101

APRIL/MAY 2022 • £6.95 UK $16.99

www.afvmodeller.com

FLOATING
FRIEDRICHSHAFEN
Kent Karlsen’s beautiful build of the Lukgraph kit
 CONTENTS
2 FF.33L Friedrichshafen
Kent Karlsen builds the 1:32 Lukgraph kit with bespoke rail transport.

12 AH-1Z Viper
Ben Schumacher spices-up Academy’s 1:35 chopper.

20 Tora, Tora, Tora!

Chris Meddings dives into the new Eduard 1:48 Zero.

28 The Few...
Shane Doak is another Eduard forty-eighth fighter fan; their Mk.I Spitfire.

36 1:32 Mirage IIIS

Franck Oudin goes big and bare with the Italeri kit.

46 1:48 AFTI / F-16 Conversion

Pierre A. Lambert looks back to what was the fighter of the future.

58 1:72 Flanker take-off diorama

Part one of Andrea Paternieri’s dramatic Su-33 diorama.

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1
 FF.33L
Marine # 1247, II Seeflieger Abteilung, Zeebrúgge
When I first learned that Lukasz Snajder of Lukgraph Models was planning to
release a Friedrichshafen seaplane, I wasn’t able to ‘contain’ myself! The
Friedrichshafen FF.33 is one of my favourite Seaplanes. I’m already lost to the
German Seaplanes of World War One, so this news was absolutely spectacular!
Having just finished my Rumpler 6B.1 and Albatros W.4 conversions, this was
perfect timing and I just couldn’t wait for Lukasz to release the kit.

Well I was so enthused that I dropped everything I was working on, pushing it all
aside. I started counting the days for the release. Next I did what I always do
before a new build, immerse myself completely into research, research and
research. Getting to know everything there is and to gather all background
information available of the aircraft at hand. But on the surface there wasn’t
much available…

2
 1:32

Kent Karlsen’s beautiful build of the Lukgraph kit

3
 At this point I came across a piece of Rail Cars: to stretch the wagon stringers to make it fit
footage from the ‘Kaiserliche Marine’ at the There was still a month or so left before the FF.33. On the footage it’s evident that
Zeebrügge seaplane base. It’s called: the release of the kit, so I decided to try the planes during transport had
“Ein Gro kampftag bei unseren Fliegern my luck at scratch building one of to stand at an angle, for the wings to be
zur See...” (Bundesarchiv). This footage is those Rail Cars, it was just too much of a able to have some clearance of each other.
absolutely unique, showing the daily temptation not to, given the close When the measurements finally
routines of the ‘II Seeflieger Abteilung’ at relationship to the operation of the fitted the photographic ‘evidence’ I began
Zeebrügge in Belgium. The characteristic Friedrichshafen Seaplanes at Zeebrügge. putting the car together. When looking at
‘Rail cars’ feature a lot in this To get me started on the build I ordered the photographs from Zeebrügge,
footage, this way of transporting the the ‘Railway Non‐Brake Flatbed kit’ it was also obvious that there had been
seaplanes for their duty is quite special, by Miniart (39004) + ‘Railroad Wheels some kind of ‘evolution’ in the development
but also very necessary with the large Miniart’ (35607). These kits are actually of these ‘Cars’. Early photos show
distance from the pier down to the water quite nicely detailed, ready to be cut standard flatbed wagons used for transport
surface. The Planes were ‘rolled’ out on into pieces and assembled in another way of seaplanes. Later photos show different
these ‘Rail cars’ and lowered down types of Rail Cars fitted to the use at
with the Ships cranes at the harbor. The build of the Rail Car without any Zeebrügge.
Another vital source of information turned drawings and with only some grainy photos Well no news, so I had to ‘kill’ some more
out to be the Jack Herris book on the was quite the challenge. I had to time before the kit arrived, so I decided to
‘Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI’ – It’s part make a lot of testing and trials to wrap my do a build of another type of Rail
of the ‘A Centennial Perspective on Great head around this ‘thing’. I also obtained the Car. This type has the railway wheels
War Airplanes’ series, published ‘Long Dock’ by Italeri, this kit ‘enclosed’ with a kind of wooden ‘barrel’.
by Aeronaut books. This is the most has a railway tracks embedded into a These types were both used together.
comprehensive resource on the cobblestone surface, exactly the way it
Friedrichshafen Seaplanes, incl. production was at the Zeebrügge dock! I all began
numbers and features of the different with a rough sketch, but it was early on
types, drawings etc. An invaluable piece of obvious that the Zeebrügge Railcars were
information. longer than the Flatbed kit and I had

The kit laid bare; main

airframe parts come in resin
with finer details offered as
3D printed details.

4
The Kit: When the FF.33L kit finally arrived lot of research, I finally was able to fix the It’s the same installation as on the
unscathed from Poland, I was ready to dive use of the fabric to the production batch of earlier FF.33E on the HFT (wireless) version.
right in. I know many modelers are January 1917 with the first Marine No. The fuel tank placement is recognizable in
apprehensive of building full resin kits, I being 1158. Marine No. 1247 had some some of the photos because of
remember my first one (PBY Catalina) and I details which were different from some of the ventilation on top of the wing. This type
was too. There are many reasons why, the other FF.33L’s. of fuel tank had a ‘sump’ on the underside
health issues, not being comfortable using of the top wing, where the fuel line runs
CA glue etc. But I actually like working with Fuselage: The engine cowling had down the wing struts. The engine radiator
this material. It has some issues, sure but openings with no covers + 4 intakes at the is a different shape/type also.
there are also has some advantages front. I suspect the fuselage to have been Compass: I have only been able to
compared to plastic kits. It sands a lot from an earlier production batch? The identify the compass installed in the right
easier, glues very rapidly and a lot stronger. windscreen is different, also an earlier lower wing, close to the fuselage in one
Off course it’s not the same as a plastic kit version. I would also be reworking the photo, but I’m pretty sure it’s safe to say
meant for thousands of copy’s but it’s a Observers 'coaming' as it looks to me, to that this was also a standard installation at
way we can get some ‘off the beaten track’ be a bit on the small side + the Parabellum least on the CHFT types.
models kits. The kit has resin parts for machine gun 'ring'. German Naval Hex:
fuselage, wings & floats. Struts have metal Wireless equipment: Inside the In a very nice aerial shot of Marine No.
rods for more stability. Many of the details fuselage I would add Radio and transmitter 1263 most of these features are
are 3D printed, a very nice Benz Bz III from the spares box. The wireless required recognizable. It’s also very obvious that the
engine, Parabellum gun, propeller etc. a generator and fortunately I had not used German Naval Hex has more to it than
the one from the WNW’s HB W.29 kit. On meets the eye! The fuselage is clad in the
The Subject: The kit is of an early the other side of the fuselage there are hex pattern we have seen many times
version of the FF.33L. I took me some time some kind of antenna, two porcelain before running in one direction. It’s
to unravel the version history, but in the fixtures with a wire in between. amazing that one expects this to be the
end, I got an overview of the production Tail plane: The Herris book of the end of the story, but when you look closely
history of the FF.33L’s. There were two Friedrichshafen planes, mentions the tail it’s apparent that it’s a different story with
main versions of the FF.33L. ‘C2MG’ was a being ‘revised’ in the production list from the Naval Hex on the wings. Not only does
two seat aircraft with one flexible and one the Marine No. 1158 and onward. As with the pattern run in the opposite direction,
fixed machine gun. And the ‘CHFT’ version, this kind of information, you don’t really see it’s also a larger pattern? I’ve heard that
a two‐seater aircraft with one flexible it in the photos at first, but when you look some of these Naval Hex patterns in the
machine gun and wireless transmitter and for it, it becomes quite obvious it’s there. beginning were painted
receiver. I had early on decided to find a The conversion of the tail plane was added on and maybe this is an example of this?
FF.33L with the characteristic to the ‘to do’ list. I’m no expert, but I haven’t seen this size in
German Naval Hex pattern. Next it had to Fuel tank: After a lot of photo checking, other photos of German Seaplanes? In any
have been based at the Zeebrügge it also became obvious that the CHFT and instance I had a problem on my hands
seaplane base. In the end I found a couple C2MG had some differences since only one size of aftermarket German
of photos of Marine No. 1247 at regarding the wing fuel tank. It was clear Naval Hex was available. BTW: the Crosses
Zeebrügge, a CHFT wireless plane with that the C2MG version had the fuel tank on the upper wings doesn’t appear to have
some oddities and questions to it that I had installed right on top of the cockpit. a white outline!
to resolve. It was not obvious that this The CHFT however, had the fuel tank
plane had the Naval Hex pattern. After a installed in the right wing next to the struts.

