High Flyer

Historical Background

In January 1939 the Soviet VVS issued a specification for a high-altitude fighter with inline engine. The aircraft, initially designated I-200 was designed by the Polikarpov Design Bureau. When Nikolay Polikarpov fell out of favour with Stalin, the Soviet authorities created a new Experimental Construction Section headed by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. Further work on the I-200 was assigned to the two and were later recognised as its designers. Now known as the MiG-1, the aircraft was designed using wood and steel tubings to minimise the usage of light alloys. It had some serious defects however, including inadequate visibility while taxiing, heavy controls, poor longitudinal stability and easily entering into an unrecoverable spin. Continual improvements were done throughout the production run but were not immediately implemented on the production line. Instead, they were incorporated into the fourth prototype. After testing and passing State acceptance trials, they were incorporated in the 101st I-200/MiG-1 built and the aircraft was now renamed MiG-3. The first MiG-3 was completed on 20 December 1940.

The changes however resulted in an aircraft over 250 kg heavier than the MiG-1, which reduced maneuverability and field performance. Despite that, the MiG-3 can fly at 640 km/h at 7,200 meters - faster than the Bf 109F-2. However speed decayed to 505 km/h at sea level while the 'Friedrich' could do 515 km/h. Unfortunately the low and medium levels were where most aerial combat took place on the Eastern Front where the MiG lost its speed advantage. The loaded weight of the MiG was also higher than the Bf 109 and it was less maneuverable due to its higher wing loading. Despite being designed as a high-altitude fighter, it has poor climb rate. Aerial gunnery was also difficult because of instability at high speeds. Standard armament consists of a single UBS 12.7 mm machine gun and two 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns. Considered underpowered, 821 aircraft were then fitted with a 12.7 mm UBK machibe gun pod under each wing - this further lowered the speed by 20 km/h at all altitudes. Some pilots decided to remove the extra weapons. Other aircraft were armed with just the ShKAS machine guns but were fitted to carry RS-82 rockets.

On 22 June 1941, most of the MiG-3s delivered to the V-VS were placed within the Leningrad, Baltic, Western, Kiev and Odessa Military Districts. These aircraft fought at a disadvantage as combat took place at medium and low altitudes. Plus, shortage of ground attack aircraft forced it into that role, for which it was totally unsuited. By the time of the commencement of Operation Taifun, most V-VS MiGs were transferred to the PVO where their lack of performance at low altitude was not so serious. Even so, none of the MiGs remain with the PVO by January 1945. 3,400 units of the aircraft were built. Production was terminated in 1942 following Stalin's telegram to the directors of Zavod N.1 demanding increased production of Il-2 Shturmoviks. Despite its bad reputation aces such as Aleksandr Pokryshkin scored their early victories while flying the MiG-3. 

The Kit

Trumpeter was (and still is) a very profilic producer of model kits especially in the period between the mid-noughties until mid-2010s. They first came up with a model of the MiG-3 in 1/48 scale, an 'Early Version' of the MiG-3 in 2007. This was followed by the 'Late Version' in 2008. The 82 parts are spread among five sprues, one of them in clear plastic. Surface detail is generally nice and crisp although the fabric representation on the control surfaces look exaggerated. The infamous Trumpeter rivet is not as prominent in this (cf. their 1/72 Thud kit) - probably because of the larger scale. The interior is quite OK although the tubular frame is moulded-on with the side walls. Details on the instrument panel is somewhat ambiguous at the bottom of it. The front fuselage is made up of four parts and I suspect some struggle during assembly (more on that later). The decals provide markings for three aircraft:

- Winter-camouflaged 'Black 7' with 'For Stalin!' slogan. This aircraft was shown with additional guns in nacelles underneath the wings but the relevant parts are not included in the kit;

- 'White 12' in green with black nose; and

- 'White 95' in two-tone green.

Construction

As usual with aircraft kits, work started at the cockpit. And as per my usual style, the parts were painted while still on the tree. While Trumpeter has GSI H70 (RLM02) as the interior colour (and for the entirety of the cockpit), I chose to paint it blue-grey using a mix of Tamiya XF-22 RLM Grey and X-14 Sky Blue. The instrument panel is supposedly entirely in black but I chose to have just the instrument faces in that colour. The side boxes and some details were also painted Flat Black. The radio rack was also painted and assembled. The tail wheel was glued into place before closing the up the fuselage - otherwise it will be impossible to do so with the fuselage halves mated. Guess what? The lower half did not want to meet, leaving quite a sizeable gap which need to be addressed with putty. The placement of the radio deck in the instructions is very misleading and might confuse a modeller (it should be behind the pilot's seat, not inside the canopy fairing!).

The wing assembly is next. The upper and lower wing halves were cemented without fuss. The inserts for the wing root intakes fit OK with the rest of the wing although I suspect some fiddly handling during the mating of the wing assembly with the fuselage. The wing was then mated to the fuselage - it was a very tight fit but a bit of wedging here and there allowed the wings in place. As expected, some filling was needed between the intake insert and the wing root. The rear of the wing assembly also need to be in line with the corresponding surface on the rear fuselage as there were no hook or projection whatsoever to secure the two areas. Because of its position, the radiator faces and the intake and exhaust areas were painted first before assembly. The upper nose fairing did not fit exactly with the main assembly - but that's Okay as apparently many of the real aircraft have the same characteristics!

