PREZNOTES Seattle Chapter Newsipms-seattle.org/newsletters/2000Newsletters/2000... · 2013. 12. 14. · Mentor very long. By 1961 they were rapidly moving toward an all jet training

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Seattle Chapter IPMS-USASeptember 2000

In This Issue

Sword T-34C 3JEJ to Miss Show 4IPMS Victoria Web Site 4Tamiya Do 335 5Midway Web Site 6My Least Favorite Things 6Colouring Book reviews 7Provence Moulage XK-180 8It Wasn’t Always the Same 9SAAF Mustangs in Korea 10Upcoming Model Shows 12Black Box F-16 Cockpits 13Two Leopard 2 Tanks 14IPMS Nats Winners 15Golden Age Stars of IPMS 16

And yet another “airline” Preznotes. Theairplane is broken. To paraphrase MontyPython’s “Parrot Sketch,” the airplane is“Dead. Definitely deceased. Bleedin’demised. Passed on. No more. Ceased tobe. Expired and gone to meet its maker.Late. Stiff. Bereft of life. Resting in peace.Pushing up the daisies. Rung down thecurtain and joined the choir invisible.”However, I do find it a bit of a stretch for itto be “pinin’ for the fjords.”

The most positive thing I can say for theairline industry at this point is that it givesme a lot of time to write this column! Don’tget me wrong, I truly love to fly, but foronce it would be nice to leave on time, inan airplane that isn’t like a 6-ounce canfilled with 8 ounces of Spam.

Well, they’ve found another airplane. I canwrite the rest of my column now. Muchbetter. I even have a modicum of room formy knees this time. As of the beginning ofAugust I have completed nine models thisyear. One ship, two sci-fi space ships, onefigure, and five aircraft. I have alreadysurpassed my output from last year. Onething I’ve been doing recently is startingmultiple projects with similarities: a batchof Navy aircraft, a batch of Luftwaffeaircraft, and now on my bench, threeKorean conflict aircraft. I think my produc-tivity has increased because I’ve been ableto gang together various aspects of eachgroup. For example, on my Korean projectsI did all the subassemblies on the modelsI’m working on (Monogram B-26 Invader,Monogram F9F Panther, and Revell H-19helicopter), sprayed all three interiors atthe same time using the same color, andbasically finished the interiors. Threemodels pretty much done in two evenings.Well, the interiors anyway. I’ll continue theprocess like a production line until done -putty all of them (no Tamiya kits here),exterior paint, which will slow the linedown as all three have different colorschemes, then finishing/decals/weatheringuntil all are done. I am considering for mynext gang project a whole schwarm of Me109s. I don’t know why I have so many as

it is not one of my favorite aircraft, otherthan the fact that the British, Americans,and a few other Allies flew quite a handfulof them. It will make an interesting collec-tion. However, I have so many of them Imay even have to do one in Luftwaffecolors!

The three Korean conflict models havebeen a pleasure so far. I had the B-26 insubassemblies and ready for interior paintfrom the time Dorothy says “I don’t thinkwe’re in Kansas anymore” to “There’s noplace like home.” It went fast. I may haveto start another...The H-19 I can buildblindfolded because I built a bazillion ofthem when they were only 69 cents and Iwas under 5' tall. The orange Antarcticscheme with the bright orange plastic.Remember that? On this one I have scratchbuilt a cabin interior that the original neverhad. I would buy an aftermarket set for thismodel if someone made one!

These Korean aircraft I’m working on arepart of a project that Andrew Birkbeck hasorganized commemorating the 50thanniversary of the Korean conflict, for adisplay at the Fall show in Vancouver, BC

Continued on page 15

SEATTLE CHAPTER CONTACTS

President: Vice President: Treasurer: Editor:Terry Moore Keith Laird Norm Filer Robert Allen3612 - 201st Pl. S.W. 528 South 2nd Ave. 16510 N.E. 99th 12534 NE 128th Way #E3Lynnwood, WA 98036 Kent, WA 98032 Redmond, WA 98052 Kirkland, WA 98034Ph: 425-774-6343 Ph: 253-854-9148 Ph: 425-885-7213 Ph: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

IPMS Seattle Web Site (Webmasters, Jon Fincher & Tracy White): http://www.ipms-seattle.org

Public Disclaimers, Information, and Appeals for Help

This is the official publication of the Seattle Chapter, IPMS-USA. As such, it serves as the voice for our Chapter, and depends largelyupon the generous contributions of our members for articles, comments, club news, and anything else involving plastic scale modeling andassociated subjects. Our meetings are generally held each month, (see below for actual meeting dates), at the Washington National Guard Armory,off 15th Ave. NW, just to the west side of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. See the back page for a map. Our meetings begin at 10:00 AM, and usuallylast for two to three hours. Our meetings are very informal, and are open to any interested plastic modeler, regardless of interests. Modelers areencouraged to bring their models to the meetings. Subscriptions to the newsletter are included with the Chapter dues. Dues are $24 a year, andmay be paid to Norm Filer, our Treasurer. (See address above). We also highly recommend our members join and support IPMS-USA, thenational organization. See below for form. Any of the members listed above will gladly assist you with further information about the Chapter orSociety.

The views and opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the individual writers, and do not constitute the official position of theChapter or IPMS-USA. You are encouraged to submit any material for this newsletter to the editor. He will gladly work with you and see thatyour material is put into print and included in the newsletter, no matter your level of writing experience or computer expertise. The newsletter iscurrently being edited using a PC, and PageMaker 6.5. Any Word or WordPerfect document for the PC would be suitable for publication. Articlescan also be submitted via e-mail, to the editor’s address above. Deadline for submission of articles is generally twelve days prior to the nextmeeting. Please call me at 425-823-4658 if you have any questions.

If you use or reprint the material contained in the newsletter, we would appreciate attribution both to the author and the sourcedocument. Our newsletter is prepared with one thing in mind; this is information for our members, and all fellow modelers, and is prepared andprinted in the newsletter in order to expand the skills and knowledge of those fellow modelers.

Upcoming Meeting DatesThe IPMS/Seattle 2000 meeting schedule is as follows. To avoid conflicts with previously scheduled IPMS events and NationalGuard activities at the Armory, please note that some of our meeting days fall on the third Saturday of the month, not the traditionalsecond Saturday. We suggest that you keep this information in a readily accessable place. All meetings begin at 10:00 AM.

September 16, 2000 (3rd Saturday) Other dates TBA

IPMS Seattle Chapter Newsletter Page 2


Sword 1/72nd ScaleBeechcraft T-34C Turbo

Mentor

by Norm Filer

The modeling world is not populated by anoverabundance of trainer kits. When a newone comes along it usually fills a longoverdue space on the modeler’s shelf, andhopefully even on a few display shelves.Why we are not more attracted to trainersis best left to those with more insight thanI have, but it probably has something todo with “less glamorous” or something.Another of the gaps has finally been filled!

In any event, when this kit arrived on mydesk, several long dormant but far fromdead mental color schemes started slowlyswimming to the surface of an alreadyovercrowded brain. The white/gold/blueone from TAW-9 for the Navy’s 50thAnniversary of Naval Aviation, thevarious test schemes used to establish anew trainer scheme, the unusual U. S.Army birds. Though not my usual choice,several foreigners came to mind as well.

Wow! I could use several of these things!

History

The Beechcraft T-34 Mentor had a longand somewhat difficult birth. At the end ofWWII there were enough surplus trainersin the U. S. military to just about giveevery GI his own airplane. And therequirement to train new pilots wasdeclining just about as fast as the post warmilitary budget. The only people interestedin new military airplanes were thosebuilding and trying to sell them. Beechcraftwas in about the same situation as all therest of them; If they didn’t sell somethingpretty quick, they were out of business.Beechcraft had done much better thanmany. They had the new and successfulA35 Bonanza on the market and weredoing OK. But what they really neededwas a military order to keep things moving.

