JayDee

1:32 Bf 109G-6 undercarriage legs BRONZE Eduard Brassin Catalogue # 632021 Available from Eduard for 17,25 € Bunny Fighter Club price: 14,66 € How about a brand new set designed to entirely replace both the kit undercarriage struts and the main gear doors on your Revell Bf 109G-6? This is the very latest in Eduard's Brassin range of products catering to the recent release, so let's take a peek. Presented in Eduard's familiar clear blister packet, this remit of this set is about as simple as it can get, and most certainly easy when it comes to implementing it. Containing just four parts, this is a set for which pretty much any modeller of any still can make use of. Eduard's love affair with white bronze (jeweller's bronze) continues, with this set replacing the 109's undercarriage strut, as a single part, complete with oleo scissor and brake line incorporated. There is also no clean up to do with these are there is no casting block to remove, and the faint mould paring seam is hidden to the rear of the strut, up against where the undercarriage door will fit. The locating lug for inserting to the model is also a part of the leg, as per the original kit part. There's no doubt that these bronze legs are indeed extremely strong. Being jeweller's bronze, they also hold detail amazingly well, unlike some replacement parts we have seen cast from white metal. As said, these parts are designed to be swapped straight out for the kit ones. The undercarriage doors are a massive improvement over the Revell parts, being thinner and having far more detail too. A locating indentation around the wheel axle point is designed to fit the oleo precisely, and is positively located around the top of the strut by means of a bracket. These doors incorporate hydraulic line detail as well as the double skin, pressed interior shell, with raised riveting. Very impressive indeed. Al small casting block will need removing from each gear door via a thin wall of resin, and two overflow tags need to be snipped from the top of each door also. Of course, there are instructions for this set, indicating assembly, and the possibly use of Eduard's Brassin range of wheels instead of the kit parts. A head on view and side view give you an idea of the attitude of the legs when they are installed, despite the kit allowing this to be attained pretty easily anyway. Colour call-outs are given GSI Creos/Mr Hobby paints. Conclusion A simple set which is so beautiful it almost seems a shame to put any paint on them. They aren't too cheap, but the quality is outstanding, and they are a definite improvement over the kit parts. If you add the resin cockpit, engine etc, then perhaps bronze undercarriage legs will be a useful insurance policy over all that added weight! Very highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to Eduard for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click this link. Consider joining Eduard's Bunny Fighter Club programme for further discounts on your purchases.

I think I'll use Cees's method to fix my intakes. Will a Vimto can do instead of beer?

Damn, that looks nice!

Nice clean build. I like your style.

Sure is a great review, and always good to see another modeller's perspective too.

