04/2023

Good evening, Dear Friends We have completed our retail department move. As of yesterday, we have vacated the facility in Most that since June, 2019, has served as our main retail headquarters as well as the facility that served as final kit packaging. It’s also the facility in which we lost a lot of the plastic for our kits when a fire broke out in December 2020. I admit to having hoped for an earlier move to a new facility after that fire. Immediately in the spring and summer of 2020, we prepared for a new-build facility, but that was ultimately quelled by the turbulent supply issues in the construction industry.

• Page 1

  INFO Eduard

  # 158

  e-magazine FREE Vol 22 April 2023

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  INFO Eduard

  # 158

  e-magazine FREE Vol 22 April 2023

  © Eduard - Model Accessories, 2023

  FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!

  This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the text

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  eduardeduard

  APRIL 2023

  CONTENTS

  EDITORIAL

  KITS

  BRASSIN

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED SETS

  BIG ED

  BUILT

  ON APPROACH

  –

  May 2023

  TAIL END CHARLIE

  HISTORY

  BOXART STORY

  Chemistry 101

  Z-326/C-305 Trenér Master ProfiPACK 1/48

  Bf 110C ProfiPACK 1/48

  RUFE DUAL COMBO Limited 1/48

  Fw 190A-4 engine flaps and 2gun wings Weekend 1/48

  Tempest Mk.V Series 2 Weekend 1/48

  UTI MiG-15 ProfiPACK 1/72 reedice

  RUFE 1/48

  Z-326 Trenér Master 1/48

  F-35A 1/48

  Spitfire Mk. IXc early 1/48

  Bf 109G-2 1/48

  Fw 190A-2 1/48

  Rufe

  The Cavalry Arrives -

  VMF-223 at Guadalcanal

  The high-altitude Hinds

  The air war over Ukraine -

  A year of bloodshed

  Instant, Epoxy and Dispersion Adhesives

  Happy crab

  Like dogs on chains

  Green Hearts Umbrella

  Fatal mistake

  The Breakpoint

  4

  6

  37

  42

  46

  76

  94

  102

  112

  120

  139

  Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.

  Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21

  support@eduard.com www.eduard.com

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  EDITORIAL

  Good evening, Dear Friends

  We have completed our retail department move. As

  of yesterday, we have vacated the facility in Most

  that since June, 2019, has served as our main retail

  headquarters as well as the facility that served as

  final kit packaging. It’s also the facility in which we lost

  a lot of the plastic for our kits when a fire broke out in

  December 2020. I admit to having hoped for an earlier

  move to a new facility after that fire. Immediately in the

  spring and summer of 2020, we prepared for a new-build

  facility, but that was ultimately quelled by the turbulent

  supply issues in the construction industry. In the fall of

  2021, we began to negotiate the purchase of an existing

  facility in Sedlec, a village neighboring our main office

  in Obrnice, some 5km away. We were able to keep the

  negotiations pretty short with the owners, and the same

  goes for the financing talks with the bank. The talks

  hit a typically Czech roadblock though, when it was

  revealed that the access road to our new facility was

  bisected by a 10mwide swath of land belonging to the

  neighbor. Said neighbor is American, and as such, the

  negotiations making the access road all ours took about

  another 9 months. This finally happened last September.

  In February, all the plastic was moved to the newly

  renovated facility, officially known as Hall 2 and this was

  followed by the retail department last month. The next

  step is to move final kit manufacturing into the building

  and that is slated for June.

  This was the easiest part of the whole thing. As I wrote in

  the March editorial, the next phase is the reconstruction of

  the premises for Department 012, which is kit production.

  That requires setting up space intended for a tool shop, a

  press shop, warehouses for molds and materials, as well

  as for the offices of designers and technologists. This

  will be more demanding. The installation of the required

  equipment will be significantly more complicated than

  the modification of the premises for product storage and

  shipping. If everything goes well, we could move production

  from Obrnice to Sedlec at the end of this year. It’s all

  a little like kit development. Yeah, we can get it done in

  x amount of time, but then the reality of the situation

  inevitably kicks in. So it’s probably more realistic to

  expect the relocation of the manufacture of kits in the

  first half of next year, but the entire project is expected

  to be complete by the end of next year. So, we actually

  have a relatively good supply of time, and we can still

  realistically believe that this move will turn out like

  our Zero or Nieuport 17projects. We managed these

  projects in a significantly shorter time than anticipated.

  If everything works out, it will benefit us a lot, and you too,

  as our ability to release new kits at a faster pace after

  the move will gradually increase. In the end, however, you

  decide how much it will grow, because we will be guided

  by demand for expanded production capabilities.

  One More Thing about Nuremberg

  We wrote about this year's Nuremberg Toy Fair in the last

  issue of this newsletter, and to be honest, I didn't need

  to return to the exhibition until last week. I changed my

  opinion after reading the evaluation of the exhibition by

  Jindra Štěrbáček in Modelář magazine. I will not sugarcoat

  this mess … I found the article extremely biased and even

  insulting. Its evaluation is unfair to both the organizers

  and the participants. I do not intend to argue with the

  announcement that this year's fair was a significantly

  smaller event for our industry than what we were used to

  in the pre-Covid years, but that was expected and at least

  we went there with a clear idea of what we were getting

  into. Accordingly, we made arrangements and changed

  our usual procedures based on our years of attending the

  fair. Specifically, for us and our colleagues and friends

  at Special Hobby, it meant joining together and sharing

  one booth. But it was no mini-stand, as was written in

  Modelář. Compared to previous years, we reduced the

  area of the stand by one third. In the same way, our

  previous stands were no opulent exhibitions; I think their

  size corresponded to the size and importance of our

  companies. We, that is, Eduard, will most likely stay with

  this size of stand next year, Special Hobby will probably

  separate from us and set up its own tables. It will be a bit

  of a shame, for me, living with them was pleasant and

  conflict-free, even if I did eat their peanuts.

  The absence of a number of companies was expected,

  and not surprising for those who follow at least a little

  what is happening in the world. Asia is still struggling

  with the repercussions of the pandemic, air travel is

  currently more of a hassle than normal, discouraging

  many from traveling to Europe. Ukraine is defending

  itself against Russian aggression, so the absence of

  Ukrainian companies is completely understandable,

  and it is also clear for the Russians, they are under

  sanctions and their participation is unwelcome for

  obvious reasons. In addition, Russian companies never

  exhibited much in Nuremberg, I honestly only remember

  Zvezda. Americans aren’t exactly into travel either, and

  frankly, in terms of the participation of different nations,

  two things are a mystery to me: why didn't the Poles

  actually come, and why did so many Australians come

  this year? No one has to travel further than them, they

  also knew what they were getting into and how limited

  the possibilities of contact with manufacturers would

  be in Nuremberg this year, and they came anyway! Hats

  off to them! When I add the year-over-year increase in

  turnover with the Australians between 2021 and 2022,

  it was a 71 % increase for us, so I personally consider

  it a definite positive point and I am slowly starting to

  research the process of obtaining an Australian visa.

  It’s time to fly to Australia, even though they have

  poisonous spiders, snakes and all kinds of other fun stuff!

  I consider the opening of the toy fair to the public, and

  above all to children and youth, to be a positive and

  revolutionary step. If I am not mistaken, this is the first

  time in the history of the fair that children were allowed to

  visit the exhibition. I’m sure that something like this would

  never have happened if it weren't for covid lockdowns and

  the changes in circumstances caused by it. If it weren't

  for the above-described reduction in exhibitors and the

  corresponding reduction in the number of visitors, the

  organizers would not have opened the exhibition up like

  that. In fact, I would bet on it. However, I wouldn’t put money

  down on them keeping it that way when things settle down

  again. But I will be happy if the weekend open to the public

  remains a part of the fair. Among other things, it brought

  us a change in the perception of Exhibition Sunday. It used

  to be traditionally boring, nothing happened by then, we

  just always kind of agonizingly waited for it to finally end

  and we could go home. Not that we didn't want to go home

  this year, we wanted to, and how! But we didn't get bored.

  More people came on Saturday and Sunday than on the

  previous three days combined, maybe even more than at

  any other time during the entire exhibition’s history. So we

  ended up packing our stuff in the evening, tired as hell,

  but with a good feeling that at least we got away with

  it and did a good job. And Fredy and I have to find time

  to go for coffee, because what we left to discuss on the

  traditionally boring Sunday, we didn't have time to discuss

  this time due to the unusually high number of visitors

  interested in our products.

  So to sum it up, next year will be even better, if Putin

  doesn't completely screw up and unleash a nuclear

  apocalypse. I don't know how much better it will be,

  I rather expect the exhibitors to return gradually to

  normal, but it may be different. In any case, I hope Jindra

  actually makes it to Nuremberg next year in person and

  doesn’t have to write a report based on what he heard

  from someone else. That would be awesome and much

  more accurate.

  Kits in April

  Before I start with the news, let me make one

  more announcement. At the end of March, we had

  INFO Eduard4

  April 2023

• Page 5

  224 active items in the kit range. Before the fire in

  December 2020, there were 180 items, so now we have

  a significantly wider range than back then. With that,

  I dare to consider the renewal of the range of model

  kits finished. Of course, it’s not the same range as in

  2020, but it wouldn’t be even if there was no fire. The

  range of kits has always been dynamically changing,

  and given that we've regularly released an average of

  six new kits every month for the past two years, some

  of which were brand new and some of which were

  rehashed older items, the current range is significantly

  changed. The current situation also does not mean that

  we will stop presenting older kits as news, kits which

  are currently still missing from the catalog. In April,

  the 48th Bf 110C returns in the form of a redesigned

  ProfiPACK, kit, as does the 72nd scale UTIMiG-15, as

  a reissue of the original kit. We are also nearing the end

  of the packaging changeover. We have very few kits left

  in the old boxes in our warehouse, the vast majority of

  the range is in new boxes, whether they’re Weekend or

  ProfiPACK kits. Those that we currently have in stock

  in their original packaging will be sold out in the next

  installment of the Sweep campaign in April.

  So this finally brings me to the April news. In the

  ProfiPACK range, we are expanding the family of Trener

  kits (you’ll recall that this is the Czech word for “Trainer”,

  and was the name bestowed on this line of aircraft)

  with the first Tener with a retractable undercarriage,

  the Z-326 in M and MF versions. The kit also includes

  military machines, known locally as the “Three-

  Hundreds”, consistent with their military designation

  C-305. In the Weekend series we have two new 48th

  scale items for April, the Tempest Mk.V Series 2 and

  the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4. The Fw 190A-4 thus returns

  as one of the last Focke-Wulfs that was missing. This is,

  among other things, because it is a rather complicated

  version with different combinations of armament

  and engine cooling exhausts. In this case, the kit is of

  a version with two cannons in the wing roots, and cooling

  flaps. One of the machines offered is a pure fighter, the

  remaining three are fighter-bombers, covering a choice

  of aircraft from the Western Front, the Eastern Front and

  the North African battlefield.

  I saved the crown jewel of April‘s new releases to the

  end of this section, and that is the A6M2-N Rufe. I’ll

  admit that I’m a little worried that you'll think of the Rufe

  as another, and even less interesting, Zero incarnation.

  I hope that we will convince you of the opposite, both

  with the kit itself and with a two-part historical-technical

  article by Honza Bobek with some very readable, often

  unknown, information about this unique float equipped

  fighter. The Rufe is being first released in the Limited

  Edition line as Dual Combo boxing, and shares only

  two sprues with the older Zero Model 21. One is of the

  canopy, the other contains small detail parts. The

  other four frames are new, and are Rufe-specific. We

  incorporated a number of features consistent with

  the Rufe’s differences from your basic Zero, based on

  newly discovered findings made during the completion

  of the project after consulting recognized experts on

  the type. This is a good argument to consider for those

  who are on the fence over whether it is worth replacing

  their old Rufe kits with ours. For example, the external

  reinforcement of the fuselage in the cockpit area, which

  look really nice on the model, are included and I strongly

  I suspect that no kit thus far represented this feature.

  For those who don’t feel the need for the expense of

  a dual combo boxing, and its associated price, please note

  that the classic ProfiPACK kit will be out in July.

  BRASSIN

  For the Rufe, we are offering a whole range of accessories

  in parallel with the release of the kit, based on the

  collection of kits for the A6M2 Model 21. Of course, we

  leave out the wheels, but among the accessories, there

  are, for example, the folding wingtips. Some publications

  state that the Rufe did not have these. As you will learn

  from the aforementioned article by Honza Bobek, the fact

  is that at least several dozen aircraft from the start of

  the production run were equipped with folding wingtips.

  For the Zero’s main adversary early on, the F4F-3 Wildcat,

  we have an engine kit for the late version dash-3 in the

  collection of April releases , differing from the older kit for

  the F4F-3 Early in the engine cowl and with two versions

  of the face ring and some detail installations underneath,

  such as a reduction gear. The 48th scale sets also include

  a machine gun set for Anson from Airfix, two sets,

  a radar and exhaust, for all F-16s from Kinetic, and

  a Mi-24V cockpit in that Soviet turquoise finish, in addition

  to a few other smaller sets. This set, as was the black

  cockpit version for the same kit from Zvezda, is released

  as a combination of a 3D printed base complete with a

  Space 3D decal.

  In 1/72 scale, this month we focused on the Bf 110E

  (Eduard) with three sets. These are an upgraded version

  of the older sets for this model. The set of wheels is

  cast traditionally, as is usually the case with wheels.

  Conversely, the nose machine gun setup is 3Dprinted.

  Of interest is the cockpit set, the base of which has

  remained cast, but the floor with the installation of the

  deck guns and the rear machine gun are printed. So it

  is a kind of hybrid, rare in the Brassin line, but for this

  set this combination seemed appropriate to us. In the

  Brassin line, you will also find several small sets for the

  Hurricane IIb (Revell 1/32), two kits for 35th scale armor

  and three new sets of the Look line.

  Masks, Photoetched and Space Sets

  In traditional photoetched sets, we are, among other

  things, releasing items for the competing Zero A6M2b

  from Academy, the bomb bay for the B-24D from Revell

  (ex-Monogram), the F4U-1D from Hobby Boss and the Mi-

  8MT from Zvezda, all in 1:48 scale. April also sees the long-

  awaited renewal of photoetched sets for our Hellcats,

  both the F6F-3 and F6F-5. Both of these are based on

  older sets, but are upgraded to current standards.

  Of interest will be the two Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/24 sets

  from Airfix, and three sets, including two for the new

  SdKfz 251/1 Ausf C from Academy, are for combat

  vehicles in 1:35. Set 36499 for this model also includes

  a small instrument sheet made with 3D printing

  technology, used for the production of our Space sets,

  and indicates that the trend of combining different

  technologies can also make its way to the photoetched

  range. Also being offered is one 1:350 USS Missouri set

  from the Hobby Boss kit, three 1:72 scale aircraft kits,

  and you'll also find three new BigEd and six Space sets

  Historical and Other Articles

  I have already made mention of Honza Bobek’s article about

  the Rufe fighter floatplane. It is in two parts, the second

  part will be published in the May newsletter. In addition to

  a number of lesser-known or hitherto unknown technical

  and historical facts, it also brings a very interesting visual

  component. Several unique, in some cases unpublished,

  photographs have been obtained from Japan courtesy of

  Messrs Izawa and Yoshino, thanks to the assistance of the

  editors of Scale Aviation magazine. I should also add that

  in completing the kit we used the advice and materials of

  Mr. Ryan Toews, who also helped Honza considerably in

  the preparation of his article.

  Part two of Tom Cleaver’s article Arrival of the Cavalry

  comes out this month, about the activities of VMF-223,

  flying Wildcats during the battles for Guadalcanal. Thus,

  in this issue of our magazine, you have the opportunity

  to see the war in the Pacific from the point of view of the

  two opposing sides. Article of Tomáš “Hindman” Dvořák

  is offering interesting insight into service of high-altitude

  Hind E helicopters in service of Czech and Czechoslovak

  Air Force. In addition to these historical notebooks, as

  with virtually the entire previous year, we are continuing

  with our look at the air war over Ukraine with the series of

  articles by Miro Barič. The war is entering its next phase,

  and I’m afraid Miro will have plenty to write about in the

  months to come. I have no doubt that the just delivered

  Slovak and Polish MiG-29s will soon be mentioned as

  well. Most of you will know that the majority of these

  machines will have hailed from the inventory of the

  Czechoslovak and Czech Republic Air Forces.

  We also have new Boxart Stories. Richard Plos prepared

  a Boxart Story for the Z-326/C-305 Trener Master,

  Tempest Mk.V Series 2 and the UTI MiG-15 kits. The first

  two images were created by Adam Tooby, the boxtop

  image of the Czechoslovak UTI MiG-15 comes from an

  earlier work by Kateřina Borecká. We are transformed

  back to the Battle of Britain era in a story describing the

  Bf 110C painting, as Honza Bobek takes us back to the

  Second World War with the author of the painting Piotr

  Forkasiewicz, who, as is his custom, faithfully captured

  the atmosphere of air combat from this period. The

  encounter between the Sturmoviks and the Focke-Wulf

  Fw 190s of JG 54 “Grünherz” is described in detail by

  Andrey Dikov, who also helped us with the preparation

  of the background for this image, created by Mark Ryś. It

  depicts our subject, flown by Otto Kittel, one of the most

  successful fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe, for whom one of

  his many encounters with the Sturmoviks would become

  fateful.

  To vary the themes of this month’s articles a little, we

  have the second part of Josef Blažek’s summary on

  instant, epoxy and dispersion adhesives in the still new

  section on modelling chemistry.

  And with that, I wish you a good read with this month’s

  newsletter, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you in

  Prostějov and Mošon!

  Happy Modelling!!

  Vladimír Šulc

  INFO Eduard

  5

  April 2023

• Page 6

  HISTORY

  During the 1920s and 1930s the Japanese aircraft

  industry was oriented towards the production of

  foreign aircraft built under licenses. However,

  the armed forces, especially the Navy, with

  regard to the specifics of the Chinese and

  Pacific battlefields, came up with requirements

  that foreign aircraft designs did not offer. Hence,

  Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed the Type

  96 naval fighter aircraft, better known as the

  A5M “Claude”. The head of the design team was

  a young Japanese engineer, Jirō Horikoshi.

  Despite an engine that lacked some power, he

  managed to design a light and fast fighter with

  a fixed landing gear, which had no comparison in

  the world regarding maximum speed. In October

  1937, Mitsubishi and Nakajima were approached

  to develop prototype 12-shi Carrier-based

  Fighter. The requirements were so extreme, and

  in some cases contradictory, that the two design

  teams investigated whether they could be less

  stringent. Nakajima eventually withdrew from

  the project, while the criteria for the prototype

  were even raised based on experience on the

  Chinese battlefield. In the end, Horikoshi‘s team

  managed to meet the technical specifications,

  not only thanks to the aerodynamic design and

  a new type of light alloy used for the aircraft‘s

  skin, but also thanks to the Nakajima Sakae 11

  engine. During the flight tests, the wing surface

  suffered cracking during overload, and aileron

  control during high-speed maneuvers had also

  to be addressed. The new fighter had a powerful

  armament of two cannons and two machine

  guns, extremely long range (over 1,800 km)

  and excellent maneuverability. The new fighter

  reached top speed of 533 km/h at an altitude

  of 4,550 m. However, it lacked armor and other

  protective features and had a structural speed

  limit of 600 km/h.

  Surprising Zero

  The new aircraft entered service in 1940 with

  the 940hp engine Sakae 12 and received the

  official designation Rei shiki Kanjō sentōki (Type

  0 carrier fighter), with the “zero” being derived

  from the imperial year 2600 (1940). Japanese

  pilots usually abbreviated it as Rei-Sen. That

  was also the origin of the name Zero often used

  by Allied pilots instead of the official code name,

  derived from the male name Zeke. As part of the

  Navy’s system, the new aircraft was given the

  type designation A6M, where A6 meant that it

  was the sixth type of carrier fighter to enter

  service, and M stood for the Mitsubishi company

  name. Zero fighters, specifically the A6M2

  Type 11, had been successfully deployed on the

  Chinese battlefield since the summer of 1940,

  but their existence eluded Western intelligence

  because no one wanted to believe reports

  from China that suggested the Japanese had

  a world-class fighter. Further modifications to

  its design were made during 1941, creating the

  A6M2 Type 21, which included several changes,

  the most visible of them being folding wingtips

  for easier handling on the decks. With the A6M2

  Type 21 modified this way, Japan entered the

  war against the US and other Western nations.

  Mitsubishi needed to produce other aircraft in

  addition to the Zero, so the Nakajima company

  began licensed production in late 1941. Total of

  740 A6M2 aircraft were produced by Mitsubishi

  by June 1942 with additional 800 delivered by

  The Zero fighter became the symbol of the Japanese air

  power during WWII. The light and maneuverable fighter

  had the upper hand over Allied aircraft at early stages of

  the war in Pacific theatre, but gradually lost its advantage

  against newer opponents. During the war, other versions of the

  Zero came along, one of the most iconic being its floatplane

  version, known by the Allied codename Rufe.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  This photo shows one of the first completed Nakajima A6M2-N seaplanes. This is the 13th aircraft produced, with serial number 913, completed on April 23, 1942.

  The picture was apparently given to Japanese troops to familiarize them with the new type of seaplane, as it was later captured by the Americans and published

  in the enemy aircraft identification manual in 1944.

  Photo: US Navy

  Photo: ©Izawa

  Lieutenant Ri-ichirō Satō, leader of the Yokohama

  Kōkūtai’s fighter unit. He was killed in September 1942

  in a ground combat with USMC troops.

  INFO Eduard6

  April 2023

• Page 7

  Nakajima by February 1944. The gun armament

  was improved and variants with magazines for

  up to 150 rounds could be used on the Type 21.

  Such a Zero may have been designated as Type

  21a.

  Here comes the Rufe

  Floatplanes are a very old idea. Fighters of this

  design had already been deployed in combat

  during the First World War. After the war, their

  priority gradually declined as the performance

  of these seaplanes fell gradually behind that

  of fixed landing gear machines. The Imperial

  Japanese Navy returned to the idea in 1933

  during preparation for a new seaplane tender.

  IJN came up with a specification for a machine

  that was to protect a coastal base during its

  construction and was to be capable of reaching

  speeds of 200 knots. Kawanishi had been

  preparing a study of such a seaplane since 1934.

  It was to operate from a tender, or launch from

  a catapult, and be able to counter fighter aircraft.

  The prototype was not built, and preparations

  were halted in 1936. Subsequently, the concept

  of a two-seat machine was considered, but even

  this idea was abandoned.

  In the late 1930s, the US Navy prepared a plan to

  build 2,000 flying boats. The Japanese decided to

  respond to this threat. Therefore, in September

  1940, the IJN commissioned Kawanishi with

  the specification for the 15-Shi fast interceptor

  seaplane. Kawanishi had already been working

  on a fast floatplane reconnaissance aircraft

  (later designated the E15K Shiun) for several

  months, and the Navy hoped for synergy from

  this decision. However, at the same time, it

  feared certain delays because Kawanishi’s

  aircraft carried a number of innovative features.

  Therefore, the IJN decided to convert the

  Mitsubishi A6M2, which was currently

  undergoing combat test deployment in China,

  to a fighter seaplane. Mitsubishi was fully

  occupied with the production of Zeros and other

  types of aircraft. Therefore, the IJN turned to

  Nakajima, which began licensed production

  of A6M2 fighters at its Koizumi plant in late

  1941. The company had some free design and

  production capacity and was therefore awarded

  with works on the seaplane.

  Shinobu Mitsutake was appointed chief

  designer. His team tried to make the most of the

  A6M2 design. Some authors state that standard

  fighter seaplane was based on the A6M2 Type 11,

  which did not have folding wingtips. In fact, at

  least the first few dozen production machines

  had folding wingtips. On captured Rufes, this

  design feature is still documented on the 37th

  aircraft produced.

  The designers added a metal central float to the

  fuselage. The pylon was mounted to the main

  wing spar and attached to the rear wing spar by

  a “V” shaped strut. The pylon, with incorporated

  the oil cooling system, was located roughly

  where the Zero had the auxiliary tank attached.

  The absence of the auxiliary tank was replaced

  by tanks in the float. The stabilizing floats were

  mounted on separate pylons. Hatches were

  added to the wing´s skin to allow access to the

  internal wing structure and pylons.

  This elegant solution for mounting the central

  float was already used on the F1M Pete biplane

  and contributed to the high aerodynamic purity

  of Mitsutake’s design. The central float and

  its dynamic effects on the fuselage structure

  during take-off, high-G maneuvers, and landing,

  necessitated the need to reinforce the fuselage

  structure in the cockpit area by additional metal

  sheets.

  On the first few dozen machines, a system for

  purging the fuel tanks was installed on top of

  the central float. The fittings of this system,

  which protruded from the float at the top, were

  protected by a hemispherical cover. The float

  was also fitted with a rudder.

  The last significant change from the Zero was

  an increase in the vertical tail area for the

  stability of the machine. Testing of the prototype

  began on the day of the Japanese attack on

  Hawaii and continued intensively during early

  1942. The prototype was converted from the

  land-based version of the Zero fighter, the A6M2

  Type 11 c/n (6)69. The next nine A6M2-N aircraft

  were to be produced at Nakajima by conversion

  from Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 carrier fighters,

  which were to undergo repairs due to damage

  in combat. Among them were the machines c/n

  (5)159 and (3)312, which took part in the attack

  on Hawaii aboard the aircraft carrier Shōkaku.

  However, the converted seaplanes suffered

  HISTORY

  Wildcats aboard the USS Wasp prepare for an air strike against Tulagi and adjacent islands in the early morning

  hours of August 7, 1942.

  This picture taken from Dauntless on August 7, 1942, shows smoke rising from burning fuel supplies

  on Tanambogo Island, where the Rufe seaplanes were based. To the right is Gavutu Island and to the left

  is Gaomi Island. Florida Islands can be seen in the background.

  Photo: Naval Histor y and Heritage Command

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

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  A close-up photo of Tanambogo Island after the attack of Wildcats shows the wreckage of two Rufe seaplanes, several beaching trolleys and a wooden seaplane ramp

  sloping into the water.

  Yokohama Kōkūtai aircraft that USMC technicians took from Tulagi to NAS Alameda, USA.

  Courtney Shands pictured in 1957 at the rank of Rear Admiral. As commander of VF-71,

  he was instrumental in the destruction of the Rufe aircraft from Yokohama Kōkūtai

  on Tanambogo Island on August 7, 1942.

  Photo: Naval History and Heritage CommandPhoto: Naval History and Heritage Command

  Photo: BUAER Newsletter

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard8

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• Page 9

  from corrosion. Therefore, the conversions of

  A6M2-N Nos. 8 and 9 were not carried out and

  No. 10 was instead completely manufactured as

  a new machine.

  The floatplane fighter did not exceed comparable

  seaplanes in performance. It did increase in

  weight due to the floats and design changes,

  but the Zero´s landing gear and tailhook weight

  was missing. The machine had excellent

  maneuverability and stability at medium and

  higher altitudes and retained reasonably good

  flight characteristics even at lower altitudes.

  Its empty weight increased by approximately

  14 % over the A6M2 Type 21 and its speed was

  reduced to 234 knots at 5,000 meters from the

  original 275 knots at 4,400 meters of the Type

  21. The seaplane had a range of 962 nautical

  miles and a maximum flight time of 6 hours.

  Armament consisted, as with the A6M2, of two

  20 mm cannons in the wing and two 7.7 mm

  machine guns in the fuselage. The aircraft

  could carry two 30 kg or 60 kg bombs carried

  under the wing. However, unlike the Zero Type

  21, seaplane was not equipped with a circular

  directional antenna at the rear of the cockpit

  and did not have a headrest behind the pilot's

  seat.

  This fighter seaplane was first designated

  Rei-Shiki Ichi Gata Suijō Sentōki (Type 0 Mk.1

  Seaplane Fighter). In July, the aircraft was

  accepted by the IJN and entered service under

  the designation Ni-Shiki Suijō Sentōki, or Type

  2 Seaplane Fighter. It bore the abbreviated

  designation A6M2-N. Nakajima considered

  preparing another fighter seaplane, which was

  to reach a speed of 250 knots, but eventually

  abandoned its preparation.

  Series production began in April 1942 and ended

  in July 1943, as production of the Kawanishi

  N1K Kyōfū (Rex) fighter seaplane began

  a month earlier. Nakajima produced a total of

  258 A6M2-N seaplanes, with the highest number

  of machines (24) in a single month leaving the

  gates of the Koizumi plant in April 1943. As soon

  as the Allies observed this machine in aerial

  encounters, they assigned it the code name

  Rufe.

  The first pre-production and production A6M2-N

  seaplanes were received in the spring of 1942 by

  the Japanese Navy's oldest unit, the Yokosuka

  Kōkūtai. Its main task was research and

  testing of new aircraft, weapons and technical

  equipment. It was also involved in training and,

  late in the war, was deployed in combat.

  With the Rufe aircraft, the unit was joined by their

  previous flight pilot, Lt. Ki-ichirō Nishihata, who

  Fire-damaged Rufe seaplane from Yokohama Kōkūtai being transported to NAS Alameda, USA.

  Seaplane tender Kimikawa Maru in Ominato Bay, Japan, pictured in April 1943. F1M Pete seaplanes are visible on the deck. This vessel delivered most of the Rufe seaplanes

  to the Aleutians during 1942 and 1943.

  Photo: BUAER NewsletterPhoto: Naval History and Heritage Command

  HISTORY

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  9

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  was in charge of training on these seaplanes. It

  would be difficult to find a more ideal officer for

  this task. Nishihata was a native of Fukuoka and

  graduated from the Etajima Naval Academy in

  its 59th class in November 1931. He successively

  held several command positions as Buntaichō.

  From late 1934 he served with Sasebo Kōkūtai,

  then commanded the seaplane carrier unit

  Kamikawa Maru. In late 1937 he became an

  instructor at Kasumigaura Kōkūtai and a year

  later became leader of the seaplane unit on

  the light cruiser Kinu. He apparently served on

  this ship until October 1941. Therefore, it is not

  surprising that his age and experience earned

  him the nicknames “foster parent” and “real

  parent” at Yokosuka Kōkūtai. His influence

  on the development of the A6M2-N seaplane,

  its acceptance into the Naval Air Force's

  armament, and the success of its deployment,

  was profound.

  Nishihata attained the rank of corvette captain

  in November 1942 and by the end of the war

  was one of the commanding officers of Kōkūtai

  302, armed with, among other aircraft, Raiden

  fighters. In September 1945 he was promoted to

  the rank of Commander.

  Anchorage at Tulagi

  The first Rufes to engage enemy in the South

  Pacific belonged to the fighter Buntai, which

  was formed in May 1942 as part of the Yokohama

  Kōkūtai. The commander of the entire Kōkūtai

  was Capt. Shigetoshi Miyazaki. He was born in

  1897 in Kōchi and graduated with distinction

  from the Naval Academy in 1918 in its 46th class.

  After training aboard the destroyer Tachikaze,

  he first served with the Yokosuka Kōkūtai and

  other aviation units, but from late 1924 he was

  assigned to the Japanese embassy in Paris.

  From June 1926 he was naval attaché to the

  League of Nations, and from April 1927 to May

  1928 he was the Japanese plenipotentiary to

  the Geneva Naval Conference. After a series of

  command and training posts, he took command

  of the Yokohama Kōkūtai on 20 April 1942.

  Leader (Buntaichō) of his fighter unit was Lt.

  Ri-ichirō Satō, who had previously served with

  the Yokosuka Kōkūtai. Twelve fighter seaplanes

  arrived to Rabaul in early June. The first patrol in

  the vicinity of Rabaul was performed on 5 June

  and five days later five Rufe pilots saw same

  number of B-17s from the 19th BG. However,

  there was no combat. During June, the seaplane

  pilots encountered the enemy machines several

  more times, but never got chance to shoot at

  them.

  In early July, they moved to Tulagi Island off

  Guadalcanal and encountered enemy aircraft

  almost daily. The naval base for the Rufes

  became the nearby islet of Tanambogo, while the

  Mavis seaplanes moored at the islet of Gavutu.

  The garrison commander on these islands was

  Capt. Miyazaki. All marine and engineer units,

  as Japanese and Korean civilian personnel were

  under his command. But only a small portion of

  the 1,500 or so men he commanded were trained

  for ground combat.

  The first victory was claimed on July 10 in

  a battle with two Liberators of the 435th BS.

  One of the Liberators was damaged, but the

  gunners reported that one of the floatplanes

  broke away from the fight with a smoking

  engine. The crew also managed to photograph

  one Rufe. A week later, B-17s from the same unit

  killed PO1c Hori who remained missing after

  the fight. Aboard the Flying Fortress were US

  Marine Corps officers who managed to take

  valuable photographs of the northern coast of

  Guadalcanal and the Tulagi area, despite being

  forced to retreat by other Rufe seaplanes.

  The same fate befell the Sea.1c Matsui in

  combat with a B-17 of 11th Bombardment Group

  (Heavy) on July 23. Seven bombers of this unit

  encountered twelve Rufe seaplanes during

  1 August, and the Japanese, with no losses of

  their own, severely damaged three of them. The

  11th BG board gunners, however, reported two

  kills.

  B-17s raided Tulagi also on August 4, 1942.

  Seven Rufes attacked the heavies over their

  target. The gunners of the 26th BS, 11th BG

  claimed one seaplane as downed, but one Rufe

  collided with a B-17E commanded by 1st Lt. Rush

  E. McDonald. All of his crew and the Japanese pilot

  Sea.1c Kobayashi perished.

  During the Allied landing on Guadalcanal in

  the morning hours of August 7, Wildcats and

  Dauntless bombers from USS Wasp attacked the

  anchorage at Tulagi and surrounding islands,

  destroying all seven H6K Mavis flying boats and

  six Rufes in water and two on the island. One

  Rufe later apparently escaped and joined two

  colleagues at Shortland Island off Bougainville.

  Under Miyazaki's leadership, Yokohama Kōkūtai

  personnel at Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo,

  The first aircraft shot down by Rufe pilots in the Aleutians was a B-17B (c/n 38-215) "Old Seventy". She is pictured in this photo from Alaska back when she was also

  used as a cargo machine.

  Photo: American Air Museum in Britain

  HISTORY

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  along with other units, engaged in ground

  combat. Miyazaki's last radio message was,

  “Enemy troop strength is overwhelming.

  We will defend to the last man. Pray for our

  success.” Improvising under harsh conditions,

  the defenders under Miyazaki's command

  performed superbly. In the first landing on

  August 7, they inflicted 10% casualties on the

  American troops, and the defenses on some

  islands persisted until noon on August 9.

  Five Rufe pilots were killed on Tanambogo Island

  on August 8 in action against U.S. Marines. They

  succeeded in setting fire to a Stuart tank of 1st

  Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Of the

  three tankers, two were killed and one was

  wounded. Forty-two defenders were killed,

  including the executive officer of the Yokohama

  Kōkūtai, Lt. Cdr. Saburō Katsuta, who was last

  seen on the tank’s turret.

  Lt. Satō escaped to Halavo Island with about

  forty men and was killed with thirteen of them

  in a battle with members of the 2nd Marines

  on September 19. Only one of his pilots was

  captured, it was Warrant Officer Yomichio

  Hirahashi.

  Patrol flights continued from Shortland for

  several days in late August under the command

  of Ensign Kofuji, but on September 2, 1942, the

  Yokohama Kōkūtai fighter unit was disbanded

  and the personnel and remaining Rufe seaplanes

  were taken over by the Kamikawa Maru.

  Commanding officer of Yokohama Kōkūtai Capt.

  Miyazaki was formally in command of the unit

  until October 1, 1942, when he was posthumously

  promoted to Rear Admiral. According to the

  testimony of one of Japanese prisoners,

  Miyazaki committed suicide by explosive in

  a dugout on August 8. One of his former

  colleagues in the Geneva Naval Conference

  negotiations, Rear Admiral William Ward Smith,

  commanded Cruiser Division 9 at the time with

  the cruisers USS Indianapolis and USS Louisville

  during the Battle of the Aleutians.

  Aleutians and Kurils

  The first unit to engage the enemy with Rufes

  was Tōkō Kōkūtai. Formed in late 1940, it was

  deployed at the start of the war in the Pacific

  during the conquest of the Philippines and the

  Dutch East Indies. In June 1942, with six H6K

  Mavis flying boats, this unit was deployed in

  the capture of Attu and Kiska Islands in the

  Aleutians. Protection for the invasion force

  was provided by floatplanes from the seaplane

  tenders Kamikawa Maru and Kimikawa Maru.

  The command soon recognized that to fight

  the Americans in the Aleutian area, fighter

  In this photo taken in August 1942, some of the fighter pilots of the 5th Kōkūtai are posing at the Kiska base. Rear row from the left: Sea2c Hachirō Narita, next to him stands

  the most successful fighter pilot in the Aleutian area, PO2c Gi-ichi Sasaki, PO2c Saishi Okawa and the last airman is probably leader of fighter unit Kushichirō Yamada.

  Front row from the left: Sea2c Minoru Minazawa and Sea2c Yoshio Suzuki. Sasaki and Okawa were killed during raids against Amchitka. The Rufe R-106 has a partially

  visible convex cowling located on top of the main float. An E16A Jake seaplane can be seen in the background.

  Seaplane A6M2-N from Tōkō Kōkūtai moored off the shore in the Aleutians. Note the lighter colouring of the

  control surfaces. It is possible that some sort of waterproofing is stuck to the top of the wing to cover the edges

  of the cannon hatches.

  Photo: ©IzawaPhoto: ©Izawa

  HISTORY

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  11

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  seaplanes needed to be deployed to protect the

  anchorages and bases under construction, as

  float-type observation aircraft were not ideal

  for this purpose. Moreover, both tenders got

  tasks in another part of the Pacific.

  In early June a Rufe fighter unit was formed in

  Yokosuka under the command of Lt. Kushichirō

  Yamada. Six machines were transported to

  Kiska by seaplane tender Chiyoda, and the unit

  was integrated into Tōkō Kōkūtai. The planes

  were usually moored to buoys in shallow water

  and transported ashore for maintenance using

  bamboo structures. They usually patrolled

  in pairs and sometimes engaged with enemy

  aircraft several times a day. Very soon they

  started using 30kg bombs against heavy

  bombers. During anti-submarine patrols they

  probably used 60kg bombs. The weather in the

  area was often inclement with fog and low cloud.

  Therefore, even the four-engined aircraft often

  operated at relatively low altitude. Yamada's

  pilots first encountered enemy on July 7 and

  8, 1942, during a Liberator raid on Kiska. First

  victory was achieved ten days later, one B-24

  and one B-17 were claimed, but Americans lost

  only one Flying Fortress of the 28th Composite

  Bombardment Group. It was an old B-17B c/n

  38-215 “Old Seventy” from the 36th BS, with

  seasoned veteran Major Jack Marks at the

  controls. The machine exploded at 2,000 feet

  in a dogfight with Rufe pilots near Rat Island.

  However, there is another version saying that

  the damaged bomber crashed into a mountain

  range.

  In early August, Yamada's fighter unit was

  detached from the Tōkō Kōkūtai and became

  the 5th Kōkūtai, whose number of aircraft was

  expanded to twelve fighter seaplanes. During

  August it was also reinforced with observation

  floatplanes.

  The fighters of the 5th Kōkūtai scored their

  first victory on August 7, 1942. The warships

  under the command of Rear Adm. W. W. “Poco”

  Smith sailed from Kodiak to Kiska to shell the

  Japanese positions. The fog made combat

  activity considerably more difficult for both

  belligerents. In addition to the heavy cruisers

  USS Indianapolis and USS Louisville, the light

  cruisers USS Honolulu, USS St. Louis and USS

  Nashville and four destroyers were also part of

  the fleet.

  Despite the fog in the area, the Americans

  managed to open fire at 19:55, simultaneously

  sending six SOC Seagull observation aircraft

  over the target.

  The Japanese came into contact with the

  observation planes several times but had little

  chance to attack them successfully in the bad

  weather. The first to fire was Lt. Yamada with

  his wingman and they claimed a Seagull shot

  A picture taken on November 7, 1942, shows several damaged Rufe seaplanes in Holz Bay, Attu Island.

  Photo: Naval Histor y and Heritage Command

  HISTORY

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  down. Later, Yamada got into a fight with the

  observation planes again, and with a PO2c

  Gi-ichi Sasaki, they scored two victories.

  The Americans lost one Seagull and three were

  damaged. The crew of the downed Seagull

  apparently survived, but interestingly, the

  machine (Bu. No. 9945) belonged to the air unit

  of the battleship USS Indiana, which was not

  part of the fleet.

  The crews of H6K Mavis attempted to blindly

  bomb the American vessels through low cloud

  cover, and one of the Rufe pilots attacked the

  destroyer USS Case in very adverse weather

  conditions. He was driven off by defensive fire

  from 5-inch and 20mm guns. Japanese gunners

  from shore batteries also attempted to engage

  the US ships, as the Rufes' pilots dropped

  phosphorus bombs over them , presumably to

  identify enemy´s position.

  American troops landed on Adak Island on

  August 30 and built with incredible speed an

  airfield in the following weeks. For the Japanese

  on Attu and Kiska, this worsened the prospects

  of completing their own airfield.

  An unequal battle occurred on September 15,

  1942, when the submarine base at Kiska was

  attacked by fourteen heavy bombers from the

  28th CBG, accompanied by fourteen Lightnings

  and the same number of Airacobras from XI.

  Fighter Command. This formation was engaged

  by four Rufe pilots, two of whom were killed.

  PO2c Gi-ichi Sasaki scored four victories over

  fighter aircraft in this engagement and claimed

  one as probably destroyed, but his machine

  turned over on landing. At the end of the day

  only one Rufe remained operational. In late

  September, the Kimikawa Maru arrived at the

  island, bringing six Rufes and two observation

  aircraft. In the following week the unit faced

  significant odds on several occasions including

  P-40s of No. 111 Sqn RCAF, and on October 4 was

  completely without fighter seaplanes. American

  and Canadian fighters often strafed the anti-

  aircraft gunner positions to reduce the risk to

  low-flying bombers that arrived over the target

  only minutes later.

  At the beginning of November, the 5th Kōkūtai

  was redesignated Kōkūtai 452. In same period

  additional aircraft were supplied, but these

  were destroyed in the following days during a

  storm and in a strafing attack by Lightnings and

  Marauders. In late December, Kimikawa Maru

  again brought in new Rufe seaplanes. On the

  last day of 1942, Japanese fighters managed to

  shoot down a B-25 of 28th CBG, a P-38 of 343rd

  FG and destroyed a Catalina that was forced to

  land.

  The Kōkūtai 452 was still operating in extremely

  difficult conditions. Planes were anchored

  in Arctic temperatures at the seashore or

  in shallow water, their only protection being

  a tarpaulin stretched across the forward half

  of the fuselage. Yet unit´s technicians managed

  to keep most of the seaplanes operational.

  Primarily they operated from Kiska Island, and

  spare planes were offloaded on Attu, where

  there was less danger from Allied aircraft.

  On January 24, 1943, a patrol of two Rufes

  discovered five cargo ships with escort cruisers,

  which were securing the landing on the island

  of Amchitka. Rufes attacked with 60kg bombs

  and continued their strafings in late January

  and during February. Their main target was the

  airfield, which the Americans were building on

  the island with their usual incredible speed.

  American air defenses managed to shoot down

  several of the Rufes. Sasaki, who became the

  only Rufe fighter ace in the area, did not return

  from one of these dangerous missions.

  It occurred on the evening of February 18, 1942,

  the day after the first Curtiss P-40s from the

  18th Fighter Squadron arrived at the newly

  completed airfield, which was named Fox Field

  because of its short runway. The Rufe pair was

  led by Warrant Officer Kunitsugu Nakamachi

  and PO1c Sasaki flew as his wingman. In the

  air, however, two quadruplets of Curtiss planes

  were waiting for them. The Japanese pair

  was attacked by the first flight, led by Major

  Clayton J. Larson. Hundreds of soldiers from

  the surrounding hills watched in amazement as

  the battle took place off the west coast of the

  island.

  This photograph is one of the images that fell into the hands of the Allied forces after the landing on the Aleutians. It probably dates from late 1942 and early 1943

  and shows the airmen of Kōkūtai 452.

  Photo: Fold3

  HISTORY

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  Nakamachi, still over the water, dropped his

  bombs and turned northwest back toward his

  own base, but he had little chance against the

  fast Curtiss planes that attacked from above. He

  was hit by Larson and his wingman 1st Lt. Beary.

  The burning Rufe crashed into the sea.

  A determined Sasaki gave up the raid on the

  airfield just off the coast and also tried to break

  through to the northwest. American fighters

  made repeated runs on Sasaki. The experienced

  Japanese pilot combined tight 360-degree turns

  and steep descents. He even fired twice at

  Larson without result. His fight against the odds

  was like this over 35 miles stretch. However,

  Sasaki was eventually hit and crashed into the

  sea about 5 miles west of the northwestern

  tip of Amchitka. The victory was scored by Lt.

  Stone.

  The last aerial engagement of Rufe seaplanes in

  the Aleutians occurred on March 17, 1943.

  In ten hours, the Americans made a total of five

  raids on Kiska from the Adak and Amchitka

  bases. They deployed 13 B-24s, 16 B-25s, 32

  P-38s, and eight P-40s. The Japanese could

  only send seven Rufe fighters against them.

  Among them was Kiyomi Katsuki, who made

  a name for himself in the South Pacific as a Pete

  biplane pilot and later became a fighter ace.

  The formation faced ten Lightnings and claimed

  two victories, but the Americans recorded no

  losses.

  This seaplane fighter unit, which changed

  designation three times during its operations,

  had shot down fifteen aircraft certainly and

  five probably since the summer of 1942. In less

  than eight months of its combat deployment,

  it operated against the enemy over sixty days,

  in many cases conducting multiple actions in

  a single day. It lost twelve fighter seaplanes

  and ten pilots in aerial combat. Its remaining 23

  machines were written off in the Aleutians due

  to defects and weather conditions.

  At the end of March 1943, the remaining airmen

  of Kōkūtai 452 were evacuated by submarine

  to Japan. In May the unit was reorganized and

  received new Pete, Jake and Rufe seaplanes. Its

  fighter unit was commanded by Lt.(jg) Shunshi

  Araki. From July his unit was based on Lake

  Bettobu on the Kuril island of Shumshu, 11 km

  southwest of Kamchatka.

  Their opponents were again the Liberator crews.

  Rufes engaged them for first time on July 19.

  In addition to the Rufe seaplanes, the sporadic

  fighting involved IJN observation aircraft as

  well as Army aviators with Ki-43 Oscars from

  the 54th Hikō Sentai.

  The Kōkūtai 452 fighters achieved their last

  victories on September 12 in a battle with

  a formation of eight B-24s and twelve B-25s.

  They reported two B-24s shot down and one

  probable. However, Japanese Army fighters

  also joined the fight and the Americans suffered

  heavy losses. In addition to the two Liberators,

  they lost seven Mitchells and some crews made

  emergency landings in Soviet territory.

  In early October 1943, the fighter Buntai of

  Kōkūtai 452 was disbanded and the unit

  continued to serve with reconnaissance aircraft

  in the Kuril Islands until the summer of 1944.

  The original commander of this unit, Kushichirō

  Yamada, later served as the Hikōtaichō of

  Kōkūtai 302 at Atsugi Base and committed

  suicide on August 15, 1945. Araki ended his

  service in the same fighter unit as Yamada, and

  he too did not live to see the end of the war.

  To be continued…

  Pilots of the 11th Fighter Squadron at Umnak Air Force Base, Alaska, pose for a photographer while playing cards. They were among the opponents of the Rufe seaplanes.

  The unit's commander was John S. Chennault, the eldest son of Claire Lee Chennault, who led the legendary volunteer Flying Tigers in China. The P-40E's nose shows that

  the apple didn't fall far from the tree.

  Photo: Fold3

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  Shots of the wrecks of Rufe seaplanes after landing on Attu and Kiska islands in mid-1943. The hangar images were taken at the base on Attu.

  Photo: US Navy

  Photo: Alaska State Library

  Photo: US Navy

  Photo: US Navy

  Photo: US Navy

  Photo: US Navy

  HISTORY

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  Rufes had a grey paint coating on all surfaces,

  which was sprayed over a reddish-brown base

  paint. To prevent corrosion, the interior surfaces

  of the flap area were also painted aluminium

  instead of the Aotake paint that was common on

  A6M Zero fighters.

  Due to the change in the name of the aircraft, the

  fuselage identification stencil changed in July or

  August 1942. It occurred between approximately

  the 30th and 50th Rufe produced. From October

  1942, the manufacturer stopped putting the date

  of manufacture on the stencil.

