AIR Modeller 2015-04-05

AIR 59 cover_Layout 1 10/03/2015 15:18 Page 1
59
APRIL/MAY 2015 6.50 UK $15.99
MENG AIR MODELLER
APRIL / MAY 2015
www.mengafvmodeller.com
DORNIERS ARROW
Kevin Futter builds the new HK Models 1:32 Dornier Do 335 B-2
AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 11/03/2015 09:50 Page 222
CONTENTS
2
Coming or Going?
Kevin Futter gets to grips with a test shot of the new
1:32 Dornier Do 335 B-2 from HK Models.
10
Bristol Beaufighter Mk.1c

Jamie Pastor models a heavily weathered RAAF aircraft
based on the 1:48 Tamiya kit
18
P-38 J Lightning
Master of Metallics, Michel Gruson tackles the Eduard special edition 1:48 kit.
26
Finnish MiG-21 BIS

Armour modeller Jari Hemila trys his hand at something with wings.
36
Big Bird B-17, Part 10

The Editor continues his build of HK Models spectacular 1:32 Flying Fortress.
44
Air Born
New releases.
58
Big-Buck Buccaneer Part 2

Andrea Vignocchi describes the painting techniques
used on his 1:72 superdetailed Buccaneer.
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Coming or going ?
Kevin Futter builds a test shot of the
new HK Models monster Dornier
Do 335B-2
The Dornier Do 335 was unique in the
annals of military aviation, being a twinengine aircraft of unusual push/pull
configuration. Featuring an elongated
fuselage with an engine at each end, it was
also one of the fastest piston-engine
fighters of WW2. It was conceived and
designed to fulfil a number of roles,
including fighter, fighter-bomber, heavy
fighter (Zerstrer), and extending to twoseat night fighter and trainer roles. Only 70
examples of all types were completed by
wars end, with none entering squadron
service.
The HK Models kit represents the heavilyarmed Do 335B-2 Zerstrer version of

the aircraft, which featured a 30mm
MK103 cannon in each wing, housed in
large, protruding fairings that were
characteristic of this variant. A third MK103
was mounted within the forward engine
block, firing through the spinner. When
combined with the two MG 151/20 20mm
cannon mounted atop the forward
fuselage, the resulting firepower truly
earned the description heavily armed!
The kit itself is something of a beast, being
large and highly detailed. Some parts, such
as the roof of the nose wheel bay, feature

an amazing level of moulded-in detail, and
require careful painting to do them justice.
The kit is also designed in a modular
fashion to accommodate other versions.
For example, the fuselage spine is a single,
separate piece, which can be swapped out
for the two-seat spine. Similarly, the large
cannon fairings for the wings are supplied
as complete, single-piece inserts for the
wing leading edges. As we will see, this
approach caused me a few fit issues
during the build, though some of these
issues were definitely self-inflicted!
This kit was an early test shot from HK Models,

and arrived without instructions, decals, photoetched parts and nose weights. It was also pulled
from moulds that were not 100% complete or
finalised, so I had a few challenges at the outset.
During the early phases of the build, I was able to
obtain some of the missing elements, and later
still, an example of the production kit, from which I
borrowed a few parts.
On with the build

My twin goals for this build were to stick as
close to out-of-box as practical, and to
showcase as much of that lovely internal
detail as possible. Working from an early
draft of the instructions, I started by building
up and painting the internal structure for the
fuselage. I mainly used Mr. Metal Color for
the wiring and plumbing, as it brush-paints
very nicely, and can be polished with a
cotton bud for a more metallic effect. Better
still, stray brush strokes can be cleaned up
with a pointed implement. In my case, I use
the eye-end of a sewing needle, where the
end of the eye has been cut down to form a
lopsided U shape.
Its fine enough to do the job, but no so

sharp that you risk digging it to the base
paint layer. As an aside, I also use this tool
for placing CA glue.
The next phase involved the cockpit, which
by Luftwaffe standards was relatively
spacious and highly visible, so I was keen
bring out its best. I started with the seat,
which itself is made up of several
components, and it was here that I had my
first deviation from a strict out-of-box
approach. The production kit comes with
some photo-etched harnesses, but I had
yet to receive them at this stage of the
build, so I elected for a set of HGW generic
Luftwaffe belts. This turned out to be

fortuitous, as they are vastly superior to the
kit offerings, and are a real focal point in the
cockpit.
I took a relatively austere approach with the
main cockpit tub, beginning with a base
coat of Mr. Paint RLM 66. This turned out to
be too dark, and lacks the characteristic
blue tint of the real paint. To compensate, I
gave it an unusually heavy dry-brush with
Vallejos Model Color White. I would
normally dry-brush a dark base colour with
RLM 75, which produces some nicely subtle
highlighting, and is quite difficult to overdo.
The extra contrast afforded by the white
worked very well in this instance though,
and really helped lift an otherwise drab
cockpit tub. Details were picked out with
various shades of Vallejo acrylics. The final
touches were a couple of cockpit placards
from airscales AS32 SCH set.
The next task was to tackle the rear engine,
as it needs to be installed prior to the
fuselage spine being fitted. The two engines
are largely identical, and can actually be
assembled and painted at the same time.
The engines are highly detailed, and I
elected not to add anything to them, other
than some airscale placards on the coolant
tanks.
With the engine completed, I was able to
combine all the sub-assemblies that
comprise the main internal structure, and
then begin working on the remaining
fuselage internals. This consisted mainly of
the rear ducting, rear bulkheads, and the
rear propeller drive shaft.
The level of moulded-on detail is amazing!

The internal structure and details for the fuselage
coming together. Mr. Paints RLM 02 has been
used throughout.
The completed cockpit

tub, mounted atop the
nose wheel bay.
The assembled rear engine. Each engine

is made up of around 20 or so parts.
The main internal structure

completed, and test-fitted into the
port fuselage half. The JH Models jig
is very handy for these situations!
The red bands on the

blue cylinders are from
some spare red decals.
More fantastic moulded-on detail, this time on the

rear engine firewall.
The internal nose weight fitted into one half of the

forward engine.
Painting the engine block started with a primer coat

of Mr. Surfacer 1200, followed by a base coat of Mr.
Paint Base Black. This was highlighted with Mr.
Paint RLM 66, then a wash with Paynes Grey oil
paint, and finally a very light dry-brushing with Mr.
Metal Color Aluminium (aluminium).
Details and moulded-on pipework were picked out
using Mr. Metal Color Aluminium, with the coolant
tanks and additional piping airbrushed with Tamiya
AS-12. Straps and fasteners were painted with
Mr. Metal Color Dark Iron.
The backing part for the instrument panel was

missing from my test shot, so I cut the supplied
decal into three parts, ready to be inserted into the
rear of the panel.
This is what it looks like from the rear. Note that
the decals remain on their backing sheet!
I fabricated a rough backing sheet for the panel,
and added instrument bodies from styrene rod and
tube.
Aside from the seat harnesses, the only

other part on the photo-etch fret is a small
grill for the rear ducting, and it was at this
point that I decided to put the build aside
and wait for this part. I believe that this was
ultimately a mistake, as I suspect this grill in
part caused my subsequent fit issues, being
around 1mm too tall. I eventually dealt with
this by removing as much material as I
could from the internal bulkheads, so that I
could push the fuselage spine more-or-less
into place. Next time Ill either reduce the
photo-etch grill, or leave it out altogether!
be too heavy for the tiny mounting lugs to

keep it attached to the firewall, but testfitting proved my fears to be unfounded.
My test shot was missing the backing piece
for the instrument panel, to which is applied
the instrument decal, so I had to improvise.
Rather than fabricate a replacement
backing piece and risk getting the decal out
of alignment, I decided to cut the decal up
into its constituent panels, and fix them
directly into the rear of the instrument panel.
I then fabricated a rough backing sheet for
the panel, and added instrument bodies
due to the preliminary nature of my kit was

the rear propeller spinner. It was malformed
at the tip in my test shot, and needed some
remedial work. I used the part from the
production kit as an exemplar to work from.
The annular radiator face in the forward
engine cowl is devoid of any detail, so I
decided to stray yet further from the out-ofbox path and spice it up. I cut some
templates for the curved shapes using
Tamiya masking tape, and then laid them
over some Tasman stainless steel mesh
(Super Fine), and carefully cut them out.
Once the delayed nose weights had arrived,

I proceeded to assemble and finish the
forward engine, which offered no surprises.
With the internal weight fitted, I was a bit
concerned that the engine assembly would
from styrene rod and tube. Lastly I added

some wiring to the rear of the instrument
bodies, as they are visible through the
windscreen on the finished model.
Another area that required some extra work
They were applied to the model with CA

glue, which is unfortunately visible in a
couple of spots. It still looks much better
than the bare plastic however!
I decided to add some MDC

manufacturers stamp decals to the
insides of the open cowl panels.
Some judicious shortening of the internal

bulkheads, plus a little bit of shimming, sees the
fuselage spine sitting as intended.
The wing roots needed shimming in a couple of

areas too. The fine surface detail is evedent in this
shot and features throughout the kit.
The wing leading edge inserts required some

shimming with styrene strip to achieve a gap-free
fit. Note again the delicate rivets. fasteners and
panel lines.
Realistic RAL Colours

