drth s45y st by fredercast

Aeronavale Striker Super Étendard

Spitfire Beer Delivery

You Hook ‘Em & I’ll Clean ‘em Top Gun Tomcat

HobbyBoss

1:48 Scale

Thud!

Vol 20 Iss 06 £4.95

THE CURTISS P-4 T ZONE 0 A B COM

JUNE 2021

F-105G

Printed in UK

Wild Weasel

Manual – The McDonnell F-3H Demon History Colour Profiles Step by Step Build Scale Plans

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JUNE 2021

VOLUME 20 ISSUE 06

Time Flies

y goodness, the June issue already! These past months since January have in some ways dragged on due to the constant threat of Covid and yet here we are, nearly halfway through the year! I am sure that some of you, like me have been looking forward to seeing what Mr Cruise gets up to in the much anticipated, and much delayed Top Gun 2. The trailers look awesome and I’m itching to strap into a cinema seat for the ride – with nacho’s and a drink of course! That kind of reminded me of an interview I did way back when the RAF had a Hercules display team. Their display routine was pretty sprightly for such a big aircraft (including a Khe Sanh landing) and I remarked that they actually hauled the Herc around like a fighter, to which

the reply came ‘yes but we have a coffee cup holder – not something you find in a jet!’ So as a homage to the original film, Dawid Branski brings his ‘You Hook ‘em and I’ll Clean and Fry ‘em!’ F-14 build. So, what else do we have in store this month? Well once again we are packed to the rear ramp with superb model builds, and straight away, our cover feature this month is from our own ‘Dutch Master’ Rene Van Der Hart with his wonderful F-105 Thunderchief. Another trio of articles to look out for are Luis Picalau’s Beer Run Spitfire and Angel Exposito’s Super Etendard, and if you are in need of a splash of colour the Eifion Wynn provides this with his ICM Stearman feature.

Our Model Aircraft Manual this month features an often-overlooked US Navy jet and the forerunner of the F-4 Phantom, the McDonnel F3H Demon. As usual we have background details, scale plans, colour artwork and an excellent build of the 1:72 Sword kit from Jezz Coleman. So, as always, all that’s left for me to say is……. Stay safe and happy modelling!

Andy

CONTENTS 6

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F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

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COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

COMBAT ZONE

FIGHTING

F-105G Thunderchief Manufacturer: HobbyBoss Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 80333

The kit has some very nice features like an open gun bay with detailed gatling gun, the possibility to show a detailed engine (unfortunately without a stand for the rear fuselage), a wide choice of underwing stores such as missiles, fuel tanks and ECM pods, a nicely detailed cockpit and poseable flaps and slats. Although the kit cockpit is sufficiently detailed, I decided to replace it with an Aires resin aftermarket cockpit. As usual with aftermarket resin parts, and especially with those from Aires, some modifications had to be made to allow the resin parts to fit neatly into the fuselage. The first step was to remove all the raised details inside the fuselage. Also, some plastic had to be removed to accommodate the front cockpit instrument

The Curtiss P-

CARACAL AFTERMARKET DECALS WERE USED ON THIS MODEL. NOT THAT THE KIT DECALS ARE BAD BUT I WANTED TO DO ANOTHER VERSION THAN THAT PROVIDED WITH THE KIT

Kittyhawk T he P-40 was the most extensively built American fighter of the Second World War with over 13,000 produced. Famed for its shark tooth design the Curtiss P-40 ‘Kittyhawk’, or ‘Warhawk’ and Tomahawk as it was also known, was used by the ‘Flying Tigers’, the American Volunteer Group in China. During 1938 the tenth Curtiss P-36A was used for an experimental engine conversion from a radial to a inline engine, this was designated the Hawk 81 by Curtiss. At the time the inline engine was favoured after examples of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and British Supermarine Spitfire proved successful with this type of engine. Although they did have their

6 ‘Thud!’

AH-1Z VIPER

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COMBAT ZONE

FIGHTING

SPITFIRE MK.IXC ‘BEER DELIVERY’

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COLO U R S

After assembling and painting the engine, A.MIG-1602 Deep Grey Panel Line Wash was used to emphasise the details

Luis Picalua builds the 1:48 ICM Spitfire Mk.IXc with added ale casks!

E COMBAT ZON

NG HTI FIG

S OUR COL

The interior of the fuselage was painted with A.MIG-0023 Protective Green. I also added a little Vallejo 71.001 White for the highlights and A.MIG-1602 Deep Grey to emphasise the panel lines

Ground crews servicing a Curtiss P-40 of the 23rd Fighter Group, also known as the ‘Flying Tigers’ on an airfield in China

THE BIG BUILD A Curtiss P-40N ‘Warhawk’

Trolleys loaded with 250lb GP bombs are drawn up in front of a line of ‘Kittyhawk’ Mark IIIs of No. 260 Squadron RAF at Marble Arch landing ground in Libya disadvantages, being heavier and having vital systems vulnerable to combat damage, it wasn’t until 1941 when the radial engine Focke-Wulf Fw 190 went into service that showed the true potential of these engines.

Three Curtiss ‘Kittyhawk’ Mark IIIs of No.112 Squadron, Royal Air Force preparing to depart from Medenine on a sortie

Rene Van Der Hart builds the 1:48 HobbyBoss F-105G Thunderchief

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A US Army P-40E Warhawk preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

When on the 14th October 1938 the Hawk 81 flew, it was powered by a 1,160-hp Allison V-171019 engine, but was basically similar to the P-36A, with the radiator first mounted beneath the aft fuselage before being placed under the nose. Flying in May 1939, and now designated the XP-40, against other pursuit plane prototypes in competition against each other, the XP-40 was chosen for production by the US Army Air Corps, and on the 27th April 1939, and at the time representing the US Army’s largest single order for fighters, 524 P-40s were ordered. As soon as the first three P-40s rolled of the production line during May 1940 they were sent for service trials, although these P-40’s would be powered by a less powerful supercharged Allison V-1710-33

Curtiss ‘Tomahawk’ Mk.IIBs of No.112 Squadron RAF at LG 102 in the Sidi Heneish area Egypt

‘Beer Delivery’

A line up of RAAF Curtis P-40 ‘Tomahawks’ flown by an Australian squadron in Syria engine. The Curtiss P-40 began to enter service in June 1940 with the 33rd, 35th, and 36th Pursuit Squadrons receiving the first deliveries and by September 1940 the USAAC had received 200 P-40s. 140 similar Hawk 81A-1 fighters had been ordered by France, but as with the Consolidated PBY Catalina, none of these reached France before the end of resistance. Instead, designated ‘Tomahawk I’ the aircraft were used by the RAF in Europe where the planes were to prove unsuited for deployment in Europe, and after replacing Westland Lysanders of No.2 Squadron during August 1941 they were soon relegated to training duties, they also served in North West Africa. No.112 Squadron was the first RAF overseas Squadron to take delivery of the plane and operating in the Western Desert in a low-level ground attack role the plane enjoyed

‘BEER DELIVERY’

he F-105G was the ‘Wild Weasel’ version of the two seat F-105F Thunderchief. This aircraft replaced the F-100F Super Sabre, which was the first dedicated SAM killer aircraft used during the Vietnam war. These aircraft were equipped with several types of anti-radiation missiles like the AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78 Standard ARM. HobbyBoss released the first modern 1:48 Thunderchief kit with the single seat F-105D version, followed by the F-105G ‘Wild Weasel’ variant. The kit has beautifully sharp and finely recessed panel lines and rivet details, which look, comparing them to photographs of the real aircraft, quite accurate at first glance.

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COLO U R S

COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

Rene Van Der Hart builds the 1:48 HobbyBoss F-105G Thunderchief

panel. The resin parts needed to be modified a little too. To be certain the cockpit would sit in the correct position and stay there, a couple of supports were made from plastic sheet, and these were glued inside the fuselage. After I was sure everything fitted perfectly, all the parts, including the ejection seats, were primed in black, with the side consoles being masked and then airbrushed in grey. The etched metal instrument panels and seatbelts were first treated with some Tamiya Metal Primer and then primed with black and painted grey. Once dry, a protective coat of Alclad Aquagloss was airbrushed over all the parts. Before I detail painted the small parts, I applied a dark grey wash first to add some highlights and added some dry brushing to make all raised details stand out more. Again, reference images were used to paint everything in the correct colours. The instructions tell you to build the forward and rear fuselage parts first and mate them together afterwards. However, I decided to make two complete fuselage halves first and then glue them together later. As mentioned above, a detailed engine is included in the

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

Thud!

The ejector seats ready to install

limited success. Although ‘The Flying Tigers’ had the famous shark tooth design on their P-40’s it was No. 112 Squadron who introduced the design to the plane. The Tomahawk IIA was the next version used by the RAF, the same as the P-40B, with a number of modifications adding to the weight of the plane, such as armour and two more 0.303-in machine-guns, and as such performance of the plane was reduced. The P-40C was the next variant and as with the P-40B the introduction of two more machine-guns and improved selfsealing tanks would increase the weight of the plane and thus decrease performance. A number were converted for reconnaissance duties and designated RP-40 and the P-40C that would serve with the RAF was designated Tomahawk IIB. A number of P-40s destined for use with the

n July of 1944, after taking the beaches and entering into French territory, something caused some discomfort and concern amongst the British forces - the lack of beer. So back in blighty a brewing company called Henty and Constable decided to fix this and offered free beer! So, the RAF had the idea of using their fighters to ferry casks of ale to the troops, and so some Spitfires and Hawker Typhoons were used for this task. At the beginning the beer would go in the disposable fuel tanks, however, in doing this the beer took on a slight metallic taste. Over time a solution was reached to avoid the metallic taste by using wooden barrels attached to the wing supports normally used for bombs. These flights were terminated when

Spitfire Mk.IXc ‘Beer Delivery’ Manufacturer: ICM Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 48060

Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise notified the brewery that the beer was being exported without paying the corresponding duties! I thought it would be fun to replicate one of these ‘beer runs’ in scale and I chose the 1:48 IC Spitfire Mk.IXc. The kit has a few problems with the fit, but nothing that can’t be fixed with putty and was built straight-from-the-box, and I have to thank Ramon Medina and Luis Mendoza from Venezuela for their help with this build. So, let’s get started. MA

The cockpit, now complete

I added some chipping effects on the seat using a sponge and A.MIG-0192 Polished Metal

Filling a few gaps

I began painting with a layer of Vallejo Surface Primer 73.601 Grey

16 Combat Zone - The Curtiss P-40

24 THE BIG BUILD - ‘Beer Delivery’

Down Under Defender - Grant Dalzell builds the 1:72 Special Hobby Kittyhawk Mk.1A

Luis Picalau builds the 1:48 ICM Spitfire Mk.IXc with added ale casks!

SPITFIRE MK.IXC

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STEARMAN PT-13/N2S-2/5 KAYDET

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TRAINING COLOURS

SOVIET SPITFIRE

ON THE ‘BATTLEFIELD’

James Ashton builds the 1:32 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc

AH-1Z Viper Manufacturer: Kitty Hawk Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 80125

I decided it was time to try something new to me for the paints and went for the AK Interactive Real Colours range. I was anxious to try them and as it turned out I had a wonderful experience working with them. They spray extremely smooth and have excellent covering properties. I stared with a black pre-shading of the panel and rivet lines and then did some marbling with a lighter, darker and grey midtones. Then I sprayed one very light coat of the base colour on and highlighted the areas I thought needed it.

