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Found 15 results

  1. Messerschmitt Me.163B Komet 1:32 Meng Models The Komet was a diminutive rocket-propelled point defence fighter that was designed to power up into the bomber stream and cut the incoming heavies to pieces with cannon fire. In reality its short duration, volatile fuel and high speed differential between it and the lumbering bombers made that a little optimistic, and although it was an incredibly advanced little aircraft, it wasnt the wonder-weapon that Hitler was so fond of, and did little to turn the tide of devastation that the bombers left behind. It began as a glider, evolved through prop propulsion and went on to use a rocket engine designed by the Walther company. It was given the number 163 to hide its true identity and after a short while its development was continued at the top-secret Peenemünde establishment where various speed records were secretly broken by the little aircraft. To conserve resources, a lot of the skin was made of wood, which also helped to save weight, and along with the absence of landing gear in favour of a retractable skid, resulted in a high power to weight ratio. Take-off was accomplished by using a jettisonable two-wheeled dolly, which caused some damage to test aircraft due its wicked rebound characteristics that caused it to hit the aircraft under some circumstances. The rocket motor had a short burn time before it ran out of fuel, which meant that the Komet couldnt linger in the bomber formation, and that landing was always without power. It was very manoeuvrable both under power and whilst gliding, but the Allied pilots soon came to understand that it would run out of fuel and would either pounce when the fuel ran out, as it landed, or just after, which necessitated the setting up of flak perimeters around their bases to discourage this technique. Removing the soft suspension cured the damage caused by bouncing dolly, but the pilot could still give his back a nasty jar on landing if the skid malfunctioned, which was done without power, so a go-around wasnt an option. The A was more-or-less a working prototype, and as it wasnt designed for mass production, was always going to have a short lifespan. It was replaced by the B model that incorporated changes from lessons learned with the A, and simplifications that made construction both cheaper and quicker. This is the model that were all familiar with, and the subject of this kit. With under ten minutes of powered flight, numerous problems, dangers of flying the Komet, and fuel shortages, it wasnt able to be mass-produced quickly enough to stem the influx of heavy bombers, and the 163S two-seater trainer had only progressed to prototype by wars end, while the C and D models remained paper projects. In May 1945, JG400, the sole operational users of the 163 disbanded and its pilots went to other units. A few surviving airframes were captured by the Allied at the end of the war, and famous test pilot Captain Eric Brown flew a B model under power with the aid of some captive German ground crew. He described it as like flying a runaway train, but was pleasantly surprised by its handling. The Kit This one popped up on Mengs list of future releases with no forewarning, and a few months later the review sample has arrived and it is available from the Far East, and soon to be with us in the UK with any luck. My review copy arrived in an attractive white sleeve that has a cut-out matching the aircraft on the front. Under the sleeve is a standard Meng satin-finished box that is a bit narrower and appears longer than their usual. The box art is to their usual high standard, and shows an unpowered aircraft swooping danger-close to the front of a B-17. Paintings of the decal options are reproduced on the sides of the box, with the captured British option showing the rear fuselage removed to expose the rocket motor. Inside the box are five sprues in dark grey styrene, one in black, a clear sprue, a bag of flexible wheels and polycaps, two frets of Photo-Etch (PE) brass, a decal sheet and a landscape oriented instruction booklet with integral painting guide. Meng have quickly garnered a reputation for quality products, and they are also no strangers to unusual subjects, which I find endearing, and its clear by their success that others do too. Simple things like an additional low-tack wrap to prevent scratches to the clear parts, individual bagging of sprues, and nicely done printing of box and instructions all make our task of building their kits more pleasant, while PE in the box and the likes of instrument dials all add value. The kit? Oh yes it looks great on first impression. Lots of detail, including a pretty much full interior to the fuselage, sensible use of slide-moulds to provide detail where it wouldn't