2021-08 - Mim - 2021-08

Aircraft Edition - August ‘21 119 Military Illustrated Modeller
military illustrated
119
modeller
ISSUE
Aircraft Edition - August 2021
BUFFALO
Special Hobby 1:48 scale F2A-3 Buffalo “Battle of Midway”

SOLDIER
£6.75 - August 21 (issue 119)
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Aircraft edition Tamiya 1:32 Mosquito FB.VI • 1:32 Messerschmitt Me 163 B Komet • Mosquito FB.VI Reference • GasPatch Models 1:48 Me 163 B Komet and more…
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Contents ISSUE No.119 August 2021
4 NEWS
What’s happening in modelling and aviation
52 6 REFERENCE
De Havilland Mosquito Restoration
10 PREVIEW
Kinetic 1:24 Thunderbolt Mk.I
12 WOODEN WONDER
Tamiya 1:32 De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk. VI by Mark
Casiglia
26 WILDCAT IN WHITE Part One

Arma Hobby 1:72 FM-2 Wildcat Expert Set by Kamil
Feliks Sztarbala
COVER STORY
40 BUFFALO SOLDIER
Special Hobby 1:48 scale F2A-3 Buffalo.IXc by Gary
Edmundson
50 PREVIEW
GasPatch Models 1:48 scale Me 163 B Komet
52 LIKE A FLEA BUT WHOA!

Hasegawa 1:32 Messerschmitt Me 163 B Komet by
Brett Green
65 NEXT ISSUES
What’s coming up in the next issues of Military
Illustrated Modeller
66 TAILPIECE
Special Hobby’s 1:32 scale Westland Whirlwind Mk.I
26
40
Aircraft Edition 3
News
BARRACUDA STUDIO
NEW RELEASES
Barracuda Studios has announced
the release of 11 new products for
immediate release. Here is what
Roy Sutherland has to say:
O
ver the past few years, we have gotten a good number of requests to
replace the rubber tyres for the classic 1:24 Airfix Spitfire, Me 109E
and Hurricane kits. These new wheels sets fill that gap with highly
detailed and accurate new wheels. The rubber tyres are not popular
with modellers, as they can dry out and split. They also don’t take paint well
and they are a little sticky, and tend to attract and hold on to dust and grit.
We have also released some further upgrades for the Revell Bf-109G-6, in
the form of corrected upper cowls with better detail and proper spacing
between the gun troughs. The Revell Spitfire Mk IX kit is nice, but it is
lacking radiator intake and exhaust ramps. This set corrects that design
oversight. We also have a new undercowl with a proper rendition of the
Aerovee carburettor intake.
Finally, a pair of vacform sliding hoods for the Eduard Fw-190 kits, both
new and old tool.
These new products are up on the website now and ready to be ordered:
- BR24449 1:24 Spitfire Mk. I - IX Five Slot Mainwheels
- BR24450 1:24 Spitfire Mk. I - IX Covered Mainwheels
- BR24425 1:24 Hawker Hurricane 4 Slot Mainwheels
- BR24435 1:24 Bf 109E/F Mainwheels with Ribbed Tyres
- BR32157 1:32 BF 109G-6 Upper Gun Cowling (Standard)
- BR32158 1:32 BF 109G-6 Upper Gun Cowling (Erla)
- BR32461 1:32 Spitfire Mk IX Late (Aerovee) Carb Intake
- BR32340 1:32 Spitfire Mk. IX Wing Correction (Revell)
- BR32448 1:32 Bf 109F/G Separate Control Surfaces
- BR48458 1:48 Fw 190A,F,D Standard Sliding Hood
- BR48459 1:48 Fw 190A,F,D Blown (Late war) Sliding Hood
All new products are available right now from Barracuda Studios' website
www.barracudacals.com
4 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

REFERENCE MOSQUITO CLOSE-UP
MOSQUITO CLOSE-UP
Kerry Carlyle ([email protected]) presents photos
of two Mosquitos under restoration in New Zealand.
These photos were taken between 2008 and 2012.
An unrestored Merlin
engine at the site of the
Mosquito restoration.
A nice close up view of the engine coolant tank and the propeller shaft
with the spline at the end.

Spark plugs and electrical cables – unplugged. The two-layered engine mounts. These are at the rear of the port side. Conduit and cabling detail on the starboard side of the engine.
Aircraft Edition 7
REFERENCE MOSQUITO CLOSE-UP
A B
C D E
F G I

J
A. The cockpit takes shape. The instrument panel is almost complete H. Magneto switches and other engine controls.
with the exception of the Blind Flying Panel. I. Hispano cannon and the fuselage fuel tanks viewed from below the
B. The pilot’s sidewall with throttle, trim, compass and other controls. open ordnance bay doors.
C. The green pilot’s cushion. J. One of the original full-span wings, stored outside between
D. The panel above the entry hatch carries switches for lights, filters, hangars.
fuel, engine pump and more. K. This view of the upper wheel well (the wing is upside-down) gives
E. Radio equipment fitted to the rear cockpit decking. an excellent impression of the original interior colour.
F. Sheathed electrical cables on the port side of the upper rear canopy. L. The framing for the rudder.
G. An unusual angle demonstrating the tubular canopy framing.
Aircraft Edition 9
KIT PREVIEW Kinetic 1:24 Republic Thunderbolt Mk.I • Kit No. K3212
The kit decal sheet. One RAF and one

French marking are offered.
The contents somehow fit

into this fairly compact,
cube-like box.
That’s one big fuselage half! Comparison

with the Airfix 1:72 Beaufighter.
BIG BOLT
The Editor dives into the contents of
Kinetic’s latest 1:24 scale P-47 kit –
the Razorback Thunderbolt Mk.I.
K
inetic’s new Thunderbolt Mk.I features the wing also offers the option of displaying the long highlight, featuring two options in mid to late war
same plastic parts as their 2005 P-47D ammunition trays, either full of shells or empty RAF Dark Green and Ocean Grey over Medium
Razorback release, with new RAF and French (alternate parts are supplied for this option). Sea Grey lower surfaces.
marking options - one each. A good selection of ordnance options are The decals were designed by Kits World and
Kinetic seems to have performed some sort of included, such as bombs, a flat centreline printed perfectly by Cartograf.
magic trick by fitting this big model into a relatively tank, two Lockheed teardrop drop tanks, two They are glossy and well saturated. The half-
compact, almost cube-shaped package. paper tanks and underwing tones of the big nose art items
258 grey plastic parts are supplemented by 15 bazookas. A full complement are very impressive.
parts in clear plastic, and two parts in pale grey of four different propeller It is great to see Kinetic
vinyl. assemblies is also included. expanding the 1:24 scale
This model will be big when finished! Some of the detail parts Thunderbolt family further with
Surface texture is smooth. The exterior surfaces are a bit chunky for this scale, this Thunderbolt Mk.I variant.
feature crisply recessed panel lines. There are also notably the sway braces and There is a lot to like about
rows of fine rivets. These are subtle enough that some of the wheel well interior. this kit. Despite its size and
they should not be a distraction from the overall If you are a super detailing fan, The instrument panel could do with some extra the number of options, the
shape of the aircraft. you might like to weave some work. Aftermarket options are available from engineering of Kinetic's 1:24
Moulding quality is generally very good. Some magic in these areas. Yahu and Airscale. scale P-47D Thunderbolt
of the sprue attachment points are large though, so The clear parts are Razorback is actually quite
care will be needed when removing them to avoid admirably thin and the large straightforward, ensuring that
damaging the surrounding plastic. canopy sliding section is any modeller with a couple
The interior of the model is quite well detailed, completely seamless. of kits under their belt should
but only in areas that can be accessed. This time around, the main be able to manage this one
The cockpit is adequate for this large scale, tyres are presented in pale without any real problems.
although I think that the sidewalls could do with a grey vinyl instead of black. The number of useful options
bit more detailing. A number of lovely aftermarket Unfortunately though, the - props, ordnance, alternative
instrument panels are available from Yahu and tread pattern still overlaps in Engine cylinders. position panels etc - are also
Airscale. These will deliver an instant facelift to the the middle of the tyres. Once very pleasing.
cockpit. again, there are a number of Detail is pretty good but
Harness straps are not provided, but there are aftermarket resin replacements there is scope for adding more,
plenty of aftermarket 1:24 scale harness options are available. DEF Model offers especially in the cockpit and
available for these too. three separate sets of wheels the wheel wells.
Both the flat and corrugated floors are included, with different tread patterns. I rate Kinetic's P-47D
although only the corrugated version is required for Scale Aircraft Conversions also Thunderbolt as a very good
this kit. The quadrant with its separate handles is provides white metal landing 1:24 scale kit, and one that
nice too. gear legs. could sit proudly beside your
The engine is well done, supported by intake Engineering of the kit is big Airfix and Trumpeter models
ducting, exhaust manifolds and firewall detail. This quite straightforward and, in The vinyl wheels still suffer from overlapping of the same scale. I think
tread pattern around the centreline.
is a miniature model in its own right (come to think most respects, appears similar USD$99 is good value too.
of it, maybe not so miniature!) to the Tamiya 1:48 scale P-47 If you are a Thunderbolt
Only a single set of closed cowl flaps is supplied. family. Elevators and the rudder fan and have plenty of display
The modeller is given the choice between spoked are fixed in neutral positions, space, this one is for you! •
and covered main wheels. but the separate flaps may be
The machine gun hatches are separate on both depicted dropped or raised. Thanks to Lucky Model for the
wings, with detailed .50 cals supplied. The port The decals are a real
sample www.luckymodel.com
Canopy parts are crystal clear.

FEATURE ARTICLE Tamiya 1:32 De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk. VI • Kit No. 60326
WOODEN W
Mark Casiglia finishes Tamiya’s superb 1:32 scale Mosquito Mk.VI
in the colours of 305 Squadron RAF (PAF) in September 1944.
T
he Mosquito stood out
from other aircraft of the
Second World War by
its characteristic wooden
construction, which led to it being
referred to as the Wooden Wonder.
Most manufacturers were moving towards
aluminium, but De Havilland persisted with
what had become quite sophisticated production
line methods of construction using plywood and
laminated veneer lumber. Fuselage halves were
built separately and joined along the centreline,
just like plastic model kits.
The Mosquito’s maiden flight took place in
November 1940 and with a top speed of 630kph,
the light bomber turned a few heads. The Ministry
of Defence ordered the aircraft in quantity because
of its impressive speed and range. It was initially
from September 1941 as a reconnaissance aircraft.
The FB Mk. VI was developed as a dual fighter-
bomber. It was fitted with four 7.7mm machine
guns and four 20mm auto-cannons. It was able to
carry four 500lb bombs, two inside the bomb bay
and one under each wing. It was first deployed in
Spring 1943. The aircraft I have chosen to depict
is from No. 305 Polish Bomber Squadron, which
fought alongside the RAF from airbases in the UK,
under RAF command. The FB Mk. VI arrived at No.
305 Squadron in December 1943 and remained
until November 1946. This example, complete
with the characteristic invasion stripes, was flown
by pilot Stanislaw Zygnerski with navigation by
Henryk Perkowicz.

