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StuH 42 Ausf.G Late Prod. (72120) 1:72 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Following WWI the German military had identified a weakness in their forces, in that their advancing troops often left behind the support of their artillery as they moved forward, leading to a call for the creation of Sturmartillerie, which was effectively a mobile artillery piece that could travel alongside their forces, providing valuable protection. By the time the Nazis were gearing up their economy and military for war more openly, a requirement for just such a vehicle was made official, mating the chassis of the then current Panzer III with a short-barrelled 75mm gun in a fixed armoured casemate with limited traverse, which gave the type a distinctive howitzer-style look. In the later variants a longer high-velocity gun, the 7.5 cm StuK 40 L/48 replaced the shorter gun to give it an improved penetrating power that was more in alignment with the Tank Killer job that it had become used for. These vehicles were designated Ausf.F or G, and were amongst the most produced version of this almost ubiquitous WWII German tank. A project to up-gun the StuG was instigated using an Ausf.F chassis and a 10.5cm leFH 18 howitzer, taking the name Sturmhaubitze 42 or StuH 42 for short. The rounds were electrically fired, and it was to be fitted with a muzzle-brake to bleed off some of the recoil, and a dozen of this type were made from repaired Ausf.F examples, then almost 1,300 were built as infantry support that were based on the Ausf.G, some without their muzzle-brakes due to the limited availability of certain metals as the war continued to turn against the Nazis, thanks to the Allied bomber force bombing their industrial base into rubble on a 24/7 schedule. The Kit This is a re-boxing with new parts of a recent tooling from MiniArt in their excellent and expanding 1:72 armour line, which is bringing high levels of detail to this smaller scale, with MiniArt’s engineers and tool designers applying their skills to a scale that has been neglected to a certain extent for many years, certainly at this level of detail. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are thirteen sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a small clear sprue with decals in a shared bag along with a Photo-Etch (PE) brass fret, and the instruction booklet, printed in full colour in portrait A5 format. Detail is excellent, including weld-lines and tread-plate moulded into the exterior of the hull, with plenty of options for personalisation, and link-and-length tracks to provide good detail without making the building of the tracks too time consuming or complex. Construction begins with the lower hull, which is put together with five parts creating the ‘tub’, then adding the glacis plate at the front, and the exhaust assembly at the rear, accompanied by duct-work and overhanging vents with a PE mesh panel underneath. Various suspension parts are applied to the hull sides that have the highly detailed swing arms and axles already moulded-in. Six paired return rollers are made up, along with twelve pairs of road wheels, plus two-part idler wheels and drive sprockets. Once all the wheels are installed on their axles, the tracks can be built, utilising the long lengths on the top and bottom, adding shorter lengths to the diagonal risers, and individual links around the sharper curved sections toward the ends of the runs. There are eight individual links at the rear, and seven at the front, each link having three sprue gates in sensibly placed locations. The gun mounting block (it’s not a detailed breech) is built from four parts and is mounted on a carrier between a pair of trunnions, which is then fitted to a pivot plate and set aside while the casemate front is made from two main sections. First however, the fenders are glued to the sides of the hull, locating on lugs moulded into the sides, with a couple of vertical PE plates on the rear. The gun mounting block is slotted into the front of the casemate, with a mantlet slid over the front, after which the heavily armoured and bolted lower front has a vision slot and armour cover applied before it is glued to the bottom of the casemate, along with the sides and rear bulkhead, attaching it to the lower hull while the glue cures to ensure everything lines up. A convoy light is glued into the centre of the glacis, then the engine deck is made, fitting two-part sides with separate baffles, and a single rear panel that is aligned when the deck is installed on the rear of the hull, fixing a narrow rear facet on the rear round-down. Two PE grilles are glued over the outer cooling intakes, and a length of spare track is fitted over the rear bulkhead of the casemate, adding armoured covers over the five vents on the engine deck, with a choice of cast or bolted vents on the two at the very rear of the deck. A choice of three styles of cupola can be made, each one made from a differing set of parts, based around the commander’s clear vision blocks and central hatch, adding wire grab handles from your own stock where indicated, then inserting the completed assembly in the cut-out on the roof, adding a periscope to the front of the cupola for one option. A shallow stowage box in the middle of the engine deck, plus more pioneer tools on the engine deck, and PE tie-downs on the sides of the casemate. The barrel is moulded as a single tubular section with a hollow muzzle, while its sleeve is moulded into the front of the saukopf, which is an inverted trapezoid that is made from another two parts. Pioneer tools are built up and fitted wherever there is space as the build progresses, including muzzle cleaning rods, jack and block, fire extinguisher, and track tools. The gunner’s hatch can be posed closed, or replaced by two separate parts in the open position, adding another scratch-built grab handle from wire, then fitting a ‘snail’ drum magazine to the supplied MG34, sliding it through the sharply angled splinter shield with a choice of mounting ring, fixing it in place in front of the gunner’s hatch, or adding a blanking plate over the opening for vehicles without the gun. Towing eyes are supplied for the tow cables, but you must provide the two 55mm lengths of braided thread or wire to make the cables themselves, attaching one to each fender, and two stacks of wheels that are mounted on long pins on the rear of the engine deck on the aft vents for some decal options, the pins made from your own wire stock. Two aerials are glued to the mounts on the roof, and a travel lock with PE chain for the main gun is fitted to the front of the glacis. A three-part PE railing around the engine deck is made and glued to the perimeter of the deck, with a fire extinguisher nearby. Mounts for schürzen skirts are built from four parts each side, designed to protect the vehicle from incoming shaped charge warheads, pre-detonating them to disperse the energy of the weapon. Once the glue is fully cured on the mounts, the PE panels are prepared by gluing the brackets on the recessed blocks at the top of the panels, then they hung individually from the hooks, taking care to put the correct panels in the intended position. Bear in mind that these panels were often lost or damage during combat and manoeuvring in the field, so think about adding some wear if you want to achieve a more realistic look, annealing the brass first to enable easier bending. One decal option has another run of spare tracks across the lower glacis attached between the towing eyes at the front, plus another short length on the deeper section of the armoured front of the glacis. Markings There are four decal options included on the small sheet, in a variety of schemes with a base of dunkelgelb (dark yellow), and plenty of variations on what is laid over the top, plus options with and without schürzen. From the box you can build one of the following: 325 StuG Brigade, Hungary, Autumn 1944 Unknown Unit, Hungary, Winter 1944-45 StuG. Ers. und Ausb. Abt500, Poznan, Poland, February 1945 301 StuG Brigade, Poland, Silesia, February 1945 Decals are screen printed by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion Another StuH 42 with a big gun reaches the shelves in 1:72 to broaden the range of well-detailed kits that are available from MiniArt in this scale (and 1:35, come to think of it), offering a variety of schemes from the box. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Sd.Kfz.234/4 with Crew (53014) Schwerer Panzerspähwagen 7.5cm 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Armoured cars and their derivatives were a dominant part of German military thinking after WWI, as they were prevented from having tanks or other types of heavy weaponry by the Versailles Treaty, at least until they unilaterally set its terms aside once Mr Hitler was firmly ensconced as the country’s mad dictator. Although it closely resembles the earlier Sd.Kfz.231, the 234 was based upon a more modern ARK chassis, while the 231 was built on the GS chassis. The 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen was available in 6- or 8-wheeled formats, with the number of wheels appended to the designation, and it was the 8-Rad that the basis for the 234, following on later in 1940 and learning from issues encountered with earlier designs. The new turret was designed by Daimler Benz, while the engine was a Tatra air-cooled diesel unit, powering all eight wheels that were also all steerable. To add to the ease with which the vehicle could be driven, there was an additional driver’s station at the rear of the crew cab, complete with a steering wheel that gave it the capability of reversing out of trouble with similar speed and dexterity as driving forward – a facility that came in very useful in the event of an ambush or stumbling into an enemy position. The 234/2 was the initial variant and the most prevalent, as well as being the best known, probably because of the (comparatively) large 50mm gun in the turret. Oddly, it was replaced less than a year later with an open-turreted /1 variant that mounted a smaller 20mm cannon, and concurrently another variant with a short-barrelled 75mm K51 gun under the /3 designation. This variant was also short-lived, increasing the fire-power substantially with an installation of the powerful Pak 40 as the /4, although the extra weight caused extreme stress to the 234’s chassis and running gear, with fewer than 90 made. All the variants after the /2 were open-topped, leaving the crew exposed to the elements, incoming plunging fire and explosive charges or grenades lobbed in by the enemy. To keep the enemy out of range however, a single MG42 was coaxially mounted with the main gun - a very capable machine gun against troops and lightly armoured targets. The armour built into the vehicle could deflect light-arms and smaller cannon rounds, with 30mm of sloped armour on the turret, and up to 100mm thickness on the mantlet, but at the rear the protection was only 10mm, as was the roof of the /2. Over 100 /2 vehicles were made before it was superseded, and despite being the most well-known, there were around 200 of the later /1 produced, with roughly 90 of each of the other two made before the war ended. The Kit This is a fresh boxing of the new tool from MiniArt, a line of boxings that includes Interior Kits such as this one, and doubtless the remainder of the variants that we’ve spoken about above. We’ve had other kits of the type in this scale from competitors previously, but not for some considerable time, and it’s fair to say that armour modellers with an interest in this genre are very pleased. The kit arrives in a standard-sized top-opening box with a painting of a 234/4 on the battlefield, having just been narrowly missed by incoming fire that has caused the gun crew to hunker down. Inside the box are twenty-three sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on the outer pages on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on the inner and outer covers. The detail is excellent, as usual, extending to the Interior and the weapon’s mechanism. The various hatches can also be posed open or closed, although there are fewer of them in this boxing, the model benefitting from PE parts, surface detail that is fully realised with weld seams and exterior structure that are well defined. Construction begins with the lower hull, starting with the narrow bottom section where the drive-shafts and suspensions are located, which is made from three faces, two internal bulkheads, and two steering actuators, one at each end. The hull floor has tread-plate moulded-in and a cut-out ready for the interior, sandwiching it between the two outward sloping sides, drilling out holes in the parts before assembling them, adding a rear bulkhead behind the engine compartment. The two assemblies are mated, fitting the first parts for the suspension to the sides, and a U-shaped stiffener in the centre of the lower spine. The interior starts with the two drivers’ positions, fitting the floor sections with holes for the pedals, three for the rear driver and four for the primary driver at the front, adding linkages, and fairings on the left side of the hull, plus a battery compartment and fairing on the right that is built from five parts. The drivers have their steering columns and wheels attached in recesses, the main driver’s being a more comprehensive installation. A two-part seat is fixed to the rails moulded into the floor, with a linkage and gas mask canister to his left, plus a five-part shell stowage box fitted to the floor behind his station with the option of an openb or closed door. The battery rack is wired into a distribution manifold on the right wall, using wire from your own stock, then inserting the two levers to the driver’s right, noting that the scrap diagram shows that the wires to the battery are braided and thick to cope with the level of current. The rear driver’s station has the same pair of levers fitted, a two-part seat, a five-part dash panel, and a two-part skeletal bulkhead is inserted into a groove on the sides of the hull. The engine isn’t included in this boxing, as the crew is the primary focus of the model, along with the big gun. The base is a substantial assembly in itself, made from two thick diagonal C-beams with a cross-brace, and a large stowage box for shells that is made from five parts with optional open or closed door to expose the ends of the munitions. It is trapped between the beams, with the gun’s pivot horseshoe above it, lowering it into place along with a small platform on the right side, adding a pair of inner panels in the engine compartment. The upper hull interior has several louvres, the driver’s instrument panel, gas mask canister, and other inner structural parts, plus the vision ports applied, adding hinge-points for the driver’s hatch and building vision ports for later installation. The upper hull’s exterior has the engine deck aperture filled with cooling vents that can be posed open or closed by using different parts, with two solid doors at the sides, locating in the cut-out in the back of the deck, then adding the rear bulkhead with hatch, mating the upper and lower hull assemblies, fitting the vision ports and a hatch with separate hinges and handles in the square cut-out in the glacis plate, again in either open or closed position, as you might have guessed. A three section barrel cleaning rod assembly is attached to the centre of the left side of the hull, then the fixed bullet-splash shields are attached to the sides of the crew cut-out after fitting two small parts to make an aerial mount near the left-front of the compartment, then fitting the rear barrier that can be flipped up or down to provide working space, draught into the compartment or deflect the heat from the engine deck, which are secured at the top on a pair of separate turn-buckles. Suspension and steering parts are assembled on the underside of the hull, making up four axles and leaf-springs on each side, replacing left with right-handed hubs on the relevant side. Four triple-handled Jerry cans with PE central weld-flares and filler cap are made and wrapped in PE straps that secure them to the vehicle later, adding armoured panels to the ends of the hull with PE brackets, and a three-part spare wheel bracket on the rear with a pair of lugs to the sides. Both sides of the fenders/sponsons have the rear carcasses of the flush stowage boxes installed, adding the external parts such as the jack, mufflers for each of the rear fenders, and another long stowage box, finishing the sponsons and their ends with additional parts that include PE lower lips on the handle recesses. The doors can be fitted open or closed by using different parts, making the spare wheel that is the first to be made from a two-part wheel structure, fitting it to the bracket on the rear of the vehicle, in between the mufflers on either side of the sloped rear of the sponsons. Jerry cans are mounted on both fenders to the sides of the engine deck, plus pioneer tools and a fire extinguisher on the left sponson. Additional detail parts are dotted around the hull, including width-marker lollipops, rear-view mirrors, headlight, a simple travel lock for the upcoming gun barrel, and an antenna on the bracket to the left of the crew cut-out. The eight wheels are made from two exterior faces, adding a tapered part that will be seen once the wheels are installed on the four axles. A substantial front bumper is then fixed to the front of the vehicle with a peg in the centre, and a headlamp on the left fender. The main gun is assembled in sections, starting with the base and narrow horse-shoe splinter-shield, both made from three parts each, the latter having a PE mid-layer that presses around the barrel, which is next, moulded from a single part with a five-part breech at the rear, followed by the slide, which is fashioned over two steps from several parts, joining the barrel, trapping it between the trunnions, adding elevation mechanisms, then the sight, the centre section of the splinter-shield, a choice of three styles of muzzle-brake, a pair of angled splinter-shield extensions with various small parts on the rear faces, cutting one corner out of each part for clearance, then fitting them with support-stays and a PE drip-rail across the top. An MG42 with separate breech top, cocking handle and drum mag is fixed on a pintle-mount that slots into a base that is fitted into the right side of the gun, with a spare magazine box nearby, lowering the completed gun into position in the crew compartment to complete the model. Figures This boxing includes an extra sprue containing five figures for your model, formerly released separately some years ago as an SPG Crew Riders set, but apart from the sprue being a little less refined than the modern figures, detail is up there with current releases. There are three standing figures that are intended to be within the vehicle, resting their arms on the exterior of the vehicle, plus a seated driver figure with his arms out in the quarter-to-three position, and a final seated figure sat on a flatter portion of the exterior with one arm resting on a higher part of the structure. All are wearing Panzer crew uniforms, with short double-breasted tunics held in place by a thick black belt, their trousers bloused over a pair of supportive combat boots. The three standing figures also have pistol holsters on their hips, and there is another holster on the sprue, plus some alternative heads for everyone but the driver that allow the crew to wear Stahlhems in a combat situation for protection. The other seated crew member has an MP40 with folded stock instead of a pistol, and it is worth noting that all the steel helmets have a slight recess in the centre that will need filling with your preferred putty if you intend to use them. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. As you can see below, they look highly realistic when painted sympathetically, using the colour call-outs that are given in Vallejo, Mr.Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus swatches and colour names to assist with choosing your colours. These refer to the green colour numbers on the paintings above the chart. Markings There is a choice of four options possible from the tiny decal sheet, all sharing a base coat of Dunkelgelb (dark yellow), while three are wearing a red-brown and green camouflage pattern over the top, and the final choice is sporting some green squiggle that will test your hand’s steadiness and your airbrush’s finesse. From the box you can build one of the following: Probably 71.Infanterie-Division, Austria, Spring 1945 Probably Panzerkorps ‘Großdeutschland’, Spring 1945 Unidentified Unit, Prague, Spring 1945 Pz.Div. Muncheberg, Berlin, Spring 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The 8-rad armoured car is an appealing subject to a lot of modellers (or is it mainly me?), and the Sd.Kfz.234/4 with its Pak40 is one of the more impressive to look at. The detail is excellent, and the inclusion of a set of five figures is perfect for the human scale I’m always talking about since I got over my fear of painting them. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-47N-1RE Thunderbolt Basic Kit (48064) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that saw Seversky aviation change their name to Republic, and the project designation from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own aggressive sounding name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board again, and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and sported the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. With it they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so another extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was still excellent, and the crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made ingress and egress more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. The production from a new factory that had been opened to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added incrementally. The P-47D-25 carried more fuel for extended range, including piping for jettisonable tanks on the bomb racks for even more fuel. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed and that improved all-round visibility markedly, although like the later mark Spitfires, subsequent models incorporated a fin fillet extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and after the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war in the Pacific, when longer ranges were required for almost all escort and attack missions, a new wing was developed from one of the prototypes of the P-47M, fitted with a new longer-span wing that was a “wet wing” as the fuel tanks were formed from the structure, rather than as tanks inserted within the aerofoil. The tips were also squared-off, which made differentiation between them and the other bubble-top models easier, along with the faster turn of speed that came with the improved R-2800-57C engine and supercharger combo that pushed its maximum performance up to around 470mph, a substantial rise from the original. A large order was made initially, followed by another substantially bigger tranche that was cancelled due to the end of the war, the last example coming off the production line at the end of 1945. As well as flying with the US forces, many P-47s were flown by Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries, as the remainder were sold off as war surplus. The Kit This is a new boxing of their recent kit from MiniArt, and whilst it may look like a simple re-boxing, the majority of the main sprues are different from the original kit, partly thanks to the new wings, but even extending to the clear sprue and the fuselage due to the differences in position of the main gear bays. The kit arrives in one of their sturdy top-opening boxes with a dramatic painting of the subject swooping low over an atoll that finds itself in the combat zone, billowing smoke rising in the foreground, plus profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are nineteen sprues in grey styrene, although in our sample many of the sprues were still connected by their runners, but were detached for photography. There is also a clear sprue, a sheet of decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the rear pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information on the weapons and tanks on the rea cover. Detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in the last several years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays and engine. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting by putting the seat together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts on the seat pan. A pair of support are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the floor, which has control column, seat-adjuster, and two other controls inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are added, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them, and a hose added, with a scrap diagram showing the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. The head cushion is applied to the seat armour, then the other sidewall is detailed with four controls, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument panel and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of three methods for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front, this time without an option for a canvas cover. The fuselage halves are prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and a belly insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding two aerial masts into a slot each side of the spine for one decal option, although whether that will remain intact until the end of the building and painting is unlikely, and I’d be tempted to cut out the opening, leaving fitting of the aerials after the majority of handling is over. There is a fuselage insert for the deck in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lenses added to the centre, and another equipment box on the port side before it is inserted and joined by a firewall that closes the front of the fuselage. The engine is created by joining the two highly-detailed banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are added later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus a collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom), to avoid sink marks, and it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish, fitting the late war fin-fillet that was added to recover some of the lost stability from cutting away the fuselage spine. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and is installed in the lower panel, and you have a choice of open or closed vents on the sides of the fuselage by using the appropriate parts. The finished assembly is enclosed by four segments of cowling, and at the rear you have a choice of open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want. Under the tail, the wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet lip further forward under the fuselage. The new upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail moulded-in slightly further outboard, which is augmented by fitting a bay wall, four rib sections, and rear walls, plus an additional two-part structure that has a retraction jack pushed through a hole in one of the wall segments. The gun barrels are moulded on a carrier to achieve the correct stepped installation, plus a pitot probe, and the wingtip light, which can be fitted now because the complete tip is moulded into the upper wing so that it can be portrayed as a more scale thickness, closing the wing by adding the lower surface. A scrap diagram of the lower wing shows the location of the flashed-over holes that you can drill out for pylons before closure. The flaps are made from two parts each with hinges moulded into the shorter lower layer, and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons, and a circular light near the tip. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, omitting the pitot and adding three recognition lights near the tip, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of three hub types, and two styles of wheels are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it to your taste which you prefer. The struts have the same choice of loaded or extended, and are detailed with separate oleo scissor-links and stencil decals, then are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the new fuselage with a stepped joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, having separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the edge of the bay with a retraction jack, while the fuselage is left out of the painting equation due to the extended wing length that takes the gear bays away further out. The engine assembly is also mated to the firewall, locating on a pair of alignment pins. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. Four centreline sway-braces are fitted between the main bays, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front, and deciding whether to pose the blown canopy open or closed after fitting a guide across the rear frame. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two sets of paired blades laid perpendicular to each other, and the spinner is glued centrally onto the front. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel or bombs, and all these are included in the box, starting with the two-part pylons, which can be depicted as empty by inserting a cover over the business end. You have a choice of two styles of tank, a 150gal tank streamlined tank with flat mating surface, and the last one is slightly smaller at 75gal with a seam around the mid-line, plus sway-braces that fit into slots in the pylons. They are built in pairs to fit under the wings, but the 75gal option can also be used solo on the centreline support. The bombs use the same pylons, and are 1,000lb of the M65 or M59 variety, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tail fins, mated to the pylon by a pair of sway-braces. A large diagram shows the correct location for all the pylons and their loads, but checking your references won’t hurt either. Markings There are two decal options on the sheet, and a separate page shows the location of all the many stencils on a set of grey-scale profiles to avoid cluttering the main profiles. From the box you can build one of the following: ‘CF’ 44-87979 ‘Knocked Up’, 34th Fighter Sqn., 413th Fighter Group, 20th Air Force, Summer 1945. Pilot: Francis J Vetort or Archibald C Gratz ‘93’ 44-88320 ‘Sack Happy’, 73rd Fighter Sqn., 2318th Fighter Group, 20th Air Force, leShima, Summer 1945. Pilot: Lt. Robert Redfield Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion There are a few other kits of this fighter on the market at this scale, but none are very modern, so this ever-expanding series is rapidly becoming the de facto standard due to the wealth of variants that have been released already, with more to come. The detail is exceptional, and the moniker “BasicKit” seems to undersell its many qualities. VERY highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

