Scale aviation modeller international

the modeller with two motors to spin the propellers and micro LEDs to illuminate the cockpit, landing light, and wing tip and tail navigation lights.

batteries (not included) is external and has a power jack that allows it to be disconnected for transport. The various elements all connect The power pack of four AA together with push fittings and are colour-coded to ensure that even a technophobe like me can’t get it wrong. Supposedly...!The plastic parts are supplied on thirteen light grey sprues and two clear ones. All the panel lines are engraved and feature some rather fine detail. There is a fair amount of flash, but fortunately all the mould ejector pin marks are away from any visible areas.and clear, and while there is also The transparencies are thin some flash on these pieces, it is very easy to clean up. Two colour schemes are provided: the first is for a European-based machine with an RLM70 over RLM71 splinter pattern and an RLM65 underside.Sicilian based aeroplane, which features a desert sand colour over an RLM65 underside – but it’s The second scheme is for a not quite that simple! The top colour has bands of RLM70 and white over it, while the underside is covered in sand-coloured squiggles (which are guaranteed to set even the most expert air brusher’s hands quivering).a twenty-four page booklet with The kit’s instructions are in 116 assembly stages, plus two monochromatic painting and

decaling guides. All paint references are for Revell’s own range of paints, though they are cross-referenced to RLM colours where appropriate.Even without the electronics, this would be quite an involved build, with one of the best cockpits I have ever seen in a mainstream kit. However, the Editor was not satisfied with the complexity of the kit out of the box, so he threw in a whole lot of aftermarket!set, which includes their exterior set, self-adhesive interior set, First off was Eduard’s Big Ed placards, seatbelts and thankfully, a set of pre-cut canopy masks. The Editor also provided a set of Master Models turned-brass gun barrels for the defensive machine guns, a brass pitot tube from Profimodeller, some resin wheels, and a beautifully printed decal sheet from Eagle Cals, which supplied another three colour options.

Thirty-two takes you through the assembly of the impressive cockpit. Just out of the box, the cockpit is sublime. Add in Eduard’s Assembly Stages One to etch and the level of detail is just ridiculous! Eduard provides a multitude of pieces to turn the kit’s plastic into an incredible work of art, with replacement parts in brass to provide a finer look or provide missing details. defensive armament moved away from the saddle-drum magazines For example, the A4 variant’s used in earlier models to belt-fed ammunition from large tanks. The kit does not provide any of the ammunition feeds, so Eduard have included them as very delicate brass items which, once folded into shape, can be flexed (as per the real item) to connect the machine guns to their ammunition supply. Dmulti-role combat aircraft, and as a conventional bomber, dive bomber, torpedo bomber, heavy fighter, night fighter, uring World War Two, the Junkers Ju 88 was the Luftwaffe’s primary reconnaissance aircraft, guided bomb carrier, and test bed for numerous aviation concepts, it was truly a jack of all trades, and a master of quite a few too! their 1/32 scale Junkers, it was a big surprise, especially as it followed their beautiful Heinkel When Revell first announced He 111. Initially released as the Ju 88 A-1, the A-4 variant soon followed, with its extra defensive armament, external bomb racks, and associated bomb load. A-4 variant and added a plug-This new release has taken the

and-play electronics package to make it part of Revell’s Technik range. The electronics provide

“THE TECHNIK BOXING ADDS THE MAGIC OF LIGHT AND MOTION, WHICH LOOKS VERY EFFECTIVE”

TECHNIKRevell 1/32 Upgraded Junkers Ju 88A-4 by Angelo Picardo

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 7

1/

6 • JULY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL

1/32BY SACCO DE VRIESJUNKERS JU 88A-4BY ANGELO PICARDO

Tamiya’s New 1/72 Kawasaki Ki-61-Id (Tei) Hien Tony by Mike Williams Taspect of our hobby in considerable depth and detail, with high quality products and a plethora of subjects covering all principal oday’s mainstream plastic model manufacturers seemingly cover every aircraft types and versions. Particularly, the Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien have been especially favoured over the years. scale Kawasaki Ki-61-Id Hien Tony in 2017, I thought I had the ultimate plastic miniature of this famous Imperial Japanese Army After building Tamiya’s 1/ Air Force (IJAAF) high performance Pacific War-era fighter, and I felt that my collection held the very best example of the Ki-61-Id Tei version. However, I have just had the opportunity to revise this complacent opinion, because Tamiya, thinking of the 1/