Painting and Decalling

After deciding to do 'Black 7', I proceeded to paint the lower fuselage first. Trumpeter suggested Gunze H20 Light Blue - a colour which I don't have in hand. To approximate AII Light Blue, I used Tamiya XF-23 Light Blue and gradually add XF-8 Flat Blue until looks about right. The upper fuselage need to be painted a base colour first, for the white camo to stick. I used XF-5 Flat Green. masking material was applied to the wing roots, weapon troughs and the leading edge of the wings before the upper fuselage was sprayed Tamiya TS-27 Flat White. The diagonal red patch at the wing tips were painted a mix of Vallejo Flat Red and Flat yellow to approximate the recommended Insignia Red. The decals were then applied. They are thin and lie nicely upon the surface. They are however translucent and this showed up like a sore thumb when the fuselage red stars were laid on the black arrow flash. To reduce the discrepancy, I trimmed numbers 9 and 5 from the red stars for option 3 of the markings and applied them over the original stars.

Finishing

The masking material was removed and the border between the white and the underlying green were cleaned / messed up further using dots of XF-2 Flat White and XF-5 Green. The model then received a neutral wash using Mr. Weathering Color Multi Grey. Pin wash was done using further application of the same some for the white areas and Ak Interactive paneliner for the lower fuselage. Exhaust marks were added using Tamiya Weathering Master Soot. The more fragile parts, such as the radio aerial, the rocket launchers, the main landing gear, tail wheel covers, propeller and the pitot tube were then cemented into place. Oh at this time, I realised that the main landing gear doors were scale-thick and the portion stuck with the gears were way simplified.. The model then was sprayed with Gunze Flat Top Coat. The masking for the clear pasrts were then removed, finishing the build.

Conclusion

While Trumpeter's MiG-3 kit is well moulded,and engineered, it was not a Tamiya, There wasn't really a problem with the build - you just need a bit of experience and this kit was not exactly suitable for entry-level modellers. The one particular unnecessary over-engineering is the radiator air intake - causing gaps if built according to instructions and fiddly to adjust if you add them after mating the wings to the fuselage. Fit was also slightly off with the kit, especially between the upper fuselage panel and the windscreen and the upper panel with the main fuselage. Nevertheless, overall, it is a good kit and should present no big challenge to seasoned modellers.

"Kucing Laut"

Historical Background

In the 1960s, the British Army issued a requirement for improved helicopters. As the French Army also had the same requirements, Westland Helicopters and Aerospatiale signed an agreement in early 1967 to jointly develop the helicopter for their countries' armed forces. While Aerospatiale became the design leader for the large helicopter (eventually emerged as the Puma) and the 'small' helicopter (which became the Gazelle), Westland took up the development of the medium helicopter, initially known as WG.13 (and later as the Lynx). The first prototype of the Lynx flew on 21 March 1971. In 1972 a Lynx broke the world speed record over 15 km and 25 km by flying at 321.74 km/h and then set a new record for 100 km closed circuit by flying at 318.504 km/h. The British Army put an order for more than 100 Lynx AH.1 to perform various roles including transport, armed escort, anti-tank, reconnaissance and evacuation. Deliveries began in 1977

Meanwhile, the Royal Navy found that the Westland Wasp inadequate and had a strong interest in the Lynx. Therefore a navalised variant was developed as Lynx HAS.2. While the naval HAS.2 retained the twin Rolls-Royce Gem turboshaft engine of the Army Lynx, it differed by having fixed tricycle landing gear, foldable main rotor and tailboom, deck capture and and restraint system, emergency floating system and a bigger nose containng a Ferranti Seaspray radar. The colloquially-named Sea Lynx first flew on 10 February 1976 and officially entered service in 1981. The HAS.2 was then upgraded to HAS.3 with the addition of a towed magnetic anomaly detector, uprated transmission, Gem Mk 204 engines and Orange Crop ESM. In 1984, an enhanced version called Lynx-3 was proposed but was not pursued with due to insufficient orders. However in the early 1990s, Westland incorporated some of the Lynx-3 technology into a less radical design called the Super Lynx. This variant featured BERP rotor blades, new tail rotoer (derived from WG.30 design), a new under-nose 360-degree coverage radar, Gem 42 engines and optional EO turret in the nose. Royal Navy Lynx HAS.3s upgraded to Super Lynx standard were known as HMA.8. The Super Lynx was also offered to prospective clients as upgrades to their existing fleet or as new-build craft.

In order to fulfil maritime patrol, anti-submarine, anti-surface and SAR duties, the Royal Malaysian Navy placed an order for six Super Lynx Series 300 in September 1999. These would also complement the then newly-delivered Lekiu-class frigates. The RMN Mk.100 Super Lynx is powered by a pair of LHTEC CTS800-4N turboshaft engines rated at 1,563 shaft horsepower. It also incorporated an all-new glass cockpit with active LCD displays and new avionics. Half of the fleet is equipped with EO sensor on the nose. The pilots are also provided with NVGs for night-time operations. Anti-submarine weaponry consists of two A-244/S lightweight torpedo while anti shipping vessel weapons consists of up to four (but usually just one or two) BAe Sea Skua missiles. Pintle-mounted FN MAG 7.62 mm or FN M3M 12.7 mm machine gun may also be be fitted. The Lynxes are grouped into No.501 Squadron and was land-based at KD Rajawali.

The Kit

Hobby Boss came up with a bunch of Sea Lynxes in 2009. The HAS.2 version was the first release, followed by HAS.3, Super Lynx, Sea Lynx Mk.88 and Sea Lynx Mk.90. For this build, I chose kit No. 87239 (Lynx Mk 88). All the kits generally have nicely engraved and raised details although most details for the cabin interior is missing save for some equipment boxes and jump seats (which I think were usually not installed in the naval Lynx). The model is also missing the pedestal-mounted winch for SAR work. The nose is separate so that modelers can chose either to have the radar nose of the one with the EO sensor dome. There are also two styles of main gear fairing so chose according to your reference. For external ordnance, two styles of torpedoes (a pair each) and a pair of Sea Skua missiles are included. Decals provide markings for two Bundesmarine birds.

