Albatros for one!
MINIWING
M
iniwing have
announced an
all-new 1/144
scale L-159 Alca, the single
seat attack version of the
L-39 Albatross. The kit
will have markings for a
selection of grey camouflaged
Czech Air Force options,
in addition though it has
markings for one of the best
commemorative display
schemes I have seen. This
L=159 was painted to
resemble a Second World
War Czech Squadron
Spitfire, complete with the
outline of the Spitfire wing
superimposed on to the
Alca wing. With any luck
this kit should be available
by the time you read this.
Later in the year Miniwing
are planning on releasing kits
of the Bell 206 Jet Ranger/OH-
58A KIOWA and Sikorsky S-51.
So, plenty to look forward to
if you like the small stuff.Tiny Bizjets
STRANSKY
E
very now and again I come across
a new manufacturer, which is
one of the things I love about this
job! This month I present to you the firm
Stransky who have just released their
own 1/144 scale Gates Learjet 35. A
clever addition to the rear of the
box is a printed section of runway, a
simple but welcome display idea!.
Stransky also have a couple more
1/144 scale kits in development,
including a Lavočkin La-7 and
Piper L-4 Grasshopper.Islanders
VALOM
T
his month we have some
welcome news for fans
of civil aviation in the
shape of a 1/48 scale Britten-
Norman Islander. Three boxings
have been announced, British
Airways, Israeli Air Force and
Aurigny Airlines (Channel
Islands). In 1/48 scale these
will make quite a colourful
addition to your model cabinet.
We also have the 1/72 scaleDH.91 Albatross out for build and
very nice it looks too. If you want
to add a little extra detail to your
Albatross, Valom has also released
an interior detail set comprising
of cast resin passenger cabin
seats, racks and tables to add some
detail to the inside of your DH-91
though you are unlikely to see it.American Specials
SPECIAL HOBBY
T
his month sees three new
kits from Special Hobby
with an American theme
for the US Nationals, they are in
1/48 scale the AF-3S Guardian
‘MAD Boom’ anti-submarine
hunter/killer, the AF-3S was
basically an AF-2S with a magnetic
anomaly detector fitted.
The AF-3s were operated both
from land bases and aircraft
carriers and during the Korea War,
the type was used to defend US
Navy vessels in the combat zone.
The Guardian was removed
from frontline service in 1955,
but remained just with US Naval
Reserve units up to 1957. The
type became the very first US
Navy carrier-based aircraft to be
specially built for anti-submarine
warfare. It also holds the record
for being the largest single-piston
engined, aircraft ever to be flown
from the US Navy carriers.
Our model of the final, attack
version of the Guardian consists of
as many as eight styrene runners,
one clear sprue, a set of resin parts
and a photo-etched fret. The
new AF-3S sprue also contains a
new set of mainwheels with the
correct number of slots in the
hubs and an enlarged starboard
wing pod housing more efficient
radar to that used in the AF-2S
version. The decal sheet catersfor four machines, two of which
were painted in blue overall per
regulations issued later in the war.
The VS-20 machine was operated
in 1953, at first from NAS Atsugi in
Japan, later from aircraft carrier
USS Bagoeng Strait. The other blue
Guardian belonged to VS-27 and
flew from CVS-36 USS Antietam in
the Mediterranean in 1953. AF-3Ss
machines remained in service with
reserve units long enough to receive
the new Grey-White scheme, the
other two Guardians in our kitoffers this scheme as worn by NAS
Los Alamitos based machines, the
scheme is also accompanied by
orange fuselage bands which were
used to mark training machines.
The second release is the
Canadian Vickers Delta Mk.II/
III “RCAF” in 1/72 scale. The
Canadian machines were produced
by Vickers under licence from
Northrop and were referred to as
the Mk.I to Mk.III. While the Mk.I
and Mk.II versions differed from
their American predecessors only
in details, the Mk.III featured a
completely redesigned tail unit.
Canadian Deltas saw service in
a multitude of roles, they were
used as photographic machines
and for aerial survey, following
the outbreak of the Second
World War they began also flyingreconnaissance missions, anti-
submarine patrols and were
also used for training purposes.
Many of them were also fitted
with a pair of floats or skis.
Our kit brings the option
to build one of two Delta Mk.II
versions or one Mk.III example
which sported a new tail fin. All
of these three machines flew in
natural metal overall, one was
used during 1937, the two others
saw service during the Second
World War. The model comes
on five grey injection moulded
styrene sprues accompanied by
one with clear parts specific for
this Canadian variety of the Delta.
The final release is the C-41A ‘US
Transport Plane’ also in 1/72 scale.
The C-41A kit comes on five grey
injection moulded sprues and two
made of clear plastic. The Scheme
A option, a US Army machine was
fitted with a different type of side
door dome window and Special
Hobby have correctly portrayed this
feature and designed a new sprue
with this alternative style of side
door. The kit also has markings
for a pair of machines that flew
with private military companies
AWS and XeS (both emerged
from the infamous Blackwater
security company). The first one
of these is also white overall with
cheatline in two blues, the other
is in dark grey and black. The
final machine is a white C-41A of
Evergreen International Airlines
which was operated by CIA.38 • AUGUST 2018 • SCALE AVIATION MODELLER INTERNATIONAL
034-39-News-0818.indd 38 12/07/2018 11:45