Tabla de contenidos para July/August 2022 en FineScale Modeler

Can you recycle kit plastic? No matter how you look at it, there is always excess plastic left from a model kit. Even if you shove all of the unused parts into your spare’s box and clip off straight sections of sprue to be stretched, some component of the kit is ending up in the trash. While the box and instructions can easily be recycled, what about the plastic? We have been asked this by several readers, so we figured we’d see what we could find out. Model kits are generally made from high-impact polystyrene. It is recyclable, but access to facilities that do so is limited. To find out for sure, contact your local municipality or recycling center about whether or not it recycles high-impact polystyrene. Be sure to…

Accurate Miniatures released its 1/48 scale SBD-3 Dauntless in 1997. Seems like it was just yesterday to me, and I’ve had it on my to-do list since it came out. State of the art for the time — reviewed as maybe one of the best kits ever produced of the subject — I certainly had high expectations as I finally got around to building one a few months ago. Pleased with its final appearance, the kit turned out to be more challenging than expected. Mine had mold seams on nearly every part, requiring time spent cleaning them up on tough plastic that made the removal process a bit of a chore. The engineering is complex with finicky parts, and the suggested assembly sequence for the fuselage did not work as…

In the late 1930s, the major aircraft makers were designing the next generation of airliners. High-altitude flying with pressurized cabins had been proven and superchargers capable of high-altitude flight were becoming available. Flying above the weather made travel more comfortable and high-altitude flight promised faster speeds and fuel efficiency. Douglas responded with the DC-4E. Boeing, already producing the B-17, wanted to base an airliner on that technology. Ultimately, the designers produced a wider, streamlined fuselage to mate with B-17 wings and tail. The result was the Model 307 Stratoliner, arguably one of the most beautiful airliners ever. Only 10 were built before World War II ended production. The completed aircraft were enlisted as military transports, and, by war’s end, the Stratoliner was obsolete. When Roden released its 1/144 scale Boeing…

The Blackbird was a wild stallion of an airplane and so amazing that I’m surprised it took this long to see an updated 1/48 scale kit. Testors’ 1983 offering was good for its time, but it is great to have Revell’s all-new tooling with modern detailing. But is it worth the money and effort Before starting, I should point out that there are two boxings of the kit: the North American version (the sample FSM received and is featured in this review) and the Revell Germany kit, which includes a display stand and two complete engines. Inside the box, a separate cardboard insert supports and protects the large upper and lower fuselage halves. Underneath are several parts trees, a 36-page color instruction manual, and two beautifully printed decals sheets with…

AIRCRAFT 1/72 SCALE Harvard Mk.II/IIA/IIB “The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan” from Special Hobby, No. SH72447, $29.99. Messerschmitt Bf 109E-Trop/E-7 Trop “Braving Sand and Snow” from Special Hobby, No. SH72462, $17. Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-15 Torpedo Bomber from IBG Models, No. 72540, $22.65. Gloster Meteor Mk.8/9 “Middle East Meteors” from Special Hobby, No. SH72463, $32.40. Fw90D-9 Cottbus (Early Production) from IBG Models, No. 72531, $22.65. WBR 1/48 SCALE OV-10D+Bronco (US light attack and observation aircraft) from ICM, No. 48301, $57.99. WBR AH-1G Cobra Spanish & IDF/AF Cobras from Special Hobby, No. SH48202, $39.56. A6M2 Zero Type 21 from Eduard, No. 82212, $54.95. WBR ARMOR 1/72 SCALE Centaur Mk.IV British tank from IBG Models, No. 72108, $18.90. WBR Cromwell Mk.IV British tank (hull type C) from IBG Models, No. 72102, $18.90. 3Ro…

Reputedly, Ernst Heinkel sketched the design for the Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 on the back of a cabaret wine list. More of a redesign of the W.12 biplane, Heinkel removed the upper wing, which was made possible because of the aircraft’s already rigid structure. Of course, sketching the monoplane on a wine list and getting it into production are vastly different propositions. Three prototypes came off the production line in January 1918: nos. 2204, 2205, and 2206. For performance comparison’s sake, they were each powered by engines from different makers (Benz, BMW, and Daimler-Mercedes). When the plane went into production, it was the 150-horsepower Benz Bz.III that won out. Wingnut Wings 1/32 scale Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 (No. 32010) is a beautiful kit, with immaculate detail and thorough research. However, there are painting and…

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Most modelers who have been building a long time have that one kit they dream of owning — their Holy Grail kit, if you will. Many of those subjects have now been released in injection-molded plastic; it’s a wonderful time to be a modeler. But many of us remember a time when those dreams went unfulfilled unless you turned to other mediums — vacuum-formed plastic and resin — to fill gaps in our collections. In the 1990s, Collect-Aire was one company that came to the rescue, producing resin kits with white-metal details and vacuum-formed canopies of rarely seen subjects that were not cheap to buy nor quick to build. I remember looking longingly at those big yellow boxes and lamenting my inability to purchase one because of my meager salary…

I’ve always liked the look of an F-35B Lightning II as it comes in to land vertically on an aircraft carrier. After reading FSM’s review of Italeri’s 1/72 scale kit, I decided to take a break from building sci-fi and try my hand at getting an F-35B to hover. Along the way, I resolved to add as much extra detail as I could find from aftermarket parts and online research. I started a list of what I needed and where I needed to buy it, made a copy of the kit instructions, and noted paint colors and potential construction challenges. Scouring the internet, I collected photos of actual F-35s hovering and landing. I also found a few build reviews which provided me with more ideas. The kit instructions call for…

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!…

The Spanish air force took delivery of its first T-33s on March 24, 1954, and it would end up operating 60 of the trainers. The initial aircraft came from U.S. Air Force inventories in Europe and still wore a high-visibility scheme of red wingtips and tail. I wanted to build the first T-33 to takeoff bound for Spain after its overhaul, aircraft E.73-5. I started with a GWH 1/48 scale T-33A which has good detail and assembles easily. I enhanced the kit with Eduard photo-etched metal (PE) for the cockpit and wheel wells (No. FE796). FINAL THOUGHTS I MASKED THE WING-ROOT walkways and stippled on two coats of Ammo Anti Slip Paste (No. A.MIG-2034) with a sponge; brown washes added dirt tracked by the ground crew. Ammo Panel Line Wash…

Relative newcomer Suyata is nothing if not eclectic in its subject choices. So far, it has released sci-fi ships and vehicles, cartoony Titanic and World War I planes, and mechanical insects. In addition, there is a line of 1/48 scale armor, including this Panther with a with a full interior, photoetched metal (PE) details, a turned-metal barrel, and Zimmerit decals that demands to be taken seriously. Construction opens by applying those 3D decals to the hull and turret. This was the first time I had worked with this type of Zimmerit decal, so I experimented a little. First, I applied them with just water as the instructions stated. It worked OK, but some of the more complicated shapes didn’t want to settle completely. I applied Microscale Micro Sol and the…