Reviews: On the shelf

Featuring
Thumbnail

ON THE SHELF

Keep up to date with the latest and most comprehensive round up of new model, accessory, decal and book releases from Airfix Model World. Whether you are looking for aircraft, military, figures, auto or maritime kits or that specific set of decals you will find it here. Plus you can use our search feature to look for specific suppliers, scales or types of model.

Sponsored by G Force Models

Review Premium

BOMBER-HUNTING OWL

Now in its second edition, this revised and expanded volume about the Luftwaffe’s Heinkel He 219 provides modellers with all they need to know of this important night-fighter type and combines a well-written narrative with a superb collection of photos.

Review Premium

POST-COLONIAL CONFLICT

This emotively titled Casemate publication is the first volume of an Asia@War series dedicated to conflict in Sri Lanka (previously known as Ceylon) between 1971-87, with subsequent books covering 1987-90 and 1990-94, respectively.

Review Premium

SWINGING FENCER

Modellers with Trumpeter, Dragon, Revell, Armory or any other firm’s Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer kits will appreciate Kagero’s TopDrawings visual guide to the swing-wing attack aircraft.

Review Premium

SLOPEY SLAVA

Modellers with 1/350 or 1/700 kits of Slava-class guided-missile cruisers will find this TopDrawings volume most useful although, frustratingly, none of the drawings are in either scale, with most in 1/400.

Review Premium

MORTARS UNDER ARMOUR

Despite there being just 18 manufactured, the Sturm-Mörser (storm mortar, often called Sturmtiger due to the chassis it was based upon) is one of those highly specialised vehicles that continues to fascinate, with model companies having released almost as many kits of the type (albeit in different boxings).

Review Premium

ARABIC AIR ARMS

Surprisingly, there’s considerable overlap with this fourth volume and the preceding third book in Helion’s mini-series devoted to military air capability in the Arabic Middle East – most notably, the timespans are identical.

Review Premium

RAISING HAVOC

Schiffer Military’s Legends of Warfare series are ideal references for those wanting an introduction to a subject, with the A-20 Havoc volume being a perfect example. 

Review Premium

CONVINCING TANKERS

Figure painting can be regarded as an art in itself, but for most modellers the aim is to impart convincing features on 1/35 tank or armoured-vehicle crew – and the same guidelines will apply to similar aircraft scales.

Review Premium

THE PEOPLE'S TANK

Given its place high up in lists of the most widely produced tanks, longest serving types and vehicles most represented by model kits, it’s no surprise the T-54/55 is a popular choice for Pen & Sword’s Images of War series of references.

ICM’s BARGAIN BRONCO Review Premium

ICM’s BARGAIN BRONCO

ICM's all-new 1/48 OV-10A Bronco will delight Vietnam War modellers. It offers splendid detail at a truly competitive price.

WICKED WILDCAT REWORKING Review Premium

WICKED WILDCAT REWORKING

If you thought Airfix's 1/72 Grumman Wildcat was a great kit, wait until you see Arma Hobby's new F4U-4, which is a splendid option for more experienced modellers.

Review Premium

ENGINE AND GEARBOX

If a full crew compartment and turret interior on its T-55s wasn’t enough for armour modellers, then MiniArt takes it to the next level with a complete transmission set suitable for either the T-55 or T-55A, with alternative parts to cater for each variant.

Review Premium

FLIGHT SUPPORT SYSTEM

Despite the popularity of ‘wheels-down’ aircraft modelling, there’s still a demand for airborne representations, but a limited supply of stands.

Review Premium

SKIN-SHEDDER SUPPLEMENT

Eduard’s two-fret photo-etched upgrade package provides a selection of enhancements for the interior and exterior of ICM’s newly tooled 1/32 Bell AH-1G Cobra attack helicopter, which is also set to be re-boxed by Special Hobby.

Review Premium

MARTEN MAGIC

It’s the turn of Revell’s SPz Marder 1 to receive the Hauler upgrade treatment and while the photoetched (PE) brass fret is small, it is packed with refinements.

Review Premium

ETERNAL BURNING

Suitable for a range of fixed-wing and rotary subjects, the AGM-114 Hellfire air-to-ground missile is the subject of Brengun’s 1/48 set.

Review Premium

LEPIDOPTERA FEET

ICM’s large-scale Tiger Moth is the recipient of Eduard’s resin wheel set, which provides one-piece items for the main undercarriage section, pre-cut painting masks, plus de Havilland badge decals in a choice of three colours.

Review Premium

BAY BLING

Those seeking embellishment for the bomb bay in Airfix’s 1/48 Blenheim will find Eduard’s photoetched (PE) brass set useful, as it supplies all the missing bulkhead cabling while adding scale-thickness bomb racks for 250lb and 40lb munitions.

Review Premium

ACCURATE GEAR

Given the praise lavished on Tamiya’s new F-4B Phantom, a set of resin wheels would appear superfluous, but closer examination reveals two issues with the kit.

Review Premium

FLEXIBLE DIALS

It was not too long ago there was only a choice between moulded detail and decals for instrument panels.

Review Premium

‘POP-OUT’ PAINTS

AMMO-MIG’s range of dry-brushing paints contains 27 shades, with six supplied to AMW for review.

Review Premium

CRYSTAL CLEAR

A common technical limitation with 1/144 scale aircraft kits is that the canopy lacks scale thickness, as it would otherwise be too delicate as a styrene component.

Review Premium

KAMIKAZE TRAINING COVERS

Modellers with FineMold’s 1/48 Yokasuka MXY7 Ohka K1 kit – depicting the training glider version – in their stash will appreciate this set of pre-cut canopy masks to aid decorating the model.

Review Premium

HEAVYWEIGHT HITTER

Modellers wanting to add an unusual store to their 1/48 Turkish or Israeli F-4E Phantoms or the latter’s F-15I Eagles may wish to consider Eduard’s Popeye I missiles.

Review Premium

BLOWN BELTS

Eduard’s 1/48 Hawker Tempest Mk.II may have just arrived, but the firm has already released aftermarket products for the kit, including these photo-etched steel seat restraints.

Review Premium

FILL HER UP!

Here’s a neat addition suitable for an early Ju 88 refuelling diorama, in the shape of two resin inserts to represent the open fuelling points in the wing upper surfaces, sufficient for one side of the aircraft.

Review Premium

‘DOUBLE BUBBLE’ BLADES

With its patented ‘figure eight’ fuselage designed to withstand high altitudes, the C-46 Commando was nicknamed the ‘Double Bubble’, but was not as popular as the C-47.

Review Premium

SHADES OF HOVER

While it’s likely intended to complement the recent Kinetic 1/48 offerings, this paint set is equally suitable for first-generation Harriers in any scale.

Review Premium

PULLING THE WOOL…

MiniArt’s diorama-friendly Miniatures series contains numerous products ideal for enhancing scenes, with one of the more unusual sets being a flock of 1/35 sheep.

Review Premium

SOVIET ARMOUR ENHANCEMENT

It may only have been released this year, but Tamiya’s newly tooled 1/48 T-34-85 is the recipient of Hauler’s three-fret photo-etched brass upgrade package.