Paul Bradley
Reviews By Author
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F/A-18F Super Hornet A44-210 "100 Years 1 Squadron" RAAF – 2016Published:
Frenchman Sylvain Hautier founded Syhart Decals (SY (Sylvain) HA (Hautier) , ART (design)) in 2006 with the aim of recreating in model form the special aircraft paint schemes that have been developed to celebrate anniversaries, participate in Tiger Meets, and for last flights. No 1 Squadron of Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) was formed in 1916 at Point-Cook (Victoria) In 2010, the 1 Squadron was converted to F/A-18F Super Hornet. The squadron attained full Operational Capability with Super Hornet at the end of 2012. For the Centenary of 1 Squadron in 2016, one of these Super-Hornets, A44-210, received a special paint scheme, the tails being painted black with yellow silhouettes of former aircraft types flown by the squadrons on the inner sides, while the outer sides are… more |
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Rafale "Export Versions" (Part 3) - Croatia - "Croatian Air Force"Published:
Frenchman Sylvain Hautier founded Syhart Decals (SY (Sylvain) HA (Hautier) , ART (design)) in 2006 with the aim of recreating in model form the special aircraft paint schemes that have been developed to celebrate anniversaries, participate in Tiger Meets, and for last flights. He also issues decals for regular schemes for lesser-known and unusual air forces for kits that offer limited decal options. An example is the 1/72 Rafale C, with the kit issued by Revell offering limited choices. Sylvain’s answer has been to release a number of decal sheets for various air forces. Sheet 72-921 is Rafale "Export versions" (part 3) - Croatia - "Croatian Air Force", and offers enough numerals to reproduce any airframes delivered to the Croatian Air Force in 2024-25, with squadron… more |
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F/A-18C Hornet J-5011 "Tigermeet 2011" Staffel 11 - Swiss Air ForcePublished:
Frenchman Sylvain Hautier founded Syhart Decals (SY (Sylvain) HA (Hautier) , ART (design)) in 2006 with the aim of recreating in model form the special aircraft paint schemes that have been developed to celebrate anniversaries, participate in Tiger Meets, and for last flights. Sheet 48-069 is titled F/A-18C Hornet J-5011 "Tigermeet 2011" Staffel 11 - Swiss Air Force, which was painted in this scheme for the 50th Anniversary of NATO Tigermeet which took place in Cambrai, France. The pack contains two decal sheets, one with all the special Tiger markings and the other with the rest of the aircraft’s national markings and stenciling, and a full-colour instruction booklet. The decals are silkscreen printed and look great on the sheets. There is little excess film around the… more |
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The Panavia Tornado at Low-LevelPublished:
The Panavia Tornado was arguably the top NATO strike aircraft during the 1980s, first flying in 1974 and continuing in small scale service to this day with Germany, Italy and Saudi Arabia. The RAF used it as their primary strike platform from 1980 onwards, during which time it faced off against the might of the Warsaw Pact from bases in West Germany, and it saw combat in many theaters, including the Gulf War and over the Balkans and Libya, before its premature retirement for political and financial reasons in 2019. Training for those front line missions often involved very low-level flying over Britain’s lakes and valleys, including the famous Mach Loop in Wales, a haven of aviation photographers, such as the author of this book, Scott Rathbone, whose photos have graced many… more |
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Rafale Export Versions, Part 1 Egypt, Qatar, India Airforces, Part 2 Hellenic Air ForcePublished:
Frenchman Sylvain Hautier founded Syhart Decals (SY (Sylvain) HA (Hautier) , ART (design)) in 2006 with the aim of recreating in model form the special aircraft paint schemes that have been developed to celebrate anniversaries, participate in Tiger Meets, and for last flights. He also issues decals for regular schemes for lesser-known and unusual air forces for kits that offer limited decal options. An example is the 1/48 Rafale C, with the kit issued by Revell offering limited choices. Sylvain’s answer was to release several decal sheets for various air forces, and these two sheets give the modeler four choices between them. Sheet 48-918 is titled Rafale Export Versions (Egypt, Qatar, India). It offers enough numerals to reproduce any airframes for any of those air forces… more |
