Scale aviation modeller international

for me and, while many at the Milton Keynes model club know my views on re-scribing panel lines (“Life’s too short”), even I was moved to run a scalpel over some of the finer lines. parts, one being the large canopy, very reminiscent of the F-111, and the other being missile seeker There are two sprues of clear noses, HUDs, lights etc. There are three metal parts for the undercarriage, a small sheet of etch, and two decal sheets. The larger decal sheet is mostly weapon and pylon markings, while the smaller sheet holds the markings for the two aircraft options provided. There are two full-colour Painting and Marking Guide sheets, one for the ordnance and one for the airframe. The instructions consist of a typical twenty-page booklet of line drawings, slightly smaller than A4. They look clear but we’ll see how they behave.

we start? Oh, the cockpit, how novel.Looking good so far. So where do CONSTRUCTION The seats are an eleven-part assembly and look pretty nice. I was initially going to break out some resin, but as you can’t open the cockpit, I decided to use them as is. If I’m being honest, I don’t think Hobby Boss needed to use quite as many parts as there are to achieve the result they have (we may come back to that statement later), but I would class them as good plastic seats. cockpit area is a little lacking The detail in the rest of the (we’ll see how much is visible later anyway), but the instrument panel does look very nice. Hobby Boss have provided a decal for the panel, but they have chosen to depict all the MFDs “live,” with bright blue backgrounds, quite unlike

anything I can find pictures of. Regardless of whether any of the displays ever look like the decal, how often would they all be “on”, when there’s no crew in the cockpit? colour is the cockpit area? I like to see a Soviet cockpit with turquoise splashed everywhere, as it makes a change from grey. But Another question was, what your editor said that production Su-34s have gone this way, and there are definitely pictures of Su-34 cockpits in grey. But there are also some good pictures of it in turquoise and green. What to do? the cockpit, as there was the promise of some Eduard etch down In the end, I delayed starting the line. But when it turned up, I was still conflicted. The initial pictures of the etch I had seen online looked faintly blue-green, but when the set arrived (Su- Interior Set, 49 824) it had the parts in light grey. In the end, I thought, “who really knows?”, so my cockpit is a mixture of Vallejo 071 Emerald, Xtracolor RAF Dark Green, several shades of grey, and whatever colour the Eduard etch is. needed detail to the canopy, and the HUD is very nice, but the set itself The Eduard set adds some much is a little strange. On one side of the instruction sheet are the cockpit details (which I would consider “Su-34 Interior”), and on the other side are, well, external bits: air data stuff, static wicks, aerials, that sort of thing. It would have been really nice if, instead of that, they had included the seatbelts, rather than having them as another separate set

(which I didn’t get). The large HUD section in front of the pilot, which I would assume has some controls on it, doesn’t get anything either. the Su-34 Exterior Set 48 921, which includes wheel well and afterburner details (which has some complicated bending required!), I was also supplied with amongst other things. Moving on...nose wheel bay has nice structural detail, but it and the main gear bays Next come the wheel bays. The

HobbyBoss 1/48 Su-34 Fullback by Peter MarshallHave I said “golden age of modelling” yet this week? Well, I have now. I wasn’t even aware that this Hobby Boss kit was coming (shows how much attention I pay), but then, having been blessed with it to review, I find that Kitty Hawk will also be doing it in 1/48 scale as well! aircraft, and Wikipedia tells us this about it: “The Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO reporting name: Fullback) is The Su-34 is a great looking a Russian twin-engine, twin-seat strike fighter, intended to replace the Sukhoi Su-24. Based on the Sukhoi Su-27 ”Flanker”, the two- seat Su-34 is designed primarily for tactical deployment against ground and naval targets (tactical bombing/attack/interdiction roles, including against small and mobile targets); solo and group missions in daytime; at night,

under favourable and adverse weather conditions, and in a hostile environment with counter-fire and EW counter-measures deployed, as well as for aerial reconnaissance.” Basically, it seems to be a beefed up Su-27, optimised as a fighter-bomber, with a side-by-side, two-person cockpit (like the F-111). So what’s in the (extremely large) box? My word, over 890 parts! Of those, about 640 are for the unbelievably extensive weapons choices, which make up 24 of the 34 sprues of fairly soft, medium grey plastic. I’m not going to go through everything that’s included at this stage, but suffice it to say that I’m thinking the main problem with this kit will be deciding what to hang on it. Let’s hope I’m right. nice and smooth, but the engraved detail is a little too restrained The surface finish is generally

