JayDee

1:32 Arado Ar 234B-2N Fly Model Catalogue # 32008 Available from Fly Model for 1640.00CZK (approx £47) The Arado Ar 234 was the world's first, purpose designed and built jet bomber. Its high ceiling capability also saw it operate mainly as a photo reconnaissance aircraft. Lack of room within the fuselage saw bomb pylons being fitted to the underside of the engine nacelles. The dual Jumo 004 engines and operational ceiling saw the type operate almost with impunity over the UK in the latter stages of the war. It has the distinction of being the last Luftwaffe type to have flown over Britain during the war. Whilst the Ar 234 only entered service in the latter part of 1944, its design requirement was implemented in 1940; around the time that the Battle of Britain had ceased. Unlike many aircraft of the time, the Ar 234 was quite smooth and streamlined in overall appearance, and had its wing mounted to the shoulder of the fuselage, with a Jumo 004 under each wing. The pilot sat in an extensively glazed cockpit which formed the nose of the aircraft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9O_jcI4fQVw Problems in the design and manufacture of the jet engines saw the project stall until 1943, and by now, the tide of the war was turning against the Germans. Making its first powered flight in mid-1943, the performance of the Arado was exemplary, despite falling short of the RLM's requirement for overall speed. The original design saw the Ar 234 take off on a detachable trolley, and return to earth on a landing skid. Changes in the design saw the Ar 234 being fitted with an undercarriage which fully retracted into its fuselage. Numerous other design changes were tested, such as the use of four BMW 003 engines in both separate and duel nacelle layouts, and also the two-man night-fighter, which saw the rear fuselage being taken over with a radio operator's cockpit. Cannon was also fitted to a pod which was slung underneath the fuselage. That specific type is the subject of this review. By the war's end, 210 Ar 234 had been built, of all types, and despite numerous technical issues with the machine, the type was liked by its pilots, and proved manoeuvrable enough to even perform aerobatics! A key drawback of the type was the long take off distances, which led to accidents. To counter this, RATO (Rocket Assisted Take Off) units were suspended under each wing. When jettisoned, these fell back to earth on a parachute which was fitted to their nose. There are indeed a number of aircraft which large scale modellers have waited patiently to see in regular kit format, and the Ar 234 is one such subject. Up until now, the 1:48 arena has been well served by the likes of Dragon and Hasegawa, and the only 1:32 kit is the amazing MDC resin kit, mastered by Radu Brinzan. If whole resin kits frighten you, or you just don't like the medium, then Fly Model's latest releases will positively delight you. Yes, you heard that correctly...releases! There are in fact TWO Fly Model Ar 234 kits now on the market, and today we take a look at the two-seat night-fighter. The first thing that might surprise you is how small the boxes are for these multimedia releases. Fly Model produce short-run, low pressure injection moulded kits which incorporate resin and photo etch parts. I'm no stranger to their releases, and I have built their Bachem Ba 348V 'Natter', which featured on the cover of Military Illustrated Modeller. Fly's packaging and artwork is very attractive, even if the box itself isn't a super-glossy production as we see from the likes of Hasegawa etc. Inside the box, there are FOUR tan/fawn coloured styrene sprues which have been packaged into a single re-sealable sleeve, including three bags of resin parts too, and an individually sleeved clear sprue. Packing all of those sprues into the same wallet has resulted in a few scuff marks which will need to be polished out. Plastic in short-run kits does tend to be a little softer, and of course, this has suffered a minor issue. Also included is a small sleeve with injection moulded night-fighter antennae arrays, a comprehensive sheet of decals, a photo etch fret, some wire and cord, a glossy colour profile sheet, and an A5 instruction booklet. The sprues themselves don't have ID letters, with the part numbers starting with the fuselage sprue, and ending with the antennae. For the sake of this review, we'll still call them 'A' and 'B' etc. There has been some discussion online about the source of the drawings for this kit, and possible accuracy issues. For me personally, I don't know enough about the Arado to comment on some details. Having seen the built up model on the Fly stall at