I however intended to build a RMN bird and so have purchased a conversion set from Naza Model Works. This set includes a new engine fairing, exhausts, the aforementioned winch, a new instrument panel, central console and also a small decal sheet.

Construction

As usual, the construction steps started with the interior of the aircraft. However, this time I started by sawing off all the resin replacement parts off their pour stubs and hacking away portions off the main fuselage halves. The NMA conversion kit did not actually show the areas to be removed but their FB page shows a post of the conversion part being dry-fitted to the basic kit and that indirectly shows which area of the original kit to be removed. Only then did I continue with the interior. There wasn't much to do here as the kit's interior is quite sparse (there wasn't even the collective stick!). The troop seats can be left off as the Super Lynx (at least in those in Malaysian service) were rarely used as troop transports. I just add the seat behind the pilot for the cabin interior. The holes on the cockpit floor were then puttied in. However, the base for the rotor shaft cannot be used as the replacement engine housing is too thick at the opening for the rotor shaft and cannot be drilled through easily. 

Next, the replacement engine fairing is put in place. But before that, holes for the exhaust were cut out (the resin is thin over the openings). The resin wafer covering the air intakes can be left on (and painted black later on) or removed although the latter option means they open into nothingness (not really a problem actually). Since I cut badly, extra putty were needed to cover the gaps between the fuselage and the engine housing. There are two types of sponsons provided and the one similar to RMN Lynxes' were used. However the chosen sponsons lacked some detail such as tie down eyelets. As RMN Lynxes have both radar and EO noses, decision has to be made here and it was, more or less, dictated by the provided decal sheet. The latter only provide markings for M501-1, -3 and -5 which have EO sensor on the nose

Although the conversion kit includes the winch assembly, I didn't use it as I have the cabin doors closed. The ESM antennas on the rear of the fuselage was not fitted on RMN Lynxes and the holes were puttied in. The blobs on the mount were removed and transplanted to rear of the sponsons. Obliterated cabin door railings were restored using styrene strips (one looks rather OK, the other, quite bad!). To ease handling while painting and decalling, the landing gears, weapons pylon and the rotors were left off at this time. Oh yeah, one more thing, part of the landing gear sponson is actually covered in canvas, so I have to mask, apply putty and sand before painting.

Painting and Decalling

I have to confess: despite my year of dabbling in scale modelling, I still can't correctly identify which colour to be used without being told which is which. In this case, I'm not sure whether the helicopter is painted in medium Sea Grey or Dark Sea Grey (despite being in front of it). Fortunately, there is a photo of the pre-delivery M501-1 in front of a Royal Navy Merlin. I know for sure that RN's Merlins were painted MSG (the instructions for an aftermarket decal sheet said so(!)) and as the Lynx looks darker than the Merlin....then it must be painted in DSG then. The area around the engine intakes, the anti-glare panel and the ESM antennas were painted Flat Black. For markings, both inbox and the conversion kit were used with the inbox decals providing most of the stencils. However, there are some 'misses' with the in-box decals. First, the port 'rescue' arrow has a different orientation than the one on the real aircraft. Secondly, a number of decals are missing from the decal sheet - there are only two decals for the kick-in steps and there is only one stripe decal for the Sea Skua missile.

Decal application went without a hitch, except for a warning sign on the starboard engine casing; the carrier film was quite stiff and somehow unable to stick to the surface. I replaced it with paint but being unable to replicate the stencil, I just painted dots to replace the alphabets...haha. Having looked into my spares box for suitable replacements, the port 'rescue' arrow had to be placed into wrong position. Another inaccurate decals are the 'Step' markers on the main wheel sponsons. And finally I decided to paint the warning stripes on the tail rotor rather than using the decals. 

Finishing

I started by adding the EO dome and the missile rack. Speaking of the latter, Hobby Boss instructed you to use Parts D5 and D6 which somehow look dubious and not used on RMN Lynxes and I believe is for the carriage of two missiles each. I decided to replace it with Parts F3 and F4 as the missile pylon can fit onto it. Test fitting however showed that the missile would be lower than the landing gear. This required further modification by removing the upper part of the pylon. On the real aircraft, there is a cable running through the antenna blades at the bottom of the tail but I decided not to add them. The main landing gears were canted outboard a bit as the real aircraft is usually seen as such (unless the wheels are chocked). The panel lines were then applied with AK Interactive Paneliner. The missiles were cemented to the pylons and the rotors were put in place.  After that the whole model was sprayed with Mr Color Semi-Gloss Top Coat, the masks removed, finishing the build.

Conclusion

Hobby Boss's Lynx is a fairly nice representation of the real thing in 1/72 scale. The outside surfaces are fairly detailed although the interior, especially the main cabin is very sparse although with all doors closed, it wasn't a problem. The decal is also quite disappointing as Hobby Boss missed quite a number of the more prominent ones especially for the kick-in steps. As for the conversion set, NMA has come up with another excellent conversion set for Malaysian armed forces'birds. My complaint against the set was just the lack of cabin machine gun mount. Although the Lynx kits from Hobby Boss are modular, and basically the same among the HMA.8, Super Lynx and Lynx Marks 88 and 90, I finally realise why NMA recommended the Mk 90 as the basic kit for the conversion - the Mk 90 kit 'essential information' decals are more appropriate for a RMN Super Lynx!  

The Mudhen Returns To Mideast

Historical Background

The F-X fighter programme which resulted in the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle was specifically tailored for air superiority mission with little consideration for air to ground missions (hence the phrase 'not a pound for air to ground'). The opposition by the F-15 Special Project Office in The Pentagon caused McDonnell Douglas to quietly work on the interdiction version of the Eagle envisioning it as a replacement for the F-111, the (then) remaining Phantoms and to augment existing Eagles. In 1978, the USAF initiated the Tactical All-Weather Requirement Study (TAWRS) which, amomng others, looked at McDonnell Douglas's proposal. The study recommended that the Eagle as the USAF's future strike platform and in 1979, McDonnell Douglas and Hughes teamed up to develop the F-15's air-to-ground capabilities. An F-15B, serial number 71-0291 was modified to act as a demonstrator and was first displayed at the Farnborough Air Show in 1980.

