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{"cz":"Info EDUARD"}
{"cz":"Měsíčník o historii a plastikovém modelářství.","en":"Monthly magazine about history and scale plastic modeling."}
10/2023
How did you like E-Day? Don’t worry, I’m not going to take up precious real estate thoroughly describing the event today, since that will be covered in a Special Edition of our newsletter, slated to come out the second week of October. However, in today’s issue you will find a basic photo gallery of what was there. This year, the second to be held in Milovice, confirmed the potential of the Tankodrom for an event of this type. With that, we can continue to evolve and develop the program to satisfy the concept that goes hand in hand with the venue.
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INFO Eduarde-magazine FREE Vol 22 October 2023# 164Page 2
© Eduard - Model Accessories, 2023FREE FOR DOWNLOAD, FREE FOR DISTRIBUTION!This material may only be used for personal use. No part of the textor graphic presentations can be used in another publication in any other mediaform or otherwise distributed without the prior writtenpermission of Eduard - Model Accessories and authors involved.Editorial and Graphics - Marketing department, Eduard - Model Accessories, Ltd.INFO Eduarde-magazine FREE Vol 22 October 2023# 164Page 3
eduardeduardOCTOBER 2023CONTENTSEDITORIALKITSBRASSINPHOTO-ETCHED SETSBIG EDBUILTON APPROACH–November 2023TAIL END CHARLIEHISTORYBOXART STORYEVENTSZ-526 Trenér Master ProfiPACK 1/48ALBATROS Limited 1/72HRÁBĚ Limited 1/48S-199 bubble canopy Weekend 1/72F4F-3 Wildcat Weekend 1/48F6F-5 ProfiPACK 1/48 reediceSopwith F.1 Camel (Clerget) 1/48Small but handy-American and British EscortAircraft CarriersAir war over Ukraine -The promise of F-16sand Prigozhin’s downfallAvion fatalThose mistrustedWings of NeutralityAgainst the Tsurugi ButaiE-DAY 2023Published by Eduard-Model Accessories, spol. s.r.o.Mírová 170, Obrnice 435 21support@eduard.com www.eduard.com462428366480909698118Page 4
EDITORIALHow did you like E-Day? Don’t worry, I’m not goingto take up precious real estate thoroughly describingthe event today, since that will be covered in a SpecialEdition of our newsletter, slated to come out the secondweek of October. However, in today’s issue you will finda basic photo gallery of what was there. This year, thesecond to be held in Milovice, confirmed the potential ofthe Tankodrom for an event of this type. With that, we cancontinue to evolve and develop the program to satisfy theconcept that goes hand in hand with the venue. My mind iscentered around the Friday evening program, set aside forcompeting modelers and vendors. It’s a bit tough to comeup with something that would be of interest and fit intothe timeline of setting up and dinner time. Performanceof Milan Mikulecký this year was undoubtedly interesting,but I did not find the attendance satisfactory. Theperformance of the CTU academic orchestra on Saturdaymorning, at the start of Saturday’s main program, inspiredthe idea of screening old aviation films on Friday eveningand having that as a pleasant accompaniment to theevenings activities. One film would be enough, as therewouldn’t be time to screen more than one. It goes withoutsaying that adequate refreshments would be provided,a good movie needs popcorn and, in our modellingenvironment, also plenty of beer. This year’s issue, theabsence of any refreshments on Friday night, will notbe repeated. I promise that next year, everything willbe available, including coffee, if only because next yearthere will be a cafe right in the lobby. I hope that somebureaucratic trap composed of red tape will not preventit. And if we are to cultivate culture, I would also like tostart the Saturday program with a short performance bythe CTU Academic Orchestra next year. This got a littlelost in the hustle and bustle this year, so next year we willbring it downstairs, to the exhibition area. I must admitthat I started compiling a repertoire for next year alreadyon Sunday, and I’m already looking forward to discussingit with Mr. Šrámek, the conductor!The second point that is on my mind is the resultsannouncement. Even I do not consider the current systemto be perfect, and I want to change it. The problem isthat I don’t quite know what the change should look like.We need to strike a balance between the dignity of theceremony and its length, and these two are in a bit ofa conflict with one another. However, the fact that theceremony must be shorter is beyond dispute. I believe wewill find a solution.New ReleasesTo write extensively about October’s new items nowthat everyone already knows what they are and a goodnumber already have them in their possession seemsa little like carrying firewood into the forest, as a localsaying goes. As always at this time, the news lineup isvery much a domestic oriented affair, due to E-day andour dogged effort to have items there that appeal to thedomestic market. That’s why we risked buying moldingsfor the Su-25K from Zvezda, for the Hrábě (pronounced‘hrab-ye’ and translates into English as ‘rake’, given itspylons), a kit we planned long before the start of theRussian war against Ukraine. We also repaired the moldsfor the 72nd scale L-39 Albatros and prepared newcanopy for the kit. Admittedly, we made it by the skin ofour teeth, but we made it and the separate canopies wetook to sell as stand alone sets, plus the complete modelswith them, were gone in no time. With a slight delay, thenew canopy will also available as an Overtrees item inour e-shop. Both Limited Edtion kits, Hrábe/Rake and theAlbatros, are a hit, being very popular at E-day and itscorresponding Afterparty.BundlesIn September, our new Bundle sets appeared for thefirst time during the launch of new products in our e-shop.For those who may not know what it is, I will remind youthat they are sets combining a specific model with one ofits dedicated accessory items or Overtrees at a discountedprice. The price is designed so that the Bundle is alwaysworth more than the purchase of the individual itemsseparately, even during sales events. Additional discountsare prohibited on Bundles, so they are always sold at thesame price, even during Afterparty events. It’s our attemptto get a somewhat stalled business going. It appears to bea successful attempt. Back in September, we still didn’tknow which type of Bundles would be popular and whichwould fail. Of course, everyone who does something likethis has their own ideas, and some of them come trueand some don’t. With Bundles, we embarked on a learningcurve. The first attempt, Weekend Bundles with masks,flopped. I admit that I kinda expected it. Shortly before thelaunch, we experienced a surge on modelling forums thatindicated that modellers dearly wanted masks to go withthe Weekend kits, and that they would be willing to pay forthem. The experiment with the Mask Bundles showed thatthis was certainly not the case. On the other hand, theywill gladly and willingly buy Overtrees. It’s no surprise,we know, that the Bundles make Overtrees even moreattractive. What was surprising was that the KurfirstBundle with a Brassin engine sold so wildly that wesometimes had trouble keeping stock in our warehouse.In October, the results are looking similar, going byE-day and its Afterparty. The Su-25K Bundle with said kitand its 3D positive riveting set with additional weaponsare selling very well. This one is going so fast that it istemporarily unavailable because we have to make newmolds for the weapons set and production has beendelayed by this. This Bundle will go back on sale sometimenext week, unless all the Rakes are sold out by then.Bundles will always be on sale from when thatmonth's new releases appear, until the following month'sequivalents replace them. As more new productsare introduced, the previous month's Bundles will bewithdrawn from sale, some will remain in the range untilstocks last. So, they will always be on sale for abouta month. Some may return in a slightly modified form inthe future. For example, the Kurfürst + engine Bundle willprobably return in January as the Bf 109 K-4 + engine. Itwill always be a short term thing, though. In any case, thedecision to buy should be made pretty quickly, becausethese will adhere to the concept of “you snooze, you lose”.ArticlesIn this issue, we update the Air War over Ukraineby Miro Baric, and we have an article about US escortcarriers in World War II by Jean Laffitte. As this one israther long and complex, there are just Boxart Storyarticles to complement it in the content of this issue. Twowere written by Jan Bobek, one by Richard Plos and thefourth one by owner of the aircraft portrayed in the boxartof Z-526, Radim Vojta. Then, we have a photo report fromE-Day along with a picture gallery of the model of the topwinner of this year’s Czech Model Masters and a reportfrom this year’s Czech Plastic Modeling Championships.Where You Can Meet UsWe will be attending some exhibitions in October. Thisweek, our first little expedition takes us to Italy, and on theway back, we plan on hitting the museum in Piana delleOrme, where we want to have a close look at one exhibit,and we will stop off at an exhibition in Bergamo. A weeklater we will be in the Netherlands in Eindhoven and at thesame time some of our people will be in Nitra, Slovakia.And while we’re on the subject of shows, I've got somepretty fresh news especially for our British friends: we’llbe in Telford this year.And that’s it for me this month.Happy Modelling!Vladimír ŠulcINFO Eduard4October 2023Page 5
Selected kits from the October offer can bepurchased separately or in two variants of thediscounted BUNDLE package. This BUNDLEoffer is our limited time offer from21 September to 15 October 2023,or while stocks last.www.eduard.comSmall but handy
The smallest aircraft carriers were referred to as escort carriers. They were typically converted from vessels for other purposes and primarily provided protection to numerous supply convoys. Aircraft from their decks also took off for reconnaissance flights, amphibious operations support, and operated in coordination with large aircraft carriers, especially in the Pacific. They also played a significant role in anti-submarine warfare.
HISTORYDue to their construction method, whichusually involved conversion from existingsufficiently large ships, a large number ofescort aircraft carriers could be built duringWorld War II, and many of them continued toserve in the post-war period.The British Royal Navy experienced ashortage of aircraft carriers early in the war.At the outset, they had ships that had beenconverted during World War I. HMS Argus,which was built in 1914 and modified into anaircraft carrier towards the end of World War I,was reactivated from reserve, but her role wasprimarily for transport or escorting convoys.HMS Furious was also converted into an aircraftcarrier during World War I, and in the 1920s,sister ships HMS Glorious and HMS Courageouswere similarly modified. Another conversion,this time from the battleship AlmiranteCochrane originally ordered by Chile, resultedin HMS Eagle. Although HMS Hermes was builtfrom the beginning as an aircraft carrier, it wasstill based on the design of a light cruiser.The first British ship designed from the outsetas an aircraft carrier was HMS Ark Royal. Sixmore British aircraft carriers were based onher design, with the only difference being therequirement for armor on the sides of the hulland flight and hangar decks. The armor platesfor these carriers were supplied by VítkoviceIronworks in then Czechoslovakia. This way,HMS Illustrious, Victorious, Formidable, andIndomitable were created. Two more were builtduring the war and entered service in 1944. Theextensive use of armor became a characteristicof British ships, and their durability wasespecially evident during their service in theIndian and Pacific Oceans. However, given thesmall number of aircraft carriers in the earlyyears of the war, the losses for the Royal Navywere significant. HMS Courageous was sunkby U-27 on September 17, 1939, while sistership HMS Glorious was sunk by the Germanbattleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau duringthe Norwegian campaign on June 8, 1940. HMSArk Royal and HMS Eagle were both sunk byGerman submarines. The first was lost to U-81on November 13, 1941, and the second to U-73 onAugust 1, 1942. HMS Hermes was sunk on April9, 1942, near Ceylon after being hit by dozens ofJapanese dive bombers.Even without these losses, all British aircraftcarriers would not have been able to protectconvoys adequately, especially given the highrisk of submarine torpedo attacks during convoyvoyages. The number of convoys requireda swift response. Aircraft taking off from themainland could only provide air protection upThe smallest aircraft carriers were referred to as escort carriers. They weretypically converted from vessels for other purposes and primarily providedprotection to numerous supply convoys. Aircraft from their decks also took offfor reconnaissance flights, amphibious operations support, and operated incoordination with large aircraft carriers, especially in the Pacific. They also playeda significant role in anti-submarine warfare.Text: Jean LafitteAVG-30 (later CVE-30) USS Charger at anchor, May 12, 1942. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 12 (Modified).Photo: NHHCSMALL BUT HANDYBritish AircraftCarriersAMERICAN ANDBRITISH ESCORTAIRCRAFTCARRIERSINFO Eduard6October 2023Page 7
Photo: NHHCHISTORYto a certain distance from the shores of Canadaand the British Isles. Coastal Command aircraftalso conducted reconnaissance over a largepart of the Atlantic and later in the North Sea.Convoy routes along the northern route to theSoviet Union were constantly at risk of beingdetected by aerial reconnaissance and targetedby German bombers or torpedo planes becausethe routes were limited by the ice boundary and,in the winter months, led too close to Norway'sNorth Cape. These convoy routes were easilyreachable by Luftwaffe aircraft and too far forBritish aircraft from the Orkney Islands. TheSoviet Naval Air Forces did not have enoughresources to protect convoys since they had toprimarily defend Soviet ports.CAM (Catapult AircraftMerchant Ship)A quick solution was found in the form of CAMships. Several merchant vessels were equippedwith catapults that allowed aircraft to take off.However, each of these "catapults" was riskybecause they often led to the loss of the aircraft,as pilots usually had no choice but to land on thesea. In most cases, Hawker Hurricane aircraftborrowed from the RAF were used. Some shipscould carry up to four of them. The launch wasdone from a metal structure on the bow, androckets provided the energy for the catapult.These modified ships were called CAM (CatapultAircraft Merchant Ship), and a total of eightprivately-owned ships were converted, with twoof them being sunk. Additionally, 27 ships of theMinistry of War Transport were converted, withten of them being sunk. Although this solutionmay seem desperate at first glance, Hurricanesor “Catafighters,” as the modified Hurricaneswere called for this role, achieved successes.The first success came on April 26, 1942, whena Hurricane from SS Empire Morn (convoy QP 12),piloted by F/O J. B. Kendal, chased away a Blohm& Voss BV 138 and shot down a Junkers Ju 88A-4“4D+IT” from III./KG 30. Unfortunately, Kendalwas killed during the subsequent sea landing.Another successful engagement occurred onMay 26, 1942, over convoy PQ 16 when Pilot P/OHay, launched from SS Empire Lawrence, shotdown two Heinkel He 111s. However, his Hurricanewas shot down by Heinkel's defensive fire. Somesources suggest that it was "friendly" fire fromthe American ship Carlton. Given the massiveattacks by both submarines and the Luftwaffe,it's not surprising that this happened, as convoyPQ 16 was under constant threat. The pilot wasinjured but was rescued by the escort destroyerHMS Volunteer. Among the seven ships sunk outof a total of 36, SS Empire Lawrence was oneDrawing prepared by the Bureau of Ships for a camouflage scheme intended for escort aircraft carriers of theCasablanca class. This plan, showing the ship’s starboard side, forward flight deck end, and stern, is dated April13, 1944 and was approved by Captain Torvald A. Solberg.HMS Ark Royal was the first British carrier built for the purpose from the beginning. Armour steelplates were supplied by then Czechoslovak Vítkovice Steel company.Photo: WikipediaINFO Eduard7October 2023Page 8
of them. So, Hay may have been fortunate thathe was rescued by HMS Volunteer, which wasnot among the sunken ships. The opportunityto reach a land base was utilized by F/O A. H.Burr on September 18, 1942, launched from SSEmpire Morn. He first shot down two HeinkelHe 111s and then headed for a Russian airfield.F/O N. Taylor shot down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200Condor on November 1, 1942, after taking offfrom SS Empire Heath as part of convoy HG 91.The last success of Hurricane catapult fightersoccurred on the same day when F/O P. J. R. Flynnshot down a Fw 200.British Escort Aircraft CarriersThe need for a large number of carriers andthe impracticality of CAM ships led to the ideaof converting suitable merchant vessels intoaircraft carriers. The expected lower speed ofsuch ships was not a significant issue giventheir role in protecting convoys, as convoyspeeds were always determined by the slowestship. The conversion of the first escort aircraftcarrier used the originally German merchantship Hannover, which the British captured inthe West Indies in March 1940. They renamedit Sindibad, then SS Empire Audacity. It wasrefitted and put into service as HMS EmpireAudacity, with the conversion taking place inClyde shipyards. The first landing on its deckwas performed by a Grumman Martlet Mk.I fromNo. 802 Naval Air Squadron (FAA) on July 10,1941. All six aircraft in its air group had to bestored on the flight deck because the expeditedconversion to an escort carrier did not includea hangar deck. The Admiralty disliked itsmerchant name, so HMS Empire Audacity wasrenamed HMS Audacity on July 31, 1941.The short operational service demonstratedthe effectiveness of this solution. During thesailing of convoy OG 74, one of the Condors wasshot down by a Martlet. The most significantengagements occurred during the voyage ofconvoy OG 76. Four Condors were shot downduring an attack by KG40, and Eric “Winkle”Brown claimed his first aerial victory. OneMartlet was lost. During the voyage of the convoyHG 76, about twelve submarines attacked, andHMS Audacity had only four Martlets to fend offthe aerial attacks. They managed to shoot downtwo Condors. During an attack on U-131 Type IXc,one Martlet was shot down, and its pilot waskilled, but the submarine could not submergeafter the attack and was sunk by its crewafter further damage from the convoy escort'sgunfire. Subsequently, 47 men from U-131 werecaptured.When HMS Audacity left the convoy on thenight of December 21, 1941, a hasty signal fromone merchant ship ignited a flare, revealing thesilhouette to lurking submarines. Capturing anaircraft carrier was a valued prize for GermanHenry J. Kaiser presents President Franklin D. Roosevelt with a model of the escort carriers that he wasconstructing at Vancouver, Washington, on March 18, 1943. Kaiser built 50 of these Casablanca class carriers in1943–44.USS Long Island under conversion at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Yard, April 1, 1941. She hadreceived the name Long Island on March 31, 1941. Note flight deck under construction and temporary retentionof her neutrality MKGS open. Lighter YC-301 is in left background.Moored at Naval Air Station, North Island, California, on June 2, 1942, shortly before she sortied with Task ForceONE under Vice Admiral William S. Pye.Photo: NHHCPhoto: NHHCPhoto: NHHCHISTORYINFO Eduard8October 2023Page 9