ONDER
Aircraft Edition 13
IN THE BOX
This is a typical triumph from Tamiya, with crisp,
sharp moulding, careful placement of ejector pins
and no flash. Engineering is intuitive and sensible.
Consisting of 963 plastic parts, this builds into a
sizable model of wingspan 515.5mm and fuselage
length 394.5mm.
The kit provides for three variants and includes
two different propeller blades and exhausts as a
choice between bombs or drop tanks for the wings.
Seated pilot and navigator are included, as well as
a standing pilot. There are a multitude of options
given for how to display this aircraft including
display of the gun bay, 2 halves of the bomb bay
and both engines. Flaps can be posed up or down.
My kit came with optional clear cowling covers.
I purchased my kit from a friend, which came
with several items of aftermarket. I chose to leave
most of it in the box as the kit honestly doesn’t
need it. Although the kit instrument panel is superb,
I used a Yahu Instrument Panel YMA3210. To do Wing components fit securely
with the aid of screws
away with using the unfortunately thick Tamiya
decals, I used HGW Wet Transfer Stencils 232011
and Montex Masks K32329. same time to maintain consistency of colours, instructed, using their acrylic paints. Before going
tones, weathering and finish as well as creating further into discussion of painting, the common
THE BUILD logistical painting efficiencies. This of course meant theme throughout this build was priming with
Starting this build was like preparing for a assembly of the wing structure to allow completion Badger’s Stynylrez in grey, and thinning either
marathon. Opening the instruction booklet, I was and painting of the rear section of the cockpit at Tamiya or Mr Hobby acrylic paints with Mr
greeted by 105 Steps over more than 50 pages. the same time as the rest. So, we hardly started Levelling Thinner, a wonderful lacquer thinner with
There was some benefit in studying the sequence on panel 1 and we’ve already skipped to panel built in retarder than allows super smooth painting.
somewhat to work out exactly where to alter the 58, with a whole lot of wing assembly from panels The XF-71 was modulated a little here and there
sequence to make the process smoother. 40 to 49. Just to further complicate things, the tail by adding heavily thinned mixes of the XF-71
It’s a cliché but here it is: The construction began wheel guard from panel 17 and the canopy frame with XF-1 around shadowed areas and XF-15
with the cockpit. Now, this is where working out from panels 99 and 100 were assembled at this Flesh and XF-1 White for some highlight areas.
what’s coming up is an advantage. The cockpit point, all for the same reasons of painting and Details were then picked out with either Tamiya
assembly incorporates the machine gun bay and weathering efficiency and consistency. Enamel paints or if I didn’t have the right colour
front portion of the bomb bay, and occupies panels My preference with all sub-assemblies such as in enamel, Tamiya acrylic with a tiny amount
1 through to 15 before panel 16 sees the cockpit the cockpit is to assemble as far as possible before of retarder added. Enamels are great for brush
encased in the fuselage halves. This is all well and painting, leaving off parts to pre-paint that will be painting as brush marks will disappear as they set
good until we jump ahead to panels 58 and 59, too difficult to pick out later. and similarly adding retarder to acrylics will do the
which are the rear section of the cockpit and are The cockpit and door, gun bay, bomb bay, same. Caution is needed as excess retarder will
incorporated onto the wing assembly. Obviously, tail wheel bay and main landing gear bays were sometimes dissolve what’s underneath. Less is more.
it’s better to complete all similar sections at the painted with Tamiya’s XF-71 Cockpit Green as I added the Yahu instrument panel. Firstly, I
I prefer to assemble as fully as possible

before commencing paintwork

needed to remove existing moulding, then on
trying the panel in I realised that there were some
unsightly gaps and the panel sat too far back. The
solution came with some Evergreen plastic sheet
to raise the profile and tidy up the edges. I used
Madworks Black super glue to fill the gaps and
make it seamless. I find it a good consistency,
being not too runny and not too gluggy, and the
black colour makes it easy to see.
The kit’s photo-etched harnesses were used. I
find that with careful creasing and bending, they
can look quite compelling. Decals were either from
the kit, or in the gun bay I utilised the first of the The wing assembly needs to be completed and painted ahead of time as a
HGW stencils. After a coat of Vallejo Polyurethane The painted gun bay in large portion of the cockpit is contained within it.
the Mosquito’s nose
Satin Varnish (26.652) I proceed to add some oil
paint wash, using artist’s oil paints in a mixture
of black and burnt umber thinned with artist’s
odourless solvent. After some restrained dry-
brushing using Tamiya enamel Chrome Silver X-11,
I resealed with the Vallejo Varnish. It’s worth noting
that this has been my first and last build with this
product as I discovered late in the process that it
doesn’t adhere well.
Now that all these Cockpit Green areas have
been built, painted, weathered and sealed, it
was time to close the fuselage, which is always a
monumental time in any build. This was honestly
the most work I’ve done on any model before
closing it up so it was good to see something that
resembled an aeroplane appear. The completed
areas were masked off for protection and some
careful work was done to close the seams. The fit is
exceptional but seams will always remain and after
6-7 revisits with Mr Surfacer 500, sanding through
the 5 finer grades of Infini Softback Sanding
Sponge Sticks, I finally made all evidence of
seams disappear and a final coat of Stynylrez was
applied to verify that fact. The Infini sanders are the
best I have ever used and I highly recommend them
if you want to avoid collateral damage since they Fuselage and wing components ready to
are soft enough to conform around curves without be untied with the cockpit assembly
digging channels.
The cockpit and nose gun bay

joined to the starboard fuselage
The highly detailed cockpit

assembly utilising the kit’s
PE harnesses
The bomb bay interior should

be completed at this early
stage for ease of access
The Yahu instrument

panel is very authentic
Aircraft Edition 15
ENGINES AND NACELLES

It was now onto the engines and nacelles. The
kit provides both Rolls-Royce Merlin engines in
all their glory. I didn’t feel the need to complete
both engines fully so I decided to just finish the
starboard side for display since I had also decided
to post the cockpit door open, which is on the
same side. With that in mind, I fully built both
engines as even choosing to close up the port side,
I knew that the built engine beneath was required
to locate the propeller gear and cowling covers.
The engines were built and painted as directed.
Mr Hobby H-77 Tire Black was used as the
main engine colour, and the copper pipes were Tamiya Extra Thin is excellent for securing PE to styrene when there I used the optional clear cowling cover as an extremely reassuring
airbrushed in Vallejo Metal Color Copper, is plenty of surface area such as these radiator grills check-fit
which is also excellent for brush painting.
Exhausts were painted in Vallejo Metal
The starboard Merlin
Color Burnt Iron and finished with Tamiya engine and mount
Weathering Master Rust from Set B and
Orange Rust from Set C. I find these
weathering pastels extremely useful if
used thoughtfully. Dry brushing the main
engine block was with Tamiya XF-11
Enamel Chrome Silver and the engine
was finished with a coat of Vallejo
Polyurethane Satin Varnish.
The assembly and painting of the
firewalls, engine sub-frames, engine mounts and
nacelles soon followed. Metal areas were painted
with Vallejo Metal Color Dull Aluminium and other Both engine and nacelle
areas XF-71 Cockpit Green. HGW stencils were components, partially
again applied and sealed in the Satin Varnish and assembled and primed.
an Oil paint wash similar to that applied earlier
was used.
At this point the bomb bay section under the
wing was also painted and weathered. Whilst
the instructions called for Tamiya XF-2 Flat White,
I chose to use Mr Hobby H-21 Off White, as it
simply isn’t as stark as pure white. The fuel tanks,
which were completed earlier, were then installed.
They were painted using Mr Hobby H-33 Russet
rather than a mix of paints Tamiya colours as
suggested. Kit decals were used for fuel tank labels
but they were carefully trimmed around the edges
to remove carrier film. HGW provided stencils for
these but I didn’t realise until later. The same oil
The starboard engine
wash and varnish were applied. partially installed into
The engines were now attached to the firewalls its nacelle
and to their mounts. The oil tanks were then
added to the firewalls and the two halves of the
nacelles then united. Finally, the engine coolant
tank was added to complete the two units ready
for attachment to the wings once the landing gear
was fitted.
Both engines tucked away into
their nacelles. The unpainted port
engine will be closed away.
Painted engine cowl interiors.

TYRE OPTIONS
I had a lovely pair of resin
aftermarket wheels ready for to
use. Once I saw the kit’s ingenious
engineering for construction of
the wheels, I decided to assemble
them and compare them to the
resin pair. Each well comprised
The wing assembly showing
16 individual pieces, with a metal parts of the cockpit, wheel
axle used to hold the wheel to the wheels and bomb bay
struts. Each wheel starts as two
halves, upon which the sidewalls are then added.
10 individual sections are then added around
the perimeter of each tyre to represent the tread.
Beautifully weighted flattening has been moulded Landing gear components ready for assembly
in and the construction of the tyres in this manner
means there is no central seam as is typical of
aircraft model tyres. The result was so compelling
that the resin wheels were promptly put back in the
box in favour of the kit’s offerings. The deciding
factor was the notion that the kit’s wheels had no
chance of being mounted out of alignment whereas
the resin offerings would not have had that same
guarantee. The decision was simple.
The tyres were painted Mr Hobby H-77 Tire
Black, with dry brushing of Tamiya XF-24 Dark
Grey to bring out the tread pattern. The rubber
areas were given a coat of AK Ultra Matte Varnish
which I find exceptional for this purpose. Shiny Engine nacelles and landing
gear fully installed onto
tyres can shatter the illusion of realism. the wing assembly
The landing gear struts, mud guards, retraction
arms and wheel hubs were painted in Vallejo
Metal Colour Dull Aluminium and a Dark Umber
oil wash was applied. Once the landing gear was
safely attached to the nacelles, further weathering
was applied. Vallejo pigments 73.109 Sombra
Natural and 73.104 Siena Claro were then
applied and dabbed around randomly with AK
Pigment Fixer AK 048 to replicate flicked up dirt
and mud around the wheel hubs and mud guards.
The exact same treatment was carried across to
the tail wheel and mud guard.
Tamiya’s impressive bulged tyre construction looks authentic Detail of starboard engine and nacelle with landing gear
The fuselage was finally

joined to the wings
Aircraft Edition 17
The next step is where all the magic happens,