In March 1981, the USAF announced the Enhanced Tactical Fighter (later renamed Dual-Role Fighter) programme to procure a replacement for the F-111. The programme envisioned an aircraft capable of flying deep air interdiction missions without additional electronic support and fighter escort. McDonnell Douglas submitted its now-named F-15E while General Dynamics submitted the F-16XL. After a lengthy evaluation programme, the F-15E was chosen as the winner on 24 February 1984. Key factors in the selection of the F-15E over the F-16XL include lower development costs, belief that the F-15E had future growth potential and twin-engine redundancy. The first officially-completed F-15E was first flown on 31 March 1987 and the first production aircraft was delivered to the 405th Tactical Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona in April 1988. The USAF contracted for a total of 400 F-15Es (later revised to 392).

The F-15E Strike Eagle, although optimized for air-to-ground missions, retains the full air-to-air combat capabilities of the original Eagle. Although the prototype was basically a modified F-15B, production F-15Es have significant structural changes and using much more powerful engines (originally Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 rated at 105.7 kN with afterburner, later the Dash 229 version rated at129.7 kN with afterburner). The rear cockpit position is 'missionised' to allow the WSO to work the air-to-ground avionics (while still having flight controls, allowing the WSO to pilot the aircraft should it become necessary). Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs), containing 2,800 liters of fuel (in addition to the original  internal tankage) on either sides of the fuselage gave the Strike Eagle its long legs at a slight cost in drag and performance. The APG-70 radar system incorporates Doppler Beam Sharpening, Mapping and Synthetic Aperture Radar modes to enhance operational capabilities. One feature of the system is that it can 'freeze' the air-to-ground radar map and then goes back to air-to-air mode to check for aerial threats. In addition, the WSO is able to designate ground targets while the pilot engages aerial targets. The APG-70 was replaced by the APG-82 AESA radar beginning in 2014.

The F-15E carries most air-to-ground weaponry in the USAF inventory, from 'dumb' Mk 80 series bombs to precision strike JDAMs. Since it inherits the original Eagle's counter-air capabilities, they regularly carry air-to-air missiles and trained for counter-air missions. Precision delivery of weapons by day or at night and in poor weather was made possible by the use of LANTIRN pods mounted externally. The targeting pod (AN/AAQ-14, AN/AAQ-28 LITENING or AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod) contains a laser designator that can mark an enemy's position from as far away as 16 kilometers. The AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod  contains a terrain-following radar to allow the aircraft to fly safely at very low altitude and it even allows a hands-off terrain-following capability. The pod also contains a FLIR for night or low-visibility flight conditions. Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS) integrates all the countermeasures available (RWR, chaff, flare, radar jammer). An AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod can be carried if required.

The F-15E, dubbed Strike Eagle (or more popularly, the Beagle ('bomb eagle') or Mud Hen) achieved initial operational capability on 30 September 1989 with the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina. The Strike Eagles were first deployed for combat during Operation Desert Storm conducting diverse targets, from mobile Scud missile launchers to fortified bunkers. They were also involved in 'tank plinking' attack missions prior to the start of the Coalition's ground offensive. An air-to-air 'kill' was scored on 14 February 1991, when an F-15E hit a flying/hovering Mil Mi-24 with a GBU-10 laser-guided bomb. USAF F-15Es continue to be deployed in various operations such as during Operations Northern & Southern Watch, Operation Deny Flight, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Inherent Resolve.

The Strike Eagle also enjoyed export success with variants being sold to Israel (F-15I Ra'am), South Korea (F-15K Slam Eagle), Saudi Arabia (F-15S/SA) , Singapore (F-15SG) and Qatar (F-15QA). Proposed variants include F-15SE Silent Eagle incorporating internal weapons carriage and use of radar-absorbent materials. Israel and Saudi Arabia have also used their Beagles in combat.

The Kit

Despite being in service since 1989, the F-15E received a rather cool attention from model kit companies. The 1/48 fraternity is quite well served with a number of kits depicting the E version but the 1/72 community was less so with the prototype-feature kit from Hasegawa (who then, true their policy, re-released it a number of times). The same goes with Airfix, Academy and Italeri. In 2011, Fujimi came up with a new-tool Beagle. While having all the 'E' features, it unfortunately suffered by being overscale, something around 1/66 rather than 1/72. In 2012, Hasegawa finally decided to do a new-tool F-15E in 1/72 scale. And now we have a relative newcomer, Great Wall Hobbies with their rendition and I think this kit is a worthy rival to the Hasegawa kit. First impression is good with parts displaying crisp recessed lines and nice (for 1/72 and in plastic) raised details. Unlike Hasegawa the GWH offering has a more contemporary ordnance to be hung beneath the model. Decals provide markings for three aircraft:

1. 87-0173 'Shark Mouth', 391st Fighter Squadron 'Bold Tigers', 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, 2002

2. 87-0169 'Tiger Lead', 391st Fighter Squadron 'Bold Tigers', 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, 2002

3. 89-0488 ' 336th Fighter Squadron 'Rocketeers', 4th Fighter Wing, Al-Udeid AB, Qatar 2003.

