Meng AIR Modeller 02-03-2024

112 FEB/MAR 2024 • £7.95 UK $16.
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JB SAILLANT’S FW-190 D9 & D11
DOUBLE
TROUBLE
AIR 112 Feb/March 2024.qxp_AFV/26 Jan/Feb 06 20/12/2023 15:23 Page 222
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2 Double Trouble FW-190s

JB Saillant’s brace of late-war Luftwaffe fighters in 1:32.
18 F-14A
Dawid Branski builds Tamiya’s 1:48 classic with a personal touch.
30 Laura
Rogério Marczak is all at sea in 1:72 with the rarely seen Fujimi kit.
42 YAK-28 ‘Brewer’
Matt Porter’s build of the Bobcat 1:48 kit.
54 1:72 F-5 E-2 Lightning

Jean Philippe Camus gets the blues.
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1
JEAN-BAPTISTE
SAILLANT
PRESENTS HIS PAIR OF
LATE WAR FOCKE WULFs
2
DOUBLE
TROUBLE
3
A legendary late-war fighter for Germany, the Focke-Wulf FW 190 Concerning the D-11, there are already several elements which
D is an elegant and sleek aircraft, capable of competing with differentiate it from a D-9 including the installation of a Jumo 213F
Allied fighters. With more than 1500 units built from September engine with a modified air intake, removal of the hood machine
1944, three versions were put into service before the end of the guns but addition of two 30mm cannons in the wings. This hard-
war. These two projects represent the most built versions: the D-9 hitter must have had one hell of a right hook! It will therefore be
and the D-11. the white <61 aircraft, W.Nr 220014 of the GdJ VFS found in
With end-of-war production standards, a multitude of colour wreckage on May 8, 1945 in Bad Wönshofen. Several photos
combinations are possible for modellers with the paints available highlight a fairly dark camouflage, however with variations of RLM
depending on supplies and suppliers in desperate times. 76 on the fuselage as well as a Karman connection left in natural
For the D-9, my specifications wanted upper wings with very metal probably after a repair.
contrasting camouflage and simplified crosses underneath, so my I relied on the 2 volumes from Japo to stick as closely as possible
choice fell on the blue 12, W.Nr 500570 of the 8,/JG6. A very well- to the available photos (I also thank my friend Franck Oudin for the
known ‘190 because it was photographed and filmed by the additional documentation).
Americans after its capture at Fürth-Atzenhof on May 8, 1945. The 1:32 kits are Hasegawa which allow simple and quick
During its short operational career, this fighter was damaged more assembly to represent this magnificent bird of prey. All surfaces
than once and a careful study of the photos shows that it had a were riveted by my Rosie wheel. Numerous aftermarket
series of repairs to keep it in flighting condition. We note in accessories allowed me to compensate for some lack of details
particular the numerous paint touch-ups as well as the entire specific to each version.
engine cowl which was taken from another aircraft. Here is a list of accessories used:
D9 Quickboost propeller 32187

Quickboost Exhaust 32027 Cockpit
MDC CV32026
MDC CV 32028 wheels
External details Eduard 32100
Leg marking Aims 32D024
D11 Propeller Henri Daehne D-11 Quickboost
Exhaust 32027
Cockpit Aires 2010
Reskit RS32-0151 Wheels
External details Eduard 32100
Leg marking Aims 32D024
Conversion D-11 Real model AS 32009
Hood ring Real model AS 32011
For the rest of the details a lot of scratch-building, all the

markings were created with my silhouette vinyl cutter. I only
used decals for the stencils.
The integration of the resin cockpits was not done without

some modifications. The Aires cockpit was a little wide but
well positioned. On the contrary, it was necessary to redo
the reinforcements for the MDC parts to fit nicely.
Here are the MDC (Model Design Construction, UK) parts, a very detailed
cockpit. Part of the side had to be redone following my poor handling. The
parts are very well moulded, apart from a slightly undersized cap that I had to
scratch again at the end of assembly...
The Aires cockpit is finely moulded, but some details

are missing compared to the MDC set. That said, it is
still far superior than the kit cockpit pictured right.
Another problem detected when closing the fuselage,

the dashboard is too far back, creating additional
difficulty in assembly.
4
The brake lines are

added with sheathed
electrical wire. Small
details like electrical
outlets and return springs
add a touch of realism.
The Eduard 32100 photo etch will give

relief in the gear wells. The brake lines
are remade from fine copper wire.
The tail wheel provided in the box is too

soft in detail, Reskit provides the entire
complete unit while MDC requires you to
redo everything from scratch.
Wheel comparison, left to right: Hasegawa, Reskit, With the removal of the cowl machine guns, the Real Model
MDC. The finesse of the resin improves the final result. belly piece makes it easier to remove details but will require
careful adjustment to fit it in perfectly.
To reduce costs, Hasegawa used a common

mould for its entire Fw-190 series, creating
optional parts to fit, thus multiplying the joints
to be plugged and smoothed...
To reduce the amount of putty, I drilled holes to
best position the part by pushing it from the
inside. But I couldn't avoid some putty...
Real Model parts are no better, a large amount
of putty is required to perfectly integrate the
part to the wings. Note the 30mm socket
ejection port.
The Hasegawa hood is too pronounced in

shape, a modification with two- component
putty improves the final appearance, the
Quickboost option is an alternative but which
will require more adjustment work. The hood
of the D-11 is clearly visible on the right
without the machine guns, it will also require
a little work to integrate it perfectly.
5
The different engine cowls do not

The Real Model parts require plenty preparation, add much in the end, sanding the
unfortunately the wing bosses are unusable, they original to slightly soften the
come from a Hasegawa Fw-190 A kit (thanks profile will be enough.
‘Jeffredbaron’ for the spare parts) The interior of the cooling shutters
are detailed using the Eduard PE,
despite the care taken in gluing,
the tiny brackets wanted to
escape across the floor!
For the D-9, the Quickboost propellers
advantageously replace those in the kit (more
realistic shape), as for the D-11, those produced
by Henri Daehne (of Germany) are perfect!
Engine parts supplied by Hasegawa are basic

but a good basis to work from.
With the help of the documentation, several
hoses are added. Metal wires (copper, brass) of
different diameters detail the engine
compartment making a pretty plate of
spaghetti!
Painting of the engine compartment now. The background of the pieces was painted
black to create a ‘trompe l’oeil’ effect. Firewall was painted in RLM 02 (Gunze H70), as
well as the engine cradle. Ammunition boxes, oil tank and hoses are aluminum
(Tamiya Ts-30 and Prince August acrylics). The engine is painted with different Alclad
metallic tones. A dark brown oil wash will highlight all the details. The dirty splashes
were applied with a toothbrush (by flicking) with the remaining oil wash.
The main visible difference for the D-11 comes from the absence of ammunition
boxes (part provided in the Real Model conversion)
6
7
The gear wells and landing gear of German

planes of the period are not very colourful... an
RLM02 layer (Gunze H70) will serve as a base, it
will then be reworked with lighter and darker
mixtures to best contrast the different details.
The hoses are highlighted in acrylics by Prince
August with a fine brush.
The Quickboost exhaust pipes (centre) will quickly replace those

in the kit. I had a Moskit set in-stock, unfortunately they are
oversized.
Start of the cockpit, still subtle with this time the RLM66 (Gunze
H416). The paint is ‘whipped’ vertically to give texture. A wash
highlights the structural details, the relief detail will be taken up
with a lighter grey.
The cockpits are painted classically with RLM66, the interior of the
panels is highlighted with a lighter mixture by airbrush. The edges
will also be highlighted with a brush with a lighter mixture. All that
will remain is to diffuse a dark wash into the hollows. Micro spots
are made with the tip of a fine brush using acrylic paint. An oil
wash will complete the whole thing. The little dots of colour are
also done in the Prince August style.
MDC instrument decals need to be carefully placed individually but

give a superior finished look.The Aires harnesses seem a little
oversized and were redone with tin foil. For the MDC set, the
buckles were assembled with cigarette paper for greater finesse.
A little pigment on the floors and the whole thing was ready to be
glued into the fuselage.
The rest of the assembly posed no problems, which brings us

directly to the painting and weathering.
8
9
The fuselage of the D-11 (undercoated in

