James H

I'm using Gunze and Mr levelling Thinner. If I use enamel, I work at roughly the same ratios.

I'm using an HPC+, and I spray at around 15PSI. Paint thinned to about 1:10 thinners. Short blasts with the airbrush, moving the nozzle away from the model as you begin to release the trigger. Sorry, I'm crap at explanations.

ditto!

Those spoked wheels look great. Are they flat plates, or slightly coned?

I was thinking more a study of construction, with cutaways of the main parts.

You shitting me? A 1:32 Halifax? FANTASTIC! I can't wait to see this build up. This is the sort of project which fires me up

I just HAVE to do the He 111 with this set.... Photos courtesy of LSP: And from HPH:

Oh wow! That is spectacular! Got any more? ...and.....

There you go: http://www.insidethearmour.com/

Now we can believe you Is there a forward bulkhead supplied? Lovely clean work so far. Looking forward to seeing this closed up.

1:16 Renault FT, Char Cannon/Girod Turret Takom Catalogue # 1001 Available from Hobby Link Japan for 13,500¥ Whilst the British has invented the so-called 'tank', it was the French who put it into a form that we would recognise as such today, and one which would inspire tank designers the world over. The Renault FT had a front situated driver, main armament in a rotating turret, and a rear-mounted engine, which is still an industry standard practice for tanks today. Introduced into service in 1917, production was slow, but increased rapidly through 1918, and by the Armistice, around 3000 had been built. Initially designed to incorporate a cast steel turret with a Hotchkiss 8mm MG, this was superseded by a Berliet-designed polygonal, plate turret, into which the Hotchkiss could be ditched in favour of the Puteaux 37mm gun. The Berliet was carried by a large number of the Renault FT before it was replaced in favour of the Girod turret, designed by Paul Girod, and mounted on a ball-race track. The rather narrow, and slow FT-17 was fitted with a long, curved tail which helped it negotiate trenches without it 'falling in' and becoming immobilised. Its tracks were held under constant tension, reducing the possibility of them being 'thrown'. This successful design was built under licence by the US, post-WW1, of which another 950 were built, and classified as the 'Six Ton Tank M1917', and the design went on to operate with many countries, globally. The type even saw active service in World War 2, even being operated by the Germans who had captured a number of these from the French. Unlike Meng who incorrectly called their release the 'FT-17', Takom have correctly designated their kit the 'Renault FT'. This tank was never referred to during the war as the FT-17. It's basically an anomaly. 'FT' itself was simply the next factory project code in line when the design was instigated. Source: Wikipedia Takom's new Renault FT kit is packaged into a large, glossy and very sturdy top opening box. Being a very new company, this is their first venture into this scale, and they sure have produced an extremely attractive package, with a great looking artwork on the lid, and the available schemes and sprue shots depicted on the box sides. Underneath that not insubstantial lid, THIRTEEN sprues are packaged into thick, heat-sealed bags. All are separately bagged apart from the sprues which are duplicates. In this case, these are packed two-per-bag. Takom have chosen an unusual route in their choice of plastic colour. Apart from the track link sprues (4 off), all the remaining sprues are moulded in a strange crimson red! I don't know their rationale, but this colour extends to the treatment the PE fret has had too. Very odd, but strangely easy to photograph for this article. SPRUE A (x2) This sprue, of which two are supplied, concerns itself with the Renault FT's forward idler and rear drive wheels, and the numerous smaller road wheels and track return wheels. The large wooden idlers are moulded in halves, with the drive wheel being a single part. The latter wheel has 3 raised ejection pin marks on one side. These minimal marks will be easy to erase. The individual wooden components of the idlers are separated by neatly engraved lines. The track return and road wheels are also moulded as two parts. Also on this sprue are the idler wheel forks and the springs which supported the upper return track roller beam, and various hull hinges, handles, brackets and chain attachment fittings. In this scale, the springs should have really been included 'as' springs, and not as moulded on detail. It would be better to remove this detail and wrap some thick copper wire around the posts. SPRUE B (x4) These are the track link sprues, and they are moulded in medium grey styrene. Each track link comprises THREE parts, and there are 32 tracks per side. You do get spares here, as each sprue contains 18 links, therefore you are