nmayhew

Wonderful One "criticism": the ETC rack looks super clean compared to the rest of the underside of the plane...

Welcome! Your Dora looks fantastic, thank you for sharing it with us Nick

He111 set... WANT!!!!!

Awesome I have Brian Cauchi's book all reviewed and ready to be published - what with that and seeing this build - makes me want to go and get this kit! Dave, he used the Tamiya canopy, but I would certainly appreciate an explanation of exactly which parts (is there a choice in the Tamiya kit?) and also know what other modifications were used Simply stunning!!!!

Masterpieces for sure, but not for mere mortals :0 Remember you have to make the thing yourself pretty much from scratch, and the the materials involved mean that anything with a complicated compound curve surface / profile is a out of the question I don't think that a gun turret is an option that way - you need someone to provide you with an injection moulded clear part

The common denominator is not necessarily turrets, but basically anything that has clear parts in it The Hobbyboss Spitfire screams for a vaguely correct canopy for instance... The only thing that has come on the market in the past 1000 years is the new canopy for the Ar196 - and that took like 3 years it seems after the (otherwise excellent) kit came out... Basically, I wouldn't get your hopes up

Re the raising of the seat - was it just that, or was it the whole pit?? I can see that a LOT of modellers here in UK want to do Fleet Air Arm birds, but as far as I have seen, Tamiya's kit = Corsair I, and although plenty got delivered, none of these saw action. This certainly makes the MkI a 'zero interest' bird for me sadly. I am confident however that, cockpit issues aside, maybe someone like A2zee will come to the rescue of us UK modellers Apparently the clipped wing DOES NOT equate to demarcation line between wing and wing tip in the kit (from those on LSP who know waaaay more about the Corsair than I do!) although making this alteration is maybe not that difficult?

Petr, Thank you for these images. For our members not entirely familiar with your range, could you confirm whether the Tempest is standard injection mould, short-run injection mould or resin, and whether items like cockpit or wheels, exhausts etc will be in resin? Many thanks once again. Nick

Pretty sure that is on the Revell hit list no? The He177 would be crazy big, but also crazy awesome! Would love to see some German sea planes / flying boats - Do18, He115??

Welcome Petr! Very pleased to have you here Very much looking forward to seeing your excellent products both here and on the Scale Plastic and Rail review site. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need anything (my fiancée is Czech ) Cheers Nick

Nice Danny! Love those early war 109s

Welcome Danny Wonderful work and thank you for bringing it to LSM! Nick

LuckyModel has just put them up for pre-order too by the way

is the MDC mastered by Radu btw? either way, v interesting always thought the 234 was a "Zoukei-mura waiting to happen...."

Fair enough I must say I am looking forward to the Valiant Wings book on the Emil I really like the way they do their stuff, even though the modelling section goes out of date very quickly Certainly if they get round to doing one on the F it will make an interesting comparison

Interested in your thoughts on the supercharger intake, panel lines on wings, amongst other things then...

