Fran

Ahhh... I want to see this!! Fran

Great review JP! I just love the Spanish Emil!

My 1:32 stash is growing fast!!

Thnaks for sharing James! Really good! I think I wiill try this way on my Alb...

Epic build!! Its truly amazing!

Want!

“German Tank Crew” (France 1940) (1:35 WWII Military Miniatures series) MiniArt Catalogue #35191 Available from any good model shop MiniArt just release a new set in the already long sets of figures sets. In the small box there is one sprue that with can sub-divide in 5 sprues, all inside a single plastic bag. In each sprue, there`s complete figure with 7 pieces each. Just be checking the sprues, a modeler can see how quite simply it would be construction of these figures. There`s a little bit of flash but nothing hard. Also surface detail is the first thing that pops out on the figure set. The surface details on the clothes for an injection molded figure are quite amazing and do have a very good body language. The wear looks quite adjusted to France 1940. A wrap tunis, pants and the black Panzer beret helmet are well represented in 3 figures. The others two figures do have also a good representation with a cotton shirt and black uniform trousers and long boot. In the back of the box, there`s the color guidelines for all 5 figures. There are colour references for Vallejo, Testors, Tamiya, Humbrol, Revell, Mr. Colour and Life Colour. No instructions ...but really do you need it? Absolutely not. All the figures postures are quite well achieved, very natural and realistic. As you can see on the pictures, there`s some cleaning that it`s need because of the seam mould line. If that means no problem on the clothes and weapons, you cannot say the same thing concerning to the head and facial expression. The seam line on the face or hair is particularly difficult to remove without damage any details. Notwithstanding the head are well molded, balanced in size and the faces are quite nice in expression and look… the cleaning simply can ruin it. But you`ve got a good solution: resin heads. Conclusion: MiniArt did it again! The figure set is quite comprehensive giving the modelers a full tank crew for Pz III or IV or splitting them to several others AFV vehicles. An almost perfect for the price (at least in my usual store) of a resin figure. Very well done Miniart, again! Very highly recommended Francisco Guedes Our thanks to MiniArt for the review samples. Available in any good model shop.

