Table of contents for April 2018 in FineScale Modeler

Details make all the difference when building Sabres so you can be sure you have the right version for the markings you select. It’s all about the wing — mostly. The Montana ANG tug was an early F-86A-5 according to its serial number (see p. 32). This required an early, small wing and a V-shaped windscreen, features not readily available in current kits. However, I found an old Matchbox F-86A (No. PK-32) on eBay and Pavla makes the correct canopy (No. V72-93). I wasn’t crazy about the soft details of the Matchbox parts, so I paired the flight surfaces with the fuselage and details from HobbyBoss’ easy-assembly F-86F-40 (No. 80259). After painting, I added metal landing gear from Scale Aircraft Conversions (No. 72046) and a HobbyDecal metal pitot (No. 72016MT).…

With nearly 10,000 built, North American developed the F-86 through gradual changes and improvements. In addition, Sabres were produced in three countries — the United States, Canada, and Australia — assembled in two more — Japan and Italy — and existing aircraft were often retrofitted with upgrades from the latest production model. All of those changes make figuring out which F-86 version you need for a particular modeling project complicated and confusing. My research revealed mistakes in published information. The result is Australian or late-model Canadian markings applied to models of U.S. or Japanese aircraft. Kit manufacturers mismatch models and decals or throw Korean War and NATO air force decals into the same kit. Profiles sometimes show the wrong wing or miss the correct wing for a retrofit. Wings and…

The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu (German for eagle owl) was a tactical reconnaissance twin-engined light bomber. It first took flight in 1938, entered service in 1940, and was produced until 1944. It was an all-metal low-wing monoplane powered by two Argus As 410 engines of 459 hp. The engines were housed in nacelles into which the main landing gear retracted. The single tail wheel also was retractable. The central gondola accommodated the crew, composed of a pilot, a navigator/radio operator, and a flight engineer/gunner. Great Wall Hobby’s 1/48 scale Fw 189 A-2 (No. L4803) consists of 178 pieces of light gray and clear plastic with a small photo-etch fret and decal sheet with two painting options. The parts are well made and show a remarkable amount of detail. After assembling…

The Merkava is the Israel Defense Force’s premier main battle tank. Developed by Israel after years of using foreign tanks, its design was unique. It featured a front-mounted engine and a rear compartment with an access door for troops or munitions. Takom’s new Merkava Mk.1 (and Mk.1 hybrid kit) is most welcome, as this is the first new kit of this version in 30-plus years (Tamiya’s kit being the only other Mk.1). The kit is well molded in light gray plastic and features clear plastic for periscopes and lens, optional armament for the turret exterior, separate hatches, photo-etched (PE) and lead-sheet parts, and link-and-length tracks. The lower hull is molded in one piece. The suspension parts that are added to it are quite numerous and represent bogie mounts, bumper stops,…

South Korea’s latest armored fighting vehicle, the K2, is highly advanced, with locally produced main weapon and ammo, and passive and active defense measures. Academy’s release has many “extras,” such as posable hatches, armor upgrades, together tracks, polarized lens stickers for the vision blocks, and markings for two vehicles. The instructions are separated into two sets, starting with the turret. You have a choice of standard or uparmored versions. Building up the turret from many parts was easy enough. The breech is put between top and bottom halves so it can be moved up and down. I laid down the photo-etched (PE) mesh for the bustle basket with super glue but left the jerry cans off for painting. The tow cables ended up a little long; I cut them to…

Like many modelers, I have fond memories of building models as a kid. And every now and then a straight “out of the box” build can be just the ticket to reconnect with that childhood joy while at the same time employing the advanced skills and techniques picked up through the years. I decided that Tamiya’s 1/35 scale SU-76M Russian self-propelled gun (No. 35348) would be the perfect subject for a true out-of-the-box effort. The vehicle itself is fascinating — more than 12,000 were built, making it second only to the T-34 in numbers produced. That plus the Tamiya reputation for ease of construction got my juices flowing! So I stuck with what was in the box. I painted with Testors Model Master enamels unless otherwise noted. Fighting compartment A…

