Air Modeller 2016-12-2017-01 PDF

AIR 69 cover_Layout 1 09/11/2016 12:22 Page 1
69
DEC/JAN 2016 6.50 UK $15.99
www.mengafvmodeller.com
DECEMBER / JANUARY 2016
MENG AIR MODELLER
BIG FIN
Mark Chisholm builds the Revell Tornado GR4
AIR 69 Dec-Jan 2016_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 09/11/2016 14:27 Page 222
2
CONTENTS
Fading FIAT
Mengs 1:71 FIAT G.91R wears a worn-out coat.
12 Short Sterling Part 6

Megas Tsonos continues to scratchbuild the heavy bomber in 1:48.
24 Big Fin
Mark Chisholm whips Revells Tornado GR4 into shape.
32 Beautiful Bubbletop
Part one of Andrea Vignocchis stunning 1:72 P-47.
40 Whitley Ways
Metodi Metodiev explains how to get the best from Flys 1:72 kit.
48 Air Borne
New releases.
56 Resin Russian
HpHs large scale Lav by Zdenek Sebesta.
SEASONS GREETINGS
Best wishes from all of us at AIR Modeller
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1
FIAT
M e n g s F I AT G . 9 1 g e t s a h e a v i l y w e a t h e r e d l o o k
2
that it crosses all boundaries of wealth and covers all of the countries that the little
S
eventy-second, braille scale, small
scale, Gentlemans' scalewhatever how much you can afford to 'waste' (my FIAT saw active service with. If I haven't
way you word it 1:72 is pretty small wife's words, not mine) on precious plastic, already ruffled your feathers questioning
to work with but still remains popular in our resin and photoetch essentials; it's down to seventy-second scale, I've a confession; I
hobby. I do find myself asking why on the individual's skills and commitment as to don't actually build many aircraft, preferring
occasion, and we've had many discussions how the model turns out. Could it be time dirty things with tracks and wheels on the
here around the AIR office. Theres such a and space? Larger more complex kits will workbench which is why I was drawn to
vast range of kits in larger scales now, take so much longer to complete, and this little cold-war fighter remembering
gone are the days of scraping together have you seen how much space a 1:32 B- some images I'd seen of retired Luftwaffe
pocket money and eagerly rushing to the 17 takes-up? Well, whatever the reason veterans sitting fading away in an outdoor
local friendly kit stockist, be it a newsagent, 1:72 kits still pour onto the market and museumsomething I could paint like a
toy store or hardware shop; little boxes of Meng have re-boxed their popular, pretty tank and would be quick to build.
1:72 kits were everywhere and affordable. little G.91R as 'NATO Air Forces' with the
Could it still be that smaller scale kits are option of a R1 or R3 version and Italian,
cheaper? A great thing about modelling is Portuguese and Luftwaffe markings which
modelled by Mark Neville
3
Easy does it
Meng's kit goes together without any really Rocket Launchers and two LAU-3 Rocket
notable issues. The fit is good throughout Launchers) with the exception of the drop-
and the design makes for a very swift tanks, these were still in place on the few
build, especially as I wasn't using any of museum aircraft I'd gathered reference
the ordnance supplied (two M64 bombs, shots of from a quick Google search.
two LAU-51 Rocket Launchers, two LAU-32
Pavlas resin cockpit is

designed for the old Revell
kit. I used the Meng cockpit
tub as the side consoles
had nice raised detail and Id
be assured a good fit into the
fuselage.The Pavla
instrument panel looked a
better size with a little more
detail so that was used along
with the Mk.4 seat which I
added emergency handles
to. A few styrene details were
added to the bulkhead for a
little visual finesse when
viewed through the canopy.
An all-over black primer coat

also provided contrasting
shadows, important to show the
detail off when viewed through
the canopy. All of the detail was
picked out in acrylic colours
working from a few images
uncovered on the net. Although
every switch and button isnt
strictly represented, at this size
the result is a visually busy
cockpit.
Sitting comfortably?
So with not much more than fifty parts used the majority of time
spent was making sure seams and joints were hidden (using Mr
Dissolved Putty and Mr Surfacer from the Gunze / Mr Hobby
range) and a little sanding with progressively fine foam sanding
sticks and pads. The surface detail is very nice and design
features such as single piece wings keep preparation for paint to
a minimum.
One area many of us find lacking a little finesse in smaller scales
is the cockpit, in this case namely the seat which has the
appearance of one with all of its padding and webbing stripped to
a bare frame. Pavla to the rescue with their set which is designed
to fit the disappointing Revell kit of some years back.
An important note if youre looking to fit the Pavla seat to this kit;
around 3mm needs to be sanded off the base to avoid the top of
the seat fouling the closed canopy.
4
I found the fit of parts good enough to not require breaking

open the filler. A couple of passes with Mr Dissolved putty or
Mr Surfacer were all that was needed, notably in front of the
windscreen, at the front wing plugs and the rear of the
front wheel-well fuselage join. The option of gun panel
inserts requires some careful preparation but fitting is
helped by a stepped frame which holds the position well
while applying Mr Cement S.
Paint it like a Panzer
Time then for the fun to start. As the surfaces
were going to be heavily weathered as in the
photographs Id gathered, the base colours
werent too critical. I chose some Vallejo Air
colours by eye from some sample sets wed
received here at AIR Modeller.
The underside was airbrushed first with an
approximate 50/50 mix of Faded PRU Blue and
Insignia White, both from a RAF set. Vallejo Air
sprays nicely straight from the bottle with a
smooth finish and slight sheen. More white was
added to the mix to provide highlights and fading.
Some nose weight was required, I used

some of the excellent Uschi Van Der
Rosten Three Green lead putty, so
heavy and very maluable; only a piece
the size of a pea was required.
The grey of the upper surfaces is three parts Ocean Grey and one part of the PRU
Blue. My reference images show soft and faded demarcation between the colours
which was achieved with a soft paper mask. When Id given the base grey a day to
dry I masked around the green areas with Tamiya tape and applied the RLM62
Grn (from a wartime Luftwaffe set). The edges werent critical as Id be blending
and fading these at a later stage.
Now I needed to start and fade the finishes. The green camo in
the photographs has disappeared completely in places due to
many years of neglect outdoors. The first step I took was with
a worn 600 grade sanding stick and basically
sanding through the green. Next using my base
grey and an old short bristled brush, I
progressively scrubbed an almost dry brush
across the surfaces, adding white also to fade the
grey to a patchy appearance. Once complete I
airbrushed a coat of Klear (Future) in preparation for decals.
5
Faded fluo
One of the features I really fancied (theyre acrylics) I pulled and pushed the happy with my decal-fobia!)
replicating was the faded fluorescent colours around with a damp brush giving The markings are of Luftwaffe Weapon
orange markings on the nose and tail. The the desired mottled effect. Considering I School 50, the markings didnt exactly
areas were masked and sprayed white should be regarded a novice when it match the numbers of my reference shots
followed by a few light passes with some comes to decals it all went pretty smoothly. but as I wasnt modelling one particular
airbrush illustration ink. Ive had a selection I found that Aeroscale softening solution aircraft it was no big deal. I did notice the
of these colours for many years and they worked the best on the Cartograf decals small cartoon pigs head included (forward
come in handy for applying tints to clear supplied in the kit, the sheet doesnt of the unit marking) allegedly applied by
parts with their transparent properties and include every tiny stencil which wont German crews who regarded the G.91 a
vivid colour. Before drying completely please everyone (although I was more than swine to fly!
I had no issues with the decals, a coat

of Klear (liquid acrylic floor protector if
you dont already know) before and
after application and the use of some
softening solution (Aeroscale) assured
the carrier film wouldnt show.
The satin clear finish was the ideal surface The final step involves subtle tonal work Blue and German Grey Highlight. These
for the next step of a dark wash. Normally with oil paints. A brand popular with were applied sparingly with an almost dry
the purpose of a wash is to enhance the armour modellers is 502 Abteilung (named brush and blended with a soft, dry short
panel lines and smaller details but I also after a German heavy tank unit) who have square bristled brush. A beauty of oils is
used washes to create a further mottled a wide range of colours at affordable prices their lengthy drying allowing plenty of time
effect and dark streaking as seen in my aimed specifically at modellers. These oils to work until youre pleased with the
reference. I used black and burnt umber oil perform very well for both blending and effects.
paints heavily diluted with enamel thinner. I making washes or filters. Something Id The oils worked also to blend the markings
also used the thinned oils to create some noted in the photos of the veteran G.91s into the paintwork with a final harmonising
panel definition rather than an exaggerated was a purple hue cast in areas of the of the surfaces provided by a matt varnish
post shading effect applied with an fading grey, Faded Camo Maroon (a dusty coat once I was happy the oil colours had
airbrush. pink) was used along with Copper Oxide dried after a day or so.
6
Final fitting
The final few jobs as usual were the landing
gears, canopy and the drop tanks. Some
modellers will opt to add some detail to the
landing gear but all looks decent with a coat of
white aluminium Vallejo Metal Colour and a dark
wash. The canopy is crystal clear and a very
good fit, before masking and spraying I used
the teeth of a razor-saw to make an impression
of rivets (as Ive also done in selected places on
the airframe). I might not build many aircraft but
know that using a pva type adhesive is essential
for the clear glazing parts.
Wheel wells have good detail and the
The base-coated fuel tanks were cemented in speed brakes can be posed as you
place and weathered with the same techniques wish. The wing gates are
commendably thin and panel gaps
as the rest of the model and some final detail have nice finesse.
painting was done. A nice touch was the two
aftermarket landing light lenses which add
I really enjoyed this quick little project, much more
some realism.
than I initially thought I would. This kit is a case of
small but perfectly formed, It certainly greatly
increased my respect for modellers working in this
scale (just take-in the skillful work and time
lavished on the P-47 in this issue...) and has me
fired-up to do another heavily weathered aircraft,
but next time definitely in 1:32 thanks!
7
8
SHORT STIRLING
Part Six sees the completion of the