Rare Wheels A Pictorial Journey of lesser-know soft-skins 1934-45 Canfora Publishing (Grafisk Form & Förlag) Author: Petr Dolezal ISBN: 978-91-982325-1-6 Price tag: 29,50€ (plus shipping) Canfora release another book with an isoteric subject: rare wheels soft-skins. Canfora Publishing is quite well known by their high quality standards books and this one at the first sighis not off route. It’s a Hardcover, A4 size in landscape format with more than 100 pages, full of rare pictures. The inside paper is glossy/satin finish with high quality definition, giving a killer quality overlook to the book. Its a photographic book about less known soft-skin vehicle, used by Wehrmacht, distributed in 10 chapters, between the pre-war until May 1945. On the cover a Peugeot 402 in Policka 1945 with mottled camouflage make a introduction to this book.. No doubt that this book starts on the right foot. A Peugeot 402 with tricolor camouflage? For mew is totally new, and indeed stand for the book – Rare. In book`s back cover and in the last page the only two color pictures, tanken in the same place, separate by frames, in each one you can se a Horch Kfz and Hanomag SS 100. I never saw these pictures before and they are quite amazing as they give us a full color piece of history and are begging for a diorama. Quite inspirational! You will have to get the book to see them! The book is divided in several chapters, separating the periods to which they relate the pictures, allowing a chronological order and better organization in the picture display. Training and preparation is the first chapter which focuses in military vehicles soft skin pre-war types. While it’s the very first chapter, it`s already my favorite. I do have a soft spot for vehicles inter wars. The images do have a relaxed atmosphere among the soldiers and rare vehicles and some of which did not even know. I just love the Schneider H chassis. Please Plusmodel or Brach Model, make us modeller even more happy - just do one!!! While the polish campaign chapter is quite brief with few pictures, there's one that stand out.... An Rare Ursus A30. The sidenotes of the pic, is quite interesting with technical observations. The Battle for France chapter is much more extended with lots of fantastic pictures where all the soldiers are with a confident look. The Matford F917 is ugly awesome looking truck.. There several of civilians cars with NSU-Fiat 1100 (Fiat-508 Balilla) in evidence. However the most intriguing picture is a rail bench NSU. What an extraordinary conversion and diorama this will be... A NSU motorcycle with a rail wheels and a garden bench. Passing along to the Eastern Front chapter and surprise: mud mud mud and destroyed vehicles and more mud! And some pretty awesome and rare Mercedes-benz O 3000 bus and Marigus O 145 taken in Ukraine 1941. Some Russians vehicles are included like a ZiS-12, with a soviet anti-aircraft searchlight Z-15-4B fitted in the cargo area. Another highlight is an extraordinary photo: a BMW 303/309. I confess that never saw a pic of this BMW, even more with a big white G belonging to Hermann Goring regiment unit. Other highlight on this chapter is MatfordF917 in Stalingrad 1942. Almost looks like a Tatra. Adventures Around the Mediterranean. Italian vehicles, what else? And boy do I love them! The first two pics are just fantastic: a Lancia 3RO and an Alfa Romeo 430RE. Next, some great pics of Ford-30 and Ford-60. The chapter really gave a sense of too little! For now the only negative point: not enough pictures of Italian vehicles. Then we jump right to the end of the war, "The German withdrawal through Polička” , a town of the Bohemia-Moravia frontier, in