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July 2018

BATTLE OF KURSK 75 YEARS LATER

MODELING WWII’S MASSIVE TANK CLASH

20 PAGES: Detail a Soviet SU-152 SPG Replicate one tough panzer Design a battle diorama Paint a Red Army infantryman

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BASICS: Painting wheels & tires Nifty tricks for a better Buckeye Airbrush mottled camo on an Fw 190 Plant grass on a small base

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2 FineScale Modeler July 2018

ADD ON PARTS DRESS UP A HURR

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When it comes to building models of aircraft, armor, ships, and even sci-fi and figures, nothing compares to FineScale Modeler — delivered right to your home.

ICANE

p. 26

March 2018

MAKE AN ABRAMS POP USE FILTERS, OILS, SALT, AND PHOTOETCH p. 20 HOW TO

Karel Sutt builds a distinctive M1A2 – p. 20

34 FEATURES

KIT REVIEWS

16 Airbrushing & Finishing

54 Modelcollect B-2A Spirit

Masterful mottled camoulage AARON SKINNER

56 Trumpeter J-31 Gyrfalcon

18 Form & Figure Painting a Soviet infantryman JOE HUDSON

57 Wingnut Wings 5F.1 Dolphin

20

20 Replicating Red 421

58 Moebius Discovery from 2001: A Space Odyssey

With Dragon’s PzKpfw III Ausf M BILL PLUNK

60 Takom CM-11 Brave Tiger

28 Steppe up an SU-152 Detailing Bronco’s kit for Kursk KARL LOGAN

34 Taking a close look at Operation Zitadelle

60 Kajika Hiei 1915 62 ICM I-16 Type 24

44

Troops resting, scene bustling TODD JACKSON

62 Hasegawa C6N1-S Saiun 63 Revell Germany Shackleton AEW.2

38 Add grass to display bases A simple way to create a small scene CESAR “MANNY” RODRIGUEZ

IN EVERY ISSUE

44 Build a better Buckeye

5 Editor’s Page

And nifty tips for tricky markings, too FRANK CUDEN

46 46 Cultivate a corvette

7 Scale Talk 10 New Products

Tips for Flower-class HMS Zinnia ULF LUNDBERG

40 Reader Gallery

50 Builder Basics

52 Reader Tips

Painting wheels and tires MARK HEMBREE

53 Questions & Answers

66 Final Details As if it were yesterday MARK HEMBREE

58 Panda M1235A1 Dash DXM

64 Modeler’s Marketplace

57

65 Advertiser Index

FineScale Modeler (ISSN 0277-979X, USPS No. 679-590) is published monthly (except for June & August) by Kalmbach Media Co., 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187.

Periodicals Postage is paid at Waukesha, WI and additional oices. Postmaster: Send address changes to FineScale Modeler, P.O. Box 62320, Tampa, FL 33662-2320. Canada Post Publication Mail Agreement #40010760.

lebrating Ce

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4 FineScale Modeler July 2018

EDITOR’S PAGE

By Mark Savage

Marking another battle-versary

D

uring the summer of 1943, of the armor it had on the battleield. now 75 years ago, massive German losses are said to be about a German and Soviet armies third of Soviet losses. engaged in a sprawling battle outside his was a tank battle for the ages, the Russian city of Kursk. Although and it was the German army’s last the clash involved millions of foot sol- major ofensive on the Eastern Front. diers supported by aircraft and artilhe battle’s signiicance in turning lery, Kursk is regarded as one the war’s tide on that of the largest tank battles in Reportedly, front has led us to mark history.

Kursk’s 75th anniversary the Red he invading Germans with a couple of major Army lost were heavily outnumbered build stories. One is Karl 1,614 tanks in men and tanks and Logan’s re-creation of a and selfother armor. But the Soviet SU-152; the other is propelled Germans had better, Bill Plunk’s German guns more-sophisticated PzKpfw III Ausf M. We weapons. As the battle have several more stories that dragged on for weeks, the Germans, tie into Kursk: a stunning diorama of having advanced little, pulled many Operation Zitadelle, and a step-byof their forces back to protect step guide to adding grass on a small Germany from invading Allied forces display base. Plus, Joe Hudson shows moving north through Italy. how to paint a Soviet uniform.

Reportedly, the Red Army lost We’re sure that if you’re interested 1,614 tanks and self-propelled guns in World War II armor, the July issue at Kursk. hat was more than a third will be one of your favorites this year.

Check out KalmbachHobbyStore.com for essential modeling tools, books, and more!

Just a reminder: FSM now ofers tools, sanding products, and more at the Kalmbach Hobby Store website.

If you need sprue cutters or sanders, check out the store and see what we ofer to make your builds easier! Go to KalmbachHobbyStore.com.

editor@FineScale.com

Off the sprue: Name your favorite summer concert … preferably one that you can remember, not one where you passed out or ended up in jail!

Editor Mark Savage msavage@Kalmbach.com

Senior Editor Aaron Skinner askinner@FineScale.com

Associate Editor Mark Hembree mhembree@FineScale.com

Assistant Editor Elizabeth Nash enash@FineScale.com

Editorial Associate Monica Freitag mfreitag@FineScale.com

Ouch, a tough question.

Wait, I asked it! Anyway, mine’s a tie between Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon — both living musical legends who still gave it their all, even as senior citizens. Gotta love bouncing into Graceland!

It was 1986 — Dire Straits. Just me and 55,000 of my closest friends in the QE2 Stadium in Brisbane, Australia.

Greatest concert ever heard, violinist Itzhak Perlman — but Bill Monroe’s Bean Blossom (Ind.) festival inspired my music career. Incredible lineup and 35,000 people. Playing that same stage in Monroe’s band five years later was a great thrill!

Seeing Paul McCartney at Summerfest 2016 was a religious experience.

He sang old classics, new favorites, and wrapped it up with fireworks. Being in the “standing room only” section wasn’t a bad thing because there was room to dance.

That’s a rough one — Keith Urban, Bon Jovi, Tim McGraw, and Sting all come to mind. But the best by far was at Milwaukee’s Summerfest, June 1999, the Dave Matthews Band.

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L

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ED ND E EXPAISSU

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GOING GALACT IC

Here’s how to light a Viper Deta Falcoiln the with PE

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AND MOR

E!

Space Marine camo LEDs for Ma.K Paint a Bird-of Flieg Spock metal -Prey mods

Make Detail a preproduction F-14 Finish aa Korean War Pers Thunde rbolt — hing fast

Senior Editor Aaron Skinner Associate Editor Mark Hembree Assistant Editor Elizabeth Nash Editorial Associate Monica Freitag

ART

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6 FineScale Modeler July 2018

SCALE TALK Your voice in FSM

Now at www.FineScale.com

What do the flag colors mean?

Tom Foti’s review of the Academy K2 tank in the April issue mentions the colored lags on the vehicle but doesn’t identify their purpose.

On a iring range, the green lag means all weapons are clear, the red lag means the vehicle is conducting live ire, and the yellow lag is for a malfunction.

Green and yellow mean malfunction and weapons are clear. Red and yellow mean malfunction and weapons are loaded. he more you know!

– Michael Canty Frankfort, Ky.

More detailed articles, please I write from England to say how much I appreciated the April issue of FSM with its detailed description of F-86 Sabre type variants.

However, it reminded me about the lack of detailed semi-technical information on markings and variant changes with successive derivatives, making subtle options in markings and color schemes a host of opportunities for the modeler. here is a library-full of detailed books

Free desktop wallpaper Download a desktop wallpaper of Modelcollect’s 1/72 scale B-2A Spirit, built by Paul Boyer for Workbench Reviews and featured on p. 54 in this issue.

Online Extras Whether you’re an expert with an airbrush or not sure which end points where, you’ll pick up tips and techniques watching the how-to series, Airbrushing with Aaron online.

out there covering almost every aircraft ever lown. But the excitement that comes from seeing a range of possibilities relating to a speciic aircraft type, such as what you published for the Sabre, seemed to expand the value of that issue of FSM. More of the articles such as the one contributed by John Rice would unlock a fascinating insight into the abundance of

Revell sold to Blitz he bankruptcy of Hobbico has led to Revell’s assets being bought by a German investment group, listed in court documents as Blitz 18-313. It is based near Munich. Blitz also bought Hobbico Germany. he sale was approved by a U.S. bankruptcy court Friday, April 13, 2018. Sale price was $3.9

New Product Rundown Want to know about a kit before you buy?

Aaron Skinner and Elizabeth Nash host a twice-monthly review of the newest models where you get to see what’s inside the boxes.

combat types and variants from the 1950s and 1960s. he opportunities are immense; back then there were more variants of a single aircraft type than there are of new aircraft in total today.

Are there other readers who think the same as I do?

– David Baker Rye, East Sussex, England

Why no A, E, and H Sabres? million with several contingencies that could raise or lower the sum.

Hobbico, based in Illinois, had owned Revell and was forced to sell it due to its bankruptcy.

Revell Germany will continue to operate as in the past, with Blitz being its owner. However, Revell USA operations have been closed.

Court documents say

the sale included all molds and tooling owned

by Revell USA, so those now belong to Revell Germany.

It also included Revell trademarks, such as Revell in various forms, Snap Tite, Junior Kit, Renwal, Monogram, Pro Modeler, Revell Monogram, Red Baron, Ice T, and many more.

– FSM staff

I’m always glad to see my copy of FSM in the mailbox, especially when it has coverage of one of my favorite aircraft, the F-86 Sabre. So I was doubly pleased with the April issue with Chuck Davis’ triple-Sabrebuild and John Rice’s guide to F-86 day ighters.

As enjoyable and informative as the articles are, I’m reminded of the actual dearth of coverage of the type in 1/48 scale. he only modern-tool injection-molded kits are the Hasegawa and Academy kits, with both ofering the 6-3 hard wing F-86F, and Hasegawa also ofering the 6-3 slat-winged Dash 40 type in its Japanese Air Self-Defense Force boxings. www.FineScale.com

7

ARA Press

SCALE TALK

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Fourteen US Army Missiles of the Cold War

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ARA Press 785 Jefferson Ave. Livermore, CA 94550 (925) 583-5126 www.arapress.com 8 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Nice kits of the late F models they are, but where are the A, E, and H models? he F-86A was the premier U.S. day ighter prior to and early in the Korean War. It served in front-line duty for fully 20 months of the war, from December 1950 to July 1952. hat’s two months more than the Merlin-engined P-51s, which fought over Europe in World War II from December 1943 to May 1945. he follow-on F-86E served its own 20 months in combat from December 1951 to July 1953 — again, longer than the aforementioned P-51s.

During these periods, more jet aces were made in the F-86A and E than any other type in history. Add in the pre-Korean War debut with the 1st Fighter Wing, and early 1950s service in Air Defense Command, and these are very important aircraft in U.S. Air Force history. hen there’s the seemingly orphaned F-86H. hough overshadowed by the new F-100 Super Sabre, these “Sabre Hogs” performed important service with the active-duty U.S. Air Force for about three years, equipping no fewer than 18 squadrons, then following on in the Air National Guard for several more years.

I say we need to see some F-86 action in the 1/48 scale New Products section of this magazine!

– Mike Keel New Braunfels, Texas

Modeling made easier I enjoyed Chuck Davis’ article on the three F-86s in the April issue. However, he may have built the RF-86F the hard way.

He said he only knew of one 1/72 scale ofering from Academy. However, Fujimi issued a 1/72 scale RF-86F kit (that exists at least in my stash) with the F-40 wing and added parts for all of the camera windows and bulges. It is kit No. F20-800.

Like most Sabre kits, the slats are molded closed.

For those disposed to model in 1/48 scale, Hasegawa made an RF-86F (No. 09321). It is the F-40 kit with resin parts to supply the camera bulges.

– John Eaton Woodland, Calif.

for growth among young modelers today.

However, I think that new subjects are needed in this hobby. In the case of dioramas, new and interesting igures would be welcome. Yet it is diicult to get diferent types of characters from kit manufacturers today.

I hope that, soon, 3-D printing will be available to more modelers and the creation of distinct igures will be possible.

Certainly, much 3-D modeling is already transforming the modeling industry as we know it.

– John Fraim New Albany, Ohio

Glossary addition I have a suggestion for the online glossary: Improvement Over he Original, or IOTO. Deinition: Bending historical accuracy to create a more interesting model.

– Ronald Beaumont Wolcott, Vt. Ed.: How many of you build in the style of IOTO? Go online to FineScale.com/glossary to def ine hundreds more common and not-so-common modeling terms.

Down with individual links I have 22 plastic armor models with individual-link tracks that haven’t been built. I also have 19 other armor models with either one-piece rubber tracks or link-andlength tracks.

After spending countless hours on a tank with individual-link track, I can see no logical reason why anyone would choose those over the other two styles, especially the one-piece rubber tracks. To me, those look as good, or better, than the individual ones, with which I always have problems.

Most individual-link tracks are timeconsuming. Just my amateur opinion, but it doesn’t seem logical to want to spend so much time on the tracks when they don’t look vastly diferent.

What do other readers think?

– Richard Prechel Beaver Dam, Wis.

Corrections

Hopes for 3-D printing

In the April FSM Reader Gallery, the artist locally known as Bricks Tattoo is Scotte Turner of Alexandria, Va.

Many hours of my early teen years were spent building models and helping my father build his model railroad.

Now, I’m scratchbuilding dioramas with HO model railroad objects. I feel that modeling dioramas ofers great potential

In the May FSM, the subhead on the Millennium Falcon story misidentiied the kit. As noted in the text, Aaron Skinner built Bandai’s 1/144 scale Falcon from Star Wars: he Force Awakens.

Set your sights on our best deals of the year…

A tank in its natural habitat Academy’s 1/35 scale M1A2 Tusk II looks right at home on my workbench. his was my irst Academy build and I appreciate its attention to detail.

In the end, I went with tracks from Trumpeter. he extra gear bags are from Tamiya sets. he ice chests and water coolers are by Def.Model.

Wanting it to look like the tanks seen in the Iraq 2009 campaigns, I painted with Testors Model Master sand (FS33531) — a suggestion made by builders on the FineScale Modeler online forums.

down on the cofee table, and try hard not to spill any paint! And, yes, I do lose parts all the time.

Living in shoebox-sized apartments in Asia for many years taught me a thing or two about being crafty with my use of space.

One day I hope to have a much roomier place to work. But until then, this setup usually works well (with several notably disastrous exceptions).

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– Matt Poll Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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– Dean Summers Keller, Texas

Doesn’t a mess mean progress?

Tiniest. Workbench. Ever Here is my humblest of workbenches — although workplank may be a more apt descriptor! hese days, I only get to build when I’m visiting my parents’ place, so I don’t have a permanent work area. Instead, I unstack this mess from a closet, plunk it

I thought FSM readers might get a kick out of my messy work station. here are usually quite a few nice workbenches shown in this section, so I wanted to show how less-than-neat modelers get the job done!

– Greg Hildebrandt Winamac, Ind.

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9

NEW PRODUCTS Compiled by Monica Freitag & Aaron Skinner

Spotlight

Little Tony highlights Tamiya’s engineering

A

rguably the prettiest Japanese ighter of World War II, the Kawanishi Ki-61 Hien, was referred to as "Tony" by the Allies. Tamiya, which released a 1/48 scale kit of the streamlined thoroughbred a year ago, now ofers a 1/72 scale Ki-61-Id (No. 60789, $27).

Surface molding on the airframe includes some of the inest recessed panel lines I’ve seen with petite raised ribs on the fabric-covered control surfaces.

Details abound in the cramped cockpit with a twopart seat, walls with structural and mechanical ixtures, and

an instrument panel that has molded switches and bezels to be detailed with decal dials.he kit provides markings for three late-war Hiens. To aid inishing your Tony, Tamiya ofers a set of decals for the striking mottled camoulage (No. 12683, $4.50).

Fits are irst-rate throughout; I had the model built and ready for paint in about 90 minutes. It’s so well engineered that it would be a great introductory kit for new modelers.

1/72 SCALE

AIRCRAFT KITS 1/32 SCALE

OH-6D Winter Camoulage from Hasegawa, No. 07460, $54.99.

Mitsubishi F-2A 3SQ 60th Anniversary from Hasegawa, No. 02261, $52.99.

P-51D-5NA Mustang from Revell, No. 03944, $29.95. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM.

Su-35S Flanker-E multirole ighter from LionRoar, No. L4820, $119.95. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM.

HSS-1 Seabat from Italeri, No. 1417, $TBA. Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 "Barkhorn with igure" from Hasegawa, No. 08251, $84.99.

