Achtung! Jabo!

Historical Background

Even before the Hawker Hurricane entered production in May 1937, its designer, Sydney Camm (later Sir Sydney) has started the design for its successor. Two designs, similar but larger than the Hurricane were drawn and were later known simply as 'N' and 'R' , as they were designed to use Napier's Sabre and Rolls-Royce's Vulture engines. Both used 24 cylinders in a 'H' configuration (Sabre) and 'X' arrangement (Vulture) and designed to produce 2,000 hp. Hawker submitted the designs to the Air Ministry in July 1937 but was advised to wait until a specification for a new fighter is issued. After further prompting by Hawker, the Air Ministry issued Specification F.18/37 in March 1938, asking for a fighter which would be able to reach 400 mph (644 km/h) at 15,000 feet (4,600 m). It should be powered by a British engine equipped with a two-stage supercharger and armed with twelve .303 inch Browning machine guns with 500 rounds each, with provision for alternative weaponry.

With government sanction, Camm and his team officially started work on their prototypes. Aircraft R became Hawker Tornado, the development of which was terminated in 1941, following the failure and the termination of its Vulture engines (in Avro's Manchester bomber). Aircraft N was called the Typhoon and both it and the Tornado have their front fuselage structure made up of bolted and welded duralumin or steel tubes covered with skin panels while the rear fuselage was of flush-rivetted, semi-monocoque design. The skin panelling on the forward fuselage are large to allow easy access to the engine and other important equipment. The wing was designed with a small inverted gull-wing bend and with a thickness to chord ratio of 19.5% at the wing root. The thick wing possessed great structural strength, provided a lot of room for armament and fuel and also became a steady gun platform.The thickness however created a large drag rise, preventing speeds from exceeding 410 mph at 20,000 feet. Climb rate and performance also suffered above that height. Because of problems with the Napier Sabre, the Typhoon's first flight only took place on 24 February 1940. Further delays to the programme happened on 15 May 1940 when Lord Beaverbrook ordered that aircraft production would only concentrate on five types (Spitfire, Hurricane, Blenheim, Whitley and Wellington).

Nevertheless, on 3 May 1941, the second prototype, armed with four Hispano Mk II 20 mm cannons flew, as the prototype for Typhoon Mk.IB (the twelve MG-armed version was known as Typhoon 1A).The first production Typhoon first flew just three weeks later, on 27 May 1941. The introduction of the superb Focke Wulf Fw 190 outclassed the main RAF fighter at the time, the Spitfire Mk.V. Therefore, the Typhoons were rushed into service with No.56 and No.609 Squadrons. However, several aircraft were lost to unknown causes and the Air Ministry began consider halting the production of the Typhoon. In August 1942, a test machine was lost over Thorpe, killing the pilot. Investigations revealed that the elevator mass balance has torn away causing an intense flutter to the rear fuselage. This caused structural failure, tearing the tail away.  To overcome this problem (only partially as there were instances of the tail being ripped away until the end of the type's service life), 20 alloy 'fishplates' were riveted externally across the rear fuselage transport joint.

Another problem, the first actually, and also never fully solved, was carbon monoxide seepage into the cockpit. Despite the lengthening of the exhaust stubs and the sealing of the left cockpit access door (for the 'car-door' type), the problem remained and it became an SOP for a Typhoon pilot to use the oxygen mask from engine start-up to engine shut down. As originally designed, the Typhoon was fitted with a car-door style cockpit doors. This restricted the pilot's visibility and from November 1943 onwards, all production aircraft switched to the 'bubble' canopy, offering greater visibility. In order to have as many as possible bubble-canopied Typhoons for Operation Overlord, conversion kits were produced to convert many of the existing car-door Typhoons. Once operating from forward airfields in Normandy, it was found that the 80% of the dust clouds stirred by propeller wash consisted of hard, abrasive materials causing excessive wear and tear to the engine. A dome deflector was hurriedly designed and fitted. These however has the propensity of being thrown off whenever the engine backfired. They were soon replaced by a drum-shaped filter which has a 'cuckoo-clock' door at the front which opened when sensing pressure changes caused by the engine backfiring. Earlier, when it was determined that the Typhoon can carry loads up to 1,000 lb under each wing, a four-bladed propeller was adopted to increase take-off performance. It was also decided that the larger tailplane of the Hawker Tempest improved the handling characteristics of the Typhoon while carrying its bombload. However the modification programme took time and it was several months before the majority of the Typhoon received the four-bladed propeller and the enlarged tailplane.

