the fair got successfully off the treadmill of all the business meetings and negotiations. It was really very nice to be able to meet many of our customers and business partners as well as to get to know the new ones. It could be heard from all sides that the quality of our model kits has risen immensely over the past few years. It makes us happy of course and also binds us not to rest on our laurels. For the years to come, we will do our very best to achieve yet higher standards of quality of our models.At the fair, we displayed not only our latest releases, but also the models which are yet to come to the shops and still need some work to get finished. Most liked among the visitors were perhaps the four versions of the 1/72 Viggen model (joint programme with our Swedish partner at Tarangus), the 1/72 night fighting Meteors or the quarter scale Siebel 204 kit. Of all the resin sets and CMK resin models, most interesting seemed to have been the exquisitely detailed WW1 artillery model kits and the P-40 Warhawk and J2M3 Raiden/Jack upgrade sets.

A.Riedel

SPECIAL HOBBY PLASTIC KITS

Dornier Do 27 "German, Spanish and Belgian Service" 1/72

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
100-SH72327	1/72	8594071085841

In the post war year, many German aircraft designers feared the possible ban on aircraft production and begun to leave the country. Among them also Claudius Dornier Jr., the son of the famous German WW2 aircraft builder. He settled in Spain where he founded company named Oficinas Técnicas Dornier (OTEDO). In the middle 50’s, the Spanish Air Ministry was looking for a new STOL aircraft and having received the order, Dornier designed the Dornier Do 25 type, a high wing aircraft for a crew of four. Two prototype airframes were built by CASA company in Spain, while in Germany, in rebuilt Dornier works, the type was redesigned to the Do 27, powered by the Lycoming GSO-480-B1B6 engine. This type was also finally put into production, becoming the first aircraft to be mass-produced in Germany after the war. In total, 428 airframes were built in several different versions and they were operated by all three services of the newly built German military, ie the air force, navy and land forces. At the same time, a 50-unit batch was also produced in Spain for their military, named the CASA C-127/U.9. The type’s many versions differed mainly by the style of the undercarriage, engine and propeller used, the shape of the tail fin or by having either single or twin controls in the cockpit. The Dornier Do 27 was not only used by air forces of many European countries, namely by Portugal, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland and some others, but also elsewhere over the globe. It could be seen flying in several African countries, in the State of Israel and also in Turkey. The type found its way to civil aviation market too and was quite liked by so-called bush pilots for its excellent performance in harsh conditions of irregular transport lines in Africa or South America. In Europe, the Do 27 served as touring or skydiving aircraft.This nicely detailed model originates in steel moulding tools and comes on four sprues of grey styrene and one sprue of clear parts which can be attached also in open position – meaning both the front cockpit door and the large fuselage window on either side of the fuselage to nicely show the busy interior of the model.The decal sheet offers markings for three machines. The German option portrays a machine in standard camouflage with high visibility orange wing tips, rudder and cowling panels and what makes her even more interesting, with black and white stripped propeller. The two other options is a Belgian plane olive overall and a Spanish one in aluminium over pale blue as it was operated in the Spanish Sahara.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
100-SH72386	1/72	8594071086527

The Mirage F.1C came to being as a private venture of the French Dassault company. The French Air Force, or the Armée de l´Air, had ordered two prototype aircraft named Mirage F.2 and Mirage F.3 which were to be equipped with a JTF10 engine. However, Dassault built on their own expenses yet another prototype, smaller than the two previous and fitted with an Atar 9K power plant. This machine, which was eventually chosen, took off for its maiden flight on 23 December 1966 and production aircraft were put on strenght of the Armée de l´Air in single-seater fighter version known as the F.1C and two-seater F.1B trainer version. During their service, number of the machines were upgraded by fitting of IFR probes which gave the F-1C-200 version. The French Air Force used also a dedicated reconnaissance and a ground-attack version, designated the F.1CR and CT respectivelly, the latter being converted from F.1-200 machines. In total, 246 of all versions served with the French, the type was exported abroad and enjoyed success with foreign air forces. In Europe, the Greeks and the Spanish flew the Mirage F.1C, in South America there was only a sole operator, the Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana, but in Africa and Asia the Mirage F.1C an B were put on strenght of air forces of Gabon, South Africa, Morocco, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait and were used in many clashes around the world, including no-shot combats of Greek pilots against their Turkish adversaries, as well as French military actions in Chad, Ecuadorian over-border skirmishes with Peru, battles of South African Mirages against Angola-based Cuban fighters and the list might end with mentioning the Iran-Iraq war in which the Mirages were used by either side. And even nowadays the type keeps on flying in several countries.Finely detailed 1/72 Mirage EQ/ED model comprises as many as seven sprues of grey styrene, one sprue with clear parts and resin parts for the Exocet missile and its centreline pylon. The decal sheet offers markings for two machines of the Iraqi AF, each bearing a different style of camouflage scheme plus one Iranian and one Libyan machine.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
100-SH48046	1/48	8594071080419