1/48 SCALE

Arado AR 196 A3 from Italeri, No. 2784, $TBA. Color instruction sheet, decals for 5 versions.

Su-27 Flanker from Italeri, No. 1413, $TBA. Color instruction sheet, decals for 3 versions.

HondaJet from Ebbro/Hobby Link Japan, No. 20005, $67.

10 FineScale Modeler July 2018

ARMOR KITS 1/35 SCALE

German Panzer IV Ausf H from Academy, No. 13516, $59. Zimmerit coating decal included. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM.

MGM-52 Lance Missile with launcher (Smart Kit) from Dragon, No. DRA3600, $24.99.

Panther A SdKfz 171 — Early Production with full interior from Takom, No. 2097, $79.95.

PzKpfw III Ausf K (Smart Kit) from Dragon, No. 6903, $69.99.

Panther A SdKfz 171/267 2 ’n 1 — Late Production with full interior from Takom,

I

M978 Fuel Servicing Truck from Italeri, No. 6554, $TBA.

No. 2099, $79.99.

1/48 SCALE

Magach 5 with ERA and mine roller from Dragon, No. 3618, $69.99.

ZC50C-5 Hitachi vibratory combined roller from Hasegawa, No. 66002, $49.99.

Churchill Mk.VII Crocodile from Tamiya, No. 32594, $36.

1/72 SCALE

SdKfz 250/9 Ausf A leSPW (2cm) from Dragon, No. 6882, $64.99.

German self-propelled Wespe — Italian Front from Tamiya, No. 35358, $45.

Welcome new manufacturer Peter Van Lune frogpenguin.com

M4A4 Sherman from Dragon, No. 7572, $17.99.

www.FineScale.com

11

NEW PRODUCTS Spotlight

Moebius gets treking with USS Franklin

T

he irst kit from Moebius Models of subjects from the new Star Trek movies is a 1/350 scale USS Franklin (No. 975, $59.95). Key to the mystery at the heart of the 2016 ilm Star Trek Beyond, the Franklin is Starleet’s irst Warp 4 ship.

Stunning art by noted Star

Trek illustrator John Eaves graces the box illed with ofwhite plastic parts. hey are marked by recessed panel lines and well-molded details, such as the strakes on the upper deck and pylon and the array around the hull.

Clear parts provide the ship’s main bridge viewscreen

and recessed cabin windows, lights, impulse engines, and both the Bussard collectors and rear caps for the warp nacelles. It would be relatively easy to light without having to replace parts. he sturdy stand features

the Franklin’s mission patch. Two sets of decals are included, one faded to show the Franklin as it is found in the movie, the other bright so you can build it factory fresh.

Keep moving nothing to see here, everything is under control from Master Box, No. MB24034, $16.95.

Imperial Japanese Navy battlecruiser Haruna from Kajika, No. KM70003, $49.95.

Navy Model Series.

Sherman M4A3 (105mm) VVSS from

1/48 SCALE

Dragon, No. 7569, $17.99.

WWI pilot (Camel) from Plus Model, No. AL4078, $12.60.

HMS Legion 1941 from Flyhawk, No. FH1103S, $38.95, Deluxe Version $49.95.

1/2000 SCALE German battleship Tirpitz from Flyhawk, No. FH9002, $9.99. Pocket leet series .

Centurion Mk.I from Dragon, No. 7548, $17.99.

SHIP KITS

SPACECRAFT KITS

1/700 SCALE 1/48 SCALE

FIGURE KITS 1/24 SCALE Wow I like it from Master Box, No. MB24031, Imperial Japanese Navy battlecruiser Kirishima from Kajika, No. KM70004, $49.95.

$16.95.

Navy Model Series.

Apollo 11 Command/Service Module (CSM) from Dragon, No. 11007, $49.99.

12 FineScale Modeler July 2018

AIRCRAFT DETAILS

1/72 SCALE

1/48 SCALE

Apollo 11 Lunar Module Eagle (LM) from

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4/5 landing gear (for Eduard) from Scale Aircraft Conversions, No.

Dragon, No. 11008, $49.99.

48349, $16.95.

1/72 SCALE

Phantom FG.1 landing gear (for Airix) from Scale Aircraft Conversions, No. 72155, $13.95.

Racks for P2V Neptune from Plus Model, No. AL7020, $14.

SHIP DETAILS 1/700 SCALE HMS Legion 1941 masking seal from FlyHawk, No. FH710041, $9.95.

Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 landing gear (for Tamiya) from Scale Aircraft Conversions, No. 48350, $13.95.

Apollo 11 Lunar Landing — CSM Columbia + LM Eagle + Astronauts from

1/32 SCALE

Dragon, No. 11002, $59.99.

Apollo 11 Lunar Approach — CSM Columbia + LM Eagle from Dragon, No. 11001, $49.99.

SPACECRAFT DETAILS

Sea Fury FB.11 Landing Gear (for Airix)

Colonial Raptor interior (for Moebius)

from Scale Aircraft Conversions, No. 48351, $16.95.

from Green Strawberry, No. 004217, $58.77.

1/2700 SCALE

Need to get a closer look at what you are working on?

OptiSIGHT Magnifying Visor (No. 84001) provides hands-free magnification to help you with your modeling. Tilt it up for normal viewing, or down for magnification bringing your work closer into focus.

Available at KalmbachHobbyStore.com.

Star Destroyer hangar bay (for Zvezda/ Revell) from Green Strawberry, No. 03617, $70.06. www.FineScale.com

13

NEW PRODUCTS Spotlight

World airliners from Decales Global

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ommercial aircraft modelers thrive on colorful liveries for the planes they want to build. To that end, here are some of the latest releases from Decales Global. Produced in Mexico, the 1/144 scale sheets are available from Joy Decals, www.joydecals.com. Each screen-printed sheet has a continuous clear coat, so they will need careful trimming before application.

Five sheets are included in this batch. here’s a 757-200 operated by Mexican low-cost carrier TAESA (No. DG14187). he sheet includes

windows and passenger doors, windshield, and emergency access points as well as the tail and titles.

For widebody fans, check out a set to mark a TWA 747100 (No. DG14187). he provided registration matches the airframe destroyed when Flight 800 exploded of Long Island in 1996, but a matrix of numbers are included for other N-numbers. here are cabin windows and passenger doors, but no windshield.

One the most colorful sheets is a DC-10-15 operated

by Minneapolis-based carrier Sun Country (No. DG14211).

OTHER SCALE

A second sheet in the set provides DC-10 details including engine badges, windows, doors, and stencils.

Smaller airliners and carriers are the subject of the inal two sheets. First, markings for a 737-200 of Vanguard (No. DG14297), a carrier that lew from Kansas City between 1994 and 2002.

Second, the red and blue livery of a DC-9-30 operated

by PAWA Dominicana (No. DC14326), the lag carrier of the Dominican Republic.

Both sheets include cabin windows and windshields.

Marston mat display from Squadron Products, No. 32002, $29.99. 13.5" x 13.5" resin PSP texture airield base (unpainted). Moments in Time.

1/35 SCALE

WWI airield display from Squadron Products, No. 48001, $24.99. 9.75" x 11" resin aerodrome base (unpainted). Moments in Time.

RZ 1 A-wing nameplate (for Bandai) from

1/72 SCALE

Green Strawberry, No. 04718, $24.69.

Gasoline stand

OTHER DETAILS

from Plus Model, No. 511, $28. 22 resin parts, photoetch and decals.

1/32 SCALE

Ewers for milk and cream from Plus

WWI airield display from Squadron

Model, No. 508, $20.70. 19 resin parts and photoetched sheet.

Products, No. 72001, $19.99. 8" x 8" resin aerodrome base (resin display base), unpainted.

Moments in Time.

Fluid tank 600 I

AIRCRAFT DECALS

from Plus Model, No. 512, $24. Resin parts and photoetch.

1/32 SCALE F-16C Alaskan Splinters from TwoBobs, No. 32-069, $16. Also available in 1/48 (48-262, $15) and 1/72 (72-107 $14).

1/48 SCALE WWI airield display from Squadron Products, No. 32001, $29.99. 12" x 12" resin aerodrome base (unpainted). Moments in Time.

14 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Marston mat display from Squadron Products, No. 48002, $24.99. 10" x 11" resin PSP texture airield base (unpainted). Moments in Time.

1/48 SCALE P-51D Mustang cockpit stencils and placards from Barracudacals, No. B48361, $5.95.

Spitire late mark airframe stencils for Marks VII through 24, Seaire XV through 47 from

1/72 SCALE

Barracudacals, No. B72378, $7.95. Also available in 1/48 BC48375.

Focke-Wulf Fw19A/ F/D stencils from Barracudacals, No. B72376, $7.95. Also available in 1/48 BC48373.

BOOKS AND MEDIA

Vought SB2U Vindicator, $52.95,

by Steve Ginter, Joe Weathers Jr. , softcover, 284 pages, all black-and-white photos, ISBN: 978-0-9993844-0-2. From Specialty Press.

Scale Model Handbook — WWII Special Volume 3, $32, softcover, 112 pages, all color photos, ISSN: 2459-3311.

From Mr. Black Publications.

Lighting Ship Models from B-2 Spirit Global Strike Stealth from TwoBobs, No. 72-106, $14.

Flagship Models, No. FMCD18, $12.95.

Modeling DVD tutorial for using LEDs, conventional wiring and iber optics to light models.

Hunting Jet Provost T.3/T.4/T.51/T.52 from XtraDecal/ Hannants, No. X72291, $11.29.

Short Stirling Units of World War 2, $23,

by Jonathan Falconer, softcover, 96 pages, all black-and-white photos, ISBN: 978-14728-2042-6. From Osprey Publishing.

Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas FG.1 & FGR.2 Phantom Part 4 from

Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas FG.1 & FGR.2 Phantom Part 5 from

XtraDecal/Hannants, No. X72293, $11.29.

XtraDecal/Hannants, No. X72294, $11.29.

Technicals — Nonstandard tactical vehicles from the Great Toyota War to modern Special Forces, $18, by Leigh Neville, softcover, 48 pages, all color photos, ISBN: 978-1-47282251-2. From Osprey Publishing.

Guide to camouflage of the German Tanks 1943-1945, $32, by , softcover, 104 pages, all color photos, ISBN: 978-8495464-98-9. From Accion Press.

M1 Abrams — America's Main Battle Tank, $19.99,

by Christian M. DeJohn, hardcover, 112 pages, all color photos, ISBN: 978-07643-5452-6. From Schifer Publishing.

Frog “Penguin” Plastic Scale Model Kits 1936-1950, Soviet Destroyers of World War II, $18,

by Alexander Hill, softcover, 48 pages, all black-and-white photos, ISBN: 978-14728-2256-7. From Osprey Publishing.

Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas FGR.2 Phantom Part 6 from XtraDecal/ Hannants, No. X72295, $11.29.

Royal Air Force McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1 25th Anniv.

Scheme from

X Planes — North American XB-70 Valkyrie, $20, by Peter E. Davies, softcover, 80 pages, all color photos, ISBN: 978-1-4728-2503-2.

From Osprey Publishing.

$36, by Peter van Lune, softcover, 256 pages, all color photos, ISBN: 978-90903-0018-08. From Peter van Lune.

XtraDecal/Hannants, No. X72296, $11.29. www.FineScale.com

15

AIRBRUSHING & FINISHING

By Aaron Skinner

Masterful mottled camo A willingness to correct mistakes helps, too!

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obert Raver of Crystal Lake, Illinois, describes the Luftwafe’s mottled camoulage as one of the most visually interesting inishes you can apply to a model. hat’s part of the motivation behind his build of Eduard’s 1/72 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8.

Not content to work with just the kit’s contents, he added every detail set Eduard made for it. hose enhancements include photo-etch (PE) for the cockpit, exterior, and laps, and Brassin resin and metal for the cockpit, engine, wheels, and fuselage guns. Not satisied that it was detailed enough, he also scratchbuilt the gun bays at the wing roots with styrene and wire.

He painted the model with RLM shades mixed from Tamiya acrylics and thinner. “I start with about a 50/50 ratio of paint to thinner and adjust as I paint by adding a drop of either paint or thinner to get the spray pattern and opacity desired,” he says.

Robert’s primary airbrush is a pistol-grip Iwata TR1, which he says gives him more control (using both hands, like holding a handgun), and it doesn’t tire his hand during lengthy painting sessions.

An Iwata Power Jet silent compressor powers the brush. “his setup is a bit on the expensive side, but the silent compressor is a must for a night-owl modeler like me to maintain harmony in the household,” he says.

“I generally spray at around 15 psi. But I will go down to around 10-12 psi for very thin paint and tighter lines, and up to around 20 psi when I spray thicker paint and want more coverage, such as laying down primer or base coats.”

Robert pre-shaded panel lines with lat black.

Lichtblau (RLM 76) came next, applied to the plane’s lower surfaces as well as the separate laps, gear doors, and drop tank. Applying thin 16 FineScale Modeler July 2018

layers in several passes gradually built the density and ensured the pre-shading showed. For added contrast, Robert added a drop of white and a little thinner to the color and sprayed various panels.

He painted thin layers of mittelgrau (RLM 75) onto upper surfaces, letting the pre-shading show.

After masking the fuselage at the wing roots, he airbrushed dunkelgrau (RLM 74) freehand.

Finally, he painted the mottling on vertical surfaces using thin paint with the pressure at about 12 psi.

He tests the mix on scrap plastic and modiies the pressure and paint consistency to achieve uniformly ine lines.

To be able to hold the airbrush with both hands close to the surface, he clamped one wing of the model in a vise with the fuselage angled up. hen, he applied the pattern freehand.

“I can never get this right in every spot the irst shot,” he says.

“So, I do the best I can, knowing I will come back with the base light blue color to reine the pattern.” It usually takes him a couple of passes to get the camoulage just right. “he best advice I can ofer on painting German mottled camoulage schemes is don’t rush it,” he says.

To restore lost pre-shading, he sprayed a mix of 1 part paint and 9 parts thinner over the model, using dark gray over the lighter colors and lat black over dark green.

After masking, he sprayed lat black on the forward fuselage sides and a mix of Vallejo blues to match the decals on the cowl lip. FSM

Cockpit: Robert painted the resin cockpit tub with Tamiya acrylics over Tamiya primer. Then, referring to photos of Fw 190 cockpits, he picked out details with Vallejo Model Colors.

“Eduard’s pre-colored instrument panels required no painting; they already look much better than anything I could achieve,” he says. He used the optional PE seat belts and applied a thin dark brown wash to create a realistic fabric shade.

Masking: Robert masked the already painted cockpit and engine with Tamiya masking tape; the kit provided pre-cut masks for the canopy. Access panels, gear doors, spinner, and external PE details like antennas, flaps, and latches were painted separately. “I knew most of them would be knocked off the model and likely consumed by the Carpet Monster before I finished painting the camouflage anyway” he says.

“I cleaned all the parts with isopropyl alcohol and micro brushes to ensure a clean surface for painting.” He basecoated PE and resin parts with Tamiya spray-can primer.

“My inspiration for this build was seeing some of the work, mostly in 1/48 and 1/32 scales, done by builders who opened up just about every panel of an aircraft to give us a glimpse of what makes these beauties tick,” Robert says. “I wanted to achieve that, but smaller — only a mental-health professional can really say why.”

results from patience Engine: After priming the resin and PE engine, Robert sprayed the entire assembly with Vallejo Metal Color gunmetal gray. Vallejo flat black picked out some details; he also used other Metal Color shades, including steel for cylinder heads and burnt metal for exhausts.

Weathering: “I enjoy building armor and adding various weathering effects.

But a 1/72 scale subject requires some restraint, as the shading applied to the mottled camouflage already gives a sense of wear and tear,” Robert says. He accented panel lines with dark gray and black washes using Abteilung 502 oil paints. “They provide great colors for weathering and are flatter in appearance when dry than typical artist oils,” he says. Using the same paints, he applied black exhaust and gun-muzzle stains, an engine-oil color wash on engine covers, and light gray for subtle paint chipping around the cockpit.

Bays: The gun bays, gear wells, inner surfaces of access panels, and engine frames were painted in RLM colors mixed with Tamiya acrylics. Robert applied Vallejo acrylic washes and paints to pop details and pick out equipment.

