Scale Aircraft Modeling Oct 2016

October 2016 4.
50
Volume 38 Issue 08
www.scaleaircraftmodelling.com
Republic
F-84F/RF-84F
Scale Drawings
and Profiles
Classic Trainer in 1/48
Flag of Convenience more Thunder stuff in 1/48

Heavy Fighter Kawasakis Ki-60 Prototype
Young Lion comparing the IAI Lavi and the Chengdu J-10
Scaled Up Meteor T.7 history and scale
Razor Sharp
Making Muddles
Vive le Difference
Large Scale Thunderbolt

Kinetics Jug
in 1/24
Sopwith 2F.1 Dolphin

Copper States new tool
in 1/72
Operation Daguet -Mirage

F.1CR 33 in the
Gulf War
Military & Civil Aviation Military Weapons & Equipment Naval Vessels
Images of War
Veteran Lancs
N Franks A Photo
record and history of
the 35 RAF Lancasters
that each completed
one hundred sorties
during the war.
150 B&W photos.
SB 144pp 14.99
The Junkers Ju 52
Story J Forsgren
This book features detailed histories of the
Ju 52 in the various
countries and organisations that operated
it as well as in-depth
analysis of missions.
HB 254pp 25.00
Squadron Signal
10243 Messerschmitt
Bf 109 In Action
Covers the entire career
Osprey Combat
of the Bf 109 in all its
Aircraft 116 US
versions and variaNavy F-4 Phantom II tions with 200 photos
Units of the Vietnam and colour profiles.
War 1964-68 P Davies SB 80pp 14.99
History of one of the
most important carrier
aircraft during the
Vietnam war.
SB 96pp 13.99
Airframe Extra No.6

The Spanish Civil
War Prelude to
World War II
R Franks Looks at
the history and aircraft
involved in the Spanish Civil War covering
aerial operations.
SB 82pp 9.95
Kagero Monographs
Special Edition 96006
Messerschmitt Bf 110
M Murawski Lavishly
illustrated, covering the
history of the Bf 110.
Includes introduction;
prototypes and product variations, Bf 110
D, C, E, F and G; Baptism of fire over
Poland; Phoney War
plus much more.
HB 178pp 27.99
Matterhorn The
Operational History
of the US XX
Bomber Command
from India and
Tigers and
HMMWV Hummer
The Lafayette
Operation Market
French Secret
China, 1944-1945
Konigstiger of the
HMMWV (Hummer) in Escadrille A Photo
Garden Paratroopers Projects Post-War
T Mays Traces the deLSSAH and s.SSIDF Service M Mass History of the First Uniforms,
Fighters J Carbonel velopment of the B-29
Pz.Abt 101/501
Colour photo album
American Fighter
Equipment and
After WW II France
program and the Allied
W Trojca Portrays the containing an exten- Squadron S Ruffin
Personal Items of
made determined
plans to stage longcombat history of the sive collection of un- The Lafayette Escadrille the 1st Polish
efforts to catch-up
range bombers through
Tigers of 4. (s) Pz.Kp published photos of
was an all-volunteer Independent
with other countries in China for strikes
and 13(s) Pz.Kp of SS- the Hummer in IDFS. squadron of Americans Parachute Brigade
developing high per- against Japans stratePanzer Grenadier Divi- Photos include many who flew for France
Volume 1
formance aircraft and gic industries. Lists
sion Leibstandarte SS recent in action and
during WWI. This is a P Witkowski History designed successful
each of the 49 combat
Adolf Hitler and from training roles in addi- visual history blending of the Polish 1st Inde- machines to fulfil the missions flown by the
22.10.1943 of 1.SStion to a plethora of
a photo collection
pendent Parachute
needs of its Armed
XX Bomber Command.
Pz.Div Leibstandarte SS. walkaround photos.
along with expert text. Brigade in WWI.
Forces. 450+ photos. B&W photos.
HB 320pp 49.00
SB 82pp 24.99
HB 288pp 25.00
SB 144pp 25.00
HB 256pp 27.50
HB 304pp 60.50
85 years Russian
Transport Aviation
RUSSIAN TEXT. Rarely
available this colour
photo album contains
hundreds of colour
and black and white
photos. Includes 40pp
of history including
black & white photos
and colour profiles,
150pp of recent operations; 50pp of in
service aircraft type
descriptions and 100.
Colour throughout.
HB 368pp 80.00
The Chopper Boys

Helicopter Warfare
in Africa A Venter
Revised and updated,
this edition contains a
further 6 chapters
covering events that
have since taken place.
B&W/colour photos .
SB 292pp 29.95
Camouflate & Decals

Messerschmitt
Bf 109F R Michulec
Describes and illustrates the camouflage
and markings of six Bf
109 F aircraft and includes six sets of high
quality decals/stencils.
SB 160128pp 15.00
Tupolev Tu 160
RUSSIAN TEXT.
Absolutely crammed
full of photos, this
colour photo album
covers the history, design, development,
service and various
projects associated
with the Tu-160. This
is essentially a photo
album with modern
and archive photos.
HB 548pp 90.00
Flying Wings and

Radical Things
Northrops Secret
Osprey Combat
Dutch Profile Fairey The Diary of Sonny Aerospace Projects
Aircraft 115 Fw 200 Firefly Royal Neth. Ormrod DFC Malta & Concepts 19391994 T Chong
Condor Units of
Naval Air Service
Fighter Ace B Cull
World War 2 C Goss N Geldhof Dutch/
Plt Off Oliver Ormrod Northrop Aircraft, Inc.,
will be forever linked
Study of the Fw 200
English text. Looks at was just four days
with the giant futurisfrom its first appear- the history camoupast his twentieth
ance over Norway in flage and markings of birthday when he was tic Flying Wings of the
1940s. This book fea1940 and it becoming the Fairey Firefly in
killed in action after
tures stunning original
synonymous with
RNNAS. B&W but
his Hurricane was
Kampfgeschwader 40. mostly colour photos shot down. This is his factory artwork,
drawings, and photos.
B&W/Colour Photos.
and colour profiles.
story. B&W photos.
HB 240pp 32.95
SB 96pp 13.99
SB 39pp 16.99
HB 336pp 25.00
Painting Aviations
Legends The Art of
Mike Machat
Stories of the
Worlds Greatest
Pilots & Aircraft
M Machat Combines
60 original fine art
paintings of significant
moments in aviation
history with dramatic
and compelling personal stories of 30
renowned airmen.
HB 160pp 29.95
Airframe &
Miniature No.8 The
de Havilland
Mosquito Part 1
Bomber & PhotoReconnaissance
R Franks Detailed
guide containing a
history of the Bomber
and Photo-Reconnaissance Mosquitos.
SB 192pp 18.95
Kagero Super
Drawings in 3D
16047 The Japanese
Battleship Musashi
C Cestra Contains a
brief history and general characteristics of
the Musashi plus a
plethora of captioned
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1:400 line drawings.
SB 86pp 24.99
Miles M.52 Britains

top Secret
Supersonic Research
Aircraft T Buttler
Tells the definitive factual story of the M.52
project and gives an
objective account of the
controversy that grew
around the aircraft.
B&W/colour photos.
HB 156pp 24.95
Wing Masters 112

Mai-Juin 2016
FRENCH TEXT. 1:48
Petlyakov PE-2; 1:72
DH 88 Comet; 1:72
Sukhoi Su-24MR
Fencer E plus more.
SB 82pp 7.50
Aero Journal 54
8 Mai 1945 Le dernier
jour de la Luftwaffe
FRENCH TEXT. Well illustrated with archive
photos, line drawings
and colour profiles.
SB 82pp 6.90
The Weathering
Magazine 16
Interiors
This issue is dedicated to interiors in
tanks, airplanes, submarines and more.
SB 70pp 8.99
Kagero Top Drawings

7037 Curtiss P-40
M Lukasik Brief introduction to the P-40
followed by a plethora
of line drawings and
colour profiles.
SB 32pp 17.99
RAF 100 Group

Kindred Spirits
J Harrington Brings
together for the first
time writings of RAF
100 Group during
WWII.
SB 588pp 14.99
Aces High Magazine

9 Captured Aircraft
Special Issue
This issue is dedicated to captured
enemy aircraft an
American P-51B.
SB 82pp 8.99
order via our

secure website:
Batailles Aeriennes
77 1916 La Grande
Guerre de Verdun a
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FRENCH TEXT.
Lavishly illustrated.
SB 98pp 12.50
Aero Journal Hors

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BRITISH BULLDOG
A Long Awaited Trainer

By Karl Robinson
Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1

Kit No: TA4806
Scale: 1/32 Scale
Type: Injection Moulded Plastic
Manufacturer: Tarangus
Hannants/Sprue Brothers
Much like the real thing there is not a lot in

the cockpit cabin area so dont think that
detail has been skimped upon. In hindsight I
wish I had added instrument dial decals to the
panel to enhance things further
Ouch! Keep a look out for any injector marks

that may hinder the fit of parts. Most are well
hidden or on the insides of components but
this one is prominent on the large upper aerial
fin. Slight mould slippage can also be seen
around the wheels and along the sprue
his latest release from Swedish

manufacturer Tarangus sees them
deviate from the SAAB line of aircraft
for the very first time, bringing us a 1/48
Scottish Aviation Bulldog. Tarangus have
provided two versions of the Bulldog with
kits that feature Swedish versions in one
(TA4805) and Royal Air Force and
international operators (Malta and Kenya)
in another (TA4806). Both are the same
plastic but with differing instructions and
decalling options as appropriate. Although
Tarangus advise the kit is produced using
short run technology it is certainly not
lacking in any detail. All of the surfaces are
smooth and clean with finely recessed
panel lines making up a good overall level
of detail throughout. One minor downside
is that there is a little mould slippage
through the centre of the sprue resulting in
a raised line of plastic to clean off the
edges of many parts, a simple but time
consuming process.
With such a large expanse of canopy on
such a small aircraft, detail in the cockpit is
going to be essential. Looking at the parts
provided in the kit it initially seemed pretty
lacking but when examining photographs
of the real thing I found there is not that
Oddly the two bladed propeller is moulded in

separate parts although this does make things
a lot easier with painting the stripy blades and
split spinner patterns
4 W W W. S C A L E A I R C R A F T M O D E L L I N G . CO. U K
much inside in reality. The one area I could

see being cost effective in terms of time on
the build was the seats, so I set about this
with a few items that were to hand.
Shaping a square of Milliput for a seat
cushion, using strips of lead foil to replicate
the belts, with slightly wider sections of
masking tape to form the shoulder straps,
and forming buckles from lead wire brings
the seat to life enough. Discounting the
time taken to mix the Milliput and its
curing time, the additional detail took
around thirty minutes to create. In
hindsight I wished I had added some
aftermarket instrument dial decals as the
panel is most visible when the model is
completed.
Both rear cabin windows needed a bit of
thought before racing ahead. I figured that
masking them up once fitted would be
tricky so went for the option of cutting out
some masks prior to gluing them in place.
By laying the fuselage down onto a piece
of masking tape I was able to cut inside the
contours of the moulding to create a
perfect sized mask, albeit mirrored left for
right etc. Each window needed a few
tweaks to get them to slide firmly into
place but using a single pass of the sanding
BRITISH BULLDOG
Drilling out and pinning the tail planes instead

of relying upon butt joining them to the
fuselage will give some added strength and
ease alignment
stick on the edge between each attempted

fit worked well. Work slowly because if you
go too far and take too much off you cant
do anything about it and the window will
be loose.
As with any kit, but especially limited run
ones, it is always best to test fit parts
before committing to glue, and even
though I know this all too well from
experience I am still prone to rush on and
not take heed of this advice. This nearly
caught me out when closing up the
fuselage as I found that the tub floor was
being obstructed slightly by the fitted side
walls. This left me some awkward trimming
of edges to get it to sit well, whereas if I
had checked things out properly I would
have found that simply sanding down the
backs of the sidewalls and thinning them
would have sorted it out easier.
Expectations are that the tail planes will
be fitted by butt joining them and
applying glue but I felt this may lead to
easy breakage when handling and
masking if done in this way. To help align
things level and add some additional
strength I drilled out a 1mm hole into each
face and added a plastic rod through the
fuselage extending around 10mm out on
both sides onto which the tail planes could
easily fit.
Strangely the starboard wing fitted
perfectly into place being tight
enough to hold without gluing,
and at the correct dihedral,
whereas the port wing
required the hole
on the fuselage into which it should fit

cutting open much wider and longer to
allow the tab into place. Despite this it was
an easy fix and as long as you keep
checking the fit along the way it will
eventually push into place OK. Before
fitting the starboard wing I tested the clear
lens for the lights and found that it would
also need tweaking in a similar fashion to
the cabin windows. Although I would not
be fitting it until the end of the build it was
best to sort out any issues before paint is
applied.
Goldfish bowl is one though that comes
to mind when looking at the large single
piece canopy. Although it is moulded
cleanly and is free from any blemishes, it
will definitely be prudent to spend a bit of
time with a sponge polisher and buffing it
up a little as it seems slightly cloudy as it
comes.
Both the exhausts and the nose wheel
leg are left for fitting towards the end of
the build but I had many struggles getting
both into place cleanly without being able
to see the fixing points fully. I would think
that it would be far easier to think about
fitting these into place before closing up
the fuselage to ensure that they are seated
correctly and firmly
fitted. I am just waiting
for one or the other to
come loose and fall
out on my finished
model.
With all the
legs fitted
Grab, dip and drop, repeat just 237 times!

Here we are adding some weight into the
nose during the latter stages of the build. Take
note and add it early
Measurements are provided in the

instructions for fitting the under wing hinges.
Here I have transferred them onto masking
tape to allow easy positioning of the parts
The plastic parts as provided on the sprue
OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 08
BRITISH BULLDOG
into place the model was able to sit on its
own feet at last well two of the three
anyway as it rocked firmly back onto its tail
pointing its nose to the heavens.
Absolutely no mention was made of any
weight requirements in the instructions
and like an idiot I didnt really think about
it. As it turns out I estimate that it needs
approximately fourteen grams to be
added, which could have quite easily been
accommodated in the large expanse
behind the engine frontage at the start of
the build. Luckily that vast cavern of space
can still be accessed through where the
nose leg fits, although it is only a narrow
slot, so to get fourteen grams of weight
into the gap would be tricky. Fixing
anything with superglue was a no go as
there was a small gap above the bulkhead

which leads directly under the front of the
canopy, so frosting of the windscreen as
the superglue sets off could be danger. The
only solution was to use small lead balls
and dip each individually into some white
glue before dropping into the abyss. Once
filled the model was left upside down for
twenty four hours for the white glue to set.
I wont really bore you with the painting
of the model as it is simply white, red and
grey requiring what is basic but
comprehensive masking to spray. Needless
to say I used my trusted Mr Hobby
Aqueous Acrylic paints mixed with their
own brand of levelling thinner, which gives
flawless results. Nothing much to report on
the decalling front either with them being
very thin and easy to apply, instantly

conforming to shapes and panel lines
without issue. The addition of Micro Set
and Micro Sol decalling solutions gives
wonderful results.
In conclusion I can say that it is finally
good to see the Bulldog tooled up as an
injection moulded kit in 1/48. Despite
being a short run kit it offers no real vices
and is easy enough for anyone with a few
kits under their belt to tackle. Tarangus
have captured the Bulldog well and the kit
will please many with what is simply
provided in the box, although I am sure
there will be additional detailing sets on
the way from aftermarket producers.
E D I TO R I A L
THIS MONTHS FEATURES:

4.
British Bulldog
A Long Awaited Trainer
By Karl Robinson
16.
Republic F-84F
Thunderstreak Goes Forth
Over Israel
By Des Brennan
19.
16
Razor Sharp
Kinetics Jug With a Little Help from
my Friends
By Andy McCabe
22.
19
Heavy Fighter
Kawasakis Ki-60 Prototype
By Mike Williams
26.
Young Lion: Vigorous

Dragon
Building the IAI Lavi and the Chengdu J10

By Tony Grand
30.
By Yoav Efrati
By Dave Hooper
With artwork by Mark Rolfe
39
With artwork by Mark Rolfe
By Tim Skeet
Of course everyone else has completed

half a dozen. Assistant Editor Karl Robinson
for instance has knocked out a cracking little
build of the new Tarangus Bulldog in no time
at all and Mr Tony Grand has trumped
himself this month by building two odd
aeroplanes instead of the usual one.
Surprisingly they are both available kits
rather than tortuous scratch built figments of
his imagination. Well, almost. Rest assured
there is a story there to tell.
This month also sees the first of Yoav
Efratis many Mirage F.1s. Yoav operates from
behind a complex temporal stasis field that
enables him to achieve twelve modelling
hours to every one of ours, as a result of
which his output is beyond prodigious in
terms both of quality and quantity. Of course
having a kit as good as the Special Hobby F.1
as a basis helps a lot. Andy McCabe seems to
have the same facility available as well; his P47 has come in alongside an extensive
selection of other review builds and previews
and makes my halting attempts to get
something finished look somewhat strained
by comparison.
Elsewhere we have Tim Skeets excellent
piece on the last surviving Meteors in service,
with a neat conversion to another Czech kit,
while Des Brennan has applied his usual
erudition to another interesting topic,
underlining this months Aircraft in Profile
with a nice presentation of a French F-84 in
disguise.
As ever we try to stay abreast of
developments Dave Hoopers Dolphin is
another brand new kit and we aim to keep
on doing so, but also to run at a tangent to
the mainstream and continue giving
modellers and enthusiasts plenty of unique
features and more good reasons to keep
relying on the magazine.
By Gary Hatcher
Distributed to the UK and International news trade by
Intermedia
52
http://www.inter-media.co.uk/
via MarketForce (UK) Limited
110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU
http://www.marketforce.co.uk/
STORE FINDER
Scaled Up
The Half Way Veteran

The Meteor T.7
hanks to everyone for

all the good wishes
and feedback from the
US Nationals. Our team had
a great show and I am
advised our stock is high on
that side of the Atlantic. I
was sorry to miss so many of
my good friends and
colleagues but at least I was
able to put the time to good
use and have finally
completed a build that has
been ongoing for a couple of years now
Editor
Colour Conundrum
Identification and Disguise for the

Royal Flying Corps
August 1912-February1915
58.
34
Aircraft in Profile
Republic F-84F/RF-84F
Thunderstreak/Thunderflash
52.
30
Muddles
Copper States Dolphin
39.
26
Vive le Difference
Part One Operation Daguet

Mirage F.1CR 33 Escadre de
Reconnaissance in the 1991 Gulf War
34.
22
Time - He's waiting

in the wings
58
Books-A-Million, Inc. presently operates over 200 stores in 18

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NEWS BY SORGE
IPMS USA NATIONAL

CONVENTION 2016
Photos By Tim Barb
This years US Nationals were held on 3rd-6th
August 2016 in Columbia, South Carolina. Once
again it was a great show with the competition
pushing the envelope for quality in all classes.
Host clubs were IPMS/USA Mid-Carolina Swamp
Fox Modelers www.ipmsmidcarolina.com and
IPMS/USA Piedmont Scale Modelers
www.evilrtist.wixsite.com/piedmont-scale.
Scale Aircraft Modelling is pleased to present a
selection of images from the event, showcasing
the skills and commitment of IPMS membership
from all across the continent.
Thanks to our hosts for the show, to all the
vendors, our friends from foreign lands, and to
everyone who made it another memorable
occasion. Next year in Omaha!
NEWS BY SORGE
NEWS BY SORGE
Boss of a very capable aircraft.
81736 1/48 Hawk T. Mk 127
The British Aerospace Hawk
T.Mk127 is the next generation
Hawk from those used currently by
numerous air forces worldwide. The
Hawk 127 is operated by the Royal
Australian Air Force who have thirty
three in operation as a lead in
fighter and it is powered by a single
Adour 871 engine and is operated
by the RAAFs 76 and 79 Squadrons.
LATEST CREATIVES
HobbyBoss New Arrivals
Previewed
By Andy McCabe
Kits courtesy of Creative Models

www.creativemodels.co.uk
81735 1/48 Hawk T. Mk 100/102
The Hawk 100/102 is an advanced
two seat trainer with upgraded
Avionics, redesigned wings, HOTAS,
and FLIR (forward looking infrared).
The Hawk 102 is an export variant
for the UAE Air Force and is fitted
with wing tip missile pylons and a
Prophet Radar Warning receiver.
Eighteen were ordered and
delivered between April 1993 and
January 1994. The kit consists of
eleven sprues of grey and two
sprues of clear injection moulded
plastic, one photo etched fret, two
decal sheets, one assembly booklet
and one full colour marking and
painting sheet. Decals are supplied
for four different markings the first
of which is the colourful British
Aerospace Hawk Demonstration
Aircraft ZJ100 and the second is for
the same aircraft but with a
different colour scheme. Version
three is again ZJ100 in UAE Air
Force markings with UK roundels,
while the final colour scheme is the
full UAE Air Force markings.
Colour call outs are provided
primarily for Mr Hobby, but Vallejo,
Model Master, Tamiya and Humbrol
cross references are also provided.
The photo etch fret has seat belts
on, which is refreshing as they
make a big difference to the
cockpit area and are the only parts
on the fret. Decals are provided for
the main instrument panels and
under wing stores consist of AIM9P, AIM-9L, LR-55 rocket pods,
M117 bombs and two fuel tanks.
This is another nice kit from Hobby
The Hobby Boss kit consists of

eleven sprues of grey and two
sprues of clear injection moulded
plastic, one photo etched fret, two
decal sheets, one assembly booklet
and one full colour marking and
painting sheet. Decals are supplied
for four different markings the first
of which is the colourful 79
Squadron sixty years of service
special scheme. Colour call outs are
provided for primarily for Mr
Hobby, but Vallejo, Model Master,
Tamiya and Humbrol cross
references are also provided. As
with the Mk 100/102 kit the photo
etch fret has seat belts, and decals
are provided for the main
instrument panels. Under wing
stores again consist of AIM-9P, AIM9L, LR-55 rocket pods, M117 bombs
and two fuel tanks.
81742 A-11A Ghibli
The AMX- A-11A Ghibli is a single
engined ground attack jet aircraft
built as a joint Italian/Brazilian
venture between Alenia, Embraer
and Aermacchi with the AMX
headquarters based in Rome. The
aircraft is primarily used by Italy
and Brazil, designated A-1 by the
Brazilian Air Force and A-11 Ghibli
by the Italian Air Force. The AMX is
powered by a single Rolls-Royce
Spey 807 turbofan jet engine
giving the aircraft a maximum
speed of 654mph and depending
on the Air Force can be armed with
one 20mm M61A1 Vulcan six
barrelled Gatling cannon (Italian
aircraft), two 30mm Bernardini Mk164 cannon (Brazilian Aircraft), two
AIM-9 Sidewinders, MAA-1
Piranhas, 3,800kg of bombs on five
external hard points or general
purpose and/or laser guided
bombs.
The Hobby Boss kit contains eight
sprues of grey and one clear sprue
of injection moulded plastic, two
decal sheets, three rubber tyres,
one etched fret, one assembly
instruction booklet and one full
colour painting and marking guide.
Decals are supplied for the
Instrument panels and the etched
fret provides seat belt harnesses
only. Decals are provided for two
aircraft:
A-11A Ghibli, 14 Gruppo, 2 Stormo,
Italian Air Force
A-11A Ghibli, 132 Gruppo, 3
Stormo, Italian Air Force
A mixture of AIM-9L, AIM-9P, Mk.82
Snakeye, GBU-12 and fuel tanks are

supplied for the under wing stores.
Paint call outs are for Mr.Hobby
with cross references for Vallejo,
Model Master, Tamiya and
Humbrol.
ddition. Although the kit is
moulded in what looks like a close
match to the dark blue of the
Frecce, I am sure that at least a whiff
coat of blue will be required to
cover any minor sanding and filling
which may be needed.
MODELSVIT
72024 Myasishchev M-17
Stratosphera
By Ken Duffey
During the late 1950s the US and
NATO began sending high altitude
reconnaissance balloons to drift on
the prevailing winds over the
Soviet Union to penetrate the Iron
Curtain. Between 1956 and 1977 no
less than 4,112 balloons were
observed over the territory of the
USSR and of these only 793 were
shot down by fighter aircraft. The
balloons were difficult to detect by
existing radars and the current
fighters and surface-to-air missiles
were not very effective (nor cheap)
at stopping the over flights. Flying
at altitudes of between 36,000 and
46,000 feet, even when detected
shooting them down was no easy
task; on average 1.4 guided AAMs,
twenty six unguided rockets and
112 cannon rounds were used
against each balloon. To counter
this new intrusion, specifications
for an aircraft to intercept these
balloons at high altitude were
issued to several design teams in
1971. The resulting aircraft would
have to be equipped with special
NEWS BY SORGE
long-range sights and have a
moveable gun turret.
High speed was not a requirement,
but good manoeuvrability at high
altitude plus long endurance were
essential, as was a night attack
capability because the balloons
were often launched to transit
during the hours of darkness.
The winner of the contest
emanated from the OKB named
after Vladimir Myasishchev in the
M-17, with a single engined pod
and boom layout and a
supercritical high altitude wing
profile with special wing tips giving
a high lift/drag ratio. Airframe M17-2 was used for static tests and
M-17-3 for flight tests. Coded CCCP17103 this latter machine took to
the air on 26th May 1982 in the
hands of Edward Cheltsoy. The
aircraft was photographed by US
spy satellites and was assigned the
name Ram-M (after Ramenskoye,
the town near Zhukovsky). It was
later given the ASCC reporting
name of Mystic-A.
By the second half of the 1980s
with the reduction in over flights,
the need for a balloon interceptor
had more or less disappeared and
both machines were modified and
began test flights to aid in the
development of a derivative aircraft
designed for reconnaissance and
target recognition of tactical
missiles and strike aircraft. A
parts around the model.
derivative of the design, the larger,

twin-engined M-55 Geophysika, is
still flying today on earth resources
missions around the world.
Assembly is taken care of over

twenty one numbered steps in the
clear well printed exploded view
type instruction booklet. A painting
and marking guide is supplied,
printed in colour and cross
references paint to the major
brands available.
The latest release from the

Ukrainian enterprise of Modelsvit
contains 167 parts moulded in mid
grey plastic featuring superbly
restrained engraved panel detail.
Self-adhesive pre-cut masks are
provided to aid in painting the
canopy. The comprehensive twenty
two page construction booklet is
very clear with colour callouts
throughout the build sequence
plus an overall painting guide and
decal placement diagram with the
colours being matched to
Humbrol's paint range.
The large decal sheet provides for
two options; CCCP-17103 that is
(was?) on display at the Monino
museum and the record breaking
second prototype CCCP-17401 that
is also at Monino, although in bits
and not on public display.
This is a very welcome release by
Modelsvit and continues their ever
improving quality of moulding and
providing us modellers of some
very interesting and unusual
subjects. I hope to follow up this
short review with a full build later.
My thanks to Modelsvit's
distributor for providing the kit for
me to review.
Hannants/Stevens International
The cockpit tub features raised

detail as do the two instrument
panels and sidewalls. The ejection
seats are also multipart items and
should build up to look reasonable
in this scale.
The canopy is presented in two
parts so can be posed in the open
position although this is not
mentioned in the instructions. A
separate wiper blade for the front
windscreen should help with
masking the parts prior to painting.
HOBBYBOSS
81752 1/48 SAAB J-32B/E
Lansen
Creative Models
The kit is up to the usual standards
set by this brand and as such
features delicate engraved surface
details and rivets. The mid coloured
grey parts are contained on five
sprues with the clear parts making
up the remainder. Etched parts are
included to enhance detail for the
airbrakes and other smaller detail
Three differing types of

unidentified under wing stores are
provided.
Decals are provided for a single
Swedish airframe but these are
poor and almost toy like in
appearance. An unfortunate
common occurrence in kits from
HobbyBoss and no information is
supplied as to where or with whom
the aircraft operated. The colours
on the sheet also seem suspect to
my untrained eye and an
aftermarket sheet will be a must for
anyone building this model.
Unparalleled quality at a price you can

afford - modelling the RESIN2detail way!
Please visit us at www.resin2detail.com to
stay abreast of new release announcements
for the B-17 and other kits!
All SAM readers enjoy a 10% cart discount
by entering the following coupon code:
SAMDISC2016
Please reach out to me anytime with comments,
questions, etc. - happy to assist
Brian Watkins
President, Owner
RESIN2detail Premium Model Accessories
www.resin2detail.com
peddlerofnj@yahoo.com
+1 201 230-6904
11
CZECH OUT
Eduards Bubbletop Spitfire

By Andy McCabe
F
Spitfire Mk XVI Weekend Edition
Kit No: 84141
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Eduard
www.eduard.com
Hannants/Creative Models/Sprue
Brothers/Squadron
ollowing the
ProfiPACK edition of this handsome
kit Eduard have come up with a Weekend
version, which is essentially the plastic parts minus
some of the frills such as etch, masks and multiple decal
options. The kit contains four sprues of grey and one
clear sprue of injection moulded plastic, one decal
sheet and one instruction booklet.
too dark. The under surfaces were now

sprayed with Tamiya XF-83 Medium Sea Grey and when
dry they were masked off and Tamiya XF-82 Ocean Grey
was sprayed on.
The plastic parts have finely engraved panel lines

and surface detail and are superbly moulded. The
instruction booklet is up to Eduards high standard with
colour call outs for Gunze paints throughout. The decal
sheets are superbly printed with excellent colour
density and clarity to it.
The leading edges to the wings were taped off and

painted matt yellow. The decals were applied, and as
expected they went on without a hitch and settled very
nicely.
The build begins by spraying the entire interior with

Mr Color C364 Aircraft Grey-Green and then applying a
dark wash to the parts. Then it was a case of painting
the individual parts and then gluing them to the side
walls. The pilots seat bulkhead was now assembled and
glued to the starboard side wall and then the rudder
actuators were assembled and glued to this. The pilots
seat was assembled and fitted to the bulkhead,
including the etched armour plating to the rear of the
seat, and then the control column was assembled and
glued to the actuators. The cockpit assembly was then
fitted into the starboard fuselage half and then the two
halves were joined together.
Assembly of the wings now commenced firstly by
fitting the centre spar and then by assembling the
wheel wells, all of which have superb detail to them.
With this done the upper wing halves were glued to the
lower section and the wings were now glued to the
fuselage. No filler required at all up to now, as the fit of
the parts is spot on.
The exhausts were now assembled and fitted to the
cowlings and the upper engine cover assembled and
fitted. Eduard have released a very nice resin Merlin
Engine upgrade for this model, which I have in mind to
do later on another of these models.
The tail planes were now assembled and fitted and
the elevators and rudder fitted to the tail. The Ailerons
were fitted and then the two air intakes assembled and
fitted underneath each wing.
The cockpit canopies were now masked and then
glued into position on the fuselage. I used Maskol to fit
the pilots canopy temporarily during the painting
stage. The whole model was now given a coat of grey
primer and any gaps were dealt with, although these
were very few as the fit of the parts is excellent.
The light blue band around the fuselage was sprayed
on with Mr Color H323 Light Blue. The instructions
suggest H25 Sky Blue
but I felt this
was
Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green was sprayed on freehand.

These are three new colours from Tamiya and were
used primarily because there was not an acrylic option
for the Ocean Grey available in the Mr Hobby range.
Two versions can be modelled:

Spitfire Mk XVI, RW393, 61 Squadron RAuxAF 1949,
Natural Metal. This aircraft took part in the Cooper Air
Race of 1949
Spitfire Mk XVI, SL718, 612 Squadron RAuxAF,
Cooper Air Race, Elmdon Air Base July 1949. Medium
Sea Grey/Ocean Grey/Dark Green Camouflage scheme
A coat of Klear sealed everything into position and
then a dark wash was applied to bring out all of those
fine panel lines and a coat of matt varnish finished it off.
I now sprayed the undercarriage with Vallejo Dull
Aluminium, which is from their new range of acrylic
metallic paints, assembled and fitted the undercarriage,
and sprayed the prop parts and assembled them. The
aerials on the underside of the wing and on top of the
fuselage were now fitted along with the cockpit door
and finally the model was finished.
There are two under wing bombs supplied in the kit
but I chose not to fit these because I like the plain clean
lines of the Spitfire, and they would not have been
appropriate for the aircraft in the markings provided.
Conclusion
It does not matter how many of these kits I build, I
enjoy making every single one. When I receive an
Eduard kit I know it is going to be good and this is no
exception. Straight from the box you get a very nice
Spitfire. Eduard have produced loads of upgrades for
their Spitfire kits, including the Merlin engine, guns and
wheels. The parts fit together superbly and have lovely
detailing on them that can be highlighted with careful
painting.
Not one single problem was encountered during the
build and the end result is very impressive. There are a
lot of Spitfire kits on the market in 1/48 but is one of the
best and well worth purchasing.
If you want a quick out of box project and etch is not
to your taste, Eduards Weekend range
bring you the best possible in terms
of fit and accuracy and can be
highly recommended to all.
CZECH OUT
Brenguns Latest Tooling a Look in the Box

By Konstantine Malinovski
Yakovlev Yak-1 (mod 1941)
Kit No: BR72020
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Brengun
www.brengun.cz
Hannants/UMM-USA
his is a new mixed media kit of one of the

most important World War II fighters.
According to Brengun this particular kit
represents the 1941 model of Yak-1, which I
assume should mean it is an early version of the
aircraft. A first glance at the parts of the kits
suggests that it should represent an airframe
produced at Factory 242 in 1941 prior to the
forty ninth production batch before November
1941.
The small side opening box consists of three
plastic sprues and one of clear parts, a photo
etched fret and resin details. The quality of
moulding is very good and the trailing edges of
the wings are very thin which is a massive
improvement over the Amodels kit of this
aircraft. The panel lines are recessed and of good
consistency, and the fabric surfaces are also well
done. The level of detail in the wheel wells is
very respectable and the cockpit detailing is also
on a par with the very highest standards. The
metal wing panels and flaps are offered as etch
parts, but unfortunately the flaps cannot be
represented in the opened position straight out
of the box. The instruments panel is also a photo
etch part, but there is no acetate backing or
decal for the dials included in the kit.
The clear parts are suitably clear and
theoretically would allow you to build the model
in the open cockpit configuration. I think
however they are a bit thick, and if the front and
rear parts of the glazing are more or less usable,
the central part will require replacement. This is
not
a problem at all if the kit is
built with the cockpit closed. One useful
addition among the clear parts is that the
position lights are moulded in transparent
plastic and will add a great deal to the look of
the finished model and save a lot of time on
scratch building.
The small and well printed decal sheet covers
four variants only one of which is not generic
and attributed to a specific pilot. Regrettably
that particular variant was an airframe built at
Plant 301 and hence not really attributable to
the kit.
There are some items conspicuously missing
from this offering. There is no representation of
the rudder pedals in the cockpit, at least I could
not find one at first glance and no pilots safety
harness, no dials for the instrument panel and no
dials for gasoline gauges on the wings, although
there are recesses for these on the wings. It may
be that Brengun plan issuing a detail sit to
supplement this kit, on which these omissions
will be provided.
Overall this kit makes an extremely good
impression and can be classed as one of those
very rare and most welcome lack of inspiration
busters you really want to have a crack at it as
soon as you open the box. I am looking forward
to doing a bit more research on its accuracy and
building it.
Special Hobbys Nomad

By Andy McCabe
Nomad Mk 1 RCAF & SAAF Attack

Bomber
Kit No: SH72292
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Special Hobby
www.specialhobby.eu
Hannants/Squadron
he Nomad Mk 1 was an attack bomber

used by the Royal Canadian Air Force
(RCAF) and the South African Air Force
(SAAF) and was nicknamed the Nomad by the
Royal Air Force who never entered it into service
as it was deemed obsolescent. Originally
designated the A-17, the aircraft was designed
and built by Northrop in the United States and
first deliveries of the A-17A commenced to the
USAAF in 1937.
Due to the RAF never using the aircraft on
operational duty some were transferred to the
SAAF and thirty

four were sent to
Canada as part of
the
Commonwealth
Air Training Plan for target towing duties
and training purposes.
The aircraft was powered by a single
Pratt & Whitney R-1535-11 Twin Wasp Jr
two row air cooled radial engine and had a
crew of two, pilot and gunner, and was armed
with four 0.3 M1919 Browning Machine Guns
and a 0.3 trainable rear machine gun. There was
an internal bomb bay and the aircraft could
carry external wing racks for up to 1,220lb of
bombs.
The Special Hobby kit consists of five sprues
of grey and one clear sprue of injection moulded
plastic, two resin parts, one decal sheet and one
assembly,
marking and
painting booklet. The
plastic parts are nicely moulded
with finely engraved panel
lines. The decal sheet contains markings for six
different aircraft, and paint colour call outs are
for Gunze paints.
The build begins by spraying all of the interior
parts with Humbrol 78 Aircraft Grey-Green and
then applying a dark wash throughout. Then it
was a case of painting the individual parts, such
13
CZECH OUT
as the pilots seat and bulkhead, instrument
panel and joystick, and then gluing them to the
side walls. The interior is fairly basic but looks
good enough. The two fuselage halves were
then glued together after which the engine was
painted, the two cowls glued together and the
assembly was then glued to the fuselage.
The wings were now assembled, and fitted to
the centre lower section after this had been
attached, with its integral wheel wells, to the
lower fuselage.
The tail planes were then fitted to the
fuselage, the canopy masked and attached and
any gaps were filled and then a coat of grey
primer was sprayed on. The underside was then
sprayed with Mr Hobby H74 Sky, masked off and
Mr Hobby H72 Dark Earth and Dark Green H73
were applied for the upper surface camouflage.
The decals were now applied. These are
extremely brittle and break apart very easily,
which caused a bit of a problem with the tail
bars and wing roundels.
Six versions can be modelled:
Nomad Mk 1 3496/53, 9 Bombing and Gunnery
School, 3 Training Command, RCAF Mont-Joli,
Quebec, Canada 1943
Nomad Mk 1 3513/59, 9 Bombing and Gunnery
School, 3 Training Command, RCAF Mont-Joli,

Quebec, Canada 1943
Nomad Mk 1 AS441, A&AEE, RAF Boscombe
Down 1940
Monad Mk 1 AS974, 48 Maintenance Unit,
Harwarden, Chester 1940
Nomad Mk 1 Unknown Training Unit, SAAF 1941
Nomad Mk 1 1262/D17, 42 Air School,
SAAF,South End, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
1941
The undercarriage was now assembled,
painted and fitted and then the prop was
assembled and fitted. The machine gun barrels
were made using Albion Alloys fine Aluminium
tubing which look a lot better than plastic rod.
Conclusion
This is an unusual aircraft for the modeller
being as it is an export version of the Northrop
A-17. The kit itself is nicely produced and the fit
of the parts excellent, the only downside being
the brittle decals that break as soon as you move
them off the backing paper. This is my only
criticism of the kit, but forewarned is forearmed
as they say. The kit assembles quite quickly with
virtually no filler required, and builds into a nice
looking model.
Eduards Limited Edition By Rick Grenwood

grade glossy paper and see construction taking
place in eight pages of exploded view type
diagrams highlighting the parts that are
replaced with the new detail parts. Decals are
printed by Cartograph and offer six differing
schemes covering the lifespan of the GR7/9 from
the early green machines and the winter
camouflaged options when deployed to
Bardufoss in Norway for cold weather training, to
the very last colours worn in service with Joint
Force Harrier.
Kit No: 1166

Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Eduard
www.eduard.com
Hannants/Creative Models/Sprue
Brothers/Squadron
ust in from Eduard is their issue of the

