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Old 1975 tooling of airfix fouga magister. For such an old model surprisingly good fits and still good decals!

Fouga CM.170 Magister "French, Belgian & Irish Service" 1:72 Special Hobby (72371) The Magister is probably Fouga's most well know design even though they had been producing aircraft since 1936. Post war the company was working on sailplanes and the heritage from this can be seen in the Magister design. In 1948 the French Air Force were looking for a jet powered aircraft to replace the then piston engine trainers. Fouga's original design the CM130 was underpowered with two Turbomeca Palas engines. Fouga then re-designed their aircraft to incorporate the more powerful Marbore engines, et voilà the CM170 Magister. The distinctive V tail, and slender wings bear testament to Fouga's sailplane designs. The prototype Magister flew in 1952 with an order for the first 10 being placed in 1953. The Magister was the worlds purpose designed/built jet powered trainer. It is also worthy to note the Magister made it into carrier aviation. With a few changes to the structure and undercarriage, the addition of an arrestor hook, and sliding canopies the CM175 Zephyr was born. Interestingly carrier trials took place on HMS Bulwark and HMS Eagle. The French aircraft industry in parallel with the UK went through many mergers with the aircraft being known as the Fouga Magister, Potez Magister, Sud Aviation Magister; and finally The Aerospatile Magister; though always actually being called The "Fouga" Magister. Development of the aircraft continued right up until the French selected its replacement, the Alpha Jet. Overseas sales proved popular were made to primarily to Germany, Belgium, Finland, and Israel; with Germany, Finland & Israel building them under licence. Of a total of 929 aircraft built, 286 were built under license. The basic jet was very affordable to operate for smaller Air Forces. Other users would include, Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Biafra, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, El Salvador, Gabon, Katanga, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. Many counties including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Finland; and Israel would use the aircraft for their National Aerobatic display teams. Even though primarily a trainer many of these smaller nations would use the aircraft for its light strike capacity as well. Israel would use them in combat during the 6 day war, El Salvador saw them used during its civil war, and aircraft used by The Katangese Air Force were used against the UN during the Congo crisis in 1961. The Kit The kit arrives on four sprues of grey plastic, and a clear sprue,. The plastic parts are of excellent quality, the panel lines are engraved and deep enough to be seen after painting without being trenches. Care will be needed to take some of the smaller parts of the sprue, and it might have been the case that these would have been better in photo-etch? The clear parts are crisp, clear and thin. The resin parts are for the under-fuselage antenna fitted to the Algerian and Moroccan examples. Some of the smaller parts will need careful removal to avoid damage. Construction starts in the cockpit area. The front and rear instrument panels are fitted (instrument faces are provided as decals), along with the seat supports for the front cockpit. The seats are added along with the engine and flight controls. Once complete the cockpit can be set aside. Attention then moves to the engine pods on each side of the fuselage. Engine fan faces and exhaust need to be placed inside and then the inner side of the engine trunking can be added. At the rear of each side the final exhaust section is added. Once the engines are complete then cockpit can be placed inside the main fuselage, and this then closed up. The radio equipment area to the rear of the cockpit is also added at this time. Various antenna behind the cockpits then need to be added and/or removed depending upon the version being modelled. Once the main fuselage is together work needs doing on both ends. At the rear the tail cone is added along with ventral strake. The 'V' tails are then added, care being taken with the small hinges for these. At the front the first part to me made up is the underside of the nose where the nose gear mounts. This attached inside the nose cone and the appropriate gun/no gun insert is attached to the top of the nose. The prominent nose mounted VOR antenna loops are added and the nose attached to the main fuselage. Construction then moves to the wings. These are of conventional upper & lower construction. The wheel wells are mounted into the wings before they are closed up, along with the wing mounted air-brakes. These can be modelled in with the deployed or retracted positions. The wing end mounted fuel tanks are in two halves, with the bottom being moulded to the upper wing, and then a lower fuel tank part is added. The clear noses can then be added to the front of the fuel tanks. The landing gear is then added to the model. The front single nose wheel is two parts and this is added to the main leg, this is then mounted to the nose of the aircraft. The single front gear door is added. The main wheels though larger than the nose wheel are single parts. These are fitted to the main