KIT DETAILS:MANUFACTURERPRODUCT NUMBERSCALETYPE: INJECTION MOULDED: 1/48: HOBBY BOSS: 81756 PANEL LINESPARTSA SMALL SHEET OF ETCH AND 3 WHITE M E TAL PART S .: ABOUT 890 (SERIOUSLY!), PLUS : RECESSED

“THE COMPLETED SU-34 FULLBACK IS BIG, BEAUTIFUL, FITS TOGETHER WELL, AND I HAD A LOT OF FUN BUILDING IT”

SU-

A Russian Fullback

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JANUARY 2018 • 7

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6 • JANUARY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

1/48BY SACCO DE VRIESSUKHOI SU-34BY PETER MARSHALL

for a single-seat aircraft to fulfil the joint role of fighter and dive-bomber. The winning design, in the shape of the Hs123, made its public debut in May the following year, flown by Udet himself. Although the chubby sesquiplane appeared somewhat anachronistic, when compared to other aircraft designs then being proposed (not least of all the monoplane dive-

bomber designed by Junkers), the RLM ordered the Henschel. aircraft to bridge the capability gap until the more advanced designs Intended purely as an interim were available for production, in 1936 a small batch of pre-production, Hs123A-0 standard aircraft were produced for service evaluation by the Luftwaffe. These were soon joined by slightly modified A-1 production-standard examples. The type entered official Luftwaffe service with StG 162 in the autumn of 1936, though its career as a dive-bomber seemed destined to be short-lived with the arrival the following year of the first examples of the Junkers Ju87. Legion, during the Spanish Civil It was as part of the Condor

War (July 1936 to April 1939), that the Henschel found its niche. A handful of Hs123s was initially deployed in-theatre as tactical bombers, though, unsurprisingly, their short range and small bomb load proved to be insufficient for the task. They were employed instead in the ground support role, where their ability to accurately hit pinpoint targets in a dive-bombing attack made them perfect for army cooperation. In Spain, however, they were soon replaced by the faster and more capable monoplane designs, and with the arrival in theatre

of three new Ju87s, the writing finally appeared to be on the wall for Henschel’s tubby sesquiplane. But upon the outbreak of war in Europe and the Wehrmacht’s march into Poland, the 39 remaining Hs123s continued in their role of “flying artillery”, in support of the advancing army. They proved themselves once again to be devastatingly effective, especially when it was discovered by the pilots flying them that, by dropping the engine revolutions Gaspatch Model’s New 1/48 Henschel Hs123 by Jay Blakemore during an attack, a howling and rattling noise could be created that terrified the enemy below, causing THE BIRTH OF THE DIVE BOMBERWhen Ernst Udet, the World War 1 fighter ace turned international stunt pilot, returned home from a tour of the United States, extolling the dive-bombing abilities of the new Curtiss Hawk II, he was duly offered funds by the newly established Reichluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry - RLM) to

purchase two examples for use in aerobatic display. This not only gave German designers the opportunity to study state-of-the-art American technology, it also allowed Hermann Göring, head of the fledgeling Luftwaffe, to entice the fighter ace and national hero back into military service. capability of the Curtiss machines prompted the technical office of the RLM to issue specifications In February 1934, the dual-role

DREI

Eins Zwei

PERFECTION AS A MODEL CAN GET STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX”“THIS KIT IS AS NEAR TO

1/

1/48BY SACCO DE VRIESHENSCHEL HS123BY JAY BLAKEMORE

a filler and sanding in such a small area, where so much detail could be removed by accident.up the cockpit, and the majority Seventeen parts go into making are finished in an interior green shade. Like all Airfix kits, the instructions recommend Humbrol paints, in this case number 226. However, I decided to use a custom mix of Tamiya XF-71, with a dash of XF-1 to darken it slightly, in order to match the colours in my main reference on the P-51, Modellers Datafile Number 24.