Construction

As usual with aircraft kits, construction started at the cockpit. The seats while having better details than kit-supplied parts of yore, still cannot compete against resin aftermarket ones. nevertheless I still used them for this build.  The cockpit features nice raised details, which although not mentioned, must be sanded off if one wants to use the decals for the instrument panels. I just applied them over the riased details. Also, GWH forgot to mention in their instructions about two further decals that needed to be placed for the WSO's office  And, as per my usual style, the parts for the cockpit were painted while still on their sprues. After the cockpit has been compeleted, the forward fuselage halves were closed together. While the forward bulkhead was used, I left off the radar parts as they won't be visible anyway. Modelling clay was then filled into the nose cavity to act as ballast, just in case. The intake tunnels have the vanes inside it but there are no actual locating holes and I opted not to add them.

GWH thoughtfully include the steps to build the model in flying pose so take note of the relevant parts to build the model with its wheels down. The main upper fuselage was assembled and was the attached to the lower fuselage/FAST pack. However GWH did not indicate holes to be drilled for the pylons (although I should have known better). I managed to pry back the wings and drilled the holes underneath the wings but it was too late for the fuselage bottom. The forward fuselage was the jointed to the main fuselage. The fairing behind the cockpit was then added. and, almost predictably, resulted in a number of seams. The exhausts were left off at this time. The fin tips are needlessly separate. The tangential pylons are butt-jointed to the sides - there are engraved marks to help you. Funnily enough, the instructions ask you to drill holes for them. Thankfully, holes have already been pre-drilled for the long pylons. The tabs to mount ordnance were however removed from most of the  pylons.

Painting and Decalling

While fighter Eagles were painted two-tone greys, the 'Bomb Eagle' was painted a uniform dark grey, specifically, FS 36118 Gunship Grey. The paint used was Vallejo AIr 71.097. The metallic end of the fuselage was painted Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf with certain parts were painted Mr. Color Super Titanium or Super Iron 2. The exhaust petals were painted Gunze Burnt Iron while the insides were painted Flat White. The ordnance were painted Olive Drab although somewhat bafflingly GWH suggested Gunship grey for the GBU-15. After the paint has dried, it was time for the decals. My selection is somewhat affected by the rather arbitrary weapons load selection suggested by GWH, which I think was influenced by the now-defunct F15e.info website. As I wanted to have a rather 'heavy' load, the third option was taken. The decals looked rather thick and several stencil decals shared the same carrying film. While somewhat shortening the decalling proces in theory, one might end up with large patches of silvering. I end up cutting up most of them into separate pieces, leaving just the decals for some 'No Step' stencils and the group on both sides of the cockpit.

Another issue with decals is concerned with the coloured strip at the top of the fins. GWH printed them in a way that they are all of the same orientation. Two of the four need to be printed facing the same side with the other two on the decal sheet. The way they are actually printed, the decals for the port fin inner right fin outer could not be used and I had to paint the relevant strips.  The decals were then bedded down with an application of Mr. Mark Softer. The panel lines between the control surfaces and the body were enhanced using AK Interactive Paneliner while the rst of the panel lines were slightly enhanced using a pencil. The inside of the exhausts were then weathered using Tamiya Modeling Master Soot.

Finishing

I started by assembling the landing gears. As usual in 1/72 and with models of modern planes, they are quite fiddly during assembly. After  being painted and weathered, they were attached to the model. Fit is quite tight and I ended up having a splayed main landing gears. After some trimming, they are now straight, perpendicular to the fuselage. Also, GWH moulded the main wheel tyres 'weighted'. However the instructions mis-pair the wheel halves and you might end up having a flat spot at the top of on one half of the wheel. Once the model stands on its legs, I added the weapons, pods and external tanks. I however use the Sidewinders and an AMRAAM from Hasegawa's US Aircraft Weapon Set V. The GBU-15 can easily be converted into AGM-130 simply by using adding part (which was marked as 'not used' in the instructions. If you still want have the weapon as a GBU-15, fill the holes at the bottom of the bomb. Next up is the canopy. I forgot to mention that there is a gap between the windscreen and the fuselage which needed filling. There was no problem encountered when fitting the canopy to the fuselage but by this time you realise that the tranparencies are pretty thick, especially when the canopy is in the open position. Finally the blade aerials were fitted and the build is finished.

Conclusion

The kit itself does not have any deal-breaker or any noticeable shortcomings and is a good alternative to the Hasegawa kit. The instructions however is a different matter and suffer from a number of mistakes. It probably wouldn't faze seasoned modellers but would probably cause some problems to newcomers to the hobby. Also the GWH kit, like the Hasegawa kit, only provide markings and ordnance and sensor options appropriate to the Operation Enduring Freedom / Operation Iraqi Freedom era (like clearly stated in the kit's sub-title). Aftermarket stuff were needed to to display the model in a more contemporary setting.

Cobraaaa!!!!

Historical Background

The emergence of the helicopter, specifically of  Bell's UH-1 Iroquois or Huey, made the theory of air cavalry practical. In Vietnam, the Huey fleet carried troops across the country, to fight at the ground and the time of their own choosing, rather than the enemy's. However, these unarmed Hueys were vulnerable to ground fire especially when they are nearing the landing zones. Without support from nearby artillery or other ground troops, the only way to pacify the landing zones was from the air, using an aircraft, preferably another, armed, helicopter that can closely escort the transport choppers and loiter over the battlefield. Originally the Army used UH-1s fitted with machine guns and rocket launchers, but was needed was a dedicated helicopter gunship Bell has been investigating such concept since the 1950s and in 1962 had revealed a mockup of what they called D-255 Iroquois Warrior concept. The D-255 was a purpose-built attack helicopter based on the UH-1B but with a slender fuselage and the two crew sitting in tandem. It was to be armed with a turret-mounted 40mm grenade launcher in the nose, a 20 mm belly-mounted gun pod and stub wings to mount rockets or anti-tank missiles.

