The Aircraft

The Tu-22M3 Backfire C has had a somewhat confusing development history. The original Tu-22 was NATO code-named Blinder. It had two pod-mounted engines above the rear fuselage, one on either side of the vertical stabilizer, and fixed sweptback wings. Then Tupolev came out with what I think is almost a new design, with the engines mounted in the rear fuselage and intakes along the fuselage side, and variable-position wings...I think the first on a large Russian bomber. This was the Backfire. The designation for this aircraft was Tu-22M1. The M probably stands for “Modified.” There were only nine Tu-22M1s built, and it was fairly quickly replaced by the Tu-22M2. The M2 had more powerful engines, a bigger wing, and an area rule fuselage.

Model Art Modeling Magazine is a Japanese publication that is released monthly. The text is mainly in Japanese with some English subtitles throughout. One benefit of these magazines is the high quality of the photographs and the models that are used.

This month’s issue is geared toward the Formula 1 fans, but the issue starts off with a report from the 2013 Shizuoka Hobby Show. This is covered in four pages packed with color photographs. Some models of note – Tamiya’s 1/32nd F4U-1 and Minicraft’s 1/72nd PBM-5/5A are just a few of the examples.

The Formula 1 article is covered in over fifty one pages. The largest focus of the article is on the John Player Special cars. They use models of these cars along with tips on building them, captured in black and white and color photos. Along with models, there are photos of the actual cars in color and black and white photographs.

MiniArt’s German Tank Crew Normandy 1944 contains five figures wearing their German uniforms under bad weather leathers. The commander figure is posed as if he’s standing in a vehicle hatch, scanning the terrain. The other four are depicted during moments of relaxation and revelry. An accordion player appears to tap his toe in time with the music. An NCO stands with his jacket open and an amused look on his face. Perhaps he’s listening to the music or a joke. His jacket has a nice undercut behind him. A crewman wearing a scarf is posed sitting somewhere on the tank (turret, hull) or a stack of boxes, perhaps listening to the music or posing for a photograph. A smiling crewman is posed to lean on the main gun, the hull, or stacked supplies/equipment.