Walter Beech felt there was a need for anew trainer and proceeded with thecompany funded prototype designated

Beechcraft model 45. It shared the samelanding gear, wings, and a large portion ofthe fuselage with its civilian brother, theBeechcraft A35 Bonanza. One thing it didnot share was the Bonanza’s V tail. Thedesign and marketing folks speculated thatthe targeted military were too conservativefor anything that different. But the moreconventional tail surfaces bore a strikingresemblance to the Bonanza’s.

Three were built and all were completedduring 1948. After a series of competitions,contract awards to others that were nevercompleted, and inter service rivalry, theKorean War stopped the whole process.

T-34A

With the war winding down, the Air Forceawarded Beechcraft a contract for the T-34A Mentor in 1952. Deliveries started inlate 1953. An interesting side note is thatin addition to Beechcraft, the Canadian Carand Foundry built 100 Mentors. About aquarter of these went to the Canadianarmed forces and eventually found theirway to Turkey.

The Air Force did not stay with theMentor very long. By 1961 they wererapidly moving toward an all jet trainingprogram. The Cessna T-37 was rapidlyreplacing the T-34 as the primary trainer.

T-34B

The Navy, also now in the market for a newprimary trainer, found the Mentor fit theirneeds quite well, but still dictated some

minor changes to meet their unique needs.The most noticeable external difference isthe deletion of the small triangular fairing

below the rudder. While the Navy was thesecond T-34 customer, they became itsbiggest user. They built over 400 of thembetween 1954 and 1958.

In addition to the USAF and the USN,several foreign countries flew both the T-34A and T-34B, including Argentina, Chile,Colombia, El Salvador, Japan, Mexico,Peru, Philippines, Spain, Turkey, Uruguayand Venezuela.

T-34C

The Navy was much slower in adoptingthe all jet concept, but the trend was

obvious. In 1973 a contract was awardedto convert two T-34Bs to turbojet power.Beechcraft made an excellent choice inpowerplants, choosing the P & W PT-6.The two test articles were designated YT-34C. After considerable testing and someinitial concerns about spin recovery theNavy eventually bought a total of 334 T-34Cs.

A quick look at the T-34C gives theimpression that it is just a T-34B onsteroids. Actually there was considerablechange. As mentioned above, the A and Bversions are based on the A35 Bonanza.The T-34C kept the fuselage and canopy,but the wings now came from the twinengined Beech Baron. Other componentswere donated by the Beech Duke. Withover twice the horsepower, the tailsurfaces were also enlarged and strakesand fillets added. When done it still had astrong family resemblance, but was a verydifferent bird.

Like the earlier T-34s, the T-34C found itsway into foreign service, including


Argentina, Ecuador and Morocco.

The Kit

The first impressions when opening the kitare “Wow!” This thing is small! There isone light gray tree, about seven inchessquare, two resin parts, and an injectionmolded canopy. The injection molded partshave the usual somewhat thick sprues, butvery little flash and the parts are very

nicely done. Recessed panel lines every-where and nice detail. The unique grooveson the T-34 control surfaces are wellrepresented by fine recessed lines. Theylook like corrugated material like the FordTrimotor or Ju 52 in photographs, but areactually just what they look like on themodel - grooves.

The two resin parts are the nose wheel well(?) and a complete cockpit tub. Yep, that’sright. A complete cockpit tub. Floor, sideconsoles, rudder pedals, seats, controlsticks, the whole works in one casting. Allthat needs to be added are the twoinstrument panels. This single casting maybe the highlight of the whole kit. It alllooks properly proportioned and delicate.

Two things are quickly apparent. Gettingthis to sit on its nose gear will be impos-sible, and you will need to do somethingimaginative with both the prop and thosevery noticeable exhaust pipes. The first isnot news to those of us who have built theneat little Hasegawa T-34 kit. There is just

not enough room to stuff lead in the nose,and if you used depleted uranium orsomething, the gear would collapse. Theonly solution here is to glue the finishedproduct to a small square of clear material.

The second item is equally challenging.The prop is one of the two really poorparts in the kit. When parked, mostturboprops appear to be feathered, andlook most odd. The kit prop is molded in a

more “normal” pitchedattitude. The one inthis kit looks like somesmall bugs chewed onone blade. It may besalvageable, but willbe interesting.

The exhaust pipes areeach two small partsthat have pretty muchthe right externalshape but are nothollow, nor convinc-ing. A bit of effort willbe required here too.

The real fumble on thisplay is the canopy. It is injection molded,and appears at first to be overly simple. Noframes to speak of and cloudy. Whencompared to photos it starts to look a bitbetter in shape. Typical of light planes, thefront windshield is one piece, with noframes. The rear portion is also a one-partbubble. Perhaps a bit of work with thepolishing materials and maybe a coat ortwo of Future will make it work.

The decals, like the kit in general, give aninitial impression of being overly simple.Again like the kit, there really isn’t a wholelot required. What is needed is there andthey are quite nice. Markings are providedfor a tiger mouthed (again?) white andorange bird from Training Wing Five,based at Pensacola, and an Argentine birdof perhaps blue, sand, and light green?

Conclusions

Sword has provided us with another neatkit. It appears to be very buildable, with abit of effort here and there. If you haveever wanted to expand your trainer

collection with some colorful examples,this may just tickle your “build me” button.

The poor instructions make it a bit of acrapshoot in places, and the foggy canopyand inability to sit on the nose gear will bechallenging, but all in all a very welcomekit.

Now where is my replacement for the agingand somewhat inaccurate Heller T-28?

Johnnie Johnson to MissVancouver Show

I am sad to report that Johnnie Johnsonwill not be able to attend our show thisyear. He has suffered a mild heart attackand his doctors have forbidden him to fly.We have sent our best wishes along andwe hope that JEJ has a speedy recovery.

I am sorry to have to pass this unfortunatenews along.

Kevin BrownIPMS Vancouver

IPMS Victoria Has NewWeb Site

IPMS Victoria, BC, has a brand newwebsite,

www.geocities.com/victoria_scale_modellers

This site also contains info about theupcoming show, [see page 12 for moreinformation on the September 30 show -ED], as well as further info about our club.For further info please contact me [email protected] at the address below.

Will Hendriks, President, Victoria ScaleModellers (IPMS Victoria), 2024 HornbyPlace, Sidney, BC, CANADA V8L 2M5telephone: 250 656 2217


Tamiya 1/48th Scale DornierDo 335 Pfeil

by Michael Benolkin, IPMSAlbuquerque Scale Modelers

History

In 1937, Dr. Claude Dornier patented theunique design of a “push-me, pull-you”power system for a combat aircraft.However, it wasn’t until 1942 before theGerman High Command authorizeddevelopment of this radical design. Inmany respects, the Do 335 is fairlyconventional design employing a low-mounted wing, tricycle landing gear, and arelatively low frontal cross-section forreduced drag. The fact that the aircraft waspowered by a Daimler Benz DB603 enginein the nose, modified to allow a 30mmcannon to fire through the spinner, wasalso nothing radical.

It was just the other DB603 in the tail,which drove a second, ‘pusher’ propellerthat was new. [It wasn’t that new; theconcept had been used previously byother WW2 prototypes, including theFokker D.XXIII and Moskalev SAM-13,though both of them had tail booms –ED]. While the Do 335 was evidently notavailable for combat duties before the endof the war, flight test results had shownthe promise of this design, and designvariants were already underway. Theseincluded a two-seat night fighter and afighter-bomber version with a payload of1000kg of bombs at high speed. Perfor-mance data for the Do 335 showed that ithad a level top speed more than 40 mphfaster than the P-51 Mustang, and despitethe twin-engine design (and associatedweight), the Do 335 possessed the sameagility as its single-engined contemporar-ies. For air-to-air firepower, not only did ithave the 30mm cannon firing through thespinner, it also had two 20mm cannonsmounted over the front engine. The Do335B carried two additional cannons, onein each wing. For survivability, the Do 335incorporated several innovations. In theevent of a landing gear problem, theventral fin could be jettisoned beforeattempting a belly landing. On the other

hand, if bailing out of the aircraft was theonly option, the aircraft was equipped withan ejection seat. Provisions were alsounderway to allow for jettisoning the rearpropeller as well. The jet-age had all butrendered this concept obsolete for acombat aircraft. Even Dornier’s designersforesaw the promise of jet power and hadprovisions for a Do 435, powered by apiston engine in the nose and a turbineengine in the tail (this wasn’t a uniqueidea, Ryan was already working on thesame type of power combination in itsFR-1 Fireball for the USN. This innovativepiston-powered tractor/pusher systemwould not reappear until Cessna’sSkymaster series. Since then, only ahandful of prototypes and unique aircraft,like Rutan’s round-the-world Voyager havealso embraced the centerline thrustconcept.