5
 Interior: try to add a little extra, ‘pushing the for the engine. Working from the photos
The Fuselage frames are cleaned up and envelope’ every time. I replaced the from the “Ein Gro kampftag bei
holes are drilled for the wire to go through, push rods with Nickel Silver Rod. If you unseren Fliegern zur See” footage, the
I’m not using turnbuckles only haven’t been working with 3D printed parts forward louvers were removed and some
brass tube to illustrate them. The wire is before, please be careful, use only new holes were drilled for the rear
black monofilament fishing line. The interior a micro saw and not a knife, as the openings. The Photo also shows the earlier
parts which has to be ‘wood’ is material is very brittle. Spark plug leads are type of windscreen, as well as the
selected for the wooden treatment. They made from very thin wire which is porcelain fittings for the antenna on
are airbrushed with a light basic colour and ‘twisted’ to make a fine loop to fit the spark Marine No. 1247. The front panels and
the wood grain is painted on using plugs. The leads to the magnetos is made cowling panels were then painted in a dark
oil colours of different shades and left to from 0.2mm lead wire. grey colour. The observer’s coaming
dry. A fitting greyish colour has been used A very thin steel wire is rolled over a 0.2 on the kit looks a little ‘under sized’ so I
for the canvas of the rear fuselage. mm rod to make the ‘spring’ for the decided to add some resin to outside of
Some of the control lines have been added speeder cable. Primer cup handles are the ring. After that I puttied the
as well as some cables for the radio. The made from thin brass wire and ‘handles’ outside to fit the photo. The Inside was
munitions drums are leftovers from the HB added with acrylic paint. The engine has drilled out to make the opening bigger. A
W.29 but there are some very nice 3D been given several washes, to produce a gun ring from the spares box was
printed parts in the Lukgraph kit. well used engine with some oil and fuel fitted to the new opening. At the rear of the
stains etc. fuselage the openings for the wires were
Engine: The 3D printed version of the drilled to fit the wires. At the
Benz Bz III engine is very nice and you do Fuselage assembly: nose, close to the propeller Marine No.
not even have to assemble anything, Fitting the engine into fuselage and 1247 has four small openings, letting air
so it’s a very convenient solution for most assembly of if with CA went without into the cowling. Those were made
modelers. I did however add some extra troubles and the seams were filled and from small pieces of resin.
detailing to my engine as this is the sanded.
fifth time I’m doing the Benz engine and I After this I started working on the openings

The 3D printed detail of the

kit engine is enhanced by
the addition of ignition leads.

6
The Wings: The wings and elevators Some of the extra detailing of the CHFT already thinking ahead to add this to a
were painted with some basic colours, version was fitted, the wing tank on the left future release. So I send him a sketch and
bottom with Gunze Sail colour and top with top wing was added by a layer aluminum some measurements of the patterns
a white colour, White areas are painted for tape to indicate the outline of the tank. The I would need for the Friedrichshafen. He
the bottom German crosses. After this the compass was fitted in the lower right wing, then send me prints of the new Naval hex
wings were masked with the vinyl masking right at the front of the wing edge. decals, including some with
tape strips enclosed with the Lukgraph kit. This was the point of the build process different grey textures.
This definitely makes the masking part of where I realized that the Friedrichshafen
the paint process easier. These can be FF.33L’s had at least two different The Lukgraph decals are transparent so
obtained from the Lukgraph Shop. types of scaling of the fabric/paint of the you can easily tweek the colour however
The bottom wings were then painted with hex camouflage. I would have had to print you want them. So I did some tests to
various darker shades of the base Sail some decals of my own, as I have find the shade I wanted. I finally decided on
colour and shadows are applied with been experimenting with lately, if Lukasz a somewhat brownish-grey base colour for
Tamiya Smoke. The top side has been contacted me, asking if he could help me the preshading of the top wings.
prepared for the German Naval hex decals. with the decals, I assume he was

The painted and shaded

undersides of the wings.

My own working drawings for the hexagon pattern.

As the decals are printed

on clear I experimented
with different shading and
tones to ‘show through’.
The fabric texture would be
all but impossible to
replicate with paint.

7
 Next up was to finish the fuselage. being of a different shape. Well Floats:
Preshading of the fuselage and tail plane, ‘better late than never’ right? The Looking at photos of the FF.33L’s the
rudder and elevators. Adding some shades outline of the tail plane was taken from the shape of the floats have some issues, you
to the front dark grey panels of the engine drawings in the ‘Herris’ book. Luckily can decide to use them as they are but
cowling and sides of the fuselage. The the ‘surgery’ wasn’t that bad and it turned I decided to ‘correct’ some of them. First of
‘leather’ coaming of the cockpit is out to be quite an easy fix. The shape is all I reworked the ‘steps’ to fit the
done by painting it in a basic light brown rather nice compared to the original. drawings. Then I added some new liners
and then add some shading using some oil on the bottom to fit the photos. The floats
colours, Burnt Umber & Sienna. Final assembly: were a bit ‘pointy’ to my liking so I
Propeller was ‘hand’ painted using two The smaller patterned decals were used reworked them as well.
acrylic base colours and then thin layers of for the top of the fuselage, the tail planes The kit has some nice photoetched details
oil colours for the wood grain. For the and elevators. For the linen of the for the floats. They are fixed with CA. The
brass reinforcements of the propeller tips I fuselage and rudder I used the light grey distance between the floats were
used ‘True Metal’ Brass. The spinner was linen decals from Lukasz on top of some measured out and the float were fixed.
weathered with a small piece of preshading. Lastly the numbers and Some base paint and preshading before
sponge and some dark brown paint to add German crosses were applied on top to applying the German Naval Hex decal
some scratches etc. finish the fuselage, the Marine number was I decided to do a ‘dark’ version of the
At this point I realized the tail plane of the done by using kit decals. floats.
late production Friedrichshafen FF.33L’s

8
In real life they were ‘painted’ with some wire, turnbuckles from pieces of 0.5 mm actually not that much, compared to the
kind of ‘pitch’ to make them waterproof brass or nickel tubing and black time you use on a build like this.
when they became leaky. The finished wing monofilament fishing line. There is a lot of Concentrate and keep at it and you will be
parts ready for rigging. rigging to do on a world war one done with it before you even realize.
To attach the floats to the fuselage and to two‐seater especially one with floats. And I
find the right length of the struts I found it can easily relate to why someone would Final details:
helpful making a little piece of be intimidated by the amount of rigging. All The struts at the cockpit were the last to
styrene mimicking the bottom of the I can say is, prepare to rig in stages, tail, be fitted. One of the last details to be fitted
fuselage and the six holes for the struts. elevators/rudder, floats, top wing. was the generator for the wireless
This helped me getting the correct length I ‘produce’ all the wires for a stage at a (a leftover from W.29 kit). The windscreen
of the struts measured, before cutting time, with the one end finished and then was made from a piece of clear plastic
them and fitting them in place using CA. At fixing them in place before continuing. heated to fit the curve of the
this point the eyelets were also With time you will get some experience fuselage, a metal edge was added using a
fitted for the rigging of the fuselage and and the work will become almost strip of aluminium tape. The last detail was
floats. ‘therapeutic’. Having the right tools to make the Parabellum MG 14 for the
certainly does help with the rigging observer. I used the photo etched piece
Rigging: process. Being able to actually ‘see’ what from the ‘spares box’. The radiator and the
After the floats are fitted, the rigging work you are doing is also essential. Time wise, ‘plumbing’ for the engine was
started. I used my preferred method you will spend approximately 2 days for all fitted as well as the 3D printed exhaust.
twisting my own eyelets from thin the rigging on a plane like this, that isn’t

Vignette:
As mentioned in the beginning,
the goal of this build was to
depict the characteristic
transportation of the seaplanes at
the Zeebrügge station. The
photos show a double trainline at
Zeebrügge and the cobblestone
sections from the Italeri ‘Long
Dock’ kit was perfect for this.

-I actually used the width of the tracks as a guide

when making the Rail Car.
The cobblestone parts were cut to fit into a round 30
cm picture frame. The surface was painted in various
grey nuances. The Rail Car was fitted to the tracks. I
had various figures in the stash, but ended up using a
Marine Officer from Elan13, a Pilot from Kellerkind
Miniaturen, sailors and pigeons from Copper State
Models, a couple of dogs from Riich Models and a
willow wicker basket from Plus Models.

