AIR Modeller 57

ME

NG

A

IR M

OD

EL

LE

RD

EC

EM

BE

R / J

AN

UR

AY

20

14

57DECEMBER/JAN 2014 • £6.50 UK $15.99

www.mengafvmodeller.com

HASEGAWA’S ITALIAN JUMPER

HARRIERITALIA

Issue 57 cover_Layout 1 06/11/2014 14:37

AIR 57 Dec/Jan 2014_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/11/2014 14:54 22

1

2 P-47DGabreski’s famous ‘forty seven’ modelled by Tristan Estoppey using the 1:32 Hasegawa kit.

12 Perfect Storm? Part OnePaolo Portuesi builds the new 1:24 Airfix Hawker Typhoon.

20 Bear MetalDave Oliver gives the Hobby Boss F4F Bearcat the bare-metal treatment.

28 Harrier ItaliaMirko D’Accordi builds the iconic jump jet using the 1:48 Hasegawa kit

36 Big Bird B-17, Part 8The Editor continues his build of HK Models spectacular 1:32 Flying Fortress.

44 Air BornNew releases.

54 Early FE.2BChema Martinez Fernandez describes his award-winning Wingnut Wings project.

CONTENTS

Meng AIR Modeller welcomes contributions from interested parties, but cannot accept any

responsibility for unsolicited material.

The contents of this publication including all articles, drawings and photographs originated by AFV

Modeller ltd become the publishers copyright under copyright law. Reproduction in any form

requires the written consent of the publisher. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes AFV

Modeller ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or ommissions.

Meng AIR Modeller is published Bimonthly byAFV Modeller ltdOld StablesEast Moor StanningtonNorthumberlandNE61 6ESTel: 01670 823648Fax: 01670 820274email: [email protected] and Designer: David ParkerDeputy Editor: Mark NevilleSales Director: Keith Smith

ISSN 1747-177X

We are now on Facebook, ‘Like’ us tofollow what we are doing and follow ourbuild projects.

AIR 57 Dec/Jan 2014_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/11/2014 15:23 Page 1

Tristan Estoppey models Gabreski’s famous forty sevenP-47D

2

When I started this project I was motivated to try unconventional techniques such as

Rub n Buff and dry transfers to obtain the best possible "authentic" natural metal

finish. This was before I read Gabreski's book A Fighter Pilot's Life whose well-known

double page's picture of his P-47D made me change my mind. After a quick search

for references on the Internet I realized it wouldn't be necessarily an easy escape

from my initial plan, Gabreski's plane field applied camouflage being subject of many

interpretations and thus much debated on the discussion forums.


3


4

CockpitI was provided with the truly magnificent MDC resin cockpit which

fits into the fuselage almost without any modification, no endless

sanding this time! Both smooth and corrugated cockpit floors are

provided, the latter was used up to the D-25 version and thus

chosen for Gabreski's aircraft. I tried the HGW fabric seatbelts

instead of the photoetched parts provided by MDC (separate

buckles are also provided by MDC should you want to make your

own belts). I was not totally convicted by the HGW belts since they

are printed on one side only which limits the positioning options a

little. Both Airscale (WWII USAF) and MDC decals were used for

the instrument panel. Hasegawa suggests an "Interior green"

cockpit but Republic-built P-47D were painted Dull Dark Green. I

mixed this green-blue colour by adding 50% of Tamiya flat blue

(XF8) to Gunze H312 Green. All details were painted according to

the book "P-47 in detail and scale" which features cockpit pictures

of a machine in original condition. Weathering was done using

various technique such as hairspray technique using (AK

Interactive Worn Effect) for the seat and floor and AK interactive

products applied with a sponge. A 6b graphite pencil was used to

give a metallic look to the edges of most parts in the cockpit.


EngineI rejected the kit engine and opted instead for the good price/quality ratio

Quickboost R2800 resin engine. Another slightly better alternative is available from

Vector Resin. Pushrods were created using 0.75mm Evergreen styrene rods as well

as the 36 ignition wires, two per cylinder, made from lead wire. The Quickboost

magnetos are ok, however they depict a model used on earliest versions of the

engine so I changed them for those from a Trumpeter kit. The motor was painted

Gunze RLM74 which is a good match for the dark grey used at that time. Magnetos

and propeller governor are black, ignition wires are painted with a mix of Vallejo

light brown and aluminium matt. The inside of the cowling panels is not Yellow Zinc

Chromate as often seen on restored aircraft but natural metal.

EngravingIn a moment of craziness I decided I would go for a full rivetting of

the complete airframe using a jeweller’s punch (MDC). If I had

known at the beginning the huge amount of time it eventually took

to complete this task for such a big kit I seriously doubt I would

have done it. If you decided to do so the first thing you would need

is plenty of patience, and good reference for the pattern. For the

latter I used walkaround pictures whenever possible since I found

all published drawings to be either over simplified or wrong, or

both at the same time! Straight lines were made using the rivet

spacer provided by MDC. Curved areas

(fuselage) were lightly pre-riveted with

a Rosie wheel using thin (2-3 mm)

Dymo tape strips as guide.

When using the jeweller’s

punch, trailing edges need

special care as you can

easily push through the thin

plastic.


6

UndercarriageSome pipes were added to the otherwise quite empty wheel

wells. These were painted with a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-4 and

Gunze H329 to represent yellow zinc chromate. The undercarriage

legs were detailed with the traditional brake pipes, undercoated

with Alclad aluminium, a coat of AK Interactive Worn Effect and

painted with slightly lightened Tamiya Olive Drab (XF-62).

Weathering was done according to photos of Gabreski's aircraft.

Kit wheels are poorly engraved and went directly into the bin. They

were replaced by the excellent Barracuda resin items. They are

accurate and casting is perfect, you just have to cut their casting

block and sand them flat at your convenience to represent the

weighted effect. Tyres were painted with a mix of Gunze tire black,

brown and a drop of white. Wheel hubs are natural metal on the

outside, the wheel hub cover plates on the inside were painted

dark green and ocean grey, matching the upper camouflage style

of the aircraft. This is my personal interpretation of what I could

observe on the period pictures.

PropellerThe Hamilton Standard propeller is nicely represented by

Hasegawa but, as often, the blades are far too thick and so were

carefully sanded to a more appropriate scale thickness. Propeller

tips were painted in Gunze H329 yellow and then masked. Tamiya

Nato black was sprayed on the blades. The hub was painted with

Alclad steel, the spinner with Rub ‘n buff applied using my fingers

to obtain a polished look.

FlapsI decided to glue the flaps retracted to prevent this massive

aircraft from having a heavier look and, flaps are usually retracted

just after landing to avoid ground debris getting thrown against

them by the propeller while taxiing and most WWII pictures show

this configuration when parked. This requires some sanding and

numerous test fittings to get the flaps perfectly aligned.

Fuselage and wing assemblyFuselage assembly was straightforward except for the 4 part

engine cowling. Hasegawa's design follows the pattern of the real

aircraft, which is a good thing but makes things a little bit tricky to

have all of them glued in the correct position. This difficulty was

exacerbated by the installation of the Quickboost engine which

required the removal of the positioning tabs inside the cowling

panels. Again a fair amount of dry tests were needed to obtain a

good result. Wings to fuselage assembly also needed sanding on

the ensure a good alignment on both side of the wings.


7

PaintingFirst of all a coat of Mr. Surfacer 1200 was applied on the whole

model using my airbrush. This was done not only to erase the

small scratches created by the rivet spacer/ruler during the

riveting process but also to help soften the rivets as I wanted

them to be present but discrete. The next step was to spray a

coat of Tamiya matt white at the locations of the stars & bars,

codes and invasion stripes. The paint was then sanded smooth

with micromesh clothes before Montex adhesive masks and

Tamiya tape where applied to the model.

The under surfaces were painted first. Gabreski's plane, based in

England during spring/summer 1944, is known to have been

painted with RAF paint stocks, however the colour is still debated.

Some say it was left natural metal and others think it was

painted medium sea gray. After a careful examination of all

pictures available and considering the common practice

within the unit, I am now convicted that this plane had its

undersides left in natural metal. I started with a coat of Alclad

white aluminium which was then masked before Alclad

magnesium was sprayed along the fuselage panels covering

the supercharger ducts. This particularity is clearly visible on

pictures of natural metal P-47s and also noticeable on

Gabreski's plane. Black stripes were painted on the

underside of the horizontal stabilizers and liquid mask (Mr.

Masking Sol Neo) was applied on the leading edge of the

wings to later create some chipping. Red areas (nose and no

walking zone at the wing root) were painted and masked at

that time too. Next came the Tamiya RAF dark green (XF-81),

applied over the whole upper surface of the model with a soft

demarcation line with the undersides. References show paint

covering the first third of the horizontal stabilizer lower

surface too. This colour was then slightly modulated using

lighter mixes of the base colour applied randomly and along


8

selected panel lines and areas exposed to wear.

The ocean grey (XF-82) was then sprayed following two distinctive

patterns which are characteristic of Gabreski's aircraft.