  At the end of August 1942, Nakajima introduced

  a yellow identification stripe on the leading edge

  of the wing on A6M2-N aircraft, and at the same

  time introduced a white outline of Hinomaru on

  the fuselage.

  In February 1943, naval fighter units were

  instructed to spray the aircraft with dark

  green on the upper surfaces. Ground personnel

  usually made use of paint that was available

  for maintenance on aircraft of other categories

  that already had green paint. In the case of the

  seaplane units, these were the Aichi, Mitsubishi

  and Kawanishi aircraft. The shades of their

  camouflage paint varied slightly depending on

  the paint supplier. The use of war booty paints, for

  example in Rabaul, or the use of paint designed

  for warships cannot be ruled out. When this

  paint was applied, the white outline of fuselage

  Hinomaru was often thinned or completely

  repainted. However, some aircraft were left in

  grey paint on all surfaces and are documented

  from as late as 1944.

  In the final months of production, the new A6M2-N

  aircraft received a standard coat of D1 dark green

  paint on the upper surfaces, a shade specific

  to the Nakajima paint supplier. This change

  was accompanied by the introduction of white

  outline on the Hinomaru on upper surfaces. With

  combat units this white part was often thinned or

  completely repainted, which could also be done

  on the fuselage Hinomaru.

  The coloring of the transport cart is often given

  as black, but this does not match contemporary

  photographs. More likely is the dark grey-blue

  color used for naval vehicles and technical

  equipment. The dark blue color used by the

  Imperial Navy, for example for workshop

  equipment, cannot be ruled out either. The

  construction of the cart was composite, with the

  vertical stabilizing parts and the parts on which

  the float was mounted being made of wood. The

  whole cart was painted in one color, but in service

  the paint naturally showed signs of wear and tear,

  the grey paint from the main float sometimes had

  worn off and remained on parts of the cart.

  Colors and markings Text: Jan Bobek

  Unpublished photograph of Rufe NI-119 with a group of Kōkūtai 802 NCOs taken in early 1943 at Shortland Base. This is an aircraft that was finished with grey paint

  on all surfaces and the unit level received a coat of dark green paint on the upper surfaces. The rectangular field of grey paint on the fuselage is clearly visible, which the

  mechanics have retained for the machine's production stencil.

  Photo: ©Izawa

  Photo: US Navy

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard16

  April 2023

• Page 17

  17. června 2023

  V Kulturním domě Rychvald

  Modelářský klub Ostrava 446

  a předsednictvo IPMS.CZE

  zve všechny příznivce

  plastikového modelářství

  na Mistrovství České republiky mládeže a

  doprovodné akce

  Mistrovská soutěž mládeže je organizována pod záštitou SMČR

  Mistrovství ČR mládeže (letadla 1/72,1/48,1/32), bojová technika

  (1/72,1/48,1/35), lodě a ponorky, dioramy a civilní technika.

  Doprovodná porovnávací soutěž seniorů, letadla (1/72,1/48,1/32),

  bojová technika (1/72,1/48,1/35) a civilní technika

  Bližší informace a propozice na www.aircraft.cz,

  osobní kontakt Petr Potyš, mob. 730 430 239

  PROPOZICE NA STRÁNKÁCH SMČR

• Page 18

  It was fortunate the Japanese were initially

  as nearly hamstrung as the Americans.

  The Imperial Navy’s 25th Air Flotilla (5th

  Air Attack Force), based at Rabaul, had

  been reinforced only days before the

  Allied incursion into the Solomons as

  part of a general build-up preparatory to

  occupying Guadalcanal and supporting

  a further Japanese drive into the New

  Hebrides. On August 9, Vice Admiral

  Nishizō Tsukahara activated the Eleventh

  Air Fleet at Rabaul and assumed control

  of regional air operations. The one-armed

  senior aviator, who had lost his arm to

  a spinning propeller, advocated a policy of

  strong reprisals against the Americans.

  However, since his bomber force had

  taken severe losses during the first two

  days of aerial combat, the admiral was

  restricted to planning harassment and

  reconnaissance missions to the island.

  The Americans were fortunate that

  Guadalcanal and the Japanese airfields

  at Rabaul were separated by more than

  600 miles of the Solomon and Coral Seas.

  Though the Zero was the longest-legged

  operational fighter in the world, the 1,300

  mile round trip between Rabaul and

  Guadalcanal taxed even its capabilities to

  the limit, while the twin-engine Betty had

  fuel for only 15 minutes over the target.

  The range limitations of the Zero and the

  Betty meant missions had to be flown by

  the most direct route, with no margin for

  feints or for speeding up the throttled-back

  engines of the fuel-conserving fighters

  We left the pilots and mechanics of VMF-223 in the first

  part of this article as they began to familiarize themselves

  with Henderson Airfield and the situation on Guadalcanal.

  The latter certainly did not make them so happy, but it did

  compromise their combat determination.

  Text: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

  Photo: National Archives via NAAS

  Photo up: Aerial view of the runway of Henderson

  Airfield on August 22, 1942, two days after VMF-223

  arrived on the island. The buildings to the south of the

  runway were intended as workshops and the roofs

  were made of 7/8-inch-thick steel.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard18

  April 2023

• Page 19

  and bombers. Additionally, the weather

  in the South Pacific meant they flew

  from their bases after the morning cloud

  buildups had dissipated, which meant

  adherence to a predictable timetable The

  route took them from Rabaul to Buka, off

  northwestern Bougainville, down to Buin,

  overlooking the Shortland Islands, then

  straight through New Georgia Sound, soon

  to be known as “The Slot.”

  Before the war, the Australian Navy

  had recruited Australians living in the

  Solomons to remain behind if the Japanese

  appeared and operate a radio warning

  system when they spotted Japanese naval

  or air forces. Coastwatcher Jack Read,

  whose station in the hills of Bougainville

  overlooked Buka, was generally first to

  send t word of an impending air strike.

  Paul Mason, near Buin, was next. There

  was invariably two hours between

  Mason's warning and the arrival of the

  bombers over Guadalcanal. This schedule

  allowed the Marines to count upon several

  quiet hours after dawn and before dusk for

  getting work done, with at least two hours

  during mid-day in which to find cover and

  take aim. The Japanese arrived punctually

  between 1200-1300 hours, depending

  on the weather enroute. Weather in

  this equatorial region was marginally

  predictable and subject to rapid change

  without prior notice.

  A combat schedule developed since

  the Japanese could only fly a large

  formation of bombers from Rabaul in

  daylight. Weather allowing, the bombers

  and their escorting fighters would take

  off from their air bases at Rabaul by

  0800 hours, though delays were caused

  by early morning build-ups of weather

  over the Solomon Sea that could delay

  departure until as late as 1000 hours. As

  the Japanese formation flew down The

  Slot, the aircraft were spotted by the

  Australian coastwatchers on the various

  islands, who radioed their sightings to

  Cactus Control at Henderson Field. By the

  time they passed Munda, the defenders

  on Guadalcanal would man their fighters

  and take off. The Wildcats needed every

  minute of warning they could get, since it

  took around 45 minutes for the airplanes

  to get to 20,000 feet. The enemy formation

  would finally arrive between 1100-1300

  hours. Given the variability of weather,

  there were a few times where the clouds

  over The Slot prevented the coastwatchers

  from spotting the oncoming Japanese in

  time to give sufficient warning.

  The Japanese Are Intent on Taking

  Guadalcanal Back

  Much of the battle noise that had kept

  Lieutenant Trowbridge awake that first

  night on the island came from the fight

  along what the Marines thought was the

  Tenaru River but was actually a lagoon.

  The Ichiki Battalion - the first Japanese

  troops to arrive on the island as part of

  Yamamoto’s plans to drive the Americans

  into the sea - were engaged by well-dug-in

  defenses as they advanced on Henderson

  Field. Dawn on August 21 found the

  surviving Japanese holding their position.

  First Battalion, First Marines, moved

  inland around the lagoon and enveloped

  the enemy.

  As the enemy troops tried to escape down

  the beach, they were strafed by newly-

  arrived VMF-223 Wildcats. All resistance

  ended by 1700 hours. When some wounded

  Japanese opened fire on the Marines, they

  went through the battlefield and shot

  every enemy soldier they came across

  whether dead or alive, except for 15 taken

  prisoner. Thirty Japanese survivors

  escaped to tell the tale to their comrades

  at Taivu Point. Food, equipment, weapons,

  and ammunition were taken from the 871

  dead. That evening, Colonel Ichiki buried

  his unit's colors, drew a ceremonial

  dagger, and disemboweled himself in the

  soft sand beside Lengo Channel.

  The Marines Meet the Enemy

  At mid-day, Admiral Fletcher’s carriers

  gave cover so that two transports could

  slip into Sealark Channel and unload

  supplies. MAG-23’s senior mechanics

  were a welcome addition when they

  came ashore from the destroyer that had

  brought them up from Efate.

  Coastwatcher Jack Read radioed

  a warning that a strike force was on the

  Photo: NHHC

  The commanding officer of VMF-223, Maj. John Smith after returning from Guadalcanal at NAS Anacostia.

  The Wildcats needed every minute of warning they

  could get, since it took around 45 minutes for the

  airplanes to get to 20,000 feet.

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  19

  April 2023

• Page 20

  way down the Slot. Lieutenant Hugh

  MacKenzie, the coastwatch liaison

  officer at Lunga, patched into the Marine

  communications net, known as Texas

  Switch, and for the first time was able

  to pass the news to American aviators

  who could rise to the challenge. Captain

  Smith’s four-plane division responded to

  the call.

  They were over Savo Island at 1207 hours,

  climbing through 14,000 feet, when they

  spotted six Zeros five hundred feet higher

  and on a reciprocal heading. Smith opened

  fire head-on at the leading Zero as the

  two aircraft roared toward one other. The

  Japanese pilot flinched first. He pulled up,

  exposing his belly to Smith's six .50-caliber

  machine guns, and then fell away smoking

  as Smith was engaged by a pair of Zeros

  that had latched onto his tail. Smith quickly

  discovered the Wildcat was heavy enough

  to disengage by diving away if there was

  sufficient altitude. His wingman, Sergeant

  John Lindsey, was hit in the fight but

  managed to make a dead-stick wheels-

  up landing at Henderson Field, with his

  Wildcat becoming the squadron’s first loss,

  while Smith became the first pilot claim

  a Zero shot down. In a second fight later

  that afternoon, Lieutenant Trowbridge

  claimed two more, though the Japanese

  recorded all planes returned. Over the

  next two days, the Marines claimed two

  more Zeros and proved they could stay in

  the same air with their more-experienced

  opponents.

  The First Big Battle

  Over the next four days, what would

  become the Battle of the Eastern

  Solomons began to shape up as the two

  navies sought to find each other.

  Despite the loss of the heart of the

  Imperial Navy’s carrier strike force with

  the sinking of Akagi, Kaga, Soryū and

  Hiryū at Midway, their remaining carrier

  fleet was still formidable when compared

  with the carriers the U.S. Navy could

  bring to action. The First Carrier Division

  now formed the heart of Japanese naval

  aviation, composed of the fleet carriers

  Shōkaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier

  Zuihō. The light carriers Jun´yō, Hiyō and

  Ryūjō of the Second Carrier Division were

  a worthy second line.

  At 0600 hours on August 24, Admiral

  Nagumo’s Kidō Butai turned southeast,

  into the wind, and Shōkaku and Zuikaku

  launched the first search patrols of the

  day. Admiral Kondo’s Advance Force, 120

  miles southeast, also turned to remain in

  position to guard Nagumo’s eastern flank.

  Starting at 0615 hours, the two carriers

  launched 19 Kates on searches out to

  a distance of 250 miles. No one really

  expected to locate the Americans, since

  the Japanese carriers had sailed out of

  range during the night.

  The Reinforcement Force transports were

  scheduled to arrive off Guadalcanal the

  night of August 24. If the 5th Air Attack

  Force’s Bettys could not knock out

  Henderson, carrier aircraft would have to

  be committed. Since Admiral Yamamoto

  had stipulated that the Shōkaku and

  Zuikaku air groups were not to attack land

  targets so long as Task Force 61 remained

  a threat, the only force available for an

  attack on the airfield was the small Ryūjō

  Air Group, with its nine B5N Kates and 24

  Zeros. Since the scheduled 5th Air Attack

  Force mission against Henderson was

  scrubbed because of bad weather, use of

  Ryūjō’s small force on August 24 became

  became inevitable. The strike would be

  launched as soon as she and her escorts

  were within range.

  Because there was as yet no operational

  radar as yet at Henderson, and since

  coastwatcher sightings had proven to be

  less than completely reliable due to the

  vagaries of weather in the region, Air

  Group 23 Executive Officer Lt. Colonel

  Charlie Fike had begun launching one or

  two divisions of Wildcats at “Tōjō Time,”

  1100-1500 hours, when it was most likely

  that an incoming strike might appear. Thus,

  when the small Ryūjō attack force arrived

  at 1415 hours, a division of Wildcats led by

  Marion Carl was waiting at 20,000 feet,

  with another 12 Wildcats and P-400s from

  the newly-arrived 67th Fighter Squadron

  on alert at the field. Carl’s wingman

  was Tech Sergeant Johnny Lindley, with

  2nd Lieutenant Fred Gutt flying section

  leader with VMF-212’s Marine Gunner Tex

  Hamilton on his wing.

  Aces from Guadalcanal. From left: Maj. John L. Smith, Lt. Kenneth Fraizer, Maj. John Dobbin and Maj. Robert Ga-

  ler. The first two from VMF-223 the second from VMF-224, the unit which reinforced the fighters at Guadalcanal

  on August 30.

  When the “Condition One” flag went up in response, their

  pilots scrambled to man all the available Wildcats, followed

  by a further scramble down the main runway. While they were

  supposed to take off in order of divisions and sections behind

  the flight leader, in practice everyone rushed to get airborne

  to gain the altitude advantage over the incoming bombers.

  Because of performance differences between the individual

  planes, the system of elements and divisions broke down, and

  everyone joined up on whomever was closest.

  Photo: via author

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard20

  April 2023

• Page 21

  The Ryūjō force approached Guadalcanal

  from the direction of Florida and Malaita

  islands at 10,000 feet. Lieutenant

  Murakami led the six Kates along with

  the six escorts led by Warrant Officer

  Shigemi in one formation, while the

  formation of nine “attack” Zeros led by

  Ryūjō’s Hikōtaichō (air group commander)

  Lieutenant Nōtomi, flew about 1,600 feet to

  the right of the bombers.

  Carl spotted the force over Tulagi. As he

  wheeled his four Wildcats into position,

  he radioed a warning to Henderson Field.

  When the “Condition One” flag went up in

  response, the r pilots scrambled to man

  all the available Wildcats, followed by

  a further scramble down the main runway.

  While they were supposed to take off in

  order of divisions and sections behind

  the flight leader, in practice everyone

  rushed to get airborne to gain the altitude

  advantage over the incoming bombers.

  Because of performance differences

  between the individual planes, the system

  of elements and divisions broke down,

  and everyone joined up on whomever was

  closest. Leading the dash was Captain

  Rivers Morrell, VMF-223's executive

  of ficer.

  At 1423 hours, Carl peeled off and led

  the way as the four Wildcats dived on the

  Ryūjō force. Carl lined up on six airplanes

  in the larger formation that turned out to

  be Shigemi’s six escort Zeros. Firing from

  overhead and diving through the formation

  with Technical Sergeant Lindley glued to

  his wing, Carl was certain he had set one

  of the “bombers” on fire for his first victory

  over Guadalcanal and second of the war.

  Close behind, Hamilton and Gutt fired at

  the same formation. While Hamilton was

  drawn into a protracted dogfight with

  three of the “escort” Zeros, Gutt was able

  to shoot one of the Kates and dive through

  the formation behind Carl and Lindley,

  who became separated as they zoomed to

  regain altitude for a second attack.

  The Kates came directly over the beach

  and lined up on the four 90mm antiaircraft

  guns of Battery E, 3d Defense Battalion.

  At 1428 hours the guns opened fire while

  the Kates released their 36 60-kilogram

  bombs in a group drop at 1430 hours.

  A “Betty” was claimed by the overexcited

  gunners, who actually hit nothing. The

  Kate’s drop was equally inef fective, with no

  damage inflicted even though the bombs

  detonated on either side of the guns.

  Nōtomi’s attack formation had more

  success. The three shotai formations

  attacked from three directions just as the

  bombs were dropped, strafing the runway

  with impunity. Nōtomi’s threesome caught

  The wreckage of a Wildcat after one of the Japanese raids on Henderson Field.

  Capt. Joe Foss (left) became the most successful ace of the Southern Solomons campaign and the first American

  aviator to match Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I score of 26 victories.

  Photo: via autor

  Photo: Cpl. L. M. Ashman, USMC via NHHC

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  21

  April 2023

• Page 22

  up with a Wildcat that had just lifted off

  and shot it up. Wounded in the head and

  shoulder, the pilot managed to keep the

  airplane airborne long enough to ditch

  reasonably well off Florida, where he

  was rescued by islanders and returned to

  Tulagi the next day.

  67th Fighter Squadron skipper Captain

  Dale Brannon and his wingman, 2nd

  Lieutenant Deltis Fincher, dashed for their

  Airacobras when they saw the Condition

  One flag go up. Both remembered they

  could hear the drone of the enemy

  overhead by the time they were in their

  cockpits and starting up. As they raced

  in echelon along the runway, they could

  hear the explosions of the bombs over the

  roar of their engines. Just as they lifted off

  and retracted their gear, a Zero swooped

  in front of them. They turned into one

  another and let fly with everything: eight

  .30-caliber machine guns, four .50-caliber

  machine guns, and two 20mm cannon,

  disintegrating the Zero. They flew through

  the debris as they clawed for altitude but

  were attacked in turn by the shotai leader

  and wingman of the fighter they had just

  destroyed. The enemy fighters made one

  pass and disappeared. Both P-400s were

  hit by 7.7mm bullets, but Brannon and

  Fincher were undeterred. Unfortunately,

  as Brannon later recalled, “When we got

  up to Guadalcanal, one of the first things

  that we found out was that the British had

  put a high-pressure oxygen system in

  our airplanes. The Marines had oxygen,

  but it was low pressure. I remember we

  managed to get all the way up to 16,000

  feet on our first fight. We were really

  woozy. And of course, the Zeros were way

  up above us.”

  Three Wildcats took on the retiring attack

  Zeros at low altitude over Lengo Channel.

  VMF-212’s 2nd Lieutenant Bob McLeod

  got good hits on one that he claimed

  destroyed. In fact, the pilot – Lieutenant

  Nōtomi’s wingman – was able to nurse his

  stricken fighter back over Guadalcanal,

  where he crash-landed, was found by

  Japanese troops, and was eventually

  evacuated off the island. In return,

  VMF-223’s 2nd Lieutenant Elwood Bailey

  was shot down. Last seen in his parachute,

  descending toward the water near Tulagi,

  he never made it home.

  Lieutenant Murakami’s Kates executed

  a wide formation turn to the north after

  they dropped their bombs, in an attempt to

  retire from the area. At 1433 hours, Marion

  Carl executed what observers called “the

  most beautiful overhead pass,” downing

  a Kate on the formation’s left side. Lindley

  and Gutt also fired on the Kates. As they

  did so, reinforcement began arriving.

  Captain Morrell, flying what was probably

  the best Wildcat on the island, was in the

  lead followed by five second lieutenants.

  All six attacked the five surviving Kates

  and five escort Zeros from below. As they

  did so, two attack Zeros arrived to help

  ward off the attackers. 2nd Lieutenantt

  Ken Frazier destroyed a Kate on the right

  side of the formation on his first pass

  while Carl shot a Zero off Lindley’s tail;

  however, he did not destroy it, as credited.

  Gutt was shot up and wounded in the left

  arm and left leg by another Zero, but made

  it back to Henderson Field. Lieutenants

  Rex Jeans and Red Taylor teamed up to

  disable a Kate, but Taylor - one of the six

  VMF-212 reinforcements - was immediately

  shot down and killed by a Zero. Last of all,

  VMF-212’s 2nd Lieutenant John King

  fired on a Kate that blew up. After

  Many Wildcats were destroyed not only in combat but also on the ground. Either as a result of enemy attacks or in crashes during take-off and landing. These aircraft

  then became a source of spare parts.

  Photo: via autor

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard22

  April 2023

• Page 23

  King’s victory, the Wildcats withdrew.

  Altogether, the Marines claimed 20

  confirmed victories: 12 Kates, a non-

  existent “Betty,” and seven Zeros. However,

  the Japanese lost only four Kates,

  including the one that crash-landed, and

  three Zeros, including the one Brannon

  and Fincher had blown up. Marion Carl

  was credited with four victories, including

  the phantom Betty, and was immediately

  recognized as the first Marine Corps ace.

  In fact, he was actually two kills shy, but

  would make up the difference two days

  later. The Marines had won the first big air

  battle. There would be many more.

  The End For VMF-223

  By October 2, the surviving fliers of

  VMF-223 were exhausted from near-daily

  battles and the terrible living conditions on

  Guadalcanal. That day, the enemy returned

  with another fighter sweep; the skies were

  clearer and the coastwatchers radioed

  their warning in time for the Wildcats to

  get off the field and grab sufficient altitude.

  to meet the 27 Zeros in a hard-fought

  fighter-versus-fighter battle. Leading six

  VMF-223 F4Fs, Marion Carl scored what

  would turn out to be his last victory,

  bringing his score to 16.5 before his guns

  jammed. His wingman Ken Frazier was

  able to shoot down two before the others

  turned on him and shot up his Wildcat

  badly enough that he was forced to bail

  out. His score of 12 put him in third-place in

  VMF-223's “ace race,” behind Smith and

  Carl. Newly arrived VMF-121 pilot 1st

  Lieutenant Floyd Lynch dropped one

  enemy fighter, but the top score of the

  day went to “Coach” Bauer, whose four

  victories made him an ace in only two

  sorties. This time, Japanese records

  confirmed the nine Zeros claimed by the

  Marines was accurate.

  VMF-223's exhausted fliers took off for

  what turned out to be their last mission

  from Henderson Field on October 10.

  Squadron leader John Smith led seven

  Wildcats to escort SBDs and TBFs to New

  Georgia where more enemy ships had been

  spotted. Halfway there Smith happened

  to look back and saw 15 Rufe and Pete

  floatplanes closing on his formation. He

  called a warning and reversed course; the

  other six followed. Spotting the oncoming

  Americans, the enemy formation turned to

  flee, but the Wildcats caught up and shot

  down six Petes and three Rufes. Smith’s

  Rufe was his final victory, giving him

  a total of 19 to make him the leading Marine

  ace to that point in the war.

  October 12, 1942, saw the survivors of

  VMF-223 climb aboard an R4D headed

  for Espiritu Santo. Over their nine-week

  tour, the squadron claimed 110 victories,

  including 47 Zeros and 47 Bettys. John

  L. Smith was credited with ten Bettys

  while Marion Carl claimed eight, to give

  both pilots more Japanese bombers in

  their scores than any other Marine pilots

  during the war. Nineteen pilots had landed

  at Henderson Field on August 20; ten paid

  the ultimate price.

  Adapted from “The Cactus Air Force: Air

  War Over Guadalcanal,” by Eric Hammel

  and Thomas McKelvey Cleaver; Osprey

  Publishing (2022).

  Capt. Jimmy Flatley led VF-10 to Guadalcanal after the USS Enterprise was severely damaged in the Battle of Santa Cruz.

  Photo: via autor

  HISTORY

  INFO Eduard

  23

  April 2023

• Page 24

  HISTORY

  THE HIGH-ALTITUDE HINDS

  CZECH AND CZECHOSLOVAK

  HINDS E FROM TECHNICAL

  PERSPECTIVE

  Tomáš „Hindman“ Dvořák

  INFO Eduard24

  April 2023

• Page 25

  The Hind’s E predecessor, the Hind D,

  was continually developed and many

  of the features of the Hind E were

  already adopted. The only differences

  distinguishing the two at first sight at

  every stage of development are the ATGM

  used and the location of the APU intake.

  The Hind E used more advanced and

  beam-targeted supersonic 9M114 Shturm

  missiles instead of wire-controlled

  subsonic 9M17P Falanga ones. The guiding

  system appearance also differed in the

  shape of the antenna cover on the port

  side below the nose and different doors

  and other details on the sighting/aiming

  system on the starboard side. Also, while

  the Hind D has the intake for APU on the

  starboard side of the fuselage ridge just

  opposed to the APU’s exhaust on the

  port side, the Hind E is feeding the air to

  APU through the whole tail beam via the

  triangle-shaped opening in the low part

  of the vertical stabilizer on the starboard.

  All the other features, including more

  powerful TV3-117V engines, “wet” pylons,

  shape of the main as well as tail rotor

  blades and other features can be seen not

  only on the Hind E, but also on late Hind

  D choppers, depending on the state of the

  development. But Czechoslovakia did not

  use these late Hind Ds.

  Series variations

  Early series of Hind E (numbers from

  0701 to 0710 in Czechoslovakia) were

  equipped with older type of the Friend-

  Foe identification system SRO-2 Chrom.

  It was recognizable by the “three fingers”

  antennae on the top of the WSO’s cockpit

  canopy windshield frame and on the

  bottom of the tail fin. The gun camera

  S-13 was mounted on the port side on the

  front of the joint section of the wing and

  the vertical pylon. This corresponded to

  the Hind D, but the early Hinds E lacked

  the small, bulged antenna of the warning

  system S3M Sirena (it was also absent

  on the rear of the outer pods). Instead,

  the Czechoslovak Hinds E used the

  more advanced passive system L-006

  Beryozka (birch) installed in the bulky

  oval covers on both sides of the front

  fuselage between front and rear cockpit.

  These were quite popular among pilots

  as they were used as handy shelves for

  the map cases or helmets prior to or

  after the flight. Behind and under the

  port Beryozka antenna, there was a fixed

  landing light FFP-7 added. On the trailing

  edge of the tail, two small bulges of the

  warning system antennae were added.

  These were monitoring the rear area.

  The early Hinds E also kept the frame in

  the wheel bay separating the port and

  starboard compartments.

  The early Hind D were additionally

  equipped with the flare dispensers

  ASO-2V. These were fixed to the rear of

  the tail by the metal belts encircling the

  tail. The early Hinds E had the dispensers

  screwed directly into the frame of the tail.

  As the Hind E was developed the later

  series (Nos 0786 through 0790 and 0812

  through 0816 in Czechoslovakia) had the

  gun camera removed from the port side

  wing and a new type (SS-45) installed in

  the rear pilot-in-command cockpit in the

  case on the right side of the gunsight. The

  above-mentioned frame in the main wheel

  bay was removed, which was greeted by

  technicians as it made easier the access

  to the serviced components in the bay.

  The choppers with tail numbers 0832

  through 0839 presented another step in

  the development of the Hinds E supplied

  to Czechoslovakia: The covers of the

  L-006 system were moved behind the

  rear cockpit and raised out of reach

  from the ground. The three-fingers

  SRO-2 antennae were changed for the

  trapezoidal antennae of new system

  62-01 Parol. As a third visible change, the

  flare dispensers were moved from the

  tail to the rear of the center section of

  the fuselage behind and above the wing.

  Also, their number was increased from

  four to six (three on each side). They

  firstly had covers, but as their removal

  and fixing during maintenance was rather

  complicated, the covers were gone on

  later series of Hind E.

  The last Hinds E supplied to Czecho-

  slovakia were choppers with the numbers

  0927, 0928 and 0929. They sported minor

  changes on the instrument panel in the

  rear cockpit, but otherwise were the

  same as the previous ones. Two of these

  were lost in fatal air crashes and seven

  airmen were killed.

  After several technical inspections and

  overhauls, most of the oldest Hinds E

  in the inventory of the Czech army were

  discarded and Nos. 0702, 0710, 0788,

  0790, 0815, 0835 and 0839 were sold to

  AAL company from United Arab Emirates.

  After some non-specified overhaul, they

  were sold – probably to Libya or Sudan.

  First modernization

  After the political changes in 1989, first

  upgrades to the Czechoslovak Hinds E

  were made. Due to the rising number

  of participations on Western airshows,

  HISTORY

  The original type designation of Hind E was Mi-24V, where

  the letter V means “vysotnyi” which translates as “high-

  altitude”. This corresponds to engines' higher power available

  at higher level. This allowed not only a higher ceiling but, most

  importantly, the ability to hover at higher height above sea

  level, both with or without the ground effect.

  The first batch of Hinds E sported the gun camera placed in the intersection of the end of the wing and the

  end pylon like on the Hind D but the small bumpy antenna of the warning S3M Sirena system is missing.

  Photo: author

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  25

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  equipment had to be added to ensure

  at least very basic “westernalization”.

  The GPS system, digital feet-calibrated

  altimeter and western-standard trans-

  ponder were added. The GPS antenna

  was mounted on the frame of the

  windshield of the WSO’s cockpit and the

  white fin-shaped antennae of the APX-100

  transponder were placed behind the front

  wheel bay and on the top of the tail boom.

  Stealth Hind

  The Hind E No. 0837 was selected for

  the trials of the special surface finish.

  Rubber panels covered nearly the whole

  fuselage with intention to delete the radar

  frequency and so make the helicopter

  less visible on the radar screens. The

  new surface was also painted with an

  experimental camo scheme. The paint was

  to degrade the visibility of the helicopter

  through the night vision goggles. None of

  the measures proved efficient, the only

  effect, apart of the smooth surface (the

  riveting was hidden under the rubber

  panels), was the added weight which

  unbalanced the weight distribution of the

  chopper.

  The weapons

  Apart of the above-mentioned ATGMs

  Shturm replacing the much slower

  Falanga, Hind E had a much wider variety

  of weapons. There were unguided rocket

  blocks B8V20 of 80 mm caliber, gun pods

  GUV either with 30 mm grenade launcher

  9-A-669 or with one 12,7 mm 9-A-624 four-

  barrel Gatling gun plus two 7,62 mm ones

  of the same system. Another option were

  cannon pods containing two-barrel UPK-

  23/250 cannon of 23 mm caliber, mine

  containers KMGU-2 or rocket launchers

  RM-122. More to it, up to four external fuel

  tanks, each of 450 liters of volume, could

  be fitted to the inner and outer racks. The

  Shturm missiles could be fitted not only to

  the end pylons, but also to the outer racks

  through special adapters, increasing the

  maximum number of ATGMs to eight.

  Prior to the political changes at the end of

  1989, one set of the exhaust gas cooling

  system (EVU) was supplied, but it was

  never used. This system was eventually

  tested by the Czech army in 2002 with

  a new set of the same type previously

  supplied.

  The “new” generation

  As a part of the debts payments by

  Russian Federation to Czech Republic,

  17 new Hinds E were supplied to the

  Czech army between 2003 and 2006.

  Seven of them kept the older designation

  Mi-24V, while ten others were designated

  Mi-35, which was the export designation

  of basically the same aircraft . But some

  minor differences existed.

  The first batch consisted of seven

  choppers numbered 7353 through 7358

  plus 0981. They were all powered by the

  new engines TV3-117VMA and the flare

  dispensers were fitted differently to the

  fuselage. The cockpits were painted in

  black instead of the turquoise color used

  previously. This change was done with aim

  to allow use of the night vision goggles

  (NVG). Unfortunately, the illumination was

  not NVG compatible, so the effort was

  useless.

  As there was no GPS system installed,

  these choppers were in fact the same as

  those supplied in the eighties, including

  the Cyrillic stenciling in the cockpits.

  What was missing was the system

  Friend-Foe, so these machines had

  neither the antennae of the SRO-2 Chrom,

  nor the 62-01 Parol. But early into use,

  these new choppers were fitted with

  APX-100 transponders and a little bit

  later also with LUN 3520 radio of Czech

  origin. The T-shaped black antenna was

  fitted on the tail slightly to the right side.

  In the WSO cockpit, the control panel was

  HISTORY

  The chopper number 0836 demonstrates the form of the final supply during the existence of the socialist Czechoslovakia. On the frame of the windshield of the WSO’s

  cockpit there is the trapezoidal antenna of the 62-01 Parol system and the bulky covers of the L-006 Beryozka system are already moved behind the rear cockpit.

  Photo: Petr Soukop

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  HISTORY

  The control panel of the new radio LUN 3520 allowing continuous change of the

  frequency replaced the Doppler navigation system DISS and the navigational data

  were instead supplied by the GPS system.

  Control panel of the LUN 3520 radio was fitted over the left front weaponry panel

  in the cockpit of WSO.

  The cargo compartment with two black cases for the NVG system accessory.

  Control panel of the infrared-guided missile countermeasure system L-166V-11E

  „Ispanka“ was located next to the right front weaponry panel in the WSO’s cockpit.

  Left side of the WSO’s cockpit already in black color with English stenciling and the

  conversion table from feet to meters. Necessary, as the altimeters were calibrated

  in meters.

  The proof the chopper number 3365 was originally (or was intended to be) Hind F …

  Photo: authorPhoto: author

  Photo: author

  Photo: authorPhoto: author

  Photo: author

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  mounted on the left front panel while in

  the rear cockpit of the pilot-in-command

  it replaced the now obsolete Doppler

  navigation system DISS.

  Next supplied were three Hinds E

  now designated Mi-35 as mentioned

  previously. These were Nos. 7360, 3361

  and 3362. These choppers were already

  NVG compatible, the cockpit stenciling

  was in English. In the cargo compartment,

  there are two black cases hanged on the

  starboard side to store the NVG cabling.

  These choppers were equipped with the

  GPS antenna fitted to the tube of the

  DUAS system. To be honest, the solution

  developed by the LOK (Aviation Repair

  Shops in Kbely; Kbely being part of

  Prague) looked much better …

  As a new transponder KT-76C was

  installed, its antenna was placed on the

  bottom of cover of the Shturm guiding

  system. This placement was rather

  unhappy, as the antenna was quite

  vulnerable when the towing shaft was to

  be fitted. Due to that, it was moved to the

  former position behind the front wheel

  bay like in the case of APX-100. As the

  KT-76C did not need the second antenna,

  there was none on the tail boom.

  Last seven

  The very last of the Hinds E supplied

  either to Czechoslovakia or to Czech

  Republic (Slovakia only received the

  former Czechoslovak Hinds D and E

  in the process of dividing the assets

  of Czechoslovakia and did not buy any

  new Hinds) were seven examples with

  numbers from 3365 to 3371. They were

  in the same configuration as the three

  previously supplied and underwent the

  same changes regarding the transponders

  and radio installations. Later, four of them

  (3367, 3368, 3370 and 3371) got the KT-76C

  transponders replaced by APX-119 . It was

  visible by minor change of the position of

  the antenna behind the front wheel bay

  (from centerline slightly to the starboard

  side) and the second antenna was added

  again on the top of the tail boom. At the

  end of the Hinds E service in Czech

  army, the short-wave radio Jadro was

  deleted and with it also its wire antennae

  between the rear fuselage and horizontal

  stabilizers.

  Of the 17 newly supplied Hinds E, 11 went

  through general overhaul in the LOM

  (Aviation Repair Shop Malešice; Malešice

  being part of Prague) company. They

  got the same colors (so-called NATO

  standard, as described in Czech army)

  as they were supplied from Russia in

  compliance with Czech requirements,

  but as the colors were not sprayed with

  the use of templates, the borders of the

  color shades are diffuse. The twelfth Hind

  E planned for the general overhaul did

  not make it, as it was lost in an accident

  (engine failure while conducting the hover

  check ).

  Why just the Hinds E?

  There might be a question why the Czech

  Republic opted for the already obsolete

  Hind E during negotiations with the

  HISTORY

  A nice view on the rear cockpit illuminated for the use with the NVG.

  Photo: David Všetíček

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  Russian side and did not ask for the much

  more advanced Hind J or its derivatives.

  There was for sure the aspect of the

  price, as the Hind J would have been more

  expensive and so less of them would have

  been supplied. But the main reason was

  (according to some sources) that the

  army did not want to enter a new type into

  its inventory due to logistic reasons. And

  more to it, there was a quite ambitious

  plan for upgrades, which was to be

  shared by the V4 states (Czech Republic,

  Slovakia, Poland and Hungary). But the

  plan collapsed and in effect it marked

  the beginning of the end of the Hinds E

  in the Czech army. Although a tough

  attack and transport helicopter, it had

  only the essential avionics to be allowed

  to fly in the modern airspace of the 21st

  century and would be sentenced to doom

  in the modern battlefield, as it lacks all

  the modern Defensive Avionics Systems

  as well as target and data acquisition

  systems.

  In fact, the request for Hinds E supply was

  quite a surprise for Russians because this

  version was already out of production for

  several years. But they finally fulfilled the

  request, although rather peculiarly. The

  airframes of the Hinds E supplied were

  not newly manufactured, which is clearly

  supported by the fact the serial numbers

  were the continuation of the line of the

  Hinds F supplied to Niger. The 3365 Hind

  E, i.e., Mi-24V, even had a Mi-35P machine

  data-plate. According to the author’s own

  experience, that he got during his 2001

  stay in the Rostov factory, where the

  Hinds are produced, it was a common

  practice for a Hind E to enter the general

  overhaul to leave it as an Hind F.

  In the foreign services

  Apart of the older Hinds E sold to AAL,

  Czech Republic donated six of these

  helicopters to Afghan government. In

  the Afghan National Army, they got new

  numbers 113 (originally 0836), 114 (0703),

  115 (0816), 116 (0834), 117 (0838) and 118

  (0812). During the general overhaul prior

  to being sent to Afghanistan they received

  the more powerful TV3-117VMA engines,

  while all the GPS and identification

  equipment was removed. VHF and UHF

  radios were installed and the T-shaped

  white antennae were placed on the top of

  the tail boom (for the AT-160 COM1) and

  on its bottom (AT-160 COM2). Probably the

  most visible change was the installation

  of the long tubular antenna of the HF

  radio 10-389. It ran alongside the whole

  tail boom on the starboard side. There

  were also several other minor upgrades

  and changes. These choppers served in

  Afghanistan very reliably form the end of

  November 2008 until their dischargement

  in 2016.

  HISTORY

  Antennae of the APX-100 transponder were fitted behind the front wheel bay and on the top of the tail boom.

  Photo: author

  Detail of the GPS antenna fitting developed in LOK.

  Photo: author

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  HISTORY

  This part of our series will be a summary of the

  events in the past 12 months. In the end, as usual,

  we focus on the events taking place between

  February 1 to March 1 and relevant to

  the air war.

  February 2022

  For several months the Russian troops were

  gathering near the Ukrainian borders and the

  American intelligence services warned it was not

  an exercise but preparation for the invasion. The

  government in Kremlin repeatedly stated that it

  was not going to attack Ukraine, on the contrary

  the troops would be withdrawn after the exercise

  was completed. None of it was true. On Thursday,

  February 24. 2022, early morning the massive

  bombing of the targets all over the entire Ukraine

  started and the Russian troops attacked in four

  directions – to Kiev, Kharkov, Donbas and Kherson

  from Crimea. The most important target was Kiev.

  Putin’s army wanted to capture the capital and

  consequently the whole country in a couple of days.

  The paratroopers from the helicopters were tasked

  to capture the airport Hostomel near Kiev so that

  the reinforcements and heavy equipment could be

  moved there by the transportation airplanes. The

  Russians however failed to capture Kiev and kill or

  capture Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

  He refused the American offer to evacuate saying:

  “I need ammo not a ride!”

  March 2022

  The Russian advance on Kiev and Kharkov was

  stalled and was very slow in Donbas. The Russians

  made a rapid advance in the south only. The local

  Ukrainian command there failed miserably in

  organizing the defenses, a criminal deed in fact. In

  a couple of days, Kherson, north-west of Crimea

  and Melitopol, north-east of Crimea, were captured.

  Mariupol was surrounded but the advance from

  Kherson to Mykolaiv and Odessa was halted by

  Ukrainians. The key moment was the Russian defeat

  at Voznesensk. At Kiev the Russians tried to break

  through with a convoy many kilometers long. The

  Ukrainian troops however (and Russian logistical

  mistakes) stopped the convoy and significant parts

  of it were destroyed. Without supplies the Russians

  had to start a retreat.

  April 2022

  In the beginning of month, the Russians had to

  withdraw from the areas north of Kiev. After they left

  a lot of evidence was found about the massacre of

  civilians in the town of Bucha and other cities. After

  its retreat from Kiev, the Russian army started to

  focus on Donbas where heaviest fighting has taken

  place since. Even though Russians withdrew from

  certain areas, they continued to shell the Ukrainian

  cities with missiles. Step by step the military aid for

  Ukraine started. In the beginning of April Slovakia

  was among the first countries to offer aid by

  delivering S-300 AA system. In the middle of April,

  in the Black Sea, the cruiser Moscow, a flagship of

  the Russian Black Sea Fleet was sunk having been

  hit by two Ukrainian missiles.

  May 2022

  The Ukrainians started heavy shelling and bombing

  of the Snake Island located near the coast and

  border with Romania. The island controls the

  shipping routes to Odessa. The Russians captured

  it during the first day of war. In the middle of

  May, the defenders of the steelworks Azovstal in

  Mariupol were ordered to cease the resistance.

  By May 20 all of them surrendered. Even though

  these days is considered taboo, during this

  month the Ukrainians received their first aircraft

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photo: Ukrajinian armed forces, social media and other public sources

  The air war over Ukraine

  A year of bloodshed

  The first UH-60 Black Hawk of the Ukrainian GRU military intelligence.

  Even though the Russian aggression against Ukraine started

  in the Crimea and Donbas in February 2014, and their terrorist

  activities even sooner, in February this year we commemorated

  the first anniversary of the Russian attack on the whole Ukrainian

  territory. It is the largest conflict in Europe since 1945.

  INFO Eduard30

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  HISTORY

  deliveries – 21 decommissioned Mig-29 fighters

  for the spare parts and 14 Su-25 combat aircraft.

  The deliveries were made through the mediating

  parties.

  June 2022

  In their advance in Donbas the Russians took

  advantage especially of their overwhelmingly

  superior artillery. Therefore, the Ukrainians started

  to receive the new 155 mm howitzers from the Allies

  and above all HIMARS rocket launchers which are

  crucial for destroying the Russian ammunition

  dumpsters, bridges and command posts. In June the

  Czech Mi-24 and Slovak Mi-17 helicopters arrived

  in Ukraine. In the end of the month, after another

  series of successful Ukrainian attacks, the Russian

  troops had to flee from the Snake Island. On the

  other side, after a long-lasting effort the Russians

  managed to capture the city of Severodonetsk in

  the Luhansk area.

  July 2022

  The front line practically stalled. In the beginning

  of month, the Russians captured Lysychansk but

  did not advance any further. The fiercest battles

  were fought for the town of Bakhmut and have been

  going on until the present time. The Ukrainians

  started to successfully deploy HIMARS rocket

  launchers to destroy the Russian ammunition and

  fuel dumpsters. The Russians retaliated by bombing

  the civilian targets.

  August 2022

  The Ukrainians received the anti-radar HARM

  missiles a started to use them successfully to

  blind the Russian AA defense. During this month

  the large-scale attacks were launched against

  the Russian military airports on the occupied

  Crimea. On August 29 the long-awaited Ukrainian

  counterattack was launched in the Kherson area.

  September 2022

  While the Russians focused on the defense of

  the Kherson area the Ukrainian troops launched

  a surprise attack on the other side of the front

  line. In a couple of days, they liberated Balakliya,

  Kupyansk and Izyum and by the end of the month

  Lyman and practically the whole Kharkov area.

  Putin reacted by declaring partial mobilization even

  though only in March he promised that there would

  not be any. The hastily organized referendums about

  the annexation to Russia took place on the occupied

  territories. The Russians started to use the Iranian

  kamikaze drones to bomb the Ukrainian cities.

  October 2022

  The counterattack towards Kherson continued.

  On October 6, in the vee hours, the explosion took

  place on the Kerch bridge connecting the occupied

  Crimea with Russia, one road lane was destroyed,

  and the railway section was seriously damaged. On

  October 29 in Sevastopol the attack of the remote-

  controlled boats against the Russian warships

  at anchor took place. The Russians launched the

  bombing campaign against the Ukrainian energy

  infrastructure.

  The memorial with the MiG-17 aircraft in Bachmut underwent

  renovation shortly before the war.

  Belarusian volunteers from the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment in Bachmut.

  The MiG-17 at the memorial was eventually destroyed like most of the town of Bakhmut.

  A Ukrainian soldier takes a picture in

  front of the memorial in Bachmut during

  the fighting.

  INFO Eduard

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  HISTORY

  November 2022

  On November 11, the Ukrainian troops liberated

  Kherson. It has been only 42 days since Putin

  declared the city will be Russian forever. At Bakhmut

  the fighting in the muddy trenches, reminiscent of

  WWI, continued. The Russian bombing of the civilian

  infrastructure continued as well. As a reaction to it,

  the West started to supply Ukraine with the modern

  AA defense systems.

  December 2022

  The muddy terrain did not allow any significant

  movements at the frontline. The Ukrainians, using

  the drones, attacked the airports from where

  the Russian strategic bombers took off. The USA

  promised Ukraine the delivery of the Patriot AA

  defense system and later were joined by Germany

  and Netherlands as well.

  January 2023

  The New Year started with the largest massacre

  of the Russian soldiers when the building where

  hundreds of them stayed for celebrations, including

  the stored ammunition, was hit by HIMARS missiles.

  There was an ammunition dumpster in that building

  as well. After several months, the Russians

  achieved the breakthrough at Bakhmut. They took

  advantage of the poorly planned Ukrainian troops

  rotation and captured the town of Soledar north

  of Bakhmut. Germany and USA promised Ukraine

  Marder and Bradley AFVs.

  February 2023

  The Russians continued with the push they initiated

  immediately after the New Year. They tried to

  attack along the whole frontline, from Kupyansk

  and Kremnina at the junction of the Kharkov and

  Luhansk areas through Bakhmut and Avdiivka in

  Donetsk up to Vuhledar. The pressure at places was

  enormous accompanied by large losses, but the

  advance was minimal. According to some reports,

  in two months since the beginning of the year the

  Russians captured only 85 square kilometers of

  territory. Each square kilometer of the Ukrainian

  territory gained cost them 250 soldiers killed …

  Especially at Vuhledar, where they stubbornly

  attacked across the large, widely open terrain, the

  Russians suffered big losses – they lost more than

  hundred tanks and armored vehicles and the whole

  Marine brigade.

  Russian losses

  Several aircraft and helicopters were reported

  shot down on both sides, but these claims could

  not be verified. Same as during the previous

  months, many of these destroyed aircraft could

  be only documented later when the wrecks were

  discovered, and the new images surfaced. The

  destruction of the Russian Mi-35M helicopter (other

  sources stated Mi-24VM) was confirmed however

  as it had to perform emergency landing on February

  9 near the frontline at Tokarivka in the Kharkov

  area, barely 3 kilometers from the Russian border.

  Immediately after landing it was destroyed by the

  artillery fire from the 14th Independent Mechanized

  Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was

  recorded on video by a drone and later photographs

  appeared showing a helicopter wreck lying on the

  side. On Monday, February 13, the Russian Sukhoi

  Russia launched at least six balloons with corner radar reflectors into Ukraine on

  February 15. At least one of them was shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.

  A Russian Mi-35M had to make an emergency landing near Tokarivka in the Kharkiv

  region on February 9 and was subsequently destroyed by Ukrainian artillery.

  Su-25 with designation RF-95143 and fuselage number “yellow 37” photographed

  in February 2022 in Belarus and destroyed a year later in Belgorod Oblast.

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  HISTORY

  Su-24M, carrying registration RF-93799 and bort

  number “blue 45”, was hit above Bakhmut by the

  portable missiles. Its crew members belonged to

  the so-called Wagner mercenary group. Despite

  the number thirteen in the date, the aviators were

  lucky and managed to land the burning aircraft

  at their home base. On February 23, the pilot of

  the Su-25SM carrying registration RF-95143 and

  bort number “yellow 37”, was not so lucky. On his

  return from the combat mission, he crashed near

  the village of Orekhovo in the district of Valyuki

  in Belgorod area. The cause of the crash was

  supposed to be a mechanical failure. The pilot from

  the 266th Squadron of the Attack Aviation did not

  survive.

  Ukrainian losses

  During the reported period, loss of one Ukrainian

  aircraft was confirmed. On February 13 near

  Pishchanka in Vinnytsa area, while intercepting

  the Iranian-made drones Shahed-136, a Mig-29

  was destroyed. Its pilot, Lieutenant Dmytro

  Shklyarevskyi saved himself on the ejection seat

  but suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized.

  From the hospital the pilot wrote that he had

  survived by a miracle and an operation was

  awaiting him. On the same day, the information

  appeared in the Ukrainian media that after four

  months long recovery Major Vadym Voroshylov

  from 204th Brigade of the Tactical Aviation returned

  to the duty. We wrote about him in the previous

  parts of this series. On October 12 he shot down

  five Shahed-136 drones and the debris from the last

  one hit his Mig-29 and he also had to eject. Hanging

  on the parachute he took a selfie of his bloodied

  face – in this way he wanted to check his wounds.

