News from Special Hobby 12/2024

Dear Business Friends,    You are about to read the very last Special Hobby Newsletter in the year 2024. It has been released a bit in advance so we could deliver your orders in time before the Christmas holidays. Therefore, we would like to ask you to place your orders as soon as only possible so that we could manage everything bring our new releases to the modellers.  And as we have had a bit less time to prepare, the newsletter mentions only two new plastic mdoel kits. There are also nine of resin cast or 3D printed kits and sets, including a resin research glider from the Planet Models line.  In January, we are going to bring you the already announced 1/32 AH-1Q/S Cobra kit and 1/72 the Pembroke C.1, Defiant Mk.II or the Dornier Do-27 with three bladed propeller. We also want to display our other new releases at the International Toy and Model Fair in Nuremberg at the end of January next year. Our stand is to be in Hall 7, stand C14. You will definitely be able to witness there the German Kriegsfischkutter, from which the Sprue D is just now resting at my desk. We will also definitely showcase the 1/72 Mosquito model there and so we hope that 2024 is to be a very successful year for modellers and something to look forward to for sure. Thank you for the favour you give to our company, our kits and sets. We wish you a successful end to 2024 with plenty of necessary rest and relaxation. And good health, happiness and thriving business in the New Year 2025, best if associated with Special Hobby products.     A.Riedel SPECIAL HOBBY PLASTIC MODEL KITS

Fiat Br.20 Cicogna ‘Bomber over Two Continents’ 1/48 Art.no. Scale Barcode 100-SH48229 1/48 8594071089733    The Fiat BR.20 Cicogna (Stork in Italian) was the only Italian twin-engined bomber in service with the Regia Aeronautica during World War II. In 1934, the Italian Air Ministry issued specifications for a new heavy twin-engine bomber. The first BR.20 prototype took off for the first time on 10 February 1936 and was put into service in September of the same year. The first production batches had a Breda D.R type dorsal turret with two 7.7 mm machine guns. Later batches received the Breda M.1 dorsal turret with one 12.7 mm machine gun. Compared to the competing SM.79, the Fiat BR.20 had a shorter range, but a greater payload and more suitable bomb storage. Due to this, it achieved a much higher bombing accuracy than other Italian bombers. Italy tested its BR.20 Fiats in the deployment of the Aviazione Legionaria on the Frankist side in the Spanish Civil War. A total of thirteen aircraft were deployed in Spain. They took part in raids in the Battle of Elbro and the bombing of Teruel and proved themselves. Some obsolescence was already showing at the start of World War II, but Fiats still fought over southern France in 1940, as well as over the Mediterranean, Albania, Yugoslavia and Greece. As a reaction to the gradual obsolescence of the Fiat BR.20, a modernized version BR.20M was designed and put into production in 1939. BR.20 Fiats were also exported. The only Fiat purchased by Venezuela is a marginal issue, the second export was much more significant. At the end of 1937, Japan ordered a total of 82 BR.20 machines. Japan had been fighting in China since July 1937 and was in dire need of heavy bombers. From February 1938, BR.20s were used in combat. As the BR.20 operated at long range without fighter protection, they suffered quite significant losses. The Japanese also disliked the complexity and demanding maintenance. In the second half of 1939, BR.20s were gradually withdrawn for training and replaced by new Ki-21s.  The kit offers decals of one machine operating in Spain, one machine of the Italian Regia Aeronautica and one machine of the Japanese Army Air Force. The machine returned from a raid in Manchuria damaged by fire from Chinese fighters, which is also shown in the box art. -    very interesting and varied colour schemes -    the only available 1/48 scale Fiat Br.20 model -    the kit contains resin cast parts and etches Read more