legs, the legs along with their retraction struts are added into the main gear bays. The three part main gear doors are added. If needed armament can now be added to the model. Bombs and rocket pods are included to be used as wished by the modeller. To finish off the model the canopies can be added in the raised or lowered positions. Markings The decals are printed in house and look to be good. They are crisp, clear and in register. The dayglo stripes for the French Aircraft are not supplied when I thought they would be in this scale. Markings are provided for four examples; 315-PA French Air Force Sqn 00/315 Cognac, 1970-80 312-TX French Air Force, Tan & Light Blue markings for 25th Anniversary of GERMAS (Group d'Enteriten et de Reparation du Material Specialise) Salon de Provence, 1989 MT13 Belgian Air Force advanced flying school Belgian Congo 1960 (Aircraft armed with nose guns) 220 Irish Air Corps 1976 to 1999. Aircraft now used by the Carlow Institute of Technology. Conclusion This is a welcome new tool of an important and widely used trainer/light attack aircraft. The kit is highly detailed and should build upto a good looking if small model. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Fouga CM.170 Magister "Exotic Air Forces" 1:72 Special Hobby The Magister is probably Fouga's most well know design even though they had been producing aircraft since 1936. Post war the company was working on sailplanes and the heritage from this can be seen in the Magister design. In 1948 the French Air Force were looking for a jet powered aircraft to replace the then piston engine trainers. Fouga's original design the CM130 was underpowered with two Turbomeca Palas engines. Fouga then re-designed their aircraft to incorporate the more powerful Marbore engines, et voilà the CM170 Magister. The distinctive V tail, and slender wings bear testament to Fouga's sailplane designs. The prototype Magister flew in 1952 with an order for the first 10 being placed in 1953. The Magister was the worlds purpose designed/built jet powered trainer. It is also worthy to note the Magister made it into carrier aviation. With a few changes to the structure and undercarriage, the addition of an arrestor hook, and sliding canopies the CM175 Zephyr was born. Interestingly carrier trials took place on HMS Bulwark and HMS Eagle. The French aircraft industry in parallel with the UK went through many mergers with the aircraft being known as the Fouga Magister, Potez Magister, Sud Aviation Magister; and finally The Aerospatile Magister; though always actually being called The "Fouga" Magister. Development of the aircraft continued right up until the French selected its replacement, the Alpha Jet. Overseas sales proved popular were made to primarily to Germany, Belgium, Finland, and Israel; with Germany, Finland & Israel building them under licence. Of a total of 929 aircraft built, 286 were built under license. The basic jet was very affordable to operate for smaller Air Forces. Other users would include, Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Biafra, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, El Salvador, Gabon, Katanga, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. Many counties including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Finland; and Israel would use the aircraft for their National Aerobatic display teams. Even though primarily a trainer many of these smaller nations would use the aircraft for its light strike capacity as well. Israel would use them in combat during the 6 day war, El Salvador saw them used during its civil war, and aircraft used by The Katangese Air Force were used against the UN during the Congo crisis in 1961. The Kit The kit arrives on four sprues of grey plastic, a clear sprue, and a small resin block with 5 smaller parts on it. The plastic parts are of excellent quality, the panel lines are engraved and deep enough to be seen after painting without being trenches. Care will be needed to take some of the smaller parts of the sprue, and it might have been the case that these would have been better in photo-etch? The clear parts are crisp, clear and thin. The resin parts are for the under-fuselage antenna fitted to the Algerian and Moroccan examples. To be honest these parts are very small and I am not sure how you would remove them without damaging them. In this review sample one of the parts has broken off at some time and there is no sign of it despite the parts being in their own separate bag. Construction starts in the cockpit area. The front and rear instrument panels are fitted (instrument faces are provided as decals), along with the seat supports for the front cockpit. The seats are added along with the engine and flight controls. Once complete the cockpit can be set aside. Attention then moves to the engine pods on each side of the fuselage. Engine fan faces and exhaust need to be placed inside and then the inner side of the engine trunking can be added. At the rear of each side the final exhaust section is added. Once the engines are complete then cockpit can be placed inside the main fuselage, and this then closed up. The radio equipment area to the rear of the cockpit is also added at this time. Various antenna behind the cockpits then need to be added and/or removed depending upon the version being modelled. Once the main fuselage is together