School Plane

Supermodel 1/72 Aermacchi MB-339A

Background

The MB-339 advanced trainer and light attack aircraft from Alenia Aermacchi first entersed service with the Italian Air Force in 1976 as the replacement for the earlier MB-326. It has conventional layout with tandem seats, and low, unswept wings with tip tanks. The instructor's seat is raised to allow visibility over the student pilot's head. The MB-339 had enjoyed good sales orders with seven air forces currently operating the tpe (Argentina and New Zealand have retired theirs). Although designed primarily as an advanced trainer, the aircraft can also be used in attack msissions such as by Argentina during the 1982 Falklands War and by Eritrea during their 1998 conflict with neighbouring Ethiopia. In 1983, the Royal Malaysian Air Force received 12 (another aircraft was added later on) to replace the elderly Canadair CL-41G Tebuan in the advanced training role. Eight airframes survived today and the Air Force had ordered 8 MB-339CM to supplant and eventually replace the A models.

The Kit

Actually I have never heard of this brand, even though it actually hit the market in the early 90s. Spread over three sprues, the parts have no flash although a number of them suffered from sink marks, especially on the two ejection seats. Even though dating from early 90s, this kit was moulded with raised panel lines. Cockpit detail is very basic with just decals for the instrument panel. Decals are provided for four planes : two Italian, one Argentinian and the Aermacchi/Lockheed demonstrator aircraft for the JPATS competition (which was won by by the Pilatus/Raytheon Texan II).

Construction

As usual construction starts with the cockpit. No issues here except for that nasty sink marks which were filled with Tamiya putty. I have no idea of the interior colour of the plane so to play safe, I just painted it Gray FS36231 overall. The colour for the ejection seats (which I believe to be Martin Baker Mk10) were sourced from a website. Fit was generally excellent although I need to apply a little putty at the wing roots. Although the kit had excellent fit, aligning them was another matter since most of them are butt joined with no positive locator tab. When I fit the nose landing gear the aircraft assumed an uncharacteristic nose-up stance - the landing gear was too long! I have to cut it down even though I think it was not low enough. 

Painting

I decided to paint the plane in RMAF colours. The topside was painted a camouflage pattern of dark green and tan using Tamiya XF-13 IJA Green and XF-60 Dark Yellow. The bottom half was painted light gray FS36375 using Gunze Sangyo paint. The anti-glare panel and the tyres were painted flat black. Until today (the kit was built in 2006!) it has not received any weathering yet...The markings were sourced from the excellent but increasingly rare VFA Productions 'RMAF Strike Fighters' sheet. I marked my plane to represent airframe M34-12 belonging to 15 Squadron RMAF based at RMAF Butterworth (at that time). I decided not to put any ordnance on the model as I lack the proper items at that time.

Conclusion

Sometimes it was these small players such as Supermodel which fills the need for less glamorous types. Even though not perfect, the kit can still be made into a good representation of the MB-339. Local companies such as VFA Productions should be congratulated for bringing us the local flavour in the aftermarket goodies market. 

The real MB-339 M34-12

Death Of A Friend

I just checked up the latest posts on Scalemodelsmalaysia forum and received a shocking news. Miniature Hobbies, one of my regular scale model suppliers is going out of business by the ned of this month. Earlier this month, when I was in Kl, I found out they were only open on weekends and now two weeks later, they are going to close for good.

As the title suggests, it does feel like a death of a friend. I started buying my models at Miniature Hobbies (shortened to 'MH') in mid-90s, when they were located at 1-Utama (my regular weekend haunt when I was working in KL). Then they moved to Mid Valley in the early noughties, the to Section 14 PJ and finally at Jalan Merlimau, off Jalan Hang Tuah. What makes me like these dedicated military model shops is that the staff are knowledgeable (as compared to, say, Daisheng). Jeff, previously working at MH until a couple of months ago usually helps me with the selection of kits; the one I remember most is when he suggested that I buy the Bronco Hotchkiss H39 instead of the less detailed Trumpeter version. For some other guys, they went to MH because of Mandy, the lovely shop assistant (haha!). Anyway, all of us buy our kits there because of their good selection of kits and manufacturers. That is not to say that Mr Low's Hobby HQ is not good; in fact Hobby HQ and MH compelement each other. What I can't find in HHQ was usually available in MH and vice versa. MH is my 'local' source of Academy and Trumpeter kits and also a goodly portion of Dragon ones.

The closure of MH means one less local hobby shop, from a small pool to begin with. In the mid-1980s when I started this hobby, model kits were available even in supermarkets. A local supermarket in Batu Pahat even stocked Tamiya paints then!