SMB-2 Super Mystere ‘The First French Supersonic’1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 100-SH72523 1/72 8595593132280 The  French SMB-2 Super Mystere was the first Western Europe-produced jet fighter to break the speed of sound in level flight. Until the introduction of the Mirage III type, the SMB-2 remained the most powerful French fighter. And when the Mirage came to the service, the Super Mystere were transferred to fighter-bomber units where they flew for a very long time.  SMB-2 jets were also successfully exported to Israel where they proved against the overwhelming Arab superiority. And as in France, when the Israelis finally got their Mirages, the Super Mysteres were re-delegated to the fighter bomber role. Later in their career, the Israeli SMB-2s had their engine replaced with a US-made unit.When struck off service, the remaining SMB-2s were sold off to Honduras. Our model kit contains parts for both engine options. The decal sheet originates in our SH72417 release enabling modellers to build one of two French machines (both with the original Atar 9B jet) or a Honduran option with the lon ger tail section housing the Pratt and Whitney J52 engine. The kit also contains a resin cast ejection seat for the Honduran Super Mystere -    very high levels of detail overall -    interesting colour schemes -    separately available are also masks M72001 Read more

RESIN MODEL KITS & SETS

V3000S/SSM Maultier Wheels 1/35 / for ICM and Revell kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-3154 1/35 8595593132204 Finely detailed resin cast wheels for the front axle of ICM’s V3000S/SSM Maultier half track vehicle. Also for Revell’s reboxing. Read more

Bloch MB.210 Mainwheels and Tailwheel w/Leg Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-7518 1/72 8595593132273 Resin cast, weighted wheels of the main undercarriage  and the tailwheel of the new Bloch MB 210 model kit. The tailwheel leg is made using special stiff material. Read more

Wehrmacht Soldiers with Military Bicycles 1/48 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-F48406 1/48 8595593132143  A pair of German soldiers with military type bicycles and armament. One soldier rides his bike, the other one pushes it besides him. The armament carried on the bikes is quite varied, from a rifle to a pair of panzerfausts. All parts 3D-printed with superb detail levels. Read more

Wehrmacht Soldiers with Military Bicycles 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-F72407 1/72 8595593132167 The same pair of soldiers as in the 1/48 set, now scaled down to 1/72 and 3D printed. A pair of German soldiers with military type bicycles and armament. One soldier rides his bike, the other one pushes it besides him. The armament carried on the bikes is quite varied, from a rifle to a pair of panzerfausts. All parts 3D-printed with superb detail levels. Read more

MQM-74A Chukar Target Drone 1/48 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P48024 1/48 8595593132266 Finely detailed, 3D-printed model of the Chukar target unmanned aerial vehicle, or a drone, that had been developed in the 1960s. To get to the air, the drone used a tripod launcher structure, either ground or vessel based. This tripod is also portrayed in our kit. The Chukars were used by the US Navy, British Royal Navy, a couple of NATO countries and also by Israeli military. The decal sheet offers you the possibility to build one of as many as six various and colourful schemes.  Read more

British WWII MC 1000lb bomb Mk.I (2pcs.) Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P72031 1/72 8595593132150 Very nicely detailed pair of British 1000 lb bombs from the WW2 period made by direct 3D print. Read more

MG 15 Machine Gun Magazine (10 pcs.) 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P72034 1/72 8595593132198 3D-printed ammunition magazines for the MG 15, of the typical bean-shaped form. These were usually placed in the reach of the gunners, but very often are missing in the model kits or lack much detail. Our printed P72034 set replaces the already not available CMK Q72139 resin cast set. The new one also offers better detail and easier assembly. Read more

Nippon Kōkūki Kōgyō D-1 Research Glider 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-PLT284 1/72 8595593131504 One of the really very successful Japanese WW2 aircraft was also the Ki-54 twin-engine transport and trainer. Based on its airframe was the Nippon Kōkūki Kōgyō D-1 glider, ment to be used for verification of aerodynamic calculations. Our resin cast model set of the D-1 glider contains resin parts, clear plastic injection moulded canopy (from SH72270 Ki-54 Special Hobby kit) and a decal sheet for one machine. Read more

F-15E Strike Eagle ejection seats 1/48 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P48019 1/48 8595593132051 3D printed seats for the F-15 Eagle, printed with harnesses. Read more