Meet Robert Raver “I started model building when I was too young to read well but could follow the pictures and melt the pieces together,” Robert says. He built a steady stream of kits from many genres through his early years. “Like many of us, my teens and 20s were consumed with other activities and it was not until my late 20s that I

picked the hobby back up again,” he mation technology professional, he says. As a member of IPMS/Pelikan takes pleasure in the physical art Model Club (St. Petersburg, Florida) and engineering of modeling and he received helpful advice. Eight builds just about anything, including years ago, Robert, his wife, and two painting figures. “I tend to get sons relocated to Crystal Lake. He is sucked down the rabbit hole of a member of Lakes Region Scale detailing in many of my projects, Modelers, where he’s found great but I always enjoy the trip through friends and inspiring talent. An infor- wonderland,” he says.

www.FineScale.com

17

FORM & FIGURE

By Joe Hudson

Painting a Soviet infantryman Khaki is anything but uniform

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ed Army uniforms changed some during World War II, but they were almost always khaki, a delightful greenish-brown. So, when I painted Evolution Miniatures’ 1/35 scale Soviet soldier (No. 35152) I applied various shades of khaki. Altering colors used on the shirt, jacket, and pants helped to show wear in the chaos of war.

After cleaning up the resin parts, I pinned the soldier’s foot to mount him in a pin vise. hen I primed him with Tamiya sky gray acrylic.

Next Issue Joe will be back in October, but we have a surprise coming next issue. Grab September’s FSM if you’re game!

Paints used Andrea Khaki Set, which includes: • Base A-1 (Vallejo alternate Russian Green 70.894 • Base B-4 (Vallejo alternate a mix of Green Brown and Chocolate Brown • Light A-2 (Vallejo alternates Buff 70.976 or Iraqi Sand 70.819 • Light B-5 (Vallejo alternate Cork Brown 70.843 • Shadow B-6 (Vallejo alternate a mix of Chocolate Brown and Black)

Vallejo Model Color Chocolate Brown (70.872) Vallejo Model Color Green Brown (70.879) Vallejo Model Color Middlestone (70.882) Vallejo Model Color Khaki (70.988) Vallejo Model Color Black (70.950)

Курская битва

1 I base-coated each section. The key to maintaining the fine detail of the beautifully cast figure was applying paint thinned with water in multiple light coats. I used a hair dryer to speed drying between layers.

4 Working more deliberately, I brushed slightly thicker chocolate brown into the deepest shadows and folds, gradually building the density to achieve the effect I desired.

7 I applied gradually brighter highlights by adding progressively more light A-2 to the mix.

I find it is easier to reach many of these areas by turning the figure around and painting at odd angles.

2 To base-coat the telogreika (quilted jacket), I applied a mix of Vallejo green brown, Andrea khaki base A-1, and just a little light A-2. The trousers received a mix of Andrea light B-5 and base B-4.

5 Mixing a little black with chocolate brown produced darker shadows and outlined the belt, gun strap, medals, and epaulets. Near the end of the project, I repeated this step with a slightly darker shade brushed into deep folds.

8 Using the edge of the brush, I applied pure light A-2 to the edges, hem, and cuffs of the coat. This was a slow and tedious process; I spent about an hour painting just the coat with thin layers and glazes.

3 Rather than painting each shadow individually, I brushed on a very thin mix of chocolate brown and water over the entire jacket. Why? Because the jacket’s many folds and small creases were difficult to shade evenly.

6 Adding a tiny amount of Andrea light A-2 to the base mix, I applied the first highlight layer to the shoulders and upper folds.

9 Before moving to the trousers, I finished the soldier’s face, hat, belt, medals, insignia, and the PPSh-41 submachine gun. For the final step, I outlined those items with a mix of chocolate brown and black.

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For shadows on the uniform pants, I mixed Andrea light B-5 and base B-4. Adding progressively more B-4 darkened the mix as I applied subsequent layers.

The darkest shadows were produced by adding shadow B-6 to base B-4. The final layer was pure B-6.

I added light A-2 to the base mix and brushed on the first highlights; more A-2 lightened subsequent layers. The brightest highlights were produced by adding a little Vallejo middlestone to the brightest shade. FSM www.FineScale.com

19

Replicating Red 421 Modeling Dragon’s 1/35 scale PzKpfw III Ausf M /// BY BILL PLUNK

Nothing teaches history like history. With the help of archival photos and aftermarket details, Dragon’s 1/35 scale PzKpfw III Ausf M became a truer replica of Red 421.

F

or military modelers, there’s no better way to get to the heart of a historical event than to model a speciic vehicle. It’s one thing to build a PzKpfw III Ausf M — but quite another to model the one with turret number Red 421, 15th Panzer Regiment, 11th Panzer Division, at Kursk in 1943. It was ilmed on the march with other vehicles in the same unit, and I found several photos of it posted by the Bundesarchiv (German federal archive) in the Wikimedia Commons. hese references revealed several individual quirks and characteristics that I incorporated in the model.

I built Dragon’s PzKpfw III Ausf M/N (No. 9015) and swept the aftermarket for details I thought would bring the model closer to Red 421, including: • Aber PzKpfw III/StuG III PE brass fender tops (product No. 35A27) • Eduard PzKpfw III M/N photo-etch (PE) detail set (35697) and schürzen (35706) • Modelkasten workable tracks (SK-18) and white-metal Bosch headlamp (M-08) • Model Point MG34 (No. MP35100) and KwK 39 L/60 5cm turned-brass gun barrels • Tank Workshop resin stowage box (353068) and PzKpfw III wheels with open hubs (353070) • Voyager PE and turned-brass smoke launchers and grenades (MEA007) 20 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Except as noted, all PE is Eduard and all paints are Testors enamels.

Lower hull and suspension I removed molded locator lines on the lower hull for features such as the crew escape hatches (deleted in Ausf L production) with a microchisel and sanding twig.

Suspension arms were already molded on the lower hull, so the only things I needed to add were the bump stops, shock absorbers, and sprocket and idler mounts, 1. he kit-supplied tracks were incorrect for No. 421; I replaced them with workable Modelkasten tracks, 2. I constructed two 90-link runs, then installed the sprockets and idlers, test-itting them with the tracks.

Road-wheel halves were removed from the sprues and cleaned up but left separate for

easier painting while I assembled the return rollers. I selected Tank Workshop resin wheel halves (open hubs), removing their pour plugs with a razor saw and cleaning them up with a No. 11 hobby knife blade.

Upper hull details Next came the upper-hull details and modiications to the correct Ausf M coniguration. Molded-on features from earlier versions of the tank needed to be removed, and the Bosch light mount relocated (which would destroy the tread-plate pattern on the fender).

I used a half-moon microchisel to remove surface detail, 3, then trimmed the Aber (PE) brass fender section needed to repair this area. I annealed the PE over a gas lame and attached it with gel-type super glue, 4. he upper and lower hulls were then joined with a combination of Testors tube and liquid styrene cement; clamping with several rubber bands ensured a good join, 5.

I removed the rubber bands after two hours to avoid distorting the molded-on fenders, but left the hull to cure overnight before

Bundesarchiv, Bild 1011-219-0595-23/photo: o.Ang

Курская битва

1 Locators meant for features of an earlier production run have been shaved off the lower hull.

In midsummer 1943, the real Red 421 rolled across the Soviet Union and into the Battle of Kursk.

proceeding. Squadron white putty illed small gaps at the hull front and rear; I sanded it smooth where needed.

I assembled the rear-hull plates and multipart wading muffler (an Ausf M feature), carefully sanding various seams. A drill bit in a pin vise opened up the molded baffles at the top of the muffler, 6; I shaped the holes with a square-tip needle ile.

Exhaust vents were posed open, and I added the tow-hook mounts and idler mount covers; some minor putty work was needed on the latter.

it with side cutters and super glued it in the ball mount.

I added open spaced armor at the front of the upper hull with a combination of the kit-supplied plate and PE mounts, 8, super gluing the PE to the kit plate irst and then forming the supports to the hull top. Some of Ausf M had additional plates to cover this gap, but photos of Red 421 show that these, along with the right-side vertical plate, were missing, so I deliberately left them of.

Photos also show 421’s front right fender bent up; I used lat-tip pliers and Back to the front tweezers for that, 9. his cleared the way for other Red 421-speciic features. In Returning to the front hull, I puttied and addition to the normal 14-link track holder sanded a gap at the glacis plate, then on the hull nose, the crew had welded a rod scribed a weld pattern with the back of a to the brake-vent housings for additional No. 11 blade, 7. links on the glacis. I replicated this with hough Ausf Ms typically had two 1mm-diameter brass rod super glued into Bosch blackout headlamps, it looks like the position. right-hand lamp on Red 421 had been he crew had also added nonstandard damaged or lost and replaced with an eargrab handles to the transmission hatches. I lier style. Fortunately, the Dragon kit had bent 1mm brass rod into 6mm x 2mm grab one of these on the sprues; I added .5mm handles and super glued them into holes solder for the wiring conduit. he kit-prodrilled with a pin vise. vided Bosch lamps and mounts sufered he mix of spare tracks on Red 421 was from sink marks and poor detail, so I used a Modelkasten white-metal lamp, drilling out unique, featuring a combination of solid and open guide horns in diferent positions. its base with a pin vise and adding a wiring For the solid guide horns, I adapted some conduit to it, too. of the kit-supplied links by shaving of ice he kit’s MG34 machine gun for the cleats on their faces so they would sit at the hull is an earlier type that is incorrect for correct height, then gluing them together Ausf M; I replaced it with a turned-brass in one run of 14 barrel from Model for the nose and Point. However, another run of that barrel’s mount pin was several eight for the glacis, Initial plan/actual start of millimeters too opening up the long; I trimmed empty locking-pin German Operation Citadel

May 4/July 5, 1943

2 Modelkasten tracks correct those of the kit; open-hub Tank Workshop road-wheel halves are another improvement.

3 A microchisel prepares the way for PE to be mounted at the front fender.

holes on the irst and last links with a pin vise, 10. Spare Modelkasten tracks were used for two runs of four for the open guide-horn runs wedged between the superstructure front and the grab handle.

All of the runs were dry-itted to ensure this arrangement would work; then I removed them to paint them of the model.

Topping of the upper hull, I replaced all the kit-supplied pieces for the tow-cable holders using PE to get the correct Ausf M cable coniguration, 11. Recessed, molded locator marks were puttied and sanded smooth, and the various PE parts super glued in place. he rear fenders were installed and the right-side fender’s circular opening was illed with putty and sanded down to create the Ausf M style used, since the brake light was deleted on this variant. www.FineScale.com

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Baffles opened PE fender sections

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After PE is super glued down, that right fender will be mashed to match the wartime photo.

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Rubber bands work well for applying force along various vectors.

The high-mounted wading muffler was a distinctive feature of Ausf M.

Kit headlamp MG34

7

Solder wire for conduit

Modelkasten white-metal Bosch

There used to be a gap at the glacis; now it’s a sculpted weld bead. The turned-brass machine-gun barrel is a correction; differing headlamps reflect the reference photos.

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Spaced frontal armor is a combination of PE and kit plastic.

Grab handles and a track mount were formed from brass rod to represent features seen on Red 421. The vehicle’s right front fender was bent, too.

PE mounts

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Modified kit tracks (gray) and more Modelkasten links (tan) are mounted on the glacis plate.

Shaving off more molded plastic and installing PE mounts ensured the tow-cable configuration would be accurate, too.

Using PE clasps allowed removing various tools for detail painting off the model.

Fenders and schürzen

clearance for the third spare wheel seen on Red 421, stufed between the normal mount and a schürzen support rail. I moved the ire extinguisher to the right rear fender to provide suicient clearance for the rearmost schürzen support.

front to back. he top square hooks had to be slightly trimmed to provide clearance for the overlapping middle two plates; this was done with sharp sprue cutters and a needle ile. he lower schürzen hook brackets and the plates were left of to facilitate painting and detailing, 14.

Placement of fender details needed to be just so to avoid interfering with the schürzen (armor skirts). he right fender was the busiest, 12. I removed the molded clamps from the kitsupplied tools, replacing them with PE clamps; this process allowed me to remove the tools and paint them separately. he front fender toolbox and antenna mount were added, also using PE. I drilled out the antenna mount with a pin vise to add a brass aerial later on. he left fender got similar detail attention: front and rear spare-wheel mounts, jack block, toolbox, jack, and pry bar received PE details. I moved the front spare-wheel mount about 1mm aft to allow 22 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Hitching up the skirts he mounts for Eduard’s brass schürzen proved to be too weak, so I adopted a hybrid approach: I super glued the PE rails to the kit’s styrene supports, 13. he Bundesarchiv photos showed Red 421’s rails difered from the Dragon instructions and box art: he bent portion of the rail was at the rear, not the front. So, I aligned the two sides and test-itted the PE plates to ensure a level arrangement,

Turret he turret was straightforward; upper and lower halves mated with little putty needed.

I closed hatches in the cupola, 15. Locking tabs on the side hatches were replaced with PE; small gaps where the hinges met the turret sides were puttied and sanded. I replaced the rain gutters with more PE, and added the same to the rear turret storage bin before installing it on the turret.

Rain gutter Plastic

PE

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When the PE schürzen mounts proved wobbly, reverting to kit plastic shored things up.

Test-fitting indicated whether the skirts would need to be hemmed to match photos.

Using PE improved the looks of the rain gutter and latches.

Latches

Spaced armor Coaxial MG34

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Brass smoke-grenade launchers are angled and loaded according to reference photos.

A Model Point turned-brass main gun barrel was an easy fit — but too heavy to avoid choosing an elevation and gluing it there.

The turret schürzen was going to be delicate PE before I dropped it — twice. Kit plastic led the comeback.

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Scraps of PE were formed to support this Tank Workshop resin storage box at the rear.

Everything you need to paint wheels and sprockets: A block of foam, toothpick mounts, and a circle template to spray through.

A cardboard tube makes a good paint handle.

Keeping schürzen plates together improves paint uniformity.

Side-mounted smoke-grenade launchers came from the Voyager set, 16, their angles deined by using the kit parts as a guide and carefully bending them with square-nosed pliers. hen I super glued the tubes and loaded the grenades, mimicking photos showing a full load on the left and only the top loaded on the right.

I substituted a Model Point turnedbrass barrel for the kit’s two-piece plastic barrel for the main gun; designed for the Dragon kit, it was a drop-it, 17. he kit’s coaxial MG34 barrel was the same as its hull gun, so I replaced it with a turnedbrass item scavenged from an Armorscale PzKpfw III Ausf J barrel set (K35-007). he mantlet’s spaced armor was a combination of kit parts and left-over PE from a CMK resin upgrade set. With that

mounted, I installed the main gun and mantlet; due to their combined weight, I set the gun’s elevation by applying liquid styrene cement to pins inside the turret and allowing it to dry before moving on.

My plan had been to use Eduard’s schürzen on the turret, but dropping it on the loor during assembly nixed that. So, I attached the kit-supplied parts, test-itting everything before proceeding, 18.

One last thing before painting: the rearmounted extra stowage box, a resin part from Tank Workshop. I sawed away its large pour plug, inishing with careful sanding. hree mounting brackets were scratchbuilt from PE scraps cut and bent to produce the desired stance, then super glued to the underside before mounting the box on the rear deck, 19.

Painting begins Time for paint prep: I stuck road wheels and running gear on toothpicks with BluTack poster putty, 20; separated the turret from the hull and taped it to the end of a cardboard-tube handle, 21; and kept the side schürzen together on strips of painter’s tape.

First, I airbrushed Italian dark brown as a primer/pre-shade, 22. hen I airbrushed a 1:1 mix of panzer dunkelgelb and light gray in multiple, light passes to build up the base color, 23.

After priming the road wheels, I airbrushed their rubber portions with gunmetal. hen I sprayed the hubs through a circle template using a personalized mix of lat red/lat black/light gray for the red oxide primer on the interior, and the basewww.FineScale.com

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Testors Italian brown serves as primer and pre-shade, the latter a little “softer” than using black.

My panzer yellow base is a 1:1 mix of panzer dunkelgelb and light gray.

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The sides facing out have the camo color, but inward facing surfaces wear primer red only.

Styrene rods serve as realistic reinforcements for road wheels.

coat mix for the exterior surfaces, 24.

I painted all of the fender-mounted equipment prior to installation, irst treating metal portions with nonbuing Metalizer gunmetal lightly dry-brushed with steel. Wood portions were painted with a “wood” mixture of multiple colors that I’ve long since forgotten. hen I applied a light wash of leather, followed by a dusting of raw umber artist’s pastels. he Bakelite handles on the wire-cutters are Italian dark brown with gunmetal on their rubber end caps.

