air modeller magazine - february-march 2013
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46ISSUE
February / March 2013
£6.50 UK $14.95
www.airmodeller.com
SHOWCASING THE VERY BEST IN SCALE AIRCRAFT MODELLING
AT THE MOONBuilding Revell’s Big Nightfighter
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1
2 Lynx AH7
Albert Tureczek builds Airfix’s latest 1:48 Lynx straight from the box.
10 Ditched
Aitor Azkue Gracia concludes his stunning 1:32 Heinkel in the second part of this
realistic crash landed He111 diorama.
20 ME109E7 Trop.
Hasegawa’s 1:48 scale Messerschmitt modelled by Luca Piccini.
26 Lockheed Lightning P38
Michael Papadakis builds the 1:48 Hasegawa P38 kit.
34 Heinkel He219 A-7
The Editor builds Revell’s new 1:32 scale Heinkel He219 kit.
42 US Navy Aircraft: Their Liveries and Markings - Part One
Hugh W. Cowin dips into the archives to look at the history of
U.S. Navy aircraft markings.
48 Air BornNew releases.
58 Vickers Wellington Mk1C
Jean-louis Maupoint converts two 1:48 Trumpeter kits to produce a late Mk1C.
CONTENTS
AIR Modeller welcomes contributions from interested parties, but cannot accept any responsibility
for unsolicited material.
The contents of this publication including all articles, drawings and photographs originated by AFV
Modeller ltd become the publishers copyright under copyright law. Reproduction in any form
requires the written consent of the publisher. Whilst every care is taken to avoid mistakes AFV
Modeller ltd. cannot be liable in any way for errors or ommissions.
AFV Modeller is published Bimonthly by
AFV Modeller ltd
Old Stables
East Moor
Stannington
Northumberland
NE61 6ES
Tel: 01670 823648
Fax: 01670 820274
email: david@afvmodeller.com
Editor and Designer: David Parker
Deputy Editor: Donald Campbell
Sales Director: Keith Smith
ISSN 1747-177X
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2
LYNXAH7
AIRFIX 1 :48
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Airfix is a legend within the hobby;
in fact they were one of the
companies that created the hobby.
Its beginnings can be traced back
to 1939 but since 1949 Airfix have
produced Plastic kits and became
Britain’s leading model
manufacturer. In the fifties Airfix
produced the famous Spitfire andsold millions of kits worldwide and
in the sixties Airfix took on an
aviation artist named Roy Cross to
illustrate the front of their boxes. He
made a lot of the classic boxtops
and modellers my age will
recognise most of them still. Airfix
has a tremendous importance in
my modelling development and I
still remember the magic boxes
and even the small plastic bags on
sale everywhere, a Christmas tree
without an Airfix box under it was a
dull one!
But time moved on and other
players began to make their impact
on the market and slowly Airfix was
loosing ground. The technical
progress in manufacturing kits and
especially the hi-tech kits arriving
raised the stakes and sharpened
the competition even more.
At this time Airfix went throughsome turbulent times with changing
owners. Hornby is now in charge
and there is a new line and a new
philosophy. Lately Airfix has
introduced a series of new kits,
which really raised some eyebrows.
One of these kits is the just as
legendary LYNX helicopter in
quarter-scale. They have
introduced a Navy and an Army
version in British service and we
wanted to see how good they really
are.
ALBERT TURECZEK
BUILDS THE LATEST
LYNX STRAIGHT
FROM THE BOX
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NEW GENERATION AIRFX The box is filled to the brink with grey
Sprues containing an awful lot of parts for
a quarter-scale model. There are several
versions and configurations covered by
the maker and so we intended to build
one ‘out of the box’ using the relevant
parts and decals supplied for it. No
aftermarket products were used in
completion of this model. The choice you
have to make stands between three
helicopters, all in British service.
This is a new approach to kit design and it
improves the detail and appearance of a
model quite dramatically. No more
two-fuselage halves which have to be joined with a floor containing the seats
and bulkheads between it. The whole
cabin section including the cockpit, seats,
benches, sidewalls, rear wall, ceiling and
bulkheads adds up to a nice square box.
Now the airframe is basically built around
this sturdy shape.
My choice fell on a machine from the
Army Air Corps, stationed in Afghanistan
in 2006. I liked the door-mounted guns,
the chaff and flare dispensers and the
heat signature reduction exhausts, which
are really nicely done. I thought this all
looked cool and gave the LYNX a serious
appearance.
Construction starts straightforward with
the cabin section, which is built as a
separate unit and integrated into the
airframe, very much like the latest
helicopter kits from Academy.
“THIS IS A NEWAPPROACH TO KIT
DESIGN AND ITIMPROVES THE DETAILAND APPEARANCE O
A MODEL QUITEDRAMATICALLY”
“THE FT O THISKIT IS
EXCELLENT-ONLY A TINYAMOUNT OFLLER WASNEEDED”
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FT AND FNISH
The parts are very smartly broken up with a right
and left centre section, the tail, the nose the
bottom and the engine compartment, which is
different in layout according to the version you
choose. The nose is built up with a top and
bottom part and two side panels with a partial
nose top. This sounds a little complicated but it
is not really and keeps all of the contours correct.
The biggest benefit of this way of assembling is
that you will have a hard time spotting any joints
because they’re not where they’re usually found.
This works exceptionally well and I was
pleasantly surprised by the tight fit. With the
assembly coming so far the next thing on the
to-do list was the placement of the cockpit, side
doors and slide doors. Again here the fit is
perfect. There is a different lay-out of the cockpit
roof according to chosen version, which of
course has to be taken into account.
The same goes for the weapons configuration,
as there are different hard points to be created
and holes to be drilled depending on the chosen
version. The landing skids can be pinned into the
holes provided for them in the bottom plate. The
fit is so good that you can do without glue if you
wish, this is very helpful in the earlier
construction stages. Airfix provides an in-flight or
a transport configuration of the main rotor. I
chose the folded version and it comes complete
with all four blade supports.
Last but not least: The decaling! There is a
comprehensive (Cartograf) sheet provided with
the kit. This sheet covers 3 versions in all ,complete with generic stencil data and even the
blade edges. The instruction sheet is very
detailed and provides a colour print of the
chosen machines as well. The quality of the
decals is that good that you can use them
directly on a matt surface,
provided you use a
good setting solution,
as I did here.
With the internals painted, thisalong with the glazing is maskedand the base camo airbrushedfollowing the kit instructions
Weathering is applied by airbrush and colour washes enhancing the fine rivet detailand sharp panel lines which can be seen to excellent effect on the single piece belly panel. Decals are of the highest quality and very comprehensive.
“THE QUALITY OTHE DECALS IS THATGOOD YOU CAN USETHEM DIRECT ON A
MATT SURACE
PROVIDED YOU USEA GOOD SETTINGSOLUTION”
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CONCLUSION
Airfix is definitely back in town! The LYNX is a
popular topic and the new kit is of stunning
quality and will surely find its followers. There is
room to indulge in some extra detail for the
experts, but you can build a stunning model
right out of the box. Mine already won a bronze
medal at the recently held IPMS Swedish
nationals and was beaten only by two
helicopter models, which are well known to AIR
Modeller readers as they were also mine!
There already exists a Navy version of the
same kit and Airfix had a very strong
appearance at this years Scale Model World,
as a sponsor. The company arranged theparticipation of a real Lynx from the Royal Navy
to be flown in and set on display for the
weekend, with the flight crew on hand.
Can find any weak spots? Sure I can: The
Instruction sheet is not impressive and we’ve
seen far better; in fact here we’re back to the
sixties style Airfix!
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The Lynx helicopter was developed in thelate sixties by Westland with the
participation of Aerospatiale. The prototype
flew for the first time in 1971. The initial
customers were the Royal Navy with orders
of 75 HAS 2 and the Army with a 100 AH 1
ordered. The design was an instant
success and was exported to 14 countries.
