Not Bad For A Sidekick

Historical Background

Following the end of World War 2, France intended to develop new, indigenous armoured fighting vehicles to face future threats. They came up with a number of tanks, of which the AMX-50 was intended to be the medium tank for Western European armies. Financial constraints coupled with American military aid in the shape of M47 Pattons caused the programme to be cancelled. In 1956, a working group called FINBEL (after France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) was set up to draw a requirement for a common tank to replace American- and British-built tanks then in service with those countries. With West Germany being allowed to rearm, the group included the Germans and the acronym was then changed to FINABEL with the A stands for Allmagne, French for Germany (despite the acronym, the active members were just France and West Germany). In October 1956, FINABEL agreed to develop a tank dubbed the Europanzer. The requirement asked for a 30-ton tank with a width of 3.15 meters and a height of 2.15 meters and armed with a 105mm gun. It should also have a power-to-weight ratio of 30 hp/tonne, powered by an air-cooled petrol engine and having a road range of 350 km. Each country was allowed to build two prototypes each.

The French prototypes were developed by the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Molineux (AMX) with the first one completed in September 1960. The programme however ran into problems; the first of which occurred in 1958, upon the ascension of Charles de Gaulle as the President of France. On 17 June 1958, he decided to refuse the participation of West Germany and Italy to develop a common nuclear weapon. This in turn caused the Germans to start losing interest in the Europanzer project. The rift was further widened when the German Defence Minister began to oppose the project. In July 1963, the West Germans decided to pursue a purely 'national' tank and was decided likewise by the French in November of the same year. By this time the French tank received the designation AMX-30 while the West German vehicle was named Leopard. The final nail in the coffin was when the participating countries couldn't agree on the main armament: the French wanted to use the French 105mm tank gun while the West Germans wanted to use the British-developed L7 gun. The Europanzer programme was cancelled and the parties went their separate ways. The French prototypes were light (comparable to the Swiss Panzer 61) and low (comparable to the T-55). The turret design was conventional, avoiding the oscillating turret of the AMX-50. The first two prototypes were powered by a petrol engine, which was then replaced by a multi-fuel diesel engine. The prototypes were later designated AMX-30A to differentiate them from production tanks, designated AMX-30B. 

The AMX-30 was mostly of cast construction with a pronounced hull front slope and an oval, hemispheric cast turret. It had a combat weight of just 36 tonnes. Armour thickness was 80.8 mm for the turret face and 79 mm for the hull front. At the time, it was the most lightly protected MBT in Europe as the design philosophy relied on its speed, agility and small dimensions. The AMX-30 was powered by a Hispano-Suiza HS-110 diesel engine  producing 680 to 720 hp power output, allowing speeds up to 65 km/h. The AMX had a range of 600 km. The main armament was a 105mm F1 cannon. The unique feature of the gun was its Obus G HEAT round which was designed with two separate walls so that the outer shell spins while the inner one remain stationary. This allow the rifled F1 gun to have an effective range of 3,000 meters. 50 105 mm rounds were carried. Secondary armament comprised of a 12.7 mm machine gun co-axially mounted with the main gun and a 7.62 mm machine gun on the commander's cupola. In 1972 the gun stabilisation system was modernised and in 1973 the 12.7mm machine gun was replaced with a 20 mm Hispano-Suiza dual-purpose cannon. In 1980 the type received a major upgrade programme with the first upgraded tank, designated AMX-30B2 completed in 1982. The COTAC APX M-508 FCS now included a laser rangefinder and an LLLTV while ammunition now include APFSDS rounds. The engine was upgraded to a more powerful HS-110.2 while the orginal (and temperamental) transmission was replaced with a smoother SESM RNC2000. In 1995 AMX-30B2s of 1er/2ᵉ Chasseurs of the Rapid Reaction Force received the BRENUS (briques reactive de surblindage or up-armour reactive bricks) package comprising of 112 ERA 'bricks' fitted on the turret and the hull front. To compensate for increased weight, a 725 hp engine was installed. 

