Tuesday 31 October 2017

Airfix 1/48 new tool North American P51-D Mustang video review by Jason Champion





The brand new Airfix P51D Mustang (1/48th scale) in box review. Wonderful detail, brilliant decals, interesting and unusual marking options and a really good price according to Jason; " top quality throughout.." Watch Jason's video below. First ten minutes cover the decal sheet and instructions..








Bob from East Kent Scale Modeller's (my local club) is currently building this kit - no filler! Here is Bob's build of this kit as seen at the last club meet. Neat cockpit detail from the box, including lap belts slightly proud of the seat. Excellent!




2nd Air Commando Group markings on this P-51 K 'Little Indian' toting triple-tube rocket launchers, Bengal, 1945 - subject of the Airfix kit.




Friday 6 October 2017

Arma Hobby new tool PZL P.7a in 72nd


The long-awaited Arma Hobby new tool PZL P.7a has arrived. My boxing is the deluxe version with two kits, PE set, masks and two sets of resin wheels with different tyres. Two canopies are included with the kit and with the PE set is is possible to build any of the versions. The decal sheet has eight choices including German and Romanian machines. Unfortunately I missed out on some of Arma's special offers -  for a brief time you could just purchase the plastic parts so you could build all eight versions from the decal sheet at a lot lower cost. It would have been nice if they also sold the PE set separately. Looks like a winner.

Polish web site build here

Thursday 5 October 2017

starting a new kit - should have known the Eduard Fw 190 in 72nd would be a tricky one !







"....anticpation, achievement, art and creative

Starting a new model kit is a great thing. Not only does it mean that you have completed another build to get here, it means that a whole new adventure is beginning. A new world that you control to the very end. How do you want your paint? Camouflage please. It's all about what you want your kit to become. It's a platform for the precious imagination to be employed. Freedom in a cardboard box....."

Great sentiments expressed by the author of the 'Amateur Airplanes' blog. I've been looking forward to building an Eduard Fw 190..and I now have a couple of Eduard's 72nd Fw 190s making their way down the production line, including the A-5 'heavy fighter' boxing above. I have found one or two issues of course...ie, the cockpit etch in the Profi-Pack edition doesn't fit and the gear bay is way too tricky to go together as easily as some make it seem and that wing just snaps in ..not! A very nice and lovely looking kit, but not easy to build- the lack of a positive location for the gear legs in the well may be a deal-breaker for some too! Will keep on flogging it!







the Brassin cockpit set for the Eduard 72nd build - I have used some of the contents on an old Airfix A-8 being converted to an A-5 with some Aeroclub parts - also currently on the bench. Of course with the various Eduard Boxes available there is no longer any need to do this to get an early Fw 190 variant.