submariners, and the mistake to reveal thesilhouette led to reports of the sinking ofan Illustrious-class carrier, which Germanpropaganda duly exploited.Other British Escort Aircraft Carriers haveconnections with those built in the United States,so let's cross the Atlantic westbound and look atthe construction of the aircraft carriers in theUSA.The largest production of escort aircraftcarriers during the war unsurprisingly tookplace in shipyards in the United States. Theybuilt a total of 124 ships, 38 of them weredelivered to the Royal Navy.The Long Island ClassThe first class of escort aircraft carriersproduced in the USA was named after the firstship in the class, the Long Island. The basis forthese carriers was the hulls and engines ofstandardized merchant ships Type C3 designedin the 1930s. Between 1939 and 1946, a total of 162of these ships were built. For conversion, the MSRio de la Plata and MS Mormacmaild were used.The first completed ship supplied to the Britishwas named HMS Archer. It was 150 meters long,and its wooden flight deck was 120 meters long.It was powered by four diesel engines drivinga single propeller. The maximum speed was 16.5knots, equivalent to 30.6 km/h. The ship wasequipped with one catapult and one elevatorto the hangar. Its capacity was 15 aircraft witha combination of Grumman Martlet or HawkerSea Hurricane and anti-submarine FaireySwordfish or Grumman Avenger. The operationaluse of this vessel raised concerns in the RoyalNavy due to its high rate of breakdowns.Eventually, HMS Archer was taken out of serviceand later returned to the USA. It underwentconversion into a merchant ship and continuedsailing until the 1960s when it was scrapped in1961 after a fire.The second ship of this class (but the firstone completed) was designated for the US Navy,named USS Long Island, and initially markedas AVG-1, then ACV-1, and finally CVE-1. SinceFlight deck of USS Suwannee (CVE-27) 90 minutes after a Japanese suicide plane’s bomb had ripped a hole in it.Hole is patched and ship is ready to land aircraft. Note that only four wires, instead of eight, are being used. Alllandings were made without mishap.Sunk Escort CarriersCVE-56 USS Liscome Bay – sunk by a torpedofrom the Japanese submarine I-175 on Novem-ber 24, 1943, near Butaritari (Makin).CVE-73 USS Gambier Bay – as mentioned ear-lier, sunk on October 25, 1944, during the Battleoff Samar.CVE-63 USS St. Lo - sunk after a kamikazeattack on October 25, 1944, during the Battle ofLeyte.CVE-79 USS Ommaney Bay – sunk on January 4,1945, after a kamikaze attack.CVE-95 USS Bismarck Sea - sunk on February21, 1945, after a kamikaze attack near Iwo Jima.Explosion on USS ST. Lo (CVE-63) after shewas hit be a Kamikaze of Samar on October25, 1944.Photo: NHHCUS Navy EscortAircraft CarriersHISTORYINFO Eduard9October 2023Page 10
she entered service before the outbreak ofthe war in the Pacific, she could be used fortesting, which later helped in organizing aircraftoperations on CVE-class ships. Shortly afterthe Japanese attack, she was transferred withreinforcements to the Pacific. When she arrivedin San Francisco on June 5, she immediatelyjoined Admiral William S. Pye’s Task Force One(TF 1), which consisted of seven battleships,providing the air cover. TF 1’s task was to protectthe US West Coast and potentially reinforceAdmiral Chester Nimitz's forces during theBattle of Midway. Another important missionwas the transport of nineteen Wildcats andDauntlesses to Henderson Field during theBattle of Guadalcanal. Although she receivedthe designation of an aircraft carrier, USS LongIsland served the entire war as a transport shipand was eventually converted into a passengership.The Avenger ClassFollowing the two ships of the Long Islandclass, there were four similar vessels referredto as the Avenger class. All of them wereagain conversions from C3-type cargo shipsconstructed by the Dry Sun ShipbuildingCompany and Ch. Pennsylvania ShipbuildingCompany. The parameters of these ships weresimilar to the previous class. Three of themwere delivered to the Royal Navy as HMSAvenger, HMS Biter, and HMS Dasher. The fourthship remained in the service with the UnitedStates Navy as the USS Charger.British ships were extensively used for convoyescort duties, especially to the USSR. Theirmost significant action was their participationin Operation Torch, the Allied landings in NorthAfrica. All three Avenger-class ships werepart of this operation. HMS Avenger was sunkwest of Gibraltar on November 15, 1942, by theGerman submarine U-155 under the commandof Kapitänleutnant Adolf Piening. A total of 516crew members lost their lives in the sinking.HMS Dasher sank due to an unexplainedexplosion near the Firth of Clyde base on March27, 1943. One of the possible explanations wasa mishap involving one of the aircraft on board,leading to the ignition of gasoline fumes fromleaking tanks. The loss of 379 out of 528 crewmembers was a tragedy, despite the swiftassistance from other ships. Many sailorsmanaged to escape the ship but succumbed tohypothermia or burns suffered during the fire.HMS Biter was returned to the US Navy in April1945. After undergoing repairs, it was loaned tothe French Navy and renamed Dixmude (D97).From 1945 to 1949, it participated in severalcampaigns in French Indochina, primarilyoperating Douglas Dauntless aircraft as part ofFlotille 3FB.The fourth ship of the Avenger class, USSCharger (CVE-30), served throughout the warin Chesapeake Bay as a training ship for pilotsand carrier flight deck crews. After the war, itwas converted into a passenger ship namedFairsea and mainly transported migrants toAustralia. Notably, the Gibb family, includingfuture Bee Gees members Barry, Maurice, andRobin, arrived in Australia on its deck, as did theparents of Kylie Minogue.The Sangamon ClassPrevious ships were constructed basedon standardized C3 merchant ships, whichwere characterized by a propulsion systemconsisting of four diesel engines driving a singleshaft and one propeller. This configurationlimited their performance, which was notideal for the operation expected from aircraftcarriers. Merchant ships typically sail at aneconomical speed, whereas military vesselsoften require maximum speed. This disparityled to the mentioned high failure rate. Thefour aircraft carriers of the Sangamon classwere built based on standardized T3 tankers,derived from the Cimarron class (T3-S2-A1).They were powered by four boilers driving twosteam turbines and two propellers. This designallowed these ships to achieve speeds of up to 18knots (33 km/h). Their larger tanker hulls, witha length of 169 meters, enabled them to carry upto 32 aircraft in various combinations accordingto operational needs. Two flight deck elevatorsand one catapult facilitated flight operations.All four of these constructed ships servedin the US Navy: CVE-26 USS Sangamon, CVE-27 USS Suwannee, CVE-28 USS Chenango, andCVE-29 USS Santee retained their names fromthe tankers from which they were converted.USS Sangamon initiated its service in theAtlantic during the first combat action of theFirst army P-40 fighter to take off from USS Chenango (CVE-28), to fly shore for combat operations in Morocco,about November 10, 1942. Note U. S. flag markings, and bridge from catapult behind the plane.ACV-16 (later CVE-16) USS Nassau underway in December of 1942. This photograph has been retouchedby wartime censors to hide radar and other antennas on the ship’s mast.Photo: NHHCPhoto: NHHCHISTORYINFO Eduard10October 2023Page 11
USA in the west, which was securing the Alliedlandings in North Africa in November 1942. Latershe operated mainly in the Pacific. Initially, shespent eight months in the Solomon Islandsarea during the Guadalcanal campaign, and inNovember 1943, she supported the landings onTarawa. On January 25, 1944, during the Battleof the Marshall Islands, one of the returningaircraft crashed upon landing, causing a firethat killed seven crew members. In June 1944,USS Sangamon participated in the Battle ofthe Marianas. The next phase of the Americanoffensive was the Philippines. Before landing inLeyte Gulf on October 20, her aircraft attackedJapanese airfields, supporting the Americanlanding, before being hit by a Japanese bomb,although the damage was not significant. Theship then participated in the subsequent battlesin Leyte Gulf as part of Task Unit 77.4.3, alsoknown as Taffy 1.At the end of January 1945, USS Sangamonleft the shipyard where she underwentmodernization, including upgrades to itsaircraft handling and weaponry systems. Afterleaving the shipyard, she headed towards Japanand participated in the Battle of Okinawa. FromMarch 21 onwards, she supported Americanamphibious operations and attacks on nearbyJapanese airfields around Okinawa. During thistime, the ship came under attack by kamikazepilots. One of them managed to bypass theship's anti-aircraft defenses and crashed intothe flight deck, causing significant damageand killing at least eleven crew members. Thedamaged ship was subsequently withdrawn tothe United States for repairs, although theserepairs were not completed due to the war’send.Similarly, to the others, USS Suwannee(CVE-27) began her military operations byparticipating in the North African landingsduring Operation Torch. Afterward, she movedto the Pacific. For the following seven months,she provided air escort for transport and supplyships, supporting the Marines on Guadalcanal,as well as forces occupying other islands in theSolomon Islands. She also operated as part ofthe air support group, with her aircraft bombingTarawa. In 1944, she took part in actions atRoi and Namur islands in the northern part ofthe Kwajalein Atoll, and her planes conductedanti-submarine patrols. She was involved incampaigns at Palau islands and supportedthe battles at Hollandia by transportingreplacement aircraft for larger carriers. It alsosupported the invasions of the Marianas andparticipated in campaigns against Saipan andGuam. During the Battle of the Philippine Sea, onJune 19, 1944, one of her aircraft attacked andsank the Japanese submarine I-184.In the battles of Leyte, USS Suwannee facedkamikaze attacks. Although the ship’s anti-aircraft fire hit the attacking plane, it stillcrashed into the flight deck at 08:04, causinga hole approximately three meters in diameter.The bomb carried by the attacking aircraftexploded between the flight and hangar decks.However, within two hours, the flight deckwas temporarily repaired, allowing to resumethe flight operations. The following day, theship had to confront more Kamikaze attacks.One Zero aircraft crashed into the flight deckat 12:40, simultaneously hitting a torpedobomber that was being prepared for takeoff.Both aircraft exploded, as did nine others inthe vicinity. A fire burned for several hoursbefore being brought under control. Duringthese two days, USS Suwannee suffered 107casualties and 160 wounded. At the beginningof 1945, repairs were carried out, and then sheGerman Submarine Type IXC being attacked and sunk by USS Pope (DE-134), USS Chatelain (DE-149), USS Pillsbury(DE-133), and USS Flaherty (DE-135) assisted by aircraft of VC-58 from USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) on April 9, 1944.Practice division formation and maneuver exercises in Hawaiian waters, January 13, 1944. Photographedfrom USS Manila Bay (CVE-61). Ships astern are: USS Coral Sea (CVE-57), USS Corregidor (CVE-58),USS Natoma Bay (CVE-62), and USS Nassau (CVE-16). These carriers all served in the Marshalls Operationa few weeks later.Photo: NHHCPhoto: NHHCHISTORYINFO Eduard11October 2023Page 12
participated in operations around Okinawa.USS Chenango (ACV-28) managed to completeseveral months of service as an oil tankerbefore her conversion. She sailed across theAtlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific to Honolulu.AO-31 Chenango was located in the port ofAruba when a German submarine shelledone of the refineries on the island. In her roleas an aircraft carrier, her first action wasOperation Torch, during which she transported77 Warhawks from the 33rd Fighter Group ofthe United States Army Air Forces. After repairsof the damage caused by a hurricane, the shipwas sent to the Pacific. In January 1943, sheprovided air cover for supply convoys headingto the Solomon Islands. In July 1943, she wasreclassified as CVE-28 and during the followingmonths underwent the reconstruction. Over thenext two years, she participated in many majorPacific War campaigns, including invasions ofTarawa, Roi-Namur, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Aitape,Hollandia, Pagan, Guam, Morotai, Leyte, andOkinawa. She also provided support during thefinal offensive against Japan.The Bogue ClassThis “mass-production” class of escortcarriers was again constructed based on C3-S-A1 and C3-S-A2 transport ships. Initially, 22ships were ordered, half of which served in theUS Navy: CVE-9 USS Bogue (ex-Steel Advocate),CVE-11 USS Card, CVE-12 USS Copahee, CVE-13 USS Core, CVE-16 USS Nassau, CVE-18 USSAltamaha, CVE-20 USS Barnes, CVE-21 USSBlock Island, CVE-23 USS Breton, CVE-25 USSCroatan, and CVE-31 USS Prince William. TheBritish Royal Navy received the other half,which they designated as the Attacker class.Here is a list of these ships, including theiroriginal names, sometimes with the names ofthe original transport ships:HMS Battler (ex CVE-6 Altamaha;ex-Mormacmail)HMS Attacker (ex CVE-7 Barnes;ex-Steel Artisan)HMS Hunter (ex CVE-8 Block Island;ex-Mormacpenn)HMS Chaser (CVE-10 Breton)HMS Fencer (ex CVE-14 Croatan)HMS Stalker (ex CVE-15 Hamlin)HMS Pursuer (ex CVE-17 St. George)HMS Striker (ex CVE-19 Prince William)HMS Searcher (ex AVG-22)HMS Ravager (ex AVG-24)HMS Tracker (ex BAVG-6).Due to the British Navy’s satisfaction withthese, they ordered more vessels of the samespecifications, sometimes referred to as theRuler class:HMS Slinger (ex CVE-32 Chatham)HMS Atheling (ex CVE-33 Glacier)HMS Emperor (ex CVE-34 Pybus)HMS Ameer (ex CVE-35 Baffins)HMS Begum (ex CVE-36 Bolinas)HMS Trumpeter (CVE-37 Bastian)HMS Empress (ex CVE-38 Carnegie)HMS Khedive (ex CVE-39 Cordova)HMS Speaker (ex CVE-40 Delgada)HMS Nabob (ex CVE-41 Edisto)HMS Premier (ex CVE-42 Estero)HMS Shah (ex CVE-43 Jamaica)HMS Patroller (ex CVE-44 Keweenaw)HMS Rajah (ex CVE-45 Prince)HMS Ranee (ex CVE-46 Niantic)HMS Trouncer (ex CVE-47 Perdido)HMS Thane (ex CVE-48 Sunset)HMS Queen (ex CVE-49 St. Andrews)HMS Ruler (ex CVE-50 St. Joseph)HMS Arbiter (ex CVE-51 St. Simon)HMS Smiter (ex CVE-52 Vermillion)HMS Puncher (CVE-53 ex Willapa)HMS Reaper (CVE-54 Winjah).Given the large number of ships, we will focuson those with a connection to the “Wilder Cat”model kit, which was a Limited edition focusedon the FM-2 Wildcat, a type typical for the useon these ships.HMS PursuerThe camouflage scheme “J” included in themodel kit instructions represents the WildcatMk.VI, which took off from the HMS Pursuer’sdeck in August 1944. The ship primarily servedas an escort for convoys but also participatedin several offensive operations. The Royal Navyhad a continuous concern about the Germanbattleship Tirpitz, hidden in Altenfjord, Norway.On April 3, 1944, during Operation Tungsten,aircraft from HMS Pursuer provided fightersupport for the main airstrike. Convoys wereorganized not only by the Allies during WorldWar II, but also by the German Navy, especiallyin the intricate coastal waters of Norway. OnApril 26, 1944, Wildcats from No 882 Squadronparticipated in a successful attack on a Germanconvoy near Bodo in northern Norway. Bombshit all four supply ships and one of the fiveescorting vessels. Three supply ships were setUSS Tripoli (CVE-64) during a cruise in Atlantic.USS White Plains steaming in San Diego Harbor, California, upon her return from the central Pacificon March 8, 1944.Collection Richard M. Newman via Lyn McClain and NHHCPhoto: NHHCHISTORYINFO Eduard12October 2023Page 13
ablaze, and the largest ran aground. While theattack was underway, other aircraft penetratedthe port of Bodo, where one supply ship wasbombed and set on fire amidst other vessels.Subsequently, HMS Pursuer was damaged bya storm and had to undergo repairs which tooka month.During the D-Day landings in Normandy,she served as anti-submarine protection, andduring Operation Dragoon, her aircraft onceagain provided air cover. After the war, she wasreturned to the United States and scrapped in1946.The Casablanca ClassThe largest number of escort aircraft carriersbuilt during World War II was the Casablancaclass. What was specific about the constructionof these ships was that, prior to the war, theaverage construction time for an aircraftcarrier was about 38 months. However, due tothe wartime effort, this time was shortened to20 months. Then there was industrial magnateHenry J. Kaiser, who managed to reduce theconstruction time for cargo ships (Libertyships) in his shipyards from over a year to lessthan 90 days. Kaiser pledged to build a fleetof 50 small aircraft carriers in less than twoyears! American naval authorities were initiallyskeptical and hesitant to approve the order. Butthe Allies desperately needed aircraft carriersto replace their initial wartime losses.Kaiser managed to build them as quicklyas planned, and any opposition against thesevessels quickly vanished because they provedtheir utility in defending convoys and providingair support for amphibious operations. Thisallowed larger aircraft carriers to focus onoffensive air operations. The construction ofthese ships was highly efficient. Unlike theaforementioned classes, they were powered bytwo Skinner Unaflow steam engines supplied bysteam from four Babcock & Wilcox boilers. Eachship was driven by two propellers, achievinga speed of 19 knots (35 km/h). The vesselsmeasured 156 meters in length, with a flightdeck that was 144 meters long and featuredone catapult and two elevators. The air groupstypically consisted of around 27 aircraft,depending on the types and units. Given that 50ships were built, let's focus on those relevant tothe Eduard FM-2 kit.CVE-60 USS GuadalcanalThis ship was essentially a hunter-killer,specifically designed for submarine warfare,and it spent its entire career in the Atlantictheater during World War II. German submarines,or U-boats, spent most of their time on thesurface during the war because they couldn'tremain submerged for more than approximately72 hours due to the need to recharge theirbatteries and exchange air. In 1944, they werereluctant to surface during daylight hours forfear of being spotted by patrol planes fromescort carriers. These carriers were effectivelycovering the entire Atlantic, making daytimeattacks too risky. However, the pilots of the USSGuadalcanal devised new tactics: they launchedtheir planes at sunset and only landed them atdawn.Thanks to the Ultra system, which involveddeciphering German messages, the Allies hadaccess to the positions of submarines while theywere refueling on the surface. On January 16,1944, just before sunset, eight Avengers took offand quickly located three U-boats. They swiftlyattacked with depth charges and successfullydestroyed U-544.During a second anti-submarine missionon April 8, one of the patrolling Avengersdiscovered U-515 recharging its batteries onthe surface northwest of Madeira. The Avengerforced it to submerge by dropping depth charges.Throughout the night, four Avengers circledoverhead, waiting for U-515 to surface againto recharge its batteries. It finally surfaced at14:00, and a subsequent attack left only sixteensurvivors out of a crew of sixty. Among thesurvivors was the commander, Werner Henke,who was captured but, sadly, was shot in June1944 while attempting to escape from a secretinterrogation center known as P.O. Box 1142 inFort Hunt, Virginia.The third and perhaps most famous actioninvolving USS Guadalcanal occurred on June 4,1944, when a German submarine was detectedoff the coast of Río de Oro. One Wildcat fromUSS Guadalcanal joined a pair of TBM Avengersand another Wildcat that were already on patrolin the air. Through the combined efforts ofaircraft and ships, the submarine was severelydamaged, forcing it to surface. Both the shipsand planes opened fire, and when it becameclear that the submarine's crew was abandoningthe damaged vessel, an eight-man team fromthe destroyer USS Pillsbury, led by LieutenantAlbert David, boarded U-505. They securedmaps and codebooks, closed the sea strainers,deactivated demolition charges, and stoppedthe inflow of water, keeping the submarineafloat. Subsequently, U-505 was towed by USSGuadalcanal. Its engines were disconnected, andthe propellers spun freely, powered by electricmotors that provided the necessary energy tooperate the pumps that kept the submarine onthe surface. Despite the capture taking placenear French Morocco, the decision was madeto tow U-505 all the way to Bermuda, covering1,700 nautical miles (3,150 km) due to concernsabout potential German spies. The operationwas kept secret until the end of the war, as ityielded valuable intelligence, and it was crucialto prevent the Germans from learning about it.Today, U-505 is part of the Museum of Scienceand Industry's exhibit in Chicago, Illinois. Priorto this capture, the last time the U.S. Navy hadcaptured an enemy warship was in 1815.Another German submarine was foundby Avengers from USS Guadalcanal at dawnon April 10. U-68 was caught recharging itsbatteries 300 miles south of the Azores. ThreeAvengers attacked with depth charges androckets, resulting in the destruction of U-68.Only one crew member, Hans Kastrup, survived.CVE-61 USS Manila BayThe USS Manila Bay conducted all of itsoperations exclusively in the Pacific theater. Itwas deployed in the invasion of the MarshallIslands in January 1944, and in March 1944,its aircraft were sent against Kavieng andUSS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) straddled by Japanese shells and falling behind the rest of her task group during thebattle off Samar, October 25, 1944. A Japanese cruiser is barely visible on the horizon at the right.HISTORYINFO Eduard13October 2023Page 14