The AMX-30 entered service in 1966 when 501ᵉ Regiment de Chars de Combat became the first unit to be equipped with the tank. In 1991, during the Gulf War (known to the French as Operation Daguet), AMX-30B2s of 4ᵉ Regiment de Dragons formed part of 6ᵉ Division Legere Blindee. 44 AMX-30B2 and 4 AMX-30 Demin (tanks fitted with ex-East German mine rollers) were deployed. The Division was positioned to the west of the main Coalition forces, protecting the left flank of US XVII Airborne Corps. This disposition allowed greater autonomy to the French and at the same time lessening the likelihood of encountering superior T-72 of the Iraqis. The French successfully completed their objectives: 'Rochambeau', 'Chambord' and 'Objective White' (As-Salman Air Base). 270 105 mm rounds were expended during the campaign and with support from USAF A-10s and their own Gazelle helicopters, managed to destroy 10 tanks, three BMPs, fifteen trucks and five mortars. On the other side of the front, Qatari AMX-30s were involved in the Battle of Khafji, knocking out three T-55s and capturing four. At least one Qatari AMX-30 was lost during the battle. 

The AMX-30 was exported to Spain, Greece, Chile, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and UAE. Bosnia-Herzegovina received ex-UAE AMX-30s while Cyprus received theirs from ex-Greece stocks. The French Army received a total of 1,355 AMX-30s plus 195 AUF1 155mm howitzers, 44 ATL Pluton TELs, 134 AMX-30D ARVs, 183 AMX-30R SAM vehicles and 48 EBG engineering vehicles. The AMX-30 gun tanks in French service has been replaced by the Leclerc.    

The Kit

The AMX-30 has been overlooked by mainstream kit manufacturers with just Heller (naturally) producing them in the 1980s. Meng however came up with the baseline AMX-30B kit in 2012 and was followed by the AUF1 in the next year. In 2014 the mould was updated to create the B2 version of the AMX-30. The parts are spread among 12 sand-coloured, 5 dark grey and one clear sprues, a lower hull pan, a turret shell, a rubbery sheet, a length of twine, two PE frets plus a small decal sheet. The parts look well-detailed  and there is also a jig to help with track assembly. Like the previous Meng model kits I've built before, the suspension can be made moveable. The decal sheet provide markings for just one vehicle, '112' of the 4th Dragoon Regiment, 6th Light Armoured Division during the 1991 Gulf War. A small 'numbers jujumble'is also included.

Construction

As usual, construction started at the lower hull. The first step is concerned with wheel assembly but I skipped them and go straight for the lower hull. The suspension fairings were moulded separately needing some time to cement all 10 of them (plus four shock absorbers). The torsion bar limiter and the drive joint were made moveable so that they can be adjusted during the fitting of the tracks. The torsion bars were then fitted and they mimicked the real thing by being workable. As per my usual style, the lower hull and the wheels were painted at this time (with the wheels still on the sprue). The paint were touched-up after the wheels had come off the sprue. While assembly of the wheels was straightforward, some care need to be taken into account to avoid misalignments. Take note when assembling the sprocket wheels as there are two styles to it and Meng instructed you to use Parts A48 and A51. The wheels were then mounted to the lower hull. And before I forgot, holes were drilled into the sponson. 

I then moved on to the upper hull. I started by attaching the various small parts on the front of the hull, the engine deck, hatches and the side plates. I didn't attach the tools on the latter at this stage however.. The smoke generator slotted into their place in a particular manner so you really have to follow the instructions. The upper hull was then cemented to the lower hull. . More parts were added such as the engine deck side plates and the rear plates. The engine air intake, Part P6 did not into it's opening on the engine deck and some sanding were done to allow it to fit. Most of the parts on the rear plate were cemented on to place although the exhausts, some tools and the rear mudguards were left off at this time. Finally, the tracks were assembled.  As with a number of their other kits, Meng provided a track assembly jig (on the same part as the jig for the PE set). The method is quite simple - lay down the bottom part of the track link, then glue the upper part.  Sounds easy right? That would a qualified yes. The tracks lacked 'gripping power' between the links. The locating pins between the upper and the lower halves are adequate I think, but the moulded-on track pins are short and I think therein lies the problem. Anyway, some careful handling during  wrapping the tracks around the wheels allowed the tracks to stay in one piece. By the way, I just link togther 60 pieces per run only as the skirting would hide the upper track run.

