Reviews: On the shelf

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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.

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STANDARD CHARACTERS

Here’s a great product from Model Art that’s ideal for modellers seeking either bespoke (for scratch-building) or replacement white lettering for British military aircraft subjects (a set with black letters is available separately as GEN004).

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FAR EASTERN AVIATION

These strikingly bright markings from Blue Rider Decals provide for a fascinating array of aircraft types operated in China prior to World War Two.

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CENTENARY SUPER BUG

Modellers wanting a different look to their Academy or Hasegawa 1/72 EA-18G Growlers may wish to consider Syhart’s sumptuous offering, which depicts the scheme worn to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Australian Air Force’s 6 Squadron in 2017.

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PENINSULA CARRIER

Suitable for either Zvezda’s or ICM’s newly tooled Il-62M kits, this gorgeously printed decal set enables any one of the six Classic airframes known to be operated by the North Korean national airline, Air Koryo, to be built.

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AUSTRALIAN ARMOUR

This is the fourth set in Star Decal’s collection of aftermarket markings for Australian tanks and Armoured Fighting Vehicles during World War Two, with this selection covering Matilda tanks operated by the country’s armed forces.

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POLISH MOSSIES

Polish firm ModelMaker Decals has represented its home country’s military history with this set of markings representing de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk.VI aircraft operated by No. 305 (Ziemia Wielkopolska) Polish Bomber Squadron.

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BETTER BLADES

Trumpeter’s 1/32 Bearcats are impressive kits, but suffer several shortfalls, so Barracuda’s resin replacement propeller and hub will be a boon for modellers, replacing the inaccurately shaped and poorly detailed styrene item.

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DUAL-MODE SMARTS

Suitable for A-10, F-15, F-16, B-1 and Mitsubishi F-2 kits (among others), Eduard’s GBU-54 set provides enough resin and photo-etched brass components for four of these dual-mode GPS and laser-guided bombs.

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FARMER’S PEW

Designed to fit Trumpeter’s quarter-scale MiG-19 Farmer kit, this resin and photo-etched (PE) steel ensemble comprises six resin components plus a single pre-painted fret.

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DITCHING INFLATABLE

This resin set is a quick and easy upgrade for Hong Kong Models’ 1/48 B-17G, although it could be adapted to earlier offerings from Revell/Monogram and Hasegawa.

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‘TONKA’ TWEAKS

Italeri’s 1/72 Panavia Tornado GR.1 kits are the recipient of Eduard’s comprehensive photo-etched metal upgrade, which includes one pre-painted fret and two plain brass examples.

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MICRO MACHINES

Maritime specialist Black Cat Models has turned its attention to armour subjects, these incredibly minute 3D-printed 1/350 scale M4 Sherman tanks.

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FIRING FITTINGS

This is the 1/72 version of Eduard’s photo-etched Soviet/Russian ejection seat firing handles set, which provides pre-coloured representations for a variety of fittings as these can be challenging to replicate with styrene.

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NAVAL TRAINING

Belgian firm PJ Production has released this simple but effective 1/48 Hawker Hunter conversion set, which allows modellers to transform Airfix’s new-tool F.6 offerings into GA.11 airframes – as used by the Royal Navy for weapons training.

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PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Most modern jets usually carry training stores more often than bombs and missiles, so it’s great to see Eduard providing the US Air Force and Navy’s standard practice bomb carrier, the SUU-20.

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HIGHWAY TONES

Here’s a great set of acrylic paints for diorama builders, with six colours matched to various road/track/building shades, from mortar to asphalt and concrete.

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LONG-RANGE REFINEMENT

Zvezda’s 1/144 Boeing 777-300ER (also re-boxed by Revell) is the subject of BOA Decals’ photo-etched metal upgrade, which appears to have been developed by now-defunct firm ExtraTech.

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‘TURKEY’ TUB TREATS

Creating realistic instrument panels can be challenging, so Eduard’s Löök series is a boon, offering pre-coloured consoles on 3D-printed resin.

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SCALE SOFT DRINKS

Perfect for a 1/35 scale modern-era unloading scene, or populating the cargo area of a commercial vehicle, Matho Models’ cardboard boxes depict crates of popular soft drinks, including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Fanta and Schweppes.

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LATIN AMERICAN SCOOTERS

With the 40th anniversary of the Falklands conflict fast approaching, Santiago Rivas’s informative depiction of the Argentine Air Force and Navy’s A-4 Skyhawks makes for an engrossing read.

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SPRING AWAKENING

Works covering German offensives in Hungary during 1945 are scarce, but this volume from Peko examines this topic in detail.

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ADMIRAL TOM’S CAT

While there’s no shortage of references covering Grumman’s F-14 Tomcat variable-geometry interceptor, Guideline’s 126th Warpaint publication is sure to be popular.

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REGAL TONES

From a historical aspect, the Balkans is a fascinating subject, particularly the Kingdom of Yugoslavia between the two world wars, and it is this time period that’s covered in the first in a series on the Yugoslavian Air Force.

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GOD OF THE SEA

Modellers with Boeing P-8A Poseidon kits from Hasegawa or Welsh Models – plus those attempting a resin replica or conversion project – will appreciate this superb guide to the maritime patrol and anti-submarine aircraft, based on the firm’s 737 airliner.

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MEDITERRANEAN AIR POWER

The evolution of the RAF’s close air support to army units during World War Two is a complex subject, and this volume – the first in a two-part series – delves into its origins.

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EUROPEAN FIGHTBACK

Pen & Sword’s Images of War collection offers modellers a wealth of period photographs that are ideal for reference or inspiration, and this addition to the series covers the Allied liberation of much of Western Europe in the second half of 1944.

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LONG-BARRELLED PANZERS

Fitting the KwK 40 L/43 anti-tank gun to Panzer IV Ausf. Fs resulted in the amended designation F2 (subsequently renamed Ausf. G after three months’ production), and these tanks are the subject of Star Decals’ 1/35 set.

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BALTIC BATTLERS

Modellers with an interest in World War Two-era Axis armour outside of Germany will appreciate Star Decals’ collection of Bulgaria-deployed vehicles, which features a varied mix of types.

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CROATIAN STATE MACHINES

Star Decals’ first collection of markings for World War Two vehicles based in the Balkan region is devoted to Croatian machinery, including ex-German, Italian and Polish armoured fighting vehicles.

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AFRICANS IN ITALY

Sherman tanks are popular subjects due to their ubiquity, having been operated by most Allied forces during World War Two; among these, South African (SA) machines make for an unusual project and modellers so inclined will find these Star Decals markings of interest.