scale community, have released yet another superb Tony.THE FIGHTER The Ki-61-Id Tei, or San-Shiki Sentoki Ichi-Gata Tei (Type 3 Fighter Model Id), was the most numerous type of the Hien (Swallow) from the total of 2,750 examples of all versions produced, so this particular subject can be regarded as a sound base from which to derive a number of optional finishes. aesthetically pleasing subject: a single-seat, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter, which hobby manufactures and modellers have The Ki-61-I type is an fully recognised in all scales, from 1/700 right up to 1/32. It has found its way into many display collections in some guise, as its streamlined fuselage’s oval cross

Of the three quite different overall finishes advanced by Tamiya in their guidance notes and decals, my preference was for the final appearance of Ki-61-Id No.24, which was achieved through merging the base model with a separate camouflage decal sheetMy usual initial components check revealed the potential of a very nice build, the degree of sharply rendered mounded detailing was impressive. The models integral comprehensive decals were greatly supported by Tamiya’s separate camouflage sheet

AROUND

S E CO N D T I M E section and light-alloy, flush-riveted, stressed-skin structure offers a fine balance of beautiful lines, which are harmonised by the similar structure of the long, pleasingly tapered wings.more than matched their looks with their superlative performance, gaining the distinction of being In service the Ki-61-I and IIs the desired mount for a number of famous Japanese aces, who

employed it to its maximum capabilities (and beyond, in deliberate aerial ramming attacks).personal aspect in their two Tamiya recognised this releases, highlighting the aircraft of renowned Captain (later Major) Teruhiko Kobayashi, the 24-year-old commander of the famous 244th Hiko Sentai (Fighter Air Group), based at Chofu Airbase in 1944-45.his first B-29 interception in On 3 December 1944, in a Ki-61-1, Captain Kobayashi was shot down by the bomber formation’s return fire, but was uninjured. He commandeered another Hien to undertake more interceptions in the weeks that followed, damaging some B-29s but being hit again on 9 January, forcing an emergency landing. Captain Kobayashi undertook a successful aerial ramming attack on 22 January, bailing out of his wrecked Hien. Finally, on 12 April he again damaged a B-29 but was shot down and wounded in his

right leg, which greatly restricted his flying till the end of the war. It is claimed that he personally aided in the destruction of ten B-29s. THE MODELWhen I heard about Tamiya’s future release of a1/72 scale Kawasaki Ki-61-Id in January 2018, I immediately pre-ordered my example direct from Hobby Link Japan. I fully expected that this Tamiya newcomer would

be accurately presented to the very highest standards, and I was not to be disappointed. Tamiya’s impressive 1/48 scale Last year I enthused about example, and despite their new release being smaller, my very positive views about their handling of the subject have certainly not been reduced. Tamiya’s 1/ presentation is to the same high standards that one has come to expect from this manufacturer. With everything arriving safe

Tamiya’s nice box top artwork faithfully conveys Captain Teruhiko Kobayashi’s Ki-61-Id No.24 as it appeared in February 1945, based at the Chofu airbase in the ranks of the 244th Sentai, with its bare metal finish decorated with Kobayashi’s personal markings “THIS KIT IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THE PLASTIC MODELLER’S ART”

With the renowned commanding officer of the famous 244th Sentai, Captain Teruhiko Kobayashi standing in front of his fighter carrying his personal kill markings and finish, one speculates if the figure to the right is 2nd Lieutenant Shunzo Takashima

