Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
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VOL.9 ISS.100 NOVEMBER 2013
CONTENTS
How to contact us:
Tel: 01525 222573
Fax: 01525 222574
E-mail: editorial@modelairplaneinternational.com
Model Airplane International. Doolittle Mill,
Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire,
LU6 1QX, England
VOL.9 ISS.100 NOVEMBER 2013
Editorial:
Editor: Richard A. Franks
Publisher: Alan Harman
Group Editor: Marcus Nicholls
Artist: Richard J. Caruana
Administration Manager: Hannah McLaurie
O ce Manager: Paula Gray
Advertisement Manager: Colin Spinner
Advertising Sales: Mark Peacock
Advertisement Assistant: Joe Brown
Art:
Editorial Design: Peter Hutchinson
Advertising Design: Alex Hall
Contributors:
Alan Bottom, Patrick Branly, Bob Edwards, Steve
A. Evans & Libor Jekl
Advertisement and circulation:
ADH Publishing, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX.
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Website: www.modelairplaneinternational.com
Model Airplane International is published monthly by ADH Publishing Ltd, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX. Entire Contents 2013 ADH Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in part or whole
of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
While due care is taken to ensure the content of Model Airplane International is accurate, the publishers and
printers cannot accept liability for errors and omissions. Advertisements are accepted for publication in Model
Airplane International only upon ADH Publishings standard terms of acceptance of advertising, copies of
which are available from the advertising sales department of MAI.
REGULARS
p4-5 Newsline
p74 Events Diary
p75 Contact Details
p76 News - Just Released
p77 News - Coming Soon
p82 Next Issue
Find out whats due next month...
REVIEWS
p6 Kwik Builds
The Airx 1:72 Gladiator Mk I by Libor Jekl,
HobbyBoss 1:48 Yak-38U by Alan Bottoms
and PJ Productions 1:72 Mirage IIIE by Bob
Edwards
p62 New Releases Kits
The latest kit releases assessed
p65 New Releases Accessories
New products from AeroBonus, Aires,
Eduard, Master Box and Scale Aircraft
Conversions
p70 New Releases Decals
New sheets from Aviattic, Eduard and Iliad Design
p72 New Releases Books
A selection of the latest aviation and
modelling titles
FEATURES
p18 Scary Teeth
Steve A Evans also builds one of his Top
Ten kits, the Hasegawa 1:32 P-40 but in RAF
colours
p28 Awesome!
Alan Bottoms builds his No.1 kit since our
launch in the form of the Airx 1:24 D.H.
Mosquito
p38 Top Ten
Richard J. Caruana revisits our pick of the
ten top subjects from Issues 1 to 99
p50 Digby in America
Patrick Branly takes a look at Special
Hobbys 1:72 B-18 Bolo
ADVERTISERS INDEX
ADH Books p73
The Airbrush Company p27
Creative Models Ltd p15
Deagostini p41
Eduard p17
Fisher Model & Pattern p53
Hannants p5
Halifax Modellers World p57
Hornby p9
HPM Hobbies p57
IPMS/UK p7
LSA Models p17
Lucky Models IFC
Minicraft Models p45
MPM p53
Pocketbond p11
Revell p13
Osprey Publishing p37
RS Models p71
Swann-Morton p45
Squadron MMD p21
Tamiya OBC
The Hobby Company Ltd IBC
Wingman Models p31
Wolfpack Design p57
XB Pro p57
MAI Subscriptions p78
MAI Back Issues p79
Issue 100 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 3
28
6 50
CONTENTS 100.indd 3 27/09/2013 10:24
4 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
112013 - Latest news
& information for
Scale Aircraft
Modellers
Editorial - Something Special
Those of you that read MAI on a regular basis will realise that writing a regular editorial is not something I do, I do not know why, maybe I just cant, or maybe I think
there are more important things to use the space for. Whatever is the case I usually only ever write an editorial for two reasons, the rst being to mark the end of
another volume the other being when something special occurs. Well, this month is something special, as it marks out the100th edition. Yes, eight years and 100
editions have passed since I took the mantle as editor of MAI, blimey! I started as an editor of a monthly title back in 1996 and I think my enjoyment of the hobby was
my main reason for doing so and it still drives me today. Throughout the year I get to talk with a great many of you at the events in the UK that I attend and although I
tend not to travel abroad any more, I have in the past and I never cease to be amazed by your
enthusiasm and sheer dedication for the hobby.
So, a big thank you to all of you out there who support me and the team at ADH by buying MAI
each month, we know you enjoy it, you tell us, and ADH is constantly striving to make it look
better and better, whilst I struggle to type and answer emails fast enough... Producing a title on a
regular monthly cycle can be hard at times (especially over the Christmas/New Year period), but
with the help of friends and contributors it has still not lost its sparkle for me. Now I cant thank
all our contributors here by name, but you know who they are and I have to just pass on a big
personal thank you to them all - nice work guys. MAI would not be complete each month without
the superb artwork of Richard J. Caruana and 2013 marks 18 years of our both working together,
so another big thank you. What does the future hold, who knows, I will certainly keep MAI up to
date and we will continue to bring you the best in kit builds with a nice mix of product reviews
and hints and tips. With all of us now in a digital age apparently, many may think that the printed
magazine is a dinosaur, but its not the case as a computer is far less user-friendly than a printed
title and, at least here in the UK, until Internet service and broadband connections are a lot faster
in all regions and free, the printed magazine is still cheaper and a lot more accessible. Besides it
gives us all some me time and long may it continue.