Telford, all I can say is that it looked amazing, and every bit like the Ar 234 that I know. I'll leave any accuracy possibilities for another man on another day. SPRUE A For the first time, we seen the unmistakable lines of the Ar 234. Whilst the fuselage is conventionally split into halves, the forward nose section is a single, separate piece. This will allow the cockpit to be built and installed before the nose is married to the fuselage. I give Fly real credit for just refined the surface detail is on this. Panel lines are extremely subtle. You feel that they will only just hold a wash. They are also evenly scribed, with perhaps the slightest loss of detail around the underside seam. This is no issue as I'd only have to replace the detail once I've sanded back the joints. As is correct, the forward main gear door is moulded closed, with only the strut door of course being an open area. A little flash will need to be removed, but nothing major. External surface detail is quite sparse, which is probably correct for the type, but there are a number of neatly engraved access ports, and some fastener detail. The rudder is also separately moulded, and the wing slots into a quite thin slot on the fuselage shoulder. As with the rest of this kit, there are no locating pins between parts. This is very common for short-run kits. The RATO units are included here, moulded as halves, and with some pretty neat filler port and strap detail. These parts are for the actual RATO unit, and not the accompanying parachute. The latter is included as resin parts. Other parts on this sprue include the two-part nose-wheel, main gear doors, and also the bomb pylon mounting units which fit to the underside of the engine nacelles. I do think the wheel looks rather simplistic, and will need a little work to bring it to scratch. The inside of the gear doors are also devoid of any real detail, and could use a little work. SPRUE B Both of the wing undersides are moulded here, with integral ailerons and landing flaps. I would quite like to have at least the landing flaps as separate parts, but again, this is usually the approach with short-run kits, and it's only a minor criticism. Surface detail really is excellent, with numerous, fine panel lines and access ports. Also scribed are the external lines which indicate where the Jumo 004 nacelles will be fitted, minimising guesswork. As this aircraft is not a bomber, its pylons are occupied with fuel drop tanks. This was necessary due to fuselage fuel capacity being removed due to the fitting of the second crew position. The tanks are moulded as halves, and look every bit as good as those you'll see in conventional, contemporary kits. Detail includes hard mounting points and fillers. The main wheels are also far prettier than the nose wheel, with excellent internal and external hub detail which looks very convincing. Fine raised lines radiate from the centre of the tyre, outwards. Again, this looks very good. Wheels, however, aren't weighted, so you'll need to solve that issue yourselves. Other parts on this sprue include the recessed, belly weapons mount which is superbly detailed, engine nacelle breather inlets, and also the rudder and elevator counter-masses. SPRUE C Engine nacelles are supplied in halves, and into these will go a resin intake, and a resin exhaust which will be supplemented by the variable position 'onion' that controls thrust. Fine panel lines and fasteners adorn the exterior of the nacelles, and internally, a small raised step helps to locate the internal resin parts. A two piece rudder is included, which is the only real part of the exterior to exhibit any rivet lines. Until now, we haven't seen any cockpit parts, but that is because the main parts are produced in resin. However, there are still a number of injection moulded parts on this srpue. One of these is the instrument panel. My only qualm with this is that it has moulded instrument face detail. In actuality, that detail is very good, if not better than many contemporary kits, but decals are also supplied for the faces, and raised detail makes them a little tricky to successfully attach. I do think the panel itself is good enough not to use the decals, but should you wish to, you could easily scratch-build a new panel. Having a glazed nose, the rear of this panel is very visible, and Fly include a series of resin. For me, the cockpit is one of the really attractive areas of the Arado, and would be either a deal maker or breaker. Fortunately, Fly have done an amazing job of this key area, and the side consoles are testimony to that. Detail is excellent, and there is plenty of it too. This will also be enhanced further with