Krapp Plastik Werke AG

School Plane

2011-01-05T15:29:00.001+08:00

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

2010-12-21T14:58:00.002+08:00

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

2010-11-25T12:51:00.022+08:00

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!

2008-09-11T10:18:00.007+08:00

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!

2008-09-02T11:39:00.005+08:00

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

2008-08-25T16:54:00.005+08:00

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

2008-08-18T12:40:00.012+08:00

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.

Steel Joe

2008-08-12T10:39:00.006+08:00

Dragon 1/35 IS-2m UZTM Production Type "Chinese Volunteer"

Background

Encounters with the German Tiger and Panther tanks starting from mid-1943 causes the Russian High Command to look for upgrades or new designs to their armored forces. The T-34 was a reliable machine and only required upgunning, which led to the 85mm gun armed T-34/85. The KV series however were critised by their crews for their low mobility and lack of heavy armament. The High Command decided to create a new tank, starting with a stopgap design - KV-85. At the same time a new tank program was started, using the KV-13 design with better armament and better armor layout. By this time, because Marshal Kliment Voroshilov has fallen out of political favor, the new tanks series was named Iosef (or Josef) Stalin.

The first variant, IS-1 was armed with the 85mm gun. However, as the T-34 has been armed with the same gun and that the Red Army was now on the offensive, it was decided to re-arm the series with 122mm gun, known as the IS-2. Only about 100 IS-1 were completed and most were converted to IS-2 standard. The new IS series went into action in February 1944 and was a hit with their crews. The IS were deployed in independent heavy tank regiments and were employed as breakthrough tanks. However, the IS still have weaknesses, one of them is that it was deemed that the frontal protection was insufficient against the last versions of the German long 75mm and 88mm guns. Armor thickness and angle was modified to improve protection. In the West at least, the tanks were known as IS-2m (or IS-2 Model 1944 to the Soviets). There two subtypes: the Chelyabinsk factory (ChKZ) built tanks have one piece nose whilst the Ural plant (UZTM) has welded two-piece nose.

IS-2s fought all the way to Berlin and many were photographed in front of famous Berlin landmarks such as the Reichstag building and the Brandenburg Gate. The design also influenced tank designs on both sides of the Iron Curtain. It and its successor, the IS-3 was exported to satellite and client states and the Soviets/Russians only withdrew the IS-2 from (reserve) service in the mid-1990s!

The Kit

The one I build is kit 6804 from Dragon's Korean War series. Despite the title, the kit is also suitable for World War 2. In fact, of the six marking options, only one is actually for the PLA. Overall the kit looks good, especially the surface texture which nicely simulates the rough cast steel of the real thing. However, on the negative side, many modelers have noted that there isn't much room between the fenders and tracks - it should be a couple of milimeters higher and that the muzzle brake is qlso undersized. However as this was meant to be an OOB build, I'm not going to do any corrections.

Construction

As usual with me, construction starts with the cockpit...sorry wrong genre. Construction starts with the lower hull. Nothing much to say here except that cutting, cleaning up and fitting 24 roadwheels, four idler wheels, 12 return rollers and four sprocket wheels is tedious! Once complete, I decided to paint the lower hull first using a concoction of Tamiya paints, which may or may not be an accurate match for the Russian 4BO green. Next came a new chapter in my modeling life - separate track links. The IS was my first encounter with separate links and I have to say that I am quite anxious. Despite positive reviews on The Net, I found that the links have very tight fit that I had to slice bits off the mating surfaces. Oh, I also pre-painted the links beforehand. Whilst the cement is drying, I bend the top run of the tracks to represent the sagging 'dead' tracks of the real vehicle. I had such a trauma with the links that I suspended construction for nearly two months while I sought solace with the more familiar plane models and Tamiya tanks (which have vinyl links). However, once recovered I found that separate links are so much better, especially for 'dead' tracks such as used on the majority of Russian tanks. However there are two ejection pin marks on each of the tracks, which I didn't bother to remove.

Once complete, attention was given to the upper hull. And as mentioned before, there wasn't much room between the fenders and the tracks. Fit was also not very good. Lacking the proper equipment and materials (at that time) the gaps were left open. It was hoped that the spare track links could cover the front one (what a wishful thinking!)

Moving on to the turret, there is not much to comment here except that the rear MG was left off until after painting to avoid breakage.

Painting and Markings

The tank was painted a concoction I found on the internet which is 10 parts XF61, 2 parts XF2 Flat White and 1 part XF3 Flat Yellow plus extra 20 percent XF2 for scale effect. As mentioned before, I'm not sure this is an accurate match for the Russian 4BO Green. I then applied the markings as per the instructions. For this build I choose markings from the 104th Guards Heavy Tank Regiment, 7th Guards Tank Brigade, Berlin 1945. The symbol of this unit, a Polar Bear superimposed on a Red Star is depicted on the turret sides. White ID stripes were also painted on the turret roof and sides in order to avoid friendly fire. And on tank 414 a slogan (translated as 'Combat Friend') was also painted on the turret back. Dragon provides all the markings as decals. However they look too neat as the real markings were hand-painted (except the Bear/Star I guess) So after applying the decals the usual way, what better method to simulate brush painting than brush painting? I apply XF2 over the decals and added some drip marks to accentuate the effect. The model is then given a wash using the usual wash mixture.

FIBUA would involve lots of dust from destroyed buildings and as this tank was depicted in Berlin, it was liberally covered in highly diluted Tamiya XF57 Buff. I also added some light greys to represent concrete dust. A little chipping was added using 2B Pencil, which was also used to highlight the tracks. Finally, some fuel spillage, using a mix of X19 Smoke and Clear Green and Clear Yellow was applied on the external fuel tanks.

Conclusion

Phew! With hindsight, I believe the 'difficulties' in building this kit might probably be just me. Despite my early misgivings with the separate track links, I heartily recommend this medium especially for 'dead' track vehicles such as the Russian and German tanks. Anyone with an interest in World War 2 tanks should have this important tank in their collection. The kit is sadly no longer in the Dragon catalogue. However, Dragon has listed an IS-2 under its 'Premium Edition' line and is awaiting release.