The Lynx is almost exclusively used in the
naval role and operated by such important
customers as the German, the Dutch,
Norwegian, French and Danish Navy. The
later has used their Airframes over the
guaranteed 7000 hours and were the first
to be put through an extensive overhaul,
which included the exchange of the wholeairframe and a major avionic and engine
update program including the addition of
the new Blade design with the broad tips,
the BERP (British Experimental Rotor
Program) this is a development between
Westland Aircraft Helicopter Division and
the Royal Aircraft Establishment. This latest
addition greatly improved the Helicopters
lifting and manoeuvrability performance
and enhanced the speed significantly. The
Lynx set a speed world record for
helicopters in 1986 with a specially
prepared machine reaching over 400 km/h,
which still stands to this day.
The Lynx has seen action in all major conflicts since it was introduced into
service in 1977. It fought in the Falklands
war, both Gulf wars and the newest version
the AH 9 is still in service in Afghanistan.
The Danish Navy has been using their
helicopters in the anti-pirate role in the Gulf
of Aden recently and the crews have
marked their aircraft with the appropriate
kill markings. The next generation is already
lifting off in shape of the Super Lynx.
Although there is a civil Version of the Lynx,
the helicopter is considered to be too costly
to be operated by private establishments.
THE WESTLAND LYNX
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THE SECOND AND NAL PART OF THIS
STUNNING •CRASH LANDED HEINKELDIORAMA - DESCRIBING THE PROCESSES
BEHIND THE BASE, GURES AND WATER.10
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D ITCHEDAITOR AZKUE GRACIA S DRAMATIC 1 :32 HEINKEL HE.111 DI ORAMA
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THE OPEL
The Opel comes from Bronco and is a
fairly straight forward kit. Assembled
leaving the body separate, it was
airbrushed in the classic three-tone finish
using Vallejo Air.
In order to apply the mud effects I
concocted a mixture of ‘Acrylic Resin’ and
‘Dry Mud’ from MIG, along with ‘DustEffects’ and ‘Damp Earth’ from AK
interactive. After mixing together, I dipped
the tip of a brush in the mixture, and
positioned this in front of the air stream of
the airbrush blowing air through the brush
and onto the model which gives realistic
‘splattering’ of mud in various tones.
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THE BASE
On a base of 1cm wood with raised walls of about 3mm thick, I
reinforced inside the base with cross strips and proceed to cover
the entire base plate with another layer. The first step is to add the
main volumes, creating the river bank and bed and the road using
polystyrene and Das clay.
For the river bed a white glue coating is covered with a generous
layer of small pebbles (used by railway modellers). The boulders
have been made of putty "A + B Colour" two components in
different sizes (you have to cover your hands because otherwise
you’ll leave fingerprints on them.) Then I carefully placed these in
both the bed of the river and on the shore in a logical manner
using photo reference.
The painting is very important in this stage. I painted the entire
river and rocks in a khaki-green with acrylics. I enhanced the detail
with a little more green between rocks, but not too much. In
reference photos, I saw that the river beds have a predominant
single colour.
To ‘mess’ things up a little I proceeded to the shore with the same
mixture applied to the Opel. I added puddles with the mixture of
"still water" + "dark Herat" + "Light brown" to simulate where the
mud has been removed by the water. Additional leaves and foliage
from "Plus Model" were added and some mushrooms were also
modelled for this area. "Mantis" are the producers of the hares.
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Water is a prominent feature of the diorama
and although its creation is simple there is the
problem of getting the colour and order of the
steps correct. The resin used is ‘Solid Water’
from Deluxe and the whole process took
around two months due to the drying time.
The best method I found is as follows:
Pour 3-4 mm depth of resin as it is, without adding any colour, and after mixing it
according to proportions recommended by the manufacturer. Let this dry 8-9
hours minimum, or even better - until the next day. Do not touch the resin.
Pour a second layer of 3-4 mm, but add a mixture of acrylic turquoise (refer to
photos to get the desired tones) add this colour drop by drop because once the
resin becomes saturated with colour you lose the transparency desired, so only
add a few drops before again allowing the resin to dry without touching.
THE WATER
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Pour the third and final layer of 3-4 mm and colour again, then
allow to dry for about 6 hours. Once the resin is hardened
enough to touch without sticking to a utensil, you can start
shaping it with your fingers, but remember to wear gloves.
Since the resin returns to its original shape, much like rubber,
you must work continuously for an hour or so to see that the
shape is maintained. Pay attention to different elements that
would change the flow of the water. Once dry, I brushed Vallejo’s
‘Water Effects’ to simulate water flowing between rocks at
different speeds.
15
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There are few figures of
Luftwaffe crew on the market,so I had to ask a friend of
mine for some advice. The
figures are conversions using
resin figure parts from the MIG
and Alpine ranges, I modelled
the uniforms, life vest, helmet,
gloves and boots with two part
epoxy putty.
The soldier running to the
bank is also another heavy
transformation. The last figure
is from Alpine with only the
head being changed.
16
THE GURES
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I DEDICATE THE DIORAMA TO MY WIFE
ANA WITHOUT WHOSE HELP WITH THE
RESIN WATER AND COLOURS WOULD JUST
NOT HAVE BEEN THE SAME.
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M E . 1 0 9 E 7 T R o p . M o d e l l e d b y L u c a P i c c i n i
H a s e g a w a ’ s
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The subject of this feature is a Me 109E7
Tropical, a fighter that was used in the
initial part of the campaign in 1941 by
German pilots, including the ace Hans
Joachim Marseille.
I have always been very interested in the
war over the desert therefore when a
good friend of mine gave me the 1/48
Hasegawa kit of the “Emil” I fell
immediately in love with the tropical
version of it and just had to build one.
The kit represents the lines of the elegant
fighter well and it is easy to assemble. I
decided to present the aircraft during
maintenance, showing the engine and the
machine guns. This forced me to remove
the engine cowling and all the other
related panels.
To reproduce the Daimler Benz engine, I
used the AIRES resin set, although finely
moulded, still needs a lot of additional
details in order to be more realistic. In
particular the Me 109 E7 Trop was using
the DB601N which had specific details
that I have scratchbuilt using plastic card
and copper wire.
Another key point is that if you decide to
show the engine you need to rebuild the
two MGs and all the related details. With
good reference at hand it is possible to
obtain a nice result without too much
work. For the two barrels I used metal
ones by Master Model with impressive
levels of detail and finesse.
Hundreds of books have been written about the
history and the role of the Me 109 in World War II:
this fantastic plane flew in all the combat theatres
of the Luftwaffe and it played a key role also in the
so called “War over the desert”.
In the months that followed the deployment of the
Afrika Korps in North Africa, the Luftwaffe was
rapidly called into action in order to provide aerial
support to the troops of Field Marshall Rommel.
1 : 48 S C ALE
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The wings and fuselage of the kit all go
together very well. I decided to give a little
personal touch to the model by riveting the
panel lines.
The tool I used was the ‘Rosie the Riveter’,
this task can be tedious and timely but it
increases the realism and detail, making it
worthwhile.
The next step was assembling and
detailing the landing gear, and then adding
the brake cable using lead wire.
The Daimler Benz engine is from Aires with some scratchbuilt detail to
represent the DB601N powerplant.
Painting and weathering were completed fully before fitting into the kit.
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The Engine and MGs took up quite a lot of my time so I did not work on too much
super-detailing of the cockpit for which I
used an old photoetched Verlinden set I
acquired few years ago. I am aware that
this set cannot compete with the latest
Eduard and Aires productions, but it has an
interesting feature: it gives the opportunity
to reproduce the radio compartment on the
fuselage, a pleasureable part of the build
with a nice result.
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Using fine salt sprinkled onto a damp surface gives a
random and realistic mask allowing the bare metal to
show through the paint finish
24
Before painting I primed the whole
model using my airbrush to spray
Alclad grey primer. This is a great
product that not only highlights little
defects, but that after being gently
sanded with 4000/6000 Micromesh
cloth is a fantastic surface for painting.
