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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 a 1/72nd Grumman TBM-3 Avenger kit - ref. 87274 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 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

German Panzerträgerwagen (82936) 1:72 Hobby Boss via Creative Models Ltd During WWII German forces used armoured trains in large numbers, with over 20 locomotives in use, many of which were based upon the BR57 Dampflok, with a double-layer of armour applied, spaced apart by a wooden layer. Various cars were part of the train, all armoured in a similar manner to the locomotive, with different functions that could include control wagons, anti-aircraft, emplaced tank turrets, radio cars, infantry wagons and so forth. The initial designation for the standardised layout of carriages and wagons was BP42, which made use of extra flat-cars at the ends of the train to detonate booby-traps, although a Panhard 178 with specialised wheels would be sent up to 1km ahead of the train on the rails to reconnoitre the upcoming track. The revised BP44 arrangement eschewed the kick-off cars for Panzerjägerwagens that had turrets built-in, with a Panzerträgerwagen tank-carrier next in line front and rear. The Panzerträgerwagen was a well-wagon that had been adapted and armoured with side-skirts, with a pair of drop-down loading/unloading ramps to access the well-bed. These wagons carried a medium tank due to the weight limits, but the car had to be uncoupled for the tank to load or unload for action or at the end of the journey. The tank was usually a Panzer 38(t), manufactured by Skoda, and the intention was to provide covering fire from its position within the carriage well, or offload down the ramp that was generally left ready for action to counter-attack a ground-based ambush, using an automatic coupling to speed the process and minimise the danger to the train crew. The bogies were armoured with side-skirts to protect them from incoming fire, whilst retaining the ability to corner with the rest of the train, as the wagon would be a bullet magnet when it began firing, so it was crucial that the wheels remained intact. As the situation deteriorated further for the Third Reich toward the end of the war, even armoured trains would use the cover of darkness to protect their cargo from air attacks, which were becoming more frequent every day. The Kit This is a partial new tooling that is based upon the existing Hobby Boss range of armoured train kits, and includes a Panzer 38(t) tank to populate the wagon. The kit arrives in a standard top-opening box with a painting of the subject matter on the front, and inside are five sprues and five loose parts in sand-coloured styrene, a decal sheet, instruction booklet in black and white, plus a colour painting and decaling guide that is printed on glossy paper on both sides. Detail is good, including rolling bogies, a separate tank that can be posed wherever you like on the model, and there are two sprues that provide a length of track with ballast that are common across the whole range of kits, plus two end-caps if this is either your last wagon, or you are building it in isolation. Construction begins with the bogies, cutting 1.15mm from the brake shoes that project from the sides of the wheels, fitting a leaf-spring and bearing cover to each wheel before they are fitted to the ends of the axles, making four wheels that become two bogies that clip into position in the roof of the wells that are found inside the body of the wagon. Buffers are fixed to the opposite end to the ramp, adding hooks, shackles and coupling parts, plus vacuum tubes to the sides, and a manual wheel on the side near the bogie. The surface of the well is covered with ribs on the sloped areas, adding hatches to the openings to each end, then gluing it to the body, fitting supports for the ramps and a centre block to the end of the body. The ramps are joined at the lower end, made from two layers, the upper layer having the same ribs as the well-bed, with support struts beneath the lower layer. It attaches to the wagon with twin pins from each side, the larger pins at the top, completing the wagon by adding L-profile rails to the sides of the wagon, creating an overhang within the bed. The tank is well-detailed for the scale, and the track runs are moulded with the majority of the road wheels, and have small sections of sprue between the wheels and track that should be cut away before adding the outer wheels to the idler and drive sprocket wheels. The lower hull has the suspension units moulded-in, and receives the two track runs, taking care to align the pins and install them in the correct orientation. The upper hull is applied over the open hull, slotting the fenders to the sides, with a separate jack and convoy light to increase the detail, finishing the glacis plate with a detail insert that has the bow machine gun added to the front. A rod with an eye at the top is glued to the front of the glacis, adding the exhaust and smoke box to the rear, then moving on to the turret, which is moulded as top and bottom parts, fitting the main gun and coaxial machine gun to the mantlet, an angled cupola over the circular upright, with a short periscope or vent added just in front. The turret mates with the hull and twists into position using a pair of bayonet lugs moulded into the ring. The track consists of two lengths of ballast that has the sleepers (ties for our US audience) moulded-in, with the option of adding them to any other kits from the range you have, and using one or two end caps to close the ends. The rails are separate parts that are slid into the fastener pads from both ends, linking them together with jointing plates on both sides that have the large bolts moulded-in. With careful painting and weathering the track should look realistic, but check your references to ensure you choose the correct colours to replicate the grease, soot and grime that was endemic during the steam era. Markings One colour scheme is provided, based upon dark yellow (dunkelgelb), with green and red brown camouflage stripes sprayed at random angles. The decals are mostly white stencils, with four balkenkreuz crosses for the sides of the wagon and tank. From the box you can build the following: The stencils are white, while the crosses are black and white, with good registration for the scale. Conclusion An unusual model from a growing range from Hobby Boss, and one that will garner attention once complete, thanks to the unusual subject matter and the detail that is incorporated from the box. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