1/

1/72BY SACCO DE VRIESKI-61-ID (TEI) HIENBY MIKE WILLIAMS

Beaufighter TF.X (Test Shot)First look at Revell 1/48 Beaufighter TF.X (Test Shot) I is not the finished article and is not injected in production quality plastic so you may see a few sink marks and incomplete will start by giving my normal disclaimer about previewing a test shot, this engraving that will be missing or replaced on the production kit.the box were that Revell had supplied me with two kits in error. My first thoughts on opening I know the Beaufighter was a much plastic as the Tamiya kit.large aircraft but this kit at first look contains almost twice as But I soon realised why this kit is very well detailed, where Tamiya only supplied the cockpit Revell have detailed the whole of the fuselage using 19 separate parts plus some very nice detail on the inside of the fuselage halves. They have also supplied the options for positioning the pilots escape hatch and navigators blister in the open position as well as the crew entry hatch on the lower fuselage so you will at least get a chance to see all that lovely detail. part counts is the large number of optional parts that have been supplied. Our example contained Another reason for the large three styles of noses, the original bull nose, bull nose with a strike camera and a thimble nose. The laps can be positioned extended or retracted and all the control surfaces are positionable, adding some animation to your model. During the production run there were a number of changes made

to the tail. The tailfin is supplied with or without the extended fin fillet that was added to improve directional control. But Revell have also supplied two complete tail surfaces with dihedral and a choice of early or late elevators. Late production Beaufighters had a tailplane with reduced surface area to improve their balance, and Revell have supplied both styles, a first I think in any scale. assembled conventionally but on On most kits the wings are this kit Revell have supplied the whole of the lower wing as one large piece, which automatically sets the dihedral on the wings at the correct angle while at the same time making a very rigid assembly. To this you add the 12 part Bristol Hercules engines, which include optional open or closed cooling gills and a very nice representation of the complex undercarriage. Weaponry is next and this is where Revell have skimped a little as you only get a very nice representation of the Torpedo complete with an air drop tail. The rocket armament often carried by the type is missing though the plates that they mount on are included on the same runners as the thimble nose. All you need to do is source the rocket stubs and rockets or wait for the later version of this kit that will no doubt include them.Markings are supplied for two options• Bristol Beaufighter TF.X, NE429, P6-S, 489 Squadron, 1944. This aircraft has the early style nose and no tail

Bristol Beaufighter TF.X, RD467, fillet plus early tailplanes. It has quite a worn finish and a full set of D day stripes.QM-J. 254 Squadron, 1945. This
has the later style tail and a fin fillet plus a thimble nose.CONCLUSION
I am very impressed by this new kit and am eaget to add one to my stash

on its release in a few months time. The only issue I can see is that the heating pipe system looks a little anaemic compared to photos but that is relatively easy to sort and is far outweighed by the large amount of detail supplied out of the box.we will see many other version of I am sue over the next few years the Beaufighter released by Revell and Hannants have already released

a decal sheet (48148) that supplies a further four marking options.this new kit for a First Look, in advance of its worldwide release. My thanks to Revell for supplying Expect to see the new Beaufighter TF.X on your Revell dealers shelves later in the summer and you can visit revels website at http://www.revell.de/ en for all the latest product news.

EXCLUSIVE!

40 • JULY 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 41

FIRST LOOK!

Twhether the aircraft in question is stationary on the ground or passing overhead in majestic flight. In the latter instance here are some aircraft that give an Englishman a glowing sense of pride, it’s the noise of their approach that alerts you to their presence overhead: the throaty roar of a solitary Merlin tells you that there is a Spitfire or Hurricane nearby, while the bellicose rumble of four Rolls Royce Avons alerts you to the mighty presence of the God of Fire – the Avro Vulcan. retirement in 2015 of XH558, the last airworthy Vulcan, we are unlikely to ever hear that sound again or feel the resonating Unfortunately, with the vibrations deep within our chests as a Vulcan powers up and raises its proud nose skyward. earthly bonds the long-legged, But even when tethered to its hulking giant inspires heartfelt pride, and it was whilst sheltering under the starboard wing of a flightless Vulcan one rainy day at the Midland Air Museum in