normally be possible, which of course includes hollow barrels to the weapons. Surface detail is exemplary, with delicate panel lines and rivet detail where appropriate and smooth styrene where it should be, especially the wing surfaces, which were mostly wooden. Something tells me that the old Hasegawa kit is going to be dumped in the deep stash as a consequence. The Komet has a rather visible cockpit due to the large side opening canopy and side windows, and this is where the construction begins. The rather utilitarian seat is built up from two parts, with the back and sides of the backrest riveted for additional detail. A set of seatbelts are included on the larger PE fret, and the assembly fits onto the aft bulkhead with a headrest and two clear panels for rear vision to each side of the seat. The cockpit tub is moulded as a single part with the large T-stoff tanks showing their strengthening straps and some basic instrumentation on the starboard tank. The sidewalls curve in sharply to the sill, and these parts attach to the tops of the side "consoles" and have additional details such as the oxygen controls and trim wheels added before they are added. The instrument panel has a choice of either a single piece of styrene with raised instrument dials, or a styrene backing part with four PE panels, and a set of individual instrument decals for each dial. Which will give the best result will probably depend on your painting skills, but the PE wins by a head due to having a flat dial area rather than raised details. The cockpit is then finished off by bringing the tub, sidewalls, rear bulkhead (with seat) and instrument panel together, secured by slots and tabs to ensure a good alignment. The kit depicts a HWK109-509A rocket motor, which gave the pilot the ability to throttle the engine back to extend powered flight times, but the added complexity gave rise to reliability problems. No such concerns in a 1:32 reproduction though, and everything is represented in the strange looking "crate" where the hypergolic fuels were mixed in the turbopump and spontaneously ignite to produce a jet of superheated carbon dioxide, steam and nitrogen. The part count in the turbopump area is high, and detail is good as a result. The rear of the crate is a large mounting plate with a six-fingered web of strengtheners to hold the exhaust tube in place, and this is also similarly well detailed. The exhaust itself is split vertically with a circular part to give a hollow lip. A circular ring sits around the engine, attaching to the back of the rear support structure, also mounting the strut that leads back from the exhaust to prevent thrust induced oscillation of the exhaust. The C-stoff tank sits on a floor panel and a pair of bulkheads just in front of the rocket motor, which is glued to the rear bulkhead on four stand-off mounts. Showing its glider roots, the large skid on the Komet sits on the underside covering a large portion of the fuselage. It comes complete with a rendition of the jettisonable launch dolly with two large wheels mounted transverse to the skid. The hubs are in two halves with a polycap trapped between them, onto which the flexible tyre is shoehorned. A couple of stencil decals are applied to the hub, and the wheels can be pressed onto the two-part axle. The retraction/suspension assembly that holds the skid in place is built up as another section, with the three attachment points to the skid mounted in a three part bay with a cylinder in the perforated roof panel. All of the skid parts are in black styrene, probably for differentiation from the rest of the kit maybe? In order to depict the skid in the retracted position, simply omit the suspension bay and glue the skid directly to the fuselage. The fuselage halves are split between forward and aft for access to the rocket motor, and the forward half has large cut-outs at the wing root, which makes for a flexible part when nipped off the sprues. This won't last long however, as a pair of inserts fit to the inside and provide the inner wall to the cannon bays, plus a pair of wing attachment points to give a good joint that replicates the real thing, and will be seen if you leave open the cannon bay access panels. It encloses the cockpit/C-stoff tank/rocket motor assembly, which have the ammo boxes and feeders for the wing root cannons straddling the tanks. A couple of small sections of the fuselage are added to the open sections, and at this point it starts to look a little bit more like an aircraft. Adding the nose cone with its little comedy prop that actually powers the auxiliary electrical system gives you a choice of two types of spinner with a small axle that allows it to remain mobile if you are careful with the glue. In preparation for the addition of the cockpit, the thick bullet-proof panel on the