Harrier Gr.7/9. If you're looking for a one stop
project in a box without having to track
down suitable alternative aftermarket products
to enhance your build, then this is the kit for you.
The plastic will be familiar to anyone who has
built the Hasegawa or even the previous Revell
boxing of the kit so I won't go into detail here
about the kit itself. The benefit of obtaining this
issue is the inclusion of the detail parts, masks
and decal sheet from Eduard. There is the
obligatory etched set for airframe details and
pre painted cockpit items that depict the
powered up screens of the Multi Function
Display (MFD) on the instrument panel. Resin
wheels are provided and introduce a far better
level of detail than provided on the plastic kit
parts. An excellent rendition of the British Martin
Baker ejector seat is also provided. Canopy
masks complete the extras.
For information the airframes depicted are:

ZD406 in overall Medium Sea Grey with Fly Navy
commemorative tail art
ZG479 Op Telic featuring a shark mouth and
mission tally marks under the canopy
ZD464 20 Squadron RAF the aircraft that
crashed while performing at the Lowestoft Air
show in 2002
ZD 379 in grey and white temporary
camouflage, Norway 2004
ZG501 SAOEU Boscombe Down in two tone
green
ZG478 41 Squadron 2006
For those interested in whether the 65 or 100
percent LERX are catered for then rest assured as
both are provided in this kit and noted to each
option in the build instructions.
Another welcome release of someone else's
kit with added details from Eduard, and I look
forward to getting this on the bench in due
course.
The instructions are well printed on heavy
CZECH OUT
New Editions from Special Hobby

J
uly 2016 saw the introduction

new kits including SH72337,
the A-20B/C Boston with UTK-1
Turret and the reissue of the 1/48
CAC CA-13 Boomerang, SH48117.
Further new items to the catalogue
include:
SH32067 1/32 Yakovlev Yak-3

Normandie-Niemen
Special Hobbys 1/32 Tempest
Mk V depicted a machine that was
regarded as one of the best World
War II fighters, but among other
fighter aircraft of the period that
could compete for this mantle is
the Yakovlev Yak-3, a fighter plane
with a totally different approach in
design. The nimble and agile
Russian plane was five tons lighter
than the sturdy British Tempest, but
still combined engine power and
highly effective armament. Many
regard the Yak fighter as the best
aircraft flown over the Eastern Front
and one that was made famous not
only by Russian fighter pilots, but
also by the Normandie-Niemen
regiment as well. This French
manned unit operated Yak fighter
planes over the Eastern Front,
returning to France in with their
aircraft where they kept on flying
them in the postwar period. The
French pilots achieved a notable
tally of victories while flying the
Yak-3, as can be seen by the scores
documented usually on the

fuselage side behind the cockpit.
The Hi-Tech kit decal sheet

provides for five Normadie-Niemen
camouflage options, all of them
adorned with a lightning artwork
on the fuselage. Four of the
machines were flown by French
aces, including the very best of
them, Lt. Marcel Albert.
The kit comes on five sprues of

grey one of clear plastic. The HiTech kit sees the addition of
alternative components made from
resin and other materials including
resin exhausts and all
undercarriage wheels, wireless set,
gun cocking levers and gun
muzzles. The kit also includes a set
of pre-cut masks and photo etched
parts offering seat harnesses and
several smaller parts to fit into the
cockpit.
SH48120 1/48 Bcker B 181
Bestmann
As previewed last month this is a
completely new kit; MPM produced
a kit of the same type long time
ago, but this has nothing in
common with the current effort.
Plastic, resin and etched parts are
accompanied by a decal sheet
printed by Cartograf offering two
German training machines and one
for a rather eye-catching Swiss
aircraft.
RS Models Latest
ew from RS Models this

month is a re box of the 2011
kit of the famous Re.2005.
92194 Re.2005 Sagittario
The
Reggiane
2005 was
the last of
the
Reggiane
aircraft
line to be built during World War II.
The project which started in 1941
was carried out by a team led by
Roberto Longhi, and included
designers Alessio, Maraschini,
Toniolo and Pozzi. Preliminary work
was completed before the end of
the year despite being a new
project, and not simply a
revamping of an existing aircraft
design such as the Reggiane
Re.2002. The resulting machine
was not only rated as one of the
best Axis wartime aircraft, but also

one of the best overall, if not the
best-looking. Its semi elliptical
wings, long nose and large tail
were all distinctive features of this
small nimble fighter.
The Re.2005 was fast and
manoeuvrable and used the Fiat
1,475hp inline license built version
of the Daimler-Benz DB 605
engine. Maximum speed was
391mph, it had a service ceiling of
40,000 ft and a range of 786 miles.
However only twenty nine were
built.
The Re.2005s operational career
began in May 1943 with the 362
Squadriglia and the type was used
to defend Sicily and Italy against
Allied bombers until August 1943.
After the armistice the Germans
seized thirteen examples.
www.rsmodels.cz
SH48176 1/48 Pfalz E

Pfalz Flugzeugwerke GmbH was
established in Speyer in the then
Kingdom of Bavaria in 1913 by
Alfred Eversbusch, his brother Ernst
and several other investors. The first
types to be produced by the new
company were licence built Otto
biplanes, but production rights for
Morane Saulnier monoplanes were
bought before World War I, namely
the Type L parasol wing two seat
monoplane and Type H mid wing
single seater. The latter was built as
the Pfalz E.I and fitted with an 80HP
Oberursel U0 engine. These aircraft
were delivered to Bavarian units,
initially without armament, and
were used as fast scout planes.
Later after being equipped with
machine gun armament with
synchronization gear they became,
along with the Fokker E.I, the first
true fighter planes of the German
military.
The armament of one LMG 08/15
machine gun was mounted on the
right side of the front fuselage and
the machines were used to escort
and protect reconnaissance aircraft
both on the Eastern and Western
Front, and smaller numbers of them
also saw service in Palestine. The
greatest number of Pfalz fighter
planes were used operationally
during April 1916. Later their
numbers decreased and the Pfalz
E.Is were either replaced by a more
modern E.I type or by the much

more successful Fokker E.II and E.III
fighter planes.
A few years ago this type was
kitted by Gavia. Now, thanks to an
agreement with this company,
Special Hobby are able to offer a re
boxing of this interesting World War
I machine. Two sprues with plastic
parts are accompanied by an
etched fret and a piece of clear film.
The decals cater for three machines,
one of which is adorned with the
large coat of arms of the Kingdom
of Bavaria.
SH72306 1/72 Fairey Barracuda
Mk II Home Fleet
The Barracuda was kitted by
Special Hobby many years ago as a
short run model. Now it is time for
something really completely
different. This new Barracuda kit is
being made using three all metal
mould tooling blocks and its highly
detailed grey styrene plastic parts
will be accompanied by one clear
parts sprue. The decal sheet caters
for two options, both of which saw
action over the Atlantic, one
adorned with a striking nose art.
There will be also an option for the
modeller to arm his Barracuda with
either the torpedo slung under the
fuselage or a 1,600lbs bomb. The
model also comes with under wing
bomb racks.
www.specialhobby.eu
ew from Fly is a whole range of

kits covering the Grunau Baby
glider in 1/48, and a very nice
looking version of their 1/32
Hurricane, this time as a Sea Hurricane
Mk IIc. Further reissues of the 1/144
DC-9 are also available.
1/32
32014 Hawker Sea Hurricane Mk.IIc
1/48
48024 Grunau Baby IIb Brasil
48025 Grunau Baby IIb
Czechoslovakia
48026 Grunau Baby IIb, Germany
48030 Grunau Baby IIb NSFK
48031 Grunau Baby IIb Poland
1/144
14421 DC 9-30 Kuwait Air force
14424 DC 9-40 OZARK
14428 DC 9-50 North Central /
Republic
www.fly814.cz
Hannants/UMM-USA
15
THUNDERSTREAK
By Des Brennan
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Redux Models
Redux packaging consists of a sturdy plastic

box with an A4 sheet based on the book cover
taped onto the inside of the lid
Redux contents with two sets of

Revell/Monogram parts in the open box with
book, masks and double decal sheet
alongside
Double decal sheet provided by Redux but

printed by Hi-Decal with only the options on
the left hand sheet 48004 being covered in
the instructions and book requiring some
further research to identify those on the right
hand sheet 48010
ad the family lines of Captain Edmund

Blackadder and his batman Private Sodoff
Baldrick not been brought to an abrupt
halt going over the top on the Western Front in
1917 they may well have survived to pursue a
career in diplomacy under the disastrous
leadership of Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay
Melchett and his sycophantic aide Darling and
become prime candidates for any satire on the
cunning plan so cunning you could stick a tail on it
and call it a weasel that resulted in the Suez
Campaign of October and November 1956.
Put very, very simply the Suez Crisis arose
from one of many contentions being stirred up
across North Africa and the Middle East by the
nationalist government in Egypt headed by
Gamal Abdel Nasser and specifically involved
breaking previous agreements by nationalising
the Anglo-French Suez Canal Company. The
aforementioned cunning plan was then hatched
between the United Kingdom, France and Israel
whereby the latter would launch a pre-emptive
strike (Operation Kadesh) into Sinai against
Egypt with the resultant fighting threatening the
eastern bank of the canal. Cue the other two
whose demands next day for a ceasefire would
on the following day manifest themselves as
military intervention (Operation Musketeer or
Mousequetaire) to enforce said ceasefire (i.e. also
attack the Egyptians) theoretically keeping the
canal safe, protecting trade, especially oil routes,
and other shared or uniquely national interests.
Process of installing the earlier style of rear

fuselage ventral strake with original kit parts
on left through to the replacement fairing
fitted at right
Russian threats of nuclear retaliation in

support of its client state, American threats of
economic sanctions against its client states and
widespread condemnation of Tripartite
Aggression across the region, ironically loudest
from governments against whom Nassers Arab
Nationalist rhetoric was fomenting internal
dissent, discord and attempting to overthrow
said established governments, resulted in a
genuine ceasefire and withdrawal within days.
Hindsight is said to be a perfect science but in
this case goes no way to answering whether any
of the threats made could or would have been
carried out. Nor can it be said if seeing the
campaign through to some form of conclusion
would have restrained President Nasser from the
regional disorder that he continued to inspire
during his remaining decade and a half of rule or
whether it would have merely escalated events
and more quickly precipitated todays sad state
of constant active or impending crisis across the
region.
Perhaps one of the more unusual aspects of
this overall unusual campaign was the
appearance of French Arme de lAir owned and
operated Republic F-84F Thunderstreak fighters
in Israeli Air Force markings. A perceived danger
of the Israeli pre-emptive strike scenario was
that Egypt would be able to launch its own
numerically greater and nominally better
equipped air force in attacks against civilian
targets in Israel. Therefore in order to boost
Israeli air defences F-84Fs from various Arme de
lAir units were deployed to Lod operating as the
fictional 200 Tayeset (Squadron) with some
wearing Israeli markings in place of their French
roundels. These aircraft were initially involved
Removed larger style kit provided ventral

fairing at top with a section of sprue/plastic
card used as a basis for the replacement in the
centre of the image and finally the completed
original style strake at bottom
THUNDERSTREAK
solely in air defence but subsequently along
with other Arme de lAir Thunderstreaks based
in Cyprus performed a full range of operational
missions including very successful long distance
attacks effectively destroying the Egyptian IL-28
bomber force on the ground. However beyond
the relatively short period of time between the
build up to Operation Kadesh launched on 29th
October until the start of Operation
Musketeer/Mousequetaire on 31st October
accounts are contradictory as to whether or not
Israeli marking were retained for such offensive
operations or if full French colours were
reinstated.
More generally, between 1955 and 1966 the
Arme de lAir operated over 320 F-84Fs in
thirteen squadrons, some throughout the entire
period and others for shorter times. In total over
2,700 F-84Fs were built and were flown by eight
nations with some lingering on in Greek service
until 1975, but France during the Suez campaign
was the only operator to use them in an actual
shooting war. The only other action
acknowledged was in August 1962 when two
Turkish Thunderstreaks shot down a pair of
straying Iraqi Il-28 bombers.
Thunderstreak in 1/48
There are several kits of the F-84F available in
1/48 but the example originally produced by
Monogram around 1984, and subsequently
Revell seems to have been considered fairly
accurate. The kit has recessed control surfaces
and some panel detail although the vast
majority of the latter is raised and the rear
fuselage and tail is described by some as being
out by a millimetre or few. It also seems to have
much in common with the kit released more
recently by Kinetic and later re boxed by Italeri
with some major parts being interchangeable,
and while this later kit has engraved panelling
overall some new errors seem to have been
introduced that detract from this improvement.
Although having both available I chose to use
the Revell/Monogram parts but as released in
rather an unusual format and marketed under
the brand name REDUX in 2007. This combined
two complete sets of parts along with vinyl
masks for wheels, glazing, wing and fuselage
squadron colour and Suez stripes along with
Samuel Prtats book on the aircraft and a
double decal sheet, HDL RDX48004 and
RDX48010. The complete package came in a
clear plastic box with artwork based on the book
cover taped to it and all for much less than the
cost at the time of two standard kits. On the
downside the instructions were
solely in French, and in
these and the book only
the options on one of the
two decal sheets, 48004, were
described, there is no stencil
decalling whatsoever, the split
French/English text book
has in some instances
whole sides of the page in the former
translated into a single paragraph of the
latter, and there are no instructions on
using the masks. Overall this concept
seemed to be a cunning plan with
excellent potential but just like
Blackadder and Baldricks schemes
a little more attention to detail
would have helped, although as it later turned
out this initial assessment was perhaps
misjudged.
Neither manufacturer nor importer ever
responded to
correspondence
about the issues
mentioned and sadly no
further aircraft kits have been
released under that brand name. But
as both decal sheets carried product codes
beginning with HDL I contacted
Hi-Decal recently while
preparing this article to find out if
the decals had originated with them.
The reply
from
Diego
Rogoz
not only
confirmed that
this was the case
but went on to
explain what REDUX
had set out to
achieve, which was
to release two
separate boxings of the kit each based on one of
the two decal sheets along with the masks and a
separate sheet of dry transfer sheet stencil data,
one of which would have included the book
mentioned as a Premium Edition. However tax
issues meant that these plans were never
realised and instead the available components
were marketed as described above less the
stencil data, which seems never to have gone
into production. Diego also provided details of
the aircraft covered by sheet 48010, which
might be of interest to anyone having a copy as
being 0-26370 of the West Virginia ANG in
overall ADC Grey, FU-28 of the Belgian Air Force
in South East Asia camouflage, 4-SW from EC.1/4
Dauphin and 1-PJ from EC.3/1 Argonne of the
French Air Force both in natural metal finish with
the former having a red fuselage arrow and the
latter green diagonal fin stripes and Suez
markings requiring use of the masks already
mentioned.
The kit itself like most Monogram products is
a joy to assemble with only the raised panel
detail being a
problem if
that sort
of thing
bothers
you. The
instructions show
Mk 7 nuclear
weapon and JATO (Jet
Assisted Take-Off ) bottle
parts which would seem only
ever to have been
included in a
minority of the
several
Monogram/Revell
releases of the kit over the years.
Regrettably these parts were not
included and while the former is
definitely not at all relevant to
Suez it would have been a
handy addition to the spares
box while the latter, reportedly
direct
from
US
stocks
before
politically
expedient outrage
arose, were used by
Arme de lAir F-84Fs
during the
campaign. However
there is one area that
requires attention and
this involves the
enlarged ventral tail
fairing incorporating
the brake parachute.
This was originally added
to Block 75 standard
aircraft, which were the last
batch to be built before
production ended in 1957 although the
modification was subsequently retrofitted to
most early examples. From the photographic
evidence available it is apparent that the subject
aircraft, F-84F-60-GK 52-9029/1-NX from EC.1/1
Corse, and possibly all participating
Thunderstreaks, did not have this modification
at the time in question. This necessitates some
work on the rear fuselage halves and the
integrally moulded enlarged fairing to backdate
them to the original smaller strake. Oddly the
box art for the Italeri (originally Kinetic) kit of an
aircraft from EC.1/3 Ardennes in Suez markings
shows this but the parts provided mirror those
from Revell/Monogram in style. However the
more recent HobbyBoss kit, while still only
providing the enlarged fairing, does so as a
separate part thereby avoiding some of the
conversion work described below.
Building a Suez Crisis Thunderstreak

The process starts by quite simply removing
the existing integrally moulded ventral tail
fairing from each fuselage half. Rather than
attempt to match the elongated oval space thus
exposed I extended the gap created into a
rectangular shape to fill more easily with
sections of plastic card bent slightly as
required to follow the curve of the
fuselage. From there both
restored
fuselage
halves are
ready to be
joined
(subject to the
caveat below) when that
stage of construction is
reached after which a new
narrower and shallower
original style tail strake can be
added. For this I used a length of
suitable U cross-section sprue on a
plastic card plinth sanded to shape to
provide a completed 51mm long
strake. Drawings for this in 1/72, which
need to be enlarged to 1/48, are available
in Warpaint Series No. 100 and from the
instructions sheet of a Colorado (formerly
17
THUNDERSTREAK
Carpena)
Decals sheet for the F-84F, which
supplied much of the stencilling
required.
Otherwise building of the kit
generally followed the instructions
using the parts provided and as the
raised panel lines were for me at
least not an issue I left them as
they were. The cockpit tub,
rear bulkhead, control
column, manual back-up
hydraulic system and instrument panel all with
raised detail were fine as provided bar the need
to replace the rather blobby throttle control
from scrap and accentuate some of the detail
moulded into the fuselage halves by scribing
around them. The four piece ejection seat comes
with reasonable moulded strap detail and only
lacks what seems to have been a canvas flap
easily supplied from scrap card to sit between
the rear guide rails to protect the drogue gun
below. The seat firing grips however come in the
lowered live position but were for me at least
too finely moulded to risk altering. The kit is
provided with two ventral centreline hooks to
support JATO bottles, altough my references
showed only the forward of these fitted with a
very slight bulged fairing in place of the rear
hook.
Otherwise general preparation included
drilling out the gun muzzles in the nose and
lower wing roots as well as some vents in the
fuselage to give a better sense of depth. The
outer wing pylon location holes were filled as
the few available images of the subject in Israeli
markings do not show them fitted. As
mentioned previously final assembly required a
little forward planning as the stages of painting
and finishing that followed would involve using
the rather elaborate masks provided. This meant
that the fuel dump pipe fitted from inside the
starboard fuselage half was installed and the
pipe then sawn flush with the fuselage and holes
drilled for later reattachment using a fixing wire.
Meanwhile the removed pipe area was put away
somewhere so safe that a new one was later filed
from plastic tubing
and used
instead.
Tailplanes
were left off
until after
painting as were
the main
undercarriage doors
each
in pencil, masking with
Tamiya tape and then
painting as required.
Painting and Decorating

Although there are many contradictory
drawings of the subject aircraft in print and
online there are very few photographs of the
real thing and these do not clearly show
whether or not Suez stripes were carried on the
wings and if the red of the squadron colour on
the wing tips, tail and rear fuselage was also
carried on the tips of the tailplanes. I decided in
both cases to include these and also made the
choice not to paint over the steel coloured
upper wing air brake when applying the wing
stripes and wing root no step area.
Other than using Humbrol 155 Olive Drab for
the anti glare shield and again with 226 Interior
Green for the interior, Games Workshop/Citadel
acrylics were used elsewhere. The airframe was
given two overall coats of
Chainmail/Ironbreaker, slightly diluted to avoid
the uneven shadowing that can result around
raised panel detail, followed by a second more
diluted coat to even out brush strokes. Some
panels were picked out in Boltgun
Metal/Leadbelcher, Mithril Silver/Runefang Steel
and mixes thereof to provide the variations
common on aircraft in a natural metal finish.
Thereafter detail painting was carried out as
necessary prior to my first attempt at using
aftermarket vinyl masks to paint the red
diagonal striping in Blood Red/Evil Sunz Scarlet
across the rather daunting multiple curves and
flats of the vertical tail, fuselage jet pipe and
ventral fairing.
Whether because of the nature of the vinyl
material, or more likely my inexperience with
them, there was some leakage around the
fuselage joints with the vertical tail and ventral
strake which might have been avoided had I cut
the single piece mask strips into three parts to
cover these areas separately rather than attempt
to have them follow the sharp curves involved.
The Suez were less problematic especially as the
subject carried only the one stripe compared
to the more usual three yellow ones
separated by two black used
by most other
under the
wing, although being
moulded integrally with
undercarriage legs and
locating tabs meant that these
could not be temporarily fitted
closed for masking the wing
stripes. This was done later by
holding the doors against the
painted stripes, marking the limits of
participating Arme de lAir F-84Fs. A final touch

was to pick out wing and fuselage air brake spill
holes as well as outlining control surfaces and
some major recessed panel lines in soft pencil.
Klear provided a glossy surface for
decalling using the aircraft
specific decals provided by the
kit supplied Hi-Decal produced
sheet 48004, which were
superbly thin with good colour
density and applied easily
without need of any specific
setting solutions. Images of Arme
de lAir Thunderstreaks during their early years of
service do not seem to show excessive amounts
of stencilling and other than one or two items
from the spares box most of the small amount
applied came from the Colorado sheet already
mentioned with its rather heavy detail. This left
the complete model in a high gloss finish overall
so various mixes of Klear and Tamiya Flat Base X21 were applied with a fine brush to provide
matt or satin surfaces as required to tone down
the various colour painted and decalled areas
while retaining the shiny metallic lustre of what
was then an almost brand new aircraft.
Conclusion and References

From there it was merely a case of bringing
together the sub assemblies set aside before
painting to complete my impression of a shortlived colour scheme carried during an equally
short-lived military campaign, which made a
lasting impression on the reputations of the
states involved and the repercussions of which
continue to be felt. Owning, as mentioned, other
F-84F kits and now having used one of the decal
options produced for REDUX by Hi-Decal and
been very impressed with the results it is only a
matter of time before I will use some of the
others. My principal references for this project
were:
Republic F-84 Thunderjet, Thunderstreak and
Thunderflash by David Willis in International Air
Power Review Volume 24 published by AIRtime
Publishing
Republic Aviation F-84F Thunderstreak & RF-84F
Thunderflash by Samuel Prtat published by
Minimonde 76
Warpaint Series No. 100 Republic Aviation F-84F
Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thunderflash by
Charles Stafrace published by Guideline
Publications
Camouflage & Markings No.3 The Israeli Air
Force Part One 1948 to 1967 Ray Ball published
by Guideline Publications
P 47 T H U N D E R B O LT
Kinetics Jug With a Little Help from my Friends

By Andy McCabe
Kit No: K320

Scale: 1/24
Manufacturer: Kinetic
www.luckymodel.com
Airscale P47D instrument
panel and cockpit placards
RB Productions RB-P24005 US seatbelts
Kit
instrument
panel on
top and
Airscale one
below it
Instrument panel with upgraded rudder

pedals and Airscale panel and placards
he
Republic
P-47D
Thunderbolt was a single
engine American fighter
aircraft designed and built by
Republic Aviation in the United
States as a fighter bomber in the
1940s. The aircraft was designed by
Alexander Kartvell, first flew on the 6th May
1941 and was introduced in November 1942 into
the United States Army Air Force. Subsequent
other operators included the Royal Air Force and
the French Air Force. Over 15,000 were built
between 1941 and 1945 and the aircraft saw
extensive combat service during World War II in
Europe.
The P-47D Razorback was the most numerous
variant produced with 12,602 built. It was
powered by a single Pratt and Whitney R-2800
radial engine and had an 800 mile combat
radius. The P-47 was armed with eight .50in M2
Browning machine guns mounted in the wings
with 3,400 rounds of ammunition, up to 2,500lb
of bombs and/or ten 5in unguided rockets.
The P-47 was the largest, heaviest and most
expensive fighter aircraft ever to be powered by
a single piston engine and had a complicated
turbo super charging system within the length
of the fuselage, hence the enormous size of the
airframe.
The Kinetic kit of the P-47D Razorback is a rerelease of the Vintage Fighter Series kit in 2008
and Kinetic have now revised the kit with new
plastic parts and decals. There are thirteen
sprues holding 258 parts, in grey plastic and two
sprues in clear plastic, two rubber tyres, one
decal sheet with two options and one
instruction booklet contained in the rather large
box. Surface detailing is very nice with engraved
panel lines at just the right depth and plenty of
options on the ordnance side, while the clear
parts are crystal clear and everything is very well
Cockpit
side walls
with
added
detail and
Airscale
instrument
panel
moulded.
The decal sheet is supplied
by Kits-World and printed by Cartograf
so the quality of these cannot be
questioned. The instructions have
colour call outs for Vallejo paints
but a paint conversion chart
is also supplied.
Construction
The cockpit is
the first step, or
rather the pilots
seat. There are
no seatbelts
supplied with
the kit which
on a model this
size is very
noticeable. RB Productions kindly supplied a set
of their superb belts, RB-P24005, which greatly
enhanced the cockpit seat.
The next area to be tackled was the main
instrument panel. There are two supplied with
the kit, one for the Bubbletop and one for the
Razorback version. The Bubbletop panel is far
superior to the Razorback as the latter has very
little detail to it. There are decals on the sheet for
the instruments but they appear to be for the
Bubbletop version so I had little option, or so I
thought, than to scratch build one.
After contacting Airscale regarding supplying
a set of their instrument bezels and instrument
decals they replied by saying that they were just
about to launch a brand new set of cockpit
instrument panels for this very kit and would
kindly supply a set for the review along with a
set of their cockpit placards, which duly arrived a
few days later.
To say they are a vast improvement on both
the kit panel and any scratch built one I could
have done is an understatement. They saved me
a lot of time and are spot on as far as detail goes.
They fit directly into the kits cockpit without any
modification. I mounted the etched panel onto a
Plasticard backing so that it could be glued to
Cockpit
sub
assemblies
finished
19
Finished
cockpit tub
ready to
add to the
fuselage
Modified
engine
mount
the kits cockpit, then added instrument rears to

the panel and added wiring using Albion Alloys
tube, which bends very nicely into shape.
The moulded in wiring and linkage on the
cockpit side walls was removed and replaced by
styrene rod and aluminium tube. The oxygen
hose was also removed and replaced by a length
of very fine spring that I had kicking around. The
rudder pedals also received a bit of updating as
did the cockpit light on the port side of the
pilots seat.
Various dials on the side walls were replaced
using Airscale etched and decal parts and
switches added using styrene rod. The whole of
the cockpit interior was then sprayed with Mr
Hobby C364 Aircraft Grey Green with various
panels painted black and detailed as required.
Once again Airscale cockpit placards were
applied to finish the area off. The cockpit was
then assembled and set to one side.
The engine was next, and this would be
another big job as the kit parts have very little
detail. I began by assembling the main kit
components and then researching the engine
itself. The kit engine is a later version of the Pratt
and Whitney, which differed from the early
version by having a different ignition ring and
other parts. These were the first to be replaced,
then the pistons were drilled out ready for the
wiring. There is also a ring that goes around the
outer edge of the pistons, which was also
scratch built. The ignition wires were added
using fine alloy tube from Albion Alloys and
then the remainder of the engine was built up.
Whilst this seems like very little work it actually
took the best part of a week to do, but the end
justifies the means.
The engine was then painted, washed and dry
brushed.
The turbo charger intake was now assembled
and work began on the engine mounts, which
are only partly represented as the engine fits
directly to the engine bulkhead and not the
mounts themselves. I removed the mount from
the bulkhead, extended the mount brackets and
made a new engine bearer ring from brass rod
and styrene tube, the former being inserted
inside the latter so that it could be bent into a
ring to be mounted onto the brackets - again a
lot of work.
The oil tanks were now assembled, painted
and fitted onto their respective bulkheads and
then the turbocharger ducting
added. New wiring
and hoses
were
Engine before painting showing the two

different diameters of aluminium tube used
for the wiring
Finished
engine
rear
manufactured from styrene rod and aluminium

tubing and then the whole assembly was
painted and detailed.
Work now commenced on the fuselage. The
turbocharger exhaust outlets are open inside
which would be noticeable on the finished
model, so radiators were made and the ducting
made to close the areas up.
The wing/main landing gear bay spar
assembly was assembled and inserted into one
fuselage half and the cockpit and engine mount
assemblies followed. The engine assembly
cannot be inserted into the fuselage after the
two halves have been glued together, as the
instructions show.
The two fuselage halves were now glued
together with the engine being fitted later on.
The tailplanes were now assembled and glued
to the fuselage. At last a straightforward piece of
modelling!
The windscreen and canopy were now
masked and the windscreen glued into position.
There is no provision to have the cockpit canopy
in the open position so it was just dry fitted to
the cockpit opening.
Work on the wings now commenced. The
retraction mechanism for the undercarriage is
moulded into the upper wing halves, so this was
removed and new cylinders made from styrene
rod and the pipes made from styrene rod and
aluminium tube. Additional wheel well bracing
was also added and the gun and ammunition
bays were now glued into position.
When the two wing halves were glued
together there were large gaps all around the
gun bay and upper wing panels so styrene sheet
was cut and glued into position and then
trimmed to match the profile of each wing.
The navigation lights on the wing tips were
drilled out and drops of clear red and green
dropped into them. These were then glued to
the wings, sanded flush, and then polished back
to clear using Albion Alloys Flex-i-file 3210
Polisher/Finisher sanding stick.
The wings were then fitted to the fuselage,
the fit and alignment of the parts so far had
been excellent.
The bomb pylons and centre line pylon were
fitted to the fuselage and then the tail wheel
boot cover was assembled and glued into place.
The engine was now fitted and the engine cowls
glued together. The cowl flaps were cut using a
razor saw and the edges thinned
with a scalpel and then
bent into the semi
open position
and then dry
fitted over the engine.
A coat of grey primer
was now applied. The gun
bays and wheel wells
were sprayed with
Mr Color 351 Zinc
Chromate Type 1. This
colour differs in various
photos I have seen on the
P-47 so it may or may not
be correct.
The undersides of the
model were
then sprayed
with Mr
Hobby H306
Grey and the
upper areas
with Mr
Hobby
H304
Olive Drab.
When dry the
olive drab was
mixed with off
white, thinned down and
sprayed onto the centre of the
panels to tone them down.
Successive lighter applications
were applied to achieve the desired
result and the same was applied to the
grey underside,
The D-Day invasion stripes were next to be
applied. Because I wanted to fade the edges of
these they were applied after the main
camouflage scheme had been finished so that
when the black and white was removed it would
show the colour underneath. 19mm wide strips
of masking tape were cut and fitted to the rear
fuselage and wing under surfaces. The engine
cowl, tail plane and fin were masked and then
Vallejo 70820 Off White was sprayed on followed
by more masking and Mr Hobby H12 Flat Black.
The masking was then removed and the
model was left to dry for 24 hours before the
weathering commenced. I wanted to weather
the model heavily so the leading and trailing
edges of the stripes were sanded back to reveal
the colour underneath and then a piece of paper
towel dampened with nail polish remover was
wiped across them from front to back to dirty
them up a bit. A thinned down wash of Tamiya
Smoke was then sprayed onto the rear of the
engine cowl and along the panel lines, gun ports
and exhaust ports and then randomly across the
whole model.
The decals were now applied. These are
superb, but the placement guide on the
instructions is not so. It is quite easy to work out
what goes where, especially if you have
researched your subject, without referring to the
placement guide; however the
instructions do not show the locations of
the stencils. Luckily enough they are
designed by Kits-World so an email to
them resulted very quickly in a reply
with the placement guide attached many thanks.
Two options are supplied on the decal sheet:

P-47D S/No.28096 Miss Mutt 348 Fighter
Group, Pride of Lodi Ohio, Lt. Col. Robert R.
Rowland
P-47-D S/No. 276275 Squirt II 405 Fighter
Group, Lt. H. Parker
A coat of Klear was then applied followed by a
coat of dark wash and then another random
wash of Tamiya Smoke and then finally a coat of
matt varnish.
Brake pipes were added to the gear legs with
aluminium tube and then they were sprayed
with Vallejo Metal Color 77.717 Dull
Aluminium as were the wheel hubs.
The tyres were painted with
Tamiya
XF85 Rubber
Black and then fitted to the
gear legs, the gear bay doors
painted to match the wings and then fitted to
the gear legs and these in turn were fitted to
the wheel wells. The tail wheel too was
assembled, painted and then fitted along with
the doors.
The guns were assembled, painted and fitted
into their bays. The gun barrels needed to be
drilled out on their ends before being fitted to
the guns. The prop was assembled and sprayed
and is loosely fitted to the engine to allow it to
be removed so that the cowls can be taken off.
Finally the wing pitot tube and fuselage aerial
were fitted and a long build was finished. There
are underwing stores and fuel tanks supplied for
the model but I chose not to fit them as I think
they spoil the look of the aircraft.
Finished
engine
front
Engine mount and exhaust

bulkheads with additional pipework
Dry fitting the

sub assemblies
Conclusion
Kinetic kits are well produced with good
detailing. The instructions are very vague in
places both at the assembly and decalling
stages so I am grateful to Kits-World for their
prompt assistance in this area. The addition of
the seat belts from RB Productions and
instrument panel and cockpit placards from AirScale greatly enhance the cockpit and my thanks
go to them for supplying their products for this
area. Also the addition of wiring to the engine,
cockpit and wheel wells also greatly enhanced
these areas and Albion Alloys were again kind
enough to supply the parts needed.
The kit itself will build into an impressive
piece without the addition of aftermarket and
scratch built items, but this is a large scale model
and as such any omissions are more noticeable.
The base kit has many fine details, such as the
panel lines basic cockpit and engine and the
decals from Kits-World/Cartograf but I am rarely
able able to make models straight from the box
without adding to or modifying them.
All in all this is a very large impressive model
of theP-47D Thunderbolt Razorback from Kinetic
and well worth the extra
time and effort
to upgrade it.
Undercarriage retraction cylinder and

pipework modifications
Turbocharger
exhaust
outlet
modifications
21
K I 60
Kawasakis Ki-60 Prototype

By Mike Williams
rototype aircraft
hold a certain
fascination to most
aviation enthusiasts and
modellers, sometimes capturing a
memorable craft with fine
flowing aesthetically
pleasing lines, achieving
significant
improvements in
performance
through
Kit No: 92068

Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: RS Models
Hannants/Squadron
incorporating cutting edge

technology and going on to see
an outstanding production and operational
service. But for every successful design there are
dozens of flawed, botched, and aborted
The A5 size instruction sheet is a folded

double sided single sheet. The assembly
diagrams are well laid out and convey this
build in a clear and logical manner
concepts
consigned to
obscurity. I
became
interested in
one such
failure.
Reading into
the overall history
of the superlative
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien,
which all enthusiasts will
accept as one of the most important
Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF) and
versatile light fighter designs of World War II, I
became aware of its Ki-60 heavy interceptor
companion, which Kawasaki was also charged
with developing during 1941.
The integral brass etched fret is

comprehensive and not only enhanced the
final result but was to prolong my modelling
enjoyment
The usual preliminary parts check gives notice

of a nice little 1/72 build
Prototype number one at Kagamigahara

factory airfield in mid 1941 (IJN Department of
Naval Aeronautics)
Although admittedly of poor quality this
image captures all the fine lines of prototype
number two (IJN Department of Naval
Aeronautics)
The favourable impression is only reinforced

by the careful separation of the components
and initial minimal clean-up
Prototype number three (IJN Department of

Naval Aeronautics)
Serviced by mechanics and ground crew of 47

Independent Air Company at Akeno Airfield,
Japan, this is an excellent clear close-up of a
Ki-60 (IJN Department of Naval Aeronautics)
KI60
The Ki-60 was conceived in response to a
1939 Imperial Japanese Army Aviation Bureau
requirement for a heavily armed specialised
interceptor fighter, with the three prototypes
finally built being fitted with imported German
built liquid cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601
inverted V12 engines, and not a license built
Kawasaki Ha-40 version, which the nimble Ki-61
was later to be equipped with. The Ki-60s
engine mount was also different, being a
conventional firewall and steel tube truss
arrangement, while the Ki-61 design was an
integral airframe extension to hold its engine.
The designation of the Ki-60 being a heavy
fighter, while the Ki-61 was light needs
clarifying, as these terms only referred to their
weight of armament with envisaged wing
cannons for the former. Indeed the early
evaluation Ki-61 was actually structurally the
larger and heavier of the pair with an empty
weight of 2,239kg and wingspan of 12m, as
opposed to the Ki-60s 2,150kg, and 9.78m.
The Ki-60 was certainly a complete change
from the usual IJAAF preference for a lightly
armed, highly manoeuvrable fighter with a
lightweight structure, as epitomised by their
dynamic Nakajima Ki-27 and Ki-43, although
their Ki-44 design then being trialled, was finally
to fully embrace the heavily gunned interceptor
role later in the Pacific War, ultimately
emphasised by their superlative Ki-84.
I soon appreciated that due to certain
technical difficulties and adverse test pilot
reports this heavy interceptor proposal was
eventually dropped by Kawasaki in favour of
their seemingly more suitable and adaptable Ki61 light fighter design. In fact the IJAAF had
already shifted its top priority to the Ki-61 in
December 1940, based on the early perception
that the Ki-60 was deemed too small and heavy,
would be dangerous to fly, and unsuited for
further development, but its prototype trials
continued well into 1941.
The full attention of Kawasakis Takeo Doi and
Shin Owada was soon to be completely focused
on the Ki-61, but it is an incontrovertible fact
that the Ki-60 played a significant part in the Ki61 design, which incorporated corrective lessons
learned from the poor characteristics of the Ki60, not a negative accolade one would usually
like to model. But looking into this particular
cancelled proposal did bring to light its
distinctive salient features and envisaged
performance characteristics, and they certainly
were intriguing, to me at least, in a number of
respects.
The first prototype Ki-60 6001 which emerged
on the 6th March 1941 was a conventional
compact, all metal stressed skin monoplane,
with a relatively deep fuselage and tapered
wings with rounded tips. The pilot's seat was
mounted high over the wings rear spar, giving
the fuselage a distinctive humped profile, which
the prominent main coolant radiator housed in a
long ventral bath under the central fuselage
only accentuated, rendering it a solid purposeful
squat configuration.
This prototype was to be armed with two
synchronized Type 1 (Ho-103) 12.7mm machine
guns in the forward fuselage, and two German
made Mauser MG-151 20mm cannons in the
wing, which were to be replaced by Japanese
Type 2 (Ho-5) 20mm cannons in the final
production version.
There is however one query concerning the
armament said to be carried by this trio of
prototype fighters, clearly captured in a
photograph of all three at Kagamigahara factory
airfield, therefore post early May 1941. None
mount any wing armament. There are no visible
gun ports on the wings and while it cannot be
determined if the fuselage machine guns were
fitted, these areas looks flush.

