James H

At the moment, I have 81, but in the next week or so, I will have the entire 100. I also have a lighting mod kit coming for the myriad of underside lights, two pulsating blue LED hyperdrive light units, 3D printed main hold arches/engine heat exhausts and fans/maintenance pit, Paragrafix cockpit and corridor sets. I have yet to get the turret PE set and more 3D printed stuff, as well as pipe this up for flashing/blinking fibre optics too. ....maybe other stuff also.

808mm long and 596mm wide. Weighs 11kg when done!

1:43 Millennium Falcon Well, if you want EPIC, then this has to be the definition. In the next weeks, I'll start to put together an abridged build log for this model. For more info, check here: http://www.model-space.com/us/build-millennium-falcon.html Now, I simply can't build this 'as is'. That wouldn't be sporting...with all that interior detail etc. This will be enhanced further with multiple exterior lights, fibre optics in the interior, as well as lights in the corridors etc. It will also have some 3D-printed additions, as well as pulsating hyperdrive lights to replace the standard blue LED display. There will be other additions, but they are yet in planning stage. A number of mods on here, including some nice Paragrafix photo etch. How does that sound?

It's also 1:1 with the movie prop.

Did you order it? Yes? We demand proof!

You called? Yes, I have this kit. It's seriously ÜBER! So many possibilities if you want to mod it, and loads of 3D-printed stuff, PE and electronics for it. If you are seriously considering a project of this scale, the Falcon is the way to go. Check out the various Facebook pages for the model and you'll see many dozens of enthusiasts doing incredible stuff with it....internal corridor lighting, smuggling and maintenance holes, fibre optics, pulsating engine lights, 3D-printed hold and cockpit stuff, engine exhausts.. Check out 'deago millennium falcon' on www.shapeways.com for starters, and look at these pulsating lights for the rear: http://www.falcon3dparts.com/falcon_lights_set/ Go for it! I'll be starting mine in the next weeks. I just need a game plan for something this size.

Pretty darn amazing. I like the layering of stuff here. When you finish, will you restore it?

I like the wings fading, but does this look the same as the fuse will?

Ha! Scuffing a canopy up. The opposite of what we normally strive for.

dammit

!rotiA iH

Relating to my work?

Nice to finally see colour on the main model. Surely, SURELY not long to go now? What do you think your rear taste will be?

And I forgive you too. Noisy

Nice intro, Alberto Just loving those builds.

Loving it, and hardly any tonal crush!

Now we're rocking'! Loving that finish.

Yes!!! I'm presuming this will be built with wings?