supplied with 72 links, as opposed to the 64 you will actually use. The links themselves look very accurate in relation to the reference book I have here, with them being correct in their thickness and profile. The link consists of the main plate, with two brackets above; one moulded with a pin which allows the tracks to articulate after construction. The smallest of ejector pin marks are present on the interior of these, but again, should provide no concerns as the plastic is only minimally raised. You should tackle these however, as you will see this portion of the track when assembled. The outside edge of these sprues contain a number of spare rivet heads. These are here for a reason. The turret is moulded as halves, and the limitation of the moulding process means that the protruding rivets which would stick horizontally out from the part whilst on the mould, would cause a problem which would perhaps need expensive slide-moulding. Takom's solution is to slice these from this sprue, and affix them in the locations shown. Problem solved! SPRUE C & D These sprues are virtually identical except for the fact that the slabs-sided hull sides are of course 'handed', as are the drive wheel gearboxes. The hull sides are moulded full length and incorporate the idler wheel connection points. The exterior of the hull exhibits crisp plating detail and nicely shaped rivet heads, which look more than reasonable for a 1:16 kit. On the interior, the same detail exists, including stiffening plating and some engine bay and driver compartment detail, as well as a recess for the shell racks. Other external plating is to be found here, as well as the engine bay doors, again, with superb hinge and raised rivet detail. Here you will find the road wheel support beams which are moulded as halves, and the leaf spring suspension parts which sit within. The framework for the curved beam tail gate is also moulded here, as are track return roller beam too. Some pin marks exist again on the interior surface plates, so get ready with the tickling stick and remove them. SPRUE E The hull floor and driver/gunner interior floors are moulded here, as two separate parts. Exterior detail for the hull floor is the same standard as the rest of the hull, with excellent rivet, panel, access port and hinge detail. The interior floor has sharp tread pattern. The upper hull with turret cut-out is found here, again displaying sharp rivet, access port and bracket detail. The ball-race turret track is moulded separately, and mine seems a little warped. It should conform when glues to the upper hull though. Ejector pin marks tend to strike again, and this time on the upper, inner side of the curved tail beam panel. Again, these are slightly raised, meaning that you only need to remove material, and not actually do any filling. Also on this sprue you will find the FT's fuel tank, single piece radiator/grille, two-part exhaust body, external stowage, beam and internal frameworks. SPRUE F This is the engine-room of the kit, quite literally. Most engine components are found on this sprue. The only real aspect I don't like about the engine's valve lifters and springs. These are moulded in situ, and would have been far better as separate rods with springs. It won't be too easy to do this for the average modeller, but luckily, the position of the engine and its narrow compartment mean that you won't be able to get a straight view of this anyway. The engine fan-belt is another case in point, as it is pre-moulded to the fly wheels. In this scale, this would have been nice to have been a separate part which slipped into the 'v' slots in the wheels, instead of looking homogenous. The interior exhaust manifold is moulded as a single part, which for such a piece, is easier to remove the seams. A good number of parts on this sprue are either engine-related, or ancillary equipment, such as fuel priming pump (as you see in aircraft cockpits), driver instruments, external tools (pick and shovel), and drive shaft axle, to name but a few on this busy sprue. SPRUE G G stands for 'Girod'. Well, it doesn't actually, but that's what you'll find on there; the Girod turret. The turret itself is moulded as halves, and the lack of slide-moulding means that some rivet detail looks a little distorted, but thankfully, you have those spare rivets on the track sprues to correct this, so again, this is no deal breaker. The turret body was a cast item, and this finish is what's missing from these parts. My usual trick is to lather Tamiya Extra Thin Cement over the surface, one area at a time, and stipple it with a rigid nylon brush. This is then finally gently rubbed over with medium and fine sanding sponges. You may have other methods to achieve this, as armour modellers. I use this technique on 1:32 WW1 aircraft exhausts. The turret also has the 'P GIROD' name cast onto it, as