SWALLOW AND STORMBIRD
Me 262A-1/A-2
By: Revell Item no: 03875
Price: £49.99 Web: www.revell.de/en
Revell’s 1/32 Me 262 has been re-boxed and allows modellers to build either an A-1a (fighter) or A-2a (bomber) airframe and includes the same 14 runners as the original. Options include bomb racks, raised/lowered undercarriage and leading-edge slats, plus open/ closed canopy and nose weapon bay. Panel lines and rivets are engraved delicately, while tyre treads are replicated neatly. There are comprehensive sub-assemblies for engines and weaponry, and there is a well-appointed cockpit, although minimal flash was noted on several components. Modellers will need to check references for the A-2, as most had the upper cannon removed (not mentioned in the instructions), plus there is considerable debate over its identity, as code 9K+BK has been matched with several airframes. The two schemes are:
• A-1a, Wk Nr 130017, White 4, Erprob. Kdo. 262, Lechfeld 1944
• A-2a, Wk Nr 170122, 9K+BK, 2./KG51 ‘Edelweiss’, Rheine 1944
ALPINE DONKEY
I-16 Type 17
By: ICM
Item no: 32005 Price: £39.99
Web: www.hannants.co.uk
After its Type 10 variant, ICM has released the Type 17 iteration of the Polikarpov I-16 Ishak (donkey), with a choi…