News from Special Hobby 06/2026

Dear business friends, The June newsletter is here. It was originally supposed to bring the 1/72 Fairey Albacore Mk.I kit. Unfortunately, due to problems with its tooling, this model will only be offered in the July newsletter. But even without the Albacore, the offer now is very interesting. We offer a reissue of the 1/72 Viggen fighter, 1/72 Focke Wulf Fw 189A-1 and the hi-tech AT-6 Texan / Harvard kit with ground attack armament of various air forces. Among the new 3D and resin kits and models, I recommend to your attention in particular the engine set for the 1/48 Heinkel He 177, the wheels for the 1/48 Hampden Mk.I and the 1/72 3D printed legs for the Mirage F.1 kit. The July newsletter will bring the already mentioned Albacore kit, 1/48 Bücker Bü 181 in a revised form and 1/72 Junkers Ju 87D-1/3 with interesting colour schemes. We are finalizing the 1/48 Baltimore bomber kit, the first box of which, SH48160 Baltimore Mk.I/II, will be offered to you in the summer. Also in preparation are the 1/48 Sea Venom and Venom (ex Classic Airframes) kits, the 1/72 TP-40N Warhawk, combining plastic and 3D printed parts and similarly designed kits of the ‘German flying beer coaster’ Sack AS-6 in both 1/48 and 1/72. But now the June news in detail. We look forward to your orders. A. Riedel SPECIAL HOBBY PLASTIC MODEL KITS

JA-37 Viggen Fighter 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 100-SH72384 1/72 8594071086824    The SAAB 37 Viggen was an aircraft ahead of its time. The unorthodox solutions chosen by its designers not only allowed the Viggen to meet the requirements placed on it, but in some parameters to surpass them. The Swedish Air Force ordered the Viggen in several versions, with the basic design of the aircraft forming a universal platform that, supplemented with special equipment, enabled use in several roles. The propulsion was provided by a Volvo RM8 engine, a licensed civilian Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine with afterburner and thrust reversers. This, as well as the concept of double delta wings, contributed to the Viggen's excellent performance during takeoffs and landings on short airstrips. For better handling of the aircraft after landing, storage in hangars or better camouflage during operations from non-standard areas, the Viggen was given a folding fin. The electronic equipment was one of the best in the world at the time. The Viggen was the first aircraft with a built-in integrated circuit computer. The AJ 37 Viggen variety was the first one to enter service with the Swedish Air Force, followed by the SK 37 - a two-seat fighter trainer, the SF 37 - a reconnaissance version with photographic equipment in a modified nose, and the SH-37 - an anti-ship version with different electronic equipment and anti-ship armament. About ten years after the first version had been introduced, the second generation of the Viggen, the JA 37 fighter version, was produced. We now offer you a reissue of the second generation Viggen fighter with an extended fuselage and a more powerful engine. The kit contains eight sprues of plastic parts, a sprue of clear parts, full-colour instructions and decals. -    highly accurate and detailed model, the best in 1/72 -    decals for three machines including an anniversary one with a red fin decorated with a drawing of a rider -    wide variety of detail sets available, masks and figures with a ladder Read more

Focke Wulf Fw 189A-1 ‘Owls over the Eastern Front’ 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 100-SH72546 1/72 8595593134086    In 1937, the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) issued specifications for a new Luftwaffe reconnaissance aircraft. The companies Blohm Voss with their asymmetric BV 141, Arado with the single-engine Ar 198 and Focke Wulf with the Fw 189 project participated in the competition. The winner was the Focke Wulf. Like the BV 141, the Fw 189 stood out with an unusual technical solution. Chief designer Kurt Tank designed the aircraft with a central fuselage nacelle and two tailplane booms from the engine nacelles. This provided the crew of three with excellent visibility. The prototype flew for the first time in July 1938 and the pre-series Fw 189 A-0s were delivered in September 1940. Production continued with the first series version of the Fw 189A-1. It was produced at the Focke Wulf factory in Bremen, where production was soon halted due to the production of the Fw 190. From March 1941, the Prague Aero factory supplied the Fw 189 (production ceased in 1943). Other Fw 189s were produced until 1944 in French factories in Bordeaux-Mérignac. In the second half of 1941, the A-1 version was replaced on the production lines by the A-2 version with more powerful armament. A small series of training and liaison versions B was also built, differing in the shape of the fuselage nacelle and other details. A ground attack version, designated Fw 189C, was tested in prototypes; the first prototype Fw 189V1 crashed, and even the modified prototype Fw 189V-6 did not convince.    The vast majority of Fw 189 aircraft served on the Eastern Front. The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A proved to be capable of handling from unpaved airfields, with excellent maneuverability and reliability. Several Fw-189A-1s were even fitted with the FuG-212 Lichtenstein C-1 radar and an oblique cannon and used as night fighters in Romania in 1944. The Fw 189 also saw service with the Slovak, Hungarian and Romanian air forces. Kit Fw 189A-1 SH72546 includes three plastic parts sprues, a clear parts sprue and 3D printed parts. The decals feature two German aircraft, one captured Soviet aircraft and one Norwegian aircraft. This originally German aircraft from the Eastern Front flew to Norway just before the end of the war and was used by the Norwegian air force after the war. -    model kit of an  unusually looking machine -    interesting colour schemes Read more

