CHINESE INVASION! INCOMING KITS FROM TRUMPETER

DAVID JEFFERIS REPORTS:

Trumpeter has gone from strength to strength in recent years, with a mass of kits in scales large and small. And here comes a wave of new releases from this Chinese manufacturer, starting with some unusual armour subjects. Leading the charge is Trumpeter’s take on the Australian Light Armoured Vehicle (ASLAV), a weapon system that’s seen service in East Timor, Iraq, and Afghanistan. The Trumpeter ASLAV III Personnel Carrier is to military kit-standard 1:35 scale.

Soviet D30 122mm Howitzer 1:35 scale

An old-stager that went into service during the Cold War, in 1963. The gun continues in widespread use, not least by the Afghan National Army. We show here one of Trumpeter’s cgi drawings, used to create the original master mould, prior to mass production.

Israeli Merkava III tank 1:72 scale

In service since 1978, the Merkava is Israel’s own-design Main Battle Tank, and production continues with the Mk IV range. This Trumpeter version features the earlier Mk III, of which 780 were built. Note the small scale of this kit, extremely useful for aircraft modellers and diorama fans.

Japanese JGSDF Type 99 Self-Propelled Howitzer 1:35 scale

Japan’s Ground Self-Defense Force has 93 of these 40-tonne mobile gun platforms in service. Unusually, the armour plate is aluminium rather than steel.

Soviet T-64 tank 1:35 scale

The cover art we show here depicts a 1972 production machine. The T-64 has been a hugely successful design, with more than 13,000 built since going into service in 1963. The kit features an elevating main gun, and turret with a detailed machine-gun mounted on top. 

Soviet BTR-60 PB 1:35 scale

Another Soviet machine, the BTR is an eight-wheel Personnel Carrier that predates the T-64, having been in continuous service since 1959. It’s amphibious and the rear water-jet is featured in the kit, though it would be good if Trumpeter supplied a full load of figures, as the BTR can carry three crew and up to 14 fully-equipped troops. Ah well, maybe next time!

German Zerstorer Z-21 1:700 scale

From AFVs to ships, and a World War II German destroyer (“zerstorer”). The Z-21 had a short life - the Wilhelm Heidkamp was launched in August 1938, commissioned in June 1939, only to be sunk by Allied forces exactly 10 months later. It’s an unusual subject for Trumpeter, and produced in a popular scale too.  

Chinese J-8IID fighter 1:48 scale

One of the Shenyang fighter series, the J8IID is a single-seat interceptor, and a more advanced version of the original J-8. Trumpeter has produced the kit in this writer’s favourite 1:48 scale - not too big, not too small. The kit comes complete with a full weapon set, and depicts the widely-used Chinese fighter well. It joins the smaller 1:72 scale kit that’s already part of the Trumpeter range.

Summation

A round of applause for Trumpeter - a variety-packed release group. Kits are available online and in stores soon.

Plenty of Trumpeter kits in all scales here.

FORD FALCON RANCHERO - NEW LINE FROM CHINA'S TRUMPETER

Weekend read from Mat Irvine:

The fact that this major Chinese model manufacturer has taken on established kit-makers at their own game is perhaps not a great surprise. China is responsible for producing a great deal of Western kit output anyway, so it wasn’t long before original kits started to appear.

Many early attempts were not that good, and came from a number of small companies, many of whose names are almost forgotten. But Trumpeter is an exception, and is now regarded as the Chinese equivalent of Airfix, Revell, or Tamiya. The company has refined its products, with quality well up to expected standards.

Soviet and Chinese limos

Initially, Trumpeter concentrated on aircraft, AFVs and ships, though not cars, with the slight exception of a couple of typically Chinese limousines, the Red Flags. To make these 1950s-style monstrosities, themselves adapted from Soviet Zil limos, was perhaps understandable. More of a surprise - especially for US car modellers - was that Trumpeter then started an American car range. Not only were these made to the US-standard model car 1:25 scale (the Red Flags were in 1:24) - but they looked just like traditional AMT, MPC, or Jo-Han kits of the 1960s.    

Original release from Trumpeter

Having already made a 1960s Pontiac Bonneville and Chevy Nova, and taken an incursion into the 1970s with a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Trumpeter is now concentrating on the 1964/5 Ford Falcon. The 1964 Ford Falcon Sprint has been made before by AMT, but it's long out of the catalogues, the tooling having been modified as the 1965 version. Consequently it's highly collectible, and the only way to get one is to pay big bucks, even assuming you can find one. Now Trumpeter is cleverly releasing a Falcon that has never been made before - the 1965 Ford Falcon Ranchero pickup. 