9
10
11
 Ben Schumacher
Spices up Academy’s 1:35 AH-1Z Viper
New tool large scale helicopter kits are a rare breed. All the more the model was started, I used belts from Eduard’s AH-1W PE set.
welcome was Academy's announcement to launch a 1/35th scale Although the harness is not 100% identical to the original, it is an
AH-1Z Viper in early 2019. The pictures of the test shots and the eye-catcher in the cockpit. The heavily simplified pedals were
prototypes at the Toy Fair in Nuremberg looked excellent and the replaced with appropriately bent etched parts which also came
first look at the box contents was downright mouth-watering. Can from Eduard's AH-1W set.
the kit meet the high expectations? The area behind the pilot's seat is extremely complex on the
The first step was to prepare the fuselage and in the air intakes by original aircraft and is a good opportunity to add some life to the
filling the numerous ejector marks on their insides. Assembly otherwise rather boring cockpit. Wiring was added using lead and
started with the cockpit. Unfortunately, the cockpit cannot quite copper wire and the side electronic boxes were detailed with
keep up with the rest of the kit in terms of detailing. I covered the plastic sheet. Furthermore I added raised rivets from Archer to the
seats with suitably cut adhesive tape to simulate the cushion inner side walls of the cockpit tub to help painting and weathering
structure. With no dedicated photo etched parts available when later on.

12
13
 The side armour plates for both cockpits were moulded well. At this point, I used a new product of a still rather new
separately. Two of them are equipped with a game console-like German supplier: stencil decals from Anyz. These are very well
controller to control the sensors and weapons. Unfortunately, the suited to simulate small stencils, which in the past I always did by
backsides of the armour plates, just like the inside of the fuselage, hand with white oil paint and a fine brush. This is now faster, easier
are littered with prominent ejector marks which should be filled. I and cleaner - a highly recommended, well thought-out product.
prefer to use Tamiya Putty or superglue for such tasks. As a final An orange replacement air hose behind the rear seat seen on a
detail, the map compartment on the outside of the rear right real aircraft was a good opportunity for a splash of colour in the
armour was scratchbuilt using 0.3mm sheet. dreary cockpit. The seats were the last parts to be painted. Brown
Before painting, the rear instrument panel was detailed with washes simulate the differently fading black upholstery, the seams
cables, raised rivets and small electronic boxes. In order to install on the seat belts are stencils from Anyz. After a final coat of matt
the panel after painting, I did not glue the left front armour plate to clear varnish I installed the cockpit in the front halves of the
the cockpit tub, but the rear instrument cover. The control sticks fuselage.
were too thin and poorly detailed, so I replaced them with slightly
modified F-16 control sticks from Aerobonus which are very similar Before I closed the fuselage halves, I modified the APU exhaust. I
to the AH-1Z sticks. separated the side fixing tabs from the kit part and glued them to
I then stared painting the cockpit. First I primed all parts with their intended places in the fuselage. I replaced the exhaust itself
Gunmetal from Gunze which was polished before I applied a coat with an aluminium tube from Albion Alloys which I bent
of Zinchromate from Mr. Paint. Once dry these coats had dried, I accordingly. In order to simulate the heat effect, I heated the tube
painted the floor area FS36320 from Mr Paint and all other parts with a lighter. The exhaust could now be put aside to be fitted
with matt black from Tamiya. To simulate the wear in front of the during final assembly.
pedals, I carefully scraped away the different layers of paint until
the metal coloured primer shone through. For this purpose I used Great care was needed when assembling the main components.
different tools like toothpicks, sandpaper and a fiberglass pencil. Fit is excellent, but tolerances are very small. Even though there is
Several filters made of highly diluted oil paint added some life to almost no flash on the parts, all joints must be carefully and
the black areas. Slight scratches were simulated with a thin brush thoroughly cleaned. If this has been done, all the components of
and dark grey oil paint. The few buttons I painted at this time as the front fuselage perfectly fit without any glue.

14
Unlike most American aircraft, the inner sides of the air intakes are using Mr. Surfacer. The shape of the walkways was masked
not painted white but FS36375. To ensure a perfect fit, I had to be accordingly. The wing tip containers are difficult to sand smooth
particularly careful with the exhausts. There is a small step on the on the upper side because of the existing position light details, so I
exhaust’s leading edge which had to be sanded smooth to avoid a decided to remove and finally rebuild them.
gap between engine cowling and exhaust. If this has been made I replaced the gun with turned brass parts from Master which are
carefully, no sanding is necessary in this area. Only the transition a significant improvement over the kit parts. The brass parts were
between air intakes and fuselage required a small amount of filler. burnished using Uschi von der Rosten’s burnishing liquid. I also
The slightly raised maintenance doors on top of the gearbox used Humbrol Metal Cote Gun Metal, AK "Dark Steel" pigments
housing were made from self-adhesive copper foil. and a dark wash for detail painting.
The skid assembly is very stable and well thought-out.
Unfortunately, the one-piece skid brackets showed strong sinking Now I dedicated myself to the sensor turret mounted in the nose.
marks and a slight parting line mismatch in the lower area due to Academy offers two versions, a grey or a clear part for the front
the material thickness. I simply covered these areas with suitably half. I decided for the latter. Although the turret is usually turned to
cut 0.2mm sheet and used a Punch & Die set recreate the skid the side or to the back for protection when the aircraft is parked, I
fastening bolts. decided to add some details to the interior. For this I used plastic
sheet and round profiles of different diameters. Not much of this
Thanks to complex slide moulds, the single part tail boom and will be visible anymore, but it is good to know it is there.
stubby wings are perfectly detailed all around. On the downside,
this technology causes visible parting lines where the slides meet. Before painting could start, it was time to assemble the clear
These parting lines were carefully removed using fine sanding parts. Unfortunately these turned out to be the weak point of the
sticks and a glass fibre eraser. Rivets sanded away in the process kit. Numerous fine scratches made the surfaces look slightly dull,
were replaced with matching raised rivet decals from Archer, so I had to spend several hours with fine sanding and polishing.
which fortunately offer the needed spacing on one of their HO- You have to be very careful if you like to polish clear parts by
scale sheets. These were also used on the upper sides of the machine like I do: the parts are extremely sensitive to temperature
fuselage. and melt very fast. It is to be hoped that Academy will improve the
Just like the tail boom, the single part stub wings only needed quality of the clear parts to make polishing unnecessary.
some cleaning. I depicted the non-skid surface on the walkways

15
 I now assembled the polished clear parts, the insides of which I matt clear lacquer from MRP, the final assembly could now begin.
had already painted before. The rear side window frames are two- Foldable wings or even rotor blades are not only characteristic for
tone black/grey on the inside, which was also taken into account most naval aircraft and helicopters, folded blades and wings are
on the model. I primed the model with thinned Mr Surfacer Black simply the rule for aircraft parked on deck or in the hangar bay.
1500 to detect possible flaws and create a perfect base for the The AH-1Z and UH-1Y are exceptions to this rule, as the rotor
paint. First I painted the fuselage sides and the underside blades can only be folded by hand and have to be held by a
FS36375 from Mr. Paint. To create a lively, slightly irregular surface, complex blade fold rack (BFR). Nevertheless, it was clear from the
freehand marbling was combined with mottling stencils to create beginning that I wanted to fold the rotor blades. Besides the rack I
somewhat harder contoured spots. Care should be taken when wanted to add ground handling wheels used to move the aircraft
painting the upper sides. These should be painted FS35237 and on deck. The Blade Fold Set from Legend, which was available
not FS36320 as incorrectly suggested by Academy’s instructions. shortly after the kit was released, was a welcome help and the
At this point, a first warm grey wash was applied. Blade Fold Rack, which was announced a little later, saved me
Already during research I decided to build one of the aircraft with from having to design it myself in 3D.
the "Evil Eyes" stationed on USS John P. Murtha. My choice fell on I cut the two foldable blades according to the Legend instructions
BuNo. 169254, which not only features evil eyes, but also an and then assembled the rotor. Four wires on top of the rotor head
attractive Jolly Roger flag on the engine cover. The Flying bring a little life, but there is not much to see in this area. The two
Leathernecks decals are excellently researched, perfectly printed tone painting of the rotor is time consuming because of the
and easy to apply. The stencils are from Werner's Wings as the necessary masking work, but the result compensates for the
Academy decals do not match in colour. After a coating with clear effort.
varnish they were included in the further aging process. Various The BFR is a small kit in itself, well researched but not easy to
washes and filters bring the paintjob to life. After a final layer of build despite the fit being really good. The instructions are not
always 100% clear about the exact positioning of the parts and the
final alignment of the parts must be done on the model. One
should take time to achieve a perfect result. After varnishing and
aging I put the rack components aside until final assembly.

16
The aircraft I decided to
build is equipped with the
FMV or Full Motion Video-
Mod on the tail boom which
is not included in the kit.
The side view included in
the Flying Leathernecks
sheet and some reference
photos were sufficient to
design the simple FMV
containers and to print
them. After painting and
weathering, they were glued
to the tail boom.