MiniArt is to release 1/48th Republic P-47D/M Thunderbolt kits. Source: https://miniart-models.com/wp-content/catalogue/2022/index.html - ref. 48001 - Republic P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt - advanced kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48001-p-47d-25re-thunderbolt-advanced-kit/ - ref. 48003 - Republic P-47D-26RA Thunderbolt - advanced kit - released- https://miniart-models.com/product/48003-p-47d-26ra-thunderbolt-advanced-kit/ - ref. 48009 - Republic P-47D-25RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48009-p-47d-25re-thunderbolt-basic-kit/ - ref. 48012 Republic Thunderbolt Mk.II. - Royal Air Force - advanced kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48012-thunderbolt-mk-ii-royal-air-force-advanced-kit/ - ref. 48015 - Republic P-47D-28RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48015-p-47d-28re-thunderbolt-free-french-air-force/ - ref. 48018 - Republic P-47D Thunderbolt with base and accessories - Big set - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48018-thunderbolt-p-47d-bubbletop-with-base-accessories-big-set/ - ref. 48022 - Republic P-47D-28RA Thunderbolt - Pacific theater of operation - basic kit - released: https://miniart-models.com/product/48022-p-47d-28ra-thunderbolt-pacific-theater-of-operations-basic-kit/ - ref. 48023 - Republic P-47D-30RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48023-p-47d-30re-thunderbolt-basic-kit/ - ref. 48029 - Republic P-47D-30RA Thunderbolt - advanced kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48029-p-47d-30ra-thunderbolt/ - ref. 48030 - Republic P-47D-10RE Thunderbolt/Razorback - advanced kit - release soon - https://miniart-models.com/product/48030/ - ref. 48032 - Republic P-47M Thunderbolt - advanced Kit - release soon - https://miniart-models.com/product/48032-p-47m-thunderbolt-advanced-kit - ref. 48034 - Republic P-47D-11RE Thunderbolt/Razorback - Zemke's Wolfpack - advanced kit - release in 2025 https://miniart-models.com/product/48034-p-47d-11re-thunderbolt-zemkes-wolfpack-advanced-kit/ - ref. 48037 - Republic P-47D-11RE Thunderbolt/Razorback - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48037-p-47d-11re-thunderbolt-basic-kit/ - ref. 48039 - Republic P-47D-15/16 Thunderbolt/Razorback - Pacific Theater Operaotion / PTO - basic kit - https://miniart-models.com/product/48039-p-47d-15-16-thunderbolt-pto-razorbacks-basic-kit/ - ref. SQ48002 - Republic P-47D Razorback - 2025 IPMS Nationals Edition - Squadron Model Limited edition - released - https://squadron.com/1-48-miniart-p-47d-razorback-2025-ipms-nationals-edition/ - ref. 48064 - Republic P-47N-1RE Thunderbolt - basic kit - released - https://miniart-models.com/product/48064-p-47n-1re-thunderbolt-basic-kit/ Have a look at the kits reference numbers, there's room enough for Mustang, Spitfire, Bf.109, Fw.190, Zero, Hurricane etc. 😜 V.P.