On the ‘Battlefield’ Helmut Fraundorfer builds the 1:48 Kitty Hawk AH-1Z Viper

was a big fan of the computer game ‘Battlefield 3’ back in my ‘younger days’ and wrapped up about 1300 epic hours in the virtual cockpit of that particular helicopter. I told myself I would build a model as a tribute soon as there was a good kit in 1:48 available. Well, it turned out my hopes came sooner than I expected, with a release of the AH-1Z from Kitty Hawk. I soon acquired a copy a local modelling fair and spent the rest of the day building it in my head! I told myself I would keep all hatches closed just like it would have been seen the original computer game, but when I saw the really well moulded engines and the etched parts for the avionics compartment, I acquired for the kit, I just couldn’t resist detailing these two areas and some scratch-built components. The construction itself wasn’t too hard, but the plastic itself had a weird consistency and felt to be very brittle at times, especially when cutting off smaller parts of the sprue, it sometimes damaged the actual piece, and it

Collection at North Weald. I would encourage you to look up the background history recovery and restoration of this aircraft for yourselves. For now, I will give a quick summary. PT879 was sent over to the Soviet Union on Lend Lease, after only eighteen hours flying time on May 18th, 1945 the aircraft was involved in a mid-air collision with another Spitfire. Fortunately, the pilot survived but the aircraft was lost. Fast forward to 1997 St Petersburg and after some ‘interesting negotiations’ the surprisingly

Soviet Spitfire

complete airframe was brought back home to England. This is just the beginning of a fascinating journey of restoration that makes for some interesting reading. So back on with the model build. As I looked at the aircraft and the kit instructions it became obvious that there were a few differences between the earlier Mk.IXc and later 1945 version that are provided in the box. Comparing the images, I have of PT879 a few interesting features began to become

Eifion Davies builds the 1:32 ICM Stearman PT-13/ N2S-2/5 Kaydet

Spitfire Mk.IXc Manufacturer: Tamiya Scale: 1:32 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 19

Stearman PT-13/N2S-2/5 Kaydet Manufacturer: ICM Scale: 1:32 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 32052

wasn’t always easy to clean that up. Another thing was the way the cockpit glazing had to be built up, and the fact that there were barely any indicators as to where the clear parts needed to be masked for painting. But eventually I completed construction and I was ready to add some paint.

his model is based on the beautiful Tamiya kit, and I will not bore you all with the already well known merits of this kit. Although I did add, ‘Master’ metal gun barrels, a set of Eduard Resin wheels (632130), ‘Quickboost’ Fishtail exhausts (32143), Barracuda Cockpit set and Eduard seatbelts. The markings were a combination of ‘OH Models’ Foreign Mk.IX Spitfires and codes from my ‘spares-box’.

Besides the enjoyment of model making and the artistry involved there are many other motivations behind our hobby. One of which is to recreate in scale a subject that has historical or maybe sentimental value to us. If we can combine all these things, all the better. This project piqued my interest, as this aircraft has now been restored to full working order and took to the skies again on October 28th, 2020 and is now part of the ‘Hangar II’

’ve always had a soft spot for the Stearman and was very pleased when the Editor asked me if I fancied building ICM’s latest offering. This would be my very first biplane and I was a bit apprehensive at the thought of all the rigging! Boeing built the Stearman as military training aircraft and built over 10,000 in the 1930’s and 40’s. Upon opening the box – eventually - as ICM

Training Colours

seem to find the tightest fitting boxes available, I was extremely happy with the contents. There isn’t a high parts count but what is there, is very well detailed. The only tiny bit of flash was on the cockpit framing, which needs care to remove. As usual I started with the cockpit, this was assembled with ease and painted as the instructions. I used Cockpit Grey/Green for

THIS ICM KIT WAS AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT AND A JOY TO BUILD

to wing it and fitted the rigging using EZ line as I built up the airframe. I also used 0.2 brass rod on some sections of the rigging. As I said previously, I’ve not built a biplane before, so I was either going to fail disastrously or get lucky! Well, it worked! The entire airframe came together easily, and I was dead chuffed with my progress so far. Next, I painted the two seats and added a set of Eduard’s 33266 seat belts. These are really designed for a PT-17, but it was the nearest I could find. The engine was a straightforward assembly and a bit bare, so I added lots of brass wire to beef it up a bit. This I think is crying out for an aftermarket upgrade! I painted this with Alclad metallics and picked out the wiring with copper. The exhaust piping was then painted metallic grey and given a coat of Ammo by MIG Rust Powder. Foam was then inserted into the cockpits ready for a base coat to be added to the fuselage. I left the rudder (which I had already painted blue) and engine off until the end of the build. A base coat of Mr Hobby Grey Micro Primer was then applied all over, and when dry given a slight sanding. I used virtually no filler at all on this build - well done ICM – top marks. Now to achieve the all-over yellow as shown as ‘Marking A’ in the instructions. After

the entire cockpit area and painted all the details with Citadel paints and oils to replicate the wooden flooring. The fuselage halves were then glued together, and I must say, the seam lines were virtually invisible. The cockpit framing was then slid in from the front and glued into place. The wings were pre-drilled as instructed to allow for the rigging. This is where I decided

64 On the ‘Battlefield’

70 Soviet Spitfire

74 Training Colours

Helmut Fraundorfer builds the 1:48 Kitty Hawk AH-1Z Viper

James Ashton builds the 1:72 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc

Stuart Barry builds the 1:32 ICM PT-17 Stearman

35 Model Aircraft Manual The McDonnell F3H Demon - Jezz Coleman builds the 1:72 Sword F3H-2 in the markings of VF-61

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JUNE 2021

SUPER ETENDARD

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JUNE 2021

Test fitting the instrument panel

Angel Exposito builds the 1:72 Academy Super Étendard

or this build I am using a 1:72 offering from Sword models and being the first ‘’short-run’ kit I had ever built, I entered into this with an open mind and a modicum of trepidation! On opening the box, I was presented with several grey sprues, with the addition of a resin exhaust along with two optional ejector seats, and a small sheet of etch. So, the build began with the cockpit, and here the detail here was average to say the least, but workable for such a small scale once it was decorated in its respective colours. The saving grace, however, was the addition of the resin ejection seat, which again, once painted up and installed added some interest to the area. This cockpit was then glued into position between the forward fuselage pieces, which was then added to the rear section of the fuselage.

Aeronavale

F3H-2 Demon

There was a small engine outlet to be glued into the rear of the fuselage before the two fuselage halves were brought together and following that the front and rear portions were mated, however, this was where I encountered an issue, as the front portion was too large to fit into the bulkhead of the rear fuselage section. However,

he Super Étendard was originally a modified version of the Étendard IVM with a new engine, updated avionics and the ability to carry laser-guided weapons. These changes later gave the aircraft the designation of the Super Étendard Modernisé (SEM), and as such participated in NATO operations in the Yugoslav Wars in 1999, taking part in some four hundred successful ground attack missions. The aircraft has also been used by the Argentine Navy and participated in the Falklands War. After some thirty-eight years of service its French career ended on July 12, 2016, leaving the Argentine Navy as the last user of the type. The model I am building here is the 1:72 Academy kit as used by Flotille 17F, when embarked on the aircraft carrier Foch during the Kosovo conflict, 1999. Its main mission here was to destroy ground targets and suppress surface weapons. For the markings I used the Model Art decal sheet #72/060, which I found

with some careful sanding and fettling I did manage to get a reasonable fit. The next step was to glue the upper and lower portions of the wings together. Then my next challenge was attaching them to the fuselage. The design of the wing attachment was rather unusual in that it literally just butt-jointed to the side of the fuselage, with just one locating pin to align two wings on each side. Much to my surprise the join at the wing root was quite good, so with various tape and elastic bands holding everything in place this was left overnight to dry completely and for the glue to set. Then using some sanding pads, I cleaned-up the seams and rescribed any details that had been lost during this process. Then I added some of the etch onto the airbrakes and wing fins. The smaller components such as

DESPITE MY INITIAL MISGIVINGS I QUITE ENJOYED THIS SWORD KIT

to be excellent. The kit, despite its age had a very good fit, although it does not match up current standards in terms of detail. In fact, the cockpit and wheels bays were really simple, but remember that this kit is more than twenty-five years old! MA

…and on the lower surfaces I painted the wells with a metallic shade and then used the kit doors as masks

Super Etendard

Manufacturer: Academy Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 72123

The engine intakes have a thin red stripe…

The cockpit elements painted and ready for assembly …which I painted and masked off

35 Model Aircraft Manual

52 Aeronavale Striker Angel Exposito builds the 1:72 Academy Super Étendard

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Models Aircraft’s Monthly Look at New Books

The Fieseler FI 156 Storch Publisher: Fonthill Author: Jan Forsgren ISBN: 978147278881 Format: Hardback Price: £25.00

Publisher: Osprey Author: Robert Forsyth ISBN: 9781472840837 Format: Softback Price: £13.99

u 87 dive-bombers, originally developed for pin-pointing bombing missions against land targets and Allied naval vessels were deployed by both the Luftwaffe and the Regia Aeronautica against the Allied forces. Included in such a target were perhaps the greatest prize of all for a Stuka pilot: a British aircraft carrier. This superbly illustrated book looks at the duel between the Ju 87 Stuka and the aircraft carriers of the Royal Navy. Despite their gun protection (‘pompoms’)and their squadrons of fighters, these immense and mighty vessels proved irresistible targets to determined and experienced Stuka aces as they

endeavoured to stop British naval intervention in the campaigns in Norway, Malta and Crete. By 1941, the Ju 87 had become known by the British as a fearsome aircraft following its operations in France, specifically at Dunkirk, as well as in the Balkans. For the Luftwaffe, it was an aircraft in which they still had great confidence despite its mauling in the Battle of Britain during the summer of 1940. This book examines the key attributes and shortcomings of both aircraft and carrier by analysing various compelling episodes including the dramatic attacks on Ark Royal by Stukageschwader (St.G) 1 off Norway in April 1940, the strikes by the Luftwaffe’s St.G 1, St.G 2 and the Regia Aeronautica’s 237° Squadriglia against Illustrious in Malta harbour. Aside from outstanding photography and artwork, this volume also includes numerous personal accounts from Stuka crews, the pilots of carrierborne fighters opposing them and the sailors embarked in the various carriers that came under attack.

www.ospreypublishing.com

his build is actually a follow on from a previous F-14 project that was featured in the September 2019 issue of Model Aircraft, again form the movie ‘Top Gun’. There I built the 1:48 Tamiya kit, but here I am building the excellent 2019 tooled 1:72 F-14A from Academy. I started with the cockpit, and fixed into place all of the parts. The overall quality is ‘almost’ Tamiya like and the surface detail is fantastic and everything fitted perfectly, except for few places like wheel struts bits where Tamiya are a touch better. For the instrument panels I removed the raised details in order to add some Eduard etched pieces. I then primed the cockpit with Mr Surfacer Black and then added some Hataka C044 Dark Gull Grey. I wanted to add ‘Maverick and ‘Goose’ in their respective cockpits and for this I used a set of figures form Aerobonus, and painted and detailed them with Vallejo shades. I painted the helmets freehand and tried my best to paint the patches on their flying suits. I made the HUD lens by punching out a shape using

holographic foil and a Tamiya tool. Then a layer of PVA placed on the top gave it a glass like look. Construction then went without any issues and I was ready to paint. I began by priming the model with Mr Surfacer 1500 Grey and the pre-shaded the panel lines in black. I then used some Ushi Van Der Rosten Airbrush Stencils