well as the casting foundry name, 'UGINE'. Internally, you'll need to remove a few ejector pin marks, and then insert the ammunition racks. Their location is marked with two horizontal lines. The turret lid is joined along the welding seam. My book doesn't show this as a thick weld seam, but there is, of course, a little roughness. Again, this isn't represented on the kit, so a little work will be required there. You'll also need to replicate that cast effect on the small cupola which sits atop the turret. The cupola also has internal detail. The turret ammunition racks are moulded here, but strangely enough, the kit doesn't contain any ammunition whatsoever. To the rear of the turret, two doors allow some contact with the outside world. These are neatly moulded with vision slits. Internally, each door has a long ejection pin tower which you'll need to snip off and clean the door surface. SPRUE H (x2) These two sprues concern themselves with the FT's armament. There are actually a number of duplicate parts here that you won't use. It was obviously cheaper to produce two identical sprues with these parts, than to tool a new sprue. Here you will find the parts for the 37mm Puteaux gun, 3 part mantlet, and the inner hull ammunition storage racks. As a thought, it would be good to display the spare parts for the second gun, complete with mantlet, next to the completed model. Overall Assessment As I've already mentioned, there are some areas where ejector pin marks need to be eliminated, but overall, the quality of mouldings is excellent. I've only found one instance of sink marks, and those are on the end of the small engine mounted oil tank ends. You could fix that or it could simply be left as slightly beaten in appearance. Some parts are very close to the sprue, with only a minimal gate, and it is advisable to use a razor saw to remove those parts. Flash is present, but not very common, and some parts on my sample exhibit some black/brown gunge which may be left over from the moulds. Cleaning the sprues with a mild detergent will eradicate this. PHOTO ETCH The colour of this single fret matches that of the plastic. Looking at it, I don't think it's anodised, which would just chemically affect the metal surface, but it looks like an actual coating. As the edges are also coated, I don't think it's printed either. I would suspect that this has been dipped/sprayed in paint, and as a result, you are best advised to try to scrape the adjoining surfaces when using the parts. The etch itself is superbly made, and contains SIXTEEN parts. These are for the drivers back rest strap, driver pedal anti-slip plates, engine bay hull steps, road wheel beam plating, and internal chain drive cover. CHAIN A length of superbly made, and blackened chain is included. This is to be wrapped between the lugs on the rear hull and the curved tail beam. A nice touch, and thankfully not in plastic, so it should hang quite realistically too. DECALS A small sheet is included for the THREE schemes which are supplied with this release. The FT didn't carry too many markings; a few emblems, serials and a little in the way of a personal slogan for one machine. The decals are thinly printed with minimal carrier film, and are in perfect register. The whites are also non-vivid too. The schemes supplied are: 2nd Section, 1st Company, 505E RAS, France, 1918 Co.C, 327th Tank Battalion, 1st US TankBde, St. Mihile, September 1918 'Passe Par Tout', 1st Co, 2nd Section, 2nd Battalion, 1st Polish Tank Regiment, 1920 INSTRUCTIONS These are printed as a 14 page A4 landscape booklet, with glossy blue cover. The model is completed over 38 stages, and construction is shown as line drawings. There is a little ambiguity in areas, but looking at subsequent stages will clarify any mental anomalies you may encounter. Colour call-outs are given throughout in Tamiya reference codes. Conclusion I have noted a few issues with this kit, but on the whole, it's a great package for Takom's first ever release, and if this kit is anything to go by, their subsequent releases should just get better and better as they learn and listen to customers. Producing a 1:16 WW1 tank as that initial release is of course taking a few chances perhaps, but with Great War modelling now coming into its own, and companies such as Meng now taking a slice of the pie, it makes sense to release this kit in the larger scale. The opportunities for super detailing are immense here, and even out of box, the Takom Renault FT will look mighty impressive. The finished kit will have a length of around 12 inches (30cm), so still isn't too big to display in your cabinet, yet is of such a scale that it will look mildly imposing next to your tiddly Tigers and Panthers. Oh YES! VERY highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to Takom for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