So one wonders when such
pieces were actually fitted and in
what combination (four 12.7mm
machine guns in number three noted).
However such thoughts are secondary to
the performance of the overall airframe.
During the first prototypes initial trial
flights at Fussa near Tokyo a number of
serious issues arose, revealing that
the take-off run was
unacceptably long,
while in flight
some lateral
instability,
excessively heavy
controls and poor
response were reported.
More seriously its spin
characteristics were described as
dangerous, while its stall features caused
concern. Finally a top speed of 370mph had
been expected but only 350mph was achieved,
with a climb rate still well below specifications,
both essential features for an interceptor.
The second prototype 6002 was rolled out on
5th April 1941 and had a redesigned cowling for
better cooling and a more streamlined profile,
while the third prototype 6003 was completed
in late April or early May 1941, and also had its
cowl area further refined to mitigate some of the
more undesirable traits through weight
reduction down to a fully loaded 2,750kg.
Later flight tests at Kagamigahara continued
to be very disappointing, especially when
compared to the Ki-44 design then undergoing
trials, so the Ki-60 proposal was finally shelved
with just the three prototypes produced.
However hard won lessons and invaluable
experience gained in developing and
attempting to correct its flawed design, were
absorbed and incorporated into the final Ki-61
draft.
In October 1941 Ki-60 prototypes numbers
one and three were handed over to the
Kawasemi Butai (Experimental Unit), later the 47
Dokuritsu Hiko Chutai (Independent Air
Company), for further tests and trials. There is no
definite information about the fate of number
two but one reportedly survived the war, only to
be scrapped.
So although it was palpably not a success, it
certainly never saw active service, with even the
eventual fate of the examples built consigned to
obscurity, but in direct relation to the overall
story of the superlative Ki-61 Hien, the
contribution of the Ki-60 cannot be totally
ignored and therefore in any IJAAF model
collection its place is warranted.
The Model
My initial thought was that modelling such an
esoteric subject would be problematic, thinking
that such a rare Japanese prototype fighter as
the cancelled Ki-60, of which only three
examples were built, would not have turned up
as an available plastic model, but even upon the
most casual of appraisals I discovered that I was
not alone in appreciating this particular subject,
with a number of 1/72 models being released
over the years from the likes of Eagles Talon, Try
Angle, Vac Wings, and Wings Models, although I
suspect such pieces are now long out of
production and unobtainable.
One seemingly comprehensive full resin
rendition of the Kawasaki Ki-60 prototype
fighter in 1/48 is I believe currently available
from Planet Models (PLT206), purportedly
featuring finely engraved panel lines, possessing
a well detailed cockpit, boxed in wheel wells, a
propeller with individual blades, reinforced main
landing gear legs, vacform canopy (with spare)
and
two decal
schemes, in quite a seemingly
comprehensive package - all quite
appealing, but with a list price of 51.99 this was
a bit too expensive for me.
Thankfully one relatively inexpensive example
was readily available at the time of writing,
namely RS Models 1/72 limited run presentation,
released in 2010 and following on from their
earlier 2007 (92028) and 2008 (92029) issues of
this subject.
There may be a couple of reasons why this
obscure prototype fighter has received this
respectable commitment from a number of
manufacturers. Certainly the cancelled Ki-60s
interesting prelude status is intrinsic in the
overall Kawasaki Ki-61 story, with a number of its
features and trial results subsequently
incorporated into the successful Hien, an aircraft
that has seemingly been modelled as often as
the Spitfire and Bf-109. This diversion into a
related design is a fascinating little modelling
exercise, especially if finally displayed alongside
a 1/72 operational Ki-61 for comparison.
Clinching this interest has to be the extremely
pleasing solid lines and bulky appearance of this
proposed prototype fighter, just calling out to
be modelled.
Build
I had already worked upon RS Models very
nice 1/72 Tachikawa Ki-94-II and Tachikawa Ki106 models, so I was prepared for a pleasing
presentation of their Kawasaki Ki-60. Typical of
their wares this release is conveyed on a single
medium grey sprue carrying the thirty one
principal parts with a one-piece crystal clear
injected canopy and wing landing light, a fret of
forty five photo etch parts and a well registered
decal sheet.
The packaging is their usual side opening
style, with nice box top artwork showing the
second prototype flying above a Kawasaki Ki-48
Lily bomber. On the reverse there is the final
colour scheme guide for three alternative
examples. The instruction sheet is a simple
monochrome folded four page A5 sized affair
with history, parts plan and eight stages of build
diagrams. All in all this is a comprehensive little
package.
However upon fully appraising what was
offered here I had to question the overall
dimension of RS Models kit of the second Ki-60
prototype, which their text, artwork and decals
claim they have presented. A couple of sources
mention that prototype number two had
extended wings from 9.78m to 10.5m, along
with a slight increase on overall length from
8.4m to 8.47m. It is not established whether this
aircraft was delivered with extended wings or if
they were installed later in the flight test
program, trying out differing shape wing tips,
and clarification on this point is not rendered in
any source that I have consulted.
However RS Models have emphatically
committed themselves towards the unaltered
initial designs dimensions, with their kit coming
out at 11.71cm (8.42m) overall, with a 13.45cm
(9.68m) wingspan, closer to the 8.4m by 9.78m
dimensions of prototypes numbers one and
three.
23
KI60
Upon reflection I decided to continue this
build as number two, given its noted cowl
modifications over numbers one and three,
accepting that I was undertaking a project that
at least would produce a pleasing amalgam of
the cancelled Ki-60 type, if not a definitive model
of this specific machine.
Getting back to the basic model itself, the
plastic is of a very workable high quality
composition with all components well moulded,
possessing no serious flash, sink or ejector pin
marks in any finally exposed areas. The surface
detail is as good as any I've seen in a limited run
subject, with very finely engraved recessed
panel lines, along with pleasing rib detailing
dedicated towards representing the fabric
covered control surfaces. Note, care will have to
be taken in such an assembly as there are no
alignment pins or holes, just flush mating
surfaces, but all parts lined up perfectly well in
my build.
Describing this build has to start with one of
the highlights, its cockpit, which is the
beneficiary of a fair commitment of etch,
replicating some of the finer panels and controls.
The cockpit consists of a plastic floor, two part
seat and control column, to which etched parts
are added in the shape of seat belts, rudder
pedals, instrument panel, sights and sidewall
fixtures. Aft there is a plastic braced semicircular
headrest frame and nicely executed central
support section possessing three round
lightening holes, all quite visible through the
clear canopy.
This one-piece canopy might initially seem
excessively long, but this is simply because its
forward extension will be partially painted to
leave two triangular clear panels to improve
ground taxiing visibility, quite a distinctive
feature on the Ki-60 prototype, carried over to
the Ki-61. This glazed items clarity and
restrained but well defined framing will finally
enable a good view of the cockpits interior.
Note, the instructions do not provide precise
cockpit interior or wheel well information but
such details can easily be derived from similar
features inherent in the contemporary Ki-61
Hien, in which a base dark khaki will
predominate.
Because the Ki-60 had a very prominent
ventral air intake, a fair amount of detailing has
been integrated here, with finely etch grill items
to the openings. One other nice touch in this
scale was the provision of a clear port wing
landing light, instead of the usual outlined
moulded feature. To detail the control surfaces
RS Models have provided separate truly minute
and very fiddly rudder, elevator and aileron
actuating rods on their etched fret, which I
found impossible to install cleanly even with my
finest tweezers and magnifying glass. Others
more skilled can try.
Regarding the area of the engine, one tip
here; the linear exhaust outlets on both sides
of nose are separate items, which fit neatly
into elongated openings, inside which card
blanking strips should be provided just to
provide some level of interior support.
Besides the cockpit, the
other recipient of the
inclusive etch
fret is
the undercarriage, each main leg and fairing

assembly consisting of eight components, with
the legs and wheels in plastic, leaving the three
part main gear doors and two part inner doors
(and tail gear doors) as photo etch as are the
oleo scissors. Usually such doors and fairings are
optionally plastic or etch items but there is no
choice here - you have to use the fine etch, all of
which I found manageable in this area at least.
Finish
For me there was only ever one consideration
for the finish of my model - prototype number
two 6002, whose configuration and appearance
is well conveyed by RS Models in their artwork
and decals. Although some might see it as a
bland option, the prototypes overall bare metal
finish held sway, with its inherent differing
shades of panelling, and this was to see the
concentration of all my efforts, specifically
directed towards replicating this particular
machine.
As usual with RS Models experimental aircraft
releases they have provided a pair of conjectural
What If markings. One represents a hypothetical
captured version in an American scheme and
markings, while the other is purportedly for the
famous Homeland based Ki-61 and Ki-100
equipped 244 Sentai, sporting a mottled upper
camouflage surface but without their distinctive
tail marking. I believe RS Models earlier release
of their Ki-60 also had a speculative 1942 Malaya
based example presented, along with a pair of
1944 Homeland defence fighters from 17 and 47
Sentais.
Each one of the three Ki-60s produced was an
individual, differing from its consorts. Besides
the aforementioned structural and armament
variations, RS Models stated second prototype
6002 obviously has its two thin black rear
fuselage bands just forward of the tail as its
instantly recognisable markings, while 6001
appears to have had a single red one, while the
precise colour of 6003s three bands is unclear.
However one sources said all these prototypes
just had black fuselage bands.
This is emphatically not a bland uniform
finish. Such a bare metal surface is the perfect
base upon which to represent various silver,
aluminium and metallic panels and surfaces,
subtly blending them all together into one
amalgam of exposed metal. Because of their
presumed factory fresh and well maintained
condition I never considered any wear or
weathering, presenting a virtually pristine
aircraft.
One query arose upon consulting early
photographic coverage; it appeared that no anti
glare panel was provided forward over the
engine. However it is confidently presumed that
the provision of this basic pilot aid and standard
Japanese feature would have been applied
for the main flight test program, with
the overall scheme
rendered by RS Models with an anti glare panel

accurate.
RS Models list Gunze Sangyo (Mr
Color/Aqueous) and Agama ranges for their
recommended paints, but I use the excellent
Tamiya Acrylic range exclusively these days, so I
just relied upon their alternatives, primarily their
light grey surface primer, bare metal silver (AS12), chrome silver (X-11), flat aluminium (XF-16)
and flat black (XF-1) predominating on my
exterior work.
As for the minimal decals, these are certainly
quite thin. The smaller items require very careful
handling as these will not give you a second
chance, with the two separate rear fuselage
bands quite a challenge I found. There is no port
wing root walkway patch decal but masking off
and painting will rectify this.
As I have already mentioned, for cockpit finish
and fine paint detailing just refer to the relevant
features conveyed in reference works covering
the contemporary Ki-61 Hien. All I can add to
this is to highlight that the propeller blades and
spinner were generally silver, but the reverse of
the blades was flat brown, with brown warning
bands present near the tips. Red and green
navigation lights are all that are needed to finish
off this nice little display piece.
Close
Upon appraising this build I have to admit
that I entered it with a very biased perspective. I
like RS Models wares - they are relatively
expensive and do demand a higher than normal
degree of care and attention to finish off, which
after all has to be a positive learning point in our
hobby.
I was disappointed by my realisation that the
overall dimensions might not be right, but the
overall trace and fine lines of the Ki-60 design,
capturing its general look and broad impression,
are certainly possessed by this model so I was
pleased with the final results. I am just an
average modeller, not a strict pedantic purist.
Altogether such a release cannot be classified
as mainstream, but despite the lack of helpful
aids such as location pins and holes, RS Models
do usually turn out beautifully crafted models of
exceptional aircraft, which invariably guarantees
a lot of modelling enjoyment.
By itself in an eclectic collection it is an
interesting piece, but in any 1/72 Japanese IJAAF
gathering it is a very welcome addition,
especially within a collection of other prototype
or experimental aircraft such as the petite
Kawasaki Ki-78 kitted by AZ Models, and the
imposing Tachikawa Ki-94-II, also by RS
Models. All in all I would recommend that
you seek out this limited run model while
it is still available.
References
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien by Richard
Bueschel, Schiffer Publishing Ltd,
Atglen, PA, 1996
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien by Rene
Francillon, Profile Publications
No.118, Windsor, 1982
Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien and Ki100 (No.58) by Leszek
Wieliczko, Kagero, Lublin, 2014
Japanese Aircraft of the
Pacific War by Rene
Francillon, Putnam,
London, 1987
Japanese Army Air
Force Camouflage
and Markings of World
War II by Donald Thorpe, Aero
Publishers, Fallbrook, California, 1968.
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YO U N G L I O N
Building the IAI Lavi and the Chengdu J-10

By Tony Grand
am used to my aircraft builds

leading me into new areas of
history and other kinds of
knowledge but this one did it in
spades. It took me into the politics
and wars of the twentieth century
Middle East, the ambivalence of
being a client state of a major
power, and the wider geopolitics of
Sino-American relations and but
Im getting ahead of myself.
I am something of a fan of
Anigrand kits and in perusing their
range some time ago on the
Hannants site, I came across the
Israel Aircraft Industries Lavi. The
following is Anigrands own
statement:
At the end of the 1970s the
Israel Defence Force perceived that
the IAI Kfir was no solution for
future growth so it announced a
requirement for a new combat
aircraft powered by a much more
powerful engine capable of
carrying more armament. In
February 1980, IAI launched the
Lavi program. The development
phase was to involve five
prototypes, the B-01/-02 was a two
seat trainer, and B-03/-04/-05 were
single seaters. The US government
was also interested in the program
and bore 40% of the development
cost. (The Lavis wings were of
composite construction, made by
Grumman and the planes engine
was the powerful and relatively
lightweight Pratt and Whitney
PW1120, which enabled the plane to
carry a substantial weapons load
author). The first Lavi (B-01) made
its first flight in 1986. The handling
was described as excellent. The

second Lavi (B-02) made its first
flight in 1987 but the US
government refused to support the
program as the Lavi was deemed to
compete against the LockheedMartin F-16C/Lockheed-Martin
F-16D Fighting Falcon on the
export market. In 1988 the Israeli
government could not continue
the project without US funding so
the Lavi program was cancelled.
However, IAI used its own finance
to complete the Lavi TD
(Technology Demonstrator) by
using parts from the B-01 and B-02.
The Lavi TD made its first flight in
1989 and was used as a flying
testbed until 1998.
This is succinct and essentially
accurate, a summary of the short
life of a plane intended to provide
Israel with an attack jet (a successor
to the A-4 Skyhawk) for the twenty
first century in the light of the wars
of the 1960s and 1970s. What it
doesnt go into is the problems
within the administration of
President Reagan during the late
1980s. In the words of Secretary of
State Alexander Haig Israel has
never had a greater friend in the
White House than Ronald Reagan.
His Defence Secretary, Caspar
Weinberger, was however pursuing
his own actively anti Israeli, pro
Arab agenda, in the face of the
President and did all he could to
bring about the Lavis demise.
I didnt buy the kit immediately
but gradually accumulated info and
photos in a computer folder till the
day I discovered that in 2008
aviation publishing house Jane's

had alleged that China's
development of the Chengdu J-10
had benefited from technical
information from the Lavi project,
quoting Russian engineers who
claim to have heard this from
Chinese colleagues. However in
2007 the J-10's designer, Song
Wencong, had denied any
connection with the Lavi, pointing
to similarities with the Chengdu J-9
designed in the 1960s but
discontinued. This was echoed by a
PLAAF major in a 2012 interview.
Were it true, the Israelis (and
naturally the Chinese) would never
have admitted it, as by 2000
advanced technology transfer of
this kind by one of their clients had
become anathema to the USA,
which forced Israel to cancel a sale
of airborne early warning planes
equipped with their indigenous
Phalcon radar system.
Well I bought the Lavi kit and to
add to the fun a Trumpeter J-10 kit.
Cometh the hour, cometh the
book, in this case Lavi: The United
States, Israel and a Controversial
Fighter Jet by John W. Golan, which
I spotted in an advert in SAM a few
months ago. I like a book with
informative pictures but Im doubly
fond of one where the authors
personal knowledge (he clearly has
extensive contacts in Israel),
expertise (he is an aircraft
engineer) and commitment to indepth research (see his
bibliography) jump out at you. He
sets out the unique political and
military environment in which the
Lavi was forged, in a nation that

lives with neighbours who have
pledged to wipe it off the map.
The Kits
The Lavi is just what Ive come to
expect of an Anigrand kit; accurate
in outline (so far as I can tell from
available three views and photos),
adequate surface detail, acceptable
representations of the
undercarriage and a very bare
cockpit. You are offered the option
of building either a single or two
seater version. To rectify the
cockpits shortcomings, as the
plane was similar to and
comparable in size to the F-16 I
used an Eduard etch for an F-16
Plus and a Quickboost ejector seat
for an F-16D. As the wheels could
have been more detailed, for a bit
of class I obtained an Eduard
Brassin set for an F-16CJ. The Lavis
wheels were the same size as those
for the F-16.
The Trumpeter J-10 kit just says
Chinese New Fighter on the box
but it represents the J-10
prototype, which is much the same
as the J-10A service model so far as
I can see, and certainly close
enough to allow comparison with
the Lavi. A look in the box showed
nice surface detail but again not
the most detailed of cockpits. To
help me out there, I bought the
Dream Model etch, which also
includes some small external
details.
YO U N G L I O N
Resin fuselage sections for the Lavi
Israel Aircraft Industries Lavi

Kit No: 7266
Scale: 1/72
Type:IResin
Manufacturer: Anigrand
Overcoming a slight warp
Fuselage essentially
complete with scratch built
instrument shroud added
aving painted the cockpit Dark Gull Grey,

I added the Eduard consoles and
instrument panel. I was then able to close
the fuselage up, using pegs and a small clamp,
to overcome a slight warp in both halves. The
plug to produce the single seat version was
fitted (it has a heap of gubbins behind the seat,
which might or not have been there in the
developed version but which I left as it looks
busy). I then added the fin and at the same time
fitted an instrument shroud made from thin
aluminium shim. On to the wings and the
ventral fins, which went on neatly, with just a
small amount of filler needed at the
wing/fuselage join. I then rattle canned the
whole plane with Tamiya grey primer. I had
decided that rather than the white with blue
trim prototypes, I would produce a
counterfactual in-service machine of the 2000s,
with the distinctive Israeli four colour
camouflage. Before adding the canards to allow
ease of access, I brush painted the first element
of the scheme, Mr Hobby H313, FS 33531 Yellow.
I applied the remainder of the camouflage
pattern following roughly that of an Israeli F-16I
Sufa, shown on Cybermodelers extremely useful
camouflage guide.
I then fitted the canards. As you do so, you
note how close coupled they are . That is they
are very close to the wings, and indeed overlap
them. This gave the plane great
manoeuvrability. On the upper surfaces I
completed the pattern with Mr Hobby H74, Sky
(Duck Egg Green) and H310, Brown FS 30219.
For the undersurfaces and the radome I used
Humbrol Acrylic 127, US Ghost Grey.
canopy. Fitted it twice in fact. The kit item was

resin and a little cloudy, which Klear mitigated.
However it proved difficult to blend the
windscreen end into the nose area and I messed
it up. I therefore replaced it with a one-piece Rob
Taurus F-16 canopy, which is more or less
identical to that of the Lavi. The final bit of
painting was the exhaust, with a combination of
Xtracolor Burnt Iron and Gunmetal. At some
point in the middle of the build I fitted a Master
brass pitot tube.
Now I was proposing to apply some
IsraDecals for a Sufa of 241 The Negev Squadron
from May 2006, but it was not until I was part
way through the painting that I figured that by
that time, the Lavi would have acquired
accretions. The Lavi had a good fuel capacity but
as you can never have enough fuel, conformal
fuel tanks were likely to have been fitted. Those
for the F-16, available from Hannants, did not
conform, I discovered, as the Lavi lacked the
body/wing blending of the former. Plan B then,
which involved modifying the Airwaves F-16
Avionics Spine. Again the Lavi was designed to
carry impressive internal avionics but how about
a hump to carry extra gear and fuel? With a bit of
sanding and filing, a shortened spine fitted well.
After fitting the undercarriage, with the Brassin
wheels, I added the wing tip Python missiles
from the kit, a centreline fuel tank and two
underwing Delilah cruise missiles. The latter
came from the Skunkmodels Workshop IDF
Weapons set. Enough for the whole of the Israeli
Air Force in the Skunkmodels box - excellent
value.
I used a very small part of the content of the
IsraDecal sheet for the Sufa. The stars of David,
the swooping eagle on the fin, the ejector seat
warnings and the refuelling guide markings on
the hump. Enough to indicate how an in-service
Lavi might have looked. The decals went on very
easily over Klear. The canopy framing I did with
thin black decal strip.
Before completing the camo I had fitted the

Wings, fin, intake and ventral fins added.
Primer has been applied and small amounts of
filler added and rubbed down
Sand element of
camo applied and
canards fitted
27
YO U N G L I O N
Chengdu J-10 Vigorous Dragon

Kit No: 01611
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Trumpeter
verall I was very impressed with the way

this kit went together. This was only the
second Trumpeter kit Ive built although I
was less impressed with the intrusion of the
moulding stubs, which was particularly
annoying with smaller and round parts like the
undercarriage legs. On the plus side was the
positive fit of the cockpit tub and the nose gear
bay. The side consoles and the instrument panel
have only faintly engraved instrument detail and
I was pleased to replace these with the Dream
items. Not pre painted but are we not
modellers? I painted the cockpit interior Dark
Gull Grey, as I didnt understand the kit call out.
It says H74 Light Gray Blue, but this does not fit
with either Mr Hobby or Humbrol. The Dream
etched parts to detail the kit ejector seat are
very nice looking. They may or may not be
accurate, as I have nothing to check them
against, but they look realistic.
Closing up the fuselage halves needed a little
clamping but the fit was very good. The wings
also went on well, needing only a little tape to
eliminate the slight built-in dihedral, and a little
filler at the wing/fuselage junction. Ive set the
canards with slight dihedral, following the front
view in the instruction leaflet. It may be too
much or too little in reality, but I found it difficult
to determine from photos on the Internet.
To my eye, the breakdown of parts to produce
the main fuselage/wing structure is well thought
out. Few parts, so I was soon on to the painting
after fitting the Dream metal pitot tube and a
few tiny etched items like the fin aerial. I left the
angle of attack indicators till painting was
complete.
The usual Tamiya grey rattle can was
employed followed by a decision on the main
colours. The kit calls for either a camouflage
pattern of Mr Hobby 337, Greyish Blue and Mr
Hobby 334, Barley Gray or Mr Hobby 308, Light
Compass Gray and 73, Aircraft Gray. I decided to
go however for the J-10 in-service, which I
believe to be Barley (Camouflage) Grey overall
upper side (Xtracolor X17) and the previously
used Humbrol 127, US Ghost Grey, overall on the
underside. After this straightforward brush paint
job I fitted the two-piece canopy with only a
minimum of tape required to mask the frame.
Finally a black radome was added and an
attempt to get some heat effect on the exhaust
with some Burnt Iron, Silver with a little Gold
added and some Clear Blue, but lets just say its
turned out subtle
painting as well. If I hadnt been building this kit

essentially OOB, I would have replaced the nose
doors with metal shim as theyre rather thick.
Some of the Trumpeter decals are OK, namely
the national insignia and the nose buzz
numbers, but the smaller ones were rather
scrappy with some colour bleeding. However all
those I used went on very well.
Conclusion
We can now compare the two planes. Does
the J-10 obviously imitate the Lavi? Well, not
really. Both look a little like F-16s, with a touch of
the Typhoon in the case of the J-10. The latters
canards are close coupled, but not so
dramatically as those of the Lavi and the wing
planforms differ. The Lavis is an arrowhead
rather than the standard delta of the J-10. What
does the man in the know, John Golan, say?
He believes we can paint a partial picture. The
J-10 was developed when Sino-US relations, and
hence Sino-Israeli, were relatively cordial. Israeli
involvement with China seems to have begun at
around the same time that China first opened
diplomatic relations with Israel in January 1992.
Israeli contractors were engaged to provide the
aerodynamic and structural outlines for the J-10.
Golan believes Israeli influence can be seen on
the J-10, a close coupled canard delta planform,
single engine with a ventral intake, twin ventral
strakes and an area ruled fuselage. However the
differences are also striking. Because Chinas
industry was not yet ready for large scale
production of composites, the all metal J-10
could not benefit from a major advantage of the
Lavi, lighter weight (empty weight 15,500lb
compared to the 21,500lb of the J-10), and this
was exacerbated by the need to install a Russian
engine, the AL-31F, which is heavier than the
PW1120 but with lower thrust (18,000lbf
compared to 20,600lbf ). The Russian engine was
also dimensionally larger, necessitating a larger
airframe. Hence if this assessment is accurate,
the answer to the question of Lavi influence on
the J-10 is Yes, mutatis mutandis. Certainly the
J-10 is more like the Lavi than it is the J-9.
I quite enjoyed these builds. They certainly
took me into new waters. A final point; the loss
of the Lavi, which in 1987 Israeli Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres said was better for security than
holding on to the Gaza Strip, may well have left
a scar on the Israeli psyche comparable to that
of the loss of the Arrow on the Canadian and of
the TSR.2 on the British, since in July 2013 the
Israeli Air Force announced that the Alenia
Aermacchi M-346 Master, an
advanced trainer aircraft
under procurement,
would receive the
name Lavi.
J-10 fuselage
halves together
Dream cockpit etch in place
Eliminating a slight
anhedral on the wings
Getting to grips
I fitted the undercarriage and the doors after
A graphic of the Chengdu J-9 suggests the J10 may on the whole be closer to the Lavi
Scale Aircraft
Conversions
32108 A6M5 Zero Landing Gear (Has)
(replacement for 1/32 Hasegawa)
MSRP $16.95
32109 Roland C.II Landing Gear (WW)

(replacement for 1/32 Wingnut Wings)
MSRP $16.95
48310 F/A-18A/B/C/D Hornet Landing Gear (Kin)

(replacement for 1/48 Kinetic)
MSRP $17.95
48311 Boulton Paul Defiant Landing Gear (Ax)

(replacement for 1/48 Airfix)
MSRP $14.95
For Early
variants
(Block 1-20)
check
specific
references.
48312 F-16 (light) Landing Gear (Kin)
MSRP $16.95
For Later
variants (Block
25 & up) and
some Early
which were
retrofitted
check specific
references.
48313 F-16 (heavy) Landing Gear (Kin)
MSRP $16.95
White Metal & Resin Aircraft Parts Since 1990
scaleaircraftconversions.com
M I R AG E
i|x x W|yyxxvx
Mirage F.1CR 33 Escadre de
Reconnaissance in the
1991 Gulf War
Kit No: 72294
Scale: 1/72
By Yoav Efrati

Hannants/Squadron
www.specialhobby.eu
For a flush leading edge and trailing edge

joint, the upper surfaces of the lower wing
halves were thinned with a rasp file. Filler was
needed at the lower wing outboard joint
he Marcel Dassault Mirage F1s career

spans over forty one years. From its 1973
service entry as an air interceptor it
evolved into a reconnaissance platform, which
saw extensive use during the 1991 Gulf War, and
prior to its removal from service in June 2014
was used in Operation Serval against Islamic
extremists operating in Mali. Special Hobby's
new Mirage F.1 provides alternate vertical fins,
lower nose fairings, optional Mk 4 and Mk 10
ejection seats, external stores and a refuelling
probe that enable the modeller to build any
versions of the multi role Mirage F.1 with the
exception of the F.1AZ dedicated ground attack
variant.
Kit Assembly
Dry fit of the upper and lower wing halves
revealed that the lower wing forward and
trailing edges are not flush with the upper wing
halves leading edge slat and flaps. This was
easily remedied by thinning the lower wing
halfs mating upper surface using a rasp file and
sanding stick. Once the lower wing halves were
cemented to the upper wing halves, filler was
used to fill the joint at the lower wing surfaces
outboard end. Please note that there are
two recessed circles on the upper
wing that appear to be
mould flaws. They are not
- these recesses
represent the wings' refuelling openings and

should not be filled.
Nose section half part 59 is moulded with
the pitot tube in place. This thin plastic part is
fragile and was replaced with a durable .005 inch
diameter stainless steel wire. To facilitate its
installation into the sharp radome, recessed
channels were sawn inside the radome halves
59/60 and 59/61. A two centimetre long piece of
stainless steel wire was attached to part 59 with
super glue, using the removed kit part for
dimensional reference. Once the nose halves
were cemented together, the metal rod was
affixed in place using two part epoxy glue
poured into the nose cone. The pitot's elliptical
profile was made by repeat application of
cyanoacrylate glue, speed dried with accelerator
and once the thick blob hardened, it was sanded
to shape with a sanding stick and 280 grit sand
paper.
During this process, the fixed refuelling probe
broke off nose half part 61, so this was drilled
through to be replaced during final assembly. To
prevent this from happening on other versions
so fitted, I have sawn off the probes, inserted a
metal rod at the base, and reinforced the plastic
probe using a strip of brass leaf embedded in
cyanoacrylate glue sanded smooth. Other nose
section parts needing care are the side probes
parts 16 and 17. I lost these items when they
The nose section pitot was replaced with a

metal wire, and the refuelling probe removed
for later installation
The kit's soft plastic refuelling probes were

reinforced with brass leaf and cynoacrylate
glue with a metal rod used at its base
Prior to closing the fuselage halves the exhaust

was painted burnt metal and the cockpit
Humbrol 67. All parts were given a wash of
black ink and dry brushed with light gray
Sheet plastic shim is needed to fill an

excessive gap at the base of the rudder
M I R AG E
detached
from the part tree prior to use. I
suggest that these items be covered with low
tack tape as soon as you open the box, so they
will not be lost during the build.
Fuselage halves 72 and 73 were removed
from their sprue, with special care taken during
removal of the mould gate located on the
canopy sill. The cockpit was assembled onto the
starboard fuselage half part 72 a little differently
than shown in the instructions. The nose wheel
well was cemented in place first, and this was
followed by the cockpit tub and the aft cockpit
bulkhead part 36, which were cemented directly
to the fuselage. This sequence ensured that the
cockpit floor was level with the fuselage. The
customary nose weight ballast was moved aft,
with approximately five grams of fishing weight
cemented above the nose wheel well.
The cockpit was sprayed Humbrol 67 Tank
Grey and the exhaust interior and exterior petals
with Testors Model Master Metalizer no.1405
Gun Metal. These parts were dry brushed with
Humbrol 140 to bring out the embossed detail
prior to closing up the fuselage halves. The
locating pins and sockets are petite and slight
misalignment of the rear engine bulkhead part
42 results in misalignment of the external panel
The kit provided nose probes and blade

antenna were replaced with metal staples and
flat brass wire. For the canopy to sit properly
the cockpit aft bulkhead must be flush with
the fuselage halves
line
detail. This is remedied
by thinning the exposed
portion of the bulkhead prior
to mating the fuselage
halves. In hindsight I
suggest that you do not
attach the exhaust pipe
part 39 to the bulkhead part 42. It would be
better to attach the exhaust pipe to the nozzle
part 40 for easier alignment.
Tamiya Extra Thin welding cement was run
between the fuselage halves and once pressed
together a welding bead formed on the external
surface of the fuselage joints. This was set aside
to harden for several days prior to sanding, in
order to avoid a shallow phantom recessed joint
line, which is extremely difficult to fill or sand
away. While waiting for the fuselage joint to
harden the wings were attached, requiring thick
cyanoacrylate gel filler at the roots. The
preassembled nose section was joined to the
forward fuselage at this time, also requiring
cyanoacrylate gel for joint filling and strength.
For ease of removal the super glue was sanded
smooth within thirty minutes of application as
A comparison view of CMK resin wheels (still

attached to the sprue) with Airfix wheels in
tan, Heller wheels in light grey and Special
Hobby wheels in dark grey
the
longer cyanoacrylate
cement is left to dry, the
harder it becomes to file or sand, which makes
the surrounding softer plastic vulnerable to
excessive sanding or file damage.
Prior to sanding the fuselage centreline joint
the adjacent recessed panel line detail was
deepened with a metal scriber. The fuselage to
nose section joint was sanded with 220 and 500
grit wet & dry, followed by a buff with a scotch
bright skewering pad. Angled nose probes 16
and 17 along with an angle of attack probe and
lower nose antenna were replaced with items
made from metal staples and wire.
The vertical fin attachment came next,
requiring cyanoacrylate gel filler at the forward
end and an excessive gap between the rudder
and fin base was filled with Evergreen Strip. With
the vertical fin cemented in place, speed brake
parts 45 and 46 were added using liquid glue.
Next came the lower rear fuselage ventral fins,
which were attached using liquid cement and
reinforced with extra thin cyanoacrylate cement.
Dry fit of the windshield and canopy revealed
Desert Storm Mirage F.1CRs were fitted with

round chaff/flare dispensers in place of the
customary brake parachute
The aircraft's
camouflage
pattern was
traced using
an H2 pencil
The kit's Martin Baker Mk 10 ejection seats were detailed with seat
belts made of 1mm wide stripes of Tamiya Tape, affixed in place
with extra thin cyanoacrylate. Seats were painted Humbrol 140
grey, with Olive Drab cushions. A wash of Tamiya X19 smoke
diluted with alcohol brought enhanced the details of the seat
31
M I R AG E
the need to trim material from the ramp forward
of the windshield. As a precaution I also
trimmed the sides of the
instrument coaming part C7
so it would not interfere with
the seating of the
windshield. The HUD was
attended to next. Clear parts H7
HUD lens and gun sight H14 are
reversed in the instruction sheet. The
HUD part H14 was installed and its centre
drilled to accept a yellow reflective lens. The
reflective lens was
installed using clear
two part
five
minute
epoxy glue
along with
the gun sight
H7.
The
windshield was
added next by
applying Tamiya
cement to the
fuselage surface
where the windshield
is attached. The
cement softens the
underlying plastic and the clear wind shied
pressed into the softened plastic cements it in
place. Dry fitting the canopy in a closed position
revealed a gap between this and the fuselage.
The culprit was the rear bulkhead part B36
which was not flush with the fuselage. This was
easily remedied by shaving the rear bulkhead
flush with the fuselage rim, scraping it with a
sharp knife blade. The windshield was polished
and protected with Tamiya Tape, while the
canopy and remaining cockpit parts were left off
for later installation.
The kit's Mk 10 ejection seat was spruced up
with 1mm wide strips of Tamiya Tape, fixed in
place with water thin cyanoacrylate cement. The
seat was painted Humbrol 140, with 155 Olive
Drab cushions, black head rest and sand yellow
seat belts with silver and red details.
Prior to installing the intakes details were
added to the upper fuselage as well as scratch
built parts unique to the Mirage F.1CR. Clear
parts aft of the canopy were added at this time
since they have decals applied to them. The
engine intakes were added at this stage to avoid
damage to their thin and soft intake lips. Fit of
these parts required filler and
careful filing of the lower joint
advantage of filling their gap at the root

without softening the plastic. Wing tip
missile rail location is accommodated
through bulged indentations on the rails and
fin base brake chutes rounded cover with a

cylindrical chaff/flare dispenser. This was
fabricated from a 2.5mm diameter rod cut to a
length of 3.5mm with its end drilled to represent
the chaff chutes. Additional kit provided parts
applicable to this variant include
lower nose camera
fairing part
B52, a
Mk 10
ejection seat,
pencil pod part 89 under
the starboard wing, ECM pod part
97 under the port wing, a pair of wing
tanks, a centre line SLAR pod and two
Magic missiles and rails.
Painting
corresponding
recesses in the
wing. Although the
rails location is
assured I
opted for a
stronger
attachment, by drilling
holes through these parts and
inserting brass rod into the wing tips.
This way the rails and missiles may be securely
attached at final assembly with little cement.
The Achilles heels of the Special Hobby
Mirage F.1 are its main landing gear wheels. The
wheels have over inflated donut shaped tires,
disproportionately small hubs with lightning
holes that are too small. I sourced main wheels
from Airfix and Heller Mirage F.1 kits and had a
chance to compare them with the new CMK
resin wheels made for this kit. The Airfix wheels
are nicely proportioned and detailed but are
slightly undersized compared to the CMK
wheels. The wheels found in the Heller kit are of
proper diameter but have a pronounced
rounded tube tire shape. The kit's wheels are a
disappointment but if left with no choice the
wheel hub lightning holes should be drilled to a
larger diameter. I used CMKs wheels for the
model in this article.
Optional parts provided in the kit by Special
Hobby enable the modeller to build a 1991
vintage reconnaissance version of the Mirage
F.1CR. The only modification required was the
replacement of the vertical
due
to
difference in
height. Clear parts H21
and H22, representing the
engine intake mounted
taxi/landing lights, were drilled
through to accept reflective lenses to
be added after the model is painted.
The horizontal stabilizers were attached
and measured for symmetry from the trailing
edge of the outboard panel line to the vertical
fin trailing edge tip - 51.5mm. Extra thin
cyanoacrylate cement was used to affix the
horizontal stabilizers in place, which has the
Mirage F.1 camouflage schemes are applied

with very little over spray, so to replicate this I
use rolled up Blu-Tack to separate the colours. I
first applied the lower surface camouflage
colour Humbrol 140 Neutral Grey, and used the
same colour for the vertical fin tip antenna
fairings. Next the radome, windshield and
canopy were sprayed Humbrol 33 Flat Black.
These were masked using Tamiya Tape and the
upper surface given a coat of Humbrol 148 Sand
Yellow. After the upper surface colour was
allowed to dry for forty eight hours the
camouflage scheme was drawn onto the upper
surface with a number two pencil. The
camouflage pattern was drawn using photos of
the actual aircraft as reference, with corrections
made to the pencil lines drawn using an
ordinary eraser.
To prevent dark paint overspray on the light
camouflage colour more Blu-Tack was used to
separate between the colours and the light areas
were protected from overspray with liquid mask.
For the chocolate brown colour I used Revell 381
RAL8025 brown. The areas surrounding the
wheel wells were masked and the wheel well
door interior surfaces and landing gear were
sprayed Testors Model Master 1781E Aluminum.
The model was sprayed with a layer of Klear
diluted with alcohol in preparation for decal
application and an oil wash. Decals for the
markings of CR-33 were obtained from Syhart
decal sheets 72-906 and 72-907. Decals were
layered in Klear and a mix of grey and brown oil
paint was applied to the kit's recessed detail. The
model was sprayed with a mixture of Klear,
alcohol and Tamiya X21 flat base, to give a semi
matt sheen. Last items to be added were the
external stores, reflective lenses at the
intakes and under the nose, the kit
provided clear
camera
lens
and
painted
on position
lights.
DOLPHIN
Copper States Dolphin

By Dave Hooper
The basic shape revision is mapped out using

layers of thin Plasticard beginning with the
cockpit area
Re profiling
continues with
the cowling
The wicker seat assembly

and main fuel tank
Sopwith 2F.1 Dolphin

Scale: 1/48
Kit No: 1026
Manufacturer: Copper State Model
www.copperstatemodels.com
Photo etch fittings

are added to the
inside of the fuselage
Re profiling
continues with
the cowling
he Sopwith Dolphin was perhaps an unlikely

successor to the Camel, the role for which it
was designed. The use of an in-line Hispano
Suiza engine rather than the more typical rotary
type power plant and the high position of the pilot,
combined with a back stagger on the wings,
designed to give the pilot a good field of view, set
the Dolphin apart from its predecessors.
Nevertheless the type was liked by the pilots that
flew it and was built in large numbers, continuing to
be in use by the RAF up to the end of the war, and
beyond in countries such as Poland.
The Kit
This is Copper State Models first foray into the
world of plastic injection moulded kits and on first
view this appears to be a most impressive entry. The
kit is available in two versions, standard and
premium. Both contain the two plastic sprues
containing all of the main parts. The plastic parts are
beautifully moulded and almost completely free of
blemishes. The detail on these parts has been very

well realised, although a little heavy for my tastes in
some areas. Also contained in both boxings is a
large sheet of photo etch containing a large
number of details including a wicker seat and a
decent pair of seat belts. I also particularly like the
functionality of the photo etch rigging attachment
points, which are designed to fit around the strut
location lug, providing a nice strong anchor point
for the rigging. In addition the premium version
includes a rather nice Resin Hispano Suiza and
equally nice cast metal exhausts, which are already
finished and therefore do not need painting. The
premium kit also contains four decal options
against the two provided in the standard boxing.
The instruction booklet has obviously taken its
inspiration from Wingnut Wings as the layout and
design is almost identical.
Before I begin the build it is perhaps necessary to
explain that the kit does have one Achilles heel in
that the external shape of the kit has been based on
drawings by William Wylam, which suffer in the
accuracy department compared to the more
accepted modern drawings by artists such as Mick
Davis and Ian Stair. Unfortunately some of these
inaccuracies are not easy to fix but it has been my
intention in this article to do what I can to show that
they can by rectified to produce a reasonably
accurate representation of this beautiful aircraft.
Fuselage
The fuselage has a reasonably accurate shape but
suffers in the cowling and cockpit areas, which have
been interpreted as being flat. To be fair to Copper
State Models it is very difficult to see what is going
on in these areas in even the best of drawings and
one has to study photographs carefully in order to
get an idea of what is happening. What is clear from
photographs however is that the cockpit panel
curves outward slightly if you follow the line
downwards from the front cabane strut. This then
fairs into the nose panel creating a more curvy
cowling than the kit provides. Luckily most of the
detail in this area is photo etch so the shape of the
cowling and cockpit areas can be played around
with without risking the loss of too much detail. I
The basic shape is

just about there
and the etch
inspection panel
has been added
The interior
parts are
painted and
fitted to the
fuselage
I reinforced the back of the nose panel with

