JeroenPeters

Superb! Just gotta love those lines..

1:32 Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc Trop Fly Catalogue # 32013 Available from Fly for €37,70 Introduction I never quite understood why companies like Tamiya, Hasegawa or another quality kitmaker hasn’t touch the Hurricane in 32nd scale. Ofcourse Revell have done their version of the Mk.I back in the seventies. To be honest this kit still is pretty decent to this day and can be made into something decent. Especially when you add some aftermarket, like the MDC resin cockpit or Grey Matter figures resin upgrades. And then there are the limited run kits done by Pacific Coast Models. To me these felt like a way to keep the major players from touching the subject, since the ‘void’ had been filled. This limited run kit covered the Mk.I early (rag wing)and Mk.I late (metal wing). I have built the latter back in 2012. For a limited run kit, this (to me) was pretty good! A very complete kit, with resin, photo etch and injection plastic. Quite like the kit I’m reviewing now. The fit was Ok-ish and it only suffered from a few small shape issues. Like the area behind the canopy being too sloped. If you can live with this, and you want to build a Mk.I, don’t hesitate to get it. It feels like Fly picked up where PCM stopped. In a way this kit has a lot of likeness with the PCM kit: limited run, same parts breakdown and mixed multi media. But also resembles the surface treatment of the Revell kit! Raised rivets… More on this later. Here's a look at my PCM Mk.I Hurricane I built a few years ago: In this in-box review I’ll give you my first impression of this kit. I won’t build it for the review, but I’ll do my best to give you a good consideration for your money. There’s been a lot of critique lately on people like me writing reviews on kits that are indeed provided by the manufacturer. You’ll just have to trust me to be honest about anything I see: positive and negative. On thing I’m not a big fan of is bore you with the history of the subject. Especially such a well known subject as the Hurricane. The Kit Fly Models is a relatively new kid on the block that surprised all with the Ar234. And just when we all thought: hey! These guys are covering late Luftwaffe subjects! They hit us with the Wessex. Totally un-expected. So who could guess the Hurricane would be next? The kit I’m reviewing is the ‘Trop’ version of the Mk.IIc kit. James Hatch earlier reviewed the standard Mk.IIc kit here. The first thing that I notice is that the box is a little bit oversized for the contents. This is common practice with limited run kits. The same goes for the small amount of sprues: four beige sprues and one transparent. The other parts are made out of resin and photo etch. Sprue A Here we have the two fuselage halves. The first thing I look at is the area behind the canopy, and I am pleased to see the right angle here, unlike the PCM kit. The surface detail is crisp and features the typical round fasteners, raised rivets and fabric sloping. No locating pins are present as is normal with a limited run kit. The gear legs show a little bit of flash and need to be carefully cleaned up and smoothened out. From what I heard from James Hatch (who is test fitted this kit) the wingroots mate quite nicely with the wings. This is always a tricky part with limited run kits. Sprue B This contains the wings. Very nice representation of raised rivets, panel lines, verlapping panels and fasteners. I do think that these raised rivets are far more accurate than dimples, but they do require a whole new technique to weather. Washes will turn out like darker rings around them, so you might want to use a lighter coloured wash for this, instead of… black. The ailerons are moulded in one piece with the wing, so if you want to alter these, you’ll need to grab the saw. The same goes for the flaps. So lots of room for detailing here. Again: no locating pins throughout the entire kit, so fit, fit and glue. Sprue C The belly, prop blades (for this kit! The ones’ for the MK.IIc are on the next sprue), pointy spinner (that’s the one you need for the Trop version!), and cockpit framing. The framing is the part to look at. Some limited run kits offer framing that need so much cleaning up, you might as well scratch the whole thing yourself. Not so much here. Looks good. The detail on the control surfaces could have been a little more fabric like. I think I’ll spray some Mr Surfacer and smoothen out the ribs a little. The detail on the belly is far superior to the PCM kit. Lovely surface detail… Sprue D Here we see the guns (which are also included in far nicer resin by the way!), gear doors, spinner back plate, prop blades (these are the ones’ you need for this kit), tail planes and oil cooler intake. I seriously have no idea why anyone would ise the plastic guns on this sprue! Unless you can’t afford superglue to use the resin ones’. Clear sprue Very clear and sharply moulded plastic. But…. A bit on the thick side. I guess Fly models realized this and so they also offer the canopy as a separate after market set in Vac form. This will be a hard choice for me. I hate Vac form, but I also hate the thick canopy on a Hurricane. With the sliding canopy in open position the thickness really stands out. On the other hand: Plastic canopies are easier to mask, since they offer sharper and higher edges of the framing. Enter: the mask set! Fly also offers a complete masking set, including the canopy masking, serials, codes… More on these later… Resin parts The likeliness with the PCM kit becomes even more apparent when you look at these parts. The part breakdown and the parts featured in resin are almost the same. The biggest resin part is are the wheel wells. Sharp detail and minimal cleanup. I dryfitted this part to the belly part and it appears to line up nicely. All resin parts are casted by