F-14A Manufacturer: Academy Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 12563

I began by priming the model with Mr Surfacer 1500 Grey

llustrated with detailed artworks of German aircraft and their markings with exhaustive captions and specifications, The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Luftwaffe Squadrons 1939–45 is the definitive study of the equipment and organisation of the Luftwaffe’s combat units. Organised by theatre of operations and the many campaigns fought by the Luftwaffe, the book describes in depth the various units that were fighting on the front at key points in the war and describes the models of aircraft in service with each unit along with their individual and squadron markings. With information boxes accompanying the full-colour artworks, The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide: Luftwaffe Squadrons 1939–45 is an essential reference guide for modellers and any enthusiast with an interest in the aircraft of the German war machine.

his is a concise and profusely illustrated of the Fieseler Fi 156 Storch from 1936 to present day, and the first all-encompassing English-language history of the legendary aircraft and its Czech- and French-built variants. Apart from its use by the Luftwaffe, Storch operators from around the globe, from Albania to Yugoslavia, are covered. The book includes details on aircraft inspired by the Storch’s amazing flight capabilities as well as the various ultralight aircraft since the 1990s and is beautifully illustrated with many rare and unpublished photographs. First flown in May 1936, the Fieseler Fi 156, or Storch (Stork) as it was better known, was designed in answer to a request from the Luftwaffe for a short-range reconnaissance aircraft. For its time, the Fi 156 had amazing performance and flight characteristics for what today is known as STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing). It could take-off from a lawn considerably smaller than a football field. During the Second World War, the ubiquitous Storch was the airborne eyes of the German Wehrmacht (Army) and was also used on daring missions, including the rescue of Mussolini, the Italian dictator. One of the last flights into Berlin was made in a Storch. Many were sold to Germany’s allies while one was used by Churchill after D-Day to observe the progress of the invasion. Others were used by the RAF as squadron ‘hacks’ with one being flown off an aircraft carrier.

he German invasion of Norway was a pivotal moment in modern warfare, the first joint campaign that featured air power as an equal element of all operations. It was, in fact, the superior use of their air force that gave the Germans the decisive margin of victory and ensured the failure of the Allied counter-offensive in central Norway in April and May 1940. All aspects of air power were employed in Norway, from longrange bombing and reconnaissance to air transport, with the Luftwaffe’s ability to transport large numbers of troops and supply ground forces over great distances being particularly important. Norway was the first campaign in history in which key targets were seized by airborne forces, and the first in which air superiority was able to overcome the overwhelming naval superiority of an enemy. Researched from primary sources, this engaging history by air power expert Dr James Corum skilfully draws out where and why air power made the difference in Norway and analyses the campaign’s influence on the coming months and years of World War II.

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www.amberbooks.co.uk

www.fonthill.media

Luftwaffe Squadrons 1939–45 The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide Publisher: Amber Books Author: Chris Bishop ISBN: 9781782749493 Format: Hardback Price: £16.99

Publisher: Pen and Sword Author: Chris Goss ISBN: 9781472881208 Format: Hardback Price: £25.00

Bomber Command Airfields of Yorkshire Publisher: Pen and Sword Author: Peter Jacobs ISBN: 9781472863313 Format: Softback Price: £14.99

s part of the Aviation Heritage Trail series, the author takes us to the county of Yorkshire and to its many bomber airfields of the Second World War. From the opening day of hostilities, RAF Bomber Command took the offensive to Nazi Germany and played a leading role in the liberation of Europe. Yorkshire’s airfields played a key part throughout, initially as home to the Whitley squadrons of No 4 Group and then to the four-engine Halifax heavy bombers; indeed, Bomber Command’s first night operation of the war was flown from one of the county’s many bomber airfields. Then, as the bombing offensive gathered pace, Yorkshire welcomed the new all-Canadian No 6 (RCAF) Group, after which all of Bomber Command’s major efforts during the hardest years of 1943/44 – against the Ruhr, Hamburg and Berlin – involved the Yorkshirebased squadrons. Most of

Yorkshire’s wartime bomber airfields have long gone, but many have managed to retain the flying link with their wartime past. For example, the former RAF airfields of Finingley and Middleton St George, and the factory airfield of Yeadon, are now the sites of international airports, while Breighton, Burn, Full Sutton, Pocklington and Rufforth are still used for light aircraft flying or gliding and Elvington is home to the magnificent Yorkshire Air Museum. From airfields such as these came countless acts of personal courage and self-sacrifice, with two men being awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest award for gallantry. Stories of both men are included, as are tales of other personalities who brought these airfields to life. The stories of thirty-three airfields are told in total, with a brief history of each accompanied by details of how to find them and what remains of them today. Whatever your interest, be it aviation history or more local, the county of Yorkshire has rightly taken its place in the history of Bomber Command.

www.pen-and-sword.co.uk

78 Check Your References

CO M

Latest Book reviews.

ONE Z T BA

Next I used some white paint applied in a tiny dots using a sponge all over the model

Adding some touch ups in specific areas

Dawid Branski builds the 1:72 Academy F-14 in ‘Top Gun’ colours of Marverick and Goose

Dornier Do.17 in the Battle of Britain

uring Britain’s desperate struggle for survival that in the summer of 1940, the Dornier Do 17 played a prominent part in raids designed at neutralising the RAF’s ability to resist and the British people’s will to fight back. Having been built to outrun contemporary fighters when introduced into the Luftwaffe in 1937, it had become the Luftwaffe’s main light bomber, and for the attack against Britain, three bomber wings, KG 2, KG3 and KG77, were equipped with the Do 17. But by 1940, the Do 17 was nearing obsolescence and, with its weak defensive armament, it fell prey to Fighter Command’s Hurricanes and Spitfires. Its vulnerability was starkly revealed on 18 August 1940, when eight Dornier’s were shot down and nine damaged in attacks on RAF Kenley, and on 15 September – Battle of Britain Day – when twenty were shot down and a further thirteen damaged. On that day, Sergeant Ray Holmes rammed his Hurricane into a Do 17 that was reportedly aiming for Buckingham Palace. Part of the bomber’s wreckage fell to earth near Victoria Station. In this comprehensive pictorial record of the Do 17, the bomber’s role throughout the period of the Battle of Britain is displayed in the author’s unique collection of British and German photographs. These photographs, coupled with firsthand stories from those who flew and those who fought against the Do 17, bring those desperate days and dark nights back to life in the manner which only contemporary images and accounts can achieve.

and sprayed some thinned black through them carefully layering the pattern and then repeating the exercise, this time with thinned white. Next I used some white paint applied in a tiny dots using a sponge all over the model, and here if you apply too much you can always wipe it off and try again. The next step was to sand everything carefully with 2000 or 3000 grit Tamiya sanding sponges to smooth the surface. This all prepared the surfaces for the main colours. These would be applied in very thin layers so as not to destroy the pre-shading. My advice here would be to spray these colours in thin layers and take a minute break between coats. Then go back and see if it needs more paint or its enough. If it needs more, go with another thin layer as neccessary. I used three tones of grey as used on the real low-vis Tomcats, these being Hataka C046 Medium Grey on upper fuselage and wings, C035 Dark Ghost Grey on the front part of the fuselage and tails and C037 Light Ghost Grey on the undersides. To represent the repainting work done by the ground crews, I sprayed a lighter tone of grey along some panel lines, mostly at the rear of the aircraft and wings. I then waited until the paint had dried and then I applied some liquid mask and then I added some dark grey, then when I removed the mask, it looked like authentic touch-ups had been applied. Before I applied decals, I sprayed the entire kit with a coat of Hataka XP09 Gloss. The

58 ‘You hook ‘em and I’ll clean and fry ‘em

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REFERENCES

Ju 87 Stuka v Royal Navy Carriers

I then used some Ushi Van Der Rosten Airbrush Stencils and sprayed some thinned black through them

I WANTED TO ADD ‘MAVERICK AND ‘GOOSE’ IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COCKPITS AND FOR THIS I USED A SET OF FIGURES FORM AEROBONUS

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Norway 1940

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‘You hook ‘em

I added a coat of black primer over the entire model

The McDonnell F3H Demon - Jezz Coleman builds the 1:72 Sword F3H-2 in the markings of VF-61

Publisher: Osprey Author: James S Corum ISBN: 9781472847454 Format: Softback Price: £14.99

MODEL AIRCRAFT

Dawid Branski builds the 1:72 Academy F-14 in ‘Top Gun’ colours of Marverick and Goose

The canopy was masked with Tamiya tape….

Striker

Manufacturer: Sword Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 72122

After a black primer coat…

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fry ‘em F

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F-14A

and I’ll clean and

Step by Step Build

Jezz Coleman builds the 1:72 Sword F3H-2 in the markings of VF-61

YOU HOOK ‘EM

Scale Plans

Demon

AERONAVALE STRIKER

Colour Profiles

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

Model Aircraft Manual

The McDonnell F3H Demon History

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Jolly Rogers

S P-40 S I T R U THE C

VOLUME 20 ISSUE 06

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F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

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Thud! Rene Van Der Hart builds the 1:48 HobbyBoss F-105G Thunderchief

F-105G Thunderchief Manufacturer: HobbyBoss Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 80333

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CARACAL AFTERMARKET DECALS WERE USED ON THIS MODEL. NOT THAT THE KIT DECALS ARE BAD BUT I WANTED TO DO ANOTHER VERSION THAN THAT PROVIDED WITH THE KIT

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

The ejector seats ready to install

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

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I used an Aires cockpit….

kit. Unfortunately this will be completely invisible once glued into the fuselage, unless you keep the rear fuselage part detached. As I didn’t want to show the engine, there was no need to paint it, except for the exhaust section. With that out of the way, both the finished cockpit and engine were installed and the fuselage closed up. Next, the gun bay door was glued into place, but this needed a thin plastic strip to fill a small gap at the underside. This was one of the very few parts that didn’t fit well. The next steps were very straightforward, this being to assemble the wings and glue them

onto the fuselage, and attach some smaller parts (I used aftermarket air scoops from Quickboost) and prepare other parts like the fuel tanks, landing gear, pylons and weapons for painting. All these pieces were painted and put aside for the final assembly stage. One thing that was a bit of let down on this kit, is that there is no provision to pose the canopies in the open position. The resin cockpit has a recess for the hinge of the rear canopy, but not for the front one. So, hinges have to be made from plastic strip and glued to the rear edge of the canopy, which will fit snugly into the recesses later. The Aires cockpit set has some etched parts included to detail the canopies on the inside, but I made a frame from plastic strip first onto which the etched parts were glued later. After this was done, the clear parts were masked and all of the parts were primed and painted. The clear parts were then tacked into place with a few drops of white glue and the aircraft was primed in black and lighty buffed with a sanding pad for a smooth surface. I usually start painting the lightest colour first, in this case Mr Hobby H310 Brown. This was heavily thinned and applied freehand and was quite translucent. A second coat was then applied, with a few drops of white added, but only on certain areas and panels, in order to achieve some variation in the finish. The two green colours, H303 and H309 were then applied in the same way as the first

…which was very detailed

The landing gear ready to fitting

Just a touch of filler was needed here and there

The surface detail is very good

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F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

I added a black primer coat….