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Marston Mat WWII US Landing MatPublished:
During World War II, Allied military engineering units used special metal plates called Marston Mat (aka PSP, or Pierced Steel Planking) to rapidly construct temporary field airfields. These steel plates could withstand heavy loads and enabled the quick installation of stable, durable airfield surfaces for various aircraft on soft or unstable ground. Their perforated design allowed water to drain easily from the surface without compromising the covering’s quality. The Marston Mat, named after its first testing location near Marston, NC, in November 1941, became widely used in combat operations across the Pacific theater, North Africa, and Europe. Allied engineering units could construct airfields of various sizes in just days using these plates. After the war, the plates found new life… more |
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Flight Craft Special 3: Before the Storm RAF Fighters 1920 to 1939Published:
The period between 1920 and 1939 saw a rapid evolution in flight technology, not least in the field of fighter aircraft. The RAF ended WWI with a mix of fighters but by 1920 had standardized on the two-gun rotary-engine Sopwith Snipe, one of the most advanced fighters of the War. In the Twenties, aircraft development hardly evolved – mainly due to Government parsimony, the period ending with the Hawker Woodcock and Gloster Gamecock, which were still two-gun, fabric-covered biplanes with top speeds barely in advance of the Snipe. In the Thirties, the purse strings opened as the realization that another war could be on the horizon, and the development of the Hawker Fury – still a biplane, but with many advanced features – opened the door for even more advanced types, and to the monoplane… more |
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The Fighting Colours of Richard J. Caruana 50th Anniversary Collection. 5: Hawker Hunter in British ServicePublished:
Perhaps one of the prettiest jet fighters, the Hawker Hunter was an inspired piece of design by the famed British designer, Sir Sidney Camm, also known for the Hurricane and Harrier. The Hunter was so good that it operated for over 40 years in British service, and this book illustrates that service life through the medium of renowned aircraft illustrator, Richard Caruana of Malta. Caruana has been painting aircraft profiles for over 50 years now, and I remember some of his first work in locally produced booklets on the Battle of Malta. These were on sale in Matla’s aviation museum, and my parents bought them for me during their visit there in the early 80s! He helped create the short-lived Modelaid magazine in the mid-80s, but in more recent times, he is better known for his work… more |
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Lockheed C-130 Hercules: FlightCraft 32Published:
According to the publisher’s website, the aim of the FlightCraft series “is to provide model makers and aircraft enthusiasts with a new standard of primarily visual reference to both full-size aircraft and their models, using detailed line drawings, plans, profiles and photographs, many in full colour. The series will provide colour references for paint schemes, summaries of design histories and careers, and critical reviews of available kits. ..The series will provide varied coverage across a range of different criteria, showcasing the best of the world's aircraft types and providing invaluable insight and guidance to model makers.” I have quite a few of this series, now up to 32 in number, and, on the whole, they do what that statement of intent says. Some, however, are better… more |
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Ronny Bar Profiles: Spitfire the Merlin VariantsPublished:
Many will know Ronny Bar’s artwork from Wingnut Wings and Kotare Models kit sets; this new book highlights his talents with a vast selection of full-colour profiles of that most famous of WWII fighter aircraft, the Spitfire, and specifically the Merlin-engined versions. These range from the original 1936 prototype K5054 through to the late-War Spitfire Mk.16 and into the 1950s. The landscape-oriented book has 232 pages and features 260+ different aircraft; there are 25 4-views, 4 3-views and 18 2-views. All operators seem to be covered including some unusual foreign-marked Spitfires. Also included are machines belonging to such aces as Stanford Tuck, Deere and Malan. The side profiles are to approximately 1/38 scale, so are of a good size. Some of the profiles will be familiar to… more |