Recently, whilst reading my copy of the 'Cold War' book, I came across a photo of '414' in Berlin. In the photo, '414' was not armed with the 12.7mm DShK heavy MG. The MG remain attached to my model though because I decided to use creative licence...haha.

A Large Hunting Dog

2008-08-05T11:36:00.004+08:00

Zvezda 1/72 MiG-31B Foxhound

Background

The MiG-31, known to NATO as 'Foxhound' was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a supersonic interceptor to replace the MiG-25 'Foxbat'. Weaknesses of the Foxbat such as lack of maneuverability, short operational radius and excess weight have been rectified by increased titanium and aluminium content in its airframe, usage of low-bypass turbofan to increase fuel efficiency and extra fuel tankage. New Zaslon S-800 radar with look-down/shoot down capability and multi-target tracking was also introduced in order to give more autonomy to the crew. New armamanet was also introduced in the shape of long-range R-33 (NATO : AA-9 'Amos'). The earlier R-40 (AA-6 Acrid) and the shorter-ranged R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) and R-73 (AA-11 Archer) IR-guided missiles. The Amos is the Soviets' equivalent of the AIM-54 Phoenix missile.

The B variant of the Foxhound was introduced in 1990. It featured a new version of the Zaslon radar but otherwise similar to the original variant.

The Kit
For this build, I'm using Zvezda's Mig-31B kit. The kit is molded in a light grey styrene with a rather thick sprue gate. The panel lines would resemble a Western Front trench lines if enlarged to 1:1 scale! Interior detail is rather sparse and the ejection seats are best replaced with resin products. I also found that the clear parts are rather thick. Marking is provided for one aircraft, Blue 74 of 786th GIAP, Pravdinsk in 1995.

Construction

As always construction starts with the cockpit. MiG cockpits are painted in a shade of blue-green which is rather hard to capture (especially when I didn't have the correct paints at the time). My cockpit ended up greener than it should be. Also to note that this is my first modern aircraft kit, having built WW2 ones previously. Lacking proper information from the instruction sheet, I painted the whole cockpit, including seats and internal cockpit framing light green! Once dry, I applied the decals, which are provided for the dashboards only.

The fuselage is then closed up. I have to sand the seams on the nose and the tail area, otherwise the fit is OK. Zvezda provided two positions for the intake ramp and I choose the 45 degree position. No bulkhead or engine face is provided which means you can see all the way through the fuselage (until the exhaust is fitted, that is). The rest of the build goes without a problem. Small parts were left off until after decaling.

Painting and markings
According to the instructions, the fuselage is painted FS 36375 (which makes wonder whether the Russians refer to US Federal Standards in the first place!). Anyway it was painted so using a mixture of Tamiya paints. Nose cone and dielectric panels were painted FS36118, also using Tamiya paint mixes. Landing gear wells were painted FS36320 and the wheels were painted Tamiya XF58 Olive Green.

Decals are then applied. My example has yellowed and were very noticeable on the pale grey fuselage. Apart from the Red Stars, bort numbers and the Russian coat of arms, there is only a small number of stencils.

The model is then completed when I attach all the small parts, the landing gears and the canopies.

Back to the paint shop

A few months back, while browsing at Hobby HQ Kuala Lumpur, I came across Begemot Decals Sheet 72-006. Not only does this sheet has more marking options, it also has a more comprehensive stencils compared to the kit sheet and also decals for the cockpit side console. Not only that, it is also quite cheap! Without much hesitation, I bought it. Also in the meantime, I found out that the actual color of the Foxhound is not straight FS36375 and someone suggested an 80:20 mixture of FS36375 and FS36320. So after soaking the original kit decals in Mr Mark Softer, I pulled the now fragile decals off using strips of Tamiya tape. The paint was then stripped off using Easy-Off Bang kitchen cleaner.

Having realised that modern warplanes is painted differently from their WW2 ancestors, I repainted the K-36 bangseats according to the guide I found on the internet. The inner frame of the canopy is now painted flat black using Tamiya XF-1. The whole airframe was then painted according to the mixture above. I decided not to add washes as it would merely highlight the trench-like panel lines!

Once the paint is dry it's time for re-decaling. I decided on the rather colourful markings of Foxhound 'Red 08' assigned to the 174 GIAP at Monchegorsk, Kola Peninsula in 1995. The 174th was named 'Boris Safonov' after the Soviet World War 2 fighter ace, who fought in the same region during the German invasion. 'Red 08' was a MiG-31 rather than -31B. However, no major surgery was made to the kit as the difference is mainly internal.

Conclusion
Ok, Zvezda's kits are not of the same level with Tamigawa's. However, their generally lower price makes great enticement to buy their kits. Whilst OOB the kit is fine enough, detaillers might want to replace kit parts with aftermarket resin, PE, white metal or vacform parts plus filling and rescribing the panel lines.

Eagle Fly Free

2008-08-03T11:38:00.006+08:00

Hasegawa 1/72 F-15C Eagle 'Gulf Spirit'

Background

Arguably the finest fighter aircraft ever built, the F-15 first flew in July 1972. It was originally designed to counter the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat, which, until 1976 was thought to be an advanced air superiority fighter. After deciding that the Navy's VFX programme (which led to the Tomcat) as unsuitable for its needs, the USAF brass initiated the FX program in 1968. Four companies submitted their proposal of which McDonnell Douglas's entry was announced as the winner in 1969. The first airframe, an F-15B was delivered in November 1974 whilst the famous 'Triple Nickel' Squadron received the first single seat F-15A in January 1976. In 1978, the improved F-15C and D entered service, supplanting the A and B models In 1993, the Multi Stage Improvement Program (MSIP) was initiated with the first F-15C MSIP produced in 1985. Improvements include programmable armament control set, allowing the carriage of later versions of the Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles and also the new AIM-120 AMRAAM, improved radar and also better ECM and RW equipments.

