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October 2020
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SU SI
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DE

1: 7 2 K IT B U
IL D
D
1: 4 8 K IT B U IL AN
ALTERNATIVE
RARFEVRELLH1:I48NO EAGLE
AIRFIX
R.2 1:72 TSR.2
PHANTOM FG

1:48 KIT BUILD

A STING
IN THE TAIL Meng Model 1:48 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-2/U4

PLUS: ALL THE LATEST KITS l ACCESSORIES l DECALS l BOOKS

 How to contact us:
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Contents
Email: [email protected]
Model Airplane International. Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, England

VOL.16 ISS.183 OCTOBER 2020

VOLUME 16. ISSUE 183. OCTOBER 2020 Editorial:
Editor: Brett Green
Publisher: Alan Harman
Administration: Gordon Angus
Advertising Manager: Alan Harman
REGULARS P.20 ME 410 IN DETAIL [email protected]
The Editor takes a close-up look at two preserved
P04 - NEWSLINE examples of the Me 410. Art:
P06 - COMMENT Editorial Design: Peter Hutchinson
P65 - NEXT ISSUE P.24 A STING IN THE TAIL ฀ PART ONE Advertising Design: Peter Hutchinson
P66 - FINAL THOUGHTS… Brett Green builds Meng’s 1:48 scale Advertisement and circulation:
REVIEWS Messerschmitt Me 410 B-2/U4 almost straight from Model Airplane International, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
the box. Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX.
Tel: 01525 222573
P.8 TRANSFER LIST E-mail: [email protected]
Choices, choices - which decals will you chose to P.36 AN ALTERNATIVE EAGLE
build something different? Huw Morgan takes a flight of fancy with his Distribution:
hypothetical 1970s RAF Middle East Air Force TSR.2 Seymour Distribution, 2 East Poultry Avenue,
P.10 IN PRINT GR.1 deployed to Akrotiri. London, EC1A 9PT.
What books will inspire you this month? Tel: 020 7429 4000
P.46 HIND TO THE FORE
FEATURES Piotr Slominski crews up and improves Zvezda’s Newstrade:
Select Publisher Services, 3 East Avenue,
new 1:48 scale Mi-24VP Hind.
P.12 RAF RHINO Bournemouth, BH3 7BW.
Tel: 01202 586848 E-mail: [email protected]
Russell Mardling tackles Revell’s re-box of
P.56 RHAPSODY IN BLUE
Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale Phantom FGR.2. Subscriptions:
Jason Brewer improves the Airfix 1:48 scale Spitfire
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Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 3

This month’s round-up of all that’s new in the world of aircraft modelling...

BRONCO
http://cn-bronco.com

BRONCO 1:72 J-20 MIGHTY DRAGON STEALTH FIGHTER

AND 1:48 F-51D MUSTANG
In 2017, the Chinese J-20 became the third stealth the aircraft is given as 19 tons and maximum loaded
fighter to enter service, after the American F-22 weight of 37 tons. Weapons will include PL-10 short
(2005) and F-35 (2015). Currently 20 aircraft of rang AAM, PL -12 medium range AAM and PL-15
the first production batch are undergoing combat or PL-21 long range AAM’s, it is expected to carry
training and evaluation with the Peoples Liberation two of each type internally. It can also carry the LS-6
Army Air Force, 9th Air Brigade at the Wuhu Air Base precision guided bomb for ground attack. So far 8
at Anhui. The PLAAF claim that the aircraft is an air prototypes and 20 production aircraft are flying. In
superiority fighter with precision strike capability, August 2019 the PLAAF announced that the J-20
however it is a very large aircraft similar in size to would become China’s primary fighter, beating
the Russian Su-24M bomber, The J-20 or Mighty the rival FC-31. However its large size may prove
Dragon, is manufactured by the Chengdu Aerospace difficult for operations on the new Shandong Class
Corporation and made its first flight in January 2011. Aircraft Carrier, one of its intended roles.
Little information has been released on the aircraft’s Bronco has announced the future release of a
capabilities, but it is estimated that the speed will be 1:72 scale kit of this advanced type. We will have
around Mach 2 or 2,230 kp/h, and a range of 6,000 more news in a coming issue.
Kilometers with the current WS-10B engines of Bronco has also announced the future release
33,000 lbs thrust with reheat. of an F-51D Korean War version of their 1:48 scale
The J-20 has 6 x internal weapons bays for both Mustang.
long and short range AAM’s, while other weapons A nice selection of markings for USAF, South
and fuel tank can be carried on 4 x external Korean and Commonwealth subjects will be
hardpoints on the wings. Its possible use is as a long included, as will the choice of Hamilton Standard
range missile launching platform using its stealth and Aeroproducts propellers, and a range of
capability to avoid enemy defences. ordnance.
The J-20 is scheduled to have up-rated Shenyang Thanks to Bronco for the information and images
WS-15 engines of greater thrust of up to 40,000 lbs http://cn-bronco.com
with reheat in the near future. The empty weight of

4 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

G.W.H.
xxx

G.W.H. 1:48 SU-27UB FLANKER C

G.W.H. has sent the final box art and images of the sprues from their forthcoming 1:48 scale Su-27UB Flanker C.
This model should be available by the time this issue of MAI is published.
Thanks to G.W.H. for the images.
 WORLD ON
PAUSE
Jonathan Mock looks at the cancellation of Scale ModelWorld 2020.

he seasons change but the

T realities of the COVID-19

pandemic continue to shape daily
life.
When I first start commenting on
the UK’s lockdown in mid-March it had begun
to feel like we were just starting to emerge
from the cold and dark of winter, only to be
plunged into a new darkness of uncertainty.
Since then we’ve been through the heat of
summer and now, as I write this is the pouring
rain of late-August, the shorter evenings and
the first winds of autumn are starting to be felt.
Usually at this time of I year I feel a surge
of enthusiasm as – frankly – I’m not a summer
person so cooler days are always a welcome
relief, plus August heralds the return of the
domestic football season and, with the Avon
IPMS show out of the way, the nights become
busier building things for display at Scale
ModelWorld in November.
When lockdown started in March I’d hoped,
like many people, that a combination of social
restrictions and the summer weather would
flush the last of COVID-19 out of existence and
normality would return. Alas, as the months
unfolded it became clear that this terrible
virus is going to be with us for some time
until an effective vaccine can be found and
while some restrictions have been lifted, the
virus continues to keep pace, threatening to
overtake and overwhelm given the chance.
When IPMS (UK) announced that they
were cancelling Scale ModelWorld 2020
on the evening of 25 August, the news was
depressing but not unexpected.
Throughout the summer months the IPMS
(UK) executive committee had been wrestling
with the issue of whether SMW would, could –
even should – go ahead. Various ideas were
pitched as government advice changed and
frequently u-turned, constantly wrong footing
any plans. In the summer IPMS (UK) were
still putting a brave face on manning a show
and had floated some ideas with regard to
reduced numbers, increased stand space and
strict social distancing guidelines. It was a
noble attempt but it was like trying to square
a circle. SMW is a hugely social event, the
traders rely on the vast footfall of people and
therein lies one of the main problems – people
like browsing, picking up kits, books etc… if
ever there was a perfect environment for a

6 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 ‘Europe’s Number One Model Shops’
www.hannants.co.uk

SH72358 1:72 ..............................£16.99

Gloster Meteor NF.11 Belgium, France, Denmark

virus to spread, even with the best hygiene next three years. SH72371 1:72 ..............................£16.99
Fouga CM.170 Magister French, Belgian and Irish Service
enforcement, this was it. Certainly from a personal perspective it’s
One by one Special Interest Groups, going to be strange having no Telford this year
branches and traders started to drop out and the annual formalities that accompany
and, while this may well have helped reduce it, least not the drive up the M5 with Drewe
capacity thus improving social distancing, Manton and the ‘Rock to Telford’ playlist, the
it was starting to look like a regional model café stopovers for breakfast, the other café
show being held in the acreage of a large stopovers for tea and cake, the rendezvous
and expensive venue. It ran the risk of being with friends at RAF Cosford and the inevitable
Monsters of Rock but with just the support bickering of two middle aged men in a car.
bands, or rather the support bands to the Stranger still that this will be the first year
support bands. in four decades that I will not have attended a
While some SIG and clubs pledged their model show in any form whatsoever – a run
support to attend it was all starting to look that goes back to 1985 when I was 18. But, as
inevitable. For my part I’d already decided I said, the focus here is public safety. SH72390 1:72 ..............................£24.80
Saab SF-37 Viggen Reconnaissance
not to go and cancelled my hotel bookings. And while nothing can replace SMW as an
As much as I love the show it wasn’t worth event, myself and few others have started to
the health risk especially when someone like hatch an idea for a “virtual” show to replace
myself - who hovers on the OCD spectrum the Telford weekend. After the success of
when it comes to clean hands - rarely comes last year’s modelling demonstrations on The
back from Telford without picking up a bug of Hobby Company stand, we’d started gearing
sorts. Last year it took me well into Christmas up for something bigger and better in 2020,
to shake the last of my post-Telford lurgy. and were already thrashing out ideas on the
I can only imagine that the executive drive back from SMW 2019. But with no show
committee breathed a sight of relied – this year we’ve decided to do all the modelling
obviously tinged with regret – when they demonstrations we’d line up for SMW 2020
came to an agreement with the venue owners on social media instead where everyone SH72406 1:72 ..............................£49.50
and cancelled the show. Yes, this will have can attend and social distancing (or indeed Piaggio P.108B
ramifications for the society and their budgets, distance of any sort) isn’t an issue.
yes it will have a financial impact on traders At the moment we’ve titled it ‘A Festival
for whom SMW was their main event. But is of Modelling’ and it will hopefully take place
will have also have potentially saved lives, under our new venture The Interesting
something worth reiterating. No doubt some Modelling Co., which has seen myself and
will grumble and say they were prepared MAI’s (furloughed) editor Spencer Pollard
to take the risk, others will subscribe to the doing a weekly roundup of our modelling news
(conspiracy) theory that the pandemic is a highlights. Early days yet but we’re hoping it’s
big fuss-about-nothing. If my supermarket going to be a lot of fun – just bring your own
shopping experiences are anything to go by tea and cake.
the show risked having an element who would I shall deeply miss Telford this year but
wilfully ignore social distancing guideless or hopefully it will be back in 2021 and be staged SH72419 1:72 ..............................£13.50
requirements to wear masks - and it only takes confidently and safely. Certainly it will be a Folland Gnat FR.1
one person to be the epicentre of another cathartic release and a reminder not to take
outbreak. these shows – or indeed the everyday – for
On the plus side IPMS (UK) did announce granted.
that they have confirmed a new deal with
Southwater Event Group who operate the The show will go on – just not this year. ■ H.G.Hannant Ltd,
Telford International Centre which covers the Harbour Road, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 3LZ, England.
Open from 09.00 to 17.30 Monday to Saturday.
Phone: 00 44 (0)1502 517444 (8 lines) 0845 130 72 48 local rate
from UK phones only (NOT mobiles)
Fax: 00 44 (0)1502 500521 E-Mail: [email protected]
 TRANSFER LIST
Written by Alan Firbank.

EURO DECALS
FROM FANTASY PRINTSHOP
www.fantasyprintshop.co.uk

Those readers who build 1:72 kits and have looked on in envy at the Euro Decals Oregon F-15C
Special released firstly in 1:32, then in 1:48 can now buy the sheet in their preferred scale. There
are a good number of 1:72 F-15C kits available if you do not have one on the shelf.

MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-15C OREGON ANG

SPECIAL 2016, 1:72 SCALE
ITEM NO. ED-72122
As this set came out of the envelope a few months ago in its huge 1:32 form,
at first glance, we thought this was a Japanese Eagle scheme. That 1:32 set
of sheets is available for 1:48 F-15C modellers and is now issued in 1:72.
Some aspects of the markings design resemble those seen on Japanese F-15J
specials in the past, especially the bird’s wing design on the top of the wings
and tail planes. This very elaborate scheme is on an Oregon Air National Guard
Eagle and is one the most spectacular that we have seen on an American F-15.
We struggle to think of a better one. Your F-15C model will need to be painted
in the more recent Mod-Eagle scheme of FS36251 and FS36176. The pattern is
the same as the old Light and Dark Compass Grey but using the newer colours.
This set of markings is all about one aircraft and covers three roughly
A6-sized sheets. A single colour printed A4 sheet of instructions completes
the set. The decal sheets are beautifully printed and the whole thing makes a
spectacular set of markings. This set is not for the beginner, many of the items
are large and will demand all the skill (and decal setting solutions) you can
muster in order to place them on your model. We expect that applying these
decals will be easier in this smaller size than those tackling the previous larger
scale sets.
While the choice of kits for the 1:32 set was limited, there’s a good selection
of F-15C kits in 1:48 and 1:72 that will look great with these markings applied.
There are very few outstanding schemes on USAF Eagles. The Aggressor
camouflage schemes are one exception but there are precious few others. This
set is one of the more expensive decal packages for a 1:72 kit but it is superb,
really well produced and will result in a really eye-catching model for your
£18.95 investment.

FANTASY PRINTSHOP, 1:72 SCALE

ITEM NO. FP-1130
From time to time, Fantasy Printshop will release sheets of generic decals. The sort of sheet that is very handy to have in
stock. This new release is a repeat of their recently reviewed set of 1:32 and 1:48 German crosses.
As can be seen from the illustration, this sheet is covered with Luftwaffe cross insignia in different sizes. The sizes
at 1:72 are 4.3ft, 4ft, 3.3ft, 3ft, 2.3ft, 2ft, 1.3ft and 1ft.
Although the sheet is intended for 1:72 models, the crosses may be useful for 1:32, 1:48 and 1:144 models
too. Also, modern German army vehicles carry the same style of cross so some of the crosses on this sheet
would be suitable for modern German military vehicles, where the cross sizes are appropriate.
Thanks to Fantasy Printshop for their latest sheet for review. See their website for details:
fantasyprintshop.co.uk or phone 01208 77772.

8 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

IN PRINT

Mc Donnell Douglas
F-4 Phantom 1958 Onwards
https://haynes.com/en-gb/mcdonnell-douglas-f-4-phantom-manual-paperback

■ By Ian Black manufactured and used by a vast number of

■ ISBN 978 1 78521 194 2 allies. It was highly successful in US and for-
■ 160pp softback eign service in the number of conflicts it fought
■ GBP£12.99 (Softcover) plus shipping in. It has proven itself highly adaptable in the
available online from Haynes Publishing’s many roles it has served in from carrier based
website fighter to reconnaissance, defence suppres-
his is a first for me regarding the sion, fighter bomber etc.

T range of Haynes titles – an aircraft

subject!
I could not resist purchasing a title
from Haynes on the legendary Cold
War Warrior the F-4 Phantom II particularly
as the author was renowned ex-RAF pilot
and photographer Ian Black! The ridiculously
The Phantom was developed to a US Navy
specification for a missile armed fighter to
serve on US carriers.
It was also adopted by the US Air Force on
seeing how adaptable and successful it was.
It quickly gained an excellent reputation
in the fighter and attack roles over Vietnam
cheap price was a winner in the decision mak- although it was soon realised that the lack of
ing process as well. It just sped it up. an internal gun was a drawback in air-to-air
The F-4 Phantom was one of the most combat. This was rectified with the F-4E add-
produced and successful US fighters of the ing a longer nose incorporating the ubiquitous
post WWII period with well over 5,000 being M61 20mm Vulcan cannon and it became the

10 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 SAMPLES FOR REVIEW
Please send all items for review to the following address: Model Airplane International, Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane,
Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, United Kingdom. Companies in the European Union should also add our VAT
number, which is GB 789 7020 84

most produced variant. The F-4 Phantom was of view which is understandable given Ian
exported widely and is still in service with a ■ Acknowledgements Black flew them. This does not detract from it
handful of users. It served in Vietnam, the Per- ■ Introduction being an excellent introduction to the Phantom
sian Gulf and the Arab Israeli Wars amongst ■ The Phantom Story and I am sure it will be very popular with the
others and is still fighting in the skies over ■ The Phantom at War modelling and aviation community.
Syria with the Turkish Air Force. ■ Anatomy of a Phantom For the modeller, this is a superb reference
The author is no stranger to the Phantom ■ “Phlying” the Phantom – a Pilots view and it would equally appeal to the aircraft en-
having flown in them during his long RAF ■ Hunting “Bears” – RAF F-4s on Battle thusiast, former crewman or even air warfare
career and many of his excellent photos of Flight and QRA historians.
British and NATO Aircraft are within this book. ■ Phantom “Phixers” The Engineers view Do not be fooled by the novelty of it being
He brings his knowledge and easy going writ- ■ Sageburner Phantom – a restoration an owner’s manual, this is thoroughly re-
ing skill to the reader in a well presented and ■ Index searched and high-quality Reference. I cannot
easily readable reference well supported by recommend this enough due to the high quality
excellent colour photos. This book is fantastic treasure trove of of material within. I will be adding a lot more of
The book is 160 pages long, an A4 sized information and images showing this magnifi- this range to my library.
hard or softback printed on high quality glossy cent aircraft, its deployments and operations Available online from https://haynes.com/en-
paper with numerous high-quality images in worldwide as well as touching on the maintain- gb/mcdonnell-douglas-f-4-phantom-manual-
B&W and colour. The book has seven Chap- ers and crews. paperback
ters plus Appendixes and Foreword There is a lot from a British Phantom point Al Bowie, August 2020 ■

Building the Fokker F.I / Dr.I in 1:32 scale PREVIEW

by Ray Rimell
Windsock / Albatros Productions Ltd. www.windsockdatafilespecials.co.uk

lbatros Productions has announced Encore, Hobbycraft and Meng kits + Over Dreidecker with cockpit, structure and arma-

A their 10th Modelling Special focus-

ing on the Fokker F.I / Dr.I in 1:32
scale. Here is their Preview an-
nouncement:
This image-laden book is the perfect guide
to building all available 1:32 scale Dreidecker
kits with exclusive, detailed, fully referenced
20 all-new colour profiles from Ronny Bar +
Exclusive guest contributions from two leading
well-known ex-employees of Wingnut Wings
+ Revising Werner Voss’ controversial colours
with unique fully annotated art from Juanita
Franzi supporting the author’s evocative Marke
F.I 103/17 airfield diorama + Generous photo
ment detail+ Bibliography +Comprehensive
lists of relevant after-market add-ons: PE
sets, decal sheets, German hangar kit, figures
and more!+Some surprise items we’re still
working up will include a fresh, revisionist look
at Triplane camouflage, model paint charts
and1:32 scale stencils, as well as focusing on
and generously illustrated building and precise archives courtesy of Greg VanWyngarden with lesser-known aspects of this iconic fighter. A
painting instructions for the new Meng kit many pages of rare portraits; close up details; packed guide that will delight Fokker Dr.I fans
released in early August 2002! aspects of weathering: inspiring diorama everywhere.
Additional planned content includes: photos and markings data all comprehensively Soon to be available from www.windsock-
Back-engineering the Roden kit, along with a captioned + Full colour detail shots of Mike datafilespecials.co.uk and selected specialist
unique diorama + Reviews of Andreas, Roden, Carlson’s fabulous Dr.I airworthy reproduction outlets worldwide. ■

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 11

KIT BUILD
BUILT AND WRITTEN BY RUSSELL MARDLING

RAF
RHINO
Russell Mardling tackles Revell’s re-box of
Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale Phantom FGR.2

he McDonnell Douglas F-4

T Phantom II first entered service in

1960 with the US Navy. It proved
to be a very adaptable plane,
being a supersonic interceptor
and fighter bomber. It also served with the
Marines and the USAF.
The RAF operated the Phantom from 1969.
Its original designation was the F-4M and
differed from the American aircraft in that it had
two Rolls Royce Spey engines as opposed to
Pratt and Whitney J79's.

12 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate

SPECIFICATION:
Revell 1:48 Phantom FGR.2. Kit No. 04588

MATERIALS USED:
Swann Morton scalpel blades
Fine pointed tweezers
Flexi File sanding sticks
Micro mesh pads
Mr Cement S
HAFIX CA glue
Sprue cutter
Tamiya Masking tape

PAINTS AND FINISHING

PRODUCTS USED:
Mr Hobby acrylics - H335. H332.H334
Mr Hobby Metallics - MC213 DARK IRON. MC218
ALUMINIUM
Tamiya Acrylics - Flat White XF-2
Humbrol enamel paints - Number 11
Ak Interactive Real Colours - Rubber black

ADDITIONAL PARTS USED:

Armory Resin wheels for F-4 Phantom
Eduard Zoom cockpit set
New Wave Mask Set

The FGR.2 version saw action in the

Falklands war providing air cover for the RAF's
operations there and then during the first Gulf
War to provide air defence cover over RAF
Akrotiri. It was finally retired in 1992.

The Model
Revell's Phantom FGR.2 is a re-boxing of the
venerable Hasagawa kit from the 1980s and
is the only injected plastic kit in 1:48 scale of a
British Phantom.
The kit comes in seven sprues of grey
plastic and one clear sprue.

Construction
Construction starts with the cockpit. The detail
is pretty good but I wanted to embellish the
cockpit with more detail. Once painted in
Gunze H335, I used Eduard's excellent photo-
etched cockpit detail set. This requires quite a
bit of sanding and some surgery but it is worth
the effort. There is a lot of etch that goes into
the cockpit tub and the end result brings it all
to life.
Next step in upgrading the cockpit was the
Head Up Display unit. This requires you to fill
the original slot for the clear kit part which is
a rather basic representation of the unit on
the real aircraft. Then I replaced the part from
the Eduard photo-etched fret complete with
clear film that represents the glass on the real
display unit. The finished result is a far better
representation of the real unit and looks very
convincing.
The final piece in this first part of the build is
the ejection seats. The kit seats are a decent

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 13

KIT BUILD
One of the beautiful
Quickboost resin seats
compared to the kit parts.

…but Eduard’s photo-etched detail set really

brings the front office to life.

Detail isn’t bad in

the cockpit…

The Quickboost ejection

seats painted and ready
for installation. These
were left out until later in
the process.

representation of the real ones but lack the an dark exhaust pigment as was the main would fit them into the cockpit much later in
seat belts which are on the pilots if you wish to undercarriage bays. This was then attached the build.
include them. I decided to use a pair of resin to the underside of the cockpit. Then the After drilling holes for the stabilators it was
seats from Quickboost which are beautifully complete unit was glued into one half of the time to join the two fuselage halves together.
detailed and looks superb once painted. fuselage that had already been painted with Once together, the fit of the fuselage halves
Next I painted the nose wheel bay in the same Gunze H335 as the cockpit. I left the were not good. It seemed one half was slightly
Tamiya XF-2 Flat White and weathered it with seats out so they wouldn't be damaged and longer than the other. It may have just been

The air intakes needed some sanding to blend in with the rest of the fuselage. The fit and alignment of the fuselage halves was not good.