The Typhoon did not mature into a reliable aircraft until late 1942. It was at one point almost cancelled but for the strong urges of one of its champions, Squadron leader Roland 'Bee' Beamont of No.609 Squadron who also worked as Hawker's test pilot while being rotated from 'line' service. From late 1942 to early 1943, Typhoon squadrons were based on airfields on England's south  and south-east coasts to intercept the Luftwaffe's nuisance raiders (mainly Fw 190s carrying a single bomb) doing 'tip-and-run' attacks. The Typhoons (and also the first of the Griffon Spitfires) were successful in intercepting these raiders. However, the profile of Typhoon resembled a Fw 190 from certain angles, causing friendly fire incidents. This led to the Typhoons being marked with white noses, and later with black and white stripes under the wings. It was then realised that the Typhoon was more suited to the ground attack role rather than being a pure fighter. The powerful engine allowed it to carry two 1,000 lb bombs and the first 'Bombphoon' squadron, No. 181 was formed in September 1942. A year later, four RP-3 60 lb rocket projectiles were mounted on each wing. Although requiring more skills to use, a full salvo of the rockets from a single Typhoon was said to be an equivalent of a full destroyer's broadside.

The rocket-armed Typhoons formed the basis of the RAF's Second Tactical Air Force. Although interchangeable with bomb racks, line squadrons were specifically assigned as rocket- or bomb-armed units, in order to simplify logistics. It also allowed units to be proficient in one particular weapon. By the time Operation Overlord commenced, 2 TAF had 18 Typhoon squadrons (Fighter Command has another 9 for anti-raider duties). The Typhoon proved to be the most effective ground support aircraft, making interdiction raids against communication and transport targets prior to D-Day and giving direct support on D-Day and beyond. Despite a rather poor hit rate of the rockets, a combined bomb and rocket attack was devastating to the morale of German troops. The usage of air observers, acting as liaison between the troops in contact and air support further increased the effectiveness of Allied air support. Typhoons were used until the end of the war and were totally removed from the inventory in October 1945. 3,317 Typhoons were built, most of them by Gloster.

The Kit

Hasegawa released their first 1/48 Hawker Typhoon, a car-door version, in 1998. This was followed by the bubbletop version in 1999. As 'Kings of Reboxings' they re-released the two Typhoon types in the following years with different markings. The kit I used here was released in 2003. The parts were spread among 13 medium grey and one clear sprues, some poly caps plus the usual decal and instruction sheets. The parts, as usual, are well moulded and feature nice engraved surface detail. In order to save production costs, the main fuselage was moulded sans the mid-upper part. These were moulded separately so that Hasegawa can mould just the cockpit area for the car-door and bubbletop versions. The decal sheet provide markings for two aircraft:

- ZY-B / MN316, No. 247 (China British) Squadron

- HF-L / JR128, No.183 Squadron

Construction

As usual construction started at the cockpit. Hasegawa provided the basics of a Typhoon cockpit, including a separate tubular framework. There is some confusion about the colour of the cockpit but I decided to go with Hasegawa's recommendation of British Interior Green. The colour was a mixture of Tamiya XF-21 Sky, XF-5 Flat Green and XF-65 Field Grey. The assembly was then cemented to the right fuselage half, along with the XF-1 Flat Black-painted radiator. The fuselage inserts were then cemented to the respective sides of the fuselage halves.They fit OK to the main fuselage but when the fuselage were mated, there was quite a sizeable gap down the spine. which I couldn't eradicate fully. The two-piece horizontal tail was cemented together and mated to the fuselage with no fuss. After the cement has cured, I found that bubble-top Typhoons have flat black interiors with natural metal seats!

Before assembling the wings, holes were drilled into the lower wing half for the rocket pylons and the entry footstep. The upper wing halves were then mated to the lower half and the entire assembly was then cemented to the fuselage. While other modellers said there wasn't any problems here, I found a gap and each of the wing roots; but nothing too serious. The radiator flap was put in place and as usual, the landing gear parts were left off at this time.