coaming is built up from a frame and two clear surfaces along with gunsight and two stabilising struts. A scrap diagram shows how the parts should look from the side. The canopy is made from a clear part with a grey styrene frame and a small PE latch on the inside. It can be posed open or closed although I suspect that a retaining wire should limit the opening angle, but that's an easy fix if so. A pair of panels on the top of the fuselage cover the ammo boxes for the cannon and the rocket motor's turbopump assembly, with separate latches in PE so that they can be folded for either open or closed positions. The rear fuselage is separate from the front, as mentioned earlier, and it holds the retractable tail wheel, with four possible layouts. There are two basic types with and without fairings, but they can both be depicted down or retracted by using different leg parts. The wheel is the common aspect, and consists of a single piece hub with detail on both sides, around which a tiny flexible tyre is pulled on with some very nice circumferential tread detail, marred only by two mould lines running perpendicular on opposing faces. A bit of scrubbing with a sanding stick should see those off however. Your chosen tail wheel is trapped within the two halves of the rear fuselage, and because it is potentially open to viewing, it has some nice ribbing detail moulded in, and cleverly Meng have added a pair of insert panels in the top and bottom that hide the top and bottom seams, and hide their own by butting them up against the ribbing. The rudder is also trapped between the fuselage halves, having some nice fabric sag moulded in between the ribs, and if you're careful with the glue again, it can be left operable. A pair of linking parts sit between the forward and aft fuselages, occupying the trailing edge wing-root and allowing you to leave the fuselage loose to remove at will, using a friction fit to do so. If you choose to leave them apart in your display cabinet, a trestle is included to prop up the exhaust, and a box-trestle is include for the rear fuselage, making for an attractive display. The gun bays are built into the wings, and you have an option of installing two MK108 30mm cannons for the production aircraft, or the earlier MG151/20 20mm units that were present on the 30 B-0 variant airframes, one of which is the bright red mount of Wolfgang Spate. As mentioned earlier, the barrels for both choices are hollow, and the detail of the breeches and barrels is good enough for all but the most pedantic. The apertures in the leading edge of the root are inserts that are shaped for each type of armament, with decal option call-outs to assist you in choosing, which is also the case for the pitot probe. When the wing halves are closed around the appropriate choice of cannon, the leading edge slats are added, the cannon bay doors added (or not), and you can choose whether to pose the air brakes open or closed. Leaving them closed just requires you to glue the PE brakes flat in the recess on the lower wing, while the open option includes a pair of actuators that fix to the inner face of the brake panels in recessed spots. The finished brake is then inserted into the slot in the shallow bay, which should hopefully set the correct angle when deployed. The wings are a straight butt-fit with the fuselage, with a very large contact area between them that should result in a good joint. Meng are pretty consistent with good fit, but if you worry about the tidiness of the joint between the wing and fuselage, you would do well to check pictures of the real thing, the joints of which are appalling! Markings Meng routinely use Cartograf for their decals, so they are of peerless quality, and some popular choices have been included in the box, although I'm sure someone won't like them! From the sheet you can build one of the following: 2./JG400 Brandis, early 1945 RLM82/83 green over RLM76 Me.163B V-41 piloted by Major Wolfgang Spate, 13th May 1944 all over red with coding PK+QL RAF Me.163B VF241 piloted by Eric Brown, 7th July 1945 RLM81 wings and tail fin, RLM76 upper fuselage and rudder with RLM82 mottle over a trainer yellow underside Many folks have expressed a desire to model the famous red Komet, and because of his legendary status in British aviation, Winkle Brown's mount for that dangerous powered flight is an obvious and doubtless popular choice. The other choice seems mundane by comparison, but it is an in-service machine without the pomp and circumstance of the other options, and is a nice counter-point. I understand that there wasn't much in the way of hard-and-fast rules for painting these rocket powered aircraft, and there is a lot of scope for post-war captured machines that were tested by many countries, and there will probably be a flurry of activity before too