After some research I had enough reference also printed, a single Hellfire and two rocket
pictures to start CAD designing the Ground launchers loaded with inert 80mm rockets. I
Handling Wheels. The parts were then printed replaced the fuel dump tubes on the pylons
on my Anycubic Photon 3D printer. The with aluminium tubes of suitable diameter.
steerable front wheels consist of 8, the rear After the moveable canopy parts were fitted
ones of 4 parts each, which can be assembled with the armour plate segments not included in
and painted like classic kit parts. the kit, they were mounted on the model. The
For the armament I decided to use a practice last parts were the main rotor, the blade fold
loading, consisting of an inert blue CATM-9 with rack and the tail rotor.
3D-printed cover, a MSR/SAiP pod which was

17
 Academy’s AH-1Z is a great kit. Fit,
engineering and surface detailing
(correct raised rivets!) are among the
best on the market; the clear parts and
the simplified cockpit cannot quite keep
up with the kit’s very high overall quality,
though. Overall, building this kit is huge
fun and the big number of aftermarket
parts further adds to its huge potential.

18
19
20
 You have to love the zero,
although less capable than the other WWII
single seat fighter ‘greatest hits’, like the P-51,
Spitfire or bf-109, it is nonetheless an icon.

Of course, we’ve had a ton of kits in 1:48 over

the years, from ancient chonk blobs to
modern Tamiya tools (well, modern in 2008),
but we haven’t had a new tool A6M2 Type 21,
as far as I can tell, since the 80s, and
modellers like me that wanted to build an
early Zero have been hanging out for a kit in
1:48 to match the incredible surface detail
and refinement now being produced by the
likes of Eduard. Then, in December 2021,
Eduard announced an all-new kit. I will admit,
I was surprised, it’s not exactly common for
non-Japanese companies to tool Japanese
WWII aircraft, so when Eduard offered to send
me a pre-sale kit, I jumped on it!

TORA!

CHRIS MEDDINGS
dives at the chance
to build an early
sample of Eduard’s
brand new A6M2
Type 21ZERO

21
 The Kit different options for Nakajima or Mitsubishi This is not gloss as such, but thinning it
The kit Eduard sent me was a pre-sale built machines. with Mr. Levelling Thinner resulted in a
copy, but it was a finalised package, the Eduard also sent: the LööK set (644128), surface at the glossier end of satin. When
same as you get when you buy it, with resin wheel set (648693), a 3D printed seat that had gassed off for a half hour, I laid
some minor differences, which I will detail (648698) and their new series SPACE set down a coat of Mr Metal Colour 218
as I go on. They sent for instrument panels (3DL48050), these (aluminium). Then, finally, I mixed Tamiya
‘Dual Combo’ boxing ‘Tora Tora Tora’ are 3D printed decals with relief detail. Clear Blue with a touch of Clear Green,
(11155). In the box are two kits and sprayed it in very light, heavily thinned
(unsurprisingly), masks, Pre-painted PE, a Cockpit coats. These coats must be misted on to
sheet of decals covering twelve marking I started by painting the insides of the avoid pooling. When that was set, I
options, and a smaller decal sheet fuselage halves, and a few other parts in masked off and sprayed an interior green
covering the stencils. This last offers ‘Aotake’, the clear lacquer used in to my own mix, using my usual method of
Japanese naval aircraft to prevent a darker base and building up lighter mixes
corrosion. I started by painting these areas towards the top (and the source of light).
with Tamiya black lacquer. Increasingly, I find myself tweaking this with
brush painted work on top of the airbrush
base, taking technique more from figure
painting.

Detail in the cockpit plastic is superb but of contrast to make the cockpit more visible I had no less than four options for the
course I had other options on hand! For the once closed up . instrument panel. First, and old school, a
most part, I used the LööK set options. The 3D seat is super-nice, but honestly, so relief IP in styrene. Then, slightly old school
Some of the items in the cockpit, such as is the kit seat. If I was building this again, I (middle-age school?) a two part printed PE
the radio transmitter and receiver, are not probably would not purchase the 3D option, then a colour 3D printed LööK
supplied in the LööK set; for these I used version, but anyone building an older option, and lastly the SPACE 3D Decal. A
items from the supplied PE or the SPACE Tamiya or Hasegawa Zero really should get blank styrene IP with no raised detail is
set. In all cases, to match the colour of the this item to pimp their older A5M. provided, for those using the PE or SPACE
cockpit or because there is some Although you could argue this aircraft panel. I went with the LööK set again, for
pixelation in some of the printing, I painted would not be old enough to have chipping its crisp detail, 3-dimensional feel and clear
into the boxes (but not any instruments) in the cockpit…. I like cockpit chipping. Sue instruments. With that, and the MGs
with a fine brush. I did replace the me. I went with additive rather than installed, I could close up.
somewhat flat 2D morse key with a scratch subtractive chipping, painting it in with
item. A dark oil pinwash helped to shadow Vallejo Metal Colour Aluminium and a fine
some items and features, increasing the brush.

22
Exterior of Mr Miyazaki and Mr Nakamura in Japan. So with that said, I picked a horse and
The Fuselage seam was a dream, virtually These gentlemen run a small museum backed it, and went with Mr Nakamura and
nothing to fill or clean up [10]; similarly, the north of Tokyo, built around their collection: Mr Miyazaki, whose research leans
wings had a super precise, positive an almost complete wreck of an A6M2 towards neutral grey.
location and very refined seam on the Type 21, and several other original A6M
leading and trailing edge [11]. However, the artefacts, they have also recently published Layers
fit of the wing to the fuselage was not a book on the colours of early Zeroes*. I started with a base shadow of a grey. For
perfect. The joint at the wing root, and Thirdly, there is the research of Nicholas this I used Sasebo Arsenal IJN Grey from
under the nose was outstanding, but at the Millman (available via his site Tamiya, because I had it to hand, and it
rear under the fuselage, mine sat a little aviationofjapan.com, including his excellent was about the right shade. However, on
proud and needed sanding back and e-publication on the subject). reflection, it was a bit bluish, which did not
rescribing. I’ll be honest, this could equally I will state, here and now, that I have no become apparent till later on. So next time
well be user error though. dog in this fight. I seriously respect subject I might add a touch of brown or even
matter experts like Mr Nakamura, Mr green to it to warm it up a little
Colour Bind Miyazaki, and Mr Millman (whose personal
Confession time: although I had always background is in the science of paint and I built up over that with my own custom
wanted to do an early zero, and had pigmentation I believe). They have all mix of the same grey with white, and a
bought a few Japanese books on them, I sought primary documents (which are touch of buff, working each panel a little at
had never done any serious research into vanishingly rare as most were destroyed in a time. I use paint that is heavily thinned,
the aircraft. When I came to look at 1945) and committed to scientific analysis probably about 70% thinner, using Mr
colours, a minefield the size of the Pacific of remaining artefacts. However, colour Levelling thinner, and low pressure to avoid
stretched before me! Boiling it down, there accuracy is not something that has ever build up and spidering. Doing this, I
are three sources you might want to been a make or break for me. I try to get it mapped overlapping layers to build up the
consider when painting your model. The right, but I am far more interested in colour with soft transitions, pausing every
first is of course the instruction sheet. A lot physical detail, and in making a good couple of coats, and letting it dry off, to
of thought and research has gone into this, model, than I am in making a super check the colour, and avoid going too far.
but honestly, nearly everyone else agrees, accurate model. I respect it and admire it, So far, so normal for a more-or-less
the colour on the boxtop is too brown. The it’s just not my bag. standard version of black basing
second source I looked at, is the research

23
 From the outset, I wanted to use a
technique on this build that I have been
working on, to build up subtle variation
and colour shift with an airbrush.

