INCOMING - REVELL TEST SHOTS OF 1:32 SCALE HEINKEL He 219 UHU

SMN report:

More test shot pix from Revell, with these tasters for the big new 1:32 scale Heinkel He 219 Uhu night fighter. From the look of these pictures, this new kit will be well worth a look when it’s released.

Test-shot views

Like all test shots, these are assembled largely to make sure component fit is good - so far as detail goes, all looks tempting, with transparent components looking crystal-clear. 

Landing gear

The landing gear looks excellent, with brake fluid tubes accurately included. Maybe the wheel wells look a little underwhelming at this stage, but we’ll wait for the finished kit before commenting further. Talking of landing gear, this aircraft will doubtless be a confirmed tail-sitter when assembled, so be prepared to fill every available crook and cranny with lead shot.

Brief stats

* Scale 1:32

* Parts count 360

* Fuselage length 486 mm (19.1 in)

* Wingspan 578 mm (22.75 in)

* Release date October 2012

Other Uhu kits

There are other Uhu kits, including Revell’s own 1:72 kit, and Dragon’s similar release. The bigger 1:48 scale Tamiya kit is definitely our best-on-the-market at the moment, so this is the one to beat. Go, Revell!

About the aircraft

The twin-engined Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Owl) was designed to attack Allied bombers in World War II. The Uhu was equipped with radar, and had a weapon-fit that included the exotic ‘Schrägen Music’ upward-firing cannon pack in the dorsal fuselage, aft of the two-seat cockpit. Less than 300 were built however, so, good as it was, the Uhu did little to alter the course of the war, despite having a top speed of around 670 km/h (416 mph).

These component shots come courtesy the German website, DPMV. There are plenty more to see here.

Excellent model

Here’s a neat Uhu, courtesy Brian Boot from the West Middlesex Model Club. Wow, such beautiful detail, especially in the dorsal area. We'd say that the Revell version would look terrific if Brian gets his hands on one in the months to come. Much more from the WHMC here.

Summation

Join the queue for this interesting (and big!) release of an unusual World War II aircraft. Due in October 2012.

Can’t wait for this biggie? Try these 1:72 and 1:48 scale alternatives.

INCOMING - REVELL REVEALS TEST SHOTS OF BIG SEA LYNX HELICOPTER KIT

SMN report:

Here’s a hugely interesting kit, and it’s coming our way after the summer. The Revell Sea Lynx Mk.88, optionally a HAS Mk.3, will be produced to big 1:32 scale, making it a must-build for helo fans.

Detail up

By the look of these test-shot pix from Revell, the 1:32 scale Sea Lynx will be packed with detail inside and out. We are assured that there will be plenty of ordnance to hang off the hardpoints, including a choice of machine guns and torpedoes.

Brief stats

* Scale: 1:32

* Components 130

* Fuselage length 399 mm (15.7 in)

* Rotor diameter 474 mm (18.7 in)

* Release date October 2012

About the Lynx

The Westland Lynx is a successful multi-role helicopter that made its first flight in 1971. It’s been a good seller down the years, with assorted versions flown by the armed forces of 14 countries. Lynx versatility, reliability and performance have been boosted by a policy of continuous upgrades to fit new requirements. 

Anti-piracy missions

The Sea Lynx is used primarily for life-saving Search and Rescue (SAR) missions, and armed anti-submarine patrols. But right now, ship-based Sea Lynx units are finding a new role in helping to combat piracy off Somalia, East Africa. The pic (above) shows such an action, with a German Sea Lynx winching down boarders to search a suspect pirate skiff. And only last month, a group of beached pirate vessels were fired on by a helicopter team.

Summation

A mouthwatering kit, even if the fit around the windshield looks a bit iffy in these pix. But don’t forget they are test-shots, and we fully expect things to be brought up to scratch before the Sea Lynx goes on sale in October.

More helicopter kits here, including some tasty RC machines.

NEW REVELL HEINKEL He 111 - PICTURE GALLERY RELEASED

SMN report
Revell's 1:32 scale Heinkel He111 looks an attractive build, as these newly released pictures of an assembled and painted kit show. And answering the question posed the last time we looked at this kit, yes 1:32 scale does seem to be the new 1:48, at least in terms of offering that bit more detail and size. All we need now is some backup with figures and equipment to make large-scale dioramas a real pleasure to build.

The market grows for big stuff
Meantime, for World War II fans, things seem to be getting better and better, with the range of 'big stuff' growing larger every month. Having said that, why is it 1:32 scale? Why not tweak the size a bit and join the massed ranks of military models and standardise the new 'big' aircraft scale in line with all those AFVs out there, at 1:35?

