FineScale.com
KARL LOGAN PUTS NEW SKIN ON A WIRBELWIND » November 2015
ADD BOMBS AND MISSILES TO AN ‘ENDURING FREEDOM’ STRIKE EAGLE
HOW TO Improve the HMS Repulse p.50 Paint a WWI French tank p.28 Make a better A-10 Warthog p.36
Page 44
Raúl Corral colored Revell’s 1/48 scale F-15E with layers of gray– p.22
DOG SABRE EXPAND ED REVIEW PAGE 56
OUR EXPERTS BUILD & REVIEW 5 ALL-NEW KITS — SEE PAGE 56 Flyhawk’s 1/700 scale HMS Naiad – p.60
BONUS ONLINE CONTENT CODE PAGE 3
Vol. 33 • Issue 9
CONTENTS
Online Content Code: FSM1511 Enter this code at www.FineScale.com/code to gain access to web-exclusive content.
November 2015 Vol. 33 • No. 9
56 AIRBRUSHING & FINISHING
20
Hand-painting lands an LVT Multiple layers for Saltwater Cowboy AARON SKINNER
22
22
Give impact to a Strike Eagle Shades of gray dominate Revell’s F-15E RAÚL CORRAL
28
WORKBENCH REVIEWS
5 NEW KITS
Page 56 58
• Kitty Hawk F-86D Sabre Dog
Figuring out a French finish Colorful camo keys a Saint-Chamond
• Meng Leopard 1A5
PATRICK BROWN
28
• Academy F-4J Phantom
36
Build a beautiful Warthog Pushing Trumpeter’s A-10 to an A-10C CHUCK SAWYER
36
44
Finish a Wirbelwind with photoetched Zimmerit Unusual vehicle, unusual details KARL LOGAN
50 44
Build a better Repulse British battlecruiser sails the aftermarket
FINAL DETAILS
50
• Flyhawk HMS Naiad • IBG Otter light reconnaissance car 61
In Every Issue
CHUCK BAUER
66
59
Modeling with a smile Humor wins trophies for this modeler
5 7 12 15 32
Editor’s Page Scale Talk Spotlight New Products Reader Gallery
54 55 63 64 65
Reader Tips Questions & Answers Classified Marketplace Hobby Shop Directory Advertiser Index
On the Cover FSM frequent flyer Raúl Corral will tell you himself — he’s crazy about jet fighters. He had a ball with this one: “Revell’s 1/48 scale F-15E is one of the best kits I’ve ever built,” he says.
MARK HEMBREE
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FineScale Modeler (ISSN 0277-979X, USPS No. 679-590) is published monthly (except for June & August) by Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187. Periodicals Postage is paid at Waukesha, WI and additional offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to FineScale Modeler, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Canada Post Publication Mail Agreement #40010760.
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EDITOR’S PAGE By Mark Savage
Inspiration runs rampant at IPMS/USA show I’M LUCKY and I know it. I have to attend the IPMS/USA (International Plastic Modelers Society) National Convention. Now I know just how lucky I am after recently attending my first IPMS show in Columbus, Ohio. It was inspirational, motivational and, well, simply a blast! There are models, nearly 3,000 this year, and trust me, these aren’t just nice models, these are fabulous. Senior Editor Aaron Skinner and I had to circle the giant contest ballroom repeatedly each day trying to determine which models to photograph (and video) for you. Tough job, but someone’s got to do it.
pack a bunch into the December is unsurpassed, and then there are issue, plus our special issue, the the models that just go on and on Ultimate Guide to Finishing, which for table after wonderful table. hits newsstands in mid-November. A video is online too! I’ve never seen so many exquisite, highly detailed, near perfect models in one place. So plan I’VE NEVER SEEN SO MANY ahead and make reservations for EXQUISITE, HIGHLY IPMS/USA 2016 in Columbia, DETAILED, NEAR PERFECT S.C. You’ll want to be there! MODELS IN ONE PLACE. *** While there was much joy and Funny thing is, while nearly excitement at IPMS, we got the 1,000 people attended the show, sad news that Shep Paine had sucthere was plenty of room for more. cumbed to a stroke shortly after Every modeler should go, at least we returned. Shep was an icon in once. Vendors sell old kits, new the modeling world and a great kits, aftermarket goodies, decals friend and influence at FineScale and photoetched metal of every Modeler. He will be deeply missed. size, shape and function. Our tribute starts on page 12.
The excitement level is high, the We ran some of those photos on camaraderie is first class, the our website right away, but we’ll swapping of tips and “war stories”
Your editorial staff
Editor Mark Savage msavage @Kalmbach.com
Senior Editor Aaron Skinner askinner @FineScale.com
Associate Editor Mark Hembree mhembree @FineScale.com
Our new website
Associate Editor Tim Kidwell tkidwell @FineScale.com
Editorial Associate Monica Freitag mfreitag @FineScale.com
We’ve launched a new website that is responsive so you can view it more easily on a smart phone, tablet or computer! Check it out at www.FineScale.com!
Contact Us Editorial: FineScale Modeler 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612 262-796-8776, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Fax: 262-796-1383 editor@finescale.com Website: www.FineScale.com
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Editor Mark Savage Art Director Tom Ford Senior Editor Aaron Skinner Associate Editor Mark Hembree Associate Editor Timothy Kidwell Editorial Associate Monica Freitag Illustrator Kellie Jaeger Photographer William Zuback Production Coordinator Cindy Barder ADVISORY BOARD John Noack, Paul Boyer, Shep Paine, Bob Collignon, Cookie Sewell, Pat Covert, Rusty White, Pat Hawkey CONTACT US
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Vice President, Editorial, Publisher Kevin P. Keefe Senior V.P., Sales & Marketing Daniel R. Lance Vice President, Consumer Marketing Nicole McGuire General Manager Brian Schmidt Advertising Director Scott Bong Corporate Art Director Maureen M. Schimmel Art and Production Manager Michael Soliday Circulation Manager Cathy Daniels Single Copy Specialist Kim Redmond ©2015, Kalmbach Publishing Co. All rights reserved. Title is registered as trademark. This publication may not be reproduced in part or in whole without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations used in reviews. Postmaster: Periodicals postage paid at Waukesha, Wisconsin, and additional offices. Send address changes to FineScale Modeler, Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.
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SCALE TALK Your voice in FSM
Ken Piniak sent us this shot of an M60 on a lowboy trailer, and yes, that’s rust on the treads!
Rust continues …
… and one more!
In response to Ernest Brown, “Rusty tank tracks not right” (Scale Talk, Vol. 33, #4), I too am a former U.S. Army tanker, and longtime model builder. While it may be true that tank tracks are made of rust-resistant hardened steel, they do in fact rust. All my tanks in Germany had a dark brown rust color to them. (Humbrol track color is a good match, but any dark redbrown can make a good base color.) Moving would make the wear spots (guide teeth, end connectors, etc.) a nice shiny silver, but sitting for a day or two would allow them to rust over in a bright orange. Mud, dirt, and dust would mix in with the rust, providing quite a bit of color variation in the tracks. In a desert environment, anywhere from Iraq to Fort Bliss in Texas to the NTC at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert, the constant operation would give the tracks a dull, sandblasted steel color. Model Master steel or Tamiya metallic gray (XF-56) are good matches for this but must be over-coated with a clear flat. As before, sitting for more than a day or two (depending on conditions and humidity) would cause a light coating of bright rust to form. If the tank sat for longer than that, the rust would start to cover most of the tracks and gradually darken in color. Even a few minutes of driving in sand and rocks would clean off the rust.
Please, enough with the back and forth on the rusty tracks! Unpreserved metal tracks rust, even in the field. It’s normally a light patina, but it still happens. It doesn’t take 50 years sitting at a museum either! (Tom attached a picture of a rusty M1 Abrams, but it wasn’t of print quality.) The unit came in from the field about a month ago, and it hasn’t even rained since they got back in. A great man said one time, “Build what you want the way you want and the critics will flame you every time!”
– Ken Piniak, U.S. Army Ret. Albuquerque, N.M.
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The editor’s column recently really got to me, as I can easily relate to his anxiety. I few months ago I finally finished Tamiya’s 1/32 scale Spitfire Mk IX. I was excited to have it finally completed after spending several months on the project and at last placing the finished model on the shelf with its fellow 1/32 scale Tamiya brothers. When I woke the next day, I was shocked to find my desk lamp stand had broken and fallen on my newly built Spitfire. (How I slept through it I’ll never know!) As I evaluated the situation, I carefully raised the lamp, scanning the model desperately to see the damage. It stayed
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SCALE TALK pinned all night, the weight of the entire lamp resting on the wings and one wheel. I don’t know if it’s the good design of R.J. Mitchell or the engineering of Tamiya, but to my amazement the model was completely undamaged. Not even the paint was scratched. To me it’s just another testament of the strength and ruggedness that keeps the Spitfire legendary.
– Terry Lawver Woodbridge, Va.
– Jared Demes Hill Spring, Alberta, Canada
Rather model fact than fiction
Where are the X planes?
I’ve been building model aircraft for more than 50 years, and so far I’ve kept my mouth shut about the shortcomings of all model producers. But I can’t remain silent any longer. I am appalled by the fact that no company has seen fit to produce decent kits in either 1/48 scale or, better yet, 1/32 scale, of the X planes from the 1950s. Enough already of P-51s, Bf 109s, etc. How about good kits of the Bell X-2, Bell X-1A, Douglas X-3, and maybe even a North American F-107? I know some of these kits have been
produced in various scales and quality, but overall these kits have woefully fallen short for various reasons. When will these pioneering aircraft finally receive the attention they deserve and be remembered in kit form? Come on model companies ... wake up!
My passion for 1/35 scale armor modeling came about in the 1970s when I was but a young lad. I have been at it ever since and have amassed a large collection of kits, which keeps me occupied. As a subscriber to FSM since Day One, I have enjoyed being there as your publication has grown. Keep up the good work. I am contacting you regarding the comments in Scale Talk about Luftwaffe ’46, to be exact. The author goes on to criticize the “paper panzer” kits flooding the market today. I completely agree. These vehicles never existed, other than on paper as concepts. What’s the point?
I agree on another point: Why are model manufacturers not concentrating on one time period that gets minimal coverage at best — 1930 to 1940. Yes, a few recent French tanks have been made, but still too few for May 1940 France Campaign modeling. Will these new kits lead to additional French armor? I’m not holding my breath. A shortage of figures and accessories also limits what I have to make dioramas. My biggest gripe is no one covering where it all began: Poland, Sept. 1, 1939. There is a wealth of written and photographic reference material indicating a vast assortment of Polish vehicles actually taking part in the campaign. Though I do not begrudge any modeler taking on the paper panzer kits, it would be nice to see manufacturers create models of actual combat vehicles with figures to complement the 1939 Polish campaign. Thus a modeler would have a choice to model actual history vs. pure “what if ” fiction. Just my two cents. -Kurt Eberling Jr. Southampton, Pa.
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Praise: Part I
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Like many of your readers, I’ve been rediscovering the world of model airplanes (mostly World War II) for about two years, after a 25-year-plus hiatus. As someone who has been out of the picture for so long and is working hard to learn about and keep up with the latest developments, I find magazines an invaluable source of information, not only on what’s new but also how to use it! In addition to the numerous websites that I visit, I regularly buy three or four modeling magazines, which are mostly based here in the United Kingdom. I have to confess, though, that my favorite, and the one that I look forward to most each month, is FineScale Modeler. The standard of your articles and reviews is always amazingly high, the tips and techniques never fail to give me new ideas, and overall your magazine has a real polish to it. I just wanted to say thanks for a great read, and keep up the good work. I look forward to reading and learning from FSM for many years to come.
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Let me take this opportunity to thank you and the staff for producing such a great magazine, and a varied and informative website. It really is without equal. Let me also say that I always look forward to the New Product Rundown videos. Aaron Skinner and Tim Kidwell really strike a good balance between good info and a light tone! Keep up the good work, all — what a great hobby we have! – Hans Henrik Francke Borkop, Denmark
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Let us know what you think! Comments, suggestions, corrections, and additional views on FSM articles are welcome. E-mail your thoughts to editor@FineScale.com, or visit FineScale.com and click on “Contribute to FSM.� You can also mail typed or handwritten letters to the address on Page 6. Clearly mark “To the Editor� on the envelope. Please limit your comments to no more than 300 words and include your name and location.
Now at the NEW FineScale.com Armor Love? If you can’t get enough detailed armor modeling photos, see a special AMPS Gallery that we’ve put online. Just type 2015 AMPS International Gallery into our Search function. That’s the little magnifying glass icon in the navigation bar atop the home page.
FineScale.com/Reviews Workbench Reviews Subscribers receive early access to upcoming reviews. Weekly free review Check out this week’s free model kit review.
FineScale.com/HowTo Article archive Search our collection of stories to find answers to your modeling questions. Tips database Subscribers can search our extensive database of reader-supplied tips.
FineScale.com/OnlineExtras Download a desktop wallpaper You can download a studio quality wallpaper of the Kinetic 1/48 scale Mirage IIIE that Larry Schramm built for Workbench Reviews in the October 2015 FineScale Modeler.
FineScale.com/Videos Video issue previews FSM Editor Mark Savage highlights what’s in the current issue. New Product Rundown Editors Tim Kidwell and Aaron Skinner pick the hottest scale model kits, open the boxes, and tell you why they rock.
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SPOTLIGHT Compiled by Aaron Skinner
Remembering Shep Paine Master modeler who inspired many died Aug. 1 at age 69
W
hether we know it or not, most of us building today — especially the staff and readers of FSM — owe a lot to Shep Paine for his instruction and inspiration. “Shep had a great deal to do with the character and aesthetic of the scale modeling hobby as we know it today,” says FSM founding editor Bob Hayden. “All of us who were privileged to know Shep considered him a master modeler and a friend, and every one of us owes him a debt of gratitude for some modeling technique that he taught us. “FineScale Modeler was founded as a direct result of (Kalmbach Publishing Co.) publishing Shep’s first book, How to Build Dioramas, in 1980. I edited the book and, in short order, it sold out a press run of 10,000 copies. Those were strong sales even then, which was close to the high-
water mark of baby boomers returning to the hobbies of their youth.” But How to Build Dioramas revealed a unserved readership, Bob says. When it came time to advertise the book, there weren’t many options because there were few magazines for modelers like Shep who were carefully researching and building exquisite aircraft, armor, figures, ships, and spacecraft. Shep encouraged the idea of a new and better magazine, and contributed an article, ‘To a fair wind . . . and victory!’ to the test issue, which appeared early in 1982, Bob says. “He also put me in touch with many of his modeling friends, who became contributors. “The magazine you hold in your hands might never have seen the light of day but for Shep Paine’s superb modeling and his willingness to share his ideas and techniques with the rest of us.”
It’s that willingness to share that many remember. In addition to teaching myriad classes and writing three other books for Kalmbach Publishing — Modeling Tanks and Military Vehicles, How to Photograph Scale Models, and Building and Painting Scale Figures — Shep spoke about his modeling techniques in Jim DeRogatis’ 2008 book, Sheperd Paine — The Life and Work of a Master Modeler and Military Historian (Schiffer, ISBN 978-0-76432929-6). Like a lot of modelers, as a youngster Jim studied Shep’s diorama tip sheets packaged in several Monogram armor and aircraft kits in the 1970s; Jim refers to How to Build Dioramas as a holy text. Years later, he talked his editor at The Chicago Sun-Times into letting him write a story about Shep just because he wanted to meet him. A rock critic for 25 years
Monogram’s 1/48 scale B-17 has long been a bestseller and Shep’s popular diorama of that big Flying Fortress after a crash landing is undoubtedly partly responsible for that success.
