armor upgrade - FineScale Modeler

Transcription

armor upgrade - FineScale Modeler
STEP-BY-STEP: WEATHERING OLIVE DRAB CAMO
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
p.22
ARMOR
UPGRADE
HOW-TO TECHNIQUES
FOR IMPROVING
YOUR NEXT
ARMOR PROJECT
Bill Plunk’s 1/35 scale
SdKfz 251/22 halftrack
Pakwagen – p.40
PORTFOLIO:
Master
Modeler
Joe
Fleming’s
amazing
work p.26
18
pages of
product
news!
p
.12, 54
Improve a Japanese Zero p.36
Airbrush perfect aircraft invasion stripes p.30
Kitbash a modern Navy guided missile destroyer p.46
OUR EXPERTS BUILD AND REVIEW 8 ALL-NEW KITS
$5.99
Revell
Germany’s
Westland
Sea Lynx
Mk.88A
reviewed
– p.62
0
71896 46779
Vol. 31 t Issue 10
6
© 2013-2014 WARGAMING.NET ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The ALL NEW
.com
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VKRSEDFNHGE\WKHIDVWHVWVHUYLFHLQWKHZRUOG7KHQHZ
6TXDGURQFRPKDVDQRYHUKDXOHGGHVLJQVLPSOHFKHFNRXW
SURFHVVDQGDVOHZRIQHZLWHPVWRGLVFRYHU
Customer
Sat
C
no
Satisfact
S f ction o
‡ Check out the “JUST ARRIVED” section. Here you’ll find the latest model kits, accessories, books,
magazines and tools that were just delivered to us.
‡ Looking for items on sale? Click “DEALS” or “CLEARANCE”and see what we have to offer at incredible prices.
‡ Use the left navigation to browse the entire Squadron shop, organized by model category.
Shop aircraft, armor, ships and much more.
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that are truely remarkable.
‡ Go to the “SQUADRON TV” page to view “how-to” videos, interviews and enjoy some light-hearted fun.
Whole Other Sca
Whole
Scale
Customer Satisfaction on a Whole Other Scale
Inside
December 2013 tVol. 31 t No. 10
Paul Boyer reviews a long-awaited
1/72 scale Mariner. What did he
think? Turn to Page 54 and find out!
AIRBRUSHING & FINISHING
22
to
o
Weathering olive drab
Pre-shading, post-shading, and fading
paint for a P-39 in the Pacific
AARON SKINNER
30
PORTFOLIO: JOE FLEMING
26
Striving for perfection
Always pushing for better
JOHN FERDICO
30
Painting invasion stripes
Techniques for aging D-Day markings
on a Martin Marauder
CHUCK LIPKIN
36
t Minicraft PBM-5A
Mariner
57
t Dragon M48A3 Patton
Mod. B
t Showcase Models
Australia HMAS Collins
t Xact Scale Models T-80U
t Polar Lights “Forbidden
Planet” space cruiser
59
t Bronco Type XXIII U-boat
SCALE MODELING ESSENTIALS
Making a good Zero better
Putting in prepainted photoetched metal
t MiniArt AEC Mk.II
armored car
t Revell Germany Westland
61
Sea Lynx Mk.88A
AARON SKINNER
COVER STORY
40
40
46
8 NEW
KITS
Page 54
22
26
WORKBENCH REVIEWS
Make your Pakwagen pop!
How to build a better SdKfz 251/22
BILL PLUNK
46
Kitbashing USS Benfold
Two kits and careful detail make a fine
farewell for an outgoing skipper
In Every Issue
6
8
12
14
32
Editor’s Page
Scale Talk
Spotlight
New Products
Reader Gallery
50
52
64
64
66
Questions & Answers
Reader Tips
Hobby Shop Directory
Classified Marketplace
Advertiser Index
On the Cover
Frequent FSM contributor Bill Plunk likes to model German armor —
and when you see this Schützenpanzerwagen, you will too! Minor
modifications and fine finishing key this late-war antitank weapon.
JOSEPH BOSSERT
Get more at www.FineScale.com!
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FineScale Modeler (ISSN 0277-979X, USPS No. 679-590) is published
monthly (except for June & August) by Kalmbach Publishing Co., 21027
Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187. Periodicals Postage is
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Editor’s Page
By Matthew Usher
Ill communication
WELCOME TO the December and produced another fine issue,
issue! Normally, this is one of my
even if it required a few doses of
favorite times when it comes to
cold medicine and many cups of
putting together an issue of
hot tea to get us here.
FineScale – all the stories
I’m back in the office
have been checked and
DESPITE OUR after the weekend and
double-checked, and the COLLECTIVE
feeling much better,
final touches are getting ILLNESS, THE undoubtedly in no small
installed and bolted in
part on my wife’s efforts
FSM CREW
just before the shiny new RALLIED AND to keep me in the house
issues roll off the end of
so I could rest and recuPRODUCED
the assembly line, comperate. I’ll admit to being
ANOTHER
plete with that “new
a bad patient, and I usuFINE ISSUE
magazine” smell.
ally won’t “sit still and
The unfortunate twist
rest” for very long.
on things at FSM HQ the last few Thankfully, time spent at my
days has been the presence of an
workbench doesn’t seem to fall
extremely stubborn cold that’s
into this category, so I quaranslowly worked its way through the tined myself in my workshop to
staff. It’s sent more than one of us see what I could work on.
to the doctor’s office and knocked
Before the cold hit, I’d been
one or two of us out for an afterbouncing between several projects
noon, but despite our collective
(including working with my son
illness, the FSM crew has rallied
on some of his first non-Lego
“real modeling” efforts). I’m
ashamed to admit it, but with so
many projects in the works, the
shop was a disorganized mess, and
was easily the project that needed
the most work.
With my cough-syrup-induced
haze I didn’t dare do any modeling, but I did manage to put all
my tools and supplies back in
order and ready for white-glove
inspection. I’ll give the cold a few
more days, then I’m going to get
busy messing the place up. That’s
what workshops are for, right?
[email protected]
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Want to learn more? For the latest news as
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GENERAL
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6 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
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Editor Matthew W. Usher
Associate Editor Mark Hembree
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DRIVE A TANK
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December 2013 www.FineScale.com 7
Scale Talk
Your voice in FSM
Happy birthday, Erik Westin!
In celebration of my boyfriend’s birthday, I
wanted to write in and share how proud I
am of his modeling talent.
Over the last three years, I’ve watched
Erik work tirelessly on a number of models,
from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Spiderman, Batgirl, The Bride of Frankenstein,
and many vintage cars in between.
He has been an artist all his life but, in
recent years, has taken to modeling as a
stress reliever from living and working in
New York City. No matter how busy we
are, something special happens when he’s
able to wash all the stress away and focus
on building.
Nearly every night, I sit at our shared
desk, blogging while he makes magic in his
workshop. We bond over stories about the
kits, discussions regarding paint colors, and
the little successes that eventually add up to
a completed model.
I’m sure for many people modeling is a
form of escapism. It brings back memories
of childhood and sparks the imagination,
which is important for kids of any age. I
want to thank FSM for publishing a magazine that shares this wonderful and fulfilling hobby. While I may not build models
myself (yet), I respect the skill set and am
always excited to see Erik’s creations come
to life.
Happy birthday, Erik!
- Jenny Beaudry
New York, N.Y.
FSM is off the hook!
In the September 2013 FineScale Modeler,
Editor Matthew Usher solicited readers’
thoughts and suggestions. Here are mine:
I’ve been reading FSM since 1982.
There has always been something unique
8 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
Erik built this vintage Aurora Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang to exacting specifications, and has another
safely in his stash. Nice job!
that set FSM apart from other magazines
in its category. I never tried to define the
difference, but I was always aware of it.
Your most recent July and September issues
are perfect examples.
In July, Aaron Skinner gave us a comprehensive primer on thinning paints for
airbrushing, including a chart for paint-tothinner ratios. Immediately afterward, we’re
hit with a very informative article on working with clear parts. Aaron comes back
with tips and techniques for mastering
decals and follows up with a comprehensive
decal-troubleshooting layout. As if that
weren’t enough, Aaron demonstrates applying decals step by step! All of this and we
haven’t even touched on the rest of that
issue, which was over the top and loaded
with precious jewels of modeling goodness!
I had barely recovered from July’s juggernaut when September’s issue arrived
Inside, we are taken through the building of
a resin SAS Land Rover and Anzo Lee’s
gorgeously finished F-86 Sabre in 1/72
scale! I don’t build 1/32 scale planes, but
the techniques Ernest Urtiaga used on his
Arado Ar 196 will help tremendously on
my 1/72 scale version.
And I still haven’t gotten to Frank
Cuden’s F-102 Delta Dagger, which hit
close to home. I served in the U.S. Air
Force with the 1st Fighter Wing at
Selfridge Air National Guard Base. Our
main group was the 94th FIS (“Hat In The
Ring” squadron), and it flew F-106 Delta
Darts. My model stash has six Hasegawa
F-106s and three F-102s. Frank’s helpful
tips will allow me to build these kits more
accurately than I ever imagined.
At this point, it became crystal-clear to
me why FSM is unique. You always respect
your readers, regardless of skill level. I’ve
been building models for 50 years. During
that time I’ve continually improved my
skills, often by trial and error. However,
thanks to FSM, I get to take shortcuts and
am continually updated on the latest and
greatest materials and techniques. It simply
doesn’t get any better than this!
Thanks to Editor Matthew Usher!
Under his guidance, Fine Scale Modeler is
the best it’s ever been. You’ve taken a great
magazine to a whole new level that’s “off
the hook!”
- Jim Daubert
City, State
Praise for Modeling Airliners
A big thank-you to Associate Editor Aaron
Skinner for his outstanding book Modeling
Airliners (ISBN 9789-0-89024-844-7,
Kalmbach Books). It was long overdue and
is partly responsible for my return to model
building and making sure I set aside the
time for it.
While I currently wear many hats
(teaching physics, photography for Airways
magazine, and glass blowing), modeling
airliners and chasing airliners has been a
great passion since childhood.
PAINT
BOOTHS
3 Models
Available!
Starting at
$265.00
TOLL FREE 1-877-872-4780
Check out our Web site!
WWW.PACEPAINTBOOtHS.com
MAJOR
Scale Talk
Because of Aaron’s book, I’ve started
again on a project that has sat on my workbench for 10 years: a Revell 1/144 scale
Boeing 767. Originally, I planned to finish
it as a UPS cargo plane. However, after
much thought, I’ve decided to do a
Hawaiian Air 767 — much more attractive!
Gloss finishes have always stood in my
way to finishing builds: I hate their thick
candy-like nature. Taking a suggestion from
Modeling Airliners, I turned to Tamiya and
couldn’t be happier with the results from its
white and gray primer. I achieved the gloss
finish by spraying Pledge Future floor polish and buffing once it was dry.
The leading edges received coats of
Alclad II polished aluminum and chrome,
The panel lines were pre-shaded with a
.1mm Staetdler liner. All of this thanks to
Aaron! Now, on to decals and weathering!
HOW-TO
PRODUCTS & REVIEWS
Now at
Tips database
Need modeling advice? Subscribers
can search our extensive database of
reader-supplied tips.
www.FineScale.com/OnlineExtras
Round 2 brings you three fantastic kits that have been
restored to make them even more exciting and accurate
than the originals! These special reissues feature RETOOLED
vintage parts not available in decades! MPC’s Malco Gasser
includes a newly created ‘67 hood and fenders! The Dodge
Dart and 1936 Ford can be built in stock, custom or racing
versions! All kits include expanded decal sheets and
irresistible original packaging. You will be able to create a
model car like no one else’s!
December 2013
COMMUNITY
GALLERIES
An interview with World War II
fighter pilot Russell Kyler
Associate Editor Mark Hembree
interviews veteran P-47 Thunderbolt
pilot Russell Kyler about flying bomber
escort, Zemke’s Wolfpack, and taking
fire over Germany.
www.FineScale.com/Reviews
Workbench Reviews
Subscribers receive early access to
upcoming reviews.
Weekly free review
Check out this week’s free model kit
review.
www.FineScale.com/Videos
Video issue previews
FSM Editor Matthew Usher highlights
what’s inside the latest issue.
Visit round2models.com for more information,
updates and current releases!
10 FineScale Modeler
- Ed Pascuzzi
Stony Brook, N.Y.
FineScale.com
Article archive
Search our article collection to find
answers to your modeling questions.
MPC and AMT and design are registered trademarks of Round 2, LLC. Other names and trademarks used under
license to Round 2, LLC or by permission. ©2013 Round 2, LLC, South Bend, IN 46628 USA. Product and
packaging designed in the USA. Made in China. All rights reserved.
Thanks again for a great magazine and
for keeping our fun (and sometimes frustratingly expensive) hobby alive and growing.
VIDEOS
www.FineScale.com/HowTo
1:25 SCALE MODEL KITS FEATURED
MPC798 1975 DODGE DART SPORT
MPC800 OHIO GEORGE MALCO GASSER 1967 MUSTANG
AMT824 1936 FORD COUPE
Ed Pascuzzi credits FSM’s Modeling Airliners by
Aaron Skinner for getting him back to building a
plane in Hawaiian Air colors.
Desktop wallpaper
Download a desktop wallpaper of the
Hasegawa 1/20 scale Ma.K
LUM-168 Camel walker John Plzak
built for review in November’s issue.
New Product Rundown
Editorial Associate Monica Freitag and
Associate Editor Aaron Skinner pick
the hottest releases and show you why
they rock.
SUBSCRIBE AT FINESCALE.COM AND GET IMMEDIATE ACCESS
The FSM+ icon indicates subscriber-only content.
Spotlight
Compiled by Aaron Skinner
Hasegawa MV-22 Osprey soars into stores
A
fter a bumpy development marked
by cost increases and several highprofile crashes, Boeing’s tilt-rotor
MV-22 Osprey entered squadron service
in 2007. Since then it has been deployed
with the U.S. Marines in Iraq and
Afghanistan. It also assisted humanitarian
efforts after the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
Hasegawa has released the first new
1/72 scale kit (No. E41) of the Osprey in
the aircraft’s operational configuration,
and it looks terrific.
12 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
Molded in light gray plastic, the parts
feature fine recessed panel lines and rivets, reinforcement ridges, and vortex generators. The flaps and landing gear can be
posed up or down, and the engines are
designed to be movable. The included
stand makes the raised landing gear
option easily achieved.
The kit provides good cockpit detail,
including decal instrument faces and panels, but no other interior. Two pilots crew
the aircraft.
Decals provide markings for two colorful Marine CAG Ospreys: one from
VMM-165 at Miramar in 2011, the other
from VMM-265 at Futenma, Okinawa,
Japan, in 2012. Comprehensive color
instructions should make painting the
three-color camouflage a snap.
The MV-22 is an visually interesting,
cutting-edge aircraft, so it’s great to
finally have an up-to-date kit. Distributed
in the U.S. by Great Planes Hobbies, the
Osprey costs $59.99
BOOKSHELF
Blackbird background from pilot and instructor
L
ockheed’s SR-71 is an icon of the Cold War. Built for speed
and stealth, the Blackbird gave the U.S. unprecedented
reconnaissance reach.
The history of the spy plane, from the development of the
A-12 in the 1950s to the last flights for the U.S. Air Force and
NASA in the 1990s, is the subject of SR-71: The Complete
Illustrated History of the Blackbird — The World’s Highest, Fastest
Plane (Zenith Press, ISBN 978-0-7603-4327-2). The author,
Col. Richard H. Graham, USAF (Ret.), knows the aircraft, having flown the SR-71, trained other pilots to fly it, and commanded a squadron of them.
All of that comes through in the pages as Graham details the
aircraft design and operation. I found his
descriptions of flying the
Blackbird and the various missions especially
interesting. Hundreds of
photos flesh out the
story, and modelers will
appreciate many of the
details included.
The hardback, 192-page book costs $35 at Zenith Press,
800-458-0454, www.zenithpress.com.
BPK brings big-scale “Baby Boeing”
M
ore than 1,100 737-200s were
built between 1967 and 1988, and
many remain in service around the
world.
Now, a Ukranian manufacturer with the
apropos name Big Planes Kits has released
several 1/72 scale kits of the 737-200. They
include plastic for the major components
— fuselage, wings, stabilizers, and engines
— complemented by resin and photoetched-metal details.
Features include a detailed cockpit,
landing gear, and bays. There are clear
inserts for the windshield and cabin win-
dows, and BPK provides precut masks for the glass. The kit
I looked at has Canadian
North markings (No. 7202)
and gives masks for the
swoopy demarcation line on
the rear fuselage. The model
also supplies the gravel kit
installed on this carrier’s airliners for operations at remote airports with
unpaved runways.
Given the lack of locators on the large
parts and the variety of materials, this is not
a kit for beginners. However patience and
careful work will reward you with a big
model — more than 16" long — of one of
the great airliners.
The kits are available direct from BPK,
www.bigplaneskits.com, for $106.
World of Warplanes takes off
F
rom the people who created the wildly popular, massively
multiplayer online game “World of Tanks” comes your
chance to take the fight to the skies. “World of Warplanes”
allows players to fly World War II combat aircraft against
other players. As you succeed you earn points to buy better and
better fighters from the national tech tree of your choice —
U.S., Germany, Soviet Union, Great Britain, or Japan.
Starting November 12, you can download the game for free
at www.worldofwarplanes.com.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
13
New Products
Compiled by Monica Freitag
AIRCR AFT
Supermarine Seafire Mk.XV, No. 04835,
$37.25. Revell Germany, available from Revell.