1:32 Messerschmitt Bf 109G-6 cockpit set Aires Catalogue # 2189 Available from Hannants for £15.50 Revell's recent Bf 109G-6 has certainly spawned a whole new wave of aftermarket items to help push this kit to the next level. While I think it's generally accepted that Revell's kit, although offering plenty in terms of detail and option possibilities, isn't absolutely perfect, this hasn't stopped a whole swathe of complicated and involved detail/correction sets being released by the main protagonists in our hobby. On the slab today, we have an entire cockpit replacement set, sent to us by the fine guys at Aires. This release is packaged into a clear blister packet with a card insert slid into this from behind, and the instructions sheet within this. This is stapled through the plastic in order to seal the package. To open, you need to start extracting heavy gauge staples. I much prefer the approach from Eduard with their pop open packets. All resin parts within are backed by soft grey foam so they don't rattle around too much. Above this, a small blister contains a single PE fret. This is sealed into position securely with black card, taped all the way around. Revell neatly designed their kit so that the cockpit walls fit into recesses within the fuselage. This is manna from heaven for the aftermarket companies who champion the modular approach for their cockpit upgrade sets. This means that this set, as with the Eduard one, are designed to be built as a module as per the actual kit parts, and then simply glued into place with minimal fuss, and what appears to be zero surgery for the host kit. Aires have cast this set in their usual creamy, light grey resin, with the three main components being the two fully detailed sidewalls, and a single piece cockpit floor, incorporating the rear and forward bulkheads. This part also includes many details which may normally have been cast as separate parts, including the seat, footboard and rudder pedal mounts. There is a space for where the MK108 cannon breech protrudes into the space between the pilot's knees. There are actually THREE breech options for this cockpit, with each cast separately onto their own blocks. Two notches exist in the floor at each side of the module. This is to allow the sidewalls to properly locate and key into this main part. Detail in this area of the office is superb with sharp bulkhead detail, incorporating wiring, connectors and riveting, and various avionics units on the floor. Of course, there is a casting block to remove, and in the case of this part, it's pretty substantial. The whole of the area underneath the rear seat bulkhead, extending to a 3mm depth plate underneath the cockpit floor, is solid resin. I wouldn't think you would need to remove all of this block, looking at the kit itself, but I think you would need to remove the majority of the resin from beneath the floor. The material to the rear of the pit could be left in situ. Those side walls are simply stunning, and are going to call for a steady hand and a fine brush in order to bring out that detail. You will need to use the kit part for the fuel line with the clear viewing glass though. In all fairness, Revell did a pretty good job of that feature, so it should look just at home here among the superb regulator, switch box and fuse panel detail. Despite most detail being moulded in situ, such as exterior vent and throttle quadrant etc, there are a few areas which will need to be supplemented by the PE parts included in this set. We'll look at those in a moment and see what's included. Casting blocks run along the bottom of the side walls, and be careful you don't cut through the locating tabs at the bottom of these when you saw away those blocks. There aren't too many other resin parts included in this set, apart from the 3 major components and the three MK108 cannon breech options. That's pretty much a testament to how this set is designed and mastered. Other parts included in resin are the control column complete with leather gaiter and wiring, weapons selector panel (optional), two gun sight options, head rest padding, and a handful of other small detail. Again, you will need to use the kit parts when it comes to the armoured head rest plate itself. The instrument panel has partial detail cast onto it, with the remainder of the instruments being complemented by a layered PE approach which includes sandwiching a clearly printed film between the resin and metal parts. You will of course need to add the film to a white-painted background for the instruments to stand out. That film piece also contains the plates for the gun sight options. A full seatbelt set is included on the photo etch fret, which has a bare brass finish. I'm not really a fan of Aires belts, and would much prefer the HGW/Eduard textile belts to these. This fret also includes the rudder trim wheels and chain, rudder pedals, instrument panel sections and bezels, armoured headrest brackets, and a small amount of side wall detail. I can't ever fault the quality of Aires' photo etch parts, apart from those seatbelts, as everything is cleanly manufactured, and are held in place with thin, narrow tags. Conclusion As long as you have a steady hand, and some creative flair in order to get the very best out of the detail cast into this set, then this is one upgrade that could be managed by a newcomer to resin sets. Superbly designed, and extremely busy-looking generally, this is most certainly a definite improvement over the kit parts and will give the wow factor to what is always a key focal point of any large scale model. Resin casting is excellent, with no flaws, and all parts are pretty easy to clean up, prior to assembly. As far as accuracy goes, I have to admit I'm no expert on the Bf 109. Having said that, looking at the limited reference I do have, and with Google being my friend, Aires do seem to have pretty much got this looking correct. This is also a fairly cheap set, even in comparison to the low price of the Revell kit, and it is one you should consider if you like an eye-catching office. Highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to Aires for the review sample seen here. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

Those decal schemes look great. Are there a full set of stencils in there too?

This is just amazing. Loving those seats and that nose interior.

If you are on Windows, press CTRL and PRTSCRN, then go to Paint, and Press CTRL and V. This will copy the image from screen, right into your clipboard for saving. If you are on Mac OSX, you can press the SHIFT, CMD and key 3 for a full screen cap, or SHIFT, CMD and key 4 for a selectable capture area.

Sweet! I'd forgotten about this one. We should aim to have every WNW kit built up here on LSM.