No reason this couldn't be done in Jap colours for a Pacific War build. The Typ 79 Ko-Gata http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=65&t=162780

I've done a little test fitting today, and some clean up of the larger components. Generally, everything seems to fit beautifully. the side walls need to be pulled in a little so they mate to the hull floor all the way along, but it's no issue. The side walls also have tongues which key into the cabin floor. I have tried the lid on the hull too, and can report it fits beautifully. For a first release, Takom seem to have hit the ground running. I've also assembled a couple of track links to see how easy they are to use, and they look to be a cinch. No issues so far folks....

Off to a great start I reckon. What are the spokes made from? I can see them in a packet there.

The Renault FT is slightly longer than a 38t, This kit is around 12 inches long.

Pictures? Now please, or it didn't happen.

It is these days, and it is enough. The review for this kit comes on Monday, when hopefully, there will be plenty of thumbs and hopefully not too much laughter.

Time to shift to the Dark Side, and build some armour. I'm opening this momentous occasion by cutting some sprues for this new, initial release from new company, Takom. That's my tent pitched. Keep tuned folks!

Great reference, and exceptional clarity too!

1:32 Wartime Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe, and Canadian 'Trophy' Fokkers Pheon Decals Catalogue # 32044 Available from Pheon for £7.50 plus P&P Pheon Website: www.pheondecals.com Email for purchase. If you're a WW1 modeller, it's always a pleasure to see a new Pheon release. In fact, it seems to be a little bit of an event, almost akin to seeing a shiny new Wingnut Wings release. This isn't just my perspective, but also that of modellers I'm in contact with. Rowan's choices of schemes, and the sheer effort that goes into them, goes to make a great product. This new set is also a little unusual, catering to now just one type, the Sopwith Snipe, but also to the wonderful Fokker D.VII kit too, but with a twist. I know from my communication with Rowan that this set has been a labour of love, and the weight of information which comes within the manual, should show you his passion for the subject, and provides some very interesting background information to the chosen schemes. Packaged into a ziplock wallet, the new 1:32 Wartime Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe, and Canadian 'Trophy' Fokkers set has the six schemes on offer here (three Snipe and three D.VII), featured in small port-side profile on an inkjet cover sheet. Within the packet, TWO more profile sheets are included, printed these schemes in a larger scale, and of course, on high quality, glossy paper. As well as the profiles, wing detail cutaway images are shown too, where appropriate. It is pretty much true that RFC/RAF schemes were mostly PC10 or PC12, and the Snipe schemes here fall into that category for the main part, but Rowan has chosen some neat schemes which are broken up a little by either cowl paint colour, or wing identification letters. Let's take a look at those Snipe schemes before heading over to Fokker-land. 1. E8012, Maj. William George Barker, attached to 201 Sqn RAF, October 1918 Major Barker was an extraordinary man. He was a man of incredible flying skill and courage, and he was one of the highest scoring Allied 'aces' during the Great War. His machine was painted with grey turtle-deck, forward cowls and engine cowl. The rear fuselage was painted with five stripes in honour of the five aircraft which he simply claimed as being 'out of control', instead of destroyed. 2. E8050, Capt. E.R. 'Bo' King, Commander of 'A' Flight, 4 Sqn. AFC, October/November 1918 Again, this machine is painted in a similar way to Maj. Barker's Snipe, with the possibility of red wheel hubs, but the difference here is that the machine's 'A Flight' fuselage code is also displayed on the inboard, upper starboard wing. 3. E8082, 2/Lt. E.J. Richards, 'B' Flight, 4 Sqn. AFC, October/November 1918 Adorned in a similar manner to the 'Bo' King machine, with the 'X' displayed on the upper wing, the engine cowl (and possibly wheel hubs) were painted deep blue. ...and onto the Fokkers, which are of course, machines evaluated by the Canadians after capture. Despite their new ownership, these aircraft still wear their German national markings, with the 4th and 5th options carrying 'extra' markings which I'll describe in the text below. The last machine (scheme 6) is a composite aircraft, built from a number of airframes. 