the mating of the fuselage and wing assemblies.
Not enough can be said about the superlative
quality standards of Tamiya, and it is all on
display in this one simple step. With the front
edges aligned, the wing structure is then located
into place until a lovely reassuring click is heard.
Test fitting reveals a flawless join and near perfect
wing root, a failing of many aircraft models. Also,
a great feature of this kit is the use of a screw
which inserts through a bracket in the dinghy
hatch behind the canopy on the fuselage and into
a corresponding nut which was inserted earlier
during the wing assembly. Once the screw is
in place, the dinghy hatch cover is glued into
place for a perfect concealment. The use of this
screw provides reassurance to the structure, and
compliments the earlier use of 4 screws to unite the
lower wing surfaces to the central wing brace that
attached to the fuselage. There seems little possibly
for the structure to either fall apart or be accidently
built out of alignment, which goes a long way to
explaining why the fuselage pops into the wing
assembly so flawlessly.
Impressive wing root fit and canopy frame installation
SKIPPING AHEAD
At this point, I had completed up to Step 60 but
I jumped ahead to Steps 100 to 103 to see the
canopy frame, the canopy itself and the vertical
fine installed. I thought the best protection for the
cockpit from the imminent painting process was the
canopy itself. I used the Tamiya masks which were Tamiya’s canopy
carefully cut out as directed and fitted perfectly. I paint masks are
easy to cut precisely
avoided the vinyl masks provided in the Montex and fit beautifully
set because I have found in the past that they
move around too easily, are prone to lifting in
sections and they leave a sticky adhesive sludge
behind when removed which requires careful and
ultimately unnecessary clean up. Tamiya’s masks
are excellent quality and have none of these
problems. The only price to pay is a little time and
attention to cut them out.
A lot of work was now carried out in
constructing the contents of the bomb bay, as well
as the fuselage under surface doors. I decided
at this point to complete all further subassemblies
together to streamline the process, including the
cockpit door which had escaped my attention
earlier. The Hispano canons, 4 bombs, the landing
gear doors, the starboard engine cowling covers
as well as both propellers and spinners were thus
constructed and painted according to directions. All
internal surfaces were painted and weathered as
per previously same coloured areas. The landing
gear doors received some pigments to mimic what
was already done on the mud guards.
Propellers and spinners fully painted and weathered
The propellers were painted in Mr Hobby H-77
Tire Black and randomly manually mottled with
Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey using a cloth. Scuffs
were applied using a metal instrument and Tamiya
XF-57 Buff as these propellers were wooden, not Bombs painted and weathered
metal. The bombs were painted in Tamiya XF-27
Black Green decals were applied before they were
mottled with a dry cloth treatment of the same
colour mixed with XF-2 White and XF-15 Flesh.
Both the propellers and bombs were given a coat
of AK Ultra Matte Varnish and the bombs were
finished with a light and random application of
Tamiya Weathering Master Green from Set E.
The Hispano Canons were painted with Vallejo
Metal Color Gunmetal, with a dry brushing of
Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver enamel. This mirrored
the treatment of the Browning machine guns earlier.
The ammunition belts provided in the kit on both
guns don’t show demarcation for individual bullets

so I scored these areas with a sharp instrument to
create the illusion of bullets and I painted these
sections in Vallejo Metal Color Gold and brought
out the detail with Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color
in Black.
The cockpit door as well as bomb bay doors and
struts were painted in Tamiya XF-71 and finished
the same way as other areas have been. The main
landing gear doors were painted in Vallejo Metal
Color Dull Aluminium and given the same finishing
treatment as previously applied to the internal of
the nacelles and landing gear. Incidentally, Molotov
Liquid Chrome was used to great effect on all
pistons on the landing gear and doors.
The underside bomb and gun bay, ready for installation of doors
Cockpit, gun bay and bomb bay

doors and struts fully detailed
Guns and ammunition

belts ready for assembly
Guns and bombs ready

for installation
Undercarriage components assembled
Bomb bay doors installed
Aircraft Edition 19
Fully primed and marked

out for invasion stripes
PAINTING AND MARKINGS

With everything else now assembled and painted,
it was time for the overall paint scheme to be
applied. The port side engine had all cowlings
cemented into place but the starboard side was
to be removable, with the help of magnets which
frankly were barely sufficient. I bonded the
starboard cowlings in placed with Mr Masking Sol
Neo, which I find to be an excellent temporary
adhesive. I carefully masked the landing gear and
bomb bays with tissue paper and masking tape,
Detail of fuselage invasion stripes measurements Invasion stripes masked off and grey camouflage applied
and the cockpit hatch opening was plugged with
sponge as were the pre-painted openings to the
Browning machine guns and the tail wheel bay.
Finally, the wheels and landing gear were masked
the entire model was given an overall coat of grey
primer and randomly mottled with MR Paint Super
Matt Black.
At this point, I marked out the position of the
invasion stripes and decided to paint those and
the roundels first, in an effort to equalise overall
paint thickness. The invasion stripes were carefully
measured from diagrams provided by Montex,
and when converted to 1:32 scale, they worked
out to be 18mm across, which corresponded very
conveniently with one of the Tamiya masking tape
sizes. I first painted the white stripes manually
using a 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-2 White and Mr
Hobby H-21 off White, mottled afterwards with
thinned H-21. After masking, the black stripes were
applied using Tamiya XF-1 Flat Black, followed by
a mottling of thinned Tamiya XF-69 NATO Black. Lower surfaces fully
masked and painted
At this point I used a circle cutter to create masks
for the roundels, slightly smaller than the intended
Blu-Tack used to create a soft edge for green camouflage Camouflage completed and ready for serial codes and national insignias

Montex vinyl mask for starboard wing roundel After masking the centre red circle, the roundel’s blue was applied A convincing result compared with using kit decals
roundel to avoid paint gaps later. This assisted Tamiya XF-81 Dark Green 2 (RAF). Again, this was H-33 Russet and H-467 Carmine Red. Next was the
greatly in positioning of the roundels so that the job gradually built up and the spray pattern was careful blue, being Mr Hobby H-326 Insignia Blue, then the
would be easier down the track. and perpendicular to the surface to allow the Blu- yellow which was Tamiya XF-3 Flat Yellow mixed
It was now time to outline the camouflage Tack to create a soft edge. Various touch ups were with a touch of Mr Hobby H-33 Russet to warm up
pattern with light pencil lines. I first painted the required upon close inspection and at that point I the yellow, as I had previously used of the propeller
light grey colour, which was Tamiya XF-83 Medium decided to blend the result with an extremely thin tips as well. Finally, the white was applied being a
Sea Gray 2 (RAF), gradually building opacity so 50/50 mix of XF-83 and XF-81 which seemed to 50/50 mix of Tamiya XF-2 White and Mr Hobby
as to not lose the tonal variation provided by the work quite well. H-21 off White. These colours were simply eyeballed
mottling. Once this was complete, I used thin Blu- Next, the roundels and tail markings were from what I had on hand but seemed to work well.
Tack sausages to redefine the camouflage pattern applied using the Montex masks. First the red was Next, the serial codes on the fuselage were added
and the green was then applied, which was applied, which was a 50/50 mix of Mr Hobby using the same white mixture as the insignias.
Fuselage roundel paintwork started with the outer yellow ring After masking the yellow, the red and white layers were applied before Again, the painted roundel outperforms a decal every time
finally the blue
Masking was applied for the serial code Serial codes masked and painted The final result of airbrushing the fuselage serial codes
“Keep Off” outlines painted to match the kit decal’s shade of red Being unsatisfied with the bright shade of red of the Montex decals, I overlaid them with the kit
decals, carefully trimmed of carrier film.
Aircraft Edition 21
Lower surfaces of the lower surfaces.
The decals and HGW stencils came next. The superior in every way compared with using the kit I then used transparent oil paint mixed with a
Montex decals were excellent and very thin but decals, which would have shown carrier film and tiny amount of white, dry brushed and diffused
I found that the shade of red was inconsistent destroyed the illusion of realism. with a cloth, over the upper areas which may
with the kit offerings are the shades I had used The entire model was then coated in Tamiya X-35 have experienced some fading. Once thoroughly
previously so the Polish Insignia and the Keep Semi-Gloss Clear and weathering was applied. dry, I coated the entire model with Testors Dullcote
Off zones on the wings looked out of place. The Panel lines were picked out using Tamiya Panel Lacquer which gives an excellent final flat finish. All
solution was the mask and paint the Keep Off zone Line Accent Brown. Dirt streaks and oil stains were masks were removed, including all the transparent
outlines and use the kit decals for the words, and added using various mixtures of black and burnt parts which were cleaned up with a toothpick
to use the kit decal Polish insignia overlaid over umber artist’s oils thinned with odourless solvent. soaked in Tamiya X-20A thinner to take care of
the Montex decal. This made a lot of difference to I tried to imagine any areas where grime would minor paint leaches. Finally, the cockpit door was
the unity of the end result. The HGW stencils were accumulate and run off with moisture and airflow. fitted and this monumental project was complete. •
Engine detail is very convincing. The other side of the engine bay.

Port side undercarriage. Detail view.
Dropped flaps. Popeye on the hatch!
Engine cowl and gun bay panels

may be removed at will.
Aircraft Edition 23
MODELSPEC
Tamiya 1:32 De Havilland Mosquito FB Mk. VI.
Kit No. 60326
Tools and Materials Used:

• Tamiya Extra Thin Cement
• Revell Contacta Cement
• Madworks black CA
• Mig Of Ammo Ultra Glue
• Mr Masking Sol Neo
• Blu-tack poster putty
• Tamiya masking tape
• Infini soft sanding sticks
• Tamiya files
• Ultimate Modelling Products sanding sticks
• Fibreglass pen
• Sparmax SP-20x airbrush
• Holcroft sable brushes
Painting and Finishing Products Used

• Mr Surfacer 500
• Badger Stynylrez grey primer
• Tamiya acrylic paint
• Tamiya acrylic clear
• Mr Hobby acrylic paint
• Vallejo Metal Color acrylic paint Detail is on display through the crystal clear canopy.
• MRP lacquer paint
• Mr Levelling Thinner
• Tamiya acrylic paint retarder
• Tamiya enamel paint
• Vallejo Polyurethane varnishes
• AK Ultra Matte varnish
• Testors Dullcote Lacquer varnish
• Art Spectrum oil paints
• Artist’s odourless solvent
• Tamiya Weathering Master, various sets
• Vallejo pigments
• Tamiya Panel Line Accent Color
• Molotow Liquid Chrome
Perfectly moulded; accurate; excellent detail

with two full engines, cockpit, and wheel
wells; improved instrument panel design
with the use of a photo-etched front panel;
separate control surfaces; large number
of useful options including alternative
exhausts, propeller blades, spinners,
wheel hubs and carburettor intakes; three
excellent crew figures included.
None noted.
RATING: 10 out of 10
Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The

Hobby Company Limited www.hobbyco.net

“This is a typical triumph
from Tamiya, with crisp, sharp
moulding, careful placement of
ejector pins and no flash...”
Aircraft Edition 25
FEATURE ARTICLE Arma Hobby 1:72 FM-2 Wildcat Expert Set • Kit No. 70031
WILDCAT Kamil Feliks Sztarbala

describes assembly and
IN WHITE T
detailing Arma Hobby’s
new 1:72 scale FM-2
Wildcat step-by-step.
he kit described in this article landed on my
work desk before it actually hit the market, with
the instructions still being in ‘work in progress’
PART ONE - Assembly and Detailing status. The plastic sprues, photo-etched sheet
and decals were, however, the same as in the
examples that are now commercially available.