Painting and Decalling

RAF tactical aircraft in Europe after 1941 were painted Medium Sea Grey (bottom) and a camouflage pattern of Ocean Grey and Dark Green. The paints I used for the colours are Tamiya XF-83 (Medium Sea Grey) and XF-81 (Dark Green). IPMS Stockholm suggested that XF-54 is a good match for Ocean Grey and that's what I use, although I modify it a bit by adding XF-18 Medium Blue. The ID band on the leading edge and propeller blade tips were painted XF-3 Flat Yellow. The prop spinner was painted XF-21 Sky while the blades were painted Flat Black. The wheel bay and landing gear were painted Gunze 8 Silver. Being invasion stripe-challenged, I chose the markings for HF-L. Looking at a photo HF-L/JR128 in flight, I noticed a slightly different camouflage pattern than suggested by Hasegawa, so I touched up the relevant areas and thankfully the tonal difference was not that apparent. The decals were then applied the usual way. There were also a number of stencils seen in the photo but was nowhere seen on the decal sheet.

Finishing

As usual, I started by assembling the landing gear and then cementing them to the fuselage. Because of the flat spot on the tire, the tail wheel was cemented first. The main wheels were then cemented and adjusted so that the flat area is well, flat to the surface.The rocket rails, which was painted separately were then fixed to their places under the wings, followed by the rocket projectiles. The propeller assembly was inserted into place and was followed by the canopy. A wash using watercolour sludge technique was used and the model received a layer of Flat Clear to finish. And one thing I didn't realise until the model was finished was that the starboard landing light has already been omitted and faired over on production, bubble-canopy Typhoons. Fairly typical of my builds...... 

Conclusion

Apart from older Monogram offering, I guess the Hasegawa Typhoons are the only game in town for that aircraft in 1/48 scale (the Italeri offering is a reboxing of Hasegawa kit). On the plus side, the kit has good overall detail, on the inside and on the surface. On the negative side, chief among them was that fuselage insert (although, I think, with careful handling, it might fit without problems). . And finally, the bad fit between the wing and the fuselage. Nevertheless, it was still an enjoyable build. And as a postcript, JR128, the aircraft I represented here did not served in No. 183 Squadron during the war - it only received the 'HF' code during trials with rocket launchers at Hawker's factory. It was transferred to No.181 Squadron on 7 August 1944 before being lost over Falaise on the 18th of the same month.

Deadly Whispers In The Dark

Historical Background

Due to the delays in the development and production of the Westland Whirlwind twin-engined fighter, the Bristol Aeroplane Company suggested to the Air Ministry an interim fighter aircraft developed from the company's Beaufort torpedo/strike aircraft. Bristol proposed a fixed four-cannon and also a turret-mounted twin cannon versions - the former was preferred by the Assistant Chief of the Air Staff. As the Beaufort has a rather modest performance, Bristol suggested their own Hercules radial engine to power this new aircraft to get the fighter-like performance. Since the 'new' aircraft was basically a fighter Beaufort, development and production was thought to be faster than with a totally new design. The Air Ministry issued a draft Specification F.11/37 written around Bristol's suggestion. To further speed up the process, Bristol took a partially complete Beaufort airframe off the production line in order to build the first prototype. Although it was thought that re-using Beaufort components would speed up the development process, the fuselage needed more work and had to be completely redesigned. Despite the problems, the prototype first flew on 17 July 1939, just eight months after the design had started. Because the aircraft was basically the fighter version of the Beaufort, it was called the 'Beaufighter'.

As mentioned before, the Bristol Taurus radial engine powering the Beaufort was not powerful enough for a fighter, so it was replaced by the Hercules engine (its Mark II version producing 1,356 hp at 4,000 feet). The extra power of the Hercules however produced excessive vibration, so they were mounted on a longer, more flexible struts. This however upset the CG of the aircraft. To solve this, the nose was shortened, putting most of the fuselage behind the wing and gave the Beaufighter its characteristic stubby appearance. Expected shortage of the Hercules prompted the conversion of three Beaufighters to use Rolls-Royce's Merlin inline engine in February 1940 (as Beaufighter Mk.II). The Merlin however caused the aircraft to be underpowered and gave it a tendency to swing to port, making take-offs and landings difficult and this in turn led to a high attrition rate. One-third of all Merlin-powered Beaufighters were lost in accidents.