12 FineScale Modeler November 2015
Photo by Lane Stewart
who has interviewed greats like Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Bono, Jim says he was more nervous meeting Shep than he’d been with any of the others. “The fact that we then became close friends, and that I got to write a book about him, still blows my mind,” Jim says. “In the end, the fact that he was so generous with his time to any modeler who approached him, and that he did so much to spread the popularity of this hobby worldwide, is his biggest legacy.” FSM contributor and author of Building Dioramas, Chris Mrosko, says Shep is the reason he builds models. He adds that How to Build Dioramas “changed my life.” The son of Dr. Richard and Mary Paine, Howard Sheperd Paine was the first child born to American parents in free Berlin after World War II. Following high school, he enlisted in the Army and spent time in Germany with the 3rd Armored Division. Then, he attended the University of Chicago, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities. Through all of this he continued to model, moving from an early interest in model railroading to converting and painting toy soldiers and tanks. Figure painting became a serious interest during college and extended to a career later. Everything he built — painted-metal and plastic figures, commissioned dioramas for Monogram, Tamiya, and museums, and scratchbuilt box dioramas — was sold. A longtime member of the Military Miniature Society of Illinois, Shep helped found the triennial World Model Expo. Also an avid military historian, he collected Napoleonic and Victorian uniforms and equipment, and was a member of several military history groups. According to Jim, Shep was most proud of the friendships and connections he forged through a shared passion for the hobby. In that spirit, and according to his wishes, the MMSI has established the Shep Paine Education Fund, which is accepting tax-deductible donations in his
Perhaps best known to many modelers for his numerous modeling books, Shep (seen at his workbench in 1977 in the top photo) was introduced to many through diorama tips included with many Monogram kits in the 1970s.
honor to continue his work as an educator and proselytizer for the art of miniatures via classes, seminars, and other projects. Contributions to this fund can be made via PayPal at MMSIChicagoShow@gmail. com or by mail to The Shep Paine Education Fund, c/o MMSI Treasurer Tom Surlak, 3136 Secretariat Drive, Aurora, IL 60602. The club will host “A
Celebration of the Life of Shep Paine” from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25 at the Chicago Marriott-Schaumburg, 50 N. Martingale Drive, Schaumburg, Ill. It follows the club’s annual show, which starts Friday, Oct. 23. For information about the MMSI show and the celebration, visit www. military-miniature-society-of-illinois.com. November 2015
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BOOKSHELF
Special Hobby launches short-lived antisub Guardian
N
otable as the first purpose-built antisubmarine aircraft for U.S. Navy carriers, the big single-engine Guardian needed two aircraft to perform the role. There was the AF-2W hunter aircraft with a large ventral radome, and the AF-2S killer with a weapons bay. More than 380 were built; they remained in service for only the first half of the 1950s before being replaced by the twinengined S-2 Tracker that could do both jobs with one airplane. Until now, the only 1/48 scale Guardian was Collect-Aire’s all-resin offering. Special Hobby has released both versions
of the Guardian, including the hunter reviewed here (No. SH48135). This kit comes in injectionmolded plastic with a resin engine, exhausts, prop hub, and scoops. A small photoetched-metal fret provides seat belts, rudder pedals, intake screens, and flap actuators. The medium-gray plastic parts show fine panel lines and petite rivets, and have a slightly rough texture that should be easily knocked down with light sanding. Good detail keys the cockpit, including seat, controls, and instrument panel and side consoles with relief dials and
Pioneering Bell chopper’s history in detail switches that will benefit from careful painting. The other crew compartments, visible through small windows, have only floors, bulkheads, and seats, although the last have photoetched-metal belts. There’s no bomb bay, but the kit features fuel tanks, rockets, and radar and searchlight pods to hang under the wings. Decals provide markings for two sea-blue AF-2S Guardians: One from NAS Oakland in 1953, the other from VS-24 aboard USS Saipan in 1954. Special Hobby’s kit costs $59.50.
Albion Alloys’ Connecto solves metal construction problems
B
uilding with metal tubes can be challenging, especially when you need to connect sections. Wire works great for joining two sections, but more than that presents a problem. Albion Alloys has developed a unique solution it calls Connecto — photoetched-metal parts that fit inside the tubes. The different shapes allow for 3, 4, 6, or 8 tubes to be joined. Available in 11 sizes, they can fit tubes from .4mm to 1.4mm Each set tells you the size of tubing it is designed to work with. Removing the connector from the fret works just like any other photoetched-metal bit. Use a sharp blade and snip it off. Then, slide metal tubes over the ends and secure them with super glue. You can bend the arms to form different shapes or use multiple connectors to build bigger things. It’s an elegant solution for construction conundrums such as headlight guards or German six-point antennas. Go to www.albionhobbies.com for more information.
14 FineScale Modeler November 2015
A
nyone who has seen the opening credits of “M*A*S*H” knows what a Bell 47 looks like. The bubble-canopied chopper is synonymous with early helicopters, and many are still flying today, 70 years after the first one took to the air. The development of this iconic aircraft is the focus of The Bell 47 Story — Birth of the Commercial and Military Helicopter Industry, by Robert S. Petite and Jeffrey C. Evans (Graphic, ISBN 978-1-882824-458, $89.95). The 732-page hardcover volume is backed with details of every production version of the Bell 47. It starts with the formation of the Larry Bell “Gyro Test” program and the involvement of inventor Arthur Young in the prototype Bell Model 30. From there, each chapter covers variants of both civil and military Bell 47s as well as tests and even a proposed turbine-powered version. There are a lot of details about who bought Bell 47s and how they equipped them. Hundreds of photos, many in color, as well as illustrations accompany the text. If you are interested in building a Bell 47 — and there are a bunch of kits out there — it’s hard to believe you’ll find a better reference. For more information, visit www.helicopterheritagecanada.com.
Space modeling guide
T
he Space in Miniature book series has guided real-space enthusiasts since the early 1990s. Now owner Mike Mackowski has put together an updated edition of The New Scale Spacecraft Primer, a 38-page book with mostly new material. In addition to chapters about modeling and scratchbuilding, there are specific chapters about building the Viking lander Curioisty rover, and accurizing Revell’s astronaut with MMU and the Ariane rocket. It’s a hodge-podge of material that should appeal to anyone interested in real space modeling. For more information, visit www.spaceinminiature.com.
NEW PRODUCTS Compiled by Monica Freitag
AIRCR AFT
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Sea Blue F9F-8 Cougars
from Furball Aero-Design, No. F/D&S4803, $19.99. Options for eleven aircraft.
1/48 DECAL SETS 1/32 SCALE KITS
F9F-8 Cougar white canopy framing from
Furball Aero-Design, No. 48-042, $6.99; UH-1D Huey Gunship from Revell,
No. 85-5536, $19.95.
1/32 DETAIL SETS Focke-Wulf Fw 190 landing gear (for Revell) from Scale Aircraft Conversions,
PT-17 Kaydet USAAC/USAAF primary trainer from Starfighter Decals, No. 4811, $12. N2S-3 Kaydet USN primary trainer from Starfighter Decals, No. 4810; F8F-2 Bearcats in USN Service from Starfighter Decals,
No. 4809, $12 each.
No. 32098, $17.95.
1/48 SCALE KITS
1/48 MASK SETS F3H Demon canopy and wheel hub vinyl mask set from Furball Aero-Design, No. FMS-
018, $6.99. F9F-8 Cougar canopy and wheel hub vinyl mask set from Furball Aero-Design, No. FMS-
017, $6.99. Gray and White Cougars Part 1 from Furball
Aero-Design, No. F/D&S4804, $19.99. Options for seven F9F-8s and three F9F8Ps.
1/48 DETAIL SETS F4U Corsair landing gear (for Academy/ Minicraft) from Scale Aircraft Conversions, No.
48288, $14.95.
1/72 SCALE KITS
MiG-29SMT “Fulcrum” 9-19 from GWH,
No. L4818, $79.99.
Screamin Demons Part Two from
Furball AeroDesign, No. F/D&S-4807, $19.99. Options for seven F3H-2 Demons.
BV P178 jet bomber with BT700 guided missile torpedo from Bronco Models,
No. GB7007, $38.99. AF-2S Guardian “Submarine Killer” from Special Hobby, No. SH48135, $59.50. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM. F-4C/D/E/F/G tan canopy framing from
Furball AeroDesign, No. 48-041, $6.99.
Kawasaki Ki-100 Type 5 Army fighter
from Aoshima, No. 008140-1800, $31.99.
F-20A Tigershark from Freedom Model Kits,
November 2015
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NEW PRODUCTS
AR MOR 1/35 SCALE KITS Il-86 “Zvezda 25th Anniversary Livery”
from Zvezda, No. 7025, $29.99. Limited edition.
1/144 DECAL SETS
Bell 412 Los Angeles Fire Department from
Italeri, No. 70391, $21.99. Interflug/Bundesliftwaffe Il-62M from
1/72 DECAL SETS
Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. Includes windscreen and cabin window decals.
Sturmpanzer Ausf I als Befehlspanzer from Dragon, No. 6819, $69.99. 1939 - 1945 series.
Bent Wing Birds Part 2 — Corsairs in the Reserves from Starfighter Decals, No. 72-147,
$10. Bravo MIG Killers F-4B Phantoms of the Vietnam Conflict Part One from Furball
Aero-Design, No. 72-001, $15.99. Options for 14 F-4B Phantoms.
Cubana Il-62M from Liveries Unlimited/ Fündekals, $10. Includes windscreen and cabin window decals.
Mittlerer Einheits PersonenKrafftwagen (mEPkw) Kfs 12 (early version) from Bronco
Models, No. CB35175, $74.99.
1/72 DETAIL SETS A6M Zero landing gear (for Airfix) from
Scale Aircraft Conversions, No. 72108, $10.95; A-1H/AD-6/7 Skyraider landing gear (for Hasegawa) from Scale Aircraft Conversions,
No. 72109, $11.95.
1/144 SCALE KITS
Aeroflot 1973 Ilyushin Il-62/Il-62M from
Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. Markings for 13 aircraft. Includes windscreen and cabin windows. Tarom Ilyushin Il-62/Il-62M, from Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. Multiple variations of livery. Includes windscreen and cabin windows.
2.8cm sPzB41 on larger steel wheeled carriage with trailer from Bronco Models,
No. CB35141, $36.99.
LOT Polish Airlines Ilyushin Il-62/Il-62M,
from Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. Includes windscreen and cabin windows. CAAK/Air Koryo Ilyushin Il-62M, from Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. Multiple variations of livery. Includes windscreen and cabin windows. Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA) Ilyushin Il-62/ Il-62M, from Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. DeHavilland Comet airliner from Hawk,
Includes windscreen and cabin windows.
No. HL512/12, $24.99.
Aeroflot Delivery Colors Ilyushin Il-62M,
from Liveries Unlimited/Fündekals, $10. Multiple variations of livery. Includes windscreen and cabin windows. 16 FineScale Modeler November 2015
U.S. Army bulldozer from MiniArt, No. 35195, $64.99. WWII Military Miniatures Series. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM.
MILITARY FIGURES 1/35 SCALE KITS
GAZ-05-194 ambulance from MiniArt, No. 35164, $64.99. WWII Military Miniatures Series.
Volkssturm - tank hunter - Germany 1944 - 1945 from Master Box Ltd., No. MB35179,
$18.99.
US military policeman with motorcycle
from MiniArt, No. 35168, $28.99. WWII Military Miniature Series.
King Tiger Ausf B (Henschel turret) from
Zvezda, No. 3601, $49.99. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM.
Rest on Motorcycle from MiniArt, No. 35176,
$27.99. WWII Military Miniatures Series.
1/100 SCALE KITS
1/72 SCALE KITS WWII British paratroops in action Set A
from Bronco Models, No. CB35177, $36.99.
WWII British paratroops in action Set B
from Bronco Models, No. CB35192, $36.99. Soviet anti-aircraft weapon system from Zvezda, No. 7419, $9.99. Snap-fit. For “Art of Tactic: Hot War” game.
French line infantry from Zvezda, No. 6816,
$7.50. Snap-fit.
SHIPS 1/700 SCALE KITS
Pin-up from Master Box Ltd., No. MB35183,
$17.99. Usable in 1:35 and 1:32 scale. Mogami Japanese light cruiser from Tamiya,
No. 31359, $34. Soviet 122-mm self-propelled howitzer
from Zvezda, No. 7421, $9.99. For “Art of Tactic: Hot War” game. November 2015
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NEW PRODUCTS
SCIENCE FICTION 1/72 SCALE KITS
Nissan GT-R Skyline Nismo-Custom from
Tamiya, No. 24341, $38.
1/25 SCALE KITS “Thunderbirds” Recovery Vehicle from
Aoshima, No. 007853, $79.99. Includes 2-channel remote-control system.
OTHER SCALE DETAIL SETS Millennium Falcon cockpit for DeAgostini kit Steps 1-7 from
IJN Mamiya food supply ship from Aoshima,
No. 010358, $47.99. KanColle Combine Fleet Girls Collection kit includes cards, stickers, and photoetched metal relating to popular anime series.
Bad Company 1982 Dodge van from AMT,
ParaGrafix, No. PGX193, $59.95.
No. MPC824/12, $26.99. Special reissue with restored parts.
AUTOS 1/24 SCALE KITS
”InterStellar” Ranger for Moebius kit from
ParaGrafix, No. PGX194, $37.95. 1971 Ford Thunderbird from AMT,
No. AMT920/12, $27.99. Featuring Bird of Paradise decals.
1/35 SCALE KITS Aventador LP720-4 from Aoshima,
No. 011539, $54.99. Pajero metal top wide XR-II from Aoshima
No. 014141, $32.99. 1955 Ford Panel truck from Revell,
No. 85-4337, $23.95. Featuring Bird of Paradise‚ decals. Jinx Express from Monogram, No. 85-6899, $22.95.
www.FineScale.com www.FineScale.com Subscribers have exclusive access to model kit photos not published in the magazine! Simply go to FineScale.com/Reviews.
18 FineScale Modeler November 2015
GAZ-M1 Soviet car from Zvezda, No. 3634,
$34.99.
featuring reviews, product information, photo galleries, and more!
BOOKSHELF The Bell 47 Helicopter Story,
$89.95, by Robert S. Petite and Jeffrey C. Evans, hard cover, 731 pages, 80 pages of color photos, 950 black-andwhite photos. From Bob Petite Consulting. Space in Miniature #1.1 The New Scale Spacecraft Primer, $12 hard
copy version, $10 PDF full color, by Michael Mackowski, 38 pages, all blackand-white photos. From Space in Miniature.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
Manufacturer/Distributor Directory Aero Research Co.
Space in Miniature
www.AeroResearchCDs.com
480-926-4765 www.spaceinminiature.com
Bob Petite Consulting www.helicopterheritagecanada.com
Scale Aircraft Conversions
Dragon Models USA Inc.
214-477-7163 scaleaircraftconversions.com
626-968-0322 www.dragonmodelsusa.com • Aoshima • Bronco • Cyber-hobby • Dragon • Fine Molds • Flyhawk • Fujimi • G.W.H. • Master Box • Orange Model • Platz • Riich • Showcase Models Australia • Zvezda • Concord • Firefly Books • Nuts & Bolts Books
Fündekals www.fundekals.com
USN/USMC F-4 Phantoms Part 4 from Aero
Furball Aero-Design
Research, No.1047, $12.50.
Great Planes Model Distributors
www.furballaero-design.com
www.greatplanes.com • Italeri • Hasegawa
Model Rectifier Corp. www.modelrec.com • Academy
TOOL S
ParaGrafix Sharp pointed side cutter for plastic (slim jaw) from
Tamiya, No. 74123, $44. Craft scissors from
Tamiya, No. 74124, $28.
508-431-9800 www.ParaGrafix.biz
Revell 847-758-3200 www.revell.com
Round 2 574-243-3000 www.round2corp.com • AMT • MPC • Polar Lights • Lindberg • Hawk
Specialty Press 651-277-1400 www.specialtypress.com • Ginter • Crecy • Hikoki • Zenith • Classic
Squadron Products 877-414-0434 www.squadron.com • Encore Models • HobbyBoss • ICM • Kitty Hawk • Meng • Roden • Super Scale International • Sword • True Details • Trumpeter
Starfighter Decals www.starfighter-decals.com
Stevens International 856-435-1555 www.stevenshobby.com • AK Interactive • Freedom Model Kits • Hataka Hobby • IBG Models • MiniArt • Mirror Models • Noys Miniatures • Trumpeter • Lanasta
Tamiya America Inc. 949-362-2240 www.tamiyausa.com CORRECTIONS: The prices for the metallic automotive paints from Tru-Color that appeared on page 19 of the October 2015 issue were incorrect. Correct prices are: 1oz. bottles $6.19, 2oz. bottles $11.25 and 16oz. bottles are $88.95. Deluxe Materials Limited was listed on page 19 of the September 2015 issue. To order products visit www.deluxematerials.co.uk
November 2015
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Hand-painting lands Multiple layers bring Saltwater Cowboy to life • BY AARON SKINNER
T
ony Zadro built Italeri’s 1/35 scale LVT(A)-4 as a U.S. Marine Corps vehicle on Iwo Jima in early 1945. It’s a pretty good kit to build, he says, but he dressed it up with new weld seams, bolts, rivets, and some photoetched metal from Eduard. There’s a lot of scratchbuilt detail inside, but he admits it’s hard to see on the finished model. The landing craft rides on Friulmodel metal tracks in place of the kit’s vinyl parts. But what makes the vehicle stand out is the terrific hand-painted camouflage done with LifeColor acrylics over a coat of primer. Masking a model is fine, according to Tony, but he finds it easier to hand-paint camouflage and finishes most of his models this way. “LifeColor paints are fantastic!” he says, especially for hand-brushing. He applies them in thin layers, usually three or four, until he achieves the necessary color density. It’s crucial that each layer be completely dry before he adds the next. “I do not use thinner,” he says. LifeColor is water-based, so he thins it with water. After an airbrushed base coat of buff, Tony brushed on three ultrathin coats of NATO green, slowly building up the shade. Three thin layers of red brown followed. To complete the camouflage, he carefully painted thin, off-white lines to separate the colors. Stowage was painted off the model. Tony offers this advice for hand-painting: Practice on an old model first, paint in thin layers, and build up the finish. To weather the LVT, Tony flowed a wash of black and sienna artist’s oils thinned with mineral spirits into and around rivets, bolts, and panel lines. Streaking it down the surface gives the impression of rain and seawater running off the vehicle. He dry-brushed lighter shades of the three camo colors to highlight raised details. A little rust and a few paint chips added wear and tear. FSM
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Rust: The rust and paint chips are acrylics applied with a fine brush. Tony used LifeColor rust and Citadel ironbreaker.