For the fuselage I prepared a very diluted paint and applied some

mottling in a similar way I would for a German camouflage

pattern. The left side is well documented and progressing very

slowly is the key to achieve a good result. References available for

the right side were just enough to give me a general idea of the

pattern, the rest is artistic licence.

For the wings here again the reference material offers only some

clues. The pattern seems to be much denser with tight soft edge

demarcation but the paint was sloppily applied since overspray is

clearly noticeable. I found that trying to replicate this on my model

was quite difficult and my first attempts just ended with something

that just looked badly painted although this is somewhat what I

wanted to achieve! After several adjustments I ended up with a

wing scheme probably cleaner than the original but more pleasant

to look at. To complete the camouflage Tamiya medium sea grey

was applied on the lower part of the cowling.

Last paint jobs consisted in completing the invasion stripes and

spraying the blue of the stars and bars.


9


10


11

DecalsA few kit decals (kill flags, white instruction panel near the

windscreen and propeller stickers) where applied as all other

markings were painted. Klear floor varnish was applied locally,

decals were applied and then sealed with another coat of Klear.

Matt varnish (Tamiya XF86) was applied on the whole upper

surfaces of the model.

A feature of Gabreski's aircraft is the presence of electrical tape

outlining the fuselage invasion stripes. I estimated the width of this

tape to be 2 inches on the real aircraft, accordingly I cut 1.6 mm

width stripes in black decals (those from the kit) and applied them

to the model.

WeatheringWeathering started with the classical panel lines washes, using

MIG products. Neutral Wash was applied to all panel lines and

Dark wash to dirty areas, i.e. the lower fuselage and around wheel

wells. Next I loaded my airbrush with a highly diluted black/brown

mix and sprayed it within panel and along panel lines, inside

wheel wells, gear doors, etc. without being too systematic. The

staining due to fluid leaks on the bottom of the fuselage and

wings and the exhaust staining were also created using similar

black/brown mixes. The area around the shell ejector holes were

treated with diluted black oil paint applied with a sponge. The

sponge technique was also used to apply MIG and AK Interactive

products on the walking area at the wing root and on the

propeller blades.


THEPERFECTSTORM?

Paolo Portuesi

The Typhoon was designed aroundthe powerful Napier Sabre enginebeset by several problems, almostall the initial production batch waslost without any enemyinvolvement. Frequently, toxicgasses leaked inside the cockpit,the engine caught fire, and tailsections broke off when flying...When at last most of theseproblems were corrected, theRoyal Air Force found they had oneof the most capable groundsupport aircraft WWII. A Typhooncould combine the devastating firepower of its four 20 mm cannonwith a large payload of rockets andbombs striking fear into the enemyon the ground, proving particularlyeffective after the D-Day landings.

We now have another Airfix kit inthe monster scale of 1:24. I havefond memories as a boy of thevery large Airfix Bf 109E andSpitfire Mk.I, holding the huge boxof this new kit, comparisons withthe other ‘super kits’ of yesterdayand today is inevitable. Lookingback, I thought the Hurricane wasthe best detailed, at least amongstthose released by Airfix, but thisnew kit is something completelydifferent, even from their morerecent release of the Mosquito, theTyphoon stands in a class of it’sown.

PART ONE

There was an air of excitementaround the Airfix stand at ScaleModel World 2013 with the unveilingof a very special kit to commemoratetheir 75th year and also the 70thanniversary of D-Day, a 1:24 HawkerTyphoon. Even a cursory glance overthe assembled test-shot and it wasobvious Airfix had gone out toproduce something very special, yetaffordable. Airfix 1:24 aircraft will no

doubt touch a nostalgic spot withmany modellers, always on the topself of the local toy shop out of reach,and certainly out of reach of ourpocket money they made the ultimateChristmas or birthday present.Unfortunately we never received asample kit to feature in our 'Air Born'pages but, thanks to Paolo, at last wecan take an in-depth look at thislandmark release from Airfix.

12


In this scale there’s nowhere to hide!Rarely will you see a more comprehensiveengine built straight from the box withsuch high levels of detail and accuracy.

13

It’s reputed Typhoon and

Tempest expertChris Thomas wasconsulted by thekit’s designers toensure high levelsof accuracy andsome stunningsurface detail.


The large red box has striking box art thatcaptures the feeling of the Typhoon inaction very well. As with the box art ofAirfix’s golden era, it tells you a story, avery exciting one straight from the pages ofa vintage boys comic! The box is heavy,containing around twenty five sprues it’spacked with plastic and a large decalsheet containing four options of markings.On un-packing it, you find that Airfix hasmoulded some over five hundreds of partsin a good quality light grey styrene. Parts

are crisp and well moulded with stunningdetail. However, some smaller parts oftenneed some cleaning up before assembly.Due the incredible number of parts, this iscertainly not a kit for the novice builder!

The instructions are very well done. Airfixhas chosen to give us a multipage bookletof clear and detailed build diagrams andcolour call-outs. Almost all 231 stages areeasy to understand but, because of thecomplexity of the kit, do not jump from one

stage to another, with this kit you cannotgo back! You need to read the plans untilyou’re familiar with the stages of assemblyto have fun with this incredible kit. Inaddition, you need to decide which of thethree possible final display configurationsyou like the best. I went for a fully openengine feeling it would be rude not to showoff all of the rich detail and complexassembly.

Before adding the seatbelts I repainted thequilted seat back in a greener tone

14

On the negativeside I have tosay that ejectorpin marks are

way too frequent


The same is true about thecockpit, which is superbly madeand can be detailed up to a veryrealistic standard just with somecareful painting. The seat belts arenicely done in plastic. My choicewas to replace them with somevery nice RB Productions paperand photoetch belts. Practically allof the fittings are mouldedseparately. Any additionaldetailing, with the notableexception of the wires runningalong the cockpit, is probablypointless. As usual with large scale

kits, Airfix has produced theinstrument facia in two parts. Thefront of the instrument panel hasbeen moulded with open gauges,and a clear plastic insert to fit fromthe back has been provided.Finally instrument decals areplaced on the back of these clearinserts for a very convincing effect.While the ones included by Airifixare good, the aftermarket decalsfrom Airscale are better and weremy choice in this case.

15

Aftermarketadditions in thecockpit werelimited to RBseatbelts and

Airscale instumentfacia decals


It is when you look at the diagrams for the engineassembly that suddenly such a large scale makes sense.No plastic kit scale aircraft engine has ever beendetailed to the extent that this is, at first glance it couldseem over-engineered. You need to be brave enoughand actually start the building to understand that it is notthe case, everything that should be there simply is,including a pipe (part C14) that has been forgotten bythe instruction booklet but not by the Airfix web sitewhich shows the missing pipe placement!

16

The Napier Sabre was one of the mostpowerfull aircraft inlinepiston engines designed.It’s H-24 layout made fora short stroke and powerranging from 2200 BHPin the early versions upto 3500 BHP in it’s final

specification


I believe that aircraft modelsneed a different approach topainting and weathering thantanks. I very rarely pre-shademy scale aircraft models, whenI do it’s always in the smaller1:72 scale. Another techniquethat I don’t recommend to amodeler new to such a largescale is dry brushing. Giventhat this Typhoon is three timeslarger, I surrender both pre-shading and dry brushing andgo for my trusty post-shadingtechnique. All the internalstructures have been firstpainted with various shades ofAlclad aluminum and then

warmed up with some un-thinned burnt umber oil colour.In some cases, I over sprayeda very light and thin coat ofGunze Mr Hobby brown. Forthe engine I went from a barelylightened aqueous Mr Hobbymatt black to a dark shade ofAlclad aluminum. The seat isvery well done with somerealistic seams running acrossthe quilting. It comes to life withsome khaki for the padding,and a mix of matt and glossblack for the seat, again fromthe Mr Hobby aqueous range.

17

There are threedifferent propeller

spinners supplied, twobacking plates and theoption of three or four

propeller blades


So far has been an enjoyable kit to build. Ican't say the parts fall together perfectly,but it’s decent. Fuselage and wings getalong very well together. Really, there’s noputty and no sanding required if youcarefully follow the instructions in thecorrect order.

18

Various shades ofAlclad laquers givethe realistic baremetal finishes

while Burnt Umberoil colour gives

depth to the detail

In this scale, rivets can havethe correct

appearance, hardto acheive in 1:72

and 1:48


The movable parts are a perfect fit, andthey do remain movable. On the negativeside I have to say that ejector pin marks arefrquent, and, often, are placed in highlyvisible places. Here careful filling andsanding is required to get satisfactoryresults. Another small problem that Iexperienced with the build is that a coupleof the four gun barrels require some help,and some putty, to fit well into their wingrecess locations.

next issue 19

Internal detail of the wingsextends to fueltanks and the

cannons completewith ammunition


BEARMETAL

The F4F Bearcat, like its British contemporary, the SeaFury can be seen as perhaps the pinnacle of pistonengineered fighter design that had been rapidlyadvancing throughout the Second World War.