As the Beaufighter was derived from the Beaufort, it were basically identical with regards to the wings, aft fuselage, landing gears and the control surfaces. In other areas it was different from its predecessor. The navigator/bomb-aimer and rear gunner positions were eliminated, leaving the pilot in a fighter-style cockpit. The navigator/radio operator position was relocated to the rear under a small perspex bubble where the Beaufort's rear turret had been. The bomb bay was omitted  and four 20-mm Hispano cannons were mounted under the fuselage. The cannons were supplemented by six wing-mounted Browning .303 machine guns; four starboard, two port. When the Beaufighter found its primary mission in anti-shipping strikes later in the war, the cannons were used to supress enemy anti-aircraft fire (the machine guns had mainly been removed by this time) while the main attack was made using bombs, rockets or torpedoes. By fighter standards however, the Beaufighter was quite slow and heavy with a top speed of 540 km/h at 5,000 m and an all-up weight of 7,000 kg. It was all the RAF had at the time however, as production of the Westland Whirlwind had been stopped due to the problems with its Rolls-Royce Peregrine engines.

The first production Beaufighter was delivered for trials with the Fighter Interception Unit at RAF Tangmere on 12 August 1940 while the first operational aircraft were delivered to No.29 Squadron and No.604 Squadron on 2 September of the same year. At about the same time, the British also came up with their airborne interception radar sets. The general spaciousness and the low-mounted cannons of the Beaufighter enabled the system to be easily fitted. Even with a higher all-up weight (now risen to 9,100 kg), it was still fast enough to intercept the German night bombers. By early 1941, it was effective enough to counter the German Blitz raids. The Mark IF was succeeded by the Mark VIF, equipped with a Mark VIII AI radar in March 1942. The Beaufighter was also used by four USAAF night fighter squadrons until mainly replaced by Northrop P-61 Black Widow in 1944. In RAF service, the Beaufighter was eventually taken over by the night fighter versions of the De Havilland Mosquito.

The Beaufighter was however best known as an anti-shipping platform. In May 1941, the Mk. IC heavy fighter entered service with a detachment of No.252 Squadron at Malta. It proved so effective against shipping, aircraft and ground targets around the Mediterranean so that Coastal Command became the major user, replacing the less capable Beaufort and Blenheim. By mid-1942, Coastal Command received the uprated Mk.VIC and by the end of that year, the Mk.VICs began to be equipped with torpedo-carrying gear. The TF. Mk X, known as 'Torbeau' was created when the Mk. VIC was re-engined with a pair of Bristol Hercules Mk.XVII, developing 1,735 hp at 500 feet.  The Mark X became the main production version of the Beaufighter. In 1943, the 'herringbone' ASV radar was replaced by a centimetric AI Mk VIII radar housed in a timble-node radome, allowing day and night, all-weather attacks using torpedoes and 60-lb rockets. Apart from Northern European and Mediterranean waters, the Beaufighter was also used in South-East Asia and the Pacific, where it was allegedly nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by the Japanese, supposedly because the aircraft were often not heard (nor seen) until it was too late. This was mainly because the Hercules engine used the quieter sleeve, rather than poppet, valves common to other aero-engines.

The Kit

Tamiya has released three kits of the Beaufighter in 1/48 scale with this kit (61053) being the first in 1997. The parts are spread among six medium grey and one clear plastic sprues plus Tamiya's ubiquitous poly caps and the usual decal and instruction sheets. Unlike the same company's Mosquito kits (especially the FB.VI), there wasn't any detailing for the cannon bays. The cockpit detail is underwhelming  and I believe many modelers would substitute them with an aftermarket replacement. The wing was moulded in five parts so that correct wing dihedral can be achieved. The model can be made into a Mark VIF night fighter with radar parts or attack aircraft (Mark VIC) with rockets. Some parts were marked 'not for use' (which are for the TF.X, eventually released in 1999), A Mark VIC with a thimble nose radome can be built using the relevant part but modellers doing so have to find their own markings. The kit was rather redundantly  re-issued in 1999 as  Mark VI Night Fighter with the same parts breakdown as kit 61053, although moulded in black plastic. The decal sheet provide markings for three aircraft:

1. Mk. VIC 'V' / T9068, No. 272 Squadron, Malta 1942
2. Mk. VIF 'ZJ-R' / V8748, No. 96 Squadron, Scotland 1943
3. Mk. VIF 'BQ-I' / X8023, No.600 Squadron

Construction

As usual with aircraft kits, construction started at the cockpit, or in this case, the crew compartment. The details inside the cockpit was rather disappointing for a 1/48 Tamiya kit with the bare minimum of details. Anyway, the whole of the compartment and the sidewall details were painted Tamiya XF-71 Cockpit Green. This colour was actually meant for Japanese aircraft but I find it matches the British Interior Green. Smaller details, where appropriate, were painted XF-1 Flat Black. Once the paint has dried, decals were applied for the instrument panel and the seat belts. While the instrument panel decals received an application decal softener, the seat belts were not, to avoid the painted-on look. Of course, it would be better if I used PE seat belts instead. Although figures for the crew were included, as always I discarded them.