14 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48

The wings are a pretty straightforward affair with one

complete lower wing with the wheel wells moulded
in situ
The airframe comes
together.

The wing seams only

needed a minimal
amount of sanding
and filler.

Note the gap between the lower wing and the intakes /
fuselage front.

my particular example but it they sepia from the Citadel range to represent heat
did not match, so all I could do was discolouration from the heat of the engines.
line up the rear of the fuselage so that The nozzles were then put to one side for The Rolls Royce Spey jet nozzles that were fitted to
matched and sanded the front end that was installation later. British Phantoms. Their level of detail is very nice.
then slightly longer to the right length so as to The two halves of the nose cone were next
accommodate the nose cone to be fitted later. to be assembled with a decent amount of
Once done the seam had to be filled and weight in it to avoid the plane being a tail sitter,
sanded. The round access hatches on top of this was then attached.
the fuselage had to be re-scribed as this detail It was now time to glue the wings onto the
had been lost due to the sanding. After that fuselage. Again in order to line up the lower
the next step was to assemble and paint the half of the fuselage that is moulded into the
interior of the air intakes and then attach them lower wing to the fuselage body itself left a
to the sides of the fuselage. These too needed sizable gap where the wing is connected to
some sanding to blend the rear of the intakes the front of the fuselage. This required a lot
to the rest of the fuselage. of filling and sanding, plus some delicate re-
scribing of the lost detail.
Wings
The wings are a pretty straightforward affair Undercarriage The instrument coaming sanded and painted with the
gunsight in place. The cockpit has been masked off in
with one complete lower wing with the wheel The level of detail here is pretty good but preparation for painting.
wells moulded in situ. These look a bit too could be enhanced by an aftermarket set. The
shallow but are nicely detailed. aircraft once finished is quite heavy. Once
The instructions then tell you to drill holes at cleaned up after being cut off their sprues.
this point to accommodate either a fuel tank or They were then sprayed with Flat Black which
an EMI pod. acts as a simple but effective way of pre-
The upper wings were then attached with shading. Then I sprayed them with Tamiya
the flaps simply slotting into place. The wing XF-2 Flat White. With the black pre- shading
seams needed a minimal amount of sanding the finished result has a lovely bit of depth
and filler. and definition. Humbrol Silver 11 was then
The kit-supplied fuel tanks.
painted for the compression points on the
Jet Nozzles undercarriage oleos. Actuation arms were
These represent the Rolls Royce Spey jet painted in the same way.
nozzles that were fitted to British Phantoms.
Their level of detail is very nice. The petals Wheels
and interior were painted in Gunze Mr Metal The kit wheels are quite a basic affair with
Dark Iron. (MC213) and the exterior was nose wheels being moulded in one piece and
again painted with Gunze Mr Metal Aluminium main wheels in two pieces. I elected to use a
(MC218). Once dry I sprayed a light dusting of resin set of wheels from Armory. This set of

Stabilators and splitter plates ready to be fitted.

KIT BUILD

The panel lines were pre-shaded

with Flat Black.

extra depth. The underside was the first to

be painted. I used Gunze Light Aircraft Grey
H332. Once done I then masked the underside
in readiness for the upper surfaces to be
painted.
The first colour to go on was The first colour to go on was Gunze H334
Gunze H334 Barley Grey. Barley Grey, which was applied to the fuselage
and outer wings. This was then masked and
painted and decaled ready then Gunze Medium Sea Grey H335 was
for installation at the end of painted on the inner wing areas.
the build. The Phantom has areas of bare metal in the
area behind the jet pipes. On the real aircraft
Painting these were made of titanium to protect the
Once all the sanding and filling had fuselage from the extreme heat of the jet blast.
been done it was time to start painting the The panels that were needed to be painted
wheels are beautifully cast and has excellent model. I always use Alclad Grey Primer and require a lot of intricate masking. I found a
detail. They don't even need to be cut out of micro filler. This primer once applied gives a mask set from New Wave that has all the
casting blocks so they are ready to use. Once lovely smooth finish and a great surface for correct shapes for masking these areas and
painted they look fantastic and very realistic. the following coats to adhere to. After a couple works perfectly. Plus it also has the wheel and
I elected to use AK Interactive’s Real Colour of coats of Alclad I gave the model a light canopy masks which I used. Once in place I
series rubber black for the tyres. The shade sanding with 8 thou grit sanding pad to really sprayed Gunze Mr Metal Dark iron once again.
looks just right. finish it off. Once buffed it gives a very convincing metallic
Then it was into the fuel tanks and the I then pre-shaded the model’s panel lines finish. The dark iron was then masked off and
AIM-7:Skyflash Missiles. All were assembled, with Flat Black in order to give the next coats then sprayed with Mr Metallics aluminium.

Lower surface touch-ups. The weapons pylons were painted separately.

The kit wheels were replaced with Armory Resin items. Very nice! The kit undercarriage carries the weight of this fairly heavy model.

16 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
After completing the rear fuselage I painted the tail
plane in the same combination of colours as well as the
fuselage grey.

The painted canopy parts after the masks were

removed.

The inside of the undercarriage doors.

I then painted the Weapons and drop tanks with paint and stencil decals
rudder in Tamiya XF- 2 applied.
white in readiness for
the squadron colour.

In fuselage I painted the tail plane in the same

hindsight, I combination of colours as well as the fuselage
would have used a grey. I then painted the rudder in Tamiya XF-
slightly darker colour but 2 Flat White in readiness for the squadron
several photos that I have seen colour that this model was going to depict.
on the Internet look a lighter shade Now all that was left to paint was the
of titanium. I suppose it all depends on canopy and the various undercarriage doors The kit’s stencil markings really add to the character of
how each plane weathered over the and air brakes. the model.
years of service life.
After completing the rear Decals
In preparation for the decals I sprayed the
model in Alclad Gloss Cote, which gives a
nice finish on which to lay down the decals.
I started with this machine's squadron
colours and codes that came from a sheet
by Xtradecal. The model depicts a Phantom
operated by 1435 Flight RAF based at Mount
Pleasant in the Falkland Islands in 1991. The
decals performs perfectly and when down nice
and flat. Unique markings are from an Xtradecal sheet.
Once they were completed it was
on to the stencils... a lot of them!
These were the kit decals which
also performed well. After a few
days of applying these to both
the model and the tanks and
finally the missiles. Just
Decals before sealing them in
applied. with Alclad Matt Cote
I used a wash by
Flory models.
The Quickboost seats were fitted at this late stage.
KIT BUILD
This is great to use. Once applied liberally
and left to dry, you then just have to gently
wipe the excess off which leaves panel
lines nicely highlighted and gives a realistic
finish.
It was then just a matter of attaching the
various parts that were assembled earlier,
the undercarriage and doors and air brakes.
I attached the fuel tanks and missile pylons
and finally the AIM7:Skyflash under the
fuselage belly and with the canopy being
attached, watch out for the very delicate
canopy actuators, the model was finished.
n

The open canopy shows off all that lovely detail.

The model depicts a Phantom operated by 1435

Flight R.A.F based at Mount Pleasant in the
Falkland Islands in 1991

18 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48

This kit is showing

its age now but it
finishes up very
nicely.

FINAL VERDICT
This kit is showing its
age now but with a bit of
patience, not to mention a
fair amount of filler and
sanding it finishes up as a
very nice kit and finally I had
a British Phantom in quarter
scale.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 19

REFERENCE - ME 410 CLOSE-UP

MESSERSCHMITT M
THE EDITOR GETS UP AND PERSONAL WITH A PRESERVED MESSERSCHMITT ME 410 HELD IN THE SILVER HILL RESTORATION
FACILITY AT THE NATIONAL AVIATION AND SPACE MUSEUM IN MARYLAND.
THE NASM MESSERSCHMITT ME
410, W NR 10018, WAS A WAR
PRIZE CAPTURED IN UNDAMAGED
CONDITION AT TRAPANI, SICILY, IN
AUGUST 1943.
THESE PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WHILE
THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN STORAGE IN
AUGUST 2002.

The NASM Me 410 after it was shipped to the USA, partially

repainted but still in complete condition, photographed at Wright
Field in the mid-1940s.

20 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 FULL-SIZE
The Me 410 has been
in storage at Silver
Hill for some time
now. This is a nice
view of the forward

ME 410
fuselage and the
bulged canopy. Note
the heavy overspray
of the mid-war RLM
74 and 75 greys with
RLM 76 Light Blue.

Issue 183 -www.modelairplaneinternational.com 21

REFERENCE - ME 410 CLOSE-UP

1 2

1: The port side remote controlled gun barbette. Note that the fuselage access hatch has been removed.
2: A rare view of the Me 410 mid fuselage interior looking forward. This was taken through the open fuselage hatch. 3
3: Another intact Me 410 is on display at the RAF Museum, Cosford. The engines are in running condition.

22 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 FULL-SIZE

4 5

6 7

10
8

4: The rear fuselage. Camouflage and national markings have been partially repainted following capture. 5: This is the
starboard side barbette housing with the gun and cover removed. 6: The main undercarriage and wheels. 7: The wing is
9 resting against the starboard fuselage side. We are looking at the lower surface of the port wing here. Note the very well
defined camouflage pattern sprayed onto the rear of the engine nacelle. 8: The fin has been removed and repainted. T2-499
was an American identification. 9: The automatic leading edge slats are deployed here. 10: The engine nacelle, showing
clearly the profile of the spinner and the length and depth of the oil cooler housing.

Issue 183 -www.modelairplaneinternational.com 23

KIT BUILD
BUILT AND WRITTEN BY BRETT GREEN

A STING IN THE
Part One - Construction
Brett Green builds Meng’s 1:48 scale Messerschmitt Me 410 B-2/U4 almost
straight from the box.

24 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate

SPECIFICATION:
Meng Model 1:48 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-2/U4. Kit No.
LS-001

ACCESSORIES AND DECALS USED:

E TAIL T
he Messerschmitt Me 410 was
Fine Molds Item No. NC1 – WWII German Aircraft Seatbelt
a direct development of the
Set
disastrous Messerschmitt Me Quickboost Item No. QB 48 589 – Messerschmitt Me 410
210. Propeller w/Tool
The story of the Messerschmitt Eduard Mask No. EX412 – Me 410A-1 for Meng Kit
Me 210 reads like a Shakespearean tragedy.
Our flawed main character contributed to the MATERIALS USED:
downfall of many great reputations, the suicide Plastic rod and scrap sheet
of the famous Generaloberst Ersnt Udet, and Tamiya Surfacer
the wasted lives of many German airmen. Tools and Modelling Products Used:
It was the subject of ongoing bureaucratic Tamiya masking tape (various widths)
interference and clashes between high profile Tamiya Extra Thin Cement
Revell Contacta Cement
political, military and political personalities.
Selley’s Super Glue
Perhaps most importantly, this flying cul-de- Zip Kicker (super glue accelerator)
sac diverted limited production resources away Gator’s Grip Hobby Acrylic Glue
from proven defensive aircraft in the critical Tamiya Masking Tape
mid and late-war years. Blu-Tack
Irwin Clamps

PAINTS AND FINISHING

PRODUCTS USED:
Cockpit Interior Paints
Tamiya Acrylics: XF-24 Dark Grey.
Vallejo Model Color Acrylics: 919 Foundation White; 70950
Black; 70953 Flat Yellow; 70957 Flat Red
Vallejo Panzer Aces Acrylics: 301 Light Rust; 337 Highlight
Ger. (Black)
Future Floor Polish
Winsor & Newton Galeria Matt Varnish
Solvaset Decal Setting Solution

Exterior Paints
Tamiya Spray Cans: Grey Primer; Fine White Primer; AS-5
Light Blue (Luftwaffe)
Tamiya Acrylics: XF-1 Flat Black; XF-64 Red Brown
Gunze Acrylics: H64 RLM 71 Dark Green; H68 RLM 74
Grey Green; H69 RLM 75 Grey Violet; H70 RLM 02 Grey;
H417 RLM 76 Light Blue
Tamiya Dark Brown Panel Line Panel Accent
Future Floor Polish
Winsor & Newton Galeria Acrylic Mediums – Matt Varnish
Solvaset Decal Setting Solution
Ronson Lighter Fluid
Tamiya Weathering Master Sets A and B

25
KIT BUILD
1

Weapons bay parts.