electrical junctions, instrument panel, and throttles were painted in Tamiya NATO Black, while the oxygen hose on the port side of the The various radio boxes, cockpit was painted in dark brown. I then applied a thinned black oil wash, which popped out all the detail that Airfix have moulded on these parts. Once that had dried, I

applied the instrument dial decals and placards to the sidewalls; this really helped bring the cockpit to life. For most modellers, the cockpit supplied is more than adequate, and certainly one of the best I have built out of the box in this scale.ducting under the cockpit. This I now moved on to the

is supplied as full length, and is made up from a section moulded under the cockpit floor to which you add side and lower panels. These panels do have the trace of ejector pin marks, but a couple of swipes with a sanding stick removed them easily, then they were painted with Humbrol aluminium. The final items to be added to the extended cockpit floor moulding are the detailed sidewalls for the tailwheel bay, which include the bay doors. Airfix would have you add the tailwheel at this stage, but if you

Airfix 1/48 P-51D Mustang by D FrancisLast month we previewed the new 1/48 scale Airfix P-51 Mustang, and I was very impressed with the level of detail in the cockpit and the choice of options. As an example, Airfix have supplied two different ventral fins, which is something that I have not seen in a P-51 kit before. I was so impressed with the kit that as soon as it hit the shelves in the UK, I purchased another example for my retirement stash, which is very rare for me, as I rarely build two examples of anything. In fact, this decision paid dividends later in the build, but more of that later. CONSTRUCTIONUnsurprisingly, we start with the cockpit, and this kit has as much detail as the Revell 1/32 scale kit we featured last month. I will

start with a feature that I have never seen before, which is that the pilot’s seat is made up from three parts: the seat pan, the seat back with moulded cushion and shoulder straps, and the support frame. Very conventional, except that the seat frame also features a moulded lap belt. Once assembled, this is as convincing as anything I have seen in plastic, and with careful painting has a really good 3D effect. It reminds me very much of the thin plastic seat belts that Japanese company Fine Molds started producing a few years ago.depressions between the sides; some are actually supposed to There are some circular be there, but two are injector pin marks. I used some ultra-thin plasticard cut to shape and glued them over the marks. This is far easier than trying to use

MUSTANG

P-51D

6 • JANUARY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JANUARY 2018 • 7

1/48BY SACCO DE VRIESP-51D MUSTANGBY DAVID FRANCIS 1/ QUICKBUILD

Officially, it was named the “Sparviero” (Sparrowhawk).many people, myself included, use “SM.79” freely on a casual basis. Regarding the S.79 designation; The aircraft was of course designed by Alessandro Marchetti, but his name was not added to the company title until 1937, and therefore aircraft are properly designated “S.” or “SM.”, depending on the date of the design, which was 1933 in the case of the Sparviero. THE KITSThis, the most important Italian aircraft of World War Two, was bereft of much in the way of plastic attention for many years, and even now there is still room for more in 1/72 scale. At present, the injection moulded choices remain only the Airfix kit, first produced in1967, and that from Italeri in

The Airfix kit is long out of production, being last produced in

2004, and the Italeri kit has at times been unavailable in the UK. Airfix kit is still not Fortunately, the too hard to locate amongst traders who sell pre-owned kits. If you don’t have a copy, try to obtain one from the earlier batches, moulded in pale blue polystyrene; some of the later production batches are in a bigger box, and were produced in a horrible, grey plastic, which is brittle and very prone to flaking. The Airfix kit is able to produce an excellent result with a little work, but it does have more than a few problems; for example, WHAT YOU NEED 14-cylinder two-row engines, when in fact, 9-cylinder single-row engines are required. Only slightly wrong! Its most annoying weakness, however, is a tendency

for the main-gear legs to fracture just above the wheel axles. very thick, but in terms of its The cockpit canopy is also frame lines it is actually better than the newer Italeri kit! The engine cowlings are too big and are simplistically shaped. There is no attempt to replicate the fabric covering of the rear fuselage and control surfaces. Airfix have done nothing more than to represent the positions of the attachments of the fabric using raised “panel” lines; I decided to do no more than to give these an ultra-light sanding to change their profile slightly from half-round to flat-batten.The front fuselage of the actual aircraft was skinned in metal; Airfix

have again used raised lines for this panel detail, but the modeller can easily rescribe this small area. The wings were of timber construction, and here Airfix have really overdone it; the wings are covered in stacks of raised lines – not a suitable representation for an aircraft skinned in plywood, which has been bonded and sanded smooth. Here we can be grateful for the raised lines, as they are much easier to eradicate. One authoritative source records that the wing had a final covering of fabric, although parts of the wing undersurface were apparently not so covered. The kit’s control surfaces are quite good, with separate elevators and rudder.

The Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Serie II Bomber in 1/72-scale by Airfix by Stephen J Di NucciPhotographs: Phil Jones and Stephen J Di Nucci INTRODUCTIONThe Savoia Marchetti S.79 was one of several large three-engine bomber and transport types designed by the Italians during the 1930s. Pre-war public opinion had been carefully groomed, both in Italy and abroad, through a number of world-record flights by “civilian” types, at the end of which the S.79 gained an impressive reputation for distance and speed flying. During the Spanish Civil War, it began to also develop its reputation as a bomber, where it was almost impervious to interception. Although many believed that this was due to its performance, in truth it was also due to the quality of the available fighter opposition.

this belief persisted into the Second World War, even when the performance of fighter aircraft across Europe moved rapidly ahead Unfortunately for the Italians, of that of bombers. Nevertheless, the aircraft was a stable weapons platform and could absorb battle damage, and before long, in its final and best role as a torpedo bomber, it was the scourge of the Royal Navy in the Mediterranean. accommodation for both forward (attack) and rear (defence) guns, In order to provide dorsal it had been necessary to spoil the earlier sleek airliner design with a humped fairing. This soon drew the nickname “Il Gobbo” (Hunchback), or even “Il Gobbo Maledetto”. The British called it the “Damned Hunchback”.

“THE SAVOIA MARCHETTI S.79 WAS ENGINE BOMBERS DESIGNED BY THE ONE OF SEVERAL LARGE THREE- ITALIANS DURING THE 1930S”

ELECTRIC MAN

The ONE

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1/72BY SACCO DE VRIESMARCHETTI S.79BY STEPHEN J DI NUCCI

Hasegawa 1/72 B-24 Liberator by Roman Schilhart Taircraft industry; it rather reminds me of a train wagon with wings! Despite its aesthetic shortcomings, however, the o my eyes, the Liberator isn’t the most elegant design of the American Liberator was one of the most numerous USAF bombers in WWII service, with over 18.000 examples built. It saw action over Europe, as well as in the Pacific, and some saw service with the Royal Air Force in Europe, and in the Far East as well.new-mould Liberator, in a number of versions and boxings, which In 2007, Hasegawa released a was a welcome replacement for the venerable Airfix and Academy kits. The Hasegawa kit of the B-24J is the most expensive model I have ever purchased, with a price tag of 54 euros. Given its wingspan, it is also my most ambitious build to date (for now). numerous aftermarket sets from Prior to starting, I amassed Eduard, CMK, and True Details, as well as a metal undercarriage from Scale Aircraft Conversions, and

decals from Sky Models of Italy. However, not all of the add-on parts proved useful, as we shall see later.Initially, I wanted to represent one of the Liberators from the 15th Air Force that saw action over my home country, Austria, in the closing months of the war. However, I was unable to source decals and detailed information within the time I had for this build. So instead, I settled for a rather attractively painted B-24J, named “The Shack”, of 458th Bomb Group, 754th Squadron, based in England in 1944-45.THE INTERIOR I started with the cockpit, building up the interior of the fuselage halves with parts from Eduard’s

WINGS

Wa g o n wi t h

Interior Set (73318), from the Big Ed package. This set contains some nice pre-painted pieces, but I will say that not many of the details will be visible in the end. Aircraft Conversions not only provides the metal undercarriage, but also a metal part for the The aftermarket set from Scale cockpit floor. This adds some weight to the nose section – vital to prevent a tail-sitter! Even so, I was still worried about not having the required nose weight, so I filled up every available space in the front section with various kinds of weights, such as lead shot and washers. I took my time to detail the waist gun positions with photo-etch parts, because this area can be easily seen if you display the gunner’s windows in an open position. Eduard does provide photo-etch ammunition belts, but I found them to be a little stiff and stubborn to fix. I replaced