Moving on to the wings, I was pleased to
find that assembly was largely
straightforward and trouble-free. I did
discover though, that the leading edge
inserts required some shimming to obtain
a gap-free fit. I found some Evergreen
styrene strip that was perfect for the job. I
had to perform a similar shimming job in a
couple of areas at the wing roots too. Early
on I had decided to build the M13 airframe
with the extended wing tips, so these were
fitted at this stage as well.
Once the rear empennage was installed, I
gave the model a couple of light primer
coats with Mr. Surfacer 1200, and repaired
the inevitable blemishes.
The distinctive teardrop in the canopy is

well moulded as are the frames and rivet
detail making for an easy masking job.
I took the opportunity with this build to test

the relatively new Mr. Paint range, and
ordered their RLM 65, 70, 76, 81 & 82
colours. I decided I would choose between
RLM 65 & 76 for the lower surfaces once
Id seen each colour applied to the model.
The Mr. Paint RLM 76 seems to represent
the less-common, late-war sky green
version of the colour, and feeling that this
wasnt appropriate for a Do 335, I elected
to use their RLM 65 instead.
While planning the paint job, a friend
brought to my attention the fact that the
undersides extended wing tips on M13
were actually left unpainted, with the panel
and rivet lines puttied over. I went with the
bare metal, but decided against replicating
the puttied lines mainly out of laziness!
The rest of the paint job consisted of a

standard late-war scheme of an 81/82
splinter camouflage on the upper surfaces,
and RLM 65 on the lower surfaces. Im not
a big fan of pre-shading, and rarely use it
these days, preferring to find more organic
ways of breaking up the finish. Im still on
this journey, so I kept things pretty simple
with this build.
The next phase started with an airbrushed
coat of Florys Dark Dirt wash. Removing
the excess left the exquisite surface detail
nicely highlighted. This was followed by a
couple of light coats of Future floor polish
in preparation for decalling.
The kit decals are by Cartograf, and are
excellent. I did have some minor silvering
due to inadequate surface preparation, but
I really cant fault the decals themselves. I
sealed the decals with a couple of light
coats of Tamiya X-22 Gloss Clear, in
readiness for the next stage: oil dot
filtering!
Mr. Paint RLM 65 applied to the undersides,

with the wing tips in natural metal Tamiya
AS-12 in this case.
The upper surfaces received the standard
late-war splinter camouflage of RLM 81 &
RLM 82, again using the Mr. Paint colours
I decided to trial the relatively new Mr. Paint
range of colours for this build.
Oil dot filtering is a method of breaking

up the monotone nature of a paint
finish, and involves adding dots of
artists oil paints to the surface, which
are then blended in to create a subtly
variegated patina. I made the mistake
this time though, of experimenting with
Crimson; it turned out to be much too
strong, even after blending, and I had
to remove most of it. This left the effect
so subtle that its barely noticeable, but
this is preferable to one that looks
overdone.
After a flat coat, I added some
strategic paint chipping with a silver
pencil, but kept it pretty light, as my
aim was to create a used-but-notabused look.
Spotty! This is called oil dot filtering, and looks

quite ridiculous prior to being blended.
Midway through the process of blending the oil

paint dots. It looks like a Monet painting at this
stage!
The finished result, fully blended. Due to the

dominant effect of the Crimson, I had to remove
most of it unfortunately. Even so, it has still created
subtle variations in the finish.
All that remained was to add all the small

components, and fix all the separate
panels in their open positions. This turned
out to be trickier than I imagined for the
front engine panels, as I couldnt get the
support arms to meet their respective
mount points at both ends, and ultimately
had to fake it. This is the only part of the kit
that I was dissatisfied with, and next
time Id replace the support
arms with aluminium tubing.
Conclusion
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this kit and look
forward to building subsequent versions.
The high parts-count and high level of detail
make for a demanding build in places, but
the finished model has a substantial
presence.
Now, where to put it?
he extreme weather conditions in
Port Moresby, mostly the sun and

the tropical rains, and the
numerous raids undertaken by
these aircrafts meant that they had a very

worn appearance. The upper camouflage
turned quickly, and in a few weeks it was heavily
faded.
The aircraft which I have built in this article - serial number
A19-34 - was delivered to New Guinea in its original RAF
colours of Dark Green, Dark Earth and Sky Type S. Once
there, it was allocated with the letter J which was painted
over the original code letter.
This Beaufighter, belonged to 30 Squadron, operated in
New Guinea from 1942 to 1944. The climate, heavy use
and the lack of replacement parts meant many repairs
were required in the case of this aircraft, four times
before the moment that I have represented, just
before having a forced landing on March 22, 1943.
After this new repair, it was repainted using the
Australian Foliage Green and it received a new code
letter: LY-D.
The kit
To build the Mk.Ic version in 1:48th scale the best
option is to adapt the Tamiya Mk.VI. The quality of
the kit is excellent, but it lacks interior detail and the
some details for the undercarriage and wheel wells.
This is not a problem but an incentive to build and
improve them from scratch.
It is important to have drawings and scale plans to show the
Mk.I features, because there are several variants according
to the variations in armament and the series production.
10
Modelled by Jaime Pastor
A19-34/J, 30 Sqn RAAF, Port Moresby (New Guinea), March 1943
Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Ic
11
After reviewing photos and drawings I chose to

rebuild some cockpit parts such as the radio
operators seat and its structure using plastic sheet
and rods.
The main cockpit has added a pair of details

which will be visible through the transparent
parts: a small lamp and the open/close
mechanism for the lateral window.
12
It is important to thin the seats with sandpaper. A

good idea is to add seat cushions - modelled using
putty. The belts were made with paper and
photoetched belt buckles by Extratech.
The radio operators dome was cut from

the fuselage and I added the interior
structure with plastic rod and the locks with
metal plates. After that the transparent
must be masked inside and out.
The kit viewfinder must be replaced, I built one with

transparent acetate sheet.
Is worthwhile to improve the main undercarriage. I used plastic rod of

different thickness and a lot of patience to place them in the right
positions. This photomontage shows the four sides of the finished main
undercarriage.
I wanted more interior detail, it should be enhanced a little. However, with

references and patience it is easy to do.
Both the copper wire and plastic rod are fundamental to detail the cockpit,
you should choose them according to the situation.
There is a big gap in the rear fuselage wall at the wing root which would be
visible. It is important to cover it. You can make the cable bundles by
interlacing two or three thin copper wires.
There are a lot of instruments scattered around the cockpit. To make the
circular rims I used thin cooper wire shaped around a rod of the specific
diameter, then cut using a sharp blade.
Before the main interior

colour I applied a
generous black layer as
primer. After that, the
Interior Green must be
airbrushed from the top
so that the primer could
to make the shadows
and emphasize the
interior structure.
After airbrushing the main colour, I

brushed the small elements, such as
boxes, dials, pipes and tubes with
Vallejo Model Color mixed with Agama
acrylics. To enhance the elements you
can mark the edges with a light grey
and the recesses with a thin line of black
or apply a dark wash interchangeably.
The instruments panel has been painted
with different grey shades and the dials
have a small drop of glossy varnish.
Finally, a dry-brush emphasizes the
elements.
13
The main peculiarity of the Bristol Hercules

engines is that the exhausts were oriented to the
front and they are centralized in the cowling. I
made the exhausts with plastic rod 0.75mm
diameter.
First I applied a light coat of primer to show any

flaws, then I airbrushed a black layer and using the
dry-brush technique I painted the cylinders. Finally
some weathering was added using pigments.
The Mk.Ic version had some differences from the

kit, you must study the plans to correct the panel
lines and the empty shell case chutes.
Another nice modification is to place the control

surfaces in a different positions. Using a sharp
blade you can separate them carefully in order not
to damage the pieces. I used the Mk.VI horizontalstabilizers instead of buying an aftermarket. The
Mk.Ic ones were shorter and completely horizontal.
The base colour for the undercarriage is a

metallic-grey made by mixing aluminium and grey
from Agama. I brushed the different elements,
then a black wash to enhance the details and
finally some mud splatters and paint chips.
To simulate the weighted effect on the tires I

sanded the base and filled the sides out with putty.
The climate conditions mean that the tires were

very worn, for that reason the tire colour should be
lightened and heavily dirtied.
Despite the size of this model it is worth investing

time to rivet it, the result is much more eyecatching.
I added some thick pipes to the wheel-wells using electical

flex and a small circular cover.
I applied the same painting techniques utilized in the
cockpit, but keeping in mind the heavy weathering.
Some putty and sanding was required to join the main parts cleanly. Notice that the exhaust
14 collector were painted in bronze colour with Agama Metallic Paste.
The first painting step is one of the most important: the

primer and the preshading. It should be slightly visible at
the end of the process.
This Beaufighter A19-34 was delivered in the RAF original colours Dark Green
and Dark Earth for the uppersurfaces and Sky Type S. I airbrushed them
freehand with Agama colours.
If you dilute the paint with around 90% of solvent you can airbrush several
semi-transparent layers without hiding the pre-shading effect.
Before the markings I painted the both patches where the J letters have to
be placed, this time in Australian colours Foliage Green and Earth Brown. The
maskings were drawn in Tamiya tape and cut with a compass-cutter. I used a
sharp brush to paint a lot of marks along the panel lines randomly, focusing
the effect on the movable panels.
The base colour is ready, so a gloss varnish coat serves to place the decals,
(only the serial numbers) and to mark the rivets and panel lines using black oil
washes.
The undersurfaces have the same painting process. The matt varnish reveals
the final colours, it is important to apply several thin layers in order not to flood
the surfaces.
Finally the maskings of the transparent parts were removed, the engines, its
covers and the main undercarriage placed in their final position. For gluing the
transparent parts I use white glue which creates a flexible union without messy
residues.
15
Several photos show that the exhaust

stains were very dark and they cover a
large area. I added them by airbrushing
different dark shades and using black
pigments.
I airbrushed the engine cowlings with a semi-transparent layer of dark grey over the bronze coat in order
to simulate the black colour as if it is heat damaged.
16
The Mk.Ic did not have the well known porcupine exhausts. I build the new ones with round tube and
painted them as if they are rusted. Using AK effects I added some heavy fuel stains just on the
starboard engine.
Conclusions:
I am very satisfied with the result that I have achieved
on this aircraft, I think that the paint effects are
appropriate, However I made a mistake with the
cockades on the undersurfaces. I found a new photo of
this aircraft showing them but too late for me to change
them.
17
Lightning
This limited edition kit by Eduard is basically the original