Air National Guard A-10C Part 2:
Arkansas and Michigan, No. CD48034,
1/48 DETAIL SETS
Air National Guard F-4C/D Part 1 Oregon,
Minnesota, Texas and Michigan, No.
$14.99. From Caracal Models.
1/32 SCALE KITS
F-104 Starfighter landing gear (for Revell/
Monogram), No. 48236, $14.95. From Scale
Aircraft Conversions.
T-38A Talon landing gear (for Wolfpack),
No. 48237, $14.95. From Scale Aircraft
Conversions.
CD48035, $15.99. From Caracal Models.
Air National Guard F-4C/D Part 2
Michigan, Oregon North Dakota and
Hawaii ANG, No. CD48036, $15.99. From
Caracal Models.
McDonnell
F-4B Phantom
VF-32
“Swordsmen,” No.
1/48 DECAL SETS
Su-25
Frogfoots,
No. BM-4803,
$16. From
Balkan Models.
MS481269,
$12. From
Super Scale
International,
available from
Squadron
Products.
Messerschmitt Bf 109E-7 Trop, No. 3223,
$48.95. From CyberHobby.com, available
from Dragon Models USA.
1/32 DETAIL SETS
F4U Corsair landing gear (for Tamiya),
No. 32074, $18.95; Spitfire Mk.II/Vb/VI
landing gear (for Hasegawa), No. 32075,
$17.95. From Scale Aircraft Conversions.
1/32 DECAL SETS
P-61B Black Widows 414th NFS, 422nd
NFS, and 418th NFS, No. MS320263;
P-61B Black Widows 548th NFS based on
Iwo Jima, No. MS320262, $16 each. Both
from Super Scale International, available from
Squadron Products.
USN/USMC Phantom Walkways #1,
No. MS481270, $12. From Super Scale
International, available from Squadron
Products.
Sikorsky H-34
US Navy/
USAF,
No. CD48031,
$15.99. From
Caracal
Models.
US Navy S2F-1 tracker, No. CD48040,
$14.99; US Navy Albatross (early types
HU-16C and UF-1), No. CD48041, $18.99;
US Navy A3D-2 Skywarrior Part 1, No.
CD48042, $15.99. From Caracal Models.
1/72 SCALE KITS
1/48 SCALE KITS
F-80A Shooting Star, No. 81723, $46.99.
Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue
of FSM. From HobbyBoss, available from
Squadron Products.
A-6A/E
Intruder
Part 1,
No. CD48033,
$15.99. From
Caracal
Models.
Saab J29A/B Tunnan, No. TS7201, $40.
Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue
of FSM. From Tarangus AB.
Douglas TBD-1A Devastator floatplane,
No. L4812, $69.95. From Great Wall Hobby,
available from Dragon Models USA, Inc.
14 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
German Ju 88, No. 80297, $21.99. Easy
Assembly Authentic Kit. From HobbyBoss, available from Squadron Products.
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT
More than 13,000 product listings online at FineScale.com/Products
1/100 SCALE KITS
MV-22B Osprey USMC tiltrotor transport,
Sea Vampire F.20, No. 5112, $25.95. From
Cyber-hobby.com, available from Dragon
Models USA.
No. 01571, $59.99. Look for a detailed
review in an upcoming issue of FSM. From
Hasegawa, available from Great Planes Model
Distributors.
1/72 DETAIL SETS
Skipper Riley, No. 2062, $8. From Disney’s
B-57B/G Canberra landing gear (for
Italieri), No. 72067, $12.95; B-47
Stratofortress landing gear (for
Hasegawa), No. 72068, $16.95. Both from
“Planes.” Snap fit. From Zvezda, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
Scale Aircraft Conversions.
Boeing 737-200 Canadian North,
No. 7202, $106. Look for a detailed review in
an upcoming issue of FSM. From BPK (Big
Planes Kits).
Mitsubishi Zero Fighter Model 32 Hamp,
No. 60784, $28. From Tamiya America Inc.
Manufacturer Directory
Aero Research Co.
6468 Valley Wood Dr.
Reno, NV 89523-1263
www.AeroResearchCDs.com
Doozy Modelworks
207-2 Yoda, Fujisawa City
Kanagawa 252-0821 Japan
www.doozymodelworks.com
Airfix
Westwood Margate
Kent, England CT9 4JX
44-1843-233500
www.airfix.com
Dragon Models USA Inc.
1315 John Reed Ct.
City of Industry, CA 91745
626-968-0322
www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Squadron/Signal Publications
1115 Crowley Dr.
Carrollton, TX 75006-1312
www.squadron.com
Ampersand Publishing Company
21 SW 1st Avenue
Delray Beach, FL 33444
561-266-966
http://ambersandpubco.com
Great Planes Model Distributors
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826-9021
217-398-6300
www.greatplanes.com
Squadron Products
1115 Crowley Dr.
Carrollton, TX 75011-5010
877-414-0434
www.squadron.com
Atlantis Toy and Hobby
35 Doyle Court
East Northport, NY 11731
631-499-6733
www.atlantis-models.com
Osprey Publishing
Elms Court, Chapel Way
Botley, Oxford
England OX2 9LP
44-1865 727022
www.ospreypublishing.com
Stevens International
P.O. Box 126
Magnolia, NJ 08049
856-435-1555
www.stevenshobby.com
Balkan Models
www.balkanmodels.si
Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8, No. A01020,
$7.49. Look for a detailed review in an upcoming issue of FSM. From Airfix.
Big Plane Kits (BPK)
Yishneraya 6 Str. Komsomolsk
Poltara Ug Ukraine www.
bigplaneskits.com
Caracal Models
PO Box 92141
Austin, TX 78709
www.caracalmodels.com
WWII RAF bomber re-supply set,
No. A05330, $24.99. From Airfix.
Casemate Publishers
908 Darby Road
Havertown, PA 19083
610-853-9131
www.casematepublishing.com
Plus Model
370 10 Ceske Budejovice
Jizni 56, Czech Republic
38-7220111
www.plusmodel.cz
Quayside Publishing Group
612-344-8157
www.quaysidepublishinggroup.com
Revell
1850 Howard Street, Unit A
Elk Grove Village, IL 60007
847-758-3200
www.revell.com
December 2013
Scale Aircraft Conversions
3795 Shady Hill Dr.
Dallas, TX 75229
214-477-7163
scaleaircraftconversions.com
Tamiya America Inc.
36 Discovery, Ste. 200
Irvine, CA 92618-3765
949-362-2240
www.tamiyausa.com
Tarangus AB
Box 2006 SE-169 02 Solna
Sweden
www.tarangus.com
Time West Publishing
P.O. Box 729
West Jordan, UT 84084-0729
www.timewestpublishing.com
www.FineScale.com
15
New Products
AR MOR
1/35 SCALE KITS
Douglas DC-3, No. 309, $24.99. From
Roden, available from Squadron Products.
Dusty Crophopper, No. 2061, $8. From
Disney’s “Planes.” Snap fit. Look for a detailed
review in an upcoming issue of FSM. From
Zvezda, available from Dragon Models USA
Inc.
Type 41 75mm Imperial Japanese Army
artillery mountain gun (Mountain Artillery
Regiment), No. FM38, $49.95. Four figures
included. From FineMolds, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
Boeing 720 Caesar’s Chariot, No. 317,
$35.99. Music Series. From Roden, available
from Squadron Products.
Bravo, No. 2065, $13.50. From Disney’s
“Planes.” Snap fit. From Zvezda, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
Ripslinger, No. 2063, $8. From Disney’s
“Planes.” Snap fit. From Zvezda, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
El Chupacabra, No. 2064, $8. From Disney’s
“Planes.” Snap fit. From Zvezda, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
Heidi, No. 2071, $8. From Disney’s “Planes.”
Snap fit. From Zvezda, available from Dragon
Models USA Inc.
RAF Vulcan K.2 tanker No.L1002, $45.95.
1/144 SCALE KITS
From Great Wall Hobby, available from Dragon
Models USA, Inc.
PzKpfw III (5cm) Ausf H SdKfz 141 early,
No. 6641, $54.95. From Dragon, available
from Dragon Models USA Inc.
1/144 DECAL SETS
F-16C Micro Falcons, No. BM-14402.
Contact your local dealer for price information.
From Balkan Models.
IJA Type 95 light tank “Ha-Go” Hokuman
version, No. 6777, $49.95. From Dragon,
available from Dragon Models USA Inc.
Tornado ECR “TigerMeet 2011,”
No. 04846, $10.75. Look for a detailed
review in an upcoming issue of FSM. From
Revell Germany, available from Revell.
A description of our new-product
announcement and review policies is
available from Product News Coordinator, FSM, 21027 Crossroads Circle,
P.O. Box 1612, Waukesha, WI 53187,
262-796-8776, fax 262-796-1383, or
e-mail at [email protected].
FineScale Modeler is not responsible
for content of external sites linked
through our site. Visit our website at
www.FineScale.com.
Russian Ural-4320 truck, No. 1012,
$64.95. From Trumpeter, available from
Stevens International.
16 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
1/48 SCALE KITS
HMS Westminster F237, Type 23 frigate,
No. 4546, $69.95. From Trumpeter, available
from Stevens International.
T-26 Mod.1933 Soviet light infantry tank,
No. 82495, $46.99. From HobbyBoss, available from Squadron Products.
Pzkpfw II Ausf J (VK16.01), No. 83803,
$46.99. From HobbyBoss, available from
Squadron Products.
Pzkpfw VIII Maus, No. PLA-GP09, $79.95.
“Girls und Panzer” series. From Platz, available
from Dragon Models USA Inc.
BA-64B Russian armored car, No. 32576,
$20.50. Look for a detailed review in an
upcoming issue of FSM. From Tamiya America
Inc.
1/700 SCALE KITS
1/72 SCALE KITS
Panther Ausf D SdKfz 171 late production,
No. 7506, $22.95. From Dragon, available
from Dragon Models USA Inc.
RMS Olympic 1911, No. 05212, $25.75.
From Revell Germany, available from Revell.
MILITARY FIGURES
1/35 SCALE KITS
M561 Gama Goat US 6x6 cargo truck,
No. 35330, $47. Look for a detailed review in
an upcoming issue of FSM. From Tamiya
America Inc.
Leopard 2A4/A4NL, No. 03193, $34.75.
From Revell Germany, available from Revell.
Churchill Mk.IV NA75, No. 7507, $19.95.
Armor Pro Series. From Dragon, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
1/35 DETAIL SETS
British Commonwealth Universal Carrier
crew in winter uniform 1943-1945,
No. 35028, $12.50. From Riich Models, available from Dragon Models USA, Inc.
1/48 SCALE KITS
BergePanther mit Aufgesetztern (PzKpfw
IV turret), No. 7508, $24.50. From Dragon,
MiG-29 pilot,
No. AL4029,
$11.20.
AeroLine. From
Plus Model.
available from Dragon Models USA Inc.
T97E2 workable track link set for M48/
M60 MBT & M88 ARV, No. AB3563,
$16.95. From Bronco Models, available from
Dragon Models USA Inc.
www.FineScale.com
FineScale Modeler magazine receives
new products from a variety of manufacturers on a daily basis and we are now
able to share all of them with you
through our interactive exclusive FSM
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SHIPS
1/350 SCALE KITS
Diether von Roeder Z-17 WWII German
destroyer, No. 9043, $41.95. From Bronco,
available from Dragon Models USA Inc.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
17
New Products
FANTASY FIGURES
OTHER SCALE KITS
Blackbeard,
No. AMC3002, $31.98.
From Atlantis
Toy and Hobby.
Ferrari Testarossa “Miami Vice,”
Rat Fink with diorama, No. 85-6732,
No. 85-4264, $24.95. From Revell.
$24.95. “Roth” the Crazy Painter. From Revell.
1/35 SCALE KITS
Military boxes, No. 148, $12. From Plus
Model.
German rucksack WWI, No. 349, $15.80.
From Plus Model.
1967 Corvette convertible, No. 85-4087,
$22.95. From Revell.
Hay wagon, No. 385, $32.70. 25 resin
parts. From Plus Model.
AUTOS
1/48 SCALE KITS
1/25 SCALE KITS
US scooter solo, No. 4012, $16.40. From
US scooter with sidecar, No. 4013, $20.
From Plus Model.
Plus Model.
US scooter package delivery, No. 4011,
$19.40. From Plus Model.
1969 Camaro ZL-1, No. 85-4056, $24.
R-60M/MK AA-8 “Aphid” Russian missile
for MiG-29, No. 4032, $13.90. AeroLine.
From Revell.
From Plus Model.
MISCELL ANEOUS
BOOKSHELF
1/24 SCALE KITS
1977 Pontiac Firebird “Smokey and the
Bandit,” No. 85-4027, $24.95. From Revell.
Newspaper machine Sets #1,
No. RS24001, $30. Two styles, two kinds of
decals for each. From Doozy Modelworks.
Newspaper machine Sets #2,
No. RS24002, $30. Two styles, two kinds of
decals for each. From Doozy Modelworks.
Newspaper machine Sets #3,
No. RS24003, $30. Two styles, two kinds of
decals for each. From Doozy Modelworks.
USPS Mail Box, No. RS24014, $27. Express
Mail decals included. From Doozy Modelworks.
Cats and dogs, No. DF24005, $21. From
Doozy Modelworks.
Fire hydrant, No. RS24016, $16. From
Doozy Modelworks.
Ford Expedition police SSV, No. 85-1972,
$15.95. From Revell.
18 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
M10 Tank
Destroyer vs
StuG III
Assault Gun Germany
1944, Duel
53, $18.95, by
Steven J.
Zaloga, soft
cover, 80
pages, all blackand-white photos, ISBN:
978-1-78096099-9. From
Osprey
Publishing .
Ki-27 “Nate”
Aces, Osprey
Hidden
Warbirds,
Aircraft of the
Aces 103,
$22.95, by
Nicholas
Millman, soft
cover, 96
pages, color
renderings
black-and-white
photos, ISBN:
978-1-84908662-2. From
Osprey
Publishing.
$30, by
Nicholas A.
Veronico, hard
cover, 256
pages, color
and black-andwhite photos,
ISBN: 978-07603-4409-5.
From Quayside
Publishing
Group.
F4F Wildcat vs
A6M Zero-Sen
Pacific Theater
1942, Duel 54,
Soviet and
Russian
Military
Aircraft in the
Middle East,
$18.95, by
Edward M.
Young, soft
cover, 80
pages, all blackand-white photos, ISBN:
978-1-78096322-8. From
Osprey
Publishing.
Martin B-26
Marauder,
$18.95, by
Martyn
Chorlton, soft
cover, 56
pages, some
color renderings, all blackand-white
photos, ISBN:
978-1-78096605-2. From
Osprey
Publishing.
$56.95, by
Yefim Gordon
and Dmitry
Komissarov,
hard cover, 272
pages, all color
photos, ISBN:
978-19021092-8-2.
From
Squadron/
Signal Publications.
Apollo - The
Epic Journey
to the Moon
1963-1972,
$40, by David
West Reynolds,
hard cover, 272
pages, all color
photos, ISBN:
978-0-76034452-1. From
NEW FOR 2013!
Flex-I-File Ninja
Hyper Cut Saws
Professional handmade
Japanese saws
Quayside Publishing Group.
Micro
Sticky
Stix
SR-71, $35, by
The GMC
CCKW Truck in
US Service
Historical
Reference,
$74.95, by
David Doyle,
hard cover, 504
pages, mostly
black-and-white
photos, ISBN:
978-0-89747724-6. From
Squadron/
Signal
Publications.
Col. Richard H.
Graham, hard
cover, 190
pages, all color
photos, ISBN:
978-0-76034327-2. From
Quayside
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New Products
Runway Dust,
$15.95, by
Charles R.
Furden, soft
cover, 338
pages, ISBN:
978-09826716-03.
From Time West
Publishing.
M3 Gun Motor Carriage Detail in Action,
$18.95, by David Doyle, soft cover, 80 pages,
all color photos. From Squadron/Signal
Publications.
6KLSVLQ1RYHPEHU
PzKpfw 38(t) Variations in Action, $18.95,
by Charles K. Kliment, hard cover, 80 pages,
mostly black-and-white photos. From Squadron/
Signal Publications.
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moon rocket that was kept secret for
decades
t
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Last Hope of the Luftwaffe: Me 163, He
162, Me 262, $16.95, by Maciej Goralczyk,
Jacek Pasieczny, Simon Schatz, Arkadiusz
Wrobel, soft cover, 16 pages, ISBN: 978-8362878-71-010 paint schemes in 3 scales,
decals printed by Cartograf. Mini TopColors37.
From Casemate Publishers.
JG 2 Jagdgeschwader “Richthofen,”
$19.95, by Marek J. Murawski, soft cover,
2816 pages, ISBN: 978-83-62878-70-343
archive photos, 4 painting schemes. Decal
sheet included. From Casemate Publishers.
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Saab 37 Viggen Walk Around, $28.95, by
Mikhail Putnikov, hard cover, 80 pages, all
color photos, ISBN: 978-0-89747-716-1. From
Squadron/Signal Publications.
USS Alabama Squadron at Sea, $24.95,
by David Doyle, soft cover, 128 pages, mostly
black-and-white photos, ISBN: 978-0-89747730-7. From Squadron/Signal Publications.