The kit choice for the U.S. Army drone was easy as the new Airfix F-86F/ E(M) (No. A08032), which had the proper solid “6-3” wing with fences. Other than cobbling together decals, the only additions to this special Sabre would be the antennas, lines, and sensors dedicated to its likely fatal, final mission. 1 The Airfix Sabre assembles quickly without problems. The aircraft I was modeling had short, nonstandard pylons. After stealing a spare from a Hasegawa Skyraider, I drilled a mounting hole to fit the new pylon and filled the now-unused rear locator. 2 A professional target needs no defense, so I filled the gun troughs on either side of the nose. 3 Sabre drones carried external antennas and other details. Based on photos, an oil line snaked down…

Then there is Mike McFadden: He builds realistic models, puts them in the context of a diorama, and then utilizes carpentry and electrical engineering to construct artfully lighted shadow boxes that create illusions of scale too grand for almost any open-air diorama. FineScale Modeler readers may recall some of his past efforts: “A Night to Remember” (Jan. 2010 FSM), which recalled the sinking of the Titanic, and “Drama in a shadow box” (Oct. 2014 FSM), depicting two German soldiers waiting in ambush. Both employed forced-perspective techniques to portray scenes encompassing hundreds of feet in a matter of inches. “Wolves’ Lair” combines Mike’s interests in modeling U-boats, figures, scale buildings, and water to portray one of the Kriegsmarine’s U-boat pens, massive concrete constructions nearly impervious to Allied bombing. Central to the…

Developed by the 1st Canadian Army in France in summer 1944, the Kangaroo was a troop carrier initially based on the American M7 Priest (with the guns removed) and turretless Canadian Ram tanks, both running on the American M3 medium tank chassis. Arguably the forefather of modern-day armored personnel carriers, the Kangaroo afforded infantry increased protection with the mobility and speed to keep up with armored columns. Later, in Italy, Kangaroos ran on the Sherman chassis. The Sherman’s turret and main armament were deleted; radio set and batteries were moved into the sponson. I was able to model one of these vehicles with spare parts and kits: namely, Tamiya’s Sherman M4 (No. 190), a Verlinden resin internal detail set (No. 1244), and various spare Dragon Sherman parts for the engine…

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 really needs no introduction to anyone interested in World War II. It was a formidable foe to those who flew against it, and it commanded respect from the pilots of the Allied air forces. As a result, there have been many kits brought to market by virtually every kit manufacturer in virtually every common scale. This new-tool kit of the Fw 190A-4 is not Eduard’s first kit of a 190 variant in 1/48 scale, but it does represent a change in Eduard’s approach to engineering and molding. Some of the 195 injection-molded parts have been seen before in previous Eduard kits, and many of those parts are suited to other 190 variants, so will be fine fodder for those who like to keep unused parts “just…

There has been an explosion of kits in 1/32 scale in recent years — fighters, jets, even World War II bombers. But some of my favorite aircraft are L-birds (liaison aircraft) and trainers. When I heard about Kitty Hawk’s T-28C, my hopes were high. The box contains nearly 400 beautifully engraved parts with fine panel lines and scale-appropriate rivets. There are several options for the landing gear, a full engine and accessory bay, and all the parts and weapons from the earlier T-28B/D kit. Clear parts are boxed separately. Two tightly packed decal sheets contain colorful markings for five aircraft. There are photoetched (PE) seat belts and screens for the engine, two nose weights, and a 25-page instruction book with glossy color pages for the decal and painting guides. Paint…

I have probably logged more hours on prop-driven airliners than most people my age. When I was very young, my dad took me along on business trips, usually on North Central Airlines, the DC-3s and Convairs with the “blue goose” on the tail. (Actually a duck, corporate name of Herman.) But, oddly, the first airliner I remember was the mighty Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. That trip was seared into my memory by sheer terror. I was just 4. Mom was taking me with her to New York City to visit my aunt. During a layover in Chicago, she kept me entertained by showing me how you could tell what flight crew members did on the plane by looking at emblems on their jacket or stripes on their cuffs … flight engineer,…