So, having wafed on for a bit, now on with Issue 100 as I sit here by the keyboard and
contemplate the next 100 editions.
Spitre by instalments
DeAgostini have recently turned their attention to part-
works on aircraft with a 1/12th rendition of the Spitre
Mk Vb. The kit is made up of laser-cut wooden frames
with a top skin of aluminium plates and once built the
model is 760mm long with a span of 935mm. The kit
will be supplied over 32 months at a monthly price of
28.00, so not cheap, but it is a big impressive model
that will delight fans of the type that would otherwise
probably not make models.
Visit www.buildthespitre.com for more details and to
sign up for a subscription, as those doing so will get a
few bonuses, including a 1:72 die-cast Bf 109E with the
second instalment, a free tool kit designed to help you
build your Spitre with the fourth instalment and a free
lighting kit with the 10th instalment.
New from
Amber
Amber Books have recently
started a new series of
weighty hardback titles in
their Aviation actile series.
The rst two can be seen
here and they cover Aircraft
of World War II and Military
Aircraft of the Cold War. Each
is packed with data on all
the types covered, including
specications, operational
service and variants. A
look at the format is sort of
familiar, maybe akin to the
Air Power Journal series
maybe? Anyway, overall
the effect is good and the
images and artwork nice and
clean. With over 200 pages
and a hardback cover the
19.99 price is amazing, but
this type of title has to nd
purchases in a more general
marketplace than just to
aviation enthusiasts, so if you
fancy either title, it may well
be worth adding to your library
as a quick one spot guide.
Amber Books are distributed
in the UK by Casemate
UK Ltd, so for more details
visit their website at www.
casematepublishing.co.uk or
call 01865 241249.
Stripdown
Back in 2001 Eduard released their neat little okker
Dr.I Triplane in the special Stripdown series, where
all the structure of the airframe was replicated in
etched. This was pretty early days in the whole
process, and Eduard have learnt a great deal in the
intervening 12 years, so now they have reissued
the kit, but with a big update. The whole airframe
is now etched, plus you get the plastic parts in the
kit so you could do
a solid fuselage and
etched wings or etched
fuselage with solid
wings. On top of the
three frets of etched,
you get a number of
new detail parts in
resin like the engine,
struts and tailskid,
plus there are two
big lumps of resin.
These are actually
jigs to help you bend
and form the mass
of etched and they
will have uses after
you have done this kit, that is for sure! No decals
are included, as there is nothing to put them on
really, but the kit is a special limited edition, so
buy it whilst you can, because once its gone, its
gone. UK retail price is 27.80 and it (#2114) is
distributed in the UK, along with all other Eduard
products by Creative Models, Hannants and LSA
Models. or all other enquiries worldwide, visit the
Eduard website at www.eduard.com.
NEWSLINE 100.indd 2 03/10/2013 17:02
Pick-up Pencil
This is an odd cross-over from the craft side, but these
odd little pencils are idea for modellers when working
with ddly bits of plastic, resin or etched brass. The
central core is tacky, not massively, just enough, so
you touch it to the item and it picks it up, but when you
place it in position, once you get the hang of it, you will
go front or back down rst and the item will just drop
off. We have also used these to move parts around,
as the tack is good for that as well and if you slightly
moisten the core it gets a little tackier. Available in a
few specialist ranges already, at varying prices, the
ones here will be available at model shows from the
Valiant Wings Publishing stand for just 1.79 a go.
Thus far they are not available online from Valiant, but
if demand is sufcient, they may add it to their stock
list, but for now seek them out at shows and pick up
one (or more) of these highly useful little beasts!
New Luftwaffe Colours from Humbrol
Humbrol continue to expand their range of acrylic paints with the addition of the following new colours
1 Grey Primer; 160 German Camouage Red Brown, Matt; 240 RLM 02 Grau, Matt; 241 RLM 70
Schwartzgrun, Matt; 242 RLM 71 Dunkelgrun, Matt; 243 RLM 72 Grun, Matt; 244 RLM 73 Grun, Matt;
245 RLM 74 Graugrun, Matt; 246 RLM 75 Grauviolett, Matt; 247 RLM 76 Lichtblau, Matt; 248 RLM 78
Himmelblau, Matt; 249 RLM 79 Sandgelb, Matt; 251 RLM 81 Dunkelbraun, Matt; 252 RLM 82 Olivgrun, Matt
and 253 RLM 83 Dunkelgrun, Matt.
All colours come in 14ml plastic containers and they retail for 1.60. We have been testing these new
acrylics of late and have to say that they are a quantum leap from the old paints, no more lumps and gloopy
varnish, they are quite superb and go on well with a brush or via an airbrush. It is great to have Humbrol
adding authentic colours like this once more into their range, as it is what they were known for decades
ago and it is also great to see that these paints easily meet todays standards. All Humbrol products should
be readily available from a number of high street and internet outlets, but you can also buy directly from
Humbrol by visiting www.humbrol.com.