P-38 Lightning at War Kagero Mini Topcolors series #33 by Sadlo & Goralczyk €13.35 from Kagero This is another offering from Kagero's burgeoning Mini Topcolors series. Having just reviewed #32 (Panzer IV Family) I was tempted to say that this, #33, is 'the latest', but it seems Kagero are churning these out faster than we can review them! Whether latest or just fairly new, this one covers the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the twin engine, twin boom interceptor that is one of the most recognisable aeroplane shapes of WWII. The formula for these is by now tried and tested: focus on a particular vehicle / aircraft, and / or maybe a particular campaign, colour profiles with some commentary, and high quality decals in the most popular scales to accompany at least a proportion of said profiles. Like the other mini Topcolours I have reviewed, this book is 20 pages long, and in the usual soft back landscape format. It has covers eight aircraft, all shown in four view profiles, and all catered for with decals in 1/72, 1/48 and 1/32 scale. The profiles look sumptuously weathered by the way, and are certainly anything but the sterile offerings I have seen in some other publisher's books. The subjects covered are: P-38G-13-LO, probable s/n 42-2197, 'Nulli Secundus' / 'X-Virgin', flown by Lt. Kenneth G. Ladd of 80th FS / 8th FG, Dobodura, New Guinea, winter of 1943/1944 P-38J-15-LO, s/n 42-104107, 'Jewboy', coded '47', flown by Lt. Philip M. Goldstein of 49th FS / 14th FG, Triolo, Italy, May 1944 P-38J-10-LO, s/n 42-67916, 'California Cutie', coded (KI)- 'S', flown by Lt. Richard O. Loehnert of 55th FS / 20th FG, RAF Kings Cliffe, England, June 1944 P-38J-15-LO, s/n 43-28444, 'Vivacious Virgin II', coded 'E6-T', flown by Lt. Ian B. Mackenzie of 402nd FS / 370th FG, Florennes/Juxaine, Belgium, winter of 1944/1945 P-38L-1-LO, s/n 44-23852, 'Beautiful Bitch', coded 'B7', flown by Lt. John J. Kane of 96th FS / 82nd FG, Vincenzo, Italy, March 1945 P-38L-5-LO, s/n 44-26176, 'Vagrant Virgin', coded 'A', flown by Lt. L. V. Bellusci of 36th FS / 8th FG, San Jose, Mindoro, late 1944/early 1945 P-38L-5-LO, s/n 44-26176, 'Vagrant Virgin', coded 'A', flown by Lt. Peter Macgowan of 36th FS / 8th FG, Ie Shima, September 1945 P-38L-5-LO, probable s/n 44-26568, 'Wicked Woman', coded 'W', flown by Lt. Richard C. Livingston of 36th FS / 8th FG, Ie Shima, August-September 1945. No national markings - or stencils - are provided in the decal sheet, but you would get these anyway in your kit; in the larger scales, and if really going for authenticity, you might use masks anyway, so I don't think this is a serious omission. Furthermore, including these would likely drive up the price, which is extremely competitive when benchmarked against a new EagleCals sheet (where you'll never get markings for eight aircraft). As regards the kits you would use, I imagine that 1/72 and 1/48 are relatively well-served, but I cannot really comment since I have not modelled in these scales for some years now. In 1/32, you'll use the fairly decent Trumpeter P-38 which is a 'L' variant; I'm no expert on this esoteric bird, but I think making it as a 'J' model - the subject of some of the profiles - is fairly easy and will not require major correction? Making a P-38G, the subject I the first profile, will require a correction set produced by Grey Matter Figures. My modelling subjects are usually motivated by a personal connection to either the subject or the location, campaign etc, rather than by flashy nose art or cool looking camouflage. With that being said, the decal sheet for this book really took my breath away - it certainly has that 'wow' factor. Of the eight subjects, only one ('Jewboy') lacks nose art. In providing subjects across a range of marks, and in both natural metal as well as OD/Grey (including one with full Invasion Stripes), there is something for everyone. My only reservation is why the same aircraft is covered twice, when there was clearly plethora of colourful options at the author's disposal. There are a few pictures of the subject aircraft at the beginning, and it is a shame that there aren't more, but perhaps neither space (or copyright?) permitted. I do wish that aircraft specific references were provided for those that wish to do further research. Conclusion Quite striking subjects and excellent decals printed in three scales. Purely as a decal pack alone these Mini Topcolors are great value. The ever increasing coverage of both air and armour means Kagero should be a 'go to' for modellers looking for subject matter inspiration and high quality markings. Highly recommended. With thanks to Kagero for the review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. Nicholas Mayhew