The Kit

Tamiya’s latest release is molded inmedium-gray plastic, features engraveddetailing throughout the external surfaces,and is flash-free. The kit is comprised of106 grey parts and five clear.

There are some small ejector-pin marksinside both main gear wells that will bedifficult to remove without destroying thenice details molded inside. All of thelanding gear doors and the inside of theweapons bay doors are also plagued withejector pin marks. These will also be a bitof a challenge to remove without damagingthe surrounding details.

The kit features a nicely executed cockpit,complete with ejection seat, an accurate Y-styled control column, a nice instrument

panel and rudder pedals. The fuselage ismolded in such a way that the two-seatvariant will also be available in the nearfuture. In fact, two pilots are included inthis release (you’ll only need one thistime).

The weapons bay is also laid out nicely,and includes the bomb cradle and 1000 kgbomb. The layout of the cockpit floor andweapons bay bulkheads is very similar tothe way Tamiya crafted their 1/48thMosquito, so assembly should be tightand flawless. Given the volume of plasticaft of the main landing gear, this modelwould be a definite tail-sitter if not for thesteel ballast that Tamiya also includes inthis kit. The landing gear detailing islikewise nicely done, though in a reversalof trends, Tamiya did not include flattenedtire options in this kit. We’ll have to simplysand down the round wheels or locate a

set of Squadron’s True DetailsDo 335 Resin Wheels.

Markings are included for Do335A-0 VG+PH (W.Nr.240102),Do 335A-0 (W.Nr.240107), andDo 335A-1 #1-3 (W.Nr.240161).If you want to do an interestingvariation, VG+PH was used forflight evaluations by the USbefore being stored away in theSmithsonian’s Silver Hillrestoration facility. This would

entail some field-applied ‘cover-ups’ of theGerman markings and application ofUSAAF insignia. By the way, VG+PH wasrescued from Silver Hill with the help ofLufthansa and some private donations,restored, and is now on display in amuseum in Munich.

Conclusions

I am a bit disappointed with the number ofejector pin marks on this kit. This is not theusual situation with Tamiya kits to date.The loss of flattened wheels is unfortunateas well. Nonetheless, this kit will build intoa great version of the single-seat Do 335,and I can’t wait to tackle the Nachtjagertwo-seater in the future. I can recommendthis kit for virtually any skill-level builder.


Web Site Review: “TheBattle of Midway,”Webmaster Chris

Hawkinson

by Terry Clements

www.centuryinter.net/midway/midway.html

I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you thatMidway was the single most decisivebattle of the Pacific War. Understandably,it has been the subject of extensivecoverage of all types and quality in books,magazines, films and video documentariesever since those days in June 1942. Nowwe have this terrific web site, one of thebest uses of this medium I’ve seenrecently. The site contains a wealth ofinformation, all nicely organized andpresented. Included of course is a detailed,multi-part narrative history of the battle.But unlike so much history writing on theweb, this is well written, factually andanalytically rigorous, and appropriatelydocumented. Periodic revisions andadditions keep the site up to date. Inaddition to the narrative articles, there arefeature articles on related matters such asintelligence issues, veteran’s accounts, anart gallery, a model gallery, the usual linksto related sites, and a discussion group.The graphic presentation is simple buteffective.

One of the features I like best, and the onethat drew me to the site in the first place, is“Torpedo Eight in Color.” If you have anyinterest in early-war naval aviation, youneed to dial up this page right now. Whatit contains is a series of color pictures ofalmost every crew member of the legend-ary Torpedo Eight. There are also severalexcellent color photos of VT-8’s TBDDevastators. Most of these shots were

taken from the incrediblyrare color memorial filmmade by John Ford for thefamilies of VT-8’s aircrews.These pictures revealmany interesting, andsurprising, details, such aslight gray torpedo war-heads and twin-gunmounts in the rear cock-pits, not to mention all thecolor and markings detailsso loved by modelers. Butthe color photos that aremost likely to stick in yourmind are the amazingscenes of these planes

taking off from the Hornet on their ill-fatedmission on June 4, 1942.

These Are a Few of MyLeast Favorite Things

by Robert Allen

As Jacob Russell correctly noted in anarticle a few issues back, we are living in aGolden Age of Modeling. The amount ofchoice we have today, in kits, paints,decals, and even reference materials, isstaggering. The aircraft on my “most-wanted” list are dropping like KazuhiroSasaki’s forkball – Fairey Fulmar, SopwithSnipe, Mosquito Mk.IV, and BeechStaggerwing. In 1/72nd, of course. Yet thereare still a few things that kit manufacturersdo that bug me…

1. Separate propeller blades. Just howhard is it to mold the prop blades inthe correct pitch? Mold makers havebeen doing it for years – until recently.

It’s a fairly simple task to line thethings up correctly, but if you get justone blade wrong, it stands out like asore thumb. And it’s always theairplanes with five blades, like theAcademy Spit XIV, that have this“feature,” making your chances ofscrewing up exponentially worse.

2. Getting the airplane designationwrong on the box. The Japanesemanufacturers, to whom you’d givethe most leeway (can you write yourname in Japanese?) are actually prettygood at getting it right. But what’swith the Academy “Me-163”?Where’d the hyphen come from? Theclassic has to be Revell-Monogram,whose 1/48th Spitfire Mk.II is marketedas a Spitfire Mk.11. I guessRevellogram is unfamiliar with theconcept of Roman numerals, but howon earth did that one get through?

BTW, I’m not totally pedantic. The“Bf” versus “Me” controversy justamuses me. I know that “Bf” istechnically correct, but if AdolfGalland called it an “Me 109”, who amI to correct him?

3. Painting instructions that match themanufacturer’s paint line. Airfix andHeller are most noted for this, beinglinked to the Humbrol empire, butthere are others. Revell-Germany givesthe paint call-outs as their own line ofpaints, which is even more frustratingbecause their paints aren’t availableover here, and have funny names like“Matt Dust Grey.” That really helps.Tamiya hypes their own paints, butalso gives the correct designation, likeRAF Dark Green – most of the time.What’s frustrating is when they giveonly their own paint mixes to repre-sent colors you can get elsewhere.


Book Review: AviationHistory Colouring Book.

Part 41: Imperial JapaneseAircraft Wartime Colours 2,

and Part 42: ImperialJapanese Aircraft

Designations, WartimeMarkings & Other Details

by Ian K. Baker

review by Terry Clements

These latest installments of Baker’s multi-part Aviation History Colouring Bookwrap up his set of seven booklets coveringWW II Japanese colors and markings.(Parts 36 and 37 covered camouflage andmarkings of IJN aircraft, Parts 38 and 39dealt with the IJA, and Part 40 wascomprised of a set of 20 paint chips).

Part 41 (8 pages plus card covers) iscomprised of 13 additional paint chips,supplemented by detailed drawings andnotes on the colors and markings ofJapanese bombs and torpedoes. The paintchips provide representative samples ofthe following colors: interior green variant1 (Mitsubishi), interior green variant 2

(Kawanishi, etc.), interior green variant 3(Nakajima A6Ms), interior khaki(Kawasaki), interior blue-gray (earlyNakajima), red-brown (“tea color”) variant1, red-brown (“tea color”) variant 2, Ki-84propeller green, propeller tip yellow, red-orange trainer color, wing ID strip yellow,markings blue, and “black-brown color”variant 2. As Baker wisely points out,these chips are “indicative,” not “defini-tive.” He also provides useful brief notesfor each color, and of course the otherbooklets in the series provide all thedetails necessary for using them.