Raiders Of The Western Desert

Tamiya 1/35 Special Air Service Jeep

Background

The Jeep© or officially Truck, 1/4 Ton, 4x4 was one of the ubiquitous Allied machines during World War 2. It can be found almost everywhere; from the frozen Alaska to the steamy jungles of Burma, from the dry wadis and deserts of North Africa to the palm fringed atolls of the Pacific thanks to the United States Lend-Lease program during the war. British forces were among the biggest recipient of Lend-Lease material including the jeeps, which entered service with them around March 1941.

In August 1941, a former member of the No. 8 Commando, Lt (later Colonel) David Stirling have the opinion that a small team of highly trained men, around 4 per team, can be more flexible and can cause greater damage to the enemy than a platoon (or a greater number) of commandos. He managed to convince General Claude Auchinleck, CinC Middle East to raise such a unit. The new unit was given a cover name of 'L Detachment, Special Air Service Brigade'. After a disastrous first (airborne) operation, where many of his men were killed, wounded or captured with Stirling himself barely managed to escape, he decided that the future operations in the desert would be executed using land transports and using the cover of night. The vehicle chosen were the Chevrolet 30CWT 3-ton trucks to act as 'tenders' and the Willys jeep as the actual raiding vehicles. The jeeps were to be modified as follows:

1. cutting down all but two of the engine grilles to facilitate greater airflow and better cooling efficiency.

2. Adding condenser in order to recycle evaporated radiator coolant.
3. Fit sand guard on the carburettor
4. Take out the windshield to avoid sun reflection
5. Add sun compass to aid navigation

6. Add weaponry - the weapon of choice is the phased-out (from the RAF) Vickers GO @ Vickers K machineguns. The weapons were mounted singly or twinned. There were various permutations of the arrangement of the guns but usually the arrangement allows for both the driver and passenger(s) to shoot the guns from their poisitions. Every 3rd or 4th jeep would be armed with the aircraft-pattern Browning AN-M2 0.5-caliber heavy machinegun. Despite the greater destructive power of this gun, it was not as well received as the Vickers K. There would also be a supply of Lewes bombs. In addition, the crews also brought have their personal weapons usually the Tommy Gun, SMLE rifle, Browning M1911 pistol, Webley .455 revolvers or even the German MP40 sub-machinegun.

The jeeps would also have to carry extra jerrycans containing fuel and water in order to reduce the logistical tail. Thus equipped the SAS conducted swift raids into the enemy's rear with thrashing enemy airfields their speciality. In a raid on German airfileds in their second mission, they managed to destroy 60 planes with no loss to themselves. With the end of the African campaign the SAS (and their Jeeps) went on to other theatres of war such as the Balkans, Italy and North-West Europe.

The Kit

Tamiya's Special Air Service Jeep (kit No. 35033) dates from the 1970s and was based on kit 35015 (Willys MB Jeep). The SAS Jeep kit includes all the SAS mods such as cut-down grills, sun compass, extra jerrycans, condenser, personal kit, two spare tyres and the weapons. Since this kit dates from the 1970s however, many details were either soft, missing or plain wrong! The AN-M2 0.50-cal machinegun looks more like an alien gun, for example. There is also no tube from the radiator to the condenser. There were two SAS crewmember figures in shirt, shorts, gloves and keffiyeh / igal but, these being 1970s Tamiya figures, they are Asian- rather than European-sized at full scale.

Construction

I actually bought and built the kit a number of years ago. Obediently I followed the instructions to the letter and basic construction was completed in just one day! Tamiya gave two finishing options - one with a single Vickers K aft of the front passenger seat and a twin Vickers K in front of it; the other with the twin Vickers K in the rear passenger/cargo compartment with the M2 HMG to the passenger's front. I actually wanted to build the latter option but since the M2 is useless, I had to build the first option. I also decided to add an M1 Thompson and an MP40 SMG, a Bren LMG and a shovel. I also added straps to the kit bags using Tamiya tape. The jeep and the jerrycans was painted Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow, the ammo boxes XF-62 Olive Drab, ration boxes XF-64 Red Brown, the guns X-10 Gun Metal (wooden parts XF-64) and the bags were painted XF-49 Khaki. Weathering consisted of an overall wash of XF-57 Buff. And that was it until I came across a background and a build articles in Model Military International last month. Even though the author used kit 35219 and a pricey conversion set, the articles inspired me to revisit my SAS Jeep.