Messerschmitt Bf109 F - The Ace Maker by Marek Murawski €23.59 from Kagero Overview This is the first of a new Special Edition version of Kagero's extensive Monograph series. It looks at what many to consider to be the definitive version of the Luftwaffe's iconic fighter, the Bf109 F, or 'Friedrich'. At over 180 pages, in softback A4 format, this is certainly quite a meaty volume. The coverage at first glance is extensive, and includes the following: design history chronological walk through of sub-variants accounts of the aircraft in various campaigns and theatres original handbook extracts scale drawings showing differences between sub-variants pull-out plans in 1/32 scale A quick word about format: my first thoughts on this book are why on earth does Kagero not use a contents page? They insist on not having one it seems. Yes, as a reviewer, this makes my job much harder to get a 'feel' for the book quickly (boo-hoo I can hear you all say). But it will also frustrate any purchaser when trying to use this book. I say 'use' because this is not a novel which one just picks up and reads from start to finish. It is - presumably - meant to be a reference work, which will be continually dipped in and out of for particular pieces of information. Come on Kagero – give us a detailed contents page in future! Design History and Variants The first 'chapter' if I can call it that covers design history and descriptions of the variants. Just over 20 pages are devoted to the initial concept, prototypes, through the well-known production Marks F-2 and F-4, and then finally to experimental aircraft and test beds. I found the transcript of Kesselring's report on the problems with the F-2 particularly interesting, and this was not something that I had seen before. When considering information about the Bf109 F, and in particular about the F-2 and F-4, there are certain things I look for. These include, but are not limited to: the different supercharger intakes panel line differences on wing upper surfaces - notable the relatively recent discovery of the 'smooth wing' F-2 possible correlation with different slat mechanisms different oil coolers F-4z and associated propeller blade and fuel type changes In my opinion the majority of the above are not satisfactorily dealt with. There is no mention that I could find of panel line differences, Octane levels on fuel and so on (perhaps I might have done with contents or index pages, who knows?). The different supercharger intakes are touched upon, but are not clearly pointed out in photos at this stage. Of more concern is the fact that to my eye all the intakes in the plans look identical in shape, ring bolt for Trop filter excepted, and I really don't think this was the case. I am no expert on the Friedrich, but I have researched a modelling subject in 1/32 scale (Edu Neumann's F-2) and found all these things out myself (thank you to those who have helped); their absence here makes me rather suspicious. When considering differences between variants of aircraft, I much prefer the way the Valiant Wings series of books have dealt with things: technical information in clear and consistent format, accompanied by bullet point highlights - ideal for quick reference. 20 pages sounds a lot to cover the description of what is after all only two main variants that most people would want to know about, but actually it's not much at all. The Friedrich In Combat The vast majority of the book's pages are devoted to the Friedrich in combat – just over a hundred pages in fact. The narrative is broken down by campaign to include: Combat Debut over The Channel (36 pages) Messerschmitt Bf109 F over North Africa and Malta (25 pages) Messerschmitt Bf109 F over Russia (40 pages) Once again there are no sub-headings, so each of these has text that pretty much demands a read start to finish. The allocation of coverage is also interesting: whilst I appreciate that the vast majority of action for this type took place in the East, I imagine most people's interest is piqued by the time in North Africa, JG27, and one Hans-Joachim Marseille. If this is not the case, why have Afrika Friedrich's in colour on both front and back cover? The text reads like the well-known Osprey Aircraft of the Aces series, except there is just more of it. My opinions on that series are mixed: great value, great coverage, but ultimately light weight, and more of a teaser than anything else. I think this applies here – it is effectively three of these Osprey books in one. You have to flick through it to get a sense of this (again – contents page!), as the information on the Kagero website tells you