The assembled weapons bay, including

shell ejector chutes.

3 The Messerschmitt The Me

Me 210 was 210 was not
conceived as a declared suitable
development of the for operations until
Bf 110 even while well into 1942. Even then,
the earlier type was indecision about the proposed
in the prototype and roles and a reluctance on the part
early production phase. of operational units to use this new
In these years leading up to type limited its production and deployment,
the Second World War, the heavy although those that did see service garnered
fighter, or Zerstorer, was considered to be the favourable reports.
4 prestige arm of the Luftwaffe. The concept When the DB603 engine was finally
would not falter until the Messerschmitt Bf available, the new variant was named the
110 was tested and bested in the skies over Messerschmitt Me 410. The new designation
Britian during the fateful summer of 1940. was partly intended to distance this aircraft
The Me 210 was not, as legend sometimes from the disasters of the Me 210. The Me
has it, designed as a replacement of 410 proved itself to be a versatile and
the Bf 110 due to any known failures or successful aircraft. However, by the time it
shortcomings of the first Messerschmitt was entering service, there were already
heavy fighter. Rather, it was considered to be more capable contenders for the roles of
a more versatile and technically sophisticated heavy fighter and bomber in the wings.
5 design capable of fulfilling even more roles
than the Bf 110. In the Box
Such was the confidence in this new Meng Model has been expanding their
multi-role design that mass production catalogue for some time now with some very
was ordered even before full flight testing impressive 1:35 scale military subject and
of the prototypes was completed. The 1:72 scale aircraft kits.
original flawed short rear fuselage was In 2013, Meng made their debut in the
largely responsible for potentially fatal flight scale of 1:48 with their all-new Messerschmitt
6 characteristics, especially during takeoffs Me 410 B-2/U4.
and landings. Eventually, the fuselage was This is the bomber killer version fitted with
lengthened and this improved the handling of the powerful 50mm BK5 cannon in the lower
the aircraft. weapons bay.

1: Meng’s box art. 2: Fabric strip detail looks a little

heavy on the sprues but is fine under a coat of paint.
3: The pointy profile of the VDM9 propeller blades is
incorrect. 4: This sprue is unique to the 50mm-armed
bomber-killer variant, the Me 410 B-2/U4.
5: Photo-etched parts are supplied for the harness
straps, radiator faces and actuators. 6: The windscreen
is also unique to the B-2/U4 with its hole for the
telescopic sight.

The kit seat belts were substituted with Fine Molds’ WWII
German Aircraft Seatbelt Set.

26 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 These are flexible
1:48
plastic parts.
Front cockpit parts ready
for assembly.

The main cockpit tub

sub-assembly.

Rear cockpit
deck parts.

The radio is really

nicely detailed.

Here is the rear gunner’s seat and

the assembled rear deck.

Meng's 1:48 scale Me 410 B-2/U4 and selected rows of recessed rivets. painting. I especially liked the tiny flare pistol.
comprises 228 parts in grey plastic, 15 parts in Interior detail for the cockpit, weapons bay Two sections of the prominent roll cage are
clear, one photo-etched fret and markings for and landing gear is excellent. The cockpit moulded as separate parts, while the rest is
two aircraft. benefits from photo-etched harness straps. moulded as raised detail on the inside of the
The quality of moulding is excellent - all that The instrument panel, side consoles and canopy parts.
we have come to expect from Meng. Surface radios are treated to crisply raised plastic The upper weapons bay is fitted out with its
detail is by way of finely recessed panel lines details that should respond well to careful four guns and ammunition chutes. The lower
bay is specific to this model, and supplies the
bulged fairing and the full BK5 50mm cannon
and breech.
The remote barbettes on the fuselage
sides rotate an the guns can elevate and
The intricate barbette remote depress.
control and gunsight mount.
The rudder, elevator, ailerons and
landing flaps are all supplied separately
and may be posed neutral or deflected
according to the modellers tastes. The
upper radiator flaps are separate but the
lower flaps are moulded as part of the
floor of the radiator housings. Even so,
it would not be difficult to cut these lower
radiator flaps free and scratch build some
simple extended actuators if you wanted to
display the radiator flaps open. Leading edge
slats are moulded shut.
Test fitting the pilot’s seat.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 27

KIT BUILD
Fabric control surfaces are finished with The transparencies are sparkling clear and
raised strips. If these are too prominent for thin.
your liking they may easily be sanded down to The pilot's and radio operator's hatches may
a less obvious level. The raised circles on the both be posed open.
horizontal tail surfaces could do with sanding
too. Markings are supplied for two machines: The rear of the multi-part instrument panel.
Two complete engines are included. These ■ 6.:ZG 26 Germany 1944
are nicely detailed while being simple to build ■ W.Nr. 130379 - war prize of the Soviet
- only 23 parts each. The engines may be Union in VVS markings
displayed by leaving the upper cowl parts off,
or enclosed between the cowlings. Stencil markings and two styles of spinner
The VDM 9 propeller blades are pointy on spiral decals are included too. Decals are in
the ends, but they should be more rounded. register and colours look good.
These should be sanded to a more appropriate
shape; or aftermarket propellers are readily Assembly
available as an alternative. The spinners look Before talking about assembly, it is worth
a bit squat on the sprues too. discussing parts preparation. Sprue
The wheels and undercarriage look great. attachments are reasonably fine but many are
By the way, the "Harburg" lettering on attached to the mating surfaces of parts. You
the sidewalls is not a mistake. The name of need to make sure that you carefully clean up
the tyre company is "Phoenix Gummiwerke every trace of excess plastic. You also need to The instrument panel is simple but adequate.
Hamburg-Harburg". make sure you don’t remove too much material

The remote-controlled
rear barbettes.
The cockpit sidewalls and gun
bay sub-assemblies were now
painted Gunze-Sangyo H70
RLM 02 Grey.

Tail wheel
parts.

I put a lot of thought into cockpit sub-assemblies

and the order of painting.

The upper sidewalls and all the plastic

cockpit parts were now sprayed with several
thin coats of Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey.
 1:48
Now the Dark Grey cockpit parts were dry-
bushed with a paler shade of grey applied with
a square tipped brush.

Next, the panel lines and shadow areas were carefully brush painted with a heavily thinned mix of Vallejo Panzer
Aces 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) and Vallejo Model Colour 70995 German Grey.

or you will have gaps to fill. blades. crisply moulded

Detail is very good straight from the box, Also, Meng supplies photo-etched weapons. Most
especially the cockpit, but there were a couple harness straps but I replaced these modellers, myself
of issues that I wanted to address during with Fine Molds’ flexible plastic belts. I included, will glue
construction. had these in my collection for some time the weapons bay hatch
The first of these was the noticeably blunt having bought them at Rainbow Ten’s amazing closed so you really don’t
spinners and the pointy propeller blades. Shizuoka hobby shop, bit finally used them for need to spend much time on painting, but I did
Fortunately, Quickboost makes this a very the first time on this project following Marcus anyway!
easy task with their replacement propeller Nicholl’s recommendation. The pilot’s cockpit is located on the flip
assembly. This even includes a jig to Assembly gets underway in the lower nose side of the weapons bay ceiling. Apart from
accurately drill out the hole for the propeller weapons bay. Detail here is excellent, with the Fine Molds harness straps, the cockpits
shaft and set the correct pitch for the propeller raised surface textures on the bay parts and were built straight from the box, with nothing

Details were picked out using Vallejo acrylics and a fine brush. Sprue attachments are reasonably fine but many are attached to the mating surfaces of parts.

I used a sprue cutter to remove the bulk of plastic on the attachment points. The residue was cleaned up with a new hobby blade and a sanding stick.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 29

KIT BUILD
Rear cockpit and
upper deck parts.

The seats painted and weathered.

The basic front cockpit tub.

The radio faces and instrument

panel come up really well after
careful painting/

more than careful painting and well detailed several thin coats of Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey.
weathering to help the excellent and workable Now the Dark Grey cockpit parts were dry-
detail to leap from the plastic. – rotating and bushed with a paler shade of grey applied with
My only deviation from the elevating in their a square tipped brush.
instructions was to leave the clear housings. Next, the panel lines and shadow areas
reflector gunsights off the wide rear gun The cockpit were carefully brush painted with a heavily
trigger assembly. sidewalls and gun bay sub- thinned mix of Vallejo Panzer Aces
I also drilled holes into the back of the assemblies were now painted Gunze-Sangyo 337 Highlight Ger. (Black) and
instrument housings. H70 RLM 02 Grey. These areas were then Vallejo Model Colour 70995
The unique remote gun barbettes are made masked off. The upper sidewalls and all the German Grey.
up from just three pieces each but they are plastic cockpit parts were now sprayed with Details were picked out

The completed sidewalls of the cockpit and weapons bay after a flat coat.
Seat and instrument
panel added to the
pilot’s cockpit.

30 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
Rear cockpit sub-assemblies.

Detail is excellent straight from the

box. You really don’t need much in
the way of after-market here.

Coming
together.

Decking
added.

“The Me 410 proved itself to

The completed rear
cockpit. be a versatile and successful
aircraft. However, by the time it
was entering service, there were
already more capable contenders
for the roles of heavy fighter and
bomber in the wings.”

using Vallejo acrylics and a fine in several layers. The assembly

brush. sequence is quite logical.
The painted cockpit and gun bay
sub-assemblies were sealed with two coats of Bringing the Fuselage
Winsor & Newton Galeria Matt Varnish. Together
At this stage the seats, control column and The kit supplies two spars that
instrument panel were glued in place. The rear help align the fuselage halves and These two spars help align the
fuselage halves and also act
cockpit was also assembled. This was built up also act as the main mounting as the main mounting points
for the wings.
KIT BUILD
The front and rear cockpits were glued to the starboard
fuselage side. The fit is so good that you probably don’t
even need glue to keep the cockpit parts in place.

The painted
weapons bay.
Lengths of fine vinyl
coated yellow wire were
glued to the back of the
instrument housings.

The fuselage halves were now

glued, taped and clamped.

“Detail is very good straight from the box,

Here’s how it should all
especially the cockpit, but there were a
look from below. couple of issues that I wanted to address
during construction.”

32 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 The 50mm gun parts.
1:48
The one-piece plastic barrel features nice
deep perforations on the muzzle brake and is
hollowed out at the end.