HobbyBoss is to release 1/48th TBD-1 Devastator kits - ref. 81783 - Douglas TBD-1 Devastator - ref. 81784 - Douglas TBD-1A Devastator Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8249037080 V.P.

Here we go! This one will be built OOB as W-101 with a few scratch built details. I came across a photo of W-101 which is actually an A5M4 and not an A5M2. As far as I can tell there aren't any external differences between the two models. Looking forward to this!

My entry is the Hobby Boss 1/48 Grumman Avenger. My build for this groupbuild is the Hobby Boss 1/48 Grumman Avenger.The majority of my naval aviation builds are built wings folded, this is for two reasons , I like the engineering complexity of a wing fold and secondly I am running out of display space. The wingfold option is included in the kit so will be making use of it. Will post the sprue shots when I make a start.

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

My plan for this Blitzbuild will be the Hobby Boss 1/48 F8F Bearcat in 1/48 scale. I will be finishing this as the all yellow “Beetle Bomb” flown by the Blue Angles in the late 1940s. All yellow means pink primer.

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.

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

French Battleship Strasbourg HobbyBoss 1:350 The battleship Strasbourg was ordered on 16 July 1934 in response to the Italian Littorio-class battleships. The ship was laid down on the N°1 slipway of the civilian Penhoët Shipbuilding Yards, at Saint-Nazaire, which had been built to accommodate the 313-meter long keel of the liner SS Normandie. She was launched in December 1936. Once fitting out was completed, she left Saint-Nazaire for Brest on March 15, 1938 for her acceptance trials. The Strasbourg was commissioned in April 1939, joining the French Atlantic Fleet, and forming, with Dunkerque, the 1ère Division de Ligne (1st D.L.). White bands were painted on the funnel, in March 1939, a single one on Dunkerque as Division flagship, two on Strasbourg. After an official visit to Lisbon (Portugal), for the commemoration of the discovery of Brazil by Alvares Cabral, both battleships, accompanied by three modern light cruisers of the 4th Cruiser division, visited various ports and Royal Navy bases, such as Liverpool, Oban, Staffa, Loch Ewe, Scapa Flow, and Rosyth, returning to Brest after a four-day call at Le Havre. In the first days of September 1939, the Force de Raid, under Vice Amiral d'Escadre (Squadron Vice Admiral) Gensoul on Dunkerque, including the 4th Cruiser division, plus eight large destroyers were based in Brest. Reports came in, (that later proved incorrect), that German Pocket-Battleships had been sighted, and the force left Brest immediately to stop them from passing into the Atlantic. Soon after this, it was decided to split the Force de Raid into hunting groups against the German surface raiders, which also incorporated Royal Navy warships. In October–November 1939, Force X, under Vice Admiral Duplat, on the French heavy cruiser Algérie, along with Strasbourg, the French heavy cruiser Dupleix and the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes, was based at Dakar and vainly undertook sweeps trying to find Admiral Graf Spee. When Strasbourg returned to Brest, 800 of her powder charges remained in storage at Dakar. During the battle of Dakar, this powder was used by Richelieu and was (wrongly) implicated in the explosion of Richelieu's upper turret 380 mm gun barrels. The Force de Raid was despatched, on April 2, 1940, to the Mediterranean to counter uncertain Italian intentions during the spring of 1940, but, some days later, was ordered to return to Brest to provide cover for an eventual Allies' reaction to the German landings in Norway, on April 9, 1940. Finally the Force de Raid was ordered to Mers-el Kebir on April 24, 1940. The only test in battle for Dunkerque and Strasbourg came in the attack on Mers-el-Kébir, after the fall of France, the battleships, HMS Hood, HMS Resolution, and HMS Valiant from Force H. The French battleships had not been designed to confront these heavily armed battleships. They were also complete taken by surprise when the attack took place on July 3rd 1940. The tightly packed vessels of the French fleet still having their turrets trained fore and aft. The old super-dreadnought, Bretagne, was badly hit, and her magazines exploded, causing the ship to blow up, capsize and sink, taking nearly 1,000 seamen with her. Strasbourg, commanded by Captain Louis Edmond Collinet, had managed to cast off and make head-way. A 15-inch (381 mm) salvo just missed he and at 18.00, another 15-inch salvo fell where her stern had been one minute previously. Escorted by