Coventry that I decided it was time to hunt out the 1/144 scale Vulcan I had in my stash and build it. late in the complexities of super-Having become engrossed of detailing 1/48 scale German wartime bombers and fighters, I decided on that overcast afternoon, whilst sitting on the bench beneath the giant’s camouflaged wing, that a change would be as good as a rest and that the Great Wall Hobby (GWH) Vulcan would be the ideal busman’s holiday. As soon as you open the diminutive, yet sturdy box you know you are looking at something special. The FIRST IMPRESSIONS two fuselage halves are the first things you see, each one sealed within its own plastic sleeve and wrapped in soft protective foam. Slitting open the sleeves and removing the bat-like, one-piece upper and lower wing and fuselage halves, one is immediately impressed by the quality of the grey plastic parts; they are slightly textured with a matt finish and

ITEMS USEDKITSCALEDECAL OPTIONSGEMINI JETS STAND: L1001 VULCAN B.2: 1/144: 2: GJSTD FÜNDEKALS: AVRO VULCAN B.2S

FIRE

The God Of Great Wall Hobby 1/144 Avro Vulcan by Jay Blakemore

engraved with wonderfully crisp and delicate details. one finds the remainder of the sprues: four larger ones containing Beneath a white cardboard tray, the rest of the airframe parts, one small one featuring two tiny pilot figures, a clear sprue with the two-piece canopy, and the black plastic stand. An extra grey-coloured sprue contains the weapons load of Shrike missiles peculiar to the Vulcans that undertook the Black Buck operations during the Falklands War of 1982. single A3 sheet folded into quarters, with just five well laid out and The instructions consist of a

clearly illustrated construction stages. Decal placement for the two options within the kit is presented on a separate coloured sheet. Whilst the small decal sheet is nicely printed and appears to be in register, some of the colours, notably the yellows and reds, are a little on the bright side. Construction couldn’t be any more straightforward. There is FORGING THE PERFECT BOMBER just a cockpit insert containing beautifully moulded and very small control columns to add to

the fuselage, plus a pair of engine intake inserts to be glued to the inner surface of each wing before the fuselage halves can be closed up. The intakes are examples of slide-moulding technology at its best, revealing seamless intake tunnels and delicately moulded fan details. These fit snugly into shaped recesses within the wings, and with the addition of the two-piece tail, the majority of the airframe is complete once the fuselage is slotted together. If you are adding the Shrike missiles remember to open up the covered holes in the lower wings.There is no bomb bay provided

as such, but there is a gaping, rectangular void in the belly where one could be scratch-built if you have the dexterity at this scale to consider such a task. Instead of bomb bay doors there is a single-piece fuselage section that is glued in place to enclose the void. central section that requires There is a covered slot in this opening if you are using the plastic stand provided, but I wanted to go one better. I knew before cutting the first part from its sprue that I wanted my finished Vulcan to be airborne, which meant attaching it to a stand of some kind. Originally I had the idea of purchasing a GWH

“1/144 SCALE IS, I WOULD SUGGEST, THE IDEAL SCALE IN WHICH TO MODEL THE VULCAN BOMBER”

1/

1/144BY SACCO DE VRIESAVRO VULCANBY JAY BLAKEMORE

TUS Nav y carrier-borne airborne early warning and control (AWAC) since its introduction in 1964. Constant upgrades have ensured he Grumman E2-C Hawkeye (and its earlier versions) has been the mainstay of its continued effectiveness, and the type is or has been operated by France, Japan, Mexico, Israel, Egypt, Singapore, and Taiwan. Modernised US Navy versions like the E2-D are likely to be in service until at least 2020.Hawkeye is a re-issue of the original 2004 kit, which came with three Revell’s latest incarnation of the marking options: VAW 117, VAW 121, and Flotille 4F of the Aeronavale. A second issue came in 2009 with markings for VAW 115 and Flotille 4F. This current issue has markings for just a Commander Air Group (CAG) bird of VAW 116, “SunKings” in 1994, off USS Constellation. The model’s configuration is of an early -C with the four-bladed Hamilton Standard props rather

than the later Ratier eight-bladers. The kit has aged well over the last 14 years, and the current mouldings are indistinguishable from those in the 2004 and 2009 editions in my stash; so, with some ferreting, KIT DETAILSMANUFACTURERSCALEPRODUCT CODEPANEL LINES: 1/144: RECESSED: REVELL: 03945 NO OF PARTSTYPESTATUSDECAL OPTIONS: INJECTION MOULDED PLASTIC: RE-ISSUE (NEW DECALS): 46 PLUS 1 CLEAR: 1

Revell’s box art is quite dramatic.