The Heinkel He 111 is arriving soon. Meantime, some options to think about are here, here and here.

75th ANNIVERSARY SALUTE TO THE SPITFIRE

David Jefferis looks at the aircraft and two excellent kits

Today’s the day, 75 years ago, when the Spitfire took to the skies on its maiden flight. The designer, RJ Mitchell, had already built up experience with high-speed aircraft through his Schneider Trophy seaplane racers, and for the Spitfire, Mitchell sketched a design with unusual elliptical wings that could be armed with no less than eight machine guns. There was a closed cockpit, with oxygen supply for the pilot at high altitude, and a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine that made it faster than any other British aircraft.

Successful maiden flight

Mitchell got his aircraft right first time - on landing after an eight-minute maiden flight (just 16 months after Mitchell had started work in November 1934) test pilot Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers’ reaction to the Spitfire was a simple three-word comment that was praise indeed: “Don’t touch anything”.

In the scale model world, the Spitfire is among the most popular subjects. It’s available in all sorts of scales, but two of the very best kits are the 1:32 scale pair from Japan’s Tamiya company, a Mk IX and a Mk VIII. And it’s not just me giving them the nod, for the Mk VIII won ‘Modell des Jahres’ from the respected German publication Modell Fan. Tamiya pioneered several new technologies for these 302 mm (11.9 in) long Spitfires, not least being the tiny magnets which hold the engine covers in place - so simple, yet so neat.

Well sculpted pilot

Tamiya may also hold another ‘first’ in that the Mk IX’s sculpted 1:32 scale humanoid (see pic 3 above) actually bears a passing resemblance to a real pilot. For Tamiya’s Mk IXc marked JE-J, was the personal machine of top British ace ‘Johnnie’ Johnson - and, lo and behold, if you squint a bit, you might just be able to tell who it is supposed to be. At the very least, we’ve certainly come a long way from the shrunken, semi-starved Airfix creations of 50 years ago. 

Hi-tech future sounds?

Next up, they’ll bury a sound chip inside the body with recorded air-ace speech to listen to. Actually, that’s no joke, but a serious possibility - if the toy biz can do it with the likes of Buzz Lightyear, then the scale model world ought to be up for creating a serious upmarket version without too much trouble: perhaps a voice-over giving some bio information about the plane and pilot.  

World War II fighter ace

James Edgar ‘Johnnie’ Johnson was the Western Allied top-scoring ace against the Luftwaffe, with an unmatched  roster of victories - he shot down 34 enemy aircraft himself, had seven shared victories, three shared probables, ten damaged, three shared damaged, plus one destroyed on the ground. The Tamiya Mk IX is far and away the best replica of his mount ever made in kit form. It’s also a monument to a kit history that goes back decades, to the original Airfix 1:72 scale version of JE-J, itself a very good model when released.

SMN score

Well, these 1:32 scale Spits are simply brilliant examples of construction-kit technology, and don’t forget that if you want different markings then the Mk IX comes with Polish and French colours too, plus a neat 16-page booklet with plenty of background info. For the Mk VIII, there’s a choice of USAAF, RAAF, and RCAF markings.

The pictures show, top to bottom:

1  Spitfire prototype.

2-6 Tamiya Mk IXc Spitfire: note the Johnnie Johnson figure.

7-9  Tamiya Mk VIII.

10  Johnnie Johnson in the cockpit of JE-J.

Tamiya Spitfires are available here.

And many others can be viewed here.

Pix courtesy Tamiya, SMN studio, Ministry of Defence.

ANOTHER BIG JET FROM REVELL WITH A 1:32 SCALE RED ARROWS HAWK

David Jefferis reports
The BAe Systems Hawk is one of the best known jet trainers, and the Red Arrows one of the world’s top aerobatic teams, so it’s great to see a new-tool kit of the two-seater on sale. The Hawk is not a large aircraft, but at 1:32 scale the wings span 294 mm (11.6 in) and the fuselage is some 368 mm (14.5 in) long, so the benefits of sheer size are clear. There are 158 components in the kit, including the ventral tank carrying the diesel fuel used by the smoke system. As a vet of many a Reds display, I reckon they use more smoke during a show than any other team I’ve seen - in Guernsey one year, a vast mist of the stuff wafted across the crowd in a multi-coloured haze, but everyone loved it!

