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JaseGill

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  1. Kitty Hawk P-39Q/N Aircobra KH32013 Available from many online-stores around £53.99 The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States enteredWorld War II. The P-39 was used with great success by the Soviet Air Force, which scored the highest number of individual kills attributed to any U.S. fighter type. Other major users of the type included the Free French, theRoyal Air Force, the United States Army Air Forces, and the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force. Designed by Bell Aircraft, it had an innovative layout, with the engine installed in the center fuselage, behind the pilot, and driving a tractor propeller via a long shaft. It was also the first fighter fitted with a tricycle undercarriage. Although its mid-engine placement was innovative, the P-39 design was handicapped by the absence of an efficient turbo-supercharger, limiting it to low-altitude work. As such it was rejected by the RAF for use over western Europe and passed over to the USSR where performance at high altitude was less important. Together with the derivative P-63 Kingcobra, the P-39 was one of the most successful fixed-wing aircraft manufactured by Bell. The above taken from Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_P-39_Airacobra The Kit and Contents. The kit comes in a sturdy box, with some great artwork on the front and sides showing the various painting and markings options. The box isnt particularly large or particularly stuffed with parts and there is some room inside for the parts to move about. The breakdown of the parts in the box is: 8 Standard Grey Plastic Parts, 1 Clear Plastic Parts, 1 PE Fret, 2 decal sheets (one large one small), 1 Set of Instructions with attached painting guides. All the sprues are individually bagged and there are two sprues attached to each other for the grey plastic parts. The plastis seems to be up to the usual Kitty Hawk standard and there is no sign of flash on any of the parts. The clear parts are very clear and come in a protective cardboard box as well as the usual bag. The decals look to be very well printed, in register and there are some really nice schemes included in the kit, more of that later. The small PE fret is a couple of what looks like intake grills and the pilots harness straps. The build is pretty standard in that it starts with cockpit interior, the fuselage and then wings, undercarriage and weapons. Whats different is the location of the engine which is behind the pilot seat and there is a full engine included here in the kit. The usual limitations of plastic are there in the cockpit and some of the smaller parts. The engine looks good and the maybe the engine cover panels themselves could be a little thinner in etch but Im sure the usual suspects will create some update sets for this kit. The Sprues. The 9 sprues are as follows: Sprues A and B: These sprues are joined and they consist of the wings, some undercarriage pieces and the control surfaces for the wings. Sprues C and D: These sprues are joined and consist of cockpit and fuselage interior pieces. Sprue E and F: These sprues are joined and cosist of the Fuselage sides, panels and the the propellor and its spinner (of which there is a choice of two). Sprue G and H: These sprues are joined and they consist of more fuselage interior parts included the engine and its parts. They also include the horizontal tail surfaces and some of the other exterior appendages including bombs. Sprue GP the 'Glass Parts': This sprue is the Cockpit Glass and the side widows for the car style doors. It also includes the anti-collision and wing marker lights. The small PE Fret: This fret has two intake grilles along with the majoirty which consists of the harness straps for the pilots seat. The Decal Sheets: There are two decal sheets. The larger has all of the national and airframe markings along with stencilling. A second smaller decal sheet contains the Artwork shown on some of the schemes along with the cockpit decals for all of the various panels within the cockpit. The Instructions: The Instructions are really clear, well printed and include colour callouts for Gunze Sangyo Mr Color and in some cases RLM which was a surprise to me as none of these aircraft have German Markings. I cant speak to the accuracy of the marking as yet, Ive yet to do any research on these but all of the choices are very colourful and interesting. I can see myself wanting to do a couple of these. The French and Russian ones are particularly attractive to me. The Painting Guidance: As mentioned above there are some great schemes here. The one I do recognise is Snooks 2nd, the only US marking option here. Again all colour callouts are for Gunze Sangyo Mr. Color and RLM (?) so you'll need conversion charts if like me you use other paint manufacturers. The Choice of colourings are: P-39Q-5-BE "Snooks 2nd", 71st TRS 82nd TRG 5th Air Force USAAF, P39Q GC III/6 "Travail", Armee de L'Air, La France Combattante, P39Q-5-BE, 1st AE, 30th GvIAP, 6th IAK. Co of 1st AE 1st.Lt.A.P.Filatov, 1945, P39Q, 1st AE, 213th GvIAP, Co of 1st AE assistant 1st.Lt.M.I.Orlov, Germany, Summer 1945. P39N-1-BE, 9 Gruppo, 4 Stormo, Italian Co-Belligerent AF, June 1944. Conclusion: This is yet another welcome large scale release from Kitty Hawk. The kits just seem to get better and better and with the included engine and schemes I think it will fly off the shelf. Granted the aftermarket will probably release plenty updates for this but one can, I believe, build a great representation of an important and often ignored WWII aircraft type. Highly Recommended to all.
