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Here's a little tank (very little-it's like 1/72 scale-sized) that I did last year and never got around to posting. A quick, fun build of a subject that gets very little coverage. The HobbyBoss kit went together with no issues. I added some minor details here and there, but this was mostly an OOB build. Every now and again, it's nice to do a "weekend build"!

My second entry will be the Kittyhawk of Australian ace John Waddy, using this Hobby Boss Quickboost build kit: and decals from this Ventura set: Parts washed and ready to go. AW

Messerschmitt Bf.109E-3 (81791) 1:35 HobbyBoss via Creative Models Ltd With almost 34,000 examples manufactured over a 10-year period, the Messerschmitt Bf.109 is one of the most widely produced aircraft in history and it saw active service in every theatre in which German armed forces were engaged. Initially designed in the mid-1930s, the Bf.109 shared a similar general arrangement with the Spitfire, employing monocoque construction and a V12 engine, albeit an inverted V with fuel injection rather than the carburettor used in the Spitfire. Initially designed as a lightweight interceptor, like many German types during WWII, the Bf.109 evolved beyond its original brief into a bomber escort, fighter bomber, night fighter, ground-attack and reconnaissance platform. The E variant, or Emil as it was more affectionately known was the first major revision of the original design, including an uprated engine and the attendant strengthening of the airframe that was required. It first saw service in the Legion Condor fighting in the Spanish civil war on the side of Nationalist forces of Military Dictator Franco, and then in the Battle of Britain where it came up against its nemeses the Supermarine Spitfire and Hawker Hurricane during the critical fight for the survival of the RAF and Britain, which was key to halting Operation Seelöwe, the invasion of Britain by the Nazis. Like the Spitfire it fought against, it was improved incrementally through different marks, the Emil was similarly tweaked to keep pace, with later variants having additional long-range tankage, plus structural improvements and a simpler squared-off canopy with clear frontal armour, but apart from various field modifications and a few low-volume sub-variants, it had reached the end of its tenure, and was phased out in favour of the Friedrich and later the Gustav. The Kit This is a reboxing of a 2015 tooling by HobbyBoss that was originally marketed as a Bf.109F-4 Easy Assembly Authentic Kit, which is a reasonable explanation of its intent. It has been reboxed several times with new parts in the interim, and is now available again as an E-3 in a new box with a painting of one of the decal options flying in formation with colleagues over broken cloud. Inside the box are two large sprues and two small single-part sprues in grey styrene, a long clear sprue, decal sheet, a sheet of pre-cut paper masks (not pictured), the instruction booklet in greyscale, and a colour painting guide, printed on both sides of a glossy sheet of paper that is tucked inside the instructions. Although this is a relatively straightforward kit that shouldn’t tax anyone including the novice, the level of detail is good, extending to the cockpit, gear bays, and even the radiators under the wings and nose. Construction begins with the cockpit, predictably, based upon a flat floor plate that receives the rear bulkhead and seat frame first, followed by rudder pedals that are moulded to a peculiar carrier, seat adjuster, twin-layer trimming wheel, control column, and a small equipment box that is applied to the floor. The two fuselage halves are prepared next, with plenty of detail moulded into the interior, both in the cockpit and the aft fuselage areas, although little will be seen of the latter. The instrument panel consists of two parts, dial decals and clear gunsight part, gluing it to the starboard fuselage along with a representation of the oxygen system, adding a top bulkhead behind the pilot’s seat, and a pair of exhaust stacks through slots in the nose from within, one on each side. The tail gear leg has a separate side to its yoke to trap the small wheel in place, clipping it into position in the rear under the tail, after which the fuselage halves can be closed, fitting the engine cowling to the nose after the fuselage glue has cured. Inverting the fuselage allows fitting of the chin intake pathway where the oil cooler is located, starting with an insert to which the radiator core is glued, applying the actuator underneath beforehand and adding the three-part cowling after detail painting. The supercharger intake horn is fixed to a recess in the port nose, and a pair of rudder actuators are applied to both sides of the tail later in the build. The lower wing panel is full-span, and has a pair of guides for two radiators behind the cut-outs for the main gear wells, adding an L-shaped tank in the centreline further back before the upper wings are laid over the top, having bay roof detail moulded-in. The trailing edges of the wings are thickened up by adding an insert to them on the inner section, including the flap portions behind the radiator outlets. The completed wings are then glued to the fuselage underneath, preparing the elevators by adding their support struts first, then gluing them into position either side of the tail. You can pose the canopy open or closed, using three parts for open, and a single part for closed, adding head armour and a handle inside, although this is only documented for the closed canopy, but it’s not much of a leap to fit the same parts to the open option, and the arrangement of the open canopy is not shown on the instructions either, so check your references to attain the correct angle. The die-cut masks are applied to the outside of the canopy according to a diagram nearby, which applies to both open and closed options. The three-bladed prop is moulded as a single part that is trapped between the spinner and back-plate before it is fixed to the open nose, with no option of leaving it spinning. The narrow-track main gear consists of the legs, a captive bay door, and the skinny tyre with radial tread and integral hub, plugging them into sockets in the inner end of the bays, mounting a pitot probe under the port wing, and horn balances on the ailerons on the underside of the wings. The last assembly is a two-part fuel tank, which is fixed to a platform with two C-shaped supports, gluing the completed assembly to the belly between the gear legs, which is probably best done following main painting. Markings There are two decal options provided on the sheet, and in traditional HobbyBoss style, no information is supplied for them, but it wouldn’t be too difficult to find the relevant information if you are so minded. Both options have mottle or cross-hatching camouflage over an early war splinter scheme, which could be a little taxing for a novice, but is a common feature of German WWII fighters, so is worth the effort to master if you intend to build more of them. From the box you can build one of the following: HobbyBoss decals are usually fit for purpose, but can be a little lacking in some respects. This sheet is printed in good registration with adequate sharpness and colour density, including the yellow decals. They usually go down well with the use of a little decal solution and some mild patience. Conclusion It’s a straight forward kit of this important WWII German fighter, which offers a surprising amount of detail for the skill level, but perhaps some simpler decal options might have been better suited to the kit’s original intent as an easy model for a novice. That said, there’s nothing quite like setting yourself the goal of learning to paint mottle to push your skill set further. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Russian MiG-35 Fulcrum F (81787) 1:48 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The Mikoyan MiG-35 is based upon the MiG-29 series of aircraft. Known in the West by its NATO reporting name 'Fulcrum' it is an air superiority fighter designed and built in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, carrying on under the Russian Federation after the dissolution of the USSR. As with other comparable aircraft of that period, such as the Su-27, F-16, F-15 and Panavia Tornado, it was produced in significant numbers and is still in widespread service with air arms around the world. The MiG-29 was developed as a lighter, cheaper aircraft compared to the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, an aircraft with which it is broadly comparable in terms of layout and design, if not size and weight. As with the Su-27, the engines are spaced widely apart, with the area between them being used to generate lift and improve manoeuvrability. The MiG-29 is powered by two Klimov RD-33 Turbofans, each of which generates over 18,000lb of thrust in reheat. As with many Soviet types, the aircraft is well suited for use on rough airstrips, particularly as the engine air intakes can be closed completely when on the ground, allowing air to be drawn through louvres on the upper surfaces of the wing roots avoiding FOD. Armament consists of a combination of Vympel R-27 medium-range air-to-air missiles and R-73 or R-60 short-range air-to-air missiles, as well as an integral GSh-30-1 30mm cannon in the port Leading Edge Root Extension (LERX). The aircraft can be used in a range of roles and can carry bombs and rockets in addition to more technologically advanced missiles. The MiG-29 has been widely exported and is still in widespread use with Russian, former Soviet and aligned nations, including several NATO member states such as Poland. Based upon the MiG-29KR, the MiG-35 was developed to display capabilities in 2017 as an all-weather carrier-capable multi-role fighter that incorporates modern technologies that make it comparable in terms of generational capabilities to the Eurofighter, Saab Gripen and Dassault Rafale. Due to its enhanced avionics, it has more autonomy than many Soviet-era and subsequent Russian fighters, the single seater designated as the MiG-35S, and the two-seater the UB. The first production airframes arrived in 2019, and an export option was developed to attract foreign buyers with a revised tail, more powerful engines and other improvements. Only a small order was forthcoming from Russia, which was further reduced to twenty-four airframes, entering service in time to take part in the unlawful invasion of Ukraine, where it saw limited active service notably in 2025, defending against Ukrainian drones, according to the Russian MoD. So far there have been no successful