long in that direction. Of course the decals are in good register with excellent colour density and sharpness, while the carrier film has a soft satin sheen. Some of the roundels and codes are broken down to accommodate the air brakes, and the swastika is present in paired halves to avoid breaching the rules around such an evocative symbol. Conclusion It's a testament to the golden age of modelling that we are undoubtedly in that such quality kits are coming through the door so regularly, and this is especially true of Meng's releases. It is an excellent kit, with detail everywhere, and should appeal to anyone that would like a large scale Komet on their shelves. Having built the old Hasegawa kit, this is light years ahead in terms of detail, and really does relegate it to the back of the stash. I'll be building this one in Mr Brown's scheme with all the doors and bays open to see, I think. Extremely highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  2. German A4/V2 Rocket 1:72 Revell (03309) The Vergeltungswaffe 2, commonly known as the V-2, was the first ballistic missile to be used in combat anywhere in the world. Although relatively simple by modern standards, it laid the foundations for the space programmes of the USA and the Soviet Union in the postwar period. The V-2 was a liquid-fuelled, single-stage rocket, steered by rudders placed on the tail fins and graphite vanes at the exhaust nozzle. Guidance was provided by two gyroscopes (one for horizontal and one for vertical) and an accelerometer providing inputs to an analogue computer. From September 1944, over 3,000 V-2 rockets were launched against targets such as London, causing an estimated 9,000 civilian and military casualties. The British Government initially sought to suppress public information about the V-2 rockets, blaming the damage caused on gas main explosions. The public were not fooled however, and the V-2s acquired the sardonic nickname of "flying gas pipes". The missiles proved almost impossible to intercept, and the most effective countermeasure proved to be the disinformation system operated by MI5, whereby double agents fed false reports about the impact points and damage caused by V-2 attacks. This model is a re-release of a kit released five years ago by Special Armour, the small scale AFV imprint of CMK. Inside the end-opening box are two sprues of grey and a small decal sheet. Even a cursory glance at the sprues indicates that this is as far from a limited run kit. The mouldings are pin sharp and there is a wealth of fine detail. The overall effect is reminiscent of a modern Eduard kit, which is quite a compliment. The kit is made up of almost fifty parts. This is pretty impressive for a rocket, but most of the parts are for the launch structure. The rocket itself is made up of two halves, split vertically, plus the four fins and the rocket exhaust. The latter part is nicely detailed but is made up of two halves and will require careful assembly in order to remove the join. The rest of the parts are used for the launch platform, which can be finished in either launch position or stowed position. The platform is made up of well over twenty parts and is superbly detailed. It features accurately represented components such as the stabilising feet and the controls. A wheeled trolley is also provided, but this isn't used if you want to build the rocket in the launch position. The painting scheme shows four differnet rockets, from a black-and-white prototype through camouflaged in-service rockets and finishing with the emergency rockets used in 1945. Conclusion If you are expecting this to be a relatively simple kit with few parts, then you're in for a surprise. The rocket itself is superb, with fine surface details and precise engineering. The launch pad and transportation section are superbly complex, and I'll be paying close attention to the instructions when I finally get round to building mine. Highly recommended. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model retailers. For further information visit or
  3. It is a number years since anyone has posted this venerable model onto BM, so I thought I would give it a go. Venerable indeed as shown by the copyright date Now on its third manufacturer this sprue shot shows a significant amount of flash, but luckily none of it is near delicate parts. I have purchased Dapol kits with significant moulding errors, this one seems OK. Dapol's warranty makes interesting reading. Especially as it would cost me most in transport costs & parking, to get to my LMS to return it than the kit cost. Will make an interesting build as Yellow and White are my two least favourite colours to brush paint. Airfix used to mould it in yellow plastic which actually was not much help if you primed the kit prior to painting. On with the build...