AT-6 Texan/Harvard ‘Little Warrior’ 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 100-SH72537 1/72 8595593133850     The AT-6 Texan/Harvard was used mainly for training during World War II. However, North American already anticipated during its design that some operators would use the Texan as a combat aircraft. After World War II, it became clear that the Texan was excellent for counter-guerrilla warfare and also in the FAC (Forward Air Control) role. Squadrons of Texans, nicknamed ‘Mosquito’, were used by the USAF in the Korean War. European countries such as France, Spain, Britain and Portugal used armed Texans in colonial or anti-communist conflicts in Africa. Texans fought against the communists in Greece. They were used in the first Israeli-Arab wars, on both sides. Texans were also used in combat in South America in many conflicts, uprisings and revolutions.    The kit offers Academy AT-6 mouldings, complete with our new tooled, injection-moulded canopies for various versions. The kit also includes 3D printed, resin and etched parts of the undercarriage for the Texans of various air forces. Decals include two USAF aircraft from the Korean War, a French aircraft from Algeria with a painted on beast mouth on the fuselage, a Spanish Texan armed with machine guns in the wing, a Syrian aircraft whose gunner shot down an S-199 fighter and finally an IAF Harvard.   -    eye-catching colour schemes and decals -    3D-printed parts portraying the underwing armament -    selection of machines with interesting history and appearance Read more

Mirage IIIC ‘Armée de l'Air’ 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 100-SH72476 1/72 8594071089191    The iconic Mirage IIIC 1/72 scale model kit is back again on the offer, in the French Armée de l'Air livery, so do not hesitate with your orders. Read more

RESIN AND 3D MODEL KITS & SETS

Heinkel He 177A Engine set 1/48 / for SH kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-4520 1/48 8595593134055    Nicely detailed, resin cast set of Heinkel He 177A’s engine assembly which can be installed in the left or the right wing, using the appropriate engine bulkhead. Designed for Special Hobby’s He 177 kit set. Read more

HP.52 Hampden Wheels 1/48 / for ICM Kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-4521 1/48 8595593134116    Resin cast wheels with nice detail levels and weighted tyres and the tailwheel for ICM’s Hampden Mk.I kit. Read more

CAC Boomerang Upgrade Set 1/72 / for Special Hobby kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-7532 1/72 8595593134062    The new reboxing of Special Hobby’s 1/72 CAC Boomerang, kit no. SH72539 comes with new, 3D-printed update parts both for the exterior and the cockpit of the aeroplane. The same set of parts is now available also for the owners of the earlier releases of the kit. Read more

Heinkel He 177 A Wheels 1/72 / for Revell kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-7533 1/72 8595593134130    Finely detailed main undercarriage wheels and the tailwheel for Luftwaffe’s  only four-engined bomber . Our wheels come in weighted shape and with more detail than the kit’s wheels could offer.  Read more

P-47D/M Intercooler Channel Correction Set 1/48 / for Tamiya kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P48052 1/48 8595593134123   The Tamiya P-47D kit lacks the internal section of the intercooler air duct channel and so the empty fuselage is clearly visible through the opening. Our 3D-printed set fixes this omission very simply and all you need to do is just install the duct channel and the intercooler into the fuselage. Read more

Mirage F.1 Undercarriage Legs 1/72 / for Special Hobby kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P72050 1/72 8595593134048 Finely detailed, ABS resin- 3D printed undercarriage wheels for all boxings of Special Hobby’s Mirage F.1 kits Read more

HMMWV Humvee Wheels 1/72 / for Revell kits Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-P72051 1/72 8595593134154    Nicely detailed, 3D-printed wheels for Revell's Humvee model kit. The tyres come with life-like tread and are also weighted. The set also contains the shock absorber springs. Read more

Junkers Ju 390V-1 1/72 Art.no. Scale Barcode 129-PLT209 1/72 8595593115009    This resin kit has come back to our offer after a very long time. It portrays the German six-engine transport, long-range reconnaissance and bomber the Junkers Ju 390V-1. The prototype was first flown on 20 October 1943. It was created by extending and redesigning the four-engine Ju 290. The Ju 390 project belonged to a group of aircraft designed for the Amerikabomber competition. Although other prototypes and serial machines were ordered, other prototypes were not completed and production of serial machines was canceled. -    really impressive-looking resin model kit for the very experienced modeller -    limited quantity available Read more