James H

Ladies and gentlemen, Within a couple of months, or thereabouts, the new B-17E/F will be released by HK Models. I sort of get the impression that this is the one that everyone wants to see, as Memphis Belle can be built from this (and will be included in the decals), plus there will be an option to build another as yet un-named famous machine (with specific glazed part), and parts will be there to build standard E and F variants. Jeroen will be doing a more thorough assessment of the kit, along with Cees, within the next week, so my post here will just take a look at the new parts in this kit. Please remember that there is always the possibility that there could well be some refinement of the model as of yet, including the reduction of internal ejector pin marks etc. This kit contains no decals or PE parts. The final kit will have three schemes (2 x B-17F, and 1 x B-17E). First of all, there are around 15 to 16 new sprues! So, this isn't just a minor rework. The first one up is a whole new starboard fuselage. This is superbly packed in order to protect the delicate fin to rudder connection. How is this part different? Well, firstly, you will notice that the crew access door is now moulded separately, giving the modeller another display option. I couldn't understand why this wasn't the case with the initial 'G' version, and HK have obviously listened to comments. Secondly, the waist gun window has now moved in line with the one on the port-side. The old position can still be seen, but faired over. One great feature of this model is the ability to unplug the wings. To attach, you just clip them to the fuselage, and push them forward to lock into position. Here you see the chunky connector. This model needs to filler in this area, so rest-assured that this is a practical feature. New internal bulkheads are supplied. One of these is for the radio operator station, and one for the forward cockpit. These was certainly enough in the way of change to merit these being re-tooled. Of course, new parts are included to further furnish these areas. The E/F had quite a different upper turret, with a slightly lower profile, and what looks to be far more in the way of glazing panels. The turret internals are also markedly different, having built up the cutaway model for the HK stall at Telford last year. The instrument panel is also different, and here it can be seen, along with the plug that fits into the rear of it, sandwiching the instrument decal. Here we can see the earlier engine cowls that have a squarer front radius. New prop blades are also included. HK haven't simply done the most obvious in the way of changes. There are of course refinements in the original design, such as that fuselage crew entry door, but there are also new internal parts, such as new crew seats, and details that seem to be specific to the E/F, some of which can be seen in the waist gun areas. Here, we appear to see a fairing for the upper nose area of the 'F' version, maybe to convert the model to a late 'F', or perhaps even an early 'G' without the chin turret........ New internals for the E/F noses. Also included is the rear part for the new tail turret. The E/F didn't carry the Cheyenne tail turret that the later 'G' did, and here you can see that earlier tail, plus new internals for the various crew stations. New parts for the B-17E nose, inside and outside shots. And if the B-17F floats your boat, here are the specific nose parts for this, including internal shots. No less that FOUR new clear sprues here, containing new noses (although you should see another in the production kit, designed for another 'F' machine). New parts for Memphis Belle will also be tooled. Note the small astrodome for that fairing we saw a earlier. Also of note are the different waist gun windows, and the canopy for the tail turret. You can usually glean a lot about a kit from looking closely at the options, such as that astrodome. So, there you are. Expect to see far more in the next week when Jeroen and Cees will really look in depth at the whole kit, including the common sprues. Danke!!

This is about as hardcore as it gets, just plain amazing Did I mention HK are releasing a 'D' next month? .....only joking

Finished tonight?

Hihihihihihihi

Just beautiful. Nice to see it with some paint over the conversion and wing root mod.

It is a beautiful mag with some great tips. Got my copy here, and another that Ben was supposed to pick up for his father! (hint hint)

I'd rather have a downloadable manual than a disc. Like Radu, my computer (Macbook Pro), doesn't have a DVD drive, so I have to fanny about by taking the disc to work, dumping it onto a pen drive, then porting back to try Mac, and then up to Dropbox.

I have to say that I've drained the battery on my iPad down several times whilst following the on-screen instructions for the RB Models Ohka Type 22. I do prefer printed mater, but with this kit, you don't get the CD/DVD. Instead you get a download link for the manual. I have this on Dropbox so that I can follow it on iPad and on my Mac. This kit is small fry compared with the instructions on disc in the HpH releases! Those are behemoths in comparison. The first thing I do is to get them printed on A4 with laser printing, and then collate/bind the manual for use.