I added the third spare road wheel’s missing reinforcement rods in the form of 3.5mm lengths of .5mm-diameter styrene rod, irst super glued in place, 25, then painted to match the hub color. I installed all three spares and mounted the road wheels and return rollers, allowing the glue to dry thoroughly before mounting the tracks, 26.

24 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Time for tracks

Camoulage

I test-itted the Modelkasten track runs and added two more links to each to bring the total to 92 per side. he tracks were base-coated with lat black followed by a coat of nonbuing Metalizer gunmetal. I heavily dry-brushed with steel, then followed with dry-brushed burnt umber, 27. I lightly weathered the sprockets and idlers with dry-brushed steel on the wear points, followed by more drybrushed burnt umber, installed the tracks, then mounted them, 28.

I attached the schürzen to their mounts, adjusting alignment one last time, 29.

Small amounts of super glue gel and smooth-jaw copper clamps were used to join the plates so they would hang evenly.

Once the glue had set, I removed the clamps and used strips of blue painter’s tape to mask before applying the camoulage scheme.

Red 421 featured a scheme modelers often call a “cloud” or “turtle” scheme. I applied this to the hull and turret schürzen, the frontal spaced armor, the hull rear, and the storage box, but not to any of the horizontal surfaces, such as the turret roof and engine deck, 30.

To re-create the pattern, I scanned and printed some 1/48 scale drawings of an Ausf M with schürzen itted, then sketched out the pattern with Prismacolor pencils. I airbrushed the pattern freehand using khaki for the green clouds and a 1:1 mix of military brown and leather for the red-brown borders. Overspray was corrected with the previous base-coat mix, which tightened up the pattern. A mist-coat of the base color tied everything together before weathering.

With the camo complete, I added the remaining hull details. I base-coated the muffler with nonbuing Metalizer gun-

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Road wheels and return rollers are ready to go — when the glue dries it’ll be time for tracks.

After four layers of paint and dry-brushing, the tracks finally look like tracks.

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A light dry-brushing of steel on the high points represents regular wear.

The test-fitting should have ensured the alignment of the schürzen, but copper clamps make double sure.

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A “turtle,” or “cloud,” camo scheme can be seen on Red 421 in photos from 1943.

Corrosion is key for a good-looking muffler: Gunmetal, rust, and burnt umber do the trick.

www.FineScale.com

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Rugged Russian terrain and drawn-out supply lines were good reasons to carry extra spare track.

A raw umber wash tones down the colorful camo and deepens detail.

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Dot filters add depth and subtle variation; most of this paint will be removed by dragging it down the sides.

Individual details are called out with a fine brush and concentrated pinwash.

metal, then applied two rusty wash coats (9:1, thinner to rust) followed by a light dry-brushing of burnt umber, 31. he front hull now received all the missing spare-track runs constructed earlier, plus a run of three links mounted on the fender just behind the Bosch light, 32. I painted the spare runs like the main tracks except for adding a light rust wash after dry-brushing steel and before dry-brushed burnt umber was added. Painting and detailing the machine guns rounded out this stage.

To prepare for weathering, I airbrushed Pledge Floor Gloss (PFG) overall. After waiting an hour for it to dry, I applied the decals; the kit provided the turret numbers for Red 421 along with a single balkenkreuz for the rear hull plate. Walther’s Solvaset decal solution ensured the decals would conform to irregular surfaces. After the decals had dried, a second, protective coat of PFG was applied and allowed to dry overnight.

26 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Weathering he weathering process began with an overall wash of raw umber, 33. his was followed by a targeted use of dot ilters consisting of lat white, deep yellow, panzer dunkelgelb, and panzer olivgrun applied to plates where there was camo. (For the noncamo plates, only the lat white and panzer dunkelgelb were used.) Working slowly, one section at a time, I added the dots and blended them with a square-tip shader/ blender brush dampened with clean thinner until the dots had virtually disappeared, 34. his was followed by a pinwash of burnt umber precisely applied to raised detail and various weld lines with a 10/0 pointed brush, 35. Excess wash and adjustments were made using the same brush and clean thinner to achieve the desired look and remove unwanted blooming. he entire vehicle received a sealing coat of Testors lusterless lat clear lacquer from a spray can to dull any shiny spots and preserve the previous weathering.

he inal step was to apply pigment weathering to the tracks, running gear, and lower hull. I combined a mix of Mig Europe dust, dark mud, and Gulf War sand in the lid of an old prescription bottle to get the desired color, 36. his was converted to a wet mixture using tap water with a touch of dishwashing soap added to break the water’s surface tension and allow the wash to low freely, 37. he wet mixture was applied with a large, round sable brush and allowed to air dry. Once it was dry, the excess pigment was removed with round and square stif-bristled brushes, 38. (Wear a sanding mask to prevent inhalation of the ine particles.) Further adjustments were made with wet and dry cotton swabs to remove and blend in the pigment. A very light dry-brushing of steel inished the front and rear track faces, 39.

After painting, then raising Armorscale’s standard German 2-meter brass tapered antenna, I knew Red 421 was ready for its close-ups! FSM

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A mix of three pigment colors provides the desired color of dirt.

The custom mix of pigments is applied wet and allowed to dry.

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Like the dot filters, much of the pigment is removed after application.

A few refinements remained, such as detailing bared steel on the tracks.

Added stowage box

Posed launchers

Open spaced armor

Plastic headlight Extra track Bent fender Cocked schĂźrzen

Extra spare wheel

Callouts point to details that were modeled after Red 421. The cumulative effect is a better replica of one tank in one short span of time — June/July 1943.

White-metal headlight Modelkasten tracks www.FineScale.com

27

Steppe up an Detailing and weathering Bronco’s 1/35 scale kit for Kursk service

BY KARL LOGAN

W

SU-152

hen the Soviet army’s towed heavy artillery proved cumbersome and slow to reposition around Stalingrad, the State Defense Committee ordered the development of a self-propelled gun capable of taking out German fortiications. he resulting SU-152 carried the powerful 152mm ML-20S howitzer on a modiied KV-1S tank chassis. First used during the Battle of Kursk, the vehicle earned the nickname Zveroboy, Russian for beast killer; the concussion from its high-explosive rounds could blow the turrets of German Tigers and Panthers.

Bronco released kits of early and late SU-152s; the main differences are roof ventilators, a shell-ejection port, and a large splash guard added after the vehicle’s combat baptism at Kursk.

So, the early version (No. CB35113) can be built to represent one of the 21 vehicles which served in the summer 1943 battles.

28 FineScale Modeler July 2018

SU-152 by the numbers 5 20 120-130 Crew

Rounds carried

Weight in pounds of each round

700

Approximate number built

Курская битва

1 The casemate parts feature cast texture, but the SU-152 was built from rolled armor plates.

So, I filled the depressions with white putty dissolved in Testors liquid cement and sanded the casemate smooth. Be careful not to fill the recessed locators for the grab rails.

4 When joining the halves of the drive sprockets, I aligned the attachment points for the grease nipples on the inner surfaces.

7 Dry-fitting revealed a small gap between the casemate and engine deck. I filled it with .020-inch-square styrene strip.

2 The holes in the suspension arms themselves were too large, so I shimmed them with snippets of .010-inch x .060-inch strip styrene.

5 Tedious: That’s how I describe building the engine screens. Each comprises five photoetch (PE) parts. I left a little of the attachment points on the delicate screen to aid in positioning the screen on the shaping jig. The separate frames will cover the tabs.

8 After a frustrating attempt to build the working tracks as instructed, I laid down twin strips of masking tape sticky side up and built runs of track on each. After inserting the pins, I ran a Touch-N-Flow applicator along the edge of the track to glue the pins into the links.

3 I had difficulty attaching and aligning the working torsion bars, so I cut off most of each part and glued in just the ends that attach the road-wheel arms. To set the ride height, I placed the hull on a stacked pair of emery boards and pushed the arms against the surface.

6 The screens reveal the empty interior, so I built boxes inside with .020-inch sheet styrene and painted them with Tamiya semigloss black.

The kit includes an engine for the middle bay; I omitted it since the hatch would be closed.

9 The instructions call for 88 links on each side — 44 of each type — but I found that one less link produced realistically sagged runs. I hid the break in the alternating guide-teeth pattern inside a wheel. I coated the inside of the runs with Testors liquid cement and let them sit for about 20 minutes. www.FineScale.com

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10 Looking for small weights to induce sag in the tracks, my eyes settled on my collection of foreign coins, carefully selecting francs, kroner, and deutsche marks to produce the desired sag as the glue set.

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Holding a soldering iron under the rear fenders, I bent and deformed them to show damage. Go slow and check your work often to prevent bubbling the plastic with excessive heat.

Even with a figure in it, the rear hatch exposed the spartan interior. Using .040-inch sheet styrene, I built a rudimentary ammunition locker for the left wall of the casemate. After painting the area white, I joined the hull.

I wanted to enhance the rough weld seams molded on the kit hull, so I used a lowtemperature pyrogravure — sometimes called a stencil cutter — to engrave the edges between armor plates.

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Over Duplic-Color gray automotive primer, I painted progressively lighter layers of Tamiya acrylics, starting with black green (XF-27) mixed with a little flat black. Paints are Tamiya except as noted.

Next, I applied dark green (XF-61) for the basic camo shade. By spraying mostly down on the model, I left shadows of the dark base coat under the fenders, fuel tanks, mantlet, and overhangs.

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I mixed dark green and buff (XF-57) to highlight panels as well as the upper parts of fuel tanks and the gun barrel. This post-shading mimics the way light reflects from the surfaces of a vehicle as seen at varying distances.

For final highlights, I added yellow to the previous mix and sprayed the uppermost parts of the model. I used this warm tone to convey a sense of the hot summer sun on the Russian steppes. Between layers of Tamiya gloss, I applied the kit decals.

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I started weathering by airbrushing Wilder Aqualine light mud (AL04) thinned with water, concentrating on the lower surfaces. Once dry, this acrylic medium can be reactivated with water. So, it’s easy to add streaks or vary the density with a wet brush or toothpick.

I spattered the Aqualine mud over the model using a stiff brush. This technique requires practice, as the size and stiffness of the bristles as well as the consistency of the paint can drastically affect the spatter pattern and size of the flecks.

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Oops! I should have added paint chipping before dust. Using a wet brush, I removed the Aqualine mud from the fenders and other areas. Then, I dipped a chunk of sponge into a mix of Folk Art mint green and Italian sage craft acrylics and dabbed it over the model.

I filled those areas with metallic gray-brown, leaving light edges as borders for the chips.

When this dried, I reapplied the previous wash and tailored it as before.

After airbrushing the track runs with dark iron (XF-84), I spattered them with rust and dust shades inside and out. Before this dried, I cleaned the areas inside the tracks that would be polished by the steel road wheels.

www.FineScale.com

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Turning back to the vehicle, I added rust tones to the chipped areas on the fenders and hull.

I mixed plaster, pigments, static grass, and real dirt with water and white glue, then tinted the glop with Wilder Aqualine light mud. I slathered the mix over the lower hull and under the fenders; water refined the shape and removed excess. Fibers cut from rough sisal twine and pressed into the wet paste simulate grass caught in the suspension.

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I dabbed a little of the paste over the casemate and engine deck to show dirt and mud tracked by the crew.

Using an old brush, I scooped the mud mix onto the outside of the tracks and packed it between the cleats. After wetting my thumb, I cleared the paste to expose the ridges.

The next day, I tinted the mud with Wilder brown mud splatter and thin raw umber artist’s oil paint. The raw umber washes highlighted detail on the wheels and spattered the tracks.

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For contrast, I used Reality in Scale Mud-in-aPot to layer dark, wet mud around the bottom of the hull, suspension, and running gear, areas where I thought mud would take longer to dry.

I airbrushed the insides of the hatches with a new mix of the body color so they appeared unfaded compared to the hull. A wash of black artist’s oils popped the details; I used the same mix as a pinwash for rivets and bolts.

I painted the wood cleaning rods and shovel handles with a combination of Testors acrylic dark earth, armor sand, and tan. The tools’ metal parts were painted engine black, then lightly dry-brushed with silver. Pigments added to the pick simulate old dirt.

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To corrode the exhausts, I first dabbed on Testors light ghost gray with a chunk of sponge. Wilder rust pigments finished the pipes, and black pigments added soot to the engine deck and pipe openings.

I mixed Wilder dry Russian earth pigment with a little enamel thinner and applied it to the tops of the fenders and creases in the hull where I imagined dust would accumulate. Once this dried, I used a brush damp with thinner to shape and refine the deposits.

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I brushed AK Interactive dark steel pigment onto edges and grab handles with my finger to depict light wear and a subtle metallic sheen.

After painting stowage bags and tarps with various tans, olive greens, and browns, I applied washes to deepen folds. Then I added them to the model. Several are suspended from the handrails; an easy way to make them appear suspended is to carefully sand a notch on the back to fit over the rail. After attaching them, I added drops of super glue at the straps so they look like they wrap the rails.

Figures painted with Winsor & Newton acrylics

Hussar turned-brass shells

PE grilles

Kit markings

Pilfered milk jug painted with aluminum plate and worn blue

I finished my Kursk SU-152 with spent shells and two crewmen taking a well-earned break from their march to victory over fascism in Europe. FSM Rusty fender www.FineScale.com

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The troops may be resting, but the scene is still bustling

BY TODD JACKSON PHOTOS BY TERRY WYATT

Курская битва

I

’ve always been intrigued by the beginning stages of the Battle of Kursk, when German armor crossed miles of wheat ields in the southern Soviet Union.

My 1/35 scale diorama depicts a German regimental front-line command area set up below a Soviet railway embankment. A hardly noticeable stream lazily winds its way through the area from a culvert below the rail line. Visiting is a general and his staf from the Grossdeutschland division. Other troops are heading for their assembly areas.

This diorama took 400 hours over the course of 12 months to complete — whew! The scene is busy with action. In all, there are more than 40 igures, two horses, three tanks, two support vehicles, one halftrack, and two motorcycles.

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A The driver of Italeri’s BMW R75 motorcycle reads Tamiya road signs. The bike includes an MG 34 for the sidecar.

B Figures are from Tamiya, Dragon, and Warriors. I painted them and the machines with Testors Model Master enamels, acrylics from Tamiya and Humbrol, and artist’s oils.

C In total, there are 46 soldiers milling around.

Some are resting, some are planning the regiment’s next moves, and some, like these three on Tamiya’s Panzer III Ausf N, are listening in on

radio traffic. Copious Woodland field grass depicts the endless wheat fields around Kursk.

A matching background image makes the diorama feel expansive.

E Parked in the waving wheat, this Tamiya Steyr Type 1500A vehicle carries Verlinden radio equipment.

F In the foreground is Tamiya’s Sturmgeschütz D Two mounted soldiers follow the rail line, heading for their assembly areas. The signal tower (seen in the lead shot) is from Royal Models. Below is the visiting general and his staff. Natural dirt and crushed rocks cover the ground, which is made of papier-mâché on top of Great Stuff spray foam. Everything sits on a wooden base painted high-gloss black.

III. Toward the back you can see the antenna frame of Dragon’s SdKfz 251/1 radio command halftrack. I simulated paint chips on all of the equipment by rubbing steel wool against the paint. Powdered pastel chalk added dust.

The Italeri Elefant in the middle cost me $6 more than 20 years ago; building this diorama gave me a chance to finally use it. FSM www.FineScale.com

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Add grass

to display bases

A simple way to create a small scene /// BY CESAR “MANNY” RODRIGUEZ

If you already have a base, you’re only a few steps and a handful of materials away from a grass-covered pedestal.

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n the past, every time I inished a military vehicle I displayed it on a plain wooden base. Boring!

Wanting to kick it up a notch, I recently starting adding grass, twigs, and branches. Now, my vehicles it their surroundings. his method of making grass is easy to do and does not require a lot of time — perfect for a busy modeler who still needs to inish the vehicle!

38 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Курская битва

1 Mask the base edges and apply a zigzag of super glue across the top. The amount of each material needed (see list) will vary by base size — experiment with proportions.

4 Sprinkle on Verlinden static grass. Once the surface is completely covered, blow across the grass to make the strands stand up realistically.

Wait 30 minutes, then position the tracks, tires, or figures. Press the pieces down slightly into the hardening mixture …

7 Place the grass randomly and vary its height.

Let the base dry completely overnight.

2 Mix Celluclay, sand, Elmer’s glue, and talus rock debris together. Slowly add water to make a thick paste. Using an old spoon, scoop this on top of the super glue.

5 … then pull the pieces out, leaving their imprints behind. (Be sure to measure precisely how far apart tracks should be.)