Tamiya TS-30 aluminum) is painted in RLM76
(Gunze H417), as noted in the photos of the
aircraft, various shades are applied with an
addition of dark blue and gray in the base
colour. The mixture is very diluted to play with
transparency effects.
For the wings of the D-9, the same technique

is used, the fuselage is painted in RLM 76
Tardif (AK Real Color RC322 mixed with Gunze
H417), a colour observed on several aircraft at
the end of the war.
The fin is painted in pure RLM 76, coming

from another manufacturing plant. This
reinforces the patchwork appearance of the
aircraft.
Both aircraft are painted with the W3 ventral scheme,

namely front part of the wing in RLM75 (Gunze H69), the
rest unpainted (Tamiya TS-30) and the ailerons covered in
RLM 76 (Gunze H417). A modulation of the basic colours
shows the tired finish, especially under the fuselage,
everything is worked with a very diluted paint airbrushed
with a 0.3mm nozzle and a pressure of 1 bar.
The lower covering of the D-9 is a little more yellow to
emphasize the difference in provenance of the parts.
10
The fuselage receives green RLM

81 (Real Color RC324) at the The spots on the fin (RLM 81
canopy level. As the engine unit green for the front and RLM 75
comes from another aircraft, the for the moving part) are diffused
front cover is painted in two tones, with colours heavily thinned in
an RLM 81 green undercoat (Real order to have a beautiful
Color RC324) covered with an transparency.
overspray of RLM 82 (Real Color The camouflage of the wings is
RC326). completed with brown RLM 81
(Real Color RC323), the interior
of the panels is lightened with a
lighter mixture. To vary the
effects, I mottled the basic
shade with three variations by
mixing it with beige, white and
dark brown. The entire
camouflage is done freehand.
The camouflage of the D-11 is classically RLM 81/82

(Real Color RC324 and RC326), the colors are
applied freehand with an airbrush at a pressure of
1.2 bars, making it possible to limit the overspray to
the edge of the colours. Note the upper cover in
RLM 82 contrasting with the rest of the cover (very
visible in the photos).
The fin received a few spots of brown RLM 81 (Real
Color RC323).
11
All the markings are finished, they have been

made with a silhouette vinyl plotter. Be careful
not to leave the masks on the model for too long,
the stickiness increases over time and can cause
damage when they are removed (which
unfortunately happened to me...).
The touch-ups made in the field repair unit are

clearly visible, for the moment it is only those
made with an airbrush (leading edge of the wings
in RLM 02 (Gunze H70) and spots of red primer.
I also started the aging by sanding the walking
areas with a 1000 grit abrasive pad and scraping
with a needle to make scratches showing the
base coat aluminium.
12
Painting the Quickboost exhausts was done in

several stages. First a layer of matt black,
repeated with a dark rust colour and gradually
getting lighter and lighter. I finish with oil washes
and pigments to give depth.
The exhaust trails are airbrushed with a mixture of

matte black and medium (Gunze H40) highly
diluted (90%) in numerous passes. I used photos
showing an asymmetrical appearance on each
side of the aircraft. A touch of beige pigment just
behind the pipes will give a burnt effect to the
sheet metal.
The final touch-ups of repairs are made with a
brush using diluted Prince August paint. Careful
study of the documentation is essential in order to
best match reality. The few rare stencils were
matte varnished in order to blend them into the
finish.
The propeller spinner is painted with a mask and

the touch-ups are done with a brush. The propeller
blades are worked on an RLM70 base (Gunze H65)
with different variations. Micro chips will be picked
up with a brush with a light beige (be careful, not
the aluminum, the blades were made of wood!), a
little pigment and a few oil drips will complete the
work.
To finalize the aging, an oil wash of different

shades is passed along the structural lines and
quickly wiped in the direction of the relative air-flow
on the wings and vertically on the fuselage.
Pigments will bring a little colour and structure to
the wing roots.
13
Micro spots are applied to a damp layer of white
spirit in order to blend them into the camouflage
while highlighting certain areas or panels.
The different coloured spots on the

undercarriage covers are due to the
absence of the sealing patches removed
during operations now, the same thing is
observed on the fuselage at the lifting
point (red circle).
Several paint touch-ups are present under

the wings with a dark grey area hiding part
of the right wing cross and red primer is
applied with a brush around certain
hatches.
The photos show a rather tired

aircraft with numerous leaks,
particularly at a drain just behind
the cooling flaps. The streaks were
drawn with a fine brush in layers, to
finish the freshest ones are made
with an AK Oil Stain reference to
obtain a gloss appearance.
The wheels were worked with pigments diluted with

white spirit wiped on the rolling area to give a realistic
appearance.
The rear part of the fuselage is copiously covered in
pigment to represent the splashes of earth and mud
kicked-up during taxiing.
The mud splashes are applied with a brush soaked in

pigments diluted in white spirit. This was flicked with a
toothpick to reproduce the fine splashes and speckles.
1414
14
Perched on its long legs, the posture

of the Fw190 clearly reveals the
details added on the gear legs as
well as in the wells. The detailing
work was not in vain!
Don't forget a feature specific to this
aircraft, the tail wheel retraction
cable present on the right leg joint.
Small detail is important and

finishes the brace of Focke-
Wulfs, the gear extension
indicator to confirm the
position of the landing gear
to the pilot. A coloured
piece of stretched plastic
will do the trick.
15
Henri Daehne's propeller sets are so good that the peg

does not need to be glued, which will leave the possibility
of admiring the details of the propeller pitch variation
system.
This D-11 has only flown very little so weathering is

applied sparingly on the different effects under the belly of
the aircraft. Note the eye-catching red and white ventral
antenna.
16
The wire antenna is made with extremely

thin metal wire, which allows it to be
shaped into the desired shape. On curved
canopies, there is no wire tensioner, so the
antenna remains relaxed. The insulators are
stretched plastic micro-tubes.
17
RIO
BIO
DAWID BRANSKI
USES THE TIMELESS TAMIYA KIT TO
CREATE FAMED RADAR INTERCEPT OFFICER AND
TOP-GUN INSTRUCTOR DAVE ‘BIO’ BARANEK’S
‘SANTA BRUTUS’ TOMCAT
WITH HELP FROM THE MAN HIMSELF...
18
F - 1 4 A T O M C AT 1 : 4 8
Dave “BIO” Baranek was a
Tomcat RIO best known for
his books “Top Gun days” ,
“Before Top gun days” and
“Tomcat RIO”.
He was also a top gun instructor

when the first movie was filmed. He
flew as a backseater in one of black
F-5’s aka Mig-28 that appeared in
the movie as the main adversary.
“Bio” is also known for his fantastic
aerial photography.
I am sure you have seen some of his