Plasticard before attempting to reshape the
outside
DOLPHIN
One of two
beautifully
realised
radiators
Plasticard is added to the edge of the

horizontal tail as a first step to improving the
general shape
began to correct the flatness in these areas by
building up thin layers of Plasticard on the outer
surface of the kit part, which results in an effect
similar to those 3D puzzles where you have to build
up horizontal flat pieces in order to complete a 3D
shape (Darth Vader is a popular example). Once I
was happy with these layers the steps at the edges
of each layer were filled in and once dry I used
various sanding sticks and grades of sandpaper to
create a shape similar to what I perceived was
happening in photos. The only detail that I needed
to replace during this process was the edge of the
cockpit coaming.
The openings at the front of the cowling also
need expanding. I filled one of the port side
openings with plastic rod as expansion of its
companion opening meant that second opening
on this side would need to be moved. The other
part of the fuselage that needed some remedial
work was the stringer detail at the rear of the
fuselage. These include what looks like rib tapes in
the position of each spar but these rib tapes are not
apparent on any photographs that I have seen. I
therefore removed them using a scalpel and
sanding stick.
Internally there are a large number of small
photo etch fittings to glue to the end of each spar
or where a spar connects with a longeron. These
include small holes for bracing wire however I
chose simply to glue my elastic rigging to each
fitting. At this stage the rear cabane struts, which
unlike the front struts are not moulded into the
fuselage part, need to be glued in place. The plastic
is quite soft so care needs to be taken when
handling these parts once the cabane struts have
been fitted. The internal parts of the kit have been
well realised and tie up very closely to what can be
Cylinder blanks from the standard boxing

have been fitted
The machine gun/instrument panel sections
The fuselage has been masked and sprayed. I

created a box to fit over and mask the cabane
struts
Fitting the engine block into position. The

height was later adjusted
seen in numerous well known photographs of the

Dolphins interior. If you feel like a bit of scratch
building you could add a Lewis drum rack under
the seat, but I chose not to.
The kit includes two fuel tanks. The reserve tank
that fits in under the rear coaming will not be seen
and therefore is not worth spending too much time
on. I particularly liked the wicker seat construction,
which was very effective once painted and
assembled. At this stage you should also fit the tail
skid, although this part is curved in comparison
with what appear to be quite straight tail skids in
drawings and I therefore chose not to fit the tail
skid at this stage. I did choose to fit the photo etch
cowling inspection panels. With the majority of the
interior complete, painted and fitted in to one side
of the fuselage, the fuselage halves can be put
together. As proved to be the case throughout the
build, these parts fitted together extremely well,
even after I had been tinkering with them.
The nose section of the cowling is best described
as being closest to the style that can be seen on
early Hooper batches (D5201-D5400) and the final
Sopwith Batches (E4629-E5128) in that the shape is
more bulbous than the standard nose panel and as
such does not fair into the cowling as effortlessly as
the more common type of panel appears to do.
Unfortunately this part is fairly thin. You can just
about reshape it, but you need to be extremely
careful. I chose to reinforce the inside of the part
with Plasticard before attempting to reshape.
Finally some photo etch underside panels were
added.
A rather nice machine gun/instrument panel

assembled, painted and ready to fit
The upper cowling panel is fitted into position
Tail, Fin, Rudder and Elevators

This is one of the more noticeable areas of
inaccuracy within this kit. The tail and elevators are
I began applying the Aviattic linen effect

decals to the fuselage starting with the
stringers
The rudder also need some minor extensions
A new fin piece was scratch built from

Plasticard and brass rod
Elevators required an extension to fit my

drawings
35
DOLPHIN
Underside
linen effect
decals all
fitted, prior
to adding
rib tapes
The fuselage complete with cockades added,

mainly to check the quality of the kit decals
Lower wings fitted
During the application of rib tapes I split the

fragile centre section of the upper wing
Rather than try to glue the centre section back

together I used this as an excuse to make a
stronger centre section from brass rod
Photo etch rigging attachments added on the

lower wing
Upper wing etch

attachments in place
The top wing is first fitted

to the cabane struts
Look at the filled strut positions compared to

those on Mick Davis drawings
effectively too short and not deep enough, while
the fin has somehow lost a fair amount of height.
The rudder shape is reasonably correct to Mick
Davis drawings except that the protruding shape at
the top of the rudder that corresponds with the fin
recess is not deep enough.
To correct the tail I simply glued thin layers of
Plasticard to the outside edges and reshaped. I
wasnt too bothered about losing rib detail as I
would be using Aviattic decals for rib tapes. The
elevators were easier to correct. Here I simply fitted
a piece of suitable evergreen plastic strip along the
hinged edge of the elevator, again reshaping once
the glue had cured. The rudder was also very easy to
correct simply by adding a plastic strip to the lower
edge protruding section of the rudder. However, I
felt that the fin was best replaced with a scratch
built item. Here I could not work completely to
drawings as there is something going on elsewhere
with the fuselage/tailplane that also has an
influencing effect. I knew that the rudder was the
correct height and therefore had to work from this
starting point. The fin was basically made from
three layers of thin Plasticard. I began with an outer
layer, to which I fitted two pieces of brass rod that
would protrude from the bottom edge and
therefore act as location lugs. The second layer,
which was roughly the same depth as the brass
rods, was designed to fit around the rods. Finally
another thin layer was fitted on top effectively to
create a sandwich. The part which was initially
made to mirror my drawings, was cleaned up and
the depth gradually adjusted using the old trial and
error system until I was happy that it would be
suitable for the correctly sized and shaped rudder.
Painting and Decals

At this stage it seemed a good idea to take a
break from assembly and paint the fuselage as well
as the tail sections and the wings. With the interior
masked off, the sections were primed with a grey
plastic primer. The intention was to use some of the
excellent Aviattic linen effect decals on the fabric
covered parts of the model. As these are printed
onto a clear background all of these areas were pre
sprayed with a gloss white. Finally I masked and
sprayed the light grey sections after which I began
to apply the Aviattic decals beginning with the CDL
undersides.
Starting with the fuselage, some Dolphins
appeared to have a CDL underside while other were
PC10 as used on the upper side. Deciding which to
use for the underside of my model was therefore
pure guesswork although I did notice that some
other aircraft from the same batch as the option I
intended to build appeared to have a CDL
underside so this is basically what I went with. The
Aviattic decal was laid on to the upper side of the
fuselage in three sections, the rear stringer section
and the two side
panels. To
aid in
getting roughly the
correct shape for the
stringer section I
placed masking
tape over the
area, drew the
shape on
to the
masking tape, carefully removed the tape and stuck

it on to a piece of Plasticard. I then cut around the
drawn shape and used this as a template for my
decal.
In all cases before applying the linen effect decals
I pre weathered the part be simply smudging a
wash of brown in one direction until I was happy
with the effect. For the tail section and wings, rib
tapes cut from a white backed corresponding linen
effect sheet were fitted. These were varnished over
and then leading and trailing edge tapes were also
fitted. I rather like using the Aviattic linen effect
decals as I find them very easy to use and I can
achieve realistic fabric effects with these that would
be virtually impossible with to achieve with paint.
With regards to the kit decals, Paul Thompson very
generously provided me with one of the colour
options from the premium edition, C4157 Muddles
which was an 87 Squadron machine and the mount
of Lt. C.E. Worthington. I also had Pheon Models
Dolphin sheet, produced for the Blue Max Kit, which
contained the same option. This sheet was not only
useful as a backup to the kit decals, but allowed the
option of applying the name to both sides of the
fuselage as well as providing the flight lettering for
the underside. I found the kit decals very easy to use
and chose these in preference to the Pheon decals,
which were only used in cases where the kit
provided no option. For what its worth I chose to
apply the name marking under the cockpit opening
on both sides of the fuselage.
Cowling and engine

The version of the kit that I was using for this
build was the standard no thrills edition. In place of
the resin engine that you get in the premium kit,
you are basically provided with a pair of plastic
cylinders that slot in to the sidewall and a flat blank
to fit into the rear of the nose panel. This is not really
a problem as there is very little to see once the
cowling is closed except that the one part of the
engine that you do see other than the cylinders on
the real thing is the synchronisation gear. This is not
provided in either boxing of the kit. My original plan
was to scratch build the gear from some old watch
parts that I keep just for such circumstances, but
fellow builder Paul Thompson (who was building
the premium version of the kit for a newsletter I
edit) tipped me off that Colin Strachen of
Freightdog was selling the metal parts of his Blue
Max kits, which included the elusive syncro gear. A
quick email pinged to Colin and a small parcel
arrived in the post a few days later. I decided that
the best way of fitting the synchronisation gear into
the nose was to fit part of the Blue Max white metal
engine, so I set about sawing off the cylinders so
that I ended up with a white metal
block that I could fit the
synchronisation gear into. Initially,
and you may notice this in
DOLPHIN
Interplane
struts are spring
fitted working
from the inside
bay outwards
The undercarriage using the Blue Max struts
has been fitted
This photo shows the difference between the

CSM and Blue Max undercarriage struts. Also
note that I have reduced the length of the axle
part by removing some of the middle
photos, I fitted the gear and engine block too high,
but later realising my mistake removed the nose
section and refitted the engine block to a more
suitable height.
Before fitting the cowling coaming the machine
guns, magazine feeders and instrument panel
section needs assembling and fitting. This is a little
kit in its own right and for me one of the most
impressive sections of the product. The two plastic
Vickers MGs are easily completed with a pair of
small etch details. A small etch magazine feeder is
assembled and fitted between the machine gun
mount/cartridge chutes and the instrument panel.
Once the whole thing is assembled and painted the
whole section looks very impressive. The only
improvement I would make would be to include
decals for the instruments. This section slots into
the underside of the cowling coaming piece, which
then should slot nicely on the fuselage. The only
mistake I made here was to remove the used
cartridge chutes on the coaming piece as they were
mistaken for excess sprue.
Once the coaming and nose panels are fitted
there are a number of small fiddly etch parts to add.
I rather feel that the kit would work better if these
details were moulded in plastic rather than
provided in etch form but having since conversed
with Edgar Lipinsh of Copper State Models about
this I can at least understand why in the case of this
kit the details were provided in this way. Finally the
side radiators were assembled and fitted. These are
also little gems, which are easily assembled from a
combination of plastic and etch parts.
Wing Assembly
The wings are provided in three sections, two
lower wings that fit into each side of the fuselage,
and one single upper wing piece that incorporates
the open framework in the centre above the
cockpit. The first thing that was required once the
wings had been removed from their sprues was to
correct the position of the interplane struts, which
are significantly inside where they should be
according to both Mick Davis drawings in the Cross
and Cockade book and Ian Stair's drawings in the
Windsock Datafile. This is simple to rectify by filling
in the original holes and drilling new ones. The rib
positions on the wings do not match up with
drawings either, but I chose to leave this alone
rather than go through the lengthy process of
correcting.
The kit also supplies what I assume are etch
pulley inspection hatch plates for both the upper
and lower wing, however I could find no
Sutton harness has been added using a spare

Eduard part
photographic evidence of these and decided to not
to fit them. The framework on the upper wing is
very weak and I eventually managed to break mine
while applying Aviattic decals. I chose to use this as
an excuse to replace this section with one made
from brass rod. The lower wings fit into the fuselage
via some fairly small location lugs. I did not change
these but the build would benefit from replacement
of the location lugs with longer brass rod
replacements.
What I really do like about this kit is the method
of rigging attachment that has been provided.
These are essentially small photo etch parts, which
are trapped between the strut and the wing
providing a very solid rigging point. The pieces are
not designed for accuracy, but in 1/48 this would
not bother me. Practically, they are very cleverly
designed. Each of these rigging attachment pieces
was carefully bent to shape and glued to the wings
so that the holes in the centre of the attachments
corresponded with the strut attachment recesses,
being very careful not to get glue in the holes
intended for the rigging. At this stage you also need
to drill a few rigging points into the fuselage sides
that are not covered by the etch attachments. I then
chose to fit the top wing onto the cabane struts
ensuring that the upper wing aligned correctly with
the lower wings from all angles. Then, starting from
the inner bay I began spring fitting the struts. I
rigged the entire inner bay before moving outward
and following the same process. Unfortunately it is
here that numerical dyslexia hit as I inadvertently
fitted outer bay struts to the inner bay. There is a
difference between inner bay and outer bay struts
that Copper State Models had got reasonably right,
but which I failed to spot until it was too late and so
I decided reluctantly to live with inner and outer
bays struts that matched. I do feel however that the
struts in both the inner and outer bay are a little on
the heavy side and would benefit from a reduction
in substance and in width.
Rigging was within my comfort zone. My general
routine was to double knot the upper wing
attachments and lock with a drop of super glue.
Then I pull the rigging tightly through the
corresponding bottom rigging point which I again
locked with superglue. Once the glue was dry, I
carefully double knotted and added a drop of glue
to the knot. Once everything was dry I removed the
excess rigging material (which in this case was
smoke coloured mending thread). At this stage I did
not fit the ailerons as I was concerned that they
would become damaged from my customary rough
handling of the model.
37
DOLPHIN
The outer
white rings
are removed
from the
underside
decals
Cartridge ejector chutes

have been scratched from
brass rod and plastic strip
I have begun to
fit the ailerons
Undercarriage
I have to say that I do not particularly like the
undercarriage in this kit. For one thing the struts are
a little too long and gangly looking. The axle piece
is also too long, which I think is probably at least the
reason why the struts are too long, as the angle of
the struts will be greater and therefore in theory the
length of the struts needs to increase to
compensate. In comparison, the Blue Max white
metal struts I obtained from Colin are almost
perfect and I therefore took the decision to use
these in place of the kit parts. I did choose to use
the kit axle but I cut this down to a usable length in
the centre and re glued the halves together, using
some brass rod to reinforce the joint that I had
created. At this stage I also fitted the tail skid, which
again came from the Blue Max parts.
The wheels
ready for fitting
Final Touches
The completed tail section
This view shows the addition

of the exhausts and scratched
cartridge ejector tubes
A window and
frame is fitted
I had made the decision to leave off the exhausts

until late in the build, mainly as there were no solid
fitting points for these parts and I felt that they
could be easily damaged if attached earlier.
Obviously the trade-off is that at this late stage in
the build they are a little trickier to fit. At this stage I
also added a few idiosyncrasies to the particular
machine that I was modelling. Photographs of
C4157 appear to show a Sutton style harness
hanging from the rear central wing frame. I did have
an Eduard Sutton style harness in my spare box,
which I used to simulate this. 87 Squadron aircraft
were also often fitted with cartridge case ejector
tubes under each side of the fuselage opening
behind the exhaust and photographs of C4157
clearly showed that these were fitted. These were
simply made with a combination of brass rod and
plastic strip. Another late addition is the gunsight
and windscreen, the latter featuring a very nice etch
frame. The windscreen, cut from pre marked
acetate, has a hole that needs to be drilled out to
accept the gunsight.
At this stage I fitted the ailerons, elevators and
rudders, all of which had been given etch control
horns, which I fitted into slots that I had cut into the
control surface with a scalpel. Control lines were
then fitted using mending thread for the aileron
lines and EZ Line elastic for the elevator and rudder
cables. Its worth noting at this point that the
underside cockades provided have white outer
rings. While it is true that some Dolphins had
cockades with white outer rings it was more
common for them not to and while there is no
evidence either way on any of the options provided
common sense suggests that cockades without a
white ring would be preferable. To correct this I
attempted to remove the outer ring with an Olaf
rotational cutter. My angles of rotation were a bit off
but hopefully it is not too noticeable.
The better
kit prop
against
drawings
The wheels were painted and wheel covers

covered with Aviattic linen effect decal with a pair
of centre white circles from the Pheon sheet added
to the middle, as these were not available from the
Copper State Models sheet. A nice photo etch pitot
tube was added to the outer starboard strut and
finally I took a look at the available props.
Unfortunately neither of the two propellers
supplied were perfect for a standard production
Dolphin. One of the two props is very close to the
propeller used on the prototypes while the other
has very curved blades and in shape is closer to the
prop of a Dolphin II, but with the opposite rotation.
Of the two props, the prototype was closer to what I
would ultimately require. It needed new tips fitting,
which were cut from a prop from my spares box,
and reshaped but I ended up with something
reasonably passable. The kit does not supply any
Lewis guns which were standard fittings on many
machines, but were sometimes removed in the
field. The particular aircraft I was building did not
appear to have a Lewis fitted at the time it was
photographed so I was happy not to include one,
which otherwise would have had to come from my
spares box.
Conclusions
I have recently read a fair number of enthusiastic
in box reviews and forum mails that claim that this
kit is effectively the quality of a Wingnut Wings
product in 1/48. I would beg to disagree and would
rather say that the kit has the potential to be a 1/48
Wingnut Wings beater, but has been primarily let
down by the choice of drawings on which the kit
was based. To be fair to the current owner and staff
of Copper State Models there have been specific
reasons why this model was allowed to be released
and I do believe that the new owners are keen to
make sure that future releases do not suffer from
the same basic issues and are if anything ahead of
the game in terms of accuracy. I know that there is a
lot of work currently being carried out to ensure
that the FK8 kit is perfect.
As a first foray into injection moulded plastic, this
is an extremely impressive product and despite
accuracy issues was a thoroughly enjoyable kit to
build. Visually this is a nice model that has the looks
of a Dolphin and is easily buildable out of the box.
References
Sopwith Dolphin: Windsock Datafile no. 54 by
J.M.Bruce, Albatross Publishing
The Sopwith Dolphin in RFC, RNAS, RAF
and Polish Service, Cross and Cockade
International
Dolphin and Snipe Aces of World War 1 by
Norman Franks, Osprey Publication
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
ISSUE 08
6
k s/n 52-693
Thunderstrea rd USAF
F-84F-55-RE
ua
G
l
Air Nationa
of the Ohio
The F-84 Demystified

By Richard Mason
hen is an F-84 not an

F-84? Answer: when it is a
different F-84. Of course
the differences are obvious and no
true aviation expert would ever be
so gauche as to mistake them for
the same aircraft but the confusion
that arises for the layman in coming
to terms with the various
designations of the
Thunderjet/Streak/Flash is
inevitable and warrants a brief
excursion into the prehistory of the
swept wing fighter bomber that is
our focus, to its plank wing
progenitor, the F-84 Thunderjet.
Korean War, flying 86,408 missions

and destroying sixty percent of all
ground targets in the war. Over half
of the 7,524 F-84s produced served
with NATO nations, and it was the
first aircraft to fly with the
Thunderbirds demonstration team.
The USAF Strategic Air Command
had F-84 Thunderjets in service
from 1948 through 1957.
Blazing a trail for its swept wing
successor, the Thunderjet was the
first production fighter aircraft to
utilize in-flight refuelling and the
first fighter capable of carrying a
nuclear weapon, the Mk 7 nuclear
bomb.
The Republic F-84 Thunderjet

originated as far back as 1944 with
The rationale behind the 1949
a USAAF proposal for a day fighter,
inception of the Thunderstreak was
with the aircraft first taking wing in
the hope of bringing the F-84s
1946 and entering service in
performance to the level of the
1947.The aircraft initially suffered
F-86. The last production F-84E was
from serious structural problems
fitted with a swept tail, a new
that almost led to the total
cancellation of the
programme but
60 in flight
matters were
-84H s/n 51-170
tal Republic XF
perimental
en
eventually resolved
ex
rim
to
pe
in
d
ex
te
e
Th
Fs were conver
84
Fo
rboprop
Tw
tu
and by 1949 with
6.
-1
/5
-A
in 1955
Allison XT40
an
ith
w
d
ng a
te
fit
the F-84D a mission
(4,365kW ) drivi
aircraft, each
aft horsepower
-84H
sh
XF
0
e
85
th
capable design had
5,
ed
of
bb
ne
du
engi
Ground crews
r.
le
el
l
ve
op
le
pr
been achieved,
ic
ise
superson
extreme no
eech due to its
although it was not
the Thunderscr
to achieve its
definitive form until
1954 in the shape of
the F-84G.
The Thunderjet
became the USAF's
primary strike aircraft
during the
Republic YF-84J
Thunderstreak
in fli
ght
F-84F Thunderst
reaks from the US
AF Thunderbirds
aerobatics team
flying in formation
in 1955/56
wing
with 38.5
degrees of
leading edge
sweep and 3.5
degrees of
anhedral, and a
J35-A-25
engine
producing
5,300 pounds
(23.58kN) of
thrust. The
aircraft was
designated
XF-96A and first flew
on 3rd June 1950. Although the
improvement in performance over
the F-84E was comparatively minor
the new design was ordered into
production in July 1950 as the F84F Thunderstreak. The F-84
designation was retained because
the aircraft was initially expected to
retain something like a fifty five
percent commonality in tooling
with its predecessor, an optimistic
assessment as it was to turn out.
In the meantime, the USAF,

hoping for improved high altitude
performance from a more powerful
engine, arranged for the British
Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire
turbojet engine to be built in the
United States as the Wright J65. To
accommodate the larger engine
both YF-84Fs with the British built
Sapphire as well as production F84Fs with the J65 had a vertically
stretched fuselage, with the air
intake attaining an oval crosssection. As a result of this
production quickly ran into
problems and the anticipated
tooling commonality with the
Thunderjet was adversely affected
to the extent that barely fifteen
percent of tools could be reused.
Design requirements also stressed
the use of press forged wing spars
and ribs at a time when production
of these was restricted to three
plants and priority was being given
to B-47 Stratojet bomber. The YJ65W-1 engine, furthermore, was
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
the conflict ended before the swept
wing design was ready.
7
ichigan ANG 12
RF-84F of the M
oup, 1960s
Gr
e
nc
sa
ais
nn
Tactical Reco
considered
obsolete and the improved J65-W-3
did not become available until
1954.
The first production F-84F finally
flew on 22nd November 1952 but
differed from the test aircraft in
having a different canopy that
opened up and back instead of
sliding to the rear. The airbrakes
had been moved from the lower
fuselage to the sides and the
aircraft was not considered ready
for operational deployment due to
control and stability problems. The
first batch of 275 aircraft, equipped
with
prominent
kink. On a hot day
7,500 feet of runway
were required for
take-off roll. A typical
take-off speed was
160 knots (185mph,
300km/h) but like
the Thunderjet, the
Thunderstreak was
at its best at its
cruising speed and
had predictable
handling
characteristics
within its
The initial RF-84F contract only

called for two prototypes (later
reduced to one), but the Air Force
had confidence in the new machine
and fully believed it would offer
improvement both in speed, and
endurance. The aircraft would also
be able to fly night missions by
using magnesium flares carried
under its wings in flash ejector
cartridges. A first batch of 130
aircraft was ordered without delay.
the ANG's 117 Tactical

Reconnaissance Wing, equipped
with about sixty RF-84Fs while
operational requirements in
Southeast Asia in the late 1960s
saw TAC dependent upon ANG
units for support elsewhere. Hence
USAF plans initially envisaged the
ANG keeping at least three RF-84F
squadrons in service until 1976.
However more advanced aircraft
such as the RF-101 Voodoo became
available and the ANG was able to
withdraw its Thunderflashes by
January 1972, the last being
exchanged by
the 155 Tactical
Reconnaissance
Group for RF-4Cs.
Foreign
Operators
The F-84F was

widely used by
NATO air forces,
Belgian F-84Fs. Belgi
um also operated the
with over 1,300
RF-84F, one of
which strayed across
the East German bo
aircraft transferred
rder in May
1958 and was forced
to land after warning
under the Mutual
shots from a
Soviet MiG-17. The pil
ot was detained for
Defense Assistance
a week before
both he and the partia
lly dismantled aircra
Program. Aircraft
ft were
handed back by the
East German authoriti
began to equip
es
European air forces
from June 1955 and
both the
The
Thunderstreak and
second YF-84F prototype had
Thunderflash were to become
been completed with wing
mainstays in the Cold War, not only
root air intakes. These were not
in Europe but in the Mediterranean
adopted for the fighter due to
and the Far East where aircraft were
loss of thrust but the
supplied to the Republic of China
arrangement permitted
Air Force on Taiwan.
placement of cameras in the
nose and the design was
adopted for the RF-84F
Netherlands
Thunderflash reconnaissance
The KLu (Koninklijke Luchtmacht)
version. The first YRF-84F was
acquired 180 Thunderstreaks and
completed in February 1952.
twenty four Thunderflashes. The
The aircraft retained an
type entered service in 1955 and
armament of four machine
the last aircraft were phased out in
guns and could carry up to
1970 with the last examples passed
fifteen cameras. The
on to other air forces by 1971.
elongated nose allowed six
Fifteen of these went to Turkey and
standard forward facing
two to Greece, where they
7
49
-6
cameras,
one
Tri-metrogen
understreak 52
Th
E
remained in service for some time.
-R
35
F84
Fhorizon-to-horizon, and
Republic
hter Squadron
eight in oblique and
of 169 Tactical Fig
vertical positions for target
Belgium
close ups. Innovations included
Belgium operated 197 F-84Fs
computerized controls that
performance envelope. Like its
and thirty four RF-84Fs from 1955.
adjusted camera settings for light,
predecessor it also suffered from
conventional stabilizer elevator tail
Most of these were delivered by
speed and altitude, a periscope to
accelerated stall pitch up and a
planes, suffered from accelerated
aircraft carrier to the port of
give the pilot better visualization of
potential resulting separation of
stall pitch up and poor turning
Rotterdam, and transported by
the target and a voice recorder to
ability at combat speeds. Beginning wings from the aircraft. In addition
road to Avio-Diepen at Ypenburg
let
the
pilot
narrate
his
spins in the F-84F were practically
with Block 25 the problem was
where they were made operable. In
unrecoverable and ejection was the observations. Being largely
ameliorated by the introduction of
August 1955 the first Belgian
identical
to
the
F-84F
the
only recourse below 10,000 feet.
a hydraulically powered one piece
Thunderstreak was delivered to 3
Thunderflash suffered from the
stabilator. The aircraft was
Squadron of 2 Wing based at
same production delays and engine
eventually declared operational in
Florennes. Thunderstreaks
RF-84F
Thunderflash
problems,
delaying
operational
May 1954.
remained in service with the
service until March 1954. The
The Korean War was the prime
The Thunderstreak suffered from
Belgian Air Force until May 1972
aircraft
was
retired
from
active
duty
motivation behind the decision to
the same poor take off
when the last operational aircraft
in 1957, with SAC's 71 Strategic
expedite the RF-84. Aircraft had
performance as the straight wing
was flown into storage at Koksijde
Reconnaissance Wing flying the last
been
withdrawn
from
storage
and
Thunderjet despite having a more
airbase. The Thunderstreak was
RF-84F/K
mission
that
May.
Within
F-80s had to be modified to meet
powerful engine. In reality, almost
replaced by the Lockheed F-104G
the next twelve months TAC turned
the requirement for tactical
700 pounds force (3.11kN) or ten
Starfighter at Kleine Brogel and by
over
the
remainder
of
its
RF-84Fs
to
reconnaissance machines.
percent of total thrust was lost
the Dassault Mirage 5BA at
the ANG.
Ultimately the RF-80 was to
because the J65 was installed at an
Florennes.
become
the
mainstay
for
The Berlin crisis saw the recall of
angle and its exhaust had a
reconnaissance work over Korea as
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
carrying Israeli
identity cards.
Initially tasked with
air defence, the
aircraft also started
offensive
operations from 1st
November.
Germany
Republic
of China
Taiwan was the only recipient of
the type outside of NATO. RF-84
Thunderflashes replaced the
obsolete Mustang RF-51Ds in 1954,
with up to twenty five believed to
have been supplied. The aircraft
undertook reconnaissance flights
over the Taiwan Strait and even
over mainland China, where they
would be escorted by F-86s. The
aircraft were replaced by RF-101
Voodoos with the last retired in
1964.
Denmark
Unlike other most other NATO
countries Denmark did not receive
the F-84F, with its Thunderjets
replaced instead by F-86Ds and F100Ds. They did receive twenty
three RF-84s however with the first
arriving in 1957. Danish machines
survived in service until 1971 when
they were replaced by the RF-35XD
Draken.
incident involving the aircraft

occurred on 14th September 1961
when two West German Republic
F-84F Thunderstreak fighter
bombers of JaBoG 32 crossed into
East German airspace because of a
navigational error, before landing
at Berlin Tegel Airport, a particularly
contentious issue as between the
end of World War II and the German
reunification, West German aircraft
were not permitted to fly to West
Berlin regardless of whether they
were civilian or military. The three
existing air corridors to the city
were only open to flights from the
three wartime Allies, the United
States, France and the United
Kingdom.
The Treaty of Paris

in October 1954
allowed the creation
of a new West
German Air Force and
the F-84F and RF-84F
Republic YF-84F inflight docking
were among the first
aircraft types to equip
the emerging
On 14th September 1961 under
Algeria
Luftwaffe with 450
the code name Checkmate, the
between 1954 and 1962.
Thunderstreaks and 108
NATO high command mobilised the
Thunderflashes ordered under the
The only full combat use of the
air forces of France, Belgium, the
terms of the MDAP. The first aircraft
Thunderstreak was by the French
were handed over in
during the Suez crisis in 1956. F84Fs took part in ground attack
missions on Egyptian targets
yal
between 1st and 6th November,
315 Squadron Ro
reak fighters of
69
operating from Akotiri on Cyprus
19
in
r
F-84F Thunderst
no
ive
r Force at RAF Ch
alongside aircraft of the Fleet Air
Netherlands Ai
Arm and the Aeronavale. French
RF-84Fs also took part in combat
operations during the conflict, and
in all sixty F-84Fs and sixteen
RF-84Fs saw active service over the
period.
One noteworthy episode saw
French aircraft operating in Israeli
markings. The aircraft operated
briefly from Lod with French pilots
he F84F Thun
derjet was on
e of several
in flight rese
high speed
arch at the N
airc
ACA (now N
Laboratory (n
ASA) Ames Ae raft involved
ow Ames Re
ronautical
search Cent
er) at Moffet
t Field, Califor
nia
France
France received no less than 328
F-84Fs, which were to see
widespread use with larme de lair,
becoming the most numerous type
in service by the end of the 1950s,
bridging the gap between the end
of World War II and the rebirth of
the French aviation industry. Both
Thunderstreak and Thunderflash
saw use during Suez and were
deployed to
rstreak, armed
USAF F-84F Thunde
Underside view of a
s
ket
roc
AR
HV
m
.7c
with twenty four 12
November 1956 and went on to

equip a large number of
geschwadern. Of note was the use
of T-33s as conversion trainers with
many such units as there was no
two-seat version of the F-84F. This
may have been a contributing
factor to the high accident rate the
type suffered during its short phase
with the Luftwaffe, with 162 having
crashed in total due to pilot
inexperience or poor maintenance
a higher percentage than the F104G Starfighter, which was to
achieve much greater notoriety.
One other notable Cold War
Netherlands, Denmark and West

Germany for the purpose of
an exercise. As part of this
exercise, the aircraft of
JaBoG 32, based at Lechfeld
Airbase, south of Augsburg,
were to fly a triangular route
from Wrzburg to Laon and
then to Memmingen. Two
F-84Fs flown by Feldwebel
Peter Pfefferkorn and
Stabsunteroffizier Hans Eberl,
lost their way in the process of
flying this route, with the
compass on Pfefferkorn's plane
misreading by between forty
and sixty degrees. It was only
when reaching a position north
of Leipzig, deep within East
German air space, that
Pfefferkorn sent a Mayday signal
which was picked up by the French
controlled airport at Tegel in West
Berlin, which gave them permission
to land. The machines had initially
not been noticed by the radar
operator at Berlins Tempelhof
Airport because he was
concentrating on an incoming Pan
Am Douglas DC-6. By the time they
were noticed the pair were being
unsuccessfully chased by a large
number of Soviet fighter aircraft.
An airman in the Berlin Air Route
Traffic Control Centre ordered the
two pilots not to turn around and
face the pursuing fighter planes
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
Thunderstreak. Some German
aircraft were passed on to Greece
and Turkey as the type was phased
out of Luftwaffe service.
Greece
Arrival of a USAF
F-84F-30-RE Thun
derstreak s/n 52-64
the 119 Tactical Fig
15 of
hter Squadron, 17
7 Tactical Fighter
Group, New Jerse
y Air National Guard
at Chaumont Air
Base, France, as pa
rt of Operation Sta
ir Step. More than
100,000 ANG and
Air Force Reserve
personnel, with air
and equipment, we
craft
re deployed to Eu
rope because of th
Berlin crisis
e
but
instead to head for
Tegel airport as it
had a longer
runway than
Tempelhof and was
more suitable for
jets. Because of the
actions of this airman
and the heavy cloud
cover, Pfefferkorn and
Eberl escaped the
pursuing Soviet
aircraft and
successfully landed
without further
incident at Tegel.
Greece received its first swept

wing fighters in 1958, ex USAF
machines arriving in batches from
January of that year. Seventy five
machines are on record as having
been delivered initially while more
were received subsequently in the
shape of surplus Dutch and
German machines.
Greece also received the RF-84F,
which remained in service with the
Hellenic Air Force
until withdrawal of
the last six aircraft
in March 1991.
These were to be
the last to remain
in front line
service with any
air force.
Italy
The Italian Air

Force was
equipped with
e Netherlands in
4 returned to th
194 Republic
-8
r
RF
Ai
h
c
tc
ni
Du
lle
er
He
This form
ice with the
F-84Fs and
many years serv
up
ke
ta
to
l
lke
Vo
May 1988 after
at
seventy eight
is seen arriving
t
af
cr
air
e
Th
.
Force
iation Museum
Av
y
RF-84Fs,
ar
ilit
M
e
th
residence at
operating the
types from
1956 until 1973. Of note was the
F-84Fs use with two famous
F-84F Thunderst
reaks of the
aerobatic teams, the Diavoli Rossi
Luftwaffe (Bunde
swehr), West
and the Getti Tonanti.
Germany 1960
Norway
Like Denmark the Royal
Norwegian Air Force operated the
RF-84F, with thirty five airframes on
strength between 1956 and 1970.
Norway did not operate the F-84F,
its Thunderjets being replaced by
F-86Ks.
place on 16th August 1962.
Variants
YF-84F
Two swept wing prototypes of the
F-84F, initially designated YF-96
F-84F Thunderstreak
Swept wing version with Wright J65
engine. 2,711 built with 1,305
going to NATO under the Mutual
Defense Assistance Program
GRF-84F
Twenty five RF-84Fs were
converted to be carried and
launched from the bomb bay of a
GRB-36F bomber as part of the
FICON project. The aircraft were
later redesignated RF-84K
RF-84F Thunderflash
Reconnaissance version of the
F-84F, 715 built
XF-84H
Two F-84Fs were converted into
experimental aircraft. Each was
fitted with an Allison XT40-A-1
turboprop engine of 5,850 shaft
horsepower (4,365kW) driving a
supersonic propeller. Ground crews
dubbed the XF-84H the
Thunderscreech due to its extreme
noise output
YF-84J
Two F-84Fs were converted into
YF-84J prototypes with enlarged
nose intakes and deepened
fuselages for the General Electric
J73 engine. The YF-84J reached
Mach 1.09 in level flight on 7th
April 1954 but the project was
cancelled due to the excessive cost
of converting existing F-84Fs
GENERAL
CHARACTERISTICS
(F-84F)
Crew: 1
Length: 43ft 4in (13.23m)
Wingspan: 33ft 7in (10.25m)
Height: 14ft 4in (4.39m)
Immediately after the two

aircraft landed the French
authorities at Tegel airport
explained to the Soviet authorities
in East Berlin that because of
technical difficulties an emergency
landing of the two planes had been
absolutely necessary. The Soviet air
command in East Germany was less
than impressed with the
unpunished flight of two Western
fighter planes through their
airspace. However it chose to
blame bad weather for the incident
rather than the failure of its ground
control to guide the Soviet fighter
planes on to the West German
ones.
Upon arrival at Tegel the two
F-84s had been immediately
hidden in hangars and journalists
were prohibited from taking
pictures
of them. For years after it was
believed that they had been
repainted in American markings
and returned to West Germany by
USAF pilots, or that they had been
disassembled and transported back
to the West in pieces. In fact the
two aircraft were hidden by the
French authorities at Tegel and
subsequently buried at the airfield
where they were accidentally
rediscovered in the 1970s.
Pfefferkorn and Eberl were
banned from flying and transferred
to the ground crew at Lechfeld. The
F-84F Thunderstreak which had
been in service with JaBoG 32 since
its inception on 22nd July 1958,
was replaced in 1966, the
Geschwader having accumulated
over 80,000 flight hours with the
Turkey
Wing area: 325ft (30m)
Turkey commenced operations

with the RF-84 in 1956 with the
arrival of a batch of ex USAF
machines. The first F-84Fs arrived
from France in late 1959, with
deliveries continuing into 1960.
Further aircraft came surplus from
Germany as well as the US and the
Netherlands. Turkey was eventually
to become the third largest
European operator of the type after
Germany and Italy.
Empty weight: 13,830lb

(5,200kg)
In what is probably one of the

best known of the few air-to-air
engagements involving the F-84F,
two Turkish Air Force
Thunderstreaks shot down a pair of
Iraqi Il-28 Beagle bombers that
crossed the Turkish border by
mistake during a bombing
operation against Iraqi Kurdish
insurgents. This engagement took
Powerplant: 1 Wright J65-W-3

turbojet, 7,220lbf (32.2kN)
Maximum speed: 695 ph (604
knots, 1,119 m/h, Mach .91) at sea
level
Range: 810mi (704nmi, 1,304km)
combat radius with two drop
tanks
Service ceiling: 46,000ft
(14,000m)
Rate of climb: 8,200ft/min
(42m/s)
Armament
6 .50in (12.7mm) Browning M3
machine guns,
Up to 6,000lb (2,727kg) of
rockets and bombs, including
one Mk 7 nuclear bomb
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
AIRCRAFT IN PROFILE
Modelling the Streak

