My apologies to Airfix for this kit having to take a back seat to life for a little while, but I am in the home stretch now.
To me, AFV Modeller is one of THE finest armor model magazines on the planet. Issue 54 continues their great tradition of providing the reader with well written articles of superbly built models and dioramas, beautifully photographed and printed on high quality paper, along with a nice sprinkling of informative reviews covering the latest books, kits and model accessories.
This month’s cover article is by Bruno Carsuzaa, detailing the construction and weathering of a Trumpeter 1/16th scale T-34/76 Soviet tank. The kit is built as a knocked out example, one side having burned so that the rubber is missing from the road wheels. The back of the turret has been blown out, and the entire vehicle is beautifully weathered in rust, as part of a diorama depicting a German slit trench. Completing the scene are two German soldiers, by Verlinden and Stormtroopers.
Hello fellow IPMS Brothers and Sisters, Today we have the beautiful new Eduard 1/32 109 in the affordable “Weekend Edition” box…I hear choir music. OK, let’s see what we have inside the box, drum roll please. We have 152 khaki colored and clear plastic parts packaged in the typical standard Eduard resealable bags, a single option decal sheet and good ol' black and white instructions. Overwhelmed by the seven large parts sprue, I found inspiration in the decal option Red 1 flown by Knight’s Cross recipient, Hptm. Trautloft
The Bf-109 is an interesting subject, with a rich and fascinating history. Several incarnations and variants make it a very popular aircraft and the darling of a lot of fellow modelers. The first prototype flew in late 1936 Bf 109 V4 (D-IOQY, Werk Nr 878) followed by V5, V6 and V7 in early 1937. The latter prototype was pretty much the production version of the Bf 109B.
Background
The Sukhoi Su-27, known to many in the west as the Flanker, is one of the Soviet forth generation fighters. It was designed to equal or surpass western fighters such as the F-14, F-15, F-16 and F-18. The Su-27 is larger and heavier then the similar appearing MiG-27 and provides excellent performance, easy handling and easy maintenance. It is a favorite at air shows due to its size and the stunning maneuvers that it can perform, including the “Cobra”.
The Kit
This kit of the Su-27 features the markings of the “Russian Knights” aerobatic team and is produced by ICM Models. ICM Models is located in the Ukraine and produce aircraft, armor, vehicle and figure models in various scales. I am familiar with some of their WW II subjects and I feel that they make one of the best models of the Polikarpov I-16. Their Zvena kit is also pretty good.
Moebius continues to deliver some very interesting products, and the Viper Mk. II is another in the growing list of Moebius kits. This model is in 1/32 scale and includes several features. The Viper can be displayed with gear down or mounted on a base with gear up. A resin pilot figure is included. The decals are of the traditional waterslide variety. The instructions are rather unique in that they are presented to the builder as a “briefing paper”, complete with the Colonial Headquarters Seal at the top of each page. The “briefing paper” approach is fun and it encourages the builder to “get into character” during the assembly process. The instructions contain some excellent color images as well as some accurate and well done line drawings. These images and drawings will help the “crew” to avoid some mistakes that can be made during the assembly process.