Part 42 (20 pages plus card covers)provides a handy summary of Japanesewartime organizations and aircraft designa-tion systems in addition to a nice overviewof the complicated evolution of IJN andIJA command, unit and formation markingspractices. Baker illustrates all of this withhis usual mass of nicely rendered inkdrawings. Although there is still much tobe learned about the subjects covered inthese booklets, these seven installments ofthe Aviation Colouring Book are probablythe best overview currently available.They are highly recommended for model-ers wanting sound information in aconcise, reasonably priced package.

ISSN 1322-0217. Published by theAuthor, Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia,2000.

One part XF-5 to one part XF-65 tothree parts XF-21; I think they meanRAF Cockpit Green. Humbrol 78 toyou and me.

4. One canopy option. Many people liketo build their planes with the canopyopen, to show off superdetailedcockpits. Others, like me, consideradding seat-belt decals the height ofdetailing. Most kits come with onecanopy, either a closed one, or one inseveral pieces to exhibit in the openstate. Someone is going to be disap-pointed. The superdetailers will eitherhave to saw the thing open, or use anaftermarket canopy, or poor fools likeme will be unable to line up thenumerous parts correctly. It only takesa couple of extra pieces to provideboth open and closed canopies; KPwas doing it back in the ‘70s. Yet, in1/72nd scale at least, it’s still a rareoccasion when it’s provided. It shouldbe standard.

5. Weird scales. What’s with all these1/48th scale airplanes? Yecch! No,seriously, as much as I kid about thepreponderance of these oversizedbeasts, I realize that other people liketo build them, and that I should betolerant. I draw the line at country“music,” but that’s another story. No,what I mean are kits in really strangescales, (a 1/53rd scale Lockheed 10Electra, anyone), or kits packaged inboxes that misrepresent the scale. Iknow that the Revell and Monogram“classics” that are being reissuedwere often originally made to fit thebox size, and that’s fine. What bugsme are companies from metric coun-tries, like France and Japan, packaging1/50th scale kits as 1/48th ones. Thesneakiest was L&S, who several yearsago put out their 1/75th scale kits,marking them as “1/72nd scale class”;i.e. they’re close. What was madden-ing was that some of them actuallywere 1/72nd, but you had to read thebox very carefully to figure it out.

Oh well, that’s a load off my chest,anyway…


Provence Moulage 1/43rd

Scale 1999 Jaguar XK-180

by Wayne E. Moyer, IPMS Day-ton Area Plastic Modelers

Jaguars have always been somethingspecial. Whatever their faults (principallyLucas electric components and heavy, oil-consuming engines) in the past, they weremore than offset by the lovely bodyworkand the exhilarating performance of thecars. The XK-120 took the sports-car worldby storm following World War II, the muchprettier C-type established Jaguar in WorldChampionship racing, and the sleek,aerodynamic D-Type wrote the Jaguarname into the record books for all time withthree victories at Le Mans. Then there wasthe XKE; if you were into sports cars inthe 1960s and 70s nothing more needs tobe said. Yes, the E-Type rivaled Italian carsin unreliability, but it looked so great thatyou didn’t need to drive it to love it.

The later 1970s and all the 80s were hardtimes for Jaguar enthusiasts, but aninfusion of Ford money brought newdesigns and (gasp!!) reliable engines andelectrical systems to Jaguar in the 1990s.First there was the V-8 powered XK-8:were my first-born younger I couldconsider a swap for a British Racing Greenconvertible! Then the XJS Sedan - I’m notready for such sedate motoring yet butsomeday...

Now Jaguar has come up with the XK-180,a beautiful roadster that blends elementsof the D-Jag, the rear-engine XJ-13, XKE,and XK-8. Jaguar says that it’s only ashow car and there are no plans to put theXK-180 into production, but fortunately,for 1/43 scale modelers at least, ProvenceMoulage has released a very nice resin kitof this beautiful Jag.

The resin body is superb; perfectlysmooth surfaces with crisp panel lines andhood louvers. There’s “mesh” in theradiator air scoop, but the lower scoop isopen all the way through the body. Therear wing is a separate piece, but mine wasabsolutely straight. Don’t worry about theseam where it joins the body as there’s oneon the real car. The base plate, interior,inner door panels, seats, and wheel spidersare crisp resin castings too, while thewheel rims are machined aluminum withphoto-etched brake disks. The tintedwindscreen and clear headlight covers arevacuformed, of course. Instructions

consist primarily of annotated photos of acompleted model, enough to build the kitbut not enough to detail the interiorcorrectly. Mold lines and flash are almost non-existent on this kit, so parts cleanup tookvery little time. The first primer coatrevealed that there were no pinholes in thebody, either (PM castings are improving)but there were a couple of blemishes under

the nose that were easily filled with a smalldab of putty. The upper surfaces neededno filler at all. According to Sports CarsInternational (June/July 1999) the color is“Teal Gold,” whatever that is. The July ‘99Road & Track is also a useful reference.Naturally, all the color photos differsomewhat, but I found that Plasti-KoteFord FM 3958 was very close, andlightened it with GM 3886 just enough toachieve a good “average” of the printedcolors. Both the seats and inner door panelcastings have the color separation linesengraved in the castings, so I painted bothwith my body color and then brushed onseveral coats of flat white acrylic. When allwas dry, I sprayed all the interior pieceswith semi-gloss clear before applying theinstrument panel decals and painting theintegral seat belts. The “engine-turned”aluminum instrument panel and consoleface are supplied as decals with the gaugefaces included and look good whencarefully applied.

P.M. has done the wheels right for thismodel; aluminum rims with resin spidersand separate resin backing plates. Sincethe wheels should be a single solid color, Iglued the spiders to the rims and thensprayed the assembly with Metalizer“aluminum”, followed by a clear glosscoat. The backing plates were painted“steel” on the outer surface and flat blackon the inside. When they were dry thephoto-etched disks and calipers wereglued to the backing plate before thewheels were assembled. Simple, but veryrealistic.

Final assembly was a breeze as the fewparts fit very well. Leave the windscreen asa single piece; it fits outside the “A”pillars. My finished model matches photosof the car as it first appeared, but by thetime “drive test” reports were publishedindividual roll bars had been added behindthe seats. Overall lines (from the side) anddetails, right down to the asymmetric“power bulge” on the hood, match photosvery well. Seen from above, the modellooks a bit short, but it’s not. Wheelbaseand length are right on 1/43rd scale, butboth width and track are 0.13" too great;almost six scale inches. It’s only notice-


able, though, if you very carefully comparethe model to overhead shots. All in all, it’san easy-to-build kit that makes a beautifulmodel of an absolutely stunning car!

SOURCE: Grand Prix Models, 3 Noke LaneBusiness Centre, St. Albans, Herts AL23NY England

http://www.grandprixmodels.co.uk

It Wasn’t Always theSame…

by Hal Marshman Sr., IPMS BayColony Historical Modelers

I had a Val in competition recently, andoverheard an onlooker say words to thiseffect, “Too bad the builder of this Valdidn’t show a lot of bare metal on this.These planes were always very worn.” Itproves that a little knowledge can be adangerous thing. I agree, from about 1943on, Japanese aircraft had a tendency toshed their finish very rapidly. Much of thiswas due to the very poor quality of latewar paint itself. The Japanese were at theend of a very tenuous supply line, andpaint of whatever quality just wasn’t highon the priority list. In addition, Japanese

airplane mechanics had a lot more to worryabout than keeping their charges up tosnuff, finish wise. All this having beensaid, the viewer mentioned above failed totake into consideration, the info I hadprinted on my detail sheet, to the effectthat this airplane flew off the Zuikaku in1941. Such being the case, none of theabove post-1943 info would apply. To thecontrary, in the pre-Pearl Harbor days, theJapanese Navy mech crews took verygood care of their airplanes, and photos ofthis period reveal very little in the way ofworn paint. Some of the Kates reveal thatthe Japanese were in the midst of changingtheir camouflage at this time, as were theVals, from overall pale grey to dark green,solid or blotched. This means that thegreen on my example should almostdefinitely not reveal much in the way ofworn bare metal.