The F-15 currently has the best kill-loss ratio in the history of air warfare - 100 to 0!

The Kit

The kit used for this build is the reboxed Hasegawa kit E13. This kit replaced the earlier, less detailed kit no. C6. Parts are divided among 7 sprues plus one clear sprue. Details are sharp with petit panel lines. There are no weapons included (as usual!) Decals are provided for three aircraft.

Building

Almost invariably, building starts with the pilot's office. I discarded the kit's bang seat and installed Neomega's excellent resin replacement in its place. The interior is then painted Gunze Sangyo H317. According to instructions, the avionics bay behind the cockpit should be painted metallic blue-green. However, after making queries on the ARC Forum boards, I found out that for MSIP aircraft, the bay is painted white. The bay is duly painted so, as I have already decided to build airframe 85-102 (which is an MSIP aircraft). The rest of the build went on without much problem except for the exhaust nozzles, which is quite fiddly. I also replaced the kit's Sidewinder launch rails with the ones that come in Hasegawa's US Aircraft Weapons V.

That same weapons set is also used to arm my Eagle. I read somewhere that US Eagles received the then-new AMRAAM during the final stages of the First Gulf War so I include them, replacing two of the Sidewinders.

Painting and Markings

Hasegawa provided three marking options of the planes which have the 'Gulf Spirit' nose art, all of which served with the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida. The first two options are for airframe 85-002 and 85-005 in the current color scheme. The third one is airframe 85-102 during Operation Desert Storm in 36320/36375 scheme. I chose this latter option as it doesn't involve any paint mixing! Kit is painted using Gunze Sangyo acrylics. Once dry, the decals were applied and sealed with Mr Mark Softer.

As a side note, Airframe 85-102 was marked for 33rd CO, Col. Rick Parsons who during Desert Storm, managed to shot down an Iraqi Su-22. However 85-102 was also used by other pilots to shot down two Iraqi planes, hence the three victory symbols on the nose. Rather than the Persian Gulf, the nose art actually refers to the Gulf of Mexico, on which coast Eglin AFB is located. However connections between the art and Persian Gulf is an apt one considering the role the 33rd played during Desert Storm.

Conclusion

One of the most satisfying build I have ever attempted. Now, will anyone PLEEEEAAASE kit a decent F-15E in 1/72?

Slow But Deadly

2008-07-24T09:13:00.004+08:00

Accurate Miniatures 1/48 Douglas SBD Dauntless Battle Of The Coral Sea

Background

The Douglas SBD Dauntless dive-bomber was the primary attack arm of the United States Navy from mid 1940 until 1943 when it was supplanted by the Curtiss SB2C Helldiver. The Dauntless was also arguably one of the most decisive weapons of World War 2 when they tear the heart out of the Japanese Kido Butai at Midway in June 1942. The Dauntless entered service in 1940 when the USMC received the SBD-1 version. The SBD-3 entered service in early 1941 and featured self-sealing fuel tanks and increased protection.

The Kit

The Accurate Miniatures kit of the SBD is hailed my modelers worldwide as one of if not the best kit in the world. The word Accurate is definitely not merely a hype! The parts come bagged in separate bags and the clear parts, decals and the instruction sheet is hidden under a false bottom, which features a nice profile of the SBD. The AM instruction sheet is definetly not the norm with written instructions supplementing the diagrams. Furthermore I have never seen any other kit manufacturers put a 'READ THE INSTRUCTIONS AND FOLLOW THE STEPS CAREFULLY' warning!

Building

Apart from the instruction sheet, I browse around the internet to look for build reviews of the kit. Whilst obediently following the instruction sheet, I found out that certain steps have to be done out of synch. For example the map table - if one follows the instructions, I wonder what kind of calisthenics one's fingers have to do in order to fit it inside an already assembled fuselage? However, for the rest of the build, following the instructions fully do pay off. On the other hand, I couldn't manage to fit the canopies well - probably due to my mistakes rather than the kit's flaw. No puttying was needed except for a little bit at the wing root leading edge. AM also gave you three options to pose the dive brakes - fully open, closed or partial. I chose the last option. The small parts such as aerials, pitot tube and the rear MG was left off until after painting.

Painting and markings

Early war US Navy aircraft were painted in a two-tone grey. I painted the lower fuselage using a mixture of Tamiya XF-2 Flat White and XF-19 Sky Grey. For the upper fuselage, I mixed Tamiya XF-18 Medium Blue and XF-2 Flat White. The interiors were painted a mixture of XF-3 Flat yellow and XF-5 Flat Green.

Markings provided are only for a single plane - 'Sail 12' of VS-2 duirng the Battle Of The Coral Sea. This is the plane flown by Lt (jg) John Leppla with gunner ARM3 John Liska during the Battle where, despite flying a dive bomber, the two of them managed to down five Japanese aircraft - Leppla downed three Zeroes DURING the diving run on the light carrier Shoho and a Kate two days later whilst serving as anti-torpedo bomber CAP. Liska also managed to down a pursuing Zero during the same engagement. Leppla, having proven himself as a fighter pilot, was later promoted to Lieutenant posted to VF-10. He was killed in action during the Battle of Santa Cruz Islands. As for 'Sail 12', she went down with the Lexington when the latter was sunk.

AM decals are thin and went down without much trouble. The full designation '2-S-12' was also included even though the actual plane only have the partial codes. Whilst it is not known whether VS-2 still have their squadron logos during the battle, I put them on the model to break the monotony of a two-tone grey scheme. There is one little goof though - the aircraft ID (or whatever it is called) reads SBD-5 whereas this plane is an SBD-3! Oh well, it is small enough and I can get away with it.

The model is later washed using watercolours and sealed with flat clear. Exhaust stains were added using Tamiya X-19 Smoke.

Conclusion
AM kits is recognised as among the best in the hobby. Whilst one might initially be awed/intimidated by the level of detail and the different approach in instructions, it is not really difficult nor troublesome in the end. Too bad I have ran out of space in the display cabinet as I am very keen on their TBF Avenger and Shturmovik kits. Highly recommended.