the basin at the White Stream about 17 km west of Svitavy The chapter is all about German retreat, with all types of vehicle on the photos and quite busy ones. In page 67 and 68 the pics is almost the same... Its the same Place, same view, its just almost the next photo frame. The title is the same of the pic but the explanation text are different. On the first pic a Citroen T45 In full move, on the second a Opel Blitz that follows the Citroen. A pic of a Sd. Kfz8, Sd. Kfz 251 in 9.5.1945 in Polička is a truly expressive photo of that time. Troops leaving with civilians watching, baby car, trailer with a horse/donkey… The cover pic (the Peugeot 402) is in the chapter telling that was taken in Polička. A quite rare car as the production ended in December 1941. Going around in “Touring Czechoslovakia” the first pic is quite a fantastic one. I never hear of this soft-skin before: Gräf & Stiff truck. This picture was taken at Jicin, 1945. This truck is equipped with a wood-gas generator. Now that an odd looking truck but a cool one. This tour gives us again quite odd looking vehicle like Tractor Svodada, and MIAG electrical crane. Another great pic is with a Jawa Minor I… that even existed? The author did make a real tremendous effort and all the study and work are in the book like we can see in the legend of the picture of page 79, that is from the same company of picture 39 and 43 and the author invites the reader to compare both, being an interesting comparation. In “Prague, May 1945”, we can see the truly end of the war, with Russian vehicle and a number of interesting vehicle of the Revolution Guards (Czech Resistance units). On these pages we can some odd looking vehicle like a GAZ-AA, 937. IAP with a superstructure AS-1 or Büssing-NAG 4500T with red cross. The Surrender of Schlachtgeschwader 2 do have some curious and interesting photos with a side note that commander of Schlachtgeschwader 2 at the time was Oberst Hans-Ulrich Rudel that fly away in his Ju-87to Kitzingen, leaving behind all the unit members. The two final chapters a lot of soviet trucks, lend lease vehicle and Czech resistance vehicle representing the end of the WWII and the defeat of Nazi Germany . Also some recovered vehicle live a BMW 326. A final amylase to a brief chapter (only two pages) with a several pics of one last event: “The Last Drama of Brandenburg Division” which represent the inspection of a Citroën C11 being checked under gunpoint. All the pics sow the specific inspection with all the historic information. CONCLUSION Another killer publication from Canfora Publishing and an awesome work By Peter Dolezal to give us the reader some interesinting pics and history. Beside the paper quality and printer definition, the content of this book is a quite inspirations one to all the AFV modeller and dioramas modellers, even if most of soft-skins in the book simply do not exist in kit form. I confess, most of them I didn’t even know them. The quality of the pics, their rarity and the side note text make this book a fantastic reading and a mojo inspiration. Sorry the low number of pics… I have lots others but being this book a pictorial journey, lots of pictures would reveal this fantastic book to all… We just want to lift the veil and leave all eager to get one copy! J Highly Recommend Francisco Guedes Our thanks to the Toni Canfora and Canfora Publishing for this review sample and all the support. To purchase this directly, click THIS link. If you found this review helpful and decide to purchase this product, please tell them you read about it at Large Scale Modeller! Disclaimer: all photos all in low quality to preserve and prevent all copyright.