work needs doing on both ends. At the rear the tail cone is added along with ventral strake. The 'V' tails are then added, care being taken with the small hinges for these. At the front the first part to me made up is the underside of the nose where the nose gear mounts. This attached inside the nose cone and the appropriate gun/no gun insert is attached to the top of the nose. The prominent nose mounted VOR antenna loops are added and the nose attached to the main fuselage. Construction then moves to the wings. These are of conventional upper & lower construction. The wheel wells are mounted into the wings before they are closed up, along with the wing mounted air-brakes. These can be modelled in with the deployed or retracted positions. The wing end mounted fuel tanks are in two halves, with the bottom being moulded to the upper wing, and then a lower fuel tank part is added. The clear noses can then be added to the front of the fuel tanks. The landing gear is then added to the model. The front single nose wheel is two parts and this is added to the main leg, this is then mounted to the nose of the aircraft. The single front gear door is added. The main wheels though larger than the nose wheel are single parts. These are fitted to the main legs, the legs along with their retraction struts are added into the main gear bays. The three part main gear doors are added. If needed armament can now be added to the model. Bombs and rocket pods are included to be used as wished by the modeller. To finish off the model the canopies can be added in the raised or lowered positions. Markings The decals are printed by Cartograf and are excellent. They are crisp, clear and in register. The dayglo stripes have been washed out by the scanner but they are as you would expect on the actual sheet. Markings are provided for four examples; Ugandan Peoples Defence Air Force School, Entebbe late 1960's. Supplied by Israel along with training personnel following Congolese attacks in 1965. In Israeli camo. NT-44 Algerian Air Force, Air Force School at Tafraoui, early 1980s. L602 Lebanese Air Force. Ex Luftwaffe aircraft delivered in 1965. Now on display at the Air Force museum in Rayaq. Royal Moroccan Air Force, used in the 1963 war with Algeria. Conclusion This is a welcome new tool of an important and widely used trainer/light attack aircraft. The kit is highly detailed and should build upto an impressive if small model. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Source: http://modelweb.modelforum.cz/2013/10/19/novinky-od-mpm-production-na-rijen-2013/?lang=CS MPM is working on 1/72nd Potez-Air-Fouga CM.170R Magister (& Tzukit) and CM.175 Zéphyr kits. Bad news for the Valom similar project: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234946157-172nd-potez-air-fouga-cm170r-magister-by-valom/?hl=magister V.P.

Fouga CM.170 Magister "German, Finnish & Austrian" (72373) 1:72 Special Hobby The Magister is probably Fouga's most well know design even though they had been producing aircraft since 1936. Post war the company was working on sailplanes and the heritage from this can be seen in the Magister design. In 1948 the French Air Force were looking for a jet powered aircraft to replace the then piston engine trainers. Fouga's original design the CM130 was under-powered with two Turbomeca Palas engines. Fouga then re-designed their aircraft to incorporate the more powerful Marbore engines, et voilà the CM170 Magister. The distinctive V tail, and slender wings bear testament to Fouga's sailplane designs. The prototype Magister flew in 1952 with an order for the first 10 being placed in 1953. The Magister was the worlds purpose designed/built jet powered trainer. It is also worthy to note the Magister made it into carrier aviation. With a few changes to the structure and undercarriage, the addition of an arrestor hook, and sliding canopies the CM175 Zephyr was born. Interestingly carrier trials took place on HMS Bulwark and HMS Eagle. The French aircraft industry in parallel with the UK went through many mergers with the aircraft being known as the Fouga Magister, Potez Magister, Sud Aviation Magister; and finally The Aerospatile Magister; though always actually being called The "Fouga" Magister. Development of the aircraft continued right up until the French selected its replacement, the Alpha Jet. Overseas sales proved popular were made to primarily to Germany, Belgium, Finland, and Israel; with Germany, Finland & Israel building them under licence. Of a total of 929 aircraft built, 286 were built under license. The basic jet was very affordable to operate for smaller Air Forces. Other users would include, Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Biafra, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, El Salvador, Gabon, Katanga, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. Many counties including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Finland; and Israel would use the aircraft for their National Aerobatic display teams. Even though primarily a trainer many of these smaller nations would use the aircraft for its light strike capacity as well. Israel would use them in combat during the 6 day war, El Salvador saw them used during its civil war, and aircraft used by The Katangese Air Force were used against the UN during the Congo crisis in 1961. The Kit The kit arrives on