Base: After building groundwork with Sculptamold, Tony added real dirt and rock, then applied static grass.
ING SH
IS
HING
AIRBRU
a Marine LVT Weld seams: Tony glued thin Evergreen styrene rod along borders between plates in the LVT’s hull and melted it with a needle-tip pyrography gun. To replicate bolts and rivets, he scraped them from spare kits and aftermarket kits.
FIN
Figures: Tony painted the flesh using artist’s oils; the uniforms were colored with acrylic paint.
Meet Tony Zadro Filters: Tony applies filters to selected areas, producing some streaking as well as subtle shading.
Streaking: Adding thinner to further dilute filters, in this case a shade designed to weather Afrika Korps vehicles, Tony applies them with a fine brush, then pulls them down the panels.
Now retired, Tony spent 28 years as a firefighter. He started building models in the fifth grade. His first model was a Monogram StuG IV, and he’s been hooked on armor ever since. “I just like building tanks,” he says. He lives in Marietta, Georgia.
Craft acrylics: Tony colored the ground with light dirt-brown craft acrylic paint. The bottles cost a little more than a dollar, and there are more than 500 colors to choose from, he says. Oil washes emphasized surface texture.
November 2015
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1/48 Scale
Give impact to a
STRIKE EAGLE Shades of gray whip Revell’s F-15E into shape • BY RAÚL CORRAL
Loaded for bear, Raúl’s F-15E shows what careful painting can do for a monochromatic finish.
1 Light gray dry-brushing highlights the beautifully molded detail on the kit’s ejection seats.
2 Raúl painted ejection handles Mr. Hobby acrylic yellow, then picked out buttons and connectors with Humbrol enamel red and oxygen bottles with green.
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3 After carefully masking the cockpit (top), Raúl airbrushed the consoles flat black. It’s fiddly work, but the results are convincing.
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A light coat of Humbrol´s matte varnish unified the cockpit’s components and evened out the sheen for a realistic finish.
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Raúl dry-brushed the interior surfaces of the engine nozzle parts with Humbrol flat white enamel to highlight detail lost to weathering washes.
R
evell’s 1/48 scale F-15E is one of the best kits I’ve built: amazing surface detail, incredible exhaust nozzles, cockpit, convincing wheel wells, and undercarriage, and good fits. The only criticism I had was the lack of ordnance; the kit comes with two fuel tanks and four Sidewinders. (Revell has since reissued the kit with additional weapons.) I wanted to build my Strike Eagle fully loaded, so I grabbed four GBU-12s and pair each of AIM-120 AMRAAM and Sidewinder missiles from Kinetic’s F-16I, and six Mk.82 bombs from HobbyBoss’ F/A-18A. Two more GBU-12s from a Hasegawa weapons set completed the loadout for an Operation Enduring Freedom aircraft. To give the detail more kick, I bought Eduard’s photoetched-metal details (No. 49225) and Twobobs F-15E T-bolts Rule decals (No. 48169) for the 389th Fighter Squadron, which deployed to Bagram air base in Afghanistan in 2011.
Mixing Humbrol flat black enamel with Humbrol thinner, Raúl produced a wash for the wheel well that gives it a grimy appearance.
The exterior of the nozzles looks dark after metallic shades and black washes, but dry-brushing to come will brighten the surfaces.
The cockpit I painted the ejection seats Tamiya flat black (XF-1), then dry-brushed them with Humbrol flat light gray (No. 147), 1. I hand-painted the seat cushions with Mr. Hobby acrylic field green (H340) using a fine brush and very light, almost dry-brush, touch to allow some of the engraved detail to show. Detail painting and Eduard photoetched-metal belts finished the seats, 2. Revell’s tub is so well detailed that Eduard doesn’t even try to replace the side consoles with photoetched metal. I airbrushed the components Mr. Hobby acrylic dark ghost gray (H307), then masked to spray the consoles flat black, 3. Drybrushed Humbrol light gray highlighted raised detail before I hand-painted small buttons and handles with Humbrol red enamel (No. 60). Eduard’s color photoetched metal added a lot of detail to the instrument panels, including instruments, handles, buttons, and multifunction displays. The last would
more likely be black on an aircraft sitting on the flight line, as I was modeling, 4. Before attaching the nose wheel well under the cockpit, I painted its parts Tamiya flat white (XF-2), 5.
The engines A highlight of Revell’s F-15E is the exhaust nozzles. The kit features exposed actuators and intricate detail more akin to resin than plastic. I airbrushed the interior surfaces Tamiya flat white, followed by a wash of Humbrol black enamel, 6. I airbrushed the exterior surfaces of the exhausts with a mix of 1 part Tamiya chrome silver (X-11) and 4 parts flat black. A wash of Humbrol enamel gloss black (No. 21) flowed into the recesses emphasized recesses, 7. Later in the build, I drybrushed the nozzle exteriors with Humbrol Metalcote polished aluminum (No. 27002) to highlight molded detail. I painted the interior of the jet pipes with the same mix of chrome silver and flat November 2015
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Raúl installed Eduard´s photoetched metal on the afterburner parts inside the jet pipes for greater realism. Dry-brushed Humbrol Metalcote polished steel highlighted the detail.
Don’t forget to mask the painted and drybrushed engine faces or you’ll ruin them when airbrushing the inside of the intakes, Raúl says.
Raúl cut around ailerons by repeatedly passing a sharp blade along the engraved outlines. He bent them into position and glued the wing halves together.
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Raúl favors enamel paint as filler for small gaps because the thick paint dries hard, can be sanded easily, and application is as simple as painting a line.
Much of the airframe behind the intakes is hard to paint after assembly, so Raúl airbrushed the area with the base dark gray before installing the intakes.
With the HUD fitted, Raúl lightly dry-brushed Humbrol light gray to highlight the detail on the flat black coaming.
14 To begin masking the windshield, Raúl placed thin strips of tape along the frames (left), then filled the pane with larger pieces (right).
black; the outer edges were painted with Humbrol Metalcote polished steel (No. 27003), 8. The intakes went together easily and needed just a little sanding to blend the joins. I hand-painted the interior surfaces Tamiya flat white and the fan with my mix of chrome silver and flat black. Drybrushing Humbrol Metalcote polished aluminum made the blades pop in the darkness, 9. 24 FineScale Modeler November 2015
Airframe assembly The major airframe components fit well and went together like a dream. The only change I made was modifying the ailerons to droop as seen on most F-15s on the ground. Before gluing the wings together, I scored around the edge of the ailerons, 10, then removed and repositioned them. The only fit requiring work was a minor gap between the wing sections. I filled it with Humbrol gloss white enamel, 11.
The fit of the air intakes to the fuselage impressed me. Prior to installing them, I airbrushed the interiors with Tamiya gloss white (X-2) and the exteriors Tamiya dark gray (XF-24), a good match for the FS36118 used on Strike Eagles, 12. Before attaching the canopy, I installed Eduard’s photoetched-metal HUD on the instrument panel shroud, 13. After hand-painting the windshield frame Humbrol flat black with light gray
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Careful masking protected the metal areas at the rear of the airframe.
Easy to cut and flexible enough to push into tight spots and stay, foam rubber makes a great mask for wheel wells and intakes.
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Because all of the variation in the camouflage would come from postshading, Raúl sprayed a solid, even base coat of Tamiya dark gray over the entire airframe.
Using a light touch, Raúl airbrushes a slightly lighter shade of gray into panel centers.
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The key to making post-shading look right is to keep the brush moving and vary the density of the color, according to Raúl.
Hand-painted color adds variety to the F-15’s finish. Raúl confines this work to small inspection panels.
rivets, I glued it on the model and masked it for painting,14. Careful sanding and polishing removed a mold seam down the center of the canopy, which I masked but left off the model for painting.
Shades of gray Before airbrushing the camouflage, I painted the natural-metal areas around the exhausts with Tamiya chrome silver, 15. To protect the previously painted wheel wells, I cut bits of foam left over from a box of my wife’s perfumes, 16.
The main challenge when building a Strike Eagle is the color: Overall gunship gray is just not that exciting. I wanted to break up the monochromatic finish by post-shading with contrasting tones. I sprayed a solid base coat of Tamiya dark gray, 17. Two hours later came the second and decisive step: Mr. Hobby dark gray (H305), a slightly lighter shade, sprayed into panel centers, 18. I repeated this process, keeping the layers of lighter gray thin and uneven to build up a random, weathered surface, 19. Only the nose cone
remained unaltered. For more contrast, I hand-painted some inspection panels with Mr. Hobby dark gray, 20. Brush-painting produces a slightly different shade than the same color applied by airbrush. In front of the cockpit is an ADF antenna that I masked and painted Mr. Hobby light ghost gray (H308), 21. Aft of the cockpit, I hand-painted the small airconditioning louvers behind the cockpit with Tamiya chrome silver and the UHF antenna Mr. Hobby light ghost gray, 22. The weapon-attachment points on the November 2015
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A few strips of tape allowed Raúl to airbrush an antenna panel in front of the cockpit.
But some panels are more easily hand-painted, including a vent and antenna behind the canopy.
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Applying a panel-line wash is one time when you don’t need to color inside the lines. Rather it’s important to ensure all of the recessed details receive the color.
Constantly changing cotton swabs when removing excess wash results in a relatively clean aircraft. Using the same swab for extended periods moves the wash around, simulating additional dirt and grime.
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Vents and grilles need a darker wash — in this case, black — to look like openings in the surface.
To deepen panel lines on the exhaust section, Raúl applies a dark metallic wash.
pylons received a hand-brushed coat of Humbrol Metalcote polished steel. Twobobs’ decals went down perfectly over several light coats of Tamiya clear (X-22); let this dry for 48-72 hours before applying the decals to avoid marring the surface with fingerprints. I sealed the markings with more Tamiya clear.
Weathering For a wash, I combined equal parts Humbrol red brown (No. 100) and flat black enamels and diluted it with Humbrol 26 FineScale Modeler November 2015
thinner. Using a fine brush, I painted this mix along panel lines, allowing it to flow into engraved details, 23. Once the model was completely covered, I removed excess with cotton swabs, always dragging them in the direction of airflow, 24. To give vents and louvers the look of being open, I applied a gloss black wash, 25. I weathered the metallic areas at the exhausts with a wash of equal parts Humbrol silver (No.11) and flat black, 26. A sharp pencil added depth to panel lines around the nozzles, 27, as well as control
surfaces, 28. Fluid leaks under the plane were replicated with Humbrol dark brown enamel and a little thinner streaked with a fine brush, 29.
Ordnance I modified the kit’s missile pylons by grafting on AIM-120 rails from the Kinetic F-16I, 30, then painted them, the targeting pods, and fuel tanks the same way as the airframe: Tamiya dark gray post-shaded with Mr. Hobby dark gray. Decals and weathering tied them into the aircraft.
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A sharp pencil refines panel lines on natural metal.
The same technique outlines control surfaces like the Strike Eagle’s rudders.
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Raúl paints fluid streaks from drains underneath the engines with dark brown artist’s oils on a fine-tip brush.
The kit’s missile pylons were designed to carry two Sidewinders. Raúl added rails from a Kinetic F-16 to mount AIM-120s in place of one Sidewinder rail on each pylon.
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Raúl mounted all of the weapons on makeshift handles for painting.
Careful painting, weathering, and decals add realism to the bombs and missiles. Arming the Strike Eagle was one of the last steps in the project.
I prepared the bombs and missiles for painting, 31. I sprayed the AIM-120 heads with Tamiya flat white. After masking, I airbrushed all of the missiles Mr. Hobby light ghost gray over all of the missiles. The fins of the AMRAAMs and the heads of the Sidewinders were hand-painted Mr. Hobby dark gray mixed with a couple of drops of Tamiya chrome silver. I airbrushed the bombs with Tamiya olive drab (XF-62), then hand-painted the center section of the GBU-12s with
Tamiya JGSDF olive drab (XF-74), providing a nice contrast with the rest of the bombs. I detailed the GBU front sections with Humbrol red brown; the noses of the Mk.82s are Mr. Hobby light ghost gray. Decals and dry-brushing brought the missiles to life. The final step in weapon prep was painting the guidance units: a mix of Tamiya chrome silver and Mr. Hobby yellow (H413) for the GBU-12 seekers, and straight Tamiya chrome silver on the Sidewinders, 32.
Mission ready Before final assembly, I sprayed all of the components with a few thin coats of Humbrol matte varnish (No. 49) and set the model aside for 48 hours. Don’t be tempted to rush ahead here, as it’s easy to mess up the model with fingerprints before the varnish cures — and that wouldn’t be good this close to finishing. I added the last parts to complete my F-15E. I’m proud of the Strike Eagle, and it is one of the most enjoyable builds I’ve done to date. FSM November 2015
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1/35 Scale
Figuring out a
FRENCH FINISH Colorful camo keys Saint-Chamond • BY PATRICK BROWN
Hampered by short track runs and overhanging nose that made it a poor trench crosser, the Saint-Chamond looks cool, especially with multicolor camo.
W
orld War I tanks share a lot of the characteristics I love in armored vehicles: a lot of rivets, wild camouflage schemes, and clever nicknames and artwork — and they are big and clunky. The French Saint-Chamond has all of these in spades. Add to this the muddy scenic bases or dioramas this tank would be at home in and you understand why I was smiling when I grabbed Takom’s 1/35 scale Saint-Chamond on a trip to Tokyo.
The build I expected the Saint-Chamond to be a complicated, dicey build, but it turned out to be quick and easy — almost a weekend project. This kit has a fairly light part count compared to some; not including the individual-link tracks, it consists of 258 parts, 28 FineScale Modeler November 2015
most for the complicated suspension. Crisp, clean detail marks the beautifully molded parts — the Hotchkiss M1914 machine guns truly stand out. Most of the assembly focuses on suspension and underside, 1. The hull built quickly and fairly cleanly, 2. I filled a few fiddly seams with putty, but that may have been more my fault than the kit. The 75mm gun barrel is molded in halves and required filling and sanding to look right. Each track link consists of three parts, but only one needed to be glued. The others snapped securely into place producing flexible working track runs, 3.
Basic camouflage Camouflage on Saint-Chamonds can be divided into two categories: the earlier pattern of two or three colors in large
splotches, and the later, generally fieldapplied, haphazard pattern of multiple colors. Noted armor historian Steven Zaloga describes the earlier pattern as cubist, evoking the work of Pablo Picasso, and the later as pointillist, as in the paintings of Georges Seurat. The later schemes seem to have been painted over the earlier camouflage, so this seemed like the logical place to start. The kit’s painting directions are incomplete, showing only the left side of the vehicle and offering no suggestion for how to paint the tank’s roof. Also, the pattern provided for the vehicle I was building, Fantomas, showed an early pattern. But contemporary photos show the tank with a field-applied pointillist camouflage. I airbrushed the suspension with Tamiya dark gray (XF-24) to match references that
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Unfortunately, most of the intricate suspension is invisible when the tank is upright, especially when you muddy it up like Patrick did.
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Other than trimming the sprue attachment points, the tracks required no cleanup before assembly. Each link consists of three parts.
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To replicate the base camouflage, Patrick carefully cut Tamiya tape into wavy pieces to outline the splotches. More tape masks the painted running gear.
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After airbrushing dark green, Patrick added a few drops of deck tan to lighten the color and post-shaded panel centers.
indicated Saint-Chamonds were painted gray at the factory. This step probably doesn’t matter too much, since the running gear would be covered in mud at the end of the build. The kit indicated bright yellow for the underlying camouflage, but I have never been convinced that the French used such an obtrusive shade. I airbrushed Tamiya dark yellow (XF-60) as the base color after masking the suspension. I masked the hull with Tamiya tape cut
The kit builds quickly and cleanly. Patrick used a little filler to hide gaps between armor panels.
More careful tape-cutting masked the green for a layer of red brown that Patrick also post-shaded.
to match the camouflage pattern, 4. A coat of Tamiya J.A. green (XF-13) followed, 5. Each layer was post-shaded by mixing Tamiya deck tan (XF-55) into the base color and adding more thinner. Next came more tape — it seemed like I used yards of the stuff — to mask for the third color, a mix of Tamiya hull red (XF-9) and red brown (XF-64), 6. That layer was also post-shaded. I masked the hull again for the final color, Tamiya sky gray (XF-19), 7 and 8.
On point With the base colors in place I was ready to add the pointillist scheme. Unfortunately, no color photos of Fantomas exist, so I don’t know exactly what shades were used. I applied Vallejo acrylics — black (No. 70.950), yellow green (No. 70.881), and deck tan (No. 70.986) — with a brush, using some artistic license to interpret lessthan-clear photos, 9. Some images show slightly different patterns in the tank, indicating the spots of color may not have been November 2015
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8
The final color, light gray, required careful masking to paint and post-shade.