photo-etch levers etc. These are very busy areas of the pit! Numerous other cockpit details can be found here, including the rudder pedal slide mount rods, highly detailed control stick, and other ancillary instrumentation panels. Two internal side wall parts are also included. The undercarriage parts are to be found here. Main strut gear detail is quite simple, but certainly sharp, and the various struts and forks are certainly more than passable. Other parts include the fuel tank/bomb pylons, Funkgerat loop base, and nose gear doors. Again, I'd suggest a little extra detail work within the doors. SPRUE D Here we have the upper wing panels, exhibiting the same refined levels of detail as the rest of the airframe. I can't help but thinking that MDC's flush rivet tool, used with a soft touch, could really transform this model from great looking, to spectacular! Those Jumo 004 'onion' parts are found here, moulded as halves. These are simple looking by design. Stabilisers are moulded with integral elevators. This is a bit of a shame if you wished to pose them. I may do that for my own build. Detail is supplied by means of finely engraved panel lines. SPRUE E This small sprue is packed separately for a reason; it's simply so very fragile. It contains the dipole antennae arrays for the front of the machine, and also the small fuselage mounted loop. Forget the flashy appearance expected of parts like this with short-run. These are actually very good indeed, and could only be surpassed by using metal parts. SPRUE F Again, clear parts are another area where short-run manufacturers can, and often do, fall flat with. I have always found the clear parts in Fly kits to be very good, and these are no exception. This clear sprue contains ELEVEN parts. The forward canopy comprises two of these. Framing is very good, and so is clarity. I always recommend dipping canopies in Klear to help enhance clarity, and level any imperfections. With this canopy, that could be doubly important because the black framing with the bolts is supplied as a series of decal strips, in the same manner as the MDC kit. You may want to paint the frames and then attach the decals, but that would be pointless. You can simply apply them directly to the Klear'ed part. Ok, I do have another criticism here. With such a detailed cockpit, it would have made sense to mould the entrance hatch as a separate part, allowing it to be posed in an open position. Fly haven't done this, and instead, its moulded closed. I will drill this out and make a new door so that I can pose it open, allowing for a cockpit view. Three out of the four schemes here call for rear crew position to be installed. If you do this, you will need to cut away a section from the upper fuselage, and fit a clear panel in place. You will also need to open up two circular apertures in the side, and glaze them too. Those parts are here, as are those for wingtip lights, and Funkgerat dipole window etc. Plastic Summary I don't really have any complaints about the styrene in this kit. There is a little flash and a few seams to remove, but there are no visible sink marks or other production defects. There is a lack of locating pin presence, but as I have said, this is very typical of kits of this type. RESIN There are THREE bags of resin parts here, providing the real detail in this kit. All resin parts are produced by Artillery and are mostly cast in light grey resin, with a few parts in cream. Artillery do some great work, and these parts are no exception. Casting is flawless, and mastering is very detailed. Let's take a closer look, bag per bag. The first zip-lock wallet contains no less than eleven chunks of resin. I say chunks because there are some quite hefty parts here. One of the largest parts forms the rear cockpit bulkhead with its associated detail (wiring looms, tanks, and junction boxes), including an integral nose wheel bay which internally forms the section to which the pilot's seat fits. The wheel bay is chock full of pipework too, and I'm sure will present more than just a little difficulty in access for painting. A large casting block exists to the rear, but this should be kept in place due to it housing the wheel bay. You may need to shave a little from the top so that it doesn't protrude beyond the top of the bulkhead. Port and starboard main gear bays are excellent. The box structures feature the various frames and constructional elements, as well as the row of access plates, numerous wiring looms and gear actuator jacks. Test fitting these within the fuselage shows that there's nothing to worry about. The location of them is pretty obvious. A little thin CA to initially fit, followed by a