four sprues of grey plastic, and a clear sprue. The plastic parts are of excellent quality, the panel lines are engraved and deep enough to be seen after painting without being trenches. Care will be needed to take some of the smaller parts of the sprue, and it might have been the case that these would have been better in photo-etch? The clear parts are crisp, clear and thin. Construction starts in the cockpit area. The front and rear instrument panels are fitted (instrument faces are provided as decals), along with the seat supports for the front cockpit. The seats are added along with the engine and flight controls. Once complete the cockpit can be set aside. Attention then moves to the engine pods on each side of the fuselage. Engine fan faces and exhaust need to be placed inside and then the inner side of the engine trunking can be added. At the rear of each side the final exhaust section is added. Once the engines are complete then cockpit can be placed inside the main fuselage, and this then closed up. The radio equipment area to the rear of the cockpit is also added at this time. Various antenna behind the cockpits then need to be added and/or removed depending upon the version being modelled. Once the main fuselage is together work needs doing on both ends. At the rear the tail cone is added along with ventral strake. The 'V' tails are then added, care being taken with the small hinges for these. At the front the first part to me made up is the underside of the nose where the nose gear mounts. This attached inside the nose cone and the appropriate gun/no gun insert is attached to the top of the nose. The prominent nose mounted VOR antenna loops are added and the nose attached to the main fuselage. Construction then moves to the wings. These are of conventional upper & lower construction. The wheel wells are mounted into the wings before they are closed up, along with the wing mounted air-brakes. These can be modelled in with the deployed or retracted positions. The wing end mounted fuel tanks are in two halves, with the bottom being moulded to the upper wing, and then a lower fuel tank part is added. The clear noses can then be added to the front of the fuel tanks. The landing gear is then added to the model. The front single nose wheel is two parts and this is added to the main leg, this is then mounted to the nose of the aircraft. The single front gear door is added. The main wheels though larger than the nose wheel are single parts. These are fitted to the main legs, the legs along with their retraction struts are added into the main gear bays. The three part main gear doors are added. If needed armament can now be added to the model. Bombs and rocket pods are included to be used as wished by the modeller. To finish off the model the canopies can be added in the raised or lowered positions. Markings There are 3 marking options on a sheet printed by Cartograf which guarantees there will be no issues with it. Finnish Air Force - Aircraft licence built in Finland 1968 German Navy 1968 Austrian Air Force Silver Birds Aerobatic Display Team 1966-1968 Conclusion It is great to see more versions of this new tool from Special Hobby becoming available. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Source: http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234949713-any-other-new-telford-news/page-3 Kinetic - and obviously later Wingman Models (http://wingmanmodels.com) - is to release a 1/48th Potez-Air-Fouga CM170R Magister kit - ref.48051. Any pictures from this Kinetic 1/48th Fouga Magister test build/test shot? V.P.

Tanmodel as contractor, partner or challenger for DACO's (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234988158-132-potez-air-fouga-cm170r-magister-by-daco-products-cadsmarket-enquiry/) 1/32nd Potez-Air-Fouga CM-170R Magister kit project? That's the question. Source: http://www.greenmats.club/topic/1722-tanmodel-новый-проект-в-132/ The following message was published in the Tanmodel Facebook before being promptly erased. V.P.

Fouga Magister/Zephyr Update sets 1:72 Special Hobby Following on from their excellent kits of the Magister and Zephyr, Special Hobby are now producing their own aftermarket sets. The first two for these aircraft are a set of seats and wheels. Seats The seats are just for the magister and as well as being designed for the Special Hobby kits they should fit the kits from Airfix, Heller and Vallom. They are well cast and should be an easy drop in fit. Wheels These are for all aircraft, and again as well as being designed for the Special Hobby kits they should fit the kits from Airfix, Heller and Vallom. The wheels are well cast with the tread visible, and even in 1.72 if you look closely you can see the DUNLOP printed on the side walls! They are a direct replacement for the kit wheels. Conclusion These are high quality parts and should add to what are already great kits from Special Hobby, and of course the kits from other manufactures. Very highly recommended. Review samples courtesy of

It is just simply to show how AMK develop model kits. The 10 processes are listed below: 1. Information Gathering. 2. 3D Design. 3. Sprue Design/Mould Layouts. 4. Mould Design. 5. Mould Making. 6. Plastic Testing. 7. Box Design. 8. Manual Design. 9. Decal Design. 10. Professional Review. Pictures of each process will come correspondently................