Aircraft Edition 27
I made the first cut with trembling hands…
…and somehow managed to bring this build to the happy

ending, though it required some effort. The first observation is
that the instructions in many cases only show the placement of
the particular parts rather than act as an assembly guide. I will
therefore try to point out a few traps in this article.
Construction started with the cockpit. Aside from the usual prep & clean I chose to add the photo-etched instrument panel as its detail was For this purpose I had to sand down the protruding elements of the
steps, I also had to drill out the apertures in the rear cockpit frame, better than on the plastic part. main part of the plastic instrument panel.
which were only marked on the surface.
Next, I applied a tiny quantity of Tamiya Extra Thin over the surface. To strengthen the joint, I added a little super glue to the edges. I then took care of the side panels. Here I must admit that I was not
Once the adhesive reacts with plastic, you can adjust the photo-etched really happy with the way the sprue gates were placed on these parts.
part to the correct position and it will remain in it thanks to the use of Such elements are easier to prep & clean before the removal of sprue
the glue for softening the plastic. gates, like the control stick seen here…
…whilst the aforementioned had to be cut off from the sprue. Photo-etched parts are often also easier to sand or bend before their The lever endings were given a more 3D appearance by applying a few
Furthermore, although the gates are located in such a way that they removal from the fret. very thin layers of super glue.
won’t be visible after the assembly, this doesn’t mean that they are
always easy to handle during the cleaning process.

The pilot’s seat is quite finely moulded. We can still consider thinning Next, I attached the photo-etched seat belts that had been supplied Although the instructions recommend to install the gunsight in the
down its walls, but standard preparation will also be enough (here I also with the kit, though I didn’t form them at this stage. The seat itself finished cockpit, I chose to do this now as I thought that it may be
left a portion of the sprue runner and gate in place for easier handling was not glued to the rear cockpit frame yet – the reasons for this will difficult to create a firm joint once the contact surface had been painted,
during the sanding process as I knew that it will be easy to remove). be explained in the next steps. decaled and varnished.
All the cockpit sub-assemblies

were now ready for fixing
within the fuselage.
The fuselage halves didn’t need a lot of prep work, but it is worth
to spend some time on careful removal of the sprue gates…
…as this will be rewarded with

the perfect fit of these parts.
Aircraft Edition 29
I then base coated the

cockpit sub-assemblies
with Mr. Color C351
‘Interior Green’.
Once I’d painted the few details in black,

I could apply the decals with instruments.
The latter turned out to be really nice,
though I recommend to remove the
excess clear film from the edges before
The highlights were added using a mixture of base colour wetting them as it is often way too wide.
and C049 ‘Insignia White’ from Hataka’s Orange Line. Otherwise it may slightly move the decal
from its correct position, as it happened on
one of the side panels.
The decals turned out to fit the metal

belts really well, although again the
presence of wide clear film edges forced
me to use considerable quantities of decal
softening solution in order to wrap the
decals around the photo-etched parts.
This issue might be addressed

by trimming the decals up to
The seat belt decals seemed to match the photo-etched I chose to apply them onto the photo-etched parts the printed area. All in all, the
belts shape-wise. instead of painting the latter. result looked fairly convincing,
perhaps apart from the colour
of the decals that replicate the
metal parts of the belts, which
does look a bit weird.
As the decals were glossy,

I unified the finish of all
cockpit elements by applying
a layer of AK-Interactive
RC500 ‘Flat Varnish’.

To bring out the details, I used Games Workshop products, i.e.
Citadel Contrast Medium that had been tinted with greenish
‘Athonian Camoshade’ and brown ‘Agrax Earthshade’. Although they
aren’t really suitable for usage on larger surfaces, they work fairly
well for small areas and details and dry faster than oil washes.
The cockpit parts go together fairly

well, but I recommend to assemble
them at one go and immediatelly fit
the resulting sub-assembly within the
fuselage (but fixing this with glue at
this step is not necessary). I firstly
installed the front cockpit frame
(without using glue as the part firmly
remains in its place even without it).
Some very fine chipping effects were added to the chosen surfaces and details using a
silver watercolour pencil.
Next, I glued the

rear cockpit frame
with the seat.
Adding the side panels
helps to align both frames
against each other…
…and leave it there for

the glue curing time.
…but to put the latter at the correct angle against the cockpit floor, it is better to
place the entire sub-assembly within the fuselage…
Aircraft Edition 31
Those of us who are less patient may actually glue the cockpit to one of the fuselage halves, but I preferred It is quite obvious that we need to be very careful whilst handling the photo-etched chains. What is not so
to have an empty fuselage whilst working with the landing gear bay wall, just in case any fit issues would obvious is that the most convenient sequence of installing these parts is opposite to their numbers (which
emerge. The aforementioned wall is a nicely detailed part that requires adding some further details which are is not mentioned in the instructions). Furthermore, one of the gears is slightly too big, but this can be easily
included in the photo-etched fret. fixed by carefully trimming the plastic.
Afterwards, I installed the remaining chains, again using The landing gear bay wall fitted the fuselage really well… …so I glued it in place. The same concerned the cockpit and engine
Tamiya Extra Thin Cement to soften the plastic before placing mount section.
the photo-etched parts, which would later be secured in place
with tiny quantities of super glue.
The latter consisted of two rather fragile plastic parts. Again, it was easier to Their installation isn’t complicated if one carefully compares their Of course, despite the perfect fit of fuselage halves the resulting
trim such elements before their removal from the sprue: instead I cut off the appearance and placement with the diagrams from the instructions. junction required some sanding, which was a bit troublesome due to
adjacent portions of the runners allowing for easier handling these parts. You only need to take care of the correct alignment of the entire the presence of the identification lights under the aft fuselage. It’s a
section. I therefore decided to put the fuselage halves together bit of a shame that they hadn’t been reproduced as separate parts (in
at this step: by looking through the aperture they formed it was such case they could be even moulded in clear plastic).
easier to determine if the engine mount parts are installed at the
correct angles.
Next, I had to restore or simply deepen the panel lines in the previously sanded The horizontal stabilizer is a separate
area. For this purpose I used the finer tooth side of the Micro Saw Blade from JLC. part that has to be inserted into the rear
fuselage. As it turned out, it fitted perfectly.

…and the instrument panel fairing,
which allowed me to subsequently
attach the windscreen.
At this stage, I turned

my attention to the
forward fuselage. I
painted the gun sight…
…and attach the firewall. But I didn’t. I wanted to keep good access to the forward
fuselage interior during the process of installing the main landing gear. The latter
The exhausts had completely flat endings. To Now I could paint the inner surfaces of the forward fuselage, was a quite complicated design in the real airplane, but the solution used in this kit is
hollow them out, I first had to mark the middle including the landing gear bay… very easy: the whole sub-assembly is designed in such a way that it can be inserted
points with an injection needle and then gradually into the fuselage. Kudos to Arma’s designer! In the first steps, I had to prep and
enlarge the apertures with a drilling bit. clean the main parts of the landing gear and gradually glue them together.
Before plugging the whole sub-assembly in the fuselage, it is worth to slightly enlarge the mounting hole in Whilst inserting the landing gear, one needs to take care that the photo-etched chains do not block the upper
the latter. In this case I used a Micro File from Hobby Elements. endings of the struts. It is easier to avoid this if you follow my example…
Aircraft Edition 33
…and add the firewall only after the successful installation of the landing gear. On the previous photo, you can see the wings in place. Although their halves fit each other perfectly…
There are a few solutions for this: one can

trim the mounting pins or enlarge the mounting
holes. I didn’t want to risk any damage to the
fuselage interior, so I sanded the mounting pins
from the bottom and enlarged the mounting
holes in the wings with a scalpel blade.
…this doesn’t apply to the wing-fuselage join. If you place them on the mounting pins there will be a step
between the upper surface of the wing and the wing root fairing.
This allowed for the correct

alignment of the wings, although
as a result I had to be more careful
with setting the correct wing
dihedral.

It was time to deal with the engine. I
first glued and sanded its cowling.
Next, I prepared all

the parts that build
up the engine itself.
Here I again chose to create a few small sub-assemblies.

The photo-etched parts were attached using Ammo’s
‘Ultra Glue’ acrylic resin.
A portion of the engine is moulded on the firewall. I don’t like this solution as it only theoretically makes the The mounting pin and aperture only theoretically help to place the engine, as although they prevent gluing the
assembly easier. engine upside down, they don’t allow for sticking it firmly: the connection is quite loose.
The cowling could

be attached without
any problems.
I therefore chose to gradually assemble the engine, aligning its

parts against each other on the basis of valve lifters placement.
Afterwards, I shaped and glued the photo-etched ignition cables.
Aircraft Edition 35
The canopy hood has the right shape and fits quite well, although one needs to fix the connection with a little Furthermore, some polishing of the clear parts was necessary before their installation.
glue regardless of whether it is installed in the closed or open position. In the latter case one also has to
carefully press it down to ensure the correct adjustment.
The racks got some sanding treatment before their To get rid of the runner remnants, I glued the racks to the tanks and
removal from the sprue. waited until the adhesive fully cures.
I didn’t like the rocket missiles supplied
with the kit so I chose to use only the
drop tank which looked much better.
At this stage, I could put the entire kit

together and start the painting process…

…and brake cables. At this step I
also hollowed out the apertures in the
frames of the landing gear covers.
…but I decided to add the rivet detail… As I was sure that the tiny antenna mast located at the top of the tailfin will be
broken during the painting stage, I replaced the plastic detail with a length of thin
brass tubing.
“I chose to add the photo-etched instrument panel

as its detail was better than on the plastic part...”
NEXT TIME
Next time Kamil will describe
painting and weathering his Arma
Hobby 1:72 scale FM-2 Wildcat in
an attractive North Atlantic scheme.
Aircraft Edition 37
ft
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FEATURE ARTICLE Special Hobby 1:48 scale F2A-3 Buffalo “Battle of Midway” • Kit No. SH48032
BUFFALO SOLDIER
Gary Edmundson takes up the challenge of
Special Hobby’s 1:48 scale F2A-3 Buffalo.