By this time, I already have Academy's US Machine Gun Set which includes a nice aircraft pattern M2 Browning HMG and also Tamiya's Allied Vehicle Accessory Set which have better-detailed US- and British-pattern jerrycans. So this time I intended to build the Browning HMG-equipped jeep. Thankfully I originally assembled the kit by using UHU glue which makes it easier for me to pry loose the cargo and weapons. The paint were then stripped using window cleaner. Afterwards I proceeded to scratchbuild a framework for the vehicle's jerrycans using plastic sheet from my spares box. Then I added a new mounting from the Academy set for the Browning M2, add a small extension to the driver side mudguard in order to place the driver's Vickers K and adding a pole for mounting the twin Vickers K using a cut-down Panzerfaust 30 (!) from the spares box. The twin Vickers mounting was placed at the end of the rear passenger compartment since I do not have anything to support the pole if it was to be mounted in the middle of the said compartment.

Painting

I have come across a painting technique called 'hairspray method' where hairspray is used over the base paint layer and a second paint layer laid over it. The second layer would then be 'chipped' by using brush and water. So I painted XF-62 Olive Drab as base layer (I should have used XF-49 Khaki as it is a good analogue for Olive Drab because of its lighter tone) A generous layer of hairspray was then laid and when dry I painted XF-59 Desert Yellow. Once dry I proceeded to chip the second layer, with the front of the vehicle receiving a fairly heavy treatment.

The 15 Jerry cans received different treatments. Some were painted just XF-62 Olive Drab while the others were painted the same colour but were subjected to the hairspray treatment. Since the British prefer the German jerrycans to their own original 'flimsies' (and later on unashamedly copied the German design), I disguised two of the British-pattern jerrycans by painting them XF-63 German Grey and filling the 'W/D' markings with putty. Three, plus the two 'German' cans were marked with white crosses to denote water containers. (There were actually 8 'water' cans but I left the other 3 unmarked) The guns were painted NATO Black XF-69 with graphite powder rubbed on for that 'metallic' look. A length of 0.5-cal ammo belt was sourced from Tamiya's US Weapons Set and was painted with Gunze Sangyo Gold ( I don't have Brass colour) and XF-1 Flat Black. Since the SAS Raiders also armed themselves with SMLE rifle, I 'hijacked' the only available gun from my Masterbox 'Commonwealth AFV Crew' set. Slings were added to the SMLE, MP40 and the Tommy Gun using Tamiya tapes and I decided to remove the Bren from the model. I also added a tube from the radiator the condensor using a vinyl tube fom my 88mm Flak 36/37 model. The sand channels also received the hairspray treatment using a 50/50 mixture of Flat Black and Red Brown as base.

The model was then liberally covered with a thinned XF-57 Buff to simulate dust. I also used a bit of Tamiya Weathering Powder to further simulate dust and also rust. Certain parts of the model received an application of graphite powder to simulate bare steel.

Finishing

The cargo can now be attached to the model. The 'water' jerrycans were placed on the bonnet (5), sides (2) and the right-hand cargo frame (1). The 'fuel' jerrycans were placed in the remaining space in the cargo area. The ration and Vickers ammo box, rolled tarp and the shovel were placed in the rear passenger compartment. The personal weapons were placed on the bonnet, front passenger seat and the rear compartment while their packs were placed on the vehicle sides.

Conclusion

Make no mistake, this Tamiya kit is old. However apart from the equally old Italeri 'Commando Car' kit, this is the only way one can make an SAS Jeep from out of the box in 1/35 scale. The newer kit 35219 eclipsed its own cousin for the base vehicle alone while the various conversion kits, especially the latest from Swash Design are light years ahead in terms of detail. However if one do not suffer from AMS, this kit is sufficient enough to satisfy a beginner/average modeller, just throw away the M2 HMG and replace it with something better!

Thud!

Trumpeter 1/72 Republic F-105D Thunderchief

Background
The F-105 Thunderchief was designed as a successor to the F-100 Super Sabre. It however started life as a private venture by Republic to replace the F-84F Thunderstreak. The Thunderchief, better known to its crews as 'Thud' was designed to be a supersonic, low-level nuclear bomber despite its 'F' designation. As such, it possessed limited maneuverability but excellent low-altitude speed. The prototype first flew in 1955 and the 'D' model entered service in 1964. In the same year, Project Look Alike was initiated to improve the Thud's conventional bombing ability.

During the Vietnam war, the Thud became the USAF's primary bomber against North Vietnamese targets during Operation Rolling Thunder. Flying from RTAFB Takhli and Udorn the Thuds typically flew with a load of 1,028 rounds of 20mm shells for its internal M61A1 cannon, six 500lb or 750lb bombs on the centre rack, 2 more 500lb or 750lb bombs on the outer wing pylon, 2 450 US gallon fuel tanks on the inner pylon and a 390 US gallon tank in the bomb bay. Depending on the tactical situations the outer wing pylons can be used to mount an ALQ-87 ECM pod or AIM-9B Sidewinder AAM. Alternative loads include AGM-12 Bullpup ASM and 1000lb and 3,000lb bombs.

