Scale Modelling news, reviews, features and more...
ANYONE FOR COFFEE?
Kev Baxter tackles MikroMir’s 1/72 Canberra T.17 straight from the box and enjoys using AK Interactive’s lacquer-based paints.
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Björn Kågner is delighted with the simple construction of Tamiya’s recent 1/35 Valentine infantry tank, finishing the model to represent one of the thousands supplied to the Soviet Union.
WOLF PACK WARRIOR
With a package brimming with photo-etched metal and resin extras, Eduard’s limited-edition ‘Jugs over Germany’ is a one-stop shop for creating a 1/48 Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, as Richard Spreckley reveals.
ARMOURED CAT
Cristian Lupu goes Dutch with his build of Revell’s 1/35 Leopard 2A6NL, cladding it in standard NATO camouflage.
EYE IN THE SAUDI SKY
What happens when modellers attempt to re-create aircraft that were never actually built? Mike Grant constructs a proposed AEW project from Airfix’s 1/144 de Havilland Comet 4B and S&M Models’ resin conversion set.
THE FLYING BRICK
New contributor Oleg Makhortov is charged with NuNu’s 1/24 replica of the Volvo 240 Turbo – winner of the 1986 European Touring Car Championship race at Hockenheim, Germany.
BASIC BUILD: Das Werk's experimental Junkers EF-126
Garry Tobiss ponders three kits in one for a large-scale experimental Luftwaffe fighter: the Junkers EF-126 ‘Elli’, in 1/32 scale by Das Werk.
THE RAF’S CUTTING EDGE
Bringing supersonic capability to match Soviet MiG-15s, the Canadair Sabre was an important aircraft for the RAF in the early Cold War period. A 1/48 representation is the latest addition to Airfix’s fleet of early jet fighters, built here by Alan Price.
SPLENDID SABRE | IN FOCUS
The superlative Canadair Sabre was the RAF’s first swept-wing jet fighter. Malcolm V Lowe relates the story of this important 1950s warplane.
FIGHTER PHOTO STUDY
Books containing period images can be useful reference for modelling projects, and that’s the case with this work on the Luftwaffe’s Messerschmitt Bf 109.
THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!
In the first of its quarterly product announcements, Bachmann Europe has previewed a new range of classic Thunderbirds model kits to be released under the Adventures in Plastic (AiP) brand.
WRESTLING FOR CONTROL
This is the second in a four-part series covering air combat over the South Pacific during World War Two from December 1941 to September 1942.
FINAL OFFENSIVE
This evocatively titled hardback volume charts the Soviet offensive in western Hungary and Austria between March and May 1945, providing an almost blow-by-blow account.
SUPERSONIC POD BOMBER
Although the title suggests a focus on the units that operated the type, Osprey’s treatise on the Convair B-58 Hustler forms a comprehensive history of this supersonic bomber.
OUTCLASSED ON THE STEPPES
This is the first Tank Craft publication dedicated to the German Panzer III and focuses on its role in the invasion of the Soviet Union as part of Operation Barbarossa in 1941.
RUSSIA'S AERIAL HUNTER
For in-depth analysis of Soviet/ Russian aviation designs, few books can rival Crécy’s Famous Russian Aircraft series, with its latest volume providing a detailed study of the Mikoyan MiG-31 (NATO nickname Foxhound).
'RONSON' RESOURCE
Despite its ubiquity and popularity as a modelling subject, the M4 Sherman’s variations and modifications can be confusing.
BUBBLETOP THOROUGHBRED
The second volume in Schiffer’s Legends of Warfare series on the P-51 Mustang, this book covers airframes from the -D series onwards.
MIDDLE EASTERN EXPLOITS
Israel has a fine pedigree of operating the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and Strike Eagle; as such, this hefty volume dedicated to the type’s history will be of interest to many fans of this capable design.
BUILDING AVIATION LEGENDS
Those who have read any of Crowood’s modelling manuals will find the format familiar, with opening sections outlining suitable tools and equipment (including household items) plus discussion on which kits and scale to choose before delving into the subject matter itself.
ITALIAN GREYHOUND
MMP’s Orange Series publication is dedicated to the Macchi C.205 Veltro (greyhound) fighter aircraft – a development of the firm’s preceding C.202 Folgore.
DEMONIC FELINES
Platz’s F6F-3 Hellcat is a neat two-kit offering, with each comprising four styrene runners.
VIETNAM WAR DUO
The latest Dogfight Double Gift Set offers a MiG-17F and A-4B plus a two-position stand, nine pots of acrylic paint, two brushes and a tube of Poly Cement.
THREE'S A CROWD...
Kinetic’s 1/48 Israeli Aircraft Industries (IAI) Nesher is truly a ‘2-in-1’ product with parts to create both an ‘S’ single-seat and ‘T’ twin-position model.
ALL-NEW NARROWBODY
Russia’s new Ikrut MC-21-300 narrowbody airliner is the subject of this 1/144 release from compatriot firm Zvezda – albeit in the guise of the first testing/prototype airframe.
STYRENE SAILPLANE
As unpowered flight is a popular hobby and an important part of many pilot-training programmes, it’s surprising there are few kits depicting gliders; however, offerings such as Brengun’s new-tool 1/48 DG Flugzeugbau DG-1000S are addressing this gap.
LYING DOWN ON THE JOB
Released initially under the MPM label in 2013, Special Hobby’s lovely Prone Meteor is back.
LUFTWAFFE CASUALTIES
Released to celebrate 80 years since the Battle of Britain, Italeri’s 1/72 Heinkel He 111H contains beautiful Cartograf-printed markings for five schemes, but disappointingly, the styrene contents date back to 1976.
MANNED 'SEAGULL'
While some manufacturers include crew figures in a kit, ICM’s approach is slightly different, incorporating a separate set with its aircraft offerings, as with its I-153, which is augmented with the firm’s 32102 Soviet Pilots (1939- 1942) - best of all it’s just £2 more than the baseline product (32010).
TECH-TWEAKED 'TONKA'
Revell’s highly regarded 1/48 Tornado returns after a brief sojourn with Eduard and this new boxing depicts the Avionics System Software Tornado in Ada (ASSTA) 3.1 variant, in service with Germany’s Luftwaffe, and a new styrene Runner U is included for associated components.