Ready for some paint!

Followed by Mr Hobby Tan….

…the Mr Hobby Green H303

…and here is the finished look …and Green H309

Applying a wash at this stage gives you a pretty good idea what the model looks like once finished and if you want to make any changes…

…but I was pleased with the result

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

Adding some wear using AK Interactive water-based weathering pencils

More weathering being applied

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Caracal aftermarket decals were used on this model

MODEL AIRCRAFT

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colour. The demarcation lines were masked with small Blu-Tac sausages, and this gave a slightly feathered edge, closely matching the camouflage of the real aircraft. After the paint had dried, a few protective coats of Alclad Aquagloss were applied. Before I continued with painting, an oil paint wash of Abteilung 502 Starship Filth was brushed over the entire model and wiped off again after few minutes drying time. Applying a wash gives you a pretty good idea what the model looks like once finished. If you want to make any changes, now is the time to do it. Overall, I was quite satisfied, but I still made a few small extra variations by adding some white, tan or yellow to the base colours and airbrushed them on with a lot of thinner. Adding more thinner makes the effect more subtle. Next, the model was masked and the underside painted with H311 Light Grey. This was also treated with a clear coat and grey oil paint wash. Caracal aftermarket decals were used on this model. Not that the kit decals are bad but I wanted to do another version than that provided with the kit. The quality of the decals was excellent and they went on without

any problems. A few dabs of decal setting solution made sure they conformed neatly into the panel lines and rivets. After the decals had cured for a day, another protective clear coat was applied. With this model, I wanted to experiment a bit with my newly acquired set of AK Interactive water-based weathering pencils. As these aircraft were used in the Vietnam War they suffered severly faded paintwork due to the climate, and this model was the perfect subject to try the pencils out. The right side of the model, especially the areas under the cockpit and vertical stabiliser were ideal areas. A panel was made wet with water

first and then some vertical stripes were drawn on with the black pencil. Then with a damp, flat brush, the black ‘paint’ was blended downward to simulate rain and/or dirt streaks. This was repeated on several panels. On other areas and panels, lighter colours were used such as tan, white, light green and yellow to simulate faded paintwork. With some practice I achieved some pleasing results. These pencils will not replace weathering with an airbrush but compliment it,

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

The decals settled nicely into the surface details

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

and I see a lot of potential in them but I need to experiment a little more. Now, with all painting and weathering done, it was time for the final leg - fitting all the smaller, pre-assembled and painted parts. First was the landing gear. The model is quite heavy and the landing gear legs are long and thin, a recipe for a wobbly model! After’ to after ‘…So, after I glued the legs in place, they were left to dry overnight, and I then reinforced the joints with baking soda and thin superglue. This dried rock hard instantly and improved the bond massively. The pylons

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with fuel tanks under the wings and fuselage were fitted next, followed by the metallic coloured speed brakes, the wheelbay doors and a Master brass pitot tube. The final parts were the ejection seats and the canopies. At the last moment I decided not to fit any weapons, as the model already looked quite ‘busy’ and I thought adding white missiles would just be too much. Except for the missing hinges on the canopies, this was an excellent kit with beautiful details and very good fit and I can highly recommend this kit to all modellers. MA

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13 F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

A Republic F-105G in flight on May 5, 1970. External stores include QRC-380 blisters, AGM-45 Shrike and AGM-78B Standard ARM missiles

F-105G Thunderchief Gallery

A 388th TFW F-105G in Thailand during 1972

An F-105G Thunderchief Wild Weasel of the 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 388th Tactical Fighter Wing, at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, circa in 1972 armed with two AGM-78 and four AGM-45 Shrike missiles

F-105G THUNDERCHIEF

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F-105G Thunderchief of the 6010th Wild Weasel Squadron (redesignated 17th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1 December 1971), 388th Tactical Fighter Wing taking off from Korat Royal Thai Air Force

A 116th TFG F-105G at Dobbins AFB in 1980

A 116th TFG F-105G at Andrews AFB in 1983

A 116th TFG F-105G at Dobbins AFB in 1980

A 388th TFW F-105G in Thailand during 1971

An F-105G landing at Korat Air Base in December 1972

COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

COMBAT ZONE

F IG H T ING

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COLO U R S

A US Army P-40E Warhawk preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force

0 4 P s s i t r The Cu

k w a h y t t i K T he P-40 was the most extensively built American fighter of the Second World War with over 13,000 produced. Famed for its shark tooth design the Curtiss P-40 ‘Kittyhawk’, or ‘Warhawk’ and Tomahawk as it was also known, was used by the ‘Flying Tigers’, the American Volunteer Group in China. During 1938 the tenth Curtiss P-36A was used for an experimental engine conversion from a radial to a inline engine, this was designated the Hawk 81 by Curtiss. At the time the inline engine was favoured after examples of the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and British Supermarine Spitfire proved successful with this type of engine. Although they did have their

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Three Curtiss ‘Kittyhawk’ Mark IIIs of No.112 Squadron, Royal Air Force preparing to depart from Medenine on a sortie

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Ground crews servicing a Curtiss P-40 of the 23rd Fighter Group, also known as the ‘Flying Tigers’ on an airfield in China

A Curtiss P-40N ‘Warhawk’

Curtiss ‘Tomahawk’ Mk.IIBs of No.112 Squadron RAF at LG 102 in the Sidi Heneish area Egypt

COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

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F IG H T ING

Fitters uncrate the fuselage section a Curtiss ‘Tomahawk’ Mark IIB for assembly at No.107 Maintenance Unit, Kasfareet, Egypt RAF were instead diverted to China to serve with Brigadier General Claire Chennault’s 1st American Volunteer Group, otherwise known as ‘The Flying Tigers’, who also had the shark tooth design on their planes. This Squadron was working within the Chinese Air Force playing a role in defending China from Japanese air attacks. The AVG would provide some muchneeded success over the Imperial Japanese Air Force and provide America with some much-needed morale in the early stages of their entry into the war. When Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor on the 7th December 1941, which brought the US into the war, it was the P-40 which would be one of the first American aircraft to face Japanese aircraft in combat. The P-40D was the product of Curtiss’s redesign of the P-40C. A 1,150-hp Allison V-1710-39 engine was installed, armour was added and other changes which would also include the option of either an external fuel tank or a 500lb bomb and four 0.50-in machine-guns, this was first flown on the 22nd May 1941 and was designated by the RAF Kittyhawk I. However just over 20 of this type would be built as two more machine-guns were added to bring the total to six and a new designated of P-40E or Kittyhawk IA when used by the RAF and working alongside the Hawker Hurricane in North Africa the Kittyhawk would find success in the groundattack role. A number were also converted to two-seat trainers. As the attempts to improve the P-40 had still left its performance at altitude inadequate for it to fill the role of an effective fighter aircraft, a P-40D was used as the test bed to see if the introduction of a Rolls-Royce Merlin 28 engine could improve the situation. Flown on the 25th November 1941 the XP-40D showed improvement at high altitude and the 1,300hp Packard built V-1650-1 Merlin engine would power the P-40F. An XP-40G prototype appeared with fuel tank and armament changes, and

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COLO U R S

existing P-40s were modified to this version. Although the introduction of the Packard built Merlin had improved performance there was a shortage of these engine in the US so the P-40J had a turbo charged Allison engine to overcome this problem, however this project was abandoned in May 1942. Instead, the P40-K would be the next mark to enter service during August 1942, powered by a 1,355hp Allison V-1710-73 engine, and later production P-40Ks would have a dorsal fin fitted to help fix the problem of the plane swing on take-off due to the more powerful engine. The P-40M and P-40L were Curtiss’s attempts to give the ‘Kittyhawk’ the extra performance needed to

become more suited to the fighter role. Despite a weight loss of 250lb on the P-40M and the introduction of a 1,200hp Allison V-1710-81 engine on the P-40L hardly any performance increase was achieved. As 1943 drew to a close it was clear that despite all the attempts to increase the performance of the P-40 that the planes days were numbered, especially as aircraft such as the North American P-51 Mustang and Republic P-47 Thunderbolt had better performance, unless a performance increase was found. The P-40N, the last production version, was born, featuring the same Allison V-1710-81 engine that appeared on the P-40L, the P-40N featured a reduction in armament to four guns mounted in the wings, less fuel capacity and other minor changes. As a result, the maximum speed of the plane was 378mph, meaning it was the best basic production aircraft of the type. Later on, some P-40Ns were modified to become fighterbombers with two more machine-guns and a bomb load of up to 1,500lb. This mark would prove to be the most extensively built. The XP-40Q appeared which identified three prototypes built by Curtiss in its further efforts to improve the P-40 even more, but despite the introduction of a 1,425hp Allison V-1710-121 engine and other improvements its maximum speed of 422mph was still below other Allied and Axis fighters in service at the time and development of the aircraft was stopped, as in comparison, the Hawker Tempest Mk.I was able to achieve a speed of 466mph. Seeing action in the Middle East and the Pacific the ‘Kittyhawk’ would serve with a number of Air Forces including, the USAAF, RAF and Soviet Union, and by the time production was ended in December 1944 around 14,000 had been delivered.

A Line up of P-40 ‘Warhawks’, which the US presented to the Fighting French air forces at an airport somewhere in North Africa

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Down Under

Defender

Grant Dalzell builds the 1:72 Special Hobby Kittyhawk Mk.1A

n 2017 Special Hobby released a new tooled Kittyhawk, and this build is the third boxing from 2017. Here you have three marking options, being an Aussie, I chose the RAAF version, Kittyhawk Mk.IA, A29-153/O named ‘Orace’ as flown by Squadron Leader Wilfred ‘Woof’ Arthur, DSO, DFC, of No.75 Squadron, RAAF based at Milne Bay, New Guinea in 1943. The aircraft was also used in combat by Sgt Roy Gordon Riddel who gave the plane its name after his father Horace Riddel. Special Hobby are known more so for limited run style kits, but of recent years they have really upped their quality, with improved moulding details and some great subject matter. The instructions have also been improved, now with colour booklets and easy to follow steps, and paint call outs are

Kittyhawk Mk.1A Manufacturer: Special Hobby Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 72377

Drop tank, propellor and wheels

THE PROBLEM I HAVE HAD IN THE PAST WITH PAINTING WORLD WAR II AUSTRALIAN AIRCRAFT MODELS IS FINDING THE RIGHT COLOURS, AS THERE ARE SOME VERY UNIQUE SHADES LIKE FOLIAGE GREEN

for Mr Color. As the Kittyhawk has several boxings with different versions, the sprues had parts that were not used or multiple parts like the instrument panels, wheels, seats and propellers, so care is needed to select the correct pieces. The build started with the interior. The fuselage halves have side wall parts that fit well and are nicely detailed. The seat is made up of three pieces, but there are no harnesses in the kit, so I just used some Tamiya tape for effect. The cockpit floor is part of the upper wing to which the control stick is added. The cockpit interior was painted with US Interior Green after it was primed with AK Interactive Black Primer. The forward section with the radiator was painted Vallejo Metal Color Aluminium, and the smaller details were hand painted with painted Vallejo Model Color. A dry brush with Vallejo Model Color Natural metal was then applied to simulate worn areas, followed by a coat of Mr Color Semi-Gloss Super Clear. I then used Tamiya Dark Brown Panel Line Wash to add some depth. There is a decal for the instrument panel, which I used but dry brushing the

COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

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COLO U R S

The side walls and seat together

Cleaning up the parts for the interior

Preparing the wing

Hardly seen parts but painted in any way!