Now
also available in the
enam
el paint range
NEWSLINE 100.indd 3 03/10/2013 17:02
A
irx hae opted to release the Mk
I rst and the box contains two
sprues of about 70 parts and one
clear sprue with another e parts,
whilst the decal sheet is made b
Cartoraph and the instructions are in irxs
current format. One aspect of these new irx
kits that is often the cause of much debate is
the arin ualit and nesse of the surface
detail, howeer in this kit I was more than
satised because the panel lines and the fabric
rendition are ne and restrained. The enraed
lines are mabe ust a little bit too deep but
this does not matter once the are under a
coat of primer and paint but most importantl
the are complete and consistent on all parts.
The nel raised ribs and lonerons make the
fabric coered areas realistic plus there are
arious panels includin the win un access
panels that slihtl protrude from the surface,
althouh I think the rims on the fuselae sides
are perhaps a little on the hea side. Its m
opinion, howeer, that irx didnt et riht the
look of the metal panel fasteners, doin them
as rather hea riets with semiround heads,
which ou are better sandin off. The cockpit
looks decent and has a oor connected with the
construction isible under the rear lain, seat,
armour plate, control column, ro compass
and separatel moulded machine uns.
The instrument panel is part of the fuselae
assembl and the instruments are proided onl
as decals. The kit allows for the side access
doors to be opened if the fuselae sides are
cut out, but the doors seem to hae soft detail,
so I recommend ou wait until an aftermarket
set arries that will undoubtedl address this,
and some of the cockpit simplications or
omissions, for instance the unsiht that lacks
its supportin tubular structure. The enine unit
looks prett ood with nicel done indiidual
exhausts connected to the rin collector, inner
braces, oil cooler inlets and rear fuel mixture
pipework. The enine cowlin itself is diided
into four parts, with the front rin attached
to the bottom panel with exhaust pipes plus
two separate upper panels, howeer the
bules aboe the ales are too shallow.
nice wooden atts propeller unit is proided
toether with a spinner cap the later aire
eed metal propeller will be included in the
Mk II kit. Tpical with their recent releases
irx offer a step that simplies assembl, in
this case it concerns the win assembl. hile
the fuselae struts are lued in the separate
deckin so their anle is xed, the outer
interplane struts are connected toether ia
shaped connection pieces what should ensure
perfect t and eometr. oweer, Im afraid
in this case ood intention won oer common
sense as the connection pieces are intended to
be remoed from the struts after the wins are
lued toether, which would make cleanin the
struts and the oerall kits paintin uite difcult
unless of course ou dont use an airbrush or
choose a sinlecoloured camouae scheme.
6 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
SPECIFICATION:
Alrx |.7d G|oster G|adlator Mk |
klt No. AOdOBd
Materla|s. |M
Aval|abl|ltg. Hornbg Hobbles Ltd (Manufacturer)
and Alrx stocklsts mor|dmlde
Prlce Gulde L7.99
BEFORE STARTING:
Loctlte 5uper Attak Preclslon cganoacrg|ate
Gunze-5anggo Mr Cement 5
Tamlga masklng tape
Gunze-5anggo Mr Puttg
Tmeezers (varlous tgpes)
5mann-Morton #3 sca|pe| and b|ades
Mlcrosca|e Mlcro 5et and 5o| deca| so|utlons
DIMENSIONS: 1:1
5pan - 3dft 3ln (9.B3m)
Length - d7ft Bln (B.3Gm)
Helght (tal| domn) - ||ft 9ln (3.B7m)
DIMENSIONS: 1:72
5pan - |3G.Bmm
Length - ||G.|mm
Helght (tal| domn) - 49.Gmm
AIRBRUSHES USED:
|mata HP-BH
For Uk dlstrlbutlon and aval|abl|ltg vlslt mmm.
alrbrushes.com
Gabbert Trlp|ex
For mor|dmlde dlstrlbutlon and aval|abl|ltg vlslt
mmm.gabbert-alrbrush.de
PAINTS USED:
Akan acrg|lc.
7OOO7 B5dB3 Alrcraft Greg-Green
Gunze-5anggo Mr Aqueous Co|or acrg|lc.
H|| F|at Whlte
H|d F|at B|ack
H7d Dark Carth
H73 Dark Green
H77 Tlre B|ack
H3|B Padome Tan
Gunze-5anggo Mr Co|or |acquer.
5uper C|ear G|oss ||| GX|OO
|B7 5uper C|ear UV Cut F|at
Abtel|ung BOd ol| palnt.