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20 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
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featuring reviews, product
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Fw 190s over Europe Part II, $16.95, by
Maciej Goralczyk and Janusz Swiatlon, soft
cover, 16 pages, ISBN: 978-83-62878-74-116
color profiles, decals for all 8 painting schemes
in 3 scales. From Casemate Publishers.
Schnellboot in Action, by David L. Krakow,
$18.95, soft cover, 80 pages, few color photos, mostly black-and-white photos, ISBN: 9780-89747-660-7. From Squadron/Signal
Publications.
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
TOOL S AND PAINTS
Modeler’s
Guide to the
Sabre & Fury,
No. 9002A,
$10.95. From
Aero Research
Co.
Warbirds
Collection No.
5, No. 3008,
Allied-Axis M3/M3A1 Light Tank, $15.85,
soft cover, 96 pages, all black-and-white photos.From Ampersand Publishing Company Inc.
$12.95. From
Aero Research
Co.
ComposiMold, No. CM-LT, $29.95. Organic
polymer mold making material. From
ComposiMold.
Russian Security and Paramilitary Forces
since 1991, $18.95, soft cover, 64 pages, all
color photos. From Osprey Publishing.
Modeler’s Guide to the P-38 Lightning,
No. 9003A, $10.95. From Aero Research Co.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
21
Weathering olive drab
IS
AIRBRU
ING &
SH
HING
Pre-shading, post-shading, and thin layers of paint camouflage a P-39
for South Pacific service r BY AARON SKINNER
FIN
Layers, layers, and more
layers of paint helped Aaron
achieve the worn, weathered
look on his 1/48 scale P-39.
He used Testors Model Master
enamels throughout the
project.
O
live drab, a common finish for U.S. Army
Air Forces aircraft in World War II, can
be a difficult color to get right. Weather,
sunlight, fuel, and maintenance crews take a toll
on the paint, which can fade in different ways
1
2
I pre-shaded the airframe by airbrushing
schwarzgrau (No. 2094) along panel lines. I
tried to stay on the lines, but wasn’t too
concerned if I went a little off target. The finish
coats will clean up any mistakes.
22 FineScale Modeler
from chalky white to brown. I built Hasegawa’s
1/48 scale Airacobra as a Guadalcanal defender.
Based on a photo of the aircraft, I painted as warweary a finish as possible, using numerous layers
and shades of two olive drab paints.
December 2013
With the pressure at 15 psi and the brush on a
narrow pattern, I sprayed neutral gray
(No. 1725) on panel centers underneath, filling
in between the pre-shaded lines. Spray just past
the demarcation lines on fuselage sides and
wing leading edges.
3
Once I had covered the panel centers, I lightly
sprayed neutral gray over the pre-shaded lines,
leaving a hint of the schwarzgrau showing.
Achieving uniform density over the lines wasn’t
my focus, because a little unevenness looks more
dramatic.
4
5
I poured out the remaining neutral gray, but I didn’t bother cleaning the
airbrush’s bottle before adding equal amounts of light ghost gray (No.
1728) and thinner — a trace of the darker paint wasn’t going to hurt. I
sprayed this mixture into panel centers and inspection covers.
6
Army Air Force guidelines called for soft
demarcation lines between colors, so I used
raised masks between the olive drab and neutral
gray. I started by applying rolls of masking tape,
sticky side out, about 1⁄16" outside of the lines to
be masked.
After mixing a few drops of Fulcrum gray (No. 2133) into the remaining
paint, I airbrushed random dots and swatches of color to further break up
the finish. I sprayed all of these gray layers in one session, flushing the
brush with lacquer thinner between colors but not doing a full cleaning.
7
8
I stuck strips of masking tape overlapping the
rolls so the edge fell just a little over the
demarcation line. The curve of the rolls
prevented hard edges on the surface as the
resulting shape lets a little paint spray past it.
9
Just like the neutral gray under the plane, I started by spraying olive drab
in between the pre-shaded lines and varied the density for a splotchy
appearance.
I started airbrushing olive drab (No. 2050) along
the raised tape edges, being careful to spray
past the tape at no less than 90 degrees in order
to minimize the amount of paint along the mask.
10
Then, I sprayed thin coats over the lines to reduce the contrast and leave
just a hint of the pre-shading.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
23
11
12
I added a little panzer schokoladenbraun (No. 2096) to olive drab and
post-shaded lines and a few panels around the nose, cockpit, and wing
leading edges. I was trying to re-create the finish in the wartime photo.
I added a little schwarzgrau to the mix and sprayed thin lines along a few
panel lines using my reference photo as a guide. Don’t spray every line;
you want the effect to look random, not calculated.
13
14
15
To give some of the dark splotches a hard edge, I
applied water and sprinkled on fine table salt.
Using a fine brush, I manipulated the salt so it
would mask broken lines along panel edges.
A couple of hours later, I airbrushed olive drab
with a few of drops of schokoladenbraun mixed
in over the salt-masked areas.
I gently rubbed the salt off an hour later with a
cotton swab, revealing the darker paint beneath.
Stubborn salt is easily removed by applying a
little water to the area to dissolve the crystals.
16
17
18
To represent the lighter tone on the rear of the
plane seen in the reference photo, I airbrushed
faded olive drab (No. 2051) over the rear half of
the wing and on the fuselage aft of the cockpit.
I lightened the faded olive drab with flat white
(No. 1768) and post-shaded panel centers.
However, I thought the difference between the
front rear was too stark.
So, I mixed equal parts olive drab and faded
olive drab and airbrushed a ½" strip between
the two sections, softening the transition.
19
20
After a few more adjustments, including spraying a brownish shade of
olive drab on a few areas upfront and on the cockpit doors as well as
inspection panels and wing roots, the model was ready for markings and
control surfaces.
I waited a couple of days for the paint to fully cure, then masked off the
control surfaces. The fabric covering them faded more than other areas, so
I mixed several drops of panzer dunkelgelb (No. 2095) and faded olive
drab for the rudder and the upper halves of the elevators and ailerons.
24 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
21
22
Underneath, I sprayed neutral gray lightened with flat white. The
Airacobra’s trim tabs were metal, so I left them unfaded.
I masked a stripe on the fuselage with thin strips of Tamiya tape. Spraying
thin coats of flat white and removing the masks soon after painting helps
minimize ridges of paint buildup along the tape edges.
23
24
25
My photo showed that the aircraft’s tail number
was painted out. I masked the area and sprayed
unaltered olive drab.
After a coat of clear gloss and decals, I
airbrushed more clear gloss and applied a dark
brown artist’s oil wash to panel lines.
To further darken the nose, I mixed black into the
dark brown wash and painted it along some of
the panel lines and recesses.
26
27
28
To replicate chipped paint around the wing roots
and access hatches, I blotted dark and medium
gray paint along panel lines and walkways with
a scrap of foam rubber.
I airbrushed Testors Dullcote, then roughly
masked a swoop for the exhaust stain and
airbrushed layers of light gray and brown
enamels. Clear thinner created rain streaks.
Finally, I applied yellow and brown artist’s oil
filters over central wing panels. The effect should
be subtle, showing just enough color to appear
different, but not enough to be obvious. FSM
Chipped prop blades
Nose dark with
deep staining
Lighter shade aft
Painted-out serial
Salt-chipped spinner
Exhaust stains
Washes for emphasis
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
25
Portfolio
Joe Fleming
Striving for perfection
Always pushing for better, no matter the subject
BY JOHN FERDICO t PHOTOS BY JOHN FERDICO AND DAI NAKABAYASHI
T
he only difficulty Joe Fleming has
with scale modeling is deciding what
to build next. Having won awards
for aircraft, armor, figures, and even a
manned torpedo, he has set his sights on
1/350 scale ships and begun soliciting
advice from friends.
Friends constitute a large portion of
scale modeling’s appeal for Joe.
“I am always inspired and impressed by
what others build,” he says. “My favorite
thing about going to shows is finding
pieces that just blow me away. It could be
the pure quality, amount of work, creativity,
26 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
or interesting scheme or subject. It gets me
motivated to do one like it, carry away
some beautiful idea or detail I saw in the
model, or just personally strive to improve
my own work.”
Improvement and attention to detail are
integral to Joe’s life. Living in Morgan Hill,
Calif., with his wife and four children, he
works as a product transfer and security
consultant for tech companies.
Joe’s parents bought him his first model
kits: the inexpensive ’70s Monogram
Mustang, Zero, Messerschmitt Me 109E,
and Wildcat. He still has the misnamed
(Bf ) 109 and fondly remembers the Wildcat’s folding wings.
While he typically builds aircraft out of
the box, enhancing details only when he
thinks it absolutely necessary, he takes particular pride in upping the ante with armor
and figures.
Speaking of the latter, figures from all
eras interest Joe. But there has to be something about the model — pose, character, or
subject — that speaks to him. Working
with artist’s oils, he brings his figures to life,
improving them with scratchbuilt details as
he goes along.
www.FineScale.com
To see more of Joe Fleming’s incredible
models and find out how he paints flesh
tones and clothing, visit our website at
www.FineScale.com/OnlineExtras.
“Za Rodina!” — The Motherland!
For his diorama of the first successful Soviet offensive on the
Eastern Front, Joe used 1/35 scale Masterbox figures and a
Dragon T-34/76. The tank received various photoetchedmetal upgrades, including engine grilles and covers, louvers,
toolboxes, and fenders. He used plastic lenses for the headlights and a turned aluminum barrel for the main gun. He
replaced the figures’ pockets and epaulets with lead foil.
Buttons were scraped away and improved with Grandt Line
rivets. All the uniform seams were rescribed, the hands
thinned, and individual fingers reshaped. Heads came from a
variety of manufacturers for a mix of features, expressions,
and hair styles. New bags, helmet straps, and weapon slings
came from various photoetched-metal sets, as did many of the
weapon details. Joe scratchbuilt a red banner blowing back
as the tank crashes forward through the German line.
54mm Prussian Death Hussar, 1762
This figure from Andrea Miniatures is Joe’s favorite. “It has a very dangerous-looking
uniform in relatively drab colors that are contrary to the uniforms of the time,” he says.
“I am proud of the painting I did on that piece.”
Tamiya 1/48 scale F4U-2 Corsair
Joe removed the outboard .50-caliber gun on the kit’s starboard wing to make room for
the radar pod. He scratchbuilt a radar display on the cockpit control panel, plumbed the
junction and control boxes, and added brass rod for landing-gear brake lines.
December 2013
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27
Portfolio
PiLiPiLi Miniatures 1/8 scale Crazy Horse, Oglala Sioux, 1876
“Figure painting is an art,” Joe says. “It is minor modeling, but takes as
much time as any model I’ve built.” Joe rescribed Crazy Horse’s hair and
replaced the molded-on jewelry with sculpted beads, wire, and styrene.
Elite Miniatures 54mm Scots Fusilier, Guards Officer, Crimean War, 1854
“I love when a figure is finished,” Joe says. “Each has a personality that
exceeds those of my other models.” He removed and improved the braids
and epaulets on the fusilier’s uniform with fine braided wire and brass.
Italeri 1/35 scale Siluro Lenta Corsa 200 “Maiale” manned torpedo
“I used Grandt Line nuts and scratchbuilt a fair amount of detail,” Joe says. He made the shield by soldering thin brass sheet to an internal framework.
28 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
Romeo 75mm Crusader Knight
Joe used white titanium, Old
Holland neutral tint, stil-de-grain
brown, and buff titanium artist’s oils
for a warm finish on the surcoat.
1/35 scale ChTZ T-34/76, Leningrad, 1944
Joe kitbashed Dragon’s T-34/76 and the turret from Tamiya’s ChTZ T-34/76, scratchbuilding the detailed interior
and engine compartment with kit parts, resin spares, styrene and brass sheet, lead foil, and brass rod. To texture
the exterior, he put random divots in the armor with a small burr chucked in a motor tool. Then he applied a mix of
Tamiya liquid cement and Squadron green putty, stippling the surface as it dried.
Wingnut Wings 1/32 scale SE.5a “Hisso” — 2nd. Lt. J.J. Fitzgerald’s B.507, Oct. 1917
“I have always loved World War I aircraft,” Joe says, “but was always intimidated by the rigging.”
For his first WWI biplane, Joe added stitching and ribbing to the rudder and vertical stabilizer. He
used masks from Montex. Internal control cables and Bob’s Buckles turnbuckles round out the plane.
“I have since bought 12 other Wingnut Wings kits!” Joe says.
54mm Comrades in Arms, Moscow, 1825
“I was intrigued by the expressions of both figures,” Joe explains. “The compassion and effort
of the grenadier and the boy’s tattered clothing
make it a compelling piece.” FSM
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
29
1/72 Scale
Chuck modeled a Martin B-26B
as it would have looked during
the weeks following the D-Day
invasion of Normandy.
Painting accurate
INVASION STRIPES
Careful weathering
fades this Marauder’s
D-Day markings
BY CHUCK LIPKIN
I’ve always wanted to model a B-26 Marauder that served through the initial weeks of the
Allied invasion of Normandy. Allied aircraft wore black-and-white stripes — invasion stripes —
painted on their wings and fuselages for quick identification.
Allied command ordered the stripes removed from the upper surfaces a few weeks after getting a toehold on the continent. To get a faded, streaky, uneven appearance, I decided to paint
the stripes on my Hasegawa 1/72 scale B-26B/C rather than rely on the kit’s decals.
Acrylic clear gloss
1
2
Once the fuselage was together, I masked the tail gunner’s canopy and
various openings before giving the model a base coat of gray primer.
30 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
Because I intended to do some extensive weathering with sandpaper, I put
down a coat of Testors Model Master acryl clear gloss over the primer as a
protective barrier.
Remove
before
painting
3
A thin, airbrushed coat of Model Master enamel flat white went down over
the upper fuselage and wings where the invasion stripes would be. I
purposely left the paint job streaky and let the gray primer show through.
5
I painted a light, uneven coat of Floquil Railroad Colors weathered black
for the upper fuselage and wing invasion stripes.
7
After finishing the rest of the plane with a Floquil old silver undercoat, salt
weathering, and olive drab, I removed the masks from the invasion stripes
and wet-sanded them with 600-grit mylar sanding film. The earlier clear
coat helped prevent sanding through to bare plastic.
4
Using the kit’s decals as a guide for width, I masked the edges of the
invasion stripes with tape. Narrow strips conform better to the aircraft’s
compound curves. I used short strips of tape to help keep the width
consistent, removing them before painting.
6
I made sure that the invasion stripes on the lower wings and fuselage
received opaque, even coats.
8
I cleaned the decal locations with toothpaste applied with moistened steel
wool. Then I brushed on a mix of Pledge Future floor polish and distilled
water, floated the decals into it, and patted them dry. With the invasion
stripes down, it was clear flying to bring the Marauder home! FSM
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
31
Reader Gallery
▲ RICKY WONG
BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA
Verlinden’s 1/32 scale vignette, “Waist Gunner Down!” received an Aires resin machine gun with a Master Model
brass barrel from Ricky, who cut up 1⁄32" copper wire to strew spent shells around the benches and floor. He used
Winsor & Newton artist’s oils on the figures’ faces, and enamels on the uniforms.
▶ KELLY QUIRK
KEARNEY, MISSOURI
Kelly installed Eduard interior and
exterior photoetched-metal details
on Academy’s 1/48 scale Sikorsky
MH-53E. He added rivets and several scratchbuilt items, such as the
tail-rotor transmission and driveshafts. He also wired and detailed
the rotor head. “The size of the
model really gave me the motivation to go the extra mile,” he says
of the 2'-long beast.
32 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
BRAD SHINN
HATFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA
Boeing’s “droop snoot” EC-135 was
developed as an Apollo/Range
Instrumentation Aircraft (A/RIA), a
platform for spacecraft tracking and
telemetry. Brad built AMtech’s 1/72
scale kit and made his own flaps and
slats from styrene stock.
▶ BRUCE WILLIAMS
OSHKOSH,
WISCONSIN
Bruce modeled a
German-captured
British Whippet with
Emhar’s 1/35 scale
kit, detailing the muffler covers with thread.
He finished with
Tamiya acrylic paints,
artist’s oil washes, and
pastels.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
33
Reader Gallery
▲ MARCOS VALLE MACHADO da SILVA
RIO de JANEIRO, BRAZIL
Having built Monogram’s 1/48 scale A6M5 Model 52c, Marcos writes, “This is my tribute to a legend of World
War II. It shows the colors and marks of the 203rd Naval Air Group at Omure air base in Japan, summer 1945.”
LOTHAR LIMPRECHT
BAD WILDUNGEN, GERMANY
Lothar built his Panzerhaubitze
203mm, a German version of the M55
self-propelled gun, using Elite
Militaermodellbau’s1/35 scale resin kit
with AFV Club injection-molded tracks.
He painted with Vallejo Model Air
olive, medium green, and black.
Finishing touches of Mig old rust and
black smoke pigments provided light
weathering.
34 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
▲ LUKASZ ZIOLKOWSKI
´ POLAND
ŁÓDZ,
A fan of fantasy modeling, Lukasz eagerly purchased Andrea Miniatures’
1/10 scale Ithandir bust as soon as he saw it. “Beautiful sculpting by
Joaquin Palacios made it a great kit to paint,” he says.
▶ MICHAEL TURCO
THORNTON, PENNSYLVANIA
When Revell’s 1/96 scale XSL-01 (Experimental Space Laboratory No. 1)
of the late 1950s was recreated in resin and scaled up to 1/72 by
Fantastic Plastic, Michael finished it in Tamiya bare-metal silver and Testors
stainless steel Metalizer, added aftermarket and homemade decals, and
rocketed to third place in his category at the 2012 IPMS/USA nationals.
