Model Airplane International 02 2007

The kit comes in an end-opening box that is a bit of a pain but I transferred all parts into a lid type so it wasn't too bad. Whilst I did so I had a good look at the parts. The old ICM had a reputation for leaving a thick mould release agent all over the sprues, but I am happy to report that the new ICM kits don't suffer from this. All parts are well moulded with very nice engraved lines although some of the details can be on the soft side and the rear clear canopy for the older framed canopy was malformed. I hope this was an isolated case. With the bits in the box an E-3, 4 and 7 can be modelled as well as the tropical versions, obviously. The decal sheet was matt and there were some minor registration issues but looks good over all. To sum up the kit in the box looks very nice indeed but how does it go together. You wont be shocked to discover that construction started in the cockpit. The detail is good with nice depth to the sidewall details. Everything was painted Gunze Sangyo RLM 66, given a wash with Humbrol matt black and then matt varnished using Xtracrylics superb acrylic matt. All the bits were then given a drybrushing of light grey and paint chips were added with a silver pencil. I tried to add some Eduard seat belts but the lap straps failed to conform over the narrow seat. I may not have annealed them enough or perhaps I was having an off day so t decided not fo bother with them (my excuse being this is a from the box review!). The instrument panel and Revi gunsight were painted with Tamiya matt black and given a drybrush of medium grey and then various details were picked out with colour. I didn't worry about being too neat as I was modelling the box top desert machine and the clear mouldings for the 'square' frame are a single piece.

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Model Airplane International 01 2007

As usual, construction starts with the cockpit, and although I wish I could do otherwise, to do justice to Roden's courage to release the Mohawk series, my criticism starts right here. The real Mohawk cockpit looks quite crowded, but the kit one is rather basic and has some areas that need attention. The building instructions mention sprue F for certain parts of the instrument panel: that sprue isn't included in this kit and I have seen others mentioning this too, so this hardly seems a unique occurrence. But, in all honesty, the missing parts can be made easily from some plasticard. The overhead console sits too high, which will cause problems when adding the canopy glazing. Just make sure the top of the console is at the same height as the top of the bulkhead it's attached to and you'll be fine. The seats are too high as well and lack safety harnesses. By shaving off 1.5mm from the bottom of the seats that problem is solved. The missing safety harness can be made from lead foil or an etched set.

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Model Airplane International 11 2006

The aircraft he flew was a Ryan NYP (NY = New York. P =Paris), named the Spirit of St. Louis' in thanks for the businessmen of St Louis who funded its purchase. Modified from one of Ryan's current designs of the time, the NYP had a revised nose containing extra fuel tanks. It also had no windshield; forward vision was by means of a small periscope! The airframe was of metal and wood construction, covered with fabric, and due to the modifications the Spirit' had an impressive range of 4,210 stature miles. To date the NYP has only been released by three manufacturers: Hawk and Frog in 1:72 and Lindberg (how ironic!) in 1:48, this latter kit also being reissued by Glencoe around 20 years ago. Inside the box of this new tooling from Revell there are 49 parts moulded in silver and a clear sprue containing 3 parts. All are well moulded with good attention to detail. A nice set of decals is also provided, including a full set specifically for the engine cowl engine turned' or damascene finish. How authentic they will look well have to wait and see! Two pilot figures are offered, one standing and one sitting. The confined cockpit is well detailed but the addition of a few extra pipes wouldn't go amiss, although not too much will really be seen of this area even with the door open.

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Military in Scale 07 2002

The Royal International Air Tattoo 2002 will remember a leading British aviator when Europe's airshow takes off from RAF Fairford. Gloucestershire, over the weekend of 20/21 July. Commander Roland Prosper Beamont CBE, DSO and Bar. DFC and Bar died on 22 November 2001 aged 81 and. to celebrate the achievements of this remarkable 'nght stuff' test pilot. RIAT is planning a tribute flypast by an RAF Canberra flanked by a Tornado and Jaguar. The success of these high-profile aircraft owes much to the exceptionally talented Beamont. For three decades post-war. Bee was at the cutting edge of a race to create the new generation of jet aircraft. He was the first Briton to break the sound barrier, flying an American P-86 in 1948. and in the following year took the Canberra jet bomber on its maiden flight. It became one of the most successful British military planes of all time. still in service today over Afghanistan and elsewhere as a photo-reconnaissance platform. By 1954 Bee was test pilot for the PI Lightning, the first truly supersonic Bntish fighter, and on 27 September 1964 he was at the controls for the first test flight of the TSR2. the advanced supersonic bomber that was abruptly cancelled the following year. This u-turn remained the biggest professional disappointment of Bee's life. In the 1970s Bee worked on the Jaguar before his appointment as Director of Flight Testing for the Panavia Tornado front line jet - the final challenge of a long career devoted to British aviation.

