SVASMCON 26

On Saturday I attended the Shenango Scale Modelers contest in Sharon, PA for the first time. It was a small show, but there were many nice models on show. A few photos are attached of models that caught my eye. The vendor room was kind of weak and, shockingly, I purchased absolutely nothing...

James Kelley's 1/48 Trumpeter Sea Fury.


An old Airfix bus converted into the Pigeon Loft by Karen Rychlewski.


You don't see the Heller Cap-10 built very often.

Barry Numerick's beautiful 1/72 Heller Bf-108.


A 1/72 Hawker Hurricane.

Eric Larson's Wingnuts LVG C.VI.

A 1/72 Academy Swiss Hornet by James Kelley.

Another 1/72 Battle of Britain participant...a Tamyia Spitfire I.

Fast and Easy Natural Metal Finishes

Like aircraft in natural metal finish? Lazy? Have an airbrush phobia? I use a fast and easy natural metal finish technique that almost completely relies upon spray cans. But not just any spray cans, Tamiya’s synthetic lacquer spray cans. Besides having a fine grain, and a natural metal look, they are lacquer based and will stand up to masking. In fact they are so durable, you can save time and cut down on clear coats as well. I also find that these cans spray so much smoother and easier than other spray cans I’ve experienced.

Step 1: You have two choices here, either have you assembled kit perfect with no flaws or relay upon a primer. I like Tamiya’s Fine Surface Primer (in gray or white, your choice) in the spray can. If I use a primer I do polish up the paint with fine micromesh before I apply the silver.

Step 2: Make sure the model is free and clean from dust and oils. I usually swab off the model with common drugstore isopropyl alcohol. (Sorry Gunze’s Mr. Whiskey will not work here…) After wiping off the model only handle it was latex gloves.

Step 3: Here is where the secret weapon is revealed. Tamiya AS-12 spray metal silver. I find that his paint leaves a beautiful slightly oxidized natural metal look. Not too shiny, but not too flat. Heat the can in warm water…but not on the burner…we do not want to send the can into space, just have the paint flow better. Shake well and apply in thin coats. In my experience silver enamels take forever to dry, but the lacquer dries super fast.

Spousal Interjection: Buy a spray booth. This stuff is smelly.

Step 4: The nice thing with this paint is that there are more options than just the AS-12. Tamiya also makes TS-17 Gloss Aluminum and TS-30 Silver leaf. If you wish to panelize you airplane, mask off panels and use either or both of these cans to add some panel variation. I find that the TS-17 leaves a nice silver doped look often seen on control surfaces. I usually mask with Tamiya tape or drafting tape. You can also mask off anti-glare panels, etc. at this time. See isn’t this paint fun? Mask all you want and nothing pulls off.

Step 5: If you are really lazy like me you can skip your clear coat and just apply decals. I usually use Future floor polish to apply decals to my natural metal aircraft. Either place a small amount of Future where the decal will be placed, apply decal, and cover in Future or just dip the decal in the Future and apply. The Future will suck the decal down into the panel lines, fuse the decal in place, and prevent silvering.

Step 6: Depending on how neat you are with your Future you can either finish the model as is or actually break out the airbrush and apply a final clear coat of your choice.

Wasn’t that fun? A nice metal airplane and no need to break out the airbrush. Sometimes it pays to be lazy.

Scale Aircraft Modelling July 2010

About a year ago my long term subscription to Scale Aircraft Modelling ran out and I choose not to renew it. I wasn't enjoying the new make-over and the magazine no longer was in line with my tastes. However, when I saw that the July 2010 issue would be another Canada Day Special, I forked over my $11.99 (ouch) and decided to see if things were any better.

My big complaint with the new SAM was awful proof reading and articles with few words and little meat. Sure most of the builds were nice, but the articles didn't teach me anything. Sadly I have to report little has changed.

Things start off poorly on the cover. There is a focus on the Special Hobby Baltimore which they deem "Impressive!" What would be really impressive was if there was anything on a Special Hobby Baltimore, or indeed if Special Hobby actually made a 1/48 Baltimore. Of course they are talking about the new Maryland...but whatever...details don't matter right? Also what is a CF-5B? You see it used all the time, but there is officially no such thing. The Canadair built F-5s operated by the CAF were designated CF-116 and named CF-5A for the single seat version and designated CF-116D and named CF-5D for the two seater. Again, why would we care about details in a modelling magazine? The Title Page states: "The CF-5 was a licence-built Tiger II by Canadair..." Huh? Tiger II...um, no it was a licensed build F-5A, not F-5E... (It's ok, later in the magazine in the Next Issue section a build of the F-5E is titled Freedom Fighter...) Oh and the editorial mentions that they are grouping a book review on the Bf-109 along with some conversions to make it easier on the modeler. That sounds like a decent idea, other then there is no Bf-109 book review.