  2. Bronco Airspeed A.S.51 Horsa Glider Mk.1 Available from many online-stores around £109.99 The Horsa was a troop carrying glider of World War 2 built by Airspeed, a company associated with small trainers and sports aircraft. Designated the AS51 the Horsa was built to a 1940 specification for a 25 seater glider for use by Airborne forces. An order for 400 aircraft was placed February 1941, with fuyll production beginning in February 1942. By this time orders had reached 2345 aircraft. Much of the production was sub-contracted to furniture manufacturers who built the glider in sections and which were transported to Airspeed for final assembly. The Horsa was used by both British and American Airborne Forces in all operations from 1942 to the end of the war. It was also used to carry jeeps and small artillery pieces. The Horsa Mk 1had a wingspan of 27m and a length of 20m, loaded weight was 7,000k. it was normally towed by a four engine bomber such as a Short Stirling or Handley-Page Halifax due to the weight. But the smaller C47 Dakota was often used in large operations as not enough bombers where available. The Kit and Contents. This kit is BIG, the large, packed box screams size. From the thick cardboard box itself, the very well illustrated box top and the large cardboard protective packaging everything is on a big scale with this kit. The contents consist of: 18 regular grey sprues, 3 clear sprues, 1 heavy nose weight in its own protective box, 1 small etched fret, 1 set of self adhesive vinyl window masks, 1 sheet of decals, A really nice piece of artwork that matches the box art (a nice touch I think). There is a lot of plastic here, it took me over an hour to photo it all, and it all looks well cast with no noticeable flash. There are some prominent pin marks from the moulding pins on some of the larger pieces but they do seem to be in places where they will either be covered by other parts and most looks easy to deal with where they are not. The kit looks to have a decently detailed cockpit (moulded in seat harnesses) though I'm sure the aftermarket people will be out with some updates soon. There is also what looks like a very detailed hold space along with a large port side cargo door that can be posed either open or closed along with a smaller what looks like personnel entry door at the rear. The fuselage looks to be built as per the real thing with an inner tube of supports, bracing and floor/roof components. Added to this are the troop seats (again moulded strap detail) and some smaller internal detail parts. The skin of the fuselage comes in large sections and wraps around this tubular core. I imagine the modeller will need to be very careful with this approach as the slightest misaligning of parts will result in a bigger misalignment in the next stages. Onto this the wings and tailpieces fit, along with the pose-able control surfaces as does the large undercarriage. I wonder how strong the undercarriage needs to be to ensure this stays on its wheels but the kit parts seem very sturdy. All external panels are smooth and Ive seen some criticism for this as some period pictures show noticeable deformation around the frame of the aircraft. I can see both sides of this and personally I'd rather it wasn't there and do some work myself to reproduce it if I see it necessary at the time. There are plenty period photo's around should the modeller wish to replicate this. The painting guidance and decals exist for 3 versions of the aircraft. Two UK RAF and one US D-Day airframe, there doesn't seem to be any guidance on differences in the build or fit of the aircraft depending on the theatre. Guidance is in the instructions for the width of the painted on invasion stripes in 1/35th scale, which I think is a great feature. The Sprues The 18 sprues are as follows. Sprue A (x1) This sprue contains the Tail parts of the aircraft including the fuselage sides for the tail, the pose-able rudder and the support struts for the horizontal tail surfaces themselves. Sprue B (x1) This sprue contains the upper fuselage and wing spar parts along with some of the outer body panels. Sprue C (x1) This sprue contains the majority of the cockpit parts along with some internal bracing for the wing structures. Sprue D (x1) This sprue contains the bulkheads for the inner fuselage parts. Sprue E (x1) This sprue contains the horizontal tail surfaces and pose-able control surfaces for the tail parts. Sprue F (x1) This sprue contains some more internal bracing for the wings, outer fuselage skin parts and some undercarriage parts. Sprue G (x2) These contain further cockpit and fuselage pieces along with some of the troop seats. Sprue Ha (x1) and Hb (x1) These are the wings. Large mouldings of both wings split in the usual upper/lower piece manner. Sprue J (x1) This contains more internal bulkheads and some further fuselage pieces. Sprue K (x1) This contains more floor pieces along with parts for the large port side cargo door. Sprue L (x1) This contains the large wing control surfaces. Sprue Ma (x1) This is the bracing for the Undercarriage. Sprue Mb (x1) This is the large, one piece cockpit canopy structure. Its very clear and looks to be free from defects and anomalies. Sprue Mc (x1) and Sprue Md (x1) This is the side windows for the fuselage sides. A further, very small bubble window and smaller side window. Sprue N (x1) & Sprue P(x2) Sprue N is further bulkheads and some side panels for the fuselage. Sprues P are further parts for the interior including parts for the cargo seats. Etch Fret P (x1) This small fret has some straps for the pilots cockpit and some small bracing for the cargo seats in the rear of the aircraft. The Window Masking and Decal Sheet The Window masking is for the main canopy itself and the various windows