Abt.OBO Wash Bromn
Abt.||O B|ack
REFERENCES
G|oster G|adlator bg T. 5pencer, Warpalnt No.37
(Ha|| Park Books dOOd)
G|oster G|adlator bg A. Cramford, Ye||om 5erles
No.G|O4 (Mushroom Mode| Magazlne Pub|lcatlons dOOd
|5BN. B3-9|G3d7-O-9)
G|oster G|adlator bg F.k. Mason, Pro|e No.9B
(Pro|e Pub|lcatlons |9GG)
G|oster G|adlator bg B. Be|carz B P. Peckomskl,
Monograe Lotnlcze No.d4 (AJ-Press |99G
|5BN. B3-BGdOB-34-|)
G|oster G|adlator Vo|.| Deve|opment and Operatlona|
Hlstorg bg A. Cramford (Mushroom Mode| Pub|lcatlons
dOO9 |5BN. 97B-B3-B94BO-B9-3)
G|oster G|adlator Aces bg A. Thomas, Alrcraft of the
Aces No.44 (Ospreg Pub|lshlng dOOB)
G|oster G|adlator |n Actlon No.|B7 bg W.A. Harrlson
(5quadron/5lgna| Pub|lcatlons dOO3
|5BN. O-B9747-4BO-3)
Hurrlcane B G|adlator bg k. kesklnen B k. 5tenman,
5uomen ||mavolmlen Hlstorla No.dB (k. 5tenman dOOB
|5BN. 9Bd-9943d-G-|)
The G|oster G|adlator bg F.k. Mason, McDona|d
Alrcraft Monographs (MacDona|d B Co. (Pub|lshers) Ltd/
Doub|edag B Co., |nc |9G4)
Wlngs of 5l|ver bg M. 5tarmer B P. Freeman (The
Avlatlon Workshop Pub|lcatlons Ltd dOO7
|5BN. |-9O4G43-34-B)
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
KWIK BUILD
Built & Written by Libor Jekl from the Czech Republic
The announcement of a brand new Gladiator kit among Airxs schedule for 2013
was received with delight by many modellers. Obviously the choice of subject
has not been done randomly because the Gladiator stands alongside the Spitre
and Lancaster as an icon of the RAF that can still be seen in the skies today, and
purely from an economic point of view, it makes perfect sense as well. The last
modern mainstream injected kit was from Heller which was released about 30
years ago (not counting the simplied and not very precise recent release from
HobbyBoss) and despite a number of newer short-run kits that were well detailed
and quite nice (especially the Sword kit), their nature and price meant that they
were unable to interest a broad range of modellers.
Glad-rags
ITO.indd 2 27/09/2013 10:11
p 07 IPMS 100.indd 8 27/09/2013 11:51
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
KWIK BUILD
8 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
I believe painting the upper wing separately
and assembling it with the rest of airframe
afterwards seems a more logical approach, but
I confess it may not suit all. Additionally, the
struts have deep and perfectly formed recesses
that reliabl ensure correct and positie t. The
instructions offer a detailed and clear rigging
diagram, which is a nice touch, plus there are
miniature holes for the wires. The kit correctl
captures the offset position of the wheel axle
and two styles of wheel are provided (one is
weihted with separated wheel discs. The
wing gun pods have open spent cartridge
ports that look ne, althouh the seem to
be a bit slim in cross section and the gun
barrels are thick. The canopies are proided
as early and late versions and the open option
is aailable too. The camouae schemes
offer a pre-war overall Aluminium machine
from No.73 Squadron that is now depicted on
the Shuttleworth Collection example, and a
camouaed example of the Irish lin Corps.
Before commencing construction I carefully
removed with the tip of a scalpel blade the
fasteners and reproduced them with a mini-
punch I made with a srine needle. Then I
turned m attention to the cockpit and since
I planned to build the kit with closed canop
I used the kits parts without maor updates I
ust added the seat belts and the unsiht from
spares. The cockpit was then spraed in ircraft
Grey-Green for the upper half with Aluminium
for the lower, and the fuselage halves were
then closed. Next I added the separate upper
deckin with struts with instrument panel decal
glued inside, and here a little putty was needed
at the oint with the side doors the line was
then rescribed to match the thickness of the
surrounding panel lines. Once all the fuselage
seams looked O I attached the lower win
and the tailplanes, all without an trouble. The
main undercarriae les tted nicel as the
were inserted in the recesses that ensure
correct alinment. ow I could take care of
those outer struts, rst of all I cut awa those
X-shaped connections and cleaned the struts
with a sandin stick. The indiidual struts were
then secured in the lower wing, which didn't
pose any issues at all as the correct geometry
is again ensured via the precisely moulded
oalshaped recesses. The miniature holes for
the rigging I made deeper with a 0.15mm drill
bit and I also added a few that were omitted
during this phase I also prepared the upper
wing by drilling through the holes for the rigging.
nal trial t of both wins went O so I lued
the canop to the fuselae actuall, the canop
ust snapped on and was secured with a tin
amount of canoacrlate as the t was perfect.
nwa, check for the correct tpe of the
windshield as both early and later (armoured)
tpe are proided rom the fuselae spine
I removed the antennae mast because that
wasnt present on attles machine, plus one of
the columns on the n as well. The tropical lter
I needed was in the kit, but I was not satised
with the shape of this unit and so replaced it
with a cast item from the ala kit. I also cut off
the not very convincing rendition of the light on
the dorsal spine, lled the hole and installed a
cast liht from the CM rane instead. hen
assembling the cowling I deviated from the
instructions and glued it together without the
enine which was later inserted after paintin
if the locating pins are removed from the valves
the engine can easily put into the cowling from
behind. After general cleaning, polishing and
maskin off the canop I proceed with the
painting.
Since I already had in my collection a
ladiator in prewar markins, I utilied the
decal sheet from lanet Models 72004
Gloster Gladiator over North and East Africa)
I recentl acuired and went for . attles
machine of No.80 Squadron based in Egypt in
1940 incidentall, these markin are contained
within the Starter Set ersion of this kit too.