Hawk details and a Guernsey antique shop

Revell has included the sort of detail you might expect, with the twin cockpits in particular packed with detail - they form the best Hawk interior yet available in the model market. The ejector seats are especially worthy of note, and the finished model will certainly repay efforts to give those seats extra finish, with a little little weathering on the edges. Again in Guernsey, I spotted an old ejector seat in a top-end antique shop. It had been stripped to bare metal and given a high-lustre polish, being sold in reupholstered form as a talking point, ‘suitable for the gentleman with everything’. Ah, if only I had the room... And the cash, as it wasn't exactly cheap.

Back to the kit, flaps, air brakes, ailerons, and rudder are all supplied separately, so you can have these items up, down, in or out, as the mood takes you. Just right, as are the detailed landing gear bays. All in all, an interesting kit for anyone who has watched in admiration as the Red Arrows perform one of their awesome displays.

About the Red Arrows

The Red Arrows form the official Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, its pilots having given displays since 1964. In this near half-century of action, the team has used various aircraft - it started with tiny little Folland Gnats - but has been flying Hawks since 1979. In that time, the Reds have given 4000-plus displays in 53 countries, all over the world. They have many formations, and are constantly developing new ones, though perhaps the best-known is the trademark ‘Diamond Nine’ grouping. And nine is the standard Reds number, with nine volunteer pilots, each having a three-year placement - three pilots in their first year, three in their second, and three performing their final season. It’s not impossible to get a flight with the team either - one female charity auction winner bid around $2.4 million USD (£1.5 million GBP) for the chance! 

See Hawk kits and models here.

The pictures show:

1-5  Revell 1:32 scale Hawk details.

6-8  Reds in action, in the air and after a show.

LITTLE AND LARGE TYPHOONS INCOMING - REVELL PROVIDES 1:32 AND 1:144 OPTIONS.

SMN report

The big, 349 mm (13.7 in) wingspan 1:32 scale Eurofighter Typhoon is an imposing beast when you open up the box. It’s got 391 parts, a fuselage length just short of 500 mm (19.7 in), and it’s a completely new mould, with decent surface details and recessed panel lines. The level of detail rivals Revell’s other big-scale kits, with an 11-piece ejector seat, moveable canards,  jet nozzles in two configurations, detailed air brake, landing gear and bay, plus separate ailerons, flaps and rudder. 

This Typhoon is ready for combat

ECM pods are provided, as are the in-flight refuelling probe optionally extended or retracted, and two drop tanks. Revell has really gone to town with the weapons fit, with a total of 14 missiles ready for bear - four Meteors, four AMRAAMs, two Sidewinders, two IRIS-Ts, and finally a brace of ASRAAMs for the RAF version. There's also a maintenance stand with supports and suspension points to display one of the two EJ200 engines. Decals for the German Luftwaffe and British RAF round out the kit.

Engine detail

Impressive as that lot is, the display engine could do with some extra work on the front fan - the blades are really not quite there. You can see a real EJ200 in the recent story about Bloodhound SSC speed record car, where you can get a better idea of the fineness needed to make that front end look convincing. A photo-etch front fan could do the biz, so it might be a good idea to look for an aftermarket supplier that can do justice to it. 

Small scale stablemate

Revell’s smallest Typhoon is to 1:144 scale, and it’s a tiny thing, with a wingspan of just 76 mm (2.99 in). Even so, it’s a neat little kit, that won’t disgrace a collection to this scale, or even as part of a Dynamic Duo big-n-small display pair. As you can see from the pix, it’s a neat production.

Birth of the Eurofighter Typhoon

The Typhoon's development dates back to the 1970s and 1980s, when it was conceived as a NATO defender of European airspace in the days of the Cold War. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall though, it’s been a troubled programme, with many experts and politicians questioning the need for it. Even so, on a technical level, the aircraft is a success, and by all acounts it’s a decent ‘pilot’s plane’, with good handling and a great all-round view from that big canopy. The latest helmet gives the pilot ‘fire and forget’ capability, which means that he (or she) can concentrate on flying the aircraft, rather than weapons tracking or guidance.

Fighter or bomb truck?

Meeting the politicians head-on with an answer to the ‘why do we need it?’ question, Typhoon's designers have taken the aircraft far beyond its original brief as a combat fighter. It now sports 13 hardpoints and can tote a pretty complete range of air-to-ground as well as air-to-air weapons. All it needs now is conformal fuel tanks and overwing missile launchers to take on a passing resemblance to a Christmas tree - and lose any pretention to stealth capability whatsoever!

See Revell Typhoon kits in various scales, including 1:32 and 1:144 here.

The pictures show:

1-4  Revell 1:32 scale Typhoon, including that not so convincing front fan.

5-7  The ‘Tiny Tim’ 1:144 scale version, and very neat it is too.

8-9  The real aircraft sports an impressive weapons fit.