1:32 Supermarine Walrus Mk.I HPH Catalogue # Available from HPH for 170€ The Supermarine Walrus, or 'Shagbat', as it became more affectionately known, was designed by Reginald Mitchell, the very same man who designed the infinitely beautiful Spitfire fighter. Designed to satisfy an RAAF request for a reconnaissance/patrol aircraft to operate from cruisers, and was designed to be launched by catapult. The Walrus was an amphibious aircraft, so as well as being catapult launched and winch retrieved, it could also operate from land. Powered by a single Pegasus VI radial engine, swinging a 4 blade propeller in a pusher configuration, the quite agile Walrus carried 2 Vickers MG guns in gunner openings both fore and aft of the cockpit. The Walrus could also carry bombs and depth charges. First becoming operational in 1935, the Walrus was operated by a number of Commonwealth countries as well as Egypt, France, the Soviet Union, and Turkey, and for the UK, primarily with the Fleet Air Arm. The type finally left service in the late 1950's when Argentina retired the handful that they operated. Think of Supermarine, and the image of the iconic Spitfire might come to mind. Yet again, you may well think of those amazing Schneider Trophy winning seaplanes, whose design paved the way to our most prestigious fighter plans design. For me, however, it is the Walrus that is the design which sticks in the forefront of my mind. I was captivated by this aircraft after building the 1:72 Matchbox kit when I was a kid. We recently took a look at perhaps the most major of resin kit designs recently, the HPH 1:32 PBY-5A Catalina, and this sparked an intrigue in me to look at the earlier Walrus kit release. Thankfully HPH delivered this to us in a very reasonable timeframe, in order that we could evaluate this smaller, but for me, far more beautiful flying boat. HPH's Supermarine Walrus is packed into a very sturdy top opening box, with superb colour artwork on the lid which depicts the TWO schemes available within this release. The inner box itself is neatly compartmented with the resin parts packed into various zip-lock bags, and further protected by layers of bubble wrap. The large fuselage halves and wing sections were wrapped in generous lays of bubble wrap too. On top of the various parts, a large ziplock wallet contains a CD with digital instructions, HGW textile seatbelt set, photo etch frets (including colour PE), canopy masks and a decal sheet. HPH have managed to finely cast the fuselage as halves, in their full length, minus the vertical fin which is left off in order for the model to first accommodate its stabilizer. The fuselage halves appear to be very delicate due to how thin they are. But of course, this thinness is necessary to produce a scale interior, which this model indeed has. And I mean a FULL interior! Externally, the Walrus depicts superbly mastered detail, such as delicate rivets and reinforcing doublers. Resin webs and structures are cast over areas which need to be removed, such as the gunner positions, cockpit, hull windows and various other portals. Internally, you will be amazed at the detail cast within. As this model contains a full interior, all the constructional elements within are included. The fuselage has the various longerons and minor vertical structures in situ, and there are a lot of them. The internal frames, however, are separate entities which need to be inserted within the recesses cut within the stringers and longerons. The manual shows these in detail, and where exactly every one of them needs to be inserted. I imagine this will aid the rigidity of the fuselage somewhat. A little of the stringer detail on my sample, is broken away, but this falls squarely in an area which will be covered by the duckboards flooring, so I'm not at all concerned by this. Points exist within the fuselage, into which you attach resin pins. This is to help align the fuselage halves when you glue them together. They act in the same way as the locating pins on an injection moulded kit. No casting blocks as such exist on these parts, and all you'll need to do to prepare them for assembly is to remove the aforementioned webs and a little flash which exists around the edges. On my sample, a little micromesh will be needed to buff out a mark on the external port side. The wings are simply a fantastic exercise in mastering and casting, with the lower wings having integral wheel well bays into which the externally hull-based undercarriage would swing into. Excellent fabric and rib detail is present throughout, with the fabric having just that right amount of pleasing 'sag'. There are also recesses in the lower wing into which bomb both resin and PE mounting racks and brackets can be fitted, although looking at the reference which comes with the kit, the main bomb racks are perhaps an optional feature as the recesses in the wings are the same as the photos of the Walrus which are supplied. The ailerons are cast separately too, and do have scope