them with more natural-looking rubber replacements from Aires. The machine guns that protrude from the side windows were left off for now, to be added later. was only partially useful. I couldn’t make out a significant difference from the original kit parts, and The CMK Resin Bomb Bay Set frankly, they are not much better than the kit parts, and involve a lot of extra work. Furthermore, they reduce the stability of the whole build by adding weight aft of the center of gravity. decided to go with the plastic kit After some contemplation, I

parts for the main assembly of the bomb bay, while using CMK’s more detailed sidewalls and bomb rack ladders. The rack ladders were a bit too short, so I added some plastic strip to the ends. I also used CMK’s bomb bay doors, which have better scale thickness than the kit parts. These would be attached later in the build, but the bombs were painted and added to the racks at this stage. The front wheel must be fixed in position before closing the fuselage halves. The True Details resin front wheel I used comes with the mudguard cast in place, but so does the metal leg from Scale

Aircraft Conversions. I preferred the SAC leg for its strength and for the extra weight that I needed in the nose. I scrapped the resin mudguard from the wheel, and I didn’t worry about losing the wheel’s profile, as it will be covered by the metal leg’s mudguard. I added a fake bulkhead to the top and rear of the forward wheel bay, making room for even more ballast to be inserted, as I realized that there would be little chance of doing so once the fuselage was closed. In total, I added over 94 grams of nose weight to the front section.belly turret before mating up It’s a good idea to insert the the fuselage halves, as it might be tricky to fit later in the build. Given Hasegawa’s high quality engineering, no problems were encountered with the main assembly, except for a small gap just behind the nose wheel, which was filled with some stretched

Here is how it all started, with lots of aftermarket items, motivation, and optimism! I used aftermarket parts from Eduard, CMK, True Details, and Scale Aircraft Conversions, and decals from Sky Models Italy, as well as Squadron Signal’s B-24 In Action as a reference.

Scale Aircraft Conversions’ metal cockpit floor, dressed up with Eduard photo-etch parts from the Detailling the waist guns positions with Eduard photo-etch parts. Note the photo-etch ammunition boxes. Ammunition belts have not Interior Set. been installed at this stage.

ITEMS USEDKITLIBERATOR B-24J (E 29) : HASEGAWA CONSOLIDATED AFTERMARKET ITEMS USED: • • • • CMK CONTROL SURFACES, 7232EDUARD BIG ED SET, 7247TRUE DETAILS WHEELS, 7216CMK BOMB BAY, 7235

• SCALE AIRCRAFT CONVERSIONS, 72009SKY MODELS DECAL SHEET ,72-

“SCALE AIRCRAFT CONVERSIONS NOT ONLY PROVIDES THE METAL UNDERCARRIAGE, BUT ALSO A METAL PART FOR THE COCKPIT FLOOR”

1/72BY SACCO DE VRIESB-24 LIBERATORBY ROMAN SCHILHART 1/

did not end well. The patrol was deliberately timed to coincide with the British offensive at Arras, crossed the front lines on 5 April 1917. This excursion of six aircraft from No. 48 Squadron RFC, led by Victoria Cross recipient William Leefe Robinson (of shooting-down-the-first -German-airship-over-London fame), ran into five Albatros D.IIIs from Jasta 11 led by Manfred von Richthofen. Four out of the six F.2As were shot down – including that of Robinson, who was captured – and a fifth was badly damaged. An inauspicious beginning. F.2A Fighter contributed to doubts over its effectiveness. The month Other early experiences with the in which the type was introduced to offensive operation became known as Bloody April. Casualties