The F-84F in Scale
aircraft in 1/48, and this has been re

boxed by US importer Squadron in
their Encore range as a limited
bviously an aircraft that

played such a major role in
both US and European
military aviation history will have
given rise to an enormous quantity
of kits and products wont it?
Oh
have announced a new tooling for

release ostensibly in 2016 that will
cover both the Thunderstreak and
the Thunderflash. On current form
these promise to be impressive kits
that will be well served by the
aftermarket, so it looks like a happy
time to come for fans of the type.
No doubt the Xtradecal sheets are
already in the planning stages.
There is certainly a lot of scope out
there!
Actually it is not nearly as

surprising as one might suppose.
Kits of the Thunderstreak have
followed the same pattern as so
many other aircraft types that
predominated in the 1950s and
early 1960s. A number of
mainstream kits were produced at
the time, and these have run and
run until the familiar sight of

obsolete kits still in production
making the release of new toolings
not cost-effective, while as the rest
of the marketplace updates to the
twenty first century, the older
toolings can no longer stand up to
scrutiny and will gradually be
replaced. It has happened with a
number of types now, and we can
only hope the Thunderstreaks time
will come.
In fact it looks like it has to a
degree. Looking at the larger scales
there are no 1/32 toolings currently
available although ID Models did
produce a vac form and Kitty Hawk
Monogram and Heller 1/48 kits

from back in the day have seen
reissues by Revell Germany and
Redux and Fonderie Miniatures
respectively, while the usual
smattering of odds and ends from
the dawn of time can be regarded
as obsolete, Revells 1960 1/54
boxing and Hawks vintage item

among them. In 1/48 we have had
a few newer toolings recently.
Kinetic came first in 2008 with a
new tooling that was a welcome

debut from a new company, and
this has formed the basis for a
reissue by Italeri. More recently
HobbyBoss have covered the
edition including additional resin

parts and decals from their own in
house brands.
Now in addition we have the Tan
Models RF-84, which is an all new
tooling from this Turkish
manufacturer, and we can almost
certainly expect a Thunderstreak in
due course, although Special
Hobby have also announced a kit
for future release. Plenty for
everyone it seems.
But what of the omni popular
1/72? In injection moulded plastic
there is the 1972 Italeri kit, re boxed
by Revell and Testors at various
points, and the 1974 Airfix kit, not
forgetting the 1/80 Aurora offering.
PJ Models released excellent resin
kits of both types round about
2004, but other than this the stage
is set for a new tooling in the
gentlemans scale.
Finally scaling down, Miniwings
resin kit and the old Aeroclub
injected items offer some choice in
1/144, while if commonality of scale
bothers you not one whit the old
Faller kits in 1/100 may well be to

your taste.
Very few accessories have been
released for the type, although this
must surely change, and it is worth
noting that the only etched sets
available for the type are Airwaves
sets for the Monogram kit in 1/48
and the Italeri in 1/72. Aires offer
some resin for the Kinetic kit while
the Eduard production line extends
only to a couple of masking sets for
the Kinetic and HobbyBoss
toolings. There is a wider choice of
decals, with Daco, Flevo, Berna
Icarus, Modelart, Superscale, Syhart
and Vingtor offering various
choices for both US and NATO
operators in both 1/48 and 1/72.
Finally mention must be made of

our own Warpaint title on the
aircraft, Warpaint 100 Republic
F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84
Thunderflash by Charles Stafrace.
This centennial title pulled out all
the stops and covers the aircraft
comprehensively with an attention
to detail that, we hope, might even
have met the approval of so great
an authority on the subject as the
late Mr. David Menard.
CO LO U R C O N U N D R U M
Colour Conundrum
Low Level Camouflage for the Handley Page Victor B.2 1964 1968
By Paul Lucas
he design philosophy behind all three of

Britain's V-Bombers, the Valiant, Vulcan
and Victor, was based on the concept
that they would fly so high and so fast as to
be immune from either anti-aircraft gunfire or
interception by enemy aircraft. The shooting
down of Gary Powers' U-2 at an altitude of
somewhere in the region of 70,000 ft by an
SA-2 Guideline Surface to Air Missile near
Sverdlovsk in the Soviet Union on 1 May 1960
however called the RAF's operational doctrine
for the operation of these aircraft with free fall
weapons into question.
When the British government came to an
arrangement with the government of the
United States to obtain the WS138A Skybolt
Air-Launched Ballistic Missile in June 1960 for
carriage by the Vulcan and Victor, it appeared
the problem of retaining a viable airborne
nuclear deterrent had been solved. The
Skybolt possessed sufficient range to allow
the Vulcan and Victor to be able to release the
weapon without having to penetrate Soviet
airspace to any great extent and thus avoid
exposing themselves to the increasingly
potent Soviet air defences. With the
cancellation of Skybolt in June 1963 however,
the RAF was forced to reassess its operational
doctrine so as to keep the V-Bombers viable
until Skybolt's replacement, Polaris, which
was to be deployed in Royal Navy
submarines, became operational sometime
around the end of the decade.
The RAF's solution to the problem was to
operate the V-Bombers at low level so that
they could penetrate the Soviet air defences
at low level 'under the radar' and planning for
this change in operational doctrine began
almost immediately following the
cancellation of Skybolt. Part of this planning
involved a change in the colour scheme of
the aircraft. Initially, all three V-Bombers had
been painted in a High Speed Silver finish,
which had given way to Anti-Flash White from
1958. The Anti-Flash White scheme was still in
use in 1964 and was quite unsuitable to
conceal an aircraft operating at low level from
enemy fighters.
Air Staff Requirement (ASR) No.380,
entitled 'Medium Bomber Force Aircraft
Low-Level Role' dated 5 May 1964 set out in
detail the modifications necessary to all of the
V-Bombers in order to adapt them for their

new low level role. ASR 380 Paragraph 42 was
headed 'Surface Finish' and stated that
Chapter 8 'Camouflage Painting Scheme

(Victor B MK 1A and Mk 2 aircraft) in
November 1964. The introduction stated that:
In order to give a reasonable camouflage

against visual identification throughout the
year, the upper surfaces of the Valiant and the
Mark 2 aircraft are to be coloured by a
variegated pattern of greys and greens. The
surface finishes are to be free from flaking and
are not to have any significant degrading effect
on take-off or flight performance. The undersurfaces of the aircraft are to remain in the
white anti-flash standard.
1. Modification Victor/3831 introduces an

improved camouflage painting scheme of a
specified configuration to the upper surfaces of
the wing and fuselage. Changes in the colours
of the identification makings are also made. The
modification also includes the detail for the two
Mk 2 aircraft, Serial No. XL.513 and XL.160,
which have already been camouflaged in
accordance with Modification Victor/3753 to
extend the camouflage to Modification
Victor/3831 standards by Service personnel.
On 25 July 1963 a meeting was held to

discuss the operation of the V- Bombers in the
low level role at which it was stated that the
Air Staff had decreed that camouflage was
required for the upper surfaces despite the
resultant loss in anti-flash properties because
it was considered more important that the
aircraft be able to reach its target
unobserved. To meet this requirement, it was
suggested that normal camouflage schemes
should be adopted using mid grey and dark
green paints with a high gloss finish. The
minutes of the meeting recorded that
Normally patterns were were supplied by Air
Eng 5 and should be compatible with NATO
Standards. A representative from the
Directorate of Bomber Operations however
stated that the standard patterns were not
necessarily the best for the purpose and that
the Directorate would submit their proposals
within a few days.
The reference to 'standard patterns' is
thought to have been a reference to those
patterns that were illustrated in AP 2656A
'Internal and External Finish of Aircraft'. In
1963, there were only two camouflage
schemes that showed a disruptive
camouflage scheme for the upper surfaces of
aircraft included in this AP. The first showed
that to be applied to Single-engined
Monoplanes, illustrating a Hawker Hunter
whilst the second showed that to be applied
to Twin-engined Monoplanes illustrating an
English Electric Canberra. As a result,
completely different designs were drawn up
for each of the three V-Bombers.
The camouflage scheme drawn up for the
Victor was issued as part of Amendment List
62 of AP 2656A (2nd Edition), Section 4,
2. Fig.1 gives the dimensions for the Victor

configuration and fig.2 shows the colour
scheme in detail.
The illustrations that accompany this article
are a combination of these two Figures.
Colour key
The colour key to Figure 2 is where the
conundrum begins. The specification for all
the colours to be used is given as either TT16
or TT16AF. A cross check with a Defence List
of Paints, Varnishes, Laquers and Related
Products, Section II, Aircraft Paints and Dopes
from the mid '60s reveals that 'TT16' was a
paint system for aircraft manufactured by
Titanine to DTD Specification 5555 for
Epoxide Finishing Schemes. It would appear
that this type of finish was introduced for the
Victor by Victor Modification No.2020, date
unknown, replacing the earlier DTD 899A
finish. It is thought possible that this change
in DTD specification finish dated from the
change in colour scheme from High Speed
Silver to Anti Flash White during 1958 as it is
mentioned in AP 2656A AL11 of December
1959. Thus all Victor B.2s were finished to DTD
5555 on the production line and it would
appear that the 'AF' in 'TT16AF' stands for
'Anti Flash'.
The colour key to Figure 2 lists the following
colours
Black
White
Bright Red Ident (Ref. BS 538) (3)
Bright Blue Ident (Ref. BS 108) (3)
Dark Green (1) Standard NATO Shade
Medium Sea Grey (2) Standard NATO Shade
Yellow (Ref. BS.356) (3)
The 'BS' numbers in brackets appear to be
references to colours contained in BS 381C
where they match Post Office Red No. 538,
Aircraft Blue No.108 and Golden Yellow
No.356. What the number that appears in
brackets after each of these colours refers to
is unknown. It would appear that they are
supposed to refer to a footnote of some kind,
but neither copy of this Amendment List seen
by the author contains such footnotes. It
might be possible to conclude that footnote
(3) might be a statement to the effect that
these colours are to be found in BS 381C since
all three BS 381C colours have this number in
brackets as a suffix, but what (1) and (2) which
refer to the Dark Green and Medium Sea Grey,
both of which are to be Standard NATO
Shade, refer to is currently unknown.
The idea that there were separate NATO
shades of Dark Green and Medium Sea Grey,
which were used on the V-Bombers, has been
around for some time. The earliest reference
to such colours seen by the author was in the
September 1971 issue of Air Pictorial, which
carried an article by JDR Rawlings entitled The
RAF and its Aircraft with notes on current
colour schemes and insignia with an RAF
Aircraft supplement, which featured artwork
by Richard Leask Ward. This artwork included
an illustration of a Victor SR2, which was
accompanied by the following caption.
NATO shades, which looked strange on a British

aircraft.
Most of this information can be verified as
being accurate. By 1968, Polyurethane
finishes were being widely introduced by the
RAF. Many of the disruptive schemes such as
that applied to the Victor, which were applied
with Polyurethane did have hard edged
demarcations, not through masking, but
because they were applied by a roller. This
was due to the health and safety problems
raised by spraying Polyurethane, there being
fewer concerns about spraying Epoxide
finishes. There was a supplementary shade
book to BS 381C, which did contain aircraft
finishes, amongst which there was a Dark
Green, No.409 and a Medium Sea Grey No.
407. XL513 was the first Victor to be finished
in a low level camouflage scheme.
The introduction of the new low level
camouflage scheme for the VBombers was
promulgated to the Service
by Defence Council
Instruction T.346
'Colouring and Marking
of RAF Aircraft' dated
4 August 1965.
Under the
heading
General note regarding Victor camouflage

colours. Around 1968 these machines began
to appear in the new polyurethane colours, as
indicated on the drawings, upper surfaces
being the standard RAF Dark Green and
Medium Sea Grey; demarcation lines
between the two colours are 'hard'
(i.e., masked off during
application, with no
areas shaded in the illustration to be painted

Medium Sea Grey and the unshaded areas
Dark Green.
The problem lies with the idea that there
were NATO shades of Dark Green and
Medium Sea Grey that were different to those
in regular use by the RAF.
Colour Standards
This shade book referred to by RL Ward was
actually entitled 'Standards of Colours Gloss
and Smoothness for Aircraft Finishes
(Supplementary to B.S. 381)' and seems to
have been the primary reference for British
military aircraft colours prior to the inclusion
of the most common British military aircraft
colours in the 1964 edition of BS 381C. The
only copy of the supplement seen by the
author at the time of writing is undated, but
appears to be from the 1952-6 period. In this
copy, Colour No. 407 is listed as 'High
Gloss Medium Sea Grey' and colour
No.409 is listed as 'High Gloss Dark Green'.
Comparison with the 1964 edition of BS
381C revealed that both these colours
matched the BS 381C colours bearing the
same name, Dark Green No. 641 and Medium
Sea Grey No.637, which were standard RAF
colours at that time.
The booklet also contained a range of matt
finishes of which No.4 was Medium Sea Grey
and No. 7 was Dark Green, which were
identical in hue to their high gloss
counterparts. According to BS 381C (1964),
No.637 Medium Sea Grey corresponded to
No. 4 in the HMG Aircraft Series whilst No.641
corresponded to No. 7 in the HMG Aircraft
Series. When compared to the shades of Dark
Green and Medium Sea Grey, which had
been in use by the RAF since before
the Second World War, all of these
colours were found to be
virtually identical, there
overspraying).
Prior to that, the two upper
surface colours were NATO
shades of Dark Green and Medium
Sea Grey, not in general use by the
British Services or Government
Departments, and were from the
supplementary shade book to BS 381C, the
Green being ref. No.409, and the Grey ref. No.
407; both colours were gloss finish, and the
demarcations between the two colours were
'soft', due to overspraying as specified at that
time.
MJF Bowyer also commented on unusual VBomber camouflage in his book 'Bombing
Colours' published in 1973.
At the end of 1963 Victor 2 XL513 was busily
scudding low across the countryside in
company with a white Victor, both of which
were being repeatedly photographed. The
former was wearing what at the time seemed
an amazingly complicated camouflage pattern
of glossy Dark Green and Medium Sea Grey in
Bomber/Tanker
Aircraft
Paragraph 4 stated
that all upper
surfaces, fuselage sides,
fins and rudders were to
bear a disruptive pattern as
illustrated in AP 2656A, Vol
1, section 4 with those
53
being no significant difference between

them.
It is known that copies of the colour
standard referred to above were handed out
to the delegates from each NATO country at a
meeting held in Paris during early 1957
during talks that were taking place in regard
to NATO Standardisation Agreements
(STANAGS), some of which concerned the
camouflage and marking of aircraft. Thus it
can be demonstrated that NATO had access
to the British colour standards and it might be
the case that if the colours contained within it
were accepted as being suitable, they might
have been widely accepted within the
European membership of alliance and
therefore have come to be considered
'standard NATO shades'.
Thus, on the face of it, it would appear that
the idea that there were NATO shades of Dark
Green and Medium Sea Grey that were
different to the standard RAF shades holds
little water. This fails however to explain why
despite both Dark Green and Medium Sea
Grey being incorporated into the 1964 edition
of BS 381C, which was issued several months
before the Victor camouflage scheme
drawing, the colour key refers to 'Standard
NATO shades' for both of these colours and
appears to give them different footnote
numbers to footnote (3), which appears to be
associated with BS381C by virtue of the
presence of the relevant colour numbers. In
addition to this, there is a curious anomaly in
AP 2656A during 1965 and the existence of a
colour called NATO Green to be considered.
The AP 2656A anomaly

AP 2656A (2nd Edition) Amendment List
No.67 of June 1965 included a new Chapter 7
entitled 'Epoxide Finishing Schemes DTD 5555',
which was stated to be Completely revised. It
included a list of materials that included
Aluminium, Black, Dark Green, Extra Dark Sea
Grey, Blue, Red, Yellow, White, RAF Blue Grey,
Sky, Pale Red and Pale Blue and a list of
manufacturers, which included Titanine.
Strangely, given that Victors were supposed
to be being camouflaged with Medium Sea
Grey to DTD 5555 by this time, there is no
mention of this colour in this 'completely
revised' list, which might be expected to be
fully up to date so as to accommodate the
very latest camouflage changes such as the
use of Medium Sea Grey to DTD 5555 on
Victors.
Whilst there is no mention of Medium Sea

Grey, Light Grey (BSC631) is listed. This would
appear to be a reference to BS 381C No.631
Light Grey, which is included in the 1964
edition of BS 381C. Light Grey BS 381C No.
631 had been in BS 381 since its original issue
in 1930, though under a different name.
Originally, this colour was listed in BS 381
(1930) as No.32 Light Battleship Grey and is
thought to have been a Royal Navy warship
colour, Admiralty Pattern 507C, as defined by
the formula laid down for this colour by
Admiralty Fleet Order 1658/27 of December
1927. This is thought to have been mixed
from a combination of White Lead, Zinc
Oxide, Egyptian Blue and Chrome Yellow
pigments which resulted in a greenish grey,
which it has to be said, is not dissimilar in
tone to Medium Sea Grey.
Light Battleship Grey remained in BS 381
through all its subsequent amendments
acquiring the three figure number '631' along
the way until March 1949 when its name was
changed to 'Light Grey'. At the same time, BS
381C No. 632 Dark Battleship Grey which is
thought to have been Admiralty Pattern 507B
as defined by the formula laid down for this
colour by Admiralty Fleet Order 1658/27, was
re named 'Dark Admiralty Grey' and a new
colour was introduced, No.697 Light
Admiralty Grey which came to be widely used
for the weather work of HM Ships.
Why AP 2656A should list Light Grey BS
381C No. 631 as being available to aircraft
finish specification DTD 5555 is currently
unknown. The RAF Vocabulary of Stores
reference number given in the list,
33B/2202122, can also be found in AP 1086
RAF Vocabulary of Stores Section 33B from
November 1965 as a 1 gallon multiple pack
and the Defence List of Paints from the mid
1960s referred to previously, which
intriguingly states that it was also used by the
Fleet Air Arm, though exactly for what
purpose is not stated. The author suspects
but cannot prove that this colour was
occasionally used to apply the three figure
service number to the noses of some naval
aircraft such as the Sea Vixen and Buccaneer.
Both the other two types of V-Bomber, the
Vulcan and Valiant, were also subject to the
introduction of the low level camouflage
scheme from late 1964. The camouflage
scheme for the Vulcan, Modification
Vulcan/1877, was issued as AP 2656A (2nd
Edition), Section 4, Chapter 9 Amendment
List 63 'Camouflage Painting Scheme (Vulcan
B MK 1A and Mk 2 aircraft), which was printed

in February 1965 though the drawing of the
disruptive pattern is dated December 1964.
This illustration is nowhere near as detailed as
the earlier Victor drawing and the colour key
only lists two colours as 'Dark Green' and
'Medium Sea Grey'. Little reference to a DTD
Specification is to be seen except for one
reference to TT16/Radome Enamel, which
implies that a Titanine TT16 finish to DTD
5555 was also to be used on the Vulcan.
That this was indeed the case is confirmed
by the minutes of a meeting held at HQ
Maintenance Command on 23 September
1965 to discuss aircraft surface finishing
policy. Here it was recorded that all Vulcans
and Victors had recently been camouflaged in
DTD 5555 but were to be camouflaged in
Polyurethane when repainted as part of a
major servicing programme at 32 MU. By this
time, as referred to above, Medium Sea Grey
was apparently available to DTD 5555 so any
Vulcans or Victors that were camouflaged
after the turn of the year 1965/6 would
probably have been finished in the correct
colour as would either type upon being
repainted in the new Polyurethane finish to
DTD 5580.
The Valiant would appear not to have been
affected by this conundrum since it was
always finished in materials to DTD 826, a
specification to which the standard RAF
shades of Dark Green and Medium Sea Grey
were readily available in the short period
between the introduction of the low level
camouflage scheme in 1964 and the
grounding of the Valiant fleet in January
1965.
A possible explanation?
Was it the case that faced with an urgent
operational requirement to introduce low
level camouflage to a specific paint
specification for which supplies of the correct
colour were not available, the decision was
taken to implement the introduction of the
camouflage scheme using those colours to
the correct technical specification that were
available? If this is what happened, was the
use of BS 381C No. 631 Light Grey in lieu of
Medium Sea Grey the factor that somehow
made a Victor finished with it 'look strange'
and gave rise to the idea that there was a
separate NATO shade of Medium Sea Grey?
Were the errant footnotes to Amendment
List 62 of AP 2656A (2nd Edition), Section 4,
Vclav Lomitzki VALOM

Zleick 1808, 148 00 Praha 4, Czech Republic
Tel. 0042027191047 GSM: 00420 604207604
E-mail: vlomitzki@volny.cz www.valom.net
NEWS for October 2016
72057 Handley Page Mk.II

Harrow 1/72 scale
72116 Handley Page Mk.II

Harrow 1/72 scale
(Toothy marking)
72114 McDonnell
RF-101G/H 1/72 scale
Other new kits. RF-101A (ROCAF), Heinkel He 119A (Luftwaffe)
14418 RAF SE5a vs

Albatros D.V 1/144scale
(Duels in the sky)
Chapter 8 'Camouflage Painting Scheme (Victor
B MK 1A and Mk 2 aircraft) in November 1964
originally included on a separate sheet with
footnote (2) informing the reader that Stores
Reference No. 33B/2202122 was to be used in
lieu of the correct shade of Medium Sea Grey
until supplies of that colour to DTD 5555
became available?
The usual practice with Service documents
such as AP 2656A was for any amended
section to be removed and destroyed with
the issue of a new Amendment List. Thus it
might be the case that the footnote sheet was
ordered to be destroyed by a subsequent
Amendment List, perhaps issued sometime in
late 1965 following the provisioning of
Medium Sea Grey to DTD 5555. If so, then this
would explain why neither of the two copies
of this document seen by the author contain
the footnotes as both copies had been
subsequently amended.
This just leaves footnote (1) with regard to
Dark Green (Standard NATO Shade). Here,
there is actually a colour called NATO Green.
This colour was incorporated into BS 381C in
1980 as No. 285 and is thought to have been
introduced to the RAF as a colour for use on
ground equipment in the early 1970s in
response to a NATO requirement to 'tone
down' airfields. The origin of NATO Green is
currently unknown. Even if it existed in
1964/5, it is the authors opinion that it is
unlikely to have been used on the Vulcan or
Victor because standard RAF Dark Green
was available to DTD 5555.
the two colours were used in conjunction. The

greenish hue of the Light Grey might have
made the Dark Green appear to be different
somehow, perhaps more brown than usual
and it was this optical illusion that led to the
suggestion of the use of a different NATO
shade of green. To what footnote (1) referred
remains a mystery.
Standard Colours
Following the introduction of British
military aircraft colours to BS 381C in 1964,
Av.P 970, 'Design Requirements for Service
Aircraft' appears to have begun to use the BS
381C colour nomenclature by the issue of
Amendment List 97 in March 1966. Whilst the
main body of text continued to refer to
colours by their names alone, with
Bomber/Tanker aircraft being
described as having a
disruptive camouflage
scheme on their
upper surfaces in
Medium Sea Grey
and Dark Green
with high
gloss White
under
It might be the case that the use of

the unusual shade of Light Grey
BS 381C No.631 influenced
the perception of the
standard RAF
Dark Green
when
surfaces, Paragraph 4.2 had been revised to

state that The colours used shall be in
accordance with Table 1.
Table 1 gave the colour reference for
Medium Sea Grey as BS 381C No.627 and Dark
Green as No.641. At no time in its history has
BS 381 ever contained White or Black so no
reference was given for the high gloss White
to be applied to the under surfaces or in the
national markings. This appears to have
continued to be supplied as colour No. 402
High Gloss White in the HMG Aircraft Series in
the supplement to BS 381C referred to
previously. High Gloss Black was No.403. The
shade of Red was given as BS 381C No. 538
Post Office Red. With the issue of AL 100 in
May 1967 the shade of Blue in the national
markings was amended to BS 381C No.110
Roundel Blue, which had been
introduced to BS 381C as an
amendment in August 1966,
replacing BS 381C No.108
Aircraft Blue as given on the
Victor camouflage drawing
referred to previously.
SCALED UP
The Meteor T.7

Kit No: 72317
Scale: 1/72
www.specialhobby.eu
he Meteor has a special place in

British aeronautical history. The type
was of course the first operational
allied jet, before becoming a long serving
type that provided the RAF and other air
arms with their introduction to the jet age.
The Meteor served in many diverse roles
over a long operational history, a history
that has not quite reached its conclusion.
The Gloster Meteor was a conservative
design, which offered a mediocre
performance compared to later types.
Designed in the 1940s, the Gloster F9/40
first flew in 1943 and entered service in
1944. The last frontline Meteors were the
night fighters of 60 Squadron which retired
in the early 1960s, although the last
working RAF Meteor was an F.8 that was
not withdrawn from target towing duties
until the early 1980s. The Meteor story did
not however stop there. Remarkably two
Meteors continue to perform an important
official function on the military register,
wearing RAF colours. These two veteran
fliers are the Mk T.7 s operated by MartinBaker. Though now in the twilight of their
service, these two machines are very
special survivors. While being flying
museum pieces they nevertheless continue
to give service as platforms for the live
testing of ejection seats, including those
for in the state-of-the-art F-35 programme.
Martin-Baker
Martin-Baker, a company founded in
1929, has become identified with ejection
seats and remains a classic British
aerospace success story, an example of
WL419 as seen in 2003 at Chalgrove with

various areas of yellow primer. This
emphasises the profile of the modified rear
cockpit and is helpful in shaping the plastic
card to re profile the rear cockpit opening
By Tim Skeet
technology and manufacturing brought
together to create a very special product
that has dominated the sector for years.
The company started by venturing into
aircraft design and manufacture, although
ultimately none of their prototypes saw
production. A fatal crash of one (the MB.3
flown by Valentine Baker, the companys
co-founder) prompted the change in
direction and strategy. It was the problem
of escaping from damaged aircraft flown at
increasingly high speeds that preoccupied
the engineers at Martin-Baker. Using
initially a modified Defiant, it was natural
for the company to turn to the then cutting
edge Meteor to act as a high speed
platform. It seems curious that this same
type should continue to be used today.
The first live ejection took place in 1946
from a modified Meteor Mk III, but whereas
testing today takes place using high
powered sleds, there continues to be a
need for an occasional live launch from an
aircraft in-flight, and though aviation
design and technology has changed much
since the Meteor first flew in the 1940s,
several factors appear to have ensured its
enduring utility. The large size of the
aircraft and the fact that the engine intakes
are well away from the effects of the seat
blasting out of the rear cockpit appear to
have been elements in the aircrafts long
seat trials service.
A view down the intakes of the Meteor

showing the curious arrangement of the
Derwent compared to more modern turbojets
Historic nose of the Meteor Mk III used in early

trials as seen at Chalgrove in 2003. Note the
hole behind the cockpit for the second seat
The Meteor T.7

Developed from the F.4 with an extra
seat inserted behind the cockpit in a
lengthened nose, the Meteor T.7 trainer
first flew in 1948 and went into production
with some 640 being built. There was a
subtype of the T.7, bizarrely dubbed the T.7
or T7.5 for those who prefer decimals.
Developed for export markets and not
adopted by the RAF, the T.7 differed from
the T.7 through the fitting of the F.8s
The red dummy

seat is visible here
in the rear cockpit
compartment
The front cockpit is fitted with a MB Mk 10

which has canopy smashing extensions
WL419. Note the staining around the rear

cockpit from the seat blasts
SCALED UP
The various areas of yellow primer

were evident also around the
airbrakes and various small panels
The Asterix
character
logo was
prominent
on WL419
at this time
Grey undercoat also has been applied to areas

that were filled and sanded. Note the plastic
card added to re profile the rear cockpit
opening. The front canopy has been polished
and refitted and the Mk10 seat installed with
its added horns
squared off tail unit. This provided for a

more stable platform, particularly in
directional stability. Used by the Belgian
and Israeli Air Forces, the T.7 was also
used by test establishments back in the UK,
most notably by Martin-Baker. Hence two
of this version remain airworthy, while only
a single conventional T.7 continues to fly.
Filler was needed on several parts of the
model. Greenstuff is seen here liberally applied
Undercoat on the white panels. Here the T.7 kit

canopy was carefully sawn into sections with a
razor saw and the front sections polished to
eliminate the heavy framing. The rear section
has already been fitted and blanked off
The two Martin-Baker machines, WA638

and WL419, both remain on the military
register and carry RAF markings and serials.
Both have been modified by losing the rear
cockpit fittings and canopy and isolating it
from the front cockpit in a blast box while a
number of strakes were fitted to the upper
rear fuselage. Moreover, the front cockpit,
unlike service T.7s, came equipped with an
ejector seat, currently the Mk10. The front
canopy is fitted with a modern clear
Perspex moulding.
WL419 first flew in 1952 as a
conventional T.7, serving in the RAF until
joining Martin-Baker in 1963, and being
retro fitted with the later tail unit. Sister
aircraft WA638 is the older of the two. This
aircraft left the factory in November 1949
and was only ever used for trials with the
RAE before going to Martin-Baker in 1958.
With periods in the workshop or resting as
a spare, these two machines still remain
active. WA638 is only a little younger than
the oldest airworthy British jet,
conventionally configured T.7 WA591, also
built in 1949.
Building the Meteor T.7 kit
The Martin-Baker T.7 with a conventional T.7

model, although this is not the more recent
Xtrakit but rather the old, injection moulded
Maintrack vintage kit of several years ago. The
T.7 carries the 1950s silver and yellow training
finish. Compare the two canopies, especially
the very heavy framing on the T.7. The main
other difference of course is the tail with the
old F4 tail fitted to the T.7 with its rounded
profile and tail planes compared to the
squared off F.8 tail and tail planes
MPM have released a full range of single

seat Meteor kits, including some of the
special versions. Xtrakit boxed the basic T.7
version which is currently available, and
Special Hobby brought out the T7
version, or as the kit box more prosaically
announces, the decimal T.7.5 back in 2015.
The standard T.7 may still be produced
from this box as the new tail unit comes as
an additional separate item.
This kit offers several interesting, exotic
and colourful versions of the T.7
including an RAE version with a photo
reconnaissance nose and blue finish, the
company demonstrator, in a fine Gloster
civilian finish complete with wing tip tanks
and two service machines, as employed by

the Belgian and Israeli Air Forces.
Notwithstanding these attractive
options, I had already decided that I was
going to model the Martin-Baker version of
the T.7 . It had been a long standing
project to have a go at converting the
Xtrakit model and graft on a F.8 tail. I had
some time ago picked up the Blue Rider
decal set for WL419 (as seen in 1989) and
the arrival of a kit of the T.7 was the
catalyst required to get to work. More
recently, and since building the model of
WL419, decals for WA 638 arrived, included
in a set by Combat Models (CM72-005). Of
the two MB Meteors, WL419 carries the
more attractive scheme to my mind,
sporting nicely retro 1960s Day-Glo panels
over a silver finish, rather than the more
contemporary gloss black Hawk type
scheme on 638.
The Conversion
The kit itself builds reasonably well,
although some care needs to be taken
grafting on the F.8 tail unit and fairing it in
with filler. Likewise, the rear of the engines
with the jet pipes did not fit so well on my
kit. I also ensured that plenty of weight was
packed into the nose before sticking
everything together, otherwise getting this
aircraft to sit straight would be a challenge.
There was a bit of conversion work
needed to turn the MPM T.7 into the one
operated by Martin-Baker. Firstly WL419
has the larger air intakes (note 638 has the
smaller ones and both are offered in the
box), so these were fitted. Most of the
changes to the kit are around the cockpit
area, and this is really what took a bit of
time.
The forward cockpit has a Mk 10LE
ejection seat rather than the bucket seat
that comes with the kit. The original T.7 did
not have ejector seats. I found a spare late
model Martin-Baker seat, added the two
horn like spikes mounted either side of the
head rest and a representative harness and
fitted this in the place of the kit seat. The
spikes are designed to smash the canopy in
the event of an ejection as the canopy is
not fitted with explosive chords as in the
59
SCALED UP
WA591, the last airworthy

conventional Meteor T7 over
South West England in 2012
The finished model of WL419. The serial is

located under the port wing only
Hawk or other modern types.
The various modifications are visible,

including the dummy seat in the back cockpit,
the blast stains and white blade aerial
The front canopy itself requires some

work as it is a modified clear item without
the heavy T.7 frames. I cut the kit canopy
into sections, polished the front cockpit
part and applied some gloss varnish. If I
had the time, skill and patience I might
have tried moulding a replacement part as
I was only moderately successful in
producing a clear front canopy, but at least
it looked right. I had experimented with
sections of canopy from other Meteors but
none fitted.
The canopy hinges over to starboard as
per the T.7 if you want to depict an open
cockpit. A solid blanking plate is fitted to
the rear of the cockpit canopy to protect
the pilot from the blast during tests, and
this forms part of the opening canopy. This
also needs to be made from plastic card.
The rear cockpit canopy section is
discarded and the fairing at the end fitted
and blanked off.
The rear cockpit is just an empty, dark
painted blast box and when no live seat is
WL419 at an air show at Kemble in 2008
The Blue Rider decals and reference drawings
fitted, a red painted dummy seat is added

as ballast. I confected this from another
spare seat, modified to resemble the
dummy seat seen in pictures. The sides of
the rear cockpit also needed building up
with card to produce the narrower open
rear cockpit characteristic of the MartinBaker machines. I got this slightly wrong as
the sides do bulge slightly outwards, while
my modification does not. Once this has
been modelled, four blast strakes were
fitted behind the cockpit along the rear
fuselage. Other modifications include a
round fairing on the rear of the underbelly
fuel tank, and a large blade aerial along the
rear fuselage. I may have missed some
other subtle changes, and confess I did
forget to add the mudguard spokes to the
undercarriage which are quite prominent
and not included in the kit. I chose to
depict WL419 as I had seen her first in
2003, somewhat different from the 1989
scheme provided on the Blue Rider decal
sheet. From various pictures it can be
noted that the aircrafts scheme has
SCALED UP
Detail of the blast deflector

strakes to the rear of the cockpit
WA638 at the Commemorative event at Yeovilton held in honour of the

life of Captain Winkle Brown in July 2016
The F-35 sticker now carried either side of the

Meteors nose celebrating this old and historic
jets contribution to the latest state-of-the-art
equipment
The tail of WA638 with the Martin-Baker logo

either side
The centreline ventral tank on WA638 is a conventional

T.7 item, unlike the modified tank on WL419
changed in subtle ways over the years, so

care must be taken.
Painting and Decals

Once all the changes had been made,
the kit starts to look like the historic T.7
that has served Martin-Baker so well for so
long. The colours are straightforward,
although the Day-Glow paint is always a
challenge as it has such low density. I used
hand brushed Humbrol Matt 25 over a
white base coat to provide these, including
the belly tank. The overall colour of the
aircraft was achieved by mixing some light
grey into silver to achieve the painted
silvery finish on the original aircraft. My
model may represent a bit of a hybrid
scheme as seen in 2003, as there were
areas of primer on the aircraft at the time I
took my photos at Chalgrove, but these I
chose not to depict. There also needs to be
a fair bit of grey-brown staining around the
rear cockpit, evidence of the explosive trail

of the rear seats as they blast out. I used a
thin light brown colour for this, although I
am not entirely happy with the result
which is not quite subtle enough.
I had to modify the decals; the black and
white nose test markings were cut down,
and the style of the serial number was
changed. The decal sheet includes the
small Asterix cartoon on the nose, still in
evidence in 2003 but since deleted. I added
some rough MB logos on the tail and a
serial on the port under wing as this was
carried later and not shown on the Blue
Rider sheet. The roundels are a little thin so
I put some solid white decal patches on
first, then superposed the roundels and
likewise the fin flash.
For those wanting to model the elegant
black Meteor, Combat Decals Set CD72-005
offers a nice set of markings for British test
aircraft, although there is no gold cheat
For those wanting to modify the kit to depict