Since I wanted to reproduce some
paint damage over the wings I used
the ‘salt technique’, often used by AFV
modellers.
First of all I sprayed the whole model
with Alclad aluminium, next I sprayed
some water over the wing roots and
the leading edges, lastly followed with
some fine salt and left to dry. I used
water as it’s enough to stick the salt to
the surface without damaging the
delicate Alclad silver finish.
Once the salt had dried I began the
pre-shading of the lower surface panel
lines with Gunze Navy Blue (more
subtle than the black) while some other
panels have been painted in white.
Then I sprayed RLM 78 Light Blue
(Misterkit MKLW 20), highly
diluted. The final effect gives
different realistic shades of
light blue.
The upper part follows a slightly
different method, with panel lines
again highlighted in Navy blue and the
surface in RLM 79 sandgelb (Gunze
H66). This time I painted the centre of
the panels with the same Sandgelb
with a few drops of white. In the end
we have different realistic shades of
colour and added depth to the
surfaces. Once I completed this I
removed the salt, with an old brush,and the silver is revealed.
The effect is good although a little
excessive in some places ...the 109 is
not a tank at the end of the day. In fact
having checked with some original
pictures I realised that Luftwaffe
fighters, although in the desert, were
always well maintained. Nevermind, it
is enough to just spray a thin layer of
sandgelb with the airbrush to obtain
the right effect. For the nose I have
used yellow RLM04 (Gunze H413)
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I have chosen to reproduce one of few
“desert yellow” Emils, in particular the
“black chevron” flown by Oberleutnant
Ludwig Franzisket, Gruppen-Adjutant of
I./JG27 Ain El Gazala Libya October 1941. I
say one of the few because the Luftwaffe
fighter units kept this camouflage pattern
for a few months after arrival (from
November 1941 the Me 109F started to
arrive in Libya). A profile of this particular
plane is in the Osprey book “Bf 109 aces of
North Africa and the Mediterranean”.
Interestingly Franzisket survived the war
and he ended his career with 43 victories,
25 of which were in North Africa.
I found few pictures of Emils in these
colours and as already said, they all look
well kept and in good condition.
That’s the reason why once I applied the
decals, I decided not to labour too much
with the weathering.
I weathered the lower surface using the
MIG Neutral Wash, while for the upper
surface I used an sepia oil paint diluted with
white spirit, concentrating on the panel
lines. At the end of this process I tried to
give more contrast by using the filter
technique, again widely used by AFV
modellers. A small quantity of white
titanium oil paint is brushed in the centre of
panels and then gently blended with a
bigger brush and white spirit. The base
colour takes on a faded effect, really eye
catching and gives life to the desert yellow.
A final layer of desert yellow diluted at 90%
helps to keep everything toned down,
followed by matt clear (Vallejo).
Canopy, undercarriage, antenna and fuel
tank put in place complete this fascinating
and handsome model.
25
It’s documented that the fuel tank was almost exclusively
used for the transfer flights from Sicily to Libya. Once arrived
in Africa, they were seldom used in order not to undermine
the fighter’s performance. I preferred to use it simply because
it seems to me more attractive...hope you will forgive me this
little concession!
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M O D E L L E D & D E S C R I B E D B Y M I C H A E L P A P A D A K I S
L O C K H E E D L I G H T N I N G
1 / 4 8 T H S C A L E H A S E G A W A ’ S
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The P-38J, the ultimate Lightning,
combined power, manoeuvrability
and reliability, attributes which
established it as one of the best
aircraft in WW2. This model
represents the colourful P-38J-15
serialed 43-2876, flown by Capt.
Thomas Maloney, 27th F.S, 1st F.G.
based at Foggia, Italy, in August
1944.
Hasegawa’s P-38J is, in my opinion,
still the best Lightning there is in
1:48 scale. Despite Eduard’s
release based on the Academy kit,
Hasegawa has done a better job in
capturing the overall appearance of
this impressive machine.
On the downside its interiors need
substantial work to bring them to an
acceptable standard, something
that Eduard has well taken care of
with its superb “Brassins” and
pre-painted photo etched parts. On
the positive side there is an excellent
cockpit from Aires to go with the
Hasegawa kit, a superb Allison
V-1710 by the same company and a
wealth of reference material that
covers the subject in great detail.
The ones I used extensively, and
therefore highly recommend are:
“Buffie’s Best Restorations Illustrated
Vol.2 CD-ROM” and the P-38L-1
erection & maintenance instructions.
THE LOCKHEED LIGHTNING, KELLY JOHNSON’S
BRAINCHILD WAS AN AIRCRAFT DESIGNED TO
GO WHERE NO OTHER HAD GONE BEFORE: HIGH
ALTITUDES AT HIGH SPEEDS.
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Construction
Having decided to reveal as much interior
detail as possible and utilize the available
aftermarket sets, it was inevitable that a
large part of the kit had to be removed. The
cockpit and gun bay areas were all
discarded in order to accommodate the
Aires cockpit and the scratchbuilt gun
installation. The wheel bay was also
omitted and the port engine nacelle was
sawn off at the point where the firewall and
the new powerplant would be installed.
The Aires cockpit was the first to find its
way into the severed model. As is the norm
with most resin sets it had to be thinned
down in order to fit in properly. Other than
that Aires have done their homework so all
that is required is the installation and
painting of the parts provided. Along with
the cockpit the side panel and the gun bay
area were also prepared.
In order to fit an array of equipment and
plumbing, Lockheed’s designers had to
come up with such an architecture that
would combine the wing spars and the
base for the turbo supercharger together
with the main landing gear well. In other
words this meant that I had to create this
arrangement so that all the subsequent
parts would fit properly onto the model. I
used a combination of restoration photos,
kit dimensions and common sense.
I eventually came up with a design which I
cut onto a piece of plasticard and installed
it in the place of the wheel bay sidewalls. I
then started to add the pieces of plasticard
and pewter as seen in the accompanying
photos.
The turbo superchargers were ‘robbed’
from the Verlinden B-17 update detail set
and were reworked to fit into the Lightning’s
tighter spaces. Since there were two of
them it was imperative that they were both
the same. In the meantime I completed the
kit construction by filling the various gaps
with Milliput epoxy putty working on the
model’s surface. A coat of Mr. Surfacer
1000 was then sprayed in order to reveal
any flaws which I would then rectify. A final
coat of Mr. Surfacer paved the way for the
next stage…
01 The Aires cockpit dry-fitted to ensure that
surrounding pieces would fit in properly. 02 The
booms were also reworked, mainly at the radiator
housings. Note the various stages of improvement.
(left to right) Thin plasticard and pewter were used
to correct the location of the radiator rear side.
03 With the cockpit in place, I started work in the
gun bay area by attaching the floor. I also craf ted
and installed the side panel frames.
07 Elements of both turbo superchargers under
construction and comparison with the original
Hasegawa parts. 08 The starboard turbo
supercharger in place after considerable effort.
The plastic of the housing interior had to be
thinned down to a great extent and the manifold
itself had to be forced into place. Another difficulty
was to get the shape of the exhaust exactly the
same as the one on the opposite engine. 09 I used
a combination of the MDC riveting tool and Archer
fine transfers for larger rivets, screws and
fasteners.
04In order to ensure the structural integrity of the
port wing the main and rear spars were
constructed with thick pieces of plasticard. They
also provided a solid reference point for the
construction of the supercharger floor and the
wheel bay. 05 A riveted spar face is now in place
and one by one the pieces are finding their way onto the model. 06 The engine mounts were
painstakingly built from scratch. A word of advice,
reinforce them with a piece of metal at the back
for they are too fragile. The lower part of the
firewall was crafted and drilled at predetermined
locations to receive the plumbing later on. Idecided to bolt the engine in place just like the real
thing so I used Scale Hardware’s 0.5 UNM hex
bolts and nuts.