The Army was interested and awarded a proof-of-concept contract to Bell in December 1962. Bell modified a regular Bell Model 47 (UH-13 Sioux) into Model 207 Sioux Scout which had the hallmarks of a modern attack helicopter with sleek fuselage, tandem cockpit, chin-mounted turret and stub wings for weapons. Although impressed, the Army decided that the Model 207 was too small, underpowered and generally not suitable for practical use. Instead the Army launched the Advanced Aerial Fire Support System (AAFSS) which resulted in the large and fast Lockheed AH-56 Cheyenne. It proved to be too sophisticated and was eventually cancelled in 1972. Although Model 207 was rejected by the Army, Bell persisted with their idea of a smaller and lighter helicopter gunship. Bell mated the T53 turboshaft engine, the transmission and the rotor system of the UH-1C, adding to the latter a Stability Control Augmentation System with the design philosophy of the Sioux Scout and produced the Model 209.

With the war escalating in Vietnam and the AAFSS programme stuck in technical difficulties and political bickering, the US Army asked Boeing-Vertol, Sikorsky, Kaman, Piasecki and Bell for an interim gunship design. In April 1966, Bell's Model 209 won the evaluation and a first production contract for 110 airframes were signed. Bell added 'Cobra' to the UH-1's nickname of 'Huey' becoming Model 209 HueyCobra - the name adopted by the Army for its production AH-1G. For production some modifications was made, including the adoption of simple landing skids instead of retractable undercarriage, a new wide-blade rotor and plexiglass, instead of armoured glass canopy. The first HueyCobras were delivered in June 1967 and saw extensive service during the Vietnam War, taking over the role of assault helicopter from the 'snake' Huey gunships.

The Cobra has a slim fuselage, designed to present as small a profile as possible against enemy ground fire. Due to the slimmer shape and lighter weight, the Cobra is twice as fast as the Hueys it escorted. The original variants were powered by a single Lycoming T53-L-11 turboshaft engine rated at 1,100 hp allowing it a speed of 277 km/h. The crew seating arrangement, which has since become the virtual standard for attack helicopters, placed the pilot at the rear seat, which is slightly elevated behind the co-pilot/gunner. The gunner also a full set of flight controls. The weapons turret under the nose were originally used to mount two 7.62 mm miniguns or two 40 mm grenade launchers or one of each weapon. Later versions of the Cobra mounts the M197 20 mm three-barrel cannon in the turret. The stub wings can carry up to 1,360 kg of various weapons but usually consist of folding fin aerial rocket tubes, gun pods or, later, anti-tank guided weapons.

Originally not equipped to fire anti-tank guided weapons, the Cobra was fitted with the M65 TOW/Cobra system complete with M65 Telescopic Sight Unit and M73 reflex Sight, creating the AH-1Q variant in 1973. The AH-1S is an upgraded -1Q variant with 1,800 hp Lycoming T53-l-703 turboshaft. The -1S was followed by the -1P with glass cockpit, improved low-altitude performance and composite rotor assembly. The AH-1E introduced the three-barrel M197 cannon while the AH-1F introduced laser rangefinder, infra-red countermeasure equipment, digital flight systems and heads-up display. Prior to 1988, all the S,P,E,Q and F Cobras were simply known as various variants of the AH-1S. Apart from the Vietnam War, US Army Cobras took part during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, Operation Desert Shield / Desert Storm in 1990/1991 and Operation Restore Hope in Somalia in 1993 and Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti in 1994. 300 Cobras were lost due to enemy action and accidents during the Vietnam War with a further three during Desert Storm. The Cobra was phased out and replaced by the AH-64 Apache in US Army service beginning in 1990 and fully retired from service in 2001. Retired machines were passed to allied nations and also the USDA Forest Service. The Cobra was exported and used by the armed forces of Israel, Japan, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan.       

The Kit

Hasegawa came out with a 1/72 kit of the single-engine Cobra in 1997 when they released the JGSDF version of the AH-1S. The US version was released in 2000 while the one I use in this build is a 2015 reboxing of the 2000 kit. And, according to online reviews, this is the most accurate version of the -1S (at least for the 1/72 version). The parts are spread among five dark olive drab sprues, one clear sprue and a small decal sheet. The parts are well moulded and have engraved panel lines. Some are marked as 'Not for use' as probably they are only relevant to the JGSDF version. Details are acceptable for 1/72 scale and from casual viewing, it looks like it's going to be a simple, straightforward build. It also includes two crew figures. The decals provide markings for just one helicopter : a snake from the 7th Cavalry, US Army.

Construction

Almost inevitably with flying machine models, even the rotary winged ones, construction started with the cockpit. And as per my usual practice, the relevant parts were painted while on the sprue. There were just two paints needed for the cockpit - flat and gloss black. The parts were then removed from the sprue and the resulting scars were then touched up. The parts were then assembled, the crew fifures however were not used. The provided decals were then used to represent the instrument panels on the cockpit sides. Before the fuselage halves were cemented together, holes were drilled or puttied over where needed and the cockpit sides were painted Black. Afterwards, the completed cockpit plus the bottom of the fuselage (Part A4) were inserted into one of the cockpit halves and the whole fuselage was cemented together. The tail skid was however left off at this time.

Next up were some of the external features. The tail fins were first and some care were needed here to avoid gaps. The stub wings were next. The halves were mated together, sanded and then cemented to the fuselage. The pylons for the FFAR pods were also added at this time although the TOW missile assembly was left off. The last sub-assembly I added to the model at this time was the sight at the nose. In order to ease handling during painting and decalling, the landing skids were left off. Although the tail rotor, the M197 cannon and the exhaust were assembled, they were set aside at his time.