SEND US YOUR PICTURES!
Shouldn’t your model be in Reader Gallery? FineScale
Modeler is always accepting new images of great models
from around the world.
Upload high-resolution digital images (preferably unedited,
RAW format) with complete captions at www.Contribute.
Kalmbach.com, or send prints or CD-ROMs to FineScale
Modeler, Reader Gallery, 21027 Crossroads Circle, P.O. Box
1612, Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.
Be sure to tell us the kit manufacturer, model, scale, modifications, paint and finishes used, and reason for choosing the
model, along with your name and address. We look forward
to seeing your work!
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
35
SCALE MODELING
ESSENTIALS
Making a
GOOD ZERO BETTER
Part 1: Adding preprinted photoetched metal to the cockpit
BY AARON SKINNER
This photo of Hiroyoshi Nishizawa flying his field-camouflaged Zero over
the Solomon Islands was the inspiration for Aaron’s 1/48 scale A6M3. He
embellished Tamiya’s 1/48 scale kit with Eduard photoetched-metal details
for the cockpit and flaps.
T
amiya’s 1/48 scale Zeros are masterpieces of modern kit manufacture. They feature good surface detail, a pretty nice cockpit
and engine, and several attractive options, like lowered flaps.
But even the best kits can be improved. To build an A6M3
flown by ace Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, I wanted to make a few basic
improvements with photoetched metal. I started in the cockpit
using a set of preprinted, self-adhesive details from Eduard.
36 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
1
Starting with the cockpit, I compared the kit instructions with those for
Eduard’s detail set. I highlighted places I needed to add parts to ensure I
didn’t miss anything.
3
I used a chisel blade bevel-side down (less likely to gouge) to remove
raised detail from plastic parts receiving photoetched-metal parts.
5
Part of the cockpit’s side console was replaced by photoetched metal. I cut
it off with a razor saw and cleaned up the area with a sanding stick.
2
Before airbrushing the interior color on kit’s cockpit parts, I indicated the
parts to be painted with a marker so I didn’t miss anything. It’s always a
pain to discover a missed part during construction.
4
A sanding stick finished the leveling work and ensured a clean fit.
6
I airbrushed cockpit parts with Tamiya cockpit green (XF-71).
December 2013
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37
7
8
I cut through the thin strips attaching the
photoetched-metal parts to the fret (in this case,
the rear piece of the instrument panel) with a
new No. 11 blade.
Using the adhesive on the back of the part, I
picked it up with the tip of the knife and
transferred it to the kit’s panel.
9
The adhesive is flexible, so I fine-tuned the part’s
location with the knife tip.
10
11
12
Pressure from a toothpick permanently (in
theory) fixes the metal to the plastic part.
I wasn’t satisfied with the adhesive on the
Eduard parts — it didn’t want to hold — so I
applied super glue with a toothpick to be sure
the parts stayed put.
I hand-painted details on the plastic parts with a
fine brush and Tamiya acrylics.
13
14
15
The edges of the photoetched metal were
obviously different from the plastic so I handpainted them cockpit green.
Paint interferes with solvent cement. I sanded or
scraped it away from any joining surfaces for
better glue adhesion.
As I assembled the cockpit, I touched up the
paint as necessary.
38 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
16
17
I sealed the paint and photoetched metal with an airbrushed coat of
Tamiya clear gloss.
To emphasize details and deepen shadows, I applied a wash of dark
brown artist’s oils to the cockpit parts before assembly.
18
19
Once the wash dried, I sprayed all of the parts with Vallejo matte varnish
to remove any sheen.
Using the tip of a toothpick, I applied a drop of clear part cement to the
recessed face of each dial on the instrument panel.
21
I assembled the cockpit and installed it inside the fuselage. FSM
COMING UP: PART 2
20
An hour later, the glue was crystal clear and
gave each instrument a nice, glassy front.
With the fuselage done, it’s time to make a flap with photoetched metal on the wings. In
the January FineScale Modeler, I’ll cut, fold, and bend the new parts.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
39
1/35 Scale
Careful construction, attention to detail, and a finely finished late-war
scheme drive Bill’s SdKfz 251/22 self-propelled anti-tank vehicle.
| COVER STORY |
Make your
Pakwagen POP!
Here’s how to build a better SdKfz 251/22
BY BILL PLUNK
A
t the end of 1944, by personal
order of Adolf Hitler, Germany
was producing as many self-propelled anti-tank guns as possible.
This led to vehicle variants such as the
SdKfz 251/22 Schützenpanzerwagen, or
Pakwagen, in which the 7.5cm PaK40
towed anti-tank gun was taken off its
wheels and mounted on the 251’s rear bed.
Some of these 251 variants were factory-built. But several SdKfz 251/9
“Stummels” were converted in the field,
replacing their short-barreled 7.5cm gun
with the PaK40.
That conversion was the vehicle I
wanted to build. I used 1/35 scale Dragon’s
SdKfz 251/22 Ausf D (kit No. 6248) and
40 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
added a few of my own modifications as
well as parts from my spares bin.
Suspension and lower hull
I cleaned up the road wheels, then assembled the inner wheel pairs, front truck tires,
and drive sprockets. I was careful to keep
the rocker arms and wheel hubs movable to
allow the suspension to articulate and prevent “floating” front wheels, 1. Sticky bits
of Blu-Tack poster putty helped me test-fit
the suspension and make sure everything
played nice.
I needed to modify the kit’s interior to
depict a 251/9 converted to a 251/22, 2.
On the right side, I removed the radiooperator’s seat pedestal. LionRoar pho-
toetched-metal tread plate filled the hollow
spot at the bottom; sheet styrene plugged
an opening in the transmission hump. A
finger drill opened holes in the rear floor to
install a single bench seat on the left side,
along with the later-style wooden seat I
selected from the kit options. Then I put in
the driver’s bulkhead and dashboard.
The kit provides the angled hull in
modular sections with separate panels for
each side. A micro-chisel removed locators
not needed for the /22 variant. I filled ejector-pin marks with Squadron white putty
and smoothed them over with light sanding, 3, then added the side ammo bin and
other fittings. Placement of the ammo bin
and gunner’s wooden jump seat are critical;
Styrene plug
Photoetched metal
1
2
Dragon’s kit features a working front end. Clean construction lets you
articulate the front wheels, making the vehicle easier to level and pose.
Bill eliminated the radio operator’s position on the vehicle’s right side and
covered the cutout with photoetched tread plate and a bit of styrene.
4
3
White spots mark where Bill filled and smoothed ejector-pin marks on the
plastic.
He test-fitted ammo bins and the gun mount with other elements to ensure
a good fit with the upper hull.
Blanked visor
Driver’s
visor
6
5
They’re small things, but Bill sanded the driver’s visor flat and filled the slit
in the right-side visor to more accurately depict the late-war style.
scale plans and test-fitting make up for the
vague instructions.
I installed the rear doors closed, then
glued the lower hull and the front brace
mount for the PaK40 platform, paying
close attention to alignment and test-fitting
before moving on.
Weapon and upper hull
Building the PaK40 mount and ammo bin,
4, I found tight tolerances due to the
angled legs of the mount; I added the
ammo bin last to ensure correct position.
White spots show where Bill removed details from the PaK40 to represent
its conversion from towed artillery to self-propelled gun.
The driver’s visor covers are provided as
clear parts with the earlier, angled design,
but late-war 251s had flat covers. So, I carefully trimmed them with a No. 11 blade
and sanded the rest of the way down with a
600-grit nail-sanding stick, checking often
to make sure I was staying level. On the
radio operator’s side, the cover was a simple
blanked-off plate; I filled this piece’s vision
slit with putty and sanded it smooth, 5. I
also filled in the grab-rail locator tabs
inside the upper hull; those rails were on
the troop carrier, not my /22.
Now for the business end of the vehicle:
the PaK40. The kit has a finely turned-aluminum barrel and a nice selection of muzzle-brake styles to better match gun to
vehicle. I selected a late-war combination I
saw in photos and assembled the breech
and recoil sled, 6. I built the rest of the
mount with minor modifications, such as
filling holes and leaving off small details
absent from the vehicle-mounted guns.
After gluing the splinter shields and photoetched-metal inserts, I test-fitted the
upper hull and gun before painting, 7.
December 2013
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41
7
8
Bill attached the splinter shields and test-fitted the gun with the upper hull
before proceeding.
9
After a primer coat of Italian dark brown, a 1:1 mix of light gray and
panzer dunkelgelb provides a base coat. Masking tape keeps paint off the
hull’s main mating edges for a better glue bond later.
10
Blots of burnt umber, stippled with a stiff brush, depict worn, scuffed paint.
A light over-coat of the dunkelgelb base makes the scuffs more subtle.
11
12
Raw umber and raw sienna enamel washes deepen details.
After washes darkened the interior, dry-brushing with more of the base
restored the earlier tones.
Interior priming and painting
I covered mating surfaces on the upper and
lower hull with blue painter’s tape to keep
them clean for gluing later. Then I airbrushed with Testors Model Master enamels (used throughout unless otherwise
noted). After priming with Italian dark
brown, I applied a lightened dunkelgelb
base coat comprising equal parts of light
gray and panzer dunkelgelb, 8.
Once that dried, I weathered the interior in several steps. First, I created scuffs
and chips on the floor and walls by stippling burnt umber with an old, round sable
brush, 9. To lessen the contrast, I stippled
some of the base coat over it, blending
without completely covering the chips.
42 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
Then I painted interior areas and items,
such as the wooden bench, seat-back cushion, driver’s area details, and single-round
ammo tubes, and installed them, 10.
Airbrushing a coat of Pledge Future floor
polish sealed this round of painting and
prepared for further weathering.
Washes and weathering
I treated the interior with washes of raw
umber and raw sienna enamels, adding a
pinwash of burnt umber to bring out
selected panel lines and raised details, 11.
These steps darkened the interior, so I
made several passes of dry-brushing with
the previous base-coat mixture, 12. I sealed
this work with Testors Model Master lus-
terless flat from a spray can, at once dulling
any remaining Future gloss and tying the
weathering treatments together.
I joined the upper and lower hulls with
a combination of liquid and tube styrene
cement, using strategically placed rubber
bands as clamps, 13. After looking at my
photo references again, I added cleaning
rods left over from a previous project, cutting them apart to fit on the right side of
the interior, and an MG42 and ammunition can on the left seat-back bin (rather
than on the swing mount over the rear
doors), 14.
At the same time, I was painting and
weathering the PaK40. I hollowed the gunner’s eyepiece with a finger drill and hand-
Cleaning rods
13
14
Bill uses rubber bands to clamp the glued hull.
Studying his photo references, Bill decided to bring some cleaning rods
aboard.
Eyepiece
Width indicator
Notek
light
Tool
clamp
Conduit
15
16
17
Hollowing the gunner’s eyepiece and handpainting details gave the gun a pleasing
complexity. Chipping and bare-metal colors
further realism and add dimension.
Fiddly bits appear: The width indicators are out
of the kit, but the other brass is from a separate
photoetched-metal set.
Bill kept the back doors closed. He preferred
another kit’s Notek light; a length of solder
replicates its electrical conduit.
Travel
lock
18
19
Mounting the gun helped Bill locate its travel lock.
Italian dark brown primer shades the hull before camouflage is applied.
painted its details along with the control
wheels and breech-block details, 15. Light
chipping and weathering was carefully
applied using a small detail brush and burnt
umber. For bare metal on the breech block,
I used Testors Model Master Metalizer
non-buffing steel darkened slightly with
black artist pastels. I used the same to paint
the bare-metal contact surfaces of the recoil
sled, but followed with dry-brushed burnt
umber and a light wash of raw umber. I set
the gun aside until the rest of the hull was
completed.
Exterior details
My model really began looking like a
SdKfz 251 with the installation of its dis-
tinctive side bins and front fenders, 16.
Small amounts of putty filled gaps where
the bins met the angled hull. After filling
locating holes with putty and removing
molded-on clamps from the tools, I used
some generic Griffon photoetched-metal
clamps to hold the ax and pick. I selected
the kit-supplied brass width indicators and
attached them with super glue gel for extra
strength.
I used .5mm-diameter solder to add a
missing wiring conduit for the front Bosch
light, snaking it under the fender and into
the engine compartment, and the rear
Notek convoy light conduit, 17. The kit’s
rear Notek light was inaccurate, so picked
one from my spares bin.
I set the PaK40 on its mount to determine where to put the gun’s travel lock —
the last detail attached before exterior
painting, 18.
Exterior paint
I primed the hull with Italian dark brown,
19, then applied the German late-war
three-color scheme: rotbraun (red brown),
olivgrün (olive green), and dunkelgelb (dark
yellow).
Rather than lay down a full base coat, I
mimicked the late-war practice of applying
the camouflage pattern directly to the
primer, using khaki for olivgrün, a 1:1 mix
of leather and military brown for rotbraun,
and the previous light dunkelgelb base coat,
December 2013
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43
20
21
Late in the war, Germans simply added camouflage colors to the primer
coat. Bill did the same.
Resting the road wheels on the track ensured fit and a level stance later.
22
23
Bill did his best to keep the track workable for proper fit and sag …
… and to be able to remove it and paint it off the vehicle.
24
25
A raw umber wash deepens recessed lines and tones down the
camouflage.
Dots of paint, randomly applied and drawn across broad surfaces with a
thinner-damp brush, constitute a filter to subtly vary shades and make
colors look more like they belong on the same vehicle.
20. Once the camouflage pattern was
down, I misted it with the base coat from
about 12" away to slightly fade and unify
the pattern. I also painted and detailed road
wheels at this stage, using the same camo
colors. I airbrushed the road-wheel tires
gunmetal, then sprayed the wheels with the
camo colors through a draftsman’s circle
template to keep paint off the tires.
Getting on track
The kit’s tracks are workable if you glue
them carefully. I used a daisy-chain
approach of assembling the links in pairs,
pairs into fours, etc. until I had full runs of
44 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
52 links per side. The track, along with the
installed front tires, helped support road
wheels and ensured each side sat level while
the glue set up, 21.
I positioned the drive sprockets with
Blu-Tack, then adjusted the track runs for
fit and sag, 22. Eventually, the left side
required 54 links and the right side 56.
Impressively, it is an almost-exact match for
the real vehicle (55 and 56 links per side,
respectively).
I removed the tracks from the model
and airbrushed them with a base coat of
burnt umber. Then I dry-brushed with steel
and applied a raw umber wash. I hand-
brushed the rubber track blocks with gunmetal, 23.
An over-coat of Future protected the
paint work and provided a stable base for
further weathering. I used the kit’s number
set to re-create the license plate number of
the vehicle in my reference photos, and
added Balkan crosses to the hull sides and
rear. A second coat of Future sealed the
decals. Then I waited a few days for everything to dry thoroughly.
I began weathering with a base wash of
raw umber, 24. Next came a dot filter with
flat white, raw sienna, and my lightened
dunkelgelb mixture, 25. I applied the dots
26
27
Note how the filters depict rain-driven streaks of dust and rust.
A pinwash of burnt umber, precisely applied, restores depth to recesses
after the filters.
28
29
Bill slathered on a mix of powdered pigments …
… but returned with a stiff brush to remove most of the mud.
in small sections and blended them with a
square-tip brush moistened with thinner,
achieving a faded/dusty/streaky effect, 26.
A pinwash of burnt umber emphasized
panel lines and raised detail, providing further depth, 27.
After some small adjustments and corrections — easily performed with a little
more thinner to distribute or soak up excess
wash — I sealed the weathering with
Testors lusterless flat from a spray can and
mounted the PaK40.
For the final weathering stages, I created
a wet mix of Mig Productions dry mud and
tap water with a drop of liquid dishwashing
soap added to break surface tension for better flow. Using a round 0 sable brush, I
applied this mix to the tracks, running gear,
lower hull, and drive sprockets, 28. When
it had dried, I donned a dust mask and
removed or blended excess pigment with a
round stiff-bristled brush and dry cotton
swabs, 29.
I installed the tracks and sprockets to
complete the suspension, then added little,
final details, such as the kit’s adhesive mirror and a swipe of black artist’s pastel
around the muffler pipe and nearby fender
to show exhaust stains.
In the end, my Pakwagen is a dusty,
weary survivor biding its time in a surrender depot at war’s end. FSM
With basic, easy-to-master techniques and not much more than the kit contents and materials at
hand, Bill produced a Pakwagen that looks every bit the part — and, like the vehicle in his reference
pictures, this late-war SdKfz 251/22 is ready to surrender to the victorious Allies.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
45
1/350 Scale
Joseph threw everything he could into his firstever commissioned work, combining Trumpeter
and Dragon kits with White Ensign Models and
Yankee Modelworks photoetched-metal sets —
and all the research photos he could lay his
hands on — to build a token of the wardroom
officers’ esteem for an outgoing commander.
Kitbashing
USS Benfold
Putting everything into a skipper’s farewell memento
BY JOSEPH BOSSERT
L
ate in 2011 I received the kind of call
ship modelers dream about: a U.S.
Navy ensign wanted to commission
me to build a model of the Arleigh
Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS
Benfold (DDG-65). It would be a farewell
present from the wardroom officers to their
captain at a change-of-command ceremony
scheduled for autumn 2012.
46 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
I was so surprised by the honor that I
suspected it was a prank. But after a couple
of calls to check around, I was convinced
the ensign and the request were for real. So,
I called the ensign back, we agreed on a
scale and price, and I accepted my first-ever
modeling commission.