4. OAW-built Fokker D.VII 8493/18 This machine may have been captured at a production facility, and doesn't seem to have been assigned to any unit, as it is devoid of any typical and personal markings. There are also some neat little touches to this scheme, such as small repair panels, a British-installed bare metal panel to the front of the AVRO/Trainer Pup style windshield (to block the holes from the removed guns). One cowl panel is also possibly black too, so there are a number of areas of visual interest for this scheme which would certainly make it an interesting possibility. The fuselage carries a green maple leaf RCAF 1 Sqn. Badge, again adding more visual interest. 5. OAW-built Fokker D.VII, serial unknown Now, how about a racing Fokker!! You heard correctly. The identity of this aircraft isn't known, and of course as this was used in a non-military capacity after the war, this D.VII carried no Spandaus. This aircraft was flown by William Barker in the Toronto-new York Air Race of August 1919, and carried the aircraft's race number '50', emblazoned on both fuselage sides in white with black trim, and also in white on the inboard side of each lower wing. This machine looks very unusual indeed with this almost comedic writing. 6. Albatros-built Fokker D.VII 6810/18 "The Knowlton Fokker" As previously mentioned, this aircraft was built from a number of other D.VII parts to supplement the Albatros-built machine's fuselage. Some lozenge fading on airframe parts, and the fact that all the various panels are of a different origin, will make this one a mish-mash of different styles, derived from different glazes etc. A real mixed bag. No other non-German markings are evident either . Instructions This 17 page A5 manual begins with a little of the history of the Snipe itself, and a little introduction to the Canadian Fokkers, before presenting you with the reference Rowan has used to compile this set. Instructions on decal use is given, and then onto the main event; the history of the various aircraft. The historical aspects of this decal set are seriously superb, telling some amazing stories relating to the Snipes and their pilots. You certainly won't find this depth of info on wiki. I know, I tried! Colour notations and any other useful information relating to specifics and oddities, especially for the Fokker machines, is noted in detail for the modeller, including cowl peculiarities. The decals The decal sheet for this is quite small, but because it neither relies on, no contains national markings, it does mean that you will be able to build ALL SIX schemes here, should you have the kits and inclination (just over £1 per model!). Barker's Snipe has the fuselage stripes given as a decal, with overlapping serials. Serials are separately included, should you want to mask the stripes and paint them yourself. The decals aren't numbered for ID, but it is pretty obvious for which machine they apply. As usual, Fantasy Printshop are the producers of this sheet, and they are printed thinly, with minimal carrier film, and in perfect register. Colours are solid and authentic. Conclusion This is a very unusual set, no doubt. Both Fokkers and Snipe aircraft on the same bill. You don't see it every day. It really doesn't matter if you just like the D.VII, or indeed the Snipe, as this set presents excellent value for money, and of course, those killer historical schemes. Build two from the set, then you're quids-in. Build more, then you really start to see the benefits of including more than one aircraft type on a set. Rowan has chosen some super aircraft for this release, and you certainly would be forgiven for tailoring your stash to cater to more than one build. VERY highly recommended. Our sincere thanks to Pheon Decals for the review sample. James H

....my ribs are hurting!

That looks very cool. Nice to get surprises. Someone must love you very much!