bead of epoxy, should do the trick nicely. A single casting block contains the bomb sight and pilot seat. Fantastic detail throughout, as you can see from my photo. The other parts in this bag are the front and rear Jumo engine faces, with superbly sharp fan faces, and also the parachute packs for the RATO pods. These have been made to look like folded fabric, and really are very good. You'll need to employ some craft shading and highlights to compliment the detail. A casting block will need to be removed from the rear. The second resin bag contains a further six parts, spread over five casting blocks. Two of these comprise the rear radio compartment. In this area, the crew member sat facing rearwards, and the bulkhead for this section incorporates the side consoles, seat framework, avionics and padded headrest. The rearmost bulkhead needs to have its casting block removed because the centre of this is open. Again, this contains avionics/radios, and wiring looms. Another casting block contains a seat which is identical to that of the pilot. Three out of the four schemes presented in this kit, utilise the massive Magirusbombe gun pod, housing a pair of MG121/20 cannon. The pod is cast as a single piece, with separate barrels. Lastly, the third resin bag contains six casting blocks which contain around another FIFTY parts. These include the numerous instrument bodies for the rear of the IP, oleo scissors, various cockpit parts (battery, map case, fuse board and oxygen regulator etc.), undercarriage parts etc. PHOTO ETCH This etch fret is different to that of the single-seater, as it contains two sets of seatbelts. Whilst I admit that these will be very useable, I think I'll opt for the more photo-realistic HGW set which has just been released for this purpose. The fret also contains the forward edging for the cockpit consoles, console levers, rudder pedals etc. Other parts include control surface actuators and the dipole array for the fuselage spine. The PE is superbly made, with small tags holding all parts in place. ERRATA A small bag contains two pieces of cord of different diameters, and also a short length of rigid wire. I'm sure the cord is partly for the cockpit, with a length being used for the drag chute cable. I'm unsure what the wire is for at this time. DECALS A single decal sheet is included, which contains both national markings, codes and serials and also a full suite of stencils and dashed walkway lines. As I have mentioned, the canopy framing lines are supplied as strips which you'll need to cut to length. Cockpit instrument decals are also supplied, but I will use the superior Airscale decals on my build. I hate it when swastikas are supplied in 2 parts, but they are here too. Worse, they aren't equal halves, which adds some awkwardness to getting them into the correct position. Decals are thinly printed and contain minimal carrier film. The colours are solid and authentic, and registration is perfect. You could wish for no more. A glossy A4 sheet depicts the schemes, and these are: Arado Ar 234B-2/N, W.Nr.140146, SM+FF, Oblt. Bonow and Ofw. Marchetti, Kommando Bonow, Oranienburg, 1945 Arado Ar 234B-2/N, W.Nr.140145, SM+FE, Hptm. Bisping and Phtm. Vogel, Kommando Bonow, Oranienburg, 1945 Arado Ar 234B-2/N, W.Nr.140344, T9+EH, Oblt. Erich K. Sommer, Campoformido Air Base (Udine), Italy, April 1945 Arado Ar 234B-2, W.Nr.140173, F1+MT, 9./KG76, Hptm. Josef Regler, March 1945 INSTRUCTIONS This is a 20-page A5 manual, printed in black and white, with shaded line drawings for stage illustration. All looks very easy to follow, and very comprehensive. You will need to study things closely to decipher what is plastic, etch or resin. Colour information is basic, so please check your references. I still think the manual is pretty clear about construction, and you should find no problem with it. Conclusion Well, we have been waiting for an injection moulded Ar 234, but has it been worth the wait? ABSOLUTELY! Without a doubt, this is a great kit which drips with detail in all the right places, yet retaining the conservative appearance of the exterior. Detail fans will absolutely adore the cockpit and radio compartment, which are a seriously good multimedia effort. I can't vouch, as I have said, for any accuracy issues in cross section etc. I have no problem whatsoever with regard to what this kit offers, and how it is portrayed. It looks like a seriously fun build, and you'll be able to catch my build in a few months, in Military Illustrated Modeller. Very highly recommended My sincere thanks to Fly Model for the review sample, and accompanying can of Czech beer! To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