This brings to mind the various times I’veheard guys say that a particular model justdoesn’t match the photos or profiles hehas seen of the real item. For example,there’s the time I built Frank Klibbe’s P-47.I had a reference that showed Klibbe’sLittle Chief with just two victories, and nowhite outlines on the red nose ring andrudder. At that time, almost everyone wasfamiliar with Klibbe’s jug in its final

configuration, although many didn’t noticethat his inner gear covers were edged inred, ala U. S. seventies jets. Anyhow, I putmy version on display and waited forsomeone to fall into my snare. Sureenough, it didn’t take long for one of mybest friends at the time, to point his finger,and ask, “Hey, didn’t Klibbe’s plane havewhite outlines to its red nose and rudder?”Bingo, snared another unbeliever! We’veall done it. You get so familiar with one ofGalland’s 109’s, or Sakai’s Zekes, Tuck’sSpit, or whatever, that we forget this photoreference was what the airplane looked likeat one particular instant in time, and verywell might have changed the next day, orchanged since the day or week before.Might even be a different plane!

The aforementioned Galland was known tohave more than one fighter in his stable atone time. Of course we all remember HeinzBaer, and #23, when red 13 was his normalmount. Look at George Preddy; if memoryserves, we can document one razorbackjug, two P-51Bs, and two P-51Ds, allvariants on the “Cripes Almighty” theme. Iremember a fellow who fell victim to thismalady. In his case, he had chosenPreddy’s last spam can, with his final tallyof victories. Did a nice job with the plane,and natural metal finish. Only trouble was,he showed it while having its D-Day stripeapplied. Too many victory markings andthe wrong plane for the time the modelerwas trying to depict. The list goes on andon, but I think you get my drift. This isparticularly important if you are a contestjudge. If you differ with someone as towhy he/she has decorated their model inwhat seems to you to be an incorrectscheme, try to locate the modeler andquestion him, if you feel strongly that hehas erred in his choice of colors ormarkings. He may have access to info youhaven’t seen. Unless you have a glaringsituation here, with no plausible explana-tion, just give the builder the benefit of thedoubt, particularly if you have what seemsto be a well turned out model, otherwise.



South African Air ForceF-51 Mustangs in Korea

original article by R. Allport,additional research by A. Dyason,

IPMS South Africa

After WWII, Korea was of little importanceto the West, it but saw the first combat ofwhat became known as the Cold War,between East and West. Korea’s geo-graphical position between the SovietUnion, Communist China, and Japan wasthe main reason for the conflict, as Koreawas divided into two areas, North andSouth, after WWII. The 38th North paralleldivided the two areas. In 1947 the UNwanted to establish an independent state,but the Soviet Union refused UN controlover the Northern part. Therefore, separateelections were held in the two areas, whichresulted in two governments, eachclaiming the whole area of Korea. The USand Russian forces left Korea in 1949 andboth North and South Korea intensifiedtheir propaganda campaigns and evensabotage and terrorism, against each other.

When the Korean War broke out on 25June 1950, with some 90,000 North Koreansoldiers and hundreds of Russian-built T-34 tanks crossing the border and over-whelming the South Korean forces, SouthAfrica, as one of the founding members ofthe United Nations, decided to contributea fighter squadron to the Allied Forces.The UN had acted quickly, calling for acease-fire, and, when this was ignored,passed a resolution authorizing the UN tosend troops to help South Korea. TheSouth African Prime Minister, Dr. D.F.Malan, stated during the debate thatfollowed South Africa’s decision to takepart that he felt it was South Africa’s dutyto side with the anti-Communist countriesto combat ‘aggressive communism’wherever necessary.

While General MacArthur was gatheringall the troops, aircraft and ships he couldmuster in the Far East, 50 officers and 157other ranks of 2 Squadron sailed fromDurban on 26 September 1950 forYokohama Harbor, where they were

welcomed by the Americans. Altogether,15 other nations sent troops and equip-ment to join the main American force in theFar East. Their contribution was smallwhen compared to the large Americancommitment, but served to emphasize theunity of the countries of the UN in makinga stand against communist aggression.

The pilots of 2 Squadron underwentconversion training on F-51D Mustangsand by 16 November were ferrying theiraircraft across to Pusan East Air Base in

Korea. Three days later, two of the pilotstook off together with two USAF pilots tofly the first South African combat sortiesof the war. At that time MacArthur hadjust made his famous landing at Inchonand the Americans were pursuing thefleeing North Korean troops towards theYalu, confident that victory was in sight.

The South African squadron came underthe operational control of the 18th Fighter-Bomber Wing of the US Fifth Air Force,which was the tactical air force of the FarEast Air Forces (FEAF). The task of 2Squadron was to destroy enemy air power,support the ground troops, fly air strikes,and carry out reconnaissance flights forthe ground troops.

Within a few weeks of the start of 2Squadron’s operations, however, thesituation had changed. On 16 October1950, the Fourth Field Army of the ChinesePeople’s Republic began crossing the YaluRiver in secret. At first the Americansthought it was a ‘limited intervention’ byChinese volunteers to help the NorthKoreans avoid total defeat, but by the endof November it became clear that theChinese had entered the war against theUN forces. Full scale attacks by theChinese started on 26 November and 2

Squadron was thrown into a major aireffort to stop the flood of over 200,000Chinese troops from overrunning the nowretreating UN forces. The weather at thistime was extremely cold and the groundcrews worked under freezing conditions tokeep the Mustangs flying, often having toscrape ice and snow off the aircraft beforethey could take off.

On 5 December the first SAAF aircraft waslost when it attacked a railway truck thatturned out to be loaded with explosives.The resulting blast knocked the pilottemporarily unconscious and he wasforced to crash land. An American L-5aircraft later landed on a narrow road near


the crash site and was able to rescue thepilot and his observer. The squadron flewnumerous sorties to assist the hard-pressed ground forces, but were continu-ally moved back to new bases as thecommunist advance continued. Despitethe all-out air offensive, the UN troopswere pushed back to Seoul and on 6January 1951 they abandoned the city andmoved further back to pre-arrangeddefensive positions. The air attacks wereintensified and the aircraft found that theywere subject to an increasing amount ofground fire from the communist forces.During February at least 3 SAAF aircraftwere lost as a result of small arms fire whilestrafing enemy vehicles and troop posi-tions.

On 1 March the squadron flew 32 sorties inone day, establishing a new record in 18thFighter-Bomber Wing, destroying sevenvehicles and two tanks, but at the sametime losing another two pilots. By this timeGeneral Ridgeway had decided to counter-attack in Central Korea and sent the 25thUS Division across the Han River. Thecommunists abandoned Seoul and on 15March the 8th US Army drove intoHongchu in the central area. No 2 Squad-ron was by now fully integrated into the 18FBW and was building a reputation foroperational skill and aggressiveness. By 12April 1951 the squadron had flown 2,000sorties against the enemy and received aletter of appreciation from Lt.Gen.Stratemeyer, Commanding General of theFar East Air Forces. Lt.Gen. Patridge,Commander of the 5th Air Force alsocomplimented the South Africans on their‘outstanding performance’.

On 22 April the communists launchedanother major offensive with 70 divisions,forcing the UN forces to withdraw in somesectors of the front, but by the end of themonth the attack petered out, largely dueto the efforts of the air force in disruptingenemy transport and supply dumps. On 9May a huge strike, comprising 300 aircraft,took place on the communist air base atSinuiju. Major Blaauw of 2 Squadron wasawarded the American Silver Star decora-tion for his part in protecting and rescuinga downed pilot. By 22 May the communist

offensive had collapsed and by thebeginning of June the UN forces wereagain in possession of all South Koreanterritory.