Junkers F13 with Winter Ski Early Prod. (48020) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The design process that led to the Junkers F13 was begun while WWI was still raging, and it was an unconventional and advanced design for the time, when most aircraft were still wood and canvas biplanes that were strengthened by copious rigging wires that created excess drag, making them slow and delicate. The J13 as it was initially called first flew in 1919, and reached maturity during a time that Germany was prevented from having an Air Force, and the market was flooded with military surplus aircraft that could be quickly and cheaply converted into rudimentary airliners or transports. It had a few cards up its sleeve however, such as its all-metal monoplane construction that was far easier to protect from the deleterious effects of weather, especially in humid or damp climates. Through careful design and extensive testing, it had a clean aerodynamic profile that meant a lower power output engine could be utilised to achieve desired speeds, meaning that it could be fitted with different engines from many manufacturers, rather than being saddled with a single high-output and potentially temperamental power-plant. It was crewed by one pilot with a spare seat to his side twin control columns, and a further four passenger seats in the rear compartment, utilising the cockpit seat for an extra passenger should the need arise. Its stressed, corrugated duralumin skin and internal bracing made it both light and strong, with the fuselage attached to the top of the wing, which gave the crew and passengers an extra layer of protection in the event of a rough landing that compromised the gear legs. It also had an unusual trimming system that utilised fuel that was pumped between header tanks in the fore and aft of the fuselage to adjust for centre of gravity changes of the aircraft, and its fixed gear was simple to replace with skis or floats if the need arose. Germany was prevented from building any aircraft until 1921, which resulted in initial sales going overseas, even selling to England and America, Germany’s former enemies. It became so popular thanks to its many appealing qualities that within a few years it constituted around 40% of the world’s civilian air-traffic, and was a familiar sight in the skies of many countries around the world. Production continued until 1932, and included license-built examples that were manufactured in Russia and America, with airframes around the world continuing commercial service until the early 50s, whilst civilian operators were less inclined to give up flying them. The type’s development was mostly centred on the engine type that was mounted in the nose, having several options during its life-time, but there was also a stretched-fuselage variant that could carry more load, and the afore-mentioned float or ski options. More unusual variants were created by users, including a light bomber in China, a bizarre ground-attack aircraft in the US that mounted thirty downward-firing machine guns to pepper enemy troops below, and Soviet forces pressed some of their aircraft into military service with the Red Army. The aircraft remained popular despite its age, and in the new millennium, a Swiss-German company decided to create a series of replica airframes in the noughties, utilising as much of the original design as possible, but substituting a more modern Pratt & Whitney engine and precision instruments where the improvement would be worth the change. The design was based upon original blueprints and a laser-scan of an original airframe to confirm their accuracy, but at $2.5m per example, there won’t be too many gracing the skies any time soon. The Kit This is another new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt of this grandfather of the Ju.52 that utilised many of the same technologies and engineering techniques that were pioneered in this small aircraft. The kit arrives in a standard MiniArt top-opening box with a painting of the subject-matter on the top that is parked on a snowed-over field on a heavily overcast day, and has the decal option profiles on one of the sides. Inside the box are fourteen sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has a cover printed in colour, with a full set of profiles on the front and rear pages, also in colour. Detail is up to MiniArt’s current high standards, and examining the sprues reveals a huge quantity of detail that extends across the entire exterior, covering the model with finely rendered corrugations, and where appropriate, these corrugations also extend to the interior. The cockpit is well-rendered, and sits behind a replica of the BMW IIIa six-cylinder engine, with a radiator at the front, while the passenger compartment has a humped floor just like the real thing to accommodate the wing spars under the floor. This edition also sports extended span wings, and the traditional landing gear struts replaced by modestly-sized skis front and rear. Construction begins with the starboard rear fuselage, which has a window and two bulkheads fitted, setting it aside whilst building the cockpit on its contoured floor. The two control columns are detailed with a lamination of two PE layers that represent the control cables, fitting a bow-tie wheel at the top of each one, and setting them in place through rectangular holes in the floor, mounting rudder pedals in front, and making up two barrel seats from a pair of styrene parts and PE lap-belts, setting those aside while the unusually-shaped instrument panel is further detailed with levers and controls, plus a few small PE parts, adding another PE lever between the columns along with a styrene part. The panel is decaled extensively after painting, and is fitted to a bulkhead via a C-shaped stand-off bracket that locates on two recesses. This too is put aside, mounting the starboard fuselage half to the cruciform fuselage floor after drilling out a few holes, and fitting two optional boxes in place in the wing roots if you plan on building your model with the wings mounted for flight. The forward section of the fuselage has three window panes added and is fixed to the rear, using raised guides in the floor to ensure the assembly is straight and true. The cockpit is fitted next, and will be useful to help align the fuselage sides, fixing the two seats in place, then adding the instrument panel on its bulkhead to the front. Another bulkhead is made to separate the cockpit from the passengers, adding a window and two tied-back curtains, plus a pair of wedge-shaped strengtheners into slots at the sides. Two more individual two-part seats with PE lap-belts are made and inserted in the floor as the front row, building a four-part bench seat/sofa that also has PE seatbelts added, gluing it to a stepped bulkhead, and fitting that into the rear of the passenger compartment, using the guides to ensure it is correctly aligned. A handle is inserted into a hole in the side door, fixing another to the opening door on the opposite side later. The six-cylinder in-line BMW engine is based upon a two-part block, into which the individual cylinders are dropped, adding a prop-axle and generator, then completing the tops of the cylinder heads, cooling tubing, wiring loom, air-intake and exhaust manifold to the sides, ending the manifold with a vertical horn if you plan on leaving the cowling open. Engine mounts are installed on both sides of the bay, lowering the completed engine into position between them, fitting the radiator after gluing the rear and a PE cross-brace to it, and a fixed aft cowling panel with filler cap. The opposite side of the fuselage is made from two almost identical (but handed) parts, although a separate door is included, fitting the windows, a door handle, and drilling two small holes in the rear section close to the wing root. The completed parts are then brought in and glued to the floor, creating a cowling for the engine bay from top and side parts, with a further option of a PE strap around it if you wish. The cowling open option isn’t discussed any further in the instructions, which is unusual. A folded PE part is available to replace a styrene grab-handle part if you prefer, mounting it on the forward section of the cowling, fitting the roof on the fuselage after adding a circular light to the inside and drilling a small hole nearby. Another styrene or PE grab-handle is fixed to the side cowling on both sides, and a pair of clear windscreens are installed in front of the cockpit, as this variant didn’t have an enclosed cockpit, which is tough luck for the crew, especially due to the likely weather that necessitates skis instead of wheels. At the rear, the elevator is made from upper and lower halves, the upper half having the entire flying surfaces moulded-in to achieve a slim trailing edge, mounting it on the open rear of the fuselage behind the roof panel. The straight tapered tail fin is slotted into the top of the elevator, with the rudder moulded-in. There are two short C-beams provided for the inner wing upper panels, which are only utilised if the wings are to be built ready for flight, fitting into a recess under the short inner wing panels, then gluing them into place either side of the fuselage. At this stage the decision must be made whether to mount the wings, or leave them off for transport, using either three parts to create the joint for the mounted option, or an open rib with a socket glued behind it that will be seen in the wingless option, depending on your choice. Your preferred insert is glued into the ends of the inner panels, adding a pair of intakes under the belly, fitting a PE crew step under the port trailing-edge, the new tail-ski under the rear, and a PE actuator tab in a recess on the rudder. More PE or styrene grab-handles are fitted to the rear fuselage for ground-handling, and around the square back windows to ease access to the door over the wing. The extended outer wing panels are stiffened by adding two ribs to the grooves moulded into the inner surfaces, and slotting a three-quarter span spar lengthways into the grooves in the ribs, cutting the inner ends off as indicated if you are leaving the wings off the airframe. The wing underside is glued to the uppers over the spar, and once the glue is cured, the ailerons can be fitted into the cut-outs in the trailing edges along with grab-handles in drilled-out holes under the wingtips. They are put to the side for a while so that the landing gear can be made, which is based upon a K-shaped axle, which has a pair of V-shaped supports glued near the ends, finishing the assembly with a pair of two-part skis from the new sprue, mounting the completed gear in the recesses under the belly between the wings, then adding PE dampers to the forward portion of the skis. The supports are handed, so be careful when putting them together to ensure the correct parts are used. The wings are completed by fitting PE actuators at the inner ends of the ailerons, after which the completed assemblies can either be slipped into their slots in the inner wing panels and glued, or depicted stowed nearby in whatever fashion you choose. An aerial mast is glued into the roof behind the cockpit, and a two-bladed propeller with integral spinner is supplied for you to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all wearing the same basic scheme of silver over black, with a black engine cowling and landing gear, differentiated mainly by the tail markings and registration codes that are repeated under the wings in large format. From the box you can build one of the following: B-LATA ‘Condor’, Lettische LV AG., Latvia, Early 1920s K-SALB Aero O/Y, Finland, Mid 1920s T-DKOV Dansk Lufttransport, Mid 1920s Decals are screen printed by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This popular aircraft went through design changes through its career like many other successful designs, extending the wingspan, changing the underside of the fuselage from flatter to tapered, and amending the shape of the tail fin, all of which are depicted as appropriate here, including new skis to differentiate it from previous boxings. Detail is excellent, and the kit should build into a creditable replica of this corrugated monoplane. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-47D-11RE Thunderbolt Basic Kit (48037) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that coincided with Seversky aviation changing its name to Republic, and the project designation changing from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own jingoistic name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and powered by the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. For firepower they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge, four per wing. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was excellent, and the unfortunate crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made access more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. Production from a new factory that had been brought on-stream to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed to improve all-round visibility markedly, although like the cut-down Spitfires, later models incorporated a fin extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and since the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war when the Luftwaffe was a spent force, it also went on to become a highly successful ground attack fighter, strafing and bombing targets of opportunity, and largely eschewing camouflaged paintwork to add extra speed with a smooth, polished and weight-saving bare metal finish. As well as flying with US forces, many P-47s were operated by the other Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries as excess airframes were sold off as war surplus. The Kit This is a variant of a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, in the process of creating a broad range of kits that are already becoming the de facto standard Thunderbolt in this scale. The kit arrives in one of their sturdy top-opening boxes with a dramatic painting of the subject on the front, and profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are twenty sprues in grey styrene, although in our sample many of the sprues were handily still connected by their runners, which simplified photography, while some weren’t. There is also a clear sprue, two sheets of decals split between markings and stencils, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the rear pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information on the weapons and tanks on the front inner cover. Detail is phenomenal, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in the last several years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays and engine. If you’ve seen their AFV kits you’ll know what to expect, but this is something special in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting by putting the seat together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts across the seat pan. A pair of support are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the ribbed floor, which has control column, plus seat-adjuster, and two other levers inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are added, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them. The starboard sidewall has a hose added, and a scrap diagram shows the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. The port sidewall is detailed with four controls, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of two styles for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front, or an alternative assembly can be made from four different parts plus wheel, which is less detailed as the mechanism is hidden by a canvas cover. The fuselage halves are prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and a centreline insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding the aerial mast into a slot in the starboard spine, although whether that will remain unbroken until the end of the building and painting is a point for conjecture, and I’d be tempted to nip it off at the base, gluing the base in to act as a socket for the aerial after the heavy work is over. There is a fuselage insert in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lens added to the centre and coaming around it, then another equipment box is fixed under the port side before it is inserted and joined by a firewall that closes the front of the fuselage, and a piece of bullet-proof glass in front of the gunsight. A small plate is fixed behind the pilot’s head inside the cockpit to add rivet detail to that location, as it will be seen through the canopy later. The engine is a highly-detailed assembly that is created by joining the two fully-rendered banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are fitted later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus a collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and installed in the lower panel, where you have a choice of open or closed vents on the sides of the fuselage sides by using the appropriate parts, and in the same step, the rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom), to avoid sink marks, following which it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish. Going back to the engine, the finished assembly is enclosed by four segments of cowling, and at the rear you have a choice of open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want. Under the tail, your choice of wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet lip further forward under the fuselage. The upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail moulded into the interior of the gear bays, which is augmented by fitting an insert, two rib sections, front and rear walls that form the tabs to mate the wings with the fuselage, and an additional structure that has a retraction jack pushed through hole in one of the wall segments. The flaps are made from two halves, plus a pair of hinges and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons, the remaining details of the gear bay, which includes another retraction jack, the gun barrels on a carrier to achieve the correct vertically stepped installation, plus a pitot probe, and the wingtip light, which can be fitted now because the complete tip is moulded into the upper wing so that it can be portrayed as scale thickness. A scrap diagram of the lower wing shows the location of the flashed-over holes that you can drill out for weapons carriage, then it can be glued to the upper, along with an insert at the rear of the gear bay, which includes a flush-fitted clear landing light, and an outboard panel near the tip. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, omitting the pitot and landing light insert, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of two hub types, and two styles of wheels are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it for you to decide which you prefer. The struts are detailed with separate oleo scissor-links and stencil decals, and are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the fuselage with a stepped joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, and have separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part for finesse. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the fuselage in dropped configuration. The engine assembly with cowling is also mated to the firewall, locating on a pair of alignment pins, one per side. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. The four centreline supports are fitted between the main bays for some decal options, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front with a streamlined rear-view mirror above the frame, and deciding whether to pose the canopy open or closed after gluing a grab-bar across the front at the top. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two parts, each consisting of two blades in opposition, and the spinner is a separate part that slots into the front section. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel, rockets or bombs, and all these are included in the box, starting with the two-part pylons, which can be depicted as empty by inserting a cover over the lower surface. You have a choice of four styles of tank, a 108gal compressed paper tank with a ribbed nose and tail, a 200gal wide and flat tank, the third 150gal streamlined tank with flat mating surface and a peg at the rear that can be removed, and the last one slightly smaller at 75gal. All but the third option has a pair of sway-braces between them and the pylon, which fit into slots in the pylons. They are built in pairs to fit under the wings, but the first two options can also be used solo on the centreline support. The bombs use the same pylons, and can be built in 1,000lb, 500lb or 250lb variants, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tails, and mated to the pylon by a pair of sway-braces that varies depending on size. There is also a smoke generator that looks like a drop-tank with a spout on the rear, which would be used to lay smoke for the Allied troops below to cover their actions, at least temporarily. A large diagram shows the correct location for all the pylons and their loads, the centreline option having no additional pylon, mating via the four sway braces fitted earlier. Markings There are two decal options on the included sheet, all wearing the green schemes common for airframes earlier in WWII when the Luftwaffe were still a valid fighting force to be camouflaged against. From the box you can build one of the following: 379th Fighter Sqn., 362nd Fighter Group, 9th Air Force, May 1944 62nd Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, Spring 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencil sheet is shown applied to a separate page of greyscale drawings to avoid complicating the main profiles. Conclusion Another stunning release from MiniArt of the razorback Jug during an important part of their exploits in Europe during WWII. Detail is exceptional, and should be sufficient for all but the most detail addicted modeller, who may wish to look at the Advanced kit instead. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Kleine Feldküche HF.14 w/crew (53011) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The idiom “an army marches on its stomach” was attributed to Napolean amongst others over the centuries, and its meaning is that without food, an army will be unable to advance after a relatively short period of time, a situation that Napoleon’s army found themselves in when they invaded Russia in 1812. Sustenance is crucial for the ongoing wellness of any person, and for a soldier that is expected to fight when they reach their destination, it is doubly important. With the industrialisation of warfare, the provision of food to keep soldiers fit, healthy and ready to fight was similarly modernised, creating “field kitchens” that were highly mobile, and could be set up quickly at any sensible location, often in a field as the name suggests. Once halted, the wood-fired ovens were lit, and a meal was either cooked from scratch or pre-prepared repasts such as stews or soup could be warmed up for expediency and to keep the soldiers warm during winter campaigns. Germany’s WWII Feldküche was sometimes referred to as the Gulaschkanone, due to the way in which its chimney folded horizontally for transport, giving it the look of an artillery piece from some angles if you squinted. The Kit There seems to have been increased interest in depicting the unsung heroes of WWII military cookery of late, and this is the second new kit of the German Field Kitchen (Feldküche) in a year (or so). This is a brand-new tooling from MiniArt, and comes complete with the famous Gulaschkanone, plus a group of four figures to crew it, immediately lending itself to a diorama if you are so inclined. The kit arrives in a small top-opening box with an isolated painting of the subject matter, and inside are eight sprues of grey styrene, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE), and an instruction booklet that consists of a folded sheet of A3 that is printed on glossy paper in colour on the outer face. The front page also includes profiles of the kitchen and accessories, plus a paint chart that converts between Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya codes, plus colour names and a small swatch of the relevant shade. A sprue map fills up the remaining space on the front page, and inside are greyscale instruction steps for building the kitchen unit, while the back page deals with the figures. Construction begins with the body, which is an exceptionally well-detailed four-sided box with a floor that has finely moulded vents under the circular centre. The body is completed by inserting the bowl under the top surface, which is also similarly finely detailed, adding three lids to the storage boxes that keep prepared food warm for the troops. The chimney is split for stowage during transit, both sections made from two halves each, and two clips that secure them if you intend to depict your model with the chimney vertical and ready for action. The same two clips are shown with the chimney folded, which is where its nickname came from. The main cooking area has a circular lid with central knob and handle to the rim, with four turnbuckles that hold it securely in place, with of course the option to pose it open and the turnbuckles in matching positions. At this stage it becomes clear that you can build this model in either towed or static variants, the latter consisting of a frame with four legs and four parts that are built a little out of sync with the rest of the steps. Firstly, two drop-down vent covers are attached to the grilles under the belly of the kitchen, which are held open by four chains and a little bit of gravity on the real kitchen, but using glue and four PE chains on the model. Four PE handles are applied to the doors on the front of the kitchen, plus a styrene spigot, and a PE pull-handle on the lower edge at the rear. The other option is for a five-part towing chassis with leaf-springs moulded-in, adding an axle under the springs, and a rod along one side. The chassis fits under the kitchen on two tabs, adding a cross-brace with block brakes further forward, plus a V-support between that and the axle. Two detailed cart-wheels fit to the ends of the axle with a separate centre-cap, adding PE brackets to the towing A-frame, with a prop underneath to keep it level when unhitched, and a PE loop hanging between the frames. A three-part container is made, then strapped over the A-frame with two-part PE belts to complete the model. Figures The parts for each figure are found on separate sprues for ease of identification, although some were linked together in the box but were separated for photography. Parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. The instructions consist of portions of the box art separated into individual paintings, with part numbers called out in red, while colours are given in green boxes. The kitchen crew are all hard at work, a chef in a long apron tasting his work from a spoon, while another in a coat stirs a vat of food with an immense slotted spatula/spoon. Two assistants are also working hard, one chopping wood on a stump with an axe in a dynamic pose, the other grinning manically whilst hugging a goose that’s presumably either destined for the pot, or will be squeezed until it produces some eggs. They are all in a standing pose, and all bar one are wearing calf-length boots over their combat trousers. The chef and the goose-squeezer are both in shirt sleeves with the cuffs rolled up, while the axe-wielding gentleman is still paradoxically wearing his tunic, despite chopping wood being hot work. Only the goose-molester is bare headed, the rest of them are sporting field caps. To add to the diorama possibilities, there are also a set of three pots with lids, a small frying pan, and three vertical containers that have sadly suffered from sink-marks due to their thickness, but applying a smear of filler should clear that up quickly. A large canteen with separate handles, a ladle with PE handle, slatted spoon, and a perforated circular draining spoon are also included. Markings There are no decals needed for this kit, so painting and weathering should complete the job perfectly well. From the box you can build the following: Conclusion The detail of this kit immediately moves it to the top of the list of available kits in this scale, as does the inclusion of figures from outset, rather than later boxings. A choice of static or towable installation also helps broaden the kit’s appeal. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Raupenschlepper OST RSO/01 w/Wooden Shelter (53048) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd During the first Autumn of operation Barbarossa during WWII, German forces struggled to a virtual standstill due to the muddy, then icy conditions that occurred on the rudimentary road systems they found in Russia, or the Eastern Front, as they called it. The Raupenschlepper Ost was the response by Steyr, or ‘Caterpillar Tractor East’ in English was available in two main variants – the cargo version and the self-propelled version with a PaK40 mounted onboard. Shortened to RSO, the initial /01 cargo variant had a pressed steel cab and a shallow-sided load area, plus a canvas tilt over the load-bed. This was simplified later to a straight-sided cab to streamline construction and in-the-field repair, retaining the main underpinnings, which consisted of a Steyr 3.5L petrol V8, followed by a substantially lower-powered Deutz diesel engine for those vehicles manufactured by Magirus, reducing fuel consumption and flammability, but increasing available torque that’s typical of diesel engines. The engine was mounted in the front of the vehicle beneath the crew cab for all variants, which must have been a boon during the cold winter months, powering the drive-sprockets initially with a differential similar to those used in wheeled vehicles, which was later replaced by a final-drive system more typical of an AFV. The driver effected steering via a pair of levers akin to those used in many AFVs of the era, with four gears plus reverse available for motion, and a standard single-plate clutch for power delivery. Suspension was simple elliptical leaf springs on two double-wheel bogeys per side, which took some of the lumps out of the terrible Russian roads, most of which were nothing more than packed dirt tracks in the summer, turning to muddy bogs in the period between summer and winter, at which point the ruts solidified, creating their own problems. The simple wheels and slack-track with no return-rollers gave the RSO enhanced capability during the change of seasons and during winter-time, with no complex interleaved wheels or ‘live’ tracks for mud to accumulate in and/or freeze. Its primary drawback was its relatively small load capacity, as it was based on a 1.5 ton truck, requiring multiple RSOs to replace their 3.5 ton wheeled equivalents once the weather deteriorated beyond the usefulness of wheels. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt of this small bad-weather capable truck, and is one of three initial editions, the third carrying a PaK40, as mentioned above. This variant arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of a camouflaged RSO on the front being directed by a soldier with lollipops, and profiles of the four decal options on one side of the lid. Inside the box are sixteen sprues of grey styrene, one of clear parts, a small Photo-Etch (PE) fret, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on glossy white paper, with full profiles of the decal options on the front and rear covers. Detail is excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, including a full chassis, engine, interior and load area with a wooden ‘shack’ on the back. Construction begins with the chassis, starting with the bottom plate and four cross-members, sliding two sections of the drive-shaft through holes in the centres, then adding the rails to the sides after removing several tabs from the upper edge, and adding triangular stubs that encroach into the centre. A platform with tubing is fitted to the front, adding actuator rods front and rear, plus a K-shaped rear bumper iron, and a pair of flag-like rods that appear to be scrapers that remove mud accumulations from the drive-sprockets. In the front of the soon-to-be engine compartment, a bench-like fixture is applied, adding a four-part blow-torch/engine pre-heater for the open bonnet option, with the front axle, bumper bar and a small box in a cut-out under the chassis, covering it with a panel that has an access hatch moulded-in. The rear axle with differential bulge is built from five parts, and is fixed to the flat rear of the chassis under the bumper, pushing up against the aft end of the drive-shaft, then mounting two brake-housings to the ends of the axle. The engine is a complex assembly, making the V8 block from six parts, and nestling the four-part transmission and sump in between the banks, adding exhaust manifolds, serpentine belt, plus a substantial pair of intake fans, dynamo, and other ancillaries, joining the two intakes via an air-box and filters, then installing the motor in the chassis, linking the radiator hoses, making a fuel tank with cut-out for the drive-shaft and feeder pipe that drops into the centre of the frame, and fitting a three-part exhaust with muffler under the rear of the chassis. Righting the chassis sees the installation of a choice of two towing hitches, one with a further sub-variant using different parts, slipping your chosen assembly into a hole in the rearmost cross-member. Although the suspension consists of a pair of two-wheel bogeys, the entire length of the tracks pivots around a centre axle that fits in a slot under the chassis, with a pair of leaf-springs at the ends of rails that have bearings for the bogeys, one fitted to each side of the vehicle, with a PE strip wrapped around the front axle that is linked to the assembly via piston that allows the system to stretch and rotate as the main suspension bar pivots. The idler and drive-sprockets look broadly similar, although they use different parts, fixing them carefully to the correct end. Four bogeys are made from tubes with a pivot strengthened by another layer, again, paying attention to where each one is fitted, then mounting the road wheels to each stub axle. The included tracks are link-and-length, achieving the look of individual links without the most of the tedium. The straight runs top and bottom are moulded as one part each, with short lengths on the diagonals, then six individual links around the highly curved ends, plus an extra link between the diagonals and the horizontal runs. The moulded links have several sensibly placed sprue gates per section, while the individual links have three each, while the designers have managed to avoid any ejector-pin marks on the links that is a blessing, especially if you plan to build your model clean. The cab is a small space, having the floor built in halves from four parts each with a choice of two styles of footwell. A fuel filler is pushed through a hole in the side, adding a section of tread-plate at an angle on the opposite side, with a small bracket under the floor. The rear bulkhead has a shaped bar fitted to the bottom edge, a fire extinguisher, two canvas rolls and a bottle between the crew, and is set aside while the halves are joined and levers mounted in recesses, after which it is joined to the bulkhead, fixing a window in the central cut-out, and installing the crew controls, consisting of a set of foot pedals and two track control levers in a housing on the left side. An engine cover joins the two halves of the cab, followed by a pair of tubular framed canvas seats for the crew, with a choice of two styles. The cab front has a two-panel windscreen inserted, two wiper motor casings, and a choice of two dashboards under the screen, gluing the assembly to the front of the cab, spaced apart by the roof. The crew doors can be made with open or closed windows by using different clear parts, adding winder handles inside and a door handle to the outside, plus a PE hinge strap if you intend to pose the doors open. You also have a choice of a thickly louvred hood or one with a fine grille, both having a locking-handle on the lower frame, and an optional PE horse-shoe for luck on the grilled option, using a PE strut to hold it open if you intend to display the engine deep within. A choice of PE or styrene windscreen wiper blades, a two-part convoy light, and two reflectors/side lights are added to the front of the cab, mating it with the chassis, and adding a long wire from your own stock between the back of the cab and the chassis if you feel the urge. A set of pioneer tools are fixed to the rear bulkhead, with a choice of styrene tools with moulded-in brackets, or PE replacement clips after you have cut the chunky styrene brackets away from the two shovels and pick-axe. A couple of PE V-brackets are fixed to the curved rear of the cab roof to finish work on that aspect of the model. The load bed is constructed from a single planked floor that is supported by three cross-members and two ribs and a pry bar lashed to the rear cross-member, adding closed bed sides that have their corner locks shortened to indicate they are in-place. The tail-gate has a rear light on a PE bracket plus a six-part jack, or a pair of empty location straps if you prefer. The ‘shed’ is made from two sides with windows, a solid front, and a choice of two styles of rear with narrow or wide entryway cut out, adding a curved roof, plus a choice of rolled-up and tied canvas door panel that is glued to the top of the wide rear cut-out with a ladder at the bottom, or a single planked door that has a handle added to both sides, and can be fitted alone for the narrow aperture, or as a pair for the wider frame option. Markings There are three decal options on the small sheet in a variety of schemes that share a base coat of dunkelgelb/dark yellow, two of which have additional camouflage overpainted in the field. From the box you can build one of the following: Leichte Artillerie-Abteilung 849 (RSO), Eastern Front, 1943 96. Infanterie-Division, Eastern Front, 1943 Schwere Werfer-Regiment 21, Eastern Front, 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The RSO is a diminutive vehicle with short wheelbase that gives it a hunched, almost comical appearance, and plenty of configurations. Detail is excellent, and extends inside and out, using link-and-length tracks to simplify the process without losing detail. The shed can’t have been warm in the winter, so fingers-crossed it was simply used to carry equipment under cover. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Thunderbolt P-47D-10RE Razorback Advanced Kit (48030) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that coincided with Seversky aviation changing its name to Republic, and the project designation changing from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own jingoistic name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and powered by the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. For firepower they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge, four per wing. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was excellent, and the unfortunate crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made access more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. Production from a new factory that had been brought on-stream to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed to improve all-round visibility markedly, although like the cut-down Spitfires, later models incorporated a fin extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and since the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war when the Luftwaffe was a spent force, it also went on to become a highly successful ground attack fighter, strafing and bombing targets of opportunity, and largely eschewing camouflaged paintwork to add extra speed with a smooth, polished and weight-saving bare metal finish. As well as flying with US forces, many P-47s were operated by the other Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries as excess airframes were sold off as war surplus. The Kit This is another reboxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt with suitable fuselage parts, and is labelled an Advanced Kit because it includes an additional sprue of plastic detail parts, and a larger fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass to increase the level of detail of the kit, including the gun bays, fins for the bombs, and the ability to open the engine cowlings to display the excellent detail that is mostly hidden away on the Basic Kit. The kit arrives in one of MiniArt’s sturdy top-opening boxes with a painting of the subject on the front about to be jumped by an Fw.190 Butcher Bird, and profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are sixteen sprues in grey styrene, although in our samples many variations of connected and disconnected sprues have been seen, some of which simplified photography. There is also a clear sprue, a sheet of PE, two sheets of decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rear pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information for the weapons and tanks on another page. Detail is beyond excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in recent years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays, plus gun bays in the wings and the engine of course. If you’ve seen their AFV kits you’ll know what to expect, but this is special in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting with a choice of seat style. One option has the seat put together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts on the seat pan. The other option uses new parts to build the seat without belts, adding the parts from the PE sheet separately. A pair of supports are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the ribbed floor, which has control column, seat-adjuster, and two other levers inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are fitted, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them. The starboard sidewall has an oxygen hose added, and a scrap diagram shows the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. A cushion is fixed to the head armour, then the other sidewall is detailed with four controls and a PE wiring loom, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument panel and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of styles for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front, or a more simplified three-part assembly that depicts a canvas cover over the mechanism. The fuselage halves are further prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and an insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding the aerial mast into a slot in the starboard spine, although whether that will remain intact until the end of the building and painting is a moot point, and I’d be tempted to nip it off at the base, gluing the base in to act as a socket for the aerial to be pinned after the heavy work is over. The engine is created by joining the two highly-detailed banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding exhaust collectors at the rear, the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with the cylinder heads, and adding a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are added later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus an oversized collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The convex firewall at the front of the fuselage is detailed with a ring of fasteners on a PE strip that curves around the edge, and the cylindrical intakes with PE mesh grilles. There is a fuselage insert in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lens, PE backup sight and link-plate added to its mating point, adding more equipment and coaming before it is inserted under the forward decking and joined by your choice of complex or simple firewall that closes the front of the fuselage, the former applicable if you intend to display the contents of the engine bay later. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and installed in the lower panel, and you have a choice of open or closed top cowling panels by using additional parts. To leave the cowling open, the engine is fitted to the detailed firewall along with the lower cowling and the three sections of cooling gills. the closed option is surrounded by all four cowling segments, and at the rear you have a choice of installing open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want, sliding the assembly over the completed engine, to which you can add the wiring loom if you are feeling adventurous, using the helpful 3D isometric diagrams near the back of the booklet, which also includes diagrams for extra wiring in the gear bays. The rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom) to avoid sink marks, and it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish. Under the tail, your choice of bare or canvas-covered wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet further forward under the fuselage. Note that the closed bay doors can be used effectively as masks for a gear down aircraft by tack-gluing them in place with a relatively weak adhesive that facilitates later removal. The upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail for the gear bays moulded-in, which is augmented by fitting two rib sections, front and rear walls, and an additional structure that has a retraction jack pushed through a hole in one of the wall segments. The gun bays and their extensive ammunition stores are supplied in this boxing, using different upper wing panels with the bays opened. The gun bays themselves are built from a mixture of styrene and PE surfaces, making up a four-compartment box into which the gun breeches are inserted, linking them to the outer wall with ammo feed chutes, and placing the ammunition boxes with open tops into the upper wing from within. The closed bay option is shown with just the barrel stubs projecting from the leading edge, while both options install the wingtip lights and a pitot probe in the port wing. Flaps are made from two surfaces, plus a trio of hinges, and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons and their two hinges, then the lower wing can be glued to the upper, along with two inserts at the tip, the rear of the flap bays, and to the rear of the gear bay, which includes a flush landing light, cutting a small part of the wing root away for flaps down, replacing them with PE parts instead. Three PE edging strips are laid over the open gun bays, adding a PE indicator and prop to hold the styrene panels at the correct angle, the gun bay hinging forward, the ammo bay hinging aft. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, omitting the pitot probe and landing light, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of two hub types, and two styles of tyres are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it to your taste. The struts are detailed with separate compressed or relaxed oleo scissor-links plus stencil decals, and they are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower portion of the door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the fuselage with an offset joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, and have separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the fuselage, which contains the inner edge of the main gear bays, so remember to paint that while you are painting the bays. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. The four centreline supports are fitted between the main bays for some decal options, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front, and deciding whether to pose the canopy open or closed, adding one of two styles of rear view mirror on the windscreen, and a pull bar in the front of the canopy slider. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two pairs of blades glued perpendicular to each other, and the spinner is glued into the central hole. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel or bombs, and all these are included in the box, although only the larger tanks and bombs are shown in the instructions. You have a choice of three styles of tank, a 108gal compressed paper tank with a ribbed nose and tail, a 200gal wide and flat tank, the last one slightly smaller at 75gal, installing on the centreline support. The bombs are also centreline mounted, and can be built in 1,000lb, 500lb or 250lb variants, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tails or thinner PE fins if you prefer. There is also a smoke generator that looks like a drop-tank with a spout on the rear, which would be used to lay smoke for the Allied troops below to cover their actions, at least temporarily. Markings There are three decal options on the included sheet, all wearing the green schemes common for airframes earlier in WWII when the Luftwaffe were still a valid fighting force to be camouflaged against, differentiated by their cowling rings, and personal nose art. From the box you can build one of the following: ‘Mike IV’, 42-75120 QP-F, 334th Fighter Sqn., 4th Fighter Group, ‘Debden Eagles’, 8th Air Force, Winter 1943/44 flown by Maj. Winslow (Waclaw) M. ‘Mike’ Sobanski ‘Hawkeye’, 42-75125, LM-E, 62nd Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, ‘Zemke’s Wolfpack’, 8th Air Force, Spring 1994, flown by Lt. Thaddeus S Buszko ‘Rozzie Geth/Boche Buster’, 42-75207, LM-C, 62nd Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, ‘Zemke’s Wolfpack’, 8th Air Force, Spring 1994, flown by Lt. Fred Christensen Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencil sheet is shown applied to a separate page of greyscale drawings to avoid complicating the main profiles. Conclusion Yet another stunning release from MiniArt of the razorback Jug during an important part of their exploits in Europe during WWII. Detail is exceptional, and should be sufficient for all but the most detail addicted modeller. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