  Also, the images of the Ukrainian Mi-8, hit under

  unknown circumstances in the previous period,

  appeared. First, on February 13, an image of the

  Mi-8MSB

  -

  V sporting digital camouflage and bort

  number “yellow 88”, was published. The fuselage

  of the damaged helicopter was filmed during its

  ground transportation. Immediately next day, on

  February 14, the video of another Mi-8MSB

  -

  V wreck

  carrying digital camouflage, appeared. The wreck,

  lying in the snow-covered countryside, was filmed

  from the board of another Mi-8. No further details

  are known at this time.

  Equipment deliveries

  On February 21, the Ukrainian military intelligence

  service GRU published the photograph of the

  first Black Hawk helicopter in its service. Based

  on the coloration it was determined that it was

  Shots of the wreckage

  of a Ukrainian Mi-8

  helicopter from the

  deck of another

  chopper of this type.

  Su-24M of the Ukrainian Air Force. The yellow coloring of the lower surfaces is to prevent firing from their own ranks.

  Damaged Ukrainian Mi-8MSB

  -

  V in digital

  camouflage during ground transport.

  Sequence of shots of a Ukrainian Tu-143 drone launching from an SPU-143 wheeled launcher.

  INFO Eduard

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  HISTORY

  most likely the former US Army UH-60A serial

  number 80-23439 which later received the civilian

  registration N60FW and was modernized by Ace

  Aeronautics company from Alabama. After a long

  diplomatic pressure, Germany, USA and the Great

  Britain committed to deliveries of the modern

  tanks Leopard 2, Abrams and Challenger 2. Other

  countries joined the effort to deliver Leopard tanks,

  Poland in the first place. Training of the Ukrainian

  tank crews began in Germany, Poland and Great

  Britain and during our reporting period the first

  Leopard 2A4 tanks arrived in Ukraine from Poland.

  After this delivery the discussion started about

  deliveries of fighters and long-range missiles.

  We will talk about this next time.

  Russian improvisations

  While the stream of the modern armor is coming

  to Ukraine increasing variety of the emergency

  modifications appear on the Russian side. In a year

  of fighting Russians lost more than 1700 tanks, 2100

  AFVs and further 1000 armored personnel carriers

  and other armored vehicles. Moreover, these are

  all the losses documented on the Onyx server by

  photographs and videos, the actual losses will be

  even higher. The high losses lead to the deployment

  of the artillery tractor MT

  -

  LB, originating in the

  1950s, in the role of an AFV. It had not been intended

  for the first line employment therefore it features

  weak armor (maximum 10 mm on the hull) and

  light armament (one 7.62 mm machine gun).

  To increase the firepower of these vehicles the

  Russians started to install the naval AA cannons on

  them, which were removed from the old warships

  rusting in the ports. Part of the modifications are

  2M-7 turrets carrying 14.5 mm caliber twin machine

  guns which in 1950s had been installed on the small

  torpedo and patrol boats.

  The 2M-3 turrets carrying the 25 mm caliber twin

  cannons promise better firepower. This weapon

  was produced during 1953–1984 in the Soviet Union

  and was installed on patrol ships, minelayers or

  landing crafts. Only the Soviet Navy used 25 mm

  caliber 110-PM cannons. Their rate of fire was up to

  300 rounds per minute, horizontal range 2.5 km and

  vertical range 1.7 km. However, their installation on

  Russian MT

  -

  LB with 2M-7 naval turrets with two 14.5 mm caliber machine guns.

  MT

  -

  LB with barbette and

  2M-3 turret with a pair of

  25 mm caliber guns, which

  the Russians removed from

  the old ships.

  INFO Eduard34

  April 2023

• Page 35

  HISTORY

  MT

  -

  LB is bizarre. They are welded on the ceiling of

  the rear part of the hull including the whole ship

  barbette, instead of cutting the opening in the

  hull and putting the barbette inside. This doubled

  the vehicle’s height. Originally these turrets were

  designed for the AA warfare, but they cannot meet

  the current requirements. They only feature manual

  aiming which is sufficient for the slow flying targets.

  It is supposed then that these vehicles are assigned

  to ground warfare, to provide supporting fire for the

  infantry. Due to their height, however, they present

  an easy target for the opponent.

  Drone attacks

  In addition to their effort to break through the

  Ukrainian defense on the front line the Russians

  continued with shelling of the civilian infrastructure

  in the Ukrainian cities. During the large-scale attack

  on February 10, they launched 71 cruising missiles

  out of which 61 were shot down by the Ukrainian AA

  fire. 20 Shahed-136 drones were destroyed as well.

  However, the rockets that penetrated the defense

  hit and damaged four power stations. In addition

  to the missiles and drones the Russians started to

  launch the balloons. They carry the radar reflectors

  which deflect the radar microwaves back to its

  antenna. This causes a strong disturbance on the

  radar screen. The goal is to disable the Ukrainian

  AA defense. Not only the Ukrainians waste the

  precious rockets on the useless balloon, but the

  chances are that the actual missiles will break

  through as the anti-weapon will be confused by

  multiple targets. The Ukrainians also retaliated by

  the drone attacks. During February 27 and 28 the

  whole series of incidents took place deep in the

  Russian territory. Ukrainians do not officially claim

  them but the whole situation looks like testing the

  capabilities of the variety of UAVs before the large-

  scale attack. There were different types of drones

  used on different targets. The Russians official

  statement is that all these drones were shot down

  and no damages were sustained which is not quite

  true in the case of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast.

  On Tuesday, February 28 the Rosneft oil refinery

  was damaged by the drone explosion. A smaller fire

  broke out. The Russians were lucky as the explosion

  and fire took place away of the main oil tanks.

  At the same time the attack of at least 15 drones

  was launched on the targets in Crimea, at least two

  hit Belgorod in the Russian territory. The old Tu-141

  Strizh jet reconnaissance drone, full of explosives,

  crashed in the Krasnodar southern outskirts. One

  drone crashed right next to the gas compressor

  station in Kolomen area which is only 100 km

  south of Moscow! No surprise the the Russians

  started to build the AA defense around Moscow

  and even the Pancir AA systems appeared on the

  roofs of several houses in the Russian capital.

  However, the most daring attack against the

  Russian targets took place at the end of February

  in Belarus. On February 26, at the Machulishchy

  base near Minsk two explosions damaged Beriev

  A-50U AWACS aircraft. The Russian AF has been

  operating out of this base since the beginning of

  war and besides A-50U Mig-31s are flown out of

  there. The attack was supposedly conducted by

  the Belorussian resistance who consequently

  fled the country. According to their claims they

  damaged the radome and the hump containing the

  satellite communication located behind the pilot’s

  cockpit. They used two commercial drones each

  carrying 200 grams of explosives. At least the

  hump damaged behind the cockpit was recorded

  on video and later confirmed by satellite images.

  Destroying the electronics effectively disabled

  A-50U from performing its missions even though

  the flight capabilities were not impaired by such

  small charges. A couple of days later the aircraft

  was flown in for repairs. The question is how fast

  the Russians can fix it. Only seven A-50U were built

  in 10 years, between 2011 and 2021.

  Satellite shot of Maxar after the attack. Damage to the hump on the fuselage

  and the antenna dish are discernible.

  Russian Defense Ministry photo of an A-50U before the drone attack.

  Footage of the attacking drone. It landed on a hump with antennas

  on the back of the aircraft and exploded there.

  A drone also crashed near Kolomna, just 100 km

  from Moscow, on February 28.

  A satellite image of an A-50U at Belarus’ Machulishchy airport was taken

  by Planet Labs PBC shortly before the attack.

  INFO Eduard

  35

  April 2023

• Page 36

  HISTORY

  Wreckage of a Tu-141 Strizh drone that landed

  on the outskirts of Krasnodar on February 28.

  Drones also landed on Belgorod on February 27 .

  Refinery in Tuapse damaged by drone strike on February 28.

  INFO Eduard36

  April 2023

• Page 37

  #82183

  BOXART STORY

  When the first prototype Z-326, serial number

  301 with the OK-90 matriculation (later

  changed to OK

  -

  LHA), took off at 9.20 a.m on

  August 12, 1957, it marked a further extension

  of the Z-26 series production. It was to

  end with the Z-226 version, but persistent

  interest abroad eventually exacted not only

  the resumption of production, but also a fairly

  significant modernization of the entire design.

  The Z-326 with its retractable undercarriage

  and new cockpit canopy moved further away

  from the original design of a wooden wing

  and tailplane underpowered aircraft with

  a four-cylinder engine. In the form of the

  Z-326 Trener Master, it was an all-metal,

  six-cylinder aircraft with the aforementioned

  retractable landing gear, which, like the

  Z-226T, was also very good in aerobatics

  (though not as good, being heavier) and could

  also be used for basic training of both civilian

  and military pilots, as well as for flying for

  fun or towing gliders.

  The Czechoslovak People’s Army ordered ten

  C-305s, a slightly modified military version

  of the civilian version, after good experience

  with the previous C-5, C-105 and C-205

  versions. These aircraft, delivered in 1960,

  sported several minor changes. They had

  small signal lights on the undercarriage leg

  covers, illumination of the cockpit and flares

  dispenser with a small control panel in the

  cockpit. The undercarriage lights were not

  there to illuminate the surface during taxi,

  but to signal the undercarriage is down. As

  the C-305s had all the instruments needed

  for night flying, future military pilots did so.

  A young pilot often had a full plate during his

  first night solos, even with such an easy-to-

  control aircraft the Trener was. So, the risk

  of forgetting to deploy the landing gear and

  subsequently bellying the aircraft was high.

  Two small lights therefore signaled to the

  observer on the ground the landing gear of

  the aircraft was down. In case no lights were

  visible a flare was fired to “wake up” the pilot,

  who either still had time to get the wheels

  down or he had not and then retracted the

  flaps, gave the full throttle and went for

  another try.

  C-305s were also used for training Indonesian

  pilots in Czechoslovakia then nearly all of

  them were gradually handed over to Svazarm

  (organization for cooperation between civilian

  sector and army) from 1970. The aircraft with

  number 0610 was among the last to be handed

  over. This was done in September 1972 and

  the aircraft was assigned to the Kladno Aero

  Club and obtained the OK

  -

  OTE registration. It

  was one of the C-305s that were delivered

  to the army in simple aluminum overpaint

  instead of the more attractive green-blue

  metallic supplemented with blue and white

  stripes on the fuselage. And in this form the

  former 0610 began its civilian career. Not long

  afterwards, a cartoon of a cheerful crab was

  painted on the left side of the engine cowling.

  The painting was inspired by the well-

  known author of animal-themed cartoons,

  Pavel Kantorek. In addition, the front of the

  engine cover was painted blue while the

  wing tips and the upper part of the vertical

  stabilizer were painted red. A little later, the

  undercarriage covers got black paint with

  two stripes (presumably white). Later still,

  as part of the overhaul, OK

  -

  OTE received

  a red paint job in standard Z-226, but it can’t

  be said to have helped its appearance... In the

  end, however, it got the attractive metallic

  military coloring mentioned above. It was

  done in the Zbraslav Aero Club in 2008 after

  the aircraft was repaired from a previous

  accident. Today it is in the possession of the

  Military Historical Institute, unfortunately in

  a non-airworthy condition.

  In 1972, however, it was still in good shape,

  albeit with one limitation: “OK

  -

  OTE was

  classified in Normal category and thus was

  not allowed to fly aerobatics. It was due to

  the collision with another C-305 in which it

  suffered major fuselage damage during its

  military career. Before it was modified for

  towing of gliders, we used it only for training

  day and night and for navigation flights,”

  recalls Jasoň Kučera, a long-time member of

  the Kladno Aero Club.

  On the boxart of kit No. 82183, made by Adam

  Tooby, an unspecified aeroclub member

  from Kladno is flying with OK

  -

  OTE over

  the beautiful landscape of the Křivoklát

  Protected Landscape Area. Apparently before

  the OK

  -

  OTE got the towing equipment, and

  also before the landscape below became the

  PLA Křivoklát...

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Happy crab

  INFO Eduard

  37

  April 2023

• Page 38

  The Battle of Britain is one of a long list of

  legendary milestones that defined World War

  Two, though it’s the only one that played out

  exclusively in the air. Between August 8 and

  October 31, 1940, the Luftwaffe paid for the

  Battle of Britain with the loss of 221 Bf 110s,

  either destroyed outright or heavily damaged.

  Approximately four hundred of their airmen

  were either killed in action, captured, or

  seriously injured. German airmen including

  Bf 110 and bomber crews claimed 2,169

  victories.

  The RAF experienced Bf 110 crews created

  a defensive circle (Abwehrkreis), but this was

  not always a strictly defensive manoeuvre.

  Bf 110 airmen often used it as a decoy to

  attract the attention of the enemy and allow

  their bomber colleagues to escape.

  However, if a Bf 110 crew had the freedom to

  choose the tactical situation, the advantages

  of their aircraft could be used with great

  success against Spitfires and Hurricanes,

  such as concentrated firepower, long range,

  better initial acceleration in a dive, better rate

  of climb and a higher operational altitude.

  But when Bf 110 crews were forced to provide

  direct escort to the bombers, they could get

  into trouble because of the lower speed of

  bombers. If they wished to retain their speed

  advantage, the German fighters were forced

  to manoeuvre around the bomber formation.

  In a way, they were like dogs on a chain.

  This was the situation that RAF fighters

  observed when defending against the air raid

  of September 3, 1940, re-created in artwork

  by Piotr Forkasiewicz. The Luftwaffe sent 73

  bombers escorted by nearly 500 fighters to

  the targets near London. The bombers were

  divided into several groups. A formation of

  thirty Do 17s from II./KG 2 hit the North Weald

  airfield, escorted by Bf 110s from I./ZG 2 and

  III./ZG 26 and Bf 109s from JG 26.

  On departure, the Germans got into a dogfight

  with Hurricanes from No. 17 Sqn RAF and

  Czechoslovak No. 310 Sq as well as Spitfires

  from No. 19, 54 and 222 Sqn RAF. A total of

  five Bf 110s from I./ZG 2 went down. Off the

  English coast, I./ZG 26 joined the defence.

  One Bf 110 was lost by I./ZG 26 another one by

  II./ZG 26 (plus one damaged) and two had to

  be written off by III./ZG 26.

  Al Deere of No. 54 Sqn RAF was trying to

  get into a firing position behind one Bf 110

  of ZG 26 when his target was unexpectedly

  attacked by Colin Gray in a vertical dive.

  To Deere's surprise and considerable

  displeasure, the enemy aircraft burst into

  flames under the fire of his colleague. He had

  to admit, however, that Gray had performed

  an incredible feat of marksmanship. But to

  boost the artillery men's morale the victory

  was eventually credited to the AA unit, to the

  chagrin of all the airmen.

  The Germans lost only one Dornier 17. The

  Bf 110s crews scored some 20 victories and,

  according to British records, can be credited

  with about nine RAF fighters shot down and

  seven damaged. Five RAF pilots were killed

  and six suffered injuries. Although the Bf 110

  were chained to the bombers like dogs, they

  could bite to death. The machine “3U+GT”,

  which is depicted in Piotr’s artwork, belonged

  to 9./ZG 26 that emerged successfully from

  the battle. Two Spitfires were claimed by

  Ofhr. Lugger, one Spitfire and one Hurricane

  were claimed by Lt. Sidow while Lt. Grisslich

  and Ofw. Hott each shot down a Spitfire. The

  crew of the badly damaged “3U+GT” made an

  emergency landing at Wissant without injury,

  but their machine had to be written off.

  How successful was the Bf 110 in the role of

  fighter in the Battle of Britain? There are well

  documented victories and losses of Spitfire,

  Hurricane and Bf 109 units, giving their kill/

  loss ratios as 1.7, 1.2 and 1.5 respectively. The

  Bf 110 units are a bit enigmatic due to missing

  detailed records about their victories. Only

  216 aerial victories are documented in detail

  between August 8 and October 31, 1940.

  However, this figure is based on records of

  only three Zerstörergruppen, while details of

  four others are completely missing!

  However, from the data of the higher

  Luftwaffe command, it is known that during

  the abovementioned period, Bf 110 and

  bomber crews claimed almost 600 victories.

  If we accept the estimate that 75 % of this

  figure was achieved by Bf 110 airmen, then we

  get an unexpected champion of the Battle of

  Britain. The kill/loss ratio for the Bf 110 would

  be 2! Despite this achievement, the battle

  ended with the first German failure since the

  beginning of the war.

  BOXART STORY #8209

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Like dogs on chains

  INFO Eduard38

  April 2023

• Page 39

  #84117

  BOXART STORY

  On February 11, 1943, with the help of Soviet

  aviation units, the Soviet 55th Army of

  Leningrad Front continued its offensive as

  a part of the “Polar Star” operation against

  German Army Group Nord. So the fighters

  of JG 54 created an “umbrella” over the

  German ground units to prevent raids by

  groups of Soviet ground attack aircraft. The

  following description covers only one hour of

  fighting over the front.

  One of the Shturmovik groups consisted of

  four Il-2s of 57. ShAP KBF led by St. Lt. V.

  Soldatov escorted by Kpt. A. Baturin’s five

  I-153s 71. IAP KBF approached the frontline

  around 11:35 and was reportedly intercepted

  by more than 10 Fw 190 and Bf 109 fighters.

  Soviet biplanes were tied in air combat and

  set up a defensive circle, but despite all the

  combat instructions demanding Il-2 leaders to

  keep with their fighter escort, the Shturmovik

  group continued its way along the route

  Popovka–Nikolskoye seeking for targets. As

  a result, all were lost.

  They were attacked by several 2./JG 54

  Fw 190s. Apparently the Shturmoviks, most

  of which were one-seaters without gunners,

  decided to split and try to reach Soviet lines

  in two pairs. Those two who turned right were

  attacked by Oblt. H. Götz (claims at 11:33 and

  11:40) and Fw. H

  -

  J. Kroshinski (11:35), while the

  left pair was shot down by Lt. A. Mack (11:38)

  and Fw. Otto Kittel (11:42). It is supposed the

  first aircraft downed was a wingman’s one-

  seater with board number 41 piloted by young

  Sgt. Pavel Myakinkiy. The others were one-

  seaters No. 33 and No. 39 of deputy squadron

  commander Soldatov (credited with some

  15 combat sorties) and Stn. A. Litvinov

  (2 sorties) and two-seater No. 35.

  As it was discovered after the war, Myakinkiy

  managed to survive the crash-landing and

  made his way to the frontline. In the forest

  he met another Soviet pilot with a broken leg.

  By night they plodded to Pustyn’ka railway

  station and Pavel tried to find a rest in the

  house of locals. Unfortunately, the house he

  knocked to was occupied by German station

  guards and he was killed by a hand-grenade

  in the following skirmish. His wounded friend

  was found in a haystack nearby and beaten

  to death with rifle butts. Locals found Pavel’s

  documents as well as pilot’s wife letter

  addressed to “Mikhail” and buried the aviators.

  Then JG 54 attacked another group of four

  Il-2s of 57. ShAP KBF led by Ml. Lt. P. Morozov

  escorted by three Yak-7s, one Yak-1 of Maj. G.

  Romanov and four I-16 of Lt. A. Lomakin of 21.

  IAP KBF. The Shturmoviks arrived on the battle

  scene at 11:45 and had time to make their first

  strafing attack against targets in Nikolskoye.

  On their second run they were reportedly

  attacked by two Fw 190s and eight Bf 109s

  coming from the side and at first glance

  Soviet pilots thought those were also Soviet

  aircraft. But they were obviously 1./JG 54’s

  Fw 190s of Lt. H. Adameit and Uffz. R. Raupach

  accompanied by 4./JG 54’s Bf 109s. The Yaks

  were involved in battle with the Bf 109s

  resulting in two apparently unsubstantiated

  claims, while Germans claimed “LaGG-3”. Yaks

  later joined the surviving Il-2 group north of

  Neva river, without losses and escorted them

  safely to Grazhdanka airfield. Before that

  the Fw 190s had managed to make several

  attacks, damaging two Shturmoviks and

  claiming three.

  A Group of two Il-2s of 943. ShAP led by Maj.

  Mikhail Vasilyev escorted by two Yak-1s of

  14. GIAP and two P-40s of 196. IAP led by St.Lt.

  A. Slipchenko had failed to fulfil its task and

  returned to base. Behind the enemy lines near

  Zakhozhye the wingman rammed his leader

  and Vasilyev went missing. Most probably,

  this is the unknown pilot with a broken leg

  killed together with Myakinkiy. On the way

  back home the Shturmovik fighter escort

  was attacked at 11:50 by lone Messerschmitt

  without result.

  As result of the day the Luftwaffe fighters

  claimed 19 Soviet aircraft shot down on

  Leningrad front, including 8 Il-2, 4 P-40,

  a P-39, 4 LaGG-3, one MiG-3 and one La-5.

  Two Fw 190 and one Bf 109 were shot down by

  fighters, one Ju 87 and one Bf 110 by ground

  fire. On the other hand, Soviet 13th Air Army

  and subordinated navy units lost 4 Il-2, 1 La-5,

  1 P-40 and 1 MiG-3 shot down in air combats,

  one more MiG-3 made a forced landing on

  airfield and 2 Il-2 were damaged. One Il-2 was

  lost due to aerial collision and another one shot

  by Flak. Meanwhile the Soviet pilots claimed

  16 German aircraft shot down, including 6

  Fw 190, 5 Bf 109, 4 Ju 87, a Ju 88 plus a Ju 87

  and one Bf 109 claimed by AA units.

  Text: Andrey Dikov

  Illustration: Marek Ryś

  Green Hearts Umbrella

  INFO Eduard

  39

  April 2023

• Page 40

  BOXART STORY #84187

  At the end of the war, the Me 262 jets

  pushed the boundary of flight performance

  above the level of all fighters of the time.

  Yet they were not invincible. In addition to

  the faulty deployment and the technical

  problems, surprise or disadvantageous

  position at the enemy encounter often dealt

  them a fatal blow. But the biggest trouble

  was the landing approach, during which

  the Schwalbe was most vulnerable. In any

  case, shooting down a jet was something

  special for any Allied fighter and by the end

  of the war, a good number of them had this

  valuable scalp to their credit.

  One of the former pilots of the Me 262,

  Hubert Lange, said that the most dangerous

  opponent in his opinion was the Hawker

  Tempest. “It was extremely fast at low

  altitudes, very agile and heavily armed,”

  the German pilot recalled. Some Me 262s

  fell victim to a tactic known in No. 135 Wing

  as the “Rat Scramble”. In this scenario the

  scramble Tempests standed at the runway

  of the B-80 Volkel Air Base waiting for the

  notice about Me 262 in the air. Then they

  took off immediately, but the pilots made

  no attempt to engage the German jets.

  They instead headed straight for Rheine-

  Hopsten airfield where the Me 262 and

  Ar 234 were based. The aim was to attack

  the jets during their approach to land, when

  they were flying slowly with flaps deployed,

  so they were unable to accelerate. The

  German response to this tactic was a strong

  air defense system with more than 500

  Anti-Aircraft batteries including over 150

  four-barrel 20mm Flakvierling batteries

  specifically protecting the landing approach

  area. After seven Tempests were lost to

  flak fire at Hopsten within a week, the Rat

  Scramble tactic was abandoned.

  On November 3, 1944, however, W/Cdr John

  B. Wray, commander of No. 122 Wing, was

  not in the air to hunt rats. He was up for an

  “air test” with his personal Tempest coded

  JBW. At the same time, he was going to try

  out the new anti-glare goggles. At 18,000 ft

  (5,500 m), he saw two Me 262s about 2,000

  ft (700 m) below. They were not at their top

  speed, but spotting him, they turned tail.

  Wray dived on the nearest one and opened

  fire at 300 yards. Several 20 mm shells hit

  their target, which flipped onto its back and

  dived vertically into the cloud. Wray claimed

  it as a “probable” but was only credited

  with a “damaged”. But as post-war records

  revealed, this Schwalbe did not actually

  survive his attack.

  More than a month later, on December 17,

  Wray took off again from Volkel Base and

  was steered by No. 83 Group Control Center

  to Weert, where several jets had been

  spotted. Shortly after he turned his Tempest

  at an altitude of just 2,500 ft (760 m) to the

  south, he saw a pair of Me 262s crossing his

  path, flying westwards. He began to pursue

  the leader of the pair while his wingman

  focused on the other Schwalbe. Although

  both were on full throttle, using maximum

  power of their Napier Sabre engines, the

  Me 262s were pulling away from them,

  gently descending. Neither of the men in

  the cockpits of the Tempests could have

  done anything about it had it not been for

  a surprising reversal. For some reason, the

  pilot of the leading Schwalbe decided to

  turn left and continued until he was heading

  east. This put him directly in front of Wray's

  guns.

  It was perhaps only at that moment that

  the German pilot realized what a mistake

  he had made and began to maneuver wildly

  at low level. This was his second mistake,

  because instead of using full power to

  increase the distance between himself and

  the dangerous Tempest, he thus continued

  to lose his speed advantage and probably

  also lost sight of his surroundings, he

  subsequently hit a building with the wing

  and only a few seconds later crashed

  into the waters of the nearby Rhine. The

  moment just before the fatal collision with

  the building was captured by Adam Tooby

  on his boxart. We may never know why the

  pilot of the Me 262 made the unfortunate

  maneuver that put him in a very awkward

  position. He may not have known about the

  Tempest pair before. In any case, he was

  one of the twelve confirmed Me 262s lost

  in combat with the Tempests, sixteen more

  being acknowledged as damaged by the

  Allied pilots of these mighty fighters.

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Fatal mistake

  INFO Eduard40

  April 2023

• Page 41

  BOXART STORY

  #7055

  “Canopy, oxygen, KAP, ARK, SRO, battery, gyro,

  landing gear ...” The instructor listens to the

  pre-flight check by the student pilot in the

  front cockpit. A few seconds later, the student

  moves the thrust lever forward, revs the

  RD-45 engine to 11,560 rpm, releases the

  brakes and heads out for his examination

  flight. Unless he screws up, he's in for

  his desired first solo flight ... “Watch the

  heading,” comes the instructor’s calm voice

  over the headset as the nose lifts. “He's really

  got a good memory,” flashes through the

  student’s mind as the main gear wheels leave

  the concrete runway. He screwed up one of

  his first take offs as he got a little bit off

  the heading of the runway and immediately

  got a telling off from the instructor. So far

  today, though, it’s looking good. He’s raising

  the landing gear, retracts flaps and takes

  the engine revs down to 10,800 rpm. An eye

  on the exhaust gas temperature: 680°C.

  That’s good. Feeling like everything's going

  like clockwork, he sets course towards the

  training zone…

  The year 1951 marked a major breakpoint for

  the Czechoslovak Air Force. After a period

  in which a handful of pilots had become

  familiar with the S-92, i.e., the Me 262, or

  with the early designs of Soviet jets as

  the Yak-17 and Yak-23, the wheels of first

  MiG-15s touched the runway of Mladá

  airbase in May. The qualitative leap from the

  madcap and unreliable propeller-driven Avia

  S-199s to the best jet available at the time

  was enormous. Moreover, Czechoslovakia

  was the first country to obtain the rights to

  license production of the MiG-15. A licensing

  agreement was signed on April 17, 1951. The

  first ten MiG-15s were however assembled

  from parts shipped from the USSR, and the

  first of these took to the air on November 6,

  1951. As early as May, however, the Air Force

  took delivery of six single-seat MiG-15s

  which flew in directly from the USSR. In July,

  they were supplemented by four two-seaters

  UTI MiG-15s, delivered in crates. All these

  aircraft were intended for the No. 5 Fighter

  Squadron based at Mladá airbase. It was

  the only unit in Czechoslovakia to use the

  S-92/CS-92 (Me 262) and S-101 (Yak-23) jets.

  This unit was transformed into the Air Force

  Jet Training Center (PVSL) on June 1, 1951 and

  Lt. Col. Jaroslav Týkal, later Czechoslovak

  Air Force commander, led it for the first

  two months.

  The Center first task was to retrain the

  personnel of the entire 3 Air Division, which

  command was subsequently taken over by

  Lt. Col. Týkal. Since then, the UTI MiG-15s

  were in constant use and their need grew

  as the number of pilots of this type was

  increasing. However, the Czechoslovakian

  production started only in 1954, until then the

  aircraft used for training and conversions

  were delivered directly from the USSR. A total

  of 3,454 MiG-15s rolled off the Czechoslovak

  production lines, and the UTI trainer was

  by far the most numerous of the variants

  produced. By 1961, 2013 of them had been

  produced, most of them were exported. Only

  155 were destined for the Czechoslovak Air

  Force, where they ended their service on April

  1, 1983, with the 4th Squadron, of 1 Fighter

  Air Regiment based in České Budějovice.

  At that time, the unit's inventory included two

  UTI MiG-15s, Nos. 2311 and 2470.

  The aircraft No. 2463 depicted in the painting

  by Kateřina Borecká, started its service

  in 1957 at 15 Fighter Air Regiment based in

  Žatec. In 1970 it underwent repairs at the

  Kbely Aviation Maintenance Center (LOK)

  and was assigned to 6 Fighter-Bomber air

  Regiment in Přerov. Its service ended with

  30 Fighter-Bomber air Regiment in Hradec

  Králové at the beginning of 1983.

  ... A hand on the throttle pulled it back to speed

  down to below 400 km/h, the maximum for

  flaps and landing gear deployment. But there

  was still time for it. First, he had to obtain

  clearance to enter the airfield traffic pattern,

  then to adjust the altitude and lower the

  speed even more. “Slow down descending,”

  comes the instructor’s voice in the headset,

  but more just for saying something at last, as

  there wasn't a single comment from the back

  cockpit during the whole time of maneuvering

  in the training zone. On the final approach,

  everything looked fine and after the landing

  gear wheels touched the runway smoothly,

  he knew, he’d done it. “Are you afraid?” the

  instructor snaped at him, barely out of the

  cockpit. “N... no, Captain,” the student pilot

  replied in surprise. “Okay, so scat and prepare

  yourself for solo flight!”

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Kateřina Borecká

  The Breakpoint

  INFO Eduard

  41

  April 2023

• Page 42

  CHEMISTRY

  Text: Josef Blažek

  Foto: autor

  We will then focus on cyanoacrylate (CA)

  glues, their accessories, epoxy adhesives and

  dispersive type glues. We will discuss their

  differences and their composition, how they work,

  and their properties that make them suitable for

  different situations. We’ll demonstrate specific

  glue types, with products from Bolt due to their

  wide range of products and popularity among

  modellers. However, the characteristics we will

  be discussing are applicable to products from

  other manufacturers as well.

  CYANOACRYLATE GLUES

  These are also known as instant glue and often

  shortened to CA, and as the name implies,

  these are rapid curing systems that harden on

  contact with the bonding surfaces. Practical

  applications of these types of adhesives are far

  and wide, to include such materials as plastics,

  glass, metal, fabric, paper and wood. Bonded

  materials can be dissimilar. They can easily

  be obtained from hardware and hobby stores

  and pretty much any place that caters to the

  handyman. To begin, we’ll discuss the principle

  on which these glues work. They are based on an

  unstable compound, which in this case is ethyl

  cyanoacrylate. The compound reacts with water

  (or moisture in the air) to quickly harden. To get

  a little more technical, the chemical reaction

  with water leads to reactive sites at the end of

  the molecular chains. These reactive sites then

  connect to each other under the influence of the

  ongoing reaction, which leads to the formation

  of a dense network of interconnected molecules.

  This process is actually visible to the naked

  eye. If there is a sufficient quantity of the glue

  applied, the gradual hardening can be observed

  until the adhesives has hardened as a whole.

  On the contrary, if we spread a small amount of

  glue, the whole process of gradual solidification

  is extremely dynamic, which is caused by the

  rapid penetration of moisture from the air

  (that is, water) into the glue. This penetration

  of moisture into the glue fundamentally affects

  the speed of setting, which, from a modeler’s

  perspective, explains why open containers of

  glue gradually set (moisture penetrates the glue

  after initial opening and consequent initiation of

  the reaction).

  STORAGE AND SHELF LIFE

  OF CA GLUES

  There are a lot of myths in the modelling

  community about how to store and how not

  to store instant glues in order to extend their

  life. Unopened adhesives have an extended

  shelf life due to the protective gas filling,

  but this does not mean that their shelf life is

  infinite. In general, higher storage temperature,

  higher exposure to UV radiation (light) and

  higher humidity always have negative effects

  on the overall life of cyanoacrylate adhesives.

  To give a specific example illustrating the idea

  of the dynamics of the shortening of the shelf

  life, when storing instant glues at an ambient

  temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius,

  the shelf life will be shortened by some 60 to

  Instant, Epoxy and Dispersion Adhesives

  To continue our discussion on modelling chemistry and

  tips for beginners (and maybe advanced modellers will

  find out something new, too), we will look at more types

  of adhesives that are commonly used in the hobby.

  Vítěz mezinárodních IPMS soutěží v kate-

  gorii Master a několikanásobný mistr ČR.

  Autor článků v mezinárodních časopisech

  s celosvětovým dosahem (Military Illustrated

  Modeller, Cocardes International, ModellFan,

  Modelář). Spoluautor modelářského startupu

  Plastic Invasion.

  JOSEF BLAŽEK

  INFO Eduard42

  April 2023

• Page 43

  CHEMISTRY

  Storage Medium Temperature Resulting Shelf Life

  Freezer -18 °C 2 Years

  Fridge 4 °C 1 Year

  Indoors 18–20 °C 6 months

  70%, which is a relevant decrease of the overall

  usability of the product. It follows that the ideal

  storage environment is dry, cool and dark. You

  have a refrigerator or a freezer, as does every

  household, and this is ideal for storing CA. To the

  contrary, these recommendations do not apply

  after opening the glue container and exposing

  the contents to the local environment. Storing

  opened adhesives in the refrigerator or freezer

  in order to extend their life is a pure myth. The

  aforementioned locations provide high levels

  of moisture, relatively speaking, which within the

  conditions of the way the glues work, impact the

  shelf life of the material negatively. On opening,

  the container with the glue loses its protective gas

  layer, and the moisture can now directly activate

  the chemical reaction of the adhesive. One way

  to combat this might be to store the containers

  in plastic Tupperware with sealable lids that will

  restrict the amount of moisture getting to the

  glue, and combine this with storage in a cool,

  dry dark place. But in the case of storing the

  container in a sealable containers, it is necessary

  to consider the unavoidable rise in the glues

  temperature to that of the local environment.

  The shelf life of the glue can be extended, but the

  gradual thickening of the liquid is unstoppable.

  With this in mind, it makes sense that the size

  of the package and quantity of glue that it

  contains, are a factor corresponding to shelf life.

  The modeller should acquire bottles of CA that

  they can use in the course of a couple of months

  after first opening it. It is also important to store

  the glue away from other materials, especially

  those that act as activators. The glues are

  generally compatible with one another, so that if

  one bottle of CA becomes thick, it can be thinned

  with thinner stuff to achieve a compromised

  viscosity that is acceptable to the user.

  After opening the adhesive, its lifespan in the

  above-mentioned storage in the freezer or

  refrigerator will be quite variable, depending on

  the quality of the seal and exposure to moisture.

  However, if after opening, the glue is stored in

  a typical modelling room at a temperature

  between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius and always

  closed tight after use, a shelf life of about three

  months can be expected.

  CYANOACRYLATE GLUE VAPORS

  After the application of cyanoacrylate adhesives

  and their subsequent hardening, effects of the

  inevitable vapors can often be seen, which

  resemble frost. Such evaporation has negative

  effects when it is released into difficult to reach

  places on the model, such as the inner parts of

  the canopy, especially when they are displayed

  closed. Why does this phenomenon arise and can

  it be eliminated or reduced? During the hardening

  of the glue, the natural and gradual evaporation of

  ethyl cyanoacrylate and its reaction with humidity

  occur. These vapors thus harden as a result of

  the reaction, which results in the formation

  of micro particles of hardened instant glue.

  A larger amount of these hardened micro particles

  settle in the vicinity of the applied glue and the

  frosting effect becomes obvious. There are some

  options to minimize or optically eliminate this

  phenomenon. It is easiest to use only a small

  amount of glue to minimize the fumes. Another

  option is the use of special alkoxycyanoacrylates,

  which have a reduced evaporation rate.

  In general, it is good to avoid closing the area

  where we apply the CA adhesives early, so that

  there is room for evaporation. When drying, it is

  a good idea to rotate the parts resulting with the

  glue at the top, to allow vapors to escape into

  space and prevent them from spreading over

  the surface of the model, which would happen

  when they are turned over and the fumes have

  access to them as they escape. Since the release

  of vapors can occur even after some time, the

  entire glued joint can be sealed against vapor

  release by applying an overcoat, which ensures

  coverage of the release adhesive even after

  it has hardened and thus minimizes negative

  effects on the model. Despite all our efforts,

  however, a situation may arise when unwanted

  vapor escape occurs and we are forced to remove

  these negative consequences of CA use. In most

  cases, it is sufficient to clean the affected areas

  with a dry brush or cotton swab (on clear parts).

  Alternatively, you can use the thinner embedded

  in the surface, which, however, must not dilute

  the base color of the given parts.

  BASIC TIPS FOR CYANOACRYLATE

  GLUES AND THEIR USE ACCORDING TO

  COMPOSITION AND VISCOSITY

  A large number of cyanoacrylate adhesives

  from various manufacturers are available on the

  market today. As was mentioned at the beginning

  of today‘s chemistry class, for the sake of clarity

  between the basic types, we will focus on Bolt

  brand products. At the same time, the described

  properties and use can be freely applied to

  various products of other manufacturers with the

  same or similar consistency and composition.

  BOLT! CA BOLT THIN

  The classic representative among cyanoacrylate

  adhesives are the thin variety, which are the most

  accessible type of CA in terms of their consistency.

  Their use is very universal and they represent

  the ideal ‘entry’ type for working with instant

  glues. They can be applied in the usual way, i.e.

  by applying them to one or both glued parts,

  which are then pressed together. Alternatively,

  the procedure where the parts are pressed

  together and the glue is applied along the joint

  can also be used. Here, however, it is necessary

  to maintain a gap between the parts to provide

  the glue someplace to wick into. The minimum

  size of such a gap depends on the viscosity of

  the thin instant glue, but in general it needs to

  be at least around 0.03 mm, which in modelling

  practice is quite small. Thin instant adhesives

  are especially suitable for gluing non-porous

  materials, and wood and paper should generally

  be avoided, where the glue will quickly soak

  into the material, causing insufficient amounts

  of CA in the joint its subsequent instability and

  fragility. The reaction time of thin second glues

  is generally very short and varies between

  1-3 seconds, which restricts the possibility

  moving and manipulating glued parts.

  CA HOT BOLT ULTRA THIN

  The follow-up type to thin instant

  adhesives is the so-called ‘super

  fast’ adhesives with an accelerated

  reaction time. Their application

  differs from regular thin glues

  in that it becomes impossible to

  apply them to the abutting surfaces

  of the parts and then pressing

  them together, because during the

  necessary handling, the glue reacts

  with the surrounding environment

  and hardens virtually immediately.

  So, super fast instant glues need to

  be used by applying drops at points

  INFO Eduard

  43

  April 2023

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  HODINA CHEMIECHEMISTRY

  of contact of the target components, which can

  be used to advantage, for example, in the joints

  between main parts of the model. Complete

  curing of the applied glue is generally within

  one second of application. Thanks to the speed

  of curing, the disadvantage of using the adhesive

  in porous materials is eliminated, since the

  adhesive sets up faster, before it is absorbed

  into the surface and thus remains in the glued

  joint, which ensures the required strength of the

  joint. For the sake of completeness, it is good

  to mention that the presented representative of

  super fast instant glues is not interchangeable

  with other types of cyanoacrylate glues.

  CA BOLT MEDIUM

  Secondary adhesives of medium viscosity are

  very versatile in their use. This type of glue is

  suitable for most materials (even porous ones)

  and can be used for most common situations

  encountered when assembling plastic models

  and their accessory, dissimilar items. Their

  application is possible in one of two ways, as in

  the case of thin instant adhesives. They can be

  applied to one or both bonding surfaces, which

  are then pressed together. The reaction time

  is longer compared to thin glues and varies

  between 5 and 15 seconds. This extended curing

  interval gives us the possibility of subsequent

  manipulation and correction of part positions.

  This can be used to great advantage when

  gluing more complex or larger units, where it

  may be necessary to achieve optimal alignment.

  The second typical method of application is the

  drip method, which, however, due to the thicker

  consistency of the glue compared to thin glues,

  requires a gap of increased size to a minimum

  of 0.1 mm. However, its viscosity is of a universal

  consistency that can be mixed with both thin and

  thick types of instant glues.

  CA BOLT THICK

  Thick cyanoacrylate adhesives (often described

  as gel types) are characterized by having the

  highest viscosity of the discussed basic types

  of CA adhesives. This property allows them to

  be used effectively in the case of gluing porous

  materials and at the same time the possibility of

  joining glued surfaces with a greater clearance

  of up to 0.5 mm. When gluing parts with greater

  clearance, the curing time of the glue is

  significantly extended and can be sped up using

  accelerators, which will be discussed in the

  next part of this article. Thick CA adhesives are

  best applied in the classic way, where they are

  applied to one or both mating surfaces, and then

  the components are pressed together. As already

  indicated, the total reaction time is significantly

  longer, which carries with it the added bonus of

  manipulation time and fine adjustments. The use

  of thick instant adhesives is very suitable for small

  parts, when after applying the glue to point(s)

  of contact, time is allowed for a clean and precise

  connection. Due to their composition, this class of

  adhesive is normally mixable with thinner types

  (medium and thin adhesives). A longer curing

  time is associated with the negative impact

  stemming from a greater amount of fumes visible

  emanating from the area of glue application.

  These vapors, which we have already described,

  can be produced for a long time with this type of

  glue, and it is advisable to take this manifestation

  into account during future assembly steps,

  especially with regard to clear parts of the model.

  CA BLACK BOLT

  It‘s been a few years since the

  modelling world was hit by the

  phenomenon of the so-called

  ‘black instant glues’, which sand

  very well. In most cases, it is

  not an admixture of a special

  miracle ingredient or black

  pigment, but the addition of

  rubber (if its presence is desired)

  to the glue. This special type of

  cyanoacrylate adhesives stands

  out, in addition to its visibility

  on most common surfaces, due

  to its elasticity. It is therefore

  particularly suitable for flexible materials, which

  are very rare in plastic modelling. Examples of

  such materials include the aforementioned rubber

  parts, softened and foamed plastics or composite

  materials, and several others. In general, these

  are joints where it is claimed that the flexibility

  of the glued materials and the durability of the

  glued joint under stress are maintained. Such

  connections are not typical for static plastic

  modelling and the use of such special glues is

  not generally of any great advantage to plastic

  modellers.

  SPECIALIZED ACCESSORY ITEMS

  FOR CA ADHESIVES

  Since the mere application of cyanoacrylate

  adhesives and subsequent gluing is often not

  enough for the ideal desired results, there are

  special accessories for working with instant

  adhesives. The basic products are accelerators

  and, conversely, debonders of already hardened

  glue The following takes a closer look at these.

  BOLT UP Accelerator

  Accelerators are used for instant or very fast

  curing of CA adhesives, even in thick layers. They

  have a thin consistency and their application is

  via a swab, wire tip, dispersal sprayer or a brush.

  The reaction speed on contact with the glue is

  almost immediate, which is appreciated when

  there is a need to quickly cure a large amount

  of glue between parts with visible clearance or

  when the glued surfaces are compressed under

  ambient stress. Immediate bonding of the contact

  surfaces between the parts is achieved, and

  the need to further manually press the parts

  together becomes no longer necessary. When

  choosing an activator, it is good to pay attention

  to the suitability of its use on plastic parts.

  BOLT OFF Debonder

  In modelling practice, it is almost impossible to

  always achieve gluing of parts without unwanted

  and visible traces of glue around the application.

  Furthermore, incorrect positioning of the parts

  can lead to a need to separate the attached parts

  INFO Eduard44

  April 2023

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  CHEMISTRY

  and start over. All these cases can be solved with

  the help of cyanoacrylate adhesive removers.

  Simply applying this liquid to the glued joint

  will, over a few dozen seconds, help to separate

  wrongly adhered parts, but it is always better to

  take an active approach to cleaning and ungluing

  parts and removing the glue using a debonder.

  Probably the most suitable tool for cleaning parts

  from cyanoacrylate glue is the use of cotton

  swabs dipped in the remover. Traces of the glue

  are removed by gently rubbing

  the area with a moistened swab

  until we are satisfied with the

  appearance of the fixed area.

  Since the glue dissolves under

  the cotton swab and clogs the

  cotton tip, depending on the

  extent and amount of glue to be

  removed, it is advisable to use

  several applications with clean

  swabs, as required. For areas

  that are difficult to access or

  areas with a broken surface, it is

  appropriate to use fine brushes,

  that have been relegated

  specifically for this purpose after

  serving out their usefulness as

  paint applicators. Inexpensive

  brushes from art supply stores

  or hobby shops will suffice for

  these needs. When choosing a cyanoacrylate

  adhesive remover, or debonder, it is good to

  check to make sure that the type doesn’t etch the

  plastic of the model, as some will.

  EPOXY TYPE ADHESIVES

  Epoxy glues, which consist of two components,

  are also included among the glues that

  are commonly found in plastic modelling.

  The principle and application of this class of

  adhesive is very simple. After mixing both

  components in the specified ratio, usually

  one to one, a chemical reaction occurs, the

  observable start of which begins after a few

  dozen seconds. Subsequently, the mixed

  components harden very quickly. Epoxy glues

  are especially suitable for hard materials, which

  underlines the suitability of their use in plastic

  modelling. Their biggest advantage is that after

  curing, they do not leave visible traces in the

  form of fume production in their local vicinity,

  as in the case of instant glues, and are thus

  a big help when gluing larger models, especially

  if they are made of a polyurethane or laminate.

  Such types of models cannot be glued with

  solvent type glues, which we detailed in the first

  part of this article, and epoxy two-part glues are

  a suitable alternative for gluing together large

  surfaces and eliminating the shortcomings of

  cyanoacrylate glues. Another good use of these

  types of adhesives is joint reinforcement along

  invisible join lines, allowing any required thinning

  of plastic parts in preparation for the installation

  of aftermarket accessory sets. A general

  shortcoming is their apparent softness compared

  to hard cyanoacrylate joints, and therefore they

  are sand poorly. Currently, there are already

  special two-component epoxy adhesives with

  additional additives on the market that can

  minimize these shortcomings.

  DISPERSION TYPE ADHESIVES

  As in the previous cases, we will explain what

  dispersion adhesives are and what they are

  suitable for in plastic modelling. A common

  mistake in the definition of dispersion adhesives

  is that they are a solution consisting of a polymer

  in water. In fact, it is a mixture of polymer with

  water, whereby the aforementioned polymer is

  not dissolved, but only perfectly dispersed in the

  resulting emulsion. Dispersion adhesives have

  a milky white color that gradually fades to clear as

  it hardens. The white color is therefore not caused

  by any pigment, but by small polymer particles that

  scatter light and create that ‘milky effect’. Many

  dispersion adhesives can be diluted as needed

  with water (non-waterproof dispersion adhesives

  such as those produced by Herkules) and thus

  create a liquid that can be embedded into porous

  surfaces to attach individual details. A typical

  example is the simulation of natural surfaces in

  the creation of dioramas. The opposite is the case

  of dispersion water-resistant adhesives, which

  have a substantially higher dry matter content

  of the polymer and are therefore not as thin as

  adhesives that can be diluted with water. Dilution

  of these adhesives is only possible to a small

  amount, to some 5% and always only with distilled

  cold water; otherwise precipitates will form. At the

  same time, if we let such diluted glue stand, the

  water will begin to separate. A higher dry matter

  content of the polymer then means a higher

  strength of the joints, and the adhesives thus have

  up to 3 times greater strength (as in the case of,

  for example, Herkules vs. PERFECT G Express).

  Another difference compared to glues with

  a lower dry matter content is their hardness and

  the possibility of sanding the hardened glue. If we

  use glues with a lower content of polymer solids,

  when trying to sand, the glue starts to chew up

  because it is soft. On the other hand, dispersion

  adhesives with a higher proportion of polymer

  solids are significantly harder after curing and

  can be sanded. Here, however, it is important

  to note that it is better to use coarser/sharper

  sandpapers and to minimize friction, because

  high friction creates a higher temperature, which

  causes the glue to soften after setting, despite

  its high percentage of polymer solids (i.e. D3/D4-

  based glue).