JP Thanks! Is in fact one great book! i now need to get all other 6...

Looks like an issue to get PRONTO!!! Thanks JP.

The Blue Max Airmen (German Airmen awarded the Pour le Mérite) Bernert|Schaefer|Wolff Vol. 7 Aeronaut Books Author: Lance J. BRonnenkant, Phd ISBN: 978193881377 Price tag: £ 19.99(plus shipping) Aeronaut Books is a born child of Jack Herris and their goal is to ensure that all types of WW1 aircraft are documented. All the titles from Aeronaut Books are POD (Print on Demand) to allows to make all the books financially feasible. Aeronaut goal is to ensure that all types of WW1 aircraft are documented. When Jack Herris owned Flying Machines, it was published Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One, French Aircraft of the First World War, British Airplanes 1914-1918 so those are covered. In late 2014, was published American Military Aircraft 1908-1919 and Icarus Press published Russian Aeroplanes 1914-1918 and Flying Machines also published The Imperial Russian Air Service about 1995, so Russian airplanes are covered. So Jack is long and reputed WWI historian, so my expectation from Aeronaut books was really high. If you go to Amazon their synopses is a quite complete one: “The Blue Max Airmen series is the real story of the German airmen awarded the Pour le Mérite during the Great War. Author Lance J. Bronnenkant, PhD., and Aeronaut Books are pleased to bring you the most detailed and graphically lavish account of these heroes ever produced, covering the men in context with the war’s chronology of events. For each recipient a comprehensive, well-illustrated biography of the man is given, together with photos of the aircraft he flew, followed by details of his service, including other awards won. Color profiles of the aircraft are also provided for interest to enthusiasts and as references for modelers. Volume 7 covers three fighter aces, Otto Bernert, Emil Schaefer, and Kurt Wolff. Volume 7 includes 133 photographs, 4 of them in color, and 12 color profiles of aircraft flown by these men in its 118 pages.” Let`s see if it´s in fact all that!! The series already goes on the 7 volume. The cover and back cover are in very nice satin paper with very good colouration and the rest of the book is in paperback. (I just love this Bernert`s Pup profile) The goal of the series is to show up the real history of German airmen awarded the “Pour le Mérit” during the Great war. We could think that the resume their study to their wins but no… its more than that. This volume covers 3 fighters aces - Otto Bernert, Emil Schaefer and Kurt Wolff. To each of the aces, the content to each one is versed in man, used aircraft, the military service and the victory list. The text is quite fluent and attractive pulling the reader's curiosity to an eager and always attractive reading. In the chapter "The man" several photographs of ace in pose and in the company of his squad friends with historical background of youth and early carries in aviation. The whole story in war, accidents / slaughters, injuries, evolution and squad transfers and reports on the person of the obtained victories or a report by the ace himself are clearly portrayed in this chapter with an interesting and well-structured narrative. This is accompanied with photographs of the time, well framed and depicting periods of life ace in question, even from their own funeral or pics of the crash after being shoot down (this with the report of their last fly). (Emil Schaefer corpse on the wreckage of his Red Albatros D. III) [Wolff funeral after being shoot down in the Fokker F.1 102/17 at 15th September of 1917 (while the previous “owner”, Manfred Van Richthofen was away in leave)] This is main chapter of each ace, because bring us, in a brief but comprehensive history, with their main victory, when they received the “Pour the Mérit” and the questions and uncertain, quite typical of this period of time. However the author do not leave the reader without an answer as he indeed points which way and the most credible story and the reasons why has this opinion. The aircraft chapter has very good profiles of the machines in the battle front and more important, real photos of the aircraft with the each one of the aces. (Emil Schaefer Albatros D. III) (Wolff Fokker Fokker F.1 102/17 in which lost his life) Theses photo are simply fantastic looking pictures that have an historical value unmeasured. There`s a lot more….. believe me. The Military Service is a chronological list of the most important dates in the military ace in question, from promotions, Jasta squadron changes and moves and death. The Victory list is, as the name report, a list of victories with the date and downed plane with very comprehensive information. CONCLUSION This was my first contact with Aeronaut Books… And I must say, this is a killer to any WWI modeller. It’s all there like Amazon says. It has fantastic photographs, accompanied by a fluid and clear text that captures the reader's attention, becoming a really nice and easy book to read. The only little lowdown to some is the paper back but in this book at this price tag and subject, this is not a relevant or a defect. This “Blue Max Airmen” series is dedicated to German airmen that were awarded with "The Pour Le Mérite", now in its seventh volume and I can assure you that I have to get all the others, because it is inspiring for modeller and enriching for the historian. It’s a TOTALLY MUST HAVE! So go ahead and treat yourself. VERY Highly Recommend Francisco Guedes Our thanks to the Jack Herris and Aeronaut Books for this review sample and all the support. To purchase this directly, click THIS link. If you found this review helpful and decide to purchase this product, please tell them you read about it at Large Scale Modeller! Disclaimer: all photos all in low quality to preserve and prevent all copyright.