After its future Aero L-29 Delfin (http://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/234934843-148th-aero-l-29-delfin-by-avantgarde-model-kits-cad-drawing/) the next AvantGarde Model 1/48th kit should be a Potez Air Fouga CM.170R Magister - ref.88004 Source: https://www.facebook.com/AMKHOBBY?ref=stream V.P.

I have a Heller Magister taking up shelf space, however I have a big reluctance to build it OOB because it's hardly inspirational as such... Option 1: Patrouille De France 1978, could there be a more colourful scheme? Or a more common combination...(tied perhaps with a Red Arrow Hawk) Option 2: All silver West Germany WS50 19966. Could this be the most boring Heller scheme? So without buying an AM decal sheet what could I come up with? 1. Put it back on the shelf 2. Build but don't paint/decal 3. Spend more money on decals, and blowing apart the idea of cheap + cheerful. 4. Wiff... Which do you think won? ********** Edit: Just found an old Matchbox G91Y in deep storage so now I have to wonder what a mix-n-match would result in...

Fouga CM.170 Magister 1:48 AMK AvantGarde Model Kits The Magister is probably Fouga's most well know design even though they had been producing aircraft since 1936. Post war the company was working on sailplanes and the heritage from this can be seen in the Magister design. In 1948 the French Air Force were looking for a jet powered aircraft to replace the then piston engine trainers. Fouga's original design the CM130 was underpowered with two Turbomeca Palas engines. Fouga then re-designed their aircraft to incorporate the more powerful Marbore engines, et voilà the CM170 Magister. The distinctive V tail, and slender wings bear testament to Fouga's sailplane designs. The prototype Magister flew in 1952 with an order for the first 10 being placed in 1953. The Magister was the worlds purpose designed/built jet powered trainer. It is also worthy to note the Magister made it into carrier aviation. With a few changes to the structure and undercarriage, the addition of an arrestor hook, and sliding canopies the CM175 Zephyr was born. Interestingly carrier trials took place on HMS Bulwark and HMS Eagle. The French aircraft industry in parallel with the UK went through many mergers with the aircraft being known as the Fouga Magister, Potez Magister, Sud Aviation Magister; and finally The Aerospatile Magister; though always actually being called The "Fouga" Magister. Development of the aircraft continued right up until the French selected its replacement, the Alpha Jet. Overseas sales proved popular were made to primarily to Germany, Belgium, Finland, and Israel; with Germany, Finland & Israel building them under licence. Of a total of 929 aircraft built, 286 were built under license. The basic jet was very affordable to operate for smaller Air Forces. Other users would include, Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Biafra, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, El Salvador, Gabon, Katanga, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. Many counties including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Finland; and Israel would use the aircraft for their National Aerobatic display teams. Even though primarily a trainer many of these smaller nations would use the aircraft for its light strike capacity as well. Israel would use them in combat during the 6 day war, El Salvador saw them used during its civil war, and aircraft used by The Katangese Air Force were used against the UN during the Congo crisis in 1961. The Kit Many of us have been waiting for this kit since AMK announced they would be making it. On opening the box you are not disappointed. You are presented with 6 sprues of dark grey plastic, two clear plastic sprues, a small sheet of photo-etched parts; and plastic case containing die cast metal parts. Be careful how you open the case as the metal parts have a tendency to ping out! As well as the box of metal parts, the other item to stand out from the box is that you get the complete fuselage sprue in clear plastic. This will enable the modeller to build this kit with the insides on show. The idea of a "visible" kit has been done by a few companies over the years and AMK seem to wish to carry this on. As you get this clear option you also get two complete engines, main wing spar (in metal), the centre line fuel tank, the secondary oil tank, electronics bay, pressure bay, and the nose electronics/gun bay. This kit will be a super detailers dream with all these parts to show off. There is no surprise though that construction starts with the cockpit. Each seat is made up from five plastic parts. These are installed into the one part cockpit tub. There are then a total of 16 small parts for the cockpit which will give it a really busy look. Two oxygen bottles are installed behind the front seat , followed by instrument panels and control columns. Two metal weights are supplied to attach under the cockpit to stop the model from being a tail sitter. The secondary fuel tank then needs to be assembled. Even if you are not doing the visible model this item needs to be constructed as it forms the rear cockpit bulkhead. The next stages build the internal parts which need to be built for the visible model, and can be skipped if the