  PERFECT G Express glue

  An example of dispersion PVAC glues is Bolt

  Perfect G Express. The specific properties of this

  glue make it suitable for porous materials such as

  wood or paper, and it is therefore useful mainly for

  the needs of creating dioramas or for attaching

  accessories to models of combat equipment. The

  benefit of this type of glue is mainly the shortened

  curing time compared to classic dispersion glues

  (for example Herkules, Tamiya Craft Bond, etc.),

  which enables accelerated creation and thus

  saves invested time. Specifically, the complete

  drying time is between 5-15 minutes, depending

  on the amount of glue and the extent of the glued

  joint. As with other dispersions, the glue is white

  in its liquid state and clear after curing. The high

  dry matter polymer content of the in this type of

  glue means above all the ability of the glued joint

  to be stronger. Such a property is suitable for the

  use of gluing clear parts on aircraft models. The

  glue is thus a good compromise for those who

  are afraid of damaging clear parts when gluing

  them with solvent glues or, on the other hand,

  are afraid of the fumes that are released from

  cyanoacrylate glues. Gluing with a dispersion

  adhesive is not as strong as compared to the

  mentioned types of adhesives, but if we choose

  a suitable dispersion adhesive with a higher

  polymer dry matter content, we will also achieve

  good bond strength.

  SUMMARY

  In the first two parts of our series focusing on

  modelling chemistry and tips for beginners and

  advanced modellers alike, we presented the

  basic, readily available and commonly used types

  of glues that can be used for plastic modelling.

  All the mentioned types described in the first and

  second parts of our series have their strengths

  and weaknesses, and the use of all the mentioned

  types of glues gives the plastic modeller the

  ability to deal with constructing all conceivable

  assemblies from various materials that they

  might come up against. In the next part, we will

  focus on tools and aids suitable for applying and

  working with the types of glue presented thus far.

  INFO Eduard

  45

  April 2023

• Page 46

  #82183

  Z-326/C-305 Trenér Master

  1/48

  ProfiPACK edition kit of Czechoslovak single engine two-seat trainer

  and aerobatic aircraft Zlín Z-326 Trenér Master including C-305, Z-326M

  and Z-326MF versions in 1/48 scale. Kit presents markings selection

  including Czechoslovak, Czech and foreign users.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 6

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard46

  April 2023

• Page 47

  Z-326, No. 610, Kladno Aero Club, Kladno Airfield, Czechoslovakia, 1975

  Z-326MF, No. 918, Repülőiskola Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza Airport, Hungaria, 2020

  C-305, No. 604, Czechoslovak People’s Army, Czechoslovakia, 1965

  This aircraft served as C-305 in the military

  aeroclub of Czechoslovak People’s Army for basic

  training of student pilots. During this service an

  unspecified collision (on the ground) with other

  aircraft occurred according to some sources,

  resulting in fuselage damage. The aircraft

  was repaired but lost its aerobatic category

  classification and was overhanded to the civilian

  Kladno Aero Club at the end of September 1972.

  Prior to conversion to the tug version, it was

  used for training and navigation flights. The

  aircraft retained the overall silver livery as it

  was used in army, but the nose was adorned

  with blue color, while wingtips and top of the

  vertical stabilizer were painted red. More to it,

  the cartoon of the smiling crab was painted on

  the port side of the nose with unusually stylized

  Trener Master inscription above it. The painting

  was based on a cartoon by Pavel Kantorek,

  Czechoslovak professor of physical science at

  Ryerson University, Toronto. He was author of

  many humorous cartoons with animals starring

  in the main role.

  Hungaria is one of the countries, where the

  Trenér family is very popular. There were 12 of

  Z-326 Trenér Masters delivered directly from the

  factory in 1961 and 1962, but this one is not one of

  them. This aircraft was sold to Gabon (Air service

  Libreville) in December 1966 with registration

  mark TR

  -

  LMX and later was delivered to France,

  where it was flying under registration F

  -

  BSTA

  as Z-326. The conversion to MF version was

  done in Hungary and the aircraft sported non-

  standard right engine cover – the one used on

  Z-326 powered by Walter Minor 6-III engine, i.e.,

  with four wide louvres. This was later changed for

  the standard cover for the M-137 engine. Today,

  the University of Nyíregyháza is the owner of the

  aircraft and uses it along other ones for pilot

  training of its students.

  Czechoslovak People’s Army obtained ten

  Z-326 in military version C-305. These aircraft

  varied only slightly from the civilian ones, as

  they were equipped with small indication lights

  on the undercarriage leg covers and with the

  signal rockets dispenser under the belly with

  corresponding control panel in the cockpit. These

  served for basic pilot training in Military Aero

  Clubs, where young beginners were starting

  their career of military pilots prior to enlisting.

  Some aircraft were flying in simple silver livery,

  other obtained attractive three-tone coloring

  with metallic light blue-green as a basic one. This

  aircraft was handed over to civilian Aero Clubs

  representative (Svazarm organization) on May

  8, 1968 and was assigned to Vrchlabí Aero Club

  consequently. Later it was transferred to Olomouc

  Aero Club and finally to nearby Prostějov Aero

  Club, where it is flying with OK

  -

  OTA registration

  today.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  47

  April 2023

• Page 48

  Z-326M, No. 609, private owners, Slaný Airfield, 2022

  Z-326, No. 902, private owner, Großenhain, Germany, 2022

  Z-326, No. 894, Escadrille Orion, Marmande Virazeil, France 2013

  This is one of the still flying aircraft produced as

  C-305 for the Czechoslovak People’s Army. It was

  handed over to the civilian Svazarm organization

  on May 26, 1972 and was given the OK

  -

  OTD

  registration. It served in the Aero Clubs of Točná,

  Kladno and briefly also Jičín, where it reached

  its time between overhauls and was grounded.

  During the process of the assets allocation

  of the then Aero Club of the Czecho-Slovak

  Federation Republic, this aircraft was assigned

  to the Aero Club Polička. There it underwent

  overhaul, making it airworthy again, and also the

  conversion to the Z-326M version. The Aero Club

  than used it primarily for towing of sailplanes. In

  2006, however, it was sold to a private owner who

  operated it at the Líně airport. Subsequently, it

  was sold to a pair of private owners who keep

  flying this Trenér Master from Slaný airport.

  In 1963 the management of the Moravan Otrokovice

  company officially ended the production of the

  Z 26 series aircraft. So, this Z-326 serial number

  902 was manufactured as the “last” of all Trenérs

  and was factory stored until 1965. However, the

  customer demand was strong, so after two years,

  serial production was running again. In June

  1965, the No. 902 aircraft left Czechoslovakia for

  France with registration F

  -

  BMQX. One of its first

  bases was Villefranche Airport. After completing

  its flight school career, it was stored and later

  sold to Switzerland. Since 1992 it was in the

  possession of Groupement Avion Historique in

  Lausanne. At that time, but also shortly after

  being sold to Germany, it bore the registration

  HB

  -

  TCB. In this form, it also briefly appeared

  during maintenance in the Czech Republic. It

  was registered as D

  -

  ERIO after 2015 and remains

  privately held.

  After manufactured in 1963, this Z-326 was

  factory stored until June 25, 1965, when it was

  handed over to a French customer. It served in

  the flying school in Challes and later was in the

  inventory of Association Pour La Sauvegarde Des

  Avions Anciens. It is a part of another group of

  enthusiasts today, Escadrille Orion, based at the

  Marmande Virazeil airfield.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard48

  April 2023

• Page 49

  Recommended:

  for Z-326/C-305 1/48

  644186 Z-326 LööK (Brassin)

  644197 Z-326 LööKplus (Brassin)

  648729 Z-326/526 wheels (Brassin)

  3DL48096 Z-326 SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D48097 Z-126/226/326/526 cockpit placards (Decal Set)

  EX912 Z-326 TFace (Mask)

  # 3DL48096

  # 644186

  # 648729

  OVERTREES

  #82183X

  Z-326/C-305

  1/48

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #82183-LEPT

  Z-326/C-305 PE

  -

  Set

  1/48

  Product page

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  49

  April 2023

• Page 50

  RUFE

  Limited edition kit of japanese interceptor/fighter bomber

  floatplane A6M2-N (Allied code name Rufe) in 1/48 scale.

  Kit presents Rufe serving in Imperial Japanese Navy Air

  Service during World War II.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 8

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  #11171

  1/48

  DUAL COMBO

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard50

  April 2023

• Page 51

  Yokohama Kōkūtai, Tulagi Island, Solomon Islands, August 1942

  5th Kōkūtai, Kiska island, Aleutians, August 1942

  This plane is early production Rufe with purge

  system cover on the top of the main float and with

  folding wingtips. The commander of the fighter

  unit, which was part of the Yokohama Kōkūtai,

  was Lt. Ri-ichirō Satō. He was born in Sendai,

  Miyagi Prefecture and graduated from Etajima

  Naval Academy in 1938 in its 66th class. He was

  promoted to Lieutenant junior grade in November

  1940 and received rank of Lieutenant when he

  was assigned to the Yokohama Kōkūtai in May

  1942. From early July his unit was based on

  Tulagi Island off Guadalcanal. Their adversaries

  were American Flying Fortress bombers and

  Liberators. His unit claimed five victories. Satō, in

  cooperation with other pilots, claimed one certain

  and one probable victory over a B-17. After the

  Allied invasion of Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942,

  most of the Yokohama Kōkūtai pilots were killed in

  ground combat, including Satō. USMC technicians

  found on Tulagi Island ten Rufe wrecks and took

  two, including the Y-161, to the U.S. Naval Air

  Station Alameda for research.

  This plane is early production Rufe with purge

  system cover on the top of the main float and

  with folding wingtips. Rudder and probably other

  canvas-covered control surfaces had lighter

  color shade. The aircraft of this fighter unit

  successively bore at least four different markings

  on their tail surfaces, depending on how this unit

  was designated and subordinated to different

  commands. Its most successful fighter pilot was

  the CPO Gi-ichi Sasaki. He came from Miyagi

  Prefecture and joined the Navy in 1937. Sasaki

  became a pilot of two-seat float planes and

  participated in combat in China. He took part in

  the conquest of the Philippines and the Dutch East

  Indies on board of the Mizuho seaplane tender.

  After its sinking, he was assigned to the Tōkō

  Kōkūtai in the Aleutians, which was eventually

  renamed the 5th Kōkūtai and then to Kōkūtai 452.

  He achieved a total of four individual victories

  – five shared and one aircraft credited shared as

  probably destroyed. He was killed on February

  19, 1943, over Amchitka Island in a dogfight with

  a Curtiss P-40 pilot.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  51

  April 2023

• Page 52

  c/n 15, Lt.(jg) Keizō Yamazaki, Kōkūtai 802, Shortland Island, February 1943

  Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Poporang base, Shortland Islands, February 1943

  This is the fifth A6M2-N produced and is one of

  the few Rufes converted from the A6M2 Type 21

  carrier fighter. This plane had purge system cover

  on the top of the main float and folding wingtips.

  It was one of two Yokohama Kōkūtai seaplanes

  that were based in Shortland during August 7,

  1942, when the rest of the unit was destroyed on

  Tulagi Island. Rufe was then taken over by the

  air unit of the Kamikawa Maru, and in October

  1942 it was taken over by 14th Kōkūtai (Kōkūtai

  802). It is possible that the two bands on the

  fuselage were in fact grey, obscuring the original

  white markings of the Kamikawa Maru. In March

  1943, this machine was transferred to Marshall

  Islands. The tail surfaces are marked with

  victories achieved by several pilots, including

  Lt.(jg) Keizō Yamazaki, who achieved a probable

  kill of P-38 of the 339th FS on February 13 during

  the defense of Shortland. Yamazaki was born in

  Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. He graduated

  from the Etajima Naval Academy in its 68th class

  in 1940 and completed his flight training in June

  1942. After his unit was integrated into Kōkūtai

  902, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant

  in November 1943. In February 1944, he became

  commander of Kōkūtai 256’s fighter unit equipped

  with Zeros based in Shanghai. During the fall of

  1944 he led his unit in Taiwan during air battles

  against U.S. Navy aviators.

  This aircraft was among the new ones that

  Kōkūtai 802 took over in Japan during December

  1942. The top of the main float did not have purge

  system cover. At the unit level, the aircraft

  received a dark green paint, but the upper part

  of tail surfaces was left in original color. The

  aircraft probably had a late production stencil

  on the fuselage. The rudder sported a victory

  mark and there was also a horizontal red stripe

  on the vertical tail surfaces, which was probably

  the unit’s identifying marking. It is likely that the

  aircraft took part in the aerial combat on February

  13 and 14 in the defense of the Shortland Islands

  and Buin, in which the American units suffered

  fairly significant losses.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard52

  April 2023

• Page 53

  Kōkūtai 452, Bettobi Lake, Shumshu Islands, Kuriles, July 1943

  Kōkūtai 802, Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands, October 1943

  This aircraft was taken over by Kōkūtai 452 in

  Japan after evacuation from Aleutians. The top of

  the main float did not have purge system cover.

  At the unit level, the aircraft received a coat of

  dark green paint. The aircraft probably had a late

  production stencil on the fuselage. Among the

  successful pilots of this unit was Warrant Officer

  Kiyomi Katsuki. He served on the seaplane tender

  Chitose at the start of the Pacific War as a F1M

  biplane pilot. In January 1942, he claimed shared

  destruction of Dutch PBY flying boat. In the

  Solomon Islands area, he shot down a Dauntless

  on October 3 and during the following day, while

  defending his own ship, he rammed a B-17 of the

  72nd BS. The entire crew of Capt. David C. Everitt

  was killed, but Katsuki and his observer survived.

  Katsuki received a written commendation from

  the unit commander. He achieved two more

  victories during the same day. After retraining

  to A6M2-N, he was assigned to Kōkūtai 452 and

  claimed B-25 and B-24. With N1K Rex at Kōkūtai

  934 he shot down a B-24 in January 1944. He

  achieved two more victories as Zero pilot with

  Kōkūtai 381 over Balikpapan and Singapore. At

  the end of the war, he served with Kōkūtai 352

  in Japan.

  This late production aircraft was finished in

  a factory applied dark green paint. After relocation

  to the Marshall Islands area in March 1943, Kōkūtai

  802 under the command of Lt.(jg) Yamazaki was

  primarily engaged in anti-submarine patrols and

  the pursuit of four-engine bombers. Long-range

  reconnaissance was carried out by another part

  of this unit, which was armed with H8K Emily

  flying boats. In September 1943, the designation

  of its aircraft was changed to Y4 in connection

  with the transition to the subordination of the

  22nd Kōkū Sentai (Air Flotilla). The identification

  markings on the tail surfaces of Rufe seaplanes

  changed from red to white during service in

  the Marshall Islands. In October, fighter unit of

  Kōkūtai 802 was integrated into Kōkūtai 902, and

  in November, the fighter unit clashed with US

  Navy aircraft during a raid on Truk.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  53

  April 2023

• Page 54

  Ensign Jin´ichirō Ozawa, Sasebo Kōkūtai, Sasebo Air Base, Japan, September 1944

  Kōkūtai 934, Ambon island, Moluku Islands, March 1944

  This late production aircraft was finished

  in a factory applied dark green paint. After

  participating in the defense of Chichijima in

  July 1944, Sasebo Kōkūtai continued seaplane

  pilot training in Japan. The Sa-106 was flown by

  Ensign Ozawa. He joined the Navy in 1943 after

  graduating from high school and received his

  flight training at Tsuchiura Kōkūtai. On October

  30, 1944, while practicing a fighter dogfight

  between two Rufe seaplanes, Ozawa had to bail

  out from his aircraft when the elevator control

  cable broke. He almost did not survive the bailing

  out. At the end of the year, the Sasebo Kōkūtai’s

  fighter Buntai was transferred to land-based

  fighter unit. During the fighting over Okinawa on

  June 22, 1945, Ozawa achieved one victory against

  a formation of more than thirty American aircraft.

  He was then reassigned to Kōkūtai 723 with C6N

  Myrt reconnaissance planes and was to conduct

  a Kamikaze mission on that type of aircraft.

  After the war he pursued electrical engineering

  and took part on the first microwave intercity

  transmission in Japan.

  This late production aircraft was finished in

  a factory applied dark green paint. At the unit

  level the white outline of Hinomaru was repainted

  to reduce the visibility of the machine. In early

  1944 the Kōkūtai 934 was equipped with E13A

  Jake and F1M Pete observation aircraft and also

  with Rufe and N1K Rex fighter seaplanes. Their

  frequent opponents were the Beaufighter crews of

  No. 31 Sqn. RAAF. One of the Kōkūtai 934 pilots,

  PO2c Hidenori Matsunaga, scored approximately

  ten Beaufighters as shared victories. In March

  1944 he was transferred to Kōkūtai 381 flying

  Zeros. In some publications, the Rufe with

  a lightning bolt was considered to be Matsunaga’s

  mount. He was photographed with Rufe (unknown

  tail code) with similar marking together with

  another pilot. Design of the lightning bolt varied,

  and its color was most likely white. The identity

  of the pilots to whom belonged the seaplanes

  with lightning is unknown. It could have been

  a formation leader’s machine, or possibly the

  aircraft of a fighter squadron unit commander

  Lt.(jg) Toshiharu Ikeda, who scored a victory

  over a Spitfire with a Rufe. Ikeda later became

  commander of Hikōtai 603 and was killed on June

  23, 1944, at Saipan.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard54

  April 2023

• Page 55

  Recommended:

  for RUFE 1/48

  644205 A6M2-N Rufe LööK (Brassin)

  648845 A6M2-N Rufe seat PRINT (Brassin)

  648846 A6M2-N Rufe exhaust PRINT (Brassin)

  648847 A6M2-N Rufe cannon barrels & cockpit guns PRINT (Brassin)

  648848 A6M2-N Rufe folding wingtips PRINT (Brassin)

  648849 A6M2-N Rufe gun bays PRINT (Brassin)

  3DL48114 A6M2-N Rufe SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace (Mask)

  648850 A6M2-N Rufe cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard - release 05/2023

  648851 A6M2-N Rufe landing flaps PRINT 1/48 Eduard - release 05/2023

  648852 A6M2-N Rufe engine complete PRINT 1/48 Eduard - release 05/2023

  OVERTREES

  #82219X

  A6M2-N Rufe

  1/48

  Product page

  OVERLEPT

  #11171-LEPT

  RUFE PE

  -

  Set

  1/48

  Product page

  # 644205

  # 648848

  # 648849

  # 3DL48114

  # 648846

  # 648847

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  55

  April 2023

• Page 56

  RUFE - new sprues in detail

  Sprue G

  Sprue L

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard56

  April 2023

• Page 57

  Sprue TSprue U

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  57

  April 2023

• Page 58

  RUFE - test build

  built by Jakub Nademlejnský

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard58

  April 2023

• Page 59

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  59

  April 2023

• Page 60

  BUILT

  1/48 Eduard

  Kōkūtai 452, Bettobi Lake, Shumshu Islands, Kuriles, July 1943

  # 11171

  This aircraft was taken over by Kōkūtai 452 in Japan after

  evacuation from Aleutians. The top of the main float did not have

  purge system cover. At the unit level, the aircraft received a coat

  of dark green paint. The aircraft probably had a late production

  stencil on the fuselage. Among the successful pilots of this unit

  was Warrant Officer Kiyomi Katsuki. He served on the seaplane

  tender Chitose at the start of the Pacific War as a F1M biplane

  pilot. In January 1942, he claimed shared destruction of Dutch PBY

  flying boat. In the Solomon Islands area, he shot down a Dauntless

  on October 3 and during the following day, while defending his

  own ship, he rammed a B-17 of the 72nd BS. The entire crew of

  Capt. David C. Everitt was killed, but Katsuki and his observer

  survived. Katsuki received a written commendation from the unit

  commander. He achieved two more victories during the same day.

  After retraining to A6M2-N, he was assigned to Kōkūtai 452 and

  claimed B-25 and B-24. With N1K Rex at Kōkūtai 934 he shot down

  a B-24 in January 1944. He achieved two more victories as Zero

  pilot with Kōkūtai 381 over Balikpapan and Singapore. At the end

  of the war, he served with Kōkūtai 352 in Japan.

  built by Jan Kotas

  INFO Eduard60

  April 2023

• Page 61

  BUILT

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  61

  April 2023

• Page 62

  Bf 110C

  ProfiPACK edition kit of German WWII twin-engine heavy

  fighter aircraft Messerschmitt Bf 110C in 1/48 scale.

  This version was used as a day and night fighter.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  #8209

  1/48

  Product page

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard62

  April 2023

• Page 63

  Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3578, 9./ZG 26, Barly, France, August 1940

  Bf 110C-4, WNr. 2095, 4./ZG 1, Trier-Euren, Germany, June 1940

  Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3257, Hptm. Heinz Wagner/Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, CO of 4./ZG 76, Abbeville, France, August 1940

  In the beginning of the war this Zerstörergruppe

  was equipped with Messerschmitts Bf 110D.

  III./ZG 26 converted to 110s in the beginning of 1940

  under the command of Hptm. Johannes Schalk.

  Before the war, this aviator commander the

  Austrian Jagdgruppe 1 and he was also one of the

  first Bf 110 pilots decorated with Knight’s Cross.

  On September 3, 1940, Ofw. Hott behind the

  controls of this One-Ten, participated with the

  whole III./ZG 26 in escorting Do 17 from II./KG 2

  on their raid to the North Weald airfield. While

  defending the bombers, his aircraft was damaged

  and Ofw. Hott crash-landed it at Wissant,

  France. The damage was assessed as being at

  eighty percent. This aircraft was camouflaged

  in RLM 70, 71 and 65 colors. There is a 9./ZG 26

  insignia painted on the both sides of the nose

  – a white cock at the fighting stance. The aircraft’s

  individual letter, repeated on the wingtip, is

  painted in the Staffel color i.e. yellow. There

  are three white bars painted on the vertical tail

  surfaces marking the enemy aircraft shot down.

  II./ZG 1 was established on May 15, 1939, based

  on I. Gruppe JG 54 and equipped with the single-

  seat Bf 109D and Bf 109E. The conversion to the Bf

  110C two-seat heavy fighters took place in March

  1940 in the Northern Germany. After the transfer

  to the western border, in the preparation for the

  attack on the Netherlands, Belgium and France,

  the unit was incorporated into the Luftflotte 2

  under which command it flew combat missions

  until the surrender of France. Then the II./ZG 76

  was renamed as III. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader

  76. The unit’s insignia in the form of three wasps

  painted on the aircraft nose, was retained even

  after the unit’s transfer.

  II. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader 76 was

  established on May 1, 1939, by renaming I./ZG 144.

  It was equipped with single-seat Messerschmitt

  Bf 109D which in February and March they

  traded for Bf 110. Flying One-Tens the unit took

  part in the attack on the Netherlands, Belgium

  and France and after France surrendered the

  unit was transferred to Abbeville airfield on the

  French coast from where it started to fly bomber

  escorts to the targets in the Great Britain. The

  last flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 110C-2 marked

  M8+BM and crewed by Hptm. Heinz Wagner and

  radio operator Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, was a bomber

  escort to the Luton airfield with the adjacent

  industrial area which took place on August 30,

  1940. The plane was most probably shot down

  by P/O William McKnight (flying as a wingman to

  S/Ldr Bader) at the altitude of 1,000 feet.

  It crashed on Enfield Sewage Farm, Wharf

  Road, Ponders End near the large reservoir and

  the crew was killed.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  63

  April 2023

• Page 64

  Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3026, Lt. K. Koch, 1.(Z)/JG 77, Kirkenes, Norway, October 1941

  Bf 110C, 1./NJG 3, Benghazi, Libya, May 1941

  Zerstörerstaffel of the newly established I./JG 77,

  equipped with the aircraft and personnel from

  III./ZG 76, was formed in May 1941. The reason

  were the preparations for the attack against the

  Soviet Union. The unit was transferred to the

  Hoybuktmoen airfield near Kirkenes. The mission

  of the Bf 110 crews were the attacks against

  the railroad connecting the important port of

  Murmansk with the rest of the Soviet Union. The unit

  was equipped with Bf 110C, D and probably several

  Bf 110E aircraft. In January 1941 the unit was

  renamed to 6.(Z)/JG 5. The camouflage of this

  aircraft was probably sprayed with RLM 71 and 02

  on the upper surfaces, side and lower surfaces

  were camouflaged in RLM 65. The factory markings

  were over sprayed with RLM 02 and the mottling

  was sprayed in the same color. The unit insignia,

  a dachshund biting the Soviet airplane, was

  painted on the aircraft’s nose.

  I. Gruppe Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 was formed

  by renaming V./LG 1 and its mission was the

  night interception of the British middle and

  heavy bombers flying raids against the German

  cities and industrial centers. Between February

  and October 1941, the 1. Staffel was temporarily

  relocated to the south, first in Sicily and Greece

  followed by the North Africa, Benghazi and

  Derna airfields. The unit flew missions with its

  Messerschmitts Bf 110C and D against the British

  bombers attacking the German and Italian troops.

  During the unit’s operations on the southern front

  the fighters were camouflaged in black color.

  The white band on the fuselage tail, marking the

  aircraft flying on the southern front, was painted

  only partially, on the fuselage spine. 1./NJG 3

  insignia, an owl sitting on the Moon, was painted

  on both sides of the fuselage. During its service

  in the south, the featured airplane had its vertical

  tail surfaces and complete horizontal tail surfaces

  replaced due to the damage. The replacement

  parts retained their original camouflage.

  Recommended:

  for Bf 110C 1/48

  644076 Bf 110C LööK (Brassin)

  648085 MG 15 gun (2 pcs) (Brassin)

  648602 Bf 110C/D radio equipment (Brassin)

  648607 Bf 110C/D/E exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  EX752 Bf 110C TFace (Mask)

  OVERTREES

  OVERLEPT

  #8201X

  Bf 110C

  1/48

  #8209-LEPT

  Bf 110C

  1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  # 648085

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard64

  April 2023

• Page 65

  Fw 190A-4 w/ engine flaps & 2-gun wings

  Weekend edition kit of German WWII fighter aircraft Fw 190A-4

  in 1/48 scale. This version of the Fw 190A-4 was equipped with

  flaps on the engine cooling outlets. The wing was equipped with

  two cannons in the wing root.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  #84117

  1/48

  Product page

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  65

  April 2023

• Page 66

  WNr. 0142481, Fw. Otto Kittel, 2./JG 54, Krasnogvardeyjsk, Soviet Union, February 1943

  Lt. Leopold Wenger, 10./JG 2, Caen-Carpiquet, France, February 1943

  WNr. 142317, Fw. Ludwig Seif, 11./SKG 10, Sidi Ahmed, Tunisia, January 1943

  Otto Kittel was born on February 21, 1917,

  to German parents in Korunov (German:

  Kronsdorf, since 1945 Krasov) near Krnov in

  Austria-Hungary. After the declaration of the

  Czechoslovakia, the Krnov region became part of

  it, but after the Munich Agreement it was one of

  the territories that Czechoslovakia had to cede to

  Germany under pressure from the Great Powers.

  The inhabitants claiming German nationality

  subsequently became German citizens. Kittel was

  apprenticed as a car mechanic in Mladá Boleslav

  and joined the Luftwaffe in 1939. He completed

  his first combat deployment during the fighting

  in Yugoslavia in the ranks of JG 54, which was

  deployed in East Prussia to support Army Group

  North in the advance on Leningrad during the

  attack on the USSR. On June 24, 1941, Otto Kittel

  scored his first two aerial victories, and on

  September 14, 1943, he achieved his 100th kill.

  However, he did not survive the war. His aircraft

  went down in flames near Dzhūkste, Latvia, after

  a dogfight with a formation of 14 Il-2s. However,

  it is not clear when this occurred, it is stated to

  be either 14 or 16 February 1945. During World

  War II, he shot down 267 enemy aircraft, all on

  the Eastern Front, ranking him 4th in the list of

  Luftwaffe aces.

  At the end of 1941, the Luftwaffe considered

  a resumption of the bombing of Great Britain and

  coastal shipping. It was ordered that every fighter

  unit taking part in operations against Great

  Britain would include one Staffel for the purposes

  of the so-called “hit and run” bombing missions.

  This role was taken up by 10.(Jabo) Staffel within

  JG 2. Under the command of Oblt. Frank Liesendahl,

  the unit sank twenty ships for a total of 630,000

  BRT of shipping in four months. Wenger’s aircraft

  carried the standard day camouflage scheme of

  Luftwaffe fighters consisting of RLM 74/75/76.

  The fox biting a ship in two was the insignia

  of 10.(Jabo) Staffel. One of the pilots of this unit

  was Leopold Wenger, born on November 19, 1921

  in Graz. He was killed on April 10, 1945, when he

  was shot down over Vienna.

  An order dated November 30, 1942 redesignated

  III./ZG 2 as III./SKG 10, but the unit maintained

  its combat assignment for ground support,

  bombing and destroying of enemy ground

  assets including airfields and ports in Tunisia.

  III./SKG 10 operated in the area until April 30,

  1943, when they handed over their remaining

  four aircraft to II./Schl.G. 2, the unit they shared

  a base with. During combat operations, pilots of

  III./SKG 10 destroyed hundreds of Allied tanks

  and other ground equipment, shot down thirteen

  aircraft and sank or damaged twelve ships. The

  aircraft flown by Feldwebel Seif was camouflaged

  in RLM 74/75/76. The white fuselage band was

  applied to aircraft operating in the MTO. The port

  side of the engine cowl sported the III./SKG 10

  unit marking, a yellow winged arrow on a blue

  shield.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard66

  April 2023

• Page 67

  48936 Fw 190A-4 landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE863 Fw 190A seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  648351 Fw 190A-4 cockpit (Brassin)

  648352 Fw 190A-4 engine (Brassin)

  648354 Fw 190A-4 fuselage guns (Brassin)

  648356 Fw 190A wingroot gun bays (Brassin)

  648366 Fw 190A propeller (Brassin)

  648371 Fw 190A control surfaces early (Brassin)

  648381 Fw 190A exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648778 Luftwaffe rudder pedals PRINT (Brassin)

  SIN64837 Fw 190A-4 advanced (Brassin)

  SIN64839 Fw 190A-4 essential (Brassin)

  D48038 Fw 190A-4 national insignia (Decal Set)

  EX587 Fw 190A TFace (Mask)

  Jaboschwarm I./JG 54, Krasnogvardeysk, Soviet Union, Spring 1943

  JG 54 received its first Fw 190A-4s in early

  February 1943, with white camouflage on the

  upper surfaces and RLM 65 on the bottom. On

  February 19, 1943, JG 54 scored its 4,000th aerial

  victory, achieved by an Fw. Otto Kittel. After the

  winter period, the upper surfaces of the aircraft

  were painted black RLM 70, dark green RLM 71

  and brown. As was customary with JG 54 in a

  variety of camouflage fields. The winter white

  paint remained on some of the less worn areas.

  The Roman numeral III marked aircraft is an

  example of such a state and the color scheme is

  partly a mere reconstruction based on the better

  documented aircraft of JG 54. Roman numerals

  were used to mark staff aircraft in this period.

  Recommended:

  for Fw 190A-4 1/48

  # 648351

  # 648778

  # 648352

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  67

  April 2023

• Page 68

  #84187

  Weekend edition kit of British WWII fighter aircraft Tempest Mk.V

  in 1/48 scale. The kit offers the aircraft manufactured within Series 2

  and serving in the RAF during and after the end of World War II.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 4

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: no

  painting mask: no

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Tempest Mk.V Series 2

  1/48

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard68

  April 2023

• Page 69

  EJ750, W/Cdr John B. Wray, CO of No. 122 Wing, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands, December 1944

  EJ536, F/Lt Pierre H. Clostermann, No. 56 Squadron, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands,

  beginning of April 1945

  EJ705, P/O Frank A. Lang, No. 80 Squadron, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands, December 1944

  W/Cdr John Wray was an experienced fighter-

  bomber pilot who flew Beaufighters, Whirlwinds,

  Hurricanes and Typhoons and after the No. 122

  Wing’s commander W/Cdr R. P. Beamont was shot

  down he assumed his position. Wray’s Tempest

  EJ750 was marked with the first letters of his

  full name‚ i.e, JBW, and flying it on November

  3 he claimed a Me 262 damaged. After the war

  however this “damaged” aircraft turned out to

  have been destroyed. On December 17, 1944,

  Wray claimed another Me 262 jet kill. Its pilot,

  Lt. Wolfgang Lübke from II./KG 51 hit a building by

  the left wingtip and crashed into the nearby river

  Rhine during the low altitude dogfight. In January

  1945, W/Cdr Wray finished his tour of duty as

  a No. 122 Wing commander and the Tempest EJ750

  was re-marked with SA

  -

  B code letters indicating

  that it belonged to No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron.

  On February 8 it was lost during the anti-

  shipping attack when the pilot F/Lt Miller made

  an emergency landing in the occupied territory.

  The well-known French pilot, F/Lt Pierre Henri

  Clostermann, flew with No. 56 Squadron from

  March 18 until April 5, 1945. His usual mount was

  initially a Temperst serial number EJ708 marked

  US

  -

  W, in the end of March it was replaced by

  a Tempest serial number EJ536 and on the

  fuselage it again carried the US

  -

  W code letters.

  On April 5, 1945, while at its controls, he damaged

  two Fw 190D-9s and destroyed four Ju 88Gs on

  the ground. On the starboard side under the

  windshield Clostermann had painted 16 crosses,

  symbols of his current air combat successes

  (in total 12 confirmed kills and four probables).

  He finished his combat career flying with No. 3

  Squadron with the total score of 14 confirmed

  kills, four probables and nine enemy aircraft

  destroyed on the ground.

  Right before D-day, the No. 80 Squadron,

  operating Spitfires Mk.IX, was incorporated into

  the Great Britain air defenses. In August it was

  re-equipped with the new Hawker Tempests Mk.V.

  In the end of September, the unit was transferred

  to the Continent as a part of the 2nd TAF. Tempest

  serial number EJ705 was most frequently flown

  by an Australian pilot P/O Frank Lang. On the

  starboard side under the windshield his Tempest

  carried the nose art in the form of a kangaroo

  holding the Australian flag. Flying this aircraft on

  January 22, 1945, he destroyed two gliders and in

  cooperation with other pilots from his unit shot

  down a Bf 109. Flying EJ705, other pilots from

  No. 80 Squadron destroyed two Bf 109 and one

  Fw 190. EJ705 finished its wartime career on

  March 11, 1945, when it was seriously damaged by

  an in-flight engine fire.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  69

  April 2023

• Page 70

  Recommended:

  for Tempest Mk.V Series 2 1/48

  48976 Tempest Mk.V upgrade set (PE

  -

  Set)

  48977 Tempest Mk.V landing flaps (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE943 Tempest Mk.V seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1079 Tempest Mk.V series 2 Weekend (PE

  -

  Set)

  BIG49212 Tempest Mk.V (PE

  -

  Set)

  644006 Tempest Mk.V LööK (Brassin)

  644039 Tempest Mk.V w/ late wheels LööKplus (Brassin)

  648416 Tempest Mk.V cockpit (Brassin)

  648417 Tempest Mk.V engine (Brassin)

  648418 Tempest Mk.V exhaust stacks (Brassin)

  648419 Tempest Mk.V gun bays (Brassin)

  648421 Tempest Mk.V wheels late (Brassin)

  648446 Tempest Mk.V undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)

  648450 RP-3 60lb rockets for Tempest Mk.V (Brassin)

  648499 Tempest Mk.V intake ring (Brassin)

  648500 Tempest Mk.V dust filter w/ eyelid (Brassin)

  SIN64858 Tempest Mk.V ADVANCED (Brassin)

  3DL48023 Tempest Mk.V SPACE (3D Decal Set)

  D48030 Tempest Mk.V stencils (Decal Set)

  EX628 Tempest Mk.V TFace (Mask)

  EX695 Tempest Mk.V (Mask)

  SN330, S/Ldr Colin H. Macfie, CO of No. 3 Squadron, Wunstorf, Germany, 2nd half of 1947

  Tempest serial number SN330 missed the wartime

  service. In November 1945 it was dispatched to

  Germany and in January 1946 assigned to the

  No. 80 Squadron. During the following month it

  was damaged and returned to the Great Britain

  for repairs at Hawker company. After the

  repairs were completed, it was delivered to the

  No. 3 Squadron sporting the overall coat of the

  aluminum paint and new, type D cockades. J5-H

  code letters were painted in the unit’s traditional

  green color. S/Ldr Colin Hamilton Macafie chose

  this aircraft as his commander’s plane. In May

  1948 the Tempests were replaced by Vampires

  F.1 and SN330 was returned to the Great Britain

  for storage. In November 1950 it was sent for the

  scrap metal.

  # 648417

  # 648416

  # 644006

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard70

  April 2023

• Page 71

  6. KVĚTNA 9–16.30 h

  KULTURNÍ DŮM KOPŘIVNICE

  25. ročník mezinárodní výstavy a soutěže

  Mezinárodní soutěž plastikových a papírových modelů ve vyhlášených kategoriích

  SOUTĚŽ MODELŮ

  MLÁDEŽE DO 15-TI LET

  SPECIÁLNÍ CENY „MORAVSKÝ KNIPL“

  A„MORAVSKÝ ŠRAPNEL“

• Page 72

  #7055

  UTI MiG-15

  1/72

  ProfiPACK edition kit of Soviet two-seat jet trainer

  aircraft UTI MiG-15 in 1/72 scale.

  plastic parts: Eduard

  marking options: 5

  decals: Eduard

  PE parts: yes, pre-painted

  painting mask: yes

  resin parts: no

  Product page

  Re-release

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard72

  April 2023

• Page 73

  6 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment, Přerov Air Base, Czechoslovakia, summer 1974

  Indonesian Air Force, Jakarta-Kemajoran Air Base, Indonesia, 1960s

  Soviet Union, 1960s through the 1970s

  The unit emblem on the nose hints the aircraft

  belonged to 6. sbolp (6 Fighter-Bomber Air

  Regiment), but it is unclear which squadron flew

  it. It might be the Squadron 2, and thus the top

  of the fin and the dot in the unit crest were blue.

  Aircraft flown by the Squadron 1 had these parts

  painted in red while the Squadron 3 yellow.

  A total of fifteen Czechoslovak-built UTI MiG-15s

  was delivered to Indonesia during the late fifties.

  All were taken out of inventory in 1973 when the

  T-33A Shooting Stars replaced them. The colorful

  tail appeared on Indonesian MiG-17s and MiG-21s

  as well.

  Many Soviet two-seater UTI MiG-15s wore the

  underlined letter “U” in Cyrillic along with the

  fuselage number. It was the abbreviation of

  the term “uchobnyi”, meaning “training”. Black

  walkways are not visible in the photo of this

  aircraft.

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard

  73

  April 2023

• Page 74

  Algerian Air Force, 1960s through the 1980s

  c/n 922226, Hävittäjälentolaivue 31, Rissala Air Base, Finland, late 1960s

  The Algerian Air Force obtained its first examples

  of the MiG-15 in the mid-sixties. Twenty of them

  were still in service in 1984. The presence of the

  national insignia on the upper starboard and

  lower port wings is unclear. Current Algerian

  aircraft repeat the fuselage codes in these

  locations.

  This aircraft was sold to Finland on November 10,

  1962. It crashed on November 27, 1970 and was

  written off. During the fall of 1969, it escorted

  Czechoslovak Il-18 with president Ludvík

  Svoboda on board during his visit to Finland.

  The lynx silhouette places this aircraft with

  Hävittäjälentolaivue 31 (Fighter Squadron 31).

  OVERTREES OVERLEPT

  #7055X

  UTI MiG-15

  1/72

  #7055-LEPT

  UTI MiG-15 PE

  -

  Set

  1/72

  Product page Product page

  Recommended:

  for UTI MiG-15 1/72

  672077 UTI MiG-15 cockpit (Brassin)

  3DL72014 UTI MiG-15 SPACE (3D Decal)

  KITS 04/2023

  INFO Eduard74

  April 2023

• Page 75

  www.eduard.com/bfc

  BUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTER

  CLUB

  Eduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!

  15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduard

  products and also discount on various other non-Eduard products. Fixed, permanent, forever!

  Unique valuable Club kits and accessories – you will gain access to unique and nowhere else to be sold

  products, specially made for BFC members.

  Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts on

  their products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount at

  these events.

  Club T-shirt – you will receive fancy BFC T-shirt with unique design and special barcode

  (used for event discounts). This exclusive T-shirt will be only available

  to the members of BFC.

  Free entry fee on E-day – you will not have to pay a penny to visit Eduard's E-day.

  That means lot of fun at E-day for two days and entry kit, absolutely free!

  * E-day - INTERNATIONAL SCALE KIT EXHIBITION - IPMS Czech Republic Championship

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter with

  eyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si

  -

  dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details and

  seat belts.

  BOX CONTENT:

  Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassin

  parts (undercarriage wheels, cockpit, exhaust nozzle, FOD).

  How to become a member of BFC?How to become a member of BFC?

  Simply by purchasing the Activation product. You will be given 15% discount on (almost) every Eduard

  product in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shopping

  cart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.

  Activation products:Activation products:

  Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72

• Page 76

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/32

  scale. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/32 scale. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  632188

  Hurricane Mk.II exhaust rounded PRINT

  1/32 Revell

  632189

  Hurricane Mk.II exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/32 Revell

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard76

  April 2023

• Page 77

  632190

  Hurricane Mk.II wheels

  1/32 Revell

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Hurricane Mk.II

  in 1/32 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and

  a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for Bf 109G-4 in 1/32 scale.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - exhaust stacks

  - undercarriage wheels

  634032

  Bf 109G-4 LööKplus

  1/32 Revell

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  77

  April 2023

• Page 78

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - 10ton jacks for German WWII AFV

  in 1/35 scale. The set consists of 3 jacks. Made

  by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 15 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - wire cuters for German WWII AFV

  in 1/35 scale. The set consists of 5 wire cutters.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  635024

  WWII German 10 ton jacks PRINT

  1/35

  635026

  WWII German wire cutters PRINT

  1/35

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard78

  April 2023

• Page 79

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL

  seatbelts for A6M2-N Rufe in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  644205

  A6M2-N Rufe LööK

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for Anson Mk.I in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - radiators

  - undercarriage wheels

  644204

  Anson Mk.I LööKplus

  1/48 Airfix

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  79

  April 2023

• Page 80

  644206

  B-25J LööK

  1/48 HKM

  644207

  F-16C Block 25 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  BRASSIN

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL

  seatbelts for B-25J in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: HKM

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - 3D print: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL

  seatbelts for F-16C Block 25 in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 2 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard80

  April 2023

• Page 81

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the seat for A-1J in 1/48 scale. Seatbelts

  are printed together with the seat. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648842

  A-1H seat

  1/48 Tamiya

  Brassin set - the engine for F4F-3 in 1/48 scale.

  The cowling are included. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 36 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648826

  F4F-3 engine late PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  81

  April 2023

• Page 82

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - guns for Anson Mk.I in 1/48 scale.

  The set consists of the 4 guns. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - seat for A6M2-N Rufe in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts. Made by direct

  3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  648845

  A6M2-N Rufe seat PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648844

  Anson Mk.I guns PRINT

  1/48 Airfix

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard82

  April 2023

• Page 83

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - gun barrels for A6M2-N Rufe

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648847

  A6M2-N Rufe cannon barrels & cockpit guns PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - exhaust pipes for A6M2-N Rufe

  in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648846

  A6M2-N Rufe exhaust PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  83

  April 2023

• Page 84

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - folding wingtips for A6M2-N Rufe

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - gun bays for A6M2-N Rufe in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 16 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  648849

  A6M2-N Rufe gun bays PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648848

  A6M2-N Rufe folding wingtips PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard84

  April 2023

• Page 85

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - nose radar for F-16 in

  1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648855

  F-16 radar early PRINT

  1/48 Kinetic

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for P&W F100 powered

  F-16 in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  648854

  F-16 exhaust nozzle P&W F100 PRINT

  1/48 Kinetic

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  85

  April 2023

• Page 86

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - turquoise-painted cockpit for Mi-24V

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard / Zvezda

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - resin: 46 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  - SPACE 3D decals: yes

  648857

  Mi-24V cockpit turquoise PRINT & SPACE

  1/48 Eduard/Zvezda

  Product page

  INFO Eduard86

  April 2023

• Page 87

  BRASSIN

  Brassin set - the cockpit for Bf 110E

  in 1/72 scale. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - resin: 25 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  672312

  Bf 110E cockpit

  1/72 Eduard

  Brassin set - nose guns for Bf 110E in 1/72 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 13 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  672311

  Bf 110E nose guns PRINT

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  87

  April 2023

• Page 88

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for P-39Q in 1/72 scale.

  Recommended kit: Arma Hobby

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin

  dashboards & Steelbelts),

  - seat

  - exhaust stacks

  - gun barrells

  674003

  P-39Q LööKplus

  1/72 Arma Hobby

  Brassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 110E

  in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheels and

  a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: yes

  672310

  Bf 110E wheels

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard88

  April 2023

• Page 89

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 6 sets for Tornado IDS in 1/32 scale.

  Recommended kit: Italeri

  -AIM-9M/L Sidewinder

  - AGM-88 HARM

  - BOZ-107 pod (2 sets)

  - AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening pod

  - GBU-24 bomb

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  SIN63216

  Tornado IDS armament

  1/32 Italeri

  GBU-24 bomb

  AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening pod

  Product page

  AIM-9M/L Sidewinder

  AGM-88 HARM

  2x kontejner BOZ-107

  INFO Eduard

  89

  April 2023

• Page 90

  BRASSIN

  Collection of 4 sets for F-14D in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - undercarriage wheels

  - cockpit

  - exhaust nozzles

  - Remove Before Flight tags SPACE

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  SIN648102

  F-14D

  1/48 Tamiya

  cockpit

  wheels

  exhaust nozzles

  SPACE

  RBF

  Product page

  INFO Eduard90

  April 2023

• Page 91

• Page 92

  easy

  application

  3DL48113 F4U-1D SPACE 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48114

  A6M2-N Rufe SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard92

  April 2023

• Page 93

  SPACE

  3DL48115 A6M2b SPACE 1/48 Academy

  3DL72013

  U-2C SPACE

  1/72 Hobby Boss

  3DL72014

  UTI MIG-15 SPACE

  1/72 Eduard

  Product page Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  93

  April 2023

• Page 94

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  APRIL 2023

  Spitfire Mk.IXc landing flaps

  Spitfire Mk.IXc engine

  & undercarriage

  1/24 Airfix

  1/24 Airfix

  23038

  23039

  INFO Eduard94

  April 2023

• Page 95

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  481105

  491342

  A6M2b landing flaps

  F4U-1D

  1/48 Academy

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  INFO Eduard

  95

  April 2023

• Page 96

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  491344

  A6M2b

  1/48 Academy

  INFO Eduard96

  April 2023

• Page 97

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  97

  April 2023

• Page 98

  491340

  Mi-8MT

  1/48 Zvezda

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  FE1341

  FE1340

  Mi-8MT

  seatbelts STEEL

  Mi-8MT

  INFO Eduard98

  April 2023

• Page 99

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  INFO Eduard

  99

  April 2023

• Page 100

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  36498

  M48A5

  1/35 Takom

  INFO Eduard100

  April 2023

• Page 101

  PHOTO

  -

  ETCHED

  36499

  Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf.C

  1/35 Academy

  3D Eduard SPACE

  included.

  INFO Eduard

  101

  April 2023

• Page 102

  BIG ED

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG33150 Tornado IDS 1/32 Italeri

  BIG49361

  Beaufort Mk.I PART II 1/48 ICM

  32480 Tornado IDS exterior 1/32

  321004 Tornado IDS interior 1/32

  321005 Tornado IDS undercarriage 1/32

  33342 Tornado IDS seatbelts STEEL 1/32

  JX303 Tornado IDS 1/32

  481094 Beaufort Mk.I bomb bay 1/48

  481095 Beaufort Mk.I landing flaps 1/48

  481096 Beaufort Mk.I undercarriage 1/48

  Product page

  Product page

  INFO Eduard102

  April 2023

• Page 103

  All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,

  but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.

  BIG ED

  BIG49362 A-10C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  481097 A-10C exterior 1/48

  481098 A-10C armament 1/48

  491324 A-10C 1/48

  FE1325 A-10C seatbelts STEEL 1/48

  EX915 A-10C 1/48

  Product page

  E

  -

  Bunny wishes you a Happy Easter!

  INFO Eduard

  103

  April 2023

• Page 104

  MASKS

  IT FITS!