What's in the box?

Trumpeter's package is flatter than the 'boxy' boxes from most US kit companies. Full instructions are included, as is a colour brochure featuring details of various new Trumpeter kits. Kit construction follows the style set by the US manufactures in more recent years, especially when they have made new kits of 60s-era cars. The body remains the classic ‘one-piece’, but interiors have several components, which certainly makes painting much easier. The engines has more detailed parts, as does the chassis, and both are better results than the original one-piece approach. Consequently, if you blank out the Chinese script in the plans - you get English instructions as well - you could be looking at almost any modern AMT, Lindberg or Revell kit of a similar subject.

New and old compared

The Trumpeter Ford Falcon Ranchero pickup bodywork (left) compared to a 1966 AMT Falcon Futura Sprint. The engine bay is separately moulded in the Trumpeter, but American companies do that as well these days.

Parts count

This is a kit that I will hopefully get built in the near future, so keep watching SMN for my take on actual construction issues. In the meantime, you get 160-plus parts, mostly in white styrene, but with clear, transparent red for the tail lights, and bright parts finished in chrome. Six vinyl tyres are supplied as hollow, rather than solid mouldings, a Trumpeter feature that's unusual in US kits. 

Stock plus

On the box, Trumpeter calls the kit 'stock plus', which means that two versions of the Ranchero can be built - stock or mild custom - the latter limited to engine options, with a choice of stock wheel covers or mag-alloy wheels. The chrome trim on the bodywork does not feature on the kit, so will need to be added, using an aftermarket product such as Bare-Metal Foil. However, nameplates such as the name 'Ranchero’, are included on the decal sheet. When assembled, the Falcon Ranchero is just over 190 mm (7.5 in) long. 

Summation

There are some criticisms of this kit, the biggest of which is the grille. It's not quite accurate, and of course being the grille, is rather noticeable. But I suspect one of the garage companies will come up with an aftermarket replacement, if you are really worried about this. Overall though, the Trumpeter Ford Falcon Ranchero pickup is an excellent attempt, and well worth having if you're into 1960s automobiles. 

Trumpeter Ford Falcon Ranchero pickup available here.

Trumpeter Ford Falcon Sprint pickup here.

More Ford Falcons here.

Visit Bare-Metal Foil here.

ANOTHER BIG ONE FROM CHINA - TRUMPETER A-4E SKYHAWK

David Jefferis looks at a miniature masterpiece

The A-4 Skyhawk was designed by Douglas Aircraft’s Ed Heinemann to be a bantam-weight carrier aircraft. Simplicity ran through the whole design, from a tiny wing that needed no folding mechanism, to leading-edge slats that worked without complex actuators. In fact, the A-4's small and nimble design tipped the scales at just half the weight demanded by the US Navy specification.

Heinemann's hot-rod

The A-4 has been around a looong time - its first flight was in 1954, and a few air arms are still flying ‘Heinemann’s hot-rod’ even today. Many A-4 kits and diecasts have been released over the years, with no real bunny-boilers among them, so news of ‘another A-4’ wasn’t much of a showstopper. And yet this 1:32 scale A-4E kit from Trumpeter is different, in many ways raising the bar for models of this classic combat jet.

What’s in the box?

Like the Trumpeter GR7 Harrier we looked at earlier this week, the box is packed with parts, more than 470 of them, on 16 runners, plus photo-etch components, optional metal sections for the undercarriage, and a set of soft-feel tyres. Again like the Harrier, Trumpeter has chosen a multi-part breakdown for the fuselage, with separate fore and aft assemblies. The finished model measures 411 mm (16.2 in) long, with a wingspan of just 261 mm (10.3 in). 

Colour schemes

The A-4's longevity means that there is a wealth of markings to choose from. Trumpeter supplies full decals for US Navy machines (see pic above), but there is a galaxy of choice, though different versions may need suitable mods to the kit itself. Current A-4 operators include Singapore’s air arm, which uses them as advanced trainers. The picture (below) is an A-4SU, taken in 2002 by James Lotz, US Air Force, at which time Singapore’s Skyhawks were still front-line machines.

Flying the Brazilian flag

If you’d like to model an currently operational A-4, then try the Brazilian Navy. The pic (below) shows an A-4KU manoeuvring on deck, just before launch from the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo. Note the two-tone camouflage and small anchor symbol on the fin.

SMN score

As long-time fans of the A-4 we can’t wait to start building this one.

Trumpeter 1:32 scale A-4 is available here.