Work on the turret started at the gun assembly. The barrel is a three-piece affair and yes, there are seams along the barrel halves that need to be sanded. The breech assembly is separate from the barrel and if you like, can be left off entirely. The blast bags are also a two-piece affair with more seams to be filled and sanded. The mantlet cover is made from a rubbery plastic which has already been cut into shape. This was inserted into place and secured using super glue. The turret halves were mated first and the gun assembly was ten inserted and cemented into place. There are three positions for radio aerials and Meng merely suggests whether to seal them or place radio anerial mounts. So after consulting photos, I place two aerial mounts and close off the third.  While the four smoke grenade discharges at the rear of the turret is a breeze to assemble, the ones on the turret sides are a bit fiddly. The commander's cupola is a bit a model by itself but nothing too difficult was encountered.

Painting and Decalling

As usual, the tracks were painted AK Interactive Track Primer and was then given a wash using AK Interactive Track Wash. After masking the clear parts, the model was painted Vallejo 71.075 Ivory overall. The camouflage pattern was painted using Vallejo 71.038 Camouflage Medium Brown. The painting diagram did not include upper and right-hand views but fortunately there is an upper elevation view on the boxtop side and the boxtop art can be used for the right side pattern. The model was the sprayed with semi-gloss clear paint (I use the one from GSI Creous) to prep for the decals. The decals went without a hitch except for the rear registration plate. I don't thik it was applied over the pioneer tools. But with the tool in question is already moulded onto the rear plate, there wasn't anything else to do but apply the decal over the tool, use some decal softening solution and re-apply paint on the tool. The model then received a wash using AK Interactive Vehicle Wash for US Modern vehicles. .

Finishing

I started by adding permanently the smaller parts such as the tools, the horizontal plates on either side of the hull, and the stowage boxes. Meng has the modeller cut the provided length of twine as towing cables but I found that the plastic ready-made tow cables are adequate; so the twine went into the spares box. The rear-view mirror were next, followed by the co-axial cannon and the commander's machine-gun. The remaining scars were painted over and given the same wash treatment. The model then received a layer of Flat Clear to give some 'bite' to the next layer of weathering. A couple of layers of Tamiya XF-57 was then laid over the model to represent a vehicle coated in desert dust. Further layer of dust was recreated on the lower hull and tracks using Tamiya Weathering Master pack. A final layer of Flat Clear was sprayed on tthe model to finish the build.

Conclusion

The AMX-30 was a rather obscure vehicle in 1/35 as I can only think of Heller's kit which originally dates from the 1970s I think. That kit has been supplanted by this Meng kit (and their 'baseline' AMX-30 kit). I don't have any erferences (just through Google only) but the kit does look like an AMX-30B2 to me. Building this kit up was fairly easy with some fiddly areas such as the IR searchlight doors, the commander's cupola and the tracks. using others' experiences as guidance, I managed to assemble without problems (plus I cheated by not assemblig the upper run!) .

Achilles' Tracks

Historical Background

After studying the German Blitzkrieg of 1939-1941, the US Army incorporated the idea of tank destroyers - fast, lightly armoured vehicles with high velocity anti-tank guns to deal with the armoured spearheads of the blitzkrieg. The result was the M10 Gun Motor Carriage based on the M4 Sherman tank but with thinner armour in order to comply with the high speed requirement. At the same time the British were examining the design for a low-silhouette tank destroyer with a 360-degree rotating turret mounting the hard-hitting Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun with armour able to resist 50 mm rounds at 800 yards. However, with the British resources and industry working at full capacity, together with the availability of Lend-Lease, the project was cancelled and they received the M10, nicknamed Wolverine in British service. The British received their first Wolverines in 1943 and found the M1 3-in anti-tank gun arming them gave better performance than the Ordnance QF 6-pounder anti-tank gun and equal to the 7.5-cm KwK 40 gun arming the Panzer IV and Sturmgeschutz III.

The British however still wanted to mount the 17-pounder gun but the main problem is how to mount the gun onto the existing vehicles. However, the initial batches of the British M10 had an easily modified mounting to facilitate the replacement of the M7 gun with the newer M1. The mounting also allowed the British to eventually mount the 17-pounder gun. But for later batches of M10s, only the T71 type can be converted while the T70 can only mount the lighter M1. The M10-based conversions were nicknamed Achilles Ic while M10A1-based conversions were called Achilles IIc. The 17-pounder was able to penetrate 131 mm of armour at 1,000 meters at 30 degree angle of penetration using APCBC rounds. The limited-availability APDS round can penetrate 192 mm at the same range and angle of attack. By comparison, the same APCBC rounds fired from the American 3-in gun can only penetrate 88 mm of armour while the very limited HVAP round can only penetrate 127 mm of armour. All these numbers show the clear superiority of the 17-pounder gun. Because of its length, the 17-pounder gun of the Achilles was fitted with a counterweight, giving it a distinctive appearance compared to the M10.