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Military in Scale 09 2003

This month's Insight comes amid the usual post operation scrutiny that follows the deployment of British forces to any area of conflict, the volume of comment generated with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight has been staggering. The media frenzy surrounding the alleged misconduct of Lt. Col. Tim Collins was a case in point, hindsight and a lack of local knowledge coupled with the desire to sell newspapers override any restraint prior to soiling an officer's reputation. You have to wonder if individuals will want to serve their country if they will be subjected to such pilloring on their return from a hazardous operation? The performance of our personnel and indeed equipment has been second to none, the Challenger 2 must surely now be rated as the most effective main battle tank in service. An account of a Scots Dragoon Challenger troop action against a unit of Iraqi T-55s on the Al Faw peninsula makes grim reading; 14 British MBTs engaged 14 T-55s in open country - predictable result. 14 kills for the Challenger 2s.

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Military in Scale 07 2003

Having built FineMolds' excellent Type 1 and Type 3 main battle tanks I hoped the TK would prove to be of similar quality. I was wrong. If anything, the TK is even better. The kit is moulded in olive drab injection-moulded plastic, has glueable vinyl tracks and includes a very nice sheet of photoetch. What sets this kit apart is the way the plastic parts have been designed to work with the etch. I'll explain in detail later, but this kit has been created as a whole package, not just plastic parts plus photoetch as an afterthought. The standard of moulding is flawless. There is no flash, there are no sinkmarks, and the sprue attachment points, where appropriate, are generally on the least visible surface of the parts. The etch is easy to work with and is easy to bend to shape. There is no interior detail in the hull, although the driver's access hatch can be positioned open. The turret features full machine-gun detail, but this is not enough to let you position the turret hatch open without a figure to fill the void. With this in mind, I used Warriors' Tankette crew set. which is specifically designed to fit this kit. Regular readers will know that I like to throw aftermarket sets at my kits. As far as I know the TK doesn't have any, but even if it did I think I'd just stick with the kit parts, the model really is that good.

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Military in Scale 06 2003

If sou decide to super-detail your model with aftermarket goodies, it's best to plan ahead rather than retro-fit them. As I had already begun construction several years ago I was forced to carry out some remedial work to incorporate all the extra parts. The Eduard photoetch set tor the Bergepanther has some really useful details such as a new gun shield for the bow cannon and the correct-style spare track link brackets for the rear hull. This set is a must. The 2 cm KwK 38 was dressed up with a turned aluminium barrel from Jordi Rubio, and Friulmodel's late-type Panther tracks were used to replace the hideous items supplied in the kit. Small details were used in favour of the kit originals including a white metal ModelKasten Bosch headlight, resin Bergepanther towing cle-vises from Elefant. Panther tow shackles, also from Elefant, a Tamiya MG34, bracket and tools from the Panzer IV On-Vehicle Equipment Set, and hollow burnished metal exhausts from Moskit.

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Military in Scale 05 2003

I have been a fan of Military in Scale since issue number one. I can't claim to have kept all the issues, like many of your readers I am sure. I don't have the room to spare However, certainly the articles that I know I will refer back to I have kept, and I will say I not only read MIS, I also read the others. I won't mention them for unwanted publicity, suffice to say though that MIS is one of the best for overall content and subject coverage Military in Scale provides a great mix of aircraft subjects as well as armour, figures and the Navy. While you cannot please all the people all the time certainly the mapnty will achieve satisfaction every month from their purchase. I feel the feedback you receive is one of the best indicators of what modellers want. One of your competitors from the US does a yearly poll of its readers asking what they want to see in model form. A Japanese publication did the same One year the poll's top choice for a new kit was 1/72 scale Me 262; low and behold Hasegawa produced several kits seemingly on the strength of this poll Revell Monogram produced the Catalina in 1 /48. whether this was a coincidence or not is questionable, but a poll taken previously indicated that modellers wanted this aircraft in their collection. Another of your competitors' from the US run a monthly column with their wish list and its updates. Certainly I have seen some kits/models released from this list and I wonder if it is because the manufacturers take note.

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Military in Scale 04 2003

To date. 130 Gripen aircraft have been delivered to the Swedish Air Force, including the first aircraft (No. 208) complete with retractable refuelling probe, updated avionic systems and NATO compatible servicing connections and weapons pylons. Older JAS39A Gnpens are currently being returned to Saab at Lmkoping. for upgrade to the latest standard. With regard to exports, the South African Air Force programme is proceeding well, with Saab making every effort to fulfil its offset agreements in order to secure approval for the second batch, which will be mostly single seaters. A Hungarian Air Force leasing deal will also be concluded very soon, with Gripens entering HAF service from 2006 onwards. Efforts are also being made to resurrect the Czech Air Force Gripen order, which collapsed earlier this year following the disastrous floods in Central Europe, and to also efforts are being made to overturn a recent Brazilian fighter deal with Dassault - for the Mirage 2000-5. Brazil's newly elected President believes that the deal between Dassault and Embraer is not in Brazil's best interests and the competition for a new fighter aircraft may be re-opened in 2003.

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