This is a much larger photo etch sheet providing exterior details for the Blenheim kit. In reality, it really contains some exterior parts, such as access panels and some engine details, and also has many parts which fit inside the wheel wells, including most of the bulkheads, panels, some struts, etc. One problem here is that if you are going to use a lot of these parts, you’ll need to start using them at the first stages of the construction of the model. Unfortunately, I didn’t do this, so when the time came to use these parts, I couldn’t get them into the wheel wells, so I will save them for the next Blenheim I build, probably the Frog kit I’ve had next to my workbench for a long time. Probably most of this set is devoted to the wheel wells, but some very nice wing radar antennas are included, but strangely, not the one on the nose. Also, some engine detail is provided. One set of parts confused me, however.
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This is an excellently done photo etch set for the cockpit interior of the new Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk. 1 kit. Although appearing to by small, the sheet provides just about everything you could want in the interior of the Blenheim, and since the glass canopy of the kit is very nicely done, any interior detail will be plainly visible. Some parts, such as the control wheel, some of the engine and flap controls, and some sidewall panel detail should be removed and replaced with the PE parts. Other parts can be added to existing structure, such as instrument panels, seat belts, etc. There are a few parts to be added to the rear turret, and one rather large piece of metal is to be placed on the right cockpit sidewall, and although there are no instructions as to color, it probably should be painted interior green.
This product consists of a paper mask for the clear glass areas of the Airfix Bristol Blenheim Mk. I in 1/72 scale. It is made up on a small yellow sheet of masking paper, with the masks outlines cut into the paper. There are masks for all of the windows, the turret, and also for the hubs and wheels, depending upon how you want to paint them. They can be easily detached with a pair of pointed tweezers, and do not bunch up, so that the mask is perfect on all sides. The mask adheres to the plastic, and when painting and weathering are completed, all you need to do is remove the mask, again with a pair of pointed tweezers, and Presto! Your windows are perfectly masked.
These will save a lot of work, especially if you use the “cut masking tape” method as I have always done. You’ll save about an hour’s work, and the results will be superior. Highly recommended.
Italeri recently released the first ever kit of the Mirage IIIC in 1/32nd scale – an elegant and iconic aircraft of the cold war that served (and continues to serve) in a variety of air forces around the world. Now they’ve come out with the Mirage III E/R variant. This version of the full-size craft was first marketed in 1964 and featured a slightly longer fuselage - about a foot - in order to increase the size of the avionics bay situated aft of the cockpit. This also had the consequence of increasing the internal fuel capacity a bit, which was good as the Mirage III was always known for its relatively short range. All this bumped the cockpit forward a bit, and the difference shows in that the rear of the cockpit just aligns with the top lip of the intakes, whereas it sat further back on the IIIC.
So, you want to build an F-14 Bombcat in 1/72nd scale and you look at the kit and the weapons look plain. You look at the real items and they have markings all over them. What to do, what to do. The fine people at Furball have you covered in spades with the issue of set 72-006 which includes markings for 84 different things that go under the wings. Inside the set, you get a wonderful, large decals sheet in excellent register printed by Cartograf. The remaining three pages are detailed marking and painting instructions for both active and inert weapons. All paint colors are denoted in FS format. Alternate colors are also mentioned in notes for each weapon. All the instructions are also in color which is a great help.
There are decals for each of the weapons listed below.