work and did not ever realise it’s his,
especially his famous selfie from
1989 In which he is reading an issue
of Tailhook magazine during combat
air patrol flight over the Indian
Ocean. I was extremely lucky that
bio helped me out with this project
and provided me with reference
materials, so thank you Bio!
19
The painting scheme we chose for this Tamiya 1/48 F-14A tomcat painted it with MRP 36231 Dark Gull Grey and then applied and
was Bio’s VF-211 fighting checkmates aircraft that was painted in fixed all the Red Fox studio set bits with a use of Ammo Mig ultra
this scheme in December 1997, to commemorate the Christmas glue.
holidays during the 6 month deployment aboard USS Nimitz in I replaced the kit ejection seat for a little more detailed resin seats
support of the operation Southern Watch. by Eduard.
VF-211 held a little contest for this painting scheme and a few The pilot and rio figures were also replaced from the kit parts to
people submitted their designs. The winner was another tomcat resin, and in my opinion most realistic figures you can get now by
pilot LCDR “Mach” Singletary and his design was expertly applied Reedoak.
by airman Michael Kreisher. The assembly was pretty straight forward without any issues as
we are used to the Tamiya’s legendary quality and perfect fit of
This painting scheme was previously featured in one Hasegawa their recent models. Well worth the
rebox of 1/72 scale F-14A Tomcat kit, but for 1/48 scale, there is money. After painting the cockpit
even a better option and that is the DXM Decals VF-211 frame black I weathered it with a
Checkmates set. silver paint using a sponge
chipping technique and added
The “Late” version of tamiya F-14A Tomcat kit gives you the option some dirt with a use of ammo
to build it cat jump ready (catapult launch position) with front mig oilbrusher “dust”.
wheel kneeling and wing slats and flaps retracted and this is what
my vision was, canopy closed, pilot and rio ready launch the
aircraft..
I started building the cockpit by removing the raised details from

instrument panels with a sharp knife and metal file in order to
replace them later with a Red fox studio acrylic cockpit set.
I primed the cockpit first with Mr.Surfacer black and
20
Landing gear struts and wheel bays were enhanced a

little by adding some wires, I later sprayed them with
Mr Surfacer white along with air intakes.
Front wheel bay detailing was brush painted and then I
used Ammo Dark Sea Blue wash to bring out the
details.
When I finished most of the fuselage assembly and

had other bits ready I primed the whole model with
Mr.Surfacer black except for the inner parts of the flaps
and slats. These were primed with Mr.Surfacer pink
primer and later painted red.
Now it’s time to paint the model grey with the three
main grey colours. First I used a few airbrush stencils
from 77 propeller and sprayed a lot of various patches
with MRP FS 36628 Light Arctic Grey. The purpose of
this is to create an uneven pattern
and weathered look at the later
stage after painting the main
colours.
The main greys were later sprayed in
thin coats until desired blotchy,
weathered look was achieved.
I used MRP paints Light Ghost Grey (FS
36375) on the whole underside of the
aircraft, Dark Ghost Grey (FS 36320)
on the top and FS 35237 for the front
fuselage and tails.
21
A lighter shade of grey was used to

simulate repaint jobs on the panel lines.
Maintenance guys often repaint these
areas after some work was done as
removing and installing panels often made
the paint to chip off.
I sprayed the model with a gloss clear coat
before applying all the decals and after the
decals were set I sprayed the model again
with a clear satin coat.
Next I used Ammo Dark Blue Sea wash on
all the panel lines and started weathering
with oils.
First I started with Ammo oilbrushers -
turquoise and white and created a few
patches in random spots on the aircraft. I
blended the oils with a tiny bit of ammo
enamel thinner on the brush.
Abteilung 502 Dark Mud was used to
create dirt and grime on the inner
parts of flaps and slats.
For the wing seep marks I used Abteilung

502 Smoke, Turquoise and Raw Umber. I
marked the edges of the wing sweep first
with Tamiya masking tape, and used the wide
brush (with a little bit of enamel thinner) to
create a sweep effect. After removing the
masking tape I blended the sharp edge left
by the tape with a dry cotton bud.
22
The top of the aircraft was weathered with Ammo

oilbrusher Medium Grey, and later when the paint dried
completely I added another layer of dirt with use of
Abteilung 502 smoke. Mostly in the middle of the aircraft
and between tails where the crew walk a lot.
As for the underbelly I gradually built up the dirt with layers
of oil paints.
I use a hair dryer to dry oils so I can put on another
layer much faster than waiting a full 24 hours.
Started with Ammo oilbrusher Medium Grey,
Winsor & Newton Burnt Umber, Burnt Sienna and
Abteilung 502 Smoke.
I used Ammo Mig Streaking Grime and enamel thinner to
create fluid streaks.
Medium Grey from Ammo was also used on the port side
of the fuselage where the crew climbed into the cockpit.
Wing glove inflatable bags were first painted Dark Grey
first and later weathered with ammo dust oilbrusher. I also
used purple on one spot of each inflatable bag to achieve
some sort of stains. To weather edges of the bags I used
Burnt Sienna.
The engine nozzles were painted with multiple metallic

colours. First I sprayed them with glossy black followed by
alclad pale burnt metal. The inner edge was then sprayed
with Alclad Jet Exhaust. Another step was to stipple a
masking fluid using a sponge and then spray the inner
edge again with Alclad Magnesium.
After removing the masking fluid I masked some of the
exhaust panels with masking tape and sprayed again with
ammo-a stand Polished Brass and then I used masking
fluid again to mask some random spots on these painted
panels and sprayed MRP Burnt Metal Violet.
I removed all the masking and then sprayed Alclad Hot
Metal Blue in a few random spots.
Finally, the outer edge of the exhausts was sprayed
carefully with Ammo A-stand Hot Metal Burnt Carbon.
I sealed the exhausts first with Alclad Aqua Gloss and then
sprayed with MRP satin varnish.
Little weathering was done after with a dark wash from
Ammo.
23
For the weapon loadout I decided to do

exactly the same as the reference
pictures that Bio provided me with. Two
Aim-9 Sidewinder missiles, one AIM-54
phoenix and two Mk.20 Rockeye cluster
bombs (aftermarket from Eduard)
The sidewinder missile tip was cut and
then I used UV clear glue to make a
missile lens.
After putting everything together, removing the canopy masks and

adding a few little details including metal pitot tube from Master,
the model was finished.
I would like to dedicate this model and thank Dave “Bio” Baranek
for all the help with this project!
24
25
RIO
BIO
26
27
28
29
1:72
The Aichi Laura was a lesser known IJN biplane flying boat
used as reconnaissance plane during the first months of WWII. It was
launched from catapult-equipped cruisers and had a pusher propeller Rogério ‘Rato’ Marczak
design with the engine mounted above the top wing. Some of them
were painted overall black for night observation, making Laura's Builds the rarely seen
unique appearance even more uncanny – a perfect modelling project
for a non-green camouflage Japanese WWII airplane. Fujimi kit helped with a
Reconnaissance planes launched from catapults mounted in big
ships started to be used in the 1930s by every Navy in the world. Hasegawa catapult
They represented the first incarnation of the long-range radars or the
eyes of the fleet. Some of these planes had just a few manufactured,
usually to equip a particular fleet, and therefore do not enjoy the
same fame as their combatant cousins.
The Aichi E11A1 Kyujuhachi Yatei, or Type 98 reconnaissance