on the side of the fuselage. These are laser cut vinyl and are self adhesive. I can see these being a big part of the build given the size and prominence of the cockpit windows themselves. The Decal sheet looks well produces, in good register and seems to have all the necessary markings and national insignia. The schemes are: RZ108 of RAF 'Operation Overlord', France, 6th June 1944. PW773 of RAF 'Operation Mallard', Normandy, France, 6th June 1944. RF141 of USAAF 'Operation Overlord', Normandy, France, 6th June 1944. The Instructions Sheet. This is really well printed on glossy paper. Its illustrated really well and they are really clear and easily readable. They are black and white, except for the external colour scheme and in english. All paint guidance is given in MR. Hobby, Hobby Color, Humbrol and Tamiya. The Schemes that are presented on the decal sheet are all presented on the last 3 pages of the Instruction Sheet. The Nose weight. There is a nose weight included. This is very hefty and comes in its own cardboard box to protect the other parts from it rattling about in the main box itself. Conclusion. I think this kit will fly off the shelves. Bronco and a few other manufacturers, Tamiya included, have already released a number of Airborne figures, vehicles and small artillery pieces that will look great with this kit in a diorama. The only figures that may be difficult to source at this time are the pilots but Im sure someone will remedy that soon enough. The only quandary I have is how to build this, either as a Bronco loading up with personnel and equipment, or as a crashed example with the pieces of the fuselage scattered in a field and the occupants escaping from the site. One thing that will drive this for most I am sure is space to keep and Display it. At almost a metre in wingspan and almost as long in the fuselage this will be difficult to find space for even once you have discarded that box. For those completely without space issues can you imagine this being 'towed' behind the upcoming 1/32 Lancaster that has been announced recently by HKM? That really would be something to see. Overall I'd say really highly recommended, especially if like me you like the idea of mixed aircraft, armour and personnel dioramas. One last bonus us the artwork supplied below, its a really nice touch and would look good in a decent frame.
  3. Great looking kit. The original never flew, and as Jim notes however someone in the US has built one and flown it. It had an issue on landing which damaged the spinner and prop but it did fly and it flew well apparently. https://www.facebook.com/TheBugatti100pProject/videos/843683509042123/ This looks like a stunning kit. very nice J.
  4. Thanks Steve. I will keep trying, promise J.
  5. Steve, Thanks. I really need the encouragement. For the decals I really like the Texas ANG one with the red in it so thanks for the offer but I think I'll stick to that. Now to fix that bloody nose and the malformed underside piece. Hope you got one after this was fixed? J.
  6. Well, You may have noticed Ive lost my mojo a bit on this one. Other, more interesting stuff keeps popping up and whilst Im keen to get it done Im just not into it as much as I think I ought to be. May need to take a break from this one. Anyway, cockpit interior is mostly done and looks good. The photo's don't really do it justice, probably because Im yet to weather it too. The Etch is really nice, goes together really convincingly and although there are a few items that seem too small to handle the handling later in the build it all looks good so far. Yet to fit the joystick, this will go in when I put the seat in I guess. So a couple of pictures anyway. One dissapointing thing can be seen in the next few pictures. Whilst I was warned that the fuselage is overly complicated (it is) I didnt expect the fit issues around the nose intake. Also the bottom filler panel over the landing gear is deformed. There is a whole section missing and miscast that I think is going to need one hell of a lot of filler to make it anything at all acceptable. Maybe its because this was a pre-release this is the problem. I really hope its a one off. Add to that the gaps in the intake ring on the nose (usually an issue with some kits Ive seen) and the fact that the nose cone was warped and cracked and you could say Im not having a great time on the forward fuselage of this kit. The pics show the full story. The nose section of this alone is going to take some serious filler, love, care and attention not to mention a hell of a lot of sanding and rescribing to look any good. Wish me luck, and if you have some spare enthusiasm I could to with that too Thanks for now. J.
  7. Jim, Yup, going back to some of the other decals when I can be arse I'll take more photo's with some scale help Jeroen. Soon J.
  8. Hello All, Well I have completed another one of the Bandai Star Wars kits. This time its the R2-D2 kit that comes in a 2 droid set of R2-D2 and R5-D4. He builds in no time and shouldnt need paint. That said for the Chrome parts I used Alclad Chrome (sprayed over the coloured plastic) and for the dome of the head I used Alclad Duralumin as the silver plastci in both cases looks a bot toy like. He comes our really well and I can really recommend these kits, theyre a change, really easy, very accurate it seems and come with all sorts of extra's. He has arms and actuators as seen in the various films but I chose to leave him in his standard state. Eventually I intend to weather him and C3-PO up and place them on a sand base doing them as if they have just climbed out the Escape Capsule at the start of Star Wars A New Hope. Enough words, time for pictures. And here he is with his companion And finally with the other figures built so far.