The heavy AA defences of North Vietnam exacted a heavy toll on the Thud. Of the 610 F-105Ds built, 283 were lost in combat and another 52 lost to other causes. In return, the Thuds, despite being designed as a bomber, managed to shoot down 27.5 enemy MiGs - the highest scoring type after the F-4 Phantom. After Vietnam the surviving aircraft were transferred to USAF Reserve and ANG and finally retired in 1984.

The Kit

I have a soft spot for the Thud and that's why I eagerly awaited Trumpeter's release of the Thud in 1/72 scale. Once released, the modeling press did not wholeheartedly embrace the new 1/72 Thud. The main criticism is concerned with overdone rivet details and the lack of any details on the inner face of the landing gear doors. Otherwise the detail is fine and that the flaps, IFR probe, stabilators, canopy, speed brake/exhaust petals and gun bay door are poseable. Another 'bad' point with the kit is the supplied ordnance configuration. Trumpeter suggested that the options were either two MERs with four Mk82 500lb bombs each (with normal or extended fuze) on outer wing pylons plus three external tanks on centerline and the inner wing hardpoints or two AGM-12 Bullpup on the outboard pylons, the MER with bombs on the inboard pylons and the centerline tank. No fuselage pylon was included, which prevented modelers from configuring the model with the normal combat load. Three marking options were included - one in silver and the other two in SEA camo.

Construction

As usual, the cockpit received the first attention. After painting, the kit decal is applied. Although not as fine as other manufacturers' decals (not to mention resin replacement cockpit), they are sufficient in 1/72 scale. The IFR probe and the gun bay were closed as I don't intend to display them in the open position. The landing lights on the port fuselage and at the base of the tail were secured using Tamiya X20 Clear. I also added some plasticene in the nose cavity, just to be on the cautious side, to avoid a tail sitting stance.

The wings, after assembling the upper and lower portion and fixing the flaps in place, were then mated to the fuselage. The landing gear wells and the interior side of the gear doors were painted US interior green even though the instruction said Flat White as photos show that they were painted in the former color. The same goes with landing gear themselves which I painted silver instead of the recommended Flat white. I decided to leave the exhaust petals at this time and would only attach them after painting. I also shaved off the collision light fairing on the spine as wartime aircraft do not have this feature.

Now, I didn't intend to use the suggested arming options as reviewers on the internet said that such configuration was extremely rare at best, or non-existent at worst. Unlike their 1/32 offering, Trumpeter did not include the centerline pylon. Basically I had two options; one is to scratch a new pylon; the other is to rob/borrow from other kits. Rummaging through my spares box, I found an extra pylon from a previous Fujimi F-4G Phantom build. It has the right shape although I'm not sure about the exact dimensions. I don't really give much thought at this stage and decided to use it. The MER and the M117 750lb bombs came from Hasegawa Weapon Set I. I also decided to add AIM-9 Sidewinder and ALQ-87 ECM pod. The Sidewinder was robbed from my RMAF F-5E model as I have run out of the 'B' variant from Hase's weapon set III. The Sidewinder rail also came from Hase Weapon Set III. As the original rail is the twin version, I cut one arm off and used it to represent the single launch rail. The ECM pod came from Hase Weapon Set IV.

Painting

Originally, I intended to paint the model silver, just to break the monotony of grey and camo'd planes in my collection. However, Trumpeter goofed up the US Star & Bar insignia, being of the wrong shade of blue and having wrongly-sized bar portion. Lacking a better looking replacement in my spares box, I decided to do the third option - 'The Polish Glider' in SEA camo. Although the Star and Bar shared the same problem with the first option, at least I can use the extra insignias from TwoBobs' Combat Lancer sheet in my collection. I painted the underside FS36622 using Tamiya AS16 and the upper colours were painted using Tamiya XF13 IJA Green, XF67 NATO Green and a mixture of XF59 Desert Yellow and XF64 Red Brown for FS34079, FS34102 and FS 30219 respectively. However, Trumpeter did not show the upper scheme and I have to resort to the Internet and my books in order to get the top view.

The third marking option is for Major Dan Kutyna's 'The Polish Glider' / 'Yankee Air Polack' which were assigned to 44th TFS/335th TFW (in which Trumpeter erroneously stated as 466TFS/419th TFW). The decals are quite thick but an application of Mr Mark Softer sorted them out. Finally sludge wash is applied (which exaggerates the already oversized rivets!)

