Table of contents for November 2017 in FineScale Modeler

KITTY HAWK FOLLOWS UP its initial Sukhoi Fitter, the Su-17, with the Su-22 (No. KH80146, $79.99) sold to many Eastern Bloc and Arab nations as well as Peru during the Cold War. The swing-wing fighter-bomber is still flying in Poland, Syria, Yemen, Angola, and Vietnam. Molded in gray plastic, the kit shares many characteristics with the previous kit including the multipart fuselage, detailed cockpit, wheel wells, engine, and a wide selection of bombs, missiles, and rocket and gun pods. Optional parts account for differences between M3 and M4 versions. Kit features include posable control surfaces, movable wings that will require the flaps to be posed up, thin wing fences, posable speed brakes, photoetched harness, and sharply molded clear parts. The highlight is the selection of markings including- Fitters from Poland,…

Waffenträgers (self-propelled weapons carriers) fascinate me. Many of them were “one-off ” prototypes, and some were only conceptual designs that never cast a shadow in the light of day. In recent years, several kit manufacturers have delved into this unorthodox aspect of World War II German armor to produce an exciting array of vehicles, such as Trumpeter’s 1/35 scale 12.8cm PaK 44 Waffenträger Krupp 1 (kit No. 05523), a model that brings a Krupp drawing to life. The vehicle never went into production, although the big gun found its way onto the 70-ton Jagdtiger (77 produced) and was envisioned for the gargantuan 188-ton Maus. The kit supplies some wonderful amenities: optional photo etched (PE) brass parts; an optional metal barrel for the 12.8cm gun; and, most surprisingly, workable Modelkasten tracks!…

Over the years, I’ve built a great many model planes, ships, and cars, but never an armored fighting vehicle. After my grandson joined the U.S. Army and was assigned to a mechanized division in M2 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles, I knew it was time to build my first. For my birthday, my wife gave me Tamiya’s 1/35 scale Bradley (No. 35132), which came together easily and let me focus on painting. Creating the pattern The Tamiya kit depicts a Bradley in NATO service in 1985. So, I scoured the internet for a camouflage pattern. After downloading and printing the files, I scaled the drawings to the size of the model using a scanner and computer software and printed those out. I blackened the back side of the drawings using a…

The Handley Page Victor was the last of the Royal Air Force V-bombers to enter service. Developed as a nuclear deterrent, most were converted to tankers before retirement in 1993. This is the first injection-molded kit in 1/72 scale of the bomber version equipped to carry the Blue Steel nuclear missile — the only other in this scale is the old Matchbox K2 refueler. Airfix’s kit is molded in a light gray plastic that seems a bit harder than the bluegray stuff used in most of its recent releases. Molding includes crisp recessed panel lines and virtually no flash. Surface detail is nice, although I was expecting a little bit more. Breakdown of the parts suggests that a K2 version could be coming. Markings are provided for two aircraft: one…

Murphy’s Fourth Law of Modeling states that in order for a new kit to come out, I need to have previously suffered through an older issue of the same model. Procrastination sometimes works in mysterious ways, though — I never built Hasegawa’s 1972 release, but its all-new H8K2 “Emily” is a real winner. The crisp parts feature beautiful, mostlyrecessed detail, with raised detail on the hull bottom. Beaching gear is provided, and optional torpedoes or bombs plus posable guns are supplied. The separate hull strakes, bow section forward of the windshield, vertical fin, and other parts suggest variants of the H8K to come. A color poster — printed in Japanese with cutaway fuselage showing interior details — is included with this first issue. I felt that assembly strictly by the…

ABRAMS KITS HAVE GRACED Tamiya catalogs since 1982, shortly after the tank entered service. Since then, the company has released multiple updates in 1/35 scale and recently a monster in 1/16 scale. Now a little brother joins the ranks in the form of a 1/48 M1A2 (No. 32592, $34). This is not a scaled-down version of Tamiya’s 1/35 scale Abrams. The lower hull’s separate side panels feature molded road-wheel arms; internal braces secure a metal block to give the main battle tank heft. Link-and-length tracks complete the running gear. The upper hull and turret include nonskid molded on horizontal surfaces. The main gun comes as a single tube with separate muzzle and two-part fume extractor. Small details include fine bustle basket rails and an M2 machine gun for the commander’s…

A fter 35 years, FSM has learned a few things and passed many of them on to you. We’ve collected some of the best tools, techniques, and tips that should be at every workbench, and present them here in no particular order. Many come from the collective wisdom of our staff, contributors, and readers. Narrowing the list to 35 meant leaving out some, and there are probably others we didn’t think to include. (Apparently paint fumes can be detrimental to memory.) If you read this and think we omitted something important, or if there’s a tool you use all the time that we didn’t mention, let us know. Email your ideas to editor@FineScale.com. Cotton swabs Absorbent and precise, these medicine cabinet goodies are perfect for cleanup and more. Keep them…

HUSSEIN EL KAISSY CAIRO, EGYPT From the vanguard of technology comes this 1/6 scale ordnance-removal robot, printed in 3-D by Hussein from a design by Nemanja Petkov. Intrigued by the concept, Hussein contacted the designer. ”He was nice enough to break down the design into parts that would fit my 3-D printer,” Hussein says. He printed each piece separately for optimum orientation; the process took about 8 hours for 30 parts. Though it may seem more direct than conventional scratchbuilding, much time was spent filling and sanding to erase the lines left by the printing process. BERNARD SZUKIEL, OSTROŁKA, WOJEWÓDZTWO MAZOWIECKIE, POLAND Bernard scratchbuilt Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge as a 1/22 scale paper model. It’s about 54 inches long. BRUNO CAPELLER, BENTO CONÇALVES, RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL Bruno…