To model DDG-65, I considered
Trumpeter’s 1/350 scale USS Cole (DDG-
67, kit No. 04524) and Dragon’s 1/350 scale
USS The Sullivans (DDG-68, kit No.
1033). I couldn’t decide, so I bought them
both. I also ordered photoetched-metal
detail sets from Yankee Modelworks and
White Ensign Models. I found I preferred
the Trumpeter model, but the Dragon kit
also was useful — especially for its decal
sheet, which included the name Benfold.
1a
1b
The kits provided display stands, but I wanted brass pedestals and a fine wood base. The pedestals came from Bluejacket and were slotted to accept a
keel; I cut off that top portion and added rubber washers to protect the plastic. A block of pine shaped to fit the hull accepted screws from the pedestals.
The wood went into a pool of white glue below the hull’s strengtheners, reinforcing and further weighting the model. Styrene cross members super glued
to the hull reinforced it. I also poured some more white glue into the bottom for more ballast.
Welded plate
Strip styrene
added
3
2
Photos show Benfold has distinctive welded plates that cover access holes
cut during dry dock. I modeled these with .015" sheet styrene
Destroyers in this class have three vertical belts on the hull sides that are
part of a “masker” noise-dampening system. They also have horizontal
belts not included in the hull molding; I added those with strip styrene.
Stern
flap
⁄ " brass rod
1 16
4
5
I replaced the mounting pins for the twin rudders with ⁄ " brass rods for a
much-stronger join.
1 16
I formed a “stern flap” (which increases speed and fuel economy) with
styrene strips, laminated and sanded to shape.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
47
Races
6
7
I painted the hull below the waterline Floquil ATSF (Santa Fe) red
(F414149), then masked it and painted the sonar dome Floquil weathered
black (F110017).
EWS
Platform
supports
The kit’s bow-anchor details were simplified; I scraped off those molded
details and modeled blocks and races with chunks of styrene and
.15" x .125" styrene strips. Later, I would add blackened brass chain in
place of the kit’s molded chain.
Conduits or pipes
8
9
Using brass from photoetched-metal frets, I added supports to the platforms
on either side of the superstructure where the SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare
System (EWS) is mounted. I super glued brass rods to depict conduits or
pipes in this area.
The kits’ masts just wouldn’t do: I built my own from square brass tubing,
attached kit and accessory photoetched metal, and modified other kit parts
to model the Benfold’s complex masts. At the top of the mast, I cut apart kit
pieces, punched out plastic discs for platforms, and added various support
rods and beams according to my reference photos.
10
11
After removing ladders and other molded details from the kit parts, I built
the basic superstructure according to the instructions. Then came fitting the
photoetched-metal replacements.
I installed another more-recent development retrofitted to older Arleigh
Burke ships: Nulka decoy launchers, made by gluing together .060" x
.080" styrene strips and shaping them to match photos.
48 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
Trimmed
decal
12
13
The 5" gun on the fo’c’sle is surrounded by a red blast-zone warning ring.
Trimming away the decal’s excess carrier film made it difficult to apply
accurately. I used dividers to mark this circle with tape to aid placement.
The emblems of Destroyer Squadron 7 and Benfold are on the fore and aft
stacks, respectively. Unable to obtain custom-made decals, I had a copy
shop scan, scale, and print these in color. They don’t look painted-on like
decals, but on the real ship they’re plaques — so these looked OK to me.
Radar
Award letters
14
15
The kits provided most of the award letters for the bridge wings; I cut up
characters from spare sheets for others. The white domes at the top are
fiberglass covers for the radars, reconfigured since the kit was designed. I
needed parts from both kits to get the right number and arrangement.
Almost there: Blue tape protected the bright brass pedestals until I was
ready to back the screws out of the pine block inside the hull and transfer
the model to the final display base.
16
17
Philippine mahogany board after cutting and routing: Long wood screws,
countersunk in the bottom of the base, will pass through the board and
brass pedestals into the previously drilled holes in the hull and the pine
block that I glued into the keel at the start.
Special thanks to Cmdr. David M. Oden (may he be as pleased with this
model as I was to build it for him), and to Ensign Michael J. Claus for
supplying many photos and references (all nonclassified), communicating
the wishes of the wardroom officers, and answering my countless
questions; and to all those who protect and defend our country. FSM
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
49
Questions & Answers
A clinic for your modeling problems
By Aaron Skinner
Post-apocalyptic figure source
Q In the gallery from the 2013 AMPS In-
ternational show in the September FSM,
you featured a post-apocalyptic conversion
of a Meng pickup by Kenneth Childres.
How did he make the figure? I don’t recall
ever seeing a 1/35 scale figure for sale that
looks like that. I’m wondering what figure
parts he used or how he made it. I would
like a figure like that.
– Peter Ong
San Francisco, Calif.
A To crew his post-apocalyptic zombiehunting truck, Kenneth used a resin kit from
a Russian company called Tank Models.
The figure is actually a modern Russian tank
officer in Chechnya, 1994-2005 (No.
T-35054), but Kenneth painted it in civilian
clothes and left off the distinctive helmet
worn by Soviet and Russian tank crews.
Tank Models figures can be hard to find in
the U.S.,but the Michigan Toy Soldier
Company carries them: 888-642-4869,
www.michtoy.com.
Dennis Gerber dressed Trumpeter’s Dolphin as a
Coast Guard chopper. Getting the color right can
be a challenge.
Coast Guard helo color
Q In the February 2010 FSM, you pub-
lished an article by Dennis Gerber about
building and painting Trumpeter’s 1/48
scale U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin.
I have two questions. First, is this the
only article you’ve done on this subject ?
Second, what is the Federal Standard number for the exterior finish?
– William Corcoran
Live Oak, Fla.
A In answer to your first question, the only
other story we published was a review of
the kit. You can find that in the October
2002 FSM. Order back issues by calling
Kalmbach customer service, 800-533-6688
(262-796-8776 international).
Regarding your second question, the FS
number for the finish seems to be a bit of
50 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
1
When Aaron discovered the hull top of a
Dragon 1/35 scale Tiger I was short, he filled
the gap with styrene strip.
2
Aaron wraps sandpaper around a KV-2 gun
barrel and spins the part to eliminate the
seam between the halves.
Looking for help eliminating armor seams
Q I am working on Dragon’s 1/35 scale Jagdpanther and have run
into a problem joining the upper and lower hulls. There’s a gap at
the front of the tank. Should I use putty to fill the gap and, if so,
how do I make it less obvious? Secondly, should I apply putty to
the gun barrel to eliminate the seam?
– Raymond Sandoval, Pearland, Texas
A You can use putty to fill gaps. Apply more than you need, let it dry, then sand it
flush with the surrounding surface. Easy peasy. If you can, I suggest using one of the
newer putties, such as Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty. It doesn’t shrink as it
dries the way solvent-based putties do.
On armor, gaps frequently fall at a corner or edge, So, I like to use a strip of styrene to fill the gap. Find a piece wide enough that you need a little pressure to force
it into the gap, 1. Secure it with liquid cement, then trim and sand it flush once it
dries. There may be a few small gaps left, but they are easily filled with super glue
or putty.
For the barrel, I recommend holding the parts together — you don’t have to
squeeze it yet — and flow in liquid cement. After a few seconds, squeeze the halves
together. You should see a bead of melted plastic ooze from the seam. Don’t touch
it: Let the bead dry, then trim and sand it smooth. To smooth the seam, I recommend
twisting the cylindrical barrel through folded sandpaper, 2. That way you can avoid
creating flat spots on the barrel.
an enigma. I’ve seen websites that refer to
12199 and that is indeed a red-orange color. Coastguardmodeling.com says Model
Master Chevy engine red (No. 2731) is a
good match for FS12199, but it’s too red
for the HH-65. The site suggests mixing
equal parts Chevy engine red and international orange (No. 2022) to get the right
color for the Dolphin.
FSM reviewer John Plzak used Testors
Boyd sunburst (No. 52708) for his model.
Tangled in webs of Mr. Surfacer
Q I normally airbrush Mr. Surfacer 1200 as a
primer, and it provides a wonderful base coat.
My problem is that sometimes I get fine, cot-
tony fluff, making a model like an F-4 look like
something from “The Addams Family.” What
am I doing wrong?
– Joe Vella Gregory
Is-Swatar, Malta
A I suspect that the cottony fluff — I call it
“spider web” — is caused by too little
thinner or too much pressure, causing the
paint to dry slightly between brush and
model. Try adding a little more thinner. I
recommend Mr. Leveling Thinner if you can
find it. It contains a retarder that slows
drying so the paint flows better. Also, lower
the pressure a little. I airbrush Mr. Surfacer
at 15-20 psi. FSM
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51
SUBSCRIBER-ONLY CONTENT
More than 250
350 tips
p online at FineScale.com/ReaderTips
FineScale.com/
/ReaderTips
p
Reader Tips
Solutions and innovations
By Mark Hembree
Toothpick tip for those
tiny metal parts
W
Once a new set of tires is balanced, the
mechanic may pitch the old weights — unless, of
course, a modeler shows up and offers to take
them off the garage’s hands.
Wheel weights for ballast
Building Tamiya’s 1/350 scale modern New
Jersey, I wanted to add weight to lower its
center of gravity and make it more stable.
Rather than purchase a bunch of fishing
weights, if you are friendly with your local
mechanic you can ask for old wheel balancing weights. I used plastic epoxy to glue a
half pound or so in the hull. Easy and
nearly free! (Remember, most of them are
lead, so wear gloves to handle them.)
– Robert Smith
Barrington, N.H.
Clip frames handy for modeling
Need a smooth, hard surface for cutting
masking tape? At craft or discount stores
you can purchase inexpensive, borderless
picture frames called “clip frames” for a
smooth, hard work surface. You can use
them as palettes, too, and they are easy to
clean. Clip frames are often packed with an
MDF (medium-density fiberboard) backing that has several uses as well. (I use it as
a cutting mat until it gets too beat-up.)
Also, these materials can be recycled.
– Mike Murphy
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
CD jewel cases for painting
Sometimes it is difficult to find a clean,
dust-free surface where you can set your
model while painting it. Try an empty CD
jewel case. There always seems to be one
FSM wants you!
Send us your tips! Visit FineScale.com
and click on “Contact Us.” Or, you can
mail your idea to us at Reader Tips,
FineScale Modeler, P.O. Box 1612,
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612.
52 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
hile working with photoetched-metal parts, I
found them very difficult to
handle with pliers, tweezers, or
a hobby knife. , Instead, I put a
wood toothpick in a jar with tap
water. I touch the wet toothpick
to the metal part and, due to
capillarity, the part sticks to the
’pick! I can put a tiny drop of
super glue at the part’s destination, position the part, and the
super glue will pull it off the
toothpick the same way — like
a magnet.
– Hugo Garzon, San Pedro Cholula,
Puebla, Mexico
Capillary action of water helps Hugo handle
tiny photoetched-metal pieces (like the one
you can barely see on the end of his
toothpick). Similarly, the capillary action of a
drop of super glue at the destination draws
the part off the toothpick to the model.
around — or you can buy a pack of them
new for not very much. Lay the model on
the case (open or closed as you wish) and
paint away. When you are finished, you can
hold the case by its edges and carry the
model to a safe, dust-free drying zone.
– Marin Youchah
Clifton Park, N.Y.
– Mike Pabis
Phoenix, Ariz.
Field report: Inverted paint storage
Modeler’s method for masking
with Parafilm M
I use Parafilm M for masking before spray
painting. Once you stretch the stuff, it will
adhere well to smooth plastic — yet it has
no adhesive. (Lab workers use it to seal
vials, beakers, dishes, or test tubes, similar
to stretching cellophane over a bowl or
plate.) After stretching it uniformly, I let it
rest for a minute. Then I cut off the
unstretched ends.
Instead of placing the Parafilm M on
the model part and slicing it with a hobby
knife, I press it onto a cleaned plastic
cookie bag (I like Chips Ahoy) and gently
trace the pattern I want using a gel pen.
Then I cut out the mask with a scissors,
peel it off the plastic, place it on the model,
and gently lay my finger on the mask and
let the warmth make the mask adhere. I
find I have more control with a scissors
than a blade, and I don’t risk having the
blade pull and distort the mask. So far the
results have exceeded my expectations as a
nervous new modeler.
I just returned to my model projects after a
long absence, opened up my paint storage
containers, and discovered that the paint
bottles standing upright were dried up and
ruined. The bottles sitting on their caps had
separated, but after a little shake and a
quick stir they were back to normal. I have
not used any of these supplies for several
years. If you are taking a break from modeling, store your paints on their caps.
– David McCoy
Powder Springs, Ga.
Canopy do-over
I have found when painting clear plastic
parts that have been coated with
Pledge Future floor polish that, if I make a
mess of it, I can dip it in ammonia bleach
and it will take off the Future and the paint
so I can try it again.
– Barry Hanson
Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada
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53
Workbench Reviews
FSM evaluations of new kits on the market
Long-awaited Mariner touches down
S
everal years have passed since Minicraft announced its intention to produce a 1/72 scale Mariner. After the
passing of its owner, recession, and restaffing, Minicraft finally has produced its
much-anticipated kit.
It’s a great kit, but not perfect. You may
ask, “Why the amphibian PBM-5A?” The
answer is simple: The only surviving example of Martin’s famous patrol seaplane is a
-5A at the Pima Air & Space Museum in
Tucson, Ariz., and was likely the main reference of the kit designer, Bra.Z Models.
There were only 40 -5A amphibious
Mariners made, all post-World War II. But
it’s clear from some of the unused parts on
the sprues that Minicraft will eventually
issue kits of -5 and -3 flying boats.
The kit parts are well molded in slightly
soft plastic with fine recessed panel lines.
Separating small parts from the sprues
54 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
should be done with care — the four small
bomb racks have eight sprue attachments!
Interior details for the cockpit, bomb bays
(in the nacelles behind the engines), and
gun turrets are adequate for the scale.
I was impressed with the fit. There was
no evidence of warping in the fuselage
halves (and they’re big). With a few exceptions, the assemblies fit together as
intended.
I found that the bomb-bay framing
seemed to hinder a clean fit of the wing
parts. If you decide to model the bays
closed, leave out the framing. I had to cut
away the inner edges of the inboard flap
wells to allow the wing to fit into the recess
molded into the fuselage. When you dry-fit
the assembled wing to the fuselage, you’ll
see what needs to be removed.
The kit features movable two-part flaps,
ailerons, elevators, and rudders — and they
all work! The three gun turrets are molded
in halves. I thought I could glue, mask, and
paint the clear turrets, then install the guns
and base ring from below. But I found that
they should be assembled as shown in the
instructions. I ended up cracking the clear
rear-turret parts in final assembly.
The molding of the engines is different
from other kits I’ve worked on — rings of
cylinders are slipped over the central crankcase, then fit between the cowl and ring of
cowl flaps. You get both opened and closed
cowl flaps, but there’s too much space
between the individual cowl flaps; they look
toothy. Minicraft supplies both three- and
four-blade props, but the shapes of the
blades and hubs on all are scrawny compared with photos.
The landing gear was trouble-free.
You’re supposed to put a full ounce of
weight somewhere in the nose to balance
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the model on its gear; I chose to hold the
tail up with a segment of clear sprue rod.
The fit of the flight-deck canopy is too
tight to install easily. I had to shave off the
tiny lip along the rear edge to allow the part
to drop into place.
The kit decals are beautifully printed
and settled fine. There are two marking
choices with just insignias, prop warning
stripes, and serials. One airframe depicted is
the XPBM-5A, a conversion of a -5 flying
boat. It’s one of the few -5As shown in
photos, and I like the combination of tricolor paint scheme with the late-1947
national insignia. The other serial number
given on the decals doesn’t jibe with any
PBM serials.
I spent 33 hours building this Mariner.
The finished model is impressively large
when you consider it is a twin-engined seaplane. Standing back to look, I see the
model lacks the mounting flange of the
large radome (you also get the later, mastmounted radome). The double pitot-tube
mast on top of the radome is misshapen,
and the aforementioned propellers and
hubs look puny. Also, there are no wingtip
navigation lights; I made my own with little
drops of white glue that I painted.
As familiar as the Mariner is, there’s
precious little reference material. I referenced PBM Mariner in Action, by Bob
Smith (Squadron/Signal, ISBN 978-089747-177-0). An online search of photos
of -5A amphibians revealed little more
than the published images and photos of
the Pima restoration.
So, 1/72 scale aircraft modelers finally
have a decent Mariner for their collections.
Here’s hoping Minicraft will bring us the
more-familiar -3 wartime versions soon!
– Paul Boyer
Kit: No. 11669 Scale: 1/72
Manufacturer: Minicraft Models, 847-
429-9676, www.minicraftmodels.com
Price: $69.99 Comments: Injection
molded, 200 parts, decals Pros: Fine
recessed panel lines; excellent fit; movable
control surfaces; optional cowl flaps,
props, and radomes Cons: Rare variant;
inaccurate props, cowl flaps, pitot mast,
and radome
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
55
Workbench Reviews
Dragon M48A3 Patton Mod. B
T
he M48 Patton was the U.S. Army’s
Cold War armored might. Famous for
its use in Vietnam and the Middle
East, it also served with many NATO
armies. It was even a Hollywood star, performing in many war movies — usually as a
World War II German tank!
After more than 30 years of only having
two kits in 1/35 scale (not including knockoff boxings), we now have an up-to-date
kit, Dragon’s new M48A3 Mod. B (the B
featuring additional armor on the exhausts
and taillights as well as a raised commander’s cupola).