I decided to cut off the section of the

barrel that protruded from the front
of the fuselage. The front and rear
parts of the barrel were drilled out
and a pin fitted to ensure an easy,
robust reattachment once the model
was nearly finished.
Two nicely detailed
DB603 engines are
supplied.

points for the wings. remaining

These were fitted, mount half
and the front clear during painting,
window was also but I fitted
glued in place. the completed
Next, the front tail wheel
and rear cockpits according to
were glued to the instructions.
the starboard The painted wheel
fuselage side. The and strut were then
fit is so good that you masked off for the
probably don’t even remainder of assembly.
need glue to keep the The fuselage halves were
cockpit parts in place. now glued, taped and clamped.
Although the fit is good, The 50mm gun assembly is pretty
it still does require care and straightforward. The one-piece plastic barrel
patience and a bit of fiddling to features nice deep perforations on the
make sure everything is lined up perfectly
before glue is applied.
I added some lengths of fine vinyl coated
yellow wire to the back of the instrument
housings.
The tail wheel has to be installed fairly
early in the assembly process as the strut is
also trapped between the fuselage halves.
I suppose you could add the wheel and the

Here we compare
the full engine with
a partial engine.
The latter will be
fine if you plan to
glue the engine
cowlings shut.

If you are not planning to display your engines you can

leave a number of parts off.
Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 33
 Oil cooler faces in the bottom
of the engine cowlings.

KIT BUILD

The upper cowls are supplied

as two parts each. Fit is very
good if you take your time to
align the parts.

The main wing

parts were glued
and taped.

The empty flap bay

space was filled with
a half round section
of Evergreen plastic
length.

Control surfaces are

supplied as separate parts
except for the leading
edge slats.

muzzle brake and is hollowed out at the end.

Once again, you will never see the nice detail
once the hatch is glued shut, but I painted
and weathered the parts. At least we have the
photos!
I decided to cut off the section of the barrel
that protruded from the front of the fuselage.
The front and rear parts of the barrel were
drilled out and a pin fitted to ensure an easy,
robust reattachment once the model was
nearly finished.
With the fuselage halves assembled, the kit
instructions would have you fit the canopy at
this point. I strongly recommend that you wait
until the model has been painted before you fit
the canopy.

Engines and Wings

Two nicely detailed DB603 engines are
supplied, and Meng offers the option of leaving

The main fuselage

and wing sub-
assemblies.

The radiator rear face and ramp.

34 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 Fit was pretty good at the
upper wing roots.
1:48

There was a uniform

gap on either side of the
lower wing to fuselage
joins. This was filled with
Milliput.

the cowlings off and displaying these. if you glue the parts dropped. I filled the
Each of the engines is made up from 23 empty flap bay space with a half round
parts. section of Evergreen plastic length.
However, if you are not planning to display With the control surfaces in
your engines you can leave a number of parts place, the wings were glued to the
off. You still need the engine block, crank fuselage.
case, oil tank, mounts and exhausts, but you Fit was pretty good here,
can save yourself the time of adding the extra although there was a uniform gap
detail parts. on either side of the lower wing to
The control surfaces are supplied as fuselage joins. These were filled
separate parts except for the leading edge with Milliput White two-part epoxy
slats. Meng also offers a choice of parts that putty. Apart from that, very little
allow you to display the radiator flaps and filler was required.
ramps as open or closed. I took the open
option. Next Time
The flaps are separate parts too, although Next time, Brett paints and weathers his Meng
there will be an unrealistic gap at the top join 1:48 Me 410. ■

Next time, Brett paints and weathers

his Meng 1:48 Me 410.

Issue 183
144 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 35
KIT BUILD
BUILT AND WRITTEN BY HUW MORGAN

AN ALTERNATIVE

EAGLE
Huw Morgan takes a flight of fancy with his hypothetical 1970s RAF Middle
East Air Force TSR.2 GR.1 deployed to Akrotiri.

36 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:72
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate
configuration for low-level penetration would

T
he TSR.2 (Tactical
Reconnaissance/Strike.2) probably have lent it to a high-precision ground
was one of those aircraft that attack role more than any other.
SPECIFICATION:
Airfix 1:72 TSR.2MS. Kit No. A08011
polarised attitudes towards it to Sadly, although early flight testing was Materials: IM,
extremes. To some it was the extremely promising, delays introduced Status: Reissue
great white - literally in its early form - hope by failures in conventional parts like the Availability: On Line Model Shops
for the British aircraft industry whilst to undercarriage and spiralling costs driven Price Guide: approx £40 from specialist suppliers
many it was an example of destructive, partly by the cumbersome management
unconstrained wish-thinking by the military arrangements imposed by the Government BEFORE STARTING:
and uncoordinated effort by a fragmented Procurement Agencies meant that TSR.2 Tamiya OF2 side cutters
and partisan group of companies. was a soft target for a new incoming cost- #3 and #4 scalpels with #11,#23, and#25 blades
Undoubtedly one of the most, and possibly cutting Government. Ironically, the proposed Deluxe Perfect Plastic filler
AK Interactive filler
THE most, technically advanced aircraft alternative purchase of the American F-111
Mr Hobby Cement S
of its time, with the potential to become a proved an even more expensive disaster.
Loctite cyanoacrylate glue
truly effective multi-role platform, the TSR.2 Albion Alloys and Flory Models sanding boards
suffered through being used as a political TSR.2 in 1:72 scale Abralon 600, 1000 and 3000 grit foam abrasive
tool, from juvenile inter-service rivalry, and Airfix broke new ground in 2006 with its Micromesh polishing cloths
from the inability of the military customers eagerly-awaited issue in 1:72 scale of the Tamiya masking tape
and the industry suppliers to get their TSR.2 (Kit #7004), followed in 2010, 2011 and Pacer Formula 560 canopy glue
collective act together quickly enough for 2013 by versions (TSR.2 MS) representing Bare Metal Foil Chrome
the entire enterprise to be worthwhile. the spurious appearance of a slightly Artists’ grey green, black and brown tone pastel chalks
Conceived as a supersonic, low-altitude modified airframe as used in the Japanese
penetrator carrying a serious nuclear Stratos 4 Anime TV series about a meteor/ ADDITIONAL PARTS USED:
#C72053 Pavla resin cockpit set, including seats
payload, the TSR.2 design was distinctly comet-blasting task force and in which it
#SS257 Eduard PE cockpit set
unconventional with a staggering 60,000 lb carried a missile system and an all-girl crew;
#CX151 Eduard Masks
thrust engine package, a relatively tiny wing interestingly, the later MS issues included #Q72026 CMK exhaust nozzles
with distinctive downturned tips and a long, all the parts and decals to allow the original #Q72008 CMK wheels
slender fuselage housing ground-breaking unadorned aircraft to be built. The white #Q72009 CMK open avionics bay
terrain-following and targeting electronics, the plastic is rather of its time, with reasonably #721216 PJ Products Martel radar missiles
whole package being intended to deploy two fine engraved panel lines, although according #AM-72-102 Master nose probe
or four of the WE177 nuclear weapons of the to the various plans I could find there are #GE72033 AIMS PE Boarding ladders
time. some missing, and some not relevant. Initial #X72059 Xtradecal TSR.2 “As it might have been”
Alley Cat “Fighter” conversion (currently not available)
Throughout its life a multitude of alternative holding-together suggests that there would be
roles were postulated for the aircraft, including some fit issues, particularly in the longitudinal
high-altitude fighter and conventional bomber. alignment of the fuselage halves, probably PAINTS USED:
Mr Hobby Aqueous:
Of all these various options, the aircraft's magnified by the length of the fuselage.
H17 Cocoa Brown
H53 Neutral Grey
H71 Middle Stone
H72 Dark Earth
H77 Tire Black
H79 Sandy Yellow/Light Stone
H316 White FS17875
H332 Light Aircraft Grey

GX 110 Gloss
GX 113 Flat

Tamiya:
XF-1 Black
XF-7 Red
X-2 White
X-6 Orange

Alclad:
Steel
Stainless Steel
Jet Exhaust
Pale Burnt Metal
Transparent Blue

Halfords:
Grey Primer
Gloss Appliance White

Windsor and Newton oils:

Burnt Umber
Lamp Black
Titanium White

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 37

KIT BUILD

The Airfix TSR.2 MS what-if box art is rather lurid, but shouldn’t Over the years I’d had the kit, I’d accumulated almost every The CMK resin avionics bay is very nicely cast, and the real
put off the modeller interested in the aircraft itself. after-market option there was... thing can be readily viewed on the preserved XR220 at Cosford.

The Eduard etched set is typical of the type, although almost I’d decided to build a likely ground attack version, so sourced The Pavla instrument panels are very aggressively contoured,
redundant if the resin Pavla cockpit set is used. some radar-homing Martel missiles (which were evaluated for cutting the Airfix decals into segments helped get them to fit.
the TSR.2) to hang under the wings together with the Red Top
from the Alley Cat set.

I'd had my box of the -MS for several years not available) joints is poor, mating edged are ragged and
before deciding to drag it out, and in that time n#X76-4 Hasegawa weapons set IV -US Air there's some distortion which leads to an
had gradually (accidentally, honest) acquired a to Ground Missiles unrecoverable twist in the fuselage (check out
whole raft of additional enhancements: the upper fuselage engraved panels)
Whilst I appreciate most modellers wouldn't No matter, this is the only 1:72 scale TSR.2
n #C72053 Pavla resin cockpit set, go this far, I had them to hand, and thought it out there, so stop complaining....
including seats would be an interesting exercise to establish Four schemes are offered in the base kit,
n#SS257 Eduard PE cockpit set which were useful, or otherwise. two being marginally-different imaginary -MS
n#CX151 Eduard Masks Airfix's kit is moulded in white plastic, airframes, plus X220 and X219 prototypes
n#Q72026 CMK exhaust nozzles presumably in some faint hope of minimising flown during pre-production trials, XR220
n#Q72008 CMK wheels painting stress for the anti-flash RAF or -MS currently being preserved at the RAF museum
n#Q72009 CMK open avionics bay schemes offered, but in fact making the Cosford, and XR222 at the Imperial War
n#721216 PJ Products Martel radar build process more difficult due to the lack of Museum outstation at Duxford. The Xtradecal
missiles contrast between ill-fitting parts. Sadly, fit isn't sheet I had offers 9 interesting options,
n#AM-72-102 Master nose probe great throughout the build, both in terms of including speculative RAF Tactical schemes,
n#GE72033 AIMS PE Boarding ladders the smaller parts which suffer from prominent RCAF, SAAF, and colourful NASA variants.
n#72059 Xtradecal BAC TSR.2 In (Might mould lines and severe mould relief angles
have been) Service (that is, right angles are rarely 90o) and in the Build
n Freightdog “Fighter” conversion (currently larger assemblies where alignment across First off was a long debate with myself as to

The aperture for the avionics bay was cut out of the rather thick The upper corner of the avionics bay and the cockpit rear Not mentioned in the CMK instructions, but in order to fit the
fuselage side by a combination of drilling, sawing and carving. bulkhead would need some easing to get them both to fit. avionics bay, a corner of the nose wheel bay needs to be
removed.

38 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:72
The Eduard etched set has some useful framing which is
missing from the interior of the cockpit.