  4. British Rocket Projectiles 60lb RP-3 F & SAP Sets (648393 & 648394) 1:48 Eduard Brassin As the name suggests, this was a 3" rocket projectile, unguided other than the pilot pointing his nose at the target, and the basic body could carry a number of warheads for different uses. The 60lb Semi Armour Piercing (SAP) head carried 12lb of explosives and could pierce a tank's armour if aimed carefully, bearing responsibility for many a Panzer losing its turret, wreaking havoc in the Failaise Gap. The F had a narrower 25lb head that was the original design. As usual with Eduard's resin sets, they arrive in the familiar Brassin clamshell box, with the resin parts safely cocooned on dark grey foam inserts, and the instructions sandwiched between the two halves, doubling as the header card. Both types build up in exactly the same way, and contain the same number of rockets (eight), with just the heads being different sizes, and the stencils differing. The basic rocket is supplied in one piece with the moulding plug attached to the tail. With this cut off, you need to drill a 1mm diameter hole to replicate the exhaust and attach the shackles that attach it to the launch rails. There are two types of these, with a Y-shaped of a W-shaped part that you need to bend to shape. In addition there are ignition wires for the electrical firing mechanism, which are inserted into the rear of the exhaust. Painting is covered along with the decal placement in a separate diagram with the usual Gunze paint codes. Once you're done you have a full load of eight for your WWII RAF fighter. British Rocket Projectiles RP-3 60lb F. (648393) British Rocket Projectiles RP-3 60lb SAP (648394) Review sample courtesy of
  5. Here is my build of the Dapol OO/HO Stephenson's Rocket (C046) I built the Airfix version in the Seventies and rather than build the one I have in my stash, I bought a Dapol version for a "just for fun" build. As turned out, it was fun! Dave
  6. Bazooka Launchers for P-40 1:32 Brassin Arriving in the cardboard box that are used for the more fragile sets in the Brassin range, this set consists of two complete launchers, four end plates, and four fixing arms. There is also a smallish etched sheet, containing the straps that go round each three tube launcher and a small resin fixture for he straps. Construction is relatively simple, just cut the moulding blocks off the launchers and launcher end sections, for which the modeller has the option of fitting one pair for armed or the other pair for empty launchers. Each of the upright fixtures is then glued to the top attachment points of the launchers. The tubes are then fitted with six straps which go round all three tubes, and a strengthening strap that is fitted between the aft attachment point to one of the binding straps. Conclusion I didn’t even realise the P-40 ever carried these bazooka style launchers, and I suggest that some research is carried out to ensure the particular aircraft you wish to build, did in fact carry them. As usual the mouldings are superb and they will certainly give the P-40 a different look in your collection. Review sample courtesy of
  7. For a few years now I have belonged to the Beyond the Box SIG. The idea behind the group is to let the imagination run free and do some serious kit bashing, more often than not using the 1/12 scale Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep kits produced by Airfix. The theme for this year's Nationals is Space - so I thought I would take the opportunity to post my recently completed Space build here. The rocket is scratch built from plastic card and finished off with brass model engineering rivets. The rocket motors used to be fluorescent lamp holders in my aquarium. Tamiya Fine Surface Primer took care of the white (it's such a great product). An overview of the completed model - some 50cm high! The gantry was adapted from a toy crane that got broken. A close up of the intrepid astronauts - space suits courtesy of Das modelling clay The plucky inventor - still smiling after a double arm amputation, thumb surgery and a new jumper knitted from Milliput. A close up of the promotional material - knocked up in Powerpoint The model will be displayed on the Beyond the Box stand at the Nationals - the table is close to the Airfix stand in Hall 1. All the best Richard C PS I do produce serious models too from time to time
  8. Sorry to unearth this old chestnut. Over in the "FAA Pacific Theatre Corsair Paint Question" thread ClaudioN linked to a very interesting Canadian biography of Don Sheppard, a Corsair pilot: http://www.vintagewi...Bitter-End.aspx Buried in the text is a mention of 1844 Sq (Hellcats) using rocket projectiles for the first time on 31 March 1945. I don't think this was new to me: I believe I have seen references to BPF RP expenditures in posts by Iang. It seems to me there are 2 options: either these were Hellcats fitted with British 60lb RPs complete with rails and massive blast plates (I have seen photos of these both in rear areas (eg S Africa, Australia) and with the East Indies Fleet, but never with the BPF) or these are late model Hellcats fitted with stubs for HVARs (introduced from BuNo 42185 so from somewhere about JV190-221 in the UK serial allocation). The former seems more likely to me. Quite apart from the received wisdom eg from David Hobbs that the BPF only used UK munitions, the pilots complain (as reported in the Sheppard article) about the reduced speed and rate of climb, which didn't improve even after the weapons had been expended: I don't imagine that HVAR stubs would have had that much effect on the aircraft's performance. On the other hand the UK RP installation was too bulky to overlook so I'm surprised it hasn't turned up in photographic evidence before now. So: has anyone any photographic evidence of rocket-firing Hellcats in the BPF?