On 24 June another SAAF pilot won theAmerican DFC when he led 3 otherMustangs in an attack on enemy troopsthat were poised to overrun an Americanposition. One of the Marines later com-mented that:

“We were catching all hell because of anoverwhelming G--k counter-attack. Thetide of battle was leaving casualties in itswake like seashells cast upon a beach. Itwas then we saw four silvery streaksplummet from the skies with guns blazing.It was so wondrous a sight we completelyforgot our whereabouts or line and juststood up in our foxholes and cheered. TheHall of Fame does not possess any greatermen than those who flew that day.”

In July, with the start of peace talks atPunmanjon the air war entered a newphase, with the emphasis now on maintain-ing air superiority. On 8 July, 2 Squadronhad its first encounter with MiG-15fighters, but the Mustangs managed tobeat them off. The UN forces launched amajor offensive on 18 August, and 2Squadron was kept extremely busy. On 25September the squadron flew 40 sorties inone day, the highest number since itsarrival in Korea. In a total of 4,920 sortiesin its first year, the squadron had lost 36 ofits 61 aircraft, but had destroyed over 2,000buildings, 458 vehicles, 14 tanks, 13bridges and numerous other targets.

On 20 March 1952 the squadron had itssecond encounter with MiGs when a flightof four Mustangs was attacked by fiveMiGs, resulting in one Mustang beingshot down and one MiG damaged. Thecommunists now had flak batteries placedalong all their railway lines, making airattacks extremely dangerous. Neverthelessthe air attacks were increased in order toput pressure on the communists at thepeace talks.

The increasing appearance of MiGs led toNo 2 Squadron being re- equipped with F-86F Sabre jets and training courses wereheld in Japan in November. The lastmission flown by Mustangs was on 27December, and by January the first Sabreshad arrived. Training of the SAAF pilotscontinued into February and by 12 Marchthe squadron was once more flying sorties.The squadron was mainly employed in aground attack role as the Sabre proved tobe an excellent aircraft for dive-bombing,carrying two 1000lb bombs or napalm androckets.

Finally, on 27 July an armistice was signed,with 2 Squadron flying a record 41 sortiesthat day before the armistice finally wentinto effect. The overall total of sortiesflown by 2 Squadron during the war was12,067 and altogether 34 pilots and twoground crew had lost their lives. ByOctober all operational flying had endedand at the end of the month the SAAFpilots began to return home to SouthAfrica. As the last of them was about toleave Korea the Commander of 18thFighter-Bomber Wing showed his highregard for the Flying Cheetahs by issuinga Policy Order that said:

In memory of our gallant South Africancomrades, it is hereby established, as anew policy that all Retreat Ceremoniesheld by this Wing, the playing of ourNational Anthem shall be preceded byplaying the introductory bars of the SouthAfrican National Anthem, ‘Die Stem vanSuid-Afrika’. All personnel of this Wingwill render the same honors to thisAnthem as our own.

The Korean people erected a SAAFMemorial, 60 km southeast of Seoul as atribute to the 36 South African personnelwho lost their lives during the Korean War.

The SAAF Museum’s F-51D Mustang

The SAAF used the Mustang from 24September 1944, when P-51B/C MustangIIIs replaced Kittyhawks in 5 Sqdn, duringthe Italian campaign. P-51K Mustang IVAs,plus a few Mustang IVs, were introducedlater. It was extensively used until October


Upcoming Model Shows

September 23:

IPMS Salem Annual Contest and Show at Evergreen Air Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Contest starts at 9 AM; judging completedby 3 PM. Presented by The Captain Michael Smith King Evergreen Aviation Educational Institute and the Salem and Portland Chaptersof IPMS-USA.

This year’s theme: The Korean Conflict 50th Anniversary. Guest speaker: Col. John Misterly, Jr. Judging in all IPMS categories, includingjuniors. 25 vendor tables. Entry fee $8; includes one admission to museum. Each additional entry, $1. Juniors entry fee $6, plus $1 foreach additional model. Museum is located just east of McMinnville, along Highway 18. For more information, contact George Piter at(503) 362-2088 or by e-mail at [email protected].

September 30:

Victoria Scale Modellers Island Open VIII Annual Contest and Show will be held Saturday, September 30, 2000 at the Esquimalt Recre-ation Centre, 527 Fraser Street, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Registration from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Showtime 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.Open to the public. Admission by donation.

For more information, see the IPMS Victoria web site at: www.geocities.com/victoria_scale_modellers

October 7:

IPMS Vancouver, Canada 2000 Fall Model Show and Swap Meet. Bonsor Rec Center - 6550 Bonsor Avenue, Burnaby BC. General Info:Kevin Brown, 604-939-9929, e-mail: [email protected]. Info and Vendor Tables: Scott Hall, 604-837-9988, e-mail:[email protected]

Johnnie Johnson, unfortunately, will not be able to attend the show, as was previously advertised. Provisional Trophy Categories: Bestof Show Senior; Best of Show Junior; Best Aircraft; Best Auto; Best Naval; Best Armour; Best Figure; Best Canadian; Masters Award;Best Diorama; Best Academy Kit; Best TV or Movie Monster; Modeller’s Choice; Best Open Wheel Race Car; Best Battle of BritainSubject; Best Mopar; Best Korean War Subject; Best Tank; Best TV, Movie or Animated Vehicle; Best Pre-World War II Aircraft; BestNose Art Aircraft.

For more information, see the IPMS Vancouver Web page at http://members.tripod.com/~ipms.

1945. 2 Sqdn again used Mustangs, re-designed F-51Ds in the Korean conflictfrom 1950 to 1952. When the Sabre enteredservice in 1952, the Mustang’s career inthe SAAF was over.

One of the main goals of the SAAFMuseum is to acquire flying examples ofimportant aircraft flown by the SAAFduring its 80-year history. In 1986 all theex-Dominican F51D’s went to Florida in theUSA for sale. FAD 1917 (c/n 122-38661)was an F51D-20-NA built as s/n 44-72202and delivered to the USAAF on 9 Jan.1944. In 1945 it was delivered to the 8th AirForce in the UK, but it is unlikely to haveseen combat. In March it went to theSwedish Air Force where it received the

identity Fv. Nr. 26112 and was operated byF16 Wing at Uppsala. On 31 October 1952it was one of 42 Mustangs sold to theDominican Republic, where it saw consid-erable action with the FAD.

FAD 1917 arrived in Cape Town on 14November 1987 and moved to Lanseria.The aircraft had extensive corrosion, butthe SAAF’s excellent ground crewsrectified most of it. The engine wascompletely rebuilt by the Museum’stechnical teams. Despite the difficulty ofobtaining spares for the aircraft, theproject was completed in September/October 1998. The color scheme representsno 325, an aircraft used by the SAAF inKorea, which was built from three wrecks

by the ground crews. A photo still existsthat shows the name “Patsy Dawn”. Thisrefers to the names of the crew chief’s twodaughters. The pilot was “Tubby”Singleton, who even today, has a photo of325 in his office. Col Tony Smit carried outthe first flight on 13 October 1998. Theaircraft is normally kept at Swartkop, but isnot accessible to the general public, due tothe historic value of the aircraft. No 325can only be viewed by special arrangementwith the SAAF Museum.

The best photos and info on the Mustangand Sabre as part of the Korean conflictcan be found in the book: SAAF at War, byS. Bouwer and M. Louw.


Black Box 1/48th ScaleF-16A and B Cockpits

by Dave Roof, via IPMS QuadCities

I received the new cockpits for review atthe Nationals from Jeff of Black Box. I willbegin with the F-16A cockpit, #48026,mainly because I already have it installedin a Hasegawa F-16. The overall qualityand detail of this set is typical of what wehave come to expect from Black Box. Theonly minus for this particular set is the fit.This one is not a drop in, paint up, you’redone set. The tub and sidewalls neededsome minor modifications to get every-thing lined up properly. I will go over thisin more detail later. Consisting of 21 parts(one not used), the set is broken down asfollows.