Italian Thunderbolt

2008-07-23T10:13:00.004+08:00

Hasegawa 1/48 Macchi C.202 Folgore 'Italian Aces'

Background

Macchi C.202 Folgore (Thunderbolt) was a development of the earlier C.200 Saetta and entered service in the summer of 1941. Whilst using the same empennage and wings of the latter, the fuselage was an entirely new design in order to accomodate the the more powerful Daimler-Benz DB601 inline engine. The introduction of inline engines (with higher power output) enabled Italian fighter aircraft to have par performance of other fighters of that timeline such as the Bf 109, P-38 Lightning, P-39 Airacobra, P-40 Warhawk and even the Spitfire. However the Folgore's armament remained its weakest feature, consisting of only two Breda-SAFAT 12.7mm MGs in the nose which were supplemented from Serie VII onwards with an additional two 7.7mm MGs in the wings.

Despite that, the Folgores remain in service until the end of World War 2. Following the collapse of Italy in September 1943, the surviving Macchis were divided between the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force, the Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and the German Luftwaffe.

The Kit

The kit I built is the special boxing of the baseline C.202 kit featuring the markings of Italian aces. The Hasegawa kit consists of 78 parts, however not all are used as some of the parts are meant for the C.205 kit. Quality is typically Hasegawa with crisp panel lines. The decal sheet provides for markings for two aircraft, both from the 4 Stormo - as usual with Hasegawa decals the white is more ivory.

Construction

Construction starts with the cockpit...where else? Once finished I painted it (and the interior walls on the fuselage) XF21 Sky. Kit decals are used to represent the knobs and dials on the dashboard. I then assemble the fuselage and thankfully, there is no need to fill gaps. The flying surfaces come next and there is also no gaps visible on the fuselage-wing joints.

Having decided to build the first option on the markings sheet, I filled the hole for the radio antenna behind the canopy and the Folgore is off to the paint shop.

Painting and markings

As mentioned earlier, I have decided to choose the first option which is the mount of Captain Franco Lucchini, commander of 84a Squadriglia, 10 Stormo in September 1942. This particular aircraft has unusual camo pattern - having large, rather than small patches of olive green common to most Folgores. Furthermore the starboard upper wing is painted in smoke ring pattern camo which are usually found on later marks of the Folgore which means that it was probably a replacement. The undersides were painted a mixture of Tamiya XF2 Flat White and XF66 Light Grey. Topside is painted Tamiya XF59 Desert Yellow and the camo patterns were painted using XF58 Olive Green. The wingtips were painted XF2 Flat White.

Once the paint has cured it's time for decaling. The decals went on without any trouble and were secured using Mr Mark Softer. The model is then weathered using watercolours and finally sealed with Flat Clear.

Conclusion

The Hasegawa kit builds into a fine replica of this important Italian fighter. Add it to your collection of World War 2 fighters now!

American Badass

2008-03-06T09:42:00.008+08:00

DML 1/35 M1A2 SEP Abrams MBT

Background

The M1 Abrams was conceived in the late 1970s as a replacement for the M60 series of MBTs, following the abandonment of the US-German MBT70 project. Named after General Creighton Abrams, the M1 entered service in 1980. In 1985 a new version, M1A1 entered service. This variant of the Abrams introduced the M256 120mm gun, CBRN protection system and improved armor. The M1A2 is a further improvement introducing CITV, GPS, digital databus and a radio interface unit. The M1A2 SEP (Systems Enhancement Package) added digital maps, FBCB2 capabilities and improved cooling systems. All Abrams were powered by a Honeywell AGT1500 gas turbine engine with 1,500hp power output. The M1A2 SEPs did not join the initial phase of the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Kit

Hot on the heels of its well-acclaimed M1A1 AIM, Dragon releases the much anticipated M1A2 SEP. Upon opening the box, I was confronted with a mass of plastic (18 gray and 2 clear), a PE fret, a metal barrel, a short length of wire for tow cables, DS tracks and decal sheet. Also included is a sheet of MRE boxes.

Building

When building this kit, I got help from the nice guys at the Armorama forums and they directed me to Pavel 'Vodnik' Krupowicz's (who happen to be the technical advisor to DML) website where he listed the tips and the tweaks necessary to get a better M1A2 model.

Almost invariably, building started with the lower hull. Details here is superb, especially for the hull rear. However extreme care has to be taken when cutting the engine louvres from their sprue. Placement notches for the suspension are not very noticeable and care has to be taken into consideration in order to get a straight assembly (unless you want to put the tank in a dio). I then assemble the wheels. The centre cap for the wheels are moulded in clear plastic, like the real thing (to facilitate inspection of the wheel lubricants in the real tank) ; I painted them using Tamiya X-19 Smoke. The whole of the lower hull is then painted CARC Sand using a formula I found in Model Military International which is 40 % XF59 Desert Yellow + 40% XF57 Buff + 20% X2 White.

Whilst waiting for the paint to dry, I worked on the tracks. Unlike the AIM kit which uses separate link 'Magic Track', the SEP uses the DS (Dragon Styrene) belt-type tracks. Whilst I have converted to separate link tracks, belt-types are still welcomed by me especially for vehicles with 'live tracks', not to mention being a time-saver. However the SEP kit's tracks feature separate guide teeth. Argggh...not really time saving then! Anyway I found them easy to assemble. Furthermore, I cheated. I only put 55 of them per run instead of all 79! The tracks were then painted a mixture of XF69 NATO Black and XF64 Red Brown for the metal parts and Gunze H77 Tyre Black for the rubber parts. Once dry the tracks were mounted on the model, with the toothless links on the upper run (which will be hidden by the sideskirts later on).

The sideskirts were then worked upon. I first attached photo-etch strips on top of each of the skirt sections. However the instructions are quite vague on the actual location on the strips so I just place them on the inner side. This is then followed by PE nuts and PE data plates. Mind you, during this build, I have yet to discover the gloss paint technique to attach small PEs - resulting in some messy excess superglue around the data plates!