More Skyhawks here.

Pix courtesy Brazilian Navy, SMN Studio, Trumpeter.

NO MORE UK HARRIERS, BUT THEY LIVE ON WITH TRUMPETER’S 1:32 SCALE KIT

SMN looks at a kit from China

The GR7 Harrier’s maiden flight was in May 1990, with first combat duties over the former Yugoslavia in August 1995. The aircraft was an important part of the UK Harrier fleet, all of which have recently been retired in a round of massive defence spending cuts. Now UK forces fly no Harriers at all, but you have a chance to make your own Harrier Memorial display with this fine 1:32 scale injection kit from the Chinese company Trumpeter.

What’s in the box?

This Harrier is satisfyingly large in 1:32 scale, a size that has given Trumpeter a chance to really pack in the detail, and the component count too, for there are more than 440 parts on 22 runners in the box, plus photo-etch and rubber-like tyres. There are several evenings work here in assembly alone, without counting detail work, painting and weathering.

Complex canopy

Trumpeter has gone to a lot of trouble with this one, including using special slide-moulding for the fuselage and canopy - it’s a special technique that allows complex 3D shapes (the canopy has a bubble cross-section) to be accurately produced.

Component breakdown

There’s a decent level of cockpit detail, and the Pegasus engine is well done too. As you can see from the pictures, Trumpeter’s design team decided to produce the fuselage in front and rear sections, rather than the standard left and right half configuration that’s the usual component breakdown. It’s a good idea for bigger kits like this, as the possibility of warping is reduced. Mind you, the real life Harrier is not a huge aircraft, so even at 1:32 scale, you have a model which can still just about sit on a shelf top - when assembled it is 452 mm (17.8 in) long, with a wingspan of 291 mm (11.5 in).  

SMN score

This is one of the bigger kits of the Harrier, and one of the best, too. There are few fit and finish issues, though the canopy needs very careful parting from its runner, and the edges polished smooth. Soft tyres for main and outrigger undercarriage are satisfying extras, and help supply that little bit of extra realism. For Harrier lovers, we’d say a solid 8.9/10, which is enough to hit a top score if you put in the effort on the so important final detailing. 

The Trumpeter GR7 is coming soon, meantime the AV-8B version to the same scale is available here.

Pix courtesy Trumpeter, SMN studio. 

Thanks to Andrew Clarke for the Harrier GR7a pic.

SHADES OF RENWAL’S VISIBLE MAN - CLEAR PARTS LET YOU LOOK INTO THE SOUL OF YOUR MODEL

Decades ago, the US Renwal company came up with the bright idea of making a transparent model that revealed the insides of its subject, a 3D version of the traditional cutaway book illustration. The Renwal Visible Man was a big success, and was soon joined by the Visible Woman (though without private parts to allow her to give birth), the Visible Engine, and others that included even a Visible Dog.

Apart from these early stalwarts, transparency has been largely ignored by manufacturers over the years, but the magic of ‘seeing inside’ is still there, and the latest convert to the idea is Trumpeter. Its big 1:32 scale Fairey Swordfish is absolutely a gem in this department, with a transparent port fuselage section that allows you to gaze inside the ‘stringbag’s portly form. You can mask off parts for painting, to reveal more or less of the interior, as you wish.

The recently introduced MkII Swordfish joins the already available MkI, and is packed with detail, has a wingspan of some 433 mm (17 in) and has a box stuffed with no less than 373 components. Wire bracing on biplanes has become a near-standard fixture on ready-built models such as those of Corgi, but here on Trumpeter’s Swordfish, you get to do it yourself with a supplied wire bracing set. Never the easiest of jobs, at least the big 1:32 scale helps, though this reviewer will pass on the job to a more nimble-fingered craftsman.

All in all, a fine addition to the ranks of see-inside models, and an excellent kit of a World War II classic aircraft.

Visit Trumpeter here.

You can buy the Trumpeter 1:32 scale Swordfish MkI here.

FAST JET FROM ASIA - TRUMPETER COMBAT AIRCRAFT KIT TO 1:48 SCALE

Two of Asia’s important powers - China and Pakistan - are locked in a techno-race in many areas, especially in nuclear weapons, but they also join hands on various projects, including the combat aircraft called the PAC JF-17 Thunder in Pakistan, the Chengdu FC-1 Fierce Dragon in China.

The ThunderDragon (as we’ll call the single-engine jet here for simplicity) looks much like a cross between the US-designed F-20 Tigershark and F-16 Fighting Falcon, but there the similarity ends, as design and development have been carried out in-house, and the engine is a Russian Klimov RD-93.