Artillery. A not so well known company that is mostly known for their Armour subjects. You just can’t complain much about these resin parts. The smaller parts (like the landing light framings and gunsight) are crisp and clean and well detailed. One thing I would have loved to see (especially on the Trop version of the Hurricane that operated on rudimentary runways) was a little bit of weight on the wheels. The guns are far more detailed than the plastic ones’ supplied. This is most apparent on the springs around the barrels, which are far more delicate. They can be offered even nicer, if you go for the after market set. More on those later. Standard resin guns: Landing light frames and tail wheel: Photo etch Two sheets of photo etch are included. On with radiator mesh covers and one with a lot of cockpit parts (instrument panel, seat belts, armour plate, etc…). These all appear to be made by Fly themselves, and not Eduard or another typical photo eth company, like you often encounter in limited run kits. The only thing, and I mean the ONLY thing, I will definitely change on my kit are the seatbelts. HGW fabric seatbelts will improve these immensely. Especially in such an open and visible area. Also included in this bag is a sheet of clear film that contains the instruments for the panel and gunsight glass. I know I just said I would only change the seatbelts for HGW, but as soon as Yahu releases one of their excellent instrument panels for this kit (like they did for the Fly Ar234!!) I’m getting that too. That’s it. Promise. Photo shamelessly stolen from James Hatch: Decals and schemes The large sheet with decals has a separated part containing the stencilling (IF decals is what you fancy... Again: more on that later). The decals are (or appear to be) printed by Fly Models themselves. The colours look accurate and they register nice. I mainly look at the decals for the stencils, since these are the ones that are often a let down in detail, and even when you choose to mask your codes, you’ll always need to use the stencil decals. Look at the pic and judge for yourself. I just had a tip suggesting they might have been done by Eduard. The 4 schemes that are included are pretty exotic: · Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc Trop - No.1 Sqdn RIAR (Royal Indian Air Force) part of No.167 Wing RAF · Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc Trop - No.213 Sqdn RAF - North Africa 1942 · Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc Trop - No.1 Sqdn SAAF - pilot Cpt. J.H. Gaynor, North Africa 1942 · Hawker Hurricane Mk.IIc Trop - Flying School Armée de l´Air, Marocco 1945-46 Instruction booklet Basic black and white clear hand drawn illustrations, you really can’t go wrong with. After all: this isn’t a highly complicated kit! What I like are the final pages showing the painting instructions on a few specific parts (like the cockpit and wheel wells). The four schemes are presented on a different sheet with side, top en bottom profiles. After market goodies! Fly Models beat the After Market companies to the punch by releasing their own sets. To be fair: There are not a lot of AM companies that tend to touch limited run kits. So here we go! Mask set # artm 32002 This set (like the others) are sold under the Artillery models brand. These masks are cut in a pretty unconventional plastic. I tried a little piece on some plastic and can say I like it better than the Montex masks, but would still have preferred kabuki paper. The curves on the Hurricane however are pretty simple, so these should suffice. All codes and roundels are included on this a4 size sheet. Click here to buy directly for around 5 euro’s(!). Canopy Mask set # NWAM0027 Another mask set can be purchased designed for the canopy and wheels. Only the outside of the canopy masks are included. I would have preferred inside and outside. These ARE however presented in kabuki paper and produced by a different company I have never heard of: New Ware. Click here to buy directly, also for around 5 euro’s. Guns # arta 001 These resin guns are slightly nices than the resin guns offered in the kit. What I don’t understand is this: Artillery models produced, moulded and casted both versions of the same guns in resin. I have to admit that the After Market set is slightly nicer than the ones’ offered in the kit. OK… here I go again: If or when Master Barrels produces these guns in brass with separate springs.. I’ll be all over them! Click here to buy this set for around 2 euro’s (had to check this twice!) After market guns: Comparison (after market on the left): Vac form Canopy # arta 002 Like I said before: The canopy in the kit is a bit thick and this part will be very visible when the canopy is posed in the open position. The benefit of the plastic canopy is that it’s easier to work with and that the canopy framing is easier to mask. The benefit of the Vac Form is a more convincing result, it’s way more clear / transparent and thinner. Click here to buy the canopy directly for around 2,60 euro’s (or buy two when you’re not too good with Vac Form J ) Verdict This kit is insanely cheap for a limited run kit packed with resin and photo etch. About 38 euro’s! Yes it’s limited run, but it can be built into a winner by a moderate modeller. The plastic is easy to work with, you don’t need to invest a lot in after market goodies (unless you’re like me…) and the schemes included are pretty cool right of the bat. And last but not least: the kit appears to be accurate in shape. These are the pro’s. The cons are ribs on the control surfaces and the fact that the ailerons and flaps are moulded shut. But these parts can all be an easy fix if you know how to handle a blade. I would rate this kit a 9 out of a 10. Based on the price and what you get. I can Highly recommend it My sincere thanks to Fly Models for this review sample. Jeroen Peters