The interior green paint work added The smaller details were hand painted and Tamiya Dark Brown Panel Line wash applied

raised details would be just as effective. I then glued the fuselage halves together. The instrument panel also has a tab either side that sits nicely on to the fuselage side wall inserts. Although the instructions show the seat bulkhead going into one of the fuselage sides, I glued the fuselage together and then inserted the seat and bulkhead as it was easier. The radiator cooling intake piece was also glued in at this point. There is an option for open cowl flaps or closed, I chose closed. The top wing is a one-piece moulding, as is the lower wing, and a dry fit showed a couple of ejection pin areas needed a clean-up before the wing sections were glued together. There is a clear piece that should go in for the wing light, but I left this out and used Krystal Klear to

make the light. Fitting the wings to the fuselage required some fettling, and I kept dry fitting and shaving away some plastic until I had a good fit. The rudder and stabilisers went on next, and these are all one-piece mouldings and fitted well. Once everything was on, it was time to clean up seam lines, after which Deluxe Perfect Plastic Putty and Tamiya White Putty were used to fill any gaps. Before fitting the front windscreen, the combing for the instrument panel needs to be glued in, along with the gunsight. I first masked the windscreen and glued it into position. The windows are located behind the cockpit were left off for now as the camouflage pattern goes under them. The exhausts were then added, and these were made up of three pieces per side.

Once I was happy, I primed the entire model with AK Interactive Black Primer and Microfiller. As well as priming the surface, this was also my final check for seam lines and any other imperfections. As mentioned earlier I chose to do a RAAF scheme, however, the other two possible schemes were quite nice as well. A problem I have had in the past with painting World War II Australian aircraft models is finding the right colours, as there are some very unique shades like Foliage Green. In recent years though, a new Australian paint manufacturer SMS or ‘The Scale Modellers Supply’ has come on the scene, and fortunately for those who like to do Australian aircraft and military vehicles, they

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Wings now added

AK Interactive Black Primer and Microfiller was used The rudder and stabilisers fitted

The windscreen was a nice fit

SMS RAAF Sky Blue was applied first…..

SMS Dark Earth was the first camouflage colour added….. …then the Foliage Green areas were painted and masked off

….followed by SMS RAAF Dark Green

The Cartograf decals performed well

COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

Gluing the fuselage together

COMBAT ZONE – CURTISS P-40

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A Flory Models Dark Dirt wash picked out the details

have produced a great range of colours. So, these were the paints I used for this scheme. What is different about this scheme is that the original airframe was painted over, yet around where the RAAF roundels are located on the upper wings and fuselage the original Foliage Green colour can be seen. Before doing the upper surfaces though, I painted the undersides using SMS FS25550 RAAF Sky Blue. Masking this off I painted in the roundel areas with SMS FS34092 Foliage Green, then using a circle cutter and Tamiya Masking Sticker Sheet I masked off these areas. The next colour down was SMS FS30118 Dark Earth. Then using White Tac sausages and Tamiya tape, this was masked and the final colour, SMS FS34102 RAAF Dark Green was applied. When I removed the masking, I was not happy with the result, so I free handed painted the RAAF Dark Green around some areas to tidy it up. The model then received a coat of Mr Color Gloss Super Clear III. Next up were the decals, and to my surprise these are printed by Cartograf. Nice one Special Hobby! As you would expect, they are beautifully printed and performed well. I then added another clear coat and

set the model aside to dry. There are options for two styles of drop tanks or a bomb for centreline. I used a drop tank but do check reference photographs for which style you need. The mounting braces need to be glued on individually, so again take care to line them up. I also prepared the canopy, wheels, propeller and hub, the landing gear and the gear doors ready for painting. I also airbrushed in some exhaust

stains by mixing Tamiya X-19 Smoke with some Lifecolor Burned Black. For the gun staining, I used some Abteilung Smoke oil paint blended with a soft brush, but I left this until I had finished the model. I then added some Flory Models Dark Dirt wash and wiped this back with moist paper towel and cotton buds in hard-to-reach areas. I then glued on the remaining parts, except the canopy and rear windows. The model was then given a coat of Mr Color Semi-Gloss Super Clear. The windows and canopy were then glued on, and Krystal Klear was used for the wing light. The wing pitot on this version is different to the kit part and required modification, which is shown in the instructions. Finally, I used some EZ line for the antennae and painted in the navigation lights to complete the build. This was a great little kit and I highly recommend it. Special Hobby have up to ten different boxings already of the new tooled Kittyhawk family, so there is surely one that will take your fancy! MA

Cat. No. 84174 www.eduard.com

Bf 109G-10 Erla

1/48

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SPITFIRE MK.IXC ‘BEER DELIVERY’

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Luis Picalua builds the 1:48 ICM Spitfire Mk.IXc with added ale casks!

THE BIG BUILD

‘Beer Delivery’ I Spitfire Mk.IXc ‘Beer Delivery’ Manufacturer: ICM Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 48060

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‘BEER DELIVERY’

After assembling and painting the engine, A.MIG-1602 Deep Grey Panel Line Wash was used to emphasise the details

The interior of the fuselage was painted with A.MIG-0023 Protective Green. I also added a little Vallejo 71.001 White for the highlights and A.MIG-1602 Deep Grey to emphasise the panel lines

The cockpit, now complete

I added some chipping effects on the seat using a sponge and A.MIG-0192 Polished Metal

Filling a few gaps

I began painting with a layer of Vallejo Surface Primer 73.601 Grey

SPITFIRE MK.IXC ‘BEER DELIVERY’

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Next, I added Humbrol HB3 Ocean Grey….

… followed by Humbrol 30 Dark Green. For the undersides I used Humbrol HX4 Medium Sea Grey

Next, using an airbrush template, I created some weathering over the surfaces. In this case I used heavily thinned A.MIG-0075 Stone Grey, A.MIG-0065 Forest Green and A.MIG-0050 Matt White….

….then on the undersides I used A.MIG-0907 Dunkelgrau Dark Base, A.MIG-0036 Old Wood and A.MIG-0209 FS36495 Light Grey

For the invasion stripes on the fuselage and wings I used A.MIG-0024 Washable White… For the fuselage stripes and the spinner, I used Tamiya XF-21

…and once dry I started to fade and remove this with a moist brush in order to simulate the effects of wear and tear

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‘BEER DELIVERY’

For the black stripes I used a 50:50 mix of A.MIG-0046 Matt Black with A.MIG-2010 Scratches Effects…

I then applied a coat of Alclad ALC-600 Aqua Gloss Clear and added the decals

…and as I did with the white stripes, I started to remove the paint to again simulate wear

Adding some A.MIG-1602 Deep Gray Panel Line Wash…..

….and removing any excess with a cotton bud…

…and here is the result

SPITFIRE MK.IXC ‘BEER DELIVERY’

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The exhaust stains were done using Ammo by MIG Shaders A.MIG-0850 Orange, A.MIG-0858 Ash Black, A.MIG-0855 Starship Filth and A.MIG-0856 Light Grey

To accentuate the panels, I used A.MIG-0855 Starship Filth and A.MIG-0856 Light Grey Shaders…

…and then added some A.MIG-1203 Streaking Grime on the undersides, and blended this in

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‘BEER DELIVERY’

A thin layer of A.MIG-1401 Light Dust was then sprayed on

After a matt coat I used a silver watercolor pencil silver to add some chipping

SPITFIRE MK.IXC ‘BEER DELIVERY’

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The wooden barrels were painted with Vallejo 71.077 Wood…

…then using A.MIG-0037 New Wood, A.MIG-0036 Old Wood and Vallejo 71.029 Dark Earth each wooden slat was randomly painted

For the wood grain I started applying some blended dots of AMIG-3508 Dark Mud Oilbrusher, the added some A.MIG-1002 Track Wash

…and the result was great!

MIRAGE F1

! DER -OR PR E

The Dassault By Andy Evans

MDFSD 12

the last French Mirage hen is a Mirage not a Mirage? F1s was retired from When it’s a Mirage F1! The delta THE DASSAULT service. Powered by wing shape was synonymous the Dassault Mirage family from the Mirage III, a single SNECMA Atar Mirage IV and Mirage 5 up the Mirage 2000, 9K-50 turbojet engine however, this design chain was broken with and armed with an array + P&P the Mirage F1. During the 1960s, Dassault of French and Americancommenced development of what would sourced armaments, the Mirage become the Mirage F1 as a private venture, F1 has been operated as a light multipurpose fighter and has been exported to around a dozen alongside the larger Mirage F2. Work on nations. The type has seen action in a large the F1 eventually took precedence over number of armed conflicts involving several of the more costly F2, which was cancelled its operators, including the Western Sahara War, during the late 1960s. The French Air the Paquisha War, the Cenepa War, the Iran–Iraq Force (Armée de l’Air) took interest in the War, the Gulf War, the South African Border War, fledgling fighter to meet its requirement the War in Afghanistan, the Chadian– for an all-weather interceptor aircraft. Libyan conflict, the 2011 military Accordingly, initial production units were M DF intervention in Libya, and equipped with the Thomson-CSF Cyrano the Northern Mali IV monopulse radar. The Mirage F1 was of Cover for illustrative purposes only similar size to the Mirage III and Mirage 5, and was powered by the same SNECMA Atar engine as had been used on the larger Dassault Mirage IV, however, unlike its predecessors, it shared the layout of a swept wing, mounted high on the fuselage and a conventional tail surface as used by the F2. Although it has a conflict. More than 720 Mirage F1s were manufactured between 1966 and smaller wingspan than the Mirage III, the Mirage F1 nevertheless 1992, and it was succeeded in production by the Dassault Mirage 2000. proved to be superior to its predecessor, carrying more fuel while The F1 was as noted flown by the French Air Force, and widely exported possessing a shorter take-off run and superior manoeuvrability. to South Africa, Ecuador, Gabon, Iran, Greece, Libya, Iraq, Jordan, Congo, During the latter half of 1974, the Mirage F1 entered service in Kuwait, Qatar, Morocco and Spain, as well as civilian defence contractors the French Air Force. Shortly thereafter, the type was deployed as operating in the United States of America. The history, variants, systems the main interceptor of the French Air Force, a capacity which it and war roles of the Mirage F1 are detailed in this new MDF Scaled Down, which will be a source of reference for both the enthusiast and continued to serve in until the arrival of the Mirage 2000. It later modeller alike. transitioned to an aerial reconnaissance role. During June 2014,

MIRAGE F1

MIRAGE F1 £17.99

By Andy Evans

12 SCALED DOWN

M DF 12

SCALED DOWN

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The McDonnell F3H Demon History