the Bismarck Archipelago. In June 1944, afterrepairs, it returned to combat during theMarianas campaign, and in October, it providedair support during the attack on Leyte. InDecember 1944, planes launched from the USSManila Bay played a similar role in supportinginvasion convoys to Mindoro. On January 5, 1945,during the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, the USSManila Bay was hit by two kamikazes, causingextensive damage and the loss of fourteen men.After urgent repairs, the ship conducted limitedoperations, returning to full action in May.CVE-64 USS TripoliAt the beginning of its service, the USSTripoli operated in the Atlantic Ocean, primarilyengaging German submarines. It was only inJanuary 1945, as it became clear that the warin this theater was coming to an end, that it wastransferred to the Pacific, where it remaineduntil the war's conclusion. Nevertheless, itsaircraft managed to claim the sinking of theU-513, as described in the instructions for therespective camouflage of this model kit.CVE-66 USS White PlainsThis ship saw its first action in late May 1944during the Marianas campaign. It conductedaerial and anti-submarine patrols, and in August1944, it joined the naval forces preparing for theinvasion of Palau, which began on September15. In October, it participated in supporting theinvasion of the Philippines, with its aircraftproviding air support for ground troops whileengaging in anti-submarine warfare. The USSWhite Plains also took part in the battles ofLeyte and Samar. After repairs, it carried outtransport duties between Kwajalein, Hollandia,Ulithi, Saipan, Guam, Leyte, and Pearl Harborfrom January 1945 onward. It only returnedto combat operations in April 1945 during theamphibious operation on Okinawa, where itdispatched two squadrons of Corsairs froma distance of 100 miles to establish an advancedairbase on the island.CVE-73 USS Gambier BayThe USS Gambier Bay, an escort carrier, wassunk during the Battle off Samar in the LeyteGulf campaign. It played a crucial role in helpingrepel a much larger attacking Japanese fleet.This event made the USS Gambier Bay the onlyAmerican aircraft carrier to be sunk by surfacegunfire during World War II. It was named afterGambier Bay in the Admiralty Islands nearAlaska, and its construction began at the KaiserShipbuilding Company in Vancouver, Washington,on November 22, 1943. Captain Hugh H. Goodwinwas appointed as its first commanding officeron December 28 of the same year. The ship wasreferred to as a "bonus ship" because it was the19th vessel delivered in 1943, even though theshipyard had initially planned to deliver only16 ships by the end of that year. However, inSeptember, the US Navy requested the shipyardto deliver at least two additional escort carriers.Kaiser initiated a campaign called "18 or moreby '44," and ultimately, they delivered not 18 but19 ships.CVE-74 USS Nehenta BayThe USS Nehenta Bay’s encounter withTyphoon Cobra illustrates that ships can facesevere weather as a significant adversary. Anoperation planned near Luzon on December 17,1944, was greatly influenced by the weather.The barometer was falling, and Admiral WilliamHalsey Jr. ordered a series of maneuvers,which eventually led his fleet into the heart ofTyphoon Cobra. Wave heights were estimated toreach 18 meters, and after some time, it becameclear to the USS Nehenta Bay's commanderthat maintaining the designated course wasimpossible, and an alternative course waschosen to protect the ship. The ship was tossedwith rolls of up to 37°, a very dangerous situationfor a carrier of its class. After changing course,the ship managed to reduce the rolls, but thecrew still had to contend with wind speeds ofup to 110 knots (176 km/h). When it was all over,the crew could begin assessing the damage. Theship itself emerged with only minor damage,losing three aircraft and one 20mm gun. Later,in early 1945, the ship encountered adverseweather while operating in the South ChinaSea. Waves as high as 9 meters damaged thestructure on the bow, leading to the removalof the catapult. The ship then sailed to SanDiego for major repairs. In May, with VC-8aircraft on board, it joined Task Force 52.1 underRear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin and supportedAmerican forces advancing on Okinawa.CVE-75 USS Hoggatt BayThe USS Hoggatt Bay achieved its first successon June 10, 1944. A Wildcat from USS HoggattBay’s patrol spotted an oil slick approximatelyeight miles (13 km) west of the escort carrier.The destroyer USS Taylor of the Fletcher classwas dispatched to investigate and soon detectedstrong sonar contact. It turned out to be theJapanese submarine Ro-111. USS Taylor droppedtwo depth charges, and at 15:41, the submarinesurfaced 2,500 yards (2,300 m) ahead of thedestroyer. It was quickly hit by the destroyer'sguns and suffered heavy damage before divingagain. After another series of depth chargeattacks, two large underwater explosionswere heard at 15:58, followed by a large airbubble rising to the surface, confirming thesubmarine's destruction. During another anti-submarine patrol on July 19, 1944, an aircraftfrom VC-14 spotted the Japanese submarineI-5. The escort destroyers USS Wyman and USSReynolds dropped depth charges, which struckI-5, causing it to explode. During the third anti-submarine patrol on July 28, 1944, aircraft crewsspotted a surfacing submarine. It was likely theJapanese I-55, located approximately 13 km tothe right of USS Hoggatt Bay. USS Wyman andUSS Reynolds hit the submarine, and a seriesof explosions were heard, creating an oil slickon the surface. USS Hoggatt Bay continued toparticipate in operations around the Philippinesand Okinawa after the sinking of I-177 on thenight of October 3, 1944.CVE-78 USS Savo IslandIn 1944, the USS Savo Island took part inbattles at Leyte and later amphibious operationson Mindanao. In 1945, it performed similar tasksduring operations in Lingayen Gulf but did notparticipate in any major operations thereafter.CVE-80 USS Petroff BayLike the aforementioned ships, the USS PetroffBay participated in the closing battles in thePacific. Its most dramatic moments came duringUSS Nehenta Bay on a cruise during 1944HISTORYINFO Eduard14October 2023Page 15
the Battle of Leyte, and it played a significantrole in the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February18, military transport ships carrying Marinesarrived off the coast, and the next day, theylanded on Iwo Jima. During the battle, aircraftfrom USS Petroff Bay conducted 786 operationalflights in support of ground forces. On March 8,1945, USS Petroff Bay sailed to Ulithi, makinga stop in Guam in the Marianas Islands alongthe way. VC-76 was deployed in Guam, replacingVC-93. Further details are provided in theaircraft assembly instructions.The Commencement Bay classConstruction of these ships began on May9, 1944, and although it progressed quickly,several months of testing were required beforethey were put into service. For this reason, mostof the 19 ships ordered (out of a planned 35) hadlittle to no operational service. Many were evencanceled before completion.Starboard bow aerial view of Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Savo Island (CVE-78) underway. Note disas-sembled aircraft on the flight deck, and camouflage paint scheme.Typical operation aboard an escort carrier, in this case the US Anzio on May 20, 1945.HISTORYINFO Eduard15October 2023Air war in Ukraine - The promise of F-16s and Prigozhin’s downfall
In this part of the series, we follow the period from August 1 to August 31, which was really eventfull. Among the most notable happenings is the promise of F-16 fighter deliveries, although things won’t be so hot with them in the short term. The earliest Ukraine will get them is next year, when the first pilots will be trained under accelerated training programme. The second significant event was the death of the owner of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, exactly two months after his attempted coup.
Text: Miro BaričPhotos: Ukrainian armed forces, socialmedia and other public sourcesAir war over UkraineThe promise of F-16s and Prigozhin’s downfallUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the cockpit of an F-16 as they announce the delivery of these fighters to Ukraine.In this part of the series, we follow the period from August 1 toAugust 31, which was really eventfull. Among the most notablehappenings is the promise of F-16 fighter deliveries, althoughthings won’t be so hot with them in the short term. The earliestUkraine will get them is next year, when the first pilots willbe trained under accelerated training programme. The secondsignificant event was the death of the owner of the Wagnermercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, exactly two months afterhis attempted coup.After several months of speculation, delaysand conflicting information about who andwhen would start training of Ukrainian pilotson F-16, the first news about the provisionof these aircraft to Ukraine has arrived. OnSunday, August 20, it was announced thatthe Netherlands would donate 42 of theseaircraft and Denmark would add another19. On Thursday, August 24, on Ukraine’sIndependence Day, Norway also joined in. Ithad already scrapped its F-16s in early 2022and sold some of them to Romania, while therest was stored. Now Norway has announcedthat it will also provide the aircraft that itmanages to return to operational statusto Ukraine. It is believed that there will bea maximum of 10 aircraft from Norway. In total,Ukraine may receive around 70 fighters fromthese three countries. In all cases, these willbe F-16AM Block 20 MLUs. They were producedin the 1980s and the abbreviation MLU meansthat they have received the so-called Mid LifeUpgrade. The cockpit and avionics of thesefighters have been upgraded to the standard ofthe Block 50 version. Pilots were given helmetsights that they can use in close combatmaneuvering. However, these do not occur inUkraine and it probably will not change withthe arrival of the F-16s.The F-16AM Block 20 MLU carries the olderAN/APG-66(V2) radar. However, the radar’scomputer processor has been significantlyupgraded to process data faster and acquiremultiple targets at once. The range of thisradar is claimed to be 150 km, a valuetheoretically achieved by the manufacturerunder ideal conditions. The actual range of theradar depends on a number of conditions, suchas flight altitude or electronic interferencefrom an adversary. Thus, in a real situation, therange of the AN/APG-66(V2) is around 80 km.Ukraine will also not get the latest versions ofthe AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles with its F-16s,but older ones with a range of around 50–60km. Even so, this will be an improvement onthe current situation. The Ukrainian fightersare armed with R-27 missiles with semi-activeradar guidance, which means that the targetHISTORYINFO Eduard16October 2023Page 17
Zelensky decorating members of the air force on August 6. A whole series of inte-resting shots were taken on that occasion. This one shows a Su-27 “White 52” withthe numbers retouched out. The MiG-29 “white 22” on the left in the background doesnot have the number retouched.Here you can see the Su-27 “white 52” and the MiG-29 “white 22” also with numbers.The Su-27 has a HARM missile under the wing.Zelensky climbed into the cockpit and tried out the pilot simulator.must be locked during the time the missileis intercepting its target. And this is virtuallyimpossible in a situation where Ukrainianfighters face numerical superiority. The activeradar guidance of the AIM-120 missiles is thusa major advance.Thanks to the F-16s and the AIM-120missiles, the Ukrainian Air Force will equal theRussian forces. In fact, the radars of Russianfighters and their R-77 missiles have similarparameters – despite the fact that Russianaircraft manufacturers advertise completelydifferent numbers. For example, for the radarsof Su-30 fighters, they give a range of 200 to300 km. However, there is a big differencein the distance at which the radar picks up“something”, at what distance it recognizeswhat it is, and at what distance the fighter isable to conduct effective combat. That lastnumber is at a similar level to that of the olderAIM-120 missiles that Ukraine will receive –around 50 km.But factor in the strong air defensesoperating on both sides and it is clear thatthe status quo will not change even with thearrival of the F-16s. And that is that neitherside’s aircraft are crossing the front line –even getting too close is very dangerous. TheF-16 will probably have the advantage over theexisting Ukrainian aircraft of better warningsensors and can carry various containers forradio-electronic warfare, but it cannot standup to strong air defense either.Air combatThe Ukrainians will probably use the F-16sfor the same things they now use the Su-27and MiG-29s for, i.e., to protect airspace incase of penetration by Russian aircraft, toescort other aircraft on attack missions, andto counter suicide drones and cruise missiles.While for the Su-27 and MiG-29 there is limitedquantity of spare parts available in the world,the situation is different for the F-16 and it issignificantly easier to maintain them in a long-term airworthy condition.Such use of the aircraft is also indicatedby the training of Ukrainian pilots. When theprogram was being developed, two pilotsunderwent two weeks of testing in the USAat the end of February and the beginning ofMarch. These were active Ukrainian pilots, oneflying MiG-29s and the other Su-27s, to assessthe possibility of retraining them. The testingwas conducted exclusively on a simulator,where they tried out only one type of mission.It was an aerial combat against one target,or maximum two targets, using two types ofweapons – one radar-guided missile (AIM-120AMRAAM) and one infrared-guided missile(AIM-9 Sidewinder). It is not possible to learnanything else during the accelerated trainingthat the Ukrainians undergo. The first groupcould complete the conversion as early as theturn of this year and next year. These are theten pilots with the best English. It is languageproficiency that is the most limiting factor, notonly for pilots, but especially for ground staff.It also follows that Ukraine will not receivethe aforementioned 70 F-16s all at once, butgradually, as groups of pilots complete theirtraining.Ground attacks as a matter of timeIn addition to the experienced pilots, whoare to be trained as early as possible, there isalso going to be a group of complete noviceswho will receive comprehensive pilot traininglasting two years. These will apparently alsoreceive training for specialized missions withguided air-to-ground weapons. The Ukrainiansare already launching both AGM-88 HARManti-radar missiles and JDAM-ER guidedbombs from their old Soviet aircraft. However,they can only use them in a limited mode. Theycan only program them on the ground beforetakeoff, so the pilot cannot change the targetcoordinates during flight. When used this way,the HARM missile, for example, will guide itselfto the first radar it detects. If the Ukrainiansget the AN/ASQ-213 HTS (HARM TargetingSystem) guidance container on their F-16s, thepilot could choose the most important radar toHISTORYINFO Eduard17October 2023Page 18
hit from a number of enemy radars detected.The F-16 cannot carry the Franco-BritishStorm Shadow/SCALP-EG cruise missiles,which the Ukrainians are using effectively, andthere is no talk yet of possible US deliveries.What it can carry, however, are Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which Ukraine also already has.And that’s not good news for Russia’s badlybeleaguered Black Sea Fleet.Crimea “locked”Speaking of the Black Sea and Storm Shadowmissiles, these are among weapons that allowUkraine to gradually gain superiority over thewestern part of the sea and attack Crimeaeven without a strong navy. Already on Sunday,August 6, two bridges connecting Crimea to theKherson region were hit and seriously damagedby Storm Shadow missiles. These were theimportant Chonkhar Bridge in the north-westof Crimea and the smaller Henichesk Bridge,which leads to the Arabat Spit in the north-east of the peninsula. The destruction of thesebridges would sever Crimea’s links with thefrontline areas in southern Ukraine.The destruction of the Kerch Bridge wouldthen cut off the whole of Crimea for good,which could then only be supplied by ships. TheUkrainians regularly try to do this as well. Duringthe reporting period, they attacked this bridgeon Saturday, August 12, with S-200 missiles.These are old anti-aircraft missiles from the1960s, which Ukraine decommissioned in 2013,but kept in storage and now uses as ballisticmissiles after modification (presumablythey have new GPS guidance fitted). In thisrole, they have a range of up to 400 km. Themissiles are 11 m long and weigh almost8 tones. At Mach 4, they thus have tremendouskinetic energy on impact. They also carrya warhead with 217 kg of explosive. Ukrainehas already used them in July in attacks on anindustrial facility in the Briansk region and onthe Morozovsk airport in the Rostov region. Inthe August attack, three S-200 missiles wereaimed at the Kerch Bridge. According to theRussian side, they were all destroyed in timeby air defenses. The smoke that appeared onthe bridge was only a precautionary protectivemeasure. Interestingly, however, two streaksof black smoke were also visible in the whitesmoke screen.On Wednesday, August 23, Ukrainianmissiles hit and partially destroyed a batteryof S-400 anti-aircraft system in Olenivkaon the Crimean coast (about 120 km north ofSevastopol and 140 km south of Kherson. Indoing so, they probably used Neptune missilesdeveloped for anti-ship warfare but alsocapable of hitting targets on the coast. But thatwas not all – the next day (or night) Ukrainianspecial forces landed on the coast betweenOlenivka and Mayak. They completed the workof destruction and raised the Ukrainian flag inCrimea (August 24 was a Ukrainian nationalholiday). The Russians claim to have killedall the Ukrainian soldiers in this action; theUkrainians claim to have pulled back withoutcasualties. All that is certain is that the S-400battery was destroyed. Ukrainian troops fromboats also seized four oil platforms, on whichthe Russian had radars mounted, in the BlackSea during August. All of this is leading to theblinding of Russian defenses and a greaterintensity of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea, whichwe will address in a follow-up.Attacks on airportsUkraine has not only attacked Crimea, butalso Russian territory on the opposite side. Inaddition to the ongoing drone campaign againstMoscow, the attacks on Russian airports are ofparticular interest for the topic of this series.On Saturday, August 19, the Solcy-2 base inNovgorod region, 620 km from Ukraine, wasattacked in broad daylight. At first Russiaadmitted to the damaging of one bomber, butthen photographs emerged showing that oneTu-22M3 bomber was burned to the ground inthis attack. Satellite images later confirmedthat the base had been evacuated and theremaining bombers had flown further north.Two days later, on Monday, August 21, theShaykovka base in the Kaluga region, fromwhich Tu-22M3s also operate, was alsoattacked. Ukrainian intelligence claimed thatin both of these attacks two bombers weredestroyed and two damaged. The Russianside confirmed the attack on the Shaykovkaairfield, adding that all Ukrainian droneswere destroyed. We will probably not knowhow it really happened until a long time fromAt the event on August 6 was a Su-24 with the number “white 09” with a thin yellow border. Interestingly it had a SCALP-EG missile with French symbols under the rightwing and a Storm Shadow with British symbols under the left wing.A burning Russian Tu-22M3 bomber at Solcy-2 airfield. The Russian side initially claimed that it was only slightlydamaged in the attack on August 19.Burning Il-76 at Pskov airport after the night attackon August 29.HISTORYINFO Eduard18October 2023Page 19