for being positioned dynamically, if you so chose to. The leading edge of the wing panels have a casting block attached, and you'll need to carefully remove this, along with some resin webs on the wingtips. This is pretty common fayre for such parts, so take it easy in cleaning these up. The wing roots have indentations into which you should drill in order to mount the wings on the wire pins which are suggested for use. Another bag of large resin parts contains the outboard wingtip floats, cast in a single piece, as well as the engine 'pod'. Just a little clean up is required here, and as per the main airframe, beautifully detailed with restrained rivet detail. The engine itself is cast as a central crankcase, with separate cylinders. The cylinders themselves will be a little clean up in order to remove small amounts of resin debris which seems to have stuck to the parts. It's no major deal though. The manifolds will also need a little clean up, and our sample has a little rubber from the moulds which is attached. TWO propellers are included, which are fitted back to back. Just a little clean up, drilling, and the trailing edge thinned, should see these good to go. A resin jig is included which fits over the fuselage, and helps align the engine pot height and angle. HPH's solution for producing the vertical tail plans is to produce it in port and starboard halves. You can pin these together for rigidity, and of course, when you sit the fit parts in place, you will see no joint line whatsoever. Again, the elevators are cast separately, and the rib and fabric detail is excellent. The same is to be said for the rudder and vertical fin parts. Look at pinning these parts wherever you can, and perhaps fixing with slow setting CA gel. The internal formers, like many parts in this kit, are cast flat, onto thin sheets of resin. Julian Seddon is building one of these on Scale Modelling Now, and he gives an interesting note that you simply don't cut these from the sheet. Instead, you must sand the part from the rear until the sheet falls away. If you don't do this, the parts way well be too thick to insert into the slots within the fuselage. You may find it a little easier to slightly nick away the stringer within the fuselage in order to finally fit these, as the formers can be quite thin and flexible. A series of duckboards are flat-cast too, in a slightly darker resin. These are beautifully sharp and require minimal cleaning before use. Most of the actual hull floor will be obscured by these, with the exception of the cockpit and rear fuselage. Where the hull floor can be seen, keel strips mean you won't actually see any joint at all. This aircraft has many struts, whether to support the wing, tailplane, engine pod, or wingtip floats. All of these are cast onto sheets, and have a tough steel pin insert within. The same applies to the undercarriage legs and tail-wheel strut. These pins don't bend too easily, so you should have no problem with your model being properly supported. The majority of other parts which comprise the detailed interior are sheet cast too, and detail is excellent. The pilots seat comprises of a basic chair, into which padded cushions are installed, and the seat itself being connected to a tubular frame. The cockpit is dripping in detail, comprised of both photo etch parts, and resin. I really don't think any facet of detail has been left out here. The cockpit will be seen from the capacious glazed greenhouse canopy, and from there, you will see into the area to the rear of the pilot. This itself is adorned with seats, radio equipment etc. You will also see the cockpit through the forward gunner position, which is open through into the cockpit. A bare resin instrument panel plate is included, and onto this, you will attach the coloured photo etch parts. The radio equipment from the engineers area is pre-cast with detail, but you can also opt to grind this off and attach some colour PE instead. Granted, you won't see every angle of the internal detail, but you will see pretty much most if it, whether through the forward or rear gunner positions, or through the hull side wall glazing. Although I'm one modeller who 'builds for me', meaning 'I really don't care if the detail is seen, as long as I know it's there', in this case, you will see a LOT of it! Believe me, and this is probably the best interior that I have seen on any model, with perhaps the exception of the PBY Catalina. It really is difficult to describe the detail internally, so here are a few images for you.....just to give you an idea. The forward gunner position even has a winch and choice of two anchors! All grey resin parts are generally superbly cast. Being resin, there will always be a few parts which will need cleaning a little, and may need a little reworking in places. I think out of the whole kit, there are probably no more than a dozen parts which will require me to work a little at them. For a kit with this number of parts, that is perfectly acceptable