seaplane, codenamed Laura by the Allied, was one such airplane. By
the end of the 1930s, the naval rail catapult design reached its peak,
and virtually all big ships in the Imperial Japanese Navy were
equipped with at least one. The three light cruisers of the Sendai
class were modernized between June 1933 and July 1934 with the
aft 14 cm gun being relocated to fit a mobile Kure Type No.2 19 m
catapult between the No.6 and No.7 gun mounts. They used a variety
of night-reconnaissance seaplanes with these catapults, with the type
98 being used throughout 1939-1941.
The Fujimi kit of the Aichi E11A1 was released in 1998, but is very
well moulded, has good fitting, and has recessed panel lines.
Although it is the best option in 1:72 scale, it also shows its age by
the almost empty interior and lack of rivets.
30
AICHI E11A1
31
For me, the overall black camouflage was a welcome diversion The model was then airbrushed with Mr. Surfacer black primer,
from the usual green or grey WWII IJN aircraft. which would also work as a base coat for the black-ish colour later
That said, onto the model. My first steps were to correct/improve on. I focused on covering the metal areas of the aircraft. In this
things that were not great on the kit. I painted the cockpit and stage I decided to install some of the wing struts, but not all. I
used the kit decal for the control panel, but I added the seatbelts. reasoned that by cementing only some of them on the lower wing
The circular window ahead of the windscreen had a loose fit, so I I would later install the top wing more easily, as well as the
cemented it with CA glue and sanded off the moulded-on frames; missing struts (of course, at the risk of breaking them during the
I would add them later with decals. The sliding hatch of the project). To ensure that the angles of the selected struts were
observer was replaced by a piece of plastic card, and its rails right, I temporarily fitted the top wing with the help of the jig
were simulated through stretched sprues (photo 1). The model provided in the kit (photo 6). Once the glue was set, the top wing
was riveted along the metal-skinned areas. The slot for the was removed and I had those struts in the correct angles (photo
horizontal stabilizer was tightened with plastic shims (photo 2). To 7).
better simulate the top wingtip lights, they were cut off from the Another approach different than the usual was how the model was
wings and, instead of using the usual methods, I mixed UV resin prepared for the rigging. I made several turnbuckles by turning
with blue and red ink and applied the mix in place of the plastic 0.15 mm wire around a drill bit (photo 8). The idea was to insert
removed, then sanded smooth and polished. It worked very well them in pre-drilled holes, but I would not insert the rigging through
and I am considering using this tip in other projects (photos 3 & their openings. I would later use them as terminals (photos 9 &
4). At this point, this simple model was virtually done (photo 5), 10) to glue the stretched sprue rigging
but simple is a word that I dare to use up to the upper wing more easily at the end.
assembly. More on that later.
1 2
4
8 9
7 10
32
11
12
PAINT IT BLACK
Now the black camouflage, one of the motivations of this project, places, while a heavier paint chipping going all the way to the
actually started. In my experience, single-colour scale aircraft can aluminum at others (photo 13). I made the effect go up to the
turn toy-like pretty fast if we just shoot the colour and clear coat it. sides of the hull as well (photo 14). The extra work with riveting
Variations in the finish are a must in such cases. So much so that paid off after these effects.
over the years I started to view single-colour subjects as more With the lower hull out of the way, I could concentrate on the black
difficult to be convincing in scale than most multi-coloured finish. As I said, I didn’t want a monotone look and, maybe more
camouflages; like if our brain was less tolerant in judging single- important, the appearance of the black should look differently on
colour models. My first step was to airbrush linen colour over all metal and on canvas, even being the same paint. The first step
the canvas-covered areas, as I would use it to make some effects was to airbrush a highly thinner lighter shade, actually a dark grey,
later (photo 11). Next, I had to simulate the lower hull wear over selected panels of the whole aircraft to represent the sun
caused by the salt water as generally happens with flying boats. fading and salt accumulation. Oils were also used during this
The process started by painting the lower area of the hull (and stage to make vertical streaks along the fuselage, wash panel
wing floats) with aluminum. Then a coat of hairspray was lines, and highlight the rivets here and there. Then came the
airbrushed and, once dry, covered with red primer colour mixed tedious job of masking all metal areas of the whole airframe: tail,
with Tamiya paints. The red primer was partially removed by lower, and upper wing (photos 15 & 16).
scrubbing with a wet brush to reveal the aluminum underneath
(photo 12). An aged black colour mixed with Tamiya paints was I then airbrushed another shade of grey over the canvas-covered
then airbrushed over the area but without the hairspray layer. I areas, which were previously painted in linen. These areas received
used a hard bristle brush moistened with a water and window a final coat of matt varnish to contrast even more with the metal
cleaner mixture to remove some of the black colour. This areas. Upon removal of the masks, the result was the model
approach simulated moderate wear to show the red primer at covered with tonal variations of an all-black finish (photo 17).
15
13 14
16 17
Areas that were fabric-covered

in the real aircraft were painted
with linen colour.
33
The hull chipping was done in two steps. The first one used hairspray
to chip the red primer and show the aluminum skin.
In the second step no hairspray was used. The black top colour was
carefully eroded using a stiff brush moistened in windex and water
mix. This revealed the primer in places, and the aluminum in others.
The metal-skinned parts darker than the canvas-covered ones, floats were also cemented in place at this stage. Then, the rigging.
plus the various effects, rendered the visual interest that I was As I mentioned before, I wanted to make it simple, so I stretched
after with the model. I nicknamed it non-black black, in the same grey sprues to the correct thickness and selected the straight
sense figure painters use non-metallic metal. Kit decals were ones. Using a measuring compass, I cut the stretched sprues to
used, except for the Hinomarus, which were airbrushed. Then I the necessary length of each rigging wire. With a small drop of
proceeded with a gentle sanding over the canvas areas to reveal PVA glue at the end of the turnbuckles imitation installed before, it
the linen underneath. The last major painting step was was just a matter of laying each wire in position. Later I would
accomplished by working with oils on the metal areas of the top touch up the end of the turnbuckles with black paint for a better
wing close to the engine. finish.
Only then, the top wing was permanently attached to the model,
along with the missing struts already painted. Extreme care was The last weathering task was to simulate paint chipping in metal
necessary to ensure the correct dihedral, incidence angle, and areas. I used silver and grey pencils around the cockpit, leading
parallelism of the wings. By cautiously applying thin liquid cement edges of the wings, and engine cowling. On the observer’s hatch,
to glue these parts, no repaint was necessary, but I shot matt I used brown colour to show scratches on what I believe was a
varnish over the glued areas to avoid any gloss spots. The wing wooden construction.
Smaller items came next: the propeller was painted, weathered,

and installed. I vacuum-formed a new windscreen for the
observer’s position, and a new Pitot tube replacing the over-thick
representation in the kit.
The fuselage received a grey wash to

simulate salt accumulation. Paint chipping
on the metal areas was accomplished
using a silver pencil.
I cut straight stretched

sprues to the necessary
length for each rigging
wire. They were fixed in
place with a small drop of
PVA glue at the end of the
turnbuckles imitation
installed before.
34
The propeller was

painted, weathered, and
installed in place.
Airbrush and OPR (oil
paint rendering) were
alternately used to
weather the aft fuselage.
The Laura was finished but I