Colour Profiles

Scale Plans

Step by Step Build

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Model Aircraft Manual

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Subsonic Swept-Winged Jet Fighter The McDonnell F3H Demon

he McDonnell F3H Demon was a subsonic swept-wing United States Navy carrier-based jet fighter aircraft. The successor to the F2H Banshee, the Demon was originally designed to use the Westinghouse J40 engine but had to be redesigned to accept the Allison J71 after the J40 suffered severe problems and was ultimately abandoned. Although it lacked sufficient power for supersonic performance, it complemented daylight dogfighters such as the Vought F8U Crusader and Grumman F11F Tiger as an all-weather, missile-armed interceptor until 1964. It was withdrawn before it could serve in Vietnam when both it and the Crusader were replaced on Forrestal-class

and similar supercarriers by the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. McDonnell’s Phantom, which was equally capable against ground, fighter, and bomber targets, bears a strong family resemblance, as it was conceived as an advanced development of the Demon. The supersonic United States Air Force F-101 Voodoo was similar in layout but was derived from the earlier XF-88 Voodoo, which also influenced the Demon’s layout. Development work began in 1949, using a swept wing from the start rather than adapting a straight-winged design as was done with the Grumman F9F Panther. A competing contract was also awarded for the delta wing Douglas F4D Skyray. The Skyray, with a top

An F-3B from VF-161 at the type’s retirement ceremony

speed of 722mph would become the Navy’s first fighter to fly supersonic in level flight, while the Demon would never reach that level of performance. The original design work was based at its predecessor, the F2H Banshee. However, departing from its tradition of using two engines, the Demon would result in McDonnell’s only single-engined carrier-based fighter, adopting under some Navy pressure, the Westinghouse J40 engine. That engine was being promoted by the Navy for its next generation of aircraft and was to have thrust of over 11,000lbf, three times that of the engines in the F2H Banshee. It was the first swept-wing design produced by McDonnell and among the first US aircraft to have missile armament.

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MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

An F3H-2 Demon from VX-4 aboard the USS Midway The Navy desperately needed a highperformance fighter to meet the challenge of the swept-wing MiG-15 encountered over Korea. Production of the F3H-1N was hastily ordered even before the first flight of the XF3H-1 prototype on 7 August 1951 by test pilot Robert Edholm. The first test flights of the operational design did not occur until January 1953, by which time the Korean War was winding down. As noted earlier, the F3H was originally designed around Navy’s ambitious

An F-1B of VF-92

new Westinghouse J40 which was to offer enough power to use just one engine in a number of new aircraft designs. But the engine would ultimately fail to produce the promised thrust or run reliably. The engine was a major disappointment, producing only half of the expected power. Worse, it was temperamental and unreliable. Of 35 F3H-1N aircraft flown with the J40 engine, eight were involved in major accidents. The first production Demons were grounded after the loss of six aircraft and four

pilots. One high point of the J40 was the 1955 setting of an unofficial time-to-climb record, in a Demon, of 10,000 feet in seventy-one seconds. The proposed F3H-1P reconnaissance version was never built, and the J40 program was terminated during in 1955. All the aircraft were either cancelled or redesigned to use other engines, notably the J57 and the J71. The F4D Skyray had been designed to accept larger engines in case the J40 did not work out and was eventually

MODEL AIRCRAFT MANUAL

An F3H-2N Demon flies over NAS Mayport

An F-3H-1N Demon

An F3H-2M Demon from VF-61 prepares to launch

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JUNE 2021

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

An F3H-2M Demon with Sparrow missiles powered by the Pratt & Whitney J57. But no other engine could simply be fitted into the older Demons, as both the wings and fuselage would have to be redesigned and enlarged. The best alternative turned out to be the Allison J71engine which was also used in the Douglas B-66 Destroyer. Subsequent F3Hs with this powerplant were designated the F3H-2N. In service, the J71 proved problematic, providing insufficient power for an aircraft of the Demon’s size. The engine also suffered from

A F-3B from VF-213

frequent flameouts and compressor stalls. The first Demon with a J71 flew in October 1954. Another significant problem was the reliability of the ejection seats: initial versions were found to be unreliable and were eventually replaced with Martin-Baker ejection seats that were becoming the standard Navy seat of choice due to their higher performance at low altitude and better reliability. Despite the problems, the Navy ordered 239 F3H-2s, and the first were deployed in March

1956. 519 Demons were built up to the end of production in November 1959. It was not the Navy’s first all-weather interceptor with radar (the AN/APG-51 air interception set was used first on the F2H-4 Banshee). The F3H-2 Demon had the AN/APG-51A, later upgraded to the 51-B version with a tuneable magnetron then on to 51-C with better countermeasures in the receiver. The F3H-2N’s standard armament was four 20mm Colt Mk 12 cannons, and in later years, the upper two cannons were

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A pair of F3B Demons from VF-13 assigned to the USS Shangri-La often omitted to save weight. Later models, redesignated F3H-2M, were equipped to fire the Raytheon AAM-N-2 Sparrow and later the Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. Deployed aircraft carried both types of missiles, the Sparrow on the inboard rails and the Sidewinder outboard. Cannons were not used in carrier air defence

An F-3C Demon of VF-161 from the USS Oriskany

A pair of F3H-2Ns from VF-141

applications, but they were installed and armed when situations (such as the Cuban Missile Crisis) dictated, and where the aircraft might be deployed against surface targets. Again, as noted earlier, a reconnaissance version, the F3H-2P, was proposed, but never built. The Demon It remained the Navy’s

front-line fighter until 1962, when it was succeeded by the F-4 Phantom II (which was a development of a proposed ‘Super Demon’, a larger and much heavier version of the F3H). Although developed to counter the MiG-15, it did not claim any aerial victories with missiles or dogfights, although it flew over Lebanon and Quemoy in 1958. In 1962, F3H-2N became the F-3C, the F3H-2M became MF-3B, and the F3H-2 changed to F-3B.The last Demon-equipped squadron, VF-161 ‘Chargers’, traded their F-3s for F-4 Phantom IIs in September 1964.Due to excellent visibility from the cockpit, the Demon earned the nickname ‘The Chair’. Demon pilots were known colloquially as ‘Demon Drivers’ and those who worked on the aircraft were known as ‘Demon Doctors’. However, the unfavourable power-to-weight ratio gave rise to the less flattering nickname ‘lead sled’, sometimes shortened to ‘sled’.

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

133615, F-3H, VF-14 ‘Top Hatters’, USS Forrestal

133637, F-3H, VF-61 ‘Jolly Rogers’, NAD Oceana 1958

143410, F3 Demon, VF-64, USS Midway (CVA-41)

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

133522, F3H-2 Demon Prototype

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MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

F3H Demon 1:72 Scale

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143440, F-3H, VF-193 ‘Ghostriders’, CVA-31 USS Bon Homme Richard, 1958

143487, F-3 Demon, VF-131 ‘Nightcappers’, USS Constellation (CVA-64), Circa 1962

145224, F-3 Demon, VF-31 ‘Tomcatters’, USS Saratoga (CVA-60), Circa 1959

145257, F-3 Demon, VF-121, NAS Miramar, CA, Circa 1959

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JUNE 2021

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

Jolly Rogers

Demon Jezz Coleman builds the 1:72 Sword F3H-2 in the markings of VF-61

After a black primer coat…

F3H-2 Demon Manufacturer: Sword Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 72122

DESPITE MY INITIAL MISGIVINGS I QUITE ENJOYED THIS SWORD KIT

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The upper surfaces were painted with Hataka Light Gull Grey

…I added Hataka Traffic White to the undersides …and lower surfaces Adding the black trim detail on the upper….

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

the undercarriage legs and doors required a small amount of clean-up to remove some flash, and I was ready for the painting stage. So, with the canopy masked, I then applied an all over coat of matt black primer. The underside of the aircraft was then airbrushed using Hataka Traffic White, and once dry, this was then masked-off using Blu-Tac sausages and the upper areas were painted with Hataka Light Gull Grey. Once dry, some post-shading was applied using a lighter shade of the base colour to add some tonal difference. Other areas of the fuselage were then masked-off and painted as per the instructions, and

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

Applying the decals

MODEL AIRCRAFT MANUAL

finally clear coat was added prior to decals being applied. These went on well and conformed nicely, the only problem I encountered here was that Sword had not printed the correct amount of wingtip decals meaning I had to raid my ‘sparesbox’ for some black strips of decal paper and cut my own out and applied them. With all the decals finally added, I sprayed on another coat of clear and then added an oil paint pin-wash to the panel lines. I also added some additional streaking on the undersides and on the edges of selected panels.

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All that was left to do now was to glue into place all the smaller details such as the undercarriage legs, gear bay doors, the canopy and refuelling probe. Last but not least I gave the entire model a coat of matt to seal everything in, removed the canopy masking and the build was complete. Despite my initial misgivings, I quite enjoyed this Sword kit and I think it came out rather well! MA

49 JUNE 2021 MODEL AIRCRAFT

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

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51 JUNE 2021 MODEL AIRCRAFT

MODEL AIRCRAFT – F3H DEMON

SUPER ETENDARD

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Angel Exposito builds the 1:72 Academy Super Étendard

Aeronavale

Striker T

Super Etendard Manufacturer: Academy Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 72123

The cockpit elements painted and ready for assembly

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

The canopy was masked with Tamiya tape….

…and on the lower surfaces I painted the wells with a metallic shade and then used the kit doors as masks

I added a coat of black primer over the entire model

The engine intakes have a thin red stripe…

…which I painted and masked off

AERONAVALE STRIKER

Test fitting the instrument panel

SUPER ETENDARD

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I started painting by adding a coat of Gunze H338, covering the entire undersides and creating the first upper surface layer

Then, using BlueTac sausages I added a coat of Gunze H305

On the undersides I added a little white to create a random weathered look

After a gloss coat I added the Model Art decals

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

AERONAVALE STRIKER

FOR THE MARKINGS I USED A MODEL ART DECAL SHEET Once all the decals were placed I added another gloss coat to seal them in

SUPER ETENDARD

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On the undersides I then applied an Ammo by MIG Deep Grey Panel Line Wash with a fine brush, and after a few minutes I removed any excess with a soft cloth

For the upper surfaces I used an Ammo by MIG Blue-Black Panel Line Wash

In the wing root area of the I use some oil colours, blending them in with a brush

I then turned to my Ammo By MIG Oilbrushers to add a little more weathering as required

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

57 AERONAVALE STRIKER

Finally I painted and detailed the ordnance ready for fitting

F-14A

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‘You hook ‘em and I’ll clean and

fry ‘em Dawid Branski builds the 1:72 Academy F-14 in ‘Top Gun’ colours of Marverick and Goose

I began by priming the model with Mr Surfacer 1500 Grey

F-14A Manufacturer: Academy Scale: 1:72 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 12563

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

YOU HOOK ‘EM I then used some Ushi Van Der Rosten Airbrush Stencils and sprayed some thinned black through them

I WANTED TO ADD ‘MAVERICK AND ‘GOOSE’ IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COCKPITS AND FOR THIS I USED A SET OF FIGURES FORM AEROBONUS

Next I used some white paint applied in a tiny dots using a sponge all over the model