Finishing

The small parts can now be attached to the model. The landing gears and doors were attached first and as for the exhaust petals, I decided to attach the lower portion in the open position as photos usually show it as such. I then attached the ordnance and external tanks followed with the antennas and the pitot probe (which is overscale!)

Conclusion

A very welcome addition to the 1/72 aircraft models since the earlier Monogram offering is more than 20 years old, not to mention extremely rare. Even though there is still some issues with Trumpeter's Thud, they are not something an average modeller cannot overcome (unless one is too lazy to do it, like me!)

Power To The People!

Tamiya 1/48 Heinkel He 162A-2 Salamander

Background

The Heinkel He 162 jet fighter was a lightweight fighter designed for easy mass production. Late in World War 2, when Germany was being pounded day and night by the Allies, the Luftwaffe needed new approach using the newly developed jet propulsion in order to counter the mass bombing and also the threat of the superlative P-51 Mustangs. Basically two school of thoughts developed: one. led by Adolf Galland preferred hi-tech approach and demanded more Me 262 jet fighters to the detriment of other aircraft production. Another group, supported by Hermann Goering and Albert Speer noticed the shortcomings of the Schwalbe and proposed a new design which is to be cheap, and simple to built to the point that it can be discarded if damaged. As this latter programme received the support of two of the Reich's big brass, it was proceeded with with the codename Salamander.

Official requirement specified that the plane is to be powered by a single BMW 003 jet engine and to be built using wood and other non-critical materials plus the design should be simple enough that even non-skilled labor could assemble the airframe. Armament would either 2 20mm MG151/20 cannon with 100 rounds each or 2 30mm MK108 with 50 rounds each. The aircraft should also need to be easy to fly that even glider or student pilots could fly it effectively in combat. It has also been suggested that Hitler Youth members be taken as pilots of this new fighter, also known as the Volksjager (Peoples' Fighter).

As this was going to be a huge contract, all German aircraft manufacturers submitted their proposal. In October 1944, Heinkel's design was accepted as the winner and the design flew in December of that year. Heinkel called the new plane Spatz (Sparrow). Despite the requirement for ease of handling, only experienced pilots can master the plane. Nevertheless the He 612 was the fastest fighter aircraft during World War 2, with speed up to 905km/h at 6,000 meters.

The Volksjager saw operational service in February 1945 with Jagdgeschwader 1 and saw combat in April. Despite a number of variants, only three saw service : He 162A-O pre-production aircraft, He 162A-1 with MK108 cannon and He 162A-2 with MG 151/20 cannon.

The Kit

Tamya came out with a 1/48 scale kit of the Salamander/Volsksjager/Spatz kit a few years back. Portraying the A-2 version, the kit comes with the usual Tamiya quality. Setails are sharp and generally excellent. The engine can be displayed in an open nacelle or posed separately from the aircraft (superdetailers can go crazy on the engine alone!) The engine nacelle is mounted on polycaps so that one can interchange the posing of the engine. Also included is a ball bearing to act as nose weight. Decals are provided for four aircraft.

Construction

The cockpit was assembled first and painted XF63 German Grey. Although the ejection seat is designed so that it can be inserted later, I simply glue it in place. The seat belt is represented by decals. The next step in the instructions is concerned with the landing gears. However I skipped this step to avoid breakages whilst assembling the rest of the model. The fuselage was then closed up. But before that, the nose weight was inserted in its place behind the rear bulkhead. The main gear well, less the landing gears themselves were also attached. Part A16, which provides the base for the engine nacelle and also acting as spar for the wings was also attached.

Next to be assembled are the wings and the tail. Fit is very good and the spar mentioned beforehand is also useful in maintaining the wings at the proper angle. This is followed by the engine nacelle which is secured using polycaps. The landing gear doors and the canopy would only be assembled after painting and decalling.

Painting and markings

Tamiya provided four marking options and decided to do the second option - 'Yellow 11/20' of Oberleutnant Emil Demuth of 3/JG1 with his previous kill markings on the tail and 3 Staffel's
'Devil' insignia. I painted the model overall RLM76 using Gunze Aqueous H color. Once dry, the top part is painted RLM83 using Gunze Aqueous H. Now the instructions stated that the top right wing and elevator is to be painted RLM82. However, a color profile of Yellow 11/20 in an issue of Scale Aircraft Modelling International showed that the top is RLM83 overall. Lacking RLM82 in my arsenal (which I found out later that XF5 can be used to represent RLM82), I dediced to follow the sample in the SAMI magazine.