On to the turret then! Dragon gives a choice between aluminium and plastic barrels. I choose the plastic as it actually have better detail than the aluminium alternative. Seam is not a problem as the individual barrel pieces are one-piece tubes. Dragon also includes a recoil feature using a spring inside the barrel - a feature which I skipped as the resulting assembly is quite wobbly. The barrel is then securely cemented using Tamiya extra thin cement after checking that the barrel is in the 'neutral' position (otherwise you could end up with a gun permanently in recoil position). The muzzle reference indicator is left off for the time being. The CWS (Commander's Weapon Station or 'cupola') is almost a kit in itself. Here I followed Vodnik's advice in order to get a good fitting, more accurate CWS. This followed by the rest of the (larger) turret fittings such as the bustle racks, bins and smoke grenade launchers. Dragon provides two kinds of grenades and I believe I goofed up here as I attached both types together! The rest of the smaller fittings like MGs and aerials will be attached after painting.

Painting and decaling.

The model is now painted overall CARC Sand using the recipe mentioned earlier. I then painted the MGs using Gunze H77 Tyre Black and drybrushed silver. I then post-shade (sort of) the model with a mixture of XF69 NATO Black and X19 Smoke. Once dry a lighter shade of sand was applied. This is then followed with pin wash (probably not enough?). For markings, Dragon offered choices for six cehicles. I chose 'Armor Ghetto' which was assigned to 3rd Bn, 67th Armd Rgt, 4th Infantry Division. This particular was also the first Abrams to be destroyed by an IED. Mr Mark Softer is then used to conform the decals to the surface.

Finishing
The Abrams (or for that matter, almost any US AFV since World War II) is seldom seen without external stowage. Dragon provides for MRE boxes which you need to cut and fold into shape. There are also a number of grenade boxes which the tankees use as storage and also four oil/water jerry cans. I use all of them plus some grenade boxes I robbed from my earlier Trumpeter M1A2. The water and soft drink boxes were printed from a file I found on the Armorama website. The rest of the stowage comes from my spares box. A thread is then painted XF59 and is used to tie up the stowage.

Conclusion

Probably the most complex kit I have made so far. Dragon is to be applauded for bringing us kits of modern (current) fighting vehicles and I hope this trend will continue. How about a full-kit T-90 next?

German Heavy Metal

2007-12-04T15:14:00.001+08:00

Tamiya 1/35 Leopard 2A5 Main Battle Tank

Background

The Leopard 2 is a main battle tank (MBT) built by the Krauss-Maffei-Wegmann company which entered service in 1979. Early batches, up to the 2A4 variant are recognised by its vertical turret armor, whilst the 2A5 variant onwards have wedge-shaped add-on turret armour on its front and sides. The 2A5 variant also introduced new spall liners and sideskirts, relocated gunner's and commander's sights, new driver's hatch and an all-electric turret controls.

The Kit
It's a Tamiya! My only gripe is that the transparent parts are supplied as acetate pieces. For this project however, I add PE replacement parts from Lion Roar.

Building
Construction starts with the suspension assembly, which I painted prior to attaching the road, idler and sprocket wheels. Moving on to the upper hull, disaster strikes when I lose the right rear tow hook to the Carpet Monster. I can't find it (and scratchbuilding one is beyond me) and decide that no photos of the rear of tank will be taken! I intend to use the PE engine grilles but decided not to as the kit-supplied ones are quite nice (plus I don't have the proper tool to cut through the rather thick plastic!). I also did not use certain PE parts as I am too clumsy to handle them. The ammo belt for the MG3 is taken from Academy's US machinegun set (at 1/35 scale, one is hard-pressed to notice the difference between .30-06 and 7.62mm x 51 NATO rounds!). The toughest part in building this kit for me had to be the vision blocks as they are made from thin acetate can be easily spoilt by glue marks.

Painting and markings
I painted the Leo according to instructions using Tamiya acrylic paints. The trasnparent parts are painted Smoke X-19 and layered with clear red and blue. The MG is painted German Grey XF-63 and dry-brushed with silver for the metallic parts. The tracks are painted Gunze Steel whilst the track pads are painted German Grey. For markings, I choose the markings for a vehicle serving in Kosovo in 1999. XF-57 Buff is then applied to simulate dust.

Conclusion
Again, it's a Tamiya! Construction is fun with almost no problems. The Lion Roar PE parts is however quite hard and need to be malleated over a flame.

Falcon Of The Rising Sun

2007-08-28T11:33:00.001+08:00

Hasegawa 1/48 Nakajima Ki-43-I Hayabusa 'Oscar'

Background

The Ki-43 was designed as a replacement for the Ki-27 'Nate'. Like the Imperial Japanese Navy's Mitsubishi A6M, it was designed as a lightweight, highly maneuverable fighter by sacrificing items such as armor and self-sealing fuel tanks. Armament is also decidedly lightweight as it is comprised of only two 7.7mm MGs (later models are armed with 12.7mm MGs and later still 20mm cannons). The first version, Ki-43-I entered service in 1941 and quickly gain air supremacy over South-East Asia. However only one unit was equipped with the 'Oscar' - the famous 64th Sentai commanded by Tateo Kato. The 64th Sentai is part of the 3rd Hikoshidan (Air Division) which was assigned for Malayan operations. The Japanese fighters wrested air superiority from the Allies, outclassing the Buffaloes and even the Hurricanes assigned to protect the skies of Malaya and Singapore. The 64th were later involved in operations over Burma, tangling with the American Volunteer Group.

The kit

Hasegawa's 1/48 Ki-43-I was released in 2001, which is their diamond jubilee year. Kit is typical of Hasegawa - crisp panel lines and good details inside and out. There are decals for two machines - Tateo Kato's and Kinshiro Takeda's.