to me. The exterior of the hull, as I said, will need a little micromesh in places, but nothing too major. Casting blocks are relatively few, and are mostly confined to the flying surfaces, with other parts being mostly sheet cast. There are a few pin size bubbles in some parts, but for me, these are mostly hidden by other detail etc. A small number of parts seemed to have a little debris in the castings, such as a few wooden splinters, and fine grit. Luckily, they are in places which won't be seen, and either way, this is quite easy to remove/hide. I have a slight issue with the clear parts in this kit, as there is a flaw across the main canopy. HPH has assured me that that will soon be here and I will then insert the image here. So what else is in this pack? Well, apart from a Belgian chocolate, which my wife appropriated, there is a set of HGW textile seatbelts, specifically designed for this release. The belts themselves are comprised of a microfibre material which you scrunch with the fingers, then straighten out. This helps give a realistic sag. You can also weather the belts with oils etc. All buckles are supplied in photo etch form. TWO photo etch frets are included, produced by Eduard. The colour fret not only contains the layered instrument panel, but also the radio equipment faces and cockpit placards, to name but a few parts. The larger fret carries parts for MG ammunition drums, such as the drum faces and handles. These are an option, as the detail is already cast, but I do prefer the PE alternative. Other parts on this fret include bomb racks and accessories, cockpit instrument detail, exterior detail such as window frames, brackets and plate detail, and also some canopy frame detail. If you like attaching PE, you won't be disappointed here. A set of masks, cut into vinyl sheet, is also included. There are quite a few panels to mask, so this is a welcome inclusion. HPH provide their instruction manual in digital format, on a CD. The disc contains the instructions in both Adobe Acrobat format, and in JPEG too. The instructions are scalable, and can be blown to full screen size easily, as well as being very high quality. The manual is 45 pages, with the first 34 pages being lent to the model kit itself, followed by a number of pages of colour images in a walkaround, and finishing with the two schemes being supplied in glorious, digital high resolution. An overview of kit parts starts the manual, with all constructional stages being illustrated by photographs. A good number of photos are annotated to include detail on pinning parts, applying PE etc. The seatbelts have their own drawings at the places where you will need to assemble and install them. My only criticism of the instructions is that some things are installed, such as equipment within the hull, and then it is suggested you fit other internal constructional hull detail. It is obvious that some things are better being installed before others, contrary to the plan. Remember to work ahead several stages. A full set of rigging drawings are included, but you will need to provide your own rigging material. The manual, as mentioned, contains many images of the Walrus, to help with your detail and painting work. Please also consider 'Supermarine Walrus & Stranraer', from Mushroom Model Publications, which has some excellent images of the interior to help you with this seriously impressive area of modeling. Paint call-outs are given throughout construction, but not with any specific manufacturer codes. You'll need to check that all important reference, both in your manual and in your own books. A single decal sheet is included. Decals are nice and thin, and have minimal carrier film. Colours look authentic, and everything is printed in perfect register. No stencils are included, but the footprint walkway marks are included, as are a number of walkway bars too. The two schemes included in this release are: Supermarine Walrus Mk.I, Royal Navy, HMS Sheffield, 1941 Supermarine Walrus Mk.I, Royal Navy, 1700 NAS, HMS Ameer, 1945 Conclusion Absolutely stunning. I love it! It's been 30 years since I had my last 'fix' of Walrus, and my passion for this aircraft hasn't diminished in that time. Not only is there now a 1:32 kit, but one with so much detail that I really feel very, very spoilt. Apart from a few faulty parts I snagged, which are now being replaced, there really isn't much to fault here. There are some constructional quirks which you'll need to check as you go, and in light of that, I have to say this is a kit which you really should NOT tackle as your first resin build. If you are used to resin ,then you'll have immense fun building a massively detailed model of one of the prettiest seaplanes ever to fly. Pricey? I think in comparison with other resin kits, this is well pitched. It's not a massive model, but it also is no shrinking violet. VERY highly recommended. Our sincere thanks to HPH for supplying this review kit. To purchase directly, click THIS link. James H

1:32 Me 163B interior and masks Eduard Catalogue # See article for code and price Available from Eduard Do you ever build a model as soon as it's released, and then just wish you'd waited a little while to see what aftermarket sets would be released. You knew there would be some, but impatience takes over. That's exactly how I felt when I recently built the Komet for Tamiya Model Magazine International (to be published March 2014), especially considering that the base kit lacks in detail in a good number of areas. Eduard to the rescue with these new sets that have been sent for review. The exterior set will follow in our next samples package. Now, I'm pleased I have another Komet in stash... The sets that Eduard have sent to us are: #32802, Me 163B interior, 22,95 € #33130, Me 163B interior ZOOM, 18,75 € #JX161, Me 163B masks, 9,95 € Essentially, the Zoom set is a cut down, and cut price version of the full detail set, but tackling on certain, key elements of the main set. We'll come to that in a moment. All of these sets are packaged into the standard Eduard re-sealable thin sleeve. #32802, Me 163B interior Meng's Komet cockpit is pretty deficient in many key areas of detail. There was simply no excuse in missing out the amount of key detail that can be seen in just about every photograph and drawing you see on Google. When I built mine, I had to address a number of basic omissions in the kit, but thankfully Eduard have tackled every single one of those, plus the things which I simply hadn't got the time or inclination to sort myself. The rear cockpit bulkhead is pretty bad in terms of accuracy or scale, and it will take a lot of determination to put this right without an aftermarket set. Thankfully, this set doesn't shy away from fixing this poor area of the kit. You'll need to do some major surgery to remove the moulded plastic structures first though. With the plastic gone, you can now install an entirely new seat framework, complete with the various fine girder sections and seat installation rails. Of course, a seat is also included, produced in two parts, and including a set of belts to replace the poor ones supplied in the kit. Bulkhead detail also includes the rather obvious control surface linkages that protrude from this area and into the wing roots. If you thought the bulkhead needed work, then the same can certainly be said of the cockpit floor and side consoles. An entire photo etch floor is supplied to fit over the plastic one which is pretty much devoid of detail. Another strange anomaly in the kit, but thankfully corrected here are the side console straps. The consoles were actually fuel tanks, and they they were secured with fabric straps; 2 vertically and 1 horizontally. Strangely enough, Meng didn't include the horizontal on in their moulded detail, so Eduard have included entirely new sets for here. You will of course have to remove the moulded detail for the ones they did include though. There is also extra detail to add to the console avionics units, by means of coloured photo etch, and other parts. This level of detail also spills onto the separate inner cockpit sidewalls whose detail is more or less replaced with PE alternative parts. Having built this kit, I can say that this new detail is 100% worth the effort it will take in removing original detail and fitting this. Other internal cockpit detail includes the rudder pedals, control column wiring, gun sight and mounting deck, and the small canopy opening handle. Eduard are well known for their instrument panel parts too, and the same is included here. The kit dies actually give the option for either a moulded plastic IP, or a simple plastic base with PE parts, but of course, these aren't coloured, unlike these from Eduard. When it comes to making my next Komet, I'll use this version as it's a massive improvement over what is offered in the kit. The IP is produced from a layer with printed instruments which is overlaid with the instrument panel fascia. The effect does look very good. Oddly enough, there is no detail for the engine in this set, so assume it might be in the exterior set, but there are two more parts included here in colour PE, or should I more correctly say 'two alternatives of two coloured parts'? These related to the ammunition saddle, and are an indication of the ammunition used in this, dependent on whether you use the MK108's or MG 151 option. #33130, Me 163B interior ZOOM As mentioned, this is a cut down version of the previous set, with only the colour fret included. It is worth mentioning here that the colour frets in both this and the set above are SELF-ADHESIVE too. #JX161, Me 163B masks Another set I wish I'd had when I built my first Komet. This includes masks for the main canopy, rear external windows, and also the internal, armoured quarter-light windows which sit in the pilot's rear bulkhead. The main canopy mask is provided as an external outline only, with the suggestion you use masking fluid to fill in the centre. DON'T do this if you use Klear or similar for your canopies, as they WILL fog in reaction to the latex/ammonia. Instead, use scrap pieces of mask sheet to infill. Instructions All three sets have clear and concise instructions, with any surgery required, readily illustrated and easy to follow. Conclusion Eduard have done as good a job with this as they did with their set for the old Hasegawa kit, but of course the base Meng kit is infinitely superior to the Hasegawa one, so this set can onl go a long way to produce the very best Me 132 in 1:32 scale. Some scraping and hacking will be needed in that cockpit, so I wouldn't recommend this for an absolute beginner. Detail levels supplied are perfect in order to fix what Meng decided, in their wisdom, to leave out. The only things not included are two fuel lines running from the consoles to the rear bulkhead. Just get some lead wire out, and the job's a good 'un, as we say in this part of the UK. Very highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to Eduard for the review samples seen here. To purchase directly, click the links in the review. Consider joining Eduard's Bunny Fighter Club programme for extra discounts on your purchases.