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace

  1/48 Eduard

  EX935 F4U-1D

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX936 F4U-1D TFace

  1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX937 A6M2b TFace

  1/48 Academy

  EX938 Mosquito B Mk.IV / PR

  Mk.IV TFace

  1/48 Tamiya

  EX939 Fw 190A-4

  1/48 Eduard

  CX645 UTI MiG-15

  1/72 Eduard

  CX646 U-2C

  1/72 Hobby Boss

  CX647 F-14B

  1/72 Academy

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace

  EX936 F4U-1D TFace

  EX937 A6M2b TFace

  EX937 A6M2b TFace

  EX937 A6M2b TFace

  EX937 A6M2b TFace

  EX936 F4U-1D TFace

  EX935 F4U-1D

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace

  INFO Eduard104

  April 2023

• Page 105

  CX646 U-2C

  CX647 F-14B CX647 F-14B

  CX646 U-2C

  EX938 Mosquito B Mk.IV / PR Mk.IV TFace EX938 Mosquito B Mk.IV / PR Mk.IV TFace

  EX938 Mosquito B Mk.IV / PR Mk.IV TFaceEX938 Mosquito B Mk.IV / PR Mk.IV TFace

  MASKS

  INFO Eduard

  105

  April 2023

• Page 106

  RELEASES

  APRIL 2023

  KITS

  PE

  -

  SETS

  ZOOMS

  MASKS

  82183 Z-326/C-305 Trenér Master 1/48 ProfiPACK

  8209 Bf 110C 1/48 ProfiPACK

  11171 RUFE DUAL COMBO 1/48 Limited

  84117 Fw 190A-4 engine flaps and 2gun wings 1/48 Weekend

  84187 Tempest Mk.V Series 2 1/48 Weekend

  7055 UTI MiG-15 reedice 1/72 ProfiPACK

  53292 USS Missouri BB-63 1/350 Hobby Boss

  23038 Spitfire Mk.IXc landing flaps 1/24 Airfix

  23039 Spitfire Mk.IXc engine & undercarriage 1/24 Airfix

  36498 M48A5 1/35 Takom

  36499 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf.C 1/35 Academy

  36500 Sd.Kfz. 251/1 Ausf.C side stowage bins 1/35 Academy

  481104 B-24D bomb bay 1/48 Revell

  481105 A6M2b landing flaps 1/48 Academy

  491340 Mi-8MT 1/48 Zvezda

  491342 F4U-1D 1/48 Hobby Boss

  491344 A6M2b 1/48 Academy

  491346 F6F-3 1/48 Eduard

  491347 F6F-5 1/48 Eduard

  72730 F-14B exterior 1/72 Academy

  73799 U-2C 1/72 Hobby Boss

  73800 F-14B 1/72 Academy

  FE1340 Mi-8MT 1/48 Zvezda

  FE1341 Mi-8MT seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Zvezda

  FE1342 F4U-1D 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1343 F4U-1D seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Hobby Boss

  FE1344 A6M2b 1/48 Academy

  FE1345 A6M2b seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Academy

  FE1346 Fw 190A-4 Weekend 1/48 Eduard

  SS800 F-14B 1/72 Academy

  EX934 A6M2-N Rufe TFace 1/48 Eduard

  EX935 F4U-1D 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX936 F4U-1D TFace 1/48 Hobby Boss

  EX937 A6M2b TFace 1/48 Academy

  EX938 Mosquito B Mk.IV / PR Mk.IV TFace 1/48 Tamiya

  EX939 Fw 190A-4 1/48 Eduard

  CX645 UTI MiG-15 1/72 Eduard

  CX646 U-2C 1/72 Hobby Boss

  CX647 F-14B 1/72 Academy

  INFO Eduard106

  April 2023

• Page 107

  BIG-EDBIG-ED

  BIG ED

  BIG33150 Tornado IDS 1/32 Italeri

  BIG49361 Beaufort Mk.I PART II 1/48 ICM

  BIG49362 A-10C 1/48 Hobby Boss

  RELEASES

  BRASSIN

  LöökPLUS

  BIG SIN

  SPACE

  644205 A6M2-N Rufe LööK 1/48 Eduard

  644206 B-25J LööK 1/48 HKM

  644207 F-16C Block 25 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  635024 WWII German 10 ton jacks PRINT 1/35

  635026 WWII German wire cutters PRINT 1/35

  632188 Hurricane Mk.II exhaust rounded PRINT 1/32 Revell

  632189 Hurricane Mk.II exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/32 Revell

  632190 Hurricane Mk.II wheels 1/32 Revell

  648826 F4F-3 engine late PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648842 A-1H seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648844 Anson Mk.I guns PRINT 1/48 Airfix

  648845 A6M2-N Rufe seat PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648846 A6M2-N Rufe exhaust PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648847 A6M2-N Rufe

  cannon barrels & cockpit guns 1/48 Eduard

  648848 A6M2-N Rufe folding wingtips PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648849 A6M2-N Rufe gun bays PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648854 F-16 exhaust nozzle P&W F100 PRINT 1/48 Kinetic

  648855 F-16 radar early PRINT 1/48 Kinetic

  648857 Mi-24V cockpit turquoise PRINT & SPACE 1/48 Eduard/Zvezda

  672310 Bf 110E wheels 1/72 Eduard

  672311 Bf 110E nose guns PRINT 1/72 Eduard

  672312 Bf 110E cockpit 1/72 Eduard

  634032 Bf 109G-4 LööKplus 1/32 Revell

  644204 Anson Mk.I LööKplus 1/48 Airfix

  674003 P-39Q LööKplus 1/72 Arma Hobby

  SIN63216 Tornado IDS armament 1/32 Italeri

  SIN648102 F-14D 1/48 Tamiya

  3DL48113 F4U-1D SPACE 1/48 Hobby Boss

  3DL48114 A6M2-N Rufe SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48115 A6M2b SPACE 1/48 Academy

  3DL72013 U-2C SPACE 1/72 Hobby Boss

  3DL72014 UTI MiG-15 SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  APRIL 2023

  INFO Eduard

  107

  April 2023

• Page 108

  GUNZE PRODUCTS

  -

  WEATHERING

  WEATHERING COLORS

  YAKUMO

  WWII WESTERN FRONT

  CAT.NO.: WY01

  These Yakumo Colors—Mr. Weathering Color and Mr. Weathering Paste-based weathering colors—

  were supervised by the world-famous modeler, Mr. Mig Jimenez. The mud and dirt colors are made

  with pigments that have been collected from all over the world.

  WY01 is a weathering paint set for German vehicles in the

  WWII Western Front. Thin each color with the separately-sold

  Mr. Weathering Colour Thinner (WCT101/102); or MIG015 thinner

  (YAKUMO thinner).

  From a modeler’s perspective, Europe was the setting of many

  of the most interesting battles of the war, including Normandy,

  the Battle of the Bulge, Hungary, the Warsaw Uprising and the fall

  of Berlin. On these fronts the Germans used several standardized

  camouflage patterns, but each was always based on green and

  brown camouflage colours over a dark yellow base (C039 dark

  yellow, C041 red-brown and C070 dark green). Dust in summer and

  dry mud were the most common effects seen in German vehicles.

  In addition to the two products used to represent these effects,

  the perfect wash tone is also included, and another for streaked

  dirt stains. For the most complete finish, combine with SET

  D

  -

  BASICS.

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  001

  003

  002

  002

  004

  DARK WASH

  Apply the wash with a fine brush to details, in panel lines,

  and around hatches to enhance contrast and volume.

  Remove the excess with a clean brush moistened with

  YAKUMO thinner. Let it dry 24 hours.

  DRY MUD

  You can apply the mud with a thick brush to the underside

  of the vehicle, the tracks, and the suspension. You can

  also apply splashed earth effect with the mud product

  by the flicking a thick brush loaded with product using

  a toothpick. This will create mud splatter effects. Make

  a few tests on an old model or a piece of paper before

  trying it on the model. Let it dry 24 hours.

  DARK STREAKING GRIME

  Stroke well Draw vertical lines on vertical or sloped

  surfaces with irregular shapes and different intensity,

  then blend with a flat brush and YAKUMO thinner to

  soften. Let it dry 24 hours.

  EUROPE DUST

  Pigment colour to simulate dust effects, particularly

  on the horizontal areas and around surface details.

  Apply the pigment dry with a brush and then moisten the

  surface with thinner. Once dry, it can be moistened again

  and touched up to achieve the desired effect.

  Product page

• Page 109

  GUNZE PRODUCTS

  -

  WEATHERING

  WWII EASTERN FRONT

  CAT.NO.: WY02

  WY02 is a weathering paint set for winter camouflaged vehicles

  in WWII Eastern Front. Thin each color with the separately-sold

  Mr. Weathering Colour Thinner (WCT101/102); or MIG015 thinner

  (YAKUMO thinner).

  The Germans camouflaged their vehicles in the harsh Russian

  winters with white paint to blend it with the snowy landscape.

  A white vehicle needs a very special treatment of aging and dirt

  to be realistic and credible. This special set for German winter

  vehicles includes the necessary products to achieve a realistic

  appearance in a winter environment such as the battles of Moscow,

  Stalingrad, or the siege of Leningrad. This set is specially designed

  for white camouflage applied on German panzer grey colour

  (Panzer Grey - C040 German Grey, C513 „Dunkelgrau“, C514 „Grau“

  etc). For the most complete finish, combine with SET D

  -

  BASICS.

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  005

  007

  006

  008

  WINTER WASH

  see MIG 001 for description

  MIG-007 - FRESH DARK MUD

  see MIG 003 for description

  WINTER STREAKING GRIME

  see MIG 002 for description

  MIG-008 - DRY EARTH

  see MIG 004 for description

  WWII AFRIKA KORPS

  CAT.NO.: WY03

  WY03 is a weathering paint set for model vehicles in the WWII Afrika

  Korps. It can add realistic sand stains from the harsh weather

  conditions of Africa to your scale model. Thin each color with

  the separately-sold Mr. Weathering Colour Thinner (WCT101/102);

  or MIG015 thinner (YAKUMO thinner).

  The landscapes of Tunisia or Libya were very harsh and hostile

  environments for the vehicles of the German Afrika Korps (DAK).

  The scorching sun and heat faded the colours quickly while

  the dust was ubiquitous. The Germans over painted their grey

  vehicles with various shades of sand colour (i.e. C039 Dark Yellow)

  to make them less visible on the open desert plains. The product

  included in this set allow you to apply washes, dirt effect, and large

  accumulations of dust to give your model realistic look. For more

  complete finish, combine with SET D

  -

  BASICS.

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  011

  010

  009

  012

  SAND FILTER

  Apply the filter over the entire surface of model uniformly for

  a transparent and subtle effect, without letting the product

  accumulate in recesses and panel lines. Allow the filter to dry

  for 24 hours.

  GRAY STREAKING GRIME

  see MIG 003 for description

  DESERT WASH

  Apply the wash with a fine brush to details, in panel lines, and around

  hatches to enhance contrast and volume. Remove the excess with

  a clean brush moistened with YAKUMO thinner. Let it dry 24 hours.

  MIG-008 - DRY EARTH

  see MIG 004 for description

  Product page

  Product page

• Page 110

  GUNZE PRODUCTS

  -

  WEATHERING

  BASICS

  CAT.NO.: WY04

  WY04 is a weathering paint set that can be used on various

  military models including tanks. This set of paints can replicate

  basic oil stains, chipped paint, and rust. Thin each color with the

  separately-sold Mr. Weathering Colour Thinner (WCT101/102);

  or MIG015 thinner (YAKUMO thinner).

  Most German military vehicles showed certain universal

  weathering effects, no matter the setting or time of the year. Tanks

  or half-tracks usually showed chipped paint, rust effects, or large

  areas of fuel stains soaked into caked dust or dirt over top. These

  are the weathering effects that bring more life and realism to the

  model, and that is the reason why you must pay special attention

  when adding them. This universal set will allow you to create

  extremely realistic effects on your models, no matter the location

  or time of the year in which they are set. The colours and effects

  are accurate for the cold Russian winter, the Normandy campaign

  or the barren landscapes of the North Africa. Always use this set

  in combination with one of the YAKUMO sets for military vehicles

  in a specific setting.

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  MIG

  015

  014

  013

  016

  FUEL & OIL

  Apply this product to the sides of model in the shape of vertical

  lines, or add small drops over a surface treated with MIG014

  pigment. This effect can be diluted with YAKUMO thinner to create

  a softer and more natural effect. Use this effect sparingly and

  apply the effect in scale. Let it dry 12 hours.

  CHIPPING

  The perfect colour to represent chipped paint effects on your

  models, as long as the surface you are depicting was made out

  of iron or steel in the real vehicle. Use a brush with a fine tip to

  paint the chips on the zones most exposed to wear and tear, You

  can also apply the chipping with a piece of sponge or packing foam.

  Let it dry 10 minutes. Can be cleaned with water.

  EARTH & GRIME

  A pigment tone to simulate accumulated dirt, or to create a base

  onto which you can apply fuel stains. Apply the pigment dry with

  a brush to the designed areas. It can also be used to emphasize

  shadows or dirt effect on nooks and crannies.

  MIG-008 - DRY EARTH

  Eventually all vehicles rust in specific areas due to rain, snow and

  dew. Apply the product in small quantities around small details

  such as screw heads, brackets or other fixtures, as well as on

  vertical or sloped surfaces in the form of faded lines. Use he effect

  sparingly and apply the effect in scale.

  Product page

• Page 111

• Page 112

  ZLIN Z-326

  built by Mattia Pancotti

  1/48

  # 11167

  Z-326, No. 908, private owner, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2020

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard112

  April 2023

• Page 113

  BUILT

  This Z-326 became the first ever aerobatic aircraft in

  Iceland. It set off from Czechoslovakia to the island

  country on July 14, 1966, first by rail, then by ship. It has

  changed several owners in Iceland. Today, it is owned by

  Helgi Rafnsson. Among the pilots who put their hands

  on the controls of this aircraft is also one of Icelandic

  most famous pilots, Magnus Norðdahl. The former airline

  commercial pilot and DC-4 captain was born in 1928 and

  even after his 80th birthday he was still performing great

  aerobatics with TF

  -

  ABC including the famous “Lomcovac”

  on various occasions. The aircraft got an unusual livery in

  Iceland. The painting overlays all the stencilling; it was

  not restored. The number 168 on the vertical fin does

  not correspond to the serial number, as usual with other

  Treners.

  Product page

  INFO Eduard

  113

  April 2023

• Page 114

  BUILT

  F-35A

  1/48

  Tamiya

  built by Matthias Becker

  FE1332 F-35A (PE

  -

  Set)

  FE1333 F-35A seatbelts STEEL (PE

  -

  Set)

  ACCESSORIES USED:

  INFO Eduard114

  April 2023

• Page 115

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  115

  April 2023

• Page 116

  BUILT

  Spitfire Mk. IXc early

  1/48

  Eduard

  built by Martin Prosser

  EN354, 1st Lt. Leonard V. Helton, 52nd FG, 4th FS, La Sebala Airfield, Tunisia, June, 1943

  # 8282

  INFO Eduard116

  April 2023

• Page 117

  BUILT

  Bf 109G-2

  1/48

  Eduard

  built by Didier Waelkens

  Bf 109G-6, MT-423, ylikersantti (Staff Sergeant) Hemmo

  Leino, 1/HLeLv 34, Kymi, Finland, June 1944

  INFO Eduard

  117

  April 2023

• Page 118

  BUILT

  built by Jan Baranec

  #82146

  KAMO D

  Fw 190A-2

  1/48

  INFO Eduard118

  April 2023

• Page 119

  W. Nr. 0125310, Hptm. Josef Priller, CO of III./JG 26, Wevelghem, Belgium, June 1942

  Josef ”Pips“ Priller was born on July 27th, 1915 in

  Ingolstadt, Bavaria. In 1935, he joined Wehrmacht,

  and as soon as one year later, in October 1936,

  he started to attend the fighter pilot training. He

  managed his first shot down as a commander of

  6. Staffel JG 51 when he downed a Spitfire above

  Dunkerque on May 28th, 1940. In November 1940,

  he was appointed a commander of the 1./JG 26.

  On December 6th, 1941, he became commander

  of III./JG 26, from January 11th,1943 he lead the

  whole Jagdgeschwader 26. His total number of

  shot downs kept growing. On December 20th,

  1941, his successes were rewarded - Priller was

  decorated with Knights Cross of the Iron Cross

  with Oak Leaves and Swords. On January 28th,

  1945, he was appointed a post of an Inspekteur der

  Jagdflieger Ost, where he remained till the end of

  WWII. Priller’s total score of shot downs was 101

  enemy aircraft. All of the shot downs happened in

  the Western Front. After war he married Johanna

  Riegele, the proprietor of a brewery and became

  general manager of Riegele brewery in Augsburg,

  Germany. He died of heart attack on May 20th,

  1961. The aircraft flown by Josef Priller in June

  1942, in the standard camouflage scheme for

  Luftwaffe fighters, had a yellow rudder and

  bottom portion of the engine cowl. It also carried

  the marking for the CO of the III. Gruppe. The tail

  carried 73 kill markings, his tally to June 1st, 1942.

  BUILT

  INFO Eduard

  119

  April 2023

• Page 120

  ON APPROACH

  MAY 2023

  634034

  Spitfire Mk.IXc LööK

  1/24 Airfix

  644211

  F-16A MLU LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  644212

  F-16C Block 42 till 2005 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  634033

  Hurricane Mk.IIb LööK

  1/32 Revell

  BIG49363 Anson Mk.I 1/48 Airfix

  BIG49364 F-16C Block 25 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49365 F-16C Block 42 till 2005 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG49366 F-16C Block 42 from 2006 1/48 Kinetic

  634033 Hurricane Mk.IIb LööK 1/32 Revell

  634034 Spitfire Mk.IXc LööK 1/24 Airfix

  644211 F-16A MLU LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  644212 F-16C Block 42 till 2005 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  644213 F-16C Block 42 from 2006 LööK 1/48 Kinetic

  624003 Spitfire Mk.IX exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/24 Airfix

  632191 Luftwaffe rudder pedals PRINT 1/32 Revell

  635027 WWII German towing cable eyes PRINT 1/35

  635028 WWII German trench binoculars PRINT 1/35

  648827 F4F-3A engine PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648850 A6M2-N Rufe cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648851 A6M2-N Rufe landing flaps PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648852 A6M2-N Rufe engine complete PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648853 F4F-4 gun bays PRINT 1/48 Eduard

  648856 F-16 radar late PRINT 1/48 Kinetic

  648858 F-35A ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648860 F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT 1/48 Tamiya

  648861 Lewis 97-cartridges ammo magazines PRINT 1/48

  644208 A6M2-N Rufe LööKplus 1/48 Eduard

  644209 Mosquito B Mk.IV LööKplus 1/48 Tamiya

  644210 F-16C Block 25 LööKplus 1/48 Kinetic

  SIN648103 F4F-4 ESSENTIAL 1/48 Eduard

  SIN648104 F-16 armament w/ laser guided bombs 1/48 Kinetic

  BIG ED (May)

  BRASSIN (May)

  LöökPlus (May)

  BIGSIN (May)

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for Spitfire Mk.IXc in 1/24 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEEL

  seatbelts for F-16A MLU in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for F-16C Block 42 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard

  and STEEL seatbelts for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/32 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Revell

  Set contains:

  - resin: 1 part

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details:

  yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  INFO Eduard120

  April 2023

• Page 121

  644213

  F-16C Block 42 from 2006 LööK

  1/48 Kinetic

  ON APPROACH

  LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and

  STEEL seatbelts for F-16C Block 42 in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - resin: 3 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  624003

  Spitfire Mk.IX exhaust fishtail PRINT

  1/24 Airfix

  632191

  Luftwaffe rudder pedals PRINT

  1/32

  Brassin set - exhaust stacks for Spitfire

  Mk.IXc in 1/24 scale. Made by direct 3D

  printing. Easy to assemble, replaces

  plastic parts. Recommended kit: Airfix

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 12 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - rudder pedals for German WWII

  aircraft in 1/32 scale. The set consists of 3 pairs

  of pedals. Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to

  assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  PRELIMINARY IMAGES

  INFO Eduard

  121

  April 2023

• Page 122

  ON APPROACH

  MAY 2023

  635027

  WWII German towing cable eyes PRINT

  1/35

  635028

  WWII German trench binoculars PRINT

  1/35

  648827

  F4F-3A engine PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - towing cable eyes for German WWII

  AFV in 1/35 scale. The set consists of 10 eyes.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 10 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - German WWII trench binoculars

  in 1/35 scale. The set consists of

  5 binoculars. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the engine for F4F-3A in 1/48 scale.

  The cowlings are included. Made by direct

  3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 29 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard122

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  ON APPROACHMAY 2023

  648850

  A6M2-N Rufe cockpit PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648851

  A6M2-N Rufe landing flaps PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648852

  A6M2-N Rufe engine complete PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  Brassin set - cockpit for A6M2-N

  in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 28 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  - SPACE 3D decals: no

  Brassin set - landing flaps for A6M2-N Rufe in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 6 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - the engine for A6M2-N in 1/48 scale.

  The separate cowlings are included. Made by direct

  3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 24 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  INFO Eduard

  123

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  ON APPROACH

  648853

  F4F-4 gun bays PRINT

  1/48 Eduard

  648856

  F-16 radar late PRINT

  1/48 Kinetic

  648858

  F-35A ejection seat PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Brassin set - gun bays for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  The Set consists of gun bays for both wings.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Eduard

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 26 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - nose radar for F-16 in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 5 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: yes

  - painting mask: no

  Brassin set - ejection seat for F-35A in 1/48 scale.

  Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 9 parts

  - decals: yes

  - photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted

  - painting mask: no

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard124

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• Page 125

  648861

  Lewis 97-cartridges ammo magazines PRINT

  1/48

  644208

  A6M2-N Rufe LööKplus

  1/48 Eduard

  648860

  F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT

  1/48 Tamiya

  Brassin set - ammunition magazines for Lewis

  guns in 1/48 scale. The set consists of 12 magazines.

  Made by direct 3D printing.

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 12 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  Collection of 4 sets for A6M2-N RufeI in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - exhaust pipes

  - seat

  ON APPROACH

  Brassin set - exhaust nozzle for F-35A in 1/48 scale.

  Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,

  replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: Tamiya

  Set contains:

  - 3D print: 4 parts

  - decals: no

  - photo-etched details: no

  - painting mask: no

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

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  April 2023

• Page 126

  ON APPROACH

  Collection of 3 sets for Mosquito B Mk.IV in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Tamiya

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  644209

  Mosquito B Mk.IV LööKplus

  1/48 Tamiya

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard126

  April 2023

• Page 127

  ON APPROACH

  Collection of 4 sets for F-16C Block 25 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  - LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)

  - TFace painting mask

  - undercarriage wheels

  - ejection seat

  644210

  F-16C Block 25 LööKplus

  1/48 Kinetic

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

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  April 2023

• Page 128

  SIN648103

  F4F-4 ESSENTIAL

  1/48 Eduard

  Collection of 4 sets for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Eduard

  - cockpit

  - undercarriage legs BRONZE

  - undercarriage wheels

  - exhaust pipes

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  ON APPROACH

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard128

  April 2023

• Page 129

  SIN48104

  F-16 armament w/ laser guided bombs

  1/48 Kinetic

  Collection of 8 sets for F-16 in 1/48 scale.

  Recommended kit: Kinetic

  - AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening pod

  - AIM-120C AMRAAM

  - GBU-12 bomb (2 sets)

  - Sniper ATP

  - AN/ALQ-131 (deep) ECM pod

  - GBU-49

  - AIM-9M/L Sidewinder

  All sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,

  but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30%.

  BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022

  ON APPROACHMAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  129

  April 2023

• Page 130

  PE

  -

  SETS

  53293 USS Missouri BB-63 part 2 1/350 Hobby Boss

  32482 CH-54A exterior 1/35 ICM

  321007 P-40B 1/32 Great Wall Hobby

  321008 CH-54A 1/35 ICM

  481106 PV-1 exterior 1/48 Academy

  481107 PV-1 bomb bay 1/48 Academy

  481108 PV-1 undercarriage 1/48 Academy

  481109 A6M2-N Rufe landing flaps 1/48 Eduard

  481110 Mi-17 cargo floor 1/48 AMK

  491348 PV-1 1/48 Academy

  491350 F-86D 1/48 Revell

  491352 Mi-17 1/48 AMK

  491353 Mi-17 cargo seatbelts 1/48 AMK

  ZOOMS

  33345 P-40B 1/32 Great Wall Hobby

  33346 P-40B seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Great Wall Hobby

  33347 CH-54A 1/35 ICM

  33348 CH-54A seatbelts STEEL 1/35 ICM

  FE1348 PV-1 1/48 Academy

  FE1349 PV-1 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Academy

  FE1350 F-86D 1/48 Revell

  FE1351 F-86D seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Revell

  FE1352 Mi-17 1/48 AMK

  FE1353 Mi-17 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 AMK

  SS801 MiG-21MF interceptor WEEKEND 1/72 Eduard

  MASKS

  JX307 CH-54A 1/35 ICM

  JX308 CH-54A TFace 1/35 ICM

  EX940 F-86D 1/48 Revell

  EX941 F-86D TFace 1/48 Revell

  EX942 Mi-17 1/48 AMK

  EX943 Mi-17 TFace 1/48 AMK

  EX944 PV-1 1/48 Academy

  EX945 PV-1 TFace 1/48 Academy

  EX946 Do 335A TFace 1/48 Tamiya

  SPACE

  3DL32014 P-40B SPACE 1/32 Great Wall Hobby

  3DL32015 CH-54A SPACE 1/35 ICM

  3DL48116 F-86D SPACE 1/48 Revell

  3DL48117 Bf 110C SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48118 P-400 SPACE 1/48 Eduard

  3DL48119 Mi-17 SPACE 1/48 AMK

  3DL72015 Spitfire Mk.IXc SPACE 1/72 Eduard

  3DL72016 B-25J SPACE 1/72 Hasegawa

  DECAL

  D48112 Angel of Mercy 1/48 HKM

  ON APPROACH

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard130

  April 2023

• Page 131

  ON APPROACH

  F6F-5 Hellcat #8229 1/48

  Lt. Eugene A. Valencia, VF-9, USS Lexington,

  February 1945

  BuNo 70597, Lt James L. Pearce, VF-17,

  USS Hornet, March 21, 1945

  BuNo 72296 Lt Louis A. Menard, jr., VBF-12,

  USS Randolph, February 17, 1945

  Flottille 1F, PA Arromanche,

  French Indochina, 1951

  Lt. Cornelius N. Nooy, VF-31,

  USS Belleau Wood, August 1945

  BuNo 72663, Ens William A. Sinnott,

  VF-24, USS Santee, July 7, 1945

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  131

  April 2023

• Page 132

  ON APPROACH

  SPITFIRE STORY: Malta 1/48#11172

  Dual Combo

  Spitfire Vb Trop, AB264, F/O Robert W. McNair,

  No. 249 Squadron, RAF Ta Kali, Malta,

  March 1942

  Spitfire Vb Trop, EP706, P/O George F. Beurling,

  No. 249 Squadron, RAF Ta Kali, Malta,

  August - October 1942

  Spitfire Vb Trop, EP122, Sgt. Claude Weaver III,

  No. 185 Squadron, RAF Ta Kali, Malta,

  July 1942

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard132

  April 2023

• Page 133

  ON APPROACH

  Spitfire Vb, EP829, S/Ldr John J. Lynch,

  No. 249 Squadron, RAF Qrendi, Malta,

  February - May 1943

  Spitfire Vb Trop, ER187, Maj. Frank A. Hill, 309th FS,

  31st FG, Xewkija, Gozo - Malta, beginning of July 1943

  Spitfire Vc Trop, BR190, F/Sgt Virgil P. Brennan,

  No. 249 Squadron, RAF Ta Kali, Malta, May 1942

  Spitfire Vb, ER647, S/Ldr John R. Urwin-Mann,

  No. 126 Squadron, RAF Luqa, Malta, spring 1943

  Spitfire Vb Trop, ER187, Maj. Frank A. Hill, 309th FS,

  31st FG, Xewkija, Gozo - Malta, beginning of July 1943

  Spitfire Vc Trop, BP975, F/Lt Denis Barnham,

  No. 601 Squadron, RAF Luqa, Malta, April - May 1942

  Spitfire Vb Trop, EP122, Sgt. Claude Weaver III,

  No. 185 Squadron, RAF Ta Kali, Malta,

  July 1942

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  133

  April 2023

• Page 134

  ON APPROACH

  Spitfire Vc Trop, BR126, P/O Jerrold A. Smith,

  No. 126 Squadron, USS Wasp (CV-7),

  May 1942

  Spitfire Vc Trop, BR321, F/Lt John A. Plagis,

  No. 185 Squadron, RAF Hal Far, Malta, June 1942

  Spitfire Vc, BR498, W/Cdr Peter P. Hanks,

  Luqa Wing, Malta, August 1942 – February 1943

  Spitfire Vc Trop, BR311, F/Lt Roderick I. A. Smith,

  No. 126 Squadron, RAF Luqa, Malta, October 1942

  Spitfire Vc Trop, BR387, P/O John W. Yarra,

  No. 185 Squadron, RAF Hal Far, Malta, June 1942

  Spitfire Vc Trop, JK715, S/Ldr Evan D. Mackie,

  No. 243 Squadron, RAF Hal Far, Malta, June – July 1943

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard134

  April 2023

• Page 135

  MiG-21MF Interceptor #7469 1/72

  ON APPROACH

  1st Squadron, 9th Fighter Bomber Air Regiment,

  Bechyně, Czech Republic, September 1993

  116. CBP (116th Combat Training Center),

  Privolzhsky, Soviet Union, May 1990

  10. Pułk Lotnictwa Myśliwskiego, Airport Łask,

  Poland, 1986 - 1993

  Mogadishu Airport, Somali Air Force, Somalia, 1991

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  135

  April 2023

• Page 136

  ON APPROACH

  Bf 109F-4 1/48#84188

  Bf 109F-4/Trop, WNr. 8673,

  Hptm. Hans-Joachim Marseille,

  CO of 3./JG 27, Quotaifiya, Egypt,

  September 1942

  Bf 109F-4/Z, WNr. 7420, Lt. Hermann A. Graf,

  CO of 9./JG 52, Kharkov-Rogan, Soviet Union,

  May 1942

  Bf 109F-4, Lt. Hans-Joachim Heyer,

  8./JG 54, Siverskaya, Soviet Union,

  April 1942

  Bf 109F-4/Trop, WNr. 10145, Fw. Rudolf Müller,

  6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, June 1942

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard136

  April 2023

• Page 137

  Bf 109F-4, Lt. Hans-Joachim Heyer,

  8./JG 54, Siverskaya, Soviet Union,

  April 1942

  Bf 109F-4/Trop, WNr. 10145, Fw. Rudolf Müller,

  6./JG 5, Petsamo, Finland, June 1942

  ON APPROACH

  Fokker Dr.I

  1/48

  #8162

  425/17, Rtm. Manfred A. Freiherr

  von Richthofen, CO of JG 1, Cappy,

  France, April 1918

  479/17; Lt. August Raben, Jasta 18,

  Montingen (Montoy-Flanville),

  France, October 1917

  425/17 flown by Rtm. Manfred A.

  Freiherr von Richthofen, CO of JG 1,

  Lechelle, France, March 1918

  577/17; Lt. Rudolf Klimke, Jasta 27,

  Halluin-Ost, France, May 1918

  213/17; Lt. Friedrich P. Kempf, Jasta 2,

  Bavichove, Belgium, February 1918

  564/17; Lt. Werner Steinhäuser, Jasta 11,

  Avesnes-le-Sec, France, February, 1918

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard

  137

  April 2023

• Page 138

  ON APPROACH

  Fw 190F-8

  Re-release

  1/72

  #70119

  5./SG 77, Cottbus, Germany, early March 1945

  1./SG 4, Piacenza, Italy 1944

  SG 10, České Budějovice, Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, May 1945

  SG 2, Hungary, Winter 1944/1945

  WNr. 584592, SG 2 or SG 10, Neubiberg,

  Germany, May 1945

  MAY 2023

  INFO Eduard138

  April 2023

• Page 139

  Do You like moving? I absolutely hate it! I had to move

  three times in the last five years and will be moving

  again this year. And more to it, I got a “bonus” due to

  work obligations - moving our warehouse! Just so as

  not to get out of practice … With colleagues we moved

  the sales department from the Rico facility (yes, that’s

  the infamous facility where a million of sprues were

  burned in the fire) to our own facility in Sedlec. And to

  be honest, I actually enjoyed it! It is not bad to get up

  out of your chair sometimes and change sitting at the

  office for a few days of physical work, getting your

  hands dirty too. Within four days we moved almost the

  entire department, the truck turned around ten times

  in total, and the shelves with most of the goods were

  soon standing in the newly renovated hall. It is about

  the same size as our former premises in Rico (about

  1,400 m2) and the whole new premises offer a total

  usable area of about 5,500 m2.

  The event went smoothly, with virtually no

  complications, and we were able to resume sales

  and shipment of goods on schedule. Thanks to this

  we were also able to prepare the goods in time for

  the first major modelling event this year, which we

  attended with our travelling sales stand. Yes, it was

  the December PanthersCup. And even though I had

  to move all the boxes to and from the event again,

  I thoroughly enjoyed this event as well. Indeed,

  PanthersCup is one of the meetings that is worth

  a visit every year. And I really appreciate the work of

  the Panthers club who organize the contest, more so

  there are not so many such big events in the Czech

  Republic this year.

  The reasons for termination of these events are clear.

  The overwhelming organizational complexity with

  all the necessary steps, like premises arrangement,

  people needed to run the event, appropriate

  refreshments, prizes for the competition and all

  the other issues which need to be tackled like

  registrations, side events and many other things, all

  require a lot of effort. Although if the enthusiasm of

  the organizers is usually not lacking at the beginning

  of such projects, it usually fades with time. If we add

  to this the usually very demanding Czech modeller,,

  who as a visitor, with his typical perfectionist attitude,

  looks for the slightest mistake in order to reveal it on

  discussion forums or social networks, we cannot be

  surprised that some exhibitions and competitions are

  ending. Moreover, youngsters’ interest in our hobby

  isn't increasing, so we can only hope for a miracle

  that everything will turn for the best. So, let’s at least

  think twice, when publicly evaluating these events,

  that they cost someone a lot of effort and that we

  should be happy there are still some people with the

  enthusiasm to organize them.

  I hope that the Panthers will again organize their event

  next year and that this competition will not disappear

  like other big ones, for instance ModellBrno, Nymburk

  Kitsaloon or Pilsenkit. This year, as if by chance, the

  date of PanthersCup clashed with the Euro Model

  Expo in Lingen, which we participated in the previous

  two years, and also with the exhibition in Bytom,

  Poland, which is certainly also worth a visit.

  In a week we are going to Prostějov and then, in April,

  to Mosonmagyarovar. But where to go later this year?

  If you are organizing a plastic modelling event on a

  larger scale and you would like to have our stand at

  the event, write me an email, maybe we could come.

  And we don’t mind going abroad. In the second half

  of the year, we have just a trip across the pond to

  IPMS in San Marcos, then our E-day off course, and

  the Slovakian “combo” of events in Bratislava and

  Nitra, which was by the way a pleasant surprise in

  our schedule of events last year.

  All in all, I would love to move our stand for modelling

  events and so I hope that this year we will find other

  great places like Nitra and we will have reasons to

  expand our schedule again. For now, sadly we are

  rather reducing it ...

  Jakub Nademlejnský

  THE MOVING

  Stánek na výstavě v Nitře 2022 Prázdné regály po přestěhování v areálu v Sedleci

  Výstavní prodejní tým Eduard

  Plný stánek na výstavě

  PanthersCup 2023

  Plné regály po přestěhování v areálu v Sedleci

  INFO Eduard

  139

  April 2023

• Editorial

  
  

  Good evening, Dear Friends
  

  We have completed our retail department move. As of yesterday, we have vacated the facility in Most that since June, 2019, has served as our main retail headquarters as well as the facility that served as final kit packaging. It’s also the facility in which we lost a lot of the plastic for our kits when a fire broke out in December 2020. I admit to having hoped for an earlier move to a new facility after that fire. Immediately in the spring and summer of 2020, we prepared for a new-build facility, but that was ultimately quelled by the turbulent supply issues in the construction industry. In the fall of 2021, we began to negotiate the purchase of an existing facility in Sedlec, a village neighboring our main office in Obrnice, some 5km away. We were able to keep the negotiations pretty short with the owners, and the same goes for the financing talks with the bank. The talks hit a typically Czech roadblock though, when it was revealed that the access road to our new facility was bisected by a 10mwide swath of land belonging to the neighbor.  Said neighbor is American, and as such, the negotiations making the access road all ours took about another 9 months. This finally happened last September. In February, all the plastic was moved to the newly renovated facility, officially known as Hall 2 and this was followed by the retail department last month. The next step is to move final kit manufacturing into the building and that is slated for June.

  This was the easiest part of the whole thing. As I wrote in the March editorial, the next phase is the reconstruction of the premises for Department 012, which is kit production. That requires setting up space intended for a tool shop, a press shop, warehouses for molds and materials, as well as for the offices of designers and technologists. This will be more demanding. The installation of the required equipment will be significantly more complicated than the modification of the premises for product storage and shipping. If everything goes well, we could move production from Obrnice to Sedlec at the end of this year. It’s all a little like kit development. Yeah, we can get it done in x amount of time, but then the reality of the situation inevitably kicks in. So it’s probably more realistic to expect the relocation of the manufacture of kits in the first half of next year, but the entire project is expected to be complete by the end of next year. So, we actually have a relatively good supply of time, and we can still realistically believe that this move will turn out like our Zero or Nieuport 17projects. We managed these projects in a significantly shorter time than anticipated. If everything works out, it will benefit us a lot, and you too, as our ability to release new kits at a faster pace after the move will gradually increase. In the end, however, you decide how much it will grow, because we will be guided by demand for expanded production capabilities.

   
  One More Thing about Nuremberg

  We wrote about this year's Nuremberg Toy Fair in the last issue of this newsletter, and to be honest, I didn't need to return to the exhibition until last week. I changed my opinion after reading the evaluation of the exhibition by Jindra Štěrbáček in Modelář magazine. I will not sugarcoat this mess … I found the article extremely biased and even insulting. Its evaluation is unfair to both the organizers and the participants. I do not intend to argue with the announcement that this year's fair was a significantly smaller event for our industry than what we were used to in the pre-Covid years, but that was expected and at least we went there with a clear idea of what we were getting into. Accordingly, we made arrangements and changed our usual procedures based on our years of attending the fair. Specifically, for us and our colleagues and friends at Special Hobby, it meant joining together and sharing one booth. But it was no mini-stand, as was written in Modelář. Compared to previous years, we reduced the area of the stand by one third. In the same way, our previous stands were no opulent exhibitions; I think their size corresponded to the size and importance of our companies. We, that is, Eduard, will most likely stay with this size of stand next year, Special Hobby will probably separate from us and set up its own tables. It will be a bit of a shame, for me, living with them was pleasant and conflict-free, even if I did eat their peanuts.

  The absence of a number of companies was expected, and not surprising for those who follow at least a little what is happening in the world. Asia is still struggling with the repercussions of the pandemic, air travel is currently more of a hassle than normal, discouraging many from traveling to Europe. Ukraine is defending itself against Russian aggression, so the absence of Ukrainian companies is completely understandable, and it is also clear for the Russians, they are under sanctions and their participation is unwelcome for obvious reasons. In addition, Russian companies never exhibited much in Nuremberg, I honestly only remember Zvezda. Americans aren’t exactly into travel either, and frankly, in terms of the participation of different nations, two things are a mystery to me: why didn't the Poles actually come, and why did so many Australians come this year? No one has to travel further than them, they also knew what they were getting into and how limited the possibilities of contact with manufacturers would be in Nuremberg this year, and they came anyway! Hats off to them! When I add the year-over-year increase in turnover with the Australians between 2021 and 2022, it was a 71 % increase for us, so I personally consider it a definite positive point and I am slowly starting to research the process of obtaining an Australian visa. It’s time to fly to Australia, even though they have poisonous spiders, snakes and all kinds of other fun stuff!

  I consider the opening of the toy fair to the public, and above all to children and youth, to be a positive and revolutionary step. If I am not mistaken, this is the first time in the history of the fair that children were allowed to visit the exhibition. I’m sure that something like this would never have happened if it weren't for covid lockdowns and the changes in circumstances caused by it. If it weren't for the above-described reduction in exhibitors and the corresponding reduction in the number of visitors, the organizers would not have opened the exhibition up like that. In fact, I would bet on it. However, I wouldn’t put money down on them keeping it that way when things settle down again. But I will be happy if the weekend open to the public remains a part of the fair. Among other things, it brought us a change in the perception of Exhibition Sunday. It used to be traditionally boring, nothing happened by then, we just always kind of agonizingly waited for it to finally end and we could go home. Not that we didn't want to go home this year, we wanted to, and how! But we didn't get bored. More people came on Saturday and Sunday than on the previous three days combined, maybe even more than at any other time during the entire exhibition’s history. So we ended up packing our stuff in the evening, tired as hell, but with a good feeling that at least we got away with it and did a good job. And Fredy and I have to find time to go for coffee, because what we left to discuss on the traditionally boring Sunday, we didn't have time to discuss this time due to the unusually high number of visitors interested in our products.

  So to sum it up, next year will be even better, if Putin doesn't completely screw up and unleash a nuclear apocalypse. I don't know how much better it will be, I rather expect the exhibitors to return gradually to normal, but it may be different. In any case, I hope Jindra actually makes it to Nuremberg next year in person and doesn’t have to write a report based on what he heard from someone else. That would be awesome and much more accurate.

   

  Kits in April

  Before I start with the news, let me make one more announcement. At the end of March, we had 224 active items in the kit range. Before the fire in December 2020, there were 180 items, so now we have a significantly wider range than back then. With that, I dare to consider the renewal of the range of model kits finished. Of course, it’s not the same range as in 2020, but it wouldn’t be even if there was no fire. The range of kits has always been dynamically changing, and given that we've regularly released an average of six new kits every month for the past two years, some of which were brand new and some of which were rehashed older items, the current range is significantly changed. The current situation also does not mean that we will stop presenting older kits as news, kits which are currently still missing from the catalog. In April, the 48th Bf 110C returns in the form of a redesigned ProfiPACK, kit, as does the 72nd scale UTIMiG-15, as a reissue of the original kit. We are also nearing the end of the packaging changeover. We have very few kits left in the old boxes in our warehouse, the vast majority of the range is in new boxes, whether they’re Weekend or ProfiPACK kits. Those that we currently have in stock in their original packaging will be sold out in the next installment of the Sweep campaign in April.

  So this finally brings me to the April news. In the ProfiPACK range, we are expanding the family of Trener kits (you’ll recall that this is the Czech word for “Trainer”, and was the name bestowed on this line of aircraft) with the first Tener with a retractable undercarriage, the Z-326 in M and MF versions. The kit also includes military machines, known locally as the “Three-Hundreds”, consistent with their military designation C-305. In the Weekend series we have two new 48th scale items for April, the Tempest Mk.V Series 2 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4. The Fw 190A-4 thus returns as one of the last Focke-Wulfs that was missing. This is, among other things, because it is a rather complicated version with different combinations of armament and engine cooling exhausts. In this case, the kit is of a version with two cannons in the wing roots, and cooling flaps. One of the machines offered is a pure fighter, the remaining three are fighter-bombers, covering a choice of aircraft from the Western Front, the Eastern Front and the North African battlefield.

  I saved the crown jewel of April‘s new releases to the end of this section, and that is the A6M2-N Rufe. I’ll admit that I’m a little worried that you'll think of the Rufe as another, and even less interesting, Zero incarnation. I hope that we will convince you of the opposite, both with the kit itself and with a two-part historical-technical article by Honza Bobek with some very readable, often unknown, information about this unique float equipped fighter. The Rufe is being first released in the Limited Edition line as Dual Combo boxing, and shares only two sprues with the older Zero Model 21. One is of the canopy, the other contains small detail parts. The other four frames are new, and are Rufe-specific. We incorporated a number of features consistent with the Rufe’s differences from your basic Zero, based on newly discovered findings made during the completion of the project after consulting recognized experts on the type. This is a good argument to consider for those who are on the fence over whether it is worth replacing their old Rufe kits with ours. For example, the external reinforcement of the fuselage in the cockpit area, which look really nice on the model, are included and I strongly I suspect that no kit thus far represented this feature. For those who don’t feel the need for the expense of a dual combo boxing, and its associated price, please note that the classic ProfiPACK kit will be out in July.

  
  

  BRASSIN

  For the Rufe, we are offering a whole range of accessories in parallel with the release of the kit, based on the collection of kits for the A6M2 Model 21. Of course, we leave out the wheels, but among the accessories, there are, for example, the folding wingtips. Some publications state that the Rufe did not have these. As you will learn from the aforementioned article by Honza Bobek, the fact is that at least several dozen aircraft from the start of the production run were equipped with folding wingtips. For the Zero’s main adversary early on, the F4F-3 Wildcat, we have an engine kit for the late version dash-3 in the collection of April releases , differing from the older kit for the F4F-3 Early in the engine cowl and with two versions of the face ring and some detail installations underneath, such as a reduction gear. The 48th scale sets also include a machine gun set for Anson from Airfix, two sets, a radar and exhaust, for all F-16s from Kinetic, and a Mi-24V cockpit in that Soviet turquoise finish, in addition to a few other smaller sets. This set, as was the black cockpit version for the same kit from Zvezda, is released as a combination of a 3D printed base complete with a Space 3D decal.

  In 1/72 scale, this month we focused on the Bf 110E (Eduard) with three sets. These are an upgraded version of the older sets for this model. The set of wheels is cast traditionally, as is usually the case with wheels. Conversely, the nose machine gun setup is 3Dprinted. Of interest is the cockpit set, the base of which has remained cast, but the floor with the installation of the deck guns and the rear machine gun are printed. So it is a kind of hybrid, rare in the Brassin line, but for this set this combination seemed appropriate to us. In the Brassin line, you will also find several small sets for the Hurricane IIb (Revell 1/32), two kits for 35th scale armor and three new sets of the Look line.

   

  Masks, Photoetched and Space Sets

  In traditional photoetched sets, we are, among other things, releasing items for the competing Zero A6M2b from Academy, the bomb bay for the B-24D from Revell (ex-Monogram), the F4U-1D from Hobby Boss and the Mi-8MT from Zvezda, all in 1:48 scale. April also sees the long-awaited renewal of photoetched sets for our Hellcats, both the F6F-3 and F6F-5. Both of these are based on older sets, but are upgraded to current standards.

  Of interest will be the two Spitfire Mk.IXc 1/24 sets from Airfix, and three sets, including two for the new SdKfz 251/1 Ausf C from Academy, are for combat vehicles in 1:35. Set 36499 for this model also includes a small instrument sheet made with 3D printing technology, used for the production of our Space sets, and indicates that the trend of combining different technologies can also make its way to the photoetched range. Also being offered is one 1:350 USS Missouri set from the Hobby Boss kit, three 1:72 scale aircraft kits, and you'll also find three new BigEd and six Space sets

   

  Historical and Other Articles

  I have already made mention of Honza Bobek’s article about the Rufe fighter floatplane. It is in two parts, the second part will be published in the May newsletter. In addition to a number of lesser-known or hitherto unknown technical and historical facts, it also brings a very interesting visual component. Several unique, in some cases unpublished, photographs have been obtained from Japan courtesy of Messrs Izawa and Yoshino, thanks to the assistance of the editors of Scale Aviation magazine. I should also add that in completing the kit we used the advice and materials of Mr. Ryan Toews, who also helped Honza considerably in the preparation of his article.

  Part two of Tom Cleaver’s article Arrival of the Cavalry comes out this month, about the activities of VMF-223, flying Wildcats during the battles for Guadalcanal. Thus, in this issue of our magazine, you have the opportunity to see the war in the Pacific from the point of view of the two opposing sides. Article of Tomáš “Hindman” Dvořák is offering interesting insight into service of high-altitude Hind E helicopters in service of Czech and Czechoslovak Air Force. In addition to these historical notebooks, as with virtually the entire previous year, we are continuing with our look at the air war over Ukraine with the series of articles by Miro Barič. The war is entering its next phase, and I’m afraid Miro will have plenty to write about in the months to come. I have no doubt that the just delivered Slovak and Polish MiG-29s will soon be mentioned as well. Most of you will know that the majority of these machines will have hailed from the inventory of the Czechoslovak and Czech Republic Air Forces.