The decals went on next without much problem. For Yellow 11/20, Tamiya supplied two sets of the 'Devil' decals - one depicting the devil in red and another in tan. I use the tan one as my resources show the latter option. Mr Mark Softer was later applied to conform the decals on the surface. Finally the panel lines were enhanced using sludge wash technique. To finish up the build, I attached the canopy, the landing gears and the pitot tube.

Conclusion

Being a modern Tamiya kit, there is really no problem with the build. Tamiya is to be commended for producing this little jet - a must if you collect World War 2 planes, especially the early jets. The Volksjager is placed next to the Me 262 and the Gloster Meteor Mk.I in my display cabinet where its diminutive size is highly apparent.

Whispering Death

Tamiya 1/48 Vought F4U-1D Corsair

Background

Vought's F4U Corsair was one of the most formidable carrier (and land) based aircraft of World War II. The Corsair was the result of the US Navy's requirement for a carrier aircraft which can match the performance of the best land- and carrier-based fighters of the time. It was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine which allow the Corsair to fly at up to 400mph, the first US fighter to do so. In order to extract as much as possible from the 2,000hp- rated Double Wasp, a 4.06 meter Hamilton Standard Hydromatic 3-bladed propeller was installed. This rather large propller, coupled with the rearward retracting main landing gears, makes it difficult to fit long enough struts to clear the propeller. The solution is the now-familiar inverted gull wing, similar to the Luftwaffe's Ju 87 Stuka. The Corsair was armed with six 12.7mm Browning heavy machineguns.

However, partly owing to advanced technology and greater speeds, numerous technical problems had to be solved before the Corsair can enter service. The early Corsairs suffers from low-speed stalls, poor forward visibility because of the position of the cockpit, size of the engine and the short tailwheel. The Corsair have a tendency to 'bounce'. Whilst Vought modify the design, the less complicated Grumman F6F Hellcat became the main fighter on board US carriers until the Corsairs were cleared for carrier service in April 1944. In the meantime they fought from land bases with the exception of the Corsairs belonging to the Fleet Air Arm, who operated their Corsairs regularly from carriers before the US NAvy.

The Corsair also show great abilities as ground attack aircraft, performing strikes using bombs, napalm and unguided rockets. This ability was demonstrated with the -1A version, and was carried over to the -1C and -1D versions. The F4U-1C was only introduced in April 1945 the -1D was introduced a year earlier. It had the new -8W water-injection engine which gave the aircraft up to 250 hp more power, which, in turn, increased performance. Speed, for example, was boosted from 417 mph to 425 mph. It also had a payload of rockets double the -1A's, as well as twin-rack plumbing for an additional belly drop tank. Such modifications necessitated the need for rocket tabs (attached to fully metal-plated underwing surfaces) and bomb pylons to be bolted on the fighter, however, causing extra drag. proved too vulnerable and were removed. The extra fuel carried by the two drop tanks would still allow the aircraft to fly relatively long missions despite the heavy, un-aerodynamic load. The canopies of most -1Ds had their struts removed along with their metal caps.

The Corsair was nicknamed 'The Angel Of Okinawa' and 'The Sweetheart of The Marines' by the ground troops due to their CAS role. It was also nicknamed 'Ensign Eliminator' because of tricky handling and it was allegedly nicknamed 'The Whispering Death' by the Japanese. The Corsair was also a durable design - it flew its last combat missions during the 1969 'Football War' between Honduras and El Salvador.

The Kit

Tamiya has a number of Corsairs in their catalog with the F4U-1D kit making its debut in 1998. Tamiya's Corsairs are among the best in the market despite some 'misses' such as the step on the inner flap on the starboard wing (which was a post-war addition). The wings are also moulded in a way that modelers can choose between folded or deployed positions. Rocket launcher stubs are also provided even though no rockets were included, unlike the 1/72 scale version. Panel lines were also crisp and clear. Markings are provided for three aircraft, all in gloss sea blue.Two pilot figures were also included: one sitting in the cockpit and another standing on the wing.

Construction

As usual construction starts in the cockpit. The entire cockpit (plus the landing gear bays) were painted Tamiya's version of US interior green using a mixture of XF5 Flat Green and XF3 Flat Yellow. Tamiya has accurately reproduced the Corsair's 'bottomless' cockpit and also the lengthened control stick and rudder that go with the raised pilot's seat. The instrument panel faces is supplied as a decal, which nicely conforms to the raised details on the instrument panel part. Alternatively, one can simply use drybrushing to 'pop-up' the details on the instrument panel. The seat belt is provided in the form of decal and look flat. I didn't use decal solution as it will make the seat belt even flatter! The fuselage is then closed around the cockpit - very nice fit I should say.