8 Next, thin dark green enamel (acrylic would work as well) to the consistency of milk and airbrush the grass. Let dry overnight.

3 Smooth out the paste using the back of the spoon.

6 To plant taller tufts of grass, dig out small holes with a toothpick. Place the ends of grass clusters inside the holes and fill them back in with the grassy Celluclay mixture.

9 Dilute the green with yellow. Load a bristle brush with a tiny amount of paint and apply it over the grass as if dry-brushing the base. Add more yellow to the paint mix and make a second pass. Add highlights to a few areas with straight yellow.

Materials • Tamiya masking tape • Super glue • Celluclay • Sand • Elmer’s glue

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Add Woodland bark and branches in irregular patterns.

Once you’re satisfied with the grassy scene, remove the masking tape and check for paint that might have slipped through. Now you can place your vehicle in its tracks (whenever it’s finished). FSM

• Woodland talus rock debris, field grass, dry wood, and tree branches • Verlinden static grass (No. 0044) • Humbrol green and yellow enamels

www.FineScale.com

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READER GALLERY

▲ CHRIS PIONKOWSKI

▼ STUART SHAKESPEARE

EAU CLAIRE, WISCONSIN Chris finished Tamiya’s 1/35 scale FlaK 88 with Testors Model Master enamels, artist’s oils, and Vallejo acrylics. He says, “The unbuilt kit sat in my collection for 35 years, with a friend complaining about it for more than 20 of those years. So, I finally built it and gave it to him for his birthday!”

ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA After building Tamiya’s 1/48 scale Bristol Beaufighter, Stuart wrote: “Last year I was in an auto accident, and during my recovery I picked up scale modeling as a pastime after a 20-year hiatus. I am amazed at the vast array of modeling products and manufacturers now available, and the improvement in quality of both models and accessories is breathtaking.” Crediting FSM books for newly learned techniques, he painted the plane with AK Interactive acrylics and weathered it with a combination of Flory washes and AK pigments.

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PAT HAWKEY TEMPERANCE, MICHIGAN Using Tamiya’s 1/48 scale kit and Aeromaster decals, Pat modeled Reggie’s Reply, a P-47D that Lt. John Godfrey named for a brother who was killed in the Battle of the Atlantic. Lt. Godfrey scored 16.3 aerial victories before being downed in Germany and taken prisoner in August 1944.

▲ LOUIS ARMOUR

▲ CHARLES LIPKIN

TUPELO, MISSISSIPPI Being a grand fan of Disney’s 20,000 Under the Sea, Louis says he “had to have” Moondevil Studios’ 1/4 scale resin sculptures of James Mason and Kirk Douglas as Capt. Nemo and harpooner Ned Land. He finished the busts with acrylic craft paints.

NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS Charles painted Tamiya’s 1/35 scale M4A3E8 Sherman with Testors spray cans and weathered with washes and dot filters. He deposited homemade paper and cotton sandbags on a basswood frame up front and used burlap for camouflage netting. The unditching logs are fallen twigs; extra stowage boxes are made from basswood. www.FineScale.com

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READER GALLERY

▲ WILLIAM HORTON

WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT William built two Trumpeter 1/35 scale kits: a 152mm towed field gun and a Voroshilovets tractor, which was based on the T-24 chassis. He painted with AK Interactive’s Russian green modulation set, then weathered both models.

▲ STAN STEWART

ELLIJAY, GEORGIA Stan says, “A co-worker of mine at our local airport is a former OH-58D pilot. I built this for him to display with the other keepsakes of his service.” After building Academy’s 1/35 scale Kiowa, Stan took it to the airport and snapped some pictures of it before presenting his gift.

42 FineScale Modeler July 2018

SEND US YOUR PICTURES! Shouldn’t your model be in Reader Gallery? FineScale Modeler is always accepting new material from around the world.

Upload high-resolution digital images (preferably unedited, RAW format) with complete captions at www.Contribute.Kalmbach.com, or burn it all on a disc and mail it to FineScale Modeler, Reader Gallery, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.

Be sure to tell us the kit manufacturer, model, scale, modifications, paint and finishes used, and reason for choosing the model, along with your name and address. We look forward to seeing your work!

◀ ŁUKASZ JAWORSKI

ŻYWIEC, SILESIA, POLAND An interest in recent Polish history (1975-1989) led Łukasz to build Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale UAZ-469. He writes, “The model represents a vehicle built by the USSR. They were used to disperse crowds during demonstrations, strikes, etc.

Hence, they had tear-gas grenade launchers, dazzling floodlights, and loudspeakers.” Łukasz plumbed the engine with .08mm fishing line and draped the top with a tarp made from a handkerchief. Decals are from ToRo Model.

▶ MIKE WODKA

ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN Mike writes: “This is the most recent in a series of bikes I’m building for the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum (in Birmingham, Alabama). The bike is a 1936 Velocette that raced for the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy. It was the first motorcycle to have a swingarm rear suspension with shock absorbers.

Engine, rear suspension, gas and oil tanks, wheel hubs, and handlebars/grips are all scratchbuilt in 1/9 scale. The basic frame, front end, wheel rims, and miscellaneous parts came from my parts box.” ◀ PETER ROBERT PRESNELL

KNEELAND, CALIFORNIA “A lot of fun for a lot of months!” is how Peter described his build of Airfix’s 1/24 scale Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib. “After several months of work, I stopped thinking about finishing it and just concentrated on each subassembly — and there are a lot of them! I was surprised when I realized it was finished.” He painted the plane with White Ensign enamels and added Eduard resin wheels and photo-etched belts.

www.FineScale.com

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Easy ways to

build a better Buckeye And nifty tips for tricky markings, too /// BY FRANK CUDEN

Built in Ohio and named for its home state, the T-2 Buckeye served as an intermediate trainer for nearly 50 years — and it’s still flying with the Greek and Venezuelan air forces. This build of Wolfpack’s kit places the plane in the 1960s at NAS Point Mugu.

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here is something about U.S. Navy training aircraft that catches my eye every time. A North American SNJ? Sure. he new T-6 Texan II? You bet.

Even the TA-4 Skyhawks do it for me, along with the TA-7C Corsairs, not to mention the venerable T-28.

When Matchbox came out with its Buckeye way back when, I bought the kit and had every intent of building it someday. But Wolfpack’s 1/72 scale kit of the T-2 (No. 10005) changed everything. Now I had to build a Buckeye!

Having seen a couple of color photos of gray-over-white T-2s, I chose that scheme for an aircraft from NAS Point Mugu’s Paciic Missile Training Center (PMTC), remembering that a friend had given me a set of black dry transfers for the triangular emblem on the tail. I had a Pavla resin interior set (No. 72086) that was made for the Matchbox kit, but with a lot of iling and sanding it it the Wolfpack fuselage just ine. Now I was in business.

44 FineScale Modeler July 2018

1 I airbrushed the Pavla interior Testors dark gull gray (FS36231), brush-painted details, and added Mike Grant instrument decals; drops of Tamiya clear acrylic replicated lenses. Throttle controls are thin styrene strips with drops of white glue for knobs.

4 “Sausage” masks of Play-Doh produce a tight demarcation line between the underside and the light gull gray topside. Additional masking prevents overspray (or under).

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2 Tail planes in place, gaps filled and sanded smooth, the model receives Alclad II gray primer. One of the biggest mistakes I made was to glue the pitot tube onto the tail at this time — I soon broke it off.

5 I rubbed the aforementioned dry-transfer emblems onto white decal paper before painting the details inside each triangle. Then I applied the emblem as you would a decal.

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3 I airbrushed Testors gloss white enamel on the control surfaces and underside; the kit supplies separate flaps that I airbrushed white and installed later.

6 Generic black lettering from my spares provided the PMTC on the triangle; thin edges of white decal made the emblem pop. The tail is painted with Testors Chevy engine red and a Floquil diesel blue stripe.

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Masking carefully, I airbrushed Floquil engine black on the antiglare panel and the inboard sides of the wing tanks. Thin stripes of yellow from Xtradecal adorned the tips of the tank, and a sharp pencil accented panel lines.

The intake lips were flat black and wrapped around the leading edges; I applied black decal strips inside, then masked the outsides and hand-brushed Floquil engine black to connect the color. Far less masking then airbrushing!

I sprayed the tail hook Testors gloss white enamel and hand-painted the black stripes.

Photos showed wood gust-locks on the lower rudder: I cut .020-inch styrene strip to shape, coated it with Testors enamel tan, dry-brushed with medium brown, and attached a mini bolt head to show an attachment.

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I applied Floquil caboose red, a shade a little different from the tail, to the forward flap travel areas.

Masking the canopy with thin Tamiya tape before spraying its frames, I used a circle punch to make masks for curved corners; I cut strips for tangent lines. Then I just filled in with more tape and sprayed Testors Model Master gloss light gull gray.

I used thin styrene strips for canopy locks, three per side. Rearview mirrors cut from the same strip were glued inside — one for the GIB (Guy In Back) and three for the pilot — and with that little detail, my Buckeye was ready to report for duty. FSM www.FineScale.com

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Cultivate a corvette Easy tips for the Flower-class HMS Zinnia

BY ULF LUNDBERG

In the Battle of the Atlantic, British corvettes did the dirty work in defending Allied shipping from German U-boats.

Mirage Hobby finally brought these unsung heroes to plastic in 1/350 scale.

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rama on the high seas! Sink the badly that seawater seeped into the ship Bismarck! Battle of Midway! Defeat through hatches and doors. With no food the Yamato! refrigeration aboard, crews lived mostly on For the most part, though, the Allied viccorned beef and powdered potatoes. tory at sea in World War II was a matter of It wasn’t until 2014 that these corvettes endless escort missions in which monotony, became available in 1/350 scale plastic, thanks fatigue, and the sea itself were formidable to Mirage Hobby. hey were worth waiting enemies. Much of this drudgery was done by for — good kits you can build from the box Flower-class corvettes. Built at low cost by with a satisfactory result. I chose Mirage’s small shipyards, they were tough and seawor- second such boxing, HMS Zinnia (kit thy — though they rolled and pitched so No. 350802).

46 FineScale Modeler July 2018

1 The hull is divided in halves along the keel. After joining the hull, I reinforced it with styrene stock and thinned the bulwarks of the fantail.

3 The only real fit problem of the kit is the join of the upper deck to the bulkheads of the aft superstructure; it required much putty and sanding.

5 On the bridge, it was easier to replace the railings with .3mm styrene than to thin the kit part.

2 The bilge keels are roughly molded, but easily replaced with .5mm sheet styrene.

4 Mirage faithfully re-created the main deck’s camber. I further detailed the fantail by adding styrene stanchions to the bulwarks.

6 Similarly, I scratchbuilt the platform for the 40mm gun. White Ensign offers excellent photo-etch (PE) for the model (No. PE35171). www.FineScale.com

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7 Cutting out the molded top and installing PE grilles improved the funnels.

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8 Drilling out the air intakes is another simple improvement that makes a big difference and is easy to do.

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After the hull and other subassemblies, I primed everything with Citadel chaos black. Then I sprayed a chaotic pattern of red-brown, green, and beige below the waterline, followed by a translucent layer of dark gray.

I used my own mix of Schmincke/Aerocolor artist’s airbrushing paints for the Admiralty Western Approaches camouflage, first spraying an uneven layer of each color …

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… and following with “bleached” shades of the same.

I lightened colors with beige, which looks better than using white.

13

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A black artist’s oil wash deepened details. To add dirt and rust streaks, I wetted a section with Humbrol thinner, applied a drop of artist’s oils (red brown for rust, gray brown for dirt), then dragged it down with a fine brush. Last, I dry-brushed with lighter versions of each color.

I built masts and staffs from piano wire and Albion Alloys brass tubing; they look better and are much stronger. Rigging was easy: This is the first kit I’ve built that included a useful rigging plan. Hats off to Mirage!

48 FineScale Modeler July 2018

The final step was to spray the model with different mixes of flat and gloss clears. The area just above the waterline and the most-worn parts of the decks got the flattest finish; the underwater parts got the glossiest.

The hunter, the quarry, and the escort — the Battle of the Atlantic in three models: HobbyBoss’ U-boat Type VIIc, Trumpeter’s Liberty ship, and Mirage’s HMS Zinnia, all in 1/350 scale. Zinnia’s short life describes that desperate battle: launched Nov. 28, 1940; commissioned March 30, 1941; and torpedoed and sunk west of Portugal on Aug. 23, 1941, with the loss of 50 of the 65 aboard. FSM

BUILDER BASICS Mark Hembree

Painting wheels and tires s oe g t ha W

d un o ar

…

…

co m

es

ar ou

K

nd

nowing the FSM staf to be relentless punsters, I lead of this article with a growing sense of tread and hopes that I can get things rolling before the topic gets tired.

In the regular rotation of our “Builder Basics,” we align ourselves with beginners and intermediate modelers to be sure we are not so inlated with expertise that we motor past essential techniques. More-accomplished modelers may consider the subject of painting wheels beneath them — exactly where wheels should be, generally speaking.

Models have as many diferent types of wheels and tires as there are ways to paint them. I’ve tried to track techniques that will apply to most of them, and you may ind ideas here that will pump up one of your projects — extra mileage, as it were.

More at www.FineScale.com Visit www.FineScale.com/how-to for more modeling basics and not-so-basics.

50 FineScale Modeler July 2018

1 If your kit provides wheels in halves, you’ll have a seam. Sanding it smooth can sometimes require scribing to restore a tread pattern.

4 Next, I douse the hub with water and sprinkle on a little salt. No salt on the tire — just the wheel.

7 After masking the hub, I am ready to paint the tires flat black. Note the black edge around the rim is already in place — easy!

2 But not in this case: Simple sanding smooths the seams in the tires of Tamiya’s 1/35 scale Schwerer Panzerspähwagen, which I plan to place in North Africa.

5 Airbrushing over the salt through a circle template (available at art or craft stores) makes quick work of painting hubs — great when there’s eight, like on this SdKfz 232.

8 Pulling the mask off may lift a little paint and expose a little more steel, and that’s OK.

3 Paint the hub first: I want a desert-weathered look to show bared metal, so I begin with a coat of Testors steel enamel. Allow drying time after this and all following steps.

6 After painting the hub (Tamiya wooden deck tan, XF-78) and letting it dry, rubbing the salt off exposes the steel underneath. Then, with just a touch, a flat black wash flows around the rim and edges it neatly.

9 A dark wash — I used Winsor & Newton burnt umber artist’s oil cut with odorless paint thinner — will deepen details on the wheel.

Keep it off the tire.

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I shaved pastel chalks to make a desertcolored powder …

… that I applied to hub and tire with a fluffy brush. I like flat black for tires because it grabs the pastel powder, which also moderates the bright steel on the hub. The tire at left, waiting its turn, shows the difference.

Corrections are easy: If you overdo the powder, knock it back off with an old, stiff brush. I don’t apply a finish coat; I want it to look dusty. You’ll find all these techniques easy to gauge — no pressure! FSM www.FineScale.com

51

READER TIPS

By Elizabeth Nash Suddenly snow Instead of sucking up the shavings of white styrene with a workshop vacuum and throwing them away, sprinkle the leftover material over dioramas for the look of snow.

Pledge Floor Gloss

– Ian Bineham Two Harbors, Minn.

Blankets from wood glue One easy way to make tarps and bedrolls for armor stowage is to use semi-dried wood glue.

Grab a piece of plastic wrap and lay it on a lat surface. Pour Elmer’s wood glue over the plastic and spread it out. You have to use wood glue because regular Elmer’s white glue dries too brittle.

Let it dry for a few minutes until the sheet is translucent. If the edges start to dry before the center, gently cover them with a paper towel so they don’t harden.

Once roughly uniform in appearance, gently pull up the glue like a sticker. You’ll have a pliable piece that will remain workable for 10 minutes. You can drape it over ammo boxes and crates, fold it over itself, or roll it up like a blanket.

It is easier to control than tissue paper and white-glue tarps, and it looks to-scale.

Once fully cured, the glue will be rockhard and can be painted and dry-brushed accordingly.

– Gabe Miller Rogers, Ark.

Fill small gaps easily When illing hard-to-reach gaps with super glue, I like to insert a thin tube into the tip of the dispenser. his extended tubing helps reach small gaps where precision is needed.

You can ind this narrow tubing in various lengths wherever super glue is sold.

– John Lambeth Bogart, Ga.

Don’t lose small parts I am currently building Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale Russian KV-2.

When I tried to remove the very small lifting eyes from the sprue, the irst one took light.