Wow! Your paper beats rock and scissors!

Thnx! I used Mr Hobby color for this part. Here it is one step further:

supercool...

This time I'll add wings First paint!

Really taking shape now. Supercool...

Almost ready for first paint. I believe this is my biggest Large Scale plane ever! (Until the B17 arrives...)

Cool!

Photo Etch installed in the pit and fuse, along with Aires resin. After I've sprayed RLM66 and medium gray in the fuse and pit, I can install the pre colored Photo Etch.

AMAZING work Wouter on a beautiful kit that just doesn't get built enough. Drop by for a proper wooden base!!

And here's some progress on the inner fuselage. Those ejector pin marks are insane and difficult to get rid off. I filled the most annoying ones with putty. The resin and early radio is from Aires. Pretty shitty instructions, so check your reference! And here is a He111 relic that landed in a lap which i got from a good friend It will be screwed down to the wooden base. And this is the lamp of the radio operator from a He111. Still fully functional. Even the original lightbulb is in there. Not sure how I will incorporate it with the build.

1:48 Bf 109 E-1/E-3 “Over Spain” AK Interactive Catalogue # AK 148002 Available from AK Interactive for €33,95 Introduction AK Interactive ‘The Weathering Brand’ is broadening it’s horizons and ventures into kitmaker land! With two 1/48 kits (The Spitfire Mk.IXc Late being the first) they have added a whole new section to their webshop: AK MODEL KITS. While 1/48 kits are not my area of expertise, I will do my best to provide you with a useful review. Developing and producing kits is a very expensive and specialist operation. Even if you design all the parts in 3D (like is done with this kit). No wonder that AK joined forces with Eduard and uses their excellent Bf109E kit as a basis. So yes, the plastic is the same as the Bf109E-1 kit by Eduard. Except for the color. Where Eduard uses a beige color plastic (and their Weekend Edition) a medium grey plastic, this kit is produced in a dark grey plastic. Eduard released their kit as a Profipack Edition and Weekend Edition. The AK Interactive offering compares to the first. More on that later. Over Spain After WW1 Germany had to abandon all military activities, rendering their military experience to a minimum. The Spanish Civil War that started in July 1936 was the perfect opportunity to gain new military experience. Therefor ‘volunteers’ from the army and Luftwaffe branches participated in operations alongside Spanish Nationalists. Another theory on Germany’s involvement is that Hitler used the operation to obscure it’s de-militarization and/or to obtain control over Spain, before picking a fight with the rest of Europe. The Bf109V3 – V6 saw first action in Spain in January 1937, followed by the C and E versions. Many planes, armour and other material saw rapid development during the revolution. The kit AK Interactive has put the focus on the Condor Legion versions with this kit. Actually 4 versions depict Condor Legion planes and 2 version depict post war Spanish Airfare planes. 5x Bf109E-3 and 1x Bf109E-1: • Bf 109 E-3, 6•91, 3. J/88, Barcience, Spain, March 1939. • Bf 109 E-3, W.Nr. 715, 6•92, flown by Lt. Gustav Rödel, 1. J/88, León, Spain, May 1939. • Bf 109 E-3, 6•111, flown by Lt. Werner Ursinus, 2. J/88, La Cenia, Spain, early 1939. • Bf 109 E-1, 6•123, flown by Oblt. Hans Schmoller-Haldy, 3. J/88, León, Spain, May 1939. • Bf 109 E-3, 6•104, flown by Lt. Carlos Maria Rey-Stolle, Grupo 25, Logroño-Agoncillo, Spain, November 1939. • Bf 109 E-3, 6•126, Grupo 25, El Prat de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain, 1940. The kit consists of: • 151 plastic parts (with 5 parts in clear plastic) • 1 fret of photo etch • Decals for 6 versions (including full stencilling) So how does this kit compare to the Eduard Profipack or Weekend Edition? First of all: let’s disregard the Weekend edition, since this kit does not include photo-etch, nor full stencilling. In my opinion a kit in this scale needs stencilling! The Profipack however is a bit more complete than the AK offering. It also features a pre coloured photo etch instrument panel and window masking. On the other hand: the instrument decals included in this kit are seriously detailed and might result in a