0 1 0 2 0 3
0 4 0 5
0 7 0 8 0 9
0 6
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11
Painting
The painting of this model was by no
means conventional. As I opted for a high
level of realism I decided to go the hard
way and ‘dress’ my P-38 with aluminium
foil! Whilst skimming through the
bibliography I came across an illustration
showing that some areas of the aircraft
were left unpainted while others were filled,
sanded and subsequently painted with
aluminium paint. This was done to improve
airflow at aerodynamically critical areassuch the portion between the wing’s
leading edge and centre section.
I started with the unpainted areas that were
to be represented with aluminium foil.
I used Microscale’s Micro Foil Adhesive
which I thinned down 1:1 with water. I then
masked the panel I wanted to attach the
piece onto and sprayed the above solution
with an airbrush. I gave this a couple of
minutes to dry and then attached a piece of
foil on the surface with the matt side facing
up. With a cotton bud I rubbed against the
foil to ensure that it would fit evenly onto
the model’s surface. Then using a toothpick
I pressed in the panel lines to define them.Finally with a sharp blade I cut out the
excess foil around the panel. Bear in mind
that by masking the panel prior to applying
the glue any excess material comes off
very easily.
Once the panel was finished I used my
‘Rosie the riveter’ tool directly onto the foil
to represent the aircraft’s rivets. This
process was repeated until all the required
wing areas had been covered.
For those unpainted areas that were too
curvy to apply aluminium foil, Alclad’s
polished aluminium came to the rescue.
The picture was completed with Alclad’s
white aluminium paint for the remaining‘painted’ surfaces of the aircraft. All the
above were blended together with a wash
between the panel lines with dark oil
colours. 29
10 On the trailing edges of the wings the foil was
folded to the underside to ensure that it wouldn’t
be damaged during handling. The model’s panels
were revealed by rubbing with a cotton bud and
pressing delicately with a toothpick along the
lines of each panel.
11 & 12 Slowly but steadily the panels improve
the model’s realism and the modeller’s mood.
Perhaps at the expense of his patience…
13 THE PORT BOOM
BEFORE BEING
PAINTED. THE OTHER
WING WAS LEFT AS
IT IS SINCE THERE
WA S MUCH WORK
STILL TO BE DONE ON
THE ENGINE AREA
THAT WOULD
INEVITABLELY LEAVE
FINGERPRINTS OR
DAMAGE ON ITSLEADING AND
TRAILING EDGES.
10
13
14 15
12
14 & 15 The rest of the
panels including the wing
trailing edges and booms
were sprayed with Alclad
white aluminium. I
avoided masking the foil
for fear of removing all
the previous effort whilstunmasking.
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30
The wheel bay interior was coated
with Testor’s zinc chromate yellow
and the anti glare surfaces with
Xtracolor’s olive drab. Finally the
booms, spinners and wingtips
were airbrushed with a custom
red colour to represent 1st Fighter
Group’s bright markings.
The decals came from a rather
unusual source, a book on the
P-38J/L (Modelmania No.8 by AJ
Press). With a little research I
corrected a couple of historic
inaccuracies relating to Maloney’s
aircraft depicted in the book and
ended up with this combination of
serial number and paint scheme.
Superdetailing
With the painting out of the way there were lots of empty spaces,
especially in the landing gear, that had to be filled with details. The
diagrams found in the maintenance manual were the best guide in
determining the location of the various systems. There is no easy
way to describe this process, just a constant cross-reference
between the restoration photos and the diagrams.
The materials used were mainly copper, lead and solder wires of
various thicknesses ranging from 0.3mm to approximately 1mm.
Other fittings such as pulleys and bolts were made of pewter with
the use of a punch and die set. T-unions and clamps were made of
very thin strips of self adhesive aluminium tape.
1 6 1 7
16 A coat of “factory
fresh” zinc chromate
primer yellow was
applied in the wheel
bay interior. This was
to be much dirtier at
a later stage of the
models construction.
17 The tail section with the
elevator installed at a
lowered position and given a wash with oil colours. Note
that Alclad white aluminium
is not affected by white spirit
contrary to polished
aluminium which gets
washed away…
18 I began to install the plumbing at their
appropriate positions. I used 0.3mm
copper wire throughout and in a couple of
instances 0.5mm solder wire. 19 Similarly
the wheel bay was detailed using the
same wires. The bay area was dark ened
with a wash of raw umber and burnt
umber oil colours. Also note how the foil
has folded at the corner. This wasrectified with thin cyanoacrylate glue. 20
A scratchbuilt oil tank was placed on the
firewall along with various other details.
The pulleys on the left were pewter disks
of various diameters. They were made
using a punch and die set. The engine
mounts were also installed and painted.
1 8
1 9 2 0
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The next big step was to mount the engine. There were so many
things that could go wrong at this stage so I started to plan ahead.
After considerable thought, study of the photographs and a couple
of failed attempts I decided to install the engine as it was mounted
on the real aircraft. I started with the mounts that were attached on
to the firewall and in the meantime I worked on the oil tank which I
also installed into place.
Then I attached the remaining mounts at their appropriate
locations on the engine and literally bolted together the engine
assembly with the mounts on the firewall using Scale Hardware’s
0.5 UNM hex bolts and nuts. Needless to say that I made many
comparisons with the starboard engine, to ensure that I got the
symmetries right.
Somewhere along the line I scratchbuilt the
engine mounts using a plan found in the
Bunrin-Do book, some restoration photos
and an Aires’ resin engine. The mounts
were made of plasticard and reinforced
with pieces of metal at the back. The
engine itself was painted neutral grey withblack cylinder blocks and subsequently
detailed with various tubes and f ittings
using the Allison manual as a reference.
21 The engine as seen from the cockpit. Note the
close proximity of the engine installation to the oil
tank. 22 The oil sump on the underside was also
left unpainted. Note the bolts that hold the mounts
together and the leaks on the engine. The
plumbing on the leading edge of the wing is
marked with colourful ribbons denoting the system
they belong to.
23 The plumbing was literally manoeuvred around
the mounts to reach their attachment points.
Unfortunately there is no easy way to do this as it
is essential to get the engine symmetries right
before any further detailing. The oil coolers were
made of ‘green stuff’ a very popular material with
those sculpting figures.
24 More pipes find their way to their appropriate
locations. The thick pipes coming from the wheel
bay connect to elements of the engine’s cooling
system such as the radiators on the booms, the
pump on the lower side of the engine and the
engine cylinder blocks. 25 These thick air ducts
were also sculpted with ‘green stuff’ and detailed
with various fittings.
2 1 2 4
2 2 2 52 3
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32
Further details were added on to the engine continuing from the
ones installed in the wheel bay, fuselage and the leading edge of
the wing. Finally the canopy’s framework, propellers, landing gear
struts, panel doors and other pieces were progressively worked and
installed at their appropriate locations.
30 AN OVERALL
VIEW PRIOR TO THE
LANDING GEAR
INSTALLATION,
PROPELLERS AND
OTHER DETAILS.
26 28 29
26 & 27 The wheel bay doors were madefrom scratch using pewter and the kit
parts as a template. A punch and die set,
a riveter and a template were also utilized.
28 A couple of coats of olive drab for the
anti-glare panels and a wash with oil
colours instantly revealed the riveting
work. The gun bay architecture has almost
been completed. ‘Buffie’s best’ CD-ROM
was an excellent source of information for this area also. 29 Taking a closer look at
the centre section area the work on the
canopy framework stands out. Pieces of
self adhesive aluminium tape were
attached and riveted in situe
with the MDC riveting tool.
31 & 32 The gun bay area with Aires Brownings, Karaya
barrels and ammunition boxes in place. These boxes were cast
with metal to counter the model’s tendency to sit on its tail.
33 Radiator detail and oxygen bottle servicing access panel.
31 32
33 34
34 The olive drab antiglare surface panel was faded with a lighter shade
and treated with oil colours. It was later coated with a matt varnish. Also
note the “rubber seals” on the windshield made of painted black thin strips
of Tamiya tape.