Cockpit Tub:

The tub included is a completely differenttub than what was provided in the F-16Ccockpit set. A lot of new detail has beenadded to the rear bulkhead and sideconsoles. Most notable are the addition ofthe map case, oxygen hose, some wiring,and a larger base for the control stick.There is also a large “box” like structure onthe aft bulkhead/deck of the pit. I do nothave any photos of the F-16 pit withoutthe ejection seat, but I am sure that it isthere on the real thing. Two foot pedalscomplete the cockpit assembly.

The ACES II:

The seat consists of six pieces and is amajor improvement over the ACES II thatwas provided in the original F-16C release.It is probably one of the best ACES IIseats on the market. All harnesses aremolded on and look very realistic. The airsensor probes, ejection pull ring, andcatapult rails make up the rest of the seatassembly. Although very nicely cast, youmay want to replace the resin pull ring for aphoto-etched one.

Side Walls and Attachments:

The side walls are completely new itemsand are about 95% accurate. The smalllight is included on the right (starboard)side wall, as is the forward arm rest. The aftarmrest is a separate piece and is includedon a small casting plug with the controlstick. Care must be taken when removingthese pieces from their plug. They aresmall and delicate. The left (port) side wallis very nicely done and has the throttlelock molded on ( this is the yellow “birdsfoot” seen on the upper forward portion ofthe side wall). The throttle itself is moreaccurate in size than the one included inthe F-16C pit. It is found on the castingplug with the HUD frames.

Instrument Panel and Coaming:

The instrument panel is very well done andrepresents the F-16A through Block 15airframes. MLU and Block 20 F-16As havean instrument panel similar to the F-16Cwith the 2 CRT displays. The panel is castwith the aft panel for the two-seat F-16B(this is the part not used). Both are castflat and will require lots of careful sandingto get them to the proper thickness to fit.The lower portion of the instrument panelis cast as a separate piece (found betweenthe side walls). The new coaming is thesame piece that was included in the F-16Ccockpit set. It corrects the undersizedcoaming provided in the kit. The HUDframes are cast separately. Note: Due to thedesign of this set, the use of the BBinstrument coaming will not allow thecanopy to be displayed in the closedposition.

Aft deck:

Black Box has included the whole areabehind the seat as a new resin piece. Thisreally adds to the overall accuracy of thepit and makes the entire assembly look alot better.

Assembly:

As mentioned, this set does not just “dropin.” I began with the aft deck. Carefullymeasure and remove the area behind theseat per the instructions. Don’t take away

too much the first time. Once the mainportion is removed, you can come backand carefully cut away plastic until theassembly fits snug. I took a bit too muchon the right side, but fixed it with gapfilling CA and Stucco putty. Once the aftdeck is in place, install the side walls. Ionly applied CA to the top of the wallsuntil I got everything lined up. This iswhere the fit problems occurred. Once theside walls are in place, insert the cockpittub. Mine did not fit once the walls were inplace. There was a gap between the top ofthe aft bulkhead of the pit and the aft deck.Some of the buttons and switches on theside consoles interfered with the walls.With a new X-acto blade, very carefullyremove small portions of the side walls.You may also need to remove some of thebuttons and switches on the consoles aswell. I had to remove approximately 1/16thof an inch from each side wall. Cut until thetop of the tub bulkhead fits flush with thebottom of the aft deck. Once all of this isdone, install the new coaming. Once again,don’t take too much plastic on the first cut.I got lucky on this part and got a perfect fiton the second cut. The rest of the parts goin with no trouble. With a little patience,you can get all of the parts to fit the waythey are supposed to. I added bits andpieces from the Verlinden F-16A set,Eduard photo-etch set and Waldron Jetinstruments to the BB pit. Once everythingwas painted up and detailed, it reallybrought the area to life. Yet another winnerfrom Black Box. Like all of BB’s sets, theyare limited production. Once they’re gone,they’re gone. I took photos as I wentalong. Provided they came out well, I willhave them up athttp://orionmodels.bizland.comwithin the next few days.

F-16B Cockpit:

Almost all of what was mentioned in the F-16A cockpit review applies to the F-16Bcockpit, except the fit and assembly. I havenot started this one yet so I don’t knowhow this one goes together. The onlymajor difference in this set is obviously theinclusion of the rear cockpit tub with side



Comparison Review: 1/35th

Scale Tamiya and ItaleriLeopard 2 A5 Main Battle

Tanks

by Terry Ashley, IPMS PerthMilitary Modelers Society

The Kits:

The release of the Leopard 2 A5 by Tamiyaso soon after the same subject from Italerileads to the inevitable comparisonbetween the two. This is even moreprudent because the kits reflect the stateof the art of both companies at this time.

The Italeri kit has more parts, at 270,compared to Tamiya’s 240. The Italeri kitalso has the option of the standard 120mmRheinmetall L/44 Smooth Bore cannon orthe new longer caliber L/55 gun, as well asthe tall commander’s hatch tunnel for deepwading. The Italeri kit is half the price ofthe Tamiya kit. Unfortunately, that’s wherethe good news for Italeri ends. It’s alldown hill from here.

To see if this price difference is worth it,let’s have a look at both kits part by part.A direct comparison of the parts revealsthe surface detail on the Tamiya kit to befar superior to the Italeri offering. Therendering of the surface texture and smalldetails such as bolt heads and other finedetail on the Tamiya kit is light years aheadof the Italeri Leopard.

The Lower Hull and Suspension:

Both kits have separate suspension arms,shock absorbers and idler wheels. Againthe detail on the Tamiya parts is farsuperior (a comment that is going tobecome quite common during this review).The bolt head detail on the Italeri roadwheels border on the crude. Some of theextra parts in the Italeri are here withseparate wheel hubs on the road wheelsand return rollers. Even this doesn’t doanything to improve the detail. The Italeridrive sprockets have some impressivesinkholes in the center, as do thesuspension arms. Tamiya alsoinclude a tool to aid in aligning thesuspension arms, a real bonus thatmakes fitting the arms a breeze.

The Upper Hull:

Both kits have the upper hull as asingle large part, with the surfacedetail rendering and details muchfiner on the Tamiya part. TheTamiya hull also has the engine fangrills as separate parts while they areintegral on the Italeri part. The big differ-

ence here is the driver’s hatch. It ismolded closed on the Italeri hull,while the Tamiya hull has the hatchseparate and can be assembled so itslides open and closed like the realLeopard 2.

At the risk of being repetitive, thedetail on the Tamiya turret is againfar superior to the Italeri item. Thetwo forward side armored panels onthe turret are designed to swingoutward on the Tamiya turret, while

they are molded in the closed position onthe Italeri turret. Other refinements on theTamiya turret include open periscopes andmain sight with clear parts inserted for thelenses as opposed to solid moldings onthe Italeri turret. The turrets are laid outdifferently in both kits, the Italeri has theforward panels molded with the turret top,with separate pieces added to the bottompart. Tamiya does it just the opposite; thisis to allow for the operating side panels asmentioned above.

All remaining details such as the smokegenerators, hatches, MG3 machine gun,the side skirts, and all other small parts areagain far superior on the Tamiya kit. Acommander figure is also included with theTamiya kit. The method used to mold theside hull details is also indicative of thestate-of-the-art of each company. Tamiyaincludes these details as part of the lowerhull molding with no loss of detail. Italeriinclude them as part of the side skirt parts.Even so, the detail on the Italeri parts isnot as crisp as the Tamiya item.

The Tracks:

The Tamiya tracks are truly state of the artmoldings. They are continuous lengthtrack in a soft flexible material that hasexceptional detail on both sides. There isdaylight between each track shoe and theend connectors. Center guides have detailbordering on that which you will find onindividual link track. The Italeri track onthe other hand is in four equal lengthsegments in a harder, less flexible material.They are some prominent pin marks on theinside of every shoe, and the detail is notas refined as the Tamiya tracks.