The instructions are Revell’s new-style diagrammatic, multi-lingual colour versionThe 40 plastic parts come on a single well-moulded sprue. There’s a small clear sprue with the canopy and nose panel This is a comparison of the decals offered in the three issues of this kit. The current box only has a single scheme. Note only eight prop tip markings on the current scheme rather than sixteen!

EYE SKY in the

five versions of the E2-C are possible without trying too hard or resorting to the aftermarket. options, Retrokit and Wolfpack In terms of aftermarket do wing-fold resin conversions, Retrokit and Ozmods offer the eight-blade props, and Ozmods have a nice fuselage conversion to model the C2 Greyhound carrier onboard delivery (COD) derivative. Starfighter have a sheet of decals depicting North Atlantic units.sprue of 40 parts, and a smaller The kit comes on a single main

clear one with the windscreen and nose panel. All the parts are cleanly moulded with neat recessed panel lines and no flash, although the clear parts are inevitably rather thick for the scale. new multi-lingual pictorial style. These contain some minor errors The instructions are in Revell’s associated with decal placement; Stage 7 deals with painting and decalling the propellers and should be ignored completely. Rely only on the marking sections here. on the decal sheet, as there are only enough tip markings for one propeller. There is another small mistake

The build is straightforward and barely needs any reference to the instructions. There’s a rudimentary CONSTRUCTION cockpit (most likely invisible in the closed-up model), which I painted grey, adding black for the instrument panel, green for the seats, and painted-on tan belts. I rolled up 10 gm of lead sheet and installed it behind the cockpit to ensure that

the model was no tail-sitter.with only a little minor cleanup of the seam needed, although the The fuselage halves fit together main windscreen/canopy needs careful placement during gluing to get the best joint at the upper surface. Having masked the canopy windows with Tamiya tape, the whole lot can be blended in; I used DeLuxe Perfect Plastic filler because its water cleanup minimises starboard side of the fuselage the three portholes on the small scales like this. One could drill out collateral damage in and glaze them with white glue, but I chose to just paint mine

Revell 1/144 Grumman E2-C Hawkeye by Huw Morgan

1/144BY SACCO DE VRIESGRUMMAN E2-C HAWKEYEBY HUW MORGAN 1/

RS Models 1/72 Airacobra I/P-400 by Roman Schilhart. All finished model photographs by Wolfgang Rabel Tversions were built before production ceased in July 1944. A total of 9,584 aircraft were delivered, around 5,000 of which he Bell P-39 Airacobra began leaving the assembly lines in 1941, and various were sent to the Soviet Union under the Lend-Lease agreement. During the war, the Airacobra saw action with the US Air Force as well as with the Free French, the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, the RAF, and the Soviet Air Force. Airacobras in the Pacific, North The Americans used their Africa, and the Mediterranean, but notably not in the European war theatre. Similarly, the Royal Air Force also found them unsuitable

for combat action over European skies. After a very brief combat career, their P-400’s (the export version of the P-39D) were passed on to the Soviet Air Force. The Russian pilots liked the Airacobra’s performance and manoeuvrability, as well as the cockpit heating system – a feature that Soviet fighters did not provide! matched the requirements of the Soviet Air Force, being sturdy, reliable, and easy to maintain. It became the most popular of all The Airacobra perfectly the Lend-Lease aircraft and, in the end, it served with the Red Army Air Force in greater numbers than any other foreign type.

