Scale aviation modeller international

G-Factor

A

t the US Nationals

in Phoenix G-Factor

supplied us with some of

their undercarriage legs, which

use jeweller’s brass to combine

strength with a good level of

detail. All you need to do is

remove the casting stub from the

top of the leg before applying a

coat of primer, followed by a coat

of paint and a wash to lift out the

detail; not even I can muck this up.

1//32 SCALE

F-5E, RF-5E AND F-5F TIGER II

UNDERCARRIAGE SET

Product No: GFG32047

Designed for: Kittyhawk

Price: $18.95

CONCLUSION

The F-5 is one of my favourite

aircraft and I have built all

versions in all scales kitted in

plastic at some point. That is,

except for the new Kittyhawk kit,

and that may have to change once

they release the F-5F, which in my

view is the most attractive of all

Tiger variants, so I will be saving

these legs for use in that build.

G-Factor can be contacted via

email at [email protected]

and we thank them for supplying

us with the review samples.

Darkstar Molten Metals

I

was first introduced to

Darkstar metal paints at

Telford a few years ago, and

have used them extensively on my

figure and armour models – not

really a surprise, as they were

developed for war-gaming figures.

Being acrylic they are safe

to use over most finishes, and if

mixed with 10-20% water or the

manufacturer’s own thinners you

can apply them with an airbrush.

Once fully dry (about 24 hours), they

can be buffed with a piece of old

t-shirt, though straight from the

bottle they are already quite shiny.

Clean up is easy, just use water.

Darkstar has now added two

colours to the range which are

appropriate for aircraft modellers:

blue steel will be useful around

the back end of jet pipes, and the

aged copper is great on World War

One engines and inside cockpits

on pipes and instruments.

PAINTS

BLUED STEEL

Part number: DM856

POLISHED COPPER

Part number: DM948

METALLIC THINNERS

Part number: DM500

CONCLUSION

The Darkstar range of molten

metal paints has now expanded

to 27 different colours, and I

will be experimenting with the

new blue shade on the rear of

my Academy F-22 Raptor.

Our thanks to the Airbrush

Company for supplying

us with the new colours,

as well as a thinner to use

with them. You can see the

full range on their website

at http://www.airbrushes.com.

Obscureco

A

t the US Nationals we met

up with Obscureco and

they supplied us with a

sample of their latest release.

When Tamiya released

their 1/72 scale Republic P-47D

Thunderbolt they made a

surprising omission: early

Thunderbolts had a corrugated

floor, but after the change to the

bubbletop canopy, later production

aircraft had a flat floor. This is

not supplied in the kit, so if you

are building any Block 20 or later

Thunderbolt you need to change

the floor. This set does just that by

supplying a simple replacement

that replaces the Tamiya kit part

with no cleanup, just paint and fit.

1/72 SCALE

P-47 THUNDERBOLT BLOCK 30/40

FLAT FLOOR

Designed for: Tamiya

CONCLUSION

Obscureco is now 20 years old but

the current range features a modest

43 items, so they are not exactly

prolific. Their reputation is based on

quality, not quantity, and this latest

set is no different, being beautifully

cast and fits to the Tamiya kit

using the kits mounting points.

Luckily you no longer have to

wait until a US Nationals to obtain

their sets, as they have a website at

http://www.obscureco.com, where you

can order the complete range. Even

better, they use a flat-fee postage

policy of $3 for the USA and $11 for

the rest of the world, per order.

48 • OCTOBER 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

ACCESSORIES

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