five destroyers, she headed to the entrance, and then steered northeast. Strasbourg increased speed from 15 knots to 28 knots but was hampered by damage to an air intake on the funnel, which had been blocked by a piece of flying masonry from the jetty. However she escaped the pursuit by Hood and Fairey Swordfish torpedo bombers of Ark Royal until about 21.30. At this moment, all thirty boiler room 2 personnel were found lying unconscious, overcome by the heat and the toxic fumes, and three petty officers and two seamen had died. Passing alongside the western coast of Sardinia, Strasbourg reached Toulon, in the evening of the following day. With Bretagne lost, Dunkerque and Provence severely damaged, Lorraine interned at Alexandria, Courbet and Paris seized in Great Britain, only four heavy cruisers of seven and three light cruisers of twelve remained under Vichy control in Mediterranean waters, and with the Atlantic harbours under German occupation, a reorganisation of the Vichy French naval forces had to be carried out. The 1st (fast battleships) and 2nd (slow battleships) Divisions de ligne and the Atlantic Fleet were dissolved, in August 1940 and new Forces de Haute Mer (High Sea Forces) were created, with Admiral de Laborde appointed as C. in-C., on September 25, 1940, and raising his flag on Strasbourg, which had had the lower bridge tower modified to better accommodate an admiral and his staff. Although the Strasbourg was the flagship of the so-called High Seas Forces, she rarely went to sea, due mainly to the lack of fuel, but did escort the Provence which was returning to Toulon in November 1940. She received three more single 13.2 mm Browning CAS machine guns in 1941, and in 1942, a so-called détecteur électro-magnétique, the French equivalent of an air and sea search radar was fitted. Four small rectangular antennas were fitted atop the main yards. Early tests indicated a range against aircraft of 50 km. Strasbourg was still at her moorings of the Milhaud piers at Toulon when the Germans invaded the so-called "Zone libre", in retaliation of the Allies' landings in French North Africa. On November 27th 1942, when the Germans attempted to seize the French warships remaining under Vichy control, she was scuttled by her crew as part of a pre-planned effort to keep the ships from being turned over to the Italian Navy. She was refloated July 17th 1943 by the Italians, but the armistice between Italy and the Allies in September 1943 halted these activities and the ship was taken over by the Germans. On April 1, 1944 they handed her back to the Vichy French authorities. Her wreck was then towed to the Bay of Lazaret, where she was heavily bombed by the US aircraft, and sunk, three days after the August 1944 landings, as part of the preparations for liberation of Toulon. She was raised for the second time on 1st October 1944 but found to be beyond repair. She was then used as a test hull for underwater explosions until condemned and renamed Q45 on 22 March 1955, to be sold for scrap on 27 May that year The Model Hobbyboss are continuing to release plenty of new and exciting maritime subjects. They have now released the sister ship to the Dunkerque, and while there are many similarities between the two kits there are enough differences between the two ships to keep them interesting. The kit comes in quite a large, longish box, with an artist’s impression of the ship at speed on the ocean. Inside there is the single piece hull, which, according to my research and the Seaforth book on French battleships, by John Jordan and Robert Dumas, is actually pretty accurate. Although, as with the earlier release, the two lower strakes down the side of the ship need to be sanded back a bit as they shouldn’t reach the bow. The rest of the parts, nine separate pieces, twelve sprues of grey styrene, and two sprues of clear styrene are all beautifully moulded, with no flash or other imperfections but quite a few moulding pips. The kit also comes with six sheets of relief etched brass, a length of chain and a small decal sheet. Construction begins with the drilling of several holes in the foredeck and main deck. The three deck sections are then glued to the hull. Unusually there are no bulkhead parts to strengthen the hull, so check first as you may need to add thwart ships beams for added rigidity. With the decks in place the foredeck is fitted out with three capstans, three lengths of chain, suitably painted, and the three, two piece bow anchors. At the stern there is a single capstan, chain and another two piece anchor. Several sub assemblies are the built up, six two piece searchlights, eight double carley float assemblies, four three piece twin 37mm cannon mounts and