  We also have new Boxart Stories. Richard Plos prepared a Boxart Story for the Z-326/C-305 Trener Master, Tempest Mk.V Series 2 and the UTI MiG-15 kits. The first two images were created by Adam Tooby, the boxtop image of the Czechoslovak UTI MiG-15 comes from an earlier work by Kateřina Borecká. We are transformed back to the Battle of Britain era in a story describing the Bf 110C painting, as Honza Bobek takes us back to the Second World War with the author of the painting Piotr Forkasiewicz, who, as is his custom, faithfully captured the atmosphere of air combat from this period. The encounter between the Sturmoviks and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190s of JG 54 “Grünherz” is described in detail by Andrey Dikov, who also helped us with the preparation of the background for this image, created by Mark Ryś. It depicts our subject, flown by Otto Kittel, one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe, for whom one of his many encounters with the Sturmoviks would become fateful.

  To vary the themes of this month’s articles a little, we have the second part of Jozef Blažek’s summary on instant, epoxy and dispersion adhesives in the still new section on modelling chemistry.

  And with that, I wish you a good read with this month’s newsletter, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you in Prostějov and Mošon!

   

  Happy Modelling!!

  Vladimír Šulc

• Happy crab

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 82183

  
  

  When the first prototype Z-326, serial number 301 with the OK-90 matriculation (later changed to OK-LHA), took off at 9.20 a.m on August 12, 1957, it marked a further extension of the Z-26 series production. It was to end with the Z-226 version, but persistent interest abroad eventually exacted not only the resumption of production, but also a fairly significant modernization of the entire design. The Z-326 with its retractable undercarriage and new cockpit canopy moved further away from the original design of a wooden wing and tailplane underpowered aircraft with a four-cylinder engine. In the form of the Z-326 Trener Master, it was an all-metal, six-cylinder aircraft with the aforementioned retractable landing gear, which, like the Z-226T, was also very good in aerobatics (though not as good, being heavier) and could also be used for basic training of both civilian and military pilots, as well as for flying for fun or towing gliders.

  The Czechoslovak People’s Army ordered ten C-305s, a slightly modified military version of the civilian version, after good experience with the previous C-5, C-105 and C-205 versions. These aircraft, delivered in 1960, sported several minor changes. They had small signal lights on the undercarriage leg covers, illumination of the cockpit and  flares dispenser with  a small control panel in the cockpit. The undercarriage lights were not there to illuminate the surface during taxi, but to signal the undercarriage is down. As the C-305s had all the instruments needed for night flying, future military pilots did so. A young pilot often had a full plate during his first night solos, even with such an easy-to-control aircraft the Trener was. So, the risk of forgetting to deploy the landing gear and subsequently bellying the aircraft  was high. Two small lights therefore signaled to the observer on the ground the landing gear of the aircraft was down. In case no lights were visible a flare was fired to “wake up” the pilot, who either still had time to get the wheels down or he had not and then  retracted the flaps, gave the full throttle and went for another try.

  C-305s were also used for training Indonesian pilots in Czechoslovakia then nearly all of them were gradually handed over to Svazarm (organization for cooperation between civilian sector and army) from 1970. The aircraft with number 0610 was among the last to be handed over. This was done in September 1972 and the aircraft was assigned to the Kladno Aero Club and obtained the OK-OTE registration. It was one of the C-305s that were delivered to the army in simple aluminum overpaint instead of the more attractive green-blue metallic supplemented with blue and white stripes on the fuselage. And in this form the former 0610 began its civilian career. Not long afterwards, a cartoon of a cheerful crab was painted on the left side of the engine cowling. The painting was inspired by the well-known author of animal-themed cartoons, Pavel Kantorek. In addition, the front of the engine cover was painted blue while the wing tips and the upper part of the vertical stabilizer were painted red. A little later, the undercarriage covers got black paint with two stripes (presumably white). Later still, as part of the overhaul, OK-OTE received a red paint job in standard Z-226, but it can’t be said to have helped its appearance... In the end, however, it got the attractive metallic military coloring mentioned above. It was done in the Zbraslav Aero Club in 2008 after the aircraft was repaired from a previous accident. Today it is in the possession of the Military Historical Institute, unfortunately in a non-airworthy condition.

  In 1972, however, it was still in good shape, albeit with one limitation: “OK-OTE was classified in Normal category and thus was not allowed to fly aerobatics. It was due to the collision with another C-305 in which it suffered major fuselage damage during its military career. Before it was modified for towing of gliders, we used it only for training day and night and for navigation flights,” recalls Jasoň Kučera, a long-time member of the Kladno Aero Club.

  On the boxart of kit No. 82183, made by Adam Tooby, an unspecified aeroclub member from Kladno is flying with OK-OTE over the beautiful landscape of the Křivoklát Protected Landscape Area. Apparently before the OK-OTE got the towing equipment, and also before the landscape below became the PLA Křivoklát... 

• Like dogs on chains

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz

  Cat. No. 8209

  
  

  The Battle of Britain is one of a long list of legendary milestones that defined World War Two, though it’s the only one that played out exclusively in the air. Between August 8 and October 31, 1940, the Luftwaffe paid for the Battle of Britain with the loss of 221 Bf 110s, either destroyed outright or heavily damaged. Approximately four hundred of their airmen were either killed in action, captured, or seriously injured. German airmen including Bf 110 and bomber crews claimed 2,169 victories.
  

  The RAF experienced Bf 110 crews created a defensive circle (Abwehrkreis), but this was not always a strictly defensive manoeuvre. Bf 110 airmen often used it as a decoy to attract the attention of the enemy and allow their bomber colleagues to escape.

  However, if a Bf 110 crew had the freedom to choose the tactical situation, the advantages of their aircraft could be used with great success against Spitfires and Hurricanes, such as concentrated firepower, long range, better initial acceleration in a dive, better rate of climb and a higher operational altitude.

  But when Bf 110 crews were forced to provide direct escort to the bombers, they could get into trouble because of the lower speed of bombers. If they wished to retain their speed advantage, the German fighters were forced to manoeuvre around the bomber formation. In a way, they were like dogs on a chain. This was the situation that RAF fighters observed when defending against the air raid of September 3, 1940, re-created in artwork by Piotr Forkasiewicz.

  The Luftwaffe sent 73 bombers escorted by nearly 500 fighters to the targets near London. The bombers were divided into several groups. A formation of thirty Do 17s from II./KG 2 hit the North Weald airfield, escorted by Bf 110s from I./ZG 2 and III./ZG 26 and Bf 109s from JG 26.

  On departure, the Germans got into a dogfight with Hurricanes from No. 17 Sqn RAF and Czechoslovak No. 310 Sq as well as Spitfires from No. 19, 54 and 222 Sqn RAF. A total of five Bf 110s from I./ZG 2 went down. Off the English coast, I./ZG 26 joined the defence. One Bf 110 was lost by I./ZG 26 another one by II./ZG 26 (plus one damaged) and two had to be written off by III./ZG 26.

  Al Deere of No. 54 Sqn RAF was trying to get into a firing position behind one Bf 110 of ZG 26 when his target was unexpectedly attacked by Colin Gray in a vertical dive. To Deere's surprise and considerable displeasure, the enemy aircraft burst into flames under the fire of his colleague. He had to admit, however, that Gray had performed an incredible feat of marksmanship. But to boost the artillery men's morale the victory was eventually credited to the AA unit, to the chagrin of all the airmen.

  The Germans lost only one Dornier 17. The Bf 110s crews scored some 20 victories and, according to British records, can be credited with about nine RAF fighters shot down and seven damaged. Five RAF pilots were killed and six suffered injuries. Although the Bf 110 were chained to the bombers like dogs, they could bite to death.

  The machine “3U+GT”, which is depicted in Piotr’s artwork, belonged to 9./ZG 26 that emerged successfully from the battle. Two Spitfires were claimed by Ofhr. Lugger, one Spitfire and one Hurricane were claimed by Lt. Sidow while Lt. Grisslich and Ofw. Hott each shot down a Spitfire. The crew of the badly damaged “3U+GT” made an emergency landing at Wissant without injury, but their machine had to be written off.

  How successful was the Bf 110 in the role of fighter in the Battle of Britain? There are well documented victories and losses of Spitfire, Hurricane and Bf 109 units, giving their kill/loss ratios as 1.7, 1.2 and 1.5 respectively. The Bf 110 units are a bit enigmatic due to missing detailed records about their victories. Only 216 aerial victories are documented in detail between August 8 and October 31, 1940. However, this figure is based on records of only three Zerstörergruppen, while details of four others are completely missing!

  However, from the data of the higher Luftwaffe command, it is known that during the abovementioned period, Bf 110 and bomber crews claimed almost 600 victories. If we accept the estimate that 75 % of this figure was achieved by Bf 110 airmen, then we get an unexpected champion of the Battle of Britain. The kill/loss ratio for the Bf 110 would be 2! Despite this achievement, the battle ended with the first German failure since the beginning of the war.

• Green Hearts Umbrella

  Text: Andrey Dikov

  Illustration: Marek Ryś

  Cat. No. 84117

  
  

  On February 11, 1943, with the help of Soviet aviation units, the Soviet 55th Army of Leningrad Front continued its offensive as a part of the “Polar Star” operation against German Army Group Nord. So the fighters of JG 54 created an “umbrella” over the German ground units to prevent  raids by groups of Soviet ground attack aircraft. The following description covers only one hour of fighting over the front.

  One of the Shturmovik groups consisted of four Il-2s of 57. ShAP KBF led by St. Lt. V. Soldatov escorted by Kpt. A. Baturin’s five I-153s 71. IAP KBF approached the frontline around 11:35 and was reportedly intercepted by more than 10 Fw 190 and Bf 109 fighters. Soviet biplanes were tied in air combat and set up a defensive circle, but despite all the combat instructions demanding Il-2 leaders to keep with their fighter escort, the Shturmovik group continued its way along the route Popovka–Nikolskoye seeking for targets. As a result, all were lost.

  They were attacked by several 2./JG 54 Fw 190s. Apparently the Shturmoviks, most of which were one-seaters without gunners, decided to split and try to reach Soviet lines in two pairs. Those two who turned right were attacked by Oblt. H. Götz (claims at 11:33 and 11:40) and Fw. H-J. Kroshinski (11:35), while the left pair was shot down by Lt. A. Mack (11:38) and Fw. Otto Kittel (11:42). It is supposed the first aircraft downed was a wingman’s one-seater with board number 41 piloted by young Sgt. Pavel Myakinkiy. The others were one-seaters No. 33 and No. 39 of deputy squadron commander Soldatov (credited with some 15 combat sorties) and Stn. A. Litvinov (2 sorties) and two-seater No. 35.

  As it was discovered after the war, Myakinkiy managed to survive the crash-landing and made his way to the frontline. In the forest he met another Soviet pilot with a broken leg. By night they plodded to Pustyn’ka railway station and Pavel tried to find a rest in the house of locals. Unfortunately, the house he knocked to was occupied by German station guards and he was killed by a hand-grenade in the following skirmish. His wounded friend was found in a haystack nearby and beaten to death with rifle butts. Locals found Pavel’s documents as well as pilot’s wife letter addressed to “Mikhail” and buried the aviators.

  Then JG 54 attacked another group of four Il-2s of 57. ShAP KBF led by Ml. Lt. P. Morozov escorted by three Yak-7s, one Yak-1 of Maj. G. Romanov and four I-16 of Lt. A. Lomakin of 21. IAP KBF. The Shturmoviks arrived on the battle scene at 11:45 and had time to make their first strafing attack against targets in Nikolskoye. On their second run they were reportedly attacked by two Fw 190s and eight Bf 109s coming from the side and at first glance Soviet pilots thought those were also Soviet aircraft. But they were obviously 1./JG 54’s Fw 190s of Lt. H. Adameit and Uffz. R. Raupach accompanied by 4./JG 54’s Bf 109s. The Yaks were involved in battle with the Bf 109s resulting in two apparently unsubstantiated claims, while Germans claimed “LaGG-3”. Yaks later joined the surviving Il-2 group north of Neva river, without losses and escorted them safely to Grazhdanka airfield. Before that the Fw 190s had managed to make several attacks, damaging two Shturmoviks and claiming three.

  A Group of two Il-2s of 943. ShAP led by Maj. Mikhail Vasilyev escorted by two Yak-1s of 14. GIAP and two P-40s of 196. IAP led by St.Lt. A. Slipchenko had failed to fulfil its task and returned to base. Behind the enemy lines near Zakhozhye the wingman rammed his leader and Vasilyev went missing. Most probably, this is the unknown pilot with a broken leg killed together with Myakinkiy. On the way back home the Shturmovik fighter escort was attacked at 11:50 by lone Messerschmitt without result.

  As result of the day the Luftwaffe fighters claimed 19 Soviet aircraft shot down on Leningrad front, including 8 Il-2, 4 P-40, a P-39, 4 LaGG-3, one MiG-3 and one La-5. Two Fw 190 and one Bf 109 were shot down by fighters, one Ju 87 and one Bf 110 by ground fire. On the other hand, Soviet 13th Air Army and subordinated navy units lost 4 Il-2, 1 La-5, 1 P-40 and 1 MiG-3 shot down in air combats, one more MiG-3 made a forced landing on airfield and 2 Il-2 were damaged. One Il-2 was lost due to aerial collision and another one shot by Flak. Meanwhile the Soviet pilots claimed 16 German aircraft shot down, including 6 Fw 190, 5 Bf 109, 4 Ju 87, a Ju 88 plus a Ju 87 and one Bf 109 claimed by AA units.

• Fatal mistake

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Adam Tooby

  Cat. No. 84187

  
  

  At the end of the war, the Me 262 jets pushed the boundary of flight performance above the level of all fighters of the time. Yet they were not invincible. In addition to the faulty deployment and the technical problems, surprise or disadvantageous position at the enemy encounter often dealt them a fatal blow. But the biggest trouble was the landing approach, during which the Schwalbe was most vulnerable. In any case, shooting down a jet was something special for any Allied fighter and by the end of the war, a good number of them had this valuable scalp to their credit.

  One of the former pilots of the Me 262, Hubert Lange, said that the most dangerous opponent in his opinion was the Hawker Tempest. “It was extremely fast at low altitudes, very agile and heavily armed,” the German pilot recalled. Some Me 262s fell victim to a tactic known in No. 135 Wing as the “Rat Scramble”. In this scenario the scramble Tempests standed   at the runway of the B-80 Volkel Air Base waiting for the notice about Me 262 in the air. Then they took off immediately, but the pilots made no attempt to engage the German jets. They instead headed straight for Rheine-Hopsten airfield where the Me 262 and Ar 234 were based. The aim was to attack the jets during their approach to land, when they were flying slowly with flaps deployed, so they were unable to accelerate. The German response to this tactic was a strong air defense system with more than 500 Anti-Aircraft batteries including over 150  four-barrel 20mm Flakvierling batteries specifically protecting the landing approach area. After seven Tempests were lost to flak fire at Hopsten within a week, the Rat Scramble tactic was abandoned.

  On November 3, 1944, however, W/Cdr John B. Wray, commander of No. 122 Wing, was not in the air to hunt rats. He was up for an “air test” with his personal Tempest coded JBW. At the same time, he was going to try out the new anti-glare goggles. At 18,000 ft (5,500 m), he saw two Me 262s about 2,000 ft (700 m) below. They were not at their top speed, but spotting him, they turned tail. Wray dived on the nearest one and opened fire at 300 yards. Several 20 mm shells hit their target, which flipped onto its back and dived vertically into the cloud. Wray claimed it as a “probable” but was only credited with a “damaged”. But as post-war records revealed, this Schwalbe did not actually survive his attack.

  More than a month later, on December 17, Wray took off again from Volkel Base and was steered by No. 83 Group Control Center to Weert, where several jets had been spotted. Shortly after he turned his Tempest at an altitude of just 2,500 ft (760 m) to the south, he saw a pair of Me 262s crossing his path, flying westwards. He began to pursue the leader of the pair while his wingman focused on the other Schwalbe. Although both were on full throttle, using maximum power of their Napier Sabre engines, the Me 262s were pulling away from them, gently descending. Neither of the men in the cockpits of the Tempests could have done anything about it had it not been for a surprising reversal. For some reason, the pilot of the leading Schwalbe decided to turn left and continued until he was heading east. This put him directly in front of Wray's guns.

  It was perhaps only at that moment that the German pilot realized what a mistake he had made and began to maneuver wildly at low level. This was his second mistake, because instead of using full power to increase the distance between himself and the dangerous Tempest, he thus continued to lose his speed advantage and probably also lost sight of his surroundings, he subsequently hit a building with the wing and only a few seconds later crashed into the waters of the nearby Rhine. The moment just before the fatal collision with the building was captured by Adam Tooby on his boxart. We may never know why the pilot of the Me 262 made the unfortunate maneuver that put him in a very awkward position. He may not have known about the Tempest pair before. In any case, he was one of the twelve confirmed Me 262s lost in combat with the Tempests, sixteen more being acknowledged as damaged by the Allied pilots of these mighty fighters.

• The Breakpoint

  Text: Richard Plos

  Illustration: Kateřina Borecká

  Cat. No. 7055

  
  

  “Canopy, oxygen, KAP, ARK, SRO, battery, gyro, landing gear ...” The instructor listens to the pre-flight check by the student pilot in the front cockpit. A few seconds later, the student moves the thrust lever forward, revs the RD-45 engine to 11,560 rpm, releases the brakes and heads out for his examination flight. Unless he screws up, he's in for his desired first solo flight ... “Watch the heading,” comes the instructor’s calm voice over the headset as the nose lifts. “He's really got a good memory,” flashes through the student’s mind as the main gear wheels leave the concrete runway. He screwed up one of his first take offs as he got a little bit off the heading of the runway and immediately got a telling off from the instructor. So far today, though, it’s looking good. He’s raising the landing gear, retracts flaps and takes the engine revs down to 10,800 rpm. An eye on the exhaust gas temperature: 680°C. That’s good. Feeling like everything's going like clockwork, he sets course towards the training zone…

  The year 1951 marked a major breakpoint for the Czechoslovak Air Force. After a period in which a handful of pilots had become familiar with the S-92, i.e., the Me 262, or with the early designs of Soviet jets as the Yak-17 and Yak-23, the wheels of first MiG-15s touched the runway of Mladá airbase in May. The qualitative leap from the madcap and unreliable propeller-driven Avia S-199s to the best jet available at the time was enormous. Moreover, Czechoslovakia was the first country to obtain the rights to license production of the MiG-15. A licensing agreement was signed on April 17, 1951. The first ten MiG-15s were however assembled from parts shipped from the USSR, and the first of these took to the air on November 6, 1951. As early as May, however, the Air Force took delivery of six single-seat MiG-15s which flew in directly from the USSR. In July, they were supplemented by four two-seaters UTI MiG-15s, delivered in crates. All these aircraft were intended for the No. 5 Fighter Squadron based at Mladá airbase. It was the only unit in Czechoslovakia to use the S-92/CS-92 (Me 262) and S-101 (Yak-23) jets. This unit was transformed into the Air Force Jet Training Center (PVSL) on June 1, 1951 and Lt. Col. Jaroslav Týkal, later Czechoslovak Air Force commander, led it for the first two months.

  The Center first task was to retrain the personnel of the entire 3 Air Division, which command was subsequently taken over by Lt. Col. Týkal. Since then, the UTI MiG-15s were in constant use and their need grew as the number of pilots of this type was increasing. However, the Czechoslovakian production started only in 1954, until then the aircraft used for training and conversions were delivered directly from the USSR. A total of 3,454 MiG-15s rolled off the Czechoslovak production lines, and the UTI trainer was by far the most numerous of the variants produced. By 1961, 2013 of them had been produced, most of them were exported. Only 155 were destined for the Czechoslovak Air Force, where they ended their service on April 1, 1983, with the 4th Squadron, of 1 Fighter Air Regiment based in České Budějovice. At that time, the unit's inventory included two UTI MiG-15s, Nos. 2311 and 2470.

  The aircraft No. 2463 depicted in the painting by Kateřina Borecká, started its service in 1957 at 15 Fighter Air Regiment based in Žatec. In 1970 it underwent repairs at the Kbely Aviation Maintenance Center (LOK) and was assigned to 6 Fighter-Bomber air Regiment in Přerov. Its service ended with 30 Fighter-Bomber air Regiment in Hradec Králové at the beginning of 1983.

  ... A hand on the throttle pulled it back to speed down to below 400 km/h, the maximum for flaps and landing gear deployment. But there was still time for it. First, he had to obtain clearance to enter the airfield traffic pattern, then to adjust the altitude and lower the speed even more. “Slow down descending,” comes the instructor’s voice in the headset, but more just for saying something at last, as there wasn't a single comment from the back cockpit during the whole time of maneuvering in the training zone. On the final approach, everything looked fine and after the landing gear wheels touched the runway smoothly, he knew, he’d done it. “Are you afraid?” the instructor snaped at him, barely out of the cockpit. “N... no, Captain,” the student pilot replied in surprise. “Okay, so scat and prepare yourself for solo flight!”

• Z-326/C-305 Trenér Master markings 1/48

  Z-326, No. 610, Kladno Aero Club, Kladno Airfield, Czechoslovakia, 1975

  
  

  This aircraft served as C-305 in the military aeroclub of Czechoslovak People’s Army for basic training of student pilots. During this service an unspecified collision (on the ground) with other aircraft occurred according to some sources, resulting in fuselage damage. The aircraft was repaired but lost its aerobatic category classification and was overhanded to the civilian Kladno Aero Club at the end of September 1972. Prior to conversion to the tug version, it was used for training and navigation flights. The aircraft retained the overall silver livery as it was used in army, but the nose was adorned with blue color, while wingtips and top of the vertical stabilizer were painted red. More to it, the cartoon of the smiling crab was painted on the port side of the nose with unusually stylized Trener Master inscription above it. The painting was based on a cartoon by Pavel Kantorek, Czechoslovak professor of physical science at Ryerson University, Toronto. He was author of many humorous cartoons with animals starring in the main role.    

   

  Z-326MF, No. 918, Repülőiskola Nyíregyháza, Nyíregyháza Airport, Hungaria, 2020

  
  

  Hungaria is one of the countries, where the Trenér family is very popular. There were 12 of Z-326 Trenér Masters delivered directly from the factory in 1961 and 1962, but this one is not one of them. This aircraft was sold to Gabon (Air service Libreville) in December 1966 with registration mark TR-LMX and later was delivered to France, where it was flying under registration F-BSTA as Z-326. The conversion to MF version was done in Hungary and the aircraft sported non-standard right engine cover – the one used on Z-326 powered by Walter Minor 6-III engine, i.e., with four wide louvres. This was later changed for the standard cover for the M-137 engine. Today, the University of Nyíregyháza is the owner of the aircraft and uses it along other ones for pilot training of its students. 

   

  C-305, No. 604, Czechoslovak People’s Army, Czechoslovakia, 1965

  
  

  Czechoslovak People’s Army obtained ten Z-326 in military version C-305. These aircraft varied only slightly from the civilian ones, as they were equipped with small indication lights on the undercarriage leg covers and with the signal rockets dispenser under the belly with corresponding control panel in the cockpit. These served for basic pilot training in Military Aero Clubs, where young beginners were starting their career of military pilots prior to enlisting. Some aircraft were flying in simple silver livery, other obtained attractive three-tone coloring with metallic light blue-green as a basic one. This aircraft was handed over to civilian Aero Clubs representative (Svazarm organization) on May 8, 1968 and was assigned to Vrchlabí Aero Club consequently. Later it was transferred to Olomouc Aero Club and finally to nearby Prostějov Aero Club, where it is flying with OK-OTA registration today.

   

  Z-326M, No. 609, private owners, Slaný Airfield, 2022

  
  

  This is one of the still flying aircraft produced as C-305 for the Czechoslovak People’s Army. It was handed over to the civilian Svazarm organization on May 26, 1972 and was given the OK-OTD registration. It served in the Aero Clubs of Točná, Kladno and briefly also Jičín, where it reached its time between overhauls and was grounded. During the process of the assets allocation of the then Aero Club of the Czecho-Slovak Federation Republic, this aircraft was assigned to the Aero Club Polička. There it underwent overhaul, making it airworthy again, and also the conversion to the Z-326M version. The Aero Club than used it primarily for towing of sailplanes. In 2006, however, it was sold to a private owner who operated it at the Líně airport. Subsequently, it was sold to a pair of private owners who keep flying this Trenér Master from Slaný airport.

   

  Z-326, No. 902, private owner, Großenhain, Germany, 2022

  
  

  In 1963 the management of the Moravan Otrokovice company officially ended the production of the Z 26 series aircraft. So, this Z-326 serial number 902 was manufactured as the “last” of all Trenérs and was factory stored until 1965. However, the customer demand was strong, so after two years, serial production was running again. In June 1965, the No. 902 aircraft left Czechoslovakia for France with registration F-BMQX. One of its first bases was Villefranche Airport. After completing its flight school career, it was stored and later sold to Switzerland. Since 1992 it was in the possession of Groupement Avion Historique in Lausanne. At that time, but also shortly after being sold to Germany, it bore the registration HB-TCB. In this form, it also briefly appeared during maintenance in the Czech Republic. It was registered as D-ERIO after 2015 and remains privately held.

   

  Z-326, No. 894, Escadrille Orion, Marmande Virazeil, France 2013

  
  

  After manufactured in 1963, this Z-326 was factory stored until June 25, 1965, when it was handed over to a French customer. It served in the flying school in Challes and later was in the inventory of  Association Pour La Sauvegarde Des Avions Anciens. It is a part of another group of enthusiasts today, Escadrille Orion, based at the Marmande Virazeil airfield.     

• RUFE markings 1/48

  Yokohama Kōkūtai, Tulagi Island, Solomon Islands, August 1942

  
  

  This plane is early production Rufe with purge system cover on the top of the main float and with folding wingtips. The commander of the fighter unit, which was part of the Yokohama Kōkūtai, was Lt. Ri-ichirō Satō. He was born in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture and graduated from Etajima Naval Academy in 1938 in its 66th class. He was promoted to Lieutenant junior grade in November 1940 and received rank of Lieutenant when he was assigned to the Yokohama Kōkūtai in May 1942. From early July his unit was based on Tulagi Island off Guadalcanal. Their adversaries were American Flying Fortress bombers and Liberators. His unit claimed five victories. Satō, in cooperation with other pilots, claimed one certain and one probable victory over a B-17. After the Allied invasion of Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942, most of the Yokohama Kōkūtai pilots were killed in ground combat, including Satō. USMC technicians found on Tulagi Island ten Rufe wrecks and took two, including the Y-161, to the U.S. Naval Air Station Alameda for research.

   

  5th Kōkūtai, Kiska island, Aleutians, August 1942

  
  

  This plane is early production Rufe with purge system cover on the top of the main float and with folding wingtips. Rudder and probably other canvas-covered control surfaces had lighter color shade. The aircraft of this fighter unit successively bore at least four different markings on their tail surfaces, depending on how this unit was designated and subordinated to different commands. Its most successful fighter pilot was the CPO Gi-ichi Sasaki. He came from Miyagi Prefecture and joined the Navy in 1937. Sasaki became a pilot of two-seat float planes and participated in combat in China. He took part in the conquest of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies on board of the Mizuho seaplane tender. After its sinking, he was assigned to the Tōkō Kōkūtai in the Aleutians, which was eventually renamed the 5th Kōkūtai and then to Kōkūtai 452. He achieved a total of four individual victories – five shared and one aircraft credited shared as probably destroyed. He was killed on February 19, 1943, over Amchitka Island in a dogfight with a Curtiss P-40 pilot.

   

  c/n 15, Lt.(jg) Keizō Yamazaki, Kōkūtai 802, Shortland Island, February 1943

  
  

  This is the fifth A6M2-N produced and is one of the few Rufes converted from the A6M2 Type 21 carrier fighter. This plane had purge system cover on the top of the main float and folding wingtips. It was one of two Yokohama Kōkūtai seaplanes that were based in Shortland during August 7, 1942, when the rest of the unit was destroyed on Tulagi Island. Rufe was then taken over by the air unit of the Kamikawa Maru, and in October 1942 it was taken over by 14th Kōkūtai (Kōkūtai 802). It is possible that the two bands on the fuselage were in fact grey, obscuring the original white markings of the Kamikawa Maru. In March 1943, this machine was transferred to Marshall Islands. The tail surfaces are marked with victories achieved by several pilots, including Lt.(jg) Keizō Yamazaki, who achieved a probable kill of P-38 of the 339th FS on February 13 during the defense of Shortland. Yamazaki was born in Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. He graduated from the Etajima Naval Academy in its 68th class in 1940 and completed his flight training in June 1942. After his unit was integrated into Kōkūtai 902, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant in November 1943. In February 1944, he became commander of Kōkūtai 256’s fighter unit equipped with Zeros based in Shanghai. During the fall of 1944 he led his unit in Taiwan during air battles against U.S. Navy aviators.

   

  Kōkūtai 802, Faisi-Poporang base, Shortland Islands, February 1943

  
  

  This aircraft was among the new ones that Kōkūtai 802 took over in Japan during December 1942. The top of the main float did not have purge system cover. At the unit level, the aircraft received a dark green paint, but the upper part of tail surfaces was left in original color. The aircraft probably had a late production stencil on the fuselage. The rudder sported a victory mark and there was also a horizontal red stripe on the vertical tail surfaces, which was probably the unit’s identifying marking. It is likely that the aircraft took part in the aerial combat on February 13 and 14 in the defense of the Shortland Islands and Buin, in which the American units suffered fairly significant losses.

   

  Kōkūtai 452, Bettobi Lake, Shumshu Islands, Kuriles, July 1943

  
  

  This aircraft was taken over by Kōkūtai 452 in Japan after evacuation from Aleutians. The top of the main float did not have purge system cover. At the unit level, the aircraft received a coat of dark green paint. The aircraft probably had a late production stencil on the fuselage. Among the successful pilots of this unit was Warrant Officer Kiyomi Katsuki. He served on the seaplane tender Chitose at the start of the Pacific War as a F1M biplane pilot. In January 1942, he claimed shared destruction of Dutch PBY flying boat. In the Solomon Islands area, he shot down a Dauntless on October 3 and during the following day, while defending his own ship, he rammed a B-17 of the 72nd BS. The entire crew of Capt. David C. Everitt was killed, but Katsuki and his observer survived. Katsuki received a written commendation from the unit commander. He achieved two more victories during the same day. After retraining to A6M2-N, he was assigned to Kōkūtai 452 and claimed B-25 and B-24. With N1K Rex at Kōkūtai 934 he shot down a B-24 in January 1944. He achieved two more victories as Zero pilot with Kōkūtai 381 over Balikpapan and Singapore. At the end of the war, he served with Kōkūtai 352 in Japan.

   

  Kōkūtai 802, Emidj Island, Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands, October 1943

  
  

  This late production aircraft was finished in a factory applied dark green paint. After relocation to the Marshall Islands area in March 1943, Kōkūtai 802 under the command of Lt.(jg) Yamazaki was primarily engaged in anti-submarine patrols and the pursuit of four-engine bombers. Long-range reconnaissance was carried out by another part of this unit, which was armed with H8K Emily flying boats. In September 1943, the designation of its aircraft was changed to Y4 in connection with the transition to the subordination of the 22nd Kōkū Sentai (Air Flotilla). The identification markings on the tail surfaces of Rufe seaplanes changed from red to white during service in the Marshall Islands. In October, fighter unit of Kōkūtai 802 was integrated into Kōkūtai 902, and in November, the fighter unit clashed with US Navy aircraft during a raid on Truk.

   

  Ensign Jin´ichirō Ozawa, Sasebo Kōkūtai, Sasebo Air Base, Japan, September 1944

  
  

  This late production aircraft was finished in a factory applied dark green paint. After participating in the defense of Chichijima in July 1944, Sasebo Kōkūtai continued seaplane pilot training in Japan. The Sa-106 was flown by Ensign Ozawa. He joined the Navy in 1943 after graduating from high school and received his flight training at Tsuchiura Kōkūtai. On October 30, 1944, while practicing a fighter dogfight between two Rufe seaplanes, Ozawa had to bail out from his aircraft when the elevator control cable broke. He almost did not survive the bailing out. At the end of the year, the Sasebo Kōkūtai’s fighter Buntai was transferred to land-based fighter unit. During the fighting over Okinawa on June 22, 1945, Ozawa achieved one victory against a formation of more than thirty American aircraft. He was then reassigned to Kōkūtai 723 with C6N Myrt reconnaissance planes and was to conduct a Kamikaze mission on that type of aircraft. After the war he pursued electrical engineering and took part on the first microwave intercity transmission in Japan.

   

  Kōkūtai 934, Ambon island, Moluku Islands, March 1944

  
  

  This late production aircraft was finished in a factory applied dark green paint. At the unit level the white outline of Hinomaru was repainted to reduce the visibility of the machine. In early 1944 the Kōkūtai 934 was equipped with E13A Jake and F1M Pete observation aircraft and also with Rufe and N1K Rex fighter seaplanes. Their frequent opponents were the Beaufighter crews of No. 31 Sqn. RAAF. One of the Kōkūtai 934 pilots, PO2c Hidenori Matsunaga, scored approximately ten Beaufighters as shared victories. In March 1944 he was transferred to Kōkūtai 381 flying Zeros. In some publications, the Rufe with a lightning bolt was considered to be Matsunaga’s mount. He was photographed with Rufe (unknown tail code) with similar marking together with another pilot. Design of the lightning bolt varied, and its color was most likely white. The identity of the pilots to whom belonged the seaplanes with lightning is unknown. It could have been a formation leader’s machine, or possibly the aircraft of a fighter squadron unit commander Lt.(jg) Toshiharu Ikeda, who scored a victory over a Spitfire with a Rufe. Ikeda later became commander of Hikōtai 603 and was killed on June 23, 1944, at Saipan.

• Bf 110C markings 1/48

  Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3578, 9./ZG 26, Barly, France, August 1940

  
  

  In the beginning of the war this Zerstörergruppe was equipped with Messerschmitts Bf 110D. III./ZG 26 converted to 110s in the beginning of 1940 under the command of Hptm. Johannes Schalk. Before the war, this aviator commander the Austrian Jagdgruppe 1 and he was also one of the first Bf 110 pilots decorated with Knight’s Cross. On September 3, 1940, Ofw. Hott behind the controls of this One-Ten, participated with the whole III./ZG 26 in escorting Do 17 from II./KG 2 on their raid to the North Weald airfield. While defending the bombers, his aircraft was damaged and Ofw. Hott crash-landed it at Wissant, France. The damage was assessed as being at eighty percent. This aircraft was camouflaged in RLM 70, 71 and 65 colors. There is a 9./ZG 26 insignia painted on the both sides of the nose – a white cock at the fighting stance. The aircraft’s individual letter, repeated on the wingtip, is painted in the Staffel color i.e. yellow. There are three white bars painted on the vertical tail surfaces marking the enemy aircraft shot down.

   

  Bf 110C-4, WNr. 2095, 4./ZG 1, Trier-Euren, Germany, June 1940

  
  

  II./ZG 1 was established on May 15, 1939, based on I. Gruppe JG 54 and equipped with the single-seat Bf 109D and Bf 109E. The conversion to the Bf 110C two-seat heavy fighters took place in March 1940 in the Northern Germany. After the transfer to the western border, in the preparation for the attack on the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the unit was incorporated into the Luftflotte 2 under which command it flew combat missions until the surrender of France. Then the II./ZG 76 was renamed as III. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader 76. The unit’s insignia in the form of three wasps painted on the aircraft nose, was retained even after the unit’s transfer.

   

  Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3257, Hptm. Heinz Wagner/Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, CO of 4./ZG 76, Abbeville, France, August 1940

  
  

  II. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader 76 was established on May 1, 1939, by renaming I./ZG 144. It was equipped with single-seat Messerschmitt Bf 109D which in February and March they traded for Bf 110. Flying One-Tens the unit took part in the attack on the Netherlands, Belgium and France and after France surrendered the unit was transferred to Abbeville airfield on the French coast from where it started to fly bomber escorts to the targets in the Great Britain. The last flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 110C-2 marked M8+BM and crewed by Hptm. Heinz Wagner and radio operator Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, was a bomber escort to the Luton airfield with the adjacent industrial area which took place on August 30, 1940. The plane was most probably shot down by P/O William McKnight (flying as a wingman to S/Ldr Bader) at the altitude of 1,000 feet. It crashed on Enfield Sewage Farm, Wharf Road, Ponders End near the large reservoir and the crew was killed.

   

  Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3026, Lt. K. Koch, 1.(Z)/JG 77, Kirkenes, Norway, October 1941

  
  

  Zerstörerstaffel of the newly established I./JG 77, equipped with the aircraft and personnel from III./ZG 76, was formed in May 1941. The reason were the preparations for the attack against the Soviet Union. The unit was transferred to the Hoybuktmoen airfield near Kirkenes. The mission of the Bf 110 crews were the attacks against the railroad connecting the important port of Murmansk with the rest of the Soviet Union. The unit was equipped with Bf 110C, D and probably several Bf 110E aircraft. In January 1941 the unit was renamed to 6.(Z)/JG 5. The camouflage of this aircraft was probably sprayed with RLM 71 and 02 on the upper surfaces, side and lower surfaces were camouflaged in RLM 65. The factory markings were over sprayed with RLM 02 and the mottling was sprayed in the same color. The unit insignia, a dachshund biting the Soviet airplane, was painted on the aircraft’s nose.

   

  Bf 110C, 1./NJG 3, Benghazi, Libya, May 1941

  
  

  I. Gruppe Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 was formed by renaming V./LG 1 and its mission was the night interception of the British middle and heavy bombers flying raids against the German cities and industrial centers. Between February and October 1941, the 1. Staffel was temporarily relocated to the south, first in Sicily and Greece followed by the North Africa, Benghazi and Derna airfields. The unit flew missions with its Messerschmitts Bf 110C and D against the British bombers attacking the German and Italian troops. During the unit’s operations on the southern front the fighters were camouflaged in black color. The white band on the fuselage tail, marking the aircraft flying on the southern front, was painted only partially, on the fuselage spine. 1./NJG 3 insignia, an owl sitting on the Moon, was painted on both sides of the fuselage. During its service in the south, the featured airplane had its vertical tail surfaces and complete horizontal tail surfaces replaced due to the damage. The replacement parts retained their original camouflage.

• Fw 190A-4 markings 1/48

  WNr. 0142481, Fw. Otto Kittel, 2./JG 54, Krasnogvardeyjsk, Soviet Union, February 1943

  
  

  Otto Kittel was born on February 21, 1917, to German parents in Korunov (German: Kronsdorf, since 1945 Krasov) near Krnov in Austria-Hungary. After the declaration of the Czechoslovakia, the Krnov region became part of it, but after the Munich Agreement it was one of the territories that Czechoslovakia had to cede to Germany under pressure from the Great Powers. The inhabitants claiming German nationality subsequently became German citizens. Kittel was apprenticed as a car mechanic in Mladá Boleslav and joined the Luftwaffe in 1939. He completed his first combat deployment during the fighting in Yugoslavia in the ranks of JG 54, which was deployed in East Prussia to support Army Group North in the advance on Leningrad during the attack on the USSR. On June 24, 1941, Otto Kittel scored his first two aerial victories, and on September 14, 1943, he achieved his 100th kill. However, he did not survive the war. His aircraft went down in flames near Dzhūkste, Latvia, after a dogfight with a formation of 14 Il-2s. However, it is not clear when this occurred, it is stated to be either 14 or 16 February 1945. During World War II, he shot down 267 enemy aircraft, all on the Eastern Front, ranking him 4th in the list of Luftwaffe aces.

   

  Lt. Leopold Wenger, 10./JG 2, Caen-Carpiquet, France, February 1943

  
  

  At the end of 1941, the Luftwaffe considered a resumption of the bombing of Great Britain and coastal shipping. It was ordered that every fighter unit taking part in operations against Great Britain would include one Staffel for the purposes of the so-called “hit and run” bombing missions. This role was taken up by 10.(Jabo) Staffel within JG 2. Under the command of Oblt. Frank Liesendahl, the unit sank twenty ships for a total of 630,000 BRT of shipping in four months. Wenger’s aircraft carried the standard day camouflage scheme of Luftwaffe fighters consisting of RLM 74/75/76. The fox biting a ship in two was the insignia of 10.(Jabo) Staffel. One of the pilots of this unit was Leopold Wenger, born on November 19, 1921 in Graz. He was killed on April 10, 1945, when he was shot down over Vienna.

   

  WNr. 142317, Fw. Ludwig Seif, 11./SKG 10, Sidi Ahmed, Tunisia, January 1943

  
  

  An order dated November 30, 1942 redesignated III./ZG 2 as III./SKG 10, but the unit maintained its combat assignment for ground support, bombing and destroying of enemy ground assets including airfields and ports in Tunisia. III./SKG 10 operated in the area until April 30, 1943, when they handed over their remaining four aircraft to II./Schl.G. 2, the unit they shared a base with. During combat operations, pilots of III./SKG 10 destroyed hundreds of Allied tanks and other ground equipment, shot down thirteen aircraft and sank or damaged twelve ships. The aircraft flown by Feldwebel Seif was camouflaged in RLM 74/75/76. The white fuselage band was applied to aircraft operating in the MTO. The port side of the engine cowl sported the III./SKG 10 unit marking, a yellow winged arrow on a blue shield.

   

  Jaboschwarm I./JG 54, Krasnogvardeysk, Soviet Union, Spring 1943

  
  

  JG 54 received its first Fw 190A-4s in early February 1943, with white camouflage on the upper surfaces and RLM 65 on the bottom. On February 19, 1943, JG 54 scored its 4,000th aerial victory, achieved by an Fw. Otto Kittel. After the winter period, the upper surfaces of the aircraft were painted black RLM 70, dark green RLM 71 and brown. As was customary with JG 54 in a variety of camouflage fields. The winter white paint remained on some of the less worn areas. The Roman numeral III marked aircraft is an example of such a state and the color scheme is partly a mere reconstruction based on the better documented aircraft of JG 54. Roman numerals were used to mark staff aircraft in this period.

• Tempest Mk.V Series 2 markings 1/48

  EJ750, W/Cdr John B. Wray, CO of No. 122 Wing, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands, December 1944

  
  

  W/Cdr John Wray was an experienced fighter-bomber pilot who flew Beaufighters, Whirlwinds, Hurricanes and Typhoons and after the No. 122 Wing’s commander W/Cdr R. P. Beamont was shot down he assumed his position. Wray’s Tempest EJ750 was marked with the first letters of his full name‚ i.e, JBW, and flying it on November 3 he claimed a Me 262 damaged. After the war however this “damaged” aircraft turned out to have been destroyed. On December 17, 1944, Wray claimed another Me 262 jet kill. Its pilot, Lt. Wolfgang Lübke from II./KG 51 hit a building by the left wingtip and crashed into the nearby river Rhine during the low altitude dogfight. In January 1945, W/Cdr Wray finished his tour of duty as a No. 122 Wing commander and the Tempest EJ750 was re-marked with SA-B code letters indicating that it belonged to No. 486 (RNZAF) Squadron. On February 8 it was lost during the anti-shipping attack when the pilot F/Lt Miller made an emergency landing in the occupied territory.

   

  EJ536, F/Lt Pierre H. Clostermann, No. 56 Squadron, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands, beginning of April 1945

  
  

  The well-known French pilot, F/Lt Pierre Henri Clostermann, flew with No. 56 Squadron from March 18 until April 5, 1945. His usual mount was initially a Temperst serial number EJ708 marked US-W, in the end of March it was replaced by a Tempest serial number EJ536 and on the fuselage it again carried the US-W code letters. On April 5, 1945, while at its controls, he damaged two Fw 190D-9s and destroyed four Ju 88Gs on the ground. On the starboard side under the windshield Clostermann had painted 16 crosses, symbols of his current air combat successes (in total 12 confirmed kills and four probables). He finished his combat career flying with No. 3 Squadron with the total score of 14 confirmed kills, four probables and nine enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground.

   

  EJ705, P/O Frank A. Lang, No. 80 Squadron, B.80 Volkel, the Netherlands, December 1944

  
  

  Right before D-day, the No. 80 Squadron, operating Spitfires Mk.IX, was incorporated into the Great Britain air defenses. In August it was re-equipped with the new Hawker Tempests Mk.V. In the end of September, the unit was transferred to the Continent as a part of the 2nd TAF. Tempest serial number EJ705 was most frequently flown by an Australian pilot P/O Frank Lang. On the starboard side under the windshield his Tempest carried the nose art in the form of a kangaroo holding the Australian flag. Flying this aircraft on January 22, 1945, he destroyed two gliders and in cooperation with other pilots from his unit shot down a Bf 109. Flying EJ705, other pilots from No. 80 Squadron destroyed two Bf 109 and one Fw 190. EJ705 finished its wartime career on March 11, 1945, when it was seriously damaged by an in-flight engine fire.

   

  SN330, S/Ldr Colin H. Macfie, CO of No. 3 Squadron, Wunstorf, Germany, 2nd half of 1947

  
  

  Tempest serial number SN330 missed the wartime service. In November 1945 it was dispatched to Germany and in January 1946 assigned to the No. 80 Squadron. During the following month it was damaged and returned to the Great Britain for repairs at Hawker company. After the repairs were completed, it was delivered to the No. 3 Squadron sporting the overall coat of the aluminum paint and new, type D cockades. J5-H code letters were painted in the unit’s traditional green color. S/Ldr Colin Hamilton Macafie chose this aircraft as his commander’s plane. In May 1948 the Tempests were replaced by Vampires F.1 and SN330 was returned to the Great Britain for storage. In November 1950 it was sent for the scrap metal.

• UTI MiG-15 markings 1/72

  6 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment, Přerov Air Base, Czechoslovakia, summer 1974

  
  

  The unit emblem on the nose hints the aircraft belonged to 6. sbolp (6 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment), but it is unclear which squadron flew it. It might be the Squadron 2, and thus the top of the fin and the dot in the unit crest were blue. Aircraft flown by the Squadron 1 had these parts painted in red while the Squadron 3 yellow.

   

  Indonesian Air Force, Jakarta-Kemajoran Air Base, Indonesia, 1960s

  
  

  A total of fifteen Czechoslovak-built UTI MiG-15s was delivered to Indonesia during the late fifties. All were taken out of inventory in 1973 when the T-33A Shooting Stars replaced them. The colorful tail appeared on Indonesian MiG-17s and MiG-21s as well.

   

  Soviet Union, 1960s through the 1970s

  
  

  Many Soviet two-seater UTI MiG-15s wore the underlined letter “U” in Cyrillic along with the fuselage number. It was the abbreviation of the term “uchobnyi”, meaning “training”. Black walkways are not visible in the photo of this aircraft.

   

  Algerian Air Force, 1960s through the 1980s

  
  

  The Algerian Air Force obtained its first examples of the MiG-15 in the mid-sixties. Twenty of them were still in service in 1984. The presence of the national insignia on the upper starboard and lower port wings is unclear. Current Algerian aircraft repeat the fuselage codes in these locations.

   
  c/n 922226, Hävittäjälentolaivue 31, Rissala Air Base, Finland, late 1960s

  
  

  This aircraft was sold to Finland on November 10, 1962. It crashed on November 27, 1970 and was written off. During the fall of 1969, it escorted Czechoslovak Il-18 with president Ludvík Svoboda on board during his visit to Finland. The lynx silhouette places this aircraft with Hävittäjälentolaivue 31 (Fighter Squadron 31).

• Tail End Charlie

  The Moving

  Do You like moving? I absolutely hate it! I had to move three times in the last five years and will be moving again this year. And more to it, I got a “bonus” due to work obligations - moving our warehouse! Just so as not to get out of practice … With colleagues we moved the sales department from the Rico facility (yes, that’s the infamous facility where a million of sprues were burned in the fire) to our own facility in Sedlec. And to be honest, I actually enjoyed it! It is not bad to get up out of your chair sometimes and change sitting at the office for a few days of physical work, getting your hands dirty too. Within four days we moved almost the entire department, the truck turned around ten times in total, and the shelves with most of the goods were soon standing in the newly renovated hall. It is about the same size as our former premises in Rico (about 1,400 m2) and the whole new premises offer a total usable area of about 5,500 m2.

  The event went smoothly, with virtually no complications, and we were able to resume sales and shipment of goods on schedule. Thanks to this we were also able to prepare the goods in time for the first major modelling event this year, which we attended with our travelling sales stand. Yes, it was the December PanthersCup. And even though I had to move all the boxes to and from the event again, I thoroughly enjoyed this event as well. Indeed, PanthersCup is one of the meetings that is worth a visit every year. And I really appreciate the work of the Panthers club who organize the contest, more so there are not so many such big events in the Czech Republic this year.