The wing assembly were next and it was started by mating the upper and lower halves. Since I chose to build the night fighter version, holes were opened in the leading edge for the radar aerials. The crew access hatch was meant to be moveable but I glued it in the closed position. The instructions has you complete the landing gears and then inserting them into the wing nacelles but skipped this part. Instead I went straight to assembling the engines. They are fairly detailed but Tamiya have the two cylinder banks moulded as one, together with the firewall. The engines were painted silver with heavy washes of Tamiya X-19 Smoke, rather than painting them steel (and dry-brushed silver). The wing assembly was then mated to the fuselage followed by the assembly of the tail surfaces. To facilitate painting, the exhausts were left off at this time.

Painting and Decalling

After masking all openings and clear parts, I started the painting process at the engine cowl. Gunze 10 Copper was used. After the paint has dried, the cowl lip was masked, together with the engine openings and the landing gear wells. After deciding to use the markings for No.600 Squadron, the whole of the model was painted Tamiya TS-6 Matt Black. To tone down the black, a random layer of XF-63 German Grey was applied, this also has a bit of weathering effect on the model (I hope!). The decals were then applied. There aren't much this particular aircraft as the black paint (officially called 'Night' and was later found to be counterproductive) obliterates all the stencilling so none were applied, just the national insignia, squadron codes and the registration number. I however neglected to lay a layer of gloss so the registration number and the two-letter squadron codes suffer from silvering, despite repeated washes of Mr Mark Softer.

Finishing

As usual, I started with the undercarriage. Since the part to which the main landing gear struts can be inserted later, it was much easier to assemble this particular component. I have to wait until the cement hardened properly before inserting the assembly into the wheel well to avoid distortions. Now that the model can stand on its feet, I proceeded with the propellers and the unique exhausts (maybe not that unique, as the Hampden was also fitted with same type of 'warty' exhausts). The exhausts were painted the same colour as the cowling lip but I added Tamiya Weathering Master Rust to it. The propeller hub was painted X-18 Semi-Gloss Black while the prop blades were painted XF-69 NATO Black. The last parts cemented to the model were the rather vulnerable radar aerials on the nose and the wings. They were painted on the sprue, gingerly cut off and carefully inserted into place. As the Night scheme is real flat, the sealing spray was done using Gunze Super Clear Flat.

Conclusion

Well, since it's a Tamiya model. what else but crisp details and prominently, ease of construction? OK, while it was a typical Tamiya scale model kit, there are a number of goofs anyway. Chief of them is the relative lack of details for the inside. Sure, an injection moulded cockpit won't really have the same level of detail as a resin one, but at least, have details that matched the current state of the art for injection moulding. Another shortcoming was the rather uninspired choice of markings, be it a maritime strike Beau from Malta or the night defender of the UK. Tamiya tried to cover this by releasing the night fighter version of the kit, but the markings remain rather bland (while night fighter by design were rather plain-looking, what at least Tamiya can do is to pick up the drawing/colours of ace-status Beau pilots.

Addendum : I only realise this glaring error (I think) about a fortnight after writing this blog entry: Tamiya has the builder use the sand filter-equipped carburettor air intake (the long one) for all marking options. I strongly believe that this was only correct for the Malta bird and not for the other two, which used the shorter intake (they are on the sprue). Technically it was still right for the No.600 aircraft, as they were transferred to the Mediterranean theatre following Operation Torch. However, I also believe that by that time, the squadron ID has been changed from Sky to Dull Red, making it inaccurate either way.