  9. Eduard Update Set 32835 F-86D Interior Self Adhesive for 1/32 Kittyhawk kit Available from many online-stores or Direct from Eduard for around £13 Ive already reviewed the two Seat sets (Seat itself and Interior here: http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3884-eduard-f-86d-ejection-seat-for-kittyhawk-kit/ http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3885-eduard-f-86d-seatbelts-fabric-for-kittyhawk-kit/ Ive also built this and started a Build log of the whole kit here: http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3905-132-kitty-hawk-f-86d-build/ My intention is to review as I build to make it more interesting for you, the reader, and for me. I really enjoy doing the reviews of these updates and doing build logs but doing a lot of one or the other can get a bit dull I think so trying the reviews as I build idea just for fun. This update is for the Eduard interior, which basically covers the cockpit and canopy other than the Ejector Seat and its belts. I remember (sounding old now) when Eduard Interior sets were all of the interior and covered the whole cockpit. Im not sure if I miss that or give Eduard kudos for allowing the modeller exactly how much they way to update (and spend). I will leave that to you to decide. The update set itself consists of two etched frets, the Coloured Etch and the standard brass etch. As usual the coloured etch covers the cockpit elements of the instrument panel and the various side consoles in the aircraft. The brass more deals with areas you will more than likely paint anyway, the cockpit rails, some small details and the canopy details too. Its a really nice mix and whilst some dont really get the coloured frets I like them. The multipart nature means you get depth to the etch itself and also still allows the modeller to add those little extras like gloss coat on instrument faces and washes that should make the detail pop. Enough of my words, time for some pictures of what you get for your hard earned cash: As you can see there is some really nice detail here. One thing worth of mention is the 'Self Adhesive' side of things. The coloured etch is on a self adhesive backing that should make it easier for the modeller to attach to the kit parts. I say should as I often do some remedial work in adding a little CA glue here and there to ensure that it not only sticks, but will stay there more permanently in the long term. This isn't necessarily required, I just do it for piece of mind, that may say more about me than the etch itself. Where I can say it helps immeasurably is that there are less cases of what I call 'Etch Ping' when one removes the etch from the fret. So many times have I made that last cut on that smallest of pieces that the action of cutting pings the part into the ether, never to be seen after its eaten by the carpet monster. This happens a lot less with this adhesive backing, to the point that I even now fold masking tape behind small parts when I cut them off normal etch to try and make sure the 'ping' doesn't occur. Sometimes I look at the really small parts and wonder if its worth the bother. In most cases I say it is, and once you've done a whole cockpit with Eduard it really shows, its just that some of the smaller parts really do make one wonder now and then. This isn't an attack on Eduard as they have done a really great job across all of their releases, I just wonder if we sometimes expect too much of such small parts in the search for accuracy. Something maybe for a greater debate not a review. The instructions are up to Eduard's usual impeccable standard and make sense to the viewer as soon as you see them. Conclusion As in all things Eduard I think they are to be congratulated here on these sets. They really help the modeller create a more realistic and pleasing to the eye model. Some will always want to paint the detail, me I have a foot in both camps. That said when I see a set like this I really just want to get on with the building of the kit and enjoying that rather than all the small intricacies of cockpit interiors. I really look forward now to getting on with the build of the Interior/Cockpit phase. Keep an eye on the build log for an update. So, as you may guess this set is Highly Recommended and I must thank Eduard (and Jim for sending them on from Eduard) for the review samples.
  10. Hi Steve, Thanks, much appreciated, I may take you up on that offer. Ive been doing some test fits of the fuselage, and yes its damn complicated isn't it. A bit of test, trim, test and trim again seems in order. I hope I can do it justice J.