eight quad 13.2mm cannon mounts. The hull is turned upside down and fitted with the two bilge keels and four propeller shafts, A frames and propellers, along with the single rudder and two stern mounted boat booms, which should probably be left till nearer the end of the build. The PE and styrene catapult is also assembled at this point and put to one side to dry along with the two quadruple main turrets, each made up from thirteen parts. The twelve ships boats, each with separate decks and PE cradles are also assembled at this point, along with the eleven piece main mast and rear mounted armoured control station. The upper and middle rangefinder turrets are also assembled, from nine and eleven parts respectively. Moving to the foredeck again, the area is fitted out with the various cleats, bollards, deck houses, ventilators, the jackstaff and the large breakwater, along with a couple of paravanes. The main deck is given the same treatment, and four of the ships boats. The quarterdeck is also fitted with cleats and bollards. Six more of the ships boats are glued into position, along with the various boat booms, carley float assemblies, accommodation ladders ensign staff and inclined ladders. The secondary turrets are assembled, the two twin turrets from four parts and the three quadruple turrets from seven parts. The ships cranes are built up from four styrene parts are three etched parts. The assembly of the superstructure begins with the assembly of the ten piece funnel searchlight platform onto which four searchlight assemblies are fitted. The lower bridge is then assembled, and the rest of the ships boats are on fitted onto the boat deck section, along with the two boat cranes and four inclined ladders. The searchlight platform assembly is fitted to the fore end of the aft superstructure, along with eight carley floats and two small rangefinders. Amidships there is longitudinal bulkhead with deckhouses either side fitted in the centre of the deck. Either side, a twin 37mm and quad 13.2 mount are glued into position, whilst just behind the base of the aft rangefinder tower there is a large tubular mount for another quad 13.2mm mount. The hanger door is then attached while on the hanger roof, two paravanes, a ventilator and eight carley floats are glued in place. Along each side of the superstructure there are numerous armoured hatches, vertical ladders and cable reels attached. The lower bridge deck is built up from three sub-structures, six support beams, and eleven PE supports before being fitted with the lower bridge assembly, a medium rangefinder, two small rangefinders, lower tower block and a quad AA mount. The next level platform is fitted with four lookout stations and two searchlights. Onto this platform the upper tower block is attached, followed by another platform. The larger of the three rangefinders fitted to the tower is assembled and the two smaller units fitted to each others roof. The topmost rangefinder is fitted with an elaborate PE aerial array. The upper tower is also fitted with three large aerial spreader bars before being attached to the lower tower and the whole assembly being glued to the front of the boat deck, followed by the fifteen part funnel assembly. The completed structure is then glued to the main deck, followed by the aft superstructure, main and secondary turrets, catapult and nine piece aircraft handling crane. The model can be displayed onto the four piece stand included. The kit comes with two of the Loire 130 seaplanes the ship carried, each is produce in clear styrene, which, I must admit I’m not a fan of, but it can help with the clear sections I guess. The fuselage is in two halves, which, once glued together are fitted with the tailplanes and wings, each of which has separate floats. The engine and separate two bladed propeller is the attached to the top of the fuselage. Decals The small decal sheet provides the French national flags in straight and wavy forms; ships name plates, national stripes for B turret and the aftermost 130mm turret, plus the roundels and fin flashes for the aircraft. They are nicely printed with good opacity and in register. The ship is painted in Dark Sea Grey overall, with black boot topping and red antifouling. Conclusion This is another very welcome release, giving the modeller the option of making either/or both of a very attractive ships. Since they got the Dunkerque right, it’s natural that this kit is also pretty accurate. Unfortunately Hobbyboss still haven’t provided enough railing for the whole ship, meaning the modeller will have to provide the main deck, quarterdeck and foredeck railings themselves. That said, it’s still a great looking kit. Review sample courtesy of