In practice, the British used the Achilles as a mobile anti-tank gun, able to reinforce an infantry attack and engage counterattacking enemy forces, while waiting for the slower towed 17-pounders be brought into position. This was actually in line with the original American concept of the tank destroyer. The Achilles was usually used in an offensive manner in support of Churchill tank-equipped units, which was not supported by the Sherman Firefly or the Challenger tank. The Achilles equipped the units of the Royal Artillery and Royal Canadian Artillery in Armoured Divisions or Corps Anti-Tank Regiments. The most successful action taken by the Achilles was during Operation Charnwood, when Achilleses and towed 17-pounders of the 245th Battery, 62nd Anti-Tank Regiment of the Royal Artillery stopped an attack by a mixed force of Panzer IV and Panther tanks of the 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend, destroying thirteen panzers while losing four of their number.

The British received 1,650 M10s during the war, of which 1,100 were converted into Achilles standard. It was planned that 1,000 would be converted in time for Operation Overlord but eventually only 124 had been converted by 6 June 1944. Losses among Achilles-equipped unit at the time meant that replacements were often regular M10s, much to the crews' dismay. The numbers however picked up by the end of 1944 finally reaching the figure stated beforehand. 

The Kit

Two years after the release of the M10, AFV Club released the 'Anglified' version - the Achilles. The majority of the parts in this kit are the same with the ones in the M10 kit. The Achilles kit added a new sprue containing British-specific parts such as the gun mantlet, British-style fire extinguishers, British No.19 radio, spare track-link mounts, three Sten Guns with alternate metal stocks and six 17-pounder rounds for the ready-round racks. A new turned aluminium barrel is also included. Decals provide markings for six vehicles:

1. 93rd Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 5 Corps Italy 1944

2. 1st Army Corps, Normandy 1944

3. 75th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, 11th Armoured Division, Belgium 1944-45

4. 4th Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, Netherlands 1945

5. 21st Anti-Tank Regiment, Royal Artillery, Guards Armoured Division, Netherlands 1944

6. 1st Anti-Tank Regiment, 1st Polish Armoured Division, Netherlands 1944

While other reviewers didn't mention it,  the decals in my kit were badly printed, with the Guards Armoured Division insignia and all of the arms of service insignias out of register. 

Construction

Since the Achilles, like the original M10 is an open-topped vehicle, construction started at the interior. Not much however is included (and as I have never seen the actual interior, it's rather moot actually). What were there however was nicely detailed. There are seats for the driver and his assistant but no control columns were included. The instrument panel was painted and drybrushed (although I shouldn't bother, really). The ammo rack on the sponson is there but unlike the M10, rounds were not provided. The beautifully-detailed transmission were next. After assembly, it was cemented to the transmission cover and the whole thing was mated to the main hull. The interior then received a rather heavy dark wash. Moving on to the suspension, AFV Club's VVSS suspension has a bit more breakdown than other companies' allowing more articulation especially for dioramas (which I don't need). It was quite tedious but strangely enough, after all the effort making the suspension articulate, they have the wheels with hollow backs.....The rear plate and all the fittings was then fitted to the hull, although I left the exhaust for the time being.

Before doing anything else to the upper hull, the faint raised circles marking the locations of the applique armour bosses were sanded off (unless you're doing the Canadian version).  Like the M10 kit, the driver and co-driver's hatches can be made moveable but I also decided to cement them shut as there were no sitting figures to fit there nor there were interior to speak of. The rear plate was then cemented but the tools placed there were left off until after painting has been done. The fit was was quite bad and needed putty to fill the gap. It should be noted that there is a difference for the location of the tools between the Canadian version and the rest of the options in the kit The grouser rack were then cemented to the hull. Again the location is different on the Canadian option. At the front of the hull, AFV Club gave options for the placement of the radio aerial and the right-hand side light (either on the same location as on the M10 or on the front plate for the former and either on the edge of the front plate or on top of the right headlight for the latter). The empty ammo racks on the sponson were partially filled with ammo from Bronco - just to have something in it.

