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Mustang Mk.III, when it will be and whether
there will be connections to Polish pilots.
The answer is yes on all counts, and our plan
is to have the Mustang Mk.III in Telford as well.
And for those of you wondering about a 72nd
scale version...again, yes. Just not this year.
Reboxings
In addition to new release kits, we will of
course also focus on non-premiere new items,
which modelers somewhat unflatteringly
refer to as ‘repops’. In this assortment, we
will mainly continue to focus on the 72nd
Bf 109s. In April, we will launch the Gustav
Pt.2, dedicated to the late versions of the
Bf 109 G-6, Bf 109 G-5 and Bf 109 G-14. If you
read my Gustav article today, you will find
that the late Bf 109 G-6s fall under production
variants 4,5 and 6. These are the Bf 109 G-6s
with the Erlahaube canopy, tall tail and
combinations thereof, including the Bf 109
G-5. Because yes, even the G-5 sported the
Erlahaube canopy, and quite often at that, as
will be indicated in the second part of the
Gustav article, slated to be published in the
February newsletter. The third part of the
Gustavs article will be dedicated to the Bf 109
G-6/AS and Bf 109 G-14/AS, and the fourth to
all versions of the Bf 109 G-10.
We will also be releasing various versions
of the Bf 109 G in 1:72nd scale in the Profipack
range. The same goes for the L-39 Albatros,
which will be released in two Profipack
versions, the L-39C and L-39ZA. We will
then have additional ‘repops’ in 1:48th scale,
in both the Weekend and Profipack lines.
In no particular order, this procedure will find
its way to the Spitfire Mk.Va, F4F-4 Wildcat
and Bf 110 F. Interesting pieces will also see
reissues, such as the Bf 108, Fw 190 A-2 and
the MiG-21PF.
Limited Edition
F-5E Tiger II
This year again, there will be a focus on
repackaged Limited Edition kits, using plastic
from other manufacturers cooperating with
us. Sprue frames for this year's first such
project are already on their way from Taiwan,
and features the F-5E Tiger II originally from
AFV Club. We plan to release the F-5E Tiger
II in two versions, early and late, the one in
March will be the early version, leaving the
late version for next year. It is an interesting
project for us, because last year we had the
honor of participating in the restoration of the
F-5E on exhibit at the air museum in Kbely.
When you look at the F-5E in Kbely, take
a look at the stencil data...they were supplied
by us. We would like to tell you more about
how they got on this F-5 in a later issue of our
newsletter this year.
B-26B/C Marauder
In June, we will celebrate a milestone
anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Allied
invasion of Normandy. We intend to dedicate
a series of kits in the Limited Edition line
to this anniversary. Some of them will be
from our own molds, featuring Mustangs
and Spitfires, and one item will be based on
someone else’s plastic. It will be a 1:72nd scale
B-26B/C Marauder originally from Hasegawa.
B-17F Flying Fortress
Then in August it will be time for another
major release. I mentioned at the beginning
that this year, we intend to make it a hot
summer for modelers, and the main fuel on
this fire will be the B-17F Flying Fortress, in
our favorite scale, 1:48th. We are cooperating
with HKM on this one, and the basis of our
project are the plastic sprues of this company.
However, we will also add something of our
own, our main contribution to this project
centering around alternative noses, which
will significantly expand the possibilities
of this kit to map out the first two years
of the Allied bombing offensive against
Nazi Germany. Of course, we will expend
considerable effort to chart the fates of the
bomber crews that led this offensive, to the
men that paid dearly for its success. We want
to give this kit our personal touch, and to retell
the stories of famous aircraft and famous
airmen, and we definitely will not be limiting
ourselves to Memphis Belle. Nothing against
it, it's a famous bird, but in truth, the B-17F
has been pretty much always about Memphis
Belle. It's a shame, because the story of the
deployment of the B-17F and its technical
development is much more colorful than just
that name, as you will soon see with the new
Masters of the Air series. Cinematic art has
its own captivating storytelling devices, and if
Misters Hanks and Spielberg make the series,
we definitely have something to look forward
to. But kits, and especially our kits, also have
their own specific means of expression, and
I guarantee you that in this case, you have
something to look forward to. It will be very
different, but it will not be boring!
F-5E Tiger II
F-5E Tiger II
INFO Eduard6
January 2024