Hello guys! This is my very first post and I hope I'm doing it correctly. Few days ago I completed this project with the intention to release myself of the everyday stress and enjoy the building process of this fabulous scheme I wanted for long in my display. The kit is the Hobbyboss in scale 1/72, which is basic but provides crisped engraved panel lines, a clear cockpit with two options (open/closed) and an quick assembly of few and well moulded pieces. However, it has some drawbacks that many here already know: Extremely basic cockpit interior, no landing lights nor pitot tube, toy-like 20mm cannons, very basic building instructions and no rails for the rear section of the cockpit, which doesn't fit anyway. I used the Max Decals set and it behaved smoothly, but required a very shinny surface and a careful application to avoid tragedies. After some reseach, I decided to follow the thread of the splendid work of our friend Natter and his amazing Arma Hobby kit, mostly as a guide for the colors because there are still some differences in the sources and instructions I have found for this plane in Irish service during The Emergency period. The only modifications were the addition of a spare PE control panel, that is almost invisible now, the cable antenna and the resin wheels from the KORA. However, I should mention that the kit provides a gunsight that really helps to improve the view of the cockpit. I also need to work in improving the quality/lighting of the pictures. Thank you and hope to receive your feedback. Regards from Monterrey, México.

Here is my contribution to the group build, HobbyBoss's VK 45.02(P) "Vorne". The VK 45.02(P) was an improved version of Porsche's earlier VK 45.01(P) updating the hull with a new sloped armour layout and a new turret equipped with the larger 8.8cm L/71 gun. Development of the VK 45.02(P) didn't leave the drawing board and it was canceled in favor of Henschel's VK 45.03(H) design which went on to become the Tiger II. I had originally planed to 3D print a VK 45.02(H) for the group build but due to some technical problems I was unable design the 3D model in time. For now I'll build its brother/rival the VK 45.02(P) and the VK 45.02(H) can join it in the future. Here are the obligatory sprue shots The hull is made from two upper and lower parts and not much more... Four sprues for the running gear, along with the few tools and handles for the hull. Most of the plastic in the box is for the turret which comes with a fully detailed interior. The tracks are individual links with each sprue containing four tracks with six connection points each. They should keep me busy for a few days... The kit comes with some photo-etch for the engine grills and also includes a generic set of number decals. Curiously they suggest painting the tank in Dunkelgrau even tho it had been replaced with Dunkelgelb by the time development of the VK 45.02(P) had started. Looking at the kit there are a few issues that stand out. The weld seams are very messy and misaligned, the ones on the side of the hull are ridiculously over sized too so I'll need to fill and re-scribe them all. The tank is also missing fenders over the tracks, I'll try to scratch build some from metal but I might also design and 3D print them instead.