bids to supply foreign operators with airframes, but a carrier specific variant is being worked upon. The Kit This is a new boxing from HobbyBoss based upon their earlier MiG-29K tooling of 2024, but with new parts to depict this upgraded airframe. The kit arrives in a sturdy top-opening box with a painting of the subject on the front, and profiles of the decal options on one side. Inside the box is a cardboard divider to reduce movement of parts during shipping and storage, and most sprues are individually bagged, with delicate parts pre-wrapped in thin foam sheets, secured by tape. There are nine sprues, two fuselage halves and four exhaust nozzles in grey styrene, a long clear sprue in a bubble-wrap envelope, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass backed by a piece of card, decal sheet, instruction booklet in black and white, plus a folded sheet of glossy A3 printed in colour with one decal option per side, and another A4 sheet for the painting and decaling of the weapons that are included in the box. Detail is good, with intelligent use of slide-moulding to create additional features without increasing the part count, and a choice of exhaust nozzles in closed or open positions, with excellent detail moulded into both layers. Construction begins with the K-36D-3.5 ejection seat, which is made from thirteen styrene parts, plus four seatbelts and ejection actuator handle in PE. This is slotted into the front compartment of the cockpit tub, adding the instrument panel and control column, and applying six decals to the panel and side consoles. Additional parts are fitted along with the cockpit sidewalls in both compartments, fixing a rudder bar with two PE foot straps in the front of the cockpit, remembering that most of the rear tub will be covered by an insert later in the build, so don’t waste any time painting and weathering that area. The nose gear bay must be built next, as it will be trapped between the fuselage halves, and this is built up from four parts, with the nose gear leg made from a single strut with integral supports near the top, fitting the oleo and swing-arm to the bottom, plus a clear landing light and other small parts before you attach wheels on either end of the cross-axle, making them from two halves each. The cover for the rear cockpit is raised, and has a grille on the front, plus two small boxes added to the top surface, then the fuselage can be prepared, drilling out several flashed-over holes under the wings, and one on the roof of the space between the engines. The nose gear bay is inserted into its cut-out, adding a pair of extension cups to the main gear bays behind the moulded-in sections, then gluing the cockpit tub into the upper fuselage along with an insert in the nose for a refuelling probe. The two fuselage halves are brought together, fixing the rear cockpit cover and a small spine insert, then building the HUD from a sloped styrene core with clear lens, PE supports for the two clear part, and applying a choice of two decals to the lens before it is fitted in a recess in the cockpit coaming. Soviet/Russian fighters tend to have built-in FOD guards to their intakes, which in this case are supplied as large mesh panels that fit into the front of the inner engine intake trunks, that have a cylindrical profile and are blocked at the inner end by an insert that has the front of the engine moulded-into it, inserting the completed assembly into the engine nacelles, painting the inner surface grey, then adding the roof of the trunks to the sloped forward edge. This is done twice of course, and the two finished assemblies are inserted into the underside of the fuselage after adding extra wall detail to the main gear bays that nestle into the outer sides of each nacelle, and a new sensor fairing on the outer sides. In preparation, two short cowling sections are fitted to the upper fuselage where the exhausts will sit later. The twin fins are each made from two halves plus rudder, but they are equipped with different sensor fits in the trailing edge of the tip, which is further accentuated by the probe and sensors added to the rear, whilst both share the same T-shaped PE aerial near the change of angle of the leading edges of the fins. There is a large tapered cylindrical fuel tank between the engine nacelles, and this is built from two halves that are capped at either end, the nose cone made from two halves to include the forward pylon mount. This and the fins are put to one side while other assemblies are built for the underside of the model. This begins with the landing gear, the main gear made from a thick strut with trailing retraction jack, small captive bay door, and a two-part scissor link, which receives a two-part wheel with circumferential tread moulded-in, although you’ll have to take a sanding stick to them if you wish to depict the weight of the airframe on the tyres. The exhausts have a short two-part trunk as their starting point, with a double layer depicting the rear of the engines and the afterburner rings, then you have a choice of posing the exhaust petals opened or closed, using two different sets of parts to portray the inner and outer layers of the nozzles. The closed nozzles have their inner part inserted from within, while the opened nozzles have their inner layer slid in from the rear due to the angles of the respective parts, with the resulting detail worth the effort. Both sets of nozzles are glued to the rear of the trunking, and are slipped inside the rear of the fuselage, adding the main gear legs and a bay door actuator to each side, then fitting the chaff & flare boxes on the fairings each side of the exhaust trunking, a pylon under each of the inner wing panels moulded into the fuselage, gluing on leading edges slats, and finally the twin fins that are attached to the fairings to the sides of the engines on pegs for strength. Doors are added to the gear bays, flaperons and their actuator fairings to the rear of the wings, a gaggle of antennae under the nose, and mounting the large central tank between the engine nacelles. The next step is to fit the jointing parts to the ends of the inner wing panels, fixing them flat, as this boxing doesn’t have operational folding wings. This involves omitting the hinge parts, laying the hinge cover panel flat to the wing, and fitting the outer wing panel at the same angle as the inner. The new outer wing panels are built from two halves, adding slats at the front and ailerons to the rear. It’s best to test fit this in situ to obtain the correct attitude for the various parts. More probes and antenna are clustered around the nose along with the refuelling probe with its cover, adding a clear lens to the sensor under the windscreen, which is also fitted at this stage. An actuator for the main canopy is installed behind it, and further aft two jacks for the air-brake are glued in position, which might be best done whilst fitting the panel to ensure they all line up. The canopy has a separate styrene lower frame with a cross-brace, four PE latches on each side, and a pair of curved rear-view mirrors in the front frame, fitting to the rear of the cockpit opening on the afore-mentioned jack. The elevators/elevons are single parts that fit into plugs on the side of the fuselage, and a gun fairing is fixed in the leading edge of the port LERX with another pair of PE antennae, one on each side of the new nose cone, which has a separate pitot probe mounted at the tip. Like many Hobby Boss kits, this boxing has a plethora of weapons to suspend from the various pylons under the fuselage and wings. The following are included: 2 x R-77 (AA-12 Adder) BVR A2A Missile 2 x R-73M (AA-11 Archer) Short Range A2A Missile 2 x MSP-418K active jammer pod 2 x PTB-1150 1,150L Fuel Tanks 2 x KH -29T (AS-14 Kedge-B) TV guided A2S Missile 2 x KH-31P (AS-17 Krypton) Anti-Radiation Cruise Missile 2 x KAB-500Kr TV-guided bomb 2 x KH-35 (AS-20 Kayak) Anti-Ship Cruise Missile The various missiles are moulded as two halves, have separate fins fore and aft, and clear seeker heads where appropriate, adding adapter rails as necessary. The KH-35s however have their aft section removed before they are built, fixing folded fins to the sides of the missile, with a scrap diagram showing how they should appear once completed. A diagram at the end of the instruction booklet shows where the various munitions and pods can be mounted, but check your references for real-world load-outs if you prefer. Markings As is common with HobbyBoss, Trumpeter and I Love Kit, there is very little information given regarding the decal choices, other than the aircraft codes. Both choices wear the same two-colour blue scheme, and from the box you can depict one of the following: The various weapons, tanks and pods have a great many stencils that can be applied, using a separate colour page to guide you, all of which adds realism to your model. Decals aren’t always Hobby Boss’s strong point, but these are of good quality with registration, sharpness and colour density that are suitable for the task at hand. They usually go down well, and there are plenty of stencils for the airframe and weapons to add detail to your model, including more detailed instrument panel decals than many other companies provide. Conclusion The MiG-35 is a recent part of the expansive and sometimes confusingly arranged MiG-29 family, and it seems a competent representation of what is a niche modern variant that has so far only been produced in small numbers, including lots of detail and a large quantity of weapons for you to get to grips with. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Dear Ship fans, I hope someone can help me out here. I'm currently building the Hobbyboss RMT Olympic in her first dazzle scheme but am struggling to reconcile published differences in the lifeboat arrangement. In the Shipcraft book Titanic and her sisters Olympic and Britannic, by Peter Davies-Garner, there are three different given configurations for the wartime complement and arrangement - a line drawing and accompanying description on page 60, implying stacking of two lifeboats (size, but not type mentioned, but I assume standard) and just two parallel rows aft - colour side profile on page 46 (2nd dazzle scheme) with partly deployed lifeboats, plus standard lifeboats stacked on what look to be Berthon collapsible types - colour top view showing same, but with three parallel rows aft, of different types (both standard and Berthon?) A colour print (profile) of Olympic (in 1st dazzle scheme) by Simon Glancey shows just a standard lifeboat (not deployed) stacked on a Berthon. What is going on here? Does anyone know the true pattern? Ngā mihi, GrahamB