W
hen my younger brother Tony and I were
young lads, we would spend most of our
pocket money on models. Back in the
late 1960s, the local department store
sold three-packs of Revell’s 1:72 scale aircraft
series, and for a reasonable price we could supply
ourselves with enough kits to keep ourselves busy.
We’d get a choice of which ones to build, and
Tony got the Brewster Buffalo. I never built a kit of
that type, but always liked the chunky look of the
aircraft, with its big greenhouse canopy.
Since I had expressed an interest in modelling
early WWII US Navy aircraft, a good friend gave
me the Special Hobby 1:48 F2A-3 Buffalo “Battle
of Midway” kit. He had an abundance of kits in his
stash, and figured this way it might have a chance
of getting built. Although it took me 8 years, I
finally made the time to get at it.
Rather obsolete by the beginning of World
War II, the Buffalo had a short combat history
with the US Navy. After a disastrous encounter
with Japanese aircraft on June 4 1942, the F2A-3
was relegated to training duties in the US for its
remaining service.
Aircraft Edition 41
Supplied with the kit are a few detailed resin parts Rib detail was glued into the wings before cementing them together
The kit engine had ignition wires and brass push rods added.
ENGINE
Starting with the engine, the kit’s rendering of the
Wright 1820 Cyclone is quite basic. I used 0.5mm
brass tubing to make push-rods, and added 0.1mm
lead wire for ignition wiring. The circular wiring
conduit was a piece of styrene rod, heated and bent
quickly around a hobby blade handle. The rear part
of the engine is a nicely detailed resin part that is
added at the back inside the mounting assembly.
The engine’s cylinders were airbrushed with
Tamiya’s XF-1 Flat Black, and the crank case was Some nice detail was included on the etched metal fret. A printed acetate sheet was included with tiny instrument dials. White styrene
backing was used to show them off.
airbrushed XF-20 Medium Grey. I dry-brushed
some silver enamel onto the cylinders to allow the
cooling vanes to show off, and carefully brush
painted the ignition wires with Vallejo’s Leather
Brown 70.871.
The engine mounting and associated panels
were initially painted XF-1 Flat Black, and then
airbrushed with Tamiya’s XF-4 Yellow Green, as
was most of the interior which was called out in the
instruction sheet as Zinc Chromate.
WING ASSEMBLY
Resin rib detail was cemented to the interior of the
wing where the landing gear would retract. The Etched metal seat belts and details for the head rest mount were Cockpit components were pre-shaded in black, then painted with XF-71
wing assembly went together fairly well, wth the annealed with a flame before cementing in place. Cockpit Green
upper halves gluing down onto the lower part with
gun ports and hole for the pitot tube lining up. did not interfere with each other. unusual for a fighter aircraft not to have shoulder
The kit does provide some etched metal parts straps, but I read that earlier in the war there was
COCKPIT for the cockpit which I also enhanced with the a decision made to not have them installed in
The construction of the cockpit is a bit odd since addition of styrene details based on references US Navy aircraft. The thought was that it would
the fuselage halves can only be joined after one from the Internet. Provided for the main instrument be easier to escape a ditching, but this idea was
side is attached to the wing assembly. A fair panel and two side panels are printed acetate superseded with later aircraft types.
amount of test fitting had to done to make sure dials that sandwich between etched metal panels The cockpit and components were primed in
everything lined up straight and centred when and a plastic backing. The kits plastic backings XF-1, and then painted with Tamiya’s XF-71 Cockpit
these two halves came together, and parts location were replaced with thinner pieces of white Green. The instrument panels were painted black
styrene which I trimmed to fit. This showed off the before placing over the acetate dial faces. To
instrument faces adequately. enhance the detail, a dilute wash of dark oil paint
Photo-etched metal lap belts were attached to was added to the walls and cockpit components.
the pilots seat after being annealed with a flame to This wash consisted of raw umber and black
help them bend without a lot of “spring”. It seemed Winsor & Newton oil paint mixed with a few drops
The cockpit floor was placed over the large fuel tank, and a compass detailed The engine mounting assembly was primed in black, and painted with
with a decal from the spares box. XF-4 Yellow Green which emulates zinc chromate.
The engine was airbrushed XF-1 Flat Black,

with details picked out with Vallejo acrylics.

Throttle handles and linkages were added with scrap styrene before painting. The instrument panel and rudder pedals had to be cemented in place with the left fuselage side
temporarily placed in position for correct alignment
of mineral spirit. mostly on the upper wing roots and underside of and re-mount it 4mm ahead of its original position.
There is a large fuel tank below the cockpit floor the fuselage. I mixed up some Aves FIXIT two-part Using a dental tool I was able to break the engine
which I painted black, and added brass caps with epoxy putty and to fill the gaps. Once dry, the filled mounts at their joints and extract the motor to be
Vallejo acrylic 70.801 Brass. Located to the left of gaps were sanded smooth. After masking off the able to add a spacer and remount it with little or no
the seat, near the floor is a compass, and I found engine and cockpit, I airbrushed on a light coat of damage to any of the parts.
an appropriate decal from the spares box to give Tamiya’s lacquer based grey surface primer on the With the wings on and gaps filled, I added
it a face. seam areas which allowed me to see any surface the horizontal stabilizers and tail end option that
With the right hand side of the fuselage loosely imperfections. There were still some areas of the allowed for the carrier-based tail hook. The front
fitted to the wing assembly, the left side could then model that needed work, and small amounts of cowling was also added, and the model was given
be joined together with it. This involved a fair bit of Tamiya’s lacquer based plastic putty Basic Type an overall priming with the Tamiya grey.
careful alignment of not only the cockpit internals, were used to touch these up. The kit provides locations and parts for two
but the fuselage and wings too. Positioning the three It was at this point in the construction that I test landing lights, with one below each wing. The
large components together needed a solid boding, fitted the front cowling and I noticed the engine instructions and schematic drawings show only
quick drying cement. For this I used Flex-I-File’s Plast- sat too far back in the fuselage. After looking up one light, located under the left wing. Although I
I-Weld which is advertised as a professional plastic a couple of kit reviews (in hindsight, something discovered that the F2A-3 only had the one light
welder, and it does the trick. I find this glue difficult I should have done earlier), I discovered that later in the build, I had to fill the hole on the right
to work with, since it’s very volatile and comes this was a known flaw of the kit. In the previous wing with a styrene disc and a lump of putty,
in a tall bottle that is easy to knock over. But with releases of their Buffalo, Special Hobby designed sanding it flat and re-painting it afterward. For the
proper care and a steady nerve, works well to weld their engine mounts for a shorter fuselage, but just one light, I stamped a piece of aluminium foil with
styrene together very quickly. copied the parts over to the F2A-3 kit. a punch and die set, then fastened it inside the kits
There were some unsightly seams to deal with, To modify my kit, I now had to extract the engine lens with Future floor acrylic and glued it in place.
Both fuselage halves and the main wing assembly had to joined together at the same time with the help of Flex-I-File Numerous gaps had to be filled with epoxy putty and Tamiya’s basic putty.
Plastic-I-Weld
At some point during construction it was discovered that the engine needed to be repositioned, so had to To move the engine 4mm forward, a simple spacer was made from styrene.
be forcibly removed.
Aircraft Edition 43
PAINT SCHEME
There is a series of pictures taken of a F2A-3
Buffalo flying a training exercise over the US
during WWII. The photos reveal a very weathered
and patchy appearance to the aircraft, and I
was inspired to emulate this look on my model.
The scheme I would paint the aircraft was to be
Aircraft BuNo 01553 code MF-15 from VMF-221
flown at Midway in 1942 with the medium blue
upper surfaces and light grey underside.
I set my airbrush to spray a fine line and painted Pre-shade lines were The main upper colour of medium
over the panel lines and other joints of the model airbrushed on to the blue was airbrushed on using a
with Tamiya’s XF-1 Flat Black. I masked the front base coat of primer mottled approach to allow the
sections of the engine cowling at a couple of beginnings of a weathered look.
stages, and added more concentrated amounts of
pre-shading there to mimic how the oil stains and
weathering appeared there in my references.
Now the underside colour was airbrushed onto
the model, and onto the associated smaller parts
that were to be added later like landing gear
covers. For this, I mixed up an equivalent acrylic
Tamiya paint to match FS 36440 Light Grey.
Combining two parts XF-19 Sky Grey with one part After the markings had been
applied, a diluted mix of black-
XF-2 Flat White, a dilute mix was lightly sprayed brown oil paint was applied to
over the surface, allowing the dark panel lines to the panel lines and joints.
subtlety show through. Once dry, I protected this
paint with a light coat of clear gloss X-22.
Next, the upper surfaces were painted with
a Medium Blue FS 35189 equivalent mixing
Tamiya’s XF-18 and XF-2 in a 3:1 ratio. I typically
airbrush a mottled concentration of colour to help
the weathered appearance which allows the dark
pre-shade to show through, and also a lighter
tone of the primer to show through giving some
interesting variation. Once dry, the paint was given
a few light coats of X-22 gloss to protect it from the
finishing and handling that was to follow.
DECALS
The decals for my chosen aircraft were applied
by following the standard procedure of dipping in
warm water and positioning with a damp paper
towel. Excess water was pressed out, and a small
amount of Microsol was used to help
them snuggle down and conform to
the surface detail. There was a bit
of slivering which I tried to work out
poking with a sharp blade and using a
very sparing amount of Solvaset, which
can be quite harsh and possibly ruin
decal film. Once dry, another protective
coat of X-22 gloss was airbrushed
The darkening of the panel lines with oil paint gives a dramatic effect to the paintwork.
over the markings. To tone down the
bright look of the decals, a very dilute Tamiya XF-19 Smoke was airbrushed
amount of the background colour was aft of the cowlings building darker
airbrushed over them. shades in a staged pattern.
WEATHERING
A mix of black and raw umber oil paint was
diluted with mineral spirit and added to the
models detail with a fine tipped brush. All flying
control joints, engine cowling joints and panel
lines were treated, with an extra amount applied
to the cowling detail. Using the same mixture,
tiny amounts of paint were added to show small
leaks coming from under the engine cowling, and
streaked backward in the slipstream.
Tamiya’s X-19 Smoke was airbrushed on the
engine cowling to darken the panels progressively
from the front, to just before the cockpit area. I
mixed a small touch of XF-10 Flat Brown to XF-1
Flat Black, diluted it by 4:1 thinner to paint ratio
and carefully airbrushed some exhaust stains Landing light lenses had a punched out disc of foil added Lead wire 0.1mm was used to make brake lines for the undercarriage.
behind the pipes on the fuselage and around the to the inside. Only one light was needed eventually.

The landing light position under the right wing was filled with a styrene disc and epoxy putty, then Navigation lights were painted with Tamiya’s clear acrylics X-25 Green and X-27 Red, with X-19 Smoke used
repainted afterward. to dull-down the lens of the landing light.
The legs of the frame over the head rest support Masking the canopy sections was quite involved, including provision for the internal A new pitot tube was fashioned from Albion Alloys 0.3mm and 0.5mm
had to be trimmed by 1mm to allow the rear canopy structure of the sliding section. brass tubing.
section to fit.
The completed model.
Aircraft Edition 45
“Rather obsolete by
the beginning of World
War II, the Buffalo had
a short combat history
with the US Navy.”
The model was built to represent an aircraft from

VMF-221 flown by Capt. William C. Humberd.
wings. This completed the bulk of the weathering session. Although I’d added some detail to the After attaching the painted sections to the model
and handling, and it was now time to add some cockpit, I wanted to display the aircraft in its closed- with white glue, I carefully filled any gaps with
of the finer detail that would have been possibly up configuration since the detail can be seen fairly Aves epoxy putty. To secure the canopy sections
damaged had it been added previously. well through the glazing. more firmly, I added very minute amounts of super
Aft of the cockpit behind the pilot’s head is a The kit does include several options for the large glue, knowing that an excess amount would fog the
large cylindrical device onto which is mounted the sliding section, one of which was used on the finish and ruin the glazing. After the epoxy dried,
headrest, and a photo-etched metal Directional “Midway” version. This part of the canopy had it was carefully trimmed and brush painted with
Finding antenna. Straddling this is a four-legged internal structures which also had to be masked the medium blue acrylic, followed with the gloss to
frame of which I had to modify to allow the rear for painting. Using thin strips and small sections match the surrounding finish.
canopy to sit properly by chopping each leg of Tamiya’s masking tape, I carefully masked each
shorter by about 1mm. panel before airbrushing on the medium blue mix, SMALLER DETAILS
followed by a coat of clear gloss. During my after-the-fact research into the aircraft
CANOPY When I test fitted the canopy sections, I of VMF-221, I discovered that their solid rubber
I chose to add the canopy, one of the most distictive discovered there was no way to avoid a gap at disc tail wheels were replaced with a much larger
features of the Buffalo, at the end of the painting some location and have everything line up straight. pneumatic tyre for the carrier-based aircraft. Happily
EZ-Line stretchy thread was used

to make the antenna, with blobs
of white glue for the insulators.

