Scale Aviation Modeller International 08.2018

rear of each blade suffers from

trench-like gaps when the separate

rear hub is attached. Once filled

with Milliput, the blades required

several applications of Alclad

Grey Primer and considerable

wet-sanding before the joins

were finally alleviated

IN A FLAP

One area that was updated from

the old Hasegawa kit was the

integrally-moulded flap and aileron

assembly. I had found it necessary

with that kit to remove the crude

triangular shapes representative

of the flap actuating arms located

on the lower wing trailing edges;

I replaced them with more

accurate representations made

from plastic card and metal rod,

which was drilled into the wings.

Not so with the new-tool kit

from Airfix, who have come up

with a sensible solution. The flap

and aileron assemblies have been

separately moulded and feature

delicate, integrally moulded

actuators and counterbalance

weights, a feat of model engineering

in itself. Better still, there is a choice

of two complete sets, one featuring

dropped flaps. These are long, thin

items, and are perfectly moulded

with none of the imperfections

evident on the fuselage parts. Due

to their flexible nature, however,

I found it necessary to secure

them to the wings one section

at a time, allowing the cement

to harden as I went along.

The dive brakes were not

attached at this time but would

be cemented to the lower wings

after painting, along with the flap

counterbalance weights which

were removed from the flaps to

guard against breakage and loss.

The canopy transparencies are

crisp, thin, and wonderfully clear,

but the moulded-on framework

caused me some confusion. Now, I

don’t claim to be a Stuka aficionado

(despite having long been

fascinated by its brutal elegance),

and I confess that I may be missing

something obvious here, but much

of the framing on the canopy

parts were moulded internally,

leaving the majority of the glazing

smooth externally. This left me

in a dilemma as to what colour to

spray the internal mouldings.

Studying photographs of in-

service machines was of little help.

So, despite the Montex mask set

(SM48464) faithfully reflecting

this combination of internal

and external framing, I took the

controversial decision to modify

the masks and so paint all of the

framing externally. (I can already

hear the cries of derision from

the authenticity police and the

rivet counters amongst you – but

let’s just call it artistic licence).

It had been my original intention

to pose both the front and rear

canopy sections in the open

positions using the parts provided.

However, the open front canopy

section had a crack in it – the perils

of having such wonderfully thin

transparencies – and being unable

to obtain a replacement in time

for this issue, I had no choice but

to use the closed option. This and

the masked windscreen sections

were now secured to the fuselage

before painting commenced.

DESERT SAND

The kit supplies two marking

options. The first is S1+HK, of 2./

Sturzkampfgeschwader 3, Greece,

1941, finished in dark green splinter

camouflage but devoid of any

unit badges or coloured panels –

which considering the plethora of

colourful marking options available

from that theatre of operations

was rather disappointing.

The second option is the familiar

and oft-controversial T6+AN,

of 2./Sturzkampfgeschwader

2 ‘’Immelman’’, Libya, 1942.

Featuring the standard splinter

camouflage with RLM79 overspray,

it appears here without the

desert snake motif regularly

attributed to this aircraft.

There is at least one excellent

wartime photograph which shows

the starboard side of this aircraft

in its entirety, with no snake

design painted along its flanks,

and one dubious photograph (that

many speculate is of the same

aircraft) which reveals the snake

motif on its port side. So, the jury

remains split on whether T6+AN

actually wore a snake on one

side, on both sides, or not at all.

Or perhaps all three theories are

correct and at some point in its

service career the snake design

was applied one side at a time. I

guess we’ll never know for certain.

Having for some time possessed

Montex mask set K48103, which

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