James H

1:48 Fouga CM.170 Magister Avante Garde Models Catalogue # 88004 Available from HobbyEasy for $298HKD (around £25) There are a few subjects that I always hope will eventually be tackled in 1:32. Until that happens, I’m quite happy to see 1:48 incarnations. One such subject is the gorgeous Fouga Magister. When I was a kid, I built the 1:72 Heller kit, which I seem to remember was beautifully detailed. Mind you, that’s a view probably being seen through rose-tinted glasses now! Recently, Kinetic stepped up to the plate and released a dual 1:48 Magister kit, which by all accounts, is actually a great kit. Surely, if you want to release your own 1:48 Magister, you need to approach things a little differently then? Well, that is exactly what Avante Garde (AMK) have done with this; their fourth release. This kit is packaged into a fairly small but weighty box, which is adorned with CAD renders of the kit in various schemes that are supplied. Lifting that lid though, you will see where this is a little different from the Kinetic release. The main area within the box contains four re-sealable clear sleeves, akin to those that Great Wall Hobby use. Within these, there are FIVE medium grey styrene sprues, and a transparent sprue. That’s right, not all sprues are packaged separately, but in this case, no harm appears to be done due to them being properly packed. The clear sprue is a clone of the grey one that contains the fuselage halves, amongst a variety of other parts. The reason for this will become apparent. An area of this box is sectioned off with a cardboard insert. Sitting within this is a small plastic box which is around the same size as an iPhone. A graphic on the lid shows the parts contained within. This package actually holds a number of metal parts that look like either zinc, or an alloy. I’m sure they aren’t the softer white metal. We’ll look at this soon too. Underneath the cardboard, the clear canopy sprue is to be found, along with a single photo-etch fret. Pull everything from the box, and a beautifully illustrated instruction manual included, as is a comprehensive, and reasonably large decal sheet. Rationale: I first need to explain what I believe is AMK’s premise with this kit. The actual breakdown and design can be finished in a number of ways. You can choose to leave out any internals, and make the model as you normally would, i.e. in paint/decals. This would seem s shame though, and waste a lot of the kit’s engineering. You could also build it painted, and choose to have sections of the fuselage left bare, so you can glimpse what is within. Of course, you may also choose to build the model in the same way as the old Revell Phantom Mustang, but there is also one other option. The engineering breakdown of this kit allows for panels to be removed as they would on the real aircraft. This is idea for those that want to build either a diorama, or simply to choose whatever section they want to be seen within. This kit is no slouch in the part number department either, with it comprising 285 parts. For a model of this size, that’s a pretty sizable number. So what is on offer in this kit? For a start, apart from the option to use clear parts for the fuselage, you can also opt to use either the plastic or metal parts too. One of these is more the main wing spar. I’m pretty sure the plastic one would suffice, but there’s no doubt that the metal alternative is very attractive. Within the fuselage, just about every area is represented, from a beautiful cockpit, through to the primary and secondary fuel tank bays, oil tank bay, electronics and pressure equipment bays, and of course, two nicely detailed engines. AMK have even provided an impressively detailed interior to the nose cone area too. To match this level of detail, the internal fuselage halves have the circumferential former detail moulded in situ. Now, let’s take a closer look. SPRUE A This sprue, as mentioned, comes in both grey and clear styrene. It can be a little trickier when working with clear parts, due to their gluing properties and brittleness, but nevertheless, the option for a fully clear fuselage is available. There is actually a very bare minimum of intentional frosting on the parts, giving them more of a high quality appearance. Despite that frosting, you should still clearly see all the internals. Other parts on this sprue include the jet engine nacelle covers, intake ducts, turtledeck, canopy coaming, lower fuselage access panel, cockpit tub, instrument panels, and a multipart nose cone, with an option for faired gun ports. The fuselage parts are superbly rendered, and again remind me a little of GWH releases in their finesse. Panel lines are subtle, and the model is also provided without rivets…well almost. A number of rivets at the nail section are provided as raised detail. This also goes for a few other parts too, and we’ll look at these soon. An integral tailwheel is moulded to one half of the fuselage, and of course, the engine nacelle fairings are separate so that you can display the engines. AMK have made a very reasonable job of the cockpit tub and instrument panels too, with some beautifully reproduced detail, and plenty of it. Instruments are supplied blind, allowing you easily add instrument decals. Unfortunately, the kit contains none, so you will need to perhaps source some from Airscale. There are a few ejector pin marks within the fuselage, but nothing major. Strangely enough, the pin marks on the cockpit tub are on the upper side, and may need a little removal. I can’t understand why these were on the lower face of this part. SPRUE B This sprue contains the Magister’s flying and control surfaces, with the wings being quite typical of the standard upper and lower surfaces, and with integral ailerons. The latter is quite unusual, as the landing flaps themselves are moulded separately. Still, I never see separate ailerons as being particularly useful. External panel lines do seem a little heavier than those on the fuselage, but nothing for any real concern. These can be reduced a little with an application