WA638, this has just been helped by the arrival
of the excellent Combat Decals Set CD72-005
packed with various test and development
aircraft, including the Meteor, though it does
not provide the golden cheat line
line included. It is quite possible of course

that the Czechs will produce a kit of the
historic Martin-Baker machines to round
off the Meteor family. This aircraft was
recently on display at the memorial event
staged at Yeovilton in July to
commemorate the life of Captain Winkle
Brown. On this occasion, WA638 also
sported large badges either side of the
nose advertising its work on the F-35
programme. The worlds oldest working jet
supporting the worlds newest fighter.
Conclusion
This build took a little longer than
anticipated and did require some basic
modelling skills, making a change from the
usual easy to assemble models. The final
model looks interesting alongside a line-up
of Meteor kits and is surely an essential
addition to any collection of historic British
jets.
61
REVIEWS
Tiger 1
Trumpeters Fighting Fulcrum
By Rick Greenwood
drop tanks are provided. Extras don't finish here

with an aircraft tow bar provided to enhance the
completed model.
Markings are provided for two machines
these being from the Hungarian and Russian Air
Forces in contrasting colour schemes. The Decals
provide not only the markings for each airframe
but the necessary stencil data and weapon
markings too. A pictorial booklet that is clear
and easily understood contains the information
for the eleven assembly stages.
Construction
MiG-29A Fulcrum
Kit No: 1674
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Trumpeter
am sure that the MiG-29 is a familiar type

known to most modellers so a brief
introduction should suffice. The aircraft is a
Russian designed airframe conceived to combat
the threat from western types such as the F-15
and F-16 during the last decade of the Cold War.
Its design was carried out during the 1970s and
its first flight took place in 1977. The type
entered service in 1982 and was given the NATO
reporting name of Fulcrum.
There have been around 1,500 airframes
produced and the type is in widespread service
with many air forces around the world including
many Eastern European countries such as
Slovakia. The Fulcrum made its first air show
appearance in the West at Farnborourgh in
September 1988 and I can still remember, all
these years later, the excitement it generated for
me at least.
Trumpeter's kit was released in 2015 and
competes with older toolings from the likes of
Airfix, Hasegawa and Italeri. The box displays
some nice art work of a Hungarian Air Force
machine and a nice touch from Trumpeter is that
a copy is included in the box to pin up on the
workshop wall. Delving deeper there are eight
sprues holding the mid grey plastic parts and a
further three for the clear, the latter being
protected by a foam sleeve. The fuselage is
separated into upper and lower parts in a
pancake fashion and features some exquisitely
rendered recessed details. The canopy is
provided in two separate parts and can be posed
open, the clear parts are again well moulded and
free from distortion but a little on the thick side.
Trumpeter hasn't skimped on things for under
the wings either and a fine choice of missiles and
Stage one sees the cockpit tub and ejector

seat being completed. The ejection seat is
moulded as a single item with a single further
small detail part added and features some nice
details but these can't be seen once it's slipped
into place in the cockpit recess. Seat belts are
moulded on the back rest and I elected to use
the Eduard Zoom set (SS541) supplied by the
editor, to dress up the seat somewhat.
Unfortunately the set arrived too late for me to
utilise the rest of the coloured etch as I had
already progressed beyond the cockpit
assembly.
The instrument panel and cockpit tub were
painted in the traditional Russian turquoise
colour. Once dry the kit supplied decals were
used for the side consoles and sidewalls, these
were just about satisfactory but do look a little
crude in their appearance. This is easily
addressed with the Eduard Zoom Set. The
instrument panel features raised detail to which
a decal is applied. This worked well and the
completed instrument panel looks good once
done.
Once completed the cockpit tub is fitted to
the lower fuselage section and the two parts
brought together. The fit was quite good but I
needed a little filler around the front end under
the cockpit.
Don't forget to open up the flashed over holes
in the lower wing should you want to install the
under wing pylons and supplied weapons.
I skipped section three which was the
completion of the tow bar, a welcome addition
to the kit should you choose to use it.
The focus of the build now turns to the
underside of the airframe and the addition of
the jet intakes.
Engine compressor faces are supplied but
don't waste any time painting these as they can't
be seen on the completed model. This is due to
the intake doors being moulded solid and added
in the closed position. Faint engraved detail
represents that found on the real machine and
looks a little simplified. Perforated photo etched
parts would have been better employed here in
my opinion.
The wheel wells are next and are adequately
detailed for the scale, nothing fantastic though.
The instructions suggest that you fit the top

portion of the main gear legs at this stage (parts
D3 and D7).
I choose not to and found that when I tried to
add them later in the build they needed to be
trimmed slightly to fit in their recesses.
The radome was fitted next along with the
obligatory nose weight firmly attached inside.
The fit was noted to be quite good, only needing
slight sanding to blend it in to the fuselage. I
elected to leave the prominent pitot tube off at
this stage as to avoid breakage during the
remainder of the build.
The jet exhausts were next and assembled as
per the kit instructions. These are well detailed
and careful painting will be rewarded. They were
treated to various shades of Alclad to simulate
the metallic effect seen in this area and once
completed they were set aside until the end of
the build to save masking them later.
I jumped ahead at this point and added the
vertical tails and forward strakes. No issues were
found and the fit was good. Take care not to
damage the fin top aerial at the rear of part H2
as it's easily broken off!
With the main construction now complete the
smaller detail parts such as the small intakes and
lumps and bumps were added in preparation for
the painting stage.
For this model I couldn't satisfy myself with
the colours suggested by Trumpeter so elected
to try the Akan range for the first time. I
managed to order the required colours in
enamel for the light grey, green/grey and dark
grey for the radome. I also picked up the green
for the wheel hubs while I was ordering them
online. I was pleased with they way they sprayed
when thinned with cellulose thinners, the result
being a very smooth finish.
I was not too sure about the colours used for
the green/grey upper surface camouflage as
they were more or less indistinguishable from
each other. I know these paints portray a faded
appearance so I simply added some of the
darker radome grey paint to the light grey and a
small amount of the wheel hub green to the
grey/green to darken them a little and reapplied
the camouflage with more pleasing results
obtained.
Weathering was restrained and differing tones
of the original colours were used to impart a
used and weathered look to the top coats. A
toned down panel wash was used so as to avoid
a drawn on look using a mid grey enamel
thinned considerably with white spirit.
Once happy I had reached the stage I was
looking for, Klear was applied to prepare the
finish for the decals. The Mig 29 is a modellers
delight with various combinations of
camouflage colours and operators to choose
from. I had decided from the start that I wanted
to depict my MiG in the standard Russian colours
as described above but I wasn't too taken with
REVIEWS
the Russian option provided in the kit so I would
have to look elsewhere.
My inspiration came to do a Slovakian Air
Force example when coming downstairs from
the workshop, as I have a signed Squadron Print
from Tiger1, the Slovak MiG 29 solo display team
at the Royal International Air show in 1996. I
managed to find the exact aircraft markings on
Begemot sheet 7232. This was ordered and
when it arrived I was staggered by the sheer
amount of aircraft it covers. As I was only
interested in the Slovakian markings these were
carefully cut from the sheet to be used later.
Some stencil data is provided on the sheet
but it is not as extensive as those provided by
Trumpeter and the latter were used for this
model. No adverse reactions were noted from
the kit decals using my usual method of
application. The Begemot decals were a little
stubborn to settle into the recessed detail but
did so after a few applications of Daco Red
setting solution.
Finishing Touches
First a word of caution. The landing gear is
well detailed and is made from number of parts
both for the nose and main gear legs. I advise
that these be assembled as per the kit
instructions and then left for a suitable amount
of time for the plastic cement to harden fully, to
eliminate the possibility of the parts bending
under the weight of the model. This can be
avoided though by using a cyanoacrylate
(superglue) type adhesive if you prefer. Once
painted and assembled the structure looks well
detailed and is highly visible on the completed
model.
The weapons were prepared for use and the
pylons painted, decalled and then applied. I

couldn't really find any reference online to
support a typical weapon load on Slovakian
aircraft so I elected to add only the R-73 Archer
missiles from the kit.
For information the good selection of
weaponry and tanks are provided are:
1x centre line drop tank PTB 1500
2x under wing drop tanks PTB 1150
R-73 Archer missiles or training rounds
R-27 Alamo missiles
R-60 Aphid missile or training rounds
All the necessary under wing pylons are
supplied as separate well detailed parts.
A clear weapon placement guide is provided
on the rear of the instruction booklet and a
painting and decal placement guide is printed
on the reverse side of the box top artwork insert.
The canopy and windshield were masked and
painted, ensuring I added the appropriate and
highly visible canopy sealant seen on these
aircraft from a custom mix of red, brown and
white Gunze Sangyo acrylic paint.
With the masking removed from the canopy,
the last couple of delicate items were added
such as the starboard side pitot and aerial on the
spine. Once happy everything was in alignment
a matt coat of varnish was applied by airbrush,
the jet cans were installed along with the
opening section of the canopy to complete the
build.
Conclusions
This model captures the look of the MiG-29
well and represents good value for money at
around 18. There is plenty of detail on most of

the airframe but in my opinion the cockpit is
quite poor as the decals used to depict the
instrumentation on the side wall and consoles
are crude. The tow bar is a nice inclusion but I
would have sacrificed this for better detail in the
cockpit as the instrument panel is quite good,
featuring raised detail. Some of the smaller
probes are missing too, such as the ones on the
vertical tail.
Nothing too demanding presented itself
during the build, but the way the undercarriage
is made up could cause problems for the
inexperienced or impatient modeller.
Too late for inclusion in this build are some
superb Eduard accessories that were passed to
me by the editor. It is the nature of accessories
that all too often they turn up after the review
kit is started!
There is an excellent Brassin cockpit to
address the above issues in that department
that includes a new cockpit tub, seat and etched
fret for the smaller details (672 094). Eduard also
offer a detailed set of resin jet cans that are more
refined than the kit parts (672 091). There is a full
etched detail set as well catering for the exterior
of the airframe and the interior is provided in the
form of the simpler Zoom set, available
separately as mentioned in the text (73541). I
must not forget to add that a set of the handy
yellow canopy masks have also been released
(CX433).
So with these accessories now in my clutches,
I need no further excuse to build another
Trumpeter MiG 29, and with a whole host of
decal options to choose from the sky really is my
limit.
Until next time...
63
REVIEWS
Mercury Rising
New Horizons
By Andy McCabe
MiG-29A Fulcrum
Horizon Models Mercury-Atlas
Kit No: 2002
Horizon Models Mercury Capsules Kit
No Kit No: 2003
Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Horizon Models
www.horizon-models.com
he Mercury-Atlas was part of project

Mercury, which was the first Human
Spaceflight Program for the United States
between 1958 and 1963 and was all a part of the
Space Race between the United States and the
Soviet Union to get the first man into space.
Project Mercurys name came from the Roman
Mythological god of travel Mercury, and
featured seven astronauts who became known
as the Mercury Seven, hence the logo designed
in 1964 for the Mercury Seven Astronaut
Memorial.
Mercury-Atlas 1 was the first launch of an
unmanned Mercury Capsule on the 29th July
1960 from Cape Canaveral. The Mercury Capsule
was bolted to an Atlas Rocket and the launch
failed fifty eight seconds into the flight when the
Atlas Rocket suffered structural failure. The
second mission MA-2 was however a success but
MA-3 was not. MA-4 succeeded and MA-5 was
launched with Enos the chimp on board, who
survived the mission in good condition.
MA-7 was launched with astronaut John
Glenn on board, who performed three orbits of
the Earth, which made him the first US astronaut
to orbit the planet, and the missions continued
until the final launch of MA-9, which completed
twenty two orbits of the Earth and ended on
15th May 1963 and was the final mission with a
single crew member.
The Horizon Models kit of the Mercury-Atlas
consists of four sprues of grey injection moulded
plastic, one etched fret, one decal sheet and one
assembly and markings guide. The plastic parts
are very nicely moulded with excellent detail.
The etched fret is again superbly produced and
the decal sheet contains complete stencils and
mission logos for all nine missions, and are
superbly printed by Microscale. The full colour
box has artwork of the Mercury-Atlas on the
back and a photo of a finished model on the
side.
The build begins by opening holes out on the
airframe and then assembling it and the
assembly is very quick at this point as the side
pods and pipe work very rapidly make up the
main body of the airframe. Stage 4 is where the

assembly of the Mercury Capsule begins. There
are two different types of capsule that can be
modelled, the early boiler plate or the
production type. The production type has the
escape tower whilst the boiler plate does not.
The tower is made up from very finely moulded
plastic and etched parts and care has to be
taken when cutting the trusses from the sprues.
It is however a very nice piece of model
engineering.
The capsule itself is built up around a central
core, which is fitted to the capsule base and then
three side panels fit very tightly into position
around it. Photo etched parts then finish off the
assembly. Horizon have made an excellent job of
capturing the detail on the capsule and they
really do look good.
The capsule adaptor ring was fitted to the
Atlas body and then the model was given a coat
of grey primer. Although no specific paint
manufactures are quoted on the instructions I
did email Horizon and they suggested Alcad for
the main airframe, which I had contemplated.
The airfame was sprayed with Alclad 2 Gloss
Black base and then two light coats of Alclad 115
Stainless Steel. This is not as bright and shiny as
photographs of the real Mercury-Atlas so I would
suggest either the Alclad 2 105 Highly Polished
Aluminium or 107 Chrome as an alternative. The
base of the airframe was sprayed with Alclad 102
Duralumin. The capsule is a metallic black/blue,
which I could find no suitable colour for, so I
mixed it using Tamiya XF-1 Matt Black and X-13
Metallic Blue.
The escape tower was sprayed matt white and
then Mr Hobby H13 Matt Red was sprayed on.
The decals were now applied. These are very
finely printed and presented no problems on
application.
The rocket nozzles were assembled, painted
with a steel colour and then fitted to the
airframe. Finally the stand was sprayed gloss
black and the decals applied and the rocket
mounted and the model was finished.
I was also supplied the Horizon Models kit
2003, which comprises two complete Mercury
capsules that can be built and displayed
separately. The build is exactly the same as
described above but minus the Atlas airframe.
Ten versions can be modelled:
Mercury Boilerplate Big Joe 10D
Mercury Capsule (Porthole) Missions MA-1 to
MA-4
Mercury Capsule (Window) Missions MA-5 to
MA-9
It is not very often I get the chance to build
and review space related models so when the
opportunity arose I quickly snapped it up as I
have an interest in this kind of thing. Horizon
Models have produced a very nicely detailed
model of the Mercury-Atlas and when finished it
is a stunning model. I can find no flaws with
these kits at all. They assembled cleanly and
precisely and look fantastic when finished and
mounted on their stands. The Mercury-Atlas is
just begging for the launch pad to be assembled
to it and no doubt there is already one out there
somewhere.
Horizon have also now released the Convair
SM-65D Atlas kit, which will I have no doubt be
every bit as good as these.
I look forward to other space kits from
Horizon Models in the future, they are definitely
worth purchasing.
REVIEWS
Classic
Hubschrauber
Bundesmarine SAR Machine
By Robert Rose
H-34G.III/UH-34J
Kit No: 2712
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Italeri
The Hobby Company/MRC
his is a neatly moulded kit of a popular and

much used helicopter of the late fifties and
sixties. I was disappointed that no engine
was included, something that could have easily
been done in this scale. Still, that may be an
interesting add-on item for the aftermarket
manufacturers or possibly for Italeri themselves,
who have done this before with helicopters.
Their 1/48 Chinook had a detail set sold later.
The old Revell H-19 kit was made more attractive
by the option of modelling the front doors open
to show its radial engine.
The kit has a well detailed interior, which
along with the cockpit is the first
area to be built up making a self
standing interior structure. I
found it helpful to position
this
structure
inside a
fuselage half
while the joints
dried, since the
angles of bulkheads
etc. are vital. The UH-34
series had a cockpit that sat above
and in front of the main cabin. It
was not possible to move
between the two,
though the pilots feet
could be seen from
the cabin, and
the only
communication was
by intercom. The interior
of the cabin is provided with
reasonably well moulded utility
seats. I found the legs on these
seats were slightly too short so
additional sections of stretched plastic
sprue were used to extend them.
Because of the quite extensive glazing on
the UH-34, cockpit detailing is

important. The seats are
built up from
several parts and
embellished with etched
brass detail and seat belts, which
require painting. In the
instructions the seat belt
colours were identical to
that of the seat
squabs. I
changed
that to
get
some
contrast for
the nicely
etched belts. Seat
belts come in a range of colours, generally
khaki, green or blue. The pilots seats are
suspended off the rear cockpit bulkhead, which
means a fairly tight fit alongside the collective
levers and the central console. These were busy
cockpits. I found the instrument panel slightly
odd. It had a rather fine decal on it, which was
then covered by a piece of etched brass. That
had to be painted before assembly and when
fitted it obscured the finely detailed equipment
panel provision on the decal sheet. Frustrating. I
debated cutting that out, but decided it was too
difficult, so some careful painting was required.
The rudder pedals provided hang down from
the lower edge of the instrument panel. I felt
these looked wrong. I think the mistake is that
they should be mounted further behind the
panel since they show as well recessed in
photos. Adding a spacer from a piece of scrap
plastic solves that one.
The rotor assembly is nicely done, and the
parts are sufficiently tightly moulded that I was
able to assemble the main rotors without glue.
That allows a small amount of lead lag to be
posed on the blades if you wish, and the blades
spin beautifully easily. The classic rotor droop of
the type when at rest has been moulded in too.
Possibly to allow for modelling differently
engined variants, the nose of this kit has been
moulded as a separate assembly. I deviated
from the instructions slightly by installing
the upper bulkhead of this
assembly early to
provide
extra
stiffness to the
area around the
engine air
intake
screening.
This is provided
in finely etched
brass. Take care,
as one side
of the
etching is clearer than

the other. I took a leaf out
of another modellers book
and added some internal detail in the engine
cooling fan bay, which sits behind the engine
bulkhead. The mesh

screens do
allow some sight of

the inside of that bay, so
adding some notional detail of
pipework, hydraulic lines and boxes
made the area look busier and added
realism, though only in my imagination.
There is quite a lot of etched brass
mesh screening provided,
which adds a great
deal to the look
of the kit.
Often I find
etched brass
overly finicky and
sometimes only just
worth the extra effort. This kit
was one example when it was
clearly the best way to mimic
the original.
I did have
trouble
with the
screening
around the
rotor mast. A
plastic frame and
some net mesh
were provided, as
was an etched brass
screen. The instructions were not
clear to me - it seemed that the
screening mesh should sit below the frame.
Searching online for pictures of the area, I found
several that showed that option, though all were
of models. I rigged the parts that way. Then my
partner, after some excellent online sleuthing,
found a picture of a stored H-34 at a Florida
museum which had the mesh framing flush with
the helicopter skin. So off came my frame pieces
and on went the etched brass on its own. It may
be that both options were tried in practice. The
design was altered a
number of times.
As an example I
have found pictures of
both H-34 and Wessex
helicopters with anticlockwise
rotating tail rotors as well as the more
common later clockwise rotation tail rotor.
I elected to use the Bundesmarine SAR colour
scheme of aluminium and orange, because it
allowed for some fairly easy realistic weathering.
The all red US Navy training option I felt would
be too hard to avoid making look glossy and
new. Most helicopters rapidly become worn and
tatty in appearance, especially in marine
conditions.
The decals provided are very good, being
both thin and tough. To my surprise,
even those for the tail rotor tip
colours wrapped around the
blades satisfactorily.
Also the small
instructions
stencils
could mostly be
read, which is
impressive. When I took
the first photos of the kit, I
noticed a couple of decals had started
to peel back slightly on the aluminium areas,
possibly because of the slightly dusty semi matt
finish there. A light coat of Future or similar will
stop that.
I recommend this kit if you have any interest
at all in classic helicopters.
65
H A R R O G AT E M O D E L C LU B
By Gary Hatcher
Applying the mask. The outline was laid on

first and the surrounding area masked
Kit No: 80325

Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: HobbyBoss
Creative Models/Squadron
Aftermarket:
Montex 48010 TBM-3E Avenger masks
for Accurate Miniatures kit
www.hannants.co.uk
Next the white was sprayed on, taking pains to

spray towards the centre of the masked area
The star and bars are now in position ready for

the Insignia Blue
his has been another one of those projects

that sprang into life on the back of a wave
of inspiration then turned out to be a little
more involved than I had initially anticipated. I
blame Eduard and Wolfpack jointly. Having
finished off a pair of wings folded Hellcats last
year using their products I decided that a line-up
of folded Grumman aircraft from the World War II
Pacific theatre was essential and that another
Hellcat, an Avenger and two Wildcats was all I
really needed to complete the business. Nothing
too ambitious then.
Not as ambitious as you might suppose to be
honest. Wolfpacks resin folded wing sets are
extremely fine products, and combined with the
quality kits available from Tamiya and Eduard
actually make it quicker to finish a model with
the wings folded than otherwise. My mistake
was doing the Avenger next.
Folding the TBM-3 can be done two ways.
Either source an Accurate Miniatures kit, re
boxed by Italeri and latterly by Academy, and the
Lonestar resin wing fold set, or get the equally
excellent HobbyBoss kit which includes a folded
wing option, although this lacks detail and both
the Eduard exterior set and a degree of scratch
building will be essential. I opted for the
HobbyBoss kit, which UK importers Creative
Models kindly supplied, and set to work
optimistically sorting out the parts to build up
the interior.
The finished marking not bad for an early

attempt
This is comprehensive. There is a complete

cockpit, rear compartment and weapons bay,
and with all the etch for both interior and

exterior on hand a great many subassemblies
ensued. This threw up a number of decisions
that needed to be made and resulted in a great
deal of trawling through the many sprues
sorting parts out into little bags and deciding
upon the order of construction. As this build was
really all about the wing fold I elected to leave
the weapons bay closed to save some time and
effort and proceeded to tackle the interior using
my customary process of assembling everything
that needed to be painted green first of all, then
adding the coloured elements of the etched set
and topping off with any essential scratch
building. Most of the work went into the cockpit,
as this is highly visible under the greenhouse
canopy. A fair bit of plumbing is evident behind
the pilots bulkhead, along the port side of the
centre compartment, and the turret had not only
to be constructed in its entirety but the glazing
had to be masked and painted as it needs to be
installed before the fuselage is closed then
carefully masked while the rest of the build
continues.
Only in the rear fuselage did I allow myself to
stint on the detail as little is visible with the
fuselage door closed, and even less with the
wings hinged back preventing a view through
the windows.
The bulk of the work is straightforward to be
honest, and there are plenty of modellers in this
magazine better qualified than I to offer advice
on construction matters. As usual any issues I
have are based on the transparencies, and I think
it is worth offering the following advice to
anyone building this kit:
The glazing in the rear fuselage the small
portholes and inserts around the ventral gun
position is a poor fit. I would recommend
fitting all these in place before joining the
fuselage halves as I had to fill, sand and polish all
of them to get a flush sit. Luckily it all came back
to clarity and any debris generated could be
cleaned with a flexible plastic rod inserted
through the ventral gun aperture. No gun is
provided here by the way, and I gather later
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TBM-3Es would often not carry one. The kit

leaves a blank open hole, which I left as I could
not establish what actually should be there.
Moving on to the canopy, initially I had
masked and sprayed all sections individually
using Eduards excellent kabuki masks. Once the
fuselage, with wing stubs added, had been
painted I fitted the windscreen first then
attempted to fit the remaining parts one by one,
in order from front to back. This proved tricky,
especially as there is a transparent interior
bulkhead at the rear end that
needs to sit perfectly onto a
corresponding ledge on the
interior assembly. This however
was the least of my worries as
the main bulkhead behind the
pilots seat was too
high for the
transparency
to fit over. I dont
think it was my
fault, as
everything had
slotted together
exactly when I
assembled the interior,
but I really should have
test fitted the glazing
more
comprehensively
before painting and
detailing the cockpit. I had
to grind (quite brutally) so
much plastic off the top of the
bulkhead that a hole appeared, which
had to be filled. Once I had the transparency
sitting comfortably I was able to restore
everything to rights and in the overall scheme of
things the trauma is unnoticeable, but be
warned!
In the end I glued the rear canopy sections
together into a single piece, minus the separate
side panels, and concentrated all efforts into
achieving a good fit for this single part. I had to
shave a couple of millimetres off the end of the

framing bar that runs directly over the pilots
head, and on which the side panels hang, but as
these offer a little bit of leeway with their fit it
proved to be a good solution and eventually I
got the whole thing settled and in place to my
satisfaction.
One of the main targets I had set myself with
this build was to use masks for the markings, and
Hannants had supplied a Montex set to this end.
This was my first attempt at using one of these
sets and my initial efforts proved a little halting
to say the least; trying to apply a complex star
and bar to the bulging rear fuselage. I should
have opted for a wing first of all to get the hang
of it, as once I had done a couple it proved to be
pretty easy as the masking material is both very
strong and very flexible, and does allow
you second chances. This set is
designed for the Accurate
Miniatures kit, but
most of it
seems to
fit fine
on the
HobbyBoss. The bulged
shape of the TBMs fuselage may have
exacerbated the differences but I am inclined to
be honest to blame myself.
I had erroneously assumed when starting the
kit, that any all over Sea Blue aircraft would only
have the white from the national markings

sprayed straight onto the main colour. This is the
case with the decals in Eduards F6F-5, and it was
the prospect of an easy job spraying on a simple
white star and a couple of oblongs that had
convinced me to try the masks in the first place.
However it soon became apparent that this was
an optimistic assumption on my part (ever make
one of those?). This left me wondering what
exactly the position was regarding Insignia Blue
on US national markings on late war aircraft in
overall Gloss Sea Blue. Was it a colour
conundrum? A call to Mr. Paul Lucas established
that it was not, and that the issue could be
resolved by one paragraph in the right reference
book, which needless to say he had to hand.
According to Monograms 1989 guide an edict
dated 2nd January 1945 stipulated that
henceforth Insignia Blue would not be used in
the national markings of aircraft painted Sea
Blue. This had already been in effect with some
units prior to this date, and notably to Hellcats
on the Grumman production line. My chosen
Avenger predated this serendipity alas, so I was
obliged to bite the bullet and add blue to the
markings. My previous attempt to spray them on
the fuselage had foundered thanks to my ham
fisted efforts. I had tried spraying the Insignia
Blue first and then failed to locate the rest of the
mask accurately over it. The upshot of this was
that I had ended up trying to use decals, only to
find that the kit sheet silvered horribly.
Eventually I removed them all apart from the
fuselage stars, repainted the tail and decided to
try again with the masks, only more carefully this
time. I managed to get the decals on the
fuselage to bed down eventually after running
an RB rivet wheel over them and flooding them
with various setting solutions. They are also
partially hidden by the folded wings so I felt I
could live with them in the end. The stencilling I
sprayed over and succeeded in making them
look faded, while simultaneously hiding the
decal film. With these corrections made I was
ready to apply the masks again.
All the white checkerboards went on easily
and looked marvellous. For the stars and bars on
the wings I initially applied the large mask
without the interior parts, and sprayed the white
on first. This left me with a white area the shape
of a London Underground logo onto which I
applied the star and rectangles before
adding the blue. This attempt was
only partially successful as I
had been a little
enthusiastic with the white, and my insignia had
visible white creep around the outside. I
resprayed the wing and repeated the process,
this time concentrating only on those areas
where the star and bars would be, and making
sure I sprayed from the edge of the mask
towards the interior at all times. This meant there
was nothing but a little overspray near the edges
of the masked area, and once the blue was
sprayed over the white it all looked perfect.
Masking and markings thankfully in the bag it
was time to add the wings and detail the wing
folds. This is something that needs a little care
and forethought, again a matter I had allowed
myself to assume would simply fit where I
wanted it to. HobbyBoss have moulded
enormous loops on the tail planes and provide
pegs for the wingtips that are supposed to hook
into these. No picture of an Avenger showed
anything like a two inch thick basketball hoop
bolted to the tail so I removed these and left the
pins off the wingtips. Getting the wings to
match each other in position proved
controversial though, and in the end I was
obliged to tape them into the position I wanted
them and flood glue into the area of the fold,
while also cementing the tips to the tail planes
in the position I wanted. This resulted in some
repairs to the paintwork and they are, as a result,
almost certainly not accurate, but they look far
better in the position they now sit in than they
would had I just let them hang as the kit parts
wanted them to.
Final touches were added namely the prop,

the fuel tanks, pitot and the Yagi aerials under
the wings. The last thing to be added was the
aerial wire, made from the matchless Uschi van
der Rosten thread, for which the Lord and Albion
Alloys be thanked.
Detailing the wing fold was a chore but one

that I settled down to with resignation and
managed to achieve over a couple of nights.
Eduards etched inserts are an excellent base but
so much of the detail that needs to be added
So against all the odds the Masked Avenger

was completed. It looks marvellous in the
cabinet next to the Hellcats, and I have two
Wildcats on the blocks ready to go, although
having prepped all the parts for the J2F I am not
cannot be replicated in etch so scratch building

is essential. Again my finished efforts are largely
a representation of approximately where the
detail lies, and by no means an exact replica of
the real thing.
sure how long it will be before the wing fold

project is completed.
But I regard this as a success, chiefly down to
the excellent products available. The HobbyBoss
kit is a wonderful piece of plastic, the Eduard
etch and masks as good as ever, and as for the
Montex set, I have already laid in one for the
Duck (thank you Hannants) and this time I will
do it properly. I cannot recommend the finished
results highly enough and would suggest that
with a little care and planning any modeller can
get a good result from them, and that if you
really want that painted on effect with your
markings, then you might care to try simply
painting them on.
69
SCALE COMMUNIT Y
IPMS (UK) Column

Presented By Chris Ayre
The Great Pretender
omeone recently asked me

what I do in the real world,
which is a question that many
of you may never have actually
been asked and, now I come to
think about it, is an odd question
that might be construed by some
as something of an insult. At the
time, it seemed perfectly
reasonable and I entered into a
conversation that was both
interesting and informative - I
asked the same question of my
companion and discovered some
fascinating facts that I otherwise
wouldnt have known. Looking
back has me thinking, though - do I
live in the real world?
The main reason that the original
question went unquestioned, as it
were, is that I do actually earn part
of my crust by pretending to be
other people (perhaps I should
mention that I do some tv/film
work). But I earn the rest of it in a
variety of ways and I suppose I
consider myself lucky that Im able
to do that. Im not beholden to
anyone - I dont work a 9 to 5 job
(although the truth is that I work far
more hours). I enjoy the fact that
my working days are always
different - often I dont know what
Ill be doing for the rest of the week
(or month). I quite enjoy that but
with it comes uncertainty - what if
the next job doesnt materialise?
What if I cant find any work?
Uncertainty can bring stress of
course - but it can also add an
element of, well not excitement
exactly but - anticipation perhaps to my life. At least I cant often say
that Im bored. So, what has all this
got to do with modelling?
Quite a lot actually - for one
thing it gives me an excuse for the
fact that I rarely build anything. I
can never find the time to sit still
and simply get on with it. Setting
that to one side though, and
pretending for a moment that I do
model (that pretending lark is
coming in handy), my life has more
flexibility than I know many of you
have. I have deadlines to meet,
true, but I get to travel quite a bit particularly around the UK - and I
can often put work on hold for a
short period when I fancy heading
off in search of inspiration. What
that usually means is that I can grab
my camera bag and go off to
photograph aeroplanes
somewhere if Im so inclined My
days of climbing up the side of a
Welsh hill to catch fast jets flying
through the valleys are, if not well
behind me then certainly
struggling to keep up. There were
days when I used to do just that peaceful days generally, where I
wouldnt see a soul all the time I

was there. Apparently, things have
changed somewhat and it isnt
unusual to find twenty or thirty
others awaiting the Lakenheath
Mach Loop Display Team. Putting
aside the fact that Im not as fit as I
ought to be, Im also not that
sociable so I leave them to it and,
even in these days of reduced
military activity, there are various
events, exercises or simply airfields
to visit. You never know what might
turn up.
You might also have noticed my
tendency to digress but that was
only a partial digression - there is
still a modelling connection.
Creating our miniature
masterpieces is often said to be a
form of escapism from real life and
Ive been wondering if my interest
in What If? (counterfactual if you
prefer) subjects is a reflection of my
diverse lifestyle. The fact that my
broader subject interests are
somewhat less than focussed
would suggest that Im not capable
of concentrating on one thing for
any length of time. For example, in
recent months Ive been inspired by
a number of things that Ive
photographed and the diversity of
them makes it difficult to choose a
direction for my modelling Ive
been told that I have a butterfly
mind - I wasnt quite sure how to
take that the first time someone
said it - and, as It seems that Ive
never been one to be content with
a steady life, perhaps this may (at
least partially) explain why I
perhaps prefer not to live in the real
world. It probably also explains my
inclination to waffle, for which I
apologise. I hope it all makes some
kind of sense.
The latest issue of IPMS

Magazine - out now!
The fighter version of the Eagle has always been my favourite but it
took the AN/ALQ-188 pod under the centreline of this F-15C to
inspire me to start looking out a kit (Chris Ayre)
Showtime
Whats going on? As we get
closer to Scale ModelWorld (12th 13th November) the show calendar
seems to be getting even busier.
1st-2nd October has two events in
the UK - IPMS Abingdon go first on
the 1st with their annual show at
Larkmead School in the town
(OX14 1BB). The organiser (contact
Simon Fisher
Simonfisher@btinternet.com)
promises fifteen traders and twenty
club stands. Sunday the 2nd sees
Shropshire Scale Modellers and
Ellesmere Model Railway Club
combine for the North Shropshire
Model Show at the Market Hall in
Ellesmere (SY12 0ED) where
admission is free. Gary Stevens is
the organiser
(gary473@btinternet.com).
Moving along to the following
weekend, there are four shows
Getting this shot had me searching the shows

for Revells kit - Airbus Beluga (Chris Ayre)
SCALE COMMUNIT Y
taking place, two of which are overseas. Tank
Mod 2016, is in the UK and held at The Tank
Museum in Bovington (BH20 6JG) this is more
than a model show with museum tours and
vehicle rides also on offer. This is a one day event
on Saturday the 8th. Contact Oliver Bitten on
01929 405096 or events@tankmuseum.org for
more details. Over in Belgium, Plastic & Steel
2016 takes place over the two days of the
weekend at Bellebouter, Affligem. The organiser
is IPMS Belgium and the show website is
www.plasticandsteel.be. The Irish National
Model Show runs over the same two days at the
Plaza Hotel, Belgard Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24
and the IPMS Ireland website should provide
more details - www.ipmsireland.com - or email
philipprenton@eircom.net. Lincoln & Newark
Model Expo 2016 is on Sunday the 9th at the
usual (and slightly unusual) venue of Southwell
Racecourse (LN6 5UW). The organisers have had
to introduce a modest entry fee this year due to
increased costs but this is a great IPMS show.
Organiser Ian Crawford can let you know more
on ircrawford@gmail.com.
Saturday the 15th has two big shows in the
UK but theyre over 400 miles apart. Glasgow
Modelfest 2016 is at the Bellahouston Leisure
Centre (G52 1HH) and is billed as The Best One
Day Plastic Model Show in Scotland which is a
bit of a mouthful but may well be true. Find out
more from IPMS Glasgows Bruce Smith
bruce.smith33@ntlworld.com or 0141 5632098.
At the same time, down in Somerset, the Fleet
Air Arm October Model Show is being held at
the FAA Museum (BA22 8HT). As usual, the
exhibitors and traders are spread amongst the
A Capital Show
full size exhibits. Amy Roberts is the Marketing

Manager for the Museum and you can contact
her on 01935 842638 or
fleetairarm.enquiries@nmrn.org.uk The 9th
International Model Exhibition (Model Baumesse
Reid) in Reid, Austria runs over the weekend and
is a large event covering a variety of modelling
genres. Michael Feischl is the first point of
contact. Email
mbf_reidstvobmann@outlook.com
Two European events dominate the following
weekend. The 22nd and 23rd sees Mauges-Expo
2016 at the Parc de La Meilleraie in Cholet,
France where some twenty eight French clubs
will be displaying. Laurent Gautier is the contact
on mcm.cholet@hotmail.fr. Staying on French
soil, the Maquette Club Kerhuonnais is running
the Convention IPMS Bretagne at a venue yet to
be announced in Brest. Im not sure who will be
there given all of the clubs that will apparently
be in Cholet but IPMS Bretagnes Alain Personnic
is organising things and their website is
ipmsbretagne.jimdo.com. North Essex Modellers
have their annual Norex Hobby Show at the
William Loveless Hall in Wivenhoe (CO7 9AB) on
Sunday 23rd. Bob Rowles is your man for this
one bob.rowles@hotmail.co.uk.
Two more overseas shows complete Octobers
line-up. IPMS Greece have been holding an
annual event for some years but, from Friday
28th to Sunday 30th, they are going large at the
Technopolis Centre in the middle of Athens. The
competition will have many additional
categories this year and the organisers are keen
to see visitors from other countries. Nicolas
Protonotarios can tell you more. Email him on
hoplonite1@gmail.com. Last but not least, the

29th IPMS Netherlands National Show - Euro
Scale Modelling - will take place at the NBC
Congrescentrum in Nieuwegein on October the
29th. This is apparently the largest plastic
modelling event on the European continent so
might be worth a visit. The event website is
www.ipms.nl/euroscalemodelling.html and you
can contact IPMS Netherlands at esm@ipms.nl to
find out more. Phew
.
Until next time, enjoy your modelling.
Chris
www.ipmsuk.co.uk
Membership enquiries: Abigail Brewin, 144 High
Road, Weston, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6RA
or email: membership@ipmsuk.co.uk
Im a big fan of the Airbus A350 XWB and this

is just a nice shot( Chris Ayre)
Bunny Fighter Club
The London Plastic Modelling Show
nce again Guidelines are proud to

present the London Plastic Modelling
show this December 4th at the
Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street,
Islington, London N1 0QH, Central Londons
only event of this kind and a great way to wind
up the modelling year.
At the show, you will find a host of traders
with whom you can chat and get advice prior
to purchasing. You will be able to meet our
magazine editors and contributors, as well as
fellow modellers. And of course there will also
be club stands where you can talk to members
and pick their brains! We will have
demonstrations; make & take (especially for
youngsters); and a number of competition
categories.
Keep up-to-date with details by checking
back on the website or visiting our SAM, MMI &
TSC Facebook pages.
www.londonplasticmodellingshow.co.uk
id
you
get to
the 16th
annual E-Day
event? This
year the
show will
have taken
place in Pragues Galerie Butovice Shopping
Centre from 24th to 25th September 2016. Of
course if you were a member of the BFC you
would not only have been well apprised of this
crucial gathering, but also as a loyal lapinophile
would have been eligible for free admission to

the show and to all Eduard kits at a knock-down
price. You simply need to join the BFC! This will
get you a 15% permanent club discount at
Eduards Store, unique valuable club kits and
accessories, even better prices at the Eduard
event stand and a BFC t-shirt with a unique
design and special barcode, used for event
discounts. This exclusive t-shirt will only be
available to members of BFC. There is also that
free entry fee on E-day next year, so check out
the website for full details.
www.eduard.com/bfc
71
M A R K E T P L AC E K I T S
NEW KITS ROUND UP

Pick of the month in 1/144 has
to be Mark Is new Gladiators,
although Rodens C-141 is a
very welcome sight, while in
1/72 and 1/48 Eduards Bf 109
and Fw 190 join the 1/48
Special Hobby Bu 181 to
present the modeller with a
selection of top of the range
Luftwaffe kits. Airfix seem to
have been busy of late as well.
Not so much 1/32 this month,
although a second version of
the Italeri Mirage is noted.
Anigrand Craftswork #2127 1/72

Northrop YC-125B Raider
Shin Maywa US-1A JMSD air-sea
rescue amphibian
Boeing YC-14 STOL prototype
Hannants/Rare-Planes Detective
A Model #72304 1/72 Ilyushin Il14 (late version) Crate

A Model #72329 1/72 Beriev Be-10
Mallow
Czech Master Resin #72-176 1/72

Supermarine Spitfire Tr.9 Trainer
Hannants/UMM-USA
Dekno #720100 1/72 Spartan 7W
Spanish Civil War
Dekno #720201 1/72 Northrop
Y1C19 Alpha US Army Air Corps
Hannants
AFV Club #144S02 1/144 Curtiss

P-40N CACW 14th Air Force
AFV Club #144S03 1/144 Curtiss
P-40M USAAF
Pocketbond/Dragon USA
Attack Squadron #73005 1/72 PZL

P.11/I Prototype
Hannants
Academy #12314 1/48 Polikarpov
I-16 Type 24
Academy #12533 1/72 Boeing
B-17E USAAF Pacific Theatre
Academy #12534 1/72 McDonnellDouglas F/A-18C USN VFA-82
Marauders
Academy #12537 1/72 Westland
AH-64D British Army in Afghanistan
Academy #12539 1/72 Junkers
Ju 87G-2 & JS-2
Pocketbond/MRC
Brengun #72020 1/72 Yakovlev

Yak-1 (mod. 1941)
Brengun #72021 1/72 Yakovlev
Yak-1 (mod. 1942)
Hannants/UMM-USA
Eduard #1166 1/48 BAe Harrier

GR.7/9
Eduard #1192 1/48 Grumman
F-14A Tomcat Danger Zone
Eduard #7436 1/72 Focke-Wulf Fw
190A-5 heavy fighter
Eduard #82113 1/48
Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 early
version
Creative Models/Stevens
International
MustHave! #148004 1/48 Breguet

Br.14B-2
Hannants
MARK I Models #14452 1/144

Gloster Gladiator Mk I RAF, Belgian,
Chinese Nationalist AF
Gloster Gladiator Mk II RAF,
Portuguese, Swedish
Gloster Sea Gladiator Malta
Defender
Hannants/UMM-USA
Merit #62401 1/24 SPAD S.XIII

Merit #64804 1/48 Gloster
Gladiator Mk II
Pocketbond/Sprue Brothers
Airfix #04060 1/72 Nakajima B5N1
Kate
Airfix #05043 1/72 Bristol
Beaufighter Mk X (late version)
Airfix #07007 1/72 Heinkel He
111H-6
Airfix #09009 1/72 ArmstrongWhitworth Whitley Mk VII
Airfix #10101A 1/48 BAC/EE
Canberra B.2/B.20
AZ Model #7223 1/72 Mitsubishi

Ki-30 Ann Pacific Wars
AZ Model #73076 1/72 MoraneSaulnier WR with floats
AZ Model #14420 1/144 Douglas
DC-9 Aero Repblica Colombia
Hannants/UMM-USA
ICM #72304 1/72 Dornier Do 17Z-2

Italeri #1385 1/72 McDonnellDouglas F/A-18 Hornet Swiss Air

Italeri #2510 1/32 Dassault Mirage
IIIE/R
Italeri #2763 1/48 McDonnell F15C Strike Eagle Gulf War 25th
Anniversary
The Hobby Company/MRC
Modelsvit #7217 1/72 Sukhoi

Su-17
Modelsvit #7222 1/72 Tupolev
Tu-22KD Shilo (Blinder B)
Modelsvit #7223 1/72 Dassault
Mirage III V-01 French VTOL Aircraft
Modelsvit #7224 1/72
Myasishchev M-17
Kitty Hawk Model #80138 1/48

Dassault Super Etendard
Roden #325 1/144 Lockheed

C-141B Starlifter
Pocketbond/Squadron
Lockheed R6V-1 Constitution
Nakajima B4N-1 Experimental 9-Shi
Lukgraph #3207 1/32 Boeing F3BHannants
RS Models #92196 1/72 Kawasaki

Ki-100-II and North-American P51H Mustang
RS Models #92200 1/72 Kawasaki
Ki-61-1 Ko
M A R K E T P L AC E K I T S
The Hobby Company:
www.hobbyco.net
01908 605686
Hannants: 01502 517444
Revell #03945 1/144 Grumman

E-2C Hawkeye
Revell #03946 1/144 Boeing
727-100 Germania
Revell #03948 1/144 Sukhoi
Su-27 Flanker
Revell #04950 1/144 Boeing
747-400 IRON MAIDEN Ltd
Revell #04984 1/100 Sikorsky
UH-60A
Revell #04985 1/100 Hughes
AH-64A Apache
Sword #72097 1/72 Supermarine