Building

As usual, construction starts with the cockpit which I assembled first before painting. I use kit decals for the instrument panel which was bathed with Mr Mark Softer, causing it to lie flat against the raised details, which looks nice. There is no seatbelt however, which I leave it as it is. Whilst waiting for the glue to dry, I glued together the fuselage and wings assembly. Hasegawa makes the wingtip separate, probably to facilitate production of the later variants of the Oscar. And as can be expected, fit is not that good. Wing-fuselage joint however is very good with no need for a filler. The same thing goes with the horizontal stabilizer. The butterfly flaps were glued in the open position even though there are no pictures showing them deployed whilst on the ground.

Painting and markings

Hasegawa suggests that the Oscar is painted in Nakajima Green. However I don't have stock of that particular colour and I use Tamiya IJA Green (XF-13). But before that I painted the airframe overall bare-metal using Tamiya AS-12 'Bare metal Silver'. The painting instructions calls for IJA Grey as the underside colour but my search on the internet reveals that 64th Sentai's planes have NMF undersides. Control surfaces are painted IJA Grey however. Decals are then applied using the usual method.

With this model I intend to apply weathering, in contrast to my previous modeling style. Using Dymo tape, I ripped up the freshly painted green to reveal bare-metal silver sprayed previously. Ripping is also applied to the decals as pristine markings on a heavily chipped airframe would look weird. I however think that my weathering method is too much as these planes were fairly new when delivered to the 64th Sentai just weeks before the outbreak of war. Ripping method whilst producing random chipping, is also quite uncontrollable as some rip patterns look artificial. Anyway, paint chipping is followed by the usual weathering regime. A strand of fishing line is used as radio antenna, which I paint steel. Perhaps I shouldn't as the paint makes the antenna look overscale.

Conclusion

Another great kit from Hasegawa! Now, where can I find Tamiya's Brewster Buffalo?

The Platypus

2007-08-22T15:35:00.002+08:00

Italeri 1/72 Sukhoi Su-32/34 'Strike Flanker'

Background

The Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO : Fullback) is developed as a strike/fighter-bomber version of the Su-27 'Flanker'. Severe budget restrictions following the collapse of the Soviet Union repeatedly stalled the project and the aircraft received confusing designations : Officially described in 1994 as Su-34, then making an appearance at the 1995 Paris Air Show as Su-32FN and as Su-34MF at MAKS 1999. The plane is nicknamed 'platypus' because of its oddly-shaped nose even though it was coded 'Fullback' by NATO.

As of January 2007, two airframes have been delivered to the Russian Air Force with approximately 200 to be in service by the year 2020.

The kit

My version of the 'Fullback' is produced by Italeri. Kit parts looks fine with petite recessed panel lines. Detail-wise, some parts are well-detailed (such as the landing gears) whilst a few others are simplified (like the cockpit). A pretty comprehensive weapons load is included which comprises of missiles and guided bombs. A small decal sheet with markings for 'Blue 43' at Zhukovsky Test Centre and 'outline 45' / 'white 349' from the 1995 Paris Air Show.

Building

As usual, I start building the cockpit first. As mentioned before, details are simplified here and I believe the cockpit could benefit from an aftermarket resin set. I was thinking of getting the Neomega set but shelved it because of budgetary constraints (like the real Fullback I guess?) The dashboard is also 'wrong' as it lacks the three MFDs of the real plane. The K-36 ejection are also simplified although it looks better than the one supplied with Italeri's own MiG-29 Fulcrum kit. The cockpit also lacks crew entry door (or at least an engraved panel-pretending-to be- a door).

Moving on to the rest of the plane, assembly/construction is almost a breeze except for the wings which doesn't fit very well, but nothing serious. One catch though, the kit vertical fins are wrong. It should be shorter (as in the single-seat Flankers). Surgery would be quite major and I'm not prepared to splash my hard-earned money on another Flanker kit, even the cheap, crap one, just for the fins! So the original fins are used; I can live with that!

Painting and Markings

I must say that the Fullback has one of the most confusing colour schemes in the world today (or is it just my eyes?) I decided to paint my Fullback as the Paris Air Show machine using the kit colour guide. It end up looking reeeaaal weird and does not match the photos I've seen. So, I strip the paint off using Easy Off kitchen cleaner and used my own concoction of Tamiya X14 Sy Blue + XF2 Flat White for the blue, XF-13 plus a shade of grey (can't remember which one) for the green and Gunze H307 for the grey plus Gunze H308 for the dielectric panels. It still looks quite weird but at least closer to the photos. Later on I found an online shop website where they make available the instruction sheets of various kits in their catalogue. The instruction sheet for Tamiya's boxing of this kit is available and should be of immense help had I discovered it earlier! (I almost exclusively use Tamiya paints)

Decals went on without much problem. However I left off the Paris Air Show registration number.

Final Run

In the meantime I assembled the weapons and painted them according to instructions except for the AA-11 and AA-12 missiles which are painted overall white. Once they have been attached to the pylons, I attached the small fiddly bits such as pitot probes. And as usual, I leave weathering and other finishing works for a later, undetermined date.

Conclusion

A good kit of an interesting aircraft. Quite easy to assemble and I recommed it to those who want to have it in their collection. Those who wish for better details and accuracy can opt to get the Neomega cockpit, replace the vertical fins and other small modifications which I didn't bother to do.

'The End'

2007-06-24T11:43:00.000+08:00

As much as I want to continue building models as possible, logistics (or rather the display area/cabinet) plays a significant part whether you can do so or just have to stop when the space finally runs out. And with a heavy heart I have to say that I have been nearing the end. There are now 4 display cabinets full of models in my house and no re-arrangement of the models inside can yield more space....The only solution is to get more cabinets but you can't fill the house with them, at least that what the HM (Home Minister = wife!) told me. The only other alternative is to build your own house to your own specifications - in which I have no Ringgit Malaysias to fork out. It's kind of sad when you have to stop your hobby because you have run out of space!

Anyway, after taking into account my unbuilt kits, I found out that there is is still space left for the last models of mine. My wish list would be:

1/72 planes (5 slot) : I intend to choose from F-15E, Eurofighter Typhoon, Rafale, Su-30, F-105D or G, A-4 Skyhawk, F-86 (CA.27) Sabre, F-4 Phantom and the F-104S.