modeller is not doing this. The main/primary fuel tank is built. The forward face of this can be either the plastic part, or the main white metal part which looks to be the main wing spar. The main tank is made from two sides, the rear bulkhead and the front main spar part. Three additional stiffening ribs are added to each side. Next step is the rear electronics bay which sits behind the main fuel tank. This is very detailed comprising of a total of 22 parts. Even though the instructions call this an electronics bay in reality an hydraulic pump and generator. Two separate equipment racks are constructed and joined. The final internal section for the main fuselage is what the instructions call the Pressure Bay, this is in the location indicated as an equipment bay. Correctly painted and detailed all of the parts should look very good when installed in the clear fuselage. Next construction moves onto the fuselage and is the same if you are making the visible or solid version. A support is installed in each side at the rear of the V tail-planes. A plastic part can be used, or replaced by a white metal part. The cockpit is installed with the secondary fuel tank behind it. If using the visible fuselage then the main fuel tank, equipment bay, and pressure bay are installed. If the modeller is using the solid fuselage then only the wing spar part need to be installed behind the secondary fuel tank. The next stage is to close up the main fuselage. Once this is closed up the main fuselage panel is installed on the underside. Construction then moves to the top of the fuselage. The radio equipment which is mounted under the rearmost canopy section is assembled. Once the main fuselage is finished construction moves to the outside of it. The intakes and engines need to be assembled as these are not internal to the main fuselage. A full length intake is provided for each engine. This is a two part intake with an outer cover. These parts can be constructed in clear or solid plastic. Once the intakes are complete attention moves to the engines and exhausts. Two full engines are included. Each is made up from eleven parts. Once installed the exhausts are installed. Again these are supplied as plastic parts and white metal parts. Rear engine covers are then installed. These are supplied as clear and solid plastic so the full engines can be visible. Once the main fuselage is complete the canopies are added (I suspect most modellers will leave this until the end though). Some of the decal options have a solid read canopy and this is supplied as a separate solid plastic part. The distinctive periscope for the rear seater which is on the centre canopy section between the two cockpits is added. Construction then switches to the wings. The wings are of a conventional upper & lower configuration. The internal bulkheads of the wheel wells will need to be added before closing up the wings. If installing wing pylons the holes for these will need to be drilled out. Separate flaps are supplied, and there are options for these to be in the deployed position. Photo-etched parts are supplied for the wing mounted air/dive brakes. These can be modelled in either the in, or out positions. Separate automatic balance tabs are added to the wings along with linkages which are supplied as photo-etched parts. Both types of wing tip tanks fitted to The Magister are supplied. The modeller will need to research which were fitted to the aircraft which is being modelled. Three part wheel are made up and attached to the legs. Even though strangely missing from the instructions the legs are supplied as both metal and plastic parts. Landing gear doors are attached with photo-etched hinges. The gear retraction arms are again supplied in both metal and plastic (though again missed of the instructions). The V tail-planes are assembled with the distinctive control linkages available again in metal or plastic. The last major construction step is the nose landing gear and its compartment. In The Magister the front gear is attached by a frame to the main forward bulkhead. This is accurately modelled in the kit. The main frames are available as metal or plastic mats, as is the nose wheel leg. Machine guns (if fitted) are supplied for the compartment over the nose gear. The distinctive hoop VOR antenna on the nose are supplied as metal parts. Finally it is up to the modeller to fit all the sub-assemblies together. The wings and tail-planes are added, followed by the nose section. Covers are then fitted to the nose section. Again these are in clear plastic if wanted to show off all the detail on the nose. Fuselage access hatches and antenna will be added at this point. These did change and the instructions show which need to be added for the decal options. If modelling another aircraft the modeller will need to research the aircraft antenna configuration used. For those countries which used their Magisters in the light strike role a small selection of armament is included in the kit. There are small bombs, double stacked rockets, flat faced rocket pods, and what appear to be Matra F2 rocket pods. Metal and Photo-etched Parts A small fret of photo-etched parts is supplied. The main parts on here are for the wing mounted air/dive brakes which can be modelled in either