Well, wow!! A really nice conversion... looking forward to see this!! Thanks for sharing and keep`s inform. Fran

1:35 U.S. Armoured Bulldozer MiniArt Catalogue # 3518 Available from Creative Models for £39.99 MiniArt already marked its place in the world of modeling as interesting and more esoteric models, far from ShermTigerPanther released every year by other producers. And in addition, is a manufacturer with a general and high quality of injection molding, giving the modeler all to get a quality model of great straight from the box. This kit is actually packed into a medium box with a quite attractive boxart in satin finish. Opening the box, it was with great surprise that I saw the amount of plastic for the model I had the idea that it is small, and in fact, it is. Altogether there are 29 sprues, plus a clear plastic sprue, a little photo-etched sheet along with a small decal sheet with only one scheme option. All sprues within this release are not individually bagged. The risk of damage is real but my samples have suffered no damage. The plastic is medium grey styrene, except the clear sprue. This clear sprue has 4 headlights glasses with nice and subtle detail. The little PE sheet brings only 7 parts, 3 of each are levels. There‘s a lot of sprue… Is quite a typical issue from MiniArt like we had the opportunity to see on T-44 and GAZ review with a total of 767 parts. This model has around the same parts number that the brand new T-44 that we just review. Now that’s meaning something about the detail on this little model. So making a sprue by sprue would turn this review boring, tedious and uninteresting because the large number of sprue and unlike aircraft, and even armour, this one isn’t too easy to write, unless you’re a tractor geek. Instead, I will simply point out the high and low points (in case there is any) small and detailed model. Observing all 29 sprues not find flash or distortion in statement pieces that the injection and the plastic is beautifully moulded, with great attention to detail, including bolt detail, caterpillar logo, seat, anti-slip floor. The quality of moulding on this model is quite evident on the sharp details on the several, a lot really, of very small parts and in particularly in the pipes in sprue H. Quite impressive. But if you start thinking all parts, and the numbers of parts in this box, for sure that you can figure out that this model is not for the faint-hearted All the parts and details turn the model only for average modeler, as the construction is with complex engineering with multi-part assemblies. The engine is almost all open, on both sides. MiniArt knows that so the engine is fully detail with linkages, fittings, pumps, manifolds, pipes, radiator, gear box and fan. No color guide is given… I really don’t know is this one was an overall olive drab even on the engine… The motor behavior of detail and paddle mechanism is all present and well thought out regardless of multi-parts and complexity of the sub-assemblies, I think that several steps could be simplified. The formant of the stringer has a good point of connection to the motor formant giving security in the final alignment of the stringers and consequently the final structure of the tractor. The lifting structure is very well detailed drawing attention to the shovel and their detail. The entire structure is adapted to be easily movable. Despite not being part of the mobility of the fan (that why its call static modeling), it´s always good to have that possibility. The armored bunker that protects the driver is debt in several parts so care is needed in its construction under penalty of being crooked. Also good detail is provided on driver's seat being logically possible the opening of the two doors and windstorms in order to show the interior. Every suspension and wheel structure is very complex and many pieces which will inevitably dry fit of all parts to get a perfect alignment. I think that here again there could be some simplification in the construction of parts, regardless the detail is spectacular. Tracks are superbly moulded, with incredibly thin edges and some great linkage detail. A little work to build them, but you’ll be pleased to know that sprue gate connections are minimal. A single decal sheet is included, with the 3 military stars, codes and registrations, and the words “Always Will” and these are of very high quality. Printing is glossy, and also reasonably thin, with minimal carrier film. Provided option is: 237th Engineer Battalion of the 1st U.S. Army, Germany 1945. The instructions come in an A4 booklet in glossy paper, drawings are quite clear and modeller friendly, with the parts attachment points well indicated. Like the GAZ there`s no colour indications along the construction, but only on the final scheme. This point is now overcome in the T-44. Conclusion MiniArt has a motto: “Everything you need for an accurate model in one box.” That really sums up this little gem as it´s a very comprehensive and accurate model of this very famous little workhorse. This kit retails at just under £40, and it’s a great price for what tou get! A spectacular kit with extreme detail but it`s not a weekend project or to a novice modeler due to the construction and sub-assemblies complexity and the huge number of parts to this little tractor. Besides de complexity of construction, the only low of this model is the absence of colour indication along the construction steps, one thing that is overcome in their latest release: the T-44. Highly recommended My sincere thanks to MiniArt for this review sample. To purchase directly, click THIS link. Francisco CAD drawings from MiniArt site:

Great review JP!

Another Killer review. Fantastic pics! Thanks Jim!