  11. I love the Scout Trooper so far, my favourite. Its between these and the F-86D, such difficult choices especially with the Eduard etch review to do for the F-86D too
  12. Thanks guys. Not sure this one will be a fast build as I have so much going on at the moment but your comments really keep the motivation going... Next is the review of the Interior & Cockpit Eduard etch before doing that bit next. I want to do review and build in parallel really for a bit of a change and to keep the motivation up to keep going on. Lots of Star Wars kits crying out for attention doesnt help either. 1st world modeller problems Not sure on the scheme yet, thinking I may do one of the Red trainer schemes. Im going to try to stay away from serious weathering on this one... That said I don't want it perfectly polished either. Quandries. I just noticed in pic 2 I've broken one of the struts on the seat... Needs a fix before the pit methinks
  13. Hello again, Well after putting up all of the pictures Ive taken so far of the Banda Kits I've built I figured I should show the final one so far. I still have the R2-D2 and R4-D4 to do as well as Darth Vader in the figures so far, I guess I will do R2-D2 to go with this guy next. So, as the others he bascially falls together. A little less complicated than the Scout Trooper and Stormtrooper as there are less optional fittings here. There are 2 sorts of arms that allow either poseable arms or the fixed arms you see here. The poseable ones look less realistic so I opted for the fixed ones and they're in the classic C3-PO pose anyway. He does have 2 head choices one with dent one without (I chose dent) and theres the ability to have his 'eye' hanging out on a stalk too like in return of the Jedi. The stomach and back of the legs have decals for most of the wiring and theyre pretty good with some setting solution. This one has no paint at all on it so far other than the black lock he has on his chest which in photo's shows a silver border and centre which Ive painted here with Vallejo acrylics. Again you need to be careful removing parts from the sprue so as not to damage the gold plating too much, that said most of the sprue stubs are in areas not generally on view. He also has a silver leg which I used here for a bit of variation, this is seen in some scenes in the movies. I will dull him down a bit and weather him as I'd like to show him, along with R2-D2 as if on Tatooine after they crash down in the desert after escaping the Empire at the start of Star Wars: A New Hope. The gold is pretty difficult to photograph well but I think they came out OK. Enjoy. And one last one with the team so far
  14. Hi all, After the review I did of the Kitty Hawk F-86D Sabre Dog review I did here: http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3528-132-kitty-hawk-f-86d-sabre-dog/ and the Ejection Seat here http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3884-eduard-f-86d-ejection-seat-for-kittyhawk-kit/ and the Seatbelts here http://forum.largescalemodeller.com/topic/3885-eduard-f-86d-seatbelts-fabric-for-kittyhawk-kit/ I figured it was only sensible to actually start the build. So far its just the Seat I have done to tie the two reviews together but once I get to the Eduard Cockpit and Interior review I will start that part of the kit too, its only a couple pictures so far. I build it as per the Eduard and Kitty Hawk instructions, nothing difficult, you just need to be careful aligning everything and making sure you check and double check before you remove any kit parts. Essentially the seat update is the seat sides, some fittings on the seat and it has seatbelts. I however used the Fabric Seatbelt set my first use of these. They went together relatively easy but I didn't realise they had to come off the card backing until the 1st cut. Once that was understood though everything else just fell together with some care taken to thread the belts through the various buckles. The seat was painted as per kit instructions and then washed with some light blue Ammo Wash and a darker wash of grey Paynes oil paint. It was then lightly dry brushed with a later of lightened base coat before being sealed with flat vallejo varnish. The straps were then fitted as per Eduard instructions and the two remove before flight lanyard fitted too, the upper one being attached by a very think length of solder to the seat back. I think it looks ok so far so cant wait to move on to the cockpit and rest of the kit.
  15. Hi all, Well after building the 1/12 Scout Trooper I figured I should try one of the others. So, out came the 1/12 Stormtrooper. Same sort of build as the Scout Trooper, very fast, looks very good and all one would do once the pose was finalised is maybe glue and fill the gaps in the joints for the arms and legs. I might get round to that eventually. The only paint on him is across the nose where there is a grey area, the decal looked wrong so I painted it with vallejo blue/grey. A nice feature is the poseability for now and the fact that he has multiple (3) weapons all of which can be interchanged and the smallest pistol and blaster can also be placed in the black holster on his leg. You can even choose whether he is left or right handed. Very cool. I hope you like the pictures. Cheer for now...
  16. Hi Erik. Sorry I missed you. I was there Saturday, flew in. What a show J.
  17. Yep he's getting a bloody good weathering soon as I have time Jeroen I quite fancy a second, maybe even a third one so I can leave him unmounted and the bike without rider, one with him on the bike and one like this beauty
  18. Well, I reviewed this here yesterday. I said I couldn't wait to build the Scout Trooper, I just didn't expect to build it today or this fast. Its like the other Bandai kits in that it basically snaps together. So far not a drop of glue on this kit. Hardly any cleanup of the kit if you're careful to cut it off the sprue and most of the joins are hidden in creases or where there are natural line. It almost fell together and took a whole 90 minutes at most. All of the sprues, pre-coloured, are gloss. The under-suit though of the Scout Trooper though is matt as its cloth. To get around this I sprayed all of the gloss black suit parts (not the poly caps though) with Vallejo Matt which always comes up the most matt finish Ive ever seen. Once the figure was complete though I noticed that the gloves are semi-gloss black so I did a quick masking job and over-sprayed the gloves in a semi-gloss varnish (Vallejo again). Otherwise this is OOB at the moment. Decals are great using setting solution and adhere well and make a real difference, especially around the face. So a few pictures before more words... With gun in hand. There are a few hand combinations both armed and unarmed, plus a set of hands that moulded to fit the handle bars on the Speeder Bike itself. The gun can also be stowed in the leg pocket on the figures right leg, a nice touch. So, pictures of him unarmed. My only issue is illustrated below. To allow the feet to be posed on the Speeder Bike pedals the ankles of the figure have to be articulated. Most of the joints are hidden most of the time depending on the pose. The only one thats visible all the time is the ankles. Once I decide how its going to be posed I will probably fill the gaps in the ankles and then spray the filled joints gloss white to match the boots. More to come once I start the bike. I guess at that point I need to choose whether he goes on the bike or stays as a standalone. He's also going to need some weathering too.