The fit of the parts making up the intakes isn’t great,

with poor definition of the boundary layer spillways, thick
edges and serious gaps which need to be filled with Here's the cockpit fitted, with the seats temporarily in place. Note the weight added behind the cockpit.
plastic strip and superglue.
what particular TSR.2 did I want to model; one jammer pod from an old Hasegawa weapons
of the all-white prototypes as per the kit was set.
a rather obvious option, but in my modelling The Airfix build instructions start
I tend to be drawn to the less obvious, and conventionally with the cockpit, and so in my
Xtradecal's sheet offered some seriously case, with the replacement Pavla resin offering
different possibilities. Having dallied with the which is made up of a one-piece tub, two
South African and Canadian options, I settled instrument panels and two seats. The Pavla
on the unusual RAF Middle East Air Force side consoles and the instrument panels have
scheme depicting a TSR.2 GR.1 (XS992 of 45 a very prominent texture, representing the
Squadron) in Dark Earth/Light Stone/ Black rather chunky look of the original (granted,
deployed to Akrotiri around 1977, and given only of the prototypes) and Pavla would have
that it was unlikely to be used as a nuclear you paint in the rather impressive detail –
bomber at that time, configured for a ground this is 1:72 scale remember, - in contrast to
The intake ducts are made of three pieces, the last attack mission, specifically carrying two BAe/ the Airfix option of more generic decals to
of which can only be added after installation into the Matra Martel radar-homing missiles, a single be applied to smooth plastic panels. In the
fuselage halves; curiously, there’s an enormous gap
between the inner duct and the fuselage, - actually not
Red-Top IR-homing air-to-air missile for self spirit of making the best of what there was,
visible except to very close scrutiny. defence and an AN/ALQ 119 jamming pod I chose to cut the Airfix decals into smaller
borrowed from the Americans, since the segments and applied them to the Pavla
TSR.2's onboard ECM was tuned to Soviet parts, pre-painted with Mr Hobby H53 and
frequencies. The bomb bay was fitted with using Daco Strong decal solution to get them
long-range bag tanks, freeing the wing pylons to conform to the rather aggressive contours.
for weapons, and the forward fuselage carried The resin cockpit tub fits with only minor
the bolt-on in-flight-refuelling probe on the port work to remove or thin some of the location
side. The Red Top missiles and pylons and the ribs intended for the plastic version, and the
IFR probe came from the Freightdog fighter Eduard etched set offers a representation
set, the Martels from PJ Productions, and the of the Navigator's cockpit side panel detail,

The rear of the fuselage was significantly warped, and

resisted all attempt to straighten it.

Despite the misalignment, reinforcing strips were added

to the upper fuselage joint.

The main fuselage parts are cleverly designed so that there are external panels which follow panel lines and cover up the structural joints.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 39

 KIT BUILD

Some packing of the rear fuselage joint on the starboard

side proved to be necessary, as it happens, it helped
with the fit of the tail piece.

The CMK engine nozzles add some worthwhile detail,

although much will be hidden in the dark interior.
The wing needed some persuasion to sit into the fuselage recess.

although to be honest, if the Pavla set is used engineering and fit. The intakes are made
then most of the Eduard set is redundant, and up of three sections; an outer shell shaped
vice versa. Pavla's resin seats appear pretty to conform to the fuselage contour, an inner
good, although it's only when one comes to segment including the prominent shock cone
paint them that the rather ragged casting is and a first part of the intake ducting, this latter
revealed. The base colour is aluminium, with piece only able to be fitted from inside the
some seat elements picked out in black and fuselage once the outer intake is in place.
light green, the seat cushions in olive green Close study of the detail of the TSR.2's
and dark grey and the belts in a dark blue. intakes shows that the Airfix moulding is
The engine tailpipes were painted with a range of Alclad
An initial trial fit of the cockpit and the CMK pretty crude, apart from the very thick edges
colours before being masked. resin avionics bay suggested that there might to the boundary layer splitter plates, the flow
be a problem of interference, so the bay door relief channels and the thin supports to the
was opened up in the starboard fuselage side fuselage are just plastic blobs, and the fit of
to check, using a combination of chain drilling, the outer shells is so poor as to leave a 1mm
sawing and careful carving with a sharp gap between them and the inner section. The
scalpel, lots of trial fitting and some trimming remedy to all of this was to:
of the resin resulted in an acceptable fit for
the two aftermarket items although it's worth ■ thin the leading edges of the splitter plates
noting that to fit the avionics bay requires with knife and files
a chunk to be cut out of the forward part of ■ add a plastic strip packing piece to the
the plastic nose wheel bay; how did it fit in inner joint between the outer and inner
real life ? - or is something amiss with the sections of the nacelle
The gold coating on the canopies was simulated using a measurements ? ■ file the boundary layer flow relief channels
very thin yellow/orange coat. With the cockpit ready to go in and the to be deeper and wider
avionics section in place, the intakes need ■ add thin plastic strip bridging pieces
to be dealt with before closing the fuselage between the ducts and the fuselage
halves, and it's here one starts to get ■ sand and dry fit the joints between the
the feeling that all is not well with overall inner duct and the outer to get the best fit

Since the canopies were going to be posed open, the

interiors were masked and sprayed grey.

Here's a good reason to

pose the canopies open, -
the closed-up fit is pretty
abysmal.

The masks being cut using the Eduard set as templates,

and applied as mirror images.
 1:72
Camouflage painting partially
done, with the base sand
applied over a pre shading of
Cocoa Brown and masking
started for the Dark Earth
second colour.

Camouflage
complete and
masking removed.

being needed, but just to be sure, I added

around 20gm in the space immediately behind
the cockpit. Working backwards towards the
tail, it became obvious that some
packing was needed in the upper-
to-lower fuselage joint on the
starboard side. Checking against
the engine nozzle/tail cone
showed that this expansion of the
joint would be fine, without it the tail
cone would have been left unacceptably
proud. Several iterations of fill and sand
were necessary to get a reasonable profile to
Wheel wells and
the rear fuselage, and around the fuselage/
bomb bay masked for
white. wing interface around the intakes. Almost
incidentally, the nose radar cone was a pretty
poor fit and needed a few doses of superglue
to achieve a smooth contour.
The kit's engine nozzles are pretty poor,
being represented by plain tubes, and the
CMK engine set makes a positive difference;
I painted the three-piece sections in various
shades of Alclad and fixed them into the kit's
plastic tail cone before fitting the assembly
into the rear fuselage where the ragged
joint needed some filling and sanding.
At the nose, I had decided to
■ paint the intake areas white before which was only
pose the cockpit canopies
assembly, and the terminal blanking plate mitigated by the
open, so they were first
black to simulate the duct tunnel clever moulding of the
sprayed with a very
aft upper fuselage sections
thin mix of yellow/
It all sounds a bit complicated, but with the which are separate and allow
orange to
plastic in front of one, it becomes rather more some degree of adjustment.
simulate the
obvious. Anyway, all that is in the future, and the first
gold anti-
With the intakes improved and installed, stages of closing the fuselage halves around
radar
attention moves to the remainder of the the cockpit goes well, the build becoming
fuselage,and here another of Airfix's moulding more complicated as one moves aft, with the
issues surfaces, (possibly only in my kit it installation of the very rigid undercarriage bay,
has to be said) since the starboard fuselage which in fact defines the structure of the entire
half was significantly warped, particularly in central fuselage, and closure of the rather
the thinner section aft of the undercarriage floppy rear fuselage; being conscious of the
bay. This was to prove to be a recurring, and potential weakness of the longitudinal joint I
almost eradicable problem throughout the rest added some reinforcing strips, although with
of the build, despite several applications of the one-piece upper sections which cover
boiling water and brute force, and resulted in everything, the joint quality is irrelevant. The kit
an unresolved longitudinal twist in the fuselage instructions make no mention of nose weight

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 41

KIT BUILD
This is the truly astonishing
Master nose probe, - this is The CMK resin wheels are a distinct improvement over
14mm long! the bland kit plastic versions.

The boarding
ladder in place.

Martel AS.37 missiles from PJ Productions and a Red

Top from the Freightdog set make up the weapon load.

The AIMS brass boarding ladders adds a final touch.

coating of the original. Not wanting the tell-tale using white glue to act as masks, - just as well markers on the wing underside and adding the
gold to show through the the final inside that they were to be posed open, since the fit PJ Productions resin pylons for the Martels
surface, the Eduard mask set I had was wasn't great.... in the outer position, and the Alleycat pylons
applied to the outer surface, and sections of Adding the wing is pretty straightforward, on the inner stations; these would get the AN/
tape cut using the Eduard set as patterns to be with only an upper and lower surface to fit ALQ pod fixed directly, and the Red Top via
fixed as mirror images to the inner surfaces, together, and although the joint line is all on Alleycat's adaptor rail.
adjusted slightly to allow for the thickness the underside, it doesn't fit very well, and some
of the plastic, and allowing the inside of the filler to close the gap whilst retailing the panel Perilously Close to Paint
canopies to be sprayed grey. The canopies lines is useful. I chose to add the pylons for the With the main airframe complete, but still
were tacked into position on the fuselage weapons at this stage, drilling out the circular with separate tailplanes and

“Airfix broke new ground in 2006

with its eagerly-awaited issue in
1:72 scale of the TSR.2.”
 1:72

all-moving fin, it was time to think about the tape. The Dark Earth was again sprayed thinly,
painting sequence. angling the airbrush away from the Blu Tack to Details
The speculative scheme I'd decided on from minimise paint build up in the meniscus, and Time now to fit the last bits and pieces.
the Xtradecal sheet was similar to that used the main body of the colour was faded using The undercarriage parts are rather simplified
for the RAF's transport fleet in the 1970s, of the lightened H72 mix. compared with the original (very) intricate
Stone and Dark Earth uppers, modified with The hard demarcation to the black arrangement but can be given a semblance of
a “bomber” underside of black, but carrying a undersides, antennae panels and anti- reality by adding a representation of the very
white section over the canopy to reflect heat. icing intake lips was straightforward, using complex brake/hydraulic lines from lead wire
I'd already painted and masked the metallic panel lines where possible, and the black and self-adhesive aluminium plumbers' tape;
areas around the engine nozzles using a mix itself created using Tamiya XF-1 cut with they were painted white and Bare Metal foil
of Alclad tones and at various stages primed around 25% XF-7 red to add a brownish tape added to simulate the oleos.
the rest of the airframe to check joint quality. tone, - the panel lines and panel centres The CMK wheels are much better than
Conscious of potential masking requirements would subsequently be highlighted using the kit versions and they were painted H77
I now sprayed the radome, and intake leading straight XF-1 to add contrast. With the main Tire Black, masked using the Eduard set and
edges and wing to represent the anti-icing colours complete the wheel bay and avionics the wheels painted Tamiya X-2 gloss white,
coatings and the primary flush antennae. The bay surrounds were masked so they could the black base producing a useful degree of
upper fuselage was painted gloss white using be sprayed white and Light Aircraft grey shading. The main and nose struts were first
Tamiya X-2and after masking the black the respectively and the avionics details picked fixed in position and the flats on the nose
intakes had a touch-up of white. out in greys and orange as per the Cosford wheels and the mainwheel bogies carefully
In preparation for the camouflage I attached example. The airframe was treated to an aligned before fixing with thick superglue. The
the upper gear doors and the avionics bay overall gloss coat courtesy of Mr Hobby fit of the main bogies to the struts is particularly
outer panel using Blu Tack and did a bit of Super Clear from a warmed can, and the loose and care is needed to get the wheels to
pre-shading using Mr Hobby H17 Cocoa relatively few decals applied without any sit vertically. The canopies were eased away
Brown. I was aiming for a fairly faded look drama. Weathering was left until the end but from the fuselage, cleaned up and fixed in
so the Stone was represented by Mr Hobby was deliberately rather understated, relying on the open position using scratch built hydraulic
H79 Sandy Yellow (a German tank colour) some selective post shading using thin mix of struts and the underwing stores added. Final
and the Dark Earth by H72, suitably lightened Tamiya XF-1 black and XF-64 red/brown and fitting was the astonishing Master turned brass
with H79. Using the diagrams in the Xtradecal some additional staining using pastel chalks. nose probe which I hadn't dared fit until now
packages a guide, the Stone was sprayed The Martel weapons were painted a mid-green since it's a lethal weapon in its own right. As
first, concentrating on the centres of panel to and the Red Top gloss white, given some a closing flourish the AIMs PE ladders were
allow the brown pre-shade to show through, spurious placard decals scrounged from the bent to shape, sprayed red and lightly chipped
and after a 24 hour drying period, masked spares box, and the AN/ALQ pod decorated using Vallejo steel before posing alongside the
for the Dark Earth using Blu Tack worms and with the decals from the Hasegawa set. opened canopies. ■