of Mr Surfacer, and a general rub back of the exterior. Upper wing airbrakes are supplied as PE parts, and if you want to fit any weapon load-out, you will need to drill out the pylon location points from within the lower wing panel. Within the wing, the wheel well detail is actually very good, with a few very minor pin marks that will need eradicating. Side walls are supplied as separate parts. Landing flaps are supplied for both raised and lowered positons. Whilst the control surfaces are smooth, the actual tail plane parts have that unusual raised riveting. NOTE: The raised rivets are actually correct. AMK have sent me a close up of this area which shows this clearly! Photo courtesy of AMK SPRUE C A very detailed interior requires a lot of parts, and this sprue starts to supply that requirement. Here, you will find parts for both engines, as well as some of the interior bay areas, and also the plastic wing spar. A small number of other parts here are also supplied with metal alternatives, such as the engine exhaust channels. I actually find the plastic ones to look perfectly good, but it’s always good to have choice. This sprue also contains TWO wing tip tank options, seen on this sprue. SPRUE D (x2) We have a bit of a mish-mash here on this smaller sprue, with a number of internal parts, such as internal formers, crew seat parts, control stick, and the bracket for the V-tail (also supplied in metal), but mainly concerning external weapons load outs, including bombs, rockets, and multi-rocket pods. A small number of other external parts are moulded here too. SPRUE E This sprue is even smaller than ‘D’, but contains many key detail parts for the various internal fuselage chambers, including optional parts for the machine which was fitted with two forward-firing nose guns. A few external panels are moulded here, as are a series which fit along the spine, allowing the modeller to display the internal workings of this beautifully iconic aircraft. SPRUE F At last, we have the clear sprue, containing canopy parts. I have to say that these are CRYSTAL clear! Just great to look at. This model is designed so that you can pose the canopies in either an open or closed position. Frame lines are very fine, and you will need to be careful when masking, or aim for the inevitable Eduard mask set (they are already releasing stuff for this kit). Plastic Summary Looking at this kit, you get the impression these guys have been doing this for years, but remember, this is on early offering from them. Whilst detail is generally excellent, with high quality moulding, there are a few minor, yet annoying pin marks. I feel these could either have been placed on the reverse of a part, or maybe with an ejector pin point attached externally to the part. Still, I can’t quibble too much, as the standard is very high. Flash and seams are pretty much non-existent. METAL PARTS AMK have obviously spent a lot of time and effort on this aspect of the kit, and it absolutely shows. A variety of key parts within this kit have been reproduced in this sturdy metal alloy, and inserted within a moulded try which fits them exactly. A clear plastic lid sits atop this and a parts key card is included. Be careful prising the lid open or you may end up with all the contents on the floor. This set contains TWENTY-EIGHT high quality cast parts, including machine guns, central spar, nose weapons bay elements, tail brackets, undercarriage legs etc. To add a bonus, two cast nose weights are also included, so no guesswork when building this one. I have to presume that the weights account for the addition of various metal parts across the airframe. PHOTO ETCH A single fret is included, which contains those multipart airbrakes, seatbelts and a number of small internal and external details. This is presented in a small sleeve and backed with cardboard. Production quality is very good. Decals There are FIVE schemes available with this kit, and the subjects chosen really do show the Magister off to best effect, from the Tricolour of the French machine to the camouflage of the German, and the flame red of the Belgian aircraft. A single decal sheet contains not only the national and specific machine markings, as well as stencilling, but also various coloured panels and stripes. I can’t tell where these are produced, but they appear to be of high quality. They are reasonably thin, contain minimal carrier film and are in perfect register. You’ll have your work cut out applying all these! The schemes are: Flugzeugfuhrerschule, Luftwaffe MT24, Belgian Air Force MT35, ‘The Last of the Many’, Belgian Air Force Patrouille de France MT48 Belgian Air Force Instructions These are printed over a 24 page manual, with all constructional stages being presented as line drawings, and all parts options being clearly defined. The style and presentation of these means that you should have no difficulty in understanding them. In the front of the manual, colour profiles are supplied, as well as a paint chart which supplies FS and RAL codes. Paint references are supplied throughout construction. The rear part of the manual contains the load-out and colour scheme profiles, with decal placement being clearly supplied. A parts map is also included. Conclusion Seriously, what an AWESOME release. I love the Magister, and this kit is a detailer’s dream; in an entirely different zone to the wonderful Kinetic kit. Apart from some sloppy, yet minor ejector pin marks, there really isn’t anything to quibble at here. Everything seems to have been reproduced with finesse and the shapes look accurate to my book on the subject, by Radu Brinzan. In fact, that’s a great guide to use if you wish to build this kit. The inclusion of metal parts is also another big bonus. However, if you want the real deal-clincher here, this kit can be bought for around £25 from Hobbyeasy. Now, you really have no excuse to ignore this gorgeous release! I wish they’d scale it up to 1:32. VERY highly recommended My sincere thanks to AMK for supplying this kit for review. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