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Masking off, the basic camouflage looks good. But Patrick isn’t done yet.
10
Using three colors of Vallejo paint, a fine brush, and artistic license, Patrick hand-painted field-applied camouflage strokes.
A wash of black artist’s oils emphasized panel lines and rivets. Patrick pulled them down the vertical surfaces as if rain had streaked dirt and grime across the armor.
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Patrick paid careful attention when applying the pigment mix, heaping it thickly where mud would collect and more sparingly where it wouldn’t on the real tank.
Using a stiff-bristled brush, Patrick knocked excess mud from the model, then blended the remainder into the surface and detail.
applied all at once. I tried to get close to the spirit of what a Saint-Chamond might have looked like. The decals settled over the pronounced rivets with a little Microscale Micro Sol.
Weathering I airbrushed the running gear, tracks, and lower surfaces with Tamiya flat earth (XF-52) as a base for mud to come. Next came a wash of black artist’s oils to define 30 FineScale Modeler November 2015
rivets and panel lines; I paid particular attention to vertical surfaces, streaking the wash down to mimic the effects of rain, 10. For caked-on mud, I mixed ground pastels with mineral spirits. The resulting slurry behaved exactly like mud as I manipulated around the suspension, 11. I used a stiff brush to blend and soften the mud, 12. The slurry paste dried very light brown with a perfectly flat sheen. To give the mud
a fresh, wet look, I airbrushed Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish over the running gear and sides of the tank. This helped fix the pastel mix to the surface and darkened it considerably. Finally, I lightly dry-brushed the model with beige pastel chalk to make the sharp detail and rivets pop. My Saint-Chamond was out of the box, off the workbench, and on to the Western Front. FSM
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READER GALLERY
DAVIDE MACCAGNI SALERANO SUL LAMBRO, LODI, ITALY
Davide painted Hasegawa’s 1/72 scale Blue Angels F-18 with Testors Model Master and Alclad II colors and applied Flory Models’ Promodeller weathering washes. He used no decals for the yellow — in an impressive feat of masking, he painted it.
AL GEORGE AND BILL LEGER MUSKEGON, MICHIGAN
When the USS Silversides Submarine Museum in Muskegon wanted a Sherman tank to display in its World War II timeline, Al, Bill, their local modeling club, the Triad Plastic Modeling Society, and Muskegon’s own House of Hobbies by Dug came up big — really big — with Dragon’s 1/6 scale M4A3(75)W. Testors spray-can paints are the main colors, with airbrushed shades of Tamiya olive drab for highlights and powdered graphite applied with a sponge to edges and high spots. A separate Dragon kit was used for the machine gun, topping off a model that is more than a yard long and carries auxiliary fuel barrels represented by 6-ounce cans of tomato paste (still full).
32 FineScale Modeler November 2015
ANDREW NOVIKOV SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
Facing superior Soviet armor on the Eastern Front in World War II, Germans adopted a stopgap solution with antitank weapons such as the Marder III, based on the chassis of the obsolete PzKpfw 38(t). Andrew built Tamiya’s 1/35 scale self-propelled gun.
JON BRYON LONDON, ENGLAND
“It’s more like a Flagon A, but I enjoyed building this monster!” says Jon of Trumpeter’s 1/48 scale Sukhoi Su-15TM (NATO reporting name “Flagon F”). Jon tapped Quickboost for a resin nose, intakes, and pitot tube; he lengthened the nose gear and made his own air brakes from thin styrene card. An Alclad II finish is graced by Begemot decals.
www.FineScale.com Go to www.FineScale.com/Gallery to visit our online reader gallery.
November 2015
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READER GALLERY
▲ ROBERT SCHVEYTSER FAIR LAWN, NEW JERSEY
Built on the Soviet T-34 chassis and brandishing a 122mm howitzer, the Samokhodnaya Ustanovka 122, or SU-122 assault gun, rolled into action in January 1943 near Leningrad. Robert painted Tamiya’s 1/35 scale kit with Tamiya acrylics, artist’s oils, and pencils, and used a guitar string for the antenna.
◀ DAVID CAMPBELL YUBA CITY, CALIFORNIA
An avid NASCAR modeler, David veered off to build Tamiya’s 1/20 scale Taira Racing YFZ-R1 Yamaha. He says, “I wanted to build a street version. Except for drilling out the brake rotors, it’s built right out of the box. I painted it with Tamiya’s metallic blue.” ▶ GEORGE JOHNSON BEAVERTON, OREGON
With his Hasegawa 1/48 scale SH-3H Sea King winning its category at a 2014 IPMS show in McMinnville, Ore., George showed that persistence pays — it was the first kit he bought after a 20-year break in modeling. Then, after starting it, he put it aside for another 15 years before dusting it off and finishing. He painted with Tamiya, Mr. Color, and Alclad II colors, and applied decals from various sheets he collected over the years. 34 FineScale Modeler November 2015
LOUIS ARMOUR TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI
Going one up on Monarch Models’ 1/8 scale monster, Louis added a conversion set from Thunderboy, which provided a seabed base, replacement arm, and diving bell with chain and wire for Gorgo, leading lizard in the title role of the British 1961 science-fiction film. After filling seams and sculpting skin features with epoxy putty, Louis detailed the bell using solder for the cable and wire for handles. He painted with craft-store acrylics.
November 2015
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1/32 Scale
Build a beautiful
WARTHOG Pushing Trumpeter’s A-10 to an A-10C • BY CHUCK SAWYER
Chuck Sawyer’s longtime ambition of building an A-10 in 1/32 scale was tempered by the prospect of working through the Trumpeter kit’s difficulties. Finally, he decided to take the plunge and correct everything he could, making it an A-10C with numerous aftermarket items and an unwavering dedication to detail.
T
he Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II didn’t get its nickname “Warthog” for its sleek good looks — not with its broad, unswept wings, high-mounted twin jet engines, and massive GAU-8 Avenger 30mm Gatling nose gun. But its closequarters agility, potent punch, and heavy armor have made it a ground-attack workhorse from its first combat in the Gulf War in 1991 to present-day duty past its planned retirement. The Warthog has been on my modeling bucket list for a long time. But, for years, the only one in this scale has been Trumpeter’s A-10A (No. 02214) — a difficult build, to put it mildly. Even more challenging was my plan to convert it to the most recent version, the A-10C. Nevertheless, I collected every aftermarket item I could and swooped in on my project.
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1
Before
After
The kit nose is way too fat: I layered super glue inside the fuselage for extra strength and thickness, then ground it down with a motor tool, removing plastic and the position of the two front circular AN/ALR-69 radar warning receivers, which I moved forward and lower.
Nylon mesh
2
Before
After
Gun vents on the port side have changed on A-10s. I removed plastic and filled depressions for the old vents and made new panels with styrene stock, gluing fine nylon mesh inside the openings. Styrene strips
Photoetchedmetal strips
3 I opened all the other vents in the fuselage, too, working from the inside and outside.
4 Strips of styrene and Eduard photoetched metal provide detail in the nose gear well. To that I added wire for hydraulic lines and a windshield-washer reservoir made of aluminum tubing. After painting everything white, I applied a weathering wash for contrast. November 2015
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5 I installed a Cutting Edge A-10A resin cockpit. It’s not for an A-10C, but the detail is amazing (and most modelers won’t know the differences).
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You need significant weight upfront to keep the Warthog from tail-sitting. I super glued two pieces of ¼” coiled pencil lead to either side of the forward fuselage, and another under the cockpit. That and the heavy resin cockpit did it.
I made fasteners for the GPS dome receiver by inserting snippets of copper wire into drilled holes, cutting them almost flush with the top surface and applying super glue from inside the fuselage. Behind the dome, a “Winnebago” ARC-210 antenna and its base are scratchbuilt from styrene, photoetched brass, and Archer Surface Details 3-D rivet decals. Just aft, two small tubes for covert lights are made of brass tubing inserted into drilled holes. A V-shaped Eduard photoetched-metal formation light should be slightly off-center in front of the blade antenna.
Styrene strip
Static strip
Brass tube
8
Reshaped gun shroud
Photoetched metal
Here’s one of the relocated “bugeye” AN/ALR69 antenna I made from brass tube. They are just a bit lower and forward of their old locations on either side of the nose; I filled those spots with super glue and sanded them smooth. I cut off the thick tabs on both sides of the gun shroud and replaced them with much-thinner brass (from spare formation lights). Also, I filed down the front of the gun shroud so it slanted aft instead of being squared off. 38 FineScale Modeler November 2015
Cutting Edge resin
9 I used Squadron’s vacuum-formed replacement for the canopy and windscreen. Styrene strip and Archer rivets replicate framing. I also used modified resin parts from Cutting Edge’s set.
10 Alclad II copper lacquer represents the canopy’s static strip. After painting the interior framing flat black, I attached details and the windscreen itself with white glue, which dries clear without fogging or “crazing” the clear plastic.
11 On the bottom, behind the gun, is a circular ADF antenna that is no longer used, and behind it, the old location of the blade UHF/TACAN antenna. I cut off the UHF/TACAN antenna, leaving its oval base and rivet detail behind. I made an upgraded square antenna from brass sheet and installed it over the ADF location. At right, the relocated UHF/TACAN antenna and ILS marker beacon from the Cutting Edge set; I saved them for last to avoid breakage.
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I cut out vents on the bottom of the rear fuselage and glued fine mesh inside. The recessed bases for the rear antenna were filled with super glue and sanded smooth, since they are too big for the Cutting Edge resin parts that replace the crude kit parts.
This triangular antenna at the fuselage’s rear had to go — I cut it off and filled the large gap with epoxy putty, then sanded it smooth.
The AN/AAR-47 missile warning system on the tail and both wings differs between the A-10A and A-10C. Two of these “sensor eyes” are on the very rear of the fuselage, one pointing straight back and the other straight down. I created them using clear rod inside a 1/32 AIM120 missile from my stash; I sliced small sections to insert in holes I drilled in the fuselage.
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I filled gaps around the sensors with putty and sanded them smooth. Archer decal rivets replace rivets sanded off during construction to show fasteners around each sensor.
I closed the nacelles and used rear-engine resin details from Sierra Hotel. After assembly, I streaked them with pastels.
Thin sheets of styrene glued inside the nacelles smooth out irregular inner surfaces visible from behind the engines.
Soda-can aluminum
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After trimming off the excess styrene, I painted the interiors flat black — and everything looked fine from behind.
I replaced the engine fronts with Sierra Hotel parts, too — an improvement on the kit-supplied clear parts.
I sanded a long rectangular ram air duct between the engines to thin it, detailing it with brass screen and trim pieces made from sodacan aluminum punched with rivet detail. November 2015
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21
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I used brass pieces for engine-door fasteners and replaced rivet detail with more Archer decals.
There should be two slots for a second hinge on the outboard side of each elevator; I cut these with a razor saw.
The inner hinge on the top of each horizontal stabilizer should be covered, but open on the bottom. I used sheet styrene for this.
C/D-band radar
Sensors
Formation lights
Altimeter sensor Faired-over nav-light mount
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Underneath, I added two more formation lights and a C/D-band radar antenna and two radar altimeter sensors from the Cutting Edge resin set. More Archer decals replace rivets either sanded off or missing from the molding.
The radar altimeter sensors on the vertical stabilizers are too big and incorrectly detailed; I sliced them off and replaced them with Cutting Edge resin parts.
At the front tip of each wing is another sensor for the AN/AAR-47. I drilled holes in the wings and glued slices of the same AIM-120 missile I used on the tail, angling them slightly downward and forward. Putty filled the gap around the sensor. I also filled the oversize, square recess for the navigation light on the outer wing with liquid sprue and sanded it smooth.
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Later, I sanded the clear navigation lights from behind to thin them, then glued them on the wingtip (no need for the recess). I added a T-shaped Eduard formation light, two covert lights, and a few more Archer rivets around the sensor shroud.
Among the A-10’s distinctive characteristics are the large ailerons (also called “decelerons”) that unfurl into spoilers. I broke these out by repeated, careful scribing along the kit’s engraved line until it came free. I started underneath the wing, then moved topside.
After removing the top and bottom aileron parts, I cut styrene blocks to provide a base for the ailerons to be reattached. I also sanded a smooth bevel on the inner part of the aileron to provide a gap when it went back in place.
After
Magnets
Before
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The blocks are the same width as the aileron hinges so they can be inserted at the hinge locations.
The kit’s spoiler parts don’t fit as well as they should. I inlaid circular magnets on the inboard side of each spoiler to hold them together without glue, covering the magnets with super glue so they would disappear under paint.
With small bits of styrene to restore hinge detail removed with the cut, the upper aileron looks much more realistic than the unaltered wing (below).
40 FineScale Modeler November 2015
Chaff and flare dispensers
Remove panel line
Liquid sprue
Cutting Edge refueling portal
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I cut off the chaff and flare dispensers at the aft end of the landing gear sponsons and replaced them with Cutting Edge parts, then added brass framing and more Archer rivets. Before joining the sponson halves, I painted the interior white and added wire for electrical cables and hydraulic lines. More liquid sprue smoothed the wings’ rough leading edges.
I cut off the front of the port side sponson and replaced it with a detailed and correctly angled resin refueling receptacle from Cutting Edge. Later, I removed the panel line at the top of the sponson; it’s not supposed to be there.
Behind the fuel portal, electrical wire replicates a fuel hose.
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Sandpaper and a file smoothed the rough metal of the landing gear. For cylindrical parts like the oleo, I chucked the landing gear in my motor tool and spun it while gently applying a file.
The kit supplied some plastic parts for the nose gear; I added other parts myself, including electrical and hydraulic lines.
After painting the main gear I added more cables and lines.
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There is a large gap where each weapons pylon is attached. I super glued lead wire at the join, replicating a gasket found around each pylon and filling the gap.
The wing to fuselage join needs a lot of sanding, filing, and dry-fitting to fit flush — critical for wing and landing gear alignment. Gluing the wings to the fuselage, I used small levels to ensure they were straight. I filled the remaining gap at the wing root with super glue, which also lent strength.
Shrake moved aft
Wrong
After Before
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A shrake just forward of the wing is too short and too far forward; it should be farther back and actually touch the base of the wing. I cut a notch in the fuselage to move the shrake aft.
The inner wing slats should lead the front of the wing, and they should fit parallel and not lie against the wing at the back.
The fix: Cut off the attaching struts at their base and move them back to the center of the slat (right). Then build up the rear of the strut so it’s square, not angled. November 2015
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I applied Rust-Oleum textured paint to nonskid surfaces; after it dried (a day or two), I sanded it to scale and gave it a weathering wash with Tamiya panel line accent. There should also be nonskid areas between the engines and on each horizontal stabilizer.
I applied a heavier wash underneath, where it is usually dirtier than topside.
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To get a slightly soft edge to the demarcation lines between colors, I used poster putty in long ropes to raise the masks for the A-10’s light ghost gray and dark ghost gray camouflage.
I painted with Testors Model Master enamels. After the paint dried for two days, I sanded the entire model with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper to smooth the flat paint.
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The Pave Penny pod is gone from the starboard side of the A-10C, as is its pylon. To show where it used to be, I painted light ghost gray over the dark ghost gray, using the kit’s Pave Penny pylon as a template.
On pylon station No. 1 (port side, far outboard), I used an AMS resin ALQ-184 electronic countermeasure (ECM) pod (left). I inserted mounting pins for easy installation without glue, allowing later adjustments to the ordnance. For stations 3 and 9, I made two different AGM-65 Maverick missiles from North Star Models’ resin and brass kit (right).
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Inboard of the Mavericks on stations 4, 5, 7, and 8 are Mk.82 air-inflatable retarder (AIR) bombs from AMS. With parachutes in their tail assembly, these bombs allow the A-10 to drop them at low altitude and be long gone before detonation. Station 6 is empty, as it often is when the A-10 is loaded with ordnance.
On station 10 is the AN/AAQ-28 Litening targeting pod from Wolfpack, detailed with bits of brass and decals. Underneath the targeting pod (right), I used iridescent film on the eyes of the seeker head.
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On station 11 are two Zactomodels AIM-9L/M resin missiles on a Sierra Hotel dual-rail assembly (DRA). These missiles have super-thin fins and wings.
Inside the door of the boarding-ladder compartment is a decal of a scale copy from a photograph I acquired from Jake Melampy, author of The Modern Hog Guide, for aircraft serial No. 78-0707. FSM
Squadron vacuum-formed canopy/windscreen Cutting Edge resin cockpit
Master Models gun
Smoothed nacelle walls
Reconfigured antennas
Custom decal
Cutting Edge antennas Cutting Edge refueling portal
Articulated “decelerons” Eduard formation lights, relocated details
SOURCES
AMS, ALQ-119 ECM pod, short (No. 32088), Mk.82 air-inflatable retard bombs (No. 32080) Archer, Surface Details 3-D rivet decals Astra/Daco, decals and stencils (No. ASD3204), out of production Caracal, Air National Guard A-10C decals (No. CD 32006) CMK, LAU-68D/A rocket launcher Cutting Edge, resin cockpit (No. CEC32057) and exterior detail set (No. CEC32061); both out of production
Eduard, photoetched-metal details: interior (No. 320610) and exterior (No. 32062) Master Brass, gun tip and pitot tube (No. AM-32-059) North Star Models, AGM-65 Maverick missiles and LAU-117A launchers (No. NS 32003) Sierra Hotel, resin sets: engine (No. 32701), “NST” wheels (No. 32327C), and dual-rail adapter (No. 32601) Squadron, vacuum-formed windscreen and canopy (No. SQ9412)
Wolfpack, AN/AAQ-28 Litening targeting pod (No. WP32014) Zactomodels, AIM-9L/M missiles REFERENCE
The Modern Hog Guide: The A-10 Warthog Exposed, by Jake Malampy (Reid Air Publications, ISBN 978-09795064-2-0).