FINAL VERDICT
This is the only credible TSR.2 kit in 1:72 scale, so if you want one, you’re rather stuck. Having said that, the
basic parts and shape are pretty good, it’s just that the moulding quality pushes it towards what by current standards
would be the low-pressure, limited-run end of the spectrum, with lots of work being needed to tidy and repair parts
and joints to get the best outcome. Some of the aftermarket sets are worth having, particularly the Pavla or Eduard
cockpits if you want the canopies open, and the CMK wheels and exhausts if you expect detailed scrutiny. Despite the
trials of building the model, the concept still looks fantastic, particularly in one of the “what-if” operational
schemes.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 43

 1:144

CIVIL AND CIVIC

MARK I MODELS 1:72 HS.748 / ANDOVER CC.2 / T.2. KIT NO. MKM144121
THE EDITOR TAKES A PEEK AT MARK I MODELS’ BRAND NEW 1:144 SCALE HS.748.

he HS.748 was a British short/ The quality of the plastic is good and

T medium-range twin-engined
airliner designed during the
late 1950s. It was originally
developed and initially pro-
duced by A.V. Roe & Co., then – after
its dissolution – by Hawker Siddeley
Aviation and later by its successor,
surface texture is smooth.
This is a limited run kit so you don’t
get little luxuries such as locating pins
and tabs. This means that you will need
to take a bit more care and time than
usual cleaning up and aligning the plas-
tic parts before committing to glue.
British Aerospace.The 748 was a Having said that though, there is very
remarkably successful aeroplane and little flash, and sprue attachments are
an effective DC-3 replacement in many admirably narrow.
parts of the world. The first prototype The kit is broken down convention-
(G-APZV) first flew in June 1960. Initial- ally with left and right fuselage halves
ly, the Srs.1 version for 44 passengers and each wing having upper and lower
was built (24 a/c), then production was halves.
switched to the 52-seat Avro 748 Srs.2, Engine nacelles are also split into
followed by the Srs.2A and 2B with fur- left and right halves. They slip over the
ther increases in power and maximum leading edge of the wings and the rear
weight. A total of 350 HS.748s were form the main laduing gear bays. The
built which also included 89 aircraft nose gear is made up from two sides, a
manufactured by Indian Hindustan front and top that are inserted into the
Aeronautics and this type continued in front of the fuselage.
production until 1988. The instructions advise that you’ll
The HS.748 was a low-wing need 30 grams of nose weight to pre-
monoplane of an all-metal construc- vent this model from being a tail sitter.
tion, fitted with a nose-wheel type A number of different vane and
tricycle undercarriage. The flight crew clothesrail antennae are supplied. The
consisted of two members, while the instruction diagrams advise the correct
cabin accommodated passengers or avionics configuration for each of the
could be adjusted to mixed passenger/ three marking options.
freight layout. Decals are supplied for an RAF ma-
Powered by two Dart turboprop chine based in Aden in 1967, an RAAF
engines, it possessed a high level of HS.748 based at East Sale in Victoria
performance, including short takeoff and a Royal Thai Air Force example.
and landing (STOL) capabilities and All aircraft are finished in a combina-
overall ruggedness. In freight configura- tion of light grey, aluminium and white
tion the aircraft was capable of hauling with blue or black cheat lines.
payloads in excess of 10,000 lb (4,540 Decals are also supplied for win-
kg).Significant military users included dows, windscreen, anti-glare panels
the RAF, the Royal Australian and the and de-icing boots.
Royal Thai Air Forces. Lower numbers The decals are in register and col-
of the 748 were delivered to air forces ours look good.
of Belgium, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador The package is rounded out with a
and India, while the majority of the rectangular display base.
748s were flown by various British and It is printed on thick cardboard and is
overseas airline operators. flat in texture.
Mark I Models has been specialising Mark I Models’ 1:144 scale HS.748
in 1:144 scale kits for a while now. is a good size in this scale and features
This time, they have simultneously nice crisp detail.
released three boxings of the HS. 748 The inclusion of the cardboard dis-
/ Andover. play base is a thoughtful touch too.
Tonight I am examining Kit No. This should be a straightforward
MKM144121 - HS.748 / Andover CC.2 / build and is an interesting crossover
T.2 in Asian and Australian Service. subject that will appeal to military and
Mark I’s 1:144 scale HS.748 com- civil modellers.
prises 51 parts in grey plastic, markings Thanks to Mark I. Models for the
for three aircraft; thick cardboard information and images. ■
display base.

44 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

KIT BUILD
BUILT AND WRITTEN BY BRETT GREEN

HIND TO T

“To deal with small surface

details such as various
access panels, I used photo-
etched templates from Royal
Model as the guides for
scribing tools.”

46 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
Intermediate

SPECIFICATION:
Zvezda 1:48 Mi-24VP Hind. Kit No. 4823

THE FORE
Piotr Slominski crews up and improves Zvezda’s new
1:48 scale Mi-24VP Hind.

W
ith this recent release,
Zvezda filled a prominent
gap on the modelling
market. But does the kit
meet expectations? I
decided to find out by building it basically
straight from the box.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 47

 KIT BUILD

CONS T R U C T I O N
The figures were painted
with AK-Interactive and
Lifecolor acrylics.

te simplified. I therefore
lized that the cockpit is qui
Upon initial examination I rea es that had been supplied with the kit.
w figur
chose to fill it with the cre

I then focused on preparing the interior parts so I could paint them at one go. Many of
these sections can be posed with their doors open, but I decided not do this for two
main reasons. Firstly, I simply don’t like models with open doors and hatches.

Furthermore, the inner sections would require some serious detailing to be exposed, as
they are simply upscaled from 1:72 scale with no improvement, whilst my intention was
to build this kit out of the box.

To continue the assembly, I had to paint the interior. I

first airbrushed the roof lining and cargo compartment
seats with different brown tones from Mr. Hobby.

Using a flat black paint, I

finished those details that were
to carry this colour and added
some preliminary shadows
here and there.

The basic interior colour is light grey. In

this case, I used Mr. Color C308.
 1:48
The relevant cockpit panels were given the distinctive
turquoise colour. The AK-Interactive AK2301 paint actually
offers the right shade, but my camera does not show it in
the correct manner.
Despite building the kit
with closed hatches,
I had to prepare the
engine parts due to the
specific assembly of
the exhausts and air
The transmission was intakes. These were
sprayed with a layer base coated with AK480
of Mr. Color C118 ‘Dark Aluminium’ from
‘Light Blue’. the AK-Interactive’s
Xtreme Metal range.

Now I could put some

segments together and
seal the paintwork with
To add some variety and a layer of Mr.Color C46
richness to the surface ‘Clear Gloss’.
colours and create some
heat effects, I alternately
applied the following
Alclad 2 colours: ALC-113
‘Jet Exhaust’, ALC-121
‘Burnt Iron’ and ALC-104
‘Pale Burnt Metal’.

Once the latter

had dried, I
applied the
instrument panel
decals and various
enamel washes
from Ammo and
Mig Productions.

This was followed by a layer of Alclad 2 ALC-

314 ‘Klear Kote Flat’.
Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 49
KIT BUILD
Before I could
assemble the fuselage,
I had to ensure the
correct alignment of all
the interior segments.
They turned out to fit
really well.

I also had to
remember about
glueing the cargo
compartment
windows from the
inside.

At this stage, I had to deal with one of the main issues of

this kit: the panel lines are really fine and shallow to such
The main fuselage parts an extent that they often almost disappear (or sometimes
went together without any are even completely missing). They therefore needed to
problems. The cockpit sides be restored or at least deepened.
and floor were to be attached
in the next step.

At least, I didn’t have to use a lot of filler – small

quantities of super glue were enough to deal with the
seams. However, the whole process of filling, sanding,
polishing and panel line restoration/enhancement took
a lot of time.

The nose section fitted well, but the junctions were not made
at the panel joints, which meant that the former had to be
filled and sanded flush. It’s a shame that this area wasn’t
designed in a more trouble-free way.

To deal with small surface

details such as various
access panels, I used photo-
etched templates from Royal
Model as the guides for
scribing tools. All rescribed
lines were subsequently Some parts were
‘painted’ with Tamiya missing panel lines
Extra Thin Cement which at all…
dissolves the remaining
plastic dust and smoothens
the edges.
 1:48
I gradually prepared
the remaining parts
of the airframe.

The weapons stations had to be partially sprayed with AK-

Interactive AK479 ‘Aluminium’ before attaching them to the
wing stubs. The painted surfaces were masked with pieces
of Tamiya tape.

In accordance with the

instructions, I then prepared the
landing gear parts. The clear parts are moulded fairly well, but they
are missing various interior details, some of
which had been replicated even in the ancient
Monogram kit. Quite disappointing in a 1:48 scale
kit released in 2020. I masked the transparencies
before their installation.

The tyre tread was almost invisible even before

sanding the seams resulting from joining the wheel
halves. During the latter process it completely
disappeared.

My next step was to assemble

the external weapons and
add some further parts to the
airframe.

The main rotor went together

easily, but it certainly would
benefit from some detailing.
Hydraulic lines were reproduced
even in the Monogram kit…
No problems
Even though the painting guide emerged also
showed that the example during the tail
that I’d chosen to build was rotor assembly.
not fitted with the EVU IR
radiation-suppression devices
for the engines, I decided to
include them just to show the
reader how they look like, as
they are fairly well represented
in this kit.
KIT BUILD

“…this is still the best

Mi-24 kit currently
available in 1:48 scale, and The kit was now ready to
have some paint applied.
I can confirm that it goes
together really well.”

PAINTING
AND MARKINGS
I first sprayed on a ‘classic’ black
pre-shading pattern.

52 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
Further meandering streaks were added with Mr. Color
C362 ‘Ocean Grey’.

Next, I highlighted some chosen

panels and applied a number of
irregular streaks with Mr. Color
C62 ‘Flat White’. I then painted the rotor blade ends in their relevant
colours, and subsequently masked them.

For the basecoat, I used Mr.

Color C333 ‘Extra Dark Sea
Grey’. This was applied in
a thin layer, in such a way
that pre-shading effects still
showed through.

Once I’d painted various details, the

entire model was airbrushed with
Mr.Color C46 ‘Clear Gloss’.
The leading edges
of the main rotor
blades were painted
in white and
subsequently detailed
with AK-Interactive
AK476 ‘Steel’
where necessary.
This required some
laborious masking.
KIT BUILD
The numerous decals
reacted well with
the Microscale decal
solutions.

They were sealed with another layer of gloss varnish.

Next, I applied
A.MIG-1611 ‘Panel Line
Wash Black Night’ in
order to accentuate the
details.

The excess enamel was removed with cotton buds. Afterwards, I

highlighted the chosen edges and details by applying AK-Interactive
‘Light Grey Fading’ oil paint using the dry brush technique. This was
followed by spraying yet another layer of clear gloss coat.