I never knew the V1 had so many schemes. Great looking little kit with some very nice detail. I really do need to roll my Komet and Anhänger when you do this one.

Damn, I love this kit. Just looked through the instructions. Seriously nice work, Nick.

Nick, what sort of resolution is this printed in? The stuff I've seen has fine lines that can be difficult to fully remove. This looks perfect though.

Your modelling work is an inspiration, and I hope you will find the energies to share it with us in the future too. I've really missed tuning into this project, and of course I now understand why. I look forward to seeing more of this as it progresses!

That looks gorgeous in white primer. Construction looks excellent all round. I know this has been a trial, but you did that kit proud

Great review, and nice to see the differences between versions instead of the usual run of the mill article. I never expected to see such cool schemes either. Great job!

Damn sexy Wooden crate looks real. This is the best Wessex I've seen.

Hihihihihihihi

I'd say so. I knew about this project over 2yrs ago.

1:48 F6F-5 Hellcat Jasmine Model Catalogue # 202006 Available from Jasmine Model for $169.00 With a more or less full PE model, one thing that will instantly hit you is how it can be packed into quite a small box, compared with an injection styrene model. Compare this with an Eduard kit release, and this will fit in there 3 to 4 times, with space left over. However, what you have here is a model that is infinitely more detailed, simply because of the skeletal nature of the kit. This really panders to the technical voyeur amongst us, with a morbid fascination for internal structures and guts of one of WW2’s most respected and lauded US fighters, and hero of the war in the Pacific. This quite slender little box is around the same size as the 1:72 Valkyrie that I reviewed on Scale Plastic & Rail (R.I.P.), back in May 2014, and contains THREE sheets of stainless steel photo etch that has 321 parts. That’s right…..321 parts! Not exactly a weekend project. The box art shows the Hellcat with wings in flying position, but as you can see here, these can also be folded, which looks extremely cool. Opening the lid, the first thing you see is the manual. Remove this and there are the three stainless PE frets that are covered each side in a protective, self-adhesive film. All of these are packed into a re-sealable cellophane sleeve. Remove these too, and there is a cardboard shelf that also needs to be lifted out. Underneath lies a section of black foam with two cut-outs. These hold four bags that contain the various cast parts. These are made from resin that has been cut with an excellent metallic pigment. For all intents, they look like metal, but the lack of weight tells you these are not made from that material. If you see elsewhere that these are white metal, then they have either never seen that material, or they are ill-informed. As with the Valkyrie, reviewing a PE kit is not an easy job. We can’t talk about specific, beautifully moulded detail and how things might just need some lead wire to complete. This model, apart from those resin parts, is entirely a flat-pack affair, and it will be your keen eye, judicious folding skills and patience that will create the final look of this model. Rushing it, or using sloppy skills, will be noticeable as you can’t rely on moulded detail to hide any slackness on behalf of the builder. Looking at those three metal frets, everything does look all rather two-dimensional, but that's quite deceptive. This model is very much a three-dimensional affair, and it'll come as no surprise that you'll need to do a fair bit of bending of metal, as with the previous Valkyrie and Ho 229 kits. These could generally be built with nothing more than a pair of tweezers to bend the various parts, but I highly recommend a quality photo-etch bending tool. I regularly use a Hold 'n Fold 5.5, as this creates a consistently sharp fold over the numerous long lengths of PE. The quality of the photo-etched parts is of the highest. The tiniest of tags hold each part in place, and these will be easy to sever, despite being made from stainless steel. I would also suggest you avail yourself of some small jeweller’s files to remove any remnant that could detract from the finished result. You can pick up a cheap set of files for around £3, so in relation to the kit cost, it’s a worthwhile purchase. All parts are clearly numbered, but there isn’t much in the way of rhyme nor reason as to their location, so I guarantee you will spend a lot of time actually searching them out before you can use them. Some parts are easy to locate due to both their size and shape, but many are far less so, and look unrecognisable in their unfolded state. All I can suggest is that you spend a little time studying the frets and acquainting yourself with the location of the parts, and their relationship to construction. Jasmine has