Academy kit with the addition of Brassin resin parts, a
photoetch set and a magnificent decal sheet to allow
the modeller a couple of striking schemes,
both in the European Theatre of Operations.
My choice was the P-38J-25 serial n 44-23677, "Little
Buckaroo", mount of Major C "Buck" Rogers who
commanded the 392nd FS and who gained five kills in a
single mission when he destroyed Junkers 52s while on
a straffing operation. The natural metal airframe was
achieved with my tried and tested RubnBuff method
producing realistic and pleasing results with subtle
shading and weathering.
18
1:48
Michel Gruson
19
The cockpit is composed of many delicate

resin parts and is a pure joy to assemble.
Interior green, Gunze H-58 is the dominant
colour, some dark washes are used to
create shadows and the final touch is a dry
brush with Naples yellow oil colour to make
all the details stand out. The cockpit does
not fit very well and a lot of trial fits and

sanding are necessary to get the proper
alignment. Similar difficulties are to be
found around the wing roots and the nose,
and, once again, the goal being to use a
minimum of filler.
The wing joints are improved with many
Lots of dry-fits and sanding are required to

get the cockpit to fit, only then can you enjoy
painting all of that detail.
Thin metal foil is better suited

than rigid photoetch to detail the
area around the superchargers,
rivets can be added after the
piece is in place.
20
coats of Mr.Surfacer after masking the

surrounding areas to avoid filling in and rescribing any surface detail. Assembling the
booms went pretty well, I choose to
replace the photoetch parts from Eduard
around the superchargers with aluminium
foil, riveted once in place.
The Academy kit lacks finesse in some areas, like for instance the moveable parts
of the boom radiators. It is not difficult to remove the kit parts and to built new ones
using aluminium from a drink can. Each radiator flap is equiped with the moveable
arm made from streched sprue. Once in place, a coat of Mr Surfacer allows and
final prep to be made and provides a safe key for subsequent colours. The
photoetch grilles are easily put in place and the numerous scoops on the front part
of the engines are hollowed out and detailed.
Eduards decals were applied straight to

the buffed metallic finish with the aid of
some Micro-Sol setting solution.
Weathering and shading was mostly
achieved with pigment powders.
The front undercarriage leg is a bit basic

and is crying out for more details. The
double "U" is made from copper wire,
the flat photo etch parts being useless.
The retraction arms are replaced with
streched sprue. Not too much work is
necessary on the main landing gear but
brake lines and clips bring detail to
another level. Brassin resin wheels come
with a separate hub and makes the
painting process a real pleasure. The
wheel bays are equiped with their photo
etch parts and more tubing and wiring is
added to simulate the numerous
hydraulic lines before spraying the whole
area with Interior green. Some oil
washes give the bays the worn look
found on operational aircraft.
21
The whole kit is covered with Rub 'n Buff

using a finger for the large surfaces and
brush for the hard to reach places. Then
using a soft cotton cloth, the whole model
is polished to give the realistic Aluminium
shine.
Anti glare panels are painted after
masking with many light sprayed coats of
olive drab, first heavily tinted with yellow
until we get to pure OD.
Decals are put in place direct onto the
buffed finish and fixed using Micro-sol.
To break the monotony of the aluminium
finish, some panels are masked and
lightly sprayed with Tamiya X-19 to
darken the metal shine.
Prop blades are first painted gloss

black to make the decal process easy,
tips are sprayed X-19 from Tamiya.
22
An aluminium dry brush and some

dark pigments are followed by a Matt
varnish spray. Following a colour photo
of the plane the spinners are different
colours: Black and Yellow for the right
one, natural metal for the left one.
Now comes the hardest part of the process:

Rub'n'Buff does not like turpentine washes, so my
only option was to use dry pigments from CMK,
removing the surplus with a soft rag.
Light and dark tones are then sprayed without being
systematic. The areas closest to the ground receive
more attention.
Once the compressors were painted and weathered
they were put in place and the long trails of exhaust
staining duplicated with Tamiya X-19 and light
beige. Around the engines some fluid stains are
simulated with a fine brush and some water diluted
pigments. To add further realism some matt varnish
was airbrushed in some selected places to break
the monochromic effect of the aluminium.
The lateral canopy glass was replaced with some

thinner clear acetate, the right side being fully open
while left side is only half open. Landing gear check
mirrors are made using chrome ink with the MGs
replaced by the turned brass set from Master and a
piece of tube used for the cannon. The final finishing
touches such as landing gear doors, the antenna and
the canopy roof were all put in place bringing another
enjoyable project to a close and the unique P38
added to the collection.
Fuel and exhaust stains give a realistic

and used appearance to the Lightning.
Pigment powders help enhance the
panel lines and surface details.
The anti-glare panels were airbrushed
in gradual layers.
23
Lightning
24
25
BIS MG-138
26
Jari Hemila
takes a break from modelling armour and

enjoys his first aircraft project since his childhood
The last flight by a Finnish Air force MiG-21 BIS was flown by flight
commander Yrj Ylli Rantamki on 7th March 1998 with MG138. For this last flight Mr Rantamakis nickname Ylli was
marked on side of his plane with day-glo orange tape. The MiG is
now part of exhibition at the Military Aviation Museum in
Tikkakoski, Jyvskyl.
My friend who works at the Military Aviation Museum, asked me to

make a model of their MiG-21 BIS. At first I took it as a joke, but
then after few days I decided to take the challenge and build an
aircraft, the first one since I was a child! The modern plastic kits
are amazingly good, and Eduards MiG-21BIS is no exception. For
example, fit is so good that you can put parts together and then
add some liquid glue, no clamps were needed like in the past!
Anyway, I moved out of my comfort zone and this is a short story
about how I did it my way, as an armour modeller.
27
cockpit and preparation
28
As always, aircraft model painting starts

early with painting the cockpit. I used a
very light grey mixture of Tamiya paints
diluted with lacquer thinner. This light grey
paint dries quickly and works as primer for
the cockpit and it is also base colour for
wheel wells. The details were picked up
with different colours as per kit instructions.
The weird looking Soviet cockpit colour
came from Russian company Akan. This

colour matches quite nicely to pre-painted
Eduard photoetch parts. Akan acrylics can
be both brushed and airbrushed even
without diluting them. I painted two or
three thin layers and got a nice, satin shiny
surface.
Next step was to give a dark general wash
and for this purpose I used AKs dark
brown Nato wash diluted with some

turpentine. The weathering was completed
with chipping. With a small paintbrush and
tapping motion, Tamiya aluminium did the
job well. After taking some pictures, the
fuselage halves were glued together with
the subassemblies in between, and with a
satisfactory fit.
The paintwork started with different precolours. At first I painted green avionics
panels and antennas with Tamiya Flat
green. Next I mixed some yellow with
green and with this mixture airbrushed
some highlights on antennas. Lacquer
thinner diluted paints dry quickly so I
masked green areas at wings just after I

cleaned my airbrush.
The next step was to primer paint all bare
metal areas with Alclad Gloss black base.
This heavily thinned primer is ready to use
in your airbrush and it dries quickly. After
cleaning my Iwata, I continued right away
with Airframe aluminium. The metal effect

is amazing and so realistic!! I work
normally only with matt colours on vehicles
but these attractive metal colours make
me want to use them again!
under-covering
The underside base colour was a 50/50 mixture of Tamiya Sky

Grey and Matt White. Paint was diluted with the yellow cap lacquer
thinner about 50/50 and then airbrushed on the bottom and sides. I
prefer to use Yellow Cap because you dont need to paint your
model with separate primer paint, the solvent has a good bite.
Next step was to paint highlights. I added few drops of the base
colour to white diluted heavily, (90% thinner) and lightened the
panels one by one.
After the highlights it was time for shadows. Light grey was easily
shaded with XF-24 Dark grey straight from the jar but again
heavily diluted. Using some paper masks, masking tape and
freehand airbrushing, shading was applied completing the
dimensional appearance of the underside of the MiG.
Looking at my references, the

exhaust takes on a warmer yellow
tone. I found Pale gold good for
this effect. More contrast will be
added during later weathering
stages.
29
top-side
Upper surfaces still required some
preparation. First, a soft edged border
between the light grey and green was
made with Blu Tac rolled and pressed
softly to the surfaces. The chipping effect
on top of the fuel tank was done with the
Hairspray technique. I decanted some
hairspray into the cup of the airbrush and
then sprayed it over areas painted with
airframe aluminium. Airbrushing is much
more controlled way to use hair-spray than
the spray can. The faded green base
colour was a 50/50 mixture of Flat green
and Khaki from Tamiya.
For highlights 50% Desert yellow was
mixed with 50% base colour and then
diluted heavily. Highlights were painted like
the under side, panel by panel.
30
The right wing is in original Soviet green/