1:32 Norden Bombsight Robert Mrozowski Model & Design Being on a bombing run is nothing for the faint-hearted, with flak exploding around you, as well as fighters and other things designed to distract and destroy your presence. Original vector bombsight technology relied on a bomber being able to make a clean, long run towards the target, with minimal weather conditions affecting the aircraft, or indeed those defensive distractions. If you veered from the path, then your run would be inaccurate and you would need to make another run towards the target. The Americans, aware of the multitude of problems with vector sights, were working on a new system of targeting using a gimbal that would keep the bombsight pointing downwards, irrespective of weather conditions, or the pilot having to make flight adjustments. This technology lead to what became known as tachometric bomb aiming. The Norden M bombsight employed a canonical tachometric system, with the bombsight measuring the bomber’s airspeed and direction, and compensating for variations in flight path by means of an autopilot system. An analogue computer constantly calculated the bomb impact point throughout the variation in external forces that would otherwise affect it. Designed by Carl Norden, and developed in extreme secrecy, the Norden M bombsight is probably the most famous unit of its type in aviation history, being used in the B-17 Fortress, amongst many other types, and also used post-war in the Korean War, and as late as 1967, during the Vietnam War. Image courtesy of Smithsonian Institute The kit This product has been a labour of love for Robert Mrozowski. It has taken him two years to learn the software needed to design the Norden M bombsight, as well as implement the research involved into an accurate 3D model that could then become a physical model you see here. This is Robert’s very first release, and we are very pleased to be able to show it here on Large Scale Modeller. The 1/32 Norden bombsight (no ‘M’ suffix on the packet) is packed into a small clear sleeve that has a fold-over card backing for product presentation. This also includes a few images of the product, with relation to removing the stabiliser/autopilot unit from the casting block. Links are also given for websites that have Norden reference. The packet itself has a black card stiffener to further protect the products. A single casting block contains SIX parts, cast in light grey resin. These are produced by Paul Fisher of Fisher Model & Pattern, therefore the quality is assured. Another small clear sleeve is included within the packet, holding two clear punched discs for the lenses. The instructions advise using thick CA glue for assembly, with Gator Glue or similar for the clear lense parts. Of course, you could use a drop of Klear for the latter. The reference photos indicate data plates/placards in various locations. No decals are included with the set, but you can find just what you need in one of the excellent Airscale decal sets, or those from Mike Grant. Comparing the exploded views of the bombsight, along with the resin parts, they look extremely accurate to the photo reference seen on the Smithsonian website, and on Google Images. It’s obvious that Robert has spent an inordinate amount of time getting this just right. The translation to resin is also spectacular, with the parts depicting all of that detail in precise miniature form. Removal from the casting block should be easy. The block extends up to a few of the detail extremities, aiding resin pouring, and these are also easy to sever when detaching the components from the casting block. Resin production itself is perfect, with no flaws or bubbles to be seen. Conclusion Face it, if you’re building a 1/32 bomber, then a decent bombsight is really required. These are very visible on the finished model, and therefore your efforts here won’t go to waste. The bombsight in the HK Models B-17 kit is good, straight from the box, but could be improved so much more with an aftermarket part. With reference to the B-17, this particular bombsight is more suited to the B-17G at the moment. There is a different mount required for the E/F kit, but Robert says this will be released before too long, so purchase with confidence. An amazing little upgrade for a colossus of a model kit, and one you should contemplate if you are into the big bombers! Highly Recommended My thanks to Robert Mrozowski for this review sample and images.

That's a blast from the past. Home run now?

MiG-15!

What have you got?