That is amazing stuff! I might give this a shot myself on some future projects. Do I have to pay royalties?

Completing the model Please don't let the brevity through which I've described the general construction above, make you think this is a model which won't suck up your time, because it will. As I have said, this is the single most detailed, comprehensive and staggering model kit I've ever had the fortune to see. It will also be quite some weight when complete. The good news here is that key resin parts, such as wing struts and undercarriage legs are cast with steel rods within them. I think the only change I would have made to overall construction would be to make the upper wing so that it could be removed for transportation. That should be a simple task though, and one to look at before you start work on the model proper. Wheels are supplied (strangely) in halves, when to me, they could have been cast in one piece. That's only a small niggle as the hefty tread will make them pretty easy to clean up. The propellers are cast as individual blades and separate hub. No guide is given for blade pitch, so ensure you get them all equal. I've included a few extra images from the manual here so you can get an idea of the model itself and some of that extra smaller detail. Most resin parts in this set are cast on a 'sheet' instead of a casting block. This means their clean-up is both easy and quick. Larger, thicker parts, such as the ailerons etc are cast onto traditional blocks which you will need to remove. All casting is superb, with no visible flaws I can see. Many parts do inhabit the same bag, and I would perhaps have liked to see more bags used, and the parts count per bag, reduced. The clear resin parts are crystal clear, and without a doubt, the very best I have come across. The transparency is superb, and a dip in Klear will enhance these even further. Again, casting is flawless. What else is in the box? A large ziplock wallet holds a number of items to help you complete this beast. HGW have partnered again with HPH and created a set of crew seatbelts, straps and harnesses. These come in the form of 2 sheets of laser-cut micro-fibre textile parts, and a fret of many photo etch parts. The latter is produced by Eduard, and as you can imagine, the etching detail and quality is second to none. To use these belts, you snip the textile parts from their sheet, screw them up, and then straighten them out before assembling, varnishing, washing and weathering. Screwing them up and laying them out means that they easily conform to what we see as a more natural drape. Eduard have produced two frets for the Catalina. Both are nickel plated, and one, containing the instrument panels and other avionics, is colour printed, with the usual two-layer instrument panel we see in their other releases. In this release, we also see Browning barrel sets, produced by top manufacturer MASTER MODEL, as well as a number of vinyl masking sheets for the Catalina's colour schemes and also for the glazing etc. A small decal sheet is also included for stencils and other data which may not be suitable for the masking system. The instruction manual for the Catalina is on an enclosed CD. It is given in both full colour PDF format, and also in JPG images. As for the chocolate: Colour Schemes Two schemes are supplied for this kit, in mask form. These are: PBY-5A Catalina, U.S. Navy, VP-61, Atlantic area, 1944 PBY-5A/CANSO Mk.IIA, 5th (BR) Squadron RCAF, AFB Torbay, Newfoundland, 1944 Vinyl Masks Decal sheet Conclusion As I've already stated numerous times, this is definitely the most comprehensive kit I've ever had the pleasure to handle. Every internal area is simple dripping in authentic looking constructional detail, to the point where you realise that the development of this kit must've taken an age. A masterpiece would not be a fitting enough description. This is a project for the serious modeller. You need to be comfortable with resin in order to even think of tackling this, and if you finally succumb, you will find a 4 to 6 month wait until your kit is ready to ship to you. There will be a 200 Euro non-returnable deposit too, to help cover costs while you save the remainder! Someone posted on the SP&R/LSM Facebook page yesterday, saying how he pretty much hated anything European/Chinese (even food in our supermarkets), and that 'we Americans won't be raped by these companies and their ridiculous prices'. Well, he probably thinks that this model is cheap to produce. This is no mass-produced Tamiya kit. The costs represents the amount of work that has gone into the development of this kit, and the collaborations that go with it, as well as root material costs and time. Some things though aren't in shades of grey for some, but just black and white. For those modellers lucky enough to try this model, you will be in for a treat, and I mean an entire feast of modelling. For those who can only look in on the side-lines, enjoy the online build logs which will inevitably spring up. Very highly recommended James H Our thanks to HPH for shipping this out to us in such a speedy manner. To purchase this directly, click THIS link.