AIRACOBRA

I/P-

WHAT’S IN THE BOX?In the kit box, there are 92 parts in total, including two sprues of grey styrene, one clear sprue, and a small resin block. The plastic is rather soft, and the moulding is typically short-run, showing some imperfections; for example, one half of the air intake scoop is moulded integrally with each fuselage half, and on my example, one of the scoops was blocked with a lump of plastic. There was also some flash growing over the front contours of the cockpit opening. I would recommend giving all mating surfaces a wipe with a sanding stick, to make sure they get positive contact. parts not used in this version, which should leave you with some food for the spares box. The position of the wing gun and pitot tube are The sprues also contain various represented as soft depressions on the leading edge faces of the wing. Only one machine gun slot per side is provided in the mouldings, so, as the P-400 carried two wing guns on each side, you’ll have to make another hole to accommodate the second gun. But note, do not follow the guiding depression, as it sits in the middle of the gun panel, while the double-gun variant should have the barrels on the inner and outer edge of the panel. Although the plastic parts from

RS Models are rather chunky, the trailing edges of the wings are reasonably thin. A colourful decal sheet caters for five aircraft: two RAF and one Australian in grey/green camouflage, one Portuguese in early fighter colours of brown and green over sky, and finally a Russian example painted silver. Paint instructions are generic without quoting any manufacturers system, but the correct colours should be fairly easy to reference. CONSTRUCTION STARTSThe cockpit consists of 12 parts that make up a pretty busy office for this scale, with the control stick, rudder pedals, instrument panel (but no decals), gun sight, and nose gun breeches. Seatbelts were cut from thin strips of Tamiya

masking tape and hand-painted with Vallejo acrylics. You get separate doors (as clear parts) if you wish to pose them in the open position to show off the cockpit. clear window is included, as is the shelf aft of the cockpit. The latter usually has radios on it, but not in The rear bulkhead with its this case. The fuselage halves do have alignment lines, which are helpful in positioning the cockpit assembly, but it’s still a loose fit. Mine is not lined up exactly straight, so use some care here!nose for weight and I added 6.5 g of lead shot just above the front wheel bay. The kit parts give you There is plenty of room in the two exhaust variations: a six-stack exhaust for the RAF machines, and a 12-stack exhaust for all other decal versions. The first option

comes as nicely cast resin parts, and there’s a resin tail hook too, should you fancy building the Navy carrier test bed example. Australian, Russian, or Portuguese decal variant, you’ll have to open the slots that accommodate the exhaust plates on each fuselage If you are modelling the side. I did this by extending the ends of the existing slots and widening them with a jeweller’s file. On the instructions, the exhausts are shown to be fitted from the inside, but I found it easier to push them in from the outside before mating the fuselage halves. All inside surfaces were painted Gunze H58 Interior Green. THE COBRA BITES Mating the fuselage halves required some force, so I used clamps to hold everything together until the KIT DETAILSMANUFACTURERRELEASEDPRODUCT CODE: NEW TOOL: RS MODELS: 92181 SCALETYPEPARTSDECAL OPTIONS: 1/72: INJECTION MOULDED: 84 PLASTIC, 5 CLEAR, 3 RESIN: 5

Moulding defect on the fuselage spine

Cockpit interior with seatbelts added, made from tape Clamps were needed to hold everything together Moulding defects on the fuselage and canopy

QUICKBUILD

“RS MODELS PROVIDE US WITH INTERESTING AND UNUSUAL VARIANTS OF AIRCRAFT TYPES”

1/72BY SACCO DE VRIESAIRACOBRA I/P-400BY ROMAN SCHILHART 1/

THINGS

Sweet Little

CONSTRUCTIONWith just 24 parts and a clear windshield, this stage took just a day to build both kits, using the new Tamiya Quick Set thin glue (which has a lighter green cap compared to the normal thin glue). Of course, I started with the cockpit, which is basically just the seat. Along with the interior of the fuselage halves this was painted Tamiya interior green. While this was drying I painted some Tamiya tape dark brown, and using a new scalpel cut it into strips to

produce some lap belts for the seat.it took just a matter of minutes to clean up the wings, tailplanes, and undercarriage legs. Next With the fuselage assembled came the engine, which is a nice representation and is enclosed within the two-part cowling. I painted the engine with Alclad Aluminium and while I had the airbrush out I painted the fronts of the propeller blades.I added a dark wash to pick out the cylinder details, then When the engine was dry