Painting and Decalling

Hasegawa has you paint the model entirely in Olive Drab. However, based on my readings during my AH-64 Apache build, US Army helicopters are painted Helo Drab instead of Olive Drab. For modellers, only Model Master has this particular paint in their range. I'm not going to wait for several more weeks in order for newly-ordered paint to arrive. So decided to use the next best alternative : Tamiya's XF-51 Khaki Drab. While it does not exactly match Helo Drab, looking at photos on the internet shows that Helo Drab can assume shades from OD to Dark Grey but I think XF-51 is just about the shade of the 'original' Helo Drab. The FFAR pods and the TOW tubes however were painted US Olive Drab. The M197 cannon was painted black and then I decided to use my newly acquired AK Interactive weathering pencil 'Gun Metal'. The pencil works as the usual pencil-watercolour combo. The graphite(?) is moistened and then applied over the parts....and voila, metallic-looking parts! The narrow sealing tape however was not painted as I doubt my ability to cleanly mask and paint such a narrow line.

The decals were then applied in the usual manner and was then given the Mr. Mark Softer treatment.

Finishing

Finishing at this stage means permanently attaching the remaining sub-assemblies. I started with the weapons first. By the way, the kit FFAR pods were replaced with the ones from the Italeri weapons kit as the latter has the 'rocket heads' (for what its worth) poking from the tubes, whilst the kit ones are more or less 'empty'. Once the skids were attached, I found that the model was not very stable and usually went tail-heavy. However once the main rotor was put in place, it no longer has that nose-up attitude. The cannon assembly and the canopy howere were quite a tight fit and the cannon nearly broke apart when I try to insert it into its slot. The canopy needed a bit of sanding to get it into place; however the finished still has quite a noticeable gap. The model received a coat of Gunze Flat Coat and the masks were then removed, finishing the build.

Conclusion

Hasegawa's 1/72 Cobra is an easy kit to build and without any real shortcomings. The details are convincing enough especially in 1/72 although those who wants more detail can easily add them.

Gunboat Gustav

Historical Background

The Bf 109 has its origins in the 1933 study by the Technisches Amt (C-Amt) department of the Reichluftfahrtministerium. The study outlined four broad categories for future combat aircraft. One of them, Rüstungsflugzeug III, was for a single-seat fighter/short-range interceptor. The new fighter was to have a top speed of 400km/h at 6,000 meters, with a flight duration of 90 minutes. Power was to be provided by the Junkers Jumo 210 engine of 700hp. Armament would consists of a single 20mm MG C/30 engine-mounted cannon, firing through the propeller hub, or two cowl-mounted 7.92mm machine guns, or a single lightweight MG FF 20mm cannon with two 7.92mm machine guns.The aviation companies Arado, Heinkel and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW), who was headed by Willy Messerschmitt, received the development contract in February 1934 whilst Focke Wulf received theirs in September of the same year. A proviso was made that the Jumo 210 engine would be interchangeable with the more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 600.

All participants were asked to deliver three prototypes for testing in late 1934. Messerschmitt's design, the P.1034 was begun in March 1934 and the first prototype was ready by January 1935. However the Jumo 210 engines were not yet ready. In order to get the competing prototypes into the air, the RLM acquired Rolls-Royce Kestrel VI engines allowing the P.1034 (given the RLM type designation Bf 109) to fly in May 1935. The Jumo engines were finally available in late summer 1935, allowing prototype V2 to be completed in October 1935. The Bf 109 eventually prevailed against its rivals, especially the Heinkel He 112; being faster, and having superior climb and dive performance. The Bf 109 was first shown to the public when prototype V1 was flown during the Berlin 1936 Olympics.

The Bf 109A was the first production version, powered by a Junkers Jumo 210B or D engine and armed with two cowl mounted MG 17 7.92mm machine guns. This was followed by the serial production Bf 109B, armed with the same armament although some aircraft were fitted with the engine mounted machine gun. Prototype V8 was fitted with two MG 17s in the wings and in prototype V8, 20mm MG FF cannons were fitted. Both Bf 109A and B models were tested under combat conditions during the Spanish Civil War. The A and B models were followed by the C, D and a major redesign in 1938 resulted in the E model. A second major redesign in 1939-1940 resulted in the F series. The Friedrichs have a streamlined nose with a half-elleptical spinner. The type also omitted the stabiliser support struts while all weapons were concentrated in the forward fuselage.

This was followed by the G ('Gustav') model, introduced in the middle of 1942. The initial variants (G-1 through G-4) only have minor differences with the F model but most notably the use of the more powerful (1,455 hp) Daimler-Benz DB 605 engine. Other modifications to the G included a reinforced wing structure, an internal bullet-proof windscreen, heavier and welded framing for cockpit transparencies and additional armor for the fuel tank. Odd-numbered variants were designed as high altitude interceptors with pressurised cockpit and GM-1 (nitrous oxide) boost while even-numbered variants were unpressurised air superiority fighter and fighter-bombers. Later variants (G-5 to G-14) were produced with uprated armaments and provision for factory-supplied equipment/weapons package known as Umrüst-Bausätze (adding the suffix '/U' to the aircraft designation). Field modification kits known as Rüstsätze were also available.  

Armament initially consist of a pair of 7.92 mm MG17 on the upper deck and a 20 mm MG 151/20 Motorkanone firing through the propeller hub. From G-5 onwards, the MG 17s were replaced with 13 mm MG 131s. As the latter has a larger breechblock, resulting in a bulged fairing, the Gustav was nicknamed Die Beule (the bulge). Additional Rüstsätze kit for bomber-destroying missions include R5 (two 30 mm MK 108 cannons in underwing pods) and R6 (two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons in underwing pods). While increasing the Bf 109's lethality, it has an adverse effect on handling qualities, reducing its performance in fighter vs fighter combat. The G-6 can also be armed with a pair of Werfer-Granate 21 rocket system, intended to be employed at a stand-off range against Allied bomber formations.