The model was placed together with Tamiya’s US Navy Pilot
figures set.. The figures were painted with Tamiya’s acrylics,
and detailed with Vallejo acrylics and oil paints.
A carrier deck base was a resin

product from Just Plane Stuff JPS001.
Aircraft Edition 47
this was included as an option for a different version dry brushed with a metal mixture of silver enamel
in the kit, so I was able to clip off the little wheel on and raw umber oil paint.
my kit and add the larger one in its place.
I added brake lines to the main landing gear CONCLUSION
using lengths of 0.1mm lead wire, secured with thin This was the first 1:48 scale aircraft that I have
soft metal strips from a wine bottle. I find the etched completed in many years, and it was a delight
metal lines supplied with the kit too “springy” to to try something new in the way of weathering. I
work with, and although quite delicate the lead found the kit quite a challenge in fit and also how
wire is easier to position and looks more the part. the features were researched, but in the end had
The wing machine gun barrels and exhaust pipes something I’m very happy to add to my collection
were drilled out to a realistic thickness and painted of early war US Navy aircraft models. •
flat black. I rubbed Uschi’s metal polishing powder
Steel Type onto these to give a realistic metallic
sheen before gluing them into position. Although MODELSPEC
I added the etched metal bomb mounts under the Special Hobby 1:48 scale F2A-3 Buffalo “Battle
wings, I didn’t add any ordinance. I feel it adds of Midway” Kit No. SH48032
unnecessary clutter to the look of an aircraft.
Accessories Used:
The instruction sheet calls for painting the
• Tamiya 1:48 scale WWII US Navy Pilots w/
propeller blades black with yellow tips. Early in
Moto-Tug kit no.61107
the war, these aircraft had both yellow with red
• Just Plane Stuff Resin Carrier Deck Base
painted tips. A very clear photo of an F2A-3 JPS001
from VMF-211 taken around the time that both
marine squadrons were flying these types shows Tools and Materials Used:
the propeller sporting the yellow/red tips. After • Tamiya Basic Putty
painting the propeller semi-gloss black, I masked • Walter Products 3.5x - 90x Trinocular
the propellers and painted them accordingly. The Stereo Microscope with a 144LED ring light
bases of the blades and hub were given a metallic WP-1AFZ-IFR07-5N
look using the Uschi metal polishing powder • Evergreen styrene rod and sheet (various
Chrome Type. thicknesses)
The pitot tube provided in the kit was somewhat • Aves FIXIT 2-part epoxy putty
thick so to make mine more realistic I made one • Tamiya Grey Surface Primer
by sliding a piece of 0.3mm Albion Alloys brass • Tamiya Extra Fine Cement
tubing into a length of 0.5mm. The hole in the wing • Flex-I-File Plast-I-Weld cement
for it was plugged with some styrene rod, then • Lepage Super Glue Liquid Pro adhesive
drilled out with an appropriate sized hole to fit the • Lepage Multi-Purpose white glue
• Harder & Steenbeck Infinity CR plus Airbrush
new tube.
• 18mm and 40mm Tamiya Masking Tape
The antenna mast provided in the kit was
• Micro drill set
broken, so I had to make a new one from 0.20”
• Albion Alloys 0.3mm and 0.5mm brass tubing
styrene strip. After cutting to length and contouring • 0.1mm lead wire (from fishing tackle shop)
the edges, I drilled a couple of minute holes; one
near the top to secure the antenna, and one in the Paints and Finishing Products Used:
bottom to mount a copper wire so that it could be • Tamiya Acrylic paints as listed in the paint
secured to the fuselage. I used a piece of EZ-Line callouts.
elastic thread for the antenna, and added blobs • Winsor & Newton Oil Paint Series 1 554
of white glue for the insulators. The antenna lead Raw Umber, 331 Ivory Black,
going down to the fuselage was added with a • Vallejo Acrylic paints as listed in the paint
small section of EZ-Line secured with super glue. callouts
As a finishing touch, I mixed some silver enamel • Rembrandt chalk pastels
with a touch of raw umber oil paint and with a • Model Master enamel ChromeSlilver
fine pointed brush, added some paint chips to the • Uschi metal Polishing Powders Steel and
edges of the panels on the wings, fuselage and Chrome Type
engine cowling. Smaller chips were also added to • Mineral Spirit thinner
the propeller.
References:
• Internet image searches for Brewster Buffalo
FIGURES AND DISPLAY BASE F2A-3
To display the model for the photos, I placed it on a
• Internet build reviews on the Special Hobby
carrier deck with pilot crew figures. Tamiya’s 1:48 F2A-3 Kit
WWII US Navy Pilots with Moto-Tug kit no.61107.
The figures were painted with a mix of XF-55 Deck
Tan and XF-57 Buff uniforms and their life jackets
Etched metal mounts for bombs
in a yellowish orange mix of Vallejo acrylics. The were added to the wings.
faces were done by base coating them in Tamiya
XF-15 flesh, and then painting them using Winsor
and Newton white and burnt sienna oil paints.
Washes of dark oil paints were used to enhance
the well sculpted details.
The base was a large resin casting from Just
Plane Stuff JPS001 US Navy Flight Deck. It was first
base coated in dark grey, and after masking the
metal sections the wooden planking was airbrushed
with a dilute mix of XF-55 Deck Tan. Carrier deck
markings were masked and airbrushed with an off-
white, and washes of dark oil paints were added to
enhance the detail. Metal sections of the deck were

Chipped paint look was achieved by painting small scratches with silver enamel and a fine tipped brush.
“I found the kit quite a challenge in fit and also how

the features were researched, but in the end had
something I’m very happy to add to my collection.”
Aircraft Edition 49
KIT PREVIEW GasPatch Models 1:48 Me 163 B Komet • Kit No. 20-48236
KING
KOMET
The Editor gets an early look
at GasPatch Models’ brand
new 1:48 scale Messerschmitt
Me 163 B Komet.
G
ermany produced a great number of designs claimed for the loss of 10 Komets, but the
that were stranger than fiction. A handful of aircraft’s short range and rocket fuel shortages
these even made it into production. limited its impact on the outcome of the war.
The Messerschmitt Me 163 was a rocket Around 370 Messerschmitt Me 163s were
powered interceptor that saw nearly a year of built in total.
operational service before the end of the Second
World War. PREVIOUS 1:48 SCALE ME 163 RELEASES
Designed by aerodynamics pioneer Alexander Hawk released a 1:48 scale Me 163 in 1960,
Lippisch and based around the Walter rocket motor, the year that I was born. It was subsequently
Six colourful schemes are offered.
the Me 163 was a stocky little aircraft with swept re-released by Testor.
wings and no horizontal tail planes. The Walter Overall dimensions are not bad but detail is
HWK 509 rocket motor weighed only 100 kg but poor and there are a number of major errors and GASPATCH MODELS
generated 1,700 kg of thrust, resulting in staggering omissions. This kit is best consigned to the swap GasPatch Models was established in 2011, initially
climb performance and a high top speed. and sell table. producing high quality resin and photo-etched
The downside was that the C-Stoff and T-Stoff Three decades later, Trimaster from Japan accessories, mainly for WWI aircraft but eventually
rocket fuel combination was highly explosive and released two brand new 1:48 scale Me 163 expanding their field of interest to cover pre-war
corrosive, and the range of the little interceptor kits - a single seat Me 163 B and a two-seat and WWII in 1:48, 1:32, 1:35, 1:24 and 1:16
was short. unpowered Me 163 S trainer. The single seat as well.
Even so, the Messerschmitt Me 163 B entered version has since appeared in Dragon, Revell and In 2013, GasPatch released their first injection
Luftwaffe service with a dedicated rocket unit, JG Hasegawa boxings. moulded model, a Salmson 2A2. This was a very
400, in May 1944, three years after the first flight These were impressive kits upon their release in impressive debut offering. A reboxed Japanese
of the prototype. 1990 and they are still pretty nice today, although ILA Otsu 1 Salmson 2A2 followed in 2014. Rob
Despite its inherent risks and limited endurance, they are a bit lacking in cockpit detail and they Baumgartner reviewed this kit on HyperScale.
the Me 163 was thrilling to fly thanks to its high have a well-deserved reputation, along with many These were followed up with an exquisite family
speed, remarkable rate of climb and positive other Dragon aircraft kits of this era, for being a of 1:48 scale Henschel Hs 123 kits in 2017,
controls. Between 9 and 16 aerial victories were fussy build. reviewed by myself on HyperScale.
A B
50 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021 A. Moulding is perfect on my sample. B. Upper sidewall detail is moulded on the inside of the forward fuselage. C. Subtle stretched fabric effect on the rudder.
The kit’s clear sprue. Photo-etched parts are included. This resin jig holds the cannon in the correct position. Self-adhesive die-cut canopy masks.
IN THE BOX position. Photo-etched actuator rods add further A small supplementary sheet supplies splits
Another 30 years has passed and now we have detail to this busy space. swastikas to comply to legal restrictions in some
the 21st century's first 1:48 scale Komet - a brand The landing skid and the tail wheel assemblies countries.
new Me 163 from GasPatch Models. may be depicted retracted or extended. Optional
GasPatch Models' 1:48 scale Me 163 B comprises: parts are also supplied for the tail wheel with or CONCLUSION
• 117 parts in medium grey coloured plastic without fairings. This is another beautiful package from GasPatch
• six clear plastic parts The flying surfaces are split into upper and Models. Surface texture is excellent, as is the detail
• 23 photo-etched parts on one fret lower halves for the port and starboard wings with overall.
• Two 3D printed parts separate flaps, ailerons and speed brakes. The Cartograf-printed decal sheet offers six
• Two 3D printed assembly jigs for the fuselage The lower wing landing flaps are separate parts interesting marking options too. •
cannon and they may be posed deployed or retracted. The
• self-adhesive die-cut canopy mask flaps themselves are photo-etched parts. Thanks to GasPatch Models for the samples www.gaspatchmodels.com
• markings for six aircraft The ground handling dolly is made up from
The parts are packed into a stout all-colour box. five parts - main wheels split into separate tyres
The plastic parts feature crisp surface textures and hubs and a single axle/mount. GasPatch has
made up from crisply recessed panel lines and supplied two styles of tyres - one pair is weighted
raised rivets and panels on metal sections, and and the other set is not.
faint fabric texture on the rudder. Clear parts are thin and free from distortion. The
All surface textures are beautifully executed. windscreen, pilot's armoured glass and opening
Construction commences in the cockpit. This is canopy section are separate parts. Separate rear
very well detailed, with photo-etched harness straps quarter windows are also included. GasPatch
and a plastic instrument panel with raised bezels supplies self-adhesive masks for the clear parts.
and individual decals for dials. Instructions are laid out over 14 steps in a 24
Structural detail is moulded to the inside of the page booklet, which also includes four-view full-
fuselage and photo-etched parts add detail to the colour illustrations of the six marking options.
front office. The instructions are clearly drawn and logically
The area behind the cockpit and the ammunition laid out. I particularly like the full colour illustrations
compartment are also very well detailed. The hatch of painted sub-assemblies.
covering the ammo feed is a separate part that
may be posed open or closed. MARKINGS
The wing root mounted gun bays are also Markings are supplied for six late-war and post-war
very impressive. Structural detail is moulded to marking options.
the fuselage sides in the wing root area, and the The decals are well printed and in register with
30mm cannon look great. Two 3D printed jigs are good colour saturation. They are glossy in finish
supplied to set the cannon in precisely the right and have been produced by Cartograf. The kit decal sheet.
C D E
G H
D. Panel lines are subdued and crisp. E. Cockpit detail parts. F. Nice cannon moulding. G. A choice of flattened or non-flattened tyres is supplied. H. Crisp wheel hub detail. Aircraft Edition 51
FEATURE ARTICLE Hasegawa 1:32 Messerschmitt Me 163 B Komet • Kit No. 08177
This Messerschmitt Me 163 was on display at the museum at Berlin Gatow airport, The aircraft appears to have been restored The small impeller is driven by the forward motion of the aircraft. It
which was itself an important wartime and Cold War airfield. in a finish of RLM 81 Brown Violet and RLM is connected to a generator that powers the radio, the gun sight, the
83 Dark Green over RLM 76 Light Blue. The direction finder, the master compass, the cannon, and cockpit lighting.
Werknummer is 191904. This aircraft saw
service with JG 400 and was shipped to
52 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021 Farnborough for examination after the war.
LIKE A FLEA,
BUT
SOMETHING OLD, SO
WOW! METHING NEW, PART
ONE
Brett Green improves
the 1970s vintage
Hasegawa 1:32 scale
Me 163 B Komet.
G
ermany produced a great number of designs
that were stranger than fiction. A handful of
these designs even made it into production.
The Messerschmitt Me 163 was a rocket
powered interceptor that actually saw nearly a
year of operational service before the end
of the Second World War.
Designed by aerodynamics pioneer
Alexander Lippisch and based around
the Walter rocket motor, the Me 163 was
a stocky little aircraft with swept wings and
no horizontal tail planes. The Walter HWK 509
rocket motor weighed only 100 kg but generated
1,700 kg of thrust, resulting in staggering climb
performance and a high top speed.
The downside was that the C-Stoff and T-Stoff
rocket fuel combination was highly explosive and
corrosive, and the range of the little interceptor
was short.
Even so, the Messerschmitt Me 163 B entered
Luftwaffe service with a dedicated rocket unit, JG
400, in May 1944, three years after the first flight
of the prototype.
Despite its inherent risks and limited endurance,
the Me 163 was thrilling to fly thanks to its high
speed, remarkable rate of climb and positive
controls. Between 9 and 16 aerial victories were
claimed for the loss of 10 Komets, but the aircraft’s
short range and rocket fuel shortages limited its
impact on the outcome of the war.
Around 370 Messerschmitt Me 163s were built
The Me 163 jettisons its wheels after take-off, and lands on The Mitsubishi J8M Shusui is a Japanese copy of the Messerschmitt Me 163. in total.
extendable main and tail skids. Although it was intended to be a licensed production version of the Komet, difficulties
in shipping an example to Japan meant that the aircraft was reverse engineered from
limited German documentation.
Aircraft Edition 53
The kit fuselage is broken down into forward and aft sections, permitting the Walter rocket The cockpit in the model is not so good, so CMK’s multimedia upgrade set was used. This includes a complete
engine to be displayed. replacement cockpit.
HASEGAWA’S 1:32 SCALE MESSERSCHMITT