now, as was the case with the attack on theDiaghilevo airfield near Ryazan. This wasattacked by Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh dronesin December 2022. Shortly after the attack,the destruction of one vehicle and damageto a Tu-22M3 bomber was photographicallyconfirmed. The Russian side also confirmed atthe time that three Russian soldiers had losttheir lives. Now, however, Russia has issuedan international arrest warrant for UkrainianColonel Serhiy Burdenyuk, who commandsthe 383rd unmanned aerial vehicle regiment.These Russian documents include a detaileddescription of the December 5, 2022, action,according to which the Ukrainian attack at theDiaghilevo base damaged not one, but three Tu-22M3 bombers. Two buildings and two vehicleswere also hit, and in addition to the threedead soldiers, seven others were wounded.By the way, Russia is looking for Burdenyukon suspicion of “organizing illegal Ukrainiandrone incursions into Russian airspace.” So,what is Russia doing in Ukraine as of February24, 2022, then?The Ukrainians pulled off a stunt on Tuesday,August 29, when they hit the airport in the cityof Pskov. This is located 700 km from Ukraine,near the Estonian border. The result of thisaction is also presented differently by thetwo sides. Russia has admitted that four Il-76 transport aircraft were damaged, Ukraineclaims that four aircraft were completelydestroyed and two damaged. In all likelihood,two of the Il-76s were completely burnt out,as confirmed by the videos, and the other twowere damaged. These were hit at the pointwhere the fuselage joins the centerplane butdid not catch fire. Satellite images show largeholes in the upper part of their fuselages.According to unconfirmed information,up to 20 drones attacked Pskov. They weresupposed to be PPDS drones manufactured bythe Australian company Sypaq Corvo. Thesedrones are made of paper and are suppliedas a jigsaw puzzle. They are powered by anelectric motor, with which they have a rangeof 120 km and can carry 5 kg of explosives.This means that someone must have launchedthese drones from Russian territory during theattack on Pskov ...The Australian government has beenproviding PPDS drones to Ukraine since thespring of this year. The advantage is the lowcost due to the material being waxed cardboard.It also makes the drone virtually undetectableby radar. The Ukrainians also used them in anattack against the Khalino airfield in the Kurskregion on the night of 26–27 August, where,according to Ukrainian counterintelligence,five fighter jets were hit, as well as two radarsand two air defense systems. However, thisinformation remains unconfirmed.Tire protectionAll these successful attacks on airportshave led to a bizarre countermeasure onthe Russian side. Satellite images of tire-covered aircraft have emerged from severalbases. These were mainly Tu-95 and Tu-160bombers, but also Su-34s. It is not clear whatthe Russians intend by this – whether it is toprotect against explosives or whether thetires distort the radar or infrared image ofthe aircraft in the drones’ sensors. It is alsopossible that they are testing something elseentirely. Either way, the tires seem to have onlyappeared on aircraft that are not airworthyand serve as a source of spare parts. SeveralTu-95s, for example, are missing propellersor entire engines, and even the tire-coveredSu-34 has its engines removed. Perhapsthe Russians want to protect aircraft that donot change position and are therefore easilydetected by reconnaissance.Ukrainian lossesUkraine did not only achieve successin attacks on Russian airfields during thereporting period. While the previous month ofJuly was completely free of losses in the air,August was particularly bad for the Ukrainianair force. It started as early as August 1, whena Mi-8 was shot down near Mykhailivka inKherson Oblast. The video shows that the low-flying helicopter caught fire after being hit andmade an emergency landing. On the ground itthen burned completely. The fate of the crewis unknown.On Friday, August 25, two Aero L-39Albatros aircraft from the 40th Tactical AirForce Brigade collided. The wreckage of theaircraft crashed near the village of Sinhury inthe Zhytomyr region. All three pilots – MajorVyacheslav Minka, Major Serhiy Prokazin andCaptain Andriy Pilshchikov – were killed. Thelatter had the call sign “Juice” and was the faceof a campaign demanding the delivery of F-16fighter jets to Ukraine. He was killed just asRubber protection was also given to this Su-34 with its engines dismantled.After the Ukrainian drone attacks, some Russian aircraft were given protection from old tires. Maxar’s satelliteimage shows a Tu-95 with its propellers dismantled.A PPDS drone from the Australian company SypaqCorvo is made of cardboard. It can carry 5 kgof explosives.HISTORYINFO Eduard19October 2023Page 20
Ukrainian Mi-8 in action.Originally a Slovak Mi-17 helicopter (ex 0844).Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets. Their pilots will eventually see them replacedby F-16s.Two Ukrainian Albatroses with the numbers “blue 102” and “blue 107” collided near thevillage of Sinhury on August 25.HISTORYINFO Eduard20October 2023Page 21
this Ukrainian pilots’ dream was beginning tobecome a reality.All three named were MiG-29 fighter pilots,and at the time of their deaths, Ukrainianmedia reported that they had died in combatflight, which would suggest action againstthe Shahed-136 kamikaze drone. However,they later reported that the aircraft collidedin a violent maneuver while practicing aerialcombat.Another crash came on Tuesday, August29, near Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.Two Mi-8 helicopters from the 18th separatebrigade of the army air force crashed thereduring a combat mission, killing all six airmenon board – Colonel Viktor Opanasiuk, CaptainYuri Anisimov, Captain Yevgeny Kysil, CaptainVladyslav Rymar, Lieutenant Commander IvanYarovoy and Lieutenant Commander ValentynVorobets.Austrian military expert Tom Cooper saidin this context that this was an unintendedside-effect of the successful Ukrainianartillery campaign. The latter has managed tosuccessfully suppress the Russian artillery,which is losing 20–30 barrels a day. Everytime the Russian artillery makes a sound, itfaces Ukrainian anti-artillery fire. Therefore,the Russians have to replace artillery withdrone attacks and air force attacks that usesglide-guided bombs. The attack aircraft areaccompanied by fighter jets, and it was on onesuch flight that a Russian Su-35 intercepteda pair of Ukrainian helicopters. Their pilotswere informed of the presence of the Russianfighter and attempted to land and thus avoid itbut collided. The Russian side claims that theMi-8s were shot down. Their wreckage in thefootage is close together, so the more likelyversion is that they collided while attemptingan emergency landing.Russian lossesThe Russian side also suffered heavylosses in August. The list of destroyed Ka-52helicopters was extended again. One was shotdown on Monday, August 7, in the Robotynearea and both crew members were killed.Another one was destroyed on Thursday,August 17, near Novoprokopivka. This time thepilot managed to use the ejection seat and wasrescued by an accompanying Mi-8 helicopter.Both Ka-52s were shot down by members ofthe Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade.Non-combat flight losses are also on therise, which may be contributed to by poormaintenance during the war as well as mistakesby overworked pilots. On Sunday, August 12,a crew of Su-30SMs from the 4th IndependentRegiment of Naval Assault Aviation performeda low overflight near the village of Urgyumovoin the Kaliningrad Region. It crashed into theground and both pilots were killed. On Monday,August 14, an L-39 Albatros trainer crashed atthe Khanskaya base in the Adygeya Republic inthe Caucasus. Colonel Vadim Gurov was killed,and the other crew member was injured. Andon Tuesday, August 29, a Mi-8 helicopter of theFSB border guard crashed in the Chelyabinskregion. The three-member crew did not survivethe crash.Defection with a helicopterIn addition to these losses and theaforementioned aircraft destroyed at airfields,the Russian armed forces also lost one aircraftin a defection for the first time in this war.Ukraine has been trying to motivate Russianpilots with the promise of money and safetyfor their whole family since the beginning ofthe conflict. In August, the pilot of a Mi-8AMTShelicopter with the fuselage number “Red 62”and the code designation RF-04438 responded.Maxim Kuzminov of the 319th IndependentHelicopter Regiment was in contact with theUkrainian intelligence that got his familyabroad. He then flew the helicopter himself tothe Kharkiv region of Ukraine. The other twocrew members were unaware of his plan todefect and were killed by Ukrainian soldiersafter landing. According to some reports, theytried to flee; according to others, they madea last-minute effort to prevent Kuzmin fromdeserting.Three pilots, including Captain Andriy Pilshchykov, were killed in the Albatroses collisionWreckage of a Russian Ka-52 helicopter shot down by the Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade nearNovoprokopivka on August 17.HISTORYINFO Eduard21October 2023Page 22
The Russian pilot received a reward of halfa million US dollars, a new identity and a job.The new Mi-8AMTS has been incorporatedinto Ukraine’s forces. After landing, Kuzminovtalked about the absurd conditions in theRussian armed forces. For example, thecommander of his unit had his cat flown inby a Mi-8 helicopter, which was additionallyaccompanied by Mi-24 as an armed escortduring this “mission”.Revenge after two monthsThe death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the ownerof the Wagner mercenary group, can also becounted among the losses related to the warin Ukraine. He was killed in a plane crashalong with other members of his mercenaryleadership exactly two months after the failedcoup attempt. The private Embraer EMB-135BJLegacy 600, registration RA-02795, was flyingfrom Moscow to St Petersburg on Wednesday,August 23, when it broke into three parts afteran explosion and crashed near the village ofKuzhenkino in the Tver region, some 100 kmnorth of the Russian capital.The plane’s crash was caught on video.Two condensation trails and a puff of whitesmoke were visible in the sky, followed bytwo explosions, according to witnesses. Thenthe fuselage of the plane was seen fallingto the ground without one half of the wingand without tail. During the crash, it twistedwildly in the air – just like the Il-22M shotdown by the Wagners on June 24 during themarch on Moscow. The fuselage, wing andtail fell on different places within a radiusof three kilometers. The fuselage burned upafter impact, killing all ten people on board.In addition to Prigozhin, these included hisdeputy and well-known neo-Nazi Dmitry Utkinand Wagner’s logistics chief Valery Chekalov.The two pilots and a stewardess also perished.If this was a political assassination, there wasstate terrorism in Russia regardless of theseinnocent victims.Wagner channels reported that the planewas shot down by anti-aircraft missiles.Some Western sources are leaning towardsa bomb explosion on board. Traces resemblingshrapnel holes could be seen on the wreckage.The Russian authorities are not making mucheffort to investigate. A request for accessby Brazil manufacturer Embraer has beenrejected. And a video taken shortly after thecrash showed the severed wing being draggedalong the ground by a tractor from the impactsite. Behind it, two men were walking andpicking up pieces of the wing that had brokenoff in that dragging. So much for some pretenceof trying to investigate the disaster.Burning wreckage of the Embraer EMB-135BJ Legacy 600 with registration RA-02795 in which Prigozhin and other members of the Wagner leadership died.Russian Mi-8AMTS with fuselage number “Red 62” and code designation RF-04438shortly after landing on Ukrainian territory.Mi-8AMTS “Red 62” in Ukrainian service with Russian markings obliterated.Pilot Maxim Kuzminov of the Russian 319th Independent Helicopter Regiment defectedto the Ukrainian side.HISTORYINFO Eduard22October 2023Page 23
Trosky ruskej helikoptéry Ka-52, ktorú 17. 8. pri Novoprokopivke zostrelila ukrajinská47. mechanizovaná brigáda.Page 24
BOXART STORYThe Z-526 was from the very beginning my“femme fatale”, or rather “avion fatal”. It startedat the age of sixteen, when I first saw theZ-526F OK-CRA in the hangar of Kladno AeroClub and got even deeper when Honza Čáp gaveme a ride in it. Four years later I started flyingand towing with this plane, and I won't lie whenI say that I felt like I was flying a Spitfire. Andlater, when the OK-ZRB Zlin Z-526AFS aerobaticspecial arrived, I felt like they added a Mustangto my Spitfire. In quotes, of course. As a rationaland sensible twenty-year-old man, it was clearto me that I would never fly these types ... Andso, for the next few years, I really enjoyed theZ-526s to the fullest, playing at being a fighterpilot. With OK-CRA it was mainly tows, with OK-ZRB, which belonged to Czech Aero Club andwas not so “jealously guarded” by the gliderpilots, I also did occasional navigation flightsor flights just for fun. And from time to time,I enjoyed aerobatics with OK-ZRD, which wasthen used for training of advanced piloting indual controls where Z-142 was not enough.Needless to say, these were mainly the snaprolls.Eventually other types came along, either foraerobatics itself or for paving the way to myprofessional flying. And that's where the Z-526suddenly “didn't fit the concept”. My annualflying time on the Treners gradually decreaseduntil I only flew them a few times a season.And so there came a period when I wasn't sogood with the Z-526. A few years passed, duringwhich my flying of light aircraft was neglectedby the larger “steel birds”, and I almost thoughtI was done for in that respect. When suddenlythe wheels of history moved on and I became theowner of a Z-326, which I bought from the AeroClub Polička. And that was a huge kick-start tothe "second phase" of my life in civil aviation.With this OK-OTD we visited Berlin Tempelhof,Dalmatia, Corfu, Italy, Malta, southern France,even looked across the English Channel. Thecombination of a cruise propeller and externalwingtips tanks made her a long-haul aircraft,although on takeoff she sometimes climbedlike a loaded Wellington to Berlin or an ATR 72to Košice. And so, after a while, the thought ofgetting a Zlin Z-526 came up, because it couldtow, cruise, fly aerobatics or training and thatall with one propeller. There were severaloptions and offers, until the "fatal" one camealong. I was offered to buy a slightly damagedone from Poland. I was intrigued. It wasa former OM-VOR from Holíč, Slovakia. The winghad to be replaced and the fuselage repaired,but she hadn't flown even a thousand hours, soshe could do aerobatics for a few more years.The import and overhaul presented mewith two new challenges. To come up withthe registration and the color scheme. Theformer was relatively easy, as I am a believerin following the previously standard key forassigning markings, so a 1966 aircraft had tohave the first letter “V” and the second “R”, asthat's what the Z-526s used to be assigned. So,these are not my initials, as many people think(and as I only realized after the fact). I put the"C" in there because it's easy to pronounce. Thecoloring was a little more fun. It was clear thatit had to follow the "period line", even if not onehundred percent. In fact, I had been given thesubtle warning that most people who comeup with their own coloring actually mess it upbecause they can't imagine how their creation,made on paper or screen of computer, will lookspatially on a live airplane. And then they starerather stupidly when taking their new aircraftover. So, it's best to go with something that'salready there, or approach a designer. Andsince I always liked the Z-526 from the movieNebe pro Trenéra (Heaven for Trener), I optedfor the look of the then OK-VRB as a base. I justused “apple blue” instead of orange like theOK-OTB had, the lower wing color was pulledup over the leading edge to the upper surfacelike the original OK-SND had in one of its forms,and I decided to paint the horizontal stabilizerand elevator in white underneath, because theconnection of colors did not look good in thehorizontal and vertical tail surfaces joint withfuselage. Then there were a few minor changes(the canopy frame remained white and the shortblack stripes on the engine cowling and rudderare thinner than on the original) and the newaircraft was born in the Czech skies.I took it over at Otrokovice on March 30, 2010and it serves me faithfully from that time on.Its ”fur“ is still like new, aviation life added onlya few scratches during hundreds of flying hours,but brought me a lot of fun! And don´t worry, theboxart by Adam Tooby is kind of artistic license,as I am not giving her such a hard time.Illustration: Adam ToobyAvion fatalText: Radim Vojta#82185INFO Eduard24October 2023Page 25
#7471BOXART STORYThe beginning of the fifties was marked bypolitical purges in the Czechoslovak army,and therefore also in the air force. Pilots withany western combat backgrounds or othersuspicious ones were gradually weaned fromflying. However, the influx of new blood in theform of properly trained and indoctrinatedsons of the workers and peasants, supposedly“ruling” the Czechoslovakia under Communistgovernment, was still insufficient, so it wasnecessary to turn a blind eye here and there andkeep in service pilots who found themselvesbelow the line after the political screeningsfor admission to fly the then state-of-the-arttechnology, which was the MiG-15, referred toin the Czechoslovak Air Force as S-102. Theyrepresented a quantum leap for the renewedCzechoslovak Air Force, which until then hadguarded its western border with WW2 aircraft.By day with the worsened MesserschmittBf 109Gs, i.e., Avia S-199s, while the nightreadiness was served with one of two airworthyLB-79s, i.e., with German Heinkel He 219 nightfighters.Pilots who had failed political screenings atthe beginning of the Czechoslovak Air Force’sjet era were condemned to still fly the S-199s.These aircraft were already obsolete at thetime of their creation in 1947, and less thanfive years later they were just a caricature of afighter aircraft. Thus, the 22nd Air Division wascreated, which was established on June 1, 1951,at the Plzeň-Skvrňany airfield. It included the4 Aviation Regiment (not the original AviationRegiment 4 based in České Budějovice, whichhad already been renamed LP 6) and the 18Aviation Regiment. The latter was establishedon the same day as the 22 Air Division and had29 S-199s, two CS-199s and nine C-2s aircraft inits inventory. Zdeněk Praus was appointed theCO of the regiment. It is not certain what rankhe held at that time. According to some sourceshe even was only a lieutenant. What is certain isthat in 1954 he was already a lieutenant coloneland from November 10 of that year he was thecommander of the entire 22 Air Division, whichat that time consisted of three Air Fighterregiments (slp): the 3 slp in Brno, the 4 slpand the 18 slp, both in Pardubice. His careercontinued with a move to the same positionwith the 6 Fighter Air Division (from July 15,1958) and from September 1, 1961, he becameChief of the Fighter Air Command of the 7 Armyof Air Defence. He remained in this position untilSeptember 1962.The aircraft of the staff flight of the 18 AirRegiment were given designations from DA-01to DA-09, 1st squadron had aircraft with thedesignations from PS-10 to PS-29, 2nd squadronBS-30 to BS-49, 3rd squadron EX-50 to EX-69and 4th squadron VT-70 and higher.The 18 Aviation Regiment was designated with“piston” suffix from 1952 onward to distinguishit from the jet regiments. However, in November1953 it was moved to Pardubice, by that time,it had already partly re-equipped with MiG-15s,and although it still had 31 S-199s and ten C-2sin service, it was renamed the 18 Air FighterRegiment (jet) on April 1, 1954.The two aircraft on the boxart of kit 7471belonged to the 1st Squadron and are portrayedjust after splitting formation, probably startinga dogfight exercise somewhere near Pilsen in1952. This kind of training has always been, bythe way, the most favored by fighter pilots of alltime. And those politically not-enough-reliablepilots who were not entrusted by the Communistparty to be given a chance to get their handon the latest aviation technology, were flyingtheir aging “Mules”, as were the S-199snicknamed, on the edge. There were a numberof experienced and well-trained pilots amongthem, and some of them did eventually get thechance to fly jets. Others, however, had to stepdown from the fighter pedestal and transferto other types of aviation after the S-199 wereall retired. Some of them changed fixed wingsfor the rotary ones, as the helicopters werejust emerging at the time in Czechoslovak AirForce with the tests of domestic light helicopterHC-2 prototypes. In 1959 first ten of Mi-1 Soviethelicopters were delivered and the helicopteraviation became reality in Czechoslovak army.One of these former fighter pilots flying S-199sand subsequently transferred to helicopters,was teaching the author of this article to fly theMi-2 helicopter in 1985 ...Avia S-199s, however unreliable and stubbornon take-off, were still, according to him, aircrafthe loved to fly and fondly remembered. Giventhe long time lapse, some of the stories he toldor the performance he stated were achievedseemed somewhat implausible, but it wasevident that he was one of those who tooka liking to this stopgap fighter, which ensuredthe fighter pilots’ were able to maintain theirtrained skills in the difficult post-war period.Text: Richard PlosIllustration: Adam ToobyThose mistrustedINFO Eduard25October 2023Page 26