wanted to display the strange bird
in its natural habitat. Knowing
which ships these aircraft
operated on, it was not difficult to
find drawings and (poor) photos of
the catapult configuration. The
next thing to do was to find a
decent model of a Kure Type No.2
catapult.
SLINGSHOT
I know Fujimi has a modern good kit of it, but it is as difficult as
unicorn tears to find. I ended up using the catapults that come So I’ve chosen to scratchbuilt the tower and the associated
with several old Hasegawa kits like the Jake, the Pete, and the Alf. details: a ventilator, a couple of boxes, and a cable reel. The tower
It is an old model, but it can be improved to a better standard. itself is a piece of plastic tube. I used the kit cover and added
I started adding pulleys, holes, and rivets to the catapult's basic corrugated texture and a hatch which was visible in the period
structure. Before gluing the top plate, I installed the cables, which photos. The ladder used by the pilots to reach the airplane was 3D
were made of string and orthodontic wire. The latter is particularly printed.
useful for straight lengths, and they simulate helical cables very
well. My initial plan was to use the catapult tower that comes with
The old catapult from Hasegawa
the kit, but it didn’t look good. So I scratchbuilt a new one and has no rivets. We added them
added details to go on the deck around the catapult tower. The using MicroMark’s
idea was to show the area between gun mounts 6 and 7 of the rivet decal.
Sendai ships in the diorama so that it wouldn’t be necessary to
model the guns.
The area of the ship

where the catapult
goes was not cramped
with equipment. I
scratchbuilt a new
tower and other
Cables were simulated using two materials: sewing line for the
accessories that I was
curved/pulley sectors, and orthodontic wire for the straight ones.
able to identify from
drawings and photos.
35
The diorama base is a wood planking used by RC ship modelers, I

just drew the planking ends and the nails. The wood planking was
stained to look darker, but not exactly a rustoleum finish. WWII
ship aficionados will recall that IJN decks had the planking
secured by brass strips. I opted for painting them in the ship
camouflage colours, reasoning that a brass finish would look odd
in the scale, no matter what. So I added the stripes transversally
to the deck and it looks great. I painted and weathered the
catapult dolly from the Laura kit. It fitted well to the Hasegawa
rails, but I added the rollers on the inside of the dolly. The catapult
was mounted in a slightly angled position and I considered it
done.
The Laura was glued to the dolly and I at last could appreciate the
look of such a machine mounted so high on a ship deck.
Undoubtedly, catapults are a different way to display an aircraft
model. A while after finishing the model, a friend of mine sculpted
and painted a couple of IJN sailor figures to give some life to the
diorama. It also puts a touch of humour into the scene.
It was a mostly enjoyable project from the start. If anything, I think

it endorsed the idea that single-color subjects are not necessarily
easier to paint than complex camouflage schemes. As always, it
all depends on how interesting you want the result.
The base of the diorama is actually the

planking of the area between No.6 and No.7
gun mounts of the ship. I used a ready made
planking used by RC ship modelers, but I
had to draw the ends of the planks and the
nails.
IJN ships had transversal

brass stripes to hold the
planks. I used plastic
stripes, but painted them in
the ship camouflage colour.
36
37
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CH-54 model bit higgher?
CHH-54
54 PHOTO GAALLERY
Fold3 Vietnam War photos

1:48
MATT PORTER BUILDS THE BOBCAT KIT
42
The Yak-28 was first[2] seen by the West at the Tushino clever configuration allowed more room for weapons,
air show in 1961 and was given the NATO designation equipment and fuel in the fuselage and more fuel in the
‘Brewer’ wings. Although it primarily operated at subsonic speed
it was capable of exceeding Mach 1 at high altitude.
Developed to fill a similar attack and recognisance roll Later versions of the Yak 28 included the P version,
as the British Canberra, the Big Yak bomber has a NATO codename Firebar, which was a fighter
somewhat futuristic looking design with a large 45 interceptor and the Yak 28R an ECM variant. A total of
degree swept wing on which were mounted two 1,180 were built and were only operated by the Russian
Tumansky R-11 turbojet engines in long cylindrical and Ukranian Airforces. It was largely withdrawn from
nacelles. The aircraft has an unusual landing gear frontline service in the early 1980s, but trainer and ECM
configuration with centreline main gear bogies mounted versions remained in service until after the fall of the
at the front and rear of the fuselage and supplemented Soviet Union, flying until at least 1992 when they were
by outrigger wheels in fairings near the wingtips. This eventually replaced by variants of the Sukhoi Su-24.
28PP
SOMETHING’S BREWING...THE SOVIET SUPERSONIC CANBERRA
43
The aircraft is perhaps best known for a cold war incident where a printed and easy to follow, but unusually they are a gatefold
Yak-28 crashed into a lake in the West Berlin in April 1966. The format, so when opened out to their full A3 extent the booklet is a
Yak suffered a catastrophic engine malfunction and strayed into little unwieldy.
the airspace of West Berlin. The heroic actions of crew of Captain
Boris Kapustin and Lieutenant Yuri Yanov avoided loss of life on There are several marking options for Natural metal and
the ground but tragically they were killed in the ensuing crash. camouflaged machines from both the Soviet and Ukranian
Their bodies along with the aircraft were recovered from the lake airforces, but the diagrams of the camouflage aircraft included in
by specialist Royal Navy recovery teams, who discovered the instructions are unfortunately not clear and the colour callouts
important top secret material within the plane. The wreckage was are inadequate.
taken to RAF Gatow where it was inspected by British and Aftermarket components used in the construction of this model
American engineers, before it and the bodies of the 2 crew were included the Aerobonus resin seats and pilots, and Armory resin
returned to the Soviet Union on the 2nd May 1966. wheels, as well as canopy masks from Eduard.
Under the Lid Don’t make it too complicated

The Bobcat 1/48 Yak 28PP Brewer was released in 2018 coming If a phrase could summarise this kit it would be ‘over engineered’
hot on the heels of the fighter version the Yak 28P Firebar which and you first meet this issue early in construction as for some
was released in 2017. The kit contains over 200 parts with very reason the two halves of the navigators nose section are moulded
nice recessed panel line and rivet details on 5 individually separately from the main fuselage.
packaged grey and one clear sprues. The instructions are clearly
The kit cockpit is nicely

detailed with plenty of
raised details
The Aerobonus
pilots and seat
were beautifully
details and
responded well
to detail
painting.
The cockpit tub

was painted
neutral grey with
black instrument The Aerobonus pilot and
panel and side KS4 seat fitted into the
consoles. cockpit perfectly
Small details were added with a range of

colours and using lots of artistic licence!
The navigators
compartment is detailed
with several components
added to the cockpit
sidewalls. There are
some injector pin marks
on the cockpit walls,
those visible through the
open cockpit hatch were
The navigators cockpit is given a
dealt with.
similar colour treatment, and
both cockpits were weathered
with a dark brown wash and The cockpit tub is attached to the
shading with artist oils. front gear bay before being mounted
in the right fuselage half
44
The fuselage is a little over engineered and made