In 1934, the Air Ministry issued Specification O.27/34 calling for a carrier borne multi-purpose aircraft which should be capable of operating in both fighter and dive bomber roles. In those days, the concept of a carrier fighter aircraft as seen by the British military had to have a crew of two facilitating long flights over the sea and suited to fighting enemy’s patrol planes. In no way, any kind of fighting against opposing bomber planes or even fighters had ever been considered. As the best of all proposed projects was chosen the B.24 designed by Blackburn’s chief designer G.E.Petty. The aircraft was a low-wing type with folding wings and retractable undercarriage. Under the fuselage, it also had an arrestor hook and a recess for one bomb of weight up to 226kg. The first prototype aircraft, later to be named the Skua Mk.I, was taken aloft for the first time on 9 February 1937. Following a successful set of test flights, the mass production was launched instantly. The production machines were powered by a Bristol Perseus XII and were known as the Skua Mk.II. They saw service with front line squadrons no. 800, 801, 803 and 806 and were also issued to training units or to target tow units. Despite all the rush while being put to production, the machines really lacked abilities to serve as figher planes and were deemed to be quite obsolete. But when the war broke out, the Skua found wery quickly its way to operations both over the land and from the carriers. During their first ever bombing raid against a German sub, which occured on 14 September, two of the flight of three were lost to their own poor-quality bombs. On 26 September, two machines of No 803 Sqn managed to shot down a German Dornier Do 18 flying boat, achieving the very first confirmed victory of a British aircrew in the war. The Skua, however, had several more primacies under its belt. On 10 April 1940, during the Norwegian campaign, a group of 16 Skuas sank German cruiser Königsberg. Aircraft of No 800 Sqn led by Capt. R.T.Partridge and of No 803 Sqn under the command of Lt.W.P.Lucy took off from their base at Hatson on the Orkneys and performed what was the first successful aerial attack against a war ship of the Second World War. Skuas also took part in fightings over Dunkirk and machines from HMS Royal Ark fought in the Med, where, on 3 July 1940, they got famous for being the first British warplanes involved in actions against the former British ally, the French. It also has to be mentioned that these Skuas were the first ones to be lost in that undeclared war. The last Skuas were withdrawn from Ark Royal in April 1941 and since then went on serving with non-combat units only. Their war career was rather short, and despite their low performance in the fighter role, several pilots managed to achieve their acedom (ie gaining more than five confirmed victories) flying these aircraft. The Skua could have been far more successful, mainly in the bomber role just if it had been used in a proper way by Admiralty, obviously to the detriment of the Royal Navy. The model is back in production after a couple of years. It comes via four grey styrene runners and a clear one which are accompanied by a PE fret and detail resin parts. The decal sheet brings markings for three FAA airframes.

1/72 B-17G Engine Set (starboard side engine, 1pc) for Airfix kit

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-7385	1/72	8595593125626

This detail set contains the starboard side inboard engine and its cover panels. All the wiring comes on a fret of photo etched parts. The set is tailored to fit the latest Boeing B-17G kit on the market produced by Airfix.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-7392	1/72	8595593125633

This interior set fits the Hasegawa kit of the Mitsubishi J2M3 Raiden (Jack) fighter plane. The set offers high levels of detail on the cockpit sidewalls, floor, fuselage bulkheads, pilot’s seat with belts, instrument panel and the fuel tank located forward of the panel, antenna mast mounted on the fuselage brace member behind the pilot’s seat and also a new control column. The instrument faces are pre-printed on a piece of film.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-7393	1/72	8595593125640

This armament set improves the Hasegawa Mitsubishi J2M3 Raiden (Jack) kit, offers open weapon bays with superbly detailed 20mm type 99 model 2 cannon replicas and also the cover panels for both the port and starboard wing.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-F32340	1/32	8595593125657

This set contains a British RAF mechanic figure from the later stage of WW2. The figure has been designed to come with the Special Hobby Tempest model, but could be used with any other 1/32 scale model of RAF aircraft of the mentioned era. The head and both arms are separate parts.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-Q72304	1/72	8595593125664

The set brings new and nicely detailed main undercarriage wheels which feature special and unusual pre-war era tread characteristic for the Me 209 machines. A simple upgrade for both Me 209V1 (SH72138) and Me 209V4 (SH72221) Special Hobby kits.The patterns were 3D designed and produced on a 3D printer.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-Q72305	1/72	8595593125671

This set contains a resin pilot’s seat with belts which easily replaces the original kit’s part and offer higher levels of detail. Designed to fit Hasegawa’s 1/72 Mitsubishi J2M3 Raiden (Jack) model.

Art.no.	Scale	Barcode
129-Q72306	1/72	8595593125688

The early Vampire jet fighter aircraft could be fitted either with standard underwing fuel tanks on a pylon or with a ‘slipper’ type similar to those known from the Mosquito. The Special Hobby kit brings just the usual fuel tanks, now this CMK set brings the modeller detail resin cast parts of the fuel tanks mounted directly on the wing surface.