BOXART STORY #84193While the Battle of Britain was at its heightin Europe in the autumn of 1940, on the otherside of the Atlantic the US was in the calmbefore the storm. But the Americans wererapidly preparing for a possible war in Europeas well as in Asia and the Pacific. The U.S.Navy was no exception, and since the late1930s it had been undergoing a significantincrease in air personnel. In 1940, the yearin which the Japanese combat deployeda ground-based version of the A6M Zerofighter to Chinese territory, a new Americancarrier-based fighter the Grumman F4F(G-36), which a year later was given thecombat name Wildcat, also entered the fray. InOctober 1940, the Royal Navy took delivery ofthe Martlet Mk I aircraft, which were actuallyexport G-36As with the Wright R-1820 engine,originally intended for the Belgian air forceand the French Aéronavalle. As with theZeros, the British Martlets were initiallydeployed from land bases. On Christmas Day1940, two pilots from No. 804 Sqn FAA withMartlets managed to force a Junkers Ju 88 toan emergency landing on the West Mainlandof The Orkneys.The first American unit to take over the newmachines was the VF-4 operating from theUSS Ranger. It began flying them in October1940. In December, VF-72 (formerly VF-7)aboard USS Wasp also began familiarizingitself with the Wildcats. Its sister fighterunit, VF-71, switched from F3F biplanes toF4F-3 machines about two months later.Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands served as FlightOfficer for VF-72. He had graduated from theNaval Academy in 1930 and was thereforeone of the pilots who had completed up to3,000 flight hours in training and had passedexaminations not only on fighter, but also onbomber and torpedo aircraft (the US Navy didnot introduce specialization in one categoryof aircraft for pilots until late 1941). CourtneyShands had also served as a flight instructorin the 1930s and his appointment as FlightOfficer on the VF-72 was therefore morethan logical. In addition to the preparationof VF-72 sorties, he was also responsiblefor the operational training of new pilots.At the same time, he commanded one of thethree Divisions, which at that time had sixaircraft divided into two flights. Divisions withfour aircraft with two pairs that could worktogether more effectively were introducedby the US Navy during 1941 based on lessonslearned from combat in Europe.The life of a US Navy aviation unit hasalways included formal and informal socialevents involving family members. Lt. Cdr.Courtney Shands was no exception in thisregard. In September 1940, his twenty-year-old sister Carey Jacqueline married his VF-72colleague Lt(jg) Webster Cochran Johnson,five years his senior. However, the marriageended in tragedy after a few months. Shands'newlywed brother-in-law sadly became thefirst US Navy aviator to die on a Wildcat duringoperational duty. It occurred shortly beforeChristmas when the USS Wasp was docked inNorfolk. Johnson took off from the deck of theUSS Wasp on 19 December (or 16 December),but after take-off due to an engine failure,he fatally crashed near the railroad tracksbehind the NAS. He was flying the prototypeXF4F-3 BuNo 0383, which had already beenrepaired once after a serious crash.In early 1941, VF-72s began intensiveretraining on Wildcats, first off the coastof Virginia and, beginning in late January,at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The formation ofaircraft from this period was captured onboxart by Piotr Forkasiewicz. During thetransition to the new aircraft type, sixteencrashes occurred in VF-72s in January andFebruary, but none claimed the life of a pilot.Lt. Cdr. Courtney Shands became commanderof VF-72 in July 1941 and assumed command ofVF-71 in March 1942. Part of his new unit wasbased at Scapa Flow in The Orkneys, and theother part aboard the USS Wasp supported theAllies in the Mediterranean. It then moved tothe Pacific aboard the carrier, where Shandsand his men distinguished themselves in theGuadalcanal landings. See INFO 04/2023.His pilots, like all U.S. Navy fighter pilots,entered combat in the Pacific well prepared.They countered their Japanese adversaries,who had combat experience in China, withexcellent US Navy training in air combattactics and gunnery systematically rehearsedwith deflection shooting. The time gainedduring the period of neutrality paid off for theWildcat pilots.Illustration: Piotr ForkasiewiczWings of NeutralityText: Jan BobekINFO Eduard26October 2023Page 27
#84181BOXART STORYIn preparation for the Okinawa landings,the Americans decided to launch an air strikeagainst airfields and ports in the southernpart of Japan in March 1945. Task Force 58had already conducted a similar raid duringFebruary 16 and 17, 1945. The March raids wereintended to reduce the threat of attacks on theAmerican invasion forces preparing for theApril landings. The US Navy airmen attackedthe airfields on Kyūshū on 18 March, andengaged over 400 Japanese planes, of whichthey actually managed to shoot down a quarter.On the morning of 19 March, more than 300aircraft took off from TF 58´s sixteen carriersand headed for selected air bases and the portsof Kure and Kōbe.The first pilot of the strike group to takeoff from the deck of the USS Essex (CV-9) inan honorary position was the commander ofVF-83, Cdr. James J. Southerland, the same manwho fought Saburō Sakai over Guadalcanal onAugust 7, 1942 (see INFO 06/2022 and 01/2023).Twenty VBF-17 Hellcats took off from the deck ofthe USS Hornet (CV-12) under the command ofLt. “Muscles” Conant. Their mission was to bombtargets in the Kure area and fighter escortwas to be provided by sixteen Corsairs fromVMF-123. Unfortunately, the Marines missedtheir US Navy colleagues, and Conant's twentyHellcats headed for the target unprotected.Matsuyama was on their route, and unbeknownstto the Americans, they could not have chosena worse place in Japan.At the Matsuyama airbase was stationedKōkūtai 343 (II) under the command ofCapt. Minoru Genda, who had made a majorcontribution to the preparations for the raidon Pearl Harbor. Now he was doing everythinghe could under improvised conditions to avoidincurring a second Pearl Harbor.Kōkūtai 343 was formed for the second timeunder Genda´s command in December 1944.He managed to acquire, apart from older N1K1Shiden machines, mainly modern N1K2 Shiden-Kai aircraft. His Kōkūtai had three subordinateaviation units (Hikōtai) with fighter aircraft andone reconnaissance unit equipped with C6NSaiun (Myrt) machines. He managed to gathera number of elite naval aviators, among themaces such as Shō-ichi Sugita and Naoshi Kanno.Genda believed that with the right training, aircombat tactics, and discipline, it was possible tomatch American adversaries. Among his unit'sinstructors was Saburō Sakai. The unit bore thebattle name Tsurugi Butai, after the traditionalJapanese double-edged sword.Thanks to the crews of the reconnaissanceHikōtai, Genda was accurately informed of thelocation and flight path of the Americans. Morethan fifty of his pilots took off within ten minutesand successively fought against both Hellcatsand Corsairs in various engagements. AmongGenda's commands in radio communicationwere even the words “niitaka yama nobore”.When a part of the Tsurugi Butai approachedVBF-17's formation head-on from above, at firstsight the Americans considered it their ownbecause its formation looked American. ThenHellcat pilots countered the attack with a sharpturn and a frontal fight in climbing flight. It wasthis moment that Antonis Karydis captured onthe boxart. It shows Lt. Frederick J. Prinz as hepasses the Shiden-Kai aircraft, with Lt. TakashiOshibuchi, commander of one of Genda's Hikōtai,at the controls. Eight Hellcats were shot down orirreparably damaged in the fierce engagement,three pilots were killedand three others werecaptured, but survived. Genda's unit claimeda total of 54 victories during the day, losing15 aircraft and 13 pilots. The Americans werealmost evenly matched, claiming 63 victoriesand losing 14 fighters and eight pilots in combatwith Kōkūtai 343 (II). The captured Americanairmen, when later questioned, stated that theunit they faced was “... formidable beyond ourexpectation … well-coordinated, and excellentin marksmanship.” This was not the last timeTsurugi Butai would give enemy airmen a hardtime. Minoru Genda, and some of the directparticipants in the March 19, 1945, battle, metmany years after the war while serving in theUS Navy and JSDAF. The story of this elite unitis well developed in the book Genda's Blade byH. Sakaida and K. Takaki.The Americans managed to damage fourJapanese battleships, four fleet carriers andone light cruiser on March 19, 1945. However,they failed to sink any of the vessels. Japaneseairmen damaged the USS Wasp (CV-18) andUSS Franklin (CV-13) by bombing attacksor Kamikaze attacks. A day earlier, the USSEnterprise (CV-6), USS Intrepid (CV-11), and USSYorktown (CV-10) had already been damaged.Text: Jan BobekIllustration: Antonis KarydisAgainst the Tsurugi ButaiINFO Eduard27October 2023Page 28
GALERYEVENTSAn extensive report on E-Day 2023 will bereleased in the form of a special issue of InfoEduard later this month.INFO Eduard28October 2023Page 29
EVENTSINFO Eduard29October 2023Page 30
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EVENTSINFO Eduard31October 2023Page 32
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EVENTSINFO Eduard33October 2023Page 34
EVENTSABSOLUTE WINNERbuilt by Zdeněk ŠebestaCZECH MODEL MASTERSMi-24 1/48INFO Eduard34October 2023Page 35
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#82185Z-526 Trenér Master1/48The ProfiPACK edition kit of Czechoslovak single-engine two-seat training and aerobaticaircraft Zlín Z-526 Trenér Master, including Z-526M and Z-526F versions in 1/48 scale.Kit presents markings selection including Czech and international users.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 6decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: noProduct pageKITS 10/2023INFO Eduard36October 2023Page 37
Z-526 M, s/n 909, OK-VRC, private, Líně airfield, Czech Republic, 2022Z-526F, s/n 1273, SP-EMF, Grupa Akrobacyjna Zelazny, Poznań, Poland, summer 2012The aircraft, which today flies in an attractiveblue and white livery and whose home is eitherHangar 3 at the airfield in Líně or the airfield inRakovník, was produced in 1966 as Z-326. It wastest-flown on June 6 of that year and then wentto a customer in France, where it flew with theF-BNMX matriculation until 1977. It was thenstored and in December 1992 was imported backto the Czechoslovakia by ZLÍN-AVION servicecompany. In 1994 it was overhauled, and the mainspar and wings were replaced with new ones.At the same time it was converted to Z-526M. It wasthen sold to Slovakia, where it flew until 2007 inAero Club Holíč as OM-VOR. The next stage of thisaircraft was Nowy Sacz, Lososina Dolna airfield,Poland, where it received SP-KSM matriculation.On July 2, 2008, pilot made an emergency bellylanding with it right at a road intersection afteraccidentally draining fuel from the gravity tank.The aircraft was reacquired and transported toOtrokovice, where repairs followed, combinedwith an overhaul and installation of a new rightwing. All this was done under the charge of thenew owner, who brought the aircraft in 2010. Theaircraft received a new registration and livery inthe spirit of the scheme in which the OK-VRB andOK-VRF Trenér aircraft flew in the sixties.The aircraft was produced in 1973 andsubsequently sold to a Polish aeroclub. InDecember 1999, an aerobatic group wasestablished at Zielona Góra Airport, sponsoredby the then emerging Żelazny hardware storechain. The group started with two Z-526AFS andone Z-50LA aircraft. One Z-526F was added tothe lineup in 2001. The pilots of the group amazedwith their skills at airshows not only in Poland,but also in Germany. In 2004, Lech Marchelewskibecame its leader and three years later the groupstarted to rehearse a six-member formation,which was to have its premiere at the RadomAir Show. However, tragedy struck during thepremiere on September 1. At 3:01 p.m. local time,while transitioning into a maneuver called “therose”, No. 1 (Z-526F, SP-CDF) and No. 2 (Z-526AFS,SP-ELE) collided. Both pilots, retired ColonelLech Marchelewski and Piotr Bachanowicz, werekilled. The second Z-526AFS (SP-CSU) narrowlymissed the crash site. The group then resumedoperations, initially as a three-man group, withplans to return to a six-strong formation in2009. Subsequently, the group was moved toPoznań. Today they operate two Z-526F aircraft,the one with the number 9 carries the SP-EMFmatriculation and is shown here in a designcorresponding to the period before the 2012 ILAInternational Airshow. Prior to that, however,it underwent an overhaul in Otrokovice (2008),during which it received, among other things,the paint scheme of the new operator, while theaircraft was still in the possession of AK Poznań.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard37October 2023Page 38
Z-526, s/n 1048; D-EDTP, private, Líně airfield, Czech Republic, 2023Z-526F, s/n 1242, OE-CSA, private, Austria, 2019The aircraft was manufactured in 1968 and in Juneof the same year it was taken over by Mr. ArthurBeth (Porta Westfalica, Germany). The aircraftwas given the D-EDTP registration and shortlybefore the World Aerobatic Championships inMagdeburg it was taken over by Richard Hecht,member of the German national team. Hehad high hopes of success, but only until theCzechoslovak team appeared on the scene withtheir brand new Z-526AS aerobatic specials.However, during the competition on August21, Czechoslovakia was invaded by “friendly”forces and the national team withdrew from thechampionship. Hecht then operated the aircraftfor many years, and the aircraft’s logbook listsinteresting names such as Ladislav Bezák, thefirst aerobatic world champion (already in exileat the time), and former Luftwaffe ace WalterWolfrum (137 kills). At the end of the 1990s theaircraft was no longer flying much and in 2000it was sold to another owner in Germany. Thecurrent Czech owner then bought the aircraftfrom him and kept the German matriculation.At that time the aircraft had flown only 1114 hours.The rudder was consequently decorated witha painting of the girl by Antonio Vargas, whileon the starboard of the front fuselage there isthe inscription Small Beautiful Doll, which isa paraphrase of the Big Beautiful Doll inscriptionpainted on the P-51D of Colonel John D. Landers(14.5 kills), commander of the 78th FG. On the leftside of the engine cowling is another referenceto the P-51 Mustang, the inscription Daddy’sGirl. The aircraft named such was flown by RayS. Wetmore (21.25 kills). The owner has stampedthe name with a Roman numeral two because hispreviously owned Trenér had the same name.Manufactured in 1973, the aircraft was exportedto Hungary, where it received the HA-SARdesignation and flew there until 1987, when itwas sold to Graz, Austria. There it received theOE-CSA registration and also an attractive livery.It was based in Punitz in 1991, crashed in 1999 andhad another accident in 2001 when the pilot had tomake an emergency landing near Pöttelsdorf afterlosing fuel pressure. Ten years later, on August19, 2022, while taxiing after landing at BreightonAirport (UK) the pilot reported he lost directionalcontrol of the aircraft and subsequently crashedinto an aerobatic Van RV-6 aircraft. The ill-fatedTrenér was then repaired again. In Otrokovice,the right wing and engine cowls were restoredand today the aircraft is flying again. By the way,just a week before the last accident, OM-CSA wasvisiting Nové Město nad Metují in the country ofits origin, i.e., in Czech Republic.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard38October 2023Page 39
Z-526F, s/n 1266, OK-DRB, private, Příbram airfield, Czech Republic, 2020Z 526M, s/n 1006, private, OK-LAC, Czech Republic, 2011This aircraft was produced in 1973 for theRomanian Aero Club and received the registrationYR-ZAN. It was sold in 1992, together with severalother aircraft, to a Belgian commercial pilot GinoLoosen. After an overhaul, the aircraft receiveda new registration OO-MFG and an interestingdark green metallic paint. The biz-jet pilotenjoyed his Trainer until 2011, then, after serviceof it in Otrokovice, he decided to sell it. His wishwas to sell the aircraft back to the country of itsorigin. The current owner had been waiting foran opportunity to purchase the Trenér for sometime and grabbed the offer from Otrokovice. Theaircraft received the OK-DRB registration andsince then the owner has been flying it fromthe airfield in Příbram. He likes to participate inaviation events and fly-ins, so the OK-DRB is oftenseen at various airfields. An interesting feature isits coloring, which it has had since the time of itsstay in Switzerland. The lighter color looks likea very light green metallic in many photos, but itis a grey-silver color that likes to be affected bylight conditions ...This aircraft was manufactured in 1966 as thefirst production two-seat Z-526 and was soldto Germany the same year, where it flew as theD-EGED. It was then sold off to Spain (SE-XFE), butreturned to Germany in 1998, where the originalWM 6-III engine was replaced with an M-137A.The aircraft was given the registration D-EHWJand served at Flugschule Stahnke. There it alsocompleted a take-off accident with the landinggear retracted while still on the ground. After it,the aircraft underwent an overhaul in Otrokoviceand was converted to Z-526M version. The well-known acrobat Klaus Lenhart purchased it afterthe aircraft was replaced in the school’s fleet bythe newer Z-526F. Klaus was the youngest son ofthe founder of LEKI company and CEO since 1984.He was an aerobatic pilot, participated in manycompetitions with for example the Extra 300Lspecial. Since 1992, most of the LEKI productshave been manufactured by Novasport, a Tachovcompany founded by Klaus Lenhart and so hisZ-526M was registered in the Czech Republic asOK-LAC. The aircraft was operated by the KarlovyVary Air Sports Centre where OK-LAC reachedits resurs. It was subsequently dismantled andstored. In 2012 Klaus Lenhart died in a planecrash, just one day before his 57th birthday (April30, 2012). A year later, the aircraft was sold toprivate owner in Germany and its further fate isunknown today.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard39October 2023Page 40
Recommended:for Z-526 Trenér Master 1/48648729 Z-326/526 wheels (Brassin)3DL48139 Z-526 Trenér Master SPACE (3D Decal Set)D48097 Z-126/226/326/526 cockpit placards (Decal Set)EX983 Z-526 Trenér Master TFace (Mask)OVERTREES#82183XZ-326/526Trenér Master1/48Product pageOVERLEPT#82185-LEPTZ-526 Trenér MasterPE-Set 1/48Product page#648729#EX983#D48097#3DL48139KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard40October 2023Page 41
1/72ALBATROSThe Limited edition kit of the Czechoslovak subsonic jet trainerL-39 Albatros in 1/72 scale. The kit offers the possibility to buildAlbatros L-39C, L-39ZA and L-39 ZO versions of Czechoslovak,Czech and international users.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 10decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: no#2109Product pageDUAL COMBOKITS 10/2023INFO Eduard41October 2023Page 42
L-39ZA, s/n 232433, 222 Training Squadron, Náměšť nad Oslavou AFB,Czech Air Force, Czech Republic, 2008–2010L-39C, pplk. Ing. Ivan Chvojka, Sliač AFB, Slovak Air Force,Slovakia, 1991–2004The first flight of the Albatros with serial number232433 took place on November 24, 1982, withPánek and Křemen pilots in the cockpit. OnDecember 13, the military administration tookover the aircraft. It was incorporated into the30 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment in HradecKrálové on December 23, 1982, and later movedto Pardubice. By the late 1980s, it was assignedto the 8 Fighter-Bomber Air Regiment in Mošnov,later Brno-Tuřany, where it was used primarilyin the AA role against the slow and low altitudeflying targets. After the 8 Fighter-Bomber AirRegiment was disbanded, the aircraft wastransferred to various units. In 2003, it underwenta major overhaul in LOZ České Budějovice. It waslater integrated into the 221 Tactical Squadron atthe 22 Air Base in Náměšť nad Oslavou. In 2008,the aircraft was selected for a special paintscheme to celebrate the 40th anniversary of thefirst L-39 flight. The anniversary livery depictedan albatross in flight on the right side, while theleft side featured the image of Jan Vlček, the headdesigner of L-39, along with his signature. Theanniversary Albatros was showcased at variouspublic events. It was eventually assigned to the222 Training Squadron at Náměšť nad OslavouAir Base. Its last flight occurred on November25, 2010, after which it was retired. In 2013, itwas transported to Čáslav by land and latertransferred to the Kbely Aviation Museum afterfour years of storage in Čáslav after loggingimpressive 3,545 flight hours.The aerobatic team “Biele Albatrosy” (WhiteAlbatrosses) performed their shows flying L-39Albatros aircraft manufactured by Aero Vodochody.The team operated from 1991 to 2004. Initially, theypracticed flying in a trio formation and made theirfirst public appearance with six aircraft in May1991. By the end of 1991, the team adopted thename “Biele Albatrosy”. In the summer of 1992, allsix aircraft received a new Slovak national colorscheme, replacing the original camouflage. From1995, the team operated as six-aircraft formationwith seventh solo which filled the gaps betweenthe group’s display passes. The Biele Albatrosyachieved success not only in the Czech Republicand Slovakia but also at the international air showsin countries including England, France, Denmark,Italy, Hungary, and the Netherlands. The team wasled by military pilot Ivan Chvojka.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard42October 2023Page 43