P-47D-11RE Thunderbolt Advanced Kit (48034) Zemke’s Wolfpack 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The Thunderbolt developed from a series of less-than-successful earlier designs that coincided with Seversky aviation changing its name to Republic, and the project designation changing from P-35, to P-43 and P-44, each with its own jingoistic name. After a realisation that their work so far wasn't going to cut it in the skies over war-torn Europe, they went back to the drawing board and produced the P-47A that was larger, heavier and powered by the new Pratt & Whitney R-2800 18-cylinder radial that would also power the B-26 Marauder, P-61 Black Widow and F4U Corsair. For firepower they added eight .50cal Browning machine guns aligned along the axis of flight in the wing leading edge, four per wing. The P-47A was still a small aircraft, and was initially ordered without military equipment to allow faster completion, but it was considered inferior to the competition then available, so an extensive re-design was ordered that resulted in the much larger P-47B, firing up to 100 rounds per second from the eight .50cal wing guns, and with a maximum speed of over 400mph, leaving just the fuel load slightly short of requirements. It first flew mid-1941, and despite being a heavy-weight, its performance was excellent, and the unfortunate crash of the prototype didn’t affect the order for over 700 airframes, which were fitted with a more powerful version of the R-2800 and a sliding canopy that made access more streamlined, particularly when bailing out of a doomed aircraft. Minor re-designs to early production airframes resulted in a change to the P-47C, which meant that fewer than 200 Bs were made, the C benefitting from improved radio, oxygen systems, and a metal rudder to prevent flutter that had been affecting control at certain points in the performance envelope. A quick way to spot a B is the forward raked aerial mast behind the cockpit, as this was changed to vertical on the C and beyond. Production from a new factory that had been brought on-stream to keep up with demand led to the use of the D suffix, although they were initially identical to the C, but the cowling flaps were amended later, making it easier to differentiate. Of course, the later bubble-canopy P-47s were far easier to tell apart from earlier marks, and constant improvement in reliability, performance and fuel load was added along the way. Taking a cue from the British designers, the bubble-top was developed to improve all-round visibility markedly, although like the cut-down Spitfires, later models incorporated a fin extension to counter the yaw issues that resulted. Its weight, firepower and seemingly unstoppable character led to the nickname ‘Juggernaut’, which was inevitably shortened to ‘Jug’ and led to many, many off-colour jokes during and since the war. Jokes that are still soldiering on to this day, despite being eligible for a pensioner’s bus pass. The Jug was used extensively in the European theatre as an escort fighter, where it performed well in its ideal high-altitude environment. Later in the war when the Luftwaffe was a spent force, it also went on to become a highly successful ground attack fighter, strafing and bombing targets of opportunity, and largely eschewing camouflaged paintwork to add extra speed with a smooth, polished and weight-saving bare metal finish. As well as flying with US forces, many P-47s were operated by the other Allies, including the British, Russians, and after the war many other countries as excess airframes were sold off as war surplus. The Kit This is another reboxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt with new fuselage parts, and is labelled an Advanced Kit because it includes an additional sprue of plastic detail parts, and a larger fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass to increase the level of detail of the kit, including the gun bays, fins for the bombs, and the ability to open the engine cowlings to display the excellent detail that is mostly hidden away on the Basic Kit. The kit arrives in one of MiniArt’s sturdy top-opening boxes with a painting of the subject in formation with a bare-metal example on the front, and profiles of the decal options on one side, reserving the other side for practical details and text. Inside the box are twenty-one sprues in grey styrene, although in our samples many variations of connected and disconnected sprues have been seen, some of which simplified photography. There is also a clear sprue, a sheet of PE in with two sheets of decals, and the instruction booklet, which is printed on glossy paper in colour, with profiles for the decal options on the front and rear pages, plus detailed painting and decaling information for the weapons and tanks on another page. Detail is beyond excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt in recent years, with fine engraved panel lines, recessed rivets, plus raised and recessed features where appropriate, as well as fine detail in the cockpit, wheel bays, plus gun bays in the wings and the engine of course. If you’ve seen their AFV kits you’ll know what to expect, but this is special in this reviewer’s humble opinion. Construction begins with the highly detailed cockpit, starting with a choice of seat style. One option has the seat put together from base, back and two side parts, which have elements of the seatbelts moulded-in, and are finished off by putting the remainder of the lap belts on the seat pan. The other option uses new parts to build the seat without belts, adding the parts from the PE sheet separately. A pair of supports are inserted into recesses in the back of the seat, then it is installed on the ribbed floor, which has control column, seat-adjuster, and two other levers inserted, after which the rear bulkhead, one of the cockpit sidewalls and the front bulkhead are fitted, trapping the rudder bar with moulded-in pedals between them. The starboard sidewall has an oxygen hose added, and a scrap diagram shows the detail painting as well as the location of the decals that need to be applied. A cushion is fixed to the head armour, then the other sidewall is detailed with four controls and a PE wiring loom, numerous decals and more detail painting, so that it can be inserted along with the instrument panel and auxiliary panel, both of which have decals for the dials, with a choice of styles for the main panel. The tail wheel is made up in preparation for closing the fuselage, building a four-part strut that holds the wheel on a one-sided yoke, then adding a small curved bulkhead with sprung bumper at the front, or a more simplified three-part assembly that depicts a canvas cover over the mechanism. The fuselage halves are further prepared by adding two extra detail parts to the short sill panels that have ribbing moulded-in, and should be painted to match the cockpit. At the rear on the underside, the supercharger fairing is slotted into the starboard fuselage along with the tail gear bay, and at the front, a cooling vent and an insert are added to the underside, fitting another vent to the port fuselage half in the same place. The fuselage can then be closed around the cockpit, adding the aerial mast into a slot in the starboard spine, although whether that will remain intact until the end of the building and painting is a moot point, and I’d be tempted to nip it off at the base, gluing the base in to act as a socket for the aerial to be pinned after the heavy work is over. The engine is created by joining the two highly-detailed banks of pistons together by a keyed peg, adding exhaust collectors at the rear, the push-rod assembly to the front, the ends of which mate with the cylinder heads, and adding a circular support that is the frame onto which the cowling panels are added later. The reduction-housing bell is detailed with magnetos and other parts, plus an oversized collet at the centre where the prop-shaft would be. This is joined to the front of the engine as it is mounted to a bulkhead at the rear, again on a keyed ring. The convex firewall at the front of the fuselage is detailed with a ring of fasteners on a PE strip that curves around the edge, and the cylindrical intakes with PE mesh grilles. There is a fuselage insert in front of the cockpit, and that has the two-part gunsight with clear lens, PE backup sight and link-plate added to its mating point, adding more equipment and coaming before it is inserted under the forward decking and joined by your choice of complex or simple firewall that closes the front of the fuselage, the former applicable if you intend to display the contents of the engine bay later. The intake trunking at the bottom of the nose cowling is made from five parts and installed in the lower panel, and you have a choice of open or closed top cowling panels by using additional parts. To leave the cowling open, the engine is fitted to the detailed firewall along with the lower cowling and the three sections of cooling gills. the closed option is surrounded by all four cowling segments, and at the rear you have a choice of installing open or closed cooling gills, using different parts to achieve the look you want, sliding the assembly over the completed engine, to which you can add the wiring loom if you are feeling adventurous, using the helpful 3D isometric diagrams near the back of the booklet, which also includes diagrams for extra wiring in the gear bays. The rudder is completed by adding an insert at its widest point (the bottom) to avoid sink marks, and it is mated to the fin on three hinges, allowing deflection if you wish. Under the tail, your choice of bare or canvas-covered wheel assembly is inserted in the bay, with doors on each side, or if you are building your model in flight, a closed pair of doors is supplied as a single part, adding a small outlet further forward under the fuselage. Note that the closed bay doors can be used effectively as masks for a gear down aircraft by tack-gluing them in place with a relatively weak adhesive that facilitates later removal. The upper wing halves have well-defined ribbing detail for the gear bays moulded-in, which is augmented by fitting two rib sections, front and rear walls, and an additional structure that has a retraction jack pushed through a hole in one of the wall segments. The gun bays and their extensive ammunition stores are supplied in this boxing, using different upper wing panels with the bays opened. The gun bays themselves are built from a mixture of styrene and PE surfaces, making up a four-compartment box into which the gun breeches are inserted, linking them to the outer wall with ammo feed chutes, and placing the ammunition boxes with open tops into the upper wing from within. The closed bay option is shown with just the barrel stubs projecting from the leading edge, while both options install the wingtip lights and a pitot probe in the port wing. Flaps are made from two surfaces, plus a trio of hinges, and these are glued into the trailing edge of the wing with the ailerons and their two hinges, then the lower wing can be glued to the upper, along with two inserts at the tip, the rear of the flap bays, and to the rear of the gear bay, which includes a flush landing light, cutting a small part of the wing root away for flaps down, replacing them with PE parts instead. Three PE edging strips are laid over the open gun bays, adding a PE indicator and prop to hold the styrene panels at the correct angle, the gun bay hinging forward, the ammo bay hinging aft. The same process is then carried out in mirror-image for the other wing, omitting the pitot probe and landing light, after which the wheels and their struts are made up, each wheel made from two halves plus a choice of two hub types, and two styles of tyres are also provided, one without a flat-spot, the other under load on the ground, leaving it to your taste. The struts are detailed with separate compressed or relaxed oleo scissor-links plus stencil decals, and they are mated with their wheels, plus the captive gear bay doors, the lower portion of the door made from two layers, again to avoid sink-marks. The wings are glued to the fuselage with an offset joint making for a stronger bond, and the elevator panels are each slotted into the tail, and have separate flying surfaces that can be posed deflected, each one a single part. If you are building your model with the gear down, the inner gear bay doors are fitted to the fuselage, which contains the inner edge of the main gear bays, so remember to paint that while you are painting the bays. If you plan on making an in-flight model, there are two single parts that depict the closed main bays, or you can insert the two struts with their wheels for the grounded aircraft. The four centreline supports are fitted between the main bays for some decal options, then the model can be flipped over to stand on its own wheels so that the canopy can be installed, gluing the windscreen at the front, and deciding whether to pose the canopy open or closed, adding one of two styles of rear view mirror on the windscreen, and a pull bar in the front of the canopy slider. The prop is also fitted, and this is made up from two pairs of blades glued perpendicular to each other, and the spinner is glued into the central hole. The Jug could carry quite a load, whether it was extra fuel or bombs, and all these are included in the box, although only the larger tanks and bombs are shown in the instructions. You have a choice of three styles of tank, a 108gal compressed paper tank with a ribbed nose and tail, a 200gal wide and flat tank, the last one slightly smaller at 75gal, installing on the centreline support. The bombs are also centreline mounted, and can be built in 1,000lb, 500lb or 250lb variants, each one made from two halves for the body and two parts for the square tails or thinner PE fins if you prefer. There is also a smoke generator that looks like a drop-tank with a spout on the rear, which would be used to lay smoke for the Allied troops below to cover their actions, at least temporarily. Markings There are three decal options on the included sheet, all wearing the green schemes common for airframes earlier in WWII when the Luftwaffe were still a valid fighting force to be camouflaged against. From the box you can build one of the following: 42-75224 HV-O, ‘Pengie III’, 61st Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, May 1944 42-75510 HV-A 61st Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, May 1944 42-75599 LM-G ‘Maximum Goose/Barbara Ann II’, 62nd Fighter Sqn., 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force, May 1944, Pilot: Lt. William P Gordon Jr. Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. The stencil sheet is shown applied to a separate page of greyscale drawings to avoid complicating the main profiles. Conclusion Another stunning release from MiniArt of the razorback Jug during an important part of their exploits in Europe during WWII. Detail is exceptional, and should be sufficient for all but the most detail addicted modeller. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