HobbyBoss is to release a 1/72nd URAL APA-5D Russian airfield starter truck - ref. 82962 Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=277&l=en Release expected in late May 2025 3D render V.P.

HobbyBoss is to release 1/72nd Grumman TBM-3 Avenger kits Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 - ref. 87274 - Grumman TBM-3 Avenger - ref. 87275 - Grumman TBF-1C Avenger V.P.

HobbyBoss is to release 1/48th Messerschmitt Bf.109E Emil kits. - ref. 81791 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-3 Emil - ref. 81792 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-4 Emil - ref. 81793 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-4/TROP Emil - ref. 81794 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-7 Emil Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

My second kit finished this year - 1:72 A-7E Corsair II, serial 158825, Hellenic Air Force, 335 Mira, Araxos AB, 2007. HobbyBoss kit (with some modifications in the air intake area), Aires resin cockpit and some scratch (aerials, pipes etc.). I also replaced "long" fuel tanks from the kit with 300 gal tanks taken from Fujimi kit. I`ve wanted to make a model of this particular aircraft ever since I saw it in the Hellenic Air Force museum 2 years ago. HobbyBoss recently reissued the 1:72 A-7H model which included this paint scheme (during research I learned that aircraft 158825 was actually an ex-US Navy A-7E, not an A-7H). However decals from the box were used mostly as templates for painting, as their orange color was too bright and too yellowish and the tigers on the fin were too simplistic. It took some work, but I finally managed to finish it. Thanks for watching!