the number of pages and pictures, but leaves you none the wiser as to what you're really buying. There are indeed lots of pictures, some in very high definition, but they are all in black and white which is disappointing. I have not analyzed every picture, but when reviewing a book like this one of the first things I do is try to assess the accuracy of the captions. With respect to unit etc, I just do not have the knowledge, but regarding sub-type is a bit easier. I found a few F-4s which look to be F-2s to me (distinctly different supercharger intake, shallower oil cooler). Similarly, there are aircraft labelled as F-4z Trop when they appear to have shallow oil cooler, and the narrower prop blades – a combination I did not think possible. That these are labelled as such without an accompanying explanation again gives me cause for concern – if I can find these just by flicking through, how many more are there? On the plus side, there are a couple of shots of Galland's 'hybrid' Friedrich showing enlarged cowling blisters very clearly indeed. There are also plenty of first-hand accounts of combat which always help you 'feel' as if you almost there in the mess with the pilots after a sortie! For a book called 'The Ace Maker', the focus is more at unit level than on detailed accounts of particular pilots and their exploits – Marseille groupies, you will be disappointed I am afraid. The Star of Afrika's exploits are covered, but not to any significant degree, and there is no mention of how he met his end (in a G-2). I can't help but feel all of these chapters would benefit from some colour photos – there are some truly excellent ones out there. The combat section finishes with a cursory look at camouflage and marking sizes, and foreign users of the Friedrich. Flugzeughandbuch We have an appendix of some 29 pages (stretching my schoolboy memory of Roman numerals) containing excerpts from the Flugzeughandbuch - original Messerschmitt manual for the Bf109 F-1/F-4. Some of the pictures and diagrams are more technical than others, and no translation from the German is provided, but these things are always useful to modellers I find. Scale Plans There are 20 pages of scale plans, plus an A2 size pull out; those in the book proper are a mix of 1/72 and 1/48 scale, whilst those in the pull out are full 1/32. There are also numerous mini plans of things like ETC racks, Revi gun sights, various MGs and so on – I quite like this and think it's a nice touch. After doing some digging, I am pretty sure these plans are taken from Kagero's earlier Top Drawings book. The plans look very impressive but nagging concerns over supercharger shapes, and the fact that all the upper wing panels are the same tells me that this is not a book for the Friedrich 'experten'. There is a sheet highlighting differences between the variants – each bit is shaded so you can see it – which is good, but in profile these are pretty minimal. Annoyingly, yet also quite predictably, Kagero have ducked out of providing head-on scale comparisons of the different prop blades used, and yet they include 1/72 plans of experimental aircraft with underwing rocket packs. I find that nothing illustrates more clearly the 'style over substance nature' of this book than this omission. Profiles There are some 44 colour profiles to finish the book off, mostly single port side, but there are six three / four view ones. Only here will you find a (single) Marseille aircraft, along with five black and white photographs. The profiles look nice - profiles usually do – but I would have preferred more than the cursory description provided. I also think that having these interspersed throughout the book – as an illustration of an aircraft with a particularly clear photo for example – would be much more use to the modeller. Once again the depiction of the supercharger intakes causes concern. Conclusion I can see that some people will love this 'Osprey on steroids' approach, and appreciate all the plans which exude gravitas and authority. My own personal research tends to be rather more specific, so I confess I do tend to judge books like this quite harshly. For those who have explored the nuances of the Friedrich in some detail already, the lack of clear technical descriptions, fudging of some issues and avoidance of others, will expose this book. That being said, it looks impressive, and you get a lot of book for your €24, so I will let you and your own personal preference be the judge. Good value; some technical information questionable. With thanks to Kagero for the review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. Nicholas Mayhew