better option. The AK Interactive kit on the other hand focusses on a single subject and includes a 12 page booklet with great wartime photographs of the Bf109 in use by the Condor Legion. If we look at the Eduard plastic I can only confirm that AK Interactive chose wisely in picking a partner! The Eduard kit is in fact in many ways (like part breakdown) a downscale of their excellent 1/32 kit without compromising on detail. The surface rivet detail on the wings an fuselage is amongst the finest around. The guns are delicate as resin and the 2 piece separate wheel hubs would look convincing even after being scaled up to 1/32. I especially love the hollow exhaust stubs. The only downside (for some modellers!) with the plastic could be the fabric control surfaces. The feature quite heavy sack and detail. A little Mr Surfacer and light sanding is an easy fix for he who cares! Two complete wing sprues are included. One with the gun bulges on the underside and one without. The E-1 had MG 17 guns, whereas the E-3 was armed with MG FF 20mm cannons, so beware not to glue on the wrong wings Just look at that surface detail: Note the Eduard brand on the sprue: The two wing sprues: Fuselage sprue: More lovely surface detail: Cockpit sidewall detail on the inside fuselage: Like the 1/32 Bf109E (released in 2009) there is the option in showing the engine. The basic elements are offered here. Engine, engine bearers, guns, oil cooler and Turbo. Since the engine is attached to the exhaust stubs, you can’t leave it out, even when modelling the nose closed. A series of engine detail parts however is not to be used in this case. The engine: Headrest options and well detailed instrument panel: Clever engineered rudder controls: One piece wheel wells: Bit heavy detail on the fabric controls: Superb wheel detail: The canopy is especially nice. Very clear and sharp detailed plastic with the low frame, which was later replaced by the more squared and known version on the E-4. The clear plastic also contains the gunsight and and armoured windshield glass. The latter is not to be used in this kit. Are we clear? Yes we are! As said; the AK Interactive photo etched fret only features the pre coloured seat belts, whereas the Profipack version also includes a lot of cockpit detail, like the instrument panel. However: in this scale I myself am not a fan of pre coloured photo etch. The RLM66 will ALWAYS differ in colour from the rest of the cockpit anyway! With careful painting (in Spanish school style ) and using the instrument panels decals (perhaps punching out the separate instrument with a punch and die?) will result in a more convincing pit in the end. The instructions are clearly done by Eduard. Not surprisingly, since they are 3D drawn and for that you need the 3D files. The lay-out however is clearly done by AK Interactive, who care a lot about design and lay-out. The black and white drawings make the light blue areas where you need to apply glue very instructive. I have always loved Eduard’s instructions for this. Decals by Cartograf. Nicely in register and well detailed: Full stenciling. Including the early VDW prop logo's (decals S47)! Probably the first time ever in a 48th scale kit... Instruction booklet: Additional 12 page Condor legion booklet: Verdict What can I say?? The Eduard Bf109E kit is just lovely, detailed and builds like a dream. The surface detail is superbly done and the amount of parts for a 48th scale kit is pretty high. This kit is complete right from the box. AK Interactive’s choosing a single subject (Condor Legion) is smart and hopefully the start of a long line of kits to come. I hope they will join forces with other kit makers, since we all know that Eduard gave up the fight for the large scale market. There already is co-operation with HK Models… so who knows what the future will bring?? I applaud this ballsy move. We’ve seen kit makers venture in the paint business (Tamiya, Revell) but not often do we see this the other way around. I would rate this kit a 9 out of a 10. The addition of the Condor Legion booklet, the dark grey plastic (which is easier on the eye) and the choice of 6 schemes make this a cool addition to the 48th scale 109-line up. VERY highly recommended My sincere thanks to AK Interactive for this review sample. Jeroen Peters