were high throughout the RFC, and initially, the Bristol fighter proved to be no exception. During this period in aviation history, contemporary two-seater aircraft were far less nimble than fighter aircraft, and many types lacked the structural strength to carry out the aggressive manoeuvres needed for dogfighting. The first “Brisfit” aircrews were accustomed to the standard doctrine of maintaining formation and using the crossfire of the observers’ guns to counter enemy fighter aircraft. type lacked the necessary structural strength to be flown as a fighter, pilots soon realised that the Bristol Despite some rumours that the Fighter was a strong and agile aircraft, capable of manoeuvring with single-seat fighters. While its fixed forward-firing machine gun could be used as the primary weapon, the observer could also use his flexible, rear-mounted gun to provide protection from attacks from the rear. Flown in this manner, the Bristol Fighter achieved a remarkable level of success, and proved to be a formidable opponent for German fighters. definitive F.2B Fighter quickly From May 1917 onwards, the replaced the earlier F.2A model. In July 1917, the War Office decided to adopt the F.2B Fighter as the equipment for all fighter- reconnaissance squadrons, leading to a significant increase in production. However, despite the issuance of contracts for further large batches of aircraft, it was apparent that the rate of production could not keep up with demand for the type. known flying aces to use the type Perhaps one of the best- was Canadian Andrew Edward McKeever, and his regular observer L.F. Powell. By the end of 1917, McKeever accumulated 30 enemy aircraft kills, while Powell achieved eight. McKeever later became a flying instructor, stationed in England, before becoming the commanding officer of No. 1 Squadron of the newly formed Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He continued to use the Fighter as his personal aircraft, which

was later transferred to Canada. First World War, the F.2B Fighter was soon adopted by the RAF as its standard army cooperation Following the end of the machine. The type continued to operate in army cooperation and light bombing roles throughout the British Empire, in particular the Middle East, India, and China. In line with this role, which led to its use under high-temperature conditions, Bristol introduced models of the Fighter equipped with “tropical” radiators and other furnishings for desert equipment that could better handle operations in higher temperatures.

BUILDING As I had found my recent builds stalling a little (sometimes I seem to hit a modelling version of writer’s block), I wanted a kit that I felt really enthusiastic about, and the recent Wingnut Wings Postwar Brisfit fitted the bill. I also have a habit of rushing kits to get to the next one, but I was determined to take my time on this one and enjoy the journey.up and, although I didn’t receive the kit for a few weeks (slight It had certainly got me fired distribution issue apparently), I (almost) enjoyed the anticipation and used the time constructively, for research and for ordering the

Wingnut Wings 1/32 Post War F2.B Bristol Fighter by Guy Goodwin Texpect it to be a little cruder than the latest offerings. Not in the least; in fact, I would rate it as the best Wingnut kit I have made to he original Bristol Fighter was one of Wingnut Wing’s first kits, so you might date. It’s quite a complex beast, and you would think it must be quite a demanding kit to produce. But once again, Wingnut have somehow made it into a sublime model that is straightforward in construction. Although this post-war offering is a recent release, it uses the original kit as its base. with perfectly formed parts, The box is absolutely packed

excellent colour instructions, and extensive Cartograf decals. And as this is the post-war version, it has some additional options – exhausts, radiator, etc. Oh, what a modelling treat - it doesn’t get any better than this! HISTORY The Bristol Fighter F2.A was initially viewed by RFC aircrews as a ”standard” two-seater (i.e. a bomber, lacking in manoeuvrability), and was at first operated in that role. As a result, the first offensive action that involved the F.2A Fighter

REWARDED WITH A HUGELY SATISFYING BUILD AND A BEAUTIFUL END PRODUCT”“WITH PATIENCE, YOU WILL BE

BRISFIT

Far Ea s t

1/32BY SACCO DE VRIESF2.B BRISTOL FIGHTERBY GUY GOODWIN 1/

SHOW REPORT

Wthanks to technology my watch tells me that I walked over 20 miles on the two days of the show and I never left the halls! This hat a show, what a competition, and as is usual I missed so much, gives you an idea how big this event has become and I missed so much I never got the opportunity to take photographs of the S.I.G’s or clubs that are such an intrinsic part of the show. So my photo scrapbook is of the competition area, and just gives you a small idea of the quality of the models

on display. This year the best in show was won by a 1/18 scale Supermarine Spitfire which won a number of Trophies as well as it’s class (But strangely only came second in IPMS Czech Trophy, make you wonder what won!!!)to the large team of volunteers who made this event possible As always a massive thank you and are already organising the 2018 event on the 10th to 11th of November, and as it coincides with 100th anniversary of the First World War is bound to be special.

Telford Scale ModelWorld 2017 Telford International Centre – November 11th - 12th

SCRAPBOOKPHOTO

BEST IN SHOW!