the open or closed positions. Control linkages are also supplied along with a five point harness for each cockpit. The brass will need to be annealed for these as its thicker than other photo-etch I have seen. The white metal zinc cast parts are supplied in their own plastic box. As mentioned be careful when opening this as they tend to ping out and you don't want them lost to the dreaded carpet monster. The metal parts supplied are for The Main Wing Spar, tail-plane mounting spars, exhausts, nose weights, front landing gear frame & leg, main landing gear legs, machine guns; and some control linkages. The casting on these parts is very good and minimal clean up will be needed. Decals Decals are provided for five aircraft. There is no manufacture listed on the decal sheet. The decals do look glossy, well printed and have minimal carrier film. The colours are bright and the density looks good. Its a little disappointing that the options do not include some of the smaller countries that used the Magister. The markings supplied are; Luftwaffe camouflaged aircraft. Belgian Air Force trainer. Belgian Air Force trainer - Marked "The Last Of Many". Belgian Air Force "Red Devils" Aerobatic Team. French Air Force "Patrouille de France" Aerobatic Team. Conclusion This kit is certainly a step up from other kits I have seen, and is certainly not for the novice modeller. Even though its only AMK's forth model, if they continue in this vein we should be seeing more from them. Overall highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Fouga Magister 1:48 Kinetic The Magister is probably Fouga's most well know design even though they had been producing aircraft since 1936. Post war the company was working on sailplanes and the heritage from this can be seen in the Magister design. In 1948 the French Air Force were looking for a jet powered aircraft to replace the then piston engine trainers. Fouga's original design the CM130 was underpowered with two Turbomeca Palas engines. Fouga then re-designed their aircraft to incorporate the more powerful Marbore engines. This became the CM170 Magister. The distinctive V tail, and slender wings bear testament to Fouga's sailplane designs. The prototype Magister flew in 1952 with an order for the first 10 being placed in 1953. The Magister was the worlds purpose designed/built jet powered trainer. It is also worthy to note the Magister made it into carrier aviation. With a few changes to the structure and undercarriage, the addition of an arrestor hook, and sliding canopies the CM175 Zephyr was born. Interestingly carrier trials took place on HMS Bulwark and HMS Eagle. The French aircraft industry in parallel with the UK went through many mergers with the aircraft being known as the Fouga Magister, Potez Magister, Sud Aviation Magister; and finally The Aerospatile Magister. Development of the aircraft continued until the French selected the Alpha Jet to replace the Magister. Overseas sales were made to primarily to Germany, Belgium, Finland, and Israel; the last two countries building them under licence. The basic jet was affordable to operate for smaller Air Forces and other users would include, Algeria, Austria, Bangladesh, Biafra, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, El Salvador, Gabon, Katanga, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Senegal, and Uganda. Many counties including Austria, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Finland; and Israel would use the aircraft for their National Aerobatic display teams. The Kit This kit was a surprise from Kinetic when it was released, even more surprising was that it comes in a double boxing. Good for those who will build more than one, or if you like to keep costs down you can split the boxing with a friend. The kit arrives as three sprues of grey plastic, one clear sprure and a small photo-etched fret for each aircraft. Construction as with most aircraft starts with the cockpit. The main floor pan is one part to which the rudder pedals, control columns and instrument panels are fitted. A periscope is provided for the rear cockpit. Seats are added and the rear bulkhead is added. At this stage you start to see some problems with the instructions. What appear to be oxygen bottles are shown on the instructions for the cockpit, however there is no instructions as to where they need to be located?? only by looking through the instructions do we find them much later shown as being fitted behind the front seat. The modeller is also given a choice of rear cockpit bulkhead to fit. However there is no indication as to which of the decal options has which part? I guess its up to the modeller to find out from their research. Once the cockpit is complete its onto the front landing gear. The tubular strut arrangement for the front gear is made up and attached to the rear bay bulkhead. The nose sides then wrap around the front gear parts. Holes will need to be opened if using the antenna mounted there (again no indications from the instructions. The machine guns can then be added to the nose, and the top cover placed on. As far as I can tell the only aircraft on the decal sheet which would have been armed is the Israeli on which saw combat. Luckily Kinetic have provided both styles of nose panel, though again