LAV-300 with 90mm Cockerill Gun (84573) 1:35 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd The LAV-300 was developed by Cadillac Gage as a Light Armoured Vehicle, similar to the other vehicles of the LAV range of armoured vehicles such as the LAV-25, and bears an outward similarity if you ignore the number of wheels, despite being manufactured by a different company. Initial customers for the type were overseas, starting with Panama, followed by Kuwait, who both took a relatively small number of vehicles for their use. It was designed from the outset to be configurable into fifteen variants that gave it flexibility of operation, with a choice of different calibre weapons ranging from machine guns or Mortars, through TOW anti-tank missile installations to the 90mm Cockerill gun in the Fire Support Vehicle (FSV). Many of Panama’s examples were captured or destroyed by American forces in the late 80s invasion, and much of Kuwait’s complement were lost in Iraq’s invasion a year later in 1990, while the Philippines have kept their forces largely intact over the years. The Cockerill gun is a low-pressure weapon, mounted in a low-weight two-person turret that was engineered to be a drop-in emplacement in light-weight applications such as armoured cars, and can fire a range of 90mm munitions to give support to troops and other soft skinned vehicles with direct or indirect fire. It is proof against 7.62mm rounds, as is the rest of the hull that is made from hardened steel. Production was ended in 2000, with a new company Textron taking over maintenance and support ten years later, although no new variants would be produced. A LAV-300 Mk.II was proposed in the late 80s with improved engine and transmission amongst other upgrades, and a single vehicle was upgraded with a larger turret taken from the niche Stingray Light Tank, the only operator of which being Thailand. This was re-designated as the LAV-600, although it was never mass-produced, losing out to the M1117 in a bid for service in the US army. Like its sibling, it is now firmly in the rear-view mirror of wheeled AFV history. The Kit This is a new tooling from HobbyBoss of this relatively low-volume AFV, and it arrives in a top-opening box with a card divider separating the hull parts from the other sprues. A painting of the LAV-300 in a tropical backdrop adorns the front of the box, and inside are five sprues plus two hull halves in sand-coloured styrene, a clear sprue, a bag of six flexible black tyres, a length of braided copper wire, two Photo-Etch (PE) frets of different sizes in thick-gauge brass, a black & white instruction booklet with a colour painting and decaling guide on glossy paper slipped inside. Exterior detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from HobbyBoss, extending to the suspension under the six wheels, and the wheels themselves, including the chunky tyres, stowage, light cages, and main gun. Construction begins with a small suspension part with a PE handle, of which there are two under the front of the hull, adding suspension struts with gaiters, and building three axles with drive-shafts, with another stubby amphibious-drive axle under the rear of the hull, and a transfer box near the centre of the transmission tunnel. The LAV-300 is amphibious, and has a pair of water jets under the rear of the hull, made from two halves, plus a rendition of the internals, a PE mesh over the open intake, and a directional ‘bucket’ at the rear. More suspension units with gaiters and other suspension parts are fitted around the underside, plus a pair of rails under the front, which later supports a bow wave deflector, with an actuator lever added later in the build when the hull halves are together. The two front wheels are made as a mirrored pair, taking care with the direction of tread whilst adding the two hub halves around the flexible tyres, and installing an additional hub part on the inner face that is mostly hidden by the carcass of the tyre. The rear wheels are built as a pair that are mirrored on the opposite side, using a different non-steering hub back, sliding them onto the respective ends of the axles. The steering pair at the front have a linkage that joins them together, adding a pair of armoured PE deflectors to the amphibious drive parts, which by now have angled drive-shafts applied to transfer motive power when in water. The rear doors are first parts of the upper hull to be built, adding a single panel door with latches into the drop-down main door, with glazing in the small windows, a cage around each one, handles, and a hitch on the lower edge. Despite this being a predominantly exterior kit, there are elements of the interior included, such as the driver’s position, complete with seat, handbrake, two-part steering column, foot pedals, and a fire extinguisher to the rear. A set of back-to-back passenger seats are made from two main components, adding support struts to the ends with the help of an accompanying scrap diagram, mounting them in the rear on two large pins. Another crew seat is fixed behind the driver facing sideways, placing an instrument binnacle with decal and a pair of levers on the left wheel arch, completing the driver’s controls. A periscope and two vision blocks are fixed to the front lip of the driver’s hatch, with two smaller hatches on the glacis, and a step on the left side of the lower hull, gluing the upper hull in place, followed by the two engine bay hatches on the right, adding vents, grab-handles and sub-hatches to complete them before installing them both in the space on the front of the upper hull. Several small parts are applied to the glacis, plus four PE lugs on the left side that will support the towing cable that is made from the supplied copper wire and a pair of two-part eyes, wrapping them around the PE lugs and draping them appropriately. A side hatch is detailed with clear parts and handles before it is installed in the cut-out, adding vision ports and glazed-over firing loupes on both sides. More detail is fitted to the glacis, incorporating light clusters with clear lenses, wing mirrors on stalks, then moving along the side fitting more detail and clear windows, ending with a rack of two four-part jerry cans at the rear left. The driver’s hatch is a single part, adding a rack of pioneer tools to the rear behind the turret ring, and the massive exhaust unit that snakes down the right side of the vehicle, made from three styrene parts to give it a hollow tip, and three PE heat-shields, plus a grab-handle where it emerges from the interior. It is mounted on three lugs that correspond with holes in the side of the hull, adding a pair of rear lights and towing eyes to the rear. The turret is made from top and bottom halves, first adding the two hatches to their cut-outs, latches on the inside, then mating the halves, with a styrene stowage basket that has a PE mesh top installed over the top. Lifting lugs, latches, vision blocks and sighting mechanism are fixed to the turret top and sides, plus a pair of aerial mounts at the rear, and a searchlight with clear lens on the right of the main gun. The gun has a solid one-part barrel, adding a slide-moulded muzzle brake to the front, and a two-part corrugated gaiter to the rear, slotting the base into a shroud, then sliding that into the mantlet, with a coaxial 7.62mm machine gun muzzle inserted to the left of the barrel. The turret mates with the hull without glue, locking in place via a bayonet fitting, completing the build by adding two fuel filler caps to the rear sides, covering them with a protective cage, and adding more cages around the two amphibious propulsion units under the rear of the sponsons. Markings There are two decal options included on the sheet, depicting a pair of Philippine Marines vehicles, wearing different schemes, one digital, the other more traditional tri-tone. HobbyBoss aren’t very forthcoming about any other details however, but the vehicle numbers and schemes might offer some clues to those that are interested. From the box you can build one of the following: The decals are up to HB’s usual standards, and should be suitable for the task, although I often worry about the density and under-printing of the yellow components. Conclusion This is a nice model of a niche subject that will doubtless appeal to lovers of wheeled AFVs, especially if they’re fond of big guns and low production numbers. It has good detail, and a portion of the interior adds appeal to the model. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German Kommandowagen for BP-42 1:72 Hobbyboss The Wehrmacht made good use of the European railway network during the Second World War, moving men and material to the front line quickly and efficiently. The railway network became an obvious target for sabotage, which in turn meant that armoured trains became a natural requirement, particularly for operating in dangerous areas where partisans might be present. Unfortunately, the rapid development of aircraft meant that armoured trains became ineffective for the role they were intended to fulfil. Mike reviewed Hobbyboss's BR57 armoured locomotive some time ago (quite by accident, because he forgot to check the scale) and now we're going to take a look at their armoured wagon. In classic Hobbyboss style, the kit is tightly packed into a sturdy box, with everything meticulously wrapped to ensure it survives the journey from China to wherever you are. The kit is very simple, comprising just five slide-moulded parts, two sprues of smaller parts and two sprues holding Hobbyboss's standard track sections. Also in the box are the instructions, a glossy A4 painting sheet and a small sheet of generic decals. The detail of the slide-moulded parts is excellent, with crisp and fine surface details. Construction begins with the lower chassis. The axles and wheels fit in from above and are then boxed in so there is no see-through effect. As with other similar kits from Hobbyboss, the brake blocks are moulded in place on the wheels, while the leaf spring suspension units are seperate parts. The buffer and couplings are provided for either end, as well as some grab handles that run along the outside. The upper part of the wagon is incredibly simple. Unlike the Geschutzwagen, there is no turret, but a prominent radio antenna runs the circumference of the wagon in its place. The track is broken down into four sections, the joins in which are cleverly matched to the natural breaks and joined with nicely moulded fish plates. If you want to ramp the detail up a notch then you might want to use OO gauge track, or at least dress the provided sections with some PVA glue and ballast. Only one colour scheme is included on the sheet; a base of Dark Yellow, over which Red brown and Field Green stripes are applied in a similar fashion to contemporary armoured vehicles. Given how filthy railway gear got due to the soot and grease, there is then plenty of scope for the modeller to express themselves with weathering. Conclusion One thing I will say about this kit is that it rails (ho ho!) against the trend of producing models with ever increasing levels of detail and complexity. It will make a great model when paired with the BR57 and Geschutzwagen, perhaps in a diorama with some partisans springing an ambush. Whatever you decide, you can't deny that it's nice to have a mainstream model of this interesting subject. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German Kanonen und Flakwagen of BP-42 (82925) 1:72 Hobbyboss The Wehrmacht made good use of the European railway network during the Second World War, moving men and material to the front line quickly and efficiently. The railway network became an obvious target for sabotage, which in turn meant that armoured trains became a natural requirement, particularly for operating in high risk areas where partisans might be present. Unfortunately the rapid development of ground attack aircraft meant that armoured trains became ineffective for the role they were intended to fulfil. Mike reviewed Hobbyboss's BR57 armoured locomotive some time ago (quite by accident, because he forgot to check the scale) and I've reviewed various iterations of their armoured wagons. This is the latest in the series, depicting a variant armed with quad flak and cannon turrets. In classic Hobbyboss style, the kit is tightly packed into a sturdy box, with everything meticulously wrapped to ensure it survives the journey from China to wherever you are. The kit is very simple, composed of a handful or slide-moulded parts, two sprues of smaller parts and two sprues holding Hobbyboss's standard track sections. Also in the box are the instructions, a glossy A4 painting sheet and a small sheet of generic decals. The detail of the slide-moulded parts is excellent, with crisp and fine surface details. Construction begins with the lower chassis. The axles and wheels fit in from above and are then boxed in so there is no see-through effect. As with other similar kits from Hobbyboss, the brake blocks are moulded in place on the wheels, while the leaf spring suspension units are separate parts. The buffers and couplings are provided for either end. The 2cm Flakvierling 38 mount is a mini-model in its own right, although in usual Hobbyboss style, the part count isn't excessive. There are some nice touches, including spare magazines and a nicely moulded splinter shield. The howitzer turret is a very simple affair by comparison, and it should be noted that none of the turrets can be posed in the open position (not that there is any interior detail in any case). The track is split into four sections, the joins in which are cleverly matched to the natural breaks and joined with nicely moulded fish plates. If you really want to hide the joins properly, some 00 gauge ballast could be used, while the detail could really be ramped up with some proper track. Only one colour scheme is included on the sheet, for a vehicle with a base of Dark Yellow, over which Red brown and Field Green stripes are applied in a similar fashion to contemporary armoured vehicles. Given how filthy railway rolling stock gets due to the soot and grease, there is huge scope for the builder to express him or herself with weathering. Conclusion I thought Hobbyboss had finished their range of German armoured trains, but apparently not. This model - ho ho - rails (that pun never gets old) against the trend of producing models with ever increasing levels of detail and complexity. It will make a great model when paired with Hobboyboss's BR57 and other armoured wagons. Whatever you decide to do with it, you can't deny that it's nice to have a mainstream model of this interesting subject. Recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Hello Britmodellers, The Harvard/Texan has often been used to simulate other aircraft in the movies, so here's my rendition of a "Fokker D.XXI" as portrayed in the 1977 Dutch war movie "Soldaat van Oranje". Note the size difference between the converted HobbyBoss T-6G and a PM D.XXI. Thanks for watching! Luka