Thank you so much for sharing this one with us. HK's Do 335 is one of my all-time favourite kits.

You're welcome Tommy, I hope you'll share your work with us. I might start to build my Mustang later this year. Jeroen has the Bf 109 and perhaps he can be persuaded too.

Another great write up. I wish they'd tackle more aircraft, especially WW1, as they did with the D.VII and Dr.I No arguing about the quality of this one. I love those 3D renderings.

Too sweet! Not long off paint.

It'll be great if you can pull this one off convincingly. You're sure on the way!

I think you got the wrong topic

Those are the only two that spring to mind. We have reviews here for IMCTH kits. I have built the Jasmine Ho 229, and it's a great little kit. Their forthcoming Hellcat looks even better. IMCTH are very high quality kits. AND......welcome to LSM

Have you thought of spraying it with water, popping it in a food bag and tying up, and then leaving somewhere warm? The humidity might soften it again.

Pre-ordered my Tamiya Mosquito from HLJ!! Currently at 20% discount... http://www.hlj.com/product/TAM60326/Air%C2%A0

1:32 Jagdstaffel 17 & Jagsstaffel 30 Vol.2 Pheon Decals Catalogue # see article for code and price Available from Pheon Decals I originally saw these sheets at Telford’s Scale Model World 2014, but issues with printing prevented these from going on sale. Those issues were actually things you could barely notice, but ably recognised by Fantasy Printshop. Ray Horwell is pretty meticulous when it comes to his QA, so these were postponed for a short while until it was guaranteed that these would be as good as you could possibly get. At last, I can now take a look at Rowan Broadbent’s latest labour of love in these two new releases. There are a staggering number of available schemes in each set for that specific Jagdstaffel, so we’ll take a look at what the modeller is offered with each release. The sets we have here are: 32051, Jagsstaffel 17, £15.75 32052, Jagsstaffel 30 Vol.2, £15.75 Jagdstaffel 17 Both of these releases are packed into large A4 zip-lock wallets, with an inkjet-printed front cover insert, in this case, depicting the FOURTEEN schemes available in this release. It’s not just Wingnut Wings kits that these decals cater to, but also Roden, as the machines depicted are Albatros D.II and D.III, as well as the popular D.V and D.Va variants which WNW offer. Other aircraft catered to are the Fokker D.VII and Pfalz D.XII. Despite the sheer number of schemes here, clever selection has enabled the decals to be printed over only TWO sheets, and you will be reliant on using your kits own national markings, saving production costs here. These sheets essentially contain the specific personal emblems only, and the accompanying serial numbers. Inside the wallet, there are four, shiny A4, laser-printed sheets which show the profiles in a larger scale, and these are of course easier to judge decal placement. No decals are numbered, apart from some strip decals for the edging of a D.VII fuselage. The decals are so obvious, that they need no further identification. These scheme sheets also depict the tails of various machines, so you can tell how they were painted. No wing profiles are supplied, as this isn’t deemed necessary, but you will be able to find the information you need on the accompanying booklet. The schemes this set offers are: Albatros D.II (OAW), 933/16, Vzfw. Jakob Wolff, Metz-Frescaty, February 1917 Albatros D.III, 2033/16, Vzfw. Julius Buckler, St. Quentin-le-Petit, April 1917 Albatros D.III (OAW), 1694/17, Lt. Alfred Träger, St. Quentin-le-Petit, June 1917 Albatros D.III, serial unknown, Lt. Gunther Schuster, St. Quentin-le-Petit, June 1917 Albatros D.Va, serial unknown, Hptm. Rudolf Freiherr von Esebeck, Douilly (?), March 1918 Albatros D.V, 4408/17, Vzfw. Georg Strasser, Rethéuil Ferme, Winter 1917/18 Albatros D.V, serial unknown, Oblt. Hubertus Freiherr von Rudno-Rudzinski, Wasquehal, October 1917 Albatros D.Va (OAW), serial unknown, Ltn. Alfred Fleischer, Ercheu, June 1918 Albatros D.V, serial unknown, Ltn. Alfred Träger, Wasquehal, September 1917 Pfalz D.XII, 1416/18, pilot unknown, Vivaise, September 1918 Fokker D.VII (Alb), serial unknown, Ltn. Alfred Fleischer, Vivaise, late July 1918 Fokker D.VII (Alb), serial and pilot unknown, Vivaise, late July 1918 Fokker D.VII (Alb), serial unknown, Ltn. Gunther Schuster, Vivaise, late July 1918 The instruction booklet included with this