Basically, this means mapping up variation Building these mapped filter layers up like This was my first experience with Eduard’s
in the tone using translucent mapping this allows me to create very subtle tonal newer decals, and I had heard all kinds of
using the base colour modified with the shifts, and replicate the very slight things, one of which was that the carrier
addition of another colour, or different browning common on this grey, caused by film is thick. I was pleasantly surprised to
colours entirely, applied in barely visible exposure to the sun, and to create visual find this is not true, or at the very least no
coats, It’s a bit like selective filtering, but interest on a monochrome scheme. longer true. They settled incredibly well.
instead of using it to change the colour of Better than most standard decals. I used
the whole model, it is done in specific Decals some Mr Mark Setter to make sure they
areas, and overlapping, to further increase It was time now, to apply the markings. I adhered well to the gloss surface, but
the tonal range. started by giving the model a good coat of without any sol solution at all, they
Mr Color Super Clear III UV Cut (GX-112). I snuggled into every panel line and ‘rivet
I mixed some light grey with some buff, asked my good friend and fellow Sprue divot’. I left them for a few hours to fully dry
about 50/50 and thinned it to around 90% Cutters Union podcast presenter: Will and tentatively lifted an edge. I was very
thinner to 10% paint and misted that over Pattison, which gloss he recommended, impressed, the film came right off, leaving
the tops of the wings, horizontal stabilizers and he steered me toward this as: ‘pained on’ stencils.
and the top of the fuselage. Next, I painted “bulletproof”. It went down super smooth,
the undersides and sides of the fuselage thinned with levelling thinner. I don’t usually
with light grey, with the addition of a touch gloss before decals, but I wanted to
of green, just enough to change the tone of protect the paint in case I ballsed up these
the grey. famous ‘peelable’ decals.

24
The stencils give you two options as mentioned in the earlier part
of this article. I went with best guess: Mitsubishi, as the data plate
on the fuselage in the markings option for the aircraft I chose (“Lt.
Commander Shigeru Itaya, Akagi Fighter Squadron, 1st Attack
Wave [AI-155]) was Mitsubishi. I’m sure someone with much
deeper knowledge will come along to tell me this is incorrect…

Once I was happy with the stencils, I applied the main markings.
These performed just as the stencils, but there was one issue: the
colour saturation on this was no good, they looked washed out. I
contacted Eduard and they told me this was an issue with the
batch I had, and that the production kits had new decals where
this issue had been solved. It was really only a problem on the
Hinomarus, the fuselage bands and the tail markings, so I masked
these, and sprayed over the decals.

Final Assembly
Now the fuselage was more-or-less done, I needed to finish all the
other parts.
The landing gear was easy enough, everything fit very well, and
the legs had a very positive fit for a straight stance. The resin
wheels are superb, but the fit of these is not quite so positive, with
a tiny bit of wiggle room. As they are weighted, this does matter,
so be careful when lining them up. I used a slow CA to let me
adjust the fit.
The engine is gorgeous, right out of the box. I only added the
wiring with stretched sprue, as I find it easier to do than wire. I
painted it with Mr Metal Colour Aluminium, then added washes of
black and dark grey acrylic. The cowling is a work of art. It’s a five-
piece assembly, making the most of that to allow moulding
maximum detail on all surfaces. Constructing that well could invite
issues; but we are provided with a tubular jig to assemble it
around that works like a dream.

I pre-shaded it, then lightly misted it with Tamiya black lacquer,

just allowing the pre-shade to show. I wasn’t going for a
weathered effect, but black is so deadening to any sense of 3-
dimensions that I wanted to allow the detail on the cowl to show.

25
 The control surfaces were painted a neutral the aluminium with a tiny bit (and I mean if it was grime from them trapped in the
grey, and the panels were picked out with tiny) of grey to slightly dull and darken it, panels. This was about the only additional
a very highly diluted dark wash. They were and sponge chipped the spinner and prop. weathering I added as the airbrush
attached in a neutral position as Kit decals were used for the stripes on it mapping had already achieved most of it,
contemporary photos show the same, but [33]. and as people constantly keep saying:
if you wish you can pose them any way you these aircraft would have been pretty clean
want. I gave the model another coat of gloss, just at the Pearl Harbour attack. The only thing
The canopies were masked with the 2- a thin one, to unify the decals, then left to do was to rig it, which I did with Infini
Face set. Fitting them, I found the sliding attached all these details, as I wanted the model medium rigging thread, and added
portion didn’t fit, then I found I’d used the cowl and control surfaces to have a a couple of blobs of black paint for
wrong version - idiot. The correct one fit different texture and be more matt. insulators.
like a dream.
Final Touches My thanks to Jan, and all the staff at
The prop looks good, and attachment I wanted to add some panel line washes, Eduard for the opportunity to build this
points are cleverly located to be hidden by but just a little, it was really important not beautiful kit.
the spinner. The rear was painted brown, to get dark panel line washes on the
then the brown portion mashed off and the Hinomarus, as it just doesn’t work against
rest was painted with Vallejo Mr Metal the red [30 or 31]. I concentrated the dark
colour Aluminium. Then I missed more of washes in the areas aft of the exhausts, as

TORA!
26
27
 EDUARD’S BEAUTIFUL MK.I
MODELLED BY SHANE DOAK
When choosing my next build, I normally start with
a goal in mind and the subject comes along after.
In the case of this project, the antithesis was a
desire to push myself outside of my comfort zone. I
wanted to see how the steps of my process could
be expanded on. Most of all, I wanted a finished
model that has context, even sitting alone on a
white background. I love models that are able to
get my mind wondering about how each detail got
there. If I see a panel made to look like it has been
removed more than the others, I want to know why.
I felt like it was time for me to gather up the tricks I
have learned so far, and make one myself. When
thinking of what subject would best conjure up a
compelling story, I came across Eduard’s new
Spitfire MK.1. Despite not having a ton of interest in
the spitfire, the depth of its story is undeniable.
Even the title of the special edition dual combo kit
“THE FEW…” instantly evokes contemplation for all
who know what those brave few pilots did.

Opening the box for the first time, I knew I had

made the right choice. Right away I could see why
people love this aircraft and kit. The surface detail
was stunning. Eduard perfectly captured the iconic
spitfire shape. The large elliptical wings are what
hooked me. 10 minutes into my ritualistic process
of taping together the main airframe, I couldn’t get
enough of it. Fine panel lines and rivet detail are
found throughout the sprues. All the major players
have a good Spitfire kit. Tamiya San released a
seriously good MK.1 around the same time.
28
29
 For me, it’s the subtle details which spark underside paint options, 3 different seats, 2 find going a bit more dramatic with the
my imagination. So I chose aftermarket colours of wheel bays and gun bays, 4 tones helps to maintain the level of
parts that would help my spitfire look the antenna configurations, different propellers, contrast across the rest of the model. I
part of a battle tested machine. I ordered and many more specific details that varied used a combination of hairspray chipping
the Löök plus set from Eduard which from one to the next. It almost seemed as and oil paints in the cockpit. Unfortunately
contains resin wheel, the stunning Löök though no two were alike. When I came to there are very few original cockpit photos
pre-painted intrument panel, and the iconic a feature that had more than one option, I of the MK.1, so I made educated guesses
exhaust stacks to replace the kit parts simply picked the one that was more on how to weather it. Simple details such
which did have the same sink marks found visually interesting to me. With so many as the pan of the seat having more paint
in many of the initial boxings. To add to variations even with in the same squadron, removed than the back are what attract
the “just landed to rearm and refuel” look I there was a lot to plan out. Some of the the eye. Our brains are amazing at noticing
wanted, I added the brassin .303 gun bays. major choices were the green seat with details like this even if we are unaware its
To avoid cutting the markings into pieces black cushion, interior green gun bays, happening. High contrast marbling will help
for the exposed guns, I got masks to paint silver wheel wells with duck egg underside, to add realism in the dark cockpit. I Found
them. These two products belong together and the size of the roundels. At first I MRP RAF interior green to be a great
since the large wing roundels lay across feared it would be dismissed simply for not cockpit colour match right out of the bottle.
several open panels. Lastly I ordered at being a reproduction of a known aircraft.
least a dozen RAF colours from MRP. They After some consideration I decided, in this Construction of the major assemblies went
have an extensive line of second war RAF case, story of the machine is more even better than expected. I was however
colours, including the ones I’d be needing important than the biography of a known a bit disappointed to find Eduard had not
for the markings spitfire. molded the engine cowling as a separate
piece. Still, combined with the exhaust sink
I began mapping out the display Starting in the cockpit and the wheel wells, marks the list of defects was very short.
configuration and deciding on which I set the tone of a well used spitfire. For The Brassin .303 wing gun set fit
specific aircraft I wanted to build. The MK.1 dark areas of the model, I like to turn up exceptionally well.
production run was plagued with factory the contrast in the weathering. The lower
and field updates. They had no less than 6 light levels seem to deaden the details, so I

the cockpit construction goes easy, however

you have to decide which variant right at the
beginning. The kit provides several options in
the cockpit for early and later versions.

The raised rivet details aft of the cockpit

sets it apart from its Japanese competition
in the detail category. Though I expected
assembly would not be as quite clever.

30
 note the high contrast of tans and greens in the cockpit
The LööK panel needed a matte coat and some painted
on wear to be even more convincing

Tamiya LP-11 was used for the

silver chipping layer in the
cockpit and the exterior.