HobbyBoss is to release a 1/48th Consolidated B-24J Liberator kit - ref. 81774 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

Doyusha is to rebox in April the HobbyBoss (link) 1/72nd Dassault Rafale M kit - ref. Source: https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10765250 V.P.

Following up on the quick and 'mojo regain' build of the Trop Spit, I looked for something that looks nice, not too complicated and will allow me to regain some of the skills I lost during the year and a half I was away from the bench. It also should be a kit that is cheap and easy enough to buy if I totally wiffle up I hope this Hobbyboss Me-262 will proved to be a good pick.

As my BE.2c and Gotha builds have gone a bit faster than anticipated I thought I might chance my arm one last time with this. I have always rather liked the P-40 and besides the later "Kittyyhawk/Warhawk" I built a couple of the old Frog Tomahawks back in the day, one as a "Flying Tigers" machine, and a RAF desert one of 112 Squadron, both featuring Sharks Mouths. They are long gone, but when the HobbyBoss version appeared 10 or more years ago I ended up buying three. Two have been built, another 112 Squadron version and a "Pearl Harbor" USAAC one, but the other remained in the box until about a year ago. When the latest Airfix GB came round I built a Boston III and for a change I mixed up my own version of the US equivalent colours. As ever I overdid it, and rather than throw the paint out I decided to build the last P-40 as either an early RAF Tomahawk IIa as used at home in the Army Cooperation/recce role or another Flying Tiger plane as in the kit options. As you can see the main assembly was finished as was most of the painting and then it was put aside and forgotten until now. If the paint is still viable as it seems I will have a shot at getting it finished although I only have 4 complete days left! No pressure then.😄 Pete

My current project is an early MiG-3. It is the hobby boss kit but with an alter fuselage for the early version. the early version has different panels on the cowling, exhausts and other details. here some pics of the test fit.

Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/9395831348 Aircraft programme = same novelties as in catalogue 2024-2025: thread 1/48 - ref. 80381 - Chance-Vought F4U-5N Corsair (late version) - thread - announced since 2014 - ref. 80393 - Chance-Vought AU-1 Corsair - thread - announced since 2014 - ref. 80394 - Chance-Vought Corsair Mk.I - thread - announced since 2014 - ref. 81761 - Sukhoi Su-33 "Flanker-D" - thread - announced since 2015 - ref. 81762 - Shenyang J-15 Flying Shark/"Flanker-X2" - thread - announced since 2023 - ref. 81781 - Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-6 Würger - thread - announced since 2024 - ref. 81782 - Focke-Wulf Fw.190A-8 Würger - thread - announced since 2024 - ref. 81792 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-4 Emil - thread - announced since 2024 - expected in January 2025 - ref. 81793 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-4/TROP Emil - thread - announced since 2023 - ref. 81794 - Messerschmitt Bf.109E-7 Emil - thread - announced since 2024 - ref. 85810 - McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet - thread - announced since 2022 - ref. 85815 - Lockheed-Martin F-35A Lightning II - thread - announced since 2024 - ref. 85816 - Lockheed-Martin F-35B Lightning II - thread - announced since 2024 - ref. 85817 - Lockheed-Martin F-35C Lightning II - thread - announced since 2024 1/72 - ref. 87265 - Douglas C-48C Skytrain - thread - announced since 2027 - ref. 87272 - Douglas TBD-1 Devastator - thread - announced since 2023 - ref. 87273 - Douglas TBD-1A Devastator - thread - announced since 2023 - ref. 87275 - Grumman TBF-1C Avenger - thread - announced since 2024 1/144 - ref. 83901 - Antonov An-12 "Cub" - announced since 2019 V.P.

Another Blitzbuild so soon after the Blitzenbuild? And my partner back at work leaving me on full time Daddy duties? There can be only one solution. The kit. And my reference photo. UK MOD © Crown copyright 2022 Cheers, Richard.

"What a boring title! Can't he write something engaging for once?" Can I? Certainly, but these titles, despite their potential to "lower engagement", help you as a reader to know what you're getting into and me to track what I am taking about. Descriptive and understandable: real machine, manufacturer kit ID, scale, WIP status. Lets see how this one goes. but so far seems to be a straightforward build that's fitting in the provided time limit. Preemptive parts checking shows promising results with them fitting fine, crisp lines, a bit of flash here and there, some slight shape corrections needed but overall... pretty satisfied I would say. Box contents are a courtesy of whoever uploaded photo on Scalemates: Of course as per usual, providing Scalemates link and instructions (likely for earlier boxing as mine has them printed literally on the box itself, same thing anyway). They however do not explain a thing about different canopy or extra fuel tank (one definitely is) options.