For my first ever GB I went big, Aussie M3 Lee with full interior. Last time I've attempted to do full interior kit was 20+ years ago with Tiger I from Academy, sadly got distracted and the only thing I was able to finish was the turret. This time I plan to go all the way. I don't have any connections with lands down under except having a couple of good mates from my bmx years, both Kiwi born and bread, one near Wanaka and one in Wellington. Anyway, I digress. The part count is bigger than I expected and it looks like there will be quite a lot of work involved. Sprues look really good with quite sharp details and a few PE parts. My plan is to have all doors open, so that it will show as much interior as possible.

Dear Fellow Modellers After many many months I finished the Miniart Stug III G March 1943 production with winterketten. Completing these kits leave you with mixed emotions. Relief at finishing the project and a sudden desire to build something incredibly simple, as well as admiration for what Miniart has achieved and how much you now have a feel for the original designers and the crew members. To complement the winter markings I added the Miniart winter figures. There are many great modellers out there who's work almost make them artists. So at first I felt a bit daunted doing a winter scheme as these are often used to showcase modellers finishing and painting skills. But it turns out it couldn't be simpler! Just mist on white over the undercoat of dark yellow from the bottom upwards. Then finish with Mig oilbrushers and pin wash and you're done. And earlier days in the build One of my inspirations was the Australian 'Workshop Wednesday' where experts at their armour museum painstakingly repair a wrecked Stug III and film it on Youtube. The degree of engineering refinement of the Stug III (and therefore its parent Pz.kpfw. III) is astonishing and completely at odds with the need to mass produce a tool that was sufficiently good enough. As if German Industrialists secretly sabotaged Hitler's war of world domination by producing vehicles that were insanely complex and difficult to mass produce. Completely different from the T-34 and Sherman of other nations. Hope you like it Andrew

Hello. Another birthday present build. I'd had my eye on a Tamiya T62. I built one years ago and brush painted it in a Afghanistan green and yellow camoflage pattern but then saw this T54 with a two tone camo pattern and thought why not? This is going to be a strictly OOTB build. That lasted the lenght of time it took to get the kit home! The kit is a simple low parts offering from Miniart. Just a few sprues. So the deviation from OOTB is a set of decals from STAR Decals. What caught my eye was this scheme from Angola. The only issue that I can see is that the hull in the illustration is a late version? If any one can help with identifying this I'd appreciate the advice. Are these features typical of late hulls and are they the only difference? I've noticed that the Miniart Tiran 4 kit has these features. If a change of plan and paint scheme is necessary, so be it. Anyway on with the build. Boy there are a lot of pieces. All of the openings for the swing arm attachement points needed attention to prevent the lower hull from curling up. The holes for the torsion bars all needed drilling out with a 1.2mm bit to fit. They also went together by feeding them in the opposite direction to the instructions I found. I followed the instructions diligently because of the parts count until it came to assembling the hull. Squaring it up with lots of easily damageable parts attached seemed crazy. The fit is OK but I found the fire wall pinched the top plate so it needed prizing apart. After assembling the engine deck louvres I found they wouldn't sit right due to a tiny handle(partR41), which was removed to solve the problem. There is some nice detail here and it's a shame it will all be hidden by photo etch. Once the hull was set the detail has started to be added. I'm really impressed with the level of detail that comes with this kit but consequently there are some seriously tiny parts. Thanks for looking