Entering squadron service on the 21st of May 1945 it was toolate to see combat in WW2, but It still provided a useful andcapable stop-gap until the new generation of jet fightersbecame available and remained in service with somecountries until the mid 1960s. Its superior manoeuvrabilitycompared to its predecessor the Hellcat, made it a firmfavourite with pilots. It also boasted some unusual designfeatures such as provision for a G-suit (The first operationalaircraft equipped with this feature) while early versions had

explosive bolts that would automatically jettison one wing tip ifthe other one broke away.The Hobbyboss kit is quite a recenttooling and displays a high degree of surface detail andprecision parts which make assembly a pleasure.Unfortunately, the level of detail is rather inconsistent, withareas such as the undercarriage bays and the engine beingrather basic. It’s strange then that other parts, such as thearea in front of the cockpit fire wall are so detailed, yet withoutmodification, would remain unseen once the fuselage halveswere joined. A search of the internet revealed a fewaftermarket items specifically for this kit, others items such asthe cockpit photo etch set had to be heavily modified fromitems made for other manufacturers kits.

20


21

Dave O l iver g ives the HobbyBoss F4F Bearcat the bare-meta l treatment


cockpit

resin radial

The parts supplied with the kit gave areasonable representation of the cockpit, therewas however much room for improvement.With no P.E set for the Hobby Boss kit, Ibought and modified the one for theHobbycraft model. This involved trimming upthe instrument panel and side consoles inorder to fit correctly, Then Plasticard was usedto reshape the kit side consoles, while therather two dimensional wires on the cockpitfloor were removed and replaced with leadwire. The gun sight supplied with the kit wasrather large, so a replacement was scratchbuilt. The cockpit walls had a few P.E itemsadded such as the throttle leavers, but stilllooked rather bland so again lead wire wasused to make the area more interesting. Vallejo Interior Green was then used to paintthe cockpit tub. It seems to have a slightly

brighter tone more suited to American aircraftand can be both sprayed and brush paintedwith ease. The side walls were sprayed withZinc Chromate Yellow. Finally the seatcushions were painted with Citadel ScorchedBrown and then given a light dry brushing andhighlighting.A light wash of Mig Shadow Brown was usedalmost as a filter to unify the whole area, andthen Citadel Badab Black was then used tohighlight the instrument panels and removethe rather glossy appearance of the pre-painted P.E, giving it a matt, dusty texture.Chipping was added to the whole area and theseatbelts were then super-glued in place. Thiswas then put to one side rather than gluing itin place due to further work required on thefuselage halves which could result in damageor accidental overspray.

Having decided it would be a shame not todisplay the detail of the engine and the areabehind it, I decided to make two cut outs inthe engine cowling and the fuselage. TheAries front bulkhead detailing set wasadded along with some extra wiring tomake the area look a little busier. Plasticardwas used to make the framing around thehatches. Finally, inspection hatches weremade from Plasticard and riveted aroundthe edges to simulate the removed panels.

After these panels were removed I decidedto replace the rather Basic kit Engine withthe Aries aftermarket item. The resin plugwas carefully removed from the back of thecasting then the engine was painted greyfor the crank casing and Tamiya XF-16 forthe cylinder blocks, the ancillaries werethen added. The pushrods were madeusing copper wire, small holes were thendrilled in the back of each cylinder blockand lead wire was used to create theexhaust. Plug leads were then made withvery thin lead wire. The whole assemblywas given a light wash of black oil paint topick out the details, and then more specificpin washes around areas of greater wear.The prop was painted Lifecolor Panzer Grey,then chipping was added using a finesponge dipped in Citadel Chainmail silver.

22


wings and things

‘bays and ‘gear

As I mentioned in the introduction, thewheel bays were a little plain so moredetail was added first from the Ariesdetailing set, then with wire for the varioushydraulic cables on the walls of thecompartment. Due to the open design ofthe undercarriage area I decided to gluethe wings to the fuselage halves first ratherthan try and detail the area once the twosides had been glued together. Paintingthis area took a bit of research asreference material was rather thin on theground, the two tone green and silver paint

scheme looked interesting so making aneducated guess this was applied.The undercarriage legs themselves werenicely detailed, never the less there wasstill room for improvement so the hinges atthe top of the legs were drilled out andwire was added for the hydraulic hoses.The wheels supplied with the kit were alittle small and had no tread, a feature onlypresent on the immediate post waraircraft. Again there were no specificaftermarket items so I had to improvise.The replacement wheels for the Academy

kit looked great, nicely weighted with agood tread pattern but being about 2mmbigger in diameter than the kit wheels; theywouldn’t fit on the struts. Holding mybreath, I cut away the bottom section ofthe legs, retaining the brake calliperhousing. Longer replacements were thenmade with plastic encased metal rod,cutting recesses in the calliper and the leg,this was then supper glued in place. Thefinished items were then test fitted in orderto get the correct angle of fit.

The construction of the wings was very straight forward and requiredjust a little filling on the leading edge. The joining of the two fuselagehalves was also relatively straight forward. Aligning the replacementparts took a little bit of work but once glued in place, only a little fillingand rescribing was needed. This was a relief, as it would have been ashame to lose the any of the well moulded surface detail, one of thekits strongest points.The elevators on the tail-planes were reset to a dropped position, andthen in a moment of madness, I decided to do the same to theailerons. This proved to be a rather time-consuming as it opened upsome of the seams along the wing root and the leading edge. Inhindsight, I should have done this before fixing the wings to thefuselage but it was worth it in terms of adding interest to the model

23


With all the relevant areas masked off, themodel was given a going over with a fineMicromesh cloth to provide a key for theprimer. It was then thoroughly washed witha mild detergent to remove any greasefrom the surface. From this point on, themodel was only handled wearing gloves toavoid marking the surface. A coat of AlcladGrey primer was used to show up anyseam lines or areas that needed attention.Due to the fact that natural metal finishesare notorious a showing up anyimperfections, several areas on the tail andleading edge of the wings had to be dealtwith. Another overall coat was applied thengiven a polish with an old cloth to remove

any graininess from the finish. Two coats ofAlclad Black primer were then sprayed onand again polished to provide a shinysurface for the paint.

Having wanted to do a natural metal finishfor some time I decided to experiment onan old 1:72nd Bearcat kit I had in mystash. I had a pretty good idea of the finishI wanted, how to achieve that was anothermatter. Going through some old magazinesIt seemed that the builds that looked themost realistic used Alclad paints. Afterbriefly trying to use rub and buff which wasan absolute disaster! I tried out severaldifferent shades of Alclad, settling on

Airframe Aluminium, my one reservationbeing its fragile nature when it came tomasking and weathering.The first coat was dusted on, then after 15minutes given a light polish with a cloth.This was then given 24 hours to dry andanother two coats were applied over thecourse of a few days. A rogue finger printon one of the wings (must have forgottenmy gloves) caused some concern meaningthat they were given an extra coat to coverthis up. Finally some streaks were addedto break up the uniform nature of the finishand the control surfaces were given a coatof Standard Aluminium to make them adifferent shade to the rest of the finish.

show your metal

The distinctive tail markings were supplied on the aftermarket decal sheet, but were discarded and painted on inorder to achieve a more weathered appearance. Once thearea was masked a coating of cheap hairspray was appliedthen a light coat of Citadel Skull White was sprayed on,once dry, the stripes were applied first masking the areawith low tack masking tape, then a light coat of TamiyaRoyal Blue X-3. The first attempt was a disappointment, the

lines were a little uneven and the paint proved remarkablyresilient despite my best efforts with an old toothbrush.Having stripped the tail and repeating the process, this timeusing a much thinner paint mix, the results were better, butstill required some more chipping applied by hand. I canonly assume that being a lacquer based paint, the Alcladreacted with the hairspray?

24


The anti-glare panel was masked ofusing low tack masking tape, andthen liquid mask was stippled roundthe front of the engine cowling tosimulate wear. Some lightenedLifecolor Matt Black was sprayedon, then after a while the maskingwas removed and the paint was‘distressed’ by picking at the finishwith a sewing needle and removingthe areas of liquid mask. Finally the

top of the panel was given a verygentle sanding with an old sandingstick. The masking had slightlymarked the paint so this wasrepaired using a Post It Note formasking.

25


So far I had a very shiny airframe with avery distressed looking tail and nose, so Istarted irregularly shading the panel linesof the aircraft with Lifecolor smoke, a verylow pressure was used (5psi) in shortpasses over the fuselage and wings.After each pass I let the paint dry in ordernot to overdo the effect The national insignia, code numbers anddistinctive charging bull decals were firstof all cut from the sheet as closely aspossible to get rid of the edge of thecarrier film. They were then cut and

generally abused with a scalpel blade,chipping was done with a sponge dippedin Citadel Chainmail silver then a dustingover with smoke gave them a weatheredlook in keeping with the aircraft, theywere then sealed with Microscale decalfilm. These went on beautifully with only asmall amount of setting solution, the onlydifficulty being the left hand side codenumber that folded up and had to bereplaced. Once these were in place moreweathering was applied in the form ofModel Mates Mud Brown and Oil Brown

weathering dye around the wing rootsand engine cowling, while the rathershiny panel lines were dulled down withsome very carefully applied oil paint pinwashes.