T-44 Soviet Medium Tank MiniArt 1:35 Catalogue n.º 35193 Price tag: £ 39.99 659 plastic parts 15 clear parts 1 decal sheet for 10 variants 1 photo etch fret with 94 parts Total: 768 parts. MiniArt did make a good marketing move with the release of two videos on this model and truly it was not for less: one T-44, first released in injected plastic and then with full inside. Everyone can google it and search for a full history of this almost WWII tank. So a little resume in wikipédia: The T-44 is a medium tank first produced near the end of the World War II by the Soviet Union. It was the successor to the T-34, offering improved ride and cross-country performance and much greater armor. Designed to be equipped with a powerful 85 mm main gun, by the time it was fully tested the T-34 had also moved to this weapon. Both tanks offered similar performance, so introducing the T-44 was not considered as important as increasing T-34 production. Fewer than 2,000 T-44s were built, compared to about 84,000 T-34s. Although the T-44 was available by the end of the war, they were not used in combat. Attempts were made to improve the T-44's armament with a new 122 mm gun, but the turret proved very cramped and the rate of fire was poor, on the order of three rounds per minute. Another attempt with a 100 mm gun seemed more promising although a number of additional changes would be needed to make a truly effective design. Design work on a slightly enlarged version of the T-44 began during the war and a prototype was produced in 1945. This newer design entered production in 1947 as the T-54/55 series of medium tanks, the most-produced tank of all time We were lucky enough to get a sample directly from MiniArt of the brand new T-44 in 1:35 with full interior. I have an addiction when I open a new kit - see the instructions. Now I decided to start this review by precisely by the instructions. I know it's not common, but at least it's different. The instructions comes in in A4 brochure with features list on the front page. Before the constructions drawings, a short history, parts map which should be mandatory in all instructions), assembly process and finally profiles options. The color guide and info is made in collaboration with Ammo of Mig, so all references colors are from their paint range. The first thing I noticed is, unlike instructions Gaz Bus Passenger, that over the instructions are given information which colors to use. This help is very welcome and is a novelty in Miniart and very welcome and is a sign that actually Miniart is listening to their customers and Reviewers since the last review indicated that the low point of Gaz was precisely not have any indication colors for interior. Kudos MiniArt. The instructions indications and drawings are quite clear and modeller friendly, with the parts attachmet points well indicated and with very good color indications. As I said, now I have the habit of reading the more than 3 times instructions (addiction acquired with WnW) and a careful observation can be seen that the division driver is not included and the engine compartment may not be complete because only It presents the engine without further detail such as exhaust connections. If we see 12 in steps 17 and 20 clearly see what is contemplated is the only engine and only provided the possibility of even hatches open upon engine. And a careful observation of the points 17,21, 27, 32 and especially 35, we clearly see that there is not a single piece to the driver's compartment. As can check in step 35, upper hull portion which covers the driver has the hatch in one piece with the remaining part with no possibility of opening without an operation and scracthbuild. The thought of MiniArt may be the following: if you do not provide the possibility of make the driver's compartment visible (for having the hatch closed without possibility of opening) is not necessary to do the driver's compartment. It was indeed a MiniArt option but honestly with so much detail in the fighting compartment and the tower, the driver compartment would be a nice touch and a must I think to full interior model kit. As for the Gaz, the schemes options are made by Ammo of Mig, and give us 10 options with several profiles and full color indications. 