Sky Shark

Historical Background

By the 1970s, the Soviet Defence Ministry decided that the Mil Mi-24 was not going to meet future Red Army requirements. On the Ministry's advice, a new resolution was passed by the Central Committee of the Communist Party and the Council of Soviet Ministers to develop a new combat helicopter which could be fielded by the Soviet Army in the 1980s and beyond. The main task of this helicopter is to destroy enemy armoured forces close to the edge of the forward battle area (FEBA). Two design bureaus with extensive experience between them, Kamov and Mil was chosen to compete. Kamov's designers, led by Sergei Mikheyev, believed that the task of flying, navigating, target detection and tracking can be automated to a degree that a single crew member can perform all the functions. The designers also have survivability in mind, incorporating armour around the cockpit and other vital areas and also redundant systems. Crew survivability is enhanced by installing an ejector seat, the Zvezda K-37-800. The prototype, designated V-80 was rolled out in June 1982 and first flew on 23 July of the same year.

The V-80 was further developed into V-80Sh-1. The latter model was chosen for production by the Council Of Ministers on 14 December 1987, after competitive trials against the rival Mi-28 design. The actual order for production was however only given in 1990. In March 1992, during a symposium in the United Kingdom, the V-80Sh-1 was publicly described as 'Ka-50'. The Ka-50 was revealed to the public at Mosaeroshow '92 held at Zhukovskiy / Ramenskoye Airport in August 1992. The second prototype was displayed at the Farnborough Airshow in September of the same year, painted with an image of a werewolf on its rudder, earning it the 'Werewolf' nickname. The fifth prototype was used in a movie titled 'Chernaya Akula' (Black Shark), after which the Ka-50 earned its lasting nickname (NATO codenamed the helicopter as 'Hokum'). Although proposed to be the replacement for the Mi-24, the collapse of the Soviet Union curtailed defence spending and only 65 were operational by 2011. At the same time the Mi-28 was also ordered into production and the Hakum was selected to be the special forces' support aircraft while the Havoc (Mi-28) was chosen to be the main helicopter gunship of the Russian army.

The Ka-50 featured Kamov helicopters' distinctive feature: the contra-rotating, co-axial main rotors with no tail rotor. This allow aerobatics usually not possible with conventional helicopters and also allowing a higher speed. The lack of tail rotor also allows 100% engine power be used for the main rotors and reduce vulnerability to ground fire. The ejection seat is novel in a helicopter. Before the seat is deployed, explosive charges in the rotor hub jettisoned the blades first. The Hokum is also fitted with electronic radio and sighting-piloting-navigating systems that allow day and night operations in all weather conditions. For self protection, the helicopter is fitted with radar warning receiver, electronic warfare system and chaff and flare dispenser. The cockpit is protected by armour plates against armour-piercing 12.7 mm bullets and 23 mm fragmentation cannon rounds. The Ka-50 is armed with a 2A42 30 mm cannon mounted semi-rigidly on the right side of the fuselage and provided with 460 armour-piercing, fragmentation and/or explosive incendiary rounds. Six external hardpoints on the stub wings can carry up to 2,000 kg of ordnance including up to 12 9K121 Vikhr (AT-16 Scallion) anti-tank missiles.

In December 2000, a pair of Ka-50s were sent to the Chechnya to join the Russian Army operations against the Chechen separatists. Along with the pair was a Ka-29 to provide reconnaissance and target designation. On 6 January 2001, the Ka-50 fired its first shots 'in anger'. On 9 January, one of the Ka-50s, escorted by a Mi-24, used unguided 80 mm S-8 rockets to destroy an ammunition dump near the settlement of Komsomolskoye. On 6 February, the two Ka-50s, escorted by the Ka-29 destroyed a fortified insurgent camp in a mountainous, forested area near the village of Tsentoroj using two Vikhr missiles. Finally on 14 February, eight targets were destroyed in the Oak-Yurt and Hatun areas.  For the time being, the Ka-50 was only operated by the Russian Air Force. The Ka-50 was developed into the Ka-50N and Ka-50Sh night-capable helicopter, but no orders were forthcoming. A twin-seat version was also developed - the Ka-52 'Alligator' which so far enjoyed a better export success, with 50 being ordered by Egypt.