Spitfire FR Mk XIVE
Tarangus #48005 1/48 Scottish

Aviation Bulldog SK.61 Swedish
Army and Air Force
Tarangus #48006 1/48 Scottish
Aviation T.Mk 1 Bulldog RAF
Special Hobby #48120 1/48

Bucker Bu 181
Hannants/Squadron
Spitfire Mk XIVC/E
Spitfire Mk XIVC/E Bubbletop
Scale Wings VS001 1/72 Douglas

AD-5W Skyraider
Hannants
Amerang: www.amerang.co.uk
01482 887917
US IMPORTERS
Welsh Models #CLS7213 1/72
Boeing 737- 204AV
Welsh Models #CLS7223 1/72
Boeing 737-300
Welsh Models #SL224R 1/144
Douglas Super DC-3S Capital
Airlines
Hannants
Dragon USA:
www.dragonmodelsusa.com
626-968-0322
Linden Hill Imports:
www.lindenhillimports.com 914734-9616
MRC: www.modelrectifier.com
732-225-2100
Rare-Plane Detective: www.rareplanedetective.com
702-564-2851
Sprue Brothers:
www.spruebrothers.com
816-759-8484
Zvezda #7218 1/72 Mikoyan MiG23MLD

The Hobby Company/Dragon USA
Trumpeter #05807 1/48 Curtiss
H-81A-2 (AVG) P-40 variant
American Volunteer Group
Pocketbond/Stevens International
Creative Models:
www.creativemodels.co.uk
01354 760022
UK IMPORTERS
Pocketbond:
www.pocketbond.co.uk 01707
391509
Squadron: www.squadron.com
877-414-0434
Stevens International:
www.stevenshobby.com
856-435-7645
UMM-USA: www.umm-usa.com
847-537-0867
Kingkit Unit 8 Cedar Court Halesfield 17 Telford TF7 4PF Tel: 01952 586457
Due to the continued success of our new web site we are

looking to buy all types of second hand models, accessories
and related books.....
Please contact us for a quote
www.kingkit.co.uk
THE
ORIGINAL
KIT DEALER(Est. 1983)
WEBUY ANDSELLPLASTIC
KITS ANYSUBJECT - ANY
SCALE ANYMANUFACTURER
ALSOBOOKS, PROFILES
AND BACKISSUESOFSAM
GINTER BOOKS:Navy/Air Force

Tel: (805) 584-9732 Fax: (805) 584-6604
1754 Warfield Circle, Simi Valley, CA 93063
www.ginterbooks.com
NFAF219
NFAF218
NAFA217
NF101
NF100
NF99
NF98
NF97
NF96
NF301
Republic XF-84H Thunderscreech

Lockhead F-94 Starfire
Curtiss XP-55 Ascender
Grumman S2F/S2 Tracker
Blue Goose Command Aircraft of the USN
Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider part Two
Douglas AD/A-1 Skyraider Part 1
Martin PBM Mariner
Consolidated P2Y Ranger
Black Knights Rule
$14.95
$39.95
$24.95
$46.95
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73
M A R K E T P L AC E
CMK QUICK & EASY
For a quick hit of detail look no further than
CMKs Quick & Easy line, which offers smaller sets
or single pieces to enhance your model. New
sets this month include yet more options for the
Airfix Blenheim:
1/72
#72257 Bristol Blenheim Mk I seat with harness
Includes a new pilot's seat with an excellent
rendition of the seat belts and also the circular
seats for the navigator/bombardier that were
attached to the sides of the cockpit.
#72258 Bristol Blenheim Mk IF ventral gun pack
PRINT SCALE
Two new sets in 1/72 for Luftwaffe
fans this month include a good
spread of options for the Fw 189
and a fascinating selection of Mistel
composites:
1/72
#72200 German Mistel Composites
Part One
Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 Mistel 5T+CK,
France, June 1944

Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 Mistel PI+MI,
France, June 1944
Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 Mistel 149+CI,
Germany, Autumn 1944
Bf 109F-4/Ju 88C-64 Mistel SC+CE,
Germany, Autumn 1944
Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 Mistel DE+RB,
Germany, June 1944
Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 Mistel CI+MX,
Germany 1943-44
(for Airfix kit)

Features an accurately shaped ventral gun pack
carrying four machine guns. The gun barrels
have been 3D computer designed and ooze with
detail.
#72259 Bristol Blenheim Mk II Finnish AF licence
built
This simple set offers a replacement resin bomb
door part for Finnish operated machines as well
as a small clear resin part offering the unique
Finnish type of wing leading edge landing lights.
Hannants/Squadron
www.specialhobby.eu
Bf 109F-4/Ju 88A-4 Mistel NA+YA,

France, June 1944
#72207 Focke Wulf Fw 189A Recon
Fw 189A-1 3./or Stab/NAGr.1,
Ukraine March 1943
Fw 189A-1 2.(H)/21, Russia
Spring/Summer 1943
Fw 189A-1 7.(H)/32. Ukraine,
Summer 1942
Fw 189A-1 2.(H)/13, Russia March
1943
Fw 189A-2 1./H 31, Russia Summer

1942
Fw 189A-2 1./H 31, Russia Winter
1943-44
Fw 189A-2 1./H 32, Finland Spring
1943
Fw 189A-1 3.(H)PZ/12 Stalingrad,
January 1943
Fw 189A-1 1.(H)41, Russia June
1942
Hannants/Linden Hill
RAM MODELS
FOXBOT DECALS
RAM have sent us a copy of their superb

Nimrod retirement sheet:
72-006 BAE Nimrod R.1 XV249 Retirement
Scheme 2011
Contains full markings and stencils for one
aircraft with four colour litho printing on the
goose nose art. This means the decal has a
fully airbrushed look and is an accurate
reproduction of the artwork seen on the full
size aircraft. Printed by Fantasy Printshop this
is a limited release.
Retails at 10.49
www.rammodels.co.uk
A new name to us here is Foxbot, a Ukrainian source

who have passed on two new sheets in 1/48 for Soviet
fighters. The decal sheets look very nicely printed and
placement instructions are on a single sheet of A4 card
folded into two A5 sides. Items are included for all
individual markings, along with stencilling for one
aircraft and a selection of national markings:
#48005 Victory Falcons: La-7 Aces
Offers five aircraft from the Eastern Front in 1945.
#48006 Yak-9 Slogans in Combat
This sheet offers eight aircraft, all decorated with
patriotic slogans.
Hannants
BRASSIN
If you have the Eduard limited edition Harrier, which is based on the
Hasegawa kit with all the trimmings, you will find a number of this
months releases from Brassin of interest. New nozzles and a variety
of stores will help you add a great deal to the ultimate GR.7/9.
The new Fw 190A-5 from Eduards own tooling also gets the goods:
1/32
632083 AIM-9B Sidewinder
632084 AIM-7E Sparrow
1/48
648266 TERMA pod for Eduard kit
648267 Harrier GR Mk 7/9 exhaust nozzles for Eduard kit
648269 Yak-38 ejection seat for HobbyBoss kit
648270 P-40B wheels for Airfix kit
648271 P-40B exhaust stacks for Airfix kit
648272 Meteor F.8 wheels for Airfix kit
648273 Sniper ATP for Harrier GR.9 for Eduard kit/Hasegawa
1/72
672101 Fw 190A-5 fuselage guns for Eduard kit
672116 Mk 77 bombs
672117 Fw 190A-5 engine for Eduard kit
672118 Fw 190A-5 engine and fuselage guns for Eduard kit
672119 MER
Creative Models/Hannants/Squadron/Sprue Brothers
www.eduard.com
EDUARD
Starting off large this month
Eduard lavish a full broadside on
the Airfix 1/24 Typhoon Car Door
version, so if you have a spare
modelling year or so you know
what to do with it! Sticking with
large scale RAF types the Special
Hobby Tempest V also gets some
handy items in 1/32.
Alternatively the 1/72 Revell Halifax
III or the ICM Ju 88A-4 might be
more to your taste, in which case
there are plenty of items for you in
this months list.
Seatbelts for everyone too, with the
continuing expansion of the
excellent STEEL range.
1/24
23022 Typhoon Mk Ib Car Door
interior for Airfix kit
landing flaps for Airfix kit

engine for Airfix kit
seatbelts STEEL for Airfix kit
wings armament for Airfix kit
LX002 Typhoon Mk Ib Car Door
masks for Airfix kit
1/32
32392 Tempest Mk V landing flaps
for Special Hobby kit
32878 Seatbelts RAF late STEEL
32879 Seatbelts German WWI
STEEL
32880 Tempest Mk V for Special
Hobby kit
32881 Tempest Mk V seatbelts
STEEL for Special Hobby kit
33160 Tempest Mk V ZOOM set for
Special Hobby kit
JX193 Tempest Mk V masks for
Special Hobby kit
1/48
48894 Ju 88A-4 exterior for ICM kit
XTRADECAL
Always likely to be useful in any modeller's
toolkit are generic national marking decal
sheets, so it is good to see more being produced
by Xtradecal. These new sheets are available in
both 1/72 and 1/48 scales, and feature Luftwaffe
cross markings as used on the wide variety of
fighters and heavy fighters in their World War II

49102 Seatbelts German World War
I STEEL
49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL
49782 Ju 88A-4 interior for ICM kit
49783 Ju 88A-4 seatbelts STEEL for
ICM kit
49784 Harrier GR Mk 7/9 upgrade
set for Eduard kit
FE782 Ju 88A-4 ZOOM set for ICM
kit
EX527 Ju 88A-4 masks ICM
1/72
72625 Halifax B Mk III main bomb
bay for Revell kit
72626 Halifax B Mk III wing bomb
bays for Revell kit
72627 Halifax B Mk III exterior for
Revell kit
72628 Beaufighter TF Mk 10
landing flaps for Airfix kit
73041 Seatbelts German World War
I STEEL
73561 Halifax B Mk III interior for
Revell kit
73562 Beaufighter TF Mk 10 for
Airfix kit
73563 Su-24M Trumpeter
SS561 Halifax B Mk III ZOOM set for
Revell kit
SS562 Beaufighter TF Mk 10 ZOOM
set for Airfix kit
SS563 Su-24M ZOOM set for
Trumpeter kit
SS564 Fw 190A-5 ZOOM set for
Eduard Weekend kit
CX456 Fw 190A-5 masks for Eduard
kit
CX457 Su-24M masks Trumpeter
CX458 Halifax B Mk III masks for
Revell kit
CX459 Beaufighter TF Mk 10 masks
for Airfix kit
CX460 JAS-39D Gripen masks for
Revell kit
Creative Models/Hannants/
Squadron/Sprue Brothers
www.eduard.com
arsenal. Each sheet retails at 4.99, which is good

value for a full A5 sized sheet. Bundle packages
are also available in both scales featuring each of
these two new sheets plus X72036, or X48019
depending on scale, which include swastikas, for
just 9.99. See codes X72LUFT1 and X48LUFT1.
Wulf Fw 190 and Me 262 etc.
X72252
Also available as X48166 for 1/48.
1/72 Luftwaffe Fighter Crosses Bf 109, Focke-
www.hannants.co.uk
Also available as X48165 for 1/48.

X72253
1/72 Luftwaffe Heavy Fighter Crosses, Ju 88, Me
110, Do 17, Do 215 and Do 217 etc.
SCALE AIRCRAFT CONVERSIONS

Another crop of releases from Scale Aircraft Conversions sees some of the
latest kits given the white metal undercarriage treatment for those that like
to add a little strength. All sets are well cast and act as a direct replacement
for the kit parts, therefore requiring no additional kit surgery to apply.
35002 1/35 Horsa Glider landing gear (Bronco)
48308 1/48 SAAB J-2 Tunnan landing gear (Hobby Boss)
48309 1/48 Gloster Meteor landing gear (Airfix)
72129 1/72 C-130 Hercules landing gear (Italeri)
Look out for all of these new releases, plus the remaining SAC catalogue at
both www.hannants.co.uk and www.oxonionplasticfantastic.co.uk
75
KASL HOBBY
K48032 F-35B Cockpit Set (KittyHawk Kit)
By Andy McCabe
KASL are a Taiwan based company supplying resin upgrade sets for
predominantly jet aircraft models. This set of resin parts for the Kitty
Hawk 1/48 scale F-35B consists of nineteen resin parts. All feature a
superb level of detail, which is far superior to the injection moulded kit
parts.
The parts consist of a cockpit tub, ejector seat, main instrument panel,
cockpit canopy frame and various joysticks and other parts all cast in
grey resin.
KASL also supply a range of other parts for the F-35B:
K48043 Air Intakes and Drive Shaft Set
K48046 STOVL Exhaust Nozzle Set
K48050 Extended IFR Probe
K48051 Weapons Bay
K48056 Detail Set: This set includes all of the above parts including the
cockpit set and also K48044 Vertical and Horizontal Tail set, K48052
JDAM GBU-32 and K48053 Front Air Intakes
In the meantime they can be visited on their Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/KASLHOBBY/
SLUFTKREIG 1919
KATI OTERSDORF 1/16
By Dave Hooper
What if history took a different path at the close

of 1918? What if World War I didnt end with the
Armistice of November 1918? This is the premise
of a new range of aviation based figures and
accessories from a new name on the block called
Luftkreig 1919. The products cleverly combine
historical accuracy with fantasy to produce some
crackingly good subjects which, while aimed
primarily at the Fantasy Figure market, may well
be of interest to the historical modeller who
perhaps wants to do something a bit different.
The first figures in the range should be on sale
by the time this review is published but I was
lucky enough to be sent one of the initial items
for review.
So meet Kati Osterdorf! A former nurse, who
many say was more than just friends with the
late Manfred von Richthofen. After the Barons
death she trains to be a pilot, eventually heading
up the Nachtflieger Korps, a squadron of female
pilots entrusted with delivering aircraft from the
Factories in the Bavarian forests to the front.
Flying fully armed powerful new aircraft, Kati
and her pilots soon find the temptation to enter
combat, though forbidden, irresistible and they
start to amass secret scores.
The resin figure itself comes in a small plastic
box containing eight resin parts with the
addition of a 3D printed Spandau machine gun.
The quality of the figure and the resin casting is
absolutely mind blowing and the product has
been beautifully sculpted resulting in a piece
that in my view stands firmly out of the crowd.
The kit provides two optional poses with
different left arms provided. The first shows Kati
leaning on a Spandau machine gun while the
second, and the option I chose, depicts her with
a cigarette in hand. I assembled all of the main
body sections prior to priming and painting,
leaving Katis scarf and head to paint separately. I
chose to paint her in reasonably accurate period
dress although some exceptions were made for
the sake of art and for a bit of fun. Katis scarf for
instance was painted Albatros purple. Why?
Because I happened to be working on Kati the
weekend that it was announced that Prince had
passed away and I felt it would be a nice touch.
Katis shoes have been given stacked heels and
the rubber soles painted red after all at heart
Kati is a fashionable soul!
I rather like the idea of

combining fact with fiction
although I realise that it may
not be to everybodys taste.
While the product will appeal
to a certain market, it does
provide stick in the mud World
War I modellers like myself with
an opportunity to branch out
and let my hair down (not that I
have much hair to let down),
while the hope is that it will also encourage the
fantasy figure painter to explore historical
modelling. I love this figure and would highly
recommend it to any who would like to try
something a little different.
By the time you read this review the website

should be up and running, Kati and a second
1/16 figure depicting a Japanese warrior pilot
Yumiko should be available, and perhaps even
more products will be announced.
www.luftkrieg1919.com
The International Plastic Modellers Society (UK)

Presents
2016
Saturday 12th November 2016 Sunday 13th November 2016

Open: 10.00am to 6.00pm
Open: 10.00am to 4.00pm
Admission: IPMS Members FREE

Adults: 10.00 each day ~ 2 Day Pass: 15.00
Concessions: 7.00 per day Children under 16: FREE
The International Centre Telford Shropshire TF1 4JH
Advance
Tickets
available
f
1 st Octob rom
er - see
smwshow
.com
for detail
s
Almost 400 exhibitors in 2016, including over 190 trade stands and 200 model clubs
The Worlds Greatest Model Show

Incorporating the IPMS (UK) National Competition
S TA S H I N T H E AT T I C
Modelling the F86D
By Trevor Pask
nothing like that required in an older kit, but the

application does ruin some of the inscribed
panel lines.
F-86D Dog Sabre

Kit No: 04553
Scale: 1/48
Manufacturer: Revell AG
his kit was originally issued by Revell AG in

2001 and represents the late version of the
F-86D, the principle difference between
early and late versions of the aircraft being a
drag chute fairing on later examples. In 2002 the
basic kit was also issued by Revell-Monogram. In
this version, which tends to be the example
available in the USA, the mould was to represent
an early series aircraft.
The origin of the basic kit was Korea and the
general feel suggests that Academy or designers
who work for Academy were involved in the
mould making process. The quality of the kit is
excellent and while the box does not contain
small bonuses such as the photo etched fret that
appeared on Revell AGs F-84G Thunderjet, the
initial impression is that a very good model can
be built straight from the contents of the box.
The cockpit tub is well detailed, and fits onto
the jet intake and is intended to be included in
the fuselage halves as a unit. This is good idea,
but the fit of the parts in this respect is not exact.
The problem seems to be the width of the kits
instrument panel. When I trimmed this back
slightly the two fuselage halves eventually fitted
together, but the operation was not exactly a
simple clip fit, and a large amount of masking
tape was required to hold the components
together while the cement cured. Some filler is
also needed along the join lines both on top and
underneath the fuselage. The amount required is
The wings are intended to be assembled as a

separate unit once a number of blanking plates
for the wheel wells are installed. The fit of these
parts is perfect as is the upper joint between the
wing and the fuselage. The join on the underside
of the aircraft is only moderately good and more
filler was required. This aspect of the kit was a
little disappointing, but the work required is not
too onerous.
Once the basic fuselage is assembled, the rest
of the kit is a pleasure to build. The
undercarriage is finely detailed although the
wheels are not weighted as they were in the
earlier F-84G Thunderjet kit. Resin after market
replacements are available, but I modified the
examples supplied in the kit by adding a little
Milliput filler prior to flat spotting them on some
coarse wet and dry paper. Unlike a modern jet,
aircraft such as the F-86D tended not to be
festooned with small blade aerials and odd
bumps, so once the basic structure of the aircraft
is complete the model is basically there. Some
nice details such as an optional raised or lowered
footstep and the fuel jettison pipe are however
included and greatly add to the sense of realism
in the completed model.
The air brakes can be fixed in an open or
closed position. I chose the open, but the detail
included in the recesses is a little minimal and
again not quite up to the standard of a couple of
other contemporary Revell AG kits. From the
research photographs that I had I deduced that
the interior of the air brakes had the odd visible
cable. I represented this with a little fuse wire,
but this work erred slightly on the side of artistic
licence and was more intended to create a sense
of interest in this area of the model.
Halfords White and Grey Plastic Primer were
used during construction to highlight where a
little extra work was needed. Once I was
satisfied, a final heavier coat of White Primer was
applied over the entire model.
I tend to use Halfords Aluminium for overall
natural metal finishes on aircraft, but as my local
store was out of this basic colour when my old
can finally gave out I decided to use the nearest
alternative, which was Rover Silver Birch. This

shade is slightly less vivid than straight natural
aluminium, but on a model such as the F-86D
that is no bad thing. Certainly the shade seems
to suit the appearance of the aircraft in early
colour transparency photographs. Two light
coats were applied over the course of an
evening. I took great care to mask out the
cockpit interior and jet intake, but the wheel
wheels were left open as I had decided to darken
these with a wash of brown/black enamel paint.
Once the base coats were dry I polished out
any minor imperfections in the paint finish with
a nail polish buffer the beauty of automotive
paints is that they are much tougher than
conventional modelling paints and respond well
to this type of approach.
The green anti glare panel was then masked
up and hand painted on. The radome itself was
then carefully masked up and airbrushed with
Tamiya NATO Black. The wheel wells were
treated to a wash of a heavily thinned mixture of
black and brown enamel paint. This created a
sense of depth to these areas of the model,
although for consistency, I used the same
mixture on the inner faces of the undercarriage
doors. A little dry brushing with Humbrol
Chrome Silver when the wash was dry
highlighted the raised areas of detail in these
areas.
The inner faces of the wing slats also received
a wash of a slightly thinned mixture of Humbrol
Chrome Silver and Gunmetal. Again this was in
order to create a sense of depth to the model
and to represent the shadows and textures that
are evident when real subjects are observed
closely. The photographs I had of F-86Ds were
mostly in black and white, but they did suggest
that a number of the access panels were in a
slightly different shade of natural metal. This is
understandable, as parts of the aircraft are often
manufactured in different locations, and subtle
differences in the metal stock used can result in
subtly different weathering and ageing. To
represent this on the model, I hand painted
some of the panels in Tamiya Titanium Steel and
Titanium Gold, two useful tinted shades of silver.
Carefully done this breaks up an overall natural
metal finish, which can be slightly monotonous
in its purest form.
S TA S H I N T H E AT T I C
The panel lines on the model were drawn in

using a frequently sharpened 2H pencil. Another
technique is to run in a wash of ink, but the
panel lines on this kit were quite shallow and I
suspected would not respond well to that
particular technique.
The decals that come with the kit are of good
quality and provide markings for a colourful
USAF machine and a Danish example, Denmark
being the only other country to operate the F86D version of the Sabre. Revells decal sheet has
a matt finish, but the register is perfect and it is
possible to read the multitude of small stencils
provided for the model. The sheet is so
comprehensive that a range of alternative
stencils are provided for the American and
Danish aircraft. I used the stencilling from the
Revell sheet, but wanting an even more
colourful aircraft to contrast with my
camouflaged Italeri kit, I chose to use a sheet
from Eagle Strike productions to finish the D
version.
The automotive paint used as the base
aluminium colour on the model provided an
excellent glossy surface for the decals. I used
Micro Set and Micro Sol extensively during the
couple of evenings I spent applying the decals,
and I encountered no real problems. The Eagle
Strike decals are much more fragile than the
Revell sheet and some caution is needed with
the large decals that wrap around the nose and
tail fin.
Once the decals were safely applied I

weathered the model slightly with a mixture of
Tamiya Smoke and Clear Orange around the jet
exhaust and a mixture of Smoke and Matt Black
along the sides of the fuselage to create a sense
of shade. Matt Black was also applied sparingly
to the underside of the fuselage behind the
retractable rocket pack to represent staining
from the exhausts of the missiles. Finally the
model received an overall coat of Humbrol Matt
Varnish to seal the decals in and create a uniform
scale appearance.
good canvas on which the modeller can use a

variety of traditional techniques to create a late
mark Sabre. Buy one when you can!
The final work I carried out was attaching the

canopy and windscreen. The two mouldings that
come with the kit are very clear, with the canopy
even including a series of moulded lines to
represent an electrical hearing strip above the
pilots head. Painting the framing requires a little
tricky masking. I used thin strips of Tamiya
masking tape to accomplish this task and first of
all painted the framing matt black before hand
painting a coat of silver over the top. Painting
canopies is a little harder when an automotive
aerosol has been used for the main body colour.
Halfords paints tend to touch dry very quickly
and it is virtually impossible to decant a little of
the paint to apply by brush or airbrush. What I
used instead was an experiment with a mixture
of Humbrol metallic enamels to match the shade
of the airframe.
Revell seem to delete this kit fairly frequently,
which is a pity as it is excellent and provides a
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79
THE AIRBRUSH COMPANY
C-AR-VIZ Sparmax Arism Viz Compressor
Sparmax 180.00 inc.VAT
By Gary Hatcher
Always interested in making airbrushing more
accessible to modellers who have maybe not
tried the medium yet, or who are looking at
ways to incorporate an airbrushing set up into a
household without a dedicated workroom, The
Airbrush Company have passed on a sample of
the latest innovative compressor in the Sparmax
range; the Arism Viz.
There are plenty of compressors on the market
nowadays, so what is special about this one?
Casting my mind back some twelve years I can
recall the first second-hand compressor that I
brought into the house. This contraption had a
pleasing green hammerite finish, and roared and
rattled like a tabletop tractor. It was consigned to
the farthest reaches of the outhouse where I
would use it as seldom as possible, carrying
models and materials out to the insalubrious
surroundings and crouching over the roaring
machine to do the best I could in the chilly
surroundings.
piece of equipment.
Another unique feature, to me at least, is the
pause button. The compressor features a socket
on top into which an airbrush holder is clipped.
This Smart-Stop feature pauses the compressor
when the airbrush is placed into its holder and
restarts it when it is taken off again. The first of
its kind in the market, it is compatible with
pressure regulators and bleed valves. Using the
Smart-Stop, the working pressure before the
compressor is paused will be maintained upon
restart, which is comparable to the pressure
stabilizing effect of an air tank, minus the space
taken up. Additionally the Smart-Stop eliminates
the frequent on/off condition that can occur
when using a traditional auto stop + pressure
regulator set up without an air tank.
This is a low maintenance, oil-less single piston
air compressor with a working pressure from
0psi to 50psi (3.4 bar). It comes with a Silver
Bullet Plus moisture trap, a two metre braided
hose, airbrush holder and a power supply.
Here are some technical specifications courtesy
of the suppliers:
The Arism Viz by comparison purrs like Daisy the

Diesel on a day off. It is quiet, discreet and barely
intrudes upon the tranquillity of a family
evening. In fact I set it running at one end of the
living room while the kids were watching
Horrible Histories at the other, and it was barely
audible over the TV
Air flow: 16-18lpm (0.57-0.64cfm) at open flow

1/8BSP outlet on compressor
Size: L20 x W12 x H18cm (7.9" x 4.7" x 7.1")
Weight: 2.5kgs (5.5lbs)
Voltage: 220-240V 50Hz
AC adapter: Input: 100-240V~47-63Hz 1.45A
Output: 12V-5A max
Noise level: 45dB
The other innovation is the DC motor for

universal usage (100-240V), which coupled with
its small size makes it ideal for travel. It is
designed to draw less power than comparable
AC compressors and can also be run with
standard Sparmax Battery Packs. A combined set
including the compressor, battery and charger is
also available, so the modeller in retreat can take
a full kit along to almost anywhere secure in the
knowledge that airbrushing can continue
without let or hindrance. If you have ever had
the experience of a half empty aerosol of
airbrush propellant in a holiday/caravan
situation you will appreciate the utility of this
This is a fantastic user friendly piece of

equipment, and when used in connection with
the Iwata Hi-Line HP-CH that is my current
favourite, offers a high degree of control. The
Smart Stop feature is an excellent innovation,
and as usual the kit comes with a generous
warranty from the manufacturer.
Once again I am moved to remind modellers
that the benefits and rewards of airbrushing far
outweigh the costs. With a retail price of 180
this tool may initially give you pause but that is a
one-off investment, barely more than the price
of half a dozen kits, and if you are the kind of
modeller who wants finished results to be proud
ANTARKI MODELS
parts with a Latin flavour:
Antarki Models Peru is a company based in Lima

in Peru and formed by a group of enthusiasts
driven by the will to offer fellow modellers and
aviation aficionados unique and accurate
models, aftermarket products and reference
material. Last year at the US Nationals we were
pleased to receive their debut decal sheet, which
was a comprehensive set for the MiG-29. Now
we have a couple of resin sets, which again offer
ATK 48R004 Expal BRP-250
MH MODELS
material Montex employ, giving a selection of

Type C RAF roundels and fin flashes.
Looks like the Czech aftermarket industry is

firmly behind Special Hobbys 1/32 Tempest V
release. The latest to arrive here for what has to
be one of the best received kits so far this year
are from MH Models, who offer two masking sets
in 1/32 that will be very useful to anyone
building the kit:
of, rather than loft insulation, Id say put it to the

top of the list.
www.airbrushes.com
Resin 1/48 EXPAL BRP-250 bombs as used by the

Spanish, Argentinian and other minor air forces
around the globe. This set offers two resin
bombs with etched fins. A 1/72 version will also
be available marketed by SBS from Hungary.
ATK 48R008 Mirage 5/50
This conversion set will allow modellers to
X32003 Hawker Tempest Mk V Hi Tech

Imatriculation Airbrush Mask
X32002 Hawker Tempest Mk V British Roundel

Airbrush Mask
This is a sheet of vinyl masks offering individual

markings for five aircraft; JN751, NV994, NV724,
SN228 and SN129. The set includes serials, code
letters and also a pair of Free French crosses for
Clostermans aircraft.
Includes vinyl masks, not dissimilar to the
www.mhmodels.cz
convert either the Kinetic or the old Heller

Mirage IIIE into the Venezuela Air Force operated
Mirage M5V or the updated Mirage 50EV.
Includes a turned metal pitot tube by Master of
Poland.
Antarki have a website under construction. In
the meantime they can be visited via their
Facebook page; just search Antarki Model Kits
Peru, or contact them via email at
antarkimodels@gmail.com
TWOBOBS AVIATION GRAPHICS
carried this unique paint scheme.
Received from Two Bobs this month has been

another high quality sheet offering F-15Cs in
colourful aggressor markings:
There are enough stencil options available on

this sheet to build two of the four jets.
Intake/exhaust plug and wheel chock markings
are also included.
48-248 F-15C Digital Remix

Prior to their disbandment, 65 Aggressor
Squadron painted three aircraft with a paint
scheme that carried the name Digital Flanker.
This scheme mimicked a scheme that was seen
on a handful of Sukhoi aircraft.
Sized for the Hasegawa and Great Models F-15C

kits.
www.twobobs.net
Hannants
Two Bobs previously released the first aircraft

(AC 509) as part of sheet 48-238 and the OPFOR
Super Pack and those sold out very quickly. They
have re-released the markings for 509 but now
with the addition of the three other aircraft that
CAM DECALS
Now available is the newest release of the Blue Angels F/A18A/B, sheet P32-019. This is an updated version that includes
data for the 1987, 2001 and 2006 seasons. The USAF F-4E
Thunderbird decals are only available in 1/32 at present,
although 1/48 and 1/72 scale will be available in a few months.
The MILSPEC VA-212 A-4F decals are available now in all three
scales and include the MILSPEC A-4 data stencils.
www.camdecals.com
AVIATTIC
First Look
1/32 Ansaldo A.1 Balilla
By Dave Hooper
For me one of the most exciting new products of

2016 has to be the Aviattic Balilla and as such
when pre-orders were announced I rushed to
put my name down for one. The product has
been three years in the making, but is finally very
close to release and as such Richard Andrews of
Aviattic very kindly passed my almost ready
order to me in advance. So what I have is not
complete - all of the resin parts are present, but
the printed parts and photoetch are not quite
ready. The first orders should be fulfilled in
September so hopefully by the time you read
this First Look the kit should be available.
And so on to the kit itself, which comes in a
beautiful top opening box with a striking image
of the Italian Balilla which Im sure many of us
are familiar with by now. The best way to
describe this kit is to think Wingnut Wings and
then go one step further. The large number of
resin parts (Im not going to count how many
there are) are beautifully cast and to a standard I
have never seen before. There are some shining
examples of this; the resin machine gun muzzles
have a level of scale detail that even some of the
latest 3D printed efforts would struggle to
achieve in one piece. The cowling panels are
wafer thin and the engine has the kind of detail
that you would expect to see from Taurus
products. Everything about this kit is quality
down to the packaging. For instance all of the
parts are logically packed in small polythene zip

bags, each of which includes a card containing
colour reference photographs of the parts within
taken during the GAVS restoration of a genuine
Balilla.
The main resin parts, the fuselage and wings, are
beautifully fashioned. The fuselage is virtually
one piece, with only the cockpit coaming and
cowling sections to add, meaning there are no
worries about aligning two halves. The wing rib
details are superbly executed with strikingly
subtle rib tape detail. In addition all of the struts
have been reinforced with steel rod and there is
even a resin strut jig. There really is too much to
talk about for the space I have to fill.
If you dont already know the kit will be available
in two options. The Italian World War I option,
which also includes an option to build
Rickenbeckers postwar runabout as well, and
the Polish postwar option. Both boxings are
striking and will include absolutely everything
including wood grain decals, textile decals,
fabric seatbelts created specifically for the kit by
RB and of course a stunning build manual. No
expense appears to have been spared in making
this probably the most premium kit you are ever
likely to see, and with the current controversy
around Wingnut Wings new postage policy and
prices raging, at 140 this beautiful kit is very
competitively priced and deserves to sell
extremely well.
Many thanks to Richard Andrews of Aviattic for
my early copy. The kit is available to pre-order
from www.aviattic.co.uk
81
BOOKREVIEWS
A look at some of the latest publications

received for review Edited by Ernie Lee
Martin Mariner & Marlin - Warpaint
No 108
Author: Kev Darling
Publisher: Guidlines Publications
Format: Paperback, 48pp
As a maritime
patrol aircraft the
Mariner has been
largely
overshadowed
by the Catalina,
though it was
used by over
sixteen US
Navy units, the
Coast Guard,
RAAF, France,
Argentina,
the
Netherlands
and
Uruguay. The
operational history of both this and the
Marlin is covered quite extensively in this
book, supported with an extensive collection
of photographs.
The Mariner unlike the Catalina is a
conventional design, a sort of twin engine
Sunderland. However, being designed for the
purpose rather than a modification of the
Short S.25 Empire flying boat, like the
Sunderland, it had I believe a superior delivery
system for its ordinance. It had much larger
engine nacelles which acted as bomb bays,
and naturally, being American, was better
armed with .5in guns. The photographic
content is excellent with all these features,
including in the detail section a pair of
torpedoes housed in the nacelle bomb bay.
Built as both a flying boat and amphibian, the
Mariner was extremely versatile and there is a
shot of one being hoisted aboard a Seaplane
tender, which is no mean feat. When asked to
produce a next generation patrol aircraft,
Martin came up with the Marlin, a more
capable machine designed for American
postwar defence. Again there is excellent
coverage, including some colour shots.
Both these aircraft were very large
commodious machines and in fact the
Mariner was used at times as a transport.
Consequently only 1/72 drawings of the
Mariner are supplied. However when it comes
to artwork both machines are well
represented. There are twenty four profiles of
the Mariner and six of the Marlin.
Owing to their size the kits available are
pricey. However the multitude of schemes
provided in this profile give you plenty of
choice and having spent a large chunk of your
pocket money on the kit it is only sensible
that you invest in this unique monograph
before you cut plastic.
Windsock Vol. 32 No.2

Author: Ray Rimmell
Publisher: Albatros Productions Limited
The major
feature in
this issue of
the
magazine is
the Sopwith
Camel but
more
about that
later. We
first have
the
Readers
Gallery. I
find it
rather off-putting to see
such superb models, of a quality I could never
hope to achieve. I can but try.
This is followed by the fourth part of Harry
Woodmans series on modelling vintage
aircraft in plastic card. This time it covers
engines, exhausts and cockpits. A sketch
shows how he produced engine cylinders by
winding wire around a mandrill. However if
you are working in 1/72 I would think that
magnifier head gear is a must.
Still on the subject of engines, I think that the
colour photographs included will be of help
as they pick out the subtle tonal variations in
the various metal components. When it
comes to cockpits it is the interior shots that
are most useful for adding detail, though I
must admit the sketch illustrating eleven
different seat designs will get you studying
cockpit interiors very carefully in future.
Item three is the next in the RARA AVIS series.
This is the Schutte-Lanz D.IVa (1918
prototype) with the usual 1/72 and 1/48
drawings, and there are yet more drawings,
this time 1/48 drawings of the RAF BE2a (late
version).
And now back to the Sopwith Camel. It starts
with number seventeen in the Great War
Paint series with colour artwork covering no
less than twenty different aircraft. One of
particular interest is a ground attack aircraft
of 80 Squadron. It come complete with four
20Ib Cooper bombs, though I must admit
painting the identification stripes on the
bombs is not for the faint hearted. However
this is only the first half of the Camel article;
add to that four pages of close up colour
photographs, which include four cockpit
shots of a restored aircraft by TVAL in New
Zealand.
This leaves us a page with three colour
photographs of the Western Electric 1-A
Flight Helmet and all the latest kit and decal
news, making this another bumper issue.
www.warpaint-books.com
www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk
Ernie Lee
Ernie Lee
Diaerama
Issue No 31. Summer 2016
Editor: Tony Clayton
Format: CD-ROM
The latest edition of
the digital diorama
magazine is now
available with the
usual mix of news,
reviews and show
reports. This issue
includes
walkarounds of Red Top
and Firestreak missiles, and part three of the
ongoing QRA hangar build.
www.diaerama-magazine.com
The Aviation Historian

Issue No 16
Editor: Nick Stroud
Publisher: The Aviation Historian
This latest edition of
the quarterly journal
offers an eclectic
content, full of
fascinating historical
articles and
photographs
including the cover
story on the
protracted process
surrounding the
procurement of
the Hawker Siddeley
Trident airliner for BEA in the 1950s and
1960s. Elsewhere World War II Axis specialist
Ted Oliver scrutinises the true extent of
wartime technological co-operation between
Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan; had it not
been for a mixture of setbacks and lack of
trust, it could have been far more effective.
The history of the Wests spy flights over the
Soviet Union, Korea, China and elsewhere
during the Cold War is covered, from
Lockheed RF-80s over the Kurile Islands in
1949, through Spitfires and RB-45Cs over
China, to Canberras and RB-50s over
Stalingrad and the Arctic in the early 1950s.
More peaceful times are recounted in the
journals regular series based on the
photographic archive of airline historian John
Stroud, which this time features the
helicopters of New York Airways, and a firsthand account by former Silver City Airways
first officer Ken Honey about flying Dakotas in
Libya.
All of this and more, illustrated with rare
archive photographs, specially drawn
information graphics, maps, profiles and scale
drawings, make up this excellent edition of
the Journal.
www.theaviationhistorian.co
Military & Civil Aviation Military Weapons & Equipment Naval Vessels
2nd and NEW advert
Mapping The
Airways P Jarvis
The author draws on
archive material from
the British Airways
archive to produce
artwork spanning
nearly 100 years of
history to promote the
airlines services, from
early adverts to
twenty-first-century
on-board moving maps.
SB 160pp 17.99
The Chopper Boys

Helicopter Warfare
in Africa A Venter
Revised and updated,
this edition contains a
further 6 chapters
covering events that
have taken place in
the last 25 years.
SB 292pp 29.95
B-17 Big Bird

Modelling Guide
D Parker The full series of David Parkers
build of his award
winning HK Models
1:32 B-17G has been
collated to form this
limited edition book.
SB 82pp 19.95
The History of the

Biggin Hill
International Air Fair
P Fiddian Biggin Hill
was the scene of one of
the worlds best loved
and longest-running
air shows and this book
details each show.
SB 224pp 18.99
Air Force Legends