On to the turret then. The turret is basically a carry-over from the M10 kit. However the upper rear panel is a straight piece of plastic which need to be folded to fit on the lower half (fit is a bit of a misnomer here). Also, instead of generic ammunition style (or using ammo from the M10), AFV Club provided 'proper' 17 pounder ammunition for the turret ready racks. I did not use them however. Instead I used the even better items from Bronco. They are however larger than the kit ammo but fortunately, they fit into the kit ammo racks (except for the topmost, right-side rack). A Sten Gun with alternative butts was also provided. The instructions have the magazine in place but I don't think the gun was stowed as such, so the magazines were left off. The real difference of the turret is at the front with a different mantlet and the gun (of course) and the differently-shaped counterweights on the rear of the turret. The M2 heavy machine gun was left off the this time to ease handling of the turret. And, to ease painting (more or less) the interior parts were painted before they were assembled, with touching-up of the paint took place after construction.

Painting and Decalling

Allied vehicles are pretty straightforward to paint by (usually) having just one colour. In the interest of accuracy, the Achilles should be painted SCC15 (British) Olive Drab. Since I usually paint using Tamiya stuff and Tamiya does not have this colour, they need to mixed using Tamiya paints. I However ran out of some of the paint, and so I painted it 'straight' XF-62 Olive Drab. The majority of marking options in the kit have plain schemes and to add a bit more variety to my collection, I decided to finish my model in the Guards Armoured Division markings. The camouflage pattern was painted using Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. The decals were applied next. They settled without any problems but you can't help noticing the rather obvious mis-register (is there such a word?) of the decals especially the arms of service marking. The model then received a wash using stuff from AK Interactive.

Finishing

I didn't mention it early on but the tracks were fitted onto the running gear before the upper hull was cemented to the lower half. The tracks were painted XF-64 Red Brown as base while the track pads were painted XF-69 NATO Black. It was earlier decided that turret opening is wide enough for some parts to be left off and so only at this time the ammo pieces were put in place, together with the aforementioned Sten. AFV Club did not include stowage so I added some from my stash and from Bronco's 17-Pounder Ammunition Set and British Field Accessories Set. The turret and upper hull received a thin layer of XF-57 Buff to stimulate dust. The Buff layer for the hulls was streaked down to simulate rain marks. The marks were enhanced here and there using AK Interactive Weathering Pencil. The lower hull received mud applications using Vallejo Splash Mud, Ammo Dark Mud and AK Interactive Earth Effects. 

Conclusion

While the amount of detail is pretty good for the outside, I believe that interior is simplified and is something that is not so good for an open-topped vehicle. The fit is also not very good especially for the turret walls and the rear hull plate which require putty. The decals is one of the worst for a mainstream kit with out-of-register printings. And, apparently, like their M10 kit, the turret is rather inaccurate although I don't have any means to verify the claim. Anyway it does look like an Achilles's turret so there. It is nevertheless a very buildable kit and recommended to all. Of course, if you want to have an easier build, there' always the newer Tamiya kit of the same vehicle!

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.

TIE In The Sky

Fictional / Real-World Background

To replace Republic- and early Galactic Empire-era starfighters, the Imperial Navy ordered the new TIE starfighters from Sienar Fleet Systems. The mass-production TIE/Ln fighter took its designation from the Twin Ion Engine propulsion employed by the craft. The engine utilised microparticle accelerators to agitate ionised gases to relativistic velocities. The engine also featured ion stream deflector manifolds for pinpoint maneuvering accuracy. The stream of particles gave the engines a distinct 'howl' which became one of the hallmarks of the TIE series of starfighters. However in order to reduce the mass  and energy consumption, hyperdrive system, shielding and life-support systems were removed from the design, making the craft more vulnerable to even micrometeorite strikes. 