Sd.Kfz.234/2 with ‘Luchs’ Turret (35416) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd Armoured cars and their derivatives were a dominant part of German military thinking after WWI, as they were prevented from having tanks or other types of heavy weaponry by the Versailles Treaty, at least until they unilaterally set its terms aside once Mr Hitler was firmly ensconced as the country’s mad dictator. Although it closely resembles the earlier Sd.Kfz.231, the 234 was based upon a more modern ARK chassis, while the 231 was built on the GS chassis. The 232 Schwerer Panzerspähwagen was available in 6- or 8-wheeled formats, with the number of wheels appended to the designation, and it was the 8-Rad that the basis for the 234, following on later in 1940 and learning from issues encountered with earlier designs. The new turret was designed by Daimler Benz, while the engine was a Tatra air-cooled diesel unit, powering all eight wheels that were also all steerable. To add to the ease with which the vehicle could be driven, there was an additional driver’s station at the rear of the crew cab, complete with a steering wheel that gave it the capability of reversing out of trouble with similar sped and dexterity as driving forward – a facility that came in very useful in the event of an ambush or stumbling into an enemy position. The 234/2 was the initial variant and the most prevalent, as well as being the best known, probably because of the (comparatively) large 50mm gun in the turret. Oddly, it was replaced less than a year later with an open-turreted /1 variant that mounted a smaller 20mm cannon, and concurrently another variant with a short-barrelled 75mm K51 gun under the /3 designation. This variant was also short-lived, increasing the fire-power substantially with an installation of the powerful Pak 40, although the extra weight caused extreme stress to the 234’s chassis and running gear. All the variants after the /2 were open-topped, leaving the crew exposed to the elements, incoming plunging fire and explosive charges or grenades lobbed in by the enemy. To keep the enemy out of range however, a single MG42 was coaxially mounted with the main gun - a very capable machine gun against troops and lightly armoured targets. The armour built into the vehicle could deflect light-arms and smaller cannon rounds, with 30mm of sloped armour on the turret, and up to 100mm thickness on the mantlet, but at the rear the protection was only 10mm, as was the roof of the /2. Over 100 /2 vehicles were made before it was superseded, and despite being the most well-known, there were around 200 of the later /1 produced, with roughly 90 of each of the other two made before the war ended. The Kit This is a new boxing of a very recent tooling from MiniArt, a new Interior Kit boxing that represents the variant of the 234 that utilised the lower-profile turret from the earlier Panzer II Luchs, which the original larger turret was intended to replace on the new VK16.02 Leopard platform that was cancelled before it reached prototype. We’ve had other kits of the type in this scale previously, but not for some considerable time, and it’s fair to say that armour modellers with an interest in this genre are very pleased. The kit arrives in a standard-sized top-opening box with a painting of a Luchs-turreted 234/2 travelling across a smoky battlefield with other German armour in the background. Inside the box are twenty-three sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that is printed in colour on the outer pages on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on the rear cover. The detail is excellent, extending to the full interior for this boxing, following on from the initial exterior-only version we reviewed recently. The full gamut of hatches can be posed open or closed to expose the details, PE parts, and the surface is fully realised with weld seams and exterior structure well defined. Construction begins with the lower hull, starting with the narrow bottom section where the drive-shafts and suspensions are located, which is made from three faces, two internal bulkheads, and two steering actuators, one at each end. The hull floor has tread-plate moulded-in and a cut-out ready for the interior, sandwiching it between the two outward sloping sides, drilling out holes in the parts before assembling them, adding a rear bulkhead behind the engine compartment. The two assemblies are mated, fitting the first parts for the suspension to the sides, and a U-shaped stiffener in the centre of the lower portion. The interior starts with the two drivers’ positions, fitting the floor section after drilling out holes for the pedals, three for the rear driver and four for the main driver at the front, adding linkages down both sides of the engine compartment, and fairings on the left side of the hull, plus a battery compartment and fairing on the right that is built from five parts, fitting a shallow frame in front. The drivers have their steering columns and wheels attached in recesses, the main driver’s being a more comprehensive installation. A two-part seat is fixed to the rails moulded into the floor, with a linkage and gas mask canister to his left, and a five-part shell stowage box fitted to the wall behind his left shoulder. The battery rack is wired into a distribution box on the right wall, using wire from your own stock, then inserting the two levers to the driver’s right, noting that the scrap diagram shows that the wires to the battery are braided and thick to cope with the level of current. The rear driver’s station has the same pair of levers fitted, mounting a seven-part two-box radio rack, another small equipment box to his right, and an ammo stowage box behind the front driver’s right shoulder. The rear driver also gets a two-part seat, and an additional lever that’s probably related to taking control from the main driver. A skeletal bulkhead is inserted into a groove on the inside of the hull, fixing a seven-part bulkhead for the engine compartment behind it, which has a circular seat projecting out into the fighting compartment under the turret ring. A folded MP40 on a bracket is fitted above the right-hand side door within easy reach of the rear driver. The engine is a substantial block, weighing in at 14,825cc, and is a V12 diesel manufactured by Czech manufacturer Tatra, and it is supplied in its entirety in this boxing. The piston banks are each made from four parts, held together by the end-caps, adding extra parts around the underside, and at both ends, utilising a lot of parts that includes the ancillaries, twin cooling fans, fan belt, dynamo, and if you feel brave enough, you can wire up the engine using the extra steps that are labelled for “advanced modellers” that run side-by-side with the main steps. The completed engine is an impressive size, and covered with detail, especially if you continue with the wiring that helps to integrate it with the chassis. A pair of four-part tanks are inserted to the sides of the engine, with two extra parts for the doors either in the open or closed position, as you see fit. The upper hull interior has several appliqué panels, gas mask canister, the driver’s instrument panel, another radio box and other inner structural parts, plus the vision ports applied, adding hinge-points for the driver’s hatch and building three vision ports for later installation, and a stowage box. The upper hull has the engine deck filled with cooling vents that can be posed open or closed by using different parts, with two solid doors at the sides that can also be posed open, locating it in the cut-out in the back of the deck, then adding the rear bulkhead with hatch that has four “milk bottles” on the inner face if posing it open, mating the upper and lower hull assemblies, fitting the vision ports and a hatch with separate hinges and handles in the square cut-out in the glacis plate, again in either open or closed position, as you might have guessed. Suspension and steering parts are assembled on the underside of the hull, making up four axles and leaf-springs on each side, replacing left with right-handed hubs on the relevant side. Six triple-handled Jerry cans with PE central weld-flares and filler cap are made and wrapped in PE straps that secure them to the vehicle later, making up both sides of the sponsons and installing the rear carcasses of the flush stowage boxes, adding the external parts such as the jack, two mufflers and another stowage box, finishing the sponsons and their ends with additional parts. The doors can be fitted open or closed by using different parts, with a selection of stowage boxes made up and used. The spare wheel is the first to be made, making it from either three tread laminations and two exterior faces to create a detailed tread pattern, or using a simpler two-part wheel structure if you prefer, fitting it to the bracket on the rear of the vehicle, in between the mufflers on either side of the sloped rear of the sponsons. More stowage boxes and Jerry cans are mounted on the engine deck and front fenders, plus pioneer tools and a fire extinguisher on the left sponson. More detail parts are dotted around the hull, including width-marker lollipops, headlight, an antenna with PE star-shaped tip, then crushing it all while you fit the tyres (I hope I’m joking here), which are made from two halves and a tapering hub that will be seen once the wheels are installed on the four axles. The turret floor, such as it is, is first to be detailed, adding a radio installation with twin seats to the sides, plus an L-shaped assembly with adjustment gear, fitted in the rear and front of the ring respectively, and joined to the rear with a set of headphones with a PE band joining the “cans” together. Adding some fine wire to link the phones to the radio will add a little extra realism here too. The 20mm recuperator is fixed on a support under the breech, which has a magazine slotted into the left side, sliding the assembly into the narrow mantlet, adding end caps and sighting gear, plus a coaxial machine gun, before mounting it in a frame, which allows the outer mantlet to be fixed to the exterior on a pair of conical supports at the ends. The rear of the turret has a large hatch in the centre, and is detailed inside along with the triangular sides, one of which has a viewport that can be built in the open or closed position by using alternate parts, putting the mantlet, sides and rear together on the turret base that allows the roof to be installed after some detail parts are added inside. The rear hatch can be posed open or closed, adding a handle and PE for both choices, with a handle above the hatch, a cover over the vision port, and a rotating periscope on the roof. The top hatch also has a rotating insert with periscope in the centre, which fits inside the outer rim with hinges added at the rear. Unsurprisingly, this too can be posed open or closed, fixing it open with a short stay next to the hinges. You have a choice of making the gun barrel from a single part, or by cutting off the conical flash hider and rolling the PE replacement to shape, you can have an in-scale tip for extra realism. The coax MG34 muzzle is fitted into a hole to the left of the main gun, adding an aerial to the back of the roof to finish it off. To finish the build, the turret is dropped into the ring, which doesn’t have a bayonet lock, so you’ll need to be careful when inverting the model in the future. Markings There are two decal options in this boxing, both with a base-coat of dark yellow, one with a hypothetical winter distemper camouflage. From the box you can build one of the following: Presumably Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 17, 17. Panzer-Division, Czechoslovakia, Spring 1945 Hypothetical winter Camouflage Panzer-Aufklärungs-Abteilung 17, 17. Panzer-Division Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion The Luchs turret adds a little rarity value to the /2, and while it doesn’t have the 50mm barrel of the standard variant, the lower profile gives it a sleeker look, if that’s at all possible. Detail is excellent, and this interior kit will keep you at your workbench for many a happy hour. Highly recommended. At time of writing, this kit is on a substantial discount with Creative Review sample courtesy of

M3 Stuart Early Prod (35412) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The M3 Stuart was designed before the US went to war, based upon the experiences of the British, which led to the US top brass deciding that their M2 light tank was obsolete. While the radial engined M3 was an improvement over the M2, it suffered from an underpowered M6 main gun at only 37mm, which although it was improved later in the war, the crews had to suffer with it for some considerable time. The British troops in Africa used it first against the superior tanks of the Afrika Korps, but they fared badly in combat, suffering from the lack of range of the Stuart in the wide-open spaces of the African desert. It was fast and manoeuvrable however, and a British driver’s comment that she was a "honey" to drive led to one of its nicknames during the war. The M3A1 was an improved version that deleted the heavy sponson mounted machine guns of the initial production, and some of these used more conventional diesel engines instead of the bulky radials, which gave the crew more room for other equipment. It also had a new turret with a basket for the turret crew to stand in, and no cupola for the commander that gave the tank a lower profile, and added a gun stabilisation system that helped with vertical alignment of targets while the tank was on the move, ironing out the bumps for the gunners. In British service it was known as the Stuart III and with the diesel engine version was designated the IV. It was hopelessly outclassed by Axis armour in Europe for tank-on-tank engagements however, and was soon relegated to infantry support and recce roles, where it performed well. It was more successful in the Pacific theatre against the lightly armoured Japanese tanks in the jungle, where medium and heavy tanks could soon flounder in the mud and heavy foliage in jungle conditions. It continued to be used to the end of the war by the Allies in the Pacific area, although Russia, another user of the Stuart, disliked it intensely and refused to take the upgraded M5 design that followed the M3A3. Variants were used well into the 60s, and Brazil even built their own version with redesigned upper hull that carried a 90mm gun. Paraguay still had a few of its ancient original stock of 12 beyond the turn of the millennium, which is astonishing, considering the age of the design. The Kit This is a new boxing of a very recent tooling from our friends at MiniArt, who are producing an amazing output of new kits and partial re-tools in recent years, which is doubly-impressive given the abominable situation in Ukraine over the last few years. This kit arrives in a top-opening box with a painting of an early production Stuart on the front, surrounded by a herd of zebras, which gives its location as Africa, unless it was plundering through a zoo. Inside the box are twelve sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass in a card envelope, a decal sheet, and the instruction booklet, which is printed in colour on glossy paper, with profiles of the decal options on the rearmost pages. Detail is excellent as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, and as this is an exterior kit, the interior isn’t provided, but the exterior and running gear are well-defined, and the tracks are supplied as link-and-length, taking the benefits of individual links and making the job a lot less labour intensive without much loss of detail. Construction begins with the vehicle’s floor with a choice of two styles of floor hatch, then making curved transmission armour at the front of the tank, which is detailed with various towing eyes, additional bolt heads that are cut from the sprue runner, and a central frame that can be folded from PE or replaced by a single styrene part. Now the hull sides can be fitted, but not before they are detailed with various external parts, adding final drive housings to the front ends, using the bogie axle ends to locate the parts on the sides of the floor. The rear bulkhead is built with a hatch space in the upper half, gluing it to the rear of the vehicle. The rear hatch is in two sections, one of which has a PE clapping plate, both having handles, posing them closed to hide the lack of engine. Above the hatch is an overhang with a PE mesh horizontal insert and styrene rear, with a couple of towing eyes mounted on the lower edge of the bulkhead. The next assembly is a thirty-cal bow machine gun, which has a vertical magazine moulded into the underside of the breech, finished with a circular mount that is slotted through the glacis plate from the inside, plus a strengthening strap under the driver’s hatch. It is glued into position on the front of the tank, fitting the transmission inspection hatch with handle in the centre, and adding a pair of towing shackles to the front. The driver’s hatch is in two parts, and can be posed closed for battle, or with both parts folded open to allow the driver to see the full vista, which would of course expose the lack of interior. A two-layer T-shaped cross-member is located over the upper glacis, adding a bracket that supports the headlamp, and a pair of bearing spacers to the final drive housings. As already mentioned, the earliest Stuarts had sponson-mounted machine guns, which extend from the main hull out over the tracks, roughly along the middle third of the vehicle’s length. The two sponson floors are glued into position, and two .30cal machine guns are trapped between two-part mounts, one fitted to each sponson, sliding through the front armour. The sides of the sponsons can then be built around the guns, with a short wall to the rear, and a long panel along the side. Two hatches are fixed to the front of the upper hull after adding an extra layer behind, a clear vision port, and openers to the sides. If you intend to pose the hatches up, you have the option of leaving the inclement weather inner hatches in position, which have large panes of glass and windscreen wipers to save filling the tank with precipitation. The open outer hatches are propped up with a pair of short stays from their top hinges, but the usual caveat about the interior still applies. The hull roof is next, starting with the panel that has the turret ring moulded-in, adding additional nuts on the top ring from the sprue runners, and a pair of filler caps on the deck behind it, shaving away clasp details around them. The completed part is lowered into place on the hull, turning to the engine deck next, placing the panel after fitting handles, gluing it in position and fitting a pair of rear lights on brackets to the sides, adding a little connecting wire if you wish. The main deck panel has a PE shroud to the forward edge to deflect incoming rounds or debris, plus another PE bracket for one of the aerials is attached to the right, with another shelf-bracket mounted on the side wall slightly lower and further to the side than the other. The aerial bases are each made from two parts, adding 73mm of stretched sprue, wire, or carbon fibre rod to represent the aerials themselves. A pair of dome-topped cylindrical air-boxes are built from four parts each and are attached to the rear of the sponson on brackets on both sides. We finally get some wheels for the tank, starting with the two-part drive sprockets and a pair of over-size idler wheels, which are trapped between two halves of the swing-arm, adding a PE rim to both sides. The road wheels are mounted in two-wheel bogies, each one made from ten parts, building four in total, handed for each side. The road wheels flex-fit into position between the arms of the bogies, so that they can be mounted on the sides of the vehicle in shallow recesses along with the idlers and drive sprockets, with three return rollers on short axles above the main run. As discussed earlier, the tracks are link-and-length, using long single-part lengths under the wheels, individual links around sharp curves, and shorter lengths where the tracks are relatively straight. The various sections are attached to the sprues at the edges, and each short portion has a unique tab and slot format to ensure that parts can only be put together in the correct manner. There are a few ejector-pin marks on the inside of the longer track link sections, but these are raised and on flat surfaces, so shouldn’t be difficult to remove with a sanding stick or sharp blade, and won’t slow you don’t too much. When the track runs are suitably cured, fenders are added over the open areas, the rear straight sections fitted with a curved end to reduce kicked up mud, while the front section have inner side skirts to prevent mud ingress, which is improved further by gluing a PE web between it and the leading edge of the glacis plate, along with a PE stiffening strap further back. Before we start festooning the vehicle with pioneer tools, a pair of headlamps with clear lenses are placed, one on each fender protected by a PE cage, and both with a short length of wire leading back to hole in the glacis plate. The pioneer tools are fully styrene tools that have their clasps moulded-in, and are dotted all over the horizontal surfaces of the vehicle, including an axe, pickaxe shaft and head, and a shovel. More tools are located on the forward sponsons, adding PE tie-downs around the deck for securing stowage or camouflage. The twin towing rope requires the modeller to provide either a 157mm length of braided wire or thread, fitting a pair of styrene eyes to the ends, and clamping it in place with PE brackets along the left sponson and fender. Now for the turret, starting with the main 37 mm M6 gun, the gun tube formed by a single part with hollow muzzle that is surrounded by a two-part frame, and has the halves of the breech closed around the rear, adding extra detail on the right, and a breech protector to the left side, followed by a four-part pivot that are fixed around the gun without glue, then the coaxial machine gun is attached to the right side of the breech, and its ammo box is located on the left side, fed by a ‘bridge’ of link over the main gun in a guide to the breech of the smaller gun, dumping spent rounds in a box-like bag underneath. The barrel is pushed through the mantlet and inserted into the front of the turret, which has been made from a well-detailed ring, with the faceted turret sides arranged around it after being detailed with vision blocks themselves. The roof has a yoke inserted on its underside in stowed or combat positions, and is glued in place, sliding the mantlet armour over the main and coax guns from in front. The commander’s cupola is similarly faceted, and each side is prepared by fitting a vision block in the slot, creating an asymmetrical hexagonal shape, and deciding whether to pose the turret crew’s vision ports open or closed. The commander's hatch is a flat panel with a lock on the upper edge, and hinges on the lower, which can be fitted open or closed, with more vision ports on the turret sides posed open or closed around the rest of the perimeter. Another .30cal machine gun is trapped between a two-part mount with adjuster handle, and fixed to a short column that is secured to the rear left side of the turret on curved brackets moulded into the surface. An optional two-part ammo box with a length of link can be fixed to the side of the gun, or if you wish to leave it off, an alternative stub part is supplied in its place. With that, the turret can be dropped into position to complete the model. Markings There are six varied decal options included on the small sheet, and you’d still be almost correct if you guessed that they are all in some variation of WWII Allied green, with only their individual markings to tell them apart. The exception is the specially painted 1,000th tank produced, which was painted white to stand out for the ceremony. From the box you can build one of the following: 192nd Tank Battalion, Luzon, Philippines, December 1941 2nd Independent Tank Company, Free French Forces, Kano, Nigeria, 1942 American Car & Foundry Plant, 1,000th Tank 192nd Tank Brigade, Red Army, Volkhov Offensive, Oryol Region, Summer, 1942 US Marine Corps., Australia, Spring, 1943 Brazilian Army, 1944 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s great to have this much detail present in a newly tooled kit of the diminutive Stuart, or Honey as the Brits called it, and it deserves to become the de facto standard for the scale. If you don’t want to pick up the original Interior kits because they contain too many parts or will keep you occupied to long, then this one should fill the gap perfectly. Very highly recommended. At time of writing, this kit is on heavy discount from our friends at Creative Models Ltd. Review sample courtesy of