ME 163 B KOMET
Hasegawa’s 1:32 scale Messerschmitt Me 163
B Komet was released in 1973, an era of poor
detail, questionable accuracy, raised panel lines
and gimmicky moving parts.
However, Hasegawa’s Komet is actually a pretty
decent rendition of this aircraft, being accurate
in profile and plan, with fairly restrained surface
detail and lacking any clunky hinges or movable
control surfaces.
The kit comprises a modest 53 parts in
somewhat brittle light grey plastic and another The colour photo-etch instrument panel and harness Rudder pedals and cockpit upper sidewalls are
three parts in clear. It features a basic Walter will be highly visible under the big canopy. supplied in nickel-plated photo-etch. A few
smaller details are offered on this fret too.
rocket engine and the rear fuselage is moulded
separately so that it can be removed to display the
powerplant.
Surface detail includes faint raised panel lines
and an peculiar cross-hatched texture on the control
surfaces. Some raised rivets are present too.
Alternate tail landing gear is offered with and
without fairing. These may be posed in raised or The control surfaces are
lowered positions, and the skid may be posed up moulded with crude and
or down. massively overscale fabric
texture. This was removed
The shape of the cockpit tub isn’t bad but the with a coarse sanding stick.
seat is poor and everything else pretty basic.
The rear quarter windows are supplied but the
lightening (or vision – I’m not sure which) holes are
not present.
All in all, Hasegawa’s 1:32 scale Me 163 is a
worthwhile basis for additional detailing.
UPDATING THE KOMET

Before any of the main parts were glued together
I commenced the update by rescribing the exterior
surfaces of the model using Dymo tape as a guide.
Dymo tape is an ideal scribing guide as it is
flexible, self-adhesive and rigid enough to handle
a scriber running along the edge without distorting
or collapsing.
Rivets were marked with a black pen and
punched with a jeweller’s punch. Two different
diameter punches were used.
At this stage, the surface of the plastic was
lightly sanded to remove any residue of the raised
panel lines or rivets. Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid
Cement was then sparingly brushed into the newly
scribed panel lines to clean up any plastic residue.
The front and rear sections of each fuselage half
were now glued together. As I was not planning to
display the engine, I thought that it would be easier
to attempt a perfect mating on this potentially tricky The entire airframe was treated to lines of rivets in a number of different sizes. The position of each rivet was first marked with an indelible
vertical join and deal with any gaps at the top and black pen, then a jeweller’s punch was used to make the individual rivets.

The technique is to gently rest the punch on the rivet mark, then roll the I did manage to go a bit overboard and break through the plastic at the
hand forward and press – but not too hard. We don’t want to break thin aft end of the fuselage. This was eventually repaired with Milliput
Note that the punch-end of the riveting tool is hollow. Around twenty
through the plastic. Try testing the technique on some scrap plastic and some careful sanding.
different punch sizes are included with this set.
before committing to the actual kit.
Lightening holes were drilled into the solid rear quarter windows. A few panel lines were scribed on the top and bottom of the wings.
The four main fuselage

components – drilled,
filed, scribed and riveted.
The wings were clamped

and taped while the glue
set. Hasegawa did a good
job capturing the complex
compound washout and
twist of the Komet’s wings.
Aircraft Edition 55
bottom centreline seams later on. The result was

two full-length fuselage halves.
CMK’s replacement cockpit supplies resin and
colour photo-etched parts. This was used to replace
the kit parts. I decided not to use the photo-etched
metal upper sidewalls in the CMK set though.
Instead, I cut two pieces of thin plastic sheet to
shape and detailed them with structural detail
from plastic strip. I figured that the plastic would
be easier to bend to the compound curves of the
fuselage interior.
Lightening holes were drilled into the rear
quarter windows and a structure was built from
scrap plastic to place inside the fuselage. This
could be glimpsed through the holes and was
meant to represent radio and battery equipment.
The cockpit and interior were painted with a
combination of Tamiya and Vallejo acrylics.
The addition of the CMK colour photo-etched
parts really lifted the cockpit. The only problem with
these pre-printed metal parts is the slight sheen on
the surface. I cut the panel with the white printed
dials from the fret and sprayed the remaining parts
with flat clear lacquer. Flattening down the finish
CMK’s resin cockpit parts are a vast
makes a big difference, especially to the instrument improvement over the kit parts. Only minimal
panel and harness straps. The dials were then clean-up was needed before the parts were
treated to a brushed coating of Future floor polish, ready for assembly.
representing glass lenses.
I also added some scratch built details to the
Although CMK supplies photo-etched
wheels and the landing skid. upper sidewalls, I made mine from
Once the cockpit was installed, the balance scratch using thin plastic card and
of construction was amazingly fast thanks to the strip. I thought that these would
be easier to manipulate around the
model’s simple parts breakdown. curves of the canopy sill. Some of
A few gaps at the bottom wing root were dealt the resin detail parts were glued to
with using white Milliput two-part epoxy putty. the new plastic sidewalls.
The mount for the pilot’s armoured glass is

supplied as two strips of photo-etch that must
be carefully bent to shape. Make sure you test
fit the armoured glass for width before you
glue the photo-etched parts in place.
An oxygen hose was made by winding very

fine soft tin wire around slightly thicker
copper wire. In 1:32 scale, this level of detail
is quite visible and therefore worthwhile.
One of the sidewalls plus the scratch built oxygen hose, cut to length and bent to shape, have been glued to the The port sidewall is now in place too.
starboard side console. Note the diagonal support struts between the rear bulkhead and the side consoles.

A vague jumble of plastic shapes was glued together and mounted on a strip.
This was intended to represent radio or battery gear between the two rear
quarter windows. Some wiring has been added too.
The front and rear fuselage halves were joined first, as I was not planning to display the Walter rocket engine. The cockpit area and
stowage section behind the pilot have been painted with Tamiya acrylic XF-63 German Grey.
Note the chipping, achieved with a dark

brown artists’ pencil. The switches,
headrest, oxygen hose and regulator
have been picked out with Vallejo
acrylic paints and a fine brush.
The main colour for the cockpit tub was also Tamiya acrylic XF-63 German CMK’s pilot seat is a big improvement over the kit
Grey, but a paler shade of the base colour (mixed with around 10% item. The pre-painted harness straps have been
white) was sprayed on high areas and in random mottles to break up the further enhanced with a coat of flat varnish, and
single colour. stitching applied with a very fine brush and thinned
brown paint.
To my great relief, the fuselage halves closed

with no trouble at all. The fit was relatively
gap free once the tape was removed.
I was concerned about how the new cockpit tub The radio / battery shape, along with its yellow-painted
and scratch built sidewalls would integrate with the cable, was glued to the starboard interior before the
fuselage, but the fit was not too bad. fuselage halves were closed.
The remainder of construction

was remarkably quickly. With the
wings attached to the fuselage,
the basic model was complete.
The colour photo-etched instrument panel was sprayed with

flat varnish, while the white printed instruments on the black
background were brush-painted with Future floor polish to
represent the glass lenses.
Aircraft Edition 57
The clear armoured glass was attached

to its mount and supporting brackets cut
The main fit problem was a gap underneath the starboard wing. from plastic rod. I did not realise until this The big canopy had been dipped in Future and allowed to dry overnight before
sub-assembly was securely underneath the it was attached to the model. No dramas here. Even the rear quarter windows
sealed canopy that the clear part should were relatively trouble free.
have a frame painted in RLM 66 Black Grey!
A Waldron Hexagonal Punch and Die set was used to create bolt head detail
for the wheel hubs
The gap below the starboard wing and the steps where the bottom of the flaps are joined were addressed with Milliput White two-part Punched bolt heads in two different sizes were also glued to the hinge
epoxy putty. A smear of Milliput also filled a gap in front of the landing skid. points on the extended landing skid.
“Once the cockpit was installed, the balance

of construction was amazingly fast thanks to
the model’s simple parts breakdown...”
The canopy and quarter windows were masked with Tamiya tape in The opening for the landing skid was stuffed with tissue paper to avoid overspray
Decals were sourced from Eagle Strike’s preparation for painting. entering the previously painted interior.
Item No. 32055, Komet Me 163 Part 1.