Kit Markings:

The Italeri kit has markings for twoLeopards, one German and one DutchArmy vehicle. The Tamiya kit has markingsfor seven German Army Leopards,including one serving in the KFOR forcesin Kosovo. Also included with the Tamiyakit is a small printed card with six DivisionPlates as fitted to the rear of the turret.


Preznotes from page 1

this October. We would welcome any andall of you to help with this display. If youhave any Korean conflict aircraft in 1/48thscale or AFVs in 1/35th scale completed oron your bench, we would like to have youparticipate in this display. It won’t benecessary for you to go to the show asAndrew or I will be able to transport yourmodel(s). Give Andrew or myself a call.

See you at the meeting,

��

walls and an additional ACES II. Comparedto photos, the tub is accurate for a ‘B’. It’sthe aft instrument panel that is theproblem. It represents an F-16D aft panel. Iwould recommend using the Hasegawa aftpanel if you are modeling a ‘B’ model Viper.My set included the aft deck that issupplied in the F-16A cockpit. If your sethas this part, do not use it! The B and Dhave a completely different set-up wherethe canopy actuator is. You can however,use it on your F-16C kits if you haven’talready started them. All in all, a beautifulset. The mix-up in the aft instrument panelis a very minor problem that can easily befixed. All is not lost either. You can swapthe front instrument panels from your Band C sets and accurately build a D. Thenjust a build an A with your former C set.Confused yet? As with all of BB’s cock-pits, this one is also a limited productionset.

F-16 Cockpits from page 13

Conclusion:

To answer the question: Is the Tamiya kitworth double the price of the Italerioffering? In my opinion it’s a definite yes;the Tamiya kit is vastly superior in everyregard and really shows the gulf betweenTamiya and the others in today’s kitproduction. The only reason to considerbuying the Italeri kit would have toeconomic. If your budget can take the extraprice and you want the best Leopard 2 A5going, then it has to be the Tamiya kit.

References:

Leopard 2 / 2A5 Main Battle Tank:Concord Books #7501

Leopard 2 Main Battle Tank 1979-1998:Osprey New Vanguard 24

While I’m on the soapbox, it isn’t wise toget too hung up with what the variousrules and regulations of the war timeperiod stipulate. In all air services, frontline aircraft were not always decoratedaccording to specs. This is most acute inthe matter of regulation changes once theairplane was in a combat outfit. What wasused, was what was available. Witness,captured French paints on Battle of Britain109Es, tractor paints on Russian aircraft,Italian desert colors on Luftwaffe desertplanes, RAF paints on U.S. planes, homebrew mixes to approximate new U.S. Navycolors in the far reaches of the Pacific.Remember, the printed word got theremuch in advance of the materials neededto make it happen. Hope this articleprovides you with food for thought, aswe’ve all (myself included) been a littlepedantic sometimes, and too much relianceon one reference, or a set of regulationswas the reason why.

It Wasn’t Always the Same... from page 8

IPMS Nationals Round-Up

Here’s a list of IPMS Seattle winners at thisyear’s IPMS Nationals.

Small Prop and Turbo Prop, 1/72, a. In-Line. Second Place: Me 109G-1, TedHolowchuk.

Small Prop and Turbo Prop, 1/48, b. AlliedNavy. Sponsored by: Aeromaster Prod-ucts. Out of the Box: F4F Wildcat TerryMoore.

Large Prop and Turbo Prop, 1/51 to 1/143.Sponsored by: IPMS/James J. McKinstry.Out of the Box: G4M2E “Betty”, TedHolowchuk.

Small Jet, 1/72. Sponsored by: IPMS/Northern Virginia Modelers. Second Place:Mitsubishi J8M1 Shusui, Jim Schubert.

Conversions, 1/72 and Smaller. Sponsoredby: IPMS/Gateway. Third Place: YokosakaMXY8 Akihusa, Jim Schubert.

Airliners, 1/100 and Larger. Sponsored by:IPMS/South Metro Model Society. ThirdPlace: Ryan M.1, Jim Schubert.

Dismounted Figure, 71mm and Larger, b.Non-Uniformed. Sponsored by: Mr. J.B.Sowell, Jr. Third Place: “Don’t Mess WithTexas,” Terry Moore.

Submarines, 1/401 and Smaller. Sponsoredby: IPMS/Memphis. Second Place: USSOhio, Jim Schubert.

Competition Automobile, Open Wheel, 1/31 to 1/20. Sponsored by: IPMS/Denver-Rob Wolf. Third Place: Honda RA 272E F-1, Jim Schubert.

Former IPMS Seattle member MatthewBurchette swept his category. PoweredShips: All Others, 1/401 and SmallerSponsored by: IPMS/Lakes Region ScaleModelers. Third Place: USS Manhattan,Matthew Burchette, Houston, Texas.Second Place: CSS Manassas, MatthewBurchette, Houston, Texas. First Place:USS New Ironsides, Matthew Burchette,Houston, Texas.

In addition, we can almost claim this oneas won by one of our own; VacuumFormed, 1/59 and Larger. Sponsored by:IPMS/USS Hornet, Alameda, CA. FirstPlace: Westland Wyvern, Wayne Holmes,Delta, British Columbia, Canada.


National Guard Armory, Room 1141601 West Armory Way, Seattle

Directions: From North or Southbound I-5, take the 45th St. exit. Drivewest on 45th, crossing under Highway 99 (or Aurora Ave. North) towardN.W. Market Street in Ballard. Continue west on Market St. toward 15thAve N.W. Turn left (south) onto 15th Ave N.W. and drive across theBallard Bridge until you reach Armory Way (just as you see the AnimalShelter.) Watch for signs. Park in the Metro Park & Ride lot.

If coming from the South, take Highway 99 onto the Alaskan Wayviaduct to Western Avenue. Follow Western Ave. north to Elliot Ave.until it turns into 15th Ave N.W., then to Armory Way itself.

Meeting Reminder Saturday, September 1610 AM

Golden Age Stars of IPMS#8

Carole Lombard was the only Americanfemale star to “die in the line of duty,”during World War Two. Glenn Miller, ofcourse, was the most prominent male starto lose his life.

Lombard is best known for being one ofthe queens of screwball comedy, exempli-

fied by her role as woman “dying” of aterminal illness in Nothing Sacred. Herfinal role was in To Be or Not to Be, a 1942Alexander Korda production. Lombarddied before its release while on a domesticWar Bond tour. On January 16, 1942, sheand her “entourage” (including hermother) bumped three aviation cadets off aTWA DC-3 at Las Vegas, which then flewinto a mountain at night in clear weather. Itwas later theorized that the inexperiencedco-pilot filed an erroneous flight plan, andwas flying the departure whilst his captainwas distracted by his famous passenger.

She was married to Clark Gable, who, forthat and other reasons, became a B-17gunner in the 8th Air Force, and madeCombat America to convince enlisteesthat being an air gunner was a cool thingto do.

To Be or Not to Be is a comedy about athespian troupe in Warsaw. Lombard andJack Benny play the leading lady and man.The plot revolves around stopping aGestapo double agent. The warning isbrought by a Polish RAF pilot (a veryyoung Robert Stack). The stock footagethey used to illustrate “his squadron” (forabout 3 seconds) was (muffled drum roll) aflight of PB-2s! You could even see the tailstripes on the things!

Unfortunately, the scene where she goesflying pre-war with Stack was cut from themovie due to the circumstances of herdeath, so we’ll never know what Holly-wood thought a “Polish bomber” lookedlike.

Thanks to Wesley Moore for the sugges-tion, and for most of the information.

Documents

PREZNOTES Seattle Chapter Newsipms-seattle.org/newsletters/2000Newsletters/2000... · 2013. 12. 14. · Mentor very long. By 1961 they were rapidly moving toward an all jet training