This is the reasonably new Miniart kit with crew figures in 1/35. If it's detail and parts you want, this is the kit for you. There's multiple decal options which require many different parts for different configurations of tank. There is also an extensive photo etch fret. I have deviated a little from the instructions; I changed the road wheels to the open kind and included the heavy machine gun on the cupola for this version as I liked the look. I also played around with the tools and stores on the tank. The kit includes 4 figures. I didn't use the bloke squatting down as I thought it looked like he was taking a dump. I did however cut off his hands and put them on the figure sitting in the turret as I liked them better than the closed fisted hands supplied. AK-47s come from the spares box. I decided to use a brush for this model as I figure it probably wasn't all nicely spray painted with and air gun, more likely being painted with a brush, or mop. I like the hard edge to the camo pattern this gives. Weathering was done with various washes and sandy pigments worked into the surface. These Miniart armour kits are very nice, but require a lot of work due to the high parts count and complexity of the build. I also found the plastic very soft and broke several smaller pieces trying to get them off the sprue. It's also worth noting these don't have anything like the Dragon Magic tracks, so every track link has 4 sprue attachment points to cut and clean, times by about 150 links. That said, patience will result in a nice looking model. I do have their T-55 and Panzer IV in the stash to build as well.

Spherical Fighting Vehicle TsAMO Project Interior Kit (40003) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd This is a hypothetical design from an alternative reality where ball-tanks were practical, and although there are some quite realistic looking pictures out there on the web, this is a decidedly fictional or "what-if" design for a small infantry tank that might have been quite handy for approaching bunkers or installations with significant light weapons presence. It does appear to have some critical weaknesses though, such as the little outrigger wheels that if shot out, would result in a seriously dizzy crew at best, so it's probably for the best that it remains in the realms of the fantastic. The ball hull is static, with a wide track running around the circumference, propelled by the motor inside. There would be some serious torque transfer to the hull on acceleration or deceleration, but as this doesn't seem to adversely affect those big-wheel motorcycles, it wouldn't be a huge impediment, especially as the major part of the hull won't be moving. There is a crew of five, with the top-most crew member in each side operating the weapons stations, and the front-facing crew driving and crewing the forward machine gun. The final crewman operates another machine-gun that faces to the rear. Oddly, the main guns face sideways in ball-mounts, which would make shooting straight ahead difficult without cooperation from the driver, which could be tricky in such a confined, noisy environment. In reality, it would probably have been an abject failure, but it's an interesting concept nonetheless. The Kit The first boxing of this kit was MiniArt’s initial foray into What-if or ‘alternate timeline’ subject-matter, arriving on the shelves in 2018. A lot of effort had been put into making it appear believable however, including a complete interior, which gives the model more gravitas and believability than an empty hull otherwise would, and opens up the possibility for dioramas or vignettes. The kit arrives in standard sized MiniArt top-opening box, with a painting of a pair of ball-tanks passing a knocked-out German Panzer, and inside are 23 sprues in mid grey styrene of various sizes, a single sprue of clear parts, and a decal sheet. The instruction booklet is bound in a glossy colour cover, with greyscale drawings inside, and the decal options printed on the inside covers front and back. Detail is good for a relatively small kit, and I have to say that this is just the kind of silliness that appeals to me, as it is at least semi-believable, whilst coming firmly from the left-field. Construction begins with the engine, which is quite a complex assembly, and has a large friction roller at the rear to apply power to the track. The crew seats are built up next with foot steps to keep their feet out of the way where appropriate, and then they are attached to the main frame, which consists of two large hoops with cross-members to hold them apart, and retain its shape. Track rollers are fitted to the inside of the frames, with the engine, seats, a fuel tank on a support rack, and ancillary equipment all suspended from this. Ammo racks for the main guns are built up at the same time as the gun breeches and the machine guns, which also have spare ammo cans made up, and all these sub-assemblies are installed into the hull halves, which have cut-outs for the ball-mounts, a radiator grille (backed with a standard-looking radiator), and conformal tank that could contain fuel or ballast. In the centre of each side is a large crew hatch that is operated by a wheel, with curved hinges and interlock mechanism included. With the breeches and machine guns fitted from the inside, and the hatches put in their required positions, the halves are glued to the frames, and the hollow tipped gun barrels are added, plus a headlight with clear lens for night operations (ha!). The track is supplied in four parts with a smooth tread and perpendicular joins to simplify clean-up. The four parts glue around the open section of the hull, and of course the two "trainer-wheels" that stop it from tipping over. The last diagram shows the option of leaving one or both hatches open to expose the interior. Markings As it's all fiction, it's probably more a case of choosing one of the six schemes that appeals to you, and it should be pretty easy to find one you like. You can of course mix and match decals and schemes, as no-one (sane) is going to be complaining that it isn't accurate. From the box you can build one of the following: Unidentified Unit Red Army, Spring 1942 13th Motorcycle Regiment, Red Army, Summer 1942 29th Guards Tank Corps, Red Army, Summer 1943 Unidentified Unit, Red Army, Summer 1944 Captured 5. Panzer-Division, Wehrmacht, Kursk, Summer 1943 Captured unidentified Unit, Italy, 1945 Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion An awesome trip into alternative history that's got a certain hokey appeal, partly because it looks like it could possibly have worked, although it only takes a moment to identify its critical weaknesses. The internal structure has been well thought-out, and the variation in decal options makes for a fun project that shouldn't take too long to complete. Very highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

I completed my tandem SdKfz 235/3 Stummel builds. The Miniart and Dragon kits are both excellent and were a lot of fun to build. The Miniart kit: The Dragon kit:

I’m not much of a figure painter but I do like to do a tank crew for most of my vehicles. I finished a British armoured bulldozer most recently and to go with the base I have painted one of miniarts royal engineers. These are relatively nice figures although the faces could use an uplift and details a little soft in places. I haven’t seen this set released with the resin heads yet like they do with a lot of their figure sets. Built out of the box other than the addition of the rifle sling. Few gaps that needed filling but went together well other than that. Close up photos highlight the roughness of my paint work but I think he looks decent from a normal viewing distance! Feedback welcome.

Construction Workers (38097) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd This new figure set from MiniArt Models depicts a pair of construction workers, or builders, hard at work laying bricks on a site, accompanied by their work-a-day equipment. It arrives in an end-opening figure-sized box with a painting of the contents on the front, and the same artwork split and covered with blue-boxed numbers for painting, and black alpha-numeric codes to match the sprue and part numbers, plus brief instructions to the side that detail creation of the multi-part accessories, and a paint chart that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. Inside the box are five sprues of grey styrene of various shapes and sizes, two containing the figures, the rest their accessories. The parts for each figure are found in separate sprue for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. The two figures are dressed in un-tucked shirts and trousers, with a beret or cap on their heads, one of them laying bricks with a large mortar trowel and an apron keeping mortar splashes off his clothes, while the other man is delivering a stack of bricks on a simple wheelbarrow-like trolley, although it has no sides. Both figures have flat tops to their heads to accommodate their headgear, and the bricklayer has a separate hand, with an over-thick trowel that will need thinning down to more closely represent the thin metal that they are made from. Replacing the blade with a scrap piece of Photo-Etch (PE) brass from another project would be a good option, patterning it on the styrene part. The palette of bricks that the bricklayer is working with consists of a separate wood-grain engraved palette, plus a five-part stack of bricks that are moulded as being roughly stacked, with the upper layer displaying the frogs that assist with adhesion between the courses of bricks once laid. The trolley is made from two frames that are linked by three cross-members and an axle with miniature cart-style wheel, adding two sections of wood-engraved planking to the top surfaces, and a sprue full of individual bricks of various designs, some of which are broken and chipped, with a mixture of flat frogs, or triple hole frogs that penetrate the entire thickness of the bricks, all implying that they are for disposal. Conclusion The two figures and their accessories are brilliantly sculpted with realistic poses that would give any early 20th century diorama a candid appearance. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

After many long nights, I have finally finished this MiniArt P-47D-30RA Advanced Kit 1/48 with additional 3D printed assets that were created by Plasmo. This P-47D along with two P-51B Mustangs were my contribution to an Operation Overlord Group Build. I somehow was able to build all three aircraft in just over a month. Within a few weeks, these three aircraft will be placed on a maintenance diorama to mirror my Luftwaffe one.

Tempo A400 Kastenwagen Delivery Box Truck (38053) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The A/E400 Lieferwagen was another of Hitler’s standard vehicles that is perhaps lesser known than the original Beetle. It was produced by company Tempowerk Vidal & Sohn from 1938, and was joined by an identical Standard E-1 that was manufactured in another factory. It was one of the few factories that were permitted to carry on making civilian vehicles, although this permit was eventually withdrawn as the state of the war deteriorated for Germany. The wagon was a little unstable in the corners due to its single front wheel, and it had a front-mounted engine that probably made matters worse, with a chain drive from the motor to the wheel. The two-stroke 400cc engine in the standard E1 output 12 hp that gave it sluggish performance to say the least, which was probably just as well due to the instability that came with that front wheel. The driver was situated behind the front wheel, with a pair of side doors for entry and exit, and a single-panel windscreen that overlooked the short, tapered bonnet/hood. The load area was to the rear of the vehicle, with a single door at the back to keep the contents safe and cool, and with several other rear bodyshell designs available. The covered van was common, although flatbeds and other designs were available. The Kit This is another new variant of the recent tool from MiniArt, using the enclosed van body style that we have seen in the beer and milk delivery trucks. This unusual little vehicle arrives in a small top-opening box, and inside are six sprues of varying sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) in a card envelope, a large decal sheet and the instruction booklet on glossy paper with colour profiles on the front and rear pages. It’s a full-body model that has a separate panelled body with the cab up front, so you’ll get to build all the internal parts and during the process possibly learn a little about how it works – I did when the first boxings came in. Detail is as good as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt, with a lot of it and it’s all very well-defined. Well considered use of slide-moulding also improves the detail without increasing the part count, and makes parts like the engine cowling a feast for the eyes. Construction begins with the small cab floor, which has a planked texture engraved on its surface, and is fitted out with foot pedals, a hand-brake lever and narrow cylindrical chassis tube, plus a battery attached to the floor on the left. The front bulkhead has a clear windscreen with rounded corners popped in with a small piece of PE at the bottom, a short steering column and a droopy shifter lever, with the windscreen wiper motor cover added to the top of the screen frame, drilling three holes in the frame. The windscreen/bulkhead assembly is attached to the front of the floor with a pot for the washers and the conversion stub of the steering column, with a pair of PE wiper blades added in a boxed diagram later along with the shackle for the bonnet. The padded bench seat for the crew is slotted into the floor, and the back is attached to the rear bulkhead that has two side parts and a small clear window for later joining to the floor, and you’ll need to find some 0.3mm wire 24.6mm long to represent the linkage to the floor-mounted brake lever and the back of the cockpit. The steering wheel and rear bulkhead are glued in, followed by the roof, then the two crew doors a made up, having clear side windows plus winders and handles that are quite delicate for realism, then they are installed on the cab under the roof, remembering that they hinge rearward in the manner sometimes referred to as suicide doors. The rear chassis is built around a cylindrical centreline tube with the back axle and its triangular bearers slipping over its end and hubs with brake drums added at each end. A sturdy V-shaped brace is added between the ends of the axle and the other end of the cylindrical chassis tube, with a large joint between them for strength. The rear wheels are made from a tyre-carcass and rear hub, with a choice of two inserts slipped inside to front recess to represent two different hub cap styles and front tyre wall, fitting them onto the axles on short pegs, with a brake-line made from some more of your own 0.3mm wire and suspended from the frame on PE brackets that are folded over the wire, closed up then glued to the frame with an etched-in rivet giving the impression that it is attached firmly to the chassis, which makes you an advanced modeller according to a nearby note. The load bed floor is a single part with more planking engraved into both surfaces, adding lights on a PE bracket, then setting it aside until the load box is made. The little engine is superbly detailed with a lot of parts representing the diminutive 400cc two-stroke motor and its ancillaries, including radiator, fuel tank, exhaust with silencer and chain-drive cover that leads to the front axle. The completed assembly comprises the motor, axle and the fork that attaches to the front of the cab and is wired in using three more lengths of 0.3mm wire from your own stocks, which the instructions advise you again makes you an experienced modeller. The box is built up on the load bed floor, fitting the sides, then adding the ends and the curved roof, attaching the mudguards to the raised guides on the sides, and a choice of number plate designs that fit on the back door, which has a handle opposite the hinges, as does the smaller side door on the right. After load bed is mated with the cab, the rear axle and chassis tube are fitted under the bed, then the slide-moulded cowling for the engine is fitted-out with a fine PE radiator mesh, an internal deflector panel, PE numberplate for some decal options, a pair of PE clasps on the lower rear edge of the bonnet, and a tiny hook on the top in between two rows of louvres. The cowling can be fixed in the closed position or depicted open to show off the engine, when the little hook latches onto the clip on the roof’s drip-rail, holding it up past vertical against the windscreen, as per the scrap diagram nearby. A sign is included for the cab roof of one decal option, and all have a pair of headlamps with clear lenses fitted on the sides of the cowling and a pair of wing mirrors on an angled arm are glued to holes in the front of the bulkhead above the windscreen frame, with a PE bracket giving the appearance of that the etched rivets are what holds them in place. Markings There are a generous five decal options on the large sheet, all with colourful schemes and branding of their operators, which includes a season-appropriate red Coca-Cola van with a snowman on the sides. If you’re not reading this at or just before Christmas, just ignore the last part of that sentence. From the box you can build one of the following: Henkel, Dusseldorf, late 1930s Coca-Cola, Berlin, late 1930s-early 40s Goldina, Bremen, early 1940s Chlorodont, Dresden, early 1940s Maggi, Stuttgart, early 1940s Decals are by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin gloss carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion It’s weird, so of course like it, but MiniArt have also done a great job with making an easy to build, well-detailed kit of this quirky little German grandfather to the Reliant Robin. There are plenty of variants to choose from already, but we can guarantee there will be more of these coming in due course. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Allied Drivers (53052) 1:35 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd This new figure set from MiniArt arrives in a figure-sized box with a painting of the four figures on the front, and the same artwork cut-down and separated to act as the paint and assembly instruction plus a sprue diagram sheet inside, with a panel of colour profiles of the accessories underneath, and a paint chart beneath that, giving codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. There are five sprues of grey styrene in total, two containing parts for the figures, the other three full of accessories for you to detail them or the surroundings in which you place them. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. There are two Soviet drivers, one operating the levers of a tank or other tracked vehicle, the other driving a truck with a wheel, resting one elbow on the door sill whilst conversing or looking to his left. A US Army driver is included in the process of dismounting his vehicle, one leg and arm still in the cab, his other hand on the sill of the door. The final figure is a British RASC (Royal Army Service Corps) driver, sat in his cab, driving with both hands on the wheel and an intent stare forward. All figures are wearing typical battle-dress clothing and equipment of their respective army, as can be seen from the box art, and the accessory sprues are also themed, so take care in choosing which parts to use with each figure. Conclusion A useful set of drivers to give your next project that trusty human scale, and give some rationale for a vehicle being there in your diorama. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

