Special Hobby EN

Today we are quite happy to be able to share with you a couple of photos of the 1/48 AF-3S Guardian model (#SH48194) as quite nicely built by our long-time collaborator Mr. Martin Pfeifer. The AF-3S was the final version of the largest single-engine piston-powered carrier borne aircraft to ever see service and already flew with a newly adopted Navy scheme of grey over white which replaced the original blue overall camouflage. These colours do suit the plane, do you not think? The kit offers you both of them, two earlier blue ones and two greys.  

A couple of days ago, our toolmakers finished the AF-3S Guardian's new moulding block and began to injection-mould these sprues which contain the new parts specific for this -3S version of the Guardian - the Magnetic Anomaly Detector gear, new set of spoked wheels with internal hub details and also a larger radar pod.

   Our design team are preparing the AF-3S Guardian decals and as the decals are rather numerous and large, we have decided to split them up to two sheets. Well the real Guardian was also quite a huge beast, wasn't it. In fact, it was the largest single-engine, piston-powered carrier aircraft ever to see service.    On one of the sheets, you may have noticed two strange-looking national insiginas. Definitely not a designer's error, these insignias were placed at the starboard rear fuselage, at the very spot the magnetic anomaly detector boom housing was located. It can be quite clearly seen also in the magnificent box art painting.

   The photos in today’s edition of SH blog show you the latest development with the 1/72 Super Mystere and 1/48 AF-3S Guardian (colour profiles here ) projects. Slowly taking shape and emerging from two aluminium blocks fastened to our milling cutter, the Super Mystere canopy parts and Guardian wheels plus the magnetic anomaly detector boom are already clearly recognizable.

   Our upcoming 1/48 AF-3S Guardian kit (SH48194) offers the following marking options. And in the box, you will also find a new sprue with additional armament and a set of resin parts specific to this version.

   Due to be out this July, just in time for this year’s IPMS USA convention, is the 1/48 kit of   the final production version of the AF-3 Guardian aircraft which could be distinguished by the addition of the retractable Magnetic Anomaly Detector (MAD) boom at the rear fuselage. This reboxing of the Guardian kit will contain a couple of extra parts, both resin cast and injection moulded,   depicting this special boom, a new and larger AF-3 radar pod and also a pair of new mainwheels with a correct type of slotted hub. The earlier releases of the kit could also benefit from the addition of this new wheels which are going to be available separately and featuring much more detailed tyre tread pattern.