release starts by supplying the modeller with a small history of Jagdstaffel 17, and the reference used for the production of these decals. Decal application notes are included to the rear. Notes are contained for each scheme, containing historical data, and some colour notation reference, where applicable. Colour images are contained for the Fokker D.VII with the fuselage stripes, showing decal placement for this more unusual scheme. Both the booklet and the decals are included within a smaller wallet, and those decals look absolutely gorgeous! As I mentioned, no national markings are given here, so as you have no reliance on them, there’s actually nothing stopping you from building EVERY scheme on this sheet, proving that this release is excellent value for money. A picture speaks a thousand words, so just take a look at what these decals offer. Printing quality is first rate, with the decals being suitably thin, and of course, in perfect register. You can guarantee that the colours will be as authentic as they possibly can when you consider that these have had to be determined from crusty black and white photographs. As always, Rowan has chosen an eclectic mix of very attractive aircraft, with each one crying out to be built. I suspect WNW will be getting a flurry of ordered for Albatros and D.VII kits! Jagdstaffel 30 Vol.2 This set is presented in the same format as the above release, but this time there are SIXTEEN scheme profiles on the inkjet-printed insert! A lot of the schemes on the previous set, are to be set against wooden Albatros fuselages, but this set has only five wooden fuse aircraft, albeit, highly attractive. In actuality, there are EIGHTEEN schemes in this release, with one of them depicted as two slightly different incarnations. This time, there are FIVE laser-printed sheets, with each profile supplied in vivid technicolour, and again, tail detail for specific machines. The schemes present here are: Albatros D.III, Oblt. Hans Bethge, May/June 1917 Albatros D.III, D2054/16, Ltn. Heinrich Brügman, April/June 1917 Albatros D.V, Ltn. Kurt Katzenstein, August/October 1917 Albatros D.V, D1012/17, Lt. Paul Erbguth, June 1917 Albatros D.V, Ltn. Otto Fuchs, September/October 1917 Albatros D.V, D2140/17, Otto Fuchs, July/August 1917 Albatros D.V, D1016/17, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, June 1917 Albatros D.V, Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, November 1917/February 1918 Albatros D.V, Vzfw. Josef Heiligers, November/December 1917 Albatros D.V D4420/17, Lt. Karl Weltz, November 1917 Albatros D.V, Uffz. Emil Liebert, November 1917/January 1918 Fokker D.VII, Ltn. August Hartmann, July/November 1918 Fokker D.VII, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, September/October 1918 Fokker D.VII, pilot unknown, Autimn 1918 Pfalz D.XII, Ltn. Hans-Georg von der Marwitz, Summer 1918 Fokker D.VII, pilot unknown, Autumn 1918 Fokker D.VII, 370/18, Ltn. Hans Holthusen, June/September 1918 Again, the instruction booklet provides excellent depth of detail, and even more so than the previous set, with plenty of historical data and scheme notation. As well as historical notes on the Jagdstaffel and the applied markings. This booklet is an absolute mine of information. Again, there are two decal sheets supplied here, in roughly A5 format, and containing just the machine and staffel decals (where appropriate). What I really like about this release are the stripe decals for the D.VII. These are printed as black and white, instead of having to prepare a vivid white base onto which to affix black stripes, and the possibility of debris and bubbles which could ruin a finish. Decal printing is as great as with the first sheet. Take a look at these and see how good these are for yourself, and the actual breakdown of certain decals. Conclusion You can never have enough Albatros and D.VII kits, and when you see these decals, you know that is literally, as well as figuratively! There are around 3 machines I’d quite like to tackle, from each set, and I really should set time aside to do this. With Pheon, you just know that you will purchase the best-researched and most accurate decals on the market. A real passion is instilled into each release, and these are no exception. Now, where’s that Albatros kit……… VERY highly recommended My sincere thanks to Pheon Decals for the review samples seen here. To purchase directly, click the links in the article. James H