27
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Conclusion
As we leave the scene our opened up Lightning stands still
under the hot Italian sun. Mechanics will soon have her ready
for her next sortie. Alas, it is going to be one of her last ones
as on the 19th of August 1944 during the invasion of southernFrance she will be damaged and will have to perform an
emergency ditch somewhere in the Mediterranean.
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34
AT THE MOONRevell’s 1:32 Heinkel He 219 A-7
Modelled by David Parker
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When we initially looked at the impressive new Revell kit in our Air Born
review we were suitably inspired and so it didn’t take us long to break out
the sprue cutters and get started on what has long been a favourite
subject for me.
As we had already established the huge kit offers some nicely detailed
mouldings although a little flashy in places and comes with the option of
fitting the rare Naxos radar system with alternate dipoles and canopy
moulding alongside the more familiar versions. The cockpit features some
good detail with the rear seat radio/radar racks nicely moulded and as the
snap of the sprue cutters started, anticipation was high for an enjoyable
and dramatic build. Armed with the new Valiant Wings Publications on the
UHU work commenced.
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36
Follo wing the k it instructions and it was straight into the
cock pit and almost immediately there were problems with
the cre w seats. I k ne w the moulded on seat belts would
ha ve to go but closer stud y of the photos of the real seats
sho wed that other details were wrong. I made a
completel y ne w seat back for the Pilot’s seat into which I
embossed the flush rivet pattern using MDC’s rivet tool.
Tin y photoetched rings were used for the seatback
fastenings. The shoulder guards were e x tended and gi ven
the correct shape and the headrest ad justers replaced with
brass rod.
The Obser ver’s seat was less well documented but I was
unhapp y with the shape of the seatframe, buck et seat and
the foot pegs. Again I treated the seatback with ri vet
patterns and I made ne w seat cushions for both seats from
Magic Sculp.
Cle ver interlocking panels are a feature of the cock pit tub
design but there were some gaps to be filled in the rear
cock pit floor before mo ving on. The throttle le vers and
associated controls were a little blobb y so I replaced these
with m y o wn details. I also replaced the o x ygen hoses with
ne w solder e x amples for a better effect.
The clear moulded side panel
is to allow the fuses to beshown under their clear covers
and must therefore be masked.
Supercharger and heater intak es are moulded
separatel y but their fit into the wings is quite poor
lea ving big gaps to be made good. The heater
intak e on the tail is also a bad fit.
At the front of the nacelle the joint line is poorly
designed as it intersects se veral filler ports. There
is an actual panel break in the co wlings just the
other side of these ports which would ha ve been a
better place for the join. The circular filler port has
been re versed.
The nacelle and wheel ba y assemble well with a
good fit with the wing but all is not right with the
nacelle.
Moving into the build of the airframe and mostly the parts are
fitting together well but I was unhappy with the appearance of the
access panels on the kit which were moulded with the same
weight of engraved line as the regular panel lines. To improve this
I took the time to go over all these access panel lines on the
wings and fuselage. During this process various errors became
apparent. The circular filler ports are reversed on the nacelles, the
wing root ammunition panels have no hinges, the gun panels are
missing both hinges, latches and a circular access panel. Another
circular access panel is missing under the engine cowlings all of
which are missing their latch detail. Frustratingly Revell show all
these missing details on the line drawings for their colour
schemes in their instructions - including the filler ports facing in
the correct direction! There has been discussion amongst online
modellers about the accuracy of the overall shape and alignment
of the nacelles. Comparing the finished model with photos of the
real aircraft from the same angle and there does seem to be a
difference particularly in the position of the tail of the nacelle which
seems to droop far more than in the photographs. How much this
bothers you is obviously something for you to decide and with a
looming deadline not something that I was going to worry about.
One positive is the excellent fit of the spine panel and the ventral
gun pod with no nasty jumps in levels just some very slight gaps.
The shape of the bump under the tail part 46 is not correct and
beware Revell’s comedy belly pod gun barrels. In reality the tips of
the barrels do not extend outside the pod as Revell have
depicted. If your variant has the 30mm Schräge Musik guns you
will need to open up the faired over ejector slot in the fuselage
floor which is not mentioned in the instructions. Be sure to pack
out the fuselage and fronts of the nacelles with as much ballast as
you can, something I was rather casual about and later regretted
when the model refused to sit on its wheels. Which brings me to
the wheels where things do not improve. Revell have modelled the
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The Cockpit was painted in Gunze RLM 66 and the unpainted floor finished in Alclad White Aluminium with an overspray of Lifecolor
White Oxide to give a tarnished look.
I used the superb HGW laser cut fabric seatbelts to finish the
seats. They look incredibly real and can be subtly weathered with
dilute oil colours.
The radio and radar rack was mostly hand painted and I used
MDC’s excellent instrument dial decals mostly to replace the
rather poor kit ones which on close inspection were often just a
jumble of dots.
improve. Revell have modelled the undercarriage in the unloaded position,
something which is very obvious when to study the design of the main wheel
bogie which could not stay it position when the wheels are on the ground. I had to
cut down the oleo and correct the scissors on the main wheels and the nose
wheel too. I also added the missing brake cable detail to the main gear struts.
The main wheels lack a properly defined outer edge to the rims and the brake
cables are too thin and central wheel hub detail is very two dimensional. Whilst I
was reworking the nose wheel I cut the yoke and fitted a brass tube to allow the
nose wheel to be turned.
With the fuselage assembled and the windscreen glazing in place, something
which fits well, I found that I really was not happy about the look of the nose. This
is a complex shape so its not simply a matter of measuring a few key
dimensions to reach a conclusion. However comparing the plan view of the nose
with the Hienkel drawings in the Valiant Wings book the drawings show a more
pointed nose than Revell have modelled. It looks like the nose should start to
taper further back along the fuselage - from around the position of the control
column. As it is the nose looks too ‘fat’ to me sadly. On the lower rear fuselage
roughly where the markings sit there is noticeable edge in the transition of the
To impro ve the definition of the access panels the
panel lines were scribed to a greater depth. This
differentiated them from the regular shallo w panel
lines.
The internal windscreen has a lip on the lo wer
edge that must be remo ved and is too tall for the
frame. I also replaced the undersized gun sight
with the far more detailed MDC resin e x ample
mounted onto the k it support.
MDC’s instrument dial decals were mostly used in
place of the k it decals.
The unmodified undercarriage on the left and the
corrected version on the right
37
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The upper surfaces were given a coat of Gunze RLM 75 gre y in
preparation for the mottled camouflage.
On the real aircraft RLM 76 was spra yed o ver the 75 to obtain t
he
camouflage pattern so this is what I did. Using a random squigg
le pattern
I gradually built up the densit y of the Gunze RLM 76 co verage.
I would
work back o ver the pattern to build up the densit y and fill in an y
gaps.
Here the painting has been completed and the
decals ha ve been applied. I chose a scheme from
the AIMS dedicated decal sheet 32D006 depic
ting an
A-2 aircra ft. I used selected stencil decals from
the
k it as the He 219 is not o ften seen with man y s
tencils
so I focussed on the fuel filler mark ings. A fter a
coat
o f satin varnish I outlined all the panel lines wit
h
diluted Tamiya Smok e and this is ho w the mod
el
look ed a fter this.
38
pattern across the curved surface which
should of course be smooth. The Problems
with the shape of the propeller blades was
easily improved if not completely corrected
by filling the offending recesses with putty
and sanding smooth
Painting
Gunze Mr Hobby Aqueous hobby color was
used to paint the exterior as it always
performs flawlessly for me and I really like
the satin finish it dries to. The base colour of
RLM 75 was applied to the upper surfaces
followed by the squiggle pattern of RLM 76.
This is a little daunting at first as it looks
very high contrast initially and you have to
hold your nerve. Avoid straight lines and
keep the pattern as random as possible
and build up the pattern by working over
the patterns several times. With the upper
surfaces finished I then filled in the
undersides with RLM 76 and defined the
camouflage break along the fuselage and
engine nacelles. One area I was not looking
forward to
was the flame
damper exhaust
covers. These will not fit
over the exhausts unless you
lengthen the holes in the dampers and the
concentric ring grille on the front is very
heavy looking. I did my best to thin down
the rings with a scalpel blade but I really
think a decent aftermarket correction is the
answer here. I painted the dampers in a
dull brown before using some torn sponge
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The rest of the aircraft was spra yed with pure RLM 76 with the
e x ception of the underside of the starboard wing which was ma
sk ed
and spra yed in Gunze gloss black .