All in all was a really enjoyable build withrelatively few problems, the kit itself allwent together with a minimum of fussand I am pretty happy with the naturalmetal finish which was the main focus ofthe build.

finishing

26


27


HASEGAWA’S 1:48ITALIAN NAVY

AV-8B HARRIER II

28

HarrierItalia


modelled and described by Mirko D’Accordi

29


Officially adopted in the summer of 1991

after lengthy technical evaluations, and

undergoing a parliamentary process , this

aircraft is the main strike force of fixed-

wing aircraft in the Italian Navy. The

contract allowed for a total of 18 aircraft,

two two-seater and sixteen single-seater

aircraft, thirteen of which were assembled

in Italy by Alenia. The first aircraft

assembled by Alenia was constructed in

October 1995 and the last in December

1997.

The AV-8B Plus, also known as the Harrier

II, is a single-seat subsonic all-weather

aircraft with the evolution of British

Aerospace and produced under licence by

Boeing. The Italian Navy uses the Harrier II

Plus primarily for air defence of the fleet,

with ground attack as a secondary role,

through the use of laser-guided bombs

(GBU) and the latest generation of JDAM,

combined with its utilisation of a powerful

25 mm cannon with 300 rounds of

ammunition. The aircraft’s armament also

includes air-to-air medium-range missiles

and both active radar-guided AIM-120

"AMRAAM" and AIM-9L “Sidewinder” IR-

guided missiles. It is also equipped with a

multimode radar, taken from the F-18. This

allows defence engagement and tactical

missions involving multiple targets to be

completed more efficiently. Due to this

technology, identification of targets even in

adverse weather conditions is possible,

further enhanced through the use of night

vision goggles (NVG). The HARRIERS of

GRUPAER were used in several

international missions, their ‘baptism’ took

place in January 1995 when Operation

United Shield in Somalia occurred. The

aircraft also served during the operations

in the Balkans, and has remained in use

until the present day over the skies of

Libya. To pay tribute to twenty years of the

AV-8B Plus Harriers serving the Italian

Navy, I decided to build the Hasegawa 1:48

scale COD 09 684 "Italian Navy" model kit,

using AIRES 4199 for the cockpit , the

wheel AIRES 4201 and Tauro Model decal

sheet 48-544 to greatly enhance the basic

model, making the kit a more accurate

interpretation of the aircraft.

The model is made up of approximately

170 pieces, most is crafted with excellent

detail and there are lots of accurate panel

lines. The model, due to its particular

design, is not the easiest to build. There

are parts of the kit that are finicky to

construct, and so require a dry fit and a

little work, but fortunately no major

modifications are required. The cockpit is

sufficiently detailed out of the box should

you wish to use it. Unlike the 1:72 scale

Harriers, here we have the opportunity to

detail the airbrake and the nose landing

gear compartment in the open position,

because they are actually open when the

aircraft is on the ground (although not

always the case ... more of this later). The

possible myriad of external loads and

armament is limited to a pair of AIM- 9L/ M

"Sidewinders", AIM-120"AMRAAM",

additional 300 gallon fuel tanks, the gun

pod, the pod stabiliser fins and finally the

AN / AAQ -28 II. Among the few flaws

present, the canopy has an annoying seam

and the absence of the explosive lanyard

can be represented by an decal. The decal

sheet, despite being very comprehensive,

has many reject markings, unusable due to

them being the incorrect shades of white.

Anyone who would like a sheet including

the Italian insignia is out of luck, however,

there are ways around this, as there is an

aftermarket sheet of decals available from

Tauro Model 48-544 that I used. Overall, it

is a good kit that allows you to build a

faithful recreation of the 'AV8B Plus' that is

well detailed and presents little challenge.

Italian Jumper

Hasegawa’s Harrier

30


Cockpit refinement

31

The Aires set is an excellent recreation of

the cockpit. After removing from the casting

plugs and cleaning the various parts that

make it up, along with doing several dry fits

(and having thinned the walls of the

fuselage that surround the cockpit), the

parts fit together easily without major

problems. The seat has received some

extra detail to the headrest, pillow, anti-G

tube and oxygen supply. I then utilised

photo etched parts to further enhance

details. A clarification in regards to the seat

straps; I preferred to attach only two of the

four provided with the set. This is because

the various images depicting the inside of

the cockpit of the aircraft only display two

belts. At this point, the whole, tub, side

walls, seat and dashboard are ready to be

painted. A small tip: Be very careful at this

stage in assembling the HUD as It is

incredibly fragile! In terms of the colours, I

loaded the airbrush with grey Gunze H317

FS 36231, appropriately lightened for a

scale effect. Later I went back over some

areas hit by light, with the same colour but

more lightened. This is to prepare the parts

for a very diluted colour wash. The

dashboard, centre console and the body of

the seat were painted in matt black, while

the cushion, backrest and headrest of the

seat were painted with the Khaki Gunze

H81; straps are coloured in light green with

a hint of silver to create ‘metallic’ effect. I

then ran a wash over all areas of the

passenger compartment with a mix of

synthetic and oil-based paints diluted

heavily. After about ten minutes I removed

the excess with a dry brush. The next step

is a drybrushing performed with a medium

grey Humbrol and, the second time, on the

most protruding areas affected by light,

with a light grey Humbrol 64; this is to

increase the contrast and obtain greater

depth. The final touch was to go over of all

the small details such as buttons, switches,

joystick , throttle, buckles, handle ejector

etc, in order to give a little colour and

vibrancy to the cockpit. The two CRT

displays and the panel at the bottom left

were highlighted with a mix of Future and

green transparent Gunze H94 the former,

while for the latter, I used Future and

transparent red Gunze H91.


32

By analysing images of this particular aircraft, I

found that, in the vast majority of cases, the front

undercarriage and airbrake are in the open

position when the aircraft is on the ground. In

contrast, in only some images it appears that the

rear compartment of the aircraft is open. I had to

wonder if the latter is fitted open or closed. After

a thorough check, I decided that, having it being

beautifully detailed to fit it open, it would be a

waste to model it closed, because, if well

painted, this piece could give great interest and

finesse. I removed the pieces from the resin plugs

and cleaned the various parts that comprise it,

also cutting open the pairs of doors in the kit part;

This is a very delicate operation that requires

extreme precision as it is difficult not to remove

parts that must be retained. Everything is good; a

problem arose however, when, using some drills I

started to thin the walls of the fuselage, I soon

realised that fitting the aircraft's cockpit would

cause the nose landing gear compartment to foul

the tub, the underside was incorrectly sized. After

some time, with light milling, I managed to

assemble it without visible damage. After some

minor adjustments, the parts fitted together and

formed a cohesive structure. A great deal of

testing different weathering methods has

lengthened the amount of time the detail set took

to construct, but undeniably produced good

results. Before proper painting I decided to paint

a guide coat over the whole model. This first coat

consisted of Gunze H311, which is a light grey,

and H316, followed by a wash with Payne's grey

oil. The smaller details, such as hydraulic lines, I

painted with silver.


33

Following the instructions and after a few dry fits, I

started assembling the model. I didn't hit any

particular problems except for the alignment of

the vents. For the particular look I wanted to

achieve, I decided to line the inside and work on

the exterior side with the rest of the fuselage.

Using plastic that was appropriately shaped, I

glued it following the curvature of the fuselage,

and so I filled the gap that had previously formed

and, the second time, I smoothed everything with

abrasive paper and went over some details lost

during the process. At this point the model was

ready for painting. Across the whole model, I

applied a coat of grey ALCLAD primer, followed by

all the panel shapes for which I pre-

shaded with black opaque Gunze.

While looking at

pictures of the real aircraft, I noticed (as did my

friend Jerome) some inconsistencies between the

colours suggested by Hasegawa and the real

ones. This is because, looking at the pictures of

American Marines Harriers, the colours are the

same, except for the patch of dark grey (FS

36118), found on the back of the aircraft and not

present on this model, hence the decision to

adopt the colours seen here. We categorically

preferred to use grey (FS 36320 H307) for the

lower parts, and grey (FS 36231 H317) for the

upper surfaces and the radome in neutral grey (FS

36173 H53). In addition to this, we found that the

colour demarkation recommended by the

instructions was wrong. In actual fact, the line of

separation between the upper and lower surfaces

does not run along the fuselage, but instead

moves towards the wing behind the first nozzle,

only to reappear from the trailing edge of the

flaps. The back nozzles were painted with Alclad

jet exhaust and then a mix of orange, transparent

blue Gunze, matt black Gunze and Tamiya

powder pigments were used. After laying the

decals and polishing the final model, it was ready

for the various weathering mixtures made using a

combination of oil colours, Black, Umber and

Sepia followed by a coat of transparent Gunze

H20 that covers the whole thing and makes the

aircraft's colours opaque.