8 are from Soviet Army and two are beute-panzers 1946 with two what if options. 1. T-44 from unidentified units of the Red Army in the summer of 1945; 2. T-44 from unidentified units of the Red Army 1945-1947; 3. T-44 from unidentified units of the Red Army 1947-1955; 4. T-44 from unidentified units of the 8th Mechanized Army. Operation “Whirlwind”, Budapest, Hungary, 4-11, November 1956. 5. T-44 from unidentified units of the 8th Mechanized Army. Operation “Whirlwind”, Budapest, Hungary, 4-11, November 1956. 6. T-44 presumably Belarussian Military District, 50th years; 7. T-44 from unidentified units of the Red Army in the summer of 1945; 8. T-44 from the 29th Armored Division of the 5th Guards Mechanized Army, Slonin, Belarus, 1946-1947; 9. Captured T-44 battle group “Fries”, 38th Panzer Corps of the Wehrmacht, Kurland in January 1946; 10. Captured T-44 with its own name “Lilofee”, 101th Jaeger-Division of the Wehrmacht, Austria, spring-summer, 1946; I do have a soft spot for Luft 46 and Paper Panzer 1946, so I will with no doubt to one of those options. To these options, a small decal sheet is provide with good colour registration and thin film carrier that will provide a very good adaption to the surface. I never found out which is MiniArt manufacture so I wonder if it is a MiniArt fabrication and if it is is a quite good one. The only PE fret is packed between two cardboard sheets and contains 94 parts. Of course, here you will find some typical elements like engine meshes as well as some parts for interior. Now, cracking the plastic. All the plastic come in a one plastic bag, as usual by MiniArt. However, this time, some others more fragile parts came inside another plastic bag. A nice addition packing care by MiniArt. The plastic does have some nice engraved detail and no flash at all. The plastic is the new and improved one, so is a friendly modeller use. There`s a lot of sprue… several are simply equal and could be all in one and its looks like that they were all in one like the F1 that is quite a small sprue… They all are cut in one en and it looks that they were moulded in a single sprue and them cut in each one. With that politicy, there`re a lot of sprues in this kit, 65 frets in total. I really like the detail on the plastic and the best example of that is the cast iron textured surface sides and bottom. The hull comes in separate panels, which require careful alignment and dryfit to get it done. I confess that I prefer the single moulded hull. Another point that I always look is the barrel. In this case I`m quite happy with the box example. A single moulded piece with a hollow end and not a two slice pieces. Yup, someone could said: a metal barrel would be nice. Yes but I think we really can not complain with the barrel part give from the box. This tank does have quite a few transparent parts for a tank! 15 transparent parts included and in excellent quality and real transparent. The tracks have great engraved details and are made to be workable along with torsion workable bars. There`s a round of pics of the plastic of the fantastic kit. CONCLUSION This kit has everything to be a great success MiniArt and is well deserved because it can be an excellent replica out of the box. The injection moulding is top noch and the quality of the plastic shows MiniARt care with quality and detail. I think this will be and should always be the manufacturers of the way: get a good direct replica box. And in this case the MiniArt actually offers that to the modeler. Certainly not have all the inside detail but the detail missing with the current design of the upper parts is not visible and therefore we can always say that with the upper hull kit designs, the missing interior detail was effectively useless for invisible. The options given are very interesting and mostly beute-panzer 1946. The kit is very well done and shows clear improvements regarding the latest releases specialty in the colour guides. Yes, is space left for AM for the interior and the metal barrel but the kit remains a great model straight from the box. Very Highly Recommend My truly Thanks to Miniart for the review sample. Fran