black camouflage. To produce this, at first
the fuselage was covered with masking
tape and then the black camouflage areas
were masked with rolls of Blu Tac. Wingtip
areas were painted without any masking.
Highlights were applied as in earlier steps
and after the paint dried, the right wing
was masked for protection.
Brown camouflage areas were masked
again with Blu Tac rolls. The root of the left
wing required a harder edge so it was
masked with masking tape.
Brown areas were painted with XF-10
which I found just perfect for the base
colour. The base colour was lightened by
mixing 50/50 base colour and Desert
Yellow. This mixture was thinned heavily
with 90% thinner and all panel centres were

then highlighted with this mixture.
The brown colour required more lightening
so I thinned Desert yellow with 90% thinner
and airbrushed some panels even more.
After masks were removed, I made one
more round and lightened some green and
brown panels until the faded and aged look
was to my liking.
Painting was completed with shading. I
made mixtures of XF-10 75% and XF-1 25%
and thinned it heavily. With this mixture, I
painted panel borders and seams, some
areas were painted freehand but mainly I
used tape or paper masks. This step made
paintwork lively and really gave a lot of
interest and depth.
The canopy frames were masked and then painted with a light brown colour
mixture. The anti-slip coating on the wing roots was made by painting with matt
Nato Black masked with Tamiya masking tape. I used high pressure & dilution to
get some structure and shading, avoiding an unrealistic flat colour.
The Nato black base colour areas were lightened with XF-24 concentrating in
middle of the black painted areas.
The fuel tank area at the roof was chipped now using warm water and stiff
bristled brushes, the top coat lifts in random patches from the coating of
hairspray.
Once dry the whole model was airbrushed with satin varnish ready for decals.
Detail painting was done both with airbrush

and paintbrush. Navigation lights were first
painted with Citadels Bolt Gun silver and
then colorised with Tamiya clear paints.
White RWR antennas were painted with an
off white tone.
Ylli has low-visibility markings and
because there arent any available for the
Finnish Mig-21 Bis, they need to be made.
My friend Ville helped me out and

produced the markings. These markings
consist of finnish blue-white cockades on
six positions and registration numbers. The
lynx emblem earlier had a white cloud
background but the white was overpainted
when new low-vis markings were applied,
at the same time the lynx lost his eye! I
used Eduards lynx and cut the white cloud
away. Decals were applied with the help of

Tamiya decal solution. The day-glo orange
Ylli text was made up from parts of a
Midnight hawk decal sheet.
31
extreme weather
Some controlled paint chipping was

still needed. This was done
traditionally with #000 paintbrush by
tapping motion.
The detail painting was sealed with
overall layer of satin varnish to
prepare model for weathering
stages.
The fibreglass nose cover is from

modified kit part D80. I shortened
and sanded it to cone and then
glued it onto plastic disc. The part
was next covered with Mr Surfacer
500 with a tapping motion giving
some rough fibreglass texture to it.
Locking handles are made of
copper wire. The cover was painted
brown with a couple of hairspray
layers followed by dirty brown and
The upper side cockades and nick-name text are very

sunburned and faded. This effect was achieved by fading
blue and orange areas with Vallejo Model colour white
washes. It took few attempts before results were good
enough. Underside markings appear nearly new and the blue
is much more brighter so no white wash was needed.
32
green acrylic paint layers. After the

paint was dry, I made several
scratches with the tip of some
tweezers and moistened the cover
with warm water and made chips
with hard bristled paintbrushes.
Before the cover was superglued to
fuselage, I put an RK 62 7.62mm
bullet inside , it works perfect as a
nose weight!
The weathering started with a dark brown

general wash. I thinned Wilder Deep
Shadow wash and applied it quite heavily
on detail and panel lines, then let it dry for
few minutes. With soft round paintbrush
moistened with clean turpentine, I removed
the excess. On horizontal surfaces this was
done in the direction of airflow and on
vertical surfaces streaked downwards.
The process was repeated with an even

darker wash. When making streaks on the
sides, you need to move you paintbrush up
and down otherwise you will clean
everything away. I repeated this process
several times, until I was satisfied with the
effect.
To add even more dirt and interest to
paintwork I used Adam Wilders speckle
technique. You load a stiff bristled
paintbrush with heavily thinned paint and
spray colour by flicking a finger over the
bristles. It works nicely on dirty AFVs but it
can also work on aircraft with more subtle
tones. I thinned washes further flicking
these thin mixtures to the model surfaces
starting with Deep shadow and following
with Dark rainmark wash.
There were some out-of-scale drops during

these steps but they were easily removed
or faded with another softer, clean
turpentine moistened paintbrush. This
technique gives a lot of extra interest to the
paintwork and softens previous paint layers
and gives a realistic appearance of dirty
surfaces. You have to remember that drop
size is the key, they have to be like a mist.
Test the viscosity of the diluted paint before
speckling it on your masterpieces visible
surfaces!
One of the final touches was to add some
chipping in middle panel of the left wing.
The area was masked and chipping was
done with both sponge and paintbrush .
This area was retreated with the speckling
technique to fade it to a more natural look.
33
All I needed now was to make some detail touches like

adding oil and grease stains to the landing gear struts and
adding final parts like the pitot tube and canopy in their
places.
My first aircraft model was done!
Im happy with results but there are still some issues!
Anyway, I enjoyed the project, it was nice to do something
different to AFVs, even if I used techniques Im familiar with
and which maybe are not so well used among aircraft
modellers.
Maybe someday Ill build another one, until then, happy
aircraft modelling!
34
35
As the project nears the end now I

moved on to some of the more fun
weathering aspects of the project, with
the distinctive wing stains and the
weathered finish for the exhaust system
and at last Little Miss Mischief had her
undercarriage installed.
I could not find any accurate decals for the fuel filler markings or the walkway
markings so I drew my own markings on my computer and printed them onto
decal paper. I tested the size of the markings on paper first as seen here.
I had to cut out the individual decals to apply them but they worked well
applied directly to the True Metal finish. Boeing and Vega built B-17s painted
Walkway stencils rather than the black lines along the wings.
The advantage of designing your own decals is that I was able to fade them
rather than having pure black lettering the faded grey and red was less stark
on the expansive wings.
Before moving on to the exhaust stains I applied a dark oil wash to the olive
drab areas of the nacelles.
36
I began work on the exhaust stains on the undersides of the wings. Working
from archive photos I used a thinned mixture of Gunze H343 Soot mixed with
a little brown to start building up the stains.
Greys and browns were then worked over these to give the more opaque finish of the
exhaust stains.
A common modelling error is to have exhaust stains flowing from the air
vents on the wings, whereas in reality the clean air flow from these disrupts
the dirty stains from the engines leaving these strips clean. I began by
cutting strips of blu tack to mask these areas.
In fact once I started spraying with the same Gunze Soot mixture I found it easier to
remove the masking and worked freehand. I was using an Iwata Custom Micron airbrush
which allowed me to have pencil line control of the sooty stains. I gradually built up the
intensity but I decided against the really filthy finish seen on some B-17s and I copied the
pattern from an archive photo. Left I also dirtied the front of the nacelles under the
cooling flaps and the vents running around the nacelles.
The finished stains on the left hand wing showing the clean strips behind
the wing vents.
Another feature of the B-17 is the flow of the stains on the right wing which are
disrupted by the propeller wash and are bent inwards towards the fuselage. I
used the same techniques to replicate this working again from archive photos to
get the distortion and the density of the stains correct.
37
Time for a quick test fit of the wings with the fuselage
and the kits clever interlocking system provides a good
snug fit, allowing you to keep working on the wings as
individual pieces which is vital given their size. Even as
separate parts they are quite a handful on the bench!
Left I also applied staining to the

underside of the horizontal stabilizers,
the position of these means that it is
only the undersides that are
discoloured.
Right The exhaust system incorporating
the superchargers was the next job and
I began by spraying them with a dark
grey / brown mix.
A light dust of a sand shade was sprayed over the base colours and I then started applying washes of
Lifecolor acrylics over the base and using a big brush to lift off the colour wash in certain areas to give a
mottled finish. I restricted the colours to greys, browns and pinks to match pictures of the real things.
38
The washes were built up until I was happy with the look and then I added some selective dark oil washes to pick out the details and some small spots of
rust on the manifolds which were blended and softened using a brush moistened with thinners. Black pigments were used to add the sooty finish around the
exhaust and supercharger outlets.
Test fitting the exhaust parts into their locations allows you to gauge the suitability
of the finish.
I was really pleased with the look of these parts with the heat damaged finish
contrasting with the polished finish of the surrounding areas.
I did not install the exhausts yet as I still needed to work on the nacelles with oil
streaks and stains.
At this stage I was also working on the propellers, beginning by spraying the
yellow tips on top of a quick base coat of white.
The tips were then masked and the rest of the propellers were sprayed with
Gunze gloss black and the Kitsworld propeller decals were applied.
Just like the rest of the aircraft the propellers were a mix of colours with a polished
metal and red boss as well as black. I sprayed a matt varnish and applied an oil
wash to give a weathered look to the propellers.
I couldnt resist dropping the finished blades into position on the engines to see how
they looked. You can see the polished metal effect on the leading edges of the blades
with was brushed on using Uschi van der Rosten polishing powders.
Disaster strikes! In handling the huge wings and despite working on