34

HarrierItalia


As can be seen from the photos, I worked with the

"Air to Ground" configuration, with the AN/AAQ-28

pod, laser-guided weapons and a pair of AIM- 9Ls,

but afterwards I changed my mind and, to liven up

the grey camouflage, I "loaded" the aircraft with

various weapons that added a touch of colour,

painting the LGB with a blue body and the dummy

Sidewinders in fluorescent orange, a great touch of

colour. I am very satisfied with this project, I added

another model with the Italian colours to my

collection, the model is not easy to create, but it

eventually surpassed my expectations.

35


Before fitting the completed nose I had to add the pair of oxygen hoses to thebulkhead and once again the excellent MDC flexible resin hoses allowed me toget a nice natural look.

I wanted to have the sliding cockpit windows open so i carefully drilled openand then trimmed the pair of windows leaving just the cockpit frames.

I used some transparent plastic from the Eduard blister packaging to makenew sliding sections. These and the other window parts were masked usingthe Eduard window masks, sprayed interior green and then Alclad Aluminium.

36

In this the eighth installment of

the B-17 build I was able to get the

last elements of the fuselage prepared for

paint and actually managed to get some paint

applied to the exterior of the model, definitely a

bit of a landmark! In the last Issue the nose was completed

and I was able to fit this to the rest of the fuselage, taking care

to get the best possible fit so that there would not be too much

work needed for a smooth transition with the rest of the

fuselage. I had to trim the Navigator’s table to improve the fit

and I taped the whole nose in position until it had set properly.

Before I did too much work on smoothing out the joints I taped

over the openings in the fuselage to prevent any sanding dust

getting inside. Despite this when I moved on to masking the

windows I spotted some specks attached to the inside on the

nose glazing so i was forced to remove it to clean them off -

not a good moment! Masking all the different glazing areas

was another long process, made easier but the good fit of the

pre-cut Eduard masks I was using. I also spent a lot of time on

replacing the areas of surface detail which had been damaged

by sanding with the curves between the cockpit spine and the

rest of the fuselage proving especially demanding. Eventually I

was ready to prime and start getting some colours applied!


The cockpit glazing is provided in three parts so getting it all aligned properlyis critical and it was here that I hit a small problem. Note the filled joint linesaround the green edges of the cockpit moulding.

I glued the sliding sections with white glue inside the frame before gluing thewhole assembly with the trusty Mr Cement S. Despite my best efforts therewere still some gaps to be filled around the window frames.

My subject aircraft did not have an astrodome, just a flat window so I used thekit glazing part to cut around to make a new flat glazing panel.

When I test fitted the frames I realised that the pilot’s seats were touching theframes leaving no space to fit the sliding open sections. Further tests showed thatthere was some give in the seat mounts so that they could be pushed inwards.

Moving to the tail now and the gun sight for the Cheyenne turretneeded some attention. The curved slot in the base plate wasopened up and I drilled out the solid support legs, added thesmall wheel and the electrical connection.

The next stage was making good the surface detail after the fuselage spine,nose and tail had been fitted, filled and sanded, resulting in the loss of detailfrom large very visible areas. It is something which amounted to several dayswork.

I used a P cutter to re cut the panel lines and the Rosie the Riveter 1:32 tool toreplace the rivets with this proving a perfect match for the spacing of the kitrivet pattern. A tedious but critical process for the best finished results.

I added the tinted orange visor and the cables wires that allow the sight to track with theguns using EZ Line. With this done the glazing was added.

37


The landing lights needed to be completed and the first job was to fill the jointline between the two wing halves inside the rebated light mount in the leadingedge. I used a rubber tipped brush to smooth the putty as it is impossible to

sand inside this small space. For the lights I began by spraying them withChrome Alclad but I ended up adding new lenses from the Resicast range fora more realistic look.

Following the lights I moved on to the supercharger pipework on the nacelles.Although the kit parts are nicely rendered I decided to replace them with aset of the Eduard Brassin resin replacements which are more detailed. They

take a little bit cleaning up with substantial casting blocks and they have tobe mated with the front sections of the kit parts which demanded someprecise cutting. The superchargers were not fitted yet to aid painting them.

The kit flaps were completely smooth so I added the missing rivetdetail using the revetting wheel.

The last bits of masking wereundertaken and the pre-cut Eduardmasks fitted the windows really well.I decided to remove the entireglazing from the top turret and built anew protective tube from plasticcard. During the clean up work onthe fuselage small flecks of sandedplastic had got inside the turret andwere stuck to the top turret glazingso removing it would allow me toclean this and make it easier to fillthe glazing panel lines.

38


The window frames around the waist guns and the tail were primed the Alclad Airframe Aluminium as this would be visible through the windows.

To begin prepping the airframe for paint I airbrushed a coat of Mr PrimerSurfacer diluted with the Yellow label thinners. I then used a foam polishingstick and Gunze polishing cloths to polish the surfaces.

The results were spectacular and the slightly satin finish of the primer waseasily transformed into this polished surface.

I was especially pleased that the fine surface detail was not clogged at all bythe primer and in fact seemed to help define it.

Areas where there were joints like the tail and nose were a particular concernbut the joint line here was entirely camouflaged.

The real problem area proved to be the seam line where the fuselage spinemet the rest of the fuselage. The Primer showed up some flaws and errors inmy panel line engraving. I also spotted this raised panel detail whichappeared in none of my references so I removed it.

The flush moulded circular inspection covers were replaced with new surfacemounted ones made from 10 thou plastic. You can see here the ongoing workto get the perfect transition between the fuselage spine and to properly blendthe cockpit windows with the rest of the fuselage. This was sanded, andprimed about four times until I was happy with it.

39


40

Another coat of Mr Primer Surfacer and things are looking good on this side ofthe fuselage at least! No signs that the spine has been mated to the fuselage.

Meanwhile on the other side, a clumsy attempt the secure the windowmasking that had started to lift resulted in this. I removed the sliding windowand decided to fit it at the end of the painting process. You can also see acouple of flaws in the panel line below the window that will need to be fixed.

Finally I was ready to move on with some painting The engines and theircowls were all separate to assist in the painting the heat-damagedportions of the nacelles.

The arrival of the new True Metal product from AK Interactive was prefectlytimed for my build. I conducted a few promising tests on scrap kits beforedeciding to try this on the B-17. True Metal is a paste which can bepolished to a very realistic finish and AK Interactive tell me that it can alsobe airbrushed using white spirit to thin it.

Below The fuselage with the True Metal finish looking very realistic. If youmake a mistake with your application, a damp cloth with white spirit willsimply wipe the surface clean so you can do it again. This meansweathering will have to be done with water-based paints. I tried sealingthe finish with Alclad clear coat but found it dulled the finish.

I began with the wings to see how best to apply it andin this picture you can see the inboard sectioncontrasting with the outer section which is still Alclad.

I began with a coat of Alclad Aluminium and this picture shows the fuselagewith the Alclad applied ready to start weathering or so I thought.


41The Project continues in the next Issue

This is my technique for applying the True Metal. The paste is not completelyopaque so underlying plastic will show through. A suitable undercoat istherfore required and I found the Aluminium Alcad ideal. I squeezed a smallamount onto a pallette.

Once the paste is roughly spread over the area and looks something like this Iswitch over to using my finger tip. Applying it just using a brush can give somegood tarnished effects where the base paint shows through but any lumps ofthe paste that have not been spread will be very obvious when polished.

The polishing action of your finger can also be used toblend the True Metal into the adjoining completedsections for a seamless finish. A soft cloth can also beused to enhance the finished shine.

Which is good because quite a bit of masking wasrequired to paint the Olive Drab rear fuselage andanti-glare panels. My subject aircraft ‘Little MissMischief’ was repaired by grafting on an older rearfuselage from ‘Wallaroo Mark II’ and also had areplacement outer port wing finished in the earlyOD/grey paint.

The results really are spectacular and the finish is resistant tohandling and can be masked without causing any damage.

Quickly spread the paste over the complete working section and then rub thepaste vigorously using your finger tip and moving in all directions. As you dothis you will see the surface start to change and the polished finish quicklyappears.