PAINTING AND MARKINGS
Although I am usually an acrylic stalwart, I
decided to use some Testor's Model Master and
old Aeromaster enamel paints that had been sitting
around here for years. I was particularly interested
to see what Aeromaster's interpretation of "RLM
81A" (not an official designation, by the way) Once the Dark Grey had been sprayed onto the canopy frames and the Further masking was required to paint the white ring behind the red tip
would look like. RLM 76 Light Blue applied overall, Tamiya masking tape was cut into of the Komet’s nose.
a crescent shape and stuck onto the front of the fuselage to form a
This is a very violet and quite pale colour painting guide for the red nose.
compared to what you might expect to see in
a fresh coat of RLM 81 Brown Violet, but it is
interesting to say the least.
The nose and wheel markings have been
masked and sprayed.
Decals are from Eagle Strike Productions, Item
No. 32055 "Komet Me 163 Part I". I used the
instructions as a painting guide, as I was keen
to try out the tight spotty mottle with a fairly hard
edge. However, Murphy's Law struck just as I
had completed the paint job. I found some good
reference photos of this aircraft online showing
a patchy, uneven camouflage on the tail and
The masking was far from over yet. Reference photos show that this The white base coat was Tamiya’s Fine White Primer, decanted from
fuselage, and two big bare metal panels just Komet wore quartered red and white wheel hubs. This presumably the spray can and applied with an airbrush. This white colour was a
inboard of the wings - not really spotty at all. made it easier to locate the wheel assembly when it was jettisoned good base for the red, which is often notoriously difficult to achieve
I tossed up whether to mask off the markings and after take-off. solid coverage.
respray the fuselage and fin but decided against it Another coat of light blue was applied once all the
at this stage. additional masking was complete. This is Tamiya’s
AS-5, another spray can colour decanted and stored
in a glass jar before spraying with an airbrush.
I was particularly keen to follow the decal

instructions’ illustration of hard, small mottles
of RLM 81 Brown Violet and RLM 83 Dark
Green. The pattern has been applied freehand
with the Iwata HP-CH airbrush.
The nose masking was removed with the fuselage camouflage mottle complete. This is a small but striking marking. More masking. The dense mottle was protected by covering the
fuselage with wide Tamuya masking tape before painting the wings. Aircraft Edition 59
I had a couple of old bottles of Aeromaster’s Warbird Colour enamels in my paint collection. I thought that I would
use some of these as I was interested to see how they looked on the model. This is their “RLM 81A – Faded
Brown Violet”. It certainly has more than a hint of violet!
The Aeromaster RLM 83 Dark Green was a closer to what I expected. The camouflage demarcation was painted
freehand without masks, resulting in a soft-edged finish.
Two coats of Future floor polish prepared the

model for the Eagle Strike decals. These had been
in my collection for a long time but they performed
perfectly, laying down flat without silvering.

The impeller/propeller
has been weathered
with a wash of thinned
oil paint. The paint is a
mix of Lamp Black and
Raw Umber.
The tail wheel strut

is also painted in
primer red.
The canopy masks were removed

after two coats of Tamiya acrylic
XF-86 Flat Clear. The closed canopy
emphasises the smooth lines of the
stocky little rocket plane.
Hasegawa’s Morane mast was

a bit chunky. The plastic top was
cut off and replaced with fine
copper wire. Punched styrene
bolt heads were also added.
All of the smaller parts have been painted and are ready to be added to the finished model. The mount for the wheels has been painted in a primer red, with chipping and oxidisation represented using
a brown Prismacolor artists’ pencil. The skid marks on the skid are many tiny streaks of heavily thinned
acrylic dark brown paint built up with a fine brush.
Aircraft Edition 61
CONCLUSION
Despite its venerable age, Hasegawa’s 1:32
scale Messerschmitt Me 163 B is still a decent
kit that may form an accurate basis for a super
detailing project.
However, with the release of Meng Model’s
excellent 1:32 Me 163 Komet back in 2013, we
probably won’t see too many more of these old
Hasegawa kits built! •
With a bit of extra effort and after-market

assistance, the 1970s-vintage Hasegawa
1:32 scale Messerschmitt Me 163 can still
be made into a good looking and generally
accurate model.
MODELSPEC
Hasegawa 1:32 Messerschmitt Me 163 B
Komet. Kit No. 08177
“Despite its inherent risks and
Accessories Used: limited endurance, the Me 163
• CMK Item No. 5015 – Me 163 B Komet
Interior Set was thrilling to fly thanks to its
• Eagle Strike Decals Item No. 32055 – Komet
Me 163 Part 1 high speed, remarkable rate of
Modelling Materials and Tools Used:
• Jeweller’s Punches (two sizes) climb and positive controls...”
• Waldron Punch and Die
• Plastic Sheet
• Tamiya Extra Thin Liquid Cement
• Revell Contacta Cement
• Selleys Super Glue
• Plastic Clamps (various sizes)
• Tamiya Masking Tape (various widths)
• Blu-Tack
Paints and Finishing Products Used:

• Tamiya Spray Cans: Grey Primer; White
Primer; AS-5 Light Blue
• Aeromaster Enamels: 9029 RLM 81A Brown
Violet
• Testor’s Model Master Enamels: 2092 RLM 83
Dark Green
• Tamiya (acrylic): XF-1 Flat Black; XF-7 Flat
Red; XF-64 Red Brown; XF-86 Flat Clear
• Tamiya Weathering Master Set B – Item No.
87080
• Mr Hobby Mr Color Leveling Thinner 400.
• Vallejo Model Color (acrylic): 865 Oily Steel;
891 Intermediate Green; 919 Foundation
White; 70953 Flat Yellow; 70957 Flat Red.
• Vallejo Panzer Aces (acrylic): 337 Highlight
Ger. (Black)
• Solvaset decal setting solution
• Future Floor Polish
Good overall shapes.
Basic detail; raised panel lines.
Rating: 7 out of 10

Weathering comprised spraying fine lines of heavily
thinned dark paint along structural surfaces plus the
flap and hinge lines. A watery mix of Tamiya X-18
Gloss Black paint was also flowed into the scribed
panel lines with the tip of a paintbrush.
Installing the skid after the fuselage halves were joined

proved more of a challenge than I expected. Each side of
the tops of two of the mounting struts had to be trimmed
in order to fit between the narrow edges of the skid bay.
Aircraft Edition 63
TED
I K
L OC
IM
ST NOW BACK IN STOCK
HOW TO BUILD...
the Tamiya Bristol Beaufighter - £12.95 +p&p
The 60 page book includes information on: Building the
basic model; The six detailed versions of the Beaufighter;
Details of production variations; Weathering; and many
other handy hints and tips!
HOW TO BUILD...
the Tamiya Fairey Swordfish - £11.95 +p&p
A full colour, high quality guide describing in great detail
the building, detailing and painting of Tamiya’s stunning
1:48 Fairey Swordfish. Inside you’ll find over fifty pages
of clear, easy to follow photographs of the model being
constructed plus shots of the real thing. TMMI’s Geoff
Coughlin has built two complete models, one in grey with
wings extended and a camouflaged machine with wings
folded back for carrier stowage. He has added his special
touch and you’ll love the results!
Limited Stock - order now at www.doolittlemedia.com

Doolittle Media Ltd., Doolittle Mill, Doolittle Lane, Totternhoe, Bedfordshire, LU6 1QX, Great Britain
W. www.doolittlemedia.com E. [email protected] T. +44 (0) 1525 222573
modeller Next Issues
ISSUE No.119 August 2021
Editors; Aircraft Edition - Brett Green Military Illustrated Modeller

AFV Edition - Brett Green
Publisher; Alan Harman Issue 120 AFV Edition on
Graphic Design;
Advertising Manager;
Alex Hall
Alan Harman sale August 18th 2021
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Web Team
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KOMET WITH THE LOT

GasPatch Models’ 1:48
scale Me 163 B Komet
with the dedicated detail
set and pliot.
© Doolittle Media 2021
...AND MORE!
Aircraft Edition 65
Tailpiece
SPECIAL HOBBY 1:32

WESTLAND WHIRLWIND
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pecial Hobby’s big 1:32 scale Westland Whirlwind Mk.I
has been released and is available right now.
Brett Green has already finished the kit, pictured here,
which will be described in two detailed articles across Issues
193 and 194 of Model Airplane International magazine. •
More details and ordering from Special Hobby’s web store

www.specialhobby.eu

SQUADRON BOOKS
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CH-47 Chinook in Action UH-1 Huey in Action
More than 160 archival colour Illustrated with more than 220
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numerous line drawings, present a numerous line illustrations.
clear and concise illustrated history
of this iconic helicopter.
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10241 2046
F-105 Thunderchief In Action M48A3 Patton Vietnam in Action
Nearly 200 vintage photos – more Illustrated with 109 photos, plus
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Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers LTV(4) Amtrac in Action
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Aircraft Edition - August ‘21 119 Military Illustrated Modeller

Special Hobby 1:48 scale F2A-3 Buffalo “Battle of Midway”

Contents ISSUE No.119 August 2021

26 WILDCAT IN WHITE Part One

52 LIKE A FLEA BUT WHOA!

4 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

6 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

8 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

The kit decal sheet. One RAF and one

The contents somehow fit

That’s one big fuselage half! Comparison

Canopy parts are crystal clear.

12 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

I prefer to assemble as fully as possible

14 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

The cockpit and nose gun bay

The highly detailed cockpit

The bomb bay interior should

The Yahu instrument

ENGINES AND NACELLES

Painted engine cowl interiors.

16 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

The fuselage was finally

The next step is where all the magic happens,

18 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

Cockpit, gun bay and bomb bay

Guns and ammunition

Guns and bombs ready

Undercarriage components assembled

Bomb bay doors installed

Fully primed and marked

PAINTING AND MARKINGS

20 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

Lower surfaces of the lower surfaces.

22 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

Dropped flaps. Popeye on the hatch!

Engine cowl and gun bay panels

Tools and Materials Used:

Painting and Finishing Products Used

Perfectly moulded; accurate; excellent detail

Tamiya kits are distributed in the UK by The

24 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

WILDCAT Kamil Feliks Sztarbala

26 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

I made the first cut with trembling hands…

…and somehow managed to bring this build to the happy

28 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

All the cockpit sub-assemblies

…as this will be rewarded with

I then base coated the

Once I’d painted the few details in black,

The decals turned out to fit the metal

This issue might be addressed

As the decals were glossy,

30 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021

The cockpit parts go together fairly

Next, I glued the

…and leave it there for

32 Military Illustrated Modeller - August 2021