217 Curtiss
Ascender XP-55
G Balzer
Development and
service history of the
Curtiss XP-55. B&W
photos, illustrations
and cutaways.
SB 72pp 18.99
WWP Corsair II In
Detail (B17) I Lekkas
Colour album containing a plethora of
Kagero Monographs U-Boot Im Focus
colour photos of the
Special Edition
Edition No.13
96005 Yakovlev Yak- A Urbanke Sub history Vought Corsair II A-7E
and TA-7C last 10
1 vol.1 A Rusetski
for the enthusiast, a
years of service.
From the early begin- plethora of archive
Lavishly illustrated
nings of Yakovlevs
B&W unpublished
fighter aircraft. B&W photos, from archives throughout with colour
photos, Colour profiles and private collectors close up, external and
internal photos.
and 2-views.
plus much more.
SB 132pp 23.99
HB 192pp 23.99
SB 50pp 19.99
Famous Russian
Aircraft Mikoyan
MiG-17 Y Gordon
Comprehensive history of the Mig-17 and
its combat operations
in major wars and local
conflicts. Compares it
to its foreign counterparts and details Mig17 fleets and operators
worldwide. c1000
colour/B&W photos.
HB 480pp 39.95
Polish Fighter
Colours 1939-1947
Vol.1 B Belcarz
This book describes in
detail the camouflage
and markings of the
day fighters used by
the Polish Air Force
from 1939 to 1947.
Black and white
photos, colour profiles,
colour walkaround
photos and tables.
HB 280pp 40.00
LAeronautique
Militaire 1914-1918
Traditions &
Heraldique P Jourdan
Bi-lingual French/English text. This beautifully illustrated book
details the French
markings and emblems on WWI aircraft.
Each full colour
illustration includes an
explanatory caption.
SB 117pp 28.99
A History of the
Mediterannean War
1940-1945 Volume
Three Tunisia and
the End in Africa
November 1942May 1943 C Shore
This volume returns to
November 1942 to explain the background
to the first major
Anglo-American venture Operation Torch.
HB 560pp 50.00
German Night
Fighter Force 19171945 G Aders
A highly detailed
analysis with numerous appendices which
provides comprehensive account of the
Luftwaffes thoroughness right up to the
end when the hunters
became the hunted.
191 B&W photos
HB 280pp 35.00
Airline Visual
Identity 1945-1975
M C Huhne The ultimate sourcebook for
the best airline
graphic design This
standard edition
rounds up the most
imaginative, influential
and surprising designs
of the airlines commercial art from the
golden age of flying.
HB 384pp 50.00
Paddy Finucane and

the Legend of the
Kenley Wing: No.452
(Australian), 485
(New Zealand) and
602 (City of Glasgow)
Squadrons, 1941
A Cooper Tells the
story of how Paddy
Finucanes victories
created the legend of
the Kenley Wing in
1941. B&W photos.
HB 256pp 25.00
Haynes Owners
Manual Handley
Page Halifax 1933
onwards all marks
J Falconer Insight
into owning, flying
and maintaining the
Handley Page Halifax.
Colour and black
and white photos,
technical drawings,
cutaways and walkaround photos.
HB 192pp 25.00
EAA Oshkosh The

Best Airventure
Photography J Pelton
Contains a plethora of
Airshow photos from
the annual Experimental Aircraft Association
AirVenture and features
Warbirds, Vintage aircraft, Home-built aircraft, Seaplanes and
some EAA firsts such
as the SR-71 and F-35.
SB 224pp 16.99
LOS! 27 Le Magazine
de la Guerre Navale,
Aeronavale et SousMarine. LUSS
Enterprise au
combat Les Defis de
1942 FRENCH TEXT.
Lavishly illustrated
magazine. B&W
photos, colour profiles,
maps, graphics.
SB 82pp 6.99
From the Spitfire

Cockpit to the
Cabinet Office The
Memoirs of Air
Commodore J F
Johnny Langer CBE
AFC Dl J Langer
This is a unique autobiography, taking in a
vast spectrum of events
and experiences.
HB 300pp 25.00
Airframe & Miniature

No.8 The de Havilland
Mosquito Part 1
Bomber & PhotoReconnaissance
R Franks Detailed
guide containing a
history of the Bomber
and Photo-Reconnaissance Mosquitos.
Colour/B&W photos.
SB 192pp 18.95
Spotlight on F-104
Starfighter Special
Camouflages L Vries
Presents detailed
illustrations of the F-104
in special schemes.
One of the Century
Series of aircraft, it
was operated by the
air forces of more
than a dozen nations.
HB 42pp 19.00
Africa@War 22
Libyan Air Wars Part
3: 1986-1989 T Cooper
This third part closes
the Libyan Air Wars
mini-series with a detailed insight into the
final US-Libyan confrontation, which took
place in early 1989.
Colour/B&W photos.
SB 72pp 16.95
Oswald Boelcke
Germanys First
Fighter Ace and
Father of Air
Combat R Head
Biography of Oswald
Boelkce the German
WWI ace which also
covers early German
Military aviation in
general.
HB 240pp 20.00
Images of War
Combat Aircraft of
the United States
Air Force M Green
Highly illustrated
overview of the
history of the USAF.
SB 200pp 14.99
Warship Pictorial 45
Square Bridge
Fletcher R Davis
Contains general hisHeathrow Airport
Warpaint 108 Martin The Aviation
Military Miniatures tory of the developAn Illustrated
Mariner & Marlin
Historian Issue 16
in Review 63. Give ment of Fletcher Class
History K James
K Darling Detailed
BEA and the trident
it a Shot!: The AFV Destroyers including a
A pictorial history of one history of the Martin
saga; 125 Shootdown Club IDF Shot Kal
table of information,
of the busiest interna- Mariner and Marlin in- in Angola; New York
Gimel 1982
including Hull number;
tional airports in the
cluding schemes, line Airways; Silver City in Visiting a first class
Name; Builder and
world. B&W photos.
drawings and profiles. Libya plus much more. military vehicle event. more. B&W photos.
SB 234pp 18.99
SB 48pp 14.50
SB 130pp 13.50
SB 80pp 9.99
SB 72pp 15.99
Modellers Datafile
26 The Douglas A-1
Skyraider. A
Comprehensive
Guide A Evans
In depth detail and
photographic coverage looks at the Genesis of the AD,
Skyraiders into service; Proving Grounds
and much more.
SB 168pp 19.99
SS10211 P-51
Mustang In Action
D Doyle New look at
the P-51 Mustang
from the early experimental NA-73X to the
PA-48, the final military variant. 170 black
and white and colour
photos, line drawings
SB 80pp 14.99
The Weathering
Aircraft. Chipping
This issue: chipping
effects and techniques
using liquid masking,
or salt grains among
other methods.
SB 68pp 8.99
order via our

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Midland Model Expo 2016
t has been a while since 580 Modellers

exhibited courtesy of IPMS Birmingham, such
a while in fact that the show has moved
venues and is now at Leasowes Sports Centre in
Halesowen. As has quickly become customary
with the new format I will let the pictures do the
talking. Hopefully well be back sooner rather
By Geoff Cooper-Smith
than later, especially as the 580 crew were

fortunate to come away with a good haul of
gongs, including the two top prizes, Best
Club/SIG Display and Best in Show. So thanks to
IPMS Birmingham for accommodating our
somewhat late request and all the obvious effort
that went into making it all run rather smoothly.
Re-Attending Your Dragon Show Economics

Revisited Part One
By Show Dragon
ell the column in Volume 38 Issue

05 (July 2016) on show
economics from the trader point
of view, certainly appears to have stirred
up some debate. Several points have been
raised from both sides of the fence and so
while the discussion is hot it seemed
appropriate to let the protagonists have
the stage. This means the planned topic for
discussion this month, Housing Your
Dragon Part Two on finding a show venue,
has been held over for an issue or two.
there. They are often in competition with

other pre-owned traders, amongst others,
and it is evidently a tricky path to tread, for
if you price your offer too low then you will
lose out and have no stock to sell, but if
your offer is too high in order to buy
success you will not be able to dispose of
the stock as it is too expensive for the
punters, and no turnover means no profit.
It is therefore all too evident that
Collectakit are extremely adept at treading
the right line.
Several responses were received from

the traders of pre-owned kits and it is
evident that actually there is a variety of
sources for these with some traders
deploying them all, others maybe only one.
One of the biggest presences on the show
scene, Collectakit, who attend an amazing
number of events, source most of their
stock by purchasing collections, and it is
evident from their astonishingly large and
constantly changing inventory that there
must be a lot of big collections for sale out
It has also been pointed out that until

not so long ago there were not many preowned traders and consequently not every
show was graced by their presence.
Consequently, under-the-table sales
tended to be the source of pre-owned kits
for show goers looking for their next
project or that long sought-after item. Now
in the past few years several pre-owned
traders have been and gone, some in a
very short space of time, but it seems
certain that there are now more who are
well established and here to stay. As a

consequence it is not uncommon to have
several at one show, particularly the larger
events. On top of this there is some
blurring of the lines as some established
model shops who traditionally sold only
new stock are now also moving into preowned kits to a greater or lesser extent.
It is also evident that it isnt just preowned kits that are in demand, but
aftermarket decals too. This market was
virtually created by Modeldecal in the UK
but the Americans in particular exploited it
with enthusiasm with many becoming
quickly established and extremely prolific.
Consequently there are a lot of sheets out
there. There is also a much smaller market
in pre-owned aftermarket parts but it will
probably never reach the heights of kits or
even aftermarket decals.
Next month we are going to continue
revisiting this subject with a further look at
under-the-table sales, their extent and
control.
CO M I N G N E X T M O N T H
SCALE
AIRCRAFT
MODELLING
Next issue
VOLUME: 38 ISSUE: 08
Planned for the Scale Aircraft Modelling
Octoberber 2016
Proudly Celebrating 37
Years!
Volume 38 Issue 09: November 2016
www.guidelinepublications.co.uk
Published by Guideline Publications

& printed by Regal Litho
Unit 3, Enigma Building, Bilton Road,
Denbigh East, Bletchley,Bucks. MK1 1HW
Ph: +44 (0) 1908 274433 Fax: +44 (0) 1908 270614
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trade by:
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tom@regallitho.co.uk
Editor: Gary Hatcher, blisterwhelk@outlook.com
Assistant Editor: Karl Robinson
Raising the Standard

Kinetics New 1/48
Etendard
By Rick Greenwood
Book Reviews: Ernie Lee

News & Industry Editor: Tom Foxon,
tom@regallitho.co.uk
Design: Lincoln Rodrigues
House Artist: Mark Rolfe, rolfetechart@gmail.com
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are their own and may not reflect those of the publishers.
Unsolicited material sent for publication is welcome on the
understanding that it may not be returned unless postage
is provided. .
Saturday 12th - Sunday 13th

November 2016
Sunday 20th November 2016

Aircraft Enthusiasts Fair and Model Show,
Museum of Army Flying, Stockbridge,
Middle Wallop, Hampshire, SO20 8DY.
X-15 A-2 Unofficial

World Speed Record
MPMs Kit in 1/72
By Francesco Pigoli
Sunday 27th November 2016

Bugle Call Reveille (British Model Soldier
Society Bristol Branch and South West
Figure Modellers), Nailsea School,
Mizzymead Road, Nailsea, North Somerset,
BS48 2HN
SACs Pigeon Toed

Aardvark
Hasegawas F-111 in
1/72
By Keith Peckover
Saturday 3rd December 2016

HaMeX 8, Hanslope Village Hall, Newport
Road, Hanslope, Buckinghamshire,
MK19 7NZ
Sunday 4th December 2016
London Plastic Model Show (Guideline
Publications), The Islington Business
Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London,
N1 0QH
Aircraft in Profile
Curtis P-36 Mohawk
By Richard Mason
With colour artwork
and scale drawings by
Mark Rolfe
Saturday 10th - Sunday 11th

December 2016
The Model Show, Poynton Leisure Centre,
Yew Tree Lane, Poynton, Cheshire,
SK12 1PU
North American Contact: Larry Weindorf

Post Office Box 21, Annandale, VA 22003
ph: 703-639-7316, larry@larryslegions.com
SAM Subscriptions, SAM Shop & Back Issues:
Unit 3, Enigma Building, Bilton Road,
Denbigh East, Bletchley,Bucks. MK1 1HW
Ph: +44 (0) 1908 274433 Fax: +44 (0) 1908 270614
ISDN: 01908 640154
Compiled by Geoff Cooper-Smith of 580 Modellers

For shows this coming month see the IPMS(UK)
column.If you would like your show promoted in
this listing then please contact Geoff at
580Modellers@gmail.com or on 07841 417680.
ScaleModelWorld 2016 (IPMS-UK), Telford

International Centre, Telford, Shropshire,
TF3 4JH.
Associate Editor: Neil Robinson

Newsdesk: Colin 'Flying' Pickett
Model Show Listing
Friday 20th - Sunday 22nd January 2017
Colour Conundrums
Day-Glo Fluorescent
Finishes for RAF and
FAA Aircraft
1958-1977
London Model Engineering Exhibition at

Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace Way,
Wood Green, London, N22 7AY
Saturday 11th February 2017
North Surrey Military Modelling Group
Annual Show and Competition at
Banstead Community Hall, Park Road,
Banstead, Surrey, SM7 3AJ
By Paul Lucas
Saturday 25th February 2017
Malta on a Pedestal
Part Two
Modelling the Axis
Bombers
Sword 1/72 Reggiane
Re 2001GV Falco II
On Track at The Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone,

Kent, CT20 2DZ
Saturday 4th March 2017
All this and more plus the latest

from the Newsdesk, the continuing
efforts of the Harrogate Model Club,
and the usual Marketplace round up
and showcases.
Please note we receive a constant stream of
interesting and informative articles, and in the
interest of balanced and up to the minute coverage
content may change at short notice. The above
listing is provisional and may be subject to change.
Aldingbourne Modelex 2017 at

Aldingbourne Community Sports Centre,
Olivers Meadow, Westergate, Chichester,
West Sussex, PO20 3YA
Saturday 8th April 2017
Sword & Lance (Darlington Military
Modelling Society) at Darlington College,
Haughton Road, Darlington, DL1 1DR
Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th April 2017
Scottish Nationals at the Live Active
Dewars Centre, Perth, Scotland, PH2 0TH
85
NEW DECALS
HRDL7240
AOA Decals
AOA48005 1:48 Trainers No More: Trojans At War - T-28B/C/D Trojans in the Vietnam;
United States, South Vietnam, Laos,Thailand, Cambodia, Khmer Republic
AOASS01 1:32, 1:48, 1:72 Devil 501 & Devil 505 - USN Grumman A-6E Intruders
AOASS02 1:32, 1:48, 1:72 USN/USMC Tailhook Striping
Lima November
LN72532
1:72 Luftambulansen Eurocopter EC135
LN72537
1:72 Uni-Fly Eurocopter EC135
LN32002
LN32004
LN48003
LN48005
7.99
7.00
11.99
9.99
9.99
7.99
LPS
LPM7224
LPM7225
LPM7226
LPM7227
LPM7228
LPM7229
LPM7230
LPM7231
LPM7232
LPM7233
LPM7234
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
11.99
Berna Decals
BER14409 1:144 Dassault Mirage F.1C & F.1B Iran Air Force : F1EQ-6 N3-6212 - 16/10/
1993 - First flight of a Mirage F.1 in IRIAF service, F1EQ-4 N3-6205 - 21/01/
2012, F1EQ-6 N3-6209 - 04/2014,F1BQ-3 N3-6407 - 09/2009, F1BQ-3
N3-6403 - 04/2014 (5 schemes)
BER72100 1:72 Dassault Mirage F.1C & F.1B Iran Air Force : F1EQ-6 N3-6212 - 16/10/
1993 - First flight of a Mirage F.1 in IRIAF service, F1EQ-4 N3-6205 - 21/01/
2012, F1EQ-6 N3-6209 - 04/2014, F1BQ-3 N3-6407 - 09/2009, F1BQ-3
N3-6403 - 04/2014 (5 schemes)
Blue Rider
BR261
1:72 Fokker D.VII in International Service Decals for no less than 31 Fokker
D.VIIs in foreign use in the inter-war years. Originally issued in the sold-out
Insignia Colour Guide No. 2.
BR262
1:72 Swiss Fliegertruppe 1914-1936 Decals for 13 aircraft - Bleriot XI (2),
Nieuport 23, Nieuport 28, Fokker D.VII, DFW C.V, DH.9A, DH9, SSW D.III,
Hanriot HD-1 and Potez 25 (2). Originally issued in the sold-out Air Force
Special No. 7.
BR525
1:48 Fokker D.VII in International Service 22 Fokker D.VIIs in foreign use in the
inter-war years.
BR818
1:72 Bosnian and Croatian Air Forces 1991-1997 Decals for Piper PA-18 Super
Cub, Mil Mi-8 MTV-1 Hip, Agusta-Bell 47J-2a, UTVA-75 (3), Antonov An-2 Colt
(4), MiG-21bis (4). Originally issued in the sold-out Insignia Air Force Special
No. 2.
BR819
1:72 Slovene and Macedonian Air Forces 1994-1998 Decals for Bell 412EP (5),
Pilatus PC-6, Pilatus PC-9 (3), UTVA-75 (2), Zlin 242L (2), Mil Mi-8 Hip. Originally
issued in the sold-out Insignia Air Force Special No. 4.
17.50
11.99
6.99
8.30
10.50
8.00
8.00
8.00
8.00
8.00
Boa Decals
BOA14465 1:144 Boeing 737-55S SKY Europe (Sky models)
BOA14494 1:144 Embraer ERJ-195 LOT (Revell)
BOA14495 1:144 Airbus A320 Croatia Airlines (Revell)
BOA14496 1:144 Embraer ERJ-195 Montenegro (Revell)
5.99
5.99
5.99
5.99
FCM
FCM48049 1:48 Northrop F-5B, F-5E and F-5F (x 11 versions)
11.99
Flying Colors
FC44055
1:144 Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER decal for the Revell and Zvezda
Boeing 777-300ER kit
HAD Models
HUN32052 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf 109E-4 (Black 9 "schnauzl"; yellow1)
HUN32053 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf 110 Africa
HUN48167 1:48 Yakovlev Yak-52 Hungarian
HUN48168 1:48 Messerschmitt Bf 109B/D
HUN72162 1:72 Messerschmitt Me 210 part 1
HUN72163 1:72 Messerschmitt Me 210 part 2
HUN72164 1:72 Mikoyan MiG-31BM/MiG-31BSM
HGW
HGW232012 1:32 Vought F4U-1 Corsair Stencils + Cockpit Decals + Markings (Tamiya)
HGW232013 1:32 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC Stencils (Fly)
HGW248025 1:48 Mikoyan MiG-31B/MiG-23BS (Avant Garde Models)
HR Model
HRDL7239 1:72 Piper L-18C Super Cub (Germany)
Academy Aircraft kits (injection)

AC12314
1:48 Polikarpov I-16 Type 24
AC12533
1:72 Boeing B-17E USAAF "Pacific Theater"
AC12534
1:72 McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18C USN "VFA-82
Marauders"
AC12537
1:72 Westland AH-64D "British Army in
Afghanistan" New tooled parts for rocket pod,
RWR (Radar Warning Receiver), sensors.
AC12539
1:72 Junkers Ju 87G-2 & JS-2 Soviet tank
(Zvezda)." stand for Stuka included.
Airfix Aircraft kits (injection)
AX04060
1:72 Nakajima B5N1 'Kate'
AX05043
1:72 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.X (late version)
AX07007
1:72 Heinkel He 111H-6. NEW TOOL.
AX09009
1:72 Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley Mk.VII
AX10101A 1:48 BAC/EE Canberra B.2/B.20.
Diorama accessories (injection)
AX06304
1:72 USAAF Bomber Re-supply Set. Autocar
U-7144-T 4X4 tractor unit and F-1 fuel trailer. B-17
not included.
6.60
9.80
9.80
9.80
8.20
8.20
8.20
15.99
5.40
15.60
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75 (P-36A) U.S.Army and Brazilian Air Force

1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75 (P-36C) U.S.Army x 2
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75A (P-36) Finland Air Force x 2
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75 (P-36) Luftwaffe x 2
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75 (P-36)/ Mohawk IV RAF x 2
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75 (P-36A) U.S.Army and Brazilian Air Force
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75A-2 (P-36A) France and Brazilian Air Force
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75A-8 (P-36A) Norway and Brazilian Air Force
1:72 Curtiss Hawk 75A-7 (P-36A) Netherlands and Brazilian Air Force
4.40
Milspec
MPEC48003 1:48 McDonnell F-4B Phantom VF-84 JOLLY ROGERS 1965 USS Independence
MPEC48004 1:48 Grumman F-14A Tomcat HI/VIZ DATA STENCILS
MPEC72003 1:72 McDonnell F-4B Phantom VF-84 JOLLY ROGERS 1965 USS Independence
13.80
10.99
10.99
S & M Models
SSM72-10 1:72 De Havilland Dragon Rapide.
13.50
Thunderbird Models
TBM144004 1:144 CP Air Boeing 737 (for the Airfix kit)
TBM48001 1:48 World Wide Airways de Havilland B Mk.IV Mosquito Racer (Tamiya)
4.95
4.95
Twosix Silk
STS44136 1:144 Re-printed! Boeing 707-320B/C Olympic Airways SX-DBC/E/F/O/P with
two styles of cheat lines, doors, windows etc.
STS44209 1:144 Re-printed! Airbus A380-841 British Airways Airbus A380-841
STS44255 1:144 Air Canada Douglas DC-8s
STS44278 1:144 Air Canada Lockheed L-1011 TriStar
10.80
13.20
10.80
10.80
Warbird
WB72034
43.99
1:72 Space Shuttle tile set x 4 sheets (Revell)
Xtradecal
X72256
1:72 Post War Avro Lancaster 1946 - 1950 (8) NG115 B.Mk.I (F.E.) DX-C 57 Sqnn
RAF Scampton 1946 DG/DE/Black; NX721 B.Mk.VII (F.E.) FGG-A Empire Air
Navigation School RAF Shawbury 1948 White/Black; PA439 PR.Mk.I D 82 Sqn
RAF Eastleigh, Nairobi, Kenya 1949-50 Overall High Speed Silver; PD199 B.Mk.I
(Special) used as Target Tug by RAE Farnborough 1948-49 High Speed Silver/
Yellow with black stripes; RF314 ASR.Mk.III K7-LJ 236 Op Conversion Unit RAF
Kinloss 1947-48 EDSG/DSG/Sky; RT680 B.Mk.VII FCXS Empire Central FS RAF
Hullavington 1948 White/Black; SW364 GR.III CJ-C 203 Sqn RAF St.Eval
forerunner of the Shackleton 1949-50 MSG/White red spinners; TW872 B.Mk.I
(F.E.) TL-D 35 Sqn RAF Graveley 1946 White/Black;
Yellow Wings
YW32006 1:32 USN Vought OS2U-1/2/3 Kingfisher
YW32020 1:32 Curtiss P-40/P-40B Tomahawk Stencil Package
YW32024 1:32 U.S. National Insignia Part-3 'Operation Torch'
YW48059 1:48 USN Douglas SBD-2 Dauntless #2106 'Midway Madness'
YW48060 1:48 USN, USMC and RN Vought F4U-1 'Birdcage' Corsair
7.99
13.80
13.80
12.80
12.80
12.80
4.40
NEW KITS
A Model Aircraft kits (injection)
AMU72304 1:72 Ilyushin Il-14 (late version) "Crate"
AMU72322 1:72 MBB Bo-105GSH
11.99
1:72 Piper L-21B Super Cub (Belgium)
AMT Aircraft kits (injection)

AMT950
1:48 Shell Oil Lockheed Vega
41.99
17.70
14.99
23.99
15.99
16.99
22.99
16.99
18.99
24.99
32.99
36.99
21.99
32.99
Anigrand Craftswork Aircraft kits (resin)

ANIG4088 1:144 Shin Maywa US-1A JMSD air-sea rescue
amphibian. (Includes BONUS kits Kayaba Ka-1,
Mitsubishi LR-1 and Mitsubishi MU-2S)
77.40
ANIG4104 1:144 Boeing YC-14 STOL prototype to replace the
C-130 Hercules. (includes BONUS kits Bell X-16,
McCulloch YH-30 and Lockheed YO-3A)
77.40
Attack Squadron Aircraft kits (resin)
ASQ73005 1:72 PZL P.11/I Prototype Pro-set resin/PE/decal
29.99
Avis Aircraft kits (injection)

BX72027
1:72 de Havilland DH-60G Amphibian
BX72028
1:72 de Havilland DH-60X Amphibian
15.50
15.50
Big Planes Kits Aircraft kits (injection)

BPK7210
1:72 CanadAir Challenger C-143A/CL-604
54.60
Brengun Aircraft kits (injection)

BRP72020 1:72 Yakovlev Yak-1 (mod. 1941)
BRP72021 1:72 Yakovlev Yak-1 (mod. 1942)
12.20
12.20
Dekno Aircraft kits (resin)

CW720100 1:72 Spartan 7W SCW (Spartan 7W with decals of
the Spanish Civil War)
29.99
GA720201
1:72 Northrop Y1C19 Alpha, is the first alpha

version with military decals of the US Army
Air Corps
44.99
Dragon Aircraft kits (injection)

DN5011
1:72 Arado Ar 234C-4 w/V-1 Huckepack
25.99
Eduard kits Aircraft kits (injection)

EDK1192
1:48 Grumman F-14A Tomcat. Danger Zone.
HobbyBoss plastic, PE and MASK included, resin
included, decals printed by Cartograf, 5 marking
options, full colour instructions. This is not new
but it finished a couple of years ago and we sold
out a few months ago. Very limited availability.
91.20
Hasegawa Aircraft kits (injection)

HA02198
1:72 De Havilland Mosquito NF Mk.XIII Night
Fighter
HA02199
1:72 Douglas A-1H/J Skyraider 'Vietnam War'
HA02200
1:72 North-American F-100D Super Sabre
Combo (2 x)
HA02201
1:72 Lockheed P-3C Orion German Naval Aviation
Centennial
HA02202
1:72 Boeing F/A-18A+ Hornet VFC-12 Adversary
Combo (2 x)
HA02204
1:72 Dassault Mirage F.1C Spanish Air Force
Combo (2 x)
HA02205
1:72 Mitsubishi Ki-67 TYPE 4 HEAVY BOMBER
39.99
32.99
39.99
69.99
42.99
39.99
HA02206
HA02207
HA07431
HA07432
HA07433
HA07434
HA07435
HA07436
HA08243
HA10817
HA60513
HAE22
HAK016
HAST034
HIRYU (PEGGY) 14th Flight Regiment

1:72 Grumman X-29 NASA
1:72 McDonnell F-15J EAGLE 304SQ JASDF NAHA
2016
1:48 Nakajima E8N2 Type 95 Reconnaissance
Seaplane (Dave) Model 2 'Battleship Nagato'
1:48 Hughes AH-64E Apache Guardian
'Taiwan Army'
1:48 Dornier DO 215B-5 NJG2
1:48 SAAB J35D Drakken NAtural Metal
1:48 Mitsubishi F-2B ADTW 60th Anniversary
1:48 Mitsubishi A6M2b Zero Fighter Type 21 341st
Flying Group
1:32 Northrop F-5E Tiger II Taiwan Air Force
1:200 Boeing KC-46A Pegasus
EGGPLANE F-2 & T-4 "JASDF ADTW
60th ANNIVERSARY" (Two kits in the box)
1:72 Heinkel He 111P
1:72 Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
1:32 Mitsubishi A6M5c ZERO FIGHTER (ZEKE) TYPE
52 Hei (New Tool)
HPH Models Aircraft kits (resin)

HPH32036R 1:32 Curtiss SB2C-4 Helldiver
44.99
44.99
36.99
44.99
49.99
69.99
42.99
39.99
29.99
42.99
29.99
29.99
36.99
29.99
54.99
183.80
ICM Aircraft kits (injection)

ICM48234
1:48 Junkers Ju 88A-14 WWII German Bomber
ICM72291
1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw 189A-1 (100% new molds)
ICM72304
1:72 Dornier Do 17Z-2 WWII German bomber
(100% new moulds)
Italeri Aircraft kits (injection)
IT1385
1:72 McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 Hornet Swiss Air
Force
IT2510
1:32 Dassault Mirage IIIE/R 89.99
IT2763
1:48 McDonnell F-15C Strike Eagle Gulf War 25th
Anniversary F-15C ''Eagle''
26.99
16.99
16.99
15.99
29.99
Lukgraph Aircraft kits (resin)

LUK3207
1:32 Boeing F3B-1 124.99
MustHave! Aircraft kits (injection)
MH148004 1:48 Breguet Br.14B-2
43.99
Roden Aircraft kits (injection)

ROD325
1:144 Lockheed C-141B Starlifter.
27.99
RS Models Aircraft kits (injection)

RSMI92196 1:72 Kawasaki Ki-100-II and North-American P-51H
Mustang .... two kits in box
18.99
RSMI92200 1:72 Kawasaki Ki-61-1 Ko
14.99
AS24JPN
AS32JPN
AS48JPN
1:24 WWII Japanese Cockpit Instrument Decals

Attack Squadron Aircraft conversions (resin)

ASQ48048 1:48 ATARS F-18 conversion
Aircraft detailing sets (resin)
ASQ48035 1:48 M26 Flare 4 pcs
ASQ48047 1:48 AN/ALE 47 Countermeasures Dispenser 30 pcs
ASQ48049 1:48 LAU-131 - 4 pcs
ASQ72063 1:72 M26 Flare 4pcs
ASQ72090 1:72 AN/ALE 47 Countermeasure Dispenser 15pcs
ASQ72091 1:72 ATARS F-18 conversion
ASQ72093 1:72 Mikoyan MiG-29A Radome and closed upper
jet intakes (Italeri)
ASQ72094 1:72 Mikoyan MiG-29A Closed upper jet intakes
(Trumpeter)
Diorama accessories (resin)
ASQ72004 1:72 US NAVY Seabees NL Pontoon Barge
Figures (resin)
ASQ72011 1:72 US Navy Sailors for WWII Dioramas
Barracuda Studios Aircraft guns (resin)
BCR32168 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf 109G Underwing Cannon
Gunboats.
Aircraft seats (resin)
BCR32223 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 Thru Bf 109G-10
Seat - No Belts
BCR32224 1:32 Messerschmitt Bf 109G-2 Thru G-10 Seat with
Belts.
8.25
7.25
7.25
4.99
5.99
4.99
5.99
3.99
3.99
3.99
4.50
3.50
34.99
8.50
9.20
7.30
8.30
Brengun Aircraft canopies (vacform)

BRL144125 1:144 Avia B-534 vacu canopy (all type - vacu
canopy (4 pcs) (Eduard)
BRL72110
1:72 Hawker Typhoon Mk.I Bubbletop vacu canopy
(Brengun kit) - (Brengun)
Aircraft detailing sets (etched and resin)
BRL144123 1:144 Bachem Ba-349 Natter - PE and resin set
(Brengun) (kit not included)
Aircraft detailing sets (etched)
BRL48070
1:48 U.S. drop tanks caps - PE accessories
BRL48071
1:48 British landing lights - PE accessories
BRL72108
1:72 de Havilland DH-82a Tiger Moth - PE (Airfix)
BRL72109
1:72 Caudron C-445 Goeland - PE set (RS Models)
5.70
5.20
10.30
12.99
Brengun Diorama accessories (resin)

BRS144030 1:144 MD-3 USN Starter unit cart (2pcs)
BRS144031 1:144 Launch tower for Bachem Natter
13.70
24.99
5.20
4.99
7.75
AIM - Transport Wings Aircraft conversions (mixed-media)

TWC72017 1:72 Vickers Valiant B.2 conversion set (Airfix)
37.80
TWC72019 1:72 Canadair C-4 North Star & Argonaut engines
(Original ejector exhausts) conversion pack.
28.40
TWC72020 1:72 TCA Canadair Four & North Star engines
(cross-over exhausts) conversion pack.
28.40
TWC72021 1:72 Canadair BOAC Argonaut engines (cross-over
exhausts) conversion pack.
28.40
Aircraft conversions (resin)
TWC48001 1:48 RAF Phantom LS-93A Flash Pod conversion set. 5.70
CMK/Czech Master Kits Aircraft detailing sets (resin)

CMK7348
1:72 BAE Harrier GR.1 - 1/72 Engine (Airfix)
11.99
CMK7349
1:72 BAE Harrier GR.1 - 1/72 Cockpit (Airfix)
6.70
CMK7347
1:72 BAe Harrier GR.1 - Control Surfaces Set (Airfix) 8.99
CMQ72262 1:72 SNCASO SO.4050 External Tanks (Azur
and Special Hobby)
7.99
CMK7346
1:72 Bristol Blenheim Mk.I - Engine Set (Airfix)
15.20
CMQ32239 1:32 Hawker Tempest Mk.V/Mk.VI (Special Hobby) 7.99
CMQ72261 1:72 Barrels for 0.303 Browning
machine guns (12pcs)
3.70
CMQ72255 1:72 Dassault Mirage F.1B - MB Mk.10 Seat
(2pcs) (Special Hobby)
8.99
CMQ72263 1:72 Republic P-47D/M Thunderbolt - 1/72
Wheels (Diamond Tread Pattern)
3.70
CMQ72264 1:72 Republic P-47D/M Thunderbolt - 200 US gal.
External Drop Tank (2 pcs)
7.99
CMF72306 1:72 Two Fouga Magister Pilots and a Mechanic
(Airfix, Heller, Special Hobby and Valom)
8.99
Airscale
F4 Models Military vehicle kits (resin)
Special Hobby Aircraft kits (injection)

SH48120
1:48 Bucker Bu 181 Bestmann
14.50
NEW ACCESSORIES
AMU72304
1:72 Ilyushin Il-14
(late version) "Crate"
49.99
AMT950
1:48 Shell Oil Lockheed
Vega
32.99
BX72027
1:72 de Havilland
DH-60G Amphibian
15.50
HA02201 1:72
Lockheed P-3C Orion
German Naval Aviation
Centennial 69.99
HA60513 EGGPLANE
F-2 & T-4 "JASDF
ADTW 60th ANNSARY"
(Two kits in box) 29.99
F4M7027
1:72 U.S. Navy JG-75 Flight Line Tractor with GTC

Trailer Model
Flightpath UK Diorama accessories (etched)
FHGS3250 1:32 US Navy Carrier Deck Section (For use with
the Flightpath/Gunsmoke US Navy Carrier deck
Diorama set)
HAD Models Aircraft wheels (resin)
HUN232006 1:32 Hawker Hunter FGA.9/F.58 Wheel set (Revell)
19.80
35.50
9.99
HGW Aircraft detailing sets (etched)

HGW132144 1:32 Albatros B.II - Interior PE parts + decal
(Wingnut Wings kit)
9.80
HGW132145 1:32 Albatros B.II - Engine and radiator details
(Wingnut Wings)
5.99
HGW132146 1:32 Albatros B.II - Exterior (Wingnut Wings)
5.99
HGW132148 1:32 Roland C.II - Super Detail Set includes all
these HGW sets HGW132545 + 139 + 140 + 141 +
142 + 632026 (Wingnut Wings)
33.40
Aircraft detailing sets (fabric)
HGW132578 1:32 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC pre-cut (laser) (Fly) 7.80
HGW132821 1:32 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIC BASIC LINE:
seatbelts + masks (Fly)
10.50
Marabu Design Aircraft detailing sets (etched)
MUDM14401 1:144 Lavochkin La-5 PE set (Kovozavody Prostejov) 5.30
MUDM14402 1:144 Focke-Wulf Ta 152H PE set (MARK I Models) 6.60
MUDM14403 1:144 Bristol Beaufighter Mk.IC/Mk.IF-Mk.VIC/Mk.
VIF/C PE set (MARK)
12.80
MUDM72028 1:72 Nakajima Ki-44-I Shoki PE set (Sword)
8.60
MUDM72030 1:72 North-American P-51B/P-51C PE set
(Kovozavody Prostejov)
6.60
MUDM72031 1:72 Piper L-4H/J L-4A/B/J-3/K-68/C-8 PE set
(Kovozavody Prostejov)
6.60
MUDM72032 1:72 Lavochkin La-5FN PE set (Kovozavody
Prostejov)
12.99
MUDM72033 1:72 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' PE set (Airfix)
12.99
Diorama accessories (etched)
MUDM72029 1:72 Saab JAS-39C Gripen - ladder PE set of
Gripen ladder (Revell)
6.60
Mini World Aircraft detailing sets (metal)
MINI7241A 1:72 Air intakes for Sukhoi Su-17 family (early)
(Modelsvit)
Rising Decals Aircraft detailing sets (decal and resin)
RDACR022 1:72 E13A1 with individual exhaust stacks
RDACR023 1:72 E13A1 with individual exhaust stacks and H-6
Radar Antenna
RDACR029 1:72 60kg Bombs for A6M2-N
RDACR030 1:72 Ski Undercarriage for Ki-43
RDACR033 1:72 A6M2/5 Air-to-air bombs
RDACR034 1:72 K5Y1 Blind Flying Hood 'Natural Metal'
RDACR035 1:72 K5Y1 Blind Flying Hood 'Yellow Camo
Scale Aircraft Conversions Aircraft detailing sets (metal)
SAC32108 1:32 Mitsubishi A6M5 Zero Landing Gear
(Hasegawa)
SAC32109 1:32 Roland C.II Landing Gear (Wingnut Wings)
SAC48310 1:48 McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18A-D Hornet
Landing Gear (Kinetic)
SAC48311 1:48 Boulton-Paul Defiant Mk.I Landing Gear (Airfix)
SAC48312 1:48 Lockheed-Martin F-16 (light) Landing Gear
(Kinetic) For "Early" variants (Block 1-20)
SAC48313 1:48 F-16 (heavy) Landing Gear (Kinetic) For "Later"
variants (Block 25 & up)
Thunderbird Models Aircraft paint masks (self adhesive)
TBM003
1:144 Boeing 737-200 (Airfix)
ICM72291
1:72 Focke-Wulf Fw
189A-1 (100% new
molds) 16.99
LUK3207
1:32 Boeing F3B-1
124.99
9.99
5.70
6.99
5.70
5.70
5.70
5.70
5.70
15.60
15.60
16.60
13.80
15.60
15.60
2.95
ROD325
1:144 Lockheed C-141B
Starlifter
27.99
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our up to date postage rates.
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October 2016 4.

Classic Trainer in 1/48

Flag of Convenience more Thunder stuff in 1/48

Large Scale Thunderbolt

Sopwith 2F.1 Dolphin

Operation Daguet -Mirage

Airframe Extra No.6

The Chopper Boys

Camouflate & Decals

Flying Wings and

Miles M.52 Britains

Wing Masters 112

Kagero Top Drawings

RAF 100 Group

Aces High Magazine

order via our

Aero Journal Hors

T: 01530 231407 (+44 1530 231407) E: sales@aviationbookcentre.com

Delivery charges UK: Order value below 20 = 3.50,20+above = 5.50

A Long Awaited Trainer

Scottish Aviation Bulldog T.1

Much like the real thing there is not a lot in

Ouch! Keep a look out for any injector marks

his latest release from Swedish

Oddly the two bladed propeller is moulded in

much inside in reality. The one area I could

Drilling out and pinning the tail planes instead

stick on the edge between each attempted

on the fuselage into which it should fit

Grab, dip and drop, repeat just 237 times!

Measurements are provided in the

The plastic parts as provided on the sprue

OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 08

there was a small gap above the bulkhead

very thin and easy to apply, instantly

THIS MONTHS FEATURES:

Young Lion: Vigorous

Building the IAI Lavi and the Chengdu J10

With artwork by Mark Rolfe

With artwork by Mark Rolfe

Of course everyone else has completed

via MarketForce (UK) Limited

110 Southwark Street, London SE1 0SU

The Half Way Veteran

hanks to everyone for

Identification and Disguise for the

Copper States Dolphin

Part One Operation Daguet

Time - He's waiting

Books-A-Million, Inc. presently operates over 200 stores in 18

OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 08

IPMS USA NATIONAL

OCTOBER 2016 VOLUME 38 ISSUE 08

Kits courtesy of Creative Models

The Hobby Boss kit consists of

Snakeye, GBU-12 and fuel tanks are

parts around the model.

derivative of the design, the larger,

Assembly is taken care of over

The latest release from the

The cockpit tub features raised

Three differing types of

Unparalleled quality at a price you can

Eduards Bubbletop Spitfire