I used a wide flat brush to apply the paste, working small areas rather than thewhole wing. Work quickly at this stage to get an overall coverage but don’tworry about any gaps.


new releases

Wingman Models 1:48 IAI F-21A KFIR Another tasty release in the 'Superkit' series sees the usualWingman format of taking a modern tooled kit (from Kinetic in thiscase) adding a host of resin detail parts, photoetch and turnedmetal parts (from Master of Poland) and all topped off with decalsfrom Cartograf, basically all you need for an in-depth project inone box. Aside from the previously available base kit the resinparts include a full cockpit, wheels, exhaust, supersonic tank andantennas all cleanly cast and mastered. In metal theres photoetched details including HUD framing, ejector seat handles, AOAprobes and pitot tube. The decal sheet provides a choice of three

schemes for one US Navy and two US Marines Agressor schemesfrom the mid 1980’s and is of Cartograf's usual high quality, rightdown to the myriad of small stencilled markings for the airframe.A set of pre-cut paint masks are also included for tyres andcanopy and excellent instructions to guide you through the buildand full colour paint and decal plans. We really like the concept ofthese highly detailed 'out of the box project' kits which also offervery good value for money. www.wingmanmodels.com has detailsof their full range of Superkits which are available direct.44


WMF 48020 is a comprehensive conversion for the Kitty HawkDauphin kit to convert it to an IAF AS565 “Atalef” PantherHelicopter. There's a whole load of cleanly cast resin parts (mainlyconcerned with modifying the interior), a photoetched fret and adecal sheet providing all you need including excellent assembly

and reference photos in the instruction leaflet. Always a help witha helo' is a full set of pre-cut glazing masks which are alsoincluded. Take a look at www.wingmanmodels.com for details oftheir range of conversions and upgrades.

'Fix It' SUU-30 B/B Bombs contains six two-part resin bombs in1:48 with photo etched fins and detail and a comprehensive decalsheet to arm your latest NATO Cold War, 'Nam or even Yom

Kippur project. Quality is as expected excellent, making it a veryworthwhile detail upgrade, WMF 48021 is the code.

Master of the ingenious product, Uschi Van der Rosten have agreat new product for aircraft modellers. Three Green flexiblenose weight is a mouldable lead putty which as well as beingunnervingly heavy is both mouldable and tacky so you can justsqueeze a lump into the nose cavity of you chosen project toavoid the dreaded ‘tail sit’ It shouldn’t need any adhesive to hold itin position which makes the whole process very quick and simple.Next we have three different grades of elastic rigging line with

each set containing 45 metres of line on a nice metal spool. Thelines are all what I would describe as quite fine but they areavailable in ‘Standard’ 0.005mm, ‘Fine’ 0.003mm and‘Superfine’0.001mm. Obviously these are ideal for your biplanebuilds and the tiny size would be perfect for small scale projectsas well as being suitable for antenna lines and the like. Full details of these and the rest of the range fromwww.uschivdr.com

Wingman Models 1:48 IAF AS.565 Panther ‘Atalef’ Helicopter Conversion

Wingman Models 1:48 SUU-30B/B Bombs

Uschi Van der Rosten

45


The new 1:48 Viggen has been talked about for some time now,the good news is it's now released onto the market and certainlylooks well worth the wait. I think I'm correct in saying that MPMhave had some involvement in the production, thus the kit has aninitial feel of a modern Eastern European production. With eightsprues in grey and the canopy and light details in clear, themoulding and detail is impressive with some very crisp panel linesand thin edges. We're presented with a multi-part cockpit withnice relief control detail and ejector seat and a very nicely handledexhaust assembly with full intake ducting. Wheel wells featuregood detail and the landing gear captures the complexappearance really well, more complexity which has beenovercome by the kit's designers is the breakdown of the fuselagesections, with it's arrival just before going to print we haven't hadchance to do any dry fits as yet but everything looks verypromising. Surface detail is very crisp with fine recessed panel

lines and some very impressive moulding of the exhaust nozzle.Control surfaces are all moulded in position which may disappointsome but the various intake nozzles have been moulded withopen ends to improve the look of the finished model. Externalstores are restricted to the centre line tanks as seen on the boxart. Decals are well printed and very comprehensive covering fourschemes. If you're feeling brave the famous splinter patternshould look stunning and I'm sure the aftermarket guys willproduce some pre-cut masks. The other three schemes are themore subtle grey one that features on the boxart. The decalquality is excellent with full markings for smaller stencils, pylonsetc all included. An A3 guide sheet in full colour should help withcolours and markings. This is a really nice kit and will be mostwelcome by modellers of Cold-War subjects. Checkwww.tarangus.com for this and other Swedish subjects. 46

Tarangus 1:48 SAAB JA37 Viggen


Wings Cockpit Figures 1:32 Flight crew figures

Italeri 1:48 Mustang Mk.IVa

A new release from Italeri, but not a new kit, not a bad thing inthis case as this is the Hasegawa Mk.IVa with the bonus of sometasty new decals. The sprues show no difference from aHasegawa kit and with the bags carrying a 'Made in Japan' tagappear to be manufactured by them with the high standard ofquality you'd expect. The kit includes what you need to build aBritish 'K' (plus some leftover parts) with four versions of markingsfor RAF (one on fact RCAF) including a couple of exciting schemes

with the shark-mouthed No.112 Sqn in Italy and 'Dooleybird' ofNo.19 Sqn. proving Cartograf are still at the top of their game.Although not a brand new tooling this kit still holds it's own againstcontemporary competition with nicely detailed cockpit side-wallsand facia, beautiful surface detail and finely rendered wheel wellsand wheels. A good choice of ordnance is included which wouldmake this a very nice out of the box build with little fuss, very niceindeed.

47

We have more top notch additions to thegrowing range of Wings Cockpit Figuresdesigned to compliment your next 1:32 build,with some absolutely stunning sculpting. Webegin with (RAF 04B) which is an RAF fighteror bomber pilot 1940-42 with his parachutecasually slung over his shoulder and hecomes with a choice of heads with Type B orType C helmets and flexible resin cables forthe headset cables and oxygen mask. Hewould make an ideal companion for the newRevell Spitfire for example. Also compatiblewould be the second figure of a WAAFSection Officer in a crosswind (RAF 02C). Tonsof character again here and a real sense of a

bit of a chill in the air! Next is an RFC Pilotpulling on his gloves (RFC 10) with a choice ofheads supplied and pistol stuck in the top ofhis boot. Luftwaffe ground crew are next withthis chap (Luft 01B) who is designed to standon the wing of a Bf 109 while leaning on thefuselage, no doubt conferring with the pilot.The last figure (USN 01) is an early war 1941-43 US Navy Pilot resting against the propellerof say his Corsair? Again stunning sculptingwhich will make painting any of these figuresan absolute treat. These and the rest of the range are availablefrom the MDC website:www.modeldesignconstruction.co.uk


48

Mezek and TurbinaBohumir KudlickaPublished by Mushroom ModelsSoftback format, 112 pagesISBN 978 83 63678 08 1www.mmpbooks.bizThis heavily illustrated release in MMP's 'White Series' charts theservice of post-war Messerschmitts in Czechoslovakia, namelythe 'Mezek' Bf 109G and 'Turbina' Me262. As always, we can relyon MMP to present a wealth of period photographs, most of whichmost readers will have never seen before with some very excitingcolour schemes which would certainly make an interesting changefrom the usual Luftwaffe colours. As well as overall views of theaircraft there's some excellent close-up reference of cockpits,engines and a good selection of technical manual excerpts and

1:48 plans. Colour profiles are always a strong point from MMP, nodisappointment here with fifteen plus pages of top quality colourillustrations of modelling inspiration. The Israeli 'Avia S-199' hassome excellent coverage (being purchased from the Czechs) withsome great photographs and colour profiles. Development of theaircraft by the new owners is covered in detail making this anotherMMP 'one stop' great value reference which should prove apopular addition to the library of German aircraft enthusiasts.

If you have any small scale Jag GR.3s in your kit collection youmay well have these two sprues as this is the same kit marketedby Revell and even re-boxed by Tamiya and has been available forsome time now. As with most kits it has it's highs and lows but isconsidered a decent base if you want to make a few correctionsand if you get the kit for the commemorative markings you won'tneed to worry about arming your big cat (cluster bombs are poor).

Moulding is still good with decent surface detail, maybe not quiteas delicate as Hasegawa's offering in 1:72, but still acceptable forthe scale. Onto the decals which really are the feature of thisrelease, who better than Cartagraf to produce such a challengingscheme as this? Colours are strong and the blends excellentwhich is critical in small scale and will undoubtably make this avery striking subject affectionately known as 'Spotty'!

Italeri 1:72 Jaguar GR.3 'Big Cat' Special Colours


49

Eurofighter- 10 years in German ServiceBy Dr. Andreas ZeitlerPublished by AirdocSoftback format, 64 pages, German / English textISBN 3 935687 74 4

Bomber Aircraft of 305 SquadronBy Lechoslaw MusialkowskiPublished by Mushroom Model PublicationsHardback format, 192 pagesISBN 978 83 61421 80 1www.mmpbooks.bizAn illustrated history of Polish bomber squadron No.305'Wielopolski' is presented in this new release in MMPs 'whiteseries'. As always, MMP turn up a huge amount of unpublishedphotos to get the modelling juices going. The photos and colourprofiles are the focus of the book with excellent detailed captionstaking the reader through the night bomber colours and markingsthrough to the low-level specialist missions towards the end of

WWII. Aircraft covered are the Fairey Battle, Wellingtons, B-25sand Mosquitos with some excellent close-ups of crews andmaintenance as well as general views which have the colourprofiles of the aircraft in question alongside, a great referenceformat for modellers. Another great all-round reference fromMMP offering good value for money.