After all that, I was actually scared to read the CF-5 article, but guess what? It was decent. No major gaffs and even the designations were correct. The photo captions have some issues, like reference to the natural metal finish of the CF-5D (actually it was aluminum lacquer, which is correctly noted in the profiles), and embarrassingly a caption makes mention to note the bolt on refueling probe on an aircraft that isn't carrying it. Some nice looking drawings and plans are included for the CF-5D.

The Editor's CF-5D's built of the 1/72 Italeri kit is nicely finished, but really isn't that well built...there is a seam where the kit's front and rear section were mated that he didn't fill. Flip back a few pages and look at the pictures...it isn't here in real life. He mentions in the article that he didn't need to use any filler...well yea, he did...

The Kinetic 1/32 Sabre 6 article is ok. However, the builder clearly has little clue about Sabre wings. In the "'6-3' or not '6-3'" section he mentions how it is an important question with Sabres, and then goes on to mention that "a large proportion of them...seem to have been retro fitted with this wing at a later stage in their flying career." While this is true of RAF Sabres, it is not the case with RCAF Sabres. In fact the only RCAF Sabres ever to be retrofitted with different wings may be the few early Sabre 6s built with the '6-3' hard wing. No other RCAF Sabres ever carried more the one wing during their military carrier. Also, just which brand of interior green did the builder use for the wheel wells? Lifecolor or White Ensign? (He mentions both.) Nice model though.

And I don't even want to get into their asinine book review page. Why waste space on the publishers puffery? Just dumb. A review is a review, not rehashed marketing fodder.

Not all is terrible. I enjoyed the article on building the 1/72 MPM A-20 and even picked up a nice tip on making your own decals and the review of the 1/72 Airfix Widegon conveyed just how much fun these old kits can be.

Sadly, nothing in this issues made me regret my decision to stop buying the magazine. The cover price is out of sight, and the content is thin. The editing is terrible and many details are overlooked. But hey, the pictures are nice...maybe some think that is worth $12. Not me.

Canadian Airmen and the Victoria Cross

Here is a rather neat website called For Valour about the seven Canadian airmen to win the Victoria Cross. I think this is a rather interesting approach to teaching younger people about actions of the Canadian medal winners, though I sure some of the hard core self professed "historians" will find it dumbed down.

Royal Newfoundland Air Force Fokker

Vintage Wings always has some nice aviation history and stories on their site, but it is rare that they focus on modeling. I will have to admit I'm a little jealous over that Fokker, because I would love to have a model from the RNAF in my collection. Sadly no one has done a 1/72 Budd Conestoga yet...

C.D. Howe and the Hawker Hurricane

During World War Two C.D. Howe, Minister of Supply and Munitions, was pivotal in expanding the Canadian aviation industry. Here are a few pictures of a visit to the Canadian Car and Foundry factory in Fort William, Ontario. Forget all the people and just enjoy the Hurricanes. (Photos courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada/Library and Archives Canada.)

Airfix Model World Magazine

It was announced yesterday that Key Publishing and Airfix have teamed up to start a new modeling magazine called Airfix Model World. It will be a 100 page monthly magazine that covers all genres of modeling, but with an aviation focus. The editor will be Glenn Sands and the first issue is set to debut in November 2010.

I find this a very interesting announcement. First off I can't believe the UK can subsidize the number of modeling magazines currently on the market, let alone a new title. That being said, I'm really excited to see what Airfix and Key can do and I do think there is room in the market for a good (professionally proofread) magazine that deals with all areas of modeling, and with Key's experience, production values, and distribution, along with the Airfix name, it might quickly become a major player in the market.

Pulamo Girls?

Model-making adds glam to bridge divide. Model building mainstream? A clothing company opening a hobby shop in a mall? Women in their 30s building models? Japan sure is a weird place.

Though I do have to admit adding glitter to a Spitfire could be fun...