  9. Afternoon all, Sorry to trouble you with another quwey regarding the Blue Steel missile When viewing photographs of the Blue Steel missile being loaded onto the Vulcan and Victor, the upper tail surface appears to be missing from a few of those. So my questions are as follows: Was this fin removeable? When carried in the recessed bomb bay of the Vulcan and Victor, was the tail surface kept vertical and fitted into a recess or was it folded down? Thanks, Sam
  10. Bereznyak-Isayev Bi-1 Mikro-Mir 1:48 Flying a fighter aircraft during World War 2 was an extremely dangerous profession by anyone's standards. Flying an experimental, rocket-powered, Soviet-built, wooden and fabric constructed fighter aircraft was practically suicidal! The Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1 was the brainchild of Aleksandr Bereznyak and Aleksei Isayev. The idea was proposed in July of 1941, and by September of the same year the first unpowered glider flight was undertaken. Because of the rapid German advance through Soviet territory, the factory building the BI-1 had to be relocated further to the east. This delay meant that the first powered flight didn't take place until May 15th 1942. On landing the undercarriage was damaged. The third Bereznyak-Isayev BI-1 prototype crashed on its seventh flight, sadly killing fighter ace Captain Grigory Bakhchivandzhi when it pitched down sharply during a high-speed run. Bakhchivandzhi was posthumously awarded Hero of the Soviet Union. During an investigation into the accident, the engineers concluded that the aircraft had become unstable at transonic speeds. Bakhchivandzhi had been in two other accidents during the development of the BI. He was the pilot during the first flight which crash landed. And during a grounded engine test in 1942, the engine exploded. In the explosion, the engine head was catapulted into the back of the pilot's seat, knocking Bakhchivandzhi against the instrument panel and injuring him slightly. To protect the pilot in the future, a 5.5 mm steel plate was fixed to the back of the seat. The sixth Bereznyak-Isayev BI prototype was fitted with wingtip ramjets in an effort to extend the rather pathetic 15 minutes of powered flight. They didn't help much and proved difficult to start. Only seven Bereznyak-Isayev BI prototypes were completed, although 50 were scheduled to be built. Each one of the seven prototypes had its own issues, and the engineers were constantly having problems with both the liquid-fuelled rockets and the stability of the aircraft itself. Additionally the aircraft were corroded by the very fuel which was designed to power them! The red fuming nitric acid would eat away at the fuel tanks and the aircraft's fabric skin. Both BI-1 and BI-7 were scrapped due to excessive corrosion. In the end the Bereznyak-Isayev BI project was abandoned, and it became yet another dead-end experimental aircraft - with the emphasis on mental. The model Micro-Mir is probably best known for their super collection of 1:350 submarine releases. They are now branching out and releasing aircraft in most of the major scales. Being Micro-Mir they won’t just be producing the more common types of aircraft, and this release shows just that. The kit comes in an attractive top opening box with an artists impression of the aircraft in flight. Inside, the kit is contained in a poly bag with a sticky flap, with the decals, etched sheet and masks contained in a separate poly bag. The grey styrene is rather soft and due to the nature of the of the aircrafts build there aren’t too many details, but what panel lines etc there are, are nicely defined. The smaller parts on the sprues do have a small feather of flash around them which will need to be carefully removed; this is just the way of limited run kits. The two clear parts are well moulded and pretty clear, but could do with a dip in your favourite varnish. The kit is pretty basic, but then so was the real aircraft and the build starts with the assembly of the cockpit, which consists of the floor, rear bulkhead, instrument panel, with etched panel and an acetate sheet for the instruments. The pilots seat is fitted out with a full set of etched