  The reasons for termination of these events are clear. The overwhelming organizational complexity with all the necessary steps, like premises arrangement, people needed to run the event, appropriate refreshments, prizes for the competition and all the other issues which need to be tackled like registrations, side events and many other things, all require a lot of effort. Although if the enthusiasm of the organizers is usually not lacking at the beginning of such projects, it usually fades with time. If we add to this the usually very demanding Czech modeller,, who as a visitor, with his typical perfectionist attitude, looks for the slightest mistake in order to reveal it on discussion forums or social networks, we cannot be surprised that some exhibitions and competitions are ending. Moreover, youngsters’ interest in our hobby isn't increasing, so we can only hope for a miracle that everything will turn for the best. So, let’s at least think twice, when publicly evaluating these events, that they cost someone a lot of effort and that we should be happy there are still some people with the enthusiasm to organize them.

  I hope that the Panthers will again organize their event next year and that this competition will not disappear like other big ones, for instance ModellBrno, Nymburk Kitsaloon or Pilsenkit. This year, as if by chance, the date of PanthersCup clashed with the Euro Model Expo in Lingen, which we participated in the previous two years, and also with the exhibition in Bytom, Poland, which is certainly also worth a visit.

  In a week we are going to Prostějov and then, in April, to Mosonmagyarovar. But where to go later this year? If you are organizing a plastic modelling event on a larger scale and you would like to have our stand at the event, write me an email jakub.nademlejnsky@eduard.cz, maybe we could come. And we don’t mind going abroad. In the second half of the year, we have just a trip across the pond to IPMS in San Marcos, then our E-day off course, and the Slovakian “combo” of events in Bratislava and Nitra, which was by the way a pleasant surprise in our schedule of events last year.

  All in all, I would love to move our stand for modelling events and so I hope that this year we will find other great places like Nitra and we will have reasons to expand our schedule again. For now, sadly we are rather reducing it ...

  Jakub Nademlejnský

• Colors and markings

  Rufes had a grey paint coating on all surfaces, which was sprayed over a reddish-brown base paint. To prevent corrosion, the interior surfaces of the flap area were also painted aluminium instead of the Aotake paint that was common on A6M Zero fighters.

  Due to the change in the name of the aircraft, the fuselage identification stencil changed in July or August 1942. It occurred between approximately the 30th and 50th Rufe produced. From October 1942, the manufacturer stopped putting the date of manufacture on the stencil.

  At the end of August 1942, Nakajima introduced a yellow identification stripe on the leading edge of the wing on A6M2-N aircraft, and at the same time introduced a white outline of Hinomaru on the fuselage.

  In February 1943, naval fighter units were instructed to spray the aircraft with dark green on the upper surfaces. Ground personnel usually made use of paint that was available for maintenance on aircraft of other categories that already had green paint. In the case of the seaplane units, these were the Aichi, Mitsubishi and Kawanishi aircraft. The shades of their camouflage paint varied slightly depending on the paint supplier. The use of war booty paints, for example in Rabaul, or the use of paint designed for warships cannot be ruled out. When this paint was applied, the white outline of fuselage Hinomaru was often thinned or completely repainted. However, some aircraft were left in grey paint on all surfaces and are documented from as late as 1944.

  In the final months of production, the new A6M2-N aircraft received a standard coat of D1 dark green paint on the upper surfaces, a shade specific to the Nakajima paint supplier. This change was accompanied by the introduction of white outline on the Hinomaru on upper surfaces. With combat units this white part was often thinned or completely repainted, which could also be done on the fuselage Hinomaru.

  The coloring of the transport cart is often given as black, but this does not match contemporary photographs. More likely is the dark grey-blue color used for naval vehicles and technical equipment. The dark blue color used by the Imperial Navy, for example for workshop equipment, cannot be ruled out either. The construction of the cart was composite, with the vertical stabilizing parts and the parts on which the float was mounted being made of wood. The whole cart was painted in one color, but in service the paint naturally showed signs of wear and tear, the grey paint from the main float sometimes had worn off and remained on parts of the cart.

  Text: Jan Bobek

  Unpublished photograph of Rufe NI-119 with a group of Kōkūtai 802 NCOs taken in early 1943 at Shortland Base. This is an aircraft that was finished with grey paint on all surfaces and the unit level received a coat of dark green paint on the upper surfaces. The rectangular field of grey paint on the fuselage is clearly visible, which the mechanics have retained for the machine's production stencil. 

  Photo: US Navy

• RUFE

  The Zero fighter became the symbol of the Japanese air power during WWII. The light and maneuverable fighter had the upper hand over Allied aircraft at early stages of the war in Pacific theatre, but gradually lost its advantage against newer opponents. During the war, other versions of the Zero came along, one of the most iconic being its floatplane version, known by the Allied codename Rufe.

  This photo shows one of the first completed Nakajima A6M2-N seaplanes. This is the 13th aircraft produced, with serial number 913, completed on April 23, 1942. The picture was apparently given to Japanese troops to familiarize them with the new type of seaplane, as it was later captured by the Americans and published in the enemy aircraft identification manual in 1944. Photo: US Navy

  
  

  Text: Jan Bobek

  
  

  The Zero fighter became the symbol of the Japanese air power during WWII. The light and maneuverable fighter had the upper hand over Allied aircraft at early stages of the war in Pacific theatre, but gradually lost its advantage against newer opponents. During the war, other versions of the Zero came along, one of the most iconic being its floatplane version, known by the Allied codename Rufe.

   

  During the 1920s and 1930s the Japanese aircraft industry was oriented towards the production of foreign aircraft built under licenses. However, the armed forces, especially the Navy, with regard to the specifics of the Chinese and Pacific battlefields, came up with requirements that foreign aircraft designs did not offer. Hence, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed the Type 96 naval fighter aircraft, better known as the A5M “Claude”. The head of the design team was a young Japanese engineer, Jirō Horikoshi. Despite an engine that lacked some power, he managed to design a light and fast fighter with a fixed landing gear, which had no comparison in the world regarding maximum speed. In October 1937, Mitsubishi and Nakajima were approached to develop prototype 12-shi Carrier-based Fighter. The requirements were so extreme, and in some cases contradictory, that the two design teams investigated whether they could be less stringent. Nakajima eventually withdrew from the project, while the criteria for the prototype were even raised based on experience on the Chinese battlefield. In the end, Horikoshi‘s team managed to meet the technical specifications, not only thanks to the aerodynamic design and a new type of light alloy used for the aircraft‘s skin, but also thanks to the Nakajima Sakae 11 engine. During the flight tests, the wing surface suffered cracking during overload, and aileron control during high-speed maneuvers had also to be addressed. The new fighter had a powerful armament of two cannons and two machine guns, extremely long range (over 1,800 km) and excellent maneuverability. The new fighter reached top speed of 533 km/h at an altitude of 4,550 m. However, it lacked armor and other protective features and had a structural speed limit of 600 km/h.

   

  Surprising Zero

  The new aircraft entered service in 1940 with the 940hp engine Sakae 12 and received the official designation Rei shiki Kanjō sentōki (Type 0 carrier fighter), with the “zero” being derived from the imperial year 2600 (1940). Japanese pilots usually abbreviated it as Rei-Sen. That was also the origin of the name Zero often used by Allied pilots instead of the official code name, derived from the male name Zeke. As part of the Navy’s system, the new aircraft was given the type designation A6M, where A6 meant that it was the sixth type of carrier fighter to enter service, and M stood for the Mitsubishi company name. Zero fighters, specifically the A6M2 Type 11, had been successfully deployed on the Chinese battlefield since the summer of 1940, but their existence eluded Western intelligence because no one wanted to believe reports from China that suggested the Japanese had a world-class fighter. Further modifications to its design were made during 1941, creating the A6M2 Type 21, which included several changes, the most visible of them being folding wingtips for easier handling on the decks. With the A6M2 Type 21 modified this way, Japan entered the war against the US and other Western nations. Mitsubishi needed to produce other aircraft in addition to the Zero, so the Nakajima company began licensed production in late 1941. Total of 740 A6M2 aircraft were produced by Mitsubishi by June 1942 with additional 800 delivered by Nakajima by February 1944. The gun armament was improved and variants with magazines for up to 150 rounds could be used on the Type 21. Such a Zero may have been designated as Type 21a.

  Lieutenant Ri-ichirō Satō, leader of the Yokohama Kōkūtai’s fighter unit. He was killed in September 1942 in a ground combat with USMC troops. Photo: ©Izawa 

   

  Here comes the Rufe

  Floatplanes are a very old idea. Fighters of this design had already been deployed in combat during the First World War. After the war, their priority gradually declined as the performance of these seaplanes fell gradually behind that of fixed landing gear machines. The Imperial Japanese Navy returned to the idea in 1933 during preparation for a new seaplane tender. IJN came up with a specification for a machine that was to protect a coastal base during its construction and was to be capable of reaching speeds of 200 knots. Kawanishi had been preparing a study of such a seaplane since 1934. It was to operate from a tender, or launch from a catapult, and be able to counter fighter aircraft. The prototype was not built, and preparations were halted in 1936. Subsequently, the concept of a two-seat machine was considered, but even this idea was abandoned.

  In the late 1930s, the US Navy prepared a plan to build 2,000 flying boats. The Japanese decided to respond to this threat. Therefore, in September 1940, the IJN commissioned Kawanishi with the specification for the 15-Shi fast interceptor seaplane. Kawanishi had already been working on a fast floatplane reconnaissance aircraft (later designated the E15K Shiun) for several months, and the Navy hoped for synergy from this decision. However, at the same time, it feared certain delays because Kawanishi’s aircraft carried a number of innovative features.

  Therefore, the IJN decided to convert the Mitsubishi A6M2, which was currently undergoing combat test deployment in China, to a fighter seaplane. Mitsubishi was fully occupied with the production of Zeros and other types of aircraft. Therefore, the IJN turned to Nakajima, which began licensed production of A6M2 fighters at its Koizumi plant in late 1941. The company had some free design and production capacity and was therefore awarded with works on the seaplane.

  Wildcats aboard the USS Wasp prepare for an air strike against Tulagi and adjacent islands in the early morning hours of August 7, 1942. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  
  

  Shinobu Mitsutake was appointed chief designer. His team tried to make the most of the A6M2 design. Some authors state that standard fighter seaplane was based on the A6M2 Type 11, which did not have folding wingtips. In fact, at least the first few dozen production machines had folding wingtips. On captured Rufes, this design feature is still documented on the 37th aircraft produced.

  The designers added a metal central float to the fuselage. The pylon was mounted to the main wing spar and attached to the rear wing spar by a “V” shaped strut. The pylon, with incorporated the oil cooling system, was located roughly where the Zero had the auxiliary tank attached. The absence of the auxiliary tank was replaced by tanks in the float. The stabilizing floats were mounted on separate pylons. Hatches were added to the wing´s skin to allow access to the internal wing structure and pylons.

  This elegant solution for mounting the central float was already used on the F1M Pete biplane and contributed to the high aerodynamic purity of Mitsutake’s design. The central float and its dynamic effects on the fuselage structure during take-off, high-G maneuvers, and landing, necessitated the need to reinforce the fuselage structure in the cockpit area by additional metal sheets.

  This picture taken from Dauntless on August 7, 1942, shows smoke rising from burning fuel supplies on Tanambogo Island, where the Rufe seaplanes were based. To the right is Gavutu Island and to the left is Gaomi Island. Florida Islands can be seen in the background. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  
  

  On the first few dozen machines, a system for purging the fuel tanks was installed on top of the central float. The fittings of this system, which protruded from the float at the top, were protected by a hemispherical cover. The float was also fitted with a rudder.

  The last significant change from the Zero was an increase in the vertical tail area for the stability of the machine. Testing of the prototype began on the day of the Japanese attack on Hawaii and continued intensively during early 1942. The prototype was converted from the land-based version of the Zero fighter, the A6M2 Type 11 c/n (6)69. The next nine A6M2-N aircraft were to be produced at Nakajima by conversion from Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 21 carrier fighters, which were to undergo repairs due to damage in combat. Among them were the machines c/n (5)159 and (3)312, which took part in the attack on Hawaii aboard the aircraft carrier Shōkaku. However, the converted seaplanes suffered from corrosion. Therefore, the conversions of A6M2-N Nos. 8 and 9 were not carried out and No. 10 was instead completely manufactured as a new machine.

  The floatplane fighter did not exceed comparable seaplanes in performance. It did increase in weight due to the floats and design changes, but the Zero´s landing gear and tailhook weight was missing. The machine had excellent maneuverability and stability at medium and higher altitudes and retained reasonably good flight characteristics even at lower altitudes.

  A close-up photo of Tanambogo Island after the attack of Wildcats shows the wreckage of two Rufe seaplanes, several beaching trolleys and a wooden seaplane ramp sloping into the water. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  
  

  Its empty weight increased by approximately 14 % over the A6M2 Type 21 and its speed was reduced to 234 knots at 5,000 meters from the original 275 knots at 4,400 meters of the Type 21. The seaplane had a range of 962 nautical miles and a maximum flight time of 6 hours.

  Armament consisted, as with the A6M2, of two 20 mm cannons in the wing and two 7.7 mm machine guns in the fuselage. The aircraft could carry two 30 kg or 60 kg bombs carried under the wing. However, unlike the Zero Type 21, seaplane was not equipped with a circular directional antenna at the rear of the cockpit and did not have a headrest behind the pilot's seat.

  This fighter seaplane was first designated Rei-Shiki Ichi Gata Suijō Sentōki (Type 0 Mk.1 Seaplane Fighter). In July, the aircraft was accepted by the IJN and entered service under the designation Ni-Shiki Suijō Sentōki, or Type 2 Seaplane Fighter. It bore the abbreviated designation A6M2-N. Nakajima considered preparing another fighter seaplane, which was to reach a speed of 250 knots, but eventually abandoned its preparation.

  Courtney Shands pictured in 1957 at the rank of Rear Admiral. As commander of VF-71, he was instrumental in the destruction of the Rufe aircraft from Yokohama Kōkūtai on Tanambogo Island on August 7, 1942. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  
  

  Series production began in April 1942 and ended in July 1943, as production of the Kawanishi N1K Kyōfū (Rex) fighter seaplane began a month earlier. Nakajima produced a total of 258 A6M2-N seaplanes, with the highest number of machines (24) in a single month leaving the gates of the Koizumi plant in April 1943. As soon as the Allies observed this machine in aerial encounters, they assigned it the code name Rufe.

  The first pre-production and production A6M2-N seaplanes were received in the spring of 1942 by the Japanese Navy's oldest unit, the Yokosuka Kōkūtai. Its main task was research and testing of new aircraft, weapons and technical equipment. It was also involved in training and, late in the war, was deployed in combat.

  Yokohama Kōkūtai aircraft that USMC technicians took from Tulagi to NAS Alameda, USA. Photo: BUAER Newsletter

  
  

  With the Rufe aircraft, the unit was joined by their previous flight pilot, Lt. Ki-ichirō Nishihata, who was in charge of training on these seaplanes. It would be difficult to find a more ideal officer for this task. Nishihata was a native of Fukuoka and graduated from the Etajima Naval Academy in its 59th class in November 1931. He successively held several command positions as Buntaichō. From late 1934 he served with Sasebo Kōkūtai, then commanded the seaplane carrier unit Kamikawa Maru. In late 1937 he became an instructor at Kasumigaura Kōkūtai and a year later became leader of the seaplane unit on the light cruiser Kinu. He apparently served on this ship until October 1941. Therefore, it is not surprising that his age and experience earned him the nicknames “foster parent” and “real parent” at Yokosuka Kōkūtai. His influence on the development of the A6M2-N seaplane, its acceptance into the Naval Air Force's armament, and the success of its deployment, was profound.

  Nishihata attained the rank of corvette captain in November 1942 and by the end of the war was one of the commanding officers of Kōkūtai 302, armed with, among other aircraft, Raiden fighters. In September 1945 he was promoted to the rank of Commander.

   Fire-damaged Rufe seaplane from Yokohama Kōkūtai being transported to NAS Alameda, USA. Photo: BUAER Newsletter

  Seaplane tender Kimikawa Maru in Ominato Bay, Japan, pictured in April 1943. F1M Pete seaplanes are visible on the deck. This vessel delivered most of the Rufe seaplanes to the Aleutians during 1942 and 1943. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  
  

  Anchorage at Tulagi

  The first Rufes to engage enemy in the South Pacific belonged to the fighter Buntai, which was formed in May 1942 as part of the Yokohama Kōkūtai. The commander of the entire Kōkūtai was Capt. Shigetoshi Miyazaki. He was born in 1897 in Kōchi and graduated with distinction from the Naval Academy in 1918 in its 46th class. After training aboard the destroyer Tachikaze, he first served with the Yokosuka Kōkūtai and other aviation units, but from late 1924 he was assigned to the Japanese embassy in Paris. From June 1926 he was naval attaché to the League of Nations, and from April 1927 to May 1928 he was the Japanese plenipotentiary to the Geneva Naval Conference. After a series of command and training posts, he took command of the Yokohama Kōkūtai on 20 April 1942.

  Leader (Buntaichō) of his fighter unit was Lt. Ri-ichirō Satō, who had previously served with the Yokosuka Kōkūtai. Twelve fighter seaplanes arrived to Rabaul in early June. The first patrol in the vicinity of Rabaul was performed on 5 June and five days later five Rufe pilots saw same number of B-17s from the 19th BG. However, there was no combat. During June, the seaplane pilots encountered the enemy machines several more times, but never got chance to shoot at them.

  In early July, they moved to Tulagi Island off Guadalcanal and encountered enemy aircraft almost daily. The naval base for the Rufes became the nearby islet of Tanambogo, while the Mavis seaplanes moored at the islet of Gavutu. The garrison commander on these islands was Capt. Miyazaki. All marine and engineer units, as Japanese and Korean civilian personnel were under his command. But only a small portion of the 1,500 or so men he commanded were trained for ground combat.

  The first victory was claimed on July 10 in a battle with two Liberators of the 435th BS. One of the Liberators was damaged, but the gunners reported that one of the floatplanes broke away from the fight with a smoking engine. The crew also managed to photograph one Rufe. A week later, B-17s from the same unit killed PO1c Hori who remained missing after the fight. Aboard the Flying Fortress were US Marine Corps officers who managed to take valuable photographs of the northern coast of Guadalcanal and the Tulagi area, despite being forced to retreat by other Rufe seaplanes.

  The first aircraft shot down by Rufe pilots in the Aleutians was a B-17B (c/n 38-215) "Old Seventy". She is pictured in this photo from Alaska back when she was also used as a cargo machine. Photo: American Air Museum in Britain

  
  

  The same fate befell the Sea.1c Matsui in combat with a B-17 of 11th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on July 23. Seven bombers of this unit encountered twelve Rufe seaplanes during 1 August, and the Japanese, with no losses of their own, severely damaged three of them. The 11th BG board gunners, however, reported two kills.

  B-17s raided Tulagi also on August 4, 1942. Seven Rufes attacked the heavies over their target. The gunners of the 26th BS, 11th BG claimed one seaplane as downed, but one Rufe collided with a B-17E commanded by 1st Lt. Rush E. McDonald. All of his crew and the Japanese pilot Sea.1c Kobayashi perished.

  During the Allied landing on Guadalcanal in the morning hours of August 7, Wildcats and Dauntless bombers from USS Wasp attacked the anchorage at Tulagi and surrounding islands, destroying all seven H6K Mavis flying boats and six Rufes in water and two on the island. One Rufe later apparently escaped and joined two colleagues at Shortland Island off Bougainville.

  Under Miyazaki's leadership, Yokohama Kōkūtai personnel at Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tanambogo, along with other units, engaged in ground combat. Miyazaki's last radio message was, “Enemy troop strength is overwhelming. We will defend to the last man. Pray for our success.” Improvising under harsh conditions, the defenders under Miyazaki's command performed superbly. In the first landing on August 7, they inflicted 10% casualties on the American troops, and the defenses on some islands persisted until noon on August 9.

  Seaplane A6M2-N from Tōkō Kōkūtai moored off the shore in the Aleutians. Note the lighter colouring of the control surfaces. It is possible that some sort of waterproofing is stuck to the top of the wing to cover the edges of the cannon hatches. Photo: ©Izawa

  
  

  Five Rufe pilots were killed on Tanambogo Island on August 8 in action against U.S. Marines. They succeeded in setting fire to a Stuart tank of 1st Company, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines. Of the three tankers, two were killed and one was wounded. Forty-two defenders were killed, including the executive officer of the Yokohama Kōkūtai, Lt. Cdr. Saburō Katsuta, who was last seen on the tank’s turret.

  Lt. Satō escaped to Halavo Island with about forty men and was killed with thirteen of them in a battle with members of the 2nd Marines on September 19. Only one of his pilots was captured, it was Warrant Officer Yomichio Hirahashi.

  Patrol flights continued from Shortland for several days in late August under the command of Ensign Kofuji, but on September 2, 1942, the Yokohama Kōkūtai fighter unit was disbanded and the personnel and remaining Rufe seaplanes were taken over by the Kamikawa Maru.

  Commanding officer of Yokohama Kōkūtai Capt. Miyazaki was formally in command of the unit until October 1, 1942, when he was posthumously promoted to Rear Admiral. According to the testimony of one of Japanese prisoners, Miyazaki committed suicide by explosive in a dugout on August 8. One of his former colleagues in the Geneva Naval Conference negotiations, Rear Admiral William Ward Smith, commanded Cruiser Division 9 at the time with the cruisers USS Indianapolis and USS Louisville during the Battle of the Aleutians.

  In this photo taken in August 1942, some of the fighter pilots of the 5th Kōkūtai are posing at the Kiska base. Rear row from the left: Sea2c Hachirō Narita, next to him stands the most successful fighter pilot in the Aleutian area, PO2c Gi-ichi Sasaki, PO2c Saishi Okawa and the last airman is probably leader of fighter unit Kushichirō Yamada. Front row from the left: Sea2c Minoru Minazawa and Sea2c Yoshio Suzuki. Sasaki and Okawa were killed during raids against Amchitka. The Rufe R-106 has a partially visible convex cowling located on top of the main float. An E16A Jake seaplane can be seen in the background. Photo: ©Izawa 

   

  Aleutians and Kurils

  The first unit to engage the enemy with Rufes was Tōkō Kōkūtai. Formed in late 1940, it was deployed at the start of the war in the Pacific during the conquest of the Philippines and the Dutch East Indies. In June 1942, with six H6K Mavis flying boats, this unit was deployed in the capture of Attu and Kiska Islands in the Aleutians. Protection for the invasion force was provided by floatplanes from the seaplane tenders Kamikawa Maru and Kimikawa Maru. The command soon recognized that to fight the Americans in the Aleutian area, fighter seaplanes needed to be deployed to protect the anchorages and bases under construction, as float-type observation aircraft were not ideal for this purpose. Moreover, both tenders got tasks in another part of the Pacific.

  In early June a Rufe fighter unit was formed in Yokosuka under the command of Lt. Kushichirō Yamada. Six machines were transported to Kiska by seaplane tender Chiyoda, and the unit was integrated into Tōkō Kōkūtai. The planes were usually moored to buoys in shallow water and transported ashore for maintenance using bamboo structures. They usually patrolled in pairs and sometimes engaged with enemy aircraft several times a day. Very soon they started using 30kg bombs against heavy bombers. During anti-submarine patrols they probably used 60kg bombs. The weather in the area was often inclement with fog and low cloud. Therefore, even the four-engined aircraft often operated at relatively low altitude. Yamada's pilots first encountered enemy on July 7 and 8, 1942, during a Liberator raid on Kiska. First victory was achieved ten days later, one B-24 and one B-17 were claimed, but Americans lost only one Flying Fortress of the 28th Composite Bombardment Group. It was an old B-17B c/n 38-215 “Old Seventy” from the 36th BS, with seasoned veteran Major Jack Marks at the controls. The machine exploded at 2,000 feet in a dogfight with Rufe pilots near Rat Island. However, there is another version saying that the damaged bomber crashed into a mountain range.

  A picture taken on November 7, 1942, shows several damaged Rufe seaplanes in Holz Bay, Attu Island. Photo: Naval History and Heritage Command

  
  

  In early August, Yamada's fighter unit was detached from the Tōkō Kōkūtai and became the 5th Kōkūtai, whose number of aircraft was expanded to twelve fighter seaplanes. During August it was also reinforced with observation floatplanes.

  The fighters of the 5th Kōkūtai scored their first victory on August 7, 1942. The warships under the command of Rear Adm. W. W. “Poco” Smith sailed from Kodiak to Kiska to shell the Japanese positions. The fog made combat activity considerably more difficult for both belligerents. In addition to the heavy cruisers USS Indianapolis and USS Louisville, the light cruisers USS Honolulu, USS St. Louis and USS Nashville and four destroyers were also part of the fleet.

  Despite the fog in the area, the Americans managed to open fire at 19:55, simultaneously sending six SOC Seagull observation aircraft over the target.

  The Japanese came into contact with the observation planes several times but had little chance to attack them successfully in the bad weather. The first to fire was Lt. Yamada with his wingman and they claimed a Seagull shot down. Later, Yamada got into a fight with the observation planes again, and with a PO2c Gi-ichi Sasaki, they scored two victories.

  The Americans lost one Seagull and three were damaged. The crew of the downed Seagull apparently survived, but interestingly, the machine (Bu. No. 9945) belonged to the air unit of the battleship USS Indiana, which was not part of the fleet.

  The crews of H6K Mavis attempted to blindly bomb the American vessels through low cloud cover, and one of the Rufe pilots attacked the destroyer USS Case in very adverse weather conditions. He was driven off by defensive fire from 5-inch and 20mm guns. Japanese gunners from shore batteries also attempted to engage the US ships, as the Rufes' pilots dropped phosphorus bombs over them , presumably to identify enemy´s position.

  American troops landed on Adak Island on August 30 and built with incredible speed an airfield in the following weeks. For the Japanese on Attu and Kiska, this worsened the prospects of completing their own airfield.

  An unequal battle occurred on September 15, 1942, when the submarine base at Kiska was attacked by fourteen heavy bombers from the 28th CBG, accompanied by fourteen Lightnings and the same number of Airacobras from XI. Fighter Command. This formation was engaged by four Rufe pilots, two of whom were killed. PO2c Gi-ichi Sasaki scored four victories over fighter aircraft in this engagement and claimed one as probably destroyed, but his machine turned over on landing. At the end of the day only one Rufe remained operational. In late September, the Kimikawa Maru arrived at the island, bringing six Rufes and two observation aircraft. In the following week the unit faced significant odds on several occasions including P-40s of No. 111 Sqn RCAF, and on October 4 was completely without fighter seaplanes. American and Canadian fighters often strafed the anti-aircraft gunner positions to reduce the risk to low-flying bombers that arrived over the target only minutes later.

  At the beginning of November, the 5th Kōkūtai was redesignated Kōkūtai 452. In same period additional aircraft were supplied, but these were destroyed in the following days during a storm and in a strafing attack by Lightnings and Marauders. In late December, Kimikawa Maru again brought in new Rufe seaplanes. On the last day of 1942, Japanese fighters managed to shoot down a B-25 of 28th CBG, a P-38 of 343rd FG and destroyed a Catalina that was forced to land.

  The Kōkūtai 452 was still operating in extremely difficult conditions. Planes were anchored in Arctic temperatures at the seashore or in shallow water, their only protection being a tarpaulin stretched across the forward half of the fuselage. Yet unit´s technicians managed to keep most of the seaplanes operational. Primarily they operated from Kiska Island, and spare planes were offloaded on Attu, where there was less danger from Allied aircraft.

  This photograph is one of the images that fell into the hands of the Allied forces after the landing on the Aleutians. It probably dates from late 1942 and early 1943 and shows the airmen of Kōkūtai 452. Photo: Fold3

  
  

  On January 24, 1943, a patrol of two Rufes discovered five cargo ships with escort cruisers, which were securing the landing on the island of Amchitka. Rufes attacked with 60kg bombs and continued their strafings in late January and during February. Their main target was the airfield, which the Americans were building on the island with their usual incredible speed. American air defenses managed to shoot down several of the Rufes. Sasaki, who became the only Rufe fighter ace in the area, did not return from one of these dangerous missions.

  It occurred on the evening of February 18, 1942, the day after the first Curtiss P-40s from the 18th Fighter Squadron arrived at the newly completed airfield, which was named Fox Field because of its short runway. The Rufe pair was led by Warrant Officer Kunitsugu Nakamachi and PO1c Sasaki flew as his wingman. In the air, however, two quadruplets of Curtiss planes were waiting for them. The Japanese pair was attacked by the first flight, led by Major Clayton J. Larson. Hundreds of soldiers from the surrounding hills watched in amazement as the battle took place off the west coast of the island.

  Nakamachi, still over the water, dropped his bombs and turned northwest back toward his own base, but he had little chance against the fast Curtiss planes that attacked from above. He was hit by Larson and his wingman 1st Lt. Beary. The burning Rufe crashed into the sea.

  A determined Sasaki gave up the raid on the airfield just off the coast and also tried to break through to the northwest. American fighters made repeated runs on Sasaki. The experienced Japanese pilot combined tight 360-degree turns and steep descents. He even fired twice at Larson without result. His fight against the odds was like this over 35 miles stretch. However, Sasaki was eventually hit and crashed into the sea about 5 miles west of the northwestern tip of Amchitka. The victory was scored by Lt. Stone.

  The last aerial engagement of Rufe seaplanes in the Aleutians occurred on March 17, 1943. In ten hours, the Americans made a total of five raids on Kiska from the Adak and Amchitka bases. They deployed 13 B-24s, 16 B-25s, 32 P-38s, and eight P-40s. The Japanese could only send seven Rufe fighters against them. Among them was Kiyomi Katsuki, who made a name for himself in the South Pacific as a Pete biplane pilot and later became a fighter ace. The formation faced ten Lightnings and claimed two victories, but the Americans recorded no losses.

  This seaplane fighter unit, which changed designation three times during its operations, had shot down fifteen aircraft certainly and five probably since the summer of 1942. In less than eight months of its combat deployment, it operated against the enemy over sixty days, in many cases conducting multiple actions in a single day. It lost twelve fighter seaplanes and ten pilots in aerial combat. Its remaining 23 machines were written off in the Aleutians due to defects and weather conditions.

  Pilots of the 11th Fighter Squadron at Umnak Air Force Base, Alaska, pose for a photographer while playing cards. They were among the opponents of the Rufe seaplanes. The unit's commander was John S. Chennault, the eldest son of Claire Lee Chennault, who led the legendary volunteer Flying Tigers in China. The P-40E's nose shows that the apple didn't fall far from the tree. Photo: Fold3

  
  

  At the end of March 1943, the remaining airmen of Kōkūtai 452 were evacuated by submarine to Japan. In May the unit was reorganized and received new Pete, Jake and Rufe seaplanes. Its fighter unit was commanded by Lt.(jg) Shunshi Araki. From July his unit was based on Lake Bettobu on the Kuril island of Shumshu, 11 km southwest of Kamchatka.

  Their opponents were again the Liberator crews. Rufes engaged them for first time on July 19. In addition to the Rufe seaplanes, the sporadic fighting involved IJN observation aircraft as well as Army aviators with Ki-43 Oscars from the 54th Hikō Sentai. 

  The Kōkūtai 452 fighters achieved their last victories on September 12 in a battle with a formation of eight B-24s and twelve B-25s. They reported two B-24s shot down and one probable. However, Japanese Army fighters also joined the fight and the Americans suffered heavy losses. In addition to the two Liberators, they lost seven Mitchells and some crews made emergency landings in Soviet territory.

  In early October 1943, the fighter Buntai of Kōkūtai 452 was disbanded and the unit continued to serve with reconnaissance aircraft in the Kuril Islands until the summer of 1944.

  The original commander of this unit, Kushichirō Yamada, later served as the Hikōtaichō of Kōkūtai 302 at Atsugi Base and committed suicide on August 15, 1945. Araki ended his service in the same fighter unit as Yamada, and he too did not live to see the end of the war.

   

  To be continued…

  
  

  Shots of the wrecks of Rufe seaplanes after landing on Attu and Kiska islands in mid-1943. The hangar images were taken at the base on Attu. Photos: US Navy and Alaska State Library

  
  

• The Cavalry Arrives

  Aerial view of the runway of Henderson Airfield on August 22, 1942, two days after VMF-223 arrived on the island. The buildings to the south of the runway were intended as workshops and the roofs were made of 7/8-inch-thick steel. Photo: National Archives via NAAS

  
  

  VMF-223 at Guadalcanal

  Pt. 2

  TEXT: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

   

  We left the pilots and mechanics of VMF-223 in the first part of this article as they began to familiarize themselves with Henderson Airfield and the situation on Guadalcanal. The latter certainly did not make them so happy, but it did compromise their combat determination.

   

  It was fortunate the Japanese were initially as nearly hamstrung as the Americans.

  The Imperial Navy’s 25th Air Flotilla (5th Air Attack Force), based at Rabaul, had been reinforced only days before the Allied incursion into the Solomons as part of a general build-up preparatory to occupying Guadalcanal and supporting a further Japanese drive into the New Hebrides. On August 9, Vice Admiral Nishizō Tsukahara activated the Eleventh Air Fleet at Rabaul and assumed control of regional air operations. The one-armed senior aviator, who had lost his arm to a spinning propeller, advocated a policy of strong reprisals against the Americans. However, since his bomber force had taken severe losses during the first two days of aerial combat, the admiral was restricted to planning harassment and reconnaissance missions to the island.

  The Americans were fortunate that Guadalcanal and the Japanese airfields at Rabaul were separated by more than 600 miles of the Solomon and Coral Seas. Though the Zero was the longest-legged operational fighter in the world, the 1,300-mile round trip between Rabaul and Guadalcanal taxed even its capabilities to the limit, while the twin-engine Betty had fuel for only 15 minutes over the target. The range limitations of the Zero and the Betty meant missions had to be flown by the most direct route, with no margin for feints or for speeding up the throttled-back engines of the fuel-conserving fighters and bombers. Additionally, the weather in the South Pacific meant they flew from their bases after the morning cloud buildups had dissipated, which meant adherence to a predictable timetable The route took them from Rabaul to Buka, off northwestern Bougainville, down to Buin, overlooking the Shortland Islands, then straight through New Georgia Sound, soon to be known as “The Slot.”

  The commanding officer of VMF-223, Maj. John Smith after returning from Guadalcanal at NAS Anacostia. Photo: NHHC

  
  

  Before the war, the Australian Navy had recruited Australians living in the Solomons to remain behind if the Japanese appeared and operate a radio warning system when they spotted Japanese naval or air forces. Coastwatcher Jack Read, whose station in the hills of Bougainville overlooked Buka, was generally first to send t word of an impending air strike. Paul Mason, near Buin, was next. There was invariably two hours between Mason's warning and the arrival of the bombers over Guadalcanal. This schedule allowed the Marines to count upon several quiet hours after dawn and before dusk for getting work done, with at least two hours during mid-day in which to find cover and take aim. The Japanese arrived punctually between 1200-1300 hours, depending on the weather enroute. Weather in this equatorial region was marginally predictable and subject to rapid change without prior notice.

  A combat schedule developed since the Japanese could only fly a large formation of bombers from Rabaul in daylight. Weather allowing, the bombers and their escorting fighters would take off from their air bases at Rabaul by 0800 hours, though delays were caused by early morning build-ups of weather over the Solomon Sea that could delay departure until as late as 1000 hours. As the Japanese formation flew down The Slot, the aircraft were spotted by the Australian coastwatchers on the various islands, who radioed their sightings to Cactus Control at Henderson Field. By the time they passed Munda, the defenders on Guadalcanal would man their fighters and take off. The Wildcats needed every minute of warning they could get, since it took around 45 minutes for the airplanes to get to 20,000 feet. The enemy formation would finally arrive between 1100-1300 hours. Given the variability of weather, there were a few times where the clouds over The Slot prevented the coastwatchers from spotting the oncoming Japanese in time to give sufficient warning.

   

  The Japanese Are Intent on Taking Guadalcanal Back

  Much of the battle noise that had kept Lieutenant Trowbridge awake that first night on the island came from the fight along what the Marines thought was the Tenaru River but was actually a lagoon. The Ichiki Battalion - the first Japanese troops to arrive on the island as part of Yamamoto’s plans to drive the Americans into the sea - were engaged by well-dug-in defenses as they advanced on Henderson Field. Dawn on August 21 found the surviving Japanese holding their position. First Battalion, First Marines, moved inland around the lagoon and enveloped the enemy.

  As the enemy troops tried to escape down the beach, they were strafed by newly-arrived VMF-223 Wildcats. All resistance ended by 1700 hours. When some wounded Japanese opened fire on the Marines, they went through the battlefield and shot every enemy soldier they came across whether dead or alive, except for 15 taken prisoner. Thirty Japanese survivors escaped to tell the tale to their comrades at Taivu Point. Food, equipment, weapons, and ammunition were taken from the 871 dead. That evening, Colonel Ichiki buried his unit's colors, drew a ceremonial dagger, and disemboweled himself in the soft sand beside Lengo Channel.

  Aces from Guadalcanal. From left: Maj. John L. Smith, Lt. Kenneth Fraizer, Maj. John Dobbin and Maj. Robert Galer. The first two from VMF-223 the second from VMF-224, the unit which reinforced the fighters at Guadalcanal on August 30.  Photo: via author  

  
  

  The Marines Meet the Enemy

  At mid-day, Admiral Fletcher’s carriers gave cover so that two transports could slip into Sealark Channel and unload supplies. MAG-23’s senior mechanics were a welcome addition when they came ashore from the destroyer that had brought them up from Efate.

  Coastwatcher Jack Read radioed a warning that a strike force was on the way down the Slot. Lieutenant Hugh MacKenzie, the coastwatch liaison officer at Lunga, patched into the Marine communications net, known as Texas Switch, and for the first time was able to pass the news to American aviators who could rise to the challenge. Captain Smith’s four-plane division responded to the call.

  They were over Savo Island at 1207 hours, climbing through 14,000 feet, when they spotted six Zeros five hundred feet higher and on a reciprocal heading. Smith opened fire head-on at the leading Zero as the two aircraft roared toward one other. The Japanese pilot flinched first. He pulled up, exposing his belly to Smith's six .50-caliber machine guns, and then fell away smoking as Smith was engaged by a pair of Zeros that had latched onto his tail. Smith quickly discovered the Wildcat was heavy enough to disengage by diving away if there was sufficient altitude. His wingman, Sergeant John Lindsey, was hit in the fight but managed to make a dead-stick wheels-up landing at Henderson Field, with his Wildcat becoming the squadron’s first loss, while Smith became the first pilot claim a Zero shot down. In a second fight later that afternoon, Lieutenant Trowbridge claimed two more, though the Japanese recorded all planes returned. Over the next two days, the Marines claimed two more Zeros and proved they could stay in the same air with their more-experienced opponents.

  The wreckage of a Wildcat after one of the Japanese raids on Henderson Field. Photo: Cpl. L. M. Ashman, USMC via NHHC 

   

  The First Big Battle

  Over the next four days, what would become the Battle of the Eastern Solomons began to shape up as the two navies sought to find each other.

  Despite the loss of the heart of the Imperial Navy’s carrier strike force with the sinking of Akagi, Kaga, Soryū and Hiryū at Midway, their remaining carrier fleet was still formidable when compared with the carriers the U.S. Navy could bring to action. The First Carrier Division now formed the heart of Japanese naval aviation, composed of the fleet carriers Shōkaku and Zuikaku and the light carrier Zuihō. The light carriers Jun´yō, Hiyō and Ryūjō of the Second Carrier Division were a worthy second line.

  At 0600 hours on August 24, Admiral Nagumo’s Kidō Butai turned southeast, into the wind, and Shōkaku and Zuikaku launched the first search patrols of the day. Admiral Kondo’s Advance Force, 120 miles southeast, also turned to remain in position to guard Nagumo’s eastern flank. Starting at 0615 hours, the two carriers launched 19 Kates on searches out to a distance of 250 miles. No one really expected to locate the Americans, since the Japanese carriers had sailed out of range during the night.

  The Reinforcement Force transports were scheduled to arrive off Guadalcanal the night of August 24. If the 5th Air Attack Force’s Bettys could not knock out Henderson, carrier aircraft would have to be committed. Since Admiral Yamamoto had stipulated that the Shōkaku and Zuikaku air groups were not to attack land targets so long as Task Force 61 remained a threat, the only force available for an attack on the airfield was the small Ryūjō Air Group, with its nine B5N Kates and 24 Zeros. Since the scheduled 5th Air Attack Force mission against Henderson was scrubbed because of bad weather, use of Ryūjō’s small force on August 24 became became inevitable. The strike would be launched as soon as she and her escorts were within range.

  Capt. Joe Foss (left) became the most successful ace of the Southern Solomons campaign and the first American aviator to match Eddie Rickenbacker’s World War I score of 26 victories. 

  
  

  Because there was as yet no operational radar as yet at Henderson, and since coastwatcher sightings had proven to be less than completely reliable due to the vagaries of weather in the region, Air Group 23 Executive Officer Lt. Colonel Charlie Fike had begun launching one or two divisions of Wildcats at “Tōjō Time,” 1100-1500 hours, when it was most likely that an incoming strike might appear. Thus, when the small Ryūjō attack force arrived at 1415 hours, a division of Wildcats led by Marion Carl was waiting at 20,000 feet, with another 12 Wildcats and P-400s from the newly-arrived 67th Fighter Squadron on alert at the field. Carl’s wingman was Tech Sergeant Johnny Lindley, with 2nd Lieutenant Fred Gutt flying section leader with VMF-212’s Marine Gunner Tex Hamilton on his wing.

  The Ryūjō force approached Guadalcanal from the direction of Florida and Malaita islands at 10,000 feet. Lieutenant Murakami led the six Kates along with the six escorts led by Warrant Officer Shigemi in one formation, while the formation of nine “attack” Zeros led by Ryūjō’s Hikōtaichō (air group commander) Lieutenant Nōtomi, flew about 1,600 feet to the right of the bombers.

  Carl spotted the force over Tulagi. As he wheeled his four Wildcats into position, he radioed a warning to Henderson Field. When the “Condition One” flag went up in response, the r pilots scrambled to man all the available Wildcats, followed by a further scramble down the main runway. While they were supposed to take off in order of divisions and sections behind the flight leader, in practice everyone rushed to get airborne to gain the altitude advantage over the incoming bombers. Because of performance differences between the individual planes, the system of elements and divisions broke down, and everyone joined up on whomever was closest. Leading the dash was Captain Rivers Morrell, VMF-223's executive officer.

  At 1423 hours, Carl peeled off and led the way as the four Wildcats dived on the Ryūjō force. Carl lined up on six airplanes in the larger formation that turned out to be Shigemi’s six escort Zeros. Firing from overhead and diving through the formation with Technical Sergeant Lindley glued to his wing, Carl was certain he had set one of the “bombers” on fire for his first victory over Guadalcanal and second of the war. Close behind, Hamilton and Gutt fired at the same formation. While Hamilton was drawn into a protracted dogfight with three of the “escort” Zeros, Gutt was able to shoot one of the Kates and dive through the formation behind Carl and Lindley, who became separated as they zoomed to regain altitude for a second attack.

  Capt. Jimmy Flatley led VF-10 to Guadalcanal after the USS Enterprise was severely damaged in the Battle of Santa Cruz.   

  
  

  The Kates came directly over the beach and lined up on the four 90mm antiaircraft guns of Battery E, 3d Defense Battalion. At 1428 hours the guns opened fire while the Kates released their 36 60-kilogram bombs in a group drop at 1430 hours. A “Betty” was claimed by the overexcited gunners, who actually hit nothing. The Kate’s drop was equally ineffective, with no damage inflicted even though the bombs detonated on either side of the guns.

  Nōtomi’s attack formation had more success. The three shotai formations attacked from three directions just as the bombs were dropped, strafing the runway with impunity. Nōtomi’s threesome caught up with a Wildcat that had just lifted off and shot it up. Wounded in the head and shoulder, the pilot managed to keep the airplane airborne long enough to ditch reasonably well off Florida, where he was rescued by islanders and returned to Tulagi the next day.

  67th Fighter Squadron skipper Captain Dale Brannon and his wingman, 2nd Lieutenant Deltis Fincher, dashed for their Airacobras when they saw the Condition One flag go up. Both remembered they could hear the drone of the enemy overhead by the time they were in their cockpits and starting up. As they raced in echelon along the runway, they could hear the explosions of the bombs over the roar of their engines. Just as they lifted off and retracted their gear, a Zero swooped in front of them. They turned into one another and let fly with everything: eight .30-caliber machine guns, four .50-caliber machine guns, and two 20mm cannon, disintegrating the Zero. They flew through the debris as they clawed for altitude but were attacked in turn by the shotai leader and wingman of the fighter they had just destroyed. The enemy fighters made one pass and disappeared. Both P-400s were hit by 7.7mm bullets, but Brannon and Fincher were undeterred. Unfortunately, as Brannon later recalled, “When we got up to Guadalcanal, one of the first things that we found out was that the British had put a high-pressure oxygen system in our airplanes. The Marines had oxygen, but it was low pressure. I remember we managed to get all the way up to 16,000 feet on our first fight. We were really woozy. And of course, the Zeros were way up above us.”

  Three Wildcats took on the retiring attack Zeros at low altitude over Lengo Channel.  VMF-212’s 2nd Lieutenant Bob McLeod got good hits on one that he claimed destroyed. In fact, the pilot – Lieutenant Nōtomi’s wingman – was able to nurse his stricken fighter back over Guadalcanal, where he crash-landed, was found by Japanese troops, and was eventually evacuated off the island. In return, VMF-223’s 2nd Lieutenant Elwood Bailey was shot down. Last seen in his parachute, descending toward the water near Tulagi, he never made it home.

  Lieutenant Murakami’s Kates executed a wide formation turn to the north after they dropped their bombs, in an attempt to retire from the area. At 1433 hours, Marion Carl executed what observers called “the most beautiful overhead pass,” downing a Kate on the formation’s left side. Lindley and Gutt also fired on the Kates. As they did so, reinforcement began arriving. Captain Morrell, flying what was probably the best Wildcat on the island, was in the lead followed by five second lieutenants. All six attacked the five surviving Kates and five escort Zeros from below. As they did so, two attack Zeros arrived to help ward off the attackers. 2nd Lieutenantt Ken Frazier destroyed a Kate on the right side of the formation on his first pass while  Carl shot a Zero off Lindley’s tail; however, he did not destroy it, as credited. Gutt was shot up and wounded in the left arm and left leg by another Zero, but made it back to Henderson Field. Lieutenants Rex Jeans and Red Taylor teamed up to disable a Kate, but Taylor - one of the six VMF-212 reinforcements - was immediately shot down and killed by a Zero. Last of all, VMF-212’s 2nd Lieutenant John King fired on a Kate that blew up. After King’s victory, the Wildcats withdrew.        

  Altogether, the Marines claimed 20 confirmed victories: 12 Kates, a non-existent “Betty,” and seven Zeros. However, the Japanese lost only four Kates, including the one that crash-landed, and three Zeros, including the one Brannon and Fincher had blown up. Marion Carl was credited with four victories, including the phantom Betty, and was immediately recognized as the first Marine Corps ace. In fact, he was actually two kills shy, but would make up the difference two days later. The Marines had won the first big air battle. There would be many more.

  Many Wildcats were destroyed not only in combat but also on the ground. Either as a result of enemy attacks or in crashes during take-off and landing. These aircraft then became a source of spare parts. Photo: via author

   

  The End For VMF-223

  By October 2, the surviving fliers of VMF-223 were exhausted from near-daily battles and the terrible living conditions on Guadalcanal. That day, the enemy returned with another fighter sweep; the skies were clearer and the coastwatchers radioed their warning in time for the Wildcats to get off the field and grab sufficient altitude.to meet the 27 Zeros in a hard-fought fighter-versus-fighter battle. Leading six VMF-223 F4Fs, Marion Carl scored what would turn out to be his last victory, bringing his score to 16.5 before his guns jammed. His wingman Ken Frazier was able to shoot down two before the others turned on him and shot up his Wildcat badly enough that he was forced to bail out. His score of 12 put him in third-place in VMF-223's “ace race,” behind Smith and Carl. Newly arrived VMF-121 pilot 1st Lieutenant Floyd Lynch dropped one enemy fighter, but the top score of the day went to “Coach” Bauer, whose four victories made him an ace in only two sorties. This time, Japanese records confirmed the nine Zeros claimed by the Marines was accurate.

  VMF-223's exhausted fliers took off for what turned out to be their last mission from Henderson Field on October 10. Squadron leader John Smith led seven Wildcats to escort SBDs and TBFs to New Georgia where more enemy ships had been spotted. Halfway there Smith happened to look back and saw 15 Rufe and Pete floatplanes closing on his formation. He called a warning and reversed course; the other six followed. Spotting the oncoming Americans, the enemy formation turned to flee, but the Wildcats caught up and shot down six Petes and three Rufes. Smith’s Rufe was his final victory, giving him a total of 19 to make him the leading Marine ace to that point in the war.