The Airfix Handbook

Title: The Airfix Handbook
Author: James May
Publisher: Conway Publishing

Ostensibly this slim volume is a tie in to the recent James May Toy Stories television show. However, it also functions as a short and sweet Airfix history and a good reason to never judge a book by its cover. (Ouch, is that ever a ugly cover!)

This small format hardback opens with a short history of Airfix drawing much inspiration from the Arthur Ward books, a short photographic tour of molding defects, some Roy Cross boxart, and a listing of all Spitfire kits issued by Airfix. We then have a modeling tip interlude by Chris Ellis on "10 things I wish I known when I was 10" before we get into Mr. May's project to create a 1/1 scale Airfix Spitfire. Obviously this project was better illustrated on the TV show, but it still an interesting read. Sprinkled throughout this section of the book is a short chapter on making a war movie out of Airfix tanks and a listing of the "10 Airfix kits every modeler should build." (I would quibble with the choices and suggest that most of the kits listed as honorable mentions (the 1/72 Pup, Lancaster, Vulcan, and Hurricane), should be on the main list, but isn't that what these kind of lists are for...disagreement?) Finally the book wraps up with a short build of the newer Spitfire XIX by Jonathan Mock, and, again drawn from the Ward books, a listing of Airfix kits issued year by year.

This is far from a definitive history of Airfix, but a quick and enjoyable read written by an Airfix fan. Fun.

P.S.: David, I looked in the whole book and never saw the phrase "Finish the Spitfire!"

The Hawker Hurricane Mk. II in 1/72

Since my observations on the 1/72 Spitfire Mk. V kits has been quite popular, here are my thoughts on the 1/72 Hurricane Mk. IIs.

Academy Hurricane IIc - Great detail, excellent engraved panel lines, and a decent representation of the rear fuselage fabric detail. Sadly the fuselage is way too narrow which ruins the complete look of the finished product. No tropical filter is provided and there are no underwing stores. But for the fuselage error, it would be been the best Hurricane in the scale. Sadly with the error, it cannot be recommended at all.

Airfix Hurricane I/II - An old rivet encrusted kit. No matter what the box says, it can only be built as a Mk. II. The canopy is awful being way too small and there is no way a Merlin would fit in the nose. The Mk I prop is terrible and there is no option for the tropical filter. It does have a nice selection of under wing stores.

Airfix Hurricane IIc - Brand new tooling. The rear fuselage fabic detail is excellent, but that is balanced out by the fuselage scribing being very, shall we say agricultural. The spinner is poor, and the prop blades even worse, being way too short. Something about the fuselage shape is a little off and the horizontal stabs are too small, but at least you can fit a Merlin in the nose. The rudder is also misshapen. It does have a decent cockpit and correct wheel well detail. One added bonus is that it includes Sea Hurricane conversion parts right in the box. I was expected better, but with a replacement prop and rudder looks reasonably like a Hurricane. Very reasonably priced.

Hasegawa Hurricane II family - The Hasegawa kit has a reasonable shape, but the cockpit is a joke, the seat is tiny, and the overlarge spinner is fictional for a World War Two Hurricane. (Though it is correct for a few restored warbirds.) Technically the joint line for the Mk. II nose is in the wrong place, but the overall length is ok. The fabric rear fuselage is way overdone. Some boxes contain the tropical filter. It should be better for the very high price Hasegawa is now asking for the kit.

Heller Hurricane IIc - Old school with raised panel lines. The Heller kit has pretty good shape from the firewall back, but the nose is far to thin for a Merlin. Probably the best Hurricane II prop and spinner in 1/72. Can now be found in a Smer box.

Hobby Boss Hurricane IIc - A simplified Academy clone with the same narrowness issue. It does however contain the tropical filter. As with the Academy kit it cannot be recommended because of the fuselage shape.

Matchbox Hurricane IIc - An old school Matchbox kit. Again, there is no way a Merlin would fit in the nose. This kit was later reissued as Hurricane IId with the under wing gun pods.

Revell Hurricane II family - This kit has been issued as a Hurricane IIb, Hurricane IIc, and a Sea Hurricane. One of my favorite kits. Generally the shape is pretty good, but Revell did not extend the fuselage spine under the canopy. In addition the wing chord is a little too large, but no noticeably so. Good cockpit detail. The spinner and prop are poor, as are the wheels. Something appears to be off with the windscreen. Depending on the boxing you may get under wing bombs, tank, and/or a tropic filter. Good value for the money.