positioned it within the two-part cowling before attaching the cowling flaps to the rear.tissue paper to mask off the I added some moistened painted engine before painting the cowling and flaps matt black, along with the rear surfaces of the propeller. The completed assembly was put to one side and added to the model after decaling. drop tank and the associated mounting pylon. Like every other area of this kit the fit of the parts I then assembled the two-part

is superb, with just a few light swipes of 1200 grit wet- and-dry to tidy up any seams. to add all the tiny bits, like the tail On to the final stage, which is wheel, aerial mast, gun sight, and arrestor hook. The final parts to be added were the twin exhaust pipes, which are tiny and with minimal mounting guidance on the cowlings. In hindsight I really wished I had added these before I painted the cowling black, as it would have made seeing the slight dimple that marks their location easier.

Twas the Japanese Navy’s frontline fighter between 1937 and 1940, until the introduction of the A6M (more famously known as he Mitsubishi A5M4 Type 96 carrier fighter (given the reporting name Claude) the Zero). Though its front line career was quite short, it did see a lot of service, starting with the Sino-Japanese war, which saw it fighting against nationalist P-26 Peashooter, Curtiss Hawks, and Polikarpov I-16s.1942, but it was used in operations The type left front line service in against the Americans, shooting down several SBD’s during air raids at the Gilbert Islands as well as at the Battle of the Coral Sea. The type continued as a training aircraft and many were converted for use as a Kamikaze aircraft during the final days of the war. Sweet models have a reputation for producing some beautiful single-engine fighters in 1/144 scale. Sweet also have a reputation THE KIT for producing box art that does not really do the contents justice. This is true of the Type 96 box lid,

which has a typically Japanese cartoon look. On the rear you have details of the three marking options, and these hint at how good the kit in the box is going to be. sprues that contain the parts to construct two Claudes, which considering how attractive the colour schemes are is just as Inside we find two light grey well. The parts are beautifully moulded with fine engraved panel lines, though of course these are really overscale. and supplies all you need to complete the three schemes, and that includes all the various colour bands and wheel trims, The decal sheet is superb something I was very grateful for.three options, all of which are in a natural metal finish with a black engine cowling The kit supplies the following and red tail surfaces.• Mitsubushi A5M4, VII-111, Soryu Fighter Group, Kasanohara AB, Japan, Early 1941.• Mitsubushi A5M4, W-107, Squadron Leader Soryu Fighter Group, Oct-Dec 1940.• Mitsubushi A5M4, VII-119, Soryu Fighter Group, Kasanohara AB, Japan, Early 1941.

Building Sweet’s 1/144 Scale Mitsubishi Type 96 Carrier Fighter (Claude) by David Francis

BEAUTIFUL DECALS THAT WENT ON EASILY “EASY TO BUILD, SIMPLE TO PAINT,

WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR!”

1/144BY SACCO DE VRIESMITSUBISHI TYPE 96BY DAVID FRANCIS SPONSORED BY SPONSORED BY 1/

SPONSORED BY

time around to give the Pegasus kit a go, which was duly ordered from Freight Dog Models.Pegasus DH.4 is indeed a lot The wing ribbing on the subtler than the Airfix kit, but because it is a short run kit and has three optional engine choices, it presents some challenges of its own. But any builder of Golden Era civil aircraft can’t be too picky, so out came the toolbox.change the moulded-on engine First order of business was to and craft on the correct Rolls Royce engine, one fuselage half at a time. I then cut off the top of the aft fuselage decking to make room for the passenger cabin, and with the help of scale drawings and images I found on the Internet, I created the raised rear fuselage from various pieces of 0.5 mm Evergreen plastic sheet, glued together and sanded to the correct shape.

