One is dedicated to the pivotal battle during

the Second World War that was Guadalcanal

and contains the F4F-4 in two development

configurations from that period. At the time,

naval fighters were not particularly striking in

appearance on either of the opposing sides,

but in my view, we were able to come out with

an attractive mix of interesting aircraft that

are accompanied by, to the contrary, riveting

stories. Among them is a Wildcat that was

flown by ‘Pug’ Southerland in a legendary

fight with Saburo Sakai. This event was

already once depicted on the boxart for one of

our A6M2 releases. Other scheme options are

provided for Wildcats that were brought to the

forefront by pilots such as Joe Foss, Stanley

Vejtasa and Donald Runyon. There is a total of

twelve of these options, and the kit contains

two complete sets of plastic for versions of

the Wildcat that marginally differed from one

another. Truth be told, the differences only

concern the fuselages, but they are there and

you need to be aware of them. If these sets

of plastic aren’t enough for you, we also have

the Overtrees options. And while still on the

Wildcats over Guadalcanal theme, we have an

article penned by Tom Cleaver in this issue of

the newsletter.

The Second World War is our main focus of

attention when it comes to kit production

and our range reflects this. The 1:72 scale Bf

109E-4 in the ProfiPACK line is generally, but

not exclusively, about the Battle of Britain,

while the Spitfire Mk.Vc Trop deals with the

later battles over the Mediterranean, North

Africa and Southeast Asia. It represents

aircraft equipped with the tropical filter,

either the Vokes or Aboukir types, and the

markings are anything but boring. We have

British, South African, Australian, American

and even a Yugoslavian Spitfire. We did make

a subtle change to the design of this kit with

the addition of the wingtips that were typical

for aircraft equipped with the Aboukir unit.

I also consider the boxart for this kit rather

unique, and what is interesting about it, as

well as with our other boxarts this month, is

detailed in the Boxart Stories sections of the

newsletter.

The Second World War theme is also

expressed in the only Weekend kit release for

March. Following on the heels of November’s

Bf 110G-4, we have the Bf 110G-2 for March.

In terms of camouflage schemes, this kit is

no slouch either, but what sets this kit apart

are the weapons options, and is different for

each of the four marking options offered. We

waited just shy of two years for the return

to our range of the Bf 110 in the two main

scales of 1:48 and 1:72. It was even longer

for the Avia B.534. That one makes its return

in the form of the B.534 IV Series in the

March 2023

ProfiPACK line. We should also manage to

put out the B.534 III Series, and in the original

boxes. Also being reissued in March is the

MiG-21bis, also in the ProfiPACK line.

New Releases for March – Accessory

Items

Of the 86 aforementioned new releases for

the month, eighty of them fall under various

accessory labels. Among them are some very

interesting little items, often even unique, that

provide a hint of the future. Among these, for

example, is the cockpit for the 1:48 Mi-24V/

Mi-35 in black form, which carries in its name

PRINT & SPACE. This means that it is made as

a 3D print with a small number of cast items,

complemented by an instrument panel and

other details made using 3D technology of the

SPACE line. In April, we will release a set for

the older and more traditional green version,

common to Soviet era aircraft. I think that this

combination is a fairly interesting concept,

and with the advantages and features that

it offers, will pique the curiosity of many

modellers. For accessory items for model

aircraft, this really is a new age, offering new

opportunities and possibilities for improving

your models, and certainly deserves a test

drive at the very least. The colour sets include

a small 3D printed item covering the ejection

seat handle for the F-16A from Kinetic, also in

1:48 scale. The set is called ACES II Ejection

Seat Lower Handles PRINT 1/48 and it really

is as noteworthy as it is small. If it does get

noticed, and becomes popular, it will open

the door for further development of the

technology. Printed engines are falling into

the realm of classic items, and are offered for

the F-4F-4 Wildcat, along with a wheel well

set for the same type and scale, and yes, for

the Eduard kit in general, and for the above

mentioned Guadalcanal item in particular. I

would also like to turn your attention to the

set of guns for the Beaufort Mk.I, which are

beautifully and finely printed items as well.

The collection also includes other interesting

types of accessories. These cover, for

example, the HKM B-25J in 1:48, in the form

of masks, photoetched brass and SPACE

sets, and the same can be said of the sets

for the Revell B-24D Liberator and the

F-16A MLU from Kinetic. A large collection of

photoetched sets are designed for the Zvezda

C-130J Hercules. So far, we have masks and a

Space set for Zvezda’s Mi-8MT, while masks,

photoetched and SPACE items are available

for the 1:32 scale Hurricane from Revell and

Spitfire Mk.IXc from Airfix. The latter, though,

is in the bigger scale of 1:24. There is a mix

of accessory items for Tamiya’s beautiful

F-35A and, besides the wheels, I would point

out the extensive masks for the RAM panels

on the surface of Japanese and American

aircraft which the kit offers as part of its eight

marking options. Similar, but correspondingly

simpler versions of these masks for the

remaining marking options of the kit have

been available since last month. These masks

are produced using a different material from

the one used in our canopy sets. Besides the

advantages that this material offers for this

type of application, they also differ in their

black colour. With these two sets, we make

a return to masks designed for camouflage

schemes, national insignias and marking

details. It’s not a one-off project, and we will

continue with these sets primarily for kits of

our own production. For the F-35A, we also

have a BiGSin set of weapons.

Of the increasingly popular SPACE line, we

have eight new items for March. I would

also like to point out two 3D printed sets for

1:35 scale AFVs, and also the new LooK and

LookPlus items.

Articles

Besides the articles already mentioned

above, we have the next installment of the

War Over Ukraine feature from Mira Maric.

February 24th marked the first anniversary

of the Russian attack on Ukraine. It came

with a realization that we have ahead of us

many months, if not years, of bloody fighting,

the horrors of war and general gloom and

doom. Regardless of how long it takes, it will

end, and it must end if the world is to survive

and maintain the values on which it stands.

That means the defeat of Russia. After all, the

Russians are working at it through their own

tenacity.

With the use of four formerly Czech Hinds

by Ukraine, we have a connection, albeit

a loose one, to Tomas Dvorak’s article covering

the Mi-24/Mi-35 that takes a look at not just

the technical details of these aircraft, but

also examines the interesting circumstances

surrounding

their

acquisition

by

Czechoslovakia, and later deliveries to the

Czech Air Force. This is an article that, although

it is very detailed, it remains very easy to read

and has a good continuity. It may not appear

yet in the English translation of the newsletter.

The last of today’s articles deals with the

sad news of the passing of Petr Samal on

January 31, after a long illness. He led a ring

of modellers that brought kids into the hobby

and was also the head of the builders’ section

of the SMCzR. Memories are offered by Fredy

Riedel and Milan Mikulecký, and I think back

on Petr fondly.

Happy Modelling!

Vladimir Sulc

INFO Eduard

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