This plane wore the Temperate and scheme
with black and white undersides some sources
state the upper wing underside was left in
luminium. The camouae colours on period
pictures look a bit washed off with hea sins
of attrition and repainting, so the colours I used
were appropriately lightened and the surface
weathered and dusted using a light overspray
of a iht Sand colour. fter a coat of loss
arnish I applied the decals, which worked
perfectly and I can recommend them (I suspect
the are printed b O enc. rom the
kits decals I used onl the instrument panel
so I cannot fully evaluate them, but based on
previous experience with Cartograph they
should not pose any issues. On the paper they
seem to have perfect register, good colours and
the welcome addition of a set of stencils.
fter the nal matt arnish coat I continued
with the nal assembl, settin in position the
upper win rst, followed b the riin. The
individual wires were cut to length from heat-
stretched sprue, painted black, secured in the
lower wing and then pulled through the upper
win holes. fter llin and cleanin the upper
win surface I nished the paintin on this
part and applied the upper win roundels. The
main wheels look prett ood, but I eentuall
replaced them with cast resin ala items I
hae seeral ala kits that seem to be surplus
now, so wh not to rob them. The win un
barrels did not look riht in the scale so these
were exchaned for Quickboost cast resin
examples and I also removed the pitot placed
on the left strut and replaced it with ne brass
wires from the same material I also shaped the
foot step. At the end I glued to the fuselage the
assembled engine unit and installed the aerials
cut from black shin line.
FINAL VERDICT
ith no doubt this is the best mainstream inected ladiator kit to date in 1:72 and a er nice effort from irx indeed. In comparison with the more
detailed Sword kit the irx ladiator ma loose some points, but the other adantaes are obiousl on its side. Considerin the price and eas
assembl it has the potential to become et another of irxs bestsellers, especiall reboxed with attractie markins from orth frica, reece and
the Middle East, not to mention the large number of foreign users of the type.
Plane Facts
The ladiator was deried from the auntlet and built to Specication .7/30, howeer once submitted to the ir Ministr in une 1935
Specication .14/35 was written around it. The prototpe 5200 rst ew in September 1934. roduction started with the Mk I powered
b the Mercur I and 231 were built for , with the tpe enterin serice in ebruar 1937 before euippin 31 hter suadrons.
The tpe was also supplied to elium, China, ire, reece, atia, ithuania, orwa and Sweden.
The Mk II was powered b the Mercur III or IIIS and was built to meet Specication .3/37 with 252 bein built for the . ircraft
2252302 were modied to Sea ladiator Interim standard for the in adance of delier of 0 Sea ladiator Mk IIs, and
eihteen Mk IIs were supplied to Sweden, where the were operated as s. The nal ersion of the tpe was the Sea ladiator Mk II and
0 of these were built for the .
ITO.indd 4 27/09/2013 10:11
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.9/9R
www.airx.com and all good retail stockists
For schools and all
youth organisations
www.humbrol.com www.twitter.com/airx
Join the AIRFIX Club
www.facebook.com/
ofcalairx
www.youtube.com/
ofcalairx
Gloster
Javelin
The Gloster Javelin
was an all-weather
interceptor aircraft that
served with Britains
Royal Air Force in the
late 1950s and most of
the 1960s. It was a
T-tailed delta-wing aircraft
designed for night and
all-weather operations and
was the last aircraft to bear
the Gloster name.
First injection moulded 1:48 Gloster Javelin
to be produced.
Detailed crew access ladder.
Optional open or closed canopy.
Poseable elevators, ailerons, rudder, aps
and airbrakes.
Removable intake and jet pipe covers.
Optional detailed armament and fuel tanks.
1:48 New
Tooling
U
n
d
e
rside d
e
t
a
i
l
F
u
l
l
c
o
c
k
p
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Three schemes available:
A 64 Squadron RAF Tenagh
Singapore 1960s
B XH898 2280CU RAF Leuchurs
C XH903 3 Squadron RAF
1010ax_javelin.indd 1 29/08/2013 17:14
I
nitial impressions of the kit were good with
the usual grey-coloured and clear plastic
sprues supplemented with photo-etch and
resin components. The IIIE had a Hispano-
built Martin-Baker RM4 seat that is provided
in resin, but this raised questions as single
and loop tpe rin handles are supplied,
however some export variants were provided
with a seat modication to allow eroero
ejection, which is where the B-loop handle
comes in. The French Air Force never took
this option so if you are planning on a French
scheme use the single-loop handle.
The plastic parts themselves are good
quality, particularly the transparent one, and
engraved panel lines and raised detail are
good all round although maybe a little too
pronounced for some modellers. There was
irtuall no ash to be seen anwhere and
whilst sink holes were inevitably present, they
were thoughtfully located out of sight. The
painting instructions are well produced but I
found some colour recommendations to be
inaccurate. The camouae scheme proided
is accurate for the starboard prole and win
but the port side looked nothing like any of my
references? The simple advice is always go
with your references and Mirage III, Mirage
5, 50 and derivatives from 1955 to 2000
by Dominique Breffort and Andre Jouineau
(Histoire & Collections 2004) provides excellent,
accurate camouae schemes for all domestic
and export variants.