Adding some touch ups in specific areas

F-14A

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I used three tones of grey as used on the real low-vis Tomcats, these being Hataka C046 Medium Grey on upper fuselage and wings…

…. C035 Dark Ghost Grey on the front part of the fuselage and tails…

required ‘Top Gun’ decals are not supplied with this kit so I used ones included in an Italeri kit, and here I used Ammo by MIG decal solutions. Next, I carefully applied some Tamiya Black Panel Line Accent onto all of the panel lines, and removed any excess with a cotton bud. My next technique might be not too conventional, but its definitely one of my current favourites for weathering, especially Tomcat’s as many of these were in fact, extremely weathered as

…and C037 Light Ghost Grey on the undersides

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

61 YOU HOOK ‘EM

can be seen on many images as well as in the movie. So, I sprayed on some Ammo by MIG Blue for Panzer Grey Wash through my airbrush onto the top rear of the fuselage, and also some spots below the cockpit on both sides and a little on the wings in random places. Next i took a brush moistened with enamel thinner and started dabbing the surface where wash was had been applied. By doing this I unifed the wash so it looked realistic and portrayed the weathered look I was after. I repeated the same process again on the top of the aircraft between vertical stabilisers, this time using Ammo by MIG US

F-14A

Modern Vehicles Wash. On the undersides I used Modellers World Fresh Rust and Old Rust as before and blended this with a piece of sponge. The external fuel tanks were weathered the same way but with an Ammo by MIG Dark Brown Wash Modellers World Fresh Rust. I then added all of the smaller items such as the probes, wheel bay doors, landing gear and missiles. I then applied a coat of Hataka matt and once dry removed the canopy masking. With that my second ‘Top Gun’ build was complete. MA

Getting ready for final assembly

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DER -OR PRE NOW

BUILDING THE

Model Aircraft Extra #8 The MiG-21 Fishbed

MODEL AIRCRAFT EXTRA

No.8

he MiG-21 NATO reporting name ‘Fishbed’ is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Sold to a host of countries the MiG-21 is one of the most successful and numerous aircraft ever built. The MiG-21 was the first successful Soviet aircraft combining fighter and interceptor characteristics in a single airframe. It was a lightweight fighter, achieving Mach 2 with a relatively low-powered afterburning turbojet, and was therefore comparable to the F-104 Starfighter, the F-5 Freedom Fighter and the Mirage III, and its basic layout was used for numerous other Soviet designs. Like many aircraft designed as pure interceptors, the MiG-21 had a short range. This was exacerbated by the poor placement of the internal fuel tanks ahead of the centre of gravity. As the internal fuel was consumed, the centre of gravity would shift rearward beyond acceptable parameters. This had the effect of making the aircraft unstable to the point of being difficult to control, resulting in an endurance of only forty-five minutes in clean condition. This could be somewhat countered by carrying fuel in external tanks closer to the centre of gravity. Additionally, when more than half the fuel was used up, violent manoeuvres prevented fuel from flowing into the engine, thereby causing it to shut down in flight. The short endurance and low fuel capacity of the MiG-21F, PF, PFM, S/SM and M/ MF variants, led to the development of the MT and SMT variants. The MiG-21 was exported widely and remains in use in many countries. The aircraft’s simple controls, engine, weapons, and avionics were typical of Soviet-era military designs. The use of a tail with the delta BUILDING THE wing aids stability and control at the extremes of the flight envelope, enhancing safety for lower-skilled pilots; this in turn enhanced its marketability in exports to developing countries with limited training programs and restricted pilot pools. While technologically inferior to the more advanced fighters Compiled by Andy Evans it often faced, low production and maintenance costs made it a favourite of nations buying Eastern Bloc military hardware. Several Russian, Israeli and Romanian firms IIICs on 14 November 1964, but it was not until 14 July 1966 have begun to offer upgrade packages to MiG-21 operators, that the first MiG-21 was shot down. The MiG-21 also served designed to bring the aircraft up to a modern standard, +P&P in the Vietnam War, but many VPAF pilots preferred the with greatly upgraded avionics and armaments. The MiGMiG-17. The Bulgarian Air Force received a total of 224 MiG-21s 21 was also used extensively in the Middle East conflicts of including twenty-six specialised reconnaissance MiG-21Rs, and the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s by the Egyptian Air Force, Syrian Air MiG-21MFs of the 25th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the National Force and Iraqi Air Force. The MiG-21 first encountered Israeli Mirage Air Force of Angola flew ground attack sorties during the Second Congo War, and during the Ogaden War of 1977–78, and Ethiopian Air Force F-5As engaged Somali Air Force MiG-21MFs in combat on several occasions. During Angola’s long-running civil war, MiG-21s of the Cuban Air Force were frequently deployed to attack ground targets manned by rebel forces or to engage South African Air Force Mirage F1s conducting cross-border strikes. India is the largest operator of MiG-21s, and in 1961, as the Indian Air Force opted to purchase the type over several other Western competitors. Romania received a number of MiG-21 variants, a number of which were later modernised to the LanceR configuration, able to carry both Western and Eastern armament such as the R-60M, R-73, Magic 2, or Python III missiles. So, despite its age, the MiG-21 story is far from over, and this new Model Aircraft Extra book features no fewer than seventeen model builds of the MiG-21 in all popular scales and will be a must have for the Soviet modeller and aficionado.

MAE8 MiG-21

MiG-21 Fishbed

£14.99

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MiG-21 Fishbed

AH-1Z VIPER

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On the ‘Battlefield’ Helmut Fraundorfer builds the 1:48 Kitty Hawk AH-1Z Viper

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

ON THE ‘BATTLEFIELD’

AH-1Z Viper Manufacturer: Kitty Hawk Scale: 1:48 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 80125

AH-1Z VIPER

After the paint job was complete it was time for the decals, which were also a delight to work with. After a protective coat of gloss, I then added a homemade oil paint filter to unify the two greys a little bit. After the filter had dried, I started working on the panel lines.

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I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO TRY SOMETHING NEW TO ME FOR THE PAINTS AND WENT FOR THE AK INTERACTIVE REAL COLOURS RANGE

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

67 ON THE ‘BATTLEFIELD’

AH-1Z VIPER

I chose a darker grey for them and afterwards I added a sand shade on the panel lines, as I reasoned that this chopper would have been deployed in desert setting. Later, I also added a few pigments on the wing stubs. I then added some exhaust staining on the rear and added a few more pigment stains here and there to complete the build. I had a blast building this model and it will always remind me of the fun times I had playing the computer game when I look in the showcase in my modelling room. MA

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HURRICANE • Plastic airplane model kit • Decals - 4 options

Mk I

SPITFIRE MK.IXC

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James Ashton builds the 1:32 Tamiya Spitfire Mk.IXc

Soviet Spitfire T

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

SOVIET SPITFIRE

Spitfire Mk.IXc Manufacturer: Tamiya Scale: 1:32 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 19

SPITFIRE MK.IXC

evident. Most notably the broad cord rudder and the outboard mounted cannons the former is provided in the kit. However, both examples have the cannons mounted inboard. This meant that I would have to swap over the Starboard and port gun covers, which is not as easy as it sounds because they are handed. Some slight surgery of the parts, filling, rescribing and riveting became necessary. Also, the outboard .303 gun ports on the outboard wings needed to be filled. These were the main differences to the airframe and the rest of the model was a simple case of following the instructions. At first sight I was a bit taken aback by the bright green paint that had been applied over the British markings. Some research was needed to try to match the correct shade from my available paint ranges. I settled with Tamiya X-28 Park Green with a small drop of

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XF-5 Flat Green added to tone it down a bit. The ‘OH Models’ decals are made by Fantasy Print Workshop and are high quality decals. With good colour saturation and in perfect register. The carrier film is very thin so handle them with

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

03866 British Legends: Sea Vixen FAW 2, 1:72

03844 Lockheed Martin F-16D Tigermeet 2014, 1:72

Dassalt Aviation Breguet

03845 Atlantic 1 “Italian Eagle” (Magpie), 1:72

care and use plenty of water as they will grab and tear if you do not float them into position. I always feel a model comes to life once the markings are applied and the Light Green grew on me, contrasting nicely with the red stars. I have to say this was a great fun build with the challenges of the research and adjustments

that had to be made to the beautiful Tamiya kit. Rather than finish it as a factory fresh restoration, I added moderate weathering in order to represent what I imagined the aircraft may have looked like had it gone on to see action. What a project like this can do is act as real mojo builder. If you are feeling at a bit of a loss as to what to build next and only have those familiar much built kits in your stash, get onto the internet and try to find something that is rare if not unique. Choose a kit that is easy to build and a subject that presents an interesting challenge, it can be very rewarding. MA

03852 BAe Hawk T2 (inc. Photoetch), 1:32

03867 Bell® UH-1D “Goodbye Huey”, 1:32

Available from all good model stockists and online from

THIS AIRCRAFT HAS NOW BEEN RESTORED TO FULL WORKING ORDER AND TOOK TO THE SKIES AGAIN ON OCTOBER 28TH, 2020 AND IS NOW PART OF THE ‘HANGAR II’ COLLECTION AT NORTH WEALD

hobbycraft.co.uk/brand/revell

STEARMAN PT-13/N2S-2/5 KAYDET

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Eifion Davies builds the 1:32 ICM Stearman PT-13/ N2S-2/5 Kaydet

Stearman PT-13/N2S-2/5 Kaydet Manufacturer: ICM Scale: 1:32 Kit Type: Plastic injection moulded Kit Number: 32052

Training Colours

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

TRAINING COLOURS

THIS ICM KIT WAS AN ABSOLUTE DELIGHT AND A JOY TO BUILD

STEARMAN PT-13/N2S-2/5 KAYDET

consultation with some fellow modellers, I was advised to use a pink primer (which I just mixed) as a base for the yellow. Then to achieve the yellow I was after, I used Hataka Traffic Yellow mixed with a touch of Traffic Red. I mixed up half a jar of paint, to ensure I had enough as I didn’t fancy running out and not being able to

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match it again! Building the colour up gradually I managed to give the effect of faded areas where the material was stretched over the spars. Next, I masked off the areas for the red stripes and black wing walkways. This was quite straightforward and before I knew it, I had a pretty good-looking aircraft. So far so good. Then using a fine brush and Tamiya XF-1 Matt Black, I touched up all the rigging wires that had been painted yellow!! Prior to starting to add the decals I gave everything a coat of Gloss. The decals are very good except the main insignia, as these seemed thicker than the rest, which are quite thin - strange!!! So, be very careful with them! But once on,

they looked tremendous. To seal everything in, I mixed up a coat of Matt and Satin lacquers, which gave a lovely finish. Still going to plan so far. The engine and rudder were now fitted along with the two windscreens. The undercarriage legs were then masked and

MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

TRAINING COLOURS

given a coat of Alclad Aluminium, followed by the wheels which were suitably painted and fitted. The propellor was spayed aluminium to simulate the metal one fitted to the real aircraft and the tips were painted yellow. Once fitted I had finally completed my very first biplane, and I am thoroughly pleased with myself! This ICM kit was an absolute delight, a joy to build and not too daunting for a novice builder. So, what you waiting for? MA