Great looking work Jeroen. You get your wood decal looking better than mine. Any progress?

1:32 Turnbuckles GasPatch Models Catalogue # See article for price and code Available from GasPatch Models Gaspatch Models have most certainly transformed the life of the WW1 modeller, most certainly for the better. Rigging can be the real bug-bear when it comes to finishing a biplane project. Yes, some modellers find it quite therapeutic, but for others, having to seize and bind the various cables which stretch between undercarriage struts, and wing struts, can be tedious. Of course, you can always just lash the EZ-Line, or whatever you use, straight to the rigging hole, but if you want that extra realism, without all the extra work, then these sets could well be for you. A few months ago, we looked at the first turnbuckle releases from GasPatch Models, and today, we can bring you a further FOUR sets. These are: 13-32011, Metal Turnbuckles Albatros Type, €14.50 13-32014, Metal Turnbuckles One End, €14.50 13-32016, Metal Anchor Points, €14.50 13-32018, RAF Metal Turnbuckles Late Type, €14.50 All turnbuckle sets come in an easy-to-open clear blister pack, with a small piece of foam stopping the contents from rattling about inside. The packaging insert doubles as a small instruction sheet when opened out. Each turnbuckle set is produced from a process called sintering. This is the fusion of metal powders in order to create specific shapes. This can leave the surface of the item with a slightly rough appearance, but this is only noticeable when you look at the items under something such as the macro lens of a camera. That is unavoidable. To the naked eye, and most certainly on your model, you have nothing to worry about. These packets contain a small block onto which the turnbuckles are connected. You simply need to use a pair of tweezers to bend the base of the buckle back and forth in order to remove them from this block. Do this as you need them so as not to lose any. Depending on which set you buy, there are either 30 or 60 turnbuckles included. The detail on them is also very good, despite their size and production method. I've used these turnbuckles on my own projects, and I found that you occasionally had to open up the buckle hole with a micro drill bit in order to easily slide EZ-Line through them. The small instruction sheet shows the method in which these are to be fastened to your model. Of course, for the RAF type, it's pretty obvious what nationality of aircraft that this particular style is to be used on. The One End and Anchor Points sets look fairly universal to most nationalities, but the Albatros Type are to be used on either Albatros fighter aircraft, or even on other German aircraft which were licence-built by the Albatros company. These have a small ball joint at the foot of the buckle, and you will need to check your references to ensure that this type was indeed used. The parts themselves have a small amount of flexibility, but ensure they are pretty much pointing in the right direction before you fix them, or add them to the rigging line first, and then plug them into your model at the correct angle. Conclusion These really are a must-have item for rigging, and having seen many models where these have been used, I have to say they look absolutely superb. Cost-wise, they probably work on par with separate buckle and seizing tube products available, but of course, these look more accurate and will be a little easier to install. Very highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to GasPatch Models for the review samples seen here. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

That title is superb! 'Factory return', almost like 'I don't want this anymore, so here it is back' Parabellum machine too?

Loving this one. Why do I want to build this one? Might try to hold out for the regular, non-birdcage type.

That looks great John. Don't you just love spraying yellow!

Those belts look the part. I suppose I'd better fit them in my next one. I can't understand why belts weren't included in the kit. You did a great job of that IP.

It's been a month and a half since I updated this, so I apologise. It's been manic here. I have now finished this model, so I'll post some general update images and some finished ones for you. I've spent days writing now, so I'll just post the images for you. Most of them speak for themselves. Any questions, then fire away! AND FINISHED!!!! Many thanks to Richard from Aviattic for the loan of the Flyer's Badge too! This one will be posted in a future edition of Military Illustrated Modeller. I think issue #37

That about sums it up. I'm addicted to this topic.

Well done Rick! I have to agree with Nick and say the Zero was my favourite. NOW.....what next?

Cheers Nick. I might just take a look

Liking this one, and the extra work you're putting in for detail.

Jesus, why do I want to build one of these? It's not normal! Great review Nige. That's a an imposing project.

Happy Birthday Mike! Have a hot Sake for me!