1/48 planes : 8 from this list - P-39/-400, SBD Dauntless, Hellcat, Fulmar, Barracuda, Firefly, Me163, Ar 234, Bf 110, MC200, MC202, MC205, G50, G55, Re2000, RE2001, CR32, MS406, MB152, MiG-3, LaGG-3, Il-2m3, Ki-44, Ki-27, A6M3 Type 32, A6M2 Type 21, J2M, D4Y, Buffalo and Boomerang.

1/35 AFVs : 6 from this list T-80BV or UD, Ariete C1, Challenger 2, Char B1bis, Hotchkiss H39, Somua S35, AB41 and AS42 Sahariana.

1/350 ships : 6 from this list - HMS Hood, Fletcher-class DD plus whatever kits manufacturers come up.

When these 25 kits are complete, a chapter of my life has ended...well not really I guess since basically I haven't done any weathering job on my completed kits!

Kit From Hell - Shanghai Dragon 1/35 MAZ-543 w/Scud missile

2007-06-18T14:39:00.000+08:00

Background
The SS-1 'Scud' (or more appropriately R-11, R-17 and/or R-300 Elbrus) is a series of tactical ballistic missile developed by the former Soviet Union during the Cold War. Developed from the German V-2 missile, the Scud can carry conventional (HE), chemical or tactical nuclear warhead. The missile are carried onboard a TEL (transporter-erector- launcher) based on the chassis of the IS-3 heavy tank (early versions) or the MAZ-543/9P117 8x8 truck. The Scud missile became infamous during the 1991 Gulf War when the Iraqi Army launched several missiles into Saudi Arabia and Israel. Such was the impact of the Iraqi Scuds that their own modifications and other nations' tactical missiles derived from the original Soviet missiles are 'Scuds'.

The kit

Honestly I can't recall when did the Dragon offering enter the market (probably in mid-90s in the wake of Desert Storm). Certain sources in the internet argue that the Dragon kit is not of their own mould as the kit came in rather thickish sprue gate plus some short-cuts (such as the underbelly). I bought the kit at Hobby HQ KL for RM85 in 2003. The kit bought by me is a re-issue by Shanghai Dragon which IIRC re-release Dragon/DML kits at lower prices.

Construction
Construction starts with the cockpit, I mean driver and crew cabs. The interior is very spartan (as if Spartans use the Scud!) and almost devoid of details. There are instrument decals provided but I decided to diregard them as they look 'funny'. Instead I just paint the relevant areas flat black and add circles using white paint to represent dials. This is the start of my adventure with ugly gaps throughout the building process. The roof of the cabs need careful aligning - even that does not eliminate the gaps fully and liberal amount of putty is needed.

The same story goes for most of the kit...the worst however concerns with the undercarriage. I believe the original manufacturer based their kit on pictures alone...and pictures don't show the underbelly of the vehicle. So what we get are 8 large wheels without axles or connection with each other and no detail whatsoever! Oh boy, the least the manufacturer could do is to study the underneath of large trucks and makes the approximation for the underbelly. Fit is quite OK for the 4 front wheels but not for the rest. To make matters worse, one of the rod pretending to be an axle broke. In true Krapp Plastik tradition, they are left like that, misaligned wheels and all!

One other thing, the windows are to be made using templates and clear acetate supplied. I need to have a very steady hand (or learn to fine tune the controls) - some of the windows are undersized! I also left off the tow cable as the part look more like a 'string' than a 'cable'.

Painting

At first I want to paint the model to represent a vehicle used by the Red Army. However I later decided to have the model in the colours of its most famous (or infamous) operator-Iraq. Unable to find the best approximation of the Iraqi vehicles colour, I settled for Tamiya's XF-59 Desert Yellow. The missile is suggested to be painted white. However, research through the internet reveals that some missiles exported to Iraq are painted in its original green colour. This finding, coupled with the inherent difficulty in painting whites, makes me paint the missile in (supposedly) Russian Green (XF58 + a dash of XF-3 and XF-2).

I'm too lazy to coat the model with gloss coat and as the result some of the decals silvered (but not too badly). Dragon includes what is supposedly a graffiti in Arabic but since I cannot make out the characters, I just leave it off. I was thinking of applying my own graffiti (such as 'Death to the Iranians!' - in Arab of course!) but in the end I decided to shelve it. Oh, in case one is wondering why my proposed graffiti reads 'Death To Iranians', it is because the Iraqi flag supplied lacks the inscription 'Allahuakbar' (God Is Great) added in 1990 following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. So my model represents a MAZ-543 during the Battle of The Cities in mid-1980s between Iraq and Iran.

The model is finished with a general wash to bring out details. I would only do further weathering much later.

Conclusion

The Dragon Scud kit is not easy to assemble. Apart from suspect accuracy, the kit also suffers from poor fittings and details. It however makes a nice display, especially when you can pull everything off.