Checking the contents, I was impressed
Kit: No. 3554 Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Dragon,
www.dragon-models.com, from
Dragon Models USA, 626-968-0322,
www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $49.95 Comments: Injection
molded, 303 parts (1 metal, four vinyl),
decals Pros: Good fits, surface texture;
long-awaited new tooling in this scale
Cons: Contents do not match cover art; no
mantlet cover or searchlight
56 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
with the clean molding and parts quality.
Having built many Dragon kits, I was surprised that the contents weren’t overflowing
the box. Still, it is well detailed with more
than 300 parts. Included are one-piece
tracks, metal wire for the tow cable, and
clear parts for the headlights, periscopes,
and vision ports. No figures are provided.
Following the instruction sequence, I
started with the drive sprockets and wheels.
The main wheels comprise a center hub
and outer tire; two of these build into one
main bogie wheel. The driver wheel assembly is a bit fiddly, as the part-locking ridge/
slot system is very faint.
I detailed the lower hull by adding the
suspension attachment points, bumper
stops, and lifting lugs. Some of the suspension struts are fragile, so be careful when
you are mounting the wheels. Also, the
bogie-wheel mounting points on the suspension arms are a bit stubby. Make sure all
the wheels align.
I joined the lower hull to the upper with
no problems; joints cleaned up nicely with
no need for filler. I was impressed with the
surface texture of the main hull.
The turret comprises two main parts, a
top and a bottom. The multipart commander’s cupola features clear parts for the
vision ports and turret riser. Clear parts are
also used for the rangefinder.
The main gun is constructed from two
slide-molded parts: barrel and muzzle
brake. Surprisingly, Dragon missed two
major items on the turret: the mantlet cover
and the xenon searchlight seen on most
M48s. There are aftermarket parts already
available to correct this omission. But, these
distinctive features should have been
included.
The fenders are built as separate assemblies and can be attached after the tracks
are installed. All the stowage boxes and air
cleaner boxes are separate parts. The box
handles are molded onto the box parts,
which I did not like — Dragon’s M46
Patton had separate handles.
The tracks are one piece and molded in
Dragon’s unique DS plastic. They have
good detail and look great painted up.
I finished my Patton with a combination
of olive drab Tamiya spray and bottle
paints. There are markings for four vehicles
— three unidentified and one U.S. Marines.
The decals applied well with some help
from decal solution. A note on the markings — all the vehicles are listed on the
instruction sheet as being from 1965, but
this would not be accurate for an M48
Mod. B, especially the Marines vehicle.
My primary reference was M48A3 in
Vietnam, by David Doyle (Squadron/Signal
“In Action” series, ISBN 978-0-89747611-9). It has several pictures of Wild One 4
with the scheme I modeled.
I polished off my Patton in just 20
hours. On the one hand, I was pleased to
have a new M48 kit that builds into a
great-looking model. On the other hand, I
was disappointed Dragon missed standard
M48 features like the mantlet cover and
searchlight. Still, I can enthusiastically recommend this kit to anyone who wants to
build Vietnam War armor.
– Jim Zeske
Showcase Models Australia HMAS Collins
H
MAS Collins is the leader of six of its
class in an Australian initiative to
create its own submarine-building
capability. Modified from the Swedish
Västergötland-class design, Collins was partially built in Kockum’s shipyard in Malmo,
Sweden (hence the Swedish crown as part
of its crest). The boat was commissioned
into the Royal Australian Navy in 1996, but
various technical difficulties kept it from
being deployed until 2000.
The kit is quite simple with just 23 parts
and a brass nameplate. Five of the styrene
parts are clear, comprising the display stand
and a single-piece conning tower; the rest
are molded in gray plastic. The back of the
box has a two-step construction sequence
and a third step for decal placement. The
Cartograf decals provided for each of the
six boats are excellent. The box top and side
panel are your color guides.
Fit is good with the hull halves lining
up perfectly. The model’s hull has a scale
texture consistent with the sub’s skin of
anechoic tiles, and Tamiya liquid styrene
cement closed the seam nicely.
Instructions are to paint the conning
tower’s interior black. I chose not to do that
because photos show the conning station
windows clear through. After mounting the
periscope/snorkel/radar masts, the dive
planes were notch-fitted and glued together
inside the conning tower to allow move-
ment. The flat, lateral fin on the back of the
conning tower is the snorkel exhaust diffuser. I masked the windows in preparation
for painting, then mounted the assembly on
the upper deck.
The stern planes are reminiscent of the
research vessel USS Albacore; take care to
create the correct X pattern. Also, at the
stern are the pipe and brace for the Thales
Karriwarra towed sonar array that clears the
single, seven-bladed skew-back propeller.
Using Tamiya TS-6 spray-can flat black,
I coated the sub lightly to avoid filling up
the recessed panel lines and the Thales
Underwater Systems Scylla active and passive bow sonar and passive flank, intercept,
and ranging arrays. (The boat’s planar sonar
array is constructed from flat panels of
piezoelectric polyvinyl difluoride that provide bearing data to determine range using
low frequencies up to 10kHz.) I highlighted these panels with raw umber
PanPastel artist’s pastels and painted the
propeller with Testors Model Master brass.
I applied decals using Pledge Future
floor polish as an adhesive. The kit provides
nameplates for each boat in the class, as
well as commissioning bow decals and
escape-hatch markings. I utilized the flag
option, using stretched sprue as flagstaffs
mounted on the bow and conning tower.
I left the base clear. The brass nameplate
received a wash of black to highlight the
lettering, which you will find has the truncated word SUBMARI.
Overall, this is a fun kit, engineered
nicely with precise fits. The result is a fine
addition to a lonely modeling region that’s
undercrowded in the States. It took only
four hours to build, but I spent a lot of time
on interesting research, perusing Jane’s
Fighting Ships 2003-2004, edited by
Stephen Saunders ( Janes, ISBN 978-07106-2546-5), the Royal Australian Navy
website, www.navy.gov.au, as well as the
regional www.asianmilitaryreview.com.
– Mark Karolus
Kit: No. ANN001 Scale: 1/350
Manufacturer: Showcase Models Aus-
tralia, www.showcasemodelsaustralia.
com.au, from Dragon Models USA, 626968-0322, www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $30 Comments: Injection
molded, 24 parts (photoetched-metal
nameplate), decals Pros: Crisp detail;
clear conning tower; excellent decals
Cons: Clear display base has several
pinmarks; nameplate abridges the word
submarine (reads SUBMARI)
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
57
Workbench Reviews
Xact Scale Models
T-80U
N
ew model companies seem to be
springing up all over. Now, from
Hong Kong comes Xact Scale
Models. Xact’s initial release is the last
Soviet main battle tank produced before
the USSR’s dissolution, the T-80U.
Molded in a gray-green plastic, the kit
features superb detail. The one-piece vinyl
tracks join with standard modeling cement;
they even have hollow guide teeth. There
are two small sheets of photoetched metal
providing parts for the front fenders,
screens for the engine deck, and several
other small pieces.
Also included is a very nice preformed
screen for the wading trunk. Packed with
the photoetched-metal piece for the wading trunk is a small die-cut clear part for
Kit: No. XS35001 Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Xact, www.xactscale.com,
from Pacific Coast Models, 707-538-4850,
www.pacmodels.com Price: $69.90
Comments: Injection molded, 431 parts
(35 photoetched metal, 2 vinyl, string),
decals Pros: Good use of photoetched
metal, including preformed screen for the
wading trunk; one-piece vinyl tracks that
take glue; separate fenders Cons: String
for tow cable difficult to work with; instruction drawings all from same aspect, making parts placement confusing; camouflage
diagrams show top and one side only
58 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
the gunsight that can easily be overlooked.
A generic decal sheet is included, providing white turret numbers in two styles
and decals for the turret gunsight. Four
camouflage schemes are covered by the
full-color painting diagram, but only the
top and one side are shown for each. Unit
information is not provided for any of the
vehicles.
Construction starts with the hull. Note
that the slightly larger gaps between the
front plate (C4), the rear plate (B1), and the
upper plate (A1) are supposed to be there.
Generally, I leave the running gear off
until the hull is painted. But Xact uses an
unusual system of gluing the road wheels
and drive sprockets to their mounts, and I
thought it would be easier to paint the
parts as I went along. I had a bit of trouble
bending the photoetched-metal mud
extractors for the drive sprockets, even
though Xact provides a template for them
on the fret. With no crimp lines in the
metal, it is difficult to determine exactly
where the creases need to be.
The one-piece tracks fit well, but one
side of each track has a few distorted end
connectors. I made sure that I installed the
tracks with those sides facing in. Also, one
track had an unusual twist in it that I could
not correct; I hid this area of the track
under the fenders.
Some modelers might complain about
the bottomless storage bins on the fenders,
but once the fender skirts are in place you’ll
never notice them. Before bending the
front fender pieces (parts PE1 and PE2), I
annealed both by heating them on my
stove. I also found it helpful to clamp the
parts in a clothespin to give me something
to hold onto while carefully bending the
sides down.
Before installing the unditching log, I
roughed up the bark with a razor saw.
Next up was the turret assembly. Make
sure you drill out all of the holes shown on
Page 12; you won’t be able to get inside the
turret once the solid bottom is glued into
place. While there is no interior provided
for the turret, Xact does give some of the
panels that are located just inside the
hatches to prevent an empty appearance
should you pose a turret hatch open.
The turret bottom was the worst fit of
the kit. While I didn’t need to use any filler,
I did use a large burr on my motor tool to
blend in the seam while retaining the
rough-cast texture so beautifully molded
into the turret.
Adding all of the details to the turret
was complicated by drawings that show all
of the assembly from the same point of
view; I would have loved a diagram showing the right side and rear of the turret. I
had to look at pictures on the Internet to
locate pieces. It is also sometimes difficult
to figure out which of the many holes in
the turret some of the pieces fit into.
I chose the light tan and olive color
scheme for my T-80U, mixing Tamiya
paints according to the instructions. After a
coat of Vallejo clear gloss, I gave the model
a pinwash of Vandyke brown artist’s oil and
followed with a coat of flat clear. Finally, I
dry-brushed the model with lighter shades
of the base colors.
After several attempts at using the
material supplied for the tow cables, I gave
up and made my own by braiding four
strands of .020" lead wire.
It took me about 27 hours to complete
my T-80U. The numerous small and delicate parts really put this model in a class for
experienced modelers.
My tank matched exactly the dimensions posted on Wikipedia for the T-80U.
Xact should be proud of its initial release.
I’m looking forward to seeing what comes
next.
– John Plzak
Polar Lights “Forbidden Planet” C57-D space cruiser
S
cience-fiction aficionados have long
argued where 1956’s “Forbidden
Planet” belongs in the pantheon of the
genre. The film did introduce two future
icons, Robby the Robot and the United
Planets Cruiser C57-D.
Polar Lights has done a masterful job of
creating a good-looking, easy-to-build,
accurate replica of the C57-D. It includes
the ship’s three working ramps as seen in
the movie. Alternate parts allow you to
build the model landed or flying.
The instructions comprise four
exploded-view steps complemented by text,
including color callouts. The latter point
out that most of the ship is bright silver.
Jack Hagerty and Jon Rogers call the body
color “matte silver” in The Saucer Fleet
(Apogee, ISBN 978-18-94959-70-4). This
book is a terrific resource as well as a fun
read.
The thick plastic parts show no warping,
ejector-pin, or sink marks. In keeping with
saucer designs of the 1950s, the ship doesn’t
have a lot of surface detail. But the lines it
does have are sharp.
Construction starts with the three ramps
and their hallways. I painted all of the components my chosen body color, Tamiya
spray-can gloss aluminum. Paint the bulkhead at the top of stairways black to give
the impression of depth.
I was dubious about the operational
ramps, but they work beautifully. The plastic springs slotted into place easily, and
although the ramps were a tight fit they
went into place perfectly according to the
instructions. The hallways glue into the
bottom hull and lock the ramps in place. I
left everything alone overnight, and when I
tested the ramps they clicked neatly up and
down and locked flush into the lower hull.
The only downside is the large hinge pins
that protrude into the hallways. To accurize
the model, I would glue the ramps down
and clean up the hinges.
The fit of the hull halves is good, but
make sure you align them using the molded
keys.
The upper dome slips into place easily. I
built my C57-D landed, so I left the engine
cage and its clear inserts out. A quick testfit showed they fit well. The lower dome is
molded clear to reveal the engine, and it fits
into the lower recess well. I left the landing
column off for painting.
After priming, I filled the seams around
the periphery of the upper dome and
between the hull halves. This was a choice
of authenticity on my part.
It took several coats of gloss aluminum
to paint the 12"-diameter saucer. I painted
the outer edge Tamiya metallic gray and
called the C57-D done.
It matches the movie miniature very
well, and I really like the engineering of the
kit. I’m not normally a fan of operating features, but the ramps work remarkably well.
The landing column pushed into place
without glue, so it would be easy to interchange it with the retracted version. If I
could change one thing, it would be to
include two lower domes. They fit so well
that they could be left loose, making it easy
to display the model either landed or flying.
In the movie, the engine rotates and
emits red. The model could easily be lit
with LEDs in the housing. Holes between
the hull halves mean batteries could be
placed inside the upper dome. It fits well
enough to be left unglued for easy access.
I spent about two hours building the
model and about an hour painting it. It was
a lot of fun and should present few problems for beginners.
– Aaron Skinner
Polar Lights incorporates working ramps into the
C57-D model. Plastic springs lock them in either
the up or down position for display in either
landed or flying configuartion.
Kit: No. POL895 Scale: 1/144
Manufacturer: Round 2, 888-910-
2889, www.round2models.com
Price: $42 Comments: Injection
molded, 39 parts Pros: Accurate shapes;
easy construction; thoughtful options;
operating ramps Cons: I wish Polar
Lights had provided two lower domes.
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
59
Workbench Reviews
Bronco German Type XXIII
U-boat
A
lthough the Type XXIII U-boat was
an advanced design, only 61 of them
entered service — and just six ever
went into combat. Considering its relative
obscurity, a 1/35 scale model of the Type
XXIII is a bold offering from Bronco.
The kit has two detailed torpedoes, posable hatches, crisp molding, a bonus life
raft, and a display stand. Markings are provided for five boats.
I built the display stand first so I could
use it as a construction jig to hold the hull
while I installed other parts. The torpedoes
are well detailed and go together with no
Kit: No: CB-35104 Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: Bronco Models,
www.bronco-model.com, from
Dragon Models USA, 626-968-0322,
www.dragonmodelsusa.com
Price: $109.99 Comments: Injection
molded, 215 parts (2 cast metal, 12 photoetched metal), two magnets, string,
decals Pros: Detailed torpedoes; posable
hatches; bonus life raft Cons: Fragile
handrails and stanchions; unclear instructions; gap in the bottom of the hull
60 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
trouble. Installing the photoetched-metal
triggers in the tiny slots was difficult; they
are poor gluing surfaces. I painted the torpedoes with Testers Metalizer aluminum.
Building the torpedo tubes, I painted
Part A1 Tamiya panzer gray (XF-63)
before installing it in the hull.
On the aft section of the hull, I chose
not to install the propeller until after the
hull was painted. Then I painted it with
Hawkeye’s Hobbies brass (now out of production) and set it aside. The purpose of
parts C9 and C12 is not made clear.
I’m not sure how the magnets for the
torpedo doors are supposed to work. The
magnets are very strong, and I thought they
would be impossible to separate in the limited space available with the fragile pins on
each end. I decided to pose one door open
and display a torpedo instead.
The fore mooring plate is offset .062"
fore and aft. This left the holes for the two
pins C17 offset as well. I filled and redrilled
the holes for the pins. As with the aft section, I installed Part C9 without knowing
its purpose.
Before joining the hull sections, dry-fitting revealed a gap on the bottom that
needed to be filled; I wet-sanded the hull to
clean up the seams. I left the diving planes
off the hull until the other hull parts were
installed — they would have been easily
broken off.
The conning tower’s upper hatch can be
posed open with a ladder, but there’s noth-
ing else for the interior. The forward hatch
has a small thimble-size tunnel if you
choose to have the hatch open. Installing its
hinges was a challenge; the illustrations are
too small to see which way they go.
The handrails were fragile; two of them
were broken even before I could get them
off the tree. Threading string though the
stanchions posed a problem; if pulled tight,
the fore stanchion would bend. So I pulled
it as tight as I could without bending the
stanchion. Oh, well — these cables were
never taut.
I painted the model with Tamiya panzer
gray, medium gray (XF-20), and flat black
(XF-1). I chose the markings for Option
No. 1, U-2322, to see how they looked on
the model. They were a little short and
somewhat translucent. However, the decals
went down without using decal solvent.
The first combat tour of a Type XXIII
U-boat came in January 1945; U-2322
achieved the first victory of these boats
when it sank the coaster Egholm in the
North Sea on February 25. Germany surrendered less than three months later, so I
didn’t weather the model at all. I painted
the stand with Krylon Make It Stone! textured paint.
Outside of the tiny, fragile parts, and the
gap in the hull bottom, Bronco’s Type
XXIII goes together smoothly. I spent 25
hours finishing mine, and I am happy with
the results.
– Tom Foti
MiniArt AEC Mk.II
armored car
F
ans of all things British are euphoric
with the recent rush of vehicles released
by model manufacturers. MiniArt follows this trend with a series of AEC
armored cars, starting with the Mk.II. Built
by Associated Equipment Company, it
impressed Winston Churchill during a
1941 demonstration and was ordered into
production.