In order not to lose any more, I threaded a strand of electrical cable through each eye just before attacking with the sprue cutters.

Result!

Now, on to carve some styrene rod to replace the part I lost …

– David Hughes Pewsey, Wiltshire, England 52 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Pledge Floor Gloss, formerly known as Pledge FloorCare Multi-Surface Finish, formerly known as Future, has a new look.

Future has a new(er) name The ever-useful-for-modeling-purposes floor polish goes by a new moniker now: Pledge Floor Gloss.

Along with a new name, this S.C. Johnson product also comes in new packaging (see photo).

Here at the magazine, we’ll be using its full name upon first reference, and PFG after. We can’t guarantee its identity internationally. If you’re on the hunt for this clear polish outside of North America, go to FineScale.com and type in, “In the past, it was Future” — that will lead you to an article on using the product and how it is known around the globe. You’ll find the article in the November 2016 issue.

– FSM staff Tint clear pieces When using PFG on canopies and clear pieces, you can tint it by adding a small amount of food coloring.

If you don’t care for the effect, remove PFG with Windex.

– Gordon Martin Bradford, Ontario, Canada

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

By Mark Hembree Metalizers stand alone Q When painting with Testors Model Master Metalizers, do I want a gloss black primer? On its website, Testors says to just paint over bare plastic. What is the right way?

– Larry Orcutt East Haven, Conn.

A Take Testors’ advice: Don’t prime or preshade. Metalizers stick best to bare plastic.

Put your primer time into surface preparation — that is the key to a great metallic finish.

Some people like installing details, then painting them; others prefer to paint details, then attach them. It depends on the item and your preferences.

Switching to acrylics

Paint details on or off the model?

Q After many years of spray-painting with enamels, I would like to try acrylic paints. I will try Humbrol, Testors Model Master, and Tamiya paints. Do you have any suggestions on thinning these or for cleaning my airbrush after?

When modeling AFVs, what is the advantage of putting tools like saws, wrenches, and pickaxes on and then painting them? If they are installed, you still have to go back and paint them — superdetailing work that gives you plenty of chances to slip and mess up a great model!

– Matt Hicks, Ridgefield, Ct.

– Gabriel Peter Rottas Plainview, N.Y. A It’s hard to give you a short answer. As with enamels, different brands of acrylic paints vary in their characteristics, and even from color to color. Here’s a free download to read about airbrushing acrylics: www.finescale.com/rapid/2017/12/airbrushing-acrylics For me, the thinning ratios are about the same. But you have to be careful of what thinner you use — follow each brand’s recommendation and use the brand’s own thinner, or you could really gum things up. I use lacquer thinner to clean my airbrush after enamels and acrylics; it works for both.

Which hairspray?

Q I have been reading about the hairspray technique (for distressed inishes). I asked my other half, who is a hairdresser, for a can of hairspray, and she informed me there are about 10 diferent types. Can you clarify or let me know if it doesn’t matter?

– Greg Qualtieri Waterloo. N.Y. GOT A MODELING PROBLEM? Our Questions & Answers column is here to help. Email questions@inescale.com, or visit FineScale.com and click on “Contact Us.” We are not able to conduct lengthy research, such as answering questions on markings and unit histories. Mail volume and space limitations prevent us from printing every question. Please include your name, town, state, and a daytime phone number.

Q

A

People’s approaches to painting details such as tools and stowage on armored fighting vehicles vary, even on the same model.

The main reason modelers paint those items in situ is to make sure they stay glued; you get better bonds without paint. Once the details are on, painting the vehicle further strengthens the detail’s attachment. Then it’s a matter of high-precision painting. A very fine brush and selective masking can help you avoid

A I first heard of this technique from modeler, FSM author, and veteran rock star Karl Logan.

Having successfully weathered 1980s hair bands as well as scale models, he uses Aqua Net. He chose it because it was handy and stuck with it (so to speak) because it works.

Other brands may work as well. As with any new technique, experiment off the model and find what works best for you.

Foot-pedal speed control Q I would like to know if there is a foot-operated speed control for my motor tool, like there is for a sewing machine.

– Rahamim Avrahim Lod, Israel A A deluxe answer to your question is the Foredom Flex-Shaft — not unlike a dentist’s tool (www.foredom.net/rotarytools.aspx).

If you’re one who knows how to make major electrical connections safely, you may be able to wire in a foot pedal that will act as a rheostat. But that may entail taking apart your

putting paint where you don’t want it.

However, for bigger pieces or things you want to detail before putting them in place — such as weathered jerry cans or unditching logs — it’s easier to do the work off the model, then attach said items. Use a little liquid glue on a microbrush to remove paint from attachment points before gluing the item onto the hull.

One is not necessarily better than the other. It’s whatever works best for you.

motor tool to bypass the switch (among other complications).

Your best bet may be to obtain a variablespeed tool.

Dang! Disintegrating decals Q How can old kit and aftermarket decals be saved from disintegrating? I’ve tried Microscale Liquid Decal Film, a drop of soap, Testors gloss coat, none always work.

– Bob Burns Wellington, Nev. A Properly applied, Microscale Liquid Decal Film usually does the trick. You must brush it on thickly enough and let it dry thoroughly, then closely trim out the decal at its edges before putting it in water. Minimize handling the decal — place it as closely as you can and don’t mess with it once it’s in place.

Still, an old decal may go to pieces anyway.

Sometimes you can touch up cracks with matching paint. But in the end, the only solution may be to get new decals. FSM www.FineScale.com

53

WORKBENCH REVIEWS FSM experts build and evaluate new kits

Modelcollect’s challenging B-2A Spirit

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hile Modelcollect is new to aircraft, it has been producing 1/72 scale armor for a few years. So, projects like this 1/72 scale B-2 and Modelcollect’s announced B-52 and B-1 constitute quite a leap.

My irst impression of the parts in the box was good, inluenced by the beautiful cover art and packaging that includes foam inserts protecting the upper and lower halves of the outer wings and center section. Pre-decorated photo-etched instrument panels are included, along with a single-part, clear windscreen and an impressive decal sheet designed by TwoBobs Aviation Graphics and printed by Cartograf. he kit features moderately detailed wheel wells, a bomb bay with a pair of rotary weapons launchers, engines with intake and exhaust trunks, an extended boarding ladder, and separate laps and butterly drag rudders/ailerons. he cockpit features good detail, too, with decent ACES II seats and a rear compartment. he recessed panel lines are a bit overstated for the scale; you probably couldn’t see them on the real thing. he overall shape is good and the parts nail the birdsbill nose and the subtle, uneven twists and dips of the leading edges. he windscreen is crystal clear but marred by a pair of low lines from molding.

54 FineScale Modeler July 2018

Building the kit is not so clean or simple, however. hroughout the parts, there are several ejector-pin stubs that stand proud of inner surfaces and must be removed. Few locator pins, holes, tabs, slots, or keys are present to position interior parts; poor illustrations in the wordless instructions exacerbate the problems.

For example, in the cockpit it is not clear how brackets (parts C40 and C41) attach to the arched bulkhead, and the square pins of the seat rails are bigger than the small holes in the cockpit loor. he control sticks are too short and would sit below the pilots’ knees. he directions for building the rotating weapons launchers are puzzling. Step 13 shows four rods being added to the front half of the pylon (Part A17) in one view, and four more in the adjacent view. But it isn’t immediately clear that the adjacent view is Part A17 rotated 180 degrees. Step 14 shows adding bombs to A17 and adding bombs to the unnumbered rear part of the launcher (which is Part A18 if you are still scratching your head). hen the two bombed-up sections are brought together in Step 15. Of course, you have to repeat this process for the second launcher. I left the bombs of because I didn’t like Modelcollect’s rendition of these “dumb” bombs. Someday I might add aftermarket JDAMs. Step 16 adds the outer and center beams

of the bomb bay, but they seem to teeter on the thin strips on the belly. he beams separate the bomb bay and engine bays and hold separate door-hinge arms — 24 of them. he fore and aft bomb bay bulkheads trap the rotating launchers.

Assembling the nose-gear bay was simple, but it was a bit too wide for the recessed lange of the bay opening in the lower center section. I thinned the edges for it. he boarding ladder is a nice touch, but the it of its two sections is poor.

In Step 23, the cockpit is attached to the top of the nose-gear bay. But the position is unclear, and when I dry-itted the upper center section it wouldn’t close. Instead, I glued the cockpit to the upper center section and removed the bottom rear corner of the cockpit where it interfered with the position of the bomb bay. Don’t worry about the integrity of the cockpit — you won’t be able to see anything behind the seats once the model is built.

Sinkholes marred the intake fairings, and the fairings needed illing and sanding to it the body. he instructions suggest the separate auxiliary air intakes can be posed open, but there is no representation of hinges or actuator arms for this feature; I left them closed.

Each engine is molded in halves, to which are added an intake fan and exhaust nozzle. hen you attach the separate twopart, curved intake trunks and two-part,

serpentine exhaust ducts to each engine.

None of the parts are keyed for alignment, so I held of attaching the trunks and ducts until I could it them into the upper body and align everything in situ. Once in, the engines are suspended by the ducts and trunks; otherwise, the engine bays are bare!

Adding the 24 bomb-bay hinge arms should be simple, but the illustrations don’t establish an angle. I tried to set them 90 degrees to the belly, but the engine and bomb-bay doors got in each other’s way.

Since I wasn’t happy with the loating engines anyway, I closed the engine bays. he nose-gear assembly has a large triangular frame on which the nose strut is suspended. At the top of the frame are two large square pins, and there’s another pin at the end of the retraction strut. I igured they would go into holes in the ceiling of the nose-gear bay, but there are no holes!

Also unclear is how the tiny link arms attach the frame to the forward gear door.

I was pleased with the it of the center section (once the cockpit was glued to the upper section). he joint line is underneath the leading and trailing edges and resembles the surrounding panel lines. he outer wings were next. Each lap section is separately molded in robust halves that produce razor-sharp trailing edges, but you can’t mount them drooped.

Assembly diagrams show the option of posing the outboard butterly drag rudder/

ailerons open, but there are no slots to do this and no actuators inside.

Each outer wing has a thick tab in the rear and a thin slot in the front that match corresponding slots and tabs on the center section. But these are at diferent angles, and you can’t insert both tabs at the same time! I cut about ⅛ inch from the ends of each tab for it.

Since the only color guide in the instructions is for the gunship gray exterior and gloss white for the open bays, here’s some information that was missing: he cockpit should be dark gull gray (FS36231); seats should be gloss black with olive drab cushions; instrument panel coaming should be lat black; wheels are gloss white, tires dark gray; exhaust areas dark metallic; engines a variety of metallic colors; bombs could be olive drab, light gray, or blue (inert).

I painted the bays and landing gear with Tamiya spray-can ine white primer followed by gloss white. Tamiya’s spray can gunship gray dried smooth enough to accept the excellent decals without a gloss overcoat. he decal sheet provides markings for three bombers. he decaling guide is small and there are no labels for the diferent sections of walkways. You’ll have to look closely to determine which section goes where.

here was no way I was going to get 50 grams of nose weight in the model, so I inserted a lexible clear-plastic tab between the center tail and the bottom of the center section to keep the nose wheels on the ground.

I spent 37 hours on my Spirit. As impressive as the inished model looks, I can recommend it only to experienced builders who can handle complex kits and interpret confusing instructions.

– Paul Boyer

Kit: No. UA72201 Scale: 1/72 Mfg.: Modelcollect, www.modelcollect.com Price: $149.99 Comments: Injection-molded, 268 parts (5 PE), decals Pros: Good fit of most major external parts; sharp trailing edges; posable bomb bay and engine bay; excellent decals Cons: Imprecise fit of most detail parts; prominent ejectorpin stubs; flow lines mar windscreen; no detail color guide; poor instructions

www.FineScale.com

55

WORKBENCH REVIEWS

Trumpeter Shenyang J-31 Gyrfalcon

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he J-31 is, or at least will be, China’s ifth-generation ighter.

It made its public debut at the Zhuhai Airshow in 2014 and, to date, only two have been built.

Trumpeter’s medium gray parts show ine, recessed panel lines. A small photoetch (PE) fret provides a harness, and decals supply markings for two aircraft. he ejection-seat comprises six parts, including a separate seat cushion, two arms, an ejection handle, and rear rail as well as the basic seat. Detail is good, as is it, although I sanded the sides of the cushion to make it easier to slip into place. he PE harness was too big, so I trimmed it.

Decals controls and dials settled over raised detail on the instrument panel and side consoles with help from Microscale Micro Sol. he tiny separate throttle and side-stick controller attached to the sprue right in the middle; I had trouble holding the parts to remove the nubs. he kit provides minimal detail color callouts, and photos of the cockpit are hard to come by. he nose-gear leg is a single piece with separate wheels and two clear landing lights — easy. On the other hand, each main-gear leg builds from ive parts and the main wheels are split in half. I used the main gear bays as jigs to align all of the struts. he instructions call for the gear legs to be silver and the wheels dark ghost gray, but photos 56 FineScale Modeler July 2018

show that the gear is gray and the wheels white.

You have the option of loading the weapons bay with either four PL-12 radarguided air-to-air missiles or two PL-12s and two KAB-500L laser-guided bombs.

Most of the decals are stencils for the ordnance, but they are diicult to see once the weapons are in the bay. Lacking deinitive information about the color of the bays, I painted the gear and weapons compartments red. here were a few ejector-pin marks in the weapon bay that were nearly impossible to remove, but they are largely hidden by the missiles and bombs. he main airframe splits horizontally, with a complete upper half and a lower section that separates just aft of the cockpit. It’s not essential, but I recommend adding a little weight to the nose to keep the tail of the ground. he nose bay, cockpit, and weapons bay it perfectly, but I had to sand the main gear wells. he major airframe went together without a problem. he control surfaces, including the slats and laperons, are separate, but there’s no provision to pose them. I enlarged the openings for the engine nozzles to improve the it. he rest of the details, including bay doors and struts, went on easily. he canopy comes in two parts, but there’s no option to pose it open. hese parts are exceptionally

clear, but a large mounting tab at the front protrudes into the visible portion of the canopy.

Choosing to inish my Gyrfalcon as the aircraft seen at the Zhuhai airshow, I airbrushed an overall coat of Tamiya rubber black. he decals aren’t super-sharp, but they are colorful and went on lawlessly.

All my references gave approximate dimensions based on images. With that caveat, the model appears to scale out pretty well. Assembly was an absolute breeze.

– Mike Klessig

Kit: No. 01666 Scale: 1/72 Mfg.: Trumpeter, www.trumpeter-china. com Price: $35.95 Comments: Injectionmolded, 121 parts (2 vinyl), decals Pros: Simple construction with mostly excellent fits; superb clear parts Cons: Placement of sprue attachments makes some parts difficult to clean up; some visible ejector-pin marks

Wingnut Wings Sopwith 5F.1 Dolphin

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hile its stablemate, the Camel, fought at lower altitudes, the Sopwith Dolphin ruled the upper air — at least until it was pressed into service delivering small bombs to the trenches, along with many other Royal Flying Corps aircraft. With reverse-stagger wings, the Dolphin had a distinctive shape to go along with its superior performance.

Wingnut Wings’ Dolphin comes in a trim 154-part kit that includes optional armament, propellers, and even night-lying equipment. here are ive decal options with numerous painting notes for each.

Look closely at the many photos in the instructions for the locations of stencil decals not mentioned in the proiles. here’s also a rigging diagram; pay attention, because cables for the radiator controls and the optional wing-mounted Lewis guns are easy to miss.

Typical of Wingnuts, the cockpit is a tour de force. he center section cabane struts are molded to the side walls along with numerous piping runs for the radiators, making alignment and assembly easy.

Careful painting according to the instructions will yield a busy cockpit. After annealing the photo-etched (PE) seat belts with a blowtorch, I added them to the seat

before painting. (his prevented the scratches and glue dots I always seem to add to the interior otherwise.) he sturdy cockpit easily supports the detailed 200-horsepower HispanoSuiza engine. I left the upper-wing support structure of until painting and decaling was complete.

With the interior done, assembly moved quickly. here’s no easy way to install the extremely fragile tail skid after painting, so I protected it with tape during assembly.

I added the lower wings but left of the horizontal stabilizer and delicate rudder for painting and decals. Shallow ejector-pin marks marred the inside of the radiators.

I painted the Dolphin with Tamiya acrylics. he beautifully printed decals went on without problems, but be careful as the roundels can tear if moved too much.

