The Supermarine Spitfire part 2 - A Comprehensive Guide for The Modeller

By any standards, the 27 litre, twelve-cylinder Rolls-Royce Merlin engine may be described as excellent, and will forever be associated with the Spitfire, despite powering other classic and well known aircraft such as the Hurricane and Lancaster as well as not so well known types such as the Defiant. However, the designers at Rolls-Royce were well aware that the Merlin engine, good as it was, had a finite development life. Shortly after the outbreak of war in September 1939, Rolls-Royce began development of a new engine, which was based on the Merlin. Later christened Griffon, the new engine also had twelve cylinders, but had a capacity of 36.7 litres with an output of l,700hp (l,267k\V) as compared to the Merlin II which powered the early Spitfire Mk Is of l,030hp (768kw). Naturally, such an engine would be larger, and consequently heavier, than its predecessor, but the genius of Rolls-Royce was such that the Griffon was only 3in (7.5cm) longer, its frontal area only 6% greater, and its weight only 6001b (272kg) heavier than that of the Merlin. This meant that the standard Spitfire airframe could accommodate the new engine, provided that the engine mountings were strengthened and the oil tank repositioned, and therefore a whole new branch of the Spitfire family tree could be conceived and developed to utilise it.

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The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II part 2 - A Comprehensive Guide for The Modeller

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom was one of the most successful post-war jet fighters and was the second most prolific American jet fighter to be built, outnumbered only by the North American Sabre. Total US production was 5057, with another 138 being built under license in Japan, and the Phantom remained in continuous production for 20 years from 1959 until 1979, and during the Vietnam War, 72 Phantoms were coming off the production line every month. It was on the 25th of July, 1955 that the Navy and McDonnell agreed to a detailed list of specifications for the YF4H-l,the forerunner of the Phantom. The aircraft was to be capable of staying on patrol for up to two hours at a time at a distance of up to 250 nautical miles from its carriers and was to be able to remain in the air for at least three hours without midair refuelling and carry a crew of two. Initially the aircraft was to be named 'Mithras' or 'Satan', however under government pressure the aircraft was given the less controversial name of 'Phantom II'. During its service it gained a number of nicknames such as 'Double Ugly', Rhino' and 'The Louisville Slugger' to name but three, as well as its acknowledgement for being the 'World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts'!

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Verlinden's Showcase No.5

The idea for this 200mm figure conversion came from a famous press photograph circulated in most newspapers around the world during the time of the Vietnam war. This picture with the title "Why"? was typical of the rising anti-war movement in America against the military operations in Vietnam. Except for the American Civil War, all other conflicts in which the United States was involved were fought far away in Europe or the Pacific during WWII. Until the '60s. only the weekly movie newsreels, which created the image of an enemy in the form of dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini were given to the American public. But all that changed drastically when television entered the homes, and the horrors of the Vietnam war were shown every day as evening filling TV programs. The photograph "Why"? is a perfect example of what created the anti-war movement, especially the pose of the soldier reminiscent of the crucifixion image being sacrificed for the sake of humanity.

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Verlinden's Showcase No.3

A fair amount of photo-etched jungle foliage and a set of VP Palm Plants was used to fill one spot of the base. Preparation of this back-drop took some time but it was worth the effort. The items used to fill the little encampment aside the M113 are listed on the previous page. Anyone who ever camped, be it in the army or otherwise, knows how messy a camp-site can become, especially in wartime. Note how the guns are kept within reaching distance. It still is best to paint the metal parts of the weapons with Matt Black whereas drybrushing with a Gun Metal mixture will enhance details. For the wooden rifle butts it's advised to use Burnt Sienna mixed with a bit of Raw Umber oil paint. Painting the naked torsos of the two men next to the M113 is quite challenging. Basically, it's the same as painting a face, but the areas where the oil paint has to be applied is a lot larger. Use a flat size #4 brush (which is slightly pointed) to blend the colors. To get a perfect blending it is important not to leave too much paint in the cavities of the body. Oil paint has a heavier consistency than enamels which causes a gradual buildup of paint on the figure. A thick, gooey layer of heavilly textured paint with ugly brush marks does not look so nice on a 35th scale figure. So, painting a figure is a matter of removing excessive paint rather than applying more paint.

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