Not as well known as the Sopwith Camel, the Royal Aircraft Factory SE.5a is still widely considered one of World War I’s best fighters. Eduard’s new kit captures the rugged, agricultural looks of the plane This ProfiPack kit includes the Wolseley Viper engine. Other power plants are sure to follow as a number of parts marked “do not use” include other engine, cowling, and propeller options. Also in the well-stocked box is a set of photo-etch (PE) details and a mask set. Clear plastic provides two styles of windscreen, cable-inspection windows, and the instrument-panel skylight. Decals give markings for five aircraft, including two American. Assembling and finishing the interior takes up most of the build, thanks to numerous details. Use care removing them from the sprues; I liked the 3-D…

Balancing an egg is no mean feat — but balancing a scratchbuilt egg with a plastic model for comic effect is something few even attempt. Count Jerry Fraske of Livonia, Mich., among the few. He left ’em laughing at the 2017 IPMS/USA National Convention in Omaha, Neb., last summer with just one MiG, scrambled. “It was something fun to build for a change of pace,” he says. Still, comedy is a tricky business that requires technique. Looking at the various elements involved, and asked what he thinks is essential in his display, Jerry gives a practical answer. “It really is the frying pan,” he says. “It makes the scene and pulls it all together as the focal point, and it emphasizes the humor. It also serves as a convenient and…

35 years and counting Let’s do it again! Wow, 35 years! I have been a model builder since I was 9, and that was 60 years ago. I build a wide variety of models including military, planes, ships, and cars. For more than 20 years I have enjoyed your magazine and kept every issue. I love reviewing them frequently, and the tips and techniques I have learned throughout the decades have helped me achieve the level of builds I do today. I have been so inspired seeing what can be done and has been done by others. Let’s go for another 35! – Darwin Menzer Plymouth, Wis. A constant over the years This past year has defined why I model. With everyone on my side of the family passing away…

A fter World War II, surplus Spitfires became the backbone of the Turkish air force as 170 Mk.IXs were deployed to several squadrons. I built one of these fighters using Eduard’s 1/48 scale Weekend Edition Spitfire Mk.IXe (No. 84138), adding Eduard pre-colored photo-etch seat belts (No. FE840) and a resin gyroscopic gunsight from Quickboost (No. QB48581). 20,334 Number of Spitfires built from 1938 to 1947 – Encyclopædia Britannica…

I n April 1945, the light cruiser Yahagi accompanied the great battleship Yamato and eight destroyers on a suicide mission that would spell the end of the Japanese navy. Their orders were to attack the American invasion force at Okinawa — but none of the ships ever reached their objective. Yahagi was attacked by nearly 400 aircraft and took a torpedo in the engine room during the first wave, leaving it dead in the water. Less than two hours later, after a brutal pounding, Yahagi capsized with the loss of 445 hands. Fascinated by the ship, I was excited when I received Hasegawa’s kit (along with all three Hasegawa dedicated photo-etch sets) as a Christmas gift from my wife. The kit is very well done, but there are always improvements…

Every now and then you need to spice up your model building. Looking for something different from my usual sci-fi and armor models, I rummaged through my stash and found Academy’s 1/48 scale Polikarpov I-16 Type 10. In many ways the I-16 was ahead of its time, being one of the first fighter planes to sport retractable landing gear and a variable- pitch propeller. It saw extensive frontline service during the Spanish Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War, and it was still the Soviet Union’s most important fighter at the beginning of the German invasion in World War II. Initially, I thought I would do a quick out-of-the-box build just to “clean my palate.” But when my son’s R/C helicopter suffered one too many crashes, it provided a good…

FSM experts build and evaluate new kits USS Enterprise (CV-6) received 20 battle stars during World War II, more than any other American warship. It participated in every major action against the Japanese, from sinking a Japanese submarine three days after Pearl Harbor was attacked to supporting the invasion of Okinawa in spring 1945. Reported sunk by the Japanese three times, the Yorktown-class carrier earned the nickname “The Gray Ghost.” Based on anti-aircraft armament and the air wing, Academy’s new 1/700 scale represents Enterprise in mid-1942. Most of the parts are molded in gray plastic, with red used for the lower hull and black for the base. No flash mars the parts, and the only blemishes are minor mold seams and a few shallow sink marks that are mostly hidden…

After World War II, addressing a need for an updated observation and communication aircraft, Cessna developed the L-19/O-1 Bird Dog. The aircraft saw extensive service with the U.S. Army, Air Force, and Marines in Korea and Vietnam. The kit includes: a nice little engine with the option of open or closed access panels; rockets with underwing launchers; posable boarding door, and window; and separate landing flaps. Two marking options are provided: an Army trainer from Fort Rucker, Ala., in olive drab and international orange, or an Air Force bird at Da Nang, 1966. Roden advises natural metal for the latter, but the aircraft I’ve seen were all aircraft (or ADC) gray. A reliable source who was in Vietnam agrees, although he says the normally glossy paint appeared pretty flat on…