Removing the kit panels with out damaging tans, blues, and browns. Extra care was our brains are amazing at picking out
the surface detail required finesse, but was taken to be random with the distressed details that don’t make sense. Reminding
far less intimidating than I originally paint layers. I didn’t know if the roundels myself to use unfamiliar techniques, I tried
expected. Panels were removed using the should be painted on the primer layer and several methods to depict the stressed
hand made MRP scribe tool and a tamiya then masked off for the camouflage, or if I discovered removing paint with a sanding
micro saw. Mr. Surfacer 500 was used to they should be sprayed over the sponge, or with a solvent gives a much
smooth the joint between the walls and the camouflage. So I did both, and both more realistic feel to the worn surface. By
wing. I painted the interior of the gun bays worked well. But I found painting them onto applying Isopropyl alcohol with a fine point
with MRP RAF interior green. This was a the final surface to be the most efficient. In Q-tip. I was able to remove and fade the
rarely seen choice as most of them were both cases I white based the markings to top layer of paint on the roundels to give a
aluminum until the later MK’s. make sure the bright colours would have stressed look without actually chipping
The most clever and well engineered the proper tones. them.
aspect of construction was the fit of the Roundels were white based, and sprayed
wings to the fuselage. When dry fitting as dry as possible to avoid bleeding under The data stencils provided in the kit are
there is a large gap at the wing roots, but the masks. The roundels over the doors now printed in house by Eduard. I read
when properly tensioned to the correct were painted separate, I masked them on rumors that the carrier film could be
wing dihedral the gap disappears. A quick the model with the existing demarcation removed from the decals after drying,
test fit of the landing gear revealed that all lines as a guide. which is a good thing because the film is
the angles between the wings, fuselage, Acrylic paint is easier to chip with, so after thick and would require a lot of sanding
and the struts were now perfect compared the hairspray layer I used Tamiya acrylic and clear coat to smooth out. With a sharp
to the front profile diagram provided in the black to bring back the uniform black pair of tweezers I was able to lift the carrier
instructions. surface. This will help when it comes time film off after drying over night. Though they
for the paint chipping look good when finished, they are not
Painting begins... Removing the camouflage masks and nearly as refined as dedicated wet
carrying out the chipping is when the transfers.
Formerly I would black base and marble model starts to get me excited. Distressed
with only white. This time I used a range of paint is the map for the rest of the
colours. I experimented with different weathering, the high wear areas must be
combinations of under-tones, primarily well thought out and make sense. Again,

31
 I used acrylic inks to create the smoke
stains aft of the barrels and the shell
ejector holes. In reference photos, the
ejector holes always have considerably
more smoke stains than the barrels.

MK.Is used cloth and an adhesive sealant to

cover the machine gun barrel holes while on the
ground and for take off. kit decals were used for
the cloth gun barrel covers, and then I hand
painted a pink acrylic around the edges to
simulate layers of the application dope.

32
With the paint chipped, and all markings applied, it
was time to complete the worn look. My usual routine
with oils wouldn’t be enough to portray a spitfire after
its 3rd or 4th dogfight of the day. All of the best
reference pictures I found showed the Merlin engine
leaking quantities of oil down the underside of the
fuselage.

For oil streaks to be convincing, they not only have to

make sense physically, but the paint itself has to have
a specific texture and density as well. I am not
particularly experienced in oil paint rendering, so
these streaks took considerable time and effort. The
beauty of oil paint rendering is that if you don’t like it,
it can be easily removed as long as you work quickly.

Building the kit went well as expected, after all,

Eduard has been working hard to step up their kit
quality over the last few years. The part I was most
pleased with is the context I was able to capture. All
of my prior builds have been great practice for the
technical aspect of the hobby. But they lacked a
feeling of context. This is the first model In which I feel
I was able to reproduce the image in my head. I was
finally able to give myself the same admiration I have
for other peoples builds. I respect models that have
complex, technical work put into them, but I love
models that can take me into their miniature world,
good reason why I love this model.

Mk.I
33
 To build a big Mirage IIIS you need to
use the Italeri Mirage IIIE in 1:32. Some
work needs to be done to modify the kit
to obtain a ‘precise’ Swiss Mirage; for
the Early version, you will need to
change the nose cone and the
instrument panel, MC ONE from
Switzerland produce these excellent
conversion parts.
The fork of the front landing gear and
the pitot tube also require tweaks. I also
decided to upgrade my kit with a set of
superb resin wheels and jet exhaust
from Reskit of Ukraine.

Preparation of the kit starts with a

complete sanding and polishing of the
parts because the surfaces are too
rough for a bare-metal finish.

36
37
 The kit engine is cut in two to allow use of the resin detail
parts. The air intakes are painted aluminum, and carefully
glued in place, the fit of these part needs good alignment to
allow minimum sanding afterwards.

The assembly starts withe the cockpit tub which is

painted with a mix of grey-green and silver, the back
of the cockpit is painted black with some lead wires
added to detail this area. Two missing covers are
made with aluminum sheet for the front of the
cockpit.
The ejection seat from the kit is built and painted but
put aside until the end of the build.

The main landing gear bays

are upgraded with scratch-
built parts and lead wire
before painting yellow zinc
chromate.

The front landing gear bay is

modified and lenghtened by
9mm.

Two rails for the Falcon missiles are

drilled into the belly of the Mirage. You
will need source some good plans to
do so as there are no pre marked
holes but you can used the rail as
guide for drilling.

The general fit of much of the kit is far

from being good, take time with test
fitting throughout before you commit
to any cement!

38
The MC ONE 3D printed nose cone is weighted with small lead
balls and a retaining cover is put in place. The aluminum support
of the pitot tube is glued in place, now the fun part can begin with
aligning of the nose cone and the kit parts, all fit, but need some
serious sanding to get the best result possible. Once done, the
cone is glued with super glue to the kit.
The cover of the front cockpit is carefully glued and sanded to
shape and the windscreen can be fixed in place.

The Reskit exhaust is beautifully detailed but requires

tweaking to fit the kit perfectly. I was lucky to have access
to a lathe at my place of work to do this precisely. The
discoloured inside is painted with a mix of brown and
sand colours. The end of the fuselage requires sanding to
obtain some space to enable a snug fit of the resin parts,
again take your time and plenty of dry fitting sessions.

The finesse gained with the Reskit

exhaust is very much worth the effort.

The Wings are fairly straight forward, don’t

forget to drill the holes for the missile rails
and the flap moving system. The main
landing gear has to be inserted at this Time now for the tail; again, not the best of fit
stage of the construction, it is not really but a plastic card insert helped shim the two
practical, but this is the best way to halves and keep the correct shape.
ensure and good support of your model
once finished, just be extra careful not to
catch the legs while you continue with
construction. The fit of the wings to the
fuselage is once again disappointing. I
glued them in the best position possible
and used fine plastic strip to plug any
gaps to avoid any sanding and polishing
before the NMF finish.

With more dry fitting and adjusting the

flaps could eventually be placed and I was
ready to prepare for painting.

Main gear has a

solid fixing but
Modified nose gear with added
must be done at
hydraulic lines and lamp lenses.
this stage.

39
 As a fan of the Mr Hobby range of paints, I sprayed the entire avoid any overspray of colour on the metal finish; difficult to touch-
model with the new range of Mr Super Metallic directly on the up. I removed the cross from the mask, sprayed the white and
bare polished plastic. As I never use any primer the surfaces had once dry put the cross back in place and sprayed the red.
to be as smooth as possible as every tiny mark shows. The same technique is used the for the black serial number on the
fuselage.
Then, working with a lot of different photos of these Mirages, I
masked selected panels and sprayed them with different metallic The decals stencils are next, there is quite a few to apply but the
shades for subtle shifts in tone. The underside painted panels MC ONE instructions are really good. I thought that I could use the
were painted with a mix of interior green and blue to obtain the decals included for the red areas around the air intake but it was
closet shade to the gray/green FS34151. Next the markings were asking too much for a decal; I carefully masked the areas and
tackled with the help of the masks included in the MC ONE set, airbrushed the red, which to me look way better than any decals.
once in place make sure you are masking these areas widely to

40
The complete model is varnished with a very light coat of gloss
and the final assembly could now take place; external fuel tanks,
Falcons and Sidewinder missiles, landing gear doors and wheels
were installed. When on his legs, the canopy and the pitot tube
are placed in their final position.

I decided to not weather the model at all, not even a detail wash,
as I studied photos of these aircraft it was obvious they were kept
immaculate before they where all painted grey for the second
phase of their career in the Swiss Air force.

41
 Having built two of these Italeri Mirages, you have to be
prepared for a good deal of work to obtain the best results with
this kit as the surfaces are way too rough for any type of painting
and especially for a natural metal finish.