Construction began with the wings and
rear fuselage and a number of issues were
encountered. Firstly, there were large gaps at
the underside leadin ede. More sinicant
gaps were evident along the join of the
fuselage with the upper wing roots. These were
straihtforward to resole thouh, usin une
Sangyo Mr Dissolved Putty on the leading
edes and strene strips plus ller on the win
roots. The n presented the biest challene
as with the trailing edge set correctly there was
a sinicant ap at the leadin ede 1.5mm
that reuired more strene and ller. The onl
other problems encountered during the build
were the engine intake cowls, which would not
sit smmetricall so this was xed b addin
a slither of styrene to the port cowl. Once this
was done, the front fuselage went on with no
trouble at all. The only observation to be made
is that the Doppler blister appears to be slightly
too short at the trailing edge when compared
10 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
SPECIFICATION:
PJ Production 1:72 AMD Mirage IIIE
Kit No: 721026
Materials: IM, PE, R
Availability: Hannants Ltd (UK Importer) and PJ
Production stockists worldwide
Price Guide 27.99
BEFORE STARTING:
Tamiya masking tape
Sprue cutters
X-acto knife
Tweezers (various)
Sanding sticks
Micro-mesh System
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Dissolved Putty
Styrene strip
Microscale Matt and Gloss
Clamps
Flory weathering wash (dark dirt and black)
DIMENSIONS: 1:1
Span - 27ft (8.23m)
Length - 49ft 4in (15,04m)
Height - 14ft 9in (4.5m)
DIMENSIONS: 1:72
Span - 114mm
Length - 209mm
Height 62.5mm
AIRBRUSH USED:
Iwata HB-B Plus
Iwata Revolution CR
UK importer The Airbrush Company visit www.airbrushes.com
PAINTS USED:
Alclad II lacquer:
ALC-101 Aluminium
ALC-106 White Aluminium
ALC-107 Chrome
ALC-111 Magnesium
ALC-113 Jet Exhaust
ALC-116 Semi Matt Aluminium
ALC-117 Dull Aluminium
ALC-302 Grey Primer
Tamiya acrylic:
XF-1 Black
XF-53 Neutral Grey
XF-61 Dark Green
XF-71 Interior Green
Xtracolor enamel:
X629 Soviet interior Blue Green
REFERENCES
Mirage III, Les monoracteurs Dassault Aile Delta,
Tome 1 Les Mirage IIIC & IIIB/BE & 5F dans lArme de lAir
by B. Chenel, E. Moreau & M. Libert
(DTU 2000 ISBN: 2-912749-02-6)
Mirage III Vol. 2 (DTU 2003)
Mirage III, Les monoracteurs Dassault Aile Delta,
Tome 3 Les Mirage IIIR/RD & 5F dans lArme de lAir by B.
Chenel, E. Moreau & M. Libert
(DTU 2008 ISBN: 2-912749-10-7)
Mirage III 1955-2000, Avions et Pilotes No.6
(Historie & Collections 2004)
Mirage III In The Brazilian Air Force by P.F. Kasseb
(ZLC 2009 ISBN: 978-85621-720-07)
Mirage IIIC by J-J Petit, Historavia Gisserot No.3
(J.P. Gisserot 1989)
Mlrage |||C '5hahak', From Mlrage to kr Part | bg A. Dor
(AD Graphics 2000)
Mirage IIIC/B by H. Brun, Aviascope 1
(Avia Editions 2004)
Mirage IIIO Colours & Markings by P. Mason & D.
Mottram, Mushroom Model Magazine Special No.9102
(Mushroom Model Publications 2005
ISBN: 83-89450-14-3)
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
KWIK BUILD
Built & Written by Bob Edwards from the UK
In my opinion the Mirage is under represented in the modelling community,
which is a mystery given its success, especially in the export market. It is
therefore nice to see this joint venture between High Planes and PJ Production
with PJ deviating from their more traditional line of resin kits to injected styrene.
The
Little Jet
MIRAGE.indd 2 27/09/2013 09:46
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
KWIK BUILD
12 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
to reference photos. I originally elected to go
with an allmetal nish usin arious shades
of lclad, howeer I had some problems
with the product crain I am unsure of the
cause of the issue but it ma be due to not
allowin sufcient time for the lclad black
base coat to cure sufcientl This was not
the onl reason for abandonin the natural
metal nish, thouh. rench militar aircraft
usuall hae different markins on each side
of the n, howeer the 02/13 lpes suadron
decals proided were inaccurate as the are
presented as a mirror image with a night star.
The insinia of the 2nd escadrille 2nd iht
of the C 2/13 should depict a twotone blue
representin their da and niht operational
role but without the niht star which was
remoed from the III suadrons. lso the
colour of ord aards escutcheon should be
reen on the riht and red on the left. This was
disappointin and had I noticed this before
I would hae elected for a different scheme
from the outset. Option was the 03/003
rdennes suadron and the colour chart
would hae ou usin Tamia 25 Steel
re, howeer I found Tamia 53 eutral
re to be a closer match. ith the base coat
of 53 applied, the dark reen camouae
Tamia 1 ark reen was oerlaid b
hand. The model was then ien a coat of
Microscale Micro Gloss prior to applying the
decals. The decals themseles are excellent
albeit er delicate, needin onl a uick dip
prior to placement because anthin more and
there is a real risk of the thins disinteratin
The oerall nish was then ien a hea
lter of Tamia 71 Interior reen. The nal
nish was then achieed b oin oer the
53 eutral re parts of the camouae
with heail thinned 53 eutral re within
the panels. The bell was nished in arious
shades of lclad, as was the et exhaust. inal
nishin was completed with lor Models
ark irt underneath and black on top.