ThunderDragon’s first flight was from a Chinese air base back in 2003, but development went well and the first production aircraft was handed over to the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) just last month. The first squadron is due to be fully operational with the PAF early in 2010.

So Trumpeter’s 1:48 scale kit of this aircraft is well timed for modern jet combat model fans. It’s a biggish model, scaling out to some 297 mm (11.7 in) long with a wingspan of 199 mm (7.8 in). There are 235 plastic parts, plus some components on a small photo-etch sheet. All in all, a kit that will sit interestingly next to its contemporaries from Russia and the West.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Chinese aviation magazine cover.
2 Trumpeter box-art
3 Three of the nine component runners.
4, 5 Pre-production cgi images.

Visit Trumpeter here.

You can buy the JF-17 Thunder/FC-1 Fierce Dragon from model stores and online suppliers here.

BLAST OFF! CHINESE ROCKETS FROM DRAGON, REALSPACE, TRUMPETER,

A MAT IRVINE REVIEW
A year ago today, China’s space ambitions took a big step forward with a spacewalk, taken by one of the three crew aboard the Shenzhou 7 spacecraft. China had become the third humans-in-space country five years before in 2003, when Shenzhou 5 carried the first Chinese taikonaut, air force pilot Yang Liwei. Shenzhou 6 followed in 2005.

Because of the difficulty of translating Chinese into English, various terms for their astronauts have been proffered, but ‘taikonaut’ - derived from ‘taikong’, Chinese for ‘space’ - is the one that has ended up in general use.

Getting details of the rockets and craft is not easy: it’s rather like getting information on Soviet rocketry in the Cold War years. However, the Shenzhou (‘Magic Vessel’ or ‘Divine Craft’) spacecraft is available as a 1:72 scale kit from Trumpeter, which is appropriate, as it is China’s main model kit company.

Shenzhou’s launcher is based on the long-running Chang Zheng, or ‘Long March’ rocket. Dragon, the Hong-Kong based model company, has issued two versions of the Chang Zheng CZ-2 to 1:48 scale, the CZ-2E satellite launcher and the CZ-2F Shenzhou launcher. At some 1220 mm (48 in) tall, the CZ-2F version is only a bit shorter than Revell’s 1:96 scale Saturn V, making it a contender as one of the world’s largest 'static space model' kits.

If you want a Chang Zheng rocket in the more widespread 1:144 rocket scale, Glenn Johnson’s RealSpace Models in the US offers a decent resin kit, complete with decals.

The pictures show, top to bottom:
1 Trumpeter 1:72 scale Shenzhou spacecraft, mounted on an included planet Earth base, here painted with simulated cloud formations.
2 Dragon 1:48 scale CZ-2F launcher, compared with the RealSpace Models 1:144 scale version. Both come with base mounts.
2 RealSpace Models 1:144 scale CZ-2F resin kit box at left, with the built model in front. A 1:144 Airfix Space Shuttle at back gives an idea of the large scale of the Chinese launch system.

Visit RealSpace here, and Dragon here.

You can view the Trumpeter Shenzou at Hannants here.

TRUMPETER’S SUKHOI BIG TWIN FLIES HIGH

The Sukhoi Su-30 MKK is a Russia-China collaboration that provides China with an aircraft of similar performance to the US F-15E Eagle. The Su-30 MKK model shown here is another biggie from Trumpeter (itself a Chinese company), to 1:32 scale. It scales out to some 684 mm (27 in) long, which makes it one of the biggest shelf-top kits around. It’s better than Trumpeter’s earlier Sukhoi kits, with many of their minor imperfections now ironed out. For parts-counters, the claimed 661 pieces should be very satisfying, while for working-item lovers, the metal axle provided for the flaps will enable this feature to operate smoothly.

As you can see from the pictures supplied by Trumpeter, a well-made Su-30 MKK looks really convincing, and details such as the swing-out refuelling probe add to the realistic effect. Two items that SMN would like to see however, are crew figures - the Su-30 MKK is a not a cheap kit (UK price well over £100 GBP) and for that price, a pair of nicely sculpted fliers really ought to be included. Actually, make that a bag of bits all to itself, with seated and standing aircrew, plus some ground technicians and maybe even some startup and maintenance equipment. Oh well, dream on SMN!

Overall, we give this kit a thumbs-up - it’s good to see kits of Asian machinery now coming onto the market in rising numbers.

You can buy the Trumpeter kit from model stores and online suppliers such as Amazon here.