up of several separate pieces, presumably to allow
the future production of more versions of the Yak.
Construction complexity carried on with the wings and the Even so the wings required a small amount of filler.The wings
fillets between the engines and wings were particularly have separate flap and ailerons and the wing tip probe
tricky.Careful construction and plenty of dry fitting is key requires careful handling to avoid damage later in
with this kit. construction.
The kit instructions call for the nose to be mounted to the joined along the belly of the aircraft, a spine piece, the fin and two chin
fuselage later in the build sequence but I found the easiest fillets to add. Presumably the fuselage construction is so
solution to guarantee the best alignment was to join each front complicated so as to allow the addition of further versions to the
nose and fuselage half before bringing the fuselage halves Yak 28 range at a later date. Fortunately everything came
together. This produced a very nice join and the key was to mount together well and minimal filler was needed to get an excellent
them on a very flat surface, I used a new cutting mat, whilst the finish.
glue dried.
Spreading its Wings
The kit cockpits are adequate if not highly detailed, the pilot sitting The challenging construction doesn’t finish with the fuselage, but
in a single piece tub with a separate instrument panel. The continues to the wings and engines. Each wing and engine pod is
navigators cockpit has several instruments and electronics boxes made up of 15 main parts not including the myriad vents and
mounted to the fuselage sides and has a separate small intakes that adorn the structure. Careful construction and
instrument panel. All of the relevant surfaces have nice raised thorough test fitting is key, but even so I had to resort to a little
details that response very well to dry-brushing and careful filler in the engine to wing joint. In common with other kits holes
painting. There are several sink marks in the cockpit area, some had to be opened in the wings to allow the fitment of hard points
more obvious than others. The kit ejection seats are very basic and sensor pods and is a step easily missed (as I did!). A good tip
and I was initially going to replace them with nicely detailed resin is to clearly mark these decision points on the instructions before
KM-1m seats from CMK, and it was only a little later in construction begins. Mating the wings to the fuselage should be
construction that I realised the big Yak was actually fitted with the simple as there is a sturdy locating tab on each wing, but there is
KS4 seat, I told you the kit seat was basic! I couldn’t find an a recess in the fuselage and its not clear how the wing root mates
aftermarket KS4 seat but there is a very nice resin KS4 seat with a to it as it can go inside or but up to it. The key is to align the lower
pilot figure attached from Aerobonus so decided to use these to wing root as this fits flush to the fuselage and then the upper join
enhance both cockpit areas. The cockpit and seats were given a makes more sense and actually sits just outside the fuselage
base colour of Tamiya XF53 neutral grey and details and pilots recess, luckily the final fit is excellent and no filler was required.
were brush painted with various colours and all the detail painting To finish the major construction before paint the pilots cockpit
was done with the help of a wet pallet. Everything was sealed with coming was fitted with a scratch built canvas cover that is clearly
a gloss varnish before a sepia oil wash was applied to highlight seen in reference pictures. The front windshield with its quirky
the details and artist oils were used to introduce further highlights , double ellipse windscreen and the large glazed nose were
shadows and general grime. attached using Tamiya extra thin cement and the elevators and
rudder were attached to the vertical tail. There are 2 large fuel
The cockpit was mounted to the front main gear well and then tanks that fit on the outer wings and these were left off at this
fixed to the right hand fuselage half, the rear gear well was also stage to simplify the painting process. Eduard pre-cut masks were
located in the same fuselage half before bringing the two fuselage used for all of the glazing and these are a worthwhile investment
halves together and joining with Tamiya extra thin cement. This given the unusual shape of the windscreen and the large number
isn’t the end of the fuselage construction as there is a large fillet of panels in the clear nose.
45
War Paint
I wont lie painting the big Yak Ready for paint! I
was a challenge, mainly used Eduard pre cut
masks which made
because there are so few
masking the large
references and period amounts of glazing
photographs, especially in
colour are very rare. Early
machines are natural metal and
later 2, 3 or 4 colour
camouflage schemes were
applied, interestingly colours
appeared to vary widely even
amongst airframes from the
same unit.
I wasn’t taken with the kit options and the colour

suggestions in the instructions were very basic and
The underside was didn’t reference specific paints. I was taken by a 2 tone
painted blue grey and
medium brown and black green camouflage pattern
post shaded with base
colour +20% white. which I had good references for, so after masking the
canopies with Eduard pre-cut masks and painting the
canopy framing interior grey the light brown camouflage
areas were laid down using Mr Color H310. To add a
little depth and interest to the paint I post shaded it with
the base colour lightened with 20% white. I masked the
camouflage using White Tak rolled into ‘worms’ to give a
soft demarcation and filled in the areas to be left brown
with Tamiya tape. It is always tempting to skip the
masking tape and rely on careful painting around the
white tak but invariably the extra time is worth the effort
as overspray easily happens and invariably takes longer
to correct than careful masking. I chose RML70 green
(Mr Color H65) as I wanted a really dark black green,
and in-fact in some of the reference photographs I have
you would be forgiven for thinking the colour is actually
black! As with the brown the green was post shade, this
time lightened with 20% yellow. Once the camouflage
colours were completed the model was given 2 good
cotes of gloss varnish to prepare it for decals and
subsequent weathering.
I mainly used the kit decals,

which were excellent and
settled well with several
applications of decal fixer,
there are quite a few stencils
supplied for various parts of
the airframe but resisted
using them all as a model can
quickly feel cluttered
especially in 1/48 scale. The
numbers on the nose came
from a Linden Hill Mig 23
sheet I had in my spares box.
The upper camouflage was masked with

the help of white tack worms to get a
slight soft edge. The brown was painted
first and both colours were post shaded,
the brown lightened with 20% white and
the green with 20% yellow. A gloss coat
was used as the basis for decals and
future weathering.
46
Cold war Grime

Once the decaling was completed they were sealed with
another coat of gloss varnish before a dark brown panel
wash was applied to all the panel line and rivet detail.
Unfortunately some of the panel line details were a little
soft and didn’t take the wash very well so I had to do
several applications. If I built this model again I would
definitely re-scribe some of these details. Next artists
oils were used to add further depth and interest to the
paintwork, underneath a sepia colour added shadows
and streaking, and on the upper surface tan and ocher
were used to add highlights to the brown and green
areas respectively. Using oils is a simple and very
effective technique with the added advantage of being
easy to wipe away without damaging the underlying
paintwork if you don’t like the final result. It’s a fairly
simple process, put a very small amount, less is
definitely more, of oil on the model and using a soft dry
brush work the oil, further blending and toning can be
achieved with a broad soft brush. I generally do this
process on a gloss finish as the oil has more slip, but
can be done on a satin or matt surface, though matt
surfaces are best worked with a brush slightly
dampened with thinner. This process is difficult to
judge and you generally need to put considerably more
contrast than you really want in the finished model as
Artist oils were used to add highlights and shade to the further satin and especially matt final varnish cotes will
paintwork. At this stage a high contrast is desirable as this is
reduce the contrast and the effect considerably.
muted somewhat after the final matt or satin coat.
Mission Ready attachment of the outboard rocket pods, fitting the pilot and his
Once the weathering was completed I applied a final satin coat to seat and attaching the navigators hatch and hatch stay and the
seal everything in before final assembly. Canopy masks were model was completed. The Brewer builds into an impressive and
removed first and then the main wheel and outriggers were unusual model which typifies the soviet designs of time. The kit
attached with their associated gear doors which had been painted has minor niggles but on the whole was fun to build, but
and weathered separately. An unforeseen problem occurred at camouflage options and lack of references added a little to
this stage as the aftermarket resin wheels are 3mm smaller in frustrations along the way. Now that I have a Brewer in my
diameter than the kit wheels which lead the outriggers to be too collection it would be a shame not to add its Firebar stable mate,
long, the simple solution was to use the kit wheels and so the at least I wouldn’t have to worry about camouflage!
lovely resin aftermarket items were unused. It only left the
47
48
28PP
49
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PHOTOGRAPHIC RECONNAISSANCE
Haze Blue paint is a product of Lockheed which attempted to phenomenon known as the Tyndall effect, the size of its pigments
make some aircraft covered with it invisible in high altitude flight. is smaller than that of the frequency which absorbs blue and
A sort of empirical preliminary to current stealth aircraft, this violet radiation. Thus, applied to a black base which swallows up
coating of an undefined blue colour was actually applied on a all the colors of the spectrum, this new texture only reflects blue
black base, determining for its effectiveness. and violet values. Involving MIT and the USAAF Material Division,
This is an interesting subject which leads me to base myself on the first conclusive tests were carried out at the end of 1941. The
the few colour and black and white photos available. It is not that development process was long and complicated to finally achieve
the secret was kept about the manufacturing process after the a satisfactory coating at the beginning of 1943 (but quickly
war, but more simply that nothing written was ever produced at abandoned on the Front). ) from the Lockheed firm: “Synthetic
the time: there is no Federal Standard nor any reference sample Haze Paint”. Relatively close to the British PRU blue designed for
(in fact unachievable) or paint chip preserved the same purpose, the colour or black and white photos
An article tells us that it all started in the summer of demonstrate the fragility of its texture and the wide variety of its
1940 when a Boston company communicated about the unusual states of fatigue: from the purple of the engine nacelles to the
properties of a white paint based on a colloidal solution (= light tiger blue of the fins, we can also discover many of the
containing particles less than 0.2 microns) zinc oxide and oil. A colour touch-ups applied by mechanics.
54
J e a n P h il ip pe Camus
Modelled by
55
Stationed primarily at Mount Farm, Oxfordshire, the 7th PR Landing on June 6, 1944. This unit accompanied the Allied forces
Squadron, 2nd PR Photographic Reconnaissance Group took more until 'to the last bombing missions over Germany. Inactivated in
than three million intelligence photos during 4,251 sorties over England on November 21, 1945, it was disbanded on March 6,
occupied Europe. The Group received a Distinguished Unit Citation 1947. I have not found any information or photos concerning this
for its sorties over the Normandy coast between May 31 and June aircraft Serial number 42-28999, which gives me scope for a free
30, 1944, playing a determining role in the preparation for the interpretation of its appearance.
To bring more realism to this cockpit, I chose to