Navigator's Desk, Radio Operator's Desk/Tools, Equipment There are a few sections here which relate to the navigator and radio operators station, and if you are a detail freak, I think even you will be amazed at what you actually need to fit these areas out with. As well as the usual avionics, there are cabinets, some excellent looking chairs, tables with full navigational hand-tools, drawer units, morse code tappers, head-phones etc. It simply is amazing. I make no apologies for inserting the various instruction images within these sequence stage for you, just so you get an idea of what I'm saying. A picture is worth a thousand words. You will need to incorporate some of that lovely colour Eduard photo etch in here. Cockpit About time you say? If the detail from the other crew positions wasn't enough for you, then this should just about nail it. Starting with chair and support frame assembly, then progressing to the dual steering wheel and rudder pedal assemblies, you'll notice that the parts breakdown is designed to be both intelligent, but also to maximise constructional fun. After all, that's what this hobby is about, allegedly. The cockpit is a kit all in itself, and it built externally to the hull, then inserted within. Front Gunner & Bombardier/Operator stations The detail levels drip neatly into the forward crew position with another masterpiece of detailing that will make you go all gooey. You will see a little of this though the crystal clear turret, so do your worst! The 'operator' station is what I think is the 'engineer' station, and sits in the area adjacent to the main wheel wells. We do have seating in this quarter, plus numerous avionics units, and some rather nifty beds, although mattresses aren't supplied, so it will be a rough sleep. Side and Rear Gunner positions The Catalina would have been fairly vulnerable, so of course it was imperative that she could adequately defend herself. The front turret is a start, but one thing this aircraft is famous for are the rear hull glazed bulges, accommodating a gunner in each. These areas are framed of course by some superbly clear resin castings which come in multi-part form. They are also 'open', meaning you will see all that detail within, so your work in here will really pay off. This area is heavily adorned in high levels of the very best detail you'll see a this level. Seating, safety equipment, ammunition boxes and feeds, plus the MG mounts themselves. I need to say at this point that the barrels themselves for this kit are actually MASTER MODEL parts! Only the very best has been supplied for this kit. Elements of photo etch are incorporated into those glazed bulges. I would perhaps fit them at a later stage, once test fitted, and I would also use Gator Glue, or a similar, non-solvent based adhesive. The Catalina sure did have a rear gunner, situated in the last compartment to the rear of the waist gunners. His position commanded a gun pointed downwards, from below. The position was opened up by the retraction of a panel in the hull floor, and an MG being swung into position, and the gunner lying prone on a padded 'bed'. Detail? Just look at the photos and see for yourself. Engines It's hard to believe that this aircraft had just two engines. You'll find it hard to believe just how much detail there is in this region too, with both 7-cylinder banks having separate cylinders and cylinder heads. The cooling fin representation is excellent, and the central crankcase highly detailed. Again, colour call-outs are given. Wings and Tail Surfaces I already mentioned the wing construction earlier in this article, and it's here that these wings are finally fitted out. That gaping aileron hole in the rear outboard panels is filled with a superbly made inlay, and those outboard underwing holes are furnished with those float retraction units get their inserts as previously mentioned. Engine cowl fit-out, engine fitting and wing assembly are the key areas of this step. Superbly vac formed leading edge light covers are supplied, and photo etch framing to neaten things up. Wing lights are supplied as coloured resin. LARGE ailerons! Rear wing aileron inserts The stabilisers are cast as single parts, as are the elevators. Minimal clean-up is required, and pinning shouldn't be necessary. Surface detail is again excellent, and assembly looks easy. As previously mentioned, you would need to pin these assemblies to the hull for strength.