Still scared witless about uploading anything here. Ingredients: Reskit centreline MER pylon Master Pitot Probe Monogram ALQ-87 (From F-4C kit) Hasegawa MER + ordinance LP models 3D printed ladder Armory mainwheels Eduard photoetch set + RBF tags Quinta 3D cockpit Aires Ejection Seat Twobobs decals Was it worth it? Probably not. Enjoy folks Ben

Felt like doing rather straight forward out-of-the-box build and chose this as my subject - Hobby Boss F-5E. Decent looking plastic, but maybe bit thick looking panel lines. This is the paint scheme. I'm not entirely sure whether this is supposed to be SEA camo colours or not? In some pics it looks like it could, but then again, in other pics it shows to be very different - maybe due to paint weathering? Having done quite a few SEA planes, given the choice I would be drawn more towards the gray/green Brazilian camo but this comes with the box so I think I will roll with this one. I've already narrowed down possible colours for the scheme. Cockpit work in progress. Those two instrument panels on the right are for another build. Cockpit done. Not my best work but it will do. I did add belts from masking tape but other than that, straight from the box.

I’m currently fiddling around with a few projects at the same time – not like me, but it’s all in the name of procrastination regarding my 1/16 Italian tank crew which I’m STILL putting off. I’ve got an ancient SMER Alfa Romeo Racing car underway over in the vehicle section, and as a foil to that very old and basic kit, I thought I’d make a start on another birthday pressie – this one a HobbyBoss Beutepanzer oddity from my girlfriend. It’s a beauty – fantastic interior detail, crisp mouldings, a good PE fret and nice, hard plastic. My recent armour builds have all been vintage Tamiya; great kits, but not up to the level of detail included in a lot of more current offerings and I’d forgotten just how good many newer products are. That said, the cover art is a travesty, and doesn’t look much like the actual vehicle at all. As with the Alfa Romeo, I made a start with the engine. Both kits seem to devote around half their parts count to the engine, but where the Alfa engine comprises 12 parts, this one is at least 50! Actually, before I did tuck into this miniature feast, I concluded that it would be a crying shame to end up hiding it all, so I plan to have as many hatches open as possible. There are a few provided as separate hatches, but not the main engine cover, so the first job was to carefully cut it out, taking care to save the upper moulded louvre for later. The inside louvre was unsalvageable unfortunately, so there’ll be a bit of scratchbuilding to come for that. I found some good interior photos of the parent Renault R35 online and as a result added a line of bolt heads and strip to the internal “shelves”, whilst shaving off the moulded cables/wires etc. I should really have done this before fixing the tub together, but it wasn’t too tricky with a curved No. 10 blade. On reflection, the bolt heads are too big, so I’ll shave them off and redo with smaller versions. I’m not too sure about interior colours – the instructions indicate that the interior should mostly be Panzer grey, but whilst It’s sort-of open topped, there wouldn’t be much to see from outside, and I can’t see the German army bothering to repaint everything inside, though I could be wrong of course. Either way, I’m happy to go with the rather more colourful interior scheme that the original French tank carried. I glued together the gear lever and drive shaft construction and added a sprue “foot” that should be hidden to support it – I’m not confident that the PE legs will stand up to it otherwise. I annealed them to assist in bending and they’re pretty floppy as a result. Putting the engine together was great fun; good fit and amazing detail – it even comes with individual spark plugs, and this is a little engine; no V12 Tiger beast here, but more like a Renault 5 4 pot. I left a couple of parts off for now until the painting is done, but it’s mostly there. I painted the engine and other sub-assemblies with a highly thinned mix of Revell red-brown and silver rub’n buff. It’s a bit light for slightly corroded steel, but the subsequent oil washes etc. will darken it down and it’s only the lowest of undercoats – the engine will be painted green/black/steel and so on over a hairspray coat, so only a few glimpses of this base colour will eventually be visible.