The wings came on next. As mentioned before, the kit allows one to build the wings as folded or deployed. In order to allow that the wings are moulded in four parts - upper/ lower and outboard/inboard. I choose the deployed position. However, the joint is not very strong and that there is a slight gap between the inner and outer wings (more on this later). Tamiya has designed the kit's flaps to be in the down position, which makes it visually interesting. Regretfully, I neglected to fill in the step. The rest of the assembly is uneventful and I left the smaller and more fragile parts such as antennas, landing gears and external fuel tank for assembly after painting had been done. And while rummaging through my spares box, I found 5" HVARs from my previous build, a 1/48 Hasegawa P-38 Lightning. Great! There were eight of them and would appropriately arm my Corsair.

Painting and Markings

I love late-war US Navy planes as they are easier to paint! Yes, I know it's kinda boring with just one colour and without much personal markings to speak of. As mentioned before, markings were provided for three aircraft : '167' of VF-84 on board USS Bunker Hill, February 1945; a VMF-112 machine on board USS Bennington in January 1945 and 'F-107' at MCAS Cherry Point 1945. Somewhat inexplicably (as I love colorful airplanes) I choose the VMF-112 machine with its Arrowhead recognition markings. The model is painted using Tamiya's spray paint for aircraft. Once dry the markings were applied. I also used artistic license here by adding kill markings using decals meant for the third marking options.

Finishing

To complete the model, I attached all the remaining parts such as the landing gears, Wheel well doors, external fuel tanks and the rockets. I must mention that I goofed up painting the rockets as I misread the Hasegawa instructions. Instead of white, I painted the rockets black! And instead of OD, the warhead section was painted red. I only realised this mistake looong after model has been completed! Arghhhhh!!!!

Many moons have passed and last week I decided to give the Corsair a makeover. I still keep the leftover decals for all my builds and decided to re-do my Corsair as aircraft '167' flown by LCDR Roger Hedrick, CO of VF-84. The yellow nose band makes a strong contrast on the dark blue fuselage plus the aircraft had a bit more markings than the rest of the options. So the first order of the day is to remove all the irrelevant decals. I soaked the decals in Mr Mark Softer and pulled them off the model using Tamiya tapes. Next I remove the forward antenna as photos show that '167' was not equipped with it. The stub was then smoothed over and repainted.

As for the rockets, after looking searching around the Internet, I decided to paint them aluminium. It's a bit tough to repaint the rockets as I had attached them using superglue and cannot be removed without damaging the railings or the rockets themselves. The warhead area was painted olive drab.

The decals suffered from some yellowing whilst in storage and in order to overcome this problem, I left the decals under direct sunlight for a couple of hours. The decals were then applied the normal way. Finally I washed the model but with a little bit of blue added into the mix. Phew!

Conclusion

Tamiya kits have the reputation of being shake and bake kits (or 'put glue and paints inside the packing box, shake it and out comes a complete model'!) and the Corsair is no exception. All parts fits nicely with no putty needed. On the down side however, the kit decals are quite thick and barely responds to setting solutions, even the strong Mr Mark Softer. Despite the -1D's reputation as a fighter-bomber, no ordnance were included, which is a shame for an industry leader like Tamiya.

Tiger Killer

Dragon 1/35 Sherman Vc Firefly 'Turret Gunner Douglas Kay'

Background

Throughout World War 2, the Sherman, which was the Allied's staple tank was constantly outgunned by the Germans' especially the Tiger, King Tiger and the Panther. The Tiger's 88mm KwK 36 gun can penetrate the Sherman's frontal armor at up to 2,500 meters whilst the Sherman's 75mm M3 was unable to penetrate the Tiger's frontal armour at any range. Whilst the Allies can afford it, it took 5 Shermans to knock out a single Tiger through shots on the Tiger's thinner side or rear armor (4 Shermans as sacrifice in order for the fifth Sherman to maneuver into place).

To overcome this problem, the Allies decided to upgun their tanks. The British decided to introduce the Ordnace QF 17-pounder gun, to arm the new A30 Challenger cruiser tank. However delays in getting the Challenger ready for D-Day forced the British to proceed with an alternative design; a 17-pounder armed Sherman. Alterations to the basic Sherman dessign had to be made, among them was the relocation of the radio to a semi-external position at the back of the turret and the elimination of the bow machine gun (aand the gunner) in order to create more room for the larger gun and its shells. The Sherman marks used for this conversion were the Sherman I (M4) and the Sherman V (M4A4). The British nomenclature added a 'C' after the Roman numeral to indicate a 17-pounder armed tank.