Junkers F13 Mid Production (48005) German, Polish & Swiss Service 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd The design process that led to the Junkers F13 was begun while WWI was still raging, and it was an unconventional and advanced design for the time, when most aircraft were still wood and canvas biplanes that were strengthened by copious rigging wires that created excess drag, making them slow and delicate. The J13 as it was initially called first flew in 1919, and reached maturity during a time that Germany was prevented from having an Air Force, and the market was flooded with military surplus aircraft that could be quickly and cheaply converted into rudimentary airliners or transports. It had a few cards up its sleeve however, such as its all-metal monoplane construction that was far easier to protect from the deleterious effects of weather, especially in humid or damp climates. Through careful design and extensive testing, it had a clean aerodynamic profile that meant a lower power output engine could be utilised to achieve desired speeds, meaning that it could be fitted with different engines from many manufacturers, rather than being saddled with a single high-output and potentially temperamental power-plant. It was crewed by one pilot with a spare seat to his side twin control columns, and a further four passenger seats in the rear compartment, utilising the cockpit seat for an extra passenger should the need arise. Its stressed, corrugated duralumin skin and internal bracing made it both light and strong, with the fuselage attached to the top of the wing, which gave the crew and passengers an extra layer of protection in the event of a rough landing that compromised the gear legs. It also had an unusual trimming system that utilised fuel that was pumped between header tanks in the fore and aft of the fuselage to adjust for centre of gravity changes of the aircraft, and its fixed gear was simple to replace with skis or floats if the need arose. Germany was prevented from building any aircraft until 1921, which resulted in initial sales going overseas, even selling to England and America, Germany’s former enemies. It became so popular thanks to its many appealing qualities that within a few years it constituted around 40% of the world’s civilian air-traffic, and was a familiar sight in the skies of many countries around the world. Production continued until 1932, and included license-built examples that were manufactured in Russia and America, with airframes around the world continuing commercial service until the early 50s, whilst civilian operators were less inclined to give up flying them. The type’s development was mostly centred on the engine type that was mounted in the nose, having several options during its life-time, but there was also a stretched-fuselage variant that could carry more load, and the afore-mentioned float or ski options. More unusual variants were created by users, including a light bomber in China, a bizarre ground-attack aircraft in the US that mounted thirty downward-firing machine guns to pepper enemy troops below, and Soviet forces pressed some of their aircraft into military service with the Red Army. The aircraft remained popular despite its age, and in the new millennium, a Swiss-German company decided to create a series of replica airframes in the noughties, utilising as much of the original design as possible, but substituting a more modern Pratt & Whitney engine and precision instruments where the improvement would be worth the change. The design was based upon original blueprints and a laser-scan of an original airframe to confirm their accuracy, but at $2.5m per example, there won’t be too many gracing the skies any time soon. The Kit This is a new boxing of a recent tooling from MiniArt of this grandfather of the Ju.52 that utilised many of the same technologies and engineering techniques that were pioneered in this small aircraft. The kit arrives in a standard MiniArt top-opening box with a painting of the subject-matter on the top that is parked on a grass field on a sunny day, and has the decal option profiles on one of the sides. Inside the box are twelve sprues of various sizes in grey styrene, a clear sprue, a fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a large decal sheet, and the instruction booklet that has a cover printed in colour, with a full set of profiles on the front and rear pages, also in colour. Detail is up to MiniArt’s current standards, and examining the sprues reveals a huge quantity of detail that extends across the entire exterior, covering the model with finely rendered corrugations, and where appropriate, these corrugations also extend to the interior. The cockpit is well-rendered, and sits behind a replica of the BMW IIIa six-cylinder engine, with a radiator at the front, while the passenger compartment has a humped floor just like the real thing to accommodate the wing spars under the floor. This edition also sports extended span wings, and the changes to the airframe commensurate with this mid production airframe. Construction begins with the starboard rear fuselage, which has a window and two bulkheads fitted, setting it aside whilst building the cockpit on its contoured floor. The two control columns are detailed with a lamination of two PE layers that represent the control cables, fitting a bow-tie wheel at the top of each one, and setting them in place through rectangular holes in the floor, mounting rudder pedals in front, and making up two barrel seats from two styrene parts and PE lap-belts, setting those aside while the unusually-shaped instrument panel is further detailed with levers and controls, plus a few PE parts, adding another PE lever between the columns along with a styrene part. The panel is decaled extensively after painting, and is fitted to a bulkhead via a C-shaped stand-off bracket that locates on two recesses. This too is put aside, mounting the starboard fuselage half to the short cruciform fuselage floor after drilling out a few holes, and fitting two optional boxes in place in the wing roots if you plan on building your model with the wings mounted for flight. The forward section of the fuselage has three window panes added and is fixed to the rear, using raised guides in the floor to ensure the assembly is straight and true. The cockpit is fitted next, and will be useful to help align the fuselage sides, fixing the two seats in place, then adding the instrument panel on its bulkhead. Another bulkhead is made to separate the cockpit from the passengers, adding a window and two tied-back curtains, plus a pair of wedge-shaped strengtheners into slots at the sides. Two more individual two-part seats with PE lap-belts are made and inserted in the floor as the front row, building a four-part bench seat/sofa that also has PE seatbelts added, gluing it to a stepped bulkhead, and fitting that into the rear of the passenger compartment, using the guides to ensure it is correctly aligned. A handle is inserted into a hole in the side door, fixing another to the opening door on the opposite side later. The six-cylinder in-line BMW engine is based upon a two-part block, into which the individual cylinders are dropped, adding a prop-axle and generator, then completing the tops of the cylinder heads, cooling tubing, wiring loom, air-intake and exhaust manifold to the sides, ending the manifold with a vertical horn if you plan on leaving the cowling open. Engine mounts are installed on both sides of the bay, lowering the completed engine into position between them, fitting the radiator after gluing the rear and a PE cross-brace to it, and a fixed aft cowling panel. The opposite side of the fuselage is made from two almost identical (but handed) parts, although a separate door is included, fitting the windows, a door handle and rail, and drilling two small holes in the rear section close to the wing root. The completed parts are then brought in and glued to the floor, creating a cowling for the engine bay from top and side parts, with a further option of a PE strap around it if you wish. The cowling open option isn’t discussed any further in the instructions, which is unusual. A folded PE part is available to replace a styrene grab-handle part if you prefer, mounting it on the forward section of the cowling, fitting the roof on the fuselage after adding a circular light to the inside and drilling a small hole nearby. Another styrene or PE grab-handle is fixed to the side cowling on both sides, and a pair of clear windscreens are installed in front of the cockpit, as this variant also didn’t have an enclosed cockpit, which is tough luck for the crew. At the rear, the elevator is made from upper and lower halves, the upper half having the entire flying surfaces moulded-in to achieve a slim trailing edge, mounting it on the open rear of the fuselage behind the roof panel. The new straight tapered tail fin is slotted into the top of the elevator, with the rudder moulded-in. There are two short C-beams provided for the inner wing upper panels, which are only utilised if the wings are to be built ready for flight, fitting into a recess under the short inner wing panels, then gluing them into place either side of the fuselage. At this stage the decision must be made whether to mount the wings, or leave them off for transport, using either three parts to create the joint for the mounted option, or an open rib with a socket glued behind it that will be seen in the wingless option, depending on your choice. Your preferred insert is glued into the ends of the inner panels, adding a pair of intakes under the belly, fitting a PE crew step under the port trailing-edge, the tail-skid under the rear, and a PE actuator tab in a recess on the rudder. More PE or styrene grab-handles are fitted to the rear fuselage for ground-handling, and around the square back windows to ease access to the door over the wing. The extended outer wing panels are stiffened by adding two ribs to the grooves moulded into the inner surfaces, and slotting a three-quarter span spar lengthways into the grooves in the ribs, cutting the inner ends off as indicated if you are leaving the wings off the airframe. The wing underside is glued to the uppers over the spar, and once the glue is cured, the ailerons can be fitted into the cut-outs in the trailing edges along with grab-handles in drilled-out holes under the wingtips. They are put to the side for a while so that the landing gear can be made, which is based upon a K-shaped axle, which has a pair of V-shaped supports glued near the ends, finishing the assembly with a pair of two-part wheels, or using two-part tyres with PE spokes spaced apart by a hollow bearing in the centre, and mounting the completed gear in the recesses under the belly between the wings. The supports are handed, so be careful when putting them together to ensure the correct parts are used. The wings are completed by fitting PE actuators at the inner ends of the ailerons, after which the completed assemblies can either be slipped into their slots in the inner wing panels and glued, or depicted stowed nearby in whatever fashion you choose. An aerial mast is slotted into the roof behind the cockpit, and a choice of two propellers with or without spinner is supplied for you to complete the build. Markings There are three decal options on the large sheet, all wearing the same basic scheme of silver over black, with a black engine cowling and landing gear, differentiated mainly by the large individual markings and black or red wing bands. From the box you can build one of the following: CH-91 Ad Astra Aero, Switzerland, Early 1920s P-PALD ‘Daniel’ PLL Aerolot, Poland, Early 1920s D-230 ‘Wieldehopf’ Deutsche Luft Hansa AG, 1920s Decals are screen printed by Cartograf, which is a guarantee of good registration, sharpness and colour density, with a thin matt carrier film cut close to the printed areas. Conclusion This popular aircraft went through design changes through its career like many other successful designs, extending the wingspan, changing the underside of the fuselage from flatter to tapered, and amending the shape of the tail fin, all of which are depicted here. Detail is excellent, and the kit should build into a creditable replica of this corrugated monoplane. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of

German Ground Staff North Africa (49020) 1:48 MiniArt via Creative Models Ltd This new figure set from MiniArt in 1:48 will mesh perfectly with your next North Africa diorama or vignette that incorporates Luftwaffe aviation in that scale. The set arrives in a figure-sized end-opening box with a painting of the figures and their equipment on the front, replicated separately on the rear to act as painting and building instructions, with a paint chart that gives codes for Vallejo, Mr Color, AK RealColor, Mission Models, AMMO, Tamiya, plus colour swatches and generic names for completeness. Inside the box are six sprues of grey styrene, a small fret of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, and a single sheet of instructions for some of the multi-part accessories that are included. The parts for each figure are found in separate areas of the sprues for ease of identification, and parts breakdown is sensibly placed along clothing seams or natural breaks to minimise clean-up of the figures once they are built up. The sculpting is typically excellent, as we’ve come to expect from MiniArt’s artists and tool-makers, with natural poses, drape of clothing and textures appropriate to the parts of the model. They look more impressive for being that much smaller than their usual 1:35 figures. There are four figures, all bar one dressed in hot-weather light-weight clothing to keep cool in the extreme heat of North Africa. One is shirtless with braces holding up his trousers, resting one foot on a chair while he paints something, another is wearing shorts and a Pith helmet bringing a wooden toolbox for some task, retaining his calf-length boots and looking like someone from 70s sitcom ‘It Ain't Half Hot Mum’. The third figure is working at a bench on an engineering task with sleeves rolled up, while the last is sitting consulting a clip-board, comparatively over-dressed in long-sleeved jacket over a shirt, long trousers and calf-length boots. The accessories are spread across four sprues, providing plenty of assemblies to add to your work, consisting of a wheeled compressor with receiver tank, a wooden tool box with a choice of tools, a trestle table, a portable bench vice, wooden step ladder, a pillar drill, hacksaw, two metal toolboxes, one open with PE covers and spread open drawers, the other closed, an anvil, a fixed bench vice, chair, stool, buckets, spades, spray gun and many other small tools. Markings Whilst there are no decals included with the kit, the afore mentioned painting guide on the rear of the box should be sufficient to enable accurate painting with some care and a good quality paint brush. If you use other makes of paint than those given in the chart, those codes should give you a suitable starting point for conversion to your preferred brand. Conclusion Figures lend a human scale to any model for obvious reasons, and with careful painting these ground crew with the tools of their trade should add a lot more than just that. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of