Nice review, and fast too! Thanks for those overlay images too. You starting this soon?

Jase, you're one lucky B'stard!! I'd kill for that. Now, pick me up in your copter and fly me to your pad for a closer inspection.

Bloody superb! Thanks for posting!

Did Cees carry that on his knee on the way home? We had a great weekend and it was a proper honour to deal with HK Models.

How's your t-shirt?

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, After a hectic Telford this year, finally arrived home mid afternoon and took the photos of the sprue shots for the forthcoming bomber version of the DH Mosquito, from HK Models. Plenty of slide-moulding on show here, including elevators, ailerons, rudder, flaps, wingtips, and that stunning fuselage and SINGLE PIECE wing! Yes, you read that correctly....the entire wing (except tips, with two options), is ONE part!!! No joints to remove....just a fine moulding seam. Notice optional canopy parts, and choice of cookie and regular bomb load, with the bay doors to suit. There will be a 2 stage engine option, but that's being worked on. What you see here is for the single stage Merlin. Despite plenty of slide moulding genius, this model still has over TWENTY sprues! Enjoy!!

Always make sure you clean the crap out from the joint between the crown cap and the section behind it. If you don't get a good mechanical and crap free joint there, you can have impaired performance.

I'll drop by and say hello Petr. Catch you on Saturday

Erik, you are a slave to convention

Anzo, thanks for sharing this with us. Be gentle.....those frames look complex.

Hi Layton, no the model is finished now. Highlighting the rivets would make it look so false I think. I purposely kept away from that in 1:24.

The real beauty of this is that the only definite stage of the shark mouth application is that it originally had a camo infill. After that, it's been widely presumed it was filled in with red, but that isn't certain. No one knows. Interpretation of the the b/w photos with new technology doesn't absolutely prove it was red or otherwise. The colour of blue use on the interior wheel doors, spinner, radiator and chequer band does look very similar to the infill on some images. It's very possible or even probable, that they continued the same theme to the mouth. The beauty is....no one knows. It could have been the 'red' that was artistic licence

1:32 AMC DH.9 interior (for Wingnut Wings kit) HGW Catalogue # 132123 Available from HGW for 159 Kč HGW's collaboration with Eduard is well-known, and for a long time, we've seen a good stream of upgrade detail sets from this Czech company, and also their own version of Eduard's BIGED sets, where a modeller can buy all the related sets for a specific model, at a reduced price. Today we take a look at a set designed to upgrade the cockpit of Wingnut Wings' recent AMC DH.9 release. That actual kit was reviewed HERE. As per the recent seatbelt sets we took a look at, this set is also packaged into an attractive, slim sleeve which is reinforced with a rigid card insert. A single, small photo etch fret is attached to the black satin face paper within the packet, and a sheet of folded instructions are included to the rear. This release is one of HGW's simply sets, designed to complement an already excellent plastic cockpit. You really don't need to do much to the WNW kit, and this is reflected in this upgrade. The focal point for this interior set is the instrument panel, and more than half of the parts included are destined to end up there. To install this, you much grind away the moulded detail on the plastic instrument panel, leaving a smooth face. I would also reduce the thickness of the panel itself by the equivalent thickness you will add, by means of the etch replacement. The first step, once you apply the metal face to the plastic part, will be to add the wood-grain detail you wish to add. A perfect candidate for this is the Uschi van der Rosten or HGW wood decal product, as the surface, without bezels, is completely flat. Once done, you then need to add some backing discs to the etched instrument locations, followed by the WNW instrument decals which will sit atop these. These will then be followed by the numerous bezels which can first be airbrushed before assembly. A few other minor details are also then to be added. Other cockpit detail includes various sidewall equipment, such as throttle/mixture quadrants. You will need to add a little thin wire or plastic rod to these to act as control cables for these various items. Lastly, a set of leather straps are included, which you'll fit to the rudder pedals. The instruction sheet is very typically 'Eduard' in style, with line drawings being supplied for the various assembly stages, and coloured ink to denote newly fitted parts and those that require surgery. Nothing here will be difficult. Conclusion A very simple and affordable upgrade path which will ultimately produce a great looking instrument panel for your DH.9, and throw a few extra refinements into the mix too. Everything here could be achieved by a novice too. There really wasn't much to do to improve the DH.9, but HGW still found a few areas that they could work their magic on. Highly recommended My sincere thanks to HGW for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

Hi gang, Sorry I've been pretty quiet recently, but Airfix asked me to build one of the Typhoon Über kits for display on their stand at Scale Model World, Telford. This kit is magnificent, but no 2 week project. I rushed this one to get it built in time, and it still took 7 weeks, which is is only a couple of weeks short of what it would take me to do two magazine projects. Airfix have commissioned four modellers to build the four schemes available in the kit. Everything here is OOB (through necessity) except for Airscale cockpit decals and masks which were used for the tail chequer band. I found the kit decal colours to be muddy and wrong. I still need to add fuses to the rockets and also more weathering to the wheels, but it's almost there. I'm not going to beat myself up over a rush build, and I know I could have improved many areas. Hope you like it.