1/48 1/

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Vitor Costa shows you how to paint and weather the 1:72 Eduard La-7 using Hataka products U‘modern’ wrappers. However, Eduard is the exception, as their re-boxings always contain some neat extras such as etched parts, sually, I don’t like re-boxings, where brands try to sell ‘old’ kits inside resin upgrades and new decals. This build features such kit, their 1:72 La-7 ‘Weekend Edition’. Inside the box, which incidentally has some wonderful artwork, are two injection moulded sprues, with really nice engraved panel lines, a set of pre-painted etch, a canopy mask, and an excellent decal sheet eight possible options to choose from.? As usual, the

build began with the cockpit, which is pretty basic but is lifted to a new level by the addition of the pre-painted etch. I coloured the ‘office’ with Hataka Light Gull Grey before applying an oil wash to add some wear followed by some dry brushing to pick out the details. I then affixed the coloured etch using Superglue, before joining the fuselage halves together. The fit here was not perfect, a small amount of putty was needed on the upper surface, however on the undersides, copious amounts of filler were required to level the join with the wing, I also had to attach two

The cockpit benefitted from some Eduard pre-coloured etch.....

...where Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty was very useful

....and was suitably painted and detailed

SHARPSHOOTER There were a few gaps to fill on the undersides..... ....but less on the upper surfaces....

Soviet

COLOURS, AND IN PARTICULAR ELEMENTS FROM THEIR LATE WORLD WAR II SOVIET AIR FORCE PAINT SET HTK-CS20”“FOR THIS BUILD I’M USING HATAKA ORANGE LINE KIT DETAILSMANUFACTURERSCALEKIT TYPEWITH ETCH AND RESIN PARTS: 1:72: PLASTIC INJECTION MOULDED : EDUARD strips of plastic sheet to fill a huge gap near the engine. There are also some sink marks that needed to be filled. The windshield also needs some putty to fill some KIT NUMBER: 7066 minor gaps, and here I used Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty. After a quick tidy up here and there, I was ready to paint.For this build, I’m using Hataka Orange Line colours, and in particular elements from their Late World War II Soviet Air Force Paint Set HTK-CS20, and I must confess that I really like them! I began with the lighter shades, and first I applied a coat of AMT-7 Grey-Blue on the undersides, and once dry I used a little White to start the initial weather effects. Then I added a little thinned White to some

of the panel lines to simulate worn paint, applied in the direction of the airflow. The idea was to create different shades of the original colour. Once dry I applied another coat of the Grey-Blue with just a touch of Black, to simulate shadows. With the undersides painted, it was time for the upper surface camouflage, and I began with a coat of AMT-11 Blue-Grey, followed by the same weathering techniques that I had used on the undersides. When this was dry I added AMT- 12 Dark Green as the disruptive camouflage colour, and once dry, this too was suitably weathered. The nose section was then masked off and painted with C-103 Traffic Red a coat of Hataka Gloss Varnish Once dry, the model was given WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JANUARY 2018 • 89

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1/72BY SACCO DE VRIESLA-7 BY VITOR COSTA Sponsored by Hataka Hobbywww.hataka-hobby.com

SPONSORED FEATURE

6 A Russian Fullback HobbyBoss 1/48 Su- Fullback by Peter Marshall

22 Eins Zwei Drei Gaspatch Model’s New 1/ Henschel Hs123 by Jay Blakemore

36 Quickbuild Mustang Airfix 1/48 P-51D Mustang by David Francis

82 The Electric Man Airfix 1/72 Savoia Marchetti S.79 Sparviero Serie II Bomber by Stephen J Di Nucci

16 Wagon with Wings Hasegawa 1/72 B-24 Liberator by Roman Schilhart

30 Far East Brisfit Wingnut Wings 1/32 Post War F2.B Bristol Fighter by Guy Goodwin

48 Photo Scrapbook Show report from Telford, Scale ModelWorld 2017

88 Soviet Sharpshooter Painting and weathering the 1:72 Eduard La-7 using Hataka products by Vitor Costa

CONTENTS

43 The SAM News 52 First Looks

Tamiya 1/48 Messerschmitt
Bf-109G-6 (Late Test Shot)

Airfix 1/72 Boeing Fortress Mk III

Artesania Latina 1/16 Fokker DRI

Italeri 1/48 F-104G Starfighter

58 New kit listing 60 Accessories 66 Decals 72 Reviews 94 Books & Media 98 Back Page

ALSO INSIDE

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JANUARY 2018 • 5

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