A very accessible history of the Eurofighter 'Typhoon' in Germanservice which is heavily illustrated with some excellent colourphotography of these elegant machines in action. Starting withpre-production and development descriptions then introductioninto the Luftwaffe, there's some very nice reference shots and thetext translation into English is very good. Just when I was tiring ofthe usual grey finished Typhoons along comes the section on

Special Liveries! There's some great inspiration for modellers withsome striking tail art and the complicated 'Tiger Meet' schemes,one that particularly caught my eye is the 400th Internationallydelivered aircraft with it's pixelated design in blue across the grey.A final section on arms provides some good reference images ofthe Typhoon's firepower with removed panels and underwingimages. Recommended to any Typhoon or modern Luftwaffe fan.


The Airbrush Company, Iwata Custom Micron CM-C Plus

50

There is no point in investing in a precision high end airbrush if it isnot kept clean. As we know keeping your brush clean is the secretto trouble-free operation but getting some of those small partsclean is no easy task. Fortunately Iwata have now put together adedicated Airbrush cleaning kit and a specialist cleaning mat(available separately). The mat has a lipped edge to stop yournozzle rolling off the desk and getting eaten by the carpet andcomes with a useful sectional drawing of the airbrush components.The boxed set contains a pack of cleaning wipes, a small bottle ofcleaning fluid, a pack of pipe cleaners, an illuminated magnifyinglens to inspect your nozzle and needle, a tube of needle lubricant,

a nozzle wrench and a set of three micro nylon cleaning brushes.The set also provides an illustrated guide on how to effectivelyclean and maintain your airbrush with useful tips on where andhow to lubricate the mechanism as well as everyday cleaningmethods. This is an excellent set which will be replacing mymakeshift home made cleaning devices immediately. Finally in thiscollection of cleaning materials is the Medea Airbrush Cleaner inthis handy spray handle bottle which can be used to clean out yourspray booth or to shoot a jet of cleaning fluid into the intake of yourairbrush!www.airbrushes.com

Iwata’s Custom Micron airbrushes are very much the flagshipmodels of the respected Iwata range and they have now beenimproved to make things that little bit better again! The newbrushes have a redesigned taller, more comfortable squarepattern trigger and there is also now a handy facility to store thecrown cap (the protective tip of the brush that protects the needle)by screwing it into the end of the preset lock at the rear end of thebrush. I mostly work without a crown cap on my brushes to avoidthe build up of paint and unforseen splatters that result, so a safestowage place is most welcome. The example that we have beentesting is the Custom Micron CM-C Plus which has a 0.23mmneedle teamed up with a generous 9ml paint cup. The rangeincludes three other models with different paint cup and nozzlecombinations to suit different requirements The brush has a MicroAir Control valve mounted under the cup which allows for very fineregulation of the air pressure rather that having to reach down toadjust your compressor you can quickly make adjustments as youwork. As soon as you hold the airbrush to know that this is aserious piece of kit with a precision feel to all the controls and avery smooth trigger action, offering just the right balance of

resistance as you pull back on the trigger. I wanted to see justhow it performed with what would be an everyday paint for merather than any specialist airbrush inks for example. I used someMr Hobby Aqueous Hobby Colour for this, mixing a couple ofcolours and using just water to thin them. I was a little scepticalabout how much better the CM-C Plus would be compared to myregular high end Iwata Hi-Line HP-BH but I could immediately feelthe difference in the operation, the control I had and the finesse ofthe results I was getting. Without any doubt i could appreciate thedifference between this and my regular brush and it ranconsistently throughout the entire painting session. From the redmetal presentation case to the anodised rear body this is abeautiful precision tool with results that reflect this. Obviously thisis reflected in the price but for those of us who strive for thehighest quality results after spending months of work constructinga model this is no doubt the sort of airbrush you would want to beable to utilise. Highly recommended. Full details of this and therest of the Custom Micron range can be found atwww.airbrushes.com

The Airbrush Company, Iwata Cleaning Mat, Airbrush Cleaning Kit & Airbrush Cleaner Spray


32088 24008

48271

48273

32087

72093 48269 48268

72094 48267

72096 32089

48272 48270

72095

Scale Aircraft Conversions

Scale Aircraft Conversions continue to add to thier range of whitemetal replacement undercarriage legs across all the main scales.Starting in 1:72 scale and set 72094 is designed for the new AirfixBristol Blenheim. 72096 is the Pj production Mirage III/IV, 72093offers two sets of gear for the Airfix Hawker Hurricane and 72095is designed for the Roden C-123 Provider. In 1:48 scale there is aset for the Revell Panavia Tornado 48270 and for the Kinetic SeaHarrier 48271. The Hobby Boss BV141 48267, Jet Provost 48268,

Kitty Hawk F9F Cougar 48269, Trumpeter F-106 Delta Dart 48272and finally for the Revell/Monogram F-4 Phantom 48273. In 1:32we have set 32089 for the Trumpeter F4F Wildcat, Wingnut WingsFokker D.VII 32088 and for Azur’s kit of the Romanian IAR-81C32087. Finally for the Airfix 1:24 Hawker Typhoon there is set24008.Full details of these and the rest of the range can be found atwww.scaleaircraftconversions.com

51


We have some new decal releases from Aviaeologystarting with a great set of markings AOD32010 part 2for 1:32 404 Squadron Beaufighters - perfect if you wantto tackle the re-released Revell kit. The set comes witha very comprehensive guide to the six different aircraftprovided on this set - half of a two part set that isavailable. The information provided is very detailed andincludes details of features and mods made to eachone. The 3 decal sheets in the set look superb too withperfect registration. To compliment this there is setAOD32S02 which is a full set of 1:32 Beaufighter stencilsand data markings. moving now to 1:72 and 1:48 wehave AOD72030 Venturas in Canada 1 and AOD48031Venturas in Canada 2. Some great nose art on both setsalong with all the relevant national markings and theusual comprehensive data sheets to guide you througheach of the selected schemes with ten on the 1:72sheet and nine on the other. Finally there is a usefulgeneric set of RAF & FAA 8” Aircraft serial numbers in1:72 AOD72C05. Visit www.aviaeology.com for moredetails of these and the rest of the range.

We have a mix of new additions to the fast-growing range of RBProductions upgrades and we begin with this excellent set ofphotoetched radiator grilles designed for the 1:24 Airfix HawkerTyphoon RB-P24007, these are a very visible feature and shouldreally add to the look of the finished model. To go along with thisRB-M24001 is a set of pre-cut paint masks for the Typhooncanopies. In 1:32 scale there are also masks for the Azur IAR80/81

RB-M32003 and suitable for this kit also is RB-P32038 which is aset of seatbelts with photoetched buckles and pre-cut paperstraps. Decals now and RB have a set of markings for RomanianRB-D48017 is in 1:48 and the set provides markings for a choiceof seven different aircraft. A colour marking guide is provided withbackground info on each aircraft as well as full colour references.www.radubstore.com for full details

Aviaeology Decals

Ammo of Mig Jimenez

RB Productions

52

AOD32010AOD72030

AOD72C05

AOD48031

AOD32S02

A handy boxed set of acrylic paints fromthe Ammo paint range, this one focussedon colours for IAF desert camouflage. Theset contains four colours, FS 36375 LightCompass Ghost Grey, FS 33531Middlestone, FS34424 Light Grey Greenand FS 30219 Tan. The colours are watersoluble and are designed for both brushand airbrush. Full details can be found atwww.migjimenez.com


54

1:32


55

FE.2BChema Martinez

Fernandez’saward winning

wingnuts project

early This project began to take shape during my firstvisit to Scale Model World at Telford in 2011, whereI found a couple of amazing books on this aircraft.As I was quite fond of WW1 subjects and fan of theWingnut Wings kits and their plans to release thisaircraft and the books I purchased I could clearlysee what my next project would be. Just over amonth after my return from Telford the WingnutWings kit was released offering two different, earlyand late, and unable to choose I purchased both!

I once had them in my possession I was able toenjoy studying each kit. The first step in this projectwould be the choice of the subject aircraft, andhaving studied the choices of decals I decided Iwanted an aircraft in plain linen so the early kit wasselected. Once I had decided on the model it wastime to plan the project, and following the trend ofmy recent work with models of this brand andgiven the high quality of its detailed interior andengine, I decided that these two elements will bethe focus of this project.


56

cockpit and interior As usual I started with the cockpit, and beforetouching anything I planned the detailed cabin tobe exposed by removing the fabric side panelsand the engine covers too. With this in mind Ineeded to take special care in detailing thecockpit inside and out, with little room for error.To make assembly becomes us not toocomplicated we will try as much as possible beguided by the instructions of the kit.I started by assembling and painting the radiator,fuel tank and the pilot’s floor and gave them awash with oil Sienna oils for a touch of dirt.

Thinking of the control cables for the rudderbar I added two rings at each end of thebar. At first I thought about leaving the kitside pulleys but I did replace them using apunch to three discs of 0.25 mm and 0.5mm sandwiching the smaller between thebigger two.