CHECK YOUR REFERENCES

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CHECK YOUR

REFERENCES Models Aircraft’s Monthly Look at New Books

Norway 1940 Publisher: Osprey Author: James S Corum ISBN: 9781472847454 Format: Softback Price: £14.99

Ju 87 Stuka v Royal Navy Carriers Publisher: Osprey Author: Robert Forsyth ISBN: 9781472840837 Format: Softback Price: £13.99

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Luftwaffe Squadrons 1939–45 The Essential Aircraft Identification Guide Publisher: Amber Books Author: Chris Bishop ISBN: 9781782749493 Format: Hardback Price: £16.99

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MODEL AIRCRAFT

JUNE 2021

CHECK YOUR REFERENCES

The Fieseler FI 156 Storch Publisher: Fonthill Author: Jan Forsgren ISBN: 978147278881 Format: Hardback Price: £25.00

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Dornier Do.17 in the Battle of Britain Publisher: Pen and Sword Author: Chris Goss ISBN: 9781472881208 Format: Hardback Price: £25.00

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Bomber Command Airfields of Yorkshire Publisher: Pen and Sword Author: Peter Jacobs ISBN: 9781472863313 Format: Softback Price: £14.99

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CHECK YOUR REFERENCES

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Night Fighter Navigator Publisher: Pen and Sword Author: Dennis Gosling ISBN: 9781472813109 Format: Softback Price: £14.99

ennis Gosling joined the RAF on May 24 1940. Having completed his training, he was posted to 219 Squadron flying the night-fighter version of the Beaufighter from Tangmere in 1941. As a navigator, he became part of a two-man team that would endure throughout his first operational tour. In those infant day of radar interception, he honed his skills in the night skies above southern England and the English Channel but without a firm kill. On 12 February 1942, he and his pilot were instructed to pick up a brand-new aircraft and deliver it to North Africa, flying via Gibraltar, a hazardous flight at extreme range. In March the crew were posted to 1435 Flight of 89 Squadron with the task of defending the besieged island of Malta. The four Beaufighters of the flight flew into an horrific scenario of almost constant bombing raids by the Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force. Because of these raids the damage to aircraft on the ground was devastating and the Flight was often reduced to a single serviceable aircraft. His first success came in April 1942 with a confirmed kill, and then shortly after his 21st birthday on 13

May a triumphant night on the 17th brought three certain kills and one damaged enemy aircraft. His pilot being awarded the DFC, but to his disgust, Flight Sergeant Gosling received no award. At this stage he became somewhat embittered by the class system he felt was operated by the RAF. Having endured the torment of constant bombardment, serious stomach complaints (even flying with a bucket in the aircraft) and near starvation he completed his tour and was repatriated to the UK via Brazil and Canada in the Queen Mary. After a spell instructing new night navigators, he joined 604 Squadron and in December 1943 he was promoted to Warrant Officer. February 1944 saw the squadron reequipped with the Mosquito and assignment to 2 Tactical Air Force in preparation for D-Day. Now once again he was flying initially over southern England and the Channel. The squadron became mobile after the landings and were based in various captured airfields in France, but the conditions were so inadequate for operations that the squadron returned to English bases, from where they operated over and beyond the advancing Allied troops. Eventually, after having been awarded a much-deserved DFC, he accepted the King’s Commission.

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Arado Flugzeugwerke Aircraft and Development History Publisher: Fonthill Author: Volga Koos ISBN: 978147278921 Format: Hardback Price: £25.00

his is a beautifully illustrated and researched developmental history of all Arado aircraft, including the revolutionary Ar 234 jet bomber and satellite branches based on newly released records; also covers licensed production and secrets in supersonic experiments. Previously published information that is unproved and/or incorrect are checked against new documentary sources, and illustrated with 163 rare, unpublished and high-quality photographs. This is a must-have for military enthusiasts, modellers and those interested in the complexities of aircraft design and production during the Second World War. Founded in Warnemünde in 1925, Arado Flugzeugwerke developed civilian and military prototypes for the clandestine armament programme of the Reichswehr. From 1933 when

licensed production of military aircraft commenced, the factory also built a number of their own designs. Best known are the training planes Ar 66 and Ar 96, the catapult floatplane Ar 196, and the record-breaking sport aircraft Ar 79. With the two- or four-engine Ar 234, the world’s first operational jet bomber was built. At the end of the War, Arado initiated the project of the first supersonic experimental aircraft. Arado Flugzeugwerke: Aircraft and Development charts the development of all Arado aircraft between 1925 and 1945, as well as the development and capabilities of the factory. It also gives an overview of the licensed-productions and other projects. The information in this book is based on original documentation, unpublished photographs and will rectify some of the speculation and fantasy that has been published about Arado Flugzeugwerke.

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VOLUME 20 ISSUE 06

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In The Next Issue For the July 2021 Issue of Model Aircraft, here’s just a little of what we have planned! Turkish Terminator Fabián Flemming builds the 1:48 Hasegawa F-4E

Step-by-Step Soviet Sea Flanker Lightning Force Lee Powell builds the 1:72 Italeri F-35B in UK markings

Ali Beigi guides your through building and painting the 1:72 Hasegawa Su-33

Photo-Recce USAF F-4E Phantoms in the Vietnam War

First Strike Grant Dalzell builds the 1:48 Airfix Curtiss Tomahawk Mk.II

A Snakebite SLUF Mac Patterson builds the 1:48 Revell/ Hasegawa Vought A-7E Corsair

Plus much, much more!

Contributions and photographic material are welcome, but must be accompanied by adequate postage to cover return. MA Publications Ltd accept no responsibility for loss or damage to materials supplied.

Produced Under Licence by MA Publications Ltd PO Box 1592, Bedford. MK40 9FD UK: +44 (0)1234 331431 info@modelaircraftmag.com PUBLISHER MA Publications MANAGING EDITOR Andy Evans PO Box 1592, Bedford, MK40 9FD Email: andy@modelaircraftmag.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Jezz Coleman ASSOCIATE EDITOR (UK & EUROPE) Tim Upson-Smith ASSOCIATE EDITOR (USA) Andy Renshaw EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Alan Kelley EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Mario Serelle EDITORIAL CONSULTANT Vitor Costa The above editorial email is ONLY to be used for editorial submissions. It is NOT for subscription payments or queries, back issues or Modellers Datafile orders. Please send all of these to info@modelaircraftmag.com MA PUBLICATIONS LTD EMAIL info@modelaircraftmag.com Use this address for back issue orders, subscriptions or subscription enquiries or book orders. Note that we cannot undertake research into specific or general aviation queries and that there may be some delays in responses from the contributors, as they are not based at the editorial address. CONTRIBUTORS James Ashton; Grant Dalzell; Angel Exposito; Dawid Branski; Luis Picalau; Jezz Coleman; Keith Slatter ADVERTISING SALES Mark Willey Email: mark@modelaircraftmag Tel: +44 (0)1234 331431 PRE-PRESS PRODUCTION MA Publications Limited PRINT PRODUCTION Printed and Bound in the UK DISTRIBUTION Select Publisher Services 62 Wimborne Road, Bournemouth BH3 7AR Telephone: 01202 586848 selectmagazines.co.uk NORTH AMERICAN DISTRIBUTION BY Disticor 695 Westney Rd South, Suite 14, Ajax, Ontario, Canada L1S 6M9 Tel: + 1 (905) 619 6565

© MA PUBLICATIONS LTD 2021 Articles, photographs and drawings published in Model Aircraft Monthly are protected by copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden without prior authority of the publishers. Opinions expressed by contributors and advertisers are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. MA Publications Ltd reserves the right to suspend or refuse any advertisement without giving reasons. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes MA Publications Ltd cannot be liable in any way for any errors or omissions. Nor can the publisher accept responsibility for the bona fides of advertisers. ISSN: 2046-5386 MA Publications Ltd is a member of The paper used in this magazine is made from timber sourced from sustainable managed forests; the pulp is ECF (elemental chlorine free); the manufacturing mill is accredited with ISO14001 and EMAS for their environmental controls. SUBSCRIPTIONS Cheques/Money Orders in Sterling only made payable to MA Publications Ltd and sent to the address above. Credit card payment accepted by phone. Subscription Hotline +44 (0)1234 331431 AMERICAN SUBSCRIPTIONS Wise Owl is no longer selling subscriptions on behalf of MA Publications Ltd. Current Wise Owl customers can renew their subscriptions at the current rates directly with MA Publications Ltd: Subscription hotline +44 (0)1234 331431 – we are happy to call you back to take your order! Email ordering and customer support: info@modelaircraftmag.com Website secure online ordering: www.modelaircraftmag.com Model Aircraft, Volume 20, Issue 06, June 2021 (ISSN: 2044-737X) published monthly by MA Publications Ltd, 2221 Niagara Falls Blvd, Niagara Falls NY 14304-5709. Periodical postage pending Niagara Falls NY. U.S. Postmaster. Send address corrections to Model Aircraft Monthly, PO Box 265 Williamsville, N.Y 14231 QUESTIONS TO CONTRIBUTORS If you have a question or query you wish to raise with any of the contributors to this magazine, they should be made IN WRITING to the MA Publications Ltd address.

Neither the Group Editor nor any of the contributors are at MA Publications Ltd on a daily basis and the Group Editor asks for all enquirers to appreciate this fact and be patient. Please understand that the staff at MA Publications Ltd do not have access to the information you require and therefore cannot answer your questions on the phone. Please enclose a stamped SAE with all enquiries, if you anticipate a reply. Thank you. SAMPLES FOR REVIEW Model Aircraft Monthly is always happy to review new books within its pages. Any item which you feel is appropriate will be given due consideration for inclusion in the title. Any company, trade representative, importer, distributor or shop which wishes to have books reviewed within Model Aircraft Monthly should send them directly to the editorial address and clearly mark them for the attention of the Group Editor. Confirmation of receipt of the samples will be supplied if requested. For all international companies etc the above applies, but please ensure that the package is clearly marked for customs as a ‘sample, free of charge’ to reduce the risk of unnecessary delays. Thank you. COMPANY/SUPPLIERS ADDRESS DETAILS & GENERAL ENQUIRIES Please note that the Group Editor and staff at MA Publications Ltd cannot help with general enquires about contact details for companies, importers or model shops whose products may be mentioned in Model Aircraft Monthly if the address information is not included with the review etc. Please check the advertisements in this journal for all suitable UK sources and only contact the firm directly if it is noted that there is ‘No UK stockist’. We are sorry, but we cannot help with details of companies which do not advertise in this magazine. Also note that neither the Group Editor nor contributors will undertake specific or general research for enquirers. Thank you. COPYRIGHT WARNING Due to the growing misuse and breach of copyright apparent on the web, MA Publications Ltd hereby gives notice that no-one is permitted to reproduce in any way, (in original form or ‘modified’), anything published in this, or previous editions of this magazine. All design, layout and studio photography is the copyright of MA Publications Ltd. All profiles, scale plans and supporting photographs are the copyright of the individual authors. None of these may be used without prior written agreement from both the author/artist and MA Publications Ltd. Infringement is a breach of international law, so if you see items posted on the web from this magazine other than on the official MA Publications Ltd website (modelaircraftmag.com) please advise the publisher immediately. © MA PUBLICATIONS LTD 2021 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted (including posting to a website) in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers.

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