insert the Aires resin kit. The check craftsman
appears to have studied the P-38 well, as far as
one can judge from the available factory
documentation. Evergreen profiles allow me to
add several meter boxes to the back of the
dashboard. I apply Poly Scale's US interior green
The dashboard comes alive with the Hasegawa
with gloss varnish with an airbrush (more faithful
instrument decal. Once the anti-crash bar is
in reality than in these images) and Prince
attached to the pilot's armour, I add all the
August's black 990 with a brush, which reduces
electrical connections, mainly to the
and stretches perfectly as it dries.
communication devices. A few stencils from a
generic 1/72 scale board will illusion where they
should be. The seat, painted Dark green AS-30
Tamiya then “tired”, and Eduard’s pre-painted
harnesses are glued to the plastic part of the
model.
I should know. Anyone who has ever installed an Aires

resin kit knows that you need to make room for it, lots
This model having been provided to me started by a friend, I am completing
of room. By practicing blank assemblies, I realized that
the work started: the deviation made from the assembly instructions which
it was necessary to remove all of the fittings from the
consists of gluing the exterior lower surfaces to the beams saves us from
edge of the Hasegawa cockpit to retain only the
having a step to fill subsequently, recurring on this kit.
bonding surfaces of the canopy. This is the case for this
cockpit to find its rightful place.
I begin riveting the surfaces of

the aircraft with a circular
“Rosie”, which I then soften:
these rivets are barely visible on
the different versions of the real
P-38. As is often the case,
ballast must be added for
tricycle planes. Here, two 20
gram fishing weights and their
half are stuck in the engine
nacelles, behind the propellers,
i.e. 30 grams on each side.
Blank tests are highly recommended before fixing the

subassembly using a two-component resin which will
prevent any possible surprises during subsequent handling,
as cyanolite glue is quite brittle under certain constraints.
56
I agree that these are nuances: the propeller cones do not

have quite the right profile, I putty their joint (left) and then
sand them (right). The standard USAAF orange-yellow was
undoubtedly used for this unit marking. I use Aircraft Colour
3051; remember that paints from other brands can be
The entire armed nose of the model must be perfectly suitable as long as they are faithful to the original.
removed in favour of Paragon resin
replacement, there is no need to take care of I restored the separation of the cone halves using a Tiger
the ejection windows of the cases... With the saw, perform light riveting and scratches with tape by
exception of the one which is on the left side randomly tearing off the paint, revealing the aluminum
of the front gear well: I sand it delicately after undercoat. A dark oil wash highlights the work done.
filling it with cyanolite.
While searching through my box of left-behind parts, I found P-38 tanks on which I I use the wheels from the model, making them flat due to the weight of
had carried out denting work. After stripping, I decided to paint them the device and the Ultracast nose wheel whose hub is perforated, as on
asymmetrically to represent this unusual but real practice which consisted of using the original. I also add the stretched plastic inflation valves on the rims.
the equipment available for a mission; one of the auxiliary tanks is therefore Neutral After applying the aluminum and Prince August black already
Grey while the other will be Haze Blue camouflage. An Eduard pre-painted photo- mentioned, I coat the tires and very diluted Tamiya XF-60 Dark Yellow
etched cap and stencils are attached to the first. with a brush. I keep the shiny appearance of black to simulate the
humidity of the terrain. The small stretched plastic inflation valves are
painted red.
As usual, I considerably refined the propeller

blades, taking care to preserve their
silhouette before painting them with AS-12
aluminum. The yellow ends are done using
Aircraft Color orange-yellow. The rubbing
alcohol allows me to cut the leading edge of
the blades to simulate their fatigue and I
apply the Curtiss Electric stencils. Once the propellers are assembled, the results are put
aside until final assembly.
The exhausts of the turbo

compressors are drilled
and decorated with their
mobile valve created using
a die-cut tool.
I painted them with aluminum,

then with a thick coating of
Bruno Mimetico Aeromaster to
reflect the rust. Once complete
drying is ensured, a black wash
of moderate dilution darkens the
whole and highlights the details.
Finally, a beige shade also
thinned with water reproduces
the scale and dirt accumulated
on these exhausts. The small air The Paragon conversion kit to make an F-5 E is designed for modelers:
intakes intended for heating the cutting the plastic nose is simple and yet precise. It is made up of three
cockpit are fitted with Metallic parts, the photographic nose (without weapon) as well as the two side
Steel 65 from Prince August. windows, and the glazing. Once these parts are prepared by sanding, I
assemble them and reinforce the cyanolite bonding using an Evergreen
profile. Removing a plastic nose requires precision and caution. However, I
found myself with an imprecise adjustment which forced me to use plastic
card and putty.
57
We know the difficulty of assembling the tail booms to the upper surfaces of a P-38J Hasegawa. I have to cut Before closing the assembly, the
back on the parts to be joined to reduce surface sanding as much as possible. However, there are still gaps to glued landing light glazings are
fill with cyanolite and putty at the rear junction, under the trailing edges of the wing. A tip that improves the covered with adhesive aluminum
lower surface wing/boom junctions consists of separating the two wing halves using a thin spacer at the four sheets.
contacts, without modifying the general dihedral.
Care must be taken to ensure that the booms are parallel during the drying
of the glues, as well as that the drift plane is horizontal.
A ventral gonio antenna allowed the With the windshield glued, I masked
pilot to better find his way in flight. I the entire cockpit, applied a coat of
use a cluster segment to shape the interior green and covered the open
shroud for this antenna; the ring, nose with a tissue to protect the
made of metal wire, will complete it cockpit from sanding dust.
later.
A coat of AS-12 allows you to check the gluing, sanding and reproduction
of erased details. The resin nose, when fixed, forces a joint to the fuselage,
then a new engraving of the erased structural lines and riveting. Here
again, an aluminum paint can highlight the defects of the graft. The side
windows find their place without camera lenses. It is again necessary to
ensure the correct symmetry of the bonding of these two pieces.
58
The bottom of the resin windows, into which the lenses are inserted, is painted black before making the
glazing using Chrystal tape. I carefully cut out their outline from the model once installed. I had taken
the imprint of the four windows on Tamiya tape which I cut out to mask them now.
This type of camouflage made of a wide variety of