a cushioned surface I managed to scuff the exhaust stains on the
left wing. This will have to be repaired and blended in later.
39
I started to add various oil streaks and stains around the nacelles using a mix of
Lifecolor Tensocrom Oil and Smoke. These are semi-transparent colours and can
be blended or feathered with water without harming the metal finish.
I used a broad flat brush to feather the stains from the vents on the nacelles,
taking into account the airflow over the wing when doing so.
The buildup of different densities of streaking all adds to the realism of the
finish.
40
In preparation for fitting the engines I applied an oil wash of Engine Oil (if
that makes sense) to the radial engines and finally glued the cowlings in
place. Just as with the nacelles I added some dirty streaks and stains to
the cowlings too.
Oil streaks can be built up with several layers if required and I also mixed in
some regular Lifecolor paint to increase the opacity or colour tone where
required.
The same colours were used to outline the details on the nacelles and to add
streaks and stains around features like the teardrop-shaped fuel tank sump fairings.
The same effects can be seen on the upper surfaces of the nacelles and the
effect of the airflow can be seen here.
The engines and cowlings were finally glued into place - I was glad to have
numbered each of them to avoid any mix ups between the almost identical parts.
Even at this late stage in the project I found myself adding some missing details,
in this case the three identification lights situated under the fuselage behind the
ball turret. They are mounted offset from the centreline and I marked their
position in pencil before drilling some 3mm diameter holes. I was careful to avoid
drilling right through the fuselage so that debris would not fall inside. I used a
punch and die to make 3mm discs from 10 thou plastic which were glued in
place, and slightly recessed in the fuselage.
I painted the discs with an aluminium colour before adding transparent orange,
green and red over this for this finished effect.
Time at last to fit the undercarriage which was of course all pre-painted and
simply needed to be fitted. I had to adjust the massive peg of the undercarriage
main wheel strut as it was a very snug fit, but thats what you want to support this
enormous model.
The wheels were glued in place and allowed to dry with the aircraft sitting in
position to ensure that the flat spots on the tires were correctly positioned.
Once the wheels were fixed I was able to

connect the brake cables from the leg to the
wheel hub.
41
The Project continues in the next Issue
new releases
WMF 48026
WMF 48028
WMF 48029
WMF 48022
Wingman
WMF 32006
New releases from Germany's Wingman Models

'Fix It' range of resin and photoetch detail and
conversion sets. Starting with 1:48 WMF 48026 is
a set of wheels for the Fouga Magister, WMF
48028 is a big set to tool-up an Israeli project
with Kfir and Nesher air to ground arms with
bombs, racks and pylons and the same six 500lb.
Mk.82 bombs in set WMF 48029. WMF 48022 is
a set of four beautifully detailed Cluster Bomb
Units, decals are included as common with the
other sets as are detailed instructions. In 1:32 the
same design of Cluster Bomb Unit is offered as a
pair in WMF 32006 and a tasty conversion for the
big Tamiya F-4E providing the slatted wing
sections and actuators for later versions of the
F/G Phantom II. Casting and detail is first rate in
the range with good reference and clear
instructions. www.wingmanmodels.com
AMMO of Mig
Some new sets from AMMO grouping popular
subjects in sets of four commonly used airframe
colours in 17ml plastic bottles with internal
agitator ball to aid mixing. Thin for airbrushing or
brush straight from the container, acrylic colours
have now gained a massive following.
7201 is U.S. Navy Colours (or lack of colour with
four shades of grey!) and more greys with 7202
to suit U.S.A.F. aircraft of the modern era.
7203 is four 'UK' colours to suit British subjects
from 1950s to present and 7204 for the Russian
MiGs and SU aircraft.
A great rage of acrylic colours and weathering
products specific to aircraft are over at
www.migjimenez.com.
44
Wingman 1:48 Israeli Air Force KFIR TC2 Trainer

Another addition to Wingman's 'Superkit ' series, and super they
indeed are with the basic sprues provided by Kinetic and a huge
amount of resin upgrade and conversion parts offering superb
detail, turned metal parts by 'Master', pre-cut canopy masks and
a huge decal sheet by Cartograf; what's not to like about these
combination kits? The Mirage based conversion gets a whole new
2 seat cockpit section (complete with Mk10 ejector seats and
instrument facias), front wheel well, pronounced nose, exhaust,
supersonic wing tanks, LAU-7 missile railsbasically everything
you'll need straight from the one box. Kenetic's kit still looks nice
and will require some major surgery and competent modelling to

let the resin into place, excellent instructions are included with
clear drawings and detailed text for every step of the build. A nice
touch is the inclusion of a spare vac-formed clear canopy to
compensate for any frustrating mishaps (we've all been there)
The decal sheet covers every Israeli Squadron that operated the
aircraft until the early '90s, a fitting finishing touch to an excellent
production from Wingman, www.wingmanmodels.com has plenty
to tempt the serious modeller!
45
KA Models 1:48 Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6 & G-10

Renowned for their upgrades and accessories, Korea's KA Models
have brought to market a couple of 1:48 full kits in the form of the
ever popular Bf 109. Although these two kits are considered new
they are in fact the Fujimi offerings from the 1990s which carry a
decent reputation. Kit 001 is a G-6 specifically ' Red Tulip' from
1943 and kit 002 is the G-10 'Rita' from '44, both kits do also
include an alternative set of markings. The tooling may have been
refreshed as moulding is very clean throughout, these kits always
The Second World War in the Air

in Photographs
Louis Archard
Published by Amberley Publishing
Softback, 128 pages each volume
www.amberley-books.com
46
This series started a few months back and

continues to release chronologically the
story of WWII air warfare illustrated by
period photographs. A really interesting
selection of images have been chosen and
are complete with captions providing a
good generic overview month-by-month as
the war unfolds throughout the World. Of
particular note are the colour image
sections (around thirty in each volume)
some are familiar but others new to us.
Many of the photographs show the
devastation caused by aircraft on the
ground with propaganda images of the
time. Very little in the way of modelling
reference but a good collection of historical
images.
look to be very simple builds with good detail, maybe not as crisp
as perhaps Zvezda's 109s in this scale but nice nevertheless. A
small etched fret and turned brass antennae are nice additions
and the attractive presentation with low cost should make these
popular additions to the project pile. A good solid base kit for the
wealth of aftermarket parts available for the original Fujimi release.
www.ka-models.com
MA 32010
MA 24001
MA 32009
MK1 Design Upgrade Sets

Mk1 Design are a range of upgrade sets from KA Models with a
few new releases to tempt you. These sets are really
comprehensive and beautifully presented featuring photo etched
frets (including pre-coloured instrument panels) turned brass
parts, white metal parts and resin upgrade parts. In 1:32 MA32009 is for Hasegawa's P-47 and MA-32010 for another popular
U.S. subject, Tamiya's Corsair. If you were tempted by our recent

feature on Airfix's giant 1:24 Typhoon, what about this fantastic set
featuring turned brass rockets, individual ammo, gun barrels and,
unusually, white metal propeller blades amongst all of the
photoetch and resin. Very high quality upgrades, check out
www.ka-models.com
The Israeli Airforce in the Yom Kippur WarFact and Figures

Ra'anan Weiss
Published by IsraDecal Publications / Wingman Models
Softback 192 pages
ISBN 9783935 687997
www.wingmanmodels.com
A seven year labour of love has certainly payed off for the author
here with this incredibly detailed study of the War that is a major
part of Israel's history. A day-by-day study of every major
operation including tables of aircraft involved, time and squadron
along with losses and the fate of the crews involved. Hundreds of
photographs are very specific to the actual aircraft involved that
day. To allow the amount of images most shots are small format
but enough to provide modelling reference as the quality of all are
very good with the bonus of some nice colour images and dozens
of colour profiles. Each image has an in-depth caption allowing
modellers to date and place a specific project aircraft should they
wish. This in-depth study is a must to any enthusiast of the IAF,
not just a selection of images but an insight to every squadron's
action backed with tables, lists and maps offering a
comprehensive knowledge very nicely presented. Highly
recommended.
47
Italeri 1:48 Harvard Mk.IIa

A re-box of the pretty T-6 Texan (French companies Ocidental and
Heller originally releasing this kit if we're not mistaken) with a
fantastic selection of finishing options. The kit itself stands up well
against more modern tooling with some very decent detail
throughout and little clean-up before the simple assembly. Nice
touches are the detail on the R-1340 Wasp radial and a plug-in
cockpit area featuring sidewall frame and control detail. The multipart large canopy lends itself well to adding some detail to the
cockpit which will be easily viewed on the finished model. The

beautiful large Cartograf decal sheet is the star of the show
offering six schemes from six different countries with RAF and
RCAF in their striking signal yellow with more attractive colourful
finishes for Italian, Swedish, Belgian and Dutch aircraft. Even if you
already have this kit to build from it's earlier releases it's worth
picking up this boxing for the decals alone.
On The Wings Of History, The Vintage Aviator

Collection, Revised Second Edition
Allan Udy and Alex Mitchel
Published by The Historical Aviation Film Unit
Softback A5 format, 193 pages
ISBN 9780473 255916
www.aviationfilm.com www.thevintageaviator.com
48
It's no secret we're massive Wingnut

Wings fans (those who aren't, please
leave the room) and many Great War
flying fans will be aware of the Kiwi
connections between WnW and the
restoration / manufacture of the machines
by The Vintage Aviator. It's staggering to
see the work that goes into these aircraft,
to see them live in flight must be really
something else, but if you have to settle
for second best, video footage and
photography against a backdrop of the
stunning New Zealand landscape is
certainly something to savour! The book
covers all of the present aircraft from the

collection in their latest colour schemes,
the majority of which are available as
Wingnut kits. Along with some stunning
in-flight images and static displays there's
some great information and close-up
details along with some very attractive
colour schemes to help you make your
mind up for the finish on that next
project.This little book is really packed to
the gills with beautiful images and
information, my only gripe? if only it was in
a larger format, highly recommended
nevertheless.
Italeri 1:48 Wessex HAS.1