Cowl dimensions and shapes weren't correct, and were more akin to modified single stage shapes, but with the same dimensions. All is in hand

Possibly the best D.VII I've ever seen! Construction images?

They also know about the problem with the two stage cowls, and will rectify that.

You could have had it last January, but then folks would have pissed and moaned about it. The design has been totally reworked. Better to release a kit which is correct, than to face the consequences.

1:32 Bristol M.1C 'Checkers and stripes' Special Hobby Catalogue # 32060 Available from MPM for 36.45 € The Bristol M.1C was probably one of the best fighters that the RFC never had. In an age when biplanes were standard, and the monoplane was treated with suspicion, the M.1C was always going to have its work cut out. Monoplanes had actually been banned by the RFC in 1912 following a flying accident, so the fact that the M.1C was designed at all is quite an achievement. Please remember, however, that the Germans had some particularly stunning successes with their Eindecker machines, until the introduction of the DH.9 countered them, followed by later types with forward firing, synchronised guns. Bristol's fighter was quite different in appearance to machines of the day, with streamlining being a key factor in the type's remarkable speed for this time. The fuselage was almost cylindrical, and a large, domed spinner helped to counter any further drag problems. Wing arrangement was also quite unusual, with these being fitted to the shoulder of the fuselage, and braced from a pylon mounted above the fuselage, and also from below. Unlike the German wing-warping monoplane, Bristol fitted ailerons to their machine, making it far more responsive than the former. Under combat conditions, it was thought to be at least 30mph faster than German fighters. Manoeuvrability was also very respectable too. A 110hp Clerget 9Z rotary engine powered the machine, and armament was provided by the installation of a single forward firing .303 Vickers. First flown in 1916, and introduced in 1917, the life-span of the M.IC was to be short-lived, with only 130 being produced before the project was cancelled. Officially, the reason was due to the landing speed of 49mpg being too high for machines operating from French airfields. Unofficially, it was more likely due to those suspicions that still surrounded the monoplane. Special Hobby have released TWO versions of this kit simultaneously. Today, we look at the attractive 'Checkers and Stripes' release, and in the next weeks, Jeroen Peters will review the 'Wartime Colours' version. Of course, this isn't the first time we've seen the Bristol M.1C here at LSM. Take a look at the resin kit that we reviewed, from Alley Cat. The box for this release is quite small, but is certainly packed full of plastic and other stuff. Just be careful with the decal sheet because it's slightly larger than the box, and needs to be packed with a little thought. Thankfully, this is a rigid, top-opening box too, and with some beautiful artwork. You'd be forgiven for not even thinking this machine was from WW1. In fact, in this release, you won't use the Vickers gun at all as all schemes are for unarmed machines. Hardly surprising when you see how colourful they are. All sprues are packed into the same re-sealable wallet (which never gets my vote!) and also in there is a small zip-lock containing two resin pieces. Thankfully, no damage seems to have occurred to my sample, despite the packing arrangements, and all parts remain on the sprues. There are a total of FOUR sprues, moulded in medium grey plastic. No clear styrene parts here, as the windscreen is included as an acetate part. That printed acetate sheet is placed in a large sleeve with TWO decal sheets and a small fret of photo etch parts. SPRUE A The fuselage here is traditionally supplies as halves, with some gorgeous external detail. Essentially, the fuse was a traditional former and stringer design, and this has been convincingly portrayed, with fairly sharp edges along the stringers, and no formers of course, as the stringers sat proud from the rest of the construction. Hand/footholds are moulded 'open', but the control cable grommets to the rear of the fuselage will need to be opened up with a small drill bit. The forward fuselage looks excellent with its riveted plates and fabric turnover/stitching. A very finely detailed access panel is also moulded in situ. For some reason, the carburettor openings to the rear of these panels are closed-ended. These will need drilling out for extra realism. A very fine cockpit coaming ring is also moulded in situ. Internally, a series of formers and stringers provide some cockpit wall detail, which you will see behind the frames of the cockpit tub. An ejector pin mark is evident in roughly the place where the hole will be drilled through, from the carburettor stubs. This may coincide if we're lucky, but usually, the world doesn't work like that. A lack of connecting pins is also apparent, as tends to be the case for short-run kits such as this. Just