seatbelts before being fitted into place along with the joystick and rudder pedals. Before closing up the fuselage the throttle quadrant is attached to the port sidewall. With the fuselage closed up the headrest can be fitted, along with the nose mounted cannon barrels, windscreen and separate canopy. The horizontal tailplanes are then attached and fitted with the vertical endplates, while right aft, the rocket nozzle is attached. The wings are assembled next, and consist of a single piece lower section, wheel bay and two upper sections. The completed wing assembly is then attached to eh underside of the fuselage and fitted out with the main undercarriage. This is made up of single piece oleos, single piece wheels/tyres, plus the inner and outer undercarriage bay doors. Finally the tailwheel is attached to the ventral fin, thus completing the build. Decals The small decals sheet is printed in house and contains just six Russian stars and two white number sixes. They look pretty well printed, in good register and appear quite thin, with little carrier film evident. To help with painting Micro-Mir has kindly included a small sheet of masks for the canopy and windscreen. The single colour scheme is a camouflage of black and green. Conclusion This is certainly one of the most unusual aircraft I’ve had to review, and had little knowledge of its existence. With care and acknowledging its limited run credentials it will turn out into a nice little model, looking good in any collection. Highly recommended. Review sample courtesy of
  11. NASA Saturn IB Rocket thanks to Mike Costello.
  12. NASA Saturn V Rocket. All pics thanks to Mike Costello. Launch Escape System, primary contractor Lockheed Propulsion Company.
  13. Second part of photos this time covering the Saturn V [/ URL] Enjoy Dan
  14. Il-2 Weapons Set 1:48 Eduard Brassin (648073) Tamiya's new wünderkit contains a number of munitions carried by the Shturmovik, but this set adds two more to the armoury, in the shape of a pair of each of the smaller FAB 50 and RS 132 bombs. The FAB 50 is simply a small 50kg bomb, which have atypical (for Russian bombs) traditional fins without the ring aerofoil at the rear. The RS 132 is a small anti-personnel unguided rocket that entered service with the Soviet airforce in 1940, and although it had poor accuracy, when enough were launched in a salvo some were bound to hit their targets. The front of the casing was ridged in a similar way as a WWII hand grenade to create shrapnel that would increase the potential of damage to personnel or equipment over an area with a diameter of 20m. The kit includes some rockets that are designated as RS-132 in the instructions, but they are actually the RS-82s, which don't have the grooves down the nose. The set arrives in Eduard's clamshell boxing, and includes four of each bomb/rocket, paired on casting blocks. Casting is of course excellent, with crisp detail throughout, and the casting blocks sensibly placed at the rear of the weapons. The RS-132 rockets look like they could be a little tricky to liberate from their blocks, as they have fins that extend well past the body of the rocket. In practice however, they are simple to remove first with a saw, then apply a little finger pressure to the conical stub that attaches to the centre of the rocket. That will snap clear and you can then clean up the rear and the fins with a sharp blade. It takes a couple of minutes to do one rocket, so it's not too onerous in exchange for having no seams to clean up along the rocket bodies. The bombs are just as easy to clean up, requiring only careful use of a razor saw to liberate them. There are some unexplained seams running up the rear of the bombs though, but they succumb to the edge of a blade quickly and easily, so aren't really a problem. Conclusion A handy update to the Tamiya (or Accurate Miniatures) kit, and something a little out of the ordinary that will set your model apart from the standard weapons supplied with the kit. Review sample courtesy of
  15. Pics from Darwin taken at the SAC Mueseum in Nebraska. This is a US Missile system I had never heard of.
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