42
The general fit is poor in a lot of areas of the kit and it can
discourage many modelers who start building it. You will need
time and plenty patience with dry fitting sessions to get a high
standard replica of this superb delta fighter. It’s such a shame
that any kit manufacturers are not able to provide us with an
easier large scale Mirage kit to built, it is such a wonderful
looking aircraft, it really deserve a better kit.

43
46
 PIERRE A. LAMBERT
GOES BACK TO THE FUTURE WITH HIS
GENERAL DYNAMICS AFTI/F-16 CONVERSION

The Flight Dynamics Laboratory of the U.S. Air Force Systems automatic manoeuvre and attack capabilities during precision
Command initiated the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration bombardment tests. That is, without a doubt, the configuration of
(AFTI) program in 1978. Developing into different phases until the this emblematic demonstrator I find the most appealing.
late 1990s, the program was to develop avionics and flight control
technologies for future fighters. Some of the technologies explored I had this project in mind for years, and was ready for a good
under the AFTI program were so ahead of their time that they amount of scratch building as no aftermarket conversion for the
didn’t find their way into full-scale development until the F-22 and AFTI F-16 exists to my knowledge, but the markings were an issue
F-35. The unique AFTI F-16 was based on the airframe of the sixth my own skills alone could not overcome. Then enter Caracal, with
pre-production F-16A (S/N 75-750). The airplane was extensively their recent “The Early Years” decal sheet (ref. 48160), which
modified between 1979 and 1982 for the first part of the project literally made my day! As a starting base, I chose the 1:48 Tamiya
(DFCS, Digital Flight Control System) intended to test "full authority" F-16C Block 32 (Aggressor / Adversary gearbox ref. 106) rather
triplex digital flight controls, featuring the addition of canard than the Hasegawa or Kinetic F-16As, the former being quite poor
surfaces under the air intake, which provided six independent in terms of details to today’s standards, and the latter being
degrees of freedom and allowed the aircraft to turn literally flat, plagued with shape approximations I did not have the courage to
without banking. In 1984 it was modified again for the second tackle on top of all the other modifications needed. For those
phase of the project (AMAS, Automatic Manoeuvre and Attack interested in the subject, both from a historical and technical
System) including the addition of laser designators at the wing perspective, I cannot recommend Aerospace Modeller’s special
roots and voice recognition features, intended to validate issue for the 2005 IPMS convention in Atlanta highly enough.

47
 From a standard Block 32 F-16C, here is a list of the most
visible changes to obtain the AFTI/F-16:

• Long, instrumented nose probe • Telemetry antennae also present on the belly, behind the
• Twin glide slope antennae not present under the nose front landing gear
• Temperature probes relocated under each side of the • Early-production F-16A main wheels
nose,ahead of the leading edge extensions • Rear fuselage anti-spin chute fittings and skin reinforcements
• Canard surfaces angled at 60° on each side of the engine • Camera fairings under each side of the rear fuselage,
intake with actuator fairings protruding inside the intake duct used to film loads separation
• IFF/UHF antenna below the intake • Early-production short chord stabilizers
(as opposed to between the rear ventral fins) • Early-production F-16A fin without RWR blister at the base
• Different location of the communications plug door on
the right side of the intake This is the kind of project I find the most rewarding: to start from a
• Advanced 3-screen instrument panel good kit base and a thorough research of photographic and
• Stencel SIIIS ejection seat technical reference, and produce a unique model of a historically
• Early-production gun muzzle and gas vents important aircraft. I hope this build shall inspire you to go off the
• ANA/ASQ-153 Pave Spike laser designator on the right wing beaten track too!

root, with a symmetrical passive mock-up on the left side

• Prominent dorsal spine, housing specific AFTI avionics,
with related telemetry and communication antennae

The quite visible canard actuator fairings were added inside the engine air intake,
using left-over missile heads from the spares box.

The Aires 4370 wheel

well set integration is
quite straightforward.
However, due to the
shrinkage of the resin
parts, some catching-up
of the intake duct length
is necessary on the
bottom side.

The canard surfaces are made from 1 mm sheet

styrene. The dimensions are 31 mm for the root
chord, 6 mm for the tip chord, and 18.5 mm for
the span. A metal rod inserted 15 mm from the
trailing edge serves as the articulation axis.

The canards are installed 5 mm from each

side of the front gear bay, with a 30° angle
from the vertical. Though the AFTI F-16 was
based on a pre-production airframe, the ECS
exhaust located ahead of the left main wheel
well is of the late, high-profile type.
48
 The cockpit is adapted from the Aires 4364
reference. I discarded the moulded-in
ejection seat rails and replaced them by a
scratch-built structure adapted to the
Stencel SIIIS seat sourced from Quickboost.
The seat headrest is covered with fine
textured tin sheet to better reflect the canvas
aspect of the real thing. The instrument
panel is modified to reflect the unique AFTI
arrangement, with three multi-function
screens and a specific head-up display unit.

The heaviest modification

sequence of the build was the
construction of the avionics
housing spine. A unique feature
to the AFTI F-16, this fairing has
nothing in common with the
I first grafted a Hasegawa F-16A vertical fin that I later one found on export
looted from a raid into my ancient model boneyard. versions of the F-16D.
After studying available photos and plans, I elaborated
profile, plan and cross section views that I cut into fine
sheet styrene in order to assemble a skeleton for the
fairing. I then patiently glued fine styrene strips, starting
from the bottom, to progressively build the skin of the
hump. Finally, everything was smoothed out with
several coats of Tamiya putty thinned with acetone,
and sanded to shape. Additionally, I erased the small
bumps moulded at the wing roots, suppressed the
RWR antennae fairings at the leading edges, and
replaced the late-style cannon muzzle vents by an
early version, again sourced
from a Hasegawa kit.

At this stage, the antenna base details were added

behind the cockpit, a first set of reinforcement plates
was grafted at the fin base and everything was sprayed
with Tamiya surfacer to check for imperfections. I then
engraved the main panel lines with a fine razor saw
and added selected lines of rivets.

49
 Once the cockpit was fitted
inside the top fuselage half, I
added the test camera behind
the seat.

The second major modification the kit was the

addition of the navigation/targeting fairings to both
wing roots. To do so, I cut and modified two Pave
Spike units from Hasegawa’s Weapons Set B. They
are however so different from the real AFTI pods
that extensive adaptation was needed and I could
as well have built them completely from scratch.
Note that only the right pod was a fully operational
unit, the left one being a mere aerodynamically
similar mock-up. A careful study of photographic
reference was needed to determine the shape, size
and details of the under-wing fairings mating the
pods to the fuselage. They were made from a
spares box missile nose cone. Also notable on the
bottom view are the bases for the belly telemetry
antennae, the position of which was approximately
determined from the rare detail pictures available.

The very prominent spin chute fittings and rear fuselage

reinforcement plates were all scratch-built after
interpreting detail pictures, and some Archer rivets were
added to selected areas. After filling and sanding the
chaff and flare dispenser casings, I added a pair of load
separation cameras. Note that the UHF antenna fitting
next to the arresting hook attachment point must be
deleted, and the antenna relocated just below the
engine intake lip.

With all the main modifications performed, the model

begins looking like the AFTI F-16 and the painting
sessions are closing in.

50
 The “light” type landing gear
(Tamiya parts R1, R2, R3) was
detailed with tin wire
plumbing. The early type
wheels are from the Eduard
Brassin range (ref. 648016).

The details on the canopy frame

were added using Plastruct
styrene, and the helmet position
receiver antenna was carefully
glued to the internal part of the
transparent part along with its
stretched sprue wiring. The
external riveted black sealing
comes from the Furball decals
I used the Aires P&W F100 nozzle without the front fuselage range; it went on flawlessly after
fairing provided, as the Tamiya part fit is excellent. However, the painting the frame Gunship Gray.
resin moulded external “turkey feathers” in my example were
opened out in a tulip shape and I had to bend them back flat
under hot water, albeit not fully satisfactorily.

An extensive work was needed to get a decent replica of the SUU-20

practise bomb launchers used during the AMAS phase. The wing
pylons provided in the Tamiya kit are of the late type with faired sway
braces, so I used Hasegawa F-16A examples as a basis for a more
accurate representation, which received new engraved and relief
details. The pods come from the Hasegawa Weapons set A, but
were extensively modified including a complete re-work of their
underside details and the replacement of the roughly moulded rocket
launch tubes by handmade metallic ones, with their characteristic
bevelled lips. The exercise bombs are from the Daco F-104 detail
set.

The specific AMAS markings for the SUU-20s were inkjet printed on
blank decal sheet, based on photographic reference found in
Aerospace Modeller’s special issue. The RBF tags add a
supplementary touch of colour.