The model is molded in light gray plastic with vision blocks, light lens, and windscreen molded in clear styrene. There are no
sink marks or knockout marks to remove,
but the plastic is brittle and I broke several
parts removing them from the sprue.
Overall, fit was excellent; the only filler I
needed was where I got a little carried away
with cleanup.
The directions include color profiles of
four vehicles. Three side views are shown
for each of the marking choices, but the
Russian vehicle is shown in four views. I
would rather have four views of the camouflage vehicles, but the box illustration helps
by showing the topside camouflage. The
directions have several errors in parts numbers, but they’re easy to identify. There are
many small parts, so those of us with butterfingers will spend time on hands and
knees looking for stray pieces.
The model has a complete interior and
engine compartment; study the directions
to plan your painting. I started by building
as much of the hull as possible. The hull
comprises multiple panels, but fit and alignment is good. Instructions add small parts
to each piece before installation, but I
added them after the hull was assembled.
The interior features steering and gearshifts connected to the front axle and transmission, same as on the real vehicle. The
most difficult assembly was the driver’s seat.
I broke each of the parts several times, but
after it was together it was adequately
strong. The interior handles of the hull
escape hatch should be parts Ab1.
For the most part, the kit’s photoetched
metal is user-friendly. The exception is the
suspension: The armor plate that protects
the front air-brake cylinders needs to be
soldered for a strong bond, and the plates
covering the axles have complex bends. Step
51 shows armor plates over the air intakes,
but most of the pictures I found did not.
These armor plates are photoetched metal;
the front plate should be Part PE4, not
PE2. I left the hull roof off and the engine
compartment parts separate for easier
painting.
The turret is assembled the same way as
the hull, with the turret roof left off to
allow interior painting. The directions do
not show Part Ab5 being glued to the turret roof (Ge2), but it appears in all the
drawings after Step 76.
Marking options are given for four
vehicles: an Indian infantry unit in Italy, a
British unit in the Middle East, a test vehicle in Russia, and a Yugoslavian vehicle.
The instructions’ color specifications are
generic. An article at www.mafva.net,
“British Vehicle Camouflage 1939-1945,”
described the proper colors for each of the
marking choices and how to mix your own
paints for those schemes. I painted my
vehicle with Vallejo UK bronze green
primer highlighted with Vallejo Air tank
green; then I weathered with a combination of Mig, AK Interactive, and Vallejo
products. Pictures of restored vehicles show
a metallic interior; I painted Tamiya flat
aluminum (XF-16) with a few drops of
Tamiya flat medium gray (XF-20) to tone
it down. All other detail painting was with
Humbrol and Vallejo paints. Dark earth
weathering powders from CMK topped off
the finish.
The decals were thin enough to not silver, but thick enough to position. Micro
Sol and Solvaset settled the decals down.
This was a surprisingly easy build considering the parts count and all the detail.
With careful planning, there should be no
major glitches for most modelers. It did
take me 43 hours to build, but that had
more to do with assembling and painting
the interior and engine compartments than
it did with the model’s complexity.
According to the drawings in World War
II AFV Plans: British Armored Fighting
Vehicles, by George Bradford (Stackpole,
ISBN 978-0-8117-3453-0), the model is
about 4mm short, 1mm narrow, and 5mm
tall. But these measurements are being
compared to an AEC Mk. III, so they
could be off. It still looks like an AEC
Mk.II.
– Mike Scharf
Kit: No. 35155 Scale: 1/35
Manufacturer: MiniArt,
www.miniart-models.com, from
Model Rectifier Corp., 732-225-2100,
www.modelrectifier.com Price: $69
Comments: Injection molded, 554 parts
(44 photoetched metal), decals
Pros: Detailed interior and engine; good
fit; easy-to-use photoetched metal
Cons: Brittle plastic; parts misnumbered
in directions
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
61
Workbench Reviews
Revell Germany Westland Sea Lynx Mk.88A
R
evell Germany’s all-new kit of the
Westland Sea Lynx Mk.88A comprises more than 300 parts injection
molded in white styrene — and it’s packed
with detail!
You can build either the standard Sea
Lynx or the “sonar” version, which includes
all the sonar equipment racks and optional
seating arrangement.
Cockpit detail features fully detailed
seats with molded seat belts and raised
details for the center console and overhead
console. The instrument panel is a combination of raised and engraved details. And
if you don’t want to paint the panel details,
there are decals to make that task much
simpler. All the doors can be posed open or
closed.
Armament includes optional Sea Skua
missiles, two torpedoes, and a 12.7mm
Kit: No. 04652 Scale: 1/32
Manufacturer: Revell Germany, 49-05223-965-0, www.revell.de Price: $34.25
Comments: Injection molded, 312 parts,
decals Pros: Thin, well-printed decals;
painting template; thin, crystal-clear windows fit perfectly Cons: Busy instructions
with too many arrows and numbers
62 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
machine gun. There are markings for two
aircraft: a standard Sea Lynx in overall dark
gray over light gray, and the colorful
“Special MFG-3 Nordholz 2006” version
with a multicolor Lynx coat painted on
both sides!
Decals were thin and printed in perfect
register, providing markings for either version. I chose the bright “Special” version.
Typical for Revell Germany, the
20-page, 93-step instructions have callouts
for Revell paints only. I found the instructions somewhat busy, with parts indicated
by numbers, colors by letter, and decals by
numbers enclosed in a square. None of the
13 sprues have any identifier, whereas most
other manufacturers letter the sprues;
because the parts are numbered only, I
spent a lot of time looking for pieces.
I began research by looking up the
Revell colors on the Internet and finding a
cross reference to Tamiya acrylic colors.
Study the interior construction steps carefully; either variant requires different holes
to be drilled in the cabin floor for seats and
equipment racks.
After sorting all that out, construction
was trouble-free. Parts fit was nice, though
sometimes complicated; lots of subassemblies are needed to capture the Lynx’s distinctive shape. Clear parts were thin,
crystal-clear, and fit perfectly!
Once construction was complete and
the clear parts were masked with Tamiya
tape and glued in place, it was time to
tackle the paint scheme. The kit supplies
mask templates in the instructions; I made
several copies so I didn’t have to cut up the
instruction sheet.
I mixed colors using Revell’s recommended ratios, but with Tamiya acrylics.
The first two shades of orange didn’t work
out well. I used a spray-can adhesive on the
masking templates and attached them to
the sides, then painted the topside and
underside colors and waited a day or two
for things to dry. But when it came time to
remove the paper masks, some of the adhesive and paper stuck! I ended up using
Tamiya lacquer thinner on cotton swabs to
remove the gooey paper and the paint
underneath it. I was able to touch it up, and
the second time around I secured the masks
with Tamiya masking tape.
With the masking and painting done, it
was time to apply all those wonderful Lynx
decals. They performed perfectly, following
the mask outlines as designed. I did have to
use decal solvents to get them to conform
to some of the raised details, but that was
expected. I studied the decal sheet and
placement instructions carefully to understand where all those spots needed to be
placed. I did find the carrier film was so
thin I had to hold the sheet up to a light to
see exactly where to cut out the individual
pieces. Once the decals were on and dried, I
gave the model a coat of Testors Dullcote
to homogenize the finish.
This was an enjoyable build. With lots
of small parts and subassemblies, I would
recommend it for more-experienced modelers (especially building the special
scheme). Regardless, if you are a Lynx
modeler you’ll probably get more than one
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Modeler’s Mart
DIORAMAS
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YOUR ONE STOP HOBBY SHOP.
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Specialists in all high quality hobby products.
We Ship Worldwide
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OVER 10,000 PLASTIC
KITS IN STOCK!
Full line hobby shop since 1982
Visit: www.jbarhobbies.com
Phone: 517-423-3684
Specializing in
hard-to-find & OOP kits.
WWW.MEGAHOBBY.COM
“Celebrating
Our
44th Year!”
“Since 1969”
"Your Spare Time is Our Business"
COLPAR HOBBIES
We have over 8000 kits in
stock from old Aurora to new
releases. Please contact us for a FREE
catalog. Please specify cars or military.
Check with me before you sell.
1-"/&4t"3.03t$"34t4)*14t4$*'*
We carry a huge inventory of plastic model kits from
around the world! Full Line of Detailing Accessories.
Airline models, Decals, Books, Promos, Die Cast Collectibles, Historical & RPG Games & Miniatures,
Airbrushes & parts. Large Paint and Tool inventory.
Full line R/C department. We ship worldwide.
We Buy Collections!
www.colpar.com
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www.deanshobbystop.com
[email protected]
Classified
Marketplace
This section is open to anyone who wants to sell or buy scale modeling
merchandise. FSM reserves the right to edit undesirable copy or
refuse listing. For FSM’s private records, please furnish: a telephone
number and a street address.
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daytime telephone number and street address of the person
providing the information is also required but need not be included
in the ad. Unless otherwise requested, ads will be published in the
issue month that the event occurs in. Additional months are
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Word Ad Rates: 1 insertion - $1.13 per word, 5 insertions - $1.08 per
word, 10 insertions - 99¢ per word. $20 minimum per issue. Count
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Send Your Ads To: FineScale Modeler – Classified Marketplace,
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E-mail: [email protected]
Closing Dates: Published 10 times a year. Jan. 2014 issue closes
Oct. 15, Feb. closes Nov. 15, Mar. closes Dec. 11, April closes Jan.
10, May closes Feb. 11, July closes April 15, Sep. closes June 16,
Oct. closes July 10, Nov. closes Aug. 18, Dec. closes Sept. 11.
FOR SALE
1/48TH SCALE MUSEUM PIECE quality aircraft models,
already built, WW2 era, some armor, reasonable prices. Call
John at 401-864-0509.
64 FineScale Modeler
Megahobby.com carries over 250 Manufacturers and over
30,000 Hobby related products. We have a complete Paint
Store with all the tools and books you will need to build great
models. Visit the website and you will be impressed! Place an
order you will be a customer for life. Call Megahobby Toll Free
to speak to a knowledgeable sales person. (888)-642-0093.
Selling online since 2000! We buy collections.
December 2013
COLPAR HOBBIES
1915 S. Havana St.
Aurora, Co 80014
CANOPY MASKING AND MORE!
WWW.EZMASKS.COM List $3.00. Chris Loney, 75 Golf
Club Rd., Smiths Falls, ON, Canada K7A 4S5. 613-283-5206.
NEW KIT PRICES ARE CRAZY! Why pay new prices on
a re-issued older kit? Rare-Plane Detective stocks thousands
of old, hard-to-find and collectible plastic kits from the last fifty
years at SANE PRICES! Aurora! Revell! Tamiya! Hasegawa!
Monogram! And MANY MANY MORE! One year catalog subscription (6 issues) only $15. Specifiy full color e-mail version or
printed B&W catalog. You always get more hobby for your money
at Rare-Plane Detective, 2325 Western Avenue, Suite 6, Las Vegas, NV 89102, 702-564-2851, [email protected]
POLICECARMODELS.COM -POLICE CARS FROM
1/18 TO 1/87, diecast, plastic model kits, decals and accessories. International orders welcome. Secure online ordering.
Visit us at: www.policecarmodels.com
ROBSHOBBIESANDTOYS.COM Plastic, diecast model
kits. Airplanes, cars, military armor, ships, sci-fi and toys. Mail
order only. We ship internationally. 407-384-9719. Visit us at:
www.robshobbiesandtoys.com
SHIP AND AIRCRAFT MODELS. Built for display. For additional information contact, Ray Guinta, PO Box 74, Leonia, NJ
07605. www.rayguinta.com
WANTED
A BIG BUYER OF AIRCRAFT, Armor, Sci-Fi, Resin, Hybrid
or Plastic kits. We buy collections whether they are small or
large- Worldwide as well. Call Don Black toll free 1-866-4627277. Don Black, 119 Bernhurst Road, New Bern, NC 28560.
E-mail [email protected]
AIRCRAFT, ARMOR, SCI-FI, FIGURES, AUTO, ETC.
Buying kit collections, large or small, worldwide. Top prices
paid. Call Jim Banko 610-814-2784 or mail list to 122 Independence Ct., Bethlehem, PA 18020, fax 610-439-4141. E-mail:
[email protected]
BUILT PLASTIC MODELS WANTED. I buy built kits.
[email protected] Cell: 773-387-1400
To order call: 1-800-876-0414
For information: 303-341-0414
Fax line: 303-341-1554
BUYING UNBUILT KIT COLLECTIONS! 200 kits or
2,000! Especially looking for 50s & 60s kits (Aurora, Revell,
Monogram, Lindberg, etc.), Ships, Space, Sci-Fi & Figures, decals and aftermarket items and more! We spent over $50,000
on collections last year! Pickup often available. Send list: Jeff
Garrity, 2325 Western Avenue, Suite 6, Las Vegas, NV 89102 or
[email protected] If collection is too large to
easily list call 702-564-2851.
CASH PAID FOR PLASTIC MODEL COLLECTIONS. Call Tracie in Michigan 248-814-8359. Fax:248-8140385E-mail:fl[email protected].
I BUY PLASTIC MODEL KITS in Canada and U.S.A. Call
Philip 702-272-3126 or e-mail [email protected] Las Vegas, NV.
I WANT TO BUY YOUR UNBUILT MODEL KITS. Any size
collection. Dean Sills, 214 E. Main, Flushing, MI 48433. 810-6592137. Fax: 810-659-0937. E-mail: [email protected]
MODEL CAR AND TRUCK KITS. Unbuilt or built. Any size
collection. Good prices paid. Please contact: Fred Sterns, 48
Standish, Buffalo, NY 14216. Phone: 716-838-6797. Fax: 716836-6057. E-mail: [email protected]
YOU WILL NEVER FIND TIME TO BUILD ALL THOSE
MODELS. Unbuilt kits, diecast aircraft, military books. Milam
Models, 519 DiLorenzo Dr., Naperville, IL 60565, Phone: 630983-1407, [email protected]
MISCELLANEOUS
1ST AND ABSOLUTELY THE BEST MUSEUM-QUALITY MODELS. IPMS Nationals winner building aircraft and armor to your specification, including conversions and scratchbuilt.
Call BC Models for quote and information at 913-385-9594 or
visit www.bcmmodels.com
FINESCALE MODELER AUTHOR and IPMS medalist will
build your favorite aircraft, specializing in metal finishes. Contact
John Adelmann at 563-556-7641 or [email protected]
Local Hobby
Shop Directory
Local Hobby Shop Directory listings are available
for the next ten issues for $275 (payable in advance)
or at $37 per issue (billed to established accounts
for a minimum of ten insertions). Ads will be set
in standard listing typography. All insertions must
be consecutive and may be invoiced if you have
credit established with us. No mention of mail
order business permitted. For information call
1-888-558-1544, ext. 815. Closing dates listed in
Classifieds section.
ARIZONA Glendale
“The Best in Plastic Models”.
1000’s of plastic kits at discount prices.
Photo-etched and resin accessories.
Books, tools and paint.
We welcome special orders.
ANDY’S HOBBY HEADQUARTERS
15224 N. 59th Ave., Ste. 12
602-439-1456
ARIZONA Tempe
Specializing in plastic models & accessories.
Large selection of plastics, after-market detail
accessories, decals, paint, books & tools.
Full-line hobby shop.
www.thehobbydepot.com
HOBBY DEPOT
216 W. Southern Ave.
480-968-1880
ARKANSAS Jacksonville
Headquarters for scale hobbies. Models;
N-HO-O-G trains; gaming; tools; paints, etc.
Discounts & special orders.
Open 10-6, closed Sundays and Wednesdays
www.railandsprue.com
RAIL & SPRUE HOBBIES
1200 John Harden Dr.
501-982-6836
CALIFORNIA Burbank
Large selection of plastic kits, paints, and
supplies. Special orders no problem
Visit us in person or online
www.houseofhobbies.com
Secure online ordering
BURBANK’S HOUSE OF HOBBIES
911 S. Victory Blvd.
818-848-3674
CALIFORNIA Canoga Park
Kits, plastic & wood, Slot cars & toys. Rockets,
paint, glue and tools. Trains from Z to O.
Wed-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5, Tues 10-5, Sun 1-5,
closed Mon & Big Holidays.
www.scalemodelstuff.com
SCALE MODEL STUFF
7259 Canoga Avenue
818-716-7847
CALIFORNIA Garden Grove
Rewards program for 10% back on purchases.
Plastic aircraft, armor, ships, cars, decals,
books, paints, tools, miniatures war-games.
Mon-Thur 11-8, Fri 11-midnight, Sat 10-midnight, Sun 11-7 www.brookhursthobbies.com
BROOKHURST HOBBIES
12188 Brookhurst St.
714-636-3580
CALIFORNIA Hollister
Model planes, car, ships & figures. Model train
scales: Z, N, HO, O & G. Paints, tools. R/C &
parts, incl. service. Craft & educational kits,
supplies, products. Clinics available. Tu-Sat 11
-6; Sun 12-4. [email protected]
B.C.T. HOBBY & CRAFTS
201-C McCray St.
831-635-0537
CALIFORNIA La Mirada
R HOBBIES
562-777-9492
CALIFORNIA Orange
New Products, Old Kits & Great Service!
Everything you need to build plastic models
Armor, Aircraft, Ships, Cars, SciFi and more.