for the cockpit from plastic sheet, as well as a basic floor. To this I added an etched wicker seat from Part Models, a control Next, I built a new rear wall column, rudder pedals, and the instrument panel from the kit. The shape of the angled aft cockpit deck initially caused some head scratching, but in the end, I figured how to build it from sheet. MORE DETAILS I then added further details to the passenger cabin with two etched wicker seats from the Part Models set, some ribs from plastic strip, and a coaming with a large oval opening. For the cover over the passenger seats I cut out a section of clear acetate sheet and bent it to shape. I masked the windows, rather than using styrene sheet and cutting them out.

further built up by adding radiator shutters and some louvres on the top and bottom of the engine cover from thin Evergreen plastic The front of the fuselage was strip. I also added a half round section of tube, with sections of Evergreen rod for exhausts. After painting the interior bits, the fuselage was closed up, and after leaving it for a day for the glue to set, the various seams were puttied and sanded smooth. The lower wings were then glued in place and the three-part upper

wing was assembled. One thing you need to watch is to make sure to give the wings the proper dihedral when gluing them, as this was quite visible on the actual aircraft. are a bit shallow so I drilled these out, as well as those for the fuselage struts. I also drilled small holes The holes for the wing struts in the ailerons for the control cables that would be added later. I then added the tiny windmills – included in the Pegasus kit and a great little addition – on the sloped decking behind the cockpit.

Converting the 1/72 Pegasus DH.4 by Peter IbesFirst contested on 8 September 1922, the King’s Cup was established by King George V as an incentive to the development of light aircraft and engine design. The first race, covering 810 miles, started from Croydon Aerodrome, south of London, to Glasgow and back again after an overnight stop. The winner was Captain Frank L. Barnard, chief pilot of the Instone Air Line, in a passenger-carrying Airco DH.4A.first King’s Cup in a book on the early years of British commercial Ever since reading about the aviation by Samuel Instone, I have wanted to build a model of the aircraft that achieved this extraordinary feat. But while 1/48 modellers have the rather nice Roden kit to work with, in 1/72 the

only kits available of the Airco DH.4 bomber are from Airfix or Pegasus. For the passenger-carrying version, one needs to either source a conversion kit from Classic Plane, which includes the Airfix kit, or resort to scratch building.is a decal set available that contains all the markings for However, amazingly there this particular aircraft. Arctic Decals from Finland offers a sheet both in 1/72 and in 1/48 scale. PEGASUS KITHaving earlier built the 1/72 DeHavilland DH.16, based on the Airfix kit, I knew that the actual conversion is not that difficult. But as I wasn’t overly impressed with the ribbing of the wings as presented by Airfix, I decided this “THE KING’S CUP WAS ESTABLISHED BY KING GEORGE V AS AN INCENTIVE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT AIRCRAFT AND ENGINE DESIGN”

KING’S CUP

THE WINNER OF THE FIRST

1/72BY SACCO DE VRIESPEGASUS DH.4BY PETER IBES 1/

6 TECHNIK Revell 1/32 Upgraded Junkers Ju 88A-4 by Angelo Picardo

22 Second Time Around Tamiya’s New 1/72 Kawasaki Ki-61- Id (Tei) Hien Tony by Mike Williams

40 Exclusive First Look Beaufighter TF.X (Test Shot)

68 The God Of Fire Great Wall Hobby 1/144 Avro Vulcan by Jay Blakemore

16 Eye in the Sky Revell 1/144 Grumman E2-C Hawkeye by Huw Morgan

28 I/P-400 Airacobra RS Models 1/72 Airacobra I/P- 400 by Roman Schilhart

64 Sweet Little Things Building Sweet’s 1/144 Mitsubishi Type 96 Carrier Fighter (Claude) by David Francis

74 First King’s Cup Converting the 1/72 Pegasus DH.4 by Peter Ibes

CONTENTS

35 The SAM news 37 Czech news 46 Accessories 52 Decals

54 Reviews 78 Books & Media 82 Back Page

ALSO INSIDE

Subscribe see page 62

28 I/P-400 Airacobra RS Models 1/72 Airacobra I/P-400 by Roman Schilhart

WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM • JULY 2018 • 5

004-05-Contents-0718.indd 5 11/06/2018 12:

Scale aviation modeller international

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources