JayDee

1:32 Morane-Saulnier Type N Special Hobby Catalogue # SH32006 Available from MPM for 31.95 € For a world in which powered, manned flight was only a decade old, the Morane-Saulnier Type-N monoplane was certainly a design which appeared to be very ahead of its time. This aircraft was actually designed in the months before the outbreak of World War 1, and was actually a racing machine. The aircraft did have a few issues which affected its operation service during the war, and these were the very fast landing speeds which made operations from some airfields, quite tricky. The engine used to also overheat, although the eventual removal of the streamlined spinner did fix that without any real issue with overall performance. The French machines had a non-synchronised Hotchkiss MG mounted in front of the pilot, with defector plates fitted to the paddle propeller. The RFC machines tended to use a Lewis MG instead of the Hotchkiss. There was another issue which plagued the Type-N, or 'Bullet' as the British called it. This was the establishment's dislike of monoplane aircraft. Despite the Bullet being more than a match for the Fokker E.III, it wasn't built in great numbers, and was eventually sidelined in favour of newer biplane types. The N-Type was also quite difficult to fly, and this twitchiness was intensely disliked by the pilots. When the machines were fitted with up-rated engines, the problem intensified. By late 1916, the N-Type was obsolete. The Special Hobby 1:32 Morane-Saulnier Type N certainly isn't a new kit. Why are we looking at this one now though? SP&R and Large Scale Modeller recently partnered up to bring our members and visitors the very latest in news and releases from their MPM/CMK/Azur and Special Hobby brands, and we agreed that as we shall shortly be starting a Great War Group Build on Large Scale Modeller, that it would perhaps be time to air this type of kit again. Not everyone will be acquainted with these earlier releases, and it would be interesting to see how they stack up today. This release, as with other Special Hobby kits, is a limited run, low-pressure injection moulded kit, and as a result, the parts do tend to need a little more preparation before assembly. The style of box for this one is one of the older Special Hobby styles, with a gorgeous artwork of the Type N flying at low level over the French countryside. Inside the box, we have a single re-sealable bag containing THREE light grey styrene sprues. Inside the same bag, but wrapped individually is a pack of resin parts, a single photo etch fret, a clear sprue and a sheet of decals. Despite the sprues not being individually bagged, no parts have suffered in transit with breakage or scuffing. Despite this kit pre-dating the superb WNW initial releases, this kit displays not much less externally, in terms of detail and finesse. This is the first time that I've actually seen this kit, so I'm pleasantly surprised with how this limited run kit looks. In fact, very much so. The first sprue contains the wings, fuselage halves, wheel halves, bulkheads and the engine cowl/spinner parts. The quite aerodynamic lines of the 'Bullet' as superbly captured, and with my limited reference, do look to be accurate in terms of shape and detail. The fabric and stringer fuselage is sharp, realistically representing the tight corners of those stringers that the fabric was doped around. The port side of the fuselage has a laced maintenance panel and this is neatly represented, as are the leather grommets through which control cables pass. Hand and footholds are also nicely reproduced. The forward fuselage panels and stiffeners are crisp, as is the carburetor outlet which just needs a drill bit passing through it to open it up. Internally, the side walls have some stringer and former detail which is sharp, despite not being very deep. A number of ejector pin stumps also protrude. Although there isn't one in the cockpit area, there is one just forward of this, and this should be ground away and the plastic re-polished. The wings are moulded as port and starboard, as a single piece each. The rib and fabric representation is excellent, with nothing really in the way of actual texture, but with a realistically taught looking surface. I think the rib upper and lower edges were capped with a separate strip of either wood or bamboo, as the rib capping does appear to show this. Whichever material was used, the definition is very sharp, and the result looks very pleasing. Rigging point plates are neatly moulded, but I would drill the actual rigging point out a little to make it easier to insert your wire/cord. As the N-Type was a wing warping machine, no ailerons are present, of course. Special Hobby have produced the wheels in halves, and whilst this isn't a problem as such, the canvas and spoke area doesn't look too realistic. You might be hard pressed to find another solution for this, except to perhaps more or less sand down this detail to reduce its effect a little. The engine cowl is moulded as a single piece, and the large bowl-type spinner looks very accurately shaped, complete with some rivet indent detail which I presume is there to support possible internal structure. The pilot seat is a low-back type with an integrally moulded, upholstered cushion. The detail is very nice and certainly more than passable. The second sprue contains the lion's share of the remaining parts for this kit. Here, you will find the parts for the N Type's fully detailed cockpit. This is centered around two side wall structures, complete with instrumentation and ancillary equipment, held together by a series of cross member parts, including rudder pedal bar and control yoke cross member. The cockpit will also be supplemented by a number of instrument faces which are printed onto film, and also photo etch bezels. Seat belts and rudder pedal straps. Parts are included on this sprue for the side wall cockpit fairings. In this release, photo etch alternatives are also included which would exhibit a more scale thickness and appearance. A rather neat looking upholstered bar is to be found here which acts as the pilot's back seat rest. Two upper, forward cowls are included, but for this release, only one option is to be used. The stabilizer of the 'Bullet' was a single piece unit which rotated up/down, and here it is moulded as a single part. The edges exhibit a few seams which will need to be eradicated, as will those on the integral fin/rudder assembly. The fabric and rib structure here is relatively subtle in relation to the rib detail, but I'm not sure how authentic this is. It doesn't look bad at all, and with some neat shading, should be made to look very good. Other parts on this sprue include tail skid assembly, undercarriage 'v' struts and spacer bar (neatly moulded as three tubes), engine induction pipe assembly, prop, etc. The last and smallest grey plastic sprue contains the Hotchkiss machine gun and mounts, ammunition racks and wing warping cable pylon, to name a few. Generally, all moulding is excellent, with only a little flash to remove in places, and the couple of ejector pin stumps to remove from the cockpit. No deformation, sink marks or other defect can be seen. A single clear part is connected to a small sprue gate. This part is for the aircraft windscreen. Clarity is good, but will benefit from a dip in Klear. A bag of resin parts includes the Le Rhone 9C rotary engine, control cable pulleys, ammunition belts, paddle prop and prop mounting plates. These are cast in a pale yellow resin such as is seen in CMK releases, and casting is excellent. All parts should be very easy to remove from their blocks, and no flaws can be found. The engine is cast with integral spark plugs, for which there is a photo etch ignition ring included. The rear face of the engine cylinders do have a casting line present down the length, but this can easily be removed. You also won't see this area when assembled anyway, so it's no deal breaker. The paddle prop will need a little clean up and sanding in order to define the blade edges a little. The single photo etch fret contains the ignition harness, seatbelts, ammunition belt chutes, rudder pedal straps, turnbuckles, instrument bezels and cockpit side fairings. Production is clean and what you would expect from the company which produces CMK resin and etch detail sets. An eight page, black and white A5 instruction manual is included which displays the constructional sequences in line drawings which appear to be easy to follow. The manual starts with a history of the N-Type and also a map of all the kit parts for reference. Colour notation is given throughout the construction in Gunze paint codes. The manual includes a rigging drawing and the profiles for the TWO schemes included in this release. These are: MS 394, probably Escadrile MS.12, 1915 MS 391, Dunkirk, neither unit nor date are known A single decal sheet is included, printed by AVIPRINT. The markings for this machine were very simple, consisting of roundels for the wing upper and lower surfaces, fin flashes, and for one machine, a Tricolor for the fuselage. Printing is nice and thin with only a little carrier film. Registration is also perfect. You will need to trim the fin flash for one machine, but this is indicated with a 'cut line'. Conclusion For a relatively old kit, there certainly isn't much to grumble about here. Very little cleaning up to do overall, and some superbly rendered detail both internally and externally. The N-Type is a very attractive little aircraft, and this kit really does it some serious credit. I would say this kit isn't aimed at a beginner due to the number of small photo etch parts and the fact that a little extra work needs to go into limited run kits in order to maximize their potential. For 'value for money', I would say this kit is pitched correctly. This is very much a kit that does excite me, and I think I'll be building this one soon in the Large Scale Modeller 'Great War Group Build'. Very highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to MPM/Special Hobby for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link.

Petr, that looks awesome. Do you have an ETA on this one?

PC10 is an awful colour in most of the shades I've seen it in, but you managed to break it up and give some real interest. Without a doubt the nicest PC10 I ever saw, so I'll be following your lead when my time comes. Great build!

Taurus update sets too

1:32 Lozenge Decal (4/5 colour upper & Lower, Fokker D.VII) Aviattic Catalogue # See article for detail Available from Aviattic for £9.75 each +P&P I've often said that WW1 modellers are experiencing a golden age. This genre has gone from being vastly under-represented in both a kit and aftermarket aspect, to one which is now not only very well catered for, but so much so that it is now attracting new modellers and converts who wish to try something other than a Messerschmitt or an F-15. The likes of Wingnut Wings, HGW, Taurus, and Old Propeller etc. have not only transformed the hobby, but made it readily accessible. Now, there is a new kid on the block. Let me introduce Aviattic. Aviattic, whilst a new name on our scene, has actually been quietly bubbling away in the background for a few years. Richard Andrews, an ex-antiques restorer and dealer, and his business/creative partner Harry Green, have spent seven years, and countless thousands of hours studying German lozenge fabric, the dyes and their compositions, and the fabrics and their own unique properties. It's a science in itself, and one that these guys have taken very seriously with regard to creating an authentic lozenge product. The last four years alone, Richard and Harry have looked at transferring that knowledge into a miniature form, and producing something which is scale in colour appearance and has the signature textile effect. Not only do these guys have actual pieces of lozenge which still contain the vibrant colours which were used, where they needed to investigate further, examples of materials were referenced in museums, globally. A serious effort has gone into this product. We have been sent THIRTEEN A4 decals sheets which represent the first of the initial TWENTY-SEVEN different releases that we'll see from Aviattic. These sets are: Fokker D.VII 32/4 U and L, PINK cp Fokker D.VII 32/4 U and L, BLUE cp Fokker D.VII 32/4 U and L, LILAC cp Fokker D.VII 32/4 U and L, LOZ cp 32/4U (Joined and trimmed, 52.25") 32/4U (Full width 54") 32/4L (Joined and trimmed, 52.25") 32/4L (Full width 54") 32/5U (Joined and trimmed, 52.25") 32/5U (Full width 54") 32/5L (Joined and trimmed, 52.25") 32/5L (Full width 54") 32/4-5 Upper and lower interior, reversed pattern, 54" Our review samples were packaged into a single, large zip-lock wallet with a rather attractive and glossy Aviattic cover sheet, and also a leaflet within which explains a little about lozenge fabric, including the printing and application of the real thing, and some notes about colour and varnish degradation during the very short 'flying life' of these machines. This leaflet is quite an education, and explains a little of the history behind lozenge, plus Richard and Harry's quest to bring you not only the most accurate, but the only truly accurate representation of this rather startling camouflage pattern. The product list I have given might not be particularly enlightening, so I'll explain further. These first releases contain FOUR 'cookie-cut' decal sheets for the Fokker D.VII, which are designed in the same way, almost, as the Wingnut Wings products, with the exception being that the wingtips are separately printed. This is to aid application around the rather complex compound curves in this area. "But what if I screw up here?". Aviattic realize that this can be a tricky area, and as such, have supplied an extra set of wingtip decals. The instructions do suggest you can use decal setting solutions, such as Microl Sol. I prefer Mr Mark Setter, so I'll test a piece first to ensure all is well. This sheet contains panels for the wings and elevators only, with the upper wing being split into 3 panels plus wingtips for upper and lower sides, and the lower wing consisting of a single upper and lower panel, again with separate wingtips. The upper wing ailerons are supplied as separate upper and lower halves. The fabric effect which has been captured is quite extraordinary. Whilst the Old Propeller sets are a little stylized in their fabric reproduction, and also not as vibrant, these new Aviattic sets capture the authentic vibrancy of the dyes, as well as maintaining a more subtle, but still quite visible linen texture which looks entirely scale in execution. Rib tapes and edging tapes are printed in situ on these sheets, which leads me into the reason why FOUR sheets are released for these sets. Each set is printed with different colour rib/edge tapes. You can now choose to model your aircraft in loz tapes, or the other more vibrant colours. Unless you see that your specific machine has lozenge, or a light coloured tape that reflects blue for instance, then you can choose whatever colour you wish for your model. It is now generally accepted that there were no hard and fast rules with regard to specific colours for certain factories. All four of these initial Fokker D.VII releases are 4-colour lozenge. Five colour will follow later. Small panels of separate colour are also printed around these sheets, so if you cause any minor damage during application, you can now patch it up! As for the hand print decals.....Richard explained those to me. Very entertaining! Now we'll take a look at what Aviattic refer to as the 'bolt sheets'. These are the 'Full width' and 'joined and trimmed' sets. The rationale here is simple. Aviattic have printed the 'full width' sheet to represent the full width of a bolt (roll), with the decal running along the width of the A4 sheet in 'landscape mode'. This is virtually identical to the manner in which WNW present there, but of course this stuff looks superb, with its vibrancy and fabric texture. The scale width of the fabric roll was 54 inches. This would commonly be used on a fuselage. If you wish to use this product 'edge to edge' on a wing, you'll need to trim a pre-determined strip from either side in order to replicate the material lost during the folding and stitching process. Of course, there is an alternative, and that is the 'Joined and trimmed' sets whose fabric is printed across the A4 sheet in 'portrait mode'. The sheet is also solid, being entirely covered in lozenge whose strip width has been pre-adjusted to take the folding and stitching into consideration. These sheets are printed in both 4 and 5 colour versions, for both upper and lower fabric designs. The last sheet is printed in reverse! This is because it represents the pattern as would be seen from the interior of an aircraft, in the cockpit, for example. As the printing process of the fabric, and the qualities of the fabric itself, stop total dye penetration, you will get something which looks more washed out in appearance. Aviattic have supplied their A4 sheet to represent both upper and lower lozenge in this reverse style. Very useful indeed. All decals are also translucent. This means you will need to apply them to a pre-painted and gloss varnished surface. The colours you should lay down should be fairly neutral, such as white, off-white, pale grey etc, and this is the stage where you need to do any pre-shading and basecoat balancing in order to achieve the tints and tones you need. You can also lay down any streaking and oil/grime at this stage too. When you apply your decals over this, the whole appearance should look quite organic, and not contrived. Test your base coat on a scrap piece first in order to check that you have the finish you wish for. Aviattic also explain that the real printing process caused some lozenge to slightly overlap others. At 1:32, this isn't too apparent at first look, but if you look closely, you'll see that this effect has been included too! Decal trial image, taken from Aviattic All decals are laser printed onto high quality decal sheet from extremely high resolution computer generated graphics, so registration is irrelevant as everything is digitally controlled. Colour representation looks amazing, and as I have mentioned, the fabric texture is incredibly realistic and restrained. Conclusion Simply the very best lozenge decals I have ever seen, bar none. The work behind these releases is evident, and I know that they weren't released until after much testing and test printing to check both colour accuracy and the scale linen appearance. It's been a long, torturous journey for Richard and Harry, but the result is without doubt, both startling and ultra-realistic. You simply will never use kit decals again after seeing these. Very highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks go to Aviattic for the review sample sheets. To buy these directly, click THIS link.

Damn it! Such nice work, and so quickly. I'm digging my Komet out tonight........

Almost done? Looking real good

Thanks for the comments folks. Apart from the concrete base I need to add to the stand, this model is now complete, with its hood attached. Normally, the hood would open flat back against the top of the fuse, but doing that didn't have as much visual interest, and my way, you can see the outside of this more clearly with the wood nail decals. Hope you like it.

Another productive day in the workshop, but only because it's the coolest room in the house in this heatwave. Still, it forces me to do some modelling. It's a hard life! The rocket boosters are now fixed and the forward windscreen framing covered in copper tape, then riveted. A few other bits and pieces are added such as the Walther rocket thrust vanes and elevon control wires, and the aiming sight. The metal strap holding the boosters together is left in natural fret metal, and I just need to add the canopy for this now. I've also made a cantilever toolbox to add to the stand, but photos of that later.

WTF? You're shitting me, right? That is AWESOME! Would he share his ref material with us here? I want to build a 1:16 one eventually. Pass my regards on for what looks like awesome work!

There are actually a few edges and things that I have missed and I'm working through them. About 6 tiny pieces to fit. I'm hoping to wrap this one up within the week. Thanks for the support guys.

I've assembled the majority of the Natter. Just need to add the canopy, boosters, and a few small detail parts. Work has now started on painting the canopy to receive its wood and copper parts, and the stand is now base coated in Gunze Flesh. Hope you like:

That's got to be BIG in this scale Great looking work so far.

I'll be sending these onto Jeroen for his kit. I'm sure he'll be as thrilled with them as I was to receive and review them.

Soon Padawan.....

....piece of piss! Uschi decal? Soft pencil demarcation and strips made up from a combination of Knotless rich and pale decal.

Apart from the canopy, the whole airframe is now decaled! The wingtips, and even that pesky nose ring. Yes, it is enough!

I've used both, and Mr Mark Setter does seem a little more suited to the job for moulding things. I think this proved it. I no longer have Microsol to check though.

I was seriously worried about decaling the wingtips and tail tips etc. Some high octane compound curves there, BUT, I tried tonight and with Mr Mark Setter, and Uschi's decals mould like clay around them. Took me about 20 minutes to do the upper sides. I'll leave to set, then go for gold with the under sides.

More wood than a Ron Jeremy film here.

Awesome! THIS I like very much. I'll try to sort you with the extra info you need. There's something about these sort of builds which is real appealing.