It seemed an obvious move for Italeri to release the HAS.1 version
of their well received Wessex. We first took a look at this kit in it's
HU-5 guise back in issue 49 and it's been nice to see plenty built
around the shows and on-line since, it's certainly a great looking
model in 1:48. The immediate differences are of course present
on the HAS.1, mainly around the nose and exhausts (be prepared
for a little sanding and filling around the nose sections, no big
deal). We're reminded what a great out-of-the-box build this is,
really nice detail and a simple construction, a great kit if rotor

aircraft isn't your usual thing and you fancy a change. A photo
etched fret provides a worthwhile lift in finesse with instrument
facia, seat belts and various grilles and you could really go to town
on the cabin interior and cockpit. Decals cover four RAF versions
with schemes as diverse as dayglo orange and Navy blue to a
sand and green camo from HMS Bulwark, Borneo 1962. Another
welcome version which is sure to be popular, very nice kit indeed.
Italeri 1:72 MC.202 Folgore

A straight-forward re-release here from Italeri, nothing new and
exciting to report except this is still a very nice kit of this beautiful
Maachi fighter, certainly designed with Italian flair but unfortunately
more FIAT than Ferrarri in combat performance. As one would
expect from a fighter in 1:72 theres very few parts involved and
assembly out of the box is a simple affair, what parts there are
have been well tooled and moulded by Italeri although there are
some very slight sink marks which may or may not show post-
paint. Surface detail is nice and fine providing a worthy basis for
some extra detail work or aftermarket parts.
If your eyes are still up to the task theres the stylish Italian camo
patterns to tackle; a real challenge to get right in this scale. Two
marking options are offered (85a and 356a Squadriglia) the decals
being nicely printed. Our thanks to The Hobby Company for
keeping us up to date with Italeris new kits to the market.
49
Blackburn Buccaneer
Willy Peeters, Glen Sands and Andreas Klein
Published by Double Ugly / Wingman Models
Softback 65 pages, English and German text
ISBN 9783935 687317
www.wingmanmodels.com
If you've been inspired by our beautiful Buccaneer feature this new

release is in good time, and what a cracker it is! Branded as 'Fox
Two Modelers' Essentials' this is an out-and-out modelling
reference with the majority of the pages providing detailed walkaround photographs of exactly what you'd want to see with
unprecedented access to two aircraft preserved in a 'fast taxi'
condition by the Buccaneer Aviation Group of volunteers. Along

with the reference detail there is a gallery of images of the aircraft
in service and some historical background. The quality of the
photography throughout is excellent, this is one of the best
presented books of it's type we've seen in a while, all we need
now is a new kit in 1:32! Highly recommended.
Kawasaki KI-61 Hien / KI-100

Leszek A. Wieliczko
Published by Kagero
Softback, 116 pages
ISBN 9788364596 155
www.casematepublishing.co.uk
50
Kagero's Monograph series presents modeller's with excellent

reference, this is number 58 and there's more of the same on
offer for fans of the radial and piston engined Kawasaki. A
welcome addition are two pull-out A2 sheets of very
comprehensive plans of both aircraft in 1:32 with superb detail.
The book takes the reader through design and development, the
operational history, colours and markings and data tables of
production all illustrated with period photographs. Most of the
black and white photography is of 'full' aircraft although there is a

handful of close-ups providing visual reference for detailing. A full
selection of plans in 1:72 and 1:48 details production changes and
a grande finale are the eight pages of colour profiles which
Kagero produce just some of the best illustrations in the business.
Another one-stop affordable reference, those large format plans
and the quality of the profiles make this a must for Japanese
fighter fans.
14418
24009
72102
32093
48279
48280
Scale Aircraft Conversions
New releases from SAC starting small in 1:144 is set 14418 for the
Great Wall Victor, in 1:72 is 72102 designed for the Special Hobby
Vautour. Two sets in 1:48, 48279 for Hasegawas P-40 and 48280
for Trumpeters Westland Whirlwind with improved main gear
detail.
In 1:32 32093 is designed for Kitty Hawks OV-10 Bronco and in
1:24 Airfixs huge Hurricane gets a sturdy set of legs with set
24009
The parts are all cast in soft white metal allowing fine positional
tuning and detail is enhanced and corrected where neccessary.
www.scaleaircraftconversions.com has details of the enormous
range. www.scaleaircraftconversions.com
Revell 1:72 MiG-21 F-13 Fishbed C

Another outing for the beautiful little Fishbed C from Revell, a
simple but superbly detailed kit which makes a great small-scale
out of the box build. Rivet detail in seventy-second is a tall order
indeed but Revell are at their best here with as good an attempt
as any manufacturer could make, add this to the fine panel lines
and weve top marks for surface detail. The build starts with the
multi-part ejector seat and well detailed cockpit with some nice
inserts for the wheel wells. Exhaust petals could benefit by some
thinning or aftermarket resin. Lots of fuselage detail and some
excellent landing gear has some demanding small components

but the pay-off of course is some great finesse. A good choice of
ordnance and belly tank make for a busy underside, again, rich in
detail. More detail with the small decal sheet offering two options,
USSR Air Defence Garde Rgt. 1961 and the aircraft flown by
Germanys first cosmonaut Sigmund Jhn. Great kit, even better
value. Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model
retailers. For details visit www.revell.de/en
51
Polish Wings 18
Bartlomiej Belcarz
Published by Stratus /Mushroom Model
Publications
Softback, 72 pages
ISBN 978836 3678142
www.mmpbooks.biz
The Polish Wings continue with number 18 focussing on betweenthe-wars French aircraft Breguet 19 and Farman F68 Goliath. As
usual we're presented with plenty of previously unpublished
photographs of the subjects with high quality colour profile
illustrations along-side with detailed captions and excellent
research. There's some inspirational geometric schemes shown on
the Breguet which would make beautiful models but may try your
patience with the masking tape (especially in 1:72!) The Breguet is

the main focus of the book with around fifty pages of history,
period images and profiles (including the epic Warsaw-Tokyo flight)
while the Goliath takes up around fifteen pages. The Amiot 123
also gets a look-in with some Atlantic record attempts by the Poles
in a very fetching blue on white livery. If you're collecting this series
this is an obvious must-have, excellent value from MMP.
Crickets against Rats: Regia Aeronautica in

the Spanish Civil War 1936-1937 vol. I
Marek Sobski
Published by Kagero
Softback, 78 pages
ISBN 97883 64596162
Number 22 in Kagero's Air Battles tells the tale of the involvement

of El Duce's Regia Aeronautica in the Spanish Civil War up to 1937
(presuming the next volume deals with the remainder of the
conflict). Admittedly a subject I know nothing about, this is a very
easily accessed history clearly explaining the main actions and the
aircraft involved with some great period images, many from
private family archives and presumably unseen. Kagero are
52
masters of colour profiles and any fans of the Italian CR.32 are in
for a treat with five pages of illustrations of the famous FIAT fighter
in some beautiful schemes. Another nicely presented affordable
historical read from Kagero which doesn't go too deep politically
and become confusing to a novice on the subject. Our thanks to
Casemate for our Kagero samples www.casematepublishing.co.uk
Wings over Ogaden: The

Ethiopian-Somali War 1978-79
Tom Cooper
Published by Helion and Co. /
30 degrees South
Softback, 64 pages
ISBN 9781909 982383
This series can undoubtedly be considered niche, this is number 18
of the 'Africa at War' releases which has a leaning to the war in the
air. The story unfolds of Somalia's switch from Soviet support to
approaching the U.S. and Ethiopia's subsequent supply of arms
from the USSR. Ethiopia successfully deployed it's new F-5Es
against MiG-17 and MiG-21s almost destroying the Somalian Air
Force in the short conflict. From a modelling perspective there's
some great schemes on offer (mainly F-5Es and the MiGs)
illustrated with quality colour profiles and some excellent colour

photographs of the period offering us some tasty options from the
normal. We don't recall any aftermarket decals to suit (although we
could be wrong!) but the markings don't look out of the question for
some home made water-slides, if you want to get really obscure
how about a Canberra in Ethiopian colours? This series is certainly
worth tracking down if you have a thirst for knowledge of post-war
African conflicts. Nicely presented with good quality production.
Revell 1:72 UH-60A

The tried and tested transport workhorse Blackhawk has been
around in 1:72 for some time now jumping from Italeri to Revell
boxes along the way but essentially the same base kit. This reboxing has a new decal sheet but the rest of the kit stays the
same, the two grey sprues offering a simple enough build with
relatively clean moulding. Detail and finesse is decent if not
startling, a full cabin and cockpit look like theyd respond well to
some careful painting and are built as a full sub-assembly to sit
within the fuselage halves, poseable cargo doors allowing all to be

viewed on the finished model. Across the airframe the panel lines
are moulded in relief, not something wed expect from a modern
tooling but that said, they are very fine. Options of rocket or MG
armed aircraft are offered and the decals are of a Desert Storm
Blackhawk or the 10th Mountain Division in Iraq, 2008.
Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model
53
Revell 1:32 Arado Ar196 B