this is not mentioned in the instructions. Next the modeller moved to the main fuselage. A credit to the kit is that full length intakes and exhausts are provided. These are a two half affair which you join and then slide into each fuselage half. One outer panel at the front is then attached. Once these are in a few small intakes and antennas are attached to the outside. The cockpit assembly can then be placed inside and the fuselage closed up. The prominent top area behind the rear cockpit is added along with some antennas on the top fuselage. The modeller will again need to consult their references as the instructions don't actually indicate where these parts go! A small tail wheel is added (mainly there to protect the tail from over rotation, not actually for landing on!) Construction moves onto the wing next. These are of a conventional top/bottom split and contain positional control surfaces. The tip tanks are moulded direct tot he end o the wing. There is provision using PE parts for the airbrakes. On a magister these protrude out vertically from the top and bottom of the wing, and its good that the modeller can have them raised or lowered. Provision is made for armed aircraft with underwing pylons, and twin stacked rockets. The main landing gear is added at this point (if needed) and consists of a three part hub/tyre assembly with a main leg and retraction arm. Once the wings have been constructed these are added to the main fuselage along with the distinctive V tail. The tail planes are one part and have PE hinges at the top, these are prominent on the Magister and PE provides a scale thickness for these. Lastly the modeller can choose between a one part canopy, or a five part one with the main canopies in the raised position. It is good in the kit that both these options are provided. Canopies The clear parts are one of the best parts of the kit. A one part clear canopy is provided for those who prefer that type, or a five part canopy is provided if you wan tto open the cockpits up. The parts are very well moulded, clear and free from flaws. Not mentioned (again!) in the instructions is that some aircraft in particular the Belgian ones flew with a covered rear part of the canopy. Rather than just paint over the clear parts Kinetic have provided this part in normal plastic with an appropriate level of detail. Decals Decals are provided for five schemes. The decals are printed by Cartograf and are up to their excellent standards. The colours are very good and the dayglo panels for the French Trainer are very bright. Red Devils - Belgium Aerobatic display team - Overall red aircraft. Patrouille de France - French Aerobatic display team - Overall blue aircraft. Armee de l'Air - French Air Force trainer - NMF. Israeli Air Force - Camouflaged Aircraft as used in the Six Day War 1967. Israeli Air Force - White over Red Trainer Aircraft 1976 Conclusion A thoroughly modern tooling of an important aircraft which was used by many countries. This is great kit from Kinetic let down only by the instructions. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Source IPMS Belgium news Valom , aircraft, injection, 1/72 Fouga Magister Several boxings : ref. 72084 http://www.aviationmegastore.com/fouga-cm170r-magister-luftwaffe-72084-valom-vaclav-lomitzk-val7284-scale-modelling/product/?shopid=LM51c6cddd39ba56498c089f571e&action=prodinfo&parent_id=212&art=116595 ref.72083 http://www.aviationmegastore.com/fouga-cm170-magister-french-af-72083-valom-vaclav-lomitzk-val7283-scale-modelling/product/?shopid=LM51c6cddd39ba56498c089f571e&action=prodinfo&parent_id=212&art=116594 V.P.

I scanned one of these a few weeks ago so I thought I may as well scan the others from this display at Fairford, 1997:

Been busy with work so not a chance to get any modelling done in a while, so it was time to move out of my 1/144 scale zone and onto something a little bigger. This is the vintage Heller Fouga kit, to say it was a challenge would be an understatement. I built this for a workmate who wanted it for his Father, it is all raised detail and due to age some of the kit parts had warped including the wings and fuselage, Main ref book was Fouga Magister, An Irish Perspective By Joe Maxwell and Radu Brinzan As it is such an odd scale Maxdecals 1/48 sheet was used instead, it was my first time using these and I found them to be superb in quality and they had no problems conforming to the kit details even without using decal softener. It was also my first time using Tamiya fine primer spray and the Humbrol rattle cans and with the heating tip in warm water worked brilliantly, the dayglo (looks orange in the pics but its more red in real life) and other colours are from Humbrol tins ( hairy stick application!!) Anyone who knows this kit is aware that the canopy is split down the middle and must be fixed in place before the fuselage is joined, this presented the biggest problem. Some details where not included and need a little scratch-building such as the periscope on the canopy, battery cover vents, new aerials and standard tamiya tape belts. Anyway I think it all worked out in the end and it built into a really nice kit, as always all comments appreciated.( ADF red and white aerials on the nose where added after these photos where taken)