Adding the wings after paint and decals demonstrated Wingnut Wings’ outstanding engineering. All the struts clicked into place, and they supported the upper wing without glue.

After attaching the rudder and stabilizer, I rigged the model with EZ Line. he rigging is mostly straightforward. But there a few lines that are easily missed in the dia-

Kit: No. 32073 Scale: 1/32 Mfg.: Wingnut Wings, www.wingnutwings.com Price: $79 Comments: Injection-molded, 154 parts (13 PE), decals Pros: Engineered for ease of assembly; good selection of markings; a ton of detail Cons: Nothing

gram, such as the one that parallels the wing support in front of the cockpit.

Finally, I added small details like the gunsight, exhausts, and weapons. Flash interfered with the it of the Vickers machine guns’ cooling jackets; a quick, internal trim of jackets ixed the problem. he Dolphin is another winner from Wingnut Wings. Despite its complicated appearance, it is simple to build and easy to rig; I spent 34 hours on mine. I’m happy to have this lesser-known Sopwith in my collection.

– Chuck Davis

www.FineScale.com

57

WORKBENCH REVIEWS

Panda MaxxPro M1235A1 Dash DXM

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o protect troops from IEDs and rockets, Navistar developed the MaxxPro family of MineResistant, Armor Protected vehicles, or MRAPs. he smallest is the Dash, optimized for operations in Afghanistan; the DXM introduced in 2011 has an improved suspension. he light tan plastic in Panda’s DXM features excellent surface detail. A onepiece body is beautifully molded with just a few faint mold seams around the nose that are easily sanded of. he hood is molded in place and no engine is provided.

However, many moldings are marred by ejector-pin marks and stubs inside that must be removed before assembly. he kit provides basic interior components but lacks electronic gear and seat belts.

Two clear sprues supply lenses for the main lights and windows for the vehicle and gun turret. Rather than being solid, the ballistic glass blocks are hollow. None of the clear parts are tinted.

A small photo-etch (PE) fret gives screens for the side pods as well as jerry-can racks and other details. Unfortunately, the fret in my sample wasn’t fully formed, afecting three parts. he assembly diagrams are clear, but detail-painting instructions are a bit sparse.

A small decal sheet has markings for two DXMs from unnamed units. he painting and marking sheet includes ive-view drawings of both subjects, with GSI Creos Mr. Color paint references. here are a couple of errors in the decal guide, but it was easy to igure out what was needed. he cab’s center rack went together easily, but I had trouble with the equipment rack for the right side of the troop compartment. he problems were exacerbated by the lower bracket (Part PE4) being one of the poorly formed PE parts, and it lacked scored bends. he dashboard decals it well; a hair dryer helped them conform to molded bezels. he turret gunner’s platform is molded in the stowed position, so it will need modiication to add a igure. Overall, the interior it the body OK; I illed a small gap on the right side with epoxy putty. he one-piece frame eliminated alignment problems. Pay attention while building the axles, as they are identical except for the steering linkages on the front. Be sure the wishbones (parts F5) are positioned correctly with the holes for the drive shaft pointing to the center.

Fitting the axle assemblies to the springs required a bit of wiggling, but eventually

they clicked into place. I left of the wheels until most of the larger details were added to the body.

Several detail parts, such as the hinges for the top hatch, had locator holes on the body but no corresponding pins. he position of the back hatch is optional, but wait until inal assembly to install it open. Deviating from the instructions, I attached the jerry-can racks after the rear wall and side fender bins were in place; the racks rest on the rear fenders and it’s diicult to judge the position otherwise.

I was disappointed by the gun turret.

While the assembly diagrams show detail inside the side shields, there is none — just ejector-pin marks. he gun and its shield need to be glued because the mounting points for both are too loose to hold position. he ballistic-glass windows are noticeably hollow.

I painted with Tamiya acrylics: body, wooden deck tan; dash, medium gray; and seat cushions, khaki. he decals lay down over clear gloss with help from Microscale decal solutions. he instructions call Part GP8 the taillights, but that is the large headlight lens.

Use parts GP9 instead; unfortunately, the kit provides only two and you need four. I used lenses punched from clear styrene

Moebius Discovery from 2001: A Space Odyssey

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tanley Kubrick’s 1968 science-iction epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey has its share of fans and detractors. But whatever side of the fence they come down on, viewers come away from the ilm in awe of the special efects, especially the spacecraft, which have long been lauded for realism.

Fans who have waited 50 years for a plastic kit of Discovery — the ship that carried David Bowman and Frank Poole to Jupiter — can rejoice in Moebius’ kit. (Short-run resin kits have been ofered by several manufacturers in the last 20 years.) Once you are

done celebrating, clear room on your workbench — the inished model is more than 41 inches long and spindly as all get out. I worried about running my Discovery into walls, the edge of the spray booth, and even myself during inal assembly.

The 60 modular cargo containers for the spine account for 270 parts — and about 2⁄3 of the build time! There are ive diferent sizes and three end-cap styles. Fortunately, the parts are keyed so it’s hard to make a mistake (but not impossible). The sides and ends attach to the sprues along beveled joining edges and require careful trimming

and sanding to avoid damaging the thin outer surfaces.

I assembled the containers with Testors Model Master liquid cement, the stuf that comes in a squeeze bottle with a needle applicator. This slightly thicker glue illed gaps at the edges, eliminating most cleanup.

The same glue was used to assemble the propulsion module and its multiple interlocking plates.

The long thrusters built easily, though I had trouble eliminating gaps along the sides. But the biggest

Kit: No. PH35032 Scale: 1/35 Mfg.: Panda, www.panda-hobby.com Price: $63.99 Comments: Injectionmolded, 437 parts (32 PE, 4 vinyl), decals Pros: One-piece body; sturdy frame; clear lenses for most lights; decals for dashboard; sharply molded vinyl tires Cons: A plethora of ejector-pin marks and stubs; minimal detail-color callouts; errors in instructions; interior lacks electronic gear

sheet. Bare-Metal Foil trimmed mirrors.

In one inal hiccup, the cab doors didn’t it closed. So, I posed them open.

I spent 37 hours building Panda’s MaxxPro Dash, and the inished model matches photos on Navistar Defense’s website. Molding laws and instruction errors marred what would have been an otherwise enjoyable build. But the inished model looks good, and it could be turned into a showstopper with extra details.

– John Plzak

headache came when I assembled the 10 cargo-module supports. Despite several rounds of sanding and illing, the white inish always revealed more problems. I wish the supports looked smooth, but the modules cover many of the sins.

By comparison, building the spherical command module was a piece of cake. I painted the windshield with Tamiya clear yellow so it appeared lit from within.

I left the major subassemblies separate for painting, which entailed four spray cans of Tamiya white primer. The instructions suggest painting a few panels gray and applying

a gray wash before misting on more white to blend it all together. It worked perfectly!

I epoxied the major components and support modules to the metal rods, then attached the cargo containers according to the instructions. The inished model feels fragile, but the metal spine keeps everything straight.

The three stands it the model perfectly; be careful, as it’s a tad top-heavy.

Moebius’ Discovery isn’t diicult, but you’ll need stamina for the repetitive steps.

– Aaron Skinner

Kit: No. 2001-3 Scale: 1/144 Mfg.: Moebius, www.moebiusmodels.com Price: $199.99 Comments: Injectionmolded, 486 parts (6 metal) Pros: Decent surface detail; metal rods for support; well-engineered to solve alignment problems; clear instructions Cons: Some seams difficult to eliminate

www.FineScale.com

59

WORKBENCH REVIEWS

Takom CM-11 Brave Tiger

T

he army of Taiwan (formally the Republic of China) uses a unique hybrid tank. Known as the Brave Tiger, the CM-11 mates an M60A3 hull with an M48A3 turret mounting

Kit: No. 2090 Scale: 1/35 Mfg.: Takom, www.takom-world.com Price: $64.95 Comments: Injectionmolded, 326 parts (5 PE, 2 metal pins, string) decals Pros: Straightforward build; one-piece tracks; clear plastic vision blocks Cons: Many sprue attachments on the outside of parts; decals resist conforming to some surfaces

an M68 105mm gun, the type used on early Abrams. As a development of the Patton, the tank is designated M48H, with the H standing for hybrid.

Takom’s new CM-11 features one-piece vinyl tracks that join with a metal pin, photoetch (PE) details, clear plastic vision blocks, and decals for four vehicles.

After adding the road-wheel swing arms to the lower hull, I checked alignment with a straightedge. he breakdown of the road wheels is unusual. he inner wheels are single parts, but the outer ones have separate tires that include the lip of the wheel and provide more detail on the visible part. he threepart drive sprockets feature lightening holes. I painted the lower hull with Tamiya NATO green before attaching the wheels. he well-detailed one-piece vinyl tracks join with a metal pin. I painted them with Tamiya lat earth, then applied black pastels to the rubber pads. A lat coat sealed the

paint and pastels before I added the tracks to the suspension. he lower hull sides extend all the way up; the upper hull is just the glacis, driver’s hatch area, turret race, and engine deck. he seam lands along natural joins or is hidden by the fenders. he fenders and their brackets are

Kajika Hiei 1915 Kit: No. KM70002 Scale: 1/700 Mfg.: Kajika, www.flyhawkmodel.com Price: $36 Comments: Injectionmolded, 333 parts (1 metal), decals Pros: Tall, spindly masts; clear instructions Cons: No rigging instructions; fragile thin parts Also used: Hiei 1915 photo-etched details (No. KM71008, $41.60), 124 parts, a little fragile; Hiei 1915 wood deck (No. KM71009, $37.90), 9 parts, thin, self-adhesive planking; Kongo 1915 brass 36cm gun barrels (No. KM71002, $17.57) 8 parts; Kongo 1915 1914 15cm gun barrels (No. KM71003, $20.34) 16 parts; Kongo 1914 rigging line (No. KM71006, $8.32), a spool of superfine elastic line from Uschi van der Rosten; Generic anchor chain (No. 71012, $13.87), accurate figure8-shaped chain; Display base (No.71013, $55.47), no instructions, 2 clear acrylic sheets, 8 metal bolts

60 FineScale Modeler July 2018

D

esigned by British naval architect George hurston, the Kongo-class battlecruiser Hiei served the Japanese navy during World War I. After modernization in the 1930s, which included extra armor, aircraft catapults, and a new superstructure, Hiei was part of the task force escorting the carriers that launched the attack on Pearl Harbor. he ship was crippled and sunk of Guadalcanal in November 1942.

Kajika’s waterline kit represents Hiei shortly after it was commissioned in WWI. he crisply molded plastic parts feature scale-ine — and consequently fragile — masts with integral yardarms, sharp rain gutters over the portholes, planking on decks, and nice ship’s boats. he main and secondary guns have recessed muzzles, and the funnels are one-piece afairs. No lash was present, and mold seams were insigniicant. he clear 11-step instructions occupy one double-sided sheet.

Kajika supplies several detail sets to enhance the kit, and I used most of them on my build. (he full list is in the sidebar.) hat meant

rejiggering the order of construction to attach those, as well as for painting.

I started with the self-adhesive wooden deck, as the nine parts need to be in place before anything is itted to the deck. hey range in size from tiny platforms to a fulllength upper deck. I painted small deck details irst, including all 44 coal-scuttle hatches. he wood sections it perfectly, but the upper deck wanted to stick too early and took work to relocate.

Returning to Step 1, the bridge superstructure, ladders, and railing from the addon photo-etch (PE) set were added. he build became a constant balancing act between instruction sheets to get each part in place. Fortunately, the PE instructions are color-coded with bend direction. Take care, as the PE parts are scale-thin and easily damaged if mishandled.

Many platforms and outriggers on the thin masts were replaced

with PE. But some, such as the searchlight platform on the aft mast, were too thin to support the topmast. So, I used the kit part.

I left the bipod supports of until I attached the masts in Step 9 to ensure proper alignment.

I rigged the topmasts at this point using Kajika’s aftermarket thread. No rigging diagram was included, so I referred to a side view of the Kongo from 1914.

Replacing the nicely molded plastic guns with Kajika’s excellent turned-brass barrels was relatively simple. he 15cm guns it the locating holes for the plastic equivalents perfectly. However, each 36cm barrel must be itted to the base of the plastic main guns. I drilled a small hole from the breech end, then cut of the barrels.

I removed large ejector-pin stubs under the decks so they it lush with the

appropriately thin. he many storage boxes and air cleaners on the fenders went together easily, and the separate handles are a nice touch. he driver’s hatch is movable and the periscope in the hatch is posable.

Clear plastic supplies all of the vision blocks; I painted the back sides gloss black and protected the front glass with liquid mask.

I assembled the hull, then camoulaged it with Tamiya NATO green, NATO black, and lat earth. I applied decals and sealed

them with clear lat before attaching the headlights and their guards.

I removed unneeded locators from the turret — a sign other versions of the M48 may be forthcoming — and added the many details. he bustle stowage basket builds easily, but its attachment points on the turret are a bit shallow. he 105mm gun is a single-piece barrel with a separate muzzle. Unfortunately, gaps marred the mantlet cover; I played with the it until it was in a place easier to ill. he commander cupola with its .50-caliber machine gun is movable.

After painting, the turret decals went on OK. But I had to use extra decal solvent to settle the markings over the storage boxes.

I spent 31 hours building my CM-11; the one-piece tracks saved a lot of time. For fans of the M48/60 family or Asian armor, this kit is a must-have.

– Tom Foti

hull. A metal bar mounted on the waterline plate adds heft to the model.

Deviating from the instructions, I attached davits to the decks before install-

ing the ship’s boats. After attaching the PE captain’s walk and nameplates at the stern, I mounted the model on the aftermarket plastic display base.

Overall, Kajika’s Hiei is a ine kit with many features that are simply enhanced by the addition of aftermarket parts. I recommend the basic kit to anyone with experience, but caution that certain parts are very fragile — much like repairing a butterly wing. Working with the extras will require the patience of an experienced modeler.

– Mark Karolus

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61

WORKBENCH REVIEWS

ICM Polikarpov I-16 Type 24

M

odern in 1934, Polikarpov’s I-16 was the mainstay of the Soviet Union’s air force when Germany invaded in 1941.

ICM’s big-scale I-16 comprises 103 gray and eight clear parts as well as decals to mark four aircraft.

Recessed and raised panel lines are sharply molded, as is the fabric texture on the wings. Rudder and elevators are movable. he starboard upper-wing half was warped in my kit, so I clamped it for it.

A thin strip of styrene illed a gap at the wing root, and I used a little putty to blend the join between the rear of the wing and the fuselage. hese were the only glitches in an otherwise trouble-free build.

he instrument panel is a clear face with molded bezels and gray plastic backing plate to which you apply decal dials. After assembling the panel, I masked the molded instruments with Testors Clear Parts Cement and sprayed the panel black. Once the paint dried, I picked out the glue with a sharpened toothpick to reveal the decal dials. he inished panel looks great, but I had a hard time seeing it inside the cockpit. he open cockpit exposes the lack of seat belts in the otherwise detailed space.

I omitted the cowl guns because they would be invisible on the inished model. he nicely detailed engine — also great for possible maintenance vignettes — and its mounts fell into place, but the nine separate

exhausts are diicult to align with the holes in the cowl. For realism, I recommend drilling out the ends of the pipes.

I painted the camoulage with Tamiya olive green and Testors Model Master Russian topside blue. he decals applied perfectly over a coat of Pledge Floor Gloss; the colors are brilliant and opaque.

Even in 1/32 scale, the I-16 is tiny — the wingspan is just 11 inches.

I spent 28 enjoyable hours building ICM’s I-16, and the only thing I would add next time is a seat belt. Anyone with a few kits under their belt should have no problems.

– Ted Horn

Hasegawa Nakajima C6N1-S Saiun

A

s the tide turned in World War II, Axis commanders sought a defense against round-the-clock Allied bombing. To counter night attacks, Germany and Japan sent up night ighters. Not having the resources to produce specialized aircraft, Japan pushed existing planes into the role. Originally designed for high-speed reconnaissance, Nakajima’s C6N, known to the Allies as “Myrt,” proved especially capable despite the absence of onboard radar. At least six C6N1s were converted with obliquely angled 20mm or 30mm cannons.

Based on its 2002 Myrt, Hasegawa’s C6N1-S includes white-metal parts for the 20mm cannons, ammo cans, and braces supplied in white metal.