  19. 1/48 Bandai Star Wars Scout Trooper and Speeder Bike. Bandai Kit Ref: 0196693 Priced Yen 4,000 (about £30 before pnp and customs if they get you). Once again Bandai answers a long standing wish of mine. Since building the AMT/ERTL kit of the same subject when I was a child I have always wanted to get another kit of this subject and do it some justice. Well my dreams have been answered and this kit is really a great one from my point of view. Like all of the other Star Wars Bandai kits reviewed here by myself and Jim these are only available for import from Japan. I use the well known HLJ for this and every time a new kit comes up I add it to my wish list/warehouse there and just wait for release. The reason its only import is that the license for Star Wars in Europe is held by Revell whereas its held by Bandai in Japan and I guess the two companies have a non-compete clause across the world with respect to Star Wars. Personally I think this is a bad move but thats between LucasArts, Disney, Revell and Bandai to work out. There were rumours that Disney may block shipping Bandai out of Japan and Revell out of Europe, I hope not and so far its still a good (if expensive if the Tax Man gets you) route for these kits. The Kit. The box art (above) is really evocative of the Speeder Bike from the Star Wars movie (Return of the Jedi) and shows the Speeder in pursuit of its foes through the forests of Endor. Its a really nice, shiny and well built box. Its packed to the full with kit pieces too. Effectively this is two kits in one. One of the Scout Trooper himself. Personally I think this is the coolest armour of any of the Imperials in Star Wars, maybe the Tie Fighter pilot comes close but this wins it for me, so just for the Trooper I'd have paid a premium, but with the Speeder Bike its just a win win for me. Given its two kits my review will take two parts, the Scout Trooper and the Bike as two mini reviews. The Scout Trooper. As all of the previous kits the trooper builds from multi colour multi media pieces, some sprues have more than one colour on them, something that continues to surprise me in a good way. The Trooper is predominantly gloss white (needs some weathering for a good representation of an Endor Trooper) and black. His armour being white and the under suit being black. In this kit there's also some brown in there for the soles of his boots. A decent touch. The main parts are contained in the 1st three sprues pictured below whilst there is a fourth sprue that is made of a softer rubber style plastic which is all the joints in the figure. This allows one to either display the figure standing or in an action pose or he can be placed upon the bike itself. A nice touch I think. This also seems to follow other Japanese manufacturers who often allow posing of figures and models, this reminds me of Wave Ma.K kits I've built in the past. There is a separate base for the Trooper and Ive noticed that all of the bases of the figures so far are the same and are inter-lockable. I guess Bandai are allowing for figure collectors who'd like to display all their figures together, another nice touch. The Main Figure Sprues (above) and the rubber 'joints' (below). The Speeder Bike. As mentioned above the Speeder Bike could be considered a kit in itself. Its very nicely moulded, as all of the other sprues is completely flash free and is again coloured, just like the Scout Trooper. In the case of the Speeder Bike the plastic is a deep grey and a brown colour. These match closely the colours of the 'real' thing and so for a more casual modeller they could suffice. Of course most of us, including me, will paint these but as a means of introducing younger or less experienced modellers to the hobby I think this is a great move. Again this comes with its own base, this time consisting of a forest floor piece and what looks like the lower half of a tree. This allows a small, invisible from one side, support to attach to the bike and give a sense of the bike either hovering whilst at rest of flying through the sky with the Scout Trooper posed onboard. The Speeder Bike and its components arranged on three multi colour sprues (above). The Decals. There are decals for both the Trooper and the Bike but there are two options here. For the less experienced modeller there is a set of self adhesive decals available (on the green backing paper) and for the more experienced a set of slide decals (on the blue backing paper). Again a great option that allows the less proficient modeller to still build a representative kit. The Decals. Waterslide (left) and Self Adhesive (right). The Instructions. Being for the Japanese Market the instructions are completely in Japanese other than the odd title here and there. This shouldn't give too many issues as we can all Im sure work out the colour scheme. Whats also common with the other Bandai kits is the quality of the instructions, they're great. Very well presented, illustrated and annotated (though I wish I could read Japanese). The Colour Callouts on the back page are great and show a weathered bike to give the modeller a few ideas, again a great touch. The Bases. As I mentioned above there is a seperate base for the Trooper (black) and one for the bike (brown). These are a great touch and the interlocking of each to each other or to other ones in the series is a great little feature. The Bases for the Speeder Bike (left) and Scout Trooper (right). Conclusion. Well you probably already guessed, I love this kit and cant wait to get to the build itself. The Trooper is cool, the bike is cool, two together is super cool so I'll be building these at the soonest opportunity. The bonus is that for someone who enjoys weathering these two also have endless opportunities for fun. Highly Recommended. Available from Hobby Link Japan (HLJ.com) and other Japanese Importers.