W E A T H E R I N G
Dirt and dust effects were created with two
products from the AK-Interactive ‘Dust &
Dirt Deposits’ range, namely AK4062 ‘Light
Dust’ and AK4061 ‘Sand Yellow’. These
specific enamel and pigment mixtures were
airbrushed over those areas where the dirt
and dust had collected on the real ‘Hind’
in accordance with my reference photos.
The excess enamels were removed with
cotton buds.

54 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL

 I then sprayed a layer of Alclad 2 ALC-314
1:48
‘Klear Kote Flat’…

…and subsequently enhanced

the weathering effects using
various pigment colours.

FINAL VERDICT
Once I’d installed the external weapons and rotors, the model was finished.
What are my final thoughts?
Well, simple upscaling the very good 1:72 Mi-24 kit to 1:48 scale wasn’t Zvezda’s best idea.
Although the new release is quite accurate in terms of dimensions and shape, the level and quality of detail leaves
much to be desired and various manufacturers of aftermarket accessories will undoubtedly earn a lot on products
dedicated to this kit. This concerns not only the interior details. Another serious omission is the lack of rivet
detail, although Zvezda explains that otherwise they would need to create separate fuselage parts for every Mi-24
variant, as the latter differ in this regard, and this would increase the cost of the whole project.
However, creating sharper and less shallow panel lines would not affect the price, and this is another aspect in
which this kit is less than perfect.
Nevertheless, this is still the best Mi-24 kit currently available in 1:48 scale, and I can confirm that it goes
together really well.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 55

KIT BUILD
BUILT AND WRITTEN BY JASON BREWER

RHAPSODY
IN
T
BLUE he history behind the Spitfire
XIX has been covered in plenty
of other articles and builds, so
I'll skip over that part and get
straight to the build.
comprehensive assortment of corrections
and upgrades and I picked up all of those
in preparation for my build, along with a few
other things. Here's the full run down of the
aftermarket:
Jason Brewer improves
the Airfix 1:48 scale
Spitfire PR.XIX.

■ BarracudaCast wheels
■ BarracudaCast vac canopy
■ Eduard Zoom PE
■ Miracle Paint Masks
■ Kits World decals

Construction ■ BarracudaCast cockpit snapshot As with all of my builds, I started off by

Airfix's 1:48 scale Spitfire XIX is a great kit ■ BarracudaCast intake riveting the airframe and ensuring that all of
but certainly not without its shortcomings. ■ BarracudaCast exhaust the surface detail is crisp and uniform. I'm not
Thankfully Barracuda Studios offers a pretty ■ BarracudaCast prop a fan of the soft blue-grey plastic that Airfix

56 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 1:48
SKILL LEVEL:
Beginner
SPECIFICATION:
Airfix 1:48 Supermarine Spitfire PR.XIX. Kit No. A05119

ACCESSORIES USED:
BarracudaCast cockpit snapshot
has been using for most of their kits lately. The With the fuselage closed up I installed
soft plastic and pebbly finish leaves a bit to be
BarracudaCast intake
the remain parts in preparation for paint.
BarracudaCast exhaust
desired but it's not terrible. It certainly made The BarracudaCast intake was a huge BarracudaCast prop
my job a little more difficult regarding surface improvement over the kit part and definitely a BarracudaCast wheels
detail. must have. I also opened up the front of the BarracudaCast vac canopy
With that out of the way I moved on to the cockpit pressurization intake and reshaped the Eduard Zoom PE
cockpit. Roy's snapshot upgrade is fantastic spinner a bit because the kit part has a step Miracle Paint Masks
and an excellent way to upgrade the key where there should be a panel line. Kits World decals
components of the cockpit without all the Another area that needed attention was
extensive surgery required for a full resin the undercarriage. The kit parts are severely PAINTS AND FINISHING
cockpit replacement. The only thing I needed lacking detail and definition (partly thanks PRODUCTS:
from my Eduard Zoom set was the instrument to the cheap plastic) and definitely needed AK Real Colors paints
panel. Everything was painted up with Tamiya replacing. Time to dig through the spares box!
acrylics, details picked out with Vallejo, and Thankfully I've built several Eduard Spitfire
washed with AMMO products. and their kits come with multiple gear legs and

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 57

KIT BUILD
Eduard’s Zoom PE includes
this very effective colour
instrument panel.

The airframe was riveted to ensure that all of the

surface detail is crisp and uniform.

doors to choose from so I had plenty to work

with. I looked through my Eduard Spitfire VIII
kit and found the correct style of gear leg and
doors, along with the tail wheel, then grafted Everything was painted
the main gear legs on to the base of the Airfix up with Tamiya acrylics,
gear, drilled and pinned with a metal rod for details picked out with
strength. Combined with the BarracudaCast Vallejo, and washed with
AMMO products.
wheels it was a massive improvement.

Painting
The model was painted with all AK Real Colors
paints. The insignia, fuselage code, tail code
and wing walk lines were painted on using
custom masks from Miracle Paint Masks. The
model was glossed with Future in preparation
for decals (believe it or not, I still apply my
Future the old fashioned way by hand with
a brush). I used the Kits World decals sheet
just for the stencil decals, and sealed them
with more Future. For the panel line washes I
used varying shades of AMMO PLW and then

BarracudaCast’s snapshot upgrade is fantastic and an excellent

way to upgrade the key components of the cockpit

58 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 Eduard undercarriage
legs were grafted onto
the Airfix gear mounts.
The BarracudaCast
1:48
wheels were a great
improvement too.

The completed model

with Eduard canopy
masks in place.

The model was

painted with all AK
Real Colors paints.

Weathering
underway.

“Airfix's Spitifre XIX is a good and

accurate kit out of the box and is an easy
build, but a with just a little extra work it The insignia,
fuselage code, tail
can be much improved.” code and wing walk
lines were painted
on using custom
masks from Miracle
Paint Masks.

The model was

glossed with Future in
preparation for decals.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 59

 1:48
KIT BUILD

Light chipping was added at the trailing edge of the wing roots. The panel line wash was varying shades of AMMO PLW sealed with AK Interactive’s Matte Varnish.

The big five-bladed prop makes an impression! The exhaust stain was created with a mix of Tamiya Red Brown and German grey, thinned with
91% Iso alcohol at a ratio of at least 9:1.

everything was sealed with AK Interactive's

Matte Varnish.
The exhaust stain was created with a mix of
Tamiya Red Brown and German grey, thinned
with 91% Iso alcohol at a ratio of at least 9:1,
basically just tinted alcohol. I sprayed this at a
very low PSI and slowly built up the effect. The
same mix was used for grime in the wing roots
and other areas.
All the fiddly bits were attached and she was
ready to go. I only used the sliding section of
the BarracudaCast vac canopy. Fine wire was
used for the whip antenna. n

All the fiddly bits were attached and

she was ready to go.

FINAL VERDICT
Airfix’s Spitifre XIX is a good and accurate kit out of the box and is an easy build, but a with just a little extra
work it can be much improved.

60 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

Time Takes It's Toll by Dennis Lee Gerber

The effects of
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patina that is stunningly amazing in all their
faded glory. This book also features some one
off examples of aircraft that are the last ones
is in existence. It includes propeller and jet
engine aircraft and some vintage helicopters.
Aircraft enthusiasts and modellers alike will
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with some truly amazing photographs along
with descriptions of each aircraft.

358 pages and thousands of amazing photos

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A STING IN THE TAIL PART 2 UPGRADED SPITFIRE

Brett Green finishes off his Meng Model 1:48 Messerschmitt Me 410 B-2/U4. Jeremy Moore converts Tamiya 1:48 Spitfire Mk. I to a Mk.IIa

FRESCO FUN
Mike Williams builds the Airfix 1:72
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F ‘FRESCO’.

Issue 183 - www.modelairplaneinternational.com 65

FINAL THOUGHTS

POSEIDON PATROL Royal Air Force (RAF) P-8

A Poseidon Maritime Patrol

Aircraft (MPA) completed its first
operational mission this week
shadowing a Russian warship in
the North Sea near to UK waters.
On Monday morning, a P-8A Poseidon
from 120 Squadron based at Kinloss Barracks
demonstrated its speed and readiness by
completing a prolonged overwatch of the
Russian warship, Vasily Bykov, as it passed
through the North Sea. It did so with support significant development in the UK’s Maritime the Royal Navy and our NATO allies, to secure
from Typhoon Fighters, based at RAF offensive and defensive capabilities. The P-8 the seas and skies.”
Lossiemouth and the VIP Voyager refuelling offers a potent blend of tracking options and Monitoring and tracking all activity in the
aircraft, stationed at RAF Brize Norton. associated weapons able to find surface and airspace and seas around the United Kingdom
Minister of State for Defence, Baroness sub-surface vessels, once more allowing is paramount to our security, with aircraft from
Goldie said, “In an increasingly unstable the RAF to complete effective joint maritime the RAF and vessels from the RN ensuring our
world of persistent challenge and competition, operations with the Royal Navy. skies and seas are constantly patrolled and
it is important that the UK Armed Forces Air Vice Marshal Ian Duguid, Air Officer defended.
possess cutting edge technology to meet Commanding 11 Group, said, “The RAF Working with the aerospace and
threats wherever they emerge. The sight of continues to evolve and develop as the construction industries £470M is being
our new Poseidon aircraft, working in concert Next Generation RAF becomes a reality. invested by the UK Government at RAF
with the Royal Navy has showcased the The Poseidon aircraft is a key part of that Lossiemouth to provide a state-of-the-art
UK’s readiness to defend its waters from any development and evidence of the hard work home for the Fleet of 9 aircraft in Scotland. ■
incursion.” performed by all those involved. This mission
The Poseidon’s operational debut follows by the Poseidon, to monitor Russian naval * Contains public sector information licensed
shortly after the Prime Minister’s visit to activity, shows how the RAF will now be able under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Kinloss Barracks last month and heralds a to contribute to Maritime Security alongside

66 MODEL AIRPLANE INTERNATIONAL - October 2020

 Advertorial

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Marcus Nicholls, Editor of Tamiya Model Magazine, details with Tamiya Color mini acrylic
paints: Lacquer Paints provide a durable
describes his own experience of using Tamiya base coat that remains undamaged even
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Lacquer Paints
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I
used Tamiya Lacquer Paints for allowing the freshly-sprayed paint to Lacquer Paint
the first time on Tamiya’s fabulous settle on the model’s surface, creating a dries quickly:
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safe to touch after
Force Type 16 MCV armoured car Once fully dry (quicker than the an hour and can
kit. I wanted to try the new materials Acrylic paints), the Lacquer Paint be masked on
to gain first-hand experience and I formed a flawless, impressively tough top of 24 hours
was extremely impressed. During finish that adhered with a limpet-like later, saving
airbrushing, the paints behave in a grip on the plastic of the model. valuable time in
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similar manner to the ‘XF’ Acrylic range, If you are familiar with Tamiya’s your masterpiece.
quickly building up into an opaque layer Acrylics, you’ll feel at home with this Again, as Lacquer Paints provide
of colour on the model’s surface. new line, which combines the same ease a durable base coat that remains
I thinned them to about the same of use with an extra robustness. ● undamaged by enamel counterparts,
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Tamiya’s new Lacquer Paint LP-25 Brown (JGSDF) and LP-26

Dark Green (JGSDF) were airbrushed to form the two-tone
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Tamiya Color Lacquer Paint’s resistance

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