Kit: No. 07458 Scale: 1/48 Mfg.: Hasegawa, www.hasegawausa.com Price: $64.99 Comments: Injectionmolded, 119 parts (5 cast metal), decals Pros: Great fits and detail Cons: Canopy can’t be posed open; decals thick and too bright; vague locations for 30mm cannon

62 FineScale Modeler July 2018

he cockpit features a loor and separate side panels, but no seat belts. I used the instrument panel decal but omitted the other interior decals as they were too thick to settle over molded detail.

If you choose the 30mm version as I did, the locations for the plastic weapon parts are not molded on and the instructions are unclear. Dry-itting is a must to ensure the upper and lower sections align and the barrel passes through the canopy. he kit provides diferent one-piece canopies for the armament choices, but there’s no option to pose them open. A separated canopy is provided on the clear sprue and it may be possible with surgery to it it to the night ighter. he good news is the canopy its perfectly.

he it of the wing and fuselage produced a small gap on one side that was easily illed. Out of the box, the laps and slats it in the down position; it would be diicult to modify the former to pose them raised. he kit supplies clear wingtip lights, but itting them requires that lights molded with the wings be cut out. he red of the decals’ national insignia looked too bright, and I was afraid the ilm might obscure Hasegawa’s exquisite surface detail. So, I painted all of the markings except for the tail number and lap warning stripes.

Overall, this is a great kit. hose who love hunters of the night will want to add this awesome aircraft to their collection.

– Caleb Horn

Kit: No. 32001 Scale: 1/32 Mfg.: ICM, www.icm.com.ua Price: $68.99 Comments: Injectionmolded, 116 parts, decals Pros: Good fits and detail; separate control surfaces; easy build Cons: Tricky exhaust assembly

Revell Germany Avro Shackleton AEW.2

T

he ultimate descendent of Avro’s famous Lancaster bomber of World War II, the Shackleton performed maritime reconnaissance for the Royal Air Force through the Cold War. In the 1970s, a dozen airframes were converted into airborne early warning platforms; that’s the version represented in Revell’s new kit. he slightly soft gray plastic shows good surface detail with a combination of recessed lines and rivets and a few raised features. All of the control surfaces are movable. Unfortunately, minor lash and some mold seams mar many of the parts.

You’ll need to spend time on cleanup before assembly. he fuselage consists of four parts, with

Kit: No. 04920 Scale: 1/72 Mfg.: Revell Germany, www.revell.de Price: $44.95 Comments: Injectionmolded, 194 parts, decals Pros: Clear instructions; mostly good fits, especially the clear parts Cons: Flash mars many parts; bomb bay assembly fiddly

the front fuselage halves ending just aft of the cockpit. Joining each pair was easy, but the seam between the assembled halves required iller.

Interior details include the cockpit, nose position, and rear observers’ room. Decals provide instrument-panel details and seat belts. he cabin windows attach from inside. I painted the fuselage sides before installing the windows to ease masking. he cockpit and other clear parts it perfectly.

Take care building the contra-rotating propellers to ensure the pitch is correct. he individual landing-gear parts

appeared limsy, but once built the legs are sturdy enough to support the large model — the wingspan is nearly 20 inches. he large decal sheet provides markings for two No. 8 Squadron Shackletons, including myriad stencils. But the clear marking diagrams make placing all of them a snap. hey settled over a glossy surface without problems.

I recommend test-itting everything to be sure the joining surfaces are clean of lash. However, the inished model is impressive.

– Ted Horn www.FineScale.com

63

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345 E. Main St.

TEXAS • Houston

Full service hobbies, a full line of HO, N, 3-Rail, military, cars, boats, planes, dollhouses, scratchbuilding supplies, plus details-details-details!

590 Rt. 46

Full service hobby shop.

Over 6,000 recently acquired models.

All the supplies you need to build your model. www.hillsborohobby.com

PENNSYLVANIA • Landisville (Lancaster)

631-924-0583

Visit our in-house Aircraft Model Museum.

Foreign and domestic plastic and wood kits.

Open 7 days.

JAN’S HOBBY SHOP, INC.

1435 Lexington Ave.

212-987-4765

NORTH CAROLINA • ARDEN Not just trains. Academy Models, AFV Club, Bandai, Hobby Engine, Morgan Cycle, Revell Monogram, Tamiya & More! www.

FactoryDirectTrains.com

FACTORY DIRECT TRAINS

7 GLENN BRIDGE RD STE B

800-990-3381

OKLAHOMA • Owasso

Let your imagination run wild!

Aircraft, ships, cars, armor, special orders, diecast cars, model railroading Z to G and more...

210 East Front St.

NEVADA • Las Vegas

Scale modeling from beginner to expert.

A wide selection of aircraft, armor, autos, igures, ships, & sci-i. Lots of reference material, detail parts, decals, tools, & eight lines of paint. Open Tues-Sat 10am-6pm.

DIBBLE’S HOBBIES

1029 Donaldson Ave.

210-735-7721

WASHINGTON • Lynnwood We are a full line hobby shop. Huge model selection. Gundam, supplies, tool, educational, kit, parts, kite, game. Huge selection, paint, train & R/C items. www.galaxyhobby.com

GALAXY HOBBY

19332 60TH AVE W

425-670-0454

NEW YORK • Upr Eastside GR Manhattan WASHINGTON • Seattle

MICHIGAN • Ypsilanti-Metro Detroit

Planes, tanks, cars, ships, rockets, plastic and wood kits. Trains. Authorized Lionel dealer & repair. Die-cast, RC, slot cars, structural and diorama supplier. Special orders welcome.

405 E. Putnam Avenue

CONNECTICUT • Milford

Largest store in area, easy access via I-93, Rt. 1, and the T. Complete line of model kits & supplies, plus toy soldiers, igure kits, games, etc. Shipping available. Info: hobbybunker.com

BURBANK’S HOUSE OF HOBBIES

7259 Canoga Avenue

860-646-0610

MASSACHUSETTS • Malden (Boston)

Large selection of plastic kits, paints, and supplies. Special orders no problem Visit us in person or online www.houseofhobbies.com Secure online ordering

911 S. Victory Blvd.

TIME MACHINE HOBBY

71 Hilliard St.

Plastic modeling kits.

Paint, tools, scenery, accessories, & scale model railroads.

Mon - Sat 10:00am-6:00pm; Closed Sun www.metrotrainsandhobbies.com

ANCHORAGE HOUSE OF HOBBIES

1200 John Harden Dr.

Largest hobby shop in NE. Military, cars, trucks, plastic models, diecast cars, trucks. Planes, RC planes, cars, trucks, slot cars, rockets, Breyer, Detailing supplies, games!

Mon-Wed 10-6 Th-Fri 10-9 Sat-Sun 10-6

FLORIDA • Ft. Myers

www.anchoragehouseofhobbies.com Alaska’s best hobby supplier since 1964.

Two stories, 6,300sf, 1st loor all R/C, 2nd loor general hobbies, plastics, trains, slot cars, telescopes & more!

2803 Spenard Rd.

CONNECTICUT • Manchester

734-316-2281

Oklahoma’s largest plastic kit, paint & aftermarket inventory. Planes, cars, trucks, armor, ships, trains & sci-i. Special orders welcome!

Tue - Fri 10-5:30, Sat 10-5, Sun 1-4:30 Web site: www.topshelfmodelsllc.com

TOP SHELF MODELS

119 S. Main St.

918-274-0433

OREGON • Beaverton Complete full line hobby shop.

Z, N, HO, O, Lionel, and LGB. Open Mon - Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5.

TAMMIES HOBBIES

12024 SW Canyon Rd.

503-644-4535

Plastic Model Specialists. Largest selection of plastic models in NW! We have Aircraft, Armor, Auto, SCI-FI, and Gundam, along with great paint selection. Email us at skyway@nwlink.com or look us up at www.skywaymodel.com

SKYWAY MODEL SHOP

12615 Renton Ave. S.

206-772-1211

CANADA–ON • Ottawa (Vanier) One of Canada’s leading model shops.

Complete line of military & aircraft kits, decals, paints and accessories.

Free parking. On Parle Francais.

HOBBY HOUSE, LTD

80 Montreal Rd.

613-749-5245

CANADA–ON • Toronto Large selection of new & out-of-production kits.

Accessories & inishing products. Servicing the hobbies since 1986. We buy kit collections. www.wheelswingshobbies.com

WHEELS AND WINGS

1880 Danforth Ave.

416-752-0071

Run your Retail Directory ad in the next issue of FineScale Modeler!

Call 888-558-1544, ext. 815 for more information.

Alpha Precision Abrasives, Inc.___ 4

FineScale Modeler ____________ 2

ParaGrafix Modeling Systems ___ 4

ARA Press___________________ 8

Glenn Hoover Models ________ 64

Powercookie Boards LLC _______ 6

Aves Studio __________________ 9

Hobbylink Japan ______________ 4

Proxxon, Inc. _________________ 6

Colpar’s Hobbytown USA _____ 64

Hornby America ______________ 9

Roll Models_______________ 6, 64

Dean’s Hobby Stop ___________ 64

MegaHobby.com_____________ 64

Squadron Mail Order __________ 2

Evergreen Scale Models ________ 4

Michigan Toy Soldier Co.______ 64

Tamiya America, Inc. _________ 68

Fantastic Plastic Models _______ 64

Micro-Mark Tools ____________ 9

TotalNavy.com ______________ 64

Floating Dry Dock ___________ 64

Oldmodelkits.com ___________ 64

www.FineScale.com

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FINAL DETAILS

By Mark Hembree

As if it were yesterday In the April 2018 FSM, I shared my early aviation recollections and invited readers to do the same — and did they ever!

In the catbird seat I was 7 or 8 when a childhood buddy who lived four houses away got me interested in aviation. His dad was a pilot for Eastern Airlines. One Saturday morning, he brought both of us out to the airport and let us hop aboard a Boeing 727. We had the honor of sitting in the cockpit. My friend sat in the captain’s seat, and I in the co-pilot’s seat. It was the neatest thing I had ever experienced, and I could not wait to get home to tell my family and friends.

We had bragging rights that weekend.

– John C. Backenstross Fayetteville, N.Y.

Motor City planespotting I grew up about three miles away from Detroit City Airport. During summer vacations in the early 1950s, I would ride my bike to the airport to watch the planes take of and land. In those days, the major car companies all had corporate planes and there was a healthy mix of general aviation planes as well. We learned to identify DC-3s, Lockheed Lodestars, Convair 340s and 440s, Martin propliners, even the occa-

sional Curtiss C-46. And there were Pipers, Ryans, Cessnas, Aeroncas, Stinsons, Stearmans, you name it! hose adventures ultimately influenced my decision to enlist in the Air Force and get seriously into building model airplanes.

I didn’t become a pilot, but I never lost my enthusiasm for airplanes.

– Jim Daubert Clinton Township, Mich.

Flying with the Blue Goose My irst plane trip was in 1955 on a North Central Airlines DC-3 to Grand Forks, North Dakota. I rode the jump seat; my dad was one of the pilots. He started with Wisconsin Central (the airline’s name before the company moved to Minneapolis) in 1952 and flew for 33 years.

I started for NCA in 1966 as a mechanic, then was a manager until 2006 when I retired. It was a great place to work; they treated us very well.

I had to laugh when I saw a report that American was ofering complimentary drinks on new service from the East Coast to Chicago. I remember when NCA started flying to NYC out of Milwaukee with the DC-9. Steak and eggs.

– Dave DeBace Cottage Grove, Minn.

Treasuring the trans-Atlantic Reading the April 2018 FSM, I was delighted to learn that I’m not the last person left to remember flying on the magniicent Boeing 377.

Likewise, I descended the spiral stairs to the lower level lounge, although I had to wait until well after departure (from New York Idlewild to Geneva) when my parents wanted to have a nightcap before retiring and they allowed me to accompany them.

It seemed like the height of luxury to be on an airplane with a downstairs.

In later years, we flew on DC-7s to Switzerland. My dad was friends with a Swissair pilot, and he’d invite me up to the flight deck where I’d sit on the jump seat in awe at the dizzying array of dials, gauges, and twinkling lights contrasting with the darkness outside. Once I even got to watch the navigator get out his sextant to shoot the North Star to get our position.

Meanwhile, the engineer kept careful watch over a huge bank of little oscilloscope displays that showed the spark in every cylinder of the four big Wright radials that carried us safely across the Atlantic.

It was an era the likes of which we’ll never see again.

– Michele Denber Bradenton, Fla.

“Only once”

“No memory, but I don’t think too many readers have one of these. Diferent last name now, but it’s me.” – P.J. Moriarty, Wantagh, N.Y. 66 FineScale Modeler July 2018

I was 4 at the time of my irst flight. My dad was a Navy chaplain, and we were stationed in Barstow, California, when he had a car accident and was sent to Naval Hospital San Diego to recuperate. My mom, sister, and I flew back to Pennsylvania (where we were from).

Being a military brat, I had been around all sorts of military equipment. I knew all about C-47s, but these were four-engine nose-wheel types. (Perhaps civilian versions of the C-54, possibly DC-4s?) I remember the irst flight, to Chicago on American Airlines (red stripes and AA on the tail), and the second, from Chicago to Washington, D.C., on National (blue stripes and trim). Both planes had air-sickness containers that were cardboard, cylindrical containers with lids. I kept them (empty, of course) as souvenirs. he flight crew would come up the aisle

Library of Congress

In July 1941, well-wishers had a clear view of the tarmac from the waiting room at Washington National Airport (now Ronald Reagan National).

and the stewardesses would give us miniablack (actually faded glossy sea blue), siniscareer at Grumman (ironically) and ture wings, etc. Finally came the captain; ter-looking aircraft. To a 4-year-old, this Lockheed Martin. his uniform was similar to a Navy captain, was an impressive but scary thing. he – James Pernikoff four stripes on the sleeve, so even I knew main tires were taller than me, and the Marietta, Ga. this was the man. menacing bow turret, “warts and bumps” all Peacemaker disturbance Mom caught his sleeve as he passed and over the fuselage, huge tail, and long, thin Most kids get excited about airplanes at asked him, “Sir, do planes like this crash wings made it look a winged dragon. some early stage of life and get over it, but I often?” He smiled and replied, “No ma’am, What I saw was a Consolidated never became so jaded. never more than once.”

PB4Y-2M Privateer.

I can pinpoint the exact moment when After college and the Marines, I was in – H. Davis Gandees the military aviation bug bit me. One day the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, Lutz, Fla. in August 1956, I was playing in the backwhere we flew Connies and Hercs. While yard when the air illed with a whining/ heading home from Parris Island on a leave, Career decision When I was 2½, we moved to Plainview, whistling/humming/buzzing/screeching I brought along a Springield rifle I had noise and a rumble I could feel in my chest. purchased in Georgia. I actually carried this, New York, about three miles from the Grumman Bethpage aircraft plant and airI stopped and looked all about for the uncovered, onto the plane with my seabag, port. In those days I saw numerous S2F source, and when I looked to the east I saw and when the pilot saw it, I asked him if Trackers and SA-16 Albatrosses flying what looked like a big silver dragonfly in he’d want to keep the bolt until we landed. around. the blue sky. But this was no insect. It was a He said no, just put it in your uniform But my irst irm airplane memory, one gigantic airplane — a B-36! pocket. he rifle went up front with the which afected the rest of my life, is a solid I do not know to this day why it was coats and umbrellas! one. In spring 1959, when I was 6, I there — perhaps to overfly a county fair, or – George Felder remember playing in the yard after school maybe just a crew showing of for the Annville, Pa. when I heard a loud, piercing roar overhead. hometown folks — but that bomber was Spooky Privateer I looked up to see one of the irst Pan below 500 feet! I could see the guys in the My dad was a mechanic for Eastern Air American Boeing 707s, flying out of nose bubble waving, and I still remember Lines, so airplanes were a part of my life Idlewild (now JFK). hose early jetliners how its shadow darkened the whole yard as early on. According to my mom, airplane were loud; you could not miss them. I it passed over our house. You could smell was my irst word. I spent hours watching watched until it disappeared to the east, the exhaust after the plane went by, and it them come and go to and from NAS and at that point decided that I wanted to seemed I could still hear it 5 minutes later.

Miami-Master Field from a high perch in design airplanes for a living.

Wow! a pine tree in my backyard.

How many 6-year-olds do you know Oh, and my mom was upset because the One day Dad took me with him to who’ve already made their career choice? vibration had caused some of her knickMaster Field to visit a friend who comWell, sir, two months ago I retired from a knacks to fall and break. manded a U.S. Marines reserve squadron 43-year career as an airframe structural – Bob Taylor there. Inside a dark hangar was a large, design engineer, having spent most of my Painesville, Ohio www.FineScale.com

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