The undercarriage legs showing the added
brake cable detail.
An oil wash was applied to pick out the panel line detail
with a dark er tone used to outline the access panels
39 The Flame dampers were stippled in different pale rustshades to give a heat damaged finish.
E x haust stains were airbrushed using different shades of br
o wn to build up the
effect which was also carried o ver to the vertical fins and ta
il.
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40
to stipple random
pale brown shades over
the top. Small rust speckles
were brush painted with rusty oil paintshades and sometimes smudged with my
finger to soften the effect. Black pigment was
used to add soot stains around the outlet of the
dampers. Smaller details were added at this
stage and the undercarriage installed. I remain
unhappy with the stance of my model
which is probably my fault for messing about
with the undercarriage.
My verdict then on the Revell 219 is not what Ihad hoped it would be as I really hoped that it
would live up to my expectations. A long list of
errors and oversights however have blighted
this model. I must commend Revell for
producing a model like this at around £50 but a
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41
keen price does not offset some fairly
basic errors which could so easily been
avoided, and please, please Revell! -
Overhaul your instruction sheets which
continue to get my award for the worst inthe hobby.
My thanks to Damon Whiteman for his technical
assistance and general 219 know how on this
project.
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By the nature of the subject’s
time span of more than a century,
any attempt to cover this topic in
depth would fill more than a
modestly-sized book. Rather than
this, the writer has chosen to
outline the major phases of the
subject by the use of
rare and, hopefully, interesting
archival images. The images
chosen cover the spectrum of
circumstances, ranging from the
changing official colour schemes,
to simple lapses brought about
by the lack of the right paint in
the right place, as frequently
happened during the highly
mobile campaigns of the Pacific
in WW2.
The Early Years and War,
1911–1923
Between 1911 and 1917, the combined
number of aircraft purchased by the US
Navy for itself and the Marines barely
reached the fifty mark. During this period,
the appearance of aircraft were solely
dictated by the colour of the material and
finish used, usually light beige for canvass
and darker tones for wooden hulls.
This state of affairs lasted until March
1916, when the first steps were taken to
bring about order by including forms of
identification. The first steps were to use
an anchor emblem, denoting the aircraft’s
parent service – initially applicable to both
the Navy and Marines. Before the end of
1916, most Navy and Marine aircraft were
being painted slate grey overall.
The use of national marking, comprising a
white star with red centre and whose five
points touched the circumference of a dark
blue circle, along with red, white and blue
rudder stripes followed in May 1917.
shortly after America had entered World
War 1.
This event was to have profound
repercussions not just on numbers of
aircraft coming into service, but for the
means of satisfactorily differentiating
between types. A further complication was
that American aircraft would soon be
needed to help combat German and
Austrian forces in Europe. These being
European-based, it was decided would
have to carry marking similar to those of
the Allies they would be flying alongside.
Thus, the star insignia was replaced by
roundels comprising an outer red ring, thena blue ring with a white centre. This
change applied only to US aircraft in
Europe, US-based machines retaining their
star insignia.
Also introduced in May 1917 was the
means of numerically identifying individual
aircraft. Initially known as the Building No.,
this became popularly known in later years
as the BuAer No. Initially prefixed with the
letter A, this was carried on the fuselage
aft of the wings. Although not carried in
large figures since 1924, the BuAer No.
remains part of the mandatory
Navy/Marine aircraft markings to this day.
Navy and Marines aircraft that started to
arrive in Europe from the spring of 1918
tended to conform to their European
neighbour’s liveries, including the adoption
US Navy Aircraft,t h e i r L i v e r i e s a n d M ark i n g s
BY HUGH W. COWIN
This line-up of Marine Fighting One (VMF-1) Grumman F3F-2s at Quantico in 1938 recaptures something of a long lost era.
Note the national blue, white and red rudder stripes retained by the USMC into 1940. Introduced, along with the National
star insignia in May 1917, these rudder marking had also been used on Navy aircraft until the early 1930s. (US Navy)
Part one
42
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Above Totally bereft of
markings, this Navy Burgess-
Dunne AH-7 is seen
operating off Pensacola in
early March 1916. (US Navy)
Right Only the aircraft number
and anchor emblem in this
February 1917 image identify the
Sturtevant AH-24 as belonging to
the Navy. (US Navy)
Above Seen after delivery to
France, this Dayton-Wright built
Airco DH-4 of the Marines
carries US-style roundels above
and below the wings. Note the
white centre, unlike that of its
British and French
contemporaries. (US Navy)
Right Another aspect on the
USMC’s French-based Dayton-
Wright DH-4 showing the large
US Marine emblem worn on its
fuselage. Four Marine squadrons
operated on the Western Front
during the last few months of
hostilities. (US Navy)
Left Shown wearing the US
star insignia, this
Aeromarine 39B trainer was
the last of 150 of these
trainers ordered by the
Navy in 1917. US-based
aircraft continued to wear
these markings throughout
the war. (US Navy)
43
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Above Right This Curtiss F-5L, A-4314,
belonged to Marine’s Scouting Squadron One,
or VS-1M, who operated four during 1922. The
light grey for upper surfaces and slate grey for
lower scheme adopted for Navy and Marine
flying boats in 1918 appears to have been
slightly underdone in this case, with the slate
grey extended to cover the upper fuselage
decking. (US Navy)
Above This Lewis & Vought VE-7SF provides an example of how the Builders No., later BuAer No., was first displayed. Original designed as a two-seat
trainer for the Army, the single-seat VE-7S and VE-7SF, with floatation gear, were to provide the backbone of the Navy’s fighter strength during the first half of
the 1920s. These were the first fighters to serve aboard USS Langley, the Navy’s first carrier, commissioned in 1922. Belonging to a Vought A-7E, Bu Aer
157530, the colour image depicts its latter-day positioning relegated both in size and prominence but always on the rear fuselage. (US Navy)
The Colourful Years, 1924
–1940
One of the fallouts from the First
Washington Naval Agreement affecting the
appearance of Navy and Marine aircraft
was issued in June 1924. This was to
delete the large fuselage BuAer No.,
replacing it with a Mission Designator that
was much more than its name implied.
Comprising of three groups of alpha-
numerics, exemplified by ‘1-F-16’. This
signified that the machine belonged to the
Navy’s First Fighter Squadron, VF-1, and
was the 16th aircraft of that unit, or
because a squadron comprised 18 aircraft
made up of six three-aircraft sections, it
must belong to the Flight Commander of
Section 6. To separate Marine from Navy
units, the mission letter was encased in a
circle on USMC aircraft. This new system
remained in use until well into 1942,
providing all and sundry with an extremely
simple means of assessing the Order of
Battle relating to US Navy and Marine
aviation assets. Two other changes need mention. The first
called for the addition of ‘US NAVY’ to the
fuselages of relevant aircraft –the Marines
having to wait until June 1931 for such an
44
Above Built by Martin as the MO-1, to a Navy’s Bureau of Aeronautics design, only six of the original
order for 36 were completed. Evaluated by VO-6 during 1924, the MO-1 proved overweight,
underpowered and incompatible with shipboard catapult operations. The mission designator ‘1 / 42’ is
not that of VO-6 and remains a mystery. For an explanation of the ‘/’ see Vought O2U-1 below. (Cowin
Collection)
Above Seen in 1929, this Martin T4M-1 of VT-9 wears a small ‘s’ immediately behind the ‘T’ in ‘9-Ts-
10’ indicating that the squadron was part of the Scouting fleet. (US Navy)
of squadron or even individual emblem. In
the case of the Marine DH-4Bs posted to
France, these exchanged their overall grey
for khaki upper and light grey under
surfaces, adorned with a large USMC
emblem on their fuselages, aft of the
wings. All US aircraft repatriated home
reverted to the May 1917 star national
marking by the end of 1919.