Microscale Micro lat was then applied prior
to ttin of the undercarriae and canop and
stores. ead wire 0.3mm was also installed
on the main landin ear to simulate the brake
hdraulic lines. The resin fuel tanks went on
at this stae, howeer the locatin pins on
the plon did not line up with the holes in the
wins so usin the forward locatin pin I was
able to add new rear holes and locate the
tank. ob done.
FINAL VERDICT
espite some issues with the build, the kit is stranel endearin. This is because it presents
somethin of a challene for the modeller and draws on a number of basic modellin skills. I
thorouhl enoed the challene, howeer I appreciate that others ma not. This is certainl not
one for the noice and the onl real disappointment was the inaccurac of some of the decal
options. Oerall a nice kit and excellent alue for mone.
Special thanks also to: Mr G. Howarth (BAE Systems) and Mr K. Wilson (Martin-Baker Ltd)
Plane Facts
The desin studies that ultimatel lead
to the Mirae series can be said to reall
start with the M..550 Mstreelta,
a single-seat delta-wing interceptor-
hter prototpe powered b two
M..30 rmstron Siddele iper
turboet enines. rom this came the
Mirae I, a reised prototpe tted with
a swept ertical tail and powered b two
M..30 turboet enines with reheat
and a S auxiliar rocket motor.
ext came the Mirae II, another sinle
seat interceptorhter prototpe with a
delta win which was a larer ersion of
the Mirae I and was powered b two
Turbomeca abio turboet enines,
althouh the tpe was neer actuall
completed, the onl prototpe bein
abandoned when partbuilt. The Mirae
III001 was the rst true Mirae III and
it initiall had an tar 1011 turboet
enine, but was later retted with an
tar 1012 and S auxiliar
rocket motor. rom this came the rst
preproduction series, the Mirae III,
which featured a lenthened, area rule
fuselae, was powered b an tar 9
turboet enine with reheat and had
the proision for an S 4 auxiliar
rocket motor. ust ten were built for the
rench ir orce. The Mirae III was
a twoseat tandem trainer ersion
based on the Mirae IIIC that lacked
radar, armament or the proision for
the booster rocket. The Mirae IIIC was
a sinleseat allweather interceptor/
hter with a loner fuselae, Crano
Ibis radar, two 30mm cannon and a
sinle Matra .511, ord .20 or
Matra 530 airtoair missile under the
fuselae plus two IM9 Sidewinder
missiles under the wins. The Cseries
was built as the IIIC for the Israeli ir
orce, IIICS for the Swiss ir orce,
IIIC for the South frican ir orce and
a sinle IIIC2, which was a conersion
of a Mirae III. The Mirae III series
was a twoseat trainer ersion of the
Mirae III that was built in III, III,
III, III2, III, III, IIIS,
III, III and III2 ariants. The
Mirage IIIE was a single-seat tactical
strike and hterbomber, which had a
30cm fuselae plu to accommodate
an additional aionics ba behind the
cockpit. The tpe used the Crano
II radar, had improed naiation
euipment, includin TC and a
oppler radar and was powered b
an tar 09C3 turboet enine. ain
the tpe was built in man different
ariants to meet specic nations needs
as follows: III rentina, III
rail, III2 rail, III Spain,
III ebanon, III akistan, III
eneuela, III South frica.
The decals themselves are excellent
albeit very delicate, needing only a
quick dip prior to placement because
anything more and there is a real risk of
the things disintegrating!
MI.indd 4 27/09/2013 09:4
A
s you would expect this second
kit utilises some of the sprues
from the first one and this is its
only real failing. The problem is
not one of quality; both new and
old parts are well moulded and detailed.
The problem is that the rear fuselage on
the real aircraft was extended slightly to
balance the extended nose of the two-seat
variant. By using the same rear parts for
both kits the rear end comes up short on
the new kit although with a set of plans and
some plasticard the surgery wouldnt be too
difficult. Anyway lets have a look at what
you do get. On opening the box you will
find six sprues of grey-coloured and one of
clear parts, 165 and 11 respectively. The
instructions and colour decal/paint sheet
are both to HobbyBosss usual standard.
By that I mean easy to follow but with a
sometimes unusual assembly sequence.
As before the colour scheme options are
limited to two blue over green schemes,
One Russian and the other Ukrainian.
Construction begins with the cockpit tub.
