Special Hobby EN

The Letov Š.328v floatplane kit in 1/72 scale is scheduled for a June release. We also plan to support its marketability by a stylish advertising campaign in modelling magazines. The final design of the advert and the kit’s boxtop is here for you to see and judge.

While until yesterday our packing department premises closely resembled the Brewster production line, today afternoon I chanced to glimpse something completely different there – the very first 1/72 Lloyd boxes prepared for imminent despatch. So I asked no-one and seized one of the Lloyds to get it photographed by our colleague Barbara. The kit´s sprues are re-release of our earlier Lloyd series 46 kit (model no. SH72119, sprues A and B) accompanied by new and 3D-designed components – the C sprue and a set of resin parts. The patterns for these new parts have been produced on our 3D printer. Earlier today we have also received a delivery from Cartograf bringing us 1/32 scale Yak-3 decal sheets (kit no. SH32011 – Onward to Berlin). And we are really happy with them, our Italian colleagues put up a very good show. The decals were the last missing item of the kit meaning you will be able to find the Yak on the shelf of your favourite   hobby shop in a few days.

Today, our toolmakers produced several test shots from another tooling block of our 1/72 Sunderland project. We might be tempted to describe this tooling as bringing “smaller parts”, but try to realize that some of these smaller parts are the size of a 1/72 WW2 fighter aircraft wing.

Well-known British modeller, aviation historian and enthusiast and also a fine fellow and friend Tony O’Toole has been very kind to send us a couple of photos of his latest achievement, the 1/72 model of RAAF A-20G Havoc. The original kit is Special Hobby 72539 A-20G “South West PacificWarrior” built in less than a week and finished using an aftermarket decal sheet. Our model´s decal sheet caters for different schemes though, there are two American options (Green Hornet and Miss Pam) and an Australian option (DU-P dubbed Hilda Shane). Jolly nice model Tony, thank you for sharing it with us!

Earlier today, I managed to get hold of the very first Taivaan Helmi kit (SH48180) in our packing department. I grabbed it literally beneath the hands of the packer and now I want to share the box content with you here. Do enjoy it.

While announcing our SH48180 model 239 Buffalo kit in Special Hobby April Newsletter, we also mentioned a completely new moulding tool manufactured for this kit bringing the model´s small parts and an all new and 3D designed replica of the Buffalo´s radial engine with grossly increased levels of detail comparing to the earlier release. Today we are really happy to have received the contractor produced sprues coming from the new tooling block meaning we will be able to start packing the model and have it delivered to hobby shop shelves in no time. The photos of the new sprue and highly detailed engine replica have been enclosed below and we do hope you will like them.

Today we are thrilled to be able to bring you an update on various aircraft model kit projects currently being prepared by Special Hobby team. First we want to show you Standa Hajek’s fabulous boxtop artwork, quite a masterpiece, isn’t it? The painting will adorn the 1/48 release of IMAM Ro.37 (SH48183), a model which will also benefit from the addition of a sprue with nicely designed small parts that will replace the original ones seen in Classic Airframes release and will also bring much higher levels of quality. Several further pictures show you the Letov Š.328v winch photo-etched parts being test assembled with the model. Another projects being prepared in our toolshop: Injection moulded clear parts for resin (!!) kit of MAN LE 10.220 Bundeswehr Military Airport Tug (vacuum-formed clear parts would prove quite difficult to assemble with the kit). And in the background you can also glimpse one side of the Tachikawa Ki-54 moulding tool. Another milling machine is kept busy