As far as overall aircraft finishes were
concerned, light grey was to predominate
for landplanes during the immediate post- war years, while sea-going machines had
light grey upper surfaces and slate grey
lower hulls and floats. The one exception to
this, was the adoption of all-yellow finishes
to the fleet of trainers based at Pensacola.
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Above Dating from 1925, this Naval Aircraft
Factory PN-7 image points up a discrepancy often found in the late 1920s between Mission
Design nomenclature and Mission Designation
carried by the aircraft. Cleary stated as a Patrol
type design, the mission designator ‘S’ stands
for the more ambiguous Scouting, a role carried
out by aircraft of all sizes and shapes. The ‘P’
for Patrol was not used on aircraft until 1929.
The squadron emblem for Scouting One, VS-1,
plus pilot’s rank flag is forward of the mission
designator. (US Navy)
Right This Vought O2U-1 of VO-3 operated from
the catapult of cruiser USS Raleigh in 1927.
Note the squadron Bat emblem on the forward
fuselage and overall darker colour tone of the
central float. The dash in the ‘3 / 3’ denotesObservation and was initially chosen to prevent
confusion with the number 0, or the Marine-
associated encirclement. However, ‘O’eventually
triumphed, replacing the ‘/’ in 1935. (US Navy)
Above Built by Martin as the MO-1, to a Navy’s
Bureau of Aeronautics design, only six of the
original order for 36 were completed. Evaluated
by VO-6 during 1924, the MO-1 proved
overweight, underpowered and incompatible
with shipboard catapult operations. The mission
designator ‘1 / 42’ is not that of VO-6 and
remains a mystery. For an explanation of the ‘/’
see Vought O2U-1 below. (Cowin Collection)
embellishment. The second change came
about as an aid to spotting downed aircraft
and called for all upper wing and tail
surfaces to be painted yellow on allmachine of both services. By the early
1930s this changed to Chrome Yellow to
further improve visibility.
Safety and visibility considerations
continued to impact on aircraft
appearance, when in April 1929, it was
decreed that all Navy and Marine aircraft
propellers tips were to be painted with red,
yellow and blue bands to increase their
visibility when rotating. A far more momentous change in aircraft
appearance came about in June 1931, as
a result of efforts to improve ready in-flight
identification of who was who by fellow
airmen. This order required the use of
colours to discriminate aircraft within a
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46
Above As engine power increased,
fighters such as this Curtiss F6C-3
were able to carry a bomb slung
between the undercarriage. This
led to some former fighter
squadrons being redesignated as
bomber units during 1928. In this
case, the aircraft seen belonging
to Bombing One, VB-1, on 28
September 1928, had carried the
marks of Fighting Five until
undergoing unit redesignation in
August of that year. (US Navy)
Above Designated Lockheed
XR2O-1by the Navy, this virtually
‘off-the-shelf’ L 10A Electra was
delivered on 19 February 1936, for
use by the Secretary of State for the
Navy. It remained in service until
1941. The overall fuselage was
finished in dark blue, while much of
the airframe remained natural
metal. (US Navy)
Left Pristine in its newly applied
overall finish of light grey, this
Boeing F4B-4 belonged to VF-6,
who operated their F4B–4s from
USS Saratoga between 1932 and
1936. The top half cowl colour is
yellow, as would have been the
fuselage band once applied. The
retirement of the F4B-4 from front-
line service marked the passing of a
decade in which Boeing and Curtiss
biplane fighters reigned
uncontested in both Navy and
Marine units. (Gordon Williams, via
Boeing)
Above Almost in the finish it left the factory, this Curtiss R4C-1 Condor
operated with the Navy in 1934, before passing to the Marines’ Utility
Seven. Fitted with skis, the aircraft, at one point, operated with the US
Antarctic Service. (US Navy)
Easily confused with its direct descendant, Douglas’s SBD Dauntless, this Northrop BT-1 was one of 54 production examples delivered to the Navy
starting in April 1938. The first of these went to VB-5 aboard USS Yorktown, while this aircraft of VB-6 flew from USS Enterprise. Northrop’s XBT-2, a
cleaned-up development of the BT-1, became the Dauntless prototype following Douglas’s acquisition of Northrop. (Cowin Collection)
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47
given squadron. The colours were red for
squadron commanders and white, blue,
black, green and yellow for the 2nd, 3rd,
4th, 5th and 6th sections, respectively.
These colours were to be displayed on
engine cowlings, chevrons on upper wing
centre sections, aft fuselage bands and
squadron commander’s tail units. In the
case of squadron Commanders and
section leaders, the relevant colour was
applied to the full engine cowling, while the
2nd and 3rd machine of each section
would carry the upper half cowl colour, or
lower half, respectively. This order was to
be modified in March 1937, following
instances of returning carrier pilots landing
on the wrong vessel. Henceforth, the use
of full tail colours would be restricted to
carrier aircraft and specific land-base
patrol squadrons. In this scheme, yellow
applied to USS Lexington, white to USS
Saratoga, green to USS Ranger, red to
USS Yorktown and black to USS Wasp.
Changes also affected the overall finish of
aircraft during this period At the start of the
1930, most aircraft employed a mixture of
skinning, with engine cowlings and forward
fuselages being of metal, while aft
fuselages and wings were still fabric
covered. At this time, practice was to paint
metal parts light grey and finish fabric in
silver. However, by the mid-1930s and the
advent of the nearly all-metal aircraft, the
overall choice of finish had switched to
silver.
What few transport aircraft that were
needed normally were bought ‘off-the-
shelf’ and remained in the manufacturers’
standard finish, except for upper wing and
service markings. Those aircraft used to
transport Very Important People had
fuselages clad in midnight blue, ranging
from full to partial coverage depending on
seniority of rank.
Above Beautiful in its original livery, this Curtiss F9C-2 was one of seven
designed to be carried internally and deployed from the Navy’s last two
airships for their protection. The sole prototype, XF9C-1, first flew in early 1931
and was retained by the Heavier-than-Air Unit, as it was known. No F9C-2s were aboard the airship ZRS-4 Akron when it was lost off New Jersey on 4 April
1933, so all went to ZRS-5 Macon, lost off the Californian coast 12 February
1935. (National Aerospace Museum)
Above Last of the Navy’s Scouting biplanes, this Curtiss SBC-3 prepares to
depart USS Enterprise in 1939. Operated initially by VS-5 aboard USS Yorktown
in July 1937, the Navy were to order 258 SBCs in all, prior to production end in
May 1941. Out of this total, 186 were still on the Navy’s strength at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. Already declared obsolescent by the Navy at this
time, only one Marine unit, VMO-151 continued to operate the type in front-line
service into 1942. (Cowin Collection)
A close-up of a Douglas TBD-1 Devastator of VT-6 aboard USS Enterprise
in 1941. First flown on 15 April 1935, the XTBD-1 was the first Navy aircraft
to have upward folding wings. Initial deliveries of the 159 production
Devastators went to VT-3 in October 1937. The TBD-1 remained in front-
line service into mid-1942, when one squadron, VT-8, was totally wiped
out and another savaged by Japanese carrierborne fighters in the Battle of
Midway (Cowin Collection)
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AIR BORNnew releases
Wingnut Wings 1:32 Hannover C1.II
And the fun continues with a flurry of new releases from Wingnut
Wings and the two-seater Hannover C1.II which proves to be an
impressively large aircraft in this scale with a cavernous fuselage
to get to grips with there is plenty to excite the modeller and the
colourful lozenge schemes make for an attractive subject. Lets
have a closer look, and as usual we have Wingnut Wings superb
colour instruction booklet complete with archive reference and
colour profiles to guide us. The cockpit tub is as with all the WNW
kits beautifully detailed complete with radio equipment and
cameras for the observer and realistically textured padded pilot’s
seat. The Argus engine makes a refreshing change from the
familiar Daimler Mercedes unit and there are two options offered
with moulded push rods or without if you would prefer to make
your own and improve the finished look which is an excellent idea.