blues has never been tackled by manufacturers to
my knowledge. We must therefore imagine which
colour mixtures will allow us to obtain a satisfactory In the absence of a photo of this device,
result. Here are the ones that allowed me to create this is the axis that I choose for our F-5E. I
this article, in order of application. apply Aeromaster French Light Blue Grey to
all lower surfaces and fins.
I take advantage of the installation of the

masks to paint the four black ribbons with a
brush: the irregularity of the result is
obviously intentional. Let us recall that this
principle of identification designed for the
Normandy Landings, which was to remain
unknown to the enemy for as long as
possible, was only applied to tens of
thousands of Allied aircraft a few days
before the operation. Thus, as we can see
in this photo of the Spitfire Mk IX, certain
executions of the instructions were brutal,
sometimes even carried out with a broom
as resources and time were lacking. On the
other hand, the invasion stripes of the F-4
and 5 were erased or overpainted in mid-
June 1944 to leave only that of the lower
This very matte paint serves as a base for applying the
halves of the booms, for obvious reasons.
white of the invasion stripes or what remains of it according
to Aeromaster instructions n°48-546 “F-5Es Recon
Lightnings”.
A second application of a modified and thinned

Aeromaster PRU gives me the opportunity to
practice the first variations on the fins, booms
and engine nacelles, ...
which I accentuate with

a UK Mediterranean
Blue, also modified. I
particularly emphasize
the leading edge of the
fins and the wings of the
aircraft.
59
The tape marks often present on the nose of the P-38 are made using Finally, a random coat of very diluted Royal Blue on the same surfaces
Tamiya Masking tape, before a new pass insisting on the front of the gives this purplish appearance observed in certain photos (see: “Fighter
model of the previous mixture added with Madder Hobby Color red. Command / WW2 in color” by Ethel and Sand). I have to keep a light hand
on this phase because the colour is very powerful.
All I have to do is reproduce the overpainting of the invasion bands on the An operational aircraft is always dirty. I applies washes mainly a Black Vine
top surfaces. For the latter, the most available colour then in Great Britain (Sennelier) which reflects the oil stains well. Same treatment mixed with
was certainly the PRU blue of the Mosquitos, cut with white for the lower Burnt Umber for invasion bands.
wing.
The exhaust traces are very variable on a P-38 but always follow
the same pattern to extend to the fins; I made them here with a
thin spray of Desert Yellow from Tamiya. A project evolves
throughout editing. I notice the apparent absence of markings on
the fuel tank caps on this type of aircraft when re-examining the
period photos. So I remove them from the model using portions of
After a coat of Tamiya X-22 gloss varnish in the places where it is useful, I applied all
standard tape. Some color touch-ups may then be necessary.
the decals of the aircraft. Its entire surface is then covered with Vallejo matt varnish.
It can happen that we have unpleasant

surprises when removing canopy masks.
This is the case here... I then began the
tedious work of correcting the
transparencies by sanding with abrasive
pads, initially not very aggressively, then with
increasingly fine grade; protecting what can
be protected is of course the first thing to
do.
60
There are many products that can

achieve good results. But the cosmetics
section of a store will also offer less
expensive and quite satisfactory nail
polishing files.
The operation to restore the

transparency of this part of the canopy
begins with sanding with 1000 grit. You
must keep a light hand so as not to
scratch the plastic so as not to add work
to the work in progress... Follow the
increasingly finer grains up to 12,000.
I recreate masks by applying those

of the canopy to Tamiya paper tape,
which is more reliable than Eduard
plastic. A new X-Acto blade cutting
right against the green shape allows
me to obtain the cleanest shapes
possible. A light table can help.
A shade close to that initially applied is slightly

tinted with the denser shade of the nose; this
nuance enriches the aging of Haze Blue. While at
it, I also protected the climbing ladder handle
from colour retouching. At this point I also
unmasked the photo blisters.
Finally comes this delicate

moment where we put the
finishing touches to our model,
I fix the few last elements put
aside until now: the handles
and locking systems of the
canopy, the tilting canopy using
two-component resin, the
unique and typical antenna
wire of this version, propellers,
etc.
61
62
63

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112 FEB/MAR 2024 • £7.95 UK $16.

JB SAILLANT’S FW-190 D9 & D11

+ WORRKS WITH 1/4

FREEAL TUTORIALLS & ONLINE STORE:

2 Double Trouble FW-190s

54 1:72 F-5 E-2 Lightning

AIR Modeller is published Bimonthly by

D9 Quickboost propeller 32187

For the rest of the details a lot of scratch-building, all the

The integration of the resin cockpits was not done without

The Aires cockpit is finely moulded, but some details

Another problem detected when closing the fuselage,

The brake lines are

The Eduard 32100 photo etch will give

The tail wheel provided in the box is too

To reduce costs, Hasegawa used a common

The Hasegawa hood is too pronounced in

The different engine cowls do not

Engine parts supplied by Hasegawa are basic

The gear wells and landing gear of German

The Quickboost exhaust pipes (centre) will quickly replace those

MDC instrument decals need to be carefully placed individually but

The rest of the assembly posed no problems, which brings us

The fuselage of the D-11 (undercoated in

For the wings of the D-9, the same technique

The fin is painted in pure RLM 76, coming

Both aircraft are painted with the W3 ventral scheme,

The fuselage receives green RLM

The camouflage of the D-11 is classically RLM 81/82

All the markings are finished, they have been

The touch-ups made in the field repair unit are

Painting the Quickboost exhausts was done in

The exhaust trails are airbrushed with a mixture of

The propeller spinner is painted with a mask and

To finalize the aging, an oil wash of different

The different coloured spots on the

Several paint touch-ups are present under

The photos show a rather tired

The wheels were worked with pigments diluted with

The mud splashes are applied with a brush soaked in

Perched on its long legs, the posture

Small detail is important and

Henri Daehne's propeller sets are so good that the peg

This D-11 has only flown very little so weathering is

The wire antenna is made with extremely

He was also a top gun instructor

I am sure you have seen some of his

I started building the cockpit by removing the raised details from

Landing gear struts and wheel bays were enhanced a

When I finished most of the fuselage assembly and

A lighter shade of grey was used to

For the wing seep marks I used Abteilung

The top of the aircraft was weathered with Ammo

The engine nozzles were painted with multiple metallic

For the weapon loadout I decided to do

After putting everything together, removing the canopy masks and

The Aichi E11A1 Kyujuhachi Yatei, or Type 98 reconnaissance

Areas that were fabric-covered

Smaller items came next: the propeller was painted, weathered,

The fuselage received a grey wash to