piston-engined aircraft in combat. However, the local conflicts of the first decades of the second half of the 20th Century proved that it was too early to send the veterans into retirement. The war in Vietnam presented a number of unpleasant surprises to the US military command, one of which was the so-called "Ho Chi Minh Trail" - an extensive network of trails and small roads in southern Vietnam and Laos, through which there was a continuous supply of weapons for the Army of the National Liberation Front. Attempting to attack it from the air using jet aircraft became a fiasco - the small groups of rebels quickly disappeared, long before the approaching aircraft, and therefore the effectiveness of such missions for the US Air Force was near zero. Perhaps the only positive factor was the weakness of the rebel defense, or indeed the complete lack of it. Initially the old A-26 Invader attack aircraft was used to fight the guerrillas, immediately converted to the B-26K standard. The plane carried effective weapons, but its flight endurance was very limited, even with the use of external fuel tanks. So the idea was born, to equip transport aircraft with weapons to attack ground targets from the air. Transports could stay up in the air for a long time, and their big cargo compartments allowed for the installation of ample armament. The ideal type in every respect to perform such work was the veteran C-47 Dakota / Skytrain. In two of the rear window openings were fitted six-barreled Miniguns, and a third was installed in the space for the side door of the cargo compartment. The new aircraft received the AC-47 designation ('A' denoted that the type belonged to the category of attacking machines). AC-47D is the next modification of this aircraft. The crew consisted of two pilots, three or four gunners, a navigator and an air to ground co-ordinating officer. The first squadron of these aircraft was established in early 1965. Several machines were non-standard modifications, while others had already standardized weapons and gained the call sign 'Spooky', after the mythical ghost that suddenly appeared and fatally struck down their enemies. The first few months of using the AC-47 were quite successful; however, in early 1966 the rebels on the Ho Chi Minh Trail appeared with 37 mm anti-aircraft armament, which offered formidable defense against the gunships. In a short time six of these machines were lost, and in the following months the intensity of their use significantly decreased. The AC-47 gave way to more modern gunships, such as the AC-119 and the AC-123. But with the advent of the mighty giant AC-130 all the earlier gunships were instantly obsolete. They were transferred to the air forces of South Vietnam, Laos and Thailand, where they were used until the early 1970s, when, given the advanced age of the design, they were finally deleted from the inventories of those countries' air forces. Source: Roden Scale Model Kits The Kit This kit, No. 310, is a new issue of Roden's No.308 Douglas C-47 Skytrain; however, this kit has an additional sprue, with parts to build a gunship version; often referred to as the "Spooky". The sprues containing the main components are crisp and well detailed, with finely recessed panel lines etc. Some areas have small amounts of flash around the pieces; however, these can be easily removed with a sharp blade. The engine facia and cowling units are separate items which means that the engine components can each be pre-painted before assembly, thereby avoiding any little overpaint issues. The panel lines on the wings, like the fuselage, are well defined without being overly deep. Elements of flash are more evident here, especially in the undercarriage wheel well but again this comes away cleanly with the use of a sharp bladed craft knife. Sprue C holds one each of the propellers, tailplane and undercarriage assembly. There are two sets of this sprue per kit. As mentioned previously, the engine cylinders are seperate, as in the view below, and they should be able to be painted up nicely with a mix of black and silver etc. If there is an area of concern then that would be where the wheel hub is joined to the tyre. There is an unusually wide gap between the hub and where the tyre fits to it, this can be seen with the wheels on the sprues above and below. As this element would normally be under the full load of the aircraft, then I would expect the tyre to be pressed fully against the rim of the hub. It appears that the hub has not been placed fully into the tyre recess before moulding and this leaves the rim proud on both sides. This next sprue is what differentiates this kit from the earlier C-47 Skytrain kit. It contains an internal half-deck and bulkhead; an additional half-door section, plus three MXU-470/A miniguns and mounts. The half deck is required to sit the miniguns on and the half-door section replaces the double door of the original kit. The Miniguns are quite detailed for such a diminutive size and should look effective when painted up and fitted. The clear spue has the main windscreen, cabin windows and the navigation lights and dome piece. The windscreen is incorporated within a larger piece of the fuselage which should make it easier for masking and painting. Three of the cabin windows on one strip will need to me removed, for fitting on the port side of the model, where the miniguns will protrude out. Decals The AC-47D Spooky carried minimal markings and this is reflected in the decal sheet. Apart from a small national insignia and tail marking, thre is only a nose art decal and propeller danger signage. The decals are clear and look to be register, although they are so small (correctly so) that I had to use a magnifying glass to check them. Conclusion Having checked the wheel hub and tyre setup more closely, I can see that, with a good sharp knife and some application, that the hubs could be cut away, the excess removed and then be replaced to give a more secure fit. All good modelling fun. This looks to be a nice kit and I can envisage lots of different models and dioramas being built of this. They didn't just operate in VIetnam, or only with the U.S., as many other operators used the C-47 as a gunship for their own security situations. Review sample courtesy of UK Distributors for