Separate engine cowls mean that your engine can be displayed
should you wish. A small photoetched fret provides seat belts,
radiator shutter and sleeves for the machine guns and their is even
a plastic rod supplied to assist you in rolling the sleeve. Wings and
tailplane are straightforward although for certain versions with
additional bracing on the tail you will need to drill out holes. There
is the same sprue of accessories that was included in the Rumpler
kits with assorted cameras, steps, trestles and wheel chocks to
help dress your model. Five different schemes are provided and
the superb decal sheets are an example of how all decal sheets
should be! The lozenge pattern for the wings is provided in
sections along with useful repair patches for any mistakes but if
you choose scheme ‘D’ you will have to generate your own pattern
for the fuselage. Another stunning WNW release with everything
bar rigging line in the box so what are you waiting for?
Wingnut Wings 1:32 Sopwith Triplane
48
Another much-anticipated release from Wingnut Wings is the
Sopwith Triplane and as usual expectations are met and
exceeded! From the superb quilted effect of the stretched fabric
around the cockpit to the rib tape definition on the surprisingly
slender wings and super-fine cooling fins on the cylinders this kit
is beautifully moulded. The cockpit tub assembly includes the
main struts for what should be a very solid assembly and there
are all the usual WNW cockpit refinements along with colour
photos to assist you in modelling yours. If you want to add the
control cables and internal bracing there is a diagram to show
where these should go. There is a choice of three styles of engine
cowlings and two different cockpit coamings for single or twin MG
mounts as well as two patterns of tailplane design. The Clerget
engine is extremely detailed and only requires the modeller to add
the wiring connections to the spark plugs. The WNW colour coded
rigging diagram is on hand to help you complete the build and
there are five different schemes provided. These include a French
example and captured German one and the Cartograph decals
are as always simply superb and include all the instrument dials,
propeller logos and tire lettering. Some day all kits will be like this!
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Wingnut Wings 1:32 Fokker D.VII (Fok)
Wingnut Wings 1:32 Fokker D.VII (Alb) Wingnut Wings 1:32 Fokker D.VII (OAW)
Surely one of Wingnut wings most anticipated releases and they
have celebrated this by releasing three different versions
simultaneously representing the three different manufactures of
the D.VII. There are also four additional separate decal sets to
maximise your fun! The three kits contain essentially the same
sprues throughout with certain parts excluded for each variant and
of course the decal sheets are different for each Only the sprues
for the engine cowlings differentiate the three releases. The kit
maintains the established high production standards that Wingnut
Wings fans are familiar with and as we now know the assurance
of a precision engineered fit too. The cowling sprues for example
feature the most delicate open louvres, something most other
manufactures would have moulded as a solid and looking at themit is hard to comprehend just how they have managed such a
superb result. The cockpit is as usual superbly detailed with
photoetched seat harnesses and decals for all the instrument
dials. The comprehensive full colour instruction booklet provides
colour guidance and photos of the cockpit of the Memorial Flight
Association reproduction aircraft for that added realism. As with
all the WNW kits you have a cockpit and engine mount ‘tub’ which
then plugs into the fuselage for an extremely realistic finished
effect. The Daimler engine will be familiar from other kits and only
really lacks the wiring harness. On the underside of the fuselage
the kit’s designers have used the same clever recessed slot for
the centreline stitching as on their Fokker E.III. Wingnut Wings
signature stressed fabric effect is also captured on the front of the
fuselage. Weapons are provided with photoetched sleeves or as
solid versions. Rigging is pleasingly minimal making this the ideal
choice for the WW1 novice and there is as usual a guide provided
to assist you. Each of the three kits provides a choice of five
different schemes with no less than five or six large decal sheets
included in each set. These include the lozenge patterns for both
wings and fuselage including the faded interior sections for inside
the cockpit where the fabric is seen from the reverse. The Fokker built version also provides the dragged paint effect as a decal
which will make this much easier for those who find creating this
themselves a bit daunting. As usual Wingnut Wings have done
their best to select a good mix of colourful schemes to inspire you
and the quality of the Cartograph decals is simply stunning. An
absolute festive feast of Fokkers which we cannot fail to award full
marks to!49
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new releases
A Revell re-pop of Special Hobby's P-39D will be on the shelves
soon (you won't miss it as the box is way oversized!) Originally
considered a typical short-run kit for more experienced modellers,
the kit certainly shows no signs of being difficult to assemble with
narrow sprue points and regular parts design - a pretty simple but
well detailed kit. Surface detail is fine and moulding sharp, landing
gear and wheel wells are decent and the cockpit is good although
we're not offered the photoetch that came with the original release
which many of you will want to look at in this scale, especially as
there's no consideration made for seatbelts. Another missing
feature of the Special Hobby boxing are the few resin parts,
namely the exhausts which are now supplied as regular styrene.
The large canopy is well moulded with the access doors also
moulded clear which makes sense. There's no fancy removable
engine cowls or engine detail for that matter but all of the control
surfaces are provided as separate parts which is good news in
this large scale. A couple of US PTO markings of 36th Fighter
Squadron are provided one being 'Air A Cutie' with enormous nude
nose art. Sadly these nudes are rather poorly printed on the decal
sheet. The Russians used the P-39 with great effect and some
nice markings are already available as aftermarket sheets.
Personally I like the looks of the quirky mid engined P-39 and this
kit is certainly one of those that temps you to get started straight
away, although the original release has the edge with the resin
and photoetch included the Special Hobby kit may prove harder to
get your hands on now.
This magic potion allows a better base colour to your photoetch and
brass turned parts. Submerse your cleaned metal parts in the solution
mixed with the same amount of water and a chemical reaction takes
place leaving a black finish to the surface. The solution can be storedand re-used several times and needs no more specific handling than
your usual paints and thinners. The finish is particularly effective on
gun barrels and has a benifit over paint in that no crisp detail is
lost.www.uschivdr.com has more information and tutorials on this and
other finishing products in the range.
To accompany the D.VII from Wingnuts are four fantastic decal sets,
each offering five different colourful schemes. The decals are
presented in a sturdy folded A3 size instruction sheet which follows
Wingnut's standard of detailed research on the particular aircraft and
pilot, period photographs and colour profiles with paint code reference-
basically everything to allow even a novice to produce an accurate andbeautiful model. The background lozenge patterns aren't included with
these sets and the kit provided decals will need to be used should your
chosen scheme require it. All of the decals capture the subtlety of the
period hand-applied markings and are printed by the masters of
water-slides Cartograf. 30006 is 'Part 1' for the Fokker D.VII(Fok), 30007
'Part 2' contains another five schemes for the D.VII(Alb), 30008 'Part 3'
is for the D.VII (OAW) version and finally 30009 which provides another
five tempting options for the D.VII (OAW). Wingnut Wings have an
excellent website packed with information www.wingnutwings.com
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Wingnut Wings Decal sheets
Revell 1:32 P-39D Airacobra
Uschi Van Der Rosten Blackening Agent
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Model Design Construction
Just the ticket to accompany the new kits
from Wingnut Wings is this ingenious 3D
'mask' from RB. Quickly assembled from
photoetched parts and a pair of small
bolts this sandwich of spaced plates
allows a propeller to be clamped to it
(once undercoated in a light wood colour)
and darker colours to be airbrushed
through the gaps between the plates, a
simple way to achieve a very realisticlaminated wood finish. The set comes
with very detailed instructions and you'll
have to take our word that it works as we
have seen a demonstration, we'll certainly
be using this clever little tool when the
need arises.
www.radubstore.com has step-by-step
photos and ordering details.
A new batch of accessory sets from our friends at MDC and we
begin with CV32066 which is a 1:32 Browning .50 Cal Machine
gun and to work with this is CV32068 which is .50 Cal ammunition
which has been cast in a
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