The AIM-9Es are again from Eduard Brassin along

with their protection tip caps, and the markings are
from the spares box. I made the tip cap attachment
ropes with fine metal wire, and added Eduard
Remove Before Flight tags.

51
 The belly colour
(FS36375/H308) was quite
dark out of the Gunze bottle
and I had to add some flat
white to get a better shade.

The base colours were first sprayed hands-free directly

from the Gunze Sangyo range (FS36118/H305 and
FS36270/H306) after painting and masking the white fin
strips of the AFTI logo.

The upper surface weathering was

achieved by a precise post-shading on
selected zones, trying to accurately
reproduce the different faded, stained or
touched-up areas based on photos of
the real aircraft. The engine fitting ring
was painted in Aclad Duraluminium, to
be later weathered with Orange, Sepia
and Blue inks to give a heated metal
hue. The radome was painted with an
intuitive mix of Gunze H305 and H306.
The short chord stabilizers come from
the Quickboost range.

52
The “family picture” before assembly shows the airframe
complete with all markings in place and various oil washes
applied to the recesses. The decals are a combination of the
Caracal 48160 reference and of the excellent Sky’s Decals
SD-34 stencils sheet. In theory, the AMAS phase fin logo
should have ARMY added to the other US military
departments, but I realized this too late to correct it in a
satisfying way. A fine Aircraft Colours semi-matt vanish coat
was finally sprayed overall.

The belly was kept relatively clean,

apart from a darker underlining of
the panel lines that appeared quite
visible on the period photos.

53
54
55
 SU-33, 2ND AS, 279TH CAFR, SUPERCARRIER KUZNETSOV, RUSSIA, SUMMER 2005

ANDREA PATERNIERI’S
DRAMATIC DIORAMA

58
The Su-33 is a naval version of the
"Flanker" family based on the Su-27
design as an opponent to U.S. Navy
Tomcats, although (thankfully) there’s
never been a ‘real’ fight.
The first test from an aircraft carrier with
a ‘sky-jump’ took place in August 1982
(with a modified T-10s prototype).
A new T-10k prototype followed with the
addition of canard, arresting
hook, landing systems and in-
flight refueling probe.
The prototypes lacked the
reinforced carriage for carrier
landing and folding wings,
added to the production
model.
In August 1987 the first flight
followed by the standard version with
folding ailerons and the internal flaps
modified for low speed carrier landing.
In November 1989 the first successful
trials at sea on board the aircraft carrier
‘Tbilisi’, followed an introduction into
active service in September 1991.

In 1996 the aircraft carrier Kuznetsov

(Tbilisi renamed for the Navy of the
Russian Federation) made a trip to the
Mediterranean Sea for the debut of
operations at sea for the Su-33s.

PART
ONE

59
 Due to the large size of the diorama I’d dreamt of building it had - Turned Pitot from Dream Model 0713
to be 1:72. The ship section will be sctratchbuilt while for the Su- - Pilot head from PJ Productions 721113
33 I went for the fantastic Hasegawa kit (E35), adding the following The decals are a mix of those provided by the kit (this time
aftermarket sets : Hasegawa made them thinner than usual even if not to quite the
- Photoetch from Dream Model 0592 and 0531 desired levels) and Begemot code 7228 that supplies a beautiful
- Photoetch from Eduard 73403 detailed study of the liveries of each aircraft.
- Wolfpack Design code 72046 for landing gear bays (which
proved to be incorrect as inspired by the Su-27) however several On with the build...
parts can be used already having the set to hand.
- Correct nose from Quickboost 72333

Cockpit: Few details will be visible through

the closed canopy making 2D photo-etched
Surface details: I thinned-out the areas with grids and vents from the reverse. parts fit for the purpose.
The Hasegawa plastic is extraordinary, being rather like glass in it’s fineness and However, I detailed everything that remains
ideal for creating these fine details. visible through the canopy and the wind
shield with my own scratchbuilding.

Front landing gear compartment:

I used the Wolfpack Design resin gear
bay and added some missing details.
Based on the Su-27 one there are
differences in the carrier aircraft and
also in the main gear bays.
In-flight refueling probe:
Hasegawa provides the detail in the
fuselage mould but the Dream Model
upgrade is a worthwhile addition. The
probe is made of turned aluminum.

60
Main gear: The model will only be placed on the main landing to be able to fix it to the steel structure.
gear so I had to provide a robust structure. The main body is Moreover, to make a solid installation, I created an internal part
formed from 3mm stainless steel round bar, properly shaped and that made a bridge between the two legs, avoiding movement.
TIG welded. I left bare steel in the area of the shock absorbers, And finally ... the exposed metal structures on both inside and
and covered the body with a brass tube with an internal diameter outside will be our electric connections (+9V on one leg, 0V on the
of 3mm. other leg), to supply power to the LEDs.
The landing gears need two pins that protrude from the wheels for
at least 20mm, but to do so we will have to break down the wheel

Rear cone: The rear cone Seat and pilot: No need to Lighting: The lighting of the instrument panel and the engine
area is too thick and was filed buy resin seats that would be exhausts cannot be made just by placing LED because the light
and sanded to suit. barely visible, parts from the would pass through the plastic, even if panted.
Dream Model PE set suffice. We must convey the light; It would be very difficult to make a duct,
The pilot is made from another better to make a “body” filled with clear resin, where the LEDs are
Hasegawa kit, adapting the positioned during curing. The resin will be the light propagation
suit, and adding the PJ media, instead of the space, and the "duct" where the light travels
production head. will be an opaque coat of liquid putty around the body.

Front fairing on main landing gear bays:

It seems that Hasegawa has followed the drawings
The exhaust pipe is made of
that appeared in the early publications on Su-27/33,
aluminum sheet with a
where the area had a much smaller profile.
corrugation made with a
Tamiya epoxy putty was used and profiled from the
ballpoint pen.
inside.

Internal electrical contacts and

structural bridge:
After having sized the resistors on a
test bench I made the electrical
contacts: it’s necessary to consider
redundant wires to be able and
solder well away from the plastic for
obvious reasons!
Using a plasticard box I connected
the two legs through a resin casting
that will reinforce the structure. The
resin is an electrical insulator and in
this way I could join the two legs
without having a short circuit.

61
 Camouflage colours: AKAN have a great set of
colours for Russian Navy subjects. I have no experience
with these paints so also to be safe I mixed equivalents
with Mr Hobby gloss color diluting them with thinner from
Mr Hobby also.
Cockpit colours: I used the very useful set from AKAN
whose colours seem really well chosen.The grey
dedicated to the interior looks a bit dark so was
lightened for the simple reason that the cockpit will be
extremely shaded in 1:72. Shading of details was
achieved with oil paint washes and contrasting highlights
picked out with Vallejo acrylics.

Main carriage fixing

structure:
The base of the main
carriage has a joint that
joins the air intake duct
structure. There is an
opening in the kit parts
that I had to fill and details
were added to the interior.

Pilot colours: I decided on an

orange high-vis suit, for use on
Gun: After having sculpted the
Arctic seas, with a helmet
grids and the cannon muzzle I
decorated in national colours. All
wanted to create a barrel.
was done with Vallejo acrylics,
Starting from the ammo size
using the technique of semi- Air intakes on the tail’s base:
working to 1:72 I found that a
transparent layers. Contrasts are The kit provides them symmetrical but the right one is smaller. I
common syringe needle fits
kept strong as he will be viewed made the modification with epoxy putty.
perfectly for the purpose!
through the canopy.

Stabilizer sliding fairing: The stabilizers

will be positioned upwards, thus Auxiliary air intakes: Dream Model provides
uncovering the rear sliding part in the base a very useful rack for positioning the parallel
Surface details: I added surface details of the tails which I created with plastic slats. Gel cyanoacrylate avoids any
such as studs and hinges. card. overflowing by capillarity action.

Detail of main landing gears: Wires and

sprue of different diameters were used to
detail these areas. Chrome-plated copper
wires and black sprue to exploit the natural
colour to help with painting the details.

62
 Flaps: The flaps will be lowered and must
be scratchbuilt. I cut those from the kit
wings and we built the inner visible details,
both in the fixed and mobile parts.

Wing pylons: I detailed those provided

by the kit by applying Eduard PE guides.
The cavities are milled-out before
applying the photoetched parts.

Landing gears bay doors: The original doors

were covered with brass foil with rivets embossed
according to references.

Exhausts: The best flame-breaker plates are the

perfectly formed Dream Model photoetched parts.
Three layers of ‘petals’ fold together at the
appropriate angles.

The final rendering is impressive.

CONTINUED
IN THE NEXT
ISSUE 63
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