While faster than the 'F' model, the Gustav was less maneuverable and its introduction into service coincides with the reversal in fortune for Germany, mainly fighting a defensive war. More than 10,000 Gustavs were built, making it the most numerous of Bf 109 variants. Apart from the Luftwaffe, the Bf 109G was also used by Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Spain and Romania. Spain also built licensed copies as Hispano HA-1112 while Czechoslovakia built copies as Avia S-99 and S-199.

The Kit

Hasegawa kit JT47 was a 1998 version of their 1997 'Bf 109G-6 'Hartmann'' kit which in turn was a modified version of the earlier G dan F series in Hasegawa's 1/48 stable. The parts were spread among nine grey and one clear plastic sprues with a number of parts being marked as 'not for use' (belonging to other marks of the Bf 109). Sprue B is absent as it represents the F/early G cowling with the smaller openings for the MG17 machine guns. The parts display Hasegawa's usual quality of nicely done details whether raised or engraved.  Decals provide markings for two kanonenvogels (Bf 109G with the R6 field modification kit):

1. Obersleutnant Alfred Grislawski, J.Gr.50; and

2. Oberfeldwebel Heinrich Bartels, 11./ JG27

The kit can also be made into a plain G-6 simply by leaving the MG 151/20 cannon pods off and using aftermarket decals (well, thank you, Capt. Obvious). 

Construction

As always, construction started at the cockpit. Hasegawa's cockpit consists of 10 parts; detail is so-so and I felt that more could be done by Hasegawa here (like the seat for example). The parts were painted RLM 66 Schwarzgrau using Tamiya XF-63 German grey whilst still on the sprue and were touched up after assembly. No decals were provided for the instrument panel but they do have raised detail here that can be dry-brushed to 'pop-up' the details (I didn't do it - I just dab white paints here and there as 'instrument faces'). The fuselage was joined using Tamiya Extra Thin Cement. Afterwards the instrument panel and the completed cockpit were cemented into place. Certain access hatches on the starboard fuselage were puttied and sanded as per the instructions. The upper nose cowling was put in place although the machine gun barrels were left off for the time being. The supercharger air intake was assembled and cemented but the sand filter was left off as I have not decided which markings I intended to do at this time. There is also an errata sheet as the original instruction had the 'plain' beule placed on the right-hand side of the fuselage. 

Next, the wing assembly. I first painted the inside surface of the radiator cooler intake RLM 76 (the fuselage colour) and the grills in Mr Color 28 Steel. As the Gustav uses larger tyres, bulges were present on the upper wing surface and Hasegawa has you drill holes in order to accommodate the said bulges. This however resulted in marred wheel wells which need to be puttied over; I just let it be as nobody is going to lift the model up and peer underneath it! Extra panel lines were also needed to be engraved on the upper wing surfaces. There are faint lines at the area required so I placed a Dymo tape and engrave the new lines. The elevator trim tabs also needed modification and I simply place the tailplanes against the drawing in the instructions (they are in 1/48), mark the area and cut the excess plastic off.

Painting and Decalling

Both marking options have the standard Luftwaffe mid-war camouflage of RLM74/75/76. The model was painted overall RLM 76 at first, using the Tamiya mix of 7 parts XF-2 Flat White, 1 part XF-23 and 2 parts XF-66 Light Grey. By this time I really have to decide which marking to finish the model. I eventually chose Grislawksi's Gustav simply because he scored more kills than Bartels! With the selection process out of the way, the 74/75 pattern of Grislawksi's can be applied to the model. I originally wanted to use Vallejo Air but reverted to using Mr. Hobby RLM 75 as the Vallejo version is way too dark. I however think that Vallejo's version of RLM 74 is close enough and used it. As usual with mottled Jerman camouflage pattern, I tried to recreate the illusion of airbrush-applied mottling by varying the viscosity of the respective paints and from six feet away, it looks good enough! About the mottling - the instructions did not correspond with the box art and the finished example PLUS photos of the real plane! I should have followed my head!

As the kit dates back to 1998, the whites of the decals has that ivory shade and for my copy, suffers from some yellowing due to age. The former was left as it was but leaving the decals in direct  sunlight for several days helped cure most of the yellowing. Also, probably also due to age, the decals took a bit longer to come loose from the backing paper. There is also a mistake with the instructions as it has the skeletal Balkankreuz for Grislawski's plane (the photo on the box side has the black and white one). I simply Google for photos of the particular plane where it shows it having the Black-and-White Balkankreuz upon which I acted accordingly. The port wing Balkankreuz however flipped upon itself a bit and I was unable to flip it back correctly. I therefore had to retouch the cross with white paint and to make them look symmetrical, retouched the Balkankreuz on the starboard wing too!

Finishing

The model received some wash into the panel lines at first. This was followed by adding some weathering effects specifically some residue marks, exhaust soot and some paint chipping; the last were made mainly on the port wing root, leading edge of the wing and the propeller blades. I originally anted to add fuel spill effect on the drop tank but eventually decided not to. The smaller and more fragile parts were then cemented onto the model such as the gun barrels, the pitot tube, the radio aerial and even the gunsight (I prefer to cement the latter during the finishing process to avoid mishandling and loss inside the fuselage; besides, the cockpit opening is large enough to handle the part). A few more finishing touches aere like....painting the flying lights (which sometimes I forgot to do!). A final coat of Flat Clear finishes the build.

Conclusion

Hasegawa's Gustav 109s can still hold its own despite the introduction of the more modern kits from Eduard and Tamiya. The build is simple enough that novices can try their hand although more advanced modellers might want to dress up their model with aftermarket parts or use the newer kits. My issues with the kit  is concerned with the off-white colour of the decals and the lack of details in the cockpit. Oh, also don't trust the instructions 100%!