construction of the cockpit and the
preparation of the front of the fuselage to
allow the cockpit to be installed. This is
followed by the assembly of the extensive
cockpit canopy and the internal LED
lighting to illuminate the completed cockpit.
With this complete and the canopy pre-
painted attention turns to construction of
the four powerplants.
Seen from below, the area underneath the flight deck was additionally Additionally, the cables which run from the pilots rudder pedals towards the rear
detailed with the control cables (nylon thread in this case) which are simulated with stretched sprue.
12 connected the engine control levers to the Exactor engine control
system.
part six
MEGAS TSONOS SCRATCHBUILDS THE HEAVY BOMBER IN 1:48
The pilot and co-pilot seats were made of thin Evergreen rod and pewter foil.
The pilots seat was also equipped with armrests which I put in the raised
position.
I painted the seats and the seat backs and armrests in dark leather brown; frames of the seats. I glued the Sutton harnesses on them borrowed from a
the colour was chosen instead of leather black which is the correct colour as spare Edward pre-painted photo-etched set. Furthermore, I attached new
seen in the available photos, to make a difference from the gloss black brass rings on top of the harnesses, enhancing their appearance.
13
This view from directly above illustrates the completed cabin minus sidewalls. The navigators seat was the last item installed before I turned my attention to
the fuselage front section.
The front section (actually part of fuselage section B) was cut at its joint with It was thoroughly sanded smooth on the inside and
section A, which has just been modelled.
was masked on the outside in preparation for the application of one layer of white Milliput which when sanded, producing a surface devoid of the remaining
woven fabric texture, a reminder of the fiberglass origins of the fuselage.
The interior was sprayed with Hycote primer filler spray putty for the last
time, and was not only sanded but actually polished.
Then the windows were

installed and masked. It must
be noted that the windows are
laser-cut 1/32 thick plexiglass
panels, the blue dot seen in
the photos which follow,
denoting their outer side, still
covered in a protective clear
film. On the polished surfaces
the Evergreen strips were
cemented horizontally as
stringers and vertically as
formers.
The pattern followed

corresponded directly to the
exterior scribing and riveting,
as the windows dictated the
precise location of the
structure modelled.
The work was continued in the

14 lower fuselage as well and
when all the visible structure
has been installed
I added some of the riveting again using the The area was airbrushed in the aircraft interior
Archer Fine Transfers rivet decals to enhance the grey-green up to the vertical bulkhead which
details and give a much more airframe-like look to divided the cockpit compartment from the flight
the cockpit interior. engineer and wireless operator compartment.
The instrument panel was the last detail to be The instrument panel was bolted on a back frame
added before the cockpit floor and the flight deck coloured in interior grey-green, the panel itself
met the fuselage sidewalls. Made of thin styrene being black and its angled (lower) sides dark grey.
and clear acetate using the sandwich method, it
was tailored so as to fit neatly in place.
The compartment behind the bulkhead was, along

with the rest of section B of the fuselage left
unpainted according to contemporary photos. At
the rear end, I gave the interior a black colour so
as to give an indication of depth when looking
through the bulkhead door towards the flight
engineers station.
15
Following the floor installation, detailing of the fuselage sidewalls started in wire wound around a straight length of the same material, then curved to the
earnest. Electrical wiring was done with stretched sprue and coloured copper desired shape and glued in place. Similar work was performed on the port
wire. The clamps securing the wire bundles are thin lead foil. The first aid kit fuselage sidewall with the most detailing being done at the left to the pilots
is made from Milliput. The oxygen supply hose for the 2nd pilot is thin lead seat.
Left The final touches at the navigators station are now

completed; the small white anglepoise lamp over the table and
the blackout curtains and straps, were among the last details
added there.
Below The only items missing from an otherwise complete

cockpit are the control columns and the engine control lever
pedestal. I left these until last as they were too delicate to be
installed before the joining of the fuselage section to the rest of
the model, or before working the canopy framework
The amount of detailing added in the cockpit pointed towards

the inclusion of miniature interior lighting. When switched on,
the interior details could be easily seen through the canopy no
matter how tucked away. I did not attempt scale lighting; as I
simply wanted the interior to be visible. I used a brass tube to
direct the wires through the fuselage to the nose. I secured the
brass tube in the upper left side of the fuselage with 5-minute
epoxy glue, and I glued a miniature socket (blue arrow) into
16 which the plug of the external DC current source would be
plugged in.
The LED lights were positioned in the front section area, and their wires were The front section was brought as near as possible to the rest and the wires
left protruding at the rear end of the front section. were soldered, the soldered lengths covered in heat-shrinking insulating tube.
Back to normal modelling, and the mating of the front section to the fuselage was made with 5-minute epoxy glue and the aid of clamps which held together
the two assemblies whilst the glue was setting.
With the clamps removed the front section was found to be somewhat wider Of the last details to go into the sidewalls below the cockpit was the
than the rest of the fuselage; I attributed this to the slight widening caused by hydraulic fluid tank of the nose turret hydraulic system and the recuperator
the addition of the cockpit floor, despite the countless dry fits I made before. (pressure accumulator in todays terms).
The front section was therefore sanded to conform with the rest of the fuselage
taking with it almost the entire scribing and riveting detail which unfortunately
had to be done once again. Quite disconcerting!
These details, along with a
box containing ballast
weights could be readily
seen from the opened
forward emergency exit.
Right The nose section was

cemented to its position
and a coat of black colour
was painted along the
seam, after gluing. I did
this to make sure
that no internal
light from
the LEDs
could
escape
from the
joint, and I
kept the
lights
switched on
during the
process to
check. 17
The cockpit canopy, or coupe (in Short Bros. terms), was based on a brass The hoops were also soldered to two horizontal lengths of brass attached
framework to be strong enough to take the models weight when inverted and directly onto the sides of the cockpit surround which was used as jig to
was NOT vacformed as one might expect. The amount of detailing to be ensure an exact fit. In the process, I accidentally snapped the Pilots seat off
added was such that the risk of marring a vacform transparency was very its mounts, as a keen eye will notice beneath the brass framework. Its one of
likely. I minimized this risk by making 29(!) individual clear window panels (a those mishaps that you have to work around.
formidable task!). So, a strip of brass was bent to the shape of the canopy
topside and three vertical hoops were soldered under it.
Above In this way the basic framework was constructed; the rest of
the framing was made of plastic strips
while thin styrene was also used to cover the brass strip on the
canopy top. Everything was covered in Milliput and sanded smooth.
18
Meanwhile, the control columns and the engine levers the pedestal in itself being a model of its own. I have to stress however that the pedestal was
pedestal were modelled the subject of a number of production modifications, so I was careful not to confuse them, for
example, with the Stirling Mk.IV, which was equipped with the glider cable release lever, not
present on the Mk.I pedestal. One has to be careful when interpreting the contemporary photos
available; captions can be misleading and the figures in the manuals must be carefully read.
The completed and painted items are seen here prior to their installation in the The construction of the front overhead panel comprised of the slow-
cockpit. running cut out, and carburettor cock control levers, was made of
appropriately bent styrene. The curtains are made of Milliput
and seen here to advantage, along with the levers and the front set of already in place and masked with Bare Metal foil, prior to Milliput
transparencies application.
As in the case of the bomb aimers window, I continued the construction with the aft
the putty was used to bring the framework overhead panel, which contained the
level with the windows surface. aeroplane trim controls, and the rear
structure which concealed all the control
wires.
19
The overhead panel was dry fitted repeatedly because I would cement it in
place after the coupe has been glued in position.
In this way I could interpose the wires and

LEDs for the lighting of the cockpit.
I continued with the addition of the

transparencies; I used CA glue, working from
the front towards the rear of the canopy and
20
I cemented the last one whilst ventilating the cockpit with the airbrush hose The windows were masked and the frames sprayed with aircraft interior grey-
(oh yes, I opened the astrodome hatch to do this!) to avoid the accumulation green; they were checked for (and found to have a lot of) blemishes, so I
of CA vapours which could possibly mist the transparencies. sealed the green colour
with a coat of Surfacer and proceeded with Milliput as always!
I removed all masking and restarted the procedure, for the last time. All and airbrushed with Mr. Hobby Mr.Surfacer 500, diluted with Mr. Color
transparencies were masked with masking fluid Levelling Thinner; the faithful Sotar 20/20, doing the dirty work again.
I sanded Mr.Surfacer #500 with fine abrasive, and painted with