The Kit

Italeri released their kit of the Hokum in 1993 with Tamiya re-releasing it under their label in the next year. Unlike their Mi-28 kit (named simply 'Soviet Attack Helicopter', which was based on speculative DoD drawings), the Ka-50 kit was more accurate, at least in general shape and outline (I'm not a rivet counter anyway). The Tamiya version was moulded in their usual tan/light sand-coloured styrene (the original was moulded in a dark, brownish-black plastic). The parts are spread among two solid and one clear sprue and featured finely raised panel lines (even though the trend was moving towards engraved panel lines at that time). Exterior stores include a pair of S-8 rocket tubes and 12 Vikhr missiles plus the 2A42 cannon. Holes for the weapons pylons have been pre-drilled into the stub wings. Decals provide markings for two aircraft, and since the kit came in the early 1990s, they did not represent operational machines. One was '018', a test machine at Akthoubinsk in 1991 (camouflaged) and the other is the Farnborough '92 participant in overall black.

Construction

As always, construction of an aircraft model started at the cockpit. For this build however, I substituted the kit cockpit with the excellent resin replacement from Neomega. It was painted according to the kit instructions and set aside for a while. next, the instructions have you partially assemble the rotor assembly (the drive shaft and rotor heads). I think that this might lead to breakage so I just glued the together the base (Parts B7, B8, B9 and B11) and inserted them in the starboard fuselage half. The cockpit was then superglued and the fuselage was closed up, with the cockpit nicely fitting in. The same however cannot be said with the fuselage halves which have a bad fit, resulting in a seam along the fuselage (although I think, with proper attention and due dilligence, it can be overcome, or at least minimised). While admiring the details of the Neomega set, I can't help but worry whether they would be visible when the canopy is in place.

And yes, when the canopy was in place, it nearly obscures most of the interior. I coud have the entry door in the open position but I decided to have it closed. Hmmmmphh. The canopy itself is problematic with rather major alignment problem - glue it to fuselage and there will be a step between the canopy top and the upper fuselage; aligning it with the top will create a gap at the bottom.The engine fairings and the air intakes were assembled and cemented to the fuselage with no fit problems. The exhausts were left off at this time. The stub wings were assembled and attached to the fuselage but like the exhausts, the weapons pylons were also left off. The tails, while falling at existing panel lines, the gap looked a bit deeper than usual because of the less than perfect fit. As they would also interfere with painting, the landing gears, air data probe and the cannon were also left off.

Painting and Decalling

As mentioned before, the painting options are for two non line birds (one airshow demonstrator, the other for evaluation purposes). I wasn't keen on any of them so I looked for other options. While browsing the internet, I came across Begemot Decals website showcasing their products. They also kindly allow users to download their instruction sheets. The decal sheets for the Ka-50 still consist of test birds but I spotted one, just one, colour scheme of an operational combat test Black Shark in Chechnya. It has the same camo pattern as '018' in the kit's decal sheet but that's where the similarity ends. The kit has the camouflage in sand/dark green (using XF-59 Desert Yellow and XF-26 Deep Green) while Begemot has it in light green (FS 34227) and Khaki Drab (Tamiya XF-51(?)). I went for Begemot's suggestion and painted the model Gunze H312 and Tamiya XF-51. The black portion was painted Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. The lower fuselage was painted Tamiya XF-23 Light Blue.

The decals were not used as the Ka-50s sent to Chechnya have all markings, except technical stencils, removed.

Finishing

To start the finishing process I worked from the bottom. I started at the landing gears, allowing the model to stand on its wheels. The weapons then received my attention. The S-8 rocket pods were painted silver; the Vikhr missile tubes were painted XF-64 Red Brown and XF-1 Flat Black. The missile racks were glued to the pylons first before cementing the weapons themselves to ensure proper alignment. Once that was done, the exhausts were assembled. Unfortunately they are moulded 'short', leaving a gap in the plates inside the exhausts. It can be rectified but lacking the proper tools, I decided to leave it as it is. I concentrated on the rotors. Italeri had the rotor blades molded 'straight', with no droop, which is almost always seen on idle choppers. To have the droop, I immerse the rotor blades in hot water, and then gently bending them. Weathering was done just to highlight some of the panel lines and rivets. As the paint on the real aircraft was flat, the model received a layer of Gunze Super Clear Flat spray.

Conclusion

Italeri's (and Tamiya by association) 1/72 Kamov Ka-50 helicopter can be described as a curate's egg. Although I don't bother measuring the kit and compared it to official drawings, it does look like a Ka-50. The details, although mainly of the raised variety is quite acceptable. The major letdown is the fit with almost everything having gaps and steps, plus that 'short-shot' exhausts. I also have to add that the cannon is also a bit disappointing as it lacked detail, being externally mounted and all.