This is fairly basic but with the canopy designed
to be closed it proves to be adequate with
careful painting. From there we move on to
the nose gear bay and nose undercarriage
leg. The bay was built up but the leg can be
left aside for later installation. The cockpit
tub and gear bay can now be installed in the
forward fuselage halves. Moving on we turn to
the rear fuselae. This is all as per the rst kit
with parts for the lift engines, main gear bays
and rear rotatin noles bein tted into the
rear fuselage halves. With the front and rear
fuselage sections joined the intakes can be
14 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
SPECIFICATION:
HobbyBoss 1:48 Yakovlev Yak-38U Forger B
Kit No: 80363
Materials: IM
Availability: Creative Models Ltd (UK Importer) and
HobbyBoss stockists worldwide
Price Guide 21.99
BEFORE STARTING:
Thick Cyanoacrylate & Accelerator
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Cement S
Pacer Formula 560
Tamiya Masking Tape
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Putty
Tweezers
Swann-Morton #3 scalpel and blades
Micro Chisel
Silver and Graphite Karismacolor pencils
DIMENSIONS: 1:1
Span - 7.32m
Length - 16.00m
Height - 4.37m
DIMENSIONS: 1:48
Span - 152.5mm
Length - 333.3mm
Height - 91mm
AIRBRUSH USED:
SATAgraf2
For worldwide distribution and availability visit
www.sata.com
PAINTS USED:
Alclad II lacquer:
Jet Exhaust
Steel
Semi-Matte Clear
Gunze-Sangyo Mr Aqueous Color acrylic:
H54 Navy Blue
H309 Forest Green
MIG Production washes
Dark Wash
REFERENCES
International Air Power Review Volume 10 (AIRtime
Publishing Inc. 2003
ISBN: 1-880588-59-5/1-880588-58-7)
Yakovlevs V/STOL Fighters by J. Fricker & P. Butowski,
Aerofax (Midland Counties 1996)
Yakovlev Yak-36, Yak-38 & Yak-41 by Y. Gordon, Red
Star Vol.36 (Midland Publishing 2008
ISBN: 1-85780-287-0)
SKILL LEVEL: BEGINNER
KWIK BUILD
Two-seat
JUMPER
Built & Written by Alan Bottoms from the UK
A couple of years back HobbyBoss gave us the rst injection moulded 1:48 kit
of the Yak-38M Forger A. When I built that original single-seat kit it was fairly
obvious from some of the additional surplus parts that the two-seater was coming
at some point. Well, here it is.
5
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Dont miss out on getting a FREE
knife set including 3 handles and 13
blades! Worth over 24*
Go to
www.modelairplaneinternational.com
or call 01525 222573
* You must be over 18 to be eligable for the knife set.
While stocks last.
p 80 SubsAd 100.indd 2 27/09/2013 11:55
WWW.LITTLE-CARS.COM
TOOLS. ACCESSORIES. RESIN AND WHITE METAL CAR KIT SPECIALIST
Tel: 01234 711980
24hr answer phone
From tiny tweezers to sizeable spray booths!
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Hold & Fold, Detailing Wire and Mesh, Aztec Airbrushes, Alclad II, adhesives.
Tameo, BBR, Studio 27, Model Factory Hiro, Marsh, PMA, Renaissance, Le Mans
miniatures, Racing 43, SMTS, Midlantic, Formula and many more...
email: info@little-cars.co.uk
CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED
Buy direct or see us at your local model show
HANNANTS MODEL SHOP
OPEN 10.00AM - 5.30PM, THURS & FRI OPEN UNTIL 7.00PM
Tel: 0208 205 6697 Fax: 01502 500521
Unit 2, Hurricane Trading Estate, Grahame Park Way, Colindale, NW9 5QW
MASTERCARD/VISA/SWITCH
NO1 IN EUROPE FOR PLASTIC KITS AND ACCESSORIES
INCLUDING THE FULL RANGE OF TAMIYA (NOT RC)
email: sales@hannants.co.uk www.hannants.co.uk
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Tel: 01422 349157
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Email:halifaxmodellersworld@fsmail.net
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KIT KRAZY MODEL SHOP
NEW AND PRE-OWNED KITS, COLLECTIONS BOUGHT AND SOLD.
OVER 20 MAJOR BRANDS OF ARMOUR KITS IN PLASTIC AND RESIN,
BOTH CURRENT AND OOP - 70P S.A.E FOR OUR LIST
Tel: 020 8298 7177
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Opening hours: 9-30am-5.30pm (closed Wednesday & Sunday)
You can also find us at most major model and airshows throughout the year
www.kitkrazy.com
p 81 Buyers Guide 100.indd 81 09/10/2013 12:26
82 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - November 2013
SO WHATS PLANNED FOR THE NEXT ISSUE? ON SALE 28TH NOVEMBER
NEXT ISSUE
Model Airplane International is published monthly by ADH Publishing Ltd, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX. Entire Contents 2013 ADH Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in part
or whole of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly
prohibited. While due care is taken to ensure the content of Model Airplane International is accurate, the
publishers and printers cannot accept liability for errors and omissions. Advertisements are accepted for
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All of the above listed features are listed
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Bf 109E-1
We continue our Top Ten builds with Alan
Price building the Eduard 1:32 kit
Walrus
John Tigger Wilkes tries our the
new HPH Model 1:32 resin kit
Stormovik
Vought SB2U Vindicator
by Richard J. Caruana
Libor Jekl builds Tamiyas
beautiful 1:72 Il-2
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J
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aruana
M
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Original Artwork by
R
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