coolio wasn't "our" Mike going to be there? what happened with that?

Soviet T-26 Light Infantry Tank Mod.1931 HobbyBoss Catalogue # 82494 Available from Creative Models for £23.99 This is my first look at HobbyBoss armour. The 'sister' company of Trumpeter (I have never quite nailed down the relationship between the two) have produced a fair amount of armour, but for the most part they have been peripheral WWII subjects or modern ones. Perhaps their most mainstream WWII subject was the SdKfz 222 armoured car - a kit which has some significant shape issues. I will be upfront and say I do not have any reference for the T-26, beyond what the reader presumably has themselves ie the internet. As such, this will be a 'what's in the box' review. Knowing that we can all wiki search something these days, I won't say too much about the history of the T-26, but suffice to say this Russian tank was based on an English design by Vickers, and was produced in fairly large numbers in the 1930s. A quick glance at it will tell you it was completely obsolete by the outbreak of the Second World War; indeed it was probably so even before that. The kit is labelled as a Mod.1931 version - the initial one - which is slightly misleading, as this is only one of two versions you can build from the box - the other being the Mod.1932 version. They are both twin turreted tanks; later versions changed to one larger turret. The Mod.1931 had a light machine gun in each turret, whilst the Mod.1932 had one MG replaced with a 37mm cannon. I think not making the fact that you can build both obvious in the either the kit title or box front is a bit of an oversight by HobbyBoss - people like to know what they can build straight from the box. Anyway, to the kit...It comes in a small but very sturdy box - definitely stackable! There are a large number of small sprues, and the parts count is very high for such a pip-squeak of a tank (the hull is only about the size of my iPhone). A quick look at the bagged sprues will tell you that the parts count comes almost entirely from the tracks, which are indie link, complete with a separate track pin on either side. Single piece hull – no bigger than your iphone The hull is tub is moulded as a single piece. There is rivet and bolt detail throughout which seems very crisp, and I saw no flash. The suspension is designed to be workable - really only any use if you are a doing a dio, but nice to have nonetheless. There are two suspension units each side, with four road wheels a piece, and each unit comprises some 15 parts. Construction looks fairly straightforward, however. The leaf suspension (parts #A4) are adequately moulded, but perhaps not quite up there with the best that say Dragon or Tasca would produce. Both drive sprocket and idlers are well detailed, but the former has six bracing struts between the two sprocket discs (parts # D9) which look as though they will be very fiddly to line up. Drive sprockets look nice but might be fiddly to construct Detail on the leaf springs is adequate, but not brilliant Engine deck grill moulded with gap between the slats Single piece track guards The tracks are indie link, and look very sharp, but they do not come pre-cut like Dragon Magic Tracks, so you will have to snip each of them from the sprue. Keep in mind that at 113 links each side, there will be the same if not more work on these as there would be on a set of Tiger or Panther tracks. Each link has a track pin either side, and these are different for each side (parts #T8-1 and #T8-2), although the track links themselves are not 'handed'. A small jig is provided to aid construction and ensure the runs line up correctly. This, and the attention to detail in providing different track pins, is really quite impressive on what is 'just' a small kit after all. I have not tested to see whether these track pins will stay in place without glue - if they do then you will have fully articulating tracks - but you should still be able to set / drape them as required if using Tamiya Extra Thin sparingly I think. Lots of these tiny links And even more of these miniscule track pins The hull front and rear comprise one plate each, with various details to be added on top. These include two different types of air intake (?), each with a different photo-etch PE grill. There are also a few PE access panel handles provided, as well as PE braces for the track guards - this is a really nice touch. The two-part driver's hatch can only be positioned closed, but given there is no interior (or ever likely to be from aftermarket) I don't think this is big loss. A single clear part is used for the headlight lens. Photo-etch grills and access panel handles are provided – no need for aftermarket here Nice detail, relatively simple construction As mentioned above there are two configurations for the twin turrets. You can either have both with a single machine gun, or one (on the right) armed with a 37mm cannon. The same turret shell is use in either case, and again the hatches cannot be posed open. The machine guns are quite nice but plastic struggles with small barrels even more than large ones in my opinion; I have yet to confirm of there are any brass aftermarket ones you can use as replacements. The single part for the cannon is adequate, although you may wish to hollow it out a little more? The PE gun shield is very good - nice and simple but really adding detail. One of the two turret shells The machine gun is actually pretty neat As for marking options, these revolve around different configurations of stripes on the turrets, and that's pretty much it. They are both finished in what is described as 'Russian Green' - this predates 4BO I believe, but I think most people will have there own preferences here given scale effect, current weathering and finishing trends etc. Nothing flashy in the way of markings is an understatement Conclusion Quite a nice little kit. I doubt there will be mug aftermarket produced for it - or at least this relatively early version - but in truth it doesn't really need it. It is perhaps a good kit for a beginner who wants to take the next step, given the indie link tracks. Highly recommended for fans of 1930s armour With thanks to Creative Models for the review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. Nicholas Mayhew

Hi Iain Talking of Heinkels, can I contact you off board as I will be reviewing the 111 H-6 kit and wouldn't mind going over a few things with you...? Cheers Nick

Oooh Very interesting (and cool) Do you have any more / close up pics of the windshield showing exactly what you did? For me the windshield is the one 'issue' that really stops me building this kit...

Niiiiice

Demon, With respect, we do not say that a member has to make x number of posts to comment on something, and neither should you. And if you really have been through Steve's posts on this and other forums, you would know that despite being somewhat 'spikey', he is one of the most helpful guys I have come across. I really mean that. Let's ALL dial it down a bit and chill. Nick

Hi Steve! I have given up trying on the LSP thread, where apparently because I dared to suggest PCM's distribution was poor, and that they had made sloppy errors in some of their previous kits, I am 'not a serious person' (??) and a troll Hey ho... Still, I'd be interested if you posted your response in that thread...go on...please!