Thank you to everyone who helped me identify suitable kits for this little project, especially @Giorgio N and @CT7567. I’m starting with this Hobbyboss F-5 for two reasons; firstly it’s a nice simple kit to start with in this scale and subject, and secondly it was the first to arrive! It certainly looks quite straightforward, and I like the two American schemes, particularly the desert aggressor, which is the one I’ll be doing. It’s so small I’m going to brush paint most of this, I’ll just use a coat of tan spray then paint the dark brown and ‘yellow sand’ camouflage. I’m going to make all these kits oob, with kit decals and no aftermarket (that’s the plan for now anyway!) The real thing! I’ve got a few reference photos of the kit subject aircraft so nice and easy to do it with the kit decals.

HobbyBoss is to release in late November 2022 a 1/48th Hawker Hurricane Mk.I kit - ref. 81777 Source: http://www.hobbyboss.com/index.php?g=home&m=article&a=show&id=216 Box art V.P.

This will probably be the slowest WIP but here we go. My favorite all time aircraft is the F4U Corsair. My favorite subtype is the F4U-4. IMO it hasn't been properly kitted yet in 48th scale. The closest thing we have to a modern kit of it is the Hobbyboss. This kit like many HB kits has a few glaringly wrong inaccuracies. I'm gonna try to improve them as I build my first HB kit. The most obvious and heinous inaccuracy for me is the shape of the cowling. Some months ago I started to work on improving it. Note I didn't say correcting it. There's too many dimensional and shape issues that would need to be fixed with the fuselage before one could think about making a "correct" cowling. Here's what I've done and where I'm at with my cowling. The kit cowling is on the right, my cowling is on the left. It would have been much easier if you graft a Hasegawa cowling on but the Hobbyboss is too round and shallow. The Hasegawa has a better overall shape and maybe by a tad tall since the rest of the fuselage is too deep. I'm just letting you know I looked at that possibility. Right now my cowling is only a rough shape master. I'll have to make a two piece mold of it and cast a resin copy to scribe the surface detail into. I'll make mold of that detailed master and cast another one for this project. I haven't created resin molds in some time so it'll involve some considerable financial and time investments. I decided i didn't want to do all that until the rest of the model was completed satisfactorily to the point the cowling is needed. I bin way too many kits and this is my first go at this particular kit. I'll stop here because this is rehashing old work that some people have already seen plus you're probably sleeping if you haven't jumped ship already. When I come back I'll be concentrating on building the rest of the kit. Be well Ron