Collections - AFVs and Arty

2007-06-14T15:44:00.000+08:00

1/35 AFV and artillery

T-55A (Tamiya)
M48A3 (Tamiya)
T-62M (Tamiya)
M60A1 RISE/Passive (Academy)
T-72A (Zvezda)
MAZ-543 TEL w/SS-1b Scud-C (Shanghai Dragon)
Tiger I initial production (Tamiya)
King Tiger 'Production Turret' (Tamiya)
Panther G 'steel wheel version' (Tamiya)
Churchill Mk VII (Tamiya)
KV-1B Model 1940 (Tamiya)
M26 (T26E3) Pershing (Tamiya)
IS-2m (Dragon)
T-34/85 model 1944 (Dragon)
M4A3 Sherman '75mm gun' (Tamiya)
Cromwell Mk IV (Tamiya)
T-34/76 Model 1943 (Tamiya)
Panzer IV Ausf.J (Tamiya)
Carro Armato M13/40 (Tamiya)
Grant Mk.I (Tamiya)
Type 97 Chi-Ha (Tamiya)
Matilda Mk.II (Tamiya)
Panzer III Ausf.L (Tamiya)
Crusader Mk.I (Italeri)
Jagdpanther late version (Tamiya)
M40 75/18 SPG (Tamiya)
Panzerjager Nashorn (Dragon)
M12 155mm GMC (Academy)
Type 1 Ho-Ni I SPG (Tamiya)
M10 GMC (AFV Club)
M18 Hellcat GMC (Academy)
Marder II SPG (Tamiya)
SU-122 SPG (Tamiya)
SU-85 SPG (Tamiya)
M20 armored utility car (Tamiya)
Type 94 tankette (Fine Molds)
M16 MGMC (Tamiya)
SdKfz 251/9 kanonenwagen (Tamiya)
SdKfz 222 armored car (Tamiya)
M3 Stuart (Tamiya)
M24 Chaffee (Italeri)
Panzer II Ausf.F (Tamiya)
SAS desert jeep (Tamiya)
Type 95 Ha Go (Fine Molds)
Universal carrier MkII (Tamiya)
PAK 40 75mm AT gun (Tamiya)
Flak 36/37 88mm AT/AA gun (Tamiya)
leFH 18 105mm howitzer (AFV Club)
25-pounder field gun (Tamiya)
6-pounder AT gun (Tamiya)
M1 155mm howitzer (AFV Club)
M1938 122mm howitzer (Zvezda)
M1942 76.2mm AT/field gun

unbuilt stash
Merkava Mk III (Academy)
Leopard 2A5 (Tamiya)
ISU-152 SPH (Dragon)
Sherman Vc Firefly (Dragon)

The Collection - Ships and Rides

2007-06-14T15:36:00.000+08:00

1/350 Ships
USS Missouri (Tamiya)
DKM Bismarck (Tamiya)
HMS King George V (Tamiya)
IJNS Musashi (Tamiya)
Type XXI U-Boat (AFV Club)

unbuild stash
USS Arizona (Mini Hobby Models)

1/24 Cars
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VI (Tamiya)
Honda NSX (Tamiya)

Collections (cont'd)

2007-06-12T15:00:00.000+08:00

1/72 aircraft

Mil Mi-24 Hind D/E (Tamiya)
Mil Mi-17 Hip (Zvezda)
McDonnell Douglas AH-64A Apache (Hasegawa/Italeri kitbash)
Bell AH-1W Super Cobra (Italeri)
Agusta A129 Mangusta (Italeri)
Kamov Ka-50 Hokum (Italeri)
Boeing F/A-18D Hornet (Hasegawa)
Northrop F-5E Tiger II (Tamiya)
Northrop F-5E Tiger II (Mini Hobby Models)
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29N Fulcrum (Italeri)
BAe Hawk Mk108 (Italeri)
Aermacchi MB 339A (Supermodel)
Vought F-8E Crusader (Academy)
Grumman F-14A Tomcat (Fujimi)
Boeing F-15C Eagle (Hasegawa)
Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcon (Hasegawa)
Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet (Hasegawa)
General Dynamics F-111A (Italeri)
Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21bis Fishbed-N (Fujimi)
Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-31B Foxhound (Zvezda)
Sukhoi Su-34 Strike Flanker (Italeri)
Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot (Zvezda)
Fairchild A-10A Thunderbolt II (Italeri)
McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II (Hasegawa)
Panavia Tornado GR.1 (Hasegawa)
SEPECAT Jaguar A (Hasegawa)
BAe Sea Harrier FRS.1 (Italeri)
Lockheed Martin F-117A Nighthawk (Academy)
Dassault Breguet Super Etendard (Academy)
Dassault Breguet Mirage 2000C (Tamiya)
Saab JAS39A Gripen (Italeri)
Chengdu J-10 (Trumpeter)

unbuild stash
Shenyang J-8II Finback (Trumpeter)
Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-23MLD (Zvezda)
Cessna A-37 (Hasegawa)
Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer-C (Dragon)

Intro and Collection

2007-06-11T16:09:00.000+08:00

As stated in blog title, I have indulged in this hobby since 1981 when I was 11. I was attracted by my friend's model of a spaceship from a Japanese anime. My first kit was a 1/144 F-14A Tomcat and since then kits have come into and gone out of my collection. Here's my current collection (looks large but I know other modelers who have bigger collection).

1/48 Aircraft models
Yakovlev Yak-9DD (ICM)
Yakovlev Yak-3 (Eduard)
Yakovlev Yak-1b (Accurate Miniatures)
Lavochkin La-7 (Academy)
Polikarpov I-16 Type 18 (Academy)
Dewoitine D.520 (Tamiya)
Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (Academy)
North American P-51D Mustang (Tamiya)
Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat (Tamiya)
Vought F4U-1D Corsair (Tamiya)
Lockheed P-38L Lightning (Hasegawa)
Mitsubishi A6M5c Zero (Tamiya)
Aichi D3A1 Val (Hasegawa)
Kawasaki Ki-61-I Tony (Hasegawa)
Nakajima Ki-84-I Frank (Tamiya)
Nakajima Ki-43-I Oscar (Hasegawa)
Kawanishi N1K1-Ja George (Tamiya)
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I (Tamiya)
Supermarine Spitfire Mk.V (Tamiya)
Hawker Hurricane Mk IIb (Hasegawa)
Hawker Typhoon Mk Ib (Hasegawa)
Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-3 (Tamiya)
Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 (Tamiya)
Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 (Tamiya)
Junkers Ju 87B-2 Stuka (Hasegawa)
Heinkel He 219A-7 Uhu (Tamiya)
Bristol Beaufighter Mk X (Tamiya)
de Havilland Mosquito FB.VI (Tamiya)
Mitsubishi Ki-46-III Dinah (Tamiya)
Nakajima J1N1-S Irving (Tamiya)
Gloster Meteor MkI (Tamiya)
Messerschmitt Me 262A-1a (Tamiya)

unbuilt stash
Heinkel He 162A-2 Salamander (Tamiya)
Supermarine Spitfire MkXIV (Academy)
Curtiss P-40C Tomahawk (Academy)
Fiat CR.42AS Falco (Classic Airframes)

to be continued....