M-F 10:30-6pm, Sat 10:30-5pm, Sun 12-5pm
www.militaryhobbiesonline.com
MILITARY HOBBIES
830 E. Lincoln Ave.
Extensive selection of armor kits & Verlinden
accessories. Military, auto & aircraft plastic
models. Photo-etched parts. O gauge train
sets. Open Tue-Sat 11-6, Sun 12-5.
www.hqhobbiesonline.com
HQ HOBBIES
394 New Haven Ave., Unit 1
714-637-1211
CALIFORNIA San Mateo
GEORGIA Blue Ridge
Huge selection of model kits & accessories.
Ships, Armor, Aircraft, Figures, Cars and more.
Visit: www.freetimehobbies.com
for complete listing.
Monday to Friday 10-6, Saturday 10-2
FREE TIME HOBBIES
4167 East First St. (by KFC)
GEORGIA Clarkesville
Huge model selection: Cars, military, planes,
ships, figures, etc. Full art supply store
has all accessories including diorama.
Plus comics, toys and more!
Visit artfullbarn.com or Facebook.
THE ART-FULL BARN
107 LaPrade Street
650-342-0126
COLORADO Aurora
Large inventory of models from the
world over! Detailing accessories, research
publications, games, trains, R/C, tools, and
supplies. Easy access from D.I.A.
http://www.colpar.com
Wide selection of plastic model kits, paint,
books, magazines and tools.
Located on the beautiful windward side, a
scenic 20 minute drive from Honolulu.
Mon-Fri 10-6, Sat 10-5, Sun 11-2
WELLER'S HOBBYCRAFT
767 Kailua Road
800-876-0414
CONNECTICUT Cos Cob
For over 60 years largest hobby shop in the
Chicago area at 6,800 sq. ft. Plastic models,
paint; RC: cars, planes, helis, boats; Slot cars:
HO, 1/32; Rockets. We ship world-wide,
Email: [email protected]
AL'S HOBBY SHOP
121 N. Addison Ave.
630-832-4908
MASSACHUSETTS Malden (Boston)
Largest store in area, easy access via I-93,
Rt. 1, and the T. Complete line of
model kits & supplies, plus toy soldiers,
figure kits, games, etc. Shipping available.
Info: hobbybunker.com
HOBBY BUNKER, INC.
33 Exchange St.
781-321-8855
MASSACHUSETTS Marlboro
Stop in ONCE! A customer for LIFE!
We have 10,000+ models, tools, supplies, 23
paint lines, 50 model mags, 5,000+ books.
Est. in 1973, open 7 days, Th & Fr 'til 8.
Visit us @ www.sparetimeshop.com
THE SPARE TIME SHOP
Rt 20E Main, Post Rd. Plaza
508-481-5786
MASSACHUSETTS Norton
6,000 model kits, old and new: Autos, armor,
planes & sci-fi. Reference books & supplies.
Open T-Th 11-7, F 11-8, Sa 10-5. Rt. 495 to
Rt. 123E, behind Dunkin’ Donuts. www.
mymummy.com E: [email protected]
HARRY’S HOBBIES & COLLECTABLES
250 E. Main St., Rt 123
508-285-8080
MICHIGAN Royal Oak (Metro Detroit)
New & Old Toy Soldiers, Historical Miniatures,
Models and Figure Kits from Around the
World. Our famous selection of hobby supplies
includes scenics, paints, reference and more.
www.michtoy.com
MICHIGAN TOY SOLDIER & FIGURE CO.
1400 E. 11 Mile Rd.
248-586-1022
Let your imagination run wild!
Aircraft, ships, cars, armor, special orders,
diecast cars, dollhouse miniatures,
model railroading Z to G and more...
TRAINS & THINGS HOBBIES
210 East Front St.
231-947-1353
MICHIGAN Ypsilanti-Metro Detroit
Your single stop model building shop.
Michigan’s largest selection of new and vintage kits in all genres plus everything needed
to build them. Wed - Sat 11-8, Sun 12-5.
Visit us on Facebook. www.modelcave.com
MODELCAVE
103 W Michigan Avenue
734-316-2281
HOBBYTOWN USA
636-394-0177
NEVADA Las Vegas
HOBBYTOWN USA
702-889-9554
203-869-0969
CONNECTICUT Manchester
Largest hobby shop in NE. Military, cars,
trucks, plastic models, diecast cars, trucks.
Planes, RC planes, cars, trucks, slot cars,
rockets, Breyer, Detailing supplies, games!
Mon - Sat 10-8, Sun 10-6
ELITE HOBBIES
#334 90 Washington St.
860-646-0610
603-749-0800
NEW JERSEY Kenvil
590 Rt. 46
NEW YORK Astoria L.I.C.
Car, Plane, Military, Models,
Trains, Paints, Tools, Diecast.
Art Supplies, Wood & Wood Models
Open Wed., Thur., Fri., Sat. 11:00 to 6:30.
RUDY'S HOBBY & ART
35-16 30th Avenue
718-545-8280
NEW YORK Deer Park
Military oriented hobby shop. Armour, naval &
aircraft models. Aftermarket products,
dioramas and diorama products, books, mags,
tools, paints, war videos & more. Call for hrs.
www.alsandmdseco.com
ALSAND’S TOY SOLDIERS PLUS
848 Long Island Ave.
631-254-2650
NEW YORK Middle Island
MEN AT ARMS HOBBIES, INC.
631-924-0583
NEW YORK Upr Eastside GR Manhattan
Visit our in-house Aircraft Model Museum.
Foreign and domestic plastic and wood kits.
Open 7 days.
JAN'S HOBBY SHOP, INC.
1435 Lexington Ave.
212-987-4765
OHIO Cleveland (Lakewood)
WINGS HOBBY SHOP
216-221-5383
OHIO Columbus
Both complete stores. Great selection of
Model Kits, accessories, detail parts,
magazines, tools & paints.
www.hobbylandstores.com
HOBBYLAND
Graceland Shopping Center
Reynoldsburg
614-888-7500
614-866-5011
OKLAHOMA Owasso
Oklahoma’s largest plastic kit, paint and aftermarket inventory. Planes, cars, trucks, armor,
ships, trains and sci-fi. Special orders
welcome! Mon - Fri 10-7, Sat 11-6, Sun 1-5.
Web site: www.topshelfmodelsllc.com
TOP SHELF MODELS
119 S. Main St.
918-274-0433
OREGON Beaverton
TAMMIES HOBBIES
503-644-4535
Armor, aircraft ships and car models.
Historical and fantasy games, miniatures,
military history reference books and
magazines. www.bthobbies.com
Open 10am-6pm every day.
BRIDGETOWNE HOBBIES & GAMES,
3350 NE Sandy Blvd
503-234-1881
PENNSYLVANIA Landisville (Lancaster)
Large Selection New & Used Kits
Military books, tools, paint, airbrushes
Full line hobby shop open Tue - Thur 10-6,
Fri 10-7, Sat 10-4 www.CoolTrains.com
COOLTRAINS TOYS & HOBBIES
106 W. Main Street
717-898-7119
East Tennessee’s largest plastic model
selection. 7,500 sq. ft. of hobbies & toys.
Located in Knoxville’s premier shopping
destination. Turkey Creek Area.
Open 7 days a week.
HOBBYTOWN USA
11364 Parkside Dr.
865-675-1975
Rutherford Co.’s largest selection of hobby
items. Carrying a wide variety of plastic &
wood models, paints, tools & supplies.
Located just off I-24 on Medical Center Pkwy
(exit 76). Open M-F 10-7; Sat 10-5.
HOBBYTOWN USA
536-J N.Thompson Ln.
615-890-6777
Plastic aircraft, armor, cars, figures & ships,
model railroading supplies & rockets.
Take Osage exit I-40, South to 34th St. Right
1/2 mile to Tradewind Business Park, turn left
to 3601. http://www.hobby-time.com
HOBBY TIME
3601 Airway Blvd.
KENVIL HOBBIES
973-584-1188
713-661-7137
Imported & Domestic Aviation Books &
Plastic Kits. Paint, Decals, HO, N trains, R/C,
U/C airplanes.
Mon 1-6, Tue-Wed 12-6, Thur-Fri 10:30-7.
Sat 10:30-6. www.malhobby.com
M-A-L HOBBY SHOP
108 S. Lee Street
972-438-9233
TEXAS San Antonio
Scale modeling from beginner to expert.
A wide selection of aircraft, armor, autos,
figures, ships, & sci-fi. Lots of reference
material, detail parts, decals, tools, & eight
lines of paint. Open Tues-Sat 10-6pm.
DIBBLE'S HOBBIES
1029 Donaldson Ave.
210-735-7721
Minutes from Dulles Airport & New Dulles
Air & Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center.
PLASTIC! PLASTIC! PLASTIC!
Kits for aircraft - armor - ships - cars
Daily 12-8; Sun 12-5. www.piperhobby.com
PIPER HOBBY
13892 Metrotech Dr.
703-803-3103
VIRGINIA Newport News
Plastic model specialty shop.
New and old kits, foreign, domestic,
books, paints and other accessories.
We also buy collections.
www.dhcinc.com [email protected]
DENBIGH HOBBY CENTER, INC.
14351 Warwick Blvd.
757-874-5708
Large selection of plastic car and plane kits,
Wooden boat kits and accessories,,
Scratch builders supplies - tools - paint,
Military games
www.garysgamesandhobbies.com
GARY'S GAMES AND HOBBIES
8539 Greenwood Ave. N.
206-789-8891
WASHINGTON Seattle
Plastic Model Specialists. Large selection of
rare & out-of-production models.
Large selection of detail parts. Largest
selection of plastic models in South Seattle!
www.skywaymodel.com
SKYWAY MODEL SHOP
12615 Renton Ave. South
206-772-1211
WASHINGTON Tacoma
Plastic, Wood, Diecast kits & collectibles
Armor, Aircraft, Cars, Ships, Balsa Planes
Huge selection Paints & Tools, OOP & Current
issues. Open: Mon-Sat; closed Sundays
www.ubhobbies.com
DISCOUNT MODELS
8216-C 27th St. W.
253-460-6781
CANADA–AB Calgary
Complete full line hobby shop.
Z, N, HO, O, Lionel, and LGB.
Open Mon-Fri 10-8, Sat 10-5, Sun 12-5.
12024 SW Canyon Rd.
M & M HOBBY CENTER
6703 Chimney Rock
WASHINGTON Seattle
Large selection of aviation and military
books and magazines, general hobbies.
17112 Detroit Ave.
Broad selection of foreign & domestic model
kits: aircraft, armor, diecast, decals, autos,
detail parts, trains, slot cars, books, tools,
collectibles, old kits. We buy unbuilt models.
Special orders welcome. www.mmhobby.com
VIRGINIA Chantilly
Excellent selection of lead miniatureshistorical and fantasy. Plastic models,
wargames & modeling supplies.
Books and magazines.
134 Middle Country Rd.
TEXAS Houston area (Bellaire)
TEXAS Irving (Dallas Area)
Specializing in R/C models and accessories,
helicopters, planes, cars, trucks, boats,
plastic, die-cast & model rockets.
M T W F 9:30-6, Th 9:30-8 Sat. 9:30-5
www.modelland.com [email protected]
MODEL LAND LTD
3409A 26 Ave. SW
HO & N, Lionel trains.
Complete line of plastic kits, military
and architecture supplies.
Open 11am-6pm M-F, Sat. 10am-5pm
www.gandgmodelshop.com
403-249-1661
CANADA–ON Ottawa (Vanier)
One of Canada's leading model shops.
Complete line of military & aircraft kits,
decals, paints and accessories.
Free parking. On Parle Francais.
HOBBY HOUSE, LTD
80 Montreal Rd.
613-749-5245
CANADA–ON Toronto
Large selection of new & out-of-production
kits. Accessories & finishing products.
Servicing the hobbies since 1986. We buy kit
collections. www.wheelswingshobbies.com
WHEELS AND WINGS
1880 Danforth Ave.
416-752-0071
CANADA–QC Dorval
We take care of special orders.
Specializing in out of the ordinary kits,
military, armour, figurines, planes, detail parts,
decals, resin, photoetched conversions,
books, mags. Many special discount prices.
HOBBY JUNCTION EXPRESS
1761 Cardinal
514-631-3504
SINGAPORE Singapore
Old kits & latest releases. Good selection of
unusual model kits & accessories. We stock
electric trains & slot cars. Open 7 days,
1pm-8pm. In the Katong Shopping Centre.
www.hobbybounties.com
HOBBY BOUNTIES & MORGAN HOBBYCRAFT
865 Mountbatten Rd #02-91/92
65-6440-1890
Run your Retail Directory
ad in the next issue of
FineScale Modeler!
806-352-9660
TEXAS Houston
Full service hobbies, a full line of
HO, N, 3-Rail, military, cars, boats,
planes, dollhouses, scratchbuilding
supplies, plus details-details-details!
TIME MACHINE HOBBY
856-435-7645
TEXAS Amarillo
Best plastic, resin & balsa kits from around the
world. Scratch building & diorama supplies,
reference books, large paint selection
including Humbrol, Citadel & Testors
ANN’S HOBBY CENTER
AAA HOBBIES & CRAFTS
706 N. White Horse Pike
TENNESSEE Murfreesboro
While in Las Vegas, come see our wide
selection of models and detail accessories.
Less than 5 miles off the Las Vegas strip
Hours Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-6, Sun noon-5.
4590 W Sahara Ave Ste 103
Huge foreign & domestic model selection
all scales. Automobiles, aircraft ship, books,
wargames, scenery, diorama
supplies, parts, tools. Open 7 days
TENNESSEE Knoxville
Areas largest selection of models and model
supplies. All popular paints including Tamiya,
Humbol, Floquil and Testors. Open 7 days a
week. Also, large selection of military diecast.
15037 Manchester Rd.
NEW JERSEY Magnolia (Camden)
OREGON Portland
NEW HAMPSHIRE Dover
Planes, tanks, cars, ships, rockets, plastic and
wood kits. Trains. Authorized Lionel dealer &
repair. Die-cast, RC, slot cars, structural and
diorama supplier. Special orders welcome.
71 Hilliard St.
808-262-0211
ILLINOIS Elmhurst
COLPAR HOBBIES
405 E. Putnam Avenue
706-754-1247
HAWAII Kailua, Oahu
TALBOT’S HOBBIES
1915 S. Havana St.
706-946-1120
MISSOURI St. Louis
Your source for plastic models, die cast and all
supplies needed to finish your latest model.
Mon-Sat 9:30-6, Sun 11-5.
www.talbotstoyland.com
445 South “B” Street
203-882-1979
MICHIGAN Traverse City
Wide variety of plastic kits.
Old Nascar Kits - please call.
Mon - Sat 10-6. Closed Sunday.
14269 Imperial Hwy.
CONNECTICUT Milford
Call 1-888-558-1544, ext. 815
for more information.
G & G MODEL SHOP
2522 Times Blvd.
713-529-7752
December 2013
www.FineScale.com
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Full Circle Hobbies ___________ 64
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ARA Press__________________ 20
Hornby America _____________ 63
Tamiya America Inc.___________ 9
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ICM _______________________ 8
Totalnavy.com _______________ 53
Bluejacket Shipcrafters ________ 51
J Bar Hobbies _______________ 64
Toy Train Heaven _____________ 7
Colpar’s Hobbytown USA _____ 64
JAC Hobbies ________________ 53
Wargaming America _________ 2,3
Dean’s Hobby Stop ___________ 64
Megahobby.com _____________ 64
Wingnut Wings, Ltd. _________ 11
Dioramas Plus _______________ 64
Model Rectifier Corp._________ 68
Wizbe Innovations ___________ 63
Dragon Models USA _________ 67
Oldmodelkits.com ___________ 64
Zvezda USA ________________ 21
66 FineScale Modeler
December 2013
MiniArt’s differences begin with new tooling on a regular basis. Like
the five kits shown here… nothing revisited or rehashed. Then there is
exclusivity and diversity. We go from medieval foot soldiers to a ravaged
WWII building in Budapest. From 1/16 and 1/72 Historical Figures in
plastic to rare modeling ideas in our 1/35 Diorama Series. And we do it
all with exquisite quality and unprecedented realism. See them all at
www.modelrectifier.com and dare to be different.
DARE TO BE
DIFFERENT.
WE DID.
NEW TOOLING (35155)
1/35 AEC MK.II BRITISH ARMOURED CAR
It took 487 parts and 44 photo-etched pieces to reproduce
it. From the interior turret to the accurate 6-pounder, the
reproduction is spot on. The engine and the driver’s
compartment are remarkably detailed. Doors and hatches can
be assembled open or closed. Using clear parts, crew
periscopes are authentic.
NEW TOOLING (72029)
1/72 FREIGHT SHED
The shed is molded in five
authentic colors so it can
be assembled and ready
for display with or without
painting.
NEW TOOLING (16030)
1/16 GERMAN, WWI
FLYING ACE ERNST UDET
This distinctive scale captures
every detail of his features
and uniform. Compare the
figure’s face with photos of
him and you’ll see the striking
resemblance.
NEW TOOLING (35163)
GERMAN PARATROOPERS & TANKERS
Five figures, 51 pieces. The kit depicts both sitting and
standing poses. Weapons and binoculars are included
along with authentic uniforms and convincing facial
expressions.
NEW TOOLING (35558)
1/35 EUROPEAN FARMYARD
This scene features barn, stall and shed. A farm cart, picnic table, benches and ladder
complete the scene. It can be assembled in a number of different configurations.
are we different? you bet we are.
MINIART, WHERE INNOVATION IS EVERYTHING.
See the complete MRC-Minimart’s line at
www.modelrectifier.com