While a good space superiority fighter, the TIE/Ln's performance fell in planetary atmosphere. The Imperial Navy then decided to build a small number of experimental fighters derived from the basic TIE design. These were known as the TIE/sk x1 air superority fighter or TIE/sk atmospheric fighter or simply as TIE Striker. The craft is a more streamlined version of the TIE Fighter and was specialised for in-atmosphere missions. Due to it's speciality, it was one of the rarest version of the TIE. The Striker feature horizontal and pointed wings designed for atmospheric combat. The wing also helped improve the TIE/sk's VTOL performance. Additional speed can be gained by curling down the wing which is also the craft's attack mode. The TIE Striker is armed with two pairs of Sienar L-s9.3 laser cannons and a pair of H-s1 heavy laser cannons which can take out enemy starfighters or medium transports with just a few shots. An unknown number of VL61-79 proton bombs are dispensed through a  chute underneath the fuselage for ground support missions and is effective against vehicles while also dealing heavy damage over a fairly large area. 

Although intended to be an atmospheric fighter, the TIE Striker can still be used in space, accompanying the standard TIE Fighters. It is also useful to transfer personnel and supplies from orbit to planetary surface due to its larger pod/fuselage. By the time the Galactic Civil War erupted, the TIE/sk was used to defend important Imperial bases, most notably the Imperial security complex on Scarif. TIE Strikers remain in use throughout the conflict. The Imperial Admiralty however frowned upon the TIE/sk, seeing it as a result of indecision and wasteful expenditure such as atmospheric streamlining, pressurised life support and ground support weaponry. Its pilots however were anamoured by such novelty.

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The TIE Striker was a new design developed for 'Rogue One : A Star Wars Story', the first of 'anthology' series of Star Wars movies as the movie has scenes of in-atmosphere dogfighting at the planet Scarif.

The Kit

Following the release of Rogue One : A Star Wars Story, Bandai came up with the then-latest member of the TIE family in 2017. Size-wise, it was roughly a bit longer than the Rebel Y-Wing Fighter. The well-engraved parts are spread among five sprues including two in Bandai's distinctive multi-coloured sprue - one sprue in grey and black and the other in grey, black and green. Also included are the frames-only canopies and viewscreen. As with previous kits, the TIE Striker kit can be build-up without cement. The wing panel, like on the TIE Fighter kit, is trapped between the outer frames. A display stand is included by I'm not sure whether it's stable enough for this kit. A cut-out of an Imperial TIE Fighter pilot is also included  Markings are of the usual stickers and waterslide variety and there is also the usual 'laser bolts', 

Construction

As usual with flying things, even fictional ones, construction started at the cockpit. The interior was painted FS36375 Light Ghost Grey although I didn't bother with washes as the interior would be nearly invisible with the roof in place. Stickers were used for interior detailing. The hand-less pilot was also unpainted although decals were used for the Imperial insignia on the helmet. The cockpit interior halves were then mated together. This was followed by assembling the fuselage proper. The snap-tight construction means that there was actually no need to dab cement on the joints but a bit was needed on the forward portion to seal a slight gap. The TIE Striker is a two-seat craft although Bandai didn't bother with the rear cockpit as nothing could be seen anyway through the clear openings in the canopy. Some smaller parts were attached (and cemented, just in case) and the fuselage was set aside. The wing assembly is left off until after painting. I however forgot to paint the area under the rear canopy black. While not really visible from the outside, the empty interior is quite plain to see under a strong light source!

Painting and Decalling

Using my previous builds of Imperial TIE Fighters as a guide, the TIE Striker was Tamiya TS-32 Haze Gray. Unlike other Imperial TIE designs, the viewscreen frames and some small parts of the fuselage were painted Flat Black. The wing solar panels were painted Vallejo Anthracite Grey. The display stand was unpainted. Some small decals were then applied.

Finishing
The I started with the wing assembly. Nothing to shout here with the wings themselves as they fit very well. It was however quite a tight fit for the completed wing assembly to fit into its slot on the fuselage. The model was then given a wash. By this time, I am quite confident that the model can receive the enamel wash treatment and stuff from AK Interactive was used. The model then received a final coat of semi-gloss clear paint. It was then mounted on the display base. And talk about the latter, while it was basically the same as others in the series, it was just flat, plain plastic. Bandai however instructed the modeler to place the plinth in the opposite direction to ensure balance.

Conclusion

As with just about other Bandai's Star Wars model kits, the TIE Striker is a snap to build (pun, more or less, intended). There were not many parts and painting was straightforward (just two colours effectively) and not much weathering. Again, like building other TIE Fighters, you can even skip painting the interior as the cockpit is a virtual black hole and can hardly be seen from the outside especially if the clear plastic viewport and top hatch were used (the frame-only equivalent actually makes it easier to peer inside!).

"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!