make sure you get everything properly aligned before you commit to glue. Stabilisers are moulded separately, as are the ailerons. The former parts are located to the fuselage via small pips. Surface detail perhaps looks a little heavy to me. I'm not sure if cap strips were placed over the ribs inside the tail structures, but that is what the appearance is reminiscent of. It's no deal breaker, and it still looks very good. I would perhaps just reduce this a little with a sanding sponge. The same applies to the vertical fin and separate rudder, also found on this sprue. Special Hobby have provided the wheels with an integrally moulded inner hub, with very nice spoke detail protruding through the canvas. Internally, they've also moulded a single spoke which will be seen then you look through the tyre filling port in the separate outer cover. This is something that Wingnut Wings have been doing for quite a while, and I imagine is the inspiration for this. Other parts on this sprue include the two struts for the upper wing rigging pylon, the pilot's seat cushion and also the Vickers gun, alas not used for this model. The studded seat cushion looks very exaggerated, and the large deep stud holes should be reduced a little with some Mr Surfacer, or similar. SPRUE B Here we find the wings, with their separate ailerons. The surface detail here is very similar to that of the tail, and alternate ribs seem to have that capping strip. As those between don't, I'm assuming that is intentional and correct. I don't have any real reference material for the M.1C to verify or deny this. Surface detail is very good, either way, and the wings are moulded with the rigging cord shrouds in place. You will need to drill these out as there are no rigging holes provided at all. Other detail is good, such as the downwards-viewing ports, and the metal plating at the wing root. The ailerons contain the same surface detail, and will require a little clean-up of excess plastic along their connecting face. A number of hinges seem to be represented here. They can't be locating pips as the wing has no sockets for them. SPRUE C I think Special Hobby did a great job with the Clerget engine in this release. The engine is constructed from forward and rear halves, and separate end caps/rockers are supplied. Detail far surpasses what I have seen on many short-run kits. Some of the crankcase bolt detail might be a little soft in places, but this is made up for by the very sharply defined cooling fins. Again, no locating pins are provided, so you'll need to carefully align the halves. Induction piping is supplied as a separate ring, as are the nine pushrods. There are a few seams evident on the pushrods, and you'll need to par these down. Also separately moulded is the ignition line insulating ring which sits at the rear of the engine. You will of course need some fine wire to rig these to the spark plugs. The plus, moulded to the main engine parts, are a little crude. You could possibly find something useable in the Taurus Models range of resin sparkplugs. Where I think a little PE could have been well-used if the prop hub. The prop itself is very nice, with sharp edges. A little tidying up should be done here, but the hub detail is quite soft. Despite that huge spinner, you will see the hub through the central hole. That spinner is provided here as the main forward section and a framework back plate onto which you'll install a couple of fillets and some PE finishing strips to the prop opening. The cowl is a very simple affair, and is thinly moulded. Other parts on this sprue include the Vickers MG blanking plate, fuel filler port, windscreen head padding and two, as of yet, unidentified parts for which I can only presume aren't for this specific release. SPRUE D This is the smallest of the sprues, but contains a wealth of parts; mostly aimed at the cockpit. There is a distinct feeling that sprue looks to be of a higher quality that usual short-run kits, with the plastic having a different finish, and nice, neat sprue gate attachments. That cockpit is based around two frame sidewalls, a forward engine bay firewall, and a couple of framed to the rear; one of which incorporates the visible face of the main fuel tank. In the Alley Cat kit, this tank was a complete unit, as it can be seen extending through the holes in the cockpit framework. The cockpit is superbly detailed, and one of the best I've seen, outside of Wingnut Wings. A highlight for me is the great looking cockpit floor. A real pity you'll not see most of this through the small coaming aperture. Instrument panels in the M.1C are spread around the pilot, and include a couple of forward facing instruments and other which are situated on a side console. All of these finely moulded parts have blank faces for you to insert the instrument decals which are supplied. Rudder pedal bar, control stick, fuel pressurisation pump all look very good, with perhaps just a little extra plumbing needed to compliment everything. A number of other semi-formers etc are included, and what appears to be a carburettor, but