I continued by fitting the rest of the fuselagestructure in preparation for removing andcleaning the side panels from the fuselage,using dry fitted to check exactly whichareas should be removed. Once I hadassembled the structure i was able todecide which side to open up and thepanels were carefully cut away and cleanedup. The open wall had to be carefullysanded to thin it down to a scale thickness.A new internal framework was constructedfrom plastic card to replicate the framingbehind the missing panels. On the frontsection holes were drilled around the edgesfor the fabric stitching with correspondingbolt holes in the rear section for the enginecovers.

With the external details sorted I returned tothe interior which was now exposed. Pieceby piece I painted the interior panelsimitating wood grain, using an easy andeffective technique.

As the fuel tank was to beon show I decided toscratchbuild a more detailedversion from styrene sheetand strip.

My references showed subtledistortions in the nose cones ofoperational aircraft, I added thesecreases and dents by working into thesurface of the parts and blending withfine abrasives.


57

Since I wanted a light coloured wood I used a yellowbase with all parts painted in yellow in this caseTamiya XF -3. The variations and graining is appliedwith oils using different colours applied unthinned andthen a sponge is dragged over them to lift off the oilsand create the woodgrain. Keeping the patternsrandom and varying the colours will enhance thenatural appearance. Once you are satisfied with thegrain you have to seal the work with Tamiya Clearorange X - 26, and repeat over all the panels.

With the cabin and all the wood painted I wasable to detail throughout the interior. Thisrequires much photographic information ofthe real aircraft and a logical approach to thefunction of the different components.


58

powerplantThe engine will be an important focal point of this model, so Iplanned to take special interest in its construction. The enginethat is provided with the model is simply outstanding but still hasroom for some improvements, replacing some elements withscratchbuilt parts and adding on all the cables and pipes.I started by mounting the engine block and the cylinders, theoriginal spark plugs before cutting them off in place and drillingthem out with a 0.3 mm drill.

Spark plugs: Cut the originals and drill a hole. Stick a copperwire in place, this is trimmed and painted white, leaving the tipcopper colour and then add the power cable.

Based on photos of the actual engines in the kit instructions andusing logic, I added to the parts of the model itself with inlet fuellines, cooling pipes and electrical cables, all of which wasplumbed into the rest of the aircraft when the engine wasmounted in the fuselage.

The exhaust is enhanced by drilling out the ring of holes with a0.3 mm drill bit and is painted in XF -9 and then treated withoxides and black pigments .

Painting of cylinders: Alclad copper base.Filters: Humbrol copper. Orange Tamiya XF -53,XF -1 black (very subtle)


59


60

fuselage

I started painting the fuselage maskingeverything thoroughly. The first thing Iaddressed was painting the fabric panelson the fuselage side to mimic the wornpaint here I used the hair spray technique.

This technique is very easy and I startedpainting the area of fabric in a linen colour,in this case XF-55, and once dry I appliedhairspray over this area having decanted itinto my airbrush, so as to have the bestcontrol when applying it. I applied a fewcoats of the hairspray and then applied abase coat of the fuselage colour TamiyaXF-62. Once dry I used a stiff brush and

water to scrub the surface and randomlyremove the top coat of paint and exposingthe linen colour underneath. You cangradually build up the effect working insmall sections until you are happy with theappearance.

Once I had finished I masked this area andpainted the remainder of the fuselageusing a base colour of XF-62. Once thebase colour is on I always make tonalchanges around the frames and panel linesusing darker shades and this is followed bya lightened shade with a little yellow mixedin to lighten the centres of the panels.

These shading colours are always verydilutes and sprayed using a low pressurefor very subtle effects.

Using my own home made paint masks Isprayed the insignia on the fuselage andthen using 2000 grit ultra fine sand paper Icarefully rubbed them back to create aworn and chipped finish to the insignia. Theexception was the number ‘6’ on the nosewhich was done using the kit decal whichwas also sanded down to match the wornlook of the other fuselage markings.


61

wing structure

The final step of painting was to stipplesome oils using a brush dipped in solventand blending from top to bottom, followedby a touch of brown pigments with areasof chipped metal on the cowlings donewith a silver watercolour pencil.

The areas of fabric on the fuselage aremade from rolled metal foil with one piecehanging and the other tied up with strings.

For wheels used the hairspray techniqueto create the worn effects on the fabricwheel hub covers.

With all that had finished and theassembled engine installed, and all theplumbing and wires connected thefuselage, is at last staring to look like thereal thing.

The difficulty of painting the structure is thatit needs to have a wooden finish which withall the recesses will be tricky but notimpossible. I started with a base of XF-52and applied Earth Sienna and Yellow Ocheroils and with the help of forceps and a smallpiece of sponge I was able to create thewood texture effects. It was finished with acoat of sprayed Tamiya clear orange .To conclude the details of the wingstructure I painted black metal joints andsilver screws, and used a 0.2mm Rotringdrawing pen mark ribs to simulate the nailholes.

There are two details that will be key to thispart of the model, the first being themiddle part of the upper wing which willhave the fabric covering removed, thesecond is to create the transparent look tothe fabric and insignia, so I facedchallenges of construction and painting.

Let's start with the construction of thestripped wing. This structure would need tobe strong because it would need tosupport the weight of the outer wingsections so the basis are the two beams

that go from side to side will be 3mmbrass rod.

The second aspect will be the ribs, and Iwill need to make 11 identical ribs and twomore final ones with a recess to fit the restof the wings, The 11 ribs also have anopen internal structure. I used the kit wingas a guide to the dimensions of the theseparts with the ribs being 1.5mm wide, Idrew the profile of the rib and myphotographic references showed that theinside of the ribs was rebated. I made a

plastic master of one rib from Evergreenplastic and also with an allowance for thestringers with two 3mm holes in the rib forthe rods to pass through.

With this master rib created, it was nowjust a matter of making resin copies usinga silicon mould. The main beams of thewing are square not round so the brass rodwas passed through 5mm square profileplastic tube to give the correct appearancewith compromising the strength of thewhole assembly.


62

1

2

3 4

It's time to paint the rest of the wings in a dopedlinen which will of course be slightly transparent.

I started priming the wings with Tamiya greyprimer, and once the primer is dry I applied abase colour using Gunze H-313. with the lightcolour linen and the darker wood of the internalstructure I will have to create a finish that is theopposite of that which normally applies to thistype of aircraft in other colours. When paintingthe wings of any other colour biplane area of thefabric over the rib tends to be more clear so wewould normally lighten the base colour along theribs. In this case the ribs will do the opposite anddarken the linen.

1 Airbrush and freehand with Tamiya XF-52 Idefined all the ribs, in the case of the beams Ionly sprayed on the bottom of the wing.

2 Once dry paint I masked the ribs and sparswith 1.5mm tape.

3 I again sprayed the base gunze H-313 andremoved the masking to leave cleanly definedribs.

4 Now it integrate these I applied a thin coat of

H-313 over the whole wing without covering theribs, the ribs must be visible but subtly. To finishwith a base colour I lightened the center of thefabric between the ribs.

The next step is to paint the roundels on thewings and with the considerations oftransparency.

With the help of a compass cutter I made thecircular masks, XF-8 for blue, XF-2 white and XF -7 for red.

I then masked the ribs and we shaded with lightgrey over the white areas and again over the twoother colours with darker shades of the red andblue.


63

English aircraft do not have the typical round rigging wires,but use a flat type which makes rigging far more complexthan with round wires. I used 0.12mm fishing line, 0.5mmbrass tube and flat wire in 0.1 and 0.3mm.The spans were measured and allowing for the tensioningmounts it has to be at least 5mm on each side of the entirelength.

I cut two sleeves of brass tube 3mm long, which were gluedto each and of the flat rigging. This was done on all therigging wires at different sizes.

To fix to the plane first of all I had to add a tiny loop of 0.5mmwire to each point where a rigging line is mounted, glued withCA glue. At the end of each rigging brace a small length offishing line is inserted into the brass rod ‘caps’ and gluedwith CA again. Two more brass rod sleeves are cut off about1mm long.

To mount the rigging proceed as follows :• Insert the cap on the fishing line .• Pass the fishing line through the wire loop.• Re-enter the line into the cap .• Tension and secure with a drop of CA.• Repeat at the other end of the rigging line.

rigging and final assembly

Proceed with care and once set cut the excess thread and paintthe ends of the lines matt black.

Once I fitted the central struts had to paint and mount the tail,painted with the same wood techniques and rigged in the sameway. The control cables for the rudder and tail were added using0.16mm fishing line painted with silver spray paint.


64


65

FE.2Bearly

In short, this was a big projectand such a detailed modelrequires a lot of patience andthis one has been the mostcomplex of Wingnut Wingsbuilds but also the mostspectacular kit. It has beenexhausting work during thealmost 6 months building thiskit but definitely worth theeffort.


AIR Modeller 57

Documents

Transcript of AIR Modeller 57