Xtracolor X2 Dark Earth. When dry, I carefully applied the window
sealing strips in decal form, and painted the rounded edges of the
windows in matt black; finally I sealed everything under a coat of
Xtracolor XDFF Matt varnish. By painting the canopy at this stage, I
avoided having to mask each of the 28 windows again before the
painting of the model, a tedious and time-consuming task. Therefore,
a single mask could be used to cover the canopy. The cockpit and 21
nose sections took seven months to complete but in the end, the real
thing was fairly accurately represented.
The Powerplants
I saw the powerplants as a side project of the whole task. The re-engined, as it was converted to Mk.III status at Sebro later in its
engines in particular were modelled in the free time between the service life. Although the differences between the engines are
major subassemblies. I brought them all together in this article for internal, there were quite a few external differences as regards
the readers convenience. I decided to built one of the very early the carburettor intakes, exhausts, and above all, the propellers.
Stirling Mk.I series Is, and the one chosen (N6004) was the sole These were DeHavilland Hydromatic Type 55/9 of 13 6 diameter.
example powered by four 1400hp. Bristol Hercules III air cooled Early marks as the Mk.I used needle-bladed propellers while later
radial engines, from the Belfast factory. Doubtless this plane was marks were equipped with paddle-bladed ones.
Knowing of the utterly wrong propeller diameter presented in the Warpaint

monograph drawings made by Mr. John Bishop, as well as the Sanger pewter
ones, I converted one Tamiya Bristol Beaufighter propeller, by reshaping and
enlarging its diameter to the correct 3 3/8 for 1/48, a full 3/8 larger than in
drawings!
With the aid of John Sagiadinos of Y.S. Masterpieces

(yiannissagiadinos@gmail.com) who kindly made the resin copies, I came up
with four correct propellers, only needing to be refined and painted.
Likewise, I made the exhaust and copied it, as the early Stirlings (N6004 All the engine peripherals in resin form. Note the converted cowl flaps to
inclusive) had not yet been fitted with the barbed exhausts which were a open position as well as the modified cowl leading edge, and the simplified
common sight on later machines. early exhaust outlet.
The engines are the CMK Bristol Hercules upgrade resin set (prod. code
#4193). I reworked the front side of each engine which is visible. I also
modelled the exhausts which are located between the cylinders and the
exhaust collector ring, 112 of them for the four engine assemblies. Strange as
it may be, I have not yet come across a model or a resin upgrade set that
includes these exhausts in 1:48, thereby giving a complete representation of
the Bristol Hercules engine. Suitably bent styrene tube was used for the
exhausts; the gaps filled with liquid Mr. Surfacer #500, applied with a small
brush. The excess putty was removed with a clean brush, soaked in alcohol. I
painted the engine block gloss black, the cylinders in stainless steel and I
22 gave the exhausts a weathered appearance using a matt brownish colour
and dry pastels.
I used Chemiwood high density tooling/ modelling board to model the engine The outer nacelles were made first and they were made to look identical
nacelles. I started from 1 thick block and gradually removed the excess nevertheless handed to cater for the wings angle of sweep.
material with coarse sandpaper and a minitool to reach the desired shapes.
In the nacelles front face, a styrene disk was glued, upon which the engine Following a coat of CA glue over the entire nacelles, two coats of Hycote
assemblies would be cemented. were sprayed and sanded smooth to a high degree of gloss.
Each nacelle was dry fitted on its respective wing and was checked for the Next, the distance of the nacelles front disk centre to the fuselage skin (~5
correct (90 degrees) angle in relation to the fuselage. ) was measured. The nacelles should be equidistant from the fuselage
whilst not causing unwanted overlapping of the principal wing surface details
(for example the fuel tank panel outlines). So I made a lot of dry-fitting before
cementing the outer nacelles in place.
The task of measuring the distances from the fuselage was made easier
without the interference of the inner nacelles, this being the reason why the
outer nacelles were modelled first. A small amount of Milliput filled the
inevitable gaps, and the work continued with the inner nacelles. 23
The project continues in the next issue

Revells 1:48
Mighty Fin
he Tornado is a legendary aircraft, in We have seen a few attempts at the is one large decal sheet with excellent
T RAF guise it is known affectionately

by the nicknames the Fin because
of that huge empennage and the Tonka
Panavia Tornado in 48th scale previously,
including an earlier Revell boxing, Italeri
and Hobbyboss. The latter kit is said to
printing and detail which allows 2 RAF
machines to be depicted; the box art
special markings of 41 Squadron and an
for its rather angular toy-like appearance. It have a number of errors in terms of shape. alternative in all-over grey 617 (dambuster)
also gives away its origins as cold war low Revell released the (interdictor strike) IDS markings. The major change from this kit
level attack aircraft, the fin provided the in 2014 and have followed up with the and the previous IDS release are new
necessary stability to precision bomb most current RAF version the (ground sprues providing the massive RAF 2250
targets using conventional iron bombs. attack reconnaissance) Gr4. The kit has a litre Hindenburger external fuel tanks, the
The designers in the 1980s could not have skill level 5 rating meaning that its aimed RAF version rear spine aft of the canopy
foreseen that the aircraft was to be active at the experienced modeller due to the and the provision of the forward looking
and operational in no fewer than 5 modern complexity of the kit. infra red (FLIR) and Laser range finder
day conflicts including both Gulf wars, the (LRF) chin mounted pods. I received a kit
Balkans, Libya and Afghanistan. I find these The kit contains over 280 parts on 15 that was missing the transparent part for
last Century generation of fast jets very sprues and one transparent sprue, there the LRF, however Revell service duly sent
attractive and the longevity of the airframes are no photo etch details. The instruction out the missing part.
mean many upgrades and features to manual is a full colour booklet with a very
depict as a subject for modelling. simple to follow step by step layout. There
24
modelled by Mark Chisholm
25
Tornado Tweaks
From the outset I realised I wanted to plastic parts. These turned out to be far The next area to build was the front
throw quite a lot into the build particularly from a drop-in replacements, I even fuselage containing the cockpit. The
in terms of a weapons fitment and super suspect they had been designed for a cockpit contains some moulded details
detailing, so the first steps were really different kit. It took me a while to work out and also decals are provided for the
buying as many upgrade sets as would be a good fit, but I managed to get them to instruments and consoles, however in this
compatible with the Revell kit and then work and rather importantly opted to allow scale they just lack the definition and
working out how they would fit. the plastic main gear to be conventionally realistic appearance. I therefore used the
glued to the intended locations on the kit. Eduard photo etch pre painted placards
The airframe has a rather complex shape There are also a few quirks in this kit, one to detail this area. A few modifications
which is due to the box structure that of them is the movable pylons. The were made by simply retaining the kit
accommodates the variable geometry Tornado as we know is a swing wing throttle quadrant etc. A typical problem
wing mechanism and the twin Turbo Union (variable geometry) aircraft, and as such with the pre painted consoles etc. is the
after burning engines. Revell have taken a the pylons will also pivot as the wing paint match, maybe I have laissez faire
very conventional approach to the parts, geometry changes. Revell has attitude to such things. However, I simply
there are no big slide moulded pieces but accommodated both moving wings and live with the mismatched paint and some
rather you have to build up the floor, sides pivoting pylons with a series of interlinked weathering plus matt varnish means that
and spine of the fuselage. I decided early parts. Now bearing in mind this a model the contrast does not detract from the
on to try to simplify the potential pit falls of not a toy, I find it very difficult to see how overall appearance. The other spruce up to
the forward fuselage fit. I opted to cut off this benefits the model builder. Also if you the cockpit were a pair of resin CMK Martin
the cockpit section of the floor of the choose to have the flaps deployed the Baker Mk. 10, perfect fit and also benefit
fuselage. This would allow me to build the wings will be unable to pivot in any case. with having photo etch pre painted
rear larger box section entirely separate Needless to say I omitted the working harnesses etc. The Navigators display
from the cockpit section. parts and cemented the wings in the consoles were detailed with lead wire
I opted to fit the CMK resin gear bays as forward position. following reference photos.
replacements of the rather under-detailed
The basic airframe

construction is completed.
Black paint is used to indicate The fit of the CMK resin main gear bays
areas requiring further filler was somewhat tricky. A gap remained
and sanding. however it is entirely obscured by the
bay doors. The white styrene indicates
the point at which I cut off the forward
fuselage floor.
The cockpit was detailed using

eduard painted PE placards. A lot
of was required around the air Re-scribing of quite a lot of the details
intakes and the nose. are necessary with this kit.
26
Ready for Paint
Most of the filler work is done using I primed the model using Tamiya semi gloss black. There
sprue melted into liquid cement and was so much filler I felt it better to create a consistent
applied with a thin brush. underlying tone prior to paintwork.
CMK resin ejection seats were

separately painted, weathered
and decaled for fitment towards
completion of the project.
Using the darker Mr Color The first color to be laid down

334 (Barley grey) Mottles was an overall coat of Mr Color
and variations are sprayed 335 (Med. Sea Grey)
on top of the base colour.
For more variation Mr color 334 is

lightened with white to provide
some faded areas and some
panels were masked off and
painted with this mixture.
27
In order to paint the black

trim line to the white tail, I
used the very handy Tamiya
masking tape for curves.
With the basic paint work

complete I tape some
packing foam onto the areas
where I need to pick up the
model. This prevents
damage to the paint or
dreaded fingerprints.
The engine metallic were mainly painted with alclad II paints. For the fin Heat Mr Mark setter was used to help bed the details to the model.
exchanger exhaust I used Mr Metal Color Aluminium.
The first step of weathering

was adding panel line wash to
highlight these details. I used
an out of the bottle enamel
product for this step.
Local washes were applied
with a darker panel line wash
colour in selected areas.
In some areas a cotton swab is
used to drag, fade and blend
the wash in the direction of the
airflow.
28
Talking Dirty
The painting guide is entirely in Revell I find myself looking for quick but effective wash. I have found the out of bottle
colours which is not exactly helpful, ways of achieving results more and more, products to be perfect and so easy to use.
however you can research these things so the gloss coat was done using a spray I selected a wash of a contrasting darker
quite easily thanks to the internet. After the can of Mr Color gloss topcoat. The grey for the majority of the airframe. Once
build was completed I had to apply quite a supplied Cartograf decals are superb and dry I applied local washes using the
lot of filler and re-scribe quite a lot of the really bring this model to life. I used the traditional burnt umber oil paints and white
detail that had been sanded away. I used setting solution Mr Mark setter to ensure spirit. These effects were sometimes
paints from Mr Color to depict the RAF that the decals entirely conformed to the dragged to show streaking etc in the
grey. The overall colour was shaded and model. The special scheme for 41 direction of airflow. The tornado airframes
individual panels were treated to varying Squadron is a really nice choice to include are over 25 years old now and you can
tones to match references of the real thing. as supplied decals. A semi-gloss coat was really take your choice on how you want to
The painting of the tail in white and black now applied once again straight from the depict your jet. As I studied numerous
took some time and I had to do several re- spray can. photos I honed in on key areas such as the
shoots due to paint creep. The metallic for wing variable sweep area and the reverser
the engines were airbrushed using shades Weathering proceeded in the normal buckets that would receive special
of Alclad dark iron and jet exhaust. manner, with application of a panel line attention as described in the pictures.
I used Mr Super Clear from the spray can to Further weathering on the underneath of the To scratch build the air intake covers I
give the model a flat appearance. fuselage was with the simple but very effective made my own material simply using
Tamiya make up set. white glue to join tissue to tin foil. This
With the hindenburgers dont forget to fit the gave me the perfect texture and the
fins backwards in contradiction to the kit ability to hold shape realistically.
instructions.
To add that touch of realism I soldered together the

Eduard photo etch boarding ladder.
A selection of the Brassin resin and photo etch weapons fitment.

Each one was a miniature kit requiring assembly, paint, decals and weathering.
After studying references I could see in

some cases very interesting wear patterns
in the variable sweep area of the wing. I
created some custom paper masks and
replicated these effects with oil paints.
The thrust reverser bucket areas also had

very particular streaks and oil runs. Again
this was replicated using oil paints blended
with a filbert brush.
29
The canopy receives super

detailing using the Eduard PE
parts, lead wire was used for the
det cord and the navigators
consoles were detailed with wire.
I have been using the lifecolor tensocrom liquid pigments for years. They can
produce very unique and original effects. To replicate rain marks a dot of the
pigment is applied and then hit with an unloaded airbrush at high psi. The
pigments is blasted back to produce very realistic runs or stains.
A Revell-ation?
I was not too sure how to rate this kit, but I have some sharper detail and some photo etch
taken a number of things into consideration. For enhancements. I think the lack of weapons for a
one this kit retails at a price which is half or even a current Gr4 is somewhat disappointing, also most
third of the price of some other manufacturers. modellers will seek to replace the rather under
However, you need to offset that with what you detailed cockpit. In terms of providing a
really come to expect in a kit produced in 2015. In reasonably accurate looking Tornado this kit is
terms of surface detail the kit is excellent and as leaps and bounds ahead of the other kits
far as I know accurate as in panel lines and the available.
basic shapes and geometry. The kit does fit
together quite well but it takes a lot more effort to I am giving the kit a rating of very good and hope
get things to look right. I for one would rather pay you enjoy the photos of the completed build.
double the cost of the kit and be provided with
30
31
ANDREA VIGNOCCHI
demonstrates that size doesnt
necessarily matter when it comes to
super-detailing
32
Although initially conceived as an high Hairless Joe. Schilling led the famous 56th
T
he Thunderbolt has to be one of the
most famous fighters of WWII; it was altitude fighter, it achieved its fame in the Group, becoming the third ace in the P-47,
powerful and fast (with an engine air-to-ground role, being outclassed in the with 23 victories in the air and 10 aircraft
rated at 2800 bhp), heavy (with a take-off escort role by the P-51. This doesnt mean destroyed on the ground. The 56th flew the
weight approaching 9600 kg) and heavily that it was unsuccessful in the fighter role, entire war in the P-47; its first Squadron
armed with eight 12.7mm guns in its since many American aces like Gabresky, commander once said: If you want to
wings. 15,863 Thunderbolts were Johnson and Schilling flew the P-47. send a nice picture to your girlfriend, fly the
manufactured making it the most My model reproduces the personal mount P-51, if you want to come back to your
produced American fighter in WWII. of Col. David Schilling, the mythical girlfriend, then fly the P-47. 33
Air frame
Since I already had the old Academy kit
with an Aires set and a few photoetched
sets, I decided to bring the kit up to a
decent standardI definitely like to punish
myself
Even though the kit has engraved panel
lines theres still a lot to do. I started the
project with the wings; I opened the shell
ejection ports then I separated the flaps
with a Tiger razor saw and rebuilt the
missing sections.
The plastic landing gear wells were
removed with a burr and replaced with the
beautiful Aires counterparts. Fitting the
resin wells means you must thin the kit
parts to the point they become almost
transparent.
The wells were held in place with the help

of some plasticard glued with cyano.
Using plasticard I rebuilt the parts of the
wings that were lost when I cut the flaps.
Position lights were replaced with
transparent plastic for a touch of realism.
In order to enhance the look of the guns, I
used an Aires set dedicated to the Tamiya
P-47; this solved the barrel alignment
problem with the kit. The barrels
themselves came from the Master Models
range.
Before inserting the wings in the fuselage, I engrave the new panel lines using some sit. With 0.25mm plasticard, I created a
had to carefully remove a lot of plastic, accurate drawings. I also had to remake flange and made the holes with a 0.25mm
finishing off the gap with micro files. Even if the turbocharger exhaust since those on drill bit. The outlets were enhanced with
the plastic is engraved, half of the panel the model were poorly moulded. resin and photoetched parts.
lines are in the wrong placeso I had to fill I also eliminated the section of the fuselage
them with cyano, level the surface and where the engine and its accessories will
34
Cockpit
I initially decided to use a photoetched seat, but after
assembly I noticed that it was very oversized, so I elected to
use a Hawkeye Design resin seat. The headrest, armoured
plate and seat supports were scratchbuilt.
When it came the time to install the Aires interior set, I
noticed that the cockpit was too shallow and the seat too
close to the floor. Because of this I modified the cockpit floor
and the sidewalls, restoring the correct proportions. The
pre-painted photoetched instrument panel isnt one of the
best Ive seen, but, since it is virtually invisible once installed
in the cockpit, I decided to use it anyway.
Now its time to paint the cockpit; I

obtained the Bronze Green with a mix
of Aeromaster colours, they are
perfectly matt and resistant to the
weathering process. The cockpit
received a dark green oil wash, while a
highly contrasting painting process
highlighted all the details.
35
Bulkhead and Cowls
The detail of the bulkhead that supports fuselage, in order to have a solid support resin part. The opening mechanism was
the engine turned out to be quite complex for the engine. detailed with scratchbuilt items.
since there are no reference nor anchor After I closed the fuselage, I eliminated After gluing the wings to the fuselage, I
points included, furthermore the back of another flaw of the kit, scratchbuilding the filled all the gaps with cyano, sanded flush
the resin part has a conical shape, forcing entire turbocharger exhaust. and engraved the lost panel lines. The
me to use small wedges flooded with The cowling gills crown was removed from tailplanes were replaced with those from
cyano in order to obtain a solid joint. Aires the real aircraft only in case of total engine the Tamiya kit.
instructions direct you to cut away the replacement; since it is not present in the
entire nose of the model, but instead I Aires set I separated the gills from the
decided to leave the lower part of the models cowling and glued them to the
36
Cockpit
The main challenge I faced when I built progressive way, using aluminum tubes since the square shape is correct only
this model was to find a way to obtain a that allowed me to glue one part after for the last P-47s. I then added the
solid assembly for the engine that would the other. The central section with the metal tubes that were bent and glued
still allow me to separately paint all the second bulkhead was modified in a way when the different sections were
parts that make up the engine and its that allowed me to glue it to the lower assembled. The series of sections can
accessories. If I followed the Aires part of the fuselage that was not be seen in the images below, this
instructions I would end up with a fragile removed in the previous stages. The allowed for a sturdy final assembly and
and complexed structure, so I studied a bulkhead close to the cockpit was easier painting.
procedure to assemble the engine in a improved and the oil tank was reshaped,
37
The engine mount was scratchbuilt with Albion Alloys aluminium tubes, they are
very solid and available in many sizes; if you want to cut them, you just have to
roll them under a hobby blade.
The Aires engine is beautiful but looks from a photoetched fret and were
like it represents a disassembled painted with an orange-brown acrylic.
engine, without all of the components The cylinder fuel pipes supplied in the
that we can see on a running P-47. For Aires set were shortened a touch in
this reason, I decided to enhance the order to ease my assembly sequence;
level of detail using plasticard, solder the exhaust tubes do not conform to
and copper wires, sliced sprue etcI the engine, so I scratchbuilt the entire
think the final effect is quite realistic. assembly with 0.5mm tin wire.
In order to ease the painting process, A meticulous painting highlighted the