1:32 Me 262 Detail sets Eduard Hot on the heels of the new 1:32 Revell Me 262B-1/U-1 Nightfighter release, comes this suit of PE sets from Eduard. Whilst these were sent to me as individually packaged products, these should be available as in Eduard’s BIG ED packet before too long, saving you a little money if you wish to utilise all items on your build. Let’s take a look at what Eduard has released for this new kit, and what it covers. #32395, Me 262B-1 exterior (Purchase link) This set comprises of a single fret of bare brass PE, packaged into Eduard’s usual slim, re-sealable wallet. Two A5 sheets are included for instructions, printed double-sided. When Eduard state that something is ‘exterior’, what they are actually mean is that it is exterior to the cockpit, so unless there are specific sets for things like engines and weapon bays etc. then you will find it on their exterior set. This particular one covers the landing gear and bays, weapons bay, engine areas and several other details that are scattered around the airframe. There is nothing in this release that is designed to majorly overhaul the Revell kit, as it simply doesn’t need it. Instead, this set helps to refine what is offered, and with generally very little surgery needed. For the engine areas, the upper removable cowls are to be fitted with interior constructional detail, and there is a pull handle for the Reidel starter in each nose cone. These housed a rudimentary petrol engine, so it was a little like pulling the starting cord on a lawn mower! For the engines, that really is it. The undercarriage and bays get a nice touch of PE, with a little port and plating detail, plus some extra detailing for the interior of some gear doors. Eduard will also release a set of resin wheels, and despite the kit parts being passable, they aren’t weighted. Some nice touches are added within the weapons bay. These include fastening plates for the gun bay doors, ejection chute and door internal detail, plus some very welcome latches to use if you position the doors in the open position. These are often forgotten about on many finished Me 262 models. A little fiddly, but well worth investing time in adding. One area that will need a little thought are the replacement of the slat actuation brackets. I’m not absolutely sure I would be totally comfortable in removing the moulded detail and fitting the PE parts. These are quite thin in relation to the plastic. Eduard has also supplied the metal plate detail that will be seen if the slat is drooped forward. A very nice touch. Other external details include end plates for the landing flaps, providing more detail here, and also for fuel filler caps that sit atop the fuselage, just forward of the canopy. Then it comes to sanding the seams, this detail is easily lost, so there’s no need to worry with these in your arsenal. Aileron, elevator and rudder trim tab actuators are also included. #32893, Me 262B-1 interior (Purchase link) Packaged as per the exterior upgrade, this set contains two PE frets; one in bare brass, and the other is nickel-plated and colour-printed. Again, instructions are printed double-sided across two sheets of A5 paper. Here we see the usual and obvious candidates in these particular sets, with a colour, mult-layer/part instrument panel and side consoles, both with extraneous lever detail etc. Some surgery will be required on the rudder pedal bar, and new pedals themselves are included. A rather nifty PE gunsight is also provided. This will be a little fiddly to execute, but it is an improvement over the kit part. A piece of clear acetate is included for the glass reflection plates. Instrumentation changes also apply to the radio transmitter and receiver units within the rear cockpit, with the main radio unit being composed entirely of PE, replacing the kit part. The pilot’s switch/fuse panel also benefits from a number of placards, as do other cockpit areas. A small number of seat modifications are also included, such as side plates that require the plastic parts to be thinned, and seat fixing brackets. Other areas addressed and corrected in this set are canopy actuation levers and fastening lugs, rear upper panel replacement, fuel filler cap detail (yes, in the rear cockpit!), and internal canopy details. Here you will find a real bonus; the night vision radar unit that is missing from the kit itself! This sits in the forward cockpit, and must surely have been a hindrance to the pilot during routine flying. One anomaly in this set is the inclusion of the data placards that fit to the electrical boxes in the weapon bay. As it wouldn’t have been economical for Eduard to have added these colour parts to the exterior set, they are included here. If you don’t want to go for the full fat interior detail, then consider the Zoom set which concentrates on the colour-printed parts only, and of course, costs a little less. That can be found HERE #32894 Me 262B-1 seatbelts steel (Purchase link) Eduard has now extended its steel belts range to cover this kit specifically. If you weren’t a fan of their original colour PE belts (and you either love or loathe them), then these might impress you more. Thankfully, these are now extremely thin and much easy to manipulate, and my limited experience of the range shows proved to me that the ink didn’t flake off. The appearance of them is also much better, with a little shading included. There is no need to construct a myriad of small parts here including belts and buckles, except for adding the padded section to the lap belts. It’s all done for you. This set also includes the attachment lugs for the Me 262 seats themselves. Supplied in a narrow sleeve, a single sheet of instructions clearly shows how these are installed to the model kit. #JX196 Me 262B-1 masks (Purchase link) I hate trying to mask something by hand, so these are always a godsend. A single sheet of kabuki paper masks includes parts for all of the canopy panels and also the wheel hubs. Due to the raised details on the hubs, these are supplied as outer circumferential parts only, which I actually prefer. Instructions are nice and clear, and you should have no problem in fitting these. Conclusion When the time comes to build this, I’ll certainly try to fit in as much of this as I can. I’m particularly impressed by the enhancements in the interior set, such as the radio equipment and the night vision unit. Some of the upgrades will require some extra care, and the one that comes to mind is the slat actuators. In all though, I think these upgrades are worth checking out. Highly recommended Thanks to Eduard for the review samples.

This takes it to a new level. Those antennae are superb. I'll have to invest. Already have the Eduard PE and the wheels are on their way.

I just know you'd find a reason to work on this wunderkit even longer Looking noisy