  20. Oh yes, build is coming. Waiting to do the seat in full before I put it up and then do the interior review before I do the interior, exterior review before I do the exterior J.
  21. I should have pics (on an upcoming - hopefully start tonight) build on what they look like on plastic. That said, so far all is great, and the replacement sidewalls on the seat make a real difference. 1st coat of paint is already on just some weathering to do so hope to have more soon J.
  22. Eduard Update Set 32836 F86D Seatbelts Fabric for 1/32 Kittyhawk kit Available from many online-stores or Direct from Eduard for around £8.50 As I mentioned in the F86D Seat review here I wont be using the Etch Seatbelts as I have been sent a set of the Fabric Ones. These are again for the Kittyhawk kit reviewed here. These are the first Eduard Fabric seatbelts I have seen, having only come across the HGW ones before. I seem to remember reading somewhere that it is Eduard who supplies these to HGW anyway so one can expect the same quality as HGW. I must admit Im very impressed with this set and cant wait to use it on my Kittyhawk F86D. Pictures are worth a thousand words so I will let them do the rest of the talking. Suffice to say that the etched buckles and the fabric itself if up to the usual high Eduard standard and the instructions are simple to understand. There is no need to adapt the base kit either much with these they fit the kit contents without having to hack at the plastic too much and where there is an adaptation (shown in red on the instructions) they are minor and very easy to do. The Frets. The Instructions. Conclusion. I really like the feel of these, much more flexible and realistic than the pre-painted etch and very nicely printed and made. I also assume they will accept weathering a little more convincingly than an etched set. Highly Recommended to anyone looking to update their kit with great looking, realistic seatbelts. Thanks to Eduard for supplying the set and for Jim for passing them on to me for review and an upcoming build.
  23. Eduard Etch Update Set 32834 F86D Ejection Seat for 1/32 Kittyhawk kit Available from many online-stores or Direct from Eduard for around £11.30 I reviewed the Kittyhawk F-86D kit some time ago here. Its a pretty good kit and Kittyhawk are going from strength to strength. That said for those who want to add a few bits to the kit (and who doesn't) Eduard have produced a number of sets recently for this kit. I have just started the kit and will be doing a build log so figured I'd review the sets as I go. This update only contains one etched fret, but its pretty crammed with details for the seat and with a full set of seatbelts (though I will use Eduard's fabric ones on mine) and Remove Before Flight tag for the seat and for the Ejector Seat handles too. A nice touch I thought. Everything is up to the usual Eduard standard. It'l require some surgery on the seat. I have just done mine and it wasn't beyond me so any of us can handle it Im sure. So without further ado I will let the pictures speak for themselves. The Fret. The Instructions. Conclusion. A great set that will add to the already great detail in the Kittyhawk kit. Highly recommended to all who like to add just that little bit more. Thanks to Eduard for the sample and to Jim for passing them on to me for review and use.