Revell bring us the ventral float initial test version of the Ar196, their
excellent mainstream twin-float Arado seems to have been a big
hit with large scale Luftwaffe modellers looking around the model
shows in recent years, and rightly so! Much of the kit remains as
per the A3 but we have new sprues for the large float and wing
mounted floats, optional twin-bladed propellor and smaller details.
Revell should be commended for the inclusion of a large circular
base to stand the finished model. As the original aircraft, an
(almost) complete tubular frame is constructed around the cockpit
to be sandwiched between the fuselage halves providing very
detailed and visible internals. Also highly visible is the detailed nine
cylinder BMW aircooled radial engine which can be shown off a
treat with separate cowling parts.
More showing off if you fancy displaying the wings folded, the
instructions including call-outs for rigging wire in places which will
really add to the finished piece. Talking of instructions, Revell have
stepped up to a better quality paper here which helps with the
clarity of the busy drawings. The new floats show some lovely fine
surface detail which should look great with the bare metal finish
required. Finishes are limited on these early test aircraft, Revell
offer one set of markings and solid light olive upper surfaces. This
is another superb Arado, our only niggle being our sample having
some moulding flash here and there to remove; something easily
overlooked considering the incredible value for money.
Revell model kits are available from all good toy and model
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Jean-Claude Mermet & Christian-Jacques Ehrengardt
Published by Caraktere
Softback format, 191 pages, French text
ISBN 9782916403069
www.caraktere.com
French military publisher Caraktere release books and magazines
at quite a pace with some now being available translated into
English. Not the case here with this new release on the 109 which
is in French throughout, just put that to one side though if you dont
have a grip on the French language, this is a visual feast for
Luftwaffe enthusiasts taking us through the development and
service of this most famous of fighters. Many of the period images
are fresh to us, and theres some superb photographs including o
in original colour. Spread around the story are some original factory
54
diagrams and contemporary plans showing plumbing and wiring

and the various production changes through to the last specials.
Dozens of high quality colour profiles are used throughout with a
good selection of schemes, some familiar and some more
unusual. Tables of production and technical specifications make
this a very fresh and comprehensive look at the 109 with one of
the best collections of period images weve seen in some time,
highly recommended even for the images alone which provide
some excellent reference.
French Aviation During the First World War

Vital Ferry
Published by Histoire et Collections
Softback, 192 pages
ISBN 9782352503 70 5
The rapid rise of France's Air Force during the Great War is told in
this heavily illustrated release from H&C from it's infancy with a few
dozen aircraft to a force of 50,000 aircraft in the four year period.
The content covers the French engaged in fighting over the
continental homeland only. As usual from H&C, the book is very
nicely presented and the very readable text is dispersed amongst
the wealth of images. Along with period black and white
photography there's advertising and propaganda illustrations in full

colour. The French aircraft that served throughout the conflict have
their own detailed sections along with some typically flamboyant
colour schemes shown as colour profile illustrations. Specific
notable pilots and actions are included along with some excellent
images, this is a real honey pot of a book for any French or WWI
enthusiast, recommended reading and great modelling inspiration.
Revell 1:72 Victor K Mk.2

Dating back to the early eighties, this tooling originally produced
kits of the Handley Page Victor under the Matchbox brand and this
is one of those kits that certainly shows its age. Detail is clumsy
and the raised panel lines will have many serious builders looking
at a full smoothing and re-scribe of the airframe, not out of the
question as this is still a very large model even in seventy-second.
The Victor is undoubtedly a great looking aircraft and must have
been an incredible sight in the 1950s but to bring this kit up to

contemporary standards be prepared for some extra work. What is
up to modern standards are the decals, a fully detailed set of
generic stencils and two options of RAF Victors, one being a 1991
Desert Storm aircraft of No.55 Squadron. Revell model kits are
available from all good toy and model retailers. For details visit
www.revell.de/en
55
Wingnut Wings 1:32 AEG G.IV Late
56
It has been no secret that the impressive AEG G.IV bomber has
been on the Wingnut Wings release schedule and now at last it
has arrived. Available in a choice of Early or Late versions it is the
Late version that we will examine. The substantial box is stuffed
with sprues and five huge decal sheets along with the usual
photoetched fret and the informative full colour instruction booklet.
Moulding quality on this particular kit is especially impressive as it
features some very finely moulded framework sections for the
structure of the engine nacelles and the cockpit sidewalls. I also
noticed that the external bomb racks are now moulded with the
correct open lattice structure, something that was a solid
moulding on the Gotha kit and its great to see these
improvements being made! It comes as no surprise to see the
exquisitely detailed cockpit and interior for the fuselage with bomb
racks, radio equipment and MG ammunition racks all replicated.
The big cushioned Pilots seat is a stunning piece of moulding and
the kit comes with photoetched seatbelts to finish it off along with
the chain-operated control column mechanism. Once it is
completed the interior is designed to drop into the fuselage
halves. As with all the Wingnut kits the pair engines is fully
detailed and you have the choice to model them with or without
cowlings to show off this detail and many of the AEGs seem to
have operated without cowls. The undercarriage offers a choice of
flattened weighted wheels or fully round versions with both having
the tire manufacturers name and designation moulded around the
sidewalls. There is also a choice of bomb loads provided for the
external bomb racks. For the size of aircraft the rigging is
relatively simple and the instructions provide a clear guide to
adding this although you will have to supply your own rigging line.
The generous decal sheets provide a choice of five different
schemes, all resplendent in the dark night lozenge camouflage.
Four of the decal sheets are devoted to the assorted panels of
lozenge that are required to cover the whole model - a bit of a
test of everyones decalling skills I would think or of course you
could paint them yourself. Surely this is another of those models
that you cannot quite believe has been released and at this scale
which is so ideally suited to these WW1 subjects. Wingnut Wings
always manage to impress and to do it so much better than
anyone else and this new kit is if anything their most impressive
release to date. This kit and the entire range can be ordered
direct from www.wingnutwings.com
58
big-buck
1:72
Andrea Vignocchi
describes the painting and
display of his beautiful
super-detailed Buccaneer.
59
Paint Preparation
After masking the previously painted parts

described in part one, I airbrushed some
Alclad grey primer, my primer of choice.
The primer was then treated with polishing
cloths in order to obtain a smooth uniform
surface. The metallic areas were painted
with Alclad White Aluminum and
subsequently masked. Using diluted black, I
made a very precise preshading.
Camo Colours
Now its time to paint the camouflage.
Gunze produces the two original colours
(green H330 and grey H331), but I dont
think they are very accurate, since the grey
has a violet hue and the green almost
looks like Olive Drab. After looking at some
pictures of 16th Sqn machines, I decided
to create my own grey with this mixture:
200 drops of grey H331, 80 drops of H67
(German RLM 65) and 20 drops of blue
H322. In this way, I eliminated the violet
hue and gave a cold and bluish tint to the
grey. Part of the mixture was then

lightened with white and another part was
darkened with matt black and used to
enhance and shade panel lines.
Finding the right tone for the green was
much easier; I used H309 (equivalent to
F.S. 34079) and part of it was lightened
with white and darkened with black to
make the mixtures that will be used for pre
and post shading.
I started by airbrushing the grey in light
layers, allowing the preshading to show
In addition to my trusty Badger 100, I use an Iwata

Custom Micron CM-B, a really extraordinary airbrush
that, with due practice, will allow the modeller to literally
write with it! I wanted to make a camouflage with some
barely noticeable soft edges, so I just had to follow the
pencil lines, then fill up the empty spaces with green.
The painting process was completed with some touch
ups on the grey and some shading on the green, even in
this case my Iwata CM-B proved to be a perfect tool. The
final resulting effect is very convincing with soft blends
between the two hues with a scale appearance.
60
through. After a day drying, I lightened the

centre of the panels with the mixture I had
previously prepared, making sure to heavily
dilute the paint and spray it at low pressure
in order not to create some evident mottle
on the panels. My airplane had the nose
cone painted with a lighter grey. After
enhancing some panel lines in an irregular
way, I drew the camouflage contour with a
soft pencil, in order not to damage the
underlying paint.
Markings and Decals
The model was coated with Aeromaster

(now Polly Scale) gloss transparent
airbrushed in light layers until I obtained a
semi-matt finish. The reason for this is that
I didnt want to give the model too many
layers of matt transparent that would
cancel most of the shading I applied
previously.
The Buccaneer was covered with red and

yellow walkways which were painted on the
model. After masking the area, I
airbrushed white, then the yellow and the
red. When I removed the mask, I realized
Id made a mistake since the walkways
came up to be too bright, maybe if I hadnt
used a white base the poor covering power
of the red and yellow would have given me

the faded effect I was after? Anyway, I
painted many washes of dark grey oil
colour over the walkways until I got the
colours I was looking for with a more
realistic muted finish.
For the markings I decided to use an

Extradecal sheet relating to post-war British
numbers and codes with all the excess
carrier film carefully removed. Squadron
badges came from the CMR resin kit, while
the roundels came from the Extradecal
sheet. While the Extradecal sheet is great
quality, the same cannot be said of the
CMR decals: even though they are perfectly
printed, they are totally unaffected by decal
setting solutions; luckily, I used only the
squadron badges, limiting the problem to
the minimum. The brightness of each
roundel was toned down by applying some
dark grey oil colour on the roundel itself and
by removing it after letting it dry for a few
minutes. Different strengths of washes bring
out the detail of panel lines, diluted oil
colours were used throughout the process.
61
Weathering
62
One of the peculiarities of the Buccaneer

was the blown wing, adopted in order to
lower the approach speed during carrier
landings, a series of small nozzles
delivered a stream of compressed air onto
the wing, leaving a trace of dirt with a
curved directionhow could I reproduce
such feature? I initially thought about using
the airbrush, but the high number of traces
would make it very difficult to ensure they
would be perfectly parallel, so I decided to
draw an initial trace with a drybrushed oil

colour, then, with my finger, I rubbed the
paint following the air stream direction. The
gloss surface made the operation fairly
easy and if I wasnt satisfied with the result,
I just had to clean up with a cloth
moistened with turpentine and start all over
again.
Most of the time, when the matt varnish is

airbrushed on the model, the shading
previously made will be partially hidden or
will totally disappear, the only choice is to
work back over the shading with the usual
heavily diluted colours. The extremely thin
jet of the Iwata airbrush allowed me to
work even between the decals. In order to
better evaluate the final contrasts of the
model, I removed the masking which
allowed me to complete the shading work
in a more balanced way.
Looking at pictures of the real plane, I
noticed many scratches around the

maintenance panels that were replicated
on the model with a mixture made with
Humbrol 56 Aluminum and Humbrol 127
Light Grey. This mixture allows me to paint
scratches that are not too bright, since
they should be barely noticeable on the
matt finish and limited to the maintenance
areas.
The weathering was completed with some
oil streaks on the engines upper doors,
made with drybrushed oil colours. Allow
me to share my thoughts on weathering: in
order to obtain a nice and balanced effect,
the weathering of a model should be
lighter than the weathering of the real
machine. Since the model is a scale
replica, the light hitting it will behave
model and, also in this case, I used the

Polly Scale acrylic matt transparent (which I
consider it to be one of the best) and I
applied it by mean of some very diluted
and light layers. Since I didnt want to give
the model a very matt finish, I just had to
add some drops of gloss transparent in
order to obtain a semi-matt surface, similar
to that of the real aircraft.
With the painting process complete its

time to airbrush some matt varnish on the
differently compared to what it does on the

real aircraft, so, for example, a big oil
streak like the one we can see on a real
plane, will appear oversized and out of
place if we perfectly replicate it on the
model; its a complex matter where the
personal taste of the modeler plays a key
role. I think the weathering should be a
series of delicate steps, starting with some
variation of the base color mainly due to
the sunlight exposure add to this oil
washes that simulate the dirty and lightly
oiled look of the real parts and finishing it
off with scratches and replaced parts of
slightly different colors; in a word, there are
many ways to weather a model, but the
overall balance is essential in order to
achieve a realistic result.
Final Fitting
With the weathering complete, its time to

attach the previously painted parts. I
started with the undercarriage and in order
to protect the upper part of the model
during the installation of the weapons and
the lower doors, I put the model on a
cardboard jig. I then glued the pylons, the
ECM pod, the laser designator, the
undercarriage and the engines doors. The
probe under the right wing has an awful fit
and I solved the problem by applying some
diluted white glue around its base, in this
way, I didnt have to sand on the painted
surface and I just had to apply some
touches with the base paint. Even though I
had the CMR canopy, I decided to use the
Airfix part since the windscreen had a
better fit and the canopy sported a more
correct shape. In addition to that, one
should consider that a modern jet canopy

is definitely thicker than a WWII planes
canopy, so the vacformed parts sometimes
look too thin and out of scale. The canopy
was carefully polished then I glued (with
some difficulty) the explosive chord on
the inside, using Future applied with a very
fine brush; after masking, the canopy was
initially painted in black, then I applied the
camouflage colours, followed by decal
application and some light layers of matt
varnish.
I then glued the engine doors and the inflight refueling probe, most of the time the
probe was missing on the Buccaneers
deployed in Germany because the short
range mission they flew didnt require
refueling, but reference pictures showed
me it was present on my plane. The many

antennas on the model were glued with
cyano; some of them came from an
Eduard photoetch set, while the others
were made with 0.13mm plasticard, paying
close attention to the pictures, since the
antennas arrangement varied greatly within
the many versions.
Finally, I reached the end of the assembly
process and I was very satisfied with the
result having been able to give the model
the sulky and powerful look of the real
machine; the grey/green wraparound
camouflage contributed to the final look of
the model and enhanced the open engine
bay.
63
Diorama
The main problem of aeronautical
dioramas is their repetitiveness, as a
matter of fact, a plane can only be
displayed on the apron, in an hangar or in
flight (unless the modeller wants to
represent a wreck). For this reason, I made
the usual portion of apron with plasticard,
with the panel lines engraved with the
Tamiya engraving tool. Using a wide brush
moistened with nitro thinner, I brushed the
base thus recreating the coarse texture of
the tarmac.
In order to represent the scene I had in
mind, I needed an engine starting unit, but
unfortunately theres no such item on the
Now it was time to paint the

small details. The exhaust area
remains visible enough inside
the unit and the instrument
panel is carefully painted
according to reference
pictures. The instruction plates
were made from old USAF
stencils, the yellow bars and a
light weathering completed the
painting phase of the starter.
The other details were painted
and put aside, waiting for the
final assembly of the scene. I
decided to make a drainage
grid and in this case I made
64
market, so I had to scratchbuild it. After

finding some good pictures on the net, I
started the job using, as a base, the
chassis and the wheels off an old
Hasegawa USAF cart. The chassis was
lengthened at its central point, calculating
its final length by making a comparison
between a technician standing beside the
cart on a picture and a 1:72nd figure. The
mesh was made with an Eduard item the
inner detail was initially very visible, but the
dark green colour made it disappear
unfortunately!
The starting unit was completed in different
subassemblies in order to expedite the
painting phase. The long cages housing
good use of the possibility to

have some custom-made
photoetch. The grid was
painted with Agama track
colour and lightly drybrushed
with silver. The final result is
quite realistic and creates a
highlight in an otherwise empty
area of the diorama. The ladder
and red air intake covers perk
up the corner close to the
grass, which was made with
the usual static grass products
applied in a natural, random
way.
the flexible pipes located on the side of the

unit were built with 0.3mm Plastruct square
profile using a picture that shows a
disassembled unit. I built the exhaust area
of the internal compressor and the rear
sliding door, the flexible pipe was taken
from the Hasegawa kit.
The scene was completed with a tow bar
and the wheel chocks that came from a
Flightpath set. The engine intake cover
came from the Eduard fret, while the
ladders, the fire extinguisher and the tool
box were scratchbuilt.
The tow bar and the typical RAF fire extinguisher cart add to
recreating a realistic scene, after the diorama accessories (wheel
chocks, starting unit etc.) were glued to the base with Citadel
cyano glue, I eliminated the residual gloss traces with airbrushed
matt varnish. I suggest doing it at this time, since many spots
wont be accessible with the Buccaneer fixed in place.
Figures
Thanks to my talented friend Stefano de Rensis, I obtained three
figures specially designed for this scene. The limit of mainstream
figures lies sometimes in the rigidness of their posture and the
resultant difficulty in adjusting them to fit the scene were
recreating; custom-made figures, on the other hand, can blend in
with the scene in a much more realistic way. Some details, like the
cloths sticking out of the pockets of the technicians trousers or
the slightly overweight officer with its tie flapping in the breeze,
helped me creating the right atmosphere.
Figures painting was carried out with Vallejo acrylics and, even
though Im not a figure painter, Im pretty satisfied with the final
result.
Final thoughts
Making the Buccaneer proved to be a very challenging task; it
almost took me a year and a half to complete the model, but it was
worth it. I tested new techniques to build an entire engine from
scratch and painted it in such a way that would allow me to
correctly represent the weathering caused by the high
temperatures; making such a big number of details from scratch
has been a further step forward in my modeling experience and I
would say that this is my best model so far, since it turned out to be
just as I imagined itand that doesnt happen too many times
65

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AIR 59 cover_Layout 1 10/03/2015 15:18 Page 1

MENG AIR MODELLER

APRIL / MAY 2015

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 11/03/2015 09:50 Page 222

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 11/03/2015 14:10 Page 1

Bristol Beaufighter Mk.1c

Finnish MiG-21 BIS

Big Bird B-17, Part 10

Big-Buck Buccaneer Part 2

Meng AIR Modeller is published Bimonthly by

We are now on Facebook, Like us to

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

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:58 Page 2

The HK Models kit represents the heavilyarmed Do 335B-2 Zerstrer version of

as the roof of the nose wheel bay, feature

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:58 Page 3

This kit was an early test shot from HK Models,

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:58 Page 4

On with the build

Its fine enough to do the job, but no so

Luftwaffe belts. This turned out to be

The level of moulded-on detail is amazing!

The completed cockpit

The assembled rear engine. Each engine

The main internal structure

The red bands on the

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:59 Page 5

More fantastic moulded-on detail, this time on the

The internal nose weight fitted into one half of the

Painting the engine block started with a primer coat

The backing part for the instrument panel was

Aside from the seat harnesses, the only

be too heavy for the tiny mounting lugs to

due to the preliminary nature of my kit was

Once the delayed nose weights had arrived,

from styrene rod and tube. Lastly I added

They were applied to the model with CA

I decided to add some MDC

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:59 Page 6

Some judicious shortening of the internal

The wing roots needed shimming in a couple of

The wing leading edge inserts required some

Realistic RAL Colours

The distinctive teardrop in the canopy is

I took the opportunity with this build to test

The rest of the paint job consisted of a

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:59 Page 7

Mr. Paint RLM 65 applied to the undersides,

Oil dot filtering is a method of breaking

Spotty! This is called oil dot filtering, and looks

Midway through the process of blending the oil

The finished result, fully blended. Due to the

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:59 Page 8

All that remained was to add all the small

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:59 Page 9

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:56 Page 10

he extreme weather conditions in

Port Moresby, mostly the sun and

these aircrafts meant that they had a very

Modelled by Jaime Pastor

AIR 59 April-May 2015_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 10/03/2015 14:56 Page 11

A19-34/J, 30 Sqn RAAF, Port Moresby (New Guinea), March 1943

Bristol Beaufighter Mk.Ic

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