November 2015
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1/35 Scale
Finish a Wirbelwind with
PHOTOETCHED ZIMMERIT A unique vehicle deserves unusual details • BY KARL LOGAN
G
rowing Allied air superiority late in World War II forced Germany to build better-armored antiaircraft vehicles to protect German convoys and troops from the dreaded Jabos (fighterbombers). With the Wirbelwind, proposed in 1944, German engineers improvised by mounting a quad 2cm FlaK 30/38 Flakvierling atop a PzKpfw IV chassis and protecting it with a nine-sided, opentopped turret (open-topped to vent the prodigious amount of smoke the guns produced). About 100 were made for air defense, and the formidable firepower of 220 rounds per minute made the vehicle effective against soft ground targets, too. I wanted to build Tamiya’s retooled 1/35 scale Wirbelwind (No. 35233), but needed to challenge myself. That’s when I decided it was high time to try something I’d never 44 FineScale Modeler November 2015
done before: apply photoetched-metal Zimmerit. Eduard’s line has been around for many years, so I picked up the Wirbelwind Zimmerit set (No. 35451) along with one of its panzer detail sets (No. 35156). Last, I went with individual-link tracks, because rubber-band-type tracks look completely unrealistic on vehicles that require sag.
Stepping into the whirlwind Construction began with the lower hull, which would be almost completely covered in the photoetched-metal Zimmerit. Eduard’s Zimmerit pieces come attached to a brass frame, just as one would expect of photoetched-metal details. Before removing them with a hobby knife, I roughed up their backs with fine sandpaper so the glue would have something to grab. I recom-
mend laying the whole frame on a flat surface and lightly rubbing the sandpaper against the brass. Don’t let the sandpaper catch the edges of a piece and bend it. Smooth out attachment burrs with a sanding stick or small whetstone. Slow-setting gel super glue attached the Zimmerit. The working time is not as long as epoxy, but also nowhere near as messy. Once the Zimmerit was positioned correctly, I hit the edge of the piece with super glue accelerator to set it. Then I sealed the edges of the individual pieces with thin super glue and a precision applicator, 1. I think photoetched-metal Zimmerit looks too perfect. Though Eduard chips edges on some pieces (mostly around the bogies and suspension), much of the Zimmerit for the upper hull looks new. This needed to change.
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A combination of gel and thin super glue proved enough to attach the Zimmerit to the Wirbelwind’s hull.
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4
While revamped in 1994, Tamiya’s Wirbelwind hull still had an earlier version’s open spaces along the fenders that could be seen through the Wirbelwind’s open turret.
5
Karl made sure to modify the Zimmerit on various spots of the hull to give it that “lived in” look.
6
To soften the Zimmerit edges, Karl painted on a slurry of Squadron white putty and lacquer thinner.
Starting with the Zimmerit for the front fenders, I cut and nicked the photoetchedmetal with a pair of precision scissors, 2. This process deformed the brass slightly around the newly cut edges. I used the butt of a large-handled hobby knife to flatten the kinked brass parts against a small mirror tile. Even though Tamiya’s reissued hull doesn’t have the motorization holes of the earlier version, I still had to blank off some open spaces alongside the fenders in the upper hull, 3.
The photoetched-metal Zimmerit sheets looked “too perfect,” so Karl used a sharp pair of scissors to modify them to his liking.
Karl used the kit fenders but opted for Eduard fender flaps, bending them with a hemostat. It’s hard being a Wirbelwind in the field!
Next, I built the rear hull, adding the muffler and some smaller photoetchedmetal details. I also used the scissor effect on some of the Zimmerit for the hull sides and top around the drivers’ hatches, 4. The Eduard detail set had pins to glue between the fender plates; I gave these a try, but, being flat, they disappeared against the Zimmerit. I replaced the pins with smalldiameter wire and used squares cut from wine-bottle foil to simulate hinges. To these I added small bolts made from a piece of .010" x .030" styrene rod.
Now that the Zimmerit was on, I realized a shortcoming: The edges are absolutely square to the hull and look like plates welded on, rather than the actual troweled paste. Squadron white putty thinned with lacquer thinner and painted on with an old, small paintbrush softened the edges and eliminated gaps I had missed with my earlier super glue treatment, 5. Out back, photoetched-metal fender flaps allowed me to model realistic dings and dents with the help of a hemostat. I added styrene strip for fender lips, and November 2015
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7 What better for a jack block than a block of real wood? It’s basswood, in this case. The metal details come from Eduard.
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A mirror tile provides a hard flat surface upon which to build or modify parts that need to be absolutely square.
After attaching the photoetched-metal clasps for the various tools, Karl found the tool placement wasn’t quite right. So, he had to fudge the headlight location.
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The quad 2cm FlaK is the focal point of the Wirbelwind. Karl covered some flaws in the kit parts and detailed the guns at the same time.
Ready for paint, Karl test-fits the turret to the hull. He didn’t glue the turret halves, which made it easier to paint the interior.
wrapped some wire around a .010" guitar string to make front and rear fender springs, 6. I shaped the jack block from basswood and added photoetched-metal details, 7. Two long cases along the Wirbelwind’s rear deck housed spare barrels for the gun. Tamiya molded them with raised lines along seams that should have been engraved. That wouldn’t do. First, I sanded off the lines. Then I glued a piece of .040" square styrene rod to a mirror tile to use as a guide. I placed the case against the jig and scribed new lines, 8, careful to note that the latches on the cases face toward the rear deck; the hinges face the fenders — important because it affects how the lines should be scribed. Rather than use the tools from the kit, I opted for Tamiya’s PzKpfw IV On-Vehicle set (No. 35185). Oddly, the grouping of tools seemed to be too large to fit the fenders correctly — especially the too-long fire extinguisher. I crammed them on as best I could, but I was forced to put the headlight too far forward on the fender. In retrospect, I probably put the track-tensioning wrenches too far forward, and the pho46 FineScale Modeler November 2015
toetched-metal clasps on the fire extinguisher exacerbated my woes, 9. On the starboard side, I added a shovel to the hull as I had seen in reference photos. However, several FSM Forum members remarked that the inclusion of the shovel was probably incorrect for a production Wirbelwind, as the prototype was built on the hulls of refurbished PzKpfw IV F/Gs, whereas production ones were built on H or J hulls, which lacked side-mounted shovels. I have to admit that, with the fender tool spacing issue and this latest error, I seriously considered prying off all the tools and correcting everything, lest I be nagged by the inaccuracies every time I looked at the model. In the end, I decided that it just wasn’t worth the effort and risk of destroying small, delicate parts. I felt that I could live with it because I did have a photo of a Wirbelwind with a shovel. Who’s to say there weren’t more? Honestly, no one knows for sure! Turning to the turret, I started work on the quad gun. I added styrene plates and bolts to the inside walls of the gun pairs, covering some nasty ejector-pin marks, 10.
I decided to paint the turret without gluing the halves together, the better to paint the interior and to allow the addition of much-needed weld marks to the joints of the turret armor plates once the halves had been joined. I added some foliage loops and grab handles to the side using thin brass rod. I also wanted to show the gun in use, so I modified the interior magazine storage cases with sheet styrene to show some of them empty, 11.
Painting I wanted to make sure the paint adhered well to the brass Zimmerit, so I began by coating everything with Testors Model Master gray primer, 12. After giving the primer time to dry, I switched to my usual method for painting dark yellow German armor camo schemes: Using Tamiya paints, I airbrush a pre-shade coat of equal parts brown (XF-10) and black (XF-1), 13. Next comes a coat of dark yellow (XF-60). I make sure to let the dark base coat show through in places where shadows would naturally appear — under fenders and behind road wheels, for example, 14.
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Photoetched-brass is notoriously hard to paint. Karl primed the whole vehicle to give the following coats something to grab.
Karl has a method for painting German armor in dark yellow camo schemes. He starts with a black-and-brown pre-shade.
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Tamiya dark yellow comes next. Karl makes sure to let the pre-shade coat show through under the rear deck, sides, and other shadowy recesses.
He lightens panel centers with a mix of buff and white from an angle that suggests overhead light. There is none of this effect on the lower hull.
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Inside the turret, the lower panels get the light shading where sunlight would naturally reach them.
Oh no! Karl forgot to create weld beads along the turret panels before painting — easily fixed with Squadron white putty and lacquer thinner.
Creating color modulation, Karl systematically masks and paints each panel, applying a variety of tones before moving to the next.
Then a 7:3 mix of white (XF-2) and buff (XF-57) gets sprayed onto the center of all panels. This coat simulates sunbleaching and the play of light off the surface; the lower hull does not get any of this coat. I admit, in its unfinished state it appears much too light. However, weathering will inevitably darken it, 15. The wheels and sprockets get the same treatment.
The lower halves of the interior turret panels received a coat of the lighter shade where light would hit them. I added a raw umber wash inside the turret. The gun barrels are painted with Model Master semigloss black, then dry-brushed Testors flat steel, 16. To show that the Wirbelwind’s turret was newer than the hull it was married to, I didn’t pre-shade, instead going with dark
yellow as the first exterior coat. Oops! I forgot the welds. I promptly modeled them along the plate joints with white putty and lacquer thinner, then repainted, 17. For some color modulation, I masked the turret panels, starting at the front and working around one side and then the other. I airbrushed the panels with the buffwhite highlight, making sure to allow the November 2015
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With the yellow down, Karl airbrushed a mix of olive green and buff for the next layer of the three-color camo.
Tamiya field gray goes over the green on the turret to provide some variation from the green used on the hull.
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Dry-brushing has “faded in popularity,” Karl says. “But it is still an excellent way to define details with highlights.”
Layers of artist’s oil paints give the muffler a rusty patina.
dark yellow beneath to show at the panel edges. The panel tops received a little more highlight to create the correct light/shadow dispersion. I made a midtone mix of 1:1 dark yellow and white for the turret’s lower panels, 18. An eyeballed mix of olive green and buff went on the hull and turret next, 19. Then I went over the green pattern on the turret with Tamiya field gray (XF-65), again accentuating the differences between it and the hull colors. Lastly, I added some red brown (XF-64) to complete the three-color camo, 20.
Weathering After applying the decals, a good old-fashioned dry-brushing with tan craft-store acrylic helped accentuate the Zimmerit, 21. I followed with a pinwash made from thinned raw umber artist’s oil. I base-coated the muffler with raw umber artist’s oil, then went over that with 502 Abteilung dark rust and light rust brown, 22. 48 FineScale Modeler November 2015
A mix of Tamiya brown and black basecoated the tracks. I detailed them with washes made from Adam Wilder’s Gunpowder Line pigments: light rust, brick dust, and aged rust, in that order, 23. I went over them with washes made from dark European terrain and brown Russian earth. A little more rust here and there, and a mix of Model Master black, steel, and raw umber added wear where the tracks meet the wheels. I also dry-brushed the blacksteel-raw umber mix on the treads. Testors silver highlighted the guides and treads. I mixed Model Master leather (a midrust color), steel, and black together until I achieved a suitable color and used it to “lowlight” the model’s edges. I think of this technique as dry-brushing in reverse; I load the brush with paint, dab some off, then drop the edges of the brush against the model’s salient features, 24. A smaller brush helps make scratches and chips in the paint. I dilute tan, red, and steel acrylics with water and put a dab of dish soap in each. Then I can ding up the
camo — light scratches get tan; something more substantial might go to the primer, getting tan and red; and the serious gouges go all the way to the metal, through tan, red, and steel, 25. Metal tools were painted with a mixture of black and steel and given a raw umber wash; wooden tools got tan handles and a wash of raw umber with dab of raw sienna for a warmer color. A few oil washes of raw umber and dark rust pigment were used for stains behind the bullet splash rail and around the fuel filler cap. I mixed Gunpowder dark brown, dark European terrain, and Russian brown earth pigments with a little MM Powders worn yellow armor and white thrown in for variation. I saturated the bristles of an old, short-bristled paintbrush with a thick mixture of pigments and mineral spirits and ran the bristle tips against a wooden cocktail stirrer, flicking mud-colored goop onto the suspension, 26. Raw umber and black artists oils, as well as Mig Wet Effects, produced glossy
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Washes made from pigments and applied in varying degrees on the tracks add depth and help details pop.
“Lowlighting” is something Karl explains as dry-brushing in reverse. He loads a medium brush with paint, dabs some off, then drops the brush’s sides against edges on the model.
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Karl paints scratches and dings in three phases: tan for the surface, red for primer, and steel for metal.
Karl loads a short-bristled brush with various pigments wet with white spirit and flecks the goop onto the suspension for dirt and mud.
patches. Finally, I made a paste by adding a bit of white glue and some real dirt to the pigments, loaded the brush, then dragged the paste around the suspension for a bit of randomly added grime. And for a bit of perspective and presentation, I finished a Wolf Models crewman for my Wirbelwind, 27.
After the battle I started this build as a test for photoetched-metal Zimmerit. By the end, I’m conflicted. The photoetched metal is precisely engineered and fits well. It’s also durable and easy to apply. On the other hand, brass Zimmerit can be hard to modify and takes more to get the “real” Zimmerit feel you can readily accomplish with resin pieces. For me, the depth of the Zimmerit, while perhaps true-to-scale, just doesn’t have the visual appeal that other methods do. It does make for a nice model though, so I’d use it again. Maybe that’s the most important conclusion. FSM
27 All finished! Karl complemented his Wirbelwind with a German tanker from Wolf Models. November 2015
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1/350 Scale
Build a better
REPULSE The British battlecruiser HMS Repulse was a fast 25-year-old ship that had been rebuilt twice when it headed out of Singapore on Dec. 8, 1941 looking to destroy Japanese troop convoys. Two days later it was at the bottom of the South China Sea.
Improving Trumpeter’s 1/350 battlecruiser with aftermarket parts BY CHUCK BAUER • PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYLE NELSON
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he Repulse was a World War I Renownclass battlecruiser launched in 1916 from Scotland. Its top speed was 31.5 knots and it carried a crew of 967. After its 1939 rebuild, it carried four seaplanes with a catapult and had a range of 3,650 nautical miles. On the day it was sunk by 17 Japanese torpedo bombers, 508 men lost their lives. My model represents the Repulse as she was
on Dec. 10, 1941, her last morning afloat. A Supermarine Walrus, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Wm. T. Crozer, is ready for takeoff. The basis for my build was Trumpeter’s 1/350 kit, but it required a lot of work because it was not configured for 1941. My build took 14 months, nearly as long as the shipyard took to complete the original. I used 644 kit parts plus 945 aftermarket pieces.
1 Beginning the deck painting process, plank by plank, using multiple layers of masking and different shades of tan. 50 FineScale Modeler November 2015
2 After all the painting and masking, I applied a wash to define the planking.
3 Styrene and photoetched metal combine to form the cranes, which I assembled with super glue. More details were added after installation.
5 Railing cables were painted a separate color from their stanchions as appropriate.
7 A kit error required the second deck to be changed from metal to wood as shown, using the plank-by-plank process.
4 Whenever possible, I added photoetched-metal parts to subassemblies prior to painting. I used Tamiya acrylics and Testors Model Master enamels.
6 I cut the kit’s spotting top into two pieces and inserted the folded photoetched-metal window assembly between them. The range finder and spars were then attached. The grommets are for rigging wires.
8 Monofilament rigging lines originate from a drilled hole at their base. I strung them through tiny holes in the yardarm, applied glue, then held them in place while they dried with counterweights. November 2015
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Metal anchor chain and photoetched-metal Blake stoppers were painted before being attached.
The mainmast required extensive rebuilding. The stays are fine wires snipped to length, then glued in place.
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I improved the kit’s clear plastic seaplanes with a mix of putty and glue. This thin mix conforms to shapes and adheres to plastic better, so there’s less chance of damage when sanding. Photoetched-metal struts and other details were added before painting.
The completed mainmast and radio direction finder office includes a scratchbuilt admiral’s galley flue extending up the side of the forward tripod pole.
I glued metal gun barrels to the kit’s blast bags, then attached them to the turret and aligned them as shown.
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Six aerial wires were attached to the back of the spotting top by applying super glue to the flat surface and accelerator on the wire’s end, then holding it in place until set.
A hot match head waved under the monofilament lines tightened and straightened these wires.
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Using a rod, I bent the deck railings; the rod’s diameter determines the radius of the curve.