  24. 1/32 Mosquito Mk.IV Series II HK Models Catalogue No: 01E015 Available from all good model suppliers priced £149.99 Anyone who, like me, saw this kit at Telford 2014 will have been awaiting this kit with baited breath. Well its here and all I can say is Yes, its as good as one hoped and from handling at Telford expected of this release from HK Models. A certain Japanese company has also announced a Mosquito so its soon to have some company but I think it'll stand up to that if only for some of the major assemblies and their quality. More of that later. The kit arrives in a very shiny, nice artwork adorned, large box. Its very impressive and also has something Ive not seen before as it says its made in co-operation with AK Interactive and the one and only Large Scale Modeller. I think this, if nothing else puts HK Models where most modellers want them and thats listening to their customers. This has to be the future and I can only see HK going from strength to strength by doing this. The box is very full, nothing is going to rattle around in here and get damaged, in fact everything is very well wrapped and contained in plastic bags that support and protect the pieces. Also as this is one of the first run of these kits it comes with a little gift from HK Models. A resin crew thats sculpted by Steve Warillow. More on these later in the review. Kit Contents. The box contains the previously mentioned figures, 28 sprues including the clear ones, a sheet of decals, a small etched fret and the instruction booklet. The instruction booklet is also backed up by a one sheet that covers all colours with reference to a number of paint supplier including AK Interactive and Vallejo. This is a great idea as flipping back and forth in the instruction manual to find that colour chart often gets to be a pain, first world problems I know but when a manufacturer puts so much thought into it one has to give them credit. The Sprues Sprue A: Sprue A is the 1st surprise for those who didnt see the Telford moulds. Yes its a single piece nose as a single moulding. Slide moulded and very high standard its really a lovely piece. I really like the fact that there is a very small mould line that needs a quick waft with a snading stick and its ready to go. This has to be the future. Sprue B: Sprue B continues the surprise. Its a whole single piece fuselage. Again beautifully moulded, only needs a quick waft with the sanding stick and all those old worries about getting rid of fuselage seams is gone. Magic. The seam you see on the side is supposed to be there. These were tape lines on the real thing. These have been added to the kit by, once out by laser etching the kit moulds. This is a first and really adds a touch of class to this part, the other fuselage part and parts of the wings. Sprue C: Well as far as single moulds are concerned, HK have kept the best for last. Both wings, straight through the fuselage, as a single moulding with top and underside all as one piece. Amazing. No other words, you just have to see it for yourself and no picture will ever convey how good this is. Sprue D (x2) on left, Sprue E (x2) on right: Sprue D of which there are two are mostly engine, undercarriage and ancillary parts for those lovely merlin engines and the nacelles in which they are kept. Its all up to the standard of the other mouldings, very good, and looks great on the sprue. Sprue E again of which there are two is the bombs and the underwing fuel tanks. Sprue F (x2) on the left and Sprue G (x2): These sprues are a pair of propellers, 2 of each and of different types. In the instructions G are the ones used and F is for a later release. There are also some smaller nacelle parts here. Sprue H: Sprue H has the Merlin engine nacelles, control surfaces for both wings and tail and some panels for those 1 part wings. Its one of the largest single sprues in the kit. Sprue K: Sprues K and L are more parts to finish of those lovely wings. Sprue M: Sprue M is mostly cockpit parts. What surprises here is the cockpit frame. Its a single piece and has no glass in it, its actually the internal roll cage on the real thing and is a nice touch here. This looks like a great idea and the glass parts are added later so will make painting the roll cage easier and potentially make painting the seperate clear part frames easier too. Sprue N: Sprue N contains more parts to finish off the fuselage itself. Sprue P (x2): Sprue P is the very large (Big Boy?) bomb. Sprue Q (x2): Again more fuselage parts for the engine nacelles. Sprue S: This contains panels for the nacelle sides Sprue T: Sprue T is another sprue with more tail components and some contents of the engine nacelles. Sprues U, V, W and X These are the clear glass components and are primarily for the cockpit, though there are some wingtip anti-collision lights too. Sprue Y: Sprue Y has the exhaust stacks for those 2 merlin engines. Theyre very fine and included hollow ends which should look great under a coat of paint. Sprue Z: This is the final sprue and has the bomb bay doors (there are bulged and non-bulged in this kit depending on the bomb payload) and some of the bomb bay actuator parts. Etched Fret: The single, small etched fret contains the seat straps for both the pilot and co-pilot/bomb aimer. These have great detail in them, sadly for now you'll have to take my word for it as I photgraphed the back, not the detailed front, of them. Doh!!! Decals: The Decals are on one very large sheet, this is very well printed, and includes a full set of stencils for the aircraft. They look to be very well produced and in register. There are 3 attractive schemes included: Marking A: Serial DK296, No.3 FTU, Errol, Autumn 1943 (in Russian Markings), Marking B: Serial DZ637/P3-C, No. 692 Sqn, Graveley, Spring 1944 in night bomber colours, Marking C: Serial DZ627/AZ-X, No. 627 Sqn, Woodhall Spa, Summer 1944 in daytime colours with invasion stripes. Instruction Manual: The very large almost A3 instruction manual runs to 28 pages, including colour schemes and the callouts for the stencilling and decals. I often think that a good instruction sheet makes me want to build a kit and this one certainly does that. And Finally Those Pilots. They are really well sculpted, great poses and will look marvellous next to the kit. I cant wait to paint these. Im not very aware of Steve Warillow and his sculpting work but if everything he does is this good he's a seriously talented figure sculpting master. These will look great under a coat of paint, and I cant wait to try them out. Final Thoughts. Well if you haven't worked it out yet I love this kit. from the advances single piece mouldings, the instruction sheet and throughout the whole presentation it just oozes class and its something that I think will fly off the shelf. It'll be hard to beat and I think at this point anyway it could well be the best 1/32 kit on the market. Its Highly recommended to all and even though its pricey I think it'll give you enough pleasure to justify the price. Thanks to HK Models and Neil Yan for supplying this review kit.
  25. Gotta get the 2 other droids too Aaron AT-ST is a really cool kit too. Thinking mine might be marching past the crashed SnowSpeeder J.
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