L-39C, s/n 530443, High Military Aviation School, Košice AB,Czechoslovak Air Force, Czechoslovakia, 1974L-39C, No. 0448, 1 Tactical Squadron, 4 Special Forces, Czech Air Force,Čáslav, Czech Republic, 2002In military aviation training, the subsonic jettrainer L-39 Albatros plays an indispensablerole. The first flight of the prototype X-02 tookplace on November 4, 1968. The CzechoslovakPeople’s Army logically became the first user ofL-39 aircraft. At that time, the Military AviationCollege in Košice (VVLŠ SNP) provided trainingfor military pilots throughout Czechoslovakia.The early series L-39C aircraft were deliveredwith a white upper fuselage. The lower fuselageand entire wings were in a gray color. The stripeahead of the cockpit was in cabin gray. Coloraccents on the aircraft were in red. In 1978,the aircraft with serial number 0443 was partof the VVLŠ SNP Košice aerobatic team. Afterthe dissolution of Czechoslovakia, the aircraftserved with the renowned Slovak aerobatic teamBiele Albatrosy (White Albatrosses). In 2012,it underwent modernization to the CM version.On April 1, 2004, a new organizational unit of LOMPRAHA company, the Center for Aviation TrainingPardubice (CLV), was established. This unit leasedeight L-39C aircraft with serial numbers 0103,0113, 0115, 0440, 0441, 0444, 0445, and 0448 fromthe Czech Armed Forces for the advanced trainingof military pilots. Since 2008, LOM PRAHA hashad these aircraft under its asset managementrights. The Center for Aviation Training LOMPRAHA has trained 90 proficient military pilots onL-39C aircraft for the Czech Republic Army sinceits establishment. Additionally, as per customerrequirements, 15 foreign pilots have undergonethe training. During the years 2015–2016, theR3 revision was completed. This representedthe highest level of maintenance in the entiretechnical lifespan of the modified L-39C aircraftat the Pardubice CLV. These Albatros aircraft canbe easily recognized by their darker semi-glosscamouflage and, most notably, by their round“low-vis” national markings. The depicted aircraftwith serial number 0448 still bears its originalcamouflage that it had while serving with the1 Squadron of the 4 Tactical Air Base at ČáslavAir Base.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard43October 2023Page 44
L-39CM, s/n 915301, 2 Fighter Squadron, 31 Fighter Wing, Slovak Air Force,Sliač AFB, Slovakia, 2012L-39C, Iraq Air Force, Iraq, 1986The Albatros with serial number 5301 isa modernized CM variant operated by the2 Fighter Squadron of the combined wing basedat Sliač AFB. Before the modernization, it carriedthe number 0443 (s/n 530443) and was a well-known aircraft belonging to the Biele Albatrosyteam. In 2012, the aircraft underwent a majoroverhaul during which it received a new graycamouflage. As part of the new scheme, thesilhouette of the cockpit was included on theunderside. After the modernization, it receiveda new serial number 915301 and the nationalmarkings were applied to commemorate the 90thanniversary of the birth of famous Czechoslovakpilot S/Ldr Otto Smik. Currently, only threeL-39CMs (5252, 5253, and 5301) are in operation;the remaining two were retired in 2011.After the USSR, Iraq became the second foreignuser of L-39 aircraft and the first customer toreceive the ZO version. Iraqi L-39Cs were used inflight schools in Rashid and Tikrit.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard44October 2023Page 45
L-39C, s/n 533229, No. 129, Ukrainian Air Force, Vasilkov AB, Ukraine, 2008L-39X-11, Aerosalon Paris, France, 1977After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, around530 L-39 aircraft remained in Ukraine accordingto several sources. The poor financial situationof the entire military significantly reduced theirnumber, and by 2005, fewer than 200 aircraftwere airworthy. The rest of the Albatroses is instorage and available for potential sales.The prototype L-39X-11 (L-39ZO, OK-HXA, 3911,OK-190) was adorned with a white-gray-bluecamouflage and shortly thereafter exhibited(equipped as ZO version) at the Paris Air Show,where it earned the nickname “Pařížanka”(Parisienne) due to its non-standard coloring.Aircraft from Aero participated multiple timesat the prestigious European airshow held atLe Bourget near Paris since 1977, but the firstinternational presentation of the Albatros wascertainly exceptional. In Paris, it was displayedwith a photo container on the left inner pylon alongwith a symmetrical placement of a large (350-liter)drop tank, thus showcasing the aircraft’s expandedusage – this time for aerial reconnaissance.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard45October 2023Page 46
OVERTREES#7040XL-391/72Product pageOVERLEPT#2109-LEPTL-39 PE-Set1/72Product pageL-39ZA/ART, s/n 365504, Chiang Mai AB, Royal Thai Air Force,Thailand, 2014L-39ZO, s/n 831135, Lt. Laszló Goron, 59th Szentgyörgyi Dezsö Airbase,Kecskemet, Hungary, August 2007The Royal Thai Air Force operated L-39ZA/ART aircraft at two airbases. The majority ofthem were stationed at Korat Air Base in thecentral part of Thailand, which serves as anRTAF showcase, hosting foreign delegationsand conducting joint exercises with neighboringcountries. The second base was Takhli, locatedabout 200 km to the west, where the aircraftwere used for operational flights. The L-39ZAaircraft were initially used by the 101 and 102Squadrons in Korat, then by the 401 Squadron inThakli, and the 411 Squadron in Chiang Mai. TheRTAF received a total of 40 L-39 aircraft by 1994,with about five lost in accidents. On the occasionof anniversaries, some aircraft were presentedin special liveries featuring emblems of all foursquadrons. On March 31, 2021, the Royal Thai AirForce held the ceremony on the occasion of theAero L-39ZA/ART retirement from the active duty.The last operator was the 411th Squadron, 41stWing, based in Chiang Mai.On the request of foreign clients, the L-39C wasdeveloped into the L-39ZO between 1973 and1976. Among other modifications, the ZO versionwas given four wing pylons with a strengthenedstructure and landing gear. In 1994 Hungaryreceived 24 aircraft from Germany for thesymbolic price of one DM. The last of these aircraftretired in the fall of 2009. Aircraft coded 135 wascamouflaged on the upper and side surfaces inshades of brown and green while the undersideswere in light blue. In 2007, under the guidanceof Crew Chief MSgt. Lajos Molnar, the aircraftacquired an attractive sharkmouth design andthe vertical tail surfaces received the Hungariannational colors. The airfield from which thisaircraft flew was named after Dezső Szentgyörgyi,the most successful Second World War Hungarianpilot with twenty-nine confirmed kills.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard46October 2023Page 47
1/48HRÁBĚThe Limited edition kit of the Soviet single-seat, twin-engine jet colse air support aircraftSu-25K (NATO codename Frogfoot) in 1/48 scale. The kit offers possibility to build Su-25Kin camouflage and markings of the Czechoslovak, Czech and Slovak air Force.plastic parts: Eduardmarking options: 10decals: EduardPE parts: yes, pre-paintedpainting mask: yesresin parts: yes, air brakes early,cannon muzzles, wheels, air inlets,canopy strut#11176Product pageKITS 10/2023INFO Eduard47October 2023Page 48
9013, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Force Base, Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, summer 19965007, 30 Fighter Bomber Regiment, Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia, April 1984In the summer of 1991, the most interesting CzechSu-25K in terms of coloration was the aircraftnumber 9013. The unusual color scheme with apainting of a frog destroying a tank by a hammerwas based on the NATO code name of Su-25:Frogfoot. Arpád Molnár was the main personbehind this design, the drawing of the frog wasmade by Ladislav Váňa. The aircraft was madefamous thanks to numerous displays flown bymajor František Tabačko and later also by kpt.Martin Hejra. The color job was done with basicgrey primer. While yellow paint was bought ina local drugstore and brown and both greenswere the colors used for camouflage paints ofthe aircraft shelters and other buildings on theair base. The drawing of the frog was done withHumbrol paints using a modeler spray gun.One of the first delivery batch of eight Su-25Ksin their original form, i.e., with black fuselagenumbers. The aircraft were delivered from theUSSR with national insignia only, numbers wereapplied after acceptation by Czechoslovak AirForce. Aircraft of the series 5 and 6 were notequipped with lateral control boosters, i.e.,control of the ailerons. Therefore, they wereequipped with large trim tabs on the ailerons.The black fuselage numbers were difficult toread on the dark camouflage colors and weretherefore outlined in white. Subsequently, theywere painted in full white. While still with blacknumber, the aircraft was shiny new and did notsport any signs of wear.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard48October 2023Page 49
Various nose arts appeared on the CzechoslovakSu-25Ks. The first attempts were just quickly andeasily removable chalk drawings. Such a drawing,the silhouette of a seated girl with a screwdriver,was sketched on this aircraft as well, and asthere were no objections from the commandingofficers, it was decided to paint colorful andmore durable nose art. Aircraft engineer AntonínFidranský decided to create a drawing of a girland a shark’s mouth by washable colors. Also,the emblem of the 30 Attack Aviation Regiment,last used on the MiG-15bisSB, appeared on thisaircraft. The painting of “Anča” (Annie) as theaircraft was named, probably occurred on theweekend of August 20 and 21, 1988, just beforethe planned live ammunition gunnery exercise.But the taxiing accident of aircraft No. 1008dashed any hope of getting the “Anča” into the air,because the incident was followed by the arrivalof the AAIC (Aircraft Accident Inquiry Comission).Due to that, the paintwork was quickly washedout to avoid any unwanted interest from theAAIC. This aircraft was manufactured on October18, 1984, and first flown in Czechoslovakia onJanuary 18, 1985. The last flight was conducted onMay 27, 1998. When discharged, the aircraft had917 hrs logged and 15 mins of flight time. Afterits retirement it was sold to the USA on April 10,2004.6019, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czechoslovakia, August 19881002, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czech Republic, May 1993Aircraft of fuselage number 1002 changed itscamouflage and markings several times. In May1993, it underwent a revision of R-1 level at theČáslav Aircraft Repair Base and a distinctiveshark’s mouth, red trim on the white fuselagenumber and a large 30 Attack Aviation Regimentinscription on the directional stabilizer wereapplied. Less than a year later, the entire verticalfin and rudder were painted in tricolor livery withLubrifilm company advertisement. This Su-25Kwas manufactured in Tbilisi on May 15, 1987, andlanded at the Pardubice base on June 27 of thesame year. It was one of the aircraft that weretransferred to the air base in Náměšť in 1994. In1996 it was overhauled and discharged in 2001after a total flight time of 703 hrs and 43 mins.The aircraft was sold to a new user in 2003.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard49October 2023Page 50
1002, 30 Attack Aviation Regiment, Pardubice, Czech Republic, June 19941002, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť and Oslavou, Czech Republic, May 1996The lack of funds for participation on the airshowswas solved by the Display Team members bysponsorship. One of the aircraft “decorated” withsponsor’s decals was Su-25K No. 1002, whosedisplay “sorties” were supported by Lubrifilmcompany. The No. 8077 aircraft was similarlymodified. The spraying and painting of the 1002had its premiere during Pardubice airshow on May21, 1994. The next 1002 appearance took place atthe Aviation Days in Náměšť nad Oslavou on June11 and in České Budějovice a week later, on June18,1994. Not everyone liked such a sponsorshipand after interpellations from politicians, theMinister of Defense banned all advertisingactivities on military aircraft. Therefore, in July1994, the advertising stickers were removed,leaving only the colored SOP. The 1002 flew in thisdesign until the end of 1994. To finish Your modelin this state of markings, do not use No. 45 decaland use Nos. 48; 49; 107; 108 for the tail verticalsurfaces.The next reincarnation of the Su-25K number 1002was named “Shark”. Already at the end of 1995,the technicians of the 322 Squadron expressedtheir wish to have the fuselages of the twoaircraft painted in a special color scheme, andJan Martinec began to prepare graphic designs.The painting was carried out in the week fromMay 13 to 17, 1996, and finally the new coloringwas applied on whole aircraft. The ceremonialroll out took place on Friday May 17, 1996 and theaircraft subsequently made number of displays.Kpt. Ladislav Oslanský flew it at CIAF 2000, whichwas the last display of the aircraft on domesticairshows.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard50October 2023Page 51
8076, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, May 19968080, 322 Tactical Squadron, 32 Tactical Air Base Náměšť nad Oslavou, Czech Republic, 1997Along with the 1002, the 8076 was also painted ina special livery. In its case, it was an applicationof the eagle motif that the 322 TS had as itsemblem. The implementation of this coloring tookonly three days from May 15 to 17. The aircrafthad the original camouflage in good conditionand so received only the nose paint job and, aswas customary, the auxiliary tanks were alsodecorated accordingly.Aircraft of the 322 Tactical Squadron graduallyreceived graphic symbols on their vertical fins,which helped to identify the aircraft quicklyeven if the fuselage number was not visible. Thenumber 8080 received two crossed white stripeson the green plastic cover of the top of the fin. Thefront sides of the engine nacelles already sportedthe squadron insignia with a stylized eagle. Thecolors were already very weathered.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard51October 2023Page 52
8074, 2 Squadron, 33 Fighter Bomber Wing, Air Base Kuchyňa, Slovakia, April 19971027, 3 Fighter Bomber Regiment, Trenčín airfield, Slovakia, August 1994In 1993, the 8074 was fitted with a “fire” motifthat earned it the nickname “Flamingo”. It wasfirst presented to the public in this form at the1993 SIAF Air Show in Košice. After the division ofthe Czechoslovakia, the newly formed 3 FighterBomber Aviation Regiment of the Slovak Air Forcehad its base at the Kuchyňa airfield, but since itwas already occupied by MiG-21, Su-22 and L-29aircraft, the Su-25Ks were based at the Trenčínairport, right next to the aircraft repair facilities.On January 1, 1993, the Su-25 squadron wasreorganized and transferred to the 2 CombinedAviation Regiment in Piešt'any, becoming its1 squadron. It moved from Trenčín to Kuchyňaairfield on September 27, 1994 and became the2 squadron of the 33 Fighter Bomber WingMalacky on January 1, 1995 in the process of thesecond reorganization.The Slovak Su-25K named “Bizon” (Buffalo) becamethe most attractively colored Slovak aircraft ofthe type. The design was created by Pavol Homerand Jozef Horváth. Preparations started on July17, 1994 and the “Bizon” flew for the first time onJuly 28 and 29 with the unfinished paint job. It wascompleted on August 14 and it was presented inpremiere at the SIAF 1994 Air Show on August 21in Bratislava. The “Bizon” was the only Su-25 thatalso bore the emblem of the 1 Technical Squadron.After completing its service in the Slovak Air Force,the aircraft was sold in 2004 to Armenia.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard52October 2023Page 53
Recommended:for Su-25K 1/48491277 Su-25 (PE-Set)FE1277 Su-25 (PE-Set)FE1278 Su-25 seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)BIG49337 Su-25 (PE-Set)644166 Su-25 LööK (Brassin)644175 Su-25 LööKplus (Brassin)648764 Su-25 ejection seat PRINT (Brassin)648780 Su-25 wheels (Brassin)3DL48070 Su-25 SPACE (3D Decal Set)ER48005 Su-25 raised rivets & surface details (3D Decal Set)EX859 Su-25 TFace (Mask)OVERTREES#11176XSu-25K1/48OVERLEPT#11176-LEPTSu-25K PE-Set1/48Product page#644178#491277#FE1277#3DL48070KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard53October 2023Page 54
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S-199.165, 1 Squadron, 18 Aviation Regiment, Plzeň-Skvrňany, Czechoslovakia, July 1952S-199.444, 2 Squadron, 1 Aviation Regiment, 3 Air Division, Praha-Kbely,Czechoslovakia, April 1951S-199.156, 3 Squadron, Air Regiment 8, 3 Air Division, Brno-Černovice,Czechoslovakia, June 1949This aircraft was test-flown at the end of October1948 by the factory pilot Petr Široký and onNovember 23 it was flown to the designatedPilsen Aviation Regiment 4. On March 19, 1950, theaircraft was damaged, subsequently repaired andreassigned to the unit in mid-July of the same year.From April 1952 it was used by the 1 Squadron ofthe 18 Aviation Regiment at the Plzeň-Skvrňanyairfield. On July 23, 1952, this Avia, codenamedPS-15, was flown by Lt. Vladislav Petráš who wasperforming a training flight. During it, a technicalmalfunction occurred, and the pilot had to makean emergency belly-landing near Trhové Dušníky,Příbram district. In such a landing, the aircraftsuffered only minor damage, especially to thepropeller blades and was subsequently repaired.The aircraft serial number 444 was test-flown byfactory pilot Antonín Kraus on September 5, 1949and from the end of August 1950 it served with theAviation Regiment 1. In April 1951 it was operatedby its 2 squadron in Prague-Kbely, where it borethe designation JW-38. On April 21, 1951, the pilotof this aircraft, rt. (TSgt) Jiří Klempíř crashed atthe Letňany airfield as the aircraft bounced ona terrain wave and fell from the height to theground during take-off. The short career of this“Mezek” (Mule) was ended in mid-June 1951, whenthe operation was accountably terminated, andthe aircraft was subsequently scrapped.The Avia S-199 number 156 was produced in thesummer of 1948 and was assigned to the 3 AirDivision in mid-November. In June 1949, it wasstationed with Aviation Regiment 8 at the Brno-Černovice airfield. The code designation NP-2hints it was the aircraft of the 3 Squadron. Theaircraft was painted by light gray-green colorshade and had the front part repaired witha darker shade of green paint. On June 10, 1949,the pilot, rt. (TSgt) Jan Dočkal damaged it duringlanding at his home airfield. After repair, theaircraft was then assigned to Aviation Regiment3. This “Mezek” (Mule) had machine guns in thewing installed. On March 18, 1952, it was destroyedduring take-off.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard55October 2023Page 56
SS810 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend (PE-Set)672284 S-199 exhaust stacks PRINT (Brassin)672285 S-199 wheels PRINT (Brassin)672289 S-199 cockpit bubble canopy PRINT (Brassin)672293 S-199 4xETC 50 rack w/bombs (Brassin)672294 S-199 engine PRINT (Brassin)3DL72008 S-199 SPACE (3D obtisk)D72038 S-199 Czechoslovak national insignia (Decal Set)D72040 S-199 Czechoslovak stencils (Decal Set)CX652 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend (Mask)Police Air Patrol, Brno/Olomouc, Czechoslovakia, 1949The Police Air Patrol of the Security Air Force(until mid-December 1947 the National SecurityAir Force) used this aircraft at Brno or Olomoucairports. At the time of its service with thePolice Air Patrol, it bore the standard livery ofthis air force, i.e., light grey paint on the uppersurfaces and dark grey on the lower surfaces,complemented by scarlet paint on the nose andleading edge of the wing. Also, the horizontal tailsurfaces were the same color. The reconstructionof the color scheme was based on photographsof similar aircraft as no photographs of the OK-BXK have survived. The serial number is stillunknown, but could probably be 201, 410 or in therange 414 to 416. There is full range of the digitsfor creating any number.Recommended:for S-199 bubble canopy 1/72#672289#672284#672294#672293KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard56October 2023Page 57