the engine was glued on a long engine details. The central ring that
aluminium tube; the main parts were holds the cylinders is missing from the
painted before assembly. After inserting Aires set, so I scratchbuilt it with
the cylinders in their housings, I made plasticard and set It aside since it will
the pushrods with black stretched be glued in place during the models
sprue, while the ignition leads came final assembly.
Painting and
groundwork
38
Armstrong Whitworth Mk.I
40
WHITLEY
1:72
Fly Models kit modelled by Metodi Metodiev

41
Assembly started with...

Contrary to most builds, this one did not bit thick so I sanded them down to a more To further improve the kit I decided to build
start with the cockpit. This time I decided reasonable thickness. the missing landing light in the left wing
to start from the wings, wheel wells and With the wings ready, the next steps were from scratch. Using mini razor saws I cut
engine nacelles as they required the most to fit the nacelles. The front part of the the required section of the leading edge
attention. The wheel wells are provided in nacelle is split lengthwise but when closed and using plastic stock I built the walls of
resin, giving nice detail in this area. I together the front nacelle is narrower than the housing. Using the rounded top end of
thoroughly cleaned all parts up from the the wing part. I cured that by spreading a paint brush handle, thin aluminium foil
flash and sprue joints using my trusty No11 the rear ends of the nacelle halves with and a punch, I created the reflectors by
blade and some sanding. Following the plastic stock. The resulting gaps were filled pressing the foil between the handle and
instructions, I removed about 5mm from with plastic strips and sanded flush. I glued the punch. Then I drilled holes in the
the wing part of the nacelle with an RB the nacelles to the wings and then used centres of the two reflectors and
razor saw. Some trimming of plastic and plastic strips and some filler to get corresponding holes in the back wall of the
resin parts was performed in order to get a everything flush. housing. I made two metal rods from a
good fit of the wing sections and also to fit I assembled the horizontal stabilizers and paperclip and inserted them in the
the resin wheel wells. With the wheel wells thinned their trailing edges. Then I decided reflectors which served dual purpose. The
super glued in place it was time to close to drop the elevator surfaces. For this, rods look like the bulbs inside the reflectors
the wings. Each wing is divided in two using a razor saw, I deepened the existing and helped secure them into position
lower and one upper part. There was need groove until almost cut through, then it was inside the housing. The assembly was
to add some plastic card to reinforce and a matter of simple bending to the desired finished with transparent cover made of
assure a straight fit between the two lower position. clear acetate sheet.
parts of the wing. The trailing edges were a
Before priming I applied some bright

aluminium areas which I could reveal later
at the weathering stage by scratching and
rubbing through the subsequent colours.
Landing lights are not

suggested in the
moulding of the kit and
must be scratchbuilt if
42 you want to show them.
Cozy cockpit The next task was the interior of the aircraft. I
chose to build the Mk.I marking option which has
no turrets, so I only had to do the cockpit. It is
very well detailed for the scale. The only omission
was that there was no second control column
which the Mk.I appears to have. I easily made one
from scratch as well as a lamp for the navigator.
The seats come in resin with moulded-on belts
giving the cockpit nice appearance.
After assembly I painted everything with a base

interior green colour. Then using lighter shades I
picked out the raised details and to enhance the
shadows I used MIG panel line wash. The
instrument panel was painted in black and
simply dry brushed with grey which nicely
showed the raised details. The table for the
navigator was painted with an
acrylic sand colour and using brown
oil paint I simulated the wood grain.
As I had the interior green in my
airbrush I painted the wheel wells
and the engine cowlings, they
received the same detail
enhancement procedure as the cockpit.
Whale-like
Whitley
After the cockpit was ready I started on the fuselage assembly.

Prior to gluing the halves together I drilled holes where the
fuselage meets the wings and the horizontal stabilizers. Then I
made pins from paperclips and glued them in the holes. This
ensured a better and stronger joint. I glued the two fuselage
halves together using liquid cement without any issues. To
completely remove the joint line I used CA glue tinted with
black weathering pigment which I later sanded down. The
blanking pieces that sit in the turret stations didnt fit very well
and I used plastic strips and some filler to make them flush.
As I wanted to give the surface a fine sanding I deepened the
panel lines with the back of a scalpel blade.
The gear legs had too much of the shock absorber

piston showing so I sawed this portion off and, after
drilling appropriate holes, inserted sections of
hypodermic needle. This way I achieved a more
realistic height and realistic metal finish.
To give the tyres a weighted appearance a portion of
each tyre was sawn off. Then the hole was blanked
with plastic card. This detail certainly helps with the
final appearance of the displayed model.
43
Resin rotories
The propeller hubs come in resin too and the
propeller blades are in plastic. To achieve
strong joint I drilled each blade and its place
in the hub and inserted a metal rod, glued all
with CA glue. I also made the same type of
locating pins for the propeller hub to engine
assembly.
The engines that come with the kit are cast in resin and look
very good. I added plastic strips on the back plate in order to get
tighter fit inside the cowlings. Engines were painted with
aluminium and the push rods in black. I gave them a wash with
AKs shaft and bearings grease and added the ignition wires.
Classic colours
I drilled holes in the wings to After cleaning the airframe, I applied
accommodate the metal pins that I white acrylic primer. It went down very
placed in the fuselage earlier. The wings smoothly and revealed just a few spots
were fitted on the fuselage with a few that needed some more filler. When I
drops of super glue just to stick them in started to sand the filler the primer
position, the rest of the joint I filled with started to peel off. At this point I should
liquid cement to weld the parts have stripped the primer but I moved
together. Where gaps showed I filled on. I mapped the camo scheme directly
them with plastic shims. The horizontal on the model with pencil. My paints of
stabilizers were attached in the same choice came from Mr. Hobbys aqueous
manner, only I used filler and CA glue to range. For the upper two tones of the
get rid of the joint lines and to be able to camo scheme I used H72 dark earth
scribe panel lines over them. and H73 - dark green, for the bottom I
The greenhouse canopy was installed used H12 - flat black. To make
after some trimming and dry fitting. I lighter shades H11, flat white
used a little bit of milliput to fill a gap in was added. All was diluted
the front section and masked the with thinner from the
glazing with masking tape. Milliput was same brand. I started
used on the vertical stabilizers joint with the base brown
where the fit was not perfect. Using this colour, tracing the
type of putty and some CA glue gives contours of the
more strength to the joint also. The tail camo scheme
support beams were just cleaned up and filling the
and superglued in place. To finish this brown spots but
part of the assembly I put the engines only on the parts
and cowlings on and also the resin air skinned with
scoops and oil radiators. After some metal on the real
additional filling, scribing and sanding it aircraft.
was time to degrease the model and
44 put some paint on it.
On the fabric covered areas I applied a thinner with a drop of H53 Neutral Grey, reducing the risk of decal delamination
lightened base colour. The panel centres and sprayed the fabric areas as well as and therefore chipping. Another run of
were faded with pretty much the same the panel centres. The panel lines were softening solution made all parts of the
colour I used for the fabric. After the paint post shaded with flat black and everything decals to get in the panel lines.
was dry I started masking for the second was sealed with a gloss coat ready for Using white tinted thinner I faded those
camo colour. For masking I used worms decals. parts of the decals which are in the panel
of tack-it (blue tack) and low tack centres. With black tinted thinner I made a
electrical insulation tape. The green colour There are not too many decals to put on few passes over the panel lines covered
was applied in the same fashion as the which, for me, is a good thing. In general with decals. To enhance the appearance
brown. After removing the masking there the carrier film is thin but the way colours of the ribs on the wings I cut very thin
was paint lifting on several areas. I sanded are printed makes the markings unevenly strips of masking tape and placed it on
the edges to reduce the ridge between thick. This meant parts of the decals high point of the ribs. Again tinted thinner
paint and plastic and sprayed them again. conformed to the recesses nicely but was gently sprayed over the tape and
For the underside I used a mixture of other parts just stayed flat. To address after the masking was removed the ribs
black and white to obtain colour more like this, I used my scalpel blade and ran it were just a little bit more prominent and
NATO black (or lighter). I covered the along the panel lines keeping the blade as the large wing surface less monotonous.
underside completely. Then I tinted some perpendicular to the surface as possible
Using lightened tones of the base colours and a sponge, I applied