TBD-1 Devastator (81783) 1:48 HobbyBoss via Creative Models Ltd The TBD-1 Devastator was an interwar design for a torpedo bomber that first flew in 1935 and entered service two years later during the “Yellow wing” phase of American Naval aviation, and although a capable aircraft when it first arrived, it was outclassed almost as soon as the Americans entered WWII with only around 130 being procured for use by the US Navy. It was a slow-moving target, and not the most manoeuvrable, which although it performed quite well in its first uses against the Japanese at the Battle of Coral Sea, subsequent attacks during the Battle of Midway suffered heavy losses with no torpedo hits, reducing a force of forty-one aircraft to only six that landed back on deck after the attack, and after that sad but heroic sacrifice of squadron VT-8 during Midway, the Devastator was soon withdrawn from active duty with fewer than 40 airframes still left in existence by that time, none of which survive today. The design was modern at a time when most of its competitors were biplanes, and it won its competition against several such designs that look incredibly archaic by comparison. The Devastator had an all-metal construction using corrugated sheets to add strength whilst keeping weight down, with monoplane wings that could be folded to save stowage space below deck. It also had retractable landing gear to reduce drag, and was crewed by three – the pilot, radio operator/rear gunner, and the bombardier in the centre, his seat allowing him to slide into the prone position under the pilot’s location that allowed him to aim via a window in the floor. Crew protection was poor for the time, which was magnified by its low speed and lack of agility to evade incoming fire, thanks in part to the low power output of the Twin Wasp engine and its high all-up weight. Their successors, the TBF Avenger suffered similar high-levels of attrition until air superiority was achieved, by which time the remaining crews had gained sufficient experience to properly coordinate their attacks against a weakened enemy. The Kit This is a new tooling from HobbyBoss, and is the newest kit of the type by a decade or more at time of writing. It arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of a yellow-wing era Devastator on the lid, and inside are six sprues of differing sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE), a sheet of masking material, decal sheet, instruction booklet in grey-scale, with a glossy sheet of colour printed profiles for the decal options slipped between the pages. Detail is good, with finely engraved panel lines and riveting, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, a well-detailed cockpit, full depiction of the Twin Wasp engine, open or closed wings, and open or closed canopy elements, with a monolithic canopy part for the closed option. Construction begins with the cockpit, the floor of which is a long part that has a lower tier with ribbed floor, supports and control panel added underneath. The pilot’s position is detailed with rudder pedals and a bulkhead with various details added that separate him from the bombardier, who also has a bulkhead fitted to the rear of his section. Another shorter bulkhead with radio gear and a D/F loop is slotted into the floor behind the two forward stations, turning the assembly around to fit crew seats to the front compartments that both have PE lap-belts applied to them, and a frame glued to the rear of the pilot’s seat before it is installed. A stack of equipment is built from two parts and placed at the very rear of the cockpit floor, acting as the aft support for the frame that is fixed over the rear two seats, fitting a control column into the pilot’s floor along with a cylindrical part, and a roll-over A-frame with PE side skins just behind his bulkhead, plus a V-shaped brace, a square panel in the very front, a fire extinguisher behind the bombardier’s seat, and two small ribs to the sides of the machine gun recess at the rear. The gunner’s position is finally made, starting with a recessed seat-pan with PE lap-belts and a back-rest on vertical struts, fixing a two-layer pivot to the front of the crewman, completing the circular frame around the gunner’s position. The gun with separate twin grips is mounted to the front of the operator on a triangular fitting, setting it to one side while the starboard fuselage half is detailed. There is substantial ribbing and other detail inside the extensive cockpit, adding a small window in the side, a hose that rises out to the sill, a small tapering wall panel under the engine cowling, then drilling two holes under the rear of the fuselage for the arrestor hook. The port fuselage is detailed in the same manner, adding a quadrant in the pilot’s area, then creating a pair of instrument panel sections that have eight decals applied after painting, mounting them in the starboard fuselage half along with two panels (one clear window) that are fitted into the nose to create the lower view cut-out. As the fuselage halves are brought together, a tiny tail-wheel is trapped between two pins in a fairing under the tail, taking time to wait for the glue to cure before dealing with the seams in your preferred manner. The lower inner wing panels are presented as a single part that has two bays inserted before the upper inner wing halves are glued over them, both upper and lower halves partially ribbed on the outer portions. Flipping the assembly over, an intake is made by trapping a PE mesh insert between two barrel-shaped halves, before embedding it into a recess under the starboard wing. The main gear is made at this stage too, although most will probably leave them off until later, as this is simple to do, because they are single struts with one retraction jack moulded-in, adding another at an angle, and mounting the two-part wheels on the axles at the bottom ends. These assemblies plug directly into sockets in the lower wing. The inner wing is then detailed with a set of flaps that can be posed deployed or retracted by using different parts, ribs on the outer ends of the assemblies, with a choice of a two-part option for folded wings, or a simple flat part with holes in it for the in-flight option, installing the completed inner wing assembly into the underside of the fuselage. The Pratt & Whitney R-1830 Twin Wasp has both banks of pistons depicted, each row made from front and rear halves, fitting a two-part intake spider at the rear, plus a cylindrical spacer at the very rear. The exhausts have a hollow lip thanks to an insert at the tip, slotting the forward ends into holes in the back of the cylinders, attaching it to the front of the fuselage on a pair of pins, ensuring that the exhausts correspond with cut-outs in the nose bulkhead. You then have a choice of two cowlings, one with the cooling gills open, the other closed, both moulded as single parts by using sliding moulds, so watch out for almost invisible seam-lines where the moulds join, usually on or around panel lines. The model is inverted to add an arrestor hook under the tail on the two holes drilled out earlier, a small antenna under the trailing edge of the wing, and two doors for the bombardier’s aiming window, the two parts having lightening holes moulded into their inner faces. The prop is moulded as one, consisting of three blades and a hole in the centre that accepts the boss to finish off the assembly, which can be slotted into a hole in the bell-housing at the front of the engine. Righting the model to finish off the cockpit by installing the canopy and other detail parts has you deciding whether to open the canopy’s segments or portraying them closed. The simplest option is the closed version, which consists of just one clear part that you insert a tubular gunsight through a hole in the windscreen, adding an eye-cup to the inside once it is in position. The instructions are a little confused here, as it shows the forward aerial mast mounted on the nose, two PE parts added to the coaming in front of the pilot, two layers of glazing between the bombardier and gunner’s positions, and the gun compartment doors either closed, or open using two parts. It doesn’t mention that if you opt for a closed cockpit, those two glazing panels will interfere with the fit of the canopy and the open gun doors, so bear that in mind and test-fit everything before you apply glue. For the open option, the separate windscreen has the tubular sight inserted before it is glued to the front of the cockpit opening, fitting another four sections over the front two seats, but you’ll need to check your references if you aren’t sure how they should look. The rear canopy part is slid forward over the two sections glued earlier, so you’ll probably want to have the gun compartment doors open to make your model ready for action. HobbyBoss have included a sheet of pre-cut masks that are numbered on the sheet, and there is a diagram showing their locations on the instructions at this point, which will help you paint the canopy frames neatly with less effort. I’ve not yet used these masks myself, but other than appearing a little thick, they should do the job. Choices keep coming, deciding whether to deploy the wings for flight, or folded for storage. The outer wing panels are each made from top and bottom halves, adding an aileron to the trailing edge of each one, then either fitting a simple rib with pins to the inner ends for un-folded wings, or a detailed rib with lightening holes plus two wing-fold armatures that hook into the inner wings to hold them at the correct angle. The elevators are made from two halves, the undersides including the complete flying surface to achieve a thin trailing edge, creating a ribbed surface for the panel without the risk of sink marks that would ruin the ribbed surfaces. Laying the model on its back again, the first option is to fit an insert in the belly that conforms to the curvature of the torpedo that is included with the model. The torpedo is made from two halves with a two-part screw at the rear, and additional fins perpendicular to those that are moulded-in. A box-tail is made from four PE panels that slot into each other, and fit on the rear to retard the speed of entry into the water, which could pre-detonate or destroy the Mk.13 torpedo, which was already experiencing problems that proved difficult to remedy. The torp is lashed into the fixture by two PE straps, but it is also held in place by a pair of pins that insert into corresponding holes in the fairing. The last part is a PE tip to the styrene pitot probe in the leading edge of the starboard wing, which gives it a three-pronged tip, with an enlarged diagram showing how it should be bent to shape. To load your Devastator with bombs, a flat insert is installed in the belly instead, slinging three-part bombs on either side of the insert on short shackles. The diagram for this option shows the model with folded wings, in case you needed extra information on how the folded wings should look. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, but as usual with HobbyBoss there is no information offered on the location, period or pilots of the options, but the fuselage codes should allow the intrepid modeller to find out the back-story if you feel the need. From the box you can build one of the following: Decals aren’t always the strongest part of HobbyBoss’s kits, but here the register, sharpness and colour density seem to be of good quality, although there aren’t many stencils. There are however multi-coloured tip decals for the prop blades to make that task easier if you opt for the yellow-wing decal choice. Conclusion From the box this looks to be a good-looking model of the type, and the detail is certainly present, as are the options for open or closed canopy and wings that should show off your work. The open bombardier’s window is a nice option that isn’t always present on models of this aircraft. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of