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BuNo. 1883, VF-72, USS Wasp (CV-7), December 1940BuNo. 3976, Lt. Cdr. John S. Thach, CO of VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942The first production batch of Wildcats, a totalof 49 aircraft, was delivered in a pre-war colorscheme. This means that the fuselage and lowerwing surfaces were painted in aluminum color,while the upper wing surfaces were paintedyellow. Insignias on the wings were placed in allfour positions, and on the fuselage, they wereeither painted on the nose or on the enginecowling. The insignia position indicated theneutral status of these aircraft. The affiliationto individual ships was determined by the colorof the tail surfaces. Aircraft with black coloringbelonged to the aircraft carrier USS Wasp(CV-7). Stripes on the wings and the coloring of thefront part of the engine cowling identified whichsection within the unit the aircraft belonged to. Inthe case of red coloring, it was the first section,and if the machine had the entire front part ofthe engine cowling and a stripe on the fuselagepainted in the section color, it was the leader'smachine of that section. This Wildcat served withVF-72 between the years 1940 and 1941. Fromthe deck of USS Wasp (CV-7) and the groundbase at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, it participatedin Neutrality Patrols, which were meant toensure the neutrality in the coastal waters ofthe United States and the Caribbean, as declaredby President Roosevelt on September 4, 1939. Itwas lost on May 8, 1942, during the Battle of theCoral Sea, where it operated from the deck of USSYorktown (CV-5) as part of VF-42 squadron.John Smith Thach was born on April 19, 1905, inPine Bluff, Arkansas. After graduating from theNaval Academy in 1927, he spent two years ofservice on battleships and began pilot training inFebruary 1929. He earned his pilot wings in 1930.During the 1930s, he served in various units, andin June 1939, he was assigned to VF-3, whichhe commanded from December 1940. This unitwas embarked on the USS Lexington (CV-2) onFebruary 10, 1942, as part of Task Force 11, withthe target of Rabaul.Flying boats Kawanishi H6K Mavis were searchingfor the task force, and eventually, they succeededin locating it. The Japanese spotted the convoyand dispatched a total of 17 G4M Betty bombersagainst it. "Jimmy" Thach, piloting his personalaircraft Fox-1, managed to shoot down one of thereconnaissance seaplanes during the morningpatrol, achieving the squadron's first victory. Theattack of bombers launched from Rabaul occurredaround 16:30, and Thach, now flying Fox-13, led alloperational Wildcats of the squadron against theattackers. The result was 15 shot-down Bettys,and he personally claimed two victories. The lastcombat action Lt. Cdr. Thach participated in wasthe Battle of Midway, where he, as the squadronleader, shot down four Japanese planes (3 × A6MZero, 1 × B5N Kate). Later in the war, he served asthe operations officer under Vice Admiral John S.McCain, the commander of Task Force 38. Afterthe war, John Thach served as a commandingofficer of aircraft carriers, and in the 1960s, heheld high staff positions. He retired in May 1967with the rank of Admiral and passed away onApril 25, 1981. His Wildcat was camouflagedwith Light Gray FS 36440 on the undersurfaces,and Blue Gray FS 35189 on the upper and sidesurfaces. The insignia on the rear fuselage andfour positions on the wings were accompanied by13 red and white stripes on the rudder.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard58October 2023Page 59
BuNo. 3986, Lt. Cdr. Edward H. O’Hare, VF-3, USS Lexington (CV-2), April 1942BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942Edward Henry O’Hare was born on March 13, 1914,in St. Louis, Missouri. After graduating from theUS Naval Academy in 1937, he was commissionedas an Ensign and assigned to the battleship USSNew Mexico (BB-40). In June 1939, he began flighttraining, which he successfully completed in May1940. Then he was transferred to VF-3, basedon the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3). Hebecame famous for his actions in February 1942when, during the approach to Rabaul on NewBritain, the position of Task Force 11 led by theaircraft carrier USS Lexington (CV-2), on whichVF-3 was stationed at that time, was exposed. TheJapanese dispatched two groups of Betty bomberstoward the task force. Only "Butch" O’Hare and hiswingman confronted the second group. Lt. O’Hareshot down three Bettys and severely damagedtwo others, disrupting the entire attack. On April10, 1942, for promotional shots, two Wildcats wereprepared: Thach's with the designation F-1 and theaircraft marked F-13, flown by Lt. Noel A. M. Gayler.However, during the filming, newly promoted Lt.Cdr. O’Hare took the place in F-13's cockpit. ThisWildcat was camouflaged with Light Gray FS 36440on the undersurfaces and Blue Gray FS 35189 onthe upper and side surfaces. The insignia on therear fuselage and four positions on the wings wereaccompanied by 13 red and white stripes on therudder. Edward O’Hare did not survive till the endof the war. During a night action on November 26,1943, while flying a Hellcat, he was likely hit andcrashed into the sea. His body was never found,although some witnesses claimed to have seena parachute. Before the war, O’Hare had settledin Chicago, and in 1949, the city named its airportafter him.Since its establishment in September 1925, thisunit underwent several designations. It wasn'tuntil July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated asVMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivationon November 26, 1945. At the time of the attackon Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F-3 Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retainedin service until the beginning of 1943, when ittransitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (nowPago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island,part of the American Samoa archipelago. In Julyof the same year, the unit was relocated to thenewly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in thesame archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year aspart of the defense of this territory, armed withWildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navysquadrons operating from aircraft carriers.Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially servedon the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) andlater, while part of VF-2, participated in the Battleof the Coral Sea. At the beginning of his servicewith VMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, he carriedinsignias with red centers on the fuselage andwings and red and white stripes on the rudder.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard59October 2023Page 60
Recommended:for F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48481086 F4F-3 landing flaps (PE-Set)FE1290 F4F seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)FE1387 F4F-3 Weekend (PE-Set)644171 F4F-3 early LööK (Brassin)648756 F4F 42gal ventral drop tank PRINT (Brassin)648765 F4F-3 cockpit w/ telescopic gun sight PRINT (Brassin)648766 F4F-3 exhausts PRINT (Brassin)648767 F4F-3 wheels early (Brassin)648768 F4F-3 wheels late (Brassin)648769 F4F gun barrels PRINT (Brassin)648770 F4F-3 life raft PRINT (Brassin)648777 F4F-3 cockpit w/ reflector gun sight PRINT (Brassin)648781 F4F seat early PRINT (Brassin)648792 F4F-3 engine early PRINT (Brassin)648793 F4F-3 gun bays PRINT (Brassin)648794 F4F-3 landing flaps PRINT (Brassin)648795 F4F-3 wheel bay PRINT (Brassin)648825 F4F-3 engine mid PRINT (Brassin)648826 F4F-3 engine late PRINT (Brassin)648827 F4F-3A engine PRINT (Brassin)3DL48076 F4F-3 late SPACE (3D Decal Set)3DL48080 F4F-3 early SPACE (3D Decal Set)EX878 F4F-3 TFace (Mask)EX984 F4F-3 Weekend (Mask)BuNo. 3991, VMF-111 Samoa, 1942Since its establishment in September 1925, thisunit underwent several designations. It wasn'tuntil July 1, 1941, that the unit was redesignated asVMF-111, a designation it held until its deactivationon November 26, 1945. At the time of the attackon Pearl Harbor, the pilots of the unit flew F4F-3Wildcat aircraft, which the squadron retainedin service until the beginning of 1943, when ittransitioned to more modern Corsairs. In March1942, the unit was moved to Tafuna Airfield (nowPago Pago International Airport) on Tutuila Island,part of the American Samoa archipelago. In Julyof the same year, the unit was relocated to thenewly built Faleolo Airfield on Upolu Island in thesame archipelago. Here, the unit spent a year aspart of the defense of this territory, armed withWildcats that had seen service with U.S. Navysquadrons operating from aircraft carriers.Wildcat with Bureau Number 3991 initially servedon the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3) andlater, while part of VF-2, participated in theBattle of the Coral Sea. During its service withVMF-111, nicknamed Devil Dogs, it initially boremarkings with red centers and red and whitestripes on the rudder. In photographs takenduring its emergency landing on the sea's surfacein January 1943, the red centers on the markingsare already painted over, and the rudder has beenrepainted with the camouflage color Blue Gray.#648792#648794#648795#648770#648781KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard60October 2023Page 61
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F6F-5, Lt. Fred Prinz, VBF-17, USS Hornet (CV-12), March 1945F6F-5, Lt. Daniel A. Carmichael, VBF-12, USS Randolph (CV-15),April 1945Before the planned landing of the American unitson Okinawa (Operation Iceberg, April 1, 1945)on March 19, 1945 the USN airplanes attackedthe enemy air bases located on the islandsof Kyūshū, Shikoku and southern Honshū andthe naval bases Kure and Kobe. The missionwas to destroy the Japanese ships and aircraftand prevent them from any action against theinvasion forces. One of the units that were toparticipate in this strike was VBF-17 based onthe aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-12). In theformation of twenty Hellcats, with which VBF-17was equipped, flew Lt. Prinz and Lt. Karr. Kōkūtai343 equipped with N1K2-J fighters was launchedagainst the approaching enemy. The dogfighttook place over the ocean. During the surpriseattack on two American pilots Lt. Karr was shotdown while Lt. Prinz’s Hellcat was damaged andthe unit’s commander was destroyed after thecollision with one of the attackers, Kiku-ichiIshikawa. Prinz managed to nurse the damagedaircraft back to Hornet where he landed. Hellcatsparticipating in these missions were marked bywhite-painted noses for the better recognition ofthe friendly aircraft.Washington D.C. native, Daniel ArchibaldCarmichael finished his Bachelor’s studies inthe architecture at Princeton University in 1941.He commenced his pilot’s training with the USNavy in the spring of the following year finishingit in March 1943. After completing the advancedtraining he was assigned to VF-2 from June1943 to October 1944 flying from USS Enterprise(CV-6) and USS Hornet (CV-12). During his VF-2deployment Lt. Carmichael shot down nineenemy aircraft. His next assignment was theUSS Randolph (CV-15) air carrier flight deck fromwhich he flew from January to May 1945 withinthe ranks of VBF-12 achieving another 4 victoriesover the Japanese aircraft. During his VBF-12deployment Lt. Carmichael flew overal blueHellcat nr.59 which carried the white markingsof the aircraft belonging to USS Randolph, on thevertical tail surface, rudder and the ailerons, hisscoreboard was marked under the windshield.KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard62October 2023Page 63
F6F-5K, BuNo 80173, Detroit Air Races, 1951F6F-5, LV Gérard de Castelbajac, Flottile 11F, Haiphong Cat Bi,Indochina, March 1954After WWII all Hellcats were replaced by the moremodern type made by Grumman, F8F Bearcatfighters. Hellcats were gradually transferredto the second line units and reserve squadrons.During 1949-1957 the significant number wasconverted to radio-controlled drones. The flightinstruments were retained for flights betweenthe bases however the aircraft were stripped ofthe armaments and arrestor hooks for aircraftcarrier landings. One of the Hellcats rebuilt tothe drone standard was the airframe BuNo 80173which in 1951 appeared at the Detroit Air Races.It did not participate in the racing however itsunusual coloration attracted the interest of theaviation fans.After WWII France attempted to reinstate itspre-war colony in South East Asia. They wereopposed by the communists led by Ho Chi Minh.Vietnamese National Army together with theFrench Army fought Viet Minh (VietnamesePeople’s Army) until August 1954. The last bigclash was the Battle of Dien Bien Phu where theFrench Naval Air Forces took part, as they didin the prior battles. In this case it was Flottille3F equipped with the SB2C bombers and Flottille11F equipped with Hellcats. Hellcats led byLV Castelbajac flew close airs support missionsand were armed not only with machine guns butalso with unguided missiles and bombs. On March19, 1954 the unit commander crashed this Hellcatnear Cat Bi airport (nowadays the HaiphongInternational Airport). The aircraft was writtenoff but the pilot survived.48585 F6F undercarriage (PE-Set)48588 F6F gun bay (PE-Set)FE454 F6F-5 Weekend (PE-Set)FE1065 F6F-5 seatbelts STEEL (PE-Set)644012 F6F-5 LööK (Brassin)648086 US 250lb bombs (2 pcs) (Brassin)648102 F6F wheels (Brassin)648683 F6F exhaust stacks (Brassin)648747 F6F undercarriage legs BRONZE (Brassin)648798 F6F wheel bays PRINT (Brassin)3DL48069 F6F-5 SPACE (3D Decal Set)D48059 F6F-5 stencils (Decal Set)EX539 F6F-5/5N (Mask)Recommended:for F6F-5 1/48#648798#644012KITS 10/2023INFO Eduard63October 2023Page 64
BRASSINLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for AH-64E in 1/35 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: TakomSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardsand STEEL seatbelts for F-16D in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: KineticSet contains:- resin: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no634042AH-64E Löök1/35 Takom644228F-16D Block 30 LööK1/48 KineticProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard64October 2023Page 65
644231Hurricane Mk.II LööK1/48 Arma HobbyLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboard and STEELseatbelts for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBRASSINCollection of 3 sets for F-4E in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Meng- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels644232F-4E LööKplus1/48 MengProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard65October 2023Page 66
BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for Bf 109K-4 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- exhaust stacksBrassin set - smoke launchers for German WWIIAFV in 1/35 scale. Set consists of 12 launchers of two types.Made by direct 3D printing.Set contains:- 3D print: 12 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no644233Bf 109K-4 LööKplus1/48 Eduard635036WWII German NbKWrf39 smoke launcher PRINT1/35Product pageProduct pageINFO Eduard66October 2023Page 67
BRASSINBrassin set - airbrakes for F-4E in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: MengSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - exhaust pipes for FM-2in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648901FM-2 exhausts PRINT1/48 EduardProduct pageProduct page648907F-4E airbrakes PRINT1/48 MengINFO Eduard67October 2023Page 68
648908F-4E exhaust nozzles PRINT1/48 Meng648909F-4E FOD covers PRINT1/48 MengBRASSINBrassin set - exhaust nozzles for F-4Ein 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: MengSet contains:- 3D print: 6 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - FOD covers for F-4Ein 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: MengSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard68October 2023Page 69
BRASSINBrassin set -tail hook for F-4Ein 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: MengSet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648912F-4E tail hook PRINT1/48 MengBrassin set - refuelling boom for F-4Ein 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: MengSet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648911F-4E refuelling boom PRINT1/48 MengProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard69October 2023Page 70
BRASSINBrassin set - exhaust nozzle for GE F110powered F-16s in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D print.Set contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - exhaust stacks for Hurricane Mk.IIin 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648916Hurricane Mk.II exhaust fishtail PRINT1/48 Arma Hobby648915F-16 exhaust nozzle GE F110 PRINT1/48 KineticProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard70October 2023Page 71
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Hurricane Mk.IIin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels anda tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- resin: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648918Hurricane Mk.II wheels1/48 Arma HobbyBrassin set - exhaust stacks for Hurricane Mk.IIin 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648917Hurricane Mk.II exhaust rounded PRINT1/48 Arma HobbyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard71October 2023Page 72
BRASSINBrassin set - gun barrels for A-10C in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: AcademySet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - airbrakes for A-10C in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: AcademySet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no648920A-10C airbrakes PRINT1/48 Academy648919A-10C rotary gun flash suppressor PRINT1/48 AcademyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard72October 2023Page 73
BRASSINBrassin set - refueling bay for A-10Cin 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: AcademySet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- resin: 1 part (pre-painted)- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: no648922A-10C refuelling bay PRINT1/48 AcademyBrassin set - ejection seat for A-10C in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: AcademySet contains:- 3D print: 6 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no648921A-10C ejection seat PRINT1/48 AcademyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard73October 2023Page 74
BRASSINBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for A-10Cin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AcademySet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yesBrassin set - seat for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no648924Hurricane Mk.II seat PRINT1/48 Arma Hobby648923A-10C wheels1/48 AcademyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard74October 2023Page 75
BRASSINBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-10in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 15 parts- resin: 1 part- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: no648926Bf 109G-10 cockpit PRINT1/48 EduardBrassin set -gun barrels for Hurricane Mk.IIc in 1/48 scale.Set consists of two types of the barrels. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- 3D print: 8 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no648925Hurricane Mk.IIc gun barrels PRINT1/48 Arma HobbyProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard75October 2023Page 76
BRASSINBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109F in 1/72 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 9 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yespre-painted- painting mask: no672328Bf 109F cockpit w/ early seat PRINT1/72 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard76October 2023Page 77
www.eduard.com/bfcBUNNY BUNNY FIGHTERFIGHTERCLUBEduard's special membership club for all modeling enthusiasts!15% Permanent Club discount at Eduard Store – you will receive permanent 15% discount on all Eduardproducts 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 soldproducts, specially made for BFC members.Even better prices at Eduard events stand – do you know that Eduard usually has huge discounts ontheir products at fairs and events all over the world? BFC members will have even higher discount atthese 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 availableto 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 ChampionshipBOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 6, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (two different types of wheels, landing flaps, dust filter witheyelid, intake ring and RP-3 60lb rockets), 3D decals for main and si-dewalk instrument and control panels with photo-etched details andseat belts.BOX CONTENT:Plastic parts, Marking options 4, Decal Set, PE parts, Maska, Brassinparts (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 Eduardproduct in your shopping cart. To apply this discount, the Activation product has to be in your shoppingcart. Activation product is excluded from this calculation.Activation products:Activation products:Tempest Mk. V + T-shirt 1/48MiG-21MF + T-shirt 1/72Page 78