The Sherman Vcs were distributed among the British armored formations at the ratio of one Firefly to three regular Shermans in a troop. By the end of the war, the composition was 50:50. In all, 2100 Shermans were converted to Firefly standard. In combat, the Fireflies gave a nasty shock to German troops who promptly make Fireflies priority targets. A Firefly belonging to A Squadron of the 1st Northampshire Yeomanry was responsible for the killing Tiger '007' and its commander, tank ace SS-Haupsturmfuhrer Michael Wittmann.

The kit

Dragon has released a number of Sherman Firefly kits over the years with more improvements with each release. Until Tasca came out with their Firefly kit a couple of years back, the third (i think) incarnation of Dragon's Firefly (kit number 6182) was the best Firefly in the market. This release feature, among others, a shortened (corrected) hull, thicker turret cheek armor, barrel travel lock and better details overall. However the weld seams are of the recessed type whilst most, if not all, Shermans have raised weld beads. Tracks, as usual with Dragon is of the separate link type. Also included are 'duckbill' extended track end connectors.

The kit used here is the limited-release boxing of kit 6182. Also included in this kit is a sprue from Dragon's M26 Pershing kit (12.7mm MG and the obviously not to be used turret fittings) and a sprue from their Sherman Tulip kit for the turret rear extension and (also included are the rockets for the 'Tulip' Shermans). Decals is provided for one vehicle, that is a Firefly attached to 13/18th Royal Hussars, 27th Armoured Brigade, in which gunner Douglas Kay served during the Normandy campaigns (which was an option in kit 6182). A correction sheet was included to rectify the error of the earlier release. However, the bonus figure was not included for this limited release. A small PE fret rounds up the package.

Building

Whilst a Sherman is a 'must have' for any WW2 tank model collection, I kinda loath the building process, especially the six sets of vertical volute suspension system (VVSS). After hurriedly going through the VVSS assembly, it's time to tackle the hull. I decided to experiment, after reading Mike Kirchoff's build of Sherman III and KV-1, with Mr Surfacer 500 to enhance the looks of cast armor. Dipping a brush in MS500, I apply it by stippling the brush onto the relevant surface which is the transmission cover and the glacis plate. Once dry, I sanded it a bit. The turret also received a similar treatment.

The upper hull was then mated to the lower portion. This is then followed by the VVSS bogies and idler wheels. Now comes the love-hate part of the build : the tracks! The track assembly come in three pieces - two end connectors and the link itself. In order to have some flexibility, I only glued one side of the end connector, leaving the other to move freely. As with the IS-2 featured elsewhere, I took the longest time in completing the track run. Once completed, they were painted steel, and then washed with XF52 Dark Earth.

The turret is next on the line and there isn't much of a problem here. There is a slight gap between the extension box and the turret itself which was closed using stretched sprue. The glued sprue was then bathed in Tamiya Extra Thin Cement and I made weld beads by pressing my hobby knife on the now soft plastic. The PE parts were then attached, comprising of antenna base, light brush guards and air intake grill on the rear hull.

Painting and Markings

I painted the tank using Tamiya XF51 Khaki Drab which was lightened with 10% Flat Yellow. Once dry, I applied the decals. Despite the corrected sheet, Dragon still instructs the modler to use the aerial recognition star in the original sheet, which looks funny. Never mind, I can always add stowage later on!

The tank was then given a wash to bring out details and in order to have that used look. meanwhile I painted the tools using Steel for the metal parts and XF15 Flat Flesh for the wooden ones. The wooden parts were then given a wash using Tamiya XF64 Red Brown. Once dry, they were attached on their location on the tank.

Even though Dragon provided an M2 12.7mm MG for the commander's station, pictures I found on the internet shows that a Brwoning M1919 7.62mm was used instead. I use one from Academy's nice 'US Machine Gun Set'. The gun is painted XF69 NATO Black and drybrushed with silver and graphite powder. Lacking any accessories, I stole a spare road wheel from my old Tamiya M4A3 Sherman which was placed on the glacis plate.

The Figure

Until the Firefly, I have never added figures to my kits. However I found a British commander figure in my spares box (leftover from Tamiya's Cromwell tank). Using guides found on the internet, I painted the figure using the layer technique. Lacking suitable brushes, I didn't paint the eyes, otherwise the figure will ahve a bug-eye look! I also added comm wires using copper wires found in speaker cables.

Conclusion

The Firefly is essentially not finished (as of August 2008) as I intend to load it with stowage (which will require a trip to KL for supplies) and that the final weathering will only be done after stowage has been added. The kit itself is very nice although it has been eclipsed by the new Tasca offerings. The tree-part track link gave me headaches even though I am more prepared this time round. Boy, I wish they could include their new DS tracks as in their M4A2 Tarawa kit.