chipping and wear on areas like the leading edges. Using the
same lighter shades I painted some of the access panels (mainly
fuel caps). To simulate fuel stains and streaks I used AKs shaft &
bearing grease. For the panel lines on the top surface I used MIG
dark green grey panel line wash.
To give the black colour on the bottom of the model
more weathered look I used MIG sky grey wash but
only on the tail section as it is close to the ground.
Using grey watercolour pencil I made a chipping
effect around panel lines and bomb bay doors. Initially
it looked too stark but the final satin clear-coat
reduced the effect. To further enhance the dust
accumulation I sprayed very, very thin brown colours
on the tail section, on the wheels, on the nacelles and
inside the wheel wells. The exhaust stains were made in two
layers. The first layer, representing rich mixture staining, was done
with heavily diluted flat black. The second layer, representing lean
mixture staining, was created with white. Everything was sealed
with MIG satin clear.
The propellers were fist painted with aluminium, then the tips were
sprayed with insignia yellow. After the tips were masked off, I put a
coat of flat black. To give the propellers a used look I made
horizontal streaks across each blade using grey watercolour
pencil. Then using my scalpel blade I chipped some black paint Light wear to the paint
around panels on the
on the leading edges to reveal the aluminium undercoat. underside was suggested
with grey pencil.
45
I assembled the gear legs with the tyres With that done, my 1:72 AW Whitley model
and glued them in place in the wheel well. I was complete and I could sit back and
left the tyres free to rotate so their flat spot admire my efforts.
can sit properly on the ground. With the
self-made locating pins, installing the While this is not a shake and bake type of
propellers was very simple task. The kit and some elements require more than
navigation lights were provided in resin, I average skills, it was an enjoyable and
drilled holes in their places on the wings rewarding build. I am happy with the final
and glued them in painting with silver and result and I was not disheartened with the
transparent red and green. To install the build at any point.
antenna masts I used the same drill and pin Forward to the next project...
procedure. For the antenna I used 0.12mm
fishing line painted in black. Other small Special thanks to FLY Models for my review
things like the rudders counter weights were sample kit.
installed at this point.
46
47
new releases
Italeri 1:32 Mirage III E/R

A new version is available of Italeri's major large-scale release, the positional rudder, elevons and canopy all with very sharp surface
Mirage III, with both the E and R versions possible from the box. detail. A photoetch sheet offers some worthwhile additions
As expected much of the original release remains with the including seat belts. The external stores are very nice and also
extended fuselage and nose detail in addition. The recce noses extensive including two sizes of fuel tanks, AIM-9Bs, Barracudas,
have posable access doors with nice internal detail to show off. and Matras. A real standout of this release is the two huge decal
We're reminded of what a nicely detailed kit this is from Italeri, sheets of six very tasty options including French, South African,
surely one of their best and most ambitious releases though Swiss, Spanish and Australian Air Forces and a full quota of
reports of tricky fitting of some of the assemblies mean a tube of generic stencils, all printed by the masters Cartograf so they
filler may be essential on the workbench. Some notable features should perform as good as they look. Nice CAD drawing
48 are the full Atar 9C engine complete with engine stand (should instructions provide detailed full colour marking guides. Priced
you wish to display as a maintenance scene), access ladder, very beyond the usual Italeri releases but with the potential to build into
nicely done cockpit with optional recce instrument panel, a highly detailed and impressive model straight from the box.
Meng 1:48 P-51D Mustang

Something of a design departure here with Mengs new 1:48 scale on the separate MG housings are plugged into place. The radiator
aircraft kit which features a fast, cement-free assembly design assembly and lower cowling are used to secure the wing with the
although opening the box you really wouldnt know this as it all fuselage and you have optional open or closed undercarriage
looks very conventional aside from some large plugs to join the doors. However the tail wheel doors are moulding in place in the
larger components. The cockpit is well moulded and detailed for open position so these would have to be adapted for a retracted
the scale with a crisp instrument panel marred by the rather poor configuration. Underwing stores are provided with a choice of
instrument panel decal which is probably best substituted. There 100lb bombs, or 75 or 100 gallon drop tanks. The canopies are
is no pilot or seatbelts so aftermarket belts will be required, but beautifully moulded with two sliding canopies provided although
otherwise the cockpit looks convincing. The simplicity of the this is not mentioned in the instructions. There is a fine centreline
design concept means that the assembly moves ahead very seam on the blown hoods like those on the Tamiya kits. The kit
quickly with tail wheel housing plugged in and the cockpit fitted comes with two choices of markings - American Beauty featured
the fuselage is closed and the upper cowling fitted. The kit offers a on the box art and Short Fuse Sally. The decals are produced by
choice of shrouded and bare exhausts and a two patterns of Cartograf and look good although the invasion stripes for Short
propeller. Its on to the wings next and the undercarriage Fuse Sally are not provided as most will prefer to paint these
assembles into the bay with nicely moulded diamond tread tyres markings in any case. Surface detail looks excellent and just how
and separate wheel hubs. The wheelbay is then dropped into the well the cement-free assembly works we will find out as this
single piece lower wing along with the separate ailerons and flaps. arrived right on our print deadline but it certainly looks like it is
It looks like these are fixed positions but could probably be going to be a different sort assembly. 49
adjusted without too much work? With the upper wings snapped
new releases
Sixty Squadron, RAF language of the period (lots of 'Chaps' and 'Old
Beans') which has you reading with an
Captain A.J.L. Scott
imaginary accent! With an impressive collective
Published by Casemate 274 victories from the disastrous Somme
Hardback A5 format, 165 pages offensive to the final glory of victories at the
ISBN 9781 61200 3849 War's end, Captain Scott not only praises the
aces under his command but describes details
www.casematepublishers.co.uk of their enemy and the day-to-day living
conditions endured. Great technical details
The first of three chunky little hardbacks now regarding all of the aircraft involved in action
available from Casemate will make very are also of interest. Tables detailing claimed
interesting reading for enthusiasts of Great War victories, casualties and serving officers are
aviation. All three are printed in black on white very involved with aircraft types and serial
as text only (only a few small images at most). numbers included. Very entertaining and
The first is this history of Sixty Squadron written packed with first-hand experiences.
by it's commander and very much in the
Recollections of an Airman experiences on the Western Front from being a

23 year old learning to fly, to his taking charge
Louis Arbon Strange
of the aerial gunnery school and his command
Published by Casemate of the 23rd and 80th Wing. As with Captain
Hardback A5 format, 244 pages Scott's narrative, the text is in the language of
ISBN 9781 61200 3863 the time and thoroughly entertaining ("tickling
the Hun by dropping a few bombs"!) with the
www.casematepublishers.co.uk detail only a personal, first hand account can
bring. Strange died at the age of 75 in 1966
To any enthusiast of the history of WWI, this is adding a Bar to his DFC in WWII. Very much a
a fascinating first hand account of the new historical interest book rather than a modelling
concept of air warfare and the constant reference obviously but very readable including
upgrades on both sides detailed by the author. some private photographs and aerial maps.
Strange takes the reader through his
The Way of the Eagle as little is recorded about the American

volunteers fighting for the French before the
Charles J. Biddle
U.S. officially joined the hell of WWI. Written
Published by Casemate very personally and with great detail regarding
Hardback A5 format, 348 pages the combat tactics and life on the front line
ISBN 9781 61200 3900 fighting the 'Bosche', the bulk of the book is
created through letters sent to family members
www.casematepublishers.co.uk with only a few of the more personal details
and names omitted, some of the accounts
Another first hand account of air combat in the read like a 'Boys Own' style comic and are very
Great War telling the rare tale of an American entertaining with contrasting descriptions of the
under Allied command through his personal devastation to people and places. Probably the
memoirs. This long out of print book was first pick of the three titles for value (at almost 350
published in 1920 providing an immediacy and pages) and readability.
level of detail which must be considered rare
We have to admit to being suckers for WWII colour images so were more than happy
to see this very affordable release from Casemate collating around 300 period colour
The Luftwaffe in Colour- The images of the German force at the peak of it's power. Much of the colour film in
Germany was reserved for the propaganda machine and used in the likes of 'Signal'
Victory Years 1939-1942 and the Luftwaffe's own 'Der Alder' but most of the images in this collection are from
the servicemen themselves lucky enough to have obtained colour film presenting a
Christhe Cony and Jean Louis more realistic look at the aircraft and their crews at work. As well as the expected
fabled fighters and bombers such as Me 109s and He 111s there are some rarer
Roba beasts and trainers featured providing superb modelling reference and inspiration.
Published by Casemate Detailed captions accompany each image and all fronts from the early war period are
Softback format, 192 pages covered, while some of the photographs are familiar many are new to us including
ISBN 9781 61200 4082 some real gems. Highly recommend to Luftwaffe modellers and the promise of a
50
second volume to come featuring the later years of WWII. Our thanks to Casemate for
www.casematepublishers.co.uk the sample copies.
Revell Eurofighter Typhoon 'Bronze Tiger'