Hello all, For this build, I added some Eduard PE in the cockpit and scratch-built a few details/cables in the opened electronics bay. Cabin entry steps were drilled out and an early style boarding ladder was added. The outer wings were also separated from the main wings and the wing folding mechanisms were scratch-built. Fit was fairly good overall, but some filler was required on the typical spaces (wing joints, fuselage parts ..). Despite some known shape issues with HobbyBoss A-7 kits, I enjoyed building this one and it resembles a Corsair good enough for me. I used a combination of Printscale and Superscale decals, to represent an aircraft from VA-37 while on their second WestPac assignment to Vietnam, around 1972. Paints are Gunze and Tamiya acrylics, weathering was done with oils and pigments. Snakeyes are from Verlinden, the Bullpup is from Trumpeter's F-105 kit and the MER's originate from a Hasegawa weapons set. On the ordnance load-out: I came across some interesting pictures of the unit flying missions over Laos some 2 years earlier during their first WestPac tour, as per the last two photos on the seaforces website: https://www.seaforces.org/usnair/VA/Attack-Squadron-37.htm Thanks for looking and comments always welcome! Patrick Credits background picture: designed by Freepik, https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/beautiful-landscape-view-ocean_18896488.htm#query=sunset calm see&position=48&from_view=search&track=ais

Hi folk's a stash raid for this one.Not a jet that immeadiately comes to mind in a NATO context but the first Shooting Stars arrived in Europe en masse in the year before NATO was formed stationed in what was then West Germany.This kit's been in the stash about a year it has the Korean War famed Saggin Dragon scheme but as I recently did the Airfix kit in that scheme I have a couple of others to choose from I'll make a start once the Sabre's done.

HobbyBoss is to release a 1/48th Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 " Fulcrum-F" kit - ref. 81787 Source: https://tieba.baidu.com/p/8407857663 V.P.

Here is my take on the german Sd. Kfz. 222 scoutcar. A nice kit from hobbyboss. A lot of nice details, crisp moulding of the parts and overall a joy to build. The figures are from Warfront. All comments are welcome. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to look.

Hi all, With the Airfix Me-410 on hold whilst I wait for a delivery, I thought I'd crack open a quick, small project of an aircraft I love. Living very close to RAF Fairford, I've seen plenty of the current U-2S airframes fly in and out and so finally I'm building one - albeit, the earliest version. HobbyBoss released their 1:72 U-2A in 2021 with the U-2C following in 2022. The cockpit is straight forward with a fairly detailed multi-part ejection seat, however, I did add some left over Eduard SuperFabric seatbelts. They may not be 100% accurate but I plan on closing the cockpit and so very little will be seen from the inside. For this reason, I also wasn't too bothered by the lack of cockpit side wall decals. You get a main instrument panel decal, albeit basic, but nothing for the sides. Again, it will be closed up and not seen. All sub assemblies I could possibly do were carried out on the fuselage halves. This included the very good fitting engine intakes, closing the speed brakes and inserting the wheel wells. None were painted at this time apart from primer to help future processes. That's all for now, I'll do another update soon.

Some time ago, I can't remember if it was spring of 2021 or earlier, I started a 'quick' project involving a few T-6 builds: I like this subject a lot and already have a few built to which I wanted to add more. Unfortunately, as it often happens, this transformed in a lenghty/stalled/frozen project, mainly due to building kits of three different makes which had different issues to solve. In the end I had to face this as three separate builds to make some progress and here I am hoping to complete the whole project. The first iteration is an Heller T-6 in the last 'Red Chequers' livery, it is actually complete but for some reason I stopped before applying the final satin coat. Will have to remember the (surely good) reasons for that before doing anything and finding later why it was a mistake! While waiting for my brain cells to work on that, I present the second build, which is an Academy T-6 with the earlier 'Red Chequers' livery in silver/dayglo red and fern leaf roundels, also courtesy of a Ventura decal sheet. The third one for the moment I won't tell, just say it will be based on the Hobbyboss easykit. Cheers Fabio

Bf109F-4 of 8./JG 54 - Flown by Max-Hellmuth Ostermann. Kit is a Hobbyboss easy-assembly kit in 1/48, decals by Aims. Thanks for looking in!