I know. That's what I admitted at my last AfterMarket Anonymous meeting...

Cheers Cees! Got some more AM today: Aires MG15 set: And I found a bag of resin wheels for the He111 in my AM stash. No idea how i got it!

Really cool execution! It could use a wooden base to do it justice. Also like how you've added the transport trolley on the train bed. Cheers!

Seatbelts fastened! Man... Always so glad this part is over.

Wow... just love that grimy cockpit. And the rest! Well done. Now to get you a proper base

Supercool....

I'm getting production quotes as we speak.

I never buy CMK stuff without eye balling it first. Some cockpit upgrades offer minor detail enhancements over the kit parts. I usually only buy gunboats, gear bays, open panels/ hatches and engines. They're pretty good and fit better than Aires stuff. Bought this today. Oops! You were there when I bought it!

Hi Dennis, That was quite a ride. I took the drawings for the artwork from the Luftwaffe Maintenance manuals. I have them all in PDF. Then had them printed on the wood with a professional surface printer. A huge contraption at my brother's workplace. I'm still trying to get a good adress for wooden bases so I can maybe sell some of them. Maybe with WW2 maps printed on them. Or other technical drawings.

Well ok! Mixing the Revell, Eduard and HGW stuff:

YES! Great news! Can't wait to fumble fresh plastic!

As you can tell from the title I haven't gotten the concept of this build down yet. Only that it will be a P and that I will use some accumulated After Market. And as you can see i once again managed to buy a set double... I also have the Eduard interior set. Somewhere Mr. P