Now who thinks they're pretty competent with decals? No matter many builders without requiring resin replacements. Two large
how good you are this one would push your patience, but the sprues carry the masses of under-wing stores to choose from,
results should be pretty stunning! Revell have done a few of the most of which are left as spares if you're going for the Bronze
'Tiger Meet' schemes in different scales but this must rate as one Tiger (the only decal option offered by the way) which is probably
of the most attractive from the 2014 meeting. The kit itself has half the parts count of the kit. The decals then; a huge A3 plus
been around for about a decade now (hard to believe) and sized sheet which is mind-boggling with over one-hundred
although a few gripes have been made over the years (poor fitting individual placings you (literally) have your work cut out, quality of
speed brakes, work to do around the air intakes and angle of the the print is first rate. The paint finish will be more in common to
landing gears being the main ones) and the design of the kit tackling a car or truck model with a metallic bronze base finished
obviously has economy in mind, but that's exactly what Revell do with a highly polished clear lacquer evident on the photos of the
well; very attractively priced kits. There is some very nice fine real aircraft. This should make a real stand-out display piece if
detail across the airframe and the cockpit will be good enough for your painting and decal skills are up to the challenge.
Italeri 1:72 B-52G Stratofortress, Gulf War 25th Anniversary

We think this kit was originally based on the AMT tooling which the only digression from a regular bomber kit design being the
was revamped some time ago by Italeri and now released as part four-part fuselage (split centrally). The sprue gate points are also
of their Gulf War Anniversary series. With this kit you have to think large (due to the flow of material required no doubt) and will need
seriously large, around a metre square will be required to display some careful removal, especially on the wings. Colour choice is
the finished kit with some huge components to assemble, make important on such a large model, the more modern and Gulf War
sure you're well stocked with your cement of choice! On the schemes are plain grey (albeit with a touch of green camo on the
subject of large, this unfortunately applies to some of the panel 1708 BW Saudi-based version) my favourite would be the three-
gaps; the wings may be big but the scale is still 1:72This aside, tone with white undersides of 379th BW from 1977. A real beast 51
the detail is good overall and assembly pretty straightforward with of a model which will make an impressive display for sure.
Ammo of Mig Jimenez 'Oilbrusher'
With a constant push to make more convenient, ready to use

finishing products, the latest to hit the market are these
Oilbrusher colours from Ammo. The driving force behind Ammo is
the World renowned weathering innovator Mig Jimenez, one of
the most famous of the 'new-wave' modelling artists. The
marketing for this range of 21 colours highlights the ready to use
appeal of a 'liquid' paint with the properties of oil paint with a non-
clog, fine brush applicator. Yesyeswe know it looks like a
bottle of eye-liner and we'd imagine that's exactly what the
packaging started as, but also as eye-liner it is a convenient and
clean way to dispense the colour.
After watching the tutorial (on Ammo's Youtube channel) and from
trying these myself, it's apparent that the purpose of the brush is
really as an applicator to decant small amounts to be worked
further with your usual brushes of choice, the quality of the brush
and the fact that it's held by the cap wouldn't result in much in the
way of precision work. The properties of the paint are actually
very good indeed, thinning to make washes and filters (with turps
or enamel thinners) and blending nicely with a soft brush drying to
a matt finish on our few tests. No doubt that this is a clean,
convenient and even economical way to use oil paint but if you're
happy enough with your old fashioned tubes, you may see these
as a little gimmicky. Check out the range of colours and Ammo's
ranges of acrylic paint and weathering products at
www.migjimenez.com
Ammo of Mig Jimenez

Acrylic Colour
A new set in Ammos range of ready to use
acrylic colours to suit early Luftwaffe subjects.
These colours look a good match to RLM65
Hellblau, RLM70 Schwartzgrn, RLM71
Dunkelgrn and RLM02 Grau. These acrylics are
non-toxic and ourdourless and are best thinned
a little for airbrushing (Ammo thinner is
recommended but weve had good results with
just tap water). Check the Ammo website for the
full range of colour sets and finishing products
www.migjimenez.com
Scale Aircraft Conversions

SMCs catalogue of white metal landing gear upgrade sets
continues to expand with some new additions. Starting in 1:144 is
set 14423 for Zvezdas Boeing 777 and 14424 is designed for
Rodens C-141B Starlifter. Up a notch to 1:72 is 72130 for the
Special Hobby Mirage F.1 and 72131for the Meng F-106. In
quarter-scale is 48314 for the Tan Model RF-84F Thunderflash and
72130 48315 for the Great Wall T-33A Shooting Star (complete with what
we presume is a nose weight). Finaly in 1:32 for Special Hobbys
Tempest Mk.V is set 32110.
Log onto www.scaleaircraftconversions.com for more details and
their full range.
48314 48315 14424
14423
52
72131 32110
Libyan Air Wars

A niche subject no doubt, but some of the images is offered, around 150 in total
Tom Cooper and Albert lesser represented conflicts do make a though from a modelling reference
Grandolini nice change for modellers looking to perspective they're mostly pretty small, the
Published by Casemate something different. This part three best reference being the collection of
concludes this short series when tensions colour profiles with plenty of aircraft
Softback A4 format, 72 pages reached their peak between the U.S., covered including F-111s, F-18s, Jaguars
ISBN 9781 910294 543 France and Libya with Operations peaking and a great selection of Mirages. With a
www.casematepublishers.co.uk in April 1986 with raids against select bias towards the political and tactical
targets in Libya and the subsequent nature of the operations there's still plenty
'Toyota' wars supporting the Chadian to engage modellers of the aircraft
Government and ground forces fighting in featured.
the North of Libya. A good selection of
Desert Warriors More niche subject matter, but certainly Iran's historical enemies from the 1960s
Babak Taghvaee one for the helicopter fans, is this story of onwards. After revolution the force was
the rise of the Iranian Army Aviation force effectively used to defend against Iraq in
Published by Helion and Co. to the World's third most powerful in the the 1980s and the book details sorties,
Softback A4 format, 192 pages space of a decade. Based on only recently missiles launched and cargos carried. With
ISBN 9781 910777 565 declassified information of the Iranian Joint a large number of unpublished images and
www.casematepublishers.co.uk Chiefs of Staff, Ground Forces and Army colour profiles this is a very in-depth study
Aviation, the book covers roles of the AH- which will be of interest to anyone 53
1Js, Bell 214As, AB 205s and 6s to counter modelling helicopters or Middle East wars.
the threat of Soviet built tanks fronted by
HpH Models 1:32
The famous Lavochkin La-5 and La-7 This resin and photoetch model is of a of this I was able to refer to a wide
fighter plane designs seemed to have relatively basic construction, supported selection of highly-detailed photos to
been overlooked by aircraft model kit by the rather simplistic, mainly enhance the finesse of the basic
companies in scales above 1:48. The wooden, design of the original aircraft. model. I cannot emphasize enough
only example produced being an all- In spite of this, the kit can be built into the benefits of being able to examine
resin model of the La-5/La-5F/La-5FN a very detailed model. I was fortunate an example of any original aircraft in
by the Craftworks Company in 1:32 during my build in that one of the only close up prior to embarking on a scale
which was quite difficult to find. Only two remaining examples of the La-7 is model build.
recently was this lack of kits on display at the Kbely Aircraft
addressed by HpH Models with their Museum, in Prague, Czech Republic;
all new, limited edition, 1:32 scale the other can be seen at the Monino
release of the Lavochkin La-7. aircraft museum in Moscow. Because
56
57
The kit construction is traditional, with the sight. On examination I found this to be Grey (colour A-14) this same colour was
fuselage assembled from two halves. The oversized, so I scratch-built my own based used on the Prague Kbely museum
cockpit interior supplied with the kit has on my photographs of the original and the example. For my model I therefore used
been copied from the example in the drawings in the MBI book on the La-7. The the A-14 Grey colour from the Mr. Paint
Prague Kbely museum, so apart from the cockpit is finished off with a perfectly clear range (MRP-021), with the instrument panel
addition of some wiring the level of detail is cast resin canopy that is constructed of in Matt Black.
more than adequate. To the beautifully separate sections thus enabling the
cast resin seat, I added a set of laser-cut modeller to finish with either open or No radial engine is supplied with this kit
textile seat belts from HGW Models, which closed canopy. simply because the ducted cooling fan
are included with the kit. These days I cant within the cowling ring would completely
imagine building any large scale model I have spent a considerable amount of obscure this anyway. Either side of the
that didnt have a highly-detailed cockpit! time researching colour schemes and the cowling are cooling gills located next to the
The instrument panel is made up from a actual individual colours applied to soviet tips of the exhaust pipes. These opened
sandwich of photo-etched parts to which I fighters during the latter stages of World and closed to regulate the temperature of
added glass dial faces, using transparent 5 War II. From available reference materials I the air flowing past the engine cylinders
minute epoxy resin. The one HpH part I did have concluded that the standard colour during flight. Both the cooling fan and gills
leave out of the cockpit was their gun used for the airframe interior was Steel are supplied as photo-etched parts.
Little more than some wiring was added to the cockpit walls
The kit cockpit is excellent, my