Dammit!

Dammit, cheat!

You're a machine! I'm a big fan of Eduard's Brassin releases. The sharp detail and casting quality if perfect. Very nice review, cheers!

More progress. The model is actually built now, so this photos is a little out of date. I reckon there must be over 600 PE parts on this sucker. It's been a test pf patience, beyond the extreme. Seeing the model with wheels on, and turret fitted, it does sort of remind me why I bought this first time, as a kid. Meg's kit might be great, but this is no POS. Thoroughly buildable.

Great review, great photographs and superb reference. Actually makes me want to build one of these suckers.

In the next week, my Revell Fw 190F-8 test shot will be published in Tamiya Model Magazine International. This was such a great kit, and deserves to sell well. Here's an unfinished dual page from the next issue, out this month...

Looks seriously good Matt! The style reminds me much of Aces High mag, very cool. How many pages did you get? Now....that He 162?

No!

Looks great! You trying to outstrip my output, John?

Very impressive Petr. Any idea of a rough time of release, after delays?

That is seriously impressive!! Do you have any more construction photos? What silver paint did you use?

My head is spinning with photo etch. I don't think I've ever done as much PE ever, as I have over the last week on both the Do 335 and Bradley. Here is the state of play with this one. Hope you like it.

I think you piqued me at just about every stage with this. Such a great looking build so far, but you should have spent 4 hours with masking tape on those canopies. You've just cheated!

As promised. Here you go. I did start some of this PE about 7 years ago, but everything else has been added in the last 48 hours. I am literally seeing PE when I close my eyes.... Meng's release might be good, but this is still pretty impressive.