Page 125

W3312, S/Ldr James Rankin, No. 92 Squadron,

RAF Biggin Hill, Great Britain, June–August 1941

W3257, F/Lt Eric S. Lock, No. 611 Squadron,

RAF Hornchurch, Great Britain, July-August 1941

P8537, Sgt J. Hloužek, No. 313 Squadron, RAF Hornchurch,

Great Britain, November 1941 – March 1942

W3312, W/Cdr James Rankin, Biggin Hill Wing, RAF Biggin Hill,

Great Britain, August-December 1941

W3774, P/O William V. Crawford-Compton, No. 485 Squadron,

RAF Kenley, Great Britain, November 1941 – March 1942

#84198

ON APPROACH

Spitfire Mk.Vb early 1/48

FEBRUARY 2024

INFO Eduard

125

January 2024

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Editorial
Welcome to the New Year! January’s new releases have been on sale for almost three weeks now, so I assume that you are already thoroughly familiar with them and many of you already have them in your posession. Nevertheless, I have to mention that, from my point of view, we are starting this year off with a bit of a bang. A first glance at the 48th scale Albatros D.III may not indicate this, but it too was once the top predator in a sky dominated by war clouds, and this kit offers a superb mix of stories and fates of its pilots and their opponents, as is our custom to uncover over the course of a kit’s development. We also had more than good reason to revive this topic, as you are about to find out.
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Gustav VI.
During February 1943, the Messerschmittt A.G.factories in Augsburg and Regensburg, as well as the Wiener Neustädter Flugzeugwerke (WNF) facility in Vienna's New Town (Wiener Neustadt), initiated manufacture of the main production version of the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Bf 109 G-6. In March, production of the Bf 109 G-6 also began at the Erla factory in Leipzig. The production of the first Bf 109G-6 smoothly flowed out from the end of production of the Bf 109 G-4 thanks to its design versatility as a whole, its production at the Messerschmitt plant having ended in January. At WNF and in Erla, the production of the Bf 109 G-4 fighter ended in February and March, but the production of the photo-reconnaissance version of the Bf 109 G-4 continued until May at WNF and until June, 1943 in Erla, parallel with the Bf 109 G-6/R3, of which a total of 324 units were produced by both factories. The reason for the continued production of this subtype was probably the special modifications that these machines had, which at that time had not yet been structurally incorporated into the new G-6. It is also possible that the more powerful armament in the form of larger fuselage mounted machine guns, which was the main difference between the G-4 and G-6, was not a critical feature of the photo-reconnaissance aircraft tojustify the disruption of an already functioning assembly line. From September 1943, licensed Bf 109 Ga-6s were produced in Györ, Hungary.
Page 11
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
Page 15
Page 16
Page 17
Page 18
Page 19
Page 20
Page 21
Interview with Jan Bobek
Jan Bobek is working at Eduard since 2020 and focuses on sales, marketing and social media. Previously, he worked for twenty years in management positions at the international consulting and engineering firm Tebodin. Before that he worked for five years at MPM (now Special Hobby). His great passion is aviation history. He is the author of more than a hundred articles mainly about German and Japanese airmen and their units during World War II. Since 2005 he has been a member of the Gemeinschaft der Flieger deutscher Streitkräfte e.V. and in 2018 he became an honorary member of L'Association des Amis du Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération (AAMOL). Thanks to his knowledge of history, he also works on the editorial board of the INFO Eduard magazine and contributes to the preparation of some of the kits. And he draws rabbits for Eduard. This interview was prepared by Vladimír Šulc on the topic of Jan's cartoons.
Page 23
Page 24
Page 25
Page 26
Page 27
Page 28
Page 29
Page 30
Page 31
Air War in Ukraine - Strengthening of Anti-Aircraft Defense before Winter
The destruction of a Russian corvette, confirmation (or refutation) of several losses from previous months, and especially the reinforcement of Ukrainian anti-aircraft defense – all of this unfolded in connection with the air war in Ukraine from November 1 to November 31. On the ground, Russian forces attempted massive attacks throughout the month. However, despite significant losses in armored vehicles and manpower, they achieved only minimal territorial gains.
Page 33
Page 34
Page 35
Page 36
Page 37
Page 38
Page 39
Page 40
Page 41
Page 42
Page 43
Page 44
Page 45
Page 46
Page 47
Page 48
Page 49
Page 50
Page 51
Page 52
Page 53
Page 54
Page 55
Page 56
Page 57
Page 58
Page 59
Page 60
Page 61
Page 62
Page 63
Page 64
Page 65
Page 66
Page 67
Page 68
Page 69
Page 70
Page 71
Page 72
Page 73
Page 74
Page 75
Page 76
Page 77
Page 78
Page 79
Page 80
Page 81
Page 82
Page 83
Page 84
Page 85
Page 86
Page 87
Page 88
Page 89
Page 90
Page 91
Exploring SPACE: A Guide to Using SPACE Decals
In this article, I aim to familiarize readers with products from the SPACE range, often recognized as 3D decals among modelers. It's important to clarify that SPACE products are distinct from 3D prints, which we label as PRINT and manufacture using 3D printers at Eduard. The SPACE decals employ technology akin to color photo-etched sets. Each product includes a sheet of 3D decals and a planchette featuring photo-etched parts, where designers opt for steel etching, primarily for seatbelts, levers, and grids.
Page 93
Page 94
Page 95
Page 96
Page 97
Page 98
Page 99
Page 100
Page 101
Page 102
Page 103
Page 104
Page 105
Page 106
Page 107
Page 108
Page 109
Page 110
Page 111
Page 112
Page 113
Page 114
Page 115
Page 116
Page 117
Page 118
Page 119
Page 120
Page 121
Page 122
Page 123
Page 124
Page 125
Page 126
Page 127
Tail End Charlie
The biggest premiere for this year, full of new kits of all scales, manufacturers and types of aircraft as well as other related items, awaits us in a different, yet closely related field within our modeling world – in film. On January 26th, Apple TV+ will launch the first two episodes of Masters of the Air. A series about the men of the 100th Bombardment Group of the 8th AF, as the series promotion says, ‘a brotherhood forged by courage, loss, and triumph’.
Page 129
Page 130
Page 131
Page 132
Unsuspecting victim
The Red Hunters
The Long Wait
Until the last bullet
Markings for GUSTAV 1/72
Markings for Bf 109K-4 1/48
Markings Albatros D.III 1/48
Markings for MiG-15bis 1/72
Markings for P-51D-5 Mustang 1/48
Air War in Ukraine
INTERVIEW with Jan Bobek
Tail End Charlie
Editorial

Info EDUARD