Between unrelenting sunshine, torrential rain, and crushed-coral runways, the conditions for aircraft in the Solomon Islands can best be described as harsh. Steve Siebers, of Overland Park, Kansas, aimed to capture the effects of those conditions when he built Tamiya’s 1/32 scale F4U-1 Corsair. First, he enhanced the cockpit with fabric seat belts from HGW and decal placards and stencils from BarracudaCals. Outside, he detailed the landing gear with resin diamond-tread wheels from BarracudaCast; the same company provided parts to backdate the kit’s engine. He wired the engine and scratchbuilt engine oil-transfer pipes on top of the cylinders with telephone wire. Resin cowl flaps from Vector completed the nose. The antenna connector at the tail was made from stretched styrene tube and fine copper wire. Steve painted the Corsair with…

The Korean RF-86F started life as a late F-86F-30 with a “6-3” hard wing and fences. By the time it was dressed in camo, the airframe had been converted to a recon bird and fitted with a new extended F-40 wing with slats. The only 1/72 scale kit I’m aware of that has the option of drooped slats is Academy’s F-86E El Diablo (No. 1681). I needed to add camera bays and “chipmunk cheeks” for the reconnaissance reassignment. 1 The recon Sabre needed two symmetrical bulges on either side of the cockpit that I was leery of scratchbuilding because they should be the same shape. While pondering this challenge, I spotted the jet pods in a 1/144 Roden C-119 kit. A bit of reprofiling and thinning and they would do…

ANTHONY JONES OAK POINT, TEXAS Eschewing decals for all but the scary eyes and yellow numbers, Anthony used Montex masks to paint the markings on his Trumpeter 1/32 scale P-47D Razorback Thunderbolt. SHINKEUM KANG YONGIN CITY, SOUTH KOREA The M23 car was a winner for Yardley Team McLaren in Grand Prix racing, but it was Shinkeum who took a trophy when he won first in the automotive division of the Korean Tamiya contest in 2016, revving up Tamiya’s 1/12 scale kit. “I made my own detailing in several places,” he says. BRUCE TYO ROCHESTER, NEW YORK Wouldn’t you really rather have a Beemer? That’s what the Wehrmacht wanted when it ordered up 20,000 BMW R75 military motorcycles (about 18,000 were produced). Bruce gave Italeri’s 1/9 scale kit a ride. WILLIAM…

A Cold War icon, the English Electric Lightning fighter was all about brute force in an era when speed was king. Platz has boxed two Lightnings, along with three decal options: one in overall natural metal, one in green/gray camo over natural metal, and one in dark green over natural metal. As you might expect, construction is fast — just don’t forget to add nose weight. The interior consists of a simple seat, floorboard, and instrument panel. No cockpit decals — not that you’d see them anyway. Be careful with the rudder and all other flying surfaces — they are razor-sharp and easily bent or damaged. The wings and stabilators are one piece with substantial tabs that aid alignment. The ventral fins are also razor-sharp, but suffer a bit from…

Platz’s newest T-2 kit represents the “late type” or T-2(K) Koki with an internal JM61A1 20mm cannon in the port fuselage. The recessed surface detail on the kit’s crisp, flash-free moldings is as fine and precise as you’ll find on any state-of-the-art offerings. Options include open or closed canopies plus external stores, including drop tanks, a pair of nice AIM-9L Sidewinders, and a CBLS-200 practice-bomb dispenser with munitions. (More on the armament shortly.) Raised relief as well as decals furnish cockpit detail, and both are excellent; I added maskingtape belts to the slightly basic seats for a little more interest. Fit of the parts is generally precise, but the fuselage comprises five pieces and I had a little fit problem around the gun fairing panel where three of them came…