only issue was with the sighting
unit looking oversized. I
scratchbuilt a new one with
detailed reference on hand.
Sealbelts are the superb HGW
laser-cut items.
58
A kit like this would usually

include an engine, being almost
completelty hidden on the La-7
its no big deal.
The only part needing to be attached within fuselage halves could be glued together. In full joint was covered with slow-drying
the front of the fuselage was a simple order to ensure easy alignment I decided liquid resin glue from HpH Models. This
bulkhead composed of a cylindrical boss to to install several location dowels made of particular resin glue has become a staple
locate the propeller assembly at a later 2mm plastic rod, these located in for me whenever joining resin, this is
stage of the build. The tail wheel corresponding holes drilled in both because the glued joint is considerably
compartment and surrounding fuselage fuselage parts. Due to the size of the stronger than when relying on superglue
interior is well detailed and as such model I chose to glue the parts in a two- only.
required no addition enhancements. After stage process. Firstly with superglue
finishing these final interior parts, the applied in key points, then once dried the
The kit design is as most

injection moulded plastic kits
and required very little filler as
you can see. Self adhesive foil
was used to enhance metal
areas of the airframe.
Like the fuselage, the wings

again are very simple due to
the materials and construction
of the original aircraft. Across
the whole wing surfaces there
are only a few access covers
and some wing strengthening
that break up the smooth,
unbroken, finish of the wooden
frame and skin. To accentuate
some details I applied self-adhesive aluminium foil. The lower
surface of the wings is a one-piece casting, however I would
point out that the casting flash covering the undercarriage bays
is thicker than I would have preferred care needs to be taken
while removing this so as not to damage the wing part itself.
Thanks to the reference photos I took of the Kbely museum
example, I enhanced the main undercarriage bays using some
lead and copper wires of varying thicknesses.
59
Despite the fact there are a lot of attractive

camouflage schemes and markings
belonging to famous soviet aces that flew
the Lavochkin La-7 fighter, I
knew from the beginning that my
model would be of an aircraft
directly connected to the history of
Czechoslovak aviation. The HpH
model is supplied with two
After masking all the finished
interior parts, I primed the camouflage schemes belonging to
whole model with Grey Surface known soviet fighter aces: White 27
Primer form the Mr. Paint range
(MRP-084), which adheres flown by major Kozhedub and White
perfectly to plastic, resin and
23 of Captain Golovachev. However I
photo-etched parts.
have selected one of the aircraft that
Czechoslovak fighter pilots returned
with from the Eastern Front. This
being fuselage number White 06
that carried behind the cockpit the
donation text: Gorkhovskii rabochii
(Workers of Gorkij factory). Up until
August 1945 it still kept the red star
insignias but, had already adopted the
markings of the 2nd Czechoslovak fighter
regiment National tricolour on the spinner
and the White-edged, Red Lightning Flash
emblem on each side of the nose.
For the camouflage colours I have used 15% of the White (MRP-004) into each instead of using any paint. The stainless
again those from the Slovak Mr. Paint colour. Studying the original aircraft, the steel panelled areas on either side of the
range. The undersides were painted using colour demarcation lines are soft so these forward fuselage, directly behind the
Light Blue Grey AMT-7 (MRP-018), the top were airbrushed freehand on the whole exhausts, were painted using a
surfaces by combination of Blue Grey AMT- model. The uniformity of the colour areas combination of the metallic colours from
11 (MRP-019) and Dark Grey AMT-12 were then broken by airbrushing spots, MR. Paint and GSI ranges. Finally the
(MRP-020). The Mr. Paint colours are lines and areas of whitened and darkened completed airframe assembly received an
produced based on the original colours, base colours. The engine cowling fixing overall finish of Clear Gloss Lacquer (MRP-
which need therefore to be lightened to straps on original aircraft were left natural 048) prior to applying the decals.
match the scale effect by adding a certain metal colour; therefore I have applied
portion of white I added approximately some self-adhesive aluminium foil strips
60
From the decal sheet supplied with the kit I Nowadays there are available two varnish (MRP-125), followed by highlighting
have only used the stencils as the depicted aftermarket decal sheets for the La-7 surface detail and panel lines with an
aircraft bore smaller red stars than the fighters in 1:32 scale produced by the application of MIG Productions Neutral
ones supplied. Therefore, I have painted Profimodeller Company. One of them Wash and Dark Wash. Mainly due to the
the White backgrounds for the stars, (catalogue number 32234) covers the fact that the majority of construction was
lightning flash and the fuselage numeric service of La-7 fighters in the wooden on the aircraft, there were minimal
codes using paint masks. I then used my Czechoslovak Air Force and these include scratches visible on the metal parts of the
own decals designed in CorelDraw the exact markings for White 06 from fuselage. The final piece of construction
software that I printed using a colour laser June 1945 which I have modelled except was to attach the antennae cables, which
printer onto Propagteam produced decal theirs come with CAF roundels instead of were reproduced using elastic string from
paper applying these onto the white soviet stars. After applying, the decals Uschi Van Der Rosten.
backgrounds Id previously painted. were sealed with a coat of semi-gloss
The kit is supplied with separate

landing flaps made from photo-etched
parts, thereby allowing the modeller to
display their finished aircraft with them
in the lowered position, this greatly
enhances an otherwise simplistic
model silhouette. The flaps themselves
are easy to assemble, while the flap
interiors, including the wing inner rib
detail, are cast in resin. I deliberated
for a long time as to the correct
interior colours to use for various parts
of the flap assembly whilst referring to
my reference photos from the original
aircraft at Kbely museum. In the end I
settled for A-14 Grey for the complete
inner wing structure, however when it
came to the flaps themselves I chose
to use the lower surface scheme
colour of Light Blue Grey AMT-7 (MRP-
018) and paint this colour on the
interior surfaces of the flaps as well as
their external surfaces.
The undercarriage legs are

manufactured with integral steel tube reinforcement.
The torque scissors come from the photo-etch parts
supplied and the attached brake pipes I added from
lead wire. As for the undercarriage doors, these
were enhanced by adding hinges and the door
closing mechanisms. The wheels, including the
separate hub discs, are obviously cast as a result of
3D design, being beautifully detailed even down to
the tyre tread and markings. The standard A-14
Grey colour from the Mr. Paint range was used to
paint the undercarriage and wheel bays, in line with
the rest of the airframe interior.
61
62
The overall construction of the HpH Models Lavochkin La-7 is

simple and straightforward, as such the model can be
recommended even to modellers who do not have much
experience with resin model builds, or would like to try it for
the first time. Hopefully some model manufacturer will now
focus their attention on producing an up-to-date 1/32 scale
version of the La-7s predecessor the Lavochkin La-5FN.
63
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AIR 69 cover_Layout 1 09/11/2016 12:22 Page 1

12 Short Sterling Part 6

Meng AIR Modeller is published Bimonthly by

modelled by Mark Neville

Pavlas resin cockpit is

An all-over black primer coat

I found the fit of parts good enough to not require breaking

Some nose weight was required, I used

I had no issues with the decals, a coat

Part Six sees the completion of the

Then the windows were

The pattern followed

The work was continued in the

The compartment behind the bulkhead was, along

Left The final touches at the navigators station are now

Below The only items missing from an otherwise complete

The amount of detailing added in the cockpit pointed towards

Right The nose section was

In this way I could interpose the wires and

I continued with the addition of the

with a coat of Surfacer and proceeded with Milliput as always!

I sanded Mr.Surfacer #500 with fine abrasive, and painted with

Knowing of the utterly wrong propeller diameter presented in the Warpaint

With the aid of John Sagiadinos of Y.S. Masterpieces

The project continues in the next issue

T RAF guise it is known affectionately

The basic airframe

The cockpit was detailed using

Ready for Paint

CMK resin ejection seats were

Using the darker Mr Color The first color to be laid down

For more variation Mr color 334 is

In order to paint the black

With the basic paint work

The first step of weathering

To add that touch of realism I soldered together the

A selection of the Brassin resin and photo etch weapons fitment.

After studying references I could see in

The thrust reverser bucket areas also had

The canopy receives super

The wells were held in place with the help

Now its time to paint the cockpit; I

Bulkhead and Cowls

In order to ease the painting process, A meticulous painting highlighted the

Armstrong Whitworth Mk.I

Fly Models kit modelled by Metodi Metodiev

Assembly started with...

Before priming I applied some bright

Landing lights are not

After assembly I painted everything with a base

After the cockpit was ready I started on the fuselage assembly.

The gear legs had too much of the shock absorber

Using lightened tones of the base colours and a sponge, I applied

Italeri 1:32 Mirage III E/R

Meng 1:48 P-51D Mustang

Recollections of an Airman experiences on the Western Front from being a

The Way of the Eagle as little is recorded about the American

Revell Eurofighter Typhoon 'Bronze Tiger'

Italeri 1:72 B-52G Stratofortress, Gulf War 25th Anniversary

Ammo of Mig Jimenez 'Oilbrusher'

With a constant push to make more convenient, ready to use

Ammo of Mig Jimenez

Scale Aircraft Conversions