Here's Roden's new 1/144 C-47. I started building one to complete a theme and then thought it would be rude not to do another at the same time. Really liked the kit and feels that it captures the C-47 lines a bit better than the Minicraft version. Only additions were the home-made decals and the "towel-rail" antenna on the Air Force version. Rhodesian Air Force "7307" This plane ground looped at Rushinga in February 1975 following a brake failure on landing. The landing gear collapsed as a result and the port propeller sheared off and sliced into the fuselage, missing the crew by inches. Air Rhodesia "VP-YNH" Built in 1944 for the USAF, this C-47 somehow ended up flying in the colours of Hunting Clan before being acquired by Central African Airways. CAA eventually became Air Rhodesia (with the break up of the Federation) and the aircraft continued to fly in Zimbabwe until 1983 when it was sold to a Zambian operator. In 1987, the aircraft was eventually written off in an accident while flying for Sunbird Aviation in Kenya. The whole reason for building the C-47 was to complete my collection of Air Rhodesia aircraft in 1/144. Here it is with the Boeing 720 "Mashonaland" Well, that's it ! Time to fire up the old engines for another flight : Thanks for looking. mike

Jagstaffel 30 Volume 2 1:32 Pheon Decals Jasta 30 was formed in January 1917, and remained based at Phalempin in northern France until virtually the end of the Great War. For most of this time the commanding officer was Hans Bethge, a 20 victory ace. Bethge was a little unusual as he survived for fourteen months in this role, before being killed in action in March 1918. Few Jasta commanders lasted this long. The unit commenced combat operations with the Albatros D.III, progressing through the Albatros D.V and D.Va, the unloved Pfalz D.III and D.XII, to the much sought after Fokker D.VII. Examples of all of these are covered on this latest release from Pheon, with the exception of the Pfalz D.III which is covered on sheet 32026. These sets are only avaialble direct from Pheon at £15.75 + P&P (which is a one off charge per order, no matter how many decal sets are purchased), although prices may increase in the near future as they have been held down for several years now. Initially the Jasta left the choice of markings up to the individual pilot, so the D.III's showed a wide variety of markings. Bethge himself chose to paint the Mercedes three pointed star on the side of his D.III, in appreciation of the reliable powerplant in his mount. Other options I particularly like on this sheet are no. 3. Kurt Katzensteins Albatros D.V. A fellow pilot, Otto Fuchs, painted the cat on the fuselage side, but it came out looking more like a fox. Maybe this was no accident, as 'Fuchs' is German for fox! Hans Holthusen's red and white striped, Josef Heiligers black, Karl Weltz's pale blue and Emil Liebert's darker blue Albatros D.VA's all make for very attractive subjects. My favourites though are the Fokker D.VII's of August Hartmann (option 13) and the unknown orange / black & white striped machine (option 15). 1. Albatros D.III, Oblt. Hans Bethge, May/June 1917. 2. Albatros D.III, D2054/16, Ltn. Heinrich Brügman, April/June 1917. 3. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Kurt Katzenstein, August/October 1917. 4. Albatros D.V, D1012/17, Ltn. Paul Erbguth, June 1917. 5. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Otto Fuchs, September/October 1917. 6. Albatros D.V, D 2140/17, Ltn. Otto Fuchs, July/August 1917. 7. Albatros D.V, D1016/17, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, June 1917. 8. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, November 1917 to February 1918. 9. Albatros D.V, Ltn. Hans Holthusen, November1917/February 1918. 10. Albatros D.V Vzfw.Josef Heiligers, November/December 1917. 11. Albatros D.V, D4420/17, Ltn. Karl Weltz, November 1917. 12. Albatros D.V, Uffz.Emil Liebert, November 1917/January 1918. 13. Fokker D.VII, Ltn. August Hartmann, July/November 1918. 14. Fokker D.VII, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, September/October 1918. 15. Fokker D.VII, Pilot not known, Autumn 1918. 16. Pfalz D.XII, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, Summer 1918. 17. Fokker D.VII, Pilot not known, Autumn 1918. 18. Fokker D.VII, 370/18. Ltn. Hans Holthusen, June/September 1918. Conclusion. As with the previously reviewed set for Jasta 17, I really like these sets of decals that cover particualr units. They provide decals for several differnt types of aircraft and thus you get to apply them to several models, lowering the unit cost of the sheet per subject. The instructions are as informative as ever, I really appreciate the extra little bits of background information. I can well imagine why Hans Holthusen (option 9) applied for single seaters. Flying a Rumpler 2 seater in August 1917 he was first picked on by German AA, then attacked by a Jasta 37 Albatros and crash landed with a seriously wounded observer. The decals are printed by Fantasy Printshop, and are of excellent quality. The printing is pin sharp and in perfect register, on thin and minimal carrier film. The colours look right with good opacity, and the detailing is exceptionally good, as shown on this close up. This is another great release from Pheon, who are providing a steady stream of interesting and important markings for the enthusiastic modeller of the Great War period. There is always a mix of the well known and the obscure on their decal sheets which goes to enhance their appeal. The only problem with them comes in selecting which ones you are going to do! Review sample courtesy of

Challenging kit - I still can not believe I dared Whatever .... First few shots Let's get started Two out of four engines I'm not happy with the lozenge decals that are supplied with the kit. Thinking about printing my own 5 colour night lozenge decals. Test pattern prints Dry fitting of engine assembly to nacelles The /\-shaped stands seem too fragile and missing cowlings - thinking about replacing them with metal struts Bombs. A lot of bombs. Each requires sanding and puttying

Build thread http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234960730-roden-zeppelin-staaken-172/

Hi all, Here's my entry to the GB, Rodens take on the Fokker D.VII. No progress to date but heres's whats in the box. I'm intending to do the aircraft of Oblt Erich Loewenhardt, Pulsieux, France, August 1918. The instructions say the fuselage should be overall 'Lemon' with the lozenge camo on the wings (may need some advice on using the decals!). Was the fuselage wood on these or fabric covered? Anyway, heres the lovely box art and whats in it: cheers Simon