if so, this should have longer tubes which meet up with those on the exterior fuselage. An easy fix. A resin seat is included, and we'll look at that soon. A number of cockpit parts will be included from the PE sheet, and again, that will be in a few moments. You will need to rig the cockpit, but this is very easy as the cables connection can be hidden in the area outside of the cockpit tub, between this and the side walls. A drawing is supplied showing rigging, and you'll be pleased to know that PE turnbuckles are also supplied for the purpose. Oddly enough, another set of pushrods are included here, and slated for use. I can't understand why those exist on the previous sprue. Other parts to be found here are the tail skid, undercarriage V struts and the 2 spreader bars and axle. Plastic Summary. There isn't really anything I can fault here. Yes, there's a little flash and a few seams, but that's to be expected with short-run kits. Detail is generally superb, and there is plenty of it too. I can't see any defects anywhere, such as sink marks, and there are only two ejector pin marks which may need a little removal. There is a little mould release agent visible on some of the parts across a couple of sprues, so if you get this, it would be prudent to wash the sprues in mild detergent before you do any work. RESIN Just two resin parts are included here, and one of these is for the pilot's wicker seat. I'm pleased Special Hobby took this approach as the seat is the one part you're really guaranteed to see in the cockpit. This simply couldn't have been replicated by injection moulding. You'll need to take care to remove this pale grey part from the casting block, but that block has been designed to be easy to remove. The other resin part is a finely cast propeller for what is either a wind generated turbine or a wind-driven fuel pressure pump. PHOTO ETCH This small PE fret contains MANY parts! There are those cockpit items, as well as a framework for the acetate windscreen, and also seatbelts and control horns etc. The real work here are the many, tiny turnbuckles, both single and double-ended. Quality is also very good, and small connector points mean the parts will be easy to remove. DECALS Both decal sheets are printed in the Czech Republic, by Aviprint, and in all, they appear to be very good. Printing is thin, colour is solid, and there is minimal carrier film. Everything is also in perfect register. The largest sheet contains the national markings as well as personal machine emblems etc. The stripes for the spinner and cowl (one machine) are supplied here too, as are a few stencils and those instrument decals. I don't particularly like the instrument decals here, as they look crude. I would replace these with some from the Airscale range. Roundels have holes in them to locate rigging points, and the aileron portions are separate too. That second decal sheet is far more entertaining though, as it contains the ENTIRE checker pattern for the fuselage! No mean feat! Stripes are also included for the tail plane. There are FOUR schemes included. These are: Bristol M.1C, C4995, No.2 Fighting School, Marske Airbase, 1918 Bristol M.1C, C4994, No.2 Fighting School, Marske Airbase, 1918 Bristol M.1C, C5017, No.1 School of Aerial Fighting, Turnberry Airbase, 1918 Bristol M.1C, C5017, South Eastern Area Flying Instructors School, Shoreham Airbase, 1918 INSTRUCTIONS This is quite an attractive, glossy 16 page A5 booklet, with superbly clear drawings for assembly. Parts are also shown in coloured ink, with Gunze paint codes supplied. Where a PE or resin part is required, all is easy to reference. You should have no problems here. Colour profiles are supplied in the rear of the book, for each scheme, plus of course, that rigging drawing. Ignore the title on the front of the manual, where is says 'Wartime Colours', instead of the 'Checkers and Stripes' which is this release. Conclusion In all, a very attractive and highly detailed package which will produce a beautiful replica of this mostly-forgotten about machine. Whilst the PE turnbuckles might tie you in knots, there's nothing here which can really be criticised. How often do you see those included in a kit? Exactly! Price-wise, this is also hard to beat, and gives us a WW1 model that many beginners to the genre can now build. Highly recommended My sincere thanks to Special Hobby for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

You know it makes sense

Hi Terry, The Lanc is on course for release in perhaps January next year. LSM have been working on HK Models on this release, and some very substantial reworking of the CAD needed to be done. The result should be very pleasing to Lanc fans. Delays had been caused by that rework, but as you know, this really did need to be correct. More news when we have it.

Just so fantastic. When are you gluing the wings on?

I do believe you will see more twins, but those will be revealed in due course. HK's schedule is pretty exciting, and certainly ambitious. For me, they are probably my favourite non-WW1 injection moulding company!