tackled construction in a way that many of us would recognise. With this kit, it starts with the cockpit, and contains 18 stages of folding and slotting work. All parts within the cockpit are from flat PE, including the seat and seatbelts. Next up is the fuselage, and this is of course using the cockpit as its reference part for adding the various ribs, formers and stringers. As nothing here is quite as straightforward as simply moving to the next area of construction, you will add various other assemblies, such as the tail wheel bay and arrestor hook, and then proceed with the fuselage again, and even back to the cockpit in order to enclose it within fuselage formers etc. You will note that the tailplanes are built from flat sections and you will twist the ribs through 90 degrees to the vertical, thus creating a 3D item. The wings, however, are composed of individual ribs that slot into the various spars and other constructional elements. Care needs to be exercised on the wings, fin and tailplane, as the control surfaces are moveable and therefore may be posed however you wish them, providing their weight doesn’t droop them naturally. Surface detail on the metal is very good, with nice relief etching and rivet/fastener detail. Many parts are very fragile until they form a more solid overall part of the model construction, so please treat them with a little reverence and respect. It’s true that a number of parts can’t be made from flat pieces of photo-etch metal, and where that is the case, Jasmine has included those parts as a resin material with the metallic pigment I mentioned earlier. These are so amazing in appearance, as to have a high metallic sheen and look like some expensive cast metal. For this model, these parts include the engine and its various ancillary fittings, plus the propeller, forward cowl ring, machine guns, tanks, undercarriage struts, and of course, the wheels. There are around 50 parts spread over 4 bags, and all with some great detail. The engine itself will take a little while to assemble as it has separate cylinders and exhaust piping. A glossy 16 page manual is included, with both photographic assembly images and drawings to help you on your way. Coloured ink is added to show you specific details on the photographic steps, Whilst I find the images pretty good, I think some larger photos would have been useful for some areas. You will also find the manual on the Jasmine website, and if you print these, or merely display on your screen, you might see them as larger images that will help further. Conclusion Firstly, I think the thing you really have to say is that if you aren’t a fan of photo-etch, but like the appearance of this, you aren’t going to have an easy time. This encompasses most of the skills required for this particular discipline, including various folding techniques, slotting, manipulating complex frames and structures. Thankfully though, there is no need to solder anything here, and if you take things step by step, and methodically, then the model is actually simpler to build than its appearance might betray. That’s quite a statement for a model whose control surfaces are all working, but I hope to prove that before too long with a build of this. You might read of some other forums and websites/Facebook, that the cast parts are white metal. That, as I have already said, is wrong. They are resin that is mixed with metallic pigment, and are lighter and easier to work with. All you will need to accompany this miniature masterpiece is a bottle of thin/medium CA, a sharp scalpel, folding tool, and a small set of files to remove any tag remnants. This isn’t a cheap model, but that’s because of being a niche product with a long development time. It is, however, a stunning kit, and very worthy of consideration if you have a penchant for the engineering side of an aircraft. This particular model fulfils that particular interest perfectly. Go on, it’s new year, so treat yourself! Highly recommended My sincere thanks to Jasmine Models for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

Nice work! I quite like the C version with shorter wings. Great looking model

I heard Revell were releasing a 1:32 Arado Ar 234 at some stage, but I first heard this about 2 years ago.

Definitely a day of great plastic here (and resin, turned brass and decals!) These came on a trade from Johan, LSM member. Plus some great stuff like a full set of Barracuda sets for the Spit, plus barrels. There are decals for the P-51D, and Aires cockpit and wheel well set for the Zeke! Bootiful!

Such a great kit. Coming along real nice. What scheme you going with? This is my bullshit Bavarian scheme:

Real bizzarre aircraft, and based on one of my favourites too

What an amazing project. There's a Shack in the museum in the next town to me. Going to be a great build

Very classy. Some great touches with this, even though you copped out with the wings. The battle for modelling is not over!