1:32 Sopwith Snipe Post-War RAF Pheon Decals Catalogue # 32043 Available from Pheon Decals for £15.00 Pheon Decals, whilst not a new name on the scene, certainly are new with regards to their products appearing on Scale Plastic & Rail/Large Scale Modeller. For Pheon's debut here, they have sent two sets from their new 1:32 releases, and today we publish the first of these, concerning the Wingnut Wings Sopwith Snipe 'Late' release, which we reviewed here. I'd heard some great things about Pheon, and indeed seen a number of models finished with their decals, so I was quite excited to see the decal quality and presentation that has now become synonymous with their releases, for myself. There's no doubt that this slightly larger than A4 size ziplock wallet is quite hefty with content, unlike most 1:32 decal releases, so without any further ado, let's take a look inside and see what you get for your money. This Sopwith Snipe Post-War RAF set has options for no less than ELEVEN schemes; all of which are based on the classic post-war silver dope finish. If the usual post-war chequer-board schemes are a little run of the mill for you, but you still want your model to have that attractive doped aluminium appearance, then Pheon have researched and presented some both varied and unusual options which are undoubtedly going to appeal to silver wing fans. Before I open this set, Pheon has attached a note to the package which states that a serial number for one of the schemes has been inadvertently omitted from the sheet, but will be forwarded on to the customer as soon as they arrive back from the printers. We'll certainly not let that spoil our enjoyment here, as we see exactly what's on offer. A colour-printed A4 insert is used as the cover sheet for this set, with all eleven profiles being printed in small scale for quick reference. Inside the package, a further THREE sheets present these profiles, but printed in a larger scale, and in full colour on high grade, glossy photographic quality paper. This is something I have never seen before, and I have definitely not seen profiles produced to this standard, with perhaps the exception of the Ronny Bar profiles which accompany the Wingnut Wings decal sets. Along with the port side profiles, a number of wing plans are given which aid the positions of various bars and panels, as well as any other decal placement. The profile sheets have no notation on them which refer to either decal number identification or machine history. With this set, decal numbering isn't used as it's pretty obvious where the individual decals need to be placed, and the profiles are to such as high standard that you can easily follow panel and wing rib locations to ensure that you place your decal precisely. As for the machine histories and reference material, here I find something else which I have never seen outside of Pheon Decals, namely an instruction manual totaling 12 pages! This is printed on regular A4 paper, folded into an A5 format. The first three pages relate to the history of the Sopwith Snipe, through its development and wartime service. Reference to the failed Dragonfly radial engine which caused a number purpose designed aircraft projects to be shelved, is mentioned. The stop-gap Snipe saw service beyond its intended life, and into the post-war period. Pheon have thoughtfully included an extensive list of the reference material they have used for the development of this decal set, with acknowledgements too. It seems Rowan wants to see a WNW Gloster Grebe. I have to concur that that would certainly be a welcome addition. Hopefully Richard Alexander is reading this, or indeed the Pheon booklet. Each numbered scheme has some notation printed too, including colour and marking information detail, and any other relevant notes, plus a little history. These aren't comprehensive histories of the machine by plane and pilot, but serve as useful reference for the individual aircraft's markings. Accompanying this section are a number of colour walkaround images and also some period images of the Snipe. A couple of colour Grebe profiles are thrown in for good measure too, just in case Richard is indeed looking in. There is a little notation included for the rationale behind printing the cockade centers' as separate decals, as well as general information on applying the decals. Setting solutions aren't recommended, but MicroSol Blue is suggested in order to allow the decal to float properly until it is finally positioned. The schemes included in this release are: E6655, "B" Flight, 1 Sqn, Hinaidi, Iraq, 1925. P/O Dermot Boyle E6942, "A" Flight, No.3(F) Sqn, RAF Manston, 1924 F2441, 111 Sqn, Duxford, 1924 F2408, 23 Sqn, Henlow 1925/6 E6268, 32 Sqn, Kenley, 1924 F2527, 111 Sqn, "A" Flight Commander, Duxford, 1924 E7538, 19 Sqn, Duxford, December, 1924 E8358 "Bonzo", No.1 School of Technical Training (No.1 SofTT), RAF Halton, 1923 E7528, 25(F) Sqn, San Stefano, Constantinople during the Chanak Crisis, September, 1922 E6825, 41 Sqn, Northolt, 1923 E7423, 25(F) Sqn, Hawkinge, 1923/4 The decals A single sheet of decals are included, roughly A4 in size. Printed by Fantasy Printshop, the sheet includes the majority of national markings (both individual and as part of fuselage décor), serials and personal machine markings for 'Bonzo'. Fuselage tail bands are included as well as vertical fin markings for E6268. You will of course need to use a number of standard decals from the Wingnut Wings sheet, to complement those on this release. Where there are similar decals for both port and starboard, these 'handed' decals are signified by a 'L and 'Rt' symbol (left and right). The various decals are tightly packed onto this sheet, with only the serial numbers being given an identifying number for the machine, and included within their own print box. The decals are superbly printed, beautifully thin, and with minimal carrier film. Having used decal setting solutions with Fantasy Printshop products, I can concur that MicroSol Blue does work very well on them. If you do plan to use any other solutions, use a test decal on some scrap plastic first. Registration is perfect and the inked edges are sharp. Conclusion It is true that you really have to look around to find silver-doped schemes that have some individuality to them, but I think this is just what Pheon have succeeded in doing here with this superb array of 11 varied machines. There are probably two or three of these that I would like to build myself, and combined with the informative instruction booklet and excellent glossy colour profiles, this seems more of a complete package than I would otherwise expect to see. As I said, this is a first time for me looking at Pheon Decals, and now I know exactly what I've been missing. Very highly recommended James H Our sincere thanks to Pheon Decals for the review sample used here. To purchase directly, click THIS link. (Note, website will be fully active soon, so please contact Pheon via the details on their site)

Holy crap! This is modelling nirvana for me. Seriously, many thanks for sharing these here. Many thumbs up!

That looks just amazing. The best images I've seen of this so far, and that PC10 looks superb. I give you ONE WEEK to rig this, seriously

Gotta do those wingtips yet