Flat-end tweezers helped bend the ladder railings. I used pointed tweezers to rotate the individual steps so they were parallel to the decks after installation.
Long runs of deck railing were bent to near-final shape, then taped in place. I used super glue to tack them, then thinned white glue to fill in prior to final paint touch-up.
I scratchbuilt this Type 291 antenna from 15 pieces of fine wire.
21 I made flags by first soaking and folding them over a wire, letting them dry overnight, then snipping to final shape as shown. Rods are used to bend it to the desired shape. After a few days the flag will retain its shape and can be glued to its “rope.” Testors Dullcote sealed everything without dissolving the decal. Shading and streaking can be created with a wash of artist’s oil paint and Turpenoid.
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This shows the 291 aerial, ladders, stays with eyebolts, and signaling semaphores installed. The navigation sirens attached to the tripod legs were made from model railroad horns.
The Repulse nameplate is photoetched-brass with raised letters. I attached it to the wall, painted it, then removed paint from the letters with a burnishing tool.
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This shows the interlocking colors and structures, with the photoetchedmetal and rigging in place.
Here’s the final installation of the cranes, boats, ladders, plus the catapult control position in the lower right. FSM November 2015
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READER TIPS By Tim Kidwell
Don starts with a Micro-Mark punch-and-die set, plastic-tipped hammer, and a piece of plastic flash.
He sandwiches the styrene between the plates and positions it beneath the appropriately sized hole.
Here’s the disc!
Here’s a prop from a 1/48 scale AMT A-20. Don has filled two ejector-pin marks with discs.
Glenn found a solution for keeping parts and subassemblies straight — and it’s a beaut!
Get organized
I’ve finally found a way to keep organized when I build a model: I bought a 5-drawer Saloniture Beauty Salon Rolling Trolley Cart from Amazon (it cost around $40). Before I start a build, I separate the sprues into the various trays and label the tray with a Post-it note (A, B, C, PE, and so on). The top tray is used for partially built items and subassemblies. I roll the cart to my assembly area, my paint booth, or wherever I’m modeling and need access to the parts. No more hunting through the box and possibly damaging the pieces! – Glenn Hoover Gloucester City, N.J. An alternative to PFM
A great alternative to Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish on canopies is Mr. Hobby Acrylic Mr. Super Clear. Being acrylic, it does not craze the clear styrene or the vacuum-formed plastic, dries instantly, and leaves a beautiful crystal-clear hard finish. I buff the canopy first, using Turtle Wax Professional Liquid Formula rubbing compound, and wipe off the residue with Plastic Prep. Then I airbrush on a coat of Mr. Super Clear. A beautiful finish every time! – Dennis Cermak Frazer, Mich. 54 FineScale Modeler November 2015
Plastic-flash as filler ith today’s technology, we expect crisp and clean injectionmolded plastic parts in our model kits. So we are disappointed to find kits of any era molded with flash on the parts. I have found a use for that pesky extraneous material. Rather than use putty, I use flash to fill ejector-pin marks that are sometimes unavoidably present on the outer surfaces of parts. Putty does not always sand and polish smooth enough to do things like apply a natural-metal finish. I punch out discs from the flash and use the tip of a hobby knife to place them in the ejector-pin mark. Plastruct Bondene (a very aggressive liquid plastic cement) softens the thin styrene so I can conform it to the kit part with the knife. I wait for the glue to dry overnight, then shape, sand, and polish the filled areas with sanding sticks or sandpaper. Now, I have a continuous plastic surface.
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– Don Frankfort Hot Springs, S.D.
Dry washed sprues fast
I clean the parts trees of my new models with water, dish soap, and an old toothbrush. The parts must be rinsed thoroughly or painting could result in disaster. Letting the trees dry on their own might take hours
a or even overnight! To accelerate the process, I crank up my airbrush to 50 psi and blow them dry. Then I can immediately start priming or painting. – Michael Gramza Cleves, Ohio
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS By Aaron Skinner Removing decals Q I’m working on a 1/48 scale Tamiya
Zero and everything was going well until I noticed that one of the red national insignia on the fuselage was slightly out of register, showing a thin white line around the bottom edge of the red. I can either cover it with a slightly larger insignia with a white border or remove the decal. What is the best method to remove it? The decal has not been covered with clear flat. – Karl Bernstein Frederick, Md. A There are options for removing decals with minimal risk to the underlying paint. Try applying a liberal coat of decal solvent (Microscale Micro Sol or Walthers Solvaset), then scrape the decal off as it softens. The other option is to place tape over the marking, burnish it down on the decal, and pull up quickly. It may take a few tries, but this should remove most of the decal. Yellowed vacuum-formed plastic
Q The vacuum-formed canopies in some of my aircraft kits have yellowed. I’m not sure what kind of plastic they are, possibly acetate. Is there a way of getting them clear again? I have tried polishing with 12000grit sandpaper and polishing compounds, hoping the yellowing is just on the surface, but it makes very little difference. – Wayne Holmes Nelson, British Columbia, Canada A I’ve not encountered this problem, but I’ve done a little research and it seems it’s not unheard of. Unfortunately, the cause is likely chemical and not reversible. The best option is to buy aftermarket replacements, or make your own if you have access to a vacuumformer. If you don’t, it’s possible to thermoform (sometimes called smash molding) by creating a master from the kit part. Reinforce Got a modeling problem? Our Questions & Answers column is here to help. E-mail questions@finescale.com, or visit FineScale.com and click on “Contact Us.” We are not able to conduct lengthy research, such as answering questions on markings and unit histories. We publish letters of general interest in the magazine; however, mail volume and space limitations prevent us from printing every question. Please include your name, town, state, and a daytime phone number.
the kit part with modeling clay or something similar and secure it to a wooden dowel in a vice so it can’t move. Then, heat a piece of clear plastic — you can buy sheets from Micro-Mark or use clear packaging plastic — over a candle or other heat source. Don’t hold it too close — you don’t want to burn the plastic, just soften it. Pull the softened plastic evenly down over the master and let it cool in place. It may take a few tries to get a good canopy.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE CAUSE IS LIKELY CHEMICAL AND NOT REVERSIBLE. Replacing old silver Q Testors doesn’t make Floquil old silver
anymore, so do you have a recommendation for a Model Master enamel that would be the closest match? I asked Testors and they said probably flat steel (No. 1180). I tried it, but it was not very close. Model Master chrome silver is too bright. – Dave Herron Boerne, Texas A There’s not a perfect match, but I tried German silver metallic (No. 271407) in Testors’ car paint line. It isn’t bad, and probably closer than flat steel or chrome silver. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think. Decals and PFM Q I was in the process of finishing Hobby-
Boss’ FM-2 with a gloss finish using FSM’s October 2013 article “Glossing With Acrylics” for guidance, and things were looking pretty good. I’ve always used Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish (PFM) as a clear gloss, so I sprayed it on, waited a day for it to dry, then started decaling using Squadron markings. A white residue appeared over and around the decal. This is the first time I’ve had this happen and am not sure what caused the problem or how to resolve it — sand and repaint, or remove the decal and start over. – Philip Modica Naperville, Ill. A I think the problem is the PFM not being completely cured. I know that’s what happened with the LifeColor clear gloss I used on the Panther in the story you cited;
the problem was much less apparent a few days later. It is best to give PFM at least 48 hours to dry before attempting to add decals, as water and setting solutions can soften it. The good news is that, in most cases, you can fix the problem with another coat of PFM. If the damage is too deep, you may need to sand and reapply decals to the damaged areas. The other possibility is that the white blemish is the adhesive from the decals. You can fix that with a damp cotton swab.
Masking woes Q When I mask with tape and paint, the
paint comes up as I lift the tape off. I wash the model with soapy water and rinse well. Then, right before painting, I rub the surface with alcohol. What surface preparation can I do to promote paint adhesion? I usually paint with Tamiya acrylics, but have used Model Master and Testors acrylics. I let the paint set for a few hours, then mask using either the blue painter’s tape or Tamiya tape for curves. The tape can be on the model for an hour or so while I brushpaint small parts, but I have left it on longer as well. Regardless of the time on the model, when I lift the tape the paint comes with it. The only thing I have found that does not lift the paint off is Silly Putty. – Mike Dowell Powder Springs, Ga. A I suspect the problem is that the paint isn’t fully cured when you mask over it. Tamiya and Testors/Model Master acrylics are more delicate than enamels, but I can usually mask over Tamiya without a problem. I wait at least a day, and maybe two, before taping. I see that you are in Georgia and it’s possible the humidity may be lengthening the paint’s curing time. Model Master’s Acryl paints are touchy and difficult to mask over. If you need to use tape, wait a little longer between coats, and then only burnish the leading edge of the tape against the surface so there’s minimal contact between the adhesive and the paint. You also can lower the tackiness of the tape by placing a strip onto a plate or glass, or even your pants, and then pulling it off. Repeat as necessary to reduce the tack to where it sticks but isn’t as hard on the paint. Silly Putty is great for masking jobs because it is unlikely to pull up paint. Poster putty also works. FSM November 2015
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WORKBENCH REVIEWS FSM experts build and evaluate new kits
Kitty Hawk’s new F-86D shines
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itty Hawk’s big F-86D Sabre Dog kit looks great just sitting in the box. You get seven sprues of light gray plastic and one in clear, as well as a photoetched-metal fret with seat belts and some kind of shroud for the speed brakes (which I didn’t see in references, so I didn’t use them). Options abound. The rear fuselage can be left removable to expose the exhaust, although that’s all you’ll see. The rocket tray under the chin can be posed open or closed, as can the canopy and speed brakes. The kit features complete intake trunking, engine, and exhaust can, and the cockpit assembly, nose-gear bay and rocket-tray bay all attach to it. All of those internal components complicate alignment. Decals provide markings for six versions. Unfortunately, the decals have a flat finish
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that looks out of place on the mostly natural-metal finishes suggested. The ejection seat looks great in the cockpit, especially with the photoetchedmetal seat belts. The cockpit tub went together pretty well, but the rear mounting tabs that plug into the slots on the fuselage sides were not completely molded in my kit. This might explain some alignment problems I encountered later. Decals provide instrument panel and side console detail, but the molded relief is so nice that I hand-painted them instead. The intake trunking, nose-gear bay, and rocket bay went together without a hitch. You won’t see most of the pretty-complete engine once the model is built, but core parts are required to align the other components. Now, all of these subassemblies — cockpit, rocket bay, and engine — attach to the
intake before everything is sandwiched by the fuselage halves. I suggest gluing these components together, then plugging everything into the fuselage before the glue sets, making sure all of the tabs are properly located. Don’t glue them into the slots, just place it in the fuselage and tape the halves together as the glue dries. Install 1.15 ounces of ballast in the nose to keep the nose wheel grounded; there’s plenty of room in front of the cockpit above the intake trunk. When you glue the fuselage together, let the core assembly float. That gives you some play during installation of the lower fuselage parts. I didn’t and ended up with alignment issues between the belly sections (parts C17 and C20). I clamped both pieces front to back to mate them. I don’t know what caused all this. It could have been because of the short-shot tabs on the cock-
Kitty Hawk does a nice job on the Sabre’s cockpit with a multipart seat that rewards careful painting. Photoetched-metal seat belts finish the deal.
The tray for the astounding Mighty Mouse missiles — formally the Mk. 4 Folding-Fin Aerial Rocket — can be shown stowed or deployed.
pit tub or the fact that I glued the core assembly into the starboard side fuselage half first. You get a detailed radar array, but there’s no provision for the radome to be removable. I skipped it and just glued the radome in place. In Step 12, make sure you use the correct intake lip (C12), because the other part (F14) is for a yet-to-be-released F-86K. Sand about 1⁄16" from the end of the intake trunk or the intake will sit too far forward. If you’re going to glue the front and rear fuselages together, like I did, there are a few things to keep in mind. Don’t use any of the bulkhead parts (D6, D18, and D19), because they just mess up the fit. I sanded 1⁄16" from the end of the jet tube (part D44) to get the fit right. The wings and flaps were trouble-free. Trim the outside of the main wheel well
ends (parts G25 and G26) to improve the fit of the wings to the fuselage in Step 18. The speed brakes fit perfectly in the closed position. Four photoetched-metal parts are supposed to fit the brake hinges, but I didn’t see anything in my references. The decals let the kit down, starting with the markings’ flat finish; it’s difficult to correct that look on natural-metal finishes, especially on clear-film sections between letters. The thin decals curl around the backing paper, complicating application. The model matches photos in F-86 in Action (Squadron/Signal, ISBN 978-089747-282-1). Fighting Colors: F-86 in Color (Squadron/Signal, ISBN 978-0-89747-1107) was useful for finishing information. Kitty Hawk’s big Dog Sabre takes a little work — I spent 37 hours on it — but it looks great when finished. – Larry Schramm
Kit: No. KH32007 Scale: 1/32 Manufacturer: Kitty Hawk, www.kittyhawkmodel.com Price: $109.99 Comments: Injectionmolded, 254 parts (7 photoetched-metal), decals Pros: Decent fit and nice detail, especially in the cockpit Cons: Some large sprue attachments; a lot of ejectorpin stubs; decals have flat finish; some fit problems
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WORKBENCH REVIEWS
Meng Leopard 1A5
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he Leopard 1 was Germany’s first indigenous tank design after World War II. A versatile platform, the Leopard underwent several upgrades after the first vehicles entered service in 1965, including the 1980 Leopard 1A5. New turrets, often clad in Lexan armor, were fitted to existing 1A1A1 tanks and a new fire-control system added. The 1A5 served in the German army for many years and remains operational in several other countries.
Kit: No. TS-015 Scale: 1/35 Manufacturer: Meng, www.meng-model.com Price: $79.99 Comments: Injection-molded, 1,314 parts (9 photoetched-metal, 24 vinyl, 2 foil, 1 string), decals Pros: Terrific molding and precise engineering Cons: Complex track assembly
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Meng builds on its previous Leopard 1A3/A4 kit using new and updated parts to create this Leopard 1A5. The kit is cleanly molded with sharp features. Features include working tracks, photo-etchedmetal and vinyl details, clear parts, and metallic film for mirrors. I studied the nicely produced color instruction booklet before jumping into the suspension. The road-wheel arms are molded with torsion bars that give the suspension a bit of movement. All of the wheels and drive sprockets sandwich vinyl grommets, so they can be easily attached and removed for painting and remain movable on the model. The workable tracks are impressive but take considerable effort to assemble. Each link consists of four parts and attaches to the adjoining link with a fifth! I needed 83 links per side — that means more than 700 parts in the tracks alone. Careful gluing will pay off you with neat workable tracks that are remarkably strong. A set of ice cleats is included. The primary hull goes together without a hiccup. The large number of tools and fittings added to the hull caught my attention! Be prepared to spend extra time here, because careful painting and gluing will be required.