  October 12, 1942, saw the survivors of VMF-223 climb aboard an R4D headed for Espiritu Santo. Over their nine-week tour, the squadron claimed 110 victories, including 47 Zeros and 47 Bettys. John L. Smith was credited with ten Bettys while Marion Carl claimed eight, to give both pilots more Japanese bombers in their scores than any other Marine pilots during the war. Nineteen pilots had landed at Henderson Field on August 20; ten paid the ultimate price. 

   

  Adapted from “The Cactus Air Force: Air War Over Guadalcanal,” by Eric Hammel and Thomas McKelvey Cleaver; Osprey Publishing (2022).

• The high-altitude Hinds

  The original type designation of Hind E was Mi-24V, where the letter V means “vysotnyi” which translates as “high-altitude”. This corresponds to engines' higher power available at higher level. This allowed not only a higher ceiling but, most importantly, the ability to hover at higher height above sea level, both with or without the ground effect.

  
  

  Czech and Czechoslovak Hinds E from technical perspective

  Text: Tomáš “Hindman” Dvořák

  
  

  The original type designation of Hind E was Mi-24V, where the letter V means “vysotnyi” which translates as “high-altitude”. This corresponds to engines' higher power available at higher level. This allowed not only a higher ceiling but, most importantly, the ability to hover at higher height above sea level, both with or without the ground effect.       

   

  The Hind’s E predecessor, the Hind D, was continually developed and many of the features of the Hind E were already adopted. The only differences distinguishing the two at first sight at every stage of development are the ATGM used and the location of the APU intake. The Hind E used more advanced and beam-targeted supersonic 9M114 Shturm missiles instead of wire-controlled subsonic 9M17P Falanga ones. The guiding system appearance also differed in the shape of the antenna cover on the port side below the nose and different doors and other details on the sighting/aiming system on the starboard side. Also, while the Hind D has the intake for APU on the starboard side of the fuselage ridge just opposed to the APU’s exhaust on the port side, the Hind E is feeding the air to APU through the whole tail beam via the triangle-shaped opening in the low part of the vertical stabilizer on the starboard. All the other features, including more powerful TV3-117V engines, “wet” pylons, shape of the main as well as tail rotor blades and other features can be seen not only on the Hind E, but also on late Hind D choppers, depending on the state of the development. But Czechoslovakia did not use these late Hind Ds.           

  The first batch of Hinds E sported the gun camera placed in the intersection of the end of the wing and the end pylon like on the Hind D but the small bumpy antenna of the warning S3M Sirena system is missing. Photo: author

   

  Series variations

  Early series of Hind E (numbers from 0701 to 0710 in Czechoslovakia) were equipped with older type of the Friend-Foe identification system SRO-2 Chrom. It was recognizable by the “three fingers” antennae on the top of the WSO’s cockpit canopy windshield frame and on the bottom of the tail fin. The gun camera S-13 was mounted on the port side on the front of the joint section of the wing and the vertical pylon. This corresponded to the Hind D, but the early Hinds E lacked the small, bulged antenna of the warning system S3M Sirena (it was also absent on the rear of the outer pods). Instead, the Czechoslovak Hinds E used the more advanced passive system L-006 Beryozka (birch) installed in the bulky oval covers on both sides of the front fuselage between front and rear cockpit. These were quite popular among pilots as they were used as handy shelves for the map cases or helmets prior to or after the flight. Behind and under the port Beryozka antenna, there was a fixed landing light FFP-7 added. On the trailing edge of the tail, two small bulges of the warning system antennae were added. These were monitoring the rear area. The early Hinds E also kept the frame in the wheel bay separating the port and starboard compartments. 

  The early Hind D were additionally equipped with the flare dispensers ASO-2V. These were fixed to the rear of the tail by the metal belts encircling the tail. The early Hinds E had the dispensers   screwed directly into the frame of the tail. 

  As the Hind E was developed the later series (Nos 0786 through 0790 and 0812 through 0816 in Czechoslovakia) had the gun camera removed from the port side wing and a new type (SS-45) installed in the rear pilot-in-command cockpit in the case on the right side of the gunsight. The above-mentioned frame in the main wheel bay was removed, which was greeted by technicians as it made easier the access to the serviced components in the bay.  

  The choppers with tail numbers 0832 through 0839 presented another step in the development of the Hinds E supplied to Czechoslovakia:  The covers of the L-006 system were moved behind the rear cockpit and raised out of reach from the ground. The three-fingers SRO-2 antennae were changed for the trapezoidal antennae of new system 62-01 Parol. As a third visible change, the flare dispensers were moved from the tail to the rear of the center section of the fuselage behind and above the wing. Also, their number was increased from four to six (three on each side). They firstly had covers, but as their removal and fixing during maintenance was rather complicated, the covers were gone on later series of Hind E.    

  The last Hinds E supplied to Czechoslovakia were choppers with the numbers 0927, 0928 and 0929. They sported minor changes on the instrument panel in the rear cockpit, but otherwise were the same as the previous ones. Two of these were lost in fatal air crashes and seven airmen were killed.  

  After several technical inspections and overhauls, most of the oldest Hinds E in the inventory of the Czech army were discarded and Nos. 0702, 0710, 0788, 0790, 0815, 0835 and 0839 were sold to AAL company from United Arab Emirates. After some non-specified overhaul, they were sold – probably to Libya or Sudan.              

   The chopper number 0834 demonstrates the form of the final supply during the existence of the socialist Czechoslovakia. On the frame of the windshield of the WSO’s cockpit there is the trapezoidal antenna of the 62-01 Parol system and the bulky covers of the L-006 Beryozka system are already moved behind the rear cockpit.  Photo: Petr Soukop

  The control panel of the new radio LUN 3520 allowing continuous change of the frequency replaced the Doppler navigation system DISS and the navigational data were instead supplied by the GPS system.   Photo: author

  
  

  First modernization

  After the political changes in 1989, first upgrades to the Czechoslovak Hinds E were made. Due to the rising number of participations on Western airshows, equipment had to be added to ensure at least very basic “westernalization”. The GPS system, digital feet-calibrated altimeter and western-standard transponder were added. The GPS antenna was mounted on the frame of the windshield of the WSO’s cockpit and the white fin-shaped antennae of the APX-100 transponder were placed behind the front wheel bay and on the top of the tail boom.   

  Control panel of the Infrared guided-missile countermeasure system L-166V-11E „Ispanka“ was located next to the right front weaponry panel in the WSO’s cockpit.  Photo: author  

  Control panel of the LUN 3520 radio was fitted over the left front weaponry panel in the cockpit of WSO.  Photo: author

  
  

  Stealth Hind

  The Hind E No. 0837 was selected for the trials of the special surface finish.  Rubber panels covered nearly the whole fuselage with intention to delete the radar frequency and so make the helicopter less visible on the radar screens. The new surface was also painted with an experimental camo scheme. The paint was to degrade the visibility of the helicopter through the night vision goggles. None of the measures proved efficient, the only effect, apart of the smooth surface (the riveting was hidden under the rubber panels), was the added weight which unbalanced the weight distribution of the chopper.    

  Left side of the WSO’s cockpit already in black color with English stenciling and the conversion table from feet to meters. Necessary, as the altimeters were calibrated in meters. Photo: author

      

  The weapons

  Apart of the above-mentioned ATGMs Shturm replacing the much slower Falanga, Hind E had a much wider variety of weapons. There were unguided rocket blocks B8V20 of 80 mm caliber, gun pods GUV either with 30 mm grenade launcher 9-A-669 or with one 12,7 mm 9-A-624 four-barrel Gatling gun plus two 7,62 mm ones of the same system. Another option were cannon pods containing two-barrel UPK-23/250 cannon of 23 mm caliber, mine containers KMGU-2 or rocket launchers RM-122. More to it, up to four external fuel tanks, each of 450 liters of volume, could be fitted to the inner and outer racks. The Shturm missiles could be fitted not only to the end pylons, but also to the outer racks through  special adapters, increasing the maximum number of ATGMs to eight.

  Prior to the political changes at the end of 1989, one set of the  exhaust gas cooling system (EVU) was supplied, but it was never used. This system was eventually tested  by the Czech army in 2002 with a new set of the same type previously supplied.    

  The cargo compartment with two black cases for the NVG system accessory. Photo: author

  
  

  The “new” generation

  As a part of the debts payments by Russian Federation to Czech Republic, 17 new Hinds E were supplied to the Czech army between 2003 and 2006. Seven of them kept the older designation Mi-24V, while ten others were designated Mi-35, which was the export designation of basically the same aircraft . But some minor differences existed.

  The first batch consisted of seven choppers  numbered  7353 through 7358 plus 0981. They were all powered by the new engines TV3-117VMA and the flare dispensers were fitted differently to the fuselage. The cockpits were painted in black instead of the turquoise color used previously. This change was done with aim to allow use of the night vision goggles (NVG). Unfortunately, the illumination was not NVG compatible, so the effort was useless.

  As there was no GPS system installed, these choppers were in fact the same  as those supplied in the eighties, including the Cyrillic stenciling in the cockpits. What was missing was the system Friend-Foe, so these machines had neither the antennae of the SRO-2 Chrom, nor the 62-01 Parol. But early into  use, these new choppers were fitted with APX-100 transponders and a little bit later also  with LUN 3520 radio of  Czech origin. The T-shaped black antenna was fitted on the tail slightly to the right side. In the WSO cockpit, the control panel was mounted on the left front panel while in the rear cockpit of the pilot-in-command it replaced the now obsolete Doppler navigation system DISS.             

  Next supplied were three Hinds E now designated Mi-35 as mentioned previously. These were Nos. 7360, 3361 and 3362. These choppers were already NVG compatible, the cockpit stenciling was in English. In the cargo compartment, there are two black cases hanged on the starboard side to store the NVG cabling. These choppers were equipped with the GPS antenna fitted to the tube of the DUAS system. To be honest, the solution developed by the LOK (Aviation Repair Shops in Kbely; Kbely being part of Prague) looked much better …    

  As a new transponder KT-76C was installed, its antenna was placed on the bottom of cover of the Shturm guiding system. This placement was rather unhappy, as the antenna was quite vulnerable when the towing shaft was to be fitted. Due to that, it was moved to the former position behind the front wheel bay like in the case of APX-100. As the KT-76C did not need the second antenna, there was none on the tail boom.                 

  The proof the chopper number 3365 was originally (or was intended to be) Hind F.  Photo: author

  A nice view on the rear cockpit illuminated for the use with the NVG. Photo: David Všetíček 

  
  

  Last seven

  The very last of the Hinds E supplied either to Czechoslovakia or to Czech Republic (Slovakia only received the former Czechoslovak Hinds D and E in the process of dividing the assets of Czechoslovakia and did not buy any new Hinds) were seven examples with numbers from 3365 to 3371. They were in the same configuration as the three previously supplied and underwent the same changes regarding the transponders and radio installations. Later, four of them (3367, 3368, 3370 and 3371) got the KT-76C transponders replaced by APX-119 . It was visible by minor change of the position of the antenna behind the front wheel bay (from centerline slightly to the starboard side) and the second antenna was added again on the top of the tail boom. At the end of the Hinds E service  in Czech army, the short-wave radio Jadro was deleted and with it also its wire antennae between the rear fuselage and horizontal stabilizers.   

  Of the 17 newly supplied Hinds E, 11 went through general overhaul in the LOM (Aviation Repair Shop Malešice; Malešice being part of Prague) company. They got the same colors (so-called NATO standard, as described in Czech army) as they were supplied from Russia in compliance with Czech requirements, but as the colors were not sprayed with the use of  templates, the borders of the color shades are diffuse. The twelfth Hind E planned for the general overhaul did not make it, as it was lost in an accident (engine failure while conducting the hover check ).             

   Antennae of the APX-100 transponder were fitted behind the front wheel bay and on the top of the tail boom. Photo: author

  
  

  Why just the Hinds E?

  There might be a question why the Czech Republic opted for the already obsolete Hind E during negotiations with the Russian side and did not ask for the much more advanced Hind J or its derivatives. There was for sure the aspect of the price, as the Hind J would have been more expensive and so less of them would have been supplied. But the main reason was (according to some sources) that the army did not want to enter a new type into its inventory due to logistic reasons. And more to it, there was a quite ambitious plan for upgrades, which was to be shared by the V4 states (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary). But the plan collapsed and in effect it marked the beginning of the end of the Hinds E in the Czech army. Although a tough attack and transport helicopter, it had only the essential avionics to be allowed to fly in the modern airspace of the 21st century and would be sentenced to doom in the modern battlefield, as it lacks all the modern Defensive Avionics Systems as well as target and data acquisition systems.      In fact, the request for Hinds E supply was quite a surprise for Russians because this version was already out of production for several years. But they finally fulfilled the request, although rather peculiarly. The airframes of the Hinds E supplied were not newly manufactured, which is clearly supported by the fact the serial numbers were the continuation of the line of the Hinds F supplied to Niger. The 3365 Hind E, i.e., Mi-24V, even had a Mi-35P machine data-plate. According to the author’s own experience, that he got during his 2001 stay in the Rostov factory, where the Hinds are produced, it was a common practice for a Hind E to enter the general overhaul to leave it as an Hind F.   

  Detail of the GPS antenna fitting developed in LOK. Photo: author 

  
  

  In the foreign services

  Apart of the older Hinds E sold to AAL, Czech Republic donated six of these helicopters to Afghan government. In the Afghan National Army, they got new numbers 113 (originally 0836), 114 (0703),  

  115 (0816), 116 (0834), 117 (0838) and 118 (0812). During the general overhaul prior to being sent to Afghanistan they received the more powerful TV3-117VMA engines, while all the GPS and identification equipment was removed.  VHF and UHF radios were installed and the T-shaped white antennae were placed on the top of the tail boom (for the AT-160 COM1) and on its bottom (AT-160 COM2). Probably the most visible change was the installation of the long tubular antenna of the HF radio 10-389. It ran alongside the whole tail boom on the starboard side. There were also several other minor upgrades and changes. These choppers served in Afghanistan very reliably form the end of November 2008 until their dischargement in 2016.    

• The air war over Ukraine

  Even though the Russian aggression against Ukraine started in the Crimea and Donbas in February 2014, and their terrorist activities even sooner, in February this year we commemorated the first anniversary of the Russian attack on the whole Ukrainian territory. It is the largest conflict in Europe since 1945.

  The first UH-60 Black Hawk of the Ukrainian GRU military intelligence.

  
  

  A year of bloodshed
   

  Text: Miro Barič

  Photo: Ukrajinian armed forces, social media and other public sources

  
  

  Even though the Russian aggression against Ukraine started in the Crimea and Donbas in February 2014, and their terrorist activities even sooner, in February this year we commemorated the first anniversary of the Russian attack on the whole Ukrainian territory. It is the largest conflict in Europe since 1945.

   

  This part of our series will be a summary of the events in the past 12 months. In the end, as usual, we focus on the events taking place between February 1 to March 1 and relevant to the air war.

   

  February 2022

  For several months the Russian troops were gathering near the Ukrainian borders and the American intelligence services warned it was not an exercise but preparation for the invasion. The government in Kremlin repeatedly stated that it was not going to attack Ukraine, on the contrary the troops would be withdrawn after the exercise was completed. None of it was true. On Thursday, February 24. 2022, early morning the massive bombing of the targets all over the entire Ukraine started and the Russian troops attacked in four directions – to Kiev, Kharkov, Donbas and Kherson from Crimea. The most important target was Kiev. Putin’s army wanted to capture the capital and consequently the whole country in a couple of days. The paratroopers from the helicopters were tasked to capture the airport Hostomel near Kiev so that the reinforcements and heavy equipment could be moved there by the transportation airplanes. The Russians however failed to capture Kiev and kill or capture Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. He refused the American offer to evacuate saying: “I need ammo not a ride!”

   

  March 2022

  The Russian advance on Kiev and Kharkov was stalled and was very slow in Donbas. The Russians made a rapid advance in the south only. The local Ukrainian command there failed miserably in organizing the defenses, a criminal deed in fact. In a couple of days, Kherson, north-west of Crimea and Melitopol, north-east of Crimea, were captured. Mariupol was surrounded but the advance from Kherson to Mykolaiv and Odessa was halted by Ukrainians. The key moment was the Russian defeat at Voznesensk. At Kiev the Russians tried to break through with a convoy many kilometers long. The Ukrainian troops however (and Russian logistical mistakes) stopped the convoy and significant parts of it were destroyed. Without supplies the Russians had to start a retreat.

   

  April 2022

  In the beginning of month, the Russians had to withdraw from the areas north of Kiev. After they left a lot of evidence was found about the massacre of civilians in the town of Bucha and other cities. After its retreat from Kiev, the Russian army started to focus on Donbas where heaviest fighting has taken place since. Even though Russians withdrew from certain areas, they continued to shell the Ukrainian cities with missiles. Step by step the military aid for Ukraine started. In the beginning of April Slovakia was among the first countries to offer aid by delivering S-300 AA system. In the middle of April, in the Black Sea, the cruiser Moscow, a flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet was sunk having been hit by two Ukrainian missiles.

   

  May 2022

  The Ukrainians started heavy shelling and bombing of the Snake Island located near the coast and border with Romania. The island controls the shipping routes to Odessa. The Russians captured it during the first day of war. In the middle of May, the defenders of the steelworks Azovstal in Mariupol were ordered to cease the resistance. By May 20 all of them surrendered. Even though these days is considered taboo, during this month the Ukrainians received their first aircraft deliveries – 21 decommissioned Mig-29 fighters for the spare parts and 14 Su-25 combat aircraft. The deliveries were made through the mediating parties.

   

  June 2022

  In their advance in Donbas the Russians took advantage especially of their overwhelmingly superior artillery. Therefore, the Ukrainians started to receive the new 155 mm howitzers from the Allies and above all HIMARS rocket launchers which are crucial for destroying the Russian ammunition dumpsters, bridges and command posts. In June the Czech Mi-24 and Slovak Mi-17 helicopters arrived in Ukraine. In the end of the month, after another series of successful Ukrainian attacks, the Russian troops had to flee from the Snake Island. On the other side, after a long-lasting effort the Russians managed to capture the city of Severodonetsk in the Luhansk area.

   

  July 2022

  The front line practically stalled. In the beginning of month, the Russians captured Lysychansk but did not advance any further. The fiercest battles were fought for the town of Bakhmut and have been going on until the present time. The Ukrainians started to successfully deploy HIMARS rocket launchers to destroy the Russian ammunition and fuel dumpsters. The Russians retaliated by bombing the civilian targets.

   

  August 2022

  The Ukrainians received the anti-radar HARM missiles a started to use them successfully to blind the Russian AA defense. During this month the large-scale attacks were launched against the Russian military airports on the occupied Crimea. On August 29 the long-awaited Ukrainian counterattack was launched in the Kherson area.

   

  September 2022

  While the Russians focused on the defense of the Kherson area the Ukrainian troops launched a surprise attack on the other side of the front line. In a couple of days, they liberated Balakliya, Kupyansk and Izyum and by the end of the month Lyman and practically the whole Kharkov area. Putin reacted by declaring partial mobilization even though only in March he promised that there would not be any. The hastily organized referendums about the annexation to Russia took place on the occupied territories. The Russians started to use the Iranian kamikaze drones to bomb the Ukrainian cities.

   

  October 2022

  The counterattack towards Kherson continued. On October 6, in the vee hours, the explosion took place on the Kerch bridge connecting the occupied Crimea with Russia, one road lane was destroyed, and the railway section was seriously damaged. On October 29 in Sevastopol the attack of the remote-controlled boats against the Russian warships at anchor took place. The Russians launched the bombing campaign against the Ukrainian energy infrastructure.

  The memorial with the MiG-17 aircraft in Bachmut underwent renovation shortly before the war.

  A Ukrainian soldier takes a picture in front of the memorial in Bachmut during the fighting.

  Belarusian volunteers from the Kastuś Kalinoŭski regiment in Bachmut.

  The MiG-17 at the memorial was eventually destroyed like most of the town of Bakhmut.

  
  

  November 2022

  On November 11, the Ukrainian troops liberated Kherson. It has been only 42 days since Putin declared the city will be Russian forever. At Bakhmut the fighting in the muddy trenches, reminiscent of WWI, continued. The Russian bombing of the civilian infrastructure continued as well. As a reaction to it, the West started to supply Ukraine with the modern AA defense systems.

   

  December 2022

  The muddy terrain did not allow any significant movements at the frontline. The Ukrainians, using the drones, attacked the airports from where the Russian strategic bombers took off. The USA promised Ukraine the delivery of the Patriot AA defense system and later were joined by Germany and Netherlands as well.

   

  January 2023

  The New Year started with the largest massacre of the Russian soldiers when the building where hundreds of them stayed for celebrations, including the stored ammunition, was hit by HIMARS missiles. There was an ammunition dumpster in that building as well. After several months, the Russians achieved the breakthrough at Bakhmut. They took advantage of the poorly planned Ukrainian troops rotation and captured the town of Soledar north of Bakhmut. Germany and USA promised Ukraine Marder and Bradley AFVs.

   

  February 2023

  The Russians continued with the push they initiated immediately after the New Year. They tried to attack along the whole frontline, from Kupyansk and Kremnina at the junction of the Kharkov and Luhansk areas through Bakhmut and Avdiivka in Donetsk up to Vuhledar. The pressure at places was enormous accompanied by large losses, but the advance was minimal. According to some reports, in two months since the beginning of the year the

  Russians captured only 85 square kilometers of territory. Each square kilometer of the Ukrainian territory gained cost them 250 soldiers killed … Especially at Vuhledar, where they stubbornly attacked across the large, widely open terrain, the Russians suffered big losses – they lost more than hundred tanks and armored vehicles and the whole Marine brigade.

   

  Russian losses

  Several aircraft and helicopters were reported shot down on both sides, but these claims could not be verified. Same as during the previous months, many of these destroyed aircraft could be only documented later when the wrecks were discovered, and the new images surfaced. The destruction of the Russian Mi-35M helicopter (other sources stated Mi-24VM) was confirmed however as it had to perform emergency landing on February 9 near the frontline at Tokarivka in the Kharkov area, barely 3 kilometers from the Russian border. Immediately after landing it was destroyed by the artillery fire from the 14th Independent Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was recorded on video by a drone and later photographs appeared showing a helicopter wreck lying on the side. On Monday, February 13, the Russian Sukhoi Su-24M, carrying registration RF-93799 and bort number “blue 45”, was hit above Bakhmut by the portable missiles. Its crew members belonged to the so-called Wagner mercenary group. Despite the number thirteen in the date, the aviators were lucky and managed to land the burning aircraft at their home base. On February 23, the pilot of the Su-25SM carrying registration RF-95143 and bort number “yellow 37”, was not so lucky. On his return from the combat mission, he crashed near the village of Orekhovo in the district of Valyuki in Belgorod area. The cause of the crash was supposed to be a mechanical failure. The pilot from the 266th Squadron of the Attack Aviation did not survive.

  Russia launched at least six balloons with corner radar reflectors into Ukraine on February 15. At least one of them was shot down by Ukrainian air defense forces.

  A Russian Mi-35M had to make an emergency landing near Tokarivka in the Kharkiv region on February 9 and was subsequently destroyed by Ukrainian artillery.

  Su-25 with designation RF-95143 and fuselage number “yellow 37” photographed in February 2022 in Belarus and destroyed a year later in Belgorod Oblast.

  
  

  Ukrainian losses

  During the reported period, loss of one Ukrainian aircraft was confirmed. On February 13 near Pishchanka in Vinnytsa area, while intercepting the Iranian-made drones Shahed-136, a Mig-29 was destroyed. Its pilot, Lieutenant Dmytro Shklyarevskyi saved himself on the ejection seat but suffered injuries and had to be hospitalized. From the hospital the pilot wrote that he had survived by a miracle and an operation was awaiting him. On the same day, the information appeared in the Ukrainian media that after four months long recovery Major Vadym Voroshylov from 204th Brigade of the Tactical Aviation returned to the duty. We wrote about him in the previous parts of this series. On October 12 he shot down five Shahed-136 drones and the debris from the last one hit his Mig-29 and he also had to eject. Hanging on the parachute he took a selfie of his bloodied face – in this way he wanted to check his wounds. Also, the images of the Ukrainian Mi-8, hit under unknown circumstances in the previous period, appeared. First, on February 13, an image of the Mi-8MSB-V sporting digital camouflage and bort number “yellow 88”, was published. The fuselage of the damaged helicopter was filmed during its ground transportation. Immediately next day, on February 14, the video of another Mi-8MSB-V wreck carrying digital camouflage, appeared. The wreck, lying in the snow-covered countryside, was filmed from the board of another Mi-8. No further details are known at this time.

  Su-24M of the Ukrainian Air Force. The yellow coloring of the lower surfaces is to prevent firing from their own ranks.

  Damaged Ukrainian Mi-8MSB-V in digital camouflage during ground transport.

  Shots of the wreckage of a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter from the deck of another chopper of this type.

  Sequence of shots of a Ukrainian Tu-143 drone launching from an SPU-143 wheeled launcher.

  
  

  Equipment deliveries

  On February 21, the Ukrainian military intelligence service GRU published the photograph of the first Black Hawk helicopter in its service. Based on the coloration it was determined that it was most likely the former US Army UH-60A serial number 80-23439 which later received the civilian registration N60FW and was modernized by Ace Aeronautics company from Alabama. After a long diplomatic pressure, Germany, USA and the Great Britain committed to deliveries of the modern tanks Leopard 2, Abrams and Challenger 2. Other countries joined the effort to deliver Leopard tanks, Poland in the first place. Training of the Ukrainian tank crews began in Germany, Poland and Great Britain and during our reporting period the first Leopard 2A4 tanks arrived in Ukraine from Poland. After this delivery the discussion started about deliveries of fighters and long-range missiles. We will talk about this next time.

   

  Russian improvisations

  While the stream of the modern armor is coming to Ukraine increasing variety of the emergency modifications appear on the Russian side. In a year of fighting Russians lost more than 1700 tanks, 2100 AFVs and further 1000 armored personnel carriers and other armored vehicles. Moreover, these are all the losses documented on the Onyx server by photographs and videos, the actual losses will be even higher. The high losses lead to the deployment of the artillery tractor MT-LB, originating in the 1950s, in the role of an AFV. It had not been intended for the first line employment therefore it features weak armor (maximum 10 mm on the hull) and light armament (one 7.62 mm machine gun). To increase the firepower of these vehicles the Russians started to install the naval AA cannons on them, which were removed from the old warships rusting in the ports. Part of the modifications are 2M-7 turrets carrying 14.5 mm caliber twin machine guns which in 1950s had been installed on the small torpedo and patrol boats.

  The 2M-3 turrets carrying the 25 mm caliber twin cannons promise better firepower. This weapon was produced during 1953–1984 in the Soviet Union and was installed on patrol ships, minelayers or landing crafts. Only the Soviet Navy used 25 mm caliber 110-PM cannons. Their rate of fire was up to 300 rounds per minute, horizontal range 2.5 km and vertical range 1.7 km. However, their installation on MT-LB is bizarre. They are welded on the ceiling of the rear part of the hull including the whole ship barbette, instead of cutting the opening in the hull and putting the barbette inside. This doubled the vehicle’s height. Originally these turrets were designed for the AA warfare, but they cannot meet the current requirements. They only feature manual aiming which is sufficient for the slow flying targets. It is supposed then that these vehicles are assigned to ground warfare, to provide supporting fire for the infantry. Due to their height, however, they present an easy target for the opponent.

  Russian MT-LB with 2M-7 naval turrets with two 14.5 mm caliber machine guns.

  MT-LB with barbette and 2M-3 turret with a pair of 25 mm caliber guns, which the Russians removed from the old ships.

   
  

  Drone attacks

  In addition to their effort to break through the Ukrainian defense on the front line the Russians continued with shelling of the civilian infrastructure in the Ukrainian cities. During the large-scale attack on February 10, they launched 71 cruising missiles out of which 61 were shot down by the Ukrainian AA fire. 20 Shahed-136 drones were destroyed as well. However, the rockets that penetrated the defense hit and damaged four power stations. In addition to the missiles and drones the Russians started to launch the balloons. They carry the radar reflectors which deflect the radar microwaves back to its antenna. This causes a strong disturbance on the radar screen. The goal is to disable the Ukrainian AA defense. Not only the Ukrainians waste the precious rockets on the useless balloon, but the chances are that the actual missiles will break through as the anti-weapon will be confused by multiple targets. The Ukrainians also retaliated by the drone attacks. During February 27 and 28 the whole series of incidents took place deep in the Russian territory. Ukrainians do not officially claim them but the whole situation looks like testing the capabilities of the variety of UAVs before the large-scale attack. There were different types of drones used on different targets. The Russians official statement is that all these drones were shot down and no damages were sustained which is not quite true in the case of Tuapse on the Black Sea coast. On Tuesday, February 28 the Rosneft oil refinery was damaged by the drone explosion. A smaller fire broke out. The Russians were lucky as the explosion and fire took place away of the main oil tanks.

  At the same time the attack of at least 15 drones was launched on the targets in Crimea, at least two hit Belgorod in the Russian territory. The old Tu-141 Strizh jet reconnaissance drone, full of explosives, crashed in the Krasnodar southern outskirts. One drone crashed right next to the gas compressor station in Kolomen area which is only 100 km south of Moscow! No surprise the the Russians started to build the AA defense around Moscow and even the Pancir AA systems appeared on the roofs of several houses in the Russian capital. However, the most daring attack against the Russian targets took place at the end of February in Belarus. On February 26, at the Machulishchy base near Minsk two explosions damaged Beriev A-50U AWACS aircraft. The Russian AF has been operating out of this base since the beginning of war and besides A-50U Mig-31s are flown out of there. The attack was supposedly conducted by the Belorussian resistance who consequently fled the country. According to their claims they damaged the radome and the hump containing the satellite communication located behind the pilot’s cockpit. They used two commercial drones each carrying 200 grams of explosives. At least the hump damaged behind the cockpit was recorded on video and later confirmed by satellite images. Destroying the electronics effectively disabled A-50U from performing its missions even though the flight capabilities were not impaired by such small charges. A couple of days later the aircraft was flown in for repairs. The question is how fast the Russians can fix it. Only seven A-50U were built in 10 years, between 2011 and 2021.

  Satellite shot of Maxar after the attack. Damage to the hump on the fuselage and the antenna dish are discernible.

  A satellite image of an A-50U at Belarus’ Machulishchy airport was taken by Planet Labs PBC shortly before the attack.

  Russian Defense Ministry photo of an A-50U before the drone attack.

  Footage of the attacking drone. It landed on a hump with antennas on the back of the aircraft and exploded there.

  A drone also crashed near Kolomna, just 100 km from Moscow, on February 28.

  Wreckage of a Tu-141 Strizh drone that landed on the outskirts of Krasnodar on February 28.

  Drones also landed on Belgorod on February 27 .

  Refinery in Tuapse damaged by drone strike on February 28.

• Chemistry 101, Second Semester

  
  

  Instant, Epoxy and Dispersion Adhesives

  Text: Josef Blažek

  
  

  To continue our discussion on modelling chemistry and tips for beginners (and maybe advanced modellers will find out something new, too), we will look at more types of adhesives that are commonly used in the hobby.

   

  We will then focus on cyanoacrylate (CA) glues, their accessories, epoxy adhesives and dispersive type glues. We will discuss their differences and their composition, how they work, and their properties that make them suitable for different situations. We’ll demonstrate specific glue types, with products from Bolt due to their wide range of products and popularity among modellers. However, the characteristics we will be discussing are applicable to products from other manufacturers as well.

   

  Cyanoacrylate Glues 

  These are also known as instant glue and often shortened to CA, and as the name implies, these are rapid curing systems that harden on contact with the bonding surfaces. Practical applications of these types of adhesives are far and wide, to include such materials as plastics, glass, metal, fabric, paper and wood. Bonded materials can be dissimilar. They can easily be obtained from hardware and hobby stores and pretty much any place that caters to the handyman. To begin, we’ll discuss the principle on which these glues work. They are based on an unstable compound, which in this case is ethyl cyanoacrylate. The compound reacts with water (or moisture in the air) to quickly harden. To get a little more technical, the chemical reaction with water leads to reactive sites at the end of the molecular chains. These reactive sites then connect to each other under the influence of the ongoing reaction, which leads to the formation of a dense network of interconnected molecules. This process is actually visible to the naked eye. If there is a sufficient quantity of the glue applied, the gradual hardening can be observed until the adhesives has hardened as a whole. On the contrary, if we spread a small amount of glue, the whole process of gradual solidification is extremely dynamic, which is caused by the rapid penetration of moisture from the air (that is, water) into the glue. This penetration of moisture into the glue fundamentally affects the speed of setting, which, from a modeler’s perspective, explains why open containers of glue gradually set (moisture penetrates the glue after initial opening and consequent initiation of the reaction).

   

  Storage and Shelf Life of CA Glues

  In the first two parts of our series focusing on modelling chemistry and tips for beginners and advanced modellers alike, we presented the basic, readily available and commonly used types of glues that can be used for plastic modelling. All the mentioned types described in the first and second parts of our series have their strengths and weaknesses, and the use of all the mentioned types of glues gives the plastic modeller the ability to deal with constructing all conceivable assemblies from various materials that they might come up against. In the next part, we will focus on tools and aids suitable for applying and working with the types of glue presented thus far.There are a lot of myths in the modelling community about how to store and how not to store instant glues in order to extend their life. Unopened adhesives have an extended shelf life due to the protective gas filling, but this does not mean that their shelf life is infinite. In general, higher storage temperature, higher exposure to UV radiation (light) and higher humidity always have negative effects on the overall life of cyanoacrylate adhesives. To give a specific example illustrating the idea of the dynamics of the shortening of the shelf life, when storing instant glues at an ambient temperature of about 30 degrees Celsius, the shelf life will be shortened by some 60 to 70%, which is a relevant decrease of the overall usability of the product. It follows that the ideal storage environment is dry, cool and dark. You have a refrigerator or a freezer, as does every household, and this is ideal for storing CA. To the contrary, these recommendations do not apply after opening the glue container and exposing the contents to the local environment. Storing opened adhesives in the refrigerator or freezer in order to extend their life is a pure myth. The aforementioned locations provide high levels of moisture, relatively speaking, which within the conditions of the way the glues work, impact the shelf life of the material negatively. On opening, the container with the glue loses its protective gas layer, and the moisture can now directly activate the chemical reaction of the adhesive. One way to combat this might be to store the containers in plastic Tupperware with sealable lids that will restrict the amount of moisture getting to the glue, and combine this with storage in a cool, dry dark place. But in the case of storing the container in a sealable containers, it is necessary to consider the unavoidable rise in the glues temperature to that of the local environment. The shelf life of the glue can be extended, but the gradual thickening of the liquid is unstoppable. With this in mind, it makes sense that the size of the package and quantity of glue that it contains, are a factor corresponding to shelf life. The modeller should acquire bottles of CA that they can use in the course of a couple of months after first opening it. It is also important to store the glue away from other materials, especially those that act as activators. The glues are generally compatible with one another, so that if one bottle of CA becomes thick, it can be thinned with thinner stuff to achieve a compromised viscosity that is acceptable to the user.

  After opening the adhesive, its lifespan in the above-mentioned storage in the freezer or refrigerator will be quite variable, depending on the quality of the seal and exposure to moisture. However, if after opening, the glue is stored in a typical modelling room at a temperature between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius and always closed tight after use, a shelf life of about three months can be expected.
  

   

  Cyanoacrylate Glue Vapors

  After the application of cyanoacrylate adhesives and their subsequent hardening, effects of the inevitable vapors can often be seen, which resemble frost. Such evaporation has negative effects when it is released into difficult to reach places on the model, such as the inner parts of the canopy, especially when they are displayed closed. Why does this phenomenon arise and can it be eliminated or reduced? During the hardening of the glue, the natural and gradual evaporation of ethyl cyanoacrylate and its reaction with humidity occur. These vapors thus harden as a result of the reaction, which results in the formation of micro particles of hardened instant glue. A larger amount of these hardened micro particles settle in the vicinity of the applied glue and the frosting effect becomes obvious. There are some options to minimize or optically eliminate this phenomenon. It is easiest to use only a small amount of glue to minimize the fumes. Another option is the use of special alkoxycyanoacrylates, which have a reduced evaporation rate. In general, it is good to avoid closing the area where we apply the CA adhesives early, so that there is room for evaporation. When drying, it is a good idea to rotate the parts resulting with the glue at the top, to allow vapors to escape into space and prevent them from spreading over the surface of the model, which would happen when they are turned over and the fumes have access to them as they escape. Since the release of vapors can occur even after some time, the entire glued joint can be sealed against vapor release by applying an overcoat, which ensures coverage of the release adhesive even after it has hardened and thus minimizes negative effects on the model. Despite all our efforts, however, a situation may arise when unwanted vapor escape occurs and we are forced to remove these negative consequences of CA use. In most cases, it is sufficient to clean the affected areas with a dry brush or cotton swab (on clear parts). Alternatively, you can use the thinner embedded in the surface, which, however, must not dilute the base color of the given parts.

   

  Basic Tips for Cyanoacrylate Glues and their Use According to Composition and Viscosity

  A large number of cyanoacrylate adhesives from various manufacturers are available on the market today. As was mentioned at the beginning of today's chemistry class, for the sake of clarity between the basic types, we will focus on Bolt brand products. At the same time, the described properties and use can be freely applied to various products of other manufacturers with the same or similar consistency and composition.

   

  BOLT! CA BOLT THIN

  The classic representative among cyanoacrylate adhesives are the thin variety, which are the most accessible type of CA in terms of their consistency. Their use is very universal and they represent the ideal ‘entry’ type for working with instant glues. They can be applied in the usual way, i.e. by applying them to one or both glued parts, which are then pressed together. Alternatively, the procedure where the parts are pressed together and the glue is applied along the joint can also be used. Here, however, it is necessary to maintain a gap between the parts to provide the glue someplace to wick into. The minimum size of such a gap depends on the viscosity of the thin instant glue, but in general it needs to be at least around 0.03 mm, which in modelling practice is quite small. Thin instant adhesives are especially suitable for gluing non-porous materials, and wood and paper should generally be avoided, where the glue will quickly soak into the material, causing insufficient amounts of CA in the joint its subsequent instability and fragility. The reaction time of thin second glues is generally very short and varies between 1-3 seconds, which restricts the possibility moving and manipulating glued parts.

   

  CA HOT BOLT ULTRA THIN

  The follow-up type to thin instant adhesives is the so-called ‘super fast’ adhesives with an accelerated reaction time. Their application differs from regular thin glues in that it becomes impossible to apply them to the abutting surfaces of the parts and then pressing them together, because during the necessary handling, the glue reacts with the surrounding environment and hardens virtually immediately. So, super fast instant glues need to be used by applying drops at points of contact of the target components, which can be used to advantage, for example, in the joints between main parts of the model. Complete curing of the applied glue is generally within one second of application. Thanks to the speed of curing, the disadvantage of using the adhesive in porous materials is eliminated, since the adhesive sets up faster, before it is absorbed into the surface and thus remains in the glued joint, which ensures the required strength of the joint. For the sake of completeness, it is good to mention that the presented representative of super fast instant glues is not interchangeable with other types of cyanoacrylate glues.

   

  CA BOLT MEDIUM

  Secondary adhesives of medium viscosity are very versatile in their use. This type of glue is suitable for most materials (even porous ones) and can be used for most common situations encountered when assembling plastic models and their accessory, dissimilar items. Their application is possible in one of two ways, as in the case of thin instant adhesives. They can be applied to one or both bonding surfaces, which are then pressed together. The reaction time is longer compared to thin glues and varies between 5 and 15 seconds. This extended curing interval gives us the possibility of subsequent manipulation and correction of part positions. This can be used to great advantage when gluing more complex or larger units, where it may be necessary to achieve optimal alignment. The second typical method of application is the drip method, which, however, due to the thicker consistency of the glue compared to thin glues, requires a gap of increased size to a minimum of 0.1 mm. However, its viscosity is of a universal consistency that can be mixed with both thin and thick types of instant glues.

   

  CA BOLT THICK

  Thick cyanoacrylate adhesives (often described as gel types) are characterized by having the highest viscosity of the discussed basic types of CA adhesives. This property allows them to be used effectively in the case of gluing porous materials and at the same time the possibility of joining glued surfaces with a greater clearance of up to 0.5 mm. When gluing parts with greater clearance, the curing time of the glue is significantly extended and can be sped up using accelerators, which will be discussed in the next part of this article. Thick CA adhesives are best applied in the classic way, where they are applied to one or both mating surfaces, and then the components are pressed together. As already indicated, the total reaction time is significantly longer, which carries with it the added bonus of manipulation time and fine adjustments. The use of thick instant adhesives is very suitable for small parts, when after applying the glue to point(s) of contact, time is allowed for a clean and precise connection. Due to their composition, this class of adhesive is normally mixable with thinner types (medium and thin adhesives). A longer curing time is associated with the negative impact stemming from a greater amount of fumes visible emanating from the area of glue application. These vapors, which we have already described, can be produced for a long time with this type of glue, and it is advisable to take this manifestation into account during future assembly steps, especially with regard to clear parts of the model.

   

  CA BLACK BOLT

  It's been a few years since the modelling world was hit by the phenomenon of the so-called ‘black instant glues’, which sand very well. In most cases, it is not an admixture of a special miracle ingredient or black pigment, but the addition of rubber (if its presence is desired) to the glue. This special type of cyanoacrylate adhesives stands out, in addition to its visibility on most common surfaces, due to its elasticity. It is therefore particularly suitable for flexible materials, which are very rare in plastic modelling. Examples of such materials include the aforementioned rubber parts, softened and foamed plastics or composite materials, and several others. In general, these are joints where it is claimed that the flexibility of the glued materials and the durability of the glued joint under stress are maintained. Such connections are not typical for static plastic modelling and the use of such special glues is not generally of any great advantage to plastic modellers.

   

  Specialized Accessory Items for CA Adhesives

  Since the mere application of cyanoacrylate adhesives and subsequent gluing is often not enough for the ideal desired results, there are special accessories for working with instant adhesives. The basic products are accelerators and, conversely, debonders of already hardened glue The following takes a closer look at these.

   

  BOLT UP Accelerator

  Accelerators are used for instant or very fast curing of CA adhesives, even in thick layers. They have a thin consistency and their application is via a swab, wire tip, dispersal sprayer or a brush. The reaction speed on contact with the glue is almost immediate, which is appreciated when there is a need to quickly cure a large amount of glue between parts with visible clearance or when the glued surfaces are compressed under ambient stress. Immediate bonding of the contact surfaces between the parts is achieved, and the need to further manually press the parts together becomes no longer necessary. When choosing an activator, it is good to pay attention to the suitability of its use on plastic parts.

   

  BOLT OFF Debonder

  In modelling practice, it is almost impossible to always achieve gluing of parts without unwanted and visible traces of glue around the application. Furthermore, incorrect positioning of the parts can lead to a need to separate the attached parts and start over. All these cases can be solved with the help of cyanoacrylate adhesive removers. Simply applying this liquid to the glued joint will, over a few dozen seconds, help to separate wrongly adhered parts, but it is always better to take an active approach to cleaning and ungluing parts and removing the glue using a debonder. Probably the most suitable tool for cleaning parts from cyanoacrylate glue is the use of cotton swabs dipped in the remover. Traces of the glue are removed by gently rubbing the area with a moistened swab until we are satisfied with the appearance of the fixed area. Since the glue dissolves under the cotton swab and clogs the cotton tip, depending on the extent and amount of glue to be removed, it is advisable to use several applications with clean swabs, as required. For areas that are difficult to access or areas with a broken surface, it is appropriate to use fine brushes, that have been relegated specifically for this purpose after serving out their usefulness as paint applicators. Inexpensive brushes from art supply stores or hobby shops will suffice for these needs. When choosing a cyanoacrylate adhesive remover, or debonder, it is good to check to make sure that the type doesn’t etch the plastic of the model, as some will.

   

  Epoxy Type Adhesives

  Epoxy glues, which consist of two components, are also included among the glues that are commonly found in plastic modelling. The principle and application of this class of adhesive is very simple. After mixing both components in the specified ratio, usually one to one, a chemical reaction occurs, the observable start of which begins after a few dozen seconds. Subsequently, the mixed components harden very quickly. Epoxy glues are especially suitable for hard materials, which underlines the suitability of their use in plastic modelling. Their biggest advantage is that after curing, they do not leave visible traces in the form of fume production in their local vicinity, as in the case of instant glues, and are thus a big help when gluing larger models, especially if they are made of a polyurethane or laminate. Such types of models cannot be glued with solvent type glues, which we detailed in the first part of this article, and epoxy two-part glues are a suitable alternative for gluing together large surfaces and eliminating the shortcomings of cyanoacrylate glues. Another good use of these types of adhesives is joint reinforcement along invisible join lines, allowing any required thinning of plastic parts in preparation for the installation of aftermarket accessory sets. A general shortcoming is their apparent softness compared to hard cyanoacrylate joints, and therefore they are sand poorly. Currently, there are already special two-component epoxy adhesives with additional additives on the market that can minimize these shortcomings.

   

  Dispersion Type Adhesives

  As in the previous cases, we will explain what dispersion adhesives are and what they are suitable for in plastic modelling. A common mistake in the definition of dispersion adhesives is that they are a solution consisting of a polymer in water. In fact, it is a mixture of polymer with water, whereby the aforementioned polymer is not dissolved, but only perfectly dispersed in the resulting emulsion. Dispersion adhesives have a milky white color that gradually fades to clear as it hardens. The white color is therefore not caused by any pigment, but by small polymer particles that scatter light and create that ‘milky effect’. Many dispersion adhesives can be diluted as needed with water (non-waterproof dispersion adhesives such as those produced by Herkules) and thus create a liquid that can be embedded into porous surfaces to attach individual details. A typical example is the simulation of natural surfaces in the creation of dioramas. The opposite is the case of dispersion water-resistant adhesives, which have a substantially higher dry matter content of the polymer and are therefore not as thin as adhesives that can be diluted with water. Dilution of these adhesives is only possible to a small amount, to some 5% and always only with distilled cold water; otherwise precipitates will form. At the same time, if we let such diluted glue stand, the water will begin to separate. A higher dry matter content of the polymer then means a higher strength of the joints, and the adhesives thus have up to 3 times greater strength (as in the case of, for example, Herkules vs. PERFECT G Express). Another difference compared to glues with a lower dry matter content is their hardness and the possibility of sanding the hardened glue. If we use glues with a lower content of polymer solids, when trying to sand, the glue starts to chew up because it is soft. On the other hand, dispersion adhesives with a higher proportion of polymer solids are significantly harder after curing and can be sanded. Here, however, it is important to note that it is better to use coarser/sharper sandpapers and to minimize friction, because high friction creates a higher temperature, which causes the glue to soften after setting, despite its high percentage of polymer solids (i.e. D3/D4-based glue).

   

  PERFECT G Express glue

  An example of dispersion PVAC glues is Bolt Perfect G Express. The specific properties of this glue make it suitable for porous materials such as wood or paper, and it is therefore useful mainly for the needs of creating dioramas or for attaching accessories to models of combat equipment. The benefit of this type of glue is mainly the shortened curing time compared to classic dispersion glues (for example Herkules, Tamiya Craft Bond, etc.), which enables accelerated creation and thus saves invested time. Specifically, the complete drying time is between 5-15 minutes, depending on the amount of glue and the extent of the glued joint. As with other dispersions, the glue is white in its liquid state and clear after curing. The high dry matter polymer content of the in this type of glue means above all the ability of the glued joint to be stronger. Such a property is suitable for the use of gluing clear parts on aircraft models. The glue is thus a good compromise for those who are afraid of damaging clear parts when gluing them with solvent glues or, on the other hand, are afraid of the fumes that are released from cyanoacrylate glues. Gluing with a dispersion adhesive is not as strong as compared to the mentioned types of adhesives, but if we choose a suitable dispersion adhesive with a higher polymer dry matter content, we will also achieve good bond strength.

   

  Summary

  In the first two parts of our series focusing on modelling chemistry and tips for beginners and advanced modellers alike, we presented the basic, readily available and commonly used types of glues that can be used for plastic modelling. All the mentioned types described in the first and second parts of our series have their strengths and weaknesses, and the use of all the mentioned types of glues gives the plastic modeller the ability to deal with constructing all conceivable assemblies from various materials that they might come up against. In the next part, we will focus on tools and aids suitable for applying and working with the types of glue presented thus far. 

  
  

  Josef Blažek

  Winner of international IPMS competitions in Master categories and multiple Czech Republic IPMS champion. Author of articles in international magazines with worldwide reach (Military Illustrated Modeller, Cocardes International, ModellFan, Modelář). Co-author  of modeling startup Plastic Invasion.