BRASSINCollection of 4 sets for F4F-4 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- engine- gun bays- undercarriage bay- landing flapsAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.SIN648112F4F-4 ADVANCED1/48 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard78October 2023Page 79
BRASSINCollection of 6 sets for Bf 109F in 1/72 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- cockpit- radio compartment- wheels- gun barrels- undercarriage legs BRONZE- exhaust stacksAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately, butwith every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.SIN67221Bf 109F1/72 EduardProduct pageINFO Eduard79October 2023Page 80
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BIG EDAll sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.BIG33155 F-35A 1/32 TrumpeterBIG49380Hurricane Mk.I 1/48 Hobby BossBIG49381Mi-4A 1/48 Trumpeter32886 Remove Before Flight STEEL321011 F-35A33354 F-35A seatbelts STEELJX313 F-35A481113 Hurricane Mk.I landing flaps481114 Hurricane Mk.I gun bays491364 Hurricane Mk.IFE1365 Hurricane Mk.I seatbelts STEEL481113 Hurricane Mk.I landing flaps481114 Hurricane Mk.I gun bays491364 Hurricane Mk.IFE1365 Hurricane Mk.I seatbelts STEELProduct pageProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard90October 2023Page 91
All sets included in this BIG ED are available separately,but with every BIG ED set you save up to 30%.BIG EDBIG49382 F-4E 1/48 MengBIG49383MiG-17F 1/48 AMMOBIG5368USS Missouri BB-63 1/350 Hobby Boss481117 F-4E reinforcement straps & formation lights49103 Remove Before Flight STEEL491358 F-4EFE1359 F-4E seatbelts STEELEX949 F-4E491366 MiG-17FFE1367 MiG-17F seatbelts STEELEX957 MiG-1753292 USS Missouri BB-6353293 USS Missouri BB-63 part 253294 USS Missouri BB-63 part 3Product pageProduct pageProduct pageINFO Eduard91October 2023Page 92
MASKSIT FITS!EX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace1/48 Arma HobbyEX981 Vampire FB.5/91/48 AirfixEX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace1/48 AirfixEX983 Z-526 Trenér Master TFace1/48 EduardEX984 F4F-3 Weekend1/48 EduardEX985 Bf 109K national insignia1/48 EduardEX986 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.111/48 AirfixEX987 HunterFGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace1/48 AirfixCX651 F-35A1/72 TamiyaCX652 S-199 bubblecanopy Weekend1/72 EduardCX653 AC-130J1/72 ZvezdaEX981 Vampire FB.5/9EX981 Vampire FB.5/9EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace EX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFaceEX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFaceEX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFaceEX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFaceEX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFaceEX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFaceEX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFaceINFO Eduard92October 2023Page 93
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RELEASESOCTOBER 2023KITSPE-SETSZOOMSMASKS82185 Z-526 Trenér Master 1/48 ProfiPACK2109 ALBATROS Dual Combo 1/72 Limited11176 HRÁBĚ 1/48 Limited7471 S-199 bubble canopy 1/72 Weekend84193 F4F-3 Wildcat 1/48 ProfiPACK84181 F6F-5 Re-release 1/48 ProfiPACK53298 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 4 1/350 Trumpeter36508 SU-76M 1/35 Zvezda36509 SU-76M fenders 1/35 Zvezda481122 Hunter FGA.9 landing flaps 1/48 Airfix481123 Hunter FR.10 landing flaps 1/48 Airfix481124 Hunter GA.11 landing flaps 1/48 Airfix491382 Hurricane Mk.IIc 1/48 Arma Hobby491384 Vampire FB.5 1/48 Airfix491385 Vampire FB.9 1/48 Airfix491388 Hunter FGA.9 1/48 Airfix491389 Hunter FR.10 1/48 Airfix491390 Hunter GA.11 1/48 Airfix72732 B-29 exterior 1/72Hobby 2000/Academy72733 B-29 bomb bay 1/72 Hobby 2000/Academy73808 F-35A 1/72 Tamiya73811 AC-130J interior 1/72 ZvezdaFE1382 Hurricane Mk.IIc 1/48 Arma HobbyFE1383 Hurricane Mk.IIc seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Arma HobbyFE1384 Vampire FB.5 1/48 AirfixFE1385 Vampire FB.9 1/48 AirfixFE1386 Vampire FB.5/9 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 AirfixFE1387 F4F-3 Weekend 1/48 EduardFE1388 Hunter FGA.9 1/48 AirfixFE1389 Hunter FR.10 1/48 AirfixFE1390 Hunter GA.11 1/48 AirfixFE1391 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 seatbelts STEEL 1/48 AirfixSS809 B-29 seatbelts STEEL 1/72Hobby 2000/AcademySS810 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend 1/72 EduardSS811 AC-130J 1/72 ZvezdaEX980 Hurricane Mk.IIc TFace 1/48 Arma HobbyEX981 Vampire FB.5/9 1/48 AirfixEX982 Vampire FB.5/9 TFace 1/48 AirfixEX983 Z-526 Trenér Master TFace 1/48 EduardEX984 F4F-3 Weekend 1/48 EduardEX985 Bf 109K national insignia 1/48 EduardEX986 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 1/48 AirfixEX987 Hunter FGA.9/FR.10/GA.11 TFace 1/48 AirfixCX651 F-35A 1/72 TamiyaCX652 S-199 bubble canopy Weekend 1/72 EduardCX653 AC-130J 1/72 ZvezdaINFO Eduard94October 2023Page 95
BIG-EDBIG-EDRELEASESBRASSINLöökPLUSBIG SINSPACE634042 AH-64E LööK 1/35 Takom644228 F-16D Block 30 LööK 1/48 Kinetic644231 Hurricane Mk.II LööK 1/48Arma Hobby635036 WWII German NbKWrf39 smoke launcher PRINT 1/35648901 FM-2 exhausts PRINT 1/48 Meng648907 F-4E airbrakes PRINT 1/48 Meng648908 F-4E exhaust nozzles PRINT 1/48 Meng648909 F-4E FOD covers PRINT 1/48 Meng648911 F-4E refuelling boom PRINT 1/48 Meng648912 F-4E tail hook PRINT 1/48 Meng648915 F-16 exhaust nozzle GE F110 PRINT 1/48 Kinetic648916 Hurricane Mk.II exhaust fishtail PRINT 1/48Arma Hobby648917 Hurricane Mk.II exhaust rounded PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby648918 Hurricane Mk.II wheels 1/48 Arma Hobby648919 A-10C rotary gun flash suppressor PRINT 1/48 Academy648920 A-10C airbrakes PRINT 1/48 Academy648921 A-10C ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Academy648922 A-10C refuelling bay PRINT 1/48 Academy648923 A-10C wheels 1/48 Academy648924 Hurricane Mk.II seat PRINT 1/48Arma Hobby648925 Hurricane Mk.IIc gun barrels PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby648926 Bf 109G-10 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard672328 Bf 109F cockpit w/ early seat PRINT 1/72 Eduard644232 F-4E LööKplus 1/48 Meng644233 Bf 109K-4 LööKplus 1/48 EduardSIN648112 F4F-4 ADVANCED 1/48 EduardSIN67221 Bf 109F 1/72 Eduard3DL48136 Hurricane Mk.IIc SPACE 1/48Arma Hobby3DL48137 Vampire FB.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48138 Vampire FB.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48139 Z-526 Trenér Master SPACE 1/48 Eduard3DL72021 Fw 190A-5 SPACE 1/72 Eduard3DL72024 F-35A SPACE 1/72 TamiyaOCTOBER 2023BIG EDEDDIE THE RIVETERBIG33152 CH-54A 1/35 ICMBIG49373 B-24D PART II 1/48 RevellBIG49374 Mi-17 1/48 AMKBIG49375 F-86D 1/48 RevellBIG49376 PV-1 PART I 1/48 AcademyER32002 Double riveting rows 1/32ER48007 Double riveting rows 1/48ER72002 Double riveting rows 1/72INFO Eduard95October 2023Page 96
Sopwith F.1Camel (Clerget)built by Zdeněk Müller#8486BUILT1/48MARKING BINFO Eduard96October 2023Page 97
Product pageBUILTE7232, No. 4 Flying School, Freiston, United Kingdom, 1918This Camel was manufactured by Ruston Proctor& Co Ltd. In September 1918 and was posted to No.4 Flying School in Freiston, where it got colorfulpainting of white and red colors. The upper side ofthe top wing obtained the motif of the rays of risingsun, while upper side of bottom wing got simplestripes of white and red color. The name Dimpswas painted on the left side only probably. The siteof the RNAS Freiston Shores was established in1917 and served as a satellite base for air-weapontraining for nearby RNAS Cranwell. Originally itwas nothing more than a field on area of about80 acres and was originally used for final twoweeks of training of officers on the advancedflying course at RNAS Cranwell. However, itsrole was soon extended, and the airfield wasexpanded and hangars, accommodation blocksand a control tower were built. The airfield wasoriginally known as the RNAS Gunnery Schoolor Armament Training School and then becamethe School of Aerial Fighting and Bomb Droppingwhen the RNAS became amalgamated into thenewly formed RAF in 1918. The name of the schoolthan changed again to the No. 4 School of AerialFighting and Gunnery and was redesignated againas No. 4 Fighting School. The base was disbandedin March 1920.INFO Eduard97October 2023Page 98
ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023634043TBD-1 Devastator LööK1/32 Trumpeter634044MC.202 LööK1/32 Italeri644229F-16D Block 40 LööK1/48 KineticBIG33156 A-20G 1/32 HKMBIG49384 F-16D Block 30 1/48 KineticBIG49385 F-16D Block 40 1/48 KineticBIG49386 F-16D Block 50 1/48 KineticBIG49387 A-10C 1/48 Academy634043 TBD-1 Devastator LööK 1/32 Trumpeter634044 MC.202 LööK 1/32 Italeri644229 F-16D Block 40 LööK 1/48 Kinetic632198 MC.202 wheels 1/32 Italeri648885 A-1J ejection seat PRINT 1/48 Tamiya648904 Bf 109K-4 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard648905 Bf 109K-4 undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/48 Eduard648927 Mi-4 wheels 1/48 Trumpeter648929 Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT 1/48 Arma Hobby648930 Sea King wheels 1/48 Airfix648931 F/A-18E ejection seat 1/48 Hasegawa648932 F/A-18E/F wheels 1/48 Hasegawa648935 Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT 1/48 Eduard648937 UB-32 rocket launchers 1/48672333 F-35A wheels 1/72 Tamiya672334 F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT 1/72 Tamiya672335 F-35A cockpit PRINT 1/72 Tamiya672336 F-35A ejection seat PRINT 1/72 Tamiya672338 Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE 1/72 Eduard672339 Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT 1/72 Eduard672340 Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for plain wings PRINT 1/72 Eduard644234 A-10C LööKplus 1/48 Academy644235 Hurricane Mk.II LööKplus 1/48 Arma HobbySIN648113 FM-2 ESSENTIAL 1/48 EduardSIN648114 Bf 109F 1/48 EduardSIN648116 Su-25 armament 1/48 Eduard/ZvezdaBIG ED (November)BRASSIN (November)LöökPlus (November)BIGSIN (November)LööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for TBD-1 in 1/32 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: TrumpeterSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardand STEEL seatbelts for MC.202 in 1/32 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: ItaleriSet contains:- resin: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noLööK set - Brassin pre-painted dashboardsand STEEL seatbelts for F-16D in 1/48 scale.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: KineticSet contains:- resin: 6 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noPRELIMINARY IMAGESPRELIMINARY IMAGESPRELIMINARY IMAGESINFO Eduard98October 2023Page 99
632198MC.202 wheels1/32 ItaleriON APPROACHBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for MC.202in 1/32 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand a tail wheel (two versions). Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: ItaleriSet contains:- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yes648885A-1J ejection seat PRINT1/48 Tamiya648904Bf 109K-4 cockpit PRINT1/48 EduardBrassin set - the seat for A-1J in 1/48 scale. Seatbeltsare printed together with the seat. Made by direct3D printing. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 5 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109K-4in 1/48 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 16 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noINFO Eduard99October 2023Page 100
ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023648905Bf 109K-4 undercarriage legs BRONZE1/48 Eduard648927Mi-4 wheels1/48 Trumpeter648929Hurricane Mk.II cockpit door PRINT1/48 Arma HobbyBrassin set - the undercarriage legs for Bf 109K-4in 1/48 scale. The legs are made of bronze.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- bronze: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Mi-4in 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plasticparts. Recommended kit: TrumpeterSet contains:- resin: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yesBrassin set - cockppit door for HurricaneMk.II in 1/48 scale. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Made by direct 3Dprinting. Recommended kit: Arma HobbySet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noINFO Eduard100October 2023Page 101
ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023648930Sea King wheels1/48 Airfix648931F/A-18E seat1/48 Hasegawa648932F/A-18E/F wheels1/48 HasegawaBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Sea Kingin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheels andtail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: AirfixSet contains:- resin: 5 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yesBrassin set - ejection seat for F/A-18E in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: HasegawaSet contains:- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F/A-18E/Fin 1/48 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand nose wheels. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: HasegawaSet contains:- resin: 6 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yesINFO Eduard101October 2023Page 102
ON APPROACH648935Bf 109G-4 cockpit PRINT1/48 Eduard648937UB-32 rocket launchers1/48672333F-35A wheels1/72 TamiyaBrassin set - cockpit for Bf 109G-4 in 1/48 scale.Made by direct 3D printing.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 16 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noBrassin set - UB-32 rocket launchersfor 1/48 scale kits. The set consistsof 4 rocket launchers.Set contains:- resin: 12 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: yes- painting mask: noBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for F-35Ain 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand a nose wheel. Easy to assemble, replacesplastic parts. Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yesNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard102October 2023Page 103
672335F-35A cockpit PRINT1/72 Tamiya672334F-35A exhaust nozzle PRINT1/72 TamiyaBrassin set - cockpit for F-35A in 1/72 scale.Made by direct 3D print.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 7 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details:yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noON APPROACHBrassin set - exhaust nozzle for F-35Ain 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D print.Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 4 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: no672336F-35A ejection seat PRINT1/72 TamiyaBrassin set - ejection seat for F-35A in 1/72 scale.Made by direct 3D printing. Easy to assemble,replaces plastic parts. Recommended kit: TamiyaSet contains:- 3D print: 3 parts- decals: yes- photo-etched details: yes, pre-painted- painting mask: noNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard103October 2023Page 104
ON APPROACH672338Bf 109G undercarriage legs BRONZE1/72 Eduard672339Bf 109G-2/G-4 gun barrels PRINT1/72 Eduard672340Bf 109G-2/G-4 wheels for plain wings PRINT1/48 EduardBrassin set - the undercarriage legs for Bf 109Gin 1/72 scale. The legs are made of bronze.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 2 parts- bronze: 2 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - gun barrels for Bf 109G-2 & G-4in 1/72 scale. Made by direct 3D printing.Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- 3D print: 1 part- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: noBrassin set - the undercarriage wheels for Bf 109G-2& G-4 in 1/72 scale. The set consists of the main wheelsand a tail wheel. Easy to assemble, replaces plastic parts.Recommended kit: EduardSet contains:- resin: 3 parts- decals: no- photo-etched details: no- painting mask: yesNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard104October 2023Page 105
ON APPROACHCollection of 4 sets for A-10C in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Academy- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- rotary gun flash supressor644234A-10C LööKplus1/48 AcademyNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard105October 2023Page 106
ON APPROACH644235Hurricane Mk.II LööKplus1/48 Arma HobbyCollection of 4 sets for Hurricane Mk.II in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Arma Hobby- LööK set (pre-painted Brassin dashboards & Steelbelts)- TFace painting mask- undercarriage wheels- seatNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard106October 2023Page 107
ON APPROACHSIN648113FM-2 ESSENTIAL1/48 EduardCollection of 4 sets for FM-2 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- cockpit- exhausts- undercarriage legs BRONZE- undercarriage wheelsAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.NOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard107October 2023Page 108
SIN648114Bf 109F1/48 EduardCollection of 4 sets for Bf 109F in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Eduard- cockpit- engine & fuselage guns- undercarriage wheels- undercarriage legs BRONZEAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard108October 2023Page 109
SIN648116Su-25 armament1/48 Eduard / ZvezdaCollection of 5 sets for Su-25 in 1/48 scale.Recommended kit: Zvezda- Rocket launcher B-8M1- R-60 / AA-8 Aphid- OFAB-250 Soviet bombs- S-24 rocket- UB-32 rocket launchersAll sets included in this BIG SIN are available separately,but with every BIG SIN set you save up to 30 %.BRASSIN 02/2022BRASSIN 02/2022ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard109October 2023Page 110
PE-SETS53299 USS Nimitz CVN-68 part 5 1/350 Trumpeter32486 TBD-1 exterior 1/32 Trumpeter32487 TBD-1 landing flaps 1/32 Trumpeter32488 MC.202 landing flaps 1/32 Italeri321013 TBD-1 1/32 Trumpeter321014 MC.202 1/32 Italeri36510 WWII British Army 30-CWT 4x2 Truck 1/35 Airfix491392 F-14B 1/48 Great Wall Hobby491394 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 Airfix491395 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 Airfix491396 Sea King HU.5 1/48 Airfix491397 Sea King HU.5 cargo seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Airfix72734 AC-130J exterior 1/72 Zvezda73812 AC-130J cargo seatbelts 1/72 Zvezda73813 AC-130J cargo floor 1/72 Zvezda73814 AC-130J cargo interior 1/72 ZvezdaZOOMS33357 TBD-1 1/32 Trumpeter33358 TBD-1 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 Trumpeter33359 MC.202 1/32 Italeri33360 MC.202 seatbelts STEEL 1/32 ItaleriFE1392 F-14B 1/48 Great Wall HobbyFE1393 F-14B seatbelts STEEL 1/48 Great Wall HobbyFE1394 Sea King HAS.1 1/48 AirfixFE1395 Sea King HAS.5 1/48 AirfixFE1396 Sea King HU.5 1/48 AirfixFE1397 Sea King seatbelts STEEL 1/48 AirfixFE1398 Tempest Mk.V Weekend 1/48 EduardMASKSJX317 TBD-1 TFace 1/32 TrumpeterJX318 MC.202 1/32 ItaleriJX319 MC.202 TFace 1/32 ItaleriEX988 F-14B windshield TFace 1/48 Great Wall HobbyEX989 Sea King 1/48 AirfixEX990 Sea King TFace 1/48 AirfixCX654 F-35A RAM panels early 1/72 TamiyaCX655 F-35A RAM panels late 1/72 TamiyaSPACE3DL32020 TBD-1 SPACE 1/32 Trumpeter3DL48140 Hunter FGA.9 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48141 Hunter FR.10 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48142 Hunter GA.11 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48143 F-14B SPACE 1/48 Great Wall Hobby3DL48144 Sea King HAS.1 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48145 Sea King HAS.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL48146 Sea King HU.5 SPACE 1/48 Airfix3DL53013 US Navy ensign & union jack flag SPACE 1/200DECALSD48113 Bf 109K-4 stencils 1/48 EduardEDDIE THE RIVETERER32003 Triple riveting rows 1/32ER48008 Triple riveting rows 1/48ER72003 Triple riveting rows 1/72ON APPROACHNOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard110October 2023Page 111
ON APPROACHFw 190A-7 #82138 1/48WNr. 431007, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of II./JG 1,Störmede, Germany, April 1944Hptm. Rolf Hermichen, CO of I./JG 11,Rotenburg, Germany, March 19446./JG 300, Holzkirchen, Germany, July 1944WNr. 642962, Maj. Hans-Günther von Kornatzki, CO of Sturmstaffel 1,Dortmund/Salzwedel, Germany, early 1944Oblt. Otto Kittel, CO of 3./JG 54, Riga-Skulte,Latvia, August 1944Fw. Klaus Dietrich, Führerjägerstaffel,Rastenburg, Germany, August 1944NOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard111October 2023Page 112
ON APPROACHWUNDERSCHÖNE NEUEMASCHINEN pt.2DUAL COMBO1/72#2143Bf 109G-2/R6, Oblt. Heinrich Ehrler, CO of 6./JG 5,Petsamo, Finland, March 1943Bf 109G-2, WNr. 13670, Hptm. Hermann Graf,CO of 9./JG 52, Tusow, the Soviet Union,September 1942Bf 109G-2/Trop, Oblt. Werner Schroer, CO of 8./JG 27,Rhodos, Greece, November 1942Bf 109G-2, Maj. Heinz Bär, CO of I./JG 77, Comiso, Italy,September 1942NOVEMBER 2023INFO Eduard112October 2023Page 113