The major components of the nicely molded turret build easily, but the hard work comes when you add the many mounting bosses for the external armor. The shields themselves are provided as flexible vinyl. The gun mantlet is a bit unusual. The parts captured the exterior details perfectly, but, surprisingly, there’s no provision for the barrel to be movable. The assembled mantlet attaches to the turret in one of two fixed positions. Optional plastic parts for the full-size tank’s fabric mantlet cover set the different elevations. I painted my Leopard with a combination of Ammo of Mig Jimenez and Tamiya acrylics. Decals provide markings for three German vehicles. I applied them without difficulty over a coat of clear gloss, and they had excellent adhesion and no silvering. I completed my Leopard in 53 hours and it looks great. Osprey’s Leopard 1 Main Battle Tank 1966-1995 (ISBN 978-185532-520-3) was a good reference during the build. With the large part count and complex assemblies — especially the tracks and turret armor — Meng’s Leopard 1A5 is aimed at more-experienced builders. With that caveat, I highly recommend it to modern armor modelers. – Jim Zeske
Academy F-4J Phantom
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label on Academy’s 1/72 scale Phantom says, “Intuitive build, loads of details without having to glue.” Uh oh, a “snap” kit. That means few parts, simplified construction and oversized fastening devices, right? Well, this isn’t your old-fashioned snap kit. It is, however, molded in four colors (gray, white, black, and clear), and all of the parts can be simply pressed together to stay without glue. It builds into a well-shaped F-4J and, specifically in this release, Showtime 100, the triple-MiG-killing CAG bird flown by Lt. Randy Cunningham and Lt.j.g. William Driscoll on May 10, 1972. The parts feature excellent, subtle recessed panel and rivet detail; there are three drop tanks and four each of AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles in the box. Six bombs and a pair of triple ejector racks for the inboard pylons also are included. The bombs were poorly shaped, so I didn’t use them. The one-piece canopy is clear, but there is no option for open canopies. Both closed and opened sets of landing gear doors are included, though, and you have the option of posing the speed brakes open or closed. The three-part ejection seats are well shaped, but there is no representation of harnesses and the characteristic face-curtain pull rings are absent. Aftermarket, here I come! The breakdown of the parts is brilliant, with many seam lines along color demarcation lines. The one-piece upper fuselage arches from wing root to wing root, so there’s no seam to fill along the top. Intakes
of Phantom kits are usually a bugaboo, but Academy’s are designed so you’ll never see seams inside. They fit well between the upper and lower fuselage components, too. The pins and tabs on the smaller parts fit tightly into their respective holes and slots, so you don’t really need to glue anything. There are two complete sets of markings. For those who want to build the kit quickly and not paint it, a set of self-adhesive stickers is included. It provides “color” for a few areas, such as the white control surfaces that are molded in gray plastic. There are even gray(ish) stickers to cover the mounting holes for post-Vietnam ECM blisters on the sides of the intakes (I filled mine). I didn’t try the stickers so can’t report on their performance. The waterslide decal sheet is beautifully printed and provides markings for Showtime 107 as well as 100 and a lot of stenciling. Building was a snap(!), and everything fit well. The only problems I encountered were omissions and errors in the instructions. There’s a step showing how to paint the two tiny instrument panels, but they never show where or when the panels are installed. Also, the nose-gear lockup mechanism is included on the sprues but never shown in the instructions. The color of the gray parts isn’t quite right for the Navy’s light gull gray, so I recommend painting everything. Also, Academy molded the leading and trailing edges of the wings into the gray-plastic upper-wing panels, so painting is necessary to get them right. I also painted the canopy frames as usual. Then it came time to decal. Academy’s
decals looked great but didn’t stick well and were impervious to a barrage of different setting solutions. On most flat areas, this isn’t a problem, but I couldn’t get the black wingtip decals to conform. Don’t even ask about the missile stripe decals. The model looks fantastic. Since I left off the outboard wing tanks (molded with their pylons), as that was usually what the Navy did, the mounting holes are obvious. Academy doesn’t provide optional empty weapons pylons for the outboard stations. I spent less than 20 hours on my Phantom. If I were to build another without painting anything, I could probably finish it in two hours. Don’t think so? Time me. Ready? Go! – Paul Boyer
Kit: No. 12515 Scale: 1/72 Manufacturer: Academy, www.academy.co.kr Price: $42 Comments: Injection-molded, 131 parts, decals and self-adhesive markings Pros: Excellent exterior detail; brilliant parts breakdown; good fits Cons: Singlepiece closed canopy; missing seat details; no outboard weapons pylons; instruction omissions and errors
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WORKBENCH REVIEWS
Flyhawk HMS Naiad
F
lyhawk Precision Model’s new Royal Navy Dido-class HMS Naiad fills a hole in the early World War II Royal Navy cruiser force in 1/700 scale. Commissioned in July 1940, Naiad was the second of 11+5 Dido-class antiaircraft light cruisers. She was one of the few completed with her intended armament of five QF 5" 25-caliber Mk.I dual-purpose twin gun turrets. The Naiad was considered a cheap, quick-to-build “low-end” crusier compared to the 12x6" Southampton-class ships and was roughly equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s Atlanta-class AA cruiser. Ordered from R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd., Hebburn-On-Tyne, the ship was delayed by damage caused by air
Kit: No. FH-1112 Scale: 1/700 Manufacturer: Flyhawk Models, www.flyhawkmodel.com Price: $64.99 Comments: Injection-molded, 305 parts (86 photoetched-metal), decals Pros: Exceptional molding quality; detailed parts and finish — best I’ve seen in this scale Cons: None
60 FineScale Modeler November 2015
raids to her turbine mountings (due to a near miss). After commissioning she was assigned to convoy protection with the 15th Cruiser Squadron, sailing the Atlantic and later reassigned to the Mediterranean. In March 1942, she was torpedoed and sunk off Crete by the German submarine U-565. Naiad was one of 30 Royal Navy cruisers lost during WWII. This kit is a unique combination of engineering and the art of camouflage for a specific era and. It’s a 1/700 scale kit with the detail of a 1/350 or 1/200 scale model! I had an excellent resource for colors and matched 1940 green with a paint chip, so I’m confident that my colors are accurate. Resources included Cruisers of World War Two (M.J. Whitley, ISBN 978-155750-141-7) and Snyder & Short Enterprises’ Royal Navy World War II Ship Colors, Set 1 color chips. While the fragile photoetched metal is well advanced, the detail of the injection molding is exquisite in its fine molding. The smallest parts are injection molded in a frame (35mm x 40mm), looking much like a radial aircraft engine with a single injection point. The kit consists of 20 sprues and carefully packaged photoetch and 17 structure parts. The modular system will likely offer later versions from the manufacturer. Starting with the hull, the kit comes with the options of a full hull or waterline application. I chose the waterline configu-
ration since there is a bottom with a metal rigid insert provided to firmly flatten the upper hull, which had exhibited a slight “ski” shape. The other reason was to use the vaguely ’60s concept of providing a display base created from the kit’s box. I deviated slightly from the instructions, painting each structure and stack before placement, as there are many wee and fragile parts in the way. Otherwise, follow the superb 13-step (with 14 subassemblies) instructions to carefully mount parts. Many are tucked into tight locations. The only problem was the quad 2-pounder Mk.VIII placement, which did not allow room for the railings. The only scale issue may be the tiny 4" star-shell cannon mounted on the after superstructure. This kit ranks among the finest quality 1/700 scale kits I’ve seen in more than 45 years of building this scale. It’s challenging to the point of requiring a jeweler’s loupe, an ultrafine, pinpoint tweezer, and the patience of a saint. The multicolor camouflage slowed the building to 81 hours but created a striking effect, resulting in an amazing item in 1/700 scale. There are even an accurate compass binnacle and pelorus on the open bridge, which has interior walls and deck. Any experienced 1/700 scale ship modelers will enjoy this kit and quietly tuck any resin kits in the back of their stash closet. – Mark Karolus
IBG Otter light reconnaissance car
T
he Otter was based on the Canadian C15TA truck chassis and was armed with a Boys antitank rifle and Enfield Bren machine gun. Later vehicles had turrets replaced by a mount for a Browning M2 machine gun. Between 1942 and 1945, more than 1,750 were produced. The model is molded in gray plastic; many sprue attachments are oversized, requiring repairs to detail damaged during removal. Cleanup is complicated by the brittle styrene; I broke some delicate parts. However, there are few knockout marks (only a couple under the floor and in the engine compartment). Decals mark three Canadian vehicles, two for the Italian campaign and one for France. Each of the three choices has options specific to that vehicle, shown in five-view drawings Instructions are remarkably clear, with CAD images of exploded views and a picture for each step. Interestingly, you are directed to bend all of the photoetchedmetal parts first; instead, I bent them when it was time to glue them, preventing loss and damage. The metal is softer than usual. But degrees for angled bends are provided, making them easier to get right on the first try (and breakage less likely). Construction starts with the engine, which is fairly complete and invites further detail in the engine compartment. I skipped Steps 15 and 16, adding the small parts after the main body panels were glued in Step 34. The frame is made with two side rails and six cross members, two of which were sloppy and needed filler (parts A12 and A21). Three tire types are provided, but only one is supposed to be used. I was unable to find references showing the tread pattern
and front wheel hubs on the kit’s wheels, but the aftermarket may provide an answer. I left off the tailpipe until the engine and muffler were mounted. (Drill out the end of the tailpipe.) You can leave the frame and drivetrain off until everything is painted. I spent most of my time on the interior. The vehicle’s angled sides require careful paint and assembly planning. I glued the side wall F2, front plate G22, engine cover, and rear stowage bin to the floor plate, then glued any of the detail parts painted white. Anything that was another color was painted first, then glued in place before proceeding to the rest of the hull. In Step 27, parts J2 (the chair supports) are handed; I missed this and found out during final assembly that the chair backs did not fit properly. However, the worst fit problem was getting the engine-cover assembly to match with the front plate (Part G22) and side wall (Part F2). There was a gap, but it’s not seen. I also would have liked the kit to include decals for the gauges. The instrument-panel molding has only blank circles that require either aftermarket decals or an artistic touch; this area is easily seen if you leave the large doors open. The rest of the hull fit well, needing only a bit of filler at roof-plate joints and trunk panels to the lower hull plates. Stowage is provided to fill the bin in the cabin’s rear. Assembly of the exterior was quick, with the engine grille being the only difficulty; it’s obvious if you don’t get the pieces parallel and evenly spaced. There should be a weld seam down the back of the turret; I replicated it with a strip of styrene, strengthening the join of the turret halves. I chose to model the 4th Princess
Louise Dragoon Guards vehicle — I liked the large roundel on the hood. Directions call for Vallejo colors, but I mixed Tamiya paints to match SCC15 British olive drab: 5 parts dark green (XF-61); 2 parts olive drab (XF-62); and 2 parts yellow (XF-3). The Techmod decals are in register, and they don’t silver, but they’re thin and tricky to maneuver without folding. The more you put into this kit, the better it looks. Even with only 312 parts — a low count by today’s standards — it took 37 hours to complete. For more on this vehicle, see GM Otter Mk.I Car (Army Wheels in Detail No. 11), by James Gosling and Petr Brojo, Capricorn, ISBN 978-80-87578-03-2 ), and WarWheels.net. The model scaled out well to published plans. With good fits, easy-to-use photoetched metal, and clear directions, a few added details can make this model a showstopper. – Mike Scharf
Kit: No. 35019 Scale: 1/35 Manufacturer: IBG, www.ibg.com.pl Price: $44.95 Comments: Injectionmolded, 312 parts (10 photoetchedmetal), decals Pros: Clear directions; complete interior; smart photoetched-metal parts Cons: Off-center halves and incorrect tread pattern on wheels; no detail for supporting open hatches
November 2015
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We carry a huge inventory of plastic model kits from around the world! Full Line of Detailing Accessories. Airline models, Decals, Books, Promos, Die Cast Collectibles, Historical & RPG Games & Miniatures, Airbrushes & parts. Large Paint and Tool inventory. Full line R/C department. We ship worldwide.
www.colpar.com COLPAR’S HobbyTown USA To order call: 1-800-876-0414 1915 S. Havana St. For information: 303-341-0414 Aurora, Co 80014
Classified Marketplace This section is open to anyone who wants to sell or buy scale modeling merchandise. FSM reserves the right to edit undesirable copy or refuse listing. For FSM’s private records, please furnish: a telephone number and a street address. All Copy: Set in standard format. First several words only set in bold face. If possible, ads should be sent typewritten and categorized to ensure accuracy. Coming Events Rate: $35 per issue (55 word maximum). Ads will contain the following information about the event: state, city, sponsoring organization and name of event, meet, auction or show, dates, location, times, admission fee, name and/or telephone number and/or email of person to contact for information. Name, daytime telephone number and street address of the person providing the information is also required but need not be included in the ad. Unless otherwise requested, ads will be published in the issue month that the event occurs in. Additional months are available at the $35 per issue fee. Please specify issue date(s). Word Ad Rates: 1 insertion - $1.13 per word, 5 insertions $1.08 per word, 10 insertions - 99¢ per word. $20 minimum per issue. Count all initials, single numbers, street number or name, city, state, zip, phone numbers each as one word. Payment must accompany the ad. To receive the discount you must order and prepay for all ads at one time. We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover. Send Your Ads To: FineScale Modeler – Classified Marketplace, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612. Phone toll-free: 1-888-558-1544, Ext. 815, or fax: 262-796-0126. E-mail: onlineclassads@kalmbach.com
COMING EVENTS CA, BUENA PARK: Kit Collectors Exposition & Sale, UFCW Hall, 8550 Stanton Ave. Sunday, November 8, 2015, 9:00am3:00pm. Admission $5.00, under 12 free w/adult. Thousands of rare, hard-to-ďŹ nd model kits and collectibles! Door prizes, snack bar. free parking. Information: Edie Keller, 714-826-5218, PO Box 38, Stanton, CA 90680, kitcollectorsshow@yahoo.com Facebook at Buena-Park-Model-Kit-Collectors-Expo BS Twitter @Kitcollectors
Wood, paper, resin, static and R/C kits. Miniature Figures. Architectural Kits. And More...
(510) 889-6000 $10 off your next order of $100 or more. Use code K5020 (good thru 12/31/15)
ACRYLIC CASES
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Wooden Ship Model Kits • Fittings •Tools
Specializing in hard-to-find & OOP kits.
Custom-made acrylic boxes, frames and bases to display your treasured collectibles.
We have over 8000 kits in stock from old Aurora to new releases. Please contact us for a FREE catalog. Please specify cars or military. Check with me before you sell.
We Buy Collections!
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70A East Jefryn Blvd., Deer Park, NY 11729 (631) 243-1882 • FAX (631) 243-1883 e-mail: info@todaysacrylic.com http://www.todaysacrylic.com
IL, SCHAUMBURG: The Military Miniature Society of Illinois holds its 41st Annual Chicago Show at the Chicago Marriott Schaumburg, 50 N. Martingale Rd., Schaumburg, IL. Saturday, October 24, 2015, 9:00am-4:00pm. For more information contact Pat Vess (pat@livezey.net 630-730-2492) or website www.Military-Miniature-Society-of-Illinois.com NY, POUGHKEEPSIE: HVHMG 2015, Celebrating 29 years, Elks Club Lodge, Overocker Rd. October 17, 2015. Sponsored by IPMS Mid-Hudson. Registration 9:00am-noon. More information at: www.hvhmg.com or contact John Gallagher at 845-4624740 or ggallagherjoh@optonline.net CANADA, AJAX, ONTARIO: Ajax 35 Model Contest. J. Clarke Richardson Collegiate, 1355 Harwood Ave. N. Saturday, October 24, 2015, 10:00am-4:00pm. Admission: $5.00, Model entry $2.00 to max $15.00 (no limit on models). Sponsored by IPMS Toronto, IPMS De Havilland & Peel Scale Modelers. Contact: Bernie Hengst: 705-878-1740 or berniehengst@xplornet.ca Visit: www.ajaxscalemodelcontest.com
FOR SALE CANOPY MASKING AND MORE! WWW.EZMASKS. COM List $3.00. Chris Loney, 75 Golf Club Rd., Smiths Falls, ON, Canada K7A 4S5. 613-283-5206, ezmasks@gmail.com PLASTIC MODEL AIRPLANE COLLECTION 45 year collection, 450 models by type, manufacturer and kit number. Call Don at 203-377-7793 or e-mail don208@optimum.net SHIP AND AIRCRAFT MODELS. Built for display. For additional information contact, Ray Guinta, PO Box 74, Leonia, NJ 07605. www.rayguinta.com THOUSANDS OF MODEL KITS for sale. All types from Old Aurora to new releases. Send a 70¢ SASE to: Dean Sills, 116 N. Washington, Owosso, MI 48867. Specify Military List. Phone: 989-720-2137. Fax: 989-720-0937. E-mail: dean@deanshobbystop.com
WANTED A BIG BUYER OF AIRCRAFT, Armor, Sci-Fi, Resin, Hybrid or Plastic kits. We buy collections whether they are small or large- Worldwide as well. Call Don Black toll free 1-866-4627277. Don Black, 119 Bernhurst Road, New Bern, NC 28560. E-mail don@donblack.com
AIRCRAFT, ARMOR, SCI-FI, FIGURES, AUTO, ETC. Buying kit collections, large or small, worldwide. Top prices paid. Call Jim Banko 610-814-2784 or mail list to 122 Independence Ct., Bethlehem, PA 18020, fax 610-439-4141. E-mail: cth1@prodigy.net I WANT TO BUY YOUR UNBUILT MODEL KITS. Any size collection. Dean Sills, 116 N. Washington St. Owosso, MI 48867. 989-720-2137. Fax: 989-720-0937. E-mail: dean@deanshobbystop.com MODEL CAR AND TRUCK KITS. Unbuilt or built. Any size collection. Good prices paid. Please contact: Fred Sterns, 48 Standish, Buffalo, NY 14216. Phone: 716-838-6797. Fax: 716836-6057. E-mail: fsterns@aol.com YOU WILL NEVER FIND TIME TO BUILD ALL THOSE MODELS. Unbuilt kits, diecast aircraft, military books. Milam Models, 519 DiLorenzo Dr., Naperville, IL 60565, Phone: 630-983-1407, jetpilotpaul@aol.com
MISCELLANEOUS 1ST AND ABSOLUTELY THE BEST MUSEUM-QUALITY MODELS. IPMS Nationals winner building aircraft and armor to your speciďŹ cation, including conversions and scratchbuilt. Call BC Models for quote and information at 913-385-9594 or visit www.bcmmodels.com FINESCALE MODELER AUTHOR and IPMS medalist will build your favorite aircraft, specializing in metal ďŹ nishes. Contact John Adelmann at 563-556-7641 or jjadelmann@yahoo.com
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Local Hobby Shop Directory Local Hobby Shop Directory listings are available for the next ten issues for $275 (payable in advance) or at $37 per issue (billed to established accounts for a minimum of ten insertions). Ads will be set in standard listing typography. All insertions must be consecutive and may be invoiced if you have credit established with us. No mention of mail order business permitted. For information call 888-558-1544, ext. 815. Closing dates listed in Classifieds section.