I like the Revell kit the best, because it is the nicest combination of detail and shape for the price. Hasegawa is in a similar league, but much much more money. Pretty much every Hurricane on the market will need a new propeller and spinner which is very frustrating.

How to Build Tamiya's 1:32 Spitfire

Title: How To Build Tamiya's 1:32 Spitfire Mk. IXc
Author: Brett Green
Publisher: ADH Publishing

As I have mentioned before I'm a sucker for both modeling books and Spitfires books. So much of a sucker I bought a book on a model I'll probably never own or build...

Brett Green's entry in the How to Build series is a timely volume on the newer Tamiya Spitfire. Much hyperbole has been lavished on the big Spit, but it appears that it is justified. The book features three builds, an out of the box build of the Spitfire in RAAF markings by Brett, a desert bird by Marcus Nicholls, and a Spitfire HF Mk. VII conversion by Roy Sutherland. As is usual with Mr. Green's articles it is clear, concise, and has some useful tips. Mr. Nicholls's desert Spitfire is more an exercise in painting. One odd thing about his build, is he twice alludes to problems with fitting the cowling over the engine, but he never states what his problems were. Finally we have Mr. Sutherland's conversion. I found this the most interesting of the three articles and it certainly is a stunning finished model. However, Roy mentions a couple times that he used custom mixed Tamiya colours on his model, I just wish he had listed out the mixes so the modeler could attempt to replicate them. You gotta love the Medium Sea Grey over PRU Blue scheme.

In addition to the builds, there is a short page on the Pacific Coast Models 1/32 short run Spitfire, some profiles by Richard J Caruana, and a short walk around section on the two Spitfires at the Temora Aviation Museum.

I enjoyed the book, but I like Spitfires. Of course the real question is as a 1/72 scale modeler why did I buy this book? Well as I said I like Spitfires, but I think subconsciously I knew that I'd never finish the Tamiya kit if I bought one. So in order to avoid buying it and seeing it reside in the closet of no hope for an eternity, I bought this book, enjoyed some other modelers' builds, and now I can focus on finishing my 1/72 Airfix Spitfires.

F-35 for the CAF

It was announced today in Ottawa that Canadian Government had selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II to be Canada's next jet fighter. (Some nice background PR fluff is here.) What is interesting about the selection is that it has been a sole source contract and there was no competition with other types. As expected this has already created political controversy with the Liberal minority, who promise to cancel the contract if elected. EH-101 anyone? I'll admit I'm a little disappointed in the selection of the F-35, as I was hoping for either the Typhoon Eurofighter or the Super Hornets. But being I'm no fighter pilot, so what do I know? Well I do know the name Lightning II is kinda dumb. Have all possible fighter names been used up? Do we need to resort to sequels both in movies and aviation? I just hope the aviation sequels aren't as bad as most movie sequels. (Photo courtesy of the Canada Department of National Defence.)

Modeler's Note: I think the only current F-35 option in 1/72 is the Italeri kit of the STOVL X-35 prototype. Hasegawa has announced the release of a 1/72 F-35 either later this year or in 2011.

Rockliffe Lysanders

Now that there is a flying Lysander in the Ottawa region, I thought it would be best to celebrate with some archive photos of Lysanders in the Ottawa region. Both these photos are of Lysander Mk. IIs of No. 110 (AC) Squadron taken at Rockcliffe in early January 1940. No. 110 (AC) Squadron later moved to England with its Lysanders and became 400 Squadron. They did not operate the Lysanders for long and were reequipped with Curtiss Tomhawks and later still Mustangs, Spitfires, and Mosquitos. Note the two tone roundels on the fuselage and the lack of a fin flash. There is also the question of the underside colour...is that sky or did the RCAF just paint the camouflage right over the aluminum dope? That wheel spat sure does look too shiny for sky. (Photos courtesy of the Canada Department of National Defence/Library and Archives of Canada.)

Modeler's Note: Still to this day, the Matchbox (later reboxed by Revell) Lysander Mk. II is top of the class. Pavla did a short run Lysander Mk. II that had some nice resin details, but was a little too narrow in fuselage width and very expensive. Airfix's Lysander from the 1970s is sold as a Lysander Mk. III "Spy Taxi," but actually is a Lysander Mk. II with the Perseus engine. The only actual Lysander Mk. III in 1/72 was the old Frog kit, which may still be available in an Eastern Express box.