Looking great... It will be on Telford Cees?

Thanks Ralph for your kind words! Cheers Fran

Looking fantastic James! I really admire your work with decals... Cheers Fran

Thanks Krow113.

1:32 Gotha Bomber German Crew from Cooper State Models Catalogue n.º F32-008 Price tag: €29,95 And…. Here we go again, with a new release from Cooper State Models, now with a entire crew for the WnW Gotha. The CSM site has a brief history that is quite interesting and well worth the reading. It´s not the first time I post the CSM history but it´s always good to remember a brief history. So here`s goes: “In 1996 my parents decided that they were ready to retire from the family business. Since I was ready to do something else for a living, we sold the company. I had recently got back building models after a 25+ plus year hiatus and decided to try that for a business. I chose the name Copper State Models (CSM) because Arizona is also known as the “Copper State”. The logo is the state’s outline with the state flag inset into it and a Fokker D.VII. At first I tried building for hire but soon discovered that I was too slow of a builder to make that work! A friend of mine named Bob owned The Model Car Garage (high end model car details) and was doing well with it. He became my mentor in starting CSM. I picked WWI a/c because not everyone and his cousin was doing that subject and I had a real interest in it. This was the beginning of the golden age of WWI a/c modeling. You had Eduard and Toko doing quality plastic kits so I saw a place for high quality details and put CSM in that direction. The hardest part of getting started was finding the vendors I needed to make the things I couldn’t make myself. Bob from MCG put me in touch with Tim for the PE (Photo-Etched parts- I.S.) artwork. We hit it off real well and he started drawing for me. PEC also came from Bob and for me they are the best PE producer in the business. Microscale has been doing quality decals for a very long time. They were close, good and willing to work with a small outfit like CSM. Laura and Vickie were absolute jewels to work with. Marty’s claim to fame was his magnificent hand carved wood props. I was buying props and corresponding with Marty by snail mail (no email then). Marty’s written English was in its learning stages and a friendship developed. When I told Marty about starting CSM, I had in mind selling his props as part of my line. He was agreeable and asked if I would be interested in kit masters. I said “absolutely” and he sent me the Do. D.I kit and that was the beginning of the CSM kit line. I started advertising in Windsock magazine very early. Ray and I became friends. He reviewed CSM’s products fairly and this was a huge boost to the company. He is one of the greatest supporters of WWI a/c modeling. Marty and I chose kits together based on interest and available documentation. We tried to pick kits that the “mainstream” model companies wouldn’t do. There was such a wealth of WWI a/c that has never been kitted in 1/48TH scale before for us to choose from. Float/flying boats and 2 seaters were our mainstay. I enjoyed my time setting up and running CSM. It was a great way to earn a living. With the passing of my parents I decided to retire and sell CSM. I would like to thank all the great vendors I worked with and my great customers all of whom I enjoyed dealing with. I would especially like to thanks my parents for their help and encouragement without which it never would have happened. I wish Ilya and Slava good hunting, God’s speed and all the success in the world. I hope they enjoy CSM as much as I did in their new venture. My advice would be to produce a quality product and charge a fair price and you will do well. Eric R. Hight Copper State Models Founder and Former President We have another opportunity to get a good look of the latest CSM release, and very desirable one: an entire Gotha Crew. This set came in the usual small and sturdy box wrapped in bubbles There`s no assembly instructions and no decals for any of the figures. This single set is quite simple nonetheless the 3 figures. The construction of each is one of the best I ever seen in resin figures, being almost done with a little cleaning and perfect fitting. I decided to build them all after pictures and I really must say that they in fact are quite ease to get together with low cleaning job. The resin is in medium/light gray like the others previous releases. All the 3 figures comes with the one piece body and legs in one very nicely cast piece and with a separate head and arms. In sum, 4 pieces with separate arms and head and one piece for torso and legs. The rear gunner is the only standing figure. The position and body expression are really good, with the jacket details in evidence like the buttons, pockets and even buckle boots are reproduce. The jacket leather looks quite realistic, you just can smell the leather. Although the face is partially hidden behind the scarf and helmet, still conveys an expression of concentration. The pilot, besides the high cloths details, does have a relax posture.. almost like driving a car with the arm outside the window… style pure style! The pilot is also the on that does have the face most cover, just seeing the eyes and the moustache. The front gunner/navigator also with some “false” relax position, a pre-mission concentration. The facial shows precisely that with the scarf to cover part of the face, with the ever-present without moustache mouth. In fact this figure is the one that has no moustache. The highlight of this set, besides the extreme and sharp details, is the fact that this set is not a fly set but a crew ground set… Nonetheless this a Gotha Crew for starting take-off and just before take-off or after mission. I decided to build all the set… and put in my WIP Gotha, that is already close with seatbelts. Conclusion: Quality is really the middle name of CSM. The castings amd resin quality are top noch. Apart of that, the details are exquisite at all levels. The helmet, goggles and scrats are very well done with incredible details. The facial expression and details (like eyes and mustache) are very well worked out and very convincing. The resin chunks are very easy to remove and the buils is quite straightforward. The 3 figure come together in less than 15 minutes. Cooper State Models is a well know name in modelling Market and their Stuff mean QUALITY! You simply can`t go wrong with these figures, as they are perfect to stand on your Gotha… An d with a bit of imagination, they don’t need to be all inside of the Gotha. Highly recommended. My sincerely thanks to Edgar from Copper State Models for the review samples. (You can buy directly here and if you do don`t forget to mention Wingnut Wing Fans and Large Scale Modeller) Fran

Dan M Thanks so much for your words! Cheers Fran

a EPIC release! Want!

Looks fantastic! i have one on the stash and i really i cant wait to do mine! I like a more weathering plane but hey that`s my taste! Move on to another WnW! Fran

DANG! Perfect!! Epic really! Fran