ARKANSAS • Jacksonville
Headquarters for scale hobbies. Models; N-HO-O trains; gaming; tools; paints, etc. Discounts & special orders. Open 10-6, closed Sundays and Wednesdays www.railandspruehobbies.com
RAIL & SPRUE HOBBIES
1200 John Harden Dr.
501-982-6836
CALIFORNIA • Burbank
Large selection of plastic kits, paints, and supplies. Special orders no problem Visit us in person or online www.houseofhobbies.com Secure online ordering
BURBANK’S HOUSE OF HOBBIES
911 S. Victory Blvd.
818-848-3674
CALIFORNIA • Canoga Park
Kits, plastic & wood, Slot cars & toys. Rockets, paint, glue and tools. Trains from Z to O. Mon-Tues 10-5, Wed-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5, closed Sun & Big Holidays. www.scalemodelstuff.com
SCALE MODEL STUFF
7259 Canoga Avenue
818-716-7847
CALIFORNIA • Garden Grove
Rewards program for 10% back on purchases. Plastic aircraft, armor, ships, cars, decals, books, paints, tools, miniatures war-games. Mon-Thur 11-8, Fri 11-midnight, Sat 10-midnight, Sun 11-7 www.brookhursthobbies.com
BROOKHURST HOBBIES
12188 Brookhurst St.
714-636-3580
CALIFORNIA • Hollister
Model planes, car, ships & figures. Model train scales: Z, N, HO, O & G. Paints, tools. R/C & parts, incl. service. Craft & educational kits, supplies, products. Clinics available. Tu-Sat 11 -6; Sun 12-4. www.debbiebartunek@mac.com
B.C.T. HOBBY & CRAFTS
201-C McCray St.
831-635-0537
CALIFORNIA • La Mirada
R HOBBIES
562-777-9492
CALIFORNIA • Orange
New Products, Old Kits & Great Service! Everything you need to build plastic models Armor, Aircraft, Ships, Cars, SciFi and more. M-F 10:30-6pm, Sat 10:30-5pm, Sun 12-5pm www.militaryhobbiesonline.com
MILITARY HOBBIES
830 E. Lincoln Ave.
Old & rare kits, largest selection in military kits, rockets, & cars. Exit 45 off I-91. 10 minutes from Bradley Air Museum. www.craftechobbies.com or Visit us on Facebook.
CRAFTEC HOBBIES
860-627-7811
144 North Road
CONNECTICUT • Manchester
Largest hobby shop in NE. Military, cars, trucks, plastic models, diecast cars, trucks. Planes, RC planes, cars, trucks, slot cars, rockets, Breyer, Detailing supplies, games! Mon-Wed 10-6 Th-Fri 10-9 Sat-Sun 10-6
TIME MACHINE HOBBY
860-646-0610
71 Hilliard St.
CONNECTICUT • Milford
Extensive selection of armor kits & Verlinden accessories. Military, auto & aircraft plastic models. Photo-etched parts. O gauge train sets. Open Tues - Sat 11-6, Sun 12-5. www.HQHobbies.com
HQ HOBBIES
394 New Haven Ave., Unit 1
203-882-1979
FLORIDA • Ft. Myers
Come visit our new store! Plastic modeling kits. Paint, tools, scenery, & accessories. Scale model railroads & rockets. Mon-Sat 10:00am-6:00pm. Closed Sunday.
METRO TRAINS & HOBBIES
239-332-0422
12951 Metro Parkway
GEORGIA • Blue Ridge
Huge selection of model kits & accessories. Ships, Armor, Aircraft, Figures, Cars and more. Visit: www.freetimehobbies.com for complete listing. Monday to Friday 10-5, Saturday 10-2
FREE TIME HOBBIES
47 Dunbarton Farm Rd.
706-946-1120
HAWAII • Kailua, Oahu
Wide selection of plastic model kits, paint, books, magazines and tools. Located on the beautiful windward side, a scenic 20 minute drive from Honolulu. Mon - Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5, Sun 11-2
WELLER'S HOBBYCRAFT
808-262-0211
767 Kailua Road
MASSACHUSETTS • Malden (Boston) Largest store in area, easy access via I-93, Rt. 1, and the T. Complete line of model kits & supplies, plus toy soldiers, figure kits, games, etc. Shipping available. Info: hobbybunker.com
HOBBY BUNKER, INC.
781-321-8855
33 Exchange St.
MASSACHUSETTS • Marlboro
Wide variety of plastic kits. Old Nascar Kits - please call. Mon - Sat 10-6. Closed Sunday. 14269 Imperial Hwy.
CONNECTICUT • East Windsor
714-637-1211
Stop in ONCE! A customer for LIFE! We have 10,000+ models, tools, supplies, 23 paint lines, 50 model mags, 5,000+ books. Est. in 1973, open 7 days, Th & Fr 'til 8. Visit us @ www.sparetimeshop.com
THE SPARE TIME SHOP
508-481-5786
Rt 20E Main, Post Rd. Plaza
MASSACHUSETTS • Norton
6,000 model kits, old and new: Autos, armor, planes & sci-fi. Reference books & supplies. Open T-Th 11-7, F 11-8, Sa 10-5. Rt. 495 to Rt. 123E, behind Dunkin’ Donuts. www. mymummy.com E: mummy@mymummy.com
HARRY’S HOBBIES & COLLECTABLES
508-285-8080
250 E. Main St., Rt 123
CALIFORNIA • San Mateo
MICHIGAN • Owosso
Your source for plastic models, die cast and all supplies needed to finish your latest model. Mon-Sat 9:30-6, Sun 11-5. www.talbotstoyland.com
We moved! Thousands of model kits from old Aurora to new releases. Mon 4pm-7pm, Tues - Fri 11:30am-5pm. Sat 11:30am-4:00pm E-mail: dean@deanshobbystop.com
TALBOT’S HOBBIES
445 South “B” Street
650-342-0126
COLORADO • Aurora
Large inventory of models from the world over! Detailing accessories, research publications, games, trains, R/C, tools, and supplies. Easy access from D.I.A. http://www.colpar.com
COLPAR HOBBIES
1915 S. Havana St.
800-876-0414
CONNECTICUT • Cos Cob
ANN’S HOBBY CENTER
405 E. Putnam Avenue
203-869-0969
Your single stop model building shop. Michigan’s largest selection of new and vintage kits in all genres plus everything needed to build them. Wed - Sat 11-8, Sun 12-5 Visit us on Facebook. www.modelcave.com
MODELCAVE
103 W. Michigan Avenue
DEAN’S HOBBY STOP
116 N. Washington Street
989-720-2137
MICHIGAN • Royal Oak (Metro Detroit)
New & Old Toy Soldiers, Historical Miniatures, Models and Figure Kits from Around the World. Our famous selection of hobby supplies includes scenics, paints, reference and more. www.michtoy.com
MICHIGAN TOY SOLDIER & FIGURE CO.
248-586-1022
1400 E. 11 Mile Rd.
NEVADA • Las Vegas While in Las Vegas, come see our wide selection of models and detail accessories. Less than 5 miles off the Las Vegas strip Hours Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-6, Sun noon-5.
HOBBYTOWN USA
4590 W Sahara Ave Ste 103
TRAINS & THINGS HOBBIES
210 East Front St.
ELITE HOBBIES
with
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NEW JERSEY • Kenvil
KENVIL HOBBIES
973-584-1188
NEW JERSEY • Magnolia (Camden) Huge foreign & domestic model selection all scales. Automobiles, aircraft ship, books, wargames, scenery, diorama supplies, parts, tools. Open 7 days
AAA HOBBIES & CRAFTS
706 N. White Horse Pike
856-435-7645
NEW YORK • Buffalo
SECTION 8 HOBBIES
716-824-1049
NEW YORK • Middle Island
MEN AT ARMS HOBBIES, INC.
631-924-0583
NEW YORK • Upr Eastside GR Manhattan Visit our in-house Aircraft Model Museum. Foreign and domestic plastic and wood kits. Open 7 days.
JAN'S HOBBY SHOP, INC.
212-987-4765
1435 Lexington Ave.
231-947-1353
OHIO • Columbus
FineScale.com
BUILD BETTER
AIRCRAFT
Frank Cuden used aftermarket parts scratchbuilt and to sharpen Emhar’s 1/72 scale F3H Demon – p.20
G & G MODEL SHOP
2522 Times Blvd.
713-529-7752
Imported & Domestic Aviation Books & Plastic Kits. Paint, Decals, HO, N trains, R/C, U/C airplanes. Mon 1-6, Tue-Wed 12-6, Thur-Fri 10:30-7. Sat 10:30-6. www.malhobby.com
M-A-L HOBBY SHOP
108 S. Lee Street
972-438-9233
Scale modeling from beginner to expert. A wide selection of aircraft, armor, autos, figures, ships, & sci-fi. Lots of reference material, detail parts, decals, tools, & eight lines of paint. Open Tues-Sat 10-6pm.
DIBBLE'S HOBBIES
1029 Donaldson Ave.
210-735-7721
VIRGINIA • Chantilly
Minutes from Dulles Airport & New Dulles Air & Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center. PLASTIC! PLASTIC! PLASTIC! Kits for aircraft - armor - ships - cars Daily 12-8; Sun 12-5. www.piperhobby.com
PIPER HOBBY
13892 Metrotech Dr.
703-803-3103
Plastic model specialty shop. New and old kits, foreign, domestic, books, paints and other accessories. We also buy collections. www.dhcinc.com dhc@dhcinc.com
DENBIGH HOBBY CENTER, INC.
14351 Warwick Blvd.
757-874-5708
We are a full line hobby shop. Huge model selection. Gundam, supplies, tool, educational, kit, parts, kite, game. Huge selection, paint, train & R/C items. www.galaxyhobby.com
GALAXY HOBBY
19332 60th Ave. W.
425-670-0454
WASHINGTON • Seattle
Plastic Model Specialists. Large selection of rare & out-of-production models. Large selection of detail parts. Largest selection of plastic models in South Seattle! www.skywaymodel.com
SKYWAY MODEL SHOP
12615 Renton Ave. South
206-772-1211
CANADA–AB • Calgary
Great selection of model kits, accessories, detail parts, magazines, tools & paints. www.hobbylandstores.com
HOBBYLAND
206 Graceland Blvd.
614-888-7500
Oklahoma’s largest plastic kit, paint and aftermarket inventory. Planes, cars, trucks, armor, ships, trains and sci-fi. Special orders welcome! Mon - Fri 10-7, Sat 11-6, Sun 1-5 Web site: www.topshelfmodelsllc.com
TOP SHELF MODELS
918-274-0433
119 S. Main St.
OREGON • Beaverton
TAMMIES HOBBIES
12024 SW Canyon Rd.
Specializing in R/C models and accessories, helicopters, planes, cars, trucks, boats, plastic, die-cast & model rockets. M T W F 9:30-6, Th 9:30-8 Sat. 9:30-5 www.modelland.com info@modelland.com
MODEL LAND LTD
3409A 26 Ave. SW
403-249-1661
CANADA–ON • Ottawa (Vanier) One of Canada's leading model shops. Complete line of military & aircraft kits, decals, paints and accessories. Free parking. On Parle Francais.
HOBBY HOUSE, LTD
80 Montreal Rd.
613-749-5245
CANADA–ON • Toronto
Complete full line hobby shop. Z, N, HO, O, Lionel, and LGB. Open Mon-Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5. 503-644-4535
Large Selection New & Used Kits Military books, tools, paint, airbrushes Full line hobby shop open Tue - Thur 10-6, Fri 10-7, Sat 10-4 www.CoolTrains.com
COOLTRAINS TOYS & HOBBIES
106 W. Main Street
HO & N, Lionel trains. Complete line of plastic kits, military and architecture supplies. Open 11am-6pm M-F, Sat. 10am-5pm www.gandgmodelshop.com
WASHINGTON • Lynwood
Excellent selection of lead miniatureshistorical and fantasy. Plastic models, wargames & modeling supplies. Books and magazines. 134 Middle Country Rd.
865-675-1975
VIRGINIA • Newport News
WNY’s largest selection of models!!! We specialize in models. New, old, rare and vintage. Tons of detail and weathering products, paint, tools and so much more! 2243 Seneca St.
HOBBYTOWN USA
11145 Turkey Dr.
TEXAS • San Antonio
Full service hobbies, a full line of HO, N, 3-Rail, military, cars, boats, planes, dollhouses, scratchbuilding supplies, plus details-details-details! 590 Rt. 46
East Tennessee’s largest plastic model selection. 8,000 sq. ft. of hobbies & toys. Located in Knoxville’s premier shopping destination. Turkey Creek Area. Open 7 days a week.
TEXAS • Irving (Dallas Area)
Best plastic, resin & balsa kits from around the world. Scratch building & diorama supplies, reference books, large paint selection including Humbrol, Citadel & Testors
START – AND FINISH – A MOD EL THIS WEE KEND!
SOAR
702-889-9554
NEW HAMPSHIRE • Dover
#334 90 Washington St.
TENNESSEE • Knoxville
TEXAS • Houston
PENNSYLVANIA • Landisville (Lancaster)
Let your imagination run wild! Aircraft, ships, cars, armor, special orders, diecast cars, model railroading Z to G and more...
Your modeling skills will
734-316-2281
OKLAHOMA • Owasso
MICHIGAN • Traverse City
Planes, tanks, cars, ships, rockets, plastic and wood kits. Trains. Authorized Lionel dealer & repair. Die-cast, RC, slot cars, structural and diorama supplier. Special orders welcome.
MICHIGAN • Ypsilanti-Metro Detroit
717-898-7119
Large selection of new & out-of-production kits. Accessories & finishing products. Servicing the hobbies since 1986. We buy kit collections. www.wheelswingshobbies.com
WHEELS AND WINGS
1880 Danforth Ave.
416-752-0071
SINGAPORE • Singapore
Old kits & latest releases. Good selection of unusual model kits & accessories. We stock electric trains & slot cars. Open 7 days, 1pm-8pm. In the Katong Shopping Centre. www.hobbybounties.com
HOBBY BOUNTIES & MORGAN HOBBYCRAFT
865 Mountbatten Rd #02-91/92
65-6440-1890
»
February 2015 Academy’s 1/72
scale F4F-4 Wildcat
HOW TO RAIS E THE LEVEL DETAIL ONOF YOUR NEXT MODEL
PLUS STEP-BY-STEP: Repair a can opy p.30 Model a big -scale desert Messerschm Tips and trick itt p.25 s for scratchb uilding arm or p.40 7 ALL-NEW KITS BUI LT AND REV IEWED BY OUR TEAM
– p.38
No matter what you like to model, it’s in FineScale Modeler.
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www.FineScale.com
65
FINAL DETAILS By Mark Hembree
Modeling with a smile MODELERS OFTEN HAVE a single, serious reason for building a particular model — but not always. Jim James, an award-winning modeler who’s been building kits for nearly 60 years, says, “Oh, I don’t know. I’m English, so I have a weird sense of humor.” Hailing from Haywards Heath in West Sussex, England, Jim moved to Florida in 1971 and has lived there
ever since. He has been married for 35 years and has two children, four grandchildren, “and three cats,” he says. And what does his wife, Marsha, think of his hobby? “She puts up with me,” Jim says. “She tolerates it.” It’s likely she understands that he just can’t help himself. For instance, the first time he saw Moebius Models’ 1/6 scale Cylon Centurion figure, his first thought was, “Disco
dancer — it’s just such an odd pose.” Jim’s ironic sense has served him well. He says he’s the only person to have won two “Best Humor” awards at Wonderfest Hobby Expo, the annual convention in Louisville, Ky., that draws all manner of sci-fi, horror, anime, and special-effects models and their builders. “My objective in life is a third one — every year I try to better myself,” he says.
“What do Martians do when they’re not conquering Earth?” Jim asks. How about a round of Twister? Jim built a game board for two Pegasus 1/8 scale “War of the Worlds” Alien Creatures using circles of sheet styrene cut out with an EK Success paper punch. He scratchbuilt the spinner with sheet styrene and a computer printout, and says the most difficult part was getting the Martians on their spots. “I had to bend a few legs,” he says. FSM 66 FineScale Modeler November 2015
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What do a “calliope” and a “bedspring” have in common? Each can be found in a new version of an academy kit
The Sherman, a mainstay of Allied Forces during WWII, was made in a number of variants. None more unique than the Sherman Calliope. Its T34 Calliope rocket launcher fired a barrage of rockets from 60 launch tubes mounted above the turret. The name Calliope derives from the launcher’s resemblance to the pipes of the Calliope steam organ. The kit is complete with rocket launcher, photoetched parts, duckbill tracks and a choice of decals.
Academy … a Passion for Precision
The Soviet T34/85 tank kit features (13294) 1/35 M4A3 Sherman Calliope “bedspring” armor which is installed on the body and turret. Not actually bedsprings, these purpose-made mesh shields derive their name from a close resemblance to actual bedsprings. Other new parts include the made-in-factory 183 turret and a replica of the pressed steel wheels with perforated rubber tires. Check out these and other additions to Academy’s 1